Category Archives: *Ratings

The Table (Traverse, 3rd Feb ’16) part of the Manipulate visual theatre festival

Posted in 5*, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre, Traverse by

Edinburgh, UK. 17/08/2011. Fringe First winners, Blind Summit, present "The Table", starring Moses, the Bunraku table puppet, who is ably assisted into being by Mark Down, Nick Barnes and Sean Garratt. Photo credit: Jane Hobson

“One of the most wonderful performances I have ever witnessed”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars: Outstanding

One table, one puppet, three men, no strings. And one of the most wonderful performances I have ever witnessed.

While it might seem quite basic, this spectacular puppet show (which could also be classified as stand-up comedy – more on that later) is a tour-de-force in keeping theatre simple yet incredibly effective. Within seconds, the carefully constructed cardboard face and cloth body became an intriguing old man whose every word and movement held me completely captive. And for a show an hour long, that’s no mean feat for something with no pulse.

The puppet began by introducing us to his table – his home – pointing out the garden, his vegetable patch, and where it might be extended to grow more carrots. All the while, he kept us entertained with witticisms most comedians would be proud of, and a dash of audience interaction to keep us all on our toes. And it’s all delivered so naturally, I was completely transported into the world of the table.

Yet while the slow and sometimes inappropriate ponderings of a confused old man were a delight in themselves, the crux of the performance lay in its original purpose – to retell the story of Moses’ saving of the Israelites and his eventual death on the mountainside. In this guise we see him humble, we see him angry and we see him defeated. We see him battle against the elements and lie down to sleep (which is far more difficult for a puppet than it may be assumed). And when he finally leaves the table, I genuinely felt lost and upset to say goodbye. Perhaps this says something about my childish tendencies, but the sell-out crowd of all ages seemed just as moved as I was.

The hands and voice behind this masterpiece – Nick Barnes, Mark Down and Sean Garratt – lovingly move every centimetre of the puppet with precision in care, and always in sync, down to their own breathing. What was particularly enjoyable about their roles were the playful and apparently improvised moments of the show, where the performers joked with and challenged each other to keep up with the pace. At one stage the poor puppet’s hand fell off, probably by accident, but this was covered and managed very well, even if the performers found themselves creasing up with infectious laughter.

About two minutes in I was hooked and thought this show has the potential to launch itself into my top ten favourite things I’ve ever seen on stage, and by the end it had firmly secured its place. Simply masterful.

outstanding

StarStarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 3 February)

Go to The Table at Manipulate and Blind Summit

VisitVisit Edinburgh49’s  Traverse archive.

Macbeth: Without Words (Traverse, 2nd Feb ’16) – part of the Manipulate visual theatre festival

Posted in 4*, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre, Traverse by
Sandra Franco photo. Ludens Ensemble

Sandra Franco photo.
Ludens Ensemble

“A compelling, highly intelligent and creative retelling of the famous story”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Outstanding

Macbeth: Without Words is one of those shows you see from time to time where you can’t quite decide if you love or hate it. It’s gutsy, original, and a full-on hour long assault of the senses that I couldn’t take my eyes off.

The piece starts with one actor, in a corset and clown make-up, leaping around the stage acrobatically before picking up a microphone and making a range of strange noises. Those with a more traditional perspective on Shakespearian theatre might baulk at the very interpretative style, which I’ll admit took some getting used to, but what unfolded was a compelling, highly intelligent and creative retelling of the famous story.

It is a very physical performance, as it needs to be to convey the monstrous action. There is no spoken dialogue. The dexterity of performers was sensational, as the cast of three managed to create almost every character from the play – all identifiable through their physicality and token elements of props and costume. Stand out moments included the initial stabbing of the king silhouetted through a plastic sheet, and Lady Macbeth appearing through that same plastic sheet towards the end, in all her ghostly presence.

Although without speech, it was not without noise; and many of the sounds were created by the performers live – either vocalised into microphones or using various banging, rubbing and scraping of props and instruments. The layering and looping of these created fantastic tension and atmosphere, with a real sense of baleful magic and connection between the performers and the action. Given how powerful this technique was, especially at the beginning where a complex soundscape was created very simply, it was a shame that for some scenes the company relied on pre-recorded sound, leaving me feeling a little bit cheated. At one point a recording of bagpipes was played, and I felt the company – in Edinburgh of all places – missed a trick.

It was also disappointing that for a show pertaining to be “without words”, that short excerpts from the script were occasionally projected onto a screen to clarify the action on stage. I admit that the task to portray every nuance of Shakepeare’s work without any words at all is nigh-on impossible, but in some scenes it was done so well – the incantations of the witches, the murders, the washing of the hands, the breaking of the news – all performed using physicality, silhouette and props,  that it was such a shame that the company “copped out” in those rare moments. It seemed that with a little bit more work or development the company will have created a piece truly “without words” and fit for any European Capital of Culture.

This could have been one of those mind-blowing, life-changing performances that I’ll never forget, but unfortunately, those few flaws held it back somewhat. Still, ‘tis far from a sorry sight and overall the battle was far more won than lost.

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 2 February)

Go to Macbeth: Without Words at Manipulate

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LoopsEnd (Traverse, 2nd Feb ’16)

Posted in 3*, Circus, Dance, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre, Traverse by

LoopsEnd

“A visual feast”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars: Outstanding

I have seen many spectacular aerial displays over the years, from companies all over the world,  and with their latest work, LoopsEnd, Edinburgh and LA based Paper Doll Militia is definitely right up there with the best of them in terms of risk, precision and wow-factor. However, while technically the gymnastics were great, I was a bit disappointed by the overall cohesion of the work.

A performance in two parts, the first half, Ashes, was inspired by the tearing down of an industrial estate where the group used to rehearse. The main visual element of the piece was two long ropes hanging from the rigging, twisted and weighted down with bags of powder. Even watching the ropes untwist and retwist in the empty space was graceful and compelling, and when combined with George Tarbuck’s stunning lighting design and the trademark tricks and treats of a seasoned aerial company, this piece was, at times, nothing short of a visual feast.

Throughout the performance, white powder was used in various ways to represent the “ashes” – one performer literally had a pile on his shoulders in the opening sequence, while the closing image was of the two bags attached to the hanging ropes slowly emptying as the ropes swung in the space. These individual instances were very powerful visually, but it was difficult to see the link between these, and any sort of narrative or progression within the piece. Indeed, many of the “theatrical” devices seemed under-developed and incomplete: there were too many moments of clichéd wide-eyed wonder and writhing around in angst, and at one point one performer walked back and forward many times, overtly undecided about whether to touch the rope. Such basic and overused devices unfortunately offset the splendorous vision of the other sections.

In the second piece, Unhinged XY, projection was also used, which in some ways added another dimension to the visual smorgasbaord, but in others gave a seemingly unnecessary layer of complexity and confusion to the action – again, it often wasn’t clear how the costumes, music, acrobatics, projections and design all married up.

The aerial silk work in this piece, and the use of wind and fabric combined to make some stunning visuals and standout moments. When one performer walked up a hanging piece of silk, weighted at the bottom by another, while competing with gusts around her, I was awestruck by the strength and artistry on show.

It was a bit of a shame that both pieces relied quite so heavily on overpowering recorded sound and music. While at some points it was great in setting and supporting the overall tone of each section, its constant use meant the work was unable to establish a mood for itself, so I would have preferred a more selective and sensitive approach to the aural aspects of the performance.

Overall, there’s no denying the talent and visual creativity that have earned Paper Doll Militia their excellent reputation. However, LoopsEnd left me somewhat hanging in mid-air, rather than applauding with my feet flat on the ground.

outstanding

StarStarStar

Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 2 February)

Go to Paper Doll Militia

Visit Edinburgh49‘s  Traverse archive.

 

Nigel Kennedy: The New Four Seasons + Nigel Kennedy Dedications (Usher Hall: 27 Jan. ’16)

Posted in 5*, Music, Rated: Outstanding, Usher Hall by

 

 

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars:  Outstanding

“Superlative musicianship … beautiful music from about two inches of steel E string  “

“Have you got anything by Nigel Kennedy?”  the enthusiastic lady said to the bemused shop assistant in the HMV Record Store, Oxford Street, some thirty years ago.  Mostly people asked for music by title or by composer, and when  by artist only those of a more traditional, established genre.  Here was a new phenomenon: the classical musician as rockstar.  Since then, more have come.  But Kennedy was the trailblazer.

It has been greatly to Kennedy’s credit that his unconventional dress sense and stage demeanour (fist bumps, shouts, foot stamping et al) has not got in the way of his superlative musicianship.  Yes, he has succeeded in making classical music more attainable, but not by getting into crossover or dumbing down.  Notwithstanding the informal approach, he has always taken his music intensely seriously.  Comparisons may be odious, but Joshua Bell played the Usher Hall a couple of weeks ago.  Both players are at the top of their game.  But I know who nailed it. 

Wednesday’s programme was a music critic’s nightmare.  None of the works (apart from the original ‘Four Seasons’)  is in the public domain (for once, Grove failed to come to the rescue) and the programme notes contained nothing about the music, just biographies of the band, a largely Polish contingent of exceptional ability.  I was on my own.

Never fear, Nigel introduced the pieces and in every one you could see where he was coming from.  First off was an Amuse bouche of a Bach partita that threw the theme back and forth between violin and cello, exquisitely played with a real bond between the star and talented acolyte Peter Adams.

There then followed four of Kennedy’s own compositions.  Dia Jarka, dedicated to contemporary guitarist/composer Jarek Smetana –  and as far as we can tell, no relation to Bedrich – had the guitars and double bass laying down a raga style line, with nuances of the Beatles’ Maharishi phase.   Stephane Grappelli was a folk/jazz fusion as one might expect, but not in the “swing” Grappelli style; more intense. Kennedy’s relationship with Grappelli, was, of course, similarly deep, from when he first disobeyed the orders of his over strict teachers at the Juilliard to go on stage to play jazz with the old man at Carnegie Hall, with brandy having been taken to steady the nerves as he risked expulsion.  One is reminded of Nureyev in his early days rebelling against the Kirov. Different political system; similar didactic musical approach.

For Isaac Stern came next with a beautiful interpolation of violin and viola, followed by a tribute to American bluegrass composer/violinist Mark O’Connor with the unusual but effective combination of violin, bowed double bass and guitar.

After some playful fooling around deceiving the audience they were going to hear more, Kennedy made the audience friendly announcement “Ladies and gentleman it is my sad duty to stop playing and let you go to the bar”.  So we did.

The second half was Kennedy’s signature piece, The Four Seasons, but in his own arrangement for strings, two guitars and piano.  It worked. Antonio Vivaldi would not be so much as turning in his grave as wanting to get out of it so that he could join the party.  There followed some forty five minutes of “extras” – one would hardly call them encores because they were generously offered without the audience asking, and a near three hour set was concluded with a sublime rendition of the Londonderry Air, taking it right up into the highest register (could it have been eleventh position?) and Kennedy still getting beautiful music from about two inches of steel E string.  I was reminded, perhaps not too strangely, how the Rolling Stones played way over time at Wembley in 1990 having had to finish early the previous evening.  Oh, Danny Boy, we were sorry to see him go, but, boy, had we had our money’s worth!

outstanding

StarStarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Charles Stokes (Seen 27 January)

Visit the Usher Hall

The Weir (Lyceum: 15 Jan – 6 Feb. ’16)

Posted in 4*, Rated: Outstanding, The Lyceum, Theatre by
l to r. Lucianne McEvoy, Darragh Kelly, Brian Gleeson, Frank McCuster, Gary Lydon. Photo. Drew Farrell

l to r. Lucianne McEvoy, Darragh Kelly, Brian Gleeson, Frank McCuster, Gary Lydon.
Photos. Drew Farrell

“You will not want to let these characters go home”

Editorial Rating:  4 Stars: Outstanding

For an Irish play set in an out of the way bar, The Weir is pretty sobering. That it is also witty, articulate, and beset by place, loss and sprites is less of a surprise. Writer Conor McPherson has serious form by now when it comes to the dregs of self at the bottom of a glass,  or more cheerfully, to the poetry in the head of a creamy pint of Guinness.

Except that the Guinness in Brendan’s bar is ‘off’ because the fecking tap is broken. Jack has to help himself to a bottle (it’s that kind of village pub); Finbar’s ok because he’s become a tad more sophisticated and drinks Harp Lager; Jim, gentle soul, is happy with small chasers; Brendan is pleased to keep them company; and Valerie, well, she’s down from Dublin and might stay a while. She has a white wine – awkward – poured in a straight glass. There is no smoking ban yet and Designer Francis O’Connor has the craic curling across a wide, low beamed, space with the telegraph poles leaning drunkenly outside. There is a television above the bar but it’s a careful, appealing touch when Jack reaches up to switch off the rugby – it might have been gaelic football. The reception was bad anyway.

Nothing interferes with the story telling and there is no interval. First, Jack with his faerie road and spooky knocks at the door; then Finbar, with a terrifying old woman on the stairs; then Jim’s unwitting shocker in the graveyard that summons Valerie’s nightmare; and finally, cleverly, at the fireside, it’s back to Jack as he mournfully recalls his lost chance at love and marriage. Each tale is far too enthralling, too involving and heartfelt, to be contained as a monologue. The silence after Valerie’s story is literally stunning. Director Amanda Gaughan lets it down evocatively, rendering the men helpless in their sympathy.

McPherson’s achievement is to write bar stool conversation that is as moreish as good peanuts, wholesome against the odds. And the Irish cast are very, very good at helping themselves: Gary Lydon as Jack, sturdy, crumpled; Darragh Kelly as Jim, fond, credulous; Brian Gleeson (yes, son of ….) as Brendan, open, obliging; Lucianne McEvoy as Valerie, injured, self-possessed. And Frank McCusker as Finbar, whose equable, decent, tones stay short of the self-satisfied.

Brian Gleeson, Brendan, and Gary Lydon as Jack. Harp Lager and Draught Guinness as themselves.

Brian Gleeson, Brendan, and Gary Lydon as Jack.
Harp Lager and Draught Guinness as themselves.

‘The Weir’ was written in 1997, enjoyed immediate success and has attracted lyrical approval thereafter. Personally, I’ll play safe and just recognise how companionable a piece it is. You will not want to let these characters go home in the rain*. Single men, who know each other well, have gathered hospitably, stood each other a drink (or two), and have talked idly. However, there is the one woman amongst them and it’s Valerie who’s channeling the hard stuff.

(*Too tempting, sorry, not to cross -reference to Seamus Heaney’s Casualty from a darker period whose subject is the ‘Dawn-sniffing revenant’ plodding home from the pub in midnight rain.)

 

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Alan Brown (Seen 19 January)

Go to The Weir

Visit the The Lyceum  archive.

The Academy of Saint Martin In The Fields (Usher Hall: 10 January 2016)

Posted in 4*, Music, Rated: Nae Bad, Usher Hall by

Image: ASMF org.

Image: ASMF org.

“The quality of the playing was at a consistently high standard throughout.”

Editorial Rating:  4 Stars:  Nae Bad

A cold wet sleety January afternoon did not deter the hardy Edinburgh cognoscenti from gathering eagerly and loudly in the foyer of the Usher Hall on Sunday.  The Hall’s Twitter feed had advised  the 250 or so who had arranged to pick up their tickets from the box office to come early because of demand.  To begin with this certainly stopped the ticket queue from standing in the rain, and one got the impression the queue wouldn’t have minded anyway, but by 2.45pm the line was well out of the doors.

The draw was, of course, The Academy of Saint Martin In The Fields, perhaps the finest chamber orchestra in the world, now undergoing a new lease of life under the directorship of player/conductor Joshua Bell, subway busker and near megastar. Bell was certainly a brilliant catch for this magnificent band after Sir Neville Marriner’s retirement four years ago.

The other huge name on the bill was cellist Steven Isserlis, again, world class in stature.  The combined group are on a UK and European Tour, and it was Edinburgh’s turn to hear the magic.

The programme selection was both esoteric and matinee attractive.  The concert was relatively short, at a total of less than an hour and a half’s playing time, but nobody left feeling they had been short changed.  In art, as perhaps in matters of the heart, it is not so much the duration, but the intensity of the experience that provides the enduring memory.

The programme began with a snippet by Dvorak, “Silent Woods”, originally  “Waldesruhe”, a piece for piano for four hands, later transcribed for cello, and ultimately for cello and orchestra, which was the version we heard. Quiet, gentle, soothing, with flavours, understandably, of Smetana’s Ma Vlast, one wondered whether this lullaby-like jewel, played with such beguiling ease, would send the postprandial audience to sleep.

If it did (and the enthusiastic applause suggested otherwise) the blast of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony would have them wide awake in no time.  This is not a great symphony, and apart from the lively Allegro vivace con brio, which the orchestra delivered in cracking form, the remaining three movements (a comment on the composition, not the playing), save for a spirited final Allegro vivace, plodded along a little.

After the interval we were treated to the second movement from Schumann’s posthumously published violin concerto,  along with a tiny but fascinating codetta written by Benjamin Britten.  Ten minutes of understated, beautiful playing, with Bell the absolute master of his art.

The concert ended with the “must have” item, the Brahms Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. What followed was secure, utterly capable ensemble playing with the two soloists interweaving with each other as warp and weft.  There was none of the stodginess you sometimes get in Brahm’s full on orchestration with the band moving nimbly through the familiar passages in support of the soloists.

Overall, not only did this concert have eminent soloists and an interesting programme, the quality of the playing was at a consistently high standard throughout.  At the time of their foundation 55 years ago, Sir Neville Marriner promised that the Academy would never go on stage unless thoroughly rehearsed.  True today as it was then, what we got was  not so much a concert as a performance, in the truest and fullest sense of the word.

nae bad_blue

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Charles Stokes (Seen 10 January)

Go to the Academy of St Martin’s in the Field.

Visit the Usher Hall and archive.

 

 

Tracks of the Winter Bear (Traverse: 9- 24 December ’15)

Posted in 4*, Rated: Nae Bad, Traverse by
Traverse Theatre

Traverse Theatre

“Cool and works a treat”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Nae Bad

Now here’s a frosty cracker of a show in two acts: Act 1 written by Stephen Greenhorn and directed by Zinnie Harris; Act 2, written by Rona Munro and directed by Orla O’Loughlin. Each Act tells a different story with different characters but pull them apart and – with a muffled bang – you get a Christmas message and a novelty polar bear torch. There’s a ginormous bear as well, but that would explode the cracker idea way beyond belief.

As last year, with The Devil Masters, we’re close to home but it’s the sanctimonious New Town no more; no, it’s Craigmillar, Abbeyhill, and on the beach at Portobello. Act 1 opens up high, probably on the Crags, looking ‘down there’ on Edinburgh. Act 2, for the most part, is up a hillside but closes on a tenement stair. It is most definitely winter in both acts. You can almost hear the soft snow crunch beneath the boots – and it stays white n’ even – and there are bare trees suspended from the sky. Kai Fischer (Designer) and Simon Wilkinson (Lighting) make it blue and cold and pretty empty. But there’s keen writing, much humour, a lot of tenderness and a finely attuned soundscape from David Paul Jones. And the audience is close-in on both sides of a narrow traverse stage, behind scrim gauze, which is cool and works a treat.

Deborah Arnott and Karen Bartke Photos: Mihaela Bodlovic

Deborah Arnott and Karen Bartke
Photos: Mihaela Bodlovic

Act 1, Greenhorn’s work, is the love story of Shula (Deborah Arnott) and Avril (Karen Bartke). Shula went away after exams and came back to find Avril married to Craig, which both women find hard to take. ‘How to cope?’ falls somewhere between nostalgia and vodka, which makes it a slightly unsteady mix of the sad and the satisfying. The story is told in retrospective snatches of memory and loss. Arnott does forsaken and hurt very well; whilst Bartke has the gentler, healing role. Watch out too for the graveside wit of Mairi (Kathryn Howden) as she tends the memory of her Donald.

Act 2, Munro’s piece, is funnier, more outrageous. Jackie (Kathryn Howden again) has had enough of being Mrs Claus in a tacky Winter Wonderland but along comes her one big ‘wee adventure’ involving a killer polar bear with a bloodcurdling roar and a fantastic nose for shortbread. As Jackie mentioned Snowball cocktails, I thought Advocaat, and then of Dutch author Hans de Beer’s lovely Little Polar Bear stories; and indeed Munro’s bear (a magnificently swaddled Caroline Deyga) is a kind creature, once she has digested and expressed the men in her life, but I still wouldn’t bring susceptible children to this show.

Kathryn Howden and Caroline Deyga

Kathryn Howden and Caroline Deyga

‘Look at you!’ calls out a delighted Jackie as she passes under the Bridges. She is, naturally, on the back of a polar bear and having a whale of a time. No doubt the water is freezing but I still found the Tracks of the Winter Bear to be peculiarly heart-warming, which is always good at this time of year.

 

nae bad_blue

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Alan Brown (Seen 9 December)

Go to Tracks of the Winter Bear

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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (King’s Theatre: 28 Nov. ’15 – 17 Jan. ’16)

Posted in 4*, King's Theatre, Musical Theatre, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by
Frances Mayli McCann as Snow White with Ensemble. Photos by Douglas Robertson

Frances Mayli McCann as Snow White with Ensemble.
Photos by Douglas Robertson

“Packed with laughs for audiences of all ages”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Outstanding

I’ll admit, ever since the age of about 9, panto has never been very near the top of the list of my favourite art forms. And it’s true that I do tend to like my theatre a bit more high-brow. In saying that, this panto all but shattered my age-old preconceptions by being very, very funny, and at the same time embodying surprisingly high production values.

Where to start, but with Edinburgh’s pantomime royalty – Grant Stott, Allan Stewart and Andy Gray. Their on-stage chemistry is just as visible as they say it is, with lots of friendly jibes and presence that oozed confidence and star quality. The banter between them was great, and their improvisation and cover-up skills were spot-on. Stewart in particular impressed as Nurse May, with a dazzling array of seamless costume changes and a likeability that almost made the stage feel instantly more alive whenever he was on it.

Andy Gray, Allan Stewart and Grant Stott.

Andy Gray, Grant Stott and Allan Stewart.

Both Greg Barrowman as Prince Hamish and Frances Mayli McCann as Snow White also impressed with powerful singing voices, and their personalities perfectly balanced out those of their more esteemed cast members. But for me it was the dwarfs who stole the show, in particular the scene where they were riding an array of animals, and I was disappointed these characters were not used more often. The troupe showed fantastic energy and comic timing, and brought the ridiculous hilarity already on display to new heights every time they made an entrance (or exit!).

The script wasn’t so much littered as smothered with witty one-liners, topical references, football jokes, and a healthy sprinkling of good old-fashioned farce. Indeed, this show certainly has a bit of everything for the little’uns and their respective elders: there’s flying, dinosaurs, pyrotechnics, colourful costumes and a touch of audience interaction. I defy anyone not to giggle at at least one element of this offering.

The musical numbers were all delivered with aplomb, with dance sequences many grades above the step-ball-change choreography I was expecting. Song selection (mainly covers of popular songs) often seemed shoehorned in for the spectacle, but then again, one doesn’t go to panto for that. Still, the music was upbeat, in tune and full of fun.

I can forgive that the structure was a bit all over the place, that some of the scenes between the fab three bordered very closely on self-indulgent, and the almost never-ending rendition of a well-known Christmas song towards the end. It’s a show packed with laughs for audiences of all ages, and brings a lot of sparkle to brighten even the hardest of hearts. Oh yes it does!

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 8 December)

Go to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Visit the King’s Theatre archive.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Lyceum: 28 Nov.’15 – 3 Jan.’16)

Posted in 4*, Rated: Outstanding, The Lyceum, Theatre by
l.tor: Charlotte Miranda Smith as Susan, Ben Onwukwe as Aslan, and Claire-Marie Sneddon as Lucy. Photos. Royal Lyceum Theatre.

l.tor: Charlotte Miranda Smith as Susan, Ben Onwukwe as Aslan, and Claire-Marie Sneddon as Lucy.
Photos. Royal Lyceum Theatre.

“Fantastical adventure and heart”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Outstanding

Allegory or not, “It’s [still] a magic wardrobe. There’s a wood inside it, and it’s snowing, and there’s a faun and a witch and it’s called Narnia. Come and see.”

And enchanting it certainly is. This 2009 adaptation follows the adventures of four WWII evacuees as they travel through the wardrobe and discover the mysterious, wintry world of Narnia, encountering everything from witches to talking lions, to Father Christmas. C S Lewis’ wondrous story is expertly captured on the Lyceum stage by director Andrew Panton, and is an absolute triumph of a Christmas show.

The one thing that is immediately evident is how polished a production this is. Each scene change is almost like an smooth apparition; as if in some transitory dream, the audience move from one moment to the next without really knowing how they got there, and it’s wonderful. As the oak-panelled set opens out to reveal Narnia for the first time, one cannot help but gasp – with the younger audience – at the intricate display on stage: snow falls and coats the floor in a sparkling white blanket; tall icy trees seem to go on forever and that iconic lamp post glows in the shadows, waiting patiently for Mr Tumnus to appear. The impressive set is further complimented by sumptuous costume design, particularly in that of the animals. Mr and Mrs Beaver and Aslan the Lion are brought to life not only through their physicality but also through that wardrobe, but literally this time.

Stunning set and faithful costume aside, it is the strength of the cast that bring the real magic to this production. Special commendation must go to James Rottger, Charlotte Miranda Smith, Christian Ortega and Claire-Marie Sneddon, playing children Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy, respectively. As an audience member, there is often an underlying fear when watching adult actors in child roles as, if poorly performed, it can often remove you from the story. Yet this troupe executes their performances with such a warm and honest vulnerability that it is impossible not to be drawn into their adventure.

This childlike wondering proves all the more effective through the addition of song to the narrative. While some numbers do feel unnecessary, they do give the show another dimension of fantastical adventure and heart. After defeating the Witch, and the cast start singing the words, “You can’t know, but you can believe”, the spellworking in the theatre is almost palpable, and it is hard to suppress the urge to wave back at Aslan and the faun as they bid their farewell to their audience.

As stage magic goes, cutting the mustard might be up there as tricky; and evil White Witch (Pauline Knowles) has trouble living the part that is forever Tilda Swinton’s. A chilling performance works for her at times but it is often ambushed by pantomime warmth and is limited by the reach and power of the virtuous characters.

However, this is holy Advent time and this is a lovely production of a miraculous story that will delight the expectations of the children and grown-ups who come to see it.

 

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Rachel Cram (Seen 4 December)

Go to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Lyceum.

Visit the The Lyceum archive.

‘The Great Train Race’ (Interchange, Galashiels: 29 Nov. ’15)

Posted in 4*, Other, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by
Ellie Zeegen and Simon Donaldson Photo: Firebrand Theatre

Ellie Zeegen and Simon Donaldson
Photo: Firebrand Theatre

“You might want to take sides and cheer your engine along”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Outstanding

Where better to stage this play of trains than in a bus and railway station? And so to the impressive Galashiels Interchange, which may have a Borders postcode, but whose track once more runs straight to Edinburgh and onto the ED49 platform. The permanent way is back – ‘Hurrah!’ – and the winding A7 is properly historic.

Redoubled ‘Hurrahs!’ too for the return of Robert Dawson Scott’s 2013 flag waving, whistle tooting, tale of men and locomotives (and a gender bending signal box). It is the summer of 1895 and two railroad companies – the North British and the Caledonian – are competing to run the fastest overnight service between London and Aberdeen. They take different routes – up the east and west coasts respectively – but the two eventually converge at Kinnaber Junction, 38 miles from the finish, which is where the signal box comes in – big time. And, just to add to the headlong fun, there are no speedometers in the cabs.

This is main-line ‘Play, Pie and a Pint’: three actors and 45-50 minutes long, which happily enough is almost the journey time between Gala’ and Waverley on the Borders Railway. Could The Great Train Race be performed on a moving train? Maybe director Richard Baron entertained the idea and brought it to the (Fat) Controllers of ScotRail. Well, we do get a Sir Topham Hatt character of sorts, and the piece is staged in the rectangular ‘round’. Not exactly in a carriage but the action goes from side to side, round n’ round, with the passengers occasionally buffeted by the wind from a passing train. Never mind, you might be on a ‘Grouse Express’ and the shooting parties have lobster in their hampers. You might want to take sides and cheer your engine along or – more likely – just sit forward and enjoy a show performed at speed and with great, engaging, spirit.

It is easy to distinguish the actors. When they are not sporting beards or holding balloons or dumping ‘hot’ coals in your lap, livery is all. Ali Watt is decent Norrie, railway clerk of the North British. He has the uniform, English accent, and manners of a man who believes in the rulebook and in fair competition. Dumping timetables and ‘dropping’ stations is simply not on. On the other footplate, in overalls, is Cammie (Simon Donaldson, educ. Earlston High School), a fitter in the engine sheds whose speech runs more along the lines of “Yer dancer”, which to describe a 2-4-0 ‘Hardwicke’ locomotive is going some. In-between the two and indicatively Doric, stands Kinnaber (Ellie Zeegen), whose friendly and eager narrative is the coupling rod.

It is a chuffing good story, merrily told, and with such invention and detail that the Borders Railway might wish that they were passenger numbers. Oh, sorry, there are tales of overcrowding already; which is scarcely Firebrand Theatre’s fault.

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Alan Brown (Seen 29 November)

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