UK Theatre Network

Morning

Hope you are well. My wrist is slowly recovering, enough to type a quick newsletter. My sound and editing team managed to finish the tiny changes to MAKING IT IN HOLLYWOOD to start getting it out to festivals, broadcasters and studios. It was quite strange watching it during Oscars week, when exactly two years ago when filming started, I had wished Kate Winslet “Good luck for tonight” as she walked towards the red carpet. 

This week I went to see Scott Christie in Jekyll and Hyde at the Union Theatre at Southwark. Tonight’s the last night so be quick to get along and see a great production of this classic. The direction, writing, lighting and performance were all first class and it was nice to see a fringe production with such high production values. It's a great setting under the arches of the South Bank of London and it's enhanced with smoke machines and clever lighting to scare the living daylights out of their audience. Boo !

I received a copy of The Ouija Board, a horror film I had a small part in a few years ago. It's finally seen the light of day and heading to horror festivals. Then I got asked to be in a Zombie movie playing a Glaswegian that you can't understand. No acting involved clearly.

The Big Picture project also made a big step this week. We’ve selected 4 scripts to take forward to potential investors next month. There’s a lot of talented writers out there but we feel we’ve selected some great stories which you’ll hear more about over the coming 18 months of production.


It's all happening. Hope it is where you are too....

Enjoy your week, and don’t forget to listen tohttp://www.nevisradio.co.uk @ 12-2pm on Saturday’s where you’ll hear some of my favourites from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.



Douglas McFarlane
editor@uktheatre.net
http://doug.uktheatre.net

To subscribe to this newsletter, send a blank email to subscribe@uktheatre.net The newsletters currently go out to around 10,000 people from actors to directors, producers and those passionate about film. From industry professionals to those developing their career


>>>>>

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS 
Monday 6 – Sat 11 April 
Sylvester McCoy and Alex Ferns return to Scotland thanks to a giant man-eating plant! 

Down-and-out Skid Row floral assistant Seymour becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon “Audrey II” grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore offering him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite… but as Audrey II’s hungry demands increase, all that Seymour holds dear is threatened as the plant’s sinister agenda for global domination is revealed….

Mon 6 – Sat 11 April 
Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm 
Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm 
Box Office: 0870 060 6648 (bkg) 
Tickets: £11 -£31 
www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg) 

>>>>>


Murder With Love
UK National Tour
Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

Murder With Love centres around the lives of David Ryder, a successful lawyer, and Larry Campbell, the man who stole his wife and child and who was responsible for their subsequent deaths.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/murder-with-love_48.html


>>>>>

Coppelia, Kings Theatre, Glasgow

This oldest of the popular ballets is delighting audiences at the Kings this week. The Russian State Ballet of Siberia presents this enchanting ballet based on the music of composer Leo Delibes. Dr. Coppelius, a magician and toymaker, and his ‘daughter’, Coppelia, live in a small town.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/coppelia-kings-theatre-glasgow-23--24-feb-2009_45.html


>>>>>

You Couldn’t Make It Up
Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne

If there’s one thing that is guaranteed to get Tynesiders talking, then surely, it is ‘the beautiful game.’ Whether you’re a supporter of The Black Cats or The Magpies, here in the North East, we take our football very seriously.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/you-couldnand39;t-make-it-up_49.html

>>>>>


Puccini's Tosca at The Richmond Theatre

Korn/Ferry Opera Holland Park’s Tosca feels like an original production –an amazing feat considering how well known this classic piece is. So good is this production that even minor characters are compelling, delivering brushstroke after brushstroke to the final masterpiece.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/pucciniand39;s-tosca-at-the-richmond-theatre_46.html

>>>>>


Elaine Paige - Celebrating 40 Years On Stage

The legendary star of the West End and Broadway, Elaine Paige, is celebrating forty years on the stage with a magnificent concert in which she recreates many of her starring roles in the biggest musicals of the modern era.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/elaine-paige---celebrating-40-years-on-stage_43.html

>>>>>


POST YOUR EVENT FOR FREE @ http://www.uktheatre.tv/events

POST YOUR VIDEO FOR FREE 
@ http://www.uktheatre.tv/videos



A SENSE OF DELICACY
Notes from the Journal of a Quick-Tempered Man, by A.P. Chekhov
o Starts: 9th March 2009
o Hosted By: Veronica Lazar

This Show Shall Remain Nameless...
What's in a name? What's in a show with no name???
o Starts: 12th March 2009
o Hosted By: Lianne Perry
o Location: Cheltenham

Free 3 day acting workshop (Swansea)
Aimed at anyone aged 18+ living in or around Swansea
o Starts: 21st March 2009
o Hosted By: Gemma Lloyd


Auditions - Summer Holiday
Theatre Guild Glasgow Open Auditions
o Starts: 31st March 2009
o Hosted By: Cameron Lowe

A Last Belch for the Great Auk
Two worlds collide. A model and a birdwatcher. Will they accomodate, or will they always be what they hope they're not?
o Starts: 1st April 2009
o Hosted By: Steve Hay
o Location: Oxford

Dames at Sea
"You're going out on that poop deck a chorus girl but coming back a star!"
o Starts: 7th April 2009
o Hosted By: Caroline Bennett
o Location: GUILDFORD

Nina and Shaz
'prepare to be amazed by live theatre at its very best'
o Starts: 15th April 2009
o Hosted By: Darren Batten
o Location: London

Planning Permission
the meeting commences
o Starts: 14th May 2009
o Hosted By: Sell a Door Theatre Company


FOR THESE AND OTHER EVENTS CLICKhttp://www.uktheatre.tv/events

>>>>>

WEST END THEATRE TICKETS – 
http://www.lovetheatre.com/uktheatrenet

This oldest of the popular ballets is delighting audiences at the Kings this week.

 

The Russian State Ballet of Siberia presents this enchanting ballet based on the music of composer Leo Delibes.  Dr. Coppelius, a magician and toymaker, and his ‘daughter’, Coppelia, live in a small town.  All the men of the town are mesmerised by Coppelia who sits on a balcony all day giving no-one her attention, including Franz ... much to the chagrin of his fiancé, Swanilda.  Franz and Swanilda are soon to be married and tradition dictates that the happy couple should receive a special gift to commemorate the occasion.  Swanilda and her friends decide to satisfy their curiosity about Coppelius by investigating his house.  They discover a magical room full of mechanical life size toys and it appears that Coppelia is, in fact, a marionette, too!  Franz has an alternative motive to enter the house and scales the wall to be discovered by Dr. Coppelius.  Coppelius uses his magical power to try to transfer Franz's life force into Coppelia to bring her to life.  But Swanilda has tricked the Doctor by disguising herself as Coppelia!  She escapes with Franz and her friends.  On the day of the wedding Coppelius forgives the couple for their intrusion and the entire town celebrate the happy occasion.

 

When you consider that the company has undertaken this national tour with four distinct productions (Coppelia, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Giselle) the spectacle and presentation of Coppelia was breathtaking.  In particular, the costumes were quite stunning.  As Swanilda, Anna Snegina was captivating.  She seemed lighter than air on points and her partner work with Vyacheslav Kapustin as Franz in the third act made the impossible seem effortless.  Alexander Kuimov was a charismatic Coppelius throughout.  Conductor Anatoly Tchepurnoi empowered this emotional Delibes score and was unnecessarily modest during the company bow.

 

This production will be replaced on Wednesday by performances of Swan Lake and again on Friday by The Nutcracker the same company until the end of the week.

 

Performances:
Kings Theatre, Glasgow 

Mon 23 & Tue 24 Feb (Coppelia)

Wed 25 & Thu 26 Feb (Swan Lake)

Fri 27 & Sat 28 Feb (Nutcracker)

Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm

 

Tickets - £13 - £30.50

Booking Fee - 0870 060 6648 (bkg fee)

www.ambassadortickets.com

Murder With Love

UK National Tour

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

Murder With Love centres around the lives of David Ryder, a successful lawyer, and Larry Campbell, the man who stole his wife and child and who was responsible for their subsequent deaths.

Consumed by hate and a desire for revenge, Ryder sets out to kill Campbell. So, when Campbell is found dead in his flat the following day, suspicion immediately falls upon Ryder.

The first act of Francis Durbridge’s thriller focuses on introducing the audience to each of the nine characters, before establishing how they each relate to one another. In doing so, I found myself struggling to keep up with what was happening and why.

Nevertheless, my concentration was rewarded when the pace slowed down and I seemed to have grasped the plot.

There are some fine performances in this production. Neil Stacy is well-used to playing rather stuffy, upper-class professional men and he suits the role of Ryder perfectly. Louise Faulkner competently plays a Sunday newspaper columnist, Jacqueline Roberts is wonderful as a vampy television star and Mark Booth excels as slimy blackmailer, Rudd. Supporting roles are played well by Marcus Hutton, Katie Evans, David Callister and Edward Thorpe.

Unfortunately, the ‘star’ performer didn’t really shine that brightly for me. Leslie Grantham, as the working-class detective, Cleaver, seemed to give a lack-lustre performance that was devoid of conviction.

However, the plot soon draws you in as deceit, incrimination and blackmail are woven into a web of crime that has you perched on the edge of your seat. When the final twist is revealed, it takes you completely by surprise.

The action takes place in only two different locations: David Ryder’s study and Larry Campbell’s front room. The split set, designed by Alan Miller-Bunford, is used to good effect as the lighting alternates between the two locations, depending upon where events are unfolding. Simple but very clever, too.

Ian Dickens’ productions are synonymous with the highest standards and Murder With Love is no exception.

Steve Burbridge.

TOUR DATES

24-28 February 2009                          Darlington Civic Theatre

16-21 March 2009                              Theatre Royal, Windsor

6-11 April 2009                                   Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

15-18 April 2009                                 Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

22-25 April 2009                                 The Millennium Forum, Derry

 

 

You Couldn’t Make It Up

Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne

Tuesday 24 February – Sunday 1 March 2009

Tues – Sat at 7.30pm, Sun at 4.00pm

If there’s one thing that is guaranteed to get Tynesiders talking, then surely, it is ‘the beautiful game.’ Whether you’re a supporter of The Black Cats or The Magpies, here in the North East, we take our football very seriously.

Live Theatre, renowned for being an innovative and experimental venue that doesn’t shy away from presenting productions which may be considered too risky by other theatres, presents You Couldn’t Make It Up, a fascinating and satirical look at the recent media circus surrounding the trials and tribulations of ‘The Toon Army.’

The play which is written by a father and son collaboration, Michael and Tom Chaplin, draws upon verbatim testimony from local and national journalists, football pundits, ex-players, ex-managers and fans, as well as speculative imagination, via re-enacted scenes, to provide a commentary on the saga that has encompassed St James’ Park in recent times.

The cast of four, comprising Mark Benton, Bill Fellows, Laura Norton and Davie Nellist are consistently excellent throughout and, despite the fact that this is a script-in-hand production, they each inject passion and conviction into their performances.

Initially, we are introduced to them as a group of season ticket-holders. However, during the course of the play, they each play a variety of roles to provide a fascinating, informative and entertaining look at the current, seemingly, hopeless situation.

Mark Benton, known to many for his roles in Northern Lights, Early Doors and the Nationwide advertisements, hits the back of the net (pardon the pun!) with his portrayal of Mike Ashley. He utilises that dry sense of humour and deadpan delivery to maximum effect and, in doing so, just about steals the show.

The production is staged on a starkly effective set, consisting only of four black and white chairs and two overhead television screens, which depict significant images and statistics to illustrate the dialogue.

Max Roberts’ direction is subtle and understated, allowing the script and performances to shine at their brightest.

Whether you’re a season ticket-holder, an armchair pundit or an intrigued football novice, such as myself, You Couldn’t Make It Up will ensure that you become caught up in the controversy besieging the Tyneside institution that is Newcastle United Football Club.

Steve Burbridge.

 

 

Tosca’s Kiss

Tosca at The Richmond Theatre,

http://www.ambassadortickets.com/789/659/Richmond/Richmond-Theatre/Tosca

 

Korn/Ferry Opera Holland Park’s Tosca feels like an original production –an amazing feat considering how well known this classic piece is. So good is this production that even minor characters are compelling, delivering brushstroke after brushstroke to the final masterpiece. As the unwashed bar man of the neon-lit trattoria leers at Tosca with his pustulant lower lip and lanky jaw, Scarpia toys with her, as he does his food—and the tension builds to devastating effect.

This same barman and Scarpia’s thugs watch with evident enjoyment through the strips of butchery plastic at an unseen room in which Mario (Tosca’s lover) is being beaten. Such was the potency of this excellent support that these thugs (played by Benjamin Segal, Henry Grant Kerswell and Duncan Rock) that they earned some pantomime boos when they took their bows. Wearing Fedora hat’s and smart 60’s suits, they menace and skulk around their leader, the bigotto, Scarpia.

The set locates us with rich detail in 1960s Italy, in a deserted Piazza outside a chapel, the walls papered over with posters and bills for both rebel political parties and Scarpia himself. Tosca’s face adorns the walls as the famous Opera singer: La Voce ‘68. Every detail of this production has been intricately developed. With each stroke Stephen Barlow, director, improves on and reinvents this well-worn story of passion, blackmail and death.

This Italy is corrupt, redolent with intrigue—Scarpia’s Mafioso helping him to ‘sharpen his lust’ even as he maintains a respectable political image. What this production does particularly well (due in no small part to Paul Garrett’s powerhouse performance as Scarpia), is to make it plausible that this charismatic character could command both the respect of the populace and the rebel's hatred. In fact, the contrast with the iconic image on the posters and the scheming villain pacing the stage is far more marked than in productions where he is played as a one dimensional ogre, devoid of such appeal. There is some steaming sexual tension between Scarpia and Floria Tosca as he taunts her with the possibility of Mario’s death, or earlier on, as he manipulates Tosca into betraying Mario through her jealousy. There is a moment in Act 1 where she bursts into tears—having been told by Scarpia that her lover Mario has flitted off to conduct an affair with the Marchesa Attavanti (whose portrait he has painted massively across the Piazza floor). Of course this is a lie, as Mario is really helping Attavanti’s brother Cesare Angelotti (played by Paul Reeves) who is an escaped rebel, to hide from the police. She falls into Scarpia’s arms in despair and he hesitates, frozen. As he slides a lecherous hand down her body the sexual frisson is palpable. This production has a filmic quality and cries out for the big screen. It would be great to see it on at a large cinema chain as with the recent collaboration between Odeon cinemas and Glyndebourne.

This opera’s enduring appeal comes from its flesh and blood characters who are filled with the irrational furies of love—but never before have I seen these qualities exploited so well. Puccini’s fabulous music and the witty dialogue are enlivened by a set of leads who tussle with their roles and pour emotion into a score dripping with the violence of passion.

Seán Ruane as Mario Cavaradossi is excellent—looking rather like a young Van Morrison (circa The Last Waltz) in his flares and bright orange shirt. He sings the famous aria, E lucevan le stele, beautifully. The relationship between him and Tosca is believable and loaded with warmth—the two leads are bravely unrestrained in getting to grips with each other in their scenes together.

Tosca herself, played with exquisite precision by Amanda Echalaz, has a purity of tone roughened only by real emotion during the torture scenes. Act III is heart stopping. It is real agony watching Tosca and Mario sing about the life they will have after going through the ‘farcical’ execution, and knowing that Scarpia never intended her to obtain freedom for Mario. ‘Fall down at once,’ she tells him, to which he jokes, ‘Like Tosca on stage’. Even after the hired thug douses the car with petrol, Tosca believes in her lover’s ability to cheat death. When Tosca emolliates herself, standing atop the car in which her lover Mario has just been shot, the piece has a fittingly iconic end.

Spoil yourself to this production of Tosca—it will put the heart back in you—just as great art should.



Catch it at the Richmond Theatre until March 1. To book call 08700606651, or go to www.ricmondtheatre.net

For more information about the production go to: www.operahollandpark.com

Elaine Paige: Celebrating 40 Years On Stage

THEATRE ROYAL, NEWCASTLE

Monday 23 & Tuesday 24 February 2009

The legendary star of the West End and Broadway, Elaine Paige, is celebrating forty years on the stage with a magnificent concert in which she recreates many of her starring roles in the biggest musicals of the modern era.

The diminutive diva wowed last night’s audience with a powerhouse performance that included just about every song that she is famous for.

Paige looked stunning, in black trousers and a silver three-quarter length coat, as she made her entrance on stage to demonstrate just why she is renowned as the First Lady of musical theatre.

It is amazing that such a powerful voice emanates from such a petite lady – she stands at only 4’ 11” tall – and Miss Paige, herself, acknowledges in a rhyming couplet: “I may be short, I may be svelte but, bet your ass, this bitch can belt!”

Her lack of height and the problems that it posed early in her career are summed up in a witty song, written for her especially by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, entitled Small Packages.

In addition to the songs, Elaine also shared some fascinating anecdotes from her illustrious career, including the occasion when she was presented to the late Queen Mum and got stuck in a curtsy.

Paige performed some new material from her latest album, but it was her showstoppers that really brought the house down. She proved that, at 61, she still has what it takes and renditions of I Don’t Know How To Love Him (Jesus Christ Superstar), Hello Young Lovers (The King and I) and Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Evita) received rapturous applause.

The second act opened with Miss Paige reprising the character of Norma Desmond, from Sunset Boulevard, in her original costume from the Broadway production, and delivering a fabulous performance of As If We Never Said Goodbye.

She also belted out numbers from Sweeney Todd, Anything Goes, Les Miserables and Piaf. The evening came to a close with Memory from Cats, With One Look from Sunset Boulevard and a standing ovation that elevated from the stalls to the gallery. Encore!

Steve Burbridge.

 

It is a dark, stormy night in an old house in the English countryside. It’s between the wars and the master of the house has returned from abroad with his new wife, after his first wife died in suspicious circumstances some years ago. Despite this the old housekeeper still keeps alive the memory of the first wife, as her spirit haunts the house...

You’d be forgiven for thinking this was the beginning of “Rebecca”, but only if The Two Ronnies had made their own version. For not only do ghosts haunt the house, but also werewolves, vampires and a mummy.

Charles Ludlum’s play seeks to subvert not only Daphne du Maurier and Alfred Hitchcock, but also Victorian melodrama, farce and the ‘Hammer Horror’ films of the 60’s and 70’s. The play features a cast of six characters, played by Andy Gray and Steven McNicoll.

Gray and McNicoll both have several years of experience working in pantomime and this is evident in their performances. They exploit every single joke in the play, in order to get as many laughs as possible. When this works it’s great, but there were many times when you felt they’d carried on with a joke for far too long or were simply repeating themselves.

Ian Grieve’s direction is solid and makes good use of the two actors, whilst allowing time for their lightning quick costume changes between characters. The thing it lacked was any inventiveness, it would have been interesting to see how different the play would have looked with a lot less set and less costume.

Alan Penman also adds some atmospheric sound to the play, perfectly capturing the feel of an old, crackly horror film.

All in all, it was a funny show. My only wish is that they could have taken more risks as it could have been even funnier!

 

Listings:

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

20 Feb to 14 Mar

Tues – Sat eves 7:45pm

Wed & Sat mats 2:30pm (25, 28 Feb and 4, 7, 14 Mar)

Tickets: £1 - £26

Box Office: 0131 248 4848

www.lyceum.org.uk

Then touring to Perth Theatre from 19 March to 4 April.

 

Inside this update
- Sky/Wrist/Network
- Doug’s Radio Blog
- Oscar Predictions
- Walk Along The Red Carpet
- Sky News Feature
- UK Theatre Reviews
- Facebook/Twitter Links




Hope you had a good week. I was contacted at the last minute this week to appear on Sky News. It all went very smoothly and you can see my nice blue plastercast on screen. It’s off now, and my wrist is slowly starting to heal. I have started typing again with two hands with this newsletter. Slowly but surely does it. 

It’s nice to see the social networks starting to get a few hundred people posting, blogging and connecting on theatre and film. If you haven’t already, take a couple of minutes to join, it’s simple and quick.

http://www.ukfilm.tv
http://www.uktheatre.tv


Have a great week ahead.

Douglas McFarlane

>>>>>

Tune In to Doug’s Radio Blog at 12 noon on Saturday’s. 

This week’s show includes David Bowie, George Michael, Simon And Garfunkel, Kraftwerk and Savage Garden.
http://www.nevisradio.co.uk

>>>>>

Oscar Predictions

Here are my predictions for tomorrow night’s Oscar’s with a link to all the nominees and printouts for you to make your own choices. I’ve also included a link to a bit of film footage I took in 2007 to share the experience of walking along the red carpet with you. I choose not to go this year for a change, but I’m keeping in touch via twitter as Jon Gripton, who introduced me to Sky News in October 2007 and who I subsequently bumped into on the red carpet last year. His tweeter id is listed at the bottom with some other tweeters for you to follow.


Actor In A Leading Role - Brad Pitt

Actor In A Supporting Role - Heath Ledger

Actress In A Leading Role - Kate Winslet

Actress In A Supporting Role - Penelope Cruz

Best Documentary Feature - Trouble The Water

Directing - Danny Boyle/Slumdog Millionaire

Best Picture - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button


http://www.oscar.com/nominees



Walk Along The Red Carpet

A short walk I took along the red carpet at the Oscars 2007 in order to share the experience. A section of this footage is used in the film Making It In Hollywood, currently being submitted to film festivals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFeBMgkbKH4


>>>>>


Sky News Feature

Top Web Stories: A YouTube Symphony, Friends Reunited Try To Meet Buyer And More Popular Internet News
In this edition of Sky.com Movers Douglas McFarlane from uktheatre.net introduces a woman caught on camera having a tantrum at a Thai airport, a YouTube symphony and more popular stories from the internet.

http://tinyurl.com/cqgpdg


>>>>>


Regional Premiere of Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll at Manchester Library Theatre

Rock ‘n’ Roll
Library Theatre, Manchester
17 February 2009

Abba has Mamma Mia; Queen has We Will Rock You; Madness has Our House; now Pink Floyd has Rock ‘n’ Roll, a jukebox musical which weaves the band’s greatest hits into a narrative about The Prague Spring and the eventual collapse of Communism in 1990.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/regional-premiere-of-tom-stoppardand39;s-rock-and39;nand39;-roll-at-manchester-library-theatre_35.html




The Last Resort
The Customs House, South Shields, Tyne & Wear
Strangeface Theatre’s production, The Last Resort, is an interesting concept that combines actors wearing half-masks, puppetry, original music and songs to tell the folk-tale of a remote town on the brink of ruin.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/the-last-resort_34.html



Cabaret
UK National Tour – Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre
Berlin 1930: The Kit Kat club is a place of decadent and flirtatious celebration, presided over by a sinister Emcee (Wayne Sleep). Sally Bowles (Samantha Barks) is a young British singer who performs there. Cliff Bradshaw (Henry Luxemburg) is an American writer who arrives in Berlin with the hope of finding inspiration to complete his latest novel.


http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/cabaret_33.html


>>>>>


TWITTERS

Jonathan Ross
http://twitter.com/Wossy

Stephen Fry
http://twitter.com/stephenfry

Fearne Cotton
http://twitter.com/Fearnecotton

Jon Gripton, reporter for Sky News, at the Oscars
http://twitter.com/JonGrip

Sara Bareilles
http://twitter.com/sarabareilles

Barack Obama
http://twitter.com/BarackObama

My twittering link
http://www.twitter.com/ukfilm

>>>>>

FACEBOOK GROUPS

Making It In Hollywood – Documentary film project currently submitting to Film Festivals
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2434134276&ref=ts

UK Film Network – Social networking for filmmakers and their audience
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2475992114&ref=ts

UK Theatre Network – Social networking for theatre performers and their audience
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3122300275&ref=ts

The Big Picture – Feature film project currently in script selection
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26318483196&ref=ts

The Time Project – Documentary film project currently in pre-production
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47590808842&ref=ts

 

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo –

Theatre Royal, Glasgow (17^th – 18^th Feb, 2009)

 

The “Trocks” jeté onto the Glasgow stage with a hugely entertaining look at ballet albeit from a very different perspective.

 

For those who have never heard of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, this is an all male ballet corps, who perform both the male and female roles in traditional and contemporary ballet pieces. This includes their now famous version of Act 2 of Swan Lake. For those traditionalists who think that they couldn’t watch Odette without seeing her “en pointe”, never fear, these extremely talented danceurs fully take on their role as ballerinas and that includes dancing en pointe. However, the dancing is only one part of this interpretation, and the comedy that comes from the dancers exaggeration of styles, and their displays of “prima ballerina” behaviours is equally as important. The facial expressions, aided by the unsubtle make-up, are themselves hysterically funny, and also tightly choreographed.

 

The comedy and dance came together beautifully, typified by the exceptional Grand Pas De Quatre, featuring Camilo Rodriguez, Claude Gamba, Christopher Lam and Joseph Jeffries. Each representing a famous ballerina from the original Le Grand Pas de Quatre, they brought the offstage rivalries onstage and gave a thoroughly deceptively comic performance. I say deceptive, not to describe the comedy, but to describe the talented dancing. You easily forget the skill required to perform many of these routines, and that it not only needs a talented dancer, but a “performer” to retain the energy in what could easily have been a one-gag show.

 

The simple sets, using only a backcloth, help to show off the far more elaborate costumes. The swans looked simply beautiful, even with the odd hairy chest amongst the troupe. I would also urge any audience member to purchase a programme for this show. Not only does it have lots of information on each of the cast members, but the continuation of the humour throughout helps to carry this show all the way home with you.

 

Catch the Trocks before they take flight from the UK in March. Tour details are listed below.

 

Performances:

 

 

17-18^th Feb            Glasgow, Theatre Royal            www.theatreroyalglasgow.com

20-21^st Feb            Edinburgh, Festival Theatre            www.eft.co.uk

23^rd Feb            Nottingham, Playhouse            www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

26-28^th Feb            Newcastle, Theatre Royal            www.theatreroyal.co.uk

3-4^th Mar            Milton Keynes Theatre            www.miltonkeynestheatre.com

6-7^th Mar            Salford, The Lowry                   www.thelowry.com

10-11^th Mar            Woking, New Victoria            www.theambassadors.com/newvictoria

13-14^th Mar            Wycombe, Swan                      www.wycombeswan.co.uk

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Library Theatre, Manchester

17 February 2009

 

Abba has Mamma Mia; Queen has We Will Rock You; Madness has Our House; now Pink Floyd has Rock ‘n’ Roll, a jukebox musical which weaves the band’s greatest hits into a narrative about The Prague Spring and the eventual collapse of Communism in 1990. 

 

The play opens in the summer of 1968 when Czech student Jan is about to abandon his PhD in Cambridge, understandably worried by the Soviet tanks back home.  His longing to return to Prague meets opposition not just from the Czech authorities but also from his supervisor Max, a stalwart of the British Communist Party who regards any criticism of the regime as treachery.  Meanwhile Max’s classics-teaching wife Eleanor is suffering from a highly symbolic cancer, and his drop-out daughter Esme may or may not be hallucinating when the figure of Syd Barrett (ex-Pink Floyd and now Cambridge resident) appears at the bottom of the garden disguised as the god Pan.

 

With a protagonist who spends most of his time in an anorak obsessively cataloguing his extensive record collection, Nick Hornby might have been your first guess as author; however Rock ‘n’ Roll comes from the pen of Tom Stoppard no less, so as well as hit tunes there are spies and sophistry, philosophy and philology, and adulterous academics.

 

Although director Chris Honer does his best, the first half of this play is too fragmentary to develop any real sense of drama, especially the Prague scenes where characters you barely know and care about less exchange information about things which aren’t really explained.  Never has Chamberlain’s comment about Czechoslovakia being “a faraway country of which we know little” been truer.  Ironically the classics tutorials in a Cambridge back garden are exciting and engaging even though they are literally all Greek (and Latin).  Max is a memorable and charismatic figure played brilliantly by Hilton McRae in an edge-of-your-seat performance.  And Cate Hamer is a fantastic foil for him as Eleanor, a brave and intelligent woman who copes with her illness using pitch-black humour and a tea-cosy.

 

The groovy titles linking the scenes are by video artist Matt Spencer and create a kind of unity even as the 1970s flash rapidly past your eyes while snatches of Pink Floyd’s back-catalogue get an outing.  After the interval Prague and its dubious musical links take a back seat to make way for a tremendously exciting and thoroughly developed climax.  Sadly this is then followed by a concluding scene of such cliché that even the writers of Never Forget – The Take That Musical would have blushed.

 

Tom Stoppard has gathered together an eclectic range of subjects and tried to blend them into a sophisticated cocktail, much as you do when you’re a student mixing any old drinks you happen to have to hand, however ill-assorted – alas, Rock ‘n’ Roll isn’t so much a White Russian as a Moscow Mule.

 

Rock ‘n’ Roll is on until Saturday 14 March 2009

Prices: £9.80-£18.10 (conc from £7.35)

Times: Mon-Sat eve @ 7.30; matinees Thurs & Sat @ 2.30

Box Office: 0161 236 7110

www.librarytheatre.com