An Ode To Northern Talent
Review of “An Ode To The Grainger Market”
By Francesca Lawson
Come Friday 3rd August, talented young actors from Northern Stage ditched the theatre in favour of a
conveniently tiled octagon, cordoned off by vintage suitcases, in very centre of the Grainger Market,
to perform a series of mini-plays and monologues written by young writers from New Writing North.
This was “Northern Sole: An Ode To The Grainger Market”.
I must admit that to begin with I was a bit sceptical; my thoughts en route to the performance area
were something along the lines of, “How on earth have they written a play about half a million different
butchers and the cheap tab shop? How can this possibly be entertaining?” And for once I was
delighted to be proven wrong. “An Ode to The Grainger Market” was clever, creative and very
entertaining, focusing not on the actual contents of the market, but on the people it serves. The entire
spectrum of its clientele was animated in the form of six characters linked by their stories in and about
the Grainger Market.
To begin with, the performers themselves gave us a short introduction, enlightening us as to why the
Grainger Market really is a ‘wonder of the north’. I never knew that beneath this very spot stood an air
raid shelter! With the scene successfully set, each character dispersed into the market, remarkably
blending in to the daily hustle and bustle, to the soundtrack of Buddy Holly’s ‘Everyday’. I couldn’t help
but admire this very apt song choice: “Everyday it’s a-gettin’ closer, goin’ faster than a rollercoaster”,
to me sums up their portrayal of the venue; a buzzing hive of activity, where people brought together.
Each character had their own moment to shine, one by one returning to the performance area.
Opening the show was the typical stroppy teenage girl on the phone; anger level and vocal volume
gradually increasing. Always still on the phone. Well, a shoe. Kudos to the innovative use of props!
For her the shoe was a phone, each of the others had their own shoe which represented something
different to them. For example, for a pair of girls discussing a crush on their teacher, the red stiletto
was the shoe. A clever feature was the use of time, from the twenties flapper dress, to the victory
rolls, to the converse shoes; it seemed like each character was from a different decade, showing the
timelessness of the Grainger Market. For me, the stand out character was ‘Crystal Decanter’, the
market’s resident drag queen, clad in a red and pink floral tunic. All the actors involved did a fantastic
job, but what made Crystal so memorable would be that risqué element attached to playing a drag
queen, fruity lisp and effeminate swagger included. It also fell to Crystal “just got a job calling at
Mecca bingo” to lead seamlessly into a nostalgic game of bingo, with a meat hamper for the lucky
winner.
The performance was incredibly personal; each monologue I’m sure evoked a special memory in all
of us. Plus, the incredibly close proximity to the ‘stage’ meant lots of exchanged glances with these
incredible young performers. One thing that struck me about the performance was simply how natural
the acting was; it was almost as if these characters were just ordinary passers-by, even making use of
a nearby café’s alfresco seating! Of course, Northern Stage couldn’t have the whole Grainger Market
to themselves, and it’s just as well: the clink of coffee cups, murmurs of conversations (not quite as
exotic as those in the play I’m sure), and the yells of green grocers added to this natural quality. I had
to pause a second to fathom whether these sounds were part of the play or not!
Overall, the performance really did reflect the abundance of talent the youth of the North East have. I
was won over by the stories, the humour and the acting. I left with a renewed appreciation for the
Grainger Market; feeling proud to be part of it. Well done to all involved!