Theatre Review - THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING... EARNEST - DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

I HAVE never been so confused after spending a night at the theatre before, with Say It Again Sorry’s production of The Importance of Being… Earnest? I still can’t decide if I loved it or hated it. From overhearing some the audience members during the interval, many people expected a traditional performance of The Importance of Being Earnest, It certainly wasn’t going to be anything like that!

Opening with Algernon, Guido Garcia Lueches, at the piano. As the butler, Lane, Rhys Tees, ignores his playing. A bell rings and as Lane announces the entrance of Earnest, the lead actor doesn’t appear. Everything then goes wrong as chaos ensues. The director, Simon, runs onto the stage trying to calm everyone down, Josh, the stage manager, tries his best to help. But the show must go on, so a replacement is quickly found from the audience to play Earnest, played very well by Mark.

The next couple of hours is a completely crazy and an unbelievable performance, as more audience members replace the actors. To be fair the audience members are good at times and you do start to wonder if they have all been planted. There are some incredibly well-crafted comedic elements. The company have cleverly created an interesting production and it will be a different show every time. I might even have to go again to work out if I like it or not!

For an improvised and immersive performance, there is still chance to see The Importance of Being… Earnest? At The Darlington Hippodrome until Sunday 19^th May.

Theatre Review - CONSTELLATIONS - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

 

Marianne (Ellie Pullen) Robyn (Cat White)
photo Paul Hood

What can a subtle change do a situation, the choices we make, or our own perception of that situation? How do these differences alter our lives?  Written by Nick Payne, Constellations is a wonderfully different approach to an old-fashioned love story. Instead of meeting a couple at the beginning and following them to the end, we navigate the universe of possibilities and dance between different pivotal points in their relationship. Linear time is for wimps anyway…

Mariann(Ellie Pullen) Robyn (Cat White)
photo Paul Hood

Director Jess Chapman, has clearly put a lot of thought in how to show the rich variety of options that await us throughout the play. Using sound, light and the positioning of the characters to indicate changes in time or to present alternate versions. She achieved the difficult task of bringing out a coherent story, and intriguing the audience, from a slightly abstract timeline. Technical Designer Tim Swinton and Technical Assistant Sam Sanford created a complexity of interwoven sound and lighting techniques which beautifully framed moments, or aided in indicating changes. Having the set in-the-round (built by Carol English), lent itself to the idea you can truly see this couple from all angles.

Robyn (Cat White) Marianne (Ellie Pullen)
photo Paul Hood

I have a great deal of admiration for the two actresses, Ellie Pullen as Marianne and Cat White as Robyn. A two-handed play is normally tough enough, but neither left the stage, even for a moment. Add to that the further complication of having a lot of very similar and often identical lines that hop from place to place in the timeline and I think you are talking about very difficult roles, pulled off flawlessly by both. Throughout, the actors skilfully demonstrated how, even with the exact same words, a scene can be completely different with a simple shift in tone of voice.

Marianne (Ellie Pullen) Robyn (Cat White)
photo Paul Hood

The show runs approximately eighty minutes, with no interval, so be sure to nip to the loo before being carried off into the beautifully told story. Constellations is showing at the People’s Theatre until 18^th May. A master-stroke of thoughtful theatre!

Theatre Review -DAD'S ARMY - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

 

Of course, it’s going to be a winner to do a much-loved classic sitcom but, The Peoples Theatre does it with style, flare and a belly full of laughs. Here the familiar show is reimagined for the stage to bring you a delightful show full of chuckles. We follow Captain Mainwaring and his motley crew as they navigate home life during the war, finding love, guarding Nazi prisoners and even Morris Dancing!

Director Tracey Lucas brought us in with an exceptionally strong opening, by having LCpl. Jones singing a charming rendition of ‘Who do you think you are kidding Mister Hitler’ timed perfectly to the marching beat of the rest of the cast parading onto stage. There was not a person in the audience who was not won over by this, as applause rang through the theatre. Set design by Sands Dobson, Lighting Design by Claire Brissenden and Joseph Ingram with Wardrobe by Dianne Edwards and the team all worked hard to give a strong sense of the period and setting of the show.  Military Advisor Oskar Avery and Gun Build Stewart Dives added an authentic feel to the piece. The whole show was a delightful experience with even set changes made into a dance from one position to another.

The only fly in the ointment was that some plot points of the assembled episodes seemed to clash a little when placed one after the other. However, the exceptional joy of the piece allows you to be carried away with this, moving ever-onward to the next laugh.

The characters were all simply wonderful.  Many actors may feel the need to impersonate their television counterparts but instead the whole cast hit the perfect balance of using enough of the mannerisms while bringing their own charm to the part. It is becoming somewhat of a cliché for me to say a show at the People’s Theatre was perfectly cast, but they keep doing it! Everyone brought something exceptional to their role no matter how great or small. From carefully folded tea towels, dancing and singing, to disgruntled prisoners, everyone on stage was interesting to watch and kept you involved in the story. To mention names seems unfair in such a large and high-quality cast, all of whom had me in stitches. Quite frankly, words can not do justice to this production, you must simply go out and experience it for yourself. A truly wonderful show, Dad’s Army is showing at the People’s Theatre until 27^th April 2024.

Theatre Review - BLUE STOCKINGS, PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

 

Written by Jessica Swale, Blue Stockings takes us to Cambridge in the late eighteen hundreds where we follow four spirited young women who want an education. Everything, and seemingly everyone, is against them, as they try to learn and hope the right to graduate, will be granted to them. The women’s frustrations are in contrast to the freedom of their male counterparts. It is strange and disquieting to think this world, where people fear women learning, becoming educated, could be so close to today. With International Women’s Day on Friday, this is the perfect production to attend right now.

 

Director Sam Hinton has created an intriguing production, using even the set to create a feeling of uncertainty and obligation – the characters themselves even have to move the walls, shelves, tables and chairs between, and within, scenes. The set (designed by Claire Leighton) was simple but ingenious, with university bookshelves spinning to create different interiors. The costumes (Julie Tucker and Jenny Davison) fitted the period nicely and set the tone of each character. The cast is sublime, each actor taking time to create believable and entertaining, if not always likeable, characters. I have not enough ink on the page to do justice to each member of the cast. Anna Dobson is fundamental as Elizabeth Welsh, the College’s Headmistress, as she fights constantly, making very tough decisions to keep pushing their cause forward. Ben Ostell as Will neatly conveyed a subtle change in his view of his family friend Tess and how she is treated by those around them. Luke Newey brought a wonderful wit to Edwards, even singing a charming ballad; a true natural on the stage. Sara Jo Harrison as Miss Blake showed the fire of a woman whose will for freedom could easily see her burned. Kirstie Corfield, as Ms Bott, took a sympathetic, knowing and humorous view of her charges. Lauren Aspery as Maeve broke my heart as the scholarship girl who wanted to learn, but ultimately proved it’s always money that buys freedom to choose. Lauren Allison presented the strength and humour of early bohemian Carolyn nicely. Ashton Matthews gave a gentle and subtle quality to the hard working, passionate Celia. Ginny Leigh revealed the innocence, hope, fire and a burning desire for life in protagonist Tess. An excellent production.

 

As the final curtain came, wave after wave of applause erupted as the true weight of this magnificent production sank in and brought forth more appreciation from its viewers.

Blue Stockings is showing at The People’s Theatre running until 9^th March.

Theatre Preview - BLUE STOCKINGS - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

 Four young women fight to change the future of education!

It is 1896 and at Cambridge University a battle is raging for the right of women to sit for degrees.

While the female students of Girton College study hard and match their male peers grade for grade, they graduate with nothing other than the stigma of being a 'blue stocking' - an unnatural, educated woman.

But now four Girton girls (played by Ginny Leigh, Ashton Matthews, Lauren Aspery and Lauren Allison - pictured) are taking on the system and are determined to overcome the prejudices they face.

BLUE STOCKINGS premiered at Shakespeare's Globe in 2013 and won writer Jessica Swale a nomination for Most Promising Playwright in the Evening Standard Awards.

Set against the larger backdrop of women's suffrage, this is an energetic and eye-opening drama which highlights a period in history and a passionate fight for education and self-determination.

Sara Jo Harrison who plays teacher and suffragette Miss Blake comments: “It might seem that the play is irrelevant because women can graduate now and are educated in this country, but in other countries around the world sadly that is not the case. Women still face a lot of inequality when it comes to education, and even in this country women still face barriers to education with things like caring responsibilities and poverty. So it’s still a very relevant play, highlighting how far we’ve come but also that the fight isn’t over here and around the world”.

BLUE STOCKINGS opens on Tuesday 5th March on the Main Stage.

Also at the People's in March, head back to the swinging sixties in Joe Orton’s ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE. A slick conman becomes entangled in a dangerous game of sex and violence in this mischievous and wickedly sharp black comedy.

ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE runs from Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23 March on the Main Stage.

Tickets for both of these productions are available from the People’s Theatre Box Office on 0191 265 5020 (option 2) and online at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

Theatre Review - THE LAST QUIZ NIGHT ON EARTH - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

 

Aimee McKay - Fran, Maggie Childs - Kathy photo Paul Hood

So it’s the ‘last call’ for the planet as an asteroid hurtles towards it; where would you rather spend your final hours? In the pub, doing a quiz, obviously. Written by Alison Carr, The Last Quiz Night On Earth is an innovative and heartening story of four people’s final decisions as they face their approaching demise.

You find yourself as less of an audience member, more a patron of your local, joining in with answering questions on your table. The atmosphere is electric and, with nothing left to lose, everyone is up for a good night. Amidst the quiz, however, we have a couple of unexpected visitors who add a little drama to an already explosive night. A humorous and over-all warm look at what we would regret at the end.

Sam Burrell - Rav photo Lauren Aspery

Alison Carr and Director Kath Frazer have crafted the ultimate theatre phenomenon. Not so much an immersive experience as an ‘involved’ experience. You really feel like you are just joining-in with a pub quiz – and for people afraid of audience participation, you should feel safe in the knowledge that’s as involved as you’re expected to be, just a quizzer hoping to get the right answers. The atmosphere is light-hearted and joyful; certainly the place I’d be happy to spend my last hour. Set Designers Daniel Magee and Rhiannon Wilson created a bar you feel you could walk up to and order a pint, while Claire Brissenden’s lighting design added to the effect of the experience. Actor Aimee McKay brought to life the ever-hopeful Fran as she has one last shot at true love, while Mark Burden is the better-late-than-never estranged brother of publican Kathy – but what’s the real reason he came tonight? Sam Burrell brings fun as Rav, the man determined to do it properly, on this night more than ever. Maggie Childs is Kathy, the brilliant woman who brings everything you want, and more, to the role. A strong cast, a great show and a wonderful experience.

The Last Quiz Night On Earth shows at the People’s Theatre until 17^th February.

This is so much more than any other night at the theatre. See it now before it’s too late!

Theatre Preview - A POIROT DOUBLE-BILL by Agatha Christie - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

 Join the People’s Theatre this week for not one but two thrilling mysteries for Hercule Poirot to solve!

In The Wasp’s Nest, the Belgian detective comes between a bitter love triangle in the hopes of preventing a murder before it can take place.

Yellow Iris brings the moustachioed investigator to the hotel Jardin des Cygnes when a distressed phone call from a mystery woman throws up questions about a suspicious death years earlier.

Ian Willis - Poirot photo Paul Hood

Ian Willis (pictured) stars as Hercule Poirot across both of the stories, and the two thrillers mark milestones for the character. The Wasp’s Nest was the first story Christie wrote to be adapted as a TV play and aired on the BBC in June 1937, while Yellow Iris marked Poirot's debut appearance on radio!

Poirot first appeared in Christie’s novel ‘A Mysterious Affair at Styles’ published in 1920. Over the next 55 years he starred in 33 novels, 59 short stories and 1 original full-length play by Agatha Christie, and the character’s ‘death’ in 1975 prompted an obituary to appear on the front page of the New York Times!

This is an opportunity to see two early cases tackled by the beloved sleuth, and they’re as intriguing and full of twists as we’d expect from Agatha Christie, aka the Queen of Crime!  

Director Ben Watkins comments: “As Agatha Christie herself said, ‘Very few of us are what we seem’. With these two shorter stories of hers, she really brings that to the forefront. This is a fantastic opportunity for audiences to see a side of Hercule Poirot they may not have seen before. There is a high level of excitement bubbling away amongst the team as we bring these two mysteries to life and audiences can expect a surprise or two (or three!) along the way!”

The People’s has a long tradition of bringing exciting thrillers and head-scratching whodunnits to their stage in January, and it’s the perfect way to beat the winter blues!

A POIROT DOUBLE BILL opens on Tuesday 16 January on the Main Stage. Tickets are available from the People’s Theatre Box Office on 0191 265 5020 (option 2) and online at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk