THEATRE REVIEW: By Mr Farquhar

A comic, enlightening and hugely satisfying exploration of a famous Derry-Londonderry playwright

A soothingly downbeat cello melody is faintly heard as the audience search for their seats in Derry-Londonderry's Waterside Theatre. To the right of a large, fully draped white curtain in the centre of a rustic and minimalist set sits a washerwoman at work, with only the slightest flicker of candlelight to help. She appears so annoyed by the lack of light and atmosphere in her setting that she immediately resorts to taking a swig of ale from the mug beside her. Or perhaps she just needs a break.

The "washerwoman" in question is actually actress Kate O'Rourke, getting into character as Mistress Kempe, the active, buxom landlady of truly LegenDerry playwright George Farquhar. For the uninitiated, Farquhar is one of the best known and loved playwrights to come from the island of Ireland, his invaluable contributions to restoration comedy having endured for over three centuries.

By Mr Farquhar, written by Lindsay Sedgwick and directed by Caroline Byrne, is one of a series of theatrical events from Jonathan Burgess's Blue Eagle Theatre Company dedicated to celebrating the life and work of the famous playwright over a two week period.

The play is set in 1706, shortly before Farquhar's death. When we first see Farquhar, played with deceptively sly apathy by local actor and Farquhar fanatic Stephen Bradley, he wears an unsettling smirk that suggests he is not to be taken at face value. His ragged clothing and hangdog face suggest an almost stereotypical image of the struggling playwright, a man who is not basking in glory from the inspiration his plays are giving to early eighteenth century Londoners.

Feeling like "an animal of immense and hairy proportions", his self-pitying soliloquies to the audience depict the depression he allegedly feels over both estrangement from his wife and daughters and the struggle to finish his final play. Or is he hoodwinking us? For on one hand, he thinks the working title of his "comic masterpiece" literally "stinks" and briefly holds up a quill with a shrug, as if to say "why bother"? But on the other hand, there are moments where he joyfully sings and boasts about successfully completed the outline of the play. Bradley's depiction of Farquhar's varying moods make for great comic value, but initially, it is hard to care very much about the man.

Enter landlady and Mrs. Lovett soundalike Mistress Kempe, and the immediate fear that these two will have a Sweeney Todd dynamic, with the lady's love for the man inspiring him to continue and/or finish his work against the odds. Thankfully, By Mr Farquhar is no Shakespeare In Love. Here, Farquhar's inspiration comes not merely from the lady herself, but from absolutely everything that happens both in and around him during the remainder of the play.

O'Rourke plays Kempe as a tough nut to crack. She is the sort who will not be condescended to, despite being made to wait on Farquhar at every opportunity. In other words, she is a heavyweight of a presence, but to Farquhar, is she a paperweight, a makeweight or a weight on his shoulder? This is explored compellingly through the depiction of Kempe's role as a servant and as both an ear and an aid for the playwright's words.

By now, the play is freely alternating between Farquharian monologue and periodical dialogue between the two cast members, showing the male "hero" up as a desperately determined writer who seems no longer able to draw the line between theatre and real life in his work. He discusses what being in an auditorium feels like. He references Shakespeare and, in a rather anachronistic turn, Billy Joel ("And so it goes..."). He talks to Kempe about the possibility of getting closer to her, but, being married, she angrily knocks him back. He even goes as far as putting his feet in a pot of urine in what feels squirm-worthy to us, but enlightening to him.

Even more enlightening, for both Farquhar and the audience, is the Derry bard’s realization that he has "put too much of himself" into the play, according to Kempe. For the first time, she cracks a pleasant smile. And so do we, knowing that Farquhar will have to dig a little deeper to finish his "masterpiece". It is how he does it that enthralls us.

One still does not quite sympathize fully with him over the loss of his father and mother, as Bradley's portrayal and the tone of the play have been a little too laid back up to this point. But the lessons he learns, about heritage, marriage and parenthood, are appreciated. By reminiscing, and confiding in Kempe, he reawakens to his significance as a playwright and as a responsible parent. As he carves a doll for one of his daughters, and the strains of "Danny Boy" are heard offstage, The Beaux' Stratagem is born.

And, as the playwright falls victim to tuberculosis and is forced to fight even harder to finish his play (a telling reminder of how working so hard can ruin one's health), a genuinely caring bond between Farquhar and Kempe finally envelops. Bradley and O'Rourke work extremely hard to convey the strengthening emotions they feel both towards their work and one another.

By Mr Farquhar ends on a hugely satisfying note, with the playwright apparently letting his demons rest, acknowledging his inspirations, and leaving to enjoy the finished production and possibly a drink with his landlady. One might argue that it is a cheat to at last fully connect with Farquhar and Kempe just as they are leaving the stage, but it is actually the perfect ending to the play. For we have liked them all along; it just took ninety minutes for us to discover their emotional warmth. And perhaps that, in itself, is the central appeal of Farquhar's writing.

By Mr Farquhar is running at Derry-Londonderry's Waterside Theatre until Saturday September 29 as part of Blue Eagle's George Farquhar Theatre Festival.

EP REVIEW: Alana Henderson - Wax & Wane

"Electrifying" title track is the highlight of a hugely innovative and interesting recording

It is uncharacteristic for the cello to be much more than a backing or background instrument (or a hindrance-turned-benefit, if you're Timothy Dalton's James Bond), but Dungannon's Alana Henderson has taken it to the forefront in her four-track debut EP, Wax & Wane.

And the first thing you notice about her brand of "cello pop" is the studious thoughtfulness that has gone into her compositions. Four minutes into the EP and she's a mistress of her craft, with a voice worthy of Joni Mitchell nestling alongside bitterly poetic lyrics and inventive string melodies.

The title track is a summation of the reflective nature of the whole recording, a series of alternately fragile or weary refrains fading into innovative vocal harmonies - the generally warm warbling of a once smitten, later bitten but now extremely well-written woman. It’s electrifying, and enough to make the whole EP worth purchasing by itself, but Henderson has much more to offer us.

Bookended by Irish Trad fiddling from Laura Wilkie, "The Tower" ingeniously mixes a foot-stomping groove with a cautionary tale of lost love, the need for familial support and rebuilding one's life. It isn't quite as multi-dimensional as the song that precedes it, but its titillating bluesiness still gets under your skin.

Now, imagine if Kate Nash or Ellie Goulding played string instruments on a regular basis, and you'd have "Song About A Song", arguably the most personal tune on the record. After hearing both this and the last song on the EP, "Two Turtle Doves", it becomes clear why Henderson has successfully collaborated with dreamily indie Belfast ensemble The Jepettos, her style and approach lending itself perfectly to their sensibilities.

By the time we hear Henderson's dulcet, soulful tones fade out for the last time, one senses that this end is only the beginning for this hugely promising young artist.

Listen to and purchase Wax & Wane at Bandcamp.

PERFORMANCE REVIEW: The Conquest Of Happiness

Haris Pasovic's production is spectacular, mind-blowing and sobering all at once

The audience stands on a hill, a little green hill not so far away, but well outside Derry-Londonderry's city walls. Directly opposite the doorway to the city's 2013 Venue, a saxophone, a cello, a boom, and the tinkling of bells are all heard. Part of a gloomy, Eastern European melody that gives you the first hint of where Haris Pasovic' The Conquest Of Happiness is heading on the night of its world premiere, in and around Ebrington Square.

In a setting done up to resemble Palestine, we see a trio of young men kick a ball on a dusty road, while two women, mother and daughter – or is it aunt and niece? – get on with arts and crafts in their hut. To our left, the saxophonist (Rod McVey) and cellist (Neil Martin) play on. It is a triple-pronged multicultural contrast stretching from the West to the Middle East, with the sax adopting an Arabian slant of sorts by this stage. A former army barracks is a fitting stage for everyone here, trying to find peace and joy in three different parts of a war zone – as befits the title of the production, a conquest of happiness. Happiness, that is, in playing football, crafting a dress, finding new love or making music in dangerous surroundings. Such surroundings are emphasized when a modern-day digger, a symbol of Israeli aggression, destroys the hut and one of the boys fights the machine single-handedly.

It is here where we hear the voice of Bertrand Russell, whose pacifist writings inspired this production, for the first time. Played with remarkable low-key command by Cornelius Macarthy, Russell condemns the aggression in the previous scene as a thimbleful of recognizable audience members – who just so happen to include participants from the city's Codetta choir – melodiously join in the protest and lead us toward Ebrington Square.

What we have seen so far is a jolt to the senses, but it is only the proverbial warm up. Our feet sink into the shallow, gravelly ground of the square itself as we find ourselves surrounded by fortifications, vehicles, and several stages. This truly is a war zone.

Those who stare at the big stage in the centre of the square waiting for what will happen next don't immediately see what actually happens next... courageous speechmaking from activist Violeta – Mona Muratovic in one of many roles – in one corner, and the sound of "We Shall Overcome" ringing out in another. It can only be Bloody Sunday, and the drama is recreated soon after by a group running amongst us in the crowd. One flinches as the sound of a shot ringing out, and a man collapses, before Muratovic's spellbindingly staggering alto rendition of trad classic "She Moved Through The Fair" transforms shock into poignancy in what seems like a split second.

The show has barely begun, and the production team have already made a greater impact on our senses than most, if not all, cultural productions this year.

Macarthy as Russell makes another passionate statement before he joins several other actors in a genuinely spectacular Spanish tango on the centre stage. The setting being what it is, however – dictatorial Chile – ensures the excitement doesn't last long, and every dancer soon finds him or herself a prisoner at gunpoint. Amongst various brutal happenings, a young musician gets slowly beaten up in another sequence that skillfully depicts the fine line between the happiness bubbling on the surface and its much darker underbelly.

From Chile to Vietnam & Cambodia, as actions are largely replaced with language in a less physical, but no less powerful, sequence. The words of then US Secretary Of State Henry Kissinger, played boisterously by Shane O'Reilly, resonate against Russell's emotional power play – one argues that "the fortunate must not be strained in the exercise of pity over the unfortunate" while the other states that "the worship of money promotes... a death of character and purpose." Idealistic hippie views, from a US pair (deliberately?) resembling Greg and Marcia Brady, are aligned against a poor guitarist gunned down in a sea of mournful ballads, and later an American soldier's point of view.

That on its own would be enough for a comprehensive dramatic narrative on the East Asian War of the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's. But The Conquest Of Happiness digs deeper, with projected graphics of both Vietnam and Cambodia during the famous war and later Richard Nixon's speech in China appearing on the very walls of the Ebrington Square building. Cue silence, brief confusion, and several dancers, including Russell himself, appearing in casual clothing on centre stage, only to be dragged off one by one in a symbolization of the removal of resistance.

A sudden change in lighting, costumes, sound effects and tone of music takes us back three decades to World War II and life in the Jewish camps during the time of "The Final Solution". It is arguably here where the production is at its most emotionally draining; imagine a grittier Schindler's List. Nowhere is the sequence more hard hitting than when we watch Jews of all ages circle the enclosure and be herded out of sight on a truck with only sorrowful strings to accompany them. Why, a character asks, was "Ode To Joy" picked as the final song for Jewish children to sing before their likely termination? Why, indeed? Presenting victims with false hope, followed by guilty feelings of shame from the mouth of Russell himself, is as cruel as it gets. War has "made it impossible" for Russell to "live in a world of abstraction", and further sequences set in Bosnia, Rwanda (in the 1990's) and the Middle East (in the present day) solidify his point, reminding us that the West will not always positively intervene. Joyous choral flourishes, like Ladarice's "Yugoslavia", an undeniable highlight, are only brief respites.

Like us, Russell has seen cities "collapse and sink", and wonders if the world we live in is a "product... of febrile nightmares", yet he retains belief that there is light at the end of this extremely dark and harrowing tunnel, leading us out from the square and into the pleasant backdrop of the city and the Peace Bridge. As Macarthy and the rest of the talented cast lead us in a happy singalong, one realises that this sobering, immersive and interactive experience has amounted to much more than just about anyone could have expected it to – a unforgettable theatrical triumph of epic proportions.

The Conquest Of Happiness will tour to Mostar Bridge, Ljubljana and Novi Sad before returning to Northern Ireland on October 25 and October 26 during the Belfast Festival at Queens. For more information, check out www.conquestofhappiness.com.

THEATRE REVIEW: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change

An old favourite returns to Derry-Londonderry - and it's as funny, grounded and professionally performed as ever

With nearly nine months as the City Of Culture 2013 theatre producer of Derry-Londonderry's Playhouse behind him, Kieran Griffiths decides to have some fun by bringing back an old favourite.

And what fun he has too.

Seven years ago, this reviewer saw Griffiths and his ageless cast-mates, Alan Wright, Michelle Forbes and Jude Cornett, take on Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts' riotous musical comedy on the exact same stage. Today, these actors do much more than simply play their numerous roles; they inhabit them.

Griffiths' hands on, no holds barred directorial approach is the perfect fit for I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, a unique pop-cultural pastiche of extremely high and low satirical art that amuses, bemuses and delights all at once.  

I Love You... is less a straightforward story than a series of distinctive sketches and vignettes about love, marriage, sex and relationships. Each sketch is amusingly introduced by three cue-card carrying local girls (Caoimhe Convery, Dearbhaile McKinney and Sinead Sharkey). And each scene features very different characters, moods and issues, allowing every cast member to be extremely expressive in what amounts a thinking person's comedic chronicle of the pros and cons of finding someone to spend your life with. Or not. It's Friends without benefits and boundaries, or Woody Allen with as few inhibitions as possible.

The laughs and messages come thick and fast amidst many catchy and sometimes affecting show tunes, be they about singledom, getting laid, one's first true love, one's last true love, marriage, parenthood or death.

Good vibrations spread all around the theater, even to musical director and pianist Maurice Kelly in between scenes – his reactions to the attention he receives from the "cue card girls" are rather priceless, just some of many memories one can take from this extremely enjoyable, grounded and professional production.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change runs in Derry-Londonderry's Playhouse Theatre until Saturday September 21.

ALBUM REVIEW: Our Krypton Son

The Derry-Londonderry troubadour's successful debut album is defined by versatility, experimentation and feeling

I can still remember watching Our Krypton Son in action for the first time. His seemingly perpetually sorrowful expression never seemed to deter him as he strummed away at a series of catchy acoustic chords in Derry-Londonderry's Cafe Nervosa some three years ago. Now, I didn't hear him for long - but what I heard was impressive enough to be remembered. This guy, I thought, has the right attitude. He can go places.


Sure enough, Our Krypton Son, or Chris McConaghy if you prefer to use his actual name, has commanded a sizeable following, the attention of Smalltown America Records and perhaps most importantly, a full band. With all that in tow, he's crafted a mighty fine debut album.

McConaghy's stylistic command is clearly evident in opening number "When I First Lay Dreaming". The thumping of drums and the strumming of guitars give way to wistful, David Bowie-esque vocals that, despite being drowned out a little by the rich instrumentals, are remarkably assured. While not quite as strong musically, the mood-lifting "Ill Wind" is catchier and more exuberant. Its upbeat, folky tone, defined by the mid song banjo solo, is the first sign of the varied experimentation that, in many ways, defines this record.

"Gargantuan", his most promising single to date, successfully combines the positives of the first two tracks, albeit with marginally more prominent beats. It's finger-clickin' good... if there were any nerves present earlier in the recording, they've been stripped away by now.

Contrary to its title, "Season In Hell" features a return to folky jollity and an exceptionally catchy riff or two. When one shares the struggle to escape that is evident in the lyrics, it is easy to understand why McConaghy has approached the song in this way. Struggles then take a backseat to understated bliss in "Catalonian Love Song", where you almost certainly sense that the songwriter visited one of the most beautiful cities in the world – Barcelona, in this case – and was inspired to write the dreamiest vocals and most memorable bell-driven riff he could think of. One only feels disappointment as bells, guitar and vocals quietly die out to be replaced by the prolonged sound of a closing drum beat; it's the sort of song you don't want to hear end.

While not quite as idealistic, or possibly enduring, the acoustically driven "Sunlight In The Ashes" is just as relaxing, and more musically rounded to boot. A tune that could belong in any era, it raises the irony that McConaghy signed with Smalltown America, because this is a song that literally wouldn't sound out of place in a small town in America. If the backing vocals are a little too echoey, at least McConaghy remains inventive.

"Birds On The Skylight" is McConaghy at his most poetic, sidestepping cheesiness to provide a dependable chronicle of powerlessness; by now, this Krypton Son has established himself as a fluid musical storyteller. Along with the drifty "Twitch", it's as close to his roots as he will come on this record, the reflective lyrics and rather old school arrangements of both songs essentially speaking to the needs of the "common man" in the North west of Ireland.

A rather brief, but gentle, detour into Mumford & Sons territory follows with "This Jealous Heart", before McConaghy signs off with the piano driven ballads "I'll Never Learn To Say Goodbye" and "Plutonium". Equally as heartfelt and genuine as one another, these songs cap off the record by successfully capturing what most independent artists strive to capture on their debut albums; the expressive and relatable clarity of the joy and pain in their own life experiences. Or, as McConaghy himself would put it, "memory, time, love, death, work, jealousy - the usual sh*t really."

CLASSICAL REVIEW: Ulster Orchestra

A local musical hero joins the professional symphonists for their season opening concert in Derry-Londonderry

Relatively fresh off his success with At Sixes And Sevens, Camerata Ireland's Barry Douglas finds himself
tinkling the ivories tonight during something more traditional; a world famous piano concerto composed by none other than Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky.

Book-ended by the music of Johannes Brahms, the composition provides rich sounds, warm sights and welcome insights into the world of 19th century classical music for a moderately sizable Millennium Forum audience. The rather epic arrangement of string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments around the grand piano on centre stage is a feast for the eyes in itself.

A fun treatment of four student drinking songs, aka Brahms' Academic Festival Overture, opens the night. Merrily topped by a rampaging, string-dominated opening, which raises thoughts of a troubled or troublesome youth running away from danger, is followed by triumphant brass and flowing strings. There are few truly audible harmonies yet, but one is struck by the consistency of the tempo and the surprising stateliness of the violin playing. Like a good witch waving her wand, conductor JoAnn Faletta comfortingly eases the orchestra into a soulful sea of synchronic sound. Both cellos and double basses lend themselves well to the Forum's acoustics in what on the whole is quite an impressive overture.

When it is time for the centerpiece of this grand affair to begin, Faletta becomes hidden from view as our eyes turn to Barry Douglas' hands, reflected in the piano itself. Though he seemingly struggles to adapt to the heady and passionate nature of the opening in the Tchaikovsky piece, he very quickly adjusts to the consistently varying pace in the composition, while all four sets of strings strum away in a quadriad.

By the time his piano gently dies out as gentle string-playing leads us into the first movement proper, Douglas has everyone enraptured. The tension-filled and tonally varied Ukrainian folk slant of the first movement is the perfect test for Douglas' reflexes, and he is up to the task, sweat pouring from his head as he encloses himself in pure and absolute concentration. He is confident enough by now that the bipolar boundaries of the piece, reminiscent of a rippling brook one moment and thunderstorms the next, appear to pose little or no problem for him.

One is always fascinated by his sharpness, speed and skill, particularly in the very Clair De Lune-esque second movement. If Douglas' presence slightly overshadows the orchestra's efforts, with the exclusion of a rather sweet flute solo, it is no fault of Faletta and the instrumentalists, who are keeping up with him every step of the way.

The restless, breathless lyrical melody of the finale brings the piece to a tremendous conclusion, and when Douglas, Faletta and the orchestra stand up to prolonged applause, you know they've earned it.

Difficult though it is for Faletta and the musicians, barring Douglas, to match what we've just heard with Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, they do a commendable job. If it lacks the power of Tchaikovsky and the dominant piano, the symphony is remarkable in many ways, beginning with a rather Godfather-ly opening that leads the way for virtuous violins and numerous overlapping harmonies. As such, Faletta is forced into a slightly more controlling style of conducting while retaining her trust in the orchestra’s ability.

The middle of the first movement, laced with darkness, symbolizes a troublesome, tentative then heroic march, with gentler and more charming second and third movements preceding a strong finale. Highlighted by speedy cello plucking, woodwinds and a sensual string symphony, this composition confidently closes the evening both for Faletta and the orchestra. The applause is long and loud, reflecting a job well done by everyone involved.

The Ulster Orchestra will perform their grand opening concert featuring Barry Douglas in Belfast tonight at the Ulster Hall. For more information, check out their official site at www.ulsterorchestra.com.

TV REVIEW: 6Degrees

Two episodes into its second series, the local drama is transcending its clichés and giving student life a welcomely realistic, if inconsistent, bent

We've all been there. We have imagined the shift from school to university as seamless, a journey from enjoyable but somewhat restrictive years into a fantasy world of respectability, freedom, new friends and possible partners. We believe that now we've earned our college years, growing up, settling down and getting our dream job will surely lie ahead. The joyous life that we've created for ourselves surely awaits.

Then, reality bites. The "party atmosphere" you probably dreamed about turns out to be extremely disruptive. Not everyone – especially your new housemates – respects you. Breaking ties with the friends you made in school is harder to do than you anticipated. Your new friend, or even your seemingly perfect "other", isn't the person you thought she or he was. And you’re no longer in the protective shadow of family, spoon fed work or watchful teachers. You're your own man or woman – and it's going to be a struggle to survive.

As its second series gets underway, BBC Northern Ireland's 6Degrees has found its voice as a pretty convincing chronicle of the above; a gloomier take on student life in Belfast, occasional glimmers of light at the end of what, contrary to expectations, are several long, dark and twisted tunnels. And this is a very good thing indeed. Because let’s face it, The Inbetweeners Movie, love it though we do, is a virtual exercise in dreamy wish fulfillment by the time it reaches its closing credits.

If no one would ever call 6Degrees original – the numerous plotlines and characterizations are rather well worn – its bleak, and more importantly human, outlook, reflected in both the cast and camerawork, is a refreshing change from the potentially damaging over-idealism that can exist in "young people's" productions.

Not one of our six protagonists can truly claim to be happy. Take Jess (Georgia Maguire, impressive); forced to relocate from England in series one, she is torn between her current boyfriend and the charms of the GAA team's coach. Sandie (Jayne Wisener, now fully grown into her role) must maintain her sanity and act as a mother hen to the group in an oasis of chaos, while attempting to figure out what she wants for herself.

The no-nonsense Eva (Derry-Londonderry's own Jamie-Lee O'Donnell) has gotten herself involved in a feud with a seasoned neighbour from across the road, and we know not if Eva's "hard as nails" approach to life is genuine or just a defense mechanism.

Elsewhere, Leech (Ryan McParland) is trying to not-very-convincingly re-invent himself as a ladies' man after splitting from his girlfriend. Danny (Niall Wright) is obsessed with both his work and his love life, perhaps overly so. And GAA captain Conor (Cillian O’Sullivan) has been forced out of the closet in circumstances beyond his control.

Admirably, the writers of 6Degrees have unveiled and intertwined these numerous plot threads into a likable and compelling tapestry. If the narrative is arguably too ambitious and riddled with occasionally unsubtle uses of pop songs along with the odd cringe-worthy line or two, 6Degrees should be commended for at least aiming to do something a little different as far as young people's television goes, whilst managing to retain a strong sense of local identity.

Even when the producers err along the way, they are at least erring in trying to do the right thing. The scenario and characters are believable, and there are more than enough shots of Northern Ireland's capital city and pop cultural references to keep teenagers happy. The challenge for 6Degrees, now, is to show us if and how it can blossom to its obvious potential.

Check out the official website for 6Degrees at www.6degreesni.com.