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Tag: Birmingham Rep

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Othello, Frantic Assembly, Birmingham REP

    ★★★★★ | Othello, Frantic Assembly, Birmingham REP

    Mesmerising, Otherworldly, Sublime

    Who would have thought that Shakespeare’s “Othello” could be placed in a ‘Chatsworth Estate’ like location, bursting with rawness but, at the same time, realness unlike any other. Frantic Assembly dissects the true essence of the play and transfuses it in to a contemporary setting. Extremely commendable work.

    “Othello” is my favourite play by William Shakespeare, but as underrated as it may be to many, it cannot hide the fervour of overcharged emotions that play from minute one. It tells the story of a Venetian moor who is the general of the armies in Venice that marries the daughter of a Venetian Senator, figure of which disapproves of the union. The theme of this play is jealousy, and Iago speaks of this as: “It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.” Iago is jealous of many things, but in particular Michael Cassio’s promotion to Left Lieutenant by Othello, when Iago has been his long serving ‘slave’. Iago sets about on a mission to deem Desdemona ‘false’ and unworthy of Othello’s love. Iago proceeds in planting the seed of doubt in to Othello’s mind that Cassio and Desdemona are, essentially, at it. It all goes downhill from there, culminating in Othello killing his wife due to the paranoia.

    Some say there may be a sub-jealousy theme going on: Iago is jealous of Desdemona being married to Othello, when Iago envisions himself in her place. There is one sequence in Frantic, on the pool table, Iago is standing over Desdemona, and then the table rotates as Iago walks along it and his crotch level with Othello’s head. Read between the lines yourself.

    The ensemble of Frantic Assembly was subliminally phenomenal. Each actor played a key part to the show’s success. Every actor was strong in movement but eloquent in speech, which is a hard thing to do. Especially when, in one moment, one is being flung around a pool table and in the next reciting a speech in perfect iambic pentameter. Under the electric and elegant direction and choreography of Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett with Eddie Kay, “Othello” simmers into a beautiful crescendo of emotions and physical energy.

    The actor that stood out most ferociously was Steven Miller, who you might recognise as playing Lenny Lyons in Casualty, with his relentless energetic flair and passionate speaking, in verse. His monologues were heart-felt and sincerely understood.

    The set, for me, played a fundamental part in the atmosphere witnessed by the audience. The way the concertina flats moved effortlessly around the stage, and the way the pool table zoomed in and out, almost like a feather, was only short of genius. My favourite scene was when Cassio (Ryan Fletcher) is drunk and he portrays being drunk most convincingly, and the set aided to this with the ‘walls’ literally moving as Fletcher zig-zagged alongside it portraying the drunk effect we all know, very well, “the room is spinning”.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | MY PERFECT MIND, The Rep – Birmingham

    ★★★★★ | MY PERFECT MIND, The Rep – Birmingham
    Epically Humorous and Uncompromisingly Sincere

    Told by An Idiot’s “My Perfect Mind” stuns The Door of The Birmingham Rep, with its simplistic yet meaningful set and with its mastermind-like quality of acting. This astonishing play is an account of the actor Edward Petherbridge suffering from a stroke and his recovery, with help of a friend, Paul Hunter who does everything in his power to accommodate Edward’s imagination and fantasy.

    “My Perfect Mind” draws inspiration from the story of Edward Petherbridge’s second rehearsal of King Lear, where he suffered a severe stroke, which left him almost paralysed. Upon recovery, Edward comes to an enlightening discovery. Though his mobility had suffered from this event, all the lines for his part, King Lear, lived in his memory still.

    King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s most enigmatic and profound plays starting off with this 80 something King abdicating his land and rule by splitting it into three parts to give to his three daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. He asks of them, as an exchange for this gift, their expression of love to him. Goneril and Regan obey, but Cordelia upon being asked what she feels about her father, she merely says: “nothing”, which makes the old king banish her. Later on, in the play Lear loses his rule, goes insane and is banished. Shakespeare loved happy endings.

    The 90-minute play was filled with powerful energy and with a plethora of characters coming from one actor – Paul Hunter. Hunter had an incredible ability to multipart with astonishing speed, parts of which seemed to give Edward the Wonderland of Lear. Every time a new character emerged they asked Edward what he was doing? To which he always replied with “I am performing King Lear”, then Hunter, in character, acted impressed and amazed every time. Hunter blew the audience away with his gift of shape shifting between characters and with his unrivalled ability to seduce the crowd with laughter, particularly when he switched from David to Carol.

    Petherbridge’s story shone brightly on stage, as he played himself and the situation so vividly, it appeared we were witnessing the event real-time. His roaring delivery of speeches and then his sweet old-man like voice provided us with an emotional journey of discovery and recovery. We were left wishing we could hear Edward perform “King Lear” for real. The dramatic device Edward used with splashing paint over the wall was epic, as he belted Lear’s storms speech.

    One conclusion I can draw from this experience and it is somewhat ironic. King Lear goes through the play receding in his mental capacity and suffering bitterly, yet Edward used King Lear as a form of recovery. The fact that he still remembered the part, post-stroke, gave him a great sensation and by fate, he falls into the delightful direction of Kathryn Hunter and on the tour of “My Perfect Mind” depicting his story so magnificently.

    04 – 08 November 2014

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Solomon and Marion, The Rep, Birmingham

    ★★★★ – Witty, Endearing, Unforgettable

    “Solomon and Marion” hits the studio theatre of The Rep with an edgy bang. Lara Foot’s play is set in the post-apartheid period, and the essence of her story transports us back twenty years. It does not seem too long ago, when racial differences were a hot topic in the Western World, but more so in South Africa.

    “Solomon and Marion” delivers a perspective from both sides: Solomon represents a poor black boy, whose family have died, and who is, on a daily basis, fighting for survival. Marion is a white and middle-class lady who, throughout the play, is writing to her daughter Annie who is living in Australia with “a very good accountant.” – She reminds us… constantly.

    For some time, Marion has felt a presence lurking in around her house. One day, Marion is rudely disturbed by a black boy, whom she claims has never met, but walks into her living room, uninvited. It turns out that she used to let him play in her pond as a young child, as she was good friends with his grandmother. A delightful and an endearing connection between them ensues with terms as: ‘My boy’ and ‘Ms Marion’ that make the audience smile with delight.

    Lara Foot created a masterpiece, where she assembles humour with anger; a melancholy and monumental revelation. When Marion sees Solomon wearing her deceased son’s yellow shirt, her reaction is heart-wrenching. She cries and says to Solomon: “You’ve ruined it.” Which may cause some controversy with subtext analysis: was Marion showing a racist streak? She very quickly recovers and begs Solomon to keep it.

    Dame Janet Suzman, who you might recall from watching The Singing Detective, delivers an astonishing and memorable performance. The way Janet embodies Marion with extremely well-thought of physicality and with an emotion that was as if Suzman had gone through the grief and isolation portrayed herself. Janet shines particularly at the end when she breaks down after finding out the truth of her son’s death.

    Khayalethu Anthony breaths a true embodiment of what it would have felt like to live in those harsh times. Anthony is an unexperienced actor by background, but on stage his talent matches the Dame’s, especially when enacting live the murder scene of Marion’s son. His method of talking in mother-tongue gave the play an element of outstanding sincerity.

    The lighting was an effective drama tool, as it aided with the transition between happy daytime, to lonely darkness where Marion would spend all night staring at nothing. The excellent way in which the light shone through the window and when it climbed the walls as the sun was rising. The set was a masterpiece, in naturalistic terms but also it managed to create a nostalgic place for Marion to reminisce the whole life she had spent, and the one she wants to die in.

    “Solomon and Marion” is at The Rep until 1st of November.