A horse, a horse, a kingdom for a ….mare?

Did William Shakespeare actually write all those immortal classics? Tens of thousands of books have been published trying to prove that Shakespeare was just a front man who in fact never wrote a single word of those plays because he could not have had the necessary insight and education. The prize-winning play Shakespeare Incorporated by American author Don Fried presents one of many theories on who really wrote Hamlet and King Lear. We meet authors who are rumoured to have had some part in writing Shakespeare’s works – Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, Ben Jonson, Edward de Vere, Mary Sydney, and William Stanley.

This is by no means a serious drama although it helps to know a few things about Shakespeare and his work to understand all the jokes. William Shakespeare, a country bumpkin with an affinity to horses, works as an actor and is trying to become a writer when he encounters Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe does not think Shakespeare’s writing has any merit but agrees to work for the untalented lad to surpass his financial crisis. Enter Edward de Vere and William Stanley. De Vere is aching to be a writer but he does not dare publish anything under his own name. He is looking for a front man and finds him in Will Shakespeare. Shakespeare thereby becomes a renowned poet and world famous -  even Queen Elizabeth is dying to meet him! Yet not everybody is happy with Shakespeare’s success. Francis Bacon, personal literary advisor to the Queen, suspects that something is rotten.

The ensemble is impressive throughout. Anthony Kernan plays Marlowe with unbound energy. De Vere (Filip Krenus) and the highly strung, anxious Stanley (Patrick James) form a hilarious comic duo. Karl Dobby is Francis Bacon in white make up and a garish costume – his near hysterics later changing to quiet calculation and menace. Tyler Coombes convincingly plays the more austere Ben Jonson, clad all in black but equally fascinated by intrigue. The set design (Nika Khitrova) and the beautiful costumes (Valentina Ida) take the audience back to Shakespearean times.   

With Shakespeare Inc. Second Skin Theatre break from their tradition of dark and intense theatre and take a wild romp through Elizabethan England. Andy McQuade directs this highly entertaining production.

2 March – 21 March, Tue – Fri 7.30 pm, Sat and Sun 7.00 pm

Tickets: £ 12 / £ 10 (concessions)

BOX OFFICE: 020 7704 6665

The Rosemary Branch, 2 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DT

Journey’s End

The Gala Theatre, Durham

Based on R.C. Sherriff’s own experience in the trenches of World War One, Journey’s End is a powerful and poignant production that starkly illustrates the futility of war. Set within a claustrophobic dugout where time creeps to a standstill as soldiers await their orders, the story centres around the young, talented and war-weary Captain Stanhope (Christopher Harper).

The first thing that strikes you, as you enter the auditorium, is the stunning set that so effectively recreates the dark, dank, rat-infested dug-out. No detail has been overlooked in Victoria Spearing’s magnificent design. Credit should also be given for Alan Valentine’s superb lighting design and Dominic Bilkey’s equally successful sound design, both of which brilliantly evoke the hellish atmosphere of the Western Front.

The play, for the most part, is dialogue-based as we are introduced to a series of officers and soldiers. There’s the avuncular, pipe-smoking, level-headed Osbourne (Graham Seed), the put-upon cook Private Mason (Adam Best), the cowardly Hibbert (Rhys King) and the fresh-faced Raleigh (Tom Hackney) who is an old schoolmate of the whisky-swigging Stanhope.

Raleigh’s hero-worship of Stanhope’s school-days prowess at rugger and cricket now manifests itself in his admiration of his leadership skills on the front line.

Each of the men must face the hardships of trench-life and deal with their fear in their own way. The older, more experienced men reminisce about gardening, trips to the theatre and walking in the New Forest, whilst the younger men attempt to hold on to the notion that war is an adventure that has the potential to transform them into heroes

In essence the point of the piece is to convey the message that war destroys not only the lives of men, but also their minds and souls, too. Stanhope must continue to motivate and inspire his men to make the ultimate sacrifice for a war he no longer understands and for a cause he no longer remembers.

Journey’s End is very much an ensemble piece and it would be difficult and probably rather unfair to pick out one actor over another. Each and every performance is consummately delivered. Indeed, this is a profound piece of theatre that highlights the heroism, humour and tragedy of warfare.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs at The Gala, Durham until Saturday 13^th March 2010.

Caught In The Net

Whitley Bay Theatre Company at Tynemouth Priory Theatre

The sequel to the hilarious "Run For Your Wife" by that master of farce Ray Cooney finds  bigamist taxi driver, John Smith, still running two families at the same time and keeping them blissfully unaware of each other. However, his teenage children - one boy and one girl by each wife - have met on the internet and are determined to see each other, especially as it seems their father’s have so much in common- same surname, middle name and forename, same occupation and same age.

When John realises they are about to meet he enlists the aid of his long-suffering friend and lodger Stanley Gardner. He is just about to go on holiday with his senile old father who turns up thinking he is already at the guest house. The situation gets increasingly out of hand as John busts a gut juggling with the truth.

Whitley Bay Theatre Company has put together a fine production with an impressive split-set that represents the lounge of each family home. The cast of seven works hard throughout and there are some excellent comedic performances. Chris Johnson takes on the central character of John Smith in addition to directing the piece, whilst his wives, Barbara and Mary, are played by Annie Boulton and Joanna Wingate, respectively. The troublesome teenagers are portrayed by Alex Covell and Lyndsey Fenn, and both show great promise for the future. Much of the light relief comes from Ray Boulton and Robin Herron as Stanley and his elderly dad.

First night nerves were obviously responsible for a number of prompts, but this production is of such a standard that a few fluffed lines can be very easily forgiven.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 13^th March 2010

The Woman In Black

Darlington Civic Theatre

Stephen Mallatratt’s spine-chilling adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel, The Woman In Black, arrived at Darlington Civic Theatre last night, filling the stalls and circle in the process. This long-running production (it is now in its 21^st year at The Fortune Theatre in the West End of London) opens with Arthur Kipps (Robert Demeger) monotonously reading from his manuscript which contains the details of a long-kept secret and a terrifying curse.

Kipps enlists the assistance of a young actor (Peter Bramhill) in the task of telling the story and, he hopes, breaking the curse that has haunted him for many years. He is adamant that his tale should not be lauded as a public spectacle or cheap gimmick to fill theatres, but should only be told to his family and friends to aid his peace of mind.

The story begins when a young Kipps, employed as the assistant of the elderly solicitor, Mr Jerome, is sent to attend the funeral service of the ancient spinster Mrs Drablow and, afterwards, organise the affairs of her estate. This task takes him on a long journey north, changing trains twice and crossing a causeway to a remote island, to Eel Marsh House.

As events unfold, the inventive use of limited props, recorded sound effects and projections of ghostly shadows, heighten the sense of anticipation and create added suspense. Only two actors appear on stage throughout – Bramhill as the young Kipps, and Demeger as an array of contrasting characters – and both deliver excellent performances. It is odd that the attention of an entire audience can be captured and held by only two performers, limited sets and scenery and only a handful of props, yet this is entirely true of this production.

The tension mounts slowly – almost as though you are not aware that it is happening at all – until the spectral appearance of the title character elicits shrieks and screams from the over-excited schoolgirls who make up a vast proportion of the audience. This gathers momentum and, as the play progresses, reaches deafening proportions.

The series of events that are responsible for the appearances of the cadaverous ‘woman in black’ and her anguished curse, when revealed, are heart-rending. However, any sympathy that the audience may feel for her is dispelled when the final cruel twist is played out.

Linda Barker.

This production was reviewed by Linda Barker on behalf of Steve Burbridge.

The Woman In Black runs at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 13^th March 2010

Noel Coward’s  Private Lives  PRESS NIGHT

at the Vaudeville Theatre on Tuesday 03 March 2010

Directed by Richard Eyre, starring Kim Cattrall (Amanda), and Matthew Macfadyen (Elyot). Produced by Duncan C Weldon & Sonia Friedman Productions.

Published by: Tremayne

"I think very few people are completely normal really, deep down in their private lives. It all depends on a combination of circumstances. If all the various cosmic thingummys fuse at the same moment, and the right spark is struck, there's no knowing what one mightn't do."
                                                                                                            Noel Coward

The play follows divorced couple, Elyot and Amanda, who, five years after their divorce, not only wind up marrying at precisely the same moment in time but also book the exact same hotel to spend their honeymoon in.  And if that were not coincidental enough, their suites are next to one another.  The contrived situation they find themselves in allows for that Coward structure of wit and deft comedic stagecraft to come out.

“There’s something behind all this”, comments Victor just before he discovers that his newly wed wife, Amanda, has spotted her ex-husband, Elyot, at the same resort as them.  The setting is the terrace of an elegant hotel on French Riviera. Although not written into the script, actor Matthew Macfadyen struggles to find his way through the net curtains and onto the balcony, which only adds to the tense atmosphere that has escalated between him and his new bride, Sybil.  With each couple’s ‘first disagreement’,Victor stiffly walks off to the bar, as does Sibyl. On their own, Elyot and Amanda,face one another. Amanda asks Elyot for a much needed cigarette.  Kim Cattrall (Amanda), fresh faced and elegant as ever, hitches up her Oscar-style cocktail dress to step over onto his side of the balcony.  Elyot and Amanda though angry, give the air of being profoundly happy with their new spouses, whilst secretly having already reached a level of boredom.

“You said that Norfolk was flat”, says Elyot who picks Amanda up on her language. She bites back with “Well, that’s no reflection on her (Sybil), unless she made it flatter!, clearly not giving her consent to the new marriage.  Music is playing conjuring up fond memories for them both and suggesting that this may have been “their special song”.  Amanda, reminiscences over times gone by but is restraining old feelings, as she speaks of what their love led them to: "selfishness, cruelty, hatred, possessiveness, petty jealousy." “Darling, I love you so” says Elyot. Amanda, talking right over the top of him, pretends not to have heard these words.  He continues “There isn’t a particle that I don’t know (of you)”, as she succumbs to his every want. They decide to run away together to Paris, regardless of the effect it will have on their reputations, freeing themselves from the ‘outside world’. But, it is only a matter of time before the uncontrollable arguments (‘private lives’) from their marriage past rear their ugly heads.The tour de force and impeccable comic timings of Matthew Macfadyen and Kim Cattrall make this a contagiously funny play to watch.

Private Lives  showing at the Vaudeville Theatre from 24 Feb 2010 to 01 May 2010.

George Orwell’s dystopian post-war novel Nineteen Eighty-Four imagines life in the future as a mixture of Stalinist Russia, Brave New World and The Blitz, with a splash Cold War paranoia thrown in for good measure. 

Our hero Winston Smith, a supposedly loyal drone in the Ministry of Truth, secretly dreams of smashing the despotic Party organisation which runs the state.  But the political and personal merge when Winston risks an illegal love affair with his colleague Julia despite the constant threat of discovery by ubiquitous two-way telescreens, a network of infant spies, and the terrifying Thought Police.

Matthew Dunster’s adaptation remains strictly faithful to the novel even down to the Brief Encounter-style dialogue, and has a traverse feel with a catwalk bisecting the auditorium.  This is a fast-paced production where scenes and characters come thick and fast, furniture and props literally fly in and out, and the cast members take a large number of roles between them.

Paul Wills’ design allows for effortless and rapid scene changes, and when the stage splits to reveal the high-tech torture chamber in the Ministry of Love the effect is truly impressive. 

Jonathan McGuinness as Winston (bearing a striking resemblance to Orwell himself) exudes bemusement and vulnerability as he goes on his perilous journey of self-discovery and rebellion, while Caroline Bartleet’s Julia has a confidence that comes from knowing exactly how to play the system purely to achieve her own ends and not from any underlying principals.

However the highlight of the evening is not some state-of-the-art special effect but an old-fashioned piece of theatrical rhetoric.  Paul Moriarty delivers an extract from banned book The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, which I can assure you is as boring as it sounds, and invests it with such clarity and emotion that dry prose becomes inspiring oratory.  The spontaneous round of applause which Mr Moriarty earned on press night was well-deserved.

The grim and restrictive life of Oceania in 1984 may not appear an exact parallel with Britain in 2010, but since the Iraq conflict has resulted in democratic nations using detention without trial and state-sanctioned torture, and our own government has been caught trying to re-write the history of why the war ever happened, Orwell’s nightmare vision now seems more prescient than ever.

1984 is on until Saturday 27 March 2010

Prices: £8.50-£29.50

Evenings: Mon-Fri @ 7.30, Sat @ 8pm

Matinees: Wednesday @ 2.30, Saturday @ 4pm and Tuesday 9 March @ 2.30pm

Box Office: 0161 833 9833

www.royalexchange.co.uk

Girls seeking a testosterone – free night out are in for a treat at the King’s Theatre this week as “Hormonal Housewives” takes to the stage.

Very much in the mould of the incredibly successful “Vagina Monologues”, Hormonal Housewives offers the talented trio of Carol Smillie, Julie Coombe and Shonagh Price the opportunity to don pink, put down men, laugh at themselves, laugh at men, have a dance and enjoy the company of other women.  Predictably, when the target audience are women, the conversations, sketches and laughter revolve largely around men.  It was possibly the predictable nature of the topics and punch lines that proved to be a shortcoming in the production as some sections raised only chuckles rather than belly laughs.  Writers Julie Coombe and John MacIsaac redeemed themselves, however, with some excellent observational items and development of good physical humour, particularly in the courtroom and keep fit sketches.

The audience certainly enjoyed the entertainment on offer, although they proved reluctant to participate in fanning the cast with programmes in a children’s party inspired game.  Y-chromosomes were in short supply in the auditorium – it seemed that any men in the audience had lost a bet (or were VERY dedicated theatre goers) – but the audience proved that they could have a great time without the aid of their husbands and boyfriends.  This was largely due to the enthusiastic performances on stage where Julie Coombe, in particular, delivered the comedy with great gusto.

All in all, the show was a good target for a girlie night out.  The tour continues to Inverness, Dundee and Aberdeen.

Hormonal Housewives
Mon 1 – Sat 6 March
Mon – Thu eves 7.30pm
Fri & Sat 5.30pm and 8.30pm

Tickets: £9 - £24
Box Office 0844 871 7648 (Bkg fee)
www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

Renowned touring theatre company Out of Joint are reunited with award-winning Irish writer Sebastian Barry for this new play about that nineteenth-century colossus of fiction Charles Dickens. 

The action takes place during the summer of 1857 when fellow celebrity writer Hans Christian Andersen makes an unexpected and interminable visit to Dickens’ new home in Kent.  The irritation caused in the household by the Dane’s eccentric and childlike behaviour is exacerbated by his poor grasp of English.  Their visitor however is delighted to find himself surrounded by a huge ménage of larger-than-life characters and is oblivious to increasing undercurrents of tension. 

This production is a dream meeting of fine writer, superlative cast and top notch production.  The dialogue has the satisfying style and literariness of a sketch by Boz himself, yet avoids seeming stilted or awkward because of the skilful delivery of great actors like David Rintoul and Niamh Cusack. 

Rintoul’s self-centred and self-dramatising Dickens is alive with passion and vitality, yet has a complete want of empathy for those around him (declaring that a “play is more real than real life”), casually wrecking his loved ones’ lives like a moustache-twirling villain in a melodrama. 

Niamh Cusack gains all our sympathy as his worn-out wife Catherine.  Only just recovering from a career of constant childbirth, she finds her role in the household usurped by her younger sister, her elder children being sent away, and her husband planning a separation.  Cusack matches Rintoul for ardour but is given additional opportunities for pathos, and seizes them.

Danny Sapani plays overgrown schoolboy Andersen as a blundering but well-meaning innocent all unconscious of the emotional atrocities surrounding him.  Although Barry’s intention was presumably to shine a new light on Dickens’ life by refracting it through the prism of Anderson’s eyes, somehow the famous Hans becomes overshadowed by bewitching little Irish housemaid Aggie, charmingly rendered by Lisa Kerr.  An Anglo-Hibernian theme creeps more and more into the narrative, underscored by those sentimental Thomas Moore songs so beloved of the Victorians.

Barry has written a compelling narrative and wonderfully rounded characters, and director Max Stafford-Clark brings them exuberantly to the stage with a variety of techniques ranging from puppetry to singing. 

Lucy Osborne’s set is cluttered with all the impedimenta of a traditional Victorian home, but works brilliantly with Tim Bray’s lighting to evoke scenes as diverse as a hilltop ramble, a moonlit fishing expedition, an impromptu cricket match and the Crystal Palace.

Great literary biographies invoke the spirit of an author’s work as well as creating a living portrait of their subject.  Sebastian Barry illuminates his subject, Dickens, by turning Dickens into a character of Dickensian proportions, and in the process becomes himself a writer of Dickensian dimensions.

Andersen’s English is on at Manchester Library Theatre until Saturday 6 March 2010 and then touring

Prices: £13.00-£18.00 (concessions available)

Eves: Mon-Thurs @ 7.30pm; Fri & Sat @ 8pm

Matinees: Thurs & Sat @ 3pm

Box Office: 0161 236 7110

www.librarytheatre.com

www.outofjoint.co.uk