Set in 1860, the tale of The Governess centres around the disappearance of a young infant from his bed and the ensuing turmoil which befell almost everyone concerned.  As is par for the course for Victorian drama and mystery, not is all it initially appears to be, and very soon we are given an insight into some of the usual rather shadier goings on in houses of wealth and prestige.  I’m not sure why, but most tales of this period take great pleasure in portraying the now sterotypical blend; driven master of the house who has at least one lover ‘on the staff’; the put upon/ ill /misunderstood wife; a couple of older children who cry out for their parents attentions (usually in the form of rebellious behaviour) and of course the all seeing, all knowing but never saying housekeeper.

Written by Patrick Hamilton (who is perhaps better known for Gaslight) this tale follows the aforementioned formula very, very closely, which is a shame as it means it also follows the now cliched telegraphed plot, lack of twists and monotonously paced slow-burn lead to the final, fully expected reveal.  There is never quite enough depth to each character to allow the audience to form an emotional attachment and because of this they also have no opinion on the outcome.

The first act plays out the relationships between the Ethel Fry, the titular Governess (Jenny Seagrove) , her young charge Ellen (Lydia Orange) and Mr George Drew (Colin Buchanan).  There are glimpses of some repressed sadism in the way Ms Seagrove portrays Fry, but not enough to really feel that she is dangerous.  Likewise, Mr Drew is a driven, succesful, no nonsense ‘master of the house’ yet he seems lost and unsure of what he is when alone with Fry.  It is somewhat unfortunate for the attempted building of tension that Ellen turns out to be an all-seeing somnambulist who, despite the best endeavours of Fry, manages to pretty much give the end game away before the close of act one, leaving the audience just waiting to collectively murmour “thought so”.

The 2nd act is somewhat better, all for the introduction of Peter Bowles as DI Rough – the Victorian version of Columbo without the brown mac.  Mr Bowles brings his much more insightful character to life with humour, matter of fact deductions and timing which held the audience even though they still knew whodunnit.  The end scene, with Fry confronted by her crime, sees her descend into a bizarre, poetry quoting regression – a sort of lite version of a mental breakdown.

If you’re looking for something to rival Oscar Wilde’s wordplays, or The Woman in Blacks scares, or Dickens depth of characters then this play really isn’t for you; if however you want another good Victorian tale set in an Upstairs/Downstairs style house which won’t tax the brain then this will certainly fill your evening (or at least part of it).

Darlington Operatics Society’s latest production, the time honoured classic of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Sound of Music, is a perennial favourite with old & young alike.  True to form and living up to their past productions, DOS pull out all the stops to make this another fabulous night of virtuoso performances and stunning stage work.

The story is so well known it is almost biblical and, despite there being a distinct lack of Alpine altitude in Darlington, the stage is perfectly used to portray the mountains, abbey, chateau and music festival.

As a show based around 7 children, there was always going to be opportunities for the younger members of the Operatic Society to be involved but the age range required (5 to 16, going on 17) could have posed problems in ensuring that the youngest of the family Von Trapp weren’t overawed by the sheer magnitude of the show.  Fear and concern was not on the agenda as each & every member hit their marks perfectly; perhaps more impressively the group as a whole ‘felt’ like a real family, they laughed together, helped one another and had a very noticeable affection for each other – obvious testament to the director and rehearsal teams who created two separate families to ensure they avoided overburdening developing minds.

Of course, the challenge with any production of Sound of Music is “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” – The BBC tried by running their semi-professional reality talent show, but I believe that Darlington Operatic Society have shown the rest how it’s really done.  Beth Stobbard gives a performance which, with closed eyes sounds so much like Julie Andrews that you just have to look hard to make sure it’s really Beth’s voice – it is, I assure you.  Beth follows the original film version of Maria very closely; she is flighty, headstrong, assured while vulnerable but never slips into the tempting realms of flirty or forward when finally falling in love with Captain Von Trapp (played by my favourite leading actor in the North, Julian Cound).  Her singing is impeccable and, as she has shown in previous DOS productions, she can dance, act and is a very attractive leading lady which any male lead would love to star opposite.

As a family show, it is the songs which everybody knows and loves; the order and settings for some of the standards are different to the film version, leaving some of the audience debating which version they prefer, but they all fit perfectly well in either set of scenarios.  The juxtaposition towards the end of the film, when Nazi Germany invades and begins the Anschluss, coupled with the innocent, traditional song festival, is handled very carefully given that many of the audience were youngsters drawn by Do Re Mi and oblivious to that passage in Austria’s history.  They producers don’t shy away from creating the feeling of threat and make great use of the whole theatre, raising the tension to palpable levels and thus heightening the sense of relief at the end.

In short, another polished, professional and positively perfect performance by DOS which again makes me very proud to live in Darlington.  There are still some tickets available but they are selling fast – contact the box office for details.

Ricky has purposefully taken this tour back to it’s barebones of simple accompanying guitarist – the focus thus remaining on the music, but he is not so pretentious as to believe that his ‘messages’ are worthy of total focus, more that they just don’t need any of the bells & whistles & over production that could have been too tempting to ignore.  The stage at first seemed very large, but you get drawn by the music and the conversation, as though meeting a long lost friend with whom you realise you still have so much in common; so that by the end of the evening the intimacy is quite startling.  There were many times where I found myself perched right on the edge of my seat, blissfully unaware that I was leaning so far forwards as to be hanging over the seat in front.

The title track of his new album, Trouble Came Looking, is quite conversational; an urban styled tale about the dangers inherent in the appeal of acquisition (“I was just giving my kids the best of all things when trouble came looking for me”) and how steep and slippery the slope into over stretching and debt ridden angst (“don’t just say yes when somebody tells you it’s free”).  There are great comparisons between Ricky’s melancholic acceptance of the social ills of our current austere landscape and those of the blues borne from previous depressions (Mid West, Wall Street, Black Thursday) but fear not, this is not a depressing set, it is much more powerful and thought provoking than pitiful wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The album is certainly worth a full listen – the pared down approach to the studio performances sit equally with the live show, so much so that it is refreshing to attend a concert where one and the same feel & sound so alike.  Faves must include “Any Drug Will Do” which has a pseudo chart feel suggesting that in the hands of a dance/pop promoting producer (Norman Cook, Martin Solveig, Calvin Harris) this could easily become an underground radio hit.  At the other end of the culture scale “A Strange & Foreign Land” tugs on the heart strings as an eye witness account of the Morecambe Bay cockle pickers drownings.

Fans of Deacon Blue need not fret; Ricky has not sold his soul to the dark devil of Billy Bragg and Bob Dylan, but he has found another persona with which to weave his stories and take us on journeys.

Most certainly worth finding the album, and, if you’re lucky enough to be in a town where the tour is showing, take the night off from whatever you had planned and treat yourself, you’ll thank me later.

Ricky says “this is a great opportunity for me, its going to be an adventure for one thing, Gregor Philp will accompany me on guitar and the two of us will set off driving ourselves around the country. The idea was to stop pretty much anywhere that had a piano, so that we could set up with minimal fuss. I’m looking forward to playing places we couldn’t get to
with Deacon Blue, and sharing the untold stories behind my songs in village halls and churches”  We are also promised a selection of songs from Ricky’s forthcoming solo album “Trouble Came Looking” as well as some Deacon Blue songs we don’t usually get to hear.

It is not as well known that Ricky has written for & with some of pop’s biggest names; James Blunt, Ronan Keating, KT Tunstall, David Sneddon, Cathy Burton, Gareth Gates, Emma Bunton, Will Young and Jamie Cullum among others and it is testament to his song writing prowess that he is constantly being sought out for collaborations.

Deacon Blue have announced a huge tour this year, their biggest in over a decade so why not come along and enjoy a more intimate set of great songs, captivating stories and wonderful tunes.

Come back later in the week for a full review after the show

Ricky and Gregor are on at The Sage, Gatheshead on Tuesday 23rd April

First big change that was noticeable was there were many more stalls and concessions in the market place itself – this, I expected, was to cater for the increased demand in local producers who wanted to be a part of this now 2-day extravaganza.  As we neared the Palace gatehouse there was another definite improvement no doubt based on feedback from last year – the way in was now segmented so that there were clear routes for those coming in and those leaving – no more the feeling of swimming against the tide through the inevitable bottleneck of the medieval gateway. So far so good, and that’s when it started to disappoint.

The first show area was given over completely to “This is Cumbria” – a selection of stalls which were very clearly from the North West and, looking at their wares (and prices) they were well used to catering for the coach trippers who spend their summers visiting the Lake District; probably well-to-do people of leisure who journey up from Cheshire. Well, my geography isn’t the best but I am darn well sure that Cumbria isn’t near Bishop Auckland, nor is it near Durham or the North East Dales – what it looked like was that our local producers, many of whom had been told there was no room for them at this year’s show, had been ousted by the hoi polloi of Lakeside tea rooms and Cumbrian venison.  Such a shame when the appeal of previous years was the localness of the stalls and the chance to have a chat with the owners about all things local.

Moving on to the Palace green itself it was again clear that the previous years’ stalls, including a local pub who brewed ales especially for the shows, were all missing, replaced with very much more of the same and whilst it was labelled as Durham Producers, there was little sign of real Durham- think Waitrose food hall with an almost pretensious belief that as we were in the ‘Palace grounds’ it was therefore just and proper to pretend to be by Royal Appointment.  It’s all well and good to have some element of rural delicacies, but I fear for the northern population of deer, boar & rare breed pig as almost every carnivourian stall tried to outdo each other with their take on the landed gentry’s hunting hamper.

The lower field is now out of bounds and as such removed the two show marquees which had been very well attended.  Likewise, any chance of getting a simple coffee, a hand pulled pint, an normal ice cream (which wasn’t styled as the latest super deluxe taste sensation of wild grape infused with essence of alfalfa) was out of the question BUT the worst part and one which I must have heard over 80% of those around me comment on was quite simply “there’s nowhere to sit down !”

Walking round the stalls is not a quick gallop, and, with parking quite some distance away ( the ‘Park and Ride should really be renamed ‘Park, Ride and then Walk a bit’) by the time we got to the last area we were ready for a rest.  Add to this the hope of most stall holders that people will purchase their freshly cooked treats to consume as they walk and there was even more need for some seats. We went with our friends who had only recently had a baby – this was their first trip out since the birth but it became quite uncomfortable for mum to continue to walk without having a quick rest but her option was simply to sit on the floor. Many of the more mature visitors were also not happy or able to just flop down on the slightly damp grass – a missed trick which would have certainly helped to create a more inclusive, family atmosphere (if that was ever what was intended).

It wasn’t until we were about to leave that I noticed one more missing element from previous years – no music.  There was no music at all and the two demonstrations, one in each area, were played very low with little noise carrying across the show.  It was the jazz/brass bands last year which gave the festival a party feel and got everyone dancing with a lighter step (despite the rain). This year it felt more like we were all on a guided coach trip to a stately home – look but don’t touch, walk don’t run, follow the designated path only, don’t talk too loud, stop having fun, buy something expensive and leave.

One very valid point made to me later was that there was no Local Charity concessions at all, previous shows had beenwell attended by many local charities and voluntary movements including the Scouts. These have gradually been moved out of the main grounds, then into the Newgate Centre and finally ommitted altogether – no doubt to makeway for fee paying stalls or corporate lah-de-da’s. Likewise, the local radio and local colleges were all missing too.

Sadly Bishop Auckland’s Food Festival has stopped being for Bishop Auckland people and Bishop Auckland traders; in fact it didn’t feel like it was for County Durham people at all - it seemed to me it was an over-manufactured attempt to cajole would-be visitors into believing it would be worth coming back to Bishop Auckland and that “Tindale Crescent retail park doesn’t have one of these!” .  I doubt that it will be as well supported next year, I for one won’t be holding the date free in my diary.

A wonderfully witty and erudite play from the master of clever words

Set over 3 acts, The Importance of Being Earnest avoids delving into serious social and political issues and instead focusses on the light hearted shannigans of two London based gents who enjoy living double lives, free to create alter-personas through which they can enact their fantasies safe in the knowledge that they can, at any time, ‘kill off’ their dopplegangers and revert back to their true characters.  The story however has twists aplenty, coupled with the juxtaposition of both leads wanting to assume an ‘Earnest’ character to capture the affections of their betrothed but realising that neither is very earnest at all.

We are introduced to John Worthing, who takes the name Earnest for his alter-ego, and learn that he is an abandoned orphan, left in a hand bag in Victoria station.  It is perhaps because of this that he enoys the annonymity derived from having a London city character and a Hertfordshire country role and ‘ne’er the twain shall meet’ – that is until he becomes bessotted by Gwenoldine and has to wrestle with her affections for ‘Earnest’ and his desire to tell her the truth.

Enter Algernon, John’s best friend, who too enjoys a certain degree of freedom with his personalities.  He learns that John has a pretty ward, Cecily, esconsed in his country house and decides that he must go visit her.  Cecily believes that John is her Uncle Jack and that ‘Earnest’ is indeed Jacks brother – this is the rouse which John uses to effect his weekend trips to London however for Algernon to pull off his deception he too must become Earnest – confused ?  don’t be, all is quite simple as it unfolds.

The play itself leans close to farce at times but always manages, through very clever words and cutting observations, to wrest away from total slapstick and retain the parlance of typical Wildean satire.

As always, The Middle Ground Theatre Company provide stunning set design and a brilliant cast.  While Corrine Wicks and Tom Butcher take lead billing, the whole ensemble deliver masterful portrayals of their characters, firmly held in their social pigeon holes but quite recognisable in todays society.   Lest we not forget it was  who brought us The Holly & The Ivy and On Golden Pond and if you were fortunate to see either or both of those productions then you will certainly enjoy their latest.

Anyone who loves music from the past 40 years will have no doubt enjoyed at least a handful of Fleetwood Mac’s songs; from their first hit Albatross right through to the 80′s smashes Big Love and Little Lies. Likewise their albums have always managed to deliver on every occasion but the history books will show that it was their eponymous ‘Rumours’ album that does, and will continue to, stand the test of time as a true classic.  The songs are masterpieces in their own right but when the story surrounding the band (the in-fighting, love triangles and months of silence) are added there is more than a frisson of extra edge and pathos to the words.  Rumours, and the original live tour to accompany the album, was used by some band members to sarcastically remind others of their infidelities, betrayal and disdain.  I can’t see the current crop of ‘pop stars’ ever having the mastery of English to be able to write such cutting sentiment into such catchy songs.

The show is, in effect, split into 3 parts (although there is only 1 interval); part one is a complete rendition of the Rumours album culminating in a spine tingling rendition of ‘The Chain’.  Part two, straight after the break, allows the boys to take the stage and treat us to the more psychedelic repertoire of late 60′s prog rock including a jaw dropping version of ‘Rattlesnake Shake’. Then part three welcomes the girls back for a final foray into the more recent catalogue, ending with an almost tribal immersion in ‘Tusk’.

The musical prowess of all on stage is simply mesmerising whilst the vocals and  harmonies are pitch perfect to the originals.  Louise Rogan as Stevie Nicks delivers sheer power and presence which defies the laws of physics from such a small frame while Amanda Kostadinov is as sultry and seductive as Christine McVie has ever been.  Alan Hughes takes the Lyndsey Buckingham role with the perfect blend of amazing guitar and punchy vocals backed by James Harrison on iconic basslines (he stole the first half with The Chain’s middle refrain).  Ben Hughes, a mere baby compared to the rest of the cast brings a real blues feel to his guitar playing and is the perfect foil to the wonderful trance-inducing keyboards of the legendary Mr Dave Goldberg (whose performance is a great reason to have him age-tested – no way did someone so active & sprightly play keyboards on Radio 1 in the late 1960′s).

If you look in any music press listings you will find many tribute bands covering almost all the big name acts from the 60′s and 70′s – The Counterfeit Stones, The Bootleg Beatles, Abbaesque, the Pink Floyd Experience but I challenge any of them to be as good as Rumours; in fact I will go so far as to say they would rival the original Fleetwood Mac if someone could ever get them on the same stage.

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac are on tour and back in the North East at The Sage, Gateshead on Friday 1st March – get yourself there and I guarantee you will have the best live music evening of your year.

Masters of light opera and the pastiche and parody of the 19th Century British class systems, Gilbert & Sullivan wrote many productions which played on ridiculing the foundations of the Empirical society and, as such, were loved throughout the world.

Their clever word play, lampooning of classical works and of course, catchy tunes made them a must-see for theatre goers from the late eighteen hundreds right up to the modern day.  It is widely accepted that they are a staple favourite for AmDram companies across the world, giving great scope for visual humour to compliment the lyrical joviality which runs through all of their operettas.

Whilst I am aware of many of their ‘hit’ numbers, I have to admit that I was a G&S virgin and so last nights production of “Gilbert & Sullivan Abridged” was to be my first true experience.  What I saw however left me baffled and quite unsure as to whether G & S are really for me.

The premise of the show is an AmDram production, (well 3 actors) taking their G & S review on tour to raise funds for their austerity-hit theatre. The intention, I believe, is to take the audience on a journey through the greatest works of the much-loved duo with renditions of their greatest tunes and explanations behind their operatic story-telling.  What transpired was 2 acts of parlour renditions accompanied by a pre-recorded piano and punctuated by a nonsensical recounting of an ‘orphaned’ boy looking for his mother.  Speaking to many G & S aficionados at the interval they kindly explained that many of the operas’ in-jokes were lost as key songs were delivered in isolation with none of the pretence or narrative needed to give the witticisms their substance.

Ask anyone about Gilbert & Sullivan and they will most likely remark on their extremely witty word play delivered in tongue-twisting speed and operatic variety – indeed it was this Anglicising of traditional Italian opera that set them apart and created a much loved following – simply listening to the phrasing in “ The Modern Major General” is great example of the vocal dexterity demanded by their works.  The tolerance for error is therefore minuscule, miss one word or beat and the whole verse is lost – it is a must that whomsoever tackles these songs is blessed with flexibility of tongue and elasticity of mouth.  Sadly this was not the case and many of the headline numbers were lost in stumbled mumblings and frantic catch ups. When coupled with off key harmonies and a stuttering use of props the show resembled more the out-takes from an early Monty Python rehearsal session (apologies to Messrs Cleese, Palin et al); as for the ill-advised and mis-placed inclusion of a street rapper, well some cultures are just meant to stay far apart.

I expected an evening of discovery which would stimulate my desire to seek out more G & S works, what I got was very ‘Am’ much less ‘Dram’ and sadly worse than most X-Factor auditions – for me it was a No!   If you already love G & S, or have a passing interest than I suggest you seek out a full production of one of their operas and experience their wonderfully clever, erudtite and astute writings as it is meant to be.

Tuesday I will be enjoying the wonderfully witty and cleverly concise works of Gilbert & Sullivan (abridged).

Whether you are a Gilbert and Sullivan aficionado, a passing fan, or you’re still not even sure you know who they are, this show will have you laughing in the aisles. Gilbert and Sullivan Abridged brings you as much fun, zaniness and humour as can be found while performing all fourteen operettas in ninety, hilarious, topsy-turvy minutes!

Wednesday it’s the world famous Rumours of Fleetwood Mac.

After the phenomenal success of their 2012 UK tour, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac is back to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Fleetwood Mac’s 11th studio album, Rumours.

One of the decade-defining albums of the 70s Rumours, described by Mick Fleetwood as the most important album we ever made, has since transcended its era to become one of the greatest and most compelling pop albums of all time!

Featuring the Rumours album in its entirety, including ‘Dreams’, ‘Go Your Own Way’ and ‘The Chain’, plus other timeless classics such as ‘Gypsy, ‘Rhiannon’, ‘Little Lies’ and many, many more, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac take you on a nostalgic evening of breathtakingly outstanding musicianship.

and then Thursday it’s the modern day rock god himself- Steve Steinman in The Meat Loaf Story.

Known for his performances in the hit shows VAMPIRES ROCK, Steve has a fan base most rock stars would be proud of. He has performed at the London Palladium and arenas and concert halls all over the world.

This show delivers the best of the best from Meat Loaf incredible back catalogue of albums and with its video projected scenes, incredible stage set, superb band and Steve Steinman’s unique sense of humour and stage presence, the show will have you up on your feet and dancing in the aisles to all the greatest Meat Loaf hits – Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Took the Words Right out of my Mouth, Anything For Love, The Monster is Loose and Bat Out Of Hell, to name just a few.

Of always I will provide a show review afterwards, but don’t wait to see what I think, get in touch with the Box Office today and get yourself some tickets – there’s guaranteed to be something to take your fancy.

Darlington Box Office is available on 01325 486555.

• Gilbert & Sullivan abridged is on Tuesday 19th Feb
• Rumours of Fleetwood Mac is Wednesday 20th Feb
• The Meat Loaf Story is Thursday 21st Feb

With the current trend for immediate visual gratification, be it in the movies, online or via ultra-realistic video games, good old fashioned ghost stories are often thought of as relics of days gone-by;  the telling of tales around a log fire, the wind howling at the windows and the shadows playing havoc with the imagination are a long way from the glossy, ‘served-on-a-plate’ style of titillation we have become accustomed to.  And yet when done properly, a good ghost story uses the most powerful form of visual imagery available, the human mind.  Ghost stories let the listener make their own decisions as to what they can & can’t see, what they expect to happen and ultimately how it makes them feel and this play is, without doubt, the very best ghost story there is.

The Woman in Black has been playing to full theatres for over 25 years now and despite, or perhaps because of, it’s sparse set and 2 person cast, it still has the power to worry, scare, haunt and shock everyone who comes to see it.
The premise of the play is that of a story within a story; Arthur Kipps (played by Julian Forsyth) wants, nay needs, to tell his tale of what happened to him when he went to settle the affairs of a lonely widow who had been living as a recluse for the past 50 years.  In doing so he hopes to exorcise the demons that have plagued him ever since.  He approaches a young actor (Antony Eden) to help him prepare and deliver his monologue to his family and friends and so we are led through the story as the two men recount and re-enact the fateful days Arthur spent at Eel Marsh House.
I could go on and tell more of the ‘play within a play’ but to do so would possibly stray towards giving too much away.  What I will say is if you have seen the recent Hammer movie production starring Daniel Radcliffe then be warned; the movie was a little jumpy, a little scary and a little shocking – this is truly terrifying, the atmosphere builds and builds and the shocks when they come are so real that you crave for the house lights to come up so you can retreat to the safety of the real world.

The Woman in Black is at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 9th February – go and see it, it’s like a 90 minute workout for your heart.