"Monkey Bars" by Chris Goode at Unicorn theatre, London, 2012

The basic premise of the play is adults in adult situations speaking the words of children. Not just following the words of a playwright attempting to enter the mind of a child, but using a script compiled verbatim from interviews with children covering a wide variety of topics.

Using an organic, narrative-less structure the play attempts to bring to light the ways in which adults and children are alike and the ways in which we possibly overlook children and their perceptions of the world. Each scene changes location and situation and subject, presenting each new idea in a new light as it were. Some instances of this are quite successful with the words, actor's portrayal, lighting, sound, and setting all coming together in a poignant moment. Yet some scenes seem to lose focus, leaving the audience uncertain of where the scene is meant to be, distracted by clumsy transitions, or in some cases confused by the actors portrayal. Generally speaking the actors are meant to be adults, merely speaking with the words of a child, yet there are times when they also slip into the bodies and mannerisms of a child, creating a rift between the perceived intention of the piece and what actually comes across on stage.

Acting and transitions aside, what stands out in the piece is the use of contrast. The contrast between adults and children, contrast between an adult body and a child's voice, etc. Within the script and the stories the children tell, there is the contrast of their views and opinions. How one child sees the world compared to how another one sees it. Visually there were a number of contrasts as well, the cast dressed all in black and white, green artificial turf dominating the stage with red accents in hangers and a red recording light, and each transition happens in a blackout while white light boxes glow on stage. Each of these visual cues emphasizes the idea of contrast and brings the audiences focus back to the point at hand, that being the contrast between adults and children. Beyond the visual there were auditory hints as well. Most scenes are backed by some kind of sound scape, causing the scenes taking place in total silence to stand out all the more.

While there isn't a specific message, the piece brings to our attention this notion of contrast between the adult world and the world of a child. How we perceive the words of children coming from children compared to when those words come from an adult, and whether that makes us pay more attention or change what the words mean. Are children and adults really so different or are they just smaller less grammatically correct versions of ourselves? What is the world through their eyes as compared to the world we see? There are no definitive answers to these questions but the play is successful in bringing them to our attention and making us consider them.

The Phantom of the Opera - London

Phantom has always been one of my favourite shows, I've seen numerous adaptations of the musical, both for stage and film, I've also read the original novel by Gaston Leroux. The first time I saw the musical performed live was quite a few years ago, before I even became involved with theatre myself. At the time I loved the story and I loved the music but that was as far as my interests led me. Since starting my work in theatre the only adaptations I was able to see of the Phantom were recorded - the film, the soundtrack, a broadcast of the 25th anniversary concert - so it was a pleasure to finally see a live production when in London.

It's been a few months since so the details have grown a little hazy in my memory, but what stood out to me is what a classic and beautiful interpretation it was. Often when dealing with older pieces creative teams attempt to modernize the shows, Shakespeare's Love's Labours Lost set in the '80's for example, it's the idea that modernizing the setting will allow a younger generation to relate to and understand the story better. Sometimes this is successful, for Shakespeare in the '80's see St. Aggies '84, and other times it can fail catastrophically. I appreciate that after running for 25 years the London production of Phantom is confident enough that audiences will connect with the play in it's truest form - in a Paris opera house in the 1800's.

The sets and costumes are exquisite, beautifully crafted with the antiquity of the time period yet the flair they deserve. Lighting and sound design are both done with elegance and grace, fitting smoothly in where they are needed and never overpowering the focus on stage. Each element of the production is laced together with the others, creating a beautiful, classical masterpiece.

There are many reasons why the London production has been running for over 25 years and why it will run for many more.

kn