Review - Up Against The Wall
Date Reviewed: 31st January, 2009
Venue: Bolton Octagon
Each decade seems to crave its own specific nostalgic period to wallow in. Just as now, fashions, music and popular culture references the 1980s everywhere you look, so it was 10 years ago that the 1970s were ‘back in vogue.’ Amidst a sea of Flares theme bars, compilation albums, and 70s-set movies, Nitro’s Felix Cross and Paulette Randall wrote and produced their funk-soul musical Up Against The Wall.
Ten years and some substantial re-writes later, in an uneven co-production with the Bolton Octagon, the show fails to convince, and is a loud, lazy and tired bag of clichés.
The (gossamer-thin) plot tells the story of the Emperors of Soul, a five piece funk act, touring the club circuit off the back of their only 1982 hit (“number 15 in Norway!”) When headstrong Claudette (Ann-marie Roberts) leaves the group, founder members Henry (Donovan Blackwood) and Courtenay (AJ Lewis) recruit feisty singer Gloria (Roberts, doubling up.) Will they stay together, or fall apart? Will romantic tensions spoil the line-up? Will they finally get to support Earth, Wind and Fire at a gig?
The Octagon’s recent work has been a mix of ambitious programming and high quality productions. This is, sadly, a real dud. The plot is woefully thin, with so little character development, dialogue or any sense of dramatic tension that it is dramatically inert. At some point it must have seemed like a good idea to have chippy singers Jenai (Shelley Williams) and Leshai (Danielle Henry) speak entirely in song titles. This is, frankly, an absurdly irritating gimmick, that grates more and more as the evening progresses.
The actors are given so little to work with that it’s no wonder that the performances don’t really hit the mark. There’s some suspect acting here, which doesn’t help matters. Similarly, the production is bewilderingly incongruous (Blaxploitation sound effects and set design, mixed with earthy Lancastrian humour) and Paulette Randall’s direction is muddy and doesn’t help focus the action. The moment where Ann-marie Roberts’ two characters fight each other on stage at the same time is cringe-worthy.
Although the show is weak, and essentially a glorified tribute act to superlative 70s soul/funk hits, it’s not helped by a production that looks under-rehearsed. Paul J Medford’s choreography isn’t varied or sharp enough to give the show the oomph it needs. There are glitches with feedback, sound levels, and acoustics. And – more than once – stage-hands have to slip on stage to place or remove a prop immediately before it’s required for the next scene.
Still, there are some good points. Libby Watson’s set is impressive, and Matthew Eagland’s lighting design is exemplary for this sort of show. One lighting effect for the final song was, in fact, the high point of the evening. The five-piece on-stage band is absolutely brilliant, and Ann-marie Roberts has a stunning voice, doing full justice to the material.
Sadly, Up Against The Wall it’s just too uneven, not tongue-in cheek enough, and not much fun. Sure, it’s got the looks, the moves and the tunes, but ultimately it’s not got heart and soul.
-Matthew Nichols