THEGAYUK

Author: Alex Da Silva

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Stories To Tell In The Middle Of The Night, Birmingham Rep

    Stories To Tell In The Middle Of The Night written and performed by Francesca Millican-Slater was not what I expected. ★★

    © Graeme Braidwood

    Its premise explores the many thoughts that people have before trying to fall sleep, and then still not being able to do so hours later. It’s a great concept for many of us can relate to the drivel that goes through our minds prohibiting our brain to switch off and go to sleep. However, Francesca’s stories were too disconnected for the average person to relate to. The odd story resonated some recollection in the back of our memory archive – like the supermarket couple scenario, but the rest were just tales that didn’t quite grip spectators, having to wait a while for a punchline. It would be a great sketch for a Spoken Word night, but as performance it lacked spark. We were merely watching a woman talk about things that go on in her own head. Sadly, they were things that not many people could connect to, alienating us in parts. It was neither comedic, nor was it dramatic. Stories To Tell In The Middle Of The Night would have been something to play on the radio to help you fall asleep.

    There were some poetic notes to the writing. So, audibly, and in some instances, it was pleasing; particularly when Francesca came back to the middle podium and described where we were in the night using astronomical angles and nautical references to help us imagine the arrival of the dawn, and the familiar feeling of ‘oh shit, I need to be up in a few hours’.

    The Rep Foundry is a fantastic programme that gives new writers the opportunity to create, and later perform, their own work. Perhaps the next draft would benefit from a framing device whereby the three podia that the protagonist utilises may represent the id, ego, and superego of the insomniac psyche portrayed. As it stands, the stream of consciousness text is lost in the back waters.

     

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | What’s In A Name, Birmingham Rep

    THEATRE REVIEW | What’s In A Name, Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★ | A modern farce that delivers ounces of emotion, comedy and suspense. A full platter!


    (Photo credit: Robert Day)

    What’s In A Name, written by Alexandre De La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, stages a dinner party packed with many surprises and twists that kept you on edge, and slightly edgy, while holding your belly for laughing. It is set in London, and the story centres itself around the name of Adolphe which Vincent jokes about calling his son when he is born. The story then darkens as secrets are revealed within each of the five guests.

    Sarah Hadland, who most would remember as Stevie in Miranda, stole the show with her multi-emotional portrayal of Elizabeth. Sarah was completely natural and every line and action was delivered with sheer dexterity and conviction. I was so happy to see Sarah aka Stevie up close, and to not see her as Stevie at the same time, which was something I really enjoyed. Raymond Coulthard was magnificent as Carl, and was great to see him back at the Birmingham Rep after watching him in King’s Speech. Carl carried the biggest secret and Raymond played the audience well, never giving any of it away. Nigel Harman, Eastenders, was formidable as Vincent, Elizabeth’s younger brother. Nigel conveyed him with such energy and natural flair that one could not help but be drawn every time he spoke and moved. Jamie Glover was excellent with his cross-examining scenes as Peter, challenging Vincent and others to prove a point. He made the set appear like it was his own home with the way he perched on or leaned against features in the front room signalling natural familiarity. Olivia Poulet as Anna was a great ingredient to turn the drama on its head with coming in quite late and revealing a hidden secret. Olivia was charismatic and held her own against the other theatrical titans.

    I seriously suggest everyone go and see this as it draws you in with the clever humour and sophisticated drama – you just didn’t know what you were going to get!

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Pride and Prejudice, The Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★★ | Pride and Prejudice, The Birmingham Rep

    CREDIT: Johan Persson

    Masterfully personifies Austen’s work of art.

    I remember reading Pride and Prejudice in my early teens, and recall falling in love with characters and the way they came to life on every page. Last night, Simon Reade’s stage adaptation delivered the feeling of nostalgia and I couldn’t help but fall in love again.

    It is quite rare to see a cast where every character, minor or major, stand out equally, and contribute superbly to every scene they are in. This was true of Pride and Prejudice. I was blown away by the humour, the tension, and the vulnerability that every actor was able to portray throughout the production. Matthew Kelly did a sterling job as Mr Bennet, with his on-point comedic timing and powerful voice that rippled through the auditorium. The shining actor was Felicity Montagu who played Mrs Bennet, and what a sensation she was. Felicity was the true embodiment of the role and from minute one she had you in stitches. The dour portrayal of Mr Darcy by Benjamin Dilloway was accomplished and perfect for the character, showing Benjamin’s versatility, for his change of mood when he confesses his love to Elizabeth Bennet was more heartfelt and the audience were drawn in. There were some ‘awwws’ when he professed his true feelings to Elizabeth. Elizabeth Bennet, portrayed by Tafline Steen, was a whirlwind. Headstrong, charismatic, un-lady like, and the Elizabeth I envisioned when I first read the book. This was a typical feeling I had, as every role was expertly crafted to suit the novel, making it a magical experience for the Austen aficionados. Doña Croll’s Lady Catherine De Bourgh was a sensation and the epitome of the high class of the era. Her characterisation was composed, edgy and a little on the dangerous side.

    The set, as well as the props and effects, transported the audience into the early 1800s where ‘things’ were seen of more value than people. Gossip and hearsay were a constant pleasure manifested in the society of the era, and Austen did a brilliant job capturing it. Simon Reade outdid himself by introducing to us the story we cannot help but go weak at the knees at every time.

    I was so impressed by the energy and enthusiasm shown across the production that I want to see it again and again, and haven’t stopped recommending Pride and Prejudice to friends. Perhaps that is why there are scarcely any seats left!

     

    Pride and Prejudice plays at the Birmingham Rep until 12th November

  • THEATRE REVIEW | What Shadows, Birmingham Rep

    ✭✭✭✭ | What Shadows

    CREDIT: Ellie Kurttz

    Is prejudice innate or learned? Is racism okay if everyone is? And is there such thing as racism equality? These are some of the questions that What Shadows evoked, and are still riddling my mind.

    In 1968, Enoch Powell made a speech in Birmingham that created a fissure along the street where it was famously delivered and divided a nation with words that scarred those who became a target of it. The Birmingham Rep put on the production of What Shadows and a troubling moment of history was resurfaced.

    In the Studio Theatre, real trees had been planted to give the idea of wilderness and lighting cast shadows on the wall for different moments of the play. I found myself staring at them a lot to figure out their purpose, and it dawned on me, halfway through, that the trees were probably the same ones that had witnessed history across the decades that the play was set in. They were the shadows of time.

    Cast-wise, each performer was equal in acting craftsmanship. Most actors multipart played different roles showcasing dexterity and natural flair, which contributed to an extremely believable production that took you on a chronological journey of identity. Chris Hannan, the writer of What Shadows, summoned a mixture of feelings in the audience, and without bias, created a story that made the audience ask and debate inwardly how they felt about their own identity: what is natural for human beings to feel? And, is double standards of racism correct?

    Ian Mcdiarmid not only looked the part but his physicality, as well as his tone of voice, were uncannily accurate. The power and fragility of Enoch was brought out by Ian in a subliminal way, and it was one of those performances that stunned you and made you feel incredibly glad to have had the opportunity to watch it.

    Bríd Brennan played Enoch’s wife, Pamela, and Sofia Nicol, an unrivalled genius of the early 90’s, which were played in a delicate and powerful way. The actor who stood out for me for his passionate, strong and utterly convincing portrayal of the Sultan was Phaldut Sharma. When he begged for his wife, Grace Hughes (Paula Wilcox), to remember him was close to tear-jerking, and the racial divide was felt the strongest when he gave a speech about serving with the Punjabi regiment and in the British Army as well as being a comrade of Enoch’s, and then Enoch’s dismissal and belittling of the sacrifices made by his regiment brought racism home. A superb performance I will never forget.

    Paula Wilcox did a sterling job as Grace Hughes, a lady who lost her husband during the war, and embodied, with impeccable skill, a racist resident in Birmingham who sided with Enoch’s views, but when she got to know the Sultan, the racial tension fell away, and left room for love.

    What Shadows plays at The Birmingham Rep until the 12th November

  • THEATRE REVIEW | THE EXORCIST, THE BIRMINGHAM REP

    ★★★★★ | The Exorcist was a frightening occasion with jumps, bumps, and lights were left on in my home.

    Robert Day

     

    The original ‘The Exorcist’ written by William Peter Blatty brought horror to U.K. cinemas in the 1970’s being banned in most of them, for people fainted, were sick and were left immobilised from the terror. The Birmingham Repertory Theatre developed the play version alongside Bill Kenwright, and playwright John Pielmeier for a U.K. premiere which happened on the 21st October.

    I was stunned immediately by the ambition of the set design and special effects used throughout the play. I previously thought it would be a play that was going to be hard to get a scared out of as you knew what was going to happen, as well as you are not manipulated by the sounds and editing that you normally experience in a film. However, The Birmingham Rep’s ‘The Exorcist’ took you by surprise and you daren’t bat an eyelid. The illusionist setting and apparition of the evil spirit were special effects you would see in a film now. The illusion design was masterfully developed by Ben Hart. The way the walls appeared to move and the dark cloud traveling along the set as the demon were just otherworldly!

    Robert Day

     

    The performance, delivered by the cast, matched the effects with equal conviction with Regan, in particular, played by Clare Louise Connoly, shining brilliantly. Clare’s multifaceted portrayal of Regan was sublime, and delivered every ounce with dexterity. She surpassed herself when becoming possessed with ambitious physicality and movement that contributed to the eerie ambience of the production.   Jenny Seagrove played Chris, Regan’s mother, and played her emotions very authentically as well as showcasing anger and fear very intelligently.

    Peter Bowl’s Father Merrin stole the show for me. He played the Father quietly, confidently, and made the audience feel at ease as the one who was going to solve the puzzle. An incredibly gifted actor whose short time on stage provided entertainment to the last second, and the audience hung onto every word he said. The flamboyant character Burke, played by Tristram Wymark, had genial comedic timing. A couple of times leaving some audience members in hysterics. Adam Garcia contributed to the sombre mood of the play with his portrayal of Father Karras, whose mother had been ‘taken by the devil’, and had died from the event.

    It was a well-accomplished production, with effects that could not be believed were possible, acting that was on point, with all characters providing an air of mystery and suspense; and the effects that made the audience jump, which to me was a treat that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dead Sheep, The Birmingham Rep

    THEATRE REVIEW | Dead Sheep, The Birmingham Rep

    A history lesson with outstanding features.

    Deep Sheep
    CREDIT: The Birmingham Rep

    Drama based on the rise and fall of Thatcher has been in production ever since the year she lost power. By the very nature, ‘Thatch- iopic,’ as coined by my theatre colleague, can be bitty and could potentially reduce long-standing working relationships and battles to single scenes or moments.

    Dead Sheep is a focused theatre piece in which the relationship between Margaret Thatcher (Steve Nallon), Geoffrey Howe (Paul Bradley, best known for playing Elliot Hope in Casualty), and his wife, Elspeth Howe (Carol Royle) take centre-stage. The triangle, where Howe finds himself in the middle of, is a tug-o-war that eviscerates Howe and forces him to choose one side. Torn between political loyalty and spouse angst, Bradley delivers a formidable and emotionally dynamic performance that was purposely understated to enhance the subtlety of the personality.
    The highlight and perhaps selling point was casting Margaret Thatcher as a man.

    Steven Nallon did an astounding job playing her, it was as if the Iron Lady herself was present before us with the line delivery as well as the movement, stunned and entertained the audience throughout. A couple of belly laughs were had.

    Three actors played narrators (Graham Seed, Christopher Villiers and John Wark) as well as politicians/minister in her cabinet. This entertained the spectators, but at times detracted from the action. Sometimes we just wanted to be shown the story as opposed to being told beforehand. It ruined the drama for us, in part.

    Overall, a successful and refreshing take on the ‘iron’ age of British politics, and as Jonathan Maitland (Writer) said: “But there is one corner the tractors seem to have missed.” What it was like for Geoffrey Howe at the right side of the force not to be reckoned with.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Shadowlands

    THEATRE REVIEW | Shadowlands

    ★★★★★ – So emotional, I couldn’t help but cry.

    Amanda Ryan as Joy Davidman and Stephen Boxer as C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands. Credit Jack Ladenburg

    Credit: Jack Ladenburg

    Last night was one of those nights where you sit there, and for the whole of the two hours you felt so lucky to be a theatre reviewer. I didn’t think theatre could touch a person that deep, in the way that William Nicholson’s Shadowlands undoubtedly did.

    “Shadowlands is based on events that occurred in the lives of two real people – C.S Lewis and Joy (Davidman) Gresham (…) I have used parts of their story, not used other parts, and imagined the rest.” – William Nicholson.

    ‘Jack’ Lewis and Joy Davidman were played by Stephen Boxer and Amanda Ryan respectively, and I will never see the two actors as themselves again. C.S Lewis and Joy were resurrected and put on stage for the audience of the 21st Century to see the marvel that his world was, and the imagination he had, through William Nicholson’s own genius take on Chronicles of Narnia legend’s life. The portrayal was too surreal to be called acting. For a week only, the two lives come alive and let us in to see the lives that lived in and around C.S Lewis’.

     

    Credit: Jack LadenburgCredit: Jack Ladenburg     

    The formidable writing of Nicholson astonishingly captivates C.S Lewis and you were reminded of Narnia, as the story was told. I particularly adored the moment in which Lewis sparked the notion of magic with young Douglas, who wanted to believe in it so bad. Having seen The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Christmas at the Birmingham Rep, I was gleefully pleased to see some features used for this. It made the experience so much more magical.

    It is rare not to be able to control your lacrimal glands in public, but this story pushed them out of you whether you liked it or not. And I wasn’t the only one, with sniffles and other crying-like noises surrounding me, the whole theatre could not help but give in to the emotions of the heart-breaking story. One couple were so engrossed that were constantly saying: “Oh dear” as the action darkened.

    The subliminal acting, combined with almost too-good-to-be-true storytelling by William Nicholson evoked emotions that could not help but escape the depths of the human soul. “The happiness now, is part of the pain then.” Said Joy when she was on holiday with Jack, as the dreaded end was near, which touched so many people.

    Other acting, from Denis Lill (Warnie), Simon Shackleton (Prf Christopher Riley) and all the others contributed to the fullness of the play, and created exquisite drama which helped bring to life the man who made so many of our childhoods magical and filled with wonder.

     

    Shadowlands plays at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre until 4 June.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | King Lear

    ★★★ Intense, cathartic, but lacked a punch.

    “But I am bound upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears do scald like moulten lead” – King Lear

    The story, written by Shakespeare between 1604 and1606, depicts the tragedy of a family who lose trust, compassion, and all for the material gain of land. Those who are good of heart suffer the most and unspeakable tragedy befalls them. When Lear’s oldest two daughters plot to usurp him from his thrown, it is a wayward journey where no traveller returns.

    Talawa Theatre Company and the Royal Exchange Theatre present a moment in theatre that is both harrowing and compelling. From powerful performances by Don Warrington (Lear), Philip Whitchurch (Earl of Gloucester), and Alfred Enoch (Edgar); to an ambitious set that delivered surprises and was thematic with the shape of a circle that glowed like a ‘wheel of fire.’

    Don was very convincing as the King with strong tones of authority, madness, and sensitivity; the second half particularly, Don commanded with emotion and powerfully delivered ‘howl, howl, howl’ whilst carrying a dead Cordelia in his arms. Philip portrayed Gloucester with sincerity and truth, which made his tragic scene even more difficult to watch. His speeches and dialogue were very eloquent and combined with the emotion, galvanised the role to a very high standard. Alfred, who most will recognise from playing Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter franchise, gave an electric performance as Edgar/Poor Tom with physicality that was moving, edgy, and kept your eyes glued to the stage. The way in which he portrayed Poor Tom when he transitioned was fantastic in terms of the acrobatic movement and flair of speech delivery. It was a shame they cut Poor Tom’s speech about him becoming Poor Tom. It was also a pity that the Fool’s speech about the end of the world was cut, which would have contributed to the apocalyptic feel of King Lear. But then again, I am not sure Miltos Yerolemou (Fool) would have handled it as well as he did his comedy. His comedic timing was brilliant, but the scenes in the wilderness were a little lacklustre, in terms of line delivery and truth.

    King Lear1

    Though there were some great moments, there were others that took away from key scenes, and therefore spoiled the play overall. Unfortunately, Pepter Lunkese who played Cordelia was overly shout-y and whiny, and not much of her in the play, which made it hard for the audience to feel sad for her death at the end, even though Don’s lamentation was sublime.

    The key disappointment for me was the ‘camp’ portrayal of Oswald. I thought we had come a long way since portraying characters as camp for the purpose of seeking a cheap laugh from the audience, or as a device for a character to come across evil. It was both offensive and shocking to see.

    King Lear plays at the Birmingham Rep  until 28th May

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Father, Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★★ | Delicately humorous and emotionally charged.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | FOLK

    Holy, Unholy and everything in between. Folk was heavenly humorous but had also many notes of devilish charm that tickled many funny bones in the audience.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW| Twelfth Night, Birmingham Rep

    THEATRE REVIEW| Twelfth Night, Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★★ | Twelfth Night

    If Adventure Time were to come up with an episode of Twelfth Night, what was seen last night, created by Filter theatre company, would be what you would see. A lunatic, ‘filter-less’, bold and a surprising production that literally got you on your feet playing with balls.

    CREDIT: Pr Supplied
    CREDIT: Pr Supplied

    Nerves start to unsettle when one gets an invitation to watch ‘another’ production of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. But those were soon soothed when we walked in to The House of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre to come upon what looked like a set for a band. If one could sum up Filter’s creation, it would be: ‘A Shakespeare Rave’. My leg certainly didn’t stop bobbing up and down to the music.

    The quadruple –threat cast multi- part and multi-instrument played with energy that was coming from the power sockets. Electric like no other. Harry Jardine, who played Orsino and Aguecheek must have got his muscles from the rehearsals, for he was continuously running, summersaulting switching characters so efficiently that one would get dizzy after a few blinks of an eye. Effortless performance and Harry still managed to speak in blank verse to an excellent standard. Ferdy Roberts, who redirected Twelfth Night alongside Oliver Dimsdale, played Malvolio to a degree of mastery. The ‘don’t-know-what-you’re-going-to-get’ type actor kept the audience on their toes, as Ferdy sauntered around as Malvolio capturing the danger of the character. At the same time, rocking out with his air guitar solo, and stripping off to his yellow stockings which capitalised the ‘b’ of bold. Dan Poole as Toby Belch was hilarious and had comedic timing down to a ‘t’. Olivia Darnley who played Olivia was funny and charming, and did formidably well in the scenes where she tried to seduce the male characters. All in all, everyone had an incredible talent that brought the show alive, ingredients of which have led me to see this as my favourite Twelfth Night production I have ever seen!

    The highlight for me was when Harry as Aguecheek asked/made me get on stage with the rest of the cast. He did this because I missed his Velcro cap when throwing the ball at his head. So, Harry kindly allowed me another chance, but I missed again. In the end I had to wear a cap like his to which the audience were given balls to throw at us. I loved it! This tour should be a sell-out and where dates need to be bolted on for more to see!

    Twelfth Night plays at The Birmingham Rep until the 16th April 2016, 0121 236 4455