Two Strangers Carrying A Cake Across New York, Kiln Theatre Review

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Tiemo Talk
  • Musical-Play: Two Strangers ( Carry a Cake across New York)
  • Review Date: 16 January 2024
  • Star Rating: *****
  • Theatre: The Kiln, Kilburn, London NW6 – November 2023 – 20 January 2024; then Criterion Theatre, London SW1- 4 April – 17 July 2024
  • Writers: Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
  • Cast: Dujonna Gift (Robin) & Sam Tutty (Dougal)
  • Director: Tim Jackson

Two is the magic number for Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Two great cities. Two continents. Two actors. Two strangers (carry a cake across New York). Two hours long and way too cold!

OK the last bit won’t always ring true but on a freezing cold January night in Kilburn, North West London, the smash hit musical ‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake across New York)’ set out to warm the cockles of theatre goers hearts in a brand new musical Rom-Com written by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan. Whilst we’re all very familiar with movie Rom-Coms seeing such a genre played out on stage is quite the rarity.

Dujonna Gift (Robin) and Sam Tutty (Dougal)

The premise of the play surrounds two strangers meeting up. Dougal (Sam Tutty) from London flys to New York to meet Robin (Dujonna Gift) ahead of the wedding of Dougal’s father (whom he’s never met) and Robin’s older sister Melissa. What ensues is a comedic musical play of great wit, humour and pure joy – with a myriad of layers to it that gradually get peeled back like an onion via numerous subtle surprises and plot twists.

Dougal is a totally loveable, irritable (to Robin) character, full of totally understandable boyish enthusiasm for his first visit to New York and the opportunity to not only sight see and attend his father’s wedding, but to meet him for the first time. In addition there’d be meeting  up with the American family he never knew he had. How sweet a set up. What could possibly go wrong? Well it would be remiss of me to say too much, suffice to say that streetwise New Yorker Robin has little time for sight seeing and even less time for Dougal’s wide eyed tourism and enthusiasm for all things family.

Sam Tutty (Dougal)

After a fashion it becomes clear, as the musical’s title reveals, that a wedding cake will have to be obtained and carried across New York and therein lies the journey to many revelations explaining the complicated family dynamics.

Whilst billed as a musical I would say it’s more of a straight play (60%) of the time with song and dance seamlessly segue-wayed in for 30% of the time. The singing, especially of Sam is an absolute joy – both vocally excellent allied to witty, funny lyrics telling a story of how he is feeling at any given scene. Dujonna Gift sings really well  with a fine West End musical vocal style.

There’s a very believable, relatable chemistry between the two actors which you see develop in a non-linear way through the show as the initial fixed positions of the characters shift in line with the developing storyline.

Great use is made of the enormous revolving set and huge array of suitcases so integral to the set and the story. It was so simple yet incredibly effective as a backdrop for so many surprises.

I loved the sequence and running story re Robin and matchmaking via tinder.

Dujonna Gift (Robin)

Act II takes it to another level as we approach the wedding and countless vital revelations. The tension, suspense and drama increases higher than the stack of suitcases piled on stage.

I like the questions posed by the show – Are we enough? Do we need to seek completeness from others  – especially those we’ve never met – even if societal norms tell us that we are meant to know and love our fathers and mothers, to be a part of their lives, attend big social gatherings. Does any of it truly matter in the big scheme of things?

It’s a story of connection – how two strangers from different continents can connect. The principals may be from two of the biggest, cultural cities in the world – divided by 3,500 miles but they found a human connection.

At the time and on reflection I still don’t think Robin should have revealed the information she did that caused so much friction. I understand why but the way it was done, came across all wrong – giving the impression that it wasn’t her place to. I guess without that the direction the play took and the dynamics between Dougal and Robin would have been different in Act II.

Dujanna Gift (Robin) and Sam Tutty (Dougal)

Two Strangers is a sensational piece of pure unadulterated fun, escapist musical theatre. I absolutely loved it. It’s a genuine feel good, smile on the face show.  A fantastic Rom-Com in the finest traditions, with an original take on this popular genre. The acting, singing, music, storyline and set were all first class.

I may be wrong but a fresh new play not based on a film is quite the novelty in theatre. That said it did remind me of a beautiful film I watched last Christmas – ‘The Noel Diaries’ (2022) – Netflix.

On a bitterly cold (-3c) night in Kilburn, this truly wonderful musical warmed the heart and I’m sure will have put smiles on faces of everyone watching before they braved the Kilburn cold. The closing standing ovation the actors received was richly deserved and it is easy to see why the show sold out its 3 month run at The Kiln.

Its success has earned itself a transfer to the West End at the Criterion Theatre, Piccadilly Circus. The journey continues. Two Strangers – now Carrying a cake from Kilburn to The West End. Catch it whilst you can. The cake is delicious.

© Tiemo Talk of The Town

© Photographs – Two Strangers

Two Strangers(Carry a Cake Across New York) – Official West End Trailer 2024

Links:

  1. Roy Williams – Sucker Punch Review – 22 April 2023
  2. For Black Boys, Six Black Men, Thrilling Audiences Live At The Apollo – Review 19 April 2023
  3. Theatre and Performance Collections at the V&A – 2023

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Dear England, Prince Edward Theatre Review: From Also Ran’s to World Beaters (Nearly)

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Tiemo Talk

Dear England

  • Review Date: 11 January 2024
  • Venue: Prince Edward Theatre, London SW1
  • Star Rating: *****
  • Writer: James Graham
  • Director: Rupert Goold
  • Screening: Dear England will be in cinema’s nationally on 25 January 2024 and selected dates and locations thereafter in January and February 2024.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” So said Albert Einstein according to popular folklore.

England are in the results business and after the “un-voluntary” resignation of Sam Allardyce in 2016 – seems a lifetime ago – for speaking un-guardedly to undercover journalists about dodgy sounding transfer deals, opportunity came knocking for the then England Under 21 coach Gareth Southgate to step up and hold the Caretaker reigns of England manager. Whilst happy to take on the role – albeit on an interim basis, which he sagely acknowledged to his FA bosses meant the prospect of this becoming permanent was slim to none as that had never happened to an interim before! Crucially from the get go Joseph Fiennes (Gareth Southgate) makes clear he’ll only take on the job under his terms.

As a former player, manager and England youth team coach he was well placed to observe as an insider what worked and what wasn’t working and whilst he admitted he didn’t have the answers he knew he had to find an approach which would deliver what the FA and the nation wanted. He was not willing for his tenure to be the Einstein definition of insanity.

Joseph Fiennes (Gareth Southgate)

What is so fascinating about James Graham’s ‘Dear England’ is not so much the re-telling of the England story, which I’m sure all long suffering football fans know all too well, but the story behind the transformation from perennial penalty missing, also ran’s to consistent match winners. A team playing with hope that was confident in its ability and capacity to fulfil the hopes of a nation.

Dear England was the perfect play to see to start the new year, not just because it was utterly brilliant, but because it’s one of hope, vision and pragmatism – qualities of which anyone with ambition for a good year hopes to set out, plan for and achieve in the year ahead of them.

I loved Dear England from kick off to final whistle. It had everything – great dialogue, youthful energy and exuberance from the players, wisdom and experience from the older men and women, plus lots of good natured banter and humour. Not surprisingly, there was plenty of sadness and pathos as the audience is taken down memory lane to relive distant and more recent heartbreak tournament endings. It was also a pleasure to see the juxtaposition of all this with some of the major political events of the time via cameo’s from actors playing former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Theresa May and Liz Truss. How times have changed when the England Manager outlast not jus tone, but numerous Prime Ministers!

In a way what Southgate identified was a very real form of intergenerational trauma that had passed down from generation to generation; a trauma that lodged both in players and public consciousness (whether consciously or unconsciously for younger players who won’t have real time memories of previous near misses) that said “we always lose at penalties,” “we don’t get past quarter/semi-finals.”

Joseph Fiennes (Gareth Southgate)

Southgate knew you couldn’t change the pattern without examining in some detail the conditions that resulted in the particular psyche and repeat outcomes playing out. The play shows his thought processes, the key analysis that whilst England often had the talent and ability, it was perhaps the mindset, the mental side of things, that needed more attention. That lead to the search for and introduction to the management team of Dr Pippa Grange (Dirvla Kirwan), Sports Psychologist and Head of People and Team Development at The Football Association from 2017 until 2019. She was very reluctant to take up the offer but was persuaded by the grand project Southgate had in mind. Without saying too much more, that was quite poignant as one of the running themes/jokes (we can kind of laugh at it now but it’s still kind of painful if you’re a passionate for success England fan) was Southgate’s infamous penalty shoot out miss in Euro 1996 and hearing Southgate melancholically saying “I never had mental health support” after his miss. He wasn’t complaining but you can imagine/recall the verbal and printed public attacks on him must have been quite something to bear for the then 25 year old Southgate.

Dervla Kirwan (Dr Pippa grange)

I welcomed the insight that Gareth wanted to implement a realistic long term plan – which may or may not outlast his tenure, namely a 3 act story – that didn’t realistically, in his view, see England winning the next tournament ahead – the World Cup 2018, nor Euro 2020 (held in 2021 due to Covid-19 in 2020) but the ambition was to win the Qatar World Cup 2022).That’s a great metaphor for England and a classic one for life – if you have realistic long term goals broken down into bite size goals as opposed to say I want to lose weight e.g. I want to lose say 3 stones by 2026 and tailor make a programme allied to deliberate and purposeful change of habits and timetable towards that.

It’s great to see the story about how the famous “waistcoat” came about – all part of the journey of transforming England’s fortunes. There were superb performances from so many of the cast that successfully conveyed the journey, the struggle, the joys of victory and pain of defeat. I thought it was quite ironic that the biggest cheer from the audience came about when England women’s team lifted the Women’s Euros in 2022 via the inspired coaching of Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman. All credit to her of course, but maybe part of their success owed a debt of gratitude to the mindset changes Gareth had introduced right throughout the FA to give the women’s game a welcome shot in the arm.

Euro 2020 was a great tournament for England. We made the final but have to say in the final  and initial analysis in this writers opinion, it was frankly a bad decision to bring on 3 strikers right at the end just to take penalties. It’s almost insulting that they weren’t considered worthy of playing not only for the first 90 minutes, but barely any of the 30 minutes of extra time, yet somehow they were expected to come on “cold” in Qatar and score a penalty in what may have been their only touch of the ball. No pressure lads! In what other sport would that happen?

The play moves on at “tiki taka” rapid pace, especially during the actual matches, towards what we now know must have been Act 3 in Gareth’s vision board – the Qatar World Cup of 2022. Suffice to say we know how that ended.  Although not ending the way fans would have liked, what had long changed by this point was the perception of England and the national reaction to defeat. Yes defeats still really hurt. Penalties cost us again. However there was an acceptance, real joy and pride in the fact that we’d played really well, we’re a nation now in the mix when it comes to the business end of tournaments and sometimes fate does what fate does and there’s not a whole lot you can do about that. To quote one of the many messages relayed on the electronic screens –  “The struggle is where you find the joy that leads to change,” Dr Pippa Grange.

During the dressing room inquest into one defeat I loved Gareth’s comment: “I know how we lost but why?” That’s really getting to the heart of the matter which is what the play was all about. Going back to the weight analogy “We know HOW we put on weight. To address weight reduction, one needs to ask WHY we put on weight?”

I think there are lessons to be learned in this from our political leaders. Pre-and post Brexit England’s reputation has really suffered. We’re not where we’d like to be nationally and our global reputation has been tarnished. A leader with a long-term vision – beyond the 5 year cycle of general elections needs to do a Gareth Southgate style make over to reset the nation’s perception, capability and ambitions internally and internationally. In a way Southgate’s Dear England letter of 8 June 2021  and 20 March 2020 letter was very much one of a statesman looking at the broader picture, not just “one game/tournament at a time” mantra many managers and players trot out. Those letters gave this play it’s name and basis and clearly embodied Southgate the man and his vision.

I referred at the beginning to inter-generational trauma. It’s also a play of inter-generational memory, perhaps best summed up when one of the younger players asked “What’s Grandstand?” of one of the England set up was talking about the old BBC Sports show. Even some of the earlier England tournament losses will have gone above many of the recent crop of England players heads, but in a footballing sense there’s still that subconscious inter-generational trauma that had to be confronted and cracked hence the absolutely critical role Dr Grange played in addressing and tackling that unspoken issue.

It was great to see so many familiar faces over the years on stage – Gary Lineker, Alex Scott, Sam Allardyce and Sven-Goran Eriksson, who I wasn’t aware of whilst watching the show, but heard about afterwards in the major news story that broke that day that he had announced he’d been diagnosed with terminal cancer with a prognosis of not much more than a year to live. That is very sad news indeed and in way puts into perspective kicking footballs about for a living. Not to diminish that at all, but ironically that was part of the message Southgate conveyed – do your best, treat triumph and failure equally as Rudyard Kipling famously said. Don’t get carried away with either and you’ll be fine.

The cast of Dear England

Is football coming home? Aside from that time England invented the game (19th century) and won the World Cup in 1966 it’s never really belonged here since then – a full 58 years ago. Realistically, home is the nation’s who’ve won the cup home multiple times and only 8 nations have won it in the 94 years and 22 tournaments since the competition started in 1930 – Brazil (5), Germany (4) Italy (4) Argentina (3) Uruquay (2), France (2), England (1) & Spain (1).

At 3 hours including interval this play was the length of 2 matches but it didn’t feel like that. It was fully enjoyable and engrossing from start to finish.  The set was fantastic – ultra modern, with electronic boards flashing key moments, timelines and quotes.

It was a curiosity for a play about national game there was not a football to be seen on stage but you didn’t miss it as the acting said it all. One negative was the amount of profanity in the play. The writer and all involved had the ability to convey a play about football without a football I’m sure they would have had the wit and imagination to convey the language of footballers and the changing room and football world without resorting to swearing. I think it’s something to think about going forward.

Dear England hit the back of the net on numerous occasions. The smiles on faces and standing ovation at the end from a sold out Prince Edward Theatre said it all. That was entirely fitting as that’s one of the goals Southgate had at the outset – to put smiles back on the faces of England fans. Job done. Next stop World Cup 2024. Here’s hoping this fantastic play will require a rewrite with the ultimate happy ending after this Summer’s tournament in Germany.

Dear England will be in cinema’s nationally on 25 January 2024 and selected dates and locations thereafter in January and February 2024.

© Tiemo Talk of The Town

© Photographs – Marc Brenner

Dear England – The Play 

Links:

  1. Number of World Cups Won by Country Since 1930 – Statista – 29 August 2023
  2. Dear England – Open Letter to England – Gareth Southgate – 8 June 2021
  3. Open Letter to England – Gareth Southgate 20 March 2020

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Da Comedy Club Rants and Bants June Edition 

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Tiemo Talk
  • Review Date: 29th June 2023
  • Venue: BBMC/HOMAC Recording Studios, Willesden, London NW10
  • Rating: ***
  • Host: Rudi Lickwood
  • Comedians: Icy Jones, Chantel Nasinformation and ticketsh, Ayton Ayan, Hawa Kamara and Geoff Schumann
  • DJ: Peter Terry

On a hot summer’s night in London it takes a lot to get people to forgo the balmy, hot evening sunshine to go indoors for a comedy show. Nevertheless many comedy fans did just that in Brent at the BBMC/HOMAC Recording Studios in Willesden. Was it worth it? Let’s see.

The show was essentially a showcase of relatively new up and coming Black comedic talent book ended by two stalwarts of the Black comedy circuit, Da Rants and Bants organiser Mr Rudi Lickwood, with Geoff Schumann, headlining and closing the show.

Icy Jones

Rudi Lickwood opened the evening’s proceedings and quickly got the audiences laughter muscles revved up for the acts to follow, before handing over hosting duties to Icy Jones. Icy by name but not by nature, Icy Jones was anything but icy in his demeanour and delivery. Quite the opposite in fact, keeping things as hot as the weather outside with his comedy. His amiable, light hearted banter with the audience generated plenty of laughter and not a little awkwardness! Well, maybe not for him, but perhaps for one woman sitting in the front row whom he used to go to school with and had a crush on. It turns out she was in a class a few years above him, but they both handled the meeting well and with good humour. That could easily have thrown him but he handled it with aplomb. I guess this was bound to happen at some point as he’s a local guy as were many in the audience so especially when Rudi Lickwood and Geoff Schumann were on stage there was a lot of talk re some of the local schools and their reputations – including those schools that were no longer there and questioning which class of school pupils might have been responsible!

Chantel Nash

Chantal Nash

Hailing from Dagenham, Essex, Chantel Nash, was pretty funny with a set featuring her take on long-term relationships and the less joyous side of being a mother. She reeled of a lengthy tick list of the things mothers have to contend with, all the chores and tiredness experienced, which one couldn’t argue with and you sensed it was building to a strong punchline. Sadly the ending did not live up to the build up. This misery list technique only really works if the punchlines uplift the material to provide the laughs or if the persona is already there to carry it off regardless. Jack Dee does this very well. I think Chantel has a lot of potential and as with some of her material, her set would certainly have benefited from a much stronger closing joke.

Ayton Ayan

Ayton Ayan

Ayton Ayan was hard to miss on this line up. Well, at 6”5, former criminal solicitor, Ayton, from Brighton, is pretty much impossible to miss wherever he is! He had a good, friendly easy going comedy style. One of his opening jokes landed brilliantly with a play on words regarding perceptions of being a successful man. I also particularly loved the two kidney’s joke. It was quite witty and very amusing indeed thanks to a vivid analogy re parenting that I’d not come across before.

Unfortunately a number of jokes missed the spot and like Ayton himself, went way over the audiences head, so for sure a lot of work is required on his jokes and delivery. That will come with experience, writing and stage time. There were a few too many pauses in his set, where you could almost see the cogs turning as he changed tack, trying to work out what may work for this audience.

He tried a little interacting with the audience but that wasn’t really his strong point. Most newcomers struggle with this and tend to avoid it, so there’s nothing unusual about that. It’s an important skill of the trade and will come with practice and more on stage direct engagement with audiences.

Hawa Kamara

Hawa Kamara of Sierra Leone heritage delivered a barnstorming set and was fast out of the blocks, really lifting the atmosphere up a notch or three, creating a great atmosphere in the venue for her to showcase her talent. She was a bit crude at times, but very funny with it, with some very original takes on sex. She was clearly very talented and funny and I think with alternative material minus the crudeness, which I don’t think sat too well with some members of the audience, she could have generated just as much laughter.

Geoff Schumann

When Geoff Schumann took to the stage he not only had to deliver his set, but tactfully deal with a a somewhat inebriated heckler. I loved the way he dealt with it, via a running gag of getting his phone out and threatening to call the Home Secretary to have him deported!

There was a good deal of topical material in his performance – differences between races and the lengths they would go to, or not in some cultures, to protect their beloved 4 legged friends; stories re “typical” white v black adventures that go wrong. As a local man with a good deal of knowledge of the Brent area in which this show was taking place, that went down very well.

Geoff Schumann

He owned the stage and was fully attuned to the audience demographic. There was a oneness between comedian and audience in his stories, reminiscences and the range of topics covered. Schumann was in total command and wasn’t going to let one drunk man spoil it for the rest of the class, I mean audience! Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised that this former school teacher knew a thing or two about holding court and dealing with class troublemakers.

Rants and Bants was a very enjoyable show. The variety of acts, good mix of men and women, allied with the breadth of experience on show made for an interesting evening. On top of all that it helped greatly that the audience were friendly, sober (mainly), up for a laugh and contributed well to the night’s laughter, with plenty of witty interactions with the comedians on stage.

© Tiemo Talk of The Town

© Photographs – Tiemo Talk of the Town

Videos – Da Comedy Club Rants and Bants

The next Da Comedy Club Rants & Bants is on 27 July 2023 7.30pm Doors Open for 8.30pm start and features an excellent line up of Prince Abdi, Miss Mo’Real, Just P, Icy Jones and Oje the Comedian. Caribbean food and drinks can be purchased at the Green Room Cafe inside the venue so attendees can enjoy a pre-show or interval meal.

Further information and tickets including early bird offers.

Venue: BBMC/Homac Recording Studios: 385 High Road, Willesden, London NW10 2JR. Nearest Station: Dollis Hill (Jubilee line)

Links:

  1. For Black Boys, Six Black Men, Thrilling Audiences Live at the Apollo – Tiemo Review – 19 April 2023
  2. Sucker Punch Round 2 Hits The Sweet Spot – Tiemo review – 22 April 2023

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Posted in Arts and Culture, Comedy Reviews, Comedy Reviews 2023 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will it be All White on the Night? 

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Tiemo Talk
  • Review Date: 1st June 2023
  • Venue: Compass Theatre, Ickenham, Middlesex UB10
  • Rating: ****
  • Author: Yasmina Reza
  • Translation: Christopher Hampton
  • Cast: Duncan Sykes (Serge), Anton Jungreuthmayer, (Marc) & Mark Sutherland (Yvan)
  • Production: Proscenium Theatre

ART By Yasmina Reza

Stand back. Nothing to see here folks. On the face of it this play just shouldn’t work. A work of art, quite simply an all white painting is bought by a man called Serge for £100,000. Why? You look at the painting and immediately think has Serge (Duncan Sykes), this man of who we know nothing during this opening act of the play, has lost his mind. His two friends, Yvan (Mark Sutherland) and Marc (Anton Jungreuthmayer) certainly think so as they in their shock and astonishment, rib, tease and generally fall out over their bemusement and disappointment with Serge, who they thought, much like themselves, knew art so well. 

On the one hand the play is a serious philosophical discussion on the meaning and value of art; the how’s and why’s of valuations put on works of art. Obviously capitalism and market forces play a part, but the  the subjectivity around this and the fact that the so called “best art” doesn’t necessarily go for the highest price informs much of this fascinating play. 

Anton Jungreuthmayer (Marc), Duncan Sykes (Serge) and Mark Sutherland (Yvan)

To focus solely on the art is to be distracted though from an even deeper meaning. Not that there is a lot to be distracted by mind you in terms of the art work and set! The art work is more a vehicle for the dissection and un-ravelling of the 30 year friendship between three 50/60+ men. After a period of time, when the niceties and banter is out of the way, there’s a lot of honest talk amongst the three men. It’s clear they’d not really been entirely open with one another over the years and enjoyed a somewhat superficial relationship that’s worked for them over the years. Typical men you might say who  never really got into their feelings and being ‘real’, open and vulnerable to one another. Maybe, as with many men, it suited them and keeps them in their comfort zone. 

Such is the power and outrage/bemusement they feel over Serge’s thinking behind buying that painting it that the three men at one point wonder out loud why they are even friends. Yvan, something of a Jerry Springer look a like, is the quieter, less brash of the three men and you tend to feel for him when he is picked on by Serge and Marc. Notwithstanding that, he is well able to defend his corner when need be.

Mark Sutherland (Yvan) & Duncan Sykes (Serge)

As you’d expect there’s lots of on-going banter between them and you notice that it’s often two ganging up on one and the “chosen one” varying throughout.  There are no women and no other characters in the play so the three men carry the show and your interest entirely. 

Even the set is not a distraction. It was extremely dated. More 1923 than 2023. Paradoxically the actual set of Art could would have done with a lick of paint and benefited from a far more modern living room as centerpiece for the production, as after all the painting, in the context of the debatable artistic and monetary value put on it would be deemed nowadays and in the context of this play, ‘modern art’. 

I first saw this back in around 1997 at the Wyndham Theatre, in London’s West End. I loved it then and really enjoyed this production too. I noticed there were a few paintings from local artists in the Compass Theatre bar. It would have been a good idea to have hung up a white painting there and put a price tag of £100,000 on it! It may not have sold, but would have sparked up some interesting pre and post show conversation, if nothing else.

Fine art generally appreciates in value and Art is no exception. If the play comes around again I’d definitely recommend investing in a ticket.  

Mark Sutherland (Yvan) and Duncan Sykes (Serge)

Review © Tiemo Talk of The Town

Photography credits © Graham Hilling

Links:

Amazing: The George Michael Collection – 19 March 2019

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Posted in Arts and Culture, Men and Relationships, Theatre reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Industry Insights: Representation in Theatre

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Tiemo Talk

A V&A Museum panel conversation exploring the vital ongoing work on representation and diversity in the theatre industry

  • Sunday 23 April 2023
  • The Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre, Level 3
  • V&A Museum South Kensington, London SW7 2RL

On the day of the London Marathon, 23 April 2023,it was fitting to be listening to a discussion on how far the theatre industry has come in the marathon like struggle for representation and diversity.

In the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture theatre at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum I listened to four theatre bosses/actors discuss representation and diversity in the arts, how current developments have impacted theatre and challenged assumptions about all of this.

The chair of the panel was Carolyn Forsyth, Executive Director and joint CEO of Talawa Theatre and Board Member of UK Theatre; Mei Mac – Actress and Co-Founder Besea Rising Waves; Gabrielle Brooks Actress, Mawa Theatre Company, Blackstage UK and Theatre Peckham Trustee, plus Cherelle Skeete,  Actress, writer, cultural producer and co-founder of Blacktress UK.

L-R: Carolyn Forsyth, Mei Mac, Gabrielle Brooks and Cherelle Skeete – V&A Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre

The key topics the panel sought to explore were (1) How the global majority race (Black people) have been impacted by institutional racism and (2) executive roles in the higher echelons of the arts industry.

Mei Mac, 30, felt there was a need to “move away from the current patriarchal modus operandi to a more matriarchal model which is more supportive of one another, more supportive of actors, a more collaborative approach. Whilst it’s good to have representation by actors on stage, the higher up you go, the less diverse it is.  We need disruption, rebellion to create change. Whilst I’m not the one to do that, there is no one way to do activism. Everyone in the community needs to contribute in whatever way they can.” Carolyn Forsyth, 46, commented, “The issue is about how we’re funded and governance. It’s to do with equality of opportunities. The pandemic lead to something of a talent drain.”

Cherelle Skeete, 33, observed that she “didn’t believe in a so called ‘Black community’, saying there are far too many people to deem that it is one homogenous community. We’re so diverse.” Echoing Mei’s point, “It’s about what each of us autonomously decides to do. If you want to see something, then change it. We’ve been here long enough. We can’t keep waiting. There’s a responsibility of us to take care of ourselves, take responsibility for our situation (the negative impact of racism). Know who your allies are.”

Mei Mac

Mei said what the four people on this panel have done is “created our own spaces as an example of self-empowerment.” She mentioned that more people need to know and understand the various roles that exist and where the power to effect change lies. Artistic Directors don’t have that much power. Maybe it’s our responsibility to highlight the jobs people like Carolyn do. It’s the Producers with the power, not the Artistic Directors, who recommend ideas for shows to Producers,- but haven’t the authority to green light their own ideas. Executive Directors like Carolyn run the business and report to a board who can sign off on projects. She emphasised again that “funding is key to green lighting projects. Leadership is vital and we need representation in leadership roles to effect change. We need marketers, accountants, fundraisers etc...”

In response to a question from Tiemo Talk about what would they, if given the chance (for a second time) to put a request before Oliver Dowden, former Culture Secretary and newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister, in order to advance the cause, Mei explained that, “Unlike in the USA, UK theatre has a subsidised and private commercial sector that funds theatre. We want Government to basically listen to us.” Carolyn stated that she felt that “The unions and professional bodies need to be involved.”

Gabrielle Brooks

Gabrielle Brooks, 33, stated that “In our industry we tend to exist in our own companies and shows. We need to have serious conversations regarding well-being; what does this look like post pandemic? As actors we pretend so much perhaps we are pretending we didn’t go through a pandemic. We need to look at our well- being from the start, whether that’s when signing a new contract or starting a new show.”

Cherelle, observing the current wave of strikes across the UK and relating this to Mei’s reference to the success of the music union industry, wondered whether those working in theatre should strike too. Mei said we need representation in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and need to woo MP’s to support us. Carolyn said “We need to get better at getting in rooms with people we disagree with. She said she’s on the National Theatre board. We need to be brave in this space. Failure is OK so long as we’re learning from failure, not repeating mistakes.”

Cherelle Skeete

Considering the talk was about representation and diversity it was noticeable that there was an all female panel. When asked by an audience member why the panel was all female, Carolyn, who assembled the panel, explained that “I start by looking at the skill set required for the panel, then go out and seek that. If you go by visual representation, the people you select may not have the knowledge and skills I require.” I felt that answered the question I also had in mind very well and listening to the panel, they all delivered the industry insights promised by the talk and so couldn’t be faulted in that sense. That said, I’m sure there are men out there with just as much insight who could also have contributed to the debate.

The talk was interrupted at 2.50pm to warn people about the much trumpeted Emergency Alert due to go off on all mobile phones across the UK at 3pm. Considering there’d been so much media attention given to this I suspect everyone present knew that was going to happen so I was surprised the V&A organiser didn’t simply make a standard pre-show announcement regarding switching off mobile phones, especially as the talk was being filmed. I found that a somewhat unprofessional thing to do.

On a day when the London Marathon returned to its traditional April date for the first time in 3 years, it was a reminder that the struggle for representation is a marathon not a sprint, with many in the theatre industry impatient to get to the finish line.

© Tiemo Talk of The Town

© Photographs – Tiemo Talk of the Town except that of Mei Mac

Links:

  1. Roy Williams – Sucker Punch Review – 22 April 2023
  2. For Black Boys, Six Black Men, Thrilling Audiences Live At The Apollo – Review 19 April 2023
  3. Theatre and Performance Collections at the V&A – 2023

L-R Carolyn Forsyth, Mei Mac, Gabrielle Brooks and Cherelle Skeete – V&A’s Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre

Thank you for reading. We hope you enjoyed the review and that if you did, will post a comment and/or share it with others who may also appreciate the chance to read and comment on it. Simply scroll right down to the very end of the page and you’ll find the ‘Comments’ section.

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Why I Changed My Mind on the London ULEZ Expansion 2023

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Tiemo Talk

Like many Londoners I feared the introduction of the expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) zone into the outer zones of London beyond the current Congestion Charge zone largely covering inner London, Transport for London (TfL) zones 1-2. 

However when looked at more closely I realised 90%  of vehicles on the road, including my old Vauxhall Vectra (recently sold), those made circa 2006 onwards were Ulez compliant. To be frank I became far less personally troubled by the scheme from then on. Nonetheless, aside from that admittedly somewhat selfish view, the bigger picture is of course that the Mayor of London Mr Sadiq Khan is attempting to limit toxic air pollution from older cars that, according to his research, emit such noxious life threatening that have caused 1,000’s of premature deaths. Some might dispute that and whilst I might grudgingly support it from an air pollution standpoint, what I absolutely cannot agree with is paying drivers from TfL/Government i.e. tax payer money, to scrap their non-compliant vehicles.

For the last 2 years London drivers have been given a £2,000 (car) – £7,500 (van) – £9,500 (mini-bus) incentive by the Mayor to trade in their old, non-compliant vehicle, for a newer Ulez compliant vehicle

Considering that in 2020 and 2021  Transport for London was begging the Government for billions in funding to enable it to get through the pandemic, why is the Mayor now throwing money away – from a £110m fund no less – to allow people to treat themselves to new vehicles? 90% of vehicle owners have either maintained, bought and sold their previous cars without Mayoral assistance so why is Mayor Khan doing this? It’s not right or justifiable, especially when London Transport’s finances have been and continue to be in such a perilous state.

Those against the scheme cite that forcing people to pay £12.50 a day to drive in the expanded Ulez zone is a lot of money  – it could add up to £87.50 per week, £387.50 per month right up to £4,562.50 annually if you drive every day of the week/month/year within the Ulez zone – but that’s the choice drivers have had 2+ years to decide on since the first TFL scrappage scheme (2021). Either buy a newer Ulez compliant vehicle or pay the daily charge. I don’t think it’s any business of the Mayor of London using Londoners council tax to give away between £2,000 – £9,500 per driver for trading in old vehicles. That’s not managing TFL finances wisely and prudently.

I say it’s not just old vehicles that need trading in, old Mayors need trading in too. Time to kick Khan out. What say you?

© Tiemo Talk of The Town

 

 

Posted in News, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sucker Punch Round 2 Hits The Sweet Spot

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Tiemo Talk
  • Review Date: 14th April 2023
  • Venue: Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch, Essex
  • Rating: *****
  • Writer: Roy Williams
  • Cast: Christian Alifoe (Troy), Shem Hamilton (Leon), Liam Smith (Charlie), John Rogers (Tommy),Wayne Rollins (Squid), Poppy Winter (Becky) & Ray Strasser-King (Ray).

A Theatre Nation Partnerships production (supported by the National Theatre), produced by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch.

Two best mates, Leon and Troy, have spent their youth growing up in a boxing gym, figuring out a place in the world, vying for the approval of Charlie, their trainer.

Soon Leon and Becky, Charlie’s daughter, are trying to keep a big secret. In a ruthless world.

But there can only be one winner, and it’s time everyone stepped into the ring to face up to who they really are…

This tender, bruising and funny play by leading British dramatist Roy Williams, brilliantly explores being young and black in the 80s. Winning the Alfred Fagon Award, The Writers Guild Award for Best Play and nominated for an Olivier for Best New Play, it first opened in a sell-out production at London’s Royal Court.

A regional premiere of thrillingly staged event theatre, from an exciting partnership of theatres, touring nationally from 30 March 2023 – 24 June 2023.

“Don’t call it a come back” famously sang LL Cool J in the introduction to his ‘Mama said knock you out’ song (1991). Leading British Dramatist Roy Williams clearly wasn’t listening as he has revived his 2010 hit play ‘Sucker Punch,’ in a Three Nations Partnership production with the Queen’s Theatre and National Theatre.

Upon entering the theatre you are immediately drawn into the world of pugilists and best mates Troy (Christian Alifoe) the star boxer and Leon (Shem Hamilton). Their world essentially revolves around the boxing gym, doubling up as their safe refuge from the troubles of life they’re experiencing growing up in London. This, at a time when things are about to explode as a consequence of rising tensions between the police and Black youths over race, which lead to the violent eruption in the form of the riots of the 1980’s.  Before the show event starts you see Tommy (John Rogers) shadow boxing with Boxing Gym owner and Trainer Charlie (Liam Smith).

Shem Hamilton (Leon) & Wayne Rollins (Squid)

The storyline explores the nature of manhood as Leon and Troy look to work out what they are going to do with their lives, whether they can “be a contender” so to speak. Leon, more than Troy, sees Charlie as a father figure. Whether that’s something Charlie see’s or wants you will discover, but you can see why Leon looks up to him considering the deadbeat man he has for a father, the curiously named Squid (comedian and actor Wayne Rollins) who frequently shows up often to borrow money from his son. They get along but the relationship is not what it could be because usually whenever he shows up it’s because he’s short of money – I thought that’s meant to be the son’s role!

Not surprisingly, being a comedian in real life, Squid’s character brings a lot of laughter to the show, not just through his words, but more often his mannerisms, his walking style and deep, Caribbean accent.

Charlie’s not that dissimilar in a way to Squid. He’s a veteran trainer and gym owner of many years standing, but has struggled to make any of his boxers a big success and if anything, his scattiness in how he runs his business, always at the edge of bankruptcy, is equal to his inability to take a boxer to the top.

It takes his school girl daughter Becky (Poppy Winter, making her professional acting debut) to try and bring some order and sense to his business.

As the story of the boy’s lives progresses, not only do we see that the gym is their refuge from the streets, it of course doubles up as a sure fire escape route from the streets to a richer, safer, luxurious lifestyle, that the trappings of a successful professional boxing career can bring.

There’s a great deal of witty, good natured and bad tempered banter between all of the characters, whether between Leon and Troy; or them and John, Squid and Becky. Though the story’s focus is on boxing, this is much more than a boxing story. There’s no one really guiding them in what it is to be a man, other than being disciplined in the boxing ring via training and the life they lead outside of the gym. Charlie and Squid don’t provide the adult guidance that Leon and Troy required to navigate the difficulties faced by young Black men in London during that era. Charlie was either oblivious to it or didn’t care. He came across as somewhat racist with his comments, yet was happy to have Black boxers under his wing. Even when he nailed his colours to the mast Leon seemed willing to allow that to go over his head such was his desire to achieve his boxing goals. As a relationship developed between Leon and Becky it was clear for obvious reasons that Charlie wasn’t best pleased.

The play does throw up this huge dilemmas – the girl or success; a racist trainer or success? Friendship or success? Sucker Punch has a thumping soundtrack of reggae and many well known songs including Soul II Soul. The set is minimal in keeping with the theme, yet perfect for the job. The sparky dialogue between all the characters keeps you not only enthralled, but on your toes. You need to be to keep up and avoid getting sucker punched.

Poppy Winter (Becky)

Never mind not calling it a come back, this was one hell of a comeback show. I saw this the first time round in 2010 at the Royal Court theatre featuring a then little known Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and it was great to see it again. Not surprisingly there’s lots of boxing in the play, so if you love boxing, this won’t disappoint. The men argue, banter, laugh, spar and fight for much of the time. Who will deliver the sucker punch, the knock out blow? There’s only one way to find out!

LL Cool J sang “Don’t call it a comeback.” I say there’s nothing wrong with a comeback (or a call back).They made a multi- millionaire of the once broke Sylvester “Rocky” Stallone.

Sucker Punch is currently on a national tour until 24 June 2023. You’ll love it. Knock yourself out.

Review © Tiemo Talk of The Town

Image credits © James Day

Links:

  1. For Black Boys, Six Black Men, Thrilling Audiences Live At The Apollo – 19 April 2023
  2. Aurie Styla’s Green Agenda – 3 April 2022
  3. Will Smith’s Oscars Breakdown – 31st March 2022

Thank you for reading. We hope you enjoyed it and that if you did, will post a comment and/or share it with others who may also appreciate the chance to read it and comment. Simply scroll right down to the very end of the page and you’ll find the ‘Comments’ section.

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For Black Boys, Six Black Men, Thrilling Audiences Live at the Apollo

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Tiemo Talk
  • Date: 6th April 2023
  • Venue: Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1
  • Play: For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy
  • Rating: *****
  • Writer & Director: Ryan Calais Cameron
  • Produced by: The Royal Court  Theatre, Nouveau Riche and New Diorama Theatre

Good theatre can excite for a wide variety of reasons, or it can be simply down to a few things such as acting and stage set exceptionally well. For Black Boys has it all with its engaging, enthralling story line told in a combined straight play and musical format. Essentially the focus is a group therapy session for 6 young Black men as they share their lives, experiences, worries and concerns. Worthy and serious as that sounds this is not your traditional style of covering serious themes.

The play is acted out in such an uplifting, joyous manner that you could almost forget there are quite a number of weighty issues being tackled head on. From the start and throughout you warm to and feel invested in the 6 characters – Midnight (Kaine Lawrence, Jet (Nnabiko Ejimofor) Pitch (Emmanuel Akwafo), Onyx (Mark Akintimehin), Sable (Darragh Hand) and Obsidian (Aruna Jalloh). We soon to get to find out a little about who they are – student, road man, hard man, professional, the womaniser etc… They banter and rib one another mercilessly given half the chance. There’s an endearing warmth to their camaraderie. The men are largely full of youthful bravado and machismo, whether that’s regaling with tales of chirpsing girls, how many women they’ve slept with or their annoying, frustrating stop and search encounters with the police. There’s a brilliantly funny and witty real laugh out loud joke when a comparison is made between fire-fighters, ambulance crew and police officers. A cutting observation made in a hilariously unexpected way.

There’s a lot  more unexpected humour dropped in alongside the pathos and above all joyfulness of the production. A surprising amount of music, dancing and singing  features as a vehicle for relating the six young men’s stories. For Black Boys is a wonderful combination of regular and musical theatre styles in a heady, fruity and mesmerising concoction. In fact, Playwright Ryan Calais Cameron’s inspiration for this show, the late Ntozake Shange, actually coined the phrase ‘choreopoem’ to describe her ground breaking dramatic form, combining poetry, dance, music, and song in the forerunner to For Black Boys ‘For Coloured Girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf’ (1975) that chronicled the lives of women of colour in the United States of America.

Amidst all the jokes, banter and braggadocio, issues are raised concerning relationships, being single, child abuse, what it is to be a Black man, racism and stop and search, to the extent that whilst your laughing or are shocked by what you see and hear, it also makes you stop and think.

There’s a simplicity to the 2 level set that doesn’t distract, but leaves the focus solely on the actors. The show lends itself easily to audience participation (of the welcome good type not ‘The Bodyguard’ Manchester type – Good Friday 7 April 2023). There was a great moment when the guys were trying to guess the nationality of one of the men’s new girlfriend and a woman in the Upper Circle hopefully shouted out “Ghanaian” and it turned out she was – queue great laughter.

Act II goes deeper and is effectively but subtly the set piece group therapy session at which the guys truly and much more sincerely open up to one another. Based on Act I you expect them to rib one another and thus be reticent to open up, but there’s little of that which raises the stakes to a higher level as the bravado is stripped back to reveal true thoughts and feelings about who they are, what is really troubling them to such an extreme extent that, alluding to the show’s full title, thoughts of suicide rear their ugly head. It’s very moving and in a way just as this comes as a big surprise after the playfulness of Act I, it mirrors how things can be in real life as it’s not always evident that people are considering “suicide when the hue gets too heavy” as many will mask their true feelings of desperation, burying such dark feelings and thoughts so deeply within their souls that it comes as a huge and tragic surprise when they do act on those deepest, darkest thoughts.

A number of the men seem to have suffered from lack of a father figure in their lives and in particular from a lack of love more generally. That is one of the big themes of ‘For Black Boys’. How the absence of love leads young men to seek love in other ways, a somewhat arguably toxic hyper masculinity – womanising, viewing success as the number of women they can bed, rather than the quality of relationship and developing one successful relationship to its logical conclusion, whether that is a settled monogamous relationship, marriage and/or creating and raising a family together.

There’s a scene where one of the men comes out a little leftfield as being gay. There was nothing to suggest he was that way included judging by Act 1, but perhaps that was exactly the point. Due to societal norms and black male culture, being gay has been traditionally frowned upon, such that he could only come out in the “safe space” of a group therapy session. Nonetheless it seemed out of kilter with the storyline and character’s development up to that point. Black culture is not typically one that embraces homosexuality and therefore in a play featuring just 6 men, it seemed a million miles from being an accurate, balanced or fair representation statistically of the black male experience. Only 2.7% of the UK Population identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) according to the 2019 Census. This figure is likely to be an under-estimate due to fears of disclosing sexuality even in an anonymous national census in which 93.7% identified as heterosexual. There has been a great increase in the numbers of men feeling anxious, contemplating ending it all and literally, as this play depicts, seeking therapy to handle living in a society that doesn’t understand or want to understand their lives and lifestyles.

As stated, the headline theme of suicide looms large in Act II in a subtle, not so in your face way you might have expected based on the extremely long title of the play. The message is loud and clear. The value of the therapy was in the talking, a community of men coming together to share experiences in a non-judgmental but supportive way. That just doesn’t happen enough. The future for young men doesn’t have to mean group or even individual therapy (though not a bad idea at all) but at the very least in Black men dropping the façade and opening up and talking to one another in a real way, one that bear fruits in solutions, love and a constructive way forward in tackling the issues they may be battling and bottling up. Suicide may seem the way out but at what cost? What problem does that really solve and who benefits?

Whilst I know the idea for the play was directly inspired by the writer Ryan Calais Cameron having been influenced by Ntozake Shange’s ‘For Coloured Girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (1975)’ the full title is dreadful. The official hash tag of #ForBlackBoys might have been better and easier to say and recall; or some other shorter title that describes the play.

That quibble aside, For Black Boys is a smash hit West End success in its 3rd incarnation following its debut run at the Diorama Theatre [2021], Royal Court Theatre [2022] and now in 2023 the Apollo theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue. For Black Boys has the potential to be a game changer in the demographic of theatre productions and theatre goers in the West End. I’ve never witnessed such love and joy for a play amongst such a wide spectrum (Black, white, men, women, young and middle aged) that I’m seeing For Black Boys on social media. This show is that good, relevant and important that it deserves an extended West End run, national tour and in time a transfer to the bright lights of Broadway where the guys can razzle dazzle audiences in New York.

© Tiemo Talk of the Town

© Photos – Ali Wright

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy plays the Apollo Theatre for a strictly limited season until 7 May 2023.

Links:

  1. Aurie Styla’s Green Agenda – 3 April 2022
  2. Will Smith’s Oscars Breakdown – 31st March 2022

Thank you for reading this article. We hope you enjoyed it and that if you did, will post a comment and/or share it with others who may also appreciate the chance to read it and comment. Simply scroll right down to the very end of the page and you’ll find the ‘Comments’ section.

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Aurie Styla’s Green Agenda

Posted on April 3, 2022 by Tiemo Talk
  • Date: 26th March 2022
  • Venue: Bush Hall, Shepherds Bush, London W12
  • Comedian: Aurie Styla
  • Rating: *****Shepherds Bush is All Green

The cacophony of sound that greeted Aurie Styla’s entrance onto the Bush Hall stage could have landed him in trouble for breaking residential noise levels in Shepherds Bush. It was more akin to a rock star’s entrance. The energy was on another level. Perhaps many present hadn’t been to a show for such a long time due to the pandemic. Or more likely it had more to do with this show effectively being a homecoming for West Londoner Styla on his national ‘Green’ tour.

Aurie Styla

In this sold out night Styla reflected on how the pandemic had impacted him, his family and those around him. He reminded people that we had been, still are in fact, living through history – with Covid-19, not to mention Brexit, George Floyd and the Ukraine-Russia war. For those reasons it was important for people to pay close attention to what’s been going on in the country and wider world.

A show about the green agenda may not be many people’s idea of a fun Saturday night out, but high on Aurie Styla’s green agenda was not so much the future for the environment, it was more about creating the right environment, in the here and now, for laughter, happiness and reflection.

Covid-19

For a show strong on Covid-19 lockdown reflections, it was fitting that this show took place in the week that marked the 2 year anniversary of the first lockdown on 23 March 2020. Styla amusingly poked fun at the juxtaposition of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statesmanship at his Number 10 Press conferences set against his plumy voice and unkempt hair. This, on top of the Government’s response to the pandemic, didn’t give Styla any confidence in Mr Johnson and his government. However he had found an innovative way to make listening to the PM more palatable which featured one of his male relatives. This was one of a number of lovely family orientated jokes. Other highlighted members were his talented 9 year old maths wiz nephew and his obdurate 90 year old grandmother’, who’s unusual strategy for avoiding Covid as well as celebrating her 90th birthday were a real joy. Was she going to deny herself a party in the middle of a pandemic? No comment. Not whilst the Police are busy issuing retrospective party fines!

Mental Health

Unexpectedly the show took a more serious turn, in topic only, without losing the entertainment fans had come out for. The centrepiece of the show focused on Styla’s interest in and technique for maintaining his mental health and well-being and in particular how it’s so different, arguably culturally much harder, for men to open up about their mental health, especially to other men or health professionals. The analogy he drew was particularly funny, especially given the absolute kernel of truth in it, albeit probably exaggerated for comedic effect.

In general, Styla asserted, not unsurprisingly, that women tend to talk more about their issues and worries, whereas men tend to talk about anything but what’s really bothering them – be that their health, work, finances or relationships. That’s the difference. It made me think that a way forward is for men to aim to try getting beyond the more frivolous or serious but non-personal conversations, to seriously enquiring about their friends, family and work colleague’s well-being. To go beneath the veneer of ‘I’m all right Jack’ to probe to see if Jack really is alright. As men we like to pretend all is well and don’t open up when things really are going very badly. That doesn’t help them – hence the far higher suicide rates and the fact it’s mainly men opening up and causing the madness we see here and especially in the USA with mass shootings and the police brutality that goes on and that’s just the extreme end of things of course, yet that’s the most brutal, fatalistic, highly visible outcome that not opening up can lead to. A lot of mental health damage* is going on for men who don’t even reach such extremes of behaviour. You could argue that Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the 94th Oscars Awards Ceremony, the very next night after this show, was a classic (albeit violent and shocking) example of what can happen when a man doesn’t open up. Everything can just explode.

Aurie Styla

Without revealing too much, Styla was frank about the benefits he’s found in regular therapy sessions and how he gained a greater understanding of the process the more he went – including understanding why he was the one paying yet doing most of the talking! There were jokes galore amongst the seriousness, but nonetheless the message came across loud and clear that it’s good to talk and nothing to fear from seeking therapy and opening up to therapists, counsellors, friends, family or work colleagues for that matter. The importance of this was best summed up when he stated that he placed the same value on mental well being as physical health. It’s akin to car maintenance. To keep your car ticking over nicely its best to have it serviced at regular intervals. He encouraged men watching to take note. Physical and mental health move in tandem and if men want both to last as long as they can, they need to be well serviced and looked after. Not sure if that sounds right, but you know what I mean!

Talking of two moving in tandem, the ‘mandem’ gym changing room story was one of the, no pun intended, stand out tales of the night and had the audience in stitches.

The Green Agenda

The green agenda in the environmental sense did actually come up as Styla disclosed that he drives an electric vehicle, purchased long before the fuel crisis and exorbitant petrol price rises experienced in recent months. He wasn’t preachy about it but had been urging friends and family to consider the benefits of going green for some time. I guess he’s having the last laugh now!

On the same theme, he mentioned the joys of country living, the quietness of his Bedfordshire village compared to when he lived in London, when his normal background noise was the hubbub of people and police/ambulance sirens.

Aurie Styla at Bush Hall

Aside from making people laugh and giving people a good night out, the emphasis was on the importance of men opening up and the belief that laughter is therapy. For him the therapeutic gain was getting in touch with his true, authentic self. The audience witnessed the result in this eponymously titled show ‘Green’, a reference to his real surname.

March 2022 marked 12 years for Styla as a stand up comedian. His experience and comedy credentials shone through in this stellar show that had it all – jokes galore, politics, topical material, reflections on the pandemic, great audience interactions, plus an overriding theme of looking after one’s mental health.

Aurie Styla’s real surname may be green, but this show demonstrated that he was anything but when it came to this polished, virtuoso performance.

© Tiemo Talk of the Town

B&W Photo at Bush Hall courtesy of Frozen Energy Photography

* This is a subject covered in Ryan Calais Cameron’s new play ‘For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy’ at the Royal Court Theatre, London running from 31/03/2022 – 30/04/2022.

Links:

  1. Will Smith’s Oscars Breakdown – Tiemo article – 31st March 2022

Thank you for reading this article. We hope you enjoyed it and that if you did, will post a comment and/or share it with others who may also appreciate the chance to read it and comment. Simply scroll right down to the very end of the page and you’ll find the ‘Comments’ section.

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Posted in Arts and Culture, Comedy Reviews 2022, Men and Relationships | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Will Smith’s Oscars Meltdown

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Tiemo Talk

Rock by name. Rock by nature. That’s what we saw from Oscar’s host and top comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday night. The slap from out of nowhere didn’t leave him fall or seeing stars in his head – they were literally right in front of him. In his head he could well have been humming famed Oscar party host, Elton John’s, ‘I’m Still Standing’!

Frankly I don’t know what all the fuss was about. Will Smith just had a blind spot and thought he would practice the feigned forehand smash he’d learned for his Oscar winning performance in King Richard, using the “unfortunate” Chris Rock’s face as a tennis ball. Ouch!

Of course it goes without saying that Will Smith was literally slap, bang, wallop out of order to physically attack Chris Rock for his joke on Sunday night. As Smith has himself said “It was unacceptable and inexcusable. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

Will Smith slaps Chris Rock

Clearly it would seem something other than the joke itself triggered Smith’s over the top response for he was enjoying and freely laughing away at Rock’s jokes. Something took away the freedom he felt to hold that mood. I’ll leave that for others more closely aware of the back story to conjecture as to the real reason for that ugly change. Previous running jokes against his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith did not merit that response.

We can all think of many other comedians and award show hosts that might have deserved a slap but Rock was emphatically NOT the one. Rock handled the assault brilliantly. Like the professional he is.

I truly hope he is alright for he was undoubtedly the victim here. There’s a lot of talk about Jada’s “look” response to the joke about her hair loss, but from what I’ve seen it was one of mild un-amusement. She did not appear distressed or greatly upset by it. The Oscar’s have for many years been focused on celebration and roasting the ‘A’ list guests and nominees. It goes with the territory. I’m not saying the latter’s alright, but that’s what happens. Everyone knows that.

It’s somewhat ironic that Rock’s new stage show is entitled ‘Ego Death Tour’ as arguably his ego took one hell of a slap on Sunday night. That was a most brutal and public take down.

He’s remained tight lipped so far. He’s next due on stage in Boston, USA, on 30 March 2022. I suspect the audience will get his first public response to the incident. As a famous face and comedian one suspects he’s going to have to address the matter, which will certainly loom larger than the proverbial elephant in the room if he doesn’t. I wager he’ll have been working hard on opening the show with a top notch, witty, funny response, which will be all over the news the next day. It’s fascinating though, for if Rock believes he crossed a line (and that’s debatable as the joke about hair loss was relatively mild, couched as lovingly and em-pathetically as he could, so I personally don’t believe he went too far at all) then will he dare do a hair loss joke? I suspect he’ll address the topic head on, no pun intended if you’re reading this Will Smith, without directly inferring anything specific to do with a certain person’s hair loss.

Watershed Moment

A couple of main points stand out for me and first of these is that this unprecedented and shocking moment in Oscars and television history – Rock was spot on in saying that was “the greatest moment in television history” – may represent a watershed for stand up comedy. Many would argue that it’s fair to say that for far too long stand up comedians have got away with saying whatever they want on stage without consequence. Whether that’s the swearing, blasphemy, crude, lowest denominator, smutty sex based comedy for the masses without a thought for the audience members who might be offended. You may say they don’t have to go to shows (and many don’t for that reason), but why shouldn’t they enjoy the beauty, joy and fun of live stand up comedy? Why should it only belong to those who don’t mind hearing all of the aforementioned?

For example, going to the world’s biggest comedy festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, has long been a trip into the darker side of comedy, one  that matches the darkness and underground nature of many of their quirky and unusual Scottish venues such as basement bars. Surely there’s room for upliftment, cleaner, non aiming down comedy?

Words have consequences and for too long now comedians have picked up the mic and taken to the stage acting as if their words don’t have consequences. Last Sunday night Will Smith single handedly shattered that illusion. In much the same way as stock markets suffer “corrective” falls from time to time maybe this will unexpectedly prove to be one of those culture shifting moments when a line in the sand has been drawn.

I do not condone violence in the slightest and the best and only response Smith should have taken would have been to stay seated and take the joke like every other celebrity has done over the years. Just like every other picked on, singled out punter in a comedy club, has done. He had no right whatsoever to storm the stage as he did. If he couldn’t resist the urge the most he should have done is delivered some profanity free, carefully chosen words, that articulately made clear his displeasure with the joke. That would have garnered a more sympathetic hearing for his causes … that’s assuming it was about “protecting” his defenceless, alopecia suffering wife.

At the end of the day, people vote with their feet. If people don’t like a comedian or host they don’t have to attend or watch a show. He could have walked out. Promoters, organisers, hosts and comedians would soon get the message.

Violence is not the answer though of course. What we’ve seen in fact is that it totally backfired. If he’d said nothing it would have blown over and no one would have paid it much mind. If he’d thought about it he could have figured that just 15 minutes later he was in with a big shout of winning Best Actor award and if he remained seated and calm, if it really bothered him that much, he could have used his acceptance speech to call out Rock’s joke.

A missed opportunity in so many ways. Sadly his major, career defining ‘Best Actor’ win for King Richard, only the 5th Best Actor Oscar by a Black man in the 94 year history of the academy awards has been overshadowed and largely overlooked. Which is a terrible shame in itself for King Richard is a fantastic film that deserves to be more widely seen. He and the film richly deserved the award. It means Richard Williams, Serena and Venus William’s night of glory for their film has been totally lost in the Smith-Rock assault. Ironically in the movie itself, Smith as Richard Williams, is frequently verbally and at times physically threatened and attacked but never fought back violently. Williams showed a level of calmness and cool headed restraint that Smith couldn’t match in real life. By and large he came across as a principled, dignified man who stuck to his principles and raised his daughters to be the same. He had respect as the man of the household. A respect that didn’t come from physical violence.

Smith’s victory has largely led to the fact it will have gone un-noticed by many fans that Samuel L Jackson won his first Oscar, a lifetime achievement award, Sir Kenneth Branagh won Best Writer (Original Screenplay) for Belfast and Londoner Riz Ahmed won, with Aneil Karia, Best Short Film (Live Action) for the Long Goodbye, to name but a select few of the other big winners of the night.

What next for Smith?

I’m not sure what disciplinary powers the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences have, but if they have the authority too, they could fine Smith for his actions. They have launched an investigation into what happened and why. Smith may well be in need of help of some sort as that response was not one of a rational man. Smith is not an employee so won’t necessarily face “traditional” employee disciplinary measures. I’ve argued that physical violence is not the answer, so maybe sanctions, which seem to be all the rage, could be imposed on Will Smith!

Rock’s silence thus far could indicate he’s considering pressing charges.  With clear video evidence and millions watching around the world, one thing is for sure, Rock won’t be short of witnesses.

© Tiemo Talk of the Town

Oscars photograph courtesy of Chris Pizzello

Links:

  1. Hey Mr Tambourine Man – Chris Rocks The O2 – Tiemo review – 31st January 2018
  2. Collateral Damage – Will Smith  – Tiemo review – 28th December 2016
  3. Good Hair – Chris Rock Documentary – Tiemo review – 20th January 2014

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Posted in Arts and Culture, Film Reviews, Men and Relationships, News, TV | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments