Monday Miscellany

For this Monday's Miscellany here are a few things we have seen and heard over the last week or two.

Watching

 

 Recently we went to see a play called 'The Gift of Stones'.  Set in the Neolithic period it was adapted by Nobby Dimon for The North Country Theatre from the novel by Jim Crace.  This was a wonderful performance and tells the tale of 'the stonies', one of whom loses an arm as a child and unable to knapp flint to make tools for bartering with other tribes becomes the community story teller.  Apparently the actors took instruction in flint knapping from the expert John Lord, whom I featured in a post a few years ago - here.  The stonies are safe for a while but soon a ship comes from over the sea with shiny arrows made from a strange new material called copper which will eventually sound the death knell of flint and stone working and change lives and communities forever. I thoroughly enjoyed the play but it wasn't without its strange moments.  Firstly, I hope the person who fainted towards the end of the first half of the play wasn't hurt.  There was such a big bump from the back of the room and the actors one by one stopped as the lights came on;  the director went to the back of the hall to see what was amiss and then uttered those immortal lines 'is there a doctor in the house' and indeed there was and she ministered to whoever was ill.  The show carried on about twenty minutes later.  During the second half someones mobile phone went off, someone else dropped something with another thud - not as loud as the fainting thud though - and just towards the end I heard a glass break.  I felt sorry for the  actors but being a community theatre they interact with the audience before and after the performance selling programmes and walking around and chatting to you as you take yours seats so they dealt with all these distractions with great aplomb, a case of keep calm and carry on I think.

We also went to see the film Suffragette, which was an amazing and very moving with wonderful performances from a talented and powerful cast.  It is quite bleak and shocking too in the way the women were treated both at home and in the workplace and the violence they put up with during their struggle to be heard was vividly depicted and the end moved me to tears.  What did surprise me though was, given that it was an afternoon rather than an evening showing, there were only seven of us in the auditorium.  I didn't expect it to be full but I did think there might have been  quite a few more folks in there, it seems such a shame as I think it should be seen by far more people.  Above a bit of memorabilia that I have collected from various exhibitions over the years.


Viewing

The Saturday before last we went to the old Spode Factory, in the heart of the town of Stoke which is one of the six towns which make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent.  When we first moved here nearly twenty years ago this factory was still a going concern now it is closed.  Portmeirion took on the Spode name and the echoes of former pottery workers are heard all over the open spaces and empty units.  I remember going on a factory tour here, there was a wonderful Museum and cafe.  There is still a small Visitor Centre and the staff there are enthusiastic and helpful.  The real reason for our visit was to see an exhibition which has, for just a few short weeks, brought the old factory back to life again.

Advertised as '1 Festival, 6 weeks, over 75 artists, free' the British Ceramics Biennial is well worth a visit.  We arrived just after 11a.m. and headed straight for coffee first.  
 

This was provided by 'Bread in Common', a community bakery served under yurt type structures.  There was plenty of choice and we chose coffee and fruit cake.  We were given an African animal (a zebra) to take to our table instead of a number.  I noticed the people close by us had a tiger and later visitors an elephant.  Both coffee and cake were delicious.  Suitably refreshed we started on our way around the large open plan area of the exhibition.

Bread in Common to the left, exhibition shop to the right

Plenty of space for people to wander.

The Campanologist's Tea Cup a sound sculpture by Ingrid Murphy - you are asked to flick the tea cup quite hard with your fingers and the sound resonates through each funnel.  This link will show you how it works and what it sounds like.

 

'Life, Death and that moment in between' by James Duck, a ceramics vending machine which dispenses pottery rather than chocolate bars - the pottery can break as it is dispensed of course.

Resonate by Stephen Dixon and Johnny Magee a clay and sound installation which commemorates WWI.  You can add a china flower and message into the exhibition in remembrance of lost ancestors.

A few more of the exhibits on display, I could do with visiting again before the exhibition closes on the 8th November.

Reading

 

A couple of books by Kate Ellis.  I always enjoy her Wesley Peterson Murder Mysteries as, like the novels of Elly Griffiths, they combine archaeology and history with the who done it side of the book and the past always intertwines with the present to solve the mystery.  Kate Ellis also writes the DI Joe Plantagenet series too, again history is the key to the modern day mysteries.  The Wesley Peterson books are set in and around the fictional town of Tradmouth which is loosely based on Dartmouth in Devon and the DI Joe Plantagenet novels are set in the historic Yorkshire town of Eborby which is very like the city of York. 

Thank you all very much for your comments on my last post and I will get round to answering them later today.....I hope!

A Firm Favourite

Anyone who has been reading my blog for a long time will know, as I've probably told you many times before in various posts, than one of my favourite books - probably my all time favourite - is J L Carr's A Month in the Country.

I've also probably told you that the film version is one of my favourite films.

I can also now say that the stage version I saw recently is one of my favourite interpretations of this wonderful novel.  Adapted for the stage by Nobby Dimon the director of a splendid theatre company I hadn't come across before called The North Country Theatre it perfectly captures the very essence of the book.

We went to the performance with some dear friends one of whom is also an avid fan of of this unforgetable story.  Tom Birkin recovering slowly from the traumas of the WWI trenches arrives in the Yorkshire village of Oxgodby to uncover and restore a medieval wall painting in the church. Outside in the fields beyond the churchyard archaeologist Charles Moon, equally traumatised by his wartime experiences is working on an excavation to find the body of the disgraced ancestor of a church benefactor Miss Adelaide Hebron.  The story weaves around these two characters and those of the villagers. The solitary Rev Keach and his beautiful wife, Alice and Station Master Ellerbeck's family including his delightful daughter Kathy who are most definitely 'chapel not church'!  How to create the poignant atmosphere of this month of summer, this month of searching, dreaming, yearning,  recovering, of revelation and burgeoning love?

A small company of five actors with a small revolving stage of moveable props managed to do this in the most amazing and wonderful way.  They captured the characters of the main protagonists so well some of them doubling up and playing two parts.  The whole thing was so well performed, well timed and well constructed that it was a work of art in itself.  We had a most wonderful evening in the presence of this company of players who both before and after the show and during the interval will come amongst the audience to chat, to challenge and interact in a way I've never seen before.  Most definitely community theatre at its best.

Scenes from the Last Few Days

On Tuesday we went for a walk along the canal in the market town of Stone.  We hadn't walked along this stretch of the Trent and Mersey canal for quite a while.

I love the old brewery building.  Joules is an old established company started in the town in the late 18th early 19th century by the Joule family.   Here is a - link - to the fascinating history of the Joule's involvement in the brewing industry and also their connection with the standard measure of energy known as 'the joule'.

After our walk we stopped for a coffee and a shared chocolate twist before setting off to Uttoxeter to visit the museum.

We don't visit Uttoxeter very often, I'm not sure why because it is a nice, friendly little town.

With lots of interesting buildings and alleyways.

The Museum didn't open until one o'clock so we decided to have some lunch at a little cafe in Old Saddler's Yard.

We didn't go into the Vintage Tea Emporium although it looked very interesting from the outside.  I think this would perhaps be a good place to have a birthday tea as a special treat.  We got to the Museum about 1.20p.m. and it still hadn't opened up even though notices on the door said it should be  so that was quite a disappointment. We could see the 17th century and wartime kitchens through the windows and it all looked interesting so I'm sure we'll go back another time to have a look.

In the evening we watched Nora Ephron's 'Julie and Julia' and really enjoyed it.  I know I'm late to this film as it has been out at least a couple of years but it is a feast for the eyes from beginning to end and well worth seeing if you haven't already - especially if you like Paris, French food, 50s clothes, blogging and marmalade coloured cats.

Yesterday we went to the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle to see another super production by Northern Broadsides -  this time it was Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour's Lost' directed by Barrie Rutter. 

As usual it was fast paced and well acted with faultless and humerous timing .  The company never fail to amaze me with each actor's ability to not only act but to sing, dance and play a musical instrument as well.  The play ends on a poignant note as the rip roaring Morris style 'stick dance' turns to the sweet, gentle singing of a traditional folk song as it draws to its spellbinding end. 

They were Three Sisters

Last night, courtesy of the New Vic Theatre and Northern Broadsides, we were transported up to the windswept Yorkshire Moors and back in time to the 1840s to a parsonage in Haworth where three sisters lived their daily lives trapped by place and time struggling with their growing awareness of the fleeting, fretfulness of life and the looming presence of death.
In the darkened theatre with the sound of wind howling in the background and a candlelit table with three writing desks the play starts with the line "Mother died on a day like this" and so the three Bronte sisters, Charlotte (the small, plain  and compassionate one)  Emily (the odd, wild and restless one) and Anne (the young, pretty, outspoken one) come to life.
Though troubled with worries about their ageing father Patrick, drunken brother Branwell and visited by various other characters like the doctor, the teacher and the  'love-sick' curate they encourage each other to write.  Like the three sisters in Chekhov's play who long to go to Moscow these three long to go to London.
In the last act as they see their brother spiral into a drunken, debt ridden life they cling to what they believe will be their purpose in life as Charlotte says  "Soon the years will have passed and we'll be gone. Our faces will be forgotten, our voices will be forgotten, all that mattered to the three of us will be forgotten.  But there'll be our books.  And in the end, we will be remembered"

This is a new play by Blake Morrison. directed by Barrie Rutter and acted by an outstanding cast of performers.   It's not as morbid as it sounds, there are lots of humorous moments,  but throughout there is the awareness, through hindsight, of what is to come.  It is a brilliant play! See it if you can.

I found the trailer below to give you an idea of what to expect.......

Here is my review of  'The Merchant of Venice' seen last Thursday evening at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.

After a wonderful meal in the theatre's Rooftop Restaurant we had time to wander around and look at the new parts of the theatre and in the shop before making our way to our seats.  The seating was comfortable and close to the new stage so we had a good view of all the action.  The inside is totally different than how it used to be with its new thrust stage and tiered seating.

Photos weren't allowed in the auditorium so I can't show you what it looked like.

As we entered the auditorium some of the actors were already on stage in a set resembling a Las Vegas gambling club with loud brassy music, black jack tables, cocktail bars and one-armed bandits.  The merchant, Antonio, sits gloomy and desolate at one of the gaming tables, whilst the rest of the club goers are having a great time.

This was, in fact, one of the most unusual and thought provoking productions I have ever seen.  The play, directed by Rupert Goold, seemed to me to be split into three distinct sections.   The scenes with Antonio, played by Scott Handy and Bassanio, played by Richard Riddell were in and out of the clubs and coffee bars of Las Vegas where ducats became dollars and the character of Launcelot Gobbo was an Elvis impersonator.  When Jessica, Shylock's daughter and Lorenzo elope they do so dressed as Batman and Robin.  

  The 'casket' scenes where Portia's suitors have to pick the right casket (Gold, Silver or Lead) containing her picture to win her and her fortune was turned into a television game show with Portia ( Susannah Fielding) and Nerissa (Emily Plumtree) as the ditsy presenters all platform shoes, short skirts and false smiles for the cameras.  Think 'Legally Blond' here and you just about have it. 

Then there is Shylock, played so wonderfully by Patrick Stewart,  he sometimes seemed as if he were in a different play entirely, distanced from all around him - as I guess he would have been as one of jewish faith in a mainly christian society -  he went from cunning money lender to a frail, elderly old man, who wanted his revenge.

The American accents slipped occasionally but the timing was perfect - especially the scene in the lift!  The courtroom scene was dramatic with Antonio strung up on a meat hook gasping with fear as Shylock took his knife from his case to take his 'pound of flesh'.  I was waiting for 'the quality of mercy' speech from Portia and wondered how it would be done - very well as it happens -  and the ending, after the giving away of the rings,  was unsettling as Portia, realising that Bassanio will always love Antonio more than her, whorled around the stage on one platformed shoe as she descended into madness accompanied by the Elvis impersonator singing 'Are you lonesome tonight?'.

Back to Reality

We are now home after our two day trip to see 'The Merchant of Venice' in Stratford-upon-Avon.  My head is buzzing with images of all we have seen and done.  We have walked where two ancient roads met and crossed at the place once called Venonis (the place of the poison plants), eaten wonderful food in a rooftop restaurant, seen a strangely surreal (but quite entertaining) adaptation of the play mentioned above set, not in 16th century Venice, but in present day Las Vegas and wandered around a mediaeval, moated manor house.  I'll be back to report on all later.

Meanwhile I'll leave you with a photo of a swan on the Avon - not the Sweet Swan of Avon - which was the playwright Ben Johnson's name for William Shakespeare - but one of the many seen on our early morning, pre-breakfast, walk along the riverside.

And also one of a living statue seen on our after breakfast stroll around the town centre!

The Canterbury Tales

I've just realised that a few posts ago I promised a review of the Northern Broadsides production of 'The Canterbury Tales' which we saw on March 17th at the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle - 'under Lyme' that is and not 'on Tyne'!


We'd booked the tickets way back in January as with all Northern Broadsides productions they sell very quickly. The New Vic is a theatre in the round and we were three rows from the front so quite close to the action and what a lot of action there was!


This production was directed by Conrad Nelson whom I mentioned last year when I wrote about Othello - link - there are twenty nine tales in the original but for this production they had been honed down to around fourteen. Including The Miller's Tale, The Knight's Tale, The Pardoner's Tale and The Wife of Bath.

I'm always amazed by this company of actors of whom just sixteen become so many as they change characters, move props as they cross the stage, play musical instruments, clog dance and create puppets of children out of bits of blankets before your very eyes.

The sheer talent, ability, agility and superb split- second timing was a joy to behold. It was loud, colourful and being Chaucer bawdy too. We laughed a lot but there were some touching moments too. It was another superb evening to remember from the wonderful Northern Broadsides company!

Things to Look Forward To

I've been feeling rather jaded over the last week; no energy or enthusiasm to do much of anything. I'm just hoping this feeling will pass as soon as the weather improves and we can get out in the garden again - but for some reason this stuff keeps coming along to stop us.

So what is there to look forward to? Well, even though we can't get outside to work in the garden things have been happening inside. Paul has been potting seeds ready for the greenhouse and garden later on plus some herbs for the kitchen windowsill. There's parsley, basil and cress plus radish, lettuce, spinach, beetroot, french beans, leeks and tomatoes - now that is something to look forward to!

Next week we are hoping to visit the - Potteries Museum and Art Gallery - to see the - Staffordshire Hoard. I've been watching the local papers to see how the queues are doing. We've decided to go next week, once half term is over, in the hope that the queuing time won't be as long in this cold weather - it's about two hours at the moment. The exhibition was opened last Friday by historian, writer and TV film maker/presenter - Michael Wood - a huge long term favourite of mine - several of his books can be found on my bookshelves. I see that the exhibition had some special visitors this morning - link - I'm guessing that they didn't have to join the queue ;)

We also have tickets to see the wonderful - Northern Broadsides - on their annual visit to the New Vic Theatre. We are going to see The Canterbury Tales and I've been keeping up to date with their rehearsals via photos and news on Facebook. It is looking good so far!

I'm also looking forward to reading the next book on my 'to be read' pile. 'An Education' by Lynn Barber. This books has been adapted by Nick Hornby for a successful - film - no doubt many of you have seen it already. We missed it when it came to our local university film theatre so I'm hoping that it comes back to one of the local cinemas soon which it may do if it wins some awards over the next few weeks.


Last but not least I'm looking forward to a slice of Victoria Sandwich Cake because it's Simone's Friday Cake Bake and here is my cake sandwiched with home made plum jam and dusted with icing sugar.

Time to put the kettle on!

Thank You Mr. Shakespeare

Apart from being St. George’s Day, today is thought to be not only the date of the birth of William Shakespeare in 1564 but also the day upon which he died in 1616. As some of you will know I am a great lover of Mr. Shakespeare and his plays so I've decided today to acknowledge this with my recollections of some of the most memorable performances I have been privileged to see. The ones where I sat enthralled, almost unaware of my own existence; the ones that left me feeling as if Ihad been touched by magic; the ones that filled me with joy and the ones where I left the theatre floating on air.

My very first experience of Shakespeare was the BBC’s 1965 production of the Wars of the Roses, seen in black and white on a small TV screen. I remember staying up late to watch with my fingers crossed that there wouldn’t be a power cut, I was beside myself with happiness then, I lived and breathed every word – I was a teenager and my family didn’t understand. My first visit to the RSC's theatre at Stratford was to see Coriolanus with Ian Richardson in the title roll. Perhaps not the best play to start with but once I’d taken that initial step I returned again and again – I was hooked.

There are many memories of countless performances but those I remember without even searching through my programme collection are as follows. A gloriously joyful The Comedy of Errors at Stratford with a cast including Judy Dench and Michael Williams. The cast came out into the audience at the end and we all joined in the final song. A stirring Henry V, again at Stratford, with Alan Howard in the title role. Nottingham Playhouse in the early seventies two equally stunning performances of Hamlet, one with Alan Bates as the Prince the other with Ian McKellan. A stunning Richard III at the National Theatre again with Ian McKellan. A dreamy and colourful Love's Labour's Lost with Ian Charleston, Alan Rickman, Richard Griffiths and David Suchet. I remember sitting through three productions in one day when the RSC at Stratford presented The Plantagenets. We sat through it all again at the Barbican in London. Last but not least a magical amateur production of A Midsummer Nights Dream on midsummer's eve at the Stamford Shakespeare Company's open air theatre at Tolethorpe.

Thank you Mr. Shakespeare for some wonderful memories.

Oh, what a laugh

On Friday we went to the New Vic theatre to see the Northern Broadsides production of 'The Man with Two Gaffers' and as you know from previous posts, I love Northern Broadsides, so I have been keenly anticipating this performance and I wasn't disappointed. As usual the exuberance and sheer versatility of the actors was second to none. Every character was a gem, especially Roy North as the vicar and of course actor/director Mr Rutter himself whose reaction to the breaking of his trifle bowl after sticking his finger in the gooey mess was absolutely priceless. I left the theatre with a happy heart and aching sides from laughing so much.


On Monday we popped over to the retail park at Trentham Gardens where all is tastefully lit for Christmas including a German Christmas Market and piped festive music competing with the sounds of Germany from the purpose built bierkeller - on the way home we saw the first house decorated for Christmas. Now this is all very well, I love Christmas but not on the 13th November - could it all start on 1st December please? This early start ensures that by the time Christmas actually does arrive - it's lost it's magic and that is a real shame.