Saturday 16 March 2013

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 24th 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!

Sunday 3 March 2013

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.