Review: Hedda Gabler, Northern Stage

Audience members are warned about loud gunshots upon entering Northern Stage for the current production of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler; they are also warned, by means of an added subtitle, that ‘this is not a love story’.

 

A bare table and chairs sit in front of large, tarnished mirror panels which reflect and distort the action on-stage. Insistent drums, synthesized squeals and discordant piano announce the entrance of the cast, as maids prepare for the arrival of Jørgen Tesman and his recent bride, Hedda Gabler.

Ed Gaughan gives a wonderful performance as Tesman, the shambling, earnest academic who yearns to satisfy his demanding wife but whose mind is focused firmly on Dutch cottage industries. Victoria Elliott is also strong as Hedda, strutting around in a dressing gown as if at a ball, manipulating her companions as a means of escape from the tedium of married life.

Electric drones and red lights signal the start of ‘rage reveries’ in which Hedda vents her frustration at those around her: Donald McBride’s scheming Judge Brack, Rachel Denning’s nervous Thea Elvsted, the oblivious Tesman and his tiresome devotion to his ageing aunts. It is the return of Tesman’s reformed rival Eilert Lövborg (Scott Turnbull) to the town which gives Hedda her chance: in a world where women are refused control, she plots to take charge of Eilert’s destiny. Equating destruction with the beauty she seeks, she perpetuates his undoing and casts his manuscript into the fire.

Unfortunately, the production comes to a disappointing end when Hedda rises from the dead to heckle the rest of the company, tearing off her corset to reveal the slogan ‘Knowledge is power’. The abrupt ending of Ibsen’s play, where Brack, Tesman and Thea are left in total confusion at Hedda’s brutal suicide, is much more subversive: like Iago, she will never speak a word from that time forth. Neither logic nor insanity can explain her actions.

Hedda Gabbler runs until Wednesday 8^th March. Tickets are available here.

Review: Playing Up 4, Northern Stage

For its fourth installment, Playing Up relocated to Northern Stage for a sold-out performance of seven short plays. It may have been trying to snow outside, but the audience was treated to an infernally hot auditorium. But the play’s the thing…

Jane Pickthall’s ‘Bingo Wings’ came first, in which pious vicar Peter (Richard Gardner) and slightly lascivious bingo caller Graham (Kevin Gibson) compete for the attention of their waning crowds. The performances were slightly hesitant, but the play featured some humorous turns of phrase and drew a good reaction from the crowd.

Patrick Robertson’s ‘Ganymede’ followed, and was the highlight of the evening. Actor Francis (Colin Jeffrey) receives a visit backstage from his friend Gary (a subtly nuanced performance from Alex Blenkey) after a performance of As You Like It, and the two discuss changing views on gender and sexuality from the ‘fluid’ Shakespearean period to a more ‘defined’ modern world. These were interesting characters, well established during this short performance, and I wanted to see more.

From the theatre to the modern office environment: Chris Wilkins’ ‘Cow Juice’ began as a convincing portrait, featuring stand-up meetings and ‘scrums’, but veered close to farce in its later stages. Myopic middle-manager Hurn (Chris Iddon) terrorises his office juniors while attempting to curry favour with his superiors (a convincing performance from Zoe Hakin as Bridget). Wilkins’ ‘Smile!’ was one of the highlights of the previous Playing Up, but at times this play felt like an excuse for the actors to shout and swear. However, the performance generated an enthusiastic response from the audience, and the withering manner in which consumers were defined by their supermarket milk preferences was highly entertaining.

The second half began with Sharon Zucker’s ‘A Moment’, in which Alice (Sara Jo Harrison) celebrates her female attributes (‘Her Breasts’, portrayed by Donna Tonkinson). I had reservations about the premise, but the play turned out to be a moving tale, beginning with a retrospective history of shared experience (Alice’s body developing physically as she progresses emotionally through puberty to adulthood, motherhood, and towards marriage). The play then shifts to a Miami bar, where Alice is faced with difficult choices.

Lewis Cuthbert’s ‘Chad’ featured a committed performance from David Parker as obnoxious former child star Chad Schweizer, star of the ‘Geek-O-Tron’ and ‘Weenies’ series. Perhaps more of a straightforward satire than some of Cuthbert’s earlier work (although given Parker’s Woody Allen-esque delivery, there were still plenty of neuroses on display!) The play’s reliance on pre-recorded voices was a little alienating, but the main character’s frantic dialogue was warmly received. 

Next the evening took an unfortunately ugly turn with Katie Ann Hunter’s ‘Misophonia’: a grotesque piece about a new mother suffering from a fear of certain noises, as well as apparent post-natal depression. This short play led predictably from sleepless nights and domestic arguments to infanticide. A facile piece of writing which did not explore the complex issues involved, opting instead for archetypal characters and distorted wailing noises. I'll stick with Eraserhead.

And finally, modern airport procedures in the post-9/11 era: John Harrison’s ‘Scanners’ allowed the audience to eavesdrop on the egregious jobsworths at a baggage check-in department. I’m sure that anyone who has travelled by air in the last 15 years can relate, although this apparently under-rehearsed piece lost its way when one of the actors forgot their dialogue.

Playing Up 4 benefitted from Northern Stage’s technical support (the sound was noticeably better than at Playing Up 3), but the quality of the writing was variable on this occasion. Perhaps some more time rehearsing would also help matters, but when Playing Up is good, it is very good indeed.

Aladdin Tights

My fiancée and I co-wrote this pantomime with Bill Miller for the Players of Sacred Heart (POSH) which is being performed at Sacred Heart Parish Hall from Thursday 26th January – Saturday 28th January 2017.
My fiancée is directing, and I am producing, peforming and providing the music and sound effects.

The kingdom is ruled by Sultan Jeffrey, who is stark raving mad. His sister, the evil sorceress Jaffa, has been banished to Sunderland, but is plotting her revenge.

Meanwhile, Widow Flash is having a tough time running the city laundrette – and her layabout sons aren’t much help. Aladdin dreams of being a famous actor and marrying the Princess Jinja, and Daz wants to be a magician, but his spells always backfire. When Aladdin finds a magic lamp in the Cave of Wonders, he gets the chance to help his family and marry the fair princess, but as always, things aren’t quite that simple…

Tickets are £5 for adults and £3 for children. Ticket price includes a free glass of wine/orange juice or cup of tea. 

Review: Playing Up 3, The Cluny 2, The Ouseburn

The last time I was at The Cluny 2 in the Ouseburn, it was for an outrageously loud screening of Mogwai’s concert film ‘Burning’ – but this evening’s series of plays was introduced by Radio 2 staples Queen and Dire Straits, and a hastily circulated folder belonging to a certain ‘Captain Cuth’.



‘Playing Up’ is a group of local writers who perform their own work at various venues around Newcastle. You can see their blog here.

‘The Many Adventures of Captain Cuth’ was the evening’s first play. Written and performed by Colin Cuthbert, it is the tale of the world’s first Geordie superhero: the crude but well-intentioned Cuth, who vows to protect the streets from litterers (when he’s finished barfing) and lives in dread of his nemesis, ‘the bastard postman’. Colin’s solo performance featured some impressive switching between characters and some witty turns of phrase – but I do worry about the things he was doing to that poor monkey…

Next came ‘The Price of Coal’, written and directed by Peter Sagar. An interesting premise about trapped miners discussing social change was unfortunately lost in translation: the performance was marred by poor casting and technical problems.

The final play of the first half, The IRIRFYS App, was a greater success. John Faust, a slightly obnoxious everyman, discovers a mysterious app on his phone which promises fixed-term happiness; terms and conditions most definitely apply. The highlight of this piece was David Parker’s scheming Mr. Bub (first name ‘Beelzey’) and his ostentatious cigar: a very entertaining performance.

A brief interval allowed time for an overpriced glass of wine and an overheard conversation about a ‘nacho incident’.

Lewis Cuthbert’s ‘No Response Required’ is a disquieting piece about two brothers, one of whom is mute, living in an abandoned building. Their fading ‘Last Action Hero’ and ‘Games Master’ T-shirts reflect how today’s culture is tomorrow’s refuse. The play really came alive in this performance due to some fine acting from Craig Fairbairn and Johnny Porter, who really captured the transition from affable monologue to wild hysteria. Impressive stuff, but ‘No rest for the Wiccans’.

Sarah Gonnet’s ‘Box’ features an infantile teenager and her dysfunctional parents, and treads similar ground to the film ‘Room’. It was nice to hear Slint’s brooding ‘For Dinner…’ in-between scenes, but the play felt a little unfinished.

Chris Wilkins’ highly entertaining ‘Smile!’ brought the evening to a close. A TV gameshow host is trapped on a train with two members of the public and the world’s most sarcastic train conductor.
This sharply written piece raises interesting questions about the role that entertainment plays in our lives, and was complemented by fantastic performances from all four members of the cast. 'It's Dave. It's edgier'.

Review: King Lear at The People’s Theatre, Heaton

The Excellent Foppery of the World

Friday 15^th March 2013

 

Image: www.peoples-theatre.co.uk/

Nature, reason and mortality are themes explored by Shakespeare’s bleakest tragedy, played out tonight at The People's Theatre on a bare brick stage populated by beggars and scraps of rubbish.

Tony Childs gave a powerhouse performance as Lear, perhaps more convincing as the distraught madman of later scenes than as the blustering monarch at the beginning of the play, but was consistently engaging and line-perfect.

One of the best performances came from Sam Hinton, who was clearly enjoying himself immensely as the thoroughly villainous Edmund, savouring his monologues as if they were rare delicacies. Sarah Scott and Rye Mattick acquitted themselves well as the scheming Regan and Goneril, cackling and strutting the stage like analogues of Disney’s Maleficent.  

Some unfortunate technical glitches affected tonight’s performance, and elsewhere some of the dialogue was a little lost. However, this was compensated for by a committed and well coordinated performance by the ensemble cast.

I did wonder if the modern dinner dress and Joanne Kelly’s female (wise) Fool were intended as a statement on contemporary patriarchal society; the People’s production of Lear, like the best Shakespeare, is the beginning of a discussion.

The final performance of King Lear is at 7.30 pm tonight. For full details, see http://www.peoples-theatre.co.uk/

A Clockwork Orange at The People's Theatre

THIS WEEK!

A Clockwork Orange @ The People's Theatre

Showing from Tuesday 17th May to Saturday 21st May 2011 at the People's Theatre, Heaton, Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Tickets are £10.50 (£8.50 concessions).

I am playing Pete the Droog and Big Jew.