SHADOWLANDS

SHADOWLANDS

Sudbury Dramatic Society at the Quay Theatre

03.03.16

for Sardines

Shadowlands tells the true, often tragic, story of the relationship between C S Lewis, the Oxbridge academic now best remembered for Narnia, and Joy Gresham, an American admirer. William Nicholson's literate script evokes wonderfully well the pleasure and the pain of this remarkable late-flowering love. The theology and the soul-searching form a rich back-drop to the unique romance of a buttoned-up, reticent Englishman in late middle age and the younger fan from New York City who sends him long letters and reads him her poetry.

Peter Drew's production moves smoothly from The Kilns, near Oxford, to a hospital ward, to Greece. The cosy “midden” of the room Jack shares with his brother Warnie is convincingly recreated stage left, with the rest of the action against black walls and drapes.

Some fine performances make for an emotional, thought-provoking evening of drama.

Lewis himself – tweeds, tie-clip and a warm, comfortable voice – is played by Neil Arbon. I'm not sure he'd cut it in the “intellectual elite” of the 50s, but he captures well the heart-searching and the anguish of the “foolish, frightened old man” as he seeks to reconcile this vale of suffering with his belief in a loving God. His key scene with the boy Douglas [an impressively confident Alex Ray – neat parting, suede shoes, comfy cardigan] is especially moving. Denis Brogan is absolutely right as the toper Warnie – double-breasted old buffer. And Heidi Bernhard-Bubb makes a poised, feisty, straight-talking poet. The awful, misogynist denizens of High Table are well suggested, particularly by Christopher Suckling as the atheist Professor Riley and Ian Pritchard-Witts as the pin-striped cleric Harrington.

Though Douglas is deprived of his Wardrobe moment, there are some telling scenes: the rain on the roof of the Register Office [and Warnie's expression as he signs his name], the grouping round the bedside for the wedding, the standard lamp, the tea-tray. The static semi-circle of academics lacks energy, perhaps, and it is a relief when Joy takes off the [superbly period] little hat that keeps her eyes in shadow.

Music is sparingly but effectively used – an eclectic playlist including Arvo Part and the sadly neglected County Durham composer John Garth.

A polished production of a compellingly moving, well-made play.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS

THE LAST FIVE YEARS

at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

01.03.2016

for The Reviews Hub

Rumoured to be based on the writer's own marriage woes, this charming chamber musical fits the Wolsey like a glove.

The structure is ingenious, with more than a hint of I Do, I Do and Merrily We Roll Along. Bride and groom meet – and duet – somewhere in the middle; otherwise their timelines move in opposing directions, giving an ironic twist to past and future passions.

In Peter Rowe's fluid, uncluttered production, both characters are frequently on stage together, sometimes interacting, sometimes not. Which makes even greater demands on the actors, and the audience, since time shifts in an instant, as Cathy and Jamie dart around their five year relationship.

Katie Birtill and Chris Cowley both inhabit their roles with conviction, with plenty of vocal power and engaging presence. She, the loser in this love match, eliciting rather more sympathy than he does, as he unattractively eyes up “other women” almost as soon as the knot is tied. But in the end it's work – he's a flavour-of-the-month novelist, she an aspiring actor – that comes between them. She stands starry-eyed stage right as he pens a last letter and packs up his things. Just ninety minutes before – straight through, no interval - he falls naively in love, delighted to be dating outside his faith, (he's seen “every Shapiro in Washington Heights”), as she laments the end of her marriage in “Still Hurting”.

As in Tell Me On A Sunday, the musical numbers are more like a song cycle than a sung-through show. Charming pastiches, not stinting on a good tune; like Sondheim, Brown knows how to tell a story in witty, snappy lyrics. A very stylish band – ready for a Schubert quintet, by the look of them – with MD Caroline Humphris at the grand piano. Some lovely numbers, though nothing to whistle on the way home. “Summer in Ohio”, about Cathy's awful experience in summer stock, the Chorus Line moment as she auditions, using a wonderful homage to the Great American Musical (“When You Come Home To Me”).

The staging is simple and intimate – magical fairy lights for the opening, soft spotlights for the solos, a table doubling as a pier on the lake, a love boat either side of the wedding, with her dialogue cleverly mirroring his as she retreats into the past. The moments when the two young lovers are happy in each other's company are a rare treat: standing together like the couple on the cake, Cathy sitting rapt and cross-legged as Jamie acts out his Christmas story of the tailor Schmuel before making her a present … of a watch.

production photograph: Mike Kwasniak

WILDE WITHOUT THE BOY

WILDE WITHOUT THE BOY

Cahoots Theatre Company at the Cramphorn Theatre

27.02.2016

In a remarkable tour-de-force, Gerard Logan uses Oscar Wilde's words to give a moving insight into the man behind the scandals and the stage hits.

De Profundis is his bitter letter to Lord Alfred Douglas. The poet's tragic infatuation with this feckless boy is the cause of his imprisonment, and yet the tone is often rueful, wounded rather than wrathful. In his bare prison cell, the mask can be removed as he mourns his lost love and stares hopelessly at a future of penury and exile.

And in that exile, he writes The Ballad of Reading Gaol, recalling in verse the last days of a fellow prisoner condemned to hang.

Logan's voice is richly expressive, his face suggesting something of the pain which lies deeper than words.

Gareth Armstrong adapts and directs this memorable evening, which brings the audience a little closer to the flawed genius of Oscar Wilde.

MY BOY JACK

MY BOY JACK

Hutton Players at Brentwood Theatre

26.02.16

This poignant play tells the true story of Rudyard Kipling's boy John, killed in the trenches when he was still a teenager.
The poet, who pulled strings so that his myopic only son could satisfy his own patriotic urges, is accused by his wife and daughter of sending the boy to certain death.
David Haig's drama is powerful, and superbly constructed. Glenda Abbott's production underlines the dynamic of the plot; especially in the second act, the interplay between the family is skilfully crafted, as Carrie, Kipling's American wife, clutches obsessively at straws, poring over reports and interviews with comrades, and Kipling himself strives to “find the good in it”. “Was he pleased to be there ?” he asks the private from Jack's platoon who witnessed the last fatal attack.
In the first half, the changes of scene slow the action and disrupt the mood a little, but here too the dramatic structure is superb – the medical board chatting about the latest technology as Jack's defective eyesight is about to be revealed, the intruders on the lawn, the children sharing an illicit tipple, foreshadowing the whisky shared later to soften the blow of Jack's death.
The pivotal scene in the trenches is well handled, the Irish squaddies with their awful feet and their pigeon baskets against a swiftly erected dugout.
Most of the scenes take place in the “dark, depressing” drawing room of Bateman's, Kipling's Sussex home, spaciously realised on the Brentwood stage, with fine furnishings and Persian rugs.
The quality of the performances is outstanding. William Wells, who, like the playwright, bears a certain resemblance to Kipling, gives a wonderful period performance, stiff upper lip only occasionally troubled by raw passions. A pause, a turn of the head, express deeper feelings. He ages convincingly, reading stories to his family, and reciting as the play closes the poem he wrote the same year his beloved boy died. Lindsey Crutchett plays his wife, desperate to avert the fate she sees only too clearly for her son, searching desperately through eye-witness accounts long after her husband has tacitly accepted the truth. The lad himself is brilliantly played by Ben Sylvester; we share his frustration, the anguish of rejection, his longing to leave the family home behind. And his vulnerability, his pathetic youthfulness, is palpable. He is killed weeks after his eighteenth birthday.
Strong support from Eleanor Burgess as Jack's older sister, and Gary Ball as the shell-shocked soldier who brings a halting, haunting account of Jack's death into the tranquillity of the sitting room. He is persuaded to do so by an engagingly awkward friend, perfectly done by Darren Hannant. Sam Thorley and Andrew Spong join Ball in the fragile camaraderie of battle, and the top brass on the medical board are Alan Thorley and James Biddle.
A very impressive production of a timely, touching piece, directed with style and sensitivity and played to perfection by a fine acting company.


image from the programme design by Paul Sparrowham

THINGS TO COME – MUCH ADO AT THE QUEEN'S

THINGS TO COME – MUCH ADO AT THE QUEEN'S

The Queen's, Hornchurch, has a new Artistic Director. And for his opening show, he's chosen Shakespeare's riotous battle of the sexes, Much Ado About Nothing.
Featuring a large cast and set amid the jubilant celebrations after the Second World War, this much-loved romantic comedy will also commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Inventive staging and a sparkling jazz-filled soundtrack will add to the magic.
It’s the end of the war and Leonato throws a party for the victorious Duke and his troops. Claudio falls in love with Hero and Hero with Claudio, and nothing will keep them apart. Claudio’s friend Benedick loves Beatrice and Beatrice loves Benedick – but they won’t admit it – and nothing will bring them together. Only the devious scheming of a resentful prince forces the pair to eventually reveal their true feelings for one another.
Beatrice and Benedick are played at Billet Lane by Hattie Ladbury and Thomas Padden, whose hugely diverse credits range from the West End and Shakespeare’s Globe to innumerable roles on television and film.
Meanwhile, youthful Claudio and Hero are played by recent drama school graduates Amber James and James Siggens.
The cast’s breadth of experience includes credits at the Globe, National Theatre, Regent’s Park Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court and in the West End. Screen work includes Dr Who, EastEnders, Downton Abbey and Four Weddings and a Funeral.
They are: Liam Bergin, Rosie Barden, Jamie Bradley,Pascale Burgess, Nigel Hastings, Eliza Hunt, Mark Jax,Amber James, Hattie Ladbury, Thomas Padden, Sam Pay, James Siggens, Noel Sullivan and Sam Walters. The cast is supported by a 12-strong community chorus: Graham Bennett, Martin Hart, Mandy Lyes, Lucy Mason, Alex Raynham, Leah Rowlands, Hayley Sanderson, David Savage, Pam Shrimpton, Marie Watson and Megan Withers.
Design is by Jean Chan, musical direction by Julian Littman, lighting design by Matt Haskins, sound design by Helen Atkinson and choreography by Tim Jackson.

Much Ado About Nothing will be performed at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 4 – 26 March. Tickets are from £12.50 – £27. 
Call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or book online at  queens-theatre.co.uk