home
|
about
|
news
|
contents
|
gossip
|
photographs
|
venues
|
brighton
|
dublin
|
edinburgh
|
film
|
features
|
interviews
|
awards
|
fashion
|
recipes
|
easter monday drinks 5 april 2010
|
newsletter
|
links
|
contact
MOST POPULAR LINKS... FRONT PAGE... MONTHLY DRINKS NIGHT
NewsRevue
Verdict: Ground-breaking run
This ground-breaking run of NewsRevue bears the stamp of its director, Ross Mc Givern.
Ross Mc Givern is the Canal Café's long-standing technical director: he's probably watched NewsRevue more times than he would otherwise have chosen. During that thorough education, he must have formulated ideas as to how he would present the show as director. Those ideas are unveiled in the present run - a new look, new format, and all-new material.
The lighting is subtly softer than usual - blending coloured lights rather than glaring white spots. It is easier on the eye - and appears more comfortable for the performers, who are usually all drenched in sweat by the middle of a typical NewsRevue.
A couple of small touches to the set and costume add to the soothing look. Black crepe is draped over the table on stage; one performer wears a dramatic yellow blazer.
The director makes a substantial change - he opens up the performing space by dispensing with the usual (and beloved) piano and pianist who accompany most NewsRevue shows. This innovation also allows the troupe more room to perform their song-and-dance numbers. Using recorded music allows a wider range of accompaniment for the songs. But homage is occasionally paid to 'News Revue Classic' by using a recording of the piano anyway. And for the finale a curtain is slyly pulled aside, and actor Hannah Epps sits to play.
This run makes heavy use of recorded cues - as might be expected with the director sitting very comfortably in the technician’s booth. The performers can display their talents solo by reacting to recorded dialogue - eg to an announcer on TV, or in sketches of radio call-in programmes.
The all-new material is a relief from the recycling of NewsRevue material (which can span years). As usual, the musical numbers draws on a stock of vocal vernaculars such as barber-shop quartet and Broadway musical. Ross Mc Givern uses a unifying theme - the show is framed by a pair of on-air hosts at Middle Class FM. Sketches tick all the boxes in the subjects that must be addressed by the notional charter of NewsRevue. There are controversial topics in the news - with mandatory coverage of Iraq and terrorism and the war against it, major politicians, and celebrities. But mostly this show is about the co-dependent relationship between mass media and the public - who are portrayed, in extremis, as pliable, emotionally-disturbed cretins who will buy anything.
On parade are the cultural biases inherent in the narratives put forward by what passes for news - eg with a Disney number reworked into a musical duel between Christian and Islamic fundamentalists. Especially over-the-top is a send-up of the TV show Lost. The dissection of Channel 4's Jimmy Carr is incisive media criticism disguised as humour.
It's a gifted run with a set of strong performers. Hannah Epps's range includes an Arab matron, but she plays a sparkling middle-class lady so well that she may risk being typecast. Pia de Keyser is highly versatile with a seemingly endless range of regional accents. Jerry Lindop does a good, creepy (if slightly nasal) Prime Minister Blair, and Ian Lilley throws his sweaty bulk about stage as he belts out Clarke Life, an impressive send-up of Conservative MP Kenneth Clarke.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Hannah Epps. Pia De Keyser. Ian Lilley. Jerry Lindop.
Writers: Writers on this run include (alpha order): Martin Baum. Phillip Barron. Christopher Bryant. Noel Christopher. John Cowen. Alan Duffy. Hannah Epps. Ross Mc Givern. Paul Jones. Carol Kentish. James Kettle. Pia De Keyser. Ian Lilley. Jerry Lindop. Simon Ounsworth. Gareth Rubin. Ross Salvage. Jason Smart. Matthew Stott. Mike Tier. Tanya Tier. Henry Widdicombe. Josh Widdicombe. Kieran Wills.
Company Credits: Director - Ross Mc Givern. Musical Director - Tom De Keyser. Technical Director - Ross Mc Givern. Assistant Producer - Louis Brownhill. Producer - Emma Taylor. The Bridge House: Manager - Tracy Allum
END
(c) Brad Hall 2005
reviewed 16 October 05 / Canal Café Theatre
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2010
