Fewer than 24 hours after my hive-ridden return from the frozen north of England, Janie and I went to see this Robert Lepage/Ex Machina production from The Great White North (Canada).
In truth I remember little about it. I think I was squirming in my seat only in part because of the hives.
At the time, this sort of multimedia theatrical experience was novel, but it did seem, to us, that the technological wonder of it was rather superseding the drama and/or tension that we normally experience at the theatre.
This was my first visit to The Actor’s Workshop in Halifax.
It was an unusual start to the new year, that year, in several ways. Janie’s and my diaries both suggest that we had planned to attend a party at Anthea’s for New Year’s Eve, but we are pretty sure that party didn’t happen in the end.
After new year’s day, Janie had a diary full of work for the rest of the week, while I got in the motor to do a round trip taking in Halifax for the New Year revels show and then, the next day, a visit to a soft drinks factory in Nelson, Lancashire, across the Pennines.
Naturally I chose a freezing cold, snow and ice early January for that trip.
The journey to Halifax I recall being problem free (motorway more or less all the way) and of course I received warm hospitality from Mike and Lottie Ward when I got there.
I had met Mike in London two or three years earlier and had submitted material to the New Year Revels show for a couple of previous years, but this was my first (of several) visits to The Actor’s Workshop.
I was clearly impressed by the show. My log reads:
Much better than I expected. Did justice to most material and more than did justice to mine.
There were lots of in-jokes in the show and programme about The Ridings School, Halifax, which, in 1996, had:
…received nationwide attention when staff said 60 of its pupils were “unteachable” and school operations were temporarily suspended while the headmaster and other leading staff were replaced.
I don’t think the entire cast and crew were really alums of The Ridings School…but perhaps they were.
I stayed at The Imperial Crown Hotel in Halifax on that occasion. I think we ate a fine meal pre show at the Ward’s House. That must have been the first occasion I met Lottie and I have a funny feeling that Adam (whom I met at NewsRevue and through whom I had met Mike) was there on that occasion – perhaps also Olivia.
Janie (who was not with me, remember) wrote more details and contact numbers into her diary for that trip than I did into mine – including the local Halifax police and the AA – I suspect she scribbled down the latter two after seeing the weather forecast!
The drive across the Pennines from Halifax to Nelson early the next morning (3rd January) was truly nerve-wracking but I got there and did whatever I had scheduled to do at that factory for most of the day before setting off in the still treacherous driving conditions back to London.
In those days I was still driving “Red Noddy” the Honda Civic, which, although air conditioned, was still a late 1980s vehicle not ideally suited to freezing conditions. I struggled to stay warm throughout the journey and started to itch terribly before arriving at Janie’s place…
…covered in Hives.
I itched through Robert Lepage’s Elsinore the next (Saturday) evening, but that, as we say, is another story.
We don’t often go to the theatre “at Twixtmas”, not least because you don’t get a lot of serious drama over that period. But in 1996 someone decided to transfer this superb Theatre Royal Bath production to London over the festive season.
I’m pretty sure it was on this occasion that Janie and I ran into Jacqui Somerville, who was in the audience but I think connected with someone or something to do with the production.
In my log, Janie and I declared this event to be an
…excellent production…
I do remember this production well and especially fondly. Anthony Page directed, Janet McTeer (who won multiple awards for this performance), Owen Teale and John Carlisle were in it. There is a Theatricalia entry for it.
Postscript
Jacqui Somerville was indeed there that evening – she reports and reminds me:
…a light blew that evening above the stage and Janet McTeer was a consummate professional. Giggled for ages then clicked back into character.
It was a superb production. I think I blagged the last seat in the house!
Nicholas de Jongh rated this production/London transfer very good and wrote highly of it:
On the Tuesday, Janie and I went to Viv’s place in Golders Green for the evening. I think it was a sort-of seasonal party, mostly of the foodie variety.
Thursday 19 December – Z/Yen Christmas Bash At Le Muscadet
Sur lie aging…aren’t we all?
Thursday evening was the Z/Yen Christmas do – a relatively small scale affair that year, at Le Muscadet in Paddington Street, a restaurant now long gone. I recall Michael and I had used that place a few times for “corporate entertaining” in those early days of Z/Yen, so we thought it would be a sensible venue for our small but sweet team to gather.
I’m pretty sure that the group comprised Kevin & Kate Parker, Teresa Bestard Perello, Mike & Marianna Smith, Michael & Elisabeth, Me and Janie. Perhaps one or two other associates. 10 or 12 of us at the most.
It was a very good meal – it always was at le Muscadet. I recall one earlier occasion when Michael and I took some visiting Australian former colleagues/prospective clients there and they waxed lyrical about the place.
Not sure what, if anything, we did in terms of a seasonal song that 1996 Christmas – I cannot find anything in my dated files for it. It might have been one of Michael’s efforts, but I have a feeling we didn’t do one that year as we were simply a table in an open restaurant and didn’t have the guts to sing in that circumstance. I think we resolved to try and book a private area in future, when possible.
Saturday 21 December, Kim & Micky’s Place
An early in the season visit to Kim & Micky’s that year – I’m guessing they went away for Christmas itself. There will have been excellent food and wine. Probably quite a few people – perhaps even as many as the Z/Yen team do.
Janie and I rated this “very good” according to my log. We are both partial to a bit of Strindberg, even when he is in magical, fantastical mood.
In any case, The Gate had a great tradition back then of doing justice to Scandinavian theatre, not least Strindberg. This was not the first nor the last time I came out of The Gate thrilled by my little local’s handling of the mad master’s work.
Lynn Gardner in the Guardian liked the idea of the play and the setting, but was not so keen on the dramatic production:
I suspect that this closing number medley arose from a specific request by Mike Ward at the Actor’s Workshop in Halifax, so it was probably used.
I’m not sure whether Janie and I went up to see the show that year – if we did my diary trawl, when it gets to 1996/1997, will find it and I’ll Ogblog about the visit.
THE VERY END
(A Medley to Many Tunes)
So Long, Farewell
So long, farewell, auf weidersein, goodbye,
We’re off, we’re done, we have to go, must fly;
Bye Bye Baby
Bye bye revels, revels goodbye,
Bye bye revels, don’t make me cry;
Farewell Jamaica
Sad to say, we’re on our way,
We won’t be back for many a day;
We’ve turned our backs, maybe we’ll send you a fax,
We’ve got to leave the Actor’s Workshop in Halifax;
We’ll Meet Again
We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when,
But I know we’ll meet again some New Year soon;
We’ve done revue, now we’re through, boo hoo hoo,
Now our show is done except for one more tune.
GOODBYE -EE
Goodbye-ee, goodbye-ee,
Wipe a tear, patron dear, from your eye-ee;
Though we sound like alley cats,
Our show stormed it in Halifax,
Goodbye-ee,
Don’t cry-ee,
Have a cup of tea and a minced pie-ee;
So long, chip chip,
Adios, pip, pip
Lets go, cheerio
Goodbye-eeeeeeeeeeeee (dragged off involuntarily)
Here is So Long, Farewell, with lyrics on screen:
Next up, Bye Bye Baby (Bay City Rollers version) with lyrics on screen:
Third up: Jamaica Farewell, Harry Belafonte. with lyrics on screen:
But all is not lost – it turns out that The Questors Theatre has one of the best theatrical archives of their own productions on the planet (who knew?), so everything you ever wanted to know about this production (or indeed any Questors production) and more besides, is preserved. Click here for The Journalists.
Ink was not cluttered, although I did get spluttered…
…but that’s another story.
We no doubt took Pauline on to Noughts & Crosses, or possibly Lisa’s, or possibly Wine & Moussaka afterwards.
Pauline will have done the Questors tickets, which was very generous of her (she didn’t have to pay anything for two guest tickets), Janie will have done the interval drinks and I will have sported the dinner. Fair dinkum.
Blooming heck – Janie and I took Pauline with us on this occasion, to see an Ayckbourn play about a family with three daughters…
…and yet our logged verdict on the event was:
Very good.
It must REALLY have been very good.
The play was subtitled “The Story So Far aka Me Times Me Times Me” and is one of those lesser-known Ayckbourn plays. Possibly it is lesser-known precisely because it is less predictable, glib, farce-oriented comedy than many of his works.
My friend, Michael Billington, clearly liked the play and this production:
After reading that Billington review, I am for some reason (“Dance Of Death played for laughs”, perhaps, or “three sisters in comparison with whom Lear’s daughters look like balanced and beneficent progeny” reminded of one of my favourite Peter Cook quotes:
I go to the theatre to be entertained. I don’t want to see plays about rape, sodomy and drug addiction – I can get all that at home.
Nick Curtis in the evening Standard was less sure about the piece:
The Ridings School in Halifax was labelled Britain’s worst school around this time. I think Mike Ward at the Actors’ Workshop in Halifax might have requested that I write about it, although I might have worked out the relevance of the story for myself.
I think this one was used in Halifax but not at NewsRevue, but it might have made both shows.
The school was subsequently turned around and became one of Britain’s best schools, after which it was only a matter of time before the authorities would close it down, obviously.
WONDERFUL SCHOOL (To the Tune of “Wonderful World”)
VERSE 1
Don’t know much about Ecstasy, Don’t know much about LSD; Never learned how to run amok, Never learned how to pick a lock; But I do know my ABC, And I can count: 1-2-3, So The Ridings School’s no use to me.
MIDDLE EIGHT
Well I tried hard to be an A student, Then my class rebelled; Now maybe by being an A grade student, I could get myself expelled.
VERSE 2
Don’t know much about heroin, Don’t know much about drinking gin; Never had any gonorrhoea, Never drink much but ginger beer; But I know my relativity, So I do know, QED, That The Ridings School just ain’t for me; No, The Ridings School just ain’t for me.
Below is an official lyric video of Sam Cooke singing Wonderful World:
Elsinore Charles Spencer Telegraph 22 Nov 1996, Fri The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
06 Jan 1997, Mon Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
