Saturday, 26 September 2009
Back from holiday!
Sorry for the lack of posting these last few weeks, I've been away on holiday in the States. So to get us going, below you will find my review of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar. And keep an eye out for my New York round up, soon to come on BWW.
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Review: A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar)
With the star pulling power of Rachel Weisz as Blanche, the Donmar's production of A Streetcar Named Desire sold out like snap, so only a lucky few will get to see this thrilling version of Tennessee Williams' classic. With Weisz so gaunt she looked snappable with a quick flick of the wrists, and Elliot Cowan as Stanley so bulked up you shuddered every time he stormed near her, this production is eminently watchable - indeed, it's hard to take your eyes off the core four performers.
Blanche is naturally the focus of the show, and Weisz did a lovely job expressing her fragility and insecurity, as well as her increasingly confused mental state. The direction was particularly strong as Blanche dissolves further and further, daydreaming of her past (having the characters appear on stage was an inspired choice) and eventually finding herself under others' control and unable to fight back - the physicality of Blanche here made this a disturbingly likely possibility.
Cowan's intriguing choices for Stanley kept you coming back to him, whether it was the stark contrast between his and Weisz' physicality, or his high-pitched American-Polish accent, the latter half of which came out more and more strongly when angry. The mark of a great actor is the subtle choices that round out a character, and Cowan certainly has this down pat. Cowan caught some comedy for his aggressive brute of a character, making it even more shocking when he used his physique against Stella (an on-game but somewhat subdued Ruth Wilson).
It's not difficult to see why Stella is attracted to Stanley in the play - a lot of women love a bad boy - and you could sense the deep attraction between the two as Wilson and Cowan paced circles around each other until the sexual climax midway. In a way, Stanley came off almost boyish here - his behaviour was incredibly immature and childish, but when he thought he would lose Stella he began to fall to pieces, and of course she came running back.
You will probably already know this if you know anything about the play, but don't go to Streetcar if you want a cheerful night out at the theatre. It is almost unrelentingly bleak - even the comedic moments have a sadness to them. This is a strong cast, who work hard to eke the tears from your eyes at the end of the first and second acts, but you really need to be in the right place to enjoy this production.
Blanche is naturally the focus of the show, and Weisz did a lovely job expressing her fragility and insecurity, as well as her increasingly confused mental state. The direction was particularly strong as Blanche dissolves further and further, daydreaming of her past (having the characters appear on stage was an inspired choice) and eventually finding herself under others' control and unable to fight back - the physicality of Blanche here made this a disturbingly likely possibility.
Cowan's intriguing choices for Stanley kept you coming back to him, whether it was the stark contrast between his and Weisz' physicality, or his high-pitched American-Polish accent, the latter half of which came out more and more strongly when angry. The mark of a great actor is the subtle choices that round out a character, and Cowan certainly has this down pat. Cowan caught some comedy for his aggressive brute of a character, making it even more shocking when he used his physique against Stella (an on-game but somewhat subdued Ruth Wilson).
It's not difficult to see why Stella is attracted to Stanley in the play - a lot of women love a bad boy - and you could sense the deep attraction between the two as Wilson and Cowan paced circles around each other until the sexual climax midway. In a way, Stanley came off almost boyish here - his behaviour was incredibly immature and childish, but when he thought he would lose Stella he began to fall to pieces, and of course she came running back.
You will probably already know this if you know anything about the play, but don't go to Streetcar if you want a cheerful night out at the theatre. It is almost unrelentingly bleak - even the comedic moments have a sadness to them. This is a strong cast, who work hard to eke the tears from your eyes at the end of the first and second acts, but you really need to be in the right place to enjoy this production.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Feature: The Swing Of Things
Here's a feature I wrote for BroadwayWorld on the role of a swing - a much undervalued job in theatre! I spoke to swings from Mamma Mia and La Cage Aux Folles...
Friday, 4 September 2009
Review: A New World: A Life Of Thomas Paine (Globe Theatre)
Nazis and Tudors. Nazis and Tudors. That's pretty much all we were taught in GCSE and A-level history, apart from the occasional dash of Stalin. Thus it's not much of a surprise that the life of Thomas Paine remained a mystery to us until last night's Globe performance of A New World: A Life Of Thomas Paine. Paine was a Founding Father of the United States, a great influence on the sparking of the French revolution... and one we should surely have learnt about earlier than now?
So the Globe has put on a new production from veteran playwright Trevor Griffiths, telling all about this man's incredible life. It's less of a play, more of a narrative, as you never really get to feel deeply for any character other than Paine; with actors switching between up to three different characters, however good they are (and they really are) it's difficult to connect emotionally, notwithstanding the fact it tells his life story, so rather than an intimate one or two days, we cross decades during the play.
The majority of the cast is drawn from the Globe's As You Like It, which starts up again next week after a summer hiatus. This is a boon for the production, as it has a strong core base of actors to draw from, which it supplements with a few others brought in specially.
It was a fun if long evening, very informative though somewhat chaotic thanks to the Globe's tendency to have actors appear in the audience at any given point, often brawling, sometimes shouting. [At one point we were surrounded by Indians who were trying to beat Paine up (it was comedic because it was simply the actors dressed up as Red Indians, looking slightly ridiculous) and became trapped in a circle of actors. When we did move, leaving our bags, Paine was subjected to a beating, falling on top of our things and squishing them.]
John Light brought nuance, depth and commitment to the central role of Paine - in a production of 2hr 45m it was impressive that he kept so controlled the entire time, especially in the Globe surround-sound experience. Also strong was the beautifully accented Alix Riemer as Carnet. Although she did not have huge amounts to do, her chemistry with Light was much stronger than that of Laura Rogers as Marthe, with whom Paine lodges upon his arrival in America. James Garnon was also a stand-out, playing both Sam Adams and Danton to perfection.
The accents were a bit all over the place. The ever-reliable Jamie Parker was perfect as Jefferson/Matlack/Gottschalk (his guitar and song solo was particularly enjoyable, if utterly random). Meanwhile, Garnon conducted a very long scene in perfect French as Danton, but his fake Frenchman-talking-English accent didn't quite live up to the impressiveness of this impassioned speech. Keith Bartlett made a jovial narrator as Benjamin Franklin, but his accent... well, the less said about that the better. On the whole, though, they did well, switching from French to English to American to German and so on without too much difficulty.
This was a big cast, of whom it is not posible to rate all singly. The only let-down was Jade Williams as Philly/Mrs Monroe. In the former, Williams' tendency to overact and flail came to the fore, but right at the end she showed she could do the job without all the unnecessary flapping - something she should work on for the remainder of her run in As You Like It.
This is a strong, enjoyable show, even if it is a little overlong and all over the place when too many actors are doing too many different things at the same time. It's funny and full of brilliant talents, many of whom are 'ones to watch' for the future. Definitely worth a trip.
So the Globe has put on a new production from veteran playwright Trevor Griffiths, telling all about this man's incredible life. It's less of a play, more of a narrative, as you never really get to feel deeply for any character other than Paine; with actors switching between up to three different characters, however good they are (and they really are) it's difficult to connect emotionally, notwithstanding the fact it tells his life story, so rather than an intimate one or two days, we cross decades during the play.
The majority of the cast is drawn from the Globe's As You Like It, which starts up again next week after a summer hiatus. This is a boon for the production, as it has a strong core base of actors to draw from, which it supplements with a few others brought in specially.
It was a fun if long evening, very informative though somewhat chaotic thanks to the Globe's tendency to have actors appear in the audience at any given point, often brawling, sometimes shouting. [At one point we were surrounded by Indians who were trying to beat Paine up (it was comedic because it was simply the actors dressed up as Red Indians, looking slightly ridiculous) and became trapped in a circle of actors. When we did move, leaving our bags, Paine was subjected to a beating, falling on top of our things and squishing them.]
John Light brought nuance, depth and commitment to the central role of Paine - in a production of 2hr 45m it was impressive that he kept so controlled the entire time, especially in the Globe surround-sound experience. Also strong was the beautifully accented Alix Riemer as Carnet. Although she did not have huge amounts to do, her chemistry with Light was much stronger than that of Laura Rogers as Marthe, with whom Paine lodges upon his arrival in America. James Garnon was also a stand-out, playing both Sam Adams and Danton to perfection.
The accents were a bit all over the place. The ever-reliable Jamie Parker was perfect as Jefferson/Matlack/Gottschalk (his guitar and song solo was particularly enjoyable, if utterly random). Meanwhile, Garnon conducted a very long scene in perfect French as Danton, but his fake Frenchman-talking-English accent didn't quite live up to the impressiveness of this impassioned speech. Keith Bartlett made a jovial narrator as Benjamin Franklin, but his accent... well, the less said about that the better. On the whole, though, they did well, switching from French to English to American to German and so on without too much difficulty.
This was a big cast, of whom it is not posible to rate all singly. The only let-down was Jade Williams as Philly/Mrs Monroe. In the former, Williams' tendency to overact and flail came to the fore, but right at the end she showed she could do the job without all the unnecessary flapping - something she should work on for the remainder of her run in As You Like It.
This is a strong, enjoyable show, even if it is a little overlong and all over the place when too many actors are doing too many different things at the same time. It's funny and full of brilliant talents, many of whom are 'ones to watch' for the future. Definitely worth a trip.
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Review: Mamma Mia (Prince of Wales Theatre)
Like We Will Rock You, you step into Mamma Mia pretty much knowing what you've let yourself in for. A couple of hours of top pop hits surrounded by a somewhat flimsy story, some talented actors dancing and singing and a happy ending for all. These two are the epitome of jukebox musical - unlike others, they shoehorn the tunes in willy-nilly, rather than trying to make them fit the story a little more sensibly.
Having said that, Mamma Mia is still a lot of fun. If you've seen the film (and come on, who hasn't) then you know the plot - girl is getting married, writes to her three potential fathers, they all turn up on the island, surprising her mother... who's the daddy? The plot jogs along at a comfortable pace, the resolution inevitable, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the music. The problem with shows like Mamma Mia and WWRY is that people feel the urge to sing along to these oh-so-familiar tunes - this isn't Singalong at the cinema, people! It felt a little tired and hackneyed in places, and some of the dancing from the leads could have been jazzier, but on the whole it was a fun night out.
Taking the role of Sophie was I'd Do Anything finalist Niamh Perry, whose wide-eyed insouciance and petite frame suited the role down to a tee. Particularly strong as boyfriend Sky was Oliver Hembrough, whose comedic touches and sweet singing voice paired well with Perry's. While Jane Gurnett as Tanya wavered from strong to unexpectedly weak in the singing stakes depending on what song she was singing, with her dancing not much better, Katy Secombe proved a funny and friendly Rosie, carrying Gurnett somewhat through the mid-section of the show.
The men playing Harry Bright, Bill Austin and Sam Carmichael (Paul Ryan, Christopher Hollis and Norman Bowman respectively), also proved a mixed bunch. Ryan got plenty of laughs for his obviously fey Harry, while Bowman's Scots-tinged vocal and kind portrayal of still-in-love Sam got a lot of the ladies in the audience going! Hollis was a mixed bag, sometimes wonderful and sometimes totally overdoing it, but on the whole all three did a good job with the rather limited roles they had been given.
This is not one of those shows (like La Cage) where you can't tear your eyes away from the central pairing because you truly believe in the relationship and have grown to invest in it by the end of the show. It's froth, through and through, where the spectacle and the songs are more important than the substance - just like WWRY, but thankfully with a far better story. Mamma Mia has worked for over ten years already, and it looks set to do so for a long while yet. It's nothing groundbreaking, and it's cheesy as hell, but it's a fun night out nonetheless.
Having said that, Mamma Mia is still a lot of fun. If you've seen the film (and come on, who hasn't) then you know the plot - girl is getting married, writes to her three potential fathers, they all turn up on the island, surprising her mother... who's the daddy? The plot jogs along at a comfortable pace, the resolution inevitable, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the music. The problem with shows like Mamma Mia and WWRY is that people feel the urge to sing along to these oh-so-familiar tunes - this isn't Singalong at the cinema, people! It felt a little tired and hackneyed in places, and some of the dancing from the leads could have been jazzier, but on the whole it was a fun night out.
Taking the role of Sophie was I'd Do Anything finalist Niamh Perry, whose wide-eyed insouciance and petite frame suited the role down to a tee. Particularly strong as boyfriend Sky was Oliver Hembrough, whose comedic touches and sweet singing voice paired well with Perry's. While Jane Gurnett as Tanya wavered from strong to unexpectedly weak in the singing stakes depending on what song she was singing, with her dancing not much better, Katy Secombe proved a funny and friendly Rosie, carrying Gurnett somewhat through the mid-section of the show.
The men playing Harry Bright, Bill Austin and Sam Carmichael (Paul Ryan, Christopher Hollis and Norman Bowman respectively), also proved a mixed bunch. Ryan got plenty of laughs for his obviously fey Harry, while Bowman's Scots-tinged vocal and kind portrayal of still-in-love Sam got a lot of the ladies in the audience going! Hollis was a mixed bag, sometimes wonderful and sometimes totally overdoing it, but on the whole all three did a good job with the rather limited roles they had been given.
This is not one of those shows (like La Cage) where you can't tear your eyes away from the central pairing because you truly believe in the relationship and have grown to invest in it by the end of the show. It's froth, through and through, where the spectacle and the songs are more important than the substance - just like WWRY, but thankfully with a far better story. Mamma Mia has worked for over ten years already, and it looks set to do so for a long while yet. It's nothing groundbreaking, and it's cheesy as hell, but it's a fun night out nonetheless.
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