David Farr directs a traditional interpretation of The Winter’s Tale, for the first production of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new two-and-a-half year ensemble group, emphasising storytelling elements and allowing for the flaws of human nature theme to take centre stage. Initially, two grand oversized bookcases loom over the action, creating a dark and menacing backdrop for the legendary jealousy and suspicion Leontes’ suffers because of his wife’s flirtatious behaviour. The books then dramatically tumble to the floor in a storm of resentment, and the resulting tragic consequences of Leontes’ actions, to create designed paper and book debris for the less formal feel of Bohemia in the second half.

Greg Hicks beautifully masters the poetic speech of Leontes, creating a very real character, who is the victim of his own paranoia and stubbornness in the first half, and then showing the heartening redemption of a broken man in concluding scenes. Hicks’ thoughtful performance is matched adequately by Kelly Hunter’s Herminone, whose emotional journey in the first half is intensely affecting and performed with great dignity.  The second half is dominated by the witty comic performances of Larrington Walker’s Old Shepherd, Gruffudd Glyn’s Young Shepherd and Brian Doherty’s travelling trickster Autolycus. Importance is also put on the romantic struggle of Florizel and Perdita, played by Tunji Kasim and Samantha Young, who seem genuinely distressed and disheartened when they are discovered by Polixenes (Darrell D’Silva).

Commonly believed when The Winter’s Tale is produced, this production could be described as a play of two halves, in both style and in substance. The strength of the dramatic performance, and Jon Bausor’s threateningly elegant set, of the first half far surpass the comedy and light-hearted elements of the second half. Although Farr may choose to remain with a conventional and accepted interpretation of the work, the difficult play is lovingly performed by the new Royal Shakespeare Company ensemble.

TF

I am currently writing this from Stratford-upon-Avon; numerous Shakespeare related books, programmes from the most recent RSC productions and a cuddly ‘Shakesbear’ are all in reaching distance. My Bard-obsession is obvious to me now. Yet I make no excuses. I am here for three nights to see the RSC repertory summer productions. And they’re proving to be completely worth the trip. Theatrefreak’s dream holiday may seem to be madness, yet there is method in’t.

My first trip to Stratford-upon-Avon was only last July. After the first night at the RSC, seeing Gregory Doran’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, I was hooked. For me it was such stuff as dreams are made on. I thought I knew A Midsummer’s Night Dream well – having studied it, seen many versions and performed in it on a variety of occasions – but I was wrong. Doran’s production revealed so many new layers of the play to me and I was engrossed in a story I knew so well. I insisted on seeing it again. From then on in, I have taken advantage of the 16-25 Young People £5 day tickets and seen as much as I can. I believe it’s the best lesson I can get for £5 in directing Shakespeare. Part of me even wonders; if it wasn’t for that trip would I have ended up on the directing specialism, which I am due to start in September. If anything, the RSC brings out my ambitious side. Nothing can come of nothing.

Generally, all the RSC production I have now seen have changed my perspective of that play, entertained me and reminded me why I adore all things Shakespeare. Part of me is tempted to rant on about the stunning, moving, entertaining, mind-blowing moments that are now embedded in my mind, due to the selection of artistic talent that can be found at the RSC, but I will resist. I’ll not indulge too much on this blog. Anyway, I need to sign off and get ready to return to the Courtyard to see As You Like It (for the second time) tonight!

Watch this space – Shakespearefreak reviews to follow, or Theatrefreak (What’s in a name?)

TF

Two friends on a fishing trip is the setting for this week’s Oran Mor lunchtime play, in Andy Duffy’s Waterproof. Superbly written dialogue and compassionate performances follow, creating an enthralling emotional journey between two male friends, but unfortunately the final destination is a little uncertain and disappointing. Director Selma Dimitrijevic sets up the Oran Mor’s basement as theatre in the round for this play, with a simplistic two fishing pole set as the background for the action. Ryan Fletcher’s Alex angrily enters the space with a variety of fishing and camping equipment, followed by the monosyllabic Gordon, played by Ali Craig.

Alex has been enjoying himself at university in Dundee, yet maintaining his mouthy, egoistic Glaswegian charm, while gaining a higher education and understanding. Whereas Gordon is still living at home, working and brooding after his ex-girlfriend, Linda. The two have naturally grown apart, but still share fierce frustration towards class and society, shown in Duffy’s quick witted dialogue. The conversation frequently drifts into tangents, some taking a serious note about Scottish identity and others darkly funny, as well as an underlining motif of sexual envy between the two. Duffy illustrated his potential as a playwright last year, as part of the National Theatre Debuts season at the Traverse Theatre, and his new play more than lives up to his potential as young male voice in Scotland, assisted by the two first-rate performances.

TF

Pinter was born and brought up in London in 1930, the only child of second generation Jewish parents. He was a keen theatregoer and general art fan in his youth, entering RADA at eighteen but leaving soon after because of his distaste. When he received call-up papers for National Service, he registered as a conscientious objector. In the beginning of the 1950s he attended classes at Central School of Speech and Drama, before joining Anew McMaster’s Shakespearean Irish touring company. His first play received terrible reviews, whereas his second full length play opened in London with great success. After the success in London with his second play, he continued to write and perform with various degrees of success throughout his life. He was a true man of theatre, taking on acting and directing roles, as well as writing plays. Pinter’s vigorous political campaigns and work against the abuse of human rights should also be remembered and acknowledged for their importance. More information about Pinter’s life can be found online, from a variety of reliable sources, but I would like to reflect on Pinter’s work as a fan.

I discovered the plays of Pinter at age seventeen, when I was instructed to read The Birthday Party as part of the Higher Drama syllabus in secondary school. I remember reading the first scene and feeling instantly curious about the strange domestic routine of Meg and Petey, as well as questioning the character of Stanley.  When I finished reading the play, and most of my questions had not been answered, I was frustrated, but undoubtedly enthralled. Pinter’s play seemed very different from plays I had read before, the style, the characters, the language, the presentation, the wit, the feel; all challenged my preconceptions of drama. I liked that I wasn’t told what to think or manipulated into liking a certain character; I was instead left to my own decisions about the characters and presented situations. I left school in the middle of my sixth year and consequently never finished studying the text in an academic setting, but my journey with Pinter was far from finished.

From then on I labelled myself a ‘pinter-ite’ and became even more interested in Pinter’s life and work. I continued reading more of his plays over the next year, until the summer between my first and second year at university, when I challenged myself to read as many Pinter plays as possible. It was a big undertaking, as he wrote many full length and shorter plays, but I succeed in reading the vast majority of them, thanks to the wide selection available in QM’s library. It would be a lie to say that I loved all of them, and that I can separate all the action in all the shorter plays in my memory now. Yet, they are moments that are forever lodged in my conscious– the dark comic dialogue between Ben and Gus in The Dumb Waiter, the tramp’s ramblings in The Caretaker, the ending of The Homecoming, the non-linear style of Betrayal and the change in style in the ‘memory plays.’ When I read Betrayal, the first time, it became an instant favourite because of Pinter’s experimentation with form. So much so that I defended the play in a tutorial this year, against a lecture, who I respect greatly, and who also could be described as a ‘pinter-ite.’ Reading the play now I can see how many ‘pinter-ites’ may dislike it, as the style is a significant change from the style developed in his earlier play. His style has been forever immortalised in the dramatic term ‘pinteresque’ and his influence can be seen in many plays which followed.

As a drama student, Pinter will continue to influence me in my chosen career and as a human being reflecting on the human condition. I only wish I could see more of Pinter’s plays performed in Scotland; clearly I go to the theatre frequently, but I have only seen one professional production recently. That production was The Caretaker in the Citizens theatre last year – a truly marvellous production that was loyal to the script and embraced the ‘pinteresque’ style. I hope that more of Pinter’s plays will be revived in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my, slightly self indulgent, tribute to one of my personal favourite playwrights. If any fellow ‘pinter-ites,’ or anyone else, would like comment about the life and work of Harold Pinter, please feel free.

TF

As some of you may know, I am currently studying at Drama and Theatre Arts at Queen Margaret University. At the beginning of the year I wanted to specialise in arts journalism, but things have changed and I’m now eagerly waiting to begin specialising in theatre directing in September.

My reviews will continue, but I’m now also going to include some thoughts and reflections on theatre in general. Hopefully some theatre-blog-players will be listening out there in blogger world, and I’ll do my best to flag up any interesting theatre being produced, as well as discussions on the present theatrical climate.

The blogosphere is full of thoughts on theatre, but, the way I see it, there is always room for another voice, another player in the blog world. Scottish theatre is constantly growing and evolving – something I’m keen to be involved in and discuss on this blog. Of course, I see theatre from a particular view point, as a Scottish drama student, but I welcome anyone who agrees or disagrees with my observations. Comments are more than welcome. Watch this space!

TF

Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale has the reputation for being a tricky play to produce. It fails to fit into a tragic or comic category and the two settings, Sicilia and Bohemian, are disconnected from each other in both style and tone. Director Bruce Strachan’s production aimed to overcome these problems by connecting the action through the eyes of the young character Mamilius, who is telling the story to his mother in an oversize book set. The result is a very distinct interpretation of the play, which succeeds in uniting some aspects, but regrettably loses other elements of the play.

The opening setting of Sicilia is presented as a graceful background to the jealousy of Bill Addison’s King Leontes. Addison’s performance could be described as a traditional interpretation, with a beautiful lyrical use of Shakespeare’s words, yet his strengths lay more in his scenes in the second half. Jennifer Macdonell’s Queen Hermione contains all the elegance and feistiness required for the role, creating noticeably dramatic moments in the first half. Similarly, Rebecca Bradley gave a distinguished performance as Paulina, passionately defending her queen with a controlled impressive stillness. The first half of the play should be dramatically stronger to show the tragedy in the story, an element this production, indisputably, embraces.

However, the second half in Bohemian caused more problems for the production. The setting was unclear, as the cast adopted a variety of different regional accents, and the costumes reflected a general country side feel, without defining anything. Yet, the humour found by Rhys Teare-Williams and Luke McConnell, as the Shepherd and his son the Clown, was very fitting and enjoyed greatly by the audience. Likewise, the exchanges between Samuel Jameson’s Camillo and Roddy Walker’s Polixenes had moments of true performance intelligence, dramatically and comically.

On the whole, the overall arch of the story was lost a little and Shakespeare’s poetic story telling suited some of the actors more than other. Memorable cameos were given by the cast who took on smaller but more parts, yet the production was restricted by the limitations of the small number of the cast.  Strachan’s efforts uniting the production, to the most extent, resulted in a good quality performance of a challenging play.

TF

Glasgow, King’s Theatre: Monday 6^th April – Saturday 11^th April 2009
Sunderland, Empire Theatre: Monday 13^th April – Saturday 18^th April 2009
Nottingham, Theatre Royal: Monday 20^th April – Saturday 25^th April 2009
Manchester, Opera House: Monday 27^th April – Saturday 2^nd May 2009
Liverpool, Empire Theatre: Monday 4^th May – Saturday 9^th May 2009
Milton Keynes Theatre: Monday 11^th May – Saturday 16^th May 2009
Woking, New Victoria Theatre: Monday 18^th May – Saturday 23^rd May 2009

Theatres across the land are currently being taken over by the flesh eating plant, Audrey II, in the very successful Menier Chocolate Factory’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, now on tour. The musical is traditionally performed in intimate spaces, but has been scaled-up to be performed in larger theatre venues in this current tour. In Little Shop of Horrors’ history small scale productions have a tendency to be better received, as a lot of the humour, terror and character approachability can be lost in large theatre spaces. Unfortunately, the same comment can be applied to this production. However there is no denying that Menier Chocolate Factory’s reincarnation is slickly paced and performed with great style, consequently Seymour and Audrey’s sentimental love story can still be enthralling and entertaining.

Damian Humbley and Clare Buckfield take on the roles of Seymour and Audrey, humble and naive characters that briefly find comfort and love in each other before being eaten. The reality presented in Skid Road, where everyone is in danger of being eaten, may be far from our own, yet Seymour’s downfall because of his ambition and the plant’s influence has connotations of tragic theatrical tradition. The sadistic dentist is played by Alex Ferns in this production, a part he appears to revel in and shines as he entertain the, more than eager, audience.

Overall, and quiet rightly so, the star of the musical is the plant. Mike McShane’s voice booms through the auditorium, allowing for Audrey II to be both humorous and terrifying, assisted by the impressive puppetry techniques. Perhaps this productions is not quiet the best the musical can be, ultimately due to the venues that this production is touring to, yet this musical is created with great loyalty to the lovable story.

TF

Following Life of Insects (see review below) in Cobweb Theatre Company’s double bill is Rebecca Gilman’s Blue Surge, a play about two cops and their assignment to close down a known prostitution business, masquerading as a massage parlour. On the surface, Cobweb Theatre Company’s two plays are very different in style and content; however the two are inherently linked by their examination of class and gender roles, and hence balance each other well. Yet, by comparison, John Lake’s production contains a small cast of five and the production’s particular strengths lie in the individual dramatic moments.

Andrew Henry portrays the character of Curt, a cop that takes it upon himself to try to help Sandy, played by Frankie Bradley, a young woman working in the “Naughty but Nice” massage parlour. Some of the most intimate and poignant moments in the performance happen between Henry and Bradley, as their characters begin to connect. The principal theme of the gap between classes is shown effectively through Henry’s character and his relationship with his wealthy fiancée, played by Laura Brough. Lake’s production focuses on the themes in Gilman’s script, unfortunately resulting in the story telling arch being lost a little along the way. The constant blackout interruptions slowed down the action and were, at times, clumsy. Nevertheless, the production contains both tragic and comic moments, particularly the exchanges between Jamie Laing’s character, Doug, and Emma Hay’s Heather.

On the whole, the production succeeds in its intentions and new layers are successfully added by the cast, though some confusion results by the attempt to set the action in Scotland. The Chicagoan play has language and social conditions connected to its setting, which were not fully separated for this production. However, this small detail did not take away too much from the overall quality.

TF

Cobweb Theatre Company’s latest venture is a double-bill evening of theatre, beginning with Karel Capek’s Life of Insects,  an exploration of class, gender roles and human nature, but unusually shown through “blades of grass”. Director Tom Birch presents his audience with a world in which insects love, compete, tease, steal, murder, worship and wage war, but the audience is guided by the, slightly intoxicated, Vagrant. The Czechoslovakian, post World War One, play held a magnifying glass up to society when it was first produced and the decision to ask those same questions now reflects the similarities between the economic and social climates.

The nature of the text demands a strong and united ensemble cast, fortunately this element is a huge strength for Cobweb Theatre Company, particular in this production. Impressive individual performances are also powerful throughout, especially Kate Bond in both her parts as the love-sick poet butterfly, Felix, and her ant dictator. Stable performances are lead by Emily-Rose Conlon, who bravely takes on the leading role of the Vagrant and succeeds in allowing her audience to embrace the heightened theatrical reality presented. Memorable performances are also given by Zena Rose Sayers and Ross Stater, as the beetle couple who delight in the notion of owning something, no matter what that may be and allowing question of possessions to be raised.

Birch’s well paced production embraces Capek’s themes and moves seamlessly through the acts of the different classes of insects, in an effective episodic style. The production is assisted by extremely impressive costumes, but a few forgivable technical first night flaws occurred. Overall, Capek’s play was an inspired choice by Cobweb Theatre Company, as the play observes the circle of life and the unfulfilling result of war, all accomplished with great panache and style.

TF

While the world remains drunk in the bar, an intoxicated would-be couple stumbles into a hotel room to enjoy, a much anticipated, night of passion. Although, from the offset of David Greig’s new two-hander play, the eventual fruitless conclusion of their intentions is apparent, an enthralling and smart piece of theatre results.

Kyoto is the first in a series of five plays in co-productions between Glasgow’s Oran Mor and Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, where it is set to open on the 17^th March. Moving the pie and pint to the Traverse Theatre is a natural progression of the Oran Mor lunchtime legacy and the two companies are inherently linked by their commitment to new writing. Kick starting the series with a new David Greig piece will, potentially, prove to be a calculated move, as Greig’s work attracts a lot of attention and he is quickly becoming a much admired Scottish playwright.

Domini Hill, current Artistic Director of the Traverse Theatre, directs a brief stolen moment between Dan and Lucy, a diplomat and a scientist, who have missed many chances to be together over a decade worth of climate change conferences. Hill keeps the action simplistic, leaving the characters to stumble in a typical hotel room in near darkness and allowing the audience to look into the action as if looking through a window. What unfolds is an unmistakable metaphor for current global warming debates reflecting in the attraction between the two, yet resisting the temptation to lecture on issue. Instead, much humour is found in the situation, assisted by the charming performance from Matthew Pidgeon and Vicki Liddelle. Both actors create authentic characters, allowing for silences and tensions that would naturally exist, as well as a showing a genuine connection and passion.

Criticisms could be made about the limitations of the scenario Greig creates, as the action is slightly shorter than the typical a Play, a Pie and a Pint length. However, the little that is said is said very well and within a short time Greig manages to explore social issues, as well as human issues of aging and attraction. It may only be pint size theatre, but enjoyable and poignant all the less.

TF