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The Other Half
Birmingham Rep Studio
*** BUILDING the bridge between story and
song, Birmingham author Mark Billingham shares his Southern American
tale as My Darling Clementine help set the authentic atmosphere with a
backdrop of song. Although not as visual as one would expect, the
concept is good. Billingham is a highly esteemed writer. Winning Theakston’s Crime Novel Of The Year Award
reflects the calibre of art the audience are offered. In his home town
and with an idea that turns the pages of the novel into a physical
product, Billingham lays his works out in the open in an interesting
medium that brings words up on their feet for an interactive showcase of
The Other Half. This is not dramatic by any stretch of the
imagination; however an open mind and a focus to tune-in on Billingham’s
words are required to enjoy the complexity and raw emotion that the
local writer has to offer. Billingham is passionate, not only in ways of
presentation but it is clear that he believes every word that he has
created and wants the audience to feel a slow and nostalgic view of love
and life. He takes us through a journey of his mind, reading us his own
work. It is a story of a journey of lovers marred by time and every day
obstacles that life has to give. He presents a story of trouble and emotion that
is bold and sometimes sad to hear. It is a tragedy of the mundane. At
times, it was easy to drift in and out of consciousness and to lose
concentration. This is not because of a lack of talent, Billingham is a
master of words. But presented as if the audience were listening to a
long sermon, it was easy for the essence to be lost. Billingham spoke from a stand to the side, as a
few static pictures were shown on a projection screen. His powerful
stories and words would have had their rightful praise if more visual
action were to happen throughout his narration. All was not dreary and the second half looked
livelier as the emphasis of song was clearly a pick-me-up for the
audience. The singer/songwriter band, My Darling Clementine
also from Birmingham highlighted a tender emotion and conveyed a lonely
atmosphere that Billingham wanted to achieve within his words. My Darling Clementine are a wonderful art
form to behold and they grasp the genre of country music with an elegant
charm. Billingham’s project would not have been complete without this
wonderful asset. In the first half, the husband-wife duo weave into
Billingham’s story with works of their own creation, giving the story
its backbone and really allowing the audience to reflect upon its
emotive journey. The second half was a perfect way to showcase
what the duo had to offer. With own written songs in the country genre
and voices that were awe-inspiring, My Darling Clementine surely told
their own story with songs. Some numbers were touching in its purest
form in where they opened up and invited the audience into their lives.
A cathartic therapy that the audience were more than thankful for. The Other Half, although interesting to witness,
could have easily been injected with a spark of movement and action. In
spite of an epic description of love and loss from Billingham and My
Darling Clementine, there was scope for the story to come alive, as it
needed a lot of encouragement from the imagination to be able to do so. This was a pleasurable experience
nonetheless and reflected impeccable talent and created an authentic
southern atmosphere of the trials of relationships that Billingham
suggested within his work. Elizabeth Halpen
10-11-14
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