Additional Extras

Well, you may as well get your money's worth - not that you are paying for this. At least I hope not.

In true DVD style - here is the equivalent of a 'bonus disc', featuring some of the video material that I created for the backdrop of The Thrill Of Love.

They are - Jack Gale's (played by Stephen Lurvey - The Shadowmaster) silhouetted walk towards the screen which formed part of the opening act, backdrops for the Court Club and two of The Little Club. The Gale sequence was filmed one rainy night in Pen-Y-Lan and the others were cobbled together from Google image searches. The Court and Little Club signage designs are my own.

Note - the strange aspect ratio is intentional; as I mentioned before, the screen was presented in the rather unorthodox a/r of 1:3.

That's it from me. Thank you for taking the journey!

Lx.

The Final Analysis

And here we are, exactly a month after the opening of The Thrill Of Love - time for some final thoughts.

My involvement with the Cardiff Players production of Amanda Whittington's play, while sometimes exhausting and exasperating, proved ultimately rewarding. From the very start my interest was sparked in all things relating to Ruth Ellis and her world; even the creation of this blog was part of that. It led to one of my favourite parts of the process - research - where I could immerse myself in the culture and styles of the time, while giving me an excuse to watch old movies. All in the name of research, of course.

Those enquiries aided my creation of the video images which would form part of the set for the backdrop of the play. This would mean delving deeper into the creative possibilities of Final Cut Pro, where I would compose not only the slides for projection but also the four trailers, each of which were very well received. The versatility of the program allowed me to put together some great imagery, far exceeding that which I had made for Robin Hood, the Player's previous production.

Then of course, I needed a cueing program which would allow me to seamlessly present the images onto the long vertical screen on the Thrill set. QLab proved perfect for this, although it challenged me with a nigh on vertical learning curve, right up to dress rehearsal. Even during the run there were a couple of glitches during the third and fourth nights, where the application inexplicable froze; luckily, stage manager Alison was on hand to blank the projector, enabling me to reset the presentation and carry on. It went unnoticed by the audience who were enraptured by the acting, luckily!

Most importantly, the production gave me the opportunity to become familiar with a story that I was only aware of through Dance With A Stranger. Carol Ann Lee's excellent book A Fine Day For A Hanging proved an essential read during this time, providing a detailed background to Ellis's life, the events that led her to shoot David Blakely and the aftermath which fired up the public debate, culminating in the abolition of the Death Penalty in the UK, albeit ten years later.

All told, while it was an occasionally gruelling experience, it was a quality production that I feel privileged and proud to have been part of.

As for this blog - well it's not quite all done with yet… ;-)

9 - 12 October 2013 - The Thrill Of Love

And finally - the performances. A four night run of Amanda Whittington's powerful play staged at the YMCA Theatre in Cardiff by the Cardiff Players, attracting a record audience attendance. The two weeks plus of intense rehearsals, techie runs and set build finally paid off - the result was a show that was powerfully played and looked stunning.

Speaking of the look, I can now reveal (as hitherto it has been wisely kept a secret) that almost the entire production was presented in greyscale. That included set, props, costumes and actors and the majority of the projected backdrops. The concessions to these were the video inserts (see previous blog entry) and other flashes of colour on the screen, and also when Vickie makes a stunning appearance in full colour toward the end of the play. It was a huge gamble by director Jules to make this work, especially the make-up; the poor actors had to endure hours of experimentation before the right look was achieved. But it all came together beautifully. 

But of course all this would be for nothing without the performances from the five actors giving life to Whittington's dynamic dialogue. While all were uniformly excellent, I must give special mention to Helen Power as Sylvia and Louise McLaughlin as Ruth, for their powerfully emotive performances. More than once there were moist eyes in the lighting box (mine I might add).

As indicated previously, the playwright herself came to Cardiff to see the performance for herself - a rare privilege for an AmDram group! After the show, the Players put on a buffet for her at the Maldron Hotel which gave us all an opportunity to talk about the play and her future productions. Of particular interest to me is her next play - an adaptation of Susie Boyt's My Judy Garland Life - which is to be presented in Nottingham early next year. Amanda said she thoroughly enjoyed the Players production of The Thrill Of Love, especially the ideas (such as the greyscaling) that were not present in the West End run.

And now... it's all done with. Final bow taken, make up removed and set struck - no evidence left that this ever happened. It's a strangely saddening sensation; after weeks of exhausting intensity it is suddenly all gone without trace. But I guess that is the nature of theatre.

And at least we all know that, in the end, we put on a bloody good show.

9 October 2013 - Happy Birthday

... to Ruth Ellis. It's no coincidence that the Cardiff Players chose the opening night of The Thrill of Love to be on this particular date.

Yes, tonight is the opening night of Amanda Whittington's play, receiving its Welsh premiere. It's been an intense fortnight of building, painting, rehearsing, videoing, editing, more rehearsing - culminating in the full dress rehearsal last Tuesday which proved beneficial as members of the Players were in attendance to give their views. In light of this, certain modifications needed to be made (especially with regard to video cues) which I have corrected accordingly.

From my point of view this has been a steep and not exactly easy learning curve; having to become familiar with a new cueing program which isn't exactly intuitive takes some doing, especially given the complexity of some of the video cues. Many a time in rehearsal I nearly gave the director a nervous breakdown, but have consequently learned from those errors (and better to have them exposed then, rather than in front of a paying audience... or the author!).

So, I'm hastily typing this while shovelling a budget curry down my gullet, before heading off to assist with last minute preparations. Ah theatre!

So raise your glasses to Ruth Ellis - not only did her actions affect an important change in the law but also inspired a great play of which I am proud to be involved with.

Happy Birthday Ruth.

3 October 2013 - Blood, alleyways and a visit from the scribe

Things have been very quiet on this blog for a while - which means the preparations for The Thrill Of Love have reached fever pitch. No wonder though; only 6 days to go before opening night.

In the last couple of weeks some of us having been pretty much living at the theatre, building, painting, undergoing makeup and costume tests and even a bit of acting. (Ah, that's not fair really - a lot of acting, and it's fantastic). And literally blood, sweat and tears have gone into this production - blood particularly and specifically that of our technical director/main set builder who didn't even let having her thumb sawn in half stop her.

As for my part, the video sequence are pretty much all completed with the exception of a couple which require Ruth in costume. Last night I was filming Steve in a dark alley for a scene (and yes, it was a genuine sequence for the show, not just a ploy to get him down a dark alley). For this production I am using QLab for the first time to cue the sequences for projection; a steep learning curve but a decision which will yield better results on the night, the capabilities of Keynote being limited with the kind of presentation I have in mind.

A heck of a lot of work still needs to be done, but as they demonstrated with Glorious! last year, the Players have a knack of pulling things together in time for curtain up. And as an extra incentive for hitting the mark is the fact that the playwright, Amanda Whittington, will be attending one of the performances. A privilege indeed, given that this is the first amateur production of her play, but also an added level of pressure! But that's what it's all about and when things do go right - like they did at the first full run through last night - the sense of achievement is just amazing.

Anyway, back to it... those flats won't paint themselves...

27 September 2013 - The Final Trailer

And here it is - the final full trailer for The Thrill of Love.

Fred sourced a brilliant font named 'Hitchcock' (reference to the masterful Saul Bass whose stunning title sequences graced many a Hitch movie) which I was lucky enough to find and apply to the lettering here. Really makes a heck of a difference.

19 September 2013 - Lurking in the shadows

And that's exactly what I was doing onstage this evening - requested by director Jules I hasten to add.

To explain: Mr Stephen Lurvey who is playing Jack Gale, the sole male character in The Thrill of Love was not able to make this evening's rehearsal. So a stand in was needed for the night, not only to read the lines but be in the onstage positions when said lines were being projected. And I felt privileged when Jules asked me to perform that role for the rehearsal. Mind you, she didn't have a lot of choice as the other two guys there that night were stagehands/extras and already had their roles to perform...

But I gave it a go and didn't do bad. What was great about standing in for Steve was to see the four actresses in the play performing their lines up close and to see how the play is shaping up. And from what I witnessed, it's gonna be pretty amazing, powerful theatre. Three weeks today all this will be going out to the first live audience...

As for this post's title, it refers to the role of Jack Gale, who spends a lot of time in the shadows, overlooking the action before delivering his lines. Steve has become adapt at lurking in the shadows.

He has now dubbed himself 'The Shadow Master'.

16 September 2013 - Teaser Trailer 3

And so to the third trailer, using yet another idea and incorporating footage from last Friday's video session at Albany Road. The hardest part of this one was deciding what to write in the newspaper article and make it sound 'tabloid'!

13 September 2013 - Passion, tea and biscuits

So, how did my lodgings in Roath, hitherto an all-gay abode, suddenly become on this Friday the 13th a place of hot heterosexual passion and violence?? Perhaps I had better explain...

As she did with Glorious! director Juliet Lake wanted for her production of The Thrill of Love some projected images that would need videoing off set. It was envisioned that inserts of footage featuring Ruth interacting with her doomed lover David Blakely could be incorporated at certain key moments in the play. They already had the actors - Louise who is playing Ruth on stage and her real-life husband Felix who would stand in for Blakely - all they needed was a location.

I immediately thought of the house where I lodge on Albany Road; a large Victorian terrace building with a spacious hallway and a suitable staircase. And even more fortuitous, I had the place to myself for two weeks, the landlord being away in Scotland for his bi-annual fishing trip. So the location was set as was the videoing date - Friday the 13th of September at 7pm.

And so they arrived and I clicked into host mode, organising tea and biscuits while discussing camera angles with Jules and shadow director and stills photographer Fred, and allowing the actors to get into costume. Moments later Louise stepped into the kitchen, a vision in a white and red polka-dot 50s style dress and red headscarf covering her Monroe wig; she looked fantastic. That and with Felix suitably suited as David, we were ready to roll. Those two in particular...

It was a rather unusual evening I must admit, what with me videoing Felix chucking Louise down the stairs and punching her in the stomach one minute, then capturing them getting hot and heavy on the leather sofa in the front room the next. I must add here that it was all simulated, apart from one face slapping incident when Felix accidentally clipped Louise across the nose! No harm done though. All the same it felt very voyeuristic...

Despite this, the evening went extremely well and - despite the uncomfortable violence! - was fun to do and resulted in a lot of usable material. Fred also captured the most amazing photograph of Louise in character, smoking outside the front door, which would make a fantastic publicity image.

The house on Albany Road has now been restored to normality with all trace of any such hetero happenings erased. Just as well; I don't think my landlord would have been too happy about what had transpired here that evening!

9 September 2013 - The London Nobody Knows

A bit off the subject this one, as the short documentary in question, Norman Cohen's The London Nobody Knows was made 12 years after the hanging of Ruth Ellis. But I include it here as it was one that was brought to my attention when researching films about bygone London for the production of The Thrill of Love.

It's actually a superb little documentary providing the viewer with a glimpse of the capital on the cusp of change, as old Victorian London is gradually swept away to make way for the modern. Haunting images of buildings in decline - such as the Bedford Music Hall in Camden - are contrasted with thriving street markets and high rises. Images of children and hip youngsters are juxtaposed uncomfortably with ageing down and outs, fighting over the meths, their lives beyond hope. And it's overseen by James Mason, his wonderfully dry commentary making the whole enterprise that much more personal.

What is interesting, and this relates back to the Ellis story, is what the documentary doesn't show - that is, the seedier side of London with gentlemen's bars, gambling clubs and the like. These aspects appear to be outside the film's remit, which seems to be to present a slightly gritty but overall nostalgic look at a changing city; perhaps as a supporting cinema feature (remember them? Oh, I do!). It also provides me with a useful visual resource too, as many of the older streets would have remain unchanged since the days when Ellis would have click-clacked down similar ones.

Also Included on the disc was another London-based short - the mini-musical Les Bicyclettes de Belsize, a bright, colourful, cheery (and cheesy!) boy-meets-girl story. It's completely useless to me for this venture, but was fun to watch nonetheless.


Oh and Ps. - it is one month until opening night!

5 September 2013 - Teaser Trailer 2

And to keep the marketing momentum going, here is the second teaser for The Thrill of Love, made shortly after the release of the first. Using the sound effects compiled by Fred, I built this trailer around the sound of projected film, utilising found footage of film headers and melting film trapped in the gate.

31 August 2013 - Teaser Trailer 1

And here it is - my first teaser trailer for The Thrill of Love.

I wanted to keep it very simple, just using the manipulated smoke footage overlaid with the opening soundtrack compiled by Fred and finishing off with a dynamic visual to accompany the gun shots.

Unfortunately, I lost the first attempt at this - my poor MacBook Air was having a rather hard time with the rendering demands of Final Cut Pro - so had to recreate it from scratch on the iMac. And just as well - the resulting video was soo much better.

Here it is:

21 August 2013 - Night and the City

A British noir-thriller, set in 1950s London, one that I discovered when seeking out available movies set in the 'Ellis era'. A far cry from the high spirited and optimistic comedies from Ealing Studios, this 20th Century-Fox production is strictly inhabited by the seedier side of the capital, the place of shady drinking dens, prostitutes and underworld wrestling establishments.

According to website Film Noir of the Week, director Jules Dassin:

"wanted to present London as an urban nightmare with night for night shooting at a time when it was still difficult to generate sufficient light for extended night scenes, especially those filmed in long shot. Dassin, however, received the cooperation of many London businesses who agreed to leave their lights on at night so as to assist the filming. As a result, Night and the City is one of the strongest examples of film noir expressionism and it presents London as an urban hell - a world of dark shadows, desperate individuals and derelict buildings. Tourist landmarks such as Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, along with other parts of the city, were transformed into a consistent vision of urban hell, a perfect encapsulation of a dark, threatening world permeated by betrayal, fall guys and moral corruption".

http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2007/08/night-and-city-1950.html

Apart from being a highly compelling thriller with an intense performance from Richard Widmark, the details of the era interested me. In particular, the scenes set in the 'Silver Fox Club', which I can imagine being similar to one of the clubs that Ruth Ellis would have worked in, with proprietress Helen Nosseross (Googie Withers) instructing her girls on how to behave with the 'gentlemen' patrons. Interesting also that Helen's repellant and abusive husband Phil is exactly how I imagine Morrie Conley would have been - I wonder if perhaps the casting for this character was based on Mr Conley?

Night and the City is certainly one of the toughest films I have seen of this particular era, pulling no punches (pun intended or is it) in its bleak portrayal of post-war London. And it will help me when I start to compose the imagery that will form the projected backdrop for the Player's production of The Thrill of Love.

10 August 2013 - The Smoke Box

Amanda Whittington's 'The Thrill of Love' is set predominantly in smoky London night clubs - specifically, The Court Club where Ruth Ellis worked and The Little Club which she was given the opportunity to run by Morrie Conley. It makes sense, then, that the set for the play should be smoked to some degree - not possible at the YMCA Mike Barlow theatre unfortunately, due to regulations*.

So, how to create a smoky atmosphere without using actual smoke on set? Step forward the videographer! For the backgrounds to these club-set scenes director Jules requested some smoky images overlaid against the projected backdrop image. Unimpressed with YouTube smoke scenes, I briefly considered getting a plug-in for the video editing program Final Cut Pro which would render CG smoke effects of different configurations - for a price, of course (usually quite a high price too!). Ultimately I opted for the cheap, cheerful and low-tech approach -  create and video the smoke myself.

Actual cigarette smoke being out of the question (kicked that habit a fair few years ago!) I chose the next best thing - incense sticks, provided by Fred. So I spent that Saturday morning painting the interior of an archive box matt black, fixing it to a workmate bench in my landlord's garage and poking adjustable cliplights through the top for illumination. Setting the Canon DSLR frame-rate to 50fps, I lit the sticks and let them do their thing. I must admit I did get rather spaced out on the fumes...

The results were rather wonderful; the smoke rose in the most beautiful twirls and settled into a pleasing mist in the background as others appeared, picked out by the rays of the halogen light. Given that the aspect ratio of the screen is approximately 1:3 (ie. long and thin), the images had to be captured by the camera in portrait format (and would need further slimming down in post). Importing the images into Final Cut then allowed me to slow the motion of the smoke and adjust the contrast to reduce digital noise and refine the appearance of the tendrils.

I am so pleased with the results I am even considering using them in a video project of my own at some point. However, firstly I need to overlay these smoky images on a suitable background. Better start working on those next...

Here be images of the smoky genesis, taken with my trusty iPad Mini.

*Not entirely sure what brought this about - something to do with reckless use of a smoke machine at some point - allegedly.

7 August 2013: Sniffing Dollies or The Curse Of The Shower Curtain

'Glorious!' was the Cardiff Players first venture into the world of the projected image. The screen that the images were to be projected upon was fashioned from a white shower curtain, pulled tightly on a frame of piping and attached with bungees. It wasn't ideal - it proved very cumbersome to bring on and off stage as needed - but it served its purpose and worked well.

So well in fact, the role of projected images was ramped up for the next production, the Christmas panto 'Robin Hood'. For this, the screen would be in constant use, with projected images integrated into the scenery and providing video effects at key moments. Fred constructed a rigid wooden frame to which another shower curtain was firmly attached and it was mounted onto the set, flanked by flats, the projector (and me as projectionists) squarely behind it. (To this day, I have no idea how the panto looked.)

Seven months later and the technical demands of Jules's production of 'The Thrill Of Love' will push the boundaries of the projected image even further - and consequently a shower curtain will simply no longer cut it. The screen will form part of the background (and again be in constant use), but be in the unorthodox aspect ratio of 1:3 (i.e. long and narrow) and video inserts will have to be composed accordingly (more of that later...).

Therefore, a higher quality screen was in order - and Fred, through her tireless research, found the perfect one. She sourced a professional quality screen that would not only phase out any projector hot spots (the curse of the shower curtain) but render a bright image with a viewing angle of 120 degrees (essential given that the screen will be at a slight angle to the audience). It also is unaffected by ambient light, which was proved when I projected a test image onto it and it was bright and visible - and this was with the auditorium and stage worker lights on too. One of the problems of 'Robin Hood' was the stage lights bleaching out the image on the screen. No problem with that here, it would seem!

The material arrived in a very long cardboard tube and appeared to be a just an unassuming piece of grey vinyl type material with a very particular smell. Fred and I agreed that it reminded us of camping holidays, camp beds, etc. while Bella said it reminded her of the back of doll's heads. Which kind of gives an indication of her childhood obsession...

Being a large piece of material, it had to be cut in half for the required screen size. What followed was a harrowing fifteen minutes as Fred, with surgical precision, rendered the piece in two. But it was worth it, and the excitement when it was hung and the first images projected onto it was palpable. Oh yes, this is going to be a very special production indeed...

The first incision...

No turning  back now... 

The screen hung in position... roughly.

2 August 2013: Yield to the Night

Released a year after her execution, this stylised and highly claustrophobic anti-hanging film bears a high resemblance to the Ellis case - a link that was denied by the film-makers at the time. Watching it, and having read the opening chapter of "A Fine Day For A Hanging', it's easy to see the association; Diana Dors plays Mary Hilton, a young blonde woman convicted of murder and condemned to hang for murder by shooting a person to death... Sounding familiar? Also the murder was motivated by passion - although the victim here is female, love-rival Lucy Carpenter, the cause of death of Hilton's object of affection, Jim Lancaster.

Photographed in steely monochrome and directed by J. Lee Thompson (The Yellow Balloon), the film, while sometimes melodramatic, is highly compelling and increasingly harrowing, mainly set in Hilton's cell as she recalls the events that led to her incarceration. Thompson uses the image of the single, unshaded light bulb as a recurring motif throughout the film, which references the Ellis case; Ruth complained about the light to the wardens who kindly fashioned a lampshade out of card for her comfort (strictly against regulations!). The film also explores the relationship between Hilton and her wardens, particularly Matron MacFarlane (Yvonne Mitchell). The scene between the two women where MacFarlane builds a house of cards during their conversation only to destroy it at the end serves to symbolise Hilton's predicament; hope for reprieve, precariously built, can be so easily dashed.

The film also marked an acting departure for the young Diana Dors, hitherto playing glamorous roles given her 'British Marilyn' status, here dulled down and haggard in her prison scenes. She brings a steely-eyed intensity to her role, a side of her that I have never seen before, a performance she hoped would make her be taken seriously as an actress. The scenes which feature her in close-up, face directed to camera while her voice-over exposes her inner turmoil are some of the most effective in the film. Dors discovered she was pregnant when Yield To The Night announced, but she knew this would be an opportunity that she simply couldn't put aside; consequently, she opted for abortion and not for the first time either.

The film was released in the US with the the rather more sensational title 'Blonde Sinner" (and check out the promotional poster below), obviously playing on the overt sexuality of its star. The strap line 'The Man-By-Man Story Of A Lost Soul!' is somewhat misleading and I should imagine that stateside audiences may have felt rather disappointed by the intense prison drama before them, when they were expecting a blonde-fuelled raunch-fest.

Yield To The Night was nominated for three BAFTAs and the Palme d'Or for J. Lee Thompson at Cannes in 1956.

31 July 2013 - Tabula Rasa

Wednesday evening: my first proper techie meeting with director Juliet Lake and technical director Fred Skilton at the Mike Barlow YMCA theatre in Cardiff. The stage a blank space beckoning before us, all evidence of the previous production (Much Ado About Nothing) disappeared. Onto this blank canvas plans were drawn, set ideas discussed, obstacles and challenges noted and technical requirements announced.

Onto the black paint of the stage the outline of the main set was drawn in chalk, like some bizarre murder scene. Memories of 'Glorious!' were rekindled while raiding the hatch, of dangling precariously out of it, all in the name of entertainment. That former show gave us a good grounding in what was achievable technically on the stage. The Thrill promises to take all that a step further...

31 July 2013 - Let Him Have It

Working my way through Carol Ann Lee's excellent 'A Fine Day For A Hanging', I noticed mention made of the Derek Bentley case. Bentley, a young man with developmental problems, was hanged in January 1953 for the murder of Police Constable Sidney Miles during a bungled attempt to burgle a confectionery warehouse in Croydon. It was, in fact, Christopher Craig who fired the gun but, being only sixteen at the time, he was spared the death sentence. Unfortunately, Bentley who was just of adult age (despite being diagnosed of having the mental age of 10), was unanimously found guilty of murder and faced the rope. Similar to the Ruth Ellis case, this attracted numerous protests and calls to abolish the Death Penalty in UK.

I found among my numerous DVDs a copy of the forgotten 1991 film Let Him Have It directed by Peter Medak and featuring a young Christopher Eccleston as Bentley. The title refers to the words allegedly shouted by Bentley to Craig on the rooftop of the warehouse, when Detective Sergeant Fairfax demanded that Craig surrender his revolver. It was hotly debated whether these words meant "give him the gun" or "shoot him!" during the trial. Both Bentley and Craig denied these words were ever uttered.

The film, produced and shot in the UK, was originally offered to Alex Cox who planned to film it in black and white. Apparently the producers weren't too happy about this and it was subsequently offered to Hungarian-born Medak, who had directed The Krays the year before. It's a solid little low budget drama filled out with a great British cast including Tom Courtenay, Eileen Atkins and Tom Bell, and Eccleston is impressive in his movie debut. The film seems to have disappeared off the radar very quickly (well, it is low budget, British and pretty depressing - what do you expect), but for me it was interesting to watch again, in light of my research into the Ellis-era and highlighted the changing attitudes toward the Death Penalty in the 1950s.

I just wish they hadn't included the aerial shot at the close of the film - those distant views of early 1990s saloon cars kinda broke the illusion for me...

30 July 2013 - Lady Godiva Rides Again & The Yellow Balloon

Ruth Ellis's one and only, blink-and-you'll miss her, appearance on film was in the 1951 comedy Lady Godiva Rides Again (known as Bikini Baby in the States). I must have blinked as I did miss her (and Joan Collins in her debut too). Mind you, it's not easy trying to ascertain detail on an iPad mini screen. The film itself is quite entertaining, wittily written by John Dighton and Val Valentine and briskly directed by Frank Launder, he of the St Trinian's series fame. Most notably there is a fabulously sassy performance by the young Diana Dors as 'Delores August', a confident young beauty queen (and god knows the film needs it as the main character, Pauline Stroud's Marjorie Clark is a bit of a whiny drip). There is also a very funny cameo from the always brilliant Dora Bryan.

There's a rather dark edge to the comic proceedings though, with all these nubile youngsters being constantly peered over or seemingly procured by lecherous old men, the promise of a career in films (or at least an 'expensive looking' mink coat) on offer for... well, who knows. Watching the film in parallel to reading 'A Fine Day For A Hanging' it becomes ever more apparent why young women would turn to this seemingly glamorous lifestyle, in order to escape the endless austerity of post-war Britain. Ellis herself posed for risqué photographs for the Camera Club, knowing that she had what it took to raise male interest (so to speak). Her ambition even prompted her to change her appearance, from brunette to peroxide blonde in keeping with the 'blonde bombshell' look of the period's starlets - Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Dors herself. It reminds me of the line in Whittington's play, where Ruth taps her newly-blonde locks and utter the single line: "Hollywood". 

In order to get a feel for the atmospherics of London in the early 1950s, I have queued up a list of films produced and filmed in the capital at that time on LoveFilm. A DVD set called The London Collection was available, which the 1953 film The Yellow Balloon was part of. I had absolutely no idea what this film was about - perhaps some breezy children's caper set in the bombed out shells of London buildings. It certainly sets out that way, with a poor-but-happy domestic setting established and a jolly incidental score tripping lightly in the background. But boy does it turn dark - quickly and quite shockingly. And it gets darker from there on in, with the young protagonist Frankie (Andrew Ray) falling in and with and manipulated the rather unpleasant low-life Ray (a creeped out performance by William Sylvester). The theme of darkness persists right up to the finale, it's tense, noir-ish events playing out in an abandoned, bombed out Underground station. As with Lady Godiva Rides Again, the sense of austerity pervades the film, and the question of the effect it has on youth hangs in the air; the former lightheartedly suggesting young girls entering into what is essentially a form of prostitution, the latter a young boy inadvertently drawn toward the thrill of petty crime. It's an interesting period in our not-so-distant history, one that I am intrigued to discover more about.

On a separate (more trivial) note, this journey into the world of Ruth Ellis has brought to my attention certain links and connections. For example, Ellis appeared in Lady Godiva Rides Again featuring Diana Dors. Dors appeared in the film Yield To The Night, allegedly based on the Ruth Ellis story, directed by J. Lee Thompson. J. Lee Thompson was a prolific director in the UK, whose films included - 

The Yellow Balloon.

Creepy, huh?

27 July 2013 - Dance With A Stranger

The touchstone film quoted by both Amanda Whittington and Carol Ann Lee as inspiration for their respective works on Ruth Ellis. I remember watching Mike Newell's film around the late 80s, most likely because it had Rupert Everett in it, who I fancied like mad after seeing him in Another Country. I can't exactly recall how I felt about the film at the time, but I do remember being impressed by Miranda Richardson as Ruth.

Watching it again now in preparation for The Thrill, I could appreciate the film a lot more, from the sharp script by A Taste of Honey writer Shelagh Delaney to the stripped down cinematography from Peter Hannan to the splashes of sax-led incidental music by Richard Hartley. And then of course, there is the performance from Richardson - maybe, as Lee puts it, 'a screaming mass of neuroses', but also tempered with moments of vulnerability and tenderness. And she really does look stunning, peroxide blonde, perfectly shaped eyebrows, slashes of vivid red on lips and nails, all in check. 

Complementing Richardson is the support from Ian Holm as Desmond Cussen and Everett's performance as Blakely, a pouty, spoiled brat of a character who flails with his fists when he doesn't get his way. (Incidentally, I thought young Everett looks a bit like Matthew Goode does now. Or is that just me?). On the downside, I thought Stratford Johns was just too nice to portray the outright sleaze bucket that was Morrie Conley, a truly gross character in all respects.

It was a nostalgic experience watching Dance With A Stranger again - it reminded me of the other low budget British films that were being produced at the time, such as My Beautiful Laundrette and Letter To Brezhnev, which I would go and see at the temples of cinematic goodness in Oxford at the time; the Penultimate Picture Palace and Not The Moulin Rouge. Only one of which exists now, sadly.

It also gave me a better appreciation of Whittington's play in comparison too; The Thrill delves deeper into the Ruth Ellis story by focussing on the key female characters in Ellis's world (and includes one fictional male character who acts as narrator). Dance With A Stranger is a strongly dramatic film, but The Thrill of Love, I believe, is a powerful play which highlights a chain of tragic events that ultimately affected a change in the UK law regarding capital punishment. All too late for Ruth Ellis though.

25 July 2013 - Gatherings

The first full meeting of the cast and technical crew of The Thrill of Love at the Mike Barlow theatre. While the 5 strong cast went off to read their lines, Jules assembled those who will be involved as techies and stage crew in one of the meeting rooms at the YMCA.

Here we discussed costume, make up, props and set - all a challenge given the very specific colour palette chosen for the design of the production (or lack thereof).

Video was touched upon too, but specifics of these will be discussed at a later date. But even the brief outline had me defecating ceramic building materials, if you'll pardon the expression. The video inserts for the Players pantomime 'Robin Hood' last January took me into unknown territory video-wise and had me dipping my toe into the creative waters of the Final Cut Pro application. I can envision 'The Thrill' chucking me headfirst into the rapids.

All good stuff though and I am genuinely looking forward to working with a wonderful group of creative individuals.

16 - 26 July 2013 - Backgrounds

Where to start on this journey into the life and death of Ruth Ellis?

Well, the play itself would be a good idea. Fred provided me with a copy and I read it in an afternoon. At work, in my coffee breaks. (Ok then, at my desk when I should have been working - but once I started I really couldn't stop... it's that good and the finale moved me to tears). She advised me to read it through once and try not to think of it in technical terms. Easier said than done; my mind would occasionally wander from a particular stage instruction and think 'ooh, how are we going to achieve that...'. But it was Amanda Whittington's dialogue that was the hook, particularly the snappy exchanges between the four female characters. I knew that casting would have to be spot on, but knowing Jules and the experience of 'Glorious!', she would find the right talent to bring these characters to life.

Additionally, I have borrowed 'A Fine Day For a Hanging' by Carol Ann Lee from the library, a comprehensive biography of Ellis's life from birth to death. The first chapter 'La Vie En Rose' which retells in great detail the final day of Ruth's life right up to the hanging is some of the most harrowing writing I have ever read.

Alongside plowing through this compelling tome, I have compiled a list of Ellis-related movies to view - the obvious starting point being Dance With A Stranger from 1985, with Miranda Richardson as Ruth. I've not seen this for years, so will be a welcome rewatch.

And finally, a CD of Billie Holiday songs; her music forms much of the aural backdrop to the play so I think it would be useful to have this playing when creating the visuals. (I do intend to listen to it, but I have PSB's rather wonderful 'Electric' on heavy rotation at the moment.)

I've stopped short of having my hair dyed peroxide blonde and having it permed. It's too short for a start.

The search begins...

A few weeks ago it was announced by the Cardiff Players that their next production is to be Amanda Whittington's 'The Thrill Of Love'. Freshly finished from a run in London and only just made available for amateur groups, Whittington's retelling of the story of Ruth Ellis - the last woman to be hanged in the UK - is to be adapted by director Juliet Lake.

Our Jules helmed the highly successful production of 'Glorious!' last year, into which I was recruited to provide video backgrounds and serve as projection manager on the four night run. It was my first time ever to be involved with a theatre group of any kind, but provided me with a relishing challenge. 'Glorious!' was a highly ambitious production, with the Players utilising video projection for the very first time and that threw up a whole load of technical challenges which needed to be resolved. Luckily, technical director Fred Skilton had done much of the ground work before I got involved, sourcing material for screens, researching the right type of projector for the job, locating another projector at the last minute when the first one blew its lamp... It was a sometimes fraught but ultimately rewarding production to be involved with.

For 'The Thrill Of Love', Jules has raised the technical bar to vertiginous heights, the likes of which will make the challenges of her previous production seem like a primary school panto. I have already been informed that this production will 'break' me. That remains to be seen...

The purpose of this blog is to document the journey to the Thrill from my perspective. And, unlike 'Glorious!' I am involved right from the very beginning. The play is due to open at the YMCA Mike Barlow Theatre on 9 October. It seems a long way off but in theatrical terms it may as well be tomorrow.

So, buckle up - the time machine is set for the neon-drenched, peroxide-bleached, 1950s London...