.: The Red Brick – Dubai College's Student Newspaper :.

It is hardly news to anyone, at this late stage, that the Dubai College senior production this March will be Hairspray.  To the average onlooker, this musical may seem like a happy-go-lucky, cringe-worthy cheese-fest – which admittedly, in many ways, is undeniable!  However, many people gravitate to the belief that Hairspray has little or social historical weight, rendering it clichéd and uninspiring.  They could not be more wrong.

Set in 1960s Baltimore, in the thick of civil rights campaigns sweeping the United States, Hairspray follows the tale of the bubbly, “pleasantly plump” teenager, Tracy Turnblad, who is involved in a campaign of her own: to become one of the “Nicest Kids in Town” on the “Corny Collins Show” (based on the real life Buddy Dean Show).  However, as the musical progresses it is revealed that Negroes are not permitted to dance on the show with the White kids, and are further restricted to only one day each month of air time on the show: “Negro Day”.  Tracy then makes it her mission, along with Baltimore’s Negro community, to integrate the Corny Collins Show.

Bursting with energetic dances, goosebump-evoking love songs and an all-round unique dynamism, Hairspray is a must-see for all.  Self-confessed musical fans are a ridiculously small group of people in the grand scheme of things, but Hairspray has something for everyone.  It explores issues such as racism that makes it highly relevant to its time period, as well as relating to similar present-day concerns.  Having opened on Broadway in 2002, Dubai College will have the honour of performing it in its 10th anniversary year.  The original show played for over 2,500 performances, making it one of the longest-running Broadway shows ever.  The original cast starred none other than Matthew Morrison as Link Larkin, who most people are familiar with through his portrayal of Will Schuester on the hit TV show Glee.  Perhaps the primary reason for Hairspray’s popular renown among today’s youth, however, is the movie remake released in 2007, starring Zac Efron and Jon Travolta, among many other A-list stars.

While it is lovely to watch a show full of delightful songs and jolly dances, Hairspray leaves audiences enlightened about the culture it surrounds itself in, as well as astounded by the performance quality and witty humour that is so prevalent in the script.  The effect that Dubai College’s production of hairspray will have on audiences will be no exception to this convention.  Run and tell that!

It is almost guaranteed that a considerable number of theatrical aficionados would spit in the face of the question above, turn on their heels and flounce off stage-left.  On the other hand, it is equally certain many of we, less exuberant characters, may have seen only a handful of stage shows. Against the exhaustive list of television shows and films we have viewed, theatre figures could be veritably insignificant.  It is certainly debateable, therefore, that theatre is becoming an indifferent cast member in a new film-and-television-headlined act.  Of course, it is indisputable that in more humble times, prior to the age of technology, theatre was a focal feature of many societies.  Nowadays, the money involved in the theatre industry does not even amount to a fraction of what the television and film industries are swimming in. Which begs the question: is all the world still a stage?  Or is it now one giant screen?

Is all the world a stage? Or has it become one giant screen?

Ask anyone in our generation to name ten famous actors, it is fairly certain that not one of those mentioned would specialise in theatre.  This is due to our lack of exposition, particularly in Dubai, to theatre.  Presently, even in the UK, theatre is simply not as accessible as television and film are to the public, especially in the current economic climate.  It is assumed in Britain that trips to the theatre are a sporadic indulgence, whereas a television, once regarded as an essential fixture in the average household, can now be found in multiple rooms.  Television and film are unquestionably more obtainable, affordable, undemanding sources of entertainment, which suit the idle, onesie-clad, sofa-bound British citizenry perfectly.  However, this by no means equates to a lack of appreciation for the theatre in our modern society.

In 2010, over 12.5 million people attended the theatre in Broadway, and this figure continues to rise each year.  With 42 new shows being staged on Broadway in the same year, it cannot even be suggested that the theatre is an aged convention.  Theatre cannot be defined by one show, or one genre.  It incessantly reinvents itself to provide audiences with a unique experience every time.  The enjoyment yielded by a successful theatre show cannot be touched by those of modern, one-dimensional forms of entertainment, both for the performers and the audiences.  However, this still seems to fail in persuading the masses to embrace the theatre.

Perhaps a reason for this aversion to the industry is modern-day prejudice against those who immerse themselves in it.  Male theatregoers and performers are often victims of public preconceptions, as it is a practice that can be considered particularly camp by ignorant observers.  Any historian would be able to see the irony in this custom, in view of the Elizabethan times when all actors were men, and it was felonious for a woman to participate in theatre.  The tables have now turned, however, and some men purposefully steer clear of the theatre to avoid the abuse they may incur.

Be that as it may, there is no parallel criticism for male actors on the silver screen.  This may seem odd, however, as many reputed film and television actors (both male and female) frequently indulge in theatrical works, and their early training undoubtedly included a good many years of theatre.  When David Tennant wasn’t operating the tardis and fighting Daleks, he was (and still is) a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, along with Dame Helen Mirren, Dustin Hoffman and Jeremy Irons, among many other notable names.  Hugh Jackman is currently starring in his own Broadway show, Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway.  On the other side of the Atlantic, Rowan Atkinson played Fagin for eight months on the West-End production of Oliver!, only quitting for health reasons.  Accumulatively, this all indicates that those in the television and film industries still have an unwavering respect for the theatre, and are willing to engross themselves in it regardless of the lower pay.

Theatre is an old-aged, yet immortal man, who commands unlimited and unparalleled respect from his youthful companions, television and film.  While from a distance he may seem straitlaced and outmoded, once you become acquainted with him he has a surprisingly current and inventive grasp on humanity.  He realises television and film are revelling in exceptional fortune and success, rekindling memories of adoration from his former glorious life; but he also realises that they would be nowhere without his guidance and teachings.  So while he carries on entertaining his humble disciples, he finds comfort in the knowledge that he has provided a lasting service to the rest of the world, despite receiving less recognition for it than he deserves.

   ‘It’s the quality of one’s convictions that determines success, not the number of followers’… Whilst this may be so, Professor Lupin, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter has found success on both fronts and will surely be missed… The seven films to date have earned almost a billion dollars each; therefore it is obvious that their followers are legion. However, dark times lie ahead… yet not for Harry Potter but rather for the millions of fans across the world that have grown up alongside The Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 stands as a spectacular closing chapter to the wizard saga, packed with breath-taking action sequences and moving performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. An emotional farewell for the devoted fans of JK Rowling’s fantasy world, the film surpasses all expectations. Simply magical! Following the release of the film, here are ten weird and wonderful facts that you perhaps did not know…  

1. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone, Harry sees his parents in a mirror which Dumbledore refers to as the ‘Mirror of Erised’ – does this ring any bells? Interestingly, ‘Erised’ is an anagram of DESIRE
2. Not only is Voldemort a keen follower of the Dark Arts, it appears that he also has a knack for languages as his name – as well as being an anagram of Tom Marvelo Riddle – means “fly from death” in French and Voldemort’s sole goal is to achieve immortality. Similarly, ‘Morsmorde’  (the command that makes the Dark Mark appear) means “take a bite out of death” in French, making it an appropriate call for Death Eaters.
3. In the second book, there is a picture of Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings in Dumbledore’s study
4. As every Harry Potter fanatic knows, Dementors are deadly, wraith-like creatures. JK Rowling revealed that they represent depression and were based on her own experiences with the disease; interestingly, the remedy to lighten the effect of a Dementor is chocolate!
5. The driver and conductor of the Knight Bus from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ernie and Stanley, are named after Rowling’s grandfathers
6. Numbers are symbolic in the series, especially 2, 3, 4, and 7. For example, the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione suggest the power of three and the spiritual trinity. Harry fatally wounds the basilisk on its third strike, and Hagrid knocks on the front door of Hogwarts three times. Students attend Hogwarts for seven years and there are seven players on each Quidditch. Sirius is also imprisoned on the seventh floor of Hogwarts.
7. Natalie McDonald, who appears as a first year student in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, was a real person. She was a nine-year-old girl from Toronto, Canada, who was dying of leukemia. She wrote to Rowling asking what was going to happen in the next Harry Potter book as she would not live long enough to read it. Rowling emailed back, but Natalie had died a day earlier. In tribute, she became a first-year student at Hogwarts sorted into Gryffindor House by the Sorting Hat.
8. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Arthur Weasley takes Harry and his pals to the Ministry of Magic they must first dial a secret code into a telephone keypad. He enters the number 62442. The letters underneath those numbers on a standard mobile phone spell out the word “magic”.
9. Twin jokers, Fred and George, the owners of the joke shop Weasley’s Wizard Wheezers celebrate their birthdays on the stupidest day of the year – April Fool’s Day
10. JK Rowling, Harry Potter and actor Daniel Radcliffe all share the same birthday, July 31. Coincidental – I think not!

Theatre review – A Halloween night out

Plot

Eil Marsh House stands tall, gaunt and isolated, surveying the endless flat marshes beyond the Nine Lives Causeway, somewhere on England’s bleak East Coast. Here Mrs Alice Drablow lived – and died – alone.

Young Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is ordered by his firm to travel up from London to attend her funeral and arrange her papers. At first Kipps is quite unaware of the tragic secrets which lie behind the house’s shuttered windows. He only has a terrible sense of unease. And then, he glimpses a young woman with a wasted face, dressed all in black. Who is she? Why is she there? He asks questions, but the locals refuse to talk about the woman in black, or even to acknowledge her existence at all. So, Arthur Kipps has to wait until he sees her again, and she slowly reveals her identity to him – and her terrible purpose.

Years later, when Kipps chooses to tell his story, he approaches a theatre producer who creates a performance of this story within the play itself. Therefore ‘The Woman in Black’ is almost a play within a play where scenes constantly swap between rehearsals and the performance.

Review

While dressed up children crowded doorsteps and the less zealous Halloween enthusiasts rocked the night away at the Kings of Leon Concert, I was queuing up at the Madinat Theatre ticket booth, spending all my money on watching a show that frankly I had never really heard of. The one thing I knew about ‘The Woman in Black’ was that it was ‘scary’ or meant to be at least. But to be honest with you, I was sceptical about how a play starring two men working with a minimalistic set could possibly impact an audience so much as to leave them ‘shaking with fear’ as claim the quotes on the programme. Even some films fail to truly terrify viewers and they have the advantage of cinematography, gory special effects and tantalising real life settings. I deemed it impossible for two men on a stage to possibly create their desired effect on an audience.

I don’t think I could have been more wrong.

When first stepping into the theatre I was already encapsulated by a false sense of security, the lighting was warm and luxurious, caressing the hustle and bustle of laughing people dodging others in the aisles, excited for the horror filled spectacular still to come. It was not long before the whole theatre was dark and the audience were caught dead in their seats.

As soon as the actors spoke, their talent emulated from within them and they engaged every member of the audience through every line they spoke or action they took. Even throughout the long silences I was gripped, suspended with curiosity and tension as their ghost story was slowly unravelled before my very eyes.

The tone at first was humourous, where the light hearted relationship between Mr Kipps and the theatre producer instigated modest giggles among the audience, driving them into a sense of reassurance that was soon to be shattered by the latter stages of the play. Their chemistry and presence stole my focus, especially when actually role-playing Mr Kipp’s story. I was so concentrated in their actions that I almost failed to notice the third member of the cast hovering right behind me. Black, everything hidden but a white, ruined face and decrepit eyes. The Woman in Black.  Her subtle presence was eerie and hardly acknowledged in Act 1 which made her that much more mysterious and frightening. She could be anywhere and you could be completely unaware of it.

Act 2 brought horrific surprises, and although I sat still and shaking in my seat, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the action in front of me or block my ears when terrible screams and sound effects pulsed throughout my body. The actors were so convincing in their parts, maintaining this despite the fact they had to multirole that I felt so connected to the story, and found it hard to imagine that the Woman in Black was just a regular person with costume and make up.  The set was cleverly manoeuvred and designed as there was no point where the audience saw stage crew come on stage and change the set. To the viewer’s perspective it seemed to just appear as if from nowhere. This is true of the child’s room which the Woman in black haunted, where a rocking chair seemed to rock repeatedly by itself without any visible form of human interaction.

Not only did the direction and actor’s performances in the play completely stagger the audience, but the twists and turns in the story left us frozen in our seats and strongly impacted by the terrifying atmosphere surrounding us. In my case this fear even managed to follow me home that night, despite my scepticism from before, and my dreams were haunted by screaming children and a woman with a white wasted face.

Lucie Turner