On the Tenth Day of Christmas My True Love Sent to Me...

...Ten Lords a-Leaping. Lucky old me!
Over Christmas I went to see the Bristol Old Vic's anarchic and inventive production of Peter Pan. Rather than have conventional flying, Peter, Wendy and the Lost Boys used bungee ropes to convey the magic of their flight to Neverland, which was set in a graffiti-strewn urban back alley, with plenty of lords a leaping, tumbling and skirmishing.

There was none of the sentimentality of JM Barrie's original, but Tristram Sturrock's wild eyed, athletic Peter was mesmerising. The reason I'm talking about it in a creative writing blog is that it demonstrates the power and potential of revisiting an established idea and turning it on its head. I went with my nephews, Gabriel (nine) and Louis (six) - hello boys - and they were as open-mouthed with wonder as I was at this old story turned into something new and bold and original. Don't be afraid to take risks with your work, to be subversive, and remember that originality doesn't necessarily mean coming up with something no one else has thought of, but can be most potent when you re-examine something familiar with a fresh eye. That's often what takes the breath away.

As a little postscript, my great-grandfather was an actor called Arthur Whitby and he played the Rev George Amy in the original production of Mary Rose, also by JM Barrie.  Arthur asked Barrie if he would go and see my grandmother in a play as she was just beginning her career in the theatre. Here is the great man's reply.

He says, "Yes I shall go in and see your girl one night. And be very interested to see a child of yours. I didn't know that Mr Amy had any family but I have just now enlarged the vicarage and plumbed in a charming bathroom. You might suggest this in your performance. (I believe you could do it)."

All Barried out now - see you next week!

'Tis Pity She's a Whore

I went to see Cheek by Jowl's sensational production of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore at the Bristol Old Vic on Monday. Declan Donellan re-imagines John Ford's Jacobean tragedy for the 21st Century and the macabre and incestuous behaviour of the protagonists Annabella and Giovanni fits uncomfortably well with the hedonistic, decadent contemporary society that he conjures for us.

Nick Ormerod's set is a feverish red and the play opens feverishly with a song and dance number. Music and movement inform the action throughout. The drama is visceral, to the extent that the heroine's heart is brought on by her bloodied brother after he has cut it from her chest. It was inventive, funny and horrifying by turn.

One of the things I liked most about it was the tension between the modern setting and the Jacobean text, a provocative clash that raises questions about human nature and what we have learned or not during the centuries since it was written. I think there's a creative writing lesson here too. You can add different dimensions to your work by exploring areas of tension within it: Donellan counterpointed language and setting, but you can do the same thing with aspiration and actual achievement, appearance and reality, thought and deed. There are any number of opposing forces or ideas that you can bring together and if you're very, very skilful, you'll achieve the same combustible excitement that we witnessed at the theatre  earlier this week.