@doricloon
From today's Scotsman - Joyce McMillan's review of The Demon Barber-
The story of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, has
always ranked high in the annals of English horror, and it's easy
enough to see why. In the legend of Sweeney - who slaughters his
customers with a cut-throat razor, and lets them slide down through a trapdoor into the pie-shop of the comely Mrs Lovett below - several primal fears come together, from fear of submission to the barber's gleaming blade, to fear of life in a pitiless, teeming urban world where human beings are more valuable dead than alive. You won't, though, find any attempt to explore the deeper undertones of the story - or to explain its powerful continuing appeal for theatre
artists and film-makers - in Graham McLaren's colourful but
superficial stage version at Perth, with live music by singer-
songwriter Mike Marra.
Once again - as in his version of Phaedra for Theatre Babel a few
years ago - McLaren proves himself a master of design, rather than
direction. The show's greatest asset is its teetering three-storey
set, which features a ramshackle old Fleet Street house ranging
upwards from the pie-shop entrance at street level, through Sweeney's spectacularly red-painted barber's shop on the first floor and up to Marra's three-piece band, groaning away Tom-Waits-style in the attic.
What happens on the set, though, comes across as a pretty aimless
journey through the evil and the sensational, part fashionable
theatrical exercise in Punch and Judy-style grand guignol, part pure,
vulgar pantomime. In the show's one memorable touch, Kevin
McMonagle's Sweeney emerges more as a lovelorn suitor besotted by Mrs Lovett's charms than as a born murderer - an unloved man driven mad by a glimpse of possible joy. But the usually excellent Gabriel
Quigley gabbles her way through the stereotyped wicked-lady role of
Mrs Lovett in such an extreme Mockney accent that half of what she
says goes for nothing.
The other characters - from Tobias the transvestite pie-boy to
Thornhill the murdered sea-captain - mug their way through their
roughly-drawn roles with an increasing air of desperation. Marra's
wry songs are also difficult to appreciate fully on a single hearing.
The overall effect is sometimes strangely like one of those adult
pantos with added dirty jokes. There's sex and violence, all right,
crudely evoked and sent up; but when the point of it all remains so
obscure, it can seem tedious.
and from The Courier
The Demon Barber
By Joy Watters at Perth Theatre
THE LIGHTS go up but there is still a threatening darkness. A tall
dark house emerges from the gloom with wisps of fog surrounding it.
The setting for this tale of unspeakable acts is complete.
Sweeney Todd has inspired a number of adaptations, including
Sondheim's musical.
Now Perth Theatre associate artist Graham McLaren presents his
version, which he has written, directed and designed.
His starting point is a "penny dreadful" story about Todd accompanied
by a score by Michael Marra.
McLaren's design is outstanding, creating a portrait of 18th century
London, oozing with crime and corruption, that chills the onlooker.
Shaven headed men with chalk white faces menacingly people the stage,
while Kai Fischer's lighting threateningly suggests the evil that
lurks in every shadow.
Sweeney Todd is shown as a malformed outcast—he is given a poignant
reading by Kevin McMonagle, as a man deeply in love. In this version,
there is something of the Cyrano about him and he cuts his first
throat in defence of a lady's honour.
His love, Mrs Lovett, the tart with a heart of ice, becomes his
accomplice. While Gabriel Quigley looks the part, her words often
vanish upwards, lost in the ether.
McLaren begins with storytelling, raising expectations, but then his
script descends into knockabout comedy, innuendo and sweary words to
get a laugh.
At some points, it feels like a curtain-raiser to the panto season.
The three-piece band comprising composer Michael Marra, John Sampson
and Bill Murdoch are perched high on the roof of Sweeney's premises,
and sometimes again the words of the grimly humorous songs are lost
upwards.
While McLaren's designing and directing talents are a cut above, the
writing is disappointing, falling between wit and slapstick.
And from The Herald -
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresartsreview/display.var.182
7897.0.0.php
Me I really enjoyed it, Michael Marra songs and performance of the same are worth the admission money. Go and see it you will not be
disappointed. I am going back to see it again!
Greentrax Records have just released a wonderful CD of Peerie Willie Johnson. If you listened to the Radio Shetland repeat broadcast you will have heard a wee bit about the CD.
" Once in every three hundred or so years someone comes along with a talent like Willie" (Aly Bain)
" When I think of Peerie Willie I don't think of him as a musician, but as music itself - it oozed out of his every pore." (Martin Taylor)
CD Track listing
Nice Work If You Can Get It * Da Road North Set * A Foggy Day in London Town * Night And Day * Yesterday * Stars Fell on Alabama * Skye Boat Song * Bye Bye Blues * The Way You Look Tonight * Unknown Tune * Harvest Home/Ragtime Jane * Where Or When * They Can't Take That Away From Me * Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine * Braes of Auchtertyre Set * Birks Works * Don't Blame Me * Forgotten Dreams * As I Went Down By Fiddichside Set * How Long Has This Been Going On? * Somewhere Over The Rainbow * Margaret's Waltz * St Louis Blues * Lady Be Good.
Shetland guitarist 'Peerie' Willie Johnson was equally at home playing with jazz or folk musicians, and had a style to suit both. Welcome to Willie's World - filled with music from jazz to traditional pieces, from blues to beautiful chord accompaniments, and performances second to none.
These recordings have been gleaned from various sources, including albums by other artists, and informal recordings made by Willie and other musicians in Shetland. Regrettably, Willie never got round to recording a solo album but these are nostalgic moments which will hopefully keep his memory alive.
Of the many performers on this CD, some are well-known and others, although accomplished musicians, would be largely unknown outside the Shetland Islands. Those accompanying Peerie Willie include Billy Kay, Drew Robertson, Norman Goudie, Harris Playfair, Jimmy Elliot, Nathan Leask, George Manson, Frankie Sinclair, Willie Hunter, Ron Mathewson, Harold Mathewson, Aly Bain and Debbie Scott.
There are extensive sleeve notes in the CD booklet written by Evelyn Leask, Willie's sister. The notes give a wonderful insight into the life of this great man.
The album consists of tracks from some of the memorable albums Willie guested on, and informal recordings made locally in Shetland. Willie's family regarded him as a jazz musician because jazz was the music he played at home, but Willie played with many of the greats in traditional music, including Tom Anderson, Willie Hunter and Aly Bain. It is fitting that Willie should be associated with the unalterable changes he has brought to traditional music.
Special thanks are due to Billy Kay for his considerable assistance and support with the project (and for providing so many tracks from his private archive of recordings), to Drew Robertson and Ron Mathewson for the jazz session, and to Norman Goudie and Harris Playfair for providing the music for the tribute tracks. Thanks are also due to Whirlie Records for the Aly Bain track, Owen Tierney of Attic Records for the Debbie Scott track, and the BBC (with special help from Vicki Mitchell) for the tracks of Peerie Willie and Willie Hunter recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London.
If you missed it the first time round a wonderful tribute to Peerie Willie Johnson from Radio Shetland has been repeated with up to date material now included -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/scotland/aod.shtml?scotland/shetland_wed
Enjoy
An interesting thread in the Footstomping Forum has Michael Marra mentioned more than once -
http://www.footstompin.com/forum?threadid=95187
Here are a selection of the comments
Michael Marra and his band, Quintet, on the Tall Ship in Glasgow. This was a great gig as much for the setting as the music being played. The atmosphere was brilliant.
My favourite gig so far this year was the Hunger Mountain Boys and Earl Brothers at the Classic Grand in Glasgow although Michael Marra and band on The Tall Ship comes a very close second
Michael Marra on the Tall Ship in Glasgow. It was a fantastic night, as others have said.
Michael Marra has been nominated in the "Composer of the Year" category of the Scots Trad Music Awards.
You can cast your votes at -
http://www.handsupfortrad.co.uk/tradmusicawards/index.htm
Not that I am suggesting you vote for Michael you understand
Fit like,
I know some of you have been waiting for this information.
DUNDEE - FAT SAMS 27 amd 28 December 2007- Michael's legendary holiday season home town gig backed by the The Hazey Janes - a move from the Westport Bar this year to more salubrious surroundings of Fat Sams. Ticket prices £10 from following outlets -
Advance tickets from Grouchos Ticket Agency tel 01382 - 228496.
From today's Scotsman - an article by Steve McCabe on his favourite 5 Michael Marra songs -
http://living.scotsman.com/music.cfm?id=1692262007
What's you own favourite five songs pf Michael Marra's
A lengthy piece and interview with Michael Marra in today's Scotland On Sunday by Mike Wade including his latest project " The Demon Barber"
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/review.cfm?id=1677122007
Michael's new CD " Quintet" is also reviewed by Norman Chalmers in today's paper -
MICHAEL MARRA
Quintet
***
Tob Records TRCD0023, £11.99
For fans of the Dundee bard, any recordings are worth getting a hold of even when, like this one, they have but five tracks - all dedicated to musicians and singers. Long established in his repertoire, 'Dr John's Visit To Blairgowrie' is here, as is his hymn to Shetland guitar star Peerie Willie, and Shetland eccentric genius Thomas Fraser. All the songs are cheerfully arranged for a convocation of reeds, fiddle, guitar, bass and assorted studio noises.
Norman Chalmers