Manchester Sound : The Massacre, Library Theatre Company, 14/6/13

 

When the Library Theatre Company moved out of their old home and started camping on the lounge floor of the

Lowry they announced that whilst they were homeless they were going to produce three site specific productions. 2011 saw the excellently realised Hard Times at Murray Mills in Ancoats, 2012 the magical Manchester Lines on the third floor of an office building at First Street. This year's third and apparently final venture is Manchester Sound : The Massacre, at a secret location in central Manchester, which promised to combine elements of the 90's underground rave scene in Manchester, with the Peterloo massacre of 1819, a concept that seemed bizarre and incongruous at first, but that turned out to be an amazing and unforgettable experience, talk about ending on a high! 

Writer Polly Wiseman has done an excellent job of bringing together two seemingly diverse eras, and finding the similarities in themes by concentrating on the human motivation and impact. The gentry's actions to quell the gathering of the masses in Peterloo is shown to have parallels with the government's moves to outlaw the rave scene in late 80's, and the focus is very firmly upon the individuals motivation and reaction to these two movements. 

Initially the two threads of the story are kept separate, but increasingly they entwine and the characters begin to interact, both with each others worlds, and each other directly, sometimes in humorous ways, and sometimes in extremely touching and powerful exchanges, acting as a call to arms for the young characters to find a sense of purpose and direction, to find something in life to stand up for.  The final scene was extremely powerful and inspiring and almost had me in tears.

The experience itself was quite unique, the audience was gathered in a car park location nearby and were soon

joined by cast members as we waited for news of where tonight's 'rave' would take place. I think it's fair to say the audience on the night I attended were the most unlikely looking bunch of ravers going, but the main and community cast did a brilliant job from the start of getting us into the mood! Once instructions had been received, we were guided in a very roundabout route to the location of the gathering, gaining bemused stares along the way from the early evening bystanders, and were admitted to the location by the door crew, where pounding music could already be heard. 

The set for the production has been built over three floors of an old building in central Manchester, there are hints dotted around of its former use in the garment trade, and the design is simple but versatile and very effective. The main space on the first floor is where the majority of activity takes place, and in a similar way to Hard Times, the audience mingle with the action, moving around of their own accord as different scenes take place. There is some gentle ushering incorporated into the production to move people between floors, but it is managed in such a way as to not break the mood of the event at all.

Each cast member takes on two roles, one from each era, and this is done so seamlessly that it actually took

me a little while to realise it was happening, especially with Rachel Austen playing Allegra/Jemima, who I was convinced was two actresses for a while! The whole cast was strong, but I was particularly struck by the performances of Rachel, Stephen Fewell as DJ Liberty/ Henry Hunt, Leah Hackett as Evie/Lizzie and Janey Lawson as Debbie ( the door whore)/Mary. Each managed to portray the differences and similarities in their individual characters excellently. Mention should also go to the brilliant community company that has been formed for this production who brought things together wonderfully and gave great performances.

All in all I found this a unique experience from start to finish, I danced, I popped pills (which 'might' have been Skittles), I was amused and moved to tears, and took away a strong message about the need to stand up for a cause, so if you see me marching the streets with a placard campaigning for more of this kind of innovative site specific theatre from the LTC ( or whatever it is going to be called when it moves to its new 'home') then you'll know why!

The Birthday Party, Royal Exchange Manchester 8/6/13

Um, well..... I know Harold Pinter was a highly respected playwright, and as a theatre enthusiast I am probably supposed to nod sagely and have educated discussions on the motivations of the author and the profound effect his play had on the audience, but I just didn't 'get' this play, and spent much of it wondering when it would end.

I am fine with ambiguity in a play, I don't need everything to be tied up in a nice story with a beginning, middle and an end, and I do enjoy being challenged, but I just found this play to be incomprehensible, with unconvincing and inconsistent characters, and a messy and random narrative. I've read a few reviews of this production since I saw it and people rave about Pinter and how he challenges the audiences, but I'm afraid my main challenge in my first experience of Pinter was how to make it to the end without drifting off.

That's not to say this is a dreadful production, the performances were excellent, especially the very creep and controlled McCann (Keith Dunphy). And the cast and director did a great job in raising the levels of tension in the room, whilst at the same time delivering some very funny moments, I'll certainly never be able to think of the word 'succulent' in the same light again! However, the static and stilted nature of some of the dialogue doesn't really lend itself to the 'in the round' staging, especially when you spend a long period looking at one actors back whilst they are blocking the only other actors in the scene. And the use of the serving hatch was clunky, especially as it required a sprint from the actor from there to stage entrance each time and wasn't visible to a third of the audience. 

Maybe you have to be the right kind of person to 'get' Pinter, and I am not that person it seems. The mystery of the two visitors mildly held my interest until just before the interval, but after that I have to admit I was clock watching and didn't really care where the men were from or what hold they had over Stanley, I was just glad when I could escape back into a slightly more comprehensible world. I don't think I'll be seeking out more Pinter anytime soon!

'My' Manchester Day Parade. 2/6/13

Wow! Another Manchester Day Parade has happened and it was awesome. The crowds seemed bigger than they have ever been, and the amazing creations and enthusiasm from the participants just takes your breath away. Its such a privilege to be part of.

I've spent a lot of my spare time over the last six weeks or so volunteering down at the

Wow Workshop, a space that parade producers Walk The Plank organise for artists, volunteers and community groups to work on their entries. There have been times when I've been incredibly tired juggling work, other commitments like Manchester International Festival volunteering, and family and friends ( who have been somewhat neglected, sorry!) but I wouldn't miss it for the world. I often get asked why I do it, and I don't always give very good answers, so I thought a blog post might help to explain.

I have been volunteering for the Parade since it's inception in 2010. The previous year I had been a volunteer for the Manchester International Festival and loved being part of something arts based, and the buzz of a major event. As part of that I worked as a marshall on a play that was being produced by Walk the Plank and it was a brilliant experience. I was keen to do more events volunteering, and be involved in the arts, and looking for opportunities. Whilst I was on holiday at my cousins house in Australia I was reading the Manchester Evening News website and saw this new parade was going to take place, produced by Walk The Plank, to celebrate Manchester and its people. The article said  they were looking for volunteers to get involved. I signed up there and then, from a hideously hot Perth, and they've never been able to get rid of me since!

So to answer the question why each year I keep coming back, and give an increasing amount of my spare time to the Parade? Well on consideration it's a number of reasons, some purely selfish!

- I get so much satisfaction from creating things, but I don't think of myself as particularly creative, so it's great to work with an artist who has the ideas, can show you the techniques, and then lets you get on and make something. Over the last four years I've worked with quite a few of the artists on different items such as cabbage hats, hooped skirts, rocket ships, huge puppets, ribboned backpacks, comedy sharks, Lancaster bombers - and picked up loads of skills and confidence along the way. And you feel so proud when you see something that you made, even if it is just a tiny part of a structure, in all its glory on parade day. In fact I think my friends get sick of me pointing at pictures and saying 'i made that backpack/shark/crown etc'

- I have worked with and chatted to some amazingly diverse people that I just wouldn't have met in my day to day existence. It has really opened my eyes up to a much wider range of life experiences, and I think it's made me a better and more understanding person as a result. And I've seen how much involvement in the parade gives back to some of the community groups in terms of a sense of pride in what they have been able to create.

- I love ' my' Manchester, and it's brilliant to be part of something that celebrates the people, diversity and energy of my ' home' ( ok , I'm from Stockport, but I consider myself Mancunian!) and gives something back to the city and the communities that live there.

- I've had loads of fun!

This year's parade day was amazing - colourful, energetic and huge! Seeing it all come together is awe inspiring and makes all the hard work worth it. Walking out on to the packed streets of Manchester ( dressed as a giant bucket and spade, I was a last minute stand in and i still have the bruises to prove it) and seeing thousands of smiling faces is a fantastic experience. We had more spectators this year than ever before, and the parade entries just get more ambitious and creative year on year. I don't have many photos of the parade myself yet ( although I did have friends under orders to take them) but there are some great photos online, a couple of good Flickr sites are here and here.

The Manchester Day Parade is a fantastic free event, that gives back so much in terms of the groups and individuals that are involved, the local community, the spectators who attend, and the local businesses who benefit from the additional trade. It is also unique in the way it brings together an incredibly diverse range of people in such a joyous and collaborative way. Long may it, and my involvement in it, continue!

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.