Killed by my debt

Alerted to it existence by an article in The Times we watched the BBC 3 drama Kielled by my debt the other night. It was a disturbing drama based on real events. A the story unfolded it had all the marks of a tragedy as it trudged on to the seemingly inevitable denouement. There are many problems in society today that this story highlights including zero hours contracts, easy credit, money hungry local councils, inhumane bailiffs, low views of the worth of hman life, th failure of Christians to connect, etc. If you ever wonder why aspects of socialism are always popular with some, you need only to watch this.

Wolf Hall

A bit indulgent but to make sure I did both I went along to the Aldwych again last night, this time to see Wolf Hall. Bette organisation would have meant I saw them in the proper order. They are not really separate plays but a very long play over two nights. Wolf Hall begins with the dancing by the cast that you often see at The Globe (presumably based on some Shakespearean tradition) and ends rather abruptly with a reference to Jane Seymour. One could also characters like Mark and George being developed in Wolf Hall so that they made more sense in the second part. Anyway, having read both Hilary Mantel's novels it wasn't too much of a problem. This second one didn't get as many laughs and was slightly less sordid while including foul mouths that I do not recall from Bring up the bodies. The weather played a really big part in last night's production but I don't remember it being mentioned in the other one. I was impressed again both by Mantel's skill and that of Mike Poulton who has done the adaptation so well (call me Risely is completely erased I noticed this time). Ben Miles (above with Lydia Leonard; Nathaniel Parker is Henry VIII) reminds me of Roger Daltrey (did some wag say who?). London's a great place.

Footnote: Last Tuesday a respectable looking woman in her sixties with a French accent asked me for a pound to get home. I didn't give her anything as she did not seem genuine. Last night I saw her again. Again she was not drunk or high. I asked her what her real story was but she was reluctant to share. I wonder what the story is. As has been asked - all the lonely people, where do they all come from?

Bring up the bodies

Went to see Bring up the bodies at the Aldwych last night. I got a ticket that day for what they call the slips. The view is slightly restricted but it was no problem. I like the Tudor period since I was a  child and have enjoyed Hilary Mantel's two novels. This dramatic adaptation of the second of them is very well done. The subject matter is rather sordid at points but the interesting thing is the principal characters and how they act. Mantel seems to have got Henry VII well and probably Cromwell. As for Ann Boleyn one can see how a few changes to the script could make her much more  of a victim and even the Reformed Christian that some have argued she was.

Obviously the novel has more time to play with but because of the compression I got things that I hadn't got so clearly when reading. The play never misses a laugh either (although I found myself laughing at some things no-one else did). The biggest laugh was for an anachronism - when Stoke Newington was described as a pastoral idyl - I had to explain to the American next to me). The use of modern English makes it easier than watching Shakespeare. I'll have to get to see Wolf Hall soon (I think they must play alternate nights). Pity I will have done them in the wrong order. The Aldwych is a lovely theatre and I can go almost door to door from here by bus (though it takes a while).

Happy Valley

I have refrained from mentioning the recently finished BBC series Happy Valley as not everyone who sees this blog is necessarily happy to watch such dramas and as I never find people going on about TV series much fun (it's not like a film where you can go out and watch it). However, this is the second time that writer Sally Wainwright has impressed so I thought a little note might be okay. You might even want to get the DVD of the six one hour programmes. Happy Valley is near Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. The series focuses on a police woman and her family and a crime that quietly insinuates itself into several lives. All the characters are flawed, some more than others and they all think they are innocent more or less. This is Wainwright's best insight - our utterly flawed nature and our point blank refusal to see it. Each one of them is crying out, if only they knew it, for a biblical understanding of themselves and of sin and guilt and forgiveness. It moved me and made me want to pray.

Flowers of the dead red sea

We went last night to the Rosemary Branch pub and theatre to see Rhodri performing in Ed Thomas's Flowers of the dead red sea. There is another performance tonight and it follows performances in Aber and will be followed by one on Cardiff Saturday night (Richard Burton Theatre). It features two men working in an abattoir and talking. The action is regularly broken up by the experience of junk falling from the sky. Rhodri and Matt Christmas act it out very well. There is some black comedy and interest is sustained throughout. It is not a particularly Welsh play I thought though the men are South Walians (Joe and Mock, short perhaps for Morgan) and there are references to Tom Jones and to the language. The drowning theme is a very Welsh one too when you think of reservoirs. The over arching theme, however, is late twentieth century western European angst in the absurdist manner. I have long been cynical about absurdist theatre so I was not best placed to appreciate it. As a teenager I avoided pubs but once again I found myself in one (Eleri and I had a very nice meal) to see one of my sons perform (Dylan would gig in pubs in his rock band years). They are much nicer now smoking is banned.

Rhodri ar y radio

Rhodri is doing another play soon (Flowers of the dead red sea by Ed "Hinterland" Thomas). He has been interviewed briefly recently (with producer Izzy Raby). If you have Welsh you can hear it here. Also check here and here.

Also here.

10 Actors turned preachers

There is a reference in the Spurgeon biography to James Sheridan Knowles, an actor turned preacher. I also read of Thomas Barnardo's conversion recently where there was an actor turned evangelist involved at one point (John Hambleton I think). Here are ten names I have found who more or less meet the description. Perhaps the list can be improved.

1. Stephen Gosson English satirist and Anglican clergyman 1554-1624

2. George Whitefield Methodist Evangelist and amateur actor in his youth 1714-1770

3. James Sheridan Knowles Irish Dramatist, actor and latterly Baptist preacher 1784-1862

4. John Hambleton Evangelist and one time actor 1820-1889

5. Spencer Houghton Cone American Baptist Chaplain and some time actor 1785-1855

6. Charles B Parsons American Methodist preacher and former actor 1805-1871

7. Gu Ren'en or Ku Jen-en Flamboyant Chinese evangelist and one time movie actor 20th century

8. Peter Trumper former equity card holder and friend of Anthony Hopkins who became a Presbyterian minister in Wales lived 1934-2015. See here.

9. R Gary Heikkila Former Hollywood actor and ordained minister now retired 193*-*. See here.
10. Kirk Cameron American actor and street preacher 1970-. See here.

The well-known preacher Alistair Begg appeared in the 2004 film Bobby Jones: stroke of genius

4:48 Psychosis

Last week I was in Wales collecting two of the boys from University. I made the trip via Aberystwyth where my eldest son was performing solo in the small Arts Centre studio in a Run Amok Theatre production of the harrowing drama 4:48 Psychosis. The drama by the late Sarah Kane (she committed suicide in 1999 before the production of this her final work). I watched the 35 minute presentation with mixed emotions. Rhodri is a fine actor and the enthusiasm some show for his skills is understandable (the mother of the director who I had not met immediately recognised me for who I was just before the show - poor Rhodri, it's that obvious!). For me it is difficult to watch objectively and my familiarity with his persona combined with my impossibly high standards makes it very difficult for me to judge how good it was as a performance (there is a sequence where he has to exercise for some minutes to the point of running up a sweat - not imagining some other of my boys doing it instead was impossible for me). The swearing is not much of an issue as one might expect as it is abundantly clear that he is acting a part not expressing himself as he might in his own name. I suppose what I struggle with is the whole way such a drama is presented - as an entertainment. The play raises massive issues of theology, sociology, mental health and human relationships. I am not really comfortable with it being dealt with in that environment I guess, where the presentation is everything. It was something I struggled with studying English at university. The question was always "what is being said?" rather than "is it right?" and "what is the real answer?" which are my true interests as a preacher. I believe further presentations are due in the new year in Cardiff. See here.

Hilary Mantel Trilogy

I have now read Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring up the bodies. I was attracted to the large volumes by their subject matter - Thomas Cromwell (a key figure in Henry VIII's reign) the Tudors being my best loved and known historical period - and their award winning success. They certainly are very well written and I think give an insight into the period not easily gained from ordinary history books. I am not a fan of historical fiction. When doing A level history many years ago Jean Plaidy (Eleanor Hibbert was her real name - she also wrote as Philippa Carr and Victoria Holt). The class was nearly all girls and they would always ask if Plaidy was worth reading. The teacher's cautious answer meant I never bothered. In fact, one of the Philippa Gregory Boleyn novels is the only venture into historical fiction I have made, I believe. Anyway, Mantel is clearly superior to either of those authors but still you have this problem - not knowing what is credible fact and what is patent fiction. I tend to look behind every sentence of a book wondering what prompted it and reading these books I was constantly wondering what prompted it - whim or research. So, given that these are such long books I am not altogether satisfied but I'm glad I've got through them. Given that there is one more book to come (The Mirror and the Light) I am rather tied in I guess but that is not until 2015 they say. Meanwhile, the thought of Mark Rylance and a presentation of the material as Shakespearean drama does appeal. See here.

Henry VI Part 2 at the Globe

Henry VI Part 2 has got to be one of the more obscure of Shakespeare's plays but I was free last night and that is what was on at the Globe so down I went. I chose another restricted view at first but it was worse than restricted so I went back and got a cheapy for the courtyard and coped with standing okay. This was a no frills production and with few laughs, which is fair enough. Perhaps this is where you see the bard's skill at its best. It's just a bunch of people talking in the end but what a picture he paints. The history is probably unreliable but the picture of humanity is pretty undeniable. Even an obscure play has well known lines ("The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" "Adam was a gardener" (Act IV, Scene II) "Small things make base men proud" (Act IV, Scene I) So a well acted though unremarkable piece. All three are on at the moment but I am unlikely to see them all. This is chronologically the first so a good start. Only moan was the disproportion either side of the interval, the latter part being much shorter than the former.

One man show

This is one of my eldest son's projects for this Autumn:

4:48 Psychosis

Aberystwyth-founded theatre company Run Amok present a radical re-telling of British dramatist Sarah Kane's 4:48 Psychosis. Showcasing the arresting talent of Aberystwyth graduate and actor Rhodri Brady as a one-man show, Run Amok Theatre Company aim to use Kane's text as an arch to explore our relationship with social media and network sites in relation to mental health issues in the 21st century. Be prepared to see 4:48 Psychosis in an exclusively contemporary context, by a fresh and exciting emerging theatre company.   Age 17+

Guys and Dolls

Gwion in the waistcoat is Harry the Horse in the school production of Guys and Dolls. Sterling performance from the lad, right in the Brady tradition.

As You Like It

I got myself down to The Globe again last Tuesday to see a performance of As You Like It. I know the play well as I did it for A level, I recall. This was a bit different to other productions I have seen at The Globe in that it was a cut price production with only eight players. This involved doubling up the parts. At one point near the end a dummy stand in was necessary but they got a laugh out of it. Turning Touchstone into a woman didn't really work for me and there were other things that I missed from the bigger productions. Sometimes I thought the voices of some of the generally younger cast were a little weak and the whole thing got off to a rather chaotic and shaky start. Why they were all dressed in 19th century dress I do not know. Neither that nor the use of a camera really added to things. On the whole it was pretty good I guess but I have come to expect a very high standard I see. The music was done well by the cast themselves.

The Hollow Crown

I'm a bit behind with this but I've now had chance to see all four of BBC 2's series of Shakespeare history plays (Richard II, Henry IV Pt 1 and Pt 2, Henry V). These were excellent productions. (See more here). They take the plays out of the theatre (making for some difficulties in Henry V which is very much written for the theatre with a chorus [John Hurt this time]). These were not lavish productions for today I suppose but a good deal of time time and money was invested in scene setting, costumes and extras that far from detracting from the plays themselves added greatly to the interest. The idea of featuring the same hollow crown in all four plays was inspired and added to the whole. I'm not sure why the continuity preserved by having one man play Henry V (Tom Hiddleston) could not have been followed in the case of Henry IV (Rory Kinnear is replaced by Jeremy Irons). All four plays featured well known actors (Jeremy Irons, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, Julie Walters, etc) and lesser known ones too. Although all four presentations made for a gripping 8 hours of TV, the first was the outstanding one for me. Ben Whishaw in the lead role is just magnificent. The decision to present him as a Christ figure worked brilliantly visually. A stunning performance. It is not easy to get to see this at this stage but it is worth seeking out.

Henry V at the Globe

For some reason I haven't found time to say what an excellent time I had down at Shakespeare's Globe last Thursday (apart from the hayfever set off by the thatched roof). They were doing Henry V, not a play I'm very familiar with although some of the lines are inevitably in one's head (O! for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention!; Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more Or close the wall up with our English dead! ). A play almost devoid of theatrical bombast its brilliantly paced variety (soliloquy, comedy, action, etc) still stands up and this was a good if not a great production. The play inevitably raises questions of war and peace though I found the interest in language much more interesting. There is an amusing scene (mostly in French) where the French Princess learns some English from her maid. The play also features a Welshman Fluellen and that was very well done (with a few adlibs such as esgob Dafydd and Aberystwyth [why is that word so funny?] though the many look yous seem to be original). I'd love to hear Rob Brydon doing the part. Of course, archetypal Englishman as he may be, Henry V was technically Welsh (born in the same county as yours truly - Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, Captain Gower. .. I'll tell you there is good men porn at Monmouth) and that is alluded to. Henry says to Fluellen "I am Welsh, you know, good countryman". Of course, Shakespeare just loves irony and there is plenty where that came from in the play. The whole Globe project really grabs me (especially the idea of letting groundlings in for a fiver). Apart from the occasional plane passing over you might think you were back in the 17th century at times.

Marlowe's Faustus at the Globe

I popped down to the Globe yesterday afternoon to see Christopher Marlowe's Dr Faustus. It was a lovely afternoon and the production was done very well. It is the play that includes the famous lines "Is this the face that launched a thousand ships (not shops)?" I was sorry that my favourite line was cut, where Faustus says at the end

"See, see, where Christ's blood streams in the firmament.

One drop would save my soul, half a drop. Ah, my Christ!"

They did have a bit I'd forgotten, however, where Faustus asks Mephistopheles who made the world and he won't say because it is, of course, God. They made quite thing of that and it was powerful for me.

I remember reading it in university and enjoying it. It's quite different from Shakespeare in that it employs a lot of stage spectacle. This production did all that very well (there was some limited audience interaction and bawdiness almost inevitably). It must have had quite an impact on the original audiences. Its genius is that it is a real spectacle and good fun but raises the most profound theological questions. Whether we take the play on its own professed terms, those of theological orthodoxy, or look deeper it still raises crucial questions of life and its purpose. Like the last play I saw we ended with the whole cast doing a little dance with the musicians. I really wonder what that is all about.

Anne Boleyn at the Globe

We are back in London now and last night we had a real treat courtesy of my father-in-law, passing through en route to the USA. An avid reader of reviews, he had noticed that Howard Brenton's drama Anne Boleyn was playing at the Globe Theatre. He was only able to get tickets for the four of us (we and our wives) to stand and with an atrociously rainy day we were fearful of a soaking. As it turned out, there was hardly a drop. We really had two things for the price of one then - a positive experience of seeing a play in the interestingly reconstructed Globe as groundlings (something I've not done before although we have gone to the Globe itself more than once) and a very well acted and thought provoking play too.

Current day groundlings are thankfully much, much quieter than Shakespearean ones I guess but we got a real idea of what it might have been like to stand under an open sky and see a play in Shakespeare's time.

The play itself was of great interest to us featuring not only as it did Ann Boleyn and Henry VIII, etc, but also James I commissioning the AV and William Tyndale in unlikely but plausible scenes with Ann (the play takes place in two time periods - that of Boleyn and that of the early years of James I). Boleyn (Like Henry adn James) is an endlessly fascinating figure and although there was much speculation here the play cast an interesting light on her undoubted Protestantism and on Tyndale and the effect of the Bible on the English nation too. There were sadly some crudities that marred the beauty of the piece but many could enjoy it. For reviews see here.

Pygmalion at the Garrick

It was a rare treat last night to be at the theatre. There is a new production of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre and Eleri fancied going, so off we went. The Garrick on Charing cross Road is a brilliant little theatre. We had seats in the third row.

We know the play chiefly via My Fair Lady. It was good then to get back to the original and find that Henry Higgins is in fact a quite unsympathetic character. The play, though dated in some ways, does raise some interesting questions about what makes a person tick and what really matters in life. The most famous line in it I think is that of Eliza's father in reply to the question "Have you no morals, man?" - "Cant afford them, Gov'nor. ..."

It was a great production, almost word perfect. The sets were straightforward and the acting just right for the most part. Simon Ward was off somewhere but good old Diana Rigg did well as did Rupert Everett (bit too shouty - but we weren't supposed to like him). Our friend Kara Tointon was in the lead role as Eliza and did very well, charming us all. Of course, there is some "sanguine language" which is a pity in some ways but the scene where an almost transformed Eliza talks about her aunt having died from influenza (so they said) but adding "it's my belief they done the old woman in" is hilarious (cf this version).

PS Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved. More here.

Words often misspelled 03

Playwright

It is so tempting to put playwrite but while a good pun it is a misspelling.

The word is like millwright or cartwright. The play is wrought by the writer.

Woyzek



Next to a poster showing "his wife"

 

On Thespian Street!

 

Outside the theatre (Arad Goch translates Red/Brown Furrow)

We went up to see our eldest, Rhodri, taking the lead role in a production of Buchner's Woyzeck last Friday. An amateur production put on by the students, it was slightly strange in that you don't normally see that many women in a play but the boy done good and obviously has gifts in this area. In the same week he was made CU President so he keeps pretty busy.