Communicating Doors, Alan Ayckbourn, The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough

Alan Ayckbourn outside the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough

For some time now I have wanted to visit the Stephen Joseph theatre in Scarborough.  For two main reasons firstly it is the artistic home of one of our great writers Alan Ayckbourn and secondly through Ayckbourn’s influence it has become a hot bed for new modern theatre and the encouragement of new writers.  My first venture to the theatre was to see his 1994 play ‘Communicating Doors,’ a time bending farce exploring the journeys of three women through a time warp that has locked itself into their hotel room.  The plot line you would be forgiven for having a sense of disbelief, but the quality of the writing and the acting, create a compelling sense of intrigue and has universal resonance in the 2010 version.  As Ayckbourn himself writes in the programme notes,

‘’Communicating Doors was one of the earlier plays when, encouraged by my first experiences in writing my Christmas ‘family’ pieces which generally tended to be set in fantastic and undreamt worlds, in my adult work I stepped cautiously outside the four walls of the real house or the actual garden fence. Into the realms of heaven knows where…..’’

Though Ayckbourn’s reputation is based primarily on his ability to write entertaining comedies, most critics agree that his plays convey serious themes concerning the failures and tragedies of ordinary life as well as the moral and cultural decline of society.  This play is no exception with the main protagonist Poopay (Phoebe), being led into a hotel room as a dominatrix expecting to provide a service for an ‘older’ gentleman, who then gets led into a world of murder, violence and intrigue through the influence of Julian, a malevolent henchman who has influenced Reece to commit murder and kill two of his wives.  Reece who is an old man when the play starts wants to put things right and attempts to get Poopay to sign a confession as a witness which is subsequently discovered by Julian.  The story further unfolds when Poopay hides in a cupboard and discovers it takes her back to a night some 30 years previously, where his second wife Ruella is to be murdered.  The farcical nature of the plot continues when Ruella having been convinced by Poopay of what is likely to happen then goes back a further twenty years to inform Jessica, Reece’s first wife of what will happen to her and how they could work to change the terrible possibilities of events.

As previously mentioned the fantastical the plot line does however create many questions and and offers several themes for exploration.  Ruella’s insistence on honesty, decency and persistence sets off the action and brings the story to a suprising conclusion.  The play suggests these verities will always triumph, even if it takes time to make it happen.  Poopay is a creature of circumstance, but the play suggests that growth and change are possible when circumstances change.  Reece is a man easily led by stronger personalities, suggesting that people are creatures of their associations.  If we are fortunate to live with honesty, decency, and persistence, we take on those attributes.  Running underneath these themes Ayckbourn offers us a quick glimpse of a bleak future, a world full of Julian’s – greedy, selfish and willing to cause murder and mayhem to reach their own ends.

Laura Donnington as Poopay and Liza Goddard as Ruella in rehearsals

Ayckbourn in his book ‘The Crafty Art of Playmaking,’ also stresses on the importance of casting and this play is a testimony to this.  The acting is flawless with particular mention to Laura Doddington as Poopay and Lisa Goddard as Ruella, both beautifully playing off each other as we see the relationship between them develop throughout the play.  Goddard is an acting tour de force, and perfectly coveys the feisty Ruella and her insistence on justice.  Reece played by Ben Porter, both young and old is a difficult part, but he manages to convince us of his tremendous old age as well as the young honeymooner when the play goes back in time.  Jessica played by Laura Howard is excellent and plays the slightly ditsy character very convincingly.  Harold played by Jamie Kenna plays the hotel security guard with great aplomb.  This leaves us with Julian played by Kim Wall who plays the covert and malevolent Julian with extreme and believable menace. An excellent performance.

Alan Ayckbourn directs the cast in rehearsal.

The play, however, does for me, have its faults, with a twist in the plot at the end that doesn’t quite work and suspends disbelief in a world which already is asking us to believe the absurd.  The time changing theme gets a little too complicated and confused in order to create *SPOILER ALERT* the happy ending that Ayckbourn envisaged.  Having said this the play for the most part delivers giving us the suspense, comedy and farce that Ayckbourn is known for as well as the moral questions he has us asking at the end of the play.  Ayckbourn himself writes,

‘’Communicating Doors also contains my other strongly held belief that your own good fortune often resides in the people you meet on the way. It’s good luck to have met them : it’s good sense knowing the ones to listen too.’’

I couldn’t have written it better myself, but there again I’m not Alan Ayckbourn.

Glastonbury – From the Armchair (Not impressed!)

I am not a festival goer.  I do not feel the need to pitch my tent, sleep in and around the great unwashed, to do my ablutions in God forsaken places, get a spiritual high from the new age clap trap that festivals have to offer or listen to mostly overhyped second rate music.  I do not need the festival ‘experience’ to get my rocks off. Fact.  However, I do enjoy watching from the perspective of a BBC camera man who with his access most areas pass that enables me to see the band playing from the stage, the excellent sound quality of a surround sound system and the rather marvellous view of the mass of people enjoying their festival experience.  I look forward to the Glastonbury weekend and  the BBC’s mostly excellent coverage.  And so like many a football fan who doesn’t truly support their team I am an armchair festival goer.  I enjoy the comfort of pressing the button  on my electrically controlled Jimmy Saville reclining chair and putting my feet up, nursing a good burgundy and knowing the satisfaction that there is a clean bathroom downstairs if needed.

I say ‘mostly’, for the reasons mentioned above. However, I definetely do not like the rather facile and self congratulatory frontline presenters such as Edith Bowman and Reggie Yates (I almost couldn’t  be bothered to look up his surname), whose psychophantic interviewing techniques are enough to make a grown man cry and vomit at the same time.  Something I feel I can legitimately comment on and as such know what a wretched experience it is.

I also acknowledge that I am a middle aged man who would fit quite nicely into the format of  the TV show ‘Grumpy old men’, so this has to be taken into consideration.  However, please do not tell me that ‘younger’ people get a kick out of Reggie constantly referring to Edith singing or doing ‘funny’ dances or indeed Edith Bowman virtually placing her nose up the back passage of the overhyped Florence of Machine fame. I do however enjoy the ruminatons of Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe and the rather fantastic Lauren Laverne so ying balances yang and the world continues on it’s inevitable parallel axis(!). The late night slots always remind me of the irrepresible John Peel with his knee length khaki shorts, his oversized wellies and welcomed sardonic asides.  Much missed, much loved.

John Peel R.I.P

Apologies for this less than cutting edge on the hour review of this years Glastobury I’ve just basically not had time, but now I do I feel there are rants to be ranted even from the comfort of an armchair and the benefit of the internet.  My first question is what in the name of the great god music has happened to the British music scene?  Was this the best Michael Eavis could do for the 40th anniversary?  Have you seen the line up on all stages and it’s less than inspiring listing?  Has the festival turned middle aged? Should children under the age of 10 be banned from the festival? Please in the name of all things sane don’t tell me that Florence and the Machine are the future of British music!

So in the words of Dylan Thomas….’To begin at the beginning’, let us look at this years listing for the festival. Here’s the link to the Glastonbury site http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up-poster/.  Please peruse the Pyramid stage followed by the Other Stage (Awful name by the way Michael) and then followed by the John Peel stage (Good name but does it do him justice? Grave, spinning, in the, comes to mind).  Let me start with the example of the Pyramid stage and Friday night.  Gorillaz jaw droppingly good I thought, although they did get a bit of a roasting from the press, because it was thought they didn’t have that many sing-a-longs! Is this what quality live music is judged on nowadays.  The fact that the audience can’t do karaoke? For me this was the highlight of the festival with the host of guest stars and the wonderfully eclectic mix of musical genres that has surely placed Gorillaz as one of the most inventive and intelligent band of this era.  Lots of  interesting special guests such as Sean Ryder, Paul Simonon, Mick Jones, Lou Reed etc.but my particular favourite was Mark E. Smith from The Fall, brilliant. 

However please look at the tawdrid listing before the headline act and tell me all is well in the British music scene.  Dizzee Rascal should be the 4th act in the toilet tent not a second headliner at Glastonbury.  Giving us the ridiculous England World Cup song and renditions of ‘Bonkers’ from his last album.  To misquote Noel Gallagher, no hip hop at Glastonbury please.  Snoop Dogg exacerbated this with a cuss filled set of his at best mediocre career.  It comes to something when you’re biggest success on stage is ‘Jump Around,’ by Cypress Hill, not even your song Snoop.  Before Snoop we were asked to sit through Willie Nelson and his out of tune ramblings. I’m sorry it may not be cool to say this but he was absolutely awful. Then before him, a earth shatteringly boring set from Corinne Bailey Rae.  I like eclectic, but good eclectic not bad eclectic which is the equivalent of listening and I say listening to paint dry.  Again perhaps a little unkind on the beautiful Corinne and her present situation (husband dieing of an overdose), but the show was dire. 

Rather than waste my time on all the other stages I suggest you have a browse at the festival’s music and tell me where British Indie music is going to and is this the thin end of a very small wedge?  Which brings me to my biggest bug bear of the weekend.  Florence and The Machine.  Why in the name of all things reasonable is this woman a pop star?  She can’t sing,  she wails out of tune and her music is completely uninspirational.  Kate Bush would be spinning in her grave…what?….oh sorry she’s not dead is she? Well I’m sorry my love but ethereal and fantastic are Ms. Bush’ domain. You really are not worthy to tie Kate’s red ballet shoes.  Dismissed. 

Florence - the picture says it all

And so I finish this review partly because I can’t be bothered writing any more and partly because I am very disappointed in the direction of where music, both live and recorded, are going at the moment.  Everything seems…well so predictable.  I long to be inspired by music again.  I long to remember the day when I first heard Joy Division,  Echo and the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, The Smiths, Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses.  This was cutting edge stuff.  The real Cool Britannia not the tepid, fame seeking wannabees we seem to be breeding now. I long to hear something radical, something exciting, new and fresh.  Tony Wilson died nearly three years ago and let us hope and pray that the British music scene didn’t die with him. Hot Chip….My arse.

A Day in the Life – On this day………

Wednesday June 14th 1967

On this day in 1967 The Beatles started to record what was to become the song that most embodied the summer of 1967, ‘All you Need is Love.’ 

On the 18^th of May 1967 it was announced that the Beatles had agreed to be one of the two British representatives in a television programme set for live world-wide broadcast during the evening (UK time) of Sunday 25^th June, the first ever global satellite link up. They had agreed to be shown in the studio, recording a song composed especially for the occasion.

The first 33 takes of ‘All you Need is love’ – the basic rhythm track and a little vocal work – were taped between 10.30pm and 3.00am this night at the Olympic Studio in Barnes, with George Martin producing and Eddie Kramer as balance engineer.    

In his book,’ Revolution in the Head,’ Ian MacDonald discusses the structure and the substance of  the song.  He mentions that it is ,’One of the Beatles less deserving hits,’ and believes that The Beatles were ,’now doing substandard work: paying little attention to musical values and settling for lyric, first thoughts on the principle that everything no matter how haphazard, meant something and if it didn’t- so what?’ He argues that their attention to detail so evident during the recording of ‘Sergeant Pepper,’ had most evidently been left behind in the recording of this song.  His criticism of the song continues when he mentions,’drug sodden laziness,’ and that the song represented, ‘the rot setting in.’ 

Whilst MacDonald’s review is interesting what he fails to mention is that this song was written primarily for the satellite link up and also that it was a representation of all the philosophical good feeling that flower power and the sixties embodied.  The phrase, ’All you need is Love,’ has become an iconic statement representing a global acknowledgement of almost religious significance.  In post Christian western society the song symbolises a humanistic hymn to positivity and love.  In my opinion Lennon’s lyrics are cleverly ambivalent creating the desired atmosphere of celebration and optimism that the recording was attempting to achieve.  Certainly the carnival atmosphere in Studio One, Abbey Road, on the 25^th of June is evident when The Beatles revealed the song to a global audience.  See below. 

Whilst it certainly could be argued that after Sergeant Pepper the Beatles lost the discipline and harmony that they achieved during this ground breaking album, there can be no doubt that the Beatles still produced revolutionary recordings to follow. Not long after John Lennon and The Beatles recorded the superb ‘I am a Walrus‘ another wonderful contribution to the psychedelic canon that was changing music on a day by day basis in the late 1960’s.  1968 brought us the incredibly diverse album ‘The Beatles’ better known as ‘The White Album’ and whilst the discipline and ‘laziness’ in the studio was definitely palpable the Beatles still continued to record records that are still part of our culture some 40 odd years later.  Judge for yourselves.