What have I been waiting for?

    Some of my closer friends are likely to know that I'm a sucker for horror movies, and also very rarely turn down a night at the theatre. If I'd come to Let The Right One In knowing that the play was a horror of some sort then I would've been incredibly excited, but also somewhat nervous. Being a big fan of Carrie the musical, a great show was let down by it's inability to be scary. Which may not always be the intention, although with the Brian De Palma classic film, it's difficult for people not to expect a horror story.
     On the contrary, Let The Right One In was incredibly chilling, and also took advantage of something most horrors neglect, a sweet heart. Maybe that's why I opened up so much to it only to be shaken by it's true premise. The story of a lonely outcast called Oskar (Portrayed faultlessly by Martin Quinn) who struggles in a world with bullies on his track, a disinterested father. We know it's only a matter of time before he meets somebody who isn't normal, in comes Eli (Rebecca Benson). She is a young girl, or at least she seems to be, with a knack for solving rubix cubes and a distaste for foam bananas. Rebecca's portrayal was eerie throughout and also gripping. We saw her and Oskar slowly fall in love, drawing us even further into their story and leaving us more vulnerable. I admit to making good use of a cider during the interval to calm my sorry nerves. Another element that played with fate to its advantage was the physical theatre that made several appearances, most notably during the "pool scene" where Eli saves Oskar from being drowned by his tormentors. It's very easy for physical theatre mixed with horror to turn into something particularly corny. Where death scenes tend to be unrealistic when performed live, it seems cliche to use dance instead. However this was used appropriately, and as we saw earlier on in the play to our shock, and horror to some. The use of stage blood in this production was effective and spine chilling. Here is where Rebecca stole the show during her killing scenes, and in one particularly blood soaked scene after she reveals her true nature to Oskar.
      Having been waiting for contemporary horror and theatre to blend at some point, Let The Right One In hit me where most productions have never hit me before. The tension was effective, the stagecraft was also incredibly intriguing. My special compliments go to the director and the playwright, who have succeeded in bringing what I have been waiting for to life. I am very thankful to have received the privilege of seeing such a show, especially one that has inspired my directorial interest so much. Seeing this production truly was an eye opener, and has earned it a place in the top 10 shows I have ever seen.

A step above the rest, or was it 39?

    Going to the Criterion Theatre Wednesday night was new and exciting for me. I have seen many shows in my time, but excluding certain amateur productions that my friends have performed in, every show I'd seen had been a musical. Naturally, going to see The 39 Steps was a great way to start this off. Plays on the West End suffer in such a way that Musicals benefit. Whenever you go to London, you expect to see posters of The Lion King riding past on a bus and you'll probably walk down the street afterwards humming Circle of Life. In the same way, I challenge you to spend a day in London and not see an ad for Wicked or Les Miserables. We also know their songs, and that attracts a greater audience. Play's don't benefit from this as much. Indeed they have a much smaller public eye in London. How then has the Mousetrap lasted so long versus some of the great showtunes of the early century? I don't know myself as I am yet to see Mousetrap, however this argument has a similar influence on The 39 Steps, which has been an eye catcher on Piccadilly Circus for many years now, but up until yesterday I knew very little about it. I knew straight away what I'd been missing out on. 

      The 39 Steps is an all round funny production that is likely to please audience members of all ages. I went in with no expectations, but it wouldn't have mattered much if I did. The play makes effective use of physical comedy to bring scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's classic to life in a brand new manner. Some of the brighter gags involve cast members Greg Haiste and Nick Holder taking on multiple roles without even stepping off stage. Another source of light hearted entertainment came from the satire of minimalistic theatre, particularly during a long cat and mouse scene taking place on a moving train. Another example of this is during a windstorm later on in the show. Both sequences were executed impressively by all cast members, especially Ben Righton, who took on the lead role of a man falsely accused of murder. Ellie Beaven, who also played several roles in the production, portrayed his love interest with exceptional elegance, although her highlight of comedy came earlier on when she played the murder victim in black in the first five minutes of the show. This is something I personally attribute to the script not giving her characters as much scope, although not something I consider to be an issue with the script. Alas the contrast only heightened the comedy for the remainder of the performance.

     Leaving the performance, I certainly felt light at heart and jolly. That is what a comedy is meant to do. The 39 Steps succeeds at the core purpose of a comedy, and that is why it stands out to me as an exceptional performance.

Joining the dots

     I must say it seems like the past month has flown by. Has it really been over a month since I last posted? Nonetheless I have a lot to discuss about my adventures and two reviews to share with you. So time to discuss.

     

     Last time I spoke to you all, I was preparing for a weekend long crew experience at the University of Bath Summer Ball. Although I didn't do much technical work, I spent a lot of time in the designing department. We had the privilege of Rizzle Kicks coming to perform for many "recently ex students" and students having a few drinks and a party to celebrate the end of a triumphant year. In my department, I worked with a designer who was working with the theme of Midsummer Night's Dream, which was because of a recent production at the university amphitheatre. Naturally, this meant I spent a great deal of the weekend painting papier mache trees, leaves and other midsummer features to decorate the stage where Rizzle Kicks performed. I never got to see the performance, and only went backstage to grab some kit, but from what I heard it was a great success. Most of my other duties were unrelated to performance, so let's move on.

      As soon as I was out of the event, and caffeine starting to wear off sadly enough, we went into rehearsals for a performance of Death Inc at Bath Fringe. A new play directed by the playwright, Andy Massey, the script drew satire from the failures of technology that is rapidly replacing human labour in modern times, with a dark twist, after all the play is set in the afterlife. The director here was a lot more specific about the characters motives and nature, which helped me find a comfortable suit within my role. I guess this is the advantage of working with the playwright. He also gave us a lot more physical freedom in terms of blocking. Seeing as I spent most of my time on stage rolling a pebble around, I was given a lot more freedom; this I found daunting to begin with, however I grew to relish that freedom. The characterization also gave me a chance to work on my voice acting, which I have been hoping to improve for a while. We performed alongside a very different production called Ever Hopeful, written and directed by Maddie Winn. This tackled something that almost every actor faces, unless they're lucky enough to make a big break early on. The theatrical world takes dog eats dog to a whole new level, there's competition everywhere, and there reaches a point for many "Ever Hopeful"'s that maybe it makes more sense to look closer to home. The four characters are all a broad portrayal of this time in an actors life. We have Dom, who holds out and by the end of the show is looking to make it; then his best friend James, long ago James was also hopeful but since then he is now working in a bank, the dreams of being spotted long have passed. Next we have Cecily, a sweet girl eager to discover musical theatre, but there are only so many hurdles she can cross. Finally there is Meg, who's dream is a little more self destructive. Her desire to become an object of men's dreams drives her to more complicated and difficult scenarios. Whilst the premise is a strong one, the concept of dreams vs reality is somewhat lost in a love triangle and personal issues which gain significance in the play's story. How different would the play have been had the story been more loyal to the difficulties of performing? Only Maddie knows, and we can only speculate.

      Alongside this, I made a brief debut in radio acting. Over a week I offered my voice to some cameo roles in another original radio show called Crowe. A mystery set in Bath. Broadcast is estimated to be in July on 1449 URB. Do keep an eye out if you are interested.

     Fast forward two weeks, after my theatrical life got put on hold to move back in with my parents briefly before I begin my new job in September, I returned to my roots at an acting workshop this Wednesday in London. City Academy offered a two hour workshop on creating a character. I as an individual got to work with my directors hat back on. The workshop focused on emphasis to a characters motives, I also got to work alongside two incredibly talented performers to act out a scene from the play Cipher. In this scene, a suspected man is confronted by an undercover spy, she knows he's innocent and is out to prove them wrong, but she can't do it alone. Having no other knowledge of the play, I had to assume a lot about the characters bond. What I found useful was listening to the actors reading through. Following this workshop, I am tempted to investigate this play further. We then followed our experience with two shows on the West End, first a comedy entitled "The 39 Steps" and a darker piece called "Let The Right One In". These are what I will review in later posts. They were a great opportunity to recap what we learnt in the workshop, and were both incredibly enjoyable productions. But more on that in the next two posts.

My theatrical life is looking a bit bleak at the moment, although I am preparing for an audition to join an amateur dramatics company in Southampton when I move there in August. Next year I will be visiting many productions put on by my good friends back in Bath. So in truth, it'll never grow old. Until then, continue to be ever hopeful guys.