Mental health is a tricky subject to write about in any context, let alone make theatre about. And yet, despite this difficulty, we all know that it is necessary to keep talking about it in order to dispel the myths and the stigma surrounding the topic.
With Burnout, emerging playwright Selina Helliwell does a great job of dealing with this problem. The play follows one night in a 24-hour gym as the members and the staff come to terms with the disappearance of Raf, a regular gym-goer. Whilst the reasons for his disappearance remain ambiguous, the strain exposes the problems and fears which the characters have been hiding. Despite this dark set-up, Burnout juggles humour and pathos to keep the audience entertained without straying from the central theme. This is helped by a well-paced script which never lingers too long on any character.
If anything, this does become a problem after a while. The play touches on the struggles faced by all seven characters, but a short running time of just over an hour meant that some relationships felt rushed. I wanted to spend more time getting to know the characters, and so the play would perhaps have benefitted from having a smaller cast.
The performances are strong, with Elise (Helliwell) and Daniel (Tom Sullivan) forming a solid core for the cast to work around. Whether talking to each other or directly to the audience through monologues, each performer expresses the worries of their character in a way that allows the audience to understand and identify with them.
Burnout is not without its problems, but it is a great example of how theatre can deal with challenging issues and still entertain.
-Daniel Shipman
Burnout runs at 3MT, Manchester until Saturday 25th August 2018.
HEDDA GABLER UK Tour 2017/2018 Royal National Theatre London PHOTO CREDIT: BrinkhoffMögenburg
Guest Reviewer: Gillian POtter-Merrigan
Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Creating a new version of a classic is always a mission fraught with danger.Will the original mood of the play be lost in translation?I am happy to report, that with a few minor details, the National Theatre’s new adaptation of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler by Patrick Marber manages largely to retain the same malevolent and desperate tone as the original whilst updating the story both visually and adding another layer with the inclusion of musical interludes.
Hedda is trapped in a marriage she despises – slowly losing her grip on herself and those around her. Lizzy Watts‘ Hedda is depicted with an underplayed desperation that remains just a whisper from insanity. The whole cast move seamlessly from cowed to controlling within the narrative providing a fine ensemble performance.However, Adam Best as Bract, the judge and some would say the jury on Hedda, stands out in his role as the eventual winner in the game of mental cat and mouse with a shocking denouement that drives Hedda to her last act of nonconformity albeit one which will create the scandal she has always feared.
The desperation of the characters is palpable largely to a perfect set designed by Jan Versweyweld; a blank cold white box with the characters observed like rats trapped in a box.Blinds filter the sun to become prison bars and the lighting is used by Verweywald to show the shifting dynamics within the group, especially the use of shadows. At the start, Hedda’s shadow looms large over the others but with her increasing inability to manipulate the story that unfolds her shadow decreases mirroring her own waning influence.The lighting as we watch Hedda breathe her last is particularly bleak. The staging also cleverly extends to using the spaces within the auditorium to include the audience along with the placing of the actors on the stage, stepping forward only when their roles dictate.This mechanism gives the play an almost doll’s house feel with characters being played with by both the audience and Hedda only when they are needed.
A couple of things are confusing; if there is an entry screen for the front door why is other technology missing?Also, the positioning of the entry screen largely obscures it from the audience. However, these are merely footnotes in what is an unmissable provoking and entertaining retelling of Ibsen’s treaty on the female psyche.
However these minor issues aside it is a mesmerising and reflective production and, unlike Hedda, you could wish for nothing more.
-Gillian Potter-Merrigan
Hedda Gabler runs at The Lowry, Salford Quays until 4th November 2017.
Taha follows the inspiring story of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammed Ali (Amer Hlehel) – a story of humanity and hardship, hope and devastation, opportunity and misfortune, discovery and challenge, achievement and survival. The story is told from the perspective of Taha, recounting his life journey in a nostalgic, fireside storyteller style.
The stage design (Ashraf Hanna) was starkly minimal, a successful means for Taha’s story to hold the stage alone, supported by the thoughtful use of simplistic lighting (Muaz Jubeh) and carefully considered musical interjections (Shehadeh Habib Hanna) to punctuate the production. Deliberately unattractive bursts of strings accompanied the tone of adversity well. Even Taha’s wardrobe was understated and modest, a reflection of the title character and also a non-distraction from the story’s message.
Born to parents who had suffered tragic losses and were cautious to celebrate him, Taha was a curious and creative boy, who recognised at a young age there was a role for him in taking care of his family. Keen to develop himself and provide, the audience followed Taha’s transition from inquisitive boy to proud and resourceful young man, who grew to earn celebration by others. Taha’s love of culture, learning and poetry was portrayed beautifully by Hlehel. Poetry marked a range of poignant hopeful to crushing life events and was translated and projected onto a screen behind Taha, recited simultaneously. The use of language in this way was powerful and gave Taha credibility and integrity whilst reaching across the audience.
Against a backdrop of adversity, religion, politics, war and loss, the story of Taha and his poetry is more concerned with the emotions and fortitude of his human experience and is told in a heart-warming and self-deprecating style. Like Taha’s poetry, the story gives the modest and relevant message that our focus should be drawn to humanity, informed but not dominated by surrounding politics. Looking around at the audience, they watched with an air of respect and endearment. Amer Hlehel delivered his solo performance as Taha with an honesty and authenticity which engaged the audience throughout, demonstrating a true talent for conveying human experience and emotion, generating empathy for Taha with ease. Hlehel deserved his enthusiastic applause from an audience entirely on their feet at the end.
A thoughtful production with superb acting and direction (Amir Mizar Zuabli), though as a solo performance, for me, it was just a little too lengthy.
Hope Mill Theatre swung open its doors to the European premiere of Yank! – a love story set during the second world war between two soldiers, Mitch and our protagonist Stu.
Stu (Scott Hunter) is a 19-year-old who is drafted into the army and immediately becomes the outsider. Stu is soon whisked away from the front line when he has a chance encounter with a photographer from Yank, the forces’ weekly magazine, a gay man’s haven and the production’s namesake. The photographer Artie, played brilliantly by Chris Kiely, exudes charm and sass – the tap dance number between him and Stu stole the first half for me.
Having been nominated for seven Drama Desk awards for the original in 2010, the play tackles notions of institutionalised homophobia expertly, especially through the character of Mitch (Barnaby Hughes). The story’s success hinges itself on the stark contrast between our two leads, Stu’s wide-eyed naivety and the worldly Mitch with his Hollywood charm. It is Stu’s personal journey that is the most effective device in the narrative, growing from the scared and confused 19-year-old to the brave and open reporter.
The lighting and set design which was incorporated in the second half is worthy of note, especially when done on a budget. My only criticism of the performance would be that the songs seemed to be arrived at rather suddenly; the transitions could have been delivered much less abruptly.
The hero of the night has to be Sarah-Louise Young, who didn’t just portray one character but several throughout the performance. Personifying each and every mother or wife, Young illustrated great strength and versatility in both performance and vocal style. It seemed her various appearances bookmarked a new chapter in Stu’s journey. Chris Cuming and James Baker must be applauded for their direction and choreography.
For a production to almost scream Broadway, you’d be forgiven to think that the cast and crew have arrived at the wrong venue. This was my first visit to Hope Mill and I found myself completely blown away by the quality of the fringe. The production was made all the more special by being held at Hope Mill Theatre. The theatre, barely a year old, has already resurrected once controversial productions long thought lost. Productions that tackle antisemitism in the US with Parade and now with the triumph that is Yank!.
Reaching a genuinely moving conclusion, Yank! received a well-deserved standing ovation. Running until the 8th April, the production is polished, genuine and full of class.
– Elise Gallagher
Yank! runs at Hope Mill Theatre until April 8th 2017 and you can book tickets here.
With all of the big Christmas shows in full swing, it feels like a good time to look back at the highlights of a busy year for theatre in Manchester. Here are Upstaged Manchester’s theatrical highlights of 2016. Which shows would make your list?
Wit at The Royal Exchange
Julie Hesmondhalgh’s portrayal of Dr Vivian Bearing, an American Professor who finds herself diagnosed with advanced metastatic ovarian cancer, was striking and raw – nothing short of magnificent. Cancer is a hard subject matter to tackle on stage, especially in a performance as honest as this. Wit had everything. Powerful enough to make some cry and poignant enough to make everyone laugh, think and discuss.
I am just so pleased that The Girls is on its way to the West End and is set to open at London’s Phoenix Theatre from January 2017. The collaboration between Gary Barlow and Tim Firth is a perfect recipe for success. Hilarious and heartbreaking all at the same time, I spent most of Act 2 looking through a blur because my eyes were so teary from laughing and crying at the same time. Just fabulous.
Husbands & Sons at The Royal Exchange
Husband’s & Sons had the perfect line-up of creatives and performers – all of the best in the field working together on one show. Director Marianne Elliott, of War Horse and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, at the helm of a truly phenomenal cast – including Ann-Marie Duff and Louise Brealey. Fused with Bunny Christie’s ingenious design, Husband’s & Sons was heartfelt and gritty. So good, I wanted to watch it all over again.
The Encounter at HOME
A strikingly different theatre experience to anything that I have witnessed before. Every member of the audience is issued with a set of headphones and using cutting edge audio technology is transported to the Amazonian rainforest and into the head of Loren McIntyre, a stranded photojournalist. The Encounter is gripping, an adventure story which gets inside your head. Literally.
Parade at Hope Mill Theatre
I always enjoy James Baker’s productions massively – with every show he raises the bar of the Manchester Fringe Theatre scene a little higher. Parade was nothing short of a triumph. The dimly lit, eerie walls of Manchester’s newest performance space, Hope Mill Theatre added a further dimension to the production – intimate and powerful, something quite special.
Origins at The Lowry Theatre
Origins by Animikii Theatre. Developed with The Lowry.
An intense new piece of physical theatre by Animikii Theatre Company exploring the story of the world’s first murderer: the killing of Cain by his brother Abel. Captivating storytelling communicated only through movement and sound. Adam Davies and Charles Sandford are highly skilled performers and with every detail loaded to perfection, Animikii Theatre Company are certainly ones I’ll be watching out for in the future.
Rambert: A Linha Curva at The Lowry
Now in their 90th year and still leading the dance world with their innovative and exhilarating dance works. A Linha Curva is sensual, witty and terribly good. The dancers are faultless, moving alongside each other in a truly intoxicating display. Rambert may be 90 this year but they show no sign of standing still.
Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes at The Lowry
Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes ~Ashley Shaw as Victoria Page~
The Red Shoes is a breathtaking balletic display – a beautifully tragic tale poignantly told. Terry Davies’ musical score, using the music of golden-age Hollywood, and Lez Brotherston’s ornate set and dazzling costumes ooze 1940’s glamour. Following it’s sell out run in 2016, it returns again to The Lowry in July 2017. So if you didn’t catch it this time round, get your ticket booked for next year!
With its irresistible Cy Coleman musical score, supervised by Nigel Lilley and directed by Mark Aspinall, played superbly by a live band; an ensemble that dazzle and a top-notch central performance from Kaisa Hammarlund – Derek Bond’s Sweet Charity is an absolute must-see. At the Royal Exchange until 28th January 2018 – there is still plenty of time to bag a ticket. You’re welcome.
REVIEWER: CIARAN WARD
A Streetcar Named Desire at The Royal Exchange
Sarah Frankcom’s adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ modern domestic tragedy, ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, was an exhilarating piece of theatre that warranted much more than a five-week run. Maxine Peake’s effortless performance as the fallen Blanche DuBois was every bit as riveting and worthy of acclaim as her predecessors, Vivien Leigh and Gillian Anderson.
REVIEWER: DEMI WEST
GM Fringe 2016: Fast Fringe at The Dancehouse Theatre
The ‘GM Fringe 2016: Fast Fringe’ show was by far the most memorable comedy that I have enjoyed this year. The selection box of comedians kept the show fresh, each offering a diverse style of comedy that was sure to please all audience members. The Fast Fringe is a brilliant way to sample and discover different comedians, along with guaranteed laughs.
Merry Christmas to each and every one of you – thank you for all of your support this year.
A curtain featuring a pretty painted seaside picture lifts slowly to reveal Tom Piper’s suitably grimy set – rusty, damp and closed off from the world. There are two small windows offering a peek outside, but you’ll need a ladder to reach them and a cloth to clean them. Samuel Beckett’s Endgame is an extraordinary piece of writing, a classic of modern theatre and this collaboration between the Citizens Theatre and HOME is as vital and as macabre as it should be.
Taking on the roles of chair bound and blind master Hamm and his dutiful servant Clov are Coronation Street favourites, David Neilson aka Roy Cropper and Chris Gascoyne, who plays Peter Barlow. Existing somewhere between life and death, far from the cobbles and chatter of Weatherfield, Hamm (David Neilson) and Clov (Chris Gascoyne)are inextricably bound to one another and spend their existence verbally brawling at each other. Hamm’s parents, Nagg (Peter Kelly) and Nell (Barbara Rafferty) occupy two bins on the stage offering Hamm a glimpse of memory and nostalgia.
Director Dominic Hill brings out every bit of detail in the script, finding new subtlety and absolute meaning in the bleak and absurd world that the characters inhabit. Endgame is not without humour – dark but strangely uplifting at the same time, and it is this ambiguity, masterfully brought out by Hill, that makes it so compelling.
Neilson and Gascoyne give striking physical performances throughout, their peculiar and repetitive traits build upon Beckett’s very particular stage directions. Chris Gascoyne’s timing and physicality as Clov is superb; unable to sit down and constantly threatening to leave, he excels in bringing out the elements of slapstick. David Neilson is brilliant as Hamm, intelligent and matter-of-fact, nothing is rushed here and every word is loaded with meaning.
I read somewhere that Gascoyne and Neilson, having been in Coronation Street, are hoping to bring in an audience who possibly haven’t been to the theatre or haven’t seen any of Beckett’s work before, which is a really positive thought. On the evening that I attended, I was thrilled to sit next to the world’s leading Beckett scholar James Knowlson OBE – a personal friend of Beckett and writer of his biography, Damned to Fame. Amidst the noisy applause, James Knowlson was shouting his approval and later described the production to me as ‘extraordinary’. Now that has to be a worthy testimonial.
-Kristy Stott
Endgame is on at HOME, Manchester (2 Tony Wilson Place, M15 4FN) until Saturday 12th March 2016 and you can click here for tickets.
2016 marks the 400th anniversary year of William Shakespeare’s death and so it seems fitting that HOME are kicking off their new season with an intense, engaging and unsettling adaptation of the Bard’s Macbeth.
Directed by Carrie Cracknell and Lucy Guerin, this production is startlingly different to any other versions of Macbeth I have seen before. It’s a highly visual production exploring the main themes of Macbeth’s breakdown and the supernatural through a fusion of Shakespeare’s original words and stunning choreography.
The stage is set like a concrete tunnel – there is no muddy battlefield and death does not occur by the sword. LizzieClachan’s claustrophobic but clever set design shifts and opens to reveal torture rooms where executions are carried out by suffocation or electrocution. Bodies wrapped in plastic bags and duct tape are moved about the stage; plastic bags are used to suffocate and transparent plastic suits are worn by the soldiers. There is a lot of plastic used in this production – even the tablecloth in the banquet scene is sterile, wipe-down plastic – all fully suggestive of the unnatural world that Macbeth inhabits and the supernatural theme running through the original text.
Neil Austin’s eerie lighting design really intensifies the production, clinical blue-white lights cast menacing silhouettes and flash lighting reveals bursts of violence and brutality. Lurking in the depths are the three Witches Ana Beatriz Meireles, JessieOshodi and Clemmie Sveaas. A dominant force, they use little speech but contort and glide unpredictably about the stage – the few words and sounds they make are woven into their fluid movements. And this production is at its best when the text and movement are fully integrated.
John Heffernan impresses as Macbeth, his physicality perfectly representative of a man overrun by mania. Fully committed to the requirements of this adaptation – from the erratic behaviour and uncontrollable laughter in the banquet scene to the measured low pitch tone of his soliloquies. Anna Maxwell Martin’s Lady Macbeth is cool, sensual and pleasingly peculiar but at times appears constricted by the Shakespearean verse.
This is an engaging, unsettling and scary reimagining of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The elements of movement and dance are the real merit of this production – high quality and executed powerfully. Compelling choreography to the beat of the iambic pentameter.
-Kristy Stott
Macbeth is on at HOME, Manchester (2 Tony Wilson Place, M15 4FN) until Saturday 6th February 2016 and you can click here for tickets.
At 3.40pm on May 11th 1985, a small fire broke out in the main stand at Valley Parade football ground during the final match of the season. Within four minutes the wooden structure was ablaze.
The Bradford City football ground fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of English football and this year marks its 30th anniversary. Fifty four Bradford City supporters and two Lincoln City supporters lost their lives in this tragic event. Sheffield based FYSA Theatre Company have produced this remarkably moving piece of documentary theatre wholly from real life testimonies and interviews with witnesses. This unique theatrical experience brings the audience closer to the raw emotions of the survivors and provides a truthful retelling of individual stories.
Under Matt Stevens Woodhead’s uncomplicated direction, the three actors give powerful and poignant performances as they look directly out into the crowd, each sharing their traumatic accounts – from the first signs of smoke through to their experiences in the hospital burns unit. The stage is set very simply with a wooden football stand construction and there is little movement from the performers, except when they move into the stand for a section of the play – it all makes for a fitting and respectful tribute.
Perhaps what makes this courageous play all the more authentic is the way that TomLodge, Will Taylor and Danni Phillips deliver the tiny details and idiosyncrasies of everyday speech. The piece also has a strong sense of camaraderie and pride and is freckled with humour, which makes for a convincing and touching representation, revealing solidarity, strength and community in the face of overwhelming tragedy.
The 56 certainly moved many people in the audience to tears on the night that I attended. However, the company also managed to establish a resounding sense of Yorkshire pride, bravery and community when they described people helping each other to safety during the atrocity and then supporting one another through the aftermath.
The 56 is a considerate and emotional tribute to all who were affected by the fateful events on May 11th 1985. If you do get the opportunity to see this production, I would urge you to go.
All profits from The 56 are donated to the University of Bradford Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit.
Manchester’s newest arts centre HOME thrust open its doors for its official HOMEwarming celebration last week. Following the merger between the Manchester’s Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company, the first theatre production at the new venue is perhaps a fitting fusion of old and new. The Funfair is Simon Stephens‘ new version of Ödön von Horváth‘s masterpiece, Kasimir and Karoline. There has been a huge build-up for this production and the stakes have been set quite high and sadly, The Funfair does not live up to its expectations.
Directed by Walter Meierjohann, The Funfair follows twenty four hours in the lives of two young lovers who are on the verge of splitting up. Cash (Ben Batt) has recently lost his job as a chauffeur and now fears that he will lose his girlfriend, Caroline (KatieMoore) too. In a strange and twisted parallel relationship, Frankie Marr (Michael Ryan) and Esther (Victoria Gee) already inhabit the lowest depths of despair, a world of unemployment, anger and dirt – surviving in the only way that they can.
Set in Manchester, to the backdrop of the recession and massive social unrest, the characters are unable to free themselves from the disorientating reality of the funfair. TiGreen‘s dark and distorted stage design suggests the hopeless and cyclical world which the characters fight to exist in – a revolving stage, haunting carousel and dark figures watching on from the hidden corners in the set, all manage to create an unsettling and uncomfortable atmosphere, complemented by Mike Gunning’s lighting design.
The Funfair is relentlessly bleak and despite the odd grasp at humour and the wonderful live band playing a soundtrack of popular songs – it is awkwardly politically defined and too repetitive. There is little hope for any of the characters, who are reduced to caricatures, particularly the women who are victims of abuse and are objectified in an uncomfortable sexist world. Victoria Gee’s portrayal of Esther is perhaps the only exception to this – her impressive performance is stripped back, we care about her and she gives us the only shard of hope for the future.
The Funfair is a bold first production by HOME which makes me feel thrilled to be part of the Manchester theatre scene. However, it left me feeling as if I had overindulged in candyfloss and then taken the wildest ride on the waltzers. A sensory overload but nevertheless an arresting showcase for HOME’s production capabilities which makes me very excited for the future.
-Kristy Stott
The Funfair is on at HOME, Manchester (2 Tony Wilson Place, M15 4FN) until 13 June 2015.
Adapting Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, for the stage is a brave decision to make. The novel has recently celebrated it’s 50th anniversary and besides being a staple on the GCSE curriculum, it has been translated into 40 languages and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. This humble, poignant and charming stage adaptation by Christopher Sergel pays homage to the legacy of the novel and everyone who has read it.
With simple staging the cast present the story of racial injustice in a small-town community in the Deep South. Lawyer Atticus Finch is in seek of the truth when he represents Tom Robinson, who stands accused of rape. The narrative is told through the eyes of his daughter, Scout who is a feisty and inquisitive young girl.
The play opens with the whole of the cast holding various editions and well thumbed copies of the novel in an acknowledgement to the text. Under Timothy Sheader’s skillful direction, the company then remain visible throughout the production, each holding and reading their copies of the book at each side of the stage. All costume changes are all performed with little fuss on stage, in a bid to create the insular society that the characters inhabit. And musician Luke Potter plays a colourful folk soundtrack composed by Phil King, which hints at the slow pace of life in Maycomb.
The simple stage design by Jon Bausor creates a perfect canvas for the storytelling to shine, as the cast read excerpts from the novel, staying true to the texts original form. Daniel Betts gives a captivating performance as Atticus Finch, particularly during the court scene. Scout (Rosie Boore), Jem (Billy Price) and Dill (Milo Panni) certainly impress, especially when so much hinges on the quality of the child actors in this production.
Perhaps my only qualm is that the production does take for granted that the audience have all read the text – Boo Radley’s character is not really explored enough for us to fear him and as a result the ending does lack some depth. Nevertheless, this is a production which is definitely worth seeing and not just by those studying for their GCSE’s.
