Artcle Numer 9
On a glorious July day, several of the front of house staff including our own ubiquitous Mrs. Brown, set off with bottled water and blister plasters to walk the thirteen miles along and around the parish of Westcliff and Chalkwell to raise money and awareness for our artistic haven. With several other charities joining the parade along the seafront, they enjoyed a perfect day and ideal conditions in which to tread the steps to raise the cash for the Club and future projects for the theatre.
From the warm light of day to the dark depths of night came the next major fund raiser in October on Hallowe’en night where members of the public were invited to share a spiritual experience with the increasingly frequent vigils from the mediums and ghost hunters that have watched and waited over several proceedings dates to see what other worldly activity could be engaged in within the stalls, balcony, dressing rooms and any other accessible part of the Palace. The public was treated to the expertise and encouragement of Aspire and Clearsight who gamely entered into the ‘spirit’ of the event by dressing up as several ghoulish and thematic characters ranging from witches to ghouls and any other conceivable creation from beyond the grave. With sixty five expectant novices to witness the after life activities of the Palace’s previous inhabitants, the ghost watch groups took it in turns to summon up any spiritual hangers on that felt obliged to make themselves known. Due to the lateness of the activity and the lack of books flying off shelves, only the hardy and the persistent saw the substantial fundraiser through to its summation in the wee small hours. Hopefully this will be an annual occasion in order to raise some cash and raise the dead in successive order! Other creative initiatives included the Philharmonic Orchestra Day earlier this year where families and young people could engage with musical and craft workshops as well as being treated to a performance from the nationally acclaimed musical organization.
From those inhabiting the parallel world of the Palace to those participating in the present came a range of productions ranging from the classical to the contemporary, the comedic to the cutting edge. From the mid season of 2008 to the inset of 2009 the programme of events offered opportunities to laugh, cry, recoil, react and participate to varying degrees in an ever-engaging schedule. Road works on the exterior of the building suspended the usual summer programme with the exception of the first simply stunning production from the Palace Youth Theatre with their full to bursting version of the all time children’s classic ‘Bugsy Malone’. This musical was an excellent and exemplary chance for the talent of the local young artists to shine and brought an unprecedented energy, professionalism and style to the theatre and shows the local community the stars of tomorrow. Local talent was also a strong feature of the Autumn season when the theatre re-opened to professional productions with the highly popular local reminiscence company, Raw Theatre, who in association with the Palace Theatre Guild, entertained audiences young and old with their toe tapping selection of old time musical hall favourites. Just prior to this came the physical and farcical offering from the Ray Cooney stable of quintessential British comedy ‘One For The Pot’. Headliner Damian Williams continued his long-term association with local producer Bruce James by entertaining his increasing crowd of devotees with his masterful interpretation of this classic farce. Classical theatre was also a strong feature in the darkening nights with the innovative presentation of great classics from the Bard through the ‘Schools Shakespeare Festival’ in which local schools got the chance to perform in snapshot versions of our nations greatest scribe. Performed with modern music, dance and acting techniques, this festival presents more local young talent to the local artistic community and proves that young people can engage with a four hundred year old playwright with fresh and contemporary interpretations of his infamous work. More young local talent had to chance to display their vast range of skills in full voice came in the multiple shapes of the Southend Girls Choir with their 20th Anniversary Gala Concert.
From musical intonations to murderous intentions, the darker months bought dark deeds that were brought to sparkling life with the stylish classic ‘Intent To Murder’. Set in the 1930’s on the wilds of the Yorkshire moors, talented performers in the shape of TV star Clare McGlinn and experienced thespian Nick Barclay brought a rare chemistry within their portrayal of the desperate and frustrated characters. Seasoned productions such as these can be at risk from stilted direction and two dimensional characters but the exceptional and powerful frisson created by the two leading actors kept audiences at the edge of their seat especially when Nick Barclay and Clare McGlinn were present on the stage just with each other. It is the kind of performance and atmosphere that can only be created through careful casting and top-notch talent.
This stream of talented offerings continued to dominate the Autumn/Winter schedule with original interpretations and productions coming thick and fast into the Edwardian portals with especial focus on the Dixon studio - ever the producer of innovation and creativity from a wide range of amateur and professional artists. The multi-talented theatre practitioner Miriam Cooper stunned audiences with her one-woman show ‘Sister Queens’ in which she portrayed the complex dichotomy of the reign of Elizabeth 1. Miriam played a range of characters, including the famed Virgin Queen, with breathtaking conviction and astonishing accomplishment proving that sometimes the most memorable theatre experiences do not originate from extravagant sets and headline performers.
This small 100-seater black box also provided the backdrop to the ethereal and magical timeless story of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and the tight rope human drama ‘The Glass Menagerie’ brought to beautiful life by the ever-polished Southend Shakespeare Company. The Deep South of the United States created the repressive and sweltering climax to the shredding of the human condition and the fragility of imagination and expectations that do not come to fruition. Strong and compact performances hinged the small cast and simple set together in a compelling portrayal of lives interchangeably entwined. From small numbers of performers to magnificent ensemble of the Shakespeare comedy ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ which included a gold sheened Puck and a plethora of young female performers in a bespoke choir to accompany the performance. Intricate lighting design and thoughtful set creation created the woodland neverland in which creatures of the temporal and ethereal nature toyed with the themes of love, revenge, desire and acceptance in a sensual interpretation. Other amateur productions of outstanding note in the main house included polished productions of the extreme ends of the emotional spectrum – the dark and bloody Gothic tale of ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ from Leigh Opera and Dramatic Society and the light and frothy 60’s rom-com ‘Summer Holiday’ from the Little Theatre Company and the infectious tongue twisting domestic misdemeanors of ’ Don’t Dress For Dinner’ from Southend Drama Society. Amateur talent is of substantial note within this season with a dizzying array of truly exceptional talent from the local non-professional artistic contributors to this increasingly busy theatre venue and this reached its busiest period with the inset of Christmas. The return of the phenomenally successful Newpalm production of ’The Wizard Of Oz’ tempted experienced and new devotees to revisit or be initiated into the charming stage adaptation of the classic MGM film. Packed houses were treated to Dorothy and her Emerald City seeking companions complete with real canine Toto and local dancers from Morgan Dance Academy. The festive season was also celebrated with another more adult interpretation of the traditional pantomime ‘Peter Pan’ with the Market Place Theatre Company and their production of ‘Peter Panties & Windy’, which saw sexual innuendo and camp comedy in plentiful abundance.
After the whirlwind of Christmas, the new year of 2009 brought a measured and
reflective contrast with ‘The Holly & The Ivy’ from the acclaimed Middle Ground
Theatre Company. Set in a Norfolk vicarage at the end of the Second World War
the nostalgic portrayal of a traditional Christmas, complete with snow laden
stiles and wood burning fireplaces, juxtaposed with the family skeletons in
the cupboard that emerged along with the roast turkey and brandy butter. From
this beautiful and classic portrayal of family life in a yesteryear England,
the Palace rocked with the sounds of riotous laughter with a strong seam of
comedy productions from ‘Beauty & The Beast’, ‘Stones In His Pocket’, ‘Birthday
Suite’ & ‘Potted Pirates’ – the latter being an original and observational two
hander from the creative team around the smash hit touring show ‘Potted Potter’.
This hour long rioting, galloping take on the history of the villains of the
high seas were portrayed in their various incarnations through classical literature
to modern cinema. From Long John Silver to Captain Jack Sparrow (with a slight
detour to Anne Bonny and Mary Reid) the energetic performers engaged with their
young audience with a range of costumes, props and multi media techniques to
bring the history of the pirate to bubbling life. The witty script and mad cap
activities ensured that all members of the family had equal enjoyment in this
compact but crazy production that saw me laughing louder than my thirteen year
old nephew that had accompanied me on this occasion!
