NEIL John Gibson believes life as an actor is all about the journey, the chance to enjoy an incredible range of experiences, meet fascinating people, whether working alongside Andrew Scott at the National in London, or Billy Mack in Kirkcaldy.
THERE IS little doubt that Greenock had been crying out for the Beacon Arts Centre – now celebrating its 10th anniversary – in the way a struggling performer craves a spotlight.
AGANEZA Scrooge – now there’s a Tron Theatre acting challenge that’s scarier than Jacob Marley’s ghost.
AMBER Davies offers up a career reflection that’s as a surprising as it is refreshing. The Welsh musical theatre star admits she’s really glad she didn’t land the lead role in stage musical Pretty Woman when she first auditioned four years ago. “I wasn’t ready for the responsibility,” she says of the part of sex worker Vivien. “I went up for it for the original production in town, and when I didn’t get it, I was gutted. I was absolutely heartbroken. But now, at the age of 27, I t
Alyson Orr talks future projects and the arrival of Sunshine on Leith in Perthshire.
BOY George is set to star in this year’s SEC Hydro panto Peter Pan as Hook – and the news will raise eyebrows as high as the 1980s singer’s own carefully constructed hair pelmets.
Playthrough, Oran Mor, A Play, Pie and a Pint, Glasgow, until Saturday.
DIRTY Dancing was of course a 1987 film which sought to confirm George Bernard Shaw’s theory that dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire – legalised by music.
JULIAN Clary, over the years, has become famous (or infamous?) in part thanks to his collection of acid drops, his predilection for producing remarks so cutting they require surgical stitches.Who can forget his 1993 British Comedy Awards joke when he suggested he had been performing a sex act on Norman Lamont? (The tag line, drowned out by laughter, was “talk about a red box”.) And when once asked to focus on the void during meditation, he purred: “I find thinking about Sue Perkins’s career helps.”But can Clary take a little teasing himself? His latest role certainly offers opportunity to find out. The comedian is currently touring with a new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic rock musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, playing Herod. So, you suggest that having revealed hints of messianic behaviour over the years he must have expected to be offered the role of Jesus? “No, in fact I’d hoped I’d be offered Mary Magdalene,” he says, in perfect deadpan voice. “I really fancied singing Mary’s songs.”His unmistakable dry voice becomes a little more serious. “No, what happened was I’d seen this production at the Barbican a year before and I thought it so amazing I really wanted to be a part of it. It’s just so special.”But how do you play Herod, a role which has been performed in the past by the likes of Alice Cooper and Chris Moyles? The King of Judea was considered to be the greatest builder of his era, but he was also a tyrant. “Well, it’s not really a challenging role for me,” Clary says, “even though he is sort of evil. You see you are allowed to bring yourself to the part so it’s me being Herod, if you see what I mean.”
I, Daniel Blake, The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, October 17-21.
