THE WEIR

The Live Rooms, Chester

Reviewed on 10th August 2022

Writer: Conor McPherson

Director: Marian Newman

 

This really isn’t the most audience friendly play. All dialogue, a single set, little movement, and relying totally on the cast’s ability to hold the attention of the audience. Thankfully, Chester-based theatre company Against The Grain pulled it off.

The setting is the cosy bar of a small pub, in a rural southern Irish town that time forgot. In a smart move, the company decided to use the actual small bar at Chester’s Live Rooms, which automatically lent a realistic and atmospheric feel to the evening. There was little that could have been done about the heat, on such a hot summer’s night, and with a lesser quality production this could have seriously distracted the audience. However, our attention was held throughout, the ensemble cast were uniformly strong, and The Weir cast its spell superbly well.

Jim (Stuart Evans), Finbar (Dhugal Fulton), and Laura Smith (Valerie). Photo: Steve Cain.

The Weir is deceptive, initially suggesting that we are simply witnessing a collection of supernatural tales, told by a motley group of characters who each have quite a sad, unfulfilled life, and the theme being that the human understanding of the immediate ‘real’ world is no more comforting or complete than the ‘other worlds’ - the non-tangible, the ethereal. However, it is far cleverer and much more terrifying than that.

Director Marian Newman allows the humanity of the writing to shine through, and completely trusts her cast to deliver the magic. There is no reliance on lighting or mood music to create the ‘spooky’ atmosphere, and no shock tactics. Credit to Steve Lincoln’s subtle and controlled use of sound and lighting. When the chill wind begins to swirl around the pub, the sound is almost imperceptible, and at times I wondered whether it was actually coming from outside the venue. A fellow audience member stated, later, that they could actually feel the cooling effect of the wind at times (this is pretty remarkable, as the oppressive heat was constant in the room).

Jack (Mark Newman), Brendan (Simon Phillips), Jim (Stuart Evans), Valerie (Laura Smith), and Finbar (Dhugal Fulton). Photo: Steve Cain.

Amiable barman Brendan (a subtle, low-key performance from Simon Phillips) arrives to open up for the evening, and is obviously none too concerned with security, as he soon leaves the bar unattended, with the front door unlocked. In strolls the evening’s oldest regular, garage owner Jack (Mark Newman) who proceeds to casually serve himself a drink (popping the money into the old-fashioned till). The scene is set. This is a pub that is also a home, and a refuge, to the inhabitants of this remote rural backwater. Brendan and Jack chat amiably about everyday matters, and are soon joined by young gambler Jim (Stuart Evans); we soon discover that they are all quite lonely at heart, and this unassuming little alehouse is their refuge. There are rumours about the relationship between their well-to-do friend Finbar (Dhugal Fulton) and Valerie, a young woman who is looking to move into the area. When all our characters are assembled, Jack kicks off the storytelling with a local myth about a ‘faery road’ that was rumoured to pass through a local house. Newman’s comical, disgruntled, slightly naïve character modestly relates an unnerving warning about interfering with the unknown, and the actor subtly shifts from gentle comedy to undulating shades of deepening anxiety and deep-rooted fear. Probably the most disturbing tale is related by Jim; a chilling real-life experience involving the spectre of a paedophile and their attempts to continue their activities beyond the grave. Serious and unnerving as the various tales are, they are never allowed to seduce the audience into a melancholic, unsettled mood. McPherson’s characters are beautifully well-rounded, and the talented ensemble cast remind us of their humanity and flawed nature, as they regularly pull the rug out from under each other, and good-naturedly prick the bubbles of pomposity. Laura Smith’s Valerie is the alien newcomer. The men buzz around her, each seeking to impress, whilst cheekily undermining the flash, but thin-skinned Finbar. Quietly observing her comically eager suitors, and their almost desperate desire to cater to her every need, Valerie eventually delivers her own disturbing tale, of a tragic untimely death, and a terrifying aftermath. Her story hits hard. Smith has a wonderful voice for the stage, and held the audience spellbound with a heartfelt, quietly emotional delivery of intensity and gut-wrenching sorrow.

Brendan (Simon Phillips), Jim (Stuart Evans), Jack (Mark Newman), Finbar (Dhugal Fulton), and Valerie (Laura Smith). Photo: Steve Cain.

This was an excellent production, and deserves to be seen in a larger venue. A brave venture for an amateur company (although, you’d be hard-pressed to consider this show as anything less than 100% professional).

PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT - JOY DIVISION: A CELEBRATION

 

O2 Apollo, Manchester

Reviewed on 29th July 2022

First published for The Reviews Hub

Peter Hook, legendary ex bass guitarist with New Order, made a triumphant return to Manchester with a storming, emotional, and thrilling celebration of his previous band Joy Division. Performing, in full, the classic albums Unknown Pleasures and Closer, with an opening selection of New Order tracks. The faded glory of Manchester’s cavernous and ornate Apollo theatre provided a superb atmosphere for this almost religious musical experience. Joy Division made only two albums before their charismatic lead singer & lyricist Ian Curtis killed himself in 1980, and this celebration was initially scheduled for 2020, the 40^th anniversary of his death. Hook has spoken often of how traumatic his band mate’s death was, and how it was a miracle that the surviving members carried on under a new name, and became one of the biggest bands of the 80s, New Order. Peter Hook & The Light had been scheduled for 8pm, with ‘no support’, but Manchester DJ Mike Sweeney’s band, The Salford Jets, had actually been on stage from 7pm. Unfortunately, many of the audience missed them, as the auditorium only began to fill up in time for the main act.

Beginning in sombre, subdued mood (the delicate lighting reflecting this) with New Order’s supremely emotional and beautiful instrumental ‘Elegia’, the scene was set in fine, respectful style. In English literature, an elegy is a lament for the dead, and this haunting, minimal, and sparse piece of pure atmosphere, not unlike Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, was a perfect fit for Hook’s sublime guitar skills. Written in memory of Ian Curtis, this performance of ‘Elegia’ was hugely effective in successfully conjuring up the spectre of his lost friend, and reminding us all of why we were here, and what we were celebrating. Hook had the audience in the palm of his hand from this point on. What a beginning!

The band then powered on through a short selection of New Order favourites, performed with gusto and sheer rockstar aggression. One suspects this was a desire to give the audience some (relatively) upbeat numbers, in preparation for the more doom-laden presentation of Joy Division’s 1979 debut album, Unknown Pleasures, with its more enigmatic, sorrowful, and often deeply distressing lyrics. The New Order opening section culminated in the jaunty, The Perfect Kiss. With its classic dancefloor energy, an ode to youthful, carefree romance, surreal chirpy croaking frog chorus, and memorable lyric ‘let’s go out and have some fun’, this was perhaps a cheeky ironic nod to the distinct lack of ‘fun’ on the Unknown Pleasures album.

For a man who has been at the top of his profession for nearly five decades, Hook looked in great shape, and his voice was on top form. Doing full justice to Joy Division’s enduring tracks, particularly the audience favourites ‘Shadowplay’ (a real barnstormer), and ‘New Dawn Fades’ with its searing, sorrowful, suicidal lyrics (‘a loaded gun won’t set you free, so they say’), the song rises and rises with painful, almost unbearable intensity. Curtis’ voice, and inner life, had been so much at the heart of this blistering epic, but Hook channelled his friend’s heart and soul into every line, and every guitar stroke. The pain was palpable, as the memories of forty two years ago could surely never be purged. Peter Hook always comes across as thick-skinned, and more than able to handle the pressures of life, but being forever symbiotically connected to such an abyss of despair must take its toll. Happily, ‘Hooky’ (as he is affectionately known by fans and friends alike) has channelled this primordial energy of chaos into his performance, and the result is sheer elation. Yes, Joy Division’s music (written by Hook, and his ex-bandmates Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris) is certainly dark, and perhaps excavates the very depths of the collective human soul, but it is also inspiring, life-affirming, and can transmute tears into joy. Hook’s energy alone fired every song into the spiritual stratosphere, ably backed by his talented son Jack Bates (taking on bass guitar duties, on certain songs, allowing his father to concentrate on the vocals), and guitarist David Potts creating a tight knit unit.

‘She’s Lost Control’, a quirky, popular track about a girl that Curtis saw suffering a violent epileptic fit (which he often endured himself, sometimes on stage during a performance) got an almighty roar from the crowd, as the staccato opening bars blasted out.  Unfortunately, a good few people headed for the bar as the final, lesser-known tracks were performed. A great pity, as it was a rare opportunity to hear them live, and were given just as much care and attention as the hits.

‘Closer’, the album released just two months after Curtis’ untimely death, contains ever more doom-laden lyrics, and saw the band reaching new heights of creativity. Curtis, though, was struggling, and confessed that he felt he was in ‘a whirlpool, being pulled down, drowning’. Once again, Hook’s energy and exemplary guitar skills brought the album to majestic life, with every song feeling fresh and contemporary. Despite the searing jet-black emotional honesty of the lyrics, and the memory of where they led Ian Curtis to, Hooky’s rendition transforms them into something more triumphant and inspiring. Closer’s final track, ‘Decades’, is as dark as it gets. Curtis’ lyrics seem to be imagining a future after his death, perhaps attempting to foresee how his band members would carry on. How this must feel for Hook to sing and play, forty years later, is difficult to guess at. Yet he delivers it with power, and reclaims the song’s sepulchral energy.

Following the albums, it was time to cheer everybody up a little, and give the audience something to thrill, inspire, and get them up on their feet. The awe-inspiring, transitional epic ‘Ceremony’ was greeted with screams and cheers, while Joy Division’s only hit song, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ ended the evening on a spectacular high. Again, Curtis’ lyrics (about his failing marriage) aren’t particularly uplifting, but the music is truly joyful, and Hooky belted it out with heartfelt passion. Stripping to the waist for the standing ovation, we had primal, human, animalistic purity. Peter Hook & The Light shone brighter than an exploding star, and celebrated their lost friend with love. This was an experience.

Touring.

Reviewed on 29 July 2022

https://www.thereviewshub.com/peter-hook-the-light-joy-division-a-celebration-o2-apollo-manchester/