BeautyPhoto Studio

Blood, Sweat, Tears …and a Toenail!

When a play is entitled Catfish Therapy and features Lynne Fitzgerald and Suzanne Collins, let’s be honest, I naturally anticipated settling down to a good light-hearted comedy of the sort this pair of Liverpool actresses are renowned.

I couldn’t have been more mistaken.

It would be wrong however, to say I was disappointed because disappointed I most certainly was not.  Within seconds of the lights going down we were gripped by one of the most intense psychological dramas I have seen in many a year.

It was the first ever performance of this hour-long gem from the pen of Ian Moore.  Ian also directed the play which was part of the Liverpool “Write Now” one-act play festival that runs at the Actor’s Studio in Seel Street from 30th March until 7th April 2012.

How good it was to see these two actresses performing outside their comfort zone – and boy, they did-so brilliantly!

Suzanne graduated from her stint on Brookside Close to appear in countless scouse comedies such as “Brick up the Mersey Tunnels” and “Fifteen Minutes that Shook the World”.

Lynne made a name for herself on the club comedy circuit before treading the boards in the likes of “The Salon” and “Desperate Scousewives” (the stage play that she co wrote with Clare Bowles).

Last year, Lynne appeared in Ian Cartwright’s “Two” where alongside Louis Emerick they played between them no fewer than fourteen different characters. In Catfish Therapy, however, she and Suzanne each played the respective split personalities of what we assumed were two schizophrenics.  I say “assumed” because the final moments of the play revealed a very clever twist!

They both delivered performances that elevated their acting careers to a whole new level.  They did so with compassion and conviction.  The scenes of violence were exceptionally convincing.  None of your “slapping the thigh whilst feigning a blow to the face”. This stuff was good!

They really threw themselves into it – quite literally at times!   In fact it was so good, and so realistic, that during one such scene Suzanne actually lost a toenail!  She showed us after the show where she had bitten into her own hand to counter the pain from her toe.  It’s no wonder the tears we saw on stage looked so real!

This play had the entire audience sitting on the edge of their seats for the entire sixty minutes.  Do catch it if you can.

There are just two more performances:  Monday 2nd of April at 9.30pm and Friday 6th at 6.30pm.

Tickets can be purchased on line at www.writenowfestival.co.uk or by ringing 0151 709 3789.

More pictures from the play: (click to enlarge)

January 2012 Update
Please note: The fabulous play has absolutely nothing to do with the dreadful and much reviled so-called reality show of the same name that is currently running on E4.

Desperate Scousewives is a (very) loose parody of the similarly named American comedy drama and is the latest play to come from the pen of Liverpool actress Lynne Fitzgerald.

Co-written by fellow actress Clare Bowles, this brand new comedy is an absolute scream from start to finish.  The plot revolves around the occupants of four terraced houses during the days leading up to and following the wedding of the gobby 20-something character played by Philippa Goodwin, who also choreographed the play’s comedic dance sequences.  A wedding, incidentally, which takes place in Walton Jail to a prisoner she’d never met and only ever known as a pen pal!

A newcomer to the terrace, played by Lynn Francis, tries desperately and clumsily to fit-in with her new neighbours without realising the other three already know that the house she’s just moved into, Number One, is owned by a battered wives association.

It soon becomes clear, however, that the occupant of Number Two is currently in an abusive relationship and when she accidentally kills her bullying husband, a whole string of hilarious co-incidences conspire to divert suspicion away from this down-trodden character, played so well by Clare Bowles.

In fact, the cast of four talented Liverpool actresses brought these very diverse characters to life brilliantly, with the bossy, loud-mouthed occupant of Number Three being portrayed by Lynne Fitzgerald in her own inimitable style.

Such was the success of this comedy’s first week, the second and final week of its run at the Actor’s Studio in Liverpool is now completely sold out.

The enthusiasm with which this comedy has been received by its audiences thus far, has almost guaranteed it will be staged at larger venues throughout the region. In fact I’m delighted to be able to tell you that tickets have just gone on sale for a four-day run at the Theatre Royal, St Helens from the 25th to the 28th of January.

You can book tickets on 01744 756 000. I would strongly recommend you do it NOW to save disappointment.

See also my comments on the Liverpool Echo’s review

You’ll certainly never walk alone through the doors of the Royal Court Theatre this month, because between now and October 29th you’ll be in the company of thousands of Liverpool F.C. fans.

You’ll Never Walk Alone is a fascinating play documenting the 120 year history of what is arguably the most famous football club in the world.

Coming from the pen of Liverpool playwright Nicky Alt, the story’s highs are told with passion and humour and its lows, with empathy and dignity.  The talented cast did the script proud under the direction of Bob Eaton who handled the emotive issues of the Heysel Stadium disaster  and Hillsborough sympathetically, poignantly and without sensationalism.

The club’s history was related via songs from each particular era, with musical director Howard Gray taking a proactive part as keyboard player with the on-stage band.

Regardless whether their off-stage allegiances were Red or Blue, the “team” (who were down to ten men) performed and sang with the kind of skill and gusto King Kenny instils into his footballers.  In the line-up were several regulars such as Mark Moraghan and Pauline Daniels.

One of the new signings – and one to watch – was young Jamie Hampson.  Having recently graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, this was Jamie’s first time on stage at the Royal Court.  Although she is no stranger to the venue.  Just twelve months ago she was serving behind the bar at the back of the auditorium!

All in all this is a fabulous play. Very entertaining, very funny and, at times, very emotional. I spotted some real tears during the telling of the dark days of ’89.  And you could feel the passion and pride during the finale as the whole auditorium joined in a rousing rendition of the song now synonymous with Liverpool F.C. and which gave its name to the title of this play

You’ll Never Walk Alone runs at The Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool until 29th October with tickets from £12.

See also my comments on the Liverpool Daily Post Review

xx

There are one or two good plays coming up on the local theatre scene and one you mustn’t miss is Two.

Now if that sounds like gobbledegook, I should explain that Two is the name of an excellent Jim Cartwright play that just opened  in Manchester and moves to Liverpool at the end of the month.

So what I was really trying to say in my opening paragraph was that whatever else you see at the theatre you really should go to Two too!

Oh dear, it gets worse, doesn’t it! I suppose I should be grateful that nobody  was wearing a ballet outfit because a tutu really would have been two tos too many!

Ok. Enough of the puns. This really is an excellent play that lends itself perfectly to the intimate atmosphere of a studio theatre.

The story is set in the bar of a public house and provides a glimpse into the lives of the landlord and his wife and a dozen of their “regulars”.

All fourteen characters, five of them being couples, had personalities as diverse as you will find on any evening in any town pub.  And one of the things that makes this play so entertaining is the fact they are all played by just two actors!

Actors will often tell you how they have to work at “getting into character” for any new performance – well these two had to “get into” fourteen different characters throughout the entire performance!

They did it brilliantly and convincingly. Lynne Fitzgerald moved effortlessly from being the downtrodden barmaid to a fiery redhead to the obsequious victim of a bullying boyfriend. And her portraytal of the blonde lush would have you believing that the bar really was stocked with copious amounts of alcohol!

In the opening scene Louis Emerick was the struggling Mancunian barman, putting on a cheery face for his punters whilst hiding a sad secret. The characters he played on the other side of the bar however, alternated between a flirty Jack-the-lad, a sad elderly Jamaican lamenting his fast ebbing years, a vile wife-beating control-freak, and a couple of hapless dimwits.  My personal favourite was the woolly hat wearing simpleton who’s ramblings as he and his equally simple girlfriend watched a cowboy film on the pub telly just cracked me up.

Both played their various parts so convincingly you almost forgot there were only two actors in this play.

Producer Michael Silver decided on an approach that was somewhere between a full stage set with all the props and the bare stage mime approach that was the intention of the play’s writer. In my opinion he got it just right. Not having to interpret mime and imagine the setting, allowed the audience to fully appreciate the character acting and enjoy the wonderful humour to the fullest.

As funny as the play was, Two has its dark side too.  There were parts that shocked and made you feel more than a little uncomfortable. There were sad parts too, filled with emotion.  It is testament to these two talented Liverpool actors that they carried out every aspect of this black comedy to perfection.

Two runs at Stageworks in Walkden, Manchester, until the 17th September before moving to The Actors Studio Liverpool on the 21st

Tickets are just £12 each. To book your seats for Manchester call 07415 044090 and for Liverpool call 0151 709 9034.

Do yourself a favour – don’t miss it!