Review: 'Frozen'

By Laura Stratford

Bryony Lavery's 'Frozen' is a chilling play that centres around three characters; Nancy - a mother whose daughter has been kidnapped, Ralph - a serial paedophile killer, and Agnethea - a psychologist.

With a horrific but intended scream at the start of the play, courtesy of Agnethea (Claire Curtis Ward), some of us in the audience didn't quite know how to react. There were some giggles and some stern faces. As soon as Agnethea suggests in a fury that she's going to take revenge on her ex by bombing the plane she's on, we were all definitely on the edge of our seats.

'Frozen' is one of those plays that slowly grows on you as you're watching the performance. This proves part of the genius of its structure. Whilst there may have been some individual monologues at the beginning that slowed down the momentum, eventually the monologues become intertwined. That's when it grips your attention and you're hooked.

It was impressive to see such a high standard of acting for what seemed like very difficult roles to play. Agnethea is an intelligent psychologist, but of a bipolar temperament. Nancy is a calm and collected, but shaking inside with grief. Ralph is a perverted serial killer of young children, but damaged mentally from an abusive childhood. Each character's copious levels were portrayed brilliantly by the cast. It was particularly interesting to see them come into the spotlight seperately at first and introduce themselves to the audience. As the play continued into Act Two, the characters eventually meet, a catalyst for touching and poignant moments. When Nancy discovers that Ralph, being treated by Agnethea, has murdered her daughter, Rona, it's evident that all three characters are inextricably linked in an unsettling way.

Credit also has to go to the tech team who managed slick transitions, and made effective and economical use of lighting and staging. The moment a light bulb suspended at the ceiling drops down when Ralph is interrogated by Agnethea, the buzz that was felt was indescribable.

'Frozen' is probably the best thing I've seen at the Drama Barn to date. With skillful direction from Joe Litchenstein, it was a phenomenal production, and definitely a tough act to follow.

You can hear Laura's full audio review, along with the an interview with Sony Award Winning journalist Mike Thomson and our preview of 'Stags and Hens', in YorWorld on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

YorWorld: 27th May 2012

On the show this week Bex Elson brings you all the information about arts in York with reviews of Dramasoc's 'Frozen' and a preview of next weeks production 'Stags and Hens'.

Also another chance to hear John Wakefield's interview with journalist Mike Thomson who was awarded with a Sony Gold at this years Sony Radio Academy Awards.

You can find out more about Mike's award on the BBC Today Programme's website here.

And of course you can hear the this weeks Yorworld now on the ((URY PLAYER))

Comedy: 'Going Solar' Episode 1

On Sunday Week 5 (27th May) URY are broadcasting the first episode of our highly anticipated brand new sitcom, 'Going Solar'!

From the team behind the national award winning ‘The More Beautiful Game’ (writer James Bugg and producer John Wakefield), ‘Going Solar’ follows solar panel extraordinaire Philip Hardcastle, as he embarks on his most difficult task yet - converting the small, backward village of Fort Dunleavy in Scotland to solar power. The only problem? Fort Dunleavy doesn't have any sun.

Will Phillip persuade the population of Fort Dunleavy to use solar power?

Tune in Sunday Week 5 to find out!

Starring Freddy Elletson, Louis Lunts, Greg Ebdon and Emma Gallagher

with James Bugg, Harriet Cox, Anjali Vyas-Brannick, Will Haydon, Mike Owen, Jenny Stirling and Dan Wood.

The first episode has been critically acclaimed by York Vision. You can read the review 'Solar, So Good' now!

Also if you missed the episode its available now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here! 

Find out more about the production on our facebook event page!

Review: 'Pygmalion'

By Tess Humphrey. 

Before reading our written review listen to our radio preview of the production!

This week in the Barn is a classic, George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Most of us have seen it before in some format, be it My Fair Lady or even just the Family Guy episode, and we all know the story, don’t we?

That’s what I thought.

In fact, I saw a play I didn’t expect, something more complicated, more tumultuous and less happily-ever-after than I imagined. It was like the hilarity of P G Wodehouse and the emotional conflicts of Alan Bennet combined. As such, I can for once say that 2 hours flew by.

My first impressions weren’t so favourable, it being a bare set, which can often be less than engaging in the black-black-and-more-black Drama Barn, but the set changes were many, and an innovative use of projections to take us to the streets of London, ladies’ tea parties and the embassy ball made it more palatable. Credit should also go to the production for what must have been the immense effort and expense it took to get a tuned piano in the Barn.

It goes without saying that Shaw’s script was flawlessly funny, but what is more impressive is that directors Grace Kelly and Naomi Lawrence gave it a fresh and nuanced handling, without reverting to typical characterisations of chirrupy rosy-cheeked cockneys out-smarting the buffoonish middle-classes. The appearance of the magnificently sleazy Joel Brooks as Eliza’s father was a moment that set the play miles ahead of the simplified screen adaptation.

The cast were probably the most colourful I have seen at Dramasoc, totalling eleven, which is pretty much a full stage in the Barn, and multi-rolling with impressive costume changes. All the performances were slick and hilarious. The brilliantly neurotic performance of Mungo Tatton-Brown as Higgins outshone his on-screen counterpart by miles, even when the (unfortunately frequent) fluffed lines came about, he handled them with a panache that made them just another joke. They were helped by Kelly and Lawrence’s very finely-tuned choreography, which never once felt too staged or lost its energy.

The play is having its last run tonight, and I can recommend it unequivocally.

Hear Tess' full audio review in YorWorld, available now on the ((URY PLAYER)) 

YorWorld: 19th May 2012

On the show this week John Wakefield speaks to the acclaimed comedian stand-up comedian and one line merchant, Stewart Francis and finds out how he got started in the business, what it was like supporting Ricky Gervais and more about his latest tour!

We review Dramasoc's c current show, George Bernard Shawe's classic, 'Pygmalion' and Henry Ward's hilarious new play 'A Klingon Hamlet'.

We are also joined in the studio by James Bugg, the writer of URY's brand new sitcom 'Going Solar' which starts next week!

And you can hear the programme now on the ((URY PLAYER)) here.

YorWorld: 13th May 2012

This week on URY’s acclaimed arts programme, we look at York Stage Musical’s new production of ‘Brassed Off’, we are joined by Kate Bull to review Dramasoc’s student written production, ‘Fourth Movement’, we interview the cast of ‘Henry VI’. And on top of all that we have our preview of the highly anticipated Dramasoc production of ‘Pygmalion’.  

And if you missed it you can hear the programme now on the ((URY PLAYER)).

Also this week, make sure you don’t miss the second year Writing Directing and Performance Student Productions which are both this week. They are ‘Ctrl’ and ‘Article 8’ and you can head to their facebook pages to find out more!

Review: Deathwatch

By Tess Humphrey.

Before reading our written review hear our preview in last weeks Yorworld now here.

This week sees the Drama Barn given over to Jean Genet’s grisly prison drama, Deathwatch, produced here by Alexandra Little and directed by Joseph Williams.  Green Eyes (Pete Watts) is awaiting the death penalty after murdering a girl; trapped in the cell with Lefranc (Edd Riley) and Maurice (Nick Armfield), the murder is re-hashed with mounting hyperbole and fascination, through long winding monologues to a climax of graphic physicality.

Of the many uses of the Barn I’ve seen, this is one of the most innovative, with a claustrophobic alcove as the cell, and the auditorium given over to the audience (some of whom have to stand).  Though minimal, the set is grimly realistic, right down to the suspicious stains on the toilet.  The audience are not treated to the bells and whistles of lighting and tech, but this is to be expected and helps the set to shrink aptly around the characters.

Watts, Riley and Armfield are a superb cast, vibrating with nerves and supressed energy and, more remarkably, are fearless in their physical acting.  (Watch the toilet.  That’s all I’m saying.)  They impressively navigate a script that is absorbing, character-driven, but also at times, very dull.  Probably Genet meant the audience to feel the prisoners’ frustration, which they undoubtedly did, but the script loses its characterisation in parts with theatrical clichés (“I AM the prison!”) and at times, wearing its themes thin.  This invites some over-interpretation in the form of sudden shouting in amongst whispers – where it may be meant to whip the audience into a state of nail-biting anxiety, it sometimes just felt like Acting.

Despite this, there is an abundance of York talent on display here, from Williams’s choreographing of powerful homoerotic fighting, to the cast’s incredible ability to brood and explode.  While I felt that the audience at times seemed restless and uncomfortable, this is also a great example of the physical impact that only theatre can give you, and only very finely-tuned theatre at that.  Deathwatch is an unusually dark production from Dramasoc, so if you like your theatre slow-burning and brutal, this is definitely for you.

Perhaps the last words should be left to Green Eyes.  “Get on with it and stop jibbering.”

There's no Yorworld this week because of Roses but you can hear our audio review of the production on the ((URY PLAYER)) here!

Review: blue/orange

By Laura Stratford.

How does one define mental health? How does one battle mental illness? Are we all at risk? These are a few of the questions that spring to mind whilst watching the thought-provoking play, ‘blue/orange’, written by Joe Penhall.

Mental illness, what was once a taboo subject in the 20th century, is still a tricky subject to deal with. Thankfully, nowadays, people are open to discuss a subject that could potentially affect anyone at any time. The theatre company, ‘Out of Character’, are particularly in support of this cause. They strive to make challenging theatre that looks closely at perceptions of mental health.

In collaboration with Converge, who offer educational experiences for people who use mental health services, York Theatre Royal and the direction of Juliet Foster, ‘blue/orange’ has returned to the stage.  It tells the story of two psychiatric doctors, Bruce (Jonathan Race) and Robert (Michael Beckley), who are treating their patient, Christopher (Lekan Lawal). Chaos arises the moment Christopher reveals he is the son of an African dictator. Bruce strives to help and protect Christopher’s freedom in society, whilst Robert unashamedly uses his affliction as a tool of manipulation in his career plan. The tension between these characters reveals Penhall’s critique of corruption in mental health care and the possibility that all of us are capable of losing perspective in the process of demystifying mental illness.

When coming out of the theatre, you’ll find yourself having an internal debate for several days. It’s well acted and worth a see.

You can find out more information about the production at the York Theatre Royal website.

Look out for our audio reviews on YorWorld - Sundays from 2.