your starter for ten…

Moira and I went along to the Bristol Old Vic last night for the first time in ages (with Moira’s hearing deficiency – and mine, to a lesser extent - the last few occasions we’ve been to the Old Vic have proved somewhat frustrating). Last night’s show, based on the long-running ‘University Challenge’ television programme (and set in 1986), was a musical… and also benefitted from having sub-titles (I know!)… AND, as a bonus, had the wonderful Mel Giedroyc playing one of the characters (and she’s excellent).
The show, a musical adaptation of David Nicholls' novel, follows one of the students, Brian Jackson (Adam Bregman), as he navigates university life in Bristol and the outside possibility of him participating in the UC game show (something his late Dad – a huge fan of the programme – would certainly have encouraged). Woven into all this is his early infatuation with ‘posh-girl’ Alice (Emily Lane) and his association with sarcastic, up-front Glaswegian protester Rebecca (Eubha Akilade).
It’s hugely-impressive show - full of energy, fast-moving, finely-timed choreography and beautiful, powerful singing. Lots of humour; lots of amusing references to all those zealous ‘societies’ one is inevitably confronted with in Freshers’ Week… and pathos too. All the cast were excellent – but with absolutely stand-out performances from Bregman and Akilade.
It all provided wonderful evening’s entertainment, which lifted the spirits in these depressing times.

kathy+stella solve a murder…

Moira and I went along to the Bristol Old Vic last night to see this rather wonderful comedy, murder mystery musical(!) from the Olivier Award-winning team behind ‘Fleabag’ (producer Francesca Moody). Written and directed by Jon Brittain, it provided a brilliant, funny and joyful (despite the murder theme!) evening’s entertainment.
Best friends for life Kathy (played by Bronté Barbé) and Stella (Rebekah Hinds) are the murder-obsessed hosts of Yorkshire’s least successful true crime podcast. But things are not going well… their careers are non-existent, their families are worried sick and their favourite crime author has just been killed… So, of course, they decide that this is just the opportunity they’ve been waiting for: it’s time to solve a crime.
It’s not easy though… with no experience and armed with only their Twitter feeds, their ‘murder gang’ of limited online devotees… but, hey, solving murders can’t be all that difficult? Can they crack the case (and become global podcast superstars) before the killer strikes again…?
Bronté Barbé and Rebekah Hinds are outstandingly good (and both have great voices, which blend together perfectly) and the other five supporting actors are also of the highest calibre.
All in all, a REALLY enjoyable whodunnit evening of silliness, fun and quality… in front of a packed enthusiastic Old Vic audience.
PS: The actor Bronté Barbé has actually been staying at Hannah+Fee’s house during the production run.
PPS: Last night’s production included captions for the hard of hearing… which was somewhat ironic for us (Moira had lost one of hearing aids earlier that morning and one of mine had stopped working!!).

drive your plow over the bones of the dead…

Moira and I (together with a number of us from my Storysmith bookgroup – the novel of the same name was one of our discussion books) went along to the Bristol Old Vic last night to see international touring company Complicité present a play, directed by Simon McBurney, based on Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk’s novel of the same name.
I’ve previously read the book twice before… so was very keen that the play shouldn’t ruin the book for me. I needn’t have worried!
 
It’s set in a small community on a remote mountainside near the Czech-Polish border. Men from the local hunting club are dying in mysterious circumstances. The principal character, Janina Duszejko (brilliantly played by Amanda Hadingue), is an ex-engineer, environmentalist, devoted astrologer and enthusiastic translator of William Blake… and she has her suspicions (she’s been watching the animals with whom the community shares their isolated, rural home, and believes they are acting strangely)… they couldn’t have committed the murders, could they?
 
Olga Tokarczuk's book is wonderfully weird fable in the form of mystery whodunnit and represents something of a rallying cry for nature (exposing as it sees the hypocrisy of institutional power). Asking such questions as: why is the killing of animals regarded as sport and that of humans murder?
It’s a hugely impressive play. The acting is absolutely excellent throughout and the set design, lighting and music powerfully perfect.
A brilliant evening.
Photo: The image (copyright Bristol Old Vic) actually shows Kathryn Hunter in the role of Janina. She and Hadinque shared the role during the course of the play’s run in Bristol (with Hunter performing 19-31 Jan and Hadinque playing Janina 1-11 Feb).
Footnote: Moira and I usually find ourselves part of the largely silver-haired generation of theatre-goers(!), but we noticed last night that the age range of the audience was significantly younger. Was it something to do with the cost of the tickets perhaps? Last night, tickets were available from £14, whereas they’re often double that... and there was a full house. 

dr semmelweis…

Moira and I went to the theatre for the first time since the FIRST lockdown this afternoon… to see “Dr Semmelweis”, based on an original idea from and featuring Mark Rylance (as the doctor) and developed with Writer Stephen Brown and Director Tom Morris. We’ve missed the theatre hugely and it was great to be back.
You’ve probably never heard of Dr Ignaz Semmelweis, but he was a pioneer (and controversial) surgeon practicing in 19th century Vienna – when the city was confronted by the terrible death toll of childbed fever. Semmelweis, a Hungarian, makes a discovery that had the potential to save hundreds of thousands of new mothers, but he faced strong opposition in the form of the medical establishment – who question his methods, reject his theory and even doubt his sanity.
During the current Covid pandemic, we’ve all been urged to “wash your hands”. Well, although the play was conceived before the pandemic, Semmelweis’s similar pleas for his fellow doctors to wash their hands represents a poignant reminder of how much we’ve learnt and how little we knew.
 
The production was elaborate and very impressive – a total of 22 performers (actors, musicians and dancers) are listed in the programme and, on top of that, there are large creative and production teams. Theatre is an expensive business – and one that’s suffered enormously over the past two grim, pandemic years.
It was an incredibly impressive production, with wonderful performances by very talented performers. The Old Vic was full and the audience’s hugely positive reaction at the end was both appropriate and telling.
I’ve been to a lot of theatre over the years and I’ve seen some pretty outstanding individual performances by some pretty amazing actors, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a performance to match that of Mark Rylance. Utterly mesmerising. Quite, quite breathtaking. It will live in the memory for the rest of my days.
Oh, how I’ve missed the theatre!
PS: ‘Our’ Felix (Hayes) played Dr Ferdinand von Hebra… and, of course, was very good!
PPS: I know I keep going on about face masks(!) but, again, the entire audience wore masks… those few who were unmasked as they took their seats were soon handed a face mask by one of the stewards and asked, unless they were unable to for medical reasons, to do so (and I didn’t see anyone object). 

romantics anonymous…

Moira and I went along to the Old Vic last night to see Emma Rice’s/Wise Children’s stage musical “Romantics Anonymous” (a musical adaptation of Jean-Pierre Améris’ 2010 film "Les Emotifs Anonymes" - which I haven’t seen). Rice’s show premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2017.The story focuses on two people who struggle with debilitating, cringe-worthy shyness – they’re overwhelmed by life; they’re hugely insecure and awkward; they avoid eye-contact… and, as far as possible, other people. In fact, ‘Romantics Anonymous’ is a real-life help group that helps people with such shyness and screenwriter/director Jean-Pierre Améris, a highly emotional person himself, had attended real EA (Emotions Anonymous) meetings.

The evening proved to be an intoxicating mix of tender melancholy, joy and hope. It’s touching, funny and uplifting. The cast (led by the perfect Carly Bawden, playing Angélique, and the excellent Marc Antolin, playing Jean-René) were all rather wonderful – and genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves (which in itself is quite intoxicating).Although I’m not a massive lover of stage musicals, last night demonstrated (yet again!) how wrong I frequently am to form such ‘rigid’ opinions. The songs (and the musicians) were consistently very good and ALL the singers excellent (especially Bawden). I also loved the set design, the wealth of neon signs and the incidental, beautifully-choreographed ‘extras’.
Yes, it all made for a delightful, feel-good, joyful (even hopeful!) evening of theatre - magical theatre at its very best… and greeted by last night’s enthusiastic audience with a standing ovation.A perfect answer to the January blues!
PS: I also loved that, towards the end of the interval (and completely in the spirit of the production), the cast entered the packed Foyer and singing a worthy lament (accompanied on accordion, guitar and the like)… which ended up with the words “right, now get back into the theatre you lot and we’ll carry on with the show” (or words to that effect!).
PPS: Wise Children is a relatively new theatre company, created and led by artistic director Emma Rice and based in Bristol. We saw their wonderful “Wise Children” production (based on Angela Carter’s novel) last February – which proved to be my favourite piece of theatre last year).
PPPS: Sorry, but I think the photograph is from the Shakespeare Globe's 2017 premiere.

cyrano at bristol old vic…

Moira and I went to the Old Vic last night to see Edmond Rostand’s late 19^th century play “Cyrano de Bergerac” (or just ”Cyrano” as the Old Vic refers to it). Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-55) was, amongst other things a French novelist, playwright and duelist… He was also seen as a bit of a dreamer, a failure and a fool to fortune (but you probably knew all that?).
Rostand’s account is, inevitably, a fictitious, gallant and glorious version of the person Cyrano was in real life.
The play (directed by Tom Morris, translated by Peter Oswald and designed by Ti Green) is about love, about uncertainty, about unfulfilled desires and about pretence. It’s about the relationship between Roxane and Christian (‘an imaginative and lively woman shackled to the wrong man’ as the programme notes put it); Roxane demands that ‘life rises to the level of poetry’ – something Christian can’t give her, but which Cyrano can (despite his other ‘deficiencies’).
In short, life’s difficult!

Tristan Sturrock (reference: ‘Poldark’ – which I’ve never watched) plays Cyrano - complete with impressive nose - and is excellent. He is supported by a first-rate, multi-talented cast (including the wonderful Felix Hayes)(me? biased?) who play a whole variety of roles (and sexes), including nuns, bakers, usherettes, soldiers, politicians and musicians. But, frankly, the entire play is about the Cyrano character – it seemed that no one else really counts as far as the playwright is concerned.

The entire play is performed in verse and although this might help to set the original tone and form set by Rostand, I found it somewhat off-putting and ‘clunky’. Given the quality of the company, I would have much preferred to have seen a ‘devised’ version of the play (retaining the poetry and verse where appropriate, but bringing out the ‘playfulness’ of the other performers). I also felt that the play was a little too long – the first half lasted an hour and a half and the battle scene in the second half dragged on somewhat, in my view.
Although I don’t think the play matched the wonderful, elevated standards of the Old Vic productions I’ve seen over the past two or three years, it was another very enjoyable, high quality evening.
According to the Old Vic’s programme notes, we are reminded that Rostand wrote his play at a time when “attempts to build a European political union had collapsed” and that he did so with “poetry as strong as a tractor, capable of hauling the hearts of his audience towards a sky of new dreams”!
As director Tom Morris wrote (again, in the programme notes): “Whether this leaves us all inspired with new hope for our broken world, or just provides an evening’s relief from its relentless stupidity, not even Rostand could predict”.
Indeed!

pride and prejudice*(*sort of)…

On a day when UK politics seemed to have sunk to an all-time low and with the rest of the world regarding us as a laughing stock, it was good to be able to leave our depressing world and enter into the magical, joyful world of British theatre… At least there’s SOMETHING about which we can be proud.
Moira and I went along to the Old Vic last night to see “Pride and Prejudice*(*sort of) – director: Paul Brotherston, writer: Isobel McArthur (who’s also one of the actors), designer: Ana Ines Jabares-Pita. It’s an adaptation of the Jane Austin book, but told by servants - using music and an all-female cast (in all the roles) - and all the time, remarkably, keeping very much to the original story…
Oh, and it’s quite, quite brilliant.
In essence, it’s a sweary, immaculately choreographed, fast-moving, very funny, wonderfully clever, hugely entertaining, karaoke version of a well-loved, classic, English novel (as you do). The cast are all simply wonderful… ALL of them (Tori Burgess, Christina Gordon, Felixe Forde, Hannah Jarrett-Scott, Isobel McArthur and Meghan Tyler). Incredibly versatile (complete with rapid costume changes) and also gifted singers and musicians (on harp, trumpet, accordion and piano). Watching Hannah Jarrett-Scott ‘in action’ was utterly compelling (this might not sound as flattering as I want it to be, but she was like a younger, much more attractive version of Patricia Routledge… timing, facial expressions and genius acting ability). Incidentally, Mr Bennet was played (silently) by an armchair – slightly angled away from the audience (and ‘holding’ a newspaper).

The confidence of the actors and their clear enjoyment of what they were doing was utterly infectious… and the audience lapped it up. At times, the production verged on becoming a musical (in a good way) and, as performers began their karaoke version of a song (I’m afraid I can’t remember many of the titles, but they certainly included “You’re So Vain”, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”, “I Got You Babe” and “Lady In Red”), the audience frequently giggled, cooed and applauded in delighted appreciation of its aptness for particular scenes. It was all very clever, very funny… and seamless (and the actors duly ‘milked’ the audience’s response… which was entertaining in itself).

Theatre and live performance at its VERY best… and yet another brilliant show at Bristol’s Old Vic.
We’re very, very blessed.

wild swimming at bristol old vic…

Moira and I went along to the Old Vic (The Weston Studio) to see FullRogue’s “Wild Swimming”, directed by Julia Head. The production received excellent reviews when it was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and, on the basis of what saw tonight, they were fully deserved. Lasting just over the hour and featuring just two actors (both quite superb: Alice Lamb as Nell and Annabel Baldwin as Oscar), the play takes place on a beach across five centuries of time-shifting action.

As you take your seats before the play commences, you immediately get a contagious sense of fun and irreverence as the actors chat, sort out their initial costumes and endeavour to find sweets, snacks and various props filed away in the small storage units that form part of the stage set.
You get the sense that it's all going to be OK and that you can just relax and be joyfully entertained.
Sweets continue to be shared with the audience, certain people are given water-pistols and water pumps to use during the performance and informal, constant dialogue puts everyone at ease… and then, suddenly, the lighting switches, the actors are in position and motionless… and we’re about to start.
The action begins in the late 16th century, then skips to the 18th, then the 20th, and finally present day. Nell comes from a rich family, but she’s a woman, and she’s bored and life has no proper purpose… until she begins to write. Oscar is a university student with grand ideas about swimming, writing (and the Hellespont) and preaching to Nell about his theories, but that’s as far he ever gets. As the play develops into the 20th century, one becomes aware of a reversal of gender-derived success…
Throughout the play, we have the complicated relationships between two characters – sometimes great friends, sometimes loving, sometimes hating, sometimes jealous and resentful… and all this amid on-stage costume changes, constant (frequently bawdy) dialogue, musical accompaniment and, of course, random sweets being thrown into the audience. It’s also brilliantly-scripted (by Marek Horn) – although the actors are quite wonderful in their frequent ‘deviations’ from the script and their ability to react to each other’s ad-libbing interventions/audience interactions with apparent ease.
There’s a wonderful chemistry and energy to it all and, certainly, last night’s audience loved it! It finishes at the Old Vic on Saturday 21 September… if there are any tickets left, then I’d strongly advise you to get to see it. Really excellent.

amélie, the musical … on stage at the old vic

Moira and I went along to the Old Vic this afternoon to see Mike Fentiman’s stage musical interpretation (written by Craig Lucas, with music by Daniel Messé) of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s classic 2001 film, starring the wonderful Audrey Tautou.
You probably know the ‘story’: It features a young French girl who helps strangers find love and happiness. Amélie is a waitress in a Parisian café and she sees it as her mission in life to right wrongs and improve the lives of her customers. But she proves rather less successful at bettering her own lot…
It just so happens that the film version is perhaps my all-time favourite film – I’ve watched it LOADS of times and absolutely adore it. So, you can imagine that I had somewhat mixed emotions at the prospect of seeing it performed on the stage… excitement mixed with a fear that it could all go horribly wrong!
How would they be able capture the magic of Paris? Would there be a terrific voice-over narrator similar to the film? Surely they wouldn’t be able to recreate all the scenes (or the wonderful characters)? They CERTAINLY wouldn’t dream of changing the iconic soundtrack, would they? How on earth would they find ANYONE to match Audrey Tautou?
Well, I for one, found it absolutely wonderful.

It’s a fast-moving production – featuring 36 songs which merge into each other rather effortlessly – with a cast of 16 incredibly talented performers who all act (multi-characters), sing and play instruments. Audrey Brisson plays Amélie and Danny Mac plays Nino, her mysterious friend.

The entire production is both inventive and impressive… and the music WAS entirely different to the film score (but utterly convincing and appropriate). Given the complexity of the original film, it was clearly impossible to recreate some of the scenes quite as effectively – and, indeed, some scenes had to be cut out and/or adapted. But the stage design was quite brilliant – with pianos instantly being transformed into shop display stands, photo kiosks into confessional stalls. At times, there’s almost a sense of circus – with Amélie being effortlessly transported from the stage into her upper floor apartment by way of rope. The actors use a puppet to convey the young Amélie – and quite beautifully played it is too. There’s a wonderful scene that features the garden gnome on its return from a tour of the world… and there’s also an audacious Elton John tribute song at the end of Act 1.
Hopefully, you’re getting a sense that I really enjoyed it?

Obviously, the biggest worry for me was the ‘leading lady’. No one would be able to replace Audrey Tautou for me… and YET, Audrey Brisson was something of a revelation. I thought she was absolutely wonderful! Apparently, our daughter Hannah thought I’d probably ‘fall in love’ with Brisson… and I think she was probably right! As well as convincingly looking and dressing like the Amélie in the film, Brisson also has a wonderful singing voice, an impressive athleticism (for nimbly jumping up on to upright pianos and being transported to her upper floor apartment, as you do) and a brilliantly expressive (and beautiful) face.

The audience loved it. I loved it. The sad thing is that its brief tour run at the Old Vic finishes on Saturday (20 July)… and I’m pretty sure that most of the tickets have already been sold. BUT, if you can get yourself a ticket (even if it’s one of those ‘standing tickets’), then I urge you to go.
PS: The ONE thing that spoilt things was the woman sitting immediately in front of me. She spent the ENTIRE performance leaning towards her adult daughter(?) and commenting on EVERYTHING that was happening on stage (or simply observations that had occurred to her in passing). Believe me, I came VERY close to letting her know my feelings!! Aaargh!!

 

wise children...

Wow! I think I might have just seen the best piece of theatre I’m likely to see in the entire year!
Moira and I went along to the Bristol Old Vic last night (another packed audience) to see Emma Rice’s adaptation of Angela Carter’s novel “Wise Children” (published in 1991). This is the first show by the newly created Wise Children Theatre Company… and it received rave reviews when it first appeared at the Old Vic, London before Christmas.
I can absolutely see why!
The play follows the fortunes of twin chorus girls, Dora and Nora Chance, and their bizarre theatrical family (they’re the illegitimate twins of a preposterous old thespian Sir Melchior Hazard, who has never acknowledged his daughters).  The twins are in their dotage (it’s their 75^th birthday that day) and live in somewhat seedy surroundings south of the Thames in a rather ancient caravan (wonderfully devised by Vicki Mortimer) and they receive a surprise invitation to Melchior Hazard’s Sloane Square party. Before making the journey, the twins tell their life story, starting right back at the conception of their parents.
It’s a bizarre, riotous journey and there’s an almost Shakespearean ‘feel’ to it all – including characters changing sex, colour and age with daring rapidity. It’s a story of rivalry, love and life (and show business) in which acting is a way of survival. It’s about vanishing youth, but also about a determination to live life to the full.  

The twelve actors are all absolutely magnificent (I particularly loved Melissa James’ and Omari Douglas’ portrayals as the Dora and Nora showgirls and Katy Owen as the hilarious Grandma – but, really, everyone was stunning). The dancing, the movement, the singing, the humour, the acting, the colour, the band, the set, the lighting… the overall design.

Simply wonderful.
It was a really glorious, joyous evening. At the end, the packed audience IMMEDIATELY gave them all a hugely-deserved standing ovation… which went on for some time.
Tomorrow is the last night at the Old Vic, but ‘Wise Children’ will also be performed in Manchester, York, Chester, London and Coventry over the coming weeks/months. Check out the website.
PS: I think the ‘Wise Children Theatre Company’ (based in Bristol) is going to become a very special, exciting organisation within our lovely city. They’re committed to the following:
1. “Producing landmark work with exceptional artists and touring it across the country.
2. Creating The School for Wise Children where 50% of places will be available free.
3.Discovering the creative spaces of the future.”
PPS: You might recall that, in January 2016, Emma Rice was appointed artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in London. Just a few months into the role, in October 2016, it was announced that Rice would be leaving it in April 2018; the announcement followed a decision by the theatre's board, which cited concerns over authenticity and her use of lighting technology. I think the Globe might end up regretted their decision! The Globe’s loss is definitely Bristol’s gain!!

a christmas carol at the old vic, bristol…

Moira and I spent a rather lovely afternoon at the Bristol Old Vic seeing Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” (adapted by Tom Morris and directed by Lee Lyford)… a very good way to see the old year ‘out’! An added bonus for us was that son-in-law Felix Hayes was playing Scrooge – and he was bloomin’ good! I’ve just been reading some of the press reviews and every single one of them praises Felix to the hilt (the word ‘magnificent’ is used on a couple of occasions - and very justifiably in my view).
He was indeed very, very impressive.
Everyone knows the story of ‘A Christmas Carol’, but I was intrigued as to how they would ‘play’ it. Would it follow traditional lines in terms of ‘set’ and adaptation? Well, I think they succeeded quite brilliantly in virtually all respects. The set was skeletal (scaffolding!), dark and somewhat Gothic (definitely not ‘chocolate box’ Victorian London!) and with a hint of a rather menacing city environment. But the performance was also full of mirth, fun (not to mention audience participation!). The story starts in a depressing monochrome world which gradually unfolds into a riot of colour and celebration. The performance was accompanied by lively, evocative ‘steampunk music’ which (I have to say), on occasions, I found a little intrusive (sometimes drowning out some of the dialogue – or maybe that’s just my own deteriorating hearing!?). But hey, it’s Christmas/New Year and we can forgive such things!
Strangely (you might think!), I also found the story quite moving… and a real echo of the world today – the world of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, the world in which it’s all too easy to discount the poor, the homeless, the refugee, the migrant.
Scrooge’s sad life of missed opportunities and lost loves… and his discovery that generosity is the key to human happiness.
A simple, powerful message that we, oh so definitely, need today!
I loved the production - and the full house and the vibrant atmosphere within the foyer and the theatre itself was a powerful testament to the beauty, anticipation and value of live performance.
Happy Happy New Year!
PS: Members of the cast merged into the audience towards the end (Moira+I were sitting in the stalls - and I was at the end of a row)… Felix duly approached me from behind to encourage a response and got a ‘bit of a shock’ to discover that the old geazer in question was his bloomin’ father-in-law! Naturally, he was very keen to introduce me to the audience (oh cor blimey!)… hey ho (oh how we laughed!)!

twelfth night at bristol old vic…

Moira and I went along to the Old Vic this afternoon to see Wils Wilson’s ‘take’ on Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”… and it was quite wonderful! We’re SO lucky to have such good theatres in Bristol that put on such amazing stuff and, now that the brilliant new foyer is up and running (and operating beautifully), the whole theatrical experience at the Old Vic is second-to-none.
We’ve seen “Twelfth Night” performed several times over the years (including a brilliant one when Felix was performing at the RSC), but this was also very, very special. This production is set in the late 1960s – with all its music, its fashion, its style and when ‘pleasure-seeking’ was ‘celebrated’(!) – and is just perfect for this ‘take’ on the play. It’s colourful, confident, clever and an absolute delight (and very funny too). Obviously, the late 60s was ‘our’ period too, so we felt entirely ‘at home’!
You probably already know the play’s plot: Duke Orsino of Illyria is in love with Olivia, but his advances are rejected. A shipwrecked Viola arrives on his shores, and with the help of a Captain, disguises herself as a boy, calling herself Cesario, and enters Orsino's service. Orsino takes to Cesario, and sends 'him' to woo Olivia for him. Have you got that?
It’s a very modern interpretation of the play, with gender identification playing an important part (including Dawn Sievewright playing ‘Lady Tobi’ as opposed to Sir Toby Belch and Colette Dalal Tchantcho playing Duke Orsino).

The acting is consistently brilliant – the entire cast is hugely talented (they’re ALL stars) – and the music is stunningly good too (with, I think, six of the twelve actors playing a wide range of musical instruments and singing). Almost impossible to pick out the ‘stars’ of the performance but, for me, I thought Dawn Sievewright (Lady Tobi), Christopher Green (Malvolio), Guy Hughes (Andrew Aguecheek) and Dylan Read (Feste) are especially wonderful.  

It was an absolute delight… an absolute joy (I’d happily go back and see it all over again tomorrow!).
Photo: Christopher Green, as Malvolio, complete with cross-gartered yellow stockings.
PS: The high-heel boots of Malvolio and Andrew Aquecheek reminded me of one of my fellow architectural students (I'm blowed if I can remember his name: Alan Byrne perhaps?)... who, despite already being 6'3" tall, used to wear high-heel boots... handsome man with a very deep, refined accent and he consistently wore a velvet jacket and trousers... whatever happened to him?
PPS: The play runs until Saturday 17 November: if you’re within easy reach of Bristol, then I urge you to see it.

touching the void at bristol old vic…

Moira and I went along to the Old Vic this afternoon (along with several other grey-haired people) to see “Touching The Void”, adapted by playwright David Greig and directed by Tom Morris, based on Joe Simpson’s best-selling 1988 memoir. I read the book more than 25 years ago and can well remember being utterly captivated and stunned by its compelling story - which tells of Simpson’s and his fellow mountaineering partner Simon Yates’s struggles (best if I don’t say any more in case you have read the book/seen the film) on the perilous Siula Grande mountain in the Peruvian Andes (I’ve never seen the film based on the book).
Having an awful head for heights, my fascination for mountaineering stories is perhaps slightly worrying (I remember passing on my copy of ‘Touching The Void’ to someone – but can’t now recall who – but my book collection also contains mountaineering books by Chris Bonington, Joe Tasker and two others by Joe Simpson)!
How on earth could anyone reproduce the book’s story on a STAGE, for goodness sake?!

Well, there was no snow; there were no papier-maché mountains, no sports centre climbing wall… but, amazingly, they DID manage to capture all the drama, all the terror and all the suspense (literally!)… quite, quite magnificently.

It was superbly done. I loved how, in the mountain sequences, they converted vertical planes to horizontal planes so simply and yet so effectively. I loved how they were able to address crucial decision-maker options so powerfully and issue a “well, what would you have done?” challenge (to one of the characters and to the audience), I loved the way Joe’s was such a central character in the whole drama… I could go on and on.
The acting was also superb – all four characters: Fiona Hampton (who played Joe’s sister, Sarah), Josh Williams (Joe), Edward Hayter (Simon) and Patrick McNamee (who played the base camp hippy) were just brilliant.
As I think you might have deduced(!), everything about this production was simple wonderful as far as I was concerned. Theatre at its very best – creativity, conception, imagination, design, implementation… live performance at its very, very best.
It’s an amazing story and this production is an absolute ‘must-see’.
PS: At the interval, I described the story as “a bit of a cliff-hanger” and quickly regretted it!
PPS: I also love that the theatre programme reproduced Joe Simpson’s ‘Desert Island Discs’ music from 2004… I think I’ll be re-living it all via Spotify over the coming days!
PPPS: I need to re-read the book!

the elephant man...

Somewhat unusually, Moira and I went along to the Old Vic this afternoon to sample director Lee Lyford’s take on Bernard Pomerance’s award-winning play (and we only paid £10 each for our tickets, thanks to a group booking!).The play is based upon the life of Joseph Merrick (1862-90). In 1886, the chairman of London Hospital wrote to the editor of The Times and told of a hugely disfigured 27 year-old man who was reduced to living in a small, isolated attic room at the hospital due to his “terrible deformity” (you may have seen the film, with John Hurt?… I haven’t)… enlarged limbs, lumpy skin and impaired speech. The letter resulted in public donations which, essentially, funded his hospital stay until his death. The play does NOT feature an actor with grotesque make-up in order to replicate the original Joseph Merrick. Instead, they have opted to use an actor (the brilliant Jamie Beddard) who has Cerebral  Palsy – which effectively restricts him to a wheelchair and renders his voice difficult to understand (the play effectively uses sub-titles that appear above the stage)... and yet, his performance in the role is breathtakingly rather beautiful.

In Victorian times, Merrick was seen as ‘freak show’ exhibit. Today that just seems shocking, unacceptable and barbaric. Once properly hospitalised, Merrick received financial support from the wealthy and those who went to great lengths to demonstrate to all and sundry what ‘fine citizens’ they were to support such ‘causes’. In the play, Merrick’s character (as portrayed by Beddard) makes the audience think about how we marginalise people in society today – not necessarily on purpose, but sometimes subtly and without direct intention. As director Lee Lyford indicated in the programme: “I think a lot of the time we’re all quite frightened about getting it wrong, but it’s all about asking questions and breaking down the barriers to inclusion”.

There were times in the play when I thought they were just trying too hard to emanate the ‘feel’ of the Victorian era (the stripped-back, yet traditional, staging; the quite stilted dialogue; the ‘intertitles’ music hall references of the late 19^th/early 20^th century silent films etc etc) but, overall, I thought the play worked very well.

It’s a powerful, thought-provoking piece of theatre which, in these austere times (which are particularly affecting disabled people) and the NHS's 70th birthday, it comes as a timely reminder that we should be thinking of the ‘common good’ and not to simply allow privilege to thrive.

a monster calls at bristol old vic…

Last night, Moira and I went to the Bristol Old Vic to see director Sally Cookson’s production of Patrick Ness’s young adult novel “A Monster Calls”.
It was superb.
Actually, before we’d even seen to performance, we just KNEW it was going to be superb… five-star reviews, passionate acclaim by twitterers, stories of audience members hugging each other at the end, tears… and, of course, the very fact that Sally Cookson was the ‘conductor’ behind it all.
The story centres on a 13-year-old boy, Conor O’Malley, and his mother who has terminal cancer. He’s being bullied at school, his father lives in America with his new family, he doesn’t get on with his grandmother, and his mother refuses to come clean about her illness. Life is stark and very tough… and he’s angry. Oh, and of course, there’s a monster – in the form of an old Yew tree – which, ultimately, helps the teenager come to terms with his situation through stories.
As ever with Cookson’s productions, the cast is quite brilliant (I thought Matthew Tennyson, as Conor, was outstanding) – as was the set design and lighting and (of course) the music (Benji and Will Bower!).
It’s profoundly sad and moving, utterly captivating, visually stunning and hugely inventive.
Brilliant, imaginative storytelling and exceptional live performance.
An astonishing piece of theatre.
Photo: from the Old Vic website
PS: The production finishes in Bristol on 16 June and opens at the Old Vic, London on 7 July for six weeks.
PPS: Son-in-law Felix Hayes is also in the cast playing the Dad (and, of course, he’s excellent!).

golem…

Moira and I went along to the Bristol Old Vic last night to see Theatre Company 1927’s “Golem”… and we emerged feeling incredibly fortunate to have witnessed such a wonderful piece of extraordinary, inventive theatre.
Our good fortune was at Hannah+Felix’s expense (literally)… they had passed on their tickets to us after another engagement had cropped up (doubly sad, because I know they would both have enjoyed the performance enormously).
The 1927 Theatre production embraces technology, art, design, original film and animation projections (by Paul Barritt) with stunning, slick precision to tell director/writer Suzanne Andrade’s story about mass-technology and its effects on our lives - initially through the ‘character’ of a clay figure called Golem, who comes to life and begins to take on basis tasks that help simplify the life of its ‘owner’… and this Golem, in turn, is replaced by Golem 2… and then Golem 3 (a bit like iPhone 7?).
Technology gradually taking over.
It’s a brilliant blend of acting, music, projections and lighting… breathtakingly clever, witty and stunningly stylish. The acting (and the immaculate timing) is excellent.
The mingling of of live performance with animation and film is quite, quite magical.
As we approach another General Election, it’s perhaps a gentle reminder of some of the shortcomings and losers in this brave new world of ours! You know, the one where corporations and shareholders seem to be the only winners?!
Essentially, it’s a message about anti-consumerism and anti-technology/dreams becoming nightmares… and, obviously, as someone who a) still uses a pen or pencil to write notes, b) doesn’t own an iPad, c) has recently exchanged his BlackBerry for a very basic answer/call/text mobile phone and d) no longer owns a car, I can be excused for feeling somewhat superior and smug! Yeh, right!
It really was an extraordinary, colourful, intoxicating, unique evening of theatre – 90 non-stop minutes full of wonderful imagery and invention… and a modern fable.
PS: The 1927 Theatre Company is on tour with ‘Golem’ until 24 June. Today (3 June) is the last night at the Old Vic, but it’ll be showing at Ipswich, Oxford and Harrogate over the coming weeks. If you get a chance, PLEASE see this production… you DEFINITELY won’t regret it!

the snow queen…

Moira and I went along to the Bristol Old Vic last night to Lee Lyford’s version of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen” (duly re-written/adapted by Vivienne Franzmann).
Somewhat ridiculously, this was the first time we’d seen a performance at the Old Vic in this, its 250^th year!
It proved to be a good night out. The highlight was undoubtedly the evil, sinister Snow Queen herself – towering over the audience and coming to life, thanks to the brilliance of Marc Parrett’s puppetry design. Will Duke’s video projections were also impressive - as were the cast in their multi-tasking/multi-character roles.
But, strangely, I was left feeling that the production lacked a true sense theatrical magic.
The music was fine, but unexceptional (but perhaps I’ve just been completely spoiled by hearing/seeing Benji Bower+Co over recent years!); the acting was good but, sometimes, I felt that the ‘characterisation’ made some of what was being said somewhat incoherent or muddled; some of the set design was absolutely excellent, but (to my mind) some scenes/props were unnecessary and/or unconvincing.
I think my main criticism is that the story had too many themes and twists and, at times (quite frequently in my view), lost its way. Vivienne Franzmann’s adaptation maintained the major plot points - and many of the characters of the original tale - and combined them with new characters and several modern twists. Frankly, it left me feeling that she’d over-complicated things… and that someone needed to edit the script quite severely!
Hey, but what do I know!?
Moira was also slightly disappointed by the production, judging by the reaction of the rest of the audience, most people seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the show. Why don’t you see it for yourself and make up your own mind (it runs until 15 January)?

swallows and amazons at the old vic

Moira+I went along to Bristol’s Old Vic theatre on Wednesday to see our second “Christmas show” of the season. Arthur Ransome’s 1929 novel had been adapted for the theatre by Helen Edmundson, with songs by Neil Hannon and this production (directed by Tom Morris) provided another wonderful evening’s entertainment. I THINK I can remember reading “Swallows and Amazons” in my youth (or was it just the television series I watched?)... and there’s definitely something rather nostalgic about the sense of fantastic childhood adventure (especially when mixed with memories  of my time as a boy scout!).

The principle members of the cast are all excellent, but I also loved that the minor characters - or “players in blue” (as the programme describes them) – were also musicians, prop-holders, water-throwers, wave-makers and much more besides. This was very much low-tech theatre at its very best. I continue to be massively impressed by the abilities and skills of theatrical designers (set, costume, sound and lighting... SO much invention and, best of all, so much left to the imagination of the audience. It was all very good fun.
Bristol has been exceptionally fortunate to have had two truly excellent Christmas shows this year (perhaps, not surprisingly, “101 Dalmatians” is still my favourite!).
I was waiting in the lobby before the show started and a mother(?) passed me, talking to her 8-9 year-old son(?)... she was trying to explain to him what “theatre” was all about. I have to say, her son looked pretty nonplussed and gave every impression of having been dragged along against his will. Well, this production was definitely another case of the “magic of theatre” and I’d be prepared to bet that the boy emerged into the night air after the show as an enthusiastic, passionate convert!

martha tilston again…

I went along to see/hear Martha Tilston perform again at Colston Hall last night (I saw her February last year)… and she was SO good! Once again, she was on stage for nearly two hours – usually with her supporting band “The Scientists” but, for 20 minutes or so, on her own – and she completely captivated her enthusiastic “full house” audience. As well as being an excellent singer-songwriter (her voice is quite, quite beautiful), she’s also a brilliant all-round musician – as she demonstrated last night on guitar and grand piano.
Lots of passion, humour and just a hugely enjoyable evening.
Her latest album is called “The Sea” (although born in Bristol, she now lives in Cornwall) and features traditional folk songs about the sea, collected, sung and played “with family+friends, kith and kin” (each of which she performs alongside individual family members). Last night, she played these songs without the support from family members but, from what I’ve heard listening to the CD this morning, it’s really rather lovely. Among the featured family members are her father, Steve Tilston (whose music I knew well before I came across his daughter – and who, I know, my brother Alan will have come across from his Birmingham days) and her uncle, Kevin Whately (of “Lewis”/”Morse” fame etc and he’s got a great voice)!
Photo: Martha Tilston from last night’s concert.

dracula at the old vic

The night before last, it was the theatre. Last night, it was the ballet.

Moira+I continued our week of culture and live performance at Bristol’s Old Vic last night when we went to see “Dracula” performed by the wonderful Mark Bruce Company. I hadn’t spent my early adult years watching horror movies, but even I had a vague knowledge of the vampire legend (based on Bram Stoker’s book of the same name, first published in 1897).
I knew that last night was going to be dark, dramatic… and bloody.
In fact, it was pretty amazing. I know very little about dance, but I was completely captivated by the mesmerizing brilliance and athleticism of the dancers… it literally took my breath away at times. Jonathan Goddard as Dracula was simply superb (we’d previously seen him in HeadSpaceDance’s “If Play Is Play” in April) and Eleanor Duval, as Mina Harker, and Kristin McGuire, as Lucy Westenra, both also gave stunning performances (I was particularly captivated by McGuire’s intensely beautiful, powerful portrayal). The music was stunningly good too – ranging from the intense, painful, grating themes composed especially for this piece to traditional folk tunes, Beethoven, Bach, Schnittke and even Florrie Forde’s “Down at the Old Bull and Bush”!
Another stunning evening of live performance (the last performance at the Old Vic is on Saturday 4 October… but the tour continues to Manchester, Birmingham, London, Glasgow, Caernarfon, Ipswich, Brighton and beyond). Catch it if you possibly can.
As we walked home under a clear, half moon, black sky… I resisted the temptation the kiss Moira’s neck…