Drama: What's up?
The BT's special project this season is The Attic. The vision is a chilled, acoustic, Sunday night lounge cabaret. So far the highlight is Frei Zinger. corn market busker / Edinburgh fringe regular. But there are still free slots, so if you fancy your chances give the BT a call.
As to drama, once again the BT hosts an unusual, cutting-edge range. The four New Writing plays featured are by old hands like Peter Morris, Mike Flexer and Jack Williams. But the stage manager has not even read the ('possibly as yet unwritten') scripts.. so that is suitably adventurous.
The X-rated Oxford Revue is a first time venture. Heralded as 'dark and dangerous', maybe it will prove a good antidote to the mainstream Oxford Revue, which was slated last term for being staid.
Another good bet may be Bent. It is being staged on its own in 6th week, because the BT felt nothing could compare. Since it 'feeds a pertinent dialogue' about sexual orientation and related issues it is being followed by an unprecedented after-show discussion. It promises to be controversial, but not just for the hell of it.
If so, that will be a relief, given the shameless shock tactics characteristic of many BT shows. This term's productions may all be avant-garde, but they certainly don't merit their claim to 'diversity.' There is an obvious theme to all these plays... you've guessed it... sex. The brochure tries to tempt us with such salacious titbits as: 'sexual awakenings,' casts 'bearing all,' a 'pill-popping slapper,' 'porn,' a 'one night stand,' 'adultery.' You get the message.
The X-rated Oxford Revue hoped to undercut this zeitgeist with a bit of scholarly self-referentiality. Their blurb was supposed to read 'Not suitable for miners.' But the printers took it upon themselves to helpfully change 'miners' to 'minors.' Given the way the script reads I'd say it was an easy mistake to make.
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