Circus of Horrors, London after Midnight @ Darlington Civic

sexy, scaring and funny all at once, this is grown up theatre for adults

Darlington Civic theatre is one of the oldest and most vibrant theatres in the North East and has played a huge range of shows, events and performances BUT I defy anyone to have EVER been and seen a show as bizarre, diverse, shocking, surprising and funny as The Circus of Horrors. In our current climate of nanny state, over sensitive PC do-gooders, it was like a shot of adrenaline straight into the main vein to be treated like an adult.  True, there were disclaimers before the show started, but even these had a forked tongue-in-cheek approach and added to the anarchic build up of the show which included much scream provoking before the first beat.

Circus of Horrors is not a new concept - the show has been running in a variety of guises for over 18 years and recently spent 8 weeks residing in London.  Now, on a UK tour, they are bringing their blend of heavy rock, blood and body parts to the unsuspecting regions. The premise of this show is a tour with evil Doctor Haze of 1665/1666 London and some of the capital's worst places in history - worst for the foul, depraved, degenerate practises that history tells us actually did happen - Cheapside, Bankside, Bedlam are all covered along with demented doctors, possessed priests and ghostly girls.

Make no mistake, underneath this macabre mayhem beats the heart of circus perfection with many acts displaying world class performances rarely seen outside of Shanghai or Vegas; a sword swallower who has remodelled his body to aid his swallowing techniques; a contortionist whose bone crunching joint manipulating was the perfect physical embodiment for a possessed inmate of Bedlam; death defying high wire and swing 'twins' and an acrobatic team who literally throw themselves around the stage.  There are elements of true humour, all be them in a very adult vein, some of which prompted a collective sharp intake of breath but this is what is so refreshing - we were all adults watching an adult show designed for adults and no apologies for it.

What is most impressive about Circus of Horrors is that this is not simply a one-after-the-other come on stage, perform and then leave show - the choreography and stage design keeps the seedy underbelly of 17th century London right to the fore and many times there are multiple acts all performing on stage together, blending into the telling of a story of horror, death and madness.  The constant heavy rock music, which created an almost trance-like feeling, ensured that the show enveloped the audience in a cocoon of twisted consciousness, rising and falling as one like some perverted scene from a Ken Russell movie.

Plenty of fire, certainly a lot of danger and no shortage of flesh, the show left me hating myself for wanting more, more, more. 

Circus of Horrors, London after Midnight, is on tour around the UK with more details available here - http://www.circusofhorrors.co.uk/tour_dates.html

Eternal Love @ Darlington Civic

Following on from last years amazing Anne Boleyn, the English Touring Theatre last night opened their new tour at Darlington Civic Theatre and proved, yet again, that nothing compares to live theatre.

For many, the story of Abelard and Heloise is pretty much unknown; I had very little idea as to what this tragic love story was about but I think helped to ensure there were no preconceived ideas or expectations.  Indeed, it is very rare to come to a show and not have some degree of prejudged understanding leading to "I'm looking forward to the part...." or "I expect the 2nd act to be better".  I was able to relax, sit back and allow this show to take me wherever director John Dove wanted me to go.  The cast, of which many were part of the previous tour, were again very engaging, spending time preshow to mingle with the audience, sing songs and create a very inclusive atmosphere which heightened the feeling that we were about to be told a story.

The premise of Eternal Love is the conflict between the religious zeal of the 12th Century (with all its beyond-reproach idealisms) and a new wave of challenging thought based on the philosophical teachings of ancient Greece.  Whilst there is a fundamental love story sitting beneath the eloquent yet lengthy battling monologues, the true driver throughout is the juxtaposition between accepting religion as the one true faith whilst trying to disassemble the religious teachings to 'make sense' of just why we believe.

David Sturzaker, who had given great life to Henry VIII last year, brought a sense of mischief, wonder, confidence and singlemindedness to Abelard.  Happy to take all ridicule for his unconventional approach to understanding the scriptures, his only real downside is his belief that everyone should question everything - this lands him foul with the established clergy whose lives, wellbeing (and in no small part, power) rest on the unswerving and unquestioning faith of their flock.  When he falls in love with a student (who subsequently bears him a child out of wedlock) his fate is sealed.

Jo Herbert, who was the stand out actress of 2013 for her part as Anne Boleyn, plays Heloise with a similar determination as her previous role; head strong, passionate and confident women are very much Jo's forte and Eternal Love is very much the winner for it.  Heloise falls for Abelard completely, although it takes some time to establish whether it is him or his refusal to conform that she finds most attractive - even the scandal of bearing his child cannot persuade her to relent and follow her Bishop uncle.  This leads to a rather graphic and somewhat barbaric solution by the shunned & humiliated clergy which still cannot dim the flames.

True to previous productions, the ETT manage to bring humour, wit, music and a few slightly gross-out moments to the proceedings whilst keeping things feeling quite 'grown up' without being pretentious;  it does not pitter patter around, if something needs saying then it is said and, unfortunately for some of the male members of the audience, if something needs doing, then it is done!!  True, the dialogue and writing style mean you need to 'get your ear in' to really appreciate all that is being said, but for someone who has regularly questioned religion and faith I found the logical & philosophical arguments very entertaining with many a nod in agreement.

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac @ Darlington Civic

Anyone who loves music from the past 40 years will have no doubt enjoyed at least a handful of Fleetwood Mac's songs; from their first hit Albatross right through to the 80's smashes Big Love and Little Lies. Likewise their albums have always managed to deliver on every occasion but the history books will show that it was their eponymous 'Rumours' album that does, and will continue to, stand the test of time as a true classic.  

The songs are masterpieces in their own right but when the story surrounding the band (the in-fighting, love triangles and months of silence) are added there is more than a frisson of extra edge and pathos to the words.  Rumours, and the original live tour to accompany the album, was used by some band members to sarcastically remind others of their infidelities, betrayal and disdain.  I can't see the current crop of 'pop stars' ever having the mastery of English to be able to write such cutting sentiment into such catchy songs.

The show is, in effect, split into 3 parts (although there is only 1 interval); part one is a complete rendition of the Rumours album culminating in a spine tingling rendition of 'The Chain'.  Part two, straight after the break, allows the boys to take the stage and treat us to the more psychedelic repertoire of late 60's prog rock including a jaw dropping version of 'Rattlesnake Shake'. Then part three welcomes the girls back for a final foray into the more recent catalogue, ending with an almost tribal immersion in 'Tusk'.

The musical prowess of all on stage is simply mesmerising whilst the vocals and  harmonies are pitch perfect to the originals.  Louise Rogan as Stevie Nicks delivers sheer power and presence which defies the laws of physics from such a small frame while Amanda Kostadinov is as sultry and seductive as Christine McVie has ever been.  Alan Hughes takes the Lyndsey Buckingham role with the perfect blend of amazing guitar and punchy vocals backed by James Harrison on iconic basslines (he stole the first half with The Chain's middle refrain).  Ben Hughes, a mere baby compared to the rest of the cast brings a real blues feel to his guitar playing and is the perfect foil to the wonderful trance-inducing keyboards of the legendary Mr Dave Goldberg (whose performance is a great reason to have him age-tested - no way did someone so active & sprightly play keyboards on Radio 1 in the late 1960's).

If you look in any music press listings you will find many tribute bands covering almost all the big name acts from the 60's and 70's - The Counterfeit Stones, The Bootleg Beatles, Abbaesque, the Pink Floyd Experience but I challenge any of them to be as good as Rumours; in fact I will go so far as to say they would rival the original Fleetwood Mac if someone could ever get them on the same stage.

Fallen Angels @ Darlington Civic

Deliciously risque and hilariously naughty

Crowe and Seagrove provide comedy gold

Last night saw the opening of Noel Cowards Fallen Angels at Darlington Civic Theatre and provided for the almost sell out audience a real tonic in this damp and cold February.  Looking through the history books, this play was first performed back in 1925 at the Globe, to which reviews commented that it was "..vulgar, disgusting, outrageous, shocking, nauseating, obscene and degenerate" - scant praise indeed and yet despite, or perhaps because of, such feedback Fallen Angels was a resounding success, a success which on current form it will be repeating again almost 90 years later.

Built on the themes of infidelity, sexual liberation, equality and more than a touch of disregard for the social expectations of the time, Noel Coward's peak under the bed clothes of 20's high society is full of his trademark word play and erudite observations, but it is the visual humour which elevates this performance into the annals of greatness and provides one of the funniest evenings this wonderful theatre has seen for many years.

The premise is quite a simple one; two ladies, who, before marrying, were both in love with the same exotic Frenchman; a love which they had consigned to their misty eyed, rose coloured past, whilst they duly followed convention and married perfectly honourable (if somewhat boring) English gents. Then, 14 years later and completely out of the blue, they both receive a postcard from 'Monsieur Amor' announcing that he is to visit and with this simple correspondence old passions are aflame, jealousies aroused and dreams resurface.

 The leading ladies, Jenny Seagrove and Sara Crowe both have tremendous pedigrees for the variety and depth of roles they have played, and whilst this is neither's first foray into comedy, their impeccable timing and physical dexterity (bordering on slapstick) showed that both are amazingly adept at creating belly laughs from mere glances.  I warn anyone going to see this that the last 15 minutes of the 1st act will have you literally gasping for breath, bereft of ribs and pleading for the curtain to fall and the chance to regain some sense of dignity, not to mention a reappraisal of the stage power of a pineapple.  The second act continues with both ladies seeking to gain an advantage over the other whilst trying not to betray their own passions until the climax, when, as both husbands begin to realise they may have been duped, Monsieur Duclos arrives to add a Gallic frisson to proceedings.  Philip Battley who plays the suave & debonair Frenchman was wonderful, a cameo mix of Maurice Chevalier and English Cad Terry Thomas and whose entrance, late in the play, was met with many appreciative gasps from the ladies in the audience.

Whilst the setting may be 1920's London, the cleverness of the play and the perfection of the acting make this quite timeless; lets face it,  sex, love, passion and champagne know no boundaries.

Sherlock Holmes' Hound of the Baskervilles by Castle Players @ Scarth Hall, Staindrop

A good old fashioned thriller for a cold winter’s night.

Way back before the advent of TV, wannabee celeb shows and million channel digital networks, local amateur theatre was the mainstay of Saturday evening entertainment for the majority of people. Performers, cast and crew were members of ‘Am Dram’ who, for weeks before, had practised and rehearsed their lines whilst running the local post office, teaching at the village school or delivering milk & bread. Performances were usually given in the village hall, with its own soundtrack of creaking beams and whistling windows added to heavy tobacco smoke to give an extra frisson to the atmosphere (especially when the show was a good old fashioned ghost story or thriller).  Whilst audiences didn’t expect RSC or Doyle Carte standard, they felt a ‘oneship’ with those on stage and as such forgave the wobbly scenes and oft fluffed lines.  I thought that such shows were now consigned to the social history books but on Saturday I took a step back in time and watched a retelling of the famous Sherlock Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Barnard Castle’s renowned The Castle Players.

This production, which is currently touring around Teesdale during January, was delivered on the very small stage at Scarth Hall, Staindrop, yet, with minimal use of props, sound and lighting, was a captivating example of good story telling.  Directed by Sarah Fells and Chris Best, and with a surprisingly large cast of over 14 Players (quite how they all managed to get on stage at the same time is still a bit of a mystery), the story opened with a riveting monologue by Andy Moorhouse who, in recounting the initial Baskerville legend, set the tone for the night before bringing the audience into Baker Street and of course Sherlock Holmes (played with a mix of excitable genius and dismissive disdain by Steven Bainbridge).  Interestingly, for a Holmes story, it is Dr Watson who takes the majority of the lead in this production and Andrew Stainthorpe was cool, calm and very accomplished in the role – with more than a passing resemblance to Higgins from TV’s Magnum, he excellently maintains the detective element in the story in the absence of the Deerstalkered one.

There were a few occasions where the directors seemed to play to the lowest possible audience intelligence – literally signposting the scenes (including ‘FOG’) was more off putting than helpful and appeared a easy out instead of devoting a little more effort into
the set dressing, after all, there are only so many places one can put their only hatstand.  

Likewise, the use of newly bought bright blue clip boards (not the norm for 19^th century London) left a few puzzled faces in the audience. The script, edited and abridged by Jill Cole was on the whole, very good, though some of the carefully built intensity and atmosphere was lost when the cast were allowed to drop into almost pantomime comedy.  That said, as entertainment goes, the whole evening was most certainly a great night out and far better than anything being offered on the hundreds of TV channels.

Sherlock Holmes is undergoing a bit of a renaissance, especially with the excellent BBC series making a return this month complete with clever graphics and elaborate plots, but this version was very much more in tune with the original tales and delivered with an honesty and genuine enjoyment – a great step back in time both on & off the stage.