REVIEWS
RADIO DRAMA REVIEW Apr 12
First, the news I promised about the Imison and Tinniswood Awards. These prizes, for the best radio drama script by a newcomer, and the best radio drama overall have been moved from October to the end of January.
The regime has changed. The awards are no longer under the sole control of the Writers' Guild and the Society of Authors. There is now some BBC involvement, and the format has been altered, probably as a result of the big 'push' which the BBC is giving to radio drama (no longer described as 'radio plays' in their promotional material). The Tinniswood and Imison are now part of a larger ceremony, to be known as the 'Audio Drama Awards'.
There are now many more people on the shortlists, because there are more award categories. Consequently there is less room for guests; a couple of writers on the shortlist told me they were unable to take partners! There was allocated seating, a live band and glitzy images on a screen. Nevertheless, the event went well, it was widely reported in the Press and elsewhere, and David Tennant made an excellent host in doing the presentations. It was an enjoyable evening.
I listened to 'Front Row' every night for a couple of weeks to see if it got a mention - but - nothing. A pity, bearing in mind the number of people who regularly listen to radio plays; many times more than the entire theatre-going public of the UK. When did 'Front Row' last do a programme about radio drama?
Stephen Wyatt was the first person to win the Tinniswood Award for the second time, with his play about Cardinal Newman, "Gerontius". It starred Derek Jacobi as Newman and explored the nature of the relationship between Newman and Friar Ambrose St. John.
He was given a close run by Nick Warburton, a previous winner in 2006 with "Beast" and shortlisted on this occasion with a beautifully written play "Setting a Glass", about a man visiting his mother in hospital at the very end of her life.
The Imison was won by Michelle Lipton, for "Amazing Grace", a 'Woman's Hour' drama about a Sudanese woman whose village is attacked. She flees, along with her four children, pushes two of them onto a truck, turns to lift the other two up - and they've disappeared .... the story goes from there.
Winners in the other categories can be found on the Audio Drama Awards 2012 page which describe a number of the drama highlights of the preceding year. An item worthy of special mention is "Rock" by Tim Fountain, a biographical play about the actor Rock Hudson. This had nothing to do with the BBC, but was made by The Independent Online in Manchester; produced by Iain Mackness, accessible only by download through the internet, and of the very highest quality.
As for the radio plays since the last review, we've had nine dramas by Nick Warburton, three by John Dryden, three by Mike Walker, and a new series by Sebastian Baczkiewicz, along with plenty of other interesting material. It's been a good three months.
YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY, by Paul Dodgson (1415, 12 Jan 12) was semi-autobiographical. When he was very young, Paul wanted to be a racing driver; he was always keen on cars and driving. He reminisces about his motoring experiences in the back seat of his parents car in the sixties, his first driving test, and on numerous occasions afterwards. It begins as a very nostalgic play. But gradually, it becomes clear that this is not what the story is about. Bit by bit, he loses the ability to drive. By the end of the play we have some insight into the reasons why.
Paul Dodgson plays himself, with Ewan Bailey as Dad and Sally Orrock as Mum, and the producer was Kate McAll. Tony Peters, in Radio Times, described it thus:
.....an atmospheric piece which uses imaginative sound design to build the tension as this man's life unravels...
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HUSBAND MAY LEAVE AND HOW TO COPE IF HE DOESN'T (R4, 1415,16 Jan 2012) was a surreal comedy by Mel Hudson. A woman's husband has an affair. She attempts to find the mistress, and on the way is abducted by aliens. A plot with a difference; the play had lots of good verbal gags, and was a real treat. The cast included Mel Hudson, Richard Laing and Mia Soteriou, and the producer was Alison Crawford.
Another series of PILGRIM by Sebastian Baczkiewicz was broadcast in January and February; four more interesting stories about a man cursed with eternal life (R4, 1415, 26 Jan - 16 Feb 2012). The supernatural element to these stories makes them distinctly creepy, and they are extremely popular; there were 765 visitors to Sebastian's page during January and another 389 in February.
Radio Times contained a good review of the first play CROWSFALL WOOD (26 Jan):
An old friend of William Palmer is possessed by a forest spirit. Happily married for fifty years, he deserts his wife for a 24-year-old and elopes into the Wood. She must be a witch.... but the old man has supernatural powers of his own. Palmer has been making libations to keep Tadek safe, but this year he forgot, and now powerful forces are awakening.... (paraphrased from Jane Anderson's remarks in RT)
These plays were produced by Jessica Dromgoole and Marc Beeby, and Paul Hilton plays William Palmer, 'Pilgrim'.
EDITH'S STORY, by Robin Glendenning (R4, 1415, 18 Jan 2012) was based on the true story of a young Jewish girl, Edith Schloem. It's 1934, and Edith's father, an academic, is in prison for disagreeing publicly with the Nazis. Although they have heard nothing official, Edith, her mother and her lover realise that they have to leave the country because their lives are in danger; they are Jewish. But they get separated, and Edith, a schoolgirl, has to journey halfway around Europe on her own before she finds a way to reach the safety of England. Edith was played by Emerald O'Hanrahan, her mother by Haydn Gwynne, and her mother's partner by Michael Shelton. The producer was Eoin O'Callaghan.
Another excellent comedy, THOSE HARD TO REACH PLACES, by Daniel Thurman (R4, 1415, 24 Feb 2012) went out as an afternoon play. A former pillar of the community wishes to replace his devoted middle-aged cleaner, who clings to him like a barnacle and more or less rules his life, with a younger, more attractive model who does the hoovering in the buff. Geoffrey Whitehead was theman wanting a bit more excitement in his life, Anne Reid the cleaner, and Janet Dibley the younger woman; Toby Swift directed.
Anyone who objects to the way Westminster uses our money will have enjoyed THE GREAT SQUANDERLAND ROOF, another financial play by Julian Gough (R4, 1415, 28 Feb 2012). It was a parable about the wasting resources on silly schemes, even in times of austerity. The bankrupt republic of Squanderland devises a way of emerging from the banking crisis. It will build an enormous roof over the EU henhouse, which currently has no roof at all. This will provide work, and improve everyone's lives, and all will be happy. But the scheme gets expanded; the politicians decide to build a roof half a mile high over the whole country, and the price escalates unbelievably. Meanwhile all actual work on the roof stops... The play was in a similar style to Julian's recent 'Goat Bubble Crisis' play. It starred Rory Keenan, Dermot Crowley and James Lailey, and the producer was Di Speirs.
PANDEMIC was another set of plays by John Dryden, recorded on location, without using a studio (R4, 1415, 26-28 Mar 2012). Each play is self-contained, but the scenario begins like this: a microbiologist goes to Thailand to a medical conference; whilst he's there, 'flu breaks out. It rapidly escalates into a crisis; people die within hours, and he's unable to return home because all the airports close.
Play 2 is set several years later, when the population of the world has diminished by 50%. The political setup is now quite different, and people who disapprove of the regime sometimes just disappear.
Play 3 is a 'prequel' which looks at events leading up the the pandemic. The action starts at a climate change conference, where a person daring to question the green movement's global warming propaganda rapidly finds himself in hot water.
The producer was John Dryden, working for 'Goldhawk Essential'.
THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE, (R4, 1430, 7 Apr 12) was a dramatization by Lu Kemp of a play by Harley Granville Barker, published in 1905. A man discovers that his partner and father, Mr. Voysey, to all appearances a prosperous businessman, has kept his finance company afloat by wheeling and dealing rather than investing. Many of his clients' investments have been sold and spent - embezzled. They don't know any of this because he always ensures that dividends are paid. The son is aghast and astonished and judgemental. However, when his father dies a little time afterwards, and he inherits the business, he has a dilemna. Does he disclose evrything, declare the company insolvent, put everyone out of work and probably go to prison, or does he keep quiet, soldier on, and try to rebuild the investments?
Clive Merrison was Voysey senior; Samuel Barnett played the son, and Phyllida Law was his mother; the producer was Lu Kemp. It was good to see a good 90-minute play again in the 'Saturday Play' slot.
Mike Walker's PLANTAGENET (R4, 1500, Classic Serial, 3 x 55m beginning 1 Apr 12) has been a brilliant historical epic, inspired by Holinshead's Chronicles. The stories are set in the fifteenth century, but they are amazingly accessible because such care has been taken with the language. No stilted historical-speak here; before a battle we hear one of the soldiers remark 'It's arse-kicking time'. The realism of the dialogue carries it along at a tremendous pace; it feels as if you are actually there. In the words of Jane Anderson (paraphrased by ND): Put aside all thoughts of Shakespeare's 'Henry V'....this is not so much "Once more unto the breach" as "Once more onto the couch" as Mike Walker's superb interpretation provides a gripping psychological profile of the young Prince Hal... like Shakespeare's Henry, he can inspire men, lead an army and crush a rebellion....but in this version he is outsmarted at every turn by his wife.....
The first episode statrred Luke Treadaway and Lydia Leonard as Hal and Catherine, along with Gerard McDermott, James Lailey, Paul Moriarty, Simon Bubb, and Carl Prekopp. The producers were Jeremy Mortimer and Sasha Yevtushenko.
It was good to see another Shakespeare-based play on the schedules: Rough Magick (1415, 12 Apr 12) by Marty Ross. The BBC used to broadcast one of these nearly every year, on or around 23rd April. 'Shaxberd' (misprounounced throughout the play - a running joke), played by John Paul Hurley, saves King James (Richard Conlon) from assassination and tries to stop a young girl being burned as a witch, in between writing plays. One can get some idea of the style from a description of the closing scene. Two young people declare their love for each other; one hears the baddie screaming as he gets torn to pieces and eaten alive by wild cats. I couldn't work out why this wasn't broadcast a week later, to coincide with Shakespeare's birthday, but never mind. The producer was David Ian Neville.
IS ANYTHING BROKEN? (R4, 1415, 13 Apr 12) was a comedy by Daniel Davies. An architect is on his way to catch a plane for an important meeting when he learns of a domestic emergency. He attempts to sort everything out in the way managers usually operate - by getting other people to run around and do all the work. The problem is, he only has his mobile 'phone. Will the people do as they are told, and will he reach the departure gate? Adam Kotz was the stressed businessman, Emerald O'Hanrahan his long-suffering P.A, and Marc Beeby was the producer.
Another excellent play produced by Jessica Dromgoole, MY ONE AND ONLY (R4, 1415, 20 Apr 12) was an unusual psychological thriller by Dawn King. Layla is friendly to a young man at a party. She bids him goodbye and goes home. In the morning, he rings her to make a date. She says thanks but no thanks ... unfortunately he won't let go; he has fallen for her in a big way, and he is completely unable to leave her alone. He rings, again and again and again; what initially seems like a harmless infatuation slowly builds up into something obsessive: constant telephone calls, waiting outside her flat, and worse. She turns to friends for help, but they are all too engrossed in their own lives. Katherine Parkinson played Layla, and the disturbed young man was Karl Prekopp.
This drama review would not be complete without a mention of Nick Warburton, who had no fewer than nine plays broadcast over the quarter. The first four made up the immensely entertaining series, "ON MARDLE FEN" (R4, 1415, weekly, beginning 29 Feb 12), with Trevor Peacock, Sam Dale, Kate Buffery, John Rowe and Helen Longworth, produced by Claire Grove. He followed this with THE PEOPLE'S PASSION (R4, 1415, 2-5 April 12), a series of five plays set in a fictional cathedral. It is humbling to think that similar human dramas have been occurring in and around our cathedrals for a thousand years.
Each drama was narrated by a mysterious elderly man, and the People's Passion Mass and Easter Anthem was composed for the series by Sasha Johnson Manning, with lyrics by Michael Symmons Roberts. This was broadcast in full as part of Sunday Worship on Easter Day. The cast was full of well-known radio names; the old man was David Bradley, with Adjoa Andoh, Kim Wall, Jim Norton, Alex Tregear, James Fleet, Gerard McDermott, and Claire Rushbrook. The series producer was Jonquil Panting.
Finally, an announcement: very soon, on Radio 4 Extra, the series "Vivat Rex", possibly the most expensive radio drama series ever made by the BBC, is to be repeated in full.
Do not miss it!
ND, Diversity website, 25 Apr 12
RADIO DRAMA REVIEW Dec 12
