The Caretaker, The Manic Street Preachers, and Requiem.

 

Harold Pinter who wrote The Caretaker in 1959

 

A busy weekend of entertainment started last Thursday with a visit to the Charter Theatre to see The Caretaker. Even though I read about it before I went and again after I’d seen it, I have to say I don’t really understand what it was trying to say. I guess years in marketing communications where we often take complex messages and make them easy to understand have not conditioned me to understand playwrights who often take complex messages and make them even more complicated! Guess I’m just a Philistine!

Much more up my street and a lot simpler to understand were the Manic Street Preachers on Saturday who played a fantastic set of their greatest hits and several new numbers off their latest album “Postcards from a Young Man” –  an unashamedly pop-orientated affair. “We’re going for big radio hits on this one,” they told NME. It’s one last shot at mass communication.” Lots of big anthems and choruses and the audience loved it! Welsh and proud of it. Me too!

 

Requiem featured an outstanding performance by Keith Flood

 

Sunday night we saw another play, this time it was Requiem performed by fledgling theatre group Ribcaged. Two magnificent performances from Keith Flood and Rick Guard, as an ageing actor and his young lover, in a play written and directed by Owen Philips. Poignant, moving and well written, I was captivated from beginning to end (not such a Philistine after all!) We saw three of their productions at the Edinburgh Fringe and they fully merit being seen on a wider platform. It’s very difficult for a young company to make it nationally with very little money so I really hope they get a big break soon as they deserve it.

According to the stats of the Workhouse Blog, this is the 200th post, and it will clock up a total of 21,000 visits in that time. That’s just over 100 visitors per post, so thanks very much, your insomnia must be cured by now….

Mark.

Going up, won a cup, off to a gig, a good glug, an Oz trip and a vacancy at Workhouse Marketing

Had a meet yesterday with our High Growth Consultant. It was a review meet as we have just finished our first quarter (Jul/Aug/ Sep) and I’m delighted to say that we are 14% up on the same three months last year. It’s been busy but our team has been producing some excellent work. Well done to the Workhouse Team.

I loved watching the teamwork at the Ryder Cup recently. I thought it was a fantastic tournament  and brilliant entertainment going right down to the last but one hole of the last match of the weekend. It was all about winning for the team, and our team won! It’s always good beating the Americans! Never mind Tiger.

The Manics are in Blackburn

Looking forward to a busy week, not only at work but in the evenings as well. Off to see Pinter’s The Caretaker at the Charter Theatre on Thursday, The Manic Street Preachers are playing King Georges in Blackburn on Saturday, and the Ribcaged Theatre Company are doing Requiem in Ribchester on  Sunday night.

Elder son Tom’s just come back from a 10 day break in  Cyprus, and is now pumped up and ready to take his shop into the big selling season. It’s going to be an exciting time for him and for us as we’re helping him put together a big Christmas promotion. He’s put a really nice range of wines together at The Whalley Wine Shop and all the anecdotal evidence, and the sales figures, are showing that he’s doing a good job.

Our sons Tom and Ben at Rib Field Day 1991

Younger son Ben, a designer  here at Workhouse, is also preparing for an exciting time at Christmas, as along with two mates he’s going travelling in Australia from November through to May next year. He leaves on Bonfire night, and will be over there when the England Cricket team compete for the Ashes. I’m looking forward to that. It’s always nice to beat the Aussies! Ben will have a great time, I’ve never been to Oz but everybody I know who’s been says it’s an amazing place.

Ben’s sabbatical will create an opportunity for a designer. If you know of anybody who might want six months work with the strong possibility that if they fit in well with our team the job will become permanent…then please tell them to get in touch with us. Contact Martin Meadows on martin@workhousemarketing.com