Angel Review - British Theatre Guide

Angel

Angel by Kevin Dyer
Theatre Hullabaloo
Darlington Arts Centre and touring

Review by Peter Lathan


For a children's theatre company to produce a play aimed at age 10 and above about the relationship between young and old and dealing with dementia and memory loss is brave indeed, so let it be said right from the outset that Theatre Hullabaloo's Angel is an unqualified success.

Bill, a young girl with a not entirely happy home life (her parents are on the verge of separating) meets Miriam who is slipping into but fighting against dementia. A highly unlikely friendship springs up between the two and Bill is able to help Miriam come to terms with some regrets from the distant past and, to an extent, accept the present. As she does so, the play touches on a range of age-related issues, not least the way in which society diminishes the elderly "for their own good".

Stated so baldly it sounds like one of those worthy but dull theatre in education pieces which concentrate on issues rather than character or plot, but that does the play—and this production—a great disservice, for both are sensitive, poignant and at times funny, involving the audience in the story and allowing it to make the point subtly, indeed almost subliminally.

Issue-driven theatre can be patronising but Angel doesn't even come close. The characters are well drawn, totally believable with both good and not so attractive traits. Real human beings, in fact. I saw it in its second preview, in front of an audience comprised of young children (about 10, I think) and a group of old people under the auspices of Age Concern. Both groups were held—fascinated might be a better word—throughout. They can both be somewhat difficult audiences, being inclined to make audible comments, but not here.

The cast of three—Jessica Barnes as Miriam, Lindsey Chapman as Bill and Adrian Palmer as Lewie—under the direction of Ruth Cooper keep the piece moving at a good pace, avoiding the temptation to overdo the moments of pathos and really endear themselves to the audience.

This is children's theatre at its best, which means that adults will both enjoy it and get a lot from it, because good children's theatre is just good theatre!

Angel tours to Halifax, Margate, Canterbury, Hexham, Alnwick, Barnard Castle, Kirkoswald, Richmond (North Yorkshire), Salford, Maidenhead, York, Leeds, Washington, Aberdeen and Fife.

Why I like this play - Angel by Kevin Dyer

I like this play. And because it might seem a bit conceited of me, the writer, to say that, let me explain.

I like Miriam, a woman who’s taking a bit of a kicking from life and yet is standing stubborn against it all. Also Miriam is based on a marvellous woman called Tessa who lived in a house full of paper, who knew she had the beginnings of dementia, who knew the future was uncertain and scary. But she had more life in her than anyone else I have ever met.

And Bill: she reminds me that children make us grown-ups see the world in a fresh way, that they can give us a reason for living in a world that makes no sense. Bill has problems: her parents are in a mess… and that mess is spilling into her life. But she has fire in her spirit, eyes that still look out at the world, and most of all she has hope. Actually better than hope, she has the determination to make things a bit better. I like that.

So, I don’t like the play for the writer’s words – they are just inky squiggles on a page. And it isn’t the best play in the world, but I like it for the stories it tries to tell – about determined people and love and friendship.

I like it too because somewhere in the middle of the play it’s also about my dad who died last year. And it’s about my own children; and how they are ‘life-makers’.

I hope that when people work on the script – the director, actors, stage managers, designer that they get pulled closer to important people in their lives. And I hope the audience do the same. If that happened, I would like that.

Kevin Dyer, Playwright

Tomboys & Freezing Rain : Angel Rehearsal Wk 1

Tomboys and freezing rain: Angel rehearsals week one Ruth Cooper – Theatre Director We’re at the end of the first week of rehearsals for Angel.

On Monday the first day nerves gave way as we re-introduced ourselves to each other and to working at Theatre Hullabaloo.

On Tuesday we continued through the play, roughly putting the script on its feet. We spent the next two days working with Kevin, the writer, ironing out any final wrinkles in the rehearsal draft. And finally Friday was spent working with Ed, the sound designer, focussing upon what the sound design adds and where. One of the things that has become clearer to me this week is that the characters aren’t delicate girly girls. Bill is a tomboy and struggles to keep a lid on her emotions, needing to lash out. Miriam doesn’t care about her house, clothes or what people think. She too lashes out –anger possibly as a symptom of her dementia, certainly as she loses control.

Angel is not a soft conversation between two sweet women where nothing happens; it’s a story of two women in different stages of their lives clinging on as the world shifts and spins around them. (Luckily our fantastic Stage Manager and Designer spent Monday evening ensuring that the set can actually spin!) I often think a first week of rehearsals is about reassurance: reassuring everyone that it’s a good script; reassuring the actors they are the right cast and can bring valuable insight to their parts; reassuring ourselves the design elements work and are an integral part of the whole and reassuring everyone that we have enough time. This week we did all of the above and proved we can also survive freezing rain on the way to and from rehearsals. We’re now confident and ready for the more knotty, in-depth rehearsals to come.

We’ve drawn the starting line...

Elf Magic for Christmas 2012!

Theatre Hullabaloo & The Berry Theatre present The Elves and the Shoemakers In a new version by Mike Kenny Once, there were two shoemakers who were very old and very poor, so poor they couldn't even afford to buy Christmas presents for each other. With no wood for their fire and only one piece of leather left to make a final pair of shoes, there was little festive cheer on Christmas Eve in the shoemakers' shop on the corner. But that night, just as the snow drifted down outside and the clock struck midnight, two little Elves decided to spread a little bit of magic which would make a whole lot of difference.

Live music, puppetry, physical storytelling and a bit of Elf magic combine to tell this classic tale. Our Autumn & Winter 2012 tour of "The Elves and the Shoemakers" is now available to book. If you are interested in making a booking please contact our Creative Producer, Miranda Thain. miranda@theatrehullabaloo.org.uk Tel: 01325 352004