My Fair Lady, Sheffield Crucible, 29/12/12

A trip over to Sheffield to see their Christmas offering at the Crucible appears to be my new Christmas tradition. Last year it was the wonderful Company, and this year I managed to snaffle one of the few remaining seats for a matinee performance of My Fair Lady (note to self – book early for 2013!), which was equally special and an excellent way to round off the festive season.

As I entered the auditorium the hard working cast were already on stage conjuring up the atmosphere of Covent Garden market. There was hustle and bustle, life and laughter, and I could tell I was going to be in for a treat. Obviously the story, and the musical, are well known, although like many people I know it solely through the film version with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. But seeing it on the stage, with such an excellent cast, gorgeous design and exuberant choreography really brought new life to it.

Dominic West is perfectly cast as the cantankerous and condescending Professor Higgins, exasperating to the extreme, but I can definitely see why Eliza fell for him! He’s got amazing stage presence and a wonderfully powerful voice, and gives a cleverly judged performance that gives rise to some lovely comic moments but is never overplayed. I have seen him once before on stage, doing Shakespeare at the Wyndhams (where he quite literally fell at my feet as he tumbled off the stage into the front row – scripted I think, but certainly one of my most memorable audience experiences!), so I knew he was a great classical actor, but it seems there is no end to his talents.

Carly Bawden, as Eliza Doolittle, was a perfect partnering to West. She gave an outstanding performance – feisty yet vulnerable and you completely believed the relationship between the two of them. Her singing voice is simply stunning, so amazingly powerful and with such range she takes your breath away.

The ensemble cast work brilliantly together, and there are as you’d expect some great song and dance numbers with fabulous and extremely energetic choreography, ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’ being a particular highlight. The design of the show is gorgeous, a clever revolve allows seamless changes between the various scenes and the set is beautiful and filled with detail. As you’d expect the costumes, particularly in the Ball scene and Ascot are divine, and the direction makes great use of the space, ensuring there is no such thing as a bad seat for the audience.

The performance gained a well-deserved ovation and there were lots of smiling faces as I left the auditorium and floated back to the station quietly singing! A fabulous production on every level. Who needs the West End when we have talent like this in the North!

Arabian Nights, Library Theatre Company, Lowry 28/12/12

After the stressful run up to Christmas, and the inevitable post-Christmas dip, a trip to the Lowry to see the much lauded Arabian Nights was in order. A last minute booking saw me, my two young companions G (9) and R (6) and their dad (well we needed one responsible adult) travel over to Salford to be hopefully transported to more exotic lands. 

When I checked the running time before the show, and found it was almost two and a half hours, I did wonder how the younger guests would deal with it, and when we took our seats, right up in the top tier of the theatre, peering down at the stage below, there were a few initial moans (I internalised mine!) about how far we were going to be from the action and whether we would be able to see, but I needn’t have worried as this entrancing  tale had all of us completely caught up in it from start to finish, and clever design and staging meant that every member of the audience felt involved as the tales wove their magic.

A King is wronged by his wife, and after having her put to death, declares that no lady can be trusted, and so in future he will only keep each wife for one night, after which she will be slain. One young girl, Shaharazad, an expert storyteller, requests to be his bride, and each night spins magical stories for the King, postponing her death sentence and gradually teaching him important lessons about life, ultimately leading to a joyous conclusion.

The atmosphere conjured from the start for this production is wonderful. The programme tells me that the aim was to create the feeling of traditional storytelling, with tales being passed on by market traders who travelled across the Middle East, Northern Africa and India, and the ‘in the round’ staging and wonderful set design, coupled with live music, certainly adds to this feeling of being gathered round after dark to hear the tales unfold. There is even the faint smell of incense wafting through the space and as the lighting dims, and the lanterns suspended from the ceiling glow, from my lofty seat I almost feel I am peering down from a secret hiding place in the palace, eavesdropping on the stories.

The cast are fantastic, nine actors portraying over one hundred roles seamlessly, and the use of minimal props leads to imaginative and clever touches such as the cave / thieves transition in Ali Baba and the forty thieves, and the scene stealing singing tree! I think particular mention should go to Tachia Newall, who impressed me very much in Manchester Lines earlier this year. Here his energy, effortless physicality and audience engagement are used to great effect, the highlight for me being his wonderful portrayals of both the beggar and the man bewitched into the form of a dog.

There are some lovely and comedic touches in the script, which, as well as reflecting the multicultural origins of the tales, give a nod to the multiculturalism of the UK, and the home place of the Library Theatre, and they even manage to slip in a bit of audience call and answer as a nod to the seasonal panto tradition.

As for my initial worries about the staying power of younger members of our party, these were completely unfounded as they were enthralled throughout and declared the show a resounding success (especially the fart joke!). Not a single whinge was heard, even the sweets were forgotten temporarily, and the lofty viewpoint was declared a big success in the scarier moments (thieves can’t get us up here!). As for this somewhat older audience member, well I too was completely entranced and for a short while felt like a kid again. Well done all, a perfect non panto treat for all ages.