Time for tears and laughter

A play to make you laugh and make you cry - 'Bea', at the wonderful Soho Theatre, London is a lively, gripping, brilliantly acted play.

Written and directed by Mick Gordon the play tackles the question - can we really understand and empahise with the feelings of others? - especially the case of Bea, a young, lively, lovely girl who is virtually bedridden by ME and wants to die. She asks her carer, Ray, and her mother to help her. The play challenges our morals and our humanity, without sliding into melancholy or sanctimoniosity.

Pippa Nixon is brilliant as Bea, exuding infectious energy one moment then pulling, no, wrenching at our heart strings the next. Such is the intimacy of the Soho Theatre that it was hard NOT to jump onto the stage and throw my arms around her just to make it all better.

Al Weaver brings welcome relief with his energetic portrayal of the Irish carer who is firm but fair and does what he can to bring light and fun into the life of Bea. His one man delivery of A Streetcar Named Desire is brilliant, and the effects of his theatrical extravaganza so cleverly lead to him performing an act that is chokingly moving and so very real.

Paula Wilcox is the perfect 3rd strand in the play - formidable at the start but turning into a character almost as colourful and emotional as the daughter she once had, and now has to decide whether to let her go. With lurching sadness I watched that final scene and was deeply moved by the bond between mother and daughter, and the careful, tender way that Ray hands over the final decision to them.

'Bea' will break your heart in places, but it will also make you think, laugh, sing and importantly, feel very good to be alive.

Bea is at the Soho Theatre until January 8th at 7.3pm. Runs for approx. 80 mins.

Tinx Newton Dec 10

Christmas Exhibtion dates extended !

Don't worry if you thought you'd missed the Fircroft Christmas exhibition - it's been extended for a week due to the snow!

Tucked away on Albury Heath, Frank and Christine Taylor host this annual exhibition showing the work of many well-known (and some undiscovered) creative bods featuring ceramics, sculpture, jewellery, glass and of course, paintings.

Frank is a painter himself and his paintings are wonderfully colourful and quirky, his distinctive style portraying fishing boats, jazz musicians, Moroccan sky lines and a daily scene in a cafe.

In the exhibition he gathers together some of his favourite friends and creative contacts and fills this wonderful house with artisitic splendour and festive delights. Hmmm - was that the smell of mulled wine that wafted past as I opened the huge front door?! Indeed it was and inside the merry chatter of friends and new visitors to the legendary Fircroft exhibition made me glad I'd made the effort to get there.

Details - Open daily until Sunday December 12th, 11am to 5pm. Fircroft, off New Road, Albury heath, GU5 9DD. Tel 01483 202333. www.fircroft.info

Tinx Newton Dec 2010

Say what you mean then sit the hell down....

It was with slight trepidation that I signed up to see 14 people, (yes 14!) share their slides with an audience of just 50 people at the Bar des Arts in Guildford last week.

Dubbed PechaKucha (Japanese for chatter) the presentation has a simple set of rules: 20 slides displayed for 20 seconds each. That’s it. Say what you need to say in 6 mins and 40 seconds of exquisitely matched words and images and sit the hell down.

I settled myself at a table with a couple of strangers and a large glass of white wine and was totally captivated as each speaker took to the floor.

Pirate radio, volunteering in the Haiti earthquake, an actor, an electric motorbike designer, a festival organiser, the joy of sound - all very different topics spoken about by very normal people with a real passion for their chosen subject. And in the interval a bit of chit chat at the bar.

The atmosphere was excitable, friendly and hugely supportive. This was an event that delivered on so many different levels yet it was organised purely as a social gathering with not a spot of selling or heavy networking in sight.

I loved it. Another Pecha Kucha is planned for February - watch this blog for details.

Tinx Newton Nov 2010