Ajaxpost Plays: Beyond The Game

A very dark place was the subject on offer on this day Before The Lockdown in 2018 I only have vague memories of the 2005 production that I saw with three already well established and respected actors (Jonny Lee Miller, Aiden Gillen, and David Threlfall) apart from the brutality of the scenario and the sense of optimism that the three characters strove to maintain. So when the students of Bath Spa University included Someone Who'll Watch Over Me as part of their SparkFest contribution to the Bath Festival I was keen to reacquaint myself with the piece and see what these these fresh young acting students would do with it. This story of three westerners chained up in a dark middle-eastern cell was suitably enhanced by being performed in the compact cavern-like space of Burdall's Yard. These three young men didn't have the depth of experience that the 2005 cast had to call on but the strength of the writing certainly gave the cast, and audience, plenty to get t...

Back Before The Lockdown this was a day for the unexpected. in 2015 There are a few actors I adore, whose work is consistently impressive and there are, equally, a few that I just cannot take a liking too. In this latter case it's not necessarily that they are bad actors but often that I have never found any of their characters sympathetic or understandable. Unfortunately Gina McKee falls into that second category so I was a little torn when she was announced as the lead in Florian Zeller's The Mother at the Ustinov Studio in Bath. A year earlier I had seen a production of The Father (from the same author and creative team at the same venue) which was simply magnificent . So, trusting the team at the Ustinov I put my doubts aside and booked and ... boy, did she prove me wrong! Using a similar technique as used for The Father , of presenting the same scene but from slightly different perspectives we are constantly wrong-footed in trying to work out who's view we a...

Two very different shows in very different venues on this day Before The Lockdown: in 2011 What can you say about Avenue Q ? This time at the Bristol Hippodrome, having previously seen it in London five years earlier, and it was still wonderfully joyous, poignant, uplifting, and celebratory. I think Avenue Q  would have been the first time I'd seen any show that used puppets as characters and the wonder of it was that you very quickly forgot that they were puppets. Even, as in the case of Avenue Q when their handlers are there on stage visibly operating them. They believed they were real and were so unashamedly 'real' that you couldn't not believe in them as well. Tackling very real issues, that are to our shame still real issues today, including racism, homelessness, anxiety, sexual identity all with a warmth and humour that engages with everyone. A wonderful, wonderful show. I really should see it again. in 2019 Burdall's Yard is described as an ...

This was definitely a day for creative students Before The Lockdown: in 2017 The Bath Spa University Theatre Society was at the Mission Theatre in Bath to put on Our Country's Good . If you've been reading the older pages on this Blog you may recall that I saw a professional production of this well-regarded play back in 2014 . So, I'll be very lazy and repeat some of what I said then:  " there's a lot to like about Our Country's Good ... It's a play about the redemptive power of art, in particular of theatre, and the injustice and immorality of an impersonal legal system that fails to account for social context. " Just like when I saw it in 2014, I came away from this amateur production with much the same feeling, that for me " it's just not a very exciting play. " Despite having a much smaller budget and thus a significantly less impressive set and lacking the polish of a professional production this presentation did have a f...

A pertinent question was asked on this day Before The Lockdown: in 2019 Among the many interesting amateur groups putting on productions in Bath are the creative students of Bath Spa University's Theatre Society. On this day I saw their presentation of Mike Bartlett's 13 at the Mission Theatre in Bath. Apparently wondering whether a shared social conscience, in this case an apocalyptic nightmare, in response to genuine political turmoil can be harnessed by a 'visionary' to effect political change. It's a challenging piece in that it tries to explore multiple individual stories to find some common ground between them and then link that to the political process. The individual stories and each one's relationship with the 'visionary' was interesting but I'm not sure it actually came together sufficiently to pose a coherent question or offer any real insight into personal or political motivations. That, though, was not due to the production bu...

A day of contrasting experiences at the theatre on this day Before The Lockdown: in 2015 I've hated musical films for as long as I can remember - all thigh-slapping gusto and ludicrously overt smiling and screwball choreography. No, I wanted realism and emotional depth. But, since I started going to the theatre regularly, I've come to appreciate that there is a place for stories told through music and they're not all madcap song and dance fests. However, Oklahoma! was surely a perfect example of all the things I hated about 'traditional' musicals but I thought I should at least give it a chance. It wasn't overly expensive and I really should base any opinion I have on fact, so I handed over the money and went along to the Theatre Royal Bath. Somewhat annoyingly, I did actually rather enjoy it! The characters were believable, the story arc made sense and the whole production was very polished. Sure, the songs were cheesy, but once I settled into the rhy...

A couple of quite different plays on this day Before The Lockdown: in 2007 Through a couple of TV and film appearances I'd become aware of Ben Whishaw and Maxine Peake as two relatively new actors with considerable talent and capable of quite distinctive and eye-catching performances so when both were cast in Leaves of Glass at the Soho Theatre in London... well, it was a no-brainer. Sadly the mists of time have obscured much of my memory of the play but I do recall a sense of considerable violence in a family tormented by past trauma that they have been avoiding for too many years. Although both Ben and Maxine had already accrued many plaudits, they have certainly continued to make more great work across TV, film, and stage. in 2017 Meanwhile, ten years later, it's off  to the Theatre Royal Bath to see a couple of very well established, dare I say 'veteran', TV favourites; Anne Reid and James Bolam. A very topical environmental activism piece called Fracke...

This was a bit of  a killer day at the mission Before The Lockdown: in 2018 From mid May to early June Bath enjoys a cultural explosion with a full on Festival, a Fringe and something called SparkFest a curated selection of delights from students on the creative courses at Bath Spa University. For my first show from the SparkFest list I chose Infamous which was put on at the Mission Theatre in Bath. A short devised pieces which wonders what might happen if five (in)famous assassins, from John Wilkes Booth to Andrew Cunanan, were to meet in some sort of afterlife. Would they compare notes, would they fight amongst themselves to take the title of being the most infamous? As with many student productions it delivered an intriguing concept put together by a team of talented people ready to take up a creative profession in 2019 Bath's Next Stage Theatre Company celebrated it's 25 year anniversary in 2019. To my shame I only discovered them in 2014 but they, and the Mis...

Some days are heartbreaking, some days are joyous, some days Before The Lockdown are both: in 2018 I was initially unsure of this one, a play about some fat guy? Did I really want to see that? But it was at the Ustinov in Bath, and over the years I have come to trust their judgement. Yes, there have been some productions that didn't work for me but the vast majority are excellent and many have been outstanding. On this day in 2018 I saw The Whale and it was, most definitely one of the latter! In fact, I would go so far as to say that it was one of the most emotional and powerful plays I have ever seen in over twenty years of going to the theatre. Such is the reputation of the Ustinov that Shuler Hensley, who played Charlie, the 'fat guy' (actually grotesquely, morbidly, obese guy) for the play's off-Broadway premiere came over to Bath for this, the UK premiere. His understanding of the character was quite likely the key that really unlocked the piece. The play...

It was all about truth and perception on this day Back Before The Lockdown: in 2016 I was in the main house of the Theatre Royal Bath to see The Truth . In the preceding years I had seen two plays from the same author, Florian Zeller, and translator, Christopher Hampton; the brilliant The Father and The Mother both of which had their UK premiere in the smaller Ustinov studio before heading to London's West End. Buoyed by those successes this one started in London before coming out to Bath and attracted a much larger audience, hence being on the main stage. Although sharing a similar fascination with perception, reality, and truth this new play was significantly more comic in style, using many of the familiar tropes of a farce in it's depiction of romantic deceits and misdirections but all with a modern twist that made it feel fresh. Even so, after the two previous powerfully emotive productions this one was inevitably more light-weight and so, for me, less impressive,...

Suspenders at the ready on this day Before The Lockdown: in 2003 Oh dear, this is rather embarrassing! I loved the film, it's iconic and a standard reference point for all of us who do not believe in conformity. Yet. I've only seen the stage show, on which the film was based, once. What is even worse is that I remember so very little of the Rocky Horror Show when I did get to see at the Wimbledon Theatre in London! It must have been fun, how could it not be? But no, I recall nothing. 😢 For some reason, I do not have a programme for this show, and I am almost fanatical in getting programmes! so the image here is one I have found on the Internet and, as far as I can tell, is correct for this particular tour An interesting side-note to this is that when searching for that image I discovered that at the time this show was running Wimbledon Theatre was in severe financial difficulties and did, in fact close for several months until it was rescued by the Ambassador Thea...

Politics is drama, and drama is very often political. So it was on this day Before The Lockdown. in 2015 The Absence of War , at the Theatre Royal Bath was a fictionalised interpretation of the conflicts within the Labour Party in the lead up to the 1992 general election. However, although taking it's cue from those events it does ask a much more universal question about our politics. Do we want politicians to be true to themselves, to be honest about their flaws as much as their skills and abilities? If presented with a choice of an open, honest, and transparent candidate in opposition to one who taps into our media-fed prejudices and expectations would we ever choose the former. The party in this play could never trust the integrity of their idealistic leader so instead tied him to 'accepted' truths and the rules of the game that had been followed for generations before. In this case, as in the actual general election, they lost because denying the possibility of ...

It appears that I like to spend the 5th of May in Bath, for example on this day Before The Lockdown: in 2001 At the Theatre Royal Bath to see Rent for the third, and so far final, time. This was mostly a new cast and the key character was played by, then hot TV property, Adam Rickitt coming straight from the famous cobbles of Coronation Street. There are good songs throughout and some powerful and affecting scenes but these don't necessarily feature the lead character. Having a popularly recognisable name on the poster is great for getting people into the theatre, they're not always the best actors in the cast. So, as with Joe McFadden in the earlier London production,Adam was fine and did a perfectly respectable job but it was scenes with the other characters that you remember. Interesting side note; one of the swings on this production was Daniel Boys in, I believe, his first professional role. I've seen him again perhaps only twice but he is now one of our bu...

I've lived round here for years , Bath Spa University has been producing shows open to the public for years . But it wasn't until this year that I finally got round to seeing some of their work! So, back in time, Before The Lockdown: in 2017 Death and Dancing was the third production I saw at Bath Spa University, though only the second of their own student produced show. A stripped back two-hander it took us into the lives of two people, he and she, who meet on the city streets, discover that neither is quite what the other first thought. They both dance around issues of gender, sexuality and identity both in their own individual lives and the relationship which they may, or may not, want or need. A bold production, challenging and thought provoking.

A mathematical conundrum Before The Lockdown in 2013 There are many reasons for why I might enjoy a particular play but I never thought mathematics would be on that list! The conceit that is at the centre of Proof , which I saw at the Theatre Royal Bath, is the death of a mathematical genius and the discovery of a new world-changing mathematical proof amongst his unpublished papers. Around this swirl issues of family loyalty, guilt, thwarted ambitions, and mental health. In this production, as well crafted and performed as it was, the emotional bonds and needs that should have been at the heart of the play weren't quite as clear as they needed to be so I left thinking that it made valid points about sexism in intellectual circles and how guilt can fester within families but I didn't feel the story, which is what I particularly enjoy about good theatre Interestingly, a few years later I saw an amateur presentation of the play and enjoyed it a whole lot more.  Whether i...

A day of contrasts in the years Before The Lockdown... in 2015 I have never been 'to the opera', am not a fan of the big showy traditional musical and 'light opera' or operetta just sounded far too twee. But I'd heard good things about these guys, and I'm (reasonably) I'm open to being surprised by something new so on this day in 2015 I was at the Theatre Royal Bath to see Sasha Regan's All Male The Pirates of Penzance . I loved it! Athletic young men dressed in period frocks is one thing but when played with just the right amount of shared knowingness with the audience it becomes less cringe-inducing and more a joyous celebration. Alongside their cheeky smiles and metaphorical winks to the audience the effortless execution of some quite intricate choreography and being able to reach those falsetto notes so well made for a wonderfully entertaining show. in 2019 In complete contrast Falling at the Ustinov Studio in Bath explored the impac...

It seems I have only been busy once on this day Before The Lockdown ... in 2017 Now, this is an odd one. The Ustinov Studio in Bath has a reputation for the highest quality theatrical productions. In recent years it has brought internationally acclaimed works to the British stage for the first time and hosted some of the best actors in the world to what you might otherwise think is just a small provincial studio space. Clearly not every show will be world class, and not every audience member will love every production but the Ustinov's hit rate is among the very best. On this day in 2017 I saw The Mentor , the first of Daniel Kehlmann's plays to be seen in the UK although he outsells both JK Rowling and Dan Brown in his home country. In the lead role is Oscar winning actor F Murray Abraham, enticed back to a British stage for the first time in ten years. The setup is ripe for satirical comedy, as a brash new writer spends time, supposedly to hone his craft, at the home...

Mental health is something we are all more aware of these days so it's interesting that on this day Before The Lockdown I saw two productions that, in quite different ways, raise issues of mental well-being. in 2012 There are some works that have become 'national treasures' and Abigail's Party is, without doubt, one of those. This production, which I saw at the Theatre Royal Bath, came from the well-regarded Menier Chocolate Factory with an interesting mix of established stage and TV actors, most of whom had significant success in TV soaps. Their familiarity with the heightened domestic drama of a TV soap served them very well in this excellent production. With a wonderfully evocative 1970s kitsch (in today's terms anyway) living room set these (mostly) appalling characters were brought to life as we laughed and cringed in equal measure at how awful their behaviour was. Back then, it was showing off our taste in terrible decor or music choices that we used ...

For the last two year, Before The Lockdown, I've found some theatrical entertainment to amuse and entertain me ... in 2018 Local theatre company Black Dog Productions put on Orphan at the Mission Theatre in Bath. A dark and bloody exploration of the nature of friendship (real & obsessive) and guilt (hidden & realised) under the violence and oppression implicit (& explicit) in all cults. It was horrifyingly engaging as the disturbing story of a boy known only as 'Orphan' is revealed to us, and the means by which he seeks justice against those who were knowingly, or not, complicit. in 2019 One of the great things about living close to a visionary and adventurous theatre such as the Bristol Old Vic is that it actively engages and promotes creativity throughout the communities it serves. The BOV has a number of outreach programmes that encourage and help various groups of people develop both their ideas and skills. One such programme is Bristol Fe...

Another triple hit day, I don't think I've found a day across four years yet ... but I'm sure there must be, y'know, probability and all that! Anyway, Before The Lockdown on this day ... in 1999 This is the furthest I have gone back so far and it's quite an interesting one. On this day I was in London to see Rent at the Shaftesbury Theatre. I would actually see this same production again later in the year, for the last performance and then again a couple of years later with a new touring cast. The main motivation for this trip was to see Joe McFadden who had so impressed in recent TV successes The Crow Road and Sex, Chip, and Rock'n'Roll . It had been a smash hit in the US but apparently didn't work quite so well  in London, but I remember enjoying it and although McFadden wasn't perhaps the most convincing lead he had enough charm to carry it off and I thought, as a whole it worked well, and there were certainly some very powerful and e...