BOX till 24 June
Birmingham
Box: An adventure on the canals of Birmingham: Sarah Woods
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Tkts: 0121 236 4455
www.birmingham-rep.co.uk
Runs 2h, 20m, one interval, 16-24 June
Review: Jan Pick 18 June 2007
Open the Box!
All aboard the narrow boat – after a short delay while the canal was cleared of unexpected ‘debris’. The rain had managed to stop and the plastic macs provided by the theatre proved to be unnecessary.
The evening is set fair for an enjoyable trip - but – wait – what's this? - a fracas on the towpath, an argument and two thugs in black leather and motorbike helmets are bullying an old man for a box! The old man hastily passes the box to one of the passengers, a young girl, to hide and we all climb aboard. Oh no! The thugs have climbed on as well and are trying to hide themselves among the passengers! Their prey? The young girl with the box! So starts an adventure along the waterways of Birmingham.
While this is not a play that would work as easily - or as effectively - in a theatre, outdoors, along the canal, with a lively input from members of the Community Theatre, it makes for an exciting evening – not least when our narrow boat is ‘hijacked’ for a short while! As we cruise, various incidents occur along the towpath – a set of runners, desperately trying to be helpful, various inept ‘policemen’, and a plaintive cry from another boat as to ‘which direction is Stratford?’; they provide a humorous backdrop to the more serious elements of the evening. As the passengers become spectators to the drama of saving the box, the timeless world of the canal is invoked as people from its past appear, interacting with the cast.
The actors, Peter Holdway and John Flitcroft make very believable and rather endearing thugs, Bettrys Jones is entirely convincing as Taz, the girl whose desperate attempts to protect the box entrusted to her catch everyone’s sympathy, as does Janice McKenzie as her concerned and occasionally exasperated mother. Praise also for Joanne Moseley as our ‘Skipper’, who manages to make the evening not only dramatic, but also educational!
The end, back on the towpath, not only packs a surprise, but is also dramatically satisfying. A lovely evening and a cruise to remember.
Cast
Lupo: John Flitcroft
Brass: Peter Holdway
Taz: Bettrys Jones
Ruth: Janice McKenzie
Skipper: Joanne Moseley
Community Company
Marsinah Adamson
Angus Addenbrooke
Marion Addenbrooke
Chris beebee
Cynthia Beech
Mandy Bonner
Bethan Calvert Lyons
Sandra Carter
Margaret Clayton
Roy Clayton
Edward Coley
Dina Dalforno
Fabian Dcaccia
John Eaglesfield
Lyndsay Gallagher
Tina George
Stephen Green
Marcia Gregory
Liz Hope
Jonk
Melissa Jordan
Rosie Kemp
Gloria Levermore
Rachel Longmore
Sheena Lovell
Moi Masters
Kenneth Meeson
Tomasz Mikulski
Kerry O’Carroll
Jane Parry
Rosie Pocklington
Jon Raxster
Sheena Raxster
David Rowley
Gillian Stapleton
Alice Taft
Sue Taft
Loris Tapper
James Tseng
David Waring
Jan Watts
Elsaida Wickham
Stuart Zola
Director: Toby Frow
Associate Director: Tim Ford
Designer: Olly Shapley
Composer: Stuart Zola
The Band
Bass: Charlie Sherman
Guitars: Chris Beebee
Chloe Evans
James Gregory
Stuart Zola
Drums: Michael Sierp
Company Stage Manager: Ruth Morgan
DSM: Sara Crathorne
ASM: Hannan Finnegan
Boat Skippers: Steve Bingham
Alan Hazeldine
Chris Round
2007-07-01 20:58:02