Cragside - A Hidden Gem

Cragside – a hidden gem in Northumberland that changed the world forever

Nestled in a wooded dene just outside Rothbury, Northumberland, Cragside (and its surrounding estate) played home to one of the world’s greatest innovators, inventors, pioneers and for whom the modern way of life would for ever be grateful – Lord William Armstrong.  Now owned by the National Trust, we decided that it would be a perfect location to take the whole family for a picnic, explore the house and gardens and in doing so, we also made the decision to join the National Trust.  Our car full was made up of the whole range of ages, so we wanted somewhere that would appeal to everyone and Cragside certainly did that.

Getting to Cragside is easy, it is well signposted from all major roads and the route takes you through the wonderful Northumberland mix of sea view and moorland heathers.  On approaching we were met by a very helpful NT volunteer who made joining a very quick and easy process – not to mention very cost effective – it is only £10 a month for a family membership and that gave us immediate access.

The estate roads are well signed, with two main carparks and a circular “Carriageway” route that takes you past the main house and up to the highland lakes, much used in the innovative hydroelectric and hydraulic power systems.  There are plenty of picnic areas, circular walk routes of varying length and difficulty and stunning views back across towards to the coast.

The best path to take to approach the main house is undoubtedly from the pump house, along the bed of the valley – from here you see the house perched up above on the crag side and can really appreciate just why Armstrong chose this location.  Initially he built a modest house; 8 – 10 rooms and 2 storeys high with small stables, but very soon, and driven by his unquenchable passion for inventing, he needed a much bigger platform.  Over the next 30 years Armstrong created his ‘fairy palace’ with additional wings, floors, rooms and galleries added in piecemeal fashion, yet with his inventions and collections there always felt a connection between the old and the new.

The house is open to visitors and the best part, it is free roam – that is you are free to wander around and, apart from jumping on the beds and using flash photography, nothing is prohibited.  The list of inventions in this house is quite astonishing – not only is it the first house in the world to be lit by electric lights (using Swans incandescent bulbs) but it also boasts a dishwasher, a hydraulic elevator, a dumb waiter, an automated plant watering system, a self turning spit, a washing machine and a vacuum machine.  The rooms in the house, and out across the estate were all connected by a telephone system and these were all powered by the estates own hydroelectric plant.  Considering that this was still in the late 1800’s the ingenuity and vision of Armstrong is staggering. 

Complimenting the technological wonders there is a very impressive art collection, gallery, music room (with open piano) and a purpose built snooker/billiards room, complete with viewing stand, which is free for visitors to play on too.  The whole house has a feel of science museum combined with stately home and is the most relaxed and inclusive property we've ever visited.

The gardens and estate are home to one of the last remaining colonies of native red squirrels, living in the over 7 million planted trees(including the tallest Scots pine in Britain) and provide brilliant walking options and plenty of picnic places.  There is also a maze, a range of children’s play areas, a gift shop and tea rooms so there is something for everyone. 

For a day out, there are few places in the whole of Britain that can offer the sights and history of Cragside plus, if you join the National Trust, you can keep going back to explore and uncover even more through the seasons - I fancy winter with snow on the trees, others recommend late spring when the millions of Rhododendron will be in bloom.

For more information and directions, see 

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside 

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

From the opening bars of the famous, piccolo based theme tune, to the final curtain, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em is a brilliant step back to the time when comedy was built on keenly crafted word play and mad cap, real physical stunts.  Everyone of a certain age will remember Michael Crawford as the bumbling Frank Spencer, trying his best to make his little piece of the world better and constantly failing.  It’s been a long time since Frank and his beret were last glimpsed on our TV screens and, save for a brief sketch for Comic Relief, the Spencer family have been relegated to being the target for wannabee impressionists (many of whom still use ‘hmm Betty’ as their staple “Who do you do” response).

This show, brilliantly written and directed by Guy Unsworth,  plays out like a Christmas Special from yesteryear and yet at the same time feels fresh as a daisy and as funny as Raymond Allen’s originals.  Undoubtedly, this is down to the writing which is the same machine-gun style of never ending mix ups and missed meanings as beloved of the TV series.  The set, whilst simple in initial viewing, is cleverly built to enable the stunts and pratfalls to happen with just as much shock effect as on the small screen – come the finale you are left wondering just how do they get this ready to go again in only a few hours.

Playing Frank Spencer is one of the UKs hardest working and genuinely funniest actors – Joe Pasquale.  To many who have not seen Joe’s work he is a funny voice over man (“I’ve had an accident”) but Joe is a master of his craft and this show is the perfect vehicle to showcase all his talents.  He avoids the temptation to fall into making this a Michael Crawford impression show and instead brings his own take on the hapless, lovable fool.  His comic timing is nothing short of genius, using the audience’s reactions to temper his next line and knowing just how to give everyone on stage a quick breather simply with a look.  This is the first time I’ve seen Joe live (can’t believe I’ve missed him for all these years) but he alone is reason to go and see this show again and again.

Playing opposite Joe as his doting yet long suffering wife Betty is Sarah Earnshaw.  Sarah is as cute as she is loving, patient yet frustrated that despite (of perhaps because of) Frank’s attempts, things that seem simple never quite stay so.  Sarah has a very impressive list of West End and tour theatre credits for one so young; Glinda in Wicked, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Jennifer in Nativity, Lady of the Lake in Spamalot to name but a few and whilst some might suggest that Betty is the straight role to Pasquale’s funnyman, this would do her a great disservice – Frank’s failings would not be half as cringe-worthy yet lovable if we didn’t believe that he was trying to make the world a better place for Betty – she is his raison d’etre and Sarah makes this add couple totally believable (tho I think she is probably giving Frank a good 35 years grace in age).

Initially I thought that the audience were big Frank Spencer fans, tempted by the chance to see a piece of TV comedy history replayed but talking to many at the interval, they were neither old enough to have seen SMDAE, nor did they know who Michael Crawford is (sorry Michael).  Instead, they were drawn by both Joe Pasquale and the promise of brilliant comedy – perhaps more recent shows like The Play the Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong (both by Mischief Theatre) have opened people’s minds to the fact that theatre can provide great physical comedy without the need for clever editing or stunt people usually deployed for TV & Film.  In fact, I think that seeing this show live, as with the others mentioned, is funnier and gives a greater appreciation of the craft that goes into making them.

Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em is playing at the Darlington Hippodrome until Saturday July 7^th – not wanting to tempt fate, but it would be the perfect way to ease any post world cup blues should your team fail to make it through the next round – OR you could use it as a great evening to celebrate – either way, this is one show that guarantees to make you laugh out loud.

Comedy About a Bank Robbery

Following on the back of their phenomenal successes The Play that Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Mischief Theatre Company will be taking their current West End smash, A Comedy About a Bank Robbery on tour later this year.  Grabbing the opportunity to see it at the beautiful Criterion Theatre before it heads out round the UK, we were treated to one of the funniest plays on stage, ever.

More of a story than the madcap parodies their previous productions have been, Bank Robbery is set in 50’s Minneapolis and charts the exploits of a wannabee crime ‘lord’ and his attempt to steal a priceless diamond from the local bank.  Aided by the bank manager’s daughter, a petty pick pocket and some rogue prison guards and chased by an FBI agent with dubious intent and the bank secretary, the story twists and turns at such a pace that you need the interval just to grab a breath and stop your head from spinning.  Directed by original Mischief member Nancy Zamit (who fans will remember from the previous productions) and Mark Bell (whose credit listings deserve their own page in the programme) Bank Robbery is a modern day classic, laugh out loud and don’t care who hears you evening of unashamed fun.

The puns come so fast, right from the off, that it takes a few minutes just to get your brain into gear to keep up but once you’re up to speed it’s hold on tight for a rollercoaster ride. Les Dawson used to pretend he was a terrible piano player but he was able to make it funny because he was actually a brilliant pianist;  this cast make the apparent tomfoolery look effortlessly hilarious because they too are masters in their craft.  Familiar faces of Chris Leask (hilariously cast as Everybody Else), Jenna Augen (the sassy Ruth Monaghan) and Leonard Cook (Robin Freeboys) are joined by West debutantes brilliant Samson Ajewole (Neil Cooper), livewire Sam Fogell (Sam Monaghan) and the wonderful Holly Sumpton (Caprice Freeboys) and show that the draw of Mischief Theatre is not just limited to the audience.

Scene changes are wonderfully segue wayed with the cast singing 50’s doo wop whilst the action scenes are brilliantly choreographed using cartoon-like inventiveness as a throw back to silent movies. 

The writing is super slick – the 2 Henrys and a Jonathan are masters at multi-layered comedy blending words, actions and the subtlest of entendres – for Bank Robbery they have produced a blend of Whitehall farce coupled with Carry On and all wrapped up in Mischief’s impeccable attention to detail.  The word plays are writ large and proud, you can see most of them coming but they land so perfectly that you’re still amazed by the simple brilliance.  The set is a shining example of ingenuity and seamlessly supports the physical comedy whilst providing the frame in which the magic happens; you are lulled into a false sense of familiarity and then suddenly what appeared to be an office becomes a vault, an air duct, a bed frame, a wardrobe.

It is not often that a show delivers through every single second of the performance but with Bank Robbery there isn’t a moment across the 2 hours in which the pace slips, the humour eases or the tears stop rolling .  A special mention too for the programme – this is one of the best companions to a show, packed full of the same humour and has a wonderfully witty timeline of the evolution of Mischief Theatre.

All in all, this show has delighted West End theatregoers for the past 2 years and very soon it will share the love around the UK – it WILL sell out so grab your tickets now, strap up your sides and take a deep breath.

***** and an extra *

The Comedy about a Bank Robbery is on tour – check out the dates and tickets here:

http://www.thecomedyaboutabankrobbery.com/uk-tour

Woven Bones

Take a step through time and walk in the shoes of the Scottish soldiers who became Durham’s darkest secret.

Laura Lindow has written a powerful and poignant piece which transports the audience back into 17^th century Scotland and brings alive the heart-breaking tale of local lads who were conscripted to fight against Cromwell’s English army and their families they were forced to leave behind.  Based on the archaeological findings at Durham Palace Library, and using the forensic evidence which helped to establish the soldiers’ lifestyle, Woven Bones is clever, witty and captivating.  Taking the audience back from the initial discovery of the remains to the childhood of one of the soldiers, we follow his story as he leaves the Western highlands and walks down the length of the country, finally ending up at the battle of Dunbar.  From here, our soldier is captured and becomes a prisoner of war, marched further south and held captive with thousands others in Durham Cathedral.  Luckily, he was one of very few who survived and ended up leaving these shores for a new life in a New World.

The cast, Greig Adam, Paula Penman and Gemma Stroyan are brilliantly inventive, providing everything from the soundscape of building work right through to becoming archaeologists providing the science behind the soldier’s story.  They very quickly draw you into the world of Scottish families in the mid 1600’s with a blend of humour and pathos.  Director Brad McCormick keeps the intensity high, made all the more claustrophobic by Katie Doherty’s ambient soundtrack, while Anna Reid’s design is impressive in its simplicity.

If you have been to see the Bodies of Evidence exhibition at Durham Palace Library then Cap-a-Pie's Woven Bones is a brilliant companion to the whole story.  Laura Lindow has once again written a piece of theatre which transcends time and cultures and, by ensuring that it’s not just the story of the soldiers but also their families we cannot ignore that each set of bones found represents a life amongst lives.

Woven Bones is on tour in June and July - check out the Cap-a-Pie website for more details:

http://www.cap-a-pie.co.uk/woven-bones/

29th June, The Maltings, Berwick
3rd July. The Customs House, South Shields
5th July, Arts Centre Washington
6th & 7th July, Gala Theatre, Durham

This IS Elvis

It’s hard to think that the legend that is Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and one of the most iconic and recognisable voices ever to have graced the airwaves, could have been so close to quitting music performing for good.  It was after a gruelling run of movie productions in which Elvis’ role was diluted to, as he put it, “Sing a bit, hit the bad guy, get the girl” that Presley, in a stew of insecurity and self doubt, decided that he could no longer perform to his roots of live performing.  He’d been away from chart music for 8 years in which time the British invasion had taken America by storm, hippy and surf music had become the West Coast soundtrack and many were proclaiming Rock ‘n’ Roll was dead.

Persuaded by TV Producer Bob Finkel to make a TV special (developing an original idea by Presley’s manager Colonel Parker that he should make a Christmas show) Elvis began recording over 4 hours of material which would later be distilled down into the 50 minute special and broadcast on December 3^rd.  The impact was worldwide with Presley’s recordings rocketing into the charts and calls for him to perform following long and hard from all corners of the globe.

At this point, Colonel Parker (whose motives were often very selfish in seeing how much he could personally make from Presley) signed Elvis up to 3 seasons at a brand-new hotel The International on the Las Vegas strip.  Once again, Presley’s insecurities resurfaced, especially when he thought of the alumni who performed regularly at the Nevada hotspots but he battled through and thus his Vegas show legend was born.

This show, produced by Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield is a replay of these two pivotal shows in the Elvis flightpath to immortality.  Steve Michaels IS Elvis; he isn’t playing Elvis, he isn’t impersonating Elvis, he doesn’t have an uncanny passing resemblance to Elvis – he IS Elvis.  To be convinced of just how good Steve’s performances are, find out the two live shows on YouTube and be prepared to have the hairs on your arms stand up.  The live shows have all of Elvis’ power and style but still show some of his ring rustiness that was later polished from years of Vegas headlining – Michaels' performance, his style, his looks and of course, his voice (not jsut singing but while talking too) captures all of this and makes it, and him, the best EVER Elvis since Elvis.

This is not a journey show, it doesn’t have much dialogue outside of setting up the two performances, nor does it chart Elvis’ life at this time save for his initial reluctance to play such high profile shows with no warm up tour but for any fan of Elvis Presley there is no better show to see.  Steve Michaels is able to bring the intimate, fun loving Elvis seen on the ‘68 TV special and then explode into the Vegas show king, complete with brilliant set, band and backing singers.  Personal favourites are Burning Love and the hypnotic Suspicious Minds, guaranteed to get everyone up dancing and singing.

This is Elvis is on at Darlington Hippodrome until Saturday 30th June and is a brilliant way to grab a break from the heat (and the football).