It's the end of the world and it's great

A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky - Simon Stephens, David Eldridge and Robert Holman
Directed by Sean Holmes
Lyric Hammersmith, London (15/05/2010)

The Lyric Hammersmith's latest production is a unique collaboration of three successful modern playwrights. The voices of Simon Stephens, David Eldridge and Robert Holman blend wonderfully to create a simple, stylish and raw new play that looks at the impact of the end of the world on an increasingly disparate family. Fusing moments of chilling discomfort with heart-wrenching warmth, this albeit slightly odd production presents a refreshing display of optimism that is rarely seen on the modern stage.

First of all, I've often found 'end-of-the-world' stories a little bit disappointing. They either portray absolute mass human hysteria, sometimes pacified by a sort of alien intervention, or handle it in a comic 'and then I woke up and it was all a dream' kind of way. Well, this time it really does happen. A cosmic strip has been identified by physicists who have confirmed that the earth will be destroyed in three weeks time. The idea is simple, slightly beyond comprehension but believable and gives the playwrights enough time to really explore the effects of such a disaster.

The scene is modern England and five brothers ranging from grandad to schoolboy face the reality of the end of the world. But, the physics is not important, nor is the effect on the globe. Rightly, the focus is on the family and the five brothers. Fortunately the five actors playing the roles gave perfect performances. Harry McEntire as the young Philip was one of the best - his cheeky and optimistic character added a certain warmth to the otherwise darkly disturbed family. Another young actor, Rupert Simonian, was equally bright and compelling as another brother's grandson.

A weak spot in the play came with the strange mix of flashback and time travel that Philip seemed to undergo at times. It was unclear whether he was psychic, dreaming or just plain loopy but the weird addition of historic adultery amongst the family ancestors was disorientating to say the least. The outbursts of anger from the mother of the family played by Ann Mitchell also felt awkward and out of character.

That said, overall the play dealt with the family in a poignant and moving manner. And instead of an explosive end, the final scene was a more suitable sedate affair that nevertheless hit just as hard. The bare stage and raw performances showed the writers doing what they do best - A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky is about the words and the people, not the show.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky'.

A cracking evening of Ayckbourn

Intimate Exchanges - 'A Gardener in Love'

Alan Ayckbourn

The Progress Theatre, Reading (24/04/10)

Intimate Exchanges is a remarkable piece of drama with a series of comic scenes leading to a total of 16 different possible endings. In this play, Ayckbourn highlights how the minor decisions we make in our lives can have much greater consequences. The Progress Theatre chose to perform two different situations; 'A Gardener in Love' and 'The Self-Improving Woman' and although I only saw the first of the two, I've no doubt they were both equally brilliant.

'A Gardener in Love' focuses on Mrs Celia Teasdale, stuck with an inattentive, ungrateful husband whilst being relentlessly pursued by her young gardener. It is a comic tale, despite the dark undertones, with hilarious dialogue and lively, likeable characters.

Two actors took on the four roles in this production and they certainly pulled it off! Tonya Walton was fabulously on form as the neurotic, self-conscious middle-aged woman Celia, as well as the grumpy, young girl Sylvie Bell. She effortlessly slipped in and out of the two characters that were polar opposites of one another. Her role as Celia demanded a batch of ill-timed hiccups and eating a lot of sandwiches amongst other things, all of which she handled wonderfully, as well as creating comedy in all the right moments.

Dan Clarke was both Celia's husband and the eponymous gardener in love, Lionel Hepplewick. Clarke was exceptional in both roles, creating a distinct 20 year age gap between his two characters that led to many audience members not recognising that he was the same person. His role as Toby Teasdale was incredibly funny and he must be commended for an amazingly well-delivered rant on ten things that can drive a man to drink! Clarke had the audience laughing for the majority of his time onstage as Toby - the frustrated, middle-class character was truly entertaining to watch.

With just two actors performing there were inevitably some quick costume changes, but they were swift and effective (except for the odd forgivable pause). The costume itself included a couple of oddly obvious wigs but even they seemed to suit the actors well - Walton's big hair was a great compliment to Sylvie's girl-with-an-attitude character. However, the real quality came from the acting as both Walton and Clarke proved they had the ability to carry off diverse characters, living up to all the demands of an unusual and challenging play.

It was obvious that director Geoff Dallimore had managed to pick out the best of Ayckbourn's comedy, and it shone through the two actors. Progress Theatre's version of Intimate Exchanges was a great evening's entertainment and, depsite a somewhat saddening ending, the show was full of enough laughs to send you home with a smile. I can't urge you enough to go and see a show at the Progress, they always surprise and haven't disappointed me yet.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Intimate Exchanges'.

Ahem. May?

Just as I start blogging about beautiful sunshine look what happens:

This is meant to be May and that is a proper black, black cloud. Luckily I was inside before it chucked it down and, yes, that is part of my university. Swish eh? Well, sadly most of us students aren't allowed in there. The majority of our buildings are run down, architecturally crazy buildings from the 60s.

On the subject of university, everyone is bored and highly strung at the moment, what with exams 'n' all! So, using the house blackboard I decided to pay tribute to the one thing keeping me going:

A piece of advice to all those students out there - in these times of strife, don't neglect your cup of tea. It won't let you down.