The Occasional Cabaret presents Retour 2014 – for a captive audience – The Taking of Zena Charbonne
Who calls the shots?
Sometimes stuff happens.
We prepare for it, try to avoid it, visualise how to cope. . . But, ultimately, the ‘unknown’ really is the unknown.
For Zena, the wife of Environment Minister, Sir Michael Charbonne, the routine of her life is fragmented one wet February afternoon. Bundled into the boot of a car and then held hostage, she begins to question past certainties. ‘Normal’ slips towards becoming an alien concept as lost dreams re-surface. And leave her wondering what normal really is.
Written by Stewart Ennis, produced and performed by The Occasional Cabaret, The Taking of Zena Charbonne is a beautifully written, often darkly humorous piece which asks the audience to confront what they perceive to be ‘the norm’ and socially acceptable. Through a blistering mix of performance, video and live music, this visceral production explores boundaries – who sets them – and asks what, really, is real?
This is a re-tour of the The Occasional Cabarets autumn tour last year. Funded by Creative Scotland, it follows the hugely successful Scottish & US tours of Apocalypse! (in collaboration with Clancy Productions, New York).
Performed by Catherine Gillard, directed by Peter Clerke and written by Stewart Ennis. All three are founding members of the original, ground-breaking, theatre collective benchtours. With a live cello score by Robin Mason, design by Ali Maclaurin and video by Tim Brinkhurst. Lighting Design Kate Bonney; Production management by Camilla O’Neill; Graphic design by humbucker.co.uk; Photography by marc marnie
Sat 26 April @ 8pm
Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh
Tickets: £12 (£8)
Box office: (0131) 473 2000
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
