Category Archives: Uni of Northampton Student Productions

Review – Push and Shove, Crisis Point Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, Hazelrigg House, Northampton, 24th May 2017

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I’ve tried to get into the world of vlogging. Not as a vlogger, I hasten to add – no one would want to watch and listen to me spout forth drivel – but as a viewer; I’ve subscribed to a few people over the years, watched a few, but then they always seem to fade away into nothing much-ness. So this one man show, Push and Shove, by Crisis Point Theatre offers up a very interesting and believable scenario, where our hero vlogger, Jared Howell, is setting up his system to perform and record his latest livestream video, to be viewed by who knows how many thousands of people around the world. This broadcast, however, is going to contain something special, something different; a surprise for his fans, and an insight into his state of mind.

To be honest, I guessed from very early on what the nature of the surprise would be; it wasn’t difficult, given his sad reminiscences of the people behind the faces in his photo gallery that he has assembled around him, and the very ominous cardboard box that he has placed on the table in front of him. However, his descent towards suicide oddly drives the action forward; very disturbingly, but with a kind of hypnotic inevitability –lthough the only member of the audience not to see it coming let out of a scream of terror when the offstage gunshot was heard; people will always react unexpectedly to the sound of a gun!

This was a very well put together, thoughtful piece; not without humour, as Olly Manning, performing the role of Jared, absolutely nailed the character’s hollow mask of brightness and optimism, still putting on a brave and jolly show for his subscribers, whilst letting us see his tragedy when his adoring public were not looking. It’s a very appropriate piece for our time, not only with the whole vlogging phenomenon, but the growing awareness of mental health and the rate of male suicide. This show starkly revealed the uselessness – indeed cruelty – of telling someone to man up. As part of this “final show” Jared performs a poignant song – accompanied by Luke Mortimore on the guitar – which Mr Manning sings with great purity and heart.

My only criticism relates to the staging of the show; as Jared is performing to the camera for so much of the time, he isn’t actually performing to us, his live theatre audience watching this show. As a result, you get a slight feeling of being an outsider at the event, almost of being ignored, rather than feeling fully involved in his performing directly to you. Not sure how you could get around that, but it did have a slight distancing effect to our relationship with the character and his crisis. Nevertheless, it was a strong and authoritative performance that told its story clearly and with emotion, and, despite the subject matter, was strangely enjoyable. Congratulations!

Review – Being a Man, Lotus Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, Hazelrigg House, Northampton, 23rd May 2017

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There is a bizarre group of people who believe that male rape doesn’t exist. One victim of such a crime, who has now founded his own charity, reported that he telephoned a rape crisis line in desperation only to be told by the volunteer on the other end of the line that “men are the abusers, women are the victims”. True, male rape was only identified on the English and Welsh statute books as recently as 1994. Estimates suggest that as many as 15% of men are victims of sexual violence; and of those, less than 20% come forward and report it. For any ignorant, heartless and bigoted people who think men can’t be raped, I prescribe a dose of watching Lotus Theatre Company’s Being A Man, a one-man play performed by Javier Melhado.

In a performance of immaculate control, Mr Melhado explains the thoughts, the fears, the anxieties, the agonies of men who have been raped. He explains how easily it can happen; how a moment of defencelessness can lead to a lifetime of regret. He shows how victims blame themselves, how it must indicate that they are gay otherwise they would have fought to prevent it, how once they are raped they fear they can no longer be defined as a man. How it takes away their self-esteem, their ability to form relationships, maybe their desire to continue living.

In the tiny, harsh acting space of the basement at Hazelrigg House, Mr Melhado bravely examines and exposes the intimacy of these agonies, whether partially concealed behind a confidence-boosting gauze screen, or suspended abattoir-like in front of us with no hiding place, or thrown semi-naked onto the stone floor at our feet. This is a performance of rare honesty and extraordinary power. Technically, I loved how he enunciated every word with perfect delicacy, so that it all hit home with absolute accuracy, allowing you paint pictures with your imagination of the experiences he was describing. It was a shame that the light in the basement meant that the video wall was difficult to see (and I had to bob down to prevent my fat head from obstructing most of the screen). But this is a minor quibble that in no way impacted negatively on a great and important performance. Huge congratulations!

Review – Can’t Stop Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, St Peter’s Church, Northampton, 24th May 2017

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It’s a little odd to be reviewing a piece that doesn’t actually have a name (although this isn’t the only Flash Festival show this year to be nameless!) so I can only refer to it as the one-man-show by Can’t Stop Theatre Company, also known as Ben Sullivan. Alcoholism is both a social problem and an illness that can have far-reaching consequences not only on the alcoholic themselves, but their family and friends too. This simply structured, elegantly written piece introduces us to three men, each of whom is suffering as a result of alcoholism. The first is the distraught and broken son of alcoholic parents; the second an affable posh guy who can’t perform the simplest tasks without being fully topped up; the third an Irish lad who’s tried to give up and failed, and is losing everything as a consequence.

These three monologues from the heart really moved me. Ben Sullivan made a strong connection with the audience – he made you feel as though he was confiding directly in you and only in you. His three characterisations were all excellent; his Irish accent for the third character was constant and convincing, as was the deceptive brightness of the posh guy, humorously nipping on and off the stage as he retraces his steps to the off-licence. The utter sadness of the son character was harrowing. Terrific clarity of delivery too; I heard and could appreciate every word, and the three stories were all told at an excellent pace, fluidly, and I believed each one of the characters. Despite the obvious sadness of the subject, I really enjoyed this performance; it’s one of those experiences that linger on in your mind for days afterwards. Very impressed indeed, and I’d now say that Mr Sullivan is One To Watch!

Review – Erased, Afterlight Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, Hazelrigg House, Northampton, 23rd May 2017

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In the year 2020 – that’s only three years’ time so they’re obviously predicting a rush in scientific research – Clear Laboratories are the go-to supplier of the innovative new technique for depression, anxiety and a whole host of Mental Health issues. Their solution is to implant a “null cell” to prevent a painful memory from recurring. I guess it could work; and I’m sure there would be many customers.

We see three such customers in “Erased” – the sullen, withdrawn kleptomaniac, the recidivist return customer and the girl who lied about her age to get on the programme; and the play is about the interaction between them, trying to find out more about their pasts and why they are here. The scene is broken by one gameshow style interruption – a juxtaposition of lightness and humour with the darkness and seriousness of the main theme.

This performance featured a large amount of video content, perhaps a little out of balance in comparison with the live performance. And, I’m sorry to say it, but I found the play itself rather dull. There was a lot of deep self-examination but not a lot of drama. The characters performed by Helena Fenton and Joseph T Callaghan were very downbeat and didn’t seem to have much variety in them; and it was only the presence of Luke Mortimore that gave the play any real sense of life or movement. The play accentuated the lack of connect between the characters and unfortunately presented the same disconnect to the audience. It’s a shame because all three actors have proven themselves first rate in previous productions, but I’m afraid this really didn’t do it for me.

Review – Like Toy Soldiers, Chineke Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, Hazelrigg House, Northampton, 23rd May 2017

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It doesn’t take much imagination to see how children can get swept up in the carnage of war. Their houses destroyed, their parents killed, their schools bombed; without their own assets or influence they are by nature among the most vulnerable sections of society. LiKE ToY SOLDiERS drives home the awful truth of children caught up in war in Africa; not only becoming the victims of the tools of war, but being forced to become child soldiers themselves. The attractions to manipulative war barons are obvious – they are fit and energetic, they won’t demand payment, their underdeveloped sense of personal assertiveness in an adult’s world and fear of reprisal will make them naturally compliant to the wishes of their superiors.

This short but hard-hitting play takes one such African child. We see her at home, with strict but loving parents. She panics about forgetting to do the errand for her mother because she will get into trouble and she’s the quintessential good girl. We quickly see her become a victim of war, as her family security is destroyed and she is forced into combats. We see her, armed and terrified, running alarmed at every unexpected sound. We see her forcibly raped, because children are easy meat to the vicious and the vile. And, somehow, we see her survive.

It’s a strong, clear, moving and elegant performance by Kundai Kanyama; not only telling a sad but important story but also acting as a showcase for her talents – I particularly enjoyed the lively but harrowing scene she played in a mask, for example. This is the kind of performance that lingers in your mind for a long time afterwards, as one by one so many emotions are played out, so many ghastly experiences have to be endured before our child can have a future again. Very effective, very impressive. Great work!

Review – The Time Travel Tour, Just This Guy Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, Hazelrigg House, Northampton, 23rd May 2017

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The Time Travel Tour advertises itself as one part fast paced, historical sketch comedy, one part love letter to science fiction. Our intrepid hero takes us, Doctor Who-like, to various times in history to shed an oblique light on what was going on, and in so doing involves us in a sci-fi excursion, a day trip of potential disaster. Have you been on the Star Tours ride at Disneyland Paris? This show brought that to mind somewhat – an audience shown into a small and rather claustrophobic environment and then told to watch out for what’s about to happen – oh and this is your operator’s first day in the job. Things go wrong, we’re in for a bumpy ride – and that’s all part of the fun.

I really admire Jay Andrews’ vision for this show, and what he has created is extremely demanding on the performer, rushing on and off-stage, lots of costume changes, countless audio cues, and trying to make the content on the video wall synchronise with what’s happening on stage. He clearly put in loads of research to create an original blend of sci-fi and history; two, I must confess, of my least favourite things on this earth! Nevertheless, that was his challenge to me – to make me more interested in them. Unfortunately, I can’t say he succeeded at that, but he’s certainly not the first to fail at it either. However, even for a non-sci-fi-kinda-guy like myself, I did enjoy trying to spot a few of his references – Also sprach Zarathustra, Max Headroom, Tardis and Back to the Future.

This is a very ambitious show that relies on split-second accuracy between the performer and his tech support. Any fractional delay between the conversational flow or the relationship between him and any sound or video effects only emphasises the artificiality of the show and stops you believing in it. In the performance I saw, the sound level of the video footage was way too quiet. You had to really concentrate hard in order to hear what was being said, and, sadly, that hard work detracted from enjoying the humour and relaxing into the show. It would also have worked better if it had been even funnier – if the punchlines had really hit home, and if the scenes from history could have been snappier and even more intriguing.

Jay is clearly a likeable guy with an engaging personality and natural comic ability. Unfortunately, I think he deserved material with more bite; perhaps fewer scenes would help him to build on his relationship with his audience and develop the ideas more. Nevertheless, congratulations on devising one of the more inventive shows of the festival; with more work and tighter tech this could grow into a very successful one-man-show.

Review – G. M. H., Stalagmite Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, St Peter’s Church, Northampton, 22nd May 2017

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330 years from now, mankind has created Genetically Modified Humans – GMHs for short. If you’re uncomfortable with the thought of Genetically Modified Food – what would you think about the prospect of our genes being played about with so that we can withstand the extreme changes in the Earth’s atmosphere? There’s been a new Ice Age, and the choice was to change, or die… so…? GMHs were used to build a sustainable world for humans to inhabit. But are they also human? Robot? Something halfway between the two?

It’s clear when we meet two black market scavengers at the beginning of the show that they’re part of “traditional” humankind and look on the GMH that they discover as subhuman; “it”, as one of them insists they call the GMH rather than “she”. But does there come a point where the GMH’s abilities supercede the humans’? Has man bitten off more than he can chew?

An inventive and clever play, with three strong characters as well as the looming disembodied voice of the “boss”. Very nice use of video, with the Colossal Incorporated company calling for volunteers to become genetically modified, long before the events of the play were to unfold. Jamal Franklin and Daniel Ambrose-Jones asthe two vagabonds build up a good relationship with banter and argument so you really feel you understand how these guys work together; and the sudden arrival of a GMH in the shape of Jessica Bridge throws them into uncertainty – and not without cause. Miss Bridge is delightfully aloof, misleadingly accommodating and full of surprises.All I can say is, if she ever asks you to give her a shoulder massage, tread carefully.

Smartly performed, clearly delivered – and with more than one surprising twist at the end. Good work and congratulations!

Review – A Matter of Race, Zakiya Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, Hazelrigg House, Northampton, 22nd May 2017

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Two girls, same age; different upbringings in different countries but circumstances force them both to move to England. No knowledge of each other until one day fate joins them together at an interview. What do they notice about each other? Their clothes; their potential as rivals. What don’t they notice about each other? The difference of their skin colour. They recognised their own colour much earlier in their childhood, as part of growing up, as part of acquiring their own identities. These things just are – you don’t choose, you accept them. But the other’s colour only becomes apparent after life takes a turn for the difficult. A party. A shot is fired…

As their story develops you realise how the media report events and people, their motivations and their integrity, differently depending on their skin colour. If responsible for a crime, the white girl will get the benefit of the doubt; the black girl will get automatic assumption of guilt. But their lives run parallel;to all intents and purposes, they are virtually interchangeable. Does innocence have a chance when faced with institutionalised racism?

A simple play with a simple message that you don’t need to me to spell out here. Performed with pinpoint accuracy by Jessica Bichard and Karr Kennedy,this is a superbly well assembled, poetic piece of writing, that both actors bring to life direct from the heart. They build up beautiful speaking rhythms and patterns, speaking in unison, speaking in time, speaking in syncopation, speaking together, speaking apart. Extremely effective and, despite the harshness of the injustice it highlights, extremely enjoyable.

Review – Broken, Out of Mind Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, Salvation Army Hall, Northampton, 22nd May 2017

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The description of this production begins: “Billy Milligan is a young man struggling with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) who is accused of crimes that he believes he did not commit. Tormented by 24 different personalities, every day is a struggle to gain control of his life….” Can you imagine that? Having that kind of racket going on inside your head? It’s not something I’d ever considered before seeing this extraordinary production and when it finished, I emerged much better informed… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

This was my first time at the Salvation Army venue, and what terrific opportunities it provides for a larger scale production. Entering the auditorium, you are very disoriented by both the overall darkness and also the luminescent blue from the back screens; they create a slightly disturbing and unnerving 3-D effect. Actors in the dark are prowling around, lounging, languishing; you don’t know who any of them are or why they’re here. You can tell from looking at the evidence boards at the back that you’re in the police station. You think at some point that you’ll probably get to scrutinise and understand these boards, to get a better picture of what Billy Milligan did. You don’t. But that is one of the fascinations of this production, the huge effort into detail that has obviously taken place, literally in the background, but that you don’t get to examine. A lot of love has gone into this production.

Focus on Billy Milligan – he’s clearly suffering mental agony. He’s no recollection of doing anything that he’s accused of – but the CCTV shows him, fair and square, assaulting various women in accordance with the accusations against him. He must be lying – or so the detective in charge believes. We see the detective interviewing Billy – but wait – it’s now a different actor playing Billy; Ben Hampton, who had played him in the first scene – and whose photo adorns the crime board on the back wall – is now playing the detective… Was there a last-minute re-casting? What’s going on?

What’s going on is a brilliantly inventive way of showing Billy’s MPD with a variety of actors portraying the characters behind the different voices in Billy’s head. One hears of people saying they heard “voices”; what I’d never thought about (and if this is my lack of imagination, please excuse me) is that these different voices are like different people; a six-year-old Liverpudlian girl, an assertive American guy, a sassy aggressive know-it-all chick, a sullen sulk. Men, women, girls, boys, all races, all ages, they’re all in Billy Milligan, and this superb piece of drama brings that multitude to life with humour, passion, tension and shock. Billy Milligan really existed, incidentally, although this play doesn’t represent him in any kind of factual or documentary way – our Billy was born decades later, is considerably younger, isn’t in America but in the Salvation Army hall in Northampton. This production stamps its own individualism on the story.

It’s a show of so many highlights: Billy’s victims, unable to come to terms with talking about what has happened to them; Ben Hampton silently reciting the words of all the other Billies as they take control of him; Liam Faik’s confused and cornered Billy nearly crumbling under the detective’s questioning; all the brilliant characterisations of the sub-Billies but perhaps most strikingly Victoria Rowlands’ young Elizabeth, and the hard-nosed bitch of a doctor who won’t believe that MPD exists; the meticulous mime scenes,which culminate in the other Billies each passing over one item of clothing to the real Billy, representing how he eventually acquires the other characters as part of himself; and the scene which made me cry, where Billy recounts to the doctor how his childhood was affected by his father – again brilliant use of video in the background that suggests just enough of what happened without having to spell it out.

Fantastic ensemble work, superb characterisations by all the cast; it was shocking, surprising, enlightening; it drew out humour from the most unlikely places; I absolutely loved it. This show should certainly have a life after Flash. Congratulations to you all!

Review – A Sinner Kissed an Angel, Merge Theatre Company, University of Northampton Flash Festival, St Peter’s Church, Northampton, 22nd May 2017

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It’s that time again when the 3rd Year students of Acting at Northampton University launch their Flash Festival. It’s like a mini-Edinburgh fringe, and each of the productions counts as the dissertation towards the students’ degrees. Last year I saw some Flash Festival plays and I was very impressed. This year I’m hoping to see all fifteen on offer: four on Monday, four on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, two on Thursday and two on Friday. I’m already behind with my blogging, so it might be a while before I write about them all – but bear with me! There are three venues for these plays – St Peter’s Church (evocative and they’ve built the stage platform higher so previous poor sightlines are now much improved), Hazelrigg House (many different sized rooms there offering a variety of acting spaces) and the Salvation Army centre on Tower Street.

To open my Flash Festival experience this year, I started with A Sinner Kissed an Angel performed by the Merge Theatre Company. This is the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK, for the murder of her lover, David Blakely, in July 1955. She was 28. I remember hearing from my mother, the Late Dowager Mrs Chrisparkle, how the atmosphere on that day was very sombre. Everyone was quiet and reflective, and there were many who thought this was an inappropriate death sentence; and to this day, Ruth Ellis is a figure of some intrigue and curiosity.

The play starts with the climax, in a sense – the scene just before she murders Blakely; and then goes back to her early life, tracing the relationships, the friendships and her descent into a lawless and immoral environment where murder would seem like a fair option, given the circumstances. Regularly interrupting the progressing story of Ruth’s life, we have three “Good Housekeeping”/”Dear Marje” type ladies, with their infomercial/magazine columns advising women on how to do the best for their men, and how to cope with darker and darker situations. These scenes make for an entertaining juxtaposition with the general sadness of Ruth’s life.

Olivia Sarah Jayne Noyce takes to the role of Ruth like a duck to water, looking every inch the part and strongly conveying the character’s wilfully coquettish nature. Ruth knows what she wants and she’s going to get it. Miss Noyce is great at showing Ruth’s obstinate, manipulative and demanding characteristics, whilst all the time looking like butter wouldn’t melt. A very good performance. I also really enjoyed watching Jennifer Etherington as her friend Vicki; she has a very authoritative vocal delivery which made me absolutely believe her character, and her diction was also very clear which is an attribute I always value.

Connor McCreedy’s Blakely had a very sinister, threatening style; wheedling his way into Ruth’s affections, infuriatingly self-mocking, and, quite frankly, thoroughly deserving to get murdered. He was also the source of some excellent on-stage fisticuffs – very nicely handled. Jenny Watson was a very likeable and believable Muriel, amusingly stomping through the dance to grab her sister and expressing genuine concern for her safety and wellbeing; and admirably tackling the tougher prospect of playing another of Ruth’s paramours, Desmond. All four actors also shared the roles of the “Good Housekeeping” ladies – and their change of tone and style for those scenes was very crisp and funny – even if at times you had to swallow your laugh because the material was so brutal.

Overall, a very good production that told its story clearly and intelligently, performed with precision and wit. Congratulations all!