Tag Archives: Mark Douet

THE TRUTH ABOUT HARRY BECK

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The Cubic Theatre

THE TRUTH ABOUT HARRY BECK at The Cubic Theatre

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“a charming play and a story well-worth telling”

The Truth About Harry Beck – written and directed by Andy Burden – tells the story of draughtsman Henry (Harry) C. Beck who – in 1931 – published a radical new design for the London Underground Map. Inspired by the straight lines and angles of circuit diagrams, Beck reimagined the design not as a geographically accurate map but as a representation, particularly focusing on simplifying the complicated interchanges.

The play clearly spells out Harry’s (Simon Snashall) sad story. Striking a contentious copyright agreement with London Transport in the map’s initial print run, the designer was eventually ostracised and betrayed by the organisation that he so adored after three decades of free labour. Harry died in 1974, never receiving the credit he deserved for his bold reimagination of the tube system, putting the traveller’s comprehension at the core of the design. The production also explores the impact that Harry’s predicament had on his doting wife Nora (Ashley Christmas), who struggles to balance supporting her ailing mother with her husband’s obsessive work.

It wasn’t until 2001 that Beck finally got his rightful credit line on Underground maps, with no small thanks to his friend Ken Garland, who lent the show’s writer reams of letters between Harry and London Transport to inform the play’s script and some of which are read out on stage.

Christmas and Snashall play a very sweet Nora and Harry. They show particular chemistry in the play’s more sombre moments such as when Harry finally decides to give up his legal battle and retire to the New Forest with his wife.

Nora and Harry address the audience throughout the performance, inviting us into their home over tea and biscuits. There is one scene of direct audience participation which the cast ad lib well. Nora and Harry create a 3D representation of the latter’s early map design using coloured ribbon and ask the audience to shout out stations with key intersections. Another interesting touch is Nora declaring important inventions each year to demonstrate both time passing and to pay homage to the many revolutionary inventors who few will know the names of today.

Christmas does a particularly great job of cycling between various characters such as Harry’s boss and London Transport ex-CEO Frank Pick. At times, the transitions can be jarring but it is always clear when we have moved to a new scene and different characterisations.

The set (Sue Condie) places our characters in the Becks’ home. To the left, Harry’s workshop, piled with papers and tools and on the right a small living room which Nora typically occupies. Fake walls line the back of the stage and signs are hung up to indicate different settings such as a tube station or a ticket office.

However, the play’s ending does leave a little to be desired. Though the audience knows that Beck eventually gets the recognition he craved, the show would have benefitted with some further information about this journey. Harry died nearly thirty years before his credit was included on Underground maps and it would have been interesting to have this time briefly discussed.

In addition, a projector is used at the end of the play to showcase to show Harry’s glorious design across the back wall – it would have been great if the audience could see different images of the tube map to see its evolution, or examples of metro maps from across the world that have been based on Harry’s design principles. At times, the cast hold props such as a pocket map of Harry’s first design – a larger projection of this would have been well received. Or when Harry sees a tube map designed by rival Harold F. Hutchinson – the audience never sees this, but rather has it described.

The Truth About Harry Beck is a charming play and a story well-worth telling. Some more information about Harry’s road to recognition and greater use of tech and display to show the visual brilliance of his design would add further poignancy to this valuable tale of incredible talent almost lost to history.


THE TRUTH ABOUT HARRY BECK at The Cubic Theatre

Reviewed on 18th September 2024

by Flora Doble

Photography by Mark Douet

 

 

 

 

More of Flora’s reviews:

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | DUCHESS THEATRE | September 2024
HASBIAN | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | OMNIBUS THEATRE | June 2024
GISELLE: REMIX | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | PLEASANCE THEATRE | April 2024
COWBOYS AND LESBIANS | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | PARK THEATRE | February 2024
THE ADDAMS FAMILY A MUSICAL COMEDY – LIVE IN CONCERT | β˜…Β½ | LONDON PALLADIUM | February 2024
GWYNETH GOES SKIING | β˜…β˜…β˜… | PLEASANCE THEATRE | February 2024
THE ENFIELD HAUNTING | β˜…Β½ | AMBASSADORS THEATRE | January 2024

THE TRUTH ABOUT HARRY BECK

THE TRUTH ABOUT HARRY BECK

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AN INSPECTOR CALLS

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UK Tour

AN INSPECTOR CALLS at the Alexandra Palace Theatre

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“a magnificent spectacle of a classic play that continues to engage”

J B Priestley’s β€˜An Inspector Calls’ continues its over 30 year run on tour this year, and I was lucky enough to see it played at Alexandra Palace. Like most people, I first read (and adored) the play at 15 for my GCSEs, however, I never got a chance to see it until now. I’m glad to say my high expectations were not disappointed.

It’s 1912 and the upper class Birling family are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling and Gerald Croft over dinner. Yet, their celebrations halt when Inspector Goole pays them a visit, and informs them of the death of a local lower class woman. Through his investigation of the family, they become shaken by their involvement in the woman’s life and their clear contributions to her death.

The play is none traditional in its portrayal of the text. The family’s introduction is framed from an outsider’s perspective – due to the fantastic design of Ian MacNeil. A house where the Birling’s is hoisted above the stage, which appears as a destroyed and blackened street. The opening scene is played within the house, while others watch them on the street. An interesting portrayal of the hierarchical society in which we live. I was a little apprehensive at this point, however, due to the overuse of haze on stage that practically blocked all sightlines, while it was also quite hard to hear the actors’ dialogue. Mics are used, but I fear they were too quiet against the echoey space. I think the opening scene is key in introducing the characters, setting up the context and foreshadowing the events of the play, so I would have liked the scene to be visible, rather than wholly playing inside the rather small house. Instead, the set opens up when the Inspector is introduced to the family and – to my relief – the majority of the action takes place downstage.

The cast, with polished direction from Stephen Daldry,Β  shine in their individual roles, with Tim Treloar portraying a highly energetic and unapologetic Inspector Goole. Jeffrey Harmer also stands out as Mr Birling, bringing a lovely sense of youth and charm to a role one would often only see as a boring and business focused villain. The stand out performance for me, however, was Leona Allen as Sheila – a strong portrayal of a woman who is still so childlike in her behaviour, desperately yearning to be heard.

The costumes are traditional to the era of the play – the men wear trim suits perfect for a dinner party. Sheila of course wears an all white gown, perhaps signifying her future marriage or perhaps her innocence. It gets dirtied in the rain, however, once she begins to discover the consequences of her past actions – so I would say the latter. Mrs Birling wears a very glamorous deep red and black gown and is well decorated in pearls and other accessories. Such vampish glamour would appear similar to the β€˜evil queen’ characters of many fairytale depictions.

Overall, the show is a magnificent spectacle of a classic play that continues to engage audiences. It’s important to note, that every other review I’ve seen – which date back many years – all state the play is β€˜more relevant now than ever’. With the gap between the rich and poor arguably being the same now as it was in the time the play is set, that is especially true in this revival. In the 30+ years this iteration of the show has been performed, it appears the class divide has only gotten worse. One hopes a day will come when the play is not as pertinent as it is today.


AN INSPECTOR CALLS at the Alexandra Palace Theatre then UK tour continues

Reviewed on 4th September 2024

by David Robinson

Photography by Mark Douet

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE GLASS MENAGERIE | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | May 2024
A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | November 2023
TREASON THE MUSICAL | β˜…β˜…β˜… | November 2023
BUGSY MALONE | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | December 2022

AN INSPECTOR CALLS

AN INSPECTOR CALLS

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