text:
A Separate Peace - Tom Stoppard (theartsdesk.com)
A Separate Peace by Tom Stoppard is the first live "Remote
Read" virtual production from Curtain Call.
Whilst we have become used to the wonderful amount of
streamed work online at the moment, the frisson and immediacy of this live
presentation could not have been more welcome.
Directed by Sam Yates via Zoom the excellent cast grasped the project
and the short play created an oasis of talent and achievement.
A Separate Peace is a charming comedy. Set in a private
nursing home, the medical staff is confused by the arrival of a patient, John
Brown (David Morissey.) An apparently average man who can afford to stay but is
perfectly well and without any medical needs; Brown simply wants peace and
quiet away from the world. However, the medical professionals seek to find a
reason and a truth; as the given explanation seems too suspicious. The
challenge from Stoppard is to consider whether we should delve into the past or
just accept; should we interfere or just keep distant.
The story telling and impact of this remote production is
strong. The success is in its simplicity
of stripping back and just "being." The lack of staging, costume or scenery,
except for Brown's painting, gives us a blank canvas but across the board the characters
convince. Jenna Coleman (Nurse Maggie Coates ) Denise Gough (Doctor) Ed
Stoppard (Matron) and Maggie Service (Nurse)– Jenna Coleman (Victoria, Doctor
Who)ensure that the emphasis purely on the script distils the sentiments and focuses
both the performer and audience in a unique relationship.
Curtain Call has created something exciting and valuable and
hopefully will continue to deliver and plan future performances to quench the
thirst for live theatre.
Douglas McFarlane
Cameron Lowe
Elaine Pinkus and
UKTheatre.TV - Theatre Coming To A Stage Near You
By Douglas McFarlane
Clare Brotherwood
Bitter Wheat - John Malkovich and David Mamet divide critics
Don't listen to critics is my advice, make sure you get out there and see theatre despite what I think, or anyone else out there. Especially the high brow papers who are privileged to get invited free to some great theatre, then rush back to their desks and write some nonsense about a totally different play that you and I saw.
Much like you see on social media these days, for every person who takes time to comment on your post, there's an equal amount of people who will go against your opinion or view.
It's just the way the world is.
I remember once performing in a comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe. It was a lot of fun, and we played to packed audiences every night. The laughter was constant and we knew we had something special. One review in the press the next day said "the audience laughed their head off. We think they should get out more". Well they were out, and they did laugh, isn't that the point ?
So in a similar fashion check out the three headlines. Two of them use 'monstrous' and 'misfires' in the same title. Written by two different journalists. Who is copying who ? Then the one in the middle says it was brilliant.
My view ? A great night at the theatre. John Malkovich has so much energy and jumps out of the stage every second he is on. It really didn't matter what the play was, he exudes talent and is a joy to experience live.
The play ? Well, of course this will divide audiences. An elderly couple next to me never stopped laughing and were amazed at the talented David Mamet 'writing something to make us feel that way is a real talent' they enthused during the break. To my left were two young gay guys. They never laughed. Looked glum during the interval and appeared not to enjoy it.
There were some uncomfortable few moments at the end of the first act and it was clear that this was the intention of Mamet. Everyone was supposed to feel unsettled with negative emotions. It was an experience that is rare in the theatre, but so important. How do we really understand the disturbing experiences of someone faced with a movie guru asking you unwanted intimate questions ? Well, we all felt that and if we didn't get it before, it was loud and clear and it hurt.
Malkovich was complimented on stage with a competent team who never came close to shining, but that was the point of the massive character and the charisma of the acting talent behind the role.
The level of tenacity to get what he wanted in business and in life, with no shame or connection with anyone's feelings or his own humanity, was the simple but powerful message. How can someone escape such manipulative and subtle coercing through use of emotional blackmail and psychological twists and turns ? Not easy, such is the power of such a beast.
It was the hottest ticket in town last night, with David Suchet (Inspector Poirot), Zoe Wannamaker and her Glasgow born acting husband Gawn Grainger, Adrian Scarborough (Gavin & Stacey), and comedian Rich Hall were just a few of the faces I noticed in the seats in front of me.
Only a few people gave a standing ovation. The rest of us were quite happy sitting and watching the gentle acknowledgement of the real person behind Malkovich knowing he'd done a great job. One he'll be doing throughout the summer months at the Garrick Theatre in the West End.
On leaving the building someone said "of course they'll change the script before it gets to Broadway", as a reference to the potential legal issues of something that makes little effort at hiding the fact that they were showing us a truth to what a character like Harvey Weinstein is actually capable of.
Bitter Wheat is on at the Garrick Theatre until Saturday 21 September 2019.
https://www.nimaxtheatres.com/shows/bitter-wheat/
Review by Douglas McFarlane
Yvonne Delahaye
Elaine Pinkus
Petra Schofield and
SYDNEY & THE OLD GIRL: Park200 Theatre, Finsbury Park, London
Miriam Margolyes (Nell Stock) and Mark Hadfield (Sydney Stock): photo Pete Le May
Irish playwright Eugene O'Hare has previously played this venue with his first full length Black Comedy, 'The Weatherman' which received positive reviews as a study in character. Sydney & The Old Girl is his second premier at this venue and once again features Mark Hadfield, who took a lead in the previous production and has shown his stripes as an actor of great versatility. Alongside is veteran of stage and screen Miriam Margolyes and accomplished actor Vivien Parry.
It is always a joy to see Miriam Margolyes in performance and over the years I have been privileged to see her in many. Sure we know her for her recent TV forays but let's not forget this is an acclaimed actor, as well as a strongly opinionated and outspoken individual. For some she may be 'marmite' but in this performance she demonstrated the skills that have coloured and shaped her career these last 50 years and gained her the many awards she has deservedly earned. In this piece her presence fills the stage and when she is offstage, she is sorely missed. A veritable tour de force in her role of Nell Stock, Margolyes is convincing as a frustrated, malevolent but vulnerable old lady nearing the end of her sad, guilt-ridden life.
In truth this is a three hander with each actor working alongside the other to achieve the total effect. With a single stage set of the interior of Nell's East End home, which is sorely in need of repair (mirroring her own life) occasionally lit by the flashing blue lights of passing emergency vehicles, the dependence is on the performance which is achieved highly by this trio. Utterly believable in their roles, we are drawn into the awfulness of the existence of mother and son whose haunting past has created the monster their lives have become.
A troubling piece in its reality, but then isn't that so with all black comedy! Sydney Stock (Mark Hadfield) has been caring for his wheelchair bound mother, Nell (Miriam Margolyes) for some 50 years and hardly ventures out for personal pleasure in the London metropolis. A troubled soul, Sydney has been broken by events in the past and is now bound to the shackles that tie him to his wickedly cantankerous mother. Act 1 sees their continuous sparring and spitting of words. Life is bleak and the most enjoyment that each can achieve is through the verbal destruction of the other. There is nothing else. Dredging up the past, pointing fingers of blame, shouting accusations is the norm for this pair and is building up to a climax that we can feel and dread.
In the middle of this is the committed Irish care worker, Marion Fee (Vivien Parry) whose good nature and openness leave her vulnerable to the pulls and abuses of both mother and son. Caught in their trap she is a victim that unjustly carries their accusations, the only thing that both can agree on.
Margolyes is a master of character portrayal. When I saw her all those years ago in 'Dicken's Women' I was mesmerised by her skill and ability to adopt the gestures and nuances that brought her characters to life. Now, some years later, she has achieved the same with Nell Stock. Of course her diction and intonation are clear but it is her physicality, her body shifts and facial expressions, that are the real deal. You are completely drawn in, transfixed entirely. She was Nell and her audience were invested in her portrayal. With a setting that demands the audience is seated on three sides, I was occasionally frustrated when her back was to me as I missed seeing those wonderful looks and grimaces that made her so compelling but it did not detract from the excellence of her performance and she rightly received her ovations.
Vivien Parry was likewise convincing. Her voice was restful and reassuring; she was the well meaning care worker and despite the harsh and racist insults thrown at her by Sydney, she maintained a professionalism that convinced you of her role.
And then to troubled, traumatised Sydney (Mark Hadfield), whose internal stifling of past fears and experiences had rendered him as an unpleasant bigoted individual on the edge of his personal volcano. Misshaped by his past, he has become an adult terrified of life, unable to cope and on the verge of insanity. Sirens and loud noises create psychotic episodes, nothing would surprise us. Both he and Nell are unable to maintain any civility and take a sinister joy in their mutual goading and destruction, which ironically hide their strong inter dependence. Hadfield's projection of his mood swings was convincingly terrifying as we were never quite sure of what he might do.
There could never be a happy ending to this story. A black comedy, directed by Philip Breen has moments of humour and, particularly in Act 1, raise wry smiles and for some uncomfortable laughter. This is an untenable situation, all too familiar with many families living in similar situations. And yet we can smile, which is testament to O'Hare's writing and character depiction. The past is hideously comfortable and familiar, the future is all too bleak in its unknown. What else remains but to survive another day - 'Life goes on - don't it bloody just!' A fine piece achieved by the three strong cast and the creative team, Park Theatre can now add to is growing list of great new writings Sydney & The Old Girl which should transfer after its limited run at this intimate and delightful venue. I believe the production has sold out, but it is worth trying to grab a ticket if any become available.
Sydney & The Old Girl
Venue: Park200, Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP
Dates: 31 October - 30 November 2019
Age Guidance: 14+ (but I would suggest older)
Performance Times: Mon-Sat evenings 7.30 pm, Thu & Sat matinees 3.00 pm.
Prices: Standard £18.50-£32.50 with concessions available.
Booking: www.parktheatre.co.uk or 020 7870 6876 (10% telephone booking fee capped at £2.50 per ticket)
Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (incl interval)
By Elaine Pinkus
Cameron Lowe and
THE ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE at London's Park Theatre 90
Kate Sumpter and Meaghan Martin: photo Ali Wright
The Actor's Nightmare comprises six shorts by Tony Award winning playwright and Actor Christopher Durang, best known for his 'outrageous' and often 'absurd' comedy and includes the UK premier of some of his finest works. The specially crafted stand alone piece, presented by 3 hearts canvas and Over Here Theatre Company offers a disturbing but also (occasionally) extremely funny parody that spares nothing and no-one. From Euripides to Tennessee Williams, with some Beckett and Shakespeare thrown into the pot, the barbs are sharp and witty and offer an insight to the eccentricity of the entertainment industry in LA and New York, with occasional digs at HBO.
What is it like to face your audience with a memory gone blank, to feel the daggers of your fellow actors as they await their cue? To offer a carefully scripted monologue only to have forgotten the much needed notes and to then bluster your way through the agony of performance or to find yourself on stage with no clue as to why you are there? These are the experiences of Accountant George Spelvin who is mistaken as an understudy and forced to perform in a play of which he has no knowledge and primly twin-setted Mrs Sorken, complete with dinky handback and pearl necklace, whilst she delivers her monologue in the short of the same name. Desire, Desire, Desire attempts a poke at Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire and there are further allusions to much studied and performed playwrights in Business Lunch At The Russian Tea Rooms, Woman Stand-Up and Medea. Nothing is spared and all genres are parodied.
Having been welcomed into the intimate space of Park90 to the glorious tones of 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare' and 'Lullaby of Broadway' we are invited to 'step into a nightmare' and absurd journey. We are onlookers, voyeurs to the shallow and neurotic experiences of the artists who are desperate for fame and glory.
There are particularly striking moments and performances by this committed ensemble. At the start, Mrs Sorken, played by Kate Sumpter with delicious comic timing and comfortable interaction with her audience, set the scene for what was to follow. Strapping ourselves firmly into our seatbelts, we prepared for what promised to be a rocky ride but disappointingly did not always deliver.
There were moments of hilarity, none more so than in 'Medea' where the cast's enactment of the Greek chorus was achingly side splitting. Whilst irreverent in the extreme, it would be nice to think that Euripides offered a wry smile from his distant cloud. Against this was the disturbing portrayal of the stand up comic who relied on her laughter machine at her destitute gigs (Meaghan Martin).
But, disappointingly there were also scenes that just did not hit the mark. Yes, we got the allusions to Tennessee Williams and the repeated cries of 'Stella, Stella, Stella' but these were overplayed and became tedious. Similarly so the parody of Endgame which fell flat. With no interval, the final sections of this 100 minute production were beginning to bore and I found myself wishing for the end. After such a strong beginning, there were too many stilted junctures which lacked lustre and failed to resonate. Such a pity!
Featuring an ensemble cast of Meaghan Martin, Kate Sumpter, Stefan Menaul, Adrian Richards and Layo-Christina Akinlude,under the direction of Over Here Theatre Company's Director Lydia Parker, The Actor's Nightmare was an interesting piece albeit one which offered smug, self congratulation as you identified the different pieces that were parodied.
Note: 3 hearts canvas (founded January 2019 by Meaghan Martin/Oli Higginson),pair each production with a charity - on this occasion The National Autistic Society.
At London's Park90, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP
Dates: 16 July – 10 Aug 2019
Access Performances:
- Dementia Friendly Performance, Mon 22
July 15.15
- Relaxed Performance, Sat 27 July 13.00
Mon – Sat Evenings 7.45pm, Thu & Sat Matinees
Standard £18,
Concessions £16.50, Child (Under 16) £13,
Park Up members (16 – 23 July) £10,
– buy 10 tickets, get the 11th free.
www.parktheatre.co.uk
*10% telephone booking fee, capped at £2.50 per ticket.
Carolin Kopplin
FIVER at London's Southwark Playhouse
The Cast of FIVER - photo: Danny_with_a_camera
Have you ever looked at a five pound hote and wondered 'Haven't I seen you somewhere before ....?'
FIVER follows the story of a humble £5 note as it passes through the hands and pockets of several people in London, each in a significant moment of their lives. One is a busker, another is homeless and living on the streets, a further is a bereaved son and his father, there is a teacher, bullied students, an impending birth and romantic duos, to name but a few. These are the various scenarios performed as an ensemble piece by a talented and exciting cast of five who embrace each cameo with conviction, energy and empathy.
FIVER is the creation of Alex James Ellison (Writer/Producer/Actor/Guitarist) and Tom Lees (Writer/Musical Director/Producer)) who was nominated for a Broadway World award for Best Musical Director and who has been MD for several productions including the Sondheim revue, 'Just Another Story'.
At times reminiscent of 'Rent' and with shades of Sondheim, Lees has created an exciting score of ballads, duets and street rap, performed with superb harmony and energy by the committed 5-person cast. Accompanying them on guitar is Ellison who from the start engages with the audience and spends much of the time sitting amongst them whilst he strums along to the numbers, Lees on piano, Matt Billups on drums, Florian Belbeoch/Will Robertson on cello and Sam Pegg on bass. And this score certainly hit the right note. Unlike many musicals that carry one or two 'dud' numbers, there were no disappointments. Each of the songs mirrored exactly the mood of the moment and was strong in structure. Of course I had my favourites but in truth all were deserving of merit and it would be difficult to single out any one number.
In 2017 a workshop of FIVER ran at London's Crazy Coqs. Since then, Ellison and Lees have expanded the show both in terms of length (now 2 hours 10 minutes including an interval) and complexity. 'We are massively excited to see the changes come to life on the stage'. And they have every right to rejoice in their success.
The series of sketches explore the connection and relationships between the various characters who all share the common denominator of the £5 note. Would this fiver change the life of the homeless man, could it offer hope and joy even for a few moments to those who possess it? With the high energy of the opening number 'Change Is Bringing Me Down' to the hope and joy of 'My Day', the yearning plea of 'Whisper It To Me' and the punch of 'Gotta Keep My Head Down', the pace did not falter and subtly the disconnection linked.
The 'Little Studio' of the Southwark Playhouse is an intimate space seating approximately 120 people. This offers an intimacy and involvement in the characters and the audience were entirely invested in the piece. The tiny stage allows only for a minimum of props and it is down to the performance of the cast that each scenario took on a life of its own. Yes, the audience took to their hearts this likeable bunch who were well deserving of the rapturous applause and standing ovation given at the close of the production.
Full credit must be given to the outstanding cast, whose voices soared and whose versatility was convincing. Played by Luke Bayer, Aoife lesham, Dan Buckley, Hiba Elchikhe and Alex James Ellison, FIVER is playing in the Southwark Playhouse Little Studio from 3-20 July 2019 and is a veritable treat.
Listings:
photographs: Danny_with_a_camera
Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6B
Wednesday 3 July - Saturday 20 July 2019
Monday - Saturday 20.00 hrs Matinees Tuesday and Saturday 15.30hrs
Running Time 2 hours 10 minutes including the interval
Box Office 020 7407 0234 www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
Tickets £22 and concs £18
@FIVERMusical
@swkplay
FIVERMusical Southwark Playhouse
@swkpla
ORLANDO by Virginia Woolf (cam.tickets.red61.com)
"I'm sick to death of this particular self. I want another."
Orlando: poet, lover, adventurer. After an encounter with a traveller woman, Orlando is transformed forever. With original live music, comedy and movement, join us in a joyful queer romp through history as we travel from the court of Queen Elizabeth I to 20th Century London, via Constantinople and the high seas.
"A masterful adaptation... a splendid piece of theatre" - Daily Info. "succeeds in teasing out provocations within Woolf's story" - Newbury Weekly News.
Audience comments:
"Witty, inspiring, moving, musically smashing"
"I'm uplifted by the whole experience - buzzing in fact!"
"Words would not have enough impact to explain how incredible the performance was"
By Lou Corben
Nathan Peter Grassi
While the Sun Shines (orangetreetheatre.co.uk)
'While The Sun Shines'
London in the Blitz, and identities get confused: time to make hay...
A revival of Terence Rattigan's war time
farce. 'While the sun shines Was a
smash hit in the West End when it first came out in 1943, and the fact it's still
getting laughs more than 70 years later proves Rattigan to be an exceptional comedy
On the eve of his wedding
the young Earl of Harpenden (Bobby to his friends) makes the mistake of inviting
Joe - a drunken American Lieutenant, to spend the night in his apartment.
Things start to go wrong the next morning when the Earl decides to set up Joe
(the Lieutenant) with Mabel Crum, a former girlfriend with a penchant for
Americans.
However when The Earls fiancée
the charming Lady Elizabeth unexpectedly turns up at the flat (fresh from an
evening of intense conversation with a young French officer) Joe make his move
thinking she must be Mabel and throws Bobby's marriage plans into disarray.
To further complicate matter
the French officer with whom Elizabeth had such a lovely chat also decides to
show up and pledge his affections
And as if all that wasn't enough
Bobby's future father in law The duke of Ayr and Stirling (A cash strapped
aristo with a penchant for the gee-gees) decides to pay his daughter a visit,
and as I'm sure you can imagine much chaos ensues…
Side splittingly funny and
fabulously Non PC, 'While the sun shines' bubbles with witty one liners and satirical digs at the English upper classes.
and costume were on point and the cast were all excellent, although Julian Moore-Cook
as the American Lieutenant Joe Mulvaney and Michael Lumsdan's portrayal of the
Duke of Ayr and Stirling - aka the father in law from hell, were truly memorable.
Overall a fantastic
production, and a really enjoyable evening, I can honestly say this is one of
the best comedy's I've seen all year!
While the sun shines is on at
the Orange tree theatre Richmond until July 26th
By Siwan hill
Hot mess - a three day bender of cabaret, CLF arts cafe peckham (powtheatre.co.uk)
It sounded so promising, a theatre company called 'pint of wine' offering a three day bender of cabaret' featuring music, drag, improv and stand up comedy. With another season of Ru Paul's drag race gone and Edinburgh festival still a few months away surely this is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Pint of wine describe themselves as a theatre company who seek to 'push boundaries, disrupt, challenge and engage an audience'.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, but tonight they did none of those things, instead Paulus our charmingly camp compare for the evening, lead us through a drama school style Show case of entirely competent performers, all of whom hit the high notes, remembered their lines, and occasionally made me smile, but none of whom rocked my world. If (like the two gentlemen sitting next to me) you were casting for your next show this would be fertile ground, but it's not one to go to as a punter, and since this was the middle night of a 3 night run to be honest I was left a bit mystified as to why they wanted someone to review it the first place.
BENEATH THE BLUE RINSE at London's Park Theatre90
Marlene Sidaway (Flora) and Kevin Tomlinson (Simon): photo Ben Wilkin
How could I resist? In its billing is the claim that Beneath The Blue Rinse is a wickedly funny high octane comedy about growing old passionately and disgracefully, where Tarantino meets Last of The Summer Wine. Written by Tom Glover, selected as one of three winners of the 2018 BAFTA/Rocliffe New Writing Showcase Competition and directed by Glen Walford, Beneath The Blue Rinse sets out to challenge the stereotypical cliche that surrounds the elderly and to show that 'age is no barrier to radicalism and relevance.'
Against the media slamming of the elderly, of the 'post war baby boomer generation' who are accused of undeservedly finding life less hard than it was back in the 1950s, it is about time that the vicious and barbed accusations aimed at this senior sector of society are replaced with a more relevant perspective.
Daily there are instances of the elderly being abused or exploited by those seeking to take advantage of their vulnerability or naive trust. Well, guess what, not all are susceptible to trickery and here is where the story starts. Security Advisor (not wishing to call himself a salesperson) Simon Sudgebury, played brilliantly by Kevin Tomlinson, is a cocky salesperson, a sort of Del Boy character, who exudes fake charm and arrogant confidence but comes a cropper when he sets out to cheat 75 year old Flora Parkin (Marlene Sidaway) by scaring her into buying an expensive Multi Model Security System. She may be 75 and in his opinion a 'silly bint' but quickly it is apparent that she is more a feisty old girl who refuses to be victim to the likes of Sudgebury and seeks revenge on such individuals. With her sex lover, 72 year old George (Ian Redford) there are surprises in store.
Designed by Felix Waters,the set (surrounded on three sides) is the cosy sitting room of septuagenarian Flora Parkin whose family portraits adorn the walls and whose dresser holds myriads of china pieces collected lovingly over a period of 40 years (dusting nightmare) suggesting a comfortable and settled old age. There we meet Sudgebury who is keen to gain his £2000 commission from his sale. But from the off it is clear that she is not the typical, naive and vulnerable stereotype he had anticipated.
Irreverently funny in the fist half hour or so, there are laugh out loud moments and the audience were having a ball, enjoying every quip and joke. But the humour soon wanes as we enter the second phase of this one act Dark Comedy for it is here that Glover pushes through his message and exposes the high levels of abuse that many elderly are experiencing on a daily basis. Despite the humour and the absurdity of the situation being played, we find it difficult to laugh and feel uncomfortable.
Beneath The Blue Rinse is both thought provoking and deliciously entertaining, with its quick wit, outright howlers and absurdity. Glover has explained that he works organically and tied two strands together. Perhaps the second strand might be tightened as there were moments of awkwardness and silences.
With a cast who perform convincingly, a special mention must be given to Tomlinson whose timing and delivery make this an evening to remember.
To date I have been impressed with the productions that premiere at London's Park Theatre, many of which have transferred for longer runs following their successful performances at this venue. In association with Veritas Theatre/KEPOW! Theatre, Park has shown once again its encouragement for innovative and exciting new writings.
Footnote: Although not shown on press night, there is a complimentary 30 minute comedy that follows this performance, featuring Kevin Tomlinson and Abigail Hood, The Answer.
Beneath The Blue Rinse: 70 minutes: no interval
Venue: Park90, Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park,N4 3JP
Dates: 21 May – 15 June 2019
Age Guidance:14+
Accessed Performances: captioned performance Wednesday 12 June 19.45
Performances: Mon – Sat Evenings 7.45pm, Thu & Sat Matinees 3.15pm
Concessions £16.50, Child (Under 16) £13, Park Up Scheme (21 – 28 May) £10,
Groups –
buy 10 tickets, get the 11th free.
Booking: www.parktheatre.co.uk / 020 7870 6876
Carolin Kopplin and
Siwan hill
Douglas McFarlane Founder and London Reviewer at UK Theatre Network Lots of views on this post, well done.
The Worst Witch at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh
The Worst Witch is advertised as for 7+ years, which might have been why its 7pm opening show wasn't packed out on a school night.
It certainly deserved to be. For Emma Reeves' adaption, based on Jill Murphy's famous schoolgirl sorceress, is, literally, enchanting!
A bubbling cauldron of original music, song, dance, comedy and magic, with some death-defying broomstick-flying thrown in, this is a family show which even the most hardened of theatregoers can't fail to enjoy.
Directed by Theresa Heskins at a cracking (or should I say, cackling) pace, The Worst Witch follows the adventures of Mildred Hubble, an ordinary girl who accidentally finds herself in Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches.
An outsider in many ways, through a play she has written for the school to perform, she tells her story of how she dealt with being different, bullying and evil, with the girls and their teachers playing themselves. But, of course, as in the best storylines, not everything goes to plan - with electrifying results.
There are many stand-out performances in this production. The girls may look (and act) like 10-year-olds, but their acting, singing and dancing tell you otherwise. They are accomplished, all-round-performers.
Danielle Bird shows a great talent for clowning as clumsy Mildred, but packs a punch with rock-star-like singing. Rosie Abraham is perfection as the snobbish bullying Ethel, the sort of child you go into adulthood still having nightmares about. My eyes were continually drawn to Rebecca Killick who carries an air of authority as Mildred's best friend Maud, even though at times she is delightfully excitable, while Consuela Rolle lights up the stage as extrovert Enid.
On the teaching front, Rachel Heaton as assistant head Miss Hardbroom has a look that still sends shivers down my spine. Miss Cackle, on the other hand, reminds me of a (not so flamboyant) Dame Edna Everage, and her evil twin of Tracey Ullman (sorry Tracey, nothing personal!) and keeps us thoroughly entertained.
Apparently, The Worst Witch was around long before Harry Potter, but due to my great age it was decades after my childhood so I'd never heard of Jill Murphy's eight books and three CBBC TV series. But all the components of this production, with its nice little touches, had me spellbound. No wonder it's going into London's West End. Matilda, you have a rival!
Photo: Manuel Harlan
The Worst Witch is at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh until May 12.
It then continues touring:
May 22-26: Birmingham Hippodrome
May 28-June 1: Liverpool Playhouse
Jul 24-Sept 8: Vaudeville Theatre, London
By Clare Brotherwood
Little Miss Sunshine at the Arcola Theatre
Based on the 2006 film, Little Miss Sunshine is about young Olive whose dream it is to enter and win the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant in California. When first place in the regional competition falls through, Olive and her dysfunctional family have a race against time to get her there.
With direction from Mehmet Ergen, book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by William Finn, Little Miss Sunshine is an enjoyable show. With most of the show being set in the Hoover's family van, it is definitely a story that is all about the journey rather than the destination.This is definitely the first show I have seen in a while where every character and actor contributed something totally different to this dysfunctional family and interesting relationships.
Laura Pitt-Pulford as tired mum Sheryl was a delight to watch. Her vocals were fantastic and her character was so-well defined, with each relationship with every one of her family members being realistic, well-portrayed and unique; she did not look at her son the way she did to her father-in-law and her relationship with Sophie Hartley-Booth as Olive was heartfelt.
Gabriel Vick as practical "10 steps to success" dad Richard was less developed as a character but still made for a nice character. His relationship with his wife had a lot of depth to it, especially when we see the flashback of two high-schoolers in love to the harsh reality of 18 years later. His character goes through a lot during the show and never falters.
A huge talent on stage was without a doubt Gary Wilmot as Grandpa. A cocaine-sniffing, porn-watching character who was kicked out of his (and every other) nursing home in the area, Grandpa is definitely a humorous character to the adults in the audience. His number "The Happiest Guy in the Van" really had me laughing and his relationship with young Olive is touching and realistic.
Sev Keoshgerian as sworn-silenced typical moody teenage boy Dwayne adds a lot to this production but makes more impact when he doesn't speak than when he does. Dwayne has not spoken a word in 85 days and will continue to communicate only via his Blackberry until he can be a fighter pilot. A lot rides on the first time Keoshgerian opens his mouth, and I was a little disappointed with the lack of impact it created. However, his relationship with Olive again is what makes his character so strong.
Uncle Frank is brought to life by Paul Keating. His character raises eyebrows as soon as he walks on the stage with bandages on each wrist. In these two bandages, a lot is said for Uncle Frank, but unfortunately, that's where his character development stops. His attempted heartfelt conversations with nephew Dwayne regrettably fall flat and I struggled to warm to him as a character in any way, let alone be particularly interested in his backstory.
Last but not least is the sparkle of joy and twinkle in everyone's eye Olive, played on this evening by Sophie Hartley-Booth. She was a brilliant casting choice for this inquisitive little girl who doesn't let things go unnoticed – much to her parent's dismay. She brings the whole family together, she brings the heartfelt emotion, and the feel-goodness of the show. I saw so much of my childhood self in little Olive and aspire to be more like her in my life.
Olive learns a lot on her road trip with her family, from her uncle's homosexuality and self-harming, to aspects of body image for women from her practical father who is "only trying to help" and she battles her own very real bullies – the Mean Girls, played in this performance by Ellicia Simondwood, Yvie Brent and Elodie Salmon.
There are some very real and very heartfelt moments in the show, starting with how all the family pulls together for a 9-hour long road trip in one van together to ensure Olive's dreams of winning Little Miss Sunshine aren't crushed. The conversations that follow, the past that is uncovered and the relationships that are explored are only natural of an entire family being shoved together under such circumstances – you haven't had a proper family Christmas if you're not sick of one family member by the end of it, and this road trip for the Hoover's is no different.
I felt that too many social comments were trying to be made that none was given the real depth or time to be properly examined, leaving each one to fall a little flat. The list included, but was not limited to sexual liberation, bullying, homosexuality, mental health and self-harm, body image, and so much more. However, I haven't seen the film myself, and if that is what the film is like then this isn't a critique on the musical.
What is a critique, however, is the songs and music; not a single song was memorable or particularly engaging. By the second half of each song I'd forgotten the first half, and I didn't find myself rushing to find the soundtrack on Spotify as soon as I left. All of the songs were performed well, but if someone played me the soundtrack tomorrow, I'd probably swear that I'd never heard it before. This made the show enjoyable but disappointing in this respect, as I'd expected a show with such a bright title "Little Miss Sunshine" to have a bop-along fun soundtrack, at least for some of the songs. And from what I can remember – it didn't.
There is much to be said for Little Miss Sunshine as a show and a story, and what I will take away from it is a desire to be more like Olive; the little girl who brings brightly coloured tutus and wears fruit bowls on her head as a tiara, into repetitive and stressful family life.
The show reminds adults to be themselves, in whatever way that may be – a message that children don't often need as much reminding. It tells us not to stifle our creativity and not let opinions of others stop us from wearing goggles to a beauty pageant.
Little Miss Sunshine at the Arcola Theatre until 11 May is enjoyable, fun and worth a visit, but nothing that blew me away.
By Sophie Garrod
Alex Sidwell
Local Hero at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
There has been a lot of hype surrounding the new musical based on Bill Forsyth's original 1983 film.
Created around the quirky story about an American who is sent to Scotland to buy a fishing village so his Texan oil company can build a refinery, the film has become a classic, and very much a hard act to follow.
But when the new production premiered on Saturday night it surpassed all expectations, and an uproarious standing ovation endorsed the audience's approval.
It is, says the Lyceum's artistic director David Greig, and co-author of Local Hero with Bill Forsyth, the biggest thing the Lyceum has ever done. And, believe me, this show is huge. Together with Forsyth and Greig's captivating script, mixing warmth, banter and a celebration of Scotland and its communities, and Mark Knopfler's matchless music and lyrics, director John Crowley and a superb cast of committed actors have produced a masterpiece which deserves to run and run.
It's a production which is well researched. The entire cast of 15 were transported to Pennan, in Aberdeenshire - used in the film as the fictional village of Ferness – to get a feel for the location, and Scott Pask's set not only features the village in miniature, lit up behind a harbour wall, but some glorious skies - including the Northern Lights - peculiar to Scotland.
The cast also embraces the feel of the small community and the colourful characters which are formed from living in such a place: I love Julian Forsyth's Ben Knox, a stubborn but engaging beachcomber with a secret; as Gordon, hotel owner, accountant, taxi-driver et al, Matthew Pidgeon depicts the archetypal (to Sassenachs!) mean Scotsman, though he is given to hilariously letting go, while warm-hearted Glaswegian Stella, Gordon's partner, is a solitary figure, an incomer whose views are opposed by the villagers, and is compassionately played by Katrina Bryan. Adam Pearce also steals the show in one scene as Russian Casanova Viktor, while Emmanuel Kojo adds to the international feel as lively African minister Rev Murdo.
The US scenes are in sharp contrast to rural Ferness. Houston is depicted by stock market graphics, world maps and sharp-suited men and women. Simon Rouse commands respect as the owner of the oil company, while Damian Humbley, while reminding me of Colin Firth, is completely convincing as Mac, the American interloper, his soft side shining through even from the start – sensitively played.
Throughout, this production exudes quality. There may be awesome special effects, plus that iconic red telephone box ( which really does seem to work), but the attention to detail is exemplary; even the way the whole cast click their fingers in a particular way, and I love Mac's arrival in Scotland… to people walking round with umbrellas! Though the musical makes us aware of the environment, there is always a quirky, funny little gem round the corner.
The music, of course, stands out as something extra special. Glasgow-born Knopfler captures the spirit of the village with songs which are humorous, catchy, uplifting and traditional, and set to become stand-alone hits. It isn't intrusive but at times I found myself really appreciating a drumbeat or a guitar accompaniment. I'm not surprised there is a whole raft of musical producers and directors (Dave Milligan, Phil Bateman, Guy Fletcher and Benjamin Holder) involved.
Weeks ago, Local Hero's run was already being extended by two weeks and is said to be sold out, but there is the odd seat if you're lucky – and you are lucky if you get to see this production!
Local Hero is at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh until May 4.
lyceum.org.uk
Photo: Stephen Cummiskey
Douglas McFarlane Founder and London Reviewer at UK Theatre Network Really looking forward to seeing this and what a great review Clare.
The Life I Lead: Park 200, London's Park Theatre, Finsbury Park
Who could forget the quintessentially British gentleman Mr Banks (Mary Poppins 1964) or Professor Emelius Browne (Bedknobs and Broomsticks 1967) and the dastardly Peter Thorndyke (1968 The Love Bug)? With such a timeless quality, our warmth towards David Tomlinson does not waver. Memories are made of this and the Park Theatre presents a poignant homage to this upright gentleman whose stiff upper lip and received pronunciation defined his character.
But of course this was Tomlinson the actor. Beneath the charming veneer was a troubled man who battled many demons, including the huge heartbreak of the suicide of his first wife with their two sons (Michael and John), the duplicitous life of his father and his battle to have his son, Willie, recognised as one of the first British cases of autism. Yes, he was a fighter not only in World War II as a fighter pilot but also in life.
The Life I Lead sees Miles Jupp,stand up comic and acclaimed actor (Mock the Week, The News Quiz, Neville's Island, to name but a few) bring to the stage the remarkable life of David Tomlinson. Not an easy feat this. To play the moustached, bowler hatted man of bygone days for near on two hours and succeed in a realistic and compassionate portrayal is to be applauded. His ability to convince, involve and share is seemingly effortless and entirely natural. Jupp will admit that he has a connection with Tomlinson and was delighted to be invited to play the role by friend/writer James Kettle. The script and direction (Didi Hopkins/Selina Cadell) offer candour and grace, taking the audience on a shifting tide with emotions changing at each juncture. Together, and with the subtle variances of lighting (Matthew Eagland) and music (Eliza Thompson) this team have achieved a fitting tribute to this very gentle gentleman, who was well deserving of his immortal position in Disney's Hall of Fame.
As he presents anecdote after anecdote from the Disney-esque turquoise checkered heaven, Jupp confidently and assuredly strides across the unobtrusive set, (Lee Newby), filling it with his storm of words and characterisations. Never failing to show a stiff upper lip, there is still a vulnerability to his portrayal which carries the audience through the vast range of emotions.
This is a charming production which is respectful in its portrayal of the troubled and enigmatic Tomlinson. Jupp has played his role with commitment, honesty and integrity and has made the performance his own. It is hard to believe he has a script to follow as he releases his words with ease and confidence and is able to move us in his vulnerability and self depreciation.
Do you need to know the back story of Tomlinson before you see this play? I don't believe you do. As Tomlinson/Jupp maintained, retain the magic and hold on to the memories.
Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes including an interval.
Photography: Piers Foley
Dates: 18 March - 30 March 2019
Performances: Evenings Mon-Sat 7.30 pm Matinees Thur & Sat 3 pm
British sign language: Thur 28 March 2019
Crown Dual
A glorious parody of hit Netflix series the crown, written by Comedian Daniel Clarkson.
On hearing that Claire Foy has been ousted from her role as The Queen, wannabe actress Beth (played by Rosie Holt) takes to the stage for a hilarious retelling of the story of the British monarchy in bid to land the much coveted part of Elizabeth Regina.
Joined on stage by agent/double glazing salesmen Stanley (played by Brendan Murphy) who has been coerced into playing most of the other roles; from Winston Churchill to a wonderfully boozy princess Margaret with various audience members being roped in to fill the gaps, this is great fun to watch however anyone who isn't into immersive theatre may wish to avoid the front rows!
Genuinely funny with a wide audience appeal, on point if your a fan of the crown, however this show has something for everyone and even you have never seen an episode I guarantee you will still chuckle. A feel good romp you could take the whole family to, highly recommend.
The Crown Dual is on from March 12th to April 6th at the kings head theatre Islington, see link for more info.
https://www.kingsheadtheatre.com/
PEACE IN OUR TIME at London's Union Theatre
Reviewer's note: Many apologies but owing to the current health situation, I have been unable to attend the press review of Peace In Our Time at the Union Theatre, Southwark. Having seen the two previous productions by the Phil Wilmmott company in its celebration of the 75th anniversary of VE Day, I am certain that it will be a production that offers authenticity and nostalgia and it is with deep regret that I was not there to support this great company.
So - here is my summary which hopefully will induce others to go and see this production.
Noel Coward, Britain's distinguished dramatist presents the possible fate of Britain had she lost the war in his observational drama Peace In Our Time, a provocative piece that encapsulates the characterisation and stoicism of a people whose spirit and courage will not be defeated. Overcome in war, can they ever survive the peace?
At this small, intimate theatre is the chance to see this forgotten drama of 1940s Britain under Nazi occupation in the first ever revival played by the Phil Wilmott company, its third production in the trilogy of the Essential Classics season. Written in 1946 and in two Acts, Mr Coward said in his introduction 'There have been other plays about occupied countries but the one thing, however, that differentiates it from other works on the same theme is the fact that the occupied country in question happens to be England, which has been neither invaded nor occupied by an enemy nation for eight hundred years.' The idea of Peace In Our Time 'was conceived in Paris shortly after the Liberation. I began to suspect that the physical effect of four years intermittent bombing is far less damaging to the intrinsic character of a nation than the spiritual effect of four years' enemy occupation.' The premise of Coward's post-war play imagines how ordinary English people might have reacted to Nazi occupation. How many would join a resistance movement? How many would become collaborators or profiteers? How many would continue their lives as if nothing had happened? An unashamedly outspoken script that thrusts character symbolism in the fore, Peace In Our Time explores the themes of resistance, resolve and identity.
Set entirely in the Shattock's London pub, The Shy Gazelle, during WWII after the occupation of Britain by the Germans, the death of Churchill and the creation of a POW camp on the Isle of Wight, we meet a body of Londoners, a sort of microcosm of English society, existing, interacting and going forward through those testing times.Over a period of four years the lives of this gathering of proud Londoners, who are doing their best in the face of adversity, soldier on. Life may wither them, they may become weary and shabby but their patriotism will not flounder: 'love of my country and hatred of its enemies, this blessed plot (Shakespeare) this earth, this realm, this England'. Jingoistic platitudes? Opinions are divided. On the one hand is the faithful patriot, on the other is betrayal as epitomised in the character of Chorley Bannister, a self styled intellectual who shows blatant regard for the Nazi philosophy, believing it to be the best thing for England. A nation divided!
It is in this setting (that I am sure will be shown with thought and detail) that the characters grumble about the indignity of foreign occupation, rationing and the dwindling stock of alcohol, relying on watery beer and Stubbs. Chin up and all that but beneath the mask of positivity there is a bubbling anger and frustration which allows Coward to inject moments of levity and humour.
What is most striking is that these are ordinary people who, in better times, would lead ordinary but contented lives. Thrust into this situation their management offers us insight into their characters, their strengths and their resistance. On the darker side is the torture and death of the Shattock's daughter Doris by the Gestapo, the imprisonment and escape of her brother and the loss of normality. How they deal with this is the pivot of this 1947 drama/comedy. The stiff upper lip is maintained and that might distance the reader/audience from full empathy. I would have been interested to see how the actors portrayed these emotions.
This is stoicism and patriotism rather than succumbing to human emotion. Life goes on, as Fred Shattock comments. We just have to bear it, cope with it and get on with it. Emotion must not block the effort.
Checking out the cast list I was intrigued to note that George Bourne, the calm officer/leader is being played by a female member of the cast. True, in theatre now, neutrality is totally acceptable and we are all quite comfortable with that but somehow an image of a pipe smoking squadron leader was how I had viewed this role. Again, I would have been interested to see how the Company portrayed this switch. Ah yes, dear Noel, times are changing and how you might have applauded.
Sitting here, typing this review, I cannot help but think about our current times in 2020 Britain. Brexit, social differences, unrest, world health. What would Coward have made of it all?
Ah, if only a cup of Nora Shattock's tea could cure all the malaise!
Footnote: The play takes its title from the common misquotation of Neville Chamberlain when he referred to having 'peace for our time' during his speech after he arrived back from the Munich Conference of 1938.
Playing until 4 April 2020 at The Union Theatre, Arch 22 & 23 Old Unison Arches, 229 Union Street, SE1 0LR (five minutes from Southwark Station on the Jubilee Line)
Tuesday-Saturday evenings 7.30 pm; matinees 2.30 pm Saturday and Sunday from 21 March 2020.
Tickets £22, concessions £20, under 18s £15
www.uniontheatre.biz
Mrs Puntila and Her Man Matti at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Bertolt Brecht is not everyone's stein of bier! The German Marxist's approach to theatre may need a little research before you are thrown into his modernist world.
His message in Denise Mina's adaptation of his epic comedy Mr Puntila and His Man Matti certainly comes over loud and clear: it is about capitalism and the power the rich have over the poor – nothing's changed there since the play's conception in 1940. However, his propensity to use harsh and bright stage lighting and, he has said, 'stripping the event of its self-evident, familiar, obvious quality', takes some getting used to. Instead of Mrs P's sumptuous trappings the set consists of scaffolding laid bare (apart from several mounted stags' heads), topped by razor wire. Mina's version also sticks faithfully to his style of introducing exaggerated characters whose chalky faces and kohl eyes add a touch of Commedia dell'Arte, and sultry songs which interrupt the action.
Mrs P wants to marry off her daughter Eva to a 'half man, half attache', but Eva loves her mother's driver Matti and as the plot unwinds we see how poor and rich don't mix, quite apart from the fact that she is young and he is old enough to be her father.
Taking centre stage in the title roles are Scottish favourites Elaine C Smith as Mrs P and Steven McNicoll as Matti.
Mrs P, as was Mr P, is a split personality: when she's drunk she's generous and friendly to all; when she's sober she's mean and nasty, and although Smith has great stage presence, I couldn't always distinguish which side of Mrs P she was playing, and the rhythm with which she speaks at times seemed laboured.
McNicoll's Matti is much more rounded and fun to watch, while I can only put Joanne McGuinness's strange antics as Eva down to Brecht's style and Murat Daltaban's direction. He is one of Europe's top directors so I bow to his expertise. As I said, Brecht takes a bit of getting used to.
I love Oguz Kaplangi's eerie soundscapes, and diverse compositions which include rapping, and was fascinated by his performance, seated as he is on the upper floor of the scaffolding, the only musician and percussionist who also provides the sound effects. And Tom Piper's design, although Brechtian, has some very interesting elements such as the 'human' dogs with Perspex heads. I just wonder how many pubs the crew had to visit to collect so many bottles!
Despite, or in spite of Brecht, Mina's interpretation includes some very funny, modern, and Scottish references, ending appropriately with 'Ye'll tak the high road and I'll tak the low road…'
Image: Mihaela Bodlovic
Mrs Puntila and Her Man Matti is at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh until March 21
Douglas McFarlane and
Jennifer Saunders in Blithe Spirit at Richmond Theatre and West End
I never know what to expect when I get the chance to review and some of the time a play exceeds my expectations. Blithe Spirit was one of those.
The playwright Noel Coward is widely known as a genius and as he was born in my local area, I knew it was going to be busy. Then I heard Jennifer Saunders was in it too, and I knew tickets were going to be in demand, and sure enough there wasn't a spare seat to be found.
I'm always delighted to see some effort in a stage set as that's the first thing you see and transports you into the environment of the story and you're going to spend a few hours looking at. In this case the set was brilliant. The interior of the manor house where the "spirit" is going to arrive was carefully constructed with so much detail. An old fashioned record player, typewriter, radio, several grand period works of art, a library filled with books and on two levels.
Lighting too was impressive. I thought the lighting when we first view the spirit was particularly effective. It sent chills down the audiences spine as she enters unexpectedly. When someone turns up a light switch the front of house lights came on, then when the spirit arrived in the room several wall lights flashed intermittently. A great job and not something you usually spot.
So with both the set and lighting getting first class mentions, I could continue with lots of positives in the cast, direction and the play itself. It was a wonderful treat from beginning to end and I was smiling from beginning to end wondering how it would proceed and my feelings of spirits. Jennifer Saunders, who plays clairvoyant Madame Arcati, was fully in character from beginning to end and it's clear why she's been around since the 80s. She works very hard and has great stage presence. Her supporting cast are all superb and bring their A game to the performance.
It's hard to believe that this classic play was written in May 1941. Noel Coward had been at a public séance as a boy and the idea came to him when he was visiting the seaside village of Portmeiron for a week long holiday. He wrote it only six days. Five weeks later it was being performance in Manchester.
This play is great fun. The effects, a fantastic story, great cast and first class production team make this one of the best plays I've seen for a while.
Go buy tickets for Richmond this week, or see it when it comes to the West End at the Duke Of York's Theatre for a longer run in March.
Get West End tickets here:-
https://www.lovetheatre.com/uktheatre/tickets/23232/Blithe-Spirit
Review by Douglas McFarlane, founder of UK Theatre Network.
Be More Chill At the other Palace (seetickets.com)
Ok folks show of hands who wishes they had been to be more confident at school, pretty much everyone right? and if there was something you could have done to change that, wouldn't you at least be tempted...
With that in mind meet shows main character: Socially awkward teenager gamer Jeremy, Jeremy wants to impress popular drama student Christine, so when School bully Rich tells him about a pill called a squip that implants a Japanese super computer into his brain that will teach him how to be popular Jeremy decides to give it a try.
Once implanted the squib teaches him how to act cool and impress girls, but when it encourages him to ditch his best friend, Jeremy begins to realise the device may not have his best interests at heart...
It's a coming of age story with the classic message: if you want to get the girl, be yourself and don't ditch your friends, on stage it's basically 'Limitless' meets 'High school musical'.
Ok so there's nothing original here, but that doesn't really matter when what you do have is a cute, funny well crafted, production with a great cast who really seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage Stewart Clarke was great as the evil mind controlling cyborg but my personal favourites were Christopher Fry who played Jeremy's depressed Dad and Blake Patrick Andersen who plays Jeremy's best friend Micheal and also an excellent cameo role as the shoe store drug dealer.
If you like musicals and want a light hearted feel good romp or heaven forbid you have to entertain a teenager for whatever reason, you could do a lot worse than this show.
TIME AND TIDE at London's Park90
Josh Barrow and Elliot Liburd as Nemo and Daz: photograph Gail Harland
On the Norfolk coast is the quintessentially English seaside town of Cromer, once home to writer James McDermott. Not a trendy night club society but more a traditional family holiday location where English 'caffs' sell English home produced fare on checked plastic tablecloths. Most famous for its pier, fishing industry and the Cromer crab, this town is quaint and charming but also struggling against the onslaught of coffee and supermarket chains which threaten the very existence and traditional livelihood of the locals. Do the residents stand back, accept and embrace the changes or do they resist them and fight back? Such is the setting of Time and Tide directed by Rob Ellis and starring Wendy Nottingham as May, Paul Easom as Ken, Elliot Liburd as Daz and Josh Barrow as Nemo.
Coming from that area, McDermott has painted a picture of a town struggling to survive against the tidal onslaught. Frustrated that so many productions portray working class life and characters as stereotypes in over-exaggerated plots, he is intent on offering a reality of their mundanity, where nothing much happens and where routines and rituals are their norm.
We are witness to the frustrations and fears of the characters as they go forward, facing not only the physical changes that are taking place around them but also coming to terms with the personal challenges that confront them in this brave, new world. Should they push forward or should they retreat and succumb?
May, lovingly portrayed by Wendy Nottingham, has spent most of her adult years caring for her mother. She has taken a new lease of life in her Norfolk home as owner of a small 'caff' depicted beautifully in the small space of Park 90 through the clever set design of Caitlin Abbott. Her caff may not have many customers, it may be potential prey to Pret a Manger, but it holds a special place in her heart. Living on her own this is her life. It is here that she can dream her Bette Davis dreams, where she can sing her songs, knowing that they will never materialise but secure in her fantasies. At the same time she recognises that this does not work for everyone and does not hold back from encouraging her protegee assistant, Nemo taking up a place in a drama school in the metropolis of 'that London' and becoming the next Judi Dench!
Nemo's approaching departure is the catalyst that sets in motion the disclosures that have been so long hidden by the four characters. A major strand in this drama of 'changing times and spreading wings' is the strong influence of his 'coming out' and his decision to move away and relocate. He lacks confidence that quiet Cromer will be quite as accepting of his sexuality and believes London will be more embracing. His friend and co-assistant Daz, who is struggling to accept his own sexuality, is devastated that Nemo is leaving. Add to the mix Ken, a frustrated local baker and delivery man, who is terrified of the changes that are speedily taking place in his beloved Cromer and May, who at last has the courage to 'come out' and we have the exhausting turmoil of this quartet who stand at their own crossroad, evaluating their lives and making decisions on their future.
This is a demanding play of its cast who shift through the various stages of development. At one moment they delight in dance and song, at another terrified of what is to come. Skillfully presenting these interconnecting themes, McDermott has depicted a complexity against which so many struggle as change forces itself upon them.
Moving at a slow pace, the portrayal is effective. Not only are we invested in the characters but also in the setting of the dying caff where the smells of cooking bacon and brewing coffee permeate the intimate space of Park 90. Voyeurs to their lives, it seems that 'nothing happens, yet everything happens'. With sterling performances by these four actors, the shared secrets are authentically presented and this cast was certainly deserving of the standing ovation received at the close of the piece.
Leaving the theatre, I felt the more determined to shun the coffee chains and seek out the independents for my next espresso.
Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP
Dates: 5-29 February 2020
Performances: Mon-Sat evenings 7.45 pm. Matinees Thurs and Sat 3.15 pm.
Prices: £18, concessions £16.50.
Booking: www.parktheatre.co.uk / 020 7870 6876 (10% telephone booking fee)
Running time: 1 hr 45 mins (incl 15 min interval)
Oor Wullie the Musical at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh
Oor Wullie the Musical is part-panto, part-children's show… on the surface.
But most of the members of the opening night audience were, to put it kindly, older.
For Scots (and The Sunday Post readers south of the Border) have been following Oor Wullie's adventures for the past 80 years. Voted Scotland's Favourite Son in 2004, and with public art trails around Scotland last year to celebrate this spiky haired octogenarian (there were 60 sculptures in Edinburgh!), what better time to bring this comic book character to life.
Certainly, those who have been following RD Low and Dudley D Watkins' creation for most of that time won't be disappointed with Selladoor Productions and Dundee Rep's production.
Under Andrew Panton's direction, it is fast-paced and funny, and though irreverent is never smutty. The songs are catchy and its childlike cheeky humour should appeal to everyone from four to 90.
The plot revolves around (and no surprise here) Oor Wullie's constant companion – his bucket! When it goes missing he and his pals Baob, Wee Eck and Soapy Soutar, defy the bullying Basher McKenzie, to hunt it down.
To me, growing up south of the border (though only just and I did follow him while as a child in Carlisle), the pals' madcap antics brought me in mind of Enid Blyton's Famous Five. It emphasises just how important friendship is, but in today's troubled society it digs deeper and highlights the trouble Wahid, a Scot whose parents came from Pakistan, has in being accepted, and the reasons why Basher feels he (though a she in this case) is against the world.
Even though Martin Quinn has the starring role as Oor Wullie, every member of Wullie's gang is equally worthy of praise: Dan Buckley as the lovable Baob; Bailey Newsome as Soapy Soutar; Grant McIntyre who, as Wee Eck, deserves extra praise for having to wear such short shorts and T-bar sandals, and Eklovey Kashyap as the vulnerable and Harry Potterish Wahid. While Leanne Traynor exudes menace as Basher.
But the highlight for me is Ann Louise Ross as PC Murdoch. I don't know whether it is the company's nod to being gender fluid, but even though I knew who was playing him, I could never quite get my head round the fact that the policeman was a woman. If he was no longer with us I would have sworn it was Fulton Mackay!
There is no doubting that Oor Wullie is an icon. He is even responsible for helping primary school teachers to teach Scots in a fun way. And this show, adapted for the stage by Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie, looks as if, like Annie and Matilda, it could run and run, even if it would only be north of the Border!
Oor Wullie the Musical is at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh until Feb 1.
capitaltheatres.com
Gaiety Theatre, Ayr: Feb 3-8
Eden Court Theatre, Inverness: Feb 11-15
MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling: Mar 3-7
Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock: Mar 12-14
Pride & Prejudice *(*sort of) at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Six the Musical may be taking the theatre world by storm, but it now has strong opposition from six actresses who are currently setting the Lyceum alight with a brash, bold, vibrant, hilarious feast of fun, based on Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice.
If Austen had been alive today she couldn't be anything but impressed by Isobel McArthur's reworking of the story of Mrs Bennett and her attempts to marry off her daughters.
McArthur, a young Scot who last graced the Lyceum stage as the stoic Wendy in Wendy and Peter Pan over Christmas 2018, describes the production as 'a rom-com with karaoke – a big, daft night out', and it certainly hit the sport for the opening night's audience who gave it a wildly enthusiastic standing ovation.
The Bennetts' tale is told in part by the servants who, they say, appear in the book although there is no love interest for them – an oversight, they add, by Miss Austen!
They have been doing housework since 1796, but their dialogue and behavior, and that of the Bennetts, is bang up-to-date.
It is the Bennetts who come to the fore, however – apart from Mr Bennett, who is represented by a large newspaper and an armchair!
McArthur features strongly in this, a co-production with the Lyceum, Glasgow's Tron Theatre, and The National Theatre of Scotland's company-in-residence Blood of the Young, whose artistic director Paul Brotherston directs this pacey piece. She plays a wonderfully frenzied Mrs Bennett, who hits the Bailey's Cream and Quality Street, in stark contrast to her studied Mr Darcy, a performance so controlled with a stare so still it is mesmerizing.
Christina Gordon also proves her versatility in completely different roles – as the sweet, biddable Jane Bennett, quite unlike the domineering Lady Catherine de Burgh (Chris de Burgh is her nephew, don't you know, as Lizzy Bennett belts out Lady in Red!).
Hannah Jarrett-Scott also has chameleon-type qualities, changing in the wink of an eye from Charlotte Bennett to the snobbish Miss Bingley as well as her endearing Hooray Henry-type Mr Bingley.
But Meghan Tyler, as the wayward Lizzy, is the force to be reckoned with. Swigging vodka or stuffing her face with whatever food is on offer, she really makes the most of her joyous, playful role and, as such, is captivating.
Together with Tori Burgess and Felixe Forde, and the added talents of the company as singers as well as instrumentalists, Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) will make sure you have a ball!
Pride & Prejudice *(*sort of) at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh until Feb 15.
It will then continue touring:
Feb 25-29: Leeds Playhouse
Mar 10-14: Oxford Playhouse
Mar 17-28: NST City, Southampton
Apr 7-11: Bristol Old Vic
Once UK Tour
ONCE UK TOUR REVIEW
Ashcroft Playhouse, Fairfield Halls, Croydon
'Once' starring Daniel Healy and
Emma Lucia began a UK Tour at the Ashcroft Playhouse in the newly renovated
Fairfield Halls in Croydon on the ninth of January 2020 to a packed house and
well-deserved standing ovation.
From the moment we stepped into
the auditorium the atmosphere was electric, with the incredible cast already
onstage having what composer Glen Hansard knows as a 'trad sesh' (where the
music is played for the love of music, and you simply join in when you know the
song). This inviting and informal start to the show was so welcoming and uplifting,
setting the tone for the beautifully human story.
'Once' is truly a show with music at its heart,
from the beautifully haunting 'The Hill', to the hilariously upbeat 'Broken
Hearted Hoover Fixer Guy', and this is highlighted by director Peter Rowe and
Choreographer Francesca Jaynes as they fluidly weave the instruments into the
movement and narrative. The choreography is led by the chorus and their
instruments, every step taken or move made being used to emphasize the emotion through
the music.
Daniel Healy and Emma Lucia as
Guy and Girl have a seemingly effortless chemistry, with Lucia's bold and
confident Girl beautifully contrasting Healy's awkward and hesitant Guy. These
two are soft and gentle in comparison to the other characters who are very
strong and heightened; whether it's Billy, the rock and roll shopkeeper who aggressively
refuses to work with the Bank Manager, or Reza, Girl's Czech flatmate who's miniskirt
and lipstick were an indication of her expressive sexuality even before she
started after Guy, these characters are established and well defined from the
outset.
The magic of this show is how
beautifully it captures the mundane, the simplicity in the unfinished, the
beauty in the imperfect. Their story is the one we all know, guy meets girl,
but without the fairy-tale perfection, which, combined with the incredible
music, allows us to focus on the true emotions. Pegged as 'the musical the
world fell in love with', it's no question that this music and story transcend it's
Dublin setting to a much wider relativity; there is little to do but let the
music take you away and to join these eclectic characters in their Irish world.
The UK Tour is running in
theatres around the UK throughout 2020.
By Charlie King
Shackleton and his Stowaway: Park90 London
Richard Ede and Elliott Ross: photograph Elena Molina
Andy Dickinson's Shackleton and his Stowaway at London's Park90 commemorates the Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914-16. It recounts the experiences of the ill fated vessel 'Endurance' but more focuses on the relationship between its leader, Ernest Henry Shackleton and stowaway 18 year old Perce Blackborow. Harking back to the disaster in early 1915, when the 'Endurance' was trapped in ice, later to sink, we are told how Shackleton's crew had been forced to abandon the ship, to live on floating ice and face despair. In April 1916 three small boats eventually reached Elephant Island. Not one member of the expedition died and this was due to the heroic efforts of Shackleton and his powerful resolve and leadership.
Shackleton's account was published in 1919. Now, directed by Simone Coxall, the Stolen Elephant two hander with Richard Ede as stoic Shackleton and Elliott Ross as the cheeky stowaway plays out a version of these events from the perspective of the two titular protagonists, exposing the strength and determination of survival. Why did this cheeky young fellow stow away? Why simply to meet his idol, the man he so looked up to and revered. In monologue, dialogue and action we observe the vulnerability of these two polar characters and the shift of their relationship as it develops. We feel the biting cold and turbulent surf which are achieved in no small part by the physicality of the pair but also complemented by the stark lighting, powerful sound effects and effective projections (Enrique Munoz Jimenez) against the bleak backdrop. Poignantly these include a vision of the actual crew of the 'Endurance' who experienced the trauma of this Trans-Antarctic expedition, causing us all to intake a solemn breath as we were faced with a history that perhaps most of us were hitherto unaware.
Shackleton and his Stowaway relies heavily on the spoken word, written and performed in lyrical style which offered a poetic grace and drew us into the situation of the ill fated crew. At times the address felt like a lecture, as Ede made direct contact with the audience but with such conviction and clarity that we could not help but hang onto his every word. Despite the 'wild wilderness' and the cruel, unforgiving majesty of the bleak landscape, there was a wonder in his delivery at the profound essence of Nature. Shackleton laid no blame on the elements for their situation but gasped at the intensity. To the visual swell of the rollers, the swaying of the actors as they lost their footing, the infinite white of the snow and the sounds of strong gusts and gales, we too felt the ferocity of movement, so much so that I rather wished I had not had a coffee beforehand and would willingly have reached for some travel pills.
Through Coxall's considered direction and the lyrical rhythm of the writing, plus of course the credibility of the performance, this was a strong production and was deserving of the applause it received at the close. Stolen Elephant have extended the length of the play to two hours, with an interval. In honesty, it was a relief to have that short break from the suffocating terror and we could settle once again into Act II, which offered more of an insight into the two characters.
Perhaps Shackleton might have at first appeared selfish, enjoying his folly and being reckless, but as the play progressed Ede convinced us that this explorer was a strong and caring leader who would protect his men at all costs, risking his own life on more than one occasion to rescue them from their doom. I could understand how his men must have regarded him and followed him unconditionally. As it quotes in the programme: 'When disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton' (Sir Raymond Priestly, Antarctic Explorer and Geologist).
Park 90 is an intimate space and full use was made of the small stage area, which was set between two adjacent sides of the audience. We were immersed in the performance but were not actively involved, rather more we were invited to be observers and to be informed. And because of the honesty of the delivery as told by Shackleton (Boss) and the young stowaway whom he harshly labelled 'idiot' but to whom he softened as time went by we were spellbound. With creative use of ropes to form the rigging and boxes as bare furnishings, sledges and boats, there was likewise a visual credibility to the production which we shared and enjoyed from start to finish.
Venue: Park90, Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP
Dates: running until 1 February 2020
Age guidance: 12+ (although I would suggest 16+)
Performances: Mon-Sat evenings: 7.45 pm; Thurs/Sat matinees: 3.15 pm, relaxed performance Thurs 30 January at 1 pm.
Prices: Standard £18, concessions £16.50, Group tickets available.
Booking: www.parktheatre.co.uk or 020 7870 6876 (10% telephone booking fee).
Nativity The Musical - Aylesbury Waterside Theatre - ATG Tickets (atgtickets.com)
How many of us can remember being in a nativity play at
primary school? Wearing a t-towel on my
head I was a shepherd at 5 years old with my older sister having the starring
role of Mary. For those of us who went on to become professional actors,
nativity plays are often the first experience of being on stage in the
limelight and from those little acorns many of today's stars are born.
Nativity the Musical
was written and directed by Debbie Islitt (co-composed by Nicky Ager) based on
her 2009 film, which became part of the Nativity
film series. The musical is set in
Coventry, where failed actor Mr Maddens
has become a primary school teacher at St
Bernadette's primary school. His nemesis
is Mr Shakespeare, his former best
friend, who gets 5 star reviews for his nativity production at private school Oakmoor.
As the unhappy, serious, unambitious Mr Maddens, Scott Garnham is perfectly cast. Mr Maddens has settled for living a mundane life with his dog. Cracker, after his girlfriend Jennifer left him to pursue a career as
a Hollywood producer. His life is turned
upside down by the arrival of teaching assistant, Mr Poppy, whose childlike behaviour and creative flair make him an
instant hit with the kids.
Scott Paige (Mr Poppy)
is a comic genius with impeccable timing and high-octane energy that drives the
show forward at breakneck speed. He is
very, very funny and immensely likeable and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more
of him in years to come.
Charles Brunton is sublime as the scheming Mr Shakespeare and his song and dance routine
playing Herod is absolutely
hysterical. Penelope Woodman as Mrs Bevan
is also very funny as is Jamie Chapman as the camp theatre critic, Patrick Burns.
The whole cast with the children acting, singing and dancing
their socks off is superb, making it a totally joyful evening's
entertainment. The set and costume
designs by David Woodhead are stunning, colourful, sparkly and inventive.
There are some great songs as well including 'Sparkle and Shine', 'Nazareth', 'One Night,
One Moment' and 'She's the Brightest
Never work with children or animals as they certainly do
draw the attention, so I have to give special mention to Pepper the Dog who
plays Cracker. She is absolutely delightful and is a total
pro being carried around the stage enjoying all the attention. She even has her own Instagram page!
This enchanting show will put a smile on your face and helps
us all to remember what Christmas is all about.
The show runs to Sunday 10th at The Waterside Theatre,
Aylesbury and will be transferring to The Eventim Apollo in London for an
all-star Christmas run.
@yvonnedelahaye
By Yvonne Delahaye
You Win Again Celebrating The Music Of The Bee Gees - Aylesbury Waterside Theatr... (atgtickets.com)
You can't beat a bit of Staying
Alive to warm you up on a cold autumn evening; guaranteed to get your blood
pumping and your feet moving. Having sold more than 220 million records
worldwide, The Bee Gees are one of
the world's best-selling artists. In 1997 they were inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame and have written and produced several major hits for other
artists, as well as their own hits.
The brothers Maurice, Barry and Robin were born on the Isle
of Man and in 1955 formed their own rock and roll group called the Rattlesnakes. When the family moved to Australia, the name
changed to the Bee Gees (the Brothers Gibb) and after returning to the UK in 1967,
producer Robert Stigwood began promoting them to a global audience.
You Win Again –
celebrating the music of the Bee Gees is a tribute show that is touring the UK
after a run in London's West End. It's
tough to perfectly create the sound of the Bee Gees, but the guys work hard at
emulating their heroes. The trio are supported by a very talented group of
musicians, dancers and a stunning female vocalist who sang a few solo numbers.
Opening the show with You
Win Again, the group sang some of their earlier hits including Massachusetts, To Love Somebody, Message to
You interspersed with a narrator telling their story. The show really gets
going when we move forward into the mid-70s with Jive Talking, How Deep is Your Love, Nights of Broadway, More than a
Woman with everyone on their feet for You
Should Be Dancing just before the interval.
The success of the Bee
Gees is extraordinary with 6 consecutive Number one hits, but it was their
distinctive falsetto sound and harmonies on Saturday
Night Fever that transformed their careers with the album selling 30
million copies. The disco era lives on
through that iconic film and the songs will always get people up dancing at any
Towards the 80s though things were changing and to keep at the
forefront of an ever-changing music industry, they wrote and produced hits for
artists including Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (Islands in the Sun) and Diana Ross (Chain Reaction).
After 45 years of activity, the group retired after Maurice's
untimely death at the age of 53 in 2003. Six years later they reformed and
continued to perform together until Robin died in 2012. Barry Gibb continues to perform and in 2017
played Glastonbury singing Staying Alive
with the security guards doing the iconic dance routine at the base of the
stage.
really is a celebration of this great trio of brothers and a reminder of some
of the classic songs that will survive for decades to come.
For further details, visit their Facebook page.
SOHO CINDERS at London's Charing Cross Theatre
Luke Bayer as Robbie and Millie O'Connell as Velcro.Photo Pamela Raith
A contemporary rewrite of the much beloved classic fairy tale, Soho Cinders takes a new direction. Written by the multi award winning musical theatre partnership Anthony Drewe and Elliot Davis, with music by George Stiles, the scene has shifted from the land of make believe to modern day reality in London's Soho district, and in particular Old Compton Street whose pinks and blues provide a background vibrancy on the traverse staging (Justin Williams, Jack Weir). Filling the space are the enthusiastic cast directed by Will Keith. In their scuttling pace and energetic dance (Adam Haigh) the bustling tempo pulsates and conceals beneath its vibrant veneer the intrigue, scandal and political unease that populate its every corner.
No glass slippers for this Cinders; think more mobile phones! Struggling in both love and finance, naive student Robbie, played endearingly by Luke Bayer, tries hard to beat adversity. In the true tradition of fairy tales he has found his Prince Charming in the handsome potential Lord Mayor of London, James Prince (get the pun) played by Lewis Asquith. But hold on there! Prince is engaged to be married to Marilyn (Tori Hargreaves) and to complicate matters further, Robbie's wonderfully ghastly and gauche lap dancing twin step sisters, Clodagh and Dana, played to perfection by Michaela Stern and Natalie Harman, are doing everything they can to thwart any chance of his happiness. Add to the mix the not so fairy godmother Lord Bellingham (Christopher Coleman) and the villainous misogynistic publicity campaign manager William George (Ewan Gillies) and you have a fair old melting pot of intrigue and complexity that can only be lightened by magic and a little help from trusted friend, Velcro (Millie O'Connell), a modern day Buttons figure.
Stern and Harman are an absolute joy. Each time they appear we know we are in for a treat. In comic panto tradition they are outrageous and loud, filling the space with their larger than life presence. Bringing the house down with 'I'm So Over Men' we take them to our hearts, despite the wicked roles they are playing. Similarly Ewan Giles as William George plays a fantastic villain and it is tempting to boo and hiss as he struts around barking orders and manipulating his charges. 'The Tail That Wags The Dog' speaks volumes and he sings it with power and poignancy. Of course there are emotional moments when both O'Connell and Bayer dream of being ordinary, with lives less complicated, 'Wishing For the Normal' and Bayer moves us with his touching rendition of 'They Don't Make Glass Slippers.'
With a score that holds so many strengths and exciting choreography there is much to recommend this production. Sure it is not pure panto and at times the more sombre moments feel a little flat, despite the efforts of the hidden narrator with his quirky one liners which raise many a chuckle. They may be wishing for the normal but in the world of fairy tales, we don't want that. Nevertheless Soho Cinders has a charm of its own with its catchy numbers and saucy jokes so dust off your glass slippers and have some fun with the cast at the intimate venue of London's Charing Cross Theatre.
Place: London's Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, Charing Cross, London WC2N 6NL
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross (and main line) (2 minutes), Embankment (2 minutes)
Dates: 24 October - 21 December 2019
Times: Monday to Saturday 7.30 pm, Thurs and Sat matinees 3.00 pm
Running time: 2.5 hours with interval
Website: www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk
(Phone lines open midday to 6 pm, Monday to Saturday)
Footnote: It is advised that 12+ should be the minimum age. On a personal level, I feel that it should be older as some of the jokes are risque and really not suitable for children.
Kinky Boots, Opera House Blackpool
Is life brighter six inches off the ground? You can bet your RRREEEDDD boots it is, and Blackpool has been on a high ever since the Kinky Boots tour hit the resort this week. The award-winning show creates a huge buzz of happiness wherever it goes, resulting in reviews packed full of superlatives such as glorious, dazzling, hilarious...and Digital Spy nailing the point as neatly as a newly-made stiletto heel by calling it "a hell of a lot of fun".
The tour hashtag #raisingyouup captures its spirit well. Kinky Boots, based on real-life events, struts its way out of brogues and into thigh-high red boots, from the grit of a Northampton shoe factory to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie Price (Joel Harper-Jackson) rescues the family business with the help of a London drag queen, the sensational performer Lola (Kayi Ushe). They find acceptance, of themselves and each other, and this sentimentality catches on - even with he-man Don (brilliantly played by Demitri Lampra), the grumpy but eventually gentle giant who rounds up support to save the day.
Who would have thought an ordinary bloke called Charlie and his down-trodden group of factory workers would team up with Lola and her sparkling entourage of dancing Angels to make a high-fashion range of stiletto boots, in men's sizes. This is the most entertaining example of how teamwork really does make the dream work, and the excellent casting of Kinky Boots is a key factor in bringing the tale to life, with such likeable characters that you're rooting for them all the way. Every single one stands out as an individual, coming together to form a fantastic ensemble operating an ingenious set. There's so much going on but it's executed so sleekly you can only marvel at the cast's expertise and Jerry Mitchell's sophisticated direction and choreography. Watch out for the conveyor belt scene, one of the best routines I've ever seen.
Cyndi Lauper's music & lyrics were as much of an "adventure and a privilege" to experience as the pop icon has described it was to write them. She has composed a heartwarming blend of 80s rock, pop, soul and power ballads, infused with fun and underlined by that decade's signature feelgood factor.
Costumes are of course spectacular, and I am still stunned by the Angels' ability to perform high-energy dance routines so perfectly in high heels.The show is must-see for their scenes alone.
There have been well-earned rave reviews for Kayi Ushe as Lola. Every aspect of his performance is both exceptional and believable, from his incredible vocals throughout (I couldn't pick a favourite song) to his portrayals of the vulnerable Simon from Clacton and his equally lovable but larger-than-life alter ego Lola. Joel Harper-Jackson pulls off a different kind of challenge, making the ordinary character of Charlie extraordinary, especially when he reveals just how powerful his voice is in Soul of a Man. It's great to see Paula Lane in a totally different role after playing Kylie Platt's harrowing final scenes in Coronation Street. She shows a true talent for comedy and musical theatre, highlighted by a belting rendition of The History of Wrong Guys.
There is so much more to say about this fabulous production and its cast and crew but suffice to say it is not to be missed. I can't imagine anyone leaving without a smile on their face and a firm belief in the Kinky Boots mantra: #youchangetheworldwhenyouchangeyourmind
On until Sat 12 Oct 2019. Book tickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/venueartist/254002/5268628
Read more about the real-life events that inspired the story here: https://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/stories/the-real-roots-of-kinky-boots
Further tour dates here: http://www.kinkybootsthemusical.co.uk/uk-tour/tour-dates-venues.php
Kinky Boots UK is produced by Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig and Playful Productions, in association with Cameron Mackintosh.
By Kirstie Niland
HOW LOVE IS SPELT London's Southwark Playhouse
Larner Wallace-Taylor and Michelle Collins: photo Ali Wright
The first major revival of Chloe Moss's play How Love Is Spelt, which first appeared at the Bush Theatre in 2004, makes its appearance at London's Southwark Playhouse (The Little studio) for a three week run, this time under the direction of Charlotte Peters and a new creative team. Featuring 20 year old Peta (Larner Wallace-Taylor) who has moved to London from Liverpool in order to find herself and inject interest into her life, this is a complex journey of self discovery.Through her interaction with strangers she meets along the way and her relationships, Peta yearns to create a new and more mature persona and shed the frustration of her lonely life.
We are in Peta's messy London bedsit (zone 2) in the morning after a drunken one night stand with cheeky cockney Joe (Benjamin O'Mahoney), still in his underwear and looking the worst for wear. This is an awkward encounter which exposes Peta's naivety, but serves as a lesson in her development. When she moves on to mild mannered History teacher, Steven (Duncan Moore) she ups her game and behaves with more control, believing this will make her appear more mature and less childlike. Like a chameleon she changes her manner with each encounter, plagiarising odd phrases that she has picked up from those experiences and using them to colour her persona. Over a series of five scenes she is lover, friend and frightened young girl. A tender story of a lost soul desperate to find herself, this is a play of vulnerability, sadness and despair.
Despite the focus on Peta, we tend to learn more about Joe, Steven, Chantelle (Yana Penrose) and Marion (Michelle Collins) who use their brief time with Peta to project their own backstory rather than support and discover more about her. Each has little self worth, believing their lives have taken wrong turns; each is lonely and vulnerable. At the close of the 2.5 hour production, we have gained little awareness of Peta's past, only to say that she was desperately unhappy and intent on shedding her frustration with her past and find hope for her future.
The Little is a small studio space, seating a maximum of 120 and lending itself to an intimate up close and personal perspective, both by Georgia de Grey's set design of a shambolic and messy bedsit (mirroring the life of Peta) and the direction of Charlotte Peters. Disappointingly I still felt distanced despite the physical proximity of the performance. Undeniably there was commitment from the five strong cast who immersed themselves in their roles and whose dialogue, albeit somewhat dated, as well as their poignant silences, revealed their hopelessness. Michelle Collins, Nigel Boyle, Benjamin O'Mahony, Yana Penrose, Larner Wallace-Taylor and Duncan Moore performed with integrity and commitment in this series of vignettes which offered a keyhole observation of those who seriously undervalue their own sense of worth.
Venue: Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD.
Nearest tube Borough, Elephant and Castle
Performances Wednesday 4-Saturday 28 September 2019
Mondays to Saturdays 8 pm
Tuesday and Saturday matinees 3.30 pm
www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk for full schedule. No booking fees.
Telephone: 020 7407 0234 - no booking fees.
Ticket prices £22, £18 (with concessions)
Twitter @swkplay#HowLoveIsSpelt
THE WEATHERMAN: Park200, Finsbury Park, London
Alec Newman (Archie O'Rourke) and Mark Hadland (Beezer): photo Piers Foley
Eugene O'Hare's The Weatherman, named for one of its characters, is his theatre debut at London's Park Theatre, under the direction of Alice Hamilton. This is one of two of his full length plays to be presented at this exciting venue.
The setting is a dingy London flat (not apartment), squalid and grubby where no money has been invested into its upkeep, a parallel with its inhabitants, Beezer (Mark Hadland) and Archie (Alec Newman). This dysfunctional pair share a tenancy and live out a hopeless existence, surviving on a sparring of words to face each day. Beezer, no stranger to drink and Archie, a troubled soul, are life's failures in the underclass of London's harsh society. They are not in work and have little money. Life is a series of endless queues, rejections and bleakness. As such they are easy prey to the violent control of dodgy gangsta landlord Dollar (David Schaal) who holds power over them and enforces a mystery package, offering no choice but the dangling of six months' rent free accommodation and a weekly pay packet. How can they refuse? So close your eyes - you've got to live, to pay the rent, to pay your bills!
But the package is a 12 year old Romanian girl, (Mara, played by Niamh James), who is being trafficked. Despite their position, both Archie and Beezer have sufficient conscience to know that this is morally abhorrent on any level and Archie, in particular, spirals downwards.
This black comedy with its influences of Beckett and Pinter covers numerous issues including political injustice and divide, corruption, criminality and human trafficking. A lot to ingest and certainly not a recipe for pleasant viewing, but it was O'Hare's intent to expose these and at the very least to arouse debate. Relief comes in the absurd and inappropriate delivery of welcoming gags, albeit non PC, delivered with brilliant, end of the pier comic timing by Hadland. Should we be laughing at all? Even that is of concern but then the entire play questions reactions and this is just another in the long list.
There is little action, and the few moments are vile and unsavoury. The play relies on its script and performance. We are in no doubt that Archie is living his nightmare and that Beezer can exist only through self delusion. Both Hadland and Newman give it their all. Schaal too convinces as a crime boss on the edge of a personal volcano and we sense his explosion. However, because of the nature of the staging and depending on where you sit, you may find yourself (as I did) with Mara's back to you for the whole performance. I can only suggest that she would have appeared vacant in her silent presence, such was the force of her helplessness and despair.
In two Acts, the first runs at a fair pace although there are a few uncomfortable silences. Our interest is upheld and we enjoy the gags. But where was Beezer in Act 2? With extraordinarily lengthy monologues of self revelation and self vindication by Dollar and Archie, his absence was sorely felt, appearing only at the close. Struggling to concentrate on the very wordy passages, we found it hard to empathise whilst acknowledging their situations. Nothing excuses the abduction of another human, in this case a young girl. But then this is an audience who is already committed to decrying those behaviours.
As suggested by Park Theatre, there is an age recommendation of 16+. It is a disturbing play and yes it covers those issues that O'Hare determined to expose but it took a long time to expound (2 hours and 20 minutes) and perhaps might have served better on radio than on stage.
Listings: The Weatherman
Dates: Running until 14 September 2019
Age Guidance 16+
Running Time: 2 hours 20 minutes including an interval
Performances: Mon-Sat Evenings 7.30 pm. Thurs & Sat matinees 3 pm.
Captioned performance: 10 September 7.30 pm.
Prices: £18.50 - £32.50; concessions £16.50 - £23.50
Booking www.parktheatre.co.uk or 020 7870 6876
*10% telephone booking fee capped at £2.50 per ticket


text:
Lightbox Loves: 2020, The Future's Past
the7stars 20th July 2020
It is safe to say that 2020 has presented itself in a way no one expected it to. We have witnessed what seems all but certain to be a historical and paradigm shifting moment in an already illustrious history of mankind.
Lockdown has helped change our viewpoints on how our fates are linked but also how we tackle our work life and the role technology plays within it. For instance pre-COVID, the use of virtual meetings such as Google hangouts were seen as instruments for remote working during special circumstances. A lot of businesses viewed remote working as inaccessible for their line of work. In 2019, only 30% of UK employees worked from home. However since lockdown took place, it was reported that 49% of the UK workforce were working from home (in April) – almost 20% more than the whole of 2019 – bringing in a new era of working. Despite this massive change, productivity of work output has not lapsed as some thought. The success of this has been led by the use of collaborative, shared based working solutions such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft Office 365 to allow people to work and chat on the same documents, spreadsheets and projects all at once.
Ironically, the social distancing measures have called for less individualism and greater stress of community. An article written by Eric Klinenberg outlines that the pandemic would call for us to "reconsider who we are and what we value…". This should also resonate with brands. As society begins to rebuild and build new structures (as seen with the working from home example), brands have the opportunity to cement their names within these times; much like Disney during the Great Depression by bringing smiles at a time of economical turmoil. The trick was to not neglect the things that were happening, but to rather show how their brand could see a way out of it, by either revolutionising their industry or depicting some sort of escapism. In Disney's case, it was both. Some event firms have already begun doing this, with the likes of Notting Hill Carnival announcing online performances for people to enjoy whilst obeying social distancing measures from their homes.
This change in environment and success of remote working also means saved time on stretched out commuting (the7stars QT showed that 19% of people are going to miss the time saved not commuting during lockdown) and has enabled workers to be simultaneously 'at their desk' or 'in a meeting' at the single press of the button. This shift opens the door to more people being able to do jobs they wouldn't have previously been able to (i.e. new parents and those who are caretakers), which in turn increases diversity along with helping the battle with Carbon Dioxide emissions.
Without a doubt society has been called to rethink its many structures as a result of COVID. However, there is a sense of opportunity and optimism here, as with any fallen building lies the opportunity for another building or something completely different to rise.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/16/notting-hill-carnival-2020-details-announced-for-online-version
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/nine-in-ten-charities-will-struggle-to-meet-objectives-due-to-covid-19-poll-finds.html
Featured, Lightbox Loves No Comments

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl