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.
Tired of their regular, uninteresting lives, Sarah and Ralf engineer the perfect entertainment, a dinner party. Attended by Sarah’s highly strung work colleague Edith and her bludgeoning husband Bastian, a man of principals, architecture and bubbling rage, the stage is set for a series of casual jokes from the hosts over their murder of Mr Kolpert. Indeed, the vast majority of the play was centred on this singular joke and it’s a testament to the skill of the performers that they managed to keep this amusing throughout.
Georgia Bird was sensational as the mousy Edith, whose engrossing characterisation morphed effortlessly from the comedic to the manic and finally to the chillingly logical by the close of the performance. Ziggy Heath was stylishly mischievous as the laidback Ralf, providing eerie, yet often hilarious comments on the dinner party proceedings, as he along with Sarah (Lucy Hammond) conspiratorially led their guests on a murderous dance. Bastian, played by George Viner as the loud imposing, anti-thesis of Ralf certainly provided the needed energy and impetus for the role, yet unfortunately the constant eye-movement seemed overbearing and there was a slight tendency to slip into a monotone shade of anger.
The course of the plot was mirrored wonderfully by the condition and order of the set, the clinically white and ordered suburban flat and the majority of the characters being literally strewn by copious amounts of pizza, wine, water, blood, tissues, tiramisu and even a hefty kitchen knife by the close of the show. Congratulations must go to the production team for being brave enough to risk such mess, the impending sense of chaos it generated was superb.
Mr Kolpert, despite being noticeably raw in places provided a fine night of entertainment and with tightening of the lines, movement and the occasionally jerky violent scenes, has the potential to be a fantastic show.
You must log in to submit a comment.
