In Review: V for Vendetta at the Lass O'Gowrie

Photo: Laura Evans

After the successful adaptation of The Ballad of Halo Jones by Manchester-based Scytheplays back in 2012, the Lass O'Gowrie, famous for their Fringe productions of Russell T. Davies' Midnight, Year of the Sex Olympics and Coronation Street together with Scytheplays are tackling another of Alan Moore's seminal works: V for Vendetta.

A timeless tale of anarchy against the system, V for Vendetta has endured ever since its first appearance back in 1982 in Warrior magazine. Popularised by the use of the iconic Guy Fawkes mask by protesters, especially since the 2006 film, the story has entered popular culture in a way few things have managed.

The Hunger Games spearheaded a resurgence in popularity of dystopian stories - or perhaps that fascination has never gone away. The thirst for stories of struggle against tyranny, or the rights of the individual has always been there. Written at the height of dissatisfaction with Thatcher's government and with the threat of nuclear war lurking in the background, V for Vendetta potentially becomes a very real flash-forward, yet has endured and remained relevant ever since.

Set in a dark future society where racial and political “deviants” are arrested and held without charge or trial in internment camps, V for Vendetta is a glimpse into one man's idea to fight the system, and the subsequent lengths this idea will go to fight for freedom.  The stage adaptation is largely successful, the staging area evocatively decked out as V's Shadow Gallery. With a smaller cast of characters than the comic, some of the treatment of citizens in this world has faded, but the central core of V's fight against the state burns more intensely than ever.

Part detective story, part thriller, part noir. V for Vendetta offers a multitude of narratives to its readers/viewers. Sean Mason's stage adaptation is pacy, retaining much of the flavour and content of the comic. Having wisely disposed of many of the action sequences allows for the text to breathe and for the audience to concentrate on the words and the messages within Moore's text.

Photo: Laura Evans

Daniel Thackeray's V not only has height in his favour, but a majestic stage presence. Despite the restrictions imposed by the mask, Thackeray owns the stage with his commanding performance. The gestures he makes to emphasise key words act as much as his voice, which wavers from hysterically manic to chilling in the space of a few words. Thackeray retains the ambiguity over V's status as hero or villain that made V for Vendetta so compelling.

Heroine Evey Hammond (Sinead Parker) undergoes a total transformation as V unfolds. Parker is an astonishingly watchable actress and exudes confidence in herself and Evey. She becomes completely enveloped and wholeheartedly believable as this well-defined character. Cast out from V's lair, her dramatic connection with Paida Noel's subtle and haunting Valerie is a breathtakingly shocking sequence.

Watching the quartet of New Scotland Yard cops on the case is almost like watching a surreal episode of The Thick of It, such is the machinations and bungling occurring within. Eric Finch's attempt to understand V is his undoing, and Marlon Solmon's sympathetic and masterful performance conveys Finch's futility nicely.

Photo: Laura Evans

If Daniel Blake's Almond is the Tony Blair figure of the lot, exuding confidence and a very public face, then Brian Gorman's Creedy is very much a figure in the Gordon Brown mould. An unrespected and petty man, Creedy's letching over Leni Murphy's pitiful Rosemary is chilling to watch. Meanwhile, young Dominic Stone, played with relish by Michael Whittaker undergoes his own desperate journey. The Yard counterpart to Evey, he has a naïve streak that makes the audience root for him.

A dark disturbing look at a world in an unspecified near future, V for Vendetta is scarily near to the knuckle. Of the oppressors who shape V, only Carly Tarett's Delia Sutcliffe is (borderline) sympathetic, and she provides one of the best scenes in the play with a stylish and emotive exit. Both Jez Smith's Prothero and Stuart Hudson's Lilliman are thoroughly unlikeable, and in Lilliman's case compellingly hideous. Weighed up against V's dubious politics, it's up to you to decide who's methods are right.

Whilst V for Vendetta is an accomplished play with a clear amount of work and effort gone into it, transitions between scenes could be a little smoother to allow the overall experience to flow better. The loss of a couple of the iconic images from the comic book is a necessity, but a shame. A lack of clarity to visualise the Houses of Parliament bursting into flames, or the fireworks this creates seemed to be lost on some of the audience watching. This said, V for Vendetta remains immensely watchable, and ruthlessly engaging, and is yet another triumph of the Fringe.

–Matthew Chorlton

• V for Vendetta runs at the Lass O'Gowrie, Charles Street, Manchester until Thursday 10th January with an additional performance on Sunday 13th January. It will return on Sunday 27 January in a double-bill with The Ballad of Halo Jones. Tickets available from WeGotTickets or the Lass bar. 

• For more on V for Vendetta and Lassfest, please go to http://lassfest.co.uk/?p=750

• Matthew Chorlton is the creator of The Fiction Stroker web site: thefictionstroker.wordpress.com

Bringing V for Vendetta to the stage: an interview with Dean Thackeray

Daniel Thackeray as V. Photo: Laura Evans

V for Vendetta is writer Alan Moore and artist David Lloyd's seminal comic series from the 1980s. The story depicts a near-future police state in which a Fascist party called Norsefire hold power. It is against this backdrop that V, an anarchist revolutionary, undertakes a campaign to bring down the government.

Next week, a new stage adaptation of V for Vendetta is being performed at the Lass O'Gowrie pub in Manchester as part of Lassfest (an arts festival featuring comedy, drama and music, as well as various other cultural events). Adapted by Sean Mason (who also adapted Ballad of Halo Jones), we're delighted Matt Badham decided to find out more about this premiere of this new adaptation of this prescient tale of a struggle against oppression in the surveillance society.

In this interview, Matt talks to Daniel Thackeray, who will be portraying V in the new production.

 

Matt Badham: You've said to me that staging V for Vendetta was your idea, although it's Sean Mason who's actually written the script.

Daniel Thackeray: I decided pretty early on that I wanted to act in it, so I stepped back from the production side of things.

Sinead Parker as Evey Hammond and
Daniel Thackeray as V. Photo: Laura Evans

MB: Why do you think the comic is a good choice for a stage adaptation?

DT: We wanted a good quality follow-up to [our adaptation of] The Ballad of Halo Jones, which is also an Alan Moore property. We're on quite good terms with Alan Moore and some of the rights-holders for his various works. 

Both Halo and V have similar points to make and they were both written at roughly the same time, in the 1980s. There's criticism of consumerism, capitalism, the herd mentality of people and the way that governments can be somewhat uncaring when it comes to the needs of their citizens. It seemed logical that if people enjoyed Halo and engaged with it as a stage adaptation -- and we did get some good reviews for it and positive feedback from audiences -- they would like V for Vendetta as well. Possibly more, because I think it's arguably more relevant to our current times.

MB: What specific challenges have there been in putting V for Vendetta, a comic, on stage?

DT: V is an unusual comic in that it's actually very verbose. This is one of the reasons I thought it would be good as a stage play. It's dialogue-heavy and the art style is quite deliberately grim and gritty. That's a good stylistic choice when it comes to representing this slightly drab life that everybody is living in the comic. It's a world that can be presented quite easily on stage.

MB: I suppose the term that could be used is kitchen sink…

DT: Yes. However, one challenge was that V for Vendetta does have quite a few action sequences in it that we've had to change or remove. We've either placed those off-stage or simplified them. There's a big scene where V takes down five cops and we couldn't do it. You could do it on-stage - but you can't do it on-stage in a small space, which is what we've got to work with.

We're taking the opposite approach to the film adaptation, which I think emphasised and even extended the action sequences and turned V into an action hero. We imply that he is a capable fighter but we don't see most of the fights themselves. Instead, it's mainly his theatricality and his politics that are emphasised in our version.

V Police: Creedy (Brian Gorman), Finch (Marlon Solomon) and Stone (Michael Whittaker) Photo: Laura Evans

MB: Can you give me a specific example of your approach to the action sequences?

DT: There's a scene in the comic on a train where V appears and kills two cops and kidnaps [Norsefire propagandist] Lewis Prothero. That's totally gone. Prothero just wakes up in V's lair.

Larkhill's Dr. Surridge (Carly Tarret), Lewis Prothero (Jeremy Smith) and Bishop Lilliman (Stuart Hudson)

MB: And that works?

DT: In the comic, you have a later scene where police officers talk about what has happened and the fact that Prothero has been kidnapped. And that is actually a bit pointless because you've already seen it all. But in the play, it works well for us as a device to explain the detail of the kidnapping.

MB: Are we still going to get that sense of V as a deadly figure? As someone to be feared?

Photo: Laura Evans

DT: Yes. In the dialogue we emphasise points that are mentioned in the comic, like the fact that he kills with his bare hands. He does have a thing of using knives but there is also this detail that he will sometimes 'stab' people with his fingers, which indicates both his physical power and his terrifying determination.

MB: I suppose the police procedural elements that exist in parts of the comic are a bit of a gift in that they offer valuable opportunities for exposition.

DT: Yes. Like I said before, it is all very 'talky'. But there are some striking visuals there too, of course. Theatre needs strong imagery and V, if you get him right, provides that with his mask and the way he talks and the way he moves.

MB: Just before we finish, it's probably worth mentioning that Halo Jones is coming back to the Lass and that there will be a V for Vendetta and Ballad of Halo Jones double-bill.

DT: Yes. It will be both plays on the same day with a two-hour break so people can grab a bite to eat and mingle.

Photo: Laura Evans

MB: That seems as good a place as any to end this short chat. Thanks for your time, Dan, during what I know is a fairly frantic rehearsal period as you gear up for your first show.

DT: No worries. Thank you.

• V for Vendetta at the LassFest features V, played by Daniel Thackeray; Evey Hammond - Sinead Parker; Creedy - Brian Gorman; Finch - Marlon Solomon; Stone - Michael Whittaker; Dr. Surridge - Carly Tarret; Lewis Prothero - Jeremy Smith; and Bishop Lilliman - Stuart Hudson.

• All photos by Laura Evans

• For more on V for Vendetta and Lassfest, please go to http://lassfest.co.uk/?p=750

Fringe Benefits: Manchester prepares for invasion by Robots of Death

Matt Badham talks to Gareth Kavanagh – Greater Manchester Fringe Chair and Lass O’Gowrie pub co-owner – about the upcoming Manchester Fringe Festival and, specifically, the Doctor Who inspired play Robots of Death that is part of it - and features a one-night only appearance by Blake's 7's Paul Darrow.

The inaugural Greater Manchester Fringe Festival is taking place in July 2012, and will feature a whole range of drama premieres, live music, dance, stand-up comedy, visual arts, literature and workshops.

Matt: Why and how did you decide to set up the Manchester Fringe? What's your history, specifically, when it comes to promoting the 'Arts' locally?

Gareth: It’s a very organic process that has developed over a few years to be honest. We really turned on to entertainment in the aftermath of the Smoking Ban in 2007, and started with a modest programme of live music gigs, quizzes, a retro video gaming night, comedy and small drama one and two handers.

Out of this came a realisation that although it takes a huge effort to get these things off the ground, there is an audience for this kind of thing, notably fringe theatre. So, we got involved quite heavily in the 2009 (sadly defunct) Not Part of Festival (both as programmers of in-house shows and as host to people wanting to put on gigs) before launching Lassfest in 2010 which was a month long fringe festival bespoke to the Lass. This grew into a slightly larger Lassfest in 2011 and spawned a January Midwinter Lassfest in 2012, before we decided to get others involved through the Greater Manchester Fringe.

Of course, in theory we could have just sat on Lassfest and kept it all to ourselves, but that’s both selfish and short sighted. It’s been great collaborating with other venues although, I accept it’s not for everyone. It takes a certain level of confidence and trust to do it.

Matt: What's the programme like? How have you programmed it, in terms of the practicalities of working with multiple venues and the 'artistic' approach when it came to your programme, i.e. what sort of shows have you gone for and why?

Gareth: To be honest, every venue is a little different. As this is the first one, we’ve made a decision at the Lass to ‘hard programme’ the majority of the slots with in-house productions, with a minority of slots for travelling acts. It makes for a lot of work, but it does give us a solid base of things that are sometimes trickier to attract like genre drama. It also lets us build on areas in which we have a strong track record, notably revivals and retro television adaptations.

Matt: What sort of opportunities do you hope the Fringe will offer new/emerging (maybe even established) artists/writers/actors?

Gareth: It’s a great platform for all levels. For artists starting out, it’s a virtually risk free opportunity to test material out in front of a live audience. For more established artists, it’s an invaluable opportunity to test new material, polish existing sets raise cash before embarking onto pasture more pricier like Edinburgh.

Likewise, is there a business angle here... an attempt to bring punters (and their money) into Manchester at a time of recession...It’s exactly that. It’s no coincidence that Lassfest grew out of the two quietest months for us – July and January and in a University dominated city centre, I think we’re not alone in suffering the Summertime blues when the students all go home. I think that opportunities can grow out of recessions, as you innovate and create to combat troughs in the market.

I also believe that the kind of levels of genuine co-operation I’ve witnessed between venues would have been unthinkable five years ago when things were booming for bars in Manchester.

Matt: What are the picks of the Fringe... the shows personally that you are looking forward to?

Gareth: Gosh, so much good stuff in the pipeline it’s difficult to choose. There’s a ton of good stuff at the Kings Arms, notably Dev’s Army which I’m determined to see. Peter Slater’s House that Stank of Death will be extraordinarily good at the horror themed club Satan’s Hollow, as will Robots of Death in Fab. And that’s before I think about Storm Mine (the Robots sequel), Porridge, Together in Electric Dreams (featuring 1980’s incarnations of Sir Clive Sinclair and Lord Sugar) and Year of the Sex Olympics – an adaptation of Nigel Kneale's 1968 TV play.

Matt: How did you decide on Robots of Death as your 'lead' show?

Gareth: Well, given the Doctor Who links, rudely ambitious nature and the presence of TV legend Paul Darrow on stage for one day only playing the lead, it seemed to make a decent curtain raiser for the Fringe. I have a theory that occasionally theatre and Fringe suffers from (a largely unjustified) reputation for being up itself. By tacking productions that people can quickly get their heads round or trust, like Doctor Who it means these productions make for pain-free introductions into the rich world of Fringe.

Matt: How do you solve the problem of the Doctor-less nature of your show?

Gareth: Well, it’s not the first time we’ve tackled this issue. Back in January, [Doctor Who producer] Russell T Davies was outrageously kind enough to allow us to adapt his 2008 episode of Doctor Who Midnight – a episode which helpfully features a group of characters in the equivalent of a single train carriage. It could have been practically written for stage.

However, neither us nor Russell owns the Doctor. That character is owned by the BBC, so his part had to be played by someone new. But in many ways, it’s a lot easier to solve than you’d think. However you look at it, a Doctor shaped hole remains in the plot so we just fill it another way.

With Robots, the solution came by transposing the Doctor and Leela with Iago and Blayes – two security agents from a Doctor-less spin off series of audio sequels to the 1977 Doctor Who series Robots of Death. Naturally, this has meant a few narrative shifts to the story, but it’s pretty clever stuff and happily the original serial author Chris Boucher agreed to the retooling.

Imagine taking a Roger Moore Bond movie and replacing Bond with Jason Bourne within the narrative and you’re there….

Matt: Why should the punters come to see RoD when they could just buy the DVD?

Gareth: Well, for one it’s a different experience. This tale will cleverly unfold right in front of our eyes, you’re there on the Storm Mine. Buy the DVD by all means (it’s excellent), but it’s a different pleasure.

Matt: What makes RoD suitable for stage adaptation?

Gareth: Like a lot of sixties and seventies television, it’s a disciplined piece of writing with longer scenes than modern TV, less scene changes and a smaller pallet to fill. And we were encouraged to think more use our imaginations back then. Taking all that on board, it’s actually a lot easier than you’d think!

Matt: You've got Paul Darrow on board for one night only. How did that come about and what do you think he will bring to the show?

Gareth: Paul Darrow is simply a television god for those of us who grew up with Blake’s 7 in the late 19760s and early Eighties, and his performances as Kaston Iago in the Kaldor City audios are a logical continuation of his work in Blake’s 7. Inviting him down was always one of those ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ daydreams, but it was Alan Stevens of Kaldor City (and who has been adapting the Robots and Storm Mine scripts for the stage for us) who made it happen.

So, we have for one day only Paul Darrow playing his Iago with the rest of the cast and audio co-star Tracy Russell as Blayes. How can’t you get excited about that? It’s the British equivalent of William Shatner dropping by to read a Star Trek script. It’s mouth-watering.

Matt: Please tell us something about your pedigree as a producer and the pedigree of the various other cast/crew members working on RoD.

Gareth: I’m a huge television fan first and foremost, in particular genre material and forgotten gems from the golden age of television in the 1960s and Seventies. More importantly, I’m mad enough to get these things on the stage and seem to be trusted by the rights holders, despite only having been active in this field for 12 months.

I see the Producer role as one of commissioner, organiser, occasional authority figure, buck stopper, catalyst and initial project starter. I work with some talented people and most of the time, we go on to work together again. Sometimes I'm very hands on, other times I get it going then step back.

So far, I’ve been proud to produce Coronation Street 1968, Hot Fat, The Ballad of Halo Jones, Porridge, Midnight, The Year of the Sex Olympics, Together in Electric Dreams, Robots of Death, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads and Storm Mine. And there’s more in the pipeline for sure.

Matt: Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add about the show?

Gareth: Robots of Death is exactly why I became a Doctor Who fan in 1977 and our redux version is a sophisticated polish of the ideas that made it so great, albeit with a twist. It’s brilliant.

There are more details at the Greater Manchester Fringe website www.greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/

The dates of the various performances are -
FAB Cafe Premiere of Robots Of Death and Storm Mine: 1 July 2012
Robots of Death (FAB Cafe): 21 - 24 July 2012
Storm Mine (Lass O'Gowrie): 28 - 30 July 2012

- This story has been cross-posted across The Forbidden Planet blog, DownTheTubes and SciFiPulse.net. Special thank to Gareth, Matt, Ian at SciFi Pulse and Joe Gordon at FPI

Re-staging Halo Jones: the inside story

When the Forbidden Planet International blog heard that there was going to be a new stage version of Halo Jones produced at the Lass O'Gowrie pub in Manchester (a spot already well known to local science fiction and comics fans), they sent roving reporter Bat Cardigan to find out what it was all about!

The following interview with Lass landlord and staunch comics and SF supporter and promoter, Gareth Kavanagh is the result of Bat's Mancunian adventure and is re-published here on downthetubes with full permission of all involved (thank you!)... 

Bat: Gareth, who are you and why would what you're doing be of interest to readers of the FPI blog?

Gareth: Well, over on Twitter I describe myself as "award-winning Northern hospitality operator, management consulting guru, publisher of Vworp Vworp and gentleman of the road."

In essence, I own and operate the Lass O'Gowrie, a very nice little pub down the side of the old BBC [in Manchester] and publish a very nice fanzine and (with luck) comics if we can get the rights to the odd interesting property.

I suppose it's of interest because I use the Lass as a platform for all the things I love, so it's festooned with original comic art, old collectables and vintage arcade machines. We also programme plenty of genre shows, including, come January, Russell T Davies' Midnight and a brand new adaptation of Halo Jones. 

Bat: Please tell us about this new production of Halo Jones? It's not just a re-staging of the 1980s stage play, is it? Who's involved and what's your role?

Gareth: No, it's a fresh adaptation of Books One and Two, going back to the source material. The odd thing we'll be looking at [changing] and there are a lot of healthy debates going on in the team as to location, characters and design.

There are some practical things to get over too, so Toby is now a humanoid dog character to get him off all fours, but it works trust me! I'm involved this time round as Producer, so I'm overseeing it, chipping in where I see fit and making useful suggestions.

The chaps have termed me Joel Silver, which I'm taking in the spirit it was intended (honest; you're fired, chaps!). Alongside me is Ross Kelly, who has been scripting, Daniel Thackery who is directing and a top-secret script editor who has asked not to be revealed, but has been brilliant to work with.

And, as of today, we've cast all but one of the roles and it's the best cast I've ever worked with. We've settled on Louise Hamer as Halo and she's perfect. See Casting Call Pro [now The Mandy Network - Ed] if you don't believe me. In fact, if you don't fall in love with Halo all over again after this then frankly, you're dead inside.

Bat: Halo Jones is part of the Mid-Winter Lassfest. What else have you got on that may be of interest to the blog's readers?




Gareth: A whole heap of goodies. An event with genre publisher Hirst Books. They will be bringing along a host of his writers for a day on Saturday, 7th January. Three episodes of Coronation Street from 1968 penned by the legendary Jack Rosenthal and performed on the ground floor of the pub, cast by the great June West of the Road to Coronation Street fame.

A revival of Jack's Play for Today from 1974, Hot Fat', never since repeated and the tapes have been long wiped by the BBC.

Oh, and an adaptation of Russell T. Davies' Midnight, originally from the 2008 run of Doctor Who in our claustrophobic Salmon Room upstairs.

Bat: How did you get permission to put on a performance of Halo Jones and also Russell T Davies' Midnight?

 G: Well, we asked Rebellion [publishers of 2000AD] very nicely and they very kindly allowed us to perform Halo. Similarly with Russell, who is a fan of [Gareth's rightly celebrated Doctor Who fanzine] Vworp Vworp and knows the Lass from his BBC Manchester days (apparently he lost his watch there in the 1990s. We've still not found it!), although what we're adapting is the script and characters created by Russell. Nowhere are the Doctor or Donna to be seen, but a brand new mysterious stranger known only as John Smith. You may recognise him. 

Bat: Word is that you had to chat to Tharg himself, the mighty Mr. Moore and that you've been seen in the company of television giant, Russell T Davies. It must be a big thrill to be rubbing shoulders with (or making phone calls to) these guys. Are you in geek heaven?

Gareth : Oh absolutely. In fact, it's like being controller of your own TV channel! Alan has been very kind to us with Vworp Vworp and he's such a pleasure to work with. I was adamant we wouldn't do Halo unless Alan was cool with it, even though it's not his IP, it's important to let people know what you're about and what we're here for.
Ditto with Russell who we've got to know again through Vworp Vworp, so we want it to be right.

 The Lass doesn't profit by a penny from Halo or Midnight. We do it, because we want to and we love the material. And it's often completely forgotten, but these guys are fans of things too. We're all fans.

Adrian Salmon's original art for the
new Halo Jones play poster

Bat: Please tell us about the theatre space you've got at the Lass.

Gareth : Well, we have a wee space above the pub called the Salmon Room (named after our good pal, the artist Adrian Salmon) which we've developed as we've gone along into a great studio space that seats around 35 people. Our budget is non-existent, but we work our capital hard and with support from sponsors, we do manage miracles. Of course, a first for us this January is to use the ground floor of the pub to stage things, so Halo and Corrie will be down there and that will be amazing.

Bat: Tell us about the mighty publishing adventure that has been Vworp Vworp. It's a fanzine that, I think, is fair to say, has exceeded expectations?

Gareth: Again, we've been blown away by the supper for our little fanzine, but the love and nostalgia seems to have been there, which is lovely. I mean, what could be better than publishing a lost Abslom Daak tale from Steve Moore?

Plus, working with people whose work I so admire like Steve Dillon, Steve Moore, Dez Skinn, Mick McMahon, Alan McKenzie, Ade Salmon and Martin Geraghty is so not work. It's an honour.

Bat: What's the word on Vworp Vworp 3? What's in it and when's it out?'

Gareth: Well we're beavering away myself and co-editor Colin Brockhurst and we're aiming for Summer 2012. And you can look forward to a frankly amazing chat with Alan Moore talking about his early Doctor Who and Empire Strikes Back strips, his thoughts on contemporary Doctor Who and something so top secret, you'll weep when you read it.

Elsewhere, we've more Abslom Daak as well as a sequel to the seminal Iron Legion strip penned by Lance Parkin with pencils and inks by Dan McDaid and colours by Charlie Kirchoff. And, of course, another wizard free gift that will top issue #1 2s transfers and #2 2s Weetabix cards.

Bat: What's next for you, the Lass and for your 
adventures in pub theatre?

Gareth: Well, we've ambitions for a much bigger space up there to make the Lass a proper, London-style theatrepub. We'll see.

Bat: Finally, there's quite a lot going on year round at the Lass. What regular events might the blog's readers want to pop along to?

Gareth: We open our doors to Doctor Who fans on the last Saturday of every month in the Snug for drinks and the occasional screenings. We also hold retro gaming nights on the second Friday and last Tuesday of the month, as well as open mics, book clubs, karaoke, meat-free Mondays and the like. Come see us on Facebook, or bob over to www.thelass.co.uk!'  

Thanks to Gareth and Bat for taking the time to conduct this interview. Bat, a short, balding man with (according to his dad) shifty eyes' was last seen at Manchester Piccadilly Station clutching a stained copy of Fantastic Four #6. If anyone has any information about his whereabouts, please contact us here at the blog. His mum is very worried about him. ' (To be honest, we're not that bothered, we know he'll come home when he gets hungry enough.) 

• The Halo Jones stage production runs from the 2nd to 7th January, a fine way to start the New Year if you're in town please do go along and give them some support.'

• Read the original interview here: http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2012/manchesters-answer-to-joel-silver-an-interview-with-gareth-kavanagh/'

Halo Jones stage play poster

Here's the poster for the new Ballad of Halo Jones play at the Lass O'Gowrie in Manchester which we plugged recently. The art is by Adrian Salmon, who's been a regular contributor to Doctor Who Magazine for many years, and he's posted the original art and its creation process on his blog.

• More info on the Lass, as ever can be found at www.thelass.co.uk and Lassfest at the (soon to be updated) www.lassfest.co.uk

Exclusive: Halo Jones stage play at the Lass O'Gowrie

Manchester's Lass O'Gowrie pub - already famed for its comics and Doctor Who-related events - is staging Alan Moore and Ian Gibson's The Ballad of Halo Jones as a fringe play in January next year.

"It's an adaptation of the first two books using the ground floor or the pub as the set," landlord Gareth Kavangah tells us. "Rebellion have approved it and Alan Moore has given it his blessing too, which is lovely.

"We cast a week today and costumes will be provided by the students from Manchester Metropolitan University."

The play is being staged as part of the pub's inaugural Midwinter Lassfest fringe festival. Other treats to be staged include an adaptation of Russell T Davies' Midnight, beer tasting with Neil Morrissey and live episodes of Coronation Street from 1968, staged in the pub as part of a Jack Rosenthal season.

First published in 2000AD, The Ballad of Halo Jones has been brought to the stage before. In fact, the first stage play was directed by my partner back in the 1980s, Clare Walters and I did all the PR materials for it based on imagery from the original comic.

This first adaptation - more info on this web site - was first performed by In The Red Theatre Company at the Edinburgh Festival in 1987, and then taken on a UK tour.


• More info on the Lass, as ever can be found at http://www.thelass.co.uk/ and Lassfest at the (soon to be updated) http://www.lassfest.co.uk/








• YouTube - Night Network feature Part 1
• YouTube - Night Network feature Part 2
• Script for the 2001 adaptation by Andrew Ness

Warrior Remembered in Manchester

Legendary British comics editor Dez Skinn is back in Manchester again next weekend (he was there only a couple of weeks ago for the relaunch of Starburst). "There's an all-day celebration of one of my old titles reaching its 30th birthday...," he tells us. "That's WARRIORcon on Saturday July 2 from 11-5pm at the city's top pub: The Lass O'Gowrie .

"And if you're a Doctor Who fan, book in somewhere cheap for the night and get back to the pub the next day for their fourth Doctor Who pubcon (and Kev F's Scottish Falsetto Glove Puppets). You could even stay for Monday and catch me old chum Mr B do his chap-hop routine at the same venue."

Full details: www.thelass.co.uk

Comics and more at the Lass!

(Above: They won! A rather natty promotional image for the Lass O'Gowrie pub in Manchester.)

Word from Gareth Kavanagh of the award-winning Lass O'Gowrie pub in Manchester of various comics-related events that are likely to be of interest to downthetubes readers:

First there's Warriorcon on 2nd July with Dez Skinn and guests. This celebrates cult anthology comic Warrior, the original home of V for Vendetta.

On 3rd July there's Vworp 4, a Doctor Who con that includes some guests from the world of British comics. These are Martin Geraghty, Adrian Salmon and Dez Skinn, all of whom have been closely involved with Doctor Who Magazine's comic strips. The con also features various other figures from the world of Who, such as Katy Manning (Third Doctor companion, Jo Grant) and Andrew Cartmel (the programme's script editor during Sylvester's McCoy's tenure).

And, as part of the Lass's Pub Fiction slot, some comic creators will be giving talks:

On 19th July, John Reppion of the Moore/Reppion writing team (Raise the Dead/Albion) presents a talk on different incarnations of the cities of Liverpool and Manchester, real and imagined, in his own writing, the work of others and beyond.

22nd July sees an audience with Al Ewing, a British comics writer with extensive experience in the small press and 2000 AD.

And on 23rd July, Bryan Talbot discusses his graphic novels Grandville and Grandville Mon Amour and the venerable and on-going tradition of anthropomorphic characters in illustration and comics from which they have emerged.

These events are all part of the pub's annual Lassfest, which runs from 1st July - 1st August. This showcases all aspects of the arts, with live theatre, readings, stand-up comedy and much, much more. Go here and scroll down to see what's on when.

Dez Skinn - Dragged from the Grave!

Dez Skinn, writer and former editor of Warrior, Comics International, British MAD and many more has been persuaded back to Manchester's fab Lass O'Gowrie pub for another event.

"The b****** have dragged me out of mothballs to do a talk at the Not Part Of festival event in Manchester (with chap-hop performer extraordinaire Mr B on after me," he says.

Top Doctor Who artist Adrian Salmon has been given the challenge of delivering probing questions about his career, such as "Is it true there are still tons of Hulk Weekly in your cellar?" and more...

• An Audience with Dez Skinn will take place on 8th July 2009 at Manchester Lass O Gowrie. Doors: 6:30pm Price: £6.00. Buy Tickets Here

Salmon's Spot on the Net

(via Kasterborous): Comics artist Adrian Salmon, whose credits include work for Judge Dredd: The Megazine, Doctor Who Magazine and the graphic novel The Faceless: A Terry Sharp Story has recently begun a blog, which includes many samples of his recent work and background on how he created them.

Included are Doctor Who illustrations and samples of his work on the Hammer Horror tribute publication Little Shoppe of Horrors like this one of Doctor Jekyll. (Megazine readers may recall one of Ade's characters for a Judge Karyn story I wrote bore an uncanny resemblance to Peter Cushing...)

Thos of you reading this that live in Manchester may also like to know that the Lass O'Gowry has a room dedicated to Ade's work. If that isn't an excuse to nip there for a pint...

Adrian's blog is at: adriansalmonart.blogspot.com