War Horse

Review by: Paul Towers, 18/9/19

War Horse by Nick Stafford based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo

A National Theatre production

Curve 18 Sept to 12 October

“an astonishing production ... emotionally draining.”

Rarely have I come out of a theatre feeling so emotionally drained as I stumbled out of Curve tonight from War Horse, the story of Joey and Albert,  horse and owner inextricably linked by The Great War of 1914-18.

The opening vision of the foal, the infant Joey, stumbling around on his too long legs lulls you into a false sense of security and does not prepare you for the horrors that horse and owner go through. All too soon foal Joey fades into the shadows to be replaced by, looming out of Curve’s dark cavernous stage, the awesome sight of full grown Joey, a thoroughbred racehorse with a mind of his own. Permanently bonded to Albert, William Ilkley, the illiterate son of a Devon farmer, they are torn apart when Joey is sold by Albert’s father for the princely sum of £100 and sent away to France to become cannon fodder for the cavalry.

All this would be emotional enough until you actually see the extraordinary puppets that are the horses. Some, like Joey and his buddy Topthorn, have very complicated articulation and are operated by three operators. Others are less complicated and have fewer manipulators. Oh, and then there is the goose, much needed light relief, guided by a single guy, Jonathan Cobb.

Because the various puppeteers work on a rota to prevent RSI I can’t say which ones were on tonight but, whoever they were they were magnificent at characterising the horses’ various moods.

The whole story was nicely moved along by a narrator, Ben Murray, who sang original folk songs written for the play.

The puppets (although it does them a huge disservice to call them mere puppets) are remarkable in their versatility and ability to convey emotions. Curve’s huge main stage gives them the room they need to gallop around and rear up. At one point there is a huge cannon and even a WW1 tank rumbling out of the wings. Slung across the top of the stage is a banner reminiscent of the top of a page ripped out of a notepad onto which is projected a series of still sketches and animations telling us the timeline of the various events. This ties in with the similarly torn piece of paper that Albert carries through the war with a sketch of his beloved Joey.

To further cement the period in our minds the horrors of war are all too vividly recreated in sound and music by designer Christopher Shutt. Lighting design by Paule Constable adds further atmosphere and effect to the horrific slaughter on the stage.

Directed by Marianne Elliot and Tom Morris this is an astonishing production of a story that many said was un-stageable.

War Horse is at Curve until 12 October and tickets are still available and I defy you to walk out with dry eyes and without a lump in your throat.

Curve https://curveonline.co.uk
First published on Western Gazette

 

Sexy Lamp

Review by: Paul Towers, 12/9/2019

Sexy Lamp by Katie Arnstein

Directed by Ellen Havard

Upstairs @ The Western, 11-13 September 2019

“the script was packed with  laugh out loud moments”

Yesterday we were introduced to Katie Arnstein’s world in her debut, award winning show, Bicycles & Fish. Tonight we were treated to the follow up story of her long and often arduous efforts to become an actress like her heroine Judy Garland as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

The sexy lamp of the title refers to a theory devised by Kelly Sue DeConnick whereby any strong female character can be replaced by a sexy lamp in so many male created films. The thinking behind it is that the character is in a production purely for a visual aesthetic rather than as a meaningful relevance to the story.

Katie like lists and for an hour she took us through the two most important lists in her life, written when she was still at school.

Tapping into her now skilful ability to both tell a story and also find the characters in the story, Arnstein takes us on a journey which began in a primary school Christmas show, Santa’s Snow Mobile, right through to bucking against the trend of sleazy casting agents who require gratuitous and unwarranted nudity in films and auditions. All very #MeToo.

Once again she has her trusty ukulele to hand to accompany her insightful and original songs, only this time they were funnier and pithier. In fact the entire script was packed with even more laugh out loud moments than before.

Katie Arnstein is a very engaging actress/writer who deserves all the plaudits she gets.

A double bill of both Bicycles & Fish and Sexy Lamp is on tomorrow (Friday 13^th) at Upstairs at The Western. Well worth catching.

Upstairs at The Western http://upstairsatthewestern.com/
First published on Western Gazette

Bicycles and Fish

Review by: Paul Towers, 11/9/19

Bicycles and Fish by Katie Arnstein

Directed by Daniel Goldman

Upstairs @ The Western, 11 – 13 Sept 2019

“by turns hilarious and touching”

Over the years I have been reviewing productions at Upstairs I have seen quite a few shows from Tangram Theatre Company and Bicycles and Fish is up there with their best works.

Written and performed by new playwright Katie Arnstein this is her story of how, at the ripe old age of 16, she became a woman. This is not a traumatic account of her first menstruation (although I am sure that Arnstein could make even that hilarious), nor has it anything to do with fish or bicycles.  No, this is the tale of how she gained the confidence to say no and stand up for herself. Inbetween avoiding the lecherous advances of the café boss where she minimum-waged herself in the hope of saving up for driving lessons to learning how to avoid the lecherous advances of a beer crazed stag party on the train home Katie became a stronger woman (hm there’s a theme here that many women will recognise intimately).

Katie Arnstein is immensely personable with a very warm stage presence, a deft way with an aphorism and a talent for original ukulele songs.

A simple stage with a couple of chairs and a side table were all that Arnstein needed to conjure up her adventures in the West Midlands

This was by turns hilarious and touching as she let us into the world of her 16 year old self’s journey into maturity and first love.

Bicycles and Fish is on at Upstairs at The Western again on Friday 13^th Sept in a  double bill with Sexy Lamp, the sequel, which is on alone on Thursday 12^th

Tangram Theatre https://www.tangramtheatre.co.uk

Upstairs at The Western http://upstairsatthewestern.com/
First published on Western Gazette

Grease

Review by: Paul Towers, 04/09/19

Grease by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey, directed by Nikolai Foster choreography by Arlene Phillips

A Made at Curve production

Curve 3 – 14 September 2019 and touring

“a hell of a high energy show”

This Curve production of Grease has been touring since last year and makes a triumphant return to its home theatre before heading back out onto the road again.

In the interim director Nikolai Foster and Arlene Phillips have taken hold of the production and shaken it up with new choreography which raises the energy levels into the stratosphere. I last saw a touring production in 2001and this production is unrecognisable from that staid version.

The story of Grease is as old as the hills; boy meets girl, boy brags to his mates and loses the girl, girl and boy get together at the end. This is all told against the backdrop of a 1959 American High School prom. The show is jam packed with recognisable songs from Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’, Hopelessly Devoted and You’re the One That I Want. A cracking script veers from laugh out loud moments to tearful emotions. Just like every teenager’s awkward school years.

The set is a very movable jumble of gym bars and furniture in front of a radio station which reinforces the period with various hits played in the background.

The lead characters are well cast and charismatic; Dan Partridge as Danny Zuko and Martha Kirby as Sandy Dumbrowski work very well together, especially when Sandy finally finds her mojo in the iconic You’re The One That I want. Louis Gaunt as Kenickie bounces around the stage with some impressive gymnastics; Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky as Rizzo has many of the acid one liners while Darren Bennett as Vince Fontaine, a pervy DJ, also doubles up as Teen Angel. Despite Peter Andre being plastered all over the promotional material and only occasionally appearing in the tour, he was not missed in the role.

An eight piece band were secreted at the back of the stage which gave a full sound to the actors’ voices.

All in all this is a hell of a high energy show that delivers a great night out with strong singing, outstanding dancing and good acting. Curve should be proud of the show and that so many people around the UK can see it in all its glory.

Tour details https://greasethemusicalontour.com/

Curve https://curveonline.co.uk
First published on Western Gazette