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Popcorn

Verdict: Sharon Tate Massacre remembered

Edinburgh - Sweet at the Crowne Plaza - August 03

Sweet at the Crowne Plaza - Sofa Productions

34 years ago, on the night of 9 August 1969, Charles Manson and his deranged followers slaughtered 8-month pregnant blonde and gorgeous Hollywood actress Sharon Tate, wife of director Roman Polanski, and her friends at 10050 Cielo Drive, Beverly Hills, America. The murderers smeared on walls in their victims' blood the words Pig, War, Death To Pigs, Rise, and Healther Skelter - misspelling a song by The Beatles. The Sharon Tate Massacre inspires this play by Ben Elton.

Popcorn savages the morals of American society. It confronts a director of violent films (Bruce Delamitri) with two mass-murderers (Wayne Hudson, played with conviction, assurance and a finely-contained menace by David Bark-Jones, and his partner Scout - a couple with overtones of Bonnie and Clyde) who claim inspiration from his movies. This echoes Manson's claim to have been driven by messages in The Beatles's songs. Popcorn also examines the American negation of personal responsibility, the wish of Americans to sue others for the consequences of their actions, and their liking for violence.

The current version by Sofa Productions takes place in Sweet at The Crowne Plaza, involving a cast of 12. It's a high-energy production, evoking the frenzy and hysteria that mass-murder most probably involves.

Cast Credits (alpha order): David Bark-Jones (Wayne Hudson). Etta Bell (Scout). Verity Bell (Farrah Delamitri). Mathew Cooper (Karl Brezner, SWAT Team). Audrey David (Kirsten). Jennifer David (Velvet Delamitri). Beverley Hatwell (Brooke Daniels). Adrian Lloyd (Bill). Kyle Lytton (SWAT Team). Nick O'Brien (Bruce Delamitri). Valia Pimenidou (SWAT Team). Francis Thomas (SWAT Team).

Company Credits: Director - Alex Dower. Stage Manager - Laura Vegad. Lighting Operator / Assistant Stage Manager - Rachel Bark-Jones. Sound Operator - Agnes Sorheim. Company - Sofa Production. Writer - Ben Elton.

END

John Park

reviewed Sunday 24 August 03 / Edinburgh / Sweet at the Crowne Plaza

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