Thurs 17th - Sat 19th and Tues 22nd to Sat 26th July 2008
Directed by Martin McBride
Bench Theatre presents Ghost From a Perfect Place as a double-bill in repertory with Crave during our July 2008 slot
Ghost from a Perfect Place is Philip Ridley's third stage play which still causes controversy due to it's portrayal of brutal gang violence in modern London.
"Ridley's work is an acquired taste and it looks like I'm getting it."
John Peter, The Sunday Times
The story of a gang leader, Travis, who returns to his former haunts in Bethnal Green and is forced to confront his own distorted memories and his sucessors in terrorising the neighbourhood, divided critics when it was first performed in London in 1994. It has become regarded as one of the key pieces in the type of theatre that became known as 'in-yer-face' theatre that emerged in Britain during the 1990s.
| Travis Flood | Mark Wakeman |
| Torchie Sparks | Megan Green |
| Rio Sparks | Lynda Fleming |
| Miss Sulphyr | Claire |
| Miss Kerosene | Sian Green |
| Director | Martin McBride |
| Producer | Charley Callaway |
| Stage Manager | John Wilcox |
TREKKING out to Havant Arts Centre might involve some forward planning, but it will be worth it to see this example of challenging and passionate theatre, written by Philip Ridley.
Travis Flood (Mark Wakeman) returns to Bethnal Green, scene of his thuggish "glory days".
He remembers himself as a local Caesar, whose very name inspired fear, but this picture may be as unreliable as his present claims of living in Hollywood luxury, and other characters make equally strenuous efforts to create narratives for themselves. The pathetic Torchie (Megan Green) shrouds past realities in nostalgia, while her granddaughter (Lynda Flemming) is so scarred she now leads a gang of her own, which she uses to torment the old man. advertisement
Wakeman's eruptions into violence and the pain Flemming brings to her character create some powerful moments and, though at times more energy is needed, director Martin Mcbride's debut show is a success.