The Grange Players - Heroes - 18.05.17 - 27.05.17

The Grange Players

Presents

Heroes

By Gerald Sibleyras

Translated and Adapted by Tom Stoppard

Directed by Dexter Whitehead and Rosemary Manjunath

18th - 27th May 2017

Heroes is set in 1959 on the terrace of a home for veterans in France. It follows the antics of World War one veterans Henri (Paul Viles), Gustave (Andrew Tomllinson) and Philippe (Robert Onions).

The play was originally called 'The Wind in The Poplars' and was translated and renamed by Tom Stoppard. It was first performed in 2005 at the Wyndham's Theatre.


This was a gentle play, with the characters spending their time discussing the nuns that run the home, the other residents and planning a journey to 'escape' and see the poplar trees that they could see in the distance from their terrace.

Each character had its own sadness. Henri had a gammy leg, Gustave suffered from agoraphobia and Philippe kept passing out due to having a piece of shrapnel lodged in his brain. This however, did not make it a sad tale. We had fun and laughter throughout with extremely funny lines and situations. It was beautifully written to make the audience aware of the hard reality of war but not getting bogged down by the grim details, so you left feeling entertained, uplifted at how resilient human being are, and with a grin on your face.

The staging of this production was lovely with lots of detail. You had a light, bright terrace with 3 chairs. It was elegant and didn't take over from the action on stage.

Paul Viles was a wonderful Henri. He limped across the stage and tried to keep order throughout. His facial expressions and tone created great comic moments.

Robert Onions gave a gentle, poignant portrayal of Philippe. He had a lovely, touching moment where he was talking about how he wanted to be a pianist before the war. Not wanting to dampen the audiences mood, you then had him saying that after the war he couldn't follow his dream as it would be difficult to be a pianist when he kept passing out.

Andrew Tomlison needs to have a special mention as Gustave. He took over the part only a few weeks before the start of the show due to the original cast member having to pull out.  He portrayed the character with the brash confidence of a war veteran and really made the character his own.

The three of them together gave a first class performance but we shouldn't forget the forth member of the cast - the stone dog, who was there throughout the performance. He sat upright and Philippe would often think that he moved. He was often included in the conversations and was even going to go with the three veterans on their journey to the Poplar trees!

This performance of Heroes was extremely well directed by Dexter Whitehead and Rosemary Manjunath and is well worth a watch as it leaves you feeling proud of what people went through to make our County the best in the World - We should never forget what could have been!

The play runs until 27th May 2017

The Grange
Broadway North
Walsall
West Midlands
WS1 2QB
Box Office: 07909 036 835
Theatre: 01922 625 100
Website: www.grangeplayers.co.uk

The Grange Players - Ladies in Lavender - 16th - 25th March 2017

The Grange Players

Present

Ladies in Lavender

Adapted for the Stage by Shaun McKenna

Directed by Rosemary Manjunath

16th - 25th March 2017

Ladies in Lavender is a lovely, gentle play set in Cornwall in the mid-1930's. We see sisters Ursula and Janet Widdlington's lives turned upside down with the introduction of Andrea into their home. He is found washed ashore by their property close to death and they take it upon themselves to nurse him back to health. It is discovered that Andrea is Polish and was travelling on a boat to try and become a violinist in America before he was swept ashore. He is extremely talented and it isn't long before his talent is discovered by Olga Daniloff who's brother is a world renowned violinist.

Mary Whitehouse gives a wonderful performance as Ursula. She is touching, with a sparkle in her eye. She shows us that even though we may be ageing on the outside that we are still all young at heart and her growing fondness for Andrea is delivered with lovely subtly and grace. There are not many actors who can really tell a story with their eyes but Mary does this with every glance and meaningful stare which is a true talent.

Sandra Haynes who plays Janet is a lovely contrast to the sensitive Ursula. She is 'to the point' and obviously the driving force in the household. Sandra delivers her part with charm and there are some lovely tender moments between the sisters.

There are a lot of laughs within this play and Jill Simkin who plays Dorcas certainly gets her fair share of the funny lines. Her facial expressions alone told a thousand stories and her quickly delivered one liners had the audience laughing which made this a perfectly rounded performance with laughs, sadness and reminiscing.

The rest of the cast were made up of Paul Viles who plays Dr Mead, David Smith as Andrea and Leah Solmaz as Olga. They all gave wonderful performances which made this a truly entertaining piece of theatre to watch. 

The set was designed by the director Rosemary Manjunath and it was extremely well thought out, with the bedroom, sitting room, garden and beach all being present on stage without the need for lengthy set changes which can always take away from the action. I particularly liked how action could be happening in the garden while other characters are doing things in the living room or in the bedroom. This really did make it feel as if you were in the action with them. The lighting and sound by Stan Vigurs and Colin Mears really helped this piece come alive and I can honestly say that I had a thoroughly entertaining evening where a piece of theatre has come together and produced something memorable. So well done to everyone involved.

It would be a shame to miss this play, so get yourself over to The Grange between 16th - 25th March 2017.

Box Office: 07909 036 835

Website: www.grangeplayers.co.uk

Address: The Grange Playhouse, Broadway North, Walsall, West Midlands. WS1 2QB

The Grange Players - Holmes for the Holidays - 11.01.17 - 21.01.17

 The Grange Players

Present:

Holmes for the Holidays

11.01.17 - 21.01.17

The trepidation awaiting a critic’s review can be a daunting prospect. As an actor myself, I empathise with any cast or production team member who would echo the play’s line ‘She was ruthless. She was evil! She was a theatre-critic for God’s sake!’ Be reassured. The ‘Holmes for the Holidays’ team should have no such anxieties: there is much to praise in this show.

Attending The Grange theatre for the first time, any trace of apprehensions I might have held were soon dispersed. This is a space of welcome, a place of shared experience where theatre is enjoyed. The warmth and efficiency of the gentleman manning the ticket desk thawed me as I stepped beyond the reach of the cold, snowy night outside. The auditorium’s rake of comfortable seating was soon filled almost to capacity - no mean feat for any theatre on a night in mid-January. In the half-lit atmosphere of this intimate proscenium venue, an expectancy of enjoyment pervaded before curtain-up.

The venue is pertinent, for this play of two acts, set in the Christmas period of 1936, would not sit half so well in a pared-down, black-box space. It provides a seamless complement to the masterfully tailored set, which supplies both period aesthetic and functionality for essential stage-business.

In many theatre pieces of this nature, the technicals shine when appropriate and effective without being intrusive, and for this very reason can often be overlooked. On this criteria, the show’s sound and lighting design, intrinsic to the play’s telling, were impeccable. Costume and properties were made well to purpose and would serve a several-month run.

‘Holmes for the Holidays’ is the pen-work of ‘the purveyor of light comedy to middle America’ (show programme, citing The Times, 2006) Ken Ludwig, and the director and cast do well to present the piece to a British audience and maintain its distinctive US flavour throughout. A rapid East coast patter between William Gillette (Robert Meehan) and his houseguests is supported by all the cast with fluent accent, manner and interaction. Whilst at times the first act feels a little expositional, by the interval this ensemble immerse the audience thoroughly in the small 1930s world of egos, friendships, insecurities and trusts between actors who strut the stage. The wonderfully executed slapstick, delivered without excess by characters Daria Chase, Felix Gisel and William Gillette (Liz Webster, Sam Evans, Robert Meehan), adds to the humour and harkens back subtly to 1930s comedy styles.

Act two witnesses the Sherlock actor Gillette don his robes and pit his wits to the challenge of solving the case, and here the energy changes: there’s a murderer at large, and the drawing-room banter and revelations are superseded by purposeful activity. This, together with the introduction of Inspector Goring, adeptly played by Suzy Donnelly, lends more of the familiar territory of the who-dunnit and drives the pace to the final scenes.

There are conventions and concepts within ‘Holmes for the Holidays’ that will be recognisable to many actors and, whilst it is not essential to appreciate these to enjoy a performance, it may be a service for any reviewer here to highlight them to a potential audience member. The first scene is brief in nature, and in the spirit of ‘in late/out early’ begins mid-action without preamble at the curtain-call of a particular Sherlock Holmes performance. The piece assumes a conventional linear plot structure from the start. An awareness of this may avoid some confusion.

The prevalence of characters (not actors) taking the limelight and declaiming in the piece may also initially startle. The quoting of famous dramatic pieces, the basking in the approval of peers, all this expression of talent or ego amongst Gillette’s guests seems the hallmark of actors in each others company, and it takes a skilled ensemble to pull this off well. We watch actors performing the roles of 1930s stage actors, and it is good to accept that what they do is credible and naturalistic.

Directed by Chris Waters, ‘Holmes for the Holidays’ runs from 11th through to 21st January 2017.

Review by Anthony Webster

The Grange Players - Bracken Moor - 16.11.16 - 26.11.16

Bracken Moor

The Grange Players 

The Grange Theatre, Walsall

16^th – 26^th November 2016

This is an excellent production of a gripping and ghostly tale set in the 1930s, with surprises, personal transformations and twists on the way, and which draws parallels with current world affairs.

The programme describes this play as “a drama that speaks to us all set against the economic crisis of the 1930’s”.  Set in a large austere Yorkshire house the play opens with mine owner Harold Pritchard (Adam Woodward) and collier John Bailey (Robert Onions) discussing the potential closure of a mine with the loss of 140 jobs.  Harold and his wife Elizabeth (Julie Lomas) then play hosts to their old friends the Averys from London. They haven’t met for ten years following the death of Pritchard’s son in terrible circumstances at the age of 12, after which Mrs Pritchard in a state of shock and grief withdrew from life.  All the memories resurface when Avery’s 22 year old son Terence (Rob Meehan), who was very close to Edgar, starts experiencing nightmares whilst sleeping in the dead son’s bedroom. 

Although set in the 1930s this is a modern play, first performed in 2013.  The Anglo-Greek playwright Alexis Kaye Campbell sets out an ambitious vision, and draws our attention to parallels between the events leading up to the Second World War and the current poor state of world affairs.  Campbell strives to do this by creating tensions in the plot concerning the rise of fascism, failures of capitalism, the gap between the political left and right, between mysticism and materialism and along the way touches on oppression, emancipation, feminism, male roles and expectations, and even throws in a bit of Freud for good measure.  There is a lot going on!  Underneath then, this is a deeply political play that is concerned that humanity should not repeat historical failures and looks at how this might be achieved.  Whether Campbell quite succeeds in his ambition is less certain.  Certainly there is plenty of personal awakening and transformation going on here.  Maybe, however, his ambition is too big and, without giving away any spoilers, the dramatic device the playwright uses to resolve the various tensions is unconvincing.  Campbell may have achieved a bit more by saying a bit less. 

Notwithstanding this, the Grange Players succeed in delivering an excellent production.  The writer has created characters which under less experienced hands could have been clichéd and Director Rachel Waters ensured that the characters remained restrained and drew out excellent performances throughout.  Julie Lomas particularly was superb as the grief stricken mother burdened by guilt and wishing only for death.  She played the role with delicious understatement which hinted at underlying madness.   Adam Woodward as her husband Harold managed the no-nonsense self-satisfied gruff northern persona well and overcame the challenge of playing an older character.  Rob Meehan as Terence Avery takes on a very difficult role with great aplomb, throwing himself whole-heartedly into this complex character.  He convinces us that this young, worldly, university drop-out has wisdom and idealism way beyond his years, and who can provide hope, albeit in a rather manipulative way.  He was at his best and shone in an excellent scene with Mrs Pritchard.  Samantha Allen played the role of Vanessa Avery with real conviction and moved between compassion and anger with brisk ease.  There was less scope for expression for Les Wilkes as antique dealer Geoffrey Avery, with a character who seemed a little baffled by the proceedings, but he was a well-judged foil to some of the hysteria going on around him.  Robert Onions as John Bailey was completely authentic as the left-wing and compassionate collier trying to save the jobs of his men.  Dr Gibbons, played by David Weller, was needed to add credence to the underlying premise of the play, and a bought a respectful perspective on the supernatural which allowed the plot to develop.  Leanne Brown as the maid added a suitably hysterical fear of God atmosphere to the proceedings.

The cast was supported by an excellent set by All Round Property Services which achieved the right 1930s austerity, as did the authentic costumes by Rosemary Manjunath.  The sound and light design, by Stan Vigurs and Colin Meers, was spot-on and made an important contribution to building the atmosphere and tension. 

Overall, there were few flaws in this excellent production of an interesting, challenging, haunting and thought provoking play.

The play runs until the 26^th November.

Reviewed by Martin Walker

Sense and Sensibility - The Grange Players - 20.07.16 - 30.07.16

Jane Austen's

Sense & Sensibility

Adapted by Jessica Swale

July 20th - July 30th 2016

Directed By Louise Farmer

Sense & Sensibility is one of Jane Austen's best loved novels. It was written in 1811. 

Jessica Swale adapted the novel into a play and directed it in 2014 at The Watermill Theatre.

It is a charming story of the Dashwoods who are forced out of their home after their father died leaving all of his fortune to a male heir, his son John by his first marriage.

John's wife, Fanny, played by Liz Webster, was a nasty piece of work and declaired that the Dashwoods needed to leave their beloved Norland Park and they ended up in a cold Devonshire Cottage which was kindly offered to them by Sir John Middleton (Andy Jones).  Mrs Jennings, played by Jill Simkins made it her mission to marry the three Dashwood girls off and it's not long before a dashing Mr Willoughby, played with charm by Matt Cotter appeared on the scene to capture the heart of Marrianne Dashwood who was depicted by Stephanie Evans as a girl who lives for the moment and wears her heart well and truly on her sleeve. Her sweet nature and lovely singing voice also captured the heart of Colonel Brandon, nicely played by Sam Evans. His portrayal of the overshadowed love interest was delicately displayed. We also had 2 further Dashwood children, Elinor, the oldest of the three who kept her love for Edward Ferrars (Tomas Frater) hidden after she discovered that he was already promised to Lucy Steele (Libby Allport).

Elinor was played by Rachel Holmes and she gave a touching portrayal of a girl with far too much on her young shoulders. Her scenes with Edward were delicately portrayed and both gave some very touching portrayals.

Sam Allen gave a strong performance as Mrs Dashwood, the wife left with out a husband, fortune or home. Her expressions throughout told a thousand stories.

Katie Allen was a delight as the youngest Dashwood Daughter, Margaret. Her innocent, funny, full of life performance was touching and extremely entertaining.

One character to mention was Mr Palmer, played by Dan Payne. His glum, dry one liners captured the moment brilliantly and the audience couldn't help but laugh every time he opened his mouth or gave a knowing glance.

The show is full of pace and humour. There is a nice distinction between light and shade and Louise Farmer has directed this piece well.

Lighting depicted the different times of day well and the set worked well with different locations from rooms to outdoors.

The only slight flaw in the performance had to be the scene changes. The show has many scenes and changes in venue and it did slow the production down slightly. This was opening night though so there was time for the changes to quicken up and also to be a little less noisy.

Overall, this was a well put together production and is well worth going to see.

The show runs until 30th July 2016

Edith in the Dark - The Grange Players - 11.05.16-21.05.16

The Grange Players

Presents

Edith in the Dark

By Philip Meeks

May 11th - 21st 2016

 

We are greeted with a strikingly eerie set, dimmed lights and sinister music which sets the scene nicely for the events that are to unfold in this sometimes dark and sometimes humerous production.

 

The production was set in the house of author Edith Nesbitt who had escaped from her husbands Christmas Party and was entertaining a mysterious, handsome guest, Mr Guasto. He had gatecrashed the party to meet Edith and asked her to read to him from one of her stories. He particularly wanted to hear from The Railway Children or one of her children's tales, but Edith preferred to read from one of her early works, her horror stories.

 

These stories were filled with sadness and loss which disturbed the mysterious young man.

 

They were joined by the Housekeeper, Biddy who decided to join them in the ghostly stories armed with a jug of punch!

 

As the evening unfolded, the stories got darker and darker with each character taking on the characters within the stories until ending with the discovery of the mysterious Mr Guasto's identity.

 

The Grange Players set the piece perfectly. The set, Ediths attic writing room was dark and uninviting with cobwebs and dying flowers scattered around. The lighting created subtle shadows as if ghosts were watching over them and the sound was perfectly in time with the action and really gave the piece a sense of dispair and sorrow.

 

The actors, Samantha Allan (Edith), Rob Meehan (Mr Guasto) and Lynne Young (Biddy Thricefold) played their parts well and went in and out of their different characters within the horror stories well, which allowed the audience to distinguish between their real characters and the characters in the story.

 

Please do not be put off this production with the thought that it is completely full of darkness, as there are some extremely funny one liners which breaks the tension up nicely and is a great piece of theatre to go and watch.

 

The show is directed by Rachel Waters and runs until 21st May.

New Alexandra Theatre - Breakfast at Tiffany's - 18.04.16 - 23.04.16

MATT BARBER TO STAR AS FRED OPPOSITE PIXIE LOTT’S HOLLY IN TRUMAN CAPOTE’S BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S

ADAPTED BY RICHARD GREENBERG

2016 UK & IRELAND TOUR AND WEST END SEASON

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED

AT BIRMINGHAM’S NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE FROM MONDAY 18th – SATURDAY 23rd APRIL

The full cast has been announced for the 2016 UK and Ireland Tour and the West End limited season of Truman Capote’sBreakfast at Tiffany’s, adapted by Richard Greenberg and directed by Nikolai Foster.

Matt Barber (Atticus Aldridge in Downton Abbey) will play Fred and Victor McGuire (the sit-coms Trollied and Bread) will play Joe Bell. They will be joined by Robert Calvert as Doc, Naomi Cranston as Mag, Charlie De Melo as José, Tim Frances as Rusty Trawler/Editor at 21, Andrew Joshi as Yunioshi, Melanie La Barrie as Mme Spanella, and Sevan Stephan as OJ Berman/Dr Goldman, with Katy Allen and Andy Watkins.

As previously announced, Pixie Lott will star as Holly Golightly for the UK and Ireland Tour, from 3 March to 30 April and 13 to 25 June, and at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket from 30 June to 17 September.

Truman Capote’s classic novella has been adapted for the stage by Pulitzer Prize-winning Finalist and Tony and Olivier Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg (Take Me Out, Three Days of Rain), and contains memorable songs from the era as well as original music by Grant Olding (One Man, Two Guvnors, RSC’s Don Quixote). 

Based on Truman Capote’s beloved masterwork, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is set in New York in 1943. Fred, a young writer from Louisiana, meets Holly Golightly, a charming, vivacious and utterly elusive good-time girl.  Everyone falls in love with Holly – including Fred.  However Fred is poor, and Holly’s other suitors include a playboy millionaire and the future president of Brazil.  As war rages on in Europe, Holly begins to fall in love with Fred – just as her past catches up with her.

Artistic Director of Curve, Nikolai Foster said, "It's a testament to the beauty of Capote's imagination, the extraordinary characters he created and Greenberg's faithful adaptation, that alongside Pixie and Matt, we have assembled such an accomplished company of actors to bring this dazzling play to life. We are thrilled to welcome the company to Curve and our audiences in Leicester and on tour in the UK. Every week of 2016 will see a Curve production on a UK stage and we are thrilledBreakfast at Tiffany’s will be part of this commitment to sharing work that has been made at Curve." 

Breakfast at Tiffany’s will be directed by Nikolai Foster, the Artistic Director of Curve, with production design by Matthew Wright, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Mic Pool and wig design by Campbell Young.

Nikolai Foster is Artistic Director at Curve. Recent productions include Roald Dahl’s The Witches, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good and Shakespeare’s Richard III (all Curve), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (West Yorkshire Playhouse), the 20th anniversary production of Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing (Curve and Nottingham Playhouse), Calamity Jane (Watermill Theatre, Newbury & UK tour) and a major new production of the Broadway musical Annie (West Yorkshire Playhouse & UK tour).

Breakfast at Tiffany’s will begin performances at the Curve, Leicester on 3 March 2016, before embarking on a UK & Ireland Tour.  There will be a 12-week season at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End from 30 June to 17 September 2016.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a co-production between the Curve and Colin Ingram, Peter Kane, William Sinclair and Michael Melnick & Finlay Gray. 

For more information, visit www.breakfastattiffanys.co.uk.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tiffanysonstage

Twitter:  @Tiffanysonstage

TOUR SCHEDULE 2016

*3 – 12 March                          LEICESTER                                 0116 242 3595   

                                                    Curve                                           www.curveonline.co.uk               

                                                   

*15 – 19 March                        CANTERBURY                            01227 787787

                                                    Marlowe Theatre                        www.marlowetheatre.com           

                                                                                                       

*4 – 9 April                               LEEDS                                         0844 848 2700

                                                    Grand Theatre                            www.leedsgrandtheatre.com

*12 – 16 April                           SALFORD                                    0843 208 6000

                                                    Lowry Theatre                             www.thelowry.com

*18 – 23 April                          BIRMINGHAM                           0844 871 3011 

                                                 New Alexandra Theatre               www.atgtickets.com/birmingham

*25 – 30 April                          SOUTHAMPTON                       02380 711811

                                                    Mayflower Theatre                       www.mayflower.org.uk

2 – 7 May                                 ABERDEEN                                 01224 641122

                                                His Majesty’s                                www.aberdeenperformingarts.com

9 –14 May                                 NOTTINGHAM                          0115 989 5555   

                                                    Theatre Royal                              www.trch.co.uk                              

16 – 21 May                          BATH                                  01225 448844 (on sale spring 2016)          

                                                    Theatre Royal                              www.theatreroyal.org.uk      

                                                                                                       

23 – 28 May                                 GLASGOW                                  0844 871 7647

                                                    Theatre Royal                              www.atgtickets.com/glasgow

30 May – 4 June                          EDINBURGH                               0131 529 6000

                                                    King’s Theatre                             www.edtheatres.com

6 – 11 June                                 HIGH WYCOMBE                        01494 512 000

                                                    Wycombe Swan                           www.wycombeswan.co.uk

*13 – 18 June                              DUBLIN                                       0818 719 377       

                                                    Bord Gais Theatre                       www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

*20 – 25 June                              PLYMOUTH                                 01752 267222

                                                    Theatre Royal                              www.theatreroyal.com

*30 June – 17 September            LONDON                                     020 7930 8800

                                                    Theatre Royal Haymarket             www.trh.co.uk

*Pixie Lott Dates

Booking Information:

ON SALE NOW

Performances: Mon 18 – Sat 23 Apr

Box Office: 0844 871 3011 (bkg fee)

Groups 10+: 0844 871 3031

Online: www.atgtickets.com/birmingham (bkg fee)