| Ten loosers on the streets |
Mike Pearson |
| Rain Dogs- Conceived, written and staged by Mike Brookes, Mike Pearson and Ed Thomas , Chapter Arts Centre , November 8, 2002 |
| Rain Dogs Conceived, written and staged by Mike Brookes, Mike Pearson and Ed Thomas Chapter Cardiff - 8th November 2002 Is it the shortcomings and prejudices in me that cause me not to be ‘turned on’ by Mike Pearson’s work? I went into Rain Dogs, after being totally bored and baffled by Mike’s last show, really willing myself to get excited this time. The stunning illustration by Ann Cakebread, from an original photograph by Paul Jeff on the publicity material appealed strongly and Ed Thomas was involved this time; his contribution to play writing in Wales has been quite remarkable and remains underestimated. So to begin at the beginning! All the seats had been removed from the Chapter Theatre. The large blackened former school hall was empty except for the apparatus involved in presenting the show. I quote from Penny Simpson’s interview with Ed Thomas that can be read elsewhere on this web site. “It's about discovery not ego. The quest is the same for actor, writer or image-maker. Rather like a club DJ mixing tracks, Mike Brookes will work with the recorded texts and short films shot in Cardiff to develop an improvised and fragmented narrative that will suggest cross-fertilisation between genres, be they documentary installation, soap opera or pure film.” The machines for doing all this ran along what is normally the back wall of the stage with Mike Brookes in control. On the long wall opposite the entrance were two large screens, one to be looked at by the left eye and the other to be looked at by the right eye. Two rows of seats ran along the opposite wall and the wall at the rear of the auditorium. Just in front of the right screen stood Ed’s mike and a blackened tea chest containing an upturned television monitor for the performer to keep in touch with the screen action. There was the same set-up for Mike Person in front of the left screen. I guess these monitors had something to do with the improvisation being built into the evening. The story continues the theme in Eddie Ladd’s ‘Club Luz’. Here we see ten losers filmed wandering the streets of Cardiff and in the later half contemplating their predicaments aloud. In the first half Mike and then Ed in turn step up to their microphones and read texts, which they have written in flat emotionless voices. Certainly, from time to time the words give us some strong imagery and clever metaphors. But for me the story telling was as lost as the characters within it. Nothing new or exciting or compelling was conveyed. This was no ‘House of Cardiff’. All three performers, with the strong creative instincts within them, are artists committed to seeking new ways of expression. Such exploration may bring us new ways of presenting drama in the future but we still have a long way to go. Again as with Eddie Ladd’s show I could see elements of this work supporting more conventional drama in an exciting and innovative way. It’s not that my thinking is stuck in narrative drama but I strongly believe all theatre should strife to engage and excite its audience. I quite suspect it only failed with me, The young audience around me, from the comments I heard, found it extremely fascinating. “Summer in the city. A heatwave. Traffic snarls. A dog sleeps in the shade of a park. He wakes in the cool of a thunderstorm But when the rain clears he’s lost. The rain has washed away the scent, the trail, the path that will lead him home. He now roams the city a stray dog one of many a lost dog dreaming of home a rain dog. - Ed Thomas That was beautiful, the presentation wasn’t. The artistry and endeavour deserved more than the final product. The actors were Boyd Clack Terry Dauncey Russell Gomer Richard Harrington Paul Jeff Richard Lynch Richard Morgan Islwyn Morris John Rowley and James Tyson. Music composed and produced by John Hardy and Stewart Lucas. Video shot and edited by Cathy Boyce and Felix Power with CCTV footage by PC Brian Lowe. A Chapter production with the support of the Arts Council of Wales. |
Reviewed by: Michael Kelligan |
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