Wasteland - Review - Northern Stage

Wasteland

Northern Stage 

25th Sept 2019

Wasteland is Gary Clarke's interpretation in music and dance of the rise of the rave music scene in the 90s. In aftermath of pit closures we are given a glimpse into the lives of a father - the last miner - and his son as they each try to cope with the empty prospects left to them by the destruction of the mining industry. 

The Last Miner sinks into alcoholic despair while his son finds an escape in the euphoria of the illegal rave scene - losing himself in music, dance and drugs. The father and son don't always see eye to eye, they fight often, but all they have is each other. there is conflict, but there is also affection - and this is movingly illustrated in the final scene.

This is more than dance piece, it is a piece of social history. The contrast between the miners with

their male voice choirs and brass bands, clutching their UB40s and the manic energy of the youth with their manic, bass beat music is stark and telling. Yet the hypnotic, trance-like dancing is just a different form of escape from reality to that of the miners.

The historical context of the story is explained with projected newsreel scenes showing the closure and destruction of a pit, the men leaving and the iconic pithead building being destroyed, and later footage of the break-up of an illegal rave by the police, and the supercilious voice of a newsreader describing the scenes. I was stuck by the similarity between these scenes of police intervention and the those from the picket lines during the miner's strike.

The dancing is energetic, manic - as it should be - and at times painful - Alistair Goldsmith as the

Last Miner contorts his body into shapes that echo the agonising heartbreak of the losses that pit closures brought - not personal but national. A way of life, was destroyed, but also the livelihoods of the following generations.  The beat of the music is relentless, a form of escape, but perhaps one with no real exit.

I found the show incredibly moving. Though I lived through the rave scene era I was not part of it - too conservative (with a small "c" and timid) but I do remember it - and I remember the miner's strike and the sense of desolation that followed. The rave culture was a reaction against that desolation and depression. I don't think we have found a way out of either state yet.

Emotional and emotive stuff. Find out more here www.wastelandtour.co.uk

*Photographs by Joe Armitage

Denise Sparrowhawk

Fagin's Twist - Review - Northern Stage

Fagin’s Twist  

Northern Stage

30th October, 2018

I have a confession to make. 

When I requested tickets for Fagin’s Twist, I didn’t realise that it was dance theatre. Should have got a clue from it being from Avant Garde Dance company, but I just skipped ahead, excited by the prospect of a new version of Oliver Twist, foregrounding Fagin. So, my experience was coloured by my dance-illiteracy and wrongful expectations.

People will be familiar with Dickens’ Oliver Twist from numerous tv and film adaptations, and from Lionel Bart’s musical Oliver! So why make a dance version? What can it add? Dance is a good medium to explore patterns and systems, group dynamics, also for exploring relationships, expressed in spatial closeness or distance, and emotion which otherwise might be unexpressed/ inexpressible. 

It’s not, in my opinion, so good for carrying narrative or a character’s internal world. In musicals, which can have a strong dance element, it’s generally the songs which convey the internal life of the characters. Director / Choreographer Tony Adigun made the choice, early on in the process, not to use songs, so he informed us in the after-show talk. Though he does reference in the spoken text the numbers from Bart’s musical, as pointers. I think songs would have helped to illuminate their inner worlds and character development.

In the first half, having started off on the wrong foot, I was often baffled as to what was going on. I guessed, because I knew the ‘twist’, that the characters we were seeing were Fagin and Bill Sykes, at their beginning. But it was just a guess. They are deliberately not named, presumably to leave open the possible identification of them with Oliver himself. The second half begins with Dodger recapping and naming what we’ve seen in the first half. I don’t know if this is intended as a revelation, or an acknowledgement that the narrative is unclear.

The dancing throughout is extraordinarily accomplished, and visually exciting. The staging is ingenious, making full use of the levels and apertures of the wooden set. There’s lots to look at and admire. But for me, it doesn’t quite make up for the lack of characterisation and confusing narrative. We’re told of the poverty and hunger, but I never really felt its effects on the characters. In the workhouse scene, I got that it was very much like a prison, but I didn’t feel it. Possibly the suppleness and energy of the performers undermined any sense of restriction and imprisonment that was meant to be conveyed. It was so delightful watching the dancers weave in and out of windows and doors, leap up and down levels, that it was hard to feel the pressure to escape. Similarly, they radiated such buoyant energy and health that the crushing effects of hunger and misery didn’t really come across. 

Because of the lack of narrative clarity in movement, the production was very dependent on the text to carry the story and the character change. But the monologues delivered by admitted non-actors lacked the necessary vocal range and inflection. An almost impossible task to follow such energetic and variable movement. 

The second half felt more focused. The character of Nancy came across clearly. The ensemble created a fine sense of group cohesion in the pickpocketing sequences. Fagin’s professed protectiveness and family feeling for his bunch of urchins felt believable. The fight scenes made full use of the cast’s expressive movements. And the ‘twist’ when it came, of Oliver’s treachery worked well, culminating in the killing of Nancy. 

Overall, it was an astonishing technical achievement, impeccably choreographed and danced. But I didn’t come away with any new insights of sympathy for the characters who had been reframed, Fagin and Bill Sykes. Lovers of dance will love it. Dickens-lovers may leave scratching their heads.

Gerry Byrne 

Northern Stage - Autumn Season Launch

Season Launch

Northern Stage
Autumn 2018

Northern Stage launched their autumn season with comedian and poet Kate Fox. Kate gave us a taste of what was to come in a series of interviews, video clips and snippets of performances. Her chirpy, upbeat commentary and infectious enthusiasm kept the evening moving along at a cracking pace - as well it needed to, there was a lot to pack in!

Before we get to the Autumn there is a great programme of events over the summer with Northern Stage's involvement with the Great Exhibition of the North. There are plans for Self Build Utopias - a series of exhibitions, installations and performances re-imagining the future. Lorne Campbell and Annie Rigby talked about the inspiration behind the projects and the hope to produce an interactive and engaging series of activities to recreate landscapes and reconnect communities. Watch out for the many different activities around the Great Exhibition of the North from June 22nd till 9th September.


But what can we expect at Northern Stage in the Autumn? 

As always there is a stunning array of diverse and original theatre.
If you missed last season's production of  Laura Lindow's adaptation of H G Wells' War of the Worlds then you have another chance to see it in September.

After the Last Ship and Launch Day, remembering the shipyards, this coming season sees  The Last Seam pays tribute to the mining heritage of the north with a play based on stories and voices of the miners during the last deep seem colliery closure. There's limited availability so be sue to book your seat for this one! (27th Sept).

October brings the stage premier of Alice Seebold's bestselling selling novel The Lovely Bones (9th-20th). This much loved, uplifting tale of love, loss and redemption has been adapted by Bryony Lavery.
While on Stage 2 there is drama in The Mountaintop - an intimate look into the life of Martin Luther King on the eve of his assassination (9th - 13th).





In November we have two powerful, but different pieces of  from classic literature - Dylan Thomas's lyrical observations of life in the small, imaginary Welsh village of Llareggub in Under milk Wood (2nd -17th), while the English Touring Theatre bring us Richard Twyman's vital production of Shakespeare's Othello (13th-17th).
Both these productions give a fresh and innovative look at a classic piece of literature.


The Christmas show this year is also a classic from English literature - Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Adapted by Neil Bartlett and directed by mark Calvert it promises to another imaginative and original Christmas production. (Dec 1st - Jan 5th)

And of course we have dance:  Tangomotion is a virtuoso display of traditional and contemporary interpretations of this passionate dance, while Ballet Lorent's After Dark is a cabaret style celebration of the 25 years of the company. Then there is more Dickens with Fagin's Twist - Avante Guarde Dance Company's hip-hop style re-imagining of five of Dicken's familiar characters (13th-20th Dec).

This really just scratches the surface of what is on at Northern Stage - there is quite literally something for all ages and interests, whether you love dance, drama, poetry or puppetry there is a show for you next season. If  you want to be more involved than a spectator then check out their youth theatre - Open Stages (ages 5-15) and Young Company (ages 16-21) - they gave a breath-taking, assured performance of part of their own work at the launch.
If you're at the other end of the spectrum you might like to join in with Read Through - a script reading group for the over 60s.

Check the website www.northernstage.co.uk to see the full programme of productions and activities and book your place.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Launch Day - Northern Stage - Review

Launch Day
Northern Stage
29th May 2018

Presented by Kelly-Abbott Dance Theatre
Choreography by Kristin Kelly-Abbott
Produced by Phil Hargreaves
Costume by Kim McDermottroe
Lighting by Mark Parry
Music by Breifne Holohan and Mark Knopfler

Inspired by the art of Alexander Millar, and featuring the haunting music of Breifne Holohan and Mark Knopfler, Launch Day tells the story of shipbuilding in the north.

It is peopled with the flat-capped, booted and overalled men, who shuffle their way to and from work, waved off by headscarfed wives and mothers. It sounds cliched, but it is not. It is a representation of a time, and a way of life that was very real. These are tough men and women. Their lives are hard, their work is hard, but there is pride in it.
The dances and the music echo the beat of the hammers, the flying sparks of the welders and riveters. he energy of the workers, and the bone-weariness at the end of the day.

But, it is not all hard work - there is also play. There is football, and there is the pub. They recreate the beautiful game, and the rivalry between neighbouring shipbuilding towns - the red and whites and the black and whites, fans chanting and cheering and jeering (you're not singing anymore!), players scoring and tackling and arguing with the Ref.
And after the match, of course, they go for a pint! I think only in the north east of England, could a Saturday night skinful, falling over and throwing up, be made into a dance and turned into a thing of beauty.

Launch Day combines dance, art, technology and music - the traditional and the modern, to tell a poignant tale. Images of Millar's art are projected onto the backdrop and we hear words spoken by the shipbuilders while throughout the piece there is the constant echo of the hammers, the gentle lapping of water, and the image of a ship's prow sliding slowly into the sea.

This evening was actually the final day of the Launch Day tour, returning to where it started for its last hurrah. I feel privileged to have seen it. 

Denise Sparrowhawk

Snow White - Alun Armstrong Theatre - Review

Snow White
Alun Armstrong Theatre
15th Dec 2017

Directed by Lee Brannigan

My second foray into Pantoland this year took me to Stanley to the Alun Armstrong Theatre, for their in-house production of Snow White (the fairest panto of them all!).

At curtain up we meet the villain (villainess?), Queen Morgana of Cannyville. Once the boos have died down she sets the scene: you know the score, her kingdom is skint, the lucrative diamond mine is protected by magical dwarves and she can’t get her hands on the treasure, her step daughter is more beautiful than she, and the wealthy prince falls for her instead of the Queen. It’s the age old struggle, of good versus evil, true beauty versus vanity, greed versus generosity of spirit.

Will goodness and beauty prevail? Of course they will. But in order for that to happen we, the audience must be subjected to the gruelling ordeal of bad puns and awful jokes that is panto. And there are plenty of them! They come thick and fast from Nurse Bella and her son Muggles, and from the evil Morgana and her sidekick Seymour Snarl. There are puns to make you groan and jokes so bad your toes will curl - but of course this is what we expect, and the punchlines are eagerly anticipated and are cheered for and groaned at in equal measure.

As always Philip Meeks’ script is adapted to include local references - Beamish and Consett come under fire as does Stanley itself with references to The Big Asda and The Aldi that’s not even built yet (you can see both as you come into town). These local jokes always resonate with the audiences. We Brits are nothing if not willing to laugh at ourselves.

It’s not all about the jokes though - there is also the singing and dancing, the set and the costumes. The set is impressive - from the painted scenery of the castle, the forest and the dwarves’ cottage to the special effects with lighting and pyrotechnics, it creates a land of magic and mystery. Costumes are sumptuous - from Morgana’s dark and dramatic glamour, and Nurse Bella’s array of frocks for all occasions to the simplicity of Snow White and the villagers outfits, and the smart elegance of Charlie’s princley attire.

There are plenty of musical numbers to show off the singing talents of the cast, Sara Lumley has a fresh, light voice well suited to the character of Snow White, while Jon Dylan Brown’s solo shows why he graduated with a distinction in musical theatre! For me the showstopper is Andrea Atkinson’s rendition of Get the Party Started! She is fabulous, evil, but fabulous!

The dance routines, choreographed by Kathleen Knox are fresh and fun, and the ensemble and three principle dancers (Beth Shannon, Rachael Ward and Rhiane Finlay) work hard throughout the production. There must be some impressive fast changes going on back stage as they swap back and forth from village girl dirndls to skintight lycra and leotards.

Pantos are always full of over the top characters and this one is no exception. Lee Kyle is the archetypal best buddy, fall guy Muggles who garners the sympathy of the audience, while Martin Anderson as Seymour Snarl is the antithesis of this - he is brilliantly over the top with his shambling gate, gurning expression and elaborately obsequious grovelling. Neither of these can beat Bella Bluebell as Nurse Bella however, as she appears in an array of glorious frocks, hats and wigs. I think she must be the most glamorous Pantomine Dame ever, she certainly has better legs than most!

Interaction with the audience is great throughout but especially in the hilarious 12 Days of Christmas number. You have to experience it to beleive it. All I will say is, maybe take an umbrella or wear a mackintosh for the second act.

The programme says this is the theatre’s first pantomime and it’s a corker! The small cast work their socks off to create a panto that has more sparkle than Mr Sheen! And it has the voice of Alun Armstrong himself as The Mirror! It deserves a bigger audience so if you are looking for an outing this Christmas and are within driving distance of Stanley then book a ticket for this show. I came up from Hartlepool and it was worth every mile.

Snow White plays until 24th Dec. Tickets can be booked online at www.civichallstanley.co.uk or by phone on 01207 299110. It’s just £14 (£12 conc) or £38 for a family ticket.

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

True Hearts - Woodlands Hall - Review

True Hearts

Woodlands Hall
19th August 2017

True Hearts is a Cabaret evening of music, dance and comedy featuring the True Heroes singers and dancers, and compared by the inimitable Bella Bluebell.

True Heroes are a group of local performers who raise money for charities by staging shows in community venues. Saturday evening's show was part of the Woodlands Hall 50th Anniversary celebrations and was raising money for two local charities based at the Freeman Hospital - Maggie's (which provides help, information and support to cancer sufferers and their families) and CHUF (Children's Heart Unit Fund).

The show kicked off with a modern medley featuring the Black Eyed Peas' "I Got a Feeling", setting the tone for the evening. The True Heroes then rattled through an astonishing number of medleys including Boybands, Ricky Martin, Spice Girls, Bananarama, Madonna, and Madness, then a 70s disco medley before the first Act drew to a close with a tribute song and slideshow to highlight the work done by Maggie's.

Act Two brought us a  CeeLo Green combo of Beggin/Forget You, and then Blues Brothers, 80s Divas, Phil Collins, Kylie, and a Steps medley. There were two more touching and poignant tribute songs and slideshows - one at the start of act two featuring images of people linked to the show from the show who had in some way been touched by cancer, and the second slideshow highlighting the work of CHUF. 

Highlights of the show for me were the Spice Girls featuring Bella Bluebell as Ginger Spice and Leon Gill as Scary Spice. (Scary had to deal with a major wardrobe malfunction, much to the amusement of the audience.) Bucks Fizz brought a rousing cheer with a rendition of the eurovision favourite "Making Your Mind Up" - including the hand jiving and the skirts! In Act Two the guys came into their own with the Blues Brothers and Phil Collins Medleys, and the Steps Medley and Bridge Over Troubled Water tribute song showed off some great harmonies in the troup.

Bella Bluebell provided comedy ( and a welcome moment for the performers to catch their breath, I should think) with jokes and banter and an array of colourful wigs and sparkly frocks. Am pretty sure she'll be starring in a Panto come December - watch out for her!

All in all it was a good night, lots of fun and enthusiastic performances from all the dancers and singers, and all for a good cause. For me, Act Two was the better half, it felt more relaxed as if the performers were less nervous and enjoying it more. But all in all directors Ali Hassanyeh and Kevin Rhodes pulled together a good mix of crowd pleasing songs, and each performer had an opportunity to shine in both Acts. I was transported back to my legwarmer and fingerless lace mittens days with all those 80s hits. And, of course , no cabaret night would be complete without a Foreigner Finale - don't stop believing!

Woodlands Hall is a great community venue - they have an array of activities throughout the year all organised by volunteers. They've lasted 50 years so far so they must be doing it right. Their next show on 21st Oct is a swinging 60s tribute night featuring The Moonbeats. If you are in, or near Wideopen go along and support this fantastic community resource. Entry is just £8 and the bar is cheap! (drink responsibly, guys!)

Denise Sparrowhawk