Lillian Henley Archives - UPSTAGED MANCHESTER

My Favourite Productions of 2015

It has been an exciting year for Upstaged Manchester and I feel blessed and nostalgic as I remember the productions that have lifted my heart, helped me to question and generally captivated me this year. Here is a list of my theatrical highlights for 2015.

Yen at The Royal Exchange

I couldn’t shake this 2013 Bruntwood Prize Winner by Anna Jordan for quite a while – it left my mind doing somersaults. Jordan’s phenomenal writing and her vivid characters combined with Ned Bennett’s clever direction and Georgia Lowe’s sparse set design gave an unforgettable fusion of total brilliance.

Nirbhaya at The Contact Theatre

This brave, real and haunting piece of work, exploring the effect of the brutal attack that Jyoti Singh endured on board a bus in Delhi on December 16th 2012, stopped me in my tracks and left me speechless. A perfect example of the role that theatre has in spreading an important message and how art can bring about change.

Shooting With Light at The Lowry

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This is by far the best production I have ever seen in the Lowry Studio – slick choreography and an atmospheric soundscape. Idol Motion will certainly be a theatre company that I will be looking out for in 2016.

The Rolling Stone at The Royal Exchange

The Rolling Stone had me captivated – on the edge of my seat throughout. With outstanding performances from all, Chris Urch’s Bruntwood Prize Winner about the persecution of gay men in Uganda stays with you for a long time. I am so pleased that it is being performed at Orange Tree Theatre in January and February of 2016.

Boeing Boeing at Oldham Coliseum

I had never seen a farce done well – until I saw this version of Boeing Boeing directed by Robin Herford. An energetic production with an outstanding cast – their timing and delivery was impeccable. It really lifted my heart to see the performance propelled along by gasps, laughter and impromptu applause from the audience.

Beautiful Thing at The Lowry

The combination of Jonathan Harvey’s brilliant writing and Nikolai Foster’s intelligent direction managed to bring out every nuance in the script – I found myself noticing elements that I hadn’t fully appreciated in previous interpretations. This production felt like a celebration and a salute to how far rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people have come over the last 20 years, and a recognition that we still have a fair way to go.

Kafka’s Monkey at HOME

What an accomplished performer Kathryn Hunter is – such a rich tone and incredible physicality. Masterfully directed by Walter Meierjohann, I feel blessed to have witnessed a performance like this – this show certainly put Manchester’s new arts space HOME on the map.

Golem at HOME

A true theatrical spectacle and a perfect amalgam of animation, live performance, music and claymation. Golem was like nothing that I had ever seen before – sharp interaction between the performers, Paul Barritt’s eye-popping animation and Lillian Henley’s brilliant silent movie-esque score.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at The Lowry

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a tremendous piece of theatre – a perfect collaboration with outstanding performances throughout. Gripping and heartfelt – the perfect example of the power that theatre has to change the way that we view the world.

Wicked at The Lowry

Emily Tierney as Glinda & Ashleigh Gray as Elphaba. ©Matt Crockett

Well, I’m a big fan of Wicked and despite having seen the production before it just gets better and better for me every time. With magnificent music and lyrics, Wicked is a theatrical feast for your eyes, ears and hearts.

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you – thank you for all of your support this year.

Wishing you all the best in 2016.

-Kristy Stott

GOLUM: A 1927 Production © Bernard Mueller — GOLEM: A 1927 Production
© Bernard Mueller

Date: 7 october 2015

Upstaged Rating:

I was thrilled to attend HOME in Manchester last night to watch the weird and wonderful production, GOLEM by theatre company 1927 Productions. Following rave reviews at the Young Vic and then the West End, I was eager to find out what the Northern audience would make of this unique piece of theatre which fuses animation, live performance, music and claymation.

Golem is like nothing I have ever seen before. It is a potent 90 minute brew of witty animation and quirky physicality – the sharp interaction between the performers and Paul Barritt’s eye popping animation is skilful and is carried along smoothly by Lillian Henley’s brilliant silent movie-esque score.

Greeted by the voiceover ‘We live in a world where people want for nothing, we are safe and secure – we are progressive’ we are introduced to the family, librarian Annie (Charlotte Dubery), her nerdy brother Robert (Shamira Turner) and their Granny (Rose Robinson).They are a creepy looking crew who look as though they have been peeled from the pages of a Roald Dahl book. Annie fronts a punk band called Annie and the Underdogs, whose members consist of her gawky brother Robert and their equally awkward looking peers.

Writer and director Suzanne Andrade turns the Jewish myth of bumbling clay monster Golem into a modern day commentary on consumer capitalism, when Robert visits the sleazy inventor Phil Sylocate (Will Close) to purchase a Golem of his very own.

Golem, with the silky voice of Ben Whitehead from Wallace and Gromit, reminds me of Tony Hart’s Morph except considerably more well endowed. At first the heavy setted clay creature seems kind and helpful when he speeds through Robert’s work ‘backing up the back-up’ at the technology company. Though, it soon becomes apparent that Golem is a strike at technology and and how quickly it can take over. With Robert now a more fashionable version of himself and with a girlfriend in tow – it’s only a matter of time before Golem version 2 is released ‘ Move with the times or you’ll be left behind’ it repeats – speedier, compact and even more controlling.

Throughout the duration, the clever animated backdrop of independent shops loses itself to chain stores; the silly dives that Robert and his friends used to skulk around in become strip clubs – all reflective of a city losing its flavour to advertising and big business.

Golem manages to integrate every single artistic element immaculately – from the writing to the lighting scheme. The animation becomes a character of its very own – with the actors popping their heads through windows and doors in the screen as the Looney Tune style spotlight finds them. The energetic cast of five play many different characters between them with Lillian Henley and Will Close also nipping about to play the live soundtrack on the keyboard and drums either side of the stage.

Golem is a true theatrical spectacle, inventive and perfectly synchronised – but don’t just take my word for it, go see for yourselves…