Theatre Review - THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL - DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

THE SCHOOL for Scandal written by Sheridan was premiered at Drury Lane in 1777. As his most popular play, a comedy of manners, covering themes such as reputation and hypocrisy. Obviously, the audiences in the 18^th century were very different from today, but although dated it still works surprisingly well.

The simple set works incredibly well. Set in the 1950s with peach drapes and three pedestals with brightly coloured telephones, stools and a chaise longue appearing at times. The lighting perfectly complementing the set. It is the set, lighting and music which intriguingly add to the pace and physicality of the piece. Sheridan did use his play to poke fun at the fashion of the day and with the setting and fashion of the 1950s Tilted Wig Productions have certainly hit the mark brilliantly with the costumes.

The plot follows a lot of complicated scenes with scandalous behaviour. Characters pretending to be someone else, hiding from others, dishonesty, love, wealth, reputation, gossiping so basically the general high society of the 18^th century. The dialogue can be difficult at times, but at others it’s a delight to hear the dated language. It is the skill of the cast that makes it so watchable. Every member of the small cast of eight, give such energy with incredible performances. The choreography implemented perfectly with exaggerated movements and great facial expressions. I’m sure in the original performances in Drury Lane the audience would have produced much more laughter, but, in Darlington, after a quieter 1^st act for the audience, the laughter started to increase during the 2^nd act.

I also must mention the programme, as it is one the best I’ve seen for a long time, created as a Town and Country magazine with plenty of fascinating features, so much more than just a cast list.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening of entertainment.

Running at Darlington Hippodrome until Saturday 1^st June.

 

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!