Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
Set entirely in a hospital room and a small back-office, this play is perfect for the restricted settings of the drama barn with its minimal scope for the changing of scenery necessary in a more complex drama. The production team for this play are astounding. The barn was unrecognisable from a few nights ago when I saw The Maids and still had that headache-inducing aroma of fresh paint. Entirely white, sterile and genuinely hospitalesque, you could almost have been at York Hospital after a night at Gallery gone wrong. If you cannot find any other reason to see this play other than to see the drama barn sparkling white and epitomising the term ‘clinical’, do not let that stop you. It is well worth a look.
From the outset, it was clear that this team were working with a less-than-perfect script. I was not sure how deliberate the indiscrete and unsubtle dialogue and characterisation were. If unintentional then the dramatists should really know better. Contrasting jaunty with draconian staff, a couple of brief romantic dalliances, a good-cop bad-cop doctor double-act and stating-the-obvious script; this is pretty soap-opera type writing. Perhaps this is its charm: a Holby City type screenplay (it was originally written for television) with hard-hitting issues thrown in for added dramatic measure. If you like simplicity from your plays and prefer to focus entirely on the issue at hand rather than word-play, ingenuity and definite chances for actors to showcase subtle acting skills, then perhaps this will appeal to you.
Despite this, the acting from most of the cast was first-rate. Rebekah Brazier, playing protagonist Claire Harrison, was convincing as a woman subjected to a life of mental torture after paralysation from the neck down. She managed to get life out of a somewhat dead script with emotional turmoil exuding from every shake of the head. Mark Smith and Dan Sofaer playing Dr Michael Emerson and Dr David Scott respectively showcased outstanding dramatic ability with performances that outshone the script by miles. Danie Linsell playing Mrs. Justice Milhouse was as astute as usual with a professional demeanour and perfect dramatic timing. Some performances were stilted and somewhat awkward but I remained unsure as to whether the sterile performances were intended to reflect the sterile and professional environment.
In short, this is a play well worth seeing even if you only want to see the drama barn looking like a white-washed surgery or want to challenge your views on euthanasia and suicide. The directing is incredible especially for a first-time role, the cast astute and the themes intriguing. Hopefully the script will not induce suicidal thoughts but then again, I’m not promising a thing.
Whose Life Is It Anyway is showing week 6 Friday to Sunday in the Drama Barn. Doors open at 7.30 and tickets are available on the door. Arrive early to avoid disappointment.
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