Gilbert & Sullivan Abridged @ Darlington Civic

Masters of light opera and the pastiche and parody of the 19th Century British class systems, Gilbert & Sullivan wrote many productions which played on ridiculing the foundations of the Empirical society and, as such, were loved throughout the world.

Their clever word play, lampooning of classical works and of course, catchy tunes made them a must-see for theatre goers from the late eighteen hundreds right up to the modern day.  It is widely accepted that they are a staple favourite for AmDram companies across the world, giving great scope for visual humour to compliment the lyrical joviality which runs through all of their operettas.

Whilst I am aware of many of their 'hit' numbers, I have to admit that I was a G&S virgin and so last nights production of "Gilbert & Sullivan Abridged" was to be my first true experience.  What I saw however left me baffled and quite unsure as to whether G & S are really for me.

The premise of the show is an AmDram production, (well 3 actors) taking their G & S review on tour to raise funds for their austerity-hit theatre. The intention, I believe, is to take the audience on a journey through the greatest works of the much-loved duo with renditions of their greatest tunes and explanations behind their operatic story-telling.  What transpired was 2 acts of parlour renditions accompanied by a pre-recorded piano and punctuated by a nonsensical recounting of an 'orphaned' boy looking for his mother.  Speaking to many G & S aficionados at the interval they kindly explained that many of the operas' in-jokes were lost as key songs were delivered in isolation with none of the pretence or narrative needed to give the witticisms their substance.

Ask anyone about Gilbert & Sullivan and they will most likely remark on their extremely witty word play delivered in tongue-twisting speed and operatic variety - indeed it was this Anglicising of traditional Italian opera that set them apart and created a much loved following - simply listening to the phrasing in " The Modern Major General" is great example of the vocal dexterity demanded by their works.  The tolerance for error is therefore minuscule, miss one word or beat and the whole verse is lost - it is a must that whomsoever tackles these songs is blessed with flexibility of tongue and elasticity of mouth.  Sadly this was not the case and many of the headline numbers were lost in stumbled mumblings and frantic catch ups. When coupled with off key harmonies and a stuttering use of props the show resembled more the out-takes from an early Monty Python rehearsal session (apologies to Messrs Cleese, Palin et al); as for the ill-advised and mis-placed inclusion of a street rapper, well some cultures are just meant to stay far apart.

I expected an evening of discovery which would stimulate my desire to seek out more G & S works, what I got was very 'Am' much less 'Dram' and sadly worse than most X-Factor auditions - for me it was a No!   If you already love G & S, or have a passing interest than I suggest you seek out a full production of one of their operas and experience their wonderfully clever, erudtite and astute writings as it is meant to be.

Woman in Black @ Darlington Civic

With the current trend for immediate visual gratification, be it in the movies, online or via ultra-realistic video games, good old fashioned ghost stories are often thought of as relics of days gone-by;  the telling of tales around a log fire, the wind howling at the windows and the shadows playing havoc with the imagination are a long way from the glossy, 'served-on-a-plate' style of titillation we have become accustomed to.  And yet when done properly, a good ghost story uses the most powerful form of visual imagery available, the human mind.  Ghost stories let the listener make their own decisions as to what they can & can't see, what they expect to happen and ultimately how it makes them feel and this play is, without doubt, the very best ghost story there is.

The Woman in Black has been playing to full theatres for over 25 years now and despite, or perhaps because of, it's sparse set and 2 person cast, it still has the power to worry, scare, haunt and shock everyone who comes to see it.

The premise of the play is that of a story within a story; Arthur Kipps (played by Julian Forsyth) wants, nay needs, to tell his tale of what happened to him when he went to settle the affairs of a lonely widow who had been living as a recluse for the past 50 years.  In doing so he hopes to exorcise the demons that have plagued him ever since.  He approaches a young actor (Antony Eden) to help him prepare and deliver his monologue to his family and friends and so we are led through the story as the two men recount and re-enact the fateful days Arthur spent at Eel Marsh House.

I could go on and tell more of the 'play within a play' but to do so would possibly stray towards giving too much away.  What I will say is if you have seen the recent Hammer movie production starring Daniel Radcliffe then be warned; the movie was a little jumpy, a little scary and a little shocking - this is truly terrifying, the atmosphere builds and builds and the shocks when they come are so real that you crave for the house lights to come up so you can retreat to the safety of the real world.

The Woman in Black is at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 9th February - go and see it, it's like a 90 minute workout for your heart.

Sleeping Beauty Panto @ Darlington Civic

Is it really legal to have this much fun ?

Pantos are all about fun, good ol' fashioned, silly and daft fun, and this one is one of the very best I've seen, ever.  The production is top notch with a fab choice of music, great dance routines, wonderful costumes and a superb fantasy set.  The cast clearly enjoy what they are doing and revel in the freedom that Panto gives them - so what if they get a fit of the giggles, we were all in howls of laughter anyway and even more so when it's obvious that they are enjoying it just as much. 

The knowing winks to the adult members of the audience let us know that we're all here for the fun and that's what makes it so engaging, so inclusive.  The kids, of course, love the staple fayre of "He's behind you", "Oh yes you are" and booing the villain, while us 'grown ups' are given double entendres,  music hall jokes and, for the dads, plenty of the gorgeous Ms Lusardi playing a deliciously evil fairy that prompts a flashbacks to my early teenage years.  (Don't worry girls, I have it on good authority that Will Tudor as Prince William is great eye candy for you). Added into this maelstrom of merriment is Philip Hitchcock as King Stephan - a very, very accomplished magician who wow'ed us all with some stunning illusions.

Zoe Birkett as the titular Princess lives up perfectly to her character's name, Philip Meeks as Nurse Dolly is outrageously camp and butch at the same time while Sam Kane as Oddjob, and Andy Jones as Muddles provide the madcap double act which at times made it hard to keep breathing through all the laughter.

Leave your inhibitions at the door, tightly wrap up your ribs so they don't burst and make sure you've been to the toilet before the show begins, you don't want any involuntary accidents happening (especially during the "12 days of Christmas")

There's no better way to start your Christmas season and if everything else is as fun & happy as this show then we're all in for the best Christmas ever.

Sleeping Beauty is on at Darlington Civic until Sun 20th Jan with most days having 2 shows - tickets from the box office.

Finally - a big thank you to the staff at Darlington Civic - this wonderful theatre is a crowning jewel in the North East arts & culture landscape and it is down to the staff who create such a unique theatre-going experience that it is loved and treasured.

Sleeping Beauty Panto @ Durham Gala

They say that fortune favours the brave, well, after watching this festive feast, Fortune,  Steve Fortune that is, favoured us all. 

The story of Sleeping Beauty is well known as one of the more traditional panto favourites - plenty of scope for beautiful princesses, wicked wizards, helpful fairies and of course a panto dame.  In an age where kids' imaginations are grabbed by Harry Potter, Transformers and a whole host of TV wizardry, I feared that the annual stage-set story telling would fall between the CGI cracks but my fears were completely misplaced.  What the production team at Durham Gala have done is to bring the story and it's portrayal right up to date. The set designs are vibrant and deep, the choreography is very 'street' and the cast are very much in tune with their audience.   I won't spoil the very special effects save to say they drew gasps from the audience,young and old, but this is very much a panto for the modern day audience.

Of course, panto wouldn't be panto without the usual audience participation - "Oh yes it would" - and the Gala at Durham is possibly the best venue in the north east for bringing audience and performers together. The proximity of the seats to the stage, the fact that the orchestra is sat up high to the side and the perfect sight lines mean every person was close enough to see, hear and on many occasions feel the action (they could even mark the first 8 rows as a designated 'splash zone').  The cast, in particular Dame Miriam and Silly Billy use this perfectly, and keep the feeling of inclusion and participation going right to the end.

Talking of Dame Miriam, Steve Fortune is simply fantastic - he knows how to deliver not just double entendres but triple and quadruple ones - the kids love his wacky outfits, the mum's envy his 'womanly' strength and the men just marvel at how he manages to dance in 'those' heels. Played with much more burlesque than camp, Steve and his/her son Silly Billy (played to big kid perfection by Paul Hartley) are the perfect counterfoil to the evil wickedness of Wizard Scorchard (Neil Armstrong) and his minions.

Pantos are all about family fun and this show delivers it in buckets, literally buckets.  If you haven't got your tickets yet, get them now and treat yourself to a fab night out - you know you want to......Oh yes you do !!

Haunting Julia @ Darlington Civic

Winter is a traditional time for ghost stories; the dark nights, howling winds, driving rain all create an atmosphere of doom and despair which the best Gothic writers manage to draw into their tales of apparitions and unsettled souls.  Billed by many as an alternative to The Woman in Black, the marketing for Alan Ayckbourn's Haunting Julia promises to send chills and shivers down the collective spines of the audience but if you come along expecting a shock and jump fest then you are going to be very surprised indeed.

Set in a memorial music studio-come-mausoleum and starring just 3 characters (Joe - Julia's father, Andy - Julia's ex boyfriend and Ken - a psychic), Haunting Julia tells the story of how a child prodigy grows up under the constant pressure of parental pride, the inability to allow herself to act 'normally'and her subsequent suicide, driven in part by the abject realisation that maybe she could be a musical genius or a normal young lady but not both.

From the opening lines it is clear who wrote this play - the intricate word play, the everyday characters and the soul searching monologues all demonstrate Ayckbourn's trademark framework which, for fans of his work, is grounded in the suburban mundane of 'Any Street, Every Town', but it is here that some of the magic, the mystery and the menace of a ghost story is lost.  The characters are almost too well written, their stories leave nothing to be explored by the audience and as such there is no real threat felt which one would normally associate with a thriller. At the same time, there is a lack of plausibility in the circumstances surrounding how these three men come to be 're-united' after 12 years of no contact.  

Ayckbourn himself stated that Haunting Julia was a psychological ghost story but really the ghost and the haunting play second fiddle to the story of how misplaced parental pride (both in the child's ability and in the parent's inability to let nature happen) can create deeper and more profound harm than non-acceptance ever could. It is more a study of grief and guilt than of ghosts and ghouls.

At times you have to suspend belief around the interaction of the characters and the holes in the story otherwise you could find yourself pontificating over the timelines of events and over-analysing the characters motives (why would Andy agree to return 12 years later and spend time with Joe despite them never meeting while Julia was alive?).  The sound effects and visual set work well to draw the audience in and the finale is certainly not an anti-climax but again, this is not a thriller ghost story and so should be viewed as a play into the insight of human emotions, not spooks and scares.  Think of it as a theme park ride with a long and detailed pre-ride build up as you meander round the queue, up the steps and into the car.  Then you're off on the ride before suddenly, you're back outside, heart-rate a little raised but safe and sound.  

For fans of Alan Ayckbourn this is another great play, full of the witty one liners, northern humour and dry observations; for those of a nervous disposition fear not, your sleep will not be disturbed.