As you may or (more probably) may not have noticed, this blog has rather dropped off the face of the internet over the last six months, beyond the occasional post. In the end it's proved too time consuming for me to write individual reviews and there's certainly no chance I'll be catching up. But I'm not quite ready to throw the blog away yet, so I thought I'd try doing some monthly round-ups of what I've been seeing.
First up a surprisingly quiet January (ignore the numbers after the plays, they're for my benefit):
7 - The Heart of Robin Hood, Royal Shakespeare Theatre (-/1/1) ****
13 - Lovesong, Lyric Hammersmith (1/2/2) ***
14 - Constellations - Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs (2/3/3) *****
23 - The Madness of George III - Apollo Theatre (3/4/4)**
25 - Stacy - Pleasance Theatre (4/5/5) ***
26 - The Winter's Tale - Propeller at the Cheltenham Everyman (5/6/6) ****
28 - Henry V - Propeller at the Cheltenham Everyman (6/7/7) ****
A quiet month theatre wise (especially as four of the seven productions were all seen in the same week). Luckily though the vast majority of the seven fell firmly within the entirely superb category, so I'm feeling spoilt rather than deprived. In fact, the only play that I didn't enjoy, The Madness of George III (which was a rare interval departure for me), was more down to my own health and the distance and discomfort of the seats, than the production itself.
Of the rest, The Heart of Robin Hood was a favourite from last year and remained joyous;y fun, plus it was accompanied by an excellent night in the Duck, where we had one whiskey too many (we have our limits, even if we don't stick to them), and, therefore, actually ended up speaking to actors (it came to a shock to us too). Pierre kissed my friends hand, a gent till the end.
Anyhow, enough of that... of the rest three could easily claim favourite position for the month. The combination of my mother's presence (her sense of humour is even filthier than mine) and the energy, inventiveness, musicality, fun and emotion Propeller brought to both The Winter's Tale and Henry V made them surefire hits for me. And I'm hoping to catch both again at Hampstead later in the year. Though I struggled initially to pick a favourite, I think, retrospectively The Winter's Tale has edged it slightly. Mostly due to the presence they give Mamilllius throughout and an aching touch that they've added to the end, which satisfies an itch I've had about the play since the first time I saw it. Or, possibly, I'm just easily swayed by the presence of sheep (I am Welsh, you know) - I may have giggled inappropriately more than once during the film of War Horse at the cinema the next day whenever sheep appeared (though for it's part, Henry V, left the lingering smell of leeks in my nostrils for days).
Overall, however, I think Constellations has to take top place for January. It's stayed in my mind and I've caught myself musing it over weeks later. Beautifully written, both simple and complex, charming and fascinating. It's difficult to imagine a better exploration of multiverse theory (already an interest of mine) theatrically, though I'd love to see people try. What particularly worked for me was the way that seeing the numerous times the relationship didn't work heightened, for me, both the magic and normalacy of the times when it did - making the tragedy of the 'fixed' moments both deeper and more relatable. On top of which, the acting of both Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall was superb, adding beautiful nuances to the scenes unspecified in the script. I found the entire play - set, performances and writing - just magical.
In fact, I think how much I loved Constellations, made Lovesong suffer, if only by comparison, especially as I saw them so close together. There is both a tonal and thematic resonance between the two (also shared to an extent with It's Always Right Now, Until It's Later seen in December and And No More Shall We Part, which I'll talk about in February), which makes it difficult to consider separately. And despite an inventive idea, some truly beautiful moments and excellent performances, including my perennial favourite Ed Bennett - it came out second best. Though in this case, I don't think that being overshadowed is much of a criticism, considering the competition.
Similarly Stacy in a weaker month overall would have made a much greater impression, it certainly was the most unsettling of the plays I saw - a highly personal and occasionally confrontational piece, dealing with difficult subjects without succumbing to sanitising or simplifying the issues. Powerful, provocative and frequently uncomfortable to watch. It particularly made me assess my own reactions to what we were being told, which I think is the sign of a good play.
Production wise - beyond the fun anarchy of Propeller and Robin Hood, there was a definite simplicity in lighting and set design. With the balloons of Constellations leaving me the most charmed. Propeller certainly made the most use of music with a diverse and exhilarating mix of styles filling both the plays and the intervals. In both productions the music added greatly to the modern allusions and settings being drawn for the audience. Whilst in Stacy a brief burst of Les Miserables provided one of the most memorable moments of the month.
I loved too, the stylised violence and physicality of Henry V, there is something more gruesome about the sounds of punching bags being beaten or the sight of blood gushing from a slit bag than a more realistic approach the audience know must be simulated. It is more visceral, demanding more of our imagination and for me that makes it more effective. You can rarely create something more able to stir horror than that an audience member can provide for themselves with the right stimulus.
This was also a month where projection really shone for me, not normally an aspect of the theatre I embrace as I think it can prove an over-reliant technique, but both Lovesong and Stacy used it to add to the story rather than tell it. Both productions could have worked without it, but in both it certainly added to the experience. In the former adding emotional nuances, whilst the latter embraced and demonstrated the scattered thought patterns of our antagonist, sometimes disturbingly.
Finally, as well as the excellent performances I've already mentioned, Nic McQuillan particularly impressed with a captivating, subtle and direct solo performance in Stacy. And whilst Propeller's productions were marked by strong, impressive performances throughout the ensemble, I must admit Finn Hanlon shone for me as an especially charming Florizel.
All in all a marvelous month to set the year rolling.
No comments:
Post a Comment