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

Brian Bolland signs Dredd at Forbidden Planet London

Ace artist Brian Bolland will be signing Judge Dredd: The Complete Brian Bolland, published by IDW, at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore on Saturday 12th January 2013 from 3 – 4.00pm.

Mega-City One, 2099. This vast urban nightmare has sprung up from the post-apocalyptic ashes of North America's east coast.

Each of the 400 million citizens based there is a potential criminal and only the Judges can prevent total anarchy. These future lawmen are judge, jury, and executioner.

Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd - he is the Law! By the end of 1977 Brian Bolland was regularly handling art chores for John Wagner's scripts on Judge Dredd. All told, he illustrated 19 stories. Judge Dredd: The Complete Brian Bolland collects these stories in oversized format, featuring meticulous modern colouring by Charlie Kirchoff.

Brian Bolland, whose asociation with Forbidden Planet goes back to the 1980s as the designer of their iconic 'People Like Us' advertisements and, later, the t-shirts, has earned a reputation as one of the best cover artists in the industry, and his elegantly composed and beautifully rendered pieces have graced a host of titles, including Animal Man, Batman, The Flash, The Invisibles, Wonder Woman and many more.


• More info on the event here on the Forbidden Planet web site

Striker returns to The Sun

As rumoured last week, the Striker comic strip has returned to The Sun newspaper, after a long absence - ousting vampire comic Shadows.

Returning on Monday, the strip began with longtime soccer hero Nick Jarvis being interviewed on TV about the perilous state of Warbury Warriors, a team he both played and then managed, taking it from non-league football to the Premiership and Champions League glory.

The club have been given three weeks to pay a £9million tax bill or face winding-up proceedings - and Jarvis lets the club’s Arab owners know exactly what he thinks.

Created by Pete Nash, Striker had a long run in the daily paper before Pete decided to go it alone and create his own weekly comic. The strip has also appeared in Nuts magazine, and there has been previous interest in turning the comic into a TV series.

• More news and images her on The Sun's web site

London SuperCon announces fourth wave of guests

The London Super Comic Convention, running 23rd - 24th February 2013, has just announced a fourth wave of guests at the event, joining names such as Neal Adams, J Scott Campbell and Brian Bolland previously announced.

The latest comic creators set to attend are:

• Dan Slott - Writer of Amazing Spider-Man, Mighty Avengers, Avengers: The Initiative, She-Hulk, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, Batman Adventures, Looney Tunes, or Ren & Stimpy
• Neil Edwards - Artist on Fantastic Four, Squadron Supreme, Captain America, Mighty Avengers, Herc, Spider-Man Season One and current artist on Dark Avengers
• Kieron Gillen -Writer of Uncanny X-Men, Thor, Journey Into Mystery, Generation Hope. Currently writing Iron Man and Young Avengers
• Jamie Mckelvie - Artist on Secret Avengers, Siege: Loki, Invincible Iron Man, Wolverine, Ultimate Spider-Man, Generation Hope, and is currently working on the forthcoming X-Men: Season One Graphic Novel
• Simon Furman - Writer of Alpha Flight, Death's Head, Doctor Who, Dragon's Claws, Robocop, She-Hulk, Terminator, Torchwood, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and What If?  He is currently writing Transformers: Regeneration One, 
• Al Davison - Artist on Doctor Who by IDW, Hellblazer, House of Mystery and The Dreaming
• Simon Davis - Artist on covers of 2000AD over the past 20 years, Sinister Dexter', Stone Island and Ampney Crucis Investigates
• Ian Edginton - Written Leviathan, Stickleback and, The Red Seas as well as one-off serials such as American Gothic. He worked on Top Cow's Pilot Season and Stormwatch: Post Human Division
• Adi Granov - Has provided covers for X-Men, Nova, Avengers, and interior artwork for Iron Man
• Erik Henrix - Writer of SideShows and the upcoming The Evil Tree, Champions of the Wild Weird West, Deadly Harvest, The Book, The Slave Trade
• Peter Hogan - Writer of Crisis and Revolver, Terra Obscura and The Dreaming. Ongoing adventures of Tom Strong and Resident Alien
• Kev Hopgood - Artist for Iron Man, 2000AD and Games Workshop
• Frazer Irving - Artist on Klarion, The Witch Boy, Azrael: Death's Dark Knight, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne and Batman and Robin as well as covers for Bedlam by Image
• John-Paul Bove - Colourist on Godzilla, Doctor Who, Transformers, GI Joe.
• Marco Santucci - Artist on Secret Invasion: Spider-man, X-factor, Siege: Spider-man and Captain America: Forever Allies
• Ralph Tedesco - Writer on Se7en, Salem’s Daughter and Grimm Fairy Tales’ Inferno
• Marco Turini  - Artist on Squadron Supreme, Marvel Comics Presents and a new Top Cow comic to be released in February
• Chris Weston - Artist on Swamp Thing, The Invisibles, Starman, JSA, Lucifer, and The Authority. More recently he worked on The Filth,  Ministry of Space and The Twelve. 

More info: www.londonsupercomicconvention.com