Pride and Prejudice - Review - People's Theatre

Pride and Prejudice 

People's Theatre

19th Nov 2019

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel with a lot going on. At it’s very basic, it is a romance story that surely must have been the blueprint for every Mills and Boon ever written. Girl meets arrogant man, hates him on site. He falls for a beauty whose background presents him with a major personal conflict. He resists but against the better judgement of his head, his heart is smitten. They proceed to misunderstand each other for most of the story (if you don’t want spoilers look away now) but of course and common sense win out in the end.


But it is so much more than this mere love story. It looks at relationships and responsibilities in society, and within the circle of families and friends. It questions attitudes to women, to the armed forces. It exposes class boundaries and the snobbery and prejudice that these elicit in the upper classes. Jane Austen herself broke those boundaries by daring not only to write , but to write  about the very society that said she, as a woman, could not.  She ridicules, in the nicest possible way, the social niceties, showing up the absurdity of the social formalities that keep women, and the ‘socially inferior’ in their rightful place.  


All of these elements are present in Helen Jerome’s adaptation for the stage. And yet somehow it misses the mark of Austen’s accomplishment. For sure the ridiculing of society is there, but the romance...or perhaps more the sympathy is missing. The play jumps from country house to assembly, to grand mansion and back again, revealing aspects of the characters and the story like a partially lit room. We see parts but not the whole. And so we see the absurdity of society in all its glory but the delicacy of the love story is missed. The nuances of developing attractions, and duplicitous beaux are squashed under seemingly lightning bolt revelations. Act two in particular feels disjointed and rushed as Jerome hurtles us towards the finale.


That said, the cast at the People’s have recreated the characters – in some cases quite spectacularly. Anna Dobson as Mrs Bennett wails her woes hysterically at her husband and daughters, swerving seamlessly from disdain to admiration for fellow characters as the situation warrants. The young daughters (Zoe Rankin, Emily Ashton and Millie Hackett) bicker and sulk their way through the play as only teenagers can. Adam Owers’ Darcy is condescendingly aloof throughout, with just the right amount of disarming discomfort to show his inner struggle as he tries to express his feeelings to Elizabeth (Amy Lowes Smith). But by far the stars of the production are Stephen Waller as Mr Collins who oozes his way across the stage and wraps himself with oily obsequiousness around anyone who can further his cause, and Rye Mattick as the main object of his sycophancy, Lady Catherine de Bourgh - imperious and fully assured of her own self-importance.


It’s not an easy task to portray so many characters and develop each of their stories within the time allowed for a stage play, and the set design and stage management do a good job of creating the different scenes with as little disruption as possible – the addition of a chandelier, swapping flowers for a bust statue to indicate the different venues.


The production and performances were spot on as ever with the People’s, and certainly the characters were all skilfully portrayed, but overall the adaptation for me was too disjointed and lacked something of the charm and romance of Austen’s original.


Denise Sparrowhawk

I have met the enemy (and the enemy is us) - Review - Byker Community Centre

I have met the enemy (and the enemy is us)

Byker Community Centre
17th Oct 2019

A Common Wealth/Northern Stage production

Staged in the upper room of Byker Community Centre, this is a theatre experience with a difference. There is no stage, and no seats, we are invited to move around the space, interact with the actors and each other, but not to touch anything -unless specifically asked to do so... I enter the room, soft music is playing and there are structures with lights dotted around. "Hello, I'm Alex, how are you? Have you been to an arms fair before?" Within minutes I have been greeted by four people, and given advice on personal security by two of them, invited to look around, sample the refreshments and enjoy... Audience participation is not my thing - unless you count booing at the baddie in Panto, but I go with the flow as best I can. I hope I won't be called on to do more than make small talk.

This is not going to be your average theatre show.

In the prologue of the Arms Fair, we are introduced to the latest technological killing machines by a series of salesmen with slick sales patter where names such BAE and Rolls Royce are dropped into the conversation. And then the narrative moves to the more personal stories - of Alex, a British soldier, veteran of the Afghan conflict, Mo'min, a Palestinian from the West Bank, an actor, now living in London, and Shatha, an artist in Yemen, who appears via a pre-recorded video. They tell of their own experiences of war, of air strikes, of guns and bombs. Each one told from a different perspective, each one very personal. Each one painful. And each one the direct result of British arms deals.

Their stories are enhanced ad illustrated with the strange ticking light box props. These it transpires are metronomes. There are seventy two of them, representing the seventy two Eurofighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia and used in Yemen. The ticking of the metronomes echoes the Domesday Clock, ticking down to the destruction of mankind.

I Have Met The Enemy is hard -hitting, political theatre. It does not pull punches. But it is also compassionate and human, even as it highlights the inhumanity of the arms trade. These are real people, and their experiences are real. Their losses are real. Their fears are real. Their stories draw you in, you are delighted by the thought of Alex's mother walking her dog in Wales, of Mo'min out with the sheep and the horse, and of Shatha dancing at a wedding. But, they pull no punches - just as you settle into the stories, a gun is levelled, or a grenade is thrown, or an airstrike hits. Blood mixes with jasmine flowers.

It raises so many issues, asks so many questions, and leaves us uncomfortable, thinking about the consequences of war, and our part in it.

You can meet the enemy at Byker Community Centre until Saturday 26th Oct.

Denise Sparrowhawk

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

Rent Party - Review - Northern Stage

Rent Party 

Northern Stage 
6th July 2019

So this was a party that I wasn't sure what to make of going in,  but wow did I enjoy it!

A Rent Party was a party back in 1950s America to help young black Americans pay their rent.

Thankfully I didn't need to go to America to go to this party! (It would have killed me in these heels.)

It's a play like no other and I don't think I'll see a play like it ever in my life again - you can only see this once.

We were given sweets and vouchers to give to the performers when each of them had performed. This is a great idea and it brought the interaction level up, not just between the performers and the audience but the audience with each other.

It's a play based around true life and the three main people tell their stories about being young, gifted and black.

Usually they have a 4th member of the team called Camille but she was absent as she is just about to have her second baby.

Her dream is to play Dolores Van Cartier in Sister Act - and I do love my musicals!

There were games to play like pass the parcel (called Pass the Duchy).

There was limbo which was funny as owt - but not what you think it would be, and it had audience participation.

There were party bags for the kids and stickers for everyone else, not forgetting the shots for the over 18s in the audience who toasted many things even Brexit (which went down like a lead balloon).

Jason - who looked gorgeous and whose makeup was on fleek - tells their story about how their bf kept locking them in the house so they couldn't get to work.

They all worked in the musical Starlight Express - which would be why they are so good on roller skates (they can do jumps and everything!).

Lena is a dancer and used to come up with dances with her two little sisters while she studied at uni.  Her family is important to her. And wow can she dance!

Tolu is one of the best musicians and he sings one of my favourite songs from the musical Charlie and the chocolate factory (Pure Imagination). He not only sings it well but puts his own twist on it which had me drawn to him. He talks about how his parents came from Nigeria and how he would love to be able to take his partner back to his homeland but doesn't think he will be able to.

The host of the Rent Party is Stuart Bowden who tells us about one event in his life where he went to his step sister's christening and was collared by all four mums of his 12 step siblings. 

He got called a little coconut which for him wasn't that a big of a deal but his mother was offended and I can guess he didn't see his dad for a long time after that incident! (Black on the outside, White on the inside!!!!).

The Director of the piece Darren Pritchard was a part of the cast helping to fill in the void that Camille had left.

This play/party was great and it was funny from minute one to the end. It has lots of audience involvement, and we were even allowed to have a dance.

It is part of the Curious Arts Festival allowing LGBTQI artists to put on their work. (I'm hopeful you might see some of my work in their Autumn programme).

This show is definitely one to see, it will live long in my memory.

Rubes Hiles 

Actors - 

Lena I Russell

Darren Pritchard 

Jason guest 

Tolu 

Stuart Bowden

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.

The Dark Earth and the Light Sky - Review - People's Theatre

The Dark Earth and the Light Sky

People's theatre
11th June 2019

Written by Nick Dear
Directed by Hugh Keegan


The Dark Earth and the Light Sky is the story of the friendship between poets Robert Frost and Edward Thomas.  There are four main characters - Edward Thomas, Helen Thomas, Robert Frost and Eleanor Farjeon and the play follows the relationships between these four friends. Though the play is ostensibly about the friendship between Frost and Thomas and the influence they each had on the other's career, for me, the relationship between Helen and Edward seems the strongest thread and Helen's voice the strongest, throughout.

Each character addresses the audience at some point - the first we hear is Helen and her voice throughout is the strongest. Even as she is moved away from Edward's focus she remains steadfast and forthright. Anna Dobson plays the role beautifully - capturing the transition from the joy of the young lover, through the drudgery of motherhood and housekeeping, essentially bringing up the children and running the household alone as Edward pursues his own dreams. Her devotion to Edward shines through even as he pushes her away.

Edward Thomas (Sam Hinton)  is an unhappy man - he doesn't fit comfortably into the world - at odds with his father, labelled failure by him because he does not share his hunger for financial success. Thomas wants to enjoy life as he lives it, not spend life striving in a job he hates in order to get on in society. His affinity is with words and with the land and the countryside. City life stifles him. He makes his living - such as it is writing literary criticisms, biographies, essays, reviews but it takes the friendship with Frost for him to realise he himself could be a poet. And yet still he feels that something is missing. Ironically, having fought against the constraints of city life, and the daily grind of marriage and children, he finally finds purpose by joining the army. And therein he finally breaks Helen's heart.

Robert Frost (Mark Burden) is a more enigmatic character - though he is one of the main characters in the drama I feel  we learn very little the man himself - other than his love for words, and his affection for Thomas, other than this we are given only glimpses into his own private life, snatches of his family history and background.

Finally, we have Eleanor Farjeon (Alison Carr), hopelessly in love with Edward but never more than friends. Their relationship brings light into Edwards life and darkness to Helen’s – she befriends Eleanor to keep an enemy close, and though the two women are friends, Helen is aware perhaps even before Eleanor herself, of the other woman’s love for her husband.  Eleanor is light, apparently carefree, and becomes the confident of Edward and Frost.  Hers is a lonely life, despite her place in society. Both she and Frost feel the loss of Edward keenly.

There are many, many layers to this play – it explores intellect and intelligence, but also emotion, and the nature of love, and expectation, success and failure, and self-worth. It is threaded through with images of nature and the love of the natural world, and the love of words. But also the power of words, both those spoken, and those not, their power to enlighten, and to educate but to also to confuse, to crush and to undermine.  The themes of language and nature are embodied in the stunning set created by Rolf Wojciechowski – with its draped images of distant hills and trees, and skies filled with cloudlike words – some legible and some just a hint of language.

The Dark Earth and the Light Sky is a beautifully sad play. A story of love, and loss. The cast portray their characters with such empathy throughout. Lovely performances from everyone involved. Performed in the round, this is an absorbing and intimate experience. As the audience, we switch from being voyeurs of these people's lives to being included in them, and back again.  

Studio productions never disappoint at the People's Theatre. This one takes them to another level.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Woke - Review -Northern Stage

Woke

Northern Stage

23rd May 2019

Of late it seems to be my fate to find myself at Northern Stage surrounded by people half my age. I'm not complaining. I think it's commendable of Northern Stage to seek to reach out to a new younger audience. It's just – you know – I don't really know what I'm talking about here.

Woke is a one-man show by south London rapper, Testament, who describes himself a human beatbox and conscious MC. Are they actual things or is he making it up?

Human beatboxing, according to my friend Wiki, is a type of vocal percussion, imitating drum machines, using mouth, lips, tongue and voice; it may also, as in this case be vocal imitation of turntabling and other musical instruments. 

I know nothing about hip-hop but I can recognise skills. Testament is an amazing performer, not just vocally, sampling and turntabling a range of styles. 

His theatre skills are enviable. He interacts with his little daughter Elise so convincingly we believe she is there, and I as an audience member felt none of the usual awkwardness in greeting her likewise as if she were really there.

Woke is about the impact of having his daughter on Testament; how her birth made him question the culture of rap but also of wider society. It's a mixture of spoken word, live theatre and hip hop rap, which manages to get its message across with wit and passionate style. Testament goes through the history of rap and its precursors and manages to subvert rap's own techniques -- rewinds, remix and repetition – to underscore the insistent sexism and an echo-y meaninglessness at its heart.

The track 'Ojectify' (which you can download at: www.testamenthomecut.com, all profits go to Refuge.org.uk) is a masterpiece of satire and rap beats. It's the skills that lift this show out of worthiness into something that rap's own audience can relate to and question their own assumptions.

But it's not just a critique of rap culture, an easy target, which comfortably lets white liberals off the hook. He examines the stereotypes of the 'black father': "My wife – oh you're surprised? You thought I had a baby-mother?"; or of being congratulated for playing with his own child at the playground.

He also situates it within the sexism of the wider culture, through a mash-up of film and tv tropes that emphasise female passivity and objectification.

What sort of a society is he bringing his little girl up in?

He ended the show by acknowledging the irony of a one-man show about girls and sexism, asking the

women in the audience to give their advice to Elise, or "What would you like to tell your younger self?" The response was all a bit affirmative, like the insta poems of Rupi Kaur. But maybe that's just me being a bitter old woman, and young women are much nicer. (My contribution was: don't take any bullshit.)

Testament than improvised a rap from the advice solicited.

Seriously, it was a great night, great skills. I wished the audience was a hundred times bigger. Testament is a voice that should be heard.

*pics courtesy of Northern Stage  

Gerry Byrne

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

The Importance of Being Earnest - Review - People's Theatre

The Importance of Being Earnest 

People's Theatre
2nd April 2019 


What's in a name? Does it define your character? Or does your character define your name?
Would the right name make a man more attractive? Would the wrong name make him less so? Is it fickle of a girl to profess her love for a man simply because he has a name that she has decided is a worthy one? Is this any less fickle than the rejection of a man as suitor to a daughter because he lacks a worthy name? Is family and heritage and reputation more important than individual character? All of these questions and about a hundred others are posed and, to some extent, answered in Oscar Wilde's witty social comedy.

It is a play of deceptions and misconceptions, double identities and double standards. Gwendolen, Algernon's cousin is in love with Earnest, but Earnest is really Jack. Jack is in love Gwendolen, but can't reveal his deception to her without losing her affection. Algernon discovers the deception and is intrigued by the discovery that his friend is the guardian to eighteen year old Cecily. Cecily, fancies herself in love with Earnest though she has never actually met him - tales of his high living have been recounted to her by Jack. Earnest proposes to Gwendolen - who accepts, but her mother, Lady Bracknell objects.  Algernon uses the excuse that his (imaginary) friend is ill and he must go to him immediately. He escapes to the country to meet the mysterious ward Cicely and pretends to be Earnest.

And that is the easy part of the plot! It all gets a whole lot more complicated, and hilarious, as the two friends try to extricate themselves from the deceptions they have created while still trying to achieve their objectives and win the hearts of their ladies!  Have you followed all of that? 

Photo: Paula Smart

It is a gem of a production with sparkling performances by the cast - particularly Kitty Parkins as Cecily Cardew, and Rachel Scott as the Honourable Gwendolen Fairfax  -  who have the audience laughing out loud. Colin Jeffrey and Richard Jack bounce off each off each as the begrudging friends, while John MacDonald and Reg White provide perfect foils to their nonsense, as the long suffering servants. 

The brilliant script by Wilde is bursting with searing one-liners that are delivered impeccably. 

This witty, fun and perfectly put together production is well worth seeing. It runs until Sat 6th April.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Spark Plug - Review - Live Theatre

Spark Plug 

Live Theatre

14th March 2019 

David Judge is one talented person, the writer and performer tells his story without really focusing on himself.

The stage is set up like a garage with a climbing frame car which certainly creates a centrepiece to the play.

Based in and around Manchester the play focuses on the relationship between David and his step dad (Dave) who is white, working class.

Dave is not seen yet you seem to have a picture of what he is like by the end.
We hear about David's Mum, Joanne who is also white.
And we hear about Dave's Real Dad (Ainsley) who is Black, making David Half Cast which in Manchester would probably be a great disadvantage. 

His situation is then made worse when his mother starts to date women!

Set in the early 90s it asks some great questions like - is blood thicker than heart? 

Having a strong relationship with my Dad (biologically related to me) and also having a step father who I've not had the strongest relationship with, I feel this show illustrates just how different as people we can be. 

With only one man on stage at all times this show manages to be packed with action and excitement - and even working windscreen wipers! This play allows you to go on a journey with Dave through David. It is 70 minutes of my life that, if I could, I would definitely repeat! 

The team behind the scenes deserve much praise, as you can't create anything this good on your own and the technical staff, sound and lighting, and direction all contribute to the success of the finished production. 

Directed by Hannah Tyrrell - Porter

Designed by Katie Scott 
With Sound by Richard Owen and Lighting by Chris James and Many Many More.

Another show not to be missed - it runs until Saturday 16th of March.

Reuben (Rubes) Hiles

Picture credit: Live Theatre/Decoy Media

Wonderland - Review - Northern Stage

Wonderland 

Northern Stage 
27th Feb 2019


Wonderland. That's a word to conjure with, isn't it? It's full of allusions and connotations and promise! Alice in Wonderland immediately springs to mind - in her strange and wonderful world down the rabbit hole, where everything is not always good and creatures talk in confusing half truths and riddles, ad who don't always have Alice's best interests at heart. Wonderland: it's aspirational, the stuff of dreams - who wouldn't want to go to there?

Set in the eighties, during the miner's strike,

Beth Steel's Wonderland is the land of miners, of  pits shafts and cages, heat and hard graft. This land is equally wonderful, and dangerous and riddled with double speaking creatures who all have something they want from Wonderland and it is not always the same thing.

Wonderland follows the fortunes of a group of Nottinghamshire miners. From the first

day dfor a couple of 17 year old rookies to the last days of the strike and the return to work. Beth Steel is a miner's daughter. I was expecting a piece that was sympathetic to the mining community, and was fully prepared for the usual polarised opinions that the miner's strike inevitably draws out. I grew up I a pit town in the Durham coalfield. Family members and friends worked in the industry - not all down the pit and not all with the same view of the strike. Miners had a strong work ethic. They were tough men doing a tough job and they were proud of it. They were also loyal - to the men they worked with and to the pit. The pit was their livelihood and they respected it. The strike took that away from them, completely and utterly. It's hardly surprising that they remain bitter in the face of what they see as a betrayal. 

What Beth Steel's Wonderland shows is the power of the mining communities pitted against the political powers and their machinations. Her portrayal is a balanced view - yes the sympathy for the miners is there but she does not shirk away from

showing all sides of the story. Not all the politicians agreed with the plan, but they were in the end self-serving - they followed the party line to preserve themselves. Those that insisted on voicing a contrary opinion were silenced, or cut out. I actually began to feel a certain sympathy for Ian MacGregor - seen as the hatchet man, he was brought in believing he was going to transform the industry and make it profitable, and he became the scapegoat. I think he was shafted almost as much as the miners. 
Equally, not all the miners support the strike - but once the wheels are in motion it's impossible stop the machine from rolling. Entitled to a vote, but given none, the strike was effectively illegal but loyalty to the union and to fellow mineworkers is the watchword and you did not dissent. You are either with, or against. No middle ground. 


All this sounds very heavy, and political and serious but this is a superbly entertain

ing, funny and emotional play. I love the incongruity of  singing and dancing miners and the humour - from the subtlest jokes to the ribald banter between the men. Act one is full of energy, laughter, music.. Act two is darker - the music has died away and the humour is blacker than the coalface. 

Wonderland is a bold, beautiful piece of theatre. It starts with a lone  miner scraping the title in coal on the grubby shutter. WONDERLAND. It's not exactly sparkling neon. The shutter curtain rolls up with industrial clatter and grinding , a sudden flash bang lights the stage for a second and we see scaffolding, rusty, and rail tracks...and the coalface, black, glistening, immense. Just for that instant there is a hint of wonder - what world is this? It ends on the forlorn, heartrending reprieve - "I am the son, of the son, of the son of collier's son". 

It is an outstanding production. Everyone who thinks they know what the miners strike was about needs to see this play. It's about the people and the politics, and the breaking of a country and it is about life and loyalty and dignity. 

Wonderland runs until 9th March.

*Photo credit Darren Bell  

Denise Sparrowhawk

Start Swimming - People's Theatre - Review

Start Swimming 

People's Theatre

February 22nd 2019

Start Swimming is the second production to be staged in the brand-new People's Theatre Studio, and the first for the youth theatre. Given the title you could think it was about swimming - but no it wasn't.

Written by James Fritz and performed brilliantly by members of the People's Youth Theatre this is a great show from start to finish.

We start with some inspirational quotes from lots of different famous people including the phrase about insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome, Albert Einstein.

Then we get onto the action. Now as someone who is an activist in politics this show is right down my alley.

I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.... this is the tag line and as an activist this is something I live by.

You know those "Keep Off the Grass" signs that you just want to kick over and walk on the grass? This idea is central to the play. 

The cast navigate a dystopian reality TV show in which they question each other; half have sashes and are the ones in 'power' and then some are without and have no authority. 

In politics especially in local levels they seem to think they really do have power! They don't! They are in authority but don't have power.

But who does have power? Is it landowners and leaders or is it people? You can make a case for all three but for me it's people. We as the people should be able to shape destiny, but who is right?

We could create a better society if we question things. But as we are human we accept second best and wait for someone else to act until we get pissed off and frustrated. Then we tell authority to Feck off.

Generation Y (as I am) are the best ones at telling authorities to do one, since we are the ones with better ideas and we understand that we NEED to be the change (something that the Millennials need to learn). You have to actually do something to get what you want.

Young people can make a difference.

But back to the play - the main person in the play has a blue sash and was not on either side of the divide but controlled both. 

The play spoke about how the world is broken and how we need to fix it.

While short in length – just over an hour – this is a great play that really connects to people and today's politics and the change that needs to happen! It’s a  great start in the  studio with some great young actors. The acapella singing is on point and in tune with the theme of the play.

On until Sat 23^rd. be quick to see it!

Reuben Hiles