The Ups and Downs of Theatre-Life

Editor John Roberts started The Public Reviews in 2006: the theatre review site ‘for you, by you’.  Using a team of dedicated volunteer reviewers, John has built the site into a trusted and significant player in the reviewing-game - the growth of TPR in just four years is an admirable feat; one which has been achieved through hard-work, unwavering commitment and a love of theatre.

The site receives nearly half a million hits per month and is regularly invited to review all manners of theatre, both on and off-West End, with many of our reviews having been quoted on show posters and websites. We’ve also run interviews with a number of big-name actors/actresses, such as Rebecca Caine, and are always being contacted by theatre companies/individuals who contact our site looking for promotional interviews or articles. The name of The Public Reviews is a well-known one now and is gaining more and more recognition every day – so the news last week that TPR has not been given Press accreditation for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival is astounding!

John Roberts wrote a blog post detailing his disappointment at the decision of the Ed Fringe Media Accreditation Team (MAT). I highly recommend you take a look at it - HERE – and if you wanted to leave a message of support for TPR, we would very much appreciate it. Theatre companies whom we have reviewed/interviewed have shown their support, as have a great number of TPR’s followers too.

Personally, I feel it is extremely short-sighted of MAT to not offer TPR accreditation. We were also denied it in 2010 and to this day, have still not received a clear answer as to just why that is. Taking into account everything I have mentioned already about TPR, what is it that makes it so ‘inappropriate’ to offer us accreditation?

For those who are not aware, I have been writing for The Public Reviews for six months now as one of the Features Writers, covering articles, reviews and interviews – so I know first-hand just how well thought-of the site is. John regularly forwards me e-mails he has received, asking for an interview, a feature article or a review of their show and, I personally, am constantly inundated with similar requests. People come to us because they accept and welcome us as a valued theatre site, which is why it saddens me that the MAT still does not: after all, isn’t Ed Fringe all about being accepting and welcoming? ‘Open to everyone’! Well, clearly, not everyone it seems…

I would urge you to read some of the messages of supports we have received on John’s blog, it is overwhelming how much positive feedback TPR has received regarding this issue. From people whose first stop for reviews is our site, to theatre companies who find our reviews so important to their work, everyone has echoed the incredulity at our situation and is behind us all the way, for which I would like to take the opportunity to now thank each and every one of them. It’s truly heart-warming to see and just reaffirms our determination to go to Ed Fringe, accreditation or not.

There was one comment there however I’d like to address here:

“I’m not saying the contribution of TPR isn’t valuable. Just that it seems inconsistent for a site – the very premise of which is the participation of amateur reviewers and “the public” – to get upset because it is being denied VIP treatment.”

First off – we are hardly asking for VIP treatment. A review site which is regularly invited to review all the major West End shows – as well as hundreds of Fringe theatre productions – alongside the other accredited critics should surely be extended the same courtesy, wouldn’t you agree? Why are we being singled out here – that is our issue…

It seems ‘Sans Taste’ believes it is our amateur reviewers which may be the reason. As part of the TPR writing team, it does rile me when our efforts are looked upon in a negative and dismissive manner and to be honest, I find it insulting. Every person who writes for TPR has had to submit examples of work (to a high enough standard) to be accepted. We all share a love of theatre; we know theatre and how to write about it and just because we are giving our time voluntarily, it doesn’t mean we are incapable of critical reviewing that stands up there with that of The Guardian, The Independent, The Stage and so forth.

Two of my biggest passions in life are theatre and writing, and being able to combine the two by writing for TPR is something I am very grateful and thankful for. I am not someone who cares to blow my own trumpet and you will never find anyone more critical of my work than me, but you know what; I am good at what I do – if I didn’t believe that then I’d have no business writing in the first place. People approach me to write for them, so I must be doing something right! J The point is; having voluntary reviewers write for TPR does not make it any less entitled to the same treatment other review publications receive.

So, with my self-righteous indignation dissipated, I’ll lay the subject to rest for now by asking once again for any help you can give in supporting The Public Reviews. We are here to stay and are only going to get bigger and better with every coming year, so come along for the journey and help us prove to Ed Fringe MAT that their decision was wrong!

On a happier note, I was at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane this Wednesday for the showcase of a new musical, PLAYBACK. Having already heard the premise and the demo recording, I must admit I was rather keen to take a look and see how it was coming along.

Written by Paul Rayfield, PLAYBACK is a satirical take on the ‘trailer trash’ daytime TV shows (think Jeremy Kyle and you’re on the right track!): a callous, self-obsessed presenter, outlandish paternity claims – with the obligatory lie detector tests – and plenty of behind-the-scenes dramas… Here, the audience of the musical are also the TV audience within the show, encouraged to participate in the action.

Being a showcase, we only get a taste of PLAYBACK -it’s very easy to see just how good it will be when staged as a full-on production however. The dialogue is witty and has a great back-and-forth rhythm between the characters, while the songs are fun, upbeat numbers to get the audience going. Designed to be catchy and memorable, they certainly achieve this (Café Caipirinha – Sarah Lark – Owain Williams).

Simon Greiff of SimG Productions directs (and also produced the recording through SimG Records) while MD AnneMarie Lewis Thomas of the MTA can take credit for the arrangements. A number of her MTA students did an excellent job providing backing vocals and the main cast (Jon-Paul Hevey; Graham Bickley; Anita Louise Combe; Peter Duncan; Sarah Lark and Owain Williams) were simply brilliant.

I thoroughly enjoyed PLAYBACK and am looking forward to seeing how it progresses from here. Being in the developmental stage, there are, of course, elements that still need work, but a showcase isn’t about presenting a complete, polished production: the purpose is to, well…showcase what you do have; offer an early glimpse of the production and give the audience a chance to see the backbone of the model. The PLAYBACK showcase introduced us to the characters, the songs, and the story and provided a clear view of what it’s all about. I can easily picture how it would come across on stage, backed up with the sets and costumes and technical additions…hopefully, something we’ll all be able to see for ourselves soon enough!

The team are working towards staging an Off-West End run of PLAYBACK in 2012 and are currently looking for backers to support them in this aim. After my sneak-peek at the musical, I for one wish them all nothing but good luck in this endeavour and am confident that they can make this happen. It’s a fun, good-feel musical that entertains enormously and I would love for others to experience it.

You can check out the website www.playbackthemusical.com for all PLAYBACK news and hey, if you were a lucky Euromillions winner this week, you could always throw a little in their direction? ;)

I couldn’t end things here without mentioning MADTrust’s presence at London’s Gay Pride on Saturday. Myself, along with Trust Director Steven Inman, my lovely friends Anna and Jo and a few new volunteers, joined in the parade to highlight the charity and its support, as well as raise some awareness for our September event, West End Bares. We handed out almost five thousand flyers that day and all involved had a fabulous time! We laughed, we made some nice new friends and some of us even got hugs (not me though. Sad face)! I can’t stress enough just what a lovely bunch of people the MADTrust team are – I am so proud to be a part of it as, along with the fantastic and inspiring work we do, I have found some life-long friends through it all. I absolutely love being involved with them – the more the better!

It’s been a week of ups and downs in theatre circle, but hard work, a great product – be it a new musical or a website – and a little bit of faith can go a long way: if you have all of these things, you’re bound to get to where you want to be. The bumps in the road just make it all the more worthwhile when you finally get there. J

Remember…create, love inspire!

Miss Julie

Viva New Writing!

For a London girl who doesn’t live in London, life can be frustrating. I grew up in London, but moved away almost ten years ago yet, like most first loves, I’ve never really gotten over Her…

This is why I’ve been trying to come home to the Big Smoke. I had a place lined up and arrangements were being made – then today I found out that it’s all fallen through. Fiddlesticks. I walked out on London and I guess She still hasn’t forgiven me…but when it’s true love, you don’t take no for an answer! I’ve already found another two properties who are interested, so fingers crossed it will all go well and I’ll win Her over through the summer holidays.

My love of London aside, it really is difficult living at the other end of the M20 when everything you write about revolves around (mostly) West End theatre: I much prefer interviewing face-to-face, but often have to conduct them as phoners or through email; I have to work out reviewing gigs around when I’m in town and have had to turn down invites to various theatre-related events more than I like because travelling makes attending unfeasible. Take tonight for instance: I was invited along to Soho Theatre tonight as a guest of cabaret act, Late Night Gimp Fight - they just started a two-week run there and tonight is their Press Night – but had to turn them down as I can’t make to up to London and back tonight. Hardly ideal. So I truly cannot wait to get back to London, for reasons of both business and pleasure which, as luck would have it, often mix! J

Of course, there are some events in London which are quite simply un-missable; last Friday’s was one of them. I would hope that most theatre-fans know as to what I’m referring, but if you’ve just emerged from that rock you’ve been living under, then you may be unaware that last Friday 24^th June was the night Scott Alan and Friends came to town.

If you haven’t heard of Scott Alan, the truly brilliant American composer/lyricist, then you’re reading the wrong blog my friends. My readers (hopefully) know by now that I am a big advocate for the support of new writing and it is because of people like Scott Alan that I am so. I really hope you own, or have heard, at least one of his albums because Scott is an extremely talented song-writer.

You may have read my previous blog on creativity. If you have, you may also recall what I wrote about creativity and expression. If you haven’t read it, or just found what I write to be unmemorable [ ;) ], then let me enlighten you as to what it said:

“Creativity is a gift we are given, the key to escaping the prison of our minds. It allows us to express those thoughts and feelings which we cannot always voice: an artist uses a brush; a writer uses the pen; a musician uses an instrument; a dancer uses their body…

Whatever the tool, it works as a release. We put a piece of ourselves into every creation and in doing so, free ourselves.”

Scott Alan is one of those creative people who would understand just what I was trying to say here. He pours himself into his music - every note he plays, and every lyric he sings, comes straight from the heart. Scott completely bares his soul, sharing intimate thoughts and feelings that offer his listeners a glimpse into moments of his life; sometimes beautiful and sometimes heart-breaking, but always honest. It’s this honesty which allows you to connect with his songs so deeply. Scott has said himself that music is like therapy for him and, although it sounds rather trite, you really do go on a journey with every song.

The Scott Alan concert was a rather last-minute affair, taking advantage of his last night in London before returning to New York. It was held at the Jermyn Street Theatre which is…cosy, to say the least! It was the perfect venue for Scott’s ‘Living Room concert’ however. The night was put together by Simon Greiff of SimG Productions; a very close friend of Scott who, as he said himself, has been instrumental in getting him known here in the UK. It was a wonderful night full of laughter, friends some special moments…and talking. Lots of talking. Lots and lots of talking. To anyone who knows him, this will come as no surprise; Scott Alan is an incredibly warm and funny man and possesses that extraordinary quality (I refuse to call it an X-factor!) which makes you like him instantaneously.

It wasn’t called Scott Alan and Friends for nothing, by the way. Some of Scott’s dearest friends joined him to sing a selection of his songs: Annalene Beechey, Mark Evans, Ashleigh Gray, Stuart Matthew Price, Cassie McIvor and Bradley Whitedale. I’m not writing this to review, so I’ll just say that it was a wonderful night, with stunning songs and gorgeous voices and that I’m very glad I was there to be a part of it – which I very nearly wasn’t actually. I was too slow on the uptake when tickets went on sale it managed to sell out in a number of hours, before I’d had a chance to get mine. Luckily for me, a friend of mine helped me out at last minute (thanks again for that lovely! x). It was lovely to finally meet Scott after admiring his work for so long and when he next returns to our shores, I’ll look forward to seeing him again.

I must say, this seems to have been the week for new writing. Along with Scott Alan’s appearance, London also held host to another new writing event this week: The 2011 Tim Williams Awards. This is the fourth year the Awards - created in memory of the late Musical Director, Tim Williams - have taken place, being held this year at The Cochrane Theatre. It celebrates the art of composing British theatrical song - specifically those using lyrics from established sources that were not originally intended to be sung. The Sunday event saw twenty two British composers submitting original work, and was won by our very own Stuart Matthew Price! His song, Stories of Heroes, features on the SimG Records’ produced album, Beyond The Gate and, in case you were wondering, this is the only place you can hear it so; if you wanted to own it, why not click on this handy link to the SimG Productions website  and get yourself a copy?! ;)

I really am very pleased for Stuart – he is a talented writer in possession of a delectable voice and I look forward to hearing more from him in the future. Events like the TWA are so important to new writers such as Stuart. There are not always a lot of opportunities or support out there for them, so having the chance for a wide audience to hear their work is a fantastic thing. There needs to be more platforms like this for new writing to be heard so that these originally creative people are not passed-by.

Next week, the theme of new writing continues for me. Next Wednesday, I’ve been invited along to an Investors Showcase of a new musical that is currently in development by the show’s director, who is a friend of mine. It is an ‘interesting’ premise and, from what I’ve heard of some of the songs on the demo recording, it’s going to be a very entertaining 70 minutes. I shall of course, fill you all in more next week, but this is one I am rather excited about: I was very pleased to be asked along and I’m very keen to see how it’s all coming together. Viva new writing!

Remember…create, love, inspire!

Miss Julie