Lancaster University Theatre Group
at The Nuffield Theatre, University of Lancaster
Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 December 2004

Seasonal double bill
Some unusual fare for the end of term (oh yes it is) from the ever-versatile Lancaster University Theatre Group (LUTG) in the same double-bill format as they adopted last December for Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I rather enjoy this two-in-one idea; it means only one set of bus fares to get there, and at this stage of year time is at a premium (even for journalists, believe me! – damn right - Ed), so it is good to be able to see two plays on the one evening.

Some might find that a daunting exercise (wimps!), and I have to admit that such a juxtaposition needs careful thought if the audience is not to go away confused or irritated. The choices here were apt. Both are recent works (the Wyrd Sisters stage adaptation and the Popcorn novel both, coincidentally, date from 1996), and the brutality of the one nicely balances the urbanity (?) of the other. Both involve some measure of lunacy, which is quite suitable for not only the end of term but also for the run-up to the festive season.

A contemporary trilogy
So, making up three with the recent production of the work of another contemporary author, Dario Fo, audiences have had the chance to see three widely different and contemporary theatrical experiences, each with their own merits.

Follow these links or scroll on for the separate reviews below of
WYRD SISTERS and
POPCORN

Looking forward …
I see that next term's productions are Peter Shaffer's Amadeus (appropriately enough, in the Lancaster's 1782 Grand Theatre, a new adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Here's another ambitious set of choices; eighteenth century fictive psychodrama, late Georgian morality questioning of the role of science, and innovative minimalism. Brave stuff indeed, and pieces many a professional company would steer clear of.

I am already intrigued as to how they will tackle Frankenstein without lapsing into vaudeville or the worst excesses of Hollywood, how they will stage Mozart's successes and failures without a cast of thousands and a period band, and – well, let's face it – Beckett just isn't fashionable these days. Watch these columns for the previews as further information emerges.

Copyright © 29 December 2004 Michael Nunn

WYRD SISTERS
by Terry Pratchett,

adapted for stage by Stephen Briggs
Lancaster University Theatre Group
at The Nuffield Theatre, University of Lancaster
Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 December 2004

Reviewed by Michael Nunn

A new and gratifying experience:
"Pull up a chair and call the cat a bastard'.

As a total newcomer to Terry Pratchett and his worlds, I simply did not know what to expect.

Let's start with the play itself.
Two corpses within five minutes, an intriguing, multi-layered text so full of Shakespearean and other references my head was spinning, a wicked inversion of a classic tale (Macbeth), interlayered with theatrical devices from anywhere and everywhere between the two Elizabethan ages, even including pantomime (well, it was December); the dialogue is stunning and highly entertaining (it even includes the proper use of the word "spunk' – look it up) … in short, a thoroughly well crafted piece of theatre.

I know that isn't a proper sentence, but trying to define what the piece is, leaves me reeling still. A comedy – that will do for now – with acknowledgements to influences including Blackadder, Python, Goons and more. Something for everybody, in fact. And yes, I shall indeed be reading more Pratchett in the future, if that isn't too much of a nerdish confession [you have enough problems with railway trains, Michael – Ed]. I could lecture for a couple of hours on narrative, text and sources on this one.

That's the play: now on to the production.
Well cast with nineteen actors, it is difficult to single out any one or two for especial praise, not just because there isn't the space, but also because a piece such as this depends so much on the achievement of the whole cast, not just on the ‘star roles' of one or two.

Of course, there were some highly memorable visual moments. I still shudder when I see a cheese grater, and my ‘spear arm' is still sore … The staging - despite an acting space which was perhaps too large - was slick and imaginative, and also took the action out into the audience. With as many scene changes as Shakespeare's Henry V, Pratchett and Briggs whisk us from a blasted heath to a castle hall, from the dungeons, to behind the scenes in a theatre (sort of). This was all seamlessly and effectively done.

I was also impressed by the ways in which the Wyrd Sisters (Mistresses Weatherwax, Ogg and Garlick, since you ask) led the narrative, and drew together the complex action of the piece and integrated all the subplots, twists and turns – oh, alright ramblings. As for the standard criteria of sets, diction, body language, visuals, lighting, timing etc, full marks here for all.

Much credit, then, is to due to Director Pete Brookes, his cast, the production team and crew for an excellent, hilarious and stimulating production.

Notes:
Read a useful and intelligent commentary on Wyrd Sisters.

Read an interview with Stephen Briggs about dramatising Discworld books.

Stephen Briggs' official website:
http://www.stephenbriggs.com/

If you can't find anything on Terry Pratchett on the internet, you should not be using a computer [except for accessing Virtual-Lancaster – Ed].

Copyright © 29 December 2004 Michael Nunn

POPCORN by Ben Elton

Lancaster University Theatre Group
at The Nuffield Theatre, University of Lancaster
Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 December 2004

Reviewed by Michael Nunn

I cannot say that I was as taken by the text or story of Popcorn as I much as I was by Wyrd Sisters. Compared with Accidental Death of an Anarchist I do not think Elton is as able a satirist as Fo or, say Swift, or a significant contemporary dramatist. I do find Elton funny live, but this piece just did not cut it for me either as a play or as a novel.

Nevertheless, for those unfamiliar with the work, the play is set in the luxury apartment of a wealthy and (some would say) successful film director, and follows his fortunes as he is harassed by his ex-wife, an armed intruder, his producer-cum-agent and – this is the good old US of A – the media. The piece poses serious questions around the moral dilemmas or blame, rights-and-responsibilities, and can be seen as a wicked send-up and/or vicious condemnation of the worlds of showbiz, entertainment and the mass media.

There are, of course, some very topical issues here. The novel dates from 1996, and attracted some unlikely support:

It's a funny old world, as the saying goes, but I will not allow the fact that I was not enamoured of the text to colour my thoughts on the production …

… which was excellent from start to stop. The plot moves on at breakneck speed (it always seems to across the Atlantic) and demands a great deal of hard effort to sustain the quick-fire dialogue and the demanding stage business. So, in no particular order, I was impressed by the consistency of the American accents (LUTG is good at these), the use of space (though a smaller stage might have eliminated some frenetically quick moves and heightened the overall tension (remember the claustrophobia of Streetcar named Desire?

Pace, so critical in a piece of this nature, was exemplary. There was not a hint of daylight between the lines which propel the quick-fire action – all this without the loss of a syllable. There was some stylish and convincing playing from the four principal roles of the ill-starred coupling of Bruce and Brooke (Alessio Cirillo and Courtney Ryan), the hapless Wayne and Scout (Jon Adams and Tess Worden). The rest of the cast under Matthew Taylor's fine direction (they must all have been utterly exhausted!) provided solid and competent support to the momentum and mayhem.

With Popcorn, LUTG has taken on a difficult piece which presents enormous challenges, and comes away, yet again, with credit – maybe even distinction …

Notes:
A useful all-round introduction is available on:
http://www.becal.net/toolkit/damaris/popcorn.html

Copyright © 29 December 2004 Michael Nunn