Shackleton and Connolly

I have done it again. My reputation for booking plays at the theatre remains in tatters. And it's always the ones that I book with James - I have seen some really great plays with Heather over the years. After the much loathed (by James and Davie) "Quartermaine's Terms" in 2013, and then "Nice Fish" last year (described by James as "the worst play he has ever seen"), I have hit a new low this evening.

When I noticed, months ago, that there was going to be a play at the Tron Theatre about Shackleton's expedition to the Antarctic, I rushed to book seats for James and me. We saw an excellent television film about Shackleton a couple of years ago and found it fascinating. So I expected a play on the subject to be along the same lines. I suppose it was, in a way. Except that there was no dialogue and it was performed entirely in slow moving tableaux of the events. I found the very tiny ship being moved across the stage rather amusing. Shades of Spinal Tap! Bedsheets represented the ice and were moved around the stage by the actors using brooms. At one point we were treated to the silhouette of Shackleton sitting for so long on an object inside his tent that I wondered if it was his potty! The four actors worked their socks off, creating a variety of scenes using tiny models of boats and tents, as well as full size scenery - in that way it was quite reminiscent of "Nice Fish". I'm afraid that I dozed off; it was just so slow and dull - maybe that's what the actors were trying to portray about the long months trekking across the ice. Strangely, James didn't dislike it as much as I did this time!

Anyway when we emerged from the ordeal, James suggested that we have a look at the three new murals of Billy Connolly that have been painted in the city centre to celebrate his 75th birthday. He saw a programme on television about them last night. They are all interesting and very different, based on portraits of him by three Scottish artists - John Byrne, Jack Vettriano and Rachel Maclean. There were other people stopping to look at them and take photos of them too, which was nice. Visiting them somewhat redeemed the evening!