Stage: Small…
…but perfectly formed, Brighton Little Theatre continue to impress with productions that are far from amateur
Whilst the major commercial theatres continue against all the odds to programme excellent theatre of all kinds, from the brave and new to the clearly commercial, we should never forget the smaller theatre in our city, professional and, dare I use the word, amateur.
Having seen impressive productions at Brighton Little Theatre on many occassions, notably Steel Magnolias and Canary, I would not hesitate in recommending their new production of Abi Morgan’s Lovesong.
“That is the story of our beginning. And this is the story of… the end.” Lovesong is a 40-year story of an ordinary love. You witness one pivotal week in 60-something married couple Billy and Maggie’s lives, whilst in flashback you see their younger selves over several years, much earlier in their marriage. Then, as terminally ill Maggie faces the end, time becomes more fluid and the couples collide and intertwine in this beautiful and haunting tale. All relationships have their ups and downs; the optimism of youth becomes the wisdom of experience. Love is a leap of faith. Leap with me.
Lovesong was first performed in a highly acclaimed production by Frantic Assembly in 2011, and Brighton Little Theatre’s production will be one of its first amateur productions. Brighton Little Theatre’s production will use drama, mime, movement, dance and some singing to tell the story of Maggie and Billy’s life in 90 minutes. It also features some originally recorded pieces from Sam Rivers and cast member Frank McHugh, who will also be performing live music in the bar after the end of the show.
Abi Morgan’s writing for the screen includes The Invisible Woman, the Margaret Thatcher film Iron Lady starring Meryl Streep, the flagship BBC TV drama The Hour, the BAFTA award-winning drama Sex Traffic (Channel 4) and Shame (co-written with Steve McQueen). Her writing for the stage includes The Night Is Darkest Before The Dawn (part of the Tricycle Theatre’s Great Game season), Fugee (NT New Connections), Tender (Hampstead), Splendour (Paines Plough) and Tiny Dynamite (Frantic Assembly).
The cast includes Ann Atkins as Older Maggie, Mike Skinner as Older Billy, Cicely Whitehead as Younger Maggie and Frank McHugh as Younger Billy, and is directed by Steven Adams and Tess Gill. Steven’s recent productions at BLT include the amateur premiere of Jonathan Harvey’s Canary and an extremely well received production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe last Christmas. Tess directed Loveplay by Moira Buffini, which won Best Overall Production in the 2013 Brighton and Hove Art Council Drama Awards, and earlier this year a joyous production of Daisy Pulls It Off.
Steven says: “I first read Lovesong just a few months ago and I knew instantly that this was a play I had to direct. It is beautifully written, with a simple rhythm and a lyrical nature. It is very sparse on detail but richly layered with feeling and emotions. It has very little story or plot, but still says so much about the human condition, the desire to be loved, the
need for companionship and the intricacies of the heart.”
Lovesong is Brighton Little Theatre’s entry in the 2014 Brighton & Hove Arts Council’s (BHAC) Drama Awards.
Lovesong, 23 – 27 September, Brighton Little Theatre, 0844 888 0432
www.brightonlittletheatre.com
