Ask people what they know about Philip Larkin, and the general best response may well be โa poetโ. They may even know he was a librarian at the University of Hull. Some may even know he coined a phrase concerning the effect of oneโs parents upon one โ a rather rude quote, far too rude to be spelt out here in Devizine obviously. What they โ or you โ may not know though is that he had thirty plus years polyamorousโฆ arrangementsโฆ with three women none of whom were overjoyed at sharing him but couldnโt let him go. Or at least, that is the wonderful picture painted by playwright Ben Brown in his play โLarkin with Womenโ which Next Stage Theatre Company are performing this week at the Mission Theatre, Bath.
This is a sumptuous work,. Deliciously delivered in a simple in the round setting of office, flats and a weekend cottage with an equally delightful sound track to set it all off. The plot runs through Larkinโs life with his amours Monica a long standing girlfriend and English lecturer, Maeve who comes to work at the library he runs, and Betty his secretary. His persona is of a sharp witted, pithy remarked but not uncaring man, his dialogue stuffed full of ironic responses and jokes. Yet he is egocentric at times seemingly oblivious to his devoteesโ desire for monogamy, or at least uncaring, with his rejection of marriage as an institution. This especially causes a barrier with Maeve who as a strict Catholic cannot agree to sex outside marriage and they carry out their unconsummated affair for over a decade until the inevitable happens, Maeve is distraught, and Larkin responds with โYouโre forty-six years old. Its not as if you can hang on to it for everโ. Monica is the closest of the three to Larkinโs approach to love but is jealous of the othersโ involvements. Betty is last to fall for him and she too wishes him to herself.
The play draws to the obvious conclusion as Larkinโs life ends at the age he prophesied, his three partners in life visiting him for what may be a last time. Monica has the most heart wrenching line in the play as she answers a question posed by Larkin as he approaches death โ as an audience we can see the answer coming, but when it does it is delivered with such great timing, and tenderness that it still brings forth an immediate emotion and reaction.
The cast are sublime, each playing their part superbly to eke out each characterโs nuances and foibles. Tania Lyons as Monica, Antonia White as Maeve and Stephanie Hunt as Betty create three distinctly different womenโฆ Betty caring, Maeve desperate for marriage, Monica devoted. Brian Hudd fulfils the role of Larkin with panache and even brilliance. Mannerisms, delivery, auraโฆ if this is not how Larkin really was, then he should have been Brianโs portrayal.
A simple set, a gorgeous playlist, subtle yet engaging tech and period clothing throughout from Kris Nuttall, Andy Punt, Vanessa Bishop and Ann Ellison โ who also directed this wonderful piece of theatre, more than ably assisted by Andrew Ellison as Stage Manager.
Ben Brown the writer in the program notes is quoted as saying โthere is a fine line sometimes between humour and ironyโ. He is spot on of course, but Iโd go one further and suggest there is a fine line between irony and pathosโฆ and Ben delivers that second fine line absolutely perfectly, in this absolutely perfect play. Next Stage have dedicated this performance run to the real life Betty Mackereth, who died this week.
Self-appointed โMoroseโ Mark Harrison was once again on totally top form at Komedia last Sunday entertaining us with his style of stunning blues music, engaging history lessons and highly amusing cynical views on society. Lest I appear to be painting Mark in a poor light you may rest assured his easy delivery is gentle on the ears, but delivered with killer punch lines. A thoroughly winning combination. Albeit lacking hotpants which was the sole difference between Mark and Elton John back in the day it seems …
Amongst the recipients of his wit and repartee, and his sublime ex Eric Bibb 1934 National Trojan resonator delivered music, were Ralph McTell, I.T. Analysts (I hid at that juncture!), Eric Clapton, prodigal sons and daughters, a heckler, the services’ economy ( a bunch of flats in London…), schmaltzy songs and twatsโ anthems, โMy Wayโ, and his cousin Colin. We were regaled with the history of the two artists formerly known as โSonny Boy Williamsonโ โ the original aka John Lee Curtis Williamson whose successes in the 30s and 40s were piggy backed by Rice Miller who appropriated the same performance name to hoodwink audiences and record labels. And of Howling Wolf who was years before his time in offering his band members what we would now regard as standard employment benefits such as health insurance.
But in case this sounds like Mark is just a Jack Dee wannabe, it should be emphasised we were here for his music and he was there to deliver it โ with style and panache and not without a bitโฆ well a lotโฆ of dry humour. A cover or two, but predominantly โ naturally โ his own stuffโฆ haunting, engaging, even breath-taking.
The afternoon rushed past โ two hours with a twenty minute break; just one Midlander and a 1934 National Trojan resonator, in a bar in Bath. And thankfully no hotpants.
Perfection.
Mark Harrison’s gig list is here, and his merch is available here.
by Ian Diddams images by Penny Clegg and Shakespeare Live
โAntony & Cleopatraโ is one of Shakespeareโs four โRoman Playsโ, and chronologically is set after โJulius Caesarโ as the new triumvirs Mark Antony, Octavius and Lepidus between them oversee the Roman Empire. Basically we start with Mark Antony all loved up, and avoiding his duties until recalled to Rome by Octavius to help fight pirates whilst playing down their distrust of each other. The rest of the play concerns itself with political chicanery egged along by the inevitable soothsayer complete with prophecies of doom and gloom โฆ Our eponymous hero should have considered Julius Caesarโs similar warnings โ but this is Shakespeare so why would he do that? Keen eyed readers may already have spotted a pattern with Shakespeare and prophecies of courseโฆ He makes some pretty dashed poor tactical mistakes over battles and ends up killing himself, leaving Cleopatra to similarly despatch herself in grief โฆ keen eyed readers may already have spotted another pattern with Shakespeare and lovers killing themselves over misunderstandingsโฆ Shakespeare Live bring this Shakespearian tragedy to life on tour, opening at the Rondo.
The play takes anything up to three hours to normally complete โ but director Jacky Crosher has superbly trimmed the text to just a hundred minutes, concentrating on the juicier scenes and real plot developments while using extraneous introduced Greek chorus style narrators to fill in the more prosaic plot areas. The result is a rollocking production that keeps the audience entranced but her directorial influences donโt stop there. The great naval battles on which Mark Antonyโs fate resides rather than being glossed over as per the text are brought to the fore in riveting scenes of their own, played out with two full navies on a tempestuous sea via choreography and music. Similarly the land battle is performed in stylised choreography quite superbly.
All of this also wrapped with various well known musical items from Rodriguez to Black Sabbath. Full kudos to Jacky for creating such a wonderful melange of art styles to tell this tragedy.
The cast are no less excellent. When you portray a pair of lovers it is important to have on stage chemistry โ a belief that the two characters are into each other, so how better to cast such a couple than with a real life couple; so step forward Mr. & Mrs. Finlay, Rob and Maria as the wonderfully played eponymous pairing. Andy Corkโs Enobarbus is sublime, Lucy Upwardโs deferential yet sister-like Charmian delightful while Naomi Miller as Iras shines alongside her as Cleopatraโs companions.
Liz Hollis cameos her way almost sprite like as the inevitable Shakespearian soothsayer, all melodramatic cloak waving, and as a messenger and finally as Eros, squire to Mark Antony. Jeremy Reece advises Mark Antony smoothly while many of the already mentioned also then wade in as a clown, Egyptian and soldier.
Naledi Withers almost surpasses her excellent role of Octavius Caesar in her presentation โ its that narrator thing โ of a newspaper reporter, while in her main role in Rome she is excellently supported by Jeremy Reece (again!) as Lepidus, the far more sensible member of the Triumvirate! Naomi Miller also doubles up just as splendidly as Octavia, Octaviusโ sister who gets married off to Mark Antony, while the stalwarts of Shakespeare Live Gill Morell and Graham Paton as ever shone in their roles as Dolabella and Thidias, and Agrippa respectively.
Tech as ever is delivered by the ever dependable Alex Latham, with more back stage stalwarts of James Dennis and Connor Palmer stage managing it all. The costumes are sumptuous, the set perfectly simpleโฆ a black box with a settee, easy to tour with and never distracting on the eye.
For a roller-coaster ride through post Julius Caesar Roman history, a love story, political chicanery and a tragedy you can do WAY worse than catch Shakespeare Live on tour โ tickets available at
by Ian Diddams images by Chris Watkins Media and Ian Diddams
Whilst probably best known for his editorship of โPrivate Eyeโ magazine and thirty-five years as a team captain on the BBCโs wonderfully satirical โHave I Got News For Youโ, Ian Hislop has also over time turned his focus to screen and playwriting. Amongst the five plays he has co-written probably the widest known is the one that has also been made into a film which starred Burt Reynolds, โA Bunch of Amateursโ. This week the Wharf Theatre, Devizes, performs the stage play albeit without Burt Reynolds!
The general plot of the play is a simple one โ ageing, fading, Hollywood ex-A lister signs up to star in Shakespeareโs โKing Learโ at โStratfordโ to find that in fact it isnโt the Royal Shakespeare Company he will be performing at, but a village hall one hundred and seventy miles away at โStratford in Pigshitโ, where the local amateur dramatic society are trying one last dig at surviving by attracting a celebrity to perform with them to boost ticket sales.
The play’s style and plot follows in the grandest traditions of British comedies of creating a nonsensical scenario and running with it as if it was thoroughly possible, with the usual hilarious misunderstandings, fallings-out and fallings-in along the way before a glorious finale where everything pans out perfectly and everyone is happy ever after.
Directed by Lyn Taylor, there is a delicious irony โ or indeed really homage โ in a play about an amateur company being put on by an amateur companyโฆ and here we can look at that label โamateurโ. As an adjective to the noun โdramaticsโ the combined term often has a negative inference amongst many, but the reality is such consideration is to malign high standard productions and consummately skilled performances. To quote from a google search on the etymology of โamateurโ
โThe word “amateur”ย comes from the French โamateurโ, which in turn comes from the Latin โamฤtorโ, meaning “lover”.ย It originally described a person who loves and practices an activity for the passion of it, rather than for money.โ
And there is the nub of it all โ in this play, โKing Learโ is being performed by a group of people that are doing so through love for the art form, and of course Lynโs direction and perfect casting has brought together a group of amateurs performing this play for love of the art form. And talking of cast โฆ
Gary Robson plays the allegedly professional Jefferson Steel, contracted to play King Lear himself, encapsulating the arrogance and insouciance of the Hollywood star in self denial to his waning star. He embraces the personality shift of his characterโs journey from self centred egoist to life embracing acceptor bringing a palpable warmth to Steelโs persona. Steelโs daughter, Jessica, is delightfully and impishly played by Megan Hughes who herself moves her characterโs unforgiving, surly teenager to loving offspring while taking the opportunities presented her with aplomb, as we can see mirrored in her deserved inclusion in the cast.
The inevitable ultimate love interest is superbly provided by Ange Davis as Dorothy Nettle, director of “King Lear”. Ange really drives the show along as the pivotal character for decisions and actions within the plot and she delivers this smoothly and thoroughly believably, with warmth and understanding when portraying Dorothyโs insecurities allied to the protagonistโs passion. Dorothyโs total opposite within the company is Nigel Dewbury, excellently represented by Matt Bragg as the loathsome, self promoting and supercilious solicitor with pretensions. Its kudos to Matt that he has created a perfectly toe curling portrayal of Nigel, as well as sporting an extremely fine collection of bow ties during the show!
Two more depictions of lovers of their art, both full of over the top keenness and desire to become closely associated with Steele are from Steve Brookes as handyman and low key jobsworth Denis Dobbins, and Claire Abraham as local B&B owner Mary Plunkett. Steveโs comic timing for Dennisโ daft ideas is sublime, and his mobility scooter driving skills are thoroughly fine tuned to boot! Claire is simply brilliant with her initially gushing and fawning spinster acting, turning to surly and spurned grump!
But all productions need finances and so enter stage left Louisa Davison as the slightly slimy, cocksure marketing type Lauren Ball whose husbandโs brewery is bankrolling Steelโs visit, with appropriately named bottled beers including โKing Beerโ! Louisa encapsulates Laurenโs executive-going-nowhere-slowly persona with ease and aplomb.
The whole show is kept smoothly on the rails by Stage Manager Jess Sneider who also arranged the genuine beer bottle labels mentioned above, with tech delivered perfectly as ever by โThe Tech Teamโ on the simple but highly effective set built by John Winterton and his team and all wrapped up with music by Sam Warner.
โA Bunch of Amateursโ is a simple to follow, laugh out loud, gentle and inoffensive comedy that will appeal to everybody โ it’s easily worth the two hours plus interval of your life to sit back and enjoy the silliness in the lovely Wharf Theatre, Devizes.
The playwright Tom Stoppard is probably best known for his work โRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Deadโ, his absurdist comedy based around Shakespeareโs โHamletโ. Equally absurd is his country house murder mystery โThe Real Inspector Houndโ which has no *cough* resemblance to Agatha Christieโs โThe Mousetrapโ. A lesser known work of Stoppardโs, though no less absurd, is โTravestiesโ which has more than large hints and homages to Wildeโs โThe Importance of Being Earnestโ that is set in Zurich in 1917 and features such prominent people of the day as Lenin, James Joyce and Tristan Tzara.
โTravestiesโ is to be performed by Bath Drama at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath next week from Wednesday 8th to Saturday 11th at 7.30pm.
Henry Carr, a somewhat confused and muddled old man, relates his experiences as a British Consular official in Zurich 1917, kept abreast of current affairs by his butler Bennet, who it is clear has an interesting past of his own. Carrโs topsy-turvy memoirs interweave a social group consisting of the author of Ulysses, the founder of the Bolsheviks and the co-founder of the Dada movement set again the background of World War One and the Russian revolution. Amongst the turmoil we meet two young women keen on love in a confusing triangle of obfuscated names.
Jim McCauley directs this masterpiece in daftness, being a lifelong admirer of this play, more than ably abetted by Lauren Arena-McCann and the two of them have created a truly Stoppardian maelstrom โ youโll need to stay awake and concentrate to keep up as the characters deal with mislaid writings, revolutionary plans, mismatched trousers, library etiquette, court cases, Charleston dances and limericks.
Henry Carr is played by Andrew Chapman, wonderfully portraying a confused old man and a younger, somewhat bemused Consul with a wonderful delivery and brilliant comic timing; his acting is of course thoroughly ernest (no, not Ernest – the other one). Carrโs love interest, Cecily Carruthers is played by Amy Smith, all strict demureness until her passions are roused by a decadent nihilist. Amy totally nails Cecilyโs prim but not-so-proper presentation and is another whose comic timing is sublime.
His Butler, Bennet, played by Ian Diddams is a gentlemanโs not-so-gentle man who it seems has far more going on than his โ mostly โ calm exterior may indicateโฆ Ian encapsulates Bennetโs complex history and presence excellently, and โ three witches like โ is seemingly omnipresent.
Cecily’s partner in crime as young women forging new socio-political paths is Sophie Turner as the Wilde-ly in love Gwendolen, but herย piรจce de rรฉsistance is as the straight woman to the most complex scenes which she effectively leads.
Gwendolenโs love interest, Tristan Tzara is portrayed by Jem Andrews, nonchalance and devil-may-care superbly louchely played, with and without monocle. Jem’s comic timing โ again! โ is superb and his interactions with Carr encapsulate multiple moods and attitudes easily.
Now, we mustnโt forget here James Joyce, A man with an Irish voice, Played here by Felix Byrne Who gives us a great turn As an actor in which we rejoice.
Which leaves us with Mr and Mrs Ulyanov. Also known as Lenin. Sam Fynn as ever pours his heart and soul into his portrayal, as shown by his dedication to learn the correct pronunciation of the Russian he speaks in his role. Iโd put a quid on him. Imogens Notshaw portrays Leninโs wife as narrator of their lives and dedicated partnerโฆ she too studied the Russian she speaks and whilst the โstraightestโ of characters in the play has a powerful presence throughout.
Tech as ever is provided by Alex Latham, with Connor Palmer as Stage Manager and Penny Clegg as his ever able assistant, with the ever brilliant Rich Canning as set design, costumes by Scarlett Hayler-King and Bath Theatrical with wardrobe support from Chloe Harris.
So come on along to the Rondo theatre to learn far more than you imagined about 1917 in Switzerland and Russia โฆ or then againโฆ not.
So it came to pass that Josh (aka J.P.) Oldfield wanted to promote a gig in Devizes, home town etc. And in so doing realised somebody else would have just released a new album, so invited them along โ and that person said โyesโ ๐ And so it was bornโฆ a double header in the cellar bar at The Bear Hotel, Devizes was born. However, entry tokens soon sold out and the gig was moved to the Ballroom with its extended (crown noise Wooo-OOOOO-oooo) capacity. And it was created. And we say it was good.
by Ian Diddams images by Ian Diddams
So step into the limelight Josh aka J.P. Oldfield dead on time, guitar in hand, standard waist-coated, open shirt and hat attired. And it was hot. Very hot. And he did perspire with much dampness with no towel, having rejected the advice from his fellow troubadour. And it was sweaty.
VERY sweaty.
J.P. is fairly new on the scene in mid-Wiltshire but he is already cutting his own swathe through the local music scene with gigs in the area and a slot recently at Trowbridge Festival. His delivery is a Johnny Cash style โ deep voice, slightly countrified acoustic folk. Playing a mix of covers and his own thoughtful pieces he commands the stage โ being about six feet tall tends to help!
The set list this time has no Cash โฆ but does have interesting covers; now there are covers, and there are covers. Some are of the tribute band variety, pub sing-a-long, easy crowd pleasers variety, and others are take-a-song-and-put-an-own-twist on it. J.P.โs covers are very much in the latter ilk, where sometimes you are well into a song before you recognise its origins. This takes skill and no little panache to pull it off. Other originals in a similar vein sometimes hint at maybe an homage to a well known song โฆ although not in this set, listen to J.P.โs โLast Ordersโ from his EP โBouffonโ and you may well be wondering if its a Billy Joel โPiano Manโ cover ๐
Josh opened with โRed Right Handโ โ very much a Nick Cave rendition as J.P.โs voice fits the growling delivery so well. There is only one other cover in this set, โHouse of the Rising Sunโ and that is very much a J.P. tweak. Otherwise everything is self penned originals โ and we are the luckier for it too as his own slightly darker interpretation of the world shines forth.
In a town (Devizes) that is a beacon for lovers of independent live music, Joshโs arrival is a very welcome addition to an already existing cornucopia of delights. He describes his music as โSouthern Gothicโ and strives to encompass some dark humour and homages to classic literature and music in the process. Listen to the lyrics and it starts to stand out… and its possibly the first time you will hear a kazoo used in a “serious”, non comedy song to boot!
Joshโs set was as a support the right length, but nonetheless left me wanting more โ catch him soon somewhere as a headliner.
Bear Hotel Setlist 1) Red Right Hand 2) The Preacherโs Noose 3) The Ghost of Spring Heeled Jack https://open.spotify.com/track/3zGmZUsb1nM6ScRQkyTtLj 4) Wrong side of the Road 5) Speak in a Sunday Voice 6) House of the Rising Sun 7) Further From Heaven 8) No Rest
With Sandcastles Productions marking its debut production with Charlie McGuireโs original play Glass House, the cast and crew behind this production are clearly anything but inexperienced as the piece delivers its thrills and emotional beats at every turn.
What Glass Houseย ultimately delivers is a play packed with fascinating questions about the nature of transaction and social transience; questions for which, it would be amiss to neglect, a public bus is not only an apt but a deeply compelling setting. For its sharp 55-minute run time, the audience are held in suspense with the passengers themselves as our collective inaction serves as the playโs crux.
What the perhaps overly wordy synopsis does get right is this: a houseless man, unable to buy a ticket, boards a bus and drags the six others on board into a โmire of social tensionโ. Itโs a simple premise, yet McGuire adeptly and continually reinvents the tension of this idea in a way not dissimilar to Hitchcockโs approach to bottle storytelling; think โRear Windowโ.
At age 21, this is McGuireโs third original play, having penned and staged his first effort โSandcastlesโ (from which his production company naturally gets its name) in 2021 before his sophomore script โVignettes from an Inkblot Archipelagoโ was met with critical acclaim (โ โ โ โ – Varsity, โ โ โ โ – The Tab) just last year.
Following his work directing a bevy of projects whilst at university in Cambridge, the mercifully compactly-titled Glass House shows a maturity in its consistent empathy, flair and razor-sharp dialogue. It moves from social realism, to political agitation, to a fantasy about love overcoming hate. At other times, it takes on an existential dread, feeling like a timeless, placeless hell, similar to the works of Samuel Beckett, or simply an inescapable trap, as an Alan Bennett character might experience. The play is far more than 7 strangers sat on a bus for an hour.
And about those strangers; the cast were truly excellent across the board, meeting and arguably exceeding the demands of the script. So strong was each performance that it felt impossible to single-out a protagonist, I simply let myself be compelled by each actor to invest deeply โ almost immediately- in either loving or hating their character. Itโs that sort of play.
Sarah, executed with gripping intensity and striking emotional sincerity by Marta Zalicka, certainly has the most to say as she commands the bus with Malcolm Tucker-esque quips and hard-nosed logic. Rising directly to Sarahโs challenge is Freya, brought to life by May Daws, who is routinely the beating heart and moral compass of the bus. Daws plays Freyaโs simmering frustration to perfection and her chemistry with Zalicka was one of the playโs most compelling dynamics.
Freyaโs girlfriend/not girlfriend Natalie brings further tension to the bus with a painfully-apparent urgency for her feelings to be requited, as Madeleine Whitmore skillfully conveys the weight of her emotional exasperation often through a mere micro expression. As the play progresses, Whitmore becomes more involved in the verbal sparring and superbly delivers the plays most biting one-liners.
Similarly quiet yet nowhere near as observant, Harry Lloyd-Yorke’s Calum feels like a character who could easily have slipped towards a Harry Enfield-reminiscent teenage stereotype. Lloyd-Yorke’s portrays apathy, however, with such well-timed line deliveries and poignant stillness that Calum has more of the menace of a Lord of the Flies character than the dullness of an Enfield trope.
Charles Wolrige-Gordon scored many of the playโs laughs with his portrayal of Colin, however prevented Colin from coming off as merely a comic stock character by lacing many of his lines with genuine threat and malice. Far less loathsome was Joe Orrellโs performance as Owen, the bus driver who seems to be stuck in some form of Beckett-esque purgatory. Sporting a flawless Welsh accent, Orrell undergoes a character progression which may not feel earned in the hands of a lesser actor, but was deeply authentic and ultimately heartbreaking.
Perhaps most surprising is Rafael Grisoโs performance as Eden, the houseless man who canโt afford a ticket, which soars from invigorating the playโs ecstatic, surrealist moments to a remarkable subtlety. Naturally, there are ethical questions to be raised about performing homelessness on stage, especially within the context of the Edinburgh Fringe, but I was glad to see that this is something the play very much interrogates. Without spoiling the scene, as it really was a great shock to the system, Glass House questions in a troublingly-entertaining way why Eden must give us something in order for us to sympathise with his plight.
Outside of the play itself, the team are evidently aware of the potentially problematic nature of performing a play with a prominent houseless character at a festival quietly-renowned for its displacement of the homeless; the play will partner with a homeless charity in Edinburgh, having charity collection boxes at each show and donating profits of the Fringe run to a local homeless charity.
The play tackles a lot, not only thematically and narratively, but theatrically. Attempting to pull off a fictional documentary angle, where interviews of the characters on stage are used to reconstruct a story that supposedly happened years ago, may have felt overstuffed had the play not benefitted from the expert technical design and execution of Barash Tunahan. Interweaving purposefully homespun-sounding interviews with a forlorn and jazzy soundtrack whilst punctuating the playโs emotional beats with precision โ Tunahan’s work seamlessly builds the world of the play in effortlessly cinematic fashion.
If I were to critique the production, I would say that Glass House perhaps is not the best fit for a space like the Mission Theatre. The Mission, a treasured and historic performance space in Bath, has a scale to it which does not benefit the intimacy which McGuire is evidently shooting for, however I am sure this will be remedied by the venue they will find themselves at in Edinburgh.
Whilst I am eager to see what McGuire and Sandcastles Productions do next, Glass House is without a doubt a brilliant piece of Fringe theatre.
A very new addition to Bath based theatre companies, Sandcastles Productions brings their self penned piece of theatre to The Mission Theatre next week. Playwright Charlie McGuire describes โGlass Houseโ as a mix of โTwelve Angry Menโ with the defendant in the room, regarding some human beings that are viewed as a problem to be solved, rather than aided. He adds that this is a provocative play, that asks many questionsโฆ but provides few answers. Theatre is meant to challenge us, and this play should do that, leaving us all to make up our own minds.
Glass Houseis a one-act, boundary-pushing piece of mocku-theatre, inter-spliced with pre-recorded interviews with the โreal-lifeโ inspirations for the on-stage characters. These interviews take us through the nail-biting events of February 14th 2011. On a night of unrelenting rain and flooding in the countryside, a stand-off between a bus driver clinging to the rules and a homeless man who canโt afford a ticket inexorably stirs up an enthralling mire of tension and social conflict amongst the passengers.
Sandcastle Productions are a collaboration of school and university friends, many currently in their second year of courses around the country. Charlie noted he heas been heavily influenced by Robert Icke.
Backed by The Mission Theatre itself who were very receptive to them, this is a world premiere of โGlass Houseโ before it transfers to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it can be found at โGreenside@George Streetโ between 18th-23rd August at 7.30pm.
Florian Zeller is a contemporary French playwright and screenwriter, who received critical acclaim for his films, โThe Fatherโ and โThe Sonโ in the early 2020s. The films were both adapted from his stage plays of the same name, and it will not therefore be a surprise that he preceded both of these original plays with a third โThe Motherโ. Next Stage Theatre Company bring this first Zeller play to The Mission Theatre, Bath this week, with its time slipping, reality questioning story of a post-menopausal empty-nester whose raison dโetre has gone.
Anne โ the titular character role โ played by Hayley Fitton-Cook, lives a lonely, insular and empty existence in a home dominated by her favourite colour, red. Her children have grown up and left home, and are somewhat estranged to her; her husband she suspects of having an affair. Her life is meaningless and she dulls the tedium with increasingly larger doses of pills, and booze. The play is her experienced life, the other characters being puppets to enact her perceived reality, though we very quickly start to question which is real, which is fever dream, and which is just unreliable memories. Hayley plays the character honestly – as written, straight, she explained, playing The Mother in each scene as if that is the time and place in the real world. Her uncompromising, incessant performance really strengthens the delivery as we wonder which of the almost repeated scenes with minor changes and nuances is the actual real one โ they are all real to Anne as they happen.
The Father, Pierre, is played by Mayur Bhatt, as the slightly lost businessman trying to keep a connection to his wife, and failing dismally. He is kind and gentle in his own way but his work life is either overtaking his own existence, or is providing a cover for extra-martial nefarious activities. Mayur delivers his confused, hurt, but also self-centred character sublimely, delivering a perfectly crafted Willy Loman style businessman, looking forward to the next exciting convention on microcredits, while achieving not much at all โ except an opportunity to avoid Anne.
Nicholas, The Son, is played by Oliver Manners. The Son represents Anneโs confidence crisis โ he is mid twenties and has left home to live with his girlfriend, and hardly communicates with The Mother now, finding her too stifling of his life. His own relationship crisis brings him back to the family home and the inner tensions and loss of mutual support are exposed all too obviously. The Mother tries to mother him, which he is rejecting; his relationship with his father is at best strained, and Nicholas knows โthingsโ about Pierre that Anne doesnโt. Its a tightrope of a plot line to follow for an actor โ neither too close to his parents but equally not totally dismissive of them either; their remains some inklings to family ties but they are stretched. Oliver’s perfection of this fledged offspring counterposed by his critical encapsulation of Nicholas’ insecutorites belies the fact that this is his first role with Next Stage.
Finally the fourth character of The Girl is played by Perrine Maillot; the girl is a melange of various female characters within the story. The is certainly Nicholasโ girlfriend, Elodieโฆ but she is โ in Anneโs confused mind โ also her husbandโs lover, and a mental health nurse arranging treatment for Anne. And there may be a thought amongst the audience that maybe Elodie/lover is actually Nicholasโ sister who is continually referenced but never seen, and has no contact ever with her family. Perrine is strong in her characterisation of Elodie, the girlfriend that doesnโt like the Mother, who in turn doesnโt like Elodie โ though they both like red dressesโฆ.
The mastery of the play is its continual time slip/alternative reality of scenes, often repeating themselves in a ground-hog day scenario, leaving the audience to work out their own understanding of what is going on. There are no right or wrong plot lines here โ Zeller has deliberately set up the play with multiple answers and endings, leaving us to decide which narrative fits our own understandings. Is Anne mad? Is this all a repeating nightmare? Is some of it actually reality surrounded by alternatively recollected situations and outcomes in Anneโs addled mind. Is Anne depressed? Menopausal? Has she dementia? Are some of the characters Anne interacts with actually dead? Are they all dead? Do some of the characters actually ever exist and are just figments of her imagination in her Walter Mitty world?
The set is simplistically perfect โ Anneโs favourite colour red abounds in the bedroom/diner open plan set. Even the scene changes are done to a lowered red wash of light. Created by Director Tiana James it is the perfect reflection of Anneโs mind. Lighting and Sound is provided between Rowan Bendle and Kris Nuttal with Nicky Wilkins as fight choreographer.
Its a challenging play โ it will likely raise emotions, query oneโs own visions of what is real and what is pretend, and some aspects may well be triggering. But art should challenge us โ and Zellerโs play so well delivered by Tiana James on her directorial debut ably assisted by cast and creatives certainly provides the chance to be challenged in all the best ways.
Around 2 million women are victims of violence perpetrated by men every year, thatโs 3,000 offences recorded every single day.
A year ago, Uncaged Theatre brought their work in progress production โFaithโ to the Rondo Theatre. Its review can be found here. A year later they are about to take its completed version โ now entitled โlove you, byeโ – to the Edinburgh Fringe and are warming up with a four-night run at Ustinov Studio, Bath. It has indeed come a long way since that nascent concept and has become a more rounded, holistic production โฆ which is still sphincter clenchingly, seat squirmingly uncomfortable watching at times โ especially if you are male.
The number of offences has grown 37% in the last five years and violence against women and girls accounts for 20% of all recorded crime. Thatโs recorded. Not total, only what is actually told to the police.
The fundamental premise and action of the play remains the same โ four friends, a missing woman, the ramifications. The external pressures on the group of trial by social media and finger pointing, and on the missing woman of asking for it, being out alone after dark. The mediaโs gloss-over reporting with its own inherent racial and societal biases, the groupโs individual coping mechanisms, personal even selfish concernsโฆ and collapse of trustโฆ all remain in this final product. But while โFaithโ was a work in full, โlove you, byeโ uses the play as a glorified MacGuffin to the real message of the production.
A woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK. Thatโs 168 women murdered at the hands of a man every year.
As writer Meg Pickup โ who plays Colly โ says โWe didnโt want to write a play just about the victim – we wanted to write about those still standing, and how they carry the weight. We wanted to create something that doesn’t just speak to grief, but to the fierce loyalty and messy beauty of a chosen family. The group at the centre of the play acts as a microcosm of societyโs response to violence against women and girls.โ
In the year ending March 2022, there were 194,683 sexual offences, of which 70,330 were rape. Thats reported rape, again not total, only what is actually told to the police.
Is the performance a lecture? Is it โentertainmentโ? These are the questions asked by Colly/Meg directly to the audience. The characters reflect people we all know. Some reading this review and seeing the production will have shared in the charactersโ own experiences. It uses real audio of the likes of Trump, Marilyn Manson, Andrew Tate interspersed with real voicemails of ordinary people wishing each other well, saying โI love youโ, saying โโbyeโ. The social imagery is stark, uncomfortable. How do we as a society that individually expresses love to partners and friends combine to create monsters that prey on the vulnerable? Why is it those that are in positions of authority to protect, instead abuse that position. We all know these cases โ and also not those cases that the selective media with its own biases omits from our newsfeeds.
Only 3.2% of reported rape is even prosecuted. Then of that 3.2% only 62% are convicted.
The play part of the production includes two new characters from โFaithโ. Firstly, a collective female character โEverywomanโ who is represented by the three female protagonists in their drinking game of โNever Have I Everโ requiring a downed shot for every challenge that has happened to them which quickly becomes increasingly dark outlining their shared experiences of violence as females. And there is now โNot-All-Menโ – a, it must be said, loathsome character insisting that itโs all somewhat overblown and not widespread, and whose own words condemn himself for his self denial and lack of collective responsibility and empathy, while wallowing in the words of Richard III and King Lear to justify his position.
The broad indication is that, during the last year, of the 70,330 rapes reported to police only 1,378 led to a conviction…
“love you, bye” is performed by four actors with six parts. Meg Pickup – who also co-wrote the piece – excels as the bullish and frankly bullying Colly who in some ways actually – unbeknownst to her – reflects some of the toxically masculine traits she so despises, in her relationship with Kaia, played by Taruna Nalini. Both portray their failing relationship with skill, neither overegging the tragedy that is happening to them externally and internally nor shying away from the difficult concepts of the story. Taruna’s vulnerability is the perfect foil to Meg’s bullishness and in so doing they reflect the wider society the premise of the play explores. Taruna combines the pain and pleasure of a relationship that isn’t always equal, while carrying a secret from her youth in a different culture, different social mores that nonetheless has a profound lifelong effect – her ability as an actress to mix these emotions and repressed fears is masterful. Billie-Jo Rainbird plays the pivotal role of Mercy, slightly on the outside of her friendship group but devoted to them all and they to her. Her strength is subtle, not worn on her sleeve but she is clearly supportive of not only her friends but also her partner’s anxiety back at their flat, all played sweetly and calmly, a unifying force. Billie-Jo also designed the sound and lighting for the show as well as the digital program. These three also represent collectively “Everywoman”, a combined edifice of womanhood sharing their abuses in a drinking game. These are fast paced scenes delivered perfectly with all the hidden menace in their reported words starkly evident while externally they just blankly down their shots. That just leaves Mercy’s flatmate, the promiscuous devil-may-care gay friend, played by Nicholas Downton-Cooper. Nicholas captures the sexually blithe character of Theo with ease – then the unsure, worried, slightly selfish man concerned at how the world later perceives him. He flip flops this role with the strident, I’m-all-right-Jack delivery of the Not-All-Man character, the polar opposite of Theo’s character in many ways. Flip-flopping between two such opposite characters takes care and skill and Nicholas achieves this seamlessly, aided and abetted by just a pair of spectacles and a yellow shirt in his role changes. Evie Osbon is the directorial genius behind the show and between them all they deliver sixty-eight minutes of gripping, compulsive viewing. It is something everybody should see; the writing is precise, pertinent and pulls no punches.
… This is a conviction rate of less than 2%.
So โ is this a lecture? Is it entertainment? Are you uncomfortable? Find out for yourself – the show runs until Thursday 10th at Ustinov Studio Bath, and then at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from August 19th-25th at 12:30 daily at the Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49), 11b Bristol Place EH1 1EZ.
Is it post watershed? Then I shall beginโฆ The etymology of the word โNothingโ is quiteโฆ interestingโฆ aside from meaning โzeroโ such as is today, historically it has had other meanings and pronunciations including โnoting,โ the writing down of musical notesโฆ and in Shakespeareโs era it had another totally different meaning, that being a slang term for female genitalia. So, with this in mind, Willโs comedy about the pursuit of female companionship and the alleged capriciousness of the distaff members of the human species, โMuch Ado About Nothingโ takes on a somewhat slightly different nuance โฆ
Trawling the web for relative popularity of Shakespeareโs plays holds few surprises with regards which gets performed the most etc. Unsurprisingly maybe โRomeo & Julietโ, โMacbethโ and โMidsummer Nightโs Dreamโ feature highest (google is your friend here), and that trend continues with other โobviousโ plays until we reach number seven in the list and โMuch Ado About Nothingโ, his tale of marital pursuit, deceit, jealousy and spurned love that all comes good in the end. The plot of such a Shakespeare standard needs no explanation here and YouTube can easily fill in the blanks for you, and so we move onto the beautiful background of Cleeve House, Seend, for this weekโs performances by โShakespeare Live.โ
Directed by Gill Morell, her vision has set the play in preโEnglish Civil war times where tensions were rising and familiesโ split along royalist and parliamentarian lines. This is wonderfully portrayed here with the familyโs soldierโs clearly cavaliers, with the opposing Don John and his entourage as parliamentarians. This is perfectly and simply set by some sumptuous costumes revelling in the brightness and pageantry of the Royalists, and the simplistic, wide collared black clothing of the Roundheads. The physical setting is regal too โ with Cleeve House as a backdrop to the stage area we feel we really could be back in time, including use of the houseโs own windows for the bedroom scene.
The entire play of course is premised on spying and eavesdropping โ some for comedic value of course as both Beatrice and Benedick are spoon fed falsehoods as they eavesdrop on the knowing conspirators, but also surreptitious spying in the bedroom scene which in itself is a subterfuge akin to the likes of โOperation Mincemeatโ. After all, the first casualty of war is truth.
There are three basic groups of characters in Much Ado โ the family, the soldiers, the villagers. The family is portrayed by Alison Paine as a strong Leonata, the matriarch, Jeremy Reece as her brother, Antonio, Sarah Horrex superb as Hero, Leonataโs daughter, the wonderfully tempestuous and feisty niece Beatrice by Phobe Fung, and Kerensa McCondach as Margaret the gentlewoman and erstwhile friend to Hero.
The soldiers are more than well provided by Laurie Parnell as Don Pedro the prince, Peter Emuss as lovestruck Claudio, Oli Beech as Claudioโs best friend and Beatriceโs sparring partner and love-hate interest, Adam Sturges as Balthasar and Napoleon as the sneaky, jealous and conniving Don John, aided and abetted in his fifth column activities by Roger Hames as Borachio and Lucy Perry as Conrad.
That just leaves the villagers made up of the unflappable Simon Reeves as the ย equally unflappable Father Francis, and of course, the best part of the show (personal opinion here! ) the Watch consisting of Paul Batson as Dogberry, Graham Paton as Verges, Penny Clegg as Seacole, Caroline Emuss as Pyke, and David Morrell as Oatcake,
Tech is provided by the ever resourceful Rich Carter, Alex Latham and Ellen Read, the previously mentioned wonderful costumes by Hermione Skrine, Caren Felton, Helen Holliday and Ellen Williamson, Music by Laurie Parnell. This was all kept running smoothly by the dream team of stage management James Dennis and Connor Palmer.
The play finishes with all loose ends neatly tied up and for those that don’t know the plot, no particular spoilers here though following a brief discourse at the eventual wedding scene I was reminded that as Tina Turner once sang… “We Don’t Need another Hero“
This is a well delivered rendition of Much Ado in a stunning setting โ it really doesnโt get any better than this. The show runs all week until July 12th, including a Saturday matinee, and tickets are available from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/shakespearelive
Ask the typical man โ or woman – in the street which Gilbert & Sullivan performances they can name, and you may well receive such answers as โTop Of The Pops, 1972โ, โMan about the Houseโ, โCrucible Theatre World Snooker Final 2001โ and โWho? What?โ. [ Thatโs a bit left field? โ Ed ] . However, amongst the cognoscenti within this theoretical vox-pop, you may find some that do actually understand the questionโฆ and amongst the more likely answers of โPirates of Penzanceโ etc, you may well find somebody suggesting โThe Mikadoโ.
The Mikado has had some troubles in recent years being staged, as the core principle of Gilbertโs satire being the send up of BRITISH society by utilising an alternative environment which was all the rage in London Society at the time, is confused with patronising that other place. You may disagree with me, which is your prerogative, of course. But whatever the reasons it has become โฆ uncomfortable โฆ presenting The Mikado as how it was historically performed.
More modern adaptations however have avoided any unnecessary disquiet by setting the operetta in other situations โ Devizes based White Horse Opera staged a highly successful version set in a dystopian country ruled by a despotic dictator akin to a 1970s central American military president just a few years ago โฆ I know because I was the Mikado! This in itself however is also I believe to be refreshing โ if all such shows (including Shakespeare etc) were always performed in exactly the same manner, aside from Sullivan’s wonderful music they may quickly lose their shine โ seen one, seen them all. Reimagining the background creates new ways of looking at the story, naturally.
So step forward โForbear! Theatreโ, a London-based professional theatre company known for producing innovative Gilbert and Sullivan shows, and their splendid Terry Pratchett inspired adaptation, performed at The Mission Theatre prior to their transfer to New York. Minimal changes have been made to the text in bringing this fantasy kingdom to life, with the same madcap characters, plot and iconic songs that have been loved for generations. This version of “The Mikado” aims to represent Gilbertโs original intention by being set in an other-worldly, beautiful and dangerous fictional culture; the perfect canvas onto which to paint British flaws. And of course, Sullivanโs sublime and clever โ almost cheeky โ music.
So come and find out for yourself how Gilbert’s characters fare in this Pratchett inspired fantasy world at The Mission Theatre, July 22nd and 23rd ย 2025.ย After all, others have praised this production to the hilt already
โThey live for their art.ย And it shows in their show. You could put this production on at the London Coliseumโ (*****) – London Theatre 1 โSuperb singing and silly goings on in the land of Tirwuduโย (****) – London Pub Theatres โRachel Middle has given an old story a beautiful new homeโย (****) – North Westend โA real triumph from the creative team who have passionately and carefully reimagined this iconic piece of theatrical historyโ (****)ย – The Deskbound Dramatic โBrilliantly subversiveโ – Everything Theatre
By Ian Diddams Images by Josie Mae-Ross and Charlotte Emily
Shakespeare wrote several plays that were termed in the late nineteenth century โProblem Playsโ. These were some of his works that didnโt easily fall into brackets such as comedy, tragedy or history โ usually covering at least two of those โ but also dealt with uncomfortable social problems. When one looks at the basic plot of โShrewโ its difficult with our twenty-first century spectacles on to not include it in this classification. Unadulterated misogyny, gas lighting, and mental and physical abuse within marriage are not viewed as comedic obviously โฆย yet โShrewโ is universally billed as a comedy. The Rondo Theatre Company this week, however, sets to reflect these non-contemporary themes in a gender bent performance to highlight the inequalities and oddities of Shakespeareโs script.
It’s also a somewhat sumptuous treat โ costumes (Harriet Hazelwood-Rose) are sublime with a red velvet theme running throughout, and the set whilst a very typical black box for Shakespeare nevertheless encompasses a balcony/second tier, an exciting addition at the Rondo.
Director Jazz Hazelwood-Rose had long planned this version of โShrewโ, using this gender-queered approach to (in their own words) โโฆ examine how Shakespeareโs โcomedyโ has a darker side that highlights how the gendered language we use affects how we see each other and interact with the world โฆโ. That this is done so sublimely well is testimony to their vision, and the quality of the cast; very quickly the male v female โbattle of the sexesโ is forgotten, and the tale of bigotry and oppression just shines through. Alex Oliviere is simply phenomenal in her role as cock-sure (no pun intended!) Petruchio, wonderfully mirrored by initially surly and increasingly demure Toby Skelton as Katherine. Their stage chemistry builds throughout the play signifying not only Katherineโs submission to her husbands will, but also Petruchioโs adoration for her.
More than ably supporting them are Alana Wright as Hortensio, Megan Robertson as Lucentio, Charly Nehan as Tranio, Helen Taylor as Baptista, Yvonne Pauley as Gremio, and Charlotte Howard as Vincentio, to complete the female/male flips. Freddie Oliviere-Davies as Bianca performs the reverse Kate as it were, all light and softness โ until married of course. Chris Constantine as Biondello and Matt Nation as Grumio follow a traditional casting, and both provide strong characterisation as Lucentio and Petruchioโs servants respectively, Matt Nation especially in an almost slapstick, court fool role. Teasel Howell, Will Prins, Sophie Turner, Ed Hodgkinson, and Moray Macdonald complete the cast as various servants, merchants, tailor, and rich widower.
The set as previously mentioned uses a two-level approach which is used very effectively โ Geoff Rennie step forward for your design and implementation. Alex Latham provides the usual excellent โTechnical Wizardryโ and Steph Hazell and George Fletcher keep the whole thing running seamlessly as stage management.
In a time now where the main plot contains universally unacceptable traits โ clearly more acceptable four hundred years ago โ The Rondoโs production handles the subject matter with care and respect. This may not be a โproblem playโ by the usual definitions, but the jarring aspects of Petruchioโs โkilling through kindnessโ are laid bare all the more through the gender queered approach.
โThe Taming of the Shrewโ is showing at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath until Saturday 21st June, and is a perfect opportunity to see a lesser performed play from the canonโฆย and if you arenโt that sure of the background plots in particular, you would do well, in advance, to โBrush Up Your Shakespeareโ โฆย
Who was paying attention in history at school when they covered the Tudors? Hmmm? Anyone? Yes โ you at the back โ you did? Swot! I have a vague recollection of a thirteen-year-old me, pre O-Level options, quasi snoozing through something about lots of people with the same name โ Mary this, and Mary that, and Mary Queen of Scots who was at least more memorable, if only because she had her noggin removed. I dropped history when it came to O-Level options, so my knowledge of the Tudors stopped there and then, although I did manage to understand when an American, I was playing โTrivial Pursuitโ with back in the late 80s read from the card โWhat two door battleship sank in the Solentโ; the answer of course being the Mary Rose. My how we chortled.
Fast forward some fifty years almost and thanks to the wonderful people that are Devizes Art Festival, I was able to improve my knowledge significantly on a small part of the Tudor dynasty โ though in fairness the bar was very low to start with. โPlay on Words Theatreโ visited the Wharf Theatre as part of D.A.F. with the phenomenal Miriam Cooper, to portray the lives and relationships of two queens from that family โ Queen Elizabeth the First of England, and Mary, Queen of Scots. The two queens were first cousins, once removed with a shared ancestor of Henry VII, but despite this close familial relationship, and reasonably close distance between London and Edinburgh, the two never actually met until Mary fled Scotland following a revolt, where Elizabeth basically imprisoned her for nineteen years before finally having her head cut off.
The one woman, seventy minute play delves into these lives as Miriam portrays not only the cousins but also a handful of other characters to flesh the story out. A chessboard stone floor and basic set of chair, shrine andย tables with some excellent lighting and sound from the tech team provides a more than adequate setting for the tale of desperation, hope, chicanery and power struggles between reigns and imprisonment for them both. The political chicanery of the period was complex, and no doubt the truth rather depends on whose side one takes, but the play rattles along attempting to be fair to both women, neither praising nor condemning their actions, words and deeds.
The actual history one can find in a plethora of places online, in books, films, TV documentaries and so on, so Iโll leave you to educate yourselves if that is your wont. But if you caught this show, or can do so as it continues to tour, youโll get a good head start into it all.
Oh โ and what of prostitutes? And marriage? In May? Mary utters the line towards the end of the play to describe the entangled complications of her, and Elizabethโs lives apart but together. So, apologies for anybody that was hoping for some spicy extracurricular activity โฆ
The pea souper smog swirls in the dark. A small light illuminates a bare room โ hatstand bare but for a bowler hat, chair, side table with various bric-a-brac. A rug. Music plays in the distance. London, 1916. And The Wharf Theatre stage, 2025โฆย the lights drop to darknessโฆย and the show begins.
Such is the picture provided at the outset of โThe Last Actโ by David Stuart Davies, on the first of two nightsโ shows brought to us by Devizes Arts Festival, performed at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes by Fringe Management. A ninety-minute single hander performance by Nigel Miles-Thomas, directed by Gareth Armstrong, providing a potted history of the lives of Sherlock Holes, โConsulting Detectiveโ, and Dr. John H. Watson โ formerly of the parish of Marylebone.
Nigel plays Holmes, of course, and also Watsonโฆย but into that also covers Inspector Lestrade, Stamford, Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Hopkins andโฆย arch enemy Professor James Moriarty.ย This potted history, or timeline of Holmes and Watsonโs friendship begins at the occasion of Watsonโs funeral, followed by Holmesโ recollections of their partnership marked by key stories in the Sherlock Holmes case history; โThe Adventure of Abbey Grangeโ, โThe Speckled Bandโ, โThe Final Problemโ, โThe Hound of the Baskervillesโ and โHis Last Bowโ. Nigelโs delivery skips nary a beat as his voice changes and facial expressions per character float in and out seamlessly from Holmesโ character as the carefully woven tale even foreshadows itself. We gain an insight into Sherlockโs childhood and brotherly relationship, of his mother and father mirroring the Abbey Grange lead characters, and his fatherโs death mirroring in portrayal that of Moriartyโs. A description of the wind โ โ…ย cried and sobbed like a child in the chimneyโ is used both in Holmesโ praise of Watsonโs descriptive writing and that of his family home.
It is a story ultimately of loneliness and love โ Holmesโ solitary lifestyle – but also his attachment to his brother, but especially Watson. And a story written with affection for Conan Doylesโ character, delivered with care by Nigel Miles-Thomas, packaged with fondness by director Gareth Armstrong. Truly a “Last Act” with love for the subject.
The Thursday 5th June performance of โThe Last Actโ is already sold out, but Devizes Arts Festival continues until Sunday 15th June with a wide range of differing genres and arts to enjoy, with tickets just still available. To see what is available and tickets, browse https://www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk/events/
Performing Sondheim isnโt the simplest of tasks. Or, rather, singing Sondheim isnโt the simplest of tasks. With his dissonant music, off the beat lyrics and constant interchanges of charactersโ lines in songs it takes a lot of practise, a good ear, and huge concentration to meet Sondheimโs demands. Many companies avoid his shows for exactly that reason โ and understandably so being fair to them. So itโs an arguably brave company that goes with that direction โ and congratulations must go to Trowbridge Musical Theatre (TMT) for pulling it off so well.
Many of you will have seen Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in Tim Burtonโs 2007 film, but here was the full stage musical in all its gory glory, the tale of a falsely accused ex-convict turning revenge on those that framed and convicted him allied to a little bit of pie-making on the side.
The set built all but overnight by Bernice Hudson and her crew works really well with pie shop stage left and Toddโs barberโs shop above at mid-level. Stage right is the Judgeโs house, with roof garden, the intervening space representing Fleet Street. The set crew have created a three-level space as a result and full kudos to them and Lyn Taylorโs fine eye as director for providing such a visual treat so well utilised constantly drawing our eyes up, down, left, and right. More visual treats in store are the costumes, provided by Sandra Tucker and her team, really hitting the mid-nineteenth century vibe to fully set the tone, and special mention must be made of the work put into hair styling and wigs by Sarah Davies and Lauren Hamblett. Completing the triumvirate is of course the tech team of Jon Lewthwaite, Alex Jacobs and Tony Bonner bringing moody lighting and eerie sound effects expertly. Supporting these creatives was choreographer Daisy Woodruffe and dance captain Hannah Symonds keeping the ensemble moving sinuously during their street scenes, and in perfect unison in the bar scene! All ably assisted โ as ever โ by Team R-H of Nicky, Cameron, and Connor Runyard-Hunt back together again for this show with Stu Langford, Pete Grant, and Steve Riddle who between them lugged furniture and a huge meat grinder as well as other sundry items on and off stage. And Chris Isaacson as stage manager keeping it all under control at the back!
That of course leaves the thirteen strong orchestra led by Musical Director Samuel Warner performing the crazy Sondheim music with strong and emphatic delivery.
Any show is only as strong as its ensemble and this showโs sixteen strong group kept the show moving along nicely with their choreographed street and bar scenes and constant interactions with each other, as well as providing a bird seller, policemen and grave diggers. Special mention is worthy for Claire Warner, Emily Lawes and Hannah Symonds who performed a typically complex Sondheim trio perfectly, and the entire ensembleโs playing of inmates of Bedlam asylum!
It is the principals of course that take the limelight in any show and drive the story along, and TMT have been blessed with a very strong line-up for this show. The minor principals especially supported the main principals well. Caroline Murray as the beggar woman was deliciously wonderful as the annoying, crazy, old hag and Katy Pattinson shone in her quasi principal-boy role as Tobias Ragg the semi-adopted pie making apprentice who grows from timid shyness to cheeky confidence. Matt Wisener with only two weeks to pick the role of Beadle up, and Andrew Curtis as Judge Turpin provided the corrupt underbelly of authority. Never to be underplayed, the evergreen and versatile excellence of Paul West was once again to the fore as the charlatan barber Adolfo Pirelli, while Alan Rutland played the sleezy, corrupt asylum keeper Jonas Fogg.
Noah Heard as Anthony Hope and Amy Emberson as Johanna provide the showโs love interest as Toddโs fellow sailor colleague and daughter respectively โ both with clear, strong and lovely voices and an on-stage chemistry as erstwhile lovers.
Chris Howlett delivers the serial killer Sweeney Todd to perfection โฆย moody, dark, surly, momentarily relaxed once the money is coming in, then finally distraught. Excellently portrayed. And of course, Michelle Hole as Mrs Lovett. Her stage presence was immense, always engaging, with strong voice and great characterisation.
There is however one absolute star of this show. Itโs usually unfair to pick a star in a show where everybody has put their blood, sweat and even tears into but it is only right and proper in this performance to announce the standout part is most definitely โฆ The chair! A fully working, depositor of Toddโs victims to Mrs Lovettโs bakehouse complete with handle and trap door. Absolutely Brilliant! Worth the ticket price alone!
โSweeney Toddโ plays at St. Augustineโs Catholic College, Trowbridge from May 28th to 31st.
One could argue that Anne Frank is possibly the most well-known civilian of the WW2 years, and certainly of those totally unconnected with the machinery of war where we may consider the likes of Turing, or Barnes-Wallis etc. Itโs a name one comes across quite early in life generally โ and never leaves one. In this regard she and her diary need no further explanation (although as ever Wikipedia provides background). The stage play, by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett, brings Anneโs words into action, and in an intimate space such as the Wharf theatre, quite literally into your lap in the front row seats.
You could be excused if you had a preconceived idea that the play is one of horror and misery and sadness. It is โ but the mood is not as sombre as those fears overall, and there are elements that are light-hearted, joyful and uplifting. There are jokes too โ albeit admittedly black humoured ones that may raise a smile rather than a belly laugh. Yet the uglier parts of the storyline are cleverly not actually regarding the Nazi oppression of Jews and the concentration camps although that omnipresent fear is there, but of the interaction of personalities of the inhabitants of the attic. Clashes of ethos, and bigotry, constantly arise โ misogyny, social class and ephebiphobia are all displayed as a microcosm of the wider and bigoted world outside the warehouse, where petty personal quarrels despite the extreme and perilous position the group are in are never far from the surface.
The opening scenes introduce us to those in hiding โ Otto Frank (Sean Andrews), Edith Frank (Mari Webster) and their two daughters Margot (Poppi Lamb-Hughes) and Anne (Tamsin Antignani), and their guests The Van Daans (Debby Wilkinson and Steve Brookes) and their son Peter (Joe McMillan) with the late arriver Mr Dussel (Chris Underwood). They are supported by the friends on the โoutsideโ Mr. Kraler (Ian Glennie) and Miep Gies (Mitzi Baehr). The action takes place in a warehouse attic, of course, ably represented on stage with differing levels for main room, Anna and Mr Dusselโs elevated bedroom with window overlooking the street, and a roof space bedroom on a third level for Peter complete with skylight. A simple table with a couple of kitchen chairs sits centre stage, with a small kitchen at the rear.
We quickly learn each characterโs personality. Otto is a kind, generous man very much the peace maker amongst the enforced group which do not get on at all well. Edith is a well-mannered but stiff woman trying to keep her daughters, especially Anne in check, with whom she has a difficult relationship โ Anne frequently laments this. Margot emulates her motherโs simple quiet approach and studies hard. Mrs Van Daan is at first supremely gauche, but opiniated, though later succumbs to fears and terrors and her early familiarity turns to anxiety and a breakdown. Messrs Van Daan and Dussel prove to be Anneโs nemeses โ or at least unappreciative and spiteful opponents. Neither of them approves of her youthfulness and forthrightness, where Dussel is an autistic loner and Van Daan a reprehensible human being who has no good word for anybody and breaks obvious societal rules for the position they are all in. Peter is a lost boy โ oppressed by his fatherโs ire and his motherโs insouciance and control. He is an uptight lad, his only joy his cat โ at least initially. Which leaves Anne โ a boisterous, playful and obstreperous teenager with a strong mind and words to equal it, that clashes with most of the roomโs occupants throughout the show, aside from her sister and father whom she adores.
The overall atmosphere of the attic is one of social oppression โ everyone mucking in while resenting each partyโs presence โฆย the Van Daanโs view the Franks as too progressive, Peter doesnโt trust anybody, The Franks play the tight-lipped hosts, while Dussel arrives late to the group, is accused of taking up valuable food and despises the entire situation and others. It is maybe the original Big Brother houseโฆ.
The overarching storyline is Anneโs of course โ the other characters in some ways creating the background to her story. This is a story of growing up โ she was incarcerated in that attic from the ages of thirteen to fifteen and we see her move from playful child to moody but confident teenager. Her self-cognisance develops as the play progresses. And her monologues become increasingly poignant, especially with our benefit of hindsight over eighty years later. In many ways her feistiness and self-assurance seem decades ahead of her time.
The lifelines of Mr Kraler and Miep provide hope and excitement as their visits bring provisions and news. Kraler is overwhelmed by events while risking his own life for them, and Miep is the caring, doting friend, very much everybodyโs mother in her protections.
The play however is not without lighter scenes illustrating joy, highlighted by the sweet scene as the group celebrate Hannukah together โ shared prayer, food, and presents from Anne for everybody. Itโs a joyous scene, providing a relief of tension akin to the Porter scene in Macbeth, but โ just as in the wedding scene in โFiddler on The Roofโ โ it has a disturbing ending. What finally happens to these characters is well documented of course. Only Otto survives, and in real life it is he that has Anneโs diary published.
Lighting and sound throughout add wonderfully to the sombre, oppressive atmosphere, headed up as ever by The Wharfโs Tech Team. Set design โ see previous comments โ equally as ever was provided by ever excellent John Winterton. Costumes sold the period extremely well provided by Gill Barnes and her wardrobe team.
Direction was by Freddie Underwood โ Freddie visited Anne Frankโs house in Amsterdam last year and was moved to find a play to present with this amazing story. This is a tight production, with clever uses of levels and space and even with at times ten people on the Wharfโs fairly small stage it never looked crowded or crushed. Testimony to Freddieโs vision is how slickly the action and story moves along โ both the eighty-five minute first act, and hour long second act moved along timelessly with nary a slow moment.
And so to the cast, who all combined to tell Anneโs story so well. Sean Andrews as Otto embodied the loving, peace-making tribe leader so wellโฆ a reassuring presence on stage both in character and as a performer. The nuances of grief, hope, despair and love embraced smoothly. Mari Websterโs Edith was a master class in tight lipped suppression of emotions until her eventual explosion of rage and home truths โ nought to sixty in three seconds, flipping a switch, and Mari managed both, and the switch, to perfection. Poppi Lamb-Hughes was the perfect foil as Margot to Anneโs outgoing demeanour, playing the demure older sister in a peaceful, tranquil manner while indicating the inner fears that Margot must have had. It was good to see Joe McMillan return to the Wharfโs stage again, and his portrayal of Peter as the shy, reticent, lonely boy scared of his father and distanced from his mother, that blooms as his friendship with Anne develops was made to look so easy. Debby Wilkinson as Mrs Van Daan also had a changing personality to perform, from brash gaucheness to fear ridden depression and the ever-talented Debby naturally provided both with aplomb. Steve Brookes as Mr Van Daan wonderfully filled the role of most hated character with his snide remarks, dislike of younger people, and selfishness. Chris Underwood of course caught Drusselโs mean nature throughout the play as the outsider that doesnโt want to be inside. Ian Glennie in his first ever acting role showed the frailty and fear of Mr Kralerโs position to a tee, while the versatile Mitzi Baehr was wonderful in her performance of Miep Gies โฆย the compassionate, caring, selfless provider.
Which just leaves Tamsin Antignani. Aged fourteen, the same age as Anne Frank pretty much, this was a virtuoso performance for one so young. She WAS Anne Frank. A huge number of lines, constant stage movement, expressions, mood swings were all taken in Tamsinโs stride.ย A wonderful performance โ chapeau. Totally chapeau!
The play has no surprise end โ we all know what happened. And in the second act particularly passages from Anneโs diary litter her characterโs monologues providing chilling reflections of what was to be, as opposed to what was hoped for.
โI want to be a journalist. I love to writeโ. โWill I ever be able to write well? I want to so muchโ
The painful ironies here of course being Anne never survived WW2, never became a journalist. But has a book that has been translated into seventy languages and has sold over thirty million copies worldwide.
And of course โ we shall remember them. Otto ย ย ย ย Edith ย ย ย ย Margotย ย ย ย Anneย ย Hermann ย Auguste ย Peterย Fritz
We should never forget them. And as Anne says in this play
โSome dayโฆย ย ย I hopeโฆโ
โThe Diary of Anne Frankโ plays at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes, Mayย 12th-17th. The cast, crew and theatre are delighted to announce that the show is already sold out.
What can possibly be better than watching a performance of โBlood Brothersโ by Willy Russell? Watching TWO performances of โBlood Brothersโ by Willy Russell of course! Next Stage Youth performed their dress rehearsals at The Mission Theatre last night, and with two casts we were treated to both of them in action.
The story-line of โBlood Brothersโ is easily findable on the web if required, so I won’t bore you with it here, but Next Stage Youth deliver a stripped back โ but by no means lesser for it โ version of the musical. With most of the songs trimmed out to create a fast paced, bare boned, breathless ย ninety minute production, the audience is kept fully engaged as the tale of twins separated at birth (sound familar?) takes us from city to country, working to middle class, struggles.
The set matches this approach โ in the round, bare floor with clever use of eight hinged lidded boxes as prop containers, chairs, windows and walls and the actors do the rest. Clever tech from Kris Nuttal, Alex Tarasevych and Rowan Bendle, with choreography by Hayley Fitton-Cook and wardrobe by Vanessa Bishop paints all the pictures our minds need for this tale of friendship, jealousy, social extremes and madness. Voice coaches Kay Francksen and John Matthews deserve credit too for taking what are a group of West Country youth and getting them to deliver decently passable Scouse accents ๐
Principals are split between the two casts but the ensemble for both remains the same four core actors, a huge kudos to their abilities despite their young ages. Iโll wrap up with the cast lists at the end of this review, but it is more that fair to say all the casts show passion and no little assurance in delivering their characterisations as separated twins raised each side of the tracks (sound familiar?), their mothers, best friend and the wonderful narrators (more of them later!). It would be unfair to pick any of these principles out for any more praise that others but I will say I had the pleasure of seeing two generations of the Chivers family perform in two nights in two different shows and the dynasty forming is clear! Also Dilys Hughes deserves a mention as itโs the second time Iโve had the privilege of seeing her act after her appearance in โJerusalemโ recently.
The pairings of Mrs Johnston and Micky were spot on. Both the Eddieโs almost stole the show. The pair of Lindas broke all our hearts as the devoted girlfriends of both twins, while both Mrs Lyons craft the characterโs descent into madness superbly – sound familiar?. And the Narrators excel in both casts, including the siblings Gully and Edith Kuenzler playing opposite each other. And another mention to the pairs of twins which are devoted to each other until Micky rejects Eddie and his best friend becomes his enemy โ sound familiar?
This just leaves my appreciation of the director Ann Ellison. The stripped back show she has developed really works but itโs the little touches that really shine. The narrators appear as marionette puppeteers, controlling the characters as the story unfoldsโฆ. Sound familiar?
So those allusions of familiarity? Well, four hundred years is a LONG time in theatreโฆ but what stood out to me again and again were the parallels in the story and developed by Ann just shout Shakespeare to me. We have twins separated at birth ( Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night) but the clear parallels are with Macbethโฆ where Eddie is Banquo and Mickey is Macbeth in their friendship story arc, Mrs Lyons is Lady Macbeth in her descent into madness, and brilliance of brilliance the marionette puppeteers controlling the destiny of the characters are the Witches. Sublime. Goosebumps.
The play itself encompasses so much; itโs a story of superstitions โ shoes on tables, a single magpie, prophecies of separated twins. Foreshadowing of the twins eventual demise with the use of a particular implement throughout Mickeyโs personal timeline. And almost biblical allusions to two mothers โ one mother giveth, the other taketh away. And Russell โ and Next Stage Youth โ leave us with existential queriesโฆ is Eddie patronising? Is Mickey ungrateful? Had Mrs Lyons selected the other twin would the story have ended the same โ nature versus nurture? And overall it is a play that presents a very downbeat view of married life from both ends of the socio-economic spectrum, wonderfully portrayed by these young actors.
โBlood Brothersโ is showing this week Thursday 27th March to Sunday 30th March at 19:30 with matinees at 14:00 Saturday and Sunday
by Ian Diddams images by Josie Mae Ross and Richard Fletcher
John Hodge is well known for his screenwriting of โShallow Graveโ, โThe Beachโ, โA Life Less Ordinaryโ and โTrainspottingโ, as well as plays such as โCollaboratorsโ which played at the Rondo Theatre last June. This week sees his latest play โFlatpackโ appear at the same theatre with the same company, RTC, in a world premiere.
Director of โFlatpackโ, and โCollaboratorsโ last June, Matt Nation says โI directed Collaborators at the Rondo last year. It went very well, and John was kind enough to support the production. So when we jokingly asked him if he had any more scripts up his sleeves โ we werenโt really expecting him to say yes. But here we are โ a brand-new John Hodge playโ. And John himself says โWatching ‘Flatpack’ come alive for the first time has been a privilege and a great experienceโ.
But enough of the show’s program’s plagiarism as review padding! โFlatpackโ centres on a young married couple David (Richard Chivers) and Hannah (Naomi Miller) who buy a run down flat with excellent views of the railway, who have best friends Fiona (Sophie Kerr) and Tom (Rob Finlay). The flat is sold by an estate agent Philip (Jon Thrower), and this is all more than ably supported by an unnamed police detective (Andy Fletcher), equally unnamed doctor (Verity Neeves) and kitchen designer and wannabe artist Ryan (Toby Farrow). Davidโs life is thrown into disarray when he received not a death threat but a death announcement โ June 27th 2025 is his final day of life. His increasing fixation with his impending death somewhat glosses over his relationship with Hannah, who falls for the charms of another, and his volun-selected triathlon training. Not to mention him succumbing to a femme fatale herself finding the idea of his approaching alleged death erotic. The detective provides a narration/ Greek chorus role piecing the story arc together and used as a MacGuffin to tie up plot lines. David returns again and again to the Doctor, who themself flits between altruism, greed and compassion with his story-line. Ryan is an over confident kitchen designer feeding his own internal lack of self esteem aching for an alternative life to which he was never suited, and finally the estate agent is one of those annoying characters in life that you can never seem to get rid of and you are never really sure why they are there โ we all know the type.
The writing is unsurprisingly absolutely superb. The story arc moves smoothly with no fat, incorporating clever โ nay brilliant! โ time line and intra-scene flips to create a seamless transition from the โnowโ to the future and back again at all times explaining and developing David and Hannahโs relationships. I particularly liked John Hodgeโs little homage to his own play โCollaboratorsโ with a tiny reference to an unseen and barely mentioned work colleague of Davidโs with regard to the unforeseen effects of a rashly invented suggestion.. The set (Production team, Yvonne Paulley, Alex Oliviere and cast) is simple but highly effective โ itself used as the flatโs front room, cafes, restaurant, wine bar, friendโs dining room, street corner, doctorโs surgery, garret flat, police station and a bathroom all created impeccably with a sofa, armchair, dining table, a kitchen unit, street lamp and a hidden boudoir. Not to forget either the as ever excellent tech provision by Alex Latham all held together by stage management from Alana Wright and Maria Finlay. A mention must also go out to the costumes โ which at least for Fiona were simply stunning, and for Tom an intriguing stream on a set of shirtsโฆ the cast all provided their own wardrobe and it proved to be a superb directorial touch.
The casting was simply perfect. The characterisation just exquisite. Not a single weak part โ testimony to great writing, great acting, great direction. Richard Chivers excelled as the uncertain, distracted and overwrought David as his life begins to unravel around him as his fixation with flatpack kitchens increases. The connections are provided in the play itself but the analogies of his marriage and a uncompleted kitchen unit combined ย with the juxtaposition of his social entropy ย and kitchen improvements are clear and the perfect holistic encompassing of the overall story. Naomi Miller as Hannah was as sweet and loving as a wife can be but we see the cracks in their marriage early on and her falling for the louche charms of Toby Farrowโs Ryan is a natural result of Davidโs loss of focus on her; Ryan is wonderfully cringy and hilarious in turn.
Sophie Kerrโs Fiona and Rob Finlayโs Tom as their best friends are wonderfully awful. Self-centred to a tee, their portrayal of a couple blundering through life as social panzers is hilarious. Tom is obsessed with triathlon and promotion, bung full of toxic masculinity and without an empathetic bone in his body. Fiona as catty as can be, happy to see those around her fail – and never more excited (and jealous) of othersโ misfortunes. Verity Neeves as the doctor shows great skills in presenting youthful compassion, with personal greed but eventually shows her caring side at one time being the only person that actually sees David for what he is going through and has become.
The estate agent, Philip, played by Jon Thrower does a great job of being the spare part in the whole play โ the annoying character that keeps turning up for no real reason, not particularly impressive as an estate agentโฆ so why does he keep getting in the way of Davidโs life?
That just leaves the Detective played by Andy Fletcher. Andy does a phenomenal job โ as mentioned before Greek chorus and MacGuffin combined. And a harmonica player to boot as well as a handy publisher of useful kitchen safety tips…
Overall a wonderful world premiere to get to see. How lucky are we all to have such a chance to see this at a community theatre performed by such an adept company with such great writing.
So does David actually die on July 27th 2025?ย Far be it for me to spoil the ending – thereโs one way to find out though!
โFlatpackโ shows from March 26th to 29th at 1930 at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath.
No aficionado of 1960s and 1970s horror films would have missed seeing โRosemaryโs Babyโ, a story of Satanic pregnancy, based on the book by Ira Levin. Shortly after that bookโs release, Levin write a stage play โVeronicaโs Roomโ which followed โRosemaryโs Babyโ tone of horror with a disturbing, psychological thriller.
The Wharfโs production opens with a furniture draped bedroom, which is soon revealed to be Veronicaโs room. The entire play is set in this room which in itself gives off a creepy, dark atmosphere; you can almost smell the mustiness of the dingy, sparsely furnished bedroom. A bed, chaise-longue, table and chairs, wardrobeโฆย and a barred window. Director John Winterton and his team designed and created the set and its ominous undertones, and the tech team produce eery lighting, subtly and extremely effectively fitting for this play. Without providing spoilers it’s however fine to say the costumes required for the story fit the requirements perfectly. And as ever Gill Barnes and the costume team have come up trumps to further set the period and the characterisations.
Itโs a short play timewise โ two acts comprising eighty minutes in total, plus an interval. But it is far from short with plot twists and turns, and as each new piece of information unfolds, we are drawn into a darker and more sinister world each time. The cast of four work well together to deliver Levinโs increasingly twisted story, with Johnโs direction keeping the pace exactly right at all times.
Jax Brady plays The Woman, embracing all the mood swings and dialects with ease, the perfect loving partner to The Man played by Gary Robson, whose sombre delivery is befitting of his characterโs inner turmoil and glimmers of hope, of his love for The Woman whilst uneasy with their shared knowledge. Abigail Baker plays The Girl around whom the plot centres; at first brazenly flirtatious, then finally broken, desperate and terrified. The Young Man โ the object of The Girlโs desires – is played by Cameron Williams who also has challenging characterisation and manages it sublimely.
It would be fair to say that โVeronicaโs Roomโ is also challenging for the audience โ it is a horror, and a psychological one at that, preying on oneโs mind. Levinโs story is a slow burner to begin with but as Act 2 in particular progresses it becomes a runaway train with hard hitting realisations developing the full horror coming thick and fast. The cast and crew have created a super rendition of Levinโs story that will surely have you checking under your bed when you go to sleep afterwardsโฆ
โVeronicaโs Roomโ is performed at The Wharf Theatre, Devizes January 2th to February 1st at 7.30pm each evening.
What is reality? Is it the cold light of everyday activities? Is it the symbiosis of contemporary time and ancient natural forces beyond our ken? Is it the raddled memories of mind altering drugs? Or is it a mixture of all of those combined, as personal perception sways between LSD flashbacks, inexplicable encounters, and simple bullshit?
Next Stage Theatre Company bring Jez Butterworthโs 2009 play โJerusalemโ to The Mission Theatre, Bath, this week. In a thinly disguised setting of Pewsey (Wiltshire), which is named Flintock but where the pubs names are all real pubs, the play centres on the character of Johnny โRoosterโ Byronย (Richard Chivers) who along with other characters in the play are based on actual Pewsey-ites, some of which still live in Pewsey today.
The story is a twenty-four hour period of Byronโs life, focussed on fair day on St. Georgeโs day, and his interactions with his loyal friend Ginger (Sam Fynn), various hanger-on young people (โratsโ as he calls them) Davey (Bryan Mulry), Pea (Sophia Punt), Lee (Jonathan Taft), Tanya (Miranda Webb), the senile Professor (Dave Dunn), somewhat dodgy publican Wesley (Brian Hudd), ex-girlfriend Dawn (Tania Lyons), local council officials intent on evicting him Mrs Fawcett (Tania Lyons) and Mr. Parsons (Andrew Ellison), Byron’s son Marky (Spike Fynn), and the lost teen Phaedra (Dilys Hughes) and her angry dad Troy (Andrew Ellison).
As the course of the day and night unwind, we experience Byronโs warped vision of his world as he tells ridiculously tall and impossible tales interspersed with somewhat surreal anecdotes and harsh truths. We see he is a very flawed character โ he is in no way a hero, and very much an anti-hero. His criminal and abusive nature is laid bare, where he despises everyone that surrounds him, even his longest lasting and loyal friend Gingerโฆ with the exception of Marky his son, who he shows genuine affection for (while avoiding any paternal commitment), the Professor and seemingly fifteen year old Phaedra โ about whom we are left with a rather disturbing suspicion as to their underlying relationship.
The set is wonderfully portrayed as a clearing in โRoosters Woodโ, all ramshackle a mess as you could possibly imagine as an illegal encampment of a broken down caravanโs site surrounded by old garden implements, wood burning stove, boxes and crates, woodland detritus and the remains of Byronโs own drug addled vandalism amongst other assorted accoutrements. Ann Ellison directs the show with an exquisite touch over the banality and failure of Byronโs life โ as well as creating the set along with Brian Fisher โ and the performance though lasting over three hours rattles along at such a high pace there is never a dull moment. Neat little touches abound โ as characters get drawn into Byronโs world, they become coated in straw and woodland detritus, while Byron himself stays clean of these. It is telling that as Lee is to leave Flintock for pastures new far away he is clean of all this woodland connection. Even the Professor ends up covered in straw as his own senile alternative reality merges seamlessly in the renegade aura of the campsite.
Tech is provided by Kris Nuttal, Brian Howe, and Andrew Ellison as they set the scenes of bright morning, sun dappled afternoon and dark and threatening evening. No spoilers here but some cleverly worked backlighting towards the end relieves the audience of unpleasantness while leaving nobody with any doubt as to what is happening. Vanessa Bishop leads costume to perfectly place the setting in the modern day.
Which leads us then back to the actors. A lovely mix of ages as befits the story, all sell their characters believably. I was so drawn in at one stage it was a jolt when I realised that I was watching a work of fiction, and this wasnโt โrealโ โ so kudos to the company for creating a fully immersive environment here. Richard Chivers is quite simply superb as the thoroughly egocentric but dangerous Byron. Sam Fynn is wonderful as his lifelong and lost, almost desperately childlike, sidekick Ginger. The “teens” of Jonathan Taft, Bryan Murphy, Sophia Punt and Miranda Webb believingly display youthful male exuberance and teenage slapper. Dave Dunn portrays the heart tearingly sad bewildered and confused doddery old man. Brian Hudd is cringingly excellent in his portrayal of the seedy and low-level dodgy publican who is really no different to the teens while in his own way abusing them as much as Byron is.
Spike Fynn gets Marky spot on as a conflicted nine year old โฆ โDo I love my dad? Do I like my dad even? Do I trust my dad?โ. He sells his character precisely through his physical acting as much as Butterworthโs lines. Tania Lyons and Andrew Ellison double up their parts seamlessly โ to the extent that especially for Tania I hadnโt even realised she played two parts until I checked the program after the show! And Dilys Hughes as Phaedra is quite sublimeโฆ ethereal, fairy like, other worldlyโฆ and even when that dreamy existence comes crashing into real life, she still keeps an entirely child like innocence despite our suspicions that what happened in Byronโs caravan may not be so innocentโฆ
So โ back to reality. Or various versions of it. From fairies and elves, tall tales and taller creatures, natureโs ancient powers. Drugs. Dreams. Cognitive breakdown. Youthful inexperience and ignorance. Bullshit. All of these variations feature prominently in Jez Butterworthโs powerful text, culminating in Byronโs final monologue as his life crumbles around him and he calls upon everything in his warped mind to help him as he subconsciously seeks an answer to the big question, which he has already passed the point of rationalising…
What IS reality?
“Jerusalem” by Jez Butterworth is performed by Next Stage Theatre Company at The Mission Theatre, Bath between January 21st to 24th at 7.30pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2 pm.
Tennessee Williamsโ quasi autobiographical drama โA Streetcar Named Desireโ was first performed in 1947 as the world emerged from years of global conflict. That war had changed things for ever in many ways โฆ while in others, many things remained the same. Williamsโ own familyโs misfortunes and situations are threaded throughout the play, but while those may have been in reality based in the 30s and 40s the issues he raises โ of misogyny, bigotry, domestic abuse, violence, homophobia, and social snobbery โ are as obvious today as they were almost eighty years ago.
As titles go though, it may well have been simply named โThe Fall and Fallโฆ. And Fall of Blanche DuBoisโ
The eponymous streetcar ran on the line of that name in New Orleans until around the time the play was first performed. Its simple plot is that of Blanche DuBois and her fall from status, grace and finally sanity. Surrounding her is her sister Stella, who abandoned their cocooned life years before, Stella’s husband Stanley, a course, uncultured โPolak,โ and their abusive relationship is mirrored by their neighbours Steve and Eunice.
A glimmer of light comes Blancheโs way in the guise of Mitch, seemingly gentler and more appreciative โฆ until he turns, showing his shared heritage with the other men. Blanche descends into madness as her airs and graces so vilified by Stanley slip away to expose her own seedy recent past, and her own bigotries, while exposing the other womenfolkโs tightrope walk through their marriages.
This is not a light play. It would come with plenty of trigger warnings โ domestic violence, homophobia, rape, alcohol abuse, to name but a few of them. That the company present these challenging aspects convincingly without descending into casual titillation or merely seeking to shock is tribute to their acting skills, the direction of Heidi Street, and the set and technical wizardry on display.
There is another aspect to heighten the senses, and bring New Orleans’ Latin Quarter into this pleasant eastern suburb of genteel Bath, UK. The showโs very own jazz band of Tom Turner, Peter Tucker and Yvonne Paulley providing the appropriate Louisiana style soundtrack to complete this exquisite holistic production.
Not content with playing clarinet as above, Yvonne also appears as the Nurse and a rose seller with a fine command of Spanish, and in-between those two demands also produced the show. Accompanying her and is another clearly ridiculously talented man, Tom Turner swapping his saxophone to play the Doctor as the stranger whose kindness Blanche, for a final time, relies on. Toby Skelton is another all-rounder who aside from stage managing all of this also appears as the Young Man, while Riza Domi is obviously far more sensible, with just the one role of Pablo, one of Stanleyโs poker playing buddies.
Neighbourly Steve and Eunice are subtly portrayed by Tim Carter and Sophie Kerr, all lovey-dovey and lustful โ until the pans begin to fly. Tim Hounsome sensitively plays Mitch, Blancheโs almost love interest โ until his urges almost overtake him and finally his own prejudices come through. Stella is sympathetically portrayed by the excellent Lauren Arena-McCann who as an American herself โ albeit from New York State and not Louisiana also doubled up as unofficial voice coach! Her portrayal of an oppressed wife trapped in a caustic, abusive relationship in which she acquiesces easily to her own lustful urges, while protecting her sister from a world Blanche cannot comprehend is painfully perfect. Matt Rushton delivers Stanley cringingly well tooโฆ his physical presence, large voice and overbearing character is full of unspoken menace the entire play; of course, to Stella but also to his drinking and poker buddies who he controls through fear.
Which simply leaves Blanche DuBois. Lucy Upward is the very essence of Southern belle โ sophisticated, used to the finer things in life, seeking to move in the right social circlesโฆ but exposing the cracks in that edifice as the story unfolds. Delicious flirtatiousness, demure repose, increasing intemperance and the slide into insanity as her Walter Mitty world collapses around her. Lucy captures these airs, moods, and madness perfectly โ she IS Blanche DuBois.
The set is a marvel โ a perfect setting to portray a cramped two room apartment in the confines of a community theatre. Muslin roman blinds provide discreet views of more intimate โ and jarring – moments while the rake of the stalls provides the upstairs flat from Stella and Stanleyโs own. Costumes by Chrissie Fry as ever from her, capture the times and characters so well, from Blancheโs diminished trousseau to Stanleyโs slobbish attire replete with hideous bowling shirt.
There is false hope, there is pain, there is self-delusion, there is despair. But overall, at the Rondo this week, with a sold out run, there is a Streetcarโฆ named Desire.
by Ian Diddams Images by Rowan Bendle and Ann Ellison
When is a Monster not a Monster? When is a good person not good? When is a bad person not bad? When is wisdom not positive? When is being invisible a terrible thing? What is the truth?
Bristol Old Vic took Patrick Nessโ novel โA Monster Callsโ, based on an idea of Siobhan Dowd, and with the help of Adam Peck created this quasi-fantasy tale of an adolescent coming to terms with teenage angst, awakenings and the complex realities of the adult world. Whilst not harnessing Sondheim (โInto The Woodsโ), Wilde (โThe Picture of Dorian Grayโ) and Shakespeare (Macbethโs witches) nonetheless tiny elements share some areas of those threeโฆย but more of that laterโฆ
โNext Stage Theatre Companyโ perform this powerful story of growing up this week at The Mission Theatre, Bath, in the round. A cast of eleven mixed youth and adults form the principal and secondary characters and general ensemble Greek chorus style seamlessly. Directed by Alexa Garner she has carefully crafted this beautiful tale into the powerful vehicle that intensifies its emotions as the play progresses. It is a simplistic play at face value โ young teen faces bullying, adult repression, nightmares, and the worst scenario imaginable at such a youthful age and eventually learns the solution to dealing with life. In this regard the youth orientated novel by Ness is quite clear โ but its more than just teenage angst. This is a play of onion skins, where if desired peeling away each layer reveals more and more philosophical and at times disturbing facts โ possibly about oneself.
The primary character is Conor OโMalley wonderfully portrayed by Fin Hancorn. Its an emotional role and Fin clearly digs deep into himself to reflect all the emotions demanded of his character โ he was clearly emotionally drained at the final curtain last night, full kudos for a young actor. He is more than ably contrasted by the Monster, superbly portrayed by Nicky Wilkins as the overbearing and at times demonic, Freddy Kruger like, Yew Tree โฆย that despite the name and the presence reveals his true purpose at the playโs end.
Conorโs main protagonists are played by Jonathan Taft as the arch bully Harry, and his two henchpersons Sully (Poppy Birch-Langley) and the fully convincing as the unconvinced bully Anton (George Chivers). Treading that wary line between teachers that โdonโt get itโ while simultaneously caring for their charges are Bob Constantine as Mr. Marl, and particularly Perrine Maillot as Miss Godfrey. Adding insult to injury are two of Connorโs family members, estranged Dad (Mayur Batt) who has lost all realistic connection to his son whilst trying to clumsily help him โ and failing, and Grandma (Kay Franksen) who redeems herself at the end after being impervious to teenage needs or Conorโs own wants. Members of the cast also appear throughout as that Greek chorus style ensemble.
Not everyone is against Conor though โ Lily is Conorโs best friend (Millie Sharma) though Conor drives her away to a position of frustrated friend looking on from afar. That just leaves Conorโs mum, beautifully portrayed by Hayley Fitton-Cook as her health deteriorates, the one character throughout that maintains a caring, loving, and symbiotic relationship with Conor. The stage chemistry between these two is palpable and reaches its peak in the beautifully surreal healing scene that is played out in their minds but enacted with no spoken word, other than a song, and dance and mime and the use of Makaton to communicate through their void. The Monster plays his part also in the scene as the barrier between them whilst being the source of the hope of healing.
Overall the play works through multiple layers โฆย themes reoccur though not always obviously. The Monster tells a tale of an apothecary โ a practicer of old medicine of plants and herbs โ while then being the last chance cure from his bark. The overarching meme however is how good and bad can be mixed โ a bad pious parson, a good greedy apothecary, the misery of invisibility and the pain of being visible.ย These are all flipsides to perceptions; the complexities of adulthood that Conor is beginning to enter and where self-delusion is the greatest barrier of all.
Which just leaves the creatives to praise. The set (Alexa Garner, Liz Wilson, Brian Fisher) is a simple one with excellent use of various props in multiple uses – a hatstand becomes a grandfather clock becomes a hospital I.V. pole, stools also represent industrial mechanisation and so on. The piรจce de rรฉsistance is undoubtedly the yew tree plinth on which the monster spends most of the show, and height differentials are subtly crafted where the Mission’s layout provides. Costume is simple and contemporary – clever use of school ties to juxtapose the earthy woodland nature of the yew tree, a simple hospital gown and the ethereal Monster garb. Lighting and sound (Kris Nuttall, Rowan Bendle) were subtle but oh so effective – the soundtrack was sublime. Alexa, director, was full of praise for her hard working stage manager – the ironic sign of a great stage manager being that you never know they are there!) Liz Wilson. Choreography totally spot on (Hayley Fitton-Cook and Dynamic Stage Action)
So what of Sondheim, Wilde, and Shakespeare? Shades of โNo-one is aloneโ the worst thing of not being talked about is not being talked aboutโฆ and is the Monster leading โ or controlling Conor? These themes all whirl around this play constantlyโฆย until finally all is made clear.
โIf you speak the truth โ youโll be able to face anything.โ
โA Monster Callsโ is performed by โNext Stage Theatre Companyโ at The Mission Theatre, Bath nightly at 7.30pm from Tuesday 26th November until Saturday 30th November 2024.
When is a mousetrap not a mousetrap? When itโs written by Tom Stoppardโฆ If you have seen โThe Mousetrapโ you may find elements of โThe Real Inspector Houndโ quite familiar. Or alternatively, if once having seen โThe Real inspector Houndโ you then progress to seeing โThe Mousetrapโ you may find elements of that show quite familiarโฆ
โThe Mousetrapโ of course being a play by Agatha Christie that is the London West Endโs longest running play, performed ever since 1952 with only a lockdown enforced break in all that time. Famously, audiences are asked not to reveal the solution.ย Tom Stoppard, allegedly, found this requirement somewhat tedious and so set out to write his own, similar, play.ย You would ideally want to see both however to fully understand what he created.
โThe Real Inspector Houndโ is also famously known for being a play-within-a-play; that is, a play in a theatre where the story is about a play. Stoppard though arguably takes this one step further especially as the surreal activities of the second half of the play unfold, as it becomes a play within a play within a playโฆย the complexities of what that entails are best learned by seeing Stoppardโs excellently bizarre play!
The Playing Up Theatre Company present this show this week at the Rondo, Theatre, Larkhall, on the eastern extremities of Bath. In it they take Stoppardโs already surreal comedy and add even more layers to itโฆย not only is their performance of Stoppardโs urine extraction of Agatha Christie, but they have added hilarious homages to โThe Play That Goes Wrong,โ โAcorn Antiquesโ and even โMonty Python,โ especially in the first half – the second half is bonkers enough to not need any additional layers, but the surrealism is excellently portrayed with good pace and no blinking of an eyebrow โ audiences need to stay awake and in tune and to have listened attentively to the opening fifteen minutes to get all the nuances going on!
Stoppard used to be a theatre critic himself, and uses this knowledge as a vehicle to extract the urine to that demographic. The two critics, Moon and Birdboot, played by Andrew Chapman and Simon Shorrock respectively, certainly portray two characters full of self-importance and one upmanship, though from opposite ends of the ethical spectrum and the two actors capture this interaction excellently. James Coy adeptly and gruffly spins his way around the stage in a wheelchair as the physically challenged brother-in-law Major Magnus Muldoon, overly protective of his sister-in-law and threatening dark retribution to any man displaying intentions towards her. But is he what he seems to be ?
The star of the show โ if one may be permitted to pick any one actor out of a superb line out anyway โ for me though was Anne Hipperson as Mrs. Drudge the housekeeper. Her self-confessed homage to Mrs Overall from โAcorn Antiquesโ is perfect โ some exquisite comedic timing. The only thing missing from the portrayal was Stoppard failing, sadly, to provide her with a line of โTwo sugarsโ during the painfully brilliant coffee scene.
Simon Gascoyne, smooth, suave, and sophisticated wooer of women was played by Jordan Phillpots, oozing self-confidence and smarm from every pore, while Felicity Cunningham, played by Leah Brine, the breathless, suspicious, doubly wooed young lady was suitably, deliciously aghast at the abhorrent menfolk in her life.
Then there was the almost obligatory femme fatale for such country house whodunnits โ Sophie Brooks as Lady Cynthia Muldoon. Outwardly a devoted wife to her missing husband, but privately a hot bed of passion for passing fancies, Sophie mixed MโLadyโs brooding, sultry character in the farcical first act, and surreal second half to perfection, another actor with perfect comedic timing.
Which leaves just Inspector Hound himself โ as ever perfectly played by the ever talented Richard Chivers. Or then again โ is he the โReal Inspector Houndโ?
That leaves just one more character on stage โฆ mentioned several times, but hidden, then revealed โ twice. No names, no pack drill, but the character never puts a foot out of place, and remains faultlessly in character and on stage for the entire show.
The set, by cast and crew, is a simple one as befits a typical country house murder mystery, with the use of the Rondoโs rear โcubby holeโ option as the theatre seats used by Moon and Birdboot. Costumes fitted the period setting of 1930s upper class types, and technical design, operation and support was handled with aplomb by Darian Nelson and Emily Smith. This just leaves kudos for wonderful direction by Darian Nelson, abetted by superb stage management โ also stepping into the fold of tech team for technical reasons โ by Diluki OโBeirne.
I canโt praise this performance enough. From the pure delivery of Stoppardโs farcical surrealism, to the directorial tweaks and homages so well delivered by the cast, to use of Bluetooth technology to really sell on stage audio, everything gelled so well.
So all that remains now is to advise you all โ go and see this play wherever you can and see if you can spot who isโฆย โThe Real Inspector Hound.โ
Disney aficionados will need no introduction to โThe Little Mermaid,โ Disneyโs 1989 film about mermaids falling in love with humans based very loosely on Hand Christian Andersonโs tale. By 2007 Disney had crated a stage musical version which officially opened on Broadway in 2008, with a later modification in 2012. But what Broadway can do, Trowbridge can do too, and this week Trowbridge Musical Theatre (a.k.a. TMT ) bring โThe Little Mermaidโ all the way from New York City and an undersea kingdom to St. Augustineโs Catholic College for our delectation.
This is a challenging production to pull off, with a huge cast, and multiple characters and costume changes, massive choreography numbers and immensely technical requirements, but TMT manage it sublimely in a packed and fast paced show. With a cast so vast its not feasible to list every single person sadly but it is fair to say that everybody involved brought something special to the performance. Added to which a brave decision to play it with American accents as per Broadway worked really well โ kudos to all for not grating, and being thoroughly believable as sons and daughters of Uncle Sam.
Lets begin with the orchestra โ with ten musicians and Kate Courage M.D. you can already appreciate the scale of this production. From the opening marvellous overture to the last note the orchestra were simply great.
The technical team brought the stage craft to life aided and abetted by some wonderful directorial touches by director Matthew Heatonโฆ the piรจce de resistance being the beautifully simple yet effective use of wave sheets to represent the sea, operated excellently by the younger members of the cast and especially effective in the ship wreck scene โ top waving by Emmi-Mae Cao, Elsie Cunningham, Iris Cunningham and Sam Hodgman. More kudos to the tech team and set designers with excellent projected backdrops and a few simple but effective set pieces.
Of the principals all provided great characterisation. Alex Ball as Flounder was a standout performance, Noah Heard as Eric executed his role as a prince falling in love at first sight to perfection with a voice that was creamy, dreamy and effortless with great diction, voice agility and ability. Tritonโs daughters (all seven of them) proved wonderfully catty in their roles, and collectively strong with a great sound.
The evergreen Tim Hobbs was as brilliantly crabby as he ever is as Sebastian with some wonderful comedic touches, while Sarah Davies divaโd her way fantastically through the show as the wickedly creepy Ursula, with her wonderfully strong voice as ever.
She was superbly accompanied by the dynamic duo of Frankie Walker and Daisy Woodruffe as Flotsam and jetsam, Ursulaโs henchmen eels who worked really well together. Ariel was the archetypal Disney princess portrayed to a tee by Katy Pattinson โ gorgeous and tiny, with such a pretty voice and moved about the stage nicely.ย Her chemistry with Eric was particularly good, and as a pair the complemented each other well. Her Act two performance in particular as a mute was really well executed with some strong physical acting, communicating superbly with facial expressions. Her scene of learning to walk was choreographed and performed extremely well.
Which brings us to the ensemble. Oh. My. Word. Ensembles make or break a show and here was a show that was made. Extremely strong in everything they did, they deserve a full bow of their own for the multiple costume and character changes required, as they sang, danced, and acted their way through being gulls, maids, sailors, chefs, princesses and the already praised โWaveโ team. A specific mention here to Paul West as Scuttle the head gull with a strong comedic lead. But all members of this vast ensemble were worthy of their places I hasten to say!
Choreography by Anna Mazan was a huge feature of the show, and the time and effort put in by her and her protรฉgรฉs was evident. โUnder The Seaโ was a triumph – fantastic, energetically colourful, a massive carnival with bubble machines, jellyfish parasols and so much more in a cavalcade of splendour. Youโd need to watch it many times over to catch everything that was happening on stage.
Costumes were simply fantastic. Just wonderful. A little fish told me that they werenโt without some teething problems on their arrival, but the wardrobe team did the cast proud. Chapeau!! (If you will pardon the pun).
Devizes based White Horse Opera has a fine and longstanding tradition of a touring opera โ a show taken the length and breadth of Wiltshire (and even further!) performed at various village halls, theatres and churches as venues. Recent past operas have included โDie Fledermausโ, โThe Mikadoโ and Ruddigoreโ and their latest offering is Mozartโs slightly bonkers โCosi Fan Tutteโ. On Friday last the dress rehearsal was produced for the “Friends of W.H.O.โ another of their traditions where the great and the good gather to indulge in swathes of cheesy comestibles and stunning music.
Mozart penned his Italian language piece in the 1780s when he was in his thirties. Itโs a comedy, albeit arguably somewhat a chauvinist one leaning heavily as it does on the alleged capriciousness of women โ the title loosely translated as โWomen are like that”. The basic daft premise โ like all the best highbrow theatre of course โ revolves around the unlikely disguising beyond recognition of two men (Guglielmo and Ferrando) such that their betrothed (Fiordiligi and Dorabella) will not recognise them, and so the farcical consequences may then ensue. Naturally there has to be some neโre do wells that first set up this unlikely scenario (Don Alfonso) and abet it (Despina).
The flirtatious and easily swayed girls are played by Barbara Gompels and Paula Boyagis, who in the duets in particular sweetly complement each other. Regular watchers of W.H.O.โs performances will need no further introduction to this talented pair, as indeed they will need no further introduction to Jon Paget who played Guglielmo, more than ably twinned by Robert Felstead as Ferrando as the pair of soldiers tasked by Don Alfonso played by the evergreen Lewis Cohen to trick their girlfriends in being unfaithful as part of a wager. Toni Johnstone completed the cast as the superbly independent and uncowed maid Despina. Jon and Robert proved an excellent comedy double act throughout their shenanigans, culminating in the wonderful disguises as what appeared to be two 1980s Australian cricketers off to the disco!
As a dress rehearsal as expected the show was ready to roll โ a couple of small hiccoughs for sure but nothing to distract from the hilarious mayhem on stage. Itโs a modern setting costume wise, and the set as befits a touring opera where complex arrangements are problematical, is simple โฆย a lovely backdrop setting the countryside setting by the inimitable Chrissie Higgs, who is also set to share the role of Despina when on tour.
For those concerned that an Italian language opera will be incomprehensible to their Anglo-Saxon ears, fear ye notโฆ as ever W.H.O.s operas are sung in English, this translation by the much missed Graham Billing who having translated the opera once, then lost it, and had to redo it. The entire translation was full of clearly identified Billingisms in the jokes whether sung or spoken. His legacy lives on and arenโt we all lucky that it does.
No opera of course is complete without its orchestra, and as so often for W.H.O. the orchestra of twenty as writ by Mozart is manfully represented by Tony James on the piano, and all pulled together by Roland Melia as M.D. par excellence. Stage Direction by Lewis Cohen completes the crew.
The tour begins soon in November in Market Lavington, but is also due to visit Bremhill, Hilperton, Winsley and Devizes in 2025, with other dates being announced all the while.ย And if you would wish W.H.O. to visit your local venue, maybe as a fund raiser for a local cause etc, feel free to contact them on who-enquiries@hotmail.co.uk
It would be fair to say that once William Shakespeare found or invented a plot device, he wasnโt one to avoid using it again. And again. And โ wellโฆ again, and again. Letโs play โShakespeare Bingoโ and โGuess the Playโโฆ
Thereโs a STORM AT SEA, a SHIPWRECK, a HUSBAND is SEPARATED from his WIFE, FAMILIES are SEPARATED, each thinks the other is LOST or DEAD, somebody is thought to be DEAD but is actually ALIVE, a RULER abuses his position of POWER, there is a MAGICIAN controlling SOMEBODY, BROTHEL OWNERS, PIRATES, and in the end EVERTHING is resolved and family REUNITED.
Hmmmm. Well, itโs a tricky one. The Tempest? Twelfth Night? Comedy of Errors? Romeo and Juliet? Merchant of Venice? Othello? Winterโs Tale? Much Ado? Allโs Well? Henry IV Pt 1? Measure for Measure? Cymberline? Two Gents? Hamlet?
All of these plays have at least one and often more of the attributes listed โ Will liked to avoid working on new plotlines for sure. However, at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes, handily enough as it turns out, placed beside boats on the water to add even more background to a tale of watery confusions, is yet another Shakespeare play reliant on all of those points.
Pericles.
No, it’s not some sort of small whelk, or a garden perennial. Itโs the story of an eponymous hero who escapes from a dodgy tyrant by running away to sea andโฆ well, you can piece the rest together from that second paragraph and Wikipedia. Needless to say, allโs well that ends well. So to speak.
Now Pericles is not a popularly performed play. Indeed, according to a 2024 ranking of most performed Shakespearian plays it comes in 22nd of 49 positions since 2012. So itโs a real treat to be able to see it at a local theatre which may understandably have otherwise put on one of the โBig Sixโ [*], and running at the same time as the same play at the RSC to boot. The Wharf is no stranger either to putting on lesser known Shakespeare of course, having shown โMeasure for Measureโ in 2023. One reason for this wonderful opportunity to see this play is that the director, Nic Proud, is working his way through directing the entire canon โ and this is his twenty-fifth play of that list, and another is the bold and open approach of the Wharfโs artistic director John Winterton.
The play rattles along โ Nic has trimmed the script to the key plot points, although as he says the play is really a series of connected moments and he has created a smooth storyline using those moments. The usual top technical team (Three Ts!) deliver effects and lighting with aplomb of course, leaving the stage ready and waiting for the actors to take us on Pericles’ voyage not only of the high seas, but of his fate and inner turmoil. The set is simply adorned with white and purple drapes, which cunningly transform into a jousting tilt barrier, and ethereal wings of the goddess Diana. A roped balcony provides some height to the set.
Our titular character is well delivered by Chris Smith, one of the four cast who have only one part to concern themselves with (has two shipwrecks!), the others being Danielle Cosh as the ethereal Thaisa (dies at sea, comes back to life!) , Louise Peak as the perspicacious Helicanus, and Nic Proud as Thaliard, stepping into the role at a late stage when an unfortunate injury to Steve Brooks saw him unable to continue โ we wish Steve a speedy recovery and hope he can return to the Wharf in the future.
The other six cast members play between them a bewildering array of twenty-one other characters! That list would run to volumes but huge kudos to Abigail Baker playing Marina, Pericles daughter (lost at sea โ now THEREโs a thingโฆ), Andy Bendell as the seedy bawd (!) Pander, Tony Luscombe as the dastardly Cleon (and a sailor in a storm!), Sian Stables as even more dastardly Dionyza (and a sailor in a storm!) , Pete Wallis as the vengeful Antiochus (and a pirate!), and Debby Wilkinson as a brilliant mix of servant, bawd (!), sailor (in a storm!) and fisherman!
Nicโs scissors have created a play about the length of a football match, and which is wonderfully easy to follow โ every cast member deliver the lines of Elizabethan English so well that its totally understandable and comprehensible. The costumes are totally sublime so once again chapeau (see what I did there?) to Gill Barnes and her team.
All that remains to say is take this chance to see a play most theatres and companies steer clear of. And if nothing else if you will save your self a drive to Stratford and back to see it.
Noel Coward is probably best known for โBlithe Spiritโ but he in fact wrote sixty-five stage plays over a fifty year period. Bath Drama this week perform his excellent โDesign for Livingโ – a comedy about a menage-a-trois, complicated by a fourth relationship set in Paris, London, and New York.
What is the secret to a successful community theatre show? It’s quite a simple answer in many ways โ talented actors, inspired direction, dedicated crew all working to a vision. Topped off with an intimate space to share it all in. Bath Drama and the Rondo Theatre deliver this equation sublimelyโฆย from the wonderful sets, beautiful costumes, brilliant lighting, and the ability to be almost on stage with the actionโฆย for those in the front row in particular one is sitting in Otto, Leo, and Ernestโs abodes.
Three of the principals โ Gilda (Elisabeth Calvert), Otto (Toby Skelton) and Leo (Richard Watkins) share a turbulent three way relationship โ viewed afar with some consternation by the fourth principal, Ernest (Iowerth Mitchell). Ernest is also friends with the trio, but far more platonically. The story moves between Gildaโs affections at any one period; firstly with Otto, then with Leo, then with Ernest, until the playโs dรฉnouement when the three embrace their shared loves and Ernest disowns them all.
Elisabeth Calvert as Gilda drives the show โ she is on stage for the majority of the two and a half hour show (with over a thousand lines!). The entire story in many ways is about her inability to commit and/or her easily swayed attractions; she is also the instigator of all the arguments with her lover at any time hinting at a lack of happiness deep inside.
The one relationship in the play that Coward had to downplay when it was written in 1932 was the homosexual one between Otto and Leo. Even in today’s far more liberated times the dialogue still lends itself to a demure portrayal and little more than heavy hints that the two chaps in Gildaโs absence have a thing going on. A few draped limbs here, a shared pair of pyjamas there, and a liberal use of the word โgayโ as a double entendre (I only learned today the term for homosexual was first widely used in the 1930s amongst the gay community!). Toby Skelton and Richard Watkins portray this subtle yet intense relationship supremely well, infinitely comfortable in each otherโs company and arms.
The supporting cast is no less excellent โ Lucy Perry a blaze of door slamming energy on stage as her portrayal of the clumsy Miss Hodge the domestic contrasts superbly with the subtle, suave sophistication of the principals. Tim Carter doubles-up as a photographer and the monied New Yorker husband of Lauren Arena-McCann as the Carver couple, while Lauren also doubles-up Miss Birbeck a reporter. More double-ups as Lucy a.k.a. Miss Hodge also plays the rather more up market Grace Torrence, with her dee-lart-furl Southern drawl.ย Segueing nicely in this review, Jim McCauley plays Matthew the somewhat stressed New York Butler to Ernest, as well as being Assistant to Gill Morrell as Director.
The set is delightful โ simple yet elegantly portraying with not a little panache a studio in Paris, a flat in London and a suite in New York โ step forward and take a bow to set crew Rich Canning (who else!), David Wood, Miriam Zaccarelli and Connor Palmer. The scene shifts between the three abodes are technical โ which is a subtle way of saying they are long. However โ this is not a negative; the choreography between the stage crew of Connor Palmer, James Dennis and Ellen Read is a delight to behold in itself more than ably abetted by the quite stunning 1920s soundtrack. Costumes by Scarlett Hayler-King and the cast were beautifully elegant โฆย and of course, there was Miss Hodgeโs rather more prosaic home help clobber ๐ Finally, but by no means least, Alex Latham provided tech as smoothly on the outside as we have all come to expect.
This is an exquisitely written play, performed well and is more than worthy of your attendance.ย โDesign for Livingโ is performed at the Rondo Theatre from October 2nd-5th 2024.
Alan Bennet wrote his series of monologues in 1988 and 1998, with two more in 2019, centring on, though not confined to, stories of โNorthernโ women, based allegedly on characters he had known in his life, particularly his formative years. The Wharf Theatre has kicked off its autumn program with three of Bennetโs one woman shows performed by two new faces to the wharf, and Tina Duffin who has graced the boards there for a few years at least now.
โA Lady of Lettersโ with Joanna Daniel as Irene starts the evening. Itโs a mesmeric tale of a nosey neighbour spinster, who fills her time writing letters complaining about smoking pall bearers, neglectful parents, prostitutes and paedophiles.ย We all know somebody like Irene. The vicar, the chemist and the police are the recipients of her missives โ but her ill informed NIMBYISM comes home to roost as the truths behind her complaints are learned and she ends up in jail for harassment. Itโs here however that she finds herself truly free and with a social life for the first time in her lifeโฆ
โA Cream Cracker under the Setteeโ with Liz Holliss as Doris concludes the first half. Doris is an aging and increasingly frail widow, struggling to maintain her independence while being hen pecked by an โ allegedly โ sloven home help care assistant. Trying to stave off being moved to โStafford Houseโ a care home, it becomes increasingly apparent that Doris isnโt actually capable of keeping herself safe and is too proud to admit it. As in โlettersโ as the play progresses, we learn more and more about Doris and her life until now, each new revelation moving our understanding slightly from what we had so far understood. There is a โBANGโ moment towards the end that stops the viewer in their tracks โ a hitherto un-hinted at sea change in Dorisโ life, if not her husbandโs. This is the saddest tale of the three as we see Dorisโ decline in just thirty minutes and her inevitable future.
After the interval, โBed amongst the Lentilsโ with Tina Duffin as Susan is the lightest offering of the evening, although in true Bennett style this isnโt all roses and jollity. The poignancy and inner sadness of the first two monologues is still here โ its rather that the ending has no changes in Susanโs life except โ possibly โ beneficial ones as she looks to overcome her alcoholism which becomes more evident through the story. Susan is a vicarโs wife, and stalwart of the village fete โ though she finds her role as Mrs. Vicar challenging not least as we learn she has no particular skills and is an agnostic surrounded by devout church goers and an ordained husband; thereโs some home spun philosophy in here which I have often thought myself. Susan is clearly if not disenchanted with her life, at least bored with itโฆย her alcoholism spawns infidelity, though itโs this last act that ultimately leads to her salvation from the demon drink โฆย before the object of her carnal releases gently leaves her โฆย and she is left wistful but not sadโฆ
If there is one over-arching theme of these plays its one of entrapment โ women stuck in their surroundings โ be it a home as a prison with the irony that a prison becomes a home, a home that is now an increasingly dirty house, or a boring marriage and estranged lifestyle. With all three finding release in some not so obvious ways.
All three monologues are set in similar roomsโฆย somewhere between 1950 and 1970 in dรฉcor though as we possibly notice ourselves with older relatives โ or even ourselves! โ that may still be the same thirty years later of course. The Wharfโs own tech crew as ever created the sets โ itโs been many a year since Iโve seen so many antimacassars. Gill Barnes and her wardrobe team as ever hit the spot with clothing befitting women of a certain age and the actors portray that well.
The actorsโฆย perfect for the roles in every way. They each capture their characters so well. Susan is every part the vicarโs wife disjointed from her immediate life, Doris the desperate widow gas lighting herself over her independence, Irene the curtain twitching poison pen shit stirrer. Every part as excellent as Maggie Smith, Thora Hird and Patricia Routledge respectively from the original BBC series in the last century.
Abigail Newton, self-released from her national CAMRA activities, returns to direct this perfect show. She has captured the poignancy, light humour and hidden tears and fears of Bennetโs slightly tortured souls in these three monologues. In the week that Oasis gig tickets were released donโt miss out on seeing this particular show โฆย lest you look back in anger.
โTalking Headsโ by Alan Bennet plays at Wharf Theatre, Devizes, from September 2nd to 7thย at 1930 every night.
Iโve seen Rob Lear and his band on multiple occasions in the past decade, every one of them a delight, and it has to be said โ to echo the words of promoter Malcolm Shipp โ he and they get better each time. Rob has a gentle melodic quality, writing philosophically about his life, life in Wales and the people he meets and sees.
He himself hails from somewhere in the valleys not far from Pontypridd, the wettest place in England and Wales he claims! Although a simple internet search suggests virtually everywhere in Wales has the same claim and as a former resident of the principality myself, I can attest to the fact that they are all probably correct!! Aside from Robโs home, Liz his constant sidekick also hails from that country, but the other two members of the band Terry and Tom hail from as far afield asโฆย Calne itself.
In a three set evening, providing time to refresh drinks and empty bladders in between a closed bar [well done TPB! ] the attentive and appreciative audience were led through a mix of Robโs numbers from his back catalogue lifted from his discography of โA Million Starsโ, โLet it Goโ, โMotorcycle Heartโ and โStrange Daysโโฆย plus, an unrecorded special โChevy 54โ which had the crowd singing along to and is a must for a single release (hint Rob HINT!!)
Robโs stage show has come on leaps and bounds since I first saw him tooโฆย being Welsh he can talk the hind leg off the proverbial pit pony, but his easy, self-deprecatory, and occasionally rambling style is a joy only improved on by his sublime lyrics, melodies and the bandโs harmonies performed on guitars, accordion, ukelele, bass, mandolin and fiddle. And the non-surprise addition and performance of Malcolm Shipp on harmonica ๐
I could take this review through Robโs set list but that would frankly be rather dull and meaningless especially to anybody not au fait with his output, so the best thing I can offer is this Spotify playlist consisting of the numbers from Tuesday evening.
The Piggy Bank also have this wonderful video for your delectation
A shout out here too for the venue, The Piggy Bank. In the last year or so itโs been hosting comedy club evenings (also highly recommended) and of late gigs too.ย Keep an eye on their Facebook page to keep abreast of these offerings โ music starts up again in October with these musical events already โin the bagโ
by Ian and Paul Diddams photos by Ian Diddams and MDBTYD Festival
The 4th iteration of MDBTYD Festival was held on Saturday at its home of homes, Swindon Town Gardens. Last year Devizine covered the proceedings with Darren venturing northwards, and his thoughts and explanations can be found here
You can find all the background to the festival in Darren’s post, but I can add that this year in 2024 over ยฃ8000 will have been raised as I write this with other monies still coming in – in that vein itโs not too late to donate! Just follow the link here.
If you CBA to read Darrenโs 2023 post, a summary is that the MDBTYD Festival seeks to raise funds for Prospect Hospice in honour and recognition of Dave Young, a mover and shaker in the Swindon music scene before his passing in 2021. This is generously aided by the primary sponsorship of “Future Planning” Independent Financial Planners as well as support from Jovie Grill, Funky Corner Radio, Swindon PA Hire, Jamaican Me Crazy, The Tuppeny, Holmes Music, Vibish Brewery, SPR Garage, The Castle, South Swindon Parish Council, C.P. Jeffries, LF, Mamas Events, T Marshall Services, Originzone, Scarrots fun fairs, Hills and Platinum Security services.
While not totally perfect, nonetheless the weather this year was better than last year’s it has to be said although that bar was pretty low! Nine hundred souls joined in the fun in Old Town Gardens, and as in previous years enjoyed acts both in the festival arena on the main stage but also in the Acoustic stage in the band stand in the main park, as well as the craft market and fair ground. In fact it must be said so incessant was the music offerings in the main arena that these correspondents hardly managed to get to the Acoustic stage but that is no slight on the acts there – and if “Plummie Racket” was anything to go by when we did manage to squeeze a couple of numbers in the quality was high! For future reference to the great Devizine readership, the acoustic stage, craft market and fairground is open to the public though Im sure anybody availing themselves of the “free” offerings would be chucking a suitable donation in a bucket online of course.
So – the main arena. What a cornucopia of delights! All Swindon/Wiltshire based bands with local followings and the standard started high and maintained itself throughout. Without going into glorious technicolour detail across the board (else we’d be here until Christmas writing and reading it all) our musical pleasure zones were in turn tickled by “Copper Creek” with Americana style folk to start the toes a-tapping, “Broken Daylight” & “JB and The Mojo Makers” each with their own brand of driving rock and blues, and then “I See Orange” – a quite excellent Grunge, hard edged band with on stage attitude par excellence… sporting a bright orange bass… what came first the band name or the bass we wondered?! “Thud” blew us away with more driving bluesy rock and were followed by the stunningly vocalled “Joli & The Souls”. And lets not forget the “surprise” visits from “Ministry of Samba” !!
Eventually as evening began the crowd got what many were here to see – “The Chaos Brothers” an eclectic mix of punk, glam and new wave covers from Calne and Dave Young’s last band. And thence to the total treat of “Gaz Brookfield and The Company of Thieves”. Gaz is well known in these parts as a solo performer, but he has appeared for quite some while periodically with a bunch of assorted ne’er do wells “The Company of Thieves” and its becoming more common I have noticed of late for the full band experience to occur. But whether solo or a-Company-d (see what I did there?) Gaz’s tunes are a roller coaster of emotions from poignant, to laugh aloud, to reflective, to angry. He – and the Thieves – never disappoint.
Sadly our carriage awaited to return us to the depths of the county and Devizes so we missed SN Dubstation but their reputation precedes them and I have no doubt they were their spectacularly entertaining selves ๐
Now of course festivals are so much more than the bands of course. There is one area that is on the lips of seemingly every festival goer to every festival I discuss … the LOOS! Well, the loos were sparklingly clean, delightfully fresh on the nostrils and plentiful – I never had to queue all day! The bar – another important aspect of festival days of course – did have queues but that is testimony to the excellence of the products available and it is always lovely to spend time chatting to other attendees. On a personal note, we both felt the beer offering was absolutely spot on … a Vibish pale ale with a hint of Melon (a nod to Dave Young’s quote that he didnโt want his beer to taste of melon!). The bar was provisioned by “The Tuppeny” with some proceeds going to Prospect Hospice too. That of course just leaves – the food! The usual popular array of burgers, hot dogs, and hog roast – and chips! – from “Jovie Grill”, but another personal hats off to “Jamaican Me Crazy” for their fantastic Caribbean food … curry goat, jerked chicken, rice and peas etc. etc. etc. Simply great!
And so the day came to an end. It had flown by – a tribute to the high standard of acts and the enjoyment of the day. MDBTYD 2025 planning is already under way and it is sure to be even better if that is possible than this year’s.
And for more musical splendiferousness in the same vein for Prospect Hospice is the upcoming “The Shuffle” – Swindon’s biggest festival of unsigned grassroots music, 12th-15th September!
Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward โEโ) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunesโฆ
Wiltshire Music Centre Unveils Star-Studded New Season with BBC Big Band, Ute Lemper, Sir Willard White and comedians Chris Addison and Alistair McGowan revealing theirโฆ
Daphneโs Family & Childhood Connection to Devizes Celebrations of Daphne Oram have been building in London since the beginning of December, for those in theโฆ
Part 1: An Introduction March 1936: newlywed French telecommunications engineer Pierre Schaeffer relocates to Paris from Strasbourg and finds work in radio broadcasting. He embarksโฆ
Yesterday Wiltshire Council published an โupdateโ on the lane closure on Northgate Street in Devizes as the fire which caused it reaches its first anniversary.โฆ
Join the St Johnโs Choir and talented soloists for a heart-warming evening of festive favourites, carols, and candlelit Christmas atmosphere this Friday 12 th Decemberโฆ
This afternoon I find myself contemplating what the future holds for historical discovery and learning for all ages, fun and educational exhibits and events inโฆ
Featured Image: Barbora Mrazkova My apologies, for Marlboroughโs singer-songwriter Gus Whiteโs debut album For Now, Anyway has been sitting on the backburner, and itโs moreโฆ
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by Ian Diddams. photos by Ian Diddams and Luke Ashley Tame at Acadia Creative.
In the U.K. a one hundred and sixty-eight women and girls are murdered each year โ almost one every two days. Eighteen percent of all recorded crime is domestic abuse. To the year end March 2022 police recorded 194,683 sexual offenses. Of which 70,330 were rapes, and of those just 3.2% were prosecuted, with a conviction rate of 62%. That is a conviction rate of under 2% of all reported rapes. โReportedโ being the key word here.โจ
โFaithโ, devised by Uncaged Theatre and written by Meg Pickup and Taruna Nalini, explores this background in its story involving four long standing friends – Colly & Kaia a cohabiting lesbian couple, Mercy who has an off-stage lesbian partner, and Theo who leads a promiscuous, single gay lifestyle. They share evenings together drinking wine โ and cider – and playing games where Uno is the safe game of common agreement over strife ridden Monopoly and the ownership of โMayfairโ. Their harmonious, loving and tight knit group comes under pressure when a close female friend disappears after one such night when she never reaches home after her Uber ride. Things never will be the same again.
โจโจBefore the friend’s disappearance we witness small cracks in Kaia and Collyโs relationship, which love and partnership smooth over but it’s bubbling below the surface continually. The safety of Theoโs promiscuous gay lifestyle via Grindr is questioned by the three women, but he brushes it off โ a foreshadowing of what is to come in some ways. Mercy is portrayed as the most on-the-level of the four.
The disappearance of their friend lifts the lid on all of these relationships and interactions. The women are connected by a constant fear and dread of male violence. Theoโs viewpoint is one of self-protection and public perception of himself as a male and these two sides of the coin are unable to fully appreciate each otherโs position. As Colly opines, women are worried about BEING the next victim, while men are worried about being blamed. The cracks in Kaia and Collyโs relationship widen over differences in approaches to the tragedy; Collyโs solution is to protest and push the issues into peopleโs faces, Kaiaโs is to hide away and not stir societyโs pot.
The final monologue is stark.โจโจ
โFaithโ is a work in progress and the Rondo performance was its world premiere. As a work in progress there are areas to flesh out, I am sure โ Theoโs story is ripe for this area both with his own vulnerability in his encounters and also as the closest male to the victim. The area around race of the Uber driver is hinted at โ and could again be a sub-plot to expand on, though that may be a distraction for the overarching premise and theme of this play.
โจโจAll four characters are clearly and perfectly drawn. Meg Pickup as strong willed, somewhat selfish Colly, Taruna Nalini as the loving, but insular Kaia, Billie-Jo Rainbird as the level-headed Mercy and Nicholas Downton-Cooper as Theo living his best unfettered gay life whilst overly sensitive and defensive to public perceptions.โจโจ
The set by Uncaged Theatre is a simple one (I like a simple set me!) where the action all takes place in Kaia and Collyโs flat. Lighting and sound by Maria Hemming sets the tone and time and day, and Billie-Jo. There are clever uses of TV reporting voices โ voiced by Ashley Kelberman and Max Baldock โ to cover the news around the disappearance and eventual discovery; a very good directorial touch by the company.โจ
โจThe show is a hard watch, unsurprisingly, due to its core premise. But itโs a well told one written from unfortunate knowledge. At least one of the abuse stories related in the play is 100% true from one of the castโs own experience, and all are based on real occurrences. It is something everybody should see; the writing is precise, pertinent and pulls no punches. The characters are well drawn – these are people we all know … normal, everyday people leading everyday lives just like ourselves. In a friendship group just like we all have. Yet we are lucky enough – mostly – to not face what happens to one of our friends. I hope for all our sakes. Because one day … it may be us. Maybe it’s us that takes that last Uber ride thinking we are nearly home… It will move you – it SHOULD move you. I cried when I reflected on the show.
In closing, we need also reflect that in the time between seeing the show and writing this review, statistically in the U.K. another woman has been murdered.โจโจ
William Shakespeareโs tragedy, inspired by real life eleventh century Scottish kings, is well known by anybody thatโs done GCSE (or even O-Level!) English I am sure, and Wikipedia can fill in the gaps, so I wonโt bore you with the storylineโฆย other than to say as AC/DC would have it โIf You Want Blood, You’ve Got Itโ as Macbeth is enticed by three witches to pursue the throne of Scotland, and in so doing murders Duncan the king, then sees off his best chum Banquo, though fails to also finish Fleance, Banquoโs son who the witches also suggest may become king one day. Lady Macbeth is his conniving ball breaking wife, and eventually Macduff, the ultimate C-section delivery sees him off to bring Duncanโs son Malcolm to the throne.
The cast of โShakespeare Liveโ, a Wiltshire/Bath based company, bring this tale of blood and sweat if not tears to life at Cleeve House which itself โhath a pleasant seatโ, near Seend this week in their traditional summer outdoor production. Bring a picnic, sit beneath cover for the show lest it rains or on a blanket as a groundling, and watch this talented cast do dastardly deeds and much plotting, set against the beautiful Wiltshire countryside as a background. Directed by John Jameson Davis, he brings this four hundred year old play to vibrant life. The tech team of Alex Latham, Oscar Davis, Richard Carter and Martin Moffat produce such atmosphere especially in Act 2 as darkness descendsโฆย Macbeth as a play is set mainly at night-time, so the sun disappearing right on cue as the west yet glimmers with some streaks of day is sublime.
The set is simple yet effective โ that Wiltshire backdrop provides everything thatโs needed, with hints of Wiltshire presented in one corner that tie in with the witches perfectly โ youโll need to come and watch it to see what that is ๐
Our main man is superbly played by Laurie Parnell, brilliantly combining with Stephanie Richards as Lady Macbeth. The two of course see off Duncan, imperiously played by Gill Morrell.ย Faithful, then not so faithful thanes are provided by Simon Reeves as Lennox, Taruna Nalini as Ross, Bryce Collishaw as Monteith and Graham Paton as Caithness, aided and abetted by Josh Phillips as Macduff, and Francis Holmes as old Angus. Somebody has to do all the sundry stabbing and Ian Diddams as Seyton and Bryce Collishaw as accompanying neโer do well provide the means to a sticky end seeing off Oli Beech as Banquo, Charlie Aldred as Young Macduff and Kerensa McCondach as Lady Macduff. Centre stage of proceedings of course are three witchesโฆ ย suitably manically presented by Phoebe Fung, Penny Clegg and Andy Cork. Gentlewoman Lydia Harman-Verrell and Doctor Roger Hames provide for Lady Macbethโs wellbeing, and itโs all mopped up in time for Sarah Horrex as Malcolm to finish it all of with a rousing speechโฆย though Fleance โ Charlie Aldred again โ is never far awayโฆ Its not all darkness, blood and tragedy of course โ Graham Paton wades in with some welcome comic relief and the obligatory Shakespearian knob-gags as the philosophical and ย equivocating Porter.
Costumes are sublime โ Hermione Skrine, Caren Felton and Helen Holliday have superbly dressed the cast in โborrowed robesโ, and there are no โstrange garmentsโ to be seen!
So dust off your O-Levels and GCSEs, grab a friend or three, a blanket, a picnic, and come and enjoy a well presented tale of power, greed and witchy shenanigans in the beauty of the Wiltshire countryside.
โMacbethโ is performed at Cleeve house, Seend from July 1st to July 6th at 8pm, as well as a Saturday matinee at 2pm.
The concept of historical brutal dictatorships and comedy is not necessarily one that one considers as workable. Yet the likes of โThe Producersโ and โThe Death of Stalinโ show that the right level of satire can over come any qualms that may exist. John Hodgeโs play โCollaboratorsโ continues this trend as an Stoppard-like surreal absurdist comedy about the relationship between real life characters Joseph Stalin and Mikhail Bulgakov, which the Rondo Theatre Company are performing this very week.
John Hodge may be better known for his scriptwriting on โShallow Graveโ and โTrainspottingโ amongst other blockbuster films but here in โCollaboratorsโ he ratchets up the satire and hinges his story on a Machiavellian plan by Stalin toward the dissident playwright Mikhail Bulgakov.
Director Matt Nation has created a demanding โ in effect โ two scene play into a smoothly choreographed storyline, as the simple set of the Bulgakovโs Moscow flat replete with huge Soviet red star also covers the Lubyanka, theatre, rehearsal studio, doctorโs surgery, hospital, kremlin basement & metro, all clarified by Alex Lathamโs subtle lighting changes, The cast smoothly transition between these environments adeptly โ such is the skill of particularly community theatre in representing multiple arenas in a limited space.
Act 1 is pure absurdist comedy. Bulgakov is pressured into writing a play for Stalinโs birthday, that ends up being written by Stalin himself while Bulgakov ends up running the Soviet Union. Its silly, its surreal โ action also happening in Bulgakovโs head at times but just on the end of Act 1 the plot twists darkly.
Act 2 is pure black comedy. Though as the end of the play approaches is not so much comedy as horror as the repercussions of Bulgakovโs well intentioned โdecisionsโ as a proxy for Uncle Joe come clear and those chickens come home to roost. Tragedy would be as good a description as the show reaches its denouement.
Weaving this excellently crafted and delivered tale are the cast of fourteen. Principal characters are unsurprisingly Stalin โ complete with swept back hair and bristling moustache โ played by Andy Fletcher, and Bulgakov played by Jon Thrower. They portray this odd collaboration skilfully and sympathetically, Stalin as an almost genial and friendly Uncle figure, Mikhail as the distrusting and incredulous playwright.
Mikhailโs peer group is comprised of his loving wife Yelena (Lucy Upward) portraying her increasing desperation and concern as to his health, Vassily an aging Czarist (Jonathan Hetreed), Praskovya a history teacher (Verity Neeves) that cannot discuss history before the revolution, and Sergei (Charlie Bevis) who have been billeted in the Bulgakovsโ small flat โ Sergei lives in the cupboard! On this note the cupboard is superbly used as the entry and exit of Mikhailโs dreams/hallucinations and also the secret Kremlin door (!). Charlieโs portrayal of the enthusiastic young Soviet is touchingly naรฏve, and the group rub along despite their clear and evident differences in opinion and approaches to life under Stalin. Completing Mikhailโs peer group are Grigory (Toby Gibbs) a young writer struggling to get his work published due to its anti-Soviet content and his wife Anna (Elisabeth Calvert) reflecting the timesโ oppression.
Bulgakovโs doctor is portrayed amusingly (in all the right ways!) by Tim Hounsome, all overworked, distant and slapdash until treating the elite, while โthe actorsโ are just wonderfully performed by Josie Mae-Ross and Richard Chivers, floating in and out of Mikhailโs dreams as well as acting out the play Bulgakov is โwritingโ โฆ Richardโs homage to Ernst Stavro Blofeld is almost a show stealer in itself.
Last but not least we come to the menace in the play โ the NKVD officers. Vladimir (Tom Turner) is quite brilliant as the jocular yet disquieting secret policeman who becomes more luvvie and obsequious as the play develops. Its unfair to pick out individual parts as โshow stealersโ especially in community theatre, but it would be remiss of me to not to praise one particular performance in this play. Tim Carter plays NKVD policeman number two, Stepan. A silent, brooding presence he delivers the real โ literally unspoken โ menace throughout whilst being at the back of the stage mostly. Its not until the very end that he comes to the fore in his own right, but itโs a special skill to not be heard but be influential in the action and Tim really nails the requirements.
Vladimir’s wife Eva is played with an almost cameo performance by mainstay of the Rondo theatre company, Alana Wright, who manages to stave of the unwanted attentions of Stepan… mostly…
Aside from Alex on lighting, Dylan Jackson provided sound tech and as a team they had a busy time and completed everything to perfection – this is a tech heavy show so huge congratulations to them. Other crew aspects were indeed โcollaboratedโ on (dโya see what I did there? ) by all of the above โ set design and build, stage management (including Toby Skelton), costumes and publicity which was aided and abetted by Lisa Hounsome and Richard Fletcher with photography.
“Collaborators” is a fast paced, thinkers play โ although the allusions to modern day Russia are evident and lie not very far beneath the surface. Some genuine laugh out loud moments, some shocking moments and Stalinโs final words to Bulgakov sum up the regimeโs totalitarian control in a nutshell.
โCollaboratorsโ is showing at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath from June 19th to 22nd at 1930 every night.
by Mick Brian Photos by the “Where’s the Cat?” team
Within the walls of Devizes very own Wharf Theatre meets an eclectic group of script writers. And having written scripts and read them to each other, they wondered what to do next. So they recorded themselves performing these short radio-style plays and unleashed them on an unsuspecting world in the form of a podcast series. Having achieved this milestone the group pondered what to do next, and a live show seemed the next obvious step.ย
“Whereโs The Cat? Live!” is a melange of short plays, written and performed as rehearsed readings by the group, with the assistance of a couple of Wharf actors and a very sound man on sound. The plays cover the main facets of life; comedy and tragedy, often both at the same time. Thereโs a trilogy of plays about a trio of friends who find themselves in unusual and inconvenient situations. Thereโs a play about spies, another about therapy, another in a dystopian future where the human race is reduced to two people and some pot snacks. We go to Heaven in one play, a driving test centre in another, and a funeral in another.ย We meet an AI doctor, a fairy tale protagonist, a magician, and a mother and son having a row. Essentially all human life is here, just not necessarily as we know it.
The writers themselves have varying degrees of performance experience. Some are familiar faces upon the Wharfโs boards and their stagecraft shows, whilst others seemed less at ease within the performance space. Whilst it is not necessarily a natural thing for writers to be performers also, the rehearsal process has coaxed the hidden actor out of them and it has been a privilege to watch them develop. The direction has been lead by Ali Warren, and a superb job she has done of it too, bringing these short pieces to life, and the group should be applauded for baring their souls and sharing their art with the public, which is no easy thing to do. The mixture of styles and substance is quite refreshing as one can pretty much guarantee there will be something that will stick with you from the evening.
“Where’s the Cat? Live!” plays for one night only and youโll kick yourself if you miss it.
Way back in the mists of time (August 2022 โ yโknow that REALLY, REALLY hot summer?) I saw the Slambovians play at Cropredy festival. A crowd of 20,000 embraced their version of โHillBilly Pink Floydโ as Wikipedia calls it, so moving forward from 2022, the chance to see them play here in good olโ D-Town was too much to pass up so armed with Phillipa Morganโs pen Devizine took the tough job of watching them play in front of maybe 2% of that number.
To be fair โHillBilly Pink Floydโ ย touches on some aspects of their music, but itโs a far wider demographic than simply that. Certainly, their show at the Corn Exchange last night included elements that certainly sounded very Pink Floyd, but psychedelia, prog, Dylan, Seeger, Tull, Led Zep all played their part weaving into and out of their songs
The Slambovians started a nine gig, eleven day whistle stop tour of the UK last night, having arrived from the Hudson Valley area, NY state, a.k.a. home. They started a tad gingerly, finding their feet but it was soon very apparent that this tight knit, well attuned beat combo was in their groove by their second number, the eponymous โThe Grand Slamboviansโ.ย And the night โ consisting of two one hour sets โ continued in the same vein. Driving rhythms pushed by drummer Matthew Abourezk, with Sharkey McEwan on a mixture of lead guitar and โฆ errrโฆ lead mandolin (brilliantly played Page/Hendrix style) interspersed with calm, beautiful ballads showcasing Tink Lloydโs versatility especially across accordion, cello and flute (Ian Anderson notes especially in โStep out of timeโ) took us on a journey through Slambovia. Joziah Longo immersed us in this utopian landโs philosophies and stories from mischievous fairies, to bees, to days before MTV where radio was king. All underpinned by the sublime bass lines of Bob Torsello.
Joziah alluded to โBoomersโ throughout the show and Bob Torsello aside that certainly describes the age demographic of the band โ and probably much of the audience – some Gen X types slipped through the net somehow, I suppose. Certainly, the underlying feel of their sets was that Boomer era of music โ 60s and 70s, a distinct hippy vibe, with tracks and ethos tied in with nature and simpler times (Beez, Radio,). Joziahโs anecdotes and story telling drew us all in with his homely, gentle delivery. All in all a wonderful night of music delivered by a band on the top of their game, delivered by the ever excellent “Devizes Arts Festival“
โThe Slambovian Circus of Dreamsโ have several dates on tour in the UK right now and I urge you to catch them again, or for a first time this year if you missed last night โ see https://slambovia.com/tour-dates
In 1971 Ken Russell enchanted film audiences with โThe Devilsโ, which incorporated nuns in the story โ somewhat controversially. This was six years after Julie Andrews, aided and abetted by yet more nuns, thwarted the Nazis in โThe Sound of Musicโ. By 1980 nuns had become less controversial, less politically motivated, as instead the object of scorn and fear by โThe Blues Brothersโ. So, by the time 1992 rolled around, nuns were old hat in the film industry and especially the musical genre. Nothing was left to use them for, surely. Enter Whoopi Goldberg, stage left in 1992, and โSister Actโ with a general plotline of โhow do you solve a problem like Deloris?โ
In the intervening decades the film was transferred to a stage musical in the West End then to Broadway, and subsequently via the auspices of community theatre groups to a stage somewhere very near you. The basic plotline is simple enough โ naughty wannabe girl singer hanging with a hood witnesses a murder, goes on the run, hides in a convent, transforms its choir and the convent’s financial future, is discovered by ex-boyfriend, and is protected by the sisters before being saved by her teenage admirer now a policeman. Who overcomes his fear of guns by shooting said gangster boyfriend โ how very P.C.!
The whole show of course is strung along by those foot tapping songs by Menken and Slater providing opportunities for vast quantities of choreography by nuns. And its these scenes of twenty-one nuns (I counted them all out, and I counted them all back) cavorting joyfully across St. Augustineโs Catholic Collegeโs stage (where else better for a musical set in a convent? Unless maybe in a convent I supposeโฆ) that will linger in the mindโs eye for a while yet to come.
This is Trowbridge Musical Theatreโs second nun based show in just over a year now, following on from thwarting Austrian Nazis in 2023. Perhaps it is becoming a habit for them? There would be nun better to do so letโs face it. (*Ahem* – less puns please โ Ed.) Sarah Davies makes her directorial debut and her touch is seen throughout the show with little, perfect moments. Choreography by Anna Mazan in true โSister Actโ style fills the stage with synchronised movements throughout the show, no better personified by the nunsโ ensembleโs activity โฆ the stage isnโt the largest and thereโs a LOT of nuns strutting their wimples but a blend of sways, grinds and hand jive leaves at times a breathtaking display before your eyes.
This is a large cast and so โI havenโt got a prayerโ of covering everybody โ but rest assured though that EVERYBODY was โFabulous baby!โ Frankie Walker leads from the front as Deloris Van Cartier (โYou know, like Cartiersโ). Her stage presence is immense, and she captures the initial sassy character of Deloris that shifts to a later caring communal love to perfection. Tim Hobbs wades in as the grand master of chaos and nastiness as Curtis, with his unlikely trio of useless henchmen โ well done with the Spanish Paul West! โ including the irrepressible TJ played by Noah Heard with the slickest of moves on the dance floor.
Eddie was wonderfully portrayed by Davey Evans compete (of course) with sweaty armpits and โ with some help naturally โ a stunning double clothes rip change. The three โSisters of Mercyโ โ Marys Robert, Patrick and Lazurus โ were more than ably carried by respectively Carisma Dolphin, Daisy Woodruffe and Dani Fuke. Carismaโs vocals more than rose to the occasion, soaring over the band, while Daisyโs portrayal of the goofy nun was slapstick at its finest, and full kudos goes to Daniโs comedic timing and delivery as the straight-laced but wonderfully sardonic ex choir leader. Finally in this mini round-up is last but by no means least, the showโs Mother Superior Michelle Hole. Clear as a bell and with wonderful projection, her every line and note were delivered perfectly. A truly bravissimo performance.
Now โ no musical is complete without its ensemble, its chorus. And what a chorus! If anything, and if this is not an unfair thing to say in a community theatre review, they collectively stole the show. Take a bow all twenty nuns for your rousing singing, harmonies, choreography akin to the red arrows at times, hand jive, swaying and a swinging and a grinding. As well as tiny cameos amongst it all, including (my favourite) an homage to the Dance of the Cygnets from Swan Lake at one stage (and hats off to choreographer Anna too of course!). And a special mention is needed for all of the cast that had multiple costume changes in the show stretching between a nun, fantasy dancer, bar patron, street singer, hooker and goodness knows what else in their blur of appearances. You all made it look as if you were indeed finding it โGood to be a Nunโ!
The set was simple but well presented, with effective use of corners for office scenes etc. No musical of course is possible without its band and the ten piece orchestra led by Musical Director Helen Heaton with a GREAT horn section delivered all the right notes AND in the right order ๐
There is one real star of the show not mentioned yet. Top music, top singing, top performances, top choreography all lead to a top show but there was one thing that really set this entire thing off brilliantly. By far and away the dazzling STAR of the show were the costumes, so take a bow Sandra Tucker, Karen Grant, Kirstie Blackwall and Sarah Davies.
โSister Actโ by Trowbridge Muciscal theatre is showing at St. Augustineโs, Trowbridge nightly from May 29th to Saturday 1st June at 7.30pm plus a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.
So โSpread The Love aroundโ, grab a friend or ten and get thee to the show โ tickets available from the Ticket Source box office.
No recorders were harmed in the making of this production.
Ruth Ellis was hanged aged 28 years old, by Albert Pierrepoint the official executioner in the UK, at Holloway prison on July 13th 1955. Her trial had taken a little over just one day โ the jury took only twenty-three minutes to find her guilty. She made no defence of her own actions though there is much to indicate she was at least coerced into shooting David Blakely and was likely acting under duress and was certainly easily influenced. Court investigations found her not to be insane โ again there are indications that this was not as clear cut a scenario.
Her story is portrayed in โThe Thrill of Loveโ, by Amanda Whittington, showing soon at The Wharf Theatre.
This is not an easy play to watch.ย Its subject matter is of course an indication of that, but itโs the underlying stories that the plot reveals and hints at that are the disturbing aspects.ย The sexual, physical and psychological abuse by multiple men throughout her life, from her childhood right up until her execution. Her low self-esteem, desperation for attention, acceptance, and love. Clearly self-delusional, gas lighting herself, a neurotic personality,Ruth Ellis was doomed from a young age and the play brings all of these into a stark expose of life in Britain at the time. As her character opines she was โnever part of societyโ.
Debby Wilkinson, Director of this quite superb piece of theatre, explained that it has been a challenge to bring together, not just because of the subject matter itself, but that as a historical record in many ways it is vital to reflect the truth. Debby and the cast spent the first three weeks of rehearsal immersing themselves into their characters, motivations and the social mores surrounding that time, before starting to build the show. Their intensive preparation has clearly worked to perfection. All the characters are wholly believable, whether they be the real life characters of Ruth Ellis and Vickie Martin, or the fictional ones designed to reflect aspects of the work relationships and public thought.
Freddie Underwood plays Ruth Ellis. Hers is a staggering portrayal. From bumptious party queen, to mentally downtrodden and crushed, spurned, and beaten lover, Freddie encapsulates the vast array of emotions and reactions to perfection,sometimes just mere seconds apart as scenes develop. Words do not do justice to the depth of her skill. On top of that, she also has nine costume changes in the two hours of the show, one even onstage as she transforms from Ruth Ellis to prisoner.
Vickie Martin, Ellisโ friend, is played by Jessica Whiley. Carefree party girl with a plan, Jessโs characterisation is spot on.ย Entering cat-walk model like, to dancing with Ruth, her coquettishness shines through, lithely and gracefully. Jess also doubles up as prison warder and prosecution barrister. The relationship between Ellis and Martin is strong โ catty, then supportive, then loving, then bitchy. Both actors excel at this relationship. Their scene where Ellis โteachesโ Martin to flirt provocatively with the Gentlemenโs Clubโs patrons is also cleverly choreographed and performed; they are both so childlike โ whilst existing on the sleazier edges of life.
Overseeing them both is Sylvia Shaw, the Court Clubโs manageress.ย The Court Club is central to the entire play โits is where we are introduced to all the women characters, the club where they work. Mari Webster plays Sylvia, again to perfection. While Martin is coquettish and bright, Ellis focussed yet vulnerable, Sylvia has been there, done that, got the badge. She runs a tight ship, knows the score but is sliding into her fifties with a drink problem and failing health. She is also a mother hen to the girls in her club albeit one with a hard edge โฆย though it is revealed that this is really a trait of self-protection.
The final female part is that of Doris Judd, the char. Mitzi Baehr (who you may even recognise from some TV appearances) is the calm, collected, caring big sister character that will have nothing to do with the real business of the club, but delights in supporting those that work there.ย From cups of tea to sympathy, to post abortion care and a few plainly put admonishments, Doris is, if not the power behind the throne, certainly the grease that smooths the paths of their lives. She loses her husband over her all night devotion to the club, to Sylvia and to Ruth in particular.
That leaves D.I. Jack Gale, representing in many ways, the folks that vociferously opposed Ellisโ sentence and execution. He gets the conviction – but knows it isnโt the full truth, and he is fighting for that truth the entire time, despite the accusedโs own blocks to his attempts. He is a decent man, dedicated to his job, to finding the truth. Sean Andrews finds Galeโs inner turmoil and even angst, amongst a sardonic turn of phrase. โLondonโs a market โ and this [The Court Club] is the trading floorโ he almost shrugs โฆย before later spending hours going over and over notes, papers, cuttings, photographs of evidence. Sean completes this quintet of superb actors.
The set is a simple one yet effective. The โCourt Clubโ โ then later the โLittle Clubโ that Ruth ends up running โ with tables, chairs, a record player, a bar. Stage left and right empty for police cell, interrogation room, the street, a bedsit. Downstage for a crematorium. Costumes are a delight – aside from Ruth’s dazzling array everything is fitting for the period. Lighting is at times quite brilliant โ the last we see of Ruth, hidden in shadow except for a blinding almost halo like shine of her blond hair is a stunning visual.
And surrounding all of this is Billie Holidayโs voice โฆย a soundtrack of her singing washing in, over, around the scenes.
Ultimately, itโs a play about loss.
Of dignity. Of husbands. Of lovers. Of hope.
Of life.
โThe Thrill of Loveโ plays at the Wharf Theatre, Devizes, from May 13th to 18th at 1930 every night.
In 1975 I was 13 years old, in my second year at secondary school. By 1981 was I was about to take A-levels that summer.
In that time Peter Sutcliffe, a.k.a. โThe Yorkshire Ripperโ murdered thirteen women and attempted to murder seven others.
I grew up in Kent, two hundred and forty-five miles away from the area of those crimes. I was โ am โ male. It didnโt affect my life. Not directly. Yet, in retrospect it did touch my life, peripherally. A female friend went to university in that area during half that time โ another in another part of Yorkshire similarly. A best friendโs dad was a senior officer in the West Yorkshire Constabulary, though not attached to the police investigations. And it was a dominant, recurring news story, alongside the Northern Irish โtroubles”. For six years.
โThe Incident Roomโ by Olivia Hirst and David Byrne, tells the tale of the West Yorkshire policeโs investigation, seen through the characters of five C.I.D. and one uniform officers, one civilian special constable, and a journalist. Adding context and background is a party girl and a taxi driver โ one a survivor, the other a suspect. Itโs a fairly no-holds barred expose of the misguided processes and investigative lines taken, of the egos and personalities that ultimately proved to be so disastrously wrong in the โRipper Enquiryโ. It is also a portrayal of the humans behind those decisions and the impacts on their lives. It carries an increasingly strong message of female suppression, misogyny and general undertones of constant rivalries threaded throughout the story. It is a story of ultimate triumph โ but one that is hugely clouded by self-doubts, missed opportunities, ruined careers.
Platform 8 Productions have embraced all the above and delivered it, in spades. The Rondo Theatreโs intimate space works well with the short, sharp-scened focus of the play. Rich Canning has once again excelled with his set design encapsulating the increasingly oppressive and crushing confines of the Millgarth office with areas for external scenes as stage left and right. The design draws the eye into the very nub of the entire issue at hand โฆย the pin board where, as the death toll rises, the board gets filled with the stark photos of the victims, plus the attack survivor, Maureen Longโs. This is a tech heavy show and the tech crew of Will Ward, Alex Latham (who else at the Rondo?!) and Julie Dallimore have delivered director Nadine Combaโs wonderful visions to a tee โ time slips with ticking sounds and flickering lights a constant thread as the scenes race through the years of the case, stark office lighting, subdued 4am paperwork and filingโฆย not to forget the disco and driving music of course.
As so the castโฆย this is a character driven story as well as being a โhistoryโ, as opined previously. And the cast perform the characters SO believably.ย As the play progresses each character grows stronger. Thereโs George Oldfield, in charge, played by Mark Hale.ย All brusque and bullish at first, but the job wears him down of course and by the end he is broken, a spent and bitter man.ย Markโs mannerisms reminded me of somebody I knew, perfectlyโฆ Dick Holland, played by Rich Canning (of set fame!) ย is Oldfieldโs number two and he shows Hollandโs devotion to Oldfield and โฆย interestโฆย in special constable and man-hunter Sylvia Swanson played deliciously by Alex Oliviere. PC then DS Andrew Laptew, played by Matt Rushton, grows from โBradford Twatโ to sure footed detective until being crushed by the weight of his realisations over his suspicions that were glossed over and he didnโt push. Steve Brookes came to the cast quite late to play Jim Hobson, the tyre specialist โ forthright and convinced of his leads. Itโs a small part in the overall play but Steve makes his mark in the opening salvos with Oldfield well. Louche and cocksure Jack Ridgway is superbly acted by Chris Constantine, all swagger and insouciance, delivering his barbed pro-Manchester, anti-Yorkshire remarks to perfection โ he is the boyfriend you hope your daughter never brings home. Chris doubles up as sometime suspect, taxi driver Terence Hawkshaw with an interesting 1970s style beard! How does he shave it off so quickly and grow it back again every night ? Then there is conniving, ambitious, feminist Tish Morgan played by Leah Brine with her eye for the main chance and the big scoop and not caring who gets hurt en route, and the survivor Maureen Long acted by Jude Bucklow, capturing the loss of joie de vivre and ultimate depression so poignantly.
That leaves just one character โ that of Megan Winterburn, uniformed sergeant and controller of the incident room. Meg is on stage for the entire show โ or if she isnโt I must have blinked and missed it. The play โ though being a quasi-historical record and about one perpetrator in particular, is really about Meg. Of her struggles against a male dominated workplace and her self-doubt and blame of how she may have missed something along the way. Her in-the-future reflections with Holland frame the story throughout underpinning each section of the investigation. Itโs a huge part and the core and crux of the performance and so chapeau to Alexia Jones for a bravado delivery par excellence. Absolutely super.
The play works on multiple levels. Yes, itโs about a famous police investigation. But its also so much more.ย Itโs a play about rivalries. Between different police forces, different counties, different regions, different sexes, different professions. Misogyny is rife, but so is distrust of others โ whether they be from Bradford, Manchester, Londonโฆย or non-coppers. Itโs a play about pig headed stubbornness, about detrimental devotion to superiors. About social bigotry. Itโs the 1970s in a nutshellโฆย
Ultimately the police get their man. But not through the thousands of hours spent on the investigation โ but a chance encounter by two uniforms in a red light district. Two years after Laptew had tried to file a report about the killer. The play thus is really about failure โ individualโs failures because of stubbornness, or devotion, or misdirection. Oldfield loses his job, Holland his marriage, Megan her self belief, Laptew his career, Maureen her confidence. Ridgway and Hobson survive to fight another day but tarnished by association.
Its only Tish that โwinsโ โ her career climbs from Yorkshire Post to Daily Mirror to Sunday Times. Whether we are left feeling she is a โwinnerโ is open to conjecture.
And finallyโฆ Towards the end of the play Meg comments to Tish about a book to be published about the Ripper and the investigation, that it is isnโt journalism, but merely โentertainmentโ and โtittle tattleโ. Itโs a reminder maybe that what we are watching is in some ways โentertainmentโ. A play in a theatre. About the subject of the book that Meg is decrying. Though Iโd suggest โThe Incident Roomโ is far from tittle-tattle.
There are thirteen characters that haven’t had a mention in this review, in the cast list. But without them this story wonโt ever have happened, this play never written. This top performance by Platform 8 Productions would not be showing. And its them that we should remember โ the people that ended up as a photo on a pin board in โฆย
โThe Incident Roomโ.
Wilma McCannย ย Emily Jacksonย ย Irene Richardsonย ย Patricia Atkinsonย ย Jayne MacDonaldย ย Jean Jordanย ย Yvonne Pearsonย ย Helen Rytkaย Vera Millwardย ย Josephine Whitakerย ย Barbara Leachย ย Marguerite Wallsย ย Jacqueline Hill
โThe Incident Roomโ plays at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath from May 1st to 4th 2024
It has somehow been a few years since I last saw Jinder โ or Phil Jinder Dewhurst โ play so Sunday evening was a serendipitous outing to the Queenโs Head, Box to catch him play the second half of a gig alongside Mark Harrison.
I’ve talked about the venue in Mark Harrison’s review but its only fair to repeat that the Queens Head, Box as a free house actually espouses that position serving St. Austell ales alongside Bath Gem (top marks!) and is a more than decent music venue with a dedicated space, working with promotor โSchtummโ to put on last eveningโs entertainment.
Jinder is an imposing figure โ he admits to being six foot six inches or in new money a full two metres give or take the width of a gnatโs doo-dahs. He is resplendent in a C&W shirt, but he quickly pointed out he wouldnโt be playing either musical style last night, even though it appears his daughter has views on what such apparel may mean as to his persona potentially as a cowboy cosplayer!
Jinder is another easy watching (no faint praise here intended either!) performer, totally at ease with his music, his instrument, himself and being on stage. He is accompanied by a tantalising array of pedals all of which get used to great effect during the gig โ but more of that later. He also has an easy chatting style with amusing anecdotes and stories, moving seamlessly between songs. He isnโt afraid to share the harder parts of his life, along with the many highs, and with a British self-deprecatory manner describes his conversion from Jack Kerouac to Twat in three days as he was forced to live in his car. And includes a brief etymological discourse over the differences between mash-up and medley and their fruit based versions (I kid you not!).
It’s his music that of course speaks loudest for him. And we were not disappointed. He has released two albums since I last heard him, as part of a loose trilogy, produced by chum Pete Millson. The songs Jinder treated us to appear on his albums Codetta, The Silver Age and Crumbs of Comfort amongst other sources of his work, and each and every one of them delivered with passion and heart and not a little bit of skill. Another plucking style player utilising those pedals to promote a bass line, overlay an electric guitar sound, and loops to create a mesmerising array of rhythms and melodies to underpin sublime โleadโ lines.
And the stories continue – the difficulties of using names in a song title so as not to be suspected of being a closet pervert, or harbouring secret desires towards those off-limits, or confusing ex and current wives! And that even when a safe name is found… it transpires that inevitably that is also doomed to failure…
Itโs a curtailed set sadly as the march of time moved relentlessly to last orders, but we are regaled for his last song with his greatest triumph of all. How as a Hagrid lookalike he bestrode the red carpet for the world premiere of the film โFishermanโs Friendsโ where his hastily recorded song in a shed ousted Ronan Keating in the final production.
Fair goes Jinder. Weโll keep you in our hearts buddy.
Last summer I was lucky enough to see Mark Harrison play at the โTangled Rootsโ festival over Radstock way (highly recommended that is too, for a laid back weekend of camping, workshops, and americana/roots music!). So when I saw him appearing on a Sunday night card at the Queens Head, Box it was too good an opportunity to miss.
It was my first visit to the venue which clearly sets itself up as a genuine music venue with its dedicated performance room, aided and abetted by โSchtummโ the promoter of music events here; a good space reminiscent of โThe Tree Houseโ at Frome, “The Pump” at Trowbridge and nostalgically โThe Foldโ in Devizes.. A quick word here too for the pub โ a free house offering last night St. Austell ales. Most acceptable.
Mark โ a.k.a by his blues monicker โMoroseโ Mark Harrison โ has a relaxed, laconic persona with a lightly cynical view of life. Right up my street. His music is loosely โbluesโ – though he himself says โbut itโs not stuck in the past. Iโm tapping into the timeless quality of the early blues to produce music totally relevant to the present day.โ Mark plays a 1934 National Trojan resonator guitar, previously owned by Eric Bibb, and he uses a finger plucking style rather than strummed chords.
It was a bijou, intimate crowd at the Queens Head โ which as the other act of the night, Jinder, jokingly opined just means โsmall room, small crowdโ. Well, how lucky were WE at such a bijou, intimate gig? Mark played a 75 minute set which might have been 80+ minutes had he not forgotten how one of his own songs started ๐; I’ll cut him some slack… he has another 98 he can remember to choose from after all… Markโs lyrics are not so much about his own life โ โI donโt want to hear about my life, I have to bloody live itโ (or words to that effect!) โ but about his view on society and the changes he has seen in it in his lifetime. He grew up in Coventry surrounded by car manufacturing, went away for a weekend and on his return the car factories had been replaced by garden centres. People that did real jobs replaced by Marketing Consultants. People with … irritating haircuts… Real activities replaced by twitter โ oh sorry Mr. Muskโฆย โXโ. In this vein his numbers โThe Wild Westโ, โThe Great Stinkโ and โToolmakerโs Bluesโ encapsulate this exasperation and incredulity.
This is not a political standpoint though, to be clear. Just a reflection of one manโs interpretation of a few decades through the medium of blues influenced music. Songs are interspersed with humorous and/or pointed stories and anecdotes. Often with a pithy, short epithet at those responsible for societyโs illsโฆ
Mark’s songs are in many ways stories in themselves, drawing you in with clever lyrics and the haunting finger plucking – simple stuff but (lest this sound damning with faint praise) so skillful yet easy on the ear. Its not until you start watching his fingers dance over the strings you see how there are two patterns going on simultaneously by his thumb and index finger, using the strings as two separate areas while his left hand works the frets on the higher strings.
All too soon the show was over. Eleven songs, eleven chats. A view of life and death in Bognor, the tribulations of late night driving and route diversions, social historyโฆ covid and lockdown as a metaphor for 21st century life.
He also has a phenomenal memory; whilst chatting to him after the gig and buying his latest album he asked me if Iโd met him also at โTangled Rootsโ last June! I canโt remember what I had to eat this morning!
by Ian Diddams images by Jim McCauley & Bath Drama
Its 3 a.m. You are tired. You are still going round and round in circles in a discussion with a partner, lover, friend about a lover, their lover, a friendโs lover.
Sound familiar? Flashbacks? We have all been there โ well, anybody that has any friends and has reached the age of eighteen anyway.
David Hareโs play โSkylightโ is all so reminiscent of those long, dark tea times of the soul (to paraphrase Douglas Adams). Over the course of this riveting two and half hour play we are witness to the post match analysis of two ex-lovers (their โฆ โloveโ โฆ briefly rekindled over the course of half time a.k.a. the interval) exploring their previous, illicit, relationship and the potential for the future.
The play opens, set in the mid-1990s in Kyraโs (Phoebe Fung) flat in Kensal Rise as she returns from work, as a teacher. It is an unglamorous property, and that is being kind. She is soon joined as a total surprise by Edward (Samuel Elliot), a confident eighteen-year old on his gap year. We learn that Edward has had an argument with his father, Tom (Jeremy Fowlds), and has moved outโฆย that Kyra was part of his family household for years. That his mother, Alice, had died. That Kyra had inexplicably left one day. Then a while after Edward has left, Tom arrives. It transpires Kyra and Tom havenโt seen each other for three years. Were ex-lovers. That Alice had found out. And so, Kyra left.
And the talking starts.
โSkylightโ is fundamentally a triple duologue, a play in three parts over two acts. Kyra is on stage aside from brief periods out of sight in her bedroom for the entire play. Tom is on stage for much of that too. Edward has what may be called a cameo role by some but still has a hundred lines to deliver, over the prelude (as above) and an epilogue.
The playโs title is derived from a feature from the bedroom of the playโs fourth character that we never see, Alice, who was dieing of cancer. The bedroomโs sloping glass roof is the โSkylightโ โฆ and its existence sums up succinctly Tomโs perception of life. Tom is an extremely wealthy self-made restaurant owning businessman (allegedly modelled on Terence Conran) where life is smoothed by the presence of the โYellow Pagesโ (remember that?). Everything can be paid for and thatโs all that matters. Kyra once lived in this bubble of financial ease but now chooses a life of social fulfilment โ passionately too.
And so, to the set. What a set! Hare once apparently said he doesnโt write plays set in a room but as the exception (?) that proves the rule this one is โ it is quite literally a kitchen sink drama. All the action is in Kyraโs kitchen/diner/lounge. Anyone reading this that lived in cheap rented accommodation in the 1980s and 1990s will recognise it immediately. Peeling and patched wallpaper, mould on the walls, gas boiler safety certificate so old its ripped mostly off the boiler, scratched lino floor, rusty doored fridge-freezer, grubby paintwork. You can SMELL the lack of upkeep. Delve deeper into the flat and the attention to detail is superb. Mixed library of books from Freud to Shakespeare to Phillip K. Dick to Salinger to Verne. A working sink. Yes. You read that correctlyโฆ a WORKING sink. Water comes out of the taps. Goes down a plughole. And the piรจce de resistance, the cooking hob. That works. And on which Kyra cooks, on stage, in real time, a spaghetti and sauce dinner. (Incidentally, it smells divine โ do make sure you have eaten before you go and see the show because you will be feeling hungry if not!)
Full kudos must be given to the set designer here. Rich Canning, take a HUGE bow, along with your build crew.ย You could give guided tours of this set. I WANTED to be able to see the bedroom. I WANTED to see the flatโs front walkway and stairs. Absolutely amazing.
Which brings me onto sound and lighting.ย Once against at the Rondo, Alex Latham has pulled out all the stops. From the โwhoomphingโ gas boiler to traffic sounds as doors and windows are opened, to running baths, day turning to night turning to day. Another sublime performance in the tech box.
Andy Cork directs, assisted more than ably by Stephanie Richards who also produced the show. Andyโs program notes expand on this, but he has perfectly helped the cast capture the societal divide post-Thatcher, pre-Blair that resonates so much with contemporary Johnson/Truss/Sunak 2020s. So much so that if we were told this was set in 2024 it would be as valid, as meaningful. Possibly even more so. Social bigotry, monetary divide, Iโm-all-right-jack, anti-woke, no-lives-matter.
This is all encapsulated in the plot and characterisation, expounded so brilliantly by Phoebe and Jeremy. Tom is one step from the โsmelly homeless should be finedโ brigade โ if that far even. Kyra has a social conscience โ or has developed one once freed of Tomโs wealth when she was much younger. And that is the crux of their non-relationship. Despite each otherโs strong love for each other still it becomes increasingly clear there is no future. They are poles apart โ at one stage I even thought โWhy/How do these two even get on? Like each other?โ They are the antithesis of each otherโs perspectives. Tom crashes though life with a plan that is so focussed he has lost focus on everything else; while he had provided a โSkylightโ for his dieing wife he is just Gaslighting constantly. And mainly himself. Maybe even only himself. Kyra has no plan, is drifting, but cares. Passionately cares. About social injustice and Tomโs obvious lack of social conscience. At one point as Kyra rages against the unfairness of society, I was struck by the Jonathan Pie-esque rhetoric, deliveryโฆ quite superb. And letโs not forget Samuel as Edward. Edward demonstrates another side of his family. The lost nephew almost for Kyra that arrives in the epilogue, so to speak, to raise Kyraโs spirits, to display tenderness.ย Tom makes a point that he, Tom, genuinely GIVES because his gifts are without ulterior motives. But in reality, he is not giving at all, he is gifting. Whereas Edward is giving of himselfโฆย such that he isnโt really even giving, he is sharing. A sweet portrayal by Samuel.
I could continue in similar vein for pages. I wonโt though. The best thing would be for you, dear reader, to grab a ticket and get yourself to the Rondo and see this amazing show. See David Hareโs words come to life through Andy, Stephanie, Phoebe, Jeremy, Samuel, Alex, and Richโs creativity. We are so blessed with great community theatre in Wiltshire and Bath, but this may well be the best show you see this year.
โSkylightโ runs from April 24th to 27th at 1930 each evening at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath.
Just over a year ago, the Wharf theatre performed a sell out show โLadies Dayโ written by Amanda Whittington. In less than a monthโs time they are to revisit the same playwrightโs work, with her drama โThe Thrill of Loveโ featuring the turbulent and tragic story of the nightclub hostess and later manageress Ruth Ellis.
The story revolves around five characters โ Doris Judd (Mitzi Baehr) , cleaner, Detective Inspector Jack Gale (Sean Andrews), Vickie Martin (Jess Whiley), club hostess, Sylvia Shaw (Mari Webster), club manageress and of course, Ruth Ellis (Freddie Underwood). Directed by Debby Wilkinson.
This evening I was privy to a rehearsal, watching the cast working through several key scenes. I arrived as Debby and Freddie were discussing the shooting scene โ straight into the core of the plot – then to a discussion about Ruthโs taking control of her own โLittle Clubโ. A request for biographies to the cast for the program, and then we were onto the stage.
The set is taking shape โ the nightclub takes centre stage with tables, chairs, lamps, a bar, a record playerโฆ parquet flooring to come blurring into the extremities where prison cell, police interview rooms and the outside world are positioned. Itโs a simple set but everything is pertinent, in place and neither too much not too little.
With three weeks to go until run week, it is immediately clear that the cast are not only comfortable with each other but complement each other perfectly. Characterisation is spot on, from world weary Shaw, mirroring Gale, to Martinโs youthful exuberance, Ellisโ glamourous and troubled personality โฆ and good girl Doris with a heart of gold. I read the superb script a few weeks ago, but these actors are already bringing the written word to life quite wonderfully, all aided and abetted by Debbyโs suggestions, tweaks and developments as the evening progressed. Their use of the full depth and width of the stage kept the action flowing beautifully from nightclub to prison cell, to crematorium and back to the club.
The cast are well off book (thatโs thesp-speak for โdonโt need the scriptโ !!) and while the prompt is used when needed the lines are there. The production is in a good place.
So with a clever set, top casting, smart direction, and class acting what else does โThe Thrill of Loveโ offer? How about the sublime music of Billie Holliday? The show is interspersed her songs and cleverly soโฆ each song underpinning a sceneโs messages and plot. Itโs a wonderful symbiosis of art, and worthy of watching.
Iโve deliberately not given away too much of the plot this early hoping this piece serves as a teaser – the Wharfโs last three shows were all sell-outs and this one deserves to sell-out too. Iโll be back for a full review at the start of show week but donโt wait for that fuller review โฆ I urge you to get tickets early while you can. You will not be disappointed.
Trust meโฆ Iโm a reviewer ๐
โThe Thrill of Loveโ, by Amanda Whittington, is performed at The Wharf Theatre between May 13th and May 18th, at 1930 each evening. Tickets are available from the Wharf website at https://www.wharftheatre.co.uk/show/the-thrill-of-love, or from Devizes Library.
Mention the name of the author โAgatha Christieโ and most people will immediately think of her two main detectives, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. But Christie wrote more than just crime mysteries featuring these two characters โฆ her prolific creative palmares include many stories without these protagonists. Arguably her most famous such tale was published in 1939 with a title that it is unacceptable to use in these far more enlightened times. In 1985 in the UK that title was amended to โTen little Indiansโ.
During World War II, she used that book to produce a stage play, named for the already re-named US title โAnd Then There Were Noneโ. The bookโs grisly ending was amended for this stage play, in an attempt, allegedly, to provide a lighter feel-good ending during the dark days of 1943, though later an alternative ending matching the bookโs was written. Directors are free to choose whichever ending they wishโฆ
Having read both the book and now the play, it must be said that the book stands up to scrutiny far better than the play does. There are some rather glaring oddities in the plotline of the play that just donโt withstand a very deep forensic review. One rather gets the impression Christie may have been asked by โsomebodyโ to create the play as a matter of public levity at a sombre time in history, and do so quickly, and as such the play itself seems at times quite slapdash. Key areas of the book are omitted in the play or included in one ending and not the other.
That all said the story is a rollicking one, fast paced and leaves the audience guessing right until the very end (unless they have seen the play, or films, or read the book of course!). And I must stress that the limitations of the play itself as above do not reduce the impact or the Wharfโs performances one iota. The pace is so frenetic that any possible plot oddities probably pass unnoticed as the audience is taken on the roller coaster ride of ten people on a secluded island all being murdered one by one by an unknown assassin.
Rose Fitterโs direction, ably assisted by John Winterton as assistant director and the Wharfโs excellent tech crew have created two and quarter hours of gut churning intrigue and suspense. Costumes by Gill Barnes and her team are totally spot on for a 1939 house party of โrich folksโ, waited on by two domestic staff. The set is a classic one room country house murder mystery replete โ of course โ with โten little solder boysโ and their poem quite rightly literally taking centre stage. There are some lovely, clever stage management touches (Beth Ramsay) throughout the show but to let on here would spoil the impact of them โฆ
The cast of eleven deliver Christieโs lines with panache, aplomb, and tempo. And what a cast! Many familiar faces to Wharf regulars mixed with a new face or two. I shanโt go into details of each cast member here because this review would become โWar and Peaceโ length, but its is more than fair to say that each and every character is fully believable, from obstreperous boatman to deferential staff, hardened and cynical, or repentant, ex-army and ex-police officers, naรฏve secretary, puerile playboy, quasi-evangelical bigot, stressed doctor and sardonic judge.
The dress rehearsal wasnโt devoid of a couple of slips but given the high pace and quick-fire interactions of the script in a community production that is maybe understandable.
What is thoroughly commendable is that three characters โ Claythorne, Lombard and Blore – between them have 60% of all the lines in the play, and with Wargrave 70%.
Not that this diminishes the rest of the cast โ the performance thrives as mentioned above on the superb characterisations displayed by everybody involved and the acting displayed is absolutely top notch. The wharfโs own intimacy aligns itself particularly well as usual โ those in the front row particularly are literally just inches from mayhem, arguments, and corpses!
Finally to that endingโฆย as the opening paragraphs mention there are two endings available for this play. So, which is it that this performance uses? Wellโฆย youโll have to come along and see it to find out! But on that note – this run of six nights is sold out, so if you have a ticket, you are in for treat. If you didnโt manage to procure one there is always the chance of a return but after allโฆย with regards to ticketsโฆ
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