Under Milk Wood @ The Peoples Theatre, Heaton

Set in the small Welsh fishing village of Llareggub, the play follows the comings and goings of the inhabitants over 24 hours and, by giving us a glimpse into their lives – both peculiar and somehow peculiarly ordinary – it manages to say something universal about the human condition. It is also wondrously, uniquely Welsh.

The characters who populate the fictional village have become household names: the blind old seadog Captain Cat forever mourning his dead love Rosie Probert, the Rev Eli Jenkins greeting each morning in verse, Polly Garter with her list of lost paramours, Mr Pugh who dreams of poisoning Mrs Pugh, Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard and her two dead husbands, Dai Bread and his two live wives.

For this production, the Peoples Theatre return to the true roots of Thomas’s intent – it was written as a “play for voices” and, when recorded by the BBC in January 1954, it became an overnight success seldom seen before or since.  Here, the cast play the recording artists in the BBC studio, suitably surrounded by period technology and equipment and sporting a variety of costumes which, whilst serve to transport the audience back in time, never try to compete for attention away from the words.

The 1^st Voice, in the main the narrator, was originally taken by Richard Burton; his rich, velvety, foreboding voice hushing the listener to tip toe down through the town before rising through the day like the sun.  Not an easy task, following someone so embedded in the cultural heritage of this play but Frank Coles is simply brilliant – for anyone yet to hear (or see) Under Milk Wood, the opening monologue is one of literature’s most demanding pieces and yet, despite having script in hand, Frank delivers it with the rhyme and rhythm so perfect for Thomas’s work without once glancing at the text. 

Steve Hewitt & Mike Smith are the 2 other ‘narrators’, lynchpins around which the villagers’ lives are woven, intertwined and exposed serving to move the story along like pieces of flotsam on a sea bound stream.  The rest of the cast are wonderful at taking multiple parts, no, not parts, personalities; not only did they change voices, their whole beings morphed into the different characters as they approached the microphones.

This was my first time at the Peoples Theatre at Heaton, Newcastle and it was a lovely experience – very friendly staff, intimate theatre with great acoustics and definitely one I would love to visit again.

Out of Order @ Theatre Royal Newcastle

Ray Cooney’s Out of Order at The Theatre Royal Newcastle

A farce is defined as “a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations”.  Often thought of as a quintessential British form of theatre, farces were designed to play on the disparity between the haves & have-nots, the posh and the poor, Upstairs v Downstairs in an attempt to allow people to laugh out loud at situations which are in all likelihood, happening in real life.

In Out of Order, Ray Cooney brings the farce right up to date and into the glare of the modern political spotlight.  In fact, if it wasn’t for the costumes and stage, it would be very easy to think you were watching a Private Eye exposé on Westminster.

Set around the attempts of Tory MP Richard Willey (Jeffrey Harmer) to enjoy an illicit night with the Labour Leader’s secretary Jane Worthington (gorgeous Susie Amy) instead of attending a cross party debate, every conceivable mishap befalls him, often of his own making, as he tries to dig himself out, protect his reputation and slope his shoulders of responsibility. Finding what he believes is a dead body, trapped in the sash of his hotel room window, Willey could have done the sensible thing, called the authorities and taken his medicine, but hey, that a great play would have not made.  Instead he drafts in his tortured and put upon PPS, George Pigden (Shaun Williamson) and so sets in motion an ever increasing catalogue of bizarre, ludicrous but always hilarious events.

The cast is brilliant, simply brilliant and kudos must go to casting director Mark Frankum for bringing together some very well known faces who never once step back into the roles for which they are best known.  Harmer conjures up the spirit of Rick Mayall from his Alan B’stard New Stateman times (a role which I believe was Mayall’s absolute best); he is sly, controlling, disingenuous, entitled, well, you know, a stereo-typical ‘Tory’ MP.  James Holmes, as the waiter, has the look and feel of Andrew Sachs’ Manuel but with a British Steel core – always looking for his tip before AND after providing whatever room service is required. I guess if I’m making comparisons to sit com legends then Arthur Bostrom as The Manager would be likened to Basil Fawlty but that would be unfair to Bostrom, he is less madcap and more straight man which gives each scene a lightning rod to ground the silliness.  Cameos by Sue Holderness as Willeys wife, Pamela and Elizabeth Elvin as Nurse Gladys Foster ensure that the scenes continue to flow with variety while Jules Brown (Ronnie Worthington) drew some very approving gasps from the ladies sat around me.

Star of the show is Shaun Williamson.  I owe a sincere apology to Shaun – sure, I knew his roles of the past and was aware that he didn’t mind being cast in roles that send himself up but I didn’t realise just what a truly fantastic comedic actor he is – his timing is on a par with the true comedy greats and his mannerisms, facial expressions and slapstick would rival those of Laurel & Hardy, Norman Wisdom and Benny Hill (in fact, should they ever decide to do a film of Benny Hill’s life then Shaun would get my vote to play the Angel master).

It’s difficult to explain all the scenes, so quick is the pace and incessant the gags and pratfalls, but suffice it to say, you must ensure you grab every opportunity to breath otherwise you could find yourself laughing non-stop until you pass out.

The beauty of Cooney’s writing is that this play can be easily updated to include current references and thus make it always feel very relevant; Jeremy Corby and Theresa May are both name called, whilst the behaviour of the lead characters seem to be constantly reflected in most Sunday papers.

On a day that was fraught with sadness, angst and anxiety, it was perfect to be able to step outside of the world and enjoy a few hours of unapologetic fun in a wonderful theatre.

Keep Dancing @ Newcastle Theatre Royal

Stunning evening leaving everyone out of breath and that was just the audience

Firstly let me confess, I’ve not been a ‘Strictly’ fanatic, sure I knew of it and probably, like many of the millions of viewers, I watched mainly to see which celebrity was being put through their paces and trying to lose their usual persona.  Likewise, despite having two daughters who spent years going to dance classes I doubt I’d be able to tell the difference between a Pasadoble from a Chicken Passanda so the chance to go and see Keep Dancing at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal was as much education as it was entertainment.

Boasting a cast of super fit and talented dancers and backed by singing duet Harriet Mullen and Adam Warmington, Keep Dancing brings a hyper energetic look into modern and contemporary ballroom and Latin dance which, after just the first number, leaves the audience more out of breath than the dancers themselves.  Brilliantly choreographed by Emma Rogers and Robin Windsor to incorporate easily recognised pop, traditional Latina and Spanish and some very modern interpretation, each number aims to surpass the previous for style and energy.  Themed sections include Glenn Miller Jive, Showtunes, Disco and South American.

Guesting on this tour are Strictly superstars Katya Jones, Neil Jones and Robin Windsor, 3 performers for whom the term ‘dancer’ just isn’t enough to do justice to their talents.  Following routines so complex that they would test a super computer, they manage to imbibe each number with passion, humour, tragedy and pathos, creating a miniature play within the 3 or 4 minutes on stage.   Each have a tremendous pedigree and clearly enjoy bringing their own characters to the fore – playful, sultry, sexy and powerful.

Costumes are, as one would expect, bright, flamboyant and very sparkly.  The guys’ shirts seem to all miss most of their buttons (meaning they are open to the waist) whilst the girls frocks are, in the interests of safety, short and tight to avoid any trip hazards – at least that’s what I told my niece when she asked why they were so revealing.

Harriet and Adam deliver a good background of live singing.  Sure, there are some numbers which have clearly been chosen for the dance routine rather than being a great song to sing but having live backing adds an extra layer to the evening.

As always, Newcastle Theatre Royal and the FOH team deliver a great theatre experience, brilliant sight lines and an inclusive evening for everyone.

Educating Rita @ Durham Gala

A magnetic performance, as fresh, witty and relevant today as it was 35 years ago.

Educating Rita, written by Willy Russel, is the tale of a working class hairdresser and her striving to break free from her everyday existence by taking an Open University course in English Literature.  Her tutor, Frank, is a long in the tooth, cantankerous alcoholic lecturer whose disdain for the modern approach to learning is only bettered by his hatred for an empty bottle of scotch.   Indeed, Frank only agrees to take on an Open University student in order to pay for his bottles of booze and yet, very quickly he sees in Rita a freshness, an unsullied mind and an unpretentiousness that challenges his jaded and tainted outlook on life.

As a play, this two hander is solely performed from the confines of Frank’s study – set with bookcases, piles and piles of volumes and copious bottles of ‘hidden’ scotch, yet even the simplest of props, the study door, the waste paper bin, the flower vases are all cleverly used to create a richness to the interaction between student and teacher. Brilliantly directed by Rebecca Frecknall, you aren’t so much drawn into this world as sucked headlong and enveloped so deep I could swear you could taste the dust and smell the must.

Playing Frank, Patrick Driver (Silent Witness, Call the Midwife) gives a masterful appreciation of the abject resolution that at some point in life “is this it?” seems to be the most oft used phrase, even if it is in self-denigration.  Challenged by Rita’s unbridled hunger to learn, he portrays both tutor and father figure with equal amounts of paternal care and longing to be young again.  Indeed, Driver brings a lot more of a father figure to the role than merely a university lecturer.  The journey he takes us on is akin to a parent watching their offspring move from wide eyed 13 year old starting out on secondary education (and asking questions on everything) to the know-it-all 18 year old who sees their parent as merely a hindrance.  His frustrations towards the end (and the increased drinking that accompanied them) were not borne from Rita’s changing attitudes so much as Franks inability to accept his work was done.

Rita (or Susan as is her real name) is played by Jessica Johnson, local born and boy have we got ourselves a star in the North East.  The original Rita was a Liverpudlian, broad scouse, but Jessica’s portrayal is all North East and it is testament to her delivery that the character is all the better for it.  The way Jessica uses her local style of talking, the machine gun delivery and the typical convoluted journeys that we love to take people on when trying to recount a simple event felt like being wrapped in a warm proggy mat.  Her outwardly brash attitude which belied a delicate and vulnerable core was there for all to see and so well balanced that her whole performance was magnetic. 

Huge kudos to the Gala, Durham for producing an amazing piece of theatre and a real treat – congratulations to Director Rebecca Frecknall and her team, and to the management and marketing at the Gala theatre for a fabulous evening and a perfect example of why the Gala Theatre has so much to offer.

Darlington OS present West Side Story

There's Going to be a Rumble, Tonight

I think we all know the story of Romeo and Juliet and it's more modern cousin, West Side Story - gritty, violent and full of passion, it is often heralded as one of the hardest and most complex musicals to attempt.  Not only are the melodies thick with jazz rhythms and syncopated beats, the tongue twisting word plays are a tough challenge for even the most erudite of singers.  However, with the pedigree of the past and the passion of the present, Darlington Operatic Society grab hold with both hands and thrust this tale of racial prejudice right into the present day.  

There is so much in this performance that speaks to the current differentiates of race, colour, creed, religion and sex - the two rival gangs battling it out for control of their New York Upper West Side neighbourhood might be based back in the 1950's but they could so easily be in a current day London hamlet.   The Polish-American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks could be any number of racially stereotypical groups - whites, blacks, Asians, Muslims, Christians, visitors, tourists etc.  Make no mistake, DOS have not changed the original West Side Story into a modern tale but what they have done, through very clever casting and brilliant acting, is to ensure that this performance is totally relateable to the here and now.

Lead roles once again demonstrate the depth of amazing talent DOS have to call on; The ever young Neil Harland is great as the love struck Tony, dragged back into the gang life by his bond with lifelong best friend Riff.  Neil has arguably some of the hardest melodies in musical theatre to master - augmented fourths, a standalone lead within the 'Tonight Quintet' and the heart-wrenching One Heart duet yet is never phased.  Following Tony's abdication from Jet leadership, Riff takes over, played by Ben Connor - Ben totally owns the first act, his power and edge are juxtaposed against an underlying vulnerability that all things are changing - his hatred of the PRs (Puerto Ricans) comes more from the fact that they represent change to his 'hood, rather than him having a specific reason to dislike them.  Counterpoint to Riff is Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, and brilliantly played by Jason Slater - the epitome of cool, suave, slick-backed poise. Special mention in the gangs also goes to Andrew Hamilton - this guy can always be relied on to provide great character acting, a really strong voice and, for the opening number, some very nimble jazz ballet moves.

Of course, the guys wouldn't get into any trouble at all if it wasn't for the girls looking so damn hot - Rhiannon Walker as Maria is the perfect innocent with whom Tony loses his heart.  It should never be a surprise to hear Rhiannon sing but I always am, her voice is so pure and clear and when she needs to up the volume, it never, ever waivers. Playing alongside Maria as the foxy, sexy, sassy Shark Anita is Karen Stone and to be honest, the highest compliment I can pay is that she sounds just like Rita Moreno - her accent is pitch perfect through both speaking and signing.  Another stand out in the girls gang is Rachel Slattery playing tomboy Anybodys - always just on the edge of the action, Rachel never plays her as a spoof - she doesn't want to be a boy, she just wants to be treated as an equal in the gang.  In one fleeting scene she brilliantly strips away the laddish facade to show her tender side and give some much needed support to an on- the- run Tony.

Special mention goes to Aoiffe Ne Chaoilte who solos Somewhere.   With brilliant staging in total darkness and Aoiffe lit by a single spot you could hear the proverbial pin drop throughout the whole auditorium.

Of course, DOS are a society and the completeness of the shown would never be possible without the rest of the cast, the crew, stage hands and the wonderful Front of House gang, (yes, that's you Lisa Forster, a cheeky smile, a friendly face and making programme selling a new art form).

It's been 16 years since Darlington OS last produced West Side Story, the world has changed a helluva lot in that time, yet, watching this brilliant performance of racial intolerance, love and heartbreak, maybe it hasn't changed at all.