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Why not check out what great theatre viewing opportunities there are within the city...

Just opposite the Union, Newcastle University has its very own theatre on campus. Every week they perform productions of the highest standard! As a modern building it is very accommodating to its audience with comfy seats and intimate spaces, and has a wonderful, buzzing atmosphere within.

John Osborne’s Look Back In Anger review

Director: Erica Whyman

Starring: Bill Ward, Rob Storr and Nia Gwynne

For anyone unfamiliar with John Osbourne’s supposed classic Look Back In Anger do not be alarmed it is a fairly simple story. The play’s focus is dominantly on Jimmy, a man labelled as an ‘original angry young man’ and he is not happy. In fact that is a large understatement he is actually really pissed off. So pissed off that he is given three acts to communicate to the audience just how pissed off he really is.

Lucky it’s a black comedy so it’s not all doom and gloom and there are moments to raise a smile however it is mainly occupied with a constant moaning from our main man Jimmy. So while he is annoyed at something there are a few other characters that are simply depressed about being around Jimmy and to be honest who wouldn’t be.

While Bill Ward is watchable as the ecstatic Jimmy there are several flaws with the rest of the cast. Nia Gwynne is gifted at shedding tears however her performance doesn’t offer much else. Whereas Rob Storr’s performance as Jimmy’s flatmate and best friend Cliff is simply a bland effort that has a few admirable moments but on the whole is an A-level drama turn.

Also the strenuous length of the play is another cross to bear for the audience. The end of the second act offers perfect closure to the story however John Osborne felt it necessary to give Jimmy another act to exploit how pissed off he feels with the whole universe.

If there seems to be a recurring issue in this review it is that Jimmy is pissed off and if you’re slightly bored by it then this is definitely not the piece of drama for you, since you’ll get three hours of it.

Two Stars

Unfortunately director Erica Whyman does not offer anything new in her adaptation of the play. Making this simply another standard addition to the long list of productions of this play.

NSR meets: Mark Calvert, Drama Worker & co-organiser of ‘Looking for Bill’

NSR: How do you think the day went overall?
Better that I ever ever imagined it to go! I mean, for the people that took part.. their bravery, their enthusiasm and drive... to stand on Northumberland street this afternoon... especially on Derby Day was a big task. And to perform Shakespeare the way they did, and to be so enthusiastic for it for all the 8 weeks that we did it has been tremendous!

NSR: What made you decide to do this project?
We were approached by Northern Rock Foundation, and also with the three theatres in town, like the theatre royal, and ourselves (northern stage), we were trying to sort of set up our own Shakespeare work without, but alongside the RSC, so we could then take it out into schools, without the RSC always with us. That’s why we did it. We thought it was a really interesting thing to see if we could engage young people with Shakespeare. I think we have! They’ve really embraced the idea and took it ok, and they haven’t been shy about it any way.

NSR: What do you think the young people & children get out of this?
Camaraderie, confidence, some of the stuff I have heard people do here... also they get a chance to perform and be different from everybody else at school. They’ve just been so fantastic, I can’t say enough about how brilliant they have been. I dunno.. I think they’ve got a lot from it! I think it enriches you as a person- I know that sounds really, really pretentious, but I think doing a bit of drama. And also, Shakespeare; the way they have been taught it in school has obviously been quite lively as well, because they’re all quite into it anyway. I think they’ve had a good time, and hopefully that’s what they got out of it the most- that they had a good time together.

NSR: What do you think the public got out of it?
It was really nice to see reactions today, because people thought it was quite religious in some way, and some people were quite angry about it. Other people were amazed by the fact that we had 30 young people speaking Shakespeare on Northumberland street! It was really interesting to see their reactions, there were some from sheer anger to looks of amazement, “What’s going on, I can’t believe it!”, and then there was the dawning realisation it’s Shakespeare, that it’s not just performed in a theatre with lots of people who are meant to like Shakespeare.

NSR: One last thing: if there are any young people who want to get involved with this, how would they contact you?

By our website: www.northernstage.co.uk , if you go the website and go to the ‘participate’ section, there’s a webpage there that tells you all about what we’re doing in the future, what we’re doing now and next year.. I think we’re going to do a bigger Shakespeare project which we’ll perhaps put in one of the stages here!

Other Reviews

Reviews:
1= Hated it
5= Loved it

Northern Stage

Don Jon (27th January-31st 2009)

5/5 - Georgie Cossins

Wow, wow, wow is a great part of what I have to say about this performance. It was produced by Kneehigh, RSC, and Bristol Old Vic, so lets face it, you can't get much better.

The fourth wall was completely stripped away, actors came from all parts of the auditorium, ran through the audience distroying all illusion of the theatre. And at the end of the show, to my horror they got members of the audience onstage to dance with them. All barriers between actors and audience were broken, which was completely thrilling, terrifying and brilliant all at the same time.

If you have never heard of the story of Don John/ Don Giovanni/ Don Juan/ Casanova (all who are the same type of character), well lets just say he is a character who epitomises womaniser. The kind of character who women love and hate at the same time, and who men envy. The sexual scenes however were done in a manner that didn't make you feel uncomfortable to the extent that detracted from the story, but nonetheless had you gripping your seat.

Now onto the music. This was such a key feature, and was what made Don John a magical performance. It had commercial popular music which set the context of 1970s, as well as more discordant songs which added to the atmosphere. The vocalist was also so talented and skilled I felt bad for only spending £5.50 on a ticket!

So, if you have never seen a production by Kneehigh before, they're coming later this term to Theatre Royal!!! Don't miss out this time.

Far From the Madding Crowd:

5/5 – Louise Morris
This week at the Northern Stage, the English Touring Theatre are performing an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel, “Far from the Madding Crowd”. Their interesting interpretation of Hardy's novel gives a visually arresting performance, convincingly led by the charismatic Bathsheba who when her uncle dies, inherits his large farm and captivates the hearts of three would-be suitors, whilst performing the traditionally male role of running the farm herself. Hardy's beloved Dorset countryside is effectively recreated with an inventive set as well as incorporated elements of folk music and song to evoke their rustic lives & pastimes.

The play has not been modernised, yet Kate Saxon's excellent directing has given the story a new lease of life. The production was swiftly paced, and at times was even humorous, which surprised me, as Hardy is notoriously morose. The second act however does have a more serious tone but the superb quality of the acting meant that this was the more powerful act, though it manages to retain some light heartedness to not overly subdue the audience. I highly recommend this production, it is dramatic, funny and moving and should appeal to a broad audience, plus under 25s get half price tickets (£8.50), so no excuses!

Four Men and A Poker Game:

2/5 - Eliza Lomas

'Four Men and a Poker Game' was originally a short story written by the famous communist playwright Bertolt Brecht. For the purposes of bringing this brilliant tale to British theatre for the first time, however, it has been re-interpreted as a play by the forward-looking director Zoe Svendsen.

Stage Three of the Northern Stage was the space chosen to host Four Men and A Poker Game; an area reserved normally for amateur productions or meetings. The transformation of the stage was astounding, and worked magnificently well for a Brecht-style production. As the audience filtered into the room, we were told to sit where we could find a space. This, it soon transpired, meant a seat in the bar like set-up, be it on a chair round the main table in the middle, or perched on a stool around the smaller tables on the sides. A plain clothed actor was making his rounds at this point, chatting with the audience and pouring himself a drink of what looked like authentic vintage whisky. When we were all sitting comfortably enough, he began the tale.

The play consisted of this one monologue, spoken in the third person, which described a poker game in which three men lost all their possessions to the fourth player. It was an enticing story, allowing us to imagine these men losing themselves and all their possessions in the one competition. The parallels to the disastrous economic situation, and the recent US election ‘competition’ could not have been more startling. To emphasise the connections to modern examples, the director had set up space in the room next door with relevant news articles, a lot of which used the rhetoric of a poker match. The audience also had the opportunity to write their own experiences of poker games, helping to personalise the event.

There was no doubt that this play held all the key elements to remedy a great Brecht play. The fourth wall was broken in a very effective manner, there was live music, a politically engaging story, and the techniques used to distance us worked as they should. Yet one element was missing, which would have been held the key to a modern Brecht masterpiece- entertainment; an aspect so crucial to any theatrical production, let alone a Brecht piece, that it is not even worth considering without it. It was forty minutes long but dragged unbearably- the reason my description of the storyline is so vague is down to this reason precisely; I couldn't help but switch off every five minutes. The monologue was just not enjoyable for an audience, there were times of painful silence- for instance- when the actor went and had a cigarette and the audience were left with nothing but to awkwardly look at each other.

It is unfortunate that the overall verdict of the play is poor, when the director obviously had great intentions, and more awareness and successful use of Brecht conventions than any other theatrical piece I have ever seen. Hopefully next time, she may get it right, and the play will be a masterpiece for our time.

Theatre Royal
Taming of the Shrew:

5/5 – Aimee Bradshaw
The RSC's annual season in Newcastle has begun once again, and filled with high hopes of a production that would be executed with supremely high standards I was not proved wrong with The Taming of the Shrew. From the opening to the curtain call I was gripped by what unfolded in front of my very own eyes; the quality of a Shakespeare plot cannot be denied, and in this case nor can the enthusiasm and sincerity presented by the actors. Michelle Gomez plays the wild and carefree character of Kate, and though at first I was unsure of the irrepressible rage Gomez plays Kate with I realised this was important to contrast with the ending of the play and fundamental to the power balance of her crushing relationship with Petruchio as played by Stephen Boxer. Boxer really managed to evoke an emotional reaction from me despite playing the dominating male role of the “tamer”, which shows the strength and capability he has as an actor. The setting and directing under Conall Morrison was substantial throughout and the ending was completely amazing and mind blowing, and shows that whilst speech does help to weave a plot together, actions can change the meaning of a play invaluably. Morrison also presents the darker side of the play, which really questions the nature of it as a comedy making it unsettling and uncomfortable to watch in places which is captivating and shows his breadth as a director. It was an absolutely phenomenal production, one that I would love to see again.