'Wyrd Sisters' - The Apollo Players

Terry Pratchett is widely regarded as a god of fantasy literature. To attempt to stage a play based on one of his novels is in itself commendable, and to achieve the mixture of charm, hilarity and sheer silliness worthy of the book and play versions of 'Wyrd Sisters' is a credit to directors Dan Burns and Eve Fradgley, and to their cast.


The play opens with some slightly familiar lines: 'When shall we three meet again?', delivered by a trio of suitably weird-looking witches, the Wyrd Sisters of the title. The reply however is less Shakespearean: 'I can make next Wednesday,' says a witch, consulting her diary.

This sets the atmosphere for the play, introducing characters at once familiar and strange: the witches themselves are dominated by Granny Weatherwax:, played with hilarious gravity by Carole Crow, with homely, motherly Nanny Ogg and young, inexperienced romantic Magrat Garlick, brought to dreamy-eyed life by Carol Simpson.

Meanwhile in the castle, the ghost of a murdered King (David Pratchett) waits to get his revenge on evil Duke Felmet: Simon Cardew's manic portrayal of the guilty Duke sinking further and further into madness, trying to scrub invisible blood from his hands with a nail file is a joy, while Glenys Lloyd-Williams flounces around the stage cracking her whip, perfect as his scheming wife.

A baby and a crown are spirited away into an acting troop - babies, Granny explains, are easy to hide as there are so many of them, while crowns have a habit of being found. But when both are needed to save the kingdom, magic spells, accompanied by pyrotechnics and smoke of course, along with a play within a play, save the day and in true Pratchett fashion the evil Duke and Duchess are defeated and the true king - sort of - rules. Magrat gets her man - the Fool, played by Mark Duffus - and all live happily ever after.

Other notable mentions go to John Sole as the leader of the actors, Amy Burns as Tomjon and Dave Talbot as the Chamberlain, and they are supported by a background cast of Apollo actors taking on various roles including guards, robbers and actors.

'Wyrd Sisters' is perfect pre-Christmas viewing with its pantomime-like features and humour, and is suitable for all the family. it runs from Tuesday 13th to Saturday 17th December with performance starting at 7.30pm.

Wyrd Sisters

Whether you’re a fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels – in which case you may well have read ‘Wyrd Sisters’ in its original book form – or you have no notion who or what the Discworld is – you’ll still enjoy the play version of ‘Wyrd Sisters’.

Something is rotten in the kingdom of Lancre: Good King Verence has been murdered by Evil Duke Felmet who is now ruling in his place. Verence is understandably somewhat miffed about this and is busy haunting the castle to get his revenge.

Meanwhile, three local witches are – well, being witches. Round about the cauldron go, and all that – but they know a secret that could be the key to righting all the wrongs in Lancre....

...and when the Evil Duke decides to have a play performed, the Wyrd Sisters decide the play’s the thing...wherein to catch the conscience of the Duke... and reinstate the rightful king...

Yes, Shakespeare had a few similar ideas, but he never mixed them up like this!

‘Wyrd Sisters’ is a real family play, just the thing to enjoy on a cold December evening.

See you there!

'Wyrd Sisters' runs from December 9th - 17th (not Sunday or Monday); more information and ticket booking are now available via the Apollo Theatre's website.

The Box Office opens from Saturday December 3rd.

Seals and Humans - What Does It All Mean?

Rehearsal shot: Mary and Gen reminisce about their past life in the ocean

Although The Selkie Wife may appear to be about a fantasy world in which people can transform themselves into seals at will, there is an underlying, all too real, message for us non-Selkie humans.

The women in Kelley Jo Burke's play have become Selkies as a result of being saved at the point of death from abusive relationships. In recognition of this theme, we are dedicating the back page of our programme to the Island Women's Refuge who do essential and amazing work to support women who have suffered domestic abuse.

After being in a controlling environment, our Selkies understandably relish and treasure the freedom, power and independence they acquire: the ocean is a world of endless possibilities, theirs to explore.

This is why Gen cannot understand why Mary has chosen to forsake all that to spend twenty years on land with her husband and daughter: how could a dreary life in a small town compare with the power to 'call up the maelstrom, just for the ride'?

It is young Dylan who starts to grasp the alternative: the metaphor of the walkers, a couple who stroll along the cliff edge, both subconsciously protecting the other from possible danger, gives him an insight into a relationship in which each partner cares more for the other than for themselves; where they live a life of mutual support and love. 

The dichotomy Burke presents us with is that in order to achieve this deep, lovingly committed relationship, one has to sacrifice some of one's own power and make oneself vulnerable to the other person. And this is a threatening prospect for those who have been hurt in previous relationships.

By distancing us from the horrifying suffering women can endure by use of mythology, The Selkie Wife manages to convey the depth of its message while remaining positive, mesmerising, funny and uplifting.

The Selkie Wife is playing at The Apollo Theatre on 21, 22, and 25-29 October - tickets from the Box Office (open 11am - 2pm daily) at the theatre in Pyle Street, Newport, by phoning the Box Office on.    Or via our website 

The Selkie of Sule Skerry

The Selkie male is traditionally irresistible to the human woman.

At the start of The Selkie Wife, audiences will be treated to a beautiful rendition of a haunting traditional Orkney song, The Selkie of Sule Skerry, sung to the accompaniment of acoustic guitar. Music from this song also recurs providing atmospheric underpinning for key moments in the play.

This is, as far as we can remember, the first time a dramatic piece at The Apollo has included live music performances, and that along with being the UK Premiere makes The Selkie Wife a very special Apollo production.

The song follows the more common Selkie theme of a Selkie man seducing a human woman: she laments that she does not know where her child's father is, and he appears to tell her that he is only a man on land, but is a seal in water. He takes his son to the child's destiny, since children of Selkies can themselves also take the form of seals and swim away.

The song was collected in print only in the nineteenth century, when it was listed as Child Ballad No 113; there are many different versions of the song and it has been recorded by artists as varied as Joan Baez, Steeleye Span and the Breton singer Cecile Corbel.

But we love our version: you can hear an extract sung and played live on The Chris Sullivan Programme on Vectis Radio at 2pm on Tuesday 18 October, which will whet your appetite for the whole thing at our shows on October 21st, 22nd and 25th -29th.

To listen to the radio broadcast go to: Vectis Radio Listen Live

To book tickets for The Selkie Wife go to: Apollo Theatre - The Selkie Wife

Selkies and Humans

Selkie by Caroline Emerick 2013

Despite its ‘otherworldly’ subject matter, ‘The Selkie Wife’ deals with all too human dilemmas.

An amusing subplot shows the effect a handsome young man, particularly one whose knowledge of social morality is loose, has on an impressionable teenage girl; fathers of young girls will fully sympathise with Cal as he tries vainly to protect his daughter’s honour and her ‘peanut butter virginity’.

A more serious central image is that of ‘the walkers’: couples who unconsciously give mutual physical protection as they walk along the cliff edge, because, as Mary explains to Dylan, if something bad should happen, each wants to look after the other: ‘they’d rather be dead than the one left behind’.

This idea of loving someone else more than oneself is contrasted with the Selkie life of individual freedom: attractive to anyone who has been abused and denied freedom, as the women in the play have: the fear of making oneself vulnerable to more hurt by falling in love again is implicit in the character of Gen, who struggles to understand why Mary has made a life on land with Cal.

Striking, funny, heart-rending and beautifully written, ‘The Selkie Wife’ also gives the audience much to ponder.

So what is a Selkie?

Selkie is the dialect word for seal in the Orkney Islands, where the Selkie Folk are still a local  myth. Indeed, the song which haunts our upcoming production of ‘The Selkie Wife’ at The Apollo is itself from the Orkneys – more about that in another blog.

The basic folklore, of Celtic origin, and possibly connected to the Scandinavian myth of the Finfolk, is of creatures able to shift their form from seals into humans and back again, through the casting off and putting on of their seal skin. In some variations they can only transform at certain times, and many tales have humans concealing their mates’ seal skins to hold them to their human form.

There are many tales of Selkies, most suggesting that in human form, these creatures are alluring and mesmerising: they can mate with humans and their children can themselves become selkies. Tales abound of Selkies finding their skins after years on land and deserting their human partners, often taking their children with them.

Selkies are variously believed to be a water-borne form of fairyfolk;  humans who for some misdemeanour were condemned to spend their life as seals, and souls of humans who had drowned. Kelley Jo Burke has taken a variation of the last explanation as a basis for her beautiful and thought-provoking play.

‘The Selkie Wife’ will be staged at The Apollo Theatre on 21^st, 22^nd and 25^th-29^th October at 7.30pm.

For tickets and further information please visit: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/the-selkie-wife/

Our director introduces.....The Selkie Wife.

The next production at the Apollo Theatre will be ‘The Selkie Wife’, a play by Canadian author Kelley Jo Burke.  Her work is well known in her home country but the Apollo is proud and delighted to announce that this will be the UK premiere of this particular play.

The director is Ginnie Orrey.  More usually seen on the Apollo stage, Ginnie has chosen to direct this complex and beautifully written play after seeing it in a tiny theatre on the Canadian prairies and subsequently meeting the author, who is ‘absolutely thrilled’ that her play will be travelling to the Isle of Wight.  She found her inspiration in the Celtic myth of ‘selkies’ – seals who shed their sealskins to come on to dry land, find a mate and have children and then return to the sea.  Kelley Jo has turned the myth on its head by focusing on a selkie who chooses to keep her human form and stay on land with her husband and family, and the difficult decisions she has to make when another selkie comes to take her back to the water.

The cast includes Apollo stalwarts Ian Moth and Sue Edwards, alongside relative newcomers Esther Poucher and Maureen Sullivan, and introduces Josh Pointing, from the Isle of Wight Shakespeare Company. 

‘The Selkie Wife’ opens on 21 October and runs to 29 October.

Habeas Corpus: The History

You may have seen the title of the latest Apollo Players’ show and wondered, ‘What does it mean?’

Habeas Corpus is a Latin phrase which literally means: ‘You may have the body’.

It is normally a legal term, going back to the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 which itself only made legal what was already a known procedure by which the length of time the police or courts could hold a prisoner without trial may be challenged.

The writ of Habeas Corpus, on which the act was based, goes back to at least the 12^th century and was guaranteed in the Magna Carta of 1215, famously signed by King John at Runnymede.

So that’s your history lesson for the day.

But....

Typically, Alan Bennett has taken a formal Latin legal phrase and bent it to his will, for in the play, the message ‘You may have the body’ refers not to anyone being imprisoned against their will, nor any crime being committed, but to the various characters’ plotting to ‘have the body’ of their choice – in a very different context!

Our hilarious, entertaining production is about as far away as it is possible to get from a stuffy courtroom drama – come along and see it at The Apollo Theatre from 2 September.

Tickets and further information available at: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/habeas-corpus/

Habeas Corpus – the Apollo Players

The first show of our new 2016-2017 season is the hilarious ‘Habeas Corpus’ by Alan Bennett.

While still studying History at Oxford, Bennett started out writing and performing satirical sketches in ‘Beyond the Fringe’ with the likes of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. He has said that at this time he thought he would end up as a vicar – for no better reason than he looked like one. Thankfully for British theatre, he quickly found his calling as a writer and performer, but he has always been happier, and some may say more successful, as the former.

Alan Bennett is now generally accepted as a ‘National Treasure’: perhaps his best known play currently is ‘The Lady in the Van’ which was made into a box office hit film starring Dame Maggie Smith, and was famously based on his real life experience of having a female tramp living in her van on his driveway. The Apollo Players, incidentally, staged ‘Lady in the Van’ in February 2014 with great success. He is also very well known for ‘The History Boys’, ‘the Madness of King George’ and a string of other plays, alongside his famous ‘Talking Heads’ series of monologues, and of course his laugh-out-loud autobiographical books.

Anyone who has seen any of Bennett’s work will know he has an original, satirical and always entertaining style: ‘Habeas Corpus’ is one of his early plays, dating from 1973, but it stands the test of time well, for its subject matter is ageless, and a good old-fashioned farce with mistaken identities, seaside postcard-style humour and exaggerated characters is always popular. It is a testament to the quality of the play that it has been regularly staged ever since it was written.

Following on from ‘Allo ‘Allo! which completely sold out every night of its run, this is likely to be another very popular show, so our advice is to book your seats early to avoid disappointment: tickets are now available online here: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/habeas-corpus/

Worst Case Scenario - Concoction Theatre Company at the Apollo!

Concoction Theatre Company landed on our Apollo stage with a theatrical feast for the senses. With their production of “Worst Case Scenario” they delivered a fast-paced energetic and technically brilliant performance.

Most of the cast met whilst studying BA World Performance at East 15 where they conceived, devised and developed this comic piece. As two of the actors were educated on the Isle of Wight, it was a delight to have the opportunity to see them return as professionals and share the fruits of their training with an Island audience.

The story is bizarre and extraordinary, a court case conducted by animals after the last surviving dodo is injured in a road collision with a motorbike. The motorbike and the driver are both accused, with a squirrel, a cat and a hedgehog (among others) also having to take some responsibility for the incident. Humans, machines and animals are all of equal status in the courtroom, but this is like no other courtroom drama you will have seen before.

With excellent make-up and costumes, physical theatre techniques and characterisation, the characters are all believable, quirky and endearing. There are beautiful contrasts in pace with sudden changes from real time into slow-motion, innovative use of props in the collision scene, music used to create different moods with precise movements to enhance the comedy.

Uplifting, joyful, funny, charming and totally absorbing. 55 minutes of high class entertainment.

The company will be performing Worst Case Scenario at The Cockpit theatre in Camden from 3^rd to 6^th August.

For more information and to book tickets, go to: http://www.worstcasescenarioonstage.com/

Review by Helen Reading.

‘Allo ‘Allo! – Review

What can one say about this show? Obviously, it’s very, very funny – as attested by the raucous laughter emanating from the audience at every performance so far. It is also the first show for a long while to be completely – and I mean completely – sold out at the Apollo. In fact, demand has outstripped seating capacity so much that we have had to disappoint huge numbers of people, to whom we apologise.

For those lucky enough to get tickets, this was a real treat of a show: audiences could get into the action very quickly, as the characters are already familiar to viewers of the long-running hit TV show, so as soon as the world-weary Rene entered his cafe, Yvette appeared, seductively whispering ‘Oh, Rene’, or Edith started to sing, we knew exactly what to expect.

The disadvantage of taking on such a popular show however, is the challenge of getting the characters exactly right, and without exception, the cast have captured the essence, and in many cases, uncannily the physical appearances, of their TV counterparts perfectly. This is due in no small measure to Steve Reading’s casting and directing, but also to the skills of the actors, augmented by the costume department coming up with just the right clothes, uniforms, wigs and so on. The cleverly designed, adaptable set, with a revolve enabling several places to be represented, also contributed to the atmosphere.

It would be unfair in such a talented cast to single individuals out for praise, as every single character was hilarious in their own way. However, one has to note the sheer physical stamina of Drew Adcock who, as a perfectly downtrodden Rene, carried the plot along throughout. He was ably assisted by Glenys Williams who delighted audiences with her beautifully off key singing, and by newcomers to the Apollo stage, Joanna Jenner, vamping it up as Yvette and Esther Poucher (Mimi), a wonderfully tiny ball of aggression.

Other regulars in the cafe – to Rene’s obvious dismay – were Maria Wilkinson’s Michelle, who delivered her catchphrase ‘I will say this only once’ perfectly, and managed to be believably a Resistance member even dressed as a nun and a ‘lady of the night’; and ‘It is I, Le Clerc’ played with fantastic eccentricity by Danny Carmichael. We also of course had regular visits from John Abraham’s  Officer Crabtree: quite apart from the mispronunciations, it will take a while to lose the memory of the ‘poloceman’ being caught by Gruber bending over with his trousers at half mast!

I mentioned wigs above, and the subplot of the Colonel’s ‘wiglet’ was played perfectly by Ian Moth as von Stromm himself, alongside Jack Tutt’s Bertorelli, winner of the most over the top Italian accent on the stage: his impersonation of Hitler telling a joke was a high spot of the night. Lieutenant Gruber, played by Dave Newton, deservedly received some of the loudest laughs with his physical comedy as he flirted outrageously with Rene.

The Gestapo was there of course, and Pete Harris’s Herr Flick captured every essence of the officer, from his cane and stiff-legged walk to his penchant for dressing up: Flick in a cinema usherette’s uniform had to be seen to be believed. Helen Reading as Helga was his perfect foil: her finest moment was her reaction to being asked to model the Gestapo suspender belt, complete with mousetraps: ‘and don’t cross your legs’! Reuben Loake, another Apollo newcomer, was excellent barking orders as General von Schmelling.

Add in a plot comprising a hidden Fallen Madonna painting; a few knockwurst sausages and a plot to impersonate Hitler; a couple of perfectly ‘hooray Henry’ airmen (Matt Coles and Lewis Wheeler), French peasants providing both atmosphere in the cafe and help with scene shifting, and the front of house staff (and some of the actors) mingling with audiences before the show and at the interval, and you have an amazing show.

Yes, they had a good script, written by the TV show’s original writers, Croft and Lloyd, as a basis, but the cast and crew of ‘Allo ‘Allo! have more than done justice to it – they have made it their own, and fully deserve the success they have achieved. Well done all!

New Actors say ‘Allo ‘Allo to the Apollo!

The Apollo Players are always on the lookout for more new talent, whether onstage or to contribute to the multitude of skills that go to make a production, and we are delighted to welcome three brand new Apollo actors to the stage for ‘Allo ‘Allo! which opens on July 8^th.

Reuben Loake is familiar to Island audiences for his many performances with the Newchurch Players and Origins Theatre to name but two, in roles ranging from pantomime dames to an anguished would-be suicide. His breadth of experience ideally suits him for the role of General Schmelling, the über-officer in charge of the bumbling German presence in Nouviens.

Joanna Jenner, playing the seductive Yvette, also has plenty of experience to bring to our stage: a theatre studies graduate, she is a dance and drama teacher who is involved with RedTIE 's new Physical Theatre.

The role of Mimi is always a challenging one to fill: the actress must be young, small, attractive and highly talented. However, director Steve Reading has managed to find a newcomer to the Apollo stage who fits all these requirements: Esther Poucher is another RedTIE actress who is making a transition to the adult stage with stunning results.

We would like to welcome our three newcomers to the Apollo – they are part of a brilliant cast currently rehearsing what will be an amazing show!

‘Allo ‘Allo! runs from 8-16 July: tickets and more information here: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/allo-allo/

Little Gem – The Apollo Players

The first night audience may have been uncertain what to expect when the curtain opened on Little Gem: an all-white, abstract set with six chairs and three table-like structures, painted in pastel shades of pink, blue and green.

When the first character entered, strode straight to the front of the stage and addressed the audience directly, we realised that this play breaks many of the traditional theatre conventions: there is no ‘fourth wall’ and the three main characters speak entirely in monologues: the only ‘conversations’ are those reported by the character who is speaking.

The stage furniture is conceptual and used variously to represent a nightclub bar, doctor’s and counsellor’s surgery, kitchen table, hospital waiting room and so on. There are also two non-speaking characters dressed in traditional mime outfits who represent different people in the characters’ lives as they are talking about them.

Once you have attuned yourself to this new way of staging, the narrative of the play shines through clearly, with moments of great humour and sadness.

Set in London, Little Gem centres round the lives of three generations of women in one family, and follows them through several months of ups and downs.

We initially see Amber as the archetypal wayward teenager as she prepares for her prom night, worries about the state of her on-off relationship with her boyfriend, and faces the consequences of her actions. Britney Kent, a newcomer to the Apollo stage, plays her with intense realism and draws our sympathy, if not her mum’s, in her efforts to come to terms with what life has thrown at her.

Amber’s mother Lorraine has her own struggles:  her ex-husband has left her nervous, obsessive and suffering from low self-esteem. Amy Burns adroitly brings out Lorraine’s personality from the beginning of the play with understated body language and expression, and her performance engages us as we see her gradually respond to new opportunities and blossom. The scene in which she goes home with a new boyfriend, only to feel compelled to reject his advances in favour of tidying his son’s bedroom is hilarious, with an undercurrent of pathos.

Completing the trio is Kay, Lorraine’s mother, who is slowly coming to terms with the fact that a stroke has left her beloved husband Gem in need of her care, while she is left mourning the man he was – and bereft of sex! Another very funny scene sees Kay visiting an Ann Summers shop – and later attempting to use the device she has rashly purchased. Her comment at the end of this scene: ‘I can’t cheat on him – not even with a piece of luminous green plastic’ marks the transition from comedy to tragedy, and Helen Clinton-Pacey, one of the Apollo’s most experienced actresses, deftly brings the audience from hoots of laughter to tears in the closing scenes of the play.

Special mention must be made of Carole Crow and Eve Fradgley whose anonymous appearance belies the skill with which they silently portray a multitude of characters ranging from a nightclub bully to old Gem, bringing the monologues adeptly to life and giving the speaking characters responses to play off. The introduction of these characters was the inspiration of the director, Maggie Cardew, and it works brilliantly against the set designed by Louis Lawrence.

The final scene brings all three women together in an uplifting finale which shows us that this little family will weather their trials and tribulations and always come up smiling – for they have each other. And that’s what families are about!

A delightfully different offering from an experienced and very popular Island theatre group, Little Gem runs next week from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 28 May. Shows begin at 7.30 pm and tickets are available here:  http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/little-gem/ or on the door.

Little Gem – Dress Rehearsal!

The first Dress Rehearsal! Always mixed feelings amongst a cast on this day in any production...

The first time you get to wear the actual costume for your character and some actors find they can only now really get into that character properly.

After weeks of walking around a rehearsal room you are actually on stage, with real props, a proper armchair to sit in and a real set behind you.

Instead of pretending to hear a telephone ring or a doorbell, there are actual, real sound effects. In Little Gem, that includes actual, real music......

And yes – it really is that far to walk from the door to that table!!

If you’re backstage, have you got all the cues in the right place? Are all the props present and correct? Do the costumes look right – and have the actors remembered to take off any jewellery etc that doesn’t fit with their character?

Then reality hits everyone: if it’s the first dress, that means it’s less than a week to the actual first night!!

So today is bound to be a roller coaster of emotions for our Little Gem actors, backstage crew, technical crew – and of course the director, whose work is nearly done.

Just a few more tweaks here and there – and we’ll be ready for our first night audience!

So come and see the results of our hard work on May 20^th or one of the subsequent nights.

Little Gem is playing at The Apollo Theatre on May 20, 21, 24,25,26,27 and 28, 7.30pm.

Tickets available here: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/little-gem/ , by phoning the Box Office on (01983) 527267 or visiting the theatre during Box Office opening hours. 

Our Silent Actors Speak Out!

The cast of Little Gem include two actors who never speak, Carole Crow and Eve Fradgley....

...so we thought it was only fair to let them say something now.

Your roving reporter asked them about their roles...

Q Can you briefly describe your role in Little Gem?

Carole:

I'm playing the part of many 'shadows' as they are being projected from the minds of the three main characters!

Eve:

My role is one of the Shadows or "Spectres" it's really good fun and a massive challenge. I have to be able to twist my body into 100 different shapes and sizes and become whoever I need to be in an instant!

Q Isn't it easier having a role with no words to learn?

Carole:

Easier! Oh no! I've had to really dig deep to get into these characters without words and as the main actresses have so expertly developed their roles, so the shadows have too.

Eve:

No!!!! I thought it would be easy, having done roles with huge amounts of lines to learn but boy was I wrong! I have found myself more worried about this than anything else! Remembering who I am and what I'm doing is challenging, but I don't envy the girls who are speaking, they are doing a fab job!

Q Have you ever done anything like this before on stage?

Carole:

Never! I've always loved playing strong character roles but this is a big step into the unknown!

Eve:

No I haven't, I've done a lot of theatre, from straight acting, comedy, musicals and even dance performances, but I have never had to spend so much time silent. I have done physical theatre before, so it's been really fun being able to use some of those skills, and it's been interesting to learn many more new ones. For once I have to really think about my characters in greater detail, as I'm playing more than one, and I don't have a voice or costume to indicate who is who!

Q Your 'look' is quite anonymous. Why?

Carole:

I'm not real! I'm just an image that has to be portrayed by movement and expression in an instant, without a costume or a voice. I hasten to add that I am clothed!

Eve:

We need to be able to morph into anyone, and quickly, using our bodies and faces instead of costume. The androgynous look makes it easier. It also is a reminder to the audience that we aren't really real, just ghosts of the past helping to tell the story of these characters and their lives.

Q What's the hardest part about performing your role?

Carole:

At first it was keeping my mouth shut! Then letting go, allowing myself to immerse into each shadow. It's certainly been a learning curve but great fun and lovely working with such talented people.

Eve:

Having to let it all go. Hard to believe but I'm actually quite a shy person (I know, I know) and with this role I have had to really go for it, and not be afraid to make a bit of a laugh out of myself, and use my face and body in great exaggerated movements! I'm glad I have had the opportunity as it is probably something I would have shied away from.

Eve (left) and Carole onstage during rehearsals for Little Gem.

Little Gem - Coming Soon!

Three generations of women and one year of comedy, courage and romance, combine in the Edinburgh Fringe award-winning play 'Little Gem' - next up at the Apollo Theatre in Newport.  
Amber has bad indigestion and the Sambucas aren’t getting rid of it.  Lorraine attacks a customer at work and her boss wants her to see a psychiatrist.  Kay’s got an itch that Gem can’t scratch (but maybe Kermit can).  Paul is just using Amber until he can get to Australia.  The Hairy Man fancies Lorraine but fails to rise to the occasion.  And Gem doesn’t like the neighbours coming in to ‘mind’ him.  And if all that wasn’t bad enough, Little Gem makes his presence felt and life is never the same again.

The cast  includes the Apollo's theatre director and lifelong member, Amy Burns.

Maggie Cardew, director, who is also the Apollo's artistic director this season, said: "I have five very special people in this play: the three generations of women, along with two ‘living props’. Doing this play has put me on a great adventure, and if we get this  right the audience will come along with us too, and join a roller coaster ride that will make them laugh, squirm and cry in rapid succession through the whole evening!"

Little Gem, written by Elaine Murphy, is on at the Apollo on May 20 and 21, and from May 24 to 28.

For more information and online booking, go to www.apollo-theatre.org.uk

The cast in rehearsal with Maggie Cardew (right)

Front Row L to R: Amy Burns, Britney Kent, and Helen Clinton Pacey
Back Row L to R: Eve Fradgley and Carole Crow

Setting the Scene for Little Gem.

This piece has been written by one of our very experienced set design team, Louis Lawrence, explaining how he has taken on the challenge of designing a stage for Little Gem...a play without staging.....

I asked Maggie for an opportunity to design a stage set in the current season. She asked me to work on ‘Little Gem’. When I got the script I was surprised to find there were no stage directions and there was no previous set design illustrated.

This is very unusual as, in normal circumstances, the playwright is very specific about how they see the play and the settings, leaving little room for anything but surfaces and ambience of décor.  

Shakespeare specifies settings and activity, and George Bernard Shaw was notorious for his meticulous notes about how his plays should be staged. It's not often a set-designer works without any kind of parameter. It is a challenge. The only previous experience I had of this situation was at Toynbee Hall in the 1950’s when a friend of mine authored two plays both of which sank without trace.   

Having read the script twice, I began to get an impression of how the actors might be moving about, and when research produced a critique published after the original show in Dublin, it became clear that the action would revolve around some chairs.

Indeed the critic seemed obsessed by the chairs and assumed because they were an ill assorted lot, that there was some meaning to them, which it turns out there is not other than as seating.  

It bears out the understanding that everything appearing on stage however small the detail is attributed some significance by the onlooker.   

The action of the play could be taking place in a number of locations as the actors speak about their lives and times. It was manifestly impossible to provide all these on the Apollo stage. Also It would have been a distraction from the continuity of the action were there lots of scene changes.  

When I discussed this with Maggie she agreed with me that a neutral setting would be best and she asked only for one simple piece of furniture to be available for multiple uses: a raised dais as an acting area, and a prop bed to be brought on (apart from those pesky chairs!)

But how neutral? The ethos of this play lies entirely in the individual actors’ monologues and the mental pictures they create for the audience. The stage set could not impinge on or distract. It needed to be totally neutral, undecorated, leaving the audiences eyes to focus on the actors only. Technically, allowance has to be made for getting on and off but apart from that It could be all black ….we chose white.

In the actual production I hope the audience will be totally unaware of the stage set– just the players, that’s how it should be!

Louis Lawrence

The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter.

Taking on a Pinter play, let alone one of his most famous works, is an ambitious prospect  for any theatre company, and the director, cast and crew of this Apollo production have risen to the challenge admirably, capturing the essence and nuances of the work.

The decision to have an open set immediately presents the audience with the facade of an ordinary domestic living room and kitchen, which we learn is a boarding house somewhere on the coast.

The initial conversation between owner Meg and her husband Petey appears equally conventional, yet beneath the bland comments about the ‘nice’ breakfast and what’s in the paper, we sense a lack of real communication between the couple. Sue Edwards skilfully brings out Meg’s simplicity and delusions as she clings to familiarity, while Simon Cardew deftly shows Petey as apparently just as apathetic yet clearly more aware than his wife.

The appearance of their sole boarder, Stanley takes the atmosphere further into unconventional and confusing territory. In front of her husband Meg treats Stanley like a son, yet as soon as Petey leaves she becomes flirtatious. Stanley treats her by turns with teasing, cruelty and flattery. 

The audience starts to wonder who he is. He seems to want to leave, yet refuses the offer of Lulu, a flirty young neighbour played by Ellie Warren, to do so. Pete Harris adeptly captures the conflicts and confusions of the main character.

The arrival of two more ‘guests’, Goldberg and McCann, throws the situation further into confusion with unexpected consequences. As Goldberg, Michael Arnell is by turns charming, sinister and menacing, in stark contrast to the open violence displayed by his ‘sidekick’, played by Colin Ford.

The limitations of human communication; the comfort we find in the mundane and our fear of change are explored; however, there are moments of comedy and warmth which serve as a foil to the inherent violence, uncertainty and chaos.  

The ‘truth’ of The Birthday Party is that there is no truth, only chaos and confusion from which we make order if we choose: and the other truth is that the Apollo Players have presented us with a highly entertaining production of this play.

The Birthday Party is on from Tuesday to Saturday 5-9 April at 7.30 pm.

Tickets from: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/the-birthday-party/

Harold Pinter's play, The Birthday Party, has divided opinion ever since it opened in London in 1958. Warmly received on its pre-London tour, it was panned by critics and closed after just eight performances.  But a positive review in the Sunday Times restored its reputation and it went on to become a modern classic.

Now it's about to return to the stage at the Apollo for the first time in over 40 years.

The play is about Stanley Webber, a piano player who lives in a shabby boarding house run by Meg and Petey Boles, in an English seaside town, ‘probably on the south coast, not too far from London’.  Meg organises a birthday party for Stanley, but two sinister strangers, Goldberg and McCann, who appear to have come looking for him, turn the birthday party into a nightmare. 

The cast includes John Hannam theatre award winner, Ellie Warren, who is making her Apollo debut.  By contrast, Colin Ford first played McCann in the original Apollo production  in 1974 and is in this role again, being directed by his wife, Marylyn Ford, who said: "This play combines the comedy of everyday life with mystery and menace, and the Apollo's intimate atmosphere is the perfect setting."

The cast also features Simon Cardew, Sue Edwards, Pete Harris and Michael Arnell. 

The Birthday Party runs from Friday April 1st and Saturday 2nd April, then from Tuesday 4th to Saturday 9th.

For more details and to book online, go to http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/the-birthday-party/

Picture caption:  Left to right, standing: Michael Arnell and Colin Ford, in rehearsal with Pete Harris (seated).

The Rule of Three....

It's an old saying that everything happens in threes, and this has certainly proved true for the current Apollo production of The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter.

Shortly after casting, one member unfortunately had to turn down the offer of a role; then sadly Joe Plumb fell ill and had to relinquish the role of Stanley; now we have to report illness has also meant Rod Jones has had to step down as Petey, meaning three roles have had to be re-cast during the production. All for very good reasons, but a potential headache for the director, Marylyn Ford.

Thankfully, all the parts have been taken up by experienced and very talented actors, so the old adage that 'the show must go on' has remained true: the Apollo Players would like to welcome Simon Cardew to the role of Petey and thank him for stepping in at such short notice.

So if you do see him on stage with a script as a 'comfort blanket', please bear in mind that he has joined the show with two weeks to go before opening night! And if he is word perfect, he will deserve a huge accolade!

The teamwork and mutual support:onstage, backstage and front of house is a wonderful feature of the Apollo Theatre - it's one of the reasons why we enjoy being members. Another reason is that we can all participate in putting together a truly entertaining evening for our audiences.

So, on with the show - all we need now are audience members to come and enjoy the fruits of our labour: seats are being snapped up rapidly so with less than two weeks to go, make sure that you secure your tickets here:

http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/the-birthday-party/

The Birthday Party runs from 1 - 9 April. See you there!

Simon Cardew (right) as Petey, with Sue Edwards as Meg and Pete Harris as Stanley.
Picture courtesy of Paul Jennings

The Birthday Party at The Apollo

The Birthday Party  was first performed in Cambridge on 28 April 1958, and it’s pre-London tour also included Oxford and Wolverhampton. Although it received excellent reviews at all these places, its first London season, at the Lyric, Hammersmith, closed after only eight performances, in the wake of poor reviews and low box offices. Perhaps audiences were not ready for such a play in those days!

However, a ‘rave review’ published in the Sunday Times after its closure thankfully rescued ‘The Birthday Party’ from oblivion, and it has gone on to become a classic. Its fiftieth anniversary in 2008 was celebrated with a revival season at The Lyric – this time to packed houses!

The play is about Stanley Webber, who lives in a seedy seaside boarding house ‘probably on the south coast’ (so not too far from the Isle of Wight!). The boarding house is run by Meg and Petey Boles, who are preparing to celebrate Stanley’s birthday when two mysterious strangers, Goldberg and McCann, turn up, apparently looking for him, and turning the day into a nightmare as everything is questioned.

 Is it really Stanley’s Birthday?

Who are these strangers?

Are Meg and Petey really running a boarding house?

The ambiguity and contradictions invite the audience to question the relationship between past and present; truth and lies, and what humans can do to other humans.

Here is your chance to see a world-acclaimed, thought-provoking and entertaining theatre classic at the Apollo Theatre from April 1 – 9. Don’t miss it.

Further information and booking here: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/the-birthday-party/

The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter 1st to 9th April

   Thoughts from the Director,  Marylyn Ford

Directing a play at the Apollo Theatre, the National Theatre of the Isle of Wight, is like riding on a tumbrel to the guillotine:  slow but inexorable, no going back. 

Rotten eggs are thrown by the production crew, usually because the director hasn't made her/his intentions clear, with no changes. 

Squashed tomatoes hurled by the cast find their mark. especially at that point in rehearsals when there's no more time for meandering discussions of character or motivation, or the set/costume is thought to be "wrong". 

Mme. Defarge awaits, knitting up hubris. 

To quote Sydney Carton, aka the Scarlet Pimpernel, I can only say, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done;  it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." 

Or, mine's a small Chardonnay, chilled.


(Apologies to Charles Dickens)


The set is being built as we speak....photo courtesy of Paul Jennings.

Dangerous Corner Review

‘Telling the truth is about as safe as skidding round a corner at sixty’ asserts Charles Stanton in the first scene of ‘Dangerous Corner’ by J B Priestley, currently showing at The Apollo Theatre, Newport.

‘And life’s got a lot of dangerous corners,’ agrees his hostess Freda Caplan. Her husband Robert is confident that he can negotiate round these corners successfully, and discover the truth about the death of his brother Martin. Along the way however, he does indeed skid into many unpleasant truths, with a denouement that invites the audience to question whether honesty is always the best policy.

The catalyst to this quest for truth is a chance remark about a cigarette box which is pursued by Robert, capturing the interest of their dinner guest, novelist Maud Mockridge, played by Maureen Sullivan, clearly on the trail of a plot for her new book.

Steve Reading as Robert Caplan steers the play believably through its treacherous waters, weathering revelation upon revelation towards the inevitable finality. His real wife Helen plays Freda with equal skill, evoking empathy with her own anguish, yet laughter with her ‘light touch’ as she ponders the social etiquette around offering sandwiches to a guest about to be accused of criminal activity.

The young couple Gordon and Betty, played by Jack Tutt and Amelia Harvard, portray love’s young dream admirably at the beginning of the play; each actor dexterously tracing their character’s descent into despair as their own secrets are revealed.

Ian Moth as Stanton is the epitome of a 1930s upright middle-class gentleman who just about manages to retain his proverbial stiff upper lip despite being forced to admit that he is not what he wishes to appear to be.

Even Olwen, the trusted employee of the publishing company run by the three men, has her secrets, and Maria Wilkinson adroitly brushes off the questioning until she is forced to recount her experiences in  an intensely moving speech.

Each performance from this cast of experienced actors enhances the others on the stage, itself set beautifully to portray a typical 1930s drawing room. A special mention should also go to the costume department for the way in which each actor’s outfit illustrates their character.

If you enjoy a play that entertains wonderfully and leaves the audience with food for thought, I strongly recommend that you see ‘Dangerous Corner’ which plays at the Apollo until this Saturday, 20^th February.

To Lie or Not To Lie....

The stage is set: the home of Robert and Freda Caplin, an upper middle class 1930's drawing room. A prosperous couple, the centre of an intimate group of friends linked by family and business ties, they are holding one of their delightful dinner parties. The gentlemen are laughing over their brandy and jokes while the ladies have withdrawn to drink coffee and listen to a radio play 'about lies and a gentleman shooting himself''.

Total fiction of course. Or is it? As the evening's conversation begins to open up questions and suspicions, it does indeed reveal secrets and lies which, as their friend Olwen believes, may have been better off remaining hidden. Why did Robert's brother Martin commit suicide the previous year? Was his death connected to money going missing from their successful publishing company? Robert is determined to find out, but in pursuit of the truth he finds his whole world is not as it seems.

JB Priestley, best known for 'An Inspectior Calls', has written another tightly plotted mystery play which leaves us pondering the nature of truth in our society. Is it always best to tell the whole truth, or is it 'about as safe as skidding round a corner at sixty?'

If you think you know the answer, come at watch Dangerous Corner - it might just give you pause for thought. The play will be staged at The Apollo Theatre on February 12th, 13th and 16th - 20th; tickets available from the Apollo website.