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[Image description: pile of programmes for All The Women We Could Have Been]
My week(s) in theatre
Last week was a bit of a mixed week for me, theatre-wise.
I was at the press night for Underdog: The Other Other Brontë at Northern Stage on Wednesday. The play arrived in town trailing a lot of mixed reviews and I can see why – even among my party, reactions were very mixed, with some really liking it and some less keen.
Personally, not everything worked as well for me as I wanted it to. I thought the first half was overlong, the second a bit too messy and the whole thing not as sharp as I wanted it to be, with humour sometimes sliding into glibness. But overall, I’d say it’s worth checking out if you can see it before it finishes this week. I definitely found the more I thought about it afterwards the more I liked it, which is always the sign of a play with something about it.
The performances were very strong, the design clever and there were some really fun touches that kept it feeling vivid and fresh. Plus it’s great to see such a female-centred story, especially one that doesn’t soften its characters. (Especial bonus for the use of the ‘Our Tune’ theme which will strike a chord with an audience of a certain age…)
While you are there – or even if you don’t see the show – do pop into the free exhibition downstairs, All the Women We Could Have Been, which is a great showcase for disabled artists with some really interesting pieces in there.
Next up was Maggie & Me at the Traverse in Edinburgh. The night itself had a slightly surreal atmosphere, being in town when almost everyone else was in the pub (or in Germany) watching the football – it honestly felt a bit 28 Days Later when we were heading for our train back through deserted streets as the match was still on. But while this tale of growing up gay and working class in Maggie Thatcher’s Britain (specifically, in a Scottish town devastated by industry closures) sounded right up my street, ultimately it didn’t do it for me.
(Full disclosure: the play was nearly three hours long (!!) and I booked it before I knew it clashed with the Euros. We left at the interval, having decided we weren’t enjoying ourselves enough to face a train home afterwards that would be jampacked with football fans, so my comments must be taken with that caveat.)
There were definitely some heartfelt and / or funny moments, and the design was really striking, but what I saw of it felt unfocused, messy and uneven, with some odd performance choices, and in need of both a much tighter edit and a firmer, more coherent vision to let those elements shine.
This week I am off to see Being Mr Wickham, Adrian Lukis’ one-man show about the famous cad’s post-Pride and Prejudice life. This show, which (I think) started life online during the pandemic, has garnered very mixed reviews – The Guardian one-starred it! – but honestly, I think it sounds like a hoot. Lukis of course starred in the iconic BBC adaptation opposite Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, so I am excited just to be in the same room. Plus, I do love the Jermyn Street Theatre, a smaller venue in London that seems to consistently punch above its weight.
(Speaking of plays that divided people, I see that The Bounds - which I loved when saw it at Live, but which got quite a mix of reviews in the press - is now at The Royal Court, and seems to be getting a pretty good reception. This just makes me even more convinced that some shows - including some really great shows - by their very nature will always divide people, and you should never let bad reviews stop you from going to see something that sounds like it might be your thing… Anyway, if you are in London, get yerselves along and let me know what you think…)
Another thing I have lined up that sounds exciting is Live Writes, Live’s new writing showcase, where you can see a handful of short plays for a mere SIX QUID! I love these kinds if showcases. The work might be unpolished – the whole point is to try stuff out before an audience – but it offers a great chance to experience new voices, and to see stuff that might go onto be full length pieces later. Plus, did I mention it was only SIX QUID?
I also just booked Frognal & Fox: A Life in Song, the touring Carole W Production about two fading singers, which features a host of songs by my favourite composers (Sondheim, the Gershwins, Cole Porter). I enjoyed previous Carole W Production Limelight, and I’ve enjoyed seeing Zoe Lambert in a range of things (the other cast members are less familiar to me), so I have high hopes.
A summer of Festivals
We are blessed with a summer of festivals in the North East, from Newcastle Fringe to the Whitley Bay Comedy Festival to Durham Fringe, all of which offer a host of treats. While I admit I tend to find Fringe programmes overwhelming – so much choice! I’m a Libran, don’t do this to me! – there’s no denying they offer a huge range of outings, from books to comedy to drama and music. There’s often a chance to see the future hits of Edinburgh Fringe (get those bragging rights in early!), sometimes for less money and definitely for less hassle.
(Did I mention the £8.50 I got charged for a cheese sandwich at a Fringe venue last year? DID I? I AM STILL MAD. Though this has now been superseded by the fact on Friday my friend and I were charged 26 QUID - 26 QUID! - for two glasses of wine in a very bog standard pub. Edinburgh, I love you, why must you vex me so?)
Newcastle Fringe
I’ve already shared some tips on this, but a few more things have come to my attention that sound good.
As someone who did long stints in hospitality and retail (including working the bar in the sadly now-neglected Cooperage building – should you wish to try to save it before it mysteriously catches fire and is redeveloped into luxury apartments you can do so here), I am intrigued by the sound of Krystal Evans’ Hospitality Horror Show, which is about a decade spent working in restaurants.
When I was at Live the other day, I bumped into performer Lindsay Nicholson, who told me about what sounds like a fascinating show, Byker Kintsugi (Kintsugi being the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, and Byker Ward having once been home to Maling Pottery). Based on a true story, the show is being performed as part of a double bill with Headway Arts.
Whitley Bay Comedy Festival
Again, I’ve mentioned this in previous newsletters, but have noticed that Baby Dinosaur seems to be getting a lot of traction so might be the one to book. And if you want to support female comedians, Lass Laugh Comedy could be the show for you.
There’s an absolutely packed line up – and I know nothing about comedy – so do check out the website.
Durham Fringe
There is SO much on at Durham Fringe – around 90 shows – that I found myself a little overwhelmed by all the choices. Which has to be a good thing, right? With everything from magic shows to spoken word to shows for kids, there’s something for everyone, and the website offers a fairly comprehensive list of content warnings and info to help you choose what’s right for you.
If you are a fan of poetry and spoken word, Canny Words might be right up your street. Featuring Audrey Cook (of Bus Stop Goths, recently at ARC Stockton), Amy Langdown and Lizzie Lovejoy, this is billed as ‘a spoken word celebration of North East working-class culture and community with three local poets’.
Having read a ton of books on witchcraft lately, I am also intrigued by Menstrual Rage Theatre Company’s Hellcats, which is about 17th Century witches.
Ben Donaghy’s BED – A One Man Show is billed as “exploring the life of one person's relationship to their perception of the world around them” laced with some audience interaction.
Having worked in the legal sector myself (yes, really!) I am fascinated by the idea of Abigail Rolling: Shit Lawyer, which promises a scathing look at our crumbling justice system.
Tiger Daughter: How I brought my immigrant mother shame by Charlene Kay is a comedy about family and misunderstanding and following your own, not someone else’s, dreams (and features mention of the splendidly named Guns ‘n’ Roses all-female tribute band Guns ‘n’ Hoses).
Wrong Tree Theatre’s Sonder is set in Durham and based on verbatim words of local residents, and sounds potentially interesting.
I’m sure I will have some other recs in future newsletters, but in the meantime do check out the website.
Returning to Live
It’s always nice seeing my own words on posters, so I’m glad to see two shows I four-starred for The Stage getting another outing. I’m not sure how I’ll feel seeing a play about Labour and football come September – that’s going to depend on what happens in July – but I did enjoy Love It If We Beat Them when I saw it at Live previously.
I do think after this Live maybe needs to steer clear of plays about football / set in a working men’s club for a while (I’ve enjoyed all of these shows as standalones, but added up it feels like a lot), but I’m also glad to see a smart show get another outing.
Also sports related is Kemi-Bo Jacobs’ one-woman show All White Everything But Me. I saw this when it premiered at Alphabetti – I actually raced up the hill from Central Station to see it, having just got off a train from Glasgow, but I’m glad I did. I knew nothing about its subject, Wimbledon tennis champ Althea Gibson, which illustrates just how shamefully she has been written out of history. Jacobs was nominated for The Stage Debut Award for her writing on this, but also gives a knockout performance. It’ll be interesting to see how this translates to a bigger stage.
Writing at Alphabetti
Writing can be super isolating. This is actually great if, like me, you are a loner whose writing days need lots of alone time and to be interspersed with naps, so you are therefore deeply unsuited to community writing sessions; not so great if you get stuck in your own head and need support and stimulation from other people. If you fit into the latter camp, why not try Alphabetti’s Writing Group?
Free to attend, and open to drop ins, they do ask that you book in advance for this peer-led group, so they know the numbers to expect. But if you are looking for a laid back, supportive environment you couldn’t do much better than Betti, so why not give it a try?
What I am watching
As you may have gleaned from previous emails, I tend to be the person who records something on my planner / adds it to my watch list then… doesn’t watch it (yes, yes, I still haven’t watched Doctor Who - I know, I know). So it will surprise precisely nobody to hear that I was super excited about Mary and George coming to TV then promptly recorded it and forgot about it.
Anyway, I finally got round to watching it and so far it is a delight. It is very much a ‘sexy history’ in the Starz mould (there’s a lot of male nudity and guys getting it on), and it reminded me of the Elle Fanning series The Great (a highly enjoyable romp about Catherine the Great). It was less outright comedic but did have a similarly arch and knowing tone, and bitchiness abounded. Featuring a stellar Julianne Moore as the scheming Mary and star-on-the-rise Nicholas Galitzine as her petulant, pouty but pretty son George, it is based on the true story of royal favourite George Villiers and packs in a host of quality character actors, including a scene stealing, razor tongued Nicola Walker, and Tony Curran as the besotted but mercurial king.
I also watched movie du jour Hit Man, the Richard Linklater film that stars Glen Powell as a mild-manner lecturer with a side gig of masquerading as a hit man in police stings who falls for a woman (Adria Arjona) who wants her abusive husband dead. (Very) embellished from a true story, it is a smart, sexy romantic comedy, enlivened by genuine chemistry between its leads and Powell having an absolute riot dressing up in his various hit man guises.
[Image description: The Scandal of the Century by Lisa Hilton]
What I am reading
I picked this up and started it ages ago, only to put it down and forget about it – are you sensing a theme? But while it is very America-focused, I am so far enjoying Elise Loehnen’s On Our Best Behaviour: The Price Women Pay to be Good, which looks at how women are socialised against their own interests to treat certain behaviours as ‘sinful’ (sloth, lust, greed, etc) and how we can resist that. Having spent much of the week lying on the sofa watching Nicholas Galitzine while eating a family pack of mini-Twirls (so crossing at least three of those sins off in one go), I like to think I’m doing my part in the rebellion…
I also this week picked up Scandal of the Century by Lisa Hilton, which is about playwright Aphra Behn and her many guises. I studied Behn at university and she has always been a figure of fascination for me, so I am looking forward to reading this.
Thanks again for reading – please do share with your friends! Every new subscriber really does give me a boost. And remember if you want to support my writing but a paid subscription isn’t for you (times are hard, I get it!), you can buy me a one-off Ko-fi or buy one of my books.
Remember: everything included is my personal preference / opinion, and while I strive to be accurate, I always advising checking with the relevant venue.
I think you’d love Kyoto which is being shown at the RSC. Very interesting and an immersive experience!