I was very excited to see 13 because Earthquakes in London was one of my favourite plays of last year. However 13 did not quite have the emotional punch of Earthquakes. I think this was because Earthquakes concentrated on presenting a terrifying view of climate change, confronting us with a selfish present and a dystopian future that was very close to the bone. 13 on the other hand tried to represent a much wider issue of belief and apathy in today's society. Although the points about whether we can change our world in a big way or whether it is best to compromise to affect the changes we can were interesting, the issues were a bit too broad and therefore lacked impact. I didn't really like the way religious faith was associated with demanding political change through protest because I don't see a link between those things in real life people.
It was slightly unsatisfying to watch the idealist and symbol of hope in the play be confronted with the harsh reality. His protest, a result of his speeches in Hyde Park going viral on YouTube, arrives at Westminster and he is granted a meeting with the Prime minister. The PM is a popular liberal conservative who also happens to be the mother of his friend who died as a result of a drunken stunt a couple of years previously.
The resulting negotiations are too complicated for the audience to choose a side, these issues are not black and white. But while that might be very realistic, it doesn't make for the most satisfying play to watch.
What did make the play great to watch were the sparkling snappy clever dialogue you'd expect from Mike Bartlett and the colourful realistic characters who you just had to empathise with. The overarching metaphor of peeking inside the box was brilliantly realised with an enormous revolving box which made up the set in the first half which the characters would act around and inside. I felt a bit bereft when this box was removed in the interval because I liked it so much.
The touches of London that crept onto the stage made the production feel very contemporary, at one point a Barclays bike whizzed across the stage. However the play's claim to be set in a slightly alternative London where strange things happen did not make sense to me. There was nothing explicitly supernatural going on, many of the characters and events were certainly bizarre, like the brilliant old lady playing and singing a Rhianna song on the piano. But the real London is full of bizarre characters doing funny things, so the only reason to set the play in "a dark and magical landscape, a London both familiar and strange" was so the play could portray a realistic London but include a Prime Minister, US envoy etc without satirising real people. I thought this was a bit of a cop-out for the playwright.
Reading this post back, it seems a little negative. I actually loved this play, it was funny and deep and engaging and contemporary. I'm being a bit hard on it because I loved Earthqakes so much. And this is not quite as brilliant as Earthquakes.
Sunday 13 November 2011
45 and 46 - Yeah, This House is Haunted and Hammer Sandwich
You might have noticed I'm finalising and posting a lot of blog posts at a time! Yes, I have once again fallen behind with blogging my theatrical escapades due to being in a play myself. Only this time it was a double bill for Halloween with the brilliant Breakfast Cat Theatre raising money to rebuild Croydon after the riots. So that is TWO plays. I can't really review these as I was in them and genuinely thought everyone was brilliant. So here are some photos!
Yeah, this house is Hauntd by Ben Parker.
This was a very clever play which had a great concept behind it. Steve has recently hanged himself, only to discover that this means an eternity of hanging out in his dingy flat with the exuberant Barry, another former occupant. The dialogue between the ghosts is great, their very different characters made many audiences compare them to Jez and Mark from Peep Show, though although Barry is rather like a less self-absorbed version of Jez, I don't think Steve is muchlike Mark, he's just a bit depressed and overwelmed and would like some time to himself, a hint Barry, who has been alone for 15 years, is not picking up on. This relationship is great as the characters are very well drawn and I think this is what the Croydon Advertiser meant when she said in the review that this play could have been longer. An estate agent shows up to show two women the flat, but the women are actually ghost hunters and have bought along a ouiji board to try and communicate with Steve. Having the ghosts on stage talking about the other characters who can't see or hear them made this really funny.
Hammer Sandwich by Roberto Prestoni.
This play was set in an indoor market in Croydon where Frankenstein’s Monster is trying to sell sandwiches on the same patch as Dracula, The Mummy and a coven of witches. I loved all the local references in this play, the dialogue was snappy and the scooby-doo ending was great fun!
Yeah, this house is Hauntd by Ben Parker.
This was a very clever play which had a great concept behind it. Steve has recently hanged himself, only to discover that this means an eternity of hanging out in his dingy flat with the exuberant Barry, another former occupant. The dialogue between the ghosts is great, their very different characters made many audiences compare them to Jez and Mark from Peep Show, though although Barry is rather like a less self-absorbed version of Jez, I don't think Steve is muchlike Mark, he's just a bit depressed and overwelmed and would like some time to himself, a hint Barry, who has been alone for 15 years, is not picking up on. This relationship is great as the characters are very well drawn and I think this is what the Croydon Advertiser meant when she said in the review that this play could have been longer. An estate agent shows up to show two women the flat, but the women are actually ghost hunters and have bought along a ouiji board to try and communicate with Steve. Having the ghosts on stage talking about the other characters who can't see or hear them made this really funny.
Hammer Sandwich by Roberto Prestoni.
This play was set in an indoor market in Croydon where Frankenstein’s Monster is trying to sell sandwiches on the same patch as Dracula, The Mummy and a coven of witches. I loved all the local references in this play, the dialogue was snappy and the scooby-doo ending was great fun!
44 - Some Like It Hip Hop, ZooNation at the Peacock Thetare London
I know I say this every time I see some good contemporary dance but seriously, how do these people move like that? I'm supposedly the same species as them and I can't get off the sofa in a graceful manner!
This is just awesome, this show. It is funny, has a wholesome positive message without being annoying and the dance moves are simply incredible.
The storyline is not unlike a fairytale, you go away feeling happy and warm inside. I was also frankly intensely relieved to see modern hiphop music and dance in a show promoting gender equality. In a genre dominated by men who refer to women as bitches and hos and women who think wearing a bikini, oiling up and draping themselves over a car in a music video making blow job faces is somehow not degrading to them and every woman who buys their single, this was a breath of fresh air. Yes I sound like my mum and I don't care, if I had kids and found them watching Transformers and dancing to Rhianna I would burn the offending DVDs with my blow torch.
I digress, and I don't want to make the show sound like some kind of morality lesson as you might be put off and not go and see it. There were a lot of school groups in to see this but it was also a highly enjoyable night out with the girls. Basically I lack the dance knowledge to write a proper review of this show so I'll just stick to THIS IS AWESOME GO SEE IT and post a video.
This is just awesome, this show. It is funny, has a wholesome positive message without being annoying and the dance moves are simply incredible.
The storyline is not unlike a fairytale, you go away feeling happy and warm inside. I was also frankly intensely relieved to see modern hiphop music and dance in a show promoting gender equality. In a genre dominated by men who refer to women as bitches and hos and women who think wearing a bikini, oiling up and draping themselves over a car in a music video making blow job faces is somehow not degrading to them and every woman who buys their single, this was a breath of fresh air. Yes I sound like my mum and I don't care, if I had kids and found them watching Transformers and dancing to Rhianna I would burn the offending DVDs with my blow torch.
I digress, and I don't want to make the show sound like some kind of morality lesson as you might be put off and not go and see it. There were a lot of school groups in to see this but it was also a highly enjoyable night out with the girls. Basically I lack the dance knowledge to write a proper review of this show so I'll just stick to THIS IS AWESOME GO SEE IT and post a video.
43 - Sweeney Todd, Chichester Festival Theatre
I love Sweeney Todd, Tim Burton's film is one of my favourite DVDs. But I didn't really appreciate the powerful operatic music until I saw this production. And for me to appreciate music in a production is quite a feat as I am severely musically challenged.
This truly spectacular production is transferring to the West End shortly and I would urge you to see it. It is grand in every way, the set is a behemoth of complexity, complete with a working barber's chair with trap door leading to a lower level where Mrs Lovett prepares her gruesome pies in an enormous roaring oven. The music is beautiful, the dialogue sparkles, the blood splatters all over the place and for fans of dark comedy there are more laughs than a Nighty Night Christmas special.
Imelda Staunton plays a hilarious Mrs Lovett, her rendition of Try The Priest with Michael Ball is a highlight of the show.
Michael Ball really exceeded my expectations, resisting the urge towards camp which the role can lean towards, he was brooding and menacing providing the perfect contrast to the exuberant Staunton. I suspect I won't quite see him in the same way ever again.
Look out for Peter Polycarpou as Beedle Bamford too, he was excellent and really make me giggle.
If I had a criticism of this production it would be of the decision to set it in the early 20th century. I mean, when you go to see Sweeney Todd you do want to see grimy Victorian London and I felt a bit cheated by the more modern dress and neon-lit pie shop. It was a bit like going to see Oliver! only to find it set in the 1980s. I don't feel like this added much to the production and don't think it necessary to chance the setting merely to hammer home a message that corruption and down-trodden working classes still exist today.
This truly spectacular production is transferring to the West End shortly and I would urge you to see it. It is grand in every way, the set is a behemoth of complexity, complete with a working barber's chair with trap door leading to a lower level where Mrs Lovett prepares her gruesome pies in an enormous roaring oven. The music is beautiful, the dialogue sparkles, the blood splatters all over the place and for fans of dark comedy there are more laughs than a Nighty Night Christmas special.
Imelda Staunton plays a hilarious Mrs Lovett, her rendition of Try The Priest with Michael Ball is a highlight of the show.
Michael Ball really exceeded my expectations, resisting the urge towards camp which the role can lean towards, he was brooding and menacing providing the perfect contrast to the exuberant Staunton. I suspect I won't quite see him in the same way ever again.
Look out for Peter Polycarpou as Beedle Bamford too, he was excellent and really make me giggle.
If I had a criticism of this production it would be of the decision to set it in the early 20th century. I mean, when you go to see Sweeney Todd you do want to see grimy Victorian London and I felt a bit cheated by the more modern dress and neon-lit pie shop. It was a bit like going to see Oliver! only to find it set in the 1980s. I don't feel like this added much to the production and don't think it necessary to chance the setting merely to hammer home a message that corruption and down-trodden working classes still exist today.
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