For more visit: http://www.drunkwithjoy.co.uk/joycollective.html

Shell Zappa

The production, directed by Ben Wills, spared no costs in transporting its audience to ancient Japan where our hero Nanki-Poo (played by Michael Gormley), is searching for his love Yum Yum (Kat Beaty). Unfortunately, when he arrives in the town of Titipu, masquerading as a wandering minstrel, he discovers that Yum Yum is betrothed to another man: Ko Ko, the town’s Lord High Executioner (Jonty Fisk). What ensues is a comedic love triangle which is further complicated by the town’s strict prohibitions against flirting (a capital offence), and the Mikado’s official decree that someone in the town must be executed before the month is out in order to make up the numbers.

Unfortunately, the show got off to a bad start with the orchestra’s rendition of the Overture, which was not only slow moving but out of time, with several wrong notes. This didn’t improve much as the performance went on, with the orchestra and performers rarely remaining in time with one another for an entire song. Due to no fault of the actors, one felt that the orchestra was under-rehearsed and that the performers had been used to singing many of the songs at a different tempo to the one the conductor was providing.

That said, there were some excellent voices on the stage. Michael Gormley’s portrayal of the naïve and love-struck Nanki-Poo was warmly endearing, and although his acting was slightly wooden in parts, his strong tenor voice and tuneful performance saved him in his many solos.

However, it was Jonty Fisk, playing Ko Ko, who really saved the first half as his entrance brought an energy to the stage that the rest of the cast hadn’t yet managed to provide. His song ‘As some day it may happen’ was a wonderfully clever performance which contemporised Gilbert and Sullivan’s original list of things that won’t be missed - including Big Brother contestants and Northern Rock - receiving several impromptu aplauses from the audience. Chris Ford (playing Poo-Bah) also did a good job in getting a few laughs from the audience, and Hannah Gregson’s performance as Pitti-Sing really upped the ante when it came to the female singers. Her voice was much stronger and powerful than many of the others and she played her part with great gusto and vivacity.

Overall, all the vocal performances were strong and clear, however, it seemed that many of the cast were singers rather than stage performers which meant that despite their beautiful voices, something was often left lacking in their performances. There was a good use of space and staging, and Ben Wills (the director) obviously has a talent at creating visual jokes outside the text, with several successfully hilarious moments that one would guess were not Mr Gilbert and Mr Sullivan’s original intentions. The production, with a little more tightening up (and a bit of rehearsal from the orchestra) has all the makings of a very enjoyable evening that really brings to life the fabulous music and lyrics that is The Mikado.

***
Emily Jenkins

Some aspects of the gig were truly impressive, like Andy Death’s reedy, almost ethereal vocals (plus his asymmetrical haircut), as well as the band’s playful and catchy set. Their music sounds similar to that of The Guillemots or Belle and Sebastian, but with more shimmering guitars and wistful lyrics.

Unfortunately some of the songs bordered on blandness, not helped by the lack of enthusiasm shown by the Cavern’s decidedly un-twee clientele. The gig was a little like hearing an ice cream van’s magical jingle, only to realise that it’s March and you still have four long months to wait until summer; exciting, but slightly out of place.

Young Sensation are currently unsigned, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear a lot more of their dreamy sound in the South West and further afield. Definitely a group to look out for in the Exeter.

For more visit myspace.com/weareallyoungsensations

***
Luke Pearce

The Hungry Vegan is an occasional column, shedding light on herbivorous offerings at mainstream Exeter restaurants. If there are any places you would like the Hungry Vegan to try, email subeditor @ electric-stitch.com.

With my omnivorous family in town, I figured it was finally time to put Harry’s Grill Bar to the vegan test. As the restaurant prominently displays the image of a bull on their menu and website, my expectations were far from great.  I was not surprised when our exceedingly perky waitress informed me that, although a tasty-sounding squash risotto was available for vegetarians, my options were limited to vegetable side dishes.  Such is the typical case for a vegan in a steak house and one of many reasons that vegans do not generally frequent steak houses.

Harry’s began to win me over through its bread.  Our bread basket contained two types of the stuff – one sweet and fruity, and the other seedy and savoury.  Both of these were tender, fresh, and a cut above the average pre-dinner fare. Then the sides arrived.  My vegan partner and I shared five sides between us, each one costing £3 on average.  Among these were potatoes (prepared especially for us with a blend of herbs, as the potato dishes on the menu come slathered in dairy), maple-glazed mushrooms, and greens.  Each was both fresh and flavoursome and we had more than enough food to go around.  Of particular note were the mushrooms – sweet but subtle, their glaze made a lovely dip for the last of our breads.

As I finished off my meal with a black coffee (soy milk is not available), I contemplated my dining experience.  My disappointment at the limited selection had quickly been eclipsed by my enjoyment of so many fresh and lovingly prepared veggies. Apparently, the meat was good too, but not good enough to stop my dad from stealing a large share of my mushrooms.

Vegan Verdict: Despite its unappetizing menu graphics (the bull looks to be sombrely reflecting on his species’ plight), Harry’s comes through for the ‘mixed’ families of Exeter.

Harry’s Grill Bar, 6 Northernhay Place, 01392 438545
***
Stephanie Long

This is the last Stitch Monday email form the old committee so enjoy… and relish the fact that it’s actually coming late on Tuesday. We had our AGM last Wednesday and we can announce that the new committee are:

President: Sarah Ogilvie
Editor: Frankie Holloway
Subeditor: Luke Pearce
Designer: Tess Stanway
Treasurer: VACANT – applications welcome
Advertising Co-ordinator: VACANT – applications welcome
Tech Manager: VACANT – applications welcome

As you can see we have open positions for: Treasurer, Advertiser, and Tech manager that need to be filled. If you want to get involved and fill those roles, email: president@electric-stitch.com. Without a Treasurer, Stitch cannot function in the Guild, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please get in touch.

So as we sadly say good bye, let’s have one final look at what is happening this week:

Wed 12 March

STUDENT THEATRE: Theate With Teeth present The Machine. M&D Room. 7.30pm. £3 suggested donation.
A devised piece by six first year students, under the direction of Dan Rayner, third year, and Isolde Godfrey, first year. The Machine explores various facets of society as they can be seen through the metaphor of machine, including gender issues, government, religion, and much more.

STUDENT THEATRE: Icarus & Daedalus. Methodist Church on Sidwell Street. Mon-Sat. 7.30pm.
What is it to be a hero? Strength, honour, discipline? Is it following your own heart? Is it standing up for what you believe in? A genius inventor and his son flee their native Athens and find themselves in the grip of the warlord-king Minos. But guilty secrets hang over the pair, as the tragic tale unwinds around them.
The Minotaur, the Labyrinth, and the final flight of Icarus and Daedalus is not to be missed. Live music, puppetry, animation and storytelling, put across a story of mythic proportions.
info@theatrealchemists.co.uk

FILM: Once (15). Exeter Phoenix. 6 & 8.15pm. £8.50.
This is the tale of a Dublin street busker (Hansard) and his unlikely relationship with a Czech immigrant pianist (Irglová). Both are broken by love, though each is drawn to the other by their harmonious talents. A hit at Sundance this year and winner of the Audience Award for best drama.

Thurs 13 March

STUDENT THEATRE: Icarus & Daedalus.

FILM: The Other Boleyn Girl (12A). Exeter Picturehouse. 1pm, 4pm, 6.30pm & 9pm. £4.50.
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal, The Other Boleyn Girl is set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history. Based on the best-selling book by Philippa Gregory, the film tells the story of two beautiful sisters, Anne (Portman, Garden State) and Mary (Johansson, The Girl With The Pearl Earring) Boleyn, who, driven by their family’s blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII (Bana, Munich). The film is beautifully scripted by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon).

Fri 14 March

STUDENT THEATRE: Icarus & Daedalus.

MUSIC: Aaron Spectre. The Hub. 8.30pm. £5 in advance, £6 on the door.

Sat 15 March

STUDENT THEATRE: Icarus & Daedalus.

PERFORMANCE: Surreal Saloon: Exeter Phoenix

Sun 16 March

PARTY: Imperial Leisure play Vibraphonic Festival’s Closing Party. Exeter Phoenix - Voodoo Lounge.
Imperial Leisure are a phenomenon - a ten-piece band playing their own particular blend of hip-hop, ska and rock, complete with live brass section, keyboards, DJ, two MCs and a singer, who have been mates since their school days. Their music is a killer combination of great beats, great tunes and irresistibly memorable lyrics. Influences come from all over the place. As well as a group admiration of great British bands such as The Specials and The Prodigy, there is a Motown-inspired soulfulness to singer Jel’s vocals.

It has been amazing being in the world of Stitch this year, and meeting you lovely people. Keep looking out for the odd, alternative, fun and different things to do in Exeter because they’re there but hidden away!

Lots of Stitchy love from

Nat and the (old) Committee xxxx

Kathryn, an Exeter Drama student, has been interested in G&S since she was about six or seven when she saw her stepmother in an amateur production. She got involved with the society when she first came to university and The Mikado will be her third show with them. Although she found it difficult to select a favourite G&S show she loves Pirates, Iolanthe, Pinafore and The Mikado which, she was at pains to remind me, is showing this week, 10-15 March.

I asked what preparing a Northcott show was like and her initial response, “absolutely amazing”, says it all! She acknowledged that it can be stressful making sure “everything is as polished as it can be, and it’s a lot of hard work, especially on top of a degree as well,” but remarked that “it’s such an amazing sense of unity and everyone working towards a common goal, and when you finally feel it coming together it’s a real sense of achievement”. Kathryn commented that everyone in the team wants to “produce the best show” they can and everyone involved has been really dedicated to the production process.

When asked what her least and most rewarding parts of the process had been, she answered that there had not been a ‘least rewarding’ moment and that “the whole experience has just been incredible” – referring to her entire three years with the society, not just this production. It is the society’s 40th anniversary this year and Kathryn has been co-ordinating their birthday celebrations by contacting members from the society over the last forty years and inviting them to the anniversary performance and celebration event. While not everyone invited is able to return to Exeter, she has taken great pleasure in receiving letters “full of best wishes for the society” and learning that “by all accounts the society is, was, and will hopefully continue to be, a fantastic group to be a part of, offering members the chance to make friends and really commit […] putting together a fantastic show.”

The Mikado opens on 10 March, with evening performances every night until 15 March, and matinees on Wed and Sat. £5 standby tickets available on the day of the performance. Book online, at the Northcott Box Office, or call 01392 493493.

***
Chris Richards

“The most rewarding moment so far has been when we first did a run of the entire show with both orchestra and cast together for the first time – it gave everyone a lift, and the cast were noticeably louder and clearer than before, and the orchestra also clearly enjoyed the experience.” It sounds as though the show, which opens on 10 March at Exeter’s Northcott is just about ready. Broad has never been an MD before so things are all a bit new, but as an experienced trombonist who has played for the G&S society for the last two years, he is certainly not new to Gilbert and Sullivan’s music as he has been a fan of Gilbert and Sullivan since his early teens. He is also grateful that it The Mikado is not a complex score, making this “an extremely gentle approach into the world of Musical Directorship.”

He commented that the cast rehearses two or three nights each week which makes the commitment quite heavy. Broad seems to have enjoyed the challenge of working with a cast who have an “extremely wide range of musical ability, ranging from those who are capable of sight-singing any given vocal line to those who cannot read music at all”! Thus, he has to make sure that everyone knows what they are doing and ensure that the performance is musical. He has had to focus his attention on orchestral rehearsals this term and has been pleased with the resulting boost that rehearsing orchestra with the cast brings.

I wondered what the relationship between cast and orchestra was given that there can be a ‘them and us’ feel in musical theatre productions if there is insufficient time for the two groups to meet both in rehearsal and socially. Broad remarked that the relationship is “usually extremely good, especially since the society stopped paying the orchestra a couple of years ago; now you get orchestral players playing because they like the whole G&S pit experience rather than for any financial remuneration they might get out of it”. Show-week socials help too and although preparation spaces in the theatre separate cast from orchestra, both sides value the hard work of the other.

The Mikado opens on 10 March, with evening performances every night until 15 March, and matinees on Wed and Sat. £5 standby tickets available on the day of the performance. Book online, at the Northcott Box Office, or call 01392 493493.
***
Chris Richards

This week is important because we have our ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on WEDNESDAY 1-2pm in the FREDDIE MERCURY suite (downstairs in Cornwall House). Come and make Stitch live on in the future by standing for or voting on the committee – we need you for Stitch’s survival.

Watch out for taster events in Give It A Go week, where you can try out what other societies do. Stitch recommends the Arts Taster Session: Making the Arts Easier to Digest with EUTCo, Footlights and ArtSoc. Check out the events at exeterguild.org/giag.

Exeter’s Vibraphonic Festival continues this week, so check out 106.8fm, the festival radio station (you can also listen online). Phonic FM will continue broadcasting after the festival for the first time ever this year – check out www.phonic.fm. For more info on the festival, go to www.vibraphonic.co.uk.

Fairtrade Fortnight also continues this week, with 10% off Fairtrade tea and coffee in university outlets and events going on across campus and in town.

So where should you be this week?

Mon 3 March

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT: Black Gold. LT1, Queen’s Building. 7pm. Free.
A screening of a film about issues surrounding coffee production.

RAG Fashion Show. Great Hall. £8.

Tues 4 March

GIAG: Learn to DJ. Lemmy. 12-6pm. £1.
Beats & Bass workshop – booking required.

RAG Fashion Show. Great Hall. £8.

THEATRE: Looking for JJ. Northcott Theatre. Runs until Sat 8 March. £6.
Three children walked away from the cottages on the edge of town. Later that day only two of them came back… Featuring a cast of actors who have appeared in Hollyoaks, Spooks and Casualty, Pilot Theatre’s production promises to be gripping.

Wed 5 March

GIAG: CinSoc presents The Mummy. M&D Room. 7pm. £1.

FILM: There Will Be Blood. Exeter Picturehouse. 1.45pm, 5pm, 8.15pm. £6.

Thurs 6 March

THEATRE: Death etc. M&D Room. 7.30pm.
Theatre With Teeth present Harold Pinter’s collection of works about war in our time.

Fri 7 March

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT: Jazz Café. Long Lounge. 7pm.
An evening of open mic jazz with Fairtrade food and wine.

ACOUSTIC MUSIC: Jemma Rycroft. The North Bridge Inn. 9pm.
She’s from Devon and is awesome – myspace.com/jemmarycroft.

Sat 8 March

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT: Outdoor Tea Party. 12-5pm. Free.
Come down to Bedford Square for GreenSoc’s free Fairtrade tea party – there will be sofas, juggling, face-painting, leaflets and petitions. And free tea, of course.

THEATRE: Death etc. M&D Room. 6.30pm and 8.30pm.
Theatre With Teeth present Harold Pinter’s collection of works about war in our time.

ART: Dawn Mellor’s Vile Affections exhibition. Spacex. 10am-5pm Tues-Sun. Free.
For the past ten years, Dawn Mellor has been painting portraits of celebrities, consciously misrepresenting, sexualising and violating imagery culled from photographic portraits, gossip magazines, film stills and the internet. Britney Spears - Taxi Driver series on show at Spacex until 3 May.

Sun 9 March

MUSIC: Acoustic LadyLand. Phoenix. 8pm. £8.
The high energy punk-jazz quartet Acoustic Ladyland are showcasing tracks from their new album, to be released in May.

MUSIC: B Music. Voodoo Lounge at the Phoenix. 8pm. £6.50.
Behold… Finders Keepers and Twisted Nerve DJ-producers Andy Votel and Dom Thomas are coming to the Southwest to join forces with Exeter’s own obscure vinyl junkies Birds, Orphans & Fools. Throughout the evening circuit-bending visuals will be provided by George Lazenbleep and the downstairs bar will be accompanied by a soundtrack provided by more B-O-F DJs playing all things obscure. Get there early for a sit-down cinema screening of Vtackovia, siroty a blazni at 7pm.

Have a fantastic week – see you on Wednesday for the AGM!

Love

Stitch xx

The fictionalised events of the play are set in the Headquarters, where a Maniac, played by Ben Higgins, is under arrest for impersonating a psychiatrist.  As the play continues, the Maniac, who claims to suffer from ‘histrionic mania’ (the uncontrollable desire to act) creates turmoil and uproar in the police station as he uses his chameleonic abilities to transform himself into different people and thus question the very police officers who first arrested him.

Ben Higgins’s portrayal of the Maniac was vibrant and energetic, and he performed the challenging task of play-acting several different characters with great dexterity.  The energy brought to the stage by the rest of the cast was no less impressive, with several outstanding performances particularly by Alex Heath (Pissani), and Nick Cassen (Constable).

Although there were several hysterical moments, the performance did take a little time gain momentum as neither audience nor actors seemed comfortable with the larger-than-life characters being presented.  This is the greatest challenge Fo gives his actors: how to create farcical parodic characters and yet retain a truth and honesty to the performance that allows the political message to come through. I am not convinced that EUTCo’s production achieved this, as there were several moments where important lines were lost to make way for the slapstick comedy and physical machinations of the cast.

That said, there were many instances of well-timed physical comedy and visual joking, expertly created by directors Judith Christian and Georgina Ower. These jokes did not always flow seamlessly with the dialogue – understandable, considering it was the cast’s first performance on the raised stage of the M&D room. However, the actors embraced these moments with great enthusiasm and, given more rehearsal time, would have executed them flawlessly.

The play was definitely hilarious, and the reaction from the audience was one of warmth and praise.  The wonderful performance by Alex Heath in his ‘stand-up comedy night’ sketch, and Nick Cassen’s continual struggles to attach his false moustache to his face definitely stole the show for me.  However, amid the laughter surrounding false eyes, wooden legs and the utter confusion inside the police station, I am not sure whether Dario Fo’s anarchist really got the explanation he deserved.

Despite this, the unwavering energy and enthusiasm that the cast brought to the stage coupled with Ben Higgins’s ability to keep the audience’s attention right throughout the play, produced an enjoyable and memorable experience.

***

Emily Jenkins 

I asked Kelvin what the role of the producer actually involved and what it was that the producer did.  “Good question” was his initial response! He remarked that while a producer can delegate various production tasks, such as costume and publicity, ultimately “everything is my responsibility”. Kelvin commented that this is a question that many people have asked him and his answers have varied from “the organiser” to “the one crying in the corner with stress” but that the answer he likes best is “I make everything happen”.

Given his picture of the producer and the levels of responsibility and stress which he has to deal with, I asked him what it was that he enjoyed about producing. His rather strange response was, “not being noticed” which he qualified by saying that not being noticed means that “everything is running smoothly and you are doing a good job”. However, he does enjoying feeling responsible for everything and wondered whether it could be “a power trip thing”!

Despite being at uni for fewer than two terms, Kelvin has managed to be involved with three productions. I asked how he first got involved with theatre at university and he told me that he had known what he wanted to be involved with before he even arrived at Exeter, having been in a “really close” A-Level drama class and started to miss it already. He emailed the EUTCo production assistants asking about getting involved and now finds himself running for committee elections. He is also missing being on the stage so perhaps we will see him in a play, rather than crying in the corner, sometime soon.

***
Chris Richards