Photo: Ste Myott (as Kev) and Stella Grundy (as 'Little Rabbit')‘THE BENCH’
Salford Arts Theatre until 3rd July
Review by Brian Gorman
(Originally written for www.thepublicreviews.com)
I’ve been hearing about Joe O’Byrne’s play for quite a while now, and finally I got to see it at the Salford Arts Theatre this weekend. If only I hadn’t chosen the last performance! This was so good I am kicking myself that I can’t see it again. Part of the on-going series of plays (and films) concerning the residents of the fictional Paradise Heights, ‘The Bench’ takes place over the course of a single year, as we witness the lives of a selection of weird and wonderful characters brought vividly to life by a versatile and hugely talented cast. Things start with a bang as actress Stella Grundy sends temperatures soaring higher than a hot summer’s evening, dressed in leather overcoat, skin-tight bodice, stockings and suspenders. Taking a seat on the eponymous bench, which, apart from the graffiti-strewn War Memorial, constitutes the entire set, she indulges in an erotically-charged comic exchange with Ian Curley as her sexually frustrated partner. The two actors give wonderfully nuanced performances in a scene that delivers a fabulous cocktail of drama, suspense, comedy and pathos. From this warmly humorous and surprising beginning, we move on to a fantastical scene concerning an angel (Phoebe Marie Jones) and the recently-deceased Corny (Aaron Rochford), which I initially found a little confusing, but which laid the ground beautifully for the multi-layered, interconnected scenes to come. What we have in ‘The Bench’ is a series of cleverly observed vignettes which dovetail perfectly as the play progresses, and which demonstrate O’Byrne’s skill at creating believable, fully realized characters we can recognize. Imagine watching an episode of Coronation Street as directed by Martin Scorsese, with a stellar cast of the best actors around. The stand out scene has to be the one between local hard man Frank Morgan (played by the hugely versatile Ian Curley) and the slimeball Kev (Ste Myott, ably making one’s skin crawl). Beginning calmly enough, the scene twists and turns revealing more and more about each man, until I found myself thinking that this was probably the best set piece I’d seen on the stage for years. I am not exaggerating when I say that Ian Curley would give DeNiro a run for his money should the great method actor ever try and play this scene. Real edge of the seat stuff, and a truly frightening and unnerving scenario that shows what can be achieved when the performances perfectly match the writing. Curley appears again as a cantankerous pensioner in a couple of excellently comic, and ultimately tragic scenes with a fellow war veteran (Ste Myott). Clyve Bonelle delivers an incredibly understated and affecting performance as a simple-minded local criminal who falls in love with a badly-scarred (both physically and emotionally) street urchin (Phoebe Marie Jones tugging at the heart strings magnificently). O’Byrne makes us care about these characters as people, and his direction is faultless. There are no histrionics, no patronizing of his audience, and no overt moralizing in this snapshot of 21st century life on the streets of ‘broken Britain’. ‘The Bench’ is giving it to us like it is; no frills theatre with balls and undiluted attitude. The great shame of the evening was the low turn out, and the fact that so many people have missed something quite wonderful; work like this needs the oxygen of publicity, and the support of the local print media. I am confident that we haven’t seen the last of ‘The Bench’, O’Byrne, or his massively talented cast and crew. These people are going places. Fast. Do yourselves a huge favour, and beg, borrow or steal a ticket for the next theatrical installment of Paradise Heights, because once the word truly gets out, you’ll be begging to be in the audience. Joe O’Byrne is currently working on two more chapters, ‘Strawberry Jack’ and ‘Torch’. Remember those titles. See you in the queue for returns!
Salford Arts Theatre until 3rd July
Review by Brian Gorman
(Originally written for www.thepublicreviews.com)
I’ve been hearing about Joe O’Byrne’s play for quite a while now, and finally I got to see it at the Salford Arts Theatre this weekend. If only I hadn’t chosen the last performance! This was so good I am kicking myself that I can’t see it again. Part of the on-going series of plays (and films) concerning the residents of the fictional Paradise Heights, ‘The Bench’ takes place over the course of a single year, as we witness the lives of a selection of weird and wonderful characters brought vividly to life by a versatile and hugely talented cast. Things start with a bang as actress Stella Grundy sends temperatures soaring higher than a hot summer’s evening, dressed in leather overcoat, skin-tight bodice, stockings and suspenders. Taking a seat on the eponymous bench, which, apart from the graffiti-strewn War Memorial, constitutes the entire set, she indulges in an erotically-charged comic exchange with Ian Curley as her sexually frustrated partner. The two actors give wonderfully nuanced performances in a scene that delivers a fabulous cocktail of drama, suspense, comedy and pathos. From this warmly humorous and surprising beginning, we move on to a fantastical scene concerning an angel (Phoebe Marie Jones) and the recently-deceased Corny (Aaron Rochford), which I initially found a little confusing, but which laid the ground beautifully for the multi-layered, interconnected scenes to come. What we have in ‘The Bench’ is a series of cleverly observed vignettes which dovetail perfectly as the play progresses, and which demonstrate O’Byrne’s skill at creating believable, fully realized characters we can recognize. Imagine watching an episode of Coronation Street as directed by Martin Scorsese, with a stellar cast of the best actors around. The stand out scene has to be the one between local hard man Frank Morgan (played by the hugely versatile Ian Curley) and the slimeball Kev (Ste Myott, ably making one’s skin crawl). Beginning calmly enough, the scene twists and turns revealing more and more about each man, until I found myself thinking that this was probably the best set piece I’d seen on the stage for years. I am not exaggerating when I say that Ian Curley would give DeNiro a run for his money should the great method actor ever try and play this scene. Real edge of the seat stuff, and a truly frightening and unnerving scenario that shows what can be achieved when the performances perfectly match the writing. Curley appears again as a cantankerous pensioner in a couple of excellently comic, and ultimately tragic scenes with a fellow war veteran (Ste Myott). Clyve Bonelle delivers an incredibly understated and affecting performance as a simple-minded local criminal who falls in love with a badly-scarred (both physically and emotionally) street urchin (Phoebe Marie Jones tugging at the heart strings magnificently). O’Byrne makes us care about these characters as people, and his direction is faultless. There are no histrionics, no patronizing of his audience, and no overt moralizing in this snapshot of 21st century life on the streets of ‘broken Britain’. ‘The Bench’ is giving it to us like it is; no frills theatre with balls and undiluted attitude. The great shame of the evening was the low turn out, and the fact that so many people have missed something quite wonderful; work like this needs the oxygen of publicity, and the support of the local print media. I am confident that we haven’t seen the last of ‘The Bench’, O’Byrne, or his massively talented cast and crew. These people are going places. Fast. Do yourselves a huge favour, and beg, borrow or steal a ticket for the next theatrical installment of Paradise Heights, because once the word truly gets out, you’ll be begging to be in the audience. Joe O’Byrne is currently working on two more chapters, ‘Strawberry Jack’ and ‘Torch’. Remember those titles. See you in the queue for returns!
Review at The Public Reviews: http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-bench-salford-arts-theatre/
No comments:
Post a Comment