The Cleansing of Constance Brown takes to the stage this evening at the AEHarris factory, Birmingham. Stan’s Cafe begin a three week run of the full-sized ‘7-door version’ of the show which features new cast member Amy in the role first created by Jan (and more recently performed by Alex). Such is the nature of the company’s later work, that recasting can happen with only a day or two’s re-rehearsal. Thus Jake (left on the left) has learned the role created by Andy Watson (and subsequently interpreted by Gareth Brierley, Nick Tigg and Ray Newe!) whilst Jack (right on the left) is now playing the ‘Jake’ role. I’m pretty much sticking to the ‘Graeme’ role but switching to ‘Gerard’ for one night only for a St. Patrick’s Night special when Gerard is unavailable and Chris is hopefully stepping back into my boots. Given that Constance is already such a complex machine, the recasting adds additional spice and reinforces the ‘character-as-functional’ in the piece.

OMG! There are still some tickets left! You can book you seat through this Link to MAC Box Office

A selection of excellent images from this month’s premiere of The Cardinals, as captured by photographer Graeme Braidwood. In this particular scene, Adam & Eve are expelled from Eden. They cover their shame to face a life of toil in punishment for Man’s first disobedience.

The current plan is to present The Cardinals in Edinburgh this August, followed up with Autumn touring dates.

The Cardinals are in Montpellier, modeling their unique vision of Chaos to a seemingly faithless world. Stan’s Cafe premiered the show here at Domaine d’O on tuesday night to a lively and appreciative crowd. It’s become a performance cliche that the ‘Classic’ devised show normally rolls in at 1 hour and 10 minutes. On rare occasions a 1 hour and 25 minuter may break the mould, but The Cardinals started the week as a 2 and a half hour Epic (including interval) and is now down to just under 2 hours of relentless, action-packed prop and costume-wielding mayhem.  We’re still learning about the show and about what tickles our French audiences, but judging from the spontaneous rounds of applause for our depiction of selected Biblical miracles, we must be doing something right? As if the gargantuan memory task of the show hasn’t been enough to throw us completely off kilter, poor Rochi suffered an attack of the escargots on weds, which added an extra je ne sais quoi to last night’s performance – with her disappearing offstage thrice mid-show to attend to Old Testament-type functions. In her capacity as (on)stage-manager she kept the faith through plagues and storms as we accelerated the show towards its Apocalyptic conclusion. Respect due, Rochi.

MontpellierNet review, 9th Feb;

MidiLibre review, 11th Feb

A link to Graeme Braidwood‘s images from friday’s rehearsal at Stan’s Cafe. Set and trimmings of The Cardinals were later hidden away in readiness for the night’s post-Christmas Theatre party, lest over-excitable funsters start monkeying around on the steel-frame in ecclestiastical-wear. A top night was had with impressive turnout: Heat generated through DJ Jakester’s mix and evidenced by dust clouds emanating from a dodgily-skimmed floor – an effective alternative to the smoke machine.