Preview - Emma - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE TO CONCLUDE 2018/2019 SEASON WITH JANE AUSTEN'S EMMA

This week sees the final production of the season for the Royalty. They have chosen a new adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma to close their season. This classic story has been adapted for stage by  comedian Doon MacKichan and writer Martin Millar.

Initially published in 1815, Austen’s novel tells the story of Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who tries to play matchmaker to the various people in her life.  It has been adapted numerous times and its plot was the basis of the 1993 film Clueless. 

Director Nikki Slack says, “This is the classic story of Jane Austen’s Emma with a contemporary twist.  It’s told through the eyes of Jane Austen’s nieces who bring the characters to life.  Not your typical period piece.”

James Errington, Abbi Laidler, Lee Wilkins    Credit: Royalty Theatre

A large cast includes Abbi Laidler as Emma and James Errington as Mr. Knightley, as well as a number of new members who will be treading the Royalty boards for the first time.

The play runs from 24^th to 29^th June.  

Tickets are £8/£6.50 in advance, £9/£7.50 on the night and can be booked via  www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre 
or by telephone on 0333 666 3366.

Group bookings for parties of 10 or more can be arranged via rtboxoffice@gmail.com.

Preview-Shakers (Re-Stirred)-Royalty Theatre

Royalty Theatre To Perform Godber and Thornton's Classic Shakers

The Royalty Theatre are gearing up to perform their second studio play of the 2018/19 season, Shakers (Re-stirred), by John Godber and Jane Thornton.

The play follows the working lives of four bartenders working in Shakers, a cocktail bar.  Director Corinne Kilvington says, “Shakers is a really great piece of theatre; it's stood the test of time.  It's full of the characters you've seen down the town on a Saturday night.  It’s funny, touching and full of memorable moments.  The four actors play all of the different characters with real ease, moving from bar tenders to girls on a night out to the 'lads' out on the town.  It's a great night out and a blast from the past with a great 80s soundtrack.”

A small but strong cast includes Helena Wildish, Tom Kelly and Royalty debutantes Jamie-Leigh Price and Rhiannon Gillibrand.

The play, by John Godber and Jane Thornton, began life simply as Shakers in 1985 before being ‘re-stirred’ in 1991. It subsequently became a 1993 TV movie and a 1996 musical and is now one of the best known of Godber’s works.

Performed in the intimate space of the Royalty’s studio theatre, seats are strictly limited to 52 per evening. All tickets are £6.50 and are available online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/sunderland/royalty-theatre .

I saw this play a few years back at another local venue. It is witty, incisive and still apt today (in my humble opinion). Anyone who has ever been to a cocktail bar after work...or worked in a cocktail bar... really ought to see it. Studio performances are always interesting as the audience is so close to the action. Corinne Kilvington is an experienced director, and Tom Kelly's comedic style should be just right for this role - and will be intense in such a small space, so it should all make for an entertaining night out.   I would recommend purchasing studio tickets in advance to avoid disappointment as their last studio production, Mary Mary, sold out... DS

Photograph shows (left to right): Helena Wildish, Rhiannon Gillibrand, Jamie-Leigh Price and Tom Kelly.

Credit: Royalty Theatre

Dial M for Murder - Review - Royalty Theatre

Dial M for Murder 
Royalty Theatre
18th Mar 2019

Tony Wendice (James Errington), former tennis player, discovers his wife, Sheila (Abbi Laidlar), has been having an affair. Having married her for her money, he plots the perfect murder to rid himself of an unfaithful wife but still keep her money. He "persuades" an old school housemate (Lee Wilkins) with a chequered past,  to execute the plan, and even enlists his wife's former lover Max (Alex Goodchild) to act - unknowingly - as his alibi. However, despite his careful planning not everything goes as expected and things soon begin to unravel. He manages to turn the situation back to his advantage but has not bargained on the tenacity of Max, or the investigating officer Inspector Hubbard (John Appleton).

This is a dialogue heavy play, with the history of the characters' relationships having to be explained so that the audience understands their current situation. It is a play of words rather than action - suspense builds as the audience learns each character's story and viewpoint. Sheila believes her once faltering marriage is now safe and stable; Max still loves Shelia despite her loyalty to Tony; Tony is devious, deceptive, self absorbed and unforgiving. James Errington plays the part with skill - wearing a mask of friendly civility which slips to reveal his cold, sneering true self the minute he is not being observed (the audience almost booed, but we contented ourselves with a sharp intake of breath and a collective "oooh!").

The tension is relieved with occasional touches of humour - Max wearing Tony's too small dinner jacket, Insp. Hubbard asking Shelia to hold off on her breakdown for a few minutes...

Direction from Billy Towers and Olivia Bowern allows the actors to give the audience glimpses of the true situation while their characters remain unaware, and makes the most of the nuances of the script. 

Lighting and sound are sharp - with excellent use of music appropriate to the period, both before and during the play. There were a couple of prop malfunctions on the night, and one or two stumbled lines - but the manner in which cast and technical team cope with these is always a good measure of  a production and they were covered skilfully,

with a degree of aplomb and a smattering of good humour. I'm sure first night nerves will calm as the week progresses and performances will be smoother.

One downside was the rather laboured footsteps to the door - while there had to be the sound of approaching footsteps, it seems every character regardless of build, has the same heavy footed tread which detracted from the seriousness of the moment and tended to puncture some of the tension at a point where it ought to be taut. But this is a minor quibble in what is an entertaining, and on the whole suspenseful production - and it does have a nicely revealed twist at the end and sharp curtain drop finish. 

Strong performances from the cast - in particular James Errington and Alex Goodchild - and excellent technical support make this well worth seeing. It plays until Sat 23rd March. Tickets can be booked in advance via the website or purchased on the door. 

Denise Sparrowhawk 

Preview - Wind in the Willows - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE produces family classic THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS.

Sunderland's Royalty Theatre will close their 2017/18 season with the children’s classic The Wind in the Willows.

Kenneth Grahame’s most famous work has been a family favourite for over a century.  This fantastic new adaptation by Mike Kenny follows the adventures of Ratty, Mole and Badger as they explore the Wild Wood and try to keep Toad of Toad Hall out of trouble.

Ratty (Lee Wilkins) and Mole (Rose Whittle) Credit: Royalty Theatre

A superb cast includes Lee Wilkins as Ratty, Royalty newcomer Rose Whittle as Mole and Billy Towers as Mr Toad. 

The show runs from 25^th to 30^th June with 7.30pm starts, and a matinée has been included in the run, at 2.15pm on Saturday 30^th June. Doors open 45 mins before curtain up.

Tickets can be booked in advance via www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre or on 0333 666 3366, and are priced at £8 (£6.50 concessions).

Preview - Move Over Mrs Markham - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE TO PRODUCE MOVE OVER MRS. MARKHAM

The Royalty Theatre will continue their 2017/18 season with Ray Cooney and John Chapman’s comic caper, Move Over Mrs. Markham.

The frantic farce follows the attempts by three pairs of lovers to get use of Philip and Joanna Markham’s empty flat one evening to carry on their affairs. Joanna’s best friend Linda wishes to woo her civil servant beau, while Philip’s business partner Henry, Linda’s husband, hopes to “entertain an important client” while no-one else is about.  Interior designer Alistair and au pair Sylvie have their own plans – and it’s not long before the evening has descended into a maelstrom of deceptions, misunderstandings and sauerkraut sandwiches.

Director John Appleton says, “Move Over Mrs. Markham is a good old-fashioned British farce – it’s high-energy, with a touch of the risqué, but above all, hilarious.  We’ve all had great fun in rehearsal with the play and I’m sure audiences will love it.” 

Credit: Royalty Theatre

A talented cast includes Tom Kelly, Sean Landless and Corinne Kilvington, who takes the role of Mrs. Markham.  Newcomers Nichol Kilty and Amber Peters also star.

"Move Over Mrs Markham" runs from 21st-26th May. The show starts at 7.30pm and doors open from 6.45pm. Tickets can be booked via www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre or on 0333 666 3366, and are priced at £8 (£6.50 concessions).

Review - Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense - Royalty Theatre

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense

Royalty Theatre
19th March 2018

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is based on the story "The Code of the Woosters" written by P G Wodehouse in 1938. It takes the form of a play within a play as Bertie stages a dramatic representation of the recent events at Totleigh Towers.
It begins with Bertie introducing his idea of the play, which is to be a One Man Show performed by himself. After all, he says, how hard could it be? It very soon becomes apparent that it is considerably harder than Bertie had imagined and he calls on his Butler Jeeves to assist. Fortunately the ever resourceful Jeeves, knowing the shortcomings of his master has anticipated the problem and made arrangements in the form of scenery, and supporting actors. Or to be precise, supporting butlers. He has recruited fellow butlers Seppings and Wilkins to play themselves, and all the other characters in the play - including the female characters. And so we are set up for a play with wobbly scenery, terrible wigs, and unconvincing acting as the two butlers find themselves having to play several characters, often at the same time. They exit suddenly stage left to return seconds later sporting a wig, or a hat, or a frock. It provides for some ridiculous and hilarious moments, most of which are scripted, though on the first night quite a few were not quite, and there was a lot of opportunity for ad libbing, as props refused to co-operate, costumes malfunctioned and the actors swapped character so quickly they confused even themselves!

This is not classic Wodehouse as you might expect it. The script may well use his erudite words but most of the laughter comes from the physical humour. James Errington as Bertie has the challenging job of  keeping the narrative going for the entire play, not so easy when your scenery misbehaves and your fellow cast members are in danger of corpsing. He copes admirably with the trials the performance throws his way. There are quite a few moments that may, or may not, have been scripted, and some that certainly weren't. It's a tribute to Errington's presence of mind that he was able to negotiate his way through all of them and transform them into assets to the performance.

John Seymour plays Jeeves with the most convincing sang-froid of a truly great English butler. Dead pan throughout almost all of the proceedings, he allows himself only the slightest show of disdain, a tad more disgust at one point, and just a touch of butler-ish smugness when required.

The stars of the show however have to be Seppings and Wilkins who swap between characters at a frenetic pace. I think they and the rest of the cast can be forgiven for occasionally forgetting which one they were meant to be playing. Now, pay attention - Lee Wilkins plays (slightly confusingly) Wilkins, Sir Watkin Bassett, Madeline Bassett, Gussie Fink-Nottle and Stiffy Byng. The scene where he has to be both Sir Watkin Bassett and Madeline Bassett at the same time is a classic. Thom Kelly plays Seppings, Proprietor (of the antique store  - a rare silver cow creamer is integral to the story, but you will need to see the play to find out how and why; it is simply beyond the scope of this reviewer to even begin to explain the rest of the plot), Butterfield, and Wooster's Aunt Dahlia. He nails each one but his Aunt Dahlia is an absolute triumph.

The lighting and sound crew are spot on - most notably when the scenic malfunction required a discreet blackout! The set and costumes are a mix of simplicity and ingenuity, adding authenticity and humour to the play.

There is a lot going on in this play, and Alex Goodchild has set himself quite a challenge for his directorial debut. Judging from his comments in the programme and the obvious fun that was being had on stage, I suspect directing this lot may have been not dissimilar to herding cats and mostly it has worked. It may not be entirely perfect. There is a certainly a lot of nonsense. But, it is very funny, entertaining nonsense.

Jeeves and Wooster will be perfecting their nonsense until Saturday 24th March. Get along to it.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE TO PRODUCE JEEVES AND WOOSTER ADAPTATION

The Royalty Theatre will continue their 2017/18 season with The Goodale Brothers’

sparkling comedy, Jeeves and Wooster in ‘Perfect Nonsense’.

Based upon the works of PG Wodehouse, this brand-new adaptation follows Bertie Wooster as he attempts to play match-maker with the drippy Madeline Bassett and his friend Gussy Fink-Nottle.  Luckily his valet, Jeeves, is on hand to assist – and hopefully prevent Bertie from having to marry Madeline himself.

Director Alex Goodchild says, “It's been such a pleasure for my first directorial role to be with such a classic and cleverly written comedy. Couple that with such a comedically gifted cast, and the process has been a laugh a minute. If the audience enjoys the show even 10% as much as I've enjoyed directing it, then they'll be in for a great night.”

PG Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster stories have enjoyed enormous popularity over the years, notably inspiring a television series starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.  This adaptation by the Goodale Brothers won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.

John Seymour and James Errington

Credit: Royalty Theatre

James Errington leads the cast as Bertie Wooster, with John Seymour playing the inimitable Jeeves.  Lee Wilkins and Royalty debutant Tom Kelly complete the cast.

The play comes just a week after the Royalty Theatre scooped the top award at the inaugural Durham and Sunderland One-Act Play Festival at Arts Centre Washington. Their entry, Too Faithed, by local writer Lee Stewart, goes through to the regional semi-finals in May.

Plays remaining this season are Jeeves and Wooster in ‘Perfect Nonsense’ (19-24 Mar), Temple (25-28 April), Move Over Mrs Markham (21-26 May) and The Wind in the Willows (25-30 June).

 Tickets can be booked via www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre or on 0333 666 3366, and are priced at £8 (£6.50 concessions).

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

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

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

Preview - Billingham Players at the Theatre Upstairs - Autumn 2017 Season

Preview Autumn 2017

Exit Routes
Christmas Past, Christmas Present
Billingham Players at The theatre Upstairs. 

The Billingham Players start their new season with Exit Routes written by Liz Turner, directed by Denise Phillips.  A group of five factory women share their thoughts, dreams and problems, swapping jokes and insults as they try to cope with the daily grind. They are always looking for that lottery win, and are always disappointed. They begin to look elsewhere for a means of escape, and when their colleague Corinne returns from holiday, it seems it's no co-incidence that Tessa's husband has been away at exactly the same time. And then the Christmas club money disappears along with Corinne...
Exit Routes runs from Mon 9th to Sat 14th Oct. 

This is followed in December by the Christmas Show - Christmas Past, Christmas Present, a seasonal spectacular. This musical show is directed by Sue Brackenbury, with musical direction by Steve McNichol. It runs from Weds 6th to Sat 9th December.

Billingham Players are an amateur theatre group which began life as ‘The Synthonia Players’, associated with ICI and performed at the Synthonia Club on Belasis Avenue. In 1974 they took the decision to run their own theatre and moved to the Theatre Upstairs, a former dance hall above the co-op stores, changing their name to The Billingham Players. Their members come from all walks of life, ranging in age from teenagers to (shall we say) the more mature thespian. They stage a number of productions each year and have a very varied programme.

Details of their shows are available online at www.billinghamplayers.co.uk
Tickets to the shows cost £11 (£9) and are available from:
Perfect Fit, Station Rd, Billingham,
Rediscover Stockton, High Street, Stockton
Or book by phone on 01642 586180 or 551981

And Then There Were None - Review - Royalty Theatre

And Then There Were None

Royalty Theatre 
19th September 2017

The stage is set for Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" - as the house lights dim, the stage lights come up to reveal a drawing room, the furniture covered in dust sheets, curtains drawn across French windows. Two servants enter and begin to remove the sheets - Mr and Mrs Rogers (Lee Wilkins and Emma McLeary) are preparing for the arrival of house guests, they reveal that the hosts have been detained and that the first of the guests are due to arrive.
Fred Narracot (Ben Gettins), the local boatman, has delivered the supplies and is sent off to bring the guests across by boat. The house - Soldier House - is set on an island accessible only by boat, and with no telephone or other means of communication with the outside world. Eight guests are expected, they are all strangers to each other, their only connection that they have been invited to stay at the house by the hosts Mr and Mrs Owen, and that  each one has a secret from their past, a secret they would rather no-one else knew about. These secrets will have dire consequences for each guest and the Rogers.

Act One introduces the characters one by one, the glamorous Vera Claythorne (Helen Bowie) and the suave Philp Lombard (James Errington) arriving together, followed by the spoiled rich boy Anthony Marstsen (David Ford), the South African millionaire Mr Davis, alias William Blore, ex policeman (John Appleton), the eccentric General McKenzie (David Armstrong), self righteous Emily Brent (Christine Appleton), the superior Judge Lawrence Wargrave, and the very nervy Dr Armstrong (Chris Renney). They are a disparate group in both social standing and character, with no obvious connection and seemingly no idea why they have been brought together on the island. Each one has a different story as to how they were invited. As the act progresses their characters are revealed leading to the surprising climax of the act - an anonymous recording revealing each ones' secret, the accusations against them, and the death of the first victim. As the characters realise that one of the soldiers on the mantel is missing the lights go down silhouetting them against the windows of the drawing room, and the curtain falls on Act One. It is a dramatic end to the Act.

In Act Two the bodies begin to pile up as characters drop like flies. Suspicions rise, accusations fly and tempers flare as the horror of their situation dawns and one by one the characters fall.

The tension and suspense are nicely done. Seeming friendships and alliances are formed and lost as suspicion grows. Outbursts of anger and frustration hint at who the killer might be - perhaps Mr Rogers or Vera Claythorne? Or perhaps Dr Armstrong or Philip Lombard? Everyone is a suspect. The only certainty is that those who have already died cannot be the murderer.  Or can they?

There are some strong performances - particularly by Lee Wilkins, Helen Bowie, James Errington and Andrew Barella, though to be fair everyone in the cast gives a decent performance. Dramatic and timely use of sound and lighting enhance the tension throughout. The stage set is uncluttered and the costumes pleasingly understated (apart from the swaggering Philip Lombard - that blue suit is a killer!).  Billy Towers and Abbi Laidler direct with a deceptively light touch.

A solid opening for the Royalty's new season. If you have not read the book, this will keep you guessing - if not whodunit, then why and how?
And Then There Were None runs until Sat 23rd Sept.
Denise Sparrowhawk

Royalty Theatre - New Season - Preview

2017/18 Season Preview
Royalty Theatre

The Royalty team never shy away from staging plays that challenge their performers and their audiences. Their 93rd season is no exception. There are some dark and chilling tales coming up with a spattering of comedy to lighten the mood.

The season kick starts fairly safely with an Agatha Christie classic. And Then There Were None is widely considered to be Christie's masterpiece and her darkest tale. The tension and suspense builds throughout to the climactic reveal. Who is next on the list of casualties and just who is killing off the guests? And Then There Were None runs from Sept 18th - 23rd.

From Agatha Christie they move to Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills. A chilling drama set in the Forest of Dean in the summer of 1943. Childish games take sinister turn. Not supernatural but definitely something evil here, a good choice for Halloween and Guy Fawkes week it runs from Oct 30th to Nov 4th.

Christmas and the Panto Season rescue us from the darkness for a spell, thrusting us into the adventures of Dick Whittington, and a more light-hearted battle of good and evil. Will the streets be paved with gold? Maybe, maybe not, but the stage will be paved with song, dance and jokes from 7th- 17th December. Oh yes, it will...

New year brings more murder and madness with a studio production of Shelagh Stephenson's Five Kinds of Silence.  This dark play explores the damaged relationship between a man and his family. Its claustrophobic atmosphere makes it a perfect choice for staging in the studio. It runs from 24th to 27th Jan.

February brings a Pulitzer Prize winning play - The Rabbit Hole by David Lindsey-Abair. This play deals with the nature of grief and investigates with drama and humour how different family members cope with loss. From Feb 19th-24th.

The second half of the season takes a lighter turn with Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense. This Goodall Brothers adaptation of  this PG Wodehouse tale runs from Mar 19th to 24th.

Their second studio production is a touching and witty fictional account of the Occupy London Protests of 2011. Temple by Steve Waters occupies the stage from 25th-28th April.

From a very British crisis we move to a typically English farce in Move Over Mrs Markham by Ray Cooney and John Chapman. Two couples separately arrange to use a friend's flat to meet up with their lovers...confusion and hilarity ensue between 21st - 26th May.

The final show of the season is Mike Kenney's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. A great family show with Mole, Badger, Ratty and of course, Toad of Toad Hall. Explore the Wild Wood with them from 25th -30th June.

As well as the main programme, there are a number of one off performances including a concert by soprano Joanna Forest and an Open Clasp production of Rattle Snake from Sunderland Stages in October,  and in July there is the opportunity to see work by Lee Stewart, one of the Royalty's regular actor/directors as they stage his latest play There's Someone Coming Through.


All the details are available on the Royalty website. Tickets are available now and can be booked online or in person at the box office - times and dates are listed on the site. At under a tenner a ticket it's a night at the theatre that won't break the bank.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Westovians - New Season - Preview

Westovians at the Pavilion Theatre
Season Preview
Sept 2017-June 2018

The Westovians' new season starts in October (17th -21st). with David Cooke's "All together like the folks of Shields". A comedy drama about two very different couples living next door to each other in typical Tyneside flats.

Next up is the panto Aladdin in January (19th-27th) - perfectly timed to miss the pre Christmas rush and give everyone something to look forward to in the new year. Join them in Long Poo Village to see whether Abanazar can become Master of the Universe. Expect much booing and hissing and some terrible jokes...

March (6th-10th) brings a musical drama with Be My Baby by Amanda Whittington. A poignant story about teenage pregnancy and keeping up appearances in60s Britain. If you were unmarried and pregnant life was very different back then.  A great play featuring songs from the era.

In May (8th-12th) things turn a little more sinister with Simon Brett's ingenious thriller Silhouette. Who murdered Martin Wallis? Was it the wife or her lover...or someone else?

And finally the Westovians round off the season in July (10th-14th) with another local comedy - "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Durham" - Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood's irreverent take on the story of the Lindisfarne Gospels. 1400 years of history and over 40 characters condensed into 90 hilarious minutes by just 3 actors...

The programme has a good mix of plays with a nice northern feel to it.  Tickets are on sale from Sept 1st from www.westovians.co.uk or from the The Word in South Shields.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Ten Times Two:The Eternal Courtship - Arts Centre Washington - Review

Ten Times Two

Arts Centre Washington
Fri 28th July


Written by Davis Belke
Presented by Washington Theatre Group
Produced by Angela Marshall
Directed by Danny Stones

This play has a strange but interesting premise; an immortal being - Ephraim (John Seymour) - lives only to wreak havoc in the human world, manipulating mankind into wars and conflicts. Ephraim has unexpectedly, and against the plan of the immortals, fallen in love.

He is observed (and manipulated himself in turn) by the other immortals. It is never made clear who or what these beings are, nor what their purpose is. All we know of them is what we can glean from The Host (Sarah Seymour), who orchestrates the events throughout the play. When asked at one point if he is a guardian angel, The Host replies "the very opposite". Perhaps these creatures are the Devil's angels? It is never made clear, only that they are omnipotent, and omnipresent, and malign.

The Host is curious as to how and why this Barmaid, Constance (Catriona Brannigan-Uren) should have affected Ephraim. He denies any attachment either on his side or hers, and so as 'an experiment' they enter into a wager: Ephraim must elicit a genuine declaration of love from Constance when he returns in the spring.

The Host is a dispassionate observer who reports back to unseen "bosses". He introduces Ephraim and sets the seen, apparently addressing the audience though it eventually becomes clear that it is not us, but the other immortal beings that he is conversing with. The audience hear only The Hosts comments, we do not hear their questions or comments in response to The Host. It is clear that there is some kind of plan in process, but none but these unseen immortals know what this is. The Host has some knowledge, but not all, he merely follows instruction. Ephraim himself is clearly unaware that he has been manipulated for centuries, perhaps he was once human, but over the many decades of his life the humanity has been stripped from him until he is reduced to the cold hearted creature who's only pleasure is in the creation of chaos and destruction.

The play pans spans six centuries, and has just three cast members. Ironically Constance is reborn each Century as a different person while the immortal Host and Ephraim remain constant throughout. Catriona Brannigan-Uran metamorphoses into each new character like a chameleon changing colour, from bubbly barmaid to pious nun to flirtatious flapper. She is a stark contrast to the androgynous, dispassionate Host played by Sarah Seymour. Casting a female in the role of The Host certainly adds something to this sinistrous character. She is a disturbing, but not entirely unsympathetic character. John Seymour comes into his own in the final scenes where his humanity has overtaken him. He is much more convincing as the immortal Being racked by human emotions than the cold-hearted Ephraim of the first scenes.

This is a play about fate, predestination, the nature of humanity, and deity, good and evil, and the potential to change one's nature, and one's destiny. This is illustrated by the symbolic chess set which sits on the table throughout the play. Occasionally The Host moves a piece, and at one point the table is knocked and several pieces are scattered. Billed as a romantic comedy, there is humour in it, but it is mostly overshadowed by the sinister nature of the otherworldly immortals and the sense that we are not masters of our own destiny. It is a strange mix of the historical and modern and it has an almost science fiction feel to it.

Ten Times Two is an interesting, thought-provoking and at times bemusing play (I am not convinced by the romantic comedy tag). This was my first time at a Washington Theatre Group production, I am impressed by the standard of acting, the slick sound and lighting and the friendly welcome. I will be back to see more by them.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Oliver Twist - Royalty Theatre - Review

Oliver Twist
Royalty Theatre
19th June 2017


The Royalty's season finale is an adaptation by Jeremy Brock of Dickens' much loved tale of Oliver Twist.
A challenging play to stage for an amateur stage society - not least because of the association most people will have with the Lionel Bart musical, and the preconceptions that will bring. Fortunately the setting on stage has more in common with recent televised Dickens drama - with their dismal, murky interiors than with the old fashioned Hollywood musical style. Dicken's works are filled with dark settings, and larger than life characters. It's a big ask to find actors for all the parts and the Royalty cast list is 21 strong with many doubling up (I advise buying a programme to keep track of them all).


Just as some of the actors are playing more than one part, so too is the stage - all the scenes are played out on just one set. This is cleverly conceived and manages to serve as the workhouse, the undertakers shop, Fagin's lair, the courthouse and the house in Chertsey, as well as various London Streets. It's a tall order, but it works well, giving the flavour of Dicken's world rather than the actuality, and avoids any cumbersome scenery changes. Lighting is used to great effect - with spotlights highlighting characters and leaving the rest of the stage in darkness where the background scenery would be a distraction. Characters enter from either side, and from the top of two stairways as if from the alleyways of London, the corridors of the Workhouse, and from a set of double doors at the back of the stage for the grand entrances. This creates a sense of space beyond the stage with characters arriving from different directions and on different levels.

These characters are the usual mix of good, bad, ugly and beautiful people from Dicken's imagination. They are in some sense caricatures of humanity and some play this aspect to its fullest - David Armstrong as Monks is a kind of terrifying Ray Whinstone character as he delivers hoarse threats to Fagin, Bill and Mr Bumble, and Billy Towers' Fagin limps and shuffles his way through the play with false camaraderie and obsequious double talking. Bill Sikes, played by Jordan Carling is not the most dislikeable character in the play, he comes across as a hard desperate man but there is a sense of lostness about him which is evident in the short scene after the botched burglary where Bill, recovering from a fever, reveals his dependence on Nancy (Abbi Laidlar). Nancy, in her bright red dress provides a rare splash of colour. It's also indicative of her fate, a bloody death for trying to bring Oliver out of the dark existence that Fagin, Bill and Monks have set for him.

Oliver Twist, of course is the face of real beauty and true innocence and is played by Becky Lindsay - casting a girl as the lead character is another clever move, as it does give Oliver that unusually sweet appearance.

 Artful Dodger looks the part in his dapper tails and his top hat poised at such a precariously jaunty angle that I worried he would lose it off at some point.  I did wonder if actor Aidan Evans had similar concerns as he lounged rather nonchalantly against scenery, however he displays some pretty fancy footwork in the demonstration of "The Game" to Oliver and his hat stays safely in place!


There is a lot of story to fit into a short time with this play, and at times it is a little disjointed - there are one or two deviations from the book as I remember it (though I admit it is a few years since I read it). The sheer volume of characters and subplots can be a tad befuddling, but credit goes to Thomas Potts as The Narrator who comes in at opportune moments to introduce characters, set scenes, fill gaps and sum up.

This is a challenge to end their season, and they made a fair stab at it. Good fun, a few surprises and plenty of drama.

Oliver Twist runs until Sat 24th June. Curtain up is at 7.30pm each evening and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. At just £8 a ticket it is well worth a visit. Tickets are available online or on the door.

Denise Sparrowhawk