In football parlance, Lucy Bailey’s new production of The Winter’s Tale is a game of two distinct halves. The kingdoms of Sicilia and Bohemia are divided by class rather than location, and the play veers from the ever-growing menace of King Leontes’(Jo Stone-Fewings) wealthy court of the opening period to the broad humour of the Bohemian peasants after the interval.
The backdrop of a sparkling, sunlit sea seems at odds, too, with the “Winter” aspect of the play although this gradually darkens in time with Leontes’ madness.

The contradiction makes for an uneasy entertainment. As Leontes descends into an increasingly paranoid state, his insecurities convince him that his Queen is having an affair with his best friend Polixenes, King of Bohemia. His false accusation culminates in a death sentence for both Queen Hermoine and their unborn child. He comes close to terminating the child himself at one point, with a sudden act of violence that drew a gasp from the whole audience.
Instead, the child is taken and abandoned on the coast of Bohemia, which may not be as bad as it sounds, because in this production, it appears to be a Lancashire coastal resort during Wakes Week.

There’s folk music (a grand score by Bellowhead’s John Boden), morris dancing and general merriment. Not to mention bicycling shepherds and a show-stealing performance from Pearce Quigley as the vagabond pickpocket Autolycus, whose role as both narrator and driver of the action becomes central to the resolution of the plot.

Mostly, though, it’s the women who put things to right, none more so than Paulina (the excellent Rakie Ayola) who shrugs off the death of her husband (missing, presumed eaten by a bear while abandoning the child Perdita) to present Leontes with a statue of Hermoine which magically comes to life to give a happy ending.

An uneven production, and slightly disappointing given that this is the Royal Shakespeare Company, but redeemed by some fine performances. Stone-Fewings in the demanding role of Leontes, Tara Fitzgerald as Hermoine, the aforementioned Rakie Ayola and Pearce Quigley, and a particularly well-judged Camillo from Daniel Betts.Jim Welsh

Let’s see now. This is a story about a culture of bribes and backhanders, reading private messages and cronyism among bureaucrats. Is this play about the hacking of phone messages or maybe the Edinburgh housing repair scandal? Actually, no. It’s a play by Nikolai Gogol set in Tsarist Russia and written in 1835 but the fact that it’s still being performed is a fair indication that some things never change.

The town Governor (Stephen Marzella) hears that the Government Inspector is travelling incognito to inspect the town and taking fright immediately summons the town officials to plan a cover up of the generally corrupt administration. In the resulting panic they all blame each other for the corruption and involve the Postmaster (Jâms Thomas), asking him to open messages to try and identify the Government Inspector.

After much farce they think they have identified the Inspector (played by Oliver Lavery), staying at a local Inn. But in fact he is the penniless Khlestakov, who can’t pay his account. He plays along with the officials’ mistake, eventually blagging money (not bribes, just loans) and proposing marriage to the Governor’s daughter Marya (Kate Quinnell). The Governor’s wife Anna (Pauline Knowles) and Marya compete for Khlestakov’s attention and are shameless social climbers. When Anna thinks her daughter is going to marry Khlestakov, she dreams of moving to the ‘pre-eminent house’ in St Petersburg.

When the merchants riot and he’s in danger of being found out Khlestakov takes off, abandoning Marya and making off with the money. His comment that the townsfolk are ‘ridiculous people’ makes no acknowledgement that he is equally dishonest in taking bribes and using people. In his opinion all anyone wants is respect and friendship but none of the characters in the play, including himself, can aspire to this as immorality is endemic.

Oliver Lavery’s portrayal of Khlestakov aka The Inspector becomes increasingly frenetic as the play progresses with more than a passing nod to the style of John Cleese and Monty Python. The talented cast also provide the musical interludes, playing various instruments including saxophone, clarinet, balalaika, violin, trumpet and drums (although the least said about Lavery’s singing the better). The play is set in Russia and yet the accents are Scottish, Welsh and English which was initially distracting until the action takes over.
The play has no ‘hero’. Every one of the characters in this play is manipulative and out for what they can get in some way. This is a clever farce which explores the distasteful aspects of society and the corruption of power and it’s not hard to see these vices mirrored today.

Val Clark

The Full Monty Festival Theatre

Last night I had the great pleasure of going to the Festival Theatre to see The Full Monty, a stage play based on the film of the same name written by Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the script for the original film.
It’s not surprising that when it appeared in 1997 The Full Monty was instantly dubbed a “feelgood” film. Set in the late 1980s, it tells the story of a group of skilled men laid off from a Sheffield steel mill who aim to raise some much needed cash by mounting a one-off strip show, and is delivered with dry humour and an infectiously upbeat finish.
The once-successful steel mills of Sheffield have shut down and most of the employees have been laid off. Former steel workers Gary “Gaz” Schofield (Kenny Doughty) and Dave Horsefall have resorted to stealing scrap metal from the abandoned mills to sell. Gaz is a guy trying to do the best for his son who lives with his mum Mandy and her new partner Barry, but he’s facing trouble from his Mandy over child support payments that he’s failed to make since losing his job. Gaz’s son, Nathan (Travis Caddy, who stole the show), loves his father but wishes they could do more “normal stuff” in their time together.

Dave played by Roger Morlidge is Gaz’s best mate. He used to work the crane at the steelworks which he calls Margaret after Margaret Thatcher (for those too young to remember, she was prime minister in the 1970’s- 80’s and was known as the iron lady).

Gaz goes to the working men’s club one night and the club owner Alf tells him he can’t go in as there is a ladies’ night on with the Chippendales. Having heard how much they can make, Gaz decides that this is the way to pay Mandy the maintenance money he is due her.

So recruiting some of his former work mates, Gaz announces the ultimate ladies’ night by declaring for one night only they will be doing “the full Monty”

And the full Monty they did!!!

The production is well put together from the stage hands all the way up to the director, and the whole show ran smoothly from start to finish.

The audience was made up of both young and older people with a great mix of females as well as a few males. I talked to one of the men, who had said he was dreading the fact that his wife had dragged him along but he was glad he had gone.

The show had the audience eating out of its hand from the word go. There are so many laughs in it but I must remind you that it is set in the 1980’s and there are a lot of political references which are of that time.

All in all it is a great show and ladies get yourselves along to see it – you will have a blast.

And to answer the question YES they do the full Monty but no, you don’t see anything due to some superb lighting.

10/10 for the whole experience!

Christine Booth

Who could believe that in this day and age a community radio station could be subject to presenters being forcibly removed from the studio, funds diverted from the use to which they were intended…oh, hold on, I live in Leith…better start again, eh?

Since the six part tv series first aired around 20 years ago, both technology and social attitudes have changed dramatically. And while it could be said that attitudes towards those suffering from mental health problems might just be superficial “pc” rather than deeply held beliefs, this situation leaves Donna Franceschild’s two hour condensation of the series suspended between a 21st century expose of the shortcomings of the health service and the period piece that it will, in time, inevitably become. Nonetheless, it does have a great deal of relevance to situations both within and without hospital walls today.

Set in St Jude’s hospital, it opens with the arrival of DJ Ready Eddie McKenna, the Soul Survivor, (Iain Robertson) hired to revive the hospital radio station. Which, with varying degrees of help from the patients and hindrance from the staff, he gradually succeeds in doing.

The empathy between Eddie and the patients points up the fact that he is as damaged as some of them: never without a whisky bottle to hand, drowning his regrets at never having found fame as a radio DJ, and never having made a sale for the double glazing company who are his daytime employers. Small wonder then, that he sees himself as one with them; forming an emotional attachment to the self-harming Francine (Helen Mallon) and becoming a substitute for the ever-absent father of manic would-be DJ Campbell.

There isn’t a bad performance from any of the cast, from the always excellent Caroline Paterson to the lanky, angular figure of Brian Vernel, who is a firecracker as Campbell. But I have to single out Grant O’Rourke who imbues IT genius Fergus with a quiet dignity that lets him steal every scene he’s in.

Compressing the story into two hours does mean that there is a slightly unnatural feel to the division between the first act, where broad comedy dominates, and the emphasis on the tragedy of the situation in which the patients find themselves in act two.

There is no happy ending: the station is closed and Eddie loses his job with the double glazing company. No-one is suddenly cured, there is no healing power of music here. But Franceschild allows small glimmers of hope for the future; Campbell gets his opportunity to be a DJ on a “real” radio station, Eddie admits to being an alcoholic and prepares to face whatever life may throw at him next, hand in hand with Francine.

Jim Welsh

Another excellent production from Northern Ballet is on the bill at the Festival Theatre until Saturday night. Their 2013 tour features the World premiere of their new production, The Great Gatsby, based on the novel by F Scott Fitzgerald.

There is something here for everyone, not just for ballet purists. The sets, storytelling and music are first class and the dance contains elements of diverse dances such as charleston and tango as well as classical ballet.

The story is set in the 1920s when the bright young things of the post war era were intent on pursuing the great American Dream. Jay Gatsby is the enigmatic host of extravagant parties in his grand mansion. Before the war he was a poor soldier in love with Daisy, who is now married with a child to Tom, a boorish and insensitive husband. Gatsby has now become rich through questionable means. He is obsessed with the memory of his love for Daisy and has idealised her. He gazes longingly across the bay to the house where she lives and dreams of their reunion. For a time it seems his dream may be realised – Daisy and Tom’s marriage is under strain and Tom has a mistress, Myrtle. However, reality intrudes literally with a crash.

The purity and lightness of the scenes featuring Gatsby and Daisy contrast sharply with the earthiness of the scenes of Tom and Myrtle

The score by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett perfectly evokes every aspect of the story, from the haunting strains of the dream sequences and love scenes to the use of actual songs and excerpts from film scores as well as some soulful sax and brass. The sets also fit the storyline perfectly – simple but effectively lit and reminiscent of a series of Edward Hopper paintings.
And of course, there are the dancers. The whole ensemble is excellent, showing energy and versatility as well as technical ability.

The production was met with rapturous and well deserved applause. Only two nights to go, get your tickets now, I highly recommend it.

Irene Brownlee

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

At some point in the recent past screenwriters Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis were asked to wave their magic wands and come up with a comedy based on the world of magicians. Something presumably with the endless quotability factor of Anchorman, the smug fallen hero of Talladega Nights, and the oddly touching bromance of Step Brothers. Sadly, by putting these elements into their big hat and uttering the magic words, they have pulled out a turkey rather than a bunny. That turkey is The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

Steve Carell plays the titular hero, a legend in Vegas for the show he puts on with lifelong best friend Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi). The duo fall on hard times with the arrival of rival street performer Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose own brand of body torture magic makes the duo’s more traditional show seem dated. In the manner of most Will Ferrell comedies of the last ten years the protagonist is a talented yet arrogant hero who has become disconnected from the world he once loved. Just as it has been done with newsreaders, Nascar drivers, and figure skaters, now Carell attempts to mine even more comedy gold from the familiar format with flamboyant illusionists.

Unoriginal premises are not necessarily a death sentence in comedies provided the audience is amused, and to its credit Burt Wonderstone just about pulls it off. Not blessed with out and out belly laughs there is a consistent chuckle rate that runs almost throughout, with a look into Marvelton’s post-magic career as a humanitarian a particular highlight. These mild amusements aside the little good faith the film manages to obtain goes up in a puff of smoke thanks to a conclusion that is lazy, unspectacular and beyond even the slim realms of plausibility established onscreen. It ends with the feeling of the tablecloth being pulled out from underneath you and exposes Burt Wonderstone as an act with nothing up its sleeve.

Michael Clancy

Oz the Great and Powerful

Sam Raimi has always been a fearless filmmaker. From his gruesome, iconic Evil Dead horror franchise to bringing Spiderman to the big screen, he is a director who has never been afraid of taking risks. And in Oz the Great and Powerful, he takes his biggest risk to date, returning to the merry old land of Oz almost 75 years after Judy Garland’s Dorothy took her first tentative steps down the yellow brick road.

Raimi’s prequel follows Oscar Diggs (James Franco) from his humble beginnings as second-rate circus magician to the all-powerful wizard of the Emerald City. As expected, he encounters a menagerie of weird and wonderful characters along the way, including Zac Braff’s talking monkey butler and a host of witches – varying in wickedness – played by Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz.

Some may feel a prequel to The Wizard of Oz to be blasphemous, so beloved is the 1939 classic, and yet a cynical view of the film is in keeping with its lead character. If the subtext of the original film was a young girl’s journey into womanhood, Oz the Great and Powerful can be viewed as a study of what makes a man, focusing as it does on Oscar’s transition from irresponsible Kansas playboy to mighty figure behind the screen.

Equally intriguing is the subplot that offers a glimpse of how the Wicked Witch of the West earned her broomstick. The cast perform their duties admirably, with the only minor concern coming from later scenes in which Kunis’s witch Theodora reveals her darker side. A talented comedic actor, Kunis lacks the powerful presence required to give her character the maniacal menace called for.

Ultimately the reason why Oz the Great and Powerful feels more like an unsubstantial adventure when compared to the timeless classic of 1939 is due to Raimi’s modern vision of the kingdom of Oz. Digitally captured as a vast mountainous landscape stretching as far as the eye can see, it looks more like a PS2 videogame than the magical world that captured our hearts all those years ago. It is still however a passable piece of fantasy fun, and unlike Tim Burton’s soulless Alice in Wonderland, avoids the predictable epic final battle.

With plenty of enjoyable nods to the original film, Oz the Great and Powerful holds the attention for the more than 2 hours running time. However Raimi’s offering suffers from the same condition affecting the Tin Man in the 1939 version – a lack of heart.

Michael Clancy

In my humble opinion, this is the world’s greatest musical!! The Rocky Horror Show returned to Edinburgh Playhouse for its 40th anniversary with a new production directed by Christopher Luscombe.

As a fan of the show who has seen it a number of times over the years, I knew what to expect (or so I thought!) The Rocky Horror Show is full of corsets, make up, high heels and sexy jokes, as we are told the story of an innocent couple who stumble into Frank N Furter’s bizarre transsexual party.

The narrator (Phillip Franks) worked well with the well informed and enthusiastic audience as they jokingly attacked him throughout the show. As soon as Frank N Furter (Oliver Thornton) burst onto the stage the audience loved him in his tight revealing corset and his extremely high heels. Although Oliver Thornton had a challenging role to play, he captured Frank N Furter’s flamboyant lifestyle in one as he dominated the stage and made crude jokes throughout the play.

The rest of the Transylvanian crew worked brilliantly to help create the chaos of Frank N Furter’s party with some amazing performances, particularly Sam Attwater and Roxanne Pallett who play Brad and Janet and delivered powerful vocals – the audience couldn’t get enough of them.

I and the audience loved each and every song from “Science Fiction/Double Feature” to “I’m Going Home” as we all sang our hearts out and danced to “Time Warp”.

My favourite part of the play would definitely have to be when the whole cast danced and encouraged the audience to dance along to “Time Warp” for the first time. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone, well anyone over the age of 18 as the jokes and humour are quite crude.

For me, this production was far better than the one I saw a few years ago in every respect from the vocals to their clothes! The Rocky Horror Show definitely lives up to its crazy, bizarre, sexy reputation. 10/10.

JOY ROBERTSON

History is a funny thing. Over time, it seems to me that those of us who are not students of the subject are left with only the ‘bullet points’. For example, I had long believed that the French Revolution put paid to their monarchy. The reality is that after it they still had spells under two emperors and a king before the founding of the Third Republic. Likewise, I was under the impression that the Civil Rights movement in America was a product solely of the Sixties and that ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ was originally a blockbuster film. I was put right on these two points when I attended the opening night of the stage version of the latter at The Kings Theatre in Edinburgh. The reality is that Alfred Uhry’s play was first performed ‘off Broadway’ in 1987 with the film, starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, coming along in 1989; and the civil rights struggle really started in 1875.

The brilliantly written dialogue takes us through a 25 year period, starting in 1948, in the life of Miss Daisy, an already elderly, widowed, Jewish, white Atlanta lady, desperately trying to be independent. Her concerned son, Boolie Werthan, employs a coloured driver to chauffeur her after she accidentally ‘trashes’ her new car. We are then taken through the gradual development of their relationship over the years, set against the backdrop of the changes taking place in America’s attitude to minorities, the coloured population in particular.

There are only three members of the cast. Miss Daisy is played superbly by Gwen Taylor, who has a list of acting credits which seems to go on for ever, but is best known to me for her appearances in the TV sitcom ‘Duty Free’ and various parts in Monty Python related films. Her driver, Hoke Coleburn, is portrayed by Don Warrington, again probably best known for being in a classic sitcom, ‘Rising Damp’, and currently on our screens in ‘Death in Paradise’. Ian Porter, who plays Daisy’s son Boolie has fewer high profile TV appearances to his name but can cite parts in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and Mr Bean’s Holiday’ on his CV. If I were to have any criticism of the acting – and it is a very minor one – it would be that to my ears, English actors putting on southern US accents just did not sound right.

The play shows us a different, almost personal, perspective on a very serious historical subject, but at the same time manages to be extremely entertaining. In fact there are laughs in abundance, some even causing the audience to make so much noise they were at risk of drowning out the dialogue!

The production, directed by David Esbjornson, is on at the King Theatre in Edinburgh until the 9th of March.

Charlie Cavaye

A surprisingly thought provoking evening of entertainment awaits in High Society at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh.

From its origin in The Philadelphia Story of the 1930s, through the 1950s addition of the wonderful Cole Porter score to the current thoroughly enjoyable production, this musical still has a lot to say that’s relevant today.

[Read more...]