Category: Mary Woodward Review

***** (5 stars)

“Deeply emotional”

What a treat!  After the powerful emotions of Cringe, Boys don’t dance is another deeply emotional piece, this time exploring the joy of dance and its power both to express deep emotions and to transcend physical limitations. 

The sheer beauty of the opening moments will stay with me for a long time.  A wheelchair dancer in front of a mirror begins their warmup at the barre: arm movements of profound grace and beauty captivated me.  Subtle lighting made the mirror both reflective and semi-transparent, making visible the standing dancer behind it who first reflects the first man’s movements and then starts to move the mirror itself, allowing the couple to move in perfect partnership around the floor.

Piotr Iwanicki has used a wheelchair all his life: Ross Malloy is able-bodied.  Both have danced from an early age, and together they bring choreographer and company leader Marc Brew’s own dance story to the stage.  Born in the Australian outback, where boys don’t dance but play football and do other ‘manly’ stuff, Marc would dance to any and every kind of music – but where no-one could see him.  Channel-hopping on the telly, he’d dance along to any song he could find, copying the dancers’ moves and exuberantly expressing the sheer joy of dance – stopping instantly if anyone was near.  When his mum was out at work, he’d explore the joys of dressing in female clothing, using the draping folds of fabric to emphasise the grace of his movements, rapidly reverting to ‘normality’ when she came home again.

A horrific car crash put Marc in a wheelchair.  Slowly he began to discover the possibilities of dancing on wheels – tentatively at first, but gradually developing confidence and skill and the ability once more to express his every emotion through dance.  Ross and Piotr join in a jaw-dropping display of the possibilities offered by a BMX bike and a wheelchair in addition to the equally staggering options open to an able-bodied dancer and a wheelchair user.  Words fail me as I try to describe the two men’s strength, agility, daring and complete trust in each other as they whirl gracefully around the dance floor and don’t shrink from hurtling towards and up the BMX trick ramp….

This production is an outstanding example of making a show accessible to as many people as possible.  On a screen at the back of the stage, a talking crow and a signing human provide explanations at key points in the narrative, while creative captions are projected on to a box near the front of the stage.  There are sensory warnings before the show begins, along with assurances that it’s okay to fidget, move about or leave if necessary.  Would that more shows paid this much attention to people’s differing needs!

In the brief Q&A that followed the show, the similarity between the two men was clear – both had danced from an early age despite the lack of dance in their surroundings.  I was fascinated to learn that Piotr was a European wheelchair dance champion, and that because he’d been dancing in his chair all his life, the thing he found hardest was learning to express hesitation and beginner’s movements with his chair.  Ross in his turn must have been hesitant at first when faced with the challenges of dancing with someone in a chair.  Both were eloquent about the trust and wordless communication necessary when dancing together, especially when things weren’t quite going according to plan.

Gene Kelly, in Singin’ in the Rain, has the memorable number gotta dance: Piotr and Ross display that same passion and drive in showing that boys definitely do dance.  This show is proof positive and will inspire anyone – even girls – to refuse to allow themselves to be told that they can’t.

Imaginate Children’s Festival Present Marc Brew Company, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Runs Ended However production will conclude its tour at The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen on Friday 5^th and Saturday 6^th June.

***** (5 stars)

“Graphically Portrayed”

Oh my what a visceral shocker, in the best possible way.  Scott Fletcher, Scott Hoatson and Kirsty McDuff belie their age to portray to perfection kids on their very first day at ‘big school’ as well as their schoolmates and the assorted adults in their lives.

Reid’s not only dealing with ordinary first-day feelings but also with his parents’ clever idea of moving house – and across the country – during the summer holidays, meaning that he doesn’t know a soul in this vast gaggle of kids waiting to be sorted into classes.  He’s trying to keep his head down, to stay unnoticed: it’s not his fault that he’s late into the first class and has to make a snap decision about which of the only two empty seats he sits in.  Boy or girl?  He chooses boy – and so meets Gordon.

The horrors of school are graphically portrayed – those inflicted, sometimes unwittingly, by staff and decidedly deliberately by fellow kids.  The worst come from the three class bullies, well known to Gordon but new to Reid, who marvels at Gordon’s ability quietly to ignore the taunts and insults that flood out from these three, whom he calls Gorgons.  Greek mythology, and especially Perseus, who rescues princess Andromeda from snake-haired Medusa and her fellow-gorgons, feature largely in the narrative and become the focus of a game Reid and Gordon develop together at home.

Things are becoming bearable: the Gorgons are beginning to tire of their taunting in the face of complete lack of reaction – but then disaster strikes.  An incident – with a major cringe factor – escalates and results in a total rift between the two friends.  If this were a perfect story, that would be the catalyst for a swift and supportive reaction from staff and parents – but this isn’t.  The incident’s consequences blow up out of control, a well-meaning attempt at reconciliation fails disastrously, and Reid isolates himself in his misery.  It takes an unconnected tragedy to bring about a movingly-portrayed reconciliation.  What is unexpected is the way Reid turns his great weakness into a towering strength which makes the start of year two so much better than year one.

The set resembles a school’s tiled changing room [facilitating much chalk writing and drawing as the narrative advances].  Five chairs are moved, and at times thrown, around to create different settings as the action moves at a cracking pace.  There’s brilliant use of an overhead projector – I loved the way it brought the Perseus game to life.  A set which at first sight looks virtually closed has an amazing number of exits and storage spaces for props.  The choreography and lighting are superb, and the rapid, wickedly accurate script brings the characters and narrative into vividly horrifying life.

Over two thirds of the audience were primary school leavers, and the most telling applause at the end came from them – they obviously recognised, felt with, and applauded the feelings of the characters in front of them.  Cringe is a brilliant show that deserves to be widely, hopefully sparking both discussion and thoughtful action around the nature of bullying and the power of true friendship.

Imaginate children’s festival presents Cringe, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Run ended

**** (4 stars)

“A tale of sheer bloody-mindedness”

In 1981 I was living in England, bringing up two small children, and like everyone else struggling to come to terms with Maggie Thatcher’s approach to labour relations.  I have to confess to being largely unaware of the momentous goings-on in the Lee jeans factory in Greenock, and am profoundly grateful to all those concerned in bringing this story to the stage.  in deeply troubled times, it’s good to be reminded that ‘little people’ can make a difference and that it’s possible for a few people to stick together and resist the power and arrogance of massive multinational corporations.

In 1981, the factory in Greenock was profitable, its American owners having taken full advantage of the financial inducements on offer from the British government for the past ten years.  Was it pure coincidence that at this point some of the factory’s operations were moved to Northern Ireland, where new tax incentives were on offer?  How come the workers were being told that they would be made redundant and the factory closed after the statutory 90 days’ notice?  This at a time when jobs were increasingly scarce, money incredibly tight, and union power was being steadily eroded…

What unfolds is a tale of sheer bloody-mindedness and refusal to be intimidated or to give in to pressure.  The mostly female workforce agreed to a sit-in and, despite the cowardly refusal of their trade union to get involved, they made their story public and received huge support from many other people, even though they too were suffering in the aggressively anti-union atmosphere of Maggie’s Britain.

It might seem that this is a grim tale with all too little light – but what NTS has produced is an inspiring and engrossing illustration of what feisty women [and a few men] can achieve if they put their minds to it.  Five women and one man play many parts – and many instruments, too – in this production which crackles with wit and gallows humour.  A raucously lively succession of 1980s songs, many with new words created by the strikers, and a seemingly endless procession of characters interacting with the main protagonists, drive this narrative forward until the final moments invite us to consider what we could profitably learn from this David and Goliath true story.

 The cast’s talents leave me speechless.  Quite apart from the rapid costume- and accent-changes performed by most of them, their musical abilities are highly impressive as they swap instruments and vocal styles and lines in this almost continuous high-octane performance.  My hat’s off to Aron Dochard – his gangly teen Finlay is in strong contrast to his Belfast manager Charters and much older Jimmy who’s probably carrying a torch for young Maggie, while his chinless and spineless union head honcho is priceless: and he can sing and play a mean guitar, too!  Madeline Grieve beats the hell out of her drum kit while also inhabiting many roles, and musical director Shonagh Murray provides strong keyboard and vocal backing, occasionally coming centre stage with her piano accordion.

Hannah Jarrett-Scott is the strong, capable support person who does all the unglamorous but essential jobs within the sit-in, not least the thankless task of wrangling people into rotas to ensure all the tasks are covered all the time while ensuring that they have enough time to deal with the rest of their lives – small wonder Cathie’s at times very snippy about her younger sister’s lively, happy-go-lucky approach to the whole business.

Chiara Sparkes lights up the stage with her performance as Maggie Wallace – she gets everyone going with her energy and enthusiasm, and we watch with pride and satisfaction her gradual maturation from irresponsible teen to self-assured spokesperson for the striking women.  And boy, can she belt a good song!  The whole narrative is driven by the music, and for anyone who wasn’t engrossed in nappies, will be a wonderful trip down memory lane: for me it supported and powered the action, voicing the workers’ incredible mixture of emotions and shouting defiance to the world.

The outstanding performance has to be that of Jo Freer as Helen Monaghan.  Without Helen’s quiet determination to fight for jobs for her co-workers the sit-in would have gone nowhere.  Somehow this quiet unassuming shop steward found the inner resources to keep going in the face of determined opposition [and complete male indifference] and support and strengthen everyone else around her at the same time.  Jo’s performance is simply unforgettable.

Oh the power of a strong woman!  I hope that the telling of this story will remind people of the power of the individual and the ‘little person’ and inspire more acts of resistance in the face of increasing abuses of power and denial of justice.

The National Theatre of Scotland presents Stand and deliver, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Run Ended.

The Tour will call at The Byre Theatre St Andrews, Eastgate Theatre Peebles, Mull Threatre Tobermory, Eden Court Theatre Inverness, Lanternhouse Cumbernauld, and the Beacon Arts Centre Greenock. For more information go to: Stand & Deliver: The Lee Jeans Sit-in | National Theatre of Scotland

**** (4 stars)

“Showcases the breadth of talent that defines Scottish Opera”

I badly want to give this production five stars – and if I saw it a little later in the run, I’m sure I would.  The production is lively and doesn’t muck about with the basic story; the characters are very well cast; the music is of course wonderful; costumes, lighting and set design serve to enhance rather than hinder the story-telling; and the singers range from very good to outstanding. 

My reservations come from the huge weight of the four main roles – Count and Countess Almaviva and their servants, Figaro and Susanna.  All four singers had really great moments, and were never less than very good – it’s just that maintaining excellence throughout a long a complex opera is hard.  Knowing when to relax slightly in order to give your all in a few moments’ time, when not to push but allow the voice to float over the orchestra; husbanding your energy for when you really need it…all takes time to work out and absorb.  Not to mention first night nerves!  All this will come with time, and very soon in the case of these four very talented singers – which is why I’d really like to see another performance in a few weeks’ time, when it will fulfil its first night promises and dazzle everyone who comes to see it.

The basic plot is simple – Figaro wants to marry Susanna; the Count wants to bed her before her wedding night; the Countess struggles with the misery of having been wooed and won then rejected by her husband.  Complications arise in the form of Cherubino, a young lad who’s besotted with every woman in sight; Marcellina, who also wants to marry Figaro; Dr Bartolo who wants revenge on Figaro for preventing him from marrying his wealthy ward, Rosina [now the Countess]; Don Basilio simply delights in scandal and intrigue; Barbarina wants Cherubino; and her father Antonio simply wants to stop people jumping out of windows and crushing his geraniums.  Plots, disguises, locked closets, a military commission, a foundling reunited with his parents, and a chorus of servants who simply want to get on with the promised party all add to the mayhem.

Thomas Allen’s production is wonderful in that it makes the story as easy to follow as it might be while not forcing it into some strange Concept that makes one feel the producer hasn’t actually read the script.  I must confess I wondered about Susanna’s praising the friendly darkness ofthe night when there was a giant harvest moon in the sky, and whether the cornfield which provided the helpful stooks of corn actually grew right up to the walls of the Almaviva home – but these are design rather than production quibbles.  Costumes are appropriate to the period and quietly underline the difference in social standing between master and servant.  Lighting, as it should, illuminates the plot, and good choreography also helped us see what was going on.

And, of course, there’s Mozart, who with librettist da Ponte created one of the most beautifully balanced and plotted of all operas.  Amanda Holden’s translation is superb, especially in the plot-advancing recitatives and, while I might wish that the singers didn’t need to have their words up in the supertitles, it meant that everyone present was able to understand, enjoy, and be completely involved in what was going on on stage.  I wonder how many ‘first timers’ were present?  Certainly there was a huge laugh when Marcellina is revealed to be Figaro’s mother!

Scottish Opera’s orchestra were, as ever, brilliant, and conducted for this run by Dane Lam.  As for the singers – well!  It’s a cast which needs a vast range of superlatives to describe them all.  Emerging Artist Edward Jowle has already shown his quality in a number of smaller roles with Scottish Opera, while Ava Dodd as his Susanna was making her Scottish Opera début and making me keen to see her again very soon.  Ian Rucker, another debutant, was an excellent Count, with just the occasional American ‘a’ colouring his delivery: his Countess, Alexandra Lowe, stood up to him spiritedly, generous with her forgiveness after all his hypocritical blustering.  I just wish I could believe his repentance would last… 

Simone McIntosh was captivating as Cherubino – the perfectly awkward, emotionally overflowing teenager who can’t control his reactions and is desperate to gain experience with any woman who’ll allow this.  Jeni Bern was a wonderfully warm and engaging Marcellina, rather than the bitter, ageing spinster so often seen on stage – I’m just really sad she didn’t get her pro-women aria which is a wonderful counterfoil to Figaro’s bitter condemnation of them which immediately follows in the score.  Edward Hawkins was a delight as Dr Bartolo – tall, elegant, wryly witty rather than the blustering old fool one so often sees – while Scottish Opera Emerging Artist, tenor Luva Maranti, made the most of Basilio’s all-too-brief contributions.  I really look forward to hearing his gorgeous voice in a more prominent role very soon.

The whole production showcased the breadth of talent that defines Scottish Opera’s productions.  The audience showed their appreciation with applause for many of the arias and ensembles and were loudly vociferous in their congratulations at the final curtain.  Another thoroughly enjoyable evening, an entertainment which will be brought to a theatre near you in the coming weeks.  Don’t miss it!

And oh my – next year’s programme is mouth-wateringly delectable!  Puccini’s Turandot, Beethoven’s Fidelio and my all-time favourite Handel – Alcina – are the main attractions, but there’s more… get hold of a copy of The next era which outlines the programme for 2026/7 and start clearing dates in your diary!!

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Scottish Opera, Theatre Royal, Glasgow runs until Saturday 23^rd May for more information and tickets go to: Scottish Opera – The Marriage of Figaro Tickets | Theatre Royal Glasgow in Glasgow | ATG Tickets

The Production will also perform at:

The Festival Theatre Edinburgh, Friday 29^th May to Saturday 6^th June for more info go to: The Marriage of Figaro – Capital Theatres

His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen Thursday 11^th June to Saturday 13^th June for more information go to: The Marriage of Figaro | Aberdeen Performing Arts

Eden Court Theatre, Inverness Thursday 18^th June to Saturday 20^th June for more info go to: The Marriage of Figaro | Eden Court

***** (5 stars)

“A Joy and a Delight!”

I’m really sorry to have missed the opening night of this show in Glasgow – but being in Finland at the time, I wasn’t able to come.  Instead you and I had to wait till Starstruck came to Edinburgh for me to tell you what a joy and delight this ballet is. 

The late great Gene Kelly was an impressively talented man.  Most of us remember him as an actor, singer, and dancer, with a sense of humour that enabled him to send himself up as the self-obsessed silent movie star in Singin’ in the rain.  Who knew that he was also a choreographer, linguist, reader, deep thinker, and overall lovely human being?

His widow and biographer, Patricia Ward Kelly, that’s who.  Which is why she was delighted to collaborate with Scottish Ballet’s Christopher Hampson and designer Lez Brotherston to create what in September 2021 I described as “An exhilarating, effervescent, exultant, eye-catching extravaganza, Starstruck is the perfect choice for Scottish Ballet’s first ‘live in front of an audience’ production.”

This first version of Starstruck took Pas de Dieux, an original ballet about the love life of the gods of Olympus which Gene Kelly choreographed for the Paris Opéra, and set it within the framework of a company rehearsal, which gave a fascinating insight into life backstage as well as allowing all the very talented Scottish Ballet company to shine in their individuality.  Gradual emergence from lockdown meant that the Scottish Ballet orchestra didn’t perform live, but pre-recorded their score which made much use of the music of Chopin and Gershwin.

Today’s version of Starstruck expanded the ‘outside’ story to give even more richness and depth with a thought-provoking exploration of star quality, the behaviour stars can display, and the challenges facing anyone trying to create new work.  The rehearsal begins with three female dancers auditioning for the lead in the Choreographer’s new show and showing their desperation to get the part – Choreographer and Pianist have a hard time of it keeping the dancers at arm’s length. 

A true Star Ballerina enters and the others retire discomfited.  Star and Choreographer fall in love – but as the Choreographer becomes increasingly absorbed in his work, the Star Ballerina becomes increasingly discontented: nothing she can do can make him pay her the attention she demands.  She leaves.  The Choreographer dreams that she has gone to Hollywood, and met a Film Star.  They dance together at a gloriously glittering party, and the Choreographer is unable to reach her and get her back.

Rehearsals continue, but it’s not until the Star Ballerina re-enters that the ballet can be completed.  The dress rehearsal takes place: Choreographer and Star Ballerina now dance the parts of Zeus and Aphrodite.  She is bored and travels to earth with her friend Eros, where she starts a flirtation with a Life Guard, charming him away from his fiancée.  Zeus sends a thunderclap of warning, but this is ignored – he has to come down to earth himself and restore things to normal, leaving Aphrodite annoyed at his interference.

The rehearsal pauses while the Choreographer works with the other dancers, including the young lovers.  The Star Ballerina, finding herself once more ignored, starts a flirtation with a Stagehand.  This provokes a fight between Stagehand and Choreographer which the latter wins, winning back the Star Ballerina at the same time.  Their love duet morphs into the reconciliation of Zeus and Aphrodite, and a sparklingly successful curtain call at the Paris Opéra.  Reunited, the two lovers leave the rehearsal studio to its quiet darkness.

One of the huge joys of this production was the presence of the Scottish Ballet orchestra, under guest conductor Martin Yates, with the incredible pianistic skills of Lynda Cochrane.  I’m so glad she got her own curtain call at the end – she gave us the equivalent of two piano concerti [Gershwin and Ravel] as well as goodness knows how much Chopin.  And I have to confess that more than once I was torn between watching the dancers on stage and the musicians in the pit!  As with opera, ballet orchestras play in the darkness, unable to see the art they are accompanying – I do hope they get the opportunity to see it all at some point!

Need I say that the dancing was superb?  It’s always a joy to see dancers progressing within the company, so to have Bruno Micchiardi and Jessica Fyfe as the romantic leads was a great satisfaction to me, as well as a great pleasure.  Thomas Edwards and Alfie McPherson shone as the Pianist/ Eros and Stagehand/Film Star, and Urara Takata and Yipeng Xu made a touchingly sweet pair of lovers both in ‘real life’ and ‘on stage’.  The rest of the company shone too, obviously enjoying the challenge of dancing in so many different styles, especially the angular and strongly grounded ‘American show style’ dancing which is so very different from the elegant, ethereal ‘ballet style’ they do so well.

The Edinburgh audience loved this show, and applause at the end was loud and long.  The show has already been to Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen, so you’ve only got a couple of days left to catch it.  We can only hope that it will revisit us very soon…

But with Mary Queen of Scots already legendary [and going to New York very soon], Emergence making its debut in the autumn, Cinders! returning this Christmas with the joy of seeing same-sex romance danced for us, and the promise of Mayerling next year, there’s a whole lot more balletic brilliance to look forward to in the coming year.  Don’t miss it!

Star Struck, Scottish Ballet, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, runs until Saturday 9^th May for more information and tickets go to: Starstruck – Capital Theatres