Private Peaceful @ Darlington Civic

Powerfully written, brilliantly acted, emotionally draining

In this year of remembrance, a year which has been, and will continue to be, commemorated by huge budget productions, Hollywood movies and lavish TV dramas, here is a simple, one man show  that encapsulates all the emotion, drama, life and death of the Great War.  It is so perfectly delivered that to watch it is to be transported through the innocent eyes of a young boy in the wide rural expanses of pre-war Devon countryside and into the battle weary claustrophobia of the front line trenches.  There are no huge sets, no painted scenes and no other cast, but through Andy Daniel's brilliant acting you are left feeling that you have just sat through an epic life story movie.

Told as a recounting of his short life during the night before his execution, Tommy 'Tommo' Peaceful is a Devon country boy, growing up in a turn of the century idyllic lifestyle, exploring life and love until the outbreak of war.  The story, written by Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo (he of War Horse fame), covers everything from early school days, the loss of his father, his devotion to his older brothers, his one true love and his subsequent going to war, and yet remains wonderfully grounded by constantly returning to the cold, hard cell with only his bunk and pack.

In the first act, Andy Daniel effortlessly paints pictures of school yards, huge rolling estates and intimate haystacks, all with the warm, Halcyon days glow of eternal summer sun and the innocence of youth.  Turning to the second act, he strips bare the human emotions, darkens the skies and covers everything in mud and blood as he drops the story's hero into the madness and injustice of the Ypres trenches.  Torn between the expected blind obedience and his love for his brother, Tommo falls not to a German bullet, but as so many other young soldiers did, to the British Army high command and their inhumane use of the charge of cowardice.   So powerful was the ending that we left the show with the hangover of unfairness still souring our mouths and a heaviness in our hearts of knowing how true this outcome often was.

A great performance which will serve as a perfect example of storytelling for young actors and seasoned hands alike, Darlington Civic theatre have opened their Autumn season with the bar set very high; here's to many more shows of this calibre over the coming months.

Private Peaceful is at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 13th September.

Last Night of the Proms @ Darlington Civic

No excuses for being proud to be British

Last night Darlington Civic hosted the Last Night of The Proms, a celebration of British composers, traditional classical music with addition of a few interesting renditions of Abba, showtunes and movie themes.

Most people will have seen the world famous LNOTP from the Albert Hall and this, albeit on a smaller scale, managed to capture all the pomp & ceremony.  Ageless favourites including Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and the Selection of Sea Shanties were enthusiastically and energetically performed by the British Philharmonic Concert Orchestra while the audience lapped up every possible opportunity to wave their Union Jacks, clap and of course sing.  It was quite obvious that there is an expected degree of knowledge and etiquette when attending a 'Last Night' performance; the conductor (who for this show was the wonderfully energetic 'Lord' Anthony Kraus) will play to the crowd, trying to keep them in time and at pace, the leading soloists will deliver their finale bedecked in Red, White & Blue and the audience will bring kazoos, whistles, bells and rattles to ensure their audio cues are hit with as much noise as possible. To this end, there is, for the uninitiated the need for a compare just to guide us along.

 For this evening we had Gary Wilmot as the master of ceremonies who immediately gave the proceedings a wonderful air of fun, humour and cabaret; it is such a shame that we don't see Gary on TV these days, there are none better at combining genuine humour, impeccable timing with a great singing voice  - I had almost forgotten just how easy he makes things seem while clearly enjoying himself on stage.  When you watch the usual TV drivel we are served up labelled as family entertainment there must be a vehicle somewhere to get Mr Wilmot back on our screens.  Throughout the evening Gary interjected with telling facts, trivia and of course jokes (some new, most old but all were funny) all focussed on the theme of anniversaries.  He also helped to keep the lead singers, the delightful Anna Clare Monk and the mischievous Andrew Forbes, in line as both were tempted to throw away the running order and just join in with the audience.

You don't have to be a classical music buff to appreciate Last Night, nor do you have to be worldly wise in regards to traditional patriotism; all you need is to be able to enjoy a great evening of music, laughter and a sense of pride at being British.

Grease by Darlington Operatic Society

They're the ones that YOU want !!

Following on from last Autumns spectacular, Strictly Musicals, Darlington Operatic Society launched their Spring show, Grease, last night to huge applause, standing ovations and no shortage of critical acclaim.

Every year, DOS leave their audiences wondering how they can possibly top their most recent show, and every year they go one better - well with this show they've totally upped the bar when it comes to professional production values, great voices and bags of family fun.  Packed with all the classic songs known and loved from the biggest musical film of the 70's, this is much more than a simple sing-a-long stage version of the Travolta & Newton-John legend.  The choreography keeps it fresh and lively while the slight change in the musical running orders stops any complacent viewer from shuffling "I know what's coming next".  As for the cast, everyone on the stage looked like they had accomplished a childhood dream to 'sing Grease' on stage in front of a full house.

The leads, Michael Hirst and Selena Blain managed what so many since John & Olivia have tried and failed - they really gave you the impression they were into each other and the chemistry was there for all to see, bubbling under.  Michael had the swagger of Travolta, helped in no small part by his proud jaw line, cheeky smile and smooth moves while Selena (who many will remember for being Aerial in Strictly) had all of Newton-John's candy kitsch and faux innocence until the bg switcheroo at the end.  I don't want to spoil just how amazing Selina looks as sexy Sandy, but I will steal a quote from a previous show, The Producers, when I say "you can't see it but we're giving you a standing ovation."

Of course, there are more than just the two love birds in this show - Nick Holmes as Kinickie is perfect for belting out "Grease Lightning" and it is very clear that he has studied all the words to ensure his 'actions match up to their meanings'.  Katie Carter, making her DOS debut as Rizzo had a great first act in which she stays very much the matriarch of the gang, slightly aloof, cocksure and more mature than the other girls, but it was halfway through the second act, with her solo of "There are Worse Things..." that Katie stopped the whole auditorium dead in its tracks.  She managed to bring out Rizzo's vunerablilty perfectly, pealing away her protective shell to show a glimpse of the little girl underneath, before putting the barriers back up and returning to the hard Rizzo of before.

One of the great things of a stage show over a film is that there is more licence to allow some characters to relax and have bit a more fun - nonemoreso than Andrew Hamilton and Hayley Walker who, as Roger and Jan, brought the house down with their mickey taking and comedic ribbing, especially as they extol the virtues and love of lunar pastimes.  Even when she is not front and centre, Hayley adds so much to her character - at times I found myself watching her instead of centre stage and laughing at her extra little antics.

Another who made me hope she would be in all the scenes was Claire Williams, playing Patty - she is just so adorably high octane that you want to box her up, put her on a shelf and keep her for those days when you're feeling a little low - she is a pocket rocket of energy, the perfect Little Miss Goody Goody and a great mover to boot.

The set design and choreography are all fantastic and show true ingenuity in how to make the most of stage space while the costumes remain true to the feel of the film without being mere copies - that said,  Glyn Bigham in his all white suit was a heavenly vision straight out of the (Beauty) school of Frankie Avalon.

Of course, Grease is habitually a younger persons show, it is, after all, set in High School, but that's not to say that there weren't parts for all ages of the society. It is a great testament to the all the cast of DOS that so many familiar faces from Strictly Musicals were present in the company, and even though they weren't taking leads this time they looked like they were still having a fantastic time.

Looking round the theatre before curtain up and talking to many at the interval, it was obvious that the majority of the audience were there to see Grease based on a love of the film, however at final curtain everyone agreed that this performance was every bit as good as the movie and then some - there is a far better connection to the characters when you can see them live in front of you but more than that, you can feel their total enjoyment in what they are doing; the audience feed off the actors enthusiasm who in turn respond to the crowd - perpetual energy has at last been found.

The final curtain call was met with standing ovations throughout, well deserved by all on stage and even more so by Directors Martyn Knight, Joanne Hand and Michael Trotter.  I hope that this great theatre has strong foundations because on this showing there will be many more throughout the 10 night run.

Grease, by Darlington Operatic Society, is on at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 12th April - there are still a few tickets left but hurry - see the DOS website for more details.

PS - I couldn't write a review on a DOS show without mentioning my two favourite girls - Zoe Birkbeck and Chloe Dargue - Great Hand Jiving Chloe and Zoe, that mauve sweater - Oh My !!  x

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.