The Department Of Distractions @ Northern Stage

Distraction - a thing that prevents someone from concentrating on something else
        extreme agitation of the mind

For centuries many renowned writers have posited that there is an underlying control in the world, a control that decides what is classed as ‘the norm’, what is an exception and even what we should feel about them.  The New World Order, Big Brother, HUAC and even the Royal Family have all been cited in both fiction and fact as having this control, yet in the modern world with near instantaneous sharing of news and views, it would appear that it is the media that has overall and total control.

The Department of Distractions (based on Alex Kelly’s book O Grande Livro dos Pequenos Detalhes) is set in the afore mentioned government department, a department responsible for creating, releasing and managing ‘news’ to ensure the status quo is maintained, though for whom this is to remain is left to the audience’s own appraisal.  ‘News’ in this definition is not only the broadcasted retelling of ‘fact’ but also the everyday events that people witness on the street, the shared gossip at work, the viral memes on social media and the perpetual revisiting of myth and urban legends – all managed to create control.  The audience is given a peek into the working day of the department, how they choose a ‘target’, how they agree which distractions need to be created, which ‘sleight of hand’ techniques to deploy.  To the team, this is as procedural and ordinary as any other office job – albeit one which directly controls what the world believes to be truth.

Alexander Kelly, writer and co-director with Rachel Walton,  has melded the dystopian undercurrents of Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov and punched them squarely into the breadbasket of global media giants a la BBC, Sky, Fox (well the Murdochs in general).  What is brilliant is that whilst many would suggest this is science fiction, there is too much recognisable fact not to question whether this show is instead a well-crafted piece of distraction itself.  After all, there’s no better place to hide than in plain sight.  

The cast, Umar Ahmed, Nick Chambers, Stacey Sampson and Rachel Walton have a real challenge for they have to deliver on multiple layers at once – not only are they playing the department team, but also they enact and rehearse the characterisation of their Distraction’s cast.  This is done brilliantly, never once creating any confusion whilst still allowing each layer to realise it’s own revelations.  The clever use of projection allows the audience to see 1st hand the research and material used to compile a case – meticulous in detail but quite procedural, giving more substance to the feeling that these Distractions and the untruths they purport are simply tasks on an office to do list.  There is something very unsettling about thinking the world around you and everything you believe could be built on post it notes and Polaroids.

More scary than a horror story, the Department of Distractions leaves the audience with a puzzled and concerned frown – not because you are unable to understand but because this expose rings too many bells, shatters the illusion of Utopia through Ignorance and makes you question every headline, every news feed, every shared opinion.  I have long believed that man is incapable of having a truly original thought, everything is but a reaction and after watching this wonderful production, I spent the train ride home convinced that we could all be just characters in a global sandbox game.  My final thought (at least I think it was MY thought) was of a classic quote - "the finest trick of the devil is to persuade you that he does not exist" - Charles Baudelaire - possibly the greatest Distraction of all ?

Definitely recommended and be prepared to see the world in a very different light afterwards.

★★★★

War of the Worlds @ Northern Stage

No one would have believed…

Ever since the now infamous radio retelling of H G Wells’ science fiction classic, The War of the Worlds has inspired creative interpretation, often using methods and technology of the time and adopting the location to best suit their needs.  Jeff Wayne, with his seminal double album, was my favourite, the Tom Cruise Hollywood gloss version by far my least.  This new imagining, set in the North East and featuring 4 interwoven stories, is by far the best I’ve seen on stage and one which attempts to leave the audience with a more pertinent twang of realisation in keeping with the current environmental challenges.

The premise is that our 4 characters are but mere ghosts, back to recount their experiences as the first wave of Martian invaders descended onto the North East coastline.  Set just before the start of the 20th century, they draw on the undercurrent of change, the feeling that the rich are beginning to get richer and leave the have-nots well behind (something that rings only too clearly in the present day).  The technological advancements seem to best serve the middle and upper classes, leaving the poor and working class adrift and struggling to eek out a place.  Inequality besets every avenue and yet, through this sudden interruption to the social norm, they witness all levels thrown together in a battle to survive.

Laura Lindow, the writer and creator, has managed to remain very true to the essence of Wells’ original without it feeling like a substitution rewrite, indeed there are elements which most certainly serve to enhance the source text of which Wells would have surely approved.  Peppered with colloquialisms and Victorian Geordie, it presents both as a fictional tale and a history lesson rolled into one and is instantly recognisable as Victorian Tyneside. 

Lindow’s treatment of this great story is as much an inward reflection on how small mankind is, how pitiful our supposed achievements are and how the words preached about tolerance and coexistence are just hollow gestures; brilliant insight by Wells in 1898 and perfectly in tune 120 years later.

The cast, Jack Lloyd (Ridley), Luke Maddison (Boots), Charlotte Ryder (Jill) and Lauren Waine (Mo) give an imperious lesson in creating characters through the power of suggestion, and James Pickering’s use of a minimal set only serves to keenly focus the attention on the actors.  Through their wonderful storytelling the small island stage becomes a moor, a chapel, a shipyard, poverty ridden back streets, tunnels and seashore.  The brilliant soundscape of Mariam Rezaei transports you right into the heart of the industrial North yet this familiar aural tapestry is twisted into a threatening and scary horizon, driving the audience towards a precipice of uncertainty and never letting the heart rate drop to a comfortable rest.

Of all the scenes, only the finale felt a little contrived with the cast issuing a warning ultimatum of man’s refusal to protect the planet that protects them -  not quite a Daily Mail headline but perhaps one which could have been more implied, leaving the audience to feed more on their own thoughts than being told to do so.  That said, the feeling one is left with is simple - substitute the Martians for Big Business, despotic rulers, New World order, blatant commercialism or scant disregard for the natural resources and we too could suffer a cataclysmic disaster from which we will not recover.

The Tin Foil Astronaut @ The Arc, Stockton

Every journey begins the same way, with the 1^st step. 

It was a cold and wet Saturday morning, a room filled with over 35 children aged between 2 and 8 and some anxious parents wondering just how soon it will be before anarchy breaks out, yet from the very first minute until well after the final scene, every child and grown up was transfixed by the brilliant storytelling, wonderful characters and no small amount of very interesting science.

The Tin Foil Astronaut is an immersive, interactive and totally engaging play about Alba, a wannabee astronaut who, through ingenuity, imagination ( and plenty of tin foil) becomes the youngest person to travel to the furthest reaches of the Solar System.  Alba, helped remotely by her Dad and guided by the Man in the Moon, overcomes the barriers of the kids at school thinking she’s a bit weird, ignores the grown ups telling her she’s too small and, despite being late for her tea (fish fingers and beans, her favourite) joins the space race.

Kitchen Zoo (founded by Hannah Goudie-Hunter and Bob Nicholson and supported by the brilliant music of Jeremy Bradfield)  state they ‘aim to create work for young audiences that is playful and vibrant’ and they hit the nail square on it’s bonce with this one. Blending live music, sound effects and puppets with real science, the 3 hand cast transport the audience into a make believe world which who knows,  could be just the thing to encourage a young person out there to become the next Brian Cox or Helen Czerski.

If you have any little ones who love space, science or just great storytelling, treat them (and yourselves) to an hour of fun and facts that will leave you all talking for ages afterwards.

The Tin Foil Astronaut will be landing at these places

• 10 February: Arts Centre Washington

• 12 April: Bishop Auckland Town Hall

• 13 April: Queens Hall Hexham

• 14 April: The Witham

• 15 April: Gala Durham

• 22 April: Sage, Gateshead

• 5 May: Lyric, Hammersmith

Anywhere, the history and tour of New Hippodrome, Darlington

A thoroughly modern and unique take on a history tour

The newly refurbished Darlington Hippodrome, formerly the Civic and before that the grandly titled The New Hippodrome and Palace Theatre of Varieties has such a rich history that it was begging for someone to take it all and make something of it.  Other historic recountings have invested in video or multimedia sessions with the audience sat in a plush new lounge and furnished with an audio guide but that’s not the New Hippodrome’s style.  For this, the brilliant ODDMANOUT theatre group have been engaged to work with the Hippodrome and the Hippodrome Theatre Company and have produced an innovative, interactive, entertaining and downright fun approach to both guided tour and history lesson.

Starting with a flashmob-esque opening number which I guarantee will leave you with the evening’s earworm, you are brought together in a small group and taken on a behind the scenes and screens tour of the new and old, while along the way being entertained by characters from literary and theatrical stardom.

The ‘cast’ – who seems to morph seamlessly between characters, guides and even audience are brilliant in making the history come alive.  Stories from giants such as Carrol & Shakespeare are rammed hard up against the comedic shoulders of Barry & Paul, driven to ‘fight’ by Lewis and then cuddled by the quintessential British Dame, all done as you wind your way through the auditorium, changing rooms, stores and flys.  Not only do you get to tread the boards and gaze out at the seats, but you get to spend time in the Green room, intruding on a rehearsal which would fit perfectly with The Play that Goes….

If you have ever been to the Hippodrome (or Civic), if you enjoy theatre in general but wonder what ‘behind’ is like or if you just love great entertainment and watching a very, very good cast please, PLEASE treat yourself  and grab a ticket – it’s only on for an hour but it’s so much fun and you may just learn a little. If nothing else you will appreciate why you should take heed that There’s a Fish Train Comin’.

Anywhere is on from Friday 2nd till Sunday 4th Feb with shows 1pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 2,30pm, 3pm and evenings 7pm, 7.30pm 8pm, 8.30pm and 9pm.

Shrek the Musical @ Sunderland Empire

A giant ogre, a talking donkey, a magical princess, a tiny Lord and a fire breathing dragon – all quite feasible characters for an animated movie but surely a challenge to portray as a live stage musical – or so you’d think, but under the expert direction of Nigel Harman (and aided in no small way by the brilliant cast and choreography) Shrek the Musical is a modern day masterpiece to rival anything currently on show.

Drawing heavily from the Dreamworks animated movie made famous by the vocal talents of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, this non-stop extravaganza concentrates the essence and humour of the CGI film whilst introducing new songs and some amazing costumes for which Tim Hatley should be lauded and applauded.

Right from the opening scene, the storybook backstory of how a young Shrek befell his swamp life, the whole show has a larger than life feel as though the audience are being immersed into a true fairy tale. Brilliant set design, the multitude of additional characters and the very clever little details mean there is so much to watch;  in fact the interval conversation was peppered with “I didn’t see that, I was watching ….”.  Special mention must go to the dragon, a war-horse-esque appearance brimming with character and dare I say totally believable.  

The main factor that made the original movie such a must for repeat viewing was the subtle (and not so subtle) pastiches, homages or just plain ‘steals’ from multiple genres – spotting the digs at Disney, the role reversal of children’s stories or the twist on expected norms meant adults could also laugh while the kids hollered at the ‘rude’ jokes and naughty behaviours.  This show has taken that premise and, in keeping for a stage musical, took a mischievous aim at many of the most popular musicals – as such you can find nods to Wicked, Rent, Matilda, Spamalot, Bob Fosse, Avenue Q, Rocky Horror, Blood Brothers and I’m sure many more.  For a fan of the theatre, this is like playing Musicals Bingo, write out a list and tick them off as you find them.

The main cast are all fabulous; Steffan Harri (Shrek) seems to tower over the other fairyland creatures in presence yet never loses his soft side whilst Samuel Holmes (Lord Farquaad) is hilarious as the diminutive ruler with a desire to be considered large (his dance routines should come with a health warning of split sides and inability to breath due to laughing).  Marcus Ayton (Donkey) has all the style, soul and street of a cross between James Brown and Jay Z but I think it was Laura Main (possibly best known for Call the Midwife) who gives Princess Fiona some real umpf – she is sassy, alluring and totally bonkers, laugh out loud funny and not afraid to bend her leg and let us know she can ‘Shrek’ it with the best (oh and boy can she sing)

The show has a feel of a pantomime in that it is super friendly, instantly recognisable, enthralling and entertaining through every minute (and provoking a theatre full of kids laughter),  but this is no corny ‘he’s behind you’ fare, this is musical theatre at it’s very best and packed with moments of genuine hilarity.

Even though it’s only February, I’d say this will be THE show you will still be talking about come the end of the year and most certainly the one you’ll want to go and watch again and again

★★★★★.