|
|
|
|
|
Soap on a stage
Corrie! The New
Alexandra Theatre
****
Unless you have lived on the moon for the last 50 years, you will at
least at have heard of the great British Institution that is Coronation
Street. For many, the lives of Ena, Rita, Ken, Deirdre, Gail, Jack, Vera
and many others who have travelled the well-worn cobbles, have almost
become a backdrop to their own daily comings and goings. It was
once said that the national grid reaches almost breaking point just
before Coronation Street begins as millions of people make a cup of tea
in readiness for their half hour in Weatherfield. It is perhaps, therefore,
little wonder that a stage play has been born to further satisfy the
cravings of Corrie fans across the land. Even so, its a bold move. Its
one thing being able to get an audience who only have to sit at home on
a sofa - quite another to lure them outdoors and into a theatre. Certainly, it worked well when
the play first opened at Salford's wonderful Lowry Theatre, but then you
might expect it to. Whether it has the same appeal away from its home
territory remains to be seen. Given it's monumental and enduring
popularity though, it should have no problems.
The play is whistle stop tour
of the last 50 years of Britain's best loved soap. Key moments,
dramatic storylines and favourite characters are all explored by
just six very talented actors who go from scene to scene and
character to character with real skill. Its a heck of lot to pack into
two hours and there is no time for Pinteresque pauses here. It's
fast and frenetic as the years roll by. The writer, Jonathan
Harvey, even highlights the need to ‘crack on' when the narrator
announces that the ‘next two lines of dialogue will cover 10 years' Good old fashioned narration (
delivered by ex Corrie regular Ken Morley) links the scenes
together but Harvey cleverly uses other, less traditional, ways to show
the journey - spoof ballet and silent film being two of them.
Characters also frequently come ‘out of character', as it were, to
become various police officers, vicars and doctors. ‘Its a theatrical
device. Live with it' explains one of the characters, helpfully. As for the myriad of Corrie
characters, the actors do an amazing job in portraying them. What
impresses greatly is not simply the accuracy or the impressions but the
speed at which they go from one to another. All are excellent but special
mention must go to Simon Chadwick whose ‘Ken Barlow' is spot on. He gets
the slightly smarmy, irritating tone down to a tea and by the end of the
play the audience were laughing at just about anything he said -
so accurate was his delivery. Jo Mousley also shines as Hilda
Ogden, complete with dreadful singing and the famous mural (or ‘muriel'
as she calls it ) of the three ducks flying over a lake. I did wonder if you need to
have seen Coronation Street to understand this play. The answer, I
think, is no - though it certainly helps. Most importantly, it is very
well written and beautifully acted. On that basis alone, it deserves to
do well. To 26-03-11. Tom Roberts
Further down the street . . . **** EVEN if you are not a fan of Coronation
Street there's so much humour in this stage tribute to the greatest ever
'soap' you will thoroughly enjoy the experience. And who hasn't heard of Ena Sharples, Elsie
Tanner, Ken Barlow, Annie Walker, Minnie Caldwell, Hilda and Stan Ogden,
Len and Rita Fairclough. Written by Jonathan Harvey, who penned over 100
episodes of the hit TV show, Corrie is hugely entertaining, helped by a
cleverly constructed set which includes a front door and one of the
homes in the cobbled street, rooftop access and inevitably a shot of the
Rovers Return. It works beautifully, and they even manage to
recreate the 50th anniversary drama in which a runaway tram crashes over
the viaduct, to the accompaniment of loud explosions and flashing
lights. Ken Morley does a fine job as Narrator, sometimes
at the front of the stage, occasionally amongst the chimney pots,
linking together some of the big moments from five decades of a show
which still has such a huge following around the country. But top marks go to the six actors - Leanne Best,
Simon Chadwick, Daniel Crowder, Jo Mousley, Peter Temple and Lucy
Thackeray - who play 55 characters. They are terrific. During the performance the audience see the
marital problems, affairs, murder, mugging and many other incidents that
have gripped armchair viewers over the years that Coronation Street has
ruled the ratings. There's even a canal barge chugging between the
wings, and a yacht sail is erected on a telegraph pole. Directed by Fiona Buffini, to
26-03-11.
|
|
|
|
