Archive for category Belt up’s The Boy James
Belt Up’s The Boy James
Posted by Martin in Belt up's The Boy James, C Venues, Tony Challis on August 11, 2011
THEATRE
*****
Belt Up’s The Boy James
C Soco
Enter a child’s special, secret, reserved attic playroom. Sit on one of his chairs or cushions, talk with a friend there, play games with him…but wait –there is a man…a man who drinks. Who has the same name.
Enjoy this delightful world while you can, though, for things soon darken, and the desperate attempt to retain innocence, to continue the games and adventures, is inevitably doomed, and a world of change, trauma and loss suddenly arrives. This drama is inspired by the life of J M Barrie, he of Peter Pan fame. Rarely is the deep intensity of the desire to avoid change, to stop the clock, conveyed so thoroughly and so heartbreakingly in theatre. After the playful interaction with the boy James, you feel part of his fierce fight to hold on to what he has – or had. (I read once of butch, moustachioed early 20th century soldiers watching Peter Pan with tears rolling down their cheeks.)
The impersonation of the boy James by Jethro Compton is appropriate to an almost uncanny degree, and you believe in him implicitly. Lucy Fawcett as the girl who has clearly had her heart slain is flawless. Dan Wood conveys the man James with complete conviction.
This is one to see if you want something unlike anything you have ever seen, which will take you into its own special world and which will not leave you unchanged. Enter the child’s playroom for the most grown-up of dramas.
Belt Up’s The Boy James
Posted by Martin in Belt up's The Boy James, Brett Herriot, C Venues on August 10, 2011
THEATRE*****
Belt Up’s The Boy James
C Soco
In a tenement high above the streets of Edinburgh is a loft which is carpeted from end to end, with battered sofas and armchairs and cushions scattered all around. It is here that Belt Up Theatre presents a piece of theatre that isn’t just watched it’s completely experienced.
Jethro Compton performs the titular role of the boy with complete deft of touch and grace as he greets his audience on the landing to the loft and takes us inside a loft that is both warm and involving on the senses. The boy James leads us through a game of tag and stick in the mud before we settle down and join hands for the great journey beyond the second star to the left and straight on till Morning by closing our eyes and wishing really hard.
We are then introduced to the character of James (Dan Wood) who shares the boys adventures and has reached the end of his road as he has had to grow up, We are also introduced to the girl played by Lucy Farrett who is about is about to shatter the boys world with the one thing that is destined for us all adulthood.
This production both enthrals and captivates the mind and senses as you are so drawn in to whats happening around you, very much akin to actually living a dream and watching it descend into a nightmare. I ran the a full cycle of emotions, I laughed, was shocked and cried openly with the audience as we relived the best of our own childhoods and the horror which some face as they struggle to become adults in a world they no longer recognise.
The beautiful setting helps you forget what you’re seeing is simply theatre and the unique sound of a clock ticking the minutes away and simple lighting further enhance the experience. As you leave the warm loft to the cool midnight air of Edinburgh your left in awe of what you just saw in the last hour. This truly is a very rare kind of production on the festival one of which I would recommend anyone should see.
If you’re lucky enough to get a ticket, then make your way up the stairs to a loft high above the streets of Edinburgh where you can dream of childhood and play games with the boy James.
