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IF YOU love One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – get set for the play of the film of the play of the book.
Director Alan Veste and producer Phil Bimpson have taken the innovative step of presenting not the stage version of the classic Ken Kesey novel, but their interpretation of the film at Grange Road West’s famous Little Theatre.
It’s the story of Randle Patrick McMurphy, who avoiding a short prison terms opts for the comparative comfort of a stay in an institution by declaring himself insane.
The tyrannical nurse Ratched has beaten the inmates into submission, but with his two friends Billy Bibbit and the hulking “chief” Bromden, McMurphy sets out to test the limits of the system and the extent of the nurse’s power.
In an innovative twist some brief location segments have been filmed and will be viewed by the audience on a screen before the action switches to the stage.
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Director Alan Veste said: “One of the reasons for approaching it this way is that nobody has done it before.
“The film is based on a play by Dale Wasserman but people have a real affection for the film, and most people are more familiar with it.
“The play is told from the perspective of the chief so people who come and see our production will recognise many of the aspects of the film that they remember.
“Both Phil and I first saw it in 1975 and I knew it would be something I would return to, I put an advert in the paper and we got together to discuss it.”
Jimmy Mulhearn takes the role of McMurphy, with Rebecca Tolcher playing Nurse Ratched.
Alan added “We have an amazing cast, some who are new to acting, it’s really nice to be in the Little Theatre.
“It’s an overlooked venue but a brilliant one, it should be promoted more on the peninsula.”
The production takes place on Thursday, November 15 to Saturday, November 17, all seats are £8.
Tickets for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are available from Hardings Tours on 647 7831, more information about the production is available on www.vesbim.comWirral film festival duo seek local heroes
Feb 20 2008
by Matt Hurst, Birkenhead News
WIRRAL International Film Festival is rolling, with submissions flying in from across the peninsula and our twin town, Latina in Italy.
Organisers Phil Bimpson and Alan Veste have now set a September 30 deadline for budding film-makers hoping to see their creations up on the big screen in November.
Phil told the News: “We’ve been pleasantly surprised so far as we’re getting professionals and total amateurs sending us stuff.
“I think it’s nice that both feel they can trust us to show their work.
Alan added: “We’ve had quite a lot of interest from local film-makers wanting to get involved and some really good comments saying it was about time Wirral had a film festival.
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“We’ve set the deadline for all the films, if you want to send them in now, you can do.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s five or six years’ old, it just has to be produced in Wirral or, if you come from Wirral and it’s produced elsewhere it doesn’t matter, as long as its Wirral based.”
As revealed in the News in January, the pair, who run Vesbim Productions and have decades of experience in film and theatre, will run a week-long event this autumn with categories judged by industry experts and top prizes for winners.
There has been no shortage of script submissions and, although Alan and Phil say they can’t assess them all, they have come up with a novel way to include writers.
Alan said: “We’re going to have a scriptwriters’ pile so people can stick them on a table and any producers or directors that come by may have a look.”
A key element of the festival is the link with Wirral’s Italian twin town of Latina and organisers have established contact through Birkenhead-based honorary consul, Nunzia Bertali.
Nunzia said: “I’ve got a connection with both places and sometimes film can represent the culture of a specific area.
“In this case it could present some of the special problems that young people face in Latina and compare it to what happens here in Wirral.”
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