Make Better Please -Review- Northern Stage

Make Better Please
Northern Stage
15 June 2012

Writer: Fuel, Uninvited Guests
Director: Paul Clark
Reviewer: Michael Hunter
Rating: 4 Stars

I love the news. Turning on the TV or the radio on the hour and flicking through the papers in the newsagents, to find out what has happened to that corrupt politician, my football team, and events all over the globe, is one of favourite ever things. For me 'no news' is 'bad news'.
At the minute the European Football Championships and the run up to the London Olympics (the Olympic torch/flame is currently in Newcastle) is high on the agenda of every publication, be it broad sheet or red top.
The smaller stories are also making big headlines; a Scottish schoolgirl who has created a school dinner blog, had been told to cease publication because the local authority didn't like it, creating waves etc, but was overturned to maybe save their face.

Once the theatre doors were opened, we were lead to the backstage of Studio 2. I didn't know if this would be as normal, with audience in seats and actors performing for us. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the audience would play a massive part in tonight's proceedings.
Laid out before us were four small coffee tables full of the days newspapers, massive pots of tea, biscuits and writing implements.
We were told to look through the papers and find a story that shocked, or held something strong in our hearts; a story that fuelled enough passion to be able to create further discussion.
The assembled audience picked five stories that were all shocking, or thought provoking to merit inclusion to the next stage of the night. We were also told the pick a story that had a little bit of hope included.
Once the tables had been cleared away we all sat in a circle and after a minutes silence to reflect on our thoughts were asked to relay the stories to the other members of the audience.
This is where it became apparent that our stories would figure highly in whatever happened to the the rest of the night, our thoughts and stories would become theatre itself.
The performing artists of Paul Clark, Richard Dufty and Jessica Hoffman leapt into action as each story was finally told. They became the headline, they became Cameron,or Tesco's chief officer. The audience became judge and jury, we had to ask the headline makers why, when and how much!!.
We were put into a scenario of a war torn village in Homs, some of us were the fighters, some of us were the dead. Again a minute silence was put into place to reflect on what was happening. For myself it was quite emotional, thinking about how I could possibly kill another human being, i am sure the dead amongst the crowd felt similar.
Another scenario of the Leveson inquiry had us thinking what really did go on in the minds of the top brass of the Uk's power leaders.
All of the stories that we had picked were transcribed onto the wall of the theatre by the performers, think of the studio wall in 'Have I Got News For you' with current issues sticking out like sore thumbs.
The god or indeed the devil of bad news was paraded in front of us. Some of us were given mugs of milk to throw over him to, maybe to confirm our hatred of the stories that he loved to make popular.
Atmospheric music and sounds from the likes of cymbals being crashed, a piano being plonked and a mad crazy drummer beating out rhythms led us to Hoffman being the narrator to all of the stories involved, creating a crescendo of swirling words and mayhem.
I must admit that some of the scenes were very contemporary, leaving the audience asking questions that might only come to them in the days that pass. The devil wearing a huge newspaper made penis, certainly one of them, although I did guffaw when he started to bash the bass drum with it.

It was then our turn to highlight the hope that can come from the mass media, we again rose to our feet and reeled off stories that we found, or stories of our own little utopia.
The ending lead us to outside the theatre with the performers burning up our little pieces of paper of headlines, with the hope of 'Make Better Please'.
Make Better Please was a joy to be part of, really made me think that there is more to a story than just the simple headlines. The depth of tonight's performance will be put into full force the next time I buy my newspaper or get a thrill when the clock strikes the hour to tune into the radio news headlines.


Runs until 16th June

Tags: Fuel,Jessica Hoffman,Make Better Please,Newcastle,Northern Stage,Paul Clark,Richard Dufty,Uninvited Guests

Michael Hunter

The Pitmen Painters -Review- People's Theatre

The Pitmen Painters
The People's Theatre 
13 June 2011

The first time that Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters was in our region was the professional production at Live Theatre along Newcastle's Quayside.
I viewed that performance with open mouthed awe. It was well before my days as a hobbyist theatre reviewer but even then I would have gave it a magnificent 5*'s.
Tonight -and for the rest of the SOLD OUT week- it is the turn of the amateurs. Hall (of Billy Elliot fame) has given special permission for the first staging of this North East tale by an amdram team.
The Pitmen Painters is the story and fine social commentary on the harsh North East working platform. Seen through the eyes of five Ashington pitmen; struggling with the many hours underground for a pittance of a wage. They need more out of their existence of work-home-work, so the onsite Union devise up a deflection tactic (absolutely nothing to do with their work) of creating an art appreciation society. What starts off as looking at unfamiliar and alien pieces set by their tutor Robert Lyon, turns into competition between the miners at who can produce the best art between them all with a humourous-but subtle-edge, but remain totally focused as a group. What follows is a wonderfully funny tale of 'whoever you are you can be whatever you want to be'.
Given that The People's Theatre is an amateur theatre, you would think that this production would be very much lower in expectations to the more professional offerings of the original in 2007. You would be very very wrong to think along these lines. From the staging to the lighting, the audio visual delights to the wonderful acting of the local players, The Pitmen Painters is a smash, it was very very close to the Max Roberts directed play all those years ago. The Pitmen's has of course gone on to score rave reviews in Broadway on the other side of the pond. George Brown played by Harry Gilbert took off the very much nose-in-his-union-rule-book character with so much realism that I wanted to join up there and then. The humour of the down to earth workmen surrounding the styles of their painting and practice was so upbeat that even the sometimes glum Marxist Harry Wilson played by Mike Smith cracked up a few times. Jimmy Floyd played by Steven Robertson kept the humour flowing with some fantastic scenes. The youthful essence of the play rested on the shoulders of the 'Young Lad' played by Steven Wallace, his performance reminded me of Pike out of BBC's 'Dads Army' he even had a long stripey scarf to boot. Lyon's commanding part played by Matthew Cummins kept the balance between roll on the floor laughter and serious educational desires. Star painter and keen to 'get it' Oliver Kilbourn played by Pete McAndrew has a major role alongside Helen Sutherland played by the fab Val Russell, his talent was immediately picked up by art collector Sutherland, who wanted him to give up his 9 to 5 to fund his ambitions. The interaction between these two was fantastic to see, cumulating in terrific scenes that the audience grasped. Grace Robson made up the numbers by playing a life art model Susan Parks, her feisty character certainly was eye opening.
Chris Heckels directing has done a brilliant job with fantastic actors to turn this play into the hit that it is. It is really exciting that full houses will be enjoying, laughing and contemplating what the Pitmen had to go through to paint and show off their art.
Superb production from Derek Nellist (stage design), Lighting (Richard Flood) and Tom Saunders (projections) gave this a very crisp feel, buzzing with energy.
I cant give this 5 out of 5 as a rating as a few lines were talked over by other characters, and have to say that at the back of the theatre it was a little hard to hear audibly. Altogether though this was a superb performance that I have been used to at People's. Nothing at all amateur about this staging, well done

Runs until 18 June 

Michael Hunter

Annie Jr.

Performers Stage School

Customs House

12 June 2011

After the typical summer weather in the North East of four seasons in one day, it was very apt that the ‘The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow’ would be blaring from the stage of The Customs House.

‘Annie’ performed by The Performers Stage School is the story of an orphanage girl cast aside by her parents in 1930’s New York. Teased by the other children there and ruled by an iron fisted Miss Hannigan; Annie receives some great news when billionaire Mr Warbucks decides to alleviate one of the children and have them stay at his mansion for two weeks over Christmas. Such is the impact of the child on the household; Warbucks decides to press for adoption not before he issues statements putting aside a large amount of money and asking for the birth parents to come forward. Hannigan plots a scheme to defraud Warbucks by inventing a couple to come forward and claiming Annie as their own.

What will happen to the dastardly ways of Hannigan? Will Annie get the love that she deserves?

Director David Ducasse has assembled a brilliant junior cast for this performance of the much loved stage classic; his actors really shone giving superb accounts of themselves. For an opening night in front of a relatively full house the children pulled out all the stops to ensure that the start of the tenth anniversary of the School got off to a wonderful start.

With superb singing and choreography throughout, the audience – no doubt full of very proud parents and friends – responded very well to the end of each piece, this I am sure spurred on the actors even more. ‘Hard- knock life’ and of course ‘Tomorrow’ were the highlights of the vocals but the acting of these talented stars to be took all the plaudits. Molly Waters as the nasty Hannigan, and Joshua Trueman as Warbucks both were solid as their characters explored the highs and lows of ‘love’ but Laura Roberts as Annie totally outshone all on stage, her singing voice and acting will keep me glued to the amateur scene looking out for her.

Production was very good with the sound (Tony Atkinson) and the lighting design (James Henshaw) coming up trumps at every push of their buttons. Musical Director (Stacey Ghent) and Choreographer (Ashley Lamb) added a lot to this play with their craft.

As the rain came crashing down outside, The Performers Stage School made sure that the crowd left with a nice warm glow.

Runs until 13 June

Michael Hunter

My Fair Lady - Review- Whitley Bay Playhouse

My Fair Lady
Whitley Bay Playhouse
Tynemouth Amateur Operatic Society
28 Feb 2011

My Fair Lady is the simple story of a Eliza Doolittle, a humble flower girl in the heart of London trying to make her way in life. A chance encounter with Professor Higgins a leading linguist could well change her life

I last saw My Fair Lady in its less musical role as Pygmalion (REVIEW) last month in Newcastle. I was blown away by the set up, the acting and the good feeling vibe that was obvious in the audience leaving the theatre. Tonight Tynemouth Amateur Operatic Society needed to push the boundaries out to meet and match the previous amateur offerings.
In my opinion Pygmalion was flat in comparision to the bright and buzzing My Fair Lady that was served up.
The marvelous singing and the dazzling choreography (Lyndsey Harrison) as well as the fantastic sets made all of the difference.
Charlotte May as Doolittle captivated the audience with not only her superb singing voice, but her accents (the harsh Covent Garden cockney type to the stiff upper lip Queens English) were spot on. To be honest I found it hard to differentiate between her accents and the accents of the previous Doolittle in Pygmalion, which for me was brilliantly eerie. May's acting skills have lead her to audition for the Professional Musical Theatre Course, I certainly think there is a  rightful place for her.
Professor Henry Higgins was brilliantly played by Alan Davison, his rough around the edges, but caring character came through in his performance. The stage was lit up by his poise and charm. His singing voice was also very enjoyable.
Andy Dean, as the sidekick of Higgins -Colonel Pickering- gracefully made his part his own, although I am sure he succeeded with his other previous three starring roles in MFL.
The lovely designed sets took us from the Opera House in Covent Garden, to the in and outside of Higgins' study. The attention to detail was fabulous, a lot of work must have been done by Technical guys there.
Sound was adequate, from Leah McKenzie and Darren Lowe as was the lighting (also by Lowe).
Musical direction from Andrew Clarence was very precise and his musicians played their parts well in enhancing the performance.
Director Chris Johnson, who I last reviewed as part of the super NOISES OFF, has worked very hard in putting all of his breadth of experiences together and creating a fun and very enjoyable musical. Considering this was his first bash at directing a musical production, then more so that I take my hat off to him. I only hope that the public support him and their local theatre better than they did tonight, far too many empty seats spoiled what was a great evening at the theatre.
It is fitting that this TAOS opening night play is performed the day after The Oscar ceremony in America. It is touted that multi award winning actor Colin Firth is lined up to play Prof Higgins in a forthcoming rehash of the movie, he would definitely benefit from a few acting lessons off Mr Davison.

For timings and pricing please refer to my PREVIEW

The Day after this review I spoke to Chris Johnson, the director, regarding the sound and light. He is very much a perfectionist. He asked me if I would come back to re-review it at the end of the week, so he could tweak this and take this from a great review to a fantastic review.
My right hand man Noel Harris who stepped into reviewing When Harry Met Sally for me, stepped into the breach and again watched it with his review head on.
This is what Noel thought of it:-

I listened to some of the audience as they left, many people were saying that it was nothing short of professional in every way. From the acting, to the singing and through to the lighting, sound and scenery, the whole package left the audience totally gobsmacked. The complex scene changes occurred seamlessly, with none of them appearing to take more than 30 seconds.
The fast dialogue from the actors sped us through the rather long first half, and to be honest I could easily watch this show again. 
Chris Johnson has taken a place in the history of amateur theatre, and any company wanting a refreshing twist on an old favourite should really be calling him up. The TAOS is clearly succeeding in bringing old favourites into the twenty first century, whilst graciously incorporating the invaluable talent of it's senior members, both on and off the stage. Well done to them!

So it seems that Mr Johnson has tweaked his way into creating even better than what was originally on offer. The sound and the lighting which worked on the Monday -but could have definitely been better - has been bettered! All the stops seemed to have been pulled out!
I feel confident through the words of Noel, and my own viewing that is was a pretty special performance, both on and off the stage.
I cant wait for the next production that Johnson is involved with.

Michael Hunter

The Man & The Donkey review Customs House

In a recent TV survey, nearly half of South Shields folk didn’t know that a gallant war hero came from their town, even though a statue of him is erected in a prominent position.

The Man and The Donkey is a portrayal of John Simpson Kirkpatrick, who was born in the town in 1892. At the age of 17 he joined the Merchant Navy, and headed off around the world, ending up in Australia. Life wasn’t good to him, so after deserting and travelling around the continent for five years, he enlisted with the army as a way and means of getting back to England. His job was that of a stretcher bearer on the front line. A year after this he was posted to the Gallipoli Peninsula - Turkey, where he tended his comrades. During the first few days of his landing, he came across a stray donkey and quickly made use of it to carry the wounded. Kirkpatrick seemed to be fearless and dodged bullets and shrapnel as though it were all make believe. Some reports say that he saved many hundreds of lives, some say thousands.

On May 19^th 1915, three weeks after Kirkpatrick entered the ANZAC Corps, he was fatally injured and died from machine gun fire.

The play tonight, showed us all the goriness of war, but the compassion of its company.

The scenery and lighting of the stage set up was so realistic that you could only just imagine being in the trenches along with the brave soldiers.

From the frontline of the dead and dying, to the transport of the wounded, Kirkpatrick sailored them from the pits of despair to the relative comfort of first aid and shelter. Stepping back in time a touch, we see the timeline of his journey from young Navy man to frontline mercy angel. This was all done in the humour from him of the well served ‘Sandancer’- the native of South Shields, a true Geordie. Even when he was berated by his Company Sergeant he still had that cheeky little answer and bewildering spirit to carry on regardless. From the moment that he set foot in the trenches of war to his sad death, John Simpson Kirkpatrick fought dam hard for his fellow soldier, from the cheery chattering,to the caring
for his passenger, John soldiered on like the war depended on it!  Him and his Donkey.!

Directed by the brilliant Jackie Fielding, and written by Valerie Laws the play was fronted by the fantastic Jamie Brown as Kirkpatrick, and his donkey played by two fellow actors, were cast superbly as they toiled for the greater good.

There is a statue of Kirkpatrick in every state of Australia, he is known as their greatest war hero; hopefully this play will elevate him, in the minds and the hearts of the townspeople of Shields, from being a lot more than just something for the pigeons to rest on.

This play, made me proud of our greatest hero that South Shields has ever seen, and was a joy to watch as the buzzing audience followed in line with my thinking.

This is a must see for anybody who is proud of the fantastic theatre on offer by brilliant cast and crew.

The Man & The Donkey
Date: 3 Feb 2011 - 12 Feb 2011 Time: 7.30pm & 2.30pm (Thurs 10 only)
Price: £15, £14conc, FRIENDS - £11 (first evening only)
Venue: Theatre

Michael Hunter

I dont actually mean break a leg

Image via Wikipedia

It's just what they say on stage,when they want you to have a good time,and to make a fist of things. .

I am Spikemike,aka Michael Hunter,and this is my attempt to inform and entertain the world in my scribblings.

I have been for the past couple of years,submitting a week by week list of gigs,theatre and anything Cultural,to a North East of England Community radio programme called The Cultural Thing.
This programme is picked up by 3 local Community radio stations and it also has a slot on Ex pat internet Radio. .
The Cultural Thing

More recently my passion for getting my message across,has led me to delve into the world of interviewing,and reviewing some of the events that I am publicising.
The Cultural Thing website is in its infancy,it will be getting a revamp.
I also dont have any editorial control over that website,so this blog is purely me and my words . .
I am very excited about this venture,and will quickly pick up what is needed to get my points across.
My aims are simple- to get more people out from the rut of tv dinners, for me to enjoy the theatre and the arts,like I have done,since I saw Grease and Star Wars,back in the day

I am making more and more contacts in the Cultural world day by day,and it is very much like a 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine' approach to it all. .
Basically,offer me a couple of Press tickets to a ticketed event in North East England(theatre,cinema,stand up comedy,public speaking(cultural of course)) and I will review it(totally unbiased). . This will not only feature on this blog,and The Cultural Thing website,but I will also submit it to my facebook page and to the local and national press.
I would be happy to come along to final dress rehearsals,as well as 'Press Nights',would also like to continue to meet casts and directors,to see what makes them click.

I really want people to embrace what they have around them,and to enjoy stuff that isnt going to break the bank.
If I can get a few more bums on seats,by people who wouldnt normally head to Cultural events,by reading my review,then I will have achieved some of my aims. .


Cheers

Spikemike