Face off

Trumpets and Raspberries by Nobel Prize-winner Dario Fo is at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh this month.

The play takes s a comical look at the kidnap of the head of a large corporation.

The original Italian version, Clacson, Trombette e Pernacci-Claxons, was written in 1980 and featured Fiat corporation head Gianni Agnelli as the victim.

The kidnap goes wrong and results in an accident, which leaves the boss requiring cosmetic surgery to rebuild the face. Confusion surrounds his identity and he is accidentally given the face of one of his kidnappers. On recovering, he finds himself the prime suspect in his own kidnap.

Directed by Tony Cownie, the experienced cast includes Jimmy Chisholm, Steven McNicoll and Kathryn Howden.

Recent productions of Fo’s political satires – including Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay?, Mistero Buffo and Accidental Death of an Anarchist have met with acclaim in Scotland. The playwright’s stated aim was to open the public’s eyes to the injustices of society.

If laughter is the way to right injustices then this latest production should go some way to curing some of society’s ills.

Trumpets and Raspberries is at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, from April 18 to may 10.