'Alright Bitches!' Above The Stag Theatre ****

There are often misconceptions that gay holiday rendezvous being only exclusive to gay people, but this is not the case. By the same token, can a relationship with some form of an age gap tamper with how a holiday advances? Above The Stag Theatre’s production of Martin Blackburn’s debut play, ‘Alright Bitches!’ is an indescribably amusing piece of LGBT Theatre on the opposing opinions of people’s perfect holiday destinations, and what is more, the interpretations were vividly performed.

‘Alright Bitches!’ is located in a gay holiday park in Gran Canaria where we’re acquainted with cute gay couple, Ollie and Jason who are on a much needed holiday away from their busy lives in the United Kingdom, on the contrary, there is a bit of age gap so their ideas of holiday destinations differ. At the same time, flatmates, Max and Garth (Ethan Chapples) along with their friend, Pam (Hannah Vesty) have returned for their annual vacation, in addition to this, Pam is there to heal her heartbreak due to a recent break up. Over the course of the performance, Ollie and Jason relationship is provoked as Jason is facing his own difficulties which previously sent him to a stint at The Priory, whereas, Ollie is youthful and has a much opposing viewpoint of life in general. Thankfully, he is not perturbed by his boyfriend’s problems.  Garth is going to be celebrating his birthday during the holiday where Max and Pam are organising a party for him and when they come into contact with Ollie and Jason, a friendship soon forms and they are invited to Gath’s little celebration. It is perfectly visible that Jason isn’t having the most enjoyable time as it’s not really a place that’s thriving with culture and because of his age he finds it naff. Max feels that Jason should be relishing the holiday so Max endeavours to help Jason to become comfortable with being there. He wants to see if Ollie and Jason’s relationship is solid enough; as such he begins to get an infatuation towards Jason. Furthermore, Max is getting aggravated by Jason’s attitude and states that he needs to have more confidence in himself which is missing in his life. Throughout the play, Pam is treated appallingly by Max and Garth, on the other hand, she keeps her head held high and we really warm to her rib-tickling characteristics. Garth’s birthday festivities are in full swing and appear that the five of them have really bonded with gay anthems playing in the background and we can see Ollie and Jason’s do really love one another which is sublime to witness.  At the finale, the holiday is basically finished so the two parties depart the hotel complex; they say a final goodbye to each other. Blackburn’s narrative is a knockout as the play is all about how relationships could be put to the ultimate test and what occurs in gay holiday parks. As well as, delving into the age gap context enables us to see if these kinds of relationships can prove successful and increasingly passionate.

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Alright Bitches!’ to be clearly wondrous and the camaraderie off all five actors appears extremely pleasant and looks like they are enjoying performing together. Grant Cartwright is incandescent as holidaymaker, Ollie; mainly how he adores his holiday in pretty much next to nothing, plus, there is a decent balance with Ollie and Jason’s coupling and with Ollie he presents a down to Earth presence which makes him quite popular with Max, Garth and Pam. Anton Tweedale is radiant as somewhat harrowed, Jason; especially how his personal dilemmas and his time at The Priory has taken its toll of his confidence and with Max’s guidance he begins to change his attitude, additionally, the joyous expression on his face when he is with Ollie is charming to see. Lucas Livesey is marvellous as the stereotypical gay man, Max; such as how his comments towards Pam are out of order, paradoxically, when we see him trying to help Jason with his problems as the play advances through we begin to adapt our sentiments  towards him so do not judge a book by its cover.

Andrew Beckett’s direction is awesome here as he has been able to capture the crux of the gay community on holiday and how friendships and sexual relationships are conveyed in such a tender and humorous way. Also, what I liked about his direction is how he has encapsulated Ollie and Jason’s love story where their obvious differences don’t matter all that much. Andrew Beckett’s set design and Elllen Sussams’ costume designs are respectable as we are definitely transported to a warm and sunny locality which in this instance is Gran Canaria. Sussams’ costumes allow you to see all that the men have to offer, so that got a bit distracting. Overall, the experience of, ‘Alright Bitches!’ was another first-rate production and I’ve never been disappointed each time I visit this venue.

'Husbands and Sons' National Theatre, Dorfman ****

A adaptors decision to intertwine three short plays of an illustrious writer’s work into one full length performance can prove to be quite a risky and daring idea as the dramaturgy could be lost whilst connecting the three together, on the other hand, when the play is about a tightly knit community where a disaster occurs may prove fruitful. The National Theatre’s production of D H Lawrence’s play, ‘Husbands and Sons’ which combines, ‘A Collier’s Friday Night’, ‘The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd’ and ‘The Daughter-in-Law’ was a high energy performance with effortless depictions all round.

‘Husbands and Sons’ which has been cleverly adapted by Ben Power is situated in the village of Eastwood, October 1911 where we’re familiarised with three family units, the Holroyds, the Lamberts and the Gascoignes who are connected by the fact that the men of the village work in the local pit. Throughout the performance, you can see the immense peril that the women have to go through with their husbands and children. This is evident when Lizzie Holroyd whose husband, Charles (Martin Marquez) who is frequent drunken mess and sadly it appears that he shows no sign of affection towards her. As well as, Minnie Gascoigne who has just got married to miner Luther (Joe Armstrong) is belligerent to cope with the fact of her new responsibilities and her husband is exceedingly moddy-coddled by his overbearing mother, Mrs Gascoigne (Susan Brown) who is causing friction with their coupling. Moreover, you can see the challenges that mothers have to face with their children even if one is highly aspirational for his future prospects where his career doesn’t involve the pit. This is shown with Lydia Lambert (Julia Ford) whose son, Ernest (Johnny Gibbon) is an avid scholar who is currently at university whereas his sister, Nellie (Tala Gouveia) is not as educated as him due to the fact that men were given more opportunities that women were not allowed to have. Over the course of the performance, Lizzie develops an attraction to electrician, Blackmore (Phillip McGinley) and this reciprocated too, in addition to this, he really likes her son, Jack (Oliver Finnegan/Tommy Rodger) which is a slight contrast to how Jack is treated by his father, Charles. The Gascogines family unit is crumbling around them as Minnie has decided to take some time apart from Luther and most importantly his mother. Yet, Luther’s younger brother, Joe (Matthew Barker) actually makes her feel welcome which is what we think she needs. Whilst Minnie was away, Luther has the audacity to chat on Minnie and when she confront him about it, he shows no signs of apology whatsoever, and if his mother is shocked by this act of adultery. Tragedy strikes in Eastwood when a horrific accident happens in the mine where there are several casualties and Lydia’s somewhat bigoted and dated husband, Walter (Lloyd Hutchinson) has to explain to Lizzie and her mother-in-law, Grandmother (Sue Wallace) that Charles has died in the accident and at the final, Charles’ deceased body is laid out on the dining table. It seems that Lizzie and Blackmore’s decision to elope to Spain takes a back seat. Lawrence’s narrative along with Power’s adaptation was beguiling as we are constantly viewing the community of Eastwood which are all experiencing a vast amount of trials and tribulations especially for the women first and foremost. Also the three individual plays that have mixed together work wonders.

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Husbands and Sons’ to be so inspired and the smaller parts such as; Maggie Pearson (Cassie Bradley) and Mrs Purdy (Josie Walker) with the main cast really encapsulated the struggles of family life and work. Anne Marie-Duff is fantastic as Lizzie Holroyd; chiefly how you can see she is painstakingly fighting a losing battle with her husband’s drinking, then again, we see a different side to her character when she is having a secret relationship with Blackmore who treats her so pleasantly. Louise Brealey is delightful as young wife, Minnie Gascoigne; expressly how the aftermath of the mine accident she cleans her husband’s wounds and this conveys a really soft and real love story between the married couple that’s a direct comparison to what is seen previously. 

Marianne Elliot’s direction is overwhelmingly charming here as she has figured out how to work with three individual plays and connect the three together to depict the brutal reality of a village that has a vast amount of problems and that no one is perfect, which is very accurate. Plus, the actual emotions in the characterisations are exceedingly realistic and elegantly placed by the execution of the movements which have been grandly directed by the show’s movement director, Scott Graham. Bunny Christies in-the-round set design is extraordinary as the three families homes are unique and individualistic with impressive scenic art, and I am a true fan of scenic art and the scenic art here is up to scratch, furthermore, the costumes are brilliantly characterised to suit each roles own personas.  Overall, the experience of, ‘Husbands and Sons’ to be a pleasing an highly engrossing production to shows mashing up three plays into one can really work and present an interesting account about family dramas.

'Forget Me Not' Bush Theatre ***

Over the course of 1945 through to 1968, more than three thousand British children were informed that they were in fact orphans and sent to Australia where they were told that warmth, fresh air, food and lots of opportunities were available. However, this wasn’t true where they experienced neglect and pain. The Bush Theatre’s production of Tom Holloway’s 2013 play, ‘Forget Me Not’ instils a sense of pure disgust with the ‘White Australia’ policy created by the British Government; moreover, the performances worked wonders with the emotions in the plot.

‘Forget Me Not’ is set in both Liverpool and Melbourne where we’re habituated with Gerry, a man in his sixties who as a boy was put on a boat to Australia where he became a labourer and throughout his life, he turned into an abusive alcoholic. He returns to his homeland with his daughter, Sally to Stanley Park, Liverpool where he is sipping tea with neighbourly and quick-witted, Mary. At first, we sympathise with Gerry’s plight as he was lied to as a child, yet, as the play progresses through, our commiserations start to meander as he’s exceedingly rude to his daughter and his case worker, Mark who are doing their level best at helping him reunite with his birth mother. When he is sat with Mary in Liverpool we can see how he finds it difficult to really comprehend his true identity due to the fact that his mother is actually alive and he really wants to meet her. Throughout the performance, the relationship between Gerry and Sally is somewhat problematic as his constant drinking has made Sally to not trust him anymore and this is brought to light when Sally explains about her father’s behaviour prior to his wife’s funeral was disgusting and inappropriate. At Gerry’s home Sally makes it clear that he doesn’t deserve to sleep in the martial bed so she decides to sleep in it to feel close to her mother’s memory. Mark is rigorously searching for Gerry’s birth mother where his search takes him to the other side of the world and luckily enough for him he tracks down her whereabouts, but she is incredibly ills and appears that she is at the end of her life. On the other hand, when she’s informed that her son has been looking for her, obviously she’s shocked and pleased at the same time and says yes to a meeting with him. Back in Melbourne, Gerry is given the good news and he and Sally prepare to jet off to the UK but when they do arrive, Mark has to tell Gerry that his mother has recently passed away. At the finale, we see Gerry in his birth mother’s flat to try to get some kind of his mother’s presence and Sally asks why he has been distant for a lot of her life and it’s all to do with his past. Holloway’s narrative is heart-rending in places as we can see how one man’s hopes of meeting his brother can be crushed, alternatively, the scenes with Gerry and Mary became a little confusing as we think he’s meeting her but we soon find out that this was all a vision in Gerry’s imagination.

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Forget Me Not’ to be dynamite with regards to the emotional capabilities of the play. Russell Floyd is wondrous as central protagonist, Gerry; especially how you can see the amount of alcohol consumption has taken its toll on his well-being and through this it has impacted on all of his relationships and his aggressive tendencies were well executed. Eleanor Bron is splendid as Mary; chiefly how she explains what really happened to Gerry all those years ago and how she was lied to by the British Government, as well as, how being parted from her son has done to her confidence. Sarah Ridgeway is grand as Gerry’s daughter, Sally; mainly how irritated she is with her father’s habits and when she honestly confronts her father about it conveys the rough reality of what a father can do to a relationship. Sargon Yelda is agreeable as Gerry’s caseworker, Mark; expressly how patient is with Gerry’s rudeness as he doesn’t seem to be too cooperative and when he meets Mary you can see the pleasure that it must have to Mark’s career.

Steven Atkinson’s direction is conventional here as he has been able to fully articulate the raw themes of the play, then again, at times what would have been quite interesting is to have seen a little psychosis in Gerry’s mind because of the traumas he had as a child. Lily Arnold’s set and costume design are acceptable as the magnitude of the bareness depicts Gerry’s and Mary’s quest to reunite, but the set is a complete replica to the phenomenal set from, ‘A View from the Bridge’ at the Young Vic. Overall, the experience of, ‘Forget Me Not’ was an intriguing performance about a roller-coaster ride that Gerry, Mary and Sally are going through due to a horrible British Government from 1945-1968.

'Goodnight Mister Tom' Duke of York's Theatre ****

What is exciting about theatre at times is when your childhood is brought back to your memory i.e. film adaptation, music, children’s literature etc. and how it somewhat leaves a smile on your face, as well as, a little tear moving down the side of your face. The West End production of David Wood’s stage adaptation of Michelle Magorian’s novel, ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ is an uplifting and touching production where townies and country folk can actually get along with each other, in addition to this, the portrayals were superbly presented.

‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ is set during World War II where we’re transported to rural Dorset where the young Willie Beach, an evacuee from London has been sent to the countryside, like lots of children from the cities were sent to prevent them from being massacred.  Willie is sent to stay with Tom Oakley, a widower in his sixties and is known for being reclusive and cantankerous and vastly unpopular. Tom is immediately hesitant to take on this responsibility of Willie but the Billeting Officer (Georgina Sutton) states that Willie’s mother has requested for Willie to stay with a religious man or a person who lives by a church. Tom becomes fond of Willie and feels that he has to help Willie progress such as his education, stopping him urinating the bed etc. So when Willie’s teacher, Mrs Hartridge informs Tom that Willie cannot read or write and that he has been put into a class with 5-6 year olds, this instigates that Willie must work hard in order to return to her class. As such; Tom teaches Willie to read and write from the basic level and over time he makes huge progress and returns to Mrs Hartridge’s class. We see that Willie has a talent for painting and Tom becomes nostalgic as his wife, who died with Scarlett Fever, as did his son was a keen painter so it makes him feel somewhat moved.  Willie is constantly bullied by the local children, such as; George (Clark Devlin), Carrie (Martha Seignior) and Ginnie (Hollie Taylor) for being an evacuee and for being smaller than a boy of his age. Over the course of the show, Willie forms a strong friendship with fellow evacuee, Zach who is currently residing with Dr Little (Simon Markey) and it seems that that Willie has become more comfortable with his new life in the country. Death is ever present as Mrs Hartridge’s husband, David (Guy Lewis) and George’s brother have been killed in action. At a rehearsal in the local amateur drama society, Tom informs Willie that his mother has requested for his instant return so when he does return home to Deptford, it appears that his mother, Mrs Beach (Melle Stewart) is mentally disturbed. She physically attacks Willie for apparently lying and stealing in the countryside and when Willie is shown his baby sister, you can see that Mrs Beach is not fit enough to be a proper mother. When Tom visits London and sees how malnourished Willie is, he knows that he will have to start from square one again and as he feels that the hospital isn’t properly caring for Willie he makes the decision to kidnap Willie. Back in the countryside, Willie is having nightmares, yet his friendship with Zach resumes but Zach is told in a rehearsal that he has to go home and we learns that when Zach is at home that he and his parents have been murdered by a bomb. Willie is furious with God. At the finale, Tom explains to Willie that he has just become the sole guardian for him, which means he is his adopted father and that he will always be the protector that he has needed for such a long time. Wood’s narrative is charming as with what we already know about the film version that starred the late John Thaw, we can see the touching relationship between Tom and Willie blossom in a warzone environment where conflict could have been the most prominent thing but this isn’t the case with this plotline. 

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ to be immensely absorbing through clearly defined characters with pretty convincing West Country accents and the intonations of the Cockney pronunciations were marvellous. Also the use of puppetry to convey the animals; for example Tom’s ever faithful dog Sammy (Elisa De Grey) indicates how integral puppetry is to Children’s Theatre.  David Troughton is excellent as Tom Oakley; especially how the introduction of Willie into his life has re-invigorated it to such where his moody persona has diminished where he becomes passionate about music once again, furthermore, his desperation to find Willie in London shows a softer side to his character. Freddy Hawkins/Joe Reynolds/ Alex Taylor-McDowall who alternate on different performances are peerless as the young, Willie Beach; mostly when he is rescued by Tom in the cramped cupboard in his mother’s home and the look of starvation on his face is so interesting to see how realistic is appears on such a young performer where you sometimes forget how young these boys are. Sonny Kirby/Oliver Loades/Harrison Nobel who alternate on different shows are boundless as the amusing and infectiously confident, Zach; specifically when at the local amateur dramatic society you can see how the character is vastly versatile when it comes to delivery of the many roles that take place there and how his inherited tendencies from his parents have helped him in this. 

Angus Jackson’s direction is magnanimous here as he has fashioned a production that enables us to see how such a well-loved novel and the ever popular film can prove to be slightly new to an audience who already know the plot but can be as emotionally gripping and easily comical and this is conveyed with brilliant characterisations. Robert Innes Hopkins’ design is deeply striking as all localities within the play are brought together with such fruition that you instantly know where you are in the play and the whole look and feel of the design feels applicable to the time period of the wartime Britain. Overall, the experience of, ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ was a jolly good fun play that really brings you back to a part of your childhood that you almost had forgotten with such great effect.