A Doll's House, Royal Exchange Manchester, 3/5/13

A Doll's House is my second attempt at Ibsen. My first encounter with him was The Lady from The Sea here at the Royal Exchange and me and Henrik didn't really get on. I found it very angst ridden and dull, despite fantastic performances from the company. So I approached my second outing with a certain degree of caution.

Luckily, this production, adapted by Bryony Lavery and directed by Greg Hersov, managed to change my mind. There was much to like about this show, well rounded characters, who developed as events progressed, much wry humour, interesting observations about the nature of human needs and trust, a simple but effective set and fantastic performances from the cast.

photo : Johnathan Keenan

The lead role of Nora is taken by Cush Jumbo, on her third visit to the Royal Exchange (previously in Pygmalion and As You Like It, both wonderful performances) I am so glad The Theatre was able to tempt here to a third visit. She is an amazingly talented actress and it is a joy to watch her on stage. I struggled to describe what it was that made her acting so special when I wrote about her before, and I have the same difficulty here. Her performance is just so agile and well crafted, she lights up the stage without ever making it all about her. Nora is a complex character, initially portrayed as frivolous and vain, but this develops as we understand more about what has shaped her character and the nature of her relationship with her husband. Jumbo delivers a balanced and skilled performance, with a deftness of touch that is mesmerising to watch.

I was also extremely impressed with Kelly Hotten's Mrs Linde. From the wry reaction to her initial audience with Nora, to the heart rending twist in the second half where she opens her heart to Krogstad about her need to be needed, this role was excellently portrayed and convincing.

And if I'm picking out cast members for mention, I cannot leave out the complete star of the show in the performance I saw. A lovely trio of kids have been brought together to play Nora's three children (three teams in rotation across the run). But little Lily Blossom Tait stole my heart at this performance. A great performance given with such joy, it's the first time I have ever seen an actress skip off stage she was enjoying it that much, yet she met every cue. Delightful!

All in all this production did manage to successfully tackle my prejudices about Ibsen. The characters were complex and interesting, especially the female roles, there was a lot more humour than I was expecting, pacing was lively and the plot engaging, and Cush Jumbo was a joy to watch on stage once again! Bravo!

Cannibals, Royal Exchange Theatre, 13/4/13

More often than not I turn up to see a play knowing very little, if anything, about it. I avoid reviews until after I have experienced it, as I don’t want anyone else’s opinions to cloud mine, and I want to be surprised. This tactic almost backfired when seeing ‘Cannibals’ by Rory Mullarkey, a curious creature of a play that definitely challenged me and had me completely befuddled at times.

I'm going to be completely honest, which might highlight my own failings, I spent most of the of this production not really getting it, having made certain assumptions about its setting that turned out to be wide of the mark! It had some extremely striking images, and some amazing performances, but, at times I felt like I was watching one of those experimental theatre productions that tries to blind you with its own cleverness but never really adds up to the sum of its parts. In fact at times, I remember being quite annoyed as the play wasn't really hanging together for me, and I admit I was making sneaky glances at my watch to see how much of the 1 hour 45 mins run time had passed.

And then, actually just as I left the building after the show had ended, I had my 'oh, I see' moment! Once the light finally dawned on my confused brain, thinking back over the performance and the scenes it suddenly all made sense  and I think I understood what the playwright was intending. And it is very, very clever when you see it in that light. In fact, I keep thinking about it now, and I wonder, if I had been quicker on the uptake (or read the programme pre play) and therefore viewed the play in the  light of that knowledge, how my response would have been different.

The play deals with some very dark and disturbing themes from the outset, in fact there are two moments that did elicit the odd shriek from the audience! People are struggling to survive in against the background of poverty, hunger and desperation in a land destroyed by war. The need for survival is uppermost driving people to cruel and savage acts. However, there are moments of beauty and comedy scattered through the play. 

The central character of Lizaveta, has experienced terrible trauma, and Ony Uhiara gives an impressive performance in the role, on the stage for the whole time, with her terror and nervous energy ever present. There is one extremely powerful scene where she relives her life and her suffering to harsh effect, which  was extremely touching and well judged.  But the standout performance for me was Ricky Champ as Joseph the fool, a wonderful character, touchingly portrayed in a nicely balanced and skilful way. I’d love to see more from Champ and I hope the Royal Exchange lures him back soon.

As mentioned before, the staging is striking, delivering a series of memorable images, the direction incorporates some more stylistic touches to good effect. There were a couple of directorial / design choices that didn't work for me, such as the portrayal of flight of one of the characters without them leaving the performance space by an awful lot of running on the spot or in circles, that verged on the comical rather than the intended portrayal of the terror of the character. And there was a fire effect used at the start of the performance that took a long time to set, broke the pace of the action, and didn't really pay off in terms of drama. But these minor points were more than made up for by the whole.

There is a fabulous section towards the end of the play that will ring bells with anyone familiar with the day to day life and characters of Manchester city centre (including the rubbish human statue often seen in St Anne’s Square), which made good use of the ensemble cast.

All in all it was a strange experience for me as an audience member. Definitely challenging and confronting, frustrating at times, but in retrospect, and now my brain has caught up with the conceit of the play, actually very effective and thought provoking.

Looking For Kool, Piccadilly Place, Manchester 16/3/13

If you’ve read my blogs in the last year you’ll have seen that I have a special liking for theatre in non-theatre spaces, and also immersive theatre, where the audience becomes part of the performance in some way. So when I heard that an immersive theatre performance was to be staged in an empty office building in central Manchester, just across from Piccadilly station, I knew that it was something that I wanted to check out. I have to admit, I didn’t at that point pay an awful lot of attention to the subject matter, and didn’t read any reviews, as is often the case with my random theatre adventures, but this approach is not necessarily a disadvantage as I arrive at performances with no preconceptions of what I am about to experience, and it has led to me seeing some fantastic and diverse creations.

In fact, if you knew the key subject matter of this performance before arriving, I suppose it might put some people off, as it focuses on the impacts of civil war and its aftermath in Sri Lanka. You might think it would be too traumatic, or dry and worthy. However, Looking for Kool is a wonderfully balanced performance, told with a great warmth, centring on some very human and touching stories, yet never ignoring the tragedy and pain that touches successive generations in different ways.

The piece starts with us being warmly greeted by Mrs U, who immediately breaks down the physical barriers between audience and performer, and we feel like welcome guests rather than detached observers. In fact, as guests we get to share what food she has, the ‘Kool’ of the title, as her tale begins. Mrs U has lived through the war and its ongoing impact, and wants to share with us her alternative to the detached tourist viewpoint more widely available. Whilst all around her high rise offices and luxury hotels are springing up for the incomers, Mrs U wishes to tell her journey, one told with a great deal of warmth and humour at times, but also containing heart-breaking tragedy and loss. Whilst most of the actions centres on this wonderful character, we also meet two members of her family, her nephew and her granddaughter. All the characters are finding different ways to make ‘the best’ of their situations, and whilst only Mrs U has directly witnessed the impacts of conflict, all have been impacted indirectly, and it is interesting to see the differing generational responses.

Looking for Kool is written by Rani Moorthy, founder of RasaTheatre, who also takes on all the roles. It is an incredibly impressive performance, each character is finely detailed and distinct, and the immediate bond she creates with the audience as Mrs U makes this a very special and moving experience.

The staging of the piece, in an unused office space in Piccadilly Place, is extremely clever. Whilst the space itself is just one large empty shell, the design has created a very intimate feeling with a number of different, simply designed but effective, ‘sets’ housing the stages of the narrative.

The piece was obviously very emotive for those in the audience that have Sri Lankan links, but it would be a pity if this was its main reach, as it certainly opened my eyes to world events that I am ashamed to say I had very little knowledge of (particularly as my sister in law has Sri Lankan heritage) and that I will find out more about. But at its heart it was a very human story, touching and warm, and, even with its tragic elements, I ended it feeling strangely lifted, as it had been such a privilege to share this lady’s world.

I had the pleasure of a brief chat with Rani Moorthy at the end of the performance and she is as warm and lovely as Mrs U, and should be very proud of this work which combines important themes with a huge heart.

Looking for Kool is playing at Piccadilly Place (literally a stone’s throw from Piccadilly station) until the 24^th March and I would encourage people to invest an hour of their time to share Mrs U’s story. You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll even be fed!

Mother Courage and Her Children, Library Theatre Company at the Lowry, 22/2/13

The sum total of my knowledge about Bertolt Brecht before seeing his play Mother Courage and her Children, the latest Library Theatre Company production at the Lowry, was that he was ‘important’. And my companion for this visit had been told that this play was considered to be one of the greatest anti-war plays of all time. I did wonder whether this would actually mean it was heavy going, but this production was lively, accessible, with a lot more humour than I was expecting, whilst still containing some very strong messages.

The play was written in 1939 as a warning against wartime profiteering and its central message still holds true today. It is set in the in the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648 in Germany and Poland, and follows one woman’s journey, the Mother Courage of the title, a trader who follows the troops, seeking every opportunity to turn a profit. She travels with her three children products of varied (and in one case uncertain!) relationships, and is a devoted and fiercely protective mother. However, during the course of the play she makes choices, driven by her desire to maximise the trading opportunities that war brings, that, whilst she believes they are for the right reasons, have tragic consequences for each of her children. As the play progresses, and her circumstances become increasingly challenging, she remains determined to survive and prosper, even changing allegiances where this would aid her cause. However, ultimately we see the tragedy of her life and the consequences of her actions divorce her from the reality of her situation, and gradually surviving and blindly following her path takes over from living.

The Library Theatre Company and director Chris Honer have done an excellent job in bringing this epic tale to the stage. The tone is set from the outset, when Courage and her family enter the stage, with the matriarch perched on their wagon singing into a handheld microphone. The action is interspersed throughout with songs from various characters, many of them apocryphal tales that echo events on stage. 

The sparse but versatile set, incorporating a revolve that is used to good effect to illustrate the onward journey of the dwindling family, wonderful costume design and washed out lighting, combine to create a very clever effect on the stage, at times it’s almost like seeing a painting come to life on stage, which fits with the epic nature of the text.

There were some timing issues on the night that I saw the play, but this was a first preview and I think a few minutes will be shaved off the three hour running time as the play progresses. And I did find the use of electronic captions to each side of the stage preceding scenes to be a little distracting as it took your eye away from the action on the stage. Although the use of the captions did highlight the bleak inevitability of the events as they unfold.

The production requires much from its cast who in the main deliver well. Many take on multiple roles, and also provide musical accompaniment throughout. Natalie Grady, as the prostitute Yvette, gives a particularly impressive performance, portraying the character at two contrasting stages of her life so well you have to do a double take to check it’s the same person. But the stand out performance is Eve Polycarpou, who gives an absolutely breath-taking performance as the indomitable Courage. On stage for virtually the full length of the play, her portrayal is totally engaging and very powerful, with a nice balance between the comedy, and the complexities of her character and motivation.

All in all, the staging of this epic play, in such an accomplished and accessible way, is an impressive achievement from the Library Theatre Company, and makes the most of the advantages that their temporary lodgings at the Lowry allow.

Walking Tour of Little India, Singapore

Inspired by my Bangkok based pal, Anna, who has really made an effort to discover her city since she moved there six months ago, I did a bit of research before this visit to Singapore to find some activity that would open up a bit more regarding the culture of the city and its people. I stumbled across some excellent reviews of the Original Walking Tours, who run various walks around the city, and decided to take their’ Dhobis, Saris and a Spot of Curry’ trip around little India. Whilst I had been to Little India before, I felt like I had really only scratched the surface of the place, and hoped that this would give me a bit more insight into the area.

What a good choice I made! The trip was guided by a local, Geraldine, who was fantastic, giving us lots of local detail on the religion, history and culture of both the Little India area and Singapore in general. The tour itself was 2.5 hours long, and we visited a Hindu temple, saw a demonstration of sari tying, visited a wet market and learnt about some of the local delicacies, including trying a jackfruit (in taste like a cross between a banana and a mango with the texture of a lychee) and some Indian sweets. We also visited spice grinders and sellers, a member of the group received a henna tattoo, and Geraldine pointed out lots of great food options for us.

At SGD 35 this was incredible value for money, very interesting and had a brilliant guide. The company run a number of different tours and I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again. They really opened up an aspect of Singapore for me, and you never felt herded or pressurised to buy, like I have felt on coach tours before. Definitely recommended.