Sleeping Beauty Panto @ Darlington Civic

Is it really legal to have this much fun ?

Pantos are all about fun, good ol' fashioned, silly and daft fun, and this one is one of the very best I've seen, ever.  The production is top notch with a fab choice of music, great dance routines, wonderful costumes and a superb fantasy set.  The cast clearly enjoy what they are doing and revel in the freedom that Panto gives them - so what if they get a fit of the giggles, we were all in howls of laughter anyway and even more so when it's obvious that they are enjoying it just as much. 

The knowing winks to the adult members of the audience let us know that we're all here for the fun and that's what makes it so engaging, so inclusive.  The kids, of course, love the staple fayre of "He's behind you", "Oh yes you are" and booing the villain, while us 'grown ups' are given double entendres,  music hall jokes and, for the dads, plenty of the gorgeous Ms Lusardi playing a deliciously evil fairy that prompts a flashbacks to my early teenage years.  (Don't worry girls, I have it on good authority that Will Tudor as Prince William is great eye candy for you). Added into this maelstrom of merriment is Philip Hitchcock as King Stephan - a very, very accomplished magician who wow'ed us all with some stunning illusions.

Zoe Birkett as the titular Princess lives up perfectly to her character's name, Philip Meeks as Nurse Dolly is outrageously camp and butch at the same time while Sam Kane as Oddjob, and Andy Jones as Muddles provide the madcap double act which at times made it hard to keep breathing through all the laughter.

Leave your inhibitions at the door, tightly wrap up your ribs so they don't burst and make sure you've been to the toilet before the show begins, you don't want any involuntary accidents happening (especially during the "12 days of Christmas")

There's no better way to start your Christmas season and if everything else is as fun & happy as this show then we're all in for the best Christmas ever.

Sleeping Beauty is on at Darlington Civic until Sun 20th Jan with most days having 2 shows - tickets from the box office.

Finally - a big thank you to the staff at Darlington Civic - this wonderful theatre is a crowning jewel in the North East arts & culture landscape and it is down to the staff who create such a unique theatre-going experience that it is loved and treasured.

Sleeping Beauty Panto @ Durham Gala

They say that fortune favours the brave, well, after watching this festive feast, Fortune,  Steve Fortune that is, favoured us all. 

The story of Sleeping Beauty is well known as one of the more traditional panto favourites - plenty of scope for beautiful princesses, wicked wizards, helpful fairies and of course a panto dame.  In an age where kids' imaginations are grabbed by Harry Potter, Transformers and a whole host of TV wizardry, I feared that the annual stage-set story telling would fall between the CGI cracks but my fears were completely misplaced.  What the production team at Durham Gala have done is to bring the story and it's portrayal right up to date. The set designs are vibrant and deep, the choreography is very 'street' and the cast are very much in tune with their audience.   I won't spoil the very special effects save to say they drew gasps from the audience,young and old, but this is very much a panto for the modern day audience.

Of course, panto wouldn't be panto without the usual audience participation - "Oh yes it would" - and the Gala at Durham is possibly the best venue in the north east for bringing audience and performers together. The proximity of the seats to the stage, the fact that the orchestra is sat up high to the side and the perfect sight lines mean every person was close enough to see, hear and on many occasions feel the action (they could even mark the first 8 rows as a designated 'splash zone').  The cast, in particular Dame Miriam and Silly Billy use this perfectly, and keep the feeling of inclusion and participation going right to the end.

Talking of Dame Miriam, Steve Fortune is simply fantastic - he knows how to deliver not just double entendres but triple and quadruple ones - the kids love his wacky outfits, the mum's envy his 'womanly' strength and the men just marvel at how he manages to dance in 'those' heels. Played with much more burlesque than camp, Steve and his/her son Silly Billy (played to big kid perfection by Paul Hartley) are the perfect counterfoil to the evil wickedness of Wizard Scorchard (Neil Armstrong) and his minions.

Pantos are all about family fun and this show delivers it in buckets, literally buckets.  If you haven't got your tickets yet, get them now and treat yourself to a fab night out - you know you want to......Oh yes you do !!

Haunting Julia @ Darlington Civic

Winter is a traditional time for ghost stories; the dark nights, howling winds, driving rain all create an atmosphere of doom and despair which the best Gothic writers manage to draw into their tales of apparitions and unsettled souls.  Billed by many as an alternative to The Woman in Black, the marketing for Alan Ayckbourn's Haunting Julia promises to send chills and shivers down the collective spines of the audience but if you come along expecting a shock and jump fest then you are going to be very surprised indeed.

Set in a memorial music studio-come-mausoleum and starring just 3 characters (Joe - Julia's father, Andy - Julia's ex boyfriend and Ken - a psychic), Haunting Julia tells the story of how a child prodigy grows up under the constant pressure of parental pride, the inability to allow herself to act 'normally'and her subsequent suicide, driven in part by the abject realisation that maybe she could be a musical genius or a normal young lady but not both.

From the opening lines it is clear who wrote this play - the intricate word play, the everyday characters and the soul searching monologues all demonstrate Ayckbourn's trademark framework which, for fans of his work, is grounded in the suburban mundane of 'Any Street, Every Town', but it is here that some of the magic, the mystery and the menace of a ghost story is lost.  The characters are almost too well written, their stories leave nothing to be explored by the audience and as such there is no real threat felt which one would normally associate with a thriller. At the same time, there is a lack of plausibility in the circumstances surrounding how these three men come to be 're-united' after 12 years of no contact.  

Ayckbourn himself stated that Haunting Julia was a psychological ghost story but really the ghost and the haunting play second fiddle to the story of how misplaced parental pride (both in the child's ability and in the parent's inability to let nature happen) can create deeper and more profound harm than non-acceptance ever could. It is more a study of grief and guilt than of ghosts and ghouls.

At times you have to suspend belief around the interaction of the characters and the holes in the story otherwise you could find yourself pontificating over the timelines of events and over-analysing the characters motives (why would Andy agree to return 12 years later and spend time with Joe despite them never meeting while Julia was alive?).  The sound effects and visual set work well to draw the audience in and the finale is certainly not an anti-climax but again, this is not a thriller ghost story and so should be viewed as a play into the insight of human emotions, not spooks and scares.  Think of it as a theme park ride with a long and detailed pre-ride build up as you meander round the queue, up the steps and into the car.  Then you're off on the ride before suddenly, you're back outside, heart-rate a little raised but safe and sound.  

For fans of Alan Ayckbourn this is another great play, full of the witty one liners, northern humour and dry observations; for those of a nervous disposition fear not, your sleep will not be disturbed.

Handel's Messiah by Darlington Choral Society @ Darlington Dolphin Centre

Following on from our recent forays into more cultural performances which included Northern Opera's Faust, Jess and I forwent the Saturday TV offerings of X-Factor and Jungle shenanigans and plumped instead for Darlington Choral Society's rendition of Handel's most impressive works - The Messiah.

Staged in the Great Hall at Darlington's Dolphin Centre, the scene was set with an impressive chorus gallery, a substantial orchestra (Handel designed his Messiah to be very flexible in terms of musical accompaniment) and four leads who are well known and renowned throughout the North East.

For those who are unfamiliar with the full works, Handel wrote this in only 24 days, yet his almost constant rewriting and rearranging means it is doubtful whether he actually lived to hear his 'perfect' version performed.  In the Christian tradition, the figure of the "Messiah" or redeemer is identified with the person of Jesus, known by his followers as the Christ. Handel's Messiah has been described as a commentary on [Jesus Christ's] Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension, beginning with God's promises as spoken by the prophets and ending with Christ's glorification in heaven.   The singers in the Messiah do not assume dramatic roles as they would in a traditional opera, in fact Handel wrote this with no intention to dramatise the life and teachings of Jesus Christ but more to proclaim the mystery of Godliness.  To this end, the lead performers have perhaps the hardest tasks; they must portray the awe-inspiring essence of the text being sung without a character in which to ground their delivery.

The acoustics in the great hall were surprisingly good, especially when you consider this is not a purpose built theatrical arena.  There is no natural stage and the audience sit flat to the performers (who were afforded a few feet of elevation with a small platform) yet the sound was clear, carried perfectly to the rear of the hall and, when needed, filled the huge ceiling perfectly.

Throughout many of his compositions, Handel loved to exaggerate the differences between the sopranos and the tenors/bass; he regularly used this to give his works depth and illustrate conflicts between opposing views and this is very clearly seen in his Messiah - pre and post birth, old and new beliefs, evangelists and non-believers are all given their own parts to play.

Rachel Orr and Marie Elliott as Soprano and Mezzo Soprano delivered the most beautiful of arias which cut through the night air like the most elegant of crystal glass being drawn by a whetted finger - closing ones eyes transported you back to the late 1700's, sat in a guild hall with the nations finest of dignitaries, breath held and hearts stilled as if waiting for the bestowing of manna from heaven.  Their performances dutifully delivered the evangelistic proclamations of His followers with angel's voices rejoicing greatly.

Tyler Clark and Arthur Berwick, as Tenor and Bass, were thus left to counter the ladys' unbridled optimism with the more threatening side of Him reserved for the non-believers and scorners.  The richness of their voices seemed to seep into the panelled walls as though their vocal chords were made of honeyed oak and yet they were both able to maintain the undercurrent of threat needed to portray the fear of complete power He holds.  It's safe to say that Handel really knew how to put his male parts through the performing mill - in particular his aria's written for bass regularly take one single phrase and demand 5 minutes of total vocal gymnastics which, without a character profile and no on stage acting means the performer is left naked save for his voice.

Of course, no performance of Handel's Messiah is complete without the chorus, used in the main to highlight the collective voice of the people as they begin to evangelise His coming and most memorably for the Hallelujah Chorus at the end of act 2.  There were approximately 50 people in the choir for this performance but at times the power and majesty of their delivery suggested hundreds.  The tapestry of sound which was woven by their fabulous voices is testament to the musical direction of Richard Bloodworth who cleverly positioned and directed the choir into performing multiple layers of delivery which all combined to create an enveloping blanket of sound.

Handel composed his Messiah in 1741 at a time very different from now but listening to Darlington Choral Society's performance last night was like stepping into a time capsule and being transported to the back of an 18th century Royal Palace .  Wonderful !

Soul Sister @ Darlington Civic

Like many people born in the 70's I didn't really know a lot about Tina Turner until she hit the charts in 1983 with "Lets stay together", quickly followed by "What's love got to do with it" and, later, my personal favourite "Simply the Best" (used for a few seasons as Newcastle United's entrance tune).  I was aware that she had been around for a while before that but it wasn't until more recently that I came across her back catalogue of hits including "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Proud Mary" so this was a great opportunity to learn much more about the "Private Dancer".

This show plays as Anna's life story, Tina was the stage name given to her by Ike Turner when they first started touring; the opening scene is set in 1983 backstage at her comeback performance before taking the audience back to her very first years as a singer in her fathers baptist church.  We follow her first encounters with Ike, the subsequent successes of their review shows (not to mention cross over success from R&B to mainstream pop charts) and then the descent into domestic abuse, separation and near financial ruin - when Tina left Ike mid tour he instructed all the venues to sue her personally leaving her penniless and destitute. 

Rochelle Neil plays the title role (unfortunately, the billed star, Emi Wokoma, about whom many rave reviews have been written, has suffered for the past week with a sore throat and was unable to perform) and, without a comparison to be made, I can safely say that if Emi is heralded as the 2nd best Tina Turner in the world then we were treated to the 3rd best.  Rochelle brought an innocence and small town naivety to the role coupled with a love for Ike that was heartbreaking to watch, especially as she endured his manic drug-fuelled episodes of doubt, guilt and violence.  Of course, playing Tina Turner needs a voice to match and Rochelle has that in abundance - at times she was soft, warm with a little throaty growl like a bedtime cup of cocoa spiked with a shot of bourbon, at others she would belt out so strong I swear the skylight windows rattled.

Chris Tummings, playing Ike, was wonderful too; egocentric, single minded, pig headed and with a chip on his shoulder that would sink a battleship, he portrayed Ike as a tormented musical maestro who just couldn't make peace with himself, or anyone else.  His descent into drugs, women and abuse was handled perfectly, never shirking the impact but never glorifying the shock value either.  Always the sign of great acting, even though you knew you should hate him you just couldn't help feeling sympathy for him too.

Bringing the story back to the 80's revival performance, Rochelle leads the cast on a finale of hits including a sultry cover of "I can't stand the Rain" which had the whole auditorium on its feet

The production of this show, and in particular the use of huge sliding panels to effect the scene changes and video monologues, help to keep the story moving along at a brisk pace; of course the music is key but this never felt like a jukebox musical or simply a vehicle to play out the back catalogue - the songs all added to the journey.

Whether you know Tina Turner's songs or not, deep down this is a tragic love story played out to a great soundtrack and performed by a wonderful cast - it is "Smply the Best"

Faust @ Theatre Royal Newcastle

The story of Faust is well known the world over, even giving rise to the term "making a Faustian Pact" but until now I had not had the opportunity to watch in full the theatrical works which gives this social commentary its gravitas.

Whilst the original work is very gothic and medieval in both setting and context this production has been brought right up to date, featuring the presidential elections in modern day France and the life consuming challenges of the stock market.

We first meet Dr Faust (Peter Auty) as a failing stockbroker who, through both mid-life crisis and depressed markets finds himself stood, quite litterally, on the edge of life.  In calling out for some sign of faith or hope he finds himself not finding God but making a pact with Mephisto (James Creswell).  In return for his soul he shall have youth, vitality and the love of a beautiful young woman (Juanita Lascarro) but as with all deals, if it looks to good to be true, then it generally is.

This three hour show is a masterpiece of powerful music (arguably Gounods finest work), stunning performances and a masterful set (using huge sliding panels onto which surreal images of the stock market trading displays, Faust's tortured soul and the depths of despair were projected).  Sung totally in French, there were, for the less educated (of which I am happy to include myself) two screens in the stage side boxes displaying subtitles.  Whilst this was very helpful, the nature of the opera being delivered (which much repetition of phrases) meant there were many occasions where the screens remained blank despite the continued singing of the leads.

I applaud the attempt to bring the story into the modern age, but at times it felt that this was done to the detriment of the flow of events; one never really felt as though we were being immersed in the story but instead were having separate acts performed to us.  There was no real feeling of menace from Mephisto to Faust, his 'pact' seemed more of a business agreement than the selling of his soul.  Likewise Fuast seemed to have little hesitation in making this deal, there was little deliberation over the terms and no moralising over the decision. 

The focus of Faust's affections, Margerite, was portrayed as the virginal sister of Valentin, a

right wing presidential candidate standing on pro-life and the anti abortion campaign.  The first half of the performance (2 hours) made a great deal about Valentin's political crusade without any discernible reason apparent, not until the third act when Margerite was found to be pregnant and thus shunned by her brother, but by this time the seeds of confusion not only been sold, but had taken root and started to flower.  Again, the desire to modernise the story felt like it was trying to be too clever; it almost like there was one big 'in-joke' and those not included were left to try and work it out on their own. 

Despite the obtuse storytelling the lead performances were excellent and the music stirring; for my first foray into Faust it has left me wanting more, but I like my devil to be magnificently malevolent, my victims to be tortured souls and my innocents to be distraught and destroyed.

Bouncers @ Darlington Civic

Take 4 actors, already brilliant in their own careers and add to them the witty, insightful and hilarious writing of one of this country's best playwrights and what do you get - one of the funniest shows seen at Darlington Civic in years.

Bouncers takes us on a voyeuristic journey through the seedy nightlife of Britain's club culture as told by 4 doormen.  If you've ever wondered what these bastions of the entry queue get up to on a quiet night, or how they unwind after a heavy Saturday shift then this show lifts the lid on the toilet humour and lets you gaze down into the dirty water.

The fore-mentioned doormen make up one third of the clubbing collective, the others being a group of 4 guys out on the pull and 4 girls who are done up, clubbed up and p... well, out having a few end of week drinks.  The genius comes from the fact that all parts are played by just the 4 men, dressed in eponymous bouncer uniform of black suit, black vest and shades with only a white handbag each as prop as they don their feminine alter-egos.

Meet giggly girls and lads on the make as they prepare for their big night out. Later in the tatty, glitzy glamour and flashing lights of the nightclub follow their progress to the disco floor where an entire cross-section of disco-goers including lip-sticked, lacquered girls, and over indulged slobs gyrate to the pulsating beat.  And as Friday night gives way to Saturday morning the ever watchful, ever ready, ever observant ........... BOUNCERS take it all in. Slow dances, snogging, late night kebabs it’s all there. A journey through one of those nights that everyone has had and most would like to forget.

Told almost like 4 intertwined monologues, the humour is only punctuated for one of Lucky Eric's speeches which serve to unveil the seedier underbelly of the club scene.  This play appeals to anyone who has ever been to a club, pub or anywhere else on a Friday/Saturday night in town.  We have all seen the characters; we may even have been them on some nights (although we may not like to admit it!).

Delivering the tri-factor of nightly insight are Ace Bhatti, Don Gilet, William Ilkley and Ian

Reddington - familiar names and even more familiar faces.  Each has their own unique take on being a bouncer, a boozed up clubber and, funniest of all, a tipsy party girl looking for a free pizza and a quick kiss. 

Voted one of the greatest plays of the 20th century by the National Theatre, Bouncers has been winning awards for the past 20 years and will continue to do so for the next 20 years, after all, as each generation finds its way to the night club the Bouncers will be there waiting.

Grab your tickets now and enjoy the funniest show on the circuit, just be warned, you may recognise yourself up on stage.

Blood Brothers @ Darlington Civic 2012

First things first - apart from watching Becca's school drama abridged version of this modern masterpiece reviewed previously I have never seen Blood Brothers.  Sure, I know the story and, having ran lines with my eldest for 3 months, I had a pretty good idea of most of the dialogue, but this was scant preparation for the completely immersive way in which the cast & production team take you on the life journey of the Johnstone twins. 

Right from the beginning, the characters were real, as large as life and utterly believable.  There was no time, nor was there any need for time, to grow into the story as from 1st curtain we were in Liverpool in the 60's.  The accents, the scenery, the brilliant cast and I swear I could smell and taste coal fire smoke and street dust.  It was a "feet-up and let the story take you" type of show, one which is sadly all too rare now as theatre (and especially long running theatre) often tries too hard to be clever.

The part of the narrator was missing in my only previous experience of Willy Russell's masterpiece so I was intrigued to watch Marti Pellow and his portrayal of the 'devil on the shoulder' role. He was wonderful, a sinister mix of malevolent story teller and future-wise soothsayer.  His omnipresence lent an eery subtext to the whole story, as if watching everything in a 'told you so' hindsight which stoked the feelings of pending doom and prepared the watcher for the tragic ending.

The cast, especially those playing Mickey (James Templeton), Eddie (Jorden Bird) and Linda (Olivia Sloyan ) were truly believable as snotty-nose, fun loving kids complete with the simple innocence of make believe horses, gun fights and target practice.  In fact, it never occurred whilst watching the story unfold that it was the same actors who then moved through adolescence and into adulthood, it was simply Mickey, Eddie and Linda as they grew up. 

The story's heart rendering ending is as well known as the twist at the end of the Sixth Sense; everyone I know who has seen this play seems to like to confess to shedding a tear, so I was quite dubious as to how something so obvious and expected can provoke such a response, boy was I wrong.  I have not witnessed such sheer raw and visible emotion from a leading lady before;  Niki Evans as Mrs Johnstone was just mesmerising, hypnotic and I could feel myself rapidly joining the aforementioned group of "I cried at the end of Blood Brothers".  It was clear that  Niki puts a helluva lot of emotion into her performance, it was only on the 4th and 5th curtain call that she seemed able to lift the tearful veil and start to smile again.

The audience love this show, there was a full house at the start and a full house standing ovation at the end and I have to admit, it gave me goosebumps.  If you have yet to see Blood Brothers then tickets are still available, get your seat, get your hankies and get ready to join the "I cried at the end...." club.

Footloose by Darlington Operatic Society

"Let's hear it for the boys....and girls"

As a child of the 70's my early teenage years were filled with the Brat Pack style 80's movies - St Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink,  Stand By Me (I can't add Top Gun into that list, never seen it!) and of course Footloose.  The soundtrack was huge, the rebellious lead was instantly identifiable and the feel-good ending meant no matter what was going in life, you could escape for 2 hours and emerge feeling better (for a while at least).  Life seemed simpler, more black & white, more good & bad than it does now so it's great timing that we get to go back to mid America and relive some good ol' happy memories.

The story goes like this: 

When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the adjustment to his new high school. What he isn't prepared for are the local laws - including a ban on dancing - which are the brainchild of a local preacher bent on exercising control over the town's youths. When the Reverend's rebellious daughter Ariel sets her heart on Ren, her muscle head boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren's reputation and with many of the locals so eager to believe the worst about the new kid, Ren has to prove to the preacher, the school and the whole town that dancing is something to enjoy and share.

Amazingly, the premise for the story is based on fact - a small town in Oklahoma had banned dancing for 80 years until a campaign by a local school class had the rule repealed.

Ren, wonderfully played by Nick Holmes, is the epitome of adolescent frustrations, still believing he can change the world and yet to experience any good reasons why he shouldn't.  The previous freedom he enjoyed whilst in Chicago gives way to the stifling small town rules, brilliantly portrayed in the song "Somebody's eyes".  Nick does a great job of treading the fine line between Ren's well intentioned but frustrated 'outsider' view and coming on too strong which would have undermined the still existent 'respect for y00our elders' culture of mid America.

Ariel, the feisty preacher's daughter, was originally played in the movie by Lori Singer but I always found this a little too contrived (what with her smouldering eyes and legs that just kept going on & on she was more the prom queen type of gal than the preacher's daughter).  Likewise, in the movie, Ariel looks old enough to be soon moving away from home thus removing the conflict between her & her father - Ariel needs to be younger, more innocent but with still a bit of dare and a lot of sass, and in being so the relationship between the preacher and his little girl is all the more important to be saved.  With this in mind Beth Stobbart simply nails it- Beth brings all the believability to Ariel that is needed to help the audience connect, not just with her character but also the preacher, plus she's got a great voice too.  Looking mighty purty in her foxy red boots she dominates each scene she's in and plays the perfect counterfoil to the ever impressive Julian Cound as her reverend father. 

There are also great performances from Claire Wilmer as Rusty and Ben Connor as Willard, the love shy couple who, once Ren teaches Willard to dance, are never out of each others arms (or off the dance floor).  Also of note is Rob McDougal, Ariel's meat-head mechanic boyfriend who brings the stereotypical menace akin to Biff from the Back to the Future films.

As expected from a musical there are great songs throughout the show; the big ones from the film went on to have chart success including "Let's hear it for the boy", "Holding out for a hero", "Almost paradise" and of course "Footloose" immediately spring to mind, but for me, the best number by far was Samantha Morrison (as preacher's wife Vi) singing "Can you find it in your heart?".  Samantha gives a heart rendering delivery as a devoted wife seeing her husband drift away without him realising anything has changed - there were a few sniffles and much searching for tissues in the audience around me after that one.

The stage show has brought a few areas of the story up to date but still retains it's mid American small town charms & prejudices.  What was wonderful to see was the number of young people in the audience, I was sat behind a group of children and dancers who had come together from Melsonby - all were still of junior school age so there's no way they would have seen the movie first time round but they all loved the show, the dancing, the songs. Given that there are one or two rather 'risque' snapshots ("...so just what do you do around here for excitement ?") I bet that a few of their mum's would be fielding some strange questions last night too.

The group dancing scenes, including the square dance at the C & W hall and the finale are a fitting testament to the hours and hours of dedication put into rehearsals- it is all too easy to forget that these performers are not full time dancers, they have lives outside of Footloose although I bet many have forgotten that over these past 5 months.

As with all Darlington Operatic Society productions, this is a masterful presentation of high energy, tight choreography and brilliant singing. Again the whole production team need to take their rightful and well deserved applause - Lets' hear it for the boys and girls of DOS.

Great Expectations @ Darlington Civic

Deeply and darkly delicious

It was a dark night; rain was brooding, the last vestiges of summer had been swept away by the cold north breeze while curtains were pulled tight to keep the night out and the warmth in.  It might sound like the start of a gothic horror but it was actually the weather in Darlington as we ventured to the Civic to watch Jo Clifford's adaptation of the classic Dickens tale, Great Expectations.  It seemed very fitting that it was such a bleak, cold and uninviting night for this tale by London's finest storywriter is not one of fun, love and joy but bitterness, resentment and betrayal and boy, does this version deliver.

I've always loved Great Expectations but I've been regularly disappointed by dramatised adaptations which seemed unwilling or incapable to delve truly into the depths of the darkness which lies beneath the story.  They always wanted to provide a happy ending, lighten the scenes with redemption and benevolence and paint both the main characters (Pip and Estella) as intrinsically happy souls who ride the rough passages before finding everlasting joy and love.  That's not what this story is about and Jo Clifford does a magnificent job in keeping the macabre, soul destroying darkness intact throughout the performance.

Set,in part by a recounting older Mr Pip, the story follows the life of Pip as he progresses from poor urchin to gentleman, from love hopeful to cold and stony hearted realist, from wealthy city toff to poor and cast aside wannabe.  In Taylor Jay-Davies (who played all but the oldest Pip) we had a lead who was able to very convincingly portray Pip from his earliest years, right through adolescence and into early manhood.  Taylor was totally believable in each of his characters' guises, taking the audience through Pip's maturing without any question of doubt that we were watching a young man grow, blossom and then harden to the cruel world around him.

Estella, played by Grace Rowe, was the epitome of stone-hearted - her tutelage by Miss Havisham (played by the delightful Paula Wilcox) into the follies of love and the pursuit and ruination of all men was a delicious foray into the gothic, macabre horror of the soul so often lamented by Byron and Shelly.  Ms Rowe was utterly brilliant; her portrayal of Estella's journey from total acceptance of Miss Havisham's philosophies on love to her own realisation that she has been damaged beyond all repair was played with a sad, sad pathos which at first was the juxtaposition to Pip's blind affections, but soon became the undercurrent for both the lead characters.

Jo Clifford's adaptation doesn't just rely on Pip, Estella and Miss Havisham hold the story, she takes the audience into a world of dark, circus-like horror which catapults the viewers onto an almost surreal and certainly unnerving trip amongst the Dickensian underbelly of life.  Humour is used sparingly, and even then only to accentuate the darkness that follows whilst only Joe Gargery (played by the wonderful Steve North) and Magwitch (played by the uber-talented Chris Ellison) were allowed to hold onto any semblance of goodness.  There was no place for a London friendship for Pip, no place for sentiment from Pip to his sister and certainly no place for any lightening of the mood at the end.

It was great to see so many students in the audience, obviously drawn by the fact that Great Expectations is always heralded as one of Dickens' greatest writings.  What was even more pleasing was that they will have witnessed a version of the story which is the closest to how Dickens wanted his story to be known - it has not the moral ending like Christmas Carol, it is not a rags-to-riches happy ending like Oliver Twist - this has the dark, original ending which left readers feeling so cheated and despondent that he was urged to write an alternative happier ending.

Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, brilliantly adapted by Jo Clifford is on at Darlington Civic until Saturday 20th October.

Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat @ Darlington Civic

One of the worlds best known and most loved musical shows is back at Darlington Civic this week and, despite it being an incredible 44 years since first performed it shows no signs of getting old or going stale.

Everyone knows the story of Joseph and his 'bonny jacket' making this one of Andrew Lloyd Webbers most popular shows ever, in fact, the provenance and power of the show means it no longer needs an established 'star' player in the title role and instead can help expose new and emerging talent.  Previous incarnations of Joseph have included Pip Schofield, Jason Donavan and Donny Osmand, while more recently, and in a joint re-launch / BBC ratings grab, the pseudo reality show "Any Dream Will Do" launched the concept of televised auditions to find the very next 'superstar'.

For this current tour Keith Jack takes the titular performance and, as you would expect from someone who narrowly missed out on winning the afore mentioned show, he plays a perfect Joe.  Possessing both a great voice and the boyish charms needed to ensure Joseph stays believable as the "fresh faced messenger of God", Keith is not fazed by the huge footsteps he is following in.

Likewise, Lauren Ingram never looked concerned by the pivotal role the narrator plays in keeping the show flowing.  She was word perfect with the daunting memory-testing lists of brothers or colours, lists which have caused others to stumble.  (Whilst I was in 6th Form I acted as musical director for the school production of 'Joseph' and remember having to write all the colours down one of the narrators arms, with the brothers' names written down the other - sorry Karen, let your secret out).  She has a wonderful voice, clear, friendly and perfect for story telling.  I would expect to see a lot more from Lauren over the next few years.

The cast on the whole are a very refreshing mix of young, and dare I say, new actors.  It is great to see such exciting talent together on stage, quite obviously having fun and revelling in  the audience's enjoyment.

The pedigree of Joseph, its history and the way it has become part of popular culture means regular 'house-full' signs, where ever it plays, but I believe that this performance in its own right deserves to be sold out every night.

Alf Ramsey Knew my Grandfather @ Darlington Civic

It's like a trip to Beamish - in boots  

I am a football nut - I love everything about it with a passion; the 4, 0 and 1 buttons on my Sky remote have all but worn away, my wardrobe is now full of replica shirts from over 30 years of having to have the latest style on launch day and if you called at the house you would be left in no doubt as to where my heart lies (sorry girls, but you will grow up & leave home - the Toon Army will always have time for me on a Saturday).

So whilst I am a lifelong, dyed in the wool Newcastle United fan (even our cats are black and white) I spent most of my childhood and adolescence living in Bishop Auckland and so I am well versed in the history of the amateur greats of South Durham.  Bishop Auckland and Crook Town dominated the amateur game for decades but I remember being in awe of the fact that West Auckland won the World Cup well before I understood that it wasn't the same sort of tournament as I had watched Argentina win in 1978 but that just added to the mystique of the 'old days' .

This play, brilliantly crafted and wonderfully cast doesn't just take the audience to the very first world cup back in 1909, it brings alive the cultures, the lives and most of all the humour of the early 20th century in a pit village in south Durham.  This is far more than a football story - it is Beamish in boots.

The story is built around a modern day non league assistant manager lamenting the fact that his ancestors were very much a part of the football tapestry which forms our modern game while he just couldn't get a break.  As he reminisces, the story is told in flashback to the West Auckland world beaters as they prepare for their trip to Italy, how they managed to raise enough money, the characters that went to build the team and the life stories along the way.  It is a stark reminder that back then travel outside of the village, let alone out of the country, was something most men rarely achieved - the scene where the lads try to work out where Italy is had the audience in stitches.  It is also a lesson in humility when you compare the way football used to be played - for the love of the game and the team spirit only, not for the hundreds of thousands of pounds and material trappings that so beset the current game.

Mixing the modern day with the past is this play's cleverest and most endearing quality - for the footie fool like me you can't help but spot the references to players, formations, tactics and 'gamesmanship' which it is suggested were formed over a hundred years ago by the lads from West.  There's even a cameo by Jeff Stelling courtesy of Sky Sports Centre updates.

Filled to the brim with North East humour mixed with real life pathos, this is a wonderful insight into hard working and hard playing men who used football as a brief escape from their lives down the pit. The language, slang and accents are all perfect (they would be when you realise that the cast are all drawn from the North East) leading to the melodic harmonies and verbal jousting for which this great part of the UK is known & loved. 

I urge everyone who has ever had a passing interest in the North East, football, local history or just great comedy to come and see this 2 hours of genuine laughter making, even more so if you're from Bishops or West as this is OUR history, OUR pedigree, OUR unique contribution to the world of football - bring yor maytes, bring yor lass, bring yor ma 'n' da and gan on the jornee with the mighty West Auckland.

Proceeds from this production are being very generously donated to Darlington 1883, the fan led group who are working very hard to protect and rebuild Darlington Football Club as we strive to get back into the football league.

42nd Street @ Sunderland Empire

The ultimate toe-tapping show in town

Based on a film of the same name which has become synonymous with lavish musical numbers choreographed by Busby Berkeley, it was always going to be interesting to see how a cast of hundreds of dancers set in huge movie sets would transfer to the rather more modest stage at Sunderland Empire.   The story would of course work on any scale; young wannabe comes to the big city with innocent dreams, turns out to be uber talented and is asked to understudy for the diva of the day, promptly breaks said diva's ankle and then steps in to save the show & the day.  What made 42nd Street the movie, and subsequently makes 42nd Street the stage show is the musical numbers - pounding symphonies of split second timing, tap routines that spell out the works of Shakespeare in Morse code all testimony to the choreographers drive to eek out every possible inch of routine.

This show did not, for one moment, undersell the proud history and heritage of the previous incarnations of 42nd Street.  The chorus line dancers were mesmerising in their collective delivery which at times defied the boundaries of the human body for speed and dexterity.  The leads created a supernova within this whirling maelstrom of sparkle, light and sound and then, just as quickly as it came, it went and we were left with the powerful delivery which gave the under-story pathos and humility.

Dave Willets and Marti Webb, brilliantly cast as Julian Marsh and Dorothy Brock, provided a richness, depth and worldly wise to their characters which would have not been possible with lesser, dare I say younger, actors.  Jessica Punch who took the lead of Peggy Sawyer was truly outstanding - a wonderful mix of wide eyed innocence coupled with energy levels that would not be out of place in the forthcoming Olympics (I defy any of the Olympians to be able to match Jessica's nightly routine, show after show).

This show however, can't have the impact, the spectacular, the WOW factor without the whole group.  The ensemble is one of the most talented assembled for any tour, they have to be to be cope with such demanding routines throughout the whole production.  Even here there are theatre stars in their own right; Felicity Chilvers who has recently toured with Buddy as Maria Elena (and is mentioned elsewhere in my blog); Abigail Climer who has West End productions of Whistle Down the Wind and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on her resume, and Jamie Harris who has recently returned from 'at sea' productions on board the Queen Elizabeth.  Special mention also to Hollie Sorelle, a local North Easterner who has rapidly become a well known name throughout theatre land for her wonderful performances, most notably as Cinderella in Darlington Civic's pantomime.

The show itself is very much "line 'em up 1st half, knock 'em down 2nd half" - in the main due to the fact that the big numbers and well known tunes reside after the interval.  It is also worth noting that the original movie had only 4 or 5 musical numbers, not enough for a full stage show, and so extra songs were drafted in - at times these are noticeably weaker than the foundation tunes "Lullaby of Broadway", "We're in the Money" and of course "42nd Street" but this doesn't detract from the overall performance, in fact it heightens the appreciation when the stage is full, the orchestra is loud and the dancing frenetic - well, you just have to tap along too.

Jazz in my Pants in Durham City

Jazz in my Pants - JIMP

Anyone visiting Durham city this month will not be able to avoid the huge range of live music echoing around this historic city, for this is the Month of Brass. We ventured into the city on Saturday and had an amazing wander around the bustling streets.  For what felt like the first time in ages we had a warm, sunny & dry day; the crowds were all smiling and the live entertainment just added to the feeling that we had just come through a 3 week storm; I guess in fact, we had.

After walking down Silver Street and over & back over the bridge we headed to the Gala square, initially for something to eat but as we approached we found we were just in time to catch one of the funkiest groups I've seen in ages - Jazz in my Pants (even the name is enough to raise a chuckle).

This gang of brilliant young musicians have taken the core essence of a jazz brass ensemble and pumped it full of funk, soul, sass and cool - all at the same time - their repetoire is like taking a trip through the history of modern music with the Beatles (as a funk/soul waltz), Queen, Madness and then a fabulous rendition of a real classic Blues with Laurie providing an amazing impression of Louis Armstrong - this has to be seen/heard to be believed that such a 'nice' looking young man (ok, there were many in the audience who called him downright cute) can then come out with the raw, growling, gravelly voice of Ol Satchmo himself.

Whilst Laurie provided this vocal solo, JIMP is very much an ensemble performance, everyone has a key part to play and it's all delivered with a genuine sense that JIMP are having just as much fun as the audience.  They are all very, very talented musicians who clearly spend a lot of time planning and rehearsing their set and it shows in the fluidity and tightness of their playing.

Definitely worth seeking them out during the Durham Brass 2012, I defy anyone not to be tapping & clapping along while you marvel at the just how good Drum & Brass can sound.

Go get some Jazz in your pants !

Dry Rot @ Darlington Civic

Straight from the horse’s mouth

In this current climate of dodgy politicians, corrupt cricketers and footballers fraudulently pretending to actually give a d… it was quite fitting that this week’s foray to the theatre was to watch a Whitehall Farce centred around a crooked bookie and his two accomplices devising a cunning plan to 'get rich quick’.  John Chapman’s play, first performed in 1954, is set in the 1930’s with the quintessential English approach to lovable rogues, the stiff upper lip of the officer classes and the almost dismissive way ‘Johnny foreigner’ is treated.

The plot is simplicity in itself – Honest Alf, Flash Harry and Fred (I kid you not, these are the names used) plan to kidnap the odds-on favourite horse and replace it with their own decrepit nag and thus, by laying on the horse to lose, pocket a tidy £10,000.  Think Arthur Daley running Channel 4 racing.  In true style, the plan immediately starts to unravel, first when they realise that the replacement horse would never pass muster as the favourite, and then when they take up their digs for race week only to find that the jockey, a diminutive Frenchman who speaks not a word of the Queens English, is also ‘stabled’ at the same inn.  Secret passages, eccentric characters and malapropisms abound to create a degree of controlled mayhem.

The pacing isn’t perhaps as slick and tight as some of the better known farces; there was a little too much time taken with setting up the back story of the Colonel and his family having only recently taken over the inn, but it is a nostalgic look back at a style of stage production which ruled the West End for many decades. The fact that Dry Rot features in the National Theatres top 100 plays of all time is more to recognise the well crafted script than any timelessness of the production.

The slapstick style of mad-cap humour normally associated with farce is sadly missing , but this didn’t really detract from a very funny story played out by a very capable cast of some of the country's best loved faces, including Liza Goddard, Susan Penhaligon (with a creamy West Country accent that made me weak every time she spoke), Gareth Hale & Norman Pace, Neil Stacy and Derren Nesbitt. 

Particular mention to Zoe Mills as Susan Wagstaff who brought a real period feel to her look and performance – part wide eyed debutante, part love struck damsel whose flawless appearance is very reminiscent of the silent movie screen idols Lillian Gish and Blanche Sweet. 

Farces are a dying production, driven to their graves by the desire for more immediate, and perhaps more risque humour, but there is still a place for a good farce, if for no other reason than to see where our current comedic shows have their roots.  Dry Rot is on at Darlington Civic until Saturday June 30th

Beyond the Barricade @ Darlington Civic

Give yourself over to absolute pleasure

Nostalgia always seems to make the past look better than the present; the summers were warmer, the roads quieter, petrol cheaper, wagon wheels (much) bigger so in this cold, wet June I had a real need for something to transport me back into those 'halcyon' days. 

The formation of Beyond the Barricade was driven by the huge and dramatic growth in popularity of the modern musical theatre of the 70's and 80's. Sired in part by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, and married to Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Blood Brothers, the British musical was in it's dominance; the millions of theatre-goers revelled in the huge stages and thrilling stories, but most of all it was the songs and anthems that provided these shows with the longevity to span wars, governments, economic crises and all cultural changes.

Andy Reiss (look him up on Google, if there's been a musical hit over the past 30 years you'll find his name linked to it somewhere) has created a wonderful evening of musical indulgence, and with David Fawcett, Rebecca Vere and Katie Leeming has the perfect cast to bring the very best of the West End to any theatre.  The show has been touring longer than Westlife have been out of short trousers (David's joke, not mine - honest!) and they have formed a real sense of how to keep things fresh and fun. 

Unofficially compered by David (and a wicked sense of humour), the show sweeps through a list of shows which I defy anyone to have not heard of or been to see, but it never feels like the cast are just 'going through the numbers'.  Each show is afforded it's own build up, scene setting and with a very intuitive choice of songs you get the full feeling of the show in a brief but powerful slice.

To give you an idea of what to expect, the shows sampled included: Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, Blood Brothers, Lion King, Chess, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, We will Rock You, Jersey Boys and Evita (it's quite humbling to see how many of these are from Lord ALW).  What is equally impressive is that the cast have starred in all of these shows as full productions in their own right, they are not just great singers - their list of credits is so big you could believe they must have cloned themselves many times over, but I assure you there are only 4 of them.

This show tours almost constantly but with a huge choice of musicals to draw from, and a brilliant band and crew, they are constantly looking to freshen up the 'play list', introduce new numbers and mothball others, so even if you've seen this before you are guaranteed to see something different the next time.

I had a wonderful evening, as did Becca who spent the evening whispering "Ooo - I know this one..."