Month: September 2019

Wyndham Theatre – until 21 September 2019

Review by Elizabeth J Smith

5*****

The Life I Lead is the biographical piece about the life of David Tomlinson, an actor whose name we may not all know but when you see the face you recognise him as Mr Banks, the aloof father from Mary Poppins. The quintessential English gentleman, polite, well spoken, kind, slightly apologetic and a little bumbling.

James Kettle has written an extremely funny and poignant piece. Showing us how David grew up in a home where his father was absent most of the time and unloving when he was. A mother who cared but was a little self obsessed, and for good reason as we find out. David always sought his fathers approval but even as a successful actor appearing in the West End, his father wanted him to change his surname so he wasn’t associated to the family. Little did David know there was a much bigger reason for his fathers wishes. We learn how he survived the war years including getting married to an American mother of two boys and the tragic end to that marriage. How he went on to meet and marry his second wife, who made him a very satisfied chap and the struggles they had with their autistic son at a time when autism wasn’t recognised.

Miles Jupp has an awesome task to entertain the audience for 1 hour 45 minutes alone on stage. He smashes this performance out of the park. He encapsulates the whole man. He looks similar, has a beautiful English accent and mimics David Tomlinson’s mannerisms to a tee. His timing and delivery of both sad and funny lines is impeccable. You feel as if you are sitting opposite the man himself and discussing his life at length.

With a simple set and the interjection of music helps focus the mind on the man and his story.

I left the theatre feeling enriched for meeting the man and wanting to know more. It was like having your favourite bedtime story read to you while being wrapped in a comforter.

A beautifully written and executed play, an extremely satisfying evening.

WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE HOSTS ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS MAGIC THROUGHOUT DECEMBER 2019

Curious families and audiences will have their pick of alternative Christmas shows to see during Wales Millennium Centre’s Performances for the Curious season in December, all of which are on sale now. It’s the Centre’s most family-friendly season, with shows for all ages, from a multi-sensory show for audiences aged 0+, to after-dark entertainment for the grown-ups.

The centerpiece will be RED; an exciting new Christmas show co-produced by Wales Millennium Centre and Likely Story. Directed by Hannah McPake, and performed for audiences aged 7+, RED brings the familiar story of Little Red Riding Hood bang up to date, with new, original punk- and rock-inspired songs. Reflecting on themes of rewilding and discovering your inner courage, RED will remind children – and their families – that the real adventure lies in straying off the beaten path.

Other highlights this Christmas will include;

• The Curious Muchness of Stuff and Nonsense; a new show reimagining Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, made by Hijinx’ community theatre group Odyssey, written by Hefin Robinson and performed a large cast of disabled and non-disabled performers from Odyssey and Woodlands High School, Cardiff

• 50 Shêd o Santa Clôs; Rhys Taylor’s legendary nine-piece band play a one-off gig blasting a string of funk, rock, gospel, Latin and jazz versions of classic Welsh Christmas songs
• Connie Orff: A Christmas Con/Connadolig Llawen; Curious regular, and otherwise very irregular Connie Orff returns to offer her own musical take on the festive season
• Ffresh Burlesque: Horror at Christmas!; an all-out anti-Christmas night with FooFooLaBelle and Cardiff Cabaret Club
• Cabarela Nadolig; a laugh-out-loud music show, performed in Welsh
• The Greatest of Shows; an interactive, singalong show hosted by the irrepressible Donna Marie, and featuring hit musical and film songs
• The Christmas Clock; Collar and Cuffs present this new show for little ones, all about the excitement and anticipation – and how to manage them – as the big day approaches…

This autumn’s Performances for the Curious season runs from 14 December until 29 December 2019. As always, it champions experimental, contemporary new work and gives audiences an affordable but exhilarating glimpse of some of the latest developments in performance from Wales – in Welsh and English – and beyond, across several artforms.

To see the full Performances for the Curious programme, visit www.wmc.org.uk/curious

Wilton’s Music Hall announce Sally Dexter as first female Scrooge in their festive production of ‘Christmas Carol – a fairy tale by Piers Torday based on the story by Charles Dickens’

·       Running 29 November – 4 January  

·       A brand-new reimagining of a Christmas classic written by Piers Torday

·       Staged in the most festive venue in London, Wilton’s Music Hall

Christmas Carol – a fairy tale, the magical new production running at Wilton’s Music Hall this festive season today announces its stellar cast, with Olivier Award-winning Sally Dexter starring as the first ever female Scrooge to appear on a London stage.

Musical theatre legend and soap opera superstar Sally Dexter takes on the role of Fan Marley, the late Ebeneezer Scrooge’s sister who married Marley and who, as his widow, has inherited the business and his reputation as the meanest miser in town. Notorious as the lonely, penny-pinching and downright malicious misanthrope and despised by all who cross her path, three spirits visit Fan on Christmas Eve to show her why she must change her nasty ways.

Known to many as Emmerdale’sFaith Dingle, Sally has appeared in some of the West End’s most loved productions including Billy Elliot The Musical and Oliver! and won an Olivier Award for her performance in Dalliance at the Lyttleton Theatre.

Joining Sally in this magical retelling of the Dickens classic will be Chisara Agor (The Wizard of Oz at Birmingham Rep, Bring It On at Southwark Playhouse), Joseph Hardy (The Cherry Orchard at Bristol Old Vic and Manchester Royal Exchange, Uncle Vanya at HOME Theatre) and Edward Harrison (The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde at Storyhouse, Chester), Skellig at Nottingham Playhouse).

Brendan Hooper (The Homecoming and Pygmalion at The Citizens Theatre), Ruth Ollman (Still Alice, UK tour and The Turn of the Screw at Clapham Omnibus) and Yana Penrose (How Love is Spelt at Southwark Playhouse, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Regent’s Park Open Air) complete the cast, bringing the story to life on the stage of the world’s oldest music hall.

Brought to Wilton’s by the team behind the critically-acclaimed The Box of Delights, this adaptation has been written especially for Wilton’s Music Hall by children’s author Piers Torday (The Frozen Sea, The Last Wild), with design by Tom Piper and directed by Stephanie Street, previously seen in James Graham’s Quizand Nightwatchmen at the National Theatre.

Brimming with spellbinding magic, haunting music and out-of-this-world puppetry, arguably the most famous festive story ever written will be retold beautifully at the most Christmassy theatre in London.

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE LONDON PREMIÈRE OF ZINNIE HARRIS’ MEET ME AT DAWN

Arcola Theatre in association with DOT Theatre presents

London première of

MEET ME AT DAWN

by Zinnie Harris

Director and Designer: Murat Daltaban; Lighting Designer: Cem Yılmazer             

Sound Designer: Oğuz Kaplangı

9 October – 9 November 2019

Arcola Theatre in association with DOT Theatre today announce the full company for the London première of multi-award-winning writer Zinnie Harris’ Meet Me at Dawn. Murat Daltaban directs Jessica Hardwick (Helen) and Marianne Oldham (Robyn).Meet Me at Dawn, which draws on the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice in this gripping tale of devotion and loss, opens on 16 October, with previews from 9 October and runs until 9 November.

“I was near to death but I got this incredible surge, this superhuman surge, and I swam. I swam.”

When a boat trip goes horribly wrong, Helen and her girlfriend Robyn find themselves stranded on an island in the middle of the sea. As the night draws in, it becomes clear that the island is not as it first appears. And neither are Helen and Robyn.

Meet Me at Dawn comes to London for the first time in a new production by Murat Daltaban, whose staging of Zinnie Harris’ Rhinoceros (after Ionesco) at the Edinburgh Lyceum won widespread acclaim in 2017.

Mehmet Ergen, Artistic Director of Arcola Theatre, said today, “We are thrilled to be working with DOT Theatre on this new staging of Zinnie Harris’ Meet Me at Dawn. Zinnie’s writing has received immense critical acclaim since her debut – as well as several major awards – and her impact on British theatre has been phenomenal. As one of Turkey’s most pioneering directors, Murat has been instrumental in bringing contemporary British writing to an international audience. Arcola Theatre has always endeavoured to make and support work which transcends location and language to tell stories for everyone. We are very excited to work with Zinnie and Murat on bringing their celebrated international partnership to London and I cannot wait to share Meet Me at Dawn with our audience.”

Zinnie Harris‘ credits includes Rhinoceros (after Inesco) (Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh), This Restless House (Citizens Theatre and Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh – Best New Play Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland), How To Hold Your Breath – Berwin Lee Award, Nightingale and Chase (Royal Court Theatre), The Wheel (National Theatre of Scotland – Fringe First Award, jointly won an Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Theatre Award and was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize), The Message on the Watch, The Panel (Tricycle Theatre), a new version of A Doll’s House (Donmar Warehouse), and her 2000 play Further than the Furthest Thing won the Peggy Ramsay Foundation Award, a Fringe First, and the John Whiting Award. For television, her work includes Legacy, Partners in Crime, and Spooks.

Jessica Hardwick plays Helen. Her theatre work includes Cyrano de Bergerac (National Theatre of Scotland and Citizens Theatre), The Strange Undoing Of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre of Scotland New York Transfer and US Tour), Knives and Hens (Perth Theatre), The Rivals (Bristol Old Vic), Lanark (Edinburgh International Festival and Citizens Theatre), Miss Julie (Citizens Theatre) Crime and Punishment (Citizens Theatre/Liverpool Playhouse/Edinburgh Lyceum), Rhinoceros, The Venetian Twins (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh), The Fair Intellectual Club, Slope (Citizens Theatre and Traverse), and Three Sisters (Tron Theatre and King’s Theatre Edinburgh). For television, her work includes Float; and for film, Snow Angel.

Marianne Oldham plays Robyn. Her theatre work includes hang (Sheffield Theatres),  A Monster Calls, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (The Old Vic), The Argument (Hampstead Theatre), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Chichester Festival Theatre), Sons Without Fathers (Arcola Theatre, Belgrade Theatre Coventry), You Can Still Make a Killing (Southwark Playhouse) and The Real Thing (ETT). For television, her work includes A Very English Scandal, The Living and The Dead, Life in Squares, Obsession, The Musketeers and The Crimson Field; and for film, Finding Your Feet, Absolutely Anything, Silent Girl and Titus.

Murat Daltaban directs. As Artistic Director of DOT in Istanbul, his directing credits include The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, The Human Ear, Meet Me At Dawn, Rhinoceros ( Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Lyceum Theatre – for which he won the 2018 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland Best Director Prize), How To Hold Your Breath, Midwinter, Fight Night, Dalgety, Housekeeping, Fragile, Beautiful Burnout, Mandrel, Pornography, Shopping and Fucking, The Storyteller, Mercury Fur, Bug, and Love and Understanding. His other directing credits Let The Right One In (Zorlu PSM), Festen (Dotkoleksiyonda), Shoot/ Get Treasure/ Repeat (Dotatbilsar), and the forthcoming Incendies, and Mrs Puntila and her Man Matti (Edinburgh Lyceum Theatre, Glasgow Citizens Theatre).

MEET ME AT DAWN                                                                                                                             Listings

Arcola Theatre

24 Ashwin Theatre, Dalston, London E8 3DL

9 October – 9 November 2019

Box Office: 020 7503 1646

www.arcolatheatre.com

STRICTLY STAR ROBIN WINDSOR STEPS INTO THE SHOES OF ALADDIN AT ST HELENS

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED EMMERDALE ACTOR KELVIN FLETCHER JOINS STRICTLY LINE-UP SO FORMER STRICTLY STAR COMES TO ST HELENS

Regal Entertainments has announced Strictly Come Dancing star Robin Windsor will join the cast of Aladdin at St Helens Theatre Royal for its festive panto production.

The dance professional replaces the previously announced former Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher, who has joined this year’s Strictly line-up as a late addition after Jamie Laing had to withdraw due to injury – and is therefore now unable to appear at St Helens this Christmas.

Robin Windsor waltz’s into St Helens Theatre Royal to join a fantastic cast in Aladdin, which runs from Saturday 7 December 2019 through to Sunday 12 January 2020.

Robin’s illustrious career in dance began aged just three when his parents enrolled him in dance lessons. From the outset, he studied both ballroom and Latin, and has since gone on to compete in those genres at the highest-level representing England both domestically and on the international stage.

In 2001, Robin was cast in the ground-breaking and critically acclaimed dance show Burn The Floor, which he toured the globe with for a decade, culminating in a nine-month run on Broadway. During his time on in the show, Robin was cast as a lead dancer. He fulfilled a childhood ambition in 2013 when he returned to Burn The Floor, headlining the show in the West End.

Robin’s talent has also seen him be part of Dancing With The Stars in Australia, and So You Think You Can Dance in Holland. He was also asked to assist in the choreography for the Australian version of So You Think You Can Dance. Robin began his time with Strictly in 2010, and his partners have included Anita Dobson, Patsy Kensit, Lisa Riley, and Deborah Meaden.

Robin Windsor commented: “I love the audiences in the North-West and can’t wait to join the gang in St. Helens, I’ve heard they’re a rowdy bunch!   I’ve played the Genie in the past and am over the moon to be playing the main man “rubbing his lamp as” Aladdin this year.  I love Christmas and panto is the cherry on top – it’s so fabulous to have a show that kids, nans and everyone in between can all enjoy.  It’s usually the first time that kids get to go into a theatre – it’s so special to be part of that experience, I can’t get enough of the energy, there’s nothing like it!”  

Robin joins Olivia Sloyan, Scott Gallagher, Philip McGuinness, Jenna O’Hara, Kai Jolley, and Si Foster to complete the cast.

No stranger to St Helens Theatre Royal stage, Olivia Sloyan join the all-star line-up as Princess Jasmine. Her theatre credits include Sue in Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Tia in The Salon and both Linda and Brenda in Blood Brothers.

Kai Jolley has recently starred in the comedy, Stop!…The Play in Liverpool and St Helens and also played Steve – Head of Security in Jerry Springer – The Opera in Manchester. He will play in Aladdin as the Genie of the Lamp.

After his role of Gaston in the Beauty and the Beast at the St Helens theatre, Philip McGuinness will return as the villainous Abanazer in Aladdin.

As Slave of the Ring, Jenna-Sian O’Hara who has played in Achy Breaky Bride will also join the cast.

And of course, no St Helens Theatre Royal panto would be complete without its resident dame, the hilarious Si Foster will be up to his usual comedy capers as Widow Twankey.

There’s nothing Wishee Washee (played by Scott Gallagher) about Regal Entertainments’ spectacular panto which will whisk audiences off to Old Peking for a genie-ous adventure this Christmas.

Join hero Aladdin as he battles the evil Abanazer and his dastardly plan to rule the world with the help of one very special lamp. With larger-than-life washerwoman mum Widow Twankey, hapless Wishee Washee, the Genie of the Lamp, Slave of the Ring and a beautiful princess, this is a show full of eastern promise.

St Helens Theatre Royal Manager, Chantelle Nolan, added: “We’re already counting down the days and weeks until we welcome Aladdin to St Helens for Christmastime 2019. We’re delighted to welcome Robin to our fantastic cast, and we’re sure with his smooth ballroom and Latin dance moves, Aladdin will promise audiences an unmissable performance.”

St Helens Theatre Royal invites audiences on a magical carpet ride this Christmas time when Aladdin flies in from Saturday 7 December 2019 to Sunday 12 January 2020.

Tickets are on sale now! Be sure to book early to avoid disappointment.

For more information, please visit: www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com

Like us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/St-Helens-Theatre-Royal

Follow us on Twitter: @TheatreRoyalStH

LISTING DETAILS

Regal Entertainments Ltd presents Aladdin

Dates: Saturday 7 December 2019 – Sunday 12 January 2020

Times: Various

Tickets: From £13*

*All prices are inclusive of a £1 per seat transaction fee. On-line bookings are subject to an additional 50p per seat on-line processing fee.

THEATRE ROYAL BOOKING DETAILS

Book in person at the Theatre Royal Box Office, Corporation Street, St. Helens, Merseyside WA10 1LQ (Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm). Alternatively, call 01744 756 000 or log on to: www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com.

Sheffield Theatres, Crucible Studio – until 28 September 2019

Reviewed by Ian K Johnson

5*****

Reasons to Stay Alive is the true story of Matt Haigs struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide.

The play opens on stage with what looks like the inside of a persons brain. The brain opens up and we have on stage two guys playing the role of Matt (Phil Cheadle plays the older Matt while Mike Noble is the younger Matt). The older Matt is on stage telling the audience how things could have taken a different turn of events. We see the younger Matt talking to himself and counting steps to reach the top of a cliff which he contemplates jumping off. Older Matt tells him to stop and think of what he’s planning to do, to be told he has nothing to live for and is going to jump. Matt asks his younger self if he has anyone in his life to which he reply’s mother, father and a girlfriend, Older Matt tells him these are ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’. Older Matt tells him things will get better and to think of those who care for him. This leaves young Matt thinking of what he’s said and manages to climb down the cliff.

We then have flashbacks into how Matts life was back when he was working in Ibiza with his girlfriend Andrea (Janet Etuk), during nights partying with friends things start to materialise in Matts brain showing the audience that something isn’t quite right with him. He starts to spend his days in bed, no energy or inclination to get up, wanting, begging Andrea to stay with him. She has to continue going out to earn money to enable them to stay in Ibiza. Matts boss (Dilek Rose) calls to see Matt and cant see how ill he is. Andrea has to point out how unwell Matt is and decides to take him back home to Hull to stay with his parents (Chris Donnelly and Connie Walker). Matt falls into a deep depression and after being treated at the hospital starts medication and a long struggle to get back to some normality.

Mike Noble plays his part with so much emotion, his expressions take on a roller coaster of so many feelings of loss, grief and a void that no one will ever know.

During the play we are informed of many sentences, words, comments that folk think need to be said but don’t offer any help or support to people that are depressed.

This production is Co produced by Jonathan Watkins and adapted by April De Angelis.

Following on from its performances in Sheffield the production tours to Bristol Old Vic, HOME Manchester, York Theatre Royal, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage and Lawrence Batley Theatre and tours until 16th November.

New Victoria Theatre, Woking, until 21 September, then touring

Reviewed by Antonia Hebbert

4****

This Cinderella is retold in a Russian setting, and it has a charming, pop-up picturebook look, with costumes inspired by Russian traditions and folk art. Choreographer and director David Nixon has avoided pantomime conventions but still provides plenty of enchantment. Instead of a fairy godmother, there’s a magician (Mlindi Kulashe) who does a very nifty spell to turn kitchen rags into a sparkly ball gown. He also transforms a kitchen stove into a coach drawn by cuddlesome dogs that should delight children in the audience.

If you are taking children, you might need to explain the slightly amended plot. The opening scenes show Cinderella as a child, who loses her father in an accident partly caused by the stepsisters. The stepmother blames Cinders and packs her off to work in the kitchen. Actually this backstory makes more sense than the usual version. Cinderella is saved because she is good: she helps the magician and he repays the favour.

The dancing is graceful and lovely, as far as this non-expert can tell. The acting is also very good. Rachel Gillespie is a sweet young Cinders, and Antoinette Brooks-Daw takes over as a radiant older Cinderella. The stepmother (Minju Kang) is splendidly chilly, and the stepsisters (Kyungka Kwak and Ayami Miyata) are convincingly mean rather than ugly. There’s a street fair with a dancing bear, skating scenes on a crystal lake, and a pretty (though rather long) ballroom scene. In a surprise plot twist (spoiler alert), the prince (Sean Bates) initially turns down Cinderella – seemingly because she has washing-up hands. My companion did briefly hope that Cinders would reject him and go off with the magician, but all ends well, in a swirl of sparkly magic dust.

Seeing this on a hot September day felt like an early taste of Christmas. If you’ve had a surfeit of over-the-top pantos, this is a subtler alternative, with bags of charm. It was first put on in 2013, and has a specially commissioned score by Philip Feeney, played with spirit by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia.

Mayflower Theatre Southampton – until Saturday 21 September 2019

Reviewed by Leanne Caplis

4****

Directed by Stephen Daldry the classic thriller An Inspector Calls is playing as part of its tour at The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton where it runs until Saturday 21st September 2019.

With an opening night audience of mainly school children the house was sold out. It is clear to see that this thriller is still enjoyed by old and young alike. With deafening applause and whooping I believe I could hear the faint sound of an air raid siren as the curtain went up.

In the middle of an eerie street with rain pouring down and street urchins running about in the mist there stands the magnificent home of the upper class Birling family. Hats off to the production team as the house on stilts is one of the most remarkable bit of staging I have seen thus far at the theatre.

Whilst the Birling family celebrate the engagement of Sheila Birling (Chloe Horrock) and Gerald Croft (Alasdair Buchan) little do they know that their fun is about to come to an abrupt end with the arrival of Inspector Goole (Liam Brennan).

One by one Goole interrogates each family member to reveal their snobbish, stuck up and down right arrogant behaviour to make them realise the part they could have played in the suicide of a young woman. Who was to blame? Was it Arthur Birling (Jeffrey Harmer) who would not agree to a pay rise? Was it this that led her into the arms of other men? A love affair and an unplanned child saw the woman homeless and destitute and turning to ask for charity from Sybil Birling (Christine Kavanagh) but was abruptly turned away.

The clever storyline makes the actions of different classes at the turn of the century as relevant as those chosen by some today. An emotional speech, a plea for tolerance, by Goole makes everybody consider their own morality. It will most certainly leave you questioning how you react to and treat those around you.

I found it difficult at times to follow what was being said and I can only guess that there were some sound issues on the night. That said all actors played their parts amazingly well. Jeffrey Harmer as Arthur Birling really stood out for me. His obnoxious and snobby ways saw him constantly reminding those who would listen about his time as Mayor and his position in society. Alasdair Buchan as Gerlad Croft oozed privilege and disregard for those who were inferior to him; he will be easy to liken to those snobs we all might know.

A real whodunnit story with plot twists and turns throughout kept me fully engrossed in this show. Would I have guessed what was to come… certainly not! For those studying this at GCSE and for those that enjoy a thriller this is definitely a must see.

DAME JUDI DENCH REOPENS THE ASHCROFT PLAYHOUSE

AT CROYDON’S FAIRFIELD HALLS

AS ICONIC VENUE FORMALLY RE-LAUNCHES

WITH AN EXCITING SEASON OF THEATRE, MUSIC, COMEDY AND FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT TO COME THIS AUTUMN

On Monday 16 September 2019, Dame Judi Dench formally re-dedicated the Ashcroft Playhouse at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls to her friend and Croydon-born fellow actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft.

The award-winning actress unveiled the People’s Picture, a giant commemorative mosaic by artist Helen Marshall, before taking to the stage in the Ashcroft Playhouse for a live Q and A with broadcaster John Hannam, and Ashcroft’s biographer and Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington OBE, with questions from local drama GCSE and A-Level students. She was joined by local spoken word poet Darren Randon from Well Verked ink, who performed a special commission.   

This event kicked off a week of special events, marking the reopening of the iconic venue, following a multi-million pound Croydon council-led restoration.

The mural unveiling and Q&A was followed by a civic ceremony where the Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn formally opened the main venue and unveiled a plaque in his name, following speeches from the Leader of Croydon Council, Councillor Tony Newman; cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport and Councillor Oliver Lewis, and BH Live’s Venue & Artistic Director for Fairfield Halls Neil Chandler.

The audience enjoyed performances from Silvastone with the London Mozart Players, and Shaniqua Benjamin, spoken word artist and Founder of Young People’s Insight. Shaniqua performed a special commission, A Palace of Magic and Memories, dedicated to Fairfield Halls. Councillor Alison Butler, Deputy Leader of Croydon Council, then concluded the ceremony by formally handing over the keys of the building to operators BH Live.

Artistic and Venue Director Neil Chandler said: “To be custodians of this wonderful venue is a privilege and we are delighted to now begin what we are here to do, to deliver a diverse programme of arts, culture, events, entertainment and education for the people of Croydon and its wider communities.”

Councillor Tony Newman, Leader of Croydon Council, said: “Today is a great day for Croydon. We’re proud to have restored this magnificent building, but also to have transformed its cultural offer so that it truly reflects 21^st century Croydon – exciting, vibrant, rich in opportunity and open to all.”

Gipton Working Men’s Club, Leeds – Tuesday 17 September 2019

Reviewed By Dawn Smallwood

5*****

Red Ladder Theatre invariably connects to what matters for all walks of life including communities across many town and cities especially hosting performances at non-theatre spaces. Gipton, an East Leeds neighbourhood, is no exception and this company brings their latest production The Parting Glass, written by Chris O’Connor and following on from The Life and Soul, at the Working Men Club which is intimately hosted and draws a sell out audience.

The Parting Glass explores masculinity and mental health, issues which are evidently big concerns in all communities and addresses them with dialogue and also shares what support is available. Masculinity and mental health have never gone hand in hand and hence the widespread stigma and tragic consequences that follow including depression and cases of suicide. This play voices about everyone having mental health, good and not so good, and that everyone can either experience.

Before The Parting Glass, Tony Spirett who is writer/performance is invited to the stage and performs an excellent The Girl Across The Street. This monologue has comedic, consequential and reflective narrative. This links to his life revolving around dancing at the legendary Northern Soul every Saturday night at the Wigan Casino and his life after he meets Julie on the street. He draws on his eventual relationships with the past and present and realises what really matters.

After a very brief interval The Parting Glass begins and stars Jim (Tom Swift) and Sara (Alyce Liburd), two locals, who share their life journeys. They appear at first “normal” and “uneventful” and their mutual longing to be happy. Jim is gregarious and his past times are being with his friends at the pub, betting football scores and being at the football matches supporting Leeds United. It seems that the football ground is the only place where Jim can truly express himself. Sara on the other hand is an explorer physically and figuratively. She is able to sum up imaginatively, picturesquely and comically the state of society especially with social media and its dis-connective impact particularly among children whose lives revolve round the “Black Mirror” (smart phones). Poignantly, Jim also shares how a “cloud” lingers over him, feeling trapped mentally and having a sense of not belonging, and this intensifies even more over time. There seems to be some happiness and hope, temporary unknown at the time, when both Jim and Sara meet and begin dating. However Sara suspects that things are not alright with Jim which is evident with his excessive drinking and the amount of time spent on social media. Besides he couldn’t able to share with her how he really felt. Jim’s mental and emotional plight leads to fateful consequences which changed both the couple’s lives and more so tragically with Jim’s at the time of his 30th Birthday.

It is a very powerful and moving play, under the direction of Rod Dixon, with thought provoking topical content packed in short period of time. It certainly and strongly portrays the issues of mental health in men which sadly still draws stigma and discrimination in today’s society. Both Swift and Liburb emotively portray well the characters particularly their humorous sides and also their vulnerable ones. It is heartening to see Red Ladder Theatre Company give such issues a voice to be heard by many from this well done production. This production is tragic however reflection and impetus can come out of which can aspire and inspire many to creatively and innovatively support men in need as well as everyone.

Touring until October 2019