This new staging of Jonathan Harvey’s 1999 play, which streamed live from Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre earlier this month, is now available on demand.
Hushabye Mountain tells the story of a world that is starting to learn to live with HIV, but doesn’t yet have an effective treatment. It focuses on Danny (Nathan McMullen), a young man who has recently died and is waiting to be let into heaven, and Connor (Layton Williams) who doesn’t really know how or when to move on from Danny and is tentatively exploring a new relationship. The cast is completed by Jodie Prenger who plays Danny’s mother; Matt Henry, as Connor’s brother; Amy Dunn as Danny’s best friend; and Harrison Scott-Smith as Connor’s new love interest.
We’ll be the first to admit that streaming productions rarely hit as hard as in-person performances – we lose the immediacy and the intimacy of being in a space, as well as the feeling of being part of a communal experience with the rest of the audience. So it’s a seriously impressive feat that Hushabye Mountain is able to provoke a genuine emotional response, in spite of these barriers. One scene, a flashback showing Danny and Connor discussing funeral arrangements, moved us to tears; while another, set in a hospital and featuring some gloriously inappropriate and deadpan one-liners, had us laughing out loud.
It’s a cleverly put-together piece of theatre. Director Nick Bagnall has clearly adapted to the format – there is some smart camera work which facilitates swift scene changes and draws our attention to specific characters or parts of the staging at the right moment. It often feels like it has more of a filmic quality and it’s all the better for it. Lighting and sound is used effectively throughout to create vivid scenes that extend beyond the confines of the venue.
The post Hushabye Mountain is an achingly beautiful revival – review appeared first on GAY TIMES.
Hushabye Mountain is an achingly beautiful revival – review
This new staging of Jonathan Harvey’s 1999 play, which streamed live from Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre earlier this month, is now available on demand.
Hushabye Mountain tells the story of a world that is starting to learn to live with HIV, but doesn’t yet have an effective treatment. It focuses on Danny (Nathan McMullen), a young man who has recently died and is waiting to be let into heaven, and Connor (Layton Williams) who doesn’t really know how or when to move on from Danny and is tentatively exploring a new relationship. The cast is completed by Jodie Prenger who plays Danny’s mother; Matt Henry, as Connor’s brother; Amy Dunn as Danny’s best friend; and Harrison Scott-Smith as Connor’s new love interest.
We’ll be the first to admit that streaming productions rarely hit as hard as in-person performances – we lose the immediacy and the intimacy of being in a space, as well as the feeling of being part of a communal experience with the rest of the audience. So it’s a seriously impressive feat that Hushabye Mountain is able to provoke a genuine emotional response, in spite of these barriers. One scene, a flashback showing Danny and Connor discussing funeral arrangements, moved us to tears; while another, set in a hospital and featuring some gloriously inappropriate and deadpan one-liners, had us laughing out loud.
It’s a cleverly put-together piece of theatre. Director Nick Bagnall has clearly adapted to the format – there is some smart camera work which facilitates swift scene changes and draws our attention to specific characters or parts of the staging at the right moment. It often feels like it has more of a filmic quality and it’s all the better for it. Lighting and sound is used effectively throughout to create vivid scenes that extend beyond the confines of the venue.
The post Hushabye Mountain is an achingly beautiful revival – review appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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