Theatre Review - GASLIGHT - THE PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

 

Bella (Catherine Ellis)
photo credit Tim Swinton

The play that gave its name to the term ‘gaslighting’ was never going to be easy watching. Husband Jack Manningham is lamenting his failed efforts to help as his wife slowly descends into madness; but is he really such a good husband – and just why is Bella, his wife, so on edge? As Inspector Rough enters the scene, one must question if Bella really is losing her mind, or if someone is driving her from it. A disturbing tale that will have you questioning each move, it’s a play as pertinent today as it when it was first written in 1938.

 

Jack (Sam Hinton) Bella (Catherine Ellis)
photo cedit Tim Swinton

Director Gordon Russell should be complimented many times over on bringing forth a show which would not seem out of place in the West-End. The atmosphere in the theatre was (ironically) electric! From the perfectly-tailored Victorian costumes (by Sarah Pearson) that fit both the actors and characters well, to the lighting (designed by Tim Swinton), keeping those all important lamps at the correct levels for a sinister feel, to the sound (designed by Tim Swinton), sending chills down the spine with subtle but eerie music and whispers, bringing home Bella’s feeling of unease. The set (designed by Tim Swinton) is green; normally a calming colour, here it creates a sinister, oppressive, atmosphere - reflecting Bella’s feelings in a place that should feel calm and safe. I would advise you to get seats in the centre block, if possible, as otherwise, due to the way the sofa is positioned, there were occasionally times you saw more of the characters’ backs than the action at hand.

Rough (Stuart Douglas) photo credit Tim Swinton

As we took our seats it was announced the two of the cast, Valerie Russell and Mark Buckley, would not be able to perform. Although it is sad to miss the actors who, I’m sure, put a lot of work into what is a fantastic show, it is a testament to the high standards at the Peoples Theatre that, had no one told me of the change, I would never have known. Maggie Childs stepped in as caring, and occasionally funny, maid Elizabeth. Sam Hinton played Mr Jack Manningham, slipping quickly from happy caring husband to tyrant on the turn of a heel. Stuart Douglass played Inspector Rough, bringing moments of much needed humour to punctuate the tension. His characterisation was flawless and perfectly understated. As for Catherine Ellis, who played the haunted Mrs Bella Manningham, I can only applaud her skill in executing such a difficult role - at times so anxious and fraught she becomes nearly manic with laughter; award-winning professional actors could do no more.

Please see this show - it is an intensely good piece of theatre that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Gaslight is running at the People Theatre 28^th March- 2^nd April.

Theatre Review - CATCH ME IF YOU CAN - DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

BILL Kenwright has brought one of the most engrossing thrillers I’ve seen to Darlington Hippodrome. The twists and turns during Catch Me If You Can kept me completely captivated throughout. With so many red herrings, it kept my brain working hard trying to decide what the conclusion would be.

Set in the mid-60s in the living room of the remote Catskill Mountains, designed by Julie Godfrey. The newly wed Daniel and Elizabeth, should be enjoying their honeymoon. Instead, Daniel Corban, Patrick Duffy, is waiting for the return of his wife Elizabeth, who he has reported her as missing. Inspector Lavine, Gray O’Brien, is investigating the disappearance. Father Kelleher, Ben Nealon, turns up with Elizabeth, Linda Purl, which starts many extraordinary events as Daniel believes Elizabeth is an imposter and not his recently married wife, but the evidence shows otherwise. Who is telling the truth? With the arrivals of Sidney, Hugh Futcher, Everett Parker, Paul Lavers and Mrs Parker, Chloe Zeitounian, the surprises and shocks for Daniel keep coming.

The pace is steady up until the final conclusion. Patrick Duffy, well known for his iconic role as Bobby Ewing in Dallas, shows what a talent he is. He quietly commands the stage showing a range of emotions. Gary O’Brien is always there when he is needed, but doesn’t appear to give support to Daniel. Linda Purl brilliantly makes you change your mind about who she actually is. Ben Nealon is probably my favourite character, in a style of Father Ted – a priest with attitude.

The standing ovation was well deserved. This is a thriller you must see.

Runs until Saturday 19th March.

Theatre Preview - A NORTHERN ODYSSEY - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

Fisher Girls photo Paula Smart

“Every man must have his mystery”

 

Some of the masterpieces that secured Winslow Homer's reputation as the greatest American figurative artist of the nineteenth century were painted in Cullercoats. But what on earth was he doing there?

Tynemouth-born Shelagh Stephenson's A NOTHERN ODYSSEY magnificently imagines how this quiet genius settled in a remote enclave of the North East in 1881 and stayed for the best part of two years, gaining inspiration from the fishing folk and their way of life.

The arrival of such an exotic creature from Massachusetts creates an inevitable, often funny, clash of cultures. The local fisher girls wonder what Homer is – French, perhaps? – while he struggles with their accents.  

He meets injured fisherman Joe to whom Homer represents an escape to a life of endless possibilities, and finds himself drawn into the family of a local lawyer and his wife, a would-be poet who craves culture and sophistication.

Apart from the paintings themselves, Homer left no record of his stay, leaving Stephenson (whose credits include ‘Downton Abbey’ and new BritBox drama ‘Murder in Provence’) a blank canvas for the play, which was originally commissioned by Live Theatre.

In imagining his time in the region, Stephenson creates a living, breathing portrait of the artist and weaves a tale of seduction, not only of individual hearts, but of a whole community.

Adam Thompson who plays Joe adds: “This gem is a love letter to the North East coast. The play’s sense of place is rooted in its depiction of the working class. It’s a story of unrequited love and is a seminal piece of LGBTQ+ theatre in its unassuming, quiet way.”

A NORTHERN ODYSSEY is playing at the People’s Theatre from Tuesday 8^th to Saturday 12^th March, including a socially-distanced performance on Tuesday 8^th. Find out more and book your tickets at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk       

Theatre Review - ABIGAIL'S PARTY - THE PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

 

Abigail's Party photo Paula Smart

A suburban situation comedy of manners and a satire on the aspirations of the middle class. Beverly has invited her new neighbours, Angela and Tony, around for a few drinks, as well as neighbour Susan, a divorcee who has vacated her own house to allow her daughter Abigail to have a party. The evening starts off badly when Beverly’s husband Laurence is late back and then has to pop out again for work. The uncomfortable evening goes forward with too many gin and tonics, many cigarettes and stilted conversations, with a few eventful moments to boot.

Beverly (AnnaDobson) Laurence (SeanBurnside) photo Paula Smart

Director Sam Hinton uses the awkward silences in the conversations to great effect, drawing out ever more laughs from the audience. The set, designed by Claire Leighton, was quite simply a joy to behold, reflecting an authentic seventies-styled living room with its loud prints and beaded curtains; it was very clear a lot of care and attention had gone into its creation. At the interval I had to force myself to stay seated to refrain from going up and pouring myself a drink! Lighting and sound by Tim Swinton were simple and effective, adding to the ambience of a night in a neighbour’s home. Costumes by Paula Smart fed into the feeling of the characters and the time.

Anna Dobson (Beverly) Alison Carr (Sue)
Mark Burden (Tony) photo Paula Smart

I was afraid, after hearing the barely audible recorded announcement before the show, that I’d be straining to hear, however this was not the case and all actors and their well-tuned accents were not only easy to hear, but marked out each character brilliantly. I was surprised to realise that the actors were actually smoking during the show; my hat is off to a true commitment to the part. Anna Dobson, who delighted in every opportunity to bring out innuendo as the overbearing, and increasingly inebriated, Beverly is ‘very good actually’. Emma Jane Robson showed some very interesting dance moves as the practical, and also increasingly drunk, Angela. Sean Burnside had me laughing as he held a knife a little too long as the poor, ridiculed husband of Beverly, Laurence. Mark Burden does so much, turning a seemingly monosyllabic character, Angela’s husband Tony, into comic gold. Alison Carr had me laughing out loud to her reactions, and use of seemingly polite replies, to the ever-probing questions of her nosey neighbours, as divorcee Susan.

A very enjoyable evening.

Abigail’s Party is running at the People's Theatre until 12^th February.

Theatre Review - BLOOD DROTHERS - DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

 

BLOOD Brothers is one of the most powerful musicals I’ve seen and as soon as the first notes were played you could feel the emotion ooze through the theatre at Darlington Hippodrome.

The themes are timeless, telling the tragic story of the Johnstone twins who are separated at birth as their lives are destined on different journeys, as it highlights the differences in the class system. Sean Jones plays Mickey to perfection taking the audience on a journey through his life of poverty. His incredible performance takes us from his youthful exuberance during the first half to the broken man in jail who then struggles to adjust to a life with no future, where he has no control. The twin given away to a life of privilege, Eddie, is played superbly by Joel Benedict contrasting to Mickey through his innocence. Linda by Carly Burns linking brilliantly between the older twins. Robbie Scotcher is the best narrator I’ve seen. He lurks menacingly in the shadows, moving through scenes interacting with the cast providing crucial thought-provoking moments. Niki Evans as Mrs Johnstone, proves that she is not just an amazing singer, but also an incredible actress especially with the emotional final scene with Tell Me It’s Not True.

The standing ovation from the audience, with many in tears, was incredibly well received by the audience, you could clearly see what it meant to the entire cast as they looked physically drained full of emotion.

Theatre Review - ROCKY HORROR SHOW - DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

 

THE Rock and Roll Musical from Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show has become such a cult over the years, it may not feel quite as outrageous as it once felt, but it’s still one of the most deliciously entertaining nights out.

The audience on the first night may have appeared a little subdued. There weren’t as many people dressed up to emulate the characters, but they still, politely, joined in by shouting out the expected lines, allowing the cast to drive the story on. There was the odd hesitation from the cast, waiting to see if the audience knew the correct response, but that didn’t detract from the performance. One of the highlights of the show is the Narrator, Philip Franks, whose perfect ad libs, bringing in a number of topical and local links are hysterical, he is one of the best Narrators I’ve seen.

The story follows Brad, Reece Budin, and his new fiancé Janet, Haley Flaherty, as their car breaks down and they stumble upon a castle, where they hope to find help. Here they encounter the subordinates of Riff Raff, Kristian Lavercombe, Magenta, Suzie McAdam and Columbia, Lauren Ingram. The power-crazed Frank N Furter, Stephen Webb, creates Rocky, Ben Westhead, as Brad and Janet’s values are undermined.

There is not one weak performance in this production every piece of acting and singing is absolute perfection, including the set, lighting, sound and the band.   

There is only one warning – if you see this show, you’ll want to go again and again!

Rocky Horror Show runs until Saturday 8^th January at Darlington Hippodrome.

Theatre Review - THE REMARKABLE ROBIN ARMSTRONG'S EXTRAORDINARY CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE - QUEEN'S HALL, HEXHAM

 

Grandma and Robin played by Paula Penman and Jude Nelson
photographer credit is Jason Thompson, Sound Ideas Media

The Remarkable Robin Armstrong’s Extraordinary Christmas Adventure, is the Christmas production for The Queen’s Hall, Hexham with Alnwick Playhouse in a unique production written by Elijah Young and directed by Mark Calvert

Luke Maddison as Bograt
photographer credit is Jason Thompson, Sound Ideas Media

The first 10 minutes it felt very rushed as we met the cast with Robin Armstrong, Jude Nelson, her Mam, Hannah Goudie-Hunter, her Grandma, Paula Penman, The local bully, Declan, Luke Maddison and the mysterious figure in a red cloak, Callum Howard. There was so much information I was having to concentrate hard to follow every word, but it was clear that they needed to set up the scene ready for the adventure to begin. On Christmas Eve, Robin’s much-loved Grandma forgets who she is and Robin sets of on adventure into the mines to discover the magic to help her Grandma. Once the adventure began, wow, I was completely engrossed. The multi-level set was used ingeniously, Amy Watts – set and costume designer, as the cast slipped in and out swiftly through the mines. The magical creatures in the mine met by Robin on her adventure included the Bograt, Hob and the Trolls. Until meeting the Elderman, Calum Howard, and she eventually finding Lady Northumberlandia, Paula Penman. Robin finally discovers the magic she needed to save the day with kindness and friendship.  

This talented small group has created a perfect Christmas show for all the family, with great acting and singing.

Paula Penman as Grandma with Jude Nelson as Robin Armstrong
photographer credit is Jason Thompson, Sound Ideas Media