Some Stories

We asked a reluctant Chris Baillie to provide a review for us of the amazing Some Stories (we are slightly biased as we work at Temple Works and have met the cast and crew. In fact we (bump and me) were so moved by one of the plays that we nearly passed out… that’s another story!) So when we saw Christ tweeting that she had enjoyed an amazing time, we were inclined to boss her into providing her review:

It has been said that I’m pretty hard to please when it comes to things of a more cultural nature than I’m used to. How rude! So I don’t like opera, never been to a ballet, hate all that expressive and improvised nonsense…. But I was bowled over by Some Stories performed at Temple Works last night.
I don’t get to see much theatre; I think the last thing I saw was my daughter’s school nativity play last year, but as my brother had offered last minute tickets, how could I refuse?
On arrival I was put into ‘B’ group and the letter B was written on my hand in marker pen. Then the rules of the venue, hard hats and we were led to the first room. The first performance was called ‘Sophie is Sophie’ and was an actress’s voice on tape recounting tales of her disturbing childhood. A small group of us sat round the room and listened intently, though I have to admit feeling a bit fidgety after the first ten minutes. I like a bit more visual stimulation when I go see a play, although I was informed later that there usually is an actress rather than just the tape.
We were then led through the building to the next performance. ‘Blue Rabbits’ was the highlight of the evening for me. Flora Spencer-Longhurst portrayed a young teenage girl , Andi, who is referred to as a ‘slow learner’ , as well as some less choice names, by her peers. She tells her story with amazing passion and humour and, although this was by far the longest of the four pieces, I was gripped and entertained by her throughout. I don’t want to ruin it for those lucky enough to go so I won’t give the story away but for those delicate souls amongst you I recommend you take a box of Kleenex along with you.
Following a short break in the bar, which I really like by the way (see, not hard to please at all!), off we went to the third play, ‘White Blood Cells’. The small room was very dimly lit and I felt uncomfortably close to the actor as he shared his story. He made direct eye contact with members of the audience and at one point he was looking at me and asked what day it was. Thankfully I managed to stop myself answering, ‘Thursday’, just in time!
Then onto the final play, ‘Lily on the Stairs’ which had Lily making phone calls to a variety of people whilst clearly depressed – the admin person who picked up the phone messages at the NSPCC office was in for a particular treat the following morning!
Some Stories is the best thing I have seen in a long time and I can’t recommend it enough. I loved the idea of walking though Temple Works to access each performance – aerobic workout included in the price too. Maybe I’m becoming cultured after all…

To book tickets (and be quick as Saturday 12th June is nearly full, some available for Friday 11th June click here )