Anna Karenina, Lyceum

 A fast paced and cleverly constructed retelling of the essentials of Tolstoy's classic. Love, passion and existential angst in a crushingly patriarchal society.  The story concentrates on the central relationships - Ann and Vronsky, Levin and Kitty, Stiva and Dolly, and Karenin the outsider, plus the powerful tug of Anna's love for her son Seryozha.  To the fore are the three women, all trying to work within the fine boundaries that society places them within, and frustrated to be so confined by the double standards im posed on them.  

What is better?  To play it safe, even if unhappiness results, or to take risks that can lead to joy or disaster?  How to interpret  the meanings of others, or to get your own point across without being direct?  Love and passion, hate and loathing all mixed into a swirl of well choreographed activity.

Strong performances, notably from Angus Miller as Stiva, who least serious of the characters who flies by the seat of his pants and struggles on from scrape to scrape.  And a set that provides a slow build up in a sense of doom, as Anna's life collapses around her.

It's a clever production, perhaps too clever at times, but the interest never flags and there's no confusion, evben when conversations interlink.  Initially the more modern language, especially the swearing, jars a littrle with the historical context, but soon blends into the action, a reflection of the timelessness of Tolstoy's creations.  Their concerns are still very much our concerns, and that is the most fascinating aspect of an entertaining two hours.

Local Hero, Lyceum

I went into this show with some trepidation.  When one of your all time favourite movies is being moved to the stage it's natural to feel some concern that precious memories will be trampled upon.  And when the chosen genre for this rejigging is the musical, a form I've always found it hard to like, the worries grow.  Reassuringly the creative collaboration behind this offering included the brains behind the original, Bill Forsyth and Mark Knopfler, guided by the theatrical genius that is Davie Greig.  Would they, could they, let me down?

My biggest objection to musicals is their penchant for concentrating on the song and dance elements at the expense of everything that makes theatre worthwhile - plot, characterisation, drama, telling a story the audience needs to hear.  And the opening number, A Barrel of Crude, threatened to sink all my hopes in one go.  It was slick, well choreographed, visual and vacuous.  It was also the last time I felt that way.

The show sticks largely to the plot of the film, with a few changes to suit the stage, but with the iconic telephone box still to the fore.  If you haven't seen the film (why ever not - do so immediately!) it's the story of an American oil company representative, Mac (Damian Humbley) sent to buy up a village in the north of Scotland because the bay it sits on has been identified as the best site for a new onshore processing plant.  The locals, fronted by solicitor/hotelier Gordon (Matthew Pidgeon) are keen to sell up and make their fortunes, but voices are raised over the ethical aspects of the business and Happer (Simon Rouse), flies in to resolve matters, with unexpected results for all.

The original is funny, human, life enhancing.  Greig's script retains all those elements and adds in musicality and movement in ways that feel organic to the production.  After that pretty dire opening number the songs all contribute in adding to plot and/or character.  Maybe Viktor the Russian belting out Lone Star State was an exception, but one that was such a fond memory in the original that to leave it out would have been a kick in the face to fans!

Most intriguing were the changes made to the storyline to adapt to life on the small stage.  Stella (Katrina Bryan), Gordon's wife, plays a much more prominent role here than in film, becoming the primary conscience of the community and of the story.  And of Mac himself, as his professional role is increasingly compromised by his personal feelings. 

The end result is a triumph, faithful to the soul of the original, a visual and emotional treat in itself.  It will have, and deserve, a life of it's own alongside it's renowned progenitor.