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.
"I thought we’d all come here to rot together' says Jenkin in the debut of York MA student Nikolaus Morris’ play, anticipating the sense of decay, disintegration and, more importantly, stagnation that encompasses the story.
The Ash Grove focuses on a handful of young men and women who drop out of society with the hope that a stint in a dilapidated, disarrayed farmhouse will prepare them, once again, for life in the wider-world. What they enter into, however, is a powerhouse of manipulation and brainwashing by the charming ‘demagogue’ Callum (Matt Springett). Most succumb to his charms, apart from the apparently impervious Jenkin (Jamie Wilkes). Trying to shatter his resistance, Callum takes Ruth (Niamh Walsh), Jenkin’s twin sister, as a lover. This triggers an exploration into Jenkin’s childhood and past, forcing us to question his very presence in the house.
The first half of the play seemed to take an inordinately long time to get off of the ground. The action appeared slow, almost stationary; however, this relates nicely to the overall theme of stagnation. The audience were given just enough to sustain their intrigue, glimpses into the character’s personalities, pasts and problems. Thankfully, the second half proved more captivating and allowed us to engage more with the characters and their relationships with one another.
The play was punctuated by shock and violence; at one point Callum’s seething temper reaching boiling point, and he knocked the victimised Jenkin to the ground, leaving the audience in a palpable state of shock. Morris continued to stun the audience with the vulgarity in Callum and Elvin’s (Paul Young) obsession with sex, the hint of incest between Jenkin and Ruth and Joe’s (Dominic Allen) implied raving lunacy. However, what seemed like a bleak outlook on life was challenged by numerous comic moments. In particular, Callum’s vanity in several miniature photo-shoots with Robert (Jonathan Kerridge-Phipps) had the audience in fits of laughter.
Jamie Wilkes as the beleaguered Jenkin gave a stunning performance and his antagonist Matt Springett as Callum was a powerfully haunting stage presence, often compensating for the passionless pieces from Carly (Anna Rohde) and Ruth (Niamh Walsh). Jonathan Kerridge-Phipps showed signs of a great performance as Robert, my only wish is that Morris had used him more. Nevertheless, the cast interacted well, successfully depicting the tension and intensity within the farmhouse.
On the whole, ‘The Ash Grove’ conveys the brilliance of Morris’ innovation. What could be construed as discordance, fragmentation and sheer randomness comes across as the writer doing something new. Although daunting, it made for a refreshing and thoroughly intriguing play, testimony to the standard of drama we have here in York.
The Ash Grove runs until Sunday, tickets are available on the door, priced at £3.50 for Drama Soc members and £4.50 otherwise.
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