The Leftovers @ Northern Stage

A tragi-comedic look into how we perceive other, how they perceive us and how the two can be so drastically different depending on the view point.

The Leftovers, the latest production by Sheep Soup and written by Nic Harvey, is the story of 5 musicians whose lives are inextricably linked by the death of a Jodie; a mutual friend, confident, lover and yet, as we discover, they all seem to have known a completely different person to each other.

Set at a recording studio (wonderful designed by Lizzy Leech) , Yaz (Philippa Hogg) wants to capture her relationship with BFF Jodie in a song.  She has enlisted Jim (Ben Welch) as musician and technician to help her record the song and Hayley Reigns/Rains/Reins (Sarah White), a published songstress to help write it but they are struggling to really capture the mood and style which best represents the person they knew.  Was she the life and soul of the party without a care in the world, or a troubled soul who was constantly putting on an act? Was she a trusted and loyal friend or a stabs-you-in-the-back user who flitted from one good time to another?

As the story progresses we are introduced to two more of Jodie’s past – Russ (Tim Murphy) who is a once hippy traveller who knew Jodie for a year as they explored the far flung reaches and Angie (Wreh-asha Walton) for whom Jodie represented much more than a brief friendship, which sadly  appears to have ended abruptly.  The discovery of a box of writings, diaries and messages, along with some old voicemails, helps to unpick Jodie’s tangled life but for the others they only serve to open old wounds and shatter long held beliefs.

Each of the assembled have their own story to tell and these are done through the guise of improvised song writing in their attempt to produce the one piece that truly captures the impact Jodie had on their lives.  Brilliantly directed by Adam Lenson and with the erudite and enthralling musical direction of Rob Green, The Leftovers unpeels the onion of life and shows that a throwaway comment to one person can be held as lifetime moment to another.  The way that Jodie’s character and her interaction with each person is revealed is as thought provoking as it is entertaining – very much akin to the Netflix smash hit '13 Reasons Why' and Hannah’s tapes that destroy perceptions and expose lies.  That said, there is still a great amount of comedy in the show and of course no end of genuine musical talent.

As always, Northern Stage is THE place in the North East for ground breaking productions, showstopping performances and naturalistic delivery, be sure to check out their webpage for details of forthcoming shows.

Matilda @ Sunderland Empire

Fresh from the award winning & sell out run in the West End, Tim Minchin’s musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s tale is a wonderful family treat guaranteed to leave everyone wishing they too were 5 again.

Produced by The Royal Shakespeare company, the story about a little girl’s discovery of her super powers and the eventual comeuppance of her abusive parents and the horrible bully Miss Trunchbull is one of the most endearing happy endings in children’s literature – coupled with some very catchy tunes and brilliant lyrics makes for one of the best modern musicals totally worthy of all the awards and accolades.

The position of Matilda, played for this performance by Annalise Bradbury must go down as the best children’s role since Annie – there is no end of opportunity for mischief, devilment and cheeky trickery and Annalise clearly has as much fun as the audience.  Of course, for each hero there must be an anti-hero – for this there are two in particular – Mr Wormwood (Matilda’s unscrupulous car salesman father) is dismissively played by Sebastien Torkia, full of annoyance that he even has a daughter and happy to try and chase the next big con.  Ms Trunchbull, the sadistic chokey-loving, children-hating, hammer throwing elementary teacher is undeniably the real star of the show – Craige Els seems 8 feet tall amongst the children and possesses such a menace that there were many adults in the audience who also quivered. Of course, the final events show that in the end it is Ms Trunchbull’s past that finally does for her and justice prevails.

Special mention must go to Miss Honey, Carly Thoms, whose beautiful voice acted as a complete opposite to the gruff Ms Trunchbull – Carly is a delight and totally believable as Matilda’s new adaptive mother.  

Split between Matilda’s new school and her evenings at the TV obsessed front room, the set & scenery (managed by Head of Stage Steven McGookin) has an uncanny familiarity which makes it very easy to slip into Matilda’s nightmarish world.   Brilliantly changed during performance, there is an almost balletic quality to the scenes morphing from one set to another which meant the audience never had need, nor chance, to look away – even during the interval there was a clever addition of Mr Wormwood bestowing his wisdom (which would certainly keep the younger viewers entertained during the 15 minute break).

The chance to see Matilda here in the North East is certainly one not to be missed – built on the quality of Roald Dahl, fed by the brilliance of Tim Minchin and performed by a whole cast of ridiculously talented children it remains a classic of modern musical theatre.

★★★★

Brighton Rock @ Northern Stage

Following on from Playwright Bryony Lavery’s much acclaimed and award nominated Frozen, her adaptation of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock is a darkly delicious descent into the anguish and turmoil of a young man trying to understand who he is and what is his place in life.  Whilst Greene wrote this story in 1938, the themes and characters are instantly recognisable today, thanks in the main to the brilliant directing of Pilot Theatre’s Esther Richardson, who uses both traditional and contemporary techniques to present the multiple personas constantly in bitter struggles with themselves.

The story focuses on Pinkie, a 17 year old wannabe gang leader who craves respect far greater than his tender age deserves meaning when he doesn’t get it he inevitably turns to violence.  Brilliantly played by Jacob James Beswick, Pinkie is constantly on the edge, the edge of reason, the edge of glory, the edge of sanity – Beswick’s energy is truly scary, never quite knowing whether he is about to smile or scream.  The rest of Pinkies gang are forever tiptoeing round on eggshells, fearful for saying the wrong word, looking the wrong way, and yet magnetised by his charisma and forthright ambition.  Sitting in the 2^nd row I felt myself shrink whenever Pinkie took on a rant and yet, like his gang, felt attached to him with an illogical loyalty.

On Pinkie’s orders, the gang murder a rival who was masquerading as a newspaper celebratory but find they have left a witness who can link them to the killing, a young waitress, Rose, and so Pinkie must decide whether to kill her too or befriend, and ultimately try and control her.  Rose, played with a heart-breaking mix of wide eyed innocence and adolescent passion by Sarah Middleton, falls for Pinkie, despite (or perhaps because of) his manic obsessions, and agrees to not only keep quiet, but to help him avoid further detection.  Sarah is a wonderful actor and in Rose, she is able to take the audience on an accelerated journey to becoming a woman, yet never loses the childish binary belief of right and wrong.  This is further reinforced as both Pinkie and Rose are from devout Catholic families, brought up on the premise of Heaven and Hell, of mortal sin and of repent and atonement.  When Greene wrote his original story, there were only two dominant paths of fate but you can substitute Catholicism for any religion, faith or belief system making this story as true and relevant to today’s youth as it was for those in the 30’s. 

Following all this action is Ida Arnold, a seeker of truth and justice with more than a passing resemblance (in investigative prowess at least) to sleuths of Agatha Christie.  Ida, played by Gloria Onitiri, pieces together the fragmented detritus left in Pinkie’s wake and begins to see that the police have either missed, or chosen to ignore, vital clues linking several suspicious deaths all back to Pinkie.  When Ida realises that Rose is being drawn into this underworld she vows to protect her, even if it means taking on Pinkie and his gang herself.  Gloria gives Ida some real spunk; at first she seems like a bit of a lush, hanging round the bars, betting at the races, but all too soon displays a steely resolve to go toe to toe with the gangs.

The choreography and scene setting is elaborately simple – movement around the stage is poetic, even the set shifting is done with an artistic flourish meaning the audience never drops its gaze.  The soundscape, an ever present live accompaniment composed by Hannah Peel is possibly the best I’ve ever heard – it is reminiscent of David Lynch’s underscoring of scenes in the TV series Twin Peaks – rhythmic heartbeats, low and metronomic are almost imperceptible until the action, at which point they help drive the audience into the heart of Pinkies psychosis before subtly fading back. 

Definitely recommended, this production leaves you wondering why the story can still be so true today as it was 80 years ago - is it that society has never manged to embrace adolescence or is it hard wired into the DNA of all teenagers that they must go through this rite of passage.

Brighton Rock is on at Northern Stage, Newcastle until 5^th May

Crazy For You @ Sunderland Empire

A musical romp which harks back to the 1930’s and perfectly encapsulates the musical magic of Ira & George Gershwin, Crazy for You is an award winning tale, revisited for a new UK tour and guaranteed to present the audience with a wonderful evening of song, dance and comedy.

Based on the brothers’ Girl Crazy, the story tells the tale of a down at heel theatre in Nevada about to be repossessed by the New York bank who hold the title deeds, only to find an unlikely saviour in the guise of the bank owners star & love struck son.  Following stereotypical portrayals of midwestern cowboys (hard working, hard drinking and somewhat simple), New York socialites (snooty, snobby and elitist) and theatre producers (extravagant and egotistical ‘luvvies’), the main players find their lives intertwined through fate, deceit and ultimately love.

The lead is played by Tom Chambers, no stranger to following the twinkle toes and dulcet tones of Fred Astaire – Chambers has starred in the stage version of Top Hat, recreated a solo dance routine from Damsel in Distress,  as well as amazing BBC viewers by winning Strictly Come Dancing.  He is perfectly suited to playing Bobby, the wealthy banker who pines to be on the stage. Equally adept at slapstick comedy as he is at performing complex tap routines, he drives the whole show along at such a pace that your head spins trying to keep up with all the interplay.  His portrayal of drunk Bobby pretending to be producer Bela Zangler while the real drunk Zangler mirrors his actions is physical comedy at its timeless best.

Playing opposite him as the daughter of the Deadrock, Nevada theatre owner Polly is the simply brilliant Charlotte Wakefield – Charlotte is an all singing, all dancing Calamity Jane but with more moves and less guns.  She gives a wonderful performance, equally vulnerable as she is headstrong without ever dropping into a pastiche of the cliched Wild West Tom Boy.

Adding more sex appeal than should really be allowed on a school night, Claire Sweeny oozes and  schmoozes as Irene, Bobby’s New York betrothed – perhaps the only fault of the whole show is that we see too little of Claire in the 1^st act, but her recreation of Michelle Pfeiffer’s famous piano scene in Fabulous Baker Boys (complete with a stunning red dress) more than made up for it.

Produced by the Watermill Theatre Company and directed by Paul Hart, this tour protects the integrity and legacy of the original production and ensures that, for all the razzamatazz and dancing, it is the Gershwin music that stays centre stage.  Timeless hits such as Embraceable You, I Got Rhythm, Someone to Watch Over Me, Naughty Baby, Nice Work and They Can’t Take that Away from Me mean everyone will recognise some of the tunes, whilst possibly being introduced to some of the brothers’ lesser known tunes.

Crazy For You is a brilliantly funny and entertaining show and one which is guaranteed to give a great evening.

★★★ ½

Sunday Lunch @ Wynyard Hall

On Sunday myself and Mrs B (who, following this visit now insists on being called Lady B) decided we’d had enough of my lumpy mash and soggy bottomed yorkies and felt it was time for a Sunday lunch treat.  Taking a short ride into the country we rode past some very large houses, through the country park and up to the main entrance of Sir John Hall’s Wynyard Hall.

The history of Wynyard Hall, situated between Sedgefield and Billingham, is filled with influential and important people – a series of Marquesses of Londonderry played host to prominent writers, politicians, socialites and cause celebre – so it is little surprise that as you enter the magnificent reception for Sunday lunch you too are treated like minor royalty.

The welcome at the front desk is warm and friendly and in contrast to the imposing hallways you are led through on your way to the Wellington Room.  The walls are bedecked with portraits 20 feet high, tapestries and gilded ceiling mouldings and immediately you feel like you’ve stepped into Downtown Abbey or Pride and Prejudice.

On giving our name we were shown to our table – the simple things like having your coat taken for you, the chairs being eased out and back as you sit and the initial offer of a cool drink while you begin to peruse both the meal and wine lists all continue to make you feel very special.  We were served by Gracie who was wonderfully attentive without ever being intrusive; Gracie walked us through the menu and, when Lady B decided to have a cheeky G&T, she provided an extensive list of the gins on offer.  As we continued to deliberate, we were presented with some fresh warm bread and Beef Dripping infused butter which, OMG, is amazing (for those who like meat).

Two and three courses are on offer for Sunday lunch, and in the interests of providing a full and fair review, we both plumped for 3. To start, her ladyness had Fishcake with Lobster Aioli and Pea shoots whilst I was tempted by the Tian of Crab and Prawns.  For ‘good eaters’ both portions, whilst looking stunning, seemed a little small, yet as soon as we took the first bite there was no risk of wolfing it down – the taste was intense, fresh and packed with flavours you normally only hear about on Masterchef – so each mouthful was savoured, slow and deliberate and actually quite filling.

Next was our mains – in true tradition, Lady B went for Roast Beef and I took advantage of being able to enjoy Shoulder of Lamb (I’m the only one in our family who likes lamb).  The beef came in a large, fluffy and perfectly crisp Yorkshire pudding and accompanied by roast spuds, parsnips, carrots and deep greens.  The beef, always a good test of a restaurants standard, was perfect – thick slice, pink but as tender and moist as a good fillet steak.  The lamb was so tender it could be cut with a spoon and was sat on a bed of pomme puree (posh mash).  Silence reined for the next 10 minutes, only punctuated by lip smacking.

Once again, without being prompted and feeling neither rushed, nor delayed, Gracie appeared to clear the table.  It must be said that the staff here operate in a lovely manner, calm efficiency with a clear focus on their guests, often doubling up on a table to ensure all guests are served at the same time and tables cleared in one move. 

Desserts were next; despite what people may know about me, I was actually feeling quite full but any menu with Rhubarb on will always grab my attention so it was a Forced Rhubarb and Cream Cheese ice cream for me, Treacle Sponge for Mrs B.  Again, both were impeccably presented and a delicious finale to a wonderful meal.

Having Sunday lunch out is often a family tradition and there is no end of restaurants all vying for your patronage, however I don’t believe there is anywhere in County Durham that can provide the location, the service, the quality of food and the sense of occasion better than Wynyard Hall – whether it is for a special event (it is our 25^th Wedding anniversary early May and we both agree that this is where we will be celebrating), a family get together or an intimate repas.

Sunday lunch is served from 12pm until 9pm, two courses from £25, 3 courses from £30.