Unspotted Snow
Howden Park Centre, Livingston
Three stars
Touring until May 11
Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut
Oran Mor, Glasgow
Four stars
At Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh,
April 30 to May 4
By MARK BROWN
Peter Arnott is one of Scotland’s most prolific and intriguing playwrights. His oeuvre is nothing if not varied, encompassing such diverse subjects as the life and times of a great rock singer (Janis Joplin: Full Tilt) and the cloak-and-dagger world of British espionage (Cyprus).
However, if there is a discernible thread in Arnott’s work it comes from his interest in 19th and early-20th century British history. In dramas such as The Breathing House (which is, perhaps, his best known play) and Shall Roger Casement Hang? he has taken us deep into the moral hypocrisies and political machinations of the higher orders in both Victorian and Edwardian Britain.
On face value, Unspotted Snow, a curious, self-defined “melodrama in two parts”, which is centred on the fate of the Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin in the 1840s, is a different kettle of fish. In this tour by Mull Theatre, Play One is a paradoxically light-hearted (often deliciously witty) drama imagining the final hours of the last three surviving members of Franklin’s large expeditionary force.
The second play is very distinct from the first (not least because it is set in a well-appointed London sitting room, rather than a frozen shore between Greenland and northern Canada). In this piece Arnott returns us to what Harold Pinter might have called the snake beneath the Victorian drinks cabinet.
Orcadian explorer and physician John Rae (Alan Steele on strong, plain-speaking form) has arrived in London with evidence, not only of the death by starvation of Franklin and his men, but also of cases of cannibalism. This brings him into direct conflict with Franklin’s formidable widow Lady Jane (Beth Marshall, impressive as a woman as keen in her political calculations as she is certain in her prejudices).
Steele and Marshall are joined in both plays by Alan Mackenzie, Kirsty Findlay and (the production’s director) Alasdair McCrone, all of whom offer fine performances in various roles. The musical dimension provides affecting moments (including beautiful singing in Play Two by Findlay, in the role of Franklin’s niece Sophia Cracroft).
The lightness of touch (and of humour) in the first play is carried over into the second. However, Play Two veers a little towards the expository, never quite matching the political sophistication of Arnott’s drama about the Irish Nationalist leader Casement.
That said, this pair of contrasting, but connected, dramas make for an interesting and unusual evening’s theatre.
Playing with history of the cinematic rather than political variety is Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut, Morag Fullarton’s much-loved 2010 three-handed farce based upon Michael Curtiz’s iconic 1942 movie. The show returned to the Oran Mor stage as the 500th play to be staged by the Glasgow venue’s famous programme A Play, a Pie and a Pint. It did so having been voted the audience’s favourite production from 15 years of lunchtime theatre.
Most of the production’s winning formula remains resolutely intact. Gavin Mitchell still gives an hilarious, gorgeously exaggerated performance as Rick Blaine (the Humphrey Bogart role in the film), among others. Clare Waugh continues to flit, rapidly and outrageously, between the beautiful Resistance activist Ilsa Lund (played by Ingrid Bergman in the movie) and despicable Nazi officer Major Strasser (whose plans for world domination shift amusingly from Morocco to the northside of Glasgow).
The most significant difference from past incarnations of this comic homage is the absence of excellent actor Jimmy Chisholm, and his replacement by the equally superb Kevin Lennon. Playing an array of characters, including Resistance hero Victor Laszlo and opportunistic Vichy police chief Captain Renault, Lennon slots in brilliantly to a production which demands tremendous pace, dexterity and chutzpah (which the actor has in abundance, not least in the uproarious scene in which he plays Laszlo and Renault at the same time).
Jonathan Scott and Gemma Patchett’s set (a very funny miniaturisation of Rick’s bar, complete with a little wooden stand-in for Sam, the movie’s famous pianist and singer) remains perfectly adapted to the needs of a delightfully fast-paced and affectionate send-up.
For tour dates for Unspotted Snow, visit: comar.co.uk
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here