Worcester News awaits The Blue Room

by Site Admin on Friday, May 2, 2008

Newspapers, Publicity, STAC productions, Worcester Live

The Worcester News anticipated this week’s STAC production, The Blue Room, with another article (we covered the first here). And the show’s director Chris Jaeger, in role as Worcester Live boss, discussed the play in his Centre Stage column.

The text of both articles follows below.

Sex can be ridiculous in controversial Swan play [Friday 25th April]

A BOLD play about sex, love and betrayal is at Worcester’s Swan Theatre next week.

The Swan Theatre Amateur Company (STAC) will stage The Blue Room from Tuesday. In Sir David Hare’s controversial play, adapted from cult film La Ronde, two actors portray 10 sexual scenes as five different couples, drawing on the idea that sex is often ridiculous.

“I think Worcester can handle it,” said actor Bob Churchill, who stars with Emily Portsmouth. “We’ve got a jazz trio accompanying the action, and the play’s funny too, in a poignant kind of way.”

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Directed by Worcester Live’s Chris Jaeger, it contains nudity, explicit sexuality and strong language. It runs until Saturday, May 3.

Tickets are available from the box office on 01905 611427.

And Chris Jaeger’s column on the production:

CENTRE STAGE [Friday 18th April]

Chris Jaeger of Worcester Live

I am directing two different plays at the moment, the Blue Room and the Taming Of The Shrew.

In some ways, they could not be more different but there are also some surprising similarities.

The Blue Room is based on a play called La Ronde which shocked European audiences in the 1920s, although actually there weren’t many audiences because it was banned for some years after its first performance! David Hare has written a modern version - it was a smash hit in the West End with Nicole Kidman in the title role. (Nicole was not available for the forthcoming Worcester version but I do have a very good alternative actress!) The play is for adults only and is controversial in that there is nudity, sex scenes and strong language.

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However, the play is a brilliant insight into human nature (seen through our attitude to sex) and in the end, it is the words in the play that are significant, not the actions.

Taming Of The Shrew is also a controversial play these days, with the apparent subjugation of a strong-willed woman by fairly strong chauvinist actions.

However, there are many ways of presenting a text, and as this was written as a comedy, I am playing it for all the laughs I can get. I am sure we will not be offending the female, or indeed the male audience.

The Shakespeare is outdoors at the Commandery in the middle two weeks of June. The Blue Room is at the Swan starting on April 29. Come on, be daring.

* Chris Jaeger is chief executive of Worcester Live.

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