Ajaxpost Plays: Beyond The Game

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

On some days it appears that I just don't go to the theatre, but on others like today, the 18th of April, it's one of thoss lucky days! So, once again Before The Lockdown on this day ... in 2016 What I really love about theatre is the telling of a story, hearing someone's own tale and being given an insight into someone else's life in a way that might also shine a light on my own life, on something I hadn't previously realised. Now, I'm not sure what I could personally take from Forever Yours, Mary-Lou (or À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou in the original French) at the Ustinov Studio in Bath, but it was story-telling at it's very best. Stripped down to basically just four chairs and judicious lighting this tale of a working class family (now in Dublin, rather than the original Montreal) argued, challenged, consoled each other as they, and we the audience, try to understand the horrific trauma that ripped each of them apart in such different wa...

Another day, much the same as the previous and, I dare say, very similar to the next. Yes, staying home, staying safe and protecting my community. Speaking with friends regularly, watching some of the new online theatre broadcasts (must admit to being surprised that they can, actually, work rather well) and doing my weekly stint as a volunteer in our community shop. But in previous years on this particular date ... in 2014 One of my favourite theatres is the Ustinov Studio, part of the Theatre Royal Bath, a small studio space (obviously!) that has an enviable reputation for quality productions. For their Spring 2014 season they put on a series of excellent American plays that had seldom, if ever, been staged in the UK. One of which was A Steady Rain . Taking inspiration from a real-life incident where two Milwaukee police officers returned a distressed young run-away to Jeffrey Dahmer, this two-hander explored issues of morality, trust, loyalty, corruption and betrayal. In...

While we are all in 'Lockdown' and unable to enjoy the pleasures of shared social experiences, I thought that for as long as we are isolating ourselves I might look back at what I have done on this day in the past. Not convinced if this is actually good for my mental health or not. I hope it will bring back happy memories and not lead me to despair what I am missing now. Anyway, onto the first On This Day . In 2014 I had just started getting into the habit of going to see as much as I could at the Ustinov Studio in Bath, it quickly became one of my favourite venues for exciting, though-provoking and excellent crafted theatre. On this day I saw The Big Meal - a powerful family drama that felt very real, and is still one of my all-time favourite production. In 2017 I'm starting to recognise the names of theatre companies and making decisions about whether to see a show or not depending on the company producing it. On this day I saw the Headlong produc...