Welcome
back Alphabetti!
Alphabetti Soup
Newcastle Alphabetti
Theatre
Saturday 2nd
September 2017.
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| New Location is on the St James Boulevard |
We
have to admit it. We have missed the Alphabetti Theatre. It was a really nice,
safe place to watch an eclectic mix of theatre, music and comedy. So what of
the new venue? It is wonderful. It is safe. It is a little bit bigger. It has
the potential to really grow. The theatre space reminds us of the Southwark
Playhouse or Hull Truck in its Spring Street prime. As we took our seats we
knew we would witness special things happening here in the months ahead. We
just didn’t expect it all to happen tonight.
Now
don’t get us wrong. This venue isn’t perfect. Like every great fringe venue, it
has its little idiosyncratic nuances. A trip to the toilets will show that - a
few more signs are needed. No, this place has energy in the place of perfect.
And good things will happen here.
Tonight
was the Alphabetti Soup variety night that we first witnessed in the upstairs
room at the Dog & Parrot. The mix of performers that, somehow, combines
into a greater whole. We never got around
to the soup on that first night either. But like that first show - the rest
of the offering was a canny substitute.
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| Diji Solanke |
The
venue has the seating on 3 sides and the stage area in the middle. This leads
to an intimate performance. Theatre Impresario Ali Pritchard was our host for
the night with the lovable pooch Sir Rexalot. After the introductions tonight
was opened up with the sublime musician Diji Solanke. His mix of covers and
original music helped set up the atmosphere for the evening. He is right to
sing about getting paid rather than working for just exposure. It is good to
note that this venue pays its performers.
The
purpose of Alphabetti was to give new creatives a chance and from that very
first show we had a short theatre sketch from a new writer with young actors.
Tonight was no exception as The Streets, written by Donald Falconer and
directed by Jonny Bussell was showcased. In a short sketch, we were asked to
consider homelessness, substance abuse and religion. There was clearly potential for the ideas to
be worked up into a larger piece. The 3 actors themselves were convincing and
will hopefully become regulars in the local scene.
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| Natasha Haws |
Finishing
the first half was a return to the acoustic guitar for Natasha Haws: a loveable
actor revisiting the music performances that helped make her name a few years
ago. We had seen her with Fractions and with a smaller set up at the Chase Park
Festival. But here with just a guitar we got a chance to hear the stripped down
beauty of her songs. She may be embarrassed by the thoughts of her younger self
but there was a strong correlation with Kristin Hersh terms of both lyrics and
style. The humility of her performance worked will with the audience.
 |
| Zoe Murtagh |
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| Lauren Pattison |
With
the audience in a really positive mood the stage was set for the Edinburgh
Fringe sensation that is Lauren Pattison. The Newcastle performer has been based
in London since the start of the
year and she has established herself as a comedian with an increasing profile.
Tonight she showed why she has been picking up a string of 4 and 5 star reviews
in Edinburgh. Armed with a sparkly skirt and sharp
observational wit she had the Alphabetti crowd laughing with her tales of life
in the smoke. Lauren has the potential to go far and it is a real coup for
Alphabetti that she will deliver her
award winning show Lady Muck at this
venue on Thursday 23rd November.
The
Soup event, with its mix of music, comedy, poetry and a theatre performance
will happen on the first Saturday of the month. Tonight’s mix was well worth
the £8 asking price. The one thing I’d change though is to add an extra
interval. Like the comedy nights at other venues across the town - a pair of
intervals will help the funds at the venue through bar sales and give everyone
an opportunity to use the facilities. Alphabetti receives no funding and is
entirely reliant on sales for its survival so it makes sense to add the extra break.
Alphabetti
is back. The venue is the pulse of the local creative scene. As a venue to try
ideas out and establish future stars it is essential that it does well. At
least now the venue is no longer hidden upstairs at a pub or down a back alley
behind the Odeon. The new St James Boulevard location will help make
the venue literally visible and put it on the map for a bigger audience.
Hopefully it will break out from Newcastle’s best kept secret to a
really popular venue that everyone knows about.
Review
by Stephen
Oliver.
Coming up at Alphabetti:
Selected
highlights:
The
next Soup with Scott Tyrrell Saturday
7th October 2017 https://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/whats-on-menu/whats-on/17-whats-on-articles/167-alphabetti-soup-2
The first theatre performance is Overdue - A
sensitive, touching and funny play which looks at the ‘what ifs’ and ‘never
weres’; the difficult decisions we make, and how those choices and their
unspoken effects can shape our lives. Tuesday 5th – Saturday 16th
September 2017 (excluding Sunday & Monday)
Including “Pay What You Feel” performances on Tuesdays and Wednesdays NETG
Preview link
Blowin’ a Hooley Theatre presents The Filleting Machine - Set in the 1980s, ‘The Filleting Machine’, by North East playwright Tom Hadaway, is a story of industry, family politics and pride. Tuesday 28th - Thursday 30th November 2017
Tuesday is a Pay What You Feel performance. Read the NETG Review. Details/tickets: https://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/whats-on-menu/whats-on/17-whats-on-articles/180-the-filleting-machine
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