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Sunday, March 06, 2011

"Lear's Daughters" - March 2011

The timing of XLC Theatre's "Lear's Daughters" fitted in perfectly with our plans to see the Donmar Warehouse's touring production of Shakespeare's play the following week, and having enjoyed several of their shows previously we made our first trip of the year to the Citz Circle Studio. And this prequel certainly provided an interesting take on the characters.

Written by Elaine Feinstein and The Women's Theatre Group, I'm finding it difficult not to feel that the choices made for the characters are more in the interests of advancing a political agenda than in creating a work of theatre of value in itself. But what Feinstein has delivered is a very lyrical script which the cast perform well. There were a couple of moments early on when some of the semi-monologues came over as more recited than spoken with real meaning, but once we get into the main part of the play all five cast members give impressive performances.

Caitlin Cummins Duffy, Skye Cooper-Barr and Rehanna MacDonald as Goneril, Regan and Cordelia handle the transition from young children to womanhoood effectively. As The Fool, Vasso Gergiadou holds the show together and appears very comfortable getting up close with the audience. Miriam Sarah Doren makes her character(s) sympathetic but the fact that we're unsure if her billing as Nurse/Nanny was a single character is indicative of a wider lack of clarity in the script and David Lee-Michael's direction which left us with a number of plot points on which Waldorf and I disagreed on our understanding of. And we're also now disagreeing as to how much of this was intentional ambiguity.

Sadly we couldn't see a credit in the programme for the costumes - and it's a pity as they were fabulous. "Lear's Daughters" was an entertaining night, and it will be interesting to see just how much it colours our view of "King Lear" when we see it later this week.

Lear's Daughters from XLC Theatre in association with Langside College has completed its run at the Citizens.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

"The Lieutenant of Inishmore" - February 2010

XLC Theatre Company have followed last year's successful production of Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman" with another of his plays - the Irish paramilitary set "The Lieutenant of Inishmore". But this is no serious political drama - think 'Pulp Fiction' crossed with 'Father Ted' and you'll have a fair idea of the tone here. It makes for a production that people may well have very different reactions to - Waldorf was largely unimpressed and felt it played up the slapstick too much. But for me this really hit a sweet spot with some magnificent performances.

Yes, on occasion, the relationship between Donny (Richard Rankin) and Davey (Iain De Caestecker) strays a little too close to Ted/Dougal but their comic delivery is flawless - at times reducing me to tears. As Mad Padraig, left devastated by the death of his pet cat, Kevin Mains balances perfectly the character's over-the-top moments with a deadpan performance. Daniella Ritchie gives a fine performance as Mairead while Steve Grant, Ian Cameron, Colin McGowan and James Forrest complete an ensemble I doubt I'll see surpassed this year.

Artistic Director David Lee-Michael and Technical Director David Winter contribute much to the production in terms of some beautifully put together set pieces, effective lighting and some well executed gunplay.

And finally a word about the level of 'commitment' shown by the cast. In truth I'm not sure I should be encouraging this, but in the Citizens Circle studio there are no hiding places and in order to make the violence believable these guys really appear to go for it. I'm sure they must be absolutely battered and blue by the end of the run, but it certainly has the desired effect in having an impact on the audience.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore completes its run at the Citizens on Saturday 27th February (today) with a matinee and evening performance.

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Spring 2011 Preview

Lazy post-New Year days in the house are ideal for looking ahead at theatres' 2011 seasons. We've already received some programmes in the post and most now have details of their shows online. Details are pretty sparse, so there will be other productions that attract our attention nearer the time if a cast seems particularly strong, but we think this will be fairly close to what we actually see this Spring.

January looks like a quiet month for us, but The Tron gets us up and running in February with a couple of shows. "Staircase" would have been on our list anyway but the fact that it features Benny Young and Tron artistic director Andy Arnold certainly elevates our level of interest. Random Accomplice's "Smalltown" is not only credited with three writers - DC Jackson, Douglas Maxwell and Johnny McKnight, but it also allows its audience to choose an ending for the show. We think it may turn out to be one of the highlights of the year - either that or an unmitigated disaster. In March "The Belief Project" sounds a little on the serious side but we don't mind getting a bit philosophical now and again. Waldorf is keen to see "Age of Arousal" from Stellar Quines but I need a little more convincing. But there's no persuasion required for Gregory Burke's "Gagarin Way" which Rapture Theatre are touring - the play has a strong reputation and Rapture have repeatedly shown an ability to put together fantastic casts for their shows.
Click for full details of the Tron's Spring Season.

Across the Clyde at the Citizens their co-production with the Lyceum about Marilyn Monroe doesn't really appeal, so our visits there won't really kick in until March. NTS Reveal brings a set of new works (including rehearsed readings) but we found it quite tricky to work out all the combinations of the individual plays - we've settled on a double bill of "Love Letters to the Public Transport System" and Gary McNair's "Count Me In" (NTS Reveal also visits the Traverse). XLC Theatre company have put some great shows on at the Citz in the last couple of years so we'll be heading along to see "Lear's Daughters" which appears to be a prequel to Shakespeare's play. And in a nice piece of programming the National Theatre of Scotland bring David Greig's acclaimed 'sequel' to Macbeth - "Dunsinane" to the Citz in June (following a run at the Lyceum). Having enjoyed his "Manifesto" at the Fringe in 2009 we're looking forward to Mark Thomas's new show "Extreme Rambling" which is part of the Magners Comedy Festival which has a considerable presence across Glasgow in March/April. The Citz Community Co don't seem to have a main stage show planned for the Spring but we're looking forward to going 'Doon the Watter' with them in the Circle Studio in "Fair Friday". And lastly, the Citz have given us a bit of a dilemma with "After the End". It's definitely my kind of show but at the moment I'm finding myself more drawn to Dundee Rep's site specific production of the same play later in June - and I just can't see us booking up for both.
Click to view the Citizens full season brochure.

Published programmes for The Arches and Tramway are limited at the moment and the new season of 'A Play, A Pie & A Pint' at Oran Mor is due to be announced shortly.

Regular readers will know that it takes something special to get us along to the Kings or Theatre Royal in Glasgow due to expensive tickets and uncomfortable seating - but surprisingly we may well be booking up for three shows. We booked some time ago for "King Lear" featuring Derek Jacobi but are also tempted by the touring productions of "Avenue Q" and "Yes, Prime Minister".

The production of "King Lear" can also be seen in a number of cinemas on 3rd February as part of their National Theatre Live programme, and we're planning to see the NTLive performance of "Frankenstein" directed by Danny Boyle on 17 March. We've seen a couple of NTLive shows previously and despite small technical issues it's actually a great way to see a show you wouldn't otherwise be able to see.

With a main season that's largely also available in Glasgow, there isn't anything for us at the Lyceum this time round, but we're considering making trips through to Edinburgh for "Around the World in 80 Days" and "The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church" at the Traverse. I'm also keen to make the trip to Perth Theatre for their production of "Death of a Salesman" which has always been a favourite play of mine.

I'm not sure we're going to be able to make this last one work as it's a one-night-only thing, but Kim Shepherd made a huge impression on us in an amateur production of "We Will Rock You" a few years back, so we're hoping to get through to Dunfermline to catch her 'evening of song' at the Alhambra on 22nd January. UPDATE - this has now been cancelled, but hopefully will be re-scheduled.

As always with our previews, these aren't really recommendations, just a note of the shows that interest us and that may also interest you. Do let us know if you think there's anything we've missed...

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

A to Z of Reviews

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Now Booking / Coming Soon - Spring 2010

We've still not managed to sit down and sort out dates in our diaries let alone book tickets for most of these shows, so our plans are still a bit up-in-the-air, but these are the shows that have caught our attention so far...

At the Tron we'll be seeing "The Government Inspector" (also touring, including the Traverse), "The City" and if we don't leave it too late to get tickets, the National Theatre of Scotland's short runs of "Empty" and "The Miracle Man" (also playing in Musselburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen) The Tron is also host to some touring productions that we may catch there or elsewhere - Theatre Modo's "Sick" and Random Accomplice's "Promises Promises" by Douglas Maxwell which is a 'darkly comical' thriller. Full details of the Spring Season on the Tron Website.

The Citizens has a season very much to our taste, starting with "Backbeat" - based on the film of the same name and looking at the pre-Beatles days of the band. And we'll also try to see "One Million Tiny Plays About Britain" and "My Name is Rachel Corrie". Having loved XLC's take on Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman" last year I'm really looking forward to see their production of his"The Lieutenant of Inishmore", and hopefully we'll make it along to Dialogue Productions "Neil LaBute Triple Bill". We'll certainly be booking for "The Grapes of Wrath" from the Citizens Community Company. And later in the season we're hoping to fit in NLP's "Blue Hen" written by Des Dillon who also has his own show "Des Tells Tall Tales". Other visiting shows that have caught our interest include Northern Broadside's "Medea", Absurdum International's "The Event", and "The Glass Menagerie" from Shared Experience and Salisbury Playhouse. As always the Citz have a series of student shows which we've often enjoyed in the past, but as we've seen most of the plays recently I'm not sure we'll catch any this time round. This year the Citz are also hosting events as part of the Magners comedy festival including Stewart Lee and Des Clarke. Full details of these and all the other shows at the Citizens on their website.

Perhaps it's just due to their new look website giving much more info on the upcoming plays in Oran Mor's "A Play, A Pie & A Pint" season of lunchtime play, but it looks stronger than ever with works by Daniel Jackson, Gregory Burke and Simon Stephens. I didn't make it along to the first play of the season which started on Monday, but I hope to get along for as many as I can over the next few weeks.

At Tramway, we're hoping to get along to "Clutter Keeps Company" (also touring).

The Arches have cleverly turned a difficult situation into an opportunity and due to works taking place up above in Central Station they have decanted with a series of 'off-site' events. I'm not sure we'll manage to see any, but they include "Birds and Other Things I Am Afraid Of" (staged in a shed) and Andy Field's "Motor Vehicle Sundown".

In Edinburgh, the Lyceum's production of "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" (also by Martin McDonagh) is on our list but the rest of their programme hasn't grabbed us. Similarly the Traverse programme hasn't anything that absolutely screamed "must see" at us, but we'll try to get along to "What We Know" (part of the Traverse Too scheme that brought us "Midsummer") and "Any Given Day". They also have a selection of plays transferring from Oran Mor in a lunchtime slot. Full details of the extensive Traverse programme in their Spring Brochure.

Staying in Edinburgh, site specific specialists Grid Iron are collaborating with Lung Ha's Theatre Company for a look at genetic engineering in promenade piece "Huxley's Lab". This is a short runs and tickets will go quickly - if you think this will be of interest don't waste any time in booking.

Up at Dundee Rep, "Equus" doesn't really appeal but we'll be looking to make the trip to see their version of "Sweeney Todd". I would have been keen to see "Proof" at Perth Theatre but having seen the film version fairly recently it would lack the sense of a story unfolding.

We really don't 'get' the idea behind the National Theatre of Scotland's "Wall of Death: A Way of Life" (at Glasgow's SECC, Aberdeen ECC & Edinburgh's Royal Highland Centre) at the moment so we'll wait until the reviews come out for that one. Later in the year they bring us their version of "Peter Pan" which tours Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen and London, which we do hope to see somewhere.

Rapture are a company we have a huge amount of time for, and they always seem to be able to attract impressive casts, but I have to admit my heart sank when I heard their next show was to be "Hamlet". Even set in the Glasgow underworld I think I'd normally give it a miss, but Rapture have earned our trust over the years so we'll be fitting this in somewhere (it's currently running in Greenwich and then touring throughout Scotland).

And a mention also for a show I've heard enough about to be intrigued by - "Say You Love Me" from Punch Productions. A colleague is involved so I don't know if we'll comment on it here, but it sounds a little different.

And looking much further ahead, we've already booked for "Aladdin" at the Clyde Auditorium in December - the involvement of John Barrowman was enough to overcome our general dislike of panto.

As always, do let us know if there's anything else we should be seeing...

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

"Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off" - February 2008

Now who says history can't be fun? I'm rather ashamed to admit just how limited my knowledge of Scottish history is - my recollection of history in school seems to jump rather quickly from Ancient Egypt to World War I (with a little bit of Industrial Revolution along the way). But I'm sure if it had been as enjoyable as what I saw tonight I'd have paid a lot more attention.

XLC and Langside College have put together a hugely entertaining production of Liz Lochhead's play that takes a look at Scotland - then and now. Full of energy and physicality it fills the Circle Studio at the Citz while also allowing some quieter moments for its cast to show their skills.

And what a cast. Lorna Gold as Mary is marvelously regal while giving glimpses of the woman underneath. Regular readers will know that I can have a real issue with accents, but hers was a fantastic combination of French/Scots and is perfectly judged throughout- somewhat reminiscent of an Old Firm foreign footballer who's been in Glasgow just a little too long. Elaine Stirrat also produces an excellent performance as Elizabeth - giving her more than a little of our current Queen to great effect. But that's only half the story - Gold and Stirrat also double up as each other's lady-in-waiting with Stirrat in particular having some great moments. It could easily get horribly confusing but these two make it simple thanks to some more great character work.

Rosaria Mazzone as our narrator La Corbie keeps the show flowing and manages to fully engage the audience right from the start, performing some of the play's most complex dialogue and showing a beautiful singing voice. Richard Rankin is particularly comfortable as Bothwell while Alan Berkley and Kevin Mains as Knox and Darnley also get their moments to shine. Preston Clare, Colin Harris and Kevin Guthrie give very strong support - especially in the play-within-the-play. Special word also for Alan Craig's music which was really effective at creating a mood for the piece.

It isn't flawless (some of the dialogue gets lost in a couple of the ensemble scenes and the dream sequence didn't quite work for me) but it's certainly not far off it, and the energy and quality of the performances are more than enough to make up for the odd problem.

And I guess when it comes to problems things can't be that bad when the biggest problem of the night is that the cast didn't seem prepared to come back for a second curtain call and the audience just weren't for moving until they did. The poor usher seemed concerned she might have a riot on her hands until the cast finally returned after over a minute of continuous applause. So please guys - don't be so surprised if the audience want to show their appreciation. You certainly deserve it.

"Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off" runs at the Citizens until Saturday 1st March (including a Saturday matinee)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

"The Pillowman" - March 2009

'Black Comedy'. Two words that are almost certain to grab my attention. But far too often they are attached to something that turns out to be lacking in blackness or comedy - and frequently both. No such failings here, that's for sure. XLC's production of Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman" is as funny as you'd want it to be, and darker than is comfortable (which is exactly how it should be).

Writer Katurian finds himself in an interrogation room subject to some 'robust' questioning about the similarities between his gruesome stories and a series of child murders. In the next room his mentally damaged brother Michal is also being questioned about any involvement he may have had. What follows is a beautifully structured piece of theatre as we get glimpses of Katurian's writing along with elements from the brothers' childhood.

As Katurian, Kevin Mains transitions perfectly from confused to despairing but retains the character's quiet dignity throughout. It's a fully committed performance and the violence inflicted on the character has to take it's toll on the performer. As lead interrogator Tupolski, Richard Rankin gives a superb performance giving the character a smoothness which makes his playfulness all the more chilling. In contrast to Tupolski's calm control, the torture-happy Ariel is explosive, but Colin Harris effectively brings out the depth of the character. There's a dynamic amongst the three that I've been trying to put my finger on since seeing the show and it's something akin to watching Neo being doubleteamed by Morpheus and Agent Smith.

The middle of the three acts reunites Katurian with Iain de Caestecker's Michal and provides some of the play's funniest and darkest moments. Mains shines as we see him turn from suspect to interrogator while de Caestecker gives a genuinely childlike quality to Michal.

David Lee-Michael's direction impresses throughout with a great deal of creativity on display in realising the storytelling sequences. Two and a half hours is a long time to spend in the Citizens Circle studio so the decision to go with two short intervals was a welcome one and ensured the show never felt its length.

Thoroughly entertaining, thoroughly troubling. Great stuff.

Oh yes, a special mention for the way Colin Harris effectively dealt with the programme an audience member in the front row had inexplicably decided to place on the set's desk seconds before the start.

The Pillowman runs at the Citizens until Saturday 14th March.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

"Review of the Year - 2009"

While 2009 has given us two shows that will live long in our memory, when we look back over the year it's difficult not to focus on the shows that have disappointed. But first, the two shows that were absolute stand outs of this or any other year...

"Sub Rosa" memorably took us behind the scenes at the Citizens for its gruesome tale of a long-gone theatrical company that grabbed us from start to finish. Beautifully written and performed this is a serious contender for our favourite piece of theatre - ever.

Vanishing point's "The Beggar's Opera" perhaps didn't have quite the technical perfection of "Sub Rosa", but it made up for this with an energy and visual style that made it the second of our two highlights of 2009. It may have divided opinions (as shown in the press reviews and the number of 'heckles' added to our post) but we were firmly in the camp of those who thought it was marvellous. It also gave us the clear stand out male performance for us this year - Sandy Grierson's magnificent MacHeath.

Other male performances that really impressed us during 2009 were Finlay Welsh in "Poem in October" at Oran Mor, Matthew Zajac in "The Tailor of Inverness" and both Andrew Lincoln and Toby Jones in "Parlour Song" down in London.

Andy Clark also deserves a mention here for a number of great performances in "Othello", "Tam O'Shanter" and most recently as a panto dame in "Ya Beauty & the Beast". He was also just about the best thing in both "The Last Witch" and "Hoors". Which brings us to the disappointments we spoke of...

Of course it was unfair of us to expect Gregory Burke to come up with a follow up to match "Black Watch" but "Hoors" was so far away from it we found it almost impossible to believe they shared a writer. "Confessions of a Justified Sinner" at the Lyceum was a major let down and we were left perplexed as to why Polly Stenham's "That Face" received rave reviews in London when we saw the Tron's production of it. And two of the National Theatre of Scotland's major productions - "Be Near Me" and "The House of Bernarda Alba" failed to engage or entertain us in any meaningful way. "The Last Witch" was a showpiece of the Edinburgh International Festival but only worked for us in moments and at the Fringe Grid Iron's "Barflies" was equally disappointing.

But even disappointing shows can still be memorable, and in "Barflies", Gail Watson gave the best female performance we saw this year (and she was also the one redeeming element in "The Corstorphine Road Nativity". Other impressive female performances include Sarah Haworth's strong Desdemona in "Othello" and Zoe Thorne in "Spoonface Steinberg".

Looking back this doesn't seem to have been a year full of outstanding individual performances but there were plenty of ensemble shows that made an impact. As well as "The Beggars' Opera", Vanishing Point also gave us the excellent "Interiors" and Borderline proved sequels can work with "The Ducky" (DC Jackson's follow up to "The Wall"). The National Theatre of Scotland Workshop production of "Dolls" was enchanting and XLC's "The Pillowman" was at times literally stunning. At the Fringe, You Need Me's "Certain Dark Things" was beguiling, "Kursk" was cleverly immersive and Nonsenseroom's "Ae Fond Kiss" a beautiful piece of theatre. Highlights of A Play, A Pie & A Pint at Oran Mor were David Ireland's hysterical "What the Animals Say" and Sandy Nelson's heartbreaking "The Glimmering Nymph".

So despite the disappointments there was plenty to enjoy this year. Thanks to all those who have taken our comments on their shows in good spirit and to everyone who has contributed 'heckles' over the last year. Look out next week when we will post our run through of what we'll be seeing in the first half of 2010.

View From The Stalls

Sunday, March 06, 2011

"Lear's Daughters" - March 2011

Saturday, February 27, 2010

"The Lieutenant of Inishmore" - February 2010

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Spring 2011 Preview

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

A to Z of Reviews

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Now Booking / Coming Soon - Spring 2010

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

"Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off" - February 2008

Saturday, March 14, 2009

"The Pillowman" - March 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

"Review of the Year - 2009"

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