Blue Remembered Hills - Review - Royalty Theatre

Blue Remembered Hills  

Royalty Theatre

30th October 2017

The Land of Lost Content (A E Houseman)

Into my heart on air that kills  

From yon far country blows: 
What are those blue remembered hills,   
What spires, what farms are those?

 

That is the land of lost content,         
I see it shining plain, 
The happy highways where I went

And cannot come again. 

Blue Remembered Hills was originally written by Dennis Potter as a BBC Play for Today. It is just an hour long, and is the most straightforward of his scripts. It covers just one short afternoon in 1943 in the Forest of Dean where seven children are at play. First we meet Willie (David Robson) and Peter (Lee Stewart) who are playing war games, Willie is a fighter pilot swooping and diving across the stage, arms outstretched like a plane. Peter jumps down from a tree pretending to be a parachutist jumping from a plane. They brag and swagger, as boys do full of bravado, trying to out do each other and end up fighting over an apple as Peter asserts his superiority. He is bigger and stronger and he beats Willie despite Willie's more cunning wit. This is the first sign of a pecking order which will become clear as the play progresses and we meet the rest of the gang. John (Andrew Barella), the main rival to Peter as top dog in the gang, Raymond (Billy Towers) who stutters and is the butt of their jokes, the girls Angela (Abbi Laidler) and Audrey (Nikki Slack)  and finally Donald (Peter Kelly) awkward,  victimised by his mother and his friends, he doesn't quite fit and is at the bottom of the pecking order - lower even than girls.

The play moves along at a gallop as the friends meet up, squabble, fall out, make up and fall out again. They size each other up, takes sides, and swap allegiance for their own self preservation as only children can. Their childish mimicry of, and attempts to understand, adults provides much humour especially in the first act. In act two things take a darker turn, as sirens sound and the search for an escaped POW gets underway. Although there is still much humour there is also the feeling that something sinister is about to happen.

It's an interesting play that covers a lot of ground in a short time. It covers themes of war, prejudice, nationalism, bullying, peer pressure, isolation and abuse. The title is a phrase taken from one line of a poem by A E Houseman, The Land of Lost Content and it harks back to the lost innocence of youth, but also to the idea that the innocence we remember as adults is rose tinted and is in actual fact a misremembered fallacy. By insisting that the children be played by adult actors, Potter illustrates the idea that while claiming to offer protection and guidance adults are pushing them towards an adulthood of  conflict and struggle - symbolised by the childish bickering and the re-enactment of war games and playing "house".  While on the surface the play seems to be nothing more than the story of a childish game gone wrong, it is actually a very complex examination of society.

The cast do a grand job of portraying the children with their exaggeratedly childish behaviour - Lee Stewart, Andrew Barella and David Robson especially create a genuine sense of the rivalry between boys, while Abbi and Nikki succeed in creating two of the cattiest, cruellest and most and partisan girls. Again, reflections of the adult world are clear in these two.    

The set is deceptively simple, enhanced by clever lighting and carefully chosen music and sound, it provides all the ingredients necessary for each scene from the woods to the barn.

If there is a weakness in the play, for me, it is the penultimate scene, which feels rushed and therefore lacks a certain impact, though from the reactions of others in the audience, I may be the only one that feels this. I did however like the poignant reading of the poem in adult voices - pulling the children forward into their future adult selves, looking back on an event that changed them forever. 

An interesting production. A lot of laughter, a lot of emotion, and a lot to think about. 
Blue Remembered Hills plays until Saturday. Tickets are available in advance from the website or on the door from 6.45 each night. 

Denise Sparrowhawk

I wish you lonely, Morrissey -Review

Review of single- ‘I Wish You Lonely’

By -                      Morrissey 

Released -           25th October 17 

Having been a devoted and unwavering fan of The Smiths and then Morrissey for over 30 years,  it was with very great excitement when I heard the news that he was going to be part of BBC6 Live Music Sessions earlier this month, including playing tracks from his forthcoming album. 

All kinds of reminders were set including social media notifications and on the tv so that I could listen to the live broadcast as it happened. Later that day I nearly rubbed the colour off the red button on my remote control as I continually checked until it was finally available to watch and not just listen to on BBC’s I-Player 

So, about this single in particular, well ‘I Wish You Lonely’ is the second song released from the album and along with the first single ‘Spent The Day In Bed’, it was performed live by Morrissey during the recent BBC music session.

When asked is there a theme running through the album,  Morrissey said “a rage in the blood, plus endless hooks” and ‘I Wish You Lonely’ definitely displays this. Never one to shy away from political and social issues or commentary on the general current climate, these are once again raised in this song with lyrics such as 

“Tombs are full of fools 

Who gave their life upon command

Of monarchy, oligarch, head of state, potentate…”

We are wished to think of ourselves only, selfishness as a self preservation tool….existentially to think FOR ourselves 

The sound is more rocky and the inclusion of synth provides a wonderful extra element to the music and makes for an instantly catchy tune.

It's been a long three years since Morrissey released his last album and going by the songs I've heard from it so far, including the two singles and the interestingly titled ‘When You Open Your Legs’ I for one think it's going to have been worth the wait.

The album Low In High School is released 17th November. Not that I need it, but I've set myself a reminder for that day.

Belinda Bekki-Winter

Rumplestiltskin -Review- Northern Stage

Rumplestiltskin

Northern Stage – Wednesday 25th October 2017

Performed by- balletLORENT 

Now I’m not the biggest fan of ballet, nor am I of Carol Anne Duffy, whose poems were one of the reasons that I failed English at GCSE (twice) , but enough about me, how was the show I hear you ask.

This version by balletLORENT, a Newcastle based company, give Rumpelstiltskin a back story which was great and it made the storyline better for the many kids in the audience.

In the original story he just appears out of nowhere but in this story you find out more about him and how his mother (played by Maria Vincentelli) had died during childbirth leaving his father the king (played by John Kendall) to bring him up. Unfortunately he is too grief stricken to do that and banishes Rumplestiltskin out of the courts so he goes and lives in the land.

He is played firstly by Thomas Ryser – Welch (young) and Gavin Coward (older) who falls in love with a young shepherd daughter played by Amelia Bell (young) and Natalie Trewinnard (older) but they drift apart until the original story picks him up where we find he’s a bit of an outsider.

The shepherd, played by Toby Fitzgerald, puts his daughter in a situation that means her and Rumplestiltskin are brought back together as Rumplestiltskin has a gift thanks to his mother watching over him…….he turns things into gold!

Then both stories merge into one as Rumplestiltskin helps the shepherd's daughter make straw into gold in exchange for her ring, then a kiss and then her child (which is his half brother)

She doesn’t want to give her baby to him so he gives her the opportunity to keep her child if she can guess what Rumplestiltskin’s name is...
Does she?  Of course she does! 

There is a twist in the tale but I won’t tell you what it is, you will have to go and see the show.

This local company has also had local people in the show such as the ladies from I believe the Knit and Natter group from Cornerstone in Benwell (where my dad worked many moons ago) so hats off to Sylvia Wood, Pat Horsefield, Ann Mead and Irene Scaife. 

Also the little people on stage from different schools in the Newcastle area,  so well done to Thomas Harrison, Bobby James Gray, Maddison Palmer, Harlow Jamieson, Kyara Furtado, Jasmine Valentina Mamuini, Emilia Crompton and Otto Ritchie with Understudies Michael Rance and Cameron Earl.

The Ensemble of Debbi Purtill, Gwen Berwick, Juliet Thompson, Raymond Roa and Benedicta Valentina did a great job mixing both the professional dancers and the local people on stage and made the story flow.

Ben Crompton,who was in Game of Thrones,  was the Narrator and Dramaturg for the piece. The set was designed really well and used some great visual aspects, designer Phil Eddoles created a fantastic set.
The lighting complimented everything and was designed by Malcolm Rippeth and Michael Morgan.
Composer Murray Gold did a great job with the music, but credit has to go to Michelle Clapton who designed the costumes and I know which costumes people thought were the best, THE SHEEP!

Everyone loved the sheep and I for a moment thought they were real.

Liv Lorent and Caroline Reece did a great job and the movement was fantastic but at times there was too much going on so you don’t know where to look.

This is a great show that is perfect for all the family with great dance which retells a classic story bringing it to life for a whole new generation. 

Well done everyone involved,  even Carol Ann Duffy.

Reuben Hiles

Preview - Blue Remembered Hills - Royalty Theatre

Abbi Laidler, Peter Kelly and Nikki Slack

Credit: Royalty Theatre

Royalty Theatre to stage Blue Remembered Hills

The Royalty Theatre continue their 2017/18 season with a production of Dennis Potter’s Blue Remembered Hills.

Written for the BBC’s Play for Today series in 1979, the play follows a group of seven-year-olds, playing together on a summer’s day in 1943 in the Forest of Dean.  As with the television production, the children are all played by adults – magnifying the innocent, joyful and indeed darker aspects of childhood.

Director Lorna Breeze says, “When approached to direct Blue Remembered Hills I was very excited at the prospect.  Originally written for TV, bringing it to the stage could have been tricky but it’s been a delight to see it develop in rehearsals.  The cast have been marvellous and have enjoyed releasing their inner child – maybe a little too much!”

Abbi Laidler, Peter Kelly and Nikki Slack are among a cast following in the footsteps of such actors as Helen Mirren, Michael Elphick and John Bird, who starred in the original TV production.  Now a standard text for GSCE Drama, the play runs from October 30^th to November 4^th.

Tickets are available in person from the box office, payment by cash or cheque only - details of opening times can be found on the website.  Tickets can be bought online from Ticketsource . (Please note there is an administration charge for online or telephone bookings.) 

If Peter Kelly's performance comes anywhere close to his impromptu cover of the lead role in The Machine Gunners last season then this will be well worth a viewing! - DS

The Snowman -film review-

Review of film... The Snowman 

Boldon Cineworld 

October 18th 2017

The first thing to mention about this film is that whilst it may share the same title as the beautiful, heartwarming yet heartbreakingly sad in moments animated film by Raymond Briggs, that's pretty much where the similarity ends.

Set in a powdery, snowy and extremely picturesque Oslo, Norway, this character driven film is adapted from the book written by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo. It's a British crime thriller film version of the ever increasingly popular Nordic Noir. It stars actors including Michael Fassbender, Toby Jones, J.K.Simmons and an almost unrecognisable at first glance Val Kilmer

The Snowman is about detective Harry Hole (played by Michael Fassbender)  who whilst battling his own inner demons, finds himself in a taunting cat and mouse game with the person responsible for a series of grisly murders. The film gets its title from the macabre looking snowman that the killer builds and leaves at the scene of the crime.

From the very beginning scene and throughout,  the story is dark, haunting and the murders gruesome (it's going to take a while before I forget the chilling sound of one of the bits of equipment that the killer frequently uses )  and the landscape on which it's set serves to contrast this magnificently.

It also has its fair amount of both quirky characters and moments, which is just one of the things I think makes this genre so brilliant (it's been a long while since I heard the song Popcorn which is used to brilliant  effect in one scene )

It’s not immediately obvious who the serial killer is, so it's great for those that enjoy playing detective or who just like to be kept guessing. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, it's one of my favourite types and in no way did it disappoint at all. With the hint at the end that there could be another film to be made with a different case, I'll look forward to seeing the next one. 

The film released on October 13th is currently being shown in UK cinemas 

Belinda Bekki-Winter 

All Together Like the Folks of Shields - Review - Westovians at the Pier Pavilion

All Together Like the Folks of Shields

Pier Pavillion
17th Oct 2017

Cast
The Charltons
David Beston
Tracy Office
Jack Robert Young
Declan Marshall
The Armstrongs
John Errington
Viv Wiggins
Katie Stubbs

Directed by Jim Barton


Written by David Cooke this is a comedy set in neighbouring flats in South Shields in the 1970. It follows the relationships of two families. The Charltons, and the Armstrongs. They have very different outlooks on life, and very different lifestyles. The Charltons are a dyed in the wool Shields family, Des is a bloke's bloke, the life and soul of the party. They are established in their home which was left to them by Des's mother. The Armstrongs have moved into their flat after a downturn in their fortunes. Alvera has had to give up her big house, full of all the mod-cons the 70s could offer and take a job cleaning other people's big houses. She is not happy in the flat.
The contrasts between the two families provide the opportunity for comedy. Des is constantly drunk, while George Armstrong is straight-laced and serious, disillusioned with life. As the play progresses we learn that all is not as it seems for either of the households. Life in the Charlton's house is not quite the one long party it appears. Pushed to the limit by their husbands' attitudes and behaviours, the two wives take action and creating the bizarre circumstance that finally reveals all the secrets of the two families. Alongside this their sons and daughter watch the developments and play out their own drama.

There is a lot wit in the sparring verbal sparring between the characters, and this is the strength of the play. The dialogue is very funny, and the extreme action the women take to teach their men a lesson leads to humorous situations. But there is a lot going on in this play - it has more twists than a corkscrew. There are several threads - the reason for George Armstrong losing his job, the history behind the dislike between the two men, not to mention what is really going on in Des Charlton's life. Then there is the two sons and the daughter's storylines. The play tackles unemployment, self esteem, relationships, teenage aspiration, family values, sexism and chauvinism, and the value of reputation and principles and finally of friendship and vindication. That's a whole lot for one play to try to deal with. Act One lays the foundations and sets us up for the (many) revelations that are to come. It is the stronger half of the play - because of its simplicity. Act Two has so much to unveil that it loses its way a little - it feels like there are just too many threads to follow. You could make two plays out of it - one with the adult's story and another with the teenager's story. Director Jim Barton does a fair job of pulling it all together.

That said it is very funny and the characters are likeable despite their many flaws. The set is cleverly done with the stage split between the two flats, and the lighting and freeze frame effects work well as the action swaps between the Charlton's and the Armstrong's homes. There are good performances from all the cast. as always we see some excellent drunk acting from all four adults but particularly David Beston.  I think particular mention should go to Declan Marshall who gave an assured performance as Jack Charlton in his stage debut.

All Together Like the Folks of Shields runs until Sat 21st October. It will give you a laugh even if, like me, you come from Sunderland.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Goth Weekend -review- Live Theatre

Goth Weekend – Thursday 12th of  October  2017

 – Live Theatre

Written by Ali Taylor
Directed by Paul Robinson assisted by Alice Kynman

This is my second show in two days and I have been so looking forward to seeing it ever since I first noticed the flyer outside the Live Theatre
Goth Weekend is about two families brought together by fate who are polar opposites to each other.

Belinda who is a goth singer / songwriter or an artist as she likes to be known (played extremely well by Jessica Johnson), if I met Belinda in real life then I would be scared of her and Jess is perfect for the role.
Belinda’s son Simon played by Gurjeet Singh is deeply distraught by his parents break up and will stop at nothing to get his parents back together again

Ken, or Kenneth as he’s also known (played by Sean McKenzie) is a boring man who is still getting over the death of his wife, he has been on many dates with other equally boring people which his teenage daughter, Anna (played by Amy Trigg) has set him up with, though the medium of Tinder
It’s on one of these dates where Belinda and Ken meet.

They start the strangest relationship ever!! They are very much polar opposites in compatibility and style
The play is set around the Whitby Goth Weekend.
The weekend is something of a dynasty to goths and you can’t move without seeing people dressed up in black.
Belinda fits in but Ken doesn’t,but she soon changes that and gives him a great makeover, which makes him standout like a sore thumb.

Belinda manages to get a gig at Whitby because of a Toyah Wilcox injury, but Toyah makes a fantastic recovey,the agent gets a lot of abuse from Belinda but her ex offers her a chance to perform on the main stage at the Weekend.

The second half starts with the guys close enough to Whitby but not quite there and the atmosphere can be cut by a knife with the tensions brewing in the air between everyone.
But the real action comes later !!

Love is patient, Love is kind and Love is strange but True love is great and when you find it you don’t want to lose it and you can’t help who you fall in love with can you?
I will say that the cast had great chemistry and you could see that from the off and it made the show enjoyable from the start.

Goth Weekend is a great play with some of the best lines in it like “I’m the queen of darkness I can’t be seen in a Costa coffee"
The whole team can be proud of themselves with this production,  it’s been written really well and it will have you laughing and sometimes nearly crying.so credit to Ali Taylo, he should bring more shows to Newcastle.
Helen Coyston made the design work and some of the costumes were fantastic, the stage was adapted well for every scene.
The lighting and sound design was fantastic but as a sound engineer myself you need longer XLR cables on stage (Health and Safety and all that).
Tiger Johnson was the lighting designer and he makes and uses light in ways that are truly inspirational and definitely understands Goth music, Paul Stear did a fabulous job with the sound and there was always something catching my ear and in between the scenes he uses music extremely well.

Both Director and Assistant Director (Paul Robinson and Alice Kynman) deserve a lot of credit for all their hard work with this play.

The play is fantastic, amazing and funny and a show that everyone could enjoy.
It has a 14+ age limit as there is some mild nudity throughout the play.

But what happens to Belinda and Ken do they fall in love and live happily ever after? You will just have to go and watch the show if you want to find out.

The show runs  on till Saturday 28th of Oct

Reuben Hiles

Geordie the Musical -Review- Tyne Theatre

Geordie The Musical

Wednesday 11th of October 2017
Tyne and Opera Theatre.

Written by Tom Kelly
From a story by Andy Bogle
Directed by Jamie Brown
Musical Direction by Mike Turnbull


Geordie The Musical takes us back in time to 1890 at The Wheatsheaf Pub,  a place where a good pint and a sing song are guaranteed on the banks of the River Tyne.

James Melia is the landlord of the pub and is played by Dale Meeks. He has just recovered from a nasty injury that he received after a pit accident which made him unable to go back to his job. His wife, Bella Melia is the real boss of the family and is played by Viktoria Kay, she is feisty and doesn’t take any prisoners but is well liked. Their daughter is played by Eleanor Chaganis who is extremely bright and is hopefully off to Durham University.

The pub has its regulars including Michael Cumisky who is played by Luke Maddison, he is a good old Irish boy who has come to the North East to look for work and finds it. Another is Robert, played by Cullercoats’ very own Phil Corbett.  Micky Cochrane plays iconic Geordie songwriter Tommy Armstrong and Donald Mcbride plays Oliver Heslop, another North East legend. Adam Donaldson plays John Thompson, an Oxford University student that comes to Newcastle to further his studies.

Amongst all the humour the tone is brought down by Joshua Adams. He is played by James Hedley who always seems to be a bad person in anything I see him in!

The pub is where most of the action takes place, and a community is built within this pub, which I do think is lacking in everyday life these days. Something which I think needs to change. Using the talents of both Tommy Armstrong and Oliver Heslop to convey what it was like back in the 1890s, it deals with issues such as job satisfaction, death, gender equality and class inequality... problems which are still ongoing today.

I believe they understood it better back in those days and that's why a sense of community was stronger then. What happens now is that people requiring help look mainly to the government. I think the church needs to help people (and I'm a Christian myself) We need to stop being so focused on ourselves in general and help others. To me, this musical showed what can happen if people come together.

The Set is fantastic and is designed by Kate Unwin. It is complemented extremely well by the lighting and sound design of Chris Miller and the duo Chris Allen and Reece Lyons. Lou Duffy was the costume designer for the show and they were fantastic.

Two people who were on stage but in a non speaking role were Adam Nyberg and Peter Morris. They played the violin and double bass respectively and it just added the final great touches to the play.

The show was in memory of Jackie Fielding who was due to direct it. She unfortunately was taken far too soon and Jamie Brown stepped in. I have to say the whole cast and crew of the show should be so proud. I’m sure Jackie would be pleased if she was still with us.

With great songs such as Keep Your Feet Still Geordie Hinny, The Water of Tyne and Byker Hill and Walker Shore (which I have to say was the best song of the night, MD Mike Turnbull has to take the credit there) and not forgetting Blaydon Races, which sent shivers down my back it was that good.

I'd brush up on your Geordie dialect if I were you or you may not understand much.

But, it’s a great play full of North East pride and values that should never be lost.

Reuben Hiles

The Hartlepool Monkey -Review- Northern Stage

We all know the tail of the Hartlepool Monkey, but if we are unsure how Fuel Theatres magical

production will end, and perhaps as a warning to the younger audience members, the actors reveal the ending at the very beginning. A monkey will be hung.

It’s the beginning of the 19th century in a small northern coastal town. The villagers look after their own, but are fearful of French invasion and starvation as their one and only fishing boat is sank by the French. The village elders, pillocks of the community, try to dissuade the villagers seeking help from as far away as Middlesbrough, for fear that their self serving tax plans will be figured out. The landlord is struggling to make ends meet himself as his stores are bled dry, but refuses help from his son, dismissing him as young and daft.

Meanwhile a young French girl Clemence, has stowed away on a battleship to fight the English and kill King George. She finds a mischievous creature in the bowels of the ship, and they find themselves the only survivors of their wrecked ship, washed up on the Hartlepool shore.

The small ensemble jump between roles at breakneck speed and with boundless enthusiasm. A cleverly designed set by Samual Wyre and lighting design by Matt Daws help transport us from Battleship to shore to Tavern in an instant. There is never a dull moment.

The star of the show is undoubtedly Gyre and Gimble’s puppet monkey, Napoleon. Operated with breathtaking skill by Fred Davis, and the rest of the ensemble, the acrobatic Napoleon jumps and swings around the stage. Including a hilarious set piece as the playful primate causes havoc in the sleeping town.

This really is a show that younger theatre goers should love. There is however a disturbing torture scene that is just about as full on as puppet violence can get, more so even than the plays climax. However the 8 year old girl near me seemed more entranced than distressed.

The fear and xenophobia of the villagers, miss-information in the press and self interest of the leaders, brings this play to its inevitable conclusion. Whilst something much more sinister is going on under their noses.

It’s a story that is pertinent to our time. With 70% of Hartlepudlians voting leave in the EU Referendum last year, we are left asking has anything changed? The play explores the themes around the referendum result in a very human way. Self serving elders, ‘Fake news’, the old disrespecting the young, ‘economic anxiety’, fear of outsiders and looking after our own. It’s a lesson that a 10 year old can easily understand, that sometimes you can get so scared you forget to be kind. It’s also a lesson that 51% of the electorate need to understand.

K. Katurian

Exit Routes - Review - The Theatre Upstairs

Exit Routes

The Theatre Upstairs
10th October 2017

Presented by The Billingham Players
Written by Liz Turner
Directed by Denise Philips

The Theatre Upstairs is a quirky little theatre on Billingham Green. A former dance hall, the auditorium has tiered seating but no stage which makes it feel like an indoor amphitheatre. it makes for a versatile and interesting performance space. It is the home of the Billingham Players, and from the moment you enter and climb the stairs there is a sense of  community here. The walls are decorated hand painted theatrical images, and a stair lift waits patiently to help anyone who can't manage the climb. You are welcomed with a smile and a greeting at the desk, and counted for the all important visitor stats. Tonight there is a very pleasing buzz of conversation as people take their seats, calling greetings across the seats as obvious regulars arrive and spot friends in the audience. . The atmosphere is relaxed, warm and friendly.

As the house lights go down however, the chatter stops instantly and the show begins. The setting is a factory canteen, complete with plastic chairs, Formica tables, a service counter offering an array of snack food and a tea urn. The cast enter to the strains of "Here come the girls"  - an ironic, yet apt musical choice as it very quickly becomes clear that these are no kick-ass girl-power divas, but downtrodden, bored factory workers. They have just had the joy of a lottery win, swiftly followed by the disappointment of the size of the pay-out. The women talk about what they will do with the money: Laura, the youngest, has already spent most of hers, the older women will save theirs and put it towards Christmas. The amount of the win is enough to make the present a little easier, but not enough to help them escape the drudgery of factory working. And as the play progresses we learn that they all have other reasons to want to escape, and for some, reasons why escape is unlikely.

This is a funny play. The women dream of a better life, they joke, and carp, and push boundaries, sometimes over stepping the mark, but never entirely falling out - until one of them does the unthinkable. The women spark off each other as only a close knit group can do. It reminds me of Shakers, and The Rag Trade.

For me the two stand out performances come from Hanna Smith and Carol Daley. Hanna as the youngster Laura, struggling to understand the older women, living for the moment, and refusing to see life beyond 30. The scene in the pub where she drinks herself almost under the table is classic. (Yet another example of convincing drunken acting, I am beginning to wonder if it is a speciality of North East amateur dramatics!) And Carol is completely convincing as the Lithuanian Halina, from the accent that never falters to the facial expressions and gestures, she is decidedly Eastern European!

This was my first time at the Theatre Upstairs, all in all it was an enjoyable and entertaining evening.
Theatre right on your doorstep, and they have a bar and ice creams. What more could you need?
Exit Routes plays until Saturday, tickets are just £11/£9 and you can pay on the door.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Wipers Times -review- Northern Stage

Event:     The Wipers Times 

Image: Alastair Muir

Location: Northern Stage Newcastle 

Date:       4.10.17, 2pm (matinee performance)

Sometimes you just know something is going to be good before it happens. As I went to sit down before the start of the performance I noticed that the seat allocated to me had a small plaque on the back bearing the name of much loved local broadcaster and presenter Mike Neville MBE.

The Wipers Times by Ian Heslop & Nick Newman is based on a true story. Set during the First World War, amidst life in the trenches, two officers decide to create a newspaper  upon the discovery of a printing press. No ordinary newspaper was this to be though, instead a satirical funny and subversive paper was to be produced  to entertain the troops. The Wipers Times (named because of the mispronunciation by British soldiers of the Belgian town of Ypres where they were based) has been described as laugh a minute whilst maintaining the sensitivity and the respect that the subject warrants.

The stage was on the right side of dark and with sounds of enemy bombardment overhead and dust and debris coming from above it creating the eerie atmosphere of the ever present danger of what life in the trenches must have been like.

Peppered with music hall style song  dancing and singing and with jokes coming through thick and fast it certainly lived up to its very theatrical description.

From laughing along with the problems they had with the  publication, ranging from not having enough letter E’s to print the words they wanted to and the top Brass venting their disapproval of it all (they were of course the butt of many of the papers jokes) to the lump in my throat at the poignant moments, we followed  The Wipers Times journey as it's popularity and readership increased even reaching outside of the trenches and people back home. It was published for two years, had 23 issues and only stopped shortly after the news came through of the amnesty, the war and the paper was over.

The cast of ten (some playing more than one character) filled the stage wonderfully at all times with their individual personality, particularly the very expressive faces which kept the feeling of warmth and humour throughout 

Near the end of the show I heard a kerfuffle in the row behind me and a woman's voice could be heard loudly shouting expletives and getting angrier and angrier. I got the impression that she was unhappy with someone sitting behind or in front of her. It got to the point that I thought we may have to leave our seats and take cover but the staff soon came over and handled the situation very well with minimal disruption to the audience and the actors on stage seemed unaware of what was happening.

I really enjoyed this show. It was a story that I'd not come across before so as well as being extremely interesting it was a great mix of fun and entertainment all round whilst never forgetting the human side...that these men chose and managed to maintain humour and mirth during such harrowing and worrying times

The Wipers Arms is currently touring the UK directly from a record breaking West End run. It runs at Northern Stage until 7th October. If you can, go see it, you won't be disappointed 

Belinda Bekki-Winter 

Cast (in alphabetical order) 

Henderson 

Kevin Brewer 

Nurse/Madame Fifi/Lady Somersby

Clio Davies 

Lieutenant Colonel Howfield 

Sam Ducane 

Captain Roberts 

James Dutton 

Lieutenant Pearson 

George Kemp 

Dodd 

Chris Levens 

Deputy Editor/General Mitford/Sergeant Tyler

Dan Mersh 

Barnes 

Jake Morgan 

Smith/Bobbing Bobby/Chaplain 

Joseph Reed 

Kate Roberts 

Emilia Williams 

Hi-De-Hi! - People's Theatre - Review

Hi-de-Hi!

Photographs by Paula Smart

People's Theatre
3rd Oct 2017

It's 1956 and holiday camps are the place to go for a fun filled family holiday. We are at Maplins, Crimpton-on-Sea, all set to be entertained by the team of Yellowcoats - under the watchful eye of Gladys Pugh.
The evening's entertainment starts even before we reach the auditorium, as smiling Yellowcoats greet us in the foyer bar and welcome us to Maplins, handing out "Guess the Baby" competition sheets and encouraging us to join in the games and activities later. On the tables there are invitations to  ballroom dancing demonstrations with Yvonne and Barry. It is all very nicely done and sets the mood for the play that is to come.

The stage is set on two levels - at the back, raised up, is Mr Fairbrother's office, business-like with its desk and telephones, while at the front we have holiday camp itself, complete with striped beach hut style entrances leading off stage to "staff only" areas. This area is transformed from staff room to Hawaiian Ballroom with a roll of a tea-trolley or Peggy's cleaning cart. And of course in one corner we have Gladys's office, complete with microphone for the P A system and the glockenspiel. As we settle into our seats the music starts and the Yellowcoats enter. Gladys takes her seat, picks up the sticks, hits those three notes and says "Hello campers, Hi-de-Hi!" our half hearted Ho-de-Ho! is chastised in lilting welsh, "Oh, come on now, you can do better than that! Let's try again..."
This is it, the holiday has begun.

The play is a joy to watch, recreating on stage the characters so expertly drawn for television by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. Rye Mattick is perfect as the simpering and smouldering Gladys Pugh, trying to attract the attention of Jeff Fairbrother, and the haughtiness as she bosses the other Yellowcoats - her body language and facial expressions are classic and will have you laughing out loud! Sean Burnside is equally perfect as the gauche and self conscious Jeffrey Fairbrother, like a fish out of water trying to cope with the demands of both his job as Entertainments Manager and as the object of Gladys's affections. His halting, stuttering delivery is quite brilliant. These two are the stars of the show, aided and abetted by the rest of the cast.

The Yellowcoats sparkle and smile, Barry and Yvonne (Gordon and Val Russell) snipe and carp their way gracefully across the dance floor, Fred Quilly (Andrew De'ath) and Mr Partridge (Mike Smith) grumble and argue, while Ted and Spike (Jack Thompson and Paul Gaitsell) keep us entertained with bad jokes and terrible contests, and Peggy (Alison Carr) cleans the chalets and dreams of becoming a Yellowcoat.



It's funny, warm, lighthearted comedy in a production that is true to the original in every sense - the only thing missing is the Olympic sized swimming pool.

It runs until Sat 7th October and is perfect light entertainment.

Denise Sparrowhawk