BOY’S KHAYA by UK based Tavaziva dance company at the Festival Theatre Studio tonight (Friday 8th October) was performed to an almost full capacity house, and the only two regrets I have from this show are that it was only on for one night and that it was not possible for this to be performed in a larger venue to more people, as this is a work that has real power in its story and message of hope to us all.
This work is the personal story of company founder, Bawren Tavaziva, who was born in 1976 into a world that “gave” him his formative years living in the racially segregated apartheid system of Zimbabwe. This work in which Bawren handles artistic direction, choreography and music is the personal life experiences that some people may still not want to hear the views of (for whatever reasons), but a voice that has to be heard if we are ever going to learn lessons from our mistakes and create a better world for everyone. A BOY’S KHAYA is a servant’s house, and it was in this single room shack with only the most basic of amenities that Bawren Tavaziva spent long periods of time in the early years of his childhood. Segregated by his colour, Bawren was unable to play with any of the white children around him and locked in this house by his parents (who were unable to leave him alone at home) while they worked for the rich white family of the house. The fact that any child (let alone one with such obvious artistic talents) could survive this experience and grow up to not only thrive as an adult, but to stay so positive about the world, is itself a small miracle, and it is through the language of dance performed to music and voice-over narration that we get to understand a few of the reasons why this was possible at all. BOY’S KHAYA is a interweaving of many cultural strands of dance including classical ballet, modern dance and of course African dance, and I wish that I understood more the origins and language of some of the African elements in this production, but that is a task for another day, and I am sure that Bawren Tavaziva intended this work to be one of further exploration for us all in someway. This work is one that is obviously physically demanding on the dancers - Andre Kamienski, Asmara Cammock, Dakarayai Mashava, Freya Harris and Harriet Waghorn - but the end result is more than worth it. An interesting choice of costume design by Ben Voorhaar and Sabrina Zyla of Karisma to symbolise and reinforce the ropes and chains of bondage and servitude adds much to the overall look of this production. This is all of course set to the wonderful rhythms of African music. There are many harsh, difficult, and sometimes uncomfortable themes presented in BOY’S KHAYA, but perhaps the most interesting is that apartheid has not stopped, it is not only still with us, but with us on a global scale, and this time the oppressors are not only old colonial powers but multi-national corporations. The message that is, to me, clear from Bawren Tavaziva’s words is that apartheid is ultimately not about segregation of people in this world by the colour of their skin, but by the opportunities in life that are made available to them. The true crime of apartheid is wherever in the world those that have the power and resources of land and food (and so much else, however they acquire them) use their advantages all too frequently to deprive others of even the most basic requirements of food, housing, clean water and education. The light of hope in this story is that one day things will be different and our humanity, our responsibilities to each other, will build a better world for all people. Review by Tom King (c) 2021 ARTS REVIEWS EDINBURGH Looking Good Dead is at The King’s Theatre Edinburgh from Tuesday 05 Oct to Saturday 09 Oct, and this stage adaption and production of the Peter James book (published 2006) featuring DSI Roy Grace (Harry Long) and DS Glenn Branson (Leon Stewart) is obviously one for the many followers of this now classic crime book series.
This show has some very experienced cast members, and our two main characters in this story Tom Bryce and Kellie Bryce are played by Adam Woodyatt and Gaynor Faye, and their depth of understanding of the craft of acting is what gives this production its anchor points. Together, they are also the perfect couple to give their on-stage son Max (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) the chance to work within the on-stage world that their combined experience can create. Looking Good Dead, however, has some in-built problems that even Peter James and his skilled team of experienced actors, creative and production teams (including director Jonathan O’Boyle and stage adaptation by Shaun Mckenna) cannot overcome. That problem appears to be the necessary constraints of time to tell a story in a stage production. This one perhaps has an even more acute problem here as the performance time is roughly two acts of one hour each. Taking any novel to the stage is always going to be a work of many compromises and although the first act has some fine performances by Adam Woodyatt and Gaynor Faye as the severely under stress couple, the time spent establishing their characters and their domestic and financial background leaves so little time for the main crime drama that it simply feels rushed and over simplified. This in turn leads to too many unanswered “whys and hows” in the second half of a story that already is becoming a little predictable in its outcome, well to me anyhow, and I have not even read the book. Some of the later scenes are also stretching the bounds of believability a little far as the compression of what originally has to be a far more complex story starts to show. None of this is helped by the cold aloofness, and almost personal detachment of DCI Roy Grace from the plight of victims of this story (maybe that is how murder investigation DCIs survive their job?), and I have to assume that this is how the character is directed here as Harry Long has the performance skills to play any type of character that he wants. This story has obviously been updated for our digital age, and Looking Good Dead has more than a few plot twists and misdirections (as you would expect) when some of the darker sides of the internet are explored here, with security and privacy being touched upon, and all of this is relevant within the context of the daily lives of the Bryce family, but overall, once we step out of the normality of daily life into this disturbing alternative world, everything is still too light and comfortable. The true power of Looking Good Dead is, however, the dark side of what some people will pay to view on the internet, and what is truly chilling here is both what that content can be and the apparent ease of availability of it. This of course takes us back to the core of this story and what I am missing from it; that feeling of the sheer terror of what it must feel like to be an unwilling participant in this dark corner of this particular pay-for-view digital world. Review by Tom King (c) 2021 ARTS REVIEWS EDINBURGH Mousie is a short film (just under 17 minutes) from Writer/Director David Bartlett and Producer Will Poole which tells the story of a young Roma girl Helene (SASHA WATSON-LOBO) forced to take refuge in a Berlin Cabaret Club in 1936. Alone, frightened, and not fully comprehending the danger that she is in, Helene is protected as far as possible by Katharina, a performer in the club who promised Helene’s Roma mother that she would try to keep her child safe from the concentration camps. Hiding a child who does not want to stay hidden is difficult for Katharina, and trying to elude the clumsy advances of army recruit Otto (JACK BENNETT) adds to her problems.
Dreams of a new life in America are woven here for Helene by Katharina, but reality is always far more pressing, and much-loved toy, Mousie, becomes the focus of Helene’s world, a sole link to the safety and comfort of a family that she once knew, and cannot understand why it is not there now and why people she loves are not now with her. There are some delicate, but strong performances here from our main cast and the air of decay of the cabaret club and the inability of anyone around to do much more than cope with their own daily struggle of just getting by is well portrayed by the rest of our cast. This an almost dream like quality here to the cinematographer Paul Kirstop, and our ending is one of almost pure fantasy that only a child would think of to elude a threat of real danger. The at times elusive quality of fantasy coupled with the harsh reality of Helene’s dire predicament makes you at times wonder if any if this ever really happened. In what aspect of what we call reality could a child have committed a crime by just being born Roma? Such a world is almost itself a fantasy beyond our comprehension. This world did exist though, and there are many un-named Helene’s who paid a price they should never have been asked to pay for simply existing. This film is a reminder of how vigilant we all have to be to ensure that history is never allowed to repeat itself. Having already been successful at some major film festivals around the world, Mousie is now eligible to be considered for an Academy Award. Full Cast List SASHA WATSON-LOBO as Helene CJ JOHNSON as Katharina JACK BENNETT as Otto JOSHUA LAY as The Red Devil NICHOLE BIRD as Gertrud SOMI DE SOUZA as Mama Zehala NIGEL COOKE as Kauz ROBERT GILL as Theo Mousie was made in support of refugee charity The Separated Child Foundation (Reg’d Charity no. 1120669) Review by Tom King (c) 2021 ARTS REVIEWS EDINBURGH Ganef is a beautifully filmed and delicately observed short film (14 minutes) written and directed by Mark Rosenblatt and set in early 1960s London. Inadvertently, the obviously very comfortable world of a young girl Ruthie (Izabella Dziewanska) and the playful friendship that she has with Lynn, the cleaner of her parents’ house (Sophie McShera), is shattered when her mother (Mrs Hirth played by Lydia Wilson ), perhaps a little too tired in the afternoon, gives her a glimpse into her wartime past and the warnings of a ganef (thief) being around.
The literal interpretation that a child can have is the catalyst for events unfolding that make Ruthie believe that her “play-friend” and her mother’s house cleaner Lynn is now a dreaded “ganef”. This has to be true; she has seen it with her own eyes. What makes this film interesting is not what is said, but what is not said. Much of the history of those wartime years is in the visual details of this film, inviting the viewer to watch carefully, and Lynn’s reserved and almost silent reaction to Ruthie in the aftermath of the accusations made by the child against her tell more than any script could tell. Like all well written films, there are two stories here. The obvious story of survivors of wartime horrors is one, but the speed with which the trust that a child has in someone so easily turns to fear is just as powerful story. There are no weak performances here, Izabella Dziewanska is perfectly cast as Ruthie and Downton Abbey’s Sophie McShera more than earns her star status in this film. Having already been successful in many film festivals this film was also a Finalist at the 2021 Manhattan Short Film Festival, making it eligible to be considered for a 2022 Oscar. Full Cast Lydia Wilson, Sophie McShera, Izabella Dziewanska, Danny Scheinmann. Review by Tom King (c) 2021 ARTS REVIEWS EDINBURGH Grease The Musical is at The Festival Theatre Edinburgh this week (Mon 27 Sept – Sat 02 Oct) and it is hard to believe that this show is now 50 years old (the original stage production was in 1971). Many of us (myself included) would, however, have been introduced to the story and characters of Grease via the now iconic 1978 film starring Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. Grease the Musical and Grease the film have always been two different takes on the same story, and anyone that is familiar only with the film should be aware that the theatrical stage show has always been a very different production. The film version of the story did its best to turn this story into a far more sugar-coated one than the original, but it never managed it completely, and you only have to listen to the lyrics of the original show songs in the film (some new ones were written for the film) to realise that there is a real “urban” story here with explicit content and a real bite to it. Since the film version, audiences have quite rightly expected to hear their favourite songs in the stage show too, so the two versions have merged together over the years, and the result has been a little bit of theatrical magic that has thrilled generations of fans of the show. You have to ask then, was a re-working of the show needed from director Nikolai Foster (the first major one in 25 years)? The answer to that depends as always on the eye of the beholder, and I had reservations myself about what someone was going to do with one of my favourite musicals. I am still not sure that every change here was necessary; we have some new songs here, but they fit in well to the story. More importantly though, this version of the story has gone back to the core material of the original story line whilst still being smart enough to retain some of the film songs too. There is a darker edge here to any other version of Grease the Musical that I have seen over the years. This is a young cast for this show, and that is the way that it should be, but any cast for this show always will have the unenviable job of many people comparing their roles to the massively popular film, and that is always a bit unfair. This is a story of being young and it needs that energy that a young cast can bring to it. Grease is also important in musical theatre in general because it provided a vehicle for young and upcoming talent to learn their stage craft, and there are always too few opportunities for them to do this. The two headline stars for this tour are Georgia Louise (Sandy) and Dan Partridge (Danny). For tonight’s performance however, the role of Sandy was played by Ellie Kingdon who gave a very solid performance here, and worked well with her co-star Dan. The “known name” in this show was of course Peter Andre who was obviously having a lot of fun on-stage camping up his dual roles as Teen Angel and disc jockey Vince Fontaine. This story is of course a musical and the choreography has all of the sharpness that you would expect from an Arlene Phillips production. Musically, this show was hitting all the right notes. Dan Partridge is reprising his role of Danny here and is obviously comfortable with his songs and Ellie Kingdon got an enthusiastic response from the audience for her take on Hopelessly Devoted To You. This song was obviously intended to be delivered in a “power ballad” style for this show, but it is always to me a fragile song of a teenage heart breaking in two. Always nice to see the Greased Lightning song rightfully returned to Kenickie (Paul French) as it was “stolen” in the film by Danny (Travolta). Stealing the show a little for me though was the performance by Tendai Rinomhota as Rizzo on one of my favourite songs from this show, the very dark, but honest, There Are Worst Things I could Do. Grease the Musical is still, despite the darker tones underneath, it a fun show, but it is never the children’s show that some people imagine it to be and it has very adult themes (as always). The show was, however, a welcome return to seeing live musical theatre back on stage at The Festival Theatre and the perfect tonic for everyone in the audience tonight after all of the problems of the past 18 months or so. It was good to see an audience just having fun, perhaps forgetting any problems they had for an evening, and leaving the theatre with smiles on their faces. A job well done, Grease. Review by Tom King (c) 2021 ARTS REVIEWS EDINBURGH |
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