Review: Mark Thomas “Cuckooed” at Newcastle Northern Stage

If you see one comedian this year…

Mark Thomas “Cuckooed”

Newcastle Northern Stage

20^th February 2015.

A comedian, with a left-wing agenda, who was responsible for 6 fabulous series of the Mark Thomas Comedy Product and carrying out 105 minor acts of dissent during his last tour, Mark still has plenty to share. His Northern Stage performance was to a sell out crowd, most of whom agreed with his views and activism.

Photo: Steve Ullahtorne

The show begins with a set of lighter amusing anecdotes covering a career which started with a gig for 5 people plus a promoter. At least he was offered a share of the door take – though he tried to refuse the £2.50. Mark entertained the audience with his friendly engaging style of delivery. He is one comic who doesn’t feel a need to work across the front row asking for names and occupations. Rather, he recalls tales of his dissent – such as buying remote controlled Barbie cars for his female friends and then getting them to drive them in front of the Saudi Embassy. His shows are always a learning experience for the crowd, for example, did you know it is illegal to imagine the end of the monarchy? Or a Domestic Extremist is someone whose activities are monitored by agencies such as the police? Mark is trying to get the word “Farage” defined as the fluid at the bottom of the bin. Clearly that’s one party he has no plans to vote for.

The second half of the show is storytelling bordering on a one man play. He recalls his adventures that started in 2003 taunting arms dealers and manufacturers such as BAE systems. This includes some relevant details that he has used on past tours but they are wrapped up into a new context. The clever set has Mark flanked by 2 sets of filing cabinets and a large screen to the rear. This combination enables him to cut in clips of interviews with numerous eye witnesses to each incident which segue nicely without slowing the pace of the presentation. The only change of pace is induced by a couple of members of the audience which are dealt with nicely but firmly. The story reaches its conclusion with a final pertinent take home message.

Mark Thomas stands out from other comics by his personal involvement in the tales he recalls. He may not be a big fan of bloggers but there is no denying everyone show see him at least once as it could be a life changing moment. Mark is one of the good guys.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com ). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

On The Web:

Website: www.markthomasinfo.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/markthomasinfo

Tour dates: www.markthomasinfo.co.uk/section_gigs/

The original Jowheretogo Preview: Mark Thomas Preview 

Creatives:

Writer & Performer: Mark Thomas

Director: Emma Callander

Producer: Mike McCarthy

Review: Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay at Newcastle Live Theatre

 A Suprise For Dinner

Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay

Newcastle Live Theatre

Until 21^st February 2015.

Live Theatre is playing host to a double bill written by Robin French, who wrote the screenplay for the recent BBC3 hit Cuckoo, produced by the new local company The Six Twenty. Director, Melanie Rasbrooke, was involved in the initial work in-development showings in London and wanted to bring the full versions to the North East.

Choirplay is very much an ensemble piece that examines our need to buy things we don’t need. The cast of nine starts the show with a series of randomly spoken line such as “I bought a CD today as I was feeling unhappy. I put it next to the CD I bought last week” or “achieving my dreams is only a question of wanting it enough”. There messages are either a desire for material goods or what is apparently a better, more successful life.

There are times when Choirplay comes across more as an artwork than a drama piece. It is unusual, working best when sentences are being completed by different actors around the room and, perhaps, less so when talking in unison. An exploration into the Ikea generation – it is a brave piece on consumerism.

The second play, Breakfast Hearts, works much better as it unveils a set of values, which are unlikely to be shared by the audience, to comic effect. Sarah (Katie Powell) and Roy (Steven Blackshaw) are much in love but Sarah is hungry. She doesn’t feel a need to visit the shops nor does she fancy the corned beef in the cupboard, so she kills Roy and eats him instead. Breakfast Hearts quickly presents its darker core.

Philip (Stan Hodgson) is missing his dead wife so his mate Gary (Chris Foley) suggests a dinner date with his wife Charlotte (Alex Tahnée) and, the now single, Sarah. During the meal they discuss cannibalism as if it is a normal state of play. Carving up the new members of staff and leaving body parts lying around is seen as a practical joke.

Fortunately the disturbing nature of the subject matter is nicely countered by a dark sense of humour that had the audience laughing on numerous occasions. The silliness includes sawing workmate Marilyn (Amy Foley) in half and building a heart shaped swimming pool despite an inability to swim. The craziness is exemplified by an accountant with is rubbish at numbers but doesn’t feel there is a need to use a calculator. A nice part of the meal scenes is the reaction to the contents of their meal as they pick at their teeth.

The young cast were entertaining and Breakfast Hearts worked well as satire. Provocative and engaging, I look forward to the next production by The Six Twenty.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com ). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

The show preview originally appeared: http://nomorepanicbutton.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/preview-breakfast-hearts-choirplay-at.html

On The Web:

Website: www.thesixtwenty.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesixtwenty

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesixtwenty

Cast:

Steven Blackshaw

Glen Collier

Jessica Dawson

Amy Foley

Chris Foley

Zoë Hakin

Stan Hodgson

Katie Powell

Alex Tahnée

Creatives:

Writer: Robin French

Director: Melanie Rashbrooke

Technical Manager: Charlotte Woods

Producers: Ellie Claughton & Eleni Venaki

Lighting & Sound Design: Charlotte Woods

Tickets

The double bill appears at Live Theatre’s Studio Theatre from  Wednesday 18 February to Saturday 21 February  at 7.30pm. Tickets for Breakfast Hearts / Choirplay cost £8 full price and £6 concessions and can be booked by contacting Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232 or by visiting www.live.org.uk. 

Preview: Scary Play at Newcastle People’s Theatre

“If this was a scary film,

you’d be screaming ‘Don’t go in!’”

Scary Play  by  Judith Johnson

Newcastle People’s Theatre

Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 February 2015

Next week Newcastle People’s Theatre present Scary Play - our first Young People’s Theatre play of the year - a hilarious comic horror spoof for young audiences aged 7+. 

Kal is having a sleepover. He tells a story about an old haunted house where a terrible murder took place: a grizzly tale of a man, his mother, and a monkey! It just so happens that this house is just a few streets away. Perhaps we should take a look? That is, if you’re not chicken…? What are you afraid of…?

Comedy, suspense, and the creepily supernatural combine in this dramatic exploration of the powerful (and sometimes dangerous?) hold our imagination can have over us.

This play explores the nature of fear itself. What are you most afraid of….?

Tickets:

The Young People’s Theatre present SCARY PLAY  by  Judith Johnson

Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 February 2015 7.30pm

The Studio Upstairs, People’s Theatre, Stephenson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5QF

Tickets:                £10 (Concessions £6)

Box Office:         0191 265 5020 (option 2)
www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

Review: Di and Viv And Rose at London Vaudeville Theatre

A return to our Theatre Blog... Victoria Ling, from 137 Imaging (www.facebook.com/137imaging)  is guest reviewer:

 

Friendship On Stage

Di and Viv And Rose

London Vaudeville Theatre

Thur 22 January 2015 - Sat 23 May 2015

This happens to be the second outing for Di and Viv And Rose.  It was first staged in Hampstead in 2011.  January 2015 saw it take to the West End at The Vaudeville.

Di and Viv And Rose takes us back to 1983 and three girls embarking on university life. Rose (Jenna Russell) is happy go-lucky including her love for men, Di (Tamzin Outhwaite) is happy to explore her lesbian life that she can’t when at home and Viv (Samantha Spiro) who seems pretty uptight and dresses as if she is ‘ready for war!’

Opening of Act 1 is very fast paced. There are three backdrops that lights up each character taking us through their first year of uni life and into the house share of the next two years.  The house share scenes are very light hearted at first, take note of the three bowls when you see it ;o) But then we are thrown into a few unexpected twists and turns with a major event of one character and not the one I thought it was going to be!  It definitely goes from laughter to tears in an instant.  And to me I would say it is one of the two strongest acting scenes (the other being Outhwaites’ monologue in Act 2) or maybe I am just in admiration of the friendship that is showcased in the forming of ‘the cave’.

Act 2 fast forwards to 1998.  The girls have graduated and all live completely different lives. And into a darker stage set of concrete walls! Di and Rose are living through the trails that university life threw at them and Viv’s life is ‘like an arrow’ as she keeps shooting towards her goals. But it is not as plain sailing as that.  Di and Rose are seen as the tight-nit one’s of the threesome and I guess Viv is the hard-nosed support act.  It is this partnership that works and shows us that even a strong bond, there are things that are thrown at us to test if a university friendship can really last when we all go off in different directions.  And why is it that we need a huge event to bring us back together.  Cue more heart-wrenching moments, which are broken by the odd piece of laughter – quite literally.

The thing that drew me to this play was that it is about female friendship formed at university and the life after it, which is similar to my life.  I heard it would make ‘you laugh and cry’ and I did laugh a LOT and verging on tears three-four times!

It is also no lie that the plays soundtrack plays as just as an important part as the script, especially RUN DMC’s feature in it.  Hands-up to the chorography.

In the 2 hours 10 minutes that Outhwaite, Spiro and Russell take to the stage there is so much emotion thrown at the audience. Sometimes it is hard to catch a breath, which is a testament to the actresses.  Maybe this why I cannot give a 5 star rating as it was so fast paced at times with huge subjects. But credit where credit’s due as I was sat at the very back of the stalls and with so much disruption of late arrivals as well as vibrating phones and blue screens it is a wonder that I did not get more distracted following the play. With the acting from these three nothing can stop you becoming enthralled by this indication of what friendship really means.

This review was written by Victoria Ling  for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Victoria on twitter @LilVik or follow her photography on Facebook (www.facebook.com/137imaging)

On The Web:

Website: www.nimaxtheatres.com/vaudeville-theatre/di_and_viv_and_rose

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DiVivandRose

Facebook: www.facebook.com/divivrose

Duration: 2hrs 20mins Including Interval
Age Limit:12+

Charity:
Di and Viv and Rose are proud to be partnering with breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel!
£3.00 from every £49.50 & £39.50 ticket and £15 student tickets purchased for performances in February will be donated to CoppaFeel! when quoting the promotional code 'COPPAFEEL' either online or by phone.The contribution will ensure more young people are educated about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer to ultimately stamp out late detection of the disease. The charity was initially founded in 2009 by twin sisters Kris and Maren Hallenga after Kris was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 23.
For more information on CoppaFeel! Visit coppafeel.org

Cast:

Di           Tamzin Outhwaite

Viv         Samantha Spiro

Rose      Jenna Russell

Please Note: Tamzin Outhwaite will be appearing until Saturday 28th March 2015

 

Creative:

Author           Amelia Bullmore

Director         Anna Mackmin

Designer        Paul Wills

Lighting         Oliver Fenwick

Sound            Simon Baker

Tickets:

Thur 22 January 2015 - Sat 23 May 2015
Monday - Saturday 7.30pm  Thursday & Saturday 3pm

Prices if booked in person at the Box Office (includes a £1 Theatre Restoration Levy) Stalls: £49.50, £39.50, Premiums £65
Dress Circle: £49.50 Grand Circle: £25, £15

Prices if purchased online or over the phone (includes booking fee and a £1 Theatre Restoration Levy)
Stalls:  £51.50, £41.50, £67 Dress Circle: £51.50 Grand Circle: £26.50, £16.50

Box Office Online: www.nimaxtheatres.com/vaudeville-theatre/di_and_viv_and_rose

Preview: Cinderella at Whitley Bay Playhouse

Whitley Bay Pantomime Society Return in 2016

Cinderella

Whitley Bay Playhouse
Tuesday 12th - Sunday 17th January 2016

Following the success of Sleeping Beauty, Whitley Bay Pantomime Society are back with a bang for 2016 with the classic tale of Cinderella, the favourite of all fairy tales.

The show is jam-packed with music and dance, fun and laughter, a beautiful girl, a fairy godmother, a handsome prince, a glass slipper and, of course, two ugly sisters!

Oh joy we hear you say! Well we love it - and we know you do deep down too!

Forced into a miserable life of jobs and jibes by her wicked stepsisters Cinderella dreams of freedom and romance!  With the help of a Fairy Godmother, a pumpkin and a touch of magic Cinderella is whisked off to the Prince’s Ball….but will she live Happily Ever After? Well there is only one way to find out!

Tickets:

The show runs from Tuesday 12th - Sunday 17th January 2016 - 7pm Tue-Sat, 2.15pm Sat & Sun.
Tickets costing from £12 are on sale now. Tickets are available from the Box Office open Monday – Friday 10am – 4pm, Saturday 10.30am -2.30pm plus until show start on event days.

Tickets can also be purchased on the booking hotline 0844 248 1588 or online at www.playhousewhitleybay.co.uk.

Review: Barnum at Newcastle Theatre Royal

Come Follow The Band!

 

Barnum

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Until 28^th February 2015.

A show which combines a true story with full on colourful visuals is the perfect antidote to the grey February days. It starts the way it means to go on  - with circus performances in the aisles in the build up to the start of the show.  As Barnum’s first number says – There is a Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute – but you’d be a sucker not to enjoy this vibrant show.

The central character is the larger than life P. T. Barnum.

A man who knew how to manipulate the media more than a modern day Simon Cowell or a political spin doctor. He would use carefully worded promises to relieve punters of their money in what he refers to as ‘humbug’ and his faithful wife Chairy called ‘flim flam’. But the narrative is much more than his march from fairground side shows to becoming mayor, it also involves the nature of the relationships with the women in his life.   

Brian Conley, last seen at the Theatre Royal as Fagin in the superb Oliver!, returns as Barnum. He has a commanding air and owns the set as he breaks down the fourth wall and interacts with some members of the audience. The roll calls on Brian to walk on stilts, juggle, breath fire and, amazingly, do a spot of tight rope walking. Chuck in a few magic tricks, great songs and well timed one liners and you have a star performance.

Playing his wife, Chairy, is Linzi Hateley who oozes class as her character keeps Barnum in check. The onstage chemistry, with Conley, works well whenever they share the stage.  

Kimberley Blake has a stunning voice, as she plays the Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind, whilst swinging high above the stage.

Also adding the the female singing talent is Landi Oshinowo, who appears the oldest woman alive Joice Heth and sings Thank God I’m Old.

A mention should be made of Mikey Jay-Heath as the vertically challenged Tom Thumb who, during his catchy number Bigger Isn’t Betterplays, entertainingly, on the scale issue.  In Cameron Mackintosh’s production the audience are strung along on this particular humbug to great effect as the giant elephant is added for effect.

Perhaps the pace slows down during the second half as the large ensemble of dancers and circus performers take a breather but the show very much ends on a performance high which delighted the packed Theatre Royal crowd.

This is a fabulous show, featuring the masterful Brian Conley and the stunning Linzi Hateley, in which the simple act of setting a table for 2 turns into an acrobatic routine with a dash of magic. It is a great family show, perfectly timed for a half term treat.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com ). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

The show preview originally appeared: Jowheretogo preview link

Music                           Cy Coleman

Lyrics                            Michael Stewart

Book                             Mark Bramble

Revision                        Cameron Mackintosh & Mark Bramble

Director                        Jen-Pierre Van Der Spuy

Musical Director          Ian Townsend

Photos by Johan Persson  

Tickets:

Barnumappears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 17 – Saturday 28 February 2015. Tickets are available from £21 (a booking fee of 95p - £1.95 will apply to most tickets) and can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 or select your own seat and book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Review: Rigoletto at Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera House

The Spectacular Curse

Rigoletto

Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera House

16^th February 2015.

Giuseppe Verdi’s opera is popular for its wonderful balance of intriguing storyline and fabulous music. The Russian State Opera & Ballet Theatre of Komi delivered a passionate and entertaining performance which is accessible to newcomers to opera.

The story centres around the court jester Rigoletto who commits the faux pas of insulting the wrong individual. After a curse is put on him he heads home to check on his beautiful daughter. He is keen that her honour is protected but there are too many people who have a score to settle or have less than honourable intentions. Verdi’s opera has as many twists to the plot as a modern soap opera coupled with the humour that we’d see in a modern sit-com.  There is no wonder that the story remains one of the most popular operas 164 years after its debut.

The fabulous score was performed by a large orchestra with Azat Maksutov conducting. They filled the auditorium with the delightful soundtrack. The talented soloists added real magic to the mix.

Director Boris Lagoda has enabled a pacey production that couples the storytelling with fabulous singing. Andrei Borisenko is a remarkable performer who is central to the plot’s narrative as the jester Rigoletto.

Whilst the members of the ensemble are all talented performers, special mention should go to Damir Zakirov as the Duke and Tatyana Zakirova as Rigolettos’ daughter Gilda. They both exhibited great power and control in their solo numbers. Damir’s La donna è mobile was phenomenal.

Yuri Samodurov’ set design helped set the scene and Nelli Svatova’s lighting design added to the atmosphere. The surtitles gave a translation of the lyrics but where sufficiently subtle to not detract from the action.

An absorbing evening with a highly professional cast and orchestra performing a delightful show.  

Details of the tour can be found on the Jowheretogo Preview Link.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com ). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

          The remainder of the tour is as follows:

          Tues  17-Feb      Darlington, Civic Theatre

          Wed 18-Feb       Dorking Halls

          Thur  19-Feb       Hastings, White Rock Theatre

          Fri      20-Feb       London, Cadogan Hall

          Sat    21-Feb       Peterborough, The Cresset Theatre

          Sun   22-Feb       Stevenage, Gordon Craig Theatre

          Tues  24-Feb       Harrogate, Royal Hall

          Wed 25-Feb       Chesterfield, Pomegranate Theatre

          Thur  26-Feb       Stafford, Gatehouse Theatre

          Fri      27-Feb      Carlisle, Sands Centre

          Sat    28-Feb       Halifax, Victoria Theatre

          Sun   01-Mar      Clacton, Princes Theatre

          Tues  03-Mar      Swindon, Wyvern Theatre

          Wed 04-Mar      Stockport, The Plaza

          Thur  05-Mar      Blackburn, King George’s Hall

          Fri      06-Mar      Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn

          Sat    07-Mar      Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall

  For information and tickets, please visit www.opera-tickets.co.uk