Preview - Miss Crispy 1988 - Gala Theatre

Journey back to the 1980s for a play that is packed full of fun and flavour

Shoulder pads, tiaras and cheese and onion crisps – beauty pageants and North East factory lines collide in a must-see play set in the 1980s.

Miss Crispy 1988 tells the story of a group of female friends whose working life at a Teesside crisp factory is turned upside down when they are invited to enter a beauty contest. 

The production is set to entertain audiences at Durham’s Gala Theatre at 7.30pm on Friday 17 January and is inspired by the stories of workers at The Crispy – the nickname given to the KP crisps factory in Billingham. 

The factory was a major employer in the area in the 1980s and theatregoers can look forward to big hair, legwarmers and plenty of Northern wit in this nostalgic yet moving comedy about female friendship, love and overcoming adversity. 

Miss Crispy 1988 was written by David Tuffnell and is produced by Less is More, a Middlesbrough-based theatre company with a passion for telling stories from working-class communities. It received rave reviews when it first toured the region in 2013, and the Less is More team cannot wait to bring the show to the Gala.

The theatre is close to the heart of the play’s director Laura Lonsdale, who is currently appearing as the genie in this year’s Gala pantomime, Aladdin. Laura previously taught at the Gala Theatre Stage School and has gone on to cast many former students in the shows she has directed over the years. 

Laura, from Middlesbrough, said: “It’s always a joy to come to the Gala Theatre. County Durham audiences are a pleasure to perform to and I know they will love Miss Crispy 1988. It’s the tenth anniversary of Less is More this year and what better way to celebrate than to tour a show that epitomises what we are all about; honesty, drama and humour.”

 

David added: “I think Miss Crispy has received such a positive reaction because it’s a story that is set in our region with characters people can relate to. Those of us who lived through the 1980s will enjoy the sense of nostalgia it evokes – the music, the clothes, the big perms.  

“However, the 1980s were also an important period in history and a time of great change, especially for women. This is explored in the play through the thoughts, experiences and ambitions of five unique but very relatable female characters.”

Tickets for Miss Crispy 1988 are priced at £15, £13 for concessions and £12 for Gala members. To book, visit www.galadurham.co.uk or call 03000 266 600.

Two - Review - Gala Theatre

Two

Gala Theatre
3rd Oct 2018

Written by Jim Cartwright
Directed by Tom Wright
Set design Hannah Sibai

Two takes place over one evening in a traditional pub somewhere in Durham. We meet the landlord and landlady as they serve an array of regulars, and we meet some of the regulars too.

The set is a perfect replica of a traditional pub from the 80s. Dark wood bar, optics full of spirits and taps for the beers, stools ranged round tables adorned with beermats and ash trays - yes, these are the days before smoking bans, when you'd come home from the pub stinking of smoke and beer. From the moment you enter the auditorium you feel like you could be in the local boozer. You can almost smell the smoke and alcohol.

The two actors, Jess Johnson and Christopher Price, play the Landlord and Landlady. Full of smiles and chatter for the customers but spitting insults at each other. it becomes clear as the night progresses that there is a serious issue between the outwardly jovial pair.
Johnson and Price also play all of the other characters who come into the pub - from amorous youngsters to the frail and elderly. They morph from publican to punter with surprising ease, transformed by a change of clothes and facial expression.

The delivery is punchy - literally at times - as we are taken on the rollercoaster experience of meeting the characters and having their true selves revealed. It is funny - belly laugh funny - but also poignant and shocking. price and Johnson constantly build tension and puncture it.
You will laugh, gasp, and maybe cry as the truth is revealed.

A fabulous set, hilarious costumes, and the subtlest lighting, alongside the prodigious talent of these two versatile actors makes this production an experience not to be missed.

Two plays until Sat 6th October. It ought to be on longer! Get a ticket and get the beers in before they call last orders.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Birdsong - Review - Gala Theatre

Birdsong

Gala Theatre
21st may 2018

Birdsong Productions Ltd in Association with The Original Theatre Compnay
Stage adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff
Directed by Alastair Whatley and Charlotte Peters

In adapting Sebastian Faulks' novel for the stage, Rachel Wagstaff has to condense over 300 pages of a story spanning several years and 3 generations, into a little over two hours of theatre. She has to recreate the intimacy of a love story, alongside the expansive horror of The First Word War. The result is a taut, fast moving, emotionally tense play.

The story of the war - the sappers tunneling towards the German lines - is linear. We watch the sappers and their infantry support living (and dying) day to day, month to month through to the big push and finally the end of the war.
The love story is interspersed throughout this with flashback images of Lieutenant Wraysford's time spent in the town of Amiens before the war - when he fell in love with the young wife of his employer. These flashbacks are a splash of colour in the drab darkness of the trenches and tunnels, but they are far from happy - there are moments of passion and joy, but also the danger and threats in both the personal abusive relationships and the social unrest.

The staging is a magnificent representation of both the trenches and the tunnels, from the ladders leading to barbed wire and broken fences, to the narrow mouth of the dimly lit tunnel, the constant quiet trickle of water in the background, and the sudden flashbang of an explosion, to the gentle chirrup of the birdsong - almost as constant as the water. The men scratch constantly at fleas and lice, so much so that you feel you need to scratch too. Every sense is engaged bar that of smell - yet the set is so convincing that you can almost smell the cordite and the sweat.

The cast carry you along,  their banter ad jokes perfectly evoking the camaraderie of the soldiers, but there are moments too that depict the tenderness of friendship and shared grief between these gruff solders.

There are strong performances from all of the cast members, but Tim Treloar as Jack Firebrace is outstanding. He will move you to tears, as will the beautiful voice of James Findlay whose songs punctuate the play and highlight the brutality of the men's situation.

An incredible show that questions the nature of love, and highlights the futility of war, and the waste of life. It is a sad thought that 100 years later governments are still trying to solve problems and prove their strength by blowing their people to pieces.

Birdsong runs until Saturday 26th May. Buy a ticket, and take a hanky.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - Birdsong - Gala Theatre

Birdsong set to return to Gala to mark centenary 

Based on the world famous, emotionally powerful novel by Sebastian Faulks, this critically acclaimed show returns from Monday 21 May to Saturday 26 May, 7.30pm (+ 2.30pm on Thursday and Saturday) to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. A post-show discussion will also take place on Wednesday 23 May.

“It left me choked up and blinking back the tears at the end”

**** The Daily Telegraph

Set in pre-war France. A young Englishman, Stephen Wraysford, embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their world upside down.

As the war breaks out over the idyll of his former life, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground. Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war and with her love forever engraved on his heart, Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle, as his world explodes around him.

This enthralling version of one of the nation’s most loved novels has been adapted by Rachel Wagstaff, and brought to life by the award-winning Original Theatre Company.

A mesmerising story of love, survival and courage. Set before and during the Great War and performed by a large ensemble company.

“Moving, gripping, dramatically electrifying and outstanding”

**** The Times

Tickets for the show are £25 (£23 concession) £22 for first night, matinees and for Gala Members. You can book by calling the box office on 03000 266 600 or via the website . 

*information provided by Gala Theatre

Whatever Happened to Vandal Raptor? - Vandal Factory - Review

Whatever Happened to Vandal Raptor?  

Vandal Factory @ TESTT Space  
12th April 2018

Written by Henry Raby
Directed by Natalie Quatermass


Punk is dead. Or is it? Vandal Raptor is a punk band - an imaginary one, dreamt up by Henry Raby. Henry Raby is a punk poet. As people arrive he welcomes us and politely asks if we'd like a badge, and would anyone mind being a gig promoter for the evening...? It doesn't involve much, just one line to read out..?

Once we are all seated, he welcomes us again and encourages us to practice some audience participation for later in the show. He is quietly spoken and too polite for a punk. Henry Raby is probably the politest punk you're likely to meet, but his heart beats with punk passion and conviction. He came to punk in the 00s and regrets the lost chances to see the great bands live. He can only dream of them...and so he has - creating Vandal Raptor, the best and only dinosaur punk band!

Through the course of the hour we learn about Bert, Hog, Izzy and Kim four friends who formed a band and were going to change the world - with three chords and dinosaur lyrics. We hear about their passion for change, for kicking back against the establishment and we see how, ten years after the band split, life and growing up has changed them, moulded them into uncomfortable conformity, blunted the enthusiasm and the passion,

This show is one man's love  affair with punk, it's about rebelling and conforming, about growing up and changing, and staying true to yourself and your beliefs. It's about passion and belief, and not allowing yourself to lose sight of what's important. Through a creative mix of music, poetry, and storytelling Henry Raby gives a tribute to the punk era that is both humorous and sad. He implores us not to allow the rebellious spirit of punk to die - and we end on the Vandal Raptor battle cry - "How do you stop from going extinct? Resist! Resist! Resist!"

The venue TESTT Space is a repurposed corporate office, brown cord carpet hiding all manor of establishment stains, and a dank, damp smell of neglect pervades it - very punk! It has been taken over as a community arts venue, offering workshops, exhibition and performance space and a testing ground for new ideas- not unlike, maybe, the Raptors' vision for the derelict old New Rose Pub.

On my way to the gig I passed a homeless guy in a shop doorway, in the rain. I put some loose change in his tin, apologised that it wasn't much. He thanked me cheerfully and wished me a good evening.  A taxi driver sitting warm in his cab a few metres away called out as I passed by, "He's probably got more money than you and me, love!". Perhaps he has. Perhaps that's how you get rich in this day and age - you sit in a freezing doorway, wrapped in damp blanket and beg for loose change. And perhaps we have more need of a punk attitude than ever. Nothing much has changed - and everything has changed since the punk era. If I had seen the taxi man as I left, I think I might have gobbed on him. Don't accept things the way they are. Do your bit, however small, and Resist! Resist! Resist!

Whatever Happened to Vandal Raptor? is on tour this month - dig out your safety pins, spike up your hair and go see it if it's near you. Details of venues below. 

Denise Sparrowhawk


The New Adelphi89 De Grey St, Hull HU5 2RU
April 15th
7.30pm
Workshop Theatre
School of English
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
April 17th
7.30pm
Pay-what-you-decide
 Hydra Bookshop
34 Old Market St, Bristol BS2 0EZ
April 18th
7.30pm
Pay-what-you-decide
 Derby Theatre
15 Theatre Walk, Derby DE1 2NF
April 20th
8pm
£8-10
https://www.derbytheatre.co.uk/what-happened-vandal-raptor
Harrogate Theatre
6 Oxford St, Harrogate HG1 1QF
April 24-25th
£8-10
7.45pm
http://www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/Whatever-Happened-to-Vandal-Raptor
Ovalhouse London
52-54 Kennington Oval, London SE11 5SW
April 26-28th
7.45pm
http://www.ovalhouse.com/whatson/detail/whatever-happened-to-vandal-raptor

Robinson Crusoe - Review - Gala Theatre

Robinson Crusoe

Gala Theatre
25th Nov 2017

We launch straight in to the action with the flamboyant Capt Blackheart casting his crew off the plank into the sea! Rolling waves and crashing music give way to the siren's song and the appearance of Aquamarina, Queen of the Sea, fabulous in her watery fountain. She sets the task for Capt Blackheart - to find the Pearl of Wisdom on the Island of Flames he must first recruit a young lad Robinson Crusoe. Only he has the secret to finding the island and the pearl. And so it begins...

This panto is packed full of terrible puns, and awful jokes; poop-decks and parrots are an abundant source, obviously! But it is lifted up a notch by the preponderance of positively perilous tongue twisting alliteration scattered throughout. None of the characters escape this and they deserve a medal for getting through them without tripping up or

corpsing! The song and dance routines upbeat and the choreography by Amanda Woods has a refreshing originality.

The cast do a tremendous job throughout - Neil Armstrong as Horatio "Hooray" Blackheart is a mean but rather understated baddie - he secretly longs for us to join in the "Hoorays" rather than the boos? Lauren Waine's Percy/Polly Perkins has more than a touch of Blackadder in her thigh-slapping delivery. Paul Hartley is completely over the top as Billy Bob, the (ahem) younger brother to Robinson, as he his gurns and flounces his way through the play. Jamie Brown is an engaging hero with just the right amount of innocent naivety. Glamour comes in the form of Jayne Mackenzie as Aquamarina and Paul Dunn as Dame Connie. It's a toss up as to who has the best frock, but Jayne wins hands down on the singing! The youngsters in the cast are all great - stepping up to their moment in the spotlight and delivering with confidence and a good deal of stage presence.
And finally there is John Murdoch as Pecky the Parrot - who saves the day! My one disappointment is that he doesn't get to go through the Cave of Diminishing Returns but I suppose that would have spoiled the ending - I can't explain that any further without spoiling it myself, so you'll have to buy a ticket to see what I mean!

The set is quite fabulous and there are lots of special effects with lighting and props, dry ice and water (watch out if you sit in the front stalls). The scene changes are quick and slick. Costumes are colourful and fun from Blackheart's dandy captain's coat to Dame Connie's ludicrous outfits (my favourite is the shipwrecked barrel and seagull).

This version of Robinson Crusoe bears little (none at all, actually) resemblance to the story by Defoe - there's a desert island and some marooned people and a passing reference to Man Friday but that's about it. Not that that matters at all because this is pantoland and anything goes! The plot is a quest for the Pearl of Wisdom - the baddy (Captain Blackheart) wants it and it will be a bad thing if he succeeds so the goody (Robinson Crusoe) is sent in (unknowingly) to the save the day and redress the balance of good and evil. And isn't that what panto is all about?

Despite having  all the right ingredients the cast had a hard job keeping the audience on board last night, though I don't know what more they could have done. It's an early start to a long run for Robinson Crusoe and I'm sure as the season progresses the audience participation will only get better.

Robinson Crusoe is fun, flamboyant and makes a interesting change from the usual fairy-tale panto fayre.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Dogfight - Assembly Rooms Theatre - Review

Dogfight
Assembly Rooms Theatre
30th August 2017

Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Presented by Equilibrium Theatre Company
Directed by Anna Besford-Smith


Dogfight begins in 1967 as marine Eddy Birdlace returns from Vietnam. As he rides the bus back to San Francisco he remembers the night four years ago, before he and his fellow marines were shipped out  and we are transported back to that night.  He and his buddies, Bernstein and Boland are out to celebrate their last night before being posted to active duty. They are full of bravado and testosterone, America's Heroes, ready to take on the world, after just 13 weeks of training. The traditional marine celebration is the "Dogfight", each marine puts $50 in the pot to pay for a party and a competition; each one must find an ugly date to bring to the party, the marine with the ugliest date wins the prize money. Things don't quite go to plan - Boland cheats and pays a prostitute to be his date, while Eddie discovers Rose, a shy and awkward waitress singing in a diner. As the evening progresses he comes to regret the Dogfight. He spends his last night with Rose and learns that there is more to people and life than appearances.  Unfortunately once back with his marine buddies he quickly reverts to Jar Head type and forgets Rose. Coming back is not what he expected. Things have changed, soldiers returning from Vietnam are not celebrated, and he is not the American Hero he dreamed of being. And he needs to find Rose after 4 years of silence.

The stage is set very simply with a scaffold bridge, and a set of chairs. These are supplemented with a bed and tables as required which the cast move as required for each scene. The simplicity works well on a small stage in a production that has a number of quickly changing scenes. There is not much room for big dance routines but there are a couple of vignettes  as Rose sings to Eddie, and the Marines marching routine works well to provide the flavour of war. Live music is provided by a six piece band, a little loud to begin with but infinitely better than a recorded backing track.

All the cast performed well but the stars of the show were undoubtedly the two leads - Luke Henderson as Eddie, and Amber Cox as Rose Fenny. Amber's singing voice is beautiful and she does full justice to the musical numbers, and plays a very convincing strong female character. Luke portrays the many sides of Eddie well - as he struggles to come to terms with new emotions and a different view of life to what he has come to expect.

This was the first night and there were some issues with sound particularly in the first act, which is a real shame, but it was pretty much sorted by Act Two with only a couple of mic problems. There were also some first night nerves on show but these were quickly overcome and the young cast performed well, keeping the momentum going and coping with the technical issues. No doubt the problems will be ironed out for the rest of the run.

This is a great premise for a musical - it has passion of all different kinds - resentment, jealousy, fear, anger, lust and love. The story basically covers two days - one in 1963 and one in 1967. Most of the characters are fairly two dimensional but are there as the backdrop to Eddie and Rose, providing the context for their developing relationship and particularly Eddie's character. It explores very personal themes of love, the nature of friendship, honesty, loyalty, and the much wider themes of society's attitudes to war, and women. For what is ostensibly a fairly simple "boy meets girl, boy changes for the better" love story, it packs a lot in.

Dogfight plays until Saturday 2nd Sept. Curtain up is at 7.15pm and tickets are available at just £12.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Rent - Gala Theatre Durham - Review

Rent
Gala Theatre Durham
29th July 2017

GTSS Production
My son (the former Reluctant Teenager) reminded me that when he first told me that he wanted to see a performance of this musical, and asked if I had heard of it, I (allegedly) said, "isn't that the rude one?" So you might think it something of a bold move by GTSS Director Kate Sorahan to choose this
as the summer show. It is not just a show with pretty adult themes - AIDS, prostitution, sexuality, anarchy, -  it is also a pretty demanding show musically. The programme lists 25 musical numbers in the first act alone. With a cast ranging in age from just 14 to 20 years would the Gala Stage School have the skill and stamina to do it justice? This is the School Edition, so some of the language has been modified, and a verse or two omitted from one of the songs, but other than that it does not differ from the full version.

Set in the Bohemian artist's community in New York at the end of the twentieth century, RENT follows a year in the lives of a group of friends. Recorded by Mark (Luke Henderson), for his documentary film, they struggle to find money to live, find ways to cope with the knowledge that they are HIV positive or worse, and that they will almost certainly not have a long life. They live day to day on the margins of society, with the knowledge that life is not permanent. So they live for the day taking what comfort they can, wherever they can, however they can, fighting for what they believe, for their way of life and for those who are marginalised by the authorities and whose voices are not heard. It sounds bleak, and at times it is, but it is also joyous and life affirming, as they each find a way to follow their dream.

So, can such a young cast deliver? You bet your sweet ass they can!

From the first note we are swept up into the world of Rent. We watch as they fall in and out of love, struggling to cope with friendships, lovers, ex-lovers, parents. It is an emotional, exhilarating, heart-breaking rollercoaster of a musical and the audience feels every joy and every pain along the way.

For such a young cast they give astounding performances. There is not a single actor or actress who doesn't shine on stage, but special mention has to be made of Stephen Robson, his performance is absolutely brilliant as the cross-dressing Angel. He has dance moves to die for and I swear there is not a dry eye in the house in Act Two.
Georgia Lennon is excellent in the role of Mimi, and Amy George as Maureen, gives a fantastic and funny performance of the avant-garde Over the Moon (based on the nursery rhyme the Cat and the Fiddle). It feels unfair to single out any performer but these are my three favourites from an extremely talented cast.

If you can still get one, buy a ticket for this - it is worth every penny and more. You see will a fabulous show performed most surely by some of the future stars of the West End.

Rent runs until 5th August. Tickets are £14.50 and are available (but be quick!) from the Gala Box Office.

Denise Sparrowhawk