UK Theatre Network

Two

by Jim Cartwright





If you were asked to think of a fictional pub landlord and landlady who, on the surface, seem to have the perfect marriage but, when ‘last orders’ have been called, are at war with each other you’d probably imagine Den and Angie Watts from EastEnders.

In fact, the couple I refer to are the central characters in Two by Jim Cartwright. The play, which is set in a Northern pub, follows an evening’s events from the perspectives of the punters and the publicans.

Jilly Breeze and Adrian Ross-Jones play each of the fourteen characters. This is an interesting concept that has the potential to be an inspired evening of entertainment. However, the spark of the idea is all but extinguished by the clunking, convoluted dialogue and one-dimensional, stereotypical characters.

With the exception of the publicans, none of the characters are explored sufficiently for the audience to engage with and begin to care about. Even in the case of the publicans, they are such blatant facsimiles of the warring Watts’ that they pale into insignificance by comparison. Okay, so the setting has been changed from the South to the North and they had a son rather than an adopted daughter but, call a dog a dog, they are Den and Angie in all but name.

The other characters, including an old man, an old woman, an ageing lothario and his Scouse girlfriend and a Brummie bicycling couple are introduced through playlets or monologues. The playlets tend to work more effectively than the monologues, which lack the poignancy and finesse of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads.

Breeze and Ross-Jones work hard throughout and pull-off some successful characterisations, though the Scouse, Geordie and Brummie accents do tend to wander rather waywardly on occasion.

The simple set, comprising a bar and a couple of tables works well, but Bill Cronshaw’s direction is fast-paced to the point of being rushed and the result is a piece of theatre that left me wanting to drown my sorrows rather than raise a glass and toasting its success.

Steve Burbridge.

For further information, including tour dates, visit www.dreamshedtheatre.co.uk 

                                                                                                                                                                    


The Vagina Monologues

Darlington Civic Theatre

Since first being performed in a tiny fringe theatre in New York in 1996, Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, The Vagina Monologues, has become a global phenomenon. It played in the West End of London for two years and has been performed in most major cities around the world, having been translated into more than forty-five languages.

Many amazing women, including actresses, models, singers and comediennes have starred in the play, including Maureen Lipman, Caprice, Mica Paris, Meera Syal, Anita Dobson, Lisa Stansfield, Cecilia Noble, Sarah Greene, Myleene Klass and Lesley Joseph.

The current line-up is Jenny Eclair, Jennifer Ellison and Wendi Peters.

The show is based upon over 200 frank, funny and forthright interviews that Eve Ensler conducted with women from all walks of life, all ages, all creeds and colours. The result is an evening of entertainment that is often side-splittingly funny, frequently gut-wrenchingly emotional and, sometimes, tragically harrowing.

There are stories of wonder, amazement, embarrassment, pain, pleasure and all manner of other feelings that vaginas evoke.

The consummate cast capture exactly the right tone that each of the interviews require. Jenny Eclair is anything but one of the Grumpy Old Women as she has the audience in stitches throughout the show with her own inimitable brand of comic delivery and timing. Wendi Peters has shed all traces of her alter-ego, Cilla Battersby-Brown, from Coronation Street and puts in a powerful performance, particulary when telling the story of a young American girl’s first lesbian experience with a beautiful but older woman. Brookside’s Jennifer Ellison, for the most part, seems unable to hold her own against the strong personalities of the two women perched on the stools to the left and right of her, but emerges like a phoenix from the ashes when delivering a tearful performance about a young Eastern European girl who was sadistically gang-raped by half a dozen soldiers in a war zone.

The Vagina Monologues is, undoubtedly, a show that has been written by a woman, about women, for women. It is also, though, a fascinating insight into the complex relationship between women and that part of their anatomy that defines them as female and it can be equally poignant, powerful and profound for those men who decide to dispense with the macho bravado and accompany a woman, whether it be a wife or girlfriend or a mistress or  mother or sister or daughter.

It’s a riotous, raucous evening of entertainment and education.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 7th February 2009

The Graduate

The Customs House, South Shields, Tyne & Wear

I must, shamefully, confess that, up until last night, I had never ever seen the movie or a stage production of The Graduate. Although it has often been hailed by critics as iconic, I had always imagined it to be a sort of ‘period piece’ that might be lost on the audiences of today. How wrong I was!

Tabs productions have brought to The Customs House a production that is as relevant today as it has ever been. The story of the sexual awakening of 21 year old Benjamin Braddock (Grant Orviss) at the hands of the older, and lascivious Mrs Robinson (Karen Henson) is brilliantly brought to the stage in an adaptation by Terry Johnson.

The Graduate is one of those skilfully scripted plays that leads the audience to believe that nothing much is happening – then, suddenly, everything seems to be happening at once.

Much of the drama of the play is derived from the repercussions of Ben’s affair with Judith Robinson, a friend of his parents, and the implications that it has upon both families. The two lead actors both deliver performances that are convincing and compelling, and it is futile to try to resist being totally absorbed by the consequences of their lustful, but ill-fated affair.

Grant Orviss splendidly portrays the naivety and gaucheness of Ben, whilst Karen Henson proves more than a match for more high-profile predecessors, including Linda Gray of Dallas and Hollywood actress Kathleen Turner.

There are also some strong supporting performances from John Hester, Susan Earnshaw, Michael Sherwin, Sarah Wynne Kordas and Mark Huckett.

Adrian Lloyd-James’ direction is slick yet subtle, perfectly balancing the comedy and the drama in equal measure. The simple and highly effective black and white set, designed by Sarah Wynne Kordas, is transformed, with military precision, by members of the company into various locations to suit each scene.

Add a musical score by Simon and Garfunkel and The Graduate passes with first-class honours.

Steve Burbridge.

WARNING: This production contains full nudity.

Tour Dates

Tue 27 - Thu 29 January   The Customs House, South Shields

Fri 31 - Sat 31 January    The Theatre Royal, Winchester

Wed 4 - Sat 7 February    The Theatre Royal Nottingham