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View as published at NG-Magazine
It's amazing how the Chuckle Brothers continue to make audiences laugh after more than two decades of Chucklevision. Not many comedy acts can claim that even today's children know the catchphrases from their 20-year old act. Their slapstick comedy is pastiche to some of the earliest TV comedy acts, such as Laurel and Hardy & Charlie Chaplin, which sees them inexpertly moving furniture, falling down manholes and slipping on banana skins.
As the house lights dipped to cheers, Butlins style holiday entertainment music takes over, and the audience start clapping in unison. The brothers haven't even been seen and the audience are raving. This is quickly put to a stop by 'Widow Twanky', played by sprightly stick-thin actor who struggles to speak high-pitched and with a mock northern accent at the same time. The part is one of a strong woman, and the poor actor cast to play it struggles quite visibly. Against the really quite simple painted set, the first ten minutes feel like you're sitting in the local secondary school, though I'd expect they might have done a better job. The audience is waining, time to bring out the brothers? Alas no, not yet.
The scene changes to that of the princess in her palace. She and her sidekick; 'Sunshine' (cringe) suddenly break into ' I can show you the world', the famous song featured in the Disney adaptation. Of course this is put to an overly choreographed dance routine featuring scantily clad backing dancers. For some reason pantomime dance routines insist on moves and costumes that continually flash the dancers' underwear. Obviously this isn't for the children's benefit. More likely it's to attract the men's attention. This left me feeling a bit sick though as every dancer was around the age of 16!
A half hour into the show the Chuckle Brothers finally appear to shouts and cheers. Despite the dodgy set, questionable stage-writing and baffling performances from the supporting cast, Barry and Paul kept us highly entertained. It was brilliant to hear all the children echo the brother's catch phrase 'Elló' welcoming. I had no idea they were still big on children's TV, but with the BBC commissioning a fifteenth series from the 60 & 63 year-olds, the boys are obviously doing fine.
For many children pantomime is their only experience of theatre. Saying that; the same is true for many adults. As pantomime's go, this one lacked any kind of all-round quality or production value. I know it's just a panto, but even still, the show shouldn't rest on the laurels of it's lead actors.
If you want to see the Chuckle Brothers then this is the show for you. Long-time fans will appreciate the inclusion of the skit which won the pair (along with two of their other brothers) ITV's 'New Faces' talent contest in 1979. If you want one panto to watch this year then this isn't it. There are bound to be better alternatives available. The show is still laugh-out-loud funny, but you get the feeling the weight of the show is carried by the Chuckles.
"To me, to you"
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Shakespeare doesn't exactly bring comedy to mind. Nor has the great Baird typically written plays that are particularly accessible for a modern audience. The Comedy of Errors, however, manages to accomplish both. Not only was it laugh-out-loud funny, but the couple of hours I was at the Theatre flew by. By the end of plays I am usually nursing a sore rear-end as a result of dodgy theatre seats, though in this case The Royal Shakespeare Company served as a more than suitable distraction.
The play opened in Nottingham last night to a sold-out auditorium. It was pleasant to find that this was inhabited by a wide spectrum of different age-groups. Tickets weren't reserved solely for the over thirties. Of course Nottingham students can revel in the fact that any Shakespearean performance will cost them no more than a fiver! A quarter of the cost of face-value tickets!
Separated at birth, a twin begins looking for his brother. Arriving at his home town, he unknowingly becomes mistaken for his sibling, leading to all manner of awkward and compromising situations and misunderstandings. Hilarity is the inevitable outcome.
The set consists of ragged sails and a lop-sided mast, giving an interesting and fruitful backdrop to the scenes. Like many interpretations of classic plays, the RSC have chosen a style of worn authenticity, whereby nothing appears to be new or in good condition. The result is that the audience finds it easy to suspend their sense of disbelief; the overall mise-en-scene takes on a slightly postmodern flavour. The style of acting is not unlike this either. The characters regularly break the fourth wall, mocking the unfortunate people who shelled-out for front-row seats.
Fans of quirky and stylistic comedies, such as The Mighty Boosh or Green Wing, will find the humour hits the spot. Mannerisms are exaggerated and the comedy is elevated to the point where it becomes borderline slapstick, though without the risk of seeming silly: the characters are speaking in prose after all. Possibly one of the funniest characters - the medicine man - reminded me of Johnny Depp's infamous Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy, but in a style reminiscent of Noel Fielding's. It all makes for a highly amusing experience.
Many reasonably famous faces line the cast list. Jason Merrells plays one of the twins, Antipholus, having starred in The Bill, Casualty, and Waterloo Road among many others. The rest of the line-up have similar records, meaning you will recognise many of the actors from their previous work.
The Comedy Of Errors is on at the Theatre Royal until 10 November. If you can get hold of tickets, then do so with haste: a production of such quality doesn't come around very frequently. Students should make extra effort. This is a performance of a classic Shakespeare play I guarantee you will enjoy. Plus if you phone you parents telling them where you've been, you might be able to get a bit more cash out of them!
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On a stage covered with frilly red curtains, vases of flowers and porcelain figures, Kate Nash looks like she's sitting in a Granny's living room. Or she would do if Granny’s had a penchant for 8ft speakers and electric guitars.
Playing at Nottingham Trent Students Union, Nash was greeted by torrents of support from the many fans that had turned up to the sold-out gig. It was great to hear that most of the people present knew all the words to every song on the album, not just her single releases! For an artist who emerged on the popular music scene less than a year ago, that's pretty impressive.
Through her videos, Nash comes across as a very poppy, pissed-off mockney lass. On stage however, this impression is shattered. She plays the piano and guitar, and not for just a few songs like some other pop artists. She is the only pianist on the stage and is very competent too.
She's nothing like the Nash we see in the Foundations video. Onstage she is shy and humbled by the crowd's support, blushing as someone shouts a declaration of love. A revelation for those unfamiliar with her work is that the majority of her songs are heart-felt, passionate and sung in this way too.
There are plenty of tongue-in-cheek lyrics, not unlike those of the Arctic Monkeys or The Streets. Such a song is Birds, which if people were still allowed to smoke in venues these days, would have been received with a sea of lighter-flames. The song is a passionate story of love, but relayed in Nash’s typical cheeky style: "Birds can fly so high and they can shit on your head/Yeah they can almost fly into your eye and make you feel so scared/But when you look at them and you see that they are beautiful/That's how I feel about you.”
Another of the crowd favourites was the song Dickhead; at least, it was with the female demographic. An Estuary English accent coupled with bad grammar seem to be the vital ingredients for creating crowd-rocking songs these days. Not needing to think about using the correct tense probably helps the crowd to rock-out that little bit better.
Inevitably, it was Nash’s singles that generated the most noise from the audience. Talking to the crowd whilst sipping a cup of tea (Yes, the lyrics to Mouthwash are true!), only underlines the surprising fact that Nash is actually quite shy and mousey. At least she is when talking.
During her more upbeat tracks, Nash bobs up and down on her piano stool like a child having a tantrum, such is the ferocity of her musical passion. Mouthwash and the final song of the night Pumpkin Soup were such numbers, and had much of the audience dancing.
For an artist labelled as sitting in the mainstream pop category, Nash maintains a huge level of musical talent. The fact that actual instruments are played and there isn't a mime-track in sight brings hope and strength to the fact that real live music is here to stay, and isn’t the sole preserve of less mainstream acts. More artists like Kate Nash please!
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Funny really, how retro works. Styles and fashions seem to recycle themselves. New generations copy the innovations and statements of those previous and claim them as their own. Some fashions, like mini-skirts, we welcome back. Others, like 80s day-glo t-shirts, we don't. The style of Darren Hayman's new album however, oozes a refreshing seventies sound. It's like Ziggy-Stardust just had kids.
In fact David Bowie and Darren Hayman are two peas in an iPod. From an album dubbed as being an introduction into electro-folk music, it has the same kind of fitful sub-conscious lyrical haze as the songs from the original seventies revolutionary.
As you'd probably guessed the album is based around the goings-on in a secondary modern school, for many listeners, furthering the melodic trip back in time. Tracks tell stories about Art & Design teachers, escapades in shoplifting, star pupils and such like.
At first the prospect of electro-folk seems kind of daunting. The cover art consists of an oil-painting of a sheep dog. It led me to believe the album was going to be the kind of folk that consists of beard-stroking, woolly jumpers, pipes and slippers. One should never judge a book by its cover though, or an album by it’s sleeve design.
The double struts of electric-guitar power chords, overlaying a rolling melody played on a Banjo, work together fantastically. Rochelle is such a track. Another example of the delightful way Hayman fuses electric and acoustic overtures is in the song Elizabeth Duke. A violin follows the vocal melody, whilst a harp, electric piano and a half-dozen other electronically produced sounds combine to create a song which flows so easily into a summer's day driving song.
Let's Go Stealing is probably my favourite track on the album. I cannot help but smile when playing it. It's one of those songs you ought to play before going to work because it'll put you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
Hayman's band Hefner, with whom his last work was produced, was a favourite of the the late, great John Peel. Like typical Peel tender, The Secondary Modern isn't necessarily an album that will have you humming the tunes straight away. Given a few revolutions in the CD player however, and it easily grows on the listener. In no time you'll find yourself singing "Let's go stealing". Probably best not to wander round the supermarket singing it though.
Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern is available through Track & Field from November 5.
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Launched in 2006 by several big local names including Nottingham Trent University, Game City is all about showcasing video games as an art form that should be taken seriously as a popular cultural phenomenon.
The event was hosted prominently at Market square, where for the duration a huge screen flashed up information about new Nintendo Wii games, including Lego Star-Wars. However, Game City events were also held at The Broadway Cinema and many other Nottingham locations. The programme included clinics for aspiring designers, information for those looking for a step onto the gaming careers-ladder, as well as many keynote speeches (introductory talks) about new games and other such cyber-stuff.
Completely independent from the games industry, the event (unlike other media showcases) never feels like an excuse for games manufacturers to push their advertising upon you. The result is that people aren't scared away, and are able to walk away without piles of glossy flyers stuffed in their pockets. Many of the people I spoke to at Game City weren’t nerdy games enthusiasts, but had just come along to have a look at what was going on, exactly as the organisers had intended.
Sarah Mallick and Rosie McCrossan were two such people. They said: “We came to Game City because we wanted to try the Wii. We've never played before but thought it was really good." Sarah added: "Wii-tennis was good fun, even though I'm rubbish at normal tennis.”
When asked about the organisation of the event, the two seem pretty satisfied: "The stewards are really good at making sure everyone gets to try the games and stopping the kids from hogging them."
Other games on show were Guitar Hero as well as the newly released Halo 3. Possibly the most anticipated product was the new Lego Star-Wars game, which enables gamers to wield their Wii remotes as light-sabres. Demoed on the big screen by a Nintendo representative, this was big news for the gaming community and Star-Wars geeks alike.
Consoles didn't take all the limelight however, as PC games had as much exhibition and interest, but seemed to be geared more towards the hardcore gaming fanatic. There's something about sitting at a desk with a keyboard and mouse that makes PC gamers seem more dedicated and thus geekier than their console-playing counterparts.
Game City managed to generate massive interest in the centre of Nottingham. Despite being held during the half-term holidays, it wasn't beset with children or teenagers. The stewards were all friendly and made sure everyone was able to sample the range of digital-delights available. For the more serious gamer there were plenty of careers advice, designer workshops and industry announcements.
These latter events were ticketed, but if you just wanted to drop into Market Square and try some of the new games and consoles then you were able to do so completely free of charge. For an event that is only its second year, Game City had loads to offer. It’s set to return in 2008 and you should expect it to be much, much bigger.
Game Boy: Alex Ward
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Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, the title for 12:08 East of Bucharest as it was released in Romania is: "A revolution, or not a revolution." That is, in an essence, what the film is about. Set in a small town, a textile engineer-come-journalist hosts a Christmas talk show to determine whether or not a revolution occurred in the small town 19 years previously, when their country broke free from dictatorship. Was it a revolution, or a tall-story made up by a group of drunks?
The film reeks of typical post-communism depression. It is almost clichéd, though is spared by the stylish way it is filmed. Shots of characterless, bleak Romanian suburban sprawls are frequent and make the viewer feel as lethargic as the eastern European characters do themselves. It's not until the latter half that we are able to relax, and really get our teeth into the plot.
This is because the film is shot in a highly voyeuristic manner. They are mostly taken from a stationary camera that captures events within one room at a time. This gives the impression that you're a peeping tom looking around corners, though some scenes are framed as if the camera has been placed upon a bookshelf and forgotten about. The effect is that the audience is thrown into the lives of the three main characters.
The second part of the film is set in the TV studio, through the lens of the cameras filming the chat show. This is where the atmosphere of the entire production is lifted and elements of comedy replace the dreary monotony of the former part. The shambolic production of the chat show which broadcasts on a shoestring, and to only a handful of people, is highly amusing. Yet through the performances of the three main characters the importance of the inquest is clear. Such realistic and refined acting is hard to find and is highly evident here. One wonders whether they were even given scripts or simply told to improvise. The atmosphere created by the actors, particularly Ian Sapdaru who plays Manescu the drunken teacher, affects the sympathies of the audience greatly.
As a display of cinematic artistic prowess, or of acting brilliance, 12:08 East of Bucharest is fantastic. After all it has won nine awards and has been nominated for a further three. However, the film lacks a degree of aesthetics. It is by no means a comfortable view, and although there are elements of comedy, the audience is never left to fall in love with the characters, despite the great skill they are portrayed with. Like the great painting the Mona Lisa, one can appreciate its artistic brilliance, but probably wouldn't ever hang it on their wall.
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He won the Disco Mixing Club (DMC) world DJ final at the age of twenty in 2002. Since then Kentaro, from Japan, has been stunning audiences worldwide with awesome displays of turntablism, and his performance in Nottingham was no exception.
As a turntablist, Kentaro doesn't merely play records; he manipulates the sounds of his vinyl, playing the decks like an actual instrument. This has been said about many other DJs before but none more accurately than Kentaro. If you have no idea what I mean then have a look for him on You-Tube.
Stealth, on Nottingham's Goldsmith St, was packed full of people willing to pay the £10 entrance fee to see Kentaro, amongst many other artists. The downstairs room was extremely busy but compared to some of Kentaro's other ventures, Friday was a pretty intimate gig: Cameras and projector screens were set up in order to make the DJ's work more visible, but most people had direct views anyway.
Kentaro's performances are as much about seeing what he's doing as hearing it. Scratching with crossed arms, spinning around and flipping the cross fader through his legs is such an example of the flair that goes into one of his shows. He is very much a performer and stimulates shouts from the crowds with his style.
Kentaro played for almost two hours, all the time scratching and mixing. The stacks of vinyl that were piling up next to him kept falling over, but even as he picked these up it had no effect on his show. He is the kind of artist who knows his instrument intimately, meaning that whatever may happen he is able to improvise.
Kentaro is on his world tour, his last British date was in Manchester on Saturday 13 October. Fans at the Nottingham gig told me he tours every four years, so your next chance to see him in Britain may be in 2011. Hopefully it'll be much sooner.
