What is there to do in Cardiff in July? No football, no rugby, Glamorgan are not worth watching, the castle is full of tourists and the shops full of schoolchildren. Well, thank gooodness for the Cardiff Comedy festival.
After a quietish start it is attracting bigger names, Ardal O'Hanlon. Richard Herring, Craig Campbell and others trying out their pre-Edinburgh material. However, it also gives you the chance to support some potential stars of the future with lesser known, more local acts. Enter Inky Quill productions.
This Cardiff based group was formed in 2009 with the intention of bringing comedy to a non-theatre-going audience. The success of last year's "Death & the Monster" allowed writer Rick Allden to produce a sequel "Humanzee" featuring the two main protagonists.
Again, the audience was warmed up nicely by Dan Mitchell, showing why he is currently fighting his way through ITV's " Show Me The Funny". Even if some of his material was used last year, it was still funny.
Soon we were back in the safe hands of eminent surgeon Tobias Flavian ( who Dr Who-like has re-generated into the body of Jon Holcroft) and his trusted side-kick Colin. Flavian's fall from grace resulted in their removal to the other side of the pond allowing the writer to transfer jokes at the expense of the Scots to our American cousins.
Macho feminist,vegan and animal lover Betsy convinces Flavian to pursue the American equivalent of the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot. Along the journey they encounter the might of the American army and Flavian's long-lost brother Jebediah, as well as Bigfoot himself, when Dan Mitchell re-appears showing what a method actor he is by growing a hairy back for the part.
If this sounds a lot of plot don't be alarmed. As you would expect from a Rick Allden play there are laughs, big and small throughout the ninety-minute piece.
Whilst Jon Holcroft and Alan Humphries deftly create the best fictional double-act since (whisper it) Sherlock Holmes & Dr Watson, Laura Jeffs showed her versatility once more. In the previous play she perfectly played a mute fat woman and last month she beautifully played Juliet at the Gate Theatre with Bareknuckle Theatre.
But it was whenever George Goding and Chris Earnshaw entered that you could feel the audience relax as they knew big laughs were on the way. The former played the archetypal gun-toting Uncle Sam until he opened his mouth and produced a voice that made Allen Carr seem butch. Definitely a 'kiss first, ask questions later" kind of guy.
Last year Chris Earnshaw grabbed your attention with a huge beard and a broad Scottish accent. This year it was his eyebrows and evil laugh which dominated proceedings.
Not a huge amount of big set-pieces but I particularly enjoyed the unexpected brief musical moment, Flavian's regression into his childhood with Colin in a dress (& relishing it) & Jebediah in a bee costume.
It definitely stands alongside last year's play and it deservedly puts Inky Quills into the Cardiff Comedy festival spotlight. Plenty more to come from this group, catch them in small theatres while you can.
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Sunday 3 July 2011
On-Stage 2nd July 2011
This evening of two new one-act plays was based upon the intriguing and adventurous premise of both unconnected pieces being fuelled by an off-stage character.
First up was " Hello Mrs Silverstone". This simple idea of a persistently wrong number started off interesting and amusing but easily could have been dull and repetive.
We meet the Parker family at a typically busy breakfast table with mother and father frantically preparing themselves and their teenage daughter to get ready for their day ahead. The regular calls from the forgettable, lonely, sad woman desperately hoping to contact her son are seen as nothing more than an unnecessary interruption.
As the story unfolds we learn more about the unseen woman but more importantly it helps us to understand more about the characters of the Parkers as they all deal with her in their different ways. The arrival of John's brother Will changes the atmosphere as we discover that an old, sick woman seeking her son Johnny has emotional resonnances with both brothers.
The writer can only do so much and you need the actors to bring the characters to life. Here she is well-served by all the performers, in particular Chris Williams and James Sidwell as the brothers with Carly Kavanagh providing comic relief as a typically difficult teenager dealing with dual troubles of a first boyfriend and and auditioning for " Cordelia".
However, the triumph of the play is due to the writer Natralie Stone. The concept of using two seperate stories, the Parkers & the phone-call to create a 3rd story sound easy but is notoriously difficult to achieve. Truly, an exceptional piece.
A brief interlude to grab some much-needed fresh air as the theatre was heating up and we were back. The second piece " A Sunday Roast" was set at a dinner table where Welsh parents expectedly await the arrival of their son & his new girlfriend. As this unfolded I had a feeling of deja-vu until the penny dropped that I had seen this scene before as part of a Script Slam final Sherman a couple of years ago.
Again, we are in familiar territory of the routine of a weekly family get-together for food with all the tension, boredom and repetition that can entail. Fairly quickly though the cosiness of this gathering is shattered and we get to see what the outsider to the Perkins family, Adelaide, truly thinks and feels. This heralds the appearance of a 2nd Adelaide who reveals herself through a variety of monolgues to an unseen psychiatrist. Gradually we become aware that her one true love was the unseen Catrin from an idyllic holiday a million miles away from the stifling Welsh
life in which she was now trapped. However, with all the drama this story contains I found the additional story of the mother's descent into Dementia an unnecessary addition to the plot.
Again, the writer is aided by exemplary performances, in particular Maeve Scullion as the "real" Adelaide, Charlie Hammond her long-suffering husband and Christopher Cale who provided some much-needed humour. Special mention must also go to Emma McNab who as well as dealing with 2 large roles in both plays displayed a beautifully and unexpected sense of dance with impressive poise and balance at the end of what must have been a tiring evening.
This was my 1st visit to the YMCA theatre, a gem of a theatre, literally hidden away on the outskirts of Cardiff. Definitely worth a return visit. This was an evening where a lot of thought had been put into it by the organisers, especially the glorious touch of offering Ginger Snaps and Jelly, both of which became integral parts of the play.
We may have left hot & tired but with a lot to discuss as both plays were enjoyable and thought-provoking. Congratulations to all concerned. I eagerly await hearing more from " Empty Pocket" theatre.
First up was " Hello Mrs Silverstone". This simple idea of a persistently wrong number started off interesting and amusing but easily could have been dull and repetive.
We meet the Parker family at a typically busy breakfast table with mother and father frantically preparing themselves and their teenage daughter to get ready for their day ahead. The regular calls from the forgettable, lonely, sad woman desperately hoping to contact her son are seen as nothing more than an unnecessary interruption.
As the story unfolds we learn more about the unseen woman but more importantly it helps us to understand more about the characters of the Parkers as they all deal with her in their different ways. The arrival of John's brother Will changes the atmosphere as we discover that an old, sick woman seeking her son Johnny has emotional resonnances with both brothers.
The writer can only do so much and you need the actors to bring the characters to life. Here she is well-served by all the performers, in particular Chris Williams and James Sidwell as the brothers with Carly Kavanagh providing comic relief as a typically difficult teenager dealing with dual troubles of a first boyfriend and and auditioning for " Cordelia".
However, the triumph of the play is due to the writer Natralie Stone. The concept of using two seperate stories, the Parkers & the phone-call to create a 3rd story sound easy but is notoriously difficult to achieve. Truly, an exceptional piece.
A brief interlude to grab some much-needed fresh air as the theatre was heating up and we were back. The second piece " A Sunday Roast" was set at a dinner table where Welsh parents expectedly await the arrival of their son & his new girlfriend. As this unfolded I had a feeling of deja-vu until the penny dropped that I had seen this scene before as part of a Script Slam final Sherman a couple of years ago.
Again, we are in familiar territory of the routine of a weekly family get-together for food with all the tension, boredom and repetition that can entail. Fairly quickly though the cosiness of this gathering is shattered and we get to see what the outsider to the Perkins family, Adelaide, truly thinks and feels. This heralds the appearance of a 2nd Adelaide who reveals herself through a variety of monolgues to an unseen psychiatrist. Gradually we become aware that her one true love was the unseen Catrin from an idyllic holiday a million miles away from the stifling Welsh
life in which she was now trapped. However, with all the drama this story contains I found the additional story of the mother's descent into Dementia an unnecessary addition to the plot.
Again, the writer is aided by exemplary performances, in particular Maeve Scullion as the "real" Adelaide, Charlie Hammond her long-suffering husband and Christopher Cale who provided some much-needed humour. Special mention must also go to Emma McNab who as well as dealing with 2 large roles in both plays displayed a beautifully and unexpected sense of dance with impressive poise and balance at the end of what must have been a tiring evening.
This was my 1st visit to the YMCA theatre, a gem of a theatre, literally hidden away on the outskirts of Cardiff. Definitely worth a return visit. This was an evening where a lot of thought had been put into it by the organisers, especially the glorious touch of offering Ginger Snaps and Jelly, both of which became integral parts of the play.
We may have left hot & tired but with a lot to discuss as both plays were enjoyable and thought-provoking. Congratulations to all concerned. I eagerly await hearing more from " Empty Pocket" theatre.
Saturday 2 July 2011
Romeo & Juliet - 1st July 2011
Having enjoyed Bareknuckle Theatre's previous productions " A Midsummer Night's Dream" and ( to a lesser extent) " Twelfth Night" I was anticipating their version of "Romeo & Juliet". I was concerned, however, that the problem of the Gate Theatre's stage and accoustics might spoil this most intimate of tragedies. I am pleased and relieved this was not the case.
Director Simon Riordan wisely employed vocal coach Clare Hovey to ensure that most of Shakespeare's beautifully poetic language was intelligible. (Sadly, though the noisy Air Conditioning units made certain passages indecipherable).
The director is passionate about trying to connect to a modern audience more used to watching "X Factor" type shows, producing no frill theatre eg no props, quick scene changes with a lot of dialogue delivered on the way to or from the stage. Similarly, unnecessary scenes and speeches are cut to ensure the action is continuous and more relevant to an audience with an apparently
short attention span.
The purist may object to certain choices, having an interval before Romeo kills Tybalt, an Irish dancing sequence and Juliet awaking for one last kiss with Romeo before he dies. But, that is the point of the company. If you want a more traditional version go to the Royal Shakespeare Company, but with Bareknuckle you never know what is coming next, good, bad or indifferent it is not dull.
Firstly and foremostly it is a tragedy which only works if you care about the characters. Fortunately, the two leads were well cast and believable together. What Tom Barker (Romeo) lacked in the more poetic, romantic first half he more than made up for with vigour and passion in the second half. You truly believed Juliet was the love of his more experienced life.
In contrast the innocent ( not quite) 14 year old Juliet is a notoriously hard role for any actress. For me Laura Jeffs was the triumph of the night beautifully capturing the joy of a girl's first love, rebelling against parental control and completely convincing as a deflowered virgin after her wedding night.
Special mentions must also go to Alan Humphreys as Mercutio ( proving again he is the clearest speaker, best-equipped to deal with the sound problems of the Gate), Laurence Patrick as the bullying Capulet and Matt Humphries under-stated as the under-written and unfortunate Paris.
It is good to see this company back on track and looking forward to tackling the little performed
blood-bath that is " Titus Andronicus" next Spring. I shall be there.
Director Simon Riordan wisely employed vocal coach Clare Hovey to ensure that most of Shakespeare's beautifully poetic language was intelligible. (Sadly, though the noisy Air Conditioning units made certain passages indecipherable).
The director is passionate about trying to connect to a modern audience more used to watching "X Factor" type shows, producing no frill theatre eg no props, quick scene changes with a lot of dialogue delivered on the way to or from the stage. Similarly, unnecessary scenes and speeches are cut to ensure the action is continuous and more relevant to an audience with an apparently
short attention span.
The purist may object to certain choices, having an interval before Romeo kills Tybalt, an Irish dancing sequence and Juliet awaking for one last kiss with Romeo before he dies. But, that is the point of the company. If you want a more traditional version go to the Royal Shakespeare Company, but with Bareknuckle you never know what is coming next, good, bad or indifferent it is not dull.
Firstly and foremostly it is a tragedy which only works if you care about the characters. Fortunately, the two leads were well cast and believable together. What Tom Barker (Romeo) lacked in the more poetic, romantic first half he more than made up for with vigour and passion in the second half. You truly believed Juliet was the love of his more experienced life.
In contrast the innocent ( not quite) 14 year old Juliet is a notoriously hard role for any actress. For me Laura Jeffs was the triumph of the night beautifully capturing the joy of a girl's first love, rebelling against parental control and completely convincing as a deflowered virgin after her wedding night.
Special mentions must also go to Alan Humphreys as Mercutio ( proving again he is the clearest speaker, best-equipped to deal with the sound problems of the Gate), Laurence Patrick as the bullying Capulet and Matt Humphries under-stated as the under-written and unfortunate Paris.
It is good to see this company back on track and looking forward to tackling the little performed
blood-bath that is " Titus Andronicus" next Spring. I shall be there.
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