Alec Waters – Live Art Alive

COCK

Written by Mike Bartlett

Directed by Rupert Hill

HER PRODUCTIONS/ Up Ere Productions

53Two

This 2009 play by Mike Bartlett caused quite a stir in London and New York when originally staged. The dilemma of a man hopelessly procrastinating over whether to choose to continue a life with his male partner of seven years or start afresh with a woman he has recently met when on a relationship break makes for an interesting premise. Perhaps originally viewed as a gritty exploration of a gay man trying to come to terms with being bisexual, COCK is much more nuanced. This Pinteresque drama is a blistering analysis of one man’s indecisiveness as he wrestles not just with his sexuality but his very sense of Self. Seemingly powerless to make a clear decision in his personal life, this production highlights just how destructive and controlling John’s behaviour is precisely because of his wavering. His partner M and new lover W are seemingly locked into this love triangle by John’s unwillingness to choose one of them as he refuses to label his sexual desire. Is he simply a selfish man wanting his cake with extra cock and cunt or is he genuinely torn with a human desire that defies a neat societal label?

Director Rupert Hill confidently tackles the complex issues raised in this meaty play. He is ably supported by a very strong cast. Joe Gill is John, the procrastinating partner whose wavering indecision makes him oblivious to the cruel impact his actions have on M and W. Gill gives John a certain likability despite the pain he inflicts on those he loves. There is genuine poignancy in this internal struggle with identity and the societal pressure to conform to the expectations of others. John O’Neill bristles with raw hurt, frustration and insecurity and misogyny. Totally immersed in his character his performance is mesmerising even off stage when he watches John and W with an almost voyeuristic intent.

John O’Neill and Joe Gill in COCK at 53Two Image credit: Shay Rowan

Hannah Ellis Ryan is gutsy and vibrant as W; intensely set on getting John to choose her. It’s easy to see the attraction she draws from John as her character enthrals him with her positivity and enthusiasm. The scene where John discovers heterosexual sex is witty and perfectly pitched and Ellis Ryan nails it. With legs akimbo at one end of the bare stage, she gleefully sets the scene with a pose reassembling a goalpost awaiting a winning penalty goal. Colin Connor is the father hell-bent on protecting his son’s relationship with a mixture of floundering confusion and genuine love for both men. This performance adds real rich humour and warmth to the dinner party from hell as the other chief protagonists battle over John.

It’s a credit to the production and the actors that some of the raw edges in this Bartlett play matter less than they should. It would be easy to dismiss John as not worth either characters love, or wonder if W is not just a tad obsessed or that M is coercive and controlling. Instead the focus is on the electrifying energy on the stage which seems powerful enough to charge the four lamps that mark the corners of this otherwise unadopted stage. The sound arrangement by Alec Waters is the only other adornment to subtly reflect the emotional charge onstage and does so very effectively. The closing scene gives no really satisfying conclusion and here it doesn’t need to as the acting itself is the icing on this cake.

53TWO 13th – 17th November 2024

HUSK

Small Theatres

Written by Rupert Hill

Directed by Joseph Houston

HER PRODUCTIONS

HOPE MILL THEATRE

Billed as a tale of revenge HUSK is ultimately more a story of the redemptive nature of true friendship. Writer and Performer Rupert Hill writes vividly and movingly about the perils of addiction but although this well paced and reflective piece of writing shows the destructive dangers of alcoholism, it’s most potent message is the importance of human bonds. The young protagonist Ray hero worships his Boss Graeme but is bitterly let down and abandoned by him setting Ray on a descent into ever more destructive behaviours. It is only the consistent care and affection of his prison mentor Stan and his old schoolfriend Beth who lift him up and breathe new life and hope into this husk of a man.

The set design by Sorcha Corcoran is highly effective evoking a sense of constriction and bleakness which is then transformed by the hazy, dreamy videoscapes by Grant Archer which allow the story to fluidly move back and forth in time like an old photo album of faded images. The lighting by Tom Sutcliffe enhances the drama and alongside the thoughtful sound design by Alec Waters, ensures that the closing scenes are memorable long after leaving the theatre.

This is a confident and assured production directed by Hope Mill Theatre co-owner Joseph Houston. It may have elements that suggest a writer more at home with film and television but Houston has managed to ensure this ambitious project can move through time in a smooth and cohesive manner. There is only one scene that risks jarring the subtle build of tension where Hill dressed as his dead mother enters a rough Blackpool bar full of football fans. Seemingly seeking suicide by football hooligan rather than cop, the timid withdrawn Ray provokes and baits them until he ends up battered and in hospital. It feels difficult to imagine this fragile man making this choice yet dramatically it does serve to allow Beth another means to bring Ray back to her father’s home while still unaware of the potential risks for both men.

Rupert Hill leads a strong cast and his writing is profoundly generous allowing some of the other characters the very best lines in the play. Danielle Henry gives a warmth and depth to Beth that shows why every man on stage relies on her in very different ways. Hill exudes vulnerability in an understated way that shows his quiet journey into alcoholism as a path including social acceptance and fatherly encouragement through to using drink to blot out any emotions to the point where he is indeed a husk of a man. This is a strong cast with well crafted characters but the standout performance is David McCreedy as Ray’s fellow inmate and mentor. Stan is an opionated Scotsman who loves Barbra Streisand and now abhors the demon drink. Determined to keep Ray on the right path MacCreedy is utterly brilliant in his role coupling great comic timing with gritty realism as he remains an unwavering support for the fragile Ray.

Rupert Hill and David McCreedy in HUSK. Image credit: Shay Rowan

HUSK shines a powerful light on how alcohol is so readily available and used in so many subtle ways… to celebrate, to commiserate, to build social confidence or help us fit in and blend in, to heighten or to numb our feelings…the list is endless. Ray is in prison because of a misguided loyalty to a man who first introduced him to alcohol and his only path out of prison and staying free is to eschew the demon drink and shake his thirst on healthier ways. Leaving Ray on stage content and bathed in the sunshine while he harvests the fruits of the soil perfectly echoes how Hill may feel as he stands in the spotlight as the curtain comes down on his debut play.

Hope Mill Theatre 25th-29th September 2024

The Dukes, Lancaster 2nd and 3rd October 2024

In The Time Of Dragons

Immersive Theatre, Musical, Small Theatres

Written and Directed by Janine Waters

Music by Simon Waters and Alec Waters

The Edge Theatre

Stepping into the theatre for this production is an immediate immersion into 1960s club life. The opulent deep red of the theatre space is a perfect foil to the blue neon sign for The Blue Angel. A smartly dressed Alec Waters is seated at the piano and the side of stage is dotted with tables with lamps and tablecloths giving the audience the option to watch the show from the stalls or within the club itself. When Chanteuse Sheelagh Bell steps up to the microphone onstage in her gold lamè dress it really does feel like being in an intimate club setting.

Writer and Director Janine Waters has lovingly crafted this production into something quite magical. Each character feels fully fleshed out and utterly believable. It would have been easy to slip into a pastiche of the Swinging Sixties but thankfully Waters has a light touch and the piece feels very fresh and acutely observed. This is an ambitious piece for a small theatre as it frequently flits from the club in 1965 to a classroom setting in 2024 and a Salford flat simultaneously in both eras. The set design by David Howarth is highly effective and deceptively simple. Especially in scenes where the two eras collide as the divan beds align with a crumpled stripe duvet and a neat pastel counterpane.

The two central characters are nightclub singer Sheelagh and teacher Jack. Making her professional debut is Megan Keaveney who is perfectly cast as the pretty young singer navigating a disappointing marriage while pursuing her dream of a record deal and a career in music. Her vocal delivery is impressive and I’d probably pay to see her perform these songs in a nightclub now or in the Sixties. Coronation Street veteran Rupert Hill is great as the crumpled music teacher who abandoned his musical dreams for a love that turned sour. He is initially downbeat and desperate but his character starts to grow in confidence and stature as he finds his way back back to a love of music. Both characters act as a perfect foil for each other to make momentous shifts. The other two performers adeptly take on a number of roles. Tom Guest brings warmth and humour to his role as the kindly club manager and clearly relishes his role as the feckless husband/manager. His rendition of “That’s My Job” brings the house down. A catchy tune with pithy, witty lyrics that poke sly, gentle fun at men with a wandering eye who refuse to blame their big Y chromosome. Hannah Nuttall gives a really subtle performance as the stoic dresser who loves Shellagh and is comfortable in her own sexuality. Nuttall is quietly luminous as Anne and its impossible not to be routing for her to have her happy ending too.

Tom Guest as Frank in In The Time of Dragons at The Edge Theatre 📷Joel Fildes

This production is peppered with witty asides and genuine humour and the songs are uniformly strong with great tunes from Simon and Alec Waters, the clever lyrics drive the narrative and never feel shoehorned into the production. Running at 80 minutes without interval this could easily have sustained a longer running time and an interval. There is real love invested in the story telling and a celebration of the power of music, friendship and kindness. In The Time of Dragons is a worthy follow up to Spinach. I look forward to seeing what the creative team at The Edge do next.

THE EDGE THEATRE 19th Feb – 9th March 2024