Issue 565

Aladdin

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

13 Dec 2006

The pitch Rather more the story of Wishee Washee, a redundant shepherd trying to break into his mother’s laundry business, than of his brother Aladdin who falls foul of the wicked Abanazar after failing to get a magical lamp out of a cave. Amid flying…

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

In with a bang

13 Dec 2006

It will come as no surprise to learn that for director, Adrian Noble the starting point for this stage musical was the film. The original Chitty got so much right, it’s hard to imagine anyone changing it for the better. The film had it all - love…

Cinderella - King's Theatre, Edinburgh

Cinderella

13 Dec 2006

The Pitch Poor old Cinders (Carolyn Gibb), she’s a decent sort of lass, but much put upon by her sisters Trinny and Susannah (Jo Freer, Julie Coombe), who suffer from a chronic inability to confront their own mauketness. Along comes a Prince who talks…

Cinderella - Perth Theatre

Cinderella

13 Dec 2006

The Pitch Pity poor Baron Hardup, as feeble as a bowl of watery broth with a dicky ticker to boot, blitz-fully wedded to arch shrew Dodda Mutton, stepfather to a pair of hideous harpies who could give Lucrezia Borgia a run for her money in the…

Dick McWhittington

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, until Sat 30 Dec

13 Dec 2006

The Pitch All Alice (Katrina Bryan) has ever longed for is Dick. He (Robert Jack) feels some affection for her, too, but he’s got his hands full with his mum (Graham Cramond) who, unusually, has a Pinkie Winkie - Jack’s little brother (Aaron Usher). And…

Festive listings

13 Dec 2006

Go to the what's on listings , click 'gay', choose your city and date and marvel at your festive options.

Green Whale

Green Whale

13 Dec 2006

The pitch Three Edinburgh children stow away on the ‘Big Betty’ whaling ship, hoping to raise money for their poor family. Onboard they meet Nin the merciless hunter, Crill the eccentric captain, Isabella the former Queen of Spain and a mysterious girl…

Hansel and Gretel - Dundee Rep

Hansel and Gretel

13 Dec 2006

The Pitch A kindly but impoverished woodcutter, with aspirations of becoming the next Gordon Ramsay, dwells on the edge of a forest with his hideously deformed, flatulent wife and two children, inch-thick Hansel and plucky Gretel. Keen to get hubby's…

Hansel and Gretel - The Arches

Hansel and Gretel

13 Dec 2006

The Pitch Hansel (Helen Mallon) and Gretel (Isobel Joss) are abandoned in the forest by their evil stepmother (Julie Brown), so that herself and the father (Stewart Ennis) have two less mouths to feed. However, the children prove astute when caught by…

Hitlist

The best theatre

13 Dec 2006

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Delight at the adventures of the marvel car, its winsome passengers and their tuneful voices while you hiss the Childcatcher. Spectacle combines with comedy and music, and the addition of some well-kent Scottish faces makes for a…

Peter Pan

Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, until Wed 24 Jan

13 Dec 2006

The Pitch Thirty-five-year-old man Pan (Cameron-Big Brother-Stout), who definitely won’t be doing more growing, flies into the Darling sibling’s (Stephen Purdon and Laura McMonagle) window and whisks them, Nanny Clyde (Dean Parks) and Nana the dug off…

Pinocchio

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 30 Dec

13 Dec 2006

The Pitch Total ASBO case Pinocchio (James-Anthony Pearson) is a pathological bullshitter, who’s perfectly willing to see Gepetto (Simon Scott), the coffin dodger who fashioned him from wood, do chokey for his ills. He’ll never turn from wood to flesh…

Review of the year

13 Dec 2006

For a good three years before its first shows opened in February of this year, the possible merits and demerits of the NTS, were hotly debated.

Scottish Zine Explosion

13 Dec 2006

Wullie Whittington

Tron Theatre, Glasgow

13 Dec 2006

The pitch Young Wullie Whittington is ready to take the leap from being last year’s understudy to this year’s romantic lead in the self-referential world of the Pantosphere. His chief obstacle is that his singing’s as flat as a pancake and it looks as…

Hogmanay

Another year over

12 Dec 2006

Glasgow, 31 December The Fratellis Homegrown indie anthemics You know you’ve finally arrived when your songs become chants for the intoxicated. Just as the ‘ner-ner ne-ne ner-ner-ner!’ of ‘Take Me Out’ became ubiquitous two years ago now the…

Pick of 2006 - Hot 100

Pick of 2006

12 Dec 2006

I can admit it now: I was a fool to set up the Hot 100. When you think of the broad spectrum of cultural activities that we cover in The List, from film and music through to eating out, shopping and occasionally sport, it’s clear that the number of…

* Hitlist

Hitlist

11 Dec 2006

The Wizard of Oz Victor Fleming's evergreen 1939 adaptation of L Frank Baum's book gets a brand new print so it can be seen as was always intended. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 15 Dec. Read review

A year in the life of Canongate

Turning over a new leaf

11 Dec 2006

2006 has proven to be a tumultuous year for Scotland’s leading independent publisher Canongate. On the plus side, the company became the first Scottish publisher ever to have two novels on the Booker shortlist, Kate Grenville’s The Secret River and…

After Thomas

STV, Tue 26 Dec, 9pm

11 Dec 2006

FAMILY DRAMA It may well be the season to be jolly, but that has never stopped the humbug-riddled TV schedulers from dumping misery, fear and despair upon us from a great height. So, in fine Christmas (and ITV all year round) tradition, After Thomas…

Beano Annual 2007

(DC Thompson)

11 Dec 2006

COMIC ANNUAL It’s pretty much business as usual in Beano-land, you’ll be glad to hear: we open at the ‘Softies Fashion and Fabric Show’ where Walter and a couple of equally flamboyant chums vie for the lead in The Naked Civil Servant. Inside…

Black Sun: The Nankin Massacre - DVD review

Black Sun: The Nankin Massacre

11 Dec 2006

HISTORY/HORROR This is a very weird amalgam of sub-standard video nasty style gore and sanctimonious documentary footage of the Nanking massacre of 1937. The film might have been a genuine exploitation classic, or a horrifically reflective…

Broons 1939 Annual, The

The Broons 1939 Annual

11 Dec 2006

COMIC ANNUAL Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a Broons Annual under the tree and this reproduction of the very first annual from 1939 finds Dundee’s favourite family getting caught in the same situations they have been re-living over and…

Bugsy Malone

Razamataz and splurge

11 Dec 2006

You’ve cracked it this time Captain Schmowlski! 4 stars

Dark Horse

(15) 106min

11 Dec 2006

COMEDY/ROMANCE/DRAMA The first hour of Icelander Dagur Kári’s follow up to Nói Albínói is just as good as his quirky debut. Daniel (Jakob Cedergren) is a graffiti artist who makes money by taking commissions to write girls’ names on walls for men who…