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Stars explained: * A production of no real merit
with failings in all areas. ** A production showing evidence of not
enough time or effort, or even talent, and which never breathes any real
life into the piece – or a show lumbered with a terrible script. *** A
good enjoyable show which might have some small flaws but has largely
achieved what it set out to do.**** An excellent show which shows a
great deal of work and stage craft with no noticeable or major
flaws.***** A four star show which has found that extra bit of magic
which lifts theatre to another plane. |
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The End of History Hall Green Youth Theatre **** For most of us the end of our history comes with a eulogy, funereal tea and division of the spoils . . . or overdraft, and then for humanity perhaps the end will come with a mushroom cloud or two next time and finally sticks and stones the time after that. But then history is not what is to come but what has passed and the Youth Theatre take us from the dawn of time, or at least the stone age, through to sort of now, which will be then and history as soon as you have seen it. To be fair this is more history in the mould of Dumb and Dumber, dudes, or Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part I than perhaps Kenneth Clark’s rather more pragmatic Civilisation. Our guides through this meander through the highways and byways of our past are Megan (Ellie Vaughan) and Allie (Sam Cunningham-Elsby) who seem to be escapees from a less than exciting history class becoming time travellers starting their journey back to not so much the future as the present with the local neanderthals where they invented fire and created the fad for barbequed mammoth. We passed through the Romans leaving old Caesar looking like a pin cushion and a bit dead as recorded by passing historian Suetonius (Renee Davis) and Sejanus (Oisin Fitzpatrick),the confident and right hand man of Emperor Tiberius, who was yet to come but let’s not quibble, and poet Virgil (Malayah Shafi) thrown in for good measure with the Praetorian Guard (Wulfric Flint) providing security . . . not the best laid plans and all that. Then there is Cleopatra (Okivia Cocks) and William the Conquerer (Gracie Chapman), chuck in a plague village, Wolverhampton, Black Death in the Black Country it seems, and a skirmish with Robin Hood, (Cocks again) who it seems was a bit of a poseur and a grifter, stealing from the rich . . . and the poor, anybody in fact. Whether he, or in this case, she, ever existed is open to question so on that basis any biography of him/her is as valid or invalid as the next – although there are likely to be doubts his bow was 18ins and plastic of that he used sucker tipped arrows . . . just saying . . . Ellie Spruce sails past as the Spanish Armada while Walter Raleigh (John Peach) is pushing his new wonder food potato The first Elizabethan era brings us to our most famous Midlander, William Shakespeare (Thomas John) who it appears nicked plays off Kitty Marlowe (Ellie Buckingham) with poet, pamphleteer and playwright and, apparently, drunk, Thomas Nashe (Roisin Begley), staggering, uncertainly, around the fringes. Kitty, like the more, should we say, substantial, as in not an invented character, Kit Marlowe ended up stabbed to death in 1593. In reality the circumstances of his, or in this case, her, demise are sketchy. There was a theory, much discredited, that Marlowe’s death was a set up, to avoid trial, torture and possible death for atheism and treason. The theory being he then reinvented himself as William Shakespeare. The dates don’t tally but facts have never got in the way of a conspiracy theory. We are on safer ground with Alexander Hamilton (Isla McGillion) and Aaron Burr with even the Schuyler Sisters, Eliza (Cocks again) Peggy (Shafi again) and Angelica (Courtney Smith-Reid). That brings us closer to now with Queen Victoria (Thomas John again) and yes, he’s a bloke, but history is equal opportunities it seems these days, which gives us Gladstone (Chloe Lees) and Disraeli (Peach again) and while we are at it throw in Sherlock Holmes (Sofia Steele) who was claiming he was real not a drug addict and his life story was being stolen by Arthur Conan Doyle, a view supported by Dr Watscon (Spruce again).
We had sorties into art, Van Gogh (McGillion) and Paula Gaugin (Shafi) made an appearance with Sunflowers a main theme. There seems to be a recurring problems on the sex of past figures, probably not helped by a cast of 17 of which only four were men. And that brought us to WWII and the change over of the Premiership from Birmingham MP Neville Chamberlain (Begley) to Winston Churchill (Lees). According to the Youth Theatre’s jaunt through history, the selection of the new PM was decided by an obstacle race on Epsom Downs . . . not many people knew that, it seems. Chamberlain stepped down in 1940 when Labour and Liberals refused to work with him, Churchill took over, and Chamberlain died of cancer six months later. The play had its moments and with so much packed in, bits that perhaps didn’t quite work were quickly overtaken by bits that did. It ended with the quandary of modern life. If the internet died, if there was no online to get on to, where would we be? No social media, having to talk to people rather than merely text them, having to go out to shops and takeaways rather than ordering with a few clicks on screen – actually having to move, walk, talk, engage rather then living life on a screen!! Accuracy of historical fact was . . . should we say, a little cavalier, a question of what could have been rather than what was but it is a piece that was first mooted last summer and has been developed and workshopped by the Youth Theatre themselves. The secret with Youth Theatre is to provide productions with large casts. A Shirley Valentine with its cast of one or an Educating Rita with two might be wonderful plays but are hardly going to keep a group of 20 or more youngsters both interested and, more importantly, turning up and The End of History is a big cast demanding all but the pair playing Magan and Allie, who are the constants in each scene, to play four or more roles, which to their due they managed with aplomb. It doesn’t all work, some parts are a little confused, but there is never a lack of enthusiasm or commitment and never a hint of a prompt or uncertainty. The production also goes beyond performance with set design and construction from the Youth Theatre members as well as stagecraft with Isla McCarrick and Jack Nocolau programming and operating lights and sound. Ensemble productions also provide experience on creating a coherent piece of theatre, what works, what doesn’t, practical problems to avoid or overcome. The ideas and thoughts were condensed into a script by director Richard Woodward who also composed the music and opening and closing songs. The result is an interesting concept of a teenage view of history, travelling through time in a sort of not quite parallel universe. To 12-04-25 Roger Clarke 05-04-25 |
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