Month: July 2000

The Elland Affair by Mike Ward, The Actor’s Workshop, 5 July 2000

I have described the book signing aspect of this event in excruciating detail in a separate piece – click here or below.

My First Ever Book Signing, Clean Business Cuisine (the book), Actors’ Workshop Halifax (the venue), Yet Something Was Missing, 5 July 2000

I have also set out the programme notes I wrote for The Elland Affair – click here.

But what of the show itself?

Well, it seems I gave it a rave review at the time and also assembled some other reviews electronically. I have no idea how or why this information ended up in a “miscellaneous” file on my computer – it looks like a scrape from an on-line something-or-other from back in the mists of time. Anyway, I have just (11 Match 2023) discovered/recovered it, dated 19 July 2000, so here is the contemporaneous reviews of many:

Nicola Sedgefield
Play: The Elland Affair

The Actor’s Workshop Youth Theatre’s latest production, Mike Ward’s ‘The Elland Affair’ is not for the squeamish or sexually repressed.

This orgy of rampant testosterone exposes the physical abilities, acting skills as well as most of the flesh of a group of Yorkshire lads (I presume) who would win hands down in any contest of entertainment against ‘The Chippendales’. With the Workshop lads, what you see is clearly what you get.

Gore as well as sex is plentiful as our fearless heroes plot and ultimately exact revenge on the dastardly Sir John Eland and his thugs. If these lads had been on hand to fight the later Wars of the Roses, Henry VII and all those Tudors would never have made it.

It was a long show, but I wouldn’t have missed it.

Review by: Ian Harris
Play: The Elland Affair

I enjoyed the play immensely. Before taking the world by storm with it, I think Mike Ward would do well to reduce the length by some 30 to 45 minutes. But even in its full length form, there’s enough really good stuff to maintain one’s attention throughout.

The Elland Affair is not for the squeamish or prudish, as other reviewers have no doubt pointed out. But then 1327 probably wasn’t a good time for squeams and prudes to be alive.

A tough but worthwhile assignment this, for a small youth theatre. The broad sword fighting scenes alone must have needed an enormous amount of rehearsal (and muscle building) but were pulled off with great aplomb.

Other youth theatres should take a look at this play and, if suitably ambitious, should do well with it.

Superb programme notes, I thought. (He would say that, wouldn’t he?)

Seriously, well done to author, director, cast and crew.

Review by: Mr G Phillips
Play: The Elland Affair

Yet again the actors workshop has pulled off another excellent performance – ‘The Elland Affair’, superbly written and superbly performed, and it does not cease to amaze me.

Although one or two mistakes were made, and it showed to a certain extent, it was understandable because of all the lines that needed to be learnt.

Kristian Wilkinson played an excellent part as Adam, also Thomas Vickery as Hugh, and they both worked well together showing that they had put a lot of time and effort into the production.

The one character that didn’t really stand out was Harry he could have been played a lot better, Christopher Cockroft did not prove to be much as there was no ‘umph’ behind his lines.

My wife thinks that the the one person that did stand out, even though he did not have a big part, was Aaron. He stood out with his witty humour on how he thought that he was a ‘sex god’ – very well played by Shane Gough. The thing that made him stand out is that he would always turn up at the right moment.’Hope to see him again’ she says.

Which also shows how well the play was written. Even though it was a bit long, there is not a single scene which I can think to leave out, one or two lines maybe, but none of the scenes.

Well done to Mr Ward and I can’t wait for your next one – I assume you are going to write one.

P.S don’t listen to Margaret Woods, you guys are doing a fantastic job and some of you could be the future of television.

Review by: Steve Cattell
Play: The Elland Affair

This was about my fourth outing to an Actor’s Workshop production, and by far the most enjoyable yet.

I had been fore-warned about the length of the play, but felt that the length was justified to contain the full story – a story which has been excellently written by Mike Ward.

Full marks to Kristian for learning so many lines !! What this must have done to his social life over the past two months is anyones guess !! and also a great performance by his right hand man who put in a blinding performance – a natural on the stage.

And of course, I have to mention the star of the show (although I am slightly biased !!!), Grace Siddall – who proved once more that a career in acting is definately looking promising…..

Keep writing Mike, it keeps us entertained…..

Review by: Mr F Smith
Play: The Elland Affair

I must say that my evening at the Actors Workshop was superb whilst seeing the ‘Elland affair’.

I thought that everyone took on the challenge of being 13th century teenagers very well and it was obvious that they had all completly focused on the task.

My only fault was that occasionally the play was disrupted by loud backstage noise.

I also thought that the role of Harry De’lacey slightly lacked confidence.

Review by: A. Ward
Play: The Elland Affair

A great world premiere.

A highly enjoyable swashbuckling tale of revenge, treachery, and humanity – one that will surely see future stagings throughout the country.

A trifle long – particularly the second Act – but this was a mere flesh wound to the body of work as a whole.

Some fine performances and some intriguingly insightful writing touches.

I suggest a sequel – ‘Confessions of a Miller’s Wife’…….

Review by: J.B.W.Summerskill
Play: The Elland Affair

I sat in awe last week as I watched the Mike Ward work ‘The Elland Affair’. I thought it was the best show the company performed that I have seen.

With its carefully woven themes of loyalty, love, friendship and hatred thumping into the audience with welcome regularity, I was kept on my toes laughing and gasping throughout. Many congratulations to all on an exciting and provocative story which could be adapted into a blockbusting production on stage or screen were it to fall into the “wrong” hands.

No doubt Janie and I also enjoyed lavish hospitality at the hands of Mike and Lottie Ward after the show that night…

…after I had returned the pen(s) to their rightful owner(s).

Following The Lord’s Test Match In The Car, Then Bach At The Wigmore Hall With The Duchess, 1 July 2000

This memory was triggered by this charming piece on the King Cricket website in late May 2020:

Watching (and missing) a dramatic day of England v West Indies in 2000 – a match report

Janie (Daisy) and I weren’t there for the tense ending of that match either. But we were nearby – there in spirit if not in body.

We had been eagerly following the match all day.

But that day was also the birthday of Daisy’s mother, The Duchess of Castlebar. I had bought tickets for the three of us to see a Bach concert at the Wigmore Hall for that evening.

Janie had quite recently acquired a taste for chamber concert halls and baroque music, perhaps a year or two earlier. The Duchess tended to prefer large scale concerts of the Proms variety; we mostly booked those for her. But the Proms don’t get going until a bit later in the summer and it was the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death that year. So Bach at The Wig it was to be.

Anyway, that afternoon the Lord’s Test Match was beautifully poised and/but for reasons I cannot recall – had there been a lot of overnight rain? – the day’s play had been delayed and was playing out until quite late.

The Duchess is an avid follower of the cricket as well as a music aficionado. We called her to let her know that we were on the way to collect her. We could all listen to the ending of the cricket match together on the car radio on our way to The Wig.

As we drove to the Duchess’s residence, England wickets fell and the match seemed to be drifting in The West Indies direction. Daisy and I anticipated a dark mood and we were not disappointed.

Thrown it away, they’ve thrown it away…

…said The Duchess. We set off for Marylebone (the southern end thereof).

The Duchess explained to us, as she had several times before, that Denis (Compton), Ted (Dexter), Colin (Cowdrey) Ken (Barrington), Geoffrey (Boycott) and players of that ilk – whom she had met together with her late husband in the good old days- would not have thrown it away like this.

We arrived at The Wigmore Hall. England hadn’t lost a wicket for a while. Was it possible that they could snatch victory from the very jaws of defeat?

Daisy parked up – it was a warm sunny evening so we sat in the car with the roof open and the car radio on, listening to the denouement of the cricket match.

The Duchess Of Castlebar

Try to imagine the scene, dear reader, as it must have looked to passing tourists who understand little or nothing about cricket. A distinguished-looking septuagenarian with her family sitting in a car leaping around in their seats, oohing and aahing every 45 seconds or so as the commentator spoke.

Then, those same seemingly dignified folk whooping with joy for a while, before sealing up the car and entering the Wigmore Hall. Tourists: meet the English.

Here’s a link to the scorecard and the Cricinfo bumf about the match.

Then the concert.

Basically it was an organ recital of JS Bach works by Jennifer Bate. When you click that preceding link you get some eye candy as well as the organist in question, as Jennifer Bate shares her name with a subsequent Miss England and sporting WAG.

Click the pic to read about the organist Jennifer Bate

It was a fine concert of mostly well-known Bach organ works. An example of one of the pieces (Bach after Vivaldi as it happens) can be seen and heard below.

To be precise, extracted from my log, we heard:

  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Chorale Partita BWV 767
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Prelude and Fugue in D Minor BWV 539
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Sonata No 4 in E Minor BWV 539
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Chorale Prelude BWV 740
  • Johann Sebastian Bach & Johann Ernst – Concerto No 4 in C BWV 595
  • Johann Sebastian Bach & Antonio Lucio Vivaldi – Concerto No 2 in A minor BWV 593
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Pastorale in F BWV 590
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Chorale Prelude BWV 645
  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Fugue in G BWV 577

A sad coda to this Ogblog piece was the discovery that Jennifer Bate died in March 2020, just a few weeks before I wrote this piece.

Here’s another video of her playing one of the pieces we heard that night; Concerto in C BWV 595 (Ernst arr. Bach).

Below is the sort-of programme handed out on the night – it wouldn’t be an organ recital without an organ appeal, now would it?