Someone Borrowed, Someone's Blue, Three Minute Theatre Manchester, 19/8/13

This new full length musical written by Alasdair Jarvie and produced by New Attitude Theatre Company started its life as a play performed as part of the ‘Not Part of’ Festival in 2006, but has been expanded and glammed up for this 2013 musical production. I’ll be honest and say that I came along to this not thinking it would be my cup of tea, and in a bit of a mood after a tough day. However, I am happy to admit I was wrong, having been completely won over by the sheer exuberance of it.

The story concerns Sandy Beaches, drag artist extraordinaire, who, in her opinion does the best Cher act this side of Manchester, in fact she does a better Cher than Cher herself these days. Life is on the up for Sandy, as well as having just secured her own chat show on MTV (Manchester and Trafford television), her boyfriend Michel (he’s from Cheadle Hulme you know!) has just ‘proposed’ to her and she has a wedding to organise. Clearly she’s far too busy to take care of the details, so she turns to her sister Wendy to take on chief Bridesmaid and Wedding Planner duties. What follows is a sharp witted, well performed tale of love, lust, family rivalries and ambition, told with a big heart and an extra dose of ‘fabulous’.

The performance I saw took a couple of numbers to get going, but it was the opening night and I think some of the initial wobbles were down to nerves, as once it got into its stride it was full of laughs, enthusiasm and enjoyment. The songs had been chosen well and had been incorporated nicely into the action, and the direction and choreography made the most of 3MT’s pocket sized stage.

Some voices were stronger than others, but all the cast committed with confidence to their roles. I was particularly impressed with Rachel Waring as Wendy, combining a powerful voice with a great performance, be it in the comedy sparring with her sister, the drunken hen night, or the more touching moments of the story. Many of the high points of the play centred on her character, such as the hilarious ‘Believe’ and ‘Choices’, the tender ‘Beautiful’ and the powerful ‘Because of You’. 

Lee Eakins as Lorenzo also impresses, as he worships Sandy from afar, and Dale Vicker delivers a delightfully acidic Sandy, most especially in his scenes with Wendy, but also shows the more vulnerable side of the character when his mother Veronique (excellently portrayed by Mark Rowlands) comes to town. 

Special mention should also go to Sandy’s Be-aches (Jade Fearnley, Ryan Laskey and Sarah Morgan) the chorus, clearly having a whale of a time on the stage, adding some fabulous comedy moments and dance routines to the piece, and also being the hardest working stage hands around!

In their pre-show publicity, New Attitude tweeted some previous feedback the script had received from the Bruntwood judges, including the comment that they thought it had ‘one too many cock jokes’. If I’m honest, I’d agree with that, not because I’m a dreadful prude, just because there are far funnier quips in the play and I think it would benefit from the loss of a few limp cocks (arf arf). 

The show ends on an absolute high, the audience were swept along by the sheer joy of it

and had there been a bit more space there would undoubtedly have been dancing in the aisles. All in all a fun and well put together story, a great cast, lots of laughs and a really good night out.

Forwards and Backwards, Three Minute Theatre 27-8-12

A gorgeous late summer’s evening (if you ignore the driving rain, near gale force winds and distinct scent of autumn) saw me head back to the characterful space of Three Minute Theatre in central Manchester, to see Square Peg Theatre’s first Production, Forwards and Backwards, which had previously been part of both the Camden and Buxton Fringe programmes.

This is a two hander play, written, devised and directed by its cast, Michael White and Katie Robinson that combines dialogue, physical theatre and mime to chart the relationship of two people, from the day they first meet, through marriage and the ups and downs of their relationship. The story is told in non-linear from, which I’ve seen a few times recently, and can sometimes be quite distracting, but it isn’t here, as we switch forwards and backwards through time at a dizzying pace across the hour, sometimes for just a brief moment, and sometimes for a longer scene, building up a compelling picture of their developing relationship with all its highs and lows.

The physical theatre elements of the production are extremely impressive, precise and slick, cleverly conjuring up, with minimal props, the various settings. It is like watching a dance at times, as they move seamlessly from one scene to the next, and both performers have incredible timing and great fluidity of movement. The tale itself is at turns funny, emotional, and heart-wrenching, as we uncover the complexities of their individual and joint journeys.

As an actress Katie Robinson particularly impresses with an engaging and skilful performance. There is something almost effortless in the way she switches from one situation or character to another. Moments of high drama are well judged and emotionally affecting, and yet she manages to switch from that to a light hearted scene without missing a beat. She also has a beautiful singing voice. I definitely think she is a talent to watch. 

The narrative is nicely written, balancing dramatic but realistic confrontations, with affection and humour, and unfolding at a rate that keeps the audience engaged throughout, although I do think that some elements of the overall story could be sharpened in further development.

Overall I thought this was a well written and stylishly executed piece, with excellent pacing that kept me engaged throughout. I hope to see more from them.

24:7 My Arms, 21/7/12

Today’s first 24:7 experience saw me in a ‘new to me’ venue, Three Minute Theatre in the Affleck’s Palace building. It’s a quirky little place with tons of character, although being in the heart of a bustling place with no real sound proofing does have its disadvantages if you are towards the rear of the audience seating area, especially when a child outside has a fifteen minute meltdown which was somewhat distracting. Also distracting was the toy clown staring at me from a shelf, I’ve never really trusted clowns, and this one had sunglasses on so it was clearly up to no good!

My Arms by James Leach, directed by Adam Quayle and presented by Talking Props Theatre in association with Box of Tricks, is a two hander between husband and wife Colin (Josh Morgan) and Helen (Roberta Kerr) where the action unfolds over four scenes told in reverse order. The structure is quite compelling, it is clear when we first meet them that they are estranged and dealing with the aftermath of something that has had devastating consequences, but it only gradually unfolds what that was and the impact that it has had on their lives, their relationship, and the lives of those around them. 

The balance in their relationship has shifted too, at the start we see that Helen, whilst still caring for her husband, and therefore finding it hard to broach why she needs to talk to him, is now ready to break away and move on, whereas he appears to harbour a hope that now he has paid his debt and got his life back on track there is a way he can get back what he has lost. Yet in the earlier in time scenes we see how much Helen loves her husband and is desperate for him to express how he feels for her. It is really interesting to see how this balance shifts influenced by events and their fall out. 

Both actors give excellently judged and compelling performances that feel very real, as their characters struggle to cope with their situations and emotions. Powerful stuff and an engaging construct. I’m tempted to see it again (hopefully without screaming child accompaniment, and I’m not sitting near the evil clown again!)