Punchdrunk theatre are known for physicalising emotions, feelings and scenarios with movement and body language creating contemporary narratives. Their collaboration with Hijinx theatre was stunning to watch. Hijinx and Punchdrunk theatre have collaborated together to create a purely immersive theatre experience. They have transformed the ‘secret’ space into a place fit for exploring. We were led through the doors in groups with a lead giving us an insight into the ‘business’. Then we were allowed to be free to explore to our hearts content (with a few stewards making sure we didn’t go off trail)
Each space had its own story to tell and also its own secrets. Finding out information was difficult but nonetheless every place had their own interesting qualities. The lighting was mainly used by old lamps and candles which added to the atmosphere. The smoke haze added to the eerie effect. The beauty of this performance is that if you went back to the same place there would be an entirely different scenario going on. However I’m not sure if it was my luck or just bad timing but I always seemed to miss an important bit of the story as soon as I got there. There were some lucky individuals that got dragged off and had an even deeper insight to the secrets of the business. Then coming towards the climax of the show we all got ushered into the same room where the finale took place. For me personally I have a lot of guesses to what the overall plot was but I will never know for sure.
The ambiguity is what makes this show individualistic for every audience member. It was exciting to listen to the conversations people had afterwards. This is a show that you might come away from with knowing exactly why everything was happening or come away knowing nothing. However it’s very interesting and a great piece to get lost into. It would be intriguing what it would be like to watch it for the second time.
All posts by Kaitlin Wray
Review The Dying of Today The Other Room by Kaitlin Wray
The Other Room opens its second production in its ‘Life in Close Up’ season at Porters pub Cardiff. After the success of ‘Blasted’ by Sarah Kane a few weeks earlier, ‘The Dying of Today’ by Howard Barker was a perfect follow up for this season of plays.
Set in a 1960’s Barbers shop with only two actors. It was a great reenactment of Howard Barker’s work showcasing his creativity and his poet-like writing. The music, playing at the beginning, contextualised this scene and brought us straight into the barbers room while he was cutting the travellers hair. It’s exciting when you see a play that can change your mind and educate you into a whole new wavelength of conversations and the beauty at hearing ‘bad news’ can have. The traveller in this play is excited at the prospect of giving bad news, his excuse, “I think men are more beautiful flung down than standing up”. This line of thought caught my attention completely and made this play conform to the ‘Life in Close Up’ season theme.
Directed by Kate Wasserberg, she knew just how to present Barker’s work for the Other Room’s Theatre stage. The originality in some of the directing choices was inspiring. The symbolism of a small pawn chess piece representing the barbers son drew the audience into the story even more. Every time the Barber picked up the chess piece we knew instantly what he was thinking and found ourselves believing that one small chess piece was his son at war. Moreover Kate expanded the relationship between two strangers into something beautiful. When the Barber puts on his shoes for the lonely traveller towards the end of the show it was heartbreaking. Personally it felt like the Barber was adopting the traveller like his son. In the space of their hours conversation, meeting for the first time, those two characters shared something so big that they would forever have a connection, (good or bad) and thats due to the bringing of bad news.
Leander Deeny, showcases the traveller that is visibly excited at the prospect of giving bad news. Leander was engaging from the beginning and with his elevated mannerisms he created a strong character. For the first five minutes he solely takes the stage speaking of bad news while the Barber just listens. There wasn’t one moment when I felt my mind wander when he spoke, he completely had the audience in the palm of the hand. Christian Patterson, playing the Barber, takes The Other Room’s stage a second time after his success of playing the grotesque and corrupt character of Ian in Sarah Kane’s ‘Blasted’. Christian’s mannerisms at the start of ‘The Dying of Today’ were subtly engaging. As he was hearing the news from the traveller his facial expression grew more and more troubled until after not speaking for the first 5 minutes he speaks. Christians emotions goes through a whole roller coaster engaging us into his mind and his feelings. Christian was a perfect match for this character and not only did the character show how versatile he was as an actor, Christian gave the character of the Barber a thrilling stance.
Overall ‘The Dying of Today’ was a show that shouldn’t be missed, as an audience it felt like we were right there in the barber’s shop, eavesdropping on something bittersweet. The presence the actors had on stage should be admired for aspiring actors and if you want to see how two people can effortlessly own the whole stage then you need to watch this.
I’m thrilled and excited to see the final show ‘A Good Clean Heart’ in the Other Room Theatre of ‘Life in Close Up’.
Review Blasted Sarah Kane The Other Room By Kaitlin Wray
Credit: Pallasca Photography
The Other Room presented Sarah Kane’s blasted with all the brutality and intensity that was to be expected. Even though it was quite a small room they didn’t play down the acting at all which created a wave of uneasiness throughout the audience; especially the people sat in the front row. However how can you play down getting your eyes eaten out? It was definitely not a light hearted theatre trip out on a Friday night, yet if you think you can stomach it, its definitely a performance you don’t want to miss.
Due to the language content and the actions presented in the play, I was apprehensive about watching this performance. However, the talent of the actors and the carefully thought out directing choices by Kate Wasserberg made it hard hitting yet done tastefully presented at the same time.
It was dark comedy at its finest and I doubt I’ll ever see another show like it. The one liners by Christian Patterson playing Ian were perfectly timed,so that the audience couldn’t help but burst out laughing but then feel guilty for doing so after. Christian played the character Ian remarkably well, making us loathe him at the start but then finding ourselves sympathising with him towards the end of the production. Louise Collins, playing Cate, is an incredible actress and the role of Cate showcased that exceptionally. Simon Nehan playing the solider provided a lot of humour as well, especially with his broad Welsh accent. The conversation between the soldier and Ian had a lot of great emotion that provided a lot of hard hitting stories of the soldiers past. The relationships between each character on stage was so strong and powerful all the time that it provided humanity when there was none. The love Ian and Cate had for each other despite the action brought real sadness to the piece, every time they hugged or kissed after a fight it was so believable that it was heart wrenching. All three actors showed bravery to take on these roles where other actors would have turned them down in a heartbeat. What’s more is that they took them on tremendously well providing a real insight to the work of Sarah Kane.
The music, composed by Nick Gill provided not only contextual aspects within this performance but also paralleled with the emotion in the scenes. The use of simplistic tranquil piano scoring against the electronic music worked well with the dysfunction of the play. This created an oxymoronic feel to it which I believe enhanced the sympathy towards the characters in the play even more. The music showed the brutality of being at war and what it can do to people. The album is available to listen to on Nick Gill’s website, www.nickfuckinggill.com.
Overall, Kate Wasserburg should be commended for making Sarah Kane’s ‘Blasted’ work well on stage with the action being in such close proximity with the audience. This is a performance that is integral to go and watch if you call yourself a ‘theatre-goer’ as it’ll provide an experience you wont get with anything else. This play isn’t for everyone but if you think you’re strong enough to handle the content then you need to get down to Porter’s pub and step into the Other Room where you’ll be transported to a whole new wavelength.
Review Flossy and Boo, WMC by Kaitlin Wray
Flossy and Boo, a devised performance from two talented girls, Anja Conti and Laura Jeffs. Their bio, “Flossy & Boo’s Fantastical, Mystical, Wonderous, Fantabulous, Tremendous, Stupendous Curiosity Shop” is exactly what it says in the tin. This is a performance that will leave you with a smile on your face and a catchy tune in your head.
Performing on the Glanfa stage in the Wales Millennium Stadium, Flossy and Boo entertained the ever-growing audience with tales of their journeys, humorous poems and even songs they composed themselves.
Their characters were well-developed with Flossy (Anja Conti) being the sure leader of the two and Boo, (Laura Jeffs) being the ditsy, loveable one. Their chemistry together and the difference in characters worked well on stage and created on-going humour for the audience. Furthermore it was evident that they put countless hours in perfecting their script and performance due to how well in sync they were with each other.
Both Anja and Laura had impressive voices, showcasing not only different accents but their singing style. Their harmonies were wonderful and was also in-keeping with their comedy of their characters.
This show relied heavily on audience interaction as they got both adults and children up onto the stage and even got the whole audience creating sound effects. They kept in control of their audience and managed to improvise their way into dealing with over-excitable children exceptionally especially well when they were just too excited to even sit down.
I would highly recommend seeing this energetic and exhilarating performance, it was visually and acoustically pleasing and it is a perfect show for any age.
You can find more information on upcoming shows on their website.
Review Arabian Nights, Sherman Cymru by Kaitlin Wray
Arabian Nights, a perfect show for the whole family at Christmas time. Directed by Rachel O’Riordan was a show filled with endless energy and inventive inputs. This production is Rachel’s second at the Sherman Cymru Theatre and it is just as recommendable as the first- Romeo and Juliet.
This show presents themes of devastation, hope, forgiveness and love. It teaches us life lessons and the way not being able to forgive causes internal turmoil. Shahrazad, played by Elin Phillips is a headstrong, courageous girl, hoping to save the King’s mind (Ashley Alymann) who loathes all women. Due to his late-wife’s deceitfulness, every night he marries a daughter and then executes them the next morning. Shahrazad, with her magic of storytelling tries to get rid of all the pain and hatred the King has through the use of her enchanting stories.
There were eight actors on stage, all immersing themselves in different roles in the stories of One Thousand and One Nights. If they weren’t playing a character they were a part of the set which created a well timed unified performance. Their presence on stage was captivating and each one proved they were diverse performers. Even though there was a highly Eastern feel to the performance they snuck in the Welsh accent which provided a lot of comical entertainment, especially from Alun Saunders. I was also very happy to see the return of Anita Reynolds from Romeo and Juliet whom was just as amazing in this performance as she was in the last.
The aesthetics of the performance are something the designer, Hayley Grindle, should be proud of. The set was exemplary to the performance and the lighting choices, by Kevin Treacy were innovative. It included about a hundred light bulbs hanging down creating a starry night and a wonderful arabian atmosphere. The music, directed by Gareth Wyn Griffiths gave us a contextual insight and showcased that some of the performers weren’t just talented actors but skilled at playing musical instruments.
This show is filled with fun moments that had all generations in fits of laughter. Make time this Christmas and go to see this show with the whole family. It’s one not to be missed and will provide entertainment for all.
Review Romeo and Juliet, Sherman Cymru by Kaitlin Wray
Juliet played by Sophie Melville
Photograph Credit Mark Douet
Romeo and Juliet, the biggest controversy in all of Shakespeare’s classics. Was it lust or love? Can two people fall in love that quickly? Yet how can lust cause their fatal end?
After watching a rehearsal process and a Q&A session three weeks prior to the show with the director Rachel O’Riordan this was one of my many questions to her. Her response is that no one could ever know what Shakespeare wanted. However her interpretation was that she wanted to demonstrate how the gritty and conflicted world Romeo and Juliet were brought up in affected them. I was excited to see how Rachel would manage to transform Romeo and Juliet into making it a completely new experience, yet remain true to the language. After watching the performance, she exceeded exceptionally in this task. This was a performance that showed more truth than any performance of Romeo and Juliet I’ve seen.
The set was gritty with torn up posters on the back wall while grungy non-diegetic music played in the performance space. This was the first sign of the underlying corruption between the Capulet’s and Montague’s. The second sign? The fight scene, sharply choreographed by Kevin McCurdy. The actors flew around the stage with hatred and vengeance. The audience knew that this was a performance that would grasp all the needless anger within the play.
I loved the casting of this production, using actors from different backgrounds and different regions made the production a collection of different accents showing the main focus on the hatred rather that the time or setting. The accents brought the play even more to life, however at times due to the energy of the performance some of the words were hard to understand.
What everyone was waiting for was, the two actors playing the famous lovers, Romeo and Juliet. To me personally, Juliet was the character to be most disliked; she is generally played to be fragile, whiny and false. However the brilliant Sophie Melville stunned the audience with a modernised and a more feisty re-enactment of her. Sophie and Chris Gordon (playing Romeo) were the perfect double for the famous lovers, their chemistry on stage seemed so true to how Romeo and Juliet should have been played. When their eyes first meet you can tell they lust after each other, their banter and light-heartedness was so good to see due to the realisation of how young and naive the characters are. The balcony scene was honestly the best one I’ve ever seen. The staging of it to the way they acted it, so original yet I feel like there is no other way you could have played that scene.
Aside from the darkness of the play there were so many beautiful moments between certain characters. Anita Reynolds playing the Nurse showed such pizzazz throughout the first act she was a delight to watch, but when Juliet finds out Romeo is banished, on the line ‘Back foolish tears’ Sophie Melville was slapping the tears out of her face and all the Nurse can do but is watch, the emotion she carries just by her silence against Juliet’s cries is heart breaking.
Every actor brought their character/multiple of characters to life, from the energetic Scott Reid taking on Mercutio to the power behind Sean O’Callaghan’s performance taking on Montague and the Friar.
This was a performance that did everything Rachel said she wanted each scenographic aspect was captured perfectly from the lighting to the bold music. Even though one will never know if Romeo and Juliet were in love or just lustful doesn’t matter to me anymore. This performance showed me the truth behind their relationship and it showed me that maybe even Shakespeare wanted to create this ambiguity.
Overall it was a performance that shouldn’t be missed, it was a delight to see Rachel O’Riordan’s take on it and I can’t wait to see more productions in the future from her and the whole cast.
The set was gritty with torn up posters on the back wall while grungy non-diegetic music played in the performance space. This was the first sign of the underlying corruption between the Capulet’s and Montague’s. The second sign? The fight scene, sharply choreographed by Kevin McCurdy. The actors flew around the stage with hatred and vengeance. The audience knew that this was a performance that would grasp all the needless anger within the play.
I loved the casting of this production, using actors from different backgrounds and different regions made the production a collection of different accents showing the main focus on the hatred rather that the time or setting. The accents brought the play even more to life, however at times due to the energy of the performance some of the words were hard to understand.
What everyone was waiting for was, the two actors playing the famous lovers, Romeo and Juliet. To me personally, Juliet was the character to be most disliked; she is generally played to be fragile, whiny and false. However the brilliant Sophie Melville stunned the audience with a modernised and a more feisty re-enactment of her. Sophie and Chris Gordon (playing Romeo) were the perfect double for the famous lovers, their chemistry on stage seemed so true to how Romeo and Juliet should have been played. When their eyes first meet you can tell they lust after each other, their banter and light-heartedness was so good to see due to the realisation of how young and naive the characters are. The balcony scene was honestly the best one I’ve ever seen. The staging of it to the way they acted it, so original yet I feel like there is no other way you could have played that scene.
Aside from the darkness of the play there were so many beautiful moments between certain characters. Anita Reynolds playing the Nurse showed such pizzazz throughout the first act she was a delight to watch, but when Juliet finds out Romeo is banished, on the line ‘Back foolish tears’ Sophie Melville was slapping the tears out of her face and all the Nurse can do but is watch, the emotion she carries just by her silence against Juliet’s cries is heart breaking.
Every actor brought their character/multiple of characters to life, from the energetic Scott Reid taking on Mercutio to the power behind Sean O’Callaghan’s performance taking on Montague and the Friar.
This was a performance that did everything Rachel said she wanted each scenographic aspect was captured perfectly from the lighting to the bold music. Even though one will never know if Romeo and Juliet were in love or just lustful doesn’t matter to me anymore. This performance showed me the truth behind their relationship and it showed me that maybe even Shakespeare wanted to create this ambiguity.
Overall it was a performance that shouldn’t be missed, it was a delight to see Rachel O’Riordan’s take on it and I can’t wait to see more productions in the future from her and the whole cast.
Review Eye Spy 2, playARK and yello brick by Kaitlin Wray
Eye Spy 2 was an interactive immersive experience letting people become secret agents for the day. Once we got to our first meeting point we were put into groups of six and these people would be our fellow agents to help us unlock the truth and try to save the world.
The main thing about this experience is that every person would have a different individual experience. This all depended on the type of person they are and who they were joined with. For me I had a really lovely group and we all got on well. However it was evident that we had a few overly competitive members as I spent a lot of the time trying to catch up with finding out the clues and evidence and then before I knew it I was on to the next location.
Apart from this, the story was well thought out and there were some really interesting plot lines and ideas that created dramatic suspense at certain sections. The actors involved were exceptionally good as they made us believe we were in a real crime scenario and they depended on us to help them. They gave us just the right amount of clues, but let us figure out most of it for ourselves.
However I believe this experience should have been staggered in terms of each group playing as we kept bumping into each other and other groups gave some of the clues away. It took away the essence of being a real secret agent.
Overall I really enjoyed the experience as it was well written and well planned out, it was an enjoyable day and if you like a challenge or enjoy solving puzzles and deciphering clues this is a well worth experience for you!
An insight into the rehearsal process of Sherman Cymru’s Romeo and Juliet by Kaitlin Wray
Chris Gordon and Sophie Melville, who play Romeo and Juliet.
On Thursday the 11th of September, I was invited to go and see a rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet at the Sherman Theatre Cymru, Cardiff. In my lifetime I’ve seen countless Romeo and Juliet productions, each one trying to bring their own stamp towards it. While some ideas work well, some productions were trying to hard to be unique therefore taking away the real essence of what the play was about. I was nervous and excited when entering the rehearsal space, as the company was only two weeks out of six into their rehearsal process. I believe it takes many months to master any Shakespearian play and the fact they’ve been given six is quite risky. Rachel O’Riordan, directing this production gave us an insight into her mind, showing us a snippet of how she will take on one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
The first scene we watched was Act 2 Scene 4 where the Nurse looks for Romeo in order to gain some confidence with him in terms of marrying Juliet. This whole scene is already filled with moments of hilarity and great characterisation. The relationship between the actors on stage and off is a delight to see. The atmosphere is filled with driven energy, so much lightheartedness and fun. Rachel provides a great working space for her actors so they can experiment on how they can expand their acting skills.
The second scene we saw was a complete contrast to the first. This scene, Act 3 Scene 3 is where Romeo is talking to Friar Lawrence and finding out he’s banished from Verona. The company ran through the scene once and then sat down with Rachel in the middle of them exploring every single line, every word. They discussed what the line would mean in Shakespearian times and why it would seem unorthodox to say it now. Rachel directed this scene brilliantly and showed me a deeper insight into the mind of Romeo. The collaboration between experienced actors who have been in the industry for many years and actors who are just starting out was mesmerising. They bounced of each other, learned from each other and therefore made the work so much more engaging. Rachel’s experience as a director demonstrated that she knew just how to motivate and engage the actors in her company.
The only thing I would have liked to have seen is a scene with Juliet. Personally I detest this character and generally the way people perceive her to be. I’ve often seen the character played to be whiny and just completely annoying. In the Q&A session I asked Rachel how she would direct the portrayal of Juliet in the production. It seemed to me that Rachel also shared some of my reservations of the representation of the character of Juliet on stage. When I asked Rachel she agreed that Juliet is a strong character and shouldn’t be played down. It’ll be interesting to see how Sophie Melville, playing this character will interpret this role.
Overall through this insight into the rehearsal process it is clear Rachel has spent a great deal of time trying to figure out exactly how she wants to create her directorial vision of Romeo and Juliet. I’m excited to see this production and you should be too. There are many great actors in this production and they all bring their own personal edge to the characters we know. Rachel O’Riordan has great directing skills and I have a lot of faith that she will do this play justice.
Romeo and Juliet plays at the Sherman Theatre Cardiff on the 2-18 of October.
http://www.shermancymru.co.uk/performance/literature/romeo-juliet/
An insight into the rehearsal process of Sherman Cymru’s Romeo and Juliet
Chris Gordon and Sophie Melville, who play Romeo and Juliet.
On Thursday the 11th of September, I was invited to go and see a rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet at the Sherman Theatre Cymru, Cardiff. In my lifetime I’ve seen countless Romeo and Juliet productions, each one trying to bring their own stamp towards it. While some ideas work well, some productions were trying to hard to be unique therefore taking away the real essence of what the play was about. I was nervous and excited when entering the rehearsal space, as the company was only two weeks out of six into their rehearsal process. I believe it takes many months to master any Shakespearian play and the fact they’ve been given six is quite risky. Rachel O’Riordan, directing this production gave us an insight into her mind, showing us a snippet of how she will take on one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
The first scene we watched was Act 2 Scene 4 where the Nurse looks for Romeo in order to gain some confidence with him in terms of marrying Juliet. This whole scene is already filled with moments of hilarity and great characterisation. The relationship between the actors on stage and off is a delight to see. The atmosphere is filled with driven energy, so much lightheartedness and fun. Rachel provides a great working space for her actors so they can experiment on how they can expand their acting skills.
The second scene we saw was a complete contrast to the first. This scene, Act 3 Scene 3 is where Romeo is talking to Friar Lawrence and finding out he’s banished from Verona. The company ran through the scene once and then sat down with Rachel in the middle of them exploring every single line, every word. They discussed what the line would mean in Shakespearian times and why it would seem unorthodox to say it now. Rachel directed this scene brilliantly and showed me a deeper insight into the mind of Romeo. The collaboration between experienced actors who have been in the industry for many years and actors who are just starting out was mesmerising. They bounced of each other, learned from each other and therefore made the work so much more engaging. Rachel’s experience as a director demonstrated that she knew just how to motivate and engage the actors in her company.
The only thing I would have liked to have seen is a scene with Juliet. Personally I detest this character and generally the way people perceive her to be. I’ve often seen the character played to be whiny and just completely annoying. In the Q&A session I asked Rachel how she would direct the portrayal of Juliet in the production. It seemed to me that Rachel also shared some of my reservations of the representation of the character of Juliet on stage. When I asked Rachel she agreed that Juliet is a strong character and shouldn’t be played down. It’ll be interesting to see how Sophie Melville, playing this character will interpret this role.
Overall through this insight into the rehearsal process it is clear Rachel has spent a great deal of time trying to figure out exactly how she wants to create her directorial vision of Romeo and Juliet. I’m excited to see this production and you should be too. There are many great actors in this production and they all bring their own personal edge to the characters we know. Rachel O’Riordan has great directing skills and I have a lot of faith that she will do this play justice.
Romeo and Juliet plays at the Sherman Theatre Cardiff on the 2-18 of October.
http://www.shermancymru.co.uk/performance/literature/romeo-juliet/
Review Bianco No Fit State Circus
Photograph credit R Davenport.
Bianco’, performed by ‘No Fit State Circus’ was the last show I went to see at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I left the circus tent shaking in awe. When a performance has given you a lump in your throat that makes it hard to even cheer or clap, you know they have done well. Every section beautifully designed that was enhanced by the power of the live band.
There were no individual stars but an ensemble of talented performers, each bringing their own expertise to the stage. Even though this was a stereotypical contemporary circus show, they brought so much emotion to the way they performed that it stood out from any other circus acts. The music and the lyrics especially helped create this emotion and made mini-narratives for each section. There were moments in this show where I felt I’d left reality behind and stepped into a dream. It was aesthetically pleasing in every sense that I couldn’t believe it was happening before me. I never wanted it end. What was more interesting is that I felt like I was part of the production myself. The constant change of positions to re-arrange the performance space made it become even more immersive. Sometimes it took away from the essence of fantasy, yet it was necessary.
It was evident that every aspect of the show was well thought out and infused with professionalism. Every person so physically fit it was inspiring to watch. Overall ‘No Fit State Circus’ is heightened with pure talent, innovative imagery and a set to be admired at. Step into this tent and leave reality behind.