Simon Callow leaves familiar territory behind in one-man Edinburgh show
The eminent actor's fringe show, which deals with transgender issues, is a departure from his usual stage interpretations
Charlotte Higgins Chief arts writer
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 7 August 2011 15.42 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/aug/07/simon-callow-edinburgh-tuesdays-tesco (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/aug/07/simon-callow-edinburgh-tuesdays-tesco)
"High heels!" exclaimed Simon Callow, as, a little sore-footed, he sprinted up a set of stairs with a fraction less than his customary vigour. The actor, writer and champion of the one-man show had just come offstage at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh – the very venue in which he made his debut as a professional actor nearly 40 years ago.
This year, however, he is not doing a show about Shakespeare, or by Dickens: territory that has brought him popular success at past festivals. Rather, he is presenting a recent French play about a transgender woman that requires him to be an hour and 40 minutes in makeup before each show. And, despite his departure into unfamiliar and perhaps discomfiting territory, the audiences are still queuing round the block to see one of Edinburgh's favourite performers.
It is, said Callow, at least partly a political play about the acceptance and tolerance accorded to transgender people.