The Entertainer – Review by Tony Pearson

Originally published on BoftheBlog

The Entertainer by John Osborne

Exchange Theatre Manchester Nov 2009

First off, if you have never been to the Theatre I can highly recommend it with seating prices starting from as little as £10 and like me you could make a night of it by having a meal out so, you can have a good night out for as little as £20,(depending how much you drink!)

Born on 12 December 1929, in London, John Osborne the writer, changed the face of British theatre in the shape of his award wining play Look Back in Anger which went on to be a top television film. He left behind a large body of work for the stage as well as several autobiographical works. Several of his plays were also adapted for film including The Entertainer.

In 1956, Osborne’s third play and first London-produced drama, Look Back in Anger, had lots of social statements within it as does this one.
In The Entertainer set in 1957, Osborne, examines the state of the country, this time using three generations of a family of entertainers to symbolize the decline of England after the war.
Laurence Olivier has played Archie Rice in the past, a struggling comedian, and the role resulted in one of his most famous performances.
The opening scene confused me as it opened with a song ,was this a musical? It turned out that there was 3 songs within the play, this was to give you the feel of the main character and although there was a little touch of light humour within the play, it turned out to be thought provoking .
Its about a 1950 musical hall entertainer Archie Rise who coming to the end of his career but doesn’t know it or he refusing to admit it. Archie has never paid any income tax for 20 years and seems to be struggling with his past, his family and his future. His conflicts at home and abroad start to overwhelm him and his comedy turns into tragedy.
So the big question is did I enjoy it? Yes, I did appreciate it, it was vey well performed and had a lot of social statement within in which is still relevant today. However, it was not my cup of tea mainly because I prefer a little more humour and guts within the story but that’s just me. However, I can highly recommend it and the Theatre is well worth a visit with the seating situated round the stage giving a good view and a good bar and shop to visit in the interval.

Fink Ployd – Review by Tony Pearson

Mark Gwynne Jones and the Psychicbread

Mark Gwynne Jones and the Psychicbread, the fusion of poetry and music

by Emma Roy-Williams

When I first arrived at the Martin Harris Centre I had no idea what to expect, but having been to quite a few poetry and spoken word nights I had a vague sense of dread. I adore good poetry, spoken with honesty and passion but there can be nothing worse than someone delivering mediocre poetry in a monotone voice. Imagine my surprise then, when my weary ears and jaded eyes came across the delight that is Mark Gwynne Jones and the Psychicbread, he was funny and entertaining and kept the audience rapt for nearly two hours.

At first he recited some poetry on his own with no self indulgent preamble just a willingness to put his rhythms between himself and the audience, the first poem, park life was about the myriad forms of life to be found when going about your business, and a poem about rage which he apologised for when he couldn’t summon up the correct amount of rage for his poem. “Sorry” he said, “I can’t be angry enough.” And how can he be angry? His benign manner shows no rage but a good amount of detached amusement at life.

After about twenty minutes on his own the Psychicbreads trudged on, trudge being the operative word particularly for Deb Rose the piano player who didn’t look too pleased to be on stage. No matter though because once the band sparked up they complimented Mark’s verse perfectly, all three musicians, ‘Nick the Hat’ on guitars, Sitar, Kora and vocals and John Thorne on drums worked like a band who had been performing together for a while, it was an instinctive and polished performance without losing any of its charm and authenticity.

A relationship between poetry and song lyrics has long existed but it is difficult to get the balance right between the music and words without one drowning out the other. To bring poetry alive with music, the music has to sit around the words, rather than the other way round. Someone like, Ian Brown for example will come up with a catchy tune and write something around this, but Mark Gwynne Jones places just as much importance on the poem as the tune.

So much poetry can verge in to self- indulgent naval gazing but some of the best poetry is simple and witty, without any pretence such as the poem about the girl who spent too long on a sun bed or a poem about indecision called the Barbarous Shop. Poetry which makes you laugh as well as think is some of the best poetry of all.

The only question left on my lips at the end of a wholly entertaining two hours was why wasn’t, Mark Gwynne Jones and the Psychicbreads included on the Manchester Literature Festival programme? Anyone who brings poetry alive the way, they do deserves to be on a programme pertaining to promote the joys of literature.

Oh! I Do Like to Be Beside The Seaside . . .

by Julie Spellman

Victoria Baths held a seaside themed Open Day on October 4th complete with fish & chips, put on especially for them by Gabriel’s Kitchen as part of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival. The fish and chips came as mini portions of deep fried whitebait and hand-made chips which were very tasty indeed! The entertainment for the day was provided by musicians from the Royal Northern College of Music playing a variety of seaside themed songs, and a modern day version of Punch & Judy featuring an apple and a banana! There were also many tours running throughout the afternoon allowing visitors to take a step back in time and to see the progress that has been made in the restoration of this regional treasure. Since winning the hearts of the nation in the BBC’s landmark Restoration series back in 2003, and securing £3 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, it’s really starting to take shape with a new roof to the front of the building tiled with welsh slate from the same quarry used on the original, a fully restored clock tower and beautifully restored stained glass windows featuring sporting scenes and the breathtaking Angel of Purity. The Turkish Baths area is also coming on a treat, and they have managed to secure four Aeratones (an early type of jacuzzi) which they have ambitions to open as an Aeratone suite eventually. Barry Davenport, who came down to the Open Day with his wife to see how the restoration project was going, said ” I’ve had a superb day! It’d be nice to see the baths full of water again, wouldn’t it? . . . I think the stained glass is lovely, the ornate entrance hall and all the ceramics, beautiful!” and when asked about the prospect of re-opening the Turkish Baths to the public Barry said “The rooms are already done, the walls are done, the ceilings are done. It wouldn’t take a lot to continue on and open the Turkish Baths, would it? I wouldn’t have thought so. I’d come down and use it, wouldn’t you?.” It’s all looking quite lovely, but there’s much more work to be done. The next stage of restoration is the Gala Pool Roof and work started on this immediately after the Open Day.

Victoria Baths is about to close for the winter but will re-open in the spring with a full programme of Open Days, weekly guided tours and community activities offering you the opportunity to see for yourself the restoration of this well loved historic building and support the work of the Friends of Victoria Baths. For more information about the project visit www.victoriabaths.org.uk

wowed by carlos acosta

Wow. What a guy. He is the new masculine face of ballet and he is doing well. He has a toned, muscular body a common feature of all ballet dancers both male and female. The difference between him and other male ballet dancers, is his on stage persona, he exudes masculinity and authority and he manages to give out just the right amount of strength and grace when he is dancing. But not only this, his technical skills were faultless, each move, lift jump, were timed to perfection.

If he is the new face of ballet then it can only be a good thing because he shows the true physicality involved in ballet beyond all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds it. Watching this man was a pure delight from start to finish and it made me think that if more people had the privillage to see this man in action they too would be struck by what an entertaining and beautiful art form ballet actually is.

Haunted at the Royal Exchange 18th May

The Royal Exchange stands as a proud landmark in British theatre, as I walked from the bustling streets towards the end of a working in day in the city I was welcomed by the ghosts and shadows that glitter its past. I walked carefully over the inscribed floor tiles that proudly state patrons and actors past and present, respectful and hopeful tonight will be another of those nights that will add to its colourful past.

I know nothing about what I am about to see, just the leading actress Brenda Blethyn is the star. My thoughts strayed to her role in Mike Leigh’s Secrets and Lies where sat in that café she is forced to confront her past, a performance so mesmerising and heart felt it resulted in Ms Blethyn getting a BAFTA.

As the bell rings, like at school to signify break is over it is now time to focus and learn, I take my seat in what is the heart of this space, expectations high!

The audience grows quiet as the lights dim and the three actors enter the space……..

Haunted is a simple tale of an insatiable older gentleman Mr. Berry who becomes mesmerised by a younger lady who happens to visit his house in search of vintage clothes. He persuades her to come back again again under the faint pretense of getting elocution lesson, handing out more of his wife clothes who he tells her is dead. His wife is in fact dutifully working at the local doll making factory to support the both of them.

I leave the theatre with a faint air of ‘meh’, it’s so subtle you are left to grapple yourself with the themes unsure really if there was a theme. There is no denying the performances are excellent and there are many funny moments which will have you laugh out loud.

When sat in my car in the darkness of the car park it came over me it was all a dream or rather it was all a dream of Mr. Berry it was his past haunting him. Like all ghost stories there is always an element ambiguity something intangible slightly out of reach much like this tale.

by Jessica Dove

Widowers Houses, Royal Exchange Theatre, 20 April 2009

“When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth“ G B Shaw ( 1856 – 1950 )

Albeit this reviewers preconceived ideas of live theatre were as apprehensive as a childs Christmas visit to the proverbial Aunt that leaves lipstick on his cheeks. They soon disappeared within 5 minutes of the Exchange theatres showing of the George Bernard Shaws Widowers Houses. Set in an age of top hats and tails, women in bustles with fans, this 1892 comedy soon showed that social humour is current no matter when penned. From the ranting of ugly brits abroad to disgruntled ex-employees, Shaw in this, his first staged play in December 1892 at the Royalty Theatre, shows hypocrisy in this comedy of manners. Shaw himself described it as ” Unpleasant and polemical”.

I sat with a near capacity audience that laughed and chuckled from start to finish, mesmerised by the six-cast members interpretation of Mr Shaw’s craft.

Roger Lloyd Pack as Mr Sartorius, Ian Shaw as William de Burgh Cokane, Ben Addis as Harry Trench, Lucy Briggs Owen as Blanche Sartorius, Ian Bartholomew as Lickcheese and Vanessa-Faye Stanley as The Parlour maid

With a simple plot – Boy with morals meets girl with farther that has no morals – the aforementioned super six kept my attention for 2 hours. Harry Tench ( Doctor ) wrestled with himself over Mr Satorius ( Slumlord ) and his monetary wrong doings at the cost of the love from Blanche Sartorius ( The pretty girl ), William de Burgh Cokane ( Billy the side kick ) constantly showing a flair for stating the obvious in his humorous attempts to get Harry to show and use his social stature. Lickcheese (Mr Sartorius’s lowly employee) was the passionate whistle blower of his employer’s empire. The Parlour maid captivated her comedy role at every turn as the downtrodden servant, repeatedly bullied by Blanch.

This comedy team not only brought belly chuckles to my portly stature but the desire to spend more time with live theatre.

Bravo Mr Shaw, Bravo the Super Six, Bravo the Royal Exchange

Alan Dodd

Macbeth at the Royal Exchange

March 7, 2009

Matthew Dunster’s gory, graphic production of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, on at the Royal Exchange until the eleventh of April, is as gripping as it is horrible.

Dunster uses a war zone in modern day Scotland as his setting, and the use of laptops, mobile phones and video recorders during the play is surprisingly unforced and seems to work. The soldiers in the play wear authentic camouflage, guns are commonplace, and Lady Macbeth is a highly charged cocaine user. The ideas are original, although we could do without the modern music – it takes something away from the horror of Lady Macduff and her children being brutally murdered when it’s accompanied by jolly pop music.

The play begins with soldiers seizing and raping young girls, and it never becomes any cheerier. Dunster tries to tackle the issue of the effects that war has on children in this play, and the three ‘weird sisters’ are depicted as mentally unhinged, psychologically unstable girls, who have lost their normality as a direct cause of the war going on around them. These young girls play their parts unnervingly well, with seductive dances for money and unearthly visions for Macbeth both handled with an assurance and power exceeding their years. The only point in the play that we could really do without is one of these seductive dances straight after the interval. Here the three girls are dancing for money, but why they are doing this is entirely unexplained and has no relevance to the storyline. To anyone who had not looked at the programme, where Dunster talks of the terrible effect war can have on children, this scene seems like it belongs in another play, certainly not Macbeth. The music that the girls dance to (namely Pink) is, again, surely unnecessary.

However, other than this scene, the play works fantastically well. Nicholas Gleaves’s Macbeth is fascinating. Before his murder of King Duncan, Gleaves acts well within himself, his voice not quite monotonous but certainly lacking in passion. Famous lines such as ‘Is this a dagger I see before me?’ and ‘Let not light see my black and deep desires’ are delivered without any of the importance that should surely be placed upon them, and this is immensely frustrating when we hear them. However, once Macbeth has killed Duncan, and the reality of the crime that he has committed sets in, his change is absolute. Gone is the calm, ambitious Macbeth, in its place a crazy monster who will go as far as he has to in order to secure his own power. The sheer scale of this change in character is extremely effective, and we realise that this is why Gleaves acts so within himself in the opening. It is an interesting take on the character of Macbeth, and one that makes a powerful impression on the audience.

There are no obviously weak characters or actors in this production, and some very good ones; notably Hilary Maclean’s gradual descent into madness as Lady Macbeth is well handled, Christopher Colquhoun as Banquo’s ghost was suitably haunting and judgemental of Macbeth, and the three weird sisters almost stole the show as the best performers, although for me Gleaves wins this prize with his Macbeth. The special effects and sounds were magnificent, suitably scary and timed to perfection, with the idea of using screens around the stage to show certain ideas working well.

The play is very gory; watching blood pour out of Banquo’s mouth in Macbeth’s vision is really horrible, as is seeing Macbeth’s decapitated head being brought on stage by Macduff. Dunster’s dark and psychological take on the play is summed up in his grim interpretation of the ending (I won’t spoil it for you!). As a whole, this is an utterly gripping, intensely horrible and unashamedly gory performance. Go and see it if you can!

by Alex Platts

Not for the faint-hearted!

I BIKE MANCHESTER FESTIVAL – REPORTERS NEEDED!

Calling all budding reporters! The fantastical I Bike Manchester festival is getting underway from Friday 27th March to Friday 24th April 2009, and they want YOU to come and tell the world about it!

They’ve invited Community Reporters old and new to review the festival. This could be anything from writing a blog entry on an event, to filming it, interviewing the organisers, vox popping festival-goers for an online podcast, even making a short film about the festival itself. If this sounds like it’s up your street and you want to get involved, even if you’re not sure how, then get in touch with jess@mcin.net, and we’ll see what we can do for you. Remember that we can help out with training and equipment if you need either.

The festival is a celebration of all things bike, and has something for everyone, from film screenings to dancing bike troupes, bike jousting to bike polo, karaoke bike rides to conferences and talks. Check out their website: http://www.ibikemcr.org.uk/?q=annual-festival-2009

True Love Lies, at the Royal Exchange

You always expect a good production when going to the Royal Exchange as they are an established and well respected theatre company. The world premier of True Love Lies was no exception. Brad Fraser has writen other plays including Cold Meat Party, which came with a warning about its explicit nature. True Love Lies came with no warnings and is said to be quite tame in comparison. However, it is certainly an unflinching look at the complications of human relationships and despite its sometimes sensational content, it certainly wasn’t sensationalist.

It is actually quite a realistic and well observed portrayal of a young, liberal, middle class family in New York. They are open in their attitudes towards life, sex and love but tensions start to arise when Father, Kane and Mother, Carolyn reveal that Kane had a two year gay relationship before he met Carolyn. The reactions between the two children couldn’t be more varied: the daughter, Maddy, finds it quite amusing whereas the younger son, Royce is thrown in to turmoil by the revelations.

The parents are very matter of fact about Kane’s previous relationship and in the interests of maintaining an air of openness, Carolyn invites David for dinner. Things start to go wrong however, when Carolyn accidentally concedes that Kane and David’s relationship was never a ‘proper one’. David politely makes his excuses and leaves, unable to pretend that everything is ok between them. Carolyn’s slip of the tounge reveals her true feelings and shows that despite the outward display of respectability the relationship between Kane and Carolyn is not as secure as she thinks it is.

However David agree’s to employ Kane’s daughter, Maddy, at his restaurant and before long they form an unlikely friendship. They start to have late night meals together in the restaurant and it is not long before Maddy seduces David. The closing scene of the first half involves Maddy, ripping her blouse off and mounting the hapless David. They have sex but that is where the frisson ends, with both parties agreeing that to tell Kane or Carolyn would be pointless and destructive.

Despite their indiscretion they continue to have a friendship and David becomes a father figure to Maddy, noticing that she is begginning to fall for a co- worker at the restaurant. He follows the maturing and development of Maddy with interest and amusement and Brad Fraser may well be hinting at the role which David has never had to play due to his homosexuality.

Meanwhile the youngest son, Royce, is having a mental breakdown. He is being bullied badly at school and is growing resentful that his parents seem more bothered about their own lives then his. This situation comes to a head when Royce goes to Davids restaurant with a shotgun and blames him for his families, failing relations and apparent inability to understand him. He also knows about his sisters fling with him and he see’s this as definitive proof that everyone is debauched and immoral.

Eventually David manages to coax the gun from Royce and make him promise to seek help.
He agrees and the family go some way to repairing themselves, as Carolyn and Kane put their problems aside to support their son and convince him of their love. During these momements it is clear they care deeply about their son and that their family is fully functioning in terms of their closeness and ability to care for one another when it really matters. But despite their love for their children the return of David and has highlighted problems in their relationship which are hard to ignore.

Carolyn begin to question the authenticity of her relationship with Kane and begins to realise what she has always known: Kane still loves David. Carolyn suspects that David and Kane had one last fling whilst she was pregnant with Maddy, she confronts David about this, he denies that it ever happened and it is only later when she tells Kane that Kane panics and admits it. This seals Carolyns belief that their relationship has run its course and the only thing to do is pursue a new life. She moves out, secures a part time job and gains a new freedom and identity that she has never had before.

Meanwhile Maddy is busy plotting an encounter between her father and David as she realises, that what they both shared was special and never went away. Without saying anything to either of them she calls her father to the restaurant, and the two of them are left alone together. The last scene, shows them both sitting down to a meal as though nothing has happened, proving that true love really does lie.

I enjoyed this play because it sent some very important messages about never ignoring your true feelings and the importance in acting on what you believe in. It was fast paced, well writen and well worth the trip out in the cold!