Culture
REVIEW: The Verdict at the Mayflower Theatre
All rise in court, as for tonight your honour, the Mayflower theatre was transformed into Boston 1980. This play is a stage adaptation of a book and film both with the same name, all about an alcoholic Boston lawyer who is taking his last shot towards redemption in a medical negligence case against a very powerful attorney. Sounds like a great idea for a film and book right. Lots of detail and jumping from place to place with different story lines coming together to help the pace of the film progress. But would the same idea with long speeches packed full of detail work on stage? The answer? I think it does yes, and I think they’ve done it very well.
One thing that is always a worry about adaptations from screen, or book to stage, is the question, will people actually understand what is going on? Especially if they have no prior information about the storyline? And again I think the answer to that question is yes. Barry Reed’s book and David Mamet’s screenplay aren’t exactly the fastest paced stories to follow (especially not in the beginning), and one thing a play ideally needs to be is fast paced to keep that audience engagement. Margaret May Hobbs, who adapted the story for the stage, has done an incredible job at doing just this! Something that I was really impressed by was the overall energy from the cast, especially when the subjects they are talking about aren’t exactly the most exciting. The cast have clearly worked very hard with the director, Michael Lunney (who is also part of the cast), to each understand their characters fully and bounce off of each other to keep that tempo up.
It goes without saying the the role of the boozy Boston lawyer Frank Galvin, played by the well renowned Jason Merrells, was just perfection. Merrells’ performance hit all the right beats. He made us empathise with him, empathise for him and empathise for ‘his client’ all within the space of the same dialogue. From curtain up, we were with him the whole time taking in each and every word to fully help us understand not only the story, but his character. Fantastic! Nigel Barber who played the role of J. Edgar Concannon, the defence attorney to Galvin’s plaintiff, gave another performance to be noted. His character was almost the ‘bad-guy’ of the play, which when acting is a very fine line between over-acting and becoming the pantomime villain, or under acting and completely throwing the power dynamic of the on stage battle. Barber walked that fine line perfectly and produced another fantastic note-worthy performance. Congratulations! I’d also like to give a special shoutout to Vincent Pirillo playing the role of Moe Katz, Galvin’s law partner; he added a different dimension to the cast almost being the voice of reason that the audience could resonate through. As previously mentioned, everybody clearly knew their roles like the back of their hands and their on stage connections were fantastic (especially the Galvin and Donna Saint Laurent (Reanne Farley) love interest). Brilliant work all round from each and every member of the cast!

The sound and lighting of the play were very simple and that’s all it had to be. Nothing fancy needed to be done, the set just needed to be lit and then every now and then a sound effect needed to be played. That’s literally it. As for the set, again it was very simple but I think that’s all it really needed to be. We saw multiple different places that we became familiar with, in Act 1 it was Galvin’s office and Meehan’s Bar which were fixed and didn’t move throughout the entirety of the act (just lit up when in use). In Act 2 it was just a fixed court room which was set up with three clear walls and the audience being the 4th (more on this a little bit later). There were drop down pieces of set throughout both acts which acted as another place and they too were fine I just wish that instead of being fixed in place and sitting in darkness when not in use, set pieces could roll on and off. I think it would have been that little bit clearer to help keep the attention of the audience for longer. That being said, the pièce de résistance is the courtroom (being a courtroom drama) and my hat goes off to all of the set and scenic art designers. They really brought Boston to Southampton.
For the pacing of the play, Act 1 did seem a little bit slow and actually felt a lot longer than it was. Act 1 was all about setting the scene and story for what was to come. So you can understand why it felt that little bit longer. Having said this, they did manage to cram a lot of information in without making us feel lost from what was going on. Job well done I’d say. I remember turning around in the interval and saying, “That actually felt like I was watching a movie, not a theatre production”. Something I think I have never said in the theatre before! Both Acts began when the houselights were still up and some silent acting was going on on-stage. It was almost as if the audience were a fly and the wall of these normal people’s lives and it could’ve been very effective. Unfortunately I just don’t think many of the audience quite got it. Everybody was just sort of looking around at each other asking “Has it started?”. Act 2 was the big crescendo of what Act 1 was leading to. The trial. My oh my was it good. The acting, mixed with the brilliant writing left the audience audibly gasping. You couldn’t get much more up tempo than this. Without revealing any spoilers, there were so many twists and turns that were so unexpected, throwing the classic ‘court-drama dramatic-irony’ out of the window. The thing I liked most about Act 2 was the indirect 4th wall break. Throughout the whole Act, the audience played the role of the jury. Yes the actors were talking directly out to us as If we were the jury, but it never became cheesy as they were never expecting an answer – much like a real jury in court. We were all of a sudden a part of this story we had become so invested in. Superb!
The stage adaptation of ‘The Verdict’ does incredibly well at getting a complex story across, making the audience feel invested and even feel apart of the story that they’d just experienced. You end up going through a full range of emotions and the whole cast and company have done a fantastic job in creating this captivating story live. ‘The Verdict’ has had a very successful run on tour and you can definitely see why! A massive congratulations to everybody involved – court is adjourned.
Culture
Hampstead movie review
With the passing of Diane Keaton I decided that I would watch some of her old work.
I chose to watch the 2017 movie Hampstead as it seemed to be quite a good representation of her acting skills.
It is based loosely (trying not to give the plot away, however it did come out eight years ago!) on Harry Hallowes real life, he used to live on a plot in Hampstead Heath and then managed to claim rights on it.
One of the best parts of this movie was the chemistry between Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson.
It felt natural and not strained which definitely made it more believable for me.
Their chemistry also helped make their characters seem more natural making their performance that much better.
I’m not one who normally enjoys romantic (some may say sappy) movies but the mixture of romance and social justice themes in this movie made it not too uncomfortable.
It gives the audience a feel-good time with us feeling like we are doing something right, due to us deciding that Gleeson’s character is right.
It made me feel like I was standing up for the underdog and marginalised communities.
I found it quite clever how they made it an easy movie to watch, not too many sad themes, while also fitting in the themes of community and standing up for the right thing.
I would say that if you are feeling a bit down then this would be a very good movie too watch.
A perfect movie for a light matinee
As a nature person, the setting of this film was spectacular.
I really liked the idea of an expanse of nature so close to a city.
It creates a very picturesque backdrop for the movie which further added to the warmthness portrayed throughout the movie.
I especially liked where Keaton’s character ended up living in the end.
However, as always there are critics.
With this movie one of the big critiques was that the story was very predictable and followed the same formula that a lot of other romance movies used.
There was just too many cliches which made it painful for the audience to witness again and due to the lack of surprises it was not the most engaging film to watch.
This goes hand in hand with the fact that the characters where more broad and stereotypical than they should have been.
The other big critique from this movie was that people thought it lacked tone and depth, saying that while it did touch on different societal problems such as eviction, class divide and property divide it didn’t pronounce it enough.
It felt a bit like dipping one toe into the water of the problems.
While I do agree that it didn’t delve deep into the problems society faces, I didn’t think that was what the movie was about or what the directors were trying to get across to the audience.
I believe that it was simply highlighting these issues in an easy to understand way.
Culture
Are Max Martin and Shellback the downfall of Taylor Swift’s latest album?
The release of Taylor Swift’s 12th LP, The Life of a Showgirl, has been met with divided opinions.
Although a record breaking 2.7m albums were sold on the first day of release, not all these buyers are satisfied.
It might be a push to say the majority are. Online, listeners argue this album is “millennial cringe” and that Swift is showing her “true capitalist self”.
Alongside Swift herself, Max Martin and Shellback produced the album.
Long-time collaborators, they previously helped define 1989 and Reputation. But this marks the first time the trio have exclusively worked together.
1989 and Reputation catapulted Swift to global pop fame.
Through hits such as Blank Space, Shake it Off and Getaway Car, Martin and Shellback provided Swift a clean break from her country roots, throwing her into the deep end of mainstream pop.
However, a decade later the formula feels tired.
So why has The Life of a Showgirl fallen so flat?
Following Swift’s last album The Tortured Poets Department, a lyrically rich 31 song LP radiating heartbreak and introspection, the synthetic glitz and glamour of Showgirl feel false.
In a post-Folklore world, where Swift proved her strength as a lyricist with the help of producer Jack Antonoff, the return to maximalism and Martin-Shellback production feels hollow.
With the loss of Antonoff and the return of Martin and Shellback, has Swift lost the reflective heart of her songwriting?
That’s not to say Showgirl is without merit.
Its production is faultless, and the album follows a clear and fluid theme.
But perhaps that’s the problem. In collaborating solely with Martin and Shellback, Swift may have created her most technically accomplished album but her least emotionally convincing one.
Whether this is a misstep or the purpose of the album remains to be seen.
But the reception of The Life of a Showgirl questions the path Swift is on.
Now the world dominating Eras Tour is over, is the peak of Swift’s career over too?
Culture
The End of Strictly Come Dancing as we know it?
We all know Strictly Come Dancing as one of the most popular prime time slots on a Saturday night.
But could this be the end of Strictly as we know it?
The BBCs show has struggled recently with allegations of bullying and inappropriate behaviour, but now Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have released a joint statement to say they are passing the sparkly button on at the end of this series.
Their Instagram statement in full:
We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last “keep dancing” but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.
Tess & Claud
Following their joint statement they each released their own statements as a follow up.
Tess Daly’s statement in full:
After 21 unforgettable years, the time has come to say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing. It’s hard to put into words what this show has meant to me, so here goes… Strictly has been more than just a television programme. It’s felt like having a third child, a second family, and a huge part of my life since that very first show back in 2004. I knew then it was something special, but I could never have imagined the magic it would bring.
Strictly has always been about joy, celebration, and bringing people together – and I’m so proud to have played a small part in something that continues to mean so much to so many.
From that very first series, I had the great honour of standing alongside the incomparable Sit Bruce Forsyth.
Brucie set the tine for everything that Strictly became: warmth, wit, connection, and pure showbiz magic.
I have always been in awe of our superbly talented professional dancers, our magnificent judges, and all the celebrities who have taken part. I absolutely adore our brilliant crew – every single member of the Strictly team who have worked tirelessly to make this show what it is. You are the very best in the business – the kindest, most fun, most loyal, and definitely the hardest-working team in television.
Thank you for your laughter, the friendship, and the countless memories over all these years. You’ve filled my heart in ways I’ll never forget. I’ll miss you all so much.
And to you – the viewers at home – the biggest thank you of all. Thank you for welcoming us into your homes for over two decades.
Your love, loyalty, and unwavering support have meant the world. You’ve carried us through every series, and that has never, ever been taken for granted. You are the heart of this show, and I feel so lucky to have shared it with you. Being part of your weekend from September to Christmas for the past 21 years has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my career.
To my beloved Claud – what an absolute joy and pleasure it has been sharing this adventure with you. You’re one of a kind, and I’ll treasure every giggle, every live show, and every backstage moment we’ve shared. I’m so grateful to have you as my friend for life.
This isn’t goodbye to glitter, sequins, or Saturday night sparkle (I could never say goodbye to those!). Strictly will forever hold a special place in my heart – but it does feel like the right time to hand over the reins.
With all my love and endless gratitude, Tess x
Tess Daly has been on the show since its very first episode seeing over 300 celebrities enter the ballroom and join the competition.
She started the show with Sir Bruce Forsyth, with Claudia Winkleman being a part of their presenting team hosting the sister show It Takes Two.
The duo made history in 2014 becoming the first female presenting duo of a prime time slot.
As a team they have welcomed almost 200 celebrities into the ballroom.
Over their time on the show they have also seen nine judges join and leave the show.
Claudia Winkleman’s statement reads:
It’s very difficult to put into words exactly what Strictly has meant to me. It’s been the greatest relationship of my career. From working on It Takes Two in 2004 until now it has been my everything, the show I will be eternally grateful for. I will never forget Len Goodman trying to teach me what a cucaracha is (I still don’t know) and the complete thrill and honour it was to work with Tess on the results show to cohosting on Saturday nights.
Strictly is a magical, glittery, fake tanned train and it’s been a privilege to be a tiny part of it. The extraordinary talent of the dancers, the band, the hair and makeup and costume teams, the unbelievable production crew and creatives – all utterly amazing. I’ve always believed it’s best to leave a party before you’re fully ready to go and I know the new hosts will be magnificent, I look forward to watching them take Strictly to new heights. As for Tess – I’m so so lucky I got to stand next to you. You’re funny, kind, whip smart and a true friend and I love you.
With two of the biggest jobs in the BBC now up for grabs who will we see step into the glitz and glammer of Saturday night at Strictly Come Dancing?
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