‘Copenhagen’ is a play by Michael Frayn. It was first produced by the National Theatre in 1988. The play is about a meeting which took place in Copenhagen in 1941 between the physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. Indeed, the only other character in the play is Bohr’s wife, Margrethe.

During the Second World War, the German Heisenberg was part of the rush to develop a nuclear capability. However, was Heisenberg totally convinced that giving Hitler that capability was the right thing to do? If he was, why did he travel to Copenhagen to see his half Jewish teacher and colleague?

Copenhagen was very successful when it first opened both as a London show and on Broadway. It enjoyed a run at the Tabard Theatre in London last year in a production directed by Elly Green.

Copenhagen can now be seen at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh from 17 April to 9 May, this time directed by Tony Cownie. Tony is an associate director at the Lyceum and has won much praise for his previous productions there.

There is a very special pre-show event at the Lyceum on the 23rd of April at 6pm when Michael Frayn will give a talk on the play.

Creative Scotland is the name given to the proposed amalgamation of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen. More than 400 artists including theatre actors and directors have objected to the proposed merger as they believe the new body will be extremely expensive and actually result in a cut to direct arts funding.

The proposal has been put forward by the devolved Scottish government. The artists are further angered by what they see as a lack of consultation with them. They have also pointed out that although there will be a new body, there will be no extra funding.

Approximately 70 organisations have formed the Cultural Alliance and they will now be consulted as they work with the Creative Scotland transition team.

Meanwhile, there is some better news for Scottish theatregoers. The 106 year old Gaiety Theatre was expected to permanently close at the end of the month. However there is now news that three bidders including Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre are hoping to take over the venue on a commercial basis. Alternatively, Ayrshire Arts Network is hoping to establish a trust to protect the venue.

South Ayrshire Council had announced that the building would close on January 31 in order that it can “examine the long-term repair” of the building. It had been suggested that the necessary refurbishment work would cost in the region of £4.5 million.

Hopefully people will be queuing at the Gaiety for their theatre tickets before too long.

Unlimited Theatre was formed in Leeds in 1997 by a group of graduates from the Workshop Theatre at the University of Leeds.

Their latest production is ‘The Moon, The Moon’ which is written by three of the company’s mainstays, Clare Duffy, Chris Thorpe and Jon Spooner, the last of whom will also direct it. The play is described as about loving and losing. It slips between realities. A man doesn’t know whether he is a prisoner or patient, about to be cured or killed.

The play is to tour and starts off at the exciting new venue in Leicester,- The Curve – before touring to Birmingham, Newcastle, Newbury, Liverpool, Leeds and then playing for three weeks at the Southwark Playhouse.

There is another great London show at Theatre 503 in March when they will stage the world premiere of ‘Hallelujah’. It is described as a black comedy about being in the red. This is of course painfully topical during the current credit crunch. It is written by award winning writer Jane Bodie.

It will be directed by Gemma Fairlie who did such a fantastic job on ‘Eden’s Empire’ at the Finborough Theatre. The play will commence previews on the 3rd of March 2009 and run until the 28th of March.

WAITING FOR GODOT TICKETS

Samuel Beckett’s classic ‘Waiting For Godot’ is due to be revived at the Haymarket Theatre and opens 6 May 2009 with previews from 30 April. It is already selling a lot of theatre tickets which is not surprising as the two leads are Ian McKellen as Estragon and Patrick Stewart as Vladimir.

Two further members of the cast have now been announced and they will only make the show even more of a must see.

Simon Callow will play Pozzo. He was last seen in the West End four years ago in ‘The Woman in White’. He has also starred in other West End shows such as ‘The Holy Terror’ and ‘The Mystery of Charles Dickens’. Indeed he seems to have become the actor of choice for playing Charles Dickens having played him on television as well. He was in ‘The Alchemist’ at the National Theatre, but is perhaps best known for his film appearances. These include ‘Room With a View’ and ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’.

He will be joined by Ronald Pickup who will play Lucky. His credits include a long and illustrious career at the National including productions such as ‘Peer Gynt’, ‘Amy’s View’, and ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Indeed his work at the National includes productions from the time when Laurence Olivier was in charge such as ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ and ‘Three Sisters’.