Die Fledermaus WNO @The Birmingham Hippodrome

Strauss’ operetta is sourced from, amongst other things, a French farce named La Reveillon and it seems the farcical element was not to be lost in WNO’s performance and comic performances were for the most part successful. Comic highlights included Desmond Barrit’s performance as the drunken prison warden in the final act and the character of Alfred ‘A tenor’; the latter being instrumental in the send-ups of the work of Puccini and Verdi which actually resulted in one longing for these opera greats after three acts of dated and slightly crass operetta.
Bringing traditional art forms into the 21st century can be challenging for producers and with this particular production there was a sense that because Operetta is popular across the globe to a certain audience, little needed to be done to adapt such a performance. Which throws up the debate of whether traditional art and performance should be subject to experimentation or not and arguably this depends on the project. However, innovation lacked and if things were not experimented with as such then art and performance would not have progressed to the diverse existence it full fills today. A target audience should not be taken for granted in a sector that has recently suffered significant financial cuts and subsequently needs to be economical in the quality of its contributions to society.
The performers were of the highest standard as were the design elements, without question. The problem lay in the outdated script, unfunny gags and unsuccessful attempts to acknowledge the context of a present audience. If the performance had remained in the vacuum of its intended setting without attempted outreach (the most embarrassing being the reference to the ‘Go Compare’ adverts) then it may have maintained more artistic dignity and avoided the ineffective slapstick humour and pantomime-esque moments.
Die Fledermaus is a comedy and arguably relies on the institutions and practices of its settings to an extent. However the irrelevance of its context suggests that it is pure entertainment and escapism; something that art is expected to provide-but should it provide solely this? Are there not enough mindless films, broadcasts and literature to fulfil this role? Operetta is a light-hearted mode of performance rooted in a conservative past and the experience was neither entertaining nor inspiring.

Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt @ The Town Hall

Punt and Dennis, the comic duo responsible for The Now Show provided an enjoyable evening of topical comedy and satire; miraculously without insulting Birmingham’s people, culture or infamous accent! Making full use of the stage and a few props they addressed market research in British society, the hypocrisy of newspaper headlines and the upcoming Royal wedding amongst other topics.
Hugh Dennis; arguably the more notable member of this comic duo subsequent to television projects and appearances, performed his much loved ‘Raptor’ walk despite Punt’s assertion of; ‘they don’t want that!’ The highlight being Dennis’ Raptor sound effects directed at front row latecomers, much to their surprise!
The show took on a formula almost; Punt talking frankly of the content of a ‘British’ survey or other aspect of British culture, whilst Dennis used his physical comedy skills in humorous impressions and facial expression, no doubt utilising his signature moves. Brian Logan of The Guardian criticises this concept and describes Punt as “Not a strong performer”. However the contrasting comic practices and styles of these two men constitute the effective dynamic of the act, ensuring the popularity of the now show. Arguably an even better show is produced on the live tour with the added advantage of stage spectacle and visual aids to accompany the satirical comment that forms the radio 4 show.

Interview with Mukhtar Dar, Director of Arts at The Drum in Aston

I met Mukhtar Dar, the Director of Arts in the chilled-out atmosphere of the foyer of The Drum, a nationally unique venue that ‘is dedicated to developing and promoting contemporary art and culture of British African, Asian and Caribbean communities’. I ask him what his role demands and how he came to fill it: I manage the arts programming team and my job is to put together the artistic programme, consisting of national and international professional touring products as well as locally created work. My background is in fine art, I’m an artist, after leaving school I went to college and studied various art forms, such as photography and film making. I went on to do a degree in arts communication; I didn’t specialise in any one art form, I chose the form that was best suited to a particular idea as I was interested in all the art forms. After university I made a number of films, worked in various arts organisations and I’ve been in my current post at the Drum for ten years.
In terms of the theatre itself, where do you think its heading and which projects are you especially excited about? We have now finished programming our spring season and we’ve got a very exciting range of events; we’ve got some really exciting music; reggae is one of our fortes, and Birmingham has a rich history of reggae music and the musicians from Birmingham have put Birmingham on the international map. Probably the biggest reggae band is UB40, who you probably know came from Birmingham and we’re proud of that history. We’ve got David Rodigan, a radio DJ who has interviewed some famous reggae artists over the years, performing with Luv Injection, a Birmingham group. You’re probably aware that the Jamaican team are going to be based in Birmingham in 2012 and to celebrate the Jamaican team being here and the links with the Jamaican community, and its contribution nationally, in terms of reggae, we’re going to do a whole season around Jamaica, with events held across the city.
It seems a lot of work that starts here goes on to achieve great things; what would you say is the thing you are most proud of that has recently been of significant success?
The drum is essentially a receiving house; we get things that tour and book them in. However, we’ve realised that some of the stuff we’ve toured is not really meeting the artistic needs of the communities, so we’ve started to produce work ourselves, and started to tour that. Recently, we did a piece called ‘Arrange that Marriage’ which was produced here. We got arts council funding, and it had its premiere at The Drum, and we did exceedingly well in terms of audience numbers. It went on a national tour to arts centres and again, it was very well received.
Arts cuts? Will they affect you significantly?
We’re funded by the arts council and also by the City Council and both have targets for; the targets we have are to do with box office income as well as the audience numbers. We have thousands who come through these doors and the events that people pay for have generated income. So as far as funding is concerned, the targets that we were set for the last few years have been met. We’re a real resource to the city council and to our communities because in the heart of our inner city, it’s crucial that there are arts venues where people can enrich their lives and engage through the arts and break down barriers between different communities. We’ve not been cut significantly; we’ve had a 9% cut from Birmingham City Council and we had prepared ourselves as to how we would absorb those. We’ve had to restructure the organisation to meet those challenges. We’re very confident that we’ll be able to manage that cut and continue to provide the excellent service to our target communities and also to support both Birmingham City council and The Arts Council to meet their priorities. The key strength in what we provide is real diversity; there are people from many different parts of the world here and they have made Birmingham a really exciting place to live. It’s crucial that the arts reflect this and we take pride in the fact that the programme is diverse and meets the needs of those communities; those communities who pay taxes and expect to be catered for.