Tempus
Tristan Bates Theatre
Reviewed on Saturday 5th January 2013
"A future world provokes conflict between Druids and Scientists, and between the gay lovers trying to save it."
Tempus is a brand new, original piece of theatre. The show was developed from a three month voice workshop at the Actors Centre. The workshop was led by Angelina Kalahari who directed the production. The story of Tempus is loosely based on the opera, Norma, and is inspired by Adam Lambert's performances in the Zodiac Shows in LA.
Tempus is a very unique creation. As I watched the show, I could see how much hard work had been put into the production. The whole cast gave incredibly intense performances which demonstrates how valuable a workshop experience can be.
The programme states that each of the nine actors had a song specially written for them and their voice type. This is a wonderful idea. However, as the evening progressed it seemed like songs had just been slotted in for the sake of it. In a musical it is so important that songs are there for a reason, otherwise there is simply no point. Unfortunately it became extremely repetitive and predictable as one by one each cast member took their turn to walk into a spotlight and sing a song. Often these songs added very little to the progression of the show and some were performed better than others... Having said that, credit must go to Elizabeth Dockrell-Tyler who has composed some stunning musical numbers.
While the Tristan Bates Theatre is a small theatre, the actors still had a considerable amount of space to use. Therefore it was frustrating to see the actors just stand still, centre stage during songs and scenes. The show was not visually interesting which made the pace drag.
Dawn Stanley gave a stand out performance as Aurora. It was amazing to watch her grow throughout the show. Dawn showed great versatility. At first she was incredibly funny, she kept her portrayal simple and reminded me a lot of Catherine Tate (which is a good thing!). As Aurora's journey took some twists and turns Dawn performed with great depth and pulled at the audience's heart strings. Both leading men, Nikola Trifunovic and Steven MacGillvray, gave powerful portrayals of Leo and Duncan.
What you have to remember that it is still early days for Tempus. The show's short run at the Tristan Bates Theatre was free to the public as the performances were part of the workshop. I'm sure the workshop was a valuable experience for all involved and while there is obviously some work to be done, I am sure Tempus has an exciting future ahead.
Please visit www.workingtitlestheatre.wordpress.com for more information.
Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com
Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com
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