Immaculate by Oliver Lansley (Rekindle Theatre) Review

Mia (Amiera Darwish) is pregnant, to the best of her memory hasn’t slept with anyone in six months, and now the Arch Angel Gabriel is knocking on her door claiming her unborn child as the second coming. As though the shock of finding out that she has quite possibly been nonced by the big man isn’t enough: Satan also appears to claim her babe as the anti-Christ, her ex is hanging about the house calling her a whore, her best friend has a guilty conscience and a confession to make, and worst of all she’s slept with the biggest geek in the world: Gary Goodman.

Rekindle Theatre breathe new life into Oliver Lansley’s 2006 piece (originally premiered at the Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh) with a stand out performance by Laurie Brown as a campish Gabriel harbouring a temper, constantly finding himself on the defensive as he God’s apologist, at one point even getting chased around the room by a whip-brandishing Mia in a dominatrix outfit. Samuel Keefe and Simon Donaldson also pull out skilled contrasting performances as Gary Goodman and Lucifer respectively.

The kinetics of the piece flow excellently (director Bill Wright’s credit) creating a vivid atmosphere, characters sometimes miming in the background of scenes, at others unceremoniously shunted aside to watch agape by the more dauntless. Tastefully selected music fortifies key moments and we’re even treated to some lively choreography as the cast buffoonishly “show us what they got” to Destiny’s Child’s Bootlicious, one of many hilarious scenes. Another favourite is Rebecca (Saria Steyl) gushing out her narcissistic concern that her own dishonesty will lead inescapably to the loss of her best friend, Mia, and her new boyfriend, Michael, all in one fell swoop.

It’s not a perfect rendering. There are some awkward character dynamics, for example the relationship between Mia and her ex Michael, is more mother-to-spoilt-child than lover-to-ex-lover so any unresolved chemistry between them is hard to imagine, although they sink into it more as the play progresses. There is also a degree of overplaying, which could alternatively be countenanced as intrinsic to absurd nature of the melodrama depending on one’s taste for realism. The spirit of some cut scenes, in which the cast verse narrations in ominous unison while wearing spooky masks, takes some time to develop. At first we’re not sure whether it’s meant to be funny or serious (if funny: not demonstratively enough, if serious: downright cheesy) but the form soon establishes itself and grows on us.

Overall the production is extremely enjoyable and well received.

Illich - The High Brow Sketch Show (Episode 9) Featuring Osho and Anthony deMello

oh yes, what's that old turn of phrase? destroy your heroes?

Performed by Illich, recorded and engineered by Jono at the Soular Power Suite

Working Class Aesthetics – the Pitmen Painters

The Glasgow Theatre Royal has the privilege of hosting Live Theatre Newcastle and The National Theatre in a production of Pitmen Painters, written by Lee Hall, featuring much of the original 2007 cast. The play centres around The Ashington Group, a society largely composed of miners who, under the Workers Educational Association, turned their eyes to art appreciation after seven years of evening classes in other subjects, and got hooked.

Inherently political, but spiced with eager witticisms which temper and dissolve any air of the soap-box, the play explores the relationship between art and class. Not only the idea that pursuit of art is the preserve of the rich, but also that one need to speak a “certain language” in order to enter into a dialogue on culture. The characters are vivid, each providing an opportunity to approach the aesthetic questions raised by the plot from their own points of view which develop into maturity as they, themselves progress.

The integration of the great questions of the philosophy of art is a great success. The Pitmen Painters are used to non-arbitrary answers, hard facts, and are rather disappointed at first when their tutor informs them that those are few when it comes to art. Struggling with the tensions between the abstract and concrete, the significance of feelings, and meaning as internal to the observer, they are entreated to being painting that they may understand from the inside. In doing for themselves they find great fulfilment, understanding, transcendence of their class – in being their own bosses, and a deep appreciation of what makes art and the meaning of being an artist.

The play takes an unexpected yet welcome turn from the critical to the sentimental in the second act. The spirit of the play is allowed to evolve. Having dealt with the outer dilemmas of philosophical inquiry, our attention turns to dilemmas most inner, self-identity and affiliation.

                Raucous sound effects mark scene changes rather intrusively, abd sadly things take a turn for the worse just before the end. The tangible drama of the penultimate scene is cut short and trivialised by a burst of loud music which plays over the stage dress into a final scene which heartbreakingly fails to coalesce into a satisfactory resolution. Jimmy Floyd’s politicised speach on the Pitman Painters creating and appreciating art in tribute to all the other working class people who cannot, falls short of delivering a warming conclusion that we may carry with us out of the auditorium. We feel suddenly harkened back to the spirit of the first act through trodden ground to an anti-climax.

Nonetheless, the production of a play so deeply involved in philosophy which remains so consistently insightful and entertaining at the same time, is no mean feat. The Pitmen Painters is a jewel of theatre: inspiring to the art-lover, animating to the philosopher, enlivening to the humanist, and beyond that charming to witness.



See another good review of Pitman Painters by Rachel Cooke of the Guaridan here

Scottish Government's new policy on tackling knife crime is an idiotic waste of money.

The Scottish Government's new policy specifies that anyone carrying a knife will automatically go to jail for 1-4 years:
1) This does not address social factors that create knife crime.
2) This insane policy will cost £40,000+ per offender, per year (up to £160,000)
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/28/justice.prisonsandprobation)
For that kind of money they could be tackling the social factors that create the conditions for knife crime.
3) This will put impressionable youngsters behind bars where they will be exposed to the company of hardened violent criminals to learn bad habits and make contacts before going back out into society. It will not work to rehabilitate the offenders at all.
4) Jail is not a deterrant to knife crime (http://www.channel4.com/news/a​uthorities-not-doing-enough-to​-prevent-more-knife-deaths)
5) This is knee jerk posturing which no one will oppose because the don't want to look soft on crime. The policy is intellectually bankrupt and creates more problems than it solves.

I emailed my MSP for all the good it will do,
You can do the same: www.writetothem.com

Pilot 3 (a Flatrate production)

I had the pleasure of appearing as Ben E. Sharpe (one of our reoccuring characters on the Illich Sketch Show) at Pilot, "An Open-Mic Night. But loads of them. All at once. All mixed up into a lovely Podcast and available to download from the internet." It was arranged by Flatrate and hosted at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Sauchihall Street, Glasgow.

CHECK OUT THEIR PREVIOUS PODCASTS HERE

It was really fun basically I was to make improvised business consultations in character with anyone who fancied ceasing the opporuntiy (my friends Finn, Suzy and Randolph who came along had a shot), there were some really funny unexpected moments. Links to the podcast will go up when the news comes through, and some of the extra material will be used on the Illich youtube channel which is really cool.

There were some really great comic acts there including Chloe Philip (stories of funny experiences in the states, shoplifting and institutionalised racism) Martin Bearne (an extended list of punchlines) Geoff Gawler (whom I shared an enjoyable a highly amusing improvised interview with where he posed some left of field questions as an ABC Austrailia reporter) Eleanor Morton (ukulele-driven musical comedy.)

The next Pilot will be held on the 14th of August at as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Colin Chaloner of Flatrate also proposed that Illich is reprisented at this event which is really flattering, so we will definately be looking into preparing something for it.

Now, back to Blade Runner.

Close and Faraway music update and other things.

My new hobby is sitting outside,
Coffee in one hand,
Smoke in the other,
And a book of poetry,
In my lap.

Today's favourites:
The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes
If by Rudyard Kipling
Snake by D. H. Lawrence

I went to open mic at The Free Hetherington yesterday and read some out and the we had a massive jam session it was really fun.

Today I've mostly been playing piano and composing for Close and Faraway.

The Bollero is sounding freaking awesome and really enjoying playing an arrangement for piano, it's got a tricky cross rhythm running through it which looks a bit like this:

So it's a bit tricky to play at first on the piano, but you get used to it!



I'm also very happy with how the (perhaps provisionally titled) "Omega's Theme" is going, the harmony in it is very sophisticated an I've learned a lot about making strange chord sequences work doing it so I'm delighted.


I was speaking to Rowan (our oboe player) about the music on fb and sent her some midi, she's been very encouraging. A clarinet has been added to the ensemble thanks to my friend Linzi, at first I was reluctant (more instruments = more work) but it's actually really helping me along I'm finding it really useful.

Stewart also broke some news about funding and venues for previews but I'm not sure how much I'm at liberty to blog yet :-)

Sweet dreams,

Antony

Play a pie and a pint

review goes here later

The Dream that would Inspire "Like The Greeks"

I had the weirdest dream. I was going down these ancient rock stairs on some kind of field trip, they were at the side of a great precipice and I got vertigo and sat down but was to scared to get back up. Someone else on the trip refused to give me a hand back up. I ended up sliding down into an alcove and in there I got myself together to go the rest of the way. There were White heads carved into the wall like the old ones of Sophocles and Aristophanes etc. In fact the stairs lead down to Athens. Next thing I was in a modern concert hall like a theatre and who should be playing but Papa Roach?! They were playing some new stuff I wasn't familiar with, I text you: 'I'm in Athens! So now I can be a Greek like I always wanted!! Papa Roach are playing, I feel like it's meant to be!'
(Sent to Kerry Corbett, 04/07/11)

"lol that's a weird dream, also, I was listening to papa reach all day yesterday! Hmm what does it all.mean? :p"
(Received from Kerry Corbett, 04/07/11)

"I think the ancient greeks things symbolises my desire to have had an impact on the evolution of human thought like the Greeks, the great philosophers, poets, etc. Not sure. I thought it was nice that I text you it seemed like the 'realest' thing about it... sweet"
(Sent to Kerry Corbett, 04/07/11)

"I shall write a play called 'Like the Greeks' and it shall be the story of a struggling artist trying to come to terms with his role in the world while simultaneously alienating those around him. Cliched? I hope not too much so but it's more important to do something good than something original. xXx"
(Sent to Kerry Corbett, 05/07/11)



"I had a weird dream last night. I was walking down this ancient rock staircase at the edge of a great precipice on some sort of field trip, it was night. I got vertigo thinking of falling down the side and sat down, I was too scared to get back up again. Someone else on the trip i didn't know refused to give me a hand back up. After some time I ended up sliding down (eyes closed) into a little alcove where I was able to get myself together to go the rest of the way. There were white heads of ancient Greeks carved into the rock like the old ones of Sophocles, Aristophones, Socrates, Plato, etc. I think 3 of them, and in fact my trip down the stairs was a trip down to athens...
‎...which was a small ancient city at which the stairs were the path to in my dream. Next thing I was in a modern concert hall that looked a bit like a theatre and a rock band I used to listen to in my youth were playing an informal gig there, they were playing new songs I wasn't familiar with. I texted my ex girlfriend who I'm still close friends with, "I'm in Athens! So now I can be a Greek like I've always wanted!! Papa Roach are playing, I feel like it's meant to be!"
(Sent to Dimitri Halley, 04/07/11)

"We tend to inflate and ascend to heights often too high to be able to descend safely. The dream is telling you to come back down...Greece and the Greek in you stand for this more earthy feeling side."
(Received from Dimitri Halley, 04/07/11)
  
"Hey that's really interesting, I definately relate to the needing to come down bit.
Funnily enough I interpreted the greeks as my will to be a great man when the time for great men has passed, ie. there is no need for another Voltaire, Sartre, Beethoven, Wagner and even if you wrote poetry better than Byron no one would notice... but classic ego balancing act - yin yang - trying to interpret the way down as being puffed up the feeling of "earthyness" is more congruent with what I was feeling down in the concert hall, not very puffed up."
(Sent to Dimitri Halley, 05/07/11)

Buddy the Musical @ the king's

this blog is going to be revised, there's something here to be said that I want to do more succinctly but atm I just want to float it out there.

So I caught the Buddy musical yesterday at the King's.

I was feeling really disappointed because I remember seeing this as a kid and was really blown away,
If fact, I remember thinking when I saw We Will Rock You (oh god!) that Buddy should have been the model for it.

The first time I saw Buddy I thought the great success of it was that it told the story of Buddy Holly's career through his music, it was exciting, different and it captured those moments of inspiration that led to interesting features of songs such as the use of a celeste and slapping of knees on Every Day, use of a rhumba beat on another track, that moment when Buddy and the Critics showed up at the Appolo only to be told the venue had been expecting a band that was black etc. and I sort of had hopes that they would do the same with the Queen musical, tell the story of the band through their music.

This production actually failed to make any of those moments exciting. In this day of Juke-Box Musicals (We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia, Disco Inferno, et al) it is very normal, straght-forward, easy and acceptable to coin a cheesy storyline and fit songs that are already well loved around it but rather than set an example for the musicals of the future which are set around the best-loved songs of famous artists it descended down into Juke Box Musical territory like all the rest.

Close and Faraway meeting

So I met with Stewart Marshall to discuss the music for Close and Faraway and some suggestions on refining the script.

Things are going well and I have some decent guidelines to work within for bringing the score together in a way that follows the progression of the script. Where things come in, where they come out, what kind of meshing of themes would work, where variations on themes could go. It's nice to have a frame work it makes things a lot easier.

Attune Theatre will be performing a new short as part of Seeds of Thought at the CCA tonight, from 7:30. Come along and check it out.

Stewart has been in meetings with various venues regarding preview events for Close and Faraway and organisations regarding receiving some funding, all very exciting.

Knives in Hens and Frames of Reference

Tonight I went to see Knives in Hens at the Tramway Theatre with Gareth Vile.

It was a really bizarre experience for me because the director made the decision to execute the piece in a sort of surrealistic style which (I am told on good authority from Gareth) is popular in Belgian theatre. This is supposedly very much at odds with how the writer (David Harrower) is usually interpreted, in a very naturalistic style typical to British theatre.

What made this so strange and educational is I felt I had no frame of reference to judge the piece by...
I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it all the way through, but I couldn't say that anything was wrong with it either.

In other words, if you give me a piece of music to look at I can tell you whether it's good or not, if you think good is subjecive lets say i can say whether it works or not. I can tell you if the harmonic changes are clever or basic, if the melody is inspired or average, if there are interesting rhythmic features, if the parts are written idiomatically for the instruments that have to play them, etc.

I can tell you those things because I have a reasonably sophisticated understanding of music.

Basically I couldn't say whether this piece was good or not because I didn't know what criterion I should be judging it by. That's a very interesting experience for someone who doesn't believe the quality of art in entirely subjective and aesthetics go beyond reason (hence, in part, the name of this blog.)

I was so glad that I didn't have to review it because in this instance my opinion would really not be a qualified one. I'd have to fake it. Until I've seen another four or five pieces in this idiom I wouldn't have much to say about it other than I found it a bit too long and intense, but there were some beautiful moments.

Gareth explained a lot of context on the walk home which helped clarify what was going on to a degree.

It's amazing how everything you see broadens your awareness, especially if you can discuss it in detail with someone on the way home :-) This was a funny point because we were talking about whether it was successful or not and as we reached the door Gareth said something like, "If the point of the play was to get people to discuss whether they liked it or not all the way home then it would be an outrageous success." True.

Here is an insightful review of Knives in Hens by Lyn Gardner at The Guardian, she's a very good critic, I've read a couple of her reviews.

Another review of Knives in Hens by Mark Fisher writing for The Guardian in Edinburgh

I've looked at other  reviews as well but none I found particularly worth sharing.

Illich - The High Brow Sketch Show (Episode 8) FEATURING KEANU REEVES!!!!

here it is:

Performed by Illich, recorded and engineered by Jono at the Soular Power Suite

Music for Close and Faraway update

This weekend I have been working here and there for the music for Close and Faraway, I now have a number of pieces in varying degrees of completion:

- Genesis
- Further Away (Underscore for Alpha's First Monologue) / Alpha's Theme
- Omega's Theme
- Omicron's Theme
- Epsilon's Theme (and variations)
- Omicron's Theme
- Bollero
- Revelations

Review of Avenue Q

Check out my review of Avenue Q on The Skinny's Website.

Advice on Writing Musicals, a critic's perspective

I went to see When The Clown Laughs by Joseph Traynor yesterday, I couldn't review it for The Skinny but I did offer up a couple of pages of feedback for the writer/director/co-star. I've made a more general digest for this blog as I think there's something valuable in it and I spose I should be making posts about what I'm doing as that's the whole point of having this blog.

• Be economical with your scripts. The common runtime of a musical at The King's is around 1h40 including interval! That’s about standard for a musical as that suits people’s attention spans. I certainly wouldn’t stretch to more than 2 hours all in.
  
  While scenes and songs are your children, you will generally find that making cuts of choice selections makes every line count and results in stronger writing overall. Especially look out for explanations that are repeated (does the audience already know this? Does putting this in add anything to the impact?)
  
  For songs, every one should add something to the plotline or have an important impact. They should not just serve to span things out. As a general rule if they do not contribute something significant that can specifically be named and justified they have to be cut. I’ve read about Stephen Sondheim writing over 30 songs for a show and leaving only about 22 of them in at the end, it’s just part of the process and no experience is wasted
  
  During scene dresses instrumental music should usually have some melodic material to it, not just the kind of music that accompanys someone singing. Without the vocal melody on top it sounds bare, it sounds like an accompanyment, which is what it is.
  
  Exercise caution in dealing with themes of incest (particularly in the first scene) as some people find this very distasteful. There are some taboos over being forceful on those issues in our society which can leave a bad taste in the mouth of theatre goers which certainly ought not to be an initial reaction.
  
  When actors have solos they should not be under-directed otherwise half way through the song they end up looking like a fish out of water, as though they don't really know what do do with themselves. Some action can be useful in keeping the audience's attention.
  Before you put a show into production do some work-shopping and ask other writers and theatre-makers to read your scripts or watch excerpts and comment on anything points that can be tweaked or any repetition that can be snipped to make the overall item stronger.
  Naturally all criticism is subjective, my only authority is that I see more than most people and write about it regularly.

Tell Me on a Sunday

Check out my review of Tell Me on A Sunday, it's on The Skinny's website.