Brink @ Royal Exchange Studio, 26.03.15

Brink, the latest production by the Royal Exchange's Young Company, marks Associate Director Matthew Xia's directorial debut for the theatre. An ambitious production, the company worked together with Youth Director Matt Hassall and poet and Exchange associated artist Jackie Kay to explore the idea of being “on the brink” using spoken word, song, dialogue, beatboxing, physical theatre and most importantly, the experiences of the performers.

What is initially striking about the production is its design - the Studio has been truly transformed into an other worldly, futuristic place, with a raised platform divided into grids of light (reminiscent of Tron), creating lots of small edges the actors can reach. These perhaps symbolise the "brinks", both big and small, we encounter throughout our lives. As the show progresses lighting design and staging are consistently strong, with doors suddenly appearing in the set and the cast crawling into other worlds, (or perhaps the "real world") which the audience has no sense of previously.

Throughout the production though it is the concept of “the brink” as an other worldly place that jars for me. The use of a slightly foreboding score sometimes overdramatised asides to the main stories, which otherwise could have served as light relief. The repetition of "this graceless place" seemingly used to assert the idea of the brink being a place rather than an idea didn't work for me, and was slightly overused.

In addition, the necessity of bringing the whole company on to the stage and establishing a world to which they all enter for different reasons, starts the play off with a rather chaotic tone. Although this establishes the concept of “being on the bring”, starting at such a high octane initially gave me reservations about what was to follow.

Disregarding the Brink as an alternative world, the concept serves as fruitful stimulus for the company emotionally, exploring decisions and conflicts big and small with humour, insightfulness and authenticity throughout the performance. The vast majority of the individual stories ring true, being told with a comforting ease which allow for some fantastic performances.

As I mentioned earlier, Kay wrote the piece after lengthy discussion with the company and there is a real sense of their ownership over their stories and the material in general. A sense of having discovered things for themselves and supporting one another through the process, which is what really great youth theatre should be about. As with any piece "based on the experiences of the performers", the show made me wonder how much of it was real, especially with the harder hitting sections, but the performers always felt safe and supported.

Where the production, and performers really came alive was during the musical numbers, written collaboratively with the company and composed by young company member Jason Singh who accompanied on piano. Strongest of the original material was "Fragile" where the performers harmonised, danced and channelled the emotions of the lyrics wholeheartedly.

Both Director Xia and Associate Director Hassall have spoken passionately about their belief in theatre as a social tool and their admiration of the young company they have had the privilege of working with. Every performer on stage seemed comfortable, confident and cared for, all given space to explore and an opportunity to shine, creating a sensitive, energetic, varied, authentic and therefore triumphant show.

Scuttlers @ Royal Exchange, 10.02.15

The gangs of Manchester have often been represented via artistic media, as exemplified recently by the Brothers’ Day film launched at Moston Small Cinema.

Carrying a loose similarity to BBC’s The Mill in its reminder of the moth-eaten working conditions for cotton mill workers, Scuttlers instead focuses on the Victorian youth gangs of Ancoats, whose recalcitrant hostility saw territorial wars across the canal bridges.

What immediately strikes you about this production is its walls of sound created by Manchester-based music producer Denis Jones. On taking your seat, you’re welcomed into the gritty, industrial world of late 19th century Manchester. This is achieved partly by the core cast spinning webs on the central loom, but more so by Jones’s clattering cataclysms emanating from his control tower, which throw 21st century futurism amongst the mechanical oppression in slightly anachronistic fashion.

The plot, intertwining the lives of the Prussia Street and Bengal Street gangs, is enhanced by the claustrophobic nature of the Royal Exchange’s circular theatre setting. With all events set within a half-mile radius, the proximity of work, rest and play on Ancoats’ streets is carried out to great effect, as the core cast and extras alike crisscross the floorboards, appearing and disappearing from all angles in cohesive segue.

Focus swaps between the gangs with some impartial – or at least less dogmatic – floaters drifting between the two. Susan (Anna Krippa), a nurse at the Dispensary whose campaign has been highlighted by the production programme, is one character whose line of work noticeably brings her into contact with both sides of the divide. Her relationship with returned soldier Joe (Tachia Newall) is one that serves to add depth away from the brewing belligerence.

In terms of performances, David Judge, playing the charming Chorlton-to-Ancoats migrant Thomas Clayton, confidently delivers some of the wittiest lines of the script, aided by the surrounding sounds akin to Aphex Twin shuffles that decorate his nimble dancing scenes. Jones’s paralysing clamours are again the prevalent in a later fight scene, throwing volume spikes like punches. It may have been the wintry draught, but I felt a shiver down my spine at one moment of tense timing.

Noticeable flaws were when sentences trailed away. At least one section of the audience at a time was losing words to the auditorium. Some fluctuated in this respect, but among the least audible were Kieran Urquhart’s Prussia Street leader George, whose tender tones were in stark contrast to the angry gang dynamics on display at the top of the Tigers’ tree – Jimmy (Dan Parr) and Sean (Bryan Parry). This was rarely the case for Rona Morison's Theresa, whose relatively seasoned and streetwise character was played with an assured guile.

Overall, director Rona Munro has incisively pieced together a jigsaw displaying a broken society, with the familiarity of the local reference points adding to its allure.

Words: Ian Pennington
Photos: Jonathan Keenan, c/o Royal Exchange Theatre

Scuttlers continues at Royal Exchange until Saturday 7 March - tickets are available here. Supplementary events include Gangland Manchester, which is a discussion on 21st gangs in the city hosted by Dave Haslam, and walking tours led by Manchester Guided Tours.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof @ The Royal Exchange, 04.11.14

There is a rather pleasing disconnection in seeing Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, set in the sweltering deep south and with the word 'hot' in the title, on a cold, crisp November evening in Manchester, especially at the Exchange: the space was created for just this kind of drama, equal parts grandiose and intimate. The stage itself is a brilliant white, as is all the furniture, rather like an interior designer's idea of how heaven might appear. But, as we soon find out, for the play's protagonists this is very far from heaven indeed.

The action takes place on a plantation, where a family has gathered to celebrate patriarch Big Daddy's birthday. Brick (Charles Aitken) and his wife Maggie (Mariah Gale) have become cut off from one another, with Brick more in love with liquor than anything living. Meanwhile Brick's Brother Gooper (Matthew Douglas) and his wife Mae (Victoria Elliot) are doing their best to impress Big Daddy (Daragh O'Malley) and Big Mama (Kim Criswell) in order to secure a juicy inheritance. Self interest, self loathing and self pity collide and contort under one roof and, in the end, no one gets what they really want: happiness.

Although the play is 60 years old and set in the deep south the subject matter and dialogue feel relevant to a modern Manchester audience. The issues it addresses like mortality, sexuality and sibling rivalry are ones that people will no doubt find a way to fight over until the sun ceases to shine. The conflict between ambition and emotion is one that we all must struggle with at one time or another, and one that is dealt with devastatingly well by Williams, a writer with few equals when it comes to dysfunctional families.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is not an easy play for actors as the scenes are long and the southern accent can be problematic. Therefore the Aitken's performance was particularly pleasing, as he created a seemingly effortless vacuum in Brick around which the other characters revolved. Gale made me feel more and more for her character Maggie as the play progressed, while Elliot and Douglas provided comedic support as the infuriatingly fertile Gooper and Mae. O'Malley as Big Daddy had commanding presence but struggled with the accent, which made some of the dialogue difficult to listen to.

Director James Dacre made good use of the Exchange's multiple levels, taking actors into the upper tiers to deliver lines and having them loom menacingly over your shoulder during dramatic moments, visually illustrating the inward pressure a family can exert on its members. The timing and arrangement of the group scenes was also very well done, as Dacre balanced the forces of the varying personalities and drew feeling and humour from them.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is an exceptional play, full of great lines and sensitive discussions of serious subjects. This production does it justice, but is not outstanding in itself: there were too many lulls, too many things that didn't quite work out for it to reach that rank. Satisfying never the less, this is a must for fans of Williams' work and worthwhile for those wanting to experience his brilliance for the first time.

Words: Andrew Anderson

Images: Jonathan Kennan

Much Ado About Nothing @ Royal Exchange, 07.04.14

Shakespeare’s well-known romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing comes to Manchester in this new production directed by Maria Aberg. There is much merriment and mirth to welcome Don Pedro (Jason Baughan) and his company to town and Leonata (Marty Cruickshank), the Governor of Messina, is a very accommodating and gracious host. The guests have much to celebrate as they have recently won a great war, so there is dancing and laughter at the masked ball party thrown by Leonata. One of the guests in Don Pedro’s party, the esteemed Claudio (Gerard Kearns of Shameless fame), falls in love with Leonata’s daughter Hero (Becci Gemmell).

This production does well to surprise us and subvert the original male role of Governor Leonato with an impressive female Governor Leonata, as well as appeal to us with a new setting and a new time period. This is post World War Two Italy where the stars of the show are Benedick (a noble soldier in the company of Don Pedro, played by Paul Ready) and Beatrice (Leonata’s niece, played by Ellie Piercy), both of whom are stubborn and strong-minded, and thus the audience revel in the quick-witted retorts between these two charming characters. To the glee of Don Pedro and his company as well as the ladies in the household of Leonata, Benedick and Beatrice indulge in a “skirmish of wit”. Benedick and Beatrice amuse us with the air of nonchalance they attempt to profess, and yet they are so easily tricked. Also to be applauded for their fantastic humorous skits, which lighten the atmosphere, are constable Dogberry (Sandy Foster) and her deputy Verges (Beverly Rudd), for the two policemen are hilarious as they attend to their duties with great sincerity and comedy.

Typical of Shakespeare there is villainy in the form of Don John (Mild Twomey), the recently reconciled brother of Don Pedro who is extremely jealous of “the young start-up” Claudio and will go to lengths to plot the ruin of his chance of happiness. Will Claudio fall for Don Pedro’s vicious traps? Will Benedick and Beatrice fall in love? Will we get a happy Shakespearean ending? You’ll have to go along and find out.

Words: Sadia Habib

Photos: Jonathan Keenan

Orlando @ The Royal Exchange, 25.02.14

Virginia Woolf’s time travelling love story has been adapted by Sarah Ruhl for modern audiences, and the resulting play will garner their awe and amusement. Orlando, the hero, is pursued by many types of passionate and determined women, for he has the most enchanting calves ever seen on a young man: even Queen Elizabeth the 1st is not immune to his charms.

Suranne Jones, as Orlando, demonstrates fluidity and flexibility in presenting a rollercoaster of emotions through Orlando’s highs and lows, as well as through her ability to inhabit different gender roles. In the beginning we meet Orlando in the Elizabethan age – with its different ‘morals’, ‘climate’, ‘poets’, and ‘vegetables’ – and Jones plays the young, impressionable and excitable male Orlando to perfection. Later we are introduced to the female Orlando, now age thirty, elegant and lovely as she wakes after a very deep sleep of seven nights in exotic Constantinople.

Orlanda is a character of great dichotomies: sometimes words fail Orlando, like when he meets Sasha (Molly Gromadzki) and he needs “another landscape” and “another tongue” to describe what she means to him, but sometimes he is able to chat all night, surrounded by those who adore him/her. Sometimes he is in love and on top of the world, but sometimes his heart breaks like on the last day of the sixteenth century where he is grief-stricken and “done with women.”

Much of the humour is provided by the chorus (Richard Hope, Thomas Arnold and Tunji Kasim) as they narrate the magical adventures of Orlando and his many loves. The chorus are sometimes serious, other times caricaturising, always entertaining. They are vital in illustrating descriptive and dramatic elements, as well as some wild action and seasonal changes, and the non-stop lyrical lampooning keeps the audience highly amused.

The beautiful skating sequences with Sasha are unusual and impressive, as she and Orlando depict how they skated through London further and further away from court – a wonderful piece of directing from Max Webster. Their adventures lead them to mingling with the common folk, encountering fortune-tellers and watching Shakespeare’s Othello being staged (a poignant parallel moment for the theme of jealousy strikes a chord with Orlando).

A special mention also for Isobel Waller-Bridge, the composer and sound designer, for the musical elements are perfected to present the distinctive moods experienced by Orlando. The costume design is also consistent to the time-travelling theme: the magnificent outfits reflect the changing times over many eras, thus the audience can keep up with Orlando’s travel through time.

This is a play for lovers of poetic language, who will be mesmerised by the narration of Orlando’s loneliness and deep passions, as well as by the grand descriptions of the ships on the sea and of frosty cold London with its weird and wonderful inhabitants like “the riff-raff” (who actually smell better than the Queen). Orlando is a fantastic, fun and well thought-out production, well worth seeing.

Words: Sadia Habib

Image: Courtesy of The Royal Exchange

Blindsided @ The Royal Exchange, 28.01.14

The Coronation Street stars – current and previous – were out in full flow at The Royal Exchange supporting Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Cropper in Corrie) in Blindsided, the fourth play written by Stockport born writer Simon Stephens, who recently adapted The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night Time.

The star of the show is Katie West who plays the lively, energetic and passionate Cathy Heyer. We warm to her entertaining exuberance and want her to succeed as she studies for an A level in History at Stockport College, something she is very excited about. There are tiny hopes of ambition in her that we want her to pursue so she can get away from domestic drudgery and the smell of the butchers. We are drawn to her raw passion and energy…but we are not the only ones, as a new arrival in town is soon enticed by the depth of her vitality.

Cathy is yearning to feel deeply, “I feel like every bit of me is awake and asleep at the same time,” and her wildest dream is to turn into somebody, but she declares, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be who I am.” However, when John Connolly (played by Andrew Sheridan) arrives on the scene, she starts to see things differently, “Round here you need people to shake things up a bit!”

Cathy falls blindly, desperately and quickly in love with Conolly, telling him, “I can get rather attracted to somebody suddenly.” But not to him, please Cathy! Sheridan plays a smug malevolent character so brilliantly that my skin crawls each time I see him on stage.

The director Sarah Frankcom successfully portrays a play of shattered dreams and shattered lives, where the characters seek to be free of the shackles in their minds. Stockport is brilliantly presented by the concrete slabs on the stage and the rain that comes and goes during the grim days.

Blindsided is the perfect title for this new play, for we are blindsided as we watch the characters’ raw emotions and devastating pain.

Words: Sadia Habib

Images:

All My Sons @ The Royal Exchange, 01.10.13

Fans of 20th century American theatre should not miss this Talawa Theatre Company production of Arthur Miller’s classic All My Sons at the Royal Exchange. Talawa Theatre is an award-winning black-led theatre company whose mission is to promote and create work informed by the diversity of the black experience for both actors and audiences. Director Michael Buffong’s version is true to the original text, but by using an all-black cast he allows us to see the universality of the play’s themes: love, family, money and war. The play hits home hard about how the different characters are affected by the demands and distresses of war – in this case, WWII.

The action throughout the play centres on the porch and yard of the Keller family home, where passing neighbours stop for a chat, and where the local doctor often comes to see his friend Chris Keller (Chike Okonkwo). The Kellers seem to be a popular and charming family. Joe Keller (Don Warrington) banters with the local children and gives off the air of a relaxed and highly successful businessman.

However, early on in the play we learn that the Keller’s son Larry is missing in action, and as the play progresses we see that his mother Kate Keller (Dona Croll) does not want to believe her son could possibly be dead. Last night’s wind has symbolically led to the falling of the apple tree that had been planted in memory of Larry, and Kate mourns how the tree was planted too early. In contrast, the sweetheart Larry left behind – Annie (Kemi-Bo Jacobs) – wants to move on and accept the death of Larry. The developing tension between these characters and their ways of dealing with the loss of Larry highlights the strength of the two actors; Croll and Jacobs in their elegant dresses are beautiful, charming and lively, providing an emotional and physical centre to the play.

Ellen Cairns has designed a brilliantly authentic set, a perfect backdrop as the characters battle out their inner demons, skeletons come out of the closet and ghosts of the past return to haunt them. The set is a typical 1940s American middle-class yard and porch, with parsley pots, a swing, a rocking chair and white weathered wood. The lighting designer, Johanna Town, begins with a magnificently sunny day, but as the day goes on darkness descends on the Kellers. When the neighbours who often stop by are gone, and when first Annie and then George arrive, we learn of the darkness of that hangs over the Keller family, and we come to see the “fine hairline crack” amidst all the grand talk of going out for a night on the town to dine, dance and drink.

Words: Sadia Habib.
Images: Jonathan Keenan.

All My Sons continues at The Royal Exchange until 26th October.