Top Ten of 2017

I realise that there are plenty of these lists knocking around at this time of year. Mine doesn’t appear to contain the usual suspects but it does reflect the diversity of the productions that I’m lucky enough to see.

In no particular order.....

Salome, Hoxton Hall
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Menier
And The Rest Of Me Floats, Rose Lipman
He Shoots! He Scores!, ATS
Rapunzel, TRSE
Spring Offensive, Omnibus
Superhero, Southwark Playhouse
We Are Lions, Mr Manager, Tara Arts touring
All Our Children, Jermyn Street
Gabriel, Richmond touring

A Huge Weight On My Mind

I am putting on weight. It’s not happened quickly but it’s been steady and pretty unrelenting. I put it down to several things. Firstly, contentment. It's a pretty well known fact that that happy and contented people can put on a few pounds. I am pretty happy in my life, albeit there have been some major stresses and strains this year that have affected my wellbeing. Stress is another factor for putting on weight. For nearly four years now, I have been out of a daily routine. Work is forthcoming, but my hours are far from routine and I get very angsty about combining a work/life equilibrium. 

Anyway, the upshot of this is that I need to seriously consider re-jigging something in my life to make this work. I adored running. Absolutely loved the ease and the freedom of it. Sadly, it didn’t love me. The strain on one of my big ‘ole flat feet was too much and I have been trying to nurture them back to working order for the last 6 months. The podiatrist has suggested that I don’t take up running again very soon. 

My go-to cardio exercise has always been swimming, which I still do as much as my time/energy levels will allow. I’m still a 2k in 40mins swimmer, which isn't bad. A decent pool is hard to find however and while Epsom has a great gym, its pool is poorly managed. I get a better swim at Wimbledon but of course, that adds 10k to my commute to work. Cycling is a decent cardio exercise of course, but I’m no racer and get a bit stressed cycling in torrential rain or wind - it’s an age/confidence thing, I think. Also, even on a good day, packing an inordinate number of clothes when I leave the house. For example, if I am at work and have a play in the evening, I may have to pack a gym or swim kit, a formal shirt and tie for work, a casual shirt and trousers for the theatre and possibly an extra pair of shoes/trainers, depending on the weather. Apart from anything else, the forward planning can become pretty draining. 

Age is also an important factor and at 52, it’s not going to get easier to loose weight.

Anyway, I need to shake things up a bit and I’ve got a few days ‘off’ coming up. Needless to say I have a writing deadline in that mix, but hopefully things will be a bit clearer. The reason I am writing this post is to help me try and identify the changes that have happened in my life in the last four years that have affected my weight. Oddly the big things that have happened include: a personal trainer, regular sports massages, increasing my swimming/gym membership, the increased use of apps and the addition of an activity tracker. It’s almost as if that since I started to invest in my fitness, I started putting on weight. I wonder if this is a common occurrence?  

When I first met Sean, I had put on quite a bit of weight, which may well have been related to giving up smoking. I then proceeded to go on my most successful diet ever, loosing approximately 23 kilos or so over the period of about a year. I don’t need to do that again, obviously but I do need to find the sort of routine and commitment that I once had. I got down to about 85 kilos and I guess, I’d be happy now at with being under 90 kilos. If I get under 90 kilos, I might be able to - carefully - start running again. 

I guess that I am looking at loosing about 15 kilos over the next 12 months. It seems doable on paper, but there again, I’ve been trying to do it for four years and progressively failing. Lets see how I get on over the next week or so. Autumn/winter is never the best time to diet - I think my body naturally craves pies, stews and dumplings through this season. But there's also Stop-tober, which I should aim for - drinking is not just shite for calories, it also encourages bad food choices. Let's see what I can put in place over the next week or so to begin with. 

Autumnal Shades

Yet again it's been a week of contrasts at the theatre, for me at least. My week began with at the New Wimbledon with Selladoor's production of Flashdance, a musical stage adaptation of the 1980s hit movie starring Jessica Beals. It was disappointing not least because I have now seen a few Selladoor productions and rather enjoyed them. This was simply a bad choice of show featuring a lazy and surprisingly dated book and a score that oddly lacks dynamism. I felt my review for The Stage pretty much said it all but it didn't stop the Stage Manager from questioning my criticism on Twitter.

I was back in Wimbledon the following evening for Child ofthe Divide at the Polka. This was my first ever visit to the Polka, although I pass it regularly on the way to the gym, but I have to say it's a lovely space. Of course, it doesn't have a bar but it is a children's theatre so what would you expect. I found Child of the Divide enlightening, although the speech before and after the show is critic catnip as far as I'm concerned - save it for the aftershow party.

My third theatre trip was to the Stratford Circus - a venue I hadn't been to for at least 15 years. It's changed a great deal, feeling much more like the Arts Centre it professes to be. I liked the show too - Big Foot, a story about what it means to be a man, at least amid the South London Guyanese community.

I will say at this point that the unifying feature of each show so far was that every one had gone up late. In total, I had spent more than half an hour longer than I should have waiting for the lights to fall in auditoriums.  It only annoys me because I am usually early for a show and will expect it to start on time. You'd think that after 20 years I'd have gotten used to it.

Anyway, my final show of the week was the one I was probably looking forward to the most. The Soulless Ones at Hoxton Hall is an immersive piece in the manner of the classic Hammer horror movies. Sadly, it was neither scary nor exciting. There was a big, chewy script and a decent nod to the design but I began to lose interest quite quickly after I'd checked out every room. What concerned me the most however was the cost of the ticket. Of course, I didn't have to pay but at £48 is far too much for what was more a promenade production rather than real, immersive theatre. I didn't feel involved in the action in the slightest, merely an observer. It's a great idea but Hammer need to rethink it's creatives if they are planning this again. For £48 I'd at least expect to taste the blood of Dracula!

Theatrical Diversion

For me, theatre is a constant source of diversity and this week has been no exception. I’ve seen a new adaptation of an old 1970s made-for-television movie and a touring production of a classic 1990s play that became an international hit as a movie. I caught the revival of a 1990s devised musical based on the songs of Louis Jordan and a new production of a play based on a 1990s best seller. I’ve also seen two completely new pieces of work and it was one of these that really caught my attention. 

And The Rest Of Me Floats features a cast of trans/non-binary/gay performers addressing how we categorise gender. It was a beautiful piece of devised theatre and definitely worth a look for anyone hanging around Hackney with just over an hour to kill. 

The thing is, that for all that I read about the lack of diversity in theatre, it’s fantastic that you can have a week like this. Jack Rosenthal’s The Knowledge at the Charing Cross featured an understandably Jewish sensibility, as does Driving Miss Daisy. I have to say however that the overarching theme of ‘Daisy’ wasn’t so much anti-semitism or racism as much as it was about the process of ageing. Five Guys Named Moe opened at a pop-up theatre in Marble Arch and features an all-black cast in a hugely entertaining music and dance show and Above The Stag staged arguably Australia’s biggest love story Holding The Man. Oh, I almost forgot Deadpan’s play about the afterlife called Gate.

Gays, Jews, the Dead, Trans, Blacks, Australians - my theatre is awash with diversity and that’s a huge reason to celebrate. Of course, the pantomime season will be along soon, and that usually alters the balance - but things are changing. 

Follies

I managed to get a ticket to the National Theatre's production of Follies and was a little nervous about what I would make of the show. I have always made it perfectly clear that while I like some of Sondheim's work, I am not a wholly devoted fan. I came to Follies pretty late in life and the first production I saw didn't impress. I wondered at the time if it was the show that I didn't like or simply that production?

The show does contain some of Sondheim's greatest stand-alone songs including I'm Still Here and Broadway Baby but having caught the National's production, I will stick my neck out and say that I am still not a fan. Also, I feel that the National have done a good job, rather than a great one. The decision to run straight through for 2 hours 30mins is questionable and it has nothing to do with being desperate for a pee, although I realise this must be an issue with some people.

I was so thankful for Who's That Woman?, a big production number in the first 'half', because by then, I was completely over the story of those two unlikeable business men and their ex-chorine wives. I found myself far more engrossed in watching their younger selves emote around the stage.

I rather like Tracie Bennett as Carlotta but the Loveland sequence at the end dragged the show out a good 20 minutes longer than it should and the anthem Loosing My Mind, appearing so detached from the story, ultimately fails to move me. I can't help but feel that this final sequence serves the writer much more than it serves the audience.

I've been fairly ambivalent toward Janie Dee in the past, but I think she steals this show as Phyllis from right under the nose of Imelda's mad Sal. The set is a triumph and the 1970s and Ghostly Girl costumes excellent but don't get me started on the poster. Originally Follies won seven Tony awards and lost money. It's changed shape a few times over the years including the insertion of an interval but from my point of view it's an over inflated work, padded out with some strong production numbers.

Time Is Money

In the last year, the trend for event theatre seems to have taken a foothold. By event theatre, I mean the epic four to six hour drama that may or may not appear in two parts. Harry Potter and Angels In America come to mind but there's also the Roman plays at the Barbican and several other pieces that will not only take a chunk out of your purse but also out of your weekend. It's not a fashion I warm to particularly and in many ways, it's just as elitist as hoiking the price of the tickets up to £130+ a piece.

I probably spend more time in a theatre in a month that many people will spend there in a lifetime. I am extremely grateful for this luxury but who except ardent fans and theatre critics have time to spend a day in a theatre? I work five days a week and will often be at a theatre in the evening. Two days off will mean catching up with feature writing, conducting interviews and, well, living....

One of the joys of being privileged enough to spend time at the Edinburgh Fringe is that you will invariably see shows that have a running time of no longer the 90 minutes. Most of them are an hour long but part of the joy is experiencing tightly crafted pieces that work within that kind of time frame.   Edinburgh is not exempt however, as The Divide runs at about six or seven hours and despite being written by the estimable Alan Ayckbourn, turns out to be a pretty ropey affair that could probably have been successfully edited to an hour. It is transferring to the Old Vic and God only knows how they're going to sell it on the back of such 'mixed' reviews. 

By all accounts, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Angels In America are both fine pieces of theatre although in truth, I was far more sorry to have missed the Roman plays. My point is however, that for most people time will be far more valuable than sterling. Keeping the prices low may open the theatre up to more people but asking them to stay for the day just assumes that they are part of the leisured classes. 

The Dark Stone

At face value, The Dark Stone by Alberto Conejero imagines the relationship between a tortured prisoner of war and his young guard. What raises the dramatic stakes is that the prisoner is Rafael Rodriguez Rapun, the inspiration behind Lorca’s Sonnets of Dark Love and as he faces almost certain execution he must charge his guard with the safe-keeping of a selection of Lorca’s poetry.

This tightly knotted two-hand play takes a little while to draw us in but succeeds less on the characters and more on the situation. Rafael's passion for Lorca and his work leaps from the text but there is more to the guard Sebastian than a mindless soldier. Conejero explores his story first. How as a child, the Fascists killed Sebastian's family and brainwashed him into joining them during the Spanish Civil War. Sebastian spends as much time protecting Rafael in prison as he does guarding him, well aware of how cruel his masters can be. He understands that Rafael is doomed but he has to decide why and how he can help him.

 

This is an intense play and the chemistry between Santiago Del Fosco as the melancholy Sebastian and Jaime Menendez as Rafael binds it together securely. Fosco captures that lost innocence of a child forced into a uniform, proud of his gun but instinctively cautious of its power. Rafael is a more complex character, used to hiding and unsure who he can wholly trust. Bereft of all hope he must develop some sort of relationship with Sebastian, or be forgotten by history. He needs to go to the grave with at least an idea that someone will know who he was. Menendez's is a wholly absorbing performance, honest and ultimately heartbreaking.

 

Sergio Maggiolo's understated direction is complemented by a simple yet immaculate design, using the thrust stage of the Cervantes to its best advantage.

Drag Seen

The drag act has always enjoyed a special place in the hearts of the British public. From the earliest days of music hall and pantomime to the  organised chaos of LIPSYNC1000 at The Glory, drag has been a thriving part of the working class entertainment scene and in recent decades a reflection of the socio-political climate in the UK. Drag can be Danny La Rue on Mother Kelly's Doorstep or it can be Panti Bliss eloquently campaigning for Marriage Equality. It can be a history of music with Hinge & Brackett or it can be Johnny Woo, subversive and wholly contemporary.  

I have to say that I was particularly pleased to eventually get to see La Voix at The Crazy Coqs last week. I have seen the artist several times on stage over the years in various guises. Enough to know that he is not only very talented, he is also extremely adaptable. Through pantos and drag shows, La Voix finally gained wider public recognition as a finalist on Britain's Got Talent.

So what is La Voix's schtick? What's her USP? That's very simple - talent. La Voix works the cabaret bar like a seasoned pro - frighteningly quick off the mark with lots of fresh, topical jokes. Believe me, I've seen drag queens using the same material ten years down the line and it shows. But it isn't La Voix's wicked sense of humour that defines this show, it the vocal talent. Live vocals, of course. Check out the wonderful Connie & Carla to see how unusual that is on the US drag scene. La Voix has a thrilling vocal technique that raises the bar for all other performers and an uncanny gift for vocal impersonation that is founded in respect and admiration for the artists he mimics. 

La Voix is an old-school talent with a cutting edge sense of humour. The act is hugely entertaining and fits comfortably into the stylish surroundings of The Crazy Coqs. I'm not totally sure of future dates, but judging by the healthy full house on the Wednesday evening that I caught the show, it's a guaranteed draw. 

A Question Of Attribution

One of the things that I am most proud of as a critic for The Stage is the publications commitment to credits. It is our job to supply a as full a list as is practical with every review that we write. All theatre is a collaborative process and while you may only remember the actors, or possibly the director or musical director of a show, there is usually a whole regiment of professionals who have enhanced your experience. If you can see and hear the actors, it's due, in part at least, to a lighting and sound designer. They haven't usually walked on stage in their daywear, so a costume designer was probably involved too - as was a set designer, sound operative, follow-spot operator, stage manager and possibly a wig mistress too.

Of course, this all depends on the size and shape of a production and particularly at festivals and on the fringe, the credits are more likely to be fewer in number and often doubled - the artist on stage may well have directed the piece and designed the lighting! I remember my first visit to Edinburgh, where The Stage doesn't let up its credit listing in the slightest, being shocked that not only was a programme unlikely, but it was rare to get even a list of credits. In Edinburgh, we usually have to harass the director/stage manager as they are struggling to strike the show. I have to say this did lead to a particularly embarrassing moment after one play left me utterly distraught - I was fighting a losing battle to hold back tears - while asking the director who had designed the lighting.

In a world where 'low-pay' and 'no-pay' are regular tag-lines and the market is flooded with talent, I can at least understand why people may work simply for the experience. Wrong or right, if it's a project you're passionate about and there's no sense of exploitation, then why not. What worries me is when there is no credit for your work.

At festivals like Edinburgh, I also understand the necessity of thrift and that even a photocopied credit list may be beyond the budget. Thankfully, at least the website or facebook page will carry a complete list of credits. Recently however I went to see a show that was touring the UK that told a rather different story. For want of a better description, it was a pop anthology show but it featured dialogue as well as the songs, a headline act, a support act, a dancing chorus, a set, lighting and sound. I wasn't surprised that there was no programme and the website seemed pretty thorough with credits for the star, producers and sound and lighting people.

What did disturb me was that the website failed to credit both the support act (three names) or the dancing chorus (eight names). Since when did this become acceptable? If nothing else, there should be a credit where a credit is due. A half-arsed acknowledgment on stage during the applause is not acceptable and the performers really need to speak to their agents. Ignoring a credit is unacceptable and while we may have grown immune a scarcity of technical credits on fringe productions, don't let this bad habit spread.

Best Laid Plans

The last blog post that I'd written never actually published. Having read through it, what surprised me the most was the ambition in it. I am still running, just about although it's a slow process for me as I'm constantly wary of damage to my foot. I am indeed back on my bike, thank god. Easily the shortest time to get from A to B in London. I'm not the worlds fastest cyclist but it's quicker than both train and bus to get to work. 

What's missing of course is the planned holiday in February. Fat chance. Sean has been talking about a weekend away, possibly to Edinburgh, but while its seems like a lovely idea, I'd rather invest in a week away somewhere hot. We used to go away at about the end of May each year. I know I definately need a break but it's sorting out the schedules to work. 

Stuck On A Train

For me, December has long been about travel. Not the exotic travel that some critics are afforded at this time of year, when high-brow goes out the window in favour of dodgy innuendo and outrageous costumes. For me, December is dominated by the pantomime schedules and negotiating where I can be and when. This year was always going to be different. This year I had a full-time job, which would occupy much of my energies through the day while my evenings remained entrenched in fairyland. 

Amid the flurry of purchase orders and deadlines, something had to give and that appears to be my waistline, which has expanded with all the ease of a butcher filling a sausage. I am however in the process of making a change to this. I am back on my bike, as my evenings are freeing up slightly and I've been back in the pool already, albeit there will have to be a pause over Christmas. Thankfully, the Better Organisation, who run my group of pools and gyms are only closed on the big day itself.

I am supplementing my exercise by running at the moment. Not great distances but enough to make a difference. It wasn't that long ago when I felt that I couldn't ever run as part of my exercise regime but now it's definitely doable. The thing is, losing weight is going to be a lot harder this time around. I am older and my working timetable is more erratic than it's ever been and food and wine are easy comforts for stress and fatigue. I'm going to claw it back though. I am away in mid-February (hopefully) for a holiday. Somewhere hot with a pool and a view worth painting. I intend to look the best I can on that holiday. I love having goals, with something to aim for. So I'm off on another journey - wave if you see me!