Merely Theatre’s Twelfth Night at The Greenwich Theatre

“A theatre company that, literally, makes you want to come back again…”

Merely Theatre in association with The Production Exchange are currently touring the UK with a Shakespeare double-bill: Romeo & Juliet and Twelfth Night.

[Robert Myles as Malvolio – with Belch and Aguecheek looking on]

Nothing unusual in that, surely? Well, Artistic Director Scott Ellis is proud to point out that Merely is an old-fashioned repertory company and is based around a gender-blind casting scenario. So for this tour, the company has ten actors in total. But there are only ever five performing on any given night. Each role has been doubled up with actors, so the combinations available are manyfold.

[Robert Myles as Malvolio]

The style is bare and in-your-face. The script edited so we stick to the action for most of the time. The story, told as plainly as possible, zips along at a cracking pace, at times dragging the actors along behind.

[Luke Barton as Olivia]

Luke Barton stands out for me – doubling as Olivia as well as Andrew Aguecheek. He shows his range, playing the former’s femininity without campness or humour, but throwing himself wholeheartedly into the slapstick of the latter. Close on his heels is Robert Myles, revelling in a Rigsby-esque Malvolio while playing Sebastian straight and calm. Emmy Rose only has the one part – but don’t feel sorry for her. She plays Viola with openness and honesty. Hannah Miles tries a little too hard to be funny as Sir Toby Belch for my liking, but her warmth as the Duke Orsino makes up for it. Finally, the troupe has Tamara Astor as Feste and Antonio. Her laid-back, hippie Feste is at times lost amidst the manic energy of Aguecheek and Belch.

[Hannah Miles as Sir Toby Belch]

One cannot fault the production for its energy and urgency. Sometimes, though, this flows over into a desire to drive the comedy at the pace of a farce, thereby losing some focus. What could be laughter from the audience only receives smiles at times – and perhaps that is the only issue here. In the need for pace, the audience has no time to take it all in which is exactly what we need to appreciate the skills on show. When the pace dropped for romantic and sad scenes, it came somewhat as a relief. I also became fascinated by Barton’s constant fringe maneuvering (slick it back or cut it!) and Rose’s little hops (one step back before moving two forward).

[Tamara Astor as Feste and Luke Barton as Aguecheek]

I leave wondering how the ‘missing’ five actors would do the play – and, for that matter, how they tackle Romeo & Juliet. A theatre company that, literally, makes you want to come back again to find out…

Review by Paul Vates.

Tour details: www.merelytheatre.co.uk

Performances Length: 2 hours (plus interval)

Facebook: /MerelyTheatre

Twitter: @MerelyTheatre

Worcestershire Poet Laureate Heather Wastie and writer/performer Kate Saffin will be recreating the Idle Women’s journey from London to Birmingham, and back to London via the Coventry coal fields.
This double bill will be touring the canal between Saturday 15th April – Saturday 5th August 2017

The nickname Idle Women relied on the initials IW, or Inland Waterways. Once a trainee on the Wartime Inland Waterways scheme had completed her training she was presented with an Inland Waterways badge. So – the nickname – fair or foul?

And what was the scheme anyway? And why am I particularly interested in this particular wartime endeavour, and this production?

The scheme was designed to train women to support the indigenous ‘boaters’ narrowboat and butty carrying of wartime cargo.

My interest? I have written the first in a series of novels for my publisher, Arrow, about three women on the wartime waterways women’s trainee transport scheme. – The Waterway Girls.

Why? Because I wanted to share their experiences amongst others, having heard about them through an elderly friend. Another then revealed that she had taught canal children, and opened my eyes to a culture, which has now gone, just as the commercial freight is gone from the waterways.

I particularly wanted to produce the first in the series of my novels in 2017 in order to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the launch of the Women’s Training Scheme as they journeyed to and from Birmingham.

These crazy and gallant girls, (bloomin’ filthy too, by the end of their trip through the coalfields) kept going, come hell and high water, come driving snow, and searing sun. They actually had to physically haul the ‘butty’, which was the motorless narrowboat, through the Bottom Road’s short pounds (stretches of water between locks) and through the locks themselves, much as the horses had to do in days gone by until towards the end of the war they were allowed a better route.

The Bottom Road was hellish, and fragile, hence the authority’s refusal to allow the butty to be towed by the motorboat as it approached, used and left the locks. Idle Women they were not.

Day after day they slogged up and down the cut, or canal to you and me, carrying 50 tons of cargo in the motor narrowboat, which pulled the butty with a similar weight of cargo.

Where did they live? In a tiny cabin about 9’ by 7’, and the loo? Don’t ask, but the word bucket comes to mind.

So I was thrilled to hear of this enterprise, and will be going to see it on Monday 24^th April with our drama critic, Paul Vates, and Frost’s staff photographer, Cire Simone of Cire Simone Photography

Worcestershire Poet Laureate Heather Wastie and writer/performer Kate Saffin will be recreating the Idle Women’s journey from London to Birmingham, and back to London via the Coventry coal fields.

This double bill will be touring the canal between Saturday 15th April – Saturday 5th August 2017

Isobel’s War is a solo play written and performed by Kate Saffin based on the experiences of the wartime trainees. Isobel doesn’t think that rolling bandages and serving tea in the leafy suburbs of Oxford counts as proper war work, then she spots an advertisement and encounters a world she didn’t know existed. Idle Women and Judies is written and performed by Heather Wastie – it started as an audio piece (commissioned by the Canal & River Trust) based on the wartime memories of three women. Wastie has now added a collection of short poems and songs celebrating the work and adventures of the women.

On completion of their training they received their national service badge imprinted with the letters IW – Inland Waterways. After the war they were nicknamed the Idle Women and they have been known as such ever since.

Kate Saffin comments, The stories, or at least the existence, of the trainees are known to many boaters and waterway enthusiasts but few beyond the towpath know they even existed never mind what they did. We are recreating this journey to celebrate their achievements, recognise their contribution to the war effort and explore their relationships with the indigenous boaters. We think it’s important to make this journey with these local stories so that we can share the history that is on the audience’s doorstep – or at least the nearest bit of towpath or the pub.

Accompanied by an historic narrowboat ‘Tench’ crewed entirely by women, Wastie and Saffin will tour our canals this summer, stopping to perform this inspiring double bill at waterside pubs, village halls, gardens, an historic pumphouse and even a community wood.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

alarum_theatre, #TheIdleWomen

Check out ‘2017 Dates’ on http://www.alarumtheatre.co.uk/

Frost will be publishing a review of Idle Women of the Wartime Waterways next week – can’t wait.

Alex returns to Krabi for three very different experiences.

One of the things I absolutely love about being in Bangkok is the availability of cheap and amazing holidays on the doorstep.

Another element is that friends often want to join you, which is great: the kids have company and so do you. But with this comes the paranoia of making holiday suggestions, the endless hours on booking.com. Oh the pressure. Oh the indecision.. But I believe everything happens for a reason and these things usually fall into place with time and patience.

Which is exactly what happened on a recent ½ term trip to Krabi; the trip started at a little boutique resort just myself and the kids and a handful of mostly childless couples in Koh Yao Yai. Getting there involved a taxi drive to Thalen pier, a wait for an hour until the long tail boat to Koh Yao Yai arrived, a ½ hour or so boat ride and a taxi to the hotel. Or so we thought.

When I approached the captain of the boat that arrived just before 1pm to double check this was indeed the Koh Yao Yai boat I was greeted with, ‘No madam, she no come today.’ What? And other less printable versions flashed through my thoughts.

‘Where you go madam?’

“Koh Yao Yoi, ka’ I reply

‘No problem, you come with me Koh Yao Noi, you get taxi, you go pier, you get boat Koh Yao Yai, ka’ states the boatman matter of factly.

I call the hotel who say, no wait for the 2.30 boat to Koh Yao Yai. ‘Easy for you madam.’ I wasn’t taking any chances, it was an adventure and the kids couldn’t sit around for another 90 minutes just in case, and besides there was after all only so much more BFG I could read them before we all grew weary. So we hopped on the boat.

Sure enough at the pier we hopped into the back of a ‘taxi’ who took us to another pier, jumped on another long tail boat for a much shorter ride where we were met by the hotel’s van. But when I say taxi’, I don’t mean an uber, I mean a glorified tuk tuk; the back of a truck, true Thai style. Seats along the side, a roof, no windows, that kind of taxi. Brilliant I love this. The kids did too – once the guy who kept spitting out of the back hopped off. Every time he hawked and coughed, launching a mouthful of phlegm onto the tarmac, my daughter would look more and more horrified until unable to hold it in anymore she said, ‘That’s disgusting that is mummy, spitting on the floor.’

The journey itself they relished. Not a single moan. They loved seeing how real people live viewed from the back of the truck. When we arrived at the ‘resort’ it was a secluded, serene, uncommercialised haven, resting on it’s own private beach with wooden huts on stilts set amongst the palm trees and outdoor bathrooms.

The next leg of the Krabi tour was to return by long tail boat (in a thunder storm) and make our way to the private beach of the Centara to meet our friends. To access the beach at the Centara meant navigating the floating pontoon that greets the speedboat, which was literally riding the waves like an enormous flexible surf board and a precarious journey to shore was embarked upon.

Apart from some truly Fawlty Towers customer service moments and a poorly toddler, the 4 days flew by, the kids had a ball, mostly jumping in the thrashing waves for hours on end and playing in the pool. I totally enjoyed the adult company and baby cuddles, not to mention the 3 free bottles of vino we secured as compensation for the comedic and shambolic service.

The night before we were due to head to Railie Beach, which is literally round the headland, we had a call to say due to the weather, the long tail boat would not be able to pick us up.

Obviously on the day of departure we awoke to blue skies and calm waters. Surely a speedboat trip back to Ao Nang pier, a taxi drive to another pier and another long tail boat wasn’t necessary. Yes surely it was. Here we go again.

Railei Beach Club nestles in the jungle, monkey’s everywhere, every teak Thai style-house a different design, this was the kind of experience I was looking forward to. My friend’s sister looked slightly horrified at the abundance of nature. The kids were delighted, plenty of room to run around, play football, make a noise, and a beautiful beach right next door…if only it wasn’t packed with backpackers. You see that’s the thing, you go for authentic Thai beach experiences, then you have to accept the nubile, tattoo’d and dreadlocked, carefree travellers that frequent. Therein lies the lesson: nothing is perfect, even authentic is not perfect.

We were meeting my daughter’s bestie and family and the girl’s screamed with delighted when they saw each other and ran into each other’s arms, such is the welcome from 5 year olds. The oldies went for a more sedate G&T welcome. Dinner was at a local Thai spit and sawdust establishment: plastic chairs and tables in the open air, accessible over wooden planks across the mud and ducking the overhead wires dangerously low enough to garrotte unsuspecting passers by.

We explored the diamond cave – no diamonds but absolutely stunning stalactite formations.The waves were calmer and the kids thoroughly enjoyed jumping in and playing in the sand, the beach was quieter for the remaining days and the skies mainly stayed clear, blue and glorious. I was surprised how few of the farang honoured the mourning period Thailand had been thrown into with the passing of the king and how quickly island life had returned to normal, certainly for the tourists.

Very soon it was time to board the long tail boat back to the pier and onto the airport. Time to reflect on a delightful array of experiences: remote boutique style hotel, full on chain and the more rough and ready. In the end the combination was perfect and of course it’s the company you keep not the location that makes a vacation. Without a doubt it was fun and relaxing and Krabi is still one of my favourite Thai destinations.

Words for the Wounded held their annual LitFest Day at Downley, High Wycombe raising £1800 for the charity, and £500 for Waterstones in book sales.

The charity, which is organised and run by three grannies, receives 100% of everything raised as the grannies absorb all costs. This means that they are able to help more wounded and ill veterans. They raise funds largely through providing opportunities to aspiring writers and keen readers, and the LitFest is the high point of their year.

This year, it certainly was. As one of the speakers said, ‘This is the most convivial of LitFests.’

So who were the speakers? Let the photographs speak – taken by Cire Simone, a brilliant photographer, of Cire Simone Photography who not only agreed to exhibit some of her work, but donated a day of her time to the cause, taking complimentary photographs of the speakers

Frederick Forsyth, guest speakers was as always forthright, amusing and erudite as he talked of his memoir: The Insider. He was hilarious and fascinating. What a life, what a supporter of troops and veterans.

Frederick Forsyth

 Cire Simone Photography

Dr Kathleen Thompson delved into her award winning book From Both Ends of the Stethoscope, which is full of humour and wisdom about how to achieve the best treatment for cancer.

Dr Kathleen Thompson

Cire Simone Photography

Captain Ian Thornton, one of WforW’s many patrons, talked movingly of his brother John, and the route to Helmand. Diaries of Frontline Soldiers, and the charity set up in John Thornton’s name. The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation.

Anthony Baines, an actor who donated his time, as did all our speakers + their travel expenses, read an excerpt as he did for all the speakers, and told me afterwards how hard it was not to break down.

Capt. Ian Thornton

Cire Simone Photography

After lunch, with wine –so lovely. Isabelle Grey, author of Shot Through the Heart and also a prolific and enormously successful screenwriter talked of the process.

Isabelle Grey

Cire Simone Photography

CJ Carver was in conversation with Margaret Graham. CJ is the author of bestselling Tell me a Lie, which follows from Spare me the Truth. Margaret has been in the game more years than she cares to remember, and the Easterleigh Hall novels are her latest.

CJ Carver

Cire Simone Photography

To wrap up the day Gillian Holmes who was Margaret’s editor at Random House and has since moved on ( coincidence? Margaret fears not ) and talked through importance of ‘how to get it right’ and the value of a one page synopsis which the audience found enormously helpful.

Gillian Holmes

Cire Simone Photography

So who are these WforW grannies? Margaret Graham, Janet Speedie and Penny Deacon are writers, and readers, and members of the Frost Magazine reviewing team. They receive fantastic support from Margaret’s family on LitFest Day. One acts as the speakers’ taxi, the children + Josh busy themselves in the kitchen (and taste the wine) keeping everyone fed and watered, the grandchildren are the runabouts and also present the ‘thank you’ gifts to the speakers.

The local Tesco and the Downley Co-op help with raffle prizes, and the buffet. But more: the manager of the co-op, Tom Gill, came along to help behind the scenes, and very necessary he was too. WforW were so grateful.

Some of Margaret’s Chesham writing group help with PR, bake cakes and many other fantastic things.

Artists Sharon Bennett and Judy Maynard exhibited their work.

In all it really is true that this is the most convivial of events, but more, or so those I spoke to reported. It is helpful for both readers and writers, friendly and huge fun. What more can one ask?

www.ciresimonephotography.com

www.jtyaf.org

www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk

On Saturday 6th May 2017, Richie, Tom, James, Shaun, Adam and Amber will attempt to do at least 30,000 strict press ups in 10 hours, instore at Sainsbury’s in Ferndown.

Why? Because they are raising funds for the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation.

John died on active service in Afghanistan and his family set up the foundation in his memory to give young people the chance to develop as individuals and achieve their ambitions in life. Since then more than 1250 young people have received funding and as Richie says “many more youngsters deserve the chance to be the best that they can be.”

Richie wants as many people to get involved as possible so if you’d like to support them and fancy a bit of a challenge why don’t you take on the Press Up Challenge too?

They’re not expecting you to do 30,000!  Just come along, make a donation and see how many press ups you can do in one minute. Get your friends to sponsor you as well.  The prize for the winning male and female, will be June, July and August for free at Richie’s Fitcamp. That’s about 24 sessions and worth over £100!  There will other fantastic prizes too.

If you’d rather avoid the ‘Press Up’ bit you can still help by coming along to support them on the day or support the charity by donating on Team Richie’s fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/30000pressups?

Training is going well and the Team would like to thank Ferndown Leisure Centre for providing the venue.  Thanks must also go to Sainsbury’s Ferndown for hosting the event, to Overhang who will be providing free energy drinks on the day, to My Protein for supplying compression tops and LetterX for printing them.

For more information about the work of the JTYAF please visit their website at www.jtyaf.org

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the great weather continues when friends and relatives visit?  However forget the weather for a moment, what about the wine

Cune Rioja 2014 Crianza

Give this great wine a try. A relative used to give us Rioja when we visited yonks ago now. I rather thought it would work well as a paint stripper.

This Cune Rioja 2014 Crianza however, is a totally different beast as I suspect they all are. However, it is this Cune Rioja that we tasted.

Fermentation in stainless steel tanks, estate bottled, it leads to a most enjoyable wine. It has a hint of vanilla amongst the taste of summer fruits. It is an elegant wine, a wonderful taste on the tongue and we ate it with roasted stuffed peppers, and a dry cured ham. A lovely wine, but absolutely no use whatsoever for paint stripping. Get thee to a DIY shop for that.

Founded in 1879 by two brothers, Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa, CVNE has remained in family hands, and they are now in their fifth generation.

Cune Crianza RRP £10.30

Stockists: Majestic, Tesco, Wine Rack, Wholefoods, EH Booth and Co, Vino Wines.

Joseph Mellot Sancerre La Graveliere 2015

I absolutely love a Sancerre, it is a special wine, one for that nice occasion. So what about the Sancerre La Gravelier 2015?

An elegant wine, well balanced and with citrus and white flower hints. I would rather like someone to describe me as such.

Apparently 2015 was a challenging year as rain and higher temperatures disturbed the flowering season. However a very dry summer allowed the grapes to ripen fully before harvest.

Well, difficult year or not, these conditions seem to have produced a fruity, well balanced wine whose position is right at the top of the tree . We loved it and though I enjoyed the mild creamy cheese I thought it would also have gone well with lobster: one of those meals that would have made a marriage in heaven.

Joseph Mellot Sancerre La Graveliere 2015

RRP £24.05

Stockists: Nisa Wholefoods, James McCabe, The Halifax Wine Company, Islington Wine

I love Easter. It is a time of renewal, a wondrous time on the Christian calendar and also a time when relatives pitch up.

Sadly, sadly Frost has had to suffer for you all, and taste some wines – are they suitable for granny, mummy, and let’s forget about the kids. Grandpa? Oh OK. Daddy? – if he’s good.

With the weather as it is, salad could well be in evidence and as it’s Easter, fish, or so it was in my ‘growing up’ days, and still is.

Try Hancock & Hancock Fiano: made from a 2ha vineyard that was grafted onto chardonnay rootstock only in 2012. This single block is located in Seaview, in the north of McLaren Vale, (Australia S.A.) next to Blewitt Springs. All names to conjure with.

I’m off to Australia, to see friends I made when researching my first bestseller, Canopy of Silence so must try to visit as I will be in the vicinity. I am intending to take the Indian Pacific train across the Nullabor embarking at Adelaide, so I should have time to whizz a bit further south

A portion of the wine is fermented in old oak barrels and part in stainless steel. It is blended soon after ferment, fined, filtered and bottled in order to retain the fresh characteristics.

So, let’s get to the nitty gritty. Is it good? I should say so. Loved it. I think it would work as well as an aperitif or with fish. Some say it would work well with spicy or Asian dishes, but as I don’t really care for them, I can’t say.

When we toured several Australian vineyards a few years ago, I had a sneaky feeling they kept the best for themselves, but now I’m not sure. This Fiano is really good. Drink chilled, of course. Great.

Hancock & Gancock McLaren Vale. S.A.

RRP £14.55

Stockists: Luvians Bottleshop, Ann et Vin, Eynsham Cellars, Warren Wines, Amp Fine Wines

Another white: Errazuriz Estate Series – Pino Grigio 2015

The grapes are picked by hand in the Aconcagua Valley , Chile, and taken to the winery where they are lightly clarified and fermented in stainless steel tanks.

The grapes do well in the Mediterranean climate and of course Pino Grigio is suitable for so many foods.

We tried it with a rather good chicken dish, but it would work equally well with fish, shellfish, Italian dishes, picnics. Pino Grigio is considered by some to be   the Jack of all trades, but far from being the master of none, the Estate Series really is rather good. Oh dear, might have to have another glass…

Errazuriz Estate Series Pino Grigio 2015

RRP £10.30

Stockists: Amazon, Ann et Vin, The Bottleneck, Islington Wine

This is the final part of Ben Kane’s trilogy about the Roman invasion of Germany in AD15. Centurion Tullus will not rest until Arminius is dead and his old legion’s eagle is liberated.

Arminius, the crafty and charismatic tribal leader is determined to raise another large army to fight and destroy Germanicus and his Roman Legions. Can he use all his charm and resourcefulness to persuade the tribes to agree to another battle against the Romans?

The huge Roman army is frustrated by the long, cold wait for the planned spring invasion of Germania. Germanicus and Tullus carefully plan their strategy for the defeat of Arminius and being reunited with the 18^th legion’s eagle – a perilous and bloody mission for all.

Once again Ben Kane is a master storyteller, the historical detail is amazing – death, destruction and bloodshed are everywhere.

Ben Kane was born in Kenya but educated in Ireland. Following University in Dublin he travelled the world extensively enjoying his passion for ancient history. He lives with his wife and two children in North Somerset.

Published by Preface in hardback, priced £12.99