Tag: Joe McArdle

Not Quite Jerusalem by Paul Kember, Finborough Theatre, 13 March 2020

Read all about it on the Finborough site by clicking this image.

Janie and I really enjoyed this evening at the Finborough. We do like that place; it consistently puts on good stuff in a small space. Not Quite Jerusalem is no exception; indeed one of the best things we’ve seen at the Finborough and one of the best things we’ve seen this year.

I was looking out for this Finborough slot late in 2019, when I met the director, Peter Kavanagh at Gaslight.

Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, Playground Theatre, 24 October 2019

Peter told me that he was scheduled to do a Finborough 40th anniversary production in March 2020 but he didn’t yet know what the play would be.

When I discovered that he had chosen Not Quite Jerusalem I was intrigued to see it. I vaguely remembered that this play came out around the time that I ended up trying to sort out some kibbutz sh*t back in my BBYO days; 1980.

Sorting Out A Problem Kibbutz, BBYO Hillel House, 21 to 24 July 1980

Anyway, Janie seemed keen on the Not Quite Jerusalem scenario so I booked for us both to see it. She’s now very glad she’s seen it, as am I.

It is a funny play but the themes of youthful hopelessness and closed-mindedness in England seem as relevant today as they probably did 40 years ago.

Here is a link to some reviews of the original 1980 production.

There’s an interesting interview by Judi Herman of Jewish Renaissance with Peter Kavanagh about the play and in particular this production of the play – click here.

This production is well cast, with each of the characters playing their role well. Joe McArdle, as the chavvy Yorkshire lad, shows his versatility as an actor; he was the “big reveal detective” in Gaslight – a very different role. Russell Bentley and Alisa Joy both did well as the sabra Israelis; prickly and softening believably and with credible accents too. Ryan Whittle, Miranda Braun and Ronnie York were all suitably irritating as the bright drifter, the damaged female and the uber-chavvy lad from Harlow, respectively.

I had been looking forward to discussing the Harlow chav with John White – he of Harlow- the next day, but our meet up with John and Mandy was cancelled for Covid-19 reasons.

But I digress.

Not Quite Jerusalem is not a great play, but there are lots of interesting elements in it and it hangs together very well as a story. Peter Kavanagh’s production is a thoroughly entertaining evening in the theatre.

The reviews have mostly been very good – deservedly – click here.

Highly recommended.

Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, Playground Theatre, 24 October 2019

Press night at the Playground Theatre, a new venue in Notting Hill (Latimer Road) at the invitation of First Floor Presents. I saw and reviewed its production Lemons Lemons Lemons at Barons Court a few months ago…

Partridge In A Lemon Tree: Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons by Sam Steiner, Barons Court Theatre, 9 May 2019

…yet First Floor invited me again. Thank you. I’m glad.

I very much enjoyed seeing this production of Gaslight. It is very well acted on the whole and an interesting take on the piece.

Here is a link to the Playground Theatre resource on this production.

Also another link, to an interesting Guardian piece about Gaslight, which talks about this production and another, very different style of production currently at Watford. It also has a clip from George Cukor’s 1944 Hollywood version of Gaslight.

Possibly a little unfair, then, for me to watch a clip of Ingrid Bergman as Bella and then, a few minutes later, watch Jemima Murphy play the part live. Jemima’s own fault for sending me that link, I suppose.

I had only ever seen Gaslight in its movie forms before – there was also a 1940 British film version directed by Thorold Dickinson (Alfred Hitchcock didn’t make a Gaslight, although many a pundit thinks he did) – but Gaslight is probably more suited as a theatre work than as a film. In any case, Jemima Murphy in particular did well as Bella in the “intimate but not claustrophobic” setting of a 100-or-so seater theatre.

ALL PHOTOS BY WILLIAM WATERWORTH – Jordan Wallace as Jack and Jemima Murphy as Bella

Patrick Hamilton is, for me, a frustrating writer. His novels are intriguing, well-written and have become far better known latterly than during his lifetime, when they mostly flopped. He made his dosh from more crowd-pleasing, melodramatic fare for the theatre; not least Rope and Gaslight.

Was it really 10 years ago that we saw Rope at the Almeida…

Rope by Patrick Hamilton, Almeida Theatre, 19 December 2009
…yes, but I only Ogblogged it a couple of years ago.

But despite my low expectations from Patrick Hamilton as a playwright, First Floor’s production of Gaslight strangely worked for me.

I’m not sure if the script has been cut; I’m guessing that it has and quite rightly so, if the play was originally as long as most 1930s numb-bum-fests. But in any case the directing and acting focused well on the psychological elements of the play, leaving the melodrama and weak crime thriller plot mercifully in the background.

It is, after all, the psychological elements of this play that give it enduring relevance. Gaslighting has become a verb in psychological parlance, increasingly used to describe the several forms of domestic, mental abuse depicted in the piece and sadly all too common in our society.

Just imagine if the term Ogblogging were to become a verb? At least that would be positive rather than negative activity. I don’t think anyone has ever felt trolled by an Ogblog reference.

But I digress. Gaslight.

Rough justice? Jemima Murphy as Bella with Joe McArdle as Rough

Fine supporting work especially from Joe McArdle as Rough, Rebecca Ashley as Elizabeth and Grace Howard as Nancy. In truth Jordan Wallace seemed under-powered for his role as Jack in the first act; I suspect the young actor was very nervous at the start of press night. The slow start in the first act is not helped by the script, but it is quite a short act (there are four) and the piece warms up quite quickly. Jordan Wallace came into his own in the final act, during which his bullying became more sinister and…

***SPOILER ALERT***

…Jack’s comeuppance worked very well. The final act was far and away the highlight for me, with all of the performers well warmed up and neatly directed.

I’d also like to put in a word for the venue, The Playground Theatre, which apparently has been used as studio space for developmental work for several decades, but has only recently been converted for use as a fringe theatre venue and very cosy-looking cafe. I briefly met the artistic directors, Peter Tate and Anthony Biggs, who made me feel very welcome and spoke passionately about their project.

But returning to this production of Gaslight at the Playground Theatre, I was largely impressed and certainly entertained. I commend it – running until 10 November.