UK Theatre Network

It takes a great deal of skill to write a comedy about the real-life murder of a gay man, while still maintaining the humanity and integrity of the story. Sleeping With Straight Men by Ronnie Larsen, fails spectacularly in doing this by offering an ultimately shallow piece that lacks vision or sophistication in dealing with the sensitive subject matter.

Trailer park boy Stanley lives in small town Pontiac, and has a habit of lusting after straight men. He befriends Sally a local drag queen, and while dining together they are served by Lee a straight waiter who Stanley falls for. Stanley is celebrity obsessed, and sees a chance to reveal his true feelings for Lee by appearing on television in the Jill Jones Chat Show, where guests reveal they have a crush on someone. Intrigued to find out who his secret admirer is, Lee goes on the show only to feel humiliated when he finds out it is a man. His request not to air the recorded episode is ignored by the TV producers, and in a state of high anxiety Lee shoots Stanley as a result.

Larsen’s 2002 play is based on a real-life tragedy. In 1995 Jonathan Schmitz, shot his ‘secret admirer’ Scott Amedure after he appeared on a episode of the Jenny Jones Chat Show called Same Sex Secret Crushes. During the show Amedure revealed his feelings for Schmitz, and unable to deal with the potential public humiliation Schmitz killed his admirer three days later.

While Larsen is 100% effective in mocking the superficiality of the chat show world where high ratings are more important than socially responsible broadcasting, he fails to find a balance when dealing with the darker side of play. It does not attempt to address any of the social issues that are raised, and borders regressively on inverted homophobia with all the gay characters without exception being stereotypes. The consequences of the shooting are seen almost as an after-thought with only the last 10 minutes focusing on the tragedy. The reactions of Lee’s girlfriend (played with great naturalism by Jill Regan), and the Stanley’s grief stricken mom are watered down to the point that it trivialises the issue. Any empathy for the character of Stanley (Wesley Dow), is alienated because he is played at such a pantomime level that he becomes a caricature of a caricature.

The play is slickly directed by Paul Taylor-Mills, and there are great performances by Amy Anzel as the plastic chat host Jill Jones, and Hannah Vesty as Judy her studio floor assistant. Andrew Beckett shows deft comic timing as Brian the camp make-up artist, and Julie Ross manages give depth to her role as the mother despite a very limited script. Adam Isdale gives a layered performance as the lost and confused Lee, which makes you wonder if he is the real victim of the piece.

Sleeping With Straight Men is a well intentioned play that fails to hit the mark because it does not offer any intelligent analysis of the issues it is dealing with. The story has great dramatic potential, and it would have been interesting to see it dealt with by a more capable writer than Larsen.

Sleeping With Straight Men is at the Above The Stag theatre, Victoria, until 12th February.

OLIVER VALENTINE                                                                www.abovethestag.com

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The Greenwich Playhouse will close its doors on the 10th April 2012 after twenty years of service to theatre and following a final production by Galleon Theatre Company of the great John Webster classic The Duchess of Malfi.

 

The Greenwich Playhouse will close in April 2012 as the theatre’s landlords - Beds and Bars - have decided not to renew this popular South East London venue’s lease in order to exploit commercial opportunities offered by the Olympics. Theatre landlord’s Beds and Bars, run hostels throughout Europe, offering cheap bunk-bed facilities for backpackers.  

 

The Greenwich Playhouse is located in a building which has housed a studio theatre since 1989. Galleon Theatre Company took residency at the venue in 1995 and has since staged an incomparable body of work. The Greenwich Playhouse is Greenwich’s all year producing theatre. Annually it stages in the region of 12-14 theatre productions and these generate work and entertainment for some 15,000 people.

 

The venue and resident company’s artistic director, Alice de Sousa, said:

 

“The Greenwich Playhouse and Galleon Theatre Company have over two decades made an immeasurable contribution to our capital’s cultural infrastructure. The Greenwich Playhouse is one of London’s most established small scale theatres. The work shown at this critically acclaimed venue draws annually from all over the world and the immediate community many, many thousands of people. The Greenwich Playhouse has been a platform for celebrating theatrical excellence since 1995, when Galleon Theatre Company became resident. It has staged hundreds of high quality theatre productions which have entertained and created work for hundreds of thousands of people. It is regrettable that the theatre’s landlord Beds and Bars, who have benefitted for eleven years from generous revenue generated by the theatre’s substantial trade, should have their sights focused on such short term objectives as the Olympics.’

 

The Greenwich Playhouse and Galleon Theatre Company are in discussions with Greenwich Council, who have been active supporters of the organisation’s efforts to find a new home in a borough where they have been resident for over sixteen years.

 

The Greenwich Playhouse’s final production:

THE DUCHESS OF MALFI

by JOHN WEBSTER

Dates: 21^st February - 18^th March 2012

 

Directed by Bruce Jamieson;

Produced by Alice de Sousa;

Presented by Galleon Theatre Company at the Greenwich Playhouse

 

Costumes by Natasha Piper; Scenery by Charlotte Randell; Lighting by Philip Jones.

 

Tues-Sat @ 7.30pm & Sun @ 4pm

Tickets: £13, £10 (concs)

Box Office: 0208 858 9256 -

boxoffice@galleontheatre.co.uk

www.galleontheatre.co.uk

 

Greenwich Playhouse, Greenwich Station Forecourt, 189 Greenwich High Road, London SE10 8JA

Following its debut at the Edinburgh Festival and a national tour, Sometimes I Laugh Like My Sister receives its London premiere as part of the Finborough Theatre's New Writing Season.

Rebecca Peyton’s sister is dead. She was murdered during a work assignment for the BBC. Kate was sent to Somalia – the most dangerous country in the world – after only 4 ½ days of preparation, six weeks would be about normal. Although Kate had some reservations about this trip she felt that she had to go because her commitment was in doubt after having declined two assignments in Iraq. Now there is an inquest regarding the BBC’s role in Kate’s death but Rebecca is not interested. What does it matter? Her sister is dead, there is no consolation.

This is a very personal account of Rebecca Peyton’s grief and anger following her sister’s death seven years ago. Peyton recounts the days when she learnt that her sister had been shot and her 18-month period of drinking and partying in an attempt to get away from the painful truth that her sister was dead. The 75 minutes would be hard to bear if it was not for Peyton’s complete lack of pathos and her sense of humour. Rebecca Peyton decided within days of her sister’s murder that she wanted to make a show out of her experiences (it was initially going to be titled 101 Uses For A  Murdered Sister) and the end result is deeply moving and hard hitting. More than one member of the audience was weeping when Peyton recalled her shock at the news of her sister’s death and the reaction of her sister’s Congolese fiancé Roger who kept repeating “Ma femme est morte,” reliving his father’s death. Before it becomes unbearable Peyton quips about the reaction of other people to this tragedy: “They can see it on me, all over me, the sticky custard of death.”

Written by Peyton in collaboration with the show’s director, Martin M. Bartelt, this monologue is presented as if the actress was addressing the audience on a whim. When a mobile phone goes off Peyton invites the culprit to take the call and even offers to talk to the caller herself.

The show is followed by an informal post-show discussion in the bar. 

by Carolin Kopplin 

22 and 23 January 2012 - Evenings at 7.30pm.

Extra performances on

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 at 3.00pm
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 at 9.30pm
Tickets £13, £11 concessions
Booking opens on Wednesday 18 January 2012 at 9am

 For information and tickets, see:

http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productions/2012/production-sometimes-i-laugh-like-my-sister.php

Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, London, SW10 9ED

Oliver Award-winning Our Country’s Good tours UK theatres

Original Theatre, with Anvil Arts, presents Aden Gillet and Phillip Whitchurch in new production of Wertenbaker’s classic

The acclaimed Original Theatre Company, in association with Anvil Arts, is set to tour a new production of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Olivier Award-winning play Our Country’s Good this season, performing at theatres across the UK, starring Aden Gillet (Accolade, The Winslow Boy, The Queen’s Sister, House of Elliot, Mary Poppins) and Phillip Whitchurch (Billy Elliot, Sharpe, The Bill, My Hero)

 "A play is a world in itself. A tiny colony we could say. And you are in charge of it. That is a great responsibility."

Australia. 1788. A British ship arrives with a cargo of soldiers and convicts transported abroad for their country’s good. As the soldiers struggle to impose order on the outcasts of the old society, a benevolent governor seizes on the notion of a play. In the shadow of the gallows and the gum tree the convicts gather under the direction of 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Clarke and rehearsals begin for The Recruiting Officer.

Based on real events, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Olivier Award-winning modern classic is an inspiring tale of the transforming power of theatre. This major touring revival, at a time when the argument over publicly funded theatre is raging once again, is produced by the acclaimed Original Theatre Company and follows the success of their recent productions of See How They Run, Twelfth Night, Dancing at Lughnasa, The Madness of George III and Journey’s End.

Our Country’s Good is touring UK theatres this winter/spring 2012. For more information, or to book tickets, visit www.originaltheatre.com

 

“Wertenbaker has searched history and found in it a humanistic lesson for hard modern times: rough, sombre, undogmatic and warm”

-THE SUNDAY TIMES

“Highly theatrical, often funny and at times dark and disturbing”

-THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, CHARLES SPENCER

 
 

Original Theatre Company - Formed in 2004 by Creative Director Alastair Whatley, The Original Theatre Company is an acclaimed touring company based in the market town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. We have built up an ever increasing reputation, performing both classical and contemporary texts with our own brand of daring innovation and bloody minded determination.

From our early days playing in often unconventional locations (cliff tops, stately homes and football grounds) in often unconventional weather (rain, hail and flooding), we have gone on to produce ten touring shows, travelling over 220,000 miles up and down the length and breadth of the UK, playing to hundreds of thousands of people in some of the classic repertory venues. We have gained a reputation for work that is carefully conceived, crystal clear, challenging and always entertaining.

Touring theatre is at the heart and soul of everything we do, taking diverse and engaging theatre of the highest quality to as much of the UK as possible. We passionately believe that great theatre does not have to be elitist and that people everywhere expect and deserve the best. We like to think that our work is characterised by its vitality, honesty and humour alongside a dynamic and dedicated approach by everyone both in front of and behind the curtain.

 

TOUR SCHEDULE /

 

JAN ‘12                

Wed 25 – Sat 28           BASINGSTOKE               The Haymarket                        01256 844244
Mon 30 - Tues 31         KINGSTON                    The Rose                                  0208 546 6983 

FEB ‘12

Wed 1 – Sat 4               KINGSTON                    The Rose                                  0208 546 6983
Mon 6 – Tues 7             READING                       The Hexagon                            0118 960 6060
Thurs 9 – Sat 11           BERWICK                      The Maltings                            01289 330999
Tues 21 – Sat 25           JERSEY                         The Opera House                     01534 511115
Tues 28 – Wed 29        NEWBURY                     The Corn Exchange                  01635 522733 

MAR ‘12

Thurs 1                        NEWBURY                     The Corn Exchange                  01635 522733
Fri 2 – Sat 3                  PETERBOROUGH           The Key Theatre                      01753 207239
Tues 06 – Sat 10           HARROGATE                  Harrogate Theatre                   01423 502116
Mon 12 – Wed 14          CHIPPING NORTON       The Theatre                             01608 624350
Mon 19                         BUXTON                       Opera House                            0845 127 2190
Tues 20 – Sat 24           MOLD                            Theatr Clwyd                           01352 755114
Mon 26 – Sat 31            GREENWICH                  Greenwich Theatre                  0208 858 7755 

APR ‘12

Mon 2 – Wed 4              LLANDUDNO                  Venue Cymru                           01492 879771
Tues 17 – Sat 21           EASTBOURNE                Devonshire Park Theatre         01323 412000
Mon 23 – Tues 24         BRACKNELL                   South Hill Park Arts Centre      01344 484123
Wed 25 – Thurs 26       FINCHLEY                     Arts Depot                                0208 369 5454 

European Premier of 'Man in the Middle'

By Ron Elisha

Directed by Lucy Skilbeck

Theatre503

Viewed on Friday 13th January 2012

Cast

 

-       Olivia Carruthers

-       Jonathan Coote

-       Andrew Leung

-       Amy Marston

-       Paul McEwan

-       Ben Onwukwe

-       Jonathan Tafler

-       Darren Weller

 

The public will have heard of Wikileaks in one form or another- The infamous Baghdad video, the manuals of the secretive religion, Scientology, or the leaked US cables- these are among some of the classified anonymous packets of information that are placed at the public's scrutiny.

 

Julian Assange, on the other hand, might bring up more than just being the founder of this site dedicated to transparency and truth. White-haired and explosive Assange, played terrifically by Darren Weller, is the 'middle' man, whose arrogant, 'passionate, verging on crazy' ambition leads the country to a state of international tension using just one powerful weapon. The Truth.

 

What Ron Elisha attempts is an ambitious retelling of the private, public and political events surrounding the man who defiantly defends the 'First Amendment', in the age of the Internet. We follow a cascade of moments, which develops Assange into a man estranged from his family, facing rape charges and extradition, and the sole target of a 150-man government task force intent on his every move. We follow the changes that turn Assange from the 'most dangerous man in the world' to nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

There are times where the reworking of the original version is questionable. We see Barack Obama and David Cameron greet under media gaze and lightbulb flashes, only to discuss in a petty manner Obama's leaked opinion of Cameron, where he called Cameron a 'lightweight'. A smile and a handshake hide Cameron's adament call for amends and, while humorous, the playground-bully portrayal of major political leaders throughout, jars against the care applied to Assange.

 

Nicely incorporated is the evidence that we are living in an information-age. The set is full of glossy and reflective, with AV screens, partitions and gadgets enhance the feeling of 'plastic' and modernity. Audio, Headlines and Media perceptions remind us that we are exposed to constant information at all times. Mark Zucckerberg, energetically performed by Andrew Leung, becomes a tool for exploitation as Facebook is recognised as the gateway to reaching the Digital Generation. A Laptop, for all it represents, is deemed more important than Assange's life.

 

Assange maintains that Truth is best for its own sake and the subsequent fear of exposure will prevent immorality. Is the impact of Truth so black and white? It is not until the second half, that Assange's focused demeanour begins to show some wear and turmoil. Events do not go to plan and, in the game of gaining truth in a time of corruption, privacy and fair rules are thrown out of the window by all parties.

 

A great cast effortlessly handle multiple roles in this high-impact play about the nature of Man, Truth and Power.

                    

Theatre 503

503 Battersea Park Road  

London SW11 3BW
020 7978 7040

10th January- 4th February 7.45pm (Sundays at 5pm)

Tickets £14 (£9 Concession)

That Agatha Christie’s mysteries are popular with theatregoers goes without saying, especially if the opening night of Murder on the Nile at Windsor’s Theatre Royal is anything to go by.

A packed house gave an appreciative response to The Agatha Christie Theatre Company’s latest production – and with just cause. Taking place on a paddle steamer set by Simon Scullion which is so stunning that it had me wanting to book a voyage, and with Mike Robertson’s sunsets and twilight so realistic as to make me feel I’d already made the journey, the production is so stylish and visually beautiful that it will not only appeal to Christie diehards. The fashion-conscious will love Brigid Guy’s costumes, while Matthew Bugg’s exciting music adds to the setting’s authentic feel, enhanced by Sydney Smith’s performance as the Steward and Saif Alfalasi, whose portrayal as the Bead Seller adds a great deal of warmth and humour. And director Joe Harmston even fits in their Islamic Call to Prayer for added authenticity.

The play may have made its stage debut in 1944 but a lot of the dialogue is still relevant today. References to international financiers who sale close to the wind and talk of ‘the have nots’ in society still ring true, though we could perhaps learn from the morals of the day and how the lack of them were just not acceptable. Also, the way people dressed showed that they took a pride in themselves and their appearances, which is refreshing. Of course, the production could not be staged without a cast and The Agatha Christie Theatre Company stalwarts just get better and better. Now in their seventh production, they slip easily into the idiosyncrasies of the time. Each character is finely drawn and superbly portrayed. Petite Kate O’Mara fills the stage with her presence as a matriarchal aunt whose bullying of her nice but naïve niece sent shivers down my spine. Denis Lill brings to his role of a caring Canon the old worldliness and slight eccentricity of his part in TV’s The Royal, while Mark Wynter must surely shake off his ‘60s pop singer’ tag as the eminent Jewish doctor.

As the honeymooning heiress Kay Mostyn, Susie Amy is every bit the poor little rich girl; Ben Nealon is energetic as her husband and Chloe Newsome unhinged as his ex. With thwarted love, jealousy, greed and deceit mixed up with a couple of murders, Murder on the Nile makes for a thrilling and compelling couple of hours which keeps you guessing right up until the end.


Murder on the Nile continues at the Theatre Royal Windsor until January 21 and then continues on tour:
January 23-28 Theatre Royal Bath
January 30-February 4 Richmond Theatre
February 6-11 Hall for Cornwall, Truro
February 13-18 Connaught Theatre, Worthing
February 20-25 Palace Theatre, Southend
February 27- March 3 Derby Theatre
March 5-19 Church Theatre, Bromley
March 12-17 Devonshire Park, Eastbourne
March 19-24 Civic Theatre, Darlington
March 26-31 Malvern Festival Theatre
April 2-7 New Theatre, Wimbledon
April 10-14 Marina Theatre, Lowestoft
April 17-21 New Theatre, Cardiff
April 23-28 Floral Pavilion, New Brighton
April 30-May 5 Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
May 21-16 Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
May 28-June 2 Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
June 5-9 Theatre Royal, Plymouth
 June 11-16 Theatre Royal, Brighton
June 18-23 Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury
June 25-30 Glasgow Theatre Royal
July 2-7 Milton Keynes Theatre
July 9-14 Swan Theatre, High Wycombe
July 23-28 Newcastle Journal Tyne

It was a nice surprise this morning to read the Variety magazine. Apart from the usual Oscar/BAFTA film focus there was a full column on the inside front page about UK Theater. More specifically the Finborough Theatre and Blanche McIntrye.


"More unexpectedly, "Accolade" a forgotten 1950 play about private behavior and political life, was given a revelatory revival by new kid on the block Blanche McIntyre at the Finborough Theater, a tiny but terrific venue that consistently punches above its weight. McIntyre was the discovery of the year. Still in her 20s, she combines dynamic visual strength with acute sensitivity to actors and textual detail and flow. There's talk of a 2012 West End transfer for "Accolade" -- the National Theater wanted it too -- but she'll have to fit that around other commitments, including a double-bill of new plays at the Bush Theater and, intriguingly, a revival of "The Seven Year Itch" at regional theater Salisbury Playhouse."


A big WELL DONE to Blanche.