UK Theatre Network

Women On The Verge Of HRT

UK Tour

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

Anna and Vera are best friends with a few things in common – both are the wrong side of 40, both have husband troubles and a love of Irish crooner Daniel O’Donnell.

‘Women On The Verge Of HRT’, written by Marie Jones, looks at a catalystic episode in the lives of the two women, as they confront their fears and face the realities of their lives. Starring Louise Jameson and Janet Dibley, it had the makings of an entertaining and thought-provoking piece of theatre.

Sadly, in reality it is an exceptionally queasy mixture of indisciplined farce and soggy sentiment with a plot too preposterous and tediously complex to describe in detail. Suffice to say that it starts off reasonably within the realms of believability but soon descends into a man-bashing bizarre and surreal piece of bilge with clod-hopping dialogue.

Although Jameson and Dibley both work hard with the two-dimensional parts of Vera and Anna they are unable to triumph against the inadequacies and indignities of the script and their performances play to diminishing returns.

The humour is pitched strictly at sit-com level and the third character, Feargal the Daniel O’Donnell look-alike (played by Aidan O’Neill), seems to have been added in as an afterthought. It seems almost as though Jones started out with the intention of producing an earnest two-hander that would take a bitter-sweet look at the lives of ‘women of a certain age’ then, after several large glasses of wine, thought: ‘Bugger that!’ and opted to make it a farce instead.

Darlington Civic Theatre have hosted several productions aimed at a predominantly female gaze, recently, and it is obvious that direct comparisons would be made between them. ‘Hot Flush!’ made no attempt to conceal its tongue-in-cheek, revue-like take on the menopause and succeeded as a result. Had ‘Women On The Verge Of HRT’ ensured that it was certain of what genre it wanted to sit within it would, perhaps, have been more cohesive, less of a mish-mash and maybe even a success.

Steve Burbridge.

Having opted to see a new show INVISIBLE STORMS with the premise of it being based around the topical theme of 'climate change', I must admit didn't fill me with too much exitement, but this surprising production at Kilburn's Cock Tavern is a real gem...

Devised and conceived by award winning director Jamie Harden & playwright Dan Muirden, the show is improvised on a nightly basis around the central scenes, thereby resulting in a fresh nightly production.
This is a team to look out for.

Essentially a revenge story, the production is a wonderful surprise, with tight, naturalistic acting from a strong cast. Short, sharp scenes, miminal set, effective yet simple lighting; even using the natural light from the onstage window, takes us into the world of Kat (Sarah-Louise Young) and her brother Richard (Richard Atwill) who, still reeling after the suicide of their beloved father, who campaigned for years to get a seawall built to protect the farm he loved and worked on for many years are forced to act yet again on his behalf. The pain of his death and their subsequent loss, as well as the reminder of his years of appeals and letters he sent to the local authority to hear his petition, add weight to their grief and loss.

Kat decides to avenge his death by pretending to be a Polish cleaner and apply to be the live- in cleaner at one of the leading members of the local authority who ignored her father's appeals, and who, ultimately she believes is responsible for his death. Her point being: she wants this man to open his heart and get him to a point where he is emotionally as vulnerable she & her brother are, then she can turn it on him & twist the knife in. How she does this is by creating a totally believable alter ego of the Polish cleaner, endearing herself to Conor (Benjamin Peters) and through his consequent attachment to herself and her two year old son, Misha, (who we never see) but who is obviously a loveable and adorable little boy, we see Conor wanting more and more to involve them both in his life and his emotional attachment to them both grow and develop.

In hindsight the scene with Kat telling Conor that to feel feelings is a good things and how opening himself to them is a right thing to do, reeks of so many tragedies with a protagonist leading another to their ultimate downfall & is a cruel twist of fate. How justified she is in doing what she does is another matter, of which Max, her boyfriend later on responds to with disdain; not even understanding the extent of her plan.

The reveal is well timed and heart felt and Peters responds with a horror and heartbrokeness that is moving. Kat leads him to this point and as she calmly and coldly reveals the truth, we see his hopes of them becoming 'a family' cruelly dashed.

At the centre of the play is a truly radiant performance by Sarah Louise Young. Here is a performer who has a very special quality that absorbs and mesmorises the audience. She is so completely in the moment in each scene and her clear emotional responses add great depth. Her portrayal of the alter ego as the Polish cleaner is totally believeable and adds intrigue and interest in how this story will run out.

Strong support from Richard Atwill as the brother, with a hearty, bear like quality, the edgy urban boyfriend Max (Hywel John) and Carrie Jones as sharp edged Mrs Barnham, who cannily feels Kat, the Polish cleaner is not all she's cracked up to be from the start, add up to a very special show.

Nicola Hollinshead

Listing Details

Venue

Dates & Times

5th May – 30th May, Tuesday – Saturday 8pm

Box Office

08444 771 000 /

 

^{www.cocktaverntheatre.com}

Tickets

£12 (£10 concessions)

Previews 5th, 6th & 7th May all tickets £10

Running Time

Approximately 90 mins.

Transport

Kilburn (Jubilee Line) or Kilburn Park (Bakerloo Line). Five minutes from Tricycle Theatre

‘The Contingency Plan’ is a new double bill by Steve Waters. Focusing on the relevant and alarming issue of climate change, they present an epic portrait of a near future England under the siege of devastating floods.

 

Each play can stand alone, but complement and dramatically enhance each other as a pair. In ‘On the Beach’, Waters wraps a scientific theme in a domestic cloak. The dislocated relationship between father Robin and son Will is exposed through the scientific discoveries Will makes about the impact of melting glaciers in the Antarctic, discoveries, his father himself made 37 years previously.

 

The language may be dense and technical at times, but the dramatic action carries the audience through, aided by a speedy pace delivered by Michael Longhurst’s direction. Geoffrey Streatfield plays the geeky yet ardent young Will with passion and Stephanie Street injects a sassiness to his civil servant girlfriend Sarinka.

 

It is the human moments that excel and grip us in the first play; such as the humour of the awkwardness of Sarinka’s first introduction to Will’s parents, as she clutches ungainly at a stung foot; or moments of the tenderness of Jenny, Will’s mother, who tries to assert her own feminine worth in a very scientific and male dominated world, whilst remaining ever supportive of and devoted to her husband.

 
 

The second play, ‘Resilience’ climbed much higher in gripping its audience over the subject of climate change. Set in a cabinet room in Whitehall around an austere mahogany table, following the aftermath of a serious flood in Bristol, the stakes already begin high.

 

Here Waters flips his focus away from the natural surroundings of the sea and her dangerous ambiguity, and onto the probably more dangerous element lurking in humanity. As the title suggests, this play is about the nature of human resilience, set against a political backdrop where personal superiority struggles for supremacy over public survival.

 

Susan Brown and Robin Soans both fully exploit the opportunity to play completely contrasting characters to the first play. Brown turns from a doting and caring wife to a hardened astute cabinet minister, and Soans’ quirky, bumbling scientist is transformed into his snide enemy, Colin.

 

The introduction of Christopher, Cabinet Minister for Climate Change, brings with it all the inappropriate humour one likes to expect (after such successes as ‘The Thick of It’) from a Tory minister, brilliantly played by David Bark-Jones, whose comic timing gives the play some much needed comic relief from the alarming implications it projects.

 

‘Resiliance’ succeeds in bringing relevant, controversial ideas into life in a way that is terrifyingly gripping for the audience to watch.  Tamara Harvey’s superb direction gets the audience totally involved, especially when with the characters we are shrouded in darkness. Excellent writing coupled with first-rate acting and we are simply swallowed up in the action, rather like the ominous fate of British land against the formidable seas.

 

In ‘The Contingency Plan’ Steve Waters powerfully brings to life important global issues in such a way you’ll find them hard to ignore.

The Contingency Plan at The Bush Theatre
Box Office: 020 8743 5050
Online: www.bushtheatre.co.uk

Press Night Thursday 7 May - On The Beach 4pm; Resilience 7.30pm
Signed performances 9 May 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Audio Described performances Saturday 16 May 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Captioned performances Saturday 23 May 2.30pm & 7.30pm

 

Jane McDonald In Concert

The City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne

It seems like the synopsis of a rags-to-riches romantic novel – a working class club singer lands a job on a luxury cruise liner, is spotted by a television crew, and makes the big time. In fact, it is the amazing true story of one of this country’s best-loved songstresses, Jane McDonald.

Legions of loyal and loving fans filled Newcastle’s City Hall to see her perform in concert and she rewarded them with more than two and a half hours of top notch entertainment, proving that she really knows how to get a party started.

Demonstrating an astonishing versatility, Jane performed numbers from virtually every genre. Big ballads, disco floor-fillers, country classics and songs from the shows were all sprinkled with the McDonald magic, making each and every one a showstopper. She was supported by a trio of talented backing singers, Sue Ravey, Stephen Foster and Jo Boyne, and a brilliant orchestra.

One big thing that distinguishes Jane from other performers is the rapport she has with her adoring fans, some of whom frequently announced their love for her at the top of their voices during the show. She is, obviously, a lady who does not take their support for granted and graciously acknowledged their declarations with charm and humility. The affection that they have for Jane is genuinely reciprocated.

As well as sounding fantastic, Jane looked fabulous, too. At times, the sequins on her gorgeous gowns were outshone by the sparkle of her smile as she strutted her stuff across the stage, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

The songs were interspersed with amusing anecdotes and risqué revelations, which were all delivered with the brand of Yorkshire charm, warmth and humour that has become Jane’s trademark.  

In addition to cementing her reputation as a sensational singer, the self-confessed “cruise ship cover-artist” also displayed her innate talent as a songwriter with a selection of her own compositions. I defy even the most hard-hearted cynic to listen to her performing ‘Not A Day Goes By’ without a lump in their throat.

The evening was brought to a close with a disco medley, rapturous applause and a well-deserved standing ovation for the legendary Jane McDonald.

Steve Burbridge. 

 

 

 

Northern Ballet Theatre

Wuthering Heights

Directed by David Nixon

Reviewed by Louise Winter at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday 5^th May 2009.

2009 is the 40^th anniversary of NBT and David Nixon’s first creation for the company, Wuthering Heights, has been revived for this celebration. This is one of the greatest literary love stories and well suited to NBT’s narrative style. The sweeping score of Claude-Michel Schönberg, the choreography of Nixon and the perfect performances of the artists make this a really splendid production; passionate, exciting, lyrical, and ultimately deeply moving.

Schönberg, whose other works include Les Miserables and Miss Saigon, has composed a powerful and evocative score. He states that while composing Wuthering Heights it ‘felt like the characters (…) were talking to me,’ ‘the music came very quickly, almost violently, the story flooding out’. Although difficult to express in words, it does feel as if the music embodies the characters and vice versa. There is a wholeness and synchronicity between all elements of the production - the music, the artists, the choreography and the set.

The strong, dramatic opening scene, where Heathcliff rages upon the moor, tormented by memories, is utterly compelling and sets up the rest of the ballet; the passion and anguish of this scene runs throughout the two acts and is never far below the surface.

It is rather unfair to single out performers as NBT’s are all excellent but Kenneth Tindall is superb as Heathcliff. He expertly portrays brooding jealousy, sexuality, love, tenderness, the loss and the pain felt by his character. He is not only a strong, powerful dancer but an engaging actor. Opposite him as Cathy, was Keiko Amemori, who matched Tindall in all aspects of her performance. Amemori is also a beautiful dancer and actor and well able to portray the expression and emotion needed for the character of Cathy with conviction and honesty.

This is indeed one of the traits of NBT; the artists are fully rounded performers. Too often in ballets or operas, performers may be skilled in their discipline but unable to deliver the story. NBT has artists of the highest calibre, which enables the company to powerfully deliver these engaging, narrative works.

All the artists embrace Nixon’s choreography which demands athleticism and strength. Overall it has an energetic and dynamic structure; there are several one armed lifts for Heathcliff and a great deal of fast paced and complicated entwinings between Heathcliff and Cathy, and briefly between Heathcliff and Isabella. Where the brilliance of the choreography is most noticeable though is in the transitions between the young Heathcliff and Cathy, superbly played by Ben Mitchell and Ayana Kanda, and the more mature pair. These moments are beautifully arranged and bring to light the contrast between the two pairs.

In fact the whole production is one of contrasts; between young and mature; between innocence and experience; between the passion of Heathcliff and Cathy, and the rather more sedate relationship of Cathy and Edgar; between the desolation of the moor and Wuthering Heights, and the opulence and grandeur of Thrushcross Grange.

Enabling these contrasts is not only the music and the choreography but also the staging and the scenery, which are stylish and effective; quite minimal mostly and positivly sparse in places the focus is on the narrative and the artists – as it should be.

This beautiful production vividly brings to the stage an emotional and romantic story with drama, and indeed melodrama at times; with energy, integrity and vibrancy. A solid production in all areas and highly recommended.

Wuthering Heights plays Milton Keynes Theatre until 9 May 2009. Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office 0870 060 6652 (bkg fee).

www.miltonkeynestheatre.com. For details of further tour dates www.northernballettheatre.co.uk

Reviewed by Louise Winter at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday 5^th May 2009 on behalf of Catherine Brian.

 

In this update

- West End Ticket Offers
- Theatre Merchandise
- Doug's TV Blog
- Doug's Radio Blog
- Oleanna at Bolton Octagon
- Queen Bee
- Theatre Events
- Theatre Forum

>>>>>

WEST END TICKET OFFERS 

More details and booking: http://tinyurl.com/qbr56l

Avenue Q
The offer: £29.50 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket) 
Validity: Monday-Thursday evenings and Friday matinees from 2 June - 18 July.

Billy Elliot
The offer: Grand Circle at £20 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket) 
Validity: Monday-Friday evenings and Thursday matinees from 27 April-19 June (excluding 25-29 May).

Chicago
The offer: £25 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket), 4-16 May
£29.50 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket), 18-30 May
£32.50 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket), 1-13 June 
Validity: Monday-Thursday evenings, Friday and Saturday matinees


Duet For One
The offer: £36 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket) 
Validity: Tuesday-Thursday evenings and Wednesday matinees until 21 May

La Cage Aux Folles
The offer: £27 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket) 
Validity: Monday-Thursday evenings and Thursday matinees until 11 June (except 25-28 May).

Les Miserables
The offer: £35 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket) 
Validity: Monday-Friday evenings and Wednesday matinees from 4 May-30 June (excluding 25-29 May)

Sunset Boulevard
The offer: £27.50 (+ £1.75 booking fee per ticket) 
Validity: All performances, except Saturday evenings, until 27 June


More details and booking: http://tinyurl.com/qbr56l

>>>>>

Theatre Merchandise

Got a favourite show ? Select a T-shirt, CD, DVD or mug...

http://tinyurl.com/p4ae92


>>>>>

Doug's TV Blog

Douglas McFarlane from uktheatre.net talks Martin Stanford through the stories making news on the web. Including the father who used a YouTube video to help his partner give birth.

From last Friday @ http://tinyurl.com/cs4u8l


>>>>>

Doug's Radio Blog

Music through the decades, including Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Kings of Leon, Simon and Garfunkel and The Beach Boys. 

Join me today at 12pm-2pm streaming online and around the West of Scotland @http://www.nevisradio.co.uk

>>>>>

Oleanna at Bolton Octagon

Review by Caroline May

David Mamet’s taut two-hander from 1992 takes place in one location over a few days, but it demonstrates the seismic shifts in power which have occurred in the whole of society over recent decades.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/oleanna-at-bolton-octagon_148.html



Queen Bee

Fearing that the previous master of the house – a beekeeper – has returned from the dead with his angry swarm, the doors and windows are bolted from within. As the tension inside the house rises, the women become increasingly suspicious of each other and a struggle for supremacy ensues, with each woman wanting to be Queen Bee

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/queen-bee_147.html


>>>>>

EVENTS

For these and more events, visit http://www.uktheatre.tv/events.html

Mate
A brand new comedy. 
Starts: 12th May 2009
Hosted By: New Old Friends Theatre Company
Location: London

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

Our Country's Good
Australia 1789 A young Lieutenant is directing rehearsals of the first play ever to be staged in that country... 
Starts: 14th May 2009
Hosted By: Owen Radmore
Location: Birmingham

Two by Jim Cartwright
A sharp, touching slice of Northern life.
Starts: 2nd June 2009
Hosted By: Samantha Joyce

The Lost Colony at Roanoke Island
America's Oldest Unsolved Mystery 
Starts: 29th May 2009
Hosted By: Luke Tudball
Location: Manteo, North Carolina


For these and more events, visit http://www.uktheatre.tv/events.html

>>>>>

FORUM 

Off-The-Cuff Coaching
How can I write a best selling book, sing in a top show or even star in a big film?

http://www.uktheatre.tv/forum/topic/31

Emerging Writers Sought
HighTide are looking to produce new scripts from emerging writers for the fourth HighTide Festival

http://www.uktheatre.tv/forum/topic/28

It has been over 50 years since Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim came together to create “West Side Story”. It is loosely based on “Romeo and Juliet”; here Maria and Tony are the star crossed lovers who are from different families and different cultures who are caught up in the gang wars in New York in the 1950’s. This particular production has been staged by the Sadlers Wells Company to mark the 50^th anniversary of the show and is now on tour following a successful run in London.

Given that it is a Sadlers Wells production it is no surprise that the dance is given the main focus in this version. Paul Gallis’s set is simple, yet effective in seamlessly changing scenes whilst still giving plenty of room for the company. Due to the design of the set the stage is left bare for most of the show, allowing the maximum space for Joey McKneely’s dance numbers. McKneely has made the decision to move the setting to the modern day and has also changed some of the original sequences; in particular a superb dream sequence where all the cast are dressed in white.

The entire cast work well together, with Sofia Escobar and Daniel Koek giving superb performances as Maria and Tony. Also Harry Francis was hilarious as Baby John. Particular note should go to Jayde Westaby, who sang, danced and acted superbly as a very sexy and very feisty Anita.

An excellent production of a classic show!

 

 

Listings:

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

5 to 16 May

Mon – Sat eves 7:30pm

Thu & Sat mat 2:30pm

Tickets: £17 - £39.50

Box Office: 0131 529 6000

www.eft.co.uk

 

Then touring until 11 July

David Mamet’s taut two-hander from 1992 takes place in one location over a few days, but it demonstrates the seismic shifts in power which have occurred in the whole of society over recent decades.

Successful, charismatic and slightly complacent college teacher John has almost attained the academic holy grail of tenure of post – there’s just the formality of an interview to go through before it’s rubber-stamped - and he’s now in the process of buying a house worthy of his new status.  But there’s a last minute glitch with the paperwork, and he ends up fielding a barrage of phone calls from his lawyer and wife while having an impromptu meeting with Carol, an under-achieving student who’s worried about her grades.

The opening scene is a comedy of crossed-lines and miscommunication as John and Carol stutter, repeat, interrupt and contradict themselves in Mamet’s idiosyncratic style, barely seeming to understand what they want to articulate themselves, let alone able to comprehend what the other is saying.  Carol’s constant complaint is that she doesn’t understand the formal language of education - you wonder why she doesn’t just buy a dictionary – while John, although a teacher of teaching, is ironically unable to teach her.  Finally overcoming his mounting sense of frustration, John decides to try to reach out and help Carol.  Unfortunately his overtures are misinterpreted, with dramatic consequences.

In 1992 Oleanna was seen either as a veiled attack on feminism by a rampant misogynist, or a chilling warning of how civilisation might be destroyed by the newly emerging political correctness.  During the first UK production audiences were reported to be fighting in the stalls and cheering at the escalating on-stage violence.  However there were no fisticuffs at Bolton on Friday night – partly because the two protagonists seemed so evenly matched, and partly because, since the introduction of tuition fees and wider access to higher education, the play has a whole new set of resonances for a British audience.

Kosha Engler’s Carol appears to be strong and secure from the outset, completely unembarrassed by overhearing John’s fraught telephone conversations, let alone worried about her crisis meeting.  Colin Stinton as John is a kindly and fairly patient tutor who doesn’t seem to deserve the fate that is meted out to him.  Guest director Iqbal Khan has cast two American-born actors and thus cleverly by-passed any worries about authenticity of accent - no wonder the “Mamet-speak” is pitch-perfect, delivered faultlessly and at a great lick.

However the actors are upstaged by the sheer beauty of Ciaran Bagnall’s set and lighting design.  Although deceptively simple – a desk, a couple of chairs, a few gleaming stainless-steel rods delineating the room’s proportions, with a wall of mirrors along the rear – it lends a sophistication and elegance to the Octagon’s black-box-studio feel.  And when the lighting changes at the beginning of the third act, and the mirrors are miraculously transformed into glass-fronted bookcases, the whole tone of the evening suddenly becomes more three-dimensional and human.

The Octagon is the perfect venue for this chamber-piece, which has become even more complex and interesting with the passing years.  Gripping, thought-provoking and entertaining stuff.

 

Oleanna is on at Bolton Octagon until Saturday 23 May 2009

Tickets: from £9.00

Evenings: Mon-Sat at 7.30pm

Matinees: Wednesday 13 and Saturday 23 May @ 2pm

Box Office: 01204 520661

www.octagonbolton.co.uk

Queen Bee

(Touring)

Reviewed at The Customs House, South Shields

Queen Bee is described as ‘a contemporary gothic ghost story with a psychological twist.’ It tells the story of three women - a nurse, her agoraphobic patient and an overbearing housekeeper – who become confined in an isolated Northumbrian house, after a sinister and threatening figure is seen lurking outside in the grounds.

Fearing that the previous master of the house – a beekeeper – has returned from the dead with his angry swarm, the doors and windows are bolted from within. As the tension inside the house rises, the women become increasingly suspicious of each other and a struggle for supremacy ensues, with each woman wanting to be Queen Bee.

It is difficult to identify the playwright’s intentions due to the fact that the piece sometimes seems to spoof the genres that it might ordinarily be categorised within. At times the plot developments are almost farcical whilst at others they are genuinely chilling.

Margaret Wilkinson’s script is like a verbal game of ‘catch’ as the three actresses throw and catch lines to and fro with considerable skill and flair. It demands a lot from them, but they work well with each other and, individually, manage to create well-rounded characters that the audience are easily able to engage with.

Wils Wilson’s direction ensures that the cast of three, comprising Joanna Holden, Karen Traynor and Rachel Donovan, utilise every inch of Imogen Cloets wonderful set and deliver extremely physical performances, whilst sound designer and composer, John Alder, creates all the sound effects with just a cello.

Queen Bee may not fit snugly into one conventional genre or another, but it does provide a refreshingly different theatrical experience.

Steve Burbridge.

Tour Details

30 April – 2 May                     The Customs House, South Shields

5 & 6 May                               West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

8 & 9 May                               The Dukes Theatre, Lancaster

13 – 16 May                            Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne

18 & 19 May                           Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham

20 – 22 May                            Darlington Arts Centre