Author: kristobel

Review: The Audit (The Lowry, Salford)

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Proto-Type Theatre
Proto-Type Theatre
Reviewer: Daniel Shipman
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

A play which goes into the details of the economics behind the 2008 banking crisis might sound like a pretty dull way to spend an evening, so credit to Proto-Type Theatre for not shying away from this as a subject matter.

 The Audit is a mixture of spoken word, performance, soundscapes and videos. Despite this abundance of material on stage, it never feels as though the audience is being assaulted with information. This is no mean feat considering the company communicates the economic details of the crisis in staggeringly in-depth detail. The wit and intelligence behind the spoken word sections really help here – I felt I could have listened to them for the full running time.

 In the days leading up to The Audit, I had been wondering whether the banking crisis really could act as source material for a truly relevant piece of theatre. After all, it began a decade ago at this point and, for me at least, was beginning to fade into history. But then, just hours before the show began, both Toys R Us and Maplin announced they were going into administration and I was reminded that we are still suffering from the after-shocks of the events around which the play revolves. As they say in the show, Wall Street isn’t so far away after all.

 So how do the company turn the dull and depressing facts of the banking crisis into entertainment? With theatre of course! Small props such as briefcases, coats and money (lots and lots of it) help the two performers turn the grim reality of the event into dark humour for the audience’s enjoyment. The piece only begins to falter when we are left too long without the intervention of some kind of humour. One particular section, roughly two-thirds of the way in, comes dangerously close to sounding like an economics lecture rather than a piece of theatre.

 Despite this, The Audit is worth a watch if only because of how creatively it manages to balance entertainment and education.

-Daniel Shipman

Review: Birmingham Royal Ballet: Sleeping Beauty (The Lowry, Salford)

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Birmingham Royal Ballet Sleeping Beauty
© Bill Cooper
Reviewer: Demi West
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Birmingham Royal Ballet brings the beloved fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, to life in a dazzling fantasy spectacle. Sir Peter Wright’s version of the story is as close to the original 1890 version as possible, recreating the original Russian choreography – offering a glimpse into history and culture while retaining relevance and enjoyment.

The performance takes place over four parts, the prologue, followed by three acts, which follow the story of Sleeping Beauty as modern audiences have come to know it. The prologue depicting the christening of baby Aurora is one of the weaker parts of the performance, but it built eager anticipation for the antagonist Carabosse and her haunting command of the scene. The following two acts – Aurora pricking her finger, and the prince waking her from her slumber – were as to be expected, flawless and compelling. However, most of the spectacle came from the final act, Aurora’s wedding, which was filled with an ensemble of fairy tale characters each offering a unique individualistic performance. A highlight being Puss in Boots, as not only was the choreography strikingly different, the music took on a refreshing and appropriate shift in style.

Throughout the various acts, one highlight remained: the performance of Aurora by Delia Mathews. The choreography of her character offered a platform to showcase thrilling feats of power and dedication, and Mathews stepped up to the challenge. Her performance left me bewildered and astonished, an emotion felt by the audience as a whole. However, Aurora as the protagonist can only demand the pedestal if the performance of her peers is of equal stature, and they too did not disappoint. While they do not receive the limelight to showcase themselves they created the world for her to perform. The set design, the costume, the characters, and the music all blended to create truly a delightful vision. The set and costumes looked tangible and realistic, leaving the impression that they were relics of the time they depict. The music captured the characters and the world they inhabit beautifully, and the cast that inhabited here were the perfect visualisation for this multigenerational story.

In conclusion, the Birmingham Royal Ballet should be proud of the show they have created. They have proven that while we may have changed a lot since 1890, what was beautiful then, is still beautiful now. Catch the show while you can at the Lowry Theatre in Manchester.

-Demi West
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty runs at The Lowry until Saturday 3rd March 2018.

Preview: Playing God at The HatWorks Museum, Stockport

kristobel
Playing God at The HatWorks Museum
Playing God at The HatWorks Museum
Written Freya Lewis
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED, BUT SOPHIA IS DESPERATE TO MAINTAIN NORMALITY. SO WHEN THE CARROT IS DANGLED, SHE GRABS IT – IF THINGS CAN GO BACK TO HOW THEY WERE.

This year, Mike Heath brings us a corporate comedy, inspired by Erving Goffman’s Total Institution. The play debuts in Stockport’s Studio Salford, as a product of Viaduct Theatre, fronting Stockport’s independent theatre scene.

Directed by Leni Murphy and starring Antonio Whitehead, Greg Kelly, John Tuert, and Helen O’Hara, this Maureen O’Neil produced piece explores the entrapment of our corporate world, and how this can stifle identity.

After five years of development, ‘Playing God’ has shifted from a devised rehearsal room project to being granted ‘Arts Council’ funding and into a fully-fledged play. The team aim to communicate the themes and situations that creeping corporation leads us to in our everyday working lives.

Mike Heath said:  “The piece explores the way in which we’re sleepwalking into a corporate world that is subtly eroding our rights – the spin, and the corporate bullshit that has invaded our verbal palette, reducing the individual into a number who no longer has human needs.”

The painful resonation is sure to hit home, as a happy workforce are forced into change my a mystery take over of their company by a powerful company. It explores the blind acceptance to corporate regime that erodes identity and understanding of the world around them in a workplace context.

The play explores how corporation has changed our lives. However the narrative also explores physical comedy in a dark context. The fun that Heath clung onto during production creates an articulate black comedy that may be just a little too close to home.

‘Playing God’ seems to promise a treat for the working classes in a beautiful, arguably Marxist production that explores what most of those working have probably thought about before.

Playing God runs from Wednesday 28th February until Saturday 3rd March 2018 at the HatWorks Museum, Wellington Mill, SK3 0EU.

 

 

Review: On the Outskirts of a Large Event at HOME, Manchester

kristobel
© Joanna Higson
© Joanna Higson
Reviewer: Daniel Shipman
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

On the Outskirts of a Large Event is the debut touring production of Sheffield-based theatre company The Bare Project. It features two performers – Nicola Blackwell and Rose Gray – their on-stage relationship has obviously had a lot of work put into it. Despite being given almost no information about the characters throughout the course of the play, the dynamic way the two interact is constantly interesting to watch.

 The play deals, in a unique and strange way, with issues of climate change, populism and memory. Handouts given to the audience labels The Bare Project’s style of theatre as ‘magic realist and experimental’ and this is an effective way of describing the stylistic nature of the production.

 The play does not totally reject the notion of a plot, but it certainly doesn’t tell a story in any straightforward manner. Opening with the character of Lucien regaining consciousness after a mysterious head injury, the audience are forced to experience the disorientation of having almost no facts to cling to. This is a clever device, enabling empathy in the absence of any established character, but the cryptic nature of the dialogue quickly becomes quite irritating.

 The piece also contains a nod to the role that the media has to play in issues such as the demonisation of immigrants. The quickfire, hysterical and almost non-sensical headlines read out by the two performers are hilarious for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on, perhaps because they helped the audience realise how close to absurd the real world is.

 My personal highlight of the piece was the projections, provided by Will Monks. Cast on to five tall pieces of translucent material which were suspended from the ceiling, these complemented the action perfectly and provided a gorgeous backdrop which I could have stared at for hours. The set, featuring a large circle of grey sand, was another of the play’s strong suits.

 If you’re tired of conventional plot and character, On the Outskirts of a Large Event will be a welcome change.

-Daniel Shipman

On the Outskirts of a Large Event runs at HOME, Manchester until Saturday 24th February 2018 – tickets are available here.

The Bare Project are also running a ‘Theatre, Democracy and Imagination’ Workshop of The Bare Project, led by Artistic Director Malaika Cunningham, on Friday 23 Feb at 5pm (tickets £3).

Review: The Replacement Child at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester

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The-Replacement-Child-image

Reviewer: Charlie Spargo
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In Belfast-based writer Vittoria Caffola’s The Replacement Child, we hear the story of the birth of Grace (Caroline Read) from her distant father, whom she has confronted not long after her 18th birthday.
She demands to hear about who her mother really was and what happened to her. Her father, Oscar (Rupert Hill), relents and reveals the truth, presented in three concurrent and weaving storylines – the present day as the story is told, the day of Grace’s birth, and a separate period as the couple attempt parenthood. As more hidden questions are answered, more continue to arise.
The three situations are visited in turn by characters seamlessly moving between different parts of the set. The design is instantly striking upon entering the space at Hope Mill – both the lighting and set design, by Adam Murdoch and Sorcha Corcoran respectively, were superb.
The play explores parenthood and strained relationships with rawness and honesty, and rarely pulls punches – with highly-charged moments between the small cast of just four. At times – particularly towards the beginning – the writing wobbled, but a number of compelling and meaningful speeches and soliloquies came throughout.
It makes great use of multimedia too – with music and video effectively setting the mood, building tension and sometimes a feeling of discomfort as more difficult themes are explored.
Clare Cameron as Jude, the mother Grace never met, gave a particularly powerful performance. She was at various times bitter, passionate, remorseful and caring – and really drew you into the story as a whole. Managing to realistically portray labour is highly impressive, too. As founder of Abooo Theatre, the production company, Cameron is clearly committed to a realistic and believable portrayal of parenting.
At a few points, the actors’ performances risked becoming lost – in the intimate, 100-seat space there wasn’t much chance of that happening, but in a larger venue, some of their lines would have failed to travel. It was also a shame certain emotionally-charged moments that could have been quite stirring lacked the necessary power and passion at times and were a little understated.
The Replacement Child does a good job of creating a story filled with revelations, emotion and an understanding of failed relationships. Through strong characterisation and excellent production, it makes its mark.
-Charlie Spargo
The Replacement Child Runs at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester until 23rd February 2018.

Review: The Newspaper Boy at 53Two, Manchester

kristobel

NPB-Brochure-Graphic-1-785x486

Reviewer: Daniel Shipman
Upstaged Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

First of all, congratulations to Queer Contact on a hugely successful tenth anniversary festival. Manchester is home to some brilliant queer performance – of which The Newspaper Boy is just one example – and Contact are doing a stellar job of bringing this to a wider audience.

Set in 1992, the play tells the story of Christian (Daniel Maley) who lives with his single mother, Sharon (Samantha Siddall) and is frequently visited by his grandmother, Jean (Karen Henthorn). Aged fifteen, Christian lands a role on the nation’s favourite soap opera and begins exploring a hedonistic lifestyle with his castmate Mandy (Hollie-Jay Bowes) and her foster brother, 21-year-old Max (Sam Retford). Christian develops a relationship with Max which causes scandal in the national newspapers and rocks Christian’s home life and his career.

The play engages with themes like the difficulties of coming out and homophobic legal inequality, especially in the age of consent (which was not equalised until 2000). Forgive me if that sounds like a heavy night at the theatre, it is quite the opposite. Chris Hoyle’s writing ensures that the play balances these themes with the perfect amount of humour. Even in the darkest moments, a genuine belly laugh is never far away. Hoyle’s eye for the mannerisms of working-class Manchester is outstanding. Simon Naylor’s direction is strong, and the use of the ensemble to establish the hectic set of a soap opera works particularly well.

My main criticism would be the almost total disappearance of Max and Mandy in the second act. It is interesting to see the effect that being forcibly outed by national newspapers has on Christian, but I longed to see what impact the story had on Max as well.

Despite disappearing in the second act, special mention must go to Bowes who turns Mandy from what could have been a spoilt, irritating character in to an absolute joy to watch. Bowes makes the most of every line and it results in some glorious moments. Similarly, Henthorn transforms the character of Jean from stereotypical nana to a source of both humour and heart in the production.

All in all, The Newspaper Boy is a gripping story, well written and featuring a host of brilliant performances. What more could you ask for?

-Daniel Shipman

The Newspaper Boy runs at 53Two, Manchester until 24th February 2018

PREVIEW: Funny Women Awards : Regional Finals

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This month, the Funny Women Awards: Regional Finals returns for its fifteenth year of running, with a Manchester date of 28th February
at Tribeca at 7:30 pm.

Funny Women Awards 2018
Funny Women Awards 2018
Written by Freya Lewis

The staggeringly popular ceremony, with 400 applicants for the Stage Award alone, has now whittled down to 70 female comedians of to compete at the regional final stage. Previous winners include Katherine Ryan,  Sarah Millican and Harriet Braine, and the search for the next female comedy icon promises to be a real showstopper.

Funny Women founder, Lynne Parker said, “Women have such a strong and important voice in the comedy industry and so many of today’s big names have taken part in the awards at the beginning of their careers. I am excited to see who comes next!”

The regional finals with produce six winners, with two ‘wild card’ acts to make it to the Grand Final of the competition, leaving eight finalists in total.

Funny Women is also now partnered with UN Women National Committee UK, inspired by the renowned HeForShe solidarity movement for gender equality, and the monitoring board will be composed of male and female comedians together. This follows 2016’s successful pairing of the finalists with celebrity female comedians, including Sara Pascoe, Ellie Taylor, Jan Ravens, Zoe Lyons, Tiffany Stevenson and Shazia Mirza.

Laura Haynes, Chair, UN Women National Committee UK said: ”We are delighted to confirm the Funny Women Awards as one of our signature events for HeForShe London Arts Week 2018 in support of UN Women… The arts guide and reflect culture by helping people to re-think established norms and explore challenging topics in a thoughtful way.”

Funny Women promises to be a hilarious, amazing night to perfectly encapsulate the hilarity and positivity that women possess. It encourages a brilliant message to help adapt a male-dominated industry. Only 25% of comedians are women, and so for this ceremony to shed light on some of our countries most uproarious female characters promises to be a treat for those wanting a change for the better.

The 2017 Funny Women Awards are sponsored by Comedy Central, Why Did the Chicken, Women in Comedy Festival, Soho Theatre, Women’s Radio Station, Oliver Bonas, Starling Bank and MOO.

-Freya Lewis

To find out more and book for Manchester’s Funny Women regional final click here.

PREVIEW: The Kitchen Sink at Oldham Coliseum

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Tom Wells’ The Kitchen Sink opens at Oldham Coliseum this Friday

CREDIT: Oldham Coliseum
CREDIT: Oldham Coliseum
Written By Freya Lewis
The Kitchen Sink Runs at Oldham Coliseum from Friday 9th February – Saturday 24th February.

Tom Wells is one of the UK’s most innovative and intriguing young writers, and The Kitchen Sink is what struck him into status in the theatre world, leading to his Most Promising Playwright Award at the Critics’ Circle Awards and the George Divine Award for Most Promising Playwright, plus a nomination for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

Sponsored by the New Charter group, this follows, from the same team, Tom Wells’ Jumpers for Goalposts in 2016; Director Chris Lawson and Designer Anna Reid.

The play presents us with a wild look into an unusual family situation, along with an amazing northern cast. A hilarious, modern family drama that makes us think what family really means when one has huge dreams in a little town. Chris Lawson commented: “Tom Wells writes stories that matter; we relate to them because they reflect real life.”

Sue Devany, star of Dinnerladies, Casualty and Coronation Street maintains her Oldham roots as Kath. She said “When I knew my favourite local theatre, Oldham Coliseum, was doing The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells I was over the moon…  It’s a play full of hope, humour and love.”

The play also features This Is England’s Will Travis, Hollyoak’s David Judge, alongside the outstanding young talent of Sam Glen and Emily Stott.

Here we have a Japanese Christmas Dinner and a gangster gran, along with maybe a little too much of Dolly Parton. And, of course, the kitchen sink.

The Kitchen Sink follows Kath, working two jobs with an interesting cooking passion as she attempts to keep her family on track. Her husband, Martin’s milk float is falling apart along with his business. Billy’s lost confidence in his painting and Sophie’s dreams of becoming a Ju Jitsu teacher have crumbled after punching her sensei in the face.

This charming Oldham theatre is sure to impress, and this beautiful Northern tale of a regular, extraordinary family is unmissable.

-Freya Lewis

 

Review: Hamlet at The Lowry, Salford Quays

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©Manuel Harlan
©Manuel Harlan
Guest Reviewer: Ciaran Ward
Upstaged Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Following on from a critically successful production of Hamlet in 2016, the Royal Shakespeare Company opens their 2018 tour of the play at The Lowry, bringing forth the return of Paapa Essiedu as the eponymous character and a vibrant reinterpretation of one of the Bard’s most renowned tragedies.

 The five-act play – following Hamlet’s efforts to avenge the late King of Denmark (portrayed by Ewart James Walters) by murdering his usurping uncle Claudius (Clarence Smith) – finds itself in a contemporary setting through Simon Goodwin’s thoughtful direction. Despite the prevalence of modern clothing and objects, the play retains its originality by conforming to the prosody of Shakespeare’s text – enabling Goodwin to punctuate the plight inherent in Ophelia’s (Mimi Ndiweni) verse and the comic moments of the Gravedigger’s (also played by Walters) prose.

 Though the mournful dénouement stands out in the performance, the juxtaposition elicited through the liveliness of the percussive and woodwind instruments (directed by Phil James) that recurs throughout the scenes, guarantees the construction of a rounded theatrical experience for the audience. The director ensures that the expanse of the stage is effectively utilised, with the growing emotional distance present between Hamlet and the other characters, often being symbolised through their physical distance on stage.

 The protagonist’s soliloquies are executed with significant flair throughout. The hesitation of Hamlet’s question ‘to be, or not to be’ is casually expressed in a vein counter to the often melodramatic approach taken by other actors – epitomising Essiedu’s unique take on the role. An emphasis is subsequently placed upon this hesitation, with the climax depicting Hamlet holding a gun to his uncle’s head, serving as a powerful cliff-hanger that precedes the interval of the play.

The visual aesthetic of the production is never compromised: elaborate set designs ranging from the King’s materialistic court to the minimalistic graveyard are skillfully crafted by Paul Wills, thereby illustrating a world both mesmerising and frightening. Kev McCurdy’s work as Fight Director deserves equal praise, with the fight between Hamlet and Laertes (Buom Tihngang) instigating the suspense that lasts until the curtain fall.

For any production of Shakespeare’s plays, performance is key. This production, however, not only boasts engaging performances but situates them in a dynamic theatrical setting –enabling the entire cast and crew to assert this show as a compelling production that reflects the virtues of the theatre.

-Ciaran Ward

Review: Nina – A Story About Me and Nina Simone at The Lowry, Salford Quays

kristobel
© Fulton MacCallum
© Fulton MacCallum
Guest Reviewer: Daniel Shipman
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nina – A Story About Me and Nina Simone is not a tribute concert or a jukebox musical based on Simone’s songs. It is a powerful and totally contemporary take on racial politics, which utilises the potent political element in Simone’s music that you may not have even noticed was there. The show is effectively an 80-minute monologue, interspersed with songs. As the title suggests, it is intensely personal and could not be performed by anyone else

From the moment Josette Bushell-Mingo coolly strolls on to the stage whilst the house lights are still up, it is clear that you are about to witness a masterclass in audience engagement. Before a word is spoken or a note is played, Bushell-Mingo’s casually confident demeanour has the audience on her side.  Whilst this is an extraordinary feat, it is also totally necessary for this piece to work. The first few lines set the scene of a Nina Simone concert in 1969 and the audience responds to each line with applause and cheers like the crowd at a concert would.

The stage is set up simply, as if for a concert – there is a double bass (played by Neville Malcolm), drums (Shaney Forbes) and a piano (Shapor Bastansiar) all in front of a large curtain which doubles as a screen for projections. In the final number, the band are named one-by-one and receive rapturous applause. It is thoroughly deserved, they provide the perfect musical backing to some of the finest moments in the show, with Bushell-Mingo twirling enchanting shapes around the stage as if channelling the spirit of Nina Simone herself.

Despite the heavy politics of the evening, and the message that very little has changed in terms of society’s inherent racism in the decades since Simone’s protest songs were first written and sung, the show mainly stays surprisingly light. The only exception to occurs roughly halfway through, following an archive clip of Simone saying she wishes she could take up a gun against the racists of the southern states. Even in this, a grim subject covered in a simple yet very powerful way, Bushell-Mingo continually appeals to the audience, asking them ‘stay with me’.

It works. The performers and audience come out the other side feeling as though they have truly experienced a transformation together. And at the final bows, the multiple standing ovations and shouts of ‘more!’ show just how much the audience enjoyed it.

-Daniel Shipman

Nina runs at The Lowry until 3rd February 2018 and you can get your tickets here.