The Stage

Decibel Performing Arts Showcase

Published Monday 19 September 2011 at 12:33 by Parvin Kumar Ramchurn

A wave of artistic talent descended on Manchester for this four-day showcase, infusing the city with a welcome injection of creative energy. The showcase - the fifth of its kind - is organised by The Arts Council and centres on diversity. In this sense it’s a catch-all word encompassing race, disability, sexuality and more. It is worth noting that all shows at decibel were presented as extracts rather than full productions – running at just 30 minutes in length. This gives artistic directors the chance to cast their eyes over a broad range of work, with a view to bringing the most promising pieces to their venues.

Among the first performers on stage are Pen-ultimate with their show A Night on the Tiles. Billed as a “Tarantino-esque tale of revenge, murder and Devonshire cream teas”, the five-man cast deliver a high tempo, well organised and determined performance blending drama, dance, hip hop and comedy. But unlike a Devonshire cream tea, the performance ultimately fails to satisfy. The sticking point is the use of Scrabble as a dramatic device for resolving disputes between gangsters. You can’t help thinking that, had Tarantino been directing, he would have plumped for guns ahead of Scrabble pieces.

Actor Brian Lobel performed twice on Tuesday, bringing his one man show BALL and Other Funny Stories about Cancer to the Contact Theatre. The likable New Yorker - goofy in a David Schwimmer kind of a way - develops an immediate rapport with the audience, often inducing laughter. In the show he travels back to the doctor’s consultation room where he was diagnosed with testicular cancer ten years ago. Such a diagnosis is clearly a life-altering moment, but Lobel is able to access the lighter side, skilfully combining despair with well-observed humour. When the doctor first informs Lobel about his diagnosis, he goes to great lengths to explain “that the cancer won’t affect his sex life”. Lobel recalls that while the doctor’s intentions were well-meant, having a tempestuous sex life wasn’t a top priority at that particular moment in his life. Perhaps the salient message is how deficient we still are when it comes to dealing with death, dying and being told very bad news. Lobel - now healthy and cancer free - finishes his performance by allowing five audience members to inspect his private parts. At least that’s what the rest of audience is led to believe.

A new interpretation of Shadow Boxing (written by James Gaddas of Bad Girls fame) was performed on the Wednesday, with actor Jonny Collis taking centre stage. The one-man play - condensed down to 30 minutes - focuses on prize fighter Flynn and his crisis of confidence ahead of a title bout. Collis certainly looks the part and is helped by good set design, including a punch bag, bench and dumb-bells. The premise is also good - a fighter in emotional free-fall ahead of his most important 12 rounds. But ultimately there are too many devils weighing on the protagonist’s shoulder - his failed romances, doubts about his ability as a fighter, memories of his father (himself a failed boxer) and ultimately Flynn’s own sexual identity in a sport that exudes masculinity. Collis’ performance was hampered by the condensed version of the script. Anger was the dominant idea, with only snippets of measured reflection. The resulting show lacked subtlety and truth.

The Invisible Man is adapted from the 1952 award-winning novel of the same name. The plot investigates the plight of individuals who feel they have been ‘marginalised’ by society. It tells the story of a man, holed up in the basement of an apartment block, who is invisible “simply because people refuse to see him”. The plot could be (and perhaps should be) viewed as a metaphor for the experiences of black people living in 1950s America where racism was society’s default position. Although the narrative is not always clear, George Eggay gives an engaging performance as a man trying to assert intellectual superiority while freeing himself of emotional ties. He produces an authentic American accent and displays a good emotional repertoire. The simple set and limited props add to the piece, with the audience accepting that it is supposed to be 1950s America.

The showcase was climaxed, at the Royal Northern College of Music on Friday night, by the fusion band Sunday Driver, which has seven principal members. Led by the impressive Chandy Nath on lead vocals, the group specialises in merging Asian music with indie and rock. They achieve this by incorporating tabla and sitar into a live set consisting of harp, clarinet, drums and guitars. The lyrics are mainly in English, with occasional sections in Sanskrit.

Although dress-wise Sunday Driver lack congruency - the lead singer wears a shalwar kameez, while the bass player looks like he has just played a gig at Ronnie Scott’s - the music is strangely compelling. Indeed the diverse instruments work happily in unison, with the show gradually becoming more anchored in rock. The synergy between the band members is also contagious It is a great way to climax four days of creative energy and non-stop performances.

A Night on the Tiles, Contact Theatre, Manchester September 13

Producer: Rebecca McNight

Cast: Pen-ultimate (Ali Gadema, Ben Mellor, Martin Stannage, Niven Ganner, Samira Arhin-Acquaah)

BALL and Other Funny Stories about Cancer, Contact Theatre, Manchester September 13

Producer: Hannah Kerr

Cast: Brian Lobel

Shadow Boxing, Contact Theatre, Manchester September 14

Director: Donald Pulford

Producer: Shock and Awe Tours, Performance Anxiety

Cast: Jonny Collis

The Invisible Man, RNCM, Manchester September 14

Director: Paul Anthony Morris

Producers: Sarah Nunn, Crying in the Wilderness Productions

Cast: George Eggay

The Clockwork Tiger, RNCM, Manchester September 16

Cast: Chandy Nath (singer), Joel Clayton (guitar/singer), Kat Arney (harp), Simon Richardson (guitar), Richard Bullen (bass), Amit Jogia (tabla), Scott Jowett (drums), Beyonder (poet), Nikita Thakar, Danuta (dancers)

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