All posts by Hannah Goslin

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Circus, Music, Theatre

Review Mother Africa, Khayelitsha – My Home , Peacock Theatre by Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Described as a crossbreed of traditional African dance and circus stunts, Mother Africa is an explosive and fun event to attend.

While I felt it more leaned to the Circus route, the setting, language, music and dance all had the essence of traditional Africa, or at least what we believe it to be. Implemented with short narratives, the performers keep to a native tongue, and so the use of the universal language of gesture is relied upon, giving us the essence of peering through to their way of life. The production looks at the difference levels of Africa- the poor, the average, areas of boosting economy and the rich, not relying purely upon the negative connotations that can be associated with this vibrant country.

The music is interesting, majority positive and easy to listen to. The dancing is incredible, fast paced and interesting – leaving you slightly awe inspired as to the earthly, natural positioning of their body and its movement.

But what struck me was the circus skills. As a (not so secret) wannabe circus performer, despite my 0 skills, I have seen many a circus show/act in my years in performance art . And when you have seen something as much as that, you would think that you would grow a sense of numbness to the awe, to the fear. And I have to some extent. This is not to mean I do not enjoy it as much as I would have with those feelings still, but I have grown a different sense to it – more inspirational and a sense of learning. But somehow, Mother Africa revoked those old feelings. They take skills to a new death defying level, and the gentle shake of my head and grin at being shocked at the unbelievable tricks was constant.

Speaking to Jolene, one of Sadler’s Wells press managers, we agreed that Mother Africa is a interesting, warm and welcoming show mid-week after a hard day of work, a boring time in life or in general, a fantastic show to invest in.

http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2017/mother-africa-khayelitsha-my-home/

Literature, Theatre

Review Frankenstein, Black Eyed Theatre, Greenwich Theatre by Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Anyone who is anyone at least knows the main premises of the classic, Frankenstein. Depicted over the years from the original novel in films, television, even costume at Halloween by the kids that knock on your door asking for mounds of sugar.

This is what makes this production such a challenge – how do you take something so well known and turn it into something that feels fresh, new and still a surprise?

Black Eyed Theatre have gone back to basics – they have taken the story and been true, reverted back to original theatre with keeping to the era, to the proscenium arch, no audience interaction and while this sounds unoriginal, it’s actually refreshing that they haven’t decided to take some modern take or make it some metaphorical twist on the story. Sometimes, keeping to the original is extraordinary in itself.

But while they do this, they still make it original to their company – with only four members of the cast, everyone pitches in – music and sounds are made on stage with instruments, objects and their own body and voices; times when the characters are changing, this leads to a change in instrumentalists and this is done with no pause of hesitance making the doubling up of characters and the atmosphere made by sound seamless.

Each performer (except for Frankenstein) at least has a minimum of two characters to play – there’s a sense of melodrama to this as at times the gestures and characterisation are a little hammed up – this does provide a little comic relief which is helpful in keeping us upbeat and ready for shocks and surprises when we are also being drawn into the deteriorating mental state of Frankenstein but they also play each character very well, letting us forget that they are only a cast of 4.

The highlight for me, as a huge collector of and interest in, is the puppetry. How do you make a huge muscly monster of 6-7ft tall? The National Theatre Saw Benedict Cumberpatch and Johnny Lee Miller in costume and mask created especially for them each, changing the character they played each night and this was a triumph itself. Here, Frankenstein is a full sized puppet, movement and speech only being possible with a minimum of 3 of the performers. Made of rope, it has been made in such a way as to represent his strong muscular form, and with the head with moveable mouth and eyes, he is eerie, frightening and also pulls at your heart strings. One performer providing the simplistic voice, and the others providing soundscapes to represent echo and give a horror atmosphere, we are sucked in and see only a 5th member of the cast, not a puppet.

Frankenstein is clever, truthful to the novel and an inspiring approach to theatre and classic text.

 

Literature, Theatre

Review Escaped Alone The Royal Court by Hannah Goslin

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You can listen to Hannah’s review below, the written review is below that.

out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

As I have previously stated, Caryl Churchill is easily one of my favourite playwrights. After seeing ‘Pigs and Dogs’ a few months earlier, to hear that this production of ‘Escaped Alone’ is only 50 minutes long is not surprising. While not all her plays are so short in time in comparison to a lot of productions on the theatre circuit at the moment, there is something really clever and interesting that she is able to condense so much emotion, thought provocation and comedy in a small amount of time, with the ability to make a serious point about current times.

Escaped Alone sees 4 older women sat in a garden, talking about whatever comes to mind. In 50 minutes we hear their darkest fears and confessions, with each character being established easy, quickly and well, not only with the writing but by the performer’s abilities. We have times of conversation which borderlines Harold Pinter’s coined writing of short sentences, interruption and pause, soliloquies of the characters and what they are really thinking and feeling away from the conversation, and our newest member of the gang who had happened to stumble on this group, breaking away from the scene entirely to give us a description or perhaps prediction of how man and his obsessions and excess have impacted our World; apocalyptic in ideals, it is strangely darkly comical but also slightly frightening.

Some will recognise and feel star struck by the cast – Linda Bassett, our newbie to the group, is well known for her role in the current show Call The Midwife; Deborah Findley, the lady with an irrational fear of cats, from many roles, notably the recent The Lady in the Van and a return to The Royal Court stage from The Children back in December 2016; Kika Markham, our lady with a fear of going outside, also well  versed in UK television such as Mr Selfridge and Call the Midwife; And finally our funny lady of manslaughter, June Watson, another regular to The Royal Court and of whom joined Findley in The Lady in the Van. These regulars to our TV, Film and Theatre scenes of course know their theatre, know their skills and simply comparing them from this production to former roles can see that with age, certainly comes experience. They are able to complement one another, bring a sense of naturalism and realism to the piece, so that when we have cut aways and taken from the scene to monologues, it breaks the ease and breaks this natural barrier – we are then not just listening to 4 women chatting over a cup of tea.

Again, The Royal Court never ceases to amaze. With each production, they are able to take such natural and seemly relatable texts and turn it on its head. A simple garden scene, is then punctured by bright lighting and dark and deep dialogue. It really becomes an experience, and in the context of Escaped Alone, creates uncertainty (that we welcome) as to whether parts are comical, serious, or a farce.

Churchill and The Royal Court gel together better than tea and biscuits.

Escaped Alone

Theatre, Uncategorized

Review : Wish List, The Royal Court by Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

The Royal Court never ceases to amaze. Priding itself in great original writing, I keep expecting to come and not enjoy myself. Willing there to be something that I come away and not like, or be slightly unenthused with. But it never happens. And I am so glad it never happens.

Wish List a coproduction with Royal Court Theatre/Royal Exchange Theatre and written by Katherine Soper, (Winner of the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting) has a very inventive but minimal set. A conveyor belt that comes down from the ceiling and parts that are moveable around the stage, basing much of itself as a prop in the house which evidently is always on stage also, situated at the far end. A basic shower unit and kitchen, this is a basic home for a brother and sister duo that are far from simple.

Tamsin (played by Erin Doherty) and Dean (Joseph Quinn) are troubled siblings with a troubled past. Evident in his continual repetitive movements, the pair are struggling to meet ends with Dean’s incapability of working due to his OCD disability and Tamsin’s lack of time to work with helping him each day. Through the course of 1 hour and 40mins, we see them both grow together as people and as siblings, coping with one another’s issues and developments.

Our other characters are Luke (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah) and Tamsin’s new boss (Aleksandar Mikic) fit like a glove into the narrative. Each character has its own presence on stage and the performers do well to make them so different from one another.

Quinn has the uneasy job of making his ticks and repetitive gestures seem realistic; to show his uneasy sense around even his sister and problem with being touched. It is so naturalistic and probable that I felt myself wondering if he was even acting. But the real challenge lies on Doherty. She is not void of problems herself and is evidently an anxious, nervous, problematic person in herself while also being strong for her brother. She is so incredible with this that again, I struggled to not fall into the imaginative of the piece, which felt as if someone had taken away the window to this pair’s life.

Wish List from its set to the performers to the writing is nothing less than extraordinary and so perfect that one feels like an intruder into the private.

Wish List

Dance, Theatre

Review : The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Zoonation, Roundhouse/The Royal Opera House, By Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

As the name says, the Roundhouse is a circular venue that is full of possibilities. My first visit here was many years ago for a concert, so to come back and see it full of staging, rostra seating and a world of possibility was a refreshing new view.

Perfect for such a story as The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Taken from the famous stories by Lewis Carrol that we all know and love, Zoonation have taken the narrative and slightly changed it to Wonderland being a safe haven for those who suffer a range of psychological disorders. This begins in an insane asylum, with an introduction to each character and their specific notabilities being explained to being more real and likely mental health issues. This I thought was a great way of bringing such a serious collection of issues and illnesses to the forefront of our mind and turning them into positives and acceptance with the dance and humour to lighten the story.

Of course, it is notable that Zoonation is a dance company and so it is right to make a conversation on their abilities. And of course, they were talented, skilled and flawless. To move from just dancing to acting through movement is extremely well done and practiced to perfection.

The costumes, set and use of the space is so inspiring and as flawless as the performance that I felt lost in the world in front of me and to a point forgot that I was there to critique, and instead just purely enjoyed it. The set, the lighting and the atmosphere was unique and interesting, humorous and enjoyable. The performers purely fantastic and the whole concept well thought out – throw in a live band whose repertoire ranged from soul to dance to acoustic, it complimented it well, leaving us wanting to join in the Tea Party.

Theatre

Review, He(ART), Theatre N16, By Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

Above the Bedford pub in Balham lives a little unique space where creativity unfolds.

Written by Andrew Maddock and directed by Niall Phillips, He(ART) portrays the story of a couple and of a brother and sister and their different reasons to obtain this one painting. It is filled with heartfelt moments and great relationships, making the scene about more than just a painting.

Our couple are quick witted, on their toes with the narrative and comfortable with one another and their characters. From two different backgrounds and different opinions, we see them go through the highs and lows, the indifferences and the making up from these. To try to become as natural and realistic as these two performers managed to do shows great skill and attention to detail and subtext. My only issue with them comes down to the writing – we are introduced to our male protagonist having a heart condition which causes some arguments and tests to the relationship. While an interesting concept, to me if felt thrown in and did not link much in the overall aspect of the production.

Our brother and sister duo who are of a lower class, struggling with money, crime and family, coming together to support one another. The young sister having disabilities as well, provides a delicate narrative and they both do wonderfully in portraying their relationships, bonding and trusting one another in creating the narrative. This is well written and directed perfectly that these talented actors are able to pull at our heart strings and really make us feel our emotions.

A basic set, we are close to the performers and always see them on set – keeping in character, they are invested in the production and invested in the storyline to never break that barrier, showing their respect and interest in this production as a whole.

He(Art) in interesting and relatable but also leaves you feeling for the characters and applauding the performance, writing and directed as a whole.

Literature, Theatre

Review Benighted, The Old Red Lion Theatre by Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (2 / 5)

In yet another one of London’s beautiful Theatre Pubs, I attended the show ‘Benighted’. Based on the 1927 novel by J.B Priestley, this adaptation by Duncan Gates and directed by Stephen Whitson sees a group of travellers lost in a storm in amongst the mountains and valleys of Wales where they stumble upon a lonely house, only to experience one of the most memorable and frightening nights of their lives.

Firstly what struck me as lovely about this production was their stellar use of the space. A compact room, it seemed full but not busy and somehow opened out the story to us; with only a few additions and one change of a door appearance, the use of staging and space is intriguing and does not feel cramped. To add to the scary, dark atmosphere and to give a ‘olden day’ sense to the 1920’s based play, the whole scenery was of a dark wooden look, with hazy lighting to give us some spook.

Unfortunately, this is all that really impressed me. The performers were well rehearsed, giving wonderful performances as much as they could, hitting the speech and mannerisms of persons of the times – exactly what we would expect. And therefore, I cannot fault them. However, it all felt a little stunted. Benighted, known as a comedy/horror, is famous for inspiring Rocky Horror Picture Show and other comic/thriller/horror plays and films, I expected something more. We all know how clever and catchy Rocky Horror […] was and is, and yes, it contains tunes that even the younger generation can now sing word for word which gives it a slight advantage but it had a spark that this production of Benighted just missed. Moments of fear played along with comical moments felt as if the play could not make its mind up of what genre it wanted to be and lacked combining the both fluidly.

Despite this, if you are looking for an easy watch, little giggle and some tense scenes, Benighted is a nice production to pop along to see for something different on a weekday night.

Circus, Theatre

Review Bianco, No Fit State Circus, Southbank Centre by Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

This being my third time to Bianco over the years, it’s as if I’m visiting an old friend. I know the general basics, I’m sure they still look the same but something is different, something better if better was even possible from the previous.

No Fit State’s Bianco is a vagabond group of circus skilled professionals clambering around a moveable stage in a more traditional tent. The combination of tradition and the modern combines equally in this show – we see trapeze, silks, juggling and so on, but they’ve taken a different take on them. The group of adult children, playing with one another, the audience, dressed in mismatched almost ‘steam punk’ –esque attire, there’s a non-placed era to the production and so ages and time are not a concept; the concept is fun, play and a group to be feared but which is hard to after them being so easy to love.

There is no fear to interact with us; at one point being stared at for a good 5 minutes even for me put me on edge, but also made me laugh. They flirted with us, not just with their charming conversation, the occasional wink and playful nature, but with their tricks – when we thought it would go one was it went another to surprise us. The performances were flawless.  And let’s be honest, who does not love a circus performer?

As I have said, returning to Bianco for a third time and being over quite a few years, I saw the original, an update and now a new version. The most poignant scenes are still there, perfected as always, but there are additions, new members of the family, updates and even different music. My only sorrow was to see that in previous productions there was a father figure amongst the family of nomads who is not in the current production who gave a sense of leadership, a feeling that these homeless travellers in their strange collection of clothing and intimacy with one another were lead by this man. Now it’s very much a young man’s game, and these grown children are enjoying life, meeting the boundaries of danger and having the time of their lives – there is nothing better than seeing performers enjoying their jobs. Now we could say this is brilliant acting; their banter with each other and ourselves just creating the playful atmosphere but somehow, I do not think even Olivier himself could fake pure joy of a part.

Bianco is nothing less that phenomenal. Harping back to traditional Circus, they have paid tribute to this but adding some things new and never before seen, with each resurrection of the show they keep even us old hat fans coming back for more.

 Run away with the Circus; Run away with Bianco.

 

Music, Theatre

Review ‘Licensed to Ill’, Southwark Playhouse by Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

While not being an 80’s baby, but a 90’s one, I grew up listening to many 80’s/90’s prevalent artists thanks to my two older brothers. One that always caught my attention were the Beastie Boys. Perhaps not the most appropriate of music to be listening to, the songs provided a new sound that the Spice Girls and Prodigy (while some of my absolute favourites in their own rights) did not produce.

Licensed to Ill, taken from the album title by the band, see the progression of their influence in music, firstly coming from the first hip hop influences to how three white New Yorkers broke the scene, providing their influence to many stars of the scene today.

Now an almost ‘biographical’ production sounds like it would be a little like a museum talk – while interesting, there’s still a lot of verbal storytelling and not enough action. How wrong that is when it comes to Licensed to Ill. Fast paced, quick witted and using all resources, this production tells the story of these three boys through humour, great use of doubling, tripling characters, but making them a little over the top to not only distinguish them from previous characters but to bring hilarity to the situation of a small cast compacting in a huge number of personas.

What struck me as extraordinary is that the three playing the Beastie Boys themselves were completely on the mark. Their mannerisms, approach to the characters and generally trying to be ‘bad ass’ was so well executed, it was so easy to get lost in the production and feel as if you were meeting the real deal. And this is where the musical talent comes in – if these actors weren’t young for the age of the Beastie Boys today, and you know, were in a play, I could have been convinced that I was watching a gig. The musical interludes with some of their best hits were brilliant – they moved around the stage and conducted themselves just like the band and their singing voices nailed the originals – if you have not listened to the Beastie Boys before now (shame on you!) then check them out because not only was their music unique, but their voices were too. To replicate this is nothing short of incredible.

Licensed to Ill is fun, fast paced and comedic on all levels. From the set to the characters to the execution of 20+ years of band history condensed into over 1 hour with theatrical techniques, a biographical production is turned into some wonderful nostalgia.

Musical, Theatre

Review ‘Her Aching Heart’ The Hope Theatre by Hannah Goslin

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out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

Another transformative space, The Hope Theatre is compact but also a blank canvas. From my last visit, again the stage is completely different. 3 sections of chairs semi-circle the stage which has minimal setting and a large curtain behind.

‘Her Aching Heart’ sees the cross over story from present day to the days of Victorian gothic romance novels. However there is a twist. There are no Mr Rochester’s’ or Colin Firth striding in drenched in pond water – this story has strong female leads and strong romantic love between the two of them.

Picking up on the nonsensical opinions of the time in comparison to now, ‘Her Aching Heart’ is comical in creating 1 dimensional characters and highlighting these with costuming and casting – The Lady of the Manor type character of Harriet (played by Colette Eaton) is all full of pomp and circumstance – beginning rude, obnoxious and playing upon the upper class stereotype, her being dressed in dark colours and casting a brunette is clever with the contrast to the opposing character. Molly (played by Naomi Todd) is a blonde, innocent and by all means perfect peasant girl, who very much like Snow White, attracts creatures and humans alike and revives them with her pure goodness. She is mostly dressed in white and pinks to enhance her innocence. Both actresses do brilliantly well to be humorous and to play to these stereotypes. The costuming and casting choices are also brought into the ‘present day’ scenarios, despite these modern characters being more likeable and naturalistic.

The production in hammed up, over the top and melodramatic – and this is all good.  The idea of enhancing these ridiculous aspects makes the musical comical and contrasting to the era change. The play is clever in making it seem amateur and with this, the polished production is anything but. Original music and composition is used which is funny, witty and provides breaks between the scenes. The only negative I could give is that it is notable that one singer is more prominent than the other – Eaton has a more husky, attention grabbing voice and is able to adjust to fill the room but not blast us out the door – reminiscent to me of a character you would find in Chicago. This is not to say that Todd is not good – she has a wonderful musical theatre-esque take to her voice, her songs and approach to these reminding me much of Wicked and tells the tale well; the voices are just so different that in harmonies and song after another, Todd seems to get a little lost in the space and this is unfortunate for such a wonderful performer.

Her Aching Heart is comedic, clever and certainly worth a watch. Pushing the boundaries of what we know about gothic romance novels and the heterosexuality of them – writer Bryony Lavery has certainly taken a great concept and ran with it.

http://www.thehopetheatre.com/productions/her-aching-heart/