Issue 43 - University of Surrey's Student Union

22 DANCE & THEATRE The Stag | 6 th March 2012 dancetheatre@thestagsurrey.co.uk
Dance & Theatre
Yvonne Arnaud
– Less Than Kind
By Tiffany Stoneman, Dance & Theatre Team
Set in 1944 London, Terence Rattigan’s
Less Than Kind unravels Sir John (James
Wilby) and Mrs Brown (Sara Crowe), two
independent adults who have found
scandalous love amongst war-torn
Britain. When war-widow Mrs Brown’s
son Michael (David Osmond) returns,
the household is thrown into a frenzy of
politics, anger, and conspiracy. Directing
one of the first performances of this play
in over 60 years, Adrian Brown shows us
the elegance of the upper class on a back
drop of political and domestic turmoil –
without pushing the point of neither war
nor peace, Brown manages to build the
household situation up until its amusing
conclusion with wit and intelligence.
James Wilby played with strength
and sincerity, making Sir John an
uncomplicated, straight–forward
character, who only wishes to spend life
with the one he loves, and not get caught
up in the games of her riled son. Though
a little flat at points, Sara Crowe is a
resigned war–widow finding happiness
in the arms of a millionaire – but never
once did Crowe play this in a shallow
way, rather with a slightly confused
but instinctively maternal slant. As the
young and self-important Michael, David
Osmond held his own with a broody
performance, carrying a childlike
protection that worked so well against
Crow and Wilby. His shifting moods
were both relatable and understandable,
whilst his pretentious manner created
many laughs amongst the audience.
Amy Yardley’s set was simple but
effective in this realistic piece – the
large living room of Sir John’s house
contrasted with the demure flat in act
two, which also sought to highlight the
comedy within Michael’s relationship
later in the play.
With simplicity and observation,
Less Than Kind is a wartime play that is
both humorous and thought provoking,
challenging political ideas without
overstepping the mark, but ultimately
portraying a love story in a time not too
dissimilar to our own. An uncomplicated
and feel-good show that would prove
nostalgic to the older generation and
amusing to the young.
State of the Arts Conference 2012
By Hannah Jelliman, Dance & Theatre Editor
Recession, mass unemployment,
higher education fees; the state of
our government is definitely not looking
great right now, and this isn’t doing the
arts world any favours. The annual State
of the Arts Conference, hosted by Arts
Council England in conjunction with
BBC, Salford City Council, Manchester
City Council and the British Council took
place recently to discuss the value of the
arts and what can and needs to be done
in order to save and maintain the rich
arts culture we have in Britain today.
The arts, including dance, theatre,
music, film, visual arts and many other
sub categories, provoke imagination,
inclusion, expression and creativity, in
my opinion creating rounded human
beings. Art has the ability to create
social change by drawing attention to
important, controversial and pressing
issues that may otherwise be ignored.
Arts don’t necessarily hold the answers,
but make us think and reflect on not only
society as a whole, but more personal
matters; they have the power to speak
against social and political issues in
a subtle, yet effective way. According
to Ed Vaizey, the minister of Culture,
Communications and the Creative
industries, now is a time for the ‘long
overdue recognition that the arts sit at
the centre of the changes of what we are
experiencing’ in terms of our economic
situation. There is far less funding for the
arts, especially from the government,
forcing us to ‘create something out of
nothing’ (Jonzi D- Artistic Director of
Breakin’ Convention), making artists
be more inventive in their work and
experiment with the little resources
they do have access to. In order for the
arts to survive, it must receive political
and social validation from the masses
as well as the authorities, and be taken
seriously within its context.
The upcoming Olympic celebrations
has provided a fantastic publicity event
for the arts, the Cultural Olympiad; a
celebration of British culture, centering
around the arts. Funded by the Olympics
principle funders and sponsors, many
exciting works have been commissioned
to bring the arts to the forefront of the
2012 Olympics. Hopefully this will be a
slight saving grace to the dire situation
the arts have recently found themselves
in.
Guildford Shakespeare
Company – Richard III
By Emily Bourne, Dance & Theatre Team
Located in the historic building of Guildford’s
Holy Trinity Church, it was not hard to set
the scene of this dark and twisted historic play.
The stage is end-on, built in-front of the altar
with an overbearing dome ornately decorated
with angels looming above, making for an apt
backdrop to such an immorally driven play.
Richard III tells the story of the end of the War
of the Roses in the 15th century: his brother,
King Edward IV, is on his death-bed, leaving
a male heir not old enough to rule on his own.
Meanwhile Richard decides that it is his time for
glory and is determined to take the crown for
himself, eliminating all obstacles that stand in
his way.
I really enjoyed this production of Richard III:
the Guildford Shakespeare Company succeeded
in embodying the political and sexual tensions
that would have existed in a medieval court at
that time. Timothy Allsop, who played the title
role, undoubtedly deserves a mention for his
portrayal of Richard as a bitter and desperate
man, while his physical representation really
highlighted the king’s struggle for recognition
and respect as a disabled man. Admittedly
the play is heavily text based, but the actors’
characterisation never failed to bring the words
to life with emotion and at times, comedy. I
would however, recommend reading a synopsis
beforehand to get to grips with the names
of characters, otherwise it is easy to become
confused with the events of the play.
In addition, the use of lighting and sound
in the production was very inventive, with
an unusual use of modern techno music -
almost verging on dubstep at points – which
surprisingly complimented and enhanced the
atmosphere of the darker scenes of villainy and
death. Silhouettes were used to great effect to
depict the beheading of Richard’s enemies and
the images of war in the final scenes.
This is the second production I have seen
by the GSC (having seen their version of Hamlet
last year) and I continue to be delighted by the
way in which they use unconventional spaces
to show Shakespeare in a fresh new light. I
really recommend checking out their work
this summer, when they will be putting on
productions of The Merry Wives of Windsor and A
Midsummer Night’s Dream in and around Guildford
town centre. I’m sure you will leave with a
renewed vigour towards the plays of Shakespeare
and their relevance in today’s society.
© Steve Porter