dream//life

'dream//life' by tidy carnage, The Bike Shed Theatre

A lover's embrace turns into the muscular spasms, a playful performance of 'Feeling Good' turns chilling and a strong couple dream of the life they had before motor neurone disease took its toll.

tidy carnage are a new collective of theatre makers who specialise in physical performances with lots of dance and movement - so of course I was very interested to see how they would portray a story about MND which, at its simplest, is characterised by the loss of movement. The result is a tear-wrenching juxtaposition of two lives before and after MND strikes using music, singing, dance and mime.

I know it's lovely and hot outside at the moment, but come 7.30 it's definitely worth heading down in to the Bike Shed theatre to catch this bijoux performance. It's only on one more week.

*****
dream//life is on Tuesday - Saturday, 7.30pm. There is also screening of 'I Am Breathing', a film about MND on Wednesday at 6pm right before the play.
Tickets £7-10

Patterns

'Patterns' by Daniel Loveday, Cygnet New Theatre

This play highlighted a key things about live performances for me. Tech when done right isn't usually commented upon because it is a background element, but when it is done wrong then it can ruin a play. For the first half of Patterns the male detective didn't have his microphone turned on so you couldn't hear what he was signing, and throughout the entire play the electric piano was far too loud, it tended to overwhelm the voices of both actors, even with the microphones on.

Anyway, leaving aside technical misjudgments, the play itself was billed as a 'musical thriller'. This made me very wary from the beginning. Musicals aren't usually thrillers for a good reason, it's hard to maintain tension when your characters tend to burst into song. Actually I wouldn't describe it as a thriller, or even a murder mystery. Even for those not raised on a steady stream of Agatha Christie stories as a child, it must be obvious pretty early on who the killer is. So in a way, it is more like 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt in that you know who the killer is and you're watching the build up to his crime, learning the 'why' rather than the 'who'. There was a slight twist at the end of the story, but not enough to make it truly dramatic.

As for the musical element....don't get me wrong, I love musicals when they're done right. But this one missed the mark. I think the key is to choose your song topics very carefully. There were some good song moments - the wistful explanation of the first murder, but there were also some cringe-worthy moments - a song about fighting over a packet of spaghetti.

Overall, the cast should be given credit for learning the whole thing in less than three weeks (the previous cast members pulled out suddenly), but the whole thing just seemed very amateur.

**

Patterns has one more show in Sidmouth, details here: http://www.patterns.uk.com/ (the fact that music starts playing automatically when you open this website, and there appears to be no way to turn it off, kind of sums up the whole thing for me)

Ablutions & La Donna e Mobile

It's now the last day of the Ignite Festival. I saw too many plays yesterday to write about, so I'll just briefly highlight my favourites.


'Ablutions' by Fellswoop, The Bike Shed Theatre
I'm not usually a fan of stories centering around alcoholics just because I find it hard to muster sympathy or empathy for them, but the quality of the acting from Fellswoop Theatre pushed this play in to my favourites of the festival. With no sets or props they conjured up a depressing American bar full of no-hopers and drug addicts, with the barman trying to make a clean break from that life.

*****
Last chance to see it is today at 8.40pm.


'La Donna e Mobile' by Remote Control Theatre, The Bike Shed Theatre
I'm not sure I can tell you what this play is about. Partly because I'm still working out the answer for myself, and partly because I think you should go and see it with an open mind and make your own decisions. I will however tell you that it's amazing, full of bold striking imagery and theatrics, and women with very good core body strength.

*****
This show has finished at Ignite, but at the end they mentioned they would be performing it in Edinburgh later this year.

www.igniteexeter.org.uk

Also, not actually a play, but Jonny and the Baptists were brilliant

I Think I'm A Feminist

'I Think I'm A Feminist' by Worklight Theatre, The Bike Shed Theatre

I already know I'm a feminist, but as a woman that's easy for me to say. Here we have an exploration of the ideas and problems surrounding feminism presented my an all male theatre group.

Are men and women different at a neurological level? Do you have to hate men to be a feminist? Does pornography help or hinder feminism? What's with all the pink toys? And is it really necessary to label oneself a feminist at all?

With projections, personal stories and frequent use of a lecturer's pointer the group run through their thoughts on the issues and the male role within modern feminism. I was impressed by the breadth of their research and the questions they posed to the audience, it's good to be left pondering after a performance.

***
Next on Saturday at 7.20pm

www.igniteexeter.org.uk

The Last Post & James Tries To Make His Life Slightly Better

'The Last Post' by Kilter, a red mobile theatre outside Exeter Phoenix

When was the last time you got a loving email?

It was love at first sight between Mobile Sorting Office 451 and I. The cluttered treasure trove bijou performance space was a delight even before the play started. Within this unusual space a charming love story unfolds between two quirky nomads working to keep the old postal traditions alive.

Scored with live music played by a mute who arrived in a jiffy bag this heart-warming tale is gentle and eccentric, and reminded me that I really should write to my mum.

*****
You can see this play Friday and Saturday at 1pm or 7.30pm each day.



'James Tries To Make His Life Slightly Better' by James Tapp, The City Gate Hotel

Everyone who has gone through their early 20s knows that realisation of 'I guess I'm no longer a kid - I should probably sort my life out'. Twenty-three year old James started out with a list (featuring things such as, brew good coffee at home, build a vinyl collection and, make myself more attractive to women) and good intentions. Through anecdotes, poems and a dressing-down from his inner self he shares his realisation that the process is more important than the aims. He's also hilarious.

****
James has now finished his awkward explorations for Ignite.

www.igniteexeter.org.uk

Clark Andrews' Tempest & Wild Thing I Love You

'Clark Andrews' Tempest' by Woodnote, The Bike Shed Theatre

An actor reminisces to himself in his dressing room about his family whilst also practicing his solo performance of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' mixing the two story's together and hoping for a better outcome than Prospero's.

I think it helps if you've seen The Tempest so you know which characters he is portraying, but I'm not sure it's essential as the pieces he enacts are just vignettes and so you do not see the end of the storylines. You may be content to see the blossoming romance of a young man and a girl, and not need to know that they are Ferdinand and Miranda.

I saw part of this play as a scratch performance in February, some elements have been dropped since then, but what remains is a masterful combination of two stories mixing silent film elements with great acting.

*****
You can next see this on Saturday at 2.50pm



'Wild Thing I Love You' by Ella Good and Nicki Kent, The City Gate Hotel

Gathered around a map under canvas Ella and Nicki tell their story of searching for Big Foot in the Californian redwood forest.

Unfortunately I just found the whole thing a bit juvenile. There was something about the way they spoke in such soft voices, they're 'subtitles' for audio interviews that clearly left large chunks out, the claiming that some audio was of terrible quality when it turned out not to be, and the way one of them put a cardboard box over her head to re-enact a conversation that really grated against me.

I did like the way they used a live camera feed to create a real-time film on a small television with effects via a magnifying glass and paper scenery.

I like travel stories, so I had high hopes for this one, but I guess you can't get much sophistication from a story of nothing really happening.

**
You can see this today (Thursday) at either 7.30 or 8.45pm

www.igniteexeter.org.uk

On Hold & Herons

'On Hold' by Scratchworks, The Bike Shed Theatre

A dysfunctional messy unprofessional promotions team vie for the promotion of office manager whilst bickering and teasing each other over unresolved sexual tensions.

I feel there was a lot of potential here but what could have been the most interesting parts were brushed over. Was Josie actually sleeping at the office long-term? What was that brief mention about some professional misconduct in Malcolm's past about? Why spend so long diagnosing Katie with depression, and then have nothing come of it, especially as one of the characters was a psychologist?

**
On Hold has now finished its time at the Ignite festival



'Herons' by EUTCo, The Bike Shed Theatre

Thuggery and violence sit side by side with compassion and hope on a park bench by an East London canal.

There were a couple of faults. I suppose there's not much they can do about the fact that the ages of the actors are all wrong, but it does detract from the emotional impact of children going through such violent events when they all look like they're in their twenties. I also found it quite unbelievable that the tough thug character would break down so completely and immediately at the sight of a gun.

Overall, not a bad play, but not really to my taste either.

***
Herons is next on today (Thursday) at 2.30pm

www.igniteexeter.org.uk

Fox & Beneath the Albion Sky

'Fox' by Scratchworks, Exeter Phoenix

A silent film brought to life. This charming reimagining of Roald Dahl's classic has the animals leaping, crawling and dancing all over the place whilst soundtracked by live American Southern jazz.

With hardly any props and no scenery the mime elements of the show didn't always work (but only where there were a lot of 'objects' to handle) but the physicality was impressive. I particularly liked the girl playing the fox cub, she danced with such abandon that it looked like her limbs were made of rubber.

***
Fox has finished its run as part of Ignite



'Beneath the Albion Sky' by Write by Numbers, The Bike Shed Theatre

In his bewitching deep voice Paul (Andy Kelly) recounts his epic walk following the St. Michael's Ley Line from Land's End to Hopton-on-Sea. A mixture of acting, story-telling, good advice, fact and fiction, where he peacefully meets saints, knights and warrior queens, and violently confronts a dragon. Along the way considering our relationship with nature and change.

I wish my long distance walks were as interesting as his, but as he says - a walking story is always better than the walk.

*****
Your last chance to see it is Wednesday, 6.30pm
Tickets £6 (if purchased with no other shows)

www.igniteexeter.org.uk

Desert

'Desert' by MolinoGroup, The Bike Shed Theatre

This was an interesting play to watch as, for me at least, it acted more as a launching platform to find out more about the Bradley Manning case than a conventional self-contained-story.

Desert was premiered last year at the Bike Shed, it has returned with an updated version as Manning has now spent over 1000 days in pre-trial detention and should be put on trial properly next month.

I know very little about the Manning case, the same as our narrator at the beginning of the play. We then follow her progress as she delves into the information available, tracing Manning's actions and talking to him about why he leaking classified US army intelligence. The story blends real-life transcripts and video with imagined scenes. I'm not sure if its an advantage or not that for some scenes I'm not sure if they were recreations of real events or fictitious. From their portrayal Manning doesn't seem particularly likeable, he seems awkward and a bit messed-up, but he is intriguing and as the narrator weaves her way through the story its clear that no-one is quite sure where it will end up.

It's a play that really gets you thinking - why did he have that much access to sensitive information? Was Lamo justified in turning him in? And most importantly, what would you have done in Manning's place?

****

Desert continues until Saturday, 7.30pm each evening. Tickets £7-10

Sound Bite

'Sound Bite' at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter

At the beginning the two NASA press officers in charge of composing Neil Armstrong's first words on the moon reminded me of Lister and Rimmer from Red Dwarf, one uninterested in his work and the other trying too hard. But they become more complex as we learn more about their backgrounds through the discussions and arguments that occur whilst they are supposed to be working.

The play cleverly makes jokes about the past, and what we have learnt about those times with the benefit of hindsight, but it's central theme is about drawing parallels between the landing on the moon and the feminist movement, which I'd never considered before.

Whilst the comedy (and the American accents) faltered at times the good moments outweighed the bad. The acting was a bit stiff at the beginning but I'll put that down to opening night nerves, as they improved once they warmed up.

Staged with audience space for less than 30 people, set close to the stage, you feel the claustrophobia as the clock ticks on, and the play teases you, dropping odd words or phrases for Armstrong's finished line until you find yourself thinking "come on, you're so close!"

All in all, this play wasn't outstanding but it was enjoyable and I'd recommend it if you have an evening free.

***

Sound Bite continues through Saturday, 8pm. Tickets £5-7

The Incomers

'The Incomers' at the Bike Shed Theatre

I loved it.

The Incomers is a story of sex, drugs, and perfectly seared scallops. Throughout a wedding anniversary dinner party we see the at first sensible-seeming characters fall apart as a French woman (and a fair amount of cocaine) cause them to examine their lives and secrets.

The language is poetic without it feeling like one very long poem and the acting is brilliant. There's also some very funny and clever use of music and lighting.

Recommended to anyone with a slightly dark sense of humour.

****

A side note on audience dynamics. I can't say I usually much notice what my fellow audience members are up to during a play. But for this performance about 80% of the seats were occupied by high school students, and it made a strange difference. They laughed at different parts than I did, and some of them audibly cringed when the actors took their clothes off. They may have been old enough for the play (I'd say they were all around 15/16) but they didn't seem mature enough, and it made the atmosphere a bit tense.

The Disappearance of Sadie Jones

Hmmm, my first review, here goes....


'The Disappearance of Sadie Jones' by Hannah Silva at The Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter

Well, it's not a play for everyone. It's one of those plays that is more about artistry, and clever use of set and language - rather than about an interesting story.

Writer/director Hannah Silva has used a minimal amount of props and cast to portray the story of a macabre unstable woman dipping between fantasy and reality. The audience is swept along, not entirely sure of where the fantasy ends and the reality begins. You mustn't spend too long puzzling over this or you'll end up as mad as Sadie - though her encounter with a greengrocer selling apples would do that to anyone.

The language is lyrical with plays on synonyms, repetition and timing. The set is interesting with parts like minimalist modern design and parts like a child's graveyard. There are flashes of humour in the story but overall it's quite dark.

I don't think I'd recommend this play to most people, but if you love the art of theatre and dream-like strangeness it's definitely worth checking out. It is on at The Bike Shed until 20th April. Tickets £7-10.

***