The Adventures Of Wound Man And Shirley - Bristol Old Vic

Ushered into Bristol Old Vic’s cosy Basement, we perched on the high stools, and looked around at the small set of an armchair surrounded by ‘80s paraphernalia, and enjoyed the ‘80s pop songs playing. Automatically, I had a hopeful feeling about this.

The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley is a one-man production, both narrated and performed by writer Chris Goode, who has been performing various incarnations of this show since 2009. He’s instantly likeable, and blessed with the perfect voice for narration: already, this feels good.

Shirley is a teenage boy with a girl's name. Nothing makes much sense to him, and his heart belongs to a male classmate, Subway, who barely knows he exists. Wound Man is an unconventional superhero, sprung from the pages of a medieval medical textbook, with an alarming assortment of weapons sticking out of his body. Wound Man has just moved into a house on Shirley's street – and he has a vacancy for a sidekick.

And so begins this fantastical adventure as Shirley, who has more than his fair share of woes, starts to peer out of his shell and look at people to see more than just what is on the surface.

Chris Goode is a talented and likeable performer. He instantly has the audience in the palm of his hand and, by the time we reach Shirley and Wound Man’s impassioned stand-off, the atmosphere in the Basement was gripped with expectation… and I’m not ashamed to say I had a few tears pricking at my eyes. But that’s not to say this is a schmaltzy production. Chris Goode perfectly balances emotion and comedy, meaning that even while the audience is invested in Shirley and his crisis, we still come away lifted.

The inclusion of Wound Man as an unlikely saviour is inspired, and the many facets of his story leave the audience wondering if he even existed, was he simply a figment of Shirley’s teenage imagination, or was there something more sinister at play? All of these are questions we take away with us.

The simple set by James Lewis, and the inclusion of a full musical soundtrack of re-workings of ‘80s pop favourites, really help to reinforce the magic of The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley. And it’s a relief that the full listings are included in the screenplay (I was scratching my head trying to remember what one of two of the songs were!).

Chris Goode is a huge talent and one to keep an eye on. This was an exhilarating show that in many ways reminded me of the fuzzy charm of Gregory’s Girl, and I will certainly be booking my place to see what Chris does next.

The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley is performed daily in Bristol Old Vic’s Basement until 31 March. Please click here for more information and to buy tickets. The screenplay is also for sale at Bristol Old Vic, alternatively please click here. 

Black T-Shirt Collection at Bristol Old Vic

A one-man show by Inua Ellams, Black T-Shirt Collection came to Bristol Old Vic’s metamorphic Studio last week as part of it’s UK run. This is Ellams’ second show, following 2010’s The 14th Tale, which received extremely positive reviews, and included a turn at London’s prestigious National Theatre.

Black T-Shirt Collection is Ellams’ new story, following the progress of foster brothers Matthew and Muhammed who unwittingly create a global t-shirt brand that brings them fame and success in unmanageable quantities. The brothers’ good fortune takes them from a gig in London to a market in Nigeria and a sweatshop in China. And also hones in on the issues of what it means to be a gay Muslim, and the ever-pertinent problem of dealing with unexpected fame and fortune.

An entirely one-person performance, Ellams takes to the stage with only a white box of t-shirts, and some black wooden blocks as props. Supported by occasional projected drawings of maps and cartoons to help us join the characters as they fly around the globe, and experience different shifts, Black T-Shirt Collection takes minimalist stage management to a new level, and to great effect.

Combining poetry into this theatrical story telling, Ellams succeeds in capturing the audience’s attention for the full 70 minutes of his show, and his delightful manner means we were concerned rather than annoyed when he vanished from the stage with no explanation for a few minutes towards the end… perhaps to check on his lines? It would be understandable if so – quite how one person can remember all that prose, as well as the correct cues to rearrange the prop furniture on, is staggering!

Ellams is clearly an emerging writer and performer to keep a close eye on.

To see what else is coming up at Bristol Old Vic, please click here. 

Sinead O’Connor at Bristol St George's

How many acts have you seen who receive a standing ovation just for walking on stage? The love for Sinead O’Connor at St Seorge’s was so strong that she was given standing ovations after pretty much every song, and in any rare quiet moments someone in the audience could usually be heard to shout: “We love you, Sinead”. All of this adulation is met with what seems like genuine bewilderment that so many people care… and that they care so strongly.

Despite what you’ve heard in the press about Sinead being a fragile character who flits from failed marriages to doomed relationships like there’s no tomorrow, she presents in Bristol as a strong woman who knows her own mind. Albeit one who is tired of endless failed affairs.

Tiny in stature and dressed all in black with her trademark shaved head, Sinead packs a colossal punch with a voice that encompasses every range from quiet whisper to mighty roar without breaking stride. With an eight-piece backing band, there are nine people on the St George’s stage, which is excessive and, at times, the music drowned out Sinead’s wonderful voice – which seems like the result of bad production: something Sinead seemed aware of, too, by her gestures of stage for the levels to be altered. There was simply too much backing music, which was often distorted and added little to Sinead’s singing.

This was perfectly emphasised by her first a capella song, Stretched On Your Grave: a note perfect rendition that proved Sinead really doesn’t need a whopping great backing band to support her.

Sinead’s voice is legendary, and it’s hard to believe that both she and it are 45… and that it’s been 23 years since Nothing Compares 2 U hit the top of the charts in 1989. Needless to say, her version of the Prince-penned classic still carries enough weight to both send shivers down my spine, and make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The atmosphere in the room at this point was electric –there was absolute stillness among the sold-out crowd, who were motionless and fixed in their determination to absorb every millisecond of Sinead performing her best-loved song.

But there was love for every song she sang. Whether it was a well-known former single such as Three Babies or The Emperor’s New Clothes, or tracks from her current album How About I Be Me? (And You Be You?). These were hardcore fans in the room, so the tracks may have been new, but Queen of Denmark, I Had A Baby and Old Lady were met by the audience as if they were also 23-year-old favourites.

Please visit St George’s website here for more information about further upcoming gigs at this extraordinary and treasured Bristol venue. Sinead's official website is here.

Bristol’s Other Women – IWD 2012

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