CityLife

M.E.N. Theatre Awards: The Judges' verdict

Maxine Peake and Charlotte Emmerson in The Children's Hour 1 / 5 images

NOW the gongs have been dished out, the judges have revealed just why the made their choices:

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: DAVID FIELDER
A hotly-contested category with six nominations – seven if you count eventual winner David Fielder’s nomination for two different productions, the Library’s much-nominated Waiting For Godot and the Octagon’s powerful Merchant of Venice! The Library Theatre featured most strongly with support for Fieder’s co-lead in Godot, George Costigan, as well as John Killoran in Frozen and Ged McKenna in Faith Healer. The Exchange was also notable for a fiery performance from Ian Redford as the implacable Creon in Antigone and Stephen Tompkinson, tragically vengeful, in The Revenger’s Tragedy. (Kevin Bourke)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: PAUL SIMPSON
Again, the panel were unable to distinguish in excellence between two very different performances by the same actor, Paul Simpson, in a pair of terrific Octagon productions, Road and Spring And Port Wine. There was spirited competition, though, from another of the Library’s Waiting For Godot actors, Russell Dixon, as well as Roger Morlidge, holding his own in the Exchange’s Three Sisters. (KB)

ACTOR IN A VISITING PRODUCTION: ANDREW BUCHAN
When a play by a major writer such as Arthur Miller is only rarely performed, there’s usually a good reason for it. But the Donmar Warehouse’s classy production of Miller’s early work The Man Who Had All The Luck proved that’s not always the case and, as the lucky fellow of the title, young Andrew Buchan was enormously impressive. So too, in their own ways, were Robert Daws in Blackbird and John Savident in Hobson’s Choice, both at The Lowry, while Jonathan Wilkes brought life and soul to The Wedding Singer. (KB)

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: MAXINE PEAKE
Maxine Peake went well beyond the power of even her TV roles to present a woman grappling with, and being consumed by, terrible trauma in the Lillian Hellman story The Children’s Hour. We may be used to seeing the Bolton-born actress’s classy TV performances in everything from Shameless to playing John Prescott’s secretary, but inside Manchester’s Royal Exchange theatre she was a major constituent to a thrilling production. The Exchange also fielded three other serious contenders - Claire Brown in Roots, Belinda Lang in Hay Fever and Margot Leicester in A Conversation, transferring to the main theatre after its huge success in the Studio, while Stella Madden’s spellbinding performance in the Library’s Faith Healer also helped to make this yet another difficult category to decide. (David Upton)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: DENISE BLACK
Two of our nominees for this year come from a sterling cast in Hay Fever at The Royal Exchange. In a play dominated by larger-than-life personalities Fiona Button shone as drama queen daughter, Sorel Bliss,while Lysette Anthony wooed the male characters, and the panel, as the flirtatious, Myra Arundel. The Bolton Octagon’s highly acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice saw a gem of a performance from Catherine Kinsella as Shylock’s guilt-ridden daughter Jessica. But it was Denise Black’s emotionally powerful performance as salt-of-the-earth mother, Mrs Bryant, in Roots at The Royal Exchange, which won the judges’ hearts and votes. (Carmel Thomason)

ACTRESS IN A VISITING PRODUCTION: MICHELLE TERRY
Five formidable performances made the shortlist. Paula Jennings, in London Classic Theatre’s revival of Mike Leigh’s suburban horror tale, Abigail’s Party (at Oldham Coliseum), managed to make the role of toe-curling hostess Bev her very own, while Lynda Bellingham, as the girl with the big idea in Calendar Girls (The Lowry), gave yet another of her outrageously up-front and totally enjoyable liberated ladies. We also very much enjoyed Claire Benedict’s totally convincing portrayal of a wise old onetime West Indian immigrant mother in new play, Angel House (from Eclipse Theatre, seen at Contact). Highly controversial West End hit Blackbird arrived at The Lowry with the excellent Dawn Steele as the girl with a past, a performance that never relaxed its riveting grip. Michelle Terry was however the actress who attracted the panel’s highest admiration, for her work in the Donmar’s superb production of early Arthur Miller drama, The Man Who Had All The Luck. In this case however it is the woman who is lucky here, as she receives the award for an exceptionally strongly-rooted, emotionally boisterous portrayal of the hero’s childhood sweetheart and quietly appalled wife. (Alan Hulme)

CITYLIFE.CO.UK SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT – AFRIKA! AFRIKA!
From a quiet one-man performance to a pulsating action-packed cast of hundreds (or so it seemed), special entertainment comes in many different forms. It can even bring great entertainers back to life. Thanks to new technology and inventive production, ole blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, appeared “live” at the Palace, whilst Dylan Thomas mesmerised us at the Library Theatre in the form of the remarkable Bob Kingdom. On quite a different scale, the amazing fantastically-costumed acrobats of Le Grand Cirque took the Lowry by storm. But all were overtaken by the infectious exuberance of the magical circus of Afrika! Afrika! in their tented palace at the Trafford Centre. (Phil Radcliffe)

DANCE: DON QUIXOTE/KIROV BALLET
The arrival of The Lowry has changed the dance scene massively for the better. The likes of Nederlands Dans Theater, for instance, have now become relatively regular visitors – and consistent nominees in these awards, as this year. The number of unique shows, such as Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant’s collaboration on Push has also increased. Meanwhile, Northern Ballet have established a welcome presence at the Palace Theatre and their version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream really was a dream. For sheer “wow!” factor and dazzling skill in every department, though, the visit of the Kirov Ballet with their extraordinary Don Quixote proved the deserved winner. (KB)

DESIGN: OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR
The Royal Exchange excels at Twenties costume and did not disappoint with their flamboyant designs for the madness of Hay Fever. The Library Theatre confirmed its genius for infinity on a small stage using their revolve to reveal a mining community plus gushing colliery showers for The Glee Club. Bolton Octagon earned three nominations. The wonky roofscape and Scrooge’s tilting 4-poster created a nightmare backdrop for A Christmas Carol. Merchant of Venice resisted renaissance gleam in favour of modern minimalism. But the concert party, bunting and bandstand dovetailed with silent film of WW1 horrors and despair won the day for Oh What a Lovely War. (DI STENSON)

FRINGE PERFORMANCE – RUTH EVANS
Studio Salford and the 24:7 Theatre Festival help to make Manchester an increasingly vibrant and adventurous home of new writing. So it was appropriate that the nominations in this category were split equally between the two. Stella Grundy was a dark star in the role of Nico, first seen at Studio Salford, as was Jonny Davies in the gritty Karry Owke. Matthew Landers dazzled in the 24:7 production A Dog Called Redemption but, finally, it was Ruth Evans’ hearfelt performance in 24:7’s Ways To Look At Fish that won over the panel. (KB)

INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION – CHINESE ACROBATIC SWAN LAKE
The richness and reach of international imports nowadays is remarkable, especially for those of us brought up theatrically in pre-Lowry days. The five productions making the final short list, from China to Russia, Iceland to Taiwan, reflect the quality of this category. The judges were enthusiastic about every one of them, but the breathtaking spectacle of the Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe of China’s Swan Lake from Shanghai City Dance scooped the prize. The ballet became a romantic fairy tale, told wittily and colourfully by dancers, acrobats, jugglers – and the unforgettable Wu Zhengdan pirouetting en pointe on her partner’s head. (PR)

MUSICAL: WEST SIDE STORY
A new look Evita at the Opera House, showed the talents of Louise Dearman and breathed fresh life into this Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice classic. At the same venue, a new musical Zorro, on its pre-London run, boasted a musical score by the Gypsy Kings, exciting sword fights and a wonderful performance from Matt Rawle in the title role. Flashdance The Musical at the Palace Theatre was a terrific attempt to re-create the hit film version on stage with some fine performances and terrific choreography from Arlene Phillips. But the winner was undoubtedly West Side Story at The Lowry which fifty years on, proved that Leonard Bernstein’s exhilerating score, with lyrics by a young Stephen Sondheim, has stood the test of time. (Corinne Hill)

NEWCOMER: KATE O’FLYNN
AFTER the traditional annual argument among the judges as to exactly who or what constitutes a Newcomer, we agreed on three highly talented young performers who are all at, or very near to (which is where the arguments come in), the beginnings of promising careers. Anna Koval’s very first professional engagement was as the scheming Beatrice-Joanna in English Touring Theatre’s arresting production of Jacobean revenge drama The Changeling (at The Lowry) and her astonishingly mature performance was a must-include. So was that by young Robert Emms, as the not-so-naive singing miner in the Library’s hugely enjoyable Sixties nostalgia trip, The Glee Club. But the award goes to Kate O’Flynn, as a spectacularly nasty, plotting schoolgirl in the Royal Exchange’s production of American boarding school classic, The Children’s Hour. Many of the reviewers singled her out as unarguably the best thing in a staging that included several far more experienced performers and we are positive we will all be seeing and hearing a great deal more of her in the future. And, despite the arguments, the panel has an excellent track record of picking winners in this category….(AH)

NEW PLAY: A DOG CALLED REDEMPTION
Mathew Landers made a name for himself with a Willy Russell theatre award just two years ago. His work as both writer and performer in the Manchester 24/7 festival hit A Dog Called Redemption further underlines the Preston actor as a significant talent. It was one of the three nominations gained by the increasingly-important and nationally-acknowledged 24:7 Theatre Festival, along with Fourteen and Grass. Several other new plays from the Festival ever-so-nearly made the shortlist, but everyone who’d seen it also felt that Stella Grundy’s Nico Icon Play couldn’t go unmentioned. (DU)

OPERA
IT’S been a vintage year, and the fact that Opera North gained three nominations out of five is not because they had no significant competition, but because they offered one superb show after another. We felt the best were Tim Albery’s fascinating productions – the ever-popular Madama Butterfly, the rarely heard Fortunes Of King Croesus, and Verdi’s Macbeth.  Buxton Festival saw outstanding experiences, too. Its own staging of Samson was a powerful re-interpretation of Handel oratorio, and Kurt Weill’s musical, Street Scene, from The Opera Group, was gutsy and passionate. The winner is a classic given classy treatment – Opera North’s Macbeth. (Robert Beale)

PERFORMANCE IN A STUDIO PRODUCTION
With some inevitability, the Royal Exchange’s Studio dominated discussion in this category, with Matti Houghton in The Cracks In My Skin, Philip Rham in Doctor Korczak’s Example and Lisa Livingstone in Strawgirl all judged worthy of mention. In the end, though, William Ash’s astonishing, rivetting one-man performance in You Can See The Hills was a virtually unanimous winner. (KB).

PRODUCTION: WAITING FOR GODOT
We’ve been truly fortunate this year with a collection of first class nominations.The jolly sea-side pier atmosphere of Oh What A Lovely War, at the Bolton Octagon, still punched home its important message.Two productions at the Oldham Coliseum delighted audiences with a superbly silly production of Dick Barton-Special Agent and, more recently, Travels With My Aunt.

Three productions at the Library Theatre also excelled. Powerful performances of Faith Healer and Frozen were pipped at the post by the ultimate winner, Waiting For Godot. It triumphed because of its combination of superbly timed performances, strong direction and Beckett’s superlative text. (Natalie Anglesey)

STUDIO PRODUCTION: DOCTOR KORCZAK’S EXAMPLE
The Royal Exchange’s Bruntwood Playwriting Competition produced another success with the staging of its third-prize winner, The Cracks In My Skin. Elsewhere, at Contact, Looking For JJ impressed judges with its pacy drama ingeniously incorporating multi-media for the MySpace generation. The top prize, however, goes to Dr Korczak’s Example, a production both heart-breaking and inspiring, which tells the real-life story of a much-loved children’s educator who refused to leave his orphan charges even when they were being transported by the Nazis from the Warsaw ghetto to the Treblinka death camp. A remarkable performance which captivated both adults and children alike. (CT)

VISITING PRODUCTION: BLACK WATCH
The standard was incredibly high in every nomination in this category and most were seen at The Lowry.The prestigious Donmar Warehouse brought Miller’s The Man Who Had All The Luck which starred talented Andrew Buchan. English Touring Theatre’s production of The Changeling also made a mark as did Northern Stage’s Our Friends From The North, a stage adaptation by Peter Flannery of the popular television series. The National Theatre’s production of Waves was a fascinating multi-media exploration of Virginia Woolfe But the panel unanimously voted The National Theatre of Scotland’s astonishing production of Black Watch, performed in The Pie Factory by arrangement with The Lowry, as the popular winner. (NA)

Who do you think should have won? Have your say.