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Bannockburn! - the almost true story!

Thu, 30 Apr 2009, 08:38 am
Gordon the Optom19 posts in thread
 ‘Bannockburn! The 'almost' true story!’ by John Grimshaw, is the latest production from ‘A Lad in Sane’ in association with the Phoenix Theatre inc. It is showing at the newly renovated, well-equipped, 100-seat Memorial Hall at the corner of Rockingham Road and Carrington Street, Hamilton Hill. The performances are nightly at 8.00 until Saturday the 9th May.

          It is the year 1314, and the Final of the Scottish Soccer Cup is drawing to an end, when at the local hostelry a messenger boy delivers a message from Edward II (Longshank), the King of England. It states that if the Scots do not pay their crippling feus, then an army will be dispatched north to Scotland. The peasant farmers, who have only recently finished a war, are now facing 20,000 men. With only a handful of men, what will Sergeant Jock (Tim Prosser) do? Especially when half the farmhands do not have two brain cells to rub together. 
        We follow three of the compatriots, Hamish (Ariel Simone), Billy (Theo Messenger) and Angus (Sinead Bevan) as they train under the capable hands of Gerald (Frank Fazio). Angus, who is a virgin, does not want to die this way and seeks Billy’s advice. Donald (Steve Osborne) had a touching, final prayer before the fray. All aspects of an army going to war are considered.
       The battle takes place and we witness the Scots winning techniques.

In this black comedy, which verges on an adult pantomime, there are many very good and original ideas. The play is about the men in a rough, Territorial Army and so the language and humour is very coarse.  There is plenty of fun, with numerous puns and achronistic comments, interspersed with lines of well-known songs being quoted throughout. The lighting (Hywel Williams) and sound design (Rob Harwood) are above average. The costumes and props appropriately rustic. The large cast, many of whom are new to the boards, moved well and worked hard, however some first night nerves tended to slow down the pace - this I am sure will correct itself  in the next night or two.  Generally good Scottish accents, with one Welshman.

Johnny Grim has never been one to pull back on a joke, subtlety is one adjective that John has not learned, one can almost hear the audience muttering ‘too much information’ when bodily functions are mentioned. John’s work is close to being so much better. The script certainly needed thinning out – please see the ‘Billboard’ section of this site.

If you smile or groan at lines like ‘Robert the Bruce’s spider has a great web site’, then this could be the show for you. If you are a Grim fan, then this will not disappoint.

Thread (19 posts)

Gordon the OptomThu, 30 Apr 2009, 08:38 am
 ‘Bannockburn! The 'almost' true story!’ by John Grimshaw, is the latest production from ‘A Lad in Sane’ in association with the Phoenix Theatre inc. It is showing at the newly renovated, well-equipped, 100-seat Memorial Hall at the corner of Rockingham Road and Carrington Street, Hamilton Hill. The performances are nightly at 8.00 until Saturday the 9th May.

          It is the year 1314, and the Final of the Scottish Soccer Cup is drawing to an end, when at the local hostelry a messenger boy delivers a message from Edward II (Longshank), the King of England. It states that if the Scots do not pay their crippling feus, then an army will be dispatched north to Scotland. The peasant farmers, who have only recently finished a war, are now facing 20,000 men. With only a handful of men, what will Sergeant Jock (Tim Prosser) do? Especially when half the farmhands do not have two brain cells to rub together. 
        We follow three of the compatriots, Hamish (Ariel Simone), Billy (Theo Messenger) and Angus (Sinead Bevan) as they train under the capable hands of Gerald (Frank Fazio). Angus, who is a virgin, does not want to die this way and seeks Billy’s advice. Donald (Steve Osborne) had a touching, final prayer before the fray. All aspects of an army going to war are considered.
       The battle takes place and we witness the Scots winning techniques.

In this black comedy, which verges on an adult pantomime, there are many very good and original ideas. The play is about the men in a rough, Territorial Army and so the language and humour is very coarse.  There is plenty of fun, with numerous puns and achronistic comments, interspersed with lines of well-known songs being quoted throughout. The lighting (Hywel Williams) and sound design (Rob Harwood) are above average. The costumes and props appropriately rustic. The large cast, many of whom are new to the boards, moved well and worked hard, however some first night nerves tended to slow down the pace - this I am sure will correct itself  in the next night or two.  Generally good Scottish accents, with one Welshman.

Johnny Grim has never been one to pull back on a joke, subtlety is one adjective that John has not learned, one can almost hear the audience muttering ‘too much information’ when bodily functions are mentioned. John’s work is close to being so much better. The script certainly needed thinning out – please see the ‘Billboard’ section of this site.

If you smile or groan at lines like ‘Robert the Bruce’s spider has a great web site’, then this could be the show for you. If you are a Grim fan, then this will not disappoint.

Helen BrettMon, 4 May 2009, 10:31 pm

Bannockburn

I enjoyed Bannockburn on Saturday night. The humour reminded me of Spike Milligan - lots of puns and riffs on puns and on popular songs. And what an unusual historical theme. I particularly enjoyed the way the battle was portrayed - so imaginative, succinct and amusing. Everybody seemed comfortable in their parts and I thought the girls were particarly good (I'm sorry I don't have the programme to hand to name them). Admittedly the script could be tighter in parts, but nevertheless there were a lot of good laughs and the play contains a good message about the futility of war.
stingerTue, 5 May 2009, 11:41 pm

The OTHER Scottish Play

There is only one female character in this play. Four of the male roles are played by women - and all do it very well. As a member of the FOH team, I am a bit biased - but if you like corny jokes, stereotypical characters, singing, dancing, swearing, fighting and laughing until you wet yourself, then make sure you catch this how before it finishes this week!! Ssstinger>>>
jeffhansenWed, 6 May 2009, 06:54 am

Are you posting promo

Are you posting promo material in the review forum stinger ? :P www.meltheco.org.au
stingerWed, 6 May 2009, 09:59 am

Attention: Head Prefect Hansen

Well, not really. More of a declared biased review . Anyway, glad I caught your attention, Jeff ;) Ssstinger>>>
cheeky monkeyWed, 6 May 2009, 01:05 pm

Im assuming that posting

Im assuming that posting promo material in a review forum is not a punishable crime?...or is it??
jmuzzThu, 7 May 2009, 01:18 am

Y' wee McClartys!!!!

Gooed luck t'interprettin thes mess-arge!!! Mah clan 'n i wandered doon to the wee Phoenix Theatre t'see f'oohselves th' late-est Joo-nay Grem play "Bann-eck-burrn". Bein' late as yoozu-al tanx t'th' skedyooall o' Martin McLindsay we rocked op jest as th' akters were mekkin' thear way onstage. Mezzter Grem has woven an enter-estin peece o' wahrk (that's work not wank Johnny in case you were concerned) wi' thes pro-duckshone. Ets part pathos and part Ben-ee Hell. Th' clash o' styles may noo always set well weth th' view-err but there's noo denayin' Mezzter Grems talunts oz ay rayter. Enthoosiastikly dayrected 'n akted bay ool cunserned, ay fer wun well prob'ly ventcher ulong t' Joo-nay's neckst ooting. Speh-shil menshun mossed goo t' the wee gels who played Angus and Haymesh - lotsa day-a-log 'n y'held yer ucksense well throo-oot. Hevvin sed thaht, ah thought th' cast 'n jenerahl shooed moch tulent w' th' defficult task o' maintainin' ucksense throo-oot th' play 'n there were i'lot 'o new feeses 'n th' cast. We-ell don y'wee belters. I also wasnay shoo-er somtayms whether we were watcheen a comedee or a drahma 'n the clash woz a litt-el jarr-eng at taymes bot otherwise, veree naice. Joo-nay, ay wud say "Stick t'one or t'other viz a viz drahma i' comedee but yud prob'ly tell me t' get t' fock 'n fair eenuff. Finally, a word in english. Please support Phoenix in it's endeavours this years. This is I believe the first of five productions this year which means they'll all be working their tails off. The theatre looks very polished and the ladies on the bar are most attentive and they had free stuff to eat afterwards the night I went. Peter Nettleton aka Stinger was a most gracious host in his capacity as Phoenix head honcho and I suspect he is quietly confident of good houses and times ahead for Phoenix. Wouldn't hurt if we support his optimism witb bums on seats. I am particularly impressed that Phoenix seems to be supporting local talent with Mr Grim's production and the forthcoming production of an australian play by Peter himself. I came away from Phoenix tonite impressed with both the set-up and the people behind it. This venture deserves support from the wider theatre community and I will be returning to see it's future offerings. Well done all.
LabrugThu, 7 May 2009, 08:59 am

Must be something wrong

Must be something wrong with me 'cause I understood that. Alright I read it a bit slower than my usualy skim-reading speed... Mr Muzz, you'll have to do better than that. ;-)

Good review. :LOL:

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins

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stingerFri, 8 May 2009, 11:27 am

not a punishable crime

Dear Cheeky (if that really IS your name) I think Head Prefect Hansen was suggesting that Master of Discipline Nettleton should practice what he preaches and leave the review forum for genuine reviews. If people want to respond to a review, promote a show or start debating an issue, there are other appropriate fora avalable. I consider myself duly hoisted on my own petard. ...Oops! I did it again! Now I shall have to give myself six of the best!! :teacher: Ssstinger>>>
Walter PlingeFri, 8 May 2009, 07:31 pm

This would have to be one

This would have to be one of the most dire travesties to be foisted upon Perth audiences of late. A shoddy script at best and absolutely no direction to speak of whatsoever. An absolute train wreck. The Ripper 'He'll rip ya'
Walter PlingeSun, 10 May 2009, 12:22 pm

Oh fuck off!

Oh fuck off!
Walter PlingeSun, 10 May 2009, 12:44 pm

That's exactly what I

That's exactly what I wanted the actors to do when I had the misfortune to see this play. Have to agree with Ripper; this was bloody painful to watch. It's about time someone actually said what they thought about this excuse for a play. Two hours of my life I'll never get back (although it felt like four).
cheeky monkeySun, 10 May 2009, 01:15 pm

Oh dear! Why was it so

Oh dear! Why was it so painful? I think you will find the regulars on here will want you to express exactly why you thought it was an excuse of a play, otherwise it just sounds like sour grapes. If you dont however, no problem, just be prepared for the swinging handbags! Youve been warned...
Tim ProsserSun, 10 May 2009, 02:49 pm

Oh how easy it is to say

Oh how easy it is to say that something was a load of garbage and then run away without saying why. Dripper, do you ever do any script-writing or directing, or even any acting, yourself? Or is it because you're not good enough to do any of those things that you exist as a miserable little low-life, hiding there under your rock and only venturing out to spit your odious venom at those who are enjoying their lives more than you are? Make no mistake Dripper, I'm not just feeding a grimy little troll here, and I don't swing handbags either. You're a coward mate, and one day someone is going to find out exactly who you are. Won't that be fun for all of us here, eh? I daresay you'll suddenly find yourself with very few friends - certainly none who'll want to work with you, assuming that you are, in fact, involved in community theatre in some capacity. Mr Clementine, would you be so good as to elaborate on exactly why Bannockburn was so 'bloody painful to watch'? Perhaps you could offer some constructive criticism that we may learn from. Bring up some good points and I, for one, will be happy to consider them. Per Ardua Ad Astra
Walter PlingeSun, 10 May 2009, 03:17 pm

At the risk of upsetting

At the risk of upsetting anyone, I will try and be a bit more diplomatic than the previous two posters. I felt the play really needed a lot more direction. More movement. The scene where the three are at the top of the mountain did feel like it went on forever. They just sat there and said their lines. There was nothing to continue engaging the audience. The script probably could also do with a major polish and edit. Some of the jokes were mildly amusing but they dragged on too much, so the original humour was completely diluted and went by the wayside. The lack of direction and need for a tighter script went hand-in-hand with the audience continuing to lose interest as the play went on, as has been rather less-eloquently put by others here.
Robert WhyteSun, 10 May 2009, 07:50 pm

And a homophobe too

And a homophobe too Grahame, gives more pointers to who you really are
John GrimSun, 10 May 2009, 10:38 pm

Thankyou to all

I'd just like to say thanks to all who have shared their opionions on BANNOCKBURN. Good, bad, or 'totally shite' belongs totally in the eyes of the individual. I'm sorry that Jason lost four hours of his life, but my suggestion would be that when suffering the 'cringe factor', one chooses to leave at the interval (a most effective way of making a statement. The same applies to Ripper. The train in question had 14 stops! The question begs 'Why not get off earlier??? PS: In closing, let's not turn this post into one of those bitch fests that often follows a production some may deem ghastly. Let's agree to disagree, and give everyone the chance to have their say. Meanwhile, the cast and crew of Bannockburn will take away our own feelings on what we gained or maybe lost in taking part in BANNOCKBURN! cheers Johnny Grim
Sinéad BevanMon, 11 May 2009, 11:08 am

Johnny Be Good

Admirably and eloquently diplomatic as always, Johnny.

Sinéad

PS. Tim - like your profile picture ;)

Tim ProsserMon, 11 May 2009, 12:32 pm

Thanks Sinead . . . I think

Thanks Sinead . . . I think the photographer caught my best side! Mr Grim . . . nothing lost as far as I'm concerned. On the contrary, a great deal gained. From the raw material of inexperienced first-timers we moulded some outstandingly good performances. Every one of these people, both young and not so young, were wonderful to watch as they developed throughout the rehearsal process. The self-confidence that they've all gained from the experience will stay with them and carry them on to other things from here. In fact, some of them have already won roles in other productions as a result of being involved in Bannockburn. Some of them may, at times, have thought of me as a grumpy old bu**er (and I probably am), but every one of them has my profound respect and admiration for what they achieved. So . . . no, nothing at all lost, but a hell of a lot gained for all of these individuals on a personal level and for community theatre as a whole. Take a bow, my friend, because you made it happen. Per Ardua Ad Astra
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