The Caucasian Chalk Circle at Richmond Theatre on Tuesday 20^th October 2009

 

Published by: Tremayne (Potter)

 

‘Set in an imaginary “Caucasus”, the work has dominating male and female leads.  One is Grusha, a maid in the royal palace.  When the governor of Grusinia is killed by revolutionaries, and the royal son and heir, Michael, is abandoned by his luxury-loving mother, Grusha gathers the royal child in her arms and flees with it as her own’.  *(445:2002)

 

‘In The Caucasian Chalk Circle there is a scene in which Grusha has to walk across a small, unreliable bridge above a deep chasm.  This strikes me as a good metaphor for translating a play.  As he treads a narrow walkway, the translator looks down on one side and sees an arid landscape of fidelity, adored by academics but not much visited by ordinary folks.  On the other side, he sees below him the floodlit outlines of an egocentric ‘version’, bright, accessible and designed to draw attention to the translator rather than the play.’

(Alistair Beaton)

 

In the opening scene the musicians arrive.  The Singer (James Clyde) introduces us to story of The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

We instantly recognise Adjutant (Steven Meo), who also plays the Monk and Shawa, from the part he played in BBC3 series Grownups.

Simon (Peter Bankole) proposes to Grusha (Matti Houghton) with the words “I sincerely ask for your hand in marriage.”  She accepts.

He adds, “when the war is over, I’ll be back.”

Grusha bursts in to song on his departure, singing “I will wait for you under the green elm.”  The music could be described as Irish Folk.

The Governor’s Wife (Josephine Butler) flees on hearing of her husband’s murder, leaving baby Michael behind.  Grusha convinces herself she will leave him on his own but finds herself discussing it with the Cook (Clare Perkins) : “he looks at me like a human being.” Her response back is : “then don’t look back at him!”

The Chorus, with their oh so powerful voices, start up singing again  to continue narrating  the story: “She went for a last look at the child.  Just for a moment before leaving.  A town filled with fear..  For many hours she sat beside the child..  Picked up the child and carried it away.  Like a thief she slipped away.”

Grusha begins to question her decision: “What did I take on when I took you on?”, after paying out 2 pesetas for a mere drop of milk.

They stumble across an Inn where The Innkeeper (Christian Patterson) says to her and two upper class ladies, one played by Josephine Butler, the other by Clare Perkins: “just be thankful you’re not being thrown into shallow graves like thousands of others."  Clare Perkin’s character on realizing Grusha is a servant reacts in a rather Catherine Tate caricature-type way, saying “This woman has snuck in here”, branding her as a thief, purely because of her status in society.

The Sergeant (Nicolas Asbury) says to the character played by Steven Meo : “I was watching you dickhead.  Don’t think you’re heading for a promotion.”  At which point Steven Meo bursts into song. I am pleasantly surprised by how sweet and pure his voice is, with a natural trill in it.

The Sergeant continues with his verbal abuse: “How am I meant to find the Governor’s little bastard when I’ve got you for company?!”, ‘little bastard’ could be seen as a biblical reference.

Grusha leaves the baby on Farmer’s doorstep. The Chorus sing: “Why so happy to be heading home?  Why so sad?  ..because I’m free and single”, after she has unburdened herself of the bundle.  But then, she finds herself within the clutches of The Soldier. 

The Sergeant tries to intimidate her saying: “How to the hills.  How do you fasten your stockings?  ..to put it in military terms, I’d like to get a child out of you!” And as the missing child is mentioned, she runs for the hills. 

“Quick, hide him!”, says Grusha as she makes her way inside the Farmer’s house. 

The Farmer’s Wife (Claire Perkins) asks her: “why did you abandon your baby?  That’s a sin!”

The Sergeant tackles Grusha: “Why did you run away from me? ..to be frank, I could imagine quite a lot of things”, he says pervertedly.

An impressive physical theatre combat scene takes place between The Farmer’s Wife, The Sergeant and Grusha, where Grusha hits The Sergeant over the head with a spade.

Grusha sings: “Since no-one wants to have you (referring to baby Michael).  In this hungry.  You’ll have to make do with me.”  They manage to make it across to the other side of a precarious bridge and on to Laverto’s (Grusha’s brother’s) place.

Laverto’s wife (Josephine Butler) is less than welcoming.

Winter draws near and the bundle, whose face is never revealed to us, is transformed into a wooden doll-like puppet with the most piercing blue eyes, ironically matching those of Grusha.

Laverto finds his sister a father ‘on paper’ in the shape of Jussup (Nicholas Asbury), who is meant to be close to drawing his last breath.  By being given an official stamp Grusha’s and Michael’s lives will be made easier.

Grusha is overcome with emotion on hearing the war is over and the soldiers,including Simon, are set to return from Iran.  The man she married is still alive!

 

 

Experimental theatre is not generally to my taste, with hard-hitting subjects being mixed in with puppetry. For example severed heads were quite obviously made out of cushion-type material but as the pace picked up in Act II I warmed to it.

 In Act II Grusha (Matti Houghton) and Simon (Peter Bankole) meet again at the stream.

Grusha says:“winter was a bit grim.  ..I can never go back.., I hit someone..”, referring to the Sergeant (Nicholas Asbury) whom she hit and left for dead.

Simon instinctively says: “Is the young lady saying the soldier is too late?  Bring me back the cross I gave you (a symbol of their commitment to each another).  Better still, throw it in the stream.”

The play is brought up to date with its references to the current situation in Iraq.  It is ultimately a play about Justice and when Azdak (James Clyde), who also plays the Singer, or rather, the narrator says: “they fought over arms..”, he is referring to George Bush Jnr. Azdak’s character is played like a Hugh Laurie in Blackadder as he spouts forth the words: “you should be hung, by the neck and so forth and so forth.”

Act I having gone at a much slower pace, we rely heavily on James Clyde to draw us from out of this hole.

We learn the child is now 2.

Simon has come round to Grusha’s situation and makes this clear when he says: “I would like to swear to the woman that the child is mine.”

In Court Grusha fights to keep custody of Michael against his biological mother and says to the Judge (James Clyde): “I’ve brought him up to the best of my ability.  I’ve taught him the meaning of work.  Well, as much as I could, he’s still so small.”

The second Act, in my opinion, is of a much higher calibre, revelling in its Blackadder feel.

The Judge’s counter argument is: “I don’t see that the child’s yours.  ..don’t you want him to be rich?”, which he would be if he were allowed to live with his biological mother

The approach of the baby in puppet form is most thought-provoking and engaging  His movements are so fluid that the actors’ skills in puppetry are shown to be in fine tune.

Azdak insists he be placed inside a chalk circle and by the true strength of the mother she will be able to pull him out of it.

The first time the experiment is carried out, Michael’s biological mother is the one to make it possible but then the Judge overrules his decision and allows Grusha to bring up the child as her own.

And also, accidentally divorces her, supposedly, from her horrid husband, when it seems quite apparent that he wishes the very best for her and Simon, and for them to live happily ever after, without any extra baggage.

 

 

* Cited by John Fuegi in Brecht & co (Grove Press, 2002).

After over 30 years since its last major revival, The Hard Man shows that it still holds a lot of relevance to its Glasgow audience.

 

It would be easy to enter into a debate about this production – Does it glamorise the gangsters? Is it morally right that the author of this play benefits financially from the stories of his victims? Does it highlight important issues about knife crime and gang culture that still affects people today? – but that would not allow sufficient column inches to give credit to the discussion of the production itself.

 

Phillip Breen has used a very clever combination of high drama, mixed with music hall comedy to keep the audience aware that although they are seeing autobiographical stories, they are still experiencing a theatrical production. The use of live percussionist Chris Wallace to underscore the dialogue gives a filmic feel to the heightened emotions, and makes the pauses and silences more important and poignant than ever. The delivery of the dialogue is in capable hands too – Alex Ferns gives an outstanding performance in the lead role of Johnnie Byrne. Although the only actor in this production who plays one character throughout, the multi-faceted role allows him the chance to show many dynamics of physical theatre alongside the full array of emotions required to demonstrate the “Gentle Terror” of a man who can commit such vicious brutality but also charm so many.

 

Paul Morrow and Stewart Porter are the epitome of variety, playing a number of characters covering comedy and tragedy. Their versatility as actors shines through in this production when switching between characters with only the briefest of breaths between appearances. A special mention must also go to Cara Kelly – creating so many convincingly different characters shows why she has become such hot property in Scottish Theatre in the last few years.

 

With interesting production touches such as the strikingly simple but effective set by Max Jones and the slow-motion fight choreography by Renny Krupinski which was then set to music (Too Young by Nat King Cole – reminding us that these were young boys getting involved in violence) as well as the breaking of the 4^th wall by many of the characters, this play has a lot of significance as a production before even touching on the subject within. But with recent events like the abuse at Guantanamo Bay, current campaigns to prevent knife crime and domestic violence and other themes within the play still showing relevance to someone like me who wasn’t even born when it was written, highlights exactly why theatre stands the test of time. The Hard Man may have many detractors, but the strength of the writing and the quality of the production and the performances within are what has convinced this reviewer to make it my stand out production of 2011.

 

Performances:

Tue 12 Apr:     7.30pm

Wed 13 Apr:    2.30pm, 7.30pm

Thu 14 Apr:     7.30pm

Fri 15 Apr:       7.30pm

Sat 16 Apr:      2.30pm, 7.30pm

 

Tickets: £11-£24.00

Box Office: 08448 717 648(bkg fee)   web: www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

 

Keep Calm and Carry On

The Customs House, South Shields

In Keep Calm and Carry On, Helen Russell has drawn upon her experience as an actress, comedienne, singer and playwright to create a poignant, funny and heartwarming play. Although it is not strictly autobiographical, it is certainly influenced by Russell’s own time as an ENSA performer during World War Two and, as she says in the programme notes, “it tells of what could and did happen in those days and people’s reaction to what was considered scandalous.”

The piece is set in London at the height of the Blitz, where nineteen-year-old Mary Robson (Rachel Teate) dreams of an escape – entertaining the troops on stage. However, her parents Ellie (Bidi Iredale) and Joe (Stewart Howson) don’t hold the same aspirations for her. The clash between the impetuousness of youth and the cautious protectiveness of age is deftly explored in the writing and brought to life with equal panache by the cast.

Of course, it isn’t giving anything away to reveal that the headstrong Mary gets her own way in the end. In fact it is the journey that young Mary takes from girl to woman and her subsequent ‘coming of age’ which forms the bedrock of the piece.

The play is authentically evocative, with no detail being overlooked, and the entire technical crew are worthy of special praise. The high-pitched wail of the air raid siren, the Bakelite radio on a table in the front room, the costumes, hairstyles, music and lighting all contribute to the overall tone to great effect. However, the battles and casualties of World War Two are merely a backdrop to the battles that are faced by Mary and her family as they struggle to maintain a sense of normality in abnormal times.

Russell’s script is a gem. Having spent most of the first act convincing the audience that the piece is a gently humorous nostalgic wartime romp, she then proceeds to drop a bombshell with as much precision as the Luftwaffe. Indeed, this play is, by no means, a sugar-coated depiction of wartime life but more of a hard-boiled examination of love, loss and the power of the human spirit against unbelievable odds. Her characters are instantly recognisable, three-dimensional and easy to relate with.

Director Jackie Fielding has assembled a first-rate cast, each of them seeming to understand their characters inside out. Although much of the action surrounds the tensions between Mary and her parents, the relationships between Mary and the two men who will have a significant impact on her life, Colin (James Hedley) and Len (Lawrence Stubbings), are also explored with sensitivity and skill. Finally, add to the mix a show-stopping, scene-stealing performance by Rosalind Bailey (as Mary’s Gran) and this war-time comedy drama is nothing less than victorious!

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 12 November 2011.

 

Glyndebourne has a great season on offer this Autumn and Donizetti’s popular opera buffa exploring greed and matrimony is a fabulous production in all areas – top notch singing, effortless performances, incredible staging, sumptuous costumes and as always, perfect playing from the orchestra under the direction this time of the excellent Enrique Mazzola who whipped the score along in a suitably bright and bouncy fashion. This is a perfect antidote a dull winter’s evening; light, frothy, absurd and great fun.

The opening moments set the tone for the opera very effectively, with the floor to ceiling red velvet curtains opening onto a circular stage rotating to reveal the characters in separate rooms. First, is Don Pasquale asleep in his bed. Dr Malatesta enters pondering his mischievous plan and as the stage turns to reveal Ernesto, slumbering half dressed and part way through writing a love letter, Malatesta appears by climbing through the wardrobe between the rooms. As the stage rotates again revealing Norina at her writing desk, also dozing and halfway through a letter, Malatesta appears through a painting on the wall! The stage continues to rotate as Malatesta visits the characters through the scenery. It’s a really clever and eccentric way to start the evening and this use of the rotating stage is repeated throughout the production to very great effect. The overall staging, costumes and lighting are gorgeous and work together to set up quite beautiful, painterly tableaux. Full credit goes to Julia Hansen’s design and Bernd Purkrabek lighting design plus all designers and makers of the costumes and wigs for the chorus - a stunning white spectacle en masse.

Director Mariame Clément has a real hit on her hands for her debut at Glyndebourne and hopefully this will be the beginning of a long and happy relationship with the company. She has though, re-interpreted the story and this has come in for some criticism. As a result, perhaps the story is less touching than in its original narrative form. It depends on your philosophy - on whether directors should leave well alone or attempt to put their own mark on a work. So, in Clément’s take on the story Norina and Malatesta are clearly having a ‘secret’ affair, and this adds an extra layer to the story and perhaps brings an extra dimension to the dishonesty or cruelty of the story overall.

Jonathan Veira is superb and plays Don Pasquale just right – a touch of arrogance, a touch of stupidity, a touch of eccentricity and all totally believable; he does not play for cheap laughs here. Enea Scala has a clean crisp tone, Ainhoa Garmendia has a soaring soprano and is a fabulous actress; right on top of the emotion, humour, and cruetly of the role. Nicely finishing off this excellent cast is Andrei Bondarenko. This young Ukrainian won the song prize at Cardiff singer of the world this year. He is definitely one to watch as his voice and roles further develop. He is a very good performer and was oddly seductive, charming and sinister in his role as Malatesta.

This is an excellent production and sure to be revived for future seasons.

Don Pasquale plays on Saturday 12^th November

http://www.atgtickets.com/2475/657/Milton-Keynes/Milton-Keynes-Theatre/Don-Pasquale-Tickets or call 0844 871 7652 Booking fee applies

For further details of Glyndebourne on Tour go to http://glyndebourne.com/season/glyndebourne-tour-2011

Review by Douglas McFarlane


Whew !

Have you seen Lysistrata ? It's a play that I've seen advertised on the Edinburgh Fringe and selected by many an ambitious artistic team to showcase their talents and win new audiences.  Originally performed in Athens around 2500 years ago Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold intimacy from their husbands and lovers to force men to negotiate peace. 

Think about that for a minute and imagine how that might be represented on stage. Yes, it's awkward, yes, it's adults only, and yes, it can be embarrassing depending on your company. So choose a close friend who is usually unschockable, and be prepared for a laugh.

As this is a family site, I can't go into much detail, other than to say that it is cringeworthy at times and really funny most of the time. The performers really push it to the limits and their "costumes", if you can call them that, were designed to shock the audience of white haired elderly couples, and groups of students alike. And they all roared with laughter.

It's a polished production with excellent lighting, sound and direction clearly in evidence in this one act play. The flow of the performance was to perfection with just enough one-liners and quick quips to keep it interesting, and each actor commanded your attention from the moment they stepped foot on stage.  Despite their unusual costumes and naughty behaviour, they manage not to cross the line of indecency, somehow. Although that imaginary line we have in our heads, probably changes during the performance.

I would recommend going along, if only to watch a talented team of actors committed to their roles while wearing some of the most hilarious outfits. A personal favourite of mine was the parody of Gerard Butler's '300' performance when "Spartan woman" bounds onto the stage.

Actors Of Dionysys perform this classic at the Rose Theatre, Kingston and will be touring.  Tickets can be purchased using the link below, or visit the official production site.

Ticket site:
https://uk.patronbase.com/_RoseTheatreKingston/Sections/Choose?prod_id=0010&perf_id=7

Production site:
http://www.actorsofdionysus.com/projects/current/lysistrata/

Gyles Brandreth is everywhere, whether on television as a reporter for The One Show, on radio in Just a Minute, in the bookshops as royal biographer, children’s writer or author of The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries and his latest memoirs Something Sensational to Read in the Train, not to mention his after-dinner speaking.

Now, to top it all, this former MP and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury is on the road, touring the country with the solo show he launched at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

And I can’t get enough of him.

As a raconteur he is second to none, the consummate storyteller who hardly draws breath as he relates his encounters with the famous, liberally sprinkling his quick fire delivery with a myriad of excellent impersonations, from Prince Charles to Winston Churchill and John Gielgud to John Prescott.

His anecdotes are legendary, not least because he is so deliciously indiscreet, though so engaging he can be forgiven anything. I love the stories he tells of sharing the royal box with the Queen and Prince Philip during a Royal Variety Performance featuring The Full Monty; the time he shared a lift with Michael Jackson and a green room with Tony Blair, and his observations of his early days as a Member of Parliament rival those of Alan Ayckbourn.

I used to think he must have the best agent ever to have so much exposure but, having met him, I can see it’s because of his sheer enthusiasm for life, his motivation and a lively brain. The phrase joie de vivre was invented with him in mind – and it’s certainly infectious.

Then there are his links with the theatre: the creator of a musical about musicals and the author of a play about Lewis Carroll, next month he can be seen at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith as Lady Bracknell, no less, in a musical version of The Importance of Being Earnest.

This man can do anything!

The One to One Show was at Norden Farm on 12 November and continues on:

19 November: Gala, Durham

20 November: Assembly Rooms, Derby

25 November: Theatre Royal, Lincoln

26 November: Town Hall, Cheltenham

The Importance of Being Earnest is at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith runs from 7-31 December

 Strictly Gershwin is on tour after its sell out time at the Albert Hall 

Celebrating the beautiful music of George Gershwin and using it as the foundation for this dance extravaganza is an interesting idea and generally works quite well. All the elements are there – fabulous glittering costumes (Roberta Guidi Di Bagno), gorgeous, lyrical choreography (Derek Deane), effective lighting (Howard Harrison) and most of all the most wonderful music.

On stage Valentine is a charismatic and amusing band leader and kept the ENB orchestra plus the gifted jazz musicians (lead trumpet, lead trombone, saxophones and rhythm section) truly swinging along. He also makes great use of his quartet of singers – Hannah Richmond (haunting performance of ‘Summertime’, Sarah Fuller, Alastair Brookshaw and Ross Sharkey. The performances of the band and the singers really are the keystone of the production. The roars and cheers and prolonged applause for this set of musicians was very well deserved.

This show is directed as a series of set pieces which illustrate a wide variety of dance styles – mostly ballet, but also some jazz, ballroom, and tap. It goes without saying that the quality of dancing is superb. The most interesting interpretation was of An American in Paris which very much conjured up Gene Kelly’s innovative choreography. This section also has the most interesting costumes and creative combinations of characters and staging. This is not to say other scenes are less interesting – they are all quite beautiful.



The screen at the back of the stage which projects images of past Hollywood and its stars is the one aspect of this show that doesn’t work that well. The intermittent projections don’t add anything and are a distraction at times.  

On the whole this show is a great crowd pleaser and a lovely way to lift your spirits.

Catch Strictly Gershwin at Milton Keynes until 19 November

http://www.atgtickets.com/2460/657/Milton-Keynes/Milton-Keynes-Theatre/Strictly-Gershwin-ENB-Tickets or call 0844 871 7652 Booking fee applies  

Visit http://www.ballet.org.uk/strictly-gershwin/strictly-gershwin.html for further details of the tour.  

The Glee Club

Darlington Civic Theatre

Hot on the heels of the success of The Pitmen Painters, earlier in the autumn season, Darlington Civic Theatre are this week hosting The Hull Truck Theatre Company’s revival of Richard Cameron’s The Glee Club. Obviously, plays which deal with coalmining sit well with the North East’s industrial heritage but two in the same season is positively inviting comparison.

Unfortunately, The Glee Club does not fare well as a result – and the egotistical claim by Hull Truck’s marketing department, that “if you liked Brassed Off, The Full Monty and The Pitmen Painters, you’ll love this” only adds to the overwhelming disappointment which I felt throughout the piece.

The year is 1962, and Edlington Colliery’s six-strong Glee Club is preparing for their annual Gala performance. Each of the men have problems of their own to contend with, which threaten the overall success of the Gala: union man Jack (Paul Clarkson) is involved in a romantic liaison far beyond his social stratification; Bant (Anthony Clegg) is coming to terms with the fact that his wife has ran off with the tea delivery man; Walt (John Burton) mourns the death of his wife and the fact that his children are being brought up in care; Scobie (Sean McKenzie) juggles the demands of a nagging, heavily pregnant, wife and a rebellious teenage daughter; Colin (Marc Pickering) dreams of pop stardom but is soon forced to grow up fast, and Philip (Michael Chance), a mining engineer and the group’s musical director, is the victim of a blackmail plot which threatens to reveal his homosexuality and irreparably damage his reputation.

The pace drags and the tone of the play feels extremely dated. Yet the male cast deliver fairly solid performances, despite the odds stacked against them in the form of a bleak, sparse set, lack-lustre direction and superfluous bad language and nudity. As previously described, the marketing department’s hyperbolic rhetoric has gone into overdrive, warning audiences to “prepare to have your heartstrings tugged!” In actual fact, all I could feel being tugged was my hair from my head (by the handful!) as I prayed for the final curtain to fall.

We’ve had the perceived pretentions of painting miners (The Pitmen Painters), we’ve had a miner’s son declare his ambition to be a ballet dancer (Billy Elliott) and now we’ve had singing miners – what are we to expect next, flower-arranging coalmen? What theatre really needs is originality – not variations on a theme.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 19 November 2011.

 

Encore – The Customs House, South Shields

 Once again, the phenomenon that is ‘Encore’ makes a welcome return to The Customs House, bringing with them a large crowd of loyal followers. Indeed, each and every time the group play the venue, they virtually sell-out the theatre for the entire week’s run!

With an entertaining combination of comedy, music and song, ‘Encore’ takes their audience on a whistle-stop tour of the world of musical theatre’s biggest box office record-breakers  – encompassing hits from the stages of both the West End and Broadway. As usual this is done in the format of individual sketches and vignettes.

Unlike less adventurous groups, ‘Encore’ dares to take risks and incorporate material from newer shows into their repertoire. Alongside numbers from well-established musical theatre favourites, including ‘Me and My Girl’, ‘Guys and Dolls’, ‘Calamity Jane’ and ‘West Side Story’, are excerpts from more contemporary offerings such as ‘Miss Saigon’, ‘Sister Act’, ‘Spamalot’ and ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. As is always the case, ‘Encore’ is expertly backed by a brilliant four-piece band which never misses a beat.

Comedy is central to any show staged by the group and the current production is no exception. There’s a hilarious sketch set in a church, complete with camp clergymen and nymphomaniac nuns, which is both original and clever. There’s also a marvellous rendition of Victoria Wood’s comedy number, ‘Things Would Never Have Worked’. However, I felt that the Irish ‘50p Flights’ routine missed the mark somewhat. The accents were not consistently good enough to carry off the word-play on ‘feckin’ and, a number of times, it did sound rather more like the expletive they were trying to circumnavigate. I also sensed some unease from certain sections of the audience, which was predominantly made up of senior citizens.

Nevertheless, there is much to enjoy in the latest production from ‘Encore’ and they are to be commended for their talents, enthusiasm, exuberance, energy and sheer entertainment value.

Reviewed by Ian Cain on behalf of Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 19 November 2011.

 

Matt Devitt’s production of Ladies Down Under revisits Amanda Whittington’s characters from Ladies Day, a play about four Northern lasses from a fish packing factory in Hull who win half a million pounds on an accumulator at Ascot.  The ladies are brought back together again as they embark on a soul searching trip to Australia with their winnings. The characters of Pearl, Jan, Linda and Shelley are easily bought into, as long as you buy the full set.  Together they are a dynamic, but as individual characters they would possibly fade.  The play relies heavily on stereotypes, particularly in its male characters, which gives it its humour.  Simon Jessop and Oliver Seymour-Marsh give a humorous presentation as camp flight attendants and go on to play an array of recognisable characters. Seymour-Marsh plays an enthusiastic surfer and a spiritual bushman traveller.  Jessop is an ageing, stoned British traveller and Joe, the boyfriend of Jan from the factory who is disillusioned with his trip of a lifetime to Australia which he began the year before.  In a colourful climax, two fantastically gregarious drag queens dominate the stage.  Jessop, slightly unsure on his heels performs beautifully executed poses as Koala Bare and Seymour-Marsh is just as at home in his thigh high boots performing gay anthems as Bondi Bitch as he is in his bush man boots giving lessons in life to all.

 Amanda Whittington has concentrated on taking the characters to a new place in this sequel. Thrown together in unfamiliar surroundings their personalities clash and truths are revealed, the ladies are forced to look deeper at themselves and into their lives back home.  One by one they are confronted with their faults and fears and each one follows an arc of discovery. Diana Croft sustains the negativity of the babbling, unconfident Jan, who complains constantly about her bowel problems and her lack of faith in anything, including her relationship with Joe.  Helen Watson is warm and compelling in her role as Pearl who, hiding a secret, looks for adventure and new experiences however small. Lucy Thackeray brings freshness to the character of Linda, a timid do-gooder who is happier giving her money to others rather than spending it on herself. Sarah Scowen begins slightly caricature as Shelley, overdressed in garish designer wear, desperate for fame and recognition, but softens as she opens up about her past, even if it is to a complete stranger in the bush.  The plot is laden with coincidences and flukes, but ultimately this is the play’s charm, making it easy to watch and accessible. All that is asked of the audience is to suspend their disbelief, sit back, relax and enjoy.

Matt Devitt  has chosen a minimalistic set designed by Claire Lyth, which enhances the emphasis of character rather than place. Quick scene changes take place smoothly in darkness with pictures of Surfers Paradise and Uluru projected onto the back wall to create a sense of location and an effective use of lighting creates atmosphere.   

Each character undergoes a transformation.  The overriding question of, can money make you happy, looms over the whole play but the conclusion that it gives is slightly confused.   It certainly seems to be an aiding factor in all their cases but I had the feeling that that wasn’t the aim.  The characters had to go on a trip which would give them the space to assess their lives and the outback was a perfect setting, but these characters would never have done this without their winnings. Ultimately this was a fun production with the underlying significance being friendship and humanity, which takes you from laughter to tears and back again... and again.

CAST

Jan Diana Croft
Joe Simon Jessop
Shelley Sarah Scowen
Tom Oliver Seymour-Marsh
Linda  Lucy Thackeray
Pearl Helen Watson

Director Matt Devitt
Designer Claire Lyth

 

DATES, TIMES AND PRICES
Fri 27 Aug | 8pm | Preview £14
Sat 28 Aug | 8pm | Preview £20 | £16.50 conc
Tue 31 Aug | 7.30pm | £20 | £16.50 conc
Mon - Thurs Perfs | 8pm | £20 | £16.50 conc
(7.30pm on Tue 31 Aug)
(no performance on Mon 30 Aug)
Fri - Sat Perfs | 8pm | £23
Matinees | Sat 4 Sep | Thurs 9 Sep | 2.30pm £14