By Metta Theatre

4th April, York Theatre Royal

A circus-inspired retelling of the classic Hans Cristian Andersen tale, Metta Theatre’s new adaptation of The Little Mermaid promised impressive acrobatics, a haunting original soundtrack and a story to captivate all ages. What it delivers doesn’t quite reach those lofty goals, but is an enjoyable production with moments of brilliance nonetheless.

To get the less than great parts out of the way; many of the acrobatics felt a little clumsy, or you didn’t feel completely confident that the performer was going to pull whatever they were attempting off. What should have been seamless, flowing movement (these are meant to be mermaids, remember!) unfortunately sometimes felt quite shaky and clunky. The music, whilst original and not without its excellent moments, was a little repetitive and the mix of live and recorded didn’t sit right with me.

However, there are some great elements to this production. The parts of the story which took place on land tended to be stronger, with some excellent slapstick comedy that had the kids laughing, and moments of innovative costuming with exposed boning on the ladies’ dresses that made for some striking images and added a modern fairy-tale feel that the rest of the visuals were somewhat lacking. Some of the circus sequences were fantastic, with swirling aerial hoop routines and Roo Jenkins-Jones’ magic on the cyr wheel (or, ‘big twirly hoop thing’ as I was calling it before a crafty Google). There were a few ‘aaah’ moments from the audience as cast members stacked themselves three people tall or leapt into each other’s arms from impressive heights.

For me the absolute star of the show was the actress who played both oldest sister Careful and the Tailor, Rosalind Ford – what a talent. She provided the standout moment of the production as the OTT Tailor, pinching, prodding and operatically warbling (at one point whilst in a split, no less) her way into my heart. Her vocals were incredible and her ability to sing whilst playing the cello so beautifully (also to seemingly hold up said cello with only her mind – seriously, how was she holding it up? How?!) had me captivated.

So whilst I wish that more of the production had been elevated to the level we caught glimpses of here and there, perhaps with more humour and more commitment to providing the enchanting magic we expect from a modern fairy-tale, the most important thing I took from this show was that it’s great for children. There was laughter, gasping and even at one dramatic moment an expertly timed, ‘she can’t give up!’ from a little girl behind us, which told me that the swathes of kids around us were having a good time. And not just for little mermaids – there was a great message about all the different ways men can be strong that all the little mermen out there should hear too.

Metta Theatre’s Little Mermaid is on at York Theatre Royal from the 4^th– 7^th April (so you’ve got a couple of shows left!).

Summary: A fairy-tale adaptation that doesn’t quite reach its full potential but delivers some standout moments, and is great for little’uns.

By Kieran Hurley

Thursday 22nd February, York Theatre Royal

There’s always a moment of hesitation for me before going to watch a one man/woman show. Can just one person hold a room for an hour? Can just one person provide enough variety to keep me engaged? And every time I’ve come out of a one person show, I’ve left assured that the answer to those questions is, resoundingly, yes. Kieran Hurley’s Heads Up was no different.

With only a table, a candle and two soundboards in front of him, Hurley tells the story of the moments preceding the end of the world from the perspective of four different characters; Mercy, a highly-strung office worker with a knack for predicting futures; Ash, a 12-year-old girl hiding from the fallout of her ex sending private pictures of her around the school; Leon, a narcissistic, coke-snorting pop star; and Abdullah, a shift-worker coping with his place as a reluctant cog-in-the-capitalist-machine with spliffs and painkillers.

The play is very much an exercise in story-telling as opposed to a typically acted-out piece – which is not to say it is lacking in atmosphere or drama. Hurley sits for most of the production, with two front lights silhouetting his torso dramatically in the background and the soundboard providing Michael John McCarthy’s jarring, starkly atmospheric, soundscape. He brings each character to life with subtle but distinct changes to voice, diction and physicality, his lilting Scottish accent switching from comforting to vulnerable to deranged with each change in character and setting.

The script is a tour de force of storytelling which is truly given an opportunity to shine in this production, the deftness of Hurley’s writing spinning a tale that is engaging and darkly funny in equal measure. Punctuated with gripping dramatic moments that shake you awake and lift it from a theatrical reading to a piece of real drama, the show confronts us with questions about our place in the world and the nature of the world as we know it. It’s an examination of human connection (or our lack thereof), and where our current state of disengagement and self-destruction might lead us.

I’m certainly not the first to say it – Head’s Up won a Scotsman Fringe First award at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe and Hurley has been getting some pretty stellar praise for a few years now – but this is a show that stands out from the crowd for both its format and content, and Hurley is certainly a talent to watch.

Summary: A blistering but lyrical monologue that will have you on the edge of your seat and leaving the theatre with a pervasive feeling of existential dread – in the very best way.

Image by Human Zoo Theatre Company

By The Human Zoo

Saturday 16^th July, York Theatre Royal

I’ve been wanting to get back on the theatre-watching-bandwagon-train for a long time now, and when I spotted this show on York Theatre Royal’s website I knew it would be right up my street. It would also be the first ‘proper’ (as in, not panto) play ManDan had ever seen and a few friends ended up coming along on my recommendation so the pressure was on. Suffice to say no one was disappointed!

Performing in the Royal’s small studio theatre, the wonderful ensemble cast (dressed in what I can only describe as shabby-chic-mime costumes) took us through several short tales, play-within-a-play style, each as charming and hilarious as the last. Every cast member had a shining moment and Nick Gilbert (‘Clive’) in particular had some brilliant comedic moments and responded to the audience to great effect, which is a difficult but necessary skill when performing in such an intimate setting. The live music was fun and evocative all at once and for me, really brought the kind of magic the piece needed to make it truly immersive – if there was a soundtrack available I’d have it on right now.

The look of the thing was a tasty visual delight. There were glittering fairy lights strung out and in boxes, a giant head (my personal favourite) and miniature exploding bird people. They took us from the woods to Hollywood, from the Underground to the sky. We saw the mundane and the unusual. It was…great.

These are clearly a young company with a style and a fervor for the possibilities that theatre holds. Their style may not be absolutely original – taking from the Tim Burton school of quirkiness (I’m sorry, I know, I hate that word too) and companies such as Les Enfants Terribles – but what really is? If it’s executed to near perfection, which it was, with moments that take you by surprise, which it has, then what more can you really ask for? Not much, I say.

It was a rare treat in York to see theatre of this type and I’m hoping to see more of it now York Theatre Royal’s refurbishment is complete; at the very least, I hope the Human Zoo make a return with future productions – I’ll be the first to buy a ticket.

Summary: A riotous and enchanting melding of poetry, puppetry, song, movement and music with some ingenious staging and props chucked in for good measure, I (and everyone I was with) absolutely loved this performance. Can’t wait to see them again.