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.
For the first play of the term, the Drama Barn greeted its audience with a kitsch 1970s feel, a brown sofa complimenting the 1970s attire and The Carpenters classic 'Close to You', providing the perfect setting for Alan Ayckbourn's Absent Friends. A well selected cast and great direction left the whole of the drama barn watching, laughing and contemplating right from the start.
Cat Smith's superbly portrayed Diana opened the play as she nervously peppered the reticient Evelyn (Veronica Hare)with questions, before beginning the first of many paranoid rants brought on by her adulterous husband Paul (Michael Wilkins).
The tangible awkwardness of Diana and Evelyn's exchange was interrupted by Marge who, thanks to Lauren Whitehead's brilliant performance, was a notable highlight of the play. Marge was bubbly and vivacious, but Whitehead did a great job of revealing how Marge still could not conceal the less than perfect life behind her upbeat exterior.
The latent of unhappiness of the characters was an underlying theme throughout. On the most part, the play is not depressing; indeed it is often light hearted and humourous. Yet, the contemplative nature of the play, I feel, outweighs its humour. Ayckbourn's tragicomedy poses many questions to the audience, whether, for example, a marriage can remain happy in the long term.
This question is best exemplified through the character of Colin (Dan Wood). Performed with a quality far exceeding my expectations of student drama, Colin manages to talk, often lyrically, of just how genuinely happy he was before the untimely death of his fiancee. This happiness is offset by the misery of Diana and her cheating, tactiturn husband. Marge, whilst seemingly the happiest of the group, also became more dejected as the play progressed, as she faces up to the fact that she can't have children and is virtually a carer for her needy husband Gordon.
Indeed, Diana's tea party succeeds in cheering Colin up. Whilst he has lost the love of his life, he is left with good memories and a positivity, a positivity no longer shared by the rest of the group. However, the play still managed to remain humuorous, uplifting an thoroughly enjoybale, due, in no small part, to the superb acting and Sarah Gordan and Charles Rivington's inspired direction.
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