This was one of the reasons why we wanted to organise a London Theatre Week in the first place. I had read about and was interested in the young Australian playwright, Andrew Bovell. I bought a copy of his play "When the Rain Stops Falling" but haven't read it yet. Our friends the Penroses are in Australia now and on their schedule they are going to see a performance of "When the Rain Stops Falling". It is also going into production at the Lincoln Center in New York in 2010. This is a young playwright busily making a name and reputation for himself internationally. Bovell also adapted this play "Speaking in Tongues" into a film, "Lantana", which I didn't see but heard recommended strongly. The cast includes John Simm and Ian Hart, two actors I admire greatly. For all these reasons we booked seats to see a matinee of the show.
"Speaking in Tongues" is publicised as a 'comic chiller'. It begins really well with two different men chatting up two different men in hotel bedrooms simultaneously. The intercutting of dialogue is expertly done to show the similarities and the differences in the two scenes. This is incredibly good ensemble work by all four actors. It continues in the same style into the second scene where each man has returned to his own home and is now in conversation with his wife. The audience is shown both these interactions happening at the same time. It sounds confusing to read it but in the expert hands of this quality of cast it was just well executed. There is some humour in subsequent scenes when the two men meet and when the two wives meet. Ian Hart during the course of the play take son three characters and the other three actors take on two roles each. All the other roles are clearly demarcated and we really are safe in the hands of this cast. My problem was that though I never lost interest in the play, I was never emotionally engaged by any character to a sufficient degree that I cared what happened to him or her. This is a quality cast doing quality work in a clever play well directed by Toby Frow and well designed by Ben Stones. I applauded appreciatively enough at the end but the play appealed more to my head than to my heart.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Annie Get Your Gun
This was my first visit to the Young Vic and its unreserved bench seats. I liked the community feel of the place and was intrigued to see four upright pianos installed in the front of a long narrow stage rather than an orchestra pit of any kind. "Annie Get Your Gun" was the only musical chosen on this trip, which is quite unusual for me as I am a real lover of the musical form. I don't know this particular musical and had never seen a production of it before. It does contain some great standards I did know and of course the actress, Jane Horrocks. The leading man was Julian Ovenden, who I believe we last saw in the Sondheim, "Merrily We Roll Along", at the Donmar a couple of years ago.
The original story of Annie Oakley was in the late 19th century but Richard Jones, the director, had set his version in the 1940's. This meant that he could show Annie's triumphal tour of Europe, where she was presented with medals by Winston Churchill, De Gaulle, Mussolini and Hitler, as a silent film version. The set was a long and rather shallow rectangular space and the first scene was decorated with chrome furniture as per an American diner in Cincinnati. We meet Charlie, the drummer for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show (John Marquez) who is trying to set up a contest between a local contestant and Frank Butler (Julian Ovenden), champion sharpshooter of the world. The director seemed to have decided on a low key approach relying on ensemble singing supported by the four upright pianos. The director may be trying to capture Irving Berlin's stated aim that he wanted to make his songs sound like "conversation set to music". Ovenden doesn't have a big voice but what he brings is excellent articulation and phrasing of a song. "I'm a Bad, Bad Man" is a typical Berlin conversational verse and allows Ovenden to establish the style of the show. Jane Horrocks is tiny and once again the emphasis is on clarity and characterisation rather than a big voice. What Jane Horrocks brings to the role is vulnerability and, though she is a sharpshooter not only the equal of Frank but indeed his better, we are won over by her and are rooting for her to the end. We were impressed by the staging and the choreography and this is a show packed full of great songs, The Girl That I Marry", "You Can't Get a Man with a gun", "There's No business like show business", "They Say It's Wonderful", "I Got Sun in the Morning" and "Anything You Can Do". I was disappointed in Niall Ashdown as Sitting Bull and in Chucky Venn as Buffalo Bill. The former was too low key and brought little of the exotic to the show. Chucky Venn has the looks and a good singing voice but I wanted a deeper timbre or range from Buffalo Bill. Both actors and characters fitted in with and supplemented the ensemble singing and numbers too well and I wanted something a little more individual from them. Jane Horrocks was the reason for seeing the show and she did justice to the Berlin lyrics. She is small but beautifully formed. I liked her Annie Oakley and wanted to protect and cheer her on.
The original story of Annie Oakley was in the late 19th century but Richard Jones, the director, had set his version in the 1940's. This meant that he could show Annie's triumphal tour of Europe, where she was presented with medals by Winston Churchill, De Gaulle, Mussolini and Hitler, as a silent film version. The set was a long and rather shallow rectangular space and the first scene was decorated with chrome furniture as per an American diner in Cincinnati. We meet Charlie, the drummer for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show (John Marquez) who is trying to set up a contest between a local contestant and Frank Butler (Julian Ovenden), champion sharpshooter of the world. The director seemed to have decided on a low key approach relying on ensemble singing supported by the four upright pianos. The director may be trying to capture Irving Berlin's stated aim that he wanted to make his songs sound like "conversation set to music". Ovenden doesn't have a big voice but what he brings is excellent articulation and phrasing of a song. "I'm a Bad, Bad Man" is a typical Berlin conversational verse and allows Ovenden to establish the style of the show. Jane Horrocks is tiny and once again the emphasis is on clarity and characterisation rather than a big voice. What Jane Horrocks brings to the role is vulnerability and, though she is a sharpshooter not only the equal of Frank but indeed his better, we are won over by her and are rooting for her to the end. We were impressed by the staging and the choreography and this is a show packed full of great songs, The Girl That I Marry", "You Can't Get a Man with a gun", "There's No business like show business", "They Say It's Wonderful", "I Got Sun in the Morning" and "Anything You Can Do". I was disappointed in Niall Ashdown as Sitting Bull and in Chucky Venn as Buffalo Bill. The former was too low key and brought little of the exotic to the show. Chucky Venn has the looks and a good singing voice but I wanted a deeper timbre or range from Buffalo Bill. Both actors and characters fitted in with and supplemented the ensemble singing and numbers too well and I wanted something a little more individual from them. Jane Horrocks was the reason for seeing the show and she did justice to the Berlin lyrics. She is small but beautifully formed. I liked her Annie Oakley and wanted to protect and cheer her on.
Stories By Heart
After interposing a post about storytelling for children, it seems appropriate to return to our London Theatre Week reviews and the event, "Stories by Heart", at the Lyttleton by John Lithgow.
We had had the privilege of seeing the stage set as part of our backstage tour. It was also humbling to see the size of the auditorium into which John Lithgow was going to be performing that evening. He is apparently repeating the event this coming Monday, October 26th.
The set was a small coffee table DSL, a series of rugs forming a star like pattern on the floor, CS was a standard lamp, a comfortable wing chair and a small table with a glass and jug of water. Oh and a hat stand USR! All stage directions are given as from the performer's or actor's viewpoint (D is downstage towards the audience and U is upstage away from the audience in case there are any readers of this blog who are not luvvies).
John Lithgow bounded on to stage to warm applause and he announced that it was his birthday that very day, the 19th of October. He told us he was 64 and began to hum. It took me a while to pick up the tune as I was still stunned at how good he looked for 64! Then the audience began to sing the Beatles song, "When I am 64", with and to John Lithgow. We were good too. At the end he thanked us and said he would be quite happy to go offstage now and expire in the wings as that had been one of the happiest moments in his life. He also wished that we all could experience such a moment. He had won us all round and we waited in anticipation to see what came next.
We learned about his father and mother and the importance they had given to stories in the life of the Lithgow family. We learned about a precious book from which John's father had read and recounted stories many many times as the children grew up. We were going to hear two of the stories that very evening.
The first story was "our" man, P.G. Wodehouse, and "Uncle Fred Flits By". At first it appeared we were going to be read the story but of course this was stories by heart and soon John Lithgow was telling and acting the story out. His characterisations were fabulous and his grasp of narration very impressive. He has a great voice and he used it to the utmost in telling the story of irascible Uncle Fred and his much put upon nephew, Pongo. We roared with laughter at the escapades and at the joy of delivery. We were safe in the hands of a consummate storyteller.
After the interval, the second tale was "Haircut", by Ring Lardner. This was a very different tale of a small Midwestern town as seen through the eyes of the narrator, the town's barber. The telling of the story required a very elaborate, detailed and sustained mime by Lithgow giving a shave and haircut to an unseen customer in the barber's chair. The barber as narrator conjures up the other characters in the town and in the story. It was very American and I wasn't personally as held as I was in the first half. It could be that the first half had set an impossible standard to follow. John Lithgow admitted that the second half was an addition as the first story had been the event all by itself until audiences began asking for more. I wasn't sure that the story itself by Ring Lardner was strong enough or whether it was swamped a little by the mime. I did enjoy it and did find it revealing of the depths to be found in a small town anywhere. However I just didn't find it as involving as the Wodehouse. I did find myself impressed at the end by Mr Lithgow and his ability to work an audience and above all to tell stories by heart.
We had had the privilege of seeing the stage set as part of our backstage tour. It was also humbling to see the size of the auditorium into which John Lithgow was going to be performing that evening. He is apparently repeating the event this coming Monday, October 26th.
The set was a small coffee table DSL, a series of rugs forming a star like pattern on the floor, CS was a standard lamp, a comfortable wing chair and a small table with a glass and jug of water. Oh and a hat stand USR! All stage directions are given as from the performer's or actor's viewpoint (D is downstage towards the audience and U is upstage away from the audience in case there are any readers of this blog who are not luvvies).
John Lithgow bounded on to stage to warm applause and he announced that it was his birthday that very day, the 19th of October. He told us he was 64 and began to hum. It took me a while to pick up the tune as I was still stunned at how good he looked for 64! Then the audience began to sing the Beatles song, "When I am 64", with and to John Lithgow. We were good too. At the end he thanked us and said he would be quite happy to go offstage now and expire in the wings as that had been one of the happiest moments in his life. He also wished that we all could experience such a moment. He had won us all round and we waited in anticipation to see what came next.
We learned about his father and mother and the importance they had given to stories in the life of the Lithgow family. We learned about a precious book from which John's father had read and recounted stories many many times as the children grew up. We were going to hear two of the stories that very evening.
The first story was "our" man, P.G. Wodehouse, and "Uncle Fred Flits By". At first it appeared we were going to be read the story but of course this was stories by heart and soon John Lithgow was telling and acting the story out. His characterisations were fabulous and his grasp of narration very impressive. He has a great voice and he used it to the utmost in telling the story of irascible Uncle Fred and his much put upon nephew, Pongo. We roared with laughter at the escapades and at the joy of delivery. We were safe in the hands of a consummate storyteller.
After the interval, the second tale was "Haircut", by Ring Lardner. This was a very different tale of a small Midwestern town as seen through the eyes of the narrator, the town's barber. The telling of the story required a very elaborate, detailed and sustained mime by Lithgow giving a shave and haircut to an unseen customer in the barber's chair. The barber as narrator conjures up the other characters in the town and in the story. It was very American and I wasn't personally as held as I was in the first half. It could be that the first half had set an impossible standard to follow. John Lithgow admitted that the second half was an addition as the first story had been the event all by itself until audiences began asking for more. I wasn't sure that the story itself by Ring Lardner was strong enough or whether it was swamped a little by the mime. I did enjoy it and did find it revealing of the depths to be found in a small town anywhere. However I just didn't find it as involving as the Wodehouse. I did find myself impressed at the end by Mr Lithgow and his ability to work an audience and above all to tell stories by heart.
Red Shoes
Today we returned to a session of storytelling as the Tale Tellers at the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre. This was our last session under the "Shoes" theme. We had accepted "Red Shoes" as one of our titles from a list offered by the Arts centre staff when we were drawing up the entry in the brochure back at the beginning of the year. I don't know whether you know the Hans Christian Anderson story but it makes the Grimm Brothers look like Sesame Street! There is this pair of cursed red shoes which won't stop dancing once you have put them on. The reason the shoes are cursed and the way to break the curse are religious in the original story - and did I mention the amputation and the wooden limb replacements!! Upon hindsight we decided we would take the basic premise of enchanted red dancing shoes but would write our own version instead of using that of Hans Christian Anderson. As I have written our own versions of "The Elves and the Shoemaker", "Puss in Boots" and "Cinderella", it fell to the authoress of our version of the "Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe", i.e. the Best beloved, to come up with our version of the "Red Shoes".
She completed it last night and she performed it to the children this morning. It was a success and although our numbers were down a little from our last session (we have gone monthly now and it was raining?) it was a pleasure to see their enraptured faces as the Best Beloved wove her magic as Ingy-Thingy the Storyteller. As usual she had got the session going with nursery rhymes and shoe songs in rounds and in unison, before I told the short story of the "troll and the Three Billy Goats Gruff". During our London visit we had refound the Piccadilly Market and the little stall with convertible dolls made apparently by nuns (says the Cockney stall holder). We bought three dolls upon which to base short stories and used the first one today which has the troll and underneath the three billy goats.
Ingy-Thingy then told the headline story while I watched the audience - a fully privileged position to be in! I once learned of a director who did that deliberately in his productions. He knew the play intimately and didn't need to watch it. Instead we watched the reaction of the audience and gave his notes to his cast on their performances by what he had observed of the audience.
As Guppy I reprised our very first headline story, "The Elves and the shoemaker", but in a shortened version and in the form of a game I had found online. It was quite ambitious but it seemed to work and one Dad afterwards commented that he would adapt the idea for future children's parties. We perform our stories alongside the giant boot in the foyer of the Spring so we have the children seated on the ground in front of us and usually interspersed with Mums - Dads and grandparents tend to sit at the adjacent coffee tables and chairs. I am not sure the game would have gone so well without the interspersed Mums!
We finished off with our version of "Old MacDonald had a band", which the children like and to which they can contribute.
The next session is the end of November when we are doing "Aladdin" before "The Night Before Christmas" on December 19th as our last session this year. we are already talking about a 2010 season with the Spring.
She completed it last night and she performed it to the children this morning. It was a success and although our numbers were down a little from our last session (we have gone monthly now and it was raining?) it was a pleasure to see their enraptured faces as the Best Beloved wove her magic as Ingy-Thingy the Storyteller. As usual she had got the session going with nursery rhymes and shoe songs in rounds and in unison, before I told the short story of the "troll and the Three Billy Goats Gruff". During our London visit we had refound the Piccadilly Market and the little stall with convertible dolls made apparently by nuns (says the Cockney stall holder). We bought three dolls upon which to base short stories and used the first one today which has the troll and underneath the three billy goats.
Ingy-Thingy then told the headline story while I watched the audience - a fully privileged position to be in! I once learned of a director who did that deliberately in his productions. He knew the play intimately and didn't need to watch it. Instead we watched the reaction of the audience and gave his notes to his cast on their performances by what he had observed of the audience.
As Guppy I reprised our very first headline story, "The Elves and the shoemaker", but in a shortened version and in the form of a game I had found online. It was quite ambitious but it seemed to work and one Dad afterwards commented that he would adapt the idea for future children's parties. We perform our stories alongside the giant boot in the foyer of the Spring so we have the children seated on the ground in front of us and usually interspersed with Mums - Dads and grandparents tend to sit at the adjacent coffee tables and chairs. I am not sure the game would have gone so well without the interspersed Mums!
We finished off with our version of "Old MacDonald had a band", which the children like and to which they can contribute.
The next session is the end of November when we are doing "Aladdin" before "The Night Before Christmas" on December 19th as our last session this year. we are already talking about a 2010 season with the Spring.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Life is a Dream
"Life is A Dream" was written in 1635 by Pedro Calderon de la Barca and is acknowledged as one of the masterpieces of Spain's Golden Century, the creative 17th. Amongst other masterpieces of this period is my own personal classical favourite, Cervantes' 1605 masterpiece, Don Quixote . Calderon followed Lope de Vega as Philip IV's court dramatist and based his work upon the turbulent history of Spain in the 16th century. In 1568 Philip II of Armada infamy imprisoned his crazed son,Charles, in a tower.
This new version of "Life is a Dream" is by Helen Edmundson, who has done a lot of work with Shared Experience, and is currently working on a new play for the RSC. The language is poetic but sinewy. The psychology is deep and understanding. The premise that we can never be sure whether we are in a dream or in life is one that has occupied us all at one time or other. The storytelling is superb and totally satisfying.
The production directed by Jonathan Munby is based upon magnificent performances and a stagecraft that transforms the Donmar and transcends the space of one of the smallest but beloved theatres I know. Nothing is wasted and everything is used in the service of the story. The music by Dominic Haslam and Ansuman Biswas is stunning and underpins the whole production. The stage is stripped bare right down to the famous black back wall except for an enormous circular gold ringed chandelier with a central lantern in the form of a huge incense holder or inverted thurible.
It is difficult to single out one performance above the others as this is a stellar acting cast rather than an ensemble. However I must admit I had gone to see Dominic West on stage. I have been smitten by this English actor's work in The Wire, as a Baltimore policeman. After his performance as Segismundo, I am even more impressed by his performance as McNulty. We learn that Segismundo has been imprisoned by his father, King Basilio, a learned scholar and scientist, who believes his son is a harbinger of doom for the world and his kingdom. Powerful and muscular in stature and in voice,Dominic West engages the sympathy of the audience by the strength of his conviction and the wretchedness of his character's plight. In the smallness of the Donmar, we look right into his eyes and we share his sense of injustice and outrage.
The greatness of the piece though is that we do not have black and white characters with villains and heroes. In great soliloquies we learn about the motives of the king and the gaoler, Clotaldo. In the hands of Malcolm Storry and David Horovitch, these parts are rich, complex and beautifully rounded. Malcolm Storry is a beautifully rational actor with a beautiful voice and an expressive face. He also has the stage presence and charisma to not only match Dominic West but to impose himself above the other. David Horovitch manages to create a character who remains honourable in difficult circumstances and who earns our grudging respect.
Going as we do to matinees in term time, we encounter many audiences composed of young students (see "War Horse" review and the autograph hunters) and certainly the character of Clarion as played by Lloyd Hutchinson won the majority of them over. He was able to maintain the humour and the throwaway lines even in the poetic form dictated by the script (although it must be said that all the cast were good at doing that). The common man seeking to put some sense on what is happening in the world around him and somehow ending up right in the middle was safely in the hands of this warm and comic actor.
Calderon has also created two wonderful female characters in Esterella (Sharon Small) and Rosaura. When Segismundo encounters them and indeed womanhood for the first time he is mightily impressed and extols their virtues in almost "Brave New World" fashion. Both actresses are more than up to the task and once again we are given beautifully modulated and realised characters with no hint of stereotype. Having seen Kate Fleetwood recently as Lady M in the Scottish play to Patrick Stewart's murderous thane, I was impressed by the nuances she brought to Rosaura.
Rupert Evans as Astolfo played him as a three dimensional character rather than as a villain and thereby uses skilfully his own matinee idol looks in the service of the character. The company is made up by David Smith and Dylan Turner but the cast thoroughly convinces us of the collapse of Poland as thoroughly as we saw the Great War in "War Horse". We want to know the fate of a man and of a nation, because we recognise our common humanity amid the uncertainty of life and death.
This new version of "Life is a Dream" is by Helen Edmundson, who has done a lot of work with Shared Experience, and is currently working on a new play for the RSC. The language is poetic but sinewy. The psychology is deep and understanding. The premise that we can never be sure whether we are in a dream or in life is one that has occupied us all at one time or other. The storytelling is superb and totally satisfying.
The production directed by Jonathan Munby is based upon magnificent performances and a stagecraft that transforms the Donmar and transcends the space of one of the smallest but beloved theatres I know. Nothing is wasted and everything is used in the service of the story. The music by Dominic Haslam and Ansuman Biswas is stunning and underpins the whole production. The stage is stripped bare right down to the famous black back wall except for an enormous circular gold ringed chandelier with a central lantern in the form of a huge incense holder or inverted thurible.
It is difficult to single out one performance above the others as this is a stellar acting cast rather than an ensemble. However I must admit I had gone to see Dominic West on stage. I have been smitten by this English actor's work in The Wire, as a Baltimore policeman. After his performance as Segismundo, I am even more impressed by his performance as McNulty. We learn that Segismundo has been imprisoned by his father, King Basilio, a learned scholar and scientist, who believes his son is a harbinger of doom for the world and his kingdom. Powerful and muscular in stature and in voice,Dominic West engages the sympathy of the audience by the strength of his conviction and the wretchedness of his character's plight. In the smallness of the Donmar, we look right into his eyes and we share his sense of injustice and outrage.
The greatness of the piece though is that we do not have black and white characters with villains and heroes. In great soliloquies we learn about the motives of the king and the gaoler, Clotaldo. In the hands of Malcolm Storry and David Horovitch, these parts are rich, complex and beautifully rounded. Malcolm Storry is a beautifully rational actor with a beautiful voice and an expressive face. He also has the stage presence and charisma to not only match Dominic West but to impose himself above the other. David Horovitch manages to create a character who remains honourable in difficult circumstances and who earns our grudging respect.
Going as we do to matinees in term time, we encounter many audiences composed of young students (see "War Horse" review and the autograph hunters) and certainly the character of Clarion as played by Lloyd Hutchinson won the majority of them over. He was able to maintain the humour and the throwaway lines even in the poetic form dictated by the script (although it must be said that all the cast were good at doing that). The common man seeking to put some sense on what is happening in the world around him and somehow ending up right in the middle was safely in the hands of this warm and comic actor.
Calderon has also created two wonderful female characters in Esterella (Sharon Small) and Rosaura. When Segismundo encounters them and indeed womanhood for the first time he is mightily impressed and extols their virtues in almost "Brave New World" fashion. Both actresses are more than up to the task and once again we are given beautifully modulated and realised characters with no hint of stereotype. Having seen Kate Fleetwood recently as Lady M in the Scottish play to Patrick Stewart's murderous thane, I was impressed by the nuances she brought to Rosaura.
Rupert Evans as Astolfo played him as a three dimensional character rather than as a villain and thereby uses skilfully his own matinee idol looks in the service of the character. The company is made up by David Smith and Dylan Turner but the cast thoroughly convinces us of the collapse of Poland as thoroughly as we saw the Great War in "War Horse". We want to know the fate of a man and of a nation, because we recognise our common humanity amid the uncertainty of life and death.
War Horse
I am a great admirer of Michael Morpurgo's work and he was a worthy Children's Laureate from 2003 to 2005. It was during this time that the Best Beloved and I attended a talk he gave to an English Teacher's conference in Hampshire. Afterwards we enjoyed a conversation with him about retiring as it was a pertinent subject for him and us at the time. I love "Kensuke's Kingdom", "War Horse" and "Private Peaceful". These are his three war stories with the last two based in the First World War. In fact Michael was reading "Private Peaceful" on Monday night in the Olivier at the same time as we chose to see John Lithgow in the Lyttleton. We got to see both stages from backstage as part of our National Theatre tour on the late Monday afternoon. The set for "Habit of Art", the new Alan Bennett play, is a recreation of Rehearsal Room 1 at the National Theatre. It wasn't a surprise therefore to see him in the auditorium for the Tuesday performance at the New London theatre. From our backstage tour we learned that the transfer of "War Horse" from the Olivier to the New London was based on some similarities between the two theatres. One of these is the revolve and the spread of seats in the auditorium. We learned that the span of seats in the Olivier is 118 degrees because that is what can be encompassed within the actor's range of sight without moving the head.
We had missed "War Horse" at the National before it transferred to the New London and this was our chance to catch it before the planned Lee Hall film goes into production (oh to be a film extra on that film!). We met the puppet of the war horse's mother backstage in the National Theatre scenic dock. I don't think I am giving anything away in saying that the horses in the show are magnificent creations by the Handspring puppet Theatre working is association with the National. Well, the model for the mother of Joey is to be found still at the National as she was cut from the final production. She was manned by three puppeteers as is Joey and it was fascinating to appreciate the skill and care with which she was constructed. It may have stolen a bit of the thunder seeing her backstage rather than getting a first glimpse of the horse onstage. However Joey's mother was cut because she lengthened the storyline unnecessarily it was decided. There had been a discussion as to what she was called and a bit of theatre spookiness overtook us here. At first they were going to call her Zoey but thought that was too much like Joey, so they changed her name to Alice! To those who know this blogger will realise those are the names we chose for the treasures of our lives, our two daughters!
"War Horse" was a magnificent piece of theatrical storytelling at its very best. The undoubted star is Joey and the three puppeteers who operate head, heart and hind. We feel his joy of life, his love towards humans and his anguish during the warfare. The humans are also given characters with whom we can identify - although almost but not quite upstaged in the comic stakes by a puppet goose. Robert Emms as Albert Narracot gives an outstanding performance as the youngster who grows into a man in the cauldron of the trenches. I loved the songs and the music by John Tams, once described by the Times as the best songwriter you may never have heard of. John joined the National Theatre in 1977 and was responsible for the music of "The Mysteries" and much beside. The recreation of the Dorset country life before the Great War was as beautiful and as idyllic as the recreation of the horror of war itself. Apparently the Queen herself slipped unannounced and without ceremony into a performance of this play (instigated and led by Prince Charles). I admired her for so doing and hoped she also felt the pangs as men were encouraged to leave the rural life to go and fight for king and country. The show is English through and through full of humour, grumbling, sibling rivalry, regimental pride, stupidity of war especially cavalry versus machine guns and tanks and the bravery of ordinary men to survive in the most appalling conditions and against the most dreadful odds. It is a compliment therefore that one of the best characters created and performed by Patrick O'Kane is Hauptmann Muller, a German cavalry officer. The character and the performance defeats all our inbuilt prejudices and he is seen as almost an every man. The adaptation of Morpurgo's book by Nick Stafford is stunning for reinforcing our belief in the basic humanity and goodness of man. We cared about Joey and we cared about the humans too. This was an uplifting and moving production and a piece of theatre I was delighted we made an effort to see. Its images and evoked emotions will live with me for a long time.
We had missed "War Horse" at the National before it transferred to the New London and this was our chance to catch it before the planned Lee Hall film goes into production (oh to be a film extra on that film!). We met the puppet of the war horse's mother backstage in the National Theatre scenic dock. I don't think I am giving anything away in saying that the horses in the show are magnificent creations by the Handspring puppet Theatre working is association with the National. Well, the model for the mother of Joey is to be found still at the National as she was cut from the final production. She was manned by three puppeteers as is Joey and it was fascinating to appreciate the skill and care with which she was constructed. It may have stolen a bit of the thunder seeing her backstage rather than getting a first glimpse of the horse onstage. However Joey's mother was cut because she lengthened the storyline unnecessarily it was decided. There had been a discussion as to what she was called and a bit of theatre spookiness overtook us here. At first they were going to call her Zoey but thought that was too much like Joey, so they changed her name to Alice! To those who know this blogger will realise those are the names we chose for the treasures of our lives, our two daughters!
"War Horse" was a magnificent piece of theatrical storytelling at its very best. The undoubted star is Joey and the three puppeteers who operate head, heart and hind. We feel his joy of life, his love towards humans and his anguish during the warfare. The humans are also given characters with whom we can identify - although almost but not quite upstaged in the comic stakes by a puppet goose. Robert Emms as Albert Narracot gives an outstanding performance as the youngster who grows into a man in the cauldron of the trenches. I loved the songs and the music by John Tams, once described by the Times as the best songwriter you may never have heard of. John joined the National Theatre in 1977 and was responsible for the music of "The Mysteries" and much beside. The recreation of the Dorset country life before the Great War was as beautiful and as idyllic as the recreation of the horror of war itself. Apparently the Queen herself slipped unannounced and without ceremony into a performance of this play (instigated and led by Prince Charles). I admired her for so doing and hoped she also felt the pangs as men were encouraged to leave the rural life to go and fight for king and country. The show is English through and through full of humour, grumbling, sibling rivalry, regimental pride, stupidity of war especially cavalry versus machine guns and tanks and the bravery of ordinary men to survive in the most appalling conditions and against the most dreadful odds. It is a compliment therefore that one of the best characters created and performed by Patrick O'Kane is Hauptmann Muller, a German cavalry officer. The character and the performance defeats all our inbuilt prejudices and he is seen as almost an every man. The adaptation of Morpurgo's book by Nick Stafford is stunning for reinforcing our belief in the basic humanity and goodness of man. We cared about Joey and we cared about the humans too. This was an uplifting and moving production and a piece of theatre I was delighted we made an effort to see. Its images and evoked emotions will live with me for a long time.
Review of the London Theatre Week 2009
The week went splendidly as the hotel was perfectly located and our choice of theatre going proved to be better than we had even anticipated. We even fitted in one or two cultural visits that reminded us how much the capital has to offer.
We stayed at the Bedford in Southampton Row. This was described as am intimate little hotel although staying on the sixth floor defied the description of little if even height wise. However our east facing window overlooked the roof of the British Museum. The location was perfect as we could walk to theatre land from the hotel. If we wished to go further afield or return after a theatre visit we found London buses, helpful and friendly drivers and our senior bus passes invaluable. One trip involved a visit by bus to the V&A museum. We weren't sure of the route as we changed from the planned 14 to another one as the direction board seemed to indicate it was going in the right direction. The driver told us we needed to get off at Exhibition Road. As we neared we panicked and actually got off the bus a couple of stops early. The bus remained stationary and we realised that the driver was beckoning to us stood outside the rear exit door. We re-entered through the front doors and he said he had told us to get off at Exhibition Road. Humbled we remained on the bus until we reached the correct bus stop and our driver even indicated where we had to go next to find the V&A, which is opposite the Science and Natural History Museums. We were impressed that the driver remembered us and our simple request after the distance the bus had travelled and through some of the worst traffic conditions. We were equally impressed on Thursday night on the return bus up Southampton Row after seeing "Annie Get Your Gun" at the Young Vic, we found ourselves sat in the seats directly behind Janine Duvitski and a friend. Janine was the neighbour Angela in Abigail's Party and has starred in Michael Frayn's play "Alphabetical Order" and much television and stage work.
Another casual piece of star spotting (and the Best Beloved and I are always on the look out when in London) was seeing Nigel Planer eating in the plate glass window of a cafe opposite the Shaftesbury Theatre where he is appearing in "Hairspray". We were on the way to another performance elsewhere. He was sitting at one of those counters with stools facing the outside world through the window. He seemed to be "surprised to be recognised" but did reward us with a smile (I last saw him perform in "Wicked" at the Apollo Victoria - a musical I had wanted to see - but failed to be moved by in the huge auditorium there).
We were also sat two rows behind Eileen Atkins in the John Lithgow event, "Stories by Heart", at the Lyttleton and four rows behind Michael Morpurgo at "War Horse" at the New London Theatre. I recognised Michael easily because the Best Beloved and I had met him at talked to him for quite a long while at an English Teachers' conference run by Hampshire. I repaid the favour by identifying him to some GCSE students in front of us who hunted him down for his autograph during the interval.
My next blog or two will try to identify the five productions we saw in some sort of order and review them. The nicest thing about the London Theatre Week is that we are thinking of repeating it in subsequent years as it proved so successful this time. We might have to postpone it until 2011 as we hope to go on another canal boat holiday in September in 2010 (although I will try my best to persuade the Best Beloved we can do both! Although she will read this blog and she will now be aware thus making my task more difficult... Drats! SQUIRREL!!!)
We stayed at the Bedford in Southampton Row. This was described as am intimate little hotel although staying on the sixth floor defied the description of little if even height wise. However our east facing window overlooked the roof of the British Museum. The location was perfect as we could walk to theatre land from the hotel. If we wished to go further afield or return after a theatre visit we found London buses, helpful and friendly drivers and our senior bus passes invaluable. One trip involved a visit by bus to the V&A museum. We weren't sure of the route as we changed from the planned 14 to another one as the direction board seemed to indicate it was going in the right direction. The driver told us we needed to get off at Exhibition Road. As we neared we panicked and actually got off the bus a couple of stops early. The bus remained stationary and we realised that the driver was beckoning to us stood outside the rear exit door. We re-entered through the front doors and he said he had told us to get off at Exhibition Road. Humbled we remained on the bus until we reached the correct bus stop and our driver even indicated where we had to go next to find the V&A, which is opposite the Science and Natural History Museums. We were impressed that the driver remembered us and our simple request after the distance the bus had travelled and through some of the worst traffic conditions. We were equally impressed on Thursday night on the return bus up Southampton Row after seeing "Annie Get Your Gun" at the Young Vic, we found ourselves sat in the seats directly behind Janine Duvitski and a friend. Janine was the neighbour Angela in Abigail's Party and has starred in Michael Frayn's play "Alphabetical Order" and much television and stage work.
Another casual piece of star spotting (and the Best Beloved and I are always on the look out when in London) was seeing Nigel Planer eating in the plate glass window of a cafe opposite the Shaftesbury Theatre where he is appearing in "Hairspray". We were on the way to another performance elsewhere. He was sitting at one of those counters with stools facing the outside world through the window. He seemed to be "surprised to be recognised" but did reward us with a smile (I last saw him perform in "Wicked" at the Apollo Victoria - a musical I had wanted to see - but failed to be moved by in the huge auditorium there).
We were also sat two rows behind Eileen Atkins in the John Lithgow event, "Stories by Heart", at the Lyttleton and four rows behind Michael Morpurgo at "War Horse" at the New London Theatre. I recognised Michael easily because the Best Beloved and I had met him at talked to him for quite a long while at an English Teachers' conference run by Hampshire. I repaid the favour by identifying him to some GCSE students in front of us who hunted him down for his autograph during the interval.
My next blog or two will try to identify the five productions we saw in some sort of order and review them. The nicest thing about the London Theatre Week is that we are thinking of repeating it in subsequent years as it proved so successful this time. We might have to postpone it until 2011 as we hope to go on another canal boat holiday in September in 2010 (although I will try my best to persuade the Best Beloved we can do both! Although she will read this blog and she will now be aware thus making my task more difficult... Drats! SQUIRREL!!!)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
London Theatre Week
The Best Beloved and I have been trying to work towards a three holidays per year pattern since retirement. It mainly means avoiding school holidays so the summer is spent here at home. We will try to maintain the pattern until the government punishes us baby boomers for the collapse of world finance. How does that work, by the way, we taxpayers lend the banking bastards millions if not billions and yet we have to pay for the privilege while they still continue exactly where they left off? All the political parties leap on the same bandwagon of swingeing cuts. Not one of them talks about demanding our money back or that big word "investment", which is different from sinking our money down a rotting mine shaft called world banking.
In the Autumn Best Beloved and I have to get through the Literary Festival Season and then we can consider an autumn break before the half term at the end of October. This year we have organised a London Theatre Week.
We go up by train on Monday afternoon (www.megatrain.com) and arrive at a hotel near Covent Garden. We then make our way (using our bus passes on London Transport) to the National Theatre for a backstage tour at about teatime. We stay on at the National Theatre to hear John Lithgow talk give a one man performance about storytelling, in which he performs two short stories.
On Tuesday we walk to Smithfield's for breakfast and spend most of the morning at the British Museum. The Best Beloved has never been and it has been some time since I have been there. The afternoon is available for undecided activities but possibly Imax cinema or more museum visits such as the War Museum in preparation for our evening entertainment. In the evening we are going to see "War Horse". I love the book and the author, who we were both met at an English teachers' conference.
On Wednesday probably the V&A museum, which neither have been to but we heard a great deal about recently on Radio 4 (our daytime companion). In the afternoon we are going to a matinee of "Speaking in Tongues" by the Australian playwright, Andrew Bovell. It stars John Simms and Ian Harte, two of my favourite actors. In the evening we are off to the Young Vic (where we have never been) to see and hear Jane Horrocks in "Annie Get Your Gun". I love musicals! This one has some great standards in it!
Our last day we are seeing a matinee of "Life's a Dream" at the Donmar starring Malcolm Storry, with whom the best Beloved went to College. The show also stars Dominic West (McNulty in "The Wire"), who is vying with Hugh Laurie as my favourite TV actor of the moment. Apparently Lucy has heard him speak and he is a typical RSC sounding actor which makes his performance as the Baltimore policeman all the more remarkable. In the evening we will wend our weary way home via the Corrigan restaurant in Upper Grosvenor Street.
Theatrically and gastronomically replete, we will return to a storytelling session by the Tale Tellers on the Saturday morning. The Best Beloved is telling the story of "Red Shoes". We put this one in the programme with insufficient research. Boy is it Hans Christian Anderson outdoing the Grimm Brothers! We have found that Ingy-Thingy (her Tale Teller name) is better than Guppy (my Tale Teller name) at getting the kids settled and happy to hear stories, which is why I usually tell the headline story. However this coming Saturday roles are reversed.
We are also then into the "Books Down" stage of "What the Butler Saw". This is always a frustrating stage as you build a good head of steam with books in hand. Lines going in isn't the difficulty but lines coming out on demand and in response to the correct cue is. The movement and pace gradually built up over previous rehearsals goes into hibernation but hopefully returns as lines become more secure. Stage management is fully employed during rehearsals providing the actors with the lines which are on the tips of tongues but never quite emerging from between the lips. ASMs become quite skilled at seeing the light of recognition and memory fade in an actor's eyes and know a prompt is probably overdue. Love and dependency grows between cast and crew.
The Guide Award Night clashes with a dress rehearsal for "What the Butler Saw" which is a pain but we only get four rehearsals on the set before first night and so that Monday night is too precious to be squandered on ego massage (pleasant though the latter is!)
I will use my blog to review the London Theatre Week over the next few weeks while planning our Winter Sun holiday in February 2010.
In the Autumn Best Beloved and I have to get through the Literary Festival Season and then we can consider an autumn break before the half term at the end of October. This year we have organised a London Theatre Week.
We go up by train on Monday afternoon (www.megatrain.com) and arrive at a hotel near Covent Garden. We then make our way (using our bus passes on London Transport) to the National Theatre for a backstage tour at about teatime. We stay on at the National Theatre to hear John Lithgow talk give a one man performance about storytelling, in which he performs two short stories.
On Tuesday we walk to Smithfield's for breakfast and spend most of the morning at the British Museum. The Best Beloved has never been and it has been some time since I have been there. The afternoon is available for undecided activities but possibly Imax cinema or more museum visits such as the War Museum in preparation for our evening entertainment. In the evening we are going to see "War Horse". I love the book and the author, who we were both met at an English teachers' conference.
On Wednesday probably the V&A museum, which neither have been to but we heard a great deal about recently on Radio 4 (our daytime companion). In the afternoon we are going to a matinee of "Speaking in Tongues" by the Australian playwright, Andrew Bovell. It stars John Simms and Ian Harte, two of my favourite actors. In the evening we are off to the Young Vic (where we have never been) to see and hear Jane Horrocks in "Annie Get Your Gun". I love musicals! This one has some great standards in it!
Our last day we are seeing a matinee of "Life's a Dream" at the Donmar starring Malcolm Storry, with whom the best Beloved went to College. The show also stars Dominic West (McNulty in "The Wire"), who is vying with Hugh Laurie as my favourite TV actor of the moment. Apparently Lucy has heard him speak and he is a typical RSC sounding actor which makes his performance as the Baltimore policeman all the more remarkable. In the evening we will wend our weary way home via the Corrigan restaurant in Upper Grosvenor Street.
Theatrically and gastronomically replete, we will return to a storytelling session by the Tale Tellers on the Saturday morning. The Best Beloved is telling the story of "Red Shoes". We put this one in the programme with insufficient research. Boy is it Hans Christian Anderson outdoing the Grimm Brothers! We have found that Ingy-Thingy (her Tale Teller name) is better than Guppy (my Tale Teller name) at getting the kids settled and happy to hear stories, which is why I usually tell the headline story. However this coming Saturday roles are reversed.
We are also then into the "Books Down" stage of "What the Butler Saw". This is always a frustrating stage as you build a good head of steam with books in hand. Lines going in isn't the difficulty but lines coming out on demand and in response to the correct cue is. The movement and pace gradually built up over previous rehearsals goes into hibernation but hopefully returns as lines become more secure. Stage management is fully employed during rehearsals providing the actors with the lines which are on the tips of tongues but never quite emerging from between the lips. ASMs become quite skilled at seeing the light of recognition and memory fade in an actor's eyes and know a prompt is probably overdue. Love and dependency grows between cast and crew.
The Guide Award Night clashes with a dress rehearsal for "What the Butler Saw" which is a pain but we only get four rehearsals on the set before first night and so that Monday night is too precious to be squandered on ego massage (pleasant though the latter is!)
I will use my blog to review the London Theatre Week over the next few weeks while planning our Winter Sun holiday in February 2010.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Adieu, Party Guest
We gave our final performance of this year's Bench Theatre touring production of Jacquie Penrose's "Party Guest" yesterday. This has been the realisation of one of my retirement dreams - a small scale touring production during the daytime. The production still has life in it and we are looking forward to a revival in the Spring. The revival may still have a touring element. What has been lovely has been performing with friends who I admire and to young people. I have been really impressed by the students we have met, by their questions and their observations. I love theatre and learn something new every time I embark upon a new enterprise. David was quoting Stanislavsky at one workshop session: "The audience comes to the theatre to see the sub-text. They could stay at home to read the text." I love that thought and it is certainly light years away from my "learn the lines and don't bump into the furniture."
I did have a project in mind to put forward at the recent play selection pitches for the Bench Theatre July 2010. I have been toying with the idea for some considerable time. I could claim that the timing of the pitches was particularly poor for me. On the night itself was the first night of the Ghost Walks, we were into the second week of the literary festival, Party Guest was in full swing, we had started our Tale Tellers sessions at the spring, I was still recovering from a new Cloak and Dagger script and was cramming lines for my appearance as William Cobbett at the end of the festival. My head was certainly crammed with lines from five or six projects. I could claim that any one of these activities as a reason for my lack of push on the new production for the Bench.
It would be untrue if I claimed it to be so, though. I have read today the wonderful blogs by Alice in Wonderland and the Natty Chap, and must confess myself mightily impressed by them (and indirectly by my Firstborn, see Natty Chap's blog). I have thirty years on either of them but can relate keenly to what they are expressing. I can't offer them any help or insight. However I have to thank them for helping me to face up to what motivates me.
I have only directed 12 times over the last 30 years: two pantomimes - one repeated twice- and a full scale musical. The last time was the repeated pantomime in February 2000. I have to point out that I have done on average 2 or 3 school productions per year over that time so that must be in the nineties - many of which I wrote or devised myself. I like directing as I love visual images and have a feeling for sub text. I am a little too much of the school master in approach but hey I was a teacher for forty years!
I like directing but I love acting. After my episode two years ago I am enjoying my health and new lease of life. I would rather spend the time performing and acting than directing. I am constantly on the lookout for new experiences, new productions and new companies with which to work. While I am still feeling fit and active that is what I will continue to do. I don't want the responsibility of or commitment to a production as a director. I also don't want to parcel out my time. I don't want to wait until July 2010. I don't want to feel inhibited. Maybe when I am in my seventies and my physical strength and activity is gradually reducing (although the grey matter is still fully functioning) I can turn my attention to directing. Those who can, do - those who can't teach.
The Best Beloved also says we are going camping for a month in June 2010. Hurrah!!
I did have a project in mind to put forward at the recent play selection pitches for the Bench Theatre July 2010. I have been toying with the idea for some considerable time. I could claim that the timing of the pitches was particularly poor for me. On the night itself was the first night of the Ghost Walks, we were into the second week of the literary festival, Party Guest was in full swing, we had started our Tale Tellers sessions at the spring, I was still recovering from a new Cloak and Dagger script and was cramming lines for my appearance as William Cobbett at the end of the festival. My head was certainly crammed with lines from five or six projects. I could claim that any one of these activities as a reason for my lack of push on the new production for the Bench.
It would be untrue if I claimed it to be so, though. I have read today the wonderful blogs by Alice in Wonderland and the Natty Chap, and must confess myself mightily impressed by them (and indirectly by my Firstborn, see Natty Chap's blog). I have thirty years on either of them but can relate keenly to what they are expressing. I can't offer them any help or insight. However I have to thank them for helping me to face up to what motivates me.
I have only directed 12 times over the last 30 years: two pantomimes - one repeated twice- and a full scale musical. The last time was the repeated pantomime in February 2000. I have to point out that I have done on average 2 or 3 school productions per year over that time so that must be in the nineties - many of which I wrote or devised myself. I like directing as I love visual images and have a feeling for sub text. I am a little too much of the school master in approach but hey I was a teacher for forty years!
I like directing but I love acting. After my episode two years ago I am enjoying my health and new lease of life. I would rather spend the time performing and acting than directing. I am constantly on the lookout for new experiences, new productions and new companies with which to work. While I am still feeling fit and active that is what I will continue to do. I don't want the responsibility of or commitment to a production as a director. I also don't want to parcel out my time. I don't want to wait until July 2010. I don't want to feel inhibited. Maybe when I am in my seventies and my physical strength and activity is gradually reducing (although the grey matter is still fully functioning) I can turn my attention to directing. Those who can, do - those who can't teach.
The Best Beloved also says we are going camping for a month in June 2010. Hurrah!!
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Wayfarers Walk
I have done the section from my house to Emsworth, the start of the Wayfarers Walk, and I have done the section from my house north to Purbrook. Weather permitting I will do the Purbrook to Hambledon next. I don't mind cold and dry weather as I can build up quite a cosy fug walking but don't yet feel I am equipped sufficiently well for walking in the rain. I do have waterproof top and waterproof trousers but feel somewhat claustrophobic and restrained when wearing them. I am looking at a lightweight poncho or cape, which gives all over protection without stifling. It lets a current of air under the material without letting the rain through. There is also a product by Rohan, which is a calf length lightweight coat called the Hilltop Walker I think, which does a similar job. You only need to add waterproof trousers if wading through a flood.
The walking is on the back burner because of all my theatrical endeavours and I am certainly missing it on the health and vitality front. Also we are about to embark upon our Autumn Project for the garden. We have an overgrown patch in the south west corner of our garden which we have rather surrendered previously but which we intend to reclaim this autumn. The Best Beloved has some very firm ideas what she wants to do with the patch and, although no gardener, so do I. Once we get back from our London Theatre Week in October the daytime will once again be ours with the occasional rehearsal for "What the Butler Saw" thrown in until performances in November.
I see that other bloggers can add photos so perhaps I should do the same of before and after shots of our Garden Autumn Project and the Wayfarers Walk. Any advice on either will always be gratefully received.
The walking is on the back burner because of all my theatrical endeavours and I am certainly missing it on the health and vitality front. Also we are about to embark upon our Autumn Project for the garden. We have an overgrown patch in the south west corner of our garden which we have rather surrendered previously but which we intend to reclaim this autumn. The Best Beloved has some very firm ideas what she wants to do with the patch and, although no gardener, so do I. Once we get back from our London Theatre Week in October the daytime will once again be ours with the occasional rehearsal for "What the Butler Saw" thrown in until performances in November.
I see that other bloggers can add photos so perhaps I should do the same of before and after shots of our Garden Autumn Project and the Wayfarers Walk. Any advice on either will always be gratefully received.
The Portsmouth News Guide Awards 2009
Bench Theatre The News Guide Award nominations are in & Bench has a good showing.Three Best Amateur Drama nominations: Road, Home, The Wind in The Willows. Two Best Amateur Actor nominations: Peter Corrigan & David Penrose. Two Best Amateur... Actress nominations: Alice Corrigan & Melanie Cole.
Get suited and booted for the Guide Awards - Portsmouth Today
Source: www.portsmouth.co.uk
Get suited and booted for the Guide Awards - Dig out your glad rags – because the most glamorous and glitzy event in Portsmouth's calendar is getting close.
You can see that you can vote no matter where you are in the country or in the world if you vote online. I hope you will consider voting.
Get suited and booted for the Guide Awards - Portsmouth Today
Source: www.portsmouth.co.uk
Get suited and booted for the Guide Awards - Dig out your glad rags – because the most glamorous and glitzy event in Portsmouth's calendar is getting close.
You can see that you can vote no matter where you are in the country or in the world if you vote online. I hope you will consider voting.
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