September 1993, and the animated short film and its accompanying theme tune Walking In The Air had already secured their places as Christmas classics in the hearts of the nation. The REP’s then Artistic Director, Bill Alexander approached Howard Blake, to ask how he’d feel about working with The REP to create a full length stage version of The Snowman. Howard convinced Bill that the way forward for The Snowman should be a full length dance piece . . .
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Shewring shows us two young men, apparently barely socialized and with little concern for road users and pedestrians alike, who yet have rich inner lives. Young enough to have their whole lives in front of them, they are nonetheless old enough to have regrets for opportunities missed. It is a journey through a short past, unconsciously looking for values and some kind of grounding as the early phase of life recedes in the rear-view mirror. . .
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Angus Barr and Sarah Corbett are irresistibly funny. Their faces have qualities that one associates with some of the greats of the silent movie era – pale, gaunt and wide-eyed, it is hard not to be fascinated by them. Dressed in black and wearing dark wispy wigs, they are not afraid to let silence play a part in a crazy mix of physical theatre, improv and stand-up that constantly keeps the audience on its toes, giggling and guffawing . . .
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People used to say that they preferred drama on the radio because the scenery was much better. Radio stimulates the imagination so there is no limit to where it can go, to what it can do and what it can achieve. Theatre, on the other hand, usually presents you with a fait accompli; you watch the company’s presentation of a play and you are stuck with their interpretation of it. The 39 Steps is more like an enhanced radio play.
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To celebrate the newly formed Midlands Dance Hub, Birmingham Royal Ballet hosted an inaugural event on Friday 15th January that brought together varied selection of Midlands based dance practitioners and creators into its home studios for a day of combined classes and workshops focused on the creation and presentation of new works.
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In making the move from screen to stage The Bodyguard has become a vehicle for a stage performer, relying as it does on a good sprinkling of standalone numbers, each entertaining in themselves, yet without fully letting go of its film heritage. Some clever use of film-like stage framing is used to focus our attention and there are some short scenes of projected video to fill in some of the details for which no purely theatrical solution could be found.
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