Gilbert & Sullivan Abridged @ Darlington Civic

Masters of light opera and the pastiche and parody of the 19th Century British class systems, Gilbert & Sullivan wrote many productions which played on ridiculing the foundations of the Empirical society and, as such, were loved throughout the world.

Their clever word play, lampooning of classical works and of course, catchy tunes made them a must-see for theatre goers from the late eighteen hundreds right up to the modern day.  It is widely accepted that they are a staple favourite for AmDram companies across the world, giving great scope for visual humour to compliment the lyrical joviality which runs through all of their operettas.

Whilst I am aware of many of their 'hit' numbers, I have to admit that I was a G&S virgin and so last nights production of "Gilbert & Sullivan Abridged" was to be my first true experience.  What I saw however left me baffled and quite unsure as to whether G & S are really for me.

The premise of the show is an AmDram production, (well 3 actors) taking their G & S review on tour to raise funds for their austerity-hit theatre. The intention, I believe, is to take the audience on a journey through the greatest works of the much-loved duo with renditions of their greatest tunes and explanations behind their operatic story-telling.  What transpired was 2 acts of parlour renditions accompanied by a pre-recorded piano and punctuated by a nonsensical recounting of an 'orphaned' boy looking for his mother.  Speaking to many G & S aficionados at the interval they kindly explained that many of the operas' in-jokes were lost as key songs were delivered in isolation with none of the pretence or narrative needed to give the witticisms their substance.

Ask anyone about Gilbert & Sullivan and they will most likely remark on their extremely witty word play delivered in tongue-twisting speed and operatic variety - indeed it was this Anglicising of traditional Italian opera that set them apart and created a much loved following - simply listening to the phrasing in " The Modern Major General" is great example of the vocal dexterity demanded by their works.  The tolerance for error is therefore minuscule, miss one word or beat and the whole verse is lost - it is a must that whomsoever tackles these songs is blessed with flexibility of tongue and elasticity of mouth.  Sadly this was not the case and many of the headline numbers were lost in stumbled mumblings and frantic catch ups. When coupled with off key harmonies and a stuttering use of props the show resembled more the out-takes from an early Monty Python rehearsal session (apologies to Messrs Cleese, Palin et al); as for the ill-advised and mis-placed inclusion of a street rapper, well some cultures are just meant to stay far apart.

I expected an evening of discovery which would stimulate my desire to seek out more G & S works, what I got was very 'Am' much less 'Dram' and sadly worse than most X-Factor auditions - for me it was a No!   If you already love G & S, or have a passing interest than I suggest you seek out a full production of one of their operas and experience their wonderfully clever, erudtite and astute writings as it is meant to be.

Woman in Black @ Darlington Civic

With the current trend for immediate visual gratification, be it in the movies, online or via ultra-realistic video games, good old fashioned ghost stories are often thought of as relics of days gone-by;  the telling of tales around a log fire, the wind howling at the windows and the shadows playing havoc with the imagination are a long way from the glossy, 'served-on-a-plate' style of titillation we have become accustomed to.  And yet when done properly, a good ghost story uses the most powerful form of visual imagery available, the human mind.  Ghost stories let the listener make their own decisions as to what they can & can't see, what they expect to happen and ultimately how it makes them feel and this play is, without doubt, the very best ghost story there is.

The Woman in Black has been playing to full theatres for over 25 years now and despite, or perhaps because of, it's sparse set and 2 person cast, it still has the power to worry, scare, haunt and shock everyone who comes to see it.

The premise of the play is that of a story within a story; Arthur Kipps (played by Julian Forsyth) wants, nay needs, to tell his tale of what happened to him when he went to settle the affairs of a lonely widow who had been living as a recluse for the past 50 years.  In doing so he hopes to exorcise the demons that have plagued him ever since.  He approaches a young actor (Antony Eden) to help him prepare and deliver his monologue to his family and friends and so we are led through the story as the two men recount and re-enact the fateful days Arthur spent at Eel Marsh House.

I could go on and tell more of the 'play within a play' but to do so would possibly stray towards giving too much away.  What I will say is if you have seen the recent Hammer movie production starring Daniel Radcliffe then be warned; the movie was a little jumpy, a little scary and a little shocking - this is truly terrifying, the atmosphere builds and builds and the shocks when they come are so real that you crave for the house lights to come up so you can retreat to the safety of the real world.

The Woman in Black is at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 9th February - go and see it, it's like a 90 minute workout for your heart.