UK Theatre Network

I wasn’t the great actress I thought I was going to be.

English Touring Theatre and Royal & Derngate, Northampton present J.B. Priestley’s Eden End directed by the highly talented Laurie Sansom whose credits include the excellent productions Beyond the Horizon and Spring Storm  and lately The Holy Rosenbergs at the National Theatre.

Written in 1934 but set in 1912, this rather Chekhovian play exposes the fissures in the lives of a respectable Northern family and their search for happiness. Priestley looks back at an Edwardian age of innocence before the start of the First World War when people were still expecting a better life.

Stella Kirby left home nine years ago to pursue her dream of becoming a celebrated actress. Sadly, her ambition has been left unfulfilled and after years of mediocre productions and dingy dressing rooms she has decided to return to the warmth of her childhood home – Eden End. The prodigal daughter is welcomed by her ageing father, a country doctor, her brother Wilfred, on leave from his position with a British company in Nigeria, and the housekeeper Sarah. Stella’s younger sister Lilian is not pleased with the unexpected visitor who she considers a threat to her authority as head of the household and a rival for the attention of the gallant Geoffrey Farrant. After their mother’s death Lilian has decided to sacrifice herself by staying with their ageing father taking over the role of their late mother – which is even reflected in the way she dresses. Resentful and envious of her older sister Lilian plans to make Stella’s visit a short one.

Laurie Sansom adds expressionism and music hall to this very Edwardian drawing room drama. The backdrop of the set (design by Sara Perks) resembles a theatre. In the opening scene we see Stella (Charlotte Emmersen) performing and being applauded. This scene has an unreal, almost magical quality and is followed by a quiet scene introducing us to Stella’s frustrated sister Lilian (Daisy Douglas) and the boyish Wilfred Kirby (Nick Hendrix) who shares Stella’s love for the theatre. The first half of the play is rather slow but the pace picks up speed in the second half with a cliffhanger right before the interval.  

The acting is very good throughout. Nick Hendrix who has just graduated from RADA is outstanding in his professional debut. His drunken scene with the energetic Daniel Betts who plays the actor Charles Appleby is absolutely delightful. William Chubb conveys Doctor Kirby’s vulnerability and strength, a very touching performance. Carol Macready is the warm, caring housekeeper Sarah, Stella’s confidante. Daisy Douglas’s dour Lilian is a good contrast to Charlotte Emmersen’s interpretation of Stella.   

 Until 9 July at the Richmond Theatre, then touring.

Richmond Theatre
The Green
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 1QJ

Box Office
0844 871 7651

http://www.ambassadortickets.com/2445/659/Richmond/Richmond-Theatre/Eden-End-Tickets

• 12 Jul - 16 Jul 2011 
  Oxford Playhouse
  Oxford
• 19 Jul - 23 Jul 2011 
  Cambridge Arts Theatre
  Cambridge

The Lady In The Van

Darlington Civic Theatre

REVIEWED BY IAN CAIN ON BEHALF OF STEVE BURBRIDGE.

Perhaps one of the strangest things about Alan Bennett’s play, ‘The Lady in the Van’, is that it is actually based on factual experiences. In 1974, Miss Mary Shepherd drove into Bennett’s garden in a battered old Bedford van and remained there for fifteen years – until her death in 1989.

The play tells the bittersweet story of the relationship between the eccentric, indomitable bag lady and the meek and mild-mannered writer. It not only chronicles Bennett’s frustrating and hilarious encounters with the eponymous ‘lady in the van’  but also with a series of other characters, including a patronising social worker, snobbish neighbours, a threatening blackmailer and Bennett’s dementia-suffering mother.

Bennett’s unique and introspective humour may not suit all tastes, but it is particularly apt at highlighting the poignancy and pathos in seemingly ordinary situations, and the issues raised in the piece include human isolation, the gap between self-awareness and the capacity to change, and the power of propriety.

Nichola McAuliffe gives a tour-de-force performance as Miss Shepherd. Her characterisation of Bennett’s somewhat unwelcome tenant depicts her, by turn, as tough as old boots one moment and as fragile and vulnerable as a bird with a broken wing the next.

Two Alan Bennett’s appear on stage and, although this may sound confusing, it works rather nicely. Paul Kemp is the younger Bennett who is integrally involved in the events that are played out, whilst James Holmes is the older, objective Bennett who looks back over these events retrospectively – sometimes even offering advice to his younger self. Both actors have nailed every last nuance of Bennett’s physical and vocal mannerisms and they each deliver engaging performances.

Peripheral parts are played with panache by Tina Gambe, Emma Gregory, Fiz Marcus, Benedict Sandiford and Martin Wimbush.

Ben Stone’s stunning but simple set design provides the perfect environment and backdrop for the events to be played out and Sarah Esdaile’s direction is both slick and subtle.

‘The Lady in the Van’ is often referred to as a modern classic, and this new production, from Hull Truck, is completely worthy of being categorised as such.

Ian Cain.

Runs until Saturday 18 June 2011.

The Naked Truth

UK National Tour

Reviewed at Middlesbrough Theatre

Dave Simpson’s smash-hit comedy play, The Naked Truth, which is set in a pole-dancing class, is now in its fifth fantastic national tour and its popularity shows no signs of waning. The show tells the stories of six very different women and boasts an all-star cast, led by singing sensation Maureen Nolan and former diva of the dales Claire King. There’s also ex-pop princess Michelle Heaton, Hollyoaks actress Julie Buckfield, the star of the West End show Hairspray, Leanne Jones, and the slightly lesser-known Alison Young.

Five women, who are all very different in terms of background, age, shape and personality, struggle to conquer pole-dancing under the expert instruction of the glamorous Gabby (Michelle Heaton). Each of them has their own individual motivations for being there and, as their stories begin to unfold and intertwine, they share laughter and tears in a play that demonstrates the solidarity of the sisterhood and celebrates strength through adversity.

Ex-Emmerdale and Bad Girls star Claire King plays Rita, a character you really wouldn’t want to mess with. But behind the bravado is a woman who is the victim of domestic abuse and is desperately protective of her two daughters. King is flawless in her carefully crafted characterisation of the tart-with-a-heart. Leanne Jones is the larger-than-life loudmouth who is looking for love in all the wrong places, Julie Buckfield is the self-obsessed snob Tricia, whose perfect life isn’t as rosy as it seems, Alison Young plays it strictly for laughs as the delightfully dippy Faith and Maureen Nolan completes the line-up as the demure and dignified Sarah.

As you might expect, there is much hilarity to be enjoyed as the novices acquaint themselves with the pole. Much of the comedy derives from physical clowning and Leanne Jones sends herself – and her size and shape – up with great sport and humility. The script relies heavily on ribaldry for the most part and the predominantly-female audience cackled along in delight.

However, when Sarah receives some devastating news, the others soon put aside any differences, pull together, and decide to turn their newly-acquired skill into a fund-raising charity event. Maureen Nolan is a performer who brings warmth and believability to any role (incidentally, she’s my all-time favourite, best-ever Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers) and she excels as the terminally ill housewife. It is to Miss Nolan’s credit that she had the courage and strength to accept such a part, given the impact that cancer has had on her family over the years.

Stephen Leatherland’s direction strikes the perfect balance between the moments of comedy and tragedy and there is never any jarring of the two. Despite such serious issues underpinning the production, the overriding themes are of triumphant resilience, the power of friendship and living life to the full. The Naked Truth is an empowering piece of theatre with a joie de vivre that is heart-warming and truly inspiring.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs at Middlesbrough until Wednesday 30^th March 2011. For further tour details log on to www.theatre-productions.com

As You Like It

Nice Swan Theatre Company at The People’s Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne

It’s Shakespeare, but not as you know it!

Nice Swan Theatre Company have taken ‘As You Like It’, the bard’s pastoral comedy, and given it a unique and innovative twist. Set in the modern day, the action begins with the characters enjoying a night on the town, where flirting, snogging, bitching, binge-drinking and all manner of other drunken revelry are the order of the evening. The famous wrestling scene is transformed into a ‘dance-off’ in the nightclub and there’s even a McDonald’s to boot!

This modern and ambitious production is presented by Nice Swan Theatre Company, a student-based group in Tyne and Wear, which provides a stepping stone between amateur and professional theatre for young talent, aged between 16 and 25, from all over the North East region.

Director Ben Hunt and Producer Jamie Gray have, once again, assembled a stellar cast – as they did for their production of ‘Spring Awakening’ - and they all play their parts to perfection, although there are a number of stand-out performances. Andy McAdam presents us with a charismatic Orlando and Laura Stoker is a feisty Rosalind. Thomas Whalley, as an outrageously camp Touchstone (in a tutu!) , leads the comic relief and is well-supported by Sean Bell as Adam/Audrey.

As usual, one cannot fault the production values of Nice Swan’s work. A sparse stage is transformed into the dance floor of the nightclub by some nifty neon lighting and then into Arden Alley by the inclusion of several overflowing dustbins. Andrew Milburn and Tom Jefferson accentuate mood and dramatic potential with their effective lighting design.

The creativity and innovation of this highly talented group is to be applauded. Who’d have thought that the language of Shakespeare would translate so well to being spoken in a broad Geordie accent? Shakespeare traditionalists may not approve of this particular interpretation of the play and might deride it as heresy, although, personally speaking, I strongly suspect that the bard would wholeheartedly approve.

If you appreciate Shakespeare being performed with a modern slant, and aren’t easily offended by some infrequent bad language then I’m sure you’ll find this production exactly ‘As You Like It’.  However, the production has only a three night run and ticket sales are extremely high, so you’ll have to hurry if you don’t want to miss out!

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Wednesday 9^th March 2010.

The Royal Exchange is usually a pantomime-free zone come Christmas time - but they’ve broken the mould this year with a Lancashire-set “Cinderella Circa 1910” by Harold “Hobson’s Choice” Brighouse.  And in the best gender role reversal tradition of panto, Cinderella is played by a boy.

 Zack is a distinctly unheroic hero - a gormless innocent with a big heart whose lack of social airs make him an embarrassment to his aspiring petit-bourgeois family.  After a lifetime of emotional neglect and constant criticism inflicted by his battleaxe mother, Mrs Munning, and miserly brother, Paul, they’ve even sacked him from his job in the family catering firm because his only suit (a hand-me-down from his dead dad) has worn to rags.

 Enter Zack’s Fairy Godmother-cum-Prince(ss) Charming, in the form of beautiful and rich cousin Virginia, who immediately sees what’s going on - until the artful Paul, scheming mother, and some sexual misadventures on Zack’s part convince her otherwise.

 If you’re familiar with the film career of George Formby then you’ll immediately be at home with this style of gentle northern comedy, where the unlikely protagonist wins out despite nothing to recommend him but a mixture of good humour and pathos.  Zack is played by local comedian Justin Moorhouse - for those unfamiliar with his work, he’s the guy you’d ring if you couldn’t get Johnny Vegas - and he’s certainly “got a gift for jollification”, as well as eliciting several choruses of “ahhh” from the audience when his fortunes fall.

 Pearce Quigley’s Eeyore-ish Paul is as drippy as his lank moustache (“there isn’t a woman on earth worth buying roses for at sixpence a bloom”), while Polly Hemingway as their mother nicely catches the sharp-tongued quality of the aspiring lower-middle-class (“your ways would make a cat laugh”).

 Greg Hersov’s production finds the anarchic nature of “Lancy” humour in the comparatively small roles of dirt poor Martha Wrigley (played with all the spirit of an Eliza Doolittle by Samantha Power) and the bogus servant Sally Teale (rendered with an hilarious lack of deference by Michelle Tate).

 Although Hobson’s Choice is Harold Brighouse’s greatest hit and a deservedly iconic play, Zack is also an enjoyable example of the work of the Manchester School of Playwrights - and even the panto-averse won’t object to its fairytale happy ending.

  Zack is on until Saturday 22 January 2011

Prices: £9-£30

Evenings: Mon-Fri @ 7.30 (not 24 Dec); Sats @ 8pm

Matinees: Weds @ 2.30pm (also Tues 21 & Fri 24 Dec); Sats @ 4pm (& Mon 27 Dec)

Box Office: 0161 833 9833

www.royalexchange.co.uk

It’s only a bloody play. What harm could it possibly do?

LINES is the first production by new writing collective Littlewit, a group or writers and directors committed to providing opportunities for the performance and development of new writing. If LINES is typical of Littlewit’s work it is worth seeing everything they do.

Director Thomas Martin stages LINES in a rehearsal room which is almost empty except for two chairs and a board (design by Katie Bellman). The actors do warm up exercises before the performance begins. It is a very appropriate setting because we are going to see a play about the theatre, or to be more precise about the responsibility of theatre.

An actor has been murdered. He was stabbed by Terry Stein, the police officer who he was portraying in a play about the Ian Tomlinson incident. Robin, a seasoned writer of verbatim theatre, had interviewed Stein and a police sergeant as part of his research for his docudrama Ian and Bill . Although Stein was only a witness to the Tomlinson incident the writer singled him out and used him as comic relief in his verbatim drama, carefully selecting those parts of the interview that he considered especially ridiculous. The director and the actor, Michael Kinney, made sure that they got their laughs during the fifteen minutes the Stein character featured in the play.  

James Fritz asks very important questions in his drama. Is it acceptable to drag an ordinary person into the limelight, disregarding the fact that he might not be able to cope with being a public figure all of a sudden? How far should docudrama or verbatim theatre go? Docudrama engages the audience more than a documentary. But at what price? 

All five actors are on the stage all the time. Their characters tell their stories while the others listen. Michael Kinney’s parents talk about their son’s acting career and their feelings about his death. Richard Ward is excellent as the victim’s father when he sadly explains: “Your whole world changes when you lose a child.” He cannot understand why his son was a victim of a hate crime over a play! Jeryl Burgess gives an impressive performance as the actor’s mother as she fondly remembers his first successes including the TV series Doritos – “about the difference between men and women”. Ian Mairs is outstanding as the playwright who refuses to accept any responsibility and tries to distance himself from the event. The director of the play (Carl Knighton) does not feel responsible either, he was just helping one of his actors to find the character. John Canmore is defensive and accusatory as the Sergeant who persuaded Terry Stein to partake in the interview in order to show the police force in a good light.   

Please see this wonderful production before it closes.

Until 27th November at 7.30 pm
Tickets £7

BOX OFFICE: 020 7704 6665

The Rosemary Branch, 2 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DT

Spring Awakening

The People’s Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne

Reviewed by Steve Burbridge & Ian Cain

‘Spring Awakening’ is a vibrant and poignant story, set in the late nineteenth century, about a brilliant young student, Melchior (Dylan Stafford), his troubled friend Moritz (Thomas Whalley), and Wendla (Bethany Walker), a beautiful teenage girl – all on a voyage of personal discovery and sexual awakening. Along with their class mates and friends, experiencing changes and urges for the first time in their lives.

Inspired by Frank Wedekind’s 1891 masterpiece of repressed emotion and adolescent passion, which was banned in its native Germany for about a century, ‘Spring Awakening’ explodes onto the stage once again, driven by a thrilling contemporary score which was written by Steven Sater.

This magnificent production is presented by Nice Swan Theatre Company, a student based group in Tyne and Wear, which provides a stepping stone between amateur and professional theatre for young talent from all over the region.

The production values associated with Nice Swan’s staging of ‘Spring Awakening’ are first class. The young cast play their parts with an exuberance that is raw, fresh, honest and untainted. The principals are astoundingly good: Thomas Whalley, in particular, is fantastic as the gangly Moritz and he looks like a cross between Erasure’s Andy Bell and Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands. Dylan Stafford and Bethany Walker are equally as compelling as the young lovers, Melchior and Wendla, and the scenes that they share are genuinely tender and touching.

Jane Hutchinson and Lee Rosher both convincingly portray a variety of ‘adult’ roles and really get the opportunity to demonstrate their versatility as performers. The rest of the company, consisting of Carl Beeley, Dale Jewitt, Rebecca Withers, Ruth Hilton, Michaela Forbes, Lewis Jobson, Jess Brady, Sean Bell and Mahsa Bahary, are a tight and cohesive ensemble.

Director Ben Hunt and Producer Jamie Gray have bestowed this production with the standards that one would normally expect from a production in London’s West End. Not even the smallest of technical details has been overlooked: the acting is top notch; the choreography is slick and precise; the set is functional yet quirky and the sound and lighting effectively reflect the atmosphere and mood of the proceedings on stage.

Indeed, it is refreshing to see talented youngsters performing in work that is artistically stimulating. Surely, it must be far more culturally enriching to hone their considerable talents in live theatre than it would to enter into the sausage factory that is ‘X-Factor’ or ‘Britain’s Got Talent’?

‘Spring Awakening’ is an intense, gripping and enthralling production that is beautifully executed by a young Theatre Company who are destined to have a very bright future ahead of them.

Runs until Saturday 2 October 2010.

In The Pipeline

Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne

In collaboration with Òran Mór, Live Theatre has launched A Play, A Pie & A Pint, a programme which sees new writing company Paines Plough commission work by the UK’s leading and most important writers, including April De Angelis, David Harrower, Marie Jones, Linda McLean and Gary Owen, and tour the 45 minute plays to venues in Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast and, of course, Newcastle.

The five-week season commenced last week with the first play, ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ by Marie Jones, being performed in the Studio Theatre. This week sees the world premieres move to the Main House, with ‘In The Pipeline’ by Gary Owen.

‘In The Pipeline’ opens the doors on three residents who are caught in the path of a massive liquid gas line as it tears through the Welsh countryside. The play takes the format of three monologues – one from each of the characters – and although each of them are carefully crafted and beautifully written, the connection to the subject matter is tenuous at best.

Rhodri Lewis plays Andrew, a train refreshment trolley operative who strikes up a complex relationship with his neighbour, Ali, and her young daughter Louisa. Essentially, the character is a loveable buffoon and Lewis successfully strikes up a rapport with the audience.

Grahame Fox is Dai, a former power plant employee who struggles to cope with institutionalised ageism in the workplace and his soaring stress levels. Finally, Meg Wynn Owen plays Joan, a kindly but rather eccentric old woman.

The concept of A Play, A Pie & A Pint is a good one and I genuinely hope it catches on. It provides an ideal opportunity for busy people to take in a bite-sized chunk of culture on their way home from work, without breaking the bank. Tickets are priced at £10 each, which includes a meat or vegetarian pie (made by Dickson’s Family Pork Butchers who, along with Fosters UK, are sponsoring the event), and a pint (or a glass of red or white wine or a non-alcoholic beverage).

However, my one concern with ‘In The Pipeline’ is that the actors seemed somewhat under-rehearsed and there were one or two fluffed lines too many. I hope this niggling point will be addressed in the weeks to come.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Friday 24 September 2010.

Forthcoming plays are as follows:

‘The Uncertainty Files’ by Linda McLean             Mon 27 Sept – Fri 1 Oct

‘Calais’ by April De Angelis                                   Mon 4 Oct – Fri 8 Oct

‘Good With People’ by David Harrower                Mon 11 Oct – Fri 15 Oct

Blood Brothers

Darlington Civic Theatre

“So, did y’hear the story of the Johnstone twins?”

Well, if you haven’t you must! The phenomenon that is Blood Brothers has been captivating audiences for 25 years now and, although this musical is celebrating its silver anniversary, it can only be described as pure gold. Willy Russell’s moving tale of two twin boys who are separated at birth and grow up on opposite sides of the social-class spectrum, only to meet up again with devastating consequences, has established itself as a contemporary classic around the globe. From the West End of London to South East Asia the multi-award winning musical plays to sell-out theatres every night.

Having seen the show numerous times before, the characters and plot are familiar to me but, despite that, Blood Brothers grips me each and every time with its poignancy, humour, tenderness and tragedy.

The role of Mrs Johnstone is surely one of the most coveted in musical theatre and the struggling single mother “with seven hungry mouths to feed and one more nearly due” has been played by such well-known actresses as Barbara Dickson, Petula Clark, Kiki Dee, Stephanie Lawrence, Helen Reddy, Carole King, Lyn Paul, Marti Webb, Melanie Chisholm and four of the Nolan sisters. Niki Evans is the actress who is currently wearing the care-worn smile and cross-over pinny.

Evans presents the audience with quite a different ‘Mrs J’ – although she is maternal, understanding, compassionate, earthy and warm-hearted, she also displays a nervy vulnerability. In addition to a phenomenal acting performance, she delivers her musical numbers with meaning and conviction and her voice is clear, rich and full of emotion.

Sean Jones, as Mickey, and Paul Davies as Eddie are outstanding. It can’t be easy to convincingly play a seven year old child but both of them achieve it admirably, capturing every childhood nuance accurately. The transition to teenager, then man, is equally convincing. Both actors display great skill with the many poignant scenes that they share and the contrast between ‘posh’ Edward and ‘scruffy’ Mickey manifests itself perfectly in their performances. Jones makes the most of Mickey’s comedic qualities without ever over-playing them and Davies gives Eddie an endearing charm and vulnerability.

Kelly- Anne Gower plays Linda, the girl both boys fall in love with. She, too, gives a fine performance throughout, especially in the scene where she tries to persuade Mickey to stop taking the anti-depressants that have transformed him into an empty shell of a man.

Robbie Scotcher plays the significant role of the Narrator, a spectral figure who personifies the moral consciences of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons, and his performance is as strong and sinister as it should be. His ominous presence hovers around like a dark storm cloud on a sunny day and his strong and powerful voice is hauntingly beautiful.

The strong supporting cast includes Tracy Spencer and Poppy Roe who play Mrs Lyons and Donna-Marie respectively. Daniel Taylor is bad-boy Sammy and Tim Churchill is Mr Lyons.

Blood Brothers is a production that goes from strength to strength, its appeal growing over the years rather than diminishing. It is so powerful a play that it can be watched time and time again without ever losing any of its emotional impact or social relevance.

Wherever it is performed, Blood Brothers receives a standing ovation from an approving audience and last night was no exception. This production is heart-warming, tear-jerking, uplifting, devastating and, above all else, brilliant!

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 25 September 2010