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The Lowry, Manchester – until Saturday 27th January 2018.  Reviewed by Julie Noller 

4****

To look at the set of The Weir upon on entering the auditorium you could be forgiven for thinking you were stepping back in time, it’s as if you are looking at the snug of 1960’s Coronation Street or indeed one of the many popular 90’s TV shows following the police force and local communities of Ireland.

The Weir written by Conor McPherson when he was only 25 shows incredible maturity and understanding of human nature for someone so young. However he himself says it was written in a rush with no self awareness. The Weir depicts an Ireland outside of the outskirts of Dublin, where youth has long departed, its stereotypical Ireland with heavy drinkers, storytellers, old people.

The whole play is set in that one lonely pub, over one stormy evening. The solid fuel fire must be fed by the patrons, each throws another turf on to keep the old pub and those within warm. Jack (Sean Murray) is our first character, you wonder if he’s the owner as he enters the pub struggling to shut the door against the raging stormy winds. He moves with ease turning on lights, heading to the bar, failing to pour himself a pint this is the first of many subtle touches of humour that draw you to each character. We discover he isn’t the owner as young Brendan (Sam O’Mahony) enters from behind the bar. The talk turns to where is Jim (John O’Dowd) with his horse betting system – to the audience its painfully obvious his winnings are not so great but to the storytellers sat in the pub they are of huge importance. Jack, Jim and Brendan never have and never will leave this town, the pub; it’s their security blanket anchoring them to this spot.

Unmarried and obviously lonely you wonder about their back stories, however the purpose of The Weir is not to think too much about the characters in front of you but to enjoy a slice of life in rural Ireland and listen to the stories, only Brendan doesn’t have a story he is after all the barman and we all know a good barman is a good listener. Discussions turn to tourist season when the Germans will arrive, how the locals don’t go to the pub to escape bad singing and guitar playing until the wee hours, poor Brendan abandoned by his old friends doesn’t need to say how lonely he is surrounded by many people who do not engage him in conversation. Theres talk of Finbar (Louis Dempsey) its twinged with jealousy, he’s married and successful, obviously happy. Yet why is he bringing a woman in tonight? Old men and old gossips, is Finbar really carrying on and has two women when they have not even one? We are introduced to young Valerie (Natalie Radmall-Quirke) shes quite exotic being from Dublin. She can’t speak highly enough of Finbar; the men all take delight in winding him up and he appears to fall for it, showing a side of his personality he’d obviously tried to lose but reappears everytime he’s with his old friends. Theres no Guiness in the pumps and as such Jack has to drink bottled ale, Jim is a slightly nervous character who likes a small one as well as the lighter ale. Finbar has more refined tastes, Brendan may have a small one, thinks about joining in and of course does join in. Valarie quietly listening to the many stories along with us the audience as I noticed the gentle changes in lighting after all it must be darker for a ghost story to work, full lighting isn’t scary its reasurring. Quite often theres an almost too long pause that makes you catch your breath the atmosphere in the theatre is electric and alive as we wait for the next story, will there be a twist in all these tales? Valerie sips her wine from her half pint glass, a sure sign that not many women frequent the pub. The ladies toilets are out of order, not yet fixed as the Germans are yet to arrive. The men despite protesting against a woman entering their man cave, they sense Valerie has a story. These men enjoy a story both telling and embellishing others stories. Finbar tries to downplay those stories but is it out of concern for Valerie or his own pocket? Valeries own story is heartbreaking, you feel her pain and just want to give her a hug. And then as quickly as they entered the pub for the evening, you realise that the night is over and everyone must return home. You also know the whole scene you’ve just witness will replay tomorrow not just on stage but that some lives replay the same scenarios again and again.

There is of course no twist in this tale for this is rural Ireland not Hollywood.

I love stories, I love characters and if I leave you with one tip it’s to simply enjoy The Weir. Don’t try to work the characters out, don’t look for twists. Just sit back and be the third barman (behind Brendan and Jack) listen, it’s often a missing skill in today’s fast and ready mobile society. You won’t be disappointed.

FURTHER CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

BAZ LUHRMANN’S SPECTACULAR

WEST END MUSICAL

ANNA FRANCOLINI to play Shirley Hastings and
GERARD HORAN to play Barry Fife

Joining previously announced JONNY LABEY,  ZIZI STRALLEN and WILL YOUNG

Previews begin 29^th March 2018 at the Piccadilly Theatre

Anna Francolini and Gerard Horan will join previously announced Jonny Labey, Zizi Strallen and Will Young in the company for Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical. Based on Baz Luhrmann’s classic film that inspired the world to dance, Strictly Ballroom The Musical will begin performances at the Piccadilly Theatre on Thursday 29^th March 2018

Anna Francolini will play Shirley Hastings, the hilarious former dancer who will do whatever it takes to ensure her son Scott succeeds. Anna’s stage credits include wonder.land (National Theatre), That Day We Sang (Royal Exchange Theatre), Peter Pan (National Theatre) and Onassis (Novello Theatre).

Gerard Horan will play Barry Fife, the corrupt ruler of the ballroom-dancing world. Gerard’s stage credits include The Ferryman (Royal Court / Gielgud Theatre), The Vote (Donmar Warehouse), The Christmas Truce (Royal Shakespeare Company) and One Man Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket). His film credits include Murder on the Orient Express, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Les Miserables. His television credits include Outlander, Doctor Who and three series’ of The Detectorists.

The cast includes Will Young (Cabaret, Mrs Henderson Presents), Zizi Strallen (Follies, Cats, Mary Poppins), Jonny Labey (EastEnders, Dance Dance Dance), Michelle Bishop (Thoroughly Modern Milly, Sunset Boulevard)as Pam Short, Ivan De Freitas (Jesus Christ Superstar, Aladdin) as Merv, Gabriela Garcia (In The Heights, Ghost) as Vanessa Cronin, Charlotte Gooch (Top Hat, Dirty Dancing) as Tina Sparkle, Richard Grieve (Neighbours, Emmerdale and Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Les Kendall, Liam Marcellino (Cabaret, Miss Saigon) as Wayne Burns, Stephen Matthews (The Lion King, The Producers) as Doug Hastings, Fernando Mira (ENO, Victorian State Opera) as Rico, Eve Polycarpou (Villa Thalia, In The Heights) as Abuela, Lauren Stroud (Top Hat, Hairspray) as Liz Holt & Gary Watson (Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be, A Chorus Line, Jersey Boys) as Ken Railings.

The cast also includes Chris Bennett, Chrissy Brooke, Hannah Fairclough, Selina Hamilton, Christopher D Hunt, Luke Jackson, Justin-Lee Jones, Robin Kent, Jacob Maynard, Leanne Pinder, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda & Dale White.

Strictly Ballroom is the romantic story that was embraced around the world, and went on to put the Strictly into Come Dancing! Based on the multi award-winning movie, the first instalment from Baz Luhrmann’s acclaimed Red Curtain Trilogy, the musical production is a kaleidoscope of colour and fun. When rogue championship ballroom dancer Scott defies all the rules of competition to follow his heart, he teams up with left-footed partner Fran to compete in the Pan Pacific Championship his own way. Their love blossoms as their routines flourish, and together they triumph in bringing down the sequin-clad regime of the Dance Federation.

Featuring the film’s iconic music such as Love is in the Air, Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps and Time After Time, Strictly Ballroom The Musical will also include electrifying songs from a host of internationally acclaimed artists.

The production originated in Australia where it was created by Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Drew McOnie (whose dazzling choreography for In the Heights earned him the 2016 Olivier Award) will direct and choreograph the West End premiere, with a book by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce.

Strictly Ballroom The Musical is produced by Global Creatures the team behind Walking With Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular, Muriel’s Wedding The Musical and the Broadway-bound King Kong and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

For all information about STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL, please see: www.strictlyballroomthemusical.com

STRICTLY BALLROOM THE MUSICAL – LISTINGS INFORMATION

CREATIVE TEAM

Created by Baz Luhrmann

Book by Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce

Directed & Choreographed by Drew McOnie

Set Design by Soutra Gilmour

Costume Design by Catherine Martin

Lighting Design by Howard Hudson

Sound Design by Gareth Owen

Musical Supervision by David Caddick

Orchestrations by Simon Hale

ADDRESS

Piccadilly Theatre

16 Denman Street

London

W1D 7DY

SEASON DATES

First performance: Thursday 29^th March 2018

PRESS NIGHT

Tuesday 24^th April 2018 at 7.00pm

BOOKING ONLINE

www.strictlyballroomthemusical.com

PERFORMANCE TIMES

Monday – Saturday: 7.30pm 

Matinees: Wednesday & Saturday, 2.30pm

TICKETS

Prices from £15

TELEPHONE BOOKING

0844 871 7630

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: StrictlyBallroomTheMusical

Twitter: @strictlystage

Instagram: StrictlyBallroomTheMusical

LAURA LINNEY TO MAKE LONDON THEATRE DEBUT IN

ELIZABETH STROUT’S

MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON

DIRECTED BY RICHARD EYRE

CLAIRE SKINNER

JOINS OPHELIA LOVIBOND, UKWELI ROACH AND

SION DANIEL YOUNG IN BARNEY NORRIS’S

NIGHTFALL

DIRECTED BY LAURIE SANSOM

MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON

Laura Linney will make her London Theatre debut in Pulitzer Prize-winning Elizabeth Strout’s My Name is Lucy Barton, directed by Richard Eyre at the Bridge Theatre.  Running from 2 – 23 June 2018 with opening night on 6 June at 7pm, this haunting dramatic monologue is adapted by Rona Munro from Strout’s 2016 New York Times best-selling short novel of the same name.  My Name is Lucy Barton will be designed by Bob Crowley.  For this strictly limited 3 week run, evening performances are Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm with Saturday matinees at 2.30pm.

Unsteady after an operation, Lucy Barton wakes to find her mother sitting at the foot of her bed. She hasn’t seen her in years, and her visit brings back to Lucy her desperate rural childhood, and her escape to New York. As she begins to find herself as a writer, she is still gripped by the urgent complexities of family life.

Laura Linney and Richard Eyre are reunited for this production following their previous collaborations – on stage Eyre directed Linney in a Broadway production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and on screen he directed her in his and Charles Wood’s adaptation of Bernhard Schlink’s The Other Man.

Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning Laura Linney will make her London stage debut as Lucy Barton. On Broadway she made her debut in Six Degrees of Separation and subsequently played Nina in The Seagull, Thea Elvsted in Hedda Gabler, Yelena Andreyevna in Uncle Vanya, Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, La Marquise de Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangereuses and most recently alternated the roles of Regina Hubbard Giddens and Birdie Hubbard in The Little Foxes for the Manhattan Theatre Club. On film she made her screen debut in Lorenzo’s Oil and was most recently seen in The Dinner. Her extensive film credits also include The Truman Show, Kinsey, Sully, Primal Fear, Hyde Park on Hudson, You Can Count on Me and Mystic River.  Her many small screen credits include Tales of the City, The Big C which she also produced, Frasier, and most recently Ozark for Netflix with a second series set for later this year.

Elizabeth Strout’s debut novel was Amy and Isabelle which was subsequently adapted into a film for HBO.  Her further writing credits are Abide with Me, Olive Kitteridge which was adapted into an Emmy award-winning mini-series also for HBO, The Burgess Boys, My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible.

Rona Munro has written extensively for stage, radio, film and television including the award-winning trilogy The James Plays for the National Theatre of Scotland, the National Theatre and the Edinburgh International Festival. Her other theatre writing credits include Scuttlers for the Royal Exchange Theatre, Iron and The Last Witch for the Edinburgh International Festival and Little Eagles for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Richard Eyre is a multi award-winning theatre, film, opera and television Director.  Eyre was Director of the National Theatre from 1988-1997 and alongside his numerous theatrical awards was the recent recipient of the Companion of Honour.  His Bristol Old Vic production of A Long Day’s Journey into Night has recently transferred to Wyndham’s Theatre. 

N I G H T F A L L

Claire Skinner (Jenny) will join the previously announced Ophelia Lovibond (Lou), Ukweli Roach (Pete)and Sion Daniel Young (Ryan) in the world premiere of Barney Norris’s Nightfall.  Directed by Laurie Sansom, Nightfall will now run at the Bridge Theatre from 28 April – 26 May 2018, with press night on 8 May 2018.

On a farm outside Winchester, Ryan struggles to make a living off the land. His sister Lou has returned home after the death of their father to support Jenny, their formidable mother. Not so long ago, when a neighbour’s Labrador strayed onto the farm, their dad reached for his shotgun. Now, when Lou’s boyfriend Pete reappears, flush with money from his job at an oil refinery, Jenny fights to hold her children to the life she planned for them.

Claire Skinner’s theatre credits include Blurred Lines, Mrs Affleck, Winter’s Tale and Othello all for the National Theatre, Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre and most recently Prism and Rabbit Hole, both at Hampstead Theatre. She also performed in the critically acclaimed The Father for Theatre Royal Bath which transferred to The Tricycle and on to the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End. She also garnered an Olivier Award nomination and won a Critic’s Circle Award for her performance in the Donmar Warehouse’sThe Glass Menagerie. On television, she is best known as Sue Brockman from the BBC’s Outnumbered for which she was nominated for a Best Comedy Performance and Best TV Comedy Actress at the BAFTAs and British Comedy Awards respectively. She can currently be seen on ITV’s new drama Next Of Kin. Other credits include roles in Power Monkeys, Inside No.9, Critical, Playhouse Presents: Mr Understood, Silk and Doctor Who.

Ophelia Lovibond is best known on television for playing Izzy Gould in the BBC’s W1A and was last on stage in Richard Eyre’s production of The Stepmother at Chichester Festival Theatre.  Her other theatre credits include The Libertine at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and The Effect for Sheffield Theatres.  Her other television credits include Hooten & the Lady, Elementary, Inside No 9, Mr Sloane and Nathan Barley.  Her films include Tommy’s Honor, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Man Up, Guardians of the Galaxy, A Single Shot, Gozo, Mr Popper’s Penguins, No Strings Attached, 4.3.2.1, Chatroom, London Boulevard, Nowhere Boy, Shadows in the Sun and Oliver Twist. 

Ukweli Roach’s theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet and Helen, both for Shakespeare’s Globe and 5, 6, 7, 8 for the Royal Court.  His television credits include Humans, Hard Sun, Blindspot, The Royals, Grantchester and Silk.  His film credits include Streetdance 3D, One Day and Venus and the Son.

Sion Daniel Young’s theatre credits include Killology for the Royal Court, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and War Horse for the National Theatre, Mametz and The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning for the National Theatre Wales, The Welsh Boy for Theatre Royal, Bath, and Llwyth for the Sherman Theatre.  His television credits include Commoners, Hinterland, Our World War, Casualty and Gwaith Cartref. On film his credits include Another Me, Private Peaceful and Daisy Chain.

Upon graduating from university, Barney Norris founded Up In Arms Theatre Company, of which he is the co-Artistic Director. His first play Visitors ran at the Arcola Theatre before transferring to the Bush Theatre, winning him the 2014 Critics’ Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright. His other full-length plays are Eventide, Echo’s End and While We’re Here. Norris is the author of a bestselling novel, Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain, and a book on theatre: To Bodies Gone: The Theatre of Peter Gill.  His second novel, Turning For Home, was published this month.

As Chief Executive/Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland Laurie Sansom directed Rona Munro’s The James Plays which were co-presented by the Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Great Britain and toured the world. Sansom was previously Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate, Northampton, where he directed the UK premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm and Eugene O’Neill’s Beyond The Horizon and The Festival of Chaos for London 2012. He was also Alan Ayckbourn’s Associate Director at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.

LISTINGS

Address:                                   Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG

Box Office:                               0843 208 1846 or [email protected] (7p/minute plus standard network rate)

Tickets for My Name is Lucy Barton are priced from £15 to £55 with a limited number of premium seats available.

Tickets for Nightfall are priced from £15 to £65 with reduced prices for previews and midweek matinees. A limited number of premium seats are also available.

A special allocation of £15 seats are held for Young Bridge, a free scheme for those under 26.

Access:                                    0333 320 0051 or [email protected]

Website:                                   www.bridgetheatre.co.uk

Twitter:                                    @_bridgetheatre

Instagram:                               _bridgetheatre

Facebook:                                facebook.com/bridgetheatrelondon

Arts Theatre  – 22 January.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

This pop-concert musical about Henry VIII’s wives is fantastic fierce fun, changing history into HERstory with flair and attitude.

Everybody remembers the divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived rhyme, but in SiX the wives get to step into the limelight and decide to tell their sob stories so that the audience can vote for the wife that has suffered the most to become the lead singer of the group.

Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss have created an exuberant celebration of the women in the shadow of the king, giving a sassy twist to everything we think we know about these women. Renée Lamb is a total diva as Catherine of Aragon, demanding to know what exactly she did to deserve Henry’s shoddy treatment of her in a barnstorming number, followed by Christina Modestou’s take on Anne Boleyn as a text speaking girl who just wanted to have fun in the hysterical “Don’t Lose Ur Head”. Linking the numbers is some bitchy banter between the queens that is a little hit and miss, but there are some cracking one-liners, mostly from the younger wives, Anne and Katherine Howard.

There is a sudden and complete change in tone as Jane Seymour tells her story, with Natalie Paris showing her impeccable vocal skills in her power ballad, perhaps a linking ensemble number could lessen the jarring change? The standout queen of the show is Anne of Cleves (Genesis Lynea). Let’s face it, we all know the story of the Holbein portrait, but not much about her life after divorce. SiX has a wonderfully bonkers number “Haus of Holbein” showing the selection of a wife from her “profile picture” before Anne sings about her “terrible” life as a divorcee – the gleeful “Queen of the Castle” showcases her life of wealth and privilege in Richmond with loads of swagger. Aimie Atkinson’s Katherine Howard is a brilliantly imagined teenage hedonist, with the empty repetition of her romances finally becoming clear in a moment of clarity at the end of her song. These feisty characters pale into insignificance when the survivor, Catherine Parr takes centre stage. Izuka Hoyle quietly and calmly describes her life of widowhood and lost love as she is chosen by Henry, and her number begins as a letter to her love before morphing into an angry wail against Henry and the misogyny of the Tudor age. This is where the feminist message truly leaps to the fore, making the previous girl power moments in the show seem very flimsy and vacuous, which is exactly as it should be. This was a queen who entered the marriage with eyes open, and tried to use her position to change things for the better.

The energy of the cast is phenomenal, and this carries the audience along on a huge wave of enthusiasm and joy. But there are issues with the show that need to be addressed. As much fun as the musical numbers are, a few are at least one chorus too long. In a fully staged show, with tighter choreography and more business going on, you could just about get away with the songs as they are now, maybe. But with this staging, a bit of judicious editing may be advisable. The script also relies a little too heavily on the ladies snarking at each other. Yes, this makes the big feminist message of the finale more heart-warming as they band together, but it does fall into the stereotyped bitchiness of ex-wives and girlfriends being in the same room. A little more light and shade would gel the show together.

SiX is a great night out, and after a little polish, has the potential to become a jewel in the crown of musical theatre. I hope it gets a longer run soon.

ESCAPE TO THE LAND OF SWEETS WITH A SUMPTUOUS BALLET FAVOURITE

Scotland’s national dance company are bringing a traditional favourite to Newcastle Theatre Royal next week.  Enrobed in snow, ice, candy and pure enchantment, prepare to take a magical sleigh ride with Scottish Ballet’s The Nutcracker 31 January – 3 February 2018.

As Newcastle Theatre Royal is the only venue in England to host the critically acclaimed dance company’s beloved seasonal classic, North East audiences are in for a treat.

Devised by Scottish Ballet’s founder, Peter Darrell, and revived to widespread acclaim in 2014, The Nutcracker is renowned for its sumptuous costumes, striking chocolate box set and snowflakes galore.  Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score is also performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra. This tour marks a return to a much more traditional Nutcracker after the company’s 2010 and 2013 visits to the Theatre Royal with Ashley Page’s darker and bolder version set in the Weimar Republic.

Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker follows the magical story of a little girl, Clara, who on Christmas Eve is given an enchanted nutcracker doll.  As she drifts off to sleep, we follow her into dreamland where the nutcracker doll transforms into a Prince and comes to life.  He dances the iconic Pas de Deux with The Sugarplum Fairy and embarks upon a journey to the Land of Sweets where we meet the Snow Queen and experience tastes of the Middle East and Russia.  Clara then returns home to awaken from her beautiful slumber, but was it just a dream..?

Darrell’s production of The Nutcracker is also unique in that the main character, Clara, is danced by a young girl performing alongside the Company’s 40 professional dancers.  The cast will include talented young dancers from Scottish Ballet’s Associates programme, who will gain the experience of a life-time working on stage in this iconic classic. Over the past 40+ years, hundreds of children have participated in The Nutcracker’s magic, and many have since gone on to have inspiring careers including choreographer Michael Clark, actress Ruth Connell (Rowena MacLeod, Supernatural) and current Scottish Ballet Principal dancer Christopher Harrison.

CEO/Artistic Director, Chris Hampson said:  ‘It is always a pleasure to bring Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker to the stage.  This production has been at the heart of Scottish Ballet since the 1970’s and has been delighting generations for decades.’

The Nutcracker is at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Weds 31 Jan until Sat 3 February 2018, playing evenings at 7.30pm, matinees on Thu 2pm and Sat 2.30pm. Tickets from £14.50 can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk

MOTIONHOUSE BRINGS ELECTRIFYING

‘CHARGE’ TO CHESTER DURING

COMPANY’S 30^TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR

The multi-media dance theatre work traces

the story of electricity in our lives

Following its premiere in Autumn 2017 and sell-out shows across the UK and in Italy, Motionhouse presents Charge, the company’s latest electrifying dance-circus production – which arrives at Storyhouse in Chester next month.

In Charge, art and science collide. Dance-circus, film and music take audiences on a journey deep into the human body, tracing the extraordinary story of electricity in our lives.

From the electrical charge that sparks human life, to the beating of our hearts and the memories we make, six exceptional dancers bring Charge to life with athletic dance, awe-inspiring acrobatics and daring feats on the 5m-high set.

Chester audiences will be wowed by Motionhouse: Charge at Storyhouse on Tuesday 6 February at 7.30pm.

This year, sees 2018 mark 30 incredible years since Executive Director Louise Richards and Artistic Director Kevin Finnan, MBE founded the company in 1988. In three decades, the company has presented more than 40 productions across the world, last year alone more than nearly 80,000 people saw the company perform or took part in one of its dynamic learning and participatory activities that continue to inspire the next generation of dancers and audiences.

Finnan worked with Professor Frances Ashcroft and her team at the University of Oxford to delve deeper into the science that influenced Charge. Ashcroft published ‘The Spark of Life’ about electricity in the human body and is recognised for her outstanding contributions to the public’s awareness of science.

Finnan’s Charge also explores the historical understanding of the role of electricity in the body, using Galvani’s experimentation with frogs to the popular interest in electricity that resulted in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this year celebrating its 200^th anniversary.

The third element of Finnan’s ‘Earth Trilogy’, Charge builds on relevant environmental themes explored in Scattered (2009) and Broken (2013).

Artistic Director Kevin Finnan said: “Charge takes my interest in contemporary themes about the world we live in one step further. Scattered tackled our relationship with water, and Broken delved into our links with the Earth. For Charge, I was inspired by a specific area of scientific research – our relationship with energy and the role electricity plays in the human body. We’re looking forward to bringing the third part of this trilogy to our audiences as part of our 30^th anniversary celebrations.”

Motionhouse has become the ‘go to’ company to create visionary large-scale events. Even beaches, stately homes, harbours and inner city wastelands have received the Motionhouse artistic and creative treatment.

Finnan, also known for his choreography and movement direction of the London 2012 Paralympic Games’ Opening Ceremony, worked closely with the dancers and creative team to bring his vision of Charge to life.

The imposing set is created by long-standing collaborator Simon Dormon, who has designed and built sets for the majority of Motionhouse productions. Original music is by Tim Dickinson and Sophy Smith with sound design by Tim Dickinson and Logela Multimedia. Lighting design is by award-winning Natasha Chivers.

Through innovative education resources to accompany the production, the aim is to interest young people in the science behind Charge, using dance as an entry point to spark their interest.

Motionhouse is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Charge is supported by Warwick Arts Centre, The Rothschild Foundation, the Ernest Cook Trust and TippingPoint Stories of Change. Official Energy Partner of Charge is First Utility.

Storyhouse has a dynamic pricing policy on the majority of shows, ensuring the earlier you book your tickets, guarantees the best seats at the lowest price. Tickets range from £16.50 to £25.50.

LISTING INFORMATION

MOTIONHOUSE: CHARGE

Tuesday 6 February 2018, 7.30pm

Performance approximately 90 minutes

Storyhouse

Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR

Tickets: £16.50 to £25.50 (each ticket is subject to a £1.50 booking fee)

Dynamic Pricing: Book early to guarantee cheapest and best seats

HOW TO BOOK

Online:            Visit www.storyhouse.com

By Phone:       Call 01244 409 113

In person:       Visit the Ticket Kiosks at Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR

Visit Chester Visitor Information Centre

Playhouse, Salisbury – until 27 January 2018.  Reviewed by Sharon MacDonald-Armitage

3*

Adapting the iconic E.M Forster novel A Passage to India for stage is an ambitious task and one that is realised superbly on screen in David Lean’s Oscar winning epic film. The skill in any stage success is making the vastness and colour of India come to life in what in comparison is a small space.

In India to visit her son, local magistrate, Ronny (Edward Killingback), Mrs Moore (Liz Crowther) and Ronny’s future wife, Adela (Phoebe Pryce) are excited by the prospect of seeing the ‘real’ India. Having met the young Indian doctor Aziz (Asif Khan), whose ebullient personality captures Mrs Moore, they all go on a trip to the Marabar caves. Aziz believes the colonial English and the Indians can be friends. However, when Adela accuses him of assaulting her we see how the British colonial system reacts and closes ranks.

With Fielding (Richard Goulding) being by far the most the successful character at developing and sustaining relationships with the local Indians and having formed a friendship with Aziz, he is the only British person supporting him during the accusations and trial. It is this friendship that is warming to the heart and seems devastating when it falters.

The caricaturing of Britishness runs rife throughout the piece and as such offers little opportunity to really understand the characters and motivation for their behaviour. There is a certain discomfort seeing this bullying colonial behaviour take place and perhaps this is where the play falls short. There is so little time in which to develop both plot and characters that the richness of the original book is lost. In the current political climate where colonialism is frowned upon to the point of needing to be apologetic this play highlights Britain’s colonial past.

The darkness of the piece is reflected in the minimal set design (Dora Schweitzer) but at the same time the richness of India appears somewhat lost.

Prema Mehta’s lighting design works well in context of the piece and the spots of colour that pepper it make for light relief. Perhaps, more should have been made of the music in order to evoke the ‘real’ India Mrs Moore and Adela are so clearly attracted to.

This production is one that clearly suffers from lack of time, to try and compress and contain such a vast story within two and a half hours is a real challenge and one I’m not sure has been achieved fully here.

Presented by DumbWise Productions
Electra
The Bunker, 53A Southwark Street London SE1 1RU
Tuesday 27th February – Saturday 24th March 2018

A Mother clings to power whilst her Daughter screams murder. An estranged Son is coming home. A bloody family saga sprawling decades is about to reach its conclusion. Everything is about to change. DumbWise reinvent the murderous Greek myth of power and prophecy as a lyrical modern epic with a live punk-rock score.

Electra, played by Lydia Larson (Skin A Cat, Bunker Theatre & Vault Festival; Doctors, BBC; Kidnapped, Virgin), is set against a backdrop of a revolution, drawing inspiration from modern, international conflicts and uprisings. The revolution is sparked by issues familiar to a modern audience – austerity, unemployment and political corruption. This new adaptation blends the contemporary and ancient, creating a recognisable world that is also one step
removed.

Inspired by the desire to reinvent Greek dramaturgy, the show puts all the action onstage, championing dynamic dialogue over long exposition, using many locations in an almost cinematic retelling and adding a revolutionary context to surround and influence the domestic narrative.

Artistic Director, John Ward comments: Electra is the original, anti-establishment, punk-rock legend, and a story rampant for reimagining in a modern age. Setting the play within a seething revolution electrifies the plot, finding new meanings for a modern audience, as the contradictions of today’s politics collide with the shocking violence and energy of this classic revenge tragedy.

The Bunker’s Spring Season sees the venue truly celebrate its place as a playground for ambitious and adventurous audiences, just over a year after it first opened its doors. The exciting season highlights the venue’s commitment to work with brilliant playwrights, both established and emerging.

Mayflower, Southampton – until 27 January 2018.  Reviewed by Karen Millington Burnet

5*****

Wow, a five star performance from an energetic and athletic troupe. There was barely a moment of stillness from beginning until the standing ovation at the end. The only minute of relative calm turned into high comedy as the pantomime dame and leading man played out the eternal comedy of the romantic kiss between husband and wife-in-drag. But enough of what came later; first, the high energy.

From the moment the unlikely heroine, Rebecca Mendoza’s Tracy Turnblad, came on stage I struggled to understand how she expected to maintain her rather portly frame for the run; she barely paused for breath as she romped from one spectacular number to the next and from one high octane routine to the next, culminating in the explosive finale.  However, this is a cast of talent and Brenda Edwards’ Motormouth, together with Gina Murray’s Velma made up a powerful musical experience. Huge strawberries to Annalise Liard-Bailey whose Penny was a revelation; only just graduated and delivering a consummate performance, singing voice and routine – definitely one to watch for the future. Amongst such a talented cast, it becomes invidious to select too many for special mention from such an able team – the athleticism, the dancing, the singing, the faultless timing…amazing – but of course Matt Rixon’s Edna and Norman Pace’s Wilbur will be forever unforgettable, ably assisted by a great script and huge comic timing.  Nevertheless, in my opinion, Rebecca Mendoza walks away with the “Man of the Match” accolade this time.

Inevitably, so much of the success of the evening lies in the hands of the back stage crew and I was blown away by the great lighting and choreography; the Mayflower delivers every time with it’s back stage teams and this ensembles’ team have really proven their worth.  Inevitably in a musical, much rests in the hands of the band and this occasion was no exception; truly as energetic as the performers – and as polished. The set and costumes completed the visual feast and made for a dazzling evening.

A wonderful evening and a great way to brighten a very damp January. A thoroughly good evening and a genuine recommendation; a must see.