Peter Brook’s 11 and 12

11 and 12 at The Barbican

Although a play bubbling with the timeless themes of racial and religious hatred Peter Brook’s 11 and 12 at The Barbican is slow paced, has a frustratingly painful ending and even caused a friend to walk out half way through.

I however was not so consumed with offence. Peter Brook is one of the greatest living theatre practitioners of our generation and his ideas are in abundance during this production. We witness his influence of Brecht – the narrator; the overwhelming lack of emotion, which disallows any type of empathetic connection with the characters and the use of a simple and functional set. Artaud was another inspiration for Brook – they share the belief that the theatre should be grounded in tradition and ritual – and should affect the audience as much as possible – all attempted in this production.

Based on the novel Life and Teaching of Tierno Bokar – The Sage of Bandigara by African writer Amadou Hampaté Bâ, 11 and 12 tells the tale of an African boy, Amkoullel (Tunji Lucas) who is in search of knowledge and wisdom – and acts as our narrator to the story. Tierno is his guru and mentor of sorts – and the boy becomes quickly caught up in an epic battle against hatred, racism and religious tension provoked by the colonial presence of the French in Africa.

The central conflict is a violent quarrel between two divisions of the same religious group. The disagreement is over whether they should pray eleven or twelve times. The French interfere even though Amkoullel observantly questions why his praying patterns should even concern them?

A series of tragic events ensues as the play grinds to a tragic end – an end so frustrating that the contrived silence, stage lights frozen and poor musician sat alone on stage made me want to shout a swear word very very loudly. “Lets make the audience feel uncomfortable”… Why? All it did was make me angry and forget the play.

The problem with this production is that one can’t empathise or relate and there is nothing to keep your attention. There are little moments of beauty – the boat made out of a simple red cloth and two men – but fundamentally it is un-stimulating.

Are we spoilt? As young theatre-goers continually dazzled by bright lights, multimedia, wit, satire and current affairs, does this type of theatre have a place in our theatrical landscape – does it even entertain us? Unfortunately story telling at its best may not be enough anymore – so much so that the audience gets fidgety and friends walk out?

I appreciated it out of respect for Brook and understand that his theatrical mantra is not to entertain, but I would rather have been watching an energetic, loud parody of some sort and unfortunately believe that this is because I am a spoilt culture vulture.

Don’t spend more than £15 on a ticket.

11 and 12 is on at The Barbican until the 27th Feb. If you are aged between 16-25 ask about the free tickets. To buy tickets click here.

Three Sisters

Three Sisters at The Lyric Hammersmith

This is a brave and bold production of one of Chekov’s most popular plays. Sean Holmes and theatre company Filter’s collaboration makes for a refreshing take on a play that is almost always performed as a period piece – especially as we celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the playwright’s birth. However the production falls flat because the updated aesthetics jar with the traditional language.

I don’t like this play. I never have. From the days of studying Three Sisters at school, I have only ever seen over-indulgent productions of this dreary play. That is, however, not to say that Chekov isn’t a master of creating the stale and stagnant world of turn of the 20th Century Russia and poetically he is brilliant. But on stage the play is dull and frustrating. I’m aware that this is a reflection of Chekovian life but if you want to go to Moscow – go to bloody Moscow. It unfortunately has driven me mad for many years.

This production however does breathe a new lease of life into the play. Updated to a more contemporary setting, the costumes are modern and angular and the lighting/sound desk is present on stage throughout – giving a hint to the image of a DJ. I am even sure at some point I heard a sample of the Pop Idol theme tune – bizarre to say the least.

We meet the sisters on the day of the youngest, Irina’s birthday. Played by an Irish Clare Dunnes (I suppose we should get over her accent – but it is out of place). Irina is lively and energetic – contrasting well with a stern and very English Olga (Poppy Miller) and a grunting and moody Masha (Romola Garai).

The set is sparse with no confining walls giving an oddly free feeling to the first act and considering the naturalism of Chekov, the production has a distinctly Brechtian feeling. The shabby antique set is moved by the stage manager, who is visible throughout the play – complete with blacks and ear piece – and some of the characters even interact with her which is odd. At times you forget she is there but at other times she is distracting.

The production tries too hard to be contemporary and unfortunately borders on the gimmicky. At best it has a Kneehigh/Gecko–esque feel to its style – at worst it is interruptive. In contrast, what the innovative companies mentioned do is justify every imaginative and creative idea – it is not just left floating in dead air – which often happens in this production.

The use of microphones is perhaps the most distinct device used and at times is effective but most of the time feels like a contrived idea that highlights the passages the director believes to be most significant – “audience listen to this, it’s important!” Is it not vital that we hear all the text? This use of amplification makes the rest of the dialogue seem superfluous and because the idea isn’t followed right through to the end it loses its desired effect.

However, when used decisively it is insightful and creates some beautiful moments. When frustrated Masha and Colonel Vershinin (John Lightbody) rush upstage right, illuminated by a single light bulb and strategically placed by a microphone, their erotic exchange is made even more sensual because we cannot see them, but only hear their whispers. Similarly, when the microphones are used offstage so that the onstage characters can hear them the device works well.

One of the funniest moments of the piece is when sickening sweethearts Andrei (Ferdy Roberts) and the petite-bourgeoise, pain in the ass, Natasha (Gemma Saunders) leave the central room – he proposes to her and the rest of the characters slowly turn their heads to listen. This also highlights the grotesqueness of Natasha as she calculatingly sidles into the family home, slowly nudging the sisters out of their warm bedrooms in order to accommodate her sickly child.

Although the more modern setting and complex use of sound does update the piece – highlighting its timeless themes of hope, disappointment and disillusioned aspirations – the production feels labored and the acting is uneven.

Go if you can get a free ticket.

If you are aged between 16 and 25 you can get free tickets on Mon-Thurs.

Three Sisters runs at The Lyric Hammersmith until the 20th Feb. To book tickets click here.

The Habit of one of Britain’s greatest ever poets – Bennett not Auden

Habit of Art at The National Theatre

A joy to watch, Richard Griffiths leads a stellar cast of National Theatre pros in a play which is so well written I didn’t want it to end. The complex Meta-theatre structure poses the actors with challenging character decisions that they tackle with competency and fluidity.

Due to the play-within-a play format there is very little room for incompetent acting as the setting of Habit of Art calls for naturalism of the most believable kind. When the actors are not acting in their roles from the play they are rehearsing on stage, they must be as tangible and natural as any member of the audience. From the opening of the play the cast are utterly captivating.

The Assistant Stage Manager is on the stage checking props etc. from the moment we enter The Lyttelton Theatre. Why is it that when someone is not acting – we care more? We are compelled by every move made and word uttered – the naturalism and ease of the cast make us hang on every word – desperately awaiting the next clever quip or joke.

The Habit of Art is set in a National Theatre rehearsal room during a rehearsal of a new play called Caliban’s Day. Due to the absence of their director, the company – headed by the stage manager hammed up by Frances De La Tour, decide to attempt a run of their production. Caliban’s Day depicts a fictional meeting at lodgings at Christ Church College, Oxford, between poet WH Auden and composer Benjamin Britten (who did truthfully collaborate with each other during their lives) and is narrated by their biographer Humphrey Carpenter, played by Adrian Scarborough. But the rehearsals are constantly stalled by Henry’s lack of commitment to his lines and desperation to leave rehearsals to get to a Tesco voice over.

Alex Jennings plays Henry, playing Britten – get it? His astute, prim and proper nature works as an aesthetic and characteristic contrast to the dishevelled, dirty and abrupt Richard Griffiths, playing Fitz, playing Auden. Griffith’s comic timing is perfect – one particular highlight was when one of the characters bragged that Tolkien had written another novel, to which Auden replies, “More fucking elves I suppose.”

Bennett raises issues such as sexuality, creativity, biography and the loneliness of old age – mainly through his construction of Fitz (WH Auden), played wonderfully by Griffiths. The subject of creativity is attacked with braveness – highlighting its frustrations and complexities – particularly memorable was Auden’s quip at Britten following his complaints that composing was lonely – “Of course it’s lonely, it’s new – What do you expect?” – if artists aren’t lonely they aren’t achieving the original.

The genius that is Alan Bennett

I was listening to some John Williams music with a friend the other day and I said “can you imagine being such an incredible composer – to have created arguably some of the greatest music of all time.” Well, the master of language that is Alan Bennett has done a Williams with this play – it is timeless, multi-faceted and above all else incredibly enjoyable to experience. Combined with Griffith’s ability to lift lines off the page, injecting such verve and energy makes this a terrific piece of theatre.

Rating: Buy the best ticket money can buy.

The Habit of Art runs at The National Theatre until the 6th April 2010 and will tour the UK from autumn 2010. To book tickets click here

Six Degrees of Disappointment

Six Degrees of Separation at The Old Vic

Considering this is a short play – only 90 minutes, sans interval – it drags. It is over the top, yet drab and the direct address that should act as a way into the story for the audience is bizarrely inaudible. I gave up trying to listen half way through.

It’s a great story by John Guare – Ouisa and Flan, a married couple of art-dealers from Manhattan, entertain a rich South African friend in an attempt to coax two-million dollars out of him so that they can buy a Cezanne painting and sell it at a profit to the Japanese.

Paul a young man who claims to know the couple’s children from Harvard interrupts their night. He has been stabbed in Central Park and comes to their home for help. He also claims to be Sydney Poitier’s son.

Overwhelmed by his charm, politeness and connections, the party take him in and allow him to cook for them as a payment of their kindness. Over some delicious pasta, their relationship strengthens as he assures them he can give them walk-on-extra parts in his father’s up and coming film version of the musical Cats.

Flan hands him fifty dollars so that he can meet his father in the morning (he had of course been mugged as well as stabbed) and offers him a bed for the night. The following morning Ouisa gives Paul a wake up call –only to find him naked in bed with a man – cue male nudity and a lot of running and flapping around the stage.

He disappears from the flat and the couple find out that Paul had done a similar thing to their friends – revealing to them that he is indeed a con-artist, albeit an incredibly believable one.

Casting

Obi Abili does a credible job as Paul, bringing the character’s opportunist nature to the forefront whilst subtly portraying the lonely and deluded young man he truly is.

Lesley Manville is brilliant as the on-edge, neurotic Ouisa and her animated physical movements bring humour to the character. Anthony Head as Flan works as a calmer contrast to Manville and is entertaining in portraying the frustrations of his character towards the end of the play. The highlights of the piece are when these two are together and with such a large cast these moments are quite rare.

The introduction of the couple and their friends’ children adds energy and a different dynamic to the piece. Having the actors groan simultaneously as they walk on stage and “oooo” sarcastically at their parents, works well as a device that unites the gang as a stroppy chorus. However, they become so steeped in teenage mannerisms that they become muffled caricatures.

Set

The set design by Jonathan Fensom works well as a flexible space for the ever -changing settings of the play, however the rotating stage is tedious. It’s noisy and distracting. Why can’t we simply have some clean blocking and leave the rest to the actors?

It is an interesting play about race, status, art as a commodity and the power of the imagination but it feels dated here. The directing feels too stylised – the actors’ deliveries are exaggerated and there are tableaus that just don’t work – I don’t understand why Paul has to re-appear during the final moments of the play, on a raised platform that isn’t introduced before this moment. With only Ouisa on stage, he utters a few words and then, united with her, looks out wistfully towards the audience – cue blackout.

With the risk of this item becoming a rant – The Old Vic really should assess their latecomer’s policy. It seems ridiculous to allow people into a theatre 45 minutes late (bare in mind the play was only 90 minutes long) when they are sat in the middle of a row – in a space that actually isn’t that large and where the actors are pretty much inaudible anyway.

Rating: Go if you can get a free ticket

Six Degrees of Separation runs until the 3rd April, this year, at The Old Vic Theatre, The Cut, Waterloo. To book tickets click here

Exciting Young West End Talent

Edmond at The Theatre Royal Haymarket

This energetic ensemble cast do a skilful job at putting together this play in only two weeks. Directed by the Theatre Royal Haymarket’s apprentice director, Ned Bennett, the staging is slick, the acting believable and the production does well to find the humour in an otherwise depressing story. The simple set is effectively moved around the space by a well-rehearsed, accomplished ensemble and the American skyline works clearly as an overpowering presence to the action.

The play tells the story of Edmond Burke (competently played by Mark Weinman): a white, middle-class, Manhattan businessman who after being spurred on by a fortuneteller, wanders the city in search of kicks. The teller tells him, “You do not belong here,” so he subsequently leaves his wife claiming to have been unhappy for years, and ventures to find a quick lay. But one thing leads to another and as he is exploited by everyone he meets, a series of unfortunate events ensues: unpredictably he murders and is imprisoned.

Edmond is sucked into the sleaze and jungle that is New York City (a representation of any major city) with its brothels, pimps, gambling and violent crime. He gradually loses his sanity and identity as the power struggle of the big city overwhelms him.

It is a play about frustration, momentum and what our society has become. There are moments that we have all witnessed in humanity – someone striking up conversation and being shunned and accused of harassment. Edmond says, “You can’t talk to people anymore… What, am I a dog?” Or when an injured person is ignored and left unaided – when Edmond is attacked he goes to a hotelier for help but is ignored – reminiscent of those CCTV clips of a stranger lying injured in a public street with people just passing him by.

The stylised language of Mamet’s play keeps the sentimentality at bay and discourages any emotional attachment to Edmond. He doesn’t take responsibility for himself and blames others for his actions. When he kills an innocent but anxious waitress (Amy Dawson) he blames her for refusing to disclaim herself as a waitress and not an actress. He cannot understand why she cannot be true to herself and finally looses his temper with her erratic defensive behaviour and kills her, finally saying, ”now look what you’ve gone and done.”

He soon settles into prison believing it to be a simple way of life, away from the complexities and temptations of the big city. But as he rattles out his reasoning of why white people are put in prison – “to be with black people” – his black cellmate gives him a sexual ultimatum. After this brutal attack he finds comfort in his superior, succumbing to the only friendship available to him.

The final image of the play, when Edmond places his arms around his cellmate as he kisses his head, symbolises a man who has lost all identity.

A typically Mamet play, Edmond depicts the story of a frightened white man afraid of loosing his sexual and racial identity. This production conveys the main themes well and keeps the pace throughout.

Mark Weinman portrays a deteriorating Edmond, disoriented but unable to take responsibility for his actions, incredibly well. He aptly conveys the internal struggle between a man caught up in it all and in the wrong place at the wrong time, with a man who is inherently racist and homophobic. Edmond is a huge part that carries the play throughout but Weinman’s playfulness and comic timing keeps the character interesting and unpredictable.

Edmond was a one off performance produced as part of Masterclass. A theatrical project that sees three apprentices (direction, design and technical) put together a play on the Haymarket stage whilst co-working with the professional creative team of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

You Can’t Stop The Beat!

Hairspray at The Shaftesbury Theatre

This production is musical theatre at its best. Camp, loud and colourful I defy anyone to see this show and not come out smiling and feeling uplifted. The music is a joy to hear with each number and dance routine adding more vigour and life to the show than the last.

Set in Baltimore in the early 60s, before obesity became such a huge cultural problem, Hairspray centres around Tracy Turnblad, a teenage teenybopper with “indeterminate girth.” With even bigger hair she has one passion: to dance.

After finally winning a spot on “The Corny Collins Show” her dreams come true when she gets to dance live on TV with the dreamboat Link Larkin. This makes her an icon to girls across America who dare to be different. She must defeat the show’s reigning princess Amber and integrate black and white kids on the show in order to win his heart.

Set against the brightly coloured kitsch set, Chloe Hart is wonderful as the vibrant Tracy. She finds much more humour in the part than the previous Leanne Jones. She is clumsy, awkward but unafraid and Hart’s mannerisms are hilarious, especially when feigning with pleasure in the presence of Link.

Liam Tamine is suave and handsome as Link with a smooth voice perfect for the part of the teenage crooner. His performance of “It Takes Two” highlights the flexibility of his voice and is comical in his exaggerated performance.

Sharon D Clarke who plays Motormouth Maybelle (the matriarch of the black community)  is fast becoming a West End legend. Famous for her limitless voice she exudes stage presence and her rendition of “I Know Where I’ve Been” is amazing – expertly hanging back only to surprise us all with her controlled belt in the final choruses.

The choreography by Jerry Mitchell is infectious and perfectly balanced with the lively beat of the music. He captures the mood of the 60s perfectly, especially in the choreography on ‘negro day,’ making the moves clean and simple.

Phill Jupitus as Edna Turnblad (Tracy’s larger than life mother) does not quite fit in amongst the accomplished cast and struggles with the American accent. In full drag if an actor does not fully commit they end up looking like a bit of an idiot: and Jupitus does not commit. He is great at the organised improvisation during “You’re Timeless to me” because he can simply be himself – a comedian.

His best moment is when Velma (the producer of the TV show and Amber’s mother) says, “Oh, your what spawned that (Tracy).” To which Jupitus replies, “Excuse me,” in a voice so low that it penetrates the depths of the theatre.

Unfortunately he does not possess any skills as an actor and makes no attempt to embody the character of Edna at all, appearing mainly  wooden onstage.

This aside Hairspray is a wonderful show that the young energetic cast thrive in. With Sunday matinees just added this is a great musical to take the family to in the run up to Christmas.

Silly Trivia: The cast of Hairspray use 80 cans of Hairspray each week to keep their 175 wigs in place.

Rating: Get the best ticket money can buy.

Hairspray continues at The Shaftsbury Theatre until Octobet 24th 2010. To book tickets click here

Special Guest Appearance…

Last night saw another of Ladygarden’s comedy extravaganzas at The Wilmington Arms. With a new line up, the audience were treated to an array of stand up comedy, sketch shows, comic character monologues and a surprise appearance by Lenny Henry who warmed up with some old and tested out some new material on this unsuspecting audience.

Will Andrews

The night was hosted by Ladygarden but compered by Will Andrews a stand up comedian who gives the impression that he is nervous and comically incompetent; twitching with awkward silences throughout his introduction. However he is brilliantly accomplished at the observational inclusions. His use of old children’s records was hilarious, especially when Ed Stewarts asked the kids if they liked Gary Glitter.

Andrea Donovan as crazy Scottish lady.

Next up was Andrea Donovan who appeared twice in the night; first as a crazy Scottish lady and second as a crazy Brummie lady. Her committed delivery and timing was good but content lacked a certain humour. As a late night audience we want belly laughs, a minute, not the odd smile or chuckle.

Redeeming the night next was Cardinal Burns: a male sketch shows double act. The first sketch was a parody on a Parkinson interview, which was hilarious and well researched.

Cardinal Burns/Parki

Parkinson twitched, moved and intonated as he genuinely does whilst the interaction between himself and Simon Martin (a Footlocker shop assistant) was genius, especially the whispering to each other at the beginning.

Next were the hosts Ladygarden who kept the energy high using both old and new material. They opened with a Girls on Tour sketch parodying the drinking culture of gangs of girls on a night out – the inevitable tampon and weeing in a pint combined with talk of sexual conquests with minors is funny but the ending, as they retract to girlie Sex and the City Girls when approached by a man, is funnier. Camille Ucan is particularly animated beginning the sketch on the way up to the stage.

Girls on Tour get girlie

Nick Mohammed provides a complete change in content as a jobs-worth anger management coach with an temper problem himself.

His high-pitched Manchester accent combined with his stocky appearance in an itchy Aran jumper makes him instantly entertaining. His catchphrase of “I’m absolutely boiling… I feel sick” became funnier and funnier and provided the first real belly laugh of the night. His interjectory “skenarios” in the midst of the anger management

Nick Mohammed

presentation, complete with cue cards are brilliant – particularly the story about him going to Paris on a Eurostar train but being deported because he forgot his passport “because it’s a train!”

Ladygarden appeared on stage once again with a great sketch consisting of three doctors who kept physically getting in each other’s way until the patient finally died.

"But I didn't"

The reoccurring “but I didn’t” short monologues from Hannah Dodd were amusing – not only is her delivery brilliantly dry but the content trivially entertaining.

Next up was Tommy and the Weeks, again a male sketch duo. The funniest thing in their first sketch was their observation that one of the men had an unusually large face and the other looked like a drowned Elizabethan (see photo).

Tommy and the Weeks/Drowned Elizabethan

Special mention to the drowned Elizabethan who did an incredible job filling time as the eager audience awaited the arrival of Henry. His imagery when describing his happy place called the animal pub was brilliant.

Lenny Henry

And finally… the surprise performance of the night and an energetic explosion to the tiny stage by the towering Lenny Henry.

Here to familiarise himself with the comedy world following a long stint as Othello at Trafalgar Studios he used old material as a warm up (jokes about his mother’s beatings as a child never fail to entertain) and new ideas in the run up to Rock With Laughter an upcoming gig.

His booming voice and animated physical gestures make him mesmerising and a lot of material is race based about his life growing up in Dudley making it personal. Particularly entertaining was the image of a woman in the Mississippi Delta wandering around wondering where her voice had gone… answer: Joss Stone.

Ladygarden and Friends is an intimate night of high energy comedy in a packed out, star studded, back room of a pub – well worth a fiver! However my official amytheatre rating will be Don’t spend more than £15.

Ladygarden’s next appearance at The Wilmington will be on the 21st December at 8pm. £5 entrance on the door.

All photos are included with kind permission from 2nowherefast

Who’s The Daddy?

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at The Novello Theatre

Debbie Allen updates this classic Tennessee Williams’ play with an all black cast and a 1980s setting. The casting is superb, the set sleek and the pace quick but is the 1980s theme strong enough to accommodate the all black cast in a play so rooted in 1950s deep South America?

The production is set on a cotton plantation in the Mississippi Delta, owned by a wealthy black family. The future of the 28,000-acre estate is at stake due to the illness of Big Daddy, the patriarch of this complicated family. What ensues is a battle for the inheritance as well as an incite into the complexity of familial relationships.

Set in real time over the course of one late afternoon, the action does not move from the bedroom of Brick, the eldest of Big Daddy’s two sons. This keeps the tension bubbling and the energy high maintaining the audience’s attention throughout.

Brick and Maggie

Set in three acts Cat on a Hot Tin Roof centres on the relationship between Brick and his wife Maggie. The opening act introduces us to the hostility and history of their childless marriage in a script that is rich with hints, subtly leaving clues for an inquisitive audience to piece together why and where their relationship had disintegrated.

Sanaa Lathan as the faded Sothern belle, Maggie, does well to embody a woman determined not to give up on her marriage whilst desperately hurt that the sexual lust the couple once had for each other has disappeared. Much of the first act is Maggie soliloquising to Brick, who rarely listens. Lathan finds hidden humour in this hefty piece of dialogue and exudes the sexiness that Brick is blind to, but she speaks far too quickly at times making her inaudible in parts.

Adrian Lester playing Brick conveys his resistance to his wife and his indifference to the family estate well but offers little range in his emotions. This is partly due to the writing as it demands Brick be moody and uncommunicative throughout, leaving little potential for an actor to experiment with.

Disabled by his broken foot after attempting hurdles in the middle of the night whilst drunk, Brick spends most of the play hopping around the stage. His crutch contributing to his lack of masculinity castrates him; a perfect image for a failed sportsman; a victim of the all American sports star dream.

Despite his injury and his physical incapacity Maggie has no sympathy for her husband, determined that his “laws of silence don’t work” anymore. Whenever his wife confronts him, he hops to the bar that is downstage left highlighting the dominance of alcohol in his life.

When she pleads with him to talk to her and lean on her shoulder for support he retorts with, “I don’t want to lean on your god damn shoulder,” raising his voice for the first time. Maggie enjoys this reaction, feeling that she has finally provoked some emotion in him.

Brick has lost all affection for his wife and there are homosexual connotations throughout the play, suggesting that he had a close relationship with Skipper, his best friend who fell in love with him. Maggie once slept with Skipper because it made her feel alive again and it bought both of them “closer to you (Brick).”

The grotesque couple

The grotesqueness of the pregnant Mae (Nina Sosanya) who has also married into the family, with her four children  (although in the production there were only three children visible) highlights the lack of children in Maggie’s life.

Mae and Gooper’s intention to inherit the estate is embodied in the action of their children singing Big Daddy a birthday song. We can clearly see the parents mouthing the words to them and the family’s appearance in party outfits and pink sparkling hats in an attempt to entertain and ‘butter up’ Big Daddy is hilarious.

Themes and Big Daddy

Act two consists mainly of a father and son conversation between Brick and Big Daddy. Unfortunately this does loose pace towards the end.

Lester is out-shone by James Earl Jones as Big Daddy, whose resonant voice and immense presence conveys the domineering and chauvinistic character brilliantly. Big Daddy’s awareness of the “obnoxious smell of mendacity” keeps the tension high as the characters constantly lie to each other, especially when discussing his illness.

The decision has been made to update some of the language in this scene and therefore Big Daddy swears a lot. This provides much needed comedy to this weighty scene and Jones’ comic timing is superb. He screams “f**k yeh I’m a rich man… 80million f**king dollars.” But money is worthless to someone who is old and ill fated; Big Daddy says, “I can’t buy back this life with it.”

There are some lovely directional touches in this act. Big Daddy tells Brick that life is too short and that he should stop drinking. Following this we hear the soft ticking of a clock as the two men listen in silence. They sit side by side on the sofa, sharing a rare peaceful moment but still unable to fully communicate as father and son.“That’s a nice peaceful sounding clock – sometimes I like to listen to it all night,” says Brick just as Big Daddy experiences some pain in his stomach, highlighting how life is ticking away from him.

Setting

The 1980s setting is conveyed through the subtle designs of Morgan Large (scenic design) and Andrew Allen (original music). The set involves a wood panelled bar with a television embedded in one of its cupboards but this is one of the only visual nods to the 80s as the grandeur and opulence of the room hints more towards the nostalgia of the plantation house.

The outside balcony displays any servants or family members (mainly Mae) who eavesdrop on the goings on in the bedroom, highlighting the lack of privacy throughout the house. This is something that Big Mama thrives on, “no need for doors in my house” and Big Daddy detests, “I can’t stand sneaking and spying.”

The original music is perhaps the biggest indication of the change of time setting with its saxophone solos reminiscent of 80s lounge music. The instrumentation is indicative of that found in popular music of the time whilst still keeping its roots in jazz: a musical genre with black origins.

The costumes by Fay Fullerton are not specifically 80s inspired and perhaps this could have been one area where the decided date could have been more clearly conveyed to the audience.

Apart from the obvious feasibility of a black family in the deep-south being so wealthy, perhaps the change in period setting is fitting due to the revival of capitalism and the search for wealth so characteristic of the 80s. Certainly Gooper and Mae are so desperate for ownership of the estate they will do anything to get it.

There is also the fact that Brick is a retired football star. There were no black sportsmen in the 1950s whereas this is more feasible when setting the play in the 1980s.

Conclusion

This play is timeless and the period setting does not overshadow the brilliance of this production. However there is a chance that some audience members who do not have a prior understanding of the play may be confused.

Overall this production does do this rich William’s play justice. The direction brings out the humour of the piece mainly in the interaction between the relatives – something that we can all relate to. However, the audibility, especially as people speak upstage, is poor and frustrating at times.

Rating: Get the best ticket money can buy - so at least you can hear how brilliant the play is.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof continues at The Novello Theatre until April 10th 2010.

To book tickets click here

Cue AirScript – a new technology that will make theatre accessible to all

Last night saw the launch of AirScript, a new handset that will allow audience members to watch a show with the script in their chosen language at their fingertips.

The launch took place at The Shaftesbury Theatre, who is the first theatre to pioneer this new technology.

Translated in 6 different languages; German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese and Russian, the device can be rented for £6 per performance (on a par with similar Museum devices) allowing a foreign audience member to follow the script in real time. Eventually up to six additional languages will be added to the database.

It will be free for the visually impaired or hard of hearing.

Individual translators were used in order to give a good quality version of the script. The inventor and Chief Executive of Show Translations, Alexander Vegh, told an invited audience at the launch that a “word for word translation would not work” as it may not necessarily make sense to a foreign reader.

How does it work?

Refreshingly the Chief Executive of Theatre of Comedy Company, James Williams, said at the launch that “there has to be a human being there somewhere. That is what theatre is about.”

This means that a person in the circle of the theatre will control a laptop, moving the cursor down the script as the show progresses. If an actor ad libs or a piece of set fails then the script will move accordingly.

David Bradshaw of Cambridge Consultants (developers and manufacturers of AirScript) said that there are three things that make a product successful; “it must solve a real world problem; it must be commercially viable and the product must have a unique relationship with its user” – much like a mobile phone.

He also said that “theatres are not typically welcome of technology” – for example we have all had embarrassing moments when our phones have rang during a performance. Therefore the device is designed to be discreet within the theatrical environment.

Another major problem facing the designers was the fact that the device would have to be wireless. According to Bradshaw, “wirelessly supporting potentially hundreds of devices simultaneously in a theatre was one of the main issues that we had to overcome, but perhaps more important was ensuring that the handsets were universally accessible and non distracting.”

Testing it out

During the performance of Hairspray last night members of the press sat with the Game Boy/Sat Nav black handsets on their laps.

I tested one out and found that they are incredibly light and not at all distracting. Controlled by one touch of the screen, when you select what language you desire, the device automatically controls itself.

When Phil Jupitus, playing Edna Turnblad, improvised for a few minutes the AirScript simply displayed improvisation and the script stopped running.

A widescreen with LED back lighting makes the device discreet and simple. It also has a low power consumption that makes the handset last up to six hours – sufficient for a West End musical.

One third of West End audiences are foreign

According to a Society of London Theatre Box Office Data Report (2008), about a third of London’s theatre tickets are purchased by overseas visitors to London, many of whom are non-English speakers. Therefore there is a definite gap in the market for this type of product.

Problems with the product

However, when I used the product the WIFI did loose connection during the opening number – only for a few seconds but it does raise the question of how reliable the WIFI will be – even if there are back up systems in place.

I thought that having the script on your lap, for example, may not be as natural as seeing subtitles in your peripheral view (like during Opera performances). However, the physicality of glancing down to see the script is not the problem.

The most challenging things about AirScript is that as you look from the bright stage to the darkness of the screen it takes a while for your eyes to adjust. You have to truly concentrate to see the faint text on the screen. This is partly due to the LED backlighting used to prevent the distraction of other audience members but it means that you can’t switch quickly from stage to screen – it is almost one or the other.

Will other theatres take on this new technology?

James Williams said, “it is appropriate that Hairspray, with its broad-based appeal, should be the vehicle for bringing the West End this concept for universal success.”

It is questionable as to whether other theatres will follow the lead of The Shaftesbury Theatre due to the set up costs and the fact that it costs £6 a go.

With ticket prices steep and the universal language of music and dance it will be interesting to see how popular the devices become. Williams said that other theatres were waiting to make decisions, “looking to see how it goes here.”

There will be a website launch next week.

A Unique Theatrical Experience

Salad Days at The Riverside Studios

Productions like this do not happen often. We are in a gargantuan yellow box sitting on fake grass overlooking a multi level platform of kitsch circular tables with crisp white table clothes, clean plates of cucumber sandwiches and sparkling jugs of pink Pimms.

The company dressed as University Tutors welcome in the audience

In between them, and us is the stage – an empty expanse of grass with only two benches at either side. We are in the traverse: a staging device where the audience sit on either side of the stage.

This makes the piece incredibly intimate and the actors vulnerable; if there was a weak link you would quite obviously hear/see it; there is no upstage to hide behind. In this case the ensemble is strong. Lots of different ages make up a varied company who when singing together are a joy to witness.

Particular highlights are Claire Machin’s routine as the lounge singer, Asphyxia and Sophie-Louise Dann’s performance throughout.

Direction

Although the direction, by Bill Bankes-Jones, is wonderful considering the complexity of staging a musical in the traverse due to the direction of voices, the play is bizarre due to its storyline.

A cross between Return to the Forbidden Planet and Red Shoes the play tells the story of an old piano that makes people dance when they hear its music and an alien that lands on Earth in a flying saucer.

Storyline

At the centre of the story is a young couple, Jane (Michelle Francis) and Tim, (Sam Harrison) straight out of Oxford University, struggling against family pressures to get a job and get married. In an attempt to solve these problems they decide to get married and use the magical piano, given to them by a park tramp, to make money.

Both actors embody the characters perfectly and their partner dancing, although beautiful, is hilarious due to their animated faces and surprised gasps as the piano forces them to dance.

The actors do well to embody the style of 1950s London; keeping the RP accents consistent and the jokes prim and proper. There is also a private awareness at how comical some of the lines are.

One particular highlight was when one character asked, “well what do we do now” and the perfectly timed Harrison replied, “well we sing of course.” The group on stage then burst into song, poking fun at the musical theatre genre as a whole.

Salad Days completely breaks the fourth wall with company members welcoming the audience into the space dressed as University tutors handing out degrees; by encouraging people up on stage to dance to this magical piano and by persuading the audience to sing the finale.

Go and see this musical for a completely unique theatrical experience.

Don’t spend more than £15

Salad Days is on at The Riverside Studios until Sunday 22nd November. Tickets “On the Grass” are £10. To buy tickets click here.