Reviewed byRichard Howell-Jones

           Charles Dickens caught the spirit of Christmas so well with his original tale of the redemption of Scrooge that further interpretation is neither necessary nor desirable. Happily, then, the Manchester Library Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Carol stays true to the letter as well as the intent of this, arguably Dickens’ most popular work.

          A strong and experienced cast portray the characters we know and love with every evidence of enjoyment, striking a chord with an audience composed almost entirely of school children - and on a Monday morning too! David Beames’ Scrooge glued the entire production together as the other actors, multiply cast, swirled through his life and showed him the error of his ways, led by Abigail McGibbon (Christmas Past), Kath Burlinson (Christmas Present) and a startling Christmas Yet To Come of whom Gary McCann (Designer) should be justly proud. Paul Barnhill’s Fred Scrooge, the old man’s nephew, drives his middle-class scenes with the same intensive Peace and Goodwill to All that Jack Lord provides as the poverty-stricken Bob Cratchit. Claude Close’s Jacob Marley is just plain scary, a fascinating contrast to his jolly generous Fezziwig. Geoff Steer (Choreographer) gave the ensemble plenty to do but managed to make it seem impromptu, matched by a set of appropriate carol-based songs from Conor Mitchell, culminating in a courageous, and at times impressive, piece based on Handel’s Unto Us a Child is Born.

          Of course, everyone knows that children make a tough house. As soon as the house-lights rose for the interval, several wanted to know why Scrooge had changed colour from brown to white as he got older. This was adroitly handled by one of the accompanying adults who suggested that he’d become paler as he spent more time indoors; whether or not this was the intention, it casts no shadow on Darren Kuppen, whose teenage Scrooge cleverly captured the point of his downfall, and who also entertained as the perhaps appropriately-named Tupper, Fred’s roving-eyed guest. Another query was how Marley’s hat had been so wicked as to deserve the great length of chain which festooned it, when Marley himself seemed quite lightly burdened by comparison. And, unfortunately, Tiny Tim, seeming healthier than Dickens intended and having the wrong sort of trouble with his limp, was held to be less than convincing.

          As far as the adults were concerned, there was only one criticism: that the production seemed curiously muted, as if reluctant to upset or disturb. Granted it’s intended for a family audience, but Scrooge’s character here hadn’t far to travel from miser to benefactor. The catch-phrase ‘Humbug!’ lacked conviction and his ill will towards Cratchit’s desire to take all Christmas day off might have resulted from a headache. This was really the flaw, for without clearly-seen malice there can be no great redemption – all one gets is a man in a good mood, having been in a bad one. This has the further effect of making Cratchit’s amazement at his employer’s change seem overdone, which is unjust.

          But these are pips in the Christmas orange, inconvenient but scarcely detracting from the enjoyment. From simple beginnings, the performance builds in intensity to a joyous and confidently complex finale, subtly led by Performance Musical Director, Isobel Waller-Bridge, leaving its audience with a worthy, perhaps timely, reminder of the true spirit of Christmas. Rachel O’Riordan directed.

 

A Christmas Carol byManchester Library Theatre Company is at The Lowry until 8 January 2011

Prices: £12.50 - £16.15

Box Office:0843 208 6010

Performance schedule & online booking: www.librarytheatre.com or www.thelowry.com

 

Tin Can Podcast, the free online audio drama company, have launched their Christmas Festival.  Check out the first three new plays.
NEW PODCASTS: Our first three Christmas plays are online now:
The Magical Tree by Jonathan Brown (http://tinyurl.com/xmasplays1)
Gristletoe by Andy Marchant (http://tinyurl.com/xmasplays2)
Nativity Play by Stella Farrington (http://tinyurl.com/xmasplays3)

There are 9 more to come.

Tin Can Podcast 

Hey All,

Tin Can have launched their Xmas competition. It's a mere £2 to enter and the winners will have their plays produced and broadcast by Tin Can Podcast.
See the website for more details
http://tincanpodcast.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=72

Tin Can Podcast 

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

PRESS RELEASE

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

DIRECT FROM THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE

BUSTING OUT!

A Musical Comedy Touring To

King’s Theatre Glasgow, Wed 1^st Sept

The biggest Australian show since Priscilla, Busting Out! is a raucously entertaining, fun, funny, thoroughly theatrical, empowering and affirmative celebration of the female body.  It’s created by Emma Powell and performed by Emma and Bev Killick - two of Australia's most sensational performers.  Emma's career has been a glittering one in Musical Theatre (she played Rosie in the Australasian Tour of Mamma Mia) and Bev is one of Australia's most celebrated female stand-ups.

 

The show has been a fêted hit in Australia and New Zealand, famed for its dynamic inclusivity it has now played to over 250,000 people. The audience play a vital role in the proceedings (by appearing on a large on-stage screen and often actually on stage) which threatens, on occasions, to turn the entire theatre into an utterly disorderly house!  Emma and Bev’s up-front and out-there breast-based contortions are intercut with rousing song and dance sequences, hilarious sketches, a shadow play and brilliant stand-up comedy.

Yes, it's a wild night out but as Australian commentators have pointed out Busting Out!  is “an affirming lesson in body love and esteem without the soapbox” (The West Australian) and  it “makes women feel good about themselves and their bodies” (Sunday Mail Adelaide)

So, as Busting Out! re-asserts women’s ownership of their own breasts in their own terms …they satirise the female form as they celebrate it, they parody conventional stereotypes, and they “repeatedly ambush the audience with their audacity” (The Manly Daily).

If that sounds far too heavy by half, listen to a word of advice from one reviewer in Canberra.  He said, “if all you want is a laugh, you’ll be compensated many times over”.   So it only remains to dust off the puns.   Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to give all your support to an outstanding pair of fully-rounded performers with ample talents.  They’re stars and they’re big ones.  (And Emma and Bev aren’t so bad either).

PLEASE NOTE THIS SHOW IS RECOMMENDED 14+

Listings Info:

BUSTING OUT
Wed 1^st Sept @ 7.30pm
Tickets: £16
Box Office 08448 717 648 (Bkg fee)
www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

The Russian Ice Stars bring a stunning ice spectacular to the Theatre Royal stage.

From the dark and dramatic opening, with the transformation of the evil witch Drina (Svetlana Kuprina and John Hamer play the two sides of this character) into a beautiful version of herself, to the bright and cheery couriers dance at the palace this was a show full of contrasts. Drina’s attempts to lure the young King into taking her for a wife are thwarted by his attraction to the beautiful Aurora, an exquisite performance from Svetlana Perkina, and they are soon married with Snow White born soon after. The fact that all the storytelling is without words is a remarkable feat for such an interesting story as that of Snow White and Ms Perkina’s performance was one which told so much, especially during the scene of Aurora’s untimely death.

 

The light relief was supplied by the Court Jesters (Ekaterina Belokopytova and Yuri Kuprin) and the Strongman. The aerial act between Ekaterina Belokopytova and her husband Alexander Belokopytov was nothing short of breathtaking. The skill and strength on display was indicative of the cast as a whole. Snow White herself, played by Irina Tkachuk, was not only beautiful to look at, but a delight to watch as she glided so gracefully across the frozen stage. Her duets with Valdis Mintals (as both Young King Mirabile and Prince Charming) again provided some breathtaking moments, with dramatic lifts and throws in a space less than quarter the size of an Olympic skating rink!

 

The story plays out as most would remember, with the huntsman taking Snow White into the forest and leaving her there. Instead of the dwarfs of the Disney version, we meet 7 woodcutters who provide much humour with their energetic routines. Drina’s many attempts to kill Snow White are averted by her new found friends the Woodcutters and two geese (a great comedy duo in Ekaterina Murugova and Sergei Smirnov) Gras and Fua. However when Drina turns herself into an enchanting Gypsy and gives Snow White the poisoned apple, Snow White collapses into a deep sleep and is placed in the forest until found by Prince Charming, played by the handsome Valdis Mintals. The lighting effects surrounding Snow White’s recovery were very clever and combined with the other stage effects the amazement in the audience’s eyes were not only at the spectacular skating on display. With this happy resolution we return to the palace, and more celebrations occur with another aerial act from Ekaterina Belokopytova and her husband Alexander Belokopytov - this time on the silks, and finally the wedding of the happy couple.

 

With 2 performances on Saturday and a further 2 on Sunday, this is the ideal family show for the Bank Holiday weekend, so get your skates on and get your tickets now so you don’t miss out!!

 

Listings Info

Wed 26^th – Sun 30^th May

Wed – Sun Eves 7.30pm

Thurs, Sat & Sun Mats 2.30pm

 

Tickets £11-£26

Box Office: 0844 871 7647                  www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

 

The management committee of the Society of British Theatre Designers is trying to contact as many designers as possible to encourage them to register their intention to exhibit at the 4 yearly national exhibition. In January 2011 it will be the inaugural event in the spectacular new building of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (still under construction). Previous exhibitions have been in Nottingham, Manchester, Sheffield and many in London (Royal College of Art, Roundhouse and Riverside Studios) - they are always pretty spectacular and very popular with visitors whether professionals, punters, researchers or school parties.


_{Artist's impression of the new building}

The text below is, hopefully, self-explanatory.


TRANSORMATION AND REVELATION

PERFORMANCE DESIGN OPEN EXHIBITION - INVITATION TO EXHIBIT

Invitation to exhibit at the SBTD national exhibition of UK performance design 2011: TRANSFORMATION & REVELATION

Designers for performance are invited to exhibit at the four yearly SBTD national exhibition which is to take place in Cardiff in January 2011. This is an open exhibition though exhibitors must be, or become, members of either the SBTD (Society of British Theatre Designers), ALD (Association of Lighting Designers) or STC (Society of Theatre Consultants) and the work exhibited must have been realised between 2007-2011.

This is a unique opportunity to take part in a celebration of UK design for performance over the past four years, and to be included in the accompanying catalogue. SBTD exhibition catalogues have long been recognised as a primary book for design reference and inspiration.

Please visit www.theatredesign.org.uk/exhibitions/ for more details including hanging fees, venue details and themes.

Closing date for submission of intent to exhibit forms - 30th April 2010.

www.theatredesign.org.uk



the catalogue cover of the last exhibition in Nottingham
showing designs for the period 2003 - 2007

Fiona Peek’s new play Salt was co-winner of the Royal Exchange’s Bruntwood Playwriting Competition in November 2008, and the premiere of this sophisticated social comedy has been eagerly anticipated.  

The action takes place between July 2007 and March 2008 during the course of five dinner parties in Simon and Amy’s beautiful basement kitchen.  Simon’s stable law firm salary and Amy’s chic little gallery job provide them and their children with a lifestyle straight out of a weekend colour supplement.  However their two child-free friends Rachel and Nick (Amy’s old flame from college days) are struggling with debt now that his freelance journalism commissions are drying up and RSI has ended her orchestral career.

Fiona Peek’s debut play, with its skilfully interwoven themes of debt, fertility, work/life balance and food porn, thoroughly nails the late-noughties zeitgeist.  The other unacknowledged but ever-present problem plaguing the middle-classes is excessive recreational drinking - a vice which does more than its fair share to inflame the situation here.

Even if external circumstances didn’t play a part, the chemistry between Amy and Nick and their uninhibited flirting has “slow-motion car crash” written all over it.  Beth Cordingly’s smug Amy is still proprietorial of her ex, constantly reminding Rachel (and Simon) of how long they’ve known each other and therefore how much better she understands him than his wife does.

Simon Chadwick plays her husband as an uptight conformist pretending to be a laid back peacemaker.  He tries to remain aloof from the emotional maelstrom but this diplomacy only masks his diffidence towards the other couple.  You form the impression that if he and Amy were to divorce, she would get Rachel and Nick in the settlement.

Kevin Harvey’s slightly-scouse and immature Nick, one of those nightmare guests who can’t distinguish between a dinner party debate and a stand-up row, is stuck in the laddish culture of the 1990s, and Esther Hall’s brittle Rachel is as highly strung as her own violin when confronted with the dilemma of treating her immature husband as a child or making him face up to his responsibilities.

Ben Stones’ sleek set is like watching the window display in a designer furniture shop coming alive, and Jo Coombs’ fluid and fast-paced production captures the authentic tone of entitlement of the (apparently) affluent professional classes.

My only quibble is that the bombshell dropped in the dying moments is treated with such brevity and underplaying as to be almost subliminal - if this was on DVD you’d frantically rewind it trying to work out exactly what happened.  But even without a freeze-frame facility the first-night audience was highly appreciative of this witty and clever new play.

 

Salt is on until Saturday 20 February 2010

Prices: £4 (conc)-£9.50

Evenings: Mon-Sat @ 7.30

Matinees: Wed & Sat @ 2.30

Box Office: 0161 833 9833

www.royalexchange.co.uk

A classic Glaswegian play finds itself back home on this new tour, and received the welcome of an old friend in it’s Glasgow opening night audience.

 

Much of the appeal of The Steamie lies in the fantastic script by Tony Roper. As with his recent works (the wonderful Celts in Seville being of particular note) this play is observational, caustic and full of wonderful “parliamo Glasgow” terminology where the author has created well rounded characters whose appeal is not in their glamour or appearance, but their good humour and loyal natures.

 

The Steamie characters – Dolly, Magrit, Doreen and Mrs Culfeathers feel like old friends to most Scots, who have watched the televised version of this play many a Hogmanay on TV. This makes it a tough gig for any actress to take on these iconic roles, without trying to mimic the previous performances that are known so well. Leading the way on this front was Maureen Carr as Dolly. Excellent comic timing combined with an intelligent physicality brought this character believably to life, which is some feat considering the flights of fancy this character gets carried away with. Jacqueline Hughes, making her Scottish debut, was a sweet and naive Doreen, with a singing voice to match. Her lilting spoken voice worked well against the harsher tones of the older female characters, and helped create the imagery of the plans that she dreamt of, making this young actress one to watch for the future.

 

Kay Gallie, making a return to the role of Mrs Culfeathers, shows why she is in such demand in both TV and theatre. Knowing just how long to hold a comic pause for effect requires a lot of experience and Kay Gallie has that in spades. Her interpretation of the frail, hardworking older woman had the audience moved to tears, at times with sheer emotion and also with laughter. The “Top Dog” of this group is Magrit – Julie Austin got a lot of laughs here as she had a great delivery of the comic put-downs. It would have been nice if she had been asked to provide more light and shade in the role, so that the emotional sections hit home more. I think this is down to direction, as Alison Peebles seemed to be driving to make sure every laugh was “wrung-out” from this production. This did not make the comic bits seem forced, actually much the opposite, but this same interest did not seem to be shown to the sentimental or emotional moments of this clever play. David McGowan did try to make the most of the role of Andy, however his “drunk” scenes seemed to be a little too “Rab C Nesbitt” to be believable.

 

Dave Anderson’s songs still stand the test of time, again due to the classic Glasgow patter used in the lyrics – “ a swagger that wid dry a washin’” being a particular favourite of mine – but it didn’t really work to see some singing and non-singing cast trying to put these harmonies together.

 

All in all, it is great to see The Steamie back on the stage, but it does look like it maybe needs another rinse and a bit of an iron to get it back to it’s former sparkling glory. That said it is still a hugely funny and entertaining piece of theatre, and for Maureen Carr’s alone, especially during and after the “Galloway’s Mince” section, it is well worth the ticket price.

 

Listings Info:

 

Mon 2^nd – Sat 7^th November

Tue – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed, Thurs & Sat Mat 2.30pm

Audio described performance Thu 5 Nov 7.30pm

 

Tickets: £10 - £25

 

Box Office: 0870 060 6647          www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

THE SCIENCE OF ACTING

Written by Sam Kogan, edited by Helen Kogan

 Published by Routledge on Thursday 22^nd October 2009, priced £16.99 pbk

 Ever noticed how your mood can change throughout the day even when you are just spending time by yourself? Or, do you have a friend that makes the same relationship mistakes, but does not recognise the pattern reappearing each time? In The Science of Acting Sam Kogan explores the notion that there is undetected thinking, which seemingly controls many parts of our everyday lives. This concept is known as ‘invisible thinking’.

In The Science of Acting, Kogan uses his theories on the relationship between neuroscience, psychology and acting to help people identify their invisible thoughts; thoughts which they may have been thinking over a number of years that they no longer realise are being thought. He goes on to explain that it is these thoughts which shape our presents and our futures, but not necessarily the futures we want. The Science of Acting is more then a new milestone in acting technique, it presents the reader with a groundbreaking understanding of thinking and how it can be applied to their everyday lives. These changes can be easily implemented and can yield positive changes on a daily basis and for the long term of one’s personal life, or in one’s acting ability.

 The Science of Acting is written in a user-friendly style making its chapters on topics such as Complexes, Awareness, Actions, Attention and Imagination accessible for all types of readers. Kogan explains how personalities are formed from Mind Erosions and how these occur. Consider the thought ‘I can’t belong’ – you may have first had this thought when you did not have the same trainers as everyone else at school. You walked the path of thinking this thought every time you wore those trainers, but then weeks, months or even years later when you happen to find out you were not invited to Jane’s birthday party when everyone else in your class/gang/department/social circle was; again you thought, ‘I can’t belong’. Over the year that path became so well trodden it got deeper, until eventually it became a ditch – you had formed a Mind Erosion. Now when you go to parties you are slightly anxious when you walk into a room full of people that you do not know, as the thought you are still thinking is: ‘I can’t belong’.  

Fortunately, Kogan goes on to describe the process of ‘Finishing-Off Thinking’, the knowledge that fills in the ditches and helps people see life from a different perspective, one which puts them back in control. The reader is encouraged to question what it is that they think will make them happy; what are their purposes? These vary from individual to individual and can be anything from they want ‘to be cared for’ or ‘to be admired’, or even ‘to be rejected’. Kogan explains that once people start to see the thoughts that are getting in the way of them living the life they want, they can start to unravel them. This process creates space which can then be filled with thoughts that will make them happy – thoughts of their choosing rather than thoughts of the past playing over and over.

Kogan once asked, “How can an actor understand a character if they do not understand themselves?” This was one of the fundamental catalysts for this work. The Science of Acting takes the reader on a fascinating journey of understanding, which ultimately explains why people think the way they do and how to change it.

Before Sam’s death in 2004, his daughter Helen promised that his life’s work would be published. Using transcribed videotapes, draft chapters, and class notes from previous students, together with help from teachers from The Academy of the Science of Acting and Directing (of which Kogan was the founding principal), Helen pulled together the book The Science of Acting. 

For more information about The Academy of the Science of Acting and Directing, please visit www.asad.org.uk/actingschool