2017 Round Up

2017 was another year of broken blog resolutions. Many shows seen, many shows not written up. Anyone looking at the blog would think I’d had a light theatre year, but no it was just life getting in the way of writing about the shows I saw. Here is the full (I think) list of what theatrical shenanigans got up to in 2017 with links to the actual blogs I got round to writing

January

• Sweet Charity, Royal Exchange Theatre – fun show and Kaisa Hammarlund was an amazing Charity

February

• Everyone’s Talking About Jaime, Sheffield Crucible – this new musical is amazing, you laugh, cry and dance. It’s now open in the West End, winning awards by the bucket load and is a must see. I’ve already seen it once in London and I will go again!
• The House of Bernard Alba, Royal Exchange Theatre – interesting and inclusive production from Graeae Theatre Company whose work looks to break down barriers, challenge preconceptions and open up opportunities for disabled artists

March

 

• The Suppliant Women, Royal Exchange Theatre – fantastic use of a community cast and chorus to deliver a mesmerising and memorable new version of an ancient Greek tale.

April

• London jaunt to see two shows that I actually wrote about – the ridiculously glitzy 42^nd Street and the joyful Half a Sixpence

May

• Twelfth Night, Royal Exchange Theatre – great cast. I especially enjoyed Kate O’Donnell as Feste.

June

• Persuasion, Royal Exchange Theatre – modern and fun take on the tale. There was even a foam party! A few of the audience seemed to be expecting something a little more traditional, but I loved it and thought it was really accessible. I’ve since read the book and the play was actually really true to it.

July

• Fatherland, Royal Exchange Theatre as part of the Manchester International Festival. Really interesting and moving production exploring the father / son dynamic. The movement aspect was very striking.
•  Welcoming Party at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry – which I worked on as a volunteer. Truly wonderful show and a great thing to be part of.

August

• We Were Told there Was Dancing – really amazing site specific work by the Royal Exchange’s young company which took place in the partially disused space beneath the Royal Exchange building. They took us on a figurative and literal journey looking at changing attitudes to gay rights and we experienced very moving tales of love, discrimination, violence and heartbreak which ended on a hopeful note. 

September

• Lovely revival of Pippin at the gorgeous Hope Mill Theatre
• Daniel Kitson’s latest magical creation Something Other Than Everything at the Royal Exchange. It’s hard to describe how amazing Kitson’s shows are. He’s a totally masterful storyteller who observes the minute detail in life and weaves seemingly disconnected observations into a wonderful whole. Two hours of a man, a microphone and a brew and possibly one of the best things I have ever seen in the theatre.
• A visit to the Norfolk Coast on holiday gave me chance to visit the good old Cromer Pier Show – proper traditional variety in the last remaining end of the pier show. It’s been going 40 years, I’ve seen it quite a few times over the years, (even saw Bradley Walsh in it many years ago when he was a young comedian) and I hope it carries on for many more years. Just up the coast is the Sheringham Little Theatre which every summer hosts proper Rep, probably one of the last places that does. We were there at the end of the season and saw a great show called Noel and Gertie, a mixture of song and comedy telling the story of the friendship of Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence.
• Not a theatre show, but a theatre trip – as part of a birthday gift from my parents I went on a fascinating back stage tour of the beautiful Buxton Opera House. Incredible value, £10 for a really detailed and interesting insight into the theatre and its history.
• Our Town at the Royal Exchange was an interesting beast. The first two acts seemed to be full of slow and inconsequential detail, and then the last act pulled it all together in quite heart breaking fashion. I loved the interesting staging too, with part of the audience mingled with the cast.

October

• Armistead Maupin in conversation at the Royal Northern College of Music. My favourite author, I can read his Tales of the City books again and again, they feel like family, and he was just as warm and engaging as I expected him to be.
• Parliament Square at the Royal Exchange was a simply staged but incredibly powerful production that had me virtually holding my breath at times. A definite stand out of my theatre year.

November

• Jubilee at the Royal Exchange which didn’t fully win me over if I’m honest
• An American in Paris at the Dominion in London. Much more complex and balletic production than I was expecting and really quite beautiful.
• Follies at the National Theatre which was simply fantastic. Amazing cast, brilliant staging and set, just wonderful.
• I also did a backstage tour at the National. You have to book these in advance, tickets go on sale about six weeks before, but it’s really worth it. A good two hours with a great guide seeing everything from front of house to workshops.
• Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre. Third time I’ve seen this, I make no apologies. It’s funny, touching, cleverly written and the cast are great. Plus it’s one of the few Sunday shows in London and a nice way to round off a trip. 

December

•  Beautiful the Carole King Musical at the Palace Theatre. Whilst it was a bit of a whistle stop tour of the song writing of King and her contemporaries, and didn’t dwell as much as it could have done on the emotional side of her story, this was a great show that highlighted what an incredible body of work she has been responsible for and Bronte Barbie in the lead role was an absolute powerhouse.

• Wizard of Oz at Sheffield Crucible was a great seasonal treat with an amazing set, imaginative casting and clever staging. Thoroughly enjoyable.
• And finally, Guys and Dolls at the Royal Exchange. Great show, well casted and felt fresh and energetic. Loved it.

The Almighty Sometimes, 24/2/18, Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester

This production at the Royal Exchange is a world premiere of a play that won a Judges award at the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. Written by Kendall Feaver it proves a powerful exploration of some of the issues associated with the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in young people. Whilst that sounds somewhat dark, and there are very moving scenes and complex issues explored, the play is also at times very witty and the characters are interesting, believable and excellently portrayed.

Anna (Norah Lopez Holden) was diagnosed as a seven year old and has been medicated since, but as she enters adulthood she begins to question her treatment and the motives of those who care for her. Looking back at some of the writing she produced as a child, with its powerful imagery and disturbing themes, she is keen to explore her talents and suspects that the drugs inhibit her imagination and what it is to be her.

Mother Renee (Julie Hesmondhalgh) has fought fiercely to protect and get treatment for her daughter, and struggles with Anna’s desire to take control of her own choices. New boyfriend Oliver (Mike Noble) falls for her bravery, originality and randomness, but then finds it difficult to deal with both her manic behaviour and Renee’s desire to bring him onto her ‘team’ to protect Anna.

And then there is psychiatrist Vivienne, who has been treating Anna since childhood but also used her story to further her own reputation, calling into question whether care for Anna was always her primary driver, as she has proved a fascinating case study.

It’s a well-constructed piece, heart-breaking at times but with a wit and spirit that runs through the story. It highlights the complexities of diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and how much we really don’t yet know. One of the most thought provoking exchanges for me was when Renee, beginning to question whether the treatment she fought so hard for was the right thing is told by Vivienne that the drugs they used to potentially save Anna will have changed her for ever, so there is no way they can rewind the clock and try again.

Performances from all are excellent but Norah Lopez Holden blew me away with her agility as an actress and the depth she was able to bring to this complex character. You totally connected with her, making her journey during the play so moving and compelling.

I thought this was an excellent piece of work and a pity it had such a short run on the main stage at the Exchange, but hopefully it will have a life ‘beyond the pod’ as it deserves to be seen, and discussed, more widely.

The Prince and the Porpoise, Didsbury Players, 27/1/18

So the Christmas revelry is over and its time to get serious I guess. (Oh no it isn't, oh yes it is) But not before a bit of seasonal silliness with the Didsbury Players with their Original ( and quite unique!) pantomime The Prince and the Porpoise.

Written by one of their merry band of players, Jon Martin, the panto is the tale of  evil ( and very orange) Businessman Donald Trout's plans to make Pantoland great again by tearing down the woods where Jane and Mal live with their evil Stepmother Mother May, who one suspects may have been having a special relationship with the tangoed terror. As well as getting a helping (tiny) hand from May, Trout has bewitched the people of Pantoland turning them into his Zombie Porpoise Army. Only Prince Dashing, and love of course, can save the day! 

With more marine based puns, than you can shake a fish stick at, some very groanable ( in a good way) one liners, clever modern references ( including some very topical references, one particular line of Trump's ( ooops sorry Trout's) having been inspired by the previous day's news) , lots of singing, dancing and general silliness this was a fun and at times surreal way to spend an evening.

The players were clearly having a great and it was infectious. They made the most of having some great singers in the cast, showcasing their talents in some lively numbers with fun choreography.  There were plenty of laughs and lots of the traditional panto shenanigans were present, allowing plenty of opportunity for boos, cheers, oh no's, and trumpet fanfares from the audience. 

Jonathan Robertson as Trout somewhat stole the show with his excellent and very funny performance. Memorable though he was, my abiding memory of the show has be the Zombie Porpoise dance troupe. Let's face it, you haven't lived until you have seen a singing Porpoise leading a Porpoise Army in a full on Abba routine. Or our marine friends dancing to Donald singing Michael Jackson's hit Bad. Quite surreal but totally hilarious.

#hakenews this isn't. This panto was a shoal lot of fun and left me giddy as a kipper.

Jubilee, Royal Exchange Manchester 11/11/17

I’ve never seen the 1977 film Jubilee, on which this production is based, so I had no preconceptions of what I was about to experience. OK when I say that, having received two warnings from the theatre that this performance was not for the faint hearted, I did feel that the pre publicity might be trying a little too hard, but I did go with an open mind.

Let’s start with the positives. There are some fantastic performances in this production. Travis Alabanza, as our ‘narrator’ Amyl Nitrate has an amazingly charismatic command of the stage. Rose Wardlaw as Crabs and Sophie Stone as Bod are also very impressive complex characterisations, beautifully realised. And it was great to see Yandass Ndlovu, who I saw with Flex-N as part of the Manchester International Festival in 2015 (a totally stunning show) give a great performance in a central role. Oh yes, and Toyah Willcox is in it too, something that has been heavily publicised, although her role is very much on the periphery of the action, observing the rebellion, disorder, desires and chaos below.

The show has some powerful themes, that feel very relevant to our time, and the script incorporates some nicely acerbic modern references. Despite some of their actions, you care about the characters and their fates. And there are a few set pieces that are fantastic, particularly in the second act.

However, this show never felt like it really lived up to the sum of its parts for me. The first act sets out to shock, but seems to try a bit too hard. It’s overlong, there’s no real strong narrative and I began to lose interest. At the start of the second act it’s pretty obvious that some of the audience have left, in fact the performance makes a thing of it, congratulating itself on the type of people that just can’t take their reality. Whilst I enjoyed this act two kick off, I was also a little cynical, as I can imagine that many of the ‘escapees’ were, as I was, not shocked in Act One, but honestly, a bit bored and not convinced the rest of the performance was worth their time. I’ve always been a one to stick it out however, and Act Two was livelier, more meaningful and went some way towards pulling the whole thing together.

I have seen some great reviews for this show, and people raving about it on social media. With all the buzz and the warnings I was very interested to see what this show delivered. Would it be controversial, challenging and stimulating, or would it be a teeny but self indulgent.  Whilst it contained great performances and moments of brilliance, it did veer towards the latter for me and I left a bit disappointed. However, the excellent programme notes helped me to understand its intent and origins more.

This production will be transferring to the Lyric in Hammersmith in February (Angel and Sphinx might want to take their big coats, it gets quite parky in February!!)