What if the Doctor really had changed history, even just a tiny bit?
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 9:01 PM
A STORM OF ANGELS
With the great success of the Doctor Who Unbound range in 2003, it was unsurprising that Big Finish would go back to the well to produce one more offering in the series. A direct sequel to Auld Mortality was commissioned from Marc Platt, with Geoffrey Bayldon returning to the role of the Doctor and Carole Ann Ford reprising her role as Susan. The result — A Storm of Angels — never quite reaches the quality of its predecessor, but it is still a strong release in its own right. The central question? What if the Doctor actually interfered in history?
A Storm of Angels differs from its predecessors in an important way: it’s much more traditional, both to the old series and to Big Finish’s main Doctor Who range. The play requires two discs, not one. It is divided into four episodes, rather than one continuous play. Even the theme is the Derbyshire version rather than either of the new realizations commissioned for the other Unbound releases. Unfortunately, these changes damage the play. Platt’s script, while full of fascinating ideas, simply does not have the plot to fill two discs’ worth of running time. The script is not structured episodically; the “cliffhangers” interrupt the drama and annoy rather than satisfy. Even the music hurts: the lack of a cliffhanger “sting” evokes the awkward second from the old series between script and credits in which the cast attempted to hold a freeze-frame.
This is not to call A Storm of Angels a weak play: Platt’s script has many commendable features. There’s great delight to be found in the Doctor rampaging through Earth’s history, warning the Aztecs of the coming invasion, taking Leonardo on TARDIS voyages, and eating hamburgers with Elvis. The jewels, while remarkably unthreatening, evoke amazing mental images. And the steampunk vision of an advanced Elizabethan Earth is fascinating. As above, these various ideas aren’t explored in great enough detail to justify the play’s running time — often it seems as though tedious argument scens have been stretched to a greater length to pad out the play. However, Platt’s vision is still strong enough to hold A Storm of Angels to a high standard.
Geoffrey Bayldon returns to the role of the Doctor, and his second performance is every bit as good as his first. As before, the performance is something of an alternate Hartnell: while this Doctor has many of the same mannerisms and behavior patterns as Hartnell’s, many quirks are different. This Doctor seems distracted at times, yes, but he never giggles nor gets names wrong: he’s a very stable, serious, yet fun-loving character, and Bayldon gives him as much charm as possible.
In Auld Mortality, Carole Ann Ford’s performance was weak in places. This is not the case here, as she gives an excellent performance to both the Doctor’s companion Susan and the Lord President Susan. Indeed, the conversation between the two Susans may be the most emotionally resonant of the play, and Ford’s acting has a great deal to do with this. It’s also nice to see her acting independently for once, attempting to rescue the Doctor rather than helplessly twisting her ankle every five minutes.
The supporting cast is an up-and-down group. Cameron Stewart and Ivor Danvers, for example, are generally excellent as Francis Drake and John Dee, but when they become enraptured by the jewels their performances become cringeworthy. Ian Hallard is uneven as Zeuro, and Shiv Grewal is completely over the top as Raju. Kate Brown makes for an amusing Elizabeth, though.
I’m not sure who at ERS was responsible for the sound design, but it’s excellent as ever — the jewel effects work particularly well. The score is solid as well, reminiscent of the original Auld Mortality score while simultaneously breaking new ground. John Ainsworth assumes the director’s chair, and while nothing particularly striking is on display this seems to be a solid job all around. The cover, too, is beautiful, with a nice twist on the standard Unbound design.
Overall, A Storm of Angels is a fine addition to the Unbound lineup. It’s unfortunate that the play is long and overtly traditional, for these elements may be all that keep it from classic status — but it is well worth your time in either case. Recommended.
A STORM OF ANGELS
With the great success of the Doctor Who Unbound range in 2003, it was unsurprising that Big Finish would go back to the well to produce one more offering in the series. A direct sequel to Auld Mortality was commissioned from Marc Platt, with Geoffrey Bayldon returning to the role of the Doctor and Carole Ann Ford reprising her role as Susan. The result — A Storm of Angels — never quite reaches the quality of its predecessor, but it is still a strong release in its own right. The central question? What if the Doctor actually interfered in history?
A Storm of Angels differs from its predecessors in an important way: it’s much more traditional, both to the old series and to Big Finish’s main Doctor Who range. The play requires two discs, not one. It is divided into four episodes, rather than one continuous play. Even the theme is the Derbyshire version rather than either of the new realizations commissioned for the other Unbound releases. Unfortunately, these changes damage the play. Platt’s script, while full of fascinating ideas, simply does not have the plot to fill two discs’ worth of running time. The script is not structured episodically; the “cliffhangers” interrupt the drama and annoy rather than satisfy. Even the music hurts: the lack of a cliffhanger “sting” evokes the awkward second from the old series between script and credits in which the cast attempted to hold a freeze-frame.
This is not to call A Storm of Angels a weak play: Platt’s script has many commendable features. There’s great delight to be found in the Doctor rampaging through Earth’s history, warning the Aztecs of the coming invasion, taking Leonardo on TARDIS voyages, and eating hamburgers with Elvis. The jewels, while remarkably unthreatening, evoke amazing mental images. And the steampunk vision of an advanced Elizabethan Earth is fascinating. As above, these various ideas aren’t explored in great enough detail to justify the play’s running time — often it seems as though tedious argument scens have been stretched to a greater length to pad out the play. However, Platt’s vision is still strong enough to hold A Storm of Angels to a high standard.
Geoffrey Bayldon returns to the role of the Doctor, and his second performance is every bit as good as his first. As before, the performance is something of an alternate Hartnell: while this Doctor has many of the same mannerisms and behavior patterns as Hartnell’s, many quirks are different. This Doctor seems distracted at times, yes, but he never giggles nor gets names wrong: he’s a very stable, serious, yet fun-loving character, and Bayldon gives him as much charm as possible.
In Auld Mortality, Carole Ann Ford’s performance was weak in places. This is not the case here, as she gives an excellent performance to both the Doctor’s companion Susan and the Lord President Susan. Indeed, the conversation between the two Susans may be the most emotionally resonant of the play, and Ford’s acting has a great deal to do with this. It’s also nice to see her acting independently for once, attempting to rescue the Doctor rather than helplessly twisting her ankle every five minutes.
The supporting cast is an up-and-down group. Cameron Stewart and Ivor Danvers, for example, are generally excellent as Francis Drake and John Dee, but when they become enraptured by the jewels their performances become cringeworthy. Ian Hallard is uneven as Zeuro, and Shiv Grewal is completely over the top as Raju. Kate Brown makes for an amusing Elizabeth, though.
I’m not sure who at ERS was responsible for the sound design, but it’s excellent as ever — the jewel effects work particularly well. The score is solid as well, reminiscent of the original Auld Mortality score while simultaneously breaking new ground. John Ainsworth assumes the director’s chair, and while nothing particularly striking is on display this seems to be a solid job all around. The cover, too, is beautiful, with a nice twist on the standard Unbound design.
Overall, A Storm of Angels is a fine addition to the Unbound lineup. It’s unfortunate that the play is long and overtly traditional, for these elements may be all that keep it from classic status — but it is well worth your time in either case. Recommended.
7/10