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.
The play’s themes of endings and goodbyes could have been presented in a corny manner, but Wilmot is far too accomplished a writer for this to happen. Her dialogue is razor-sharp and witty, with numerous memorable one-liners. These were delivered with panache by the talented cast, particularly by the gruff Sir Balin (Tom Crowley). The play's characters were all quite likeable (bar Lewis Chandler’s sinister loanshark), which meant that more serious scenes were able to be poignant without being heavy-handed.
As the oft-drunk cleaner Orson, Luke Malkin delivered a strong performance. Playing an alcoholic character is never easy but Malkin thankfully avoided the pitfalls of over-acting, and was instead believable as a man bewildered by the strange happenings around him. Also brilliant was Rosie Brear as the waitress Phil, a young lady struggling to cope with an immense personal tragedy. Phil could quite easily have been cloying in less able hands, but Brear is able to inject the right amount of pathos into her character and was a treat to watch. Luke de Belder, playing Sir Galahad, deserves kudos for spending much of the play murmuring prayers without missing a beat or needing to take a breath.
The set of Knightingale was visually very impressive. Shimmering glitter curtains, a disco ball, and tables strewn with fag ash and half-empty glasses all served to create an atmosphere of decadence. Colour was also used well: the centrepiece bar (built by Oli Moran and Izzi Dixon) was an impressive construction, and apart from showcasing a convincing array of colourful cocktails, also functioned to great effect in the play's more supernatural scenes. These scenes (involving familiar Arthurian motifs) could have been extremely hokey, but Wilmot's careful direction and judicious use of lighting and sound meant that they always remained engaging.
The play is not perfect. Its running time is close to the two-and-a-half-hour mark, and occasionally the play feels its length. Transitions between scenes were sometimes clunky, although there were clear attempts to minimalise this by playing soft jazz music and leaving some tables lit. Nonetheless, it is clear that Knightingale is a labour of love, meticulously crafted right down to the cute programmes printed on little shields. It is a worthy addition to the growing body of high-quality student writing here at York, and bodes well for Wilmot's next project: Howling Moon at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer.
You must log in to submit a comment.
