As You Like It - Royal Exchange, Manchester

So after a solid week of theatre you would think I need a rest, but no, its time to return to my favourite theatre, the Royal Exchange for spot of Shakespeare - As You Like It, directed by Greg Hersov.

I was a bit worried that, after a week of one hour plays, three hours of Shakespeare might be a stretch too far for me. However the time whizzed by as I watched this energetic, innovative and refereshing take on the work. Bunny girls, wrestling, audience participation, gorgeous sound and music and a fabulous ensemble cast - what's not to like.

All the cast are excellent in their roles, but special mention goes to Cush Jumbo as Rosalind. I saw her in Pygmalion at the same theatre a while back and she was brilliant then, but in this role she is simply outstanding. The energy and agility she brings to the part is quite breathtaking. I don't know really how to describe it but she simply sparkles on stage. If awards don't follow it will be a complete travesty.

Also deserving plaudits is Ian Bartholemew as Touchstone the clown who delivered an excellent performance throughout, although the highlight for me was towards the end of the play as he got the audience involved, and also managed to make clever reference to the bloke in the front row who had spent the whole play with his head buried in a book (I'm guessing the play text), barely glancing up - this earned a huge round of applause from the rest of the audience - to me it felt incredibly disrespectful to the cast for an audience member to do that, and to his loss he missed some amazing performances as a result.

All in all a wonderful afternoon in the Forest of Arden and I left the theatre with a smile on my face and a great respect for everyone who had been involved in the production, another winner from the Royal Exchange.

24:7 Keep It Simple

Well it seems only appropriate that my last visit to the 2011 24:7 theatre festival should start with a series of 'lasts'.

A last minute phone call (to tell me I had become an Auntie!), led to a late last minute jog across Manchester to the Midland hotel. Arrived with about a minute to spare and raced down to the venue, to find myself in the middle of a conference! Ran back up the stairs to find there had been a last minute change of room and I was the last audience member to arrive. Quick dash up a floor, greeted at the lift doors and escorted to the performance space where they were holding the production for my arrival! At last I sat down, lights dimmed and the performance started!

Today's offering was Keep It Simple by Dick Curran, who wrote last year's excellent Islanders. It was about a family coming together on the eve of the daughter's wedding - the happy couple Sabena and Gawain, bride's mum Kate and her partner the safe and dependable Doug, and bride's dad Ted, an unreliable but charming poet. The main focus is on the interaction between Doug, Ted and Kate over the course of that night and the following morning.

It was an amusing play, with some nicely observed set pieces, and fine performances from the cast, especially Dennis Jobling as Ted and John Sumner as Doug. I particularly related to the part where Doug and Ted were reminiscing about how things had changed since they were young, when you had one phone in the hallway and TV stopped at midnight - which kind of gives away my age bracket! And the initial powerplays between Dad and stepdad were funny, but also very realistic. But as a whole the play didn't quite hang together for me, and certain plot devices felt a little clunky and superfluous. Maybe a few 'tweaks' before taking it further, but it definitely has a life after the festival.

Despite my minor criticisms, it was an enjoyable hour, and a pleasant way to round off my 24:7 experience. Well done to all concerned.

24:7 The Rainbow Connection

Well after all the drama and moral questioning of yesterday I needed a bit of light relief, and that was delivered by today's lunchtime offering, The Rainbow Connection by Joanne Sherryden. Early indications were good (the lady on the bar at the venue told us people had been enjoying it a lot!).

Its a story of two neighbours, Joe (Anthony Crank) and Shelly (Danielle Henry), who become best friends. Both of them are avoiding facing up to something in their lives, but through their developing friendship, and occasional fall-outs, they both find the courage to face their fears and move on.

Its a sweet tale, nicely told, the cast get some great laughs from the audience (the 'morning of shame' being a particular highlight!), but there are also some very touching moments, especially as the background the Joe's accident and his agrophobia become clear. At times I felt the pace could have been stepped up a little, but this is a minor quibble on what was overall a fun and moving show.

24:7 Future Shock

Oh my, I'm still recovering from today's lunchtime offerring as part of the 24:7 festival - Future Shock by Richard Stockwell. Such an intense experience that had me thinking all afternoon.

The play is set in the far future. Laura (Alice Brockway) entered stasis for hundreds of years in order to wait for her lover. However, due to the banks making a mess of the economy (hmm, surely not!) the money has run out and she is woken 100 years too soon. Over the course of the next 48 hours, in her interactions with 'the Nicoletta' (Christine Clare) who is responsible for the facility, and a legal adviser Stampfer (Phil Minns) she has to come to terms with her situation, her 'options', and the world she has woken to.

Its a fascinating concept, excellently explored and realised by the writer and the cast. There are some interesting touches, such as the way that language and society has changed in this 'new' reality, the true value of a life and how we judge what it is to 'live', and what we would do if all those things that make up our life, are suddenly taken from us. Whilst it is set in the far future, it feels very realistic, and the moral questions that Laura raises have a relevance that engages the audience. The final 'choice' that Laura has to make is heartbreaking, and pitched perfectly by the cast. All the performances are great, but Alice Brockway blew me away with the energy and emotion she put into her portrayal of Laura.

Yet another fantastic 24:7 experience!

24:7 The Crimson Retribution

One of the things I love about the 24:7 theatre festival is going along to a play having very little idea as to what to expect, and finding a real treasure. Last year that was Islanders, this year I suspect it will be The Crimson Retribution.

From the get-go this work grabs your attention, mixing cleverly choreographed comic book action, comedy, and a strong and innovative storyline to excellent effect. This is a sharply paced piece, and the cast work incredibly well together. As well an as at times very funny script, there is a lot of cleverly observed but more subtle humour (who knew a comic book hero could drink tea so annoyingly!), and how noone gets hurt during the impressive fight sequences (Kapow! Crunch!) is beyond me.

Its a real tour de force from the cast and its hard to pick anyone out for special praise, but Paul Sockett in the title role (as well as a couple of nicely observed extra characters) was a particular highlight, giving an amazingly focussed and humourous performance, worthy of the best action hero!

This play and its cast deserves the sell outs it is currently playing to, and I sincerely hope it has a life beyond the festival. I would definitely go and see it again

24:7 Steerage

Another day, another play as part of the 24:7 theatre festival. This time I hike over to the Midland Hotel in my lunch hour to see Steerage. Slight wobble as I enter the foyer and have a flashback to the last time I was in this hotel, 24 years old and picking up an exam award, and the awful realisation of how long ago that was!

Anyway, back to the play! I'll steal a bit out of the playbill to explain what it was about "set inside a shipping container it tells the story of ten year old Immy, and her teenage brother Zead, hiding among the cargo. However, the children discover they are not alone. Two strangers, Tamir and Ibrahim, travel alongside them. As Immy faces increasing conflict within the container so she retreats into her own imaginary world"

The room used at the Midland is quite low ceilinged and claustrophobic, but that really works for this production as it feels like you are also hiden in the shipping container observing the unfolding drama. Its an unusual construction, adding haunting music and beautiful puppetry to the mix to depict Immy's inner world. There are some very powerful performances on display, but the one that stays with me the most is Catherine Dowling's depiction of Immy - you believed she was a child, really felt her emotions and as the tension ramped up to a flashpoint I almost wanted to shout out "stop it, can't you see how scared she is". And yet, by the end of the play, she was the most graceful and controlled character on stage.

When I left the performance I was still mulling it all over in my head. Its not perfect, but it is a beautiful and affecting play and I think it will stick with me for a long time.

24:7 The Shadow of Your Hand

So for my second show of the 24:7 festival "The Shadow of Your Hand" by Michael Stuart. A two hander starring Steven Pinder (oooo it's Max Farnham off of Brookside!) and Rosie Fleeshman from the renouned Fleeshman dynasty!

Really interesting play, extremely dark at time, but also very very funny. Steven Pinder plays a blinder as the socially inept advertising executive Steve, and Rosie Fleeshman was very impressive as the mysterious and mesmerising homeless girl he invites in. The play explores power, and how the balance of power can shift in an unexpected fashion.

From what I saw of the play, it was a clever piece of writing excellently performed. However, the venue (Sachas Hotel) quite frankly sucks! There was no raised stage, and a lot of the action takes place when the characters are either sitting down or on the floor, so despite being only three rows back, I spent large portions of the play basically listening to a play rather than getting the full benefit of the performances. And that was a real pity because when I could see then both actors excelled in their roles. I would actually love to see it again with an uninterupted view to properly experience the play. Rosie Fleeshman in particular, gave a well judged and unsettling performance, and is definitely following in the family footsteps.

So in summary play and performances 9/10, venue (lack of sight lines, water dripping through roof, icky damp smell 2/10)!