So things got on top of me, but here is a round-up of all my Oliviers coverage from last weekend.
Best Supporting Actress winner Ruth Wilson
Presenters and musical theatre veterans John Partridge and Kerry Ellis
Presenter and popstar Duncan James
Love Never Dies stars and presenters Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess
Actress and nominee Phylicia Rashad
Blood Brothers star and nominee Melanie C
Playwright and nominee Jez Butterworth
Best Actor In A Musical winner Aneurin Barnard
The cast of award-winning Cock: Andrew Scott, Katherine Parkinson and Paul Jesson
Veteran actress Margaret Tyzack
Director and award-winner Rupert Goold
Writer and Best New Play winner Katori Hall
Actress and presenter Samantha Bond
The Mountaintop actors David Harewood and Lorraine Burroughs
Singer and presenter Russell Watson
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Monday, 22 March 2010
Top ten moments from the Oliviers 2010
As some of you may know, I was at the Oliviers last night, covering them for Broadwayworld. I'll post the links to my articles in my next entry (later tonight, as I have to run now), but I thought it would be fun to list my top ten moments from this epic awards ceremony.
1. Aneurin Barnard's massively affectionate nature - lots of hugs and kisses from this gorgeous boy. Swoon.
2. Katori Hall's squeals of joy after winning Best New Play, which continued through all her press interviews.
3. David Harewood feeling it necessary to interrupt my interviews with both gorgeous, fabulous Lorraine Burroughs and Katori - but I didn't care, because he is lovely.
4. Chatting with the lovely Katherine Parkinson about our time at the same school, ending with "she's seven years younger than me. Fuck off! Tiffin forever..."
5. Ramin Karimloo and Duncan James exchanging numbers in the middle of my interview with the latter, and a 'luvvie' kiss on the lips between the two. Oh, the fantasies of a million women, etc.
6. Finally managing to corner Duncan for a professional chat after a decade of crush. He is alarmingly beautiful up close. Ahem.
7. Margaret Tyzack making me LOL repeatedly with her tart wit and hilarious observations. She's still got it.
8. Russell Watson vaulting the press ropes to talk to meeeee and only meeeee. Joy.
9. Ruth Wilson looking insanely gorgeous and giving good copy, as usual. And "you again! I know you!"
10. Shaking Mark Rylance's hand. Squee.
1. Aneurin Barnard's massively affectionate nature - lots of hugs and kisses from this gorgeous boy. Swoon.
2. Katori Hall's squeals of joy after winning Best New Play, which continued through all her press interviews.
3. David Harewood feeling it necessary to interrupt my interviews with both gorgeous, fabulous Lorraine Burroughs and Katori - but I didn't care, because he is lovely.
4. Chatting with the lovely Katherine Parkinson about our time at the same school, ending with "she's seven years younger than me. Fuck off! Tiffin forever..."
5. Ramin Karimloo and Duncan James exchanging numbers in the middle of my interview with the latter, and a 'luvvie' kiss on the lips between the two. Oh, the fantasies of a million women, etc.
6. Finally managing to corner Duncan for a professional chat after a decade of crush. He is alarmingly beautiful up close. Ahem.
7. Margaret Tyzack making me LOL repeatedly with her tart wit and hilarious observations. She's still got it.
8. Russell Watson vaulting the press ropes to talk to meeeee and only meeeee. Joy.
9. Ruth Wilson looking insanely gorgeous and giving good copy, as usual. And "you again! I know you!"
10. Shaking Mark Rylance's hand. Squee.
Friday, 19 March 2010
Musical theatre videos of the week (drag theme!)
Sean Patrick Doyle, the new Chantal in the Broadway run of La Cage, changes it up as Fruma-Sarah in the US tour of Fiddler On The Roof:
The sadly-departed Tony Sheldon, Clive Carter and others get crazy in the backstage corridors and dressing rooms at Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert:
Former La Cager Adrian Der Gregorian performs Nessun Dorma rather beautifully:
The sadly-departed Tony Sheldon, Clive Carter and others get crazy in the backstage corridors and dressing rooms at Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert:
Former La Cager Adrian Der Gregorian performs Nessun Dorma rather beautifully:
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Review: The Sanctuary Lamp (Arcola Theatre)
If it is the case that Tom Murphy's The Sanctuary Lamp caused outrage when first performed in 1975, it is difficult today to understand why it caused such a fuss.
Set in the dark recesses of a Catholic church during the middle of the night – for the most part – we see former strongman Harry, prone to acts of aggravation when roused, unable to hold down a job, become the church clerk.
He then meets the waif-like Maudie, who is hiding from her abusive grandfather and who wants to remain there till morning. As Harry works on building up a relationship with the child-like woman, his nemesis, Francisco the juggler, appears, ready to fill up on communion wine and bare his soul.
It sounds like an interesting proposition, but in reality it’s really not. While Monica Frawley's set is undoubtedly attractive, complete with pews, sanctuary lamp and confessional, Murphy's play (which he also directs) is unfortunately overlong and overly dull. It proves a struggle to sit through, a damp squib of an evening with little laughter and few tears.
Harry is played bombastically by a lumbering Robert O’Mahoney, in a way that might be appropriate for a Shakespearian drama, but that seems overplayed in the somewhat dead space of the Arcola’s Studio 1, while Kate Brennan’s Maudie is irritating rather than sympathetic, her monotonous voice grating as Maudie reveals her traumatic past. Bosco Hogan as the Monsignor is given far too little to do.
The saving grace is Declan Conlon’s Francisco, who brings a great deal of balance and warmth to his character as he and Harry rant into the night.
This review originally appeared on MusicOMH
Set in the dark recesses of a Catholic church during the middle of the night – for the most part – we see former strongman Harry, prone to acts of aggravation when roused, unable to hold down a job, become the church clerk.
He then meets the waif-like Maudie, who is hiding from her abusive grandfather and who wants to remain there till morning. As Harry works on building up a relationship with the child-like woman, his nemesis, Francisco the juggler, appears, ready to fill up on communion wine and bare his soul.
It sounds like an interesting proposition, but in reality it’s really not. While Monica Frawley's set is undoubtedly attractive, complete with pews, sanctuary lamp and confessional, Murphy's play (which he also directs) is unfortunately overlong and overly dull. It proves a struggle to sit through, a damp squib of an evening with little laughter and few tears.
Harry is played bombastically by a lumbering Robert O’Mahoney, in a way that might be appropriate for a Shakespearian drama, but that seems overplayed in the somewhat dead space of the Arcola’s Studio 1, while Kate Brennan’s Maudie is irritating rather than sympathetic, her monotonous voice grating as Maudie reveals her traumatic past. Bosco Hogan as the Monsignor is given far too little to do.
The saving grace is Declan Conlon’s Francisco, who brings a great deal of balance and warmth to his character as he and Harry rant into the night.
This review originally appeared on MusicOMH
Review: Eigengrau (Bush Theatre)
Penelope Skinner’s new play, Eigengrau, moves so fast you’ve barely settled in your seat before it’s all over. This somewhat morally ambiguous and sometimes overwhelming black comedy looks at the danger of getting involved, with flatmates, with lovers and with friends.
It begins with what is a fairly conventional comic set up and then takes it somewhere unexpected and unsettling. When feminist Cassie finds Rose through Gumtree and invites her to live with her, she's setting herself up for tension and trauma, though she doesn't realise it at first. Rose is a bit of a nutjob and is soon practically stalking marketing man Mark, who, in addition to avoiding the one-night stand from hell, has to deal with his growing desire for Cassie and his easily influenced layabout flatmate Tim.
As the play progresses, lonely Cassie (a pleasingly nuanced Alison O’Donnell) slowly finds herself subsumed by desire for Mark, her principles floating away like dandelion puffs on the breeze. Meanwhile, Rose grows more and more crazed as time passes, ignoring the real world in favour of her own imaginary one, where bills don’t exist and boys do exactly what you want them to.
Mark, boxed into a corner by his passion for Cassie and played with lovely sparkle and sneer by Geoffrey Streatfeild (replacing Laurence Fox who was originally cast in the role), seems unable to get past his own playboy lifestyle and really do anything meaningful, while a still-mourning Tim (John Cummins) misinterprets the signals from Rose and digs himself into a deep hole of adoration.
While there is no doubt Eigengrau is extremely funny, at times gloriously so, and that Skinner is an accomplished writer, the play does suffer from some pacing issues. With jokes ribboning through the text, that it’s not always easy for the audience to keep up with what the characters are really saying to one another.
Additionally, and perhaps this was intentional, it was hard to feel anything much for the characters, most of whom came off as rather one-dimensional. This was particularly true of Sinead Matthew's Rose, whose constant witterings and inability to remain still in any situation failed to endear, even in the last scenes of the play.
This piece originally appeared on MusicOMH
It begins with what is a fairly conventional comic set up and then takes it somewhere unexpected and unsettling. When feminist Cassie finds Rose through Gumtree and invites her to live with her, she's setting herself up for tension and trauma, though she doesn't realise it at first. Rose is a bit of a nutjob and is soon practically stalking marketing man Mark, who, in addition to avoiding the one-night stand from hell, has to deal with his growing desire for Cassie and his easily influenced layabout flatmate Tim.
As the play progresses, lonely Cassie (a pleasingly nuanced Alison O’Donnell) slowly finds herself subsumed by desire for Mark, her principles floating away like dandelion puffs on the breeze. Meanwhile, Rose grows more and more crazed as time passes, ignoring the real world in favour of her own imaginary one, where bills don’t exist and boys do exactly what you want them to.
Mark, boxed into a corner by his passion for Cassie and played with lovely sparkle and sneer by Geoffrey Streatfeild (replacing Laurence Fox who was originally cast in the role), seems unable to get past his own playboy lifestyle and really do anything meaningful, while a still-mourning Tim (John Cummins) misinterprets the signals from Rose and digs himself into a deep hole of adoration.
While there is no doubt Eigengrau is extremely funny, at times gloriously so, and that Skinner is an accomplished writer, the play does suffer from some pacing issues. With jokes ribboning through the text, that it’s not always easy for the audience to keep up with what the characters are really saying to one another.
Additionally, and perhaps this was intentional, it was hard to feel anything much for the characters, most of whom came off as rather one-dimensional. This was particularly true of Sinead Matthew's Rose, whose constant witterings and inability to remain still in any situation failed to endear, even in the last scenes of the play.
This piece originally appeared on MusicOMH
Friday, 12 March 2010
Review: Random (Royal Court at Elephant and Castle)
From the moment Seroca Davis strides confidently into the sofa-strewn vacant unit within the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre and glares out at the front row it's clear this show will be something special.
Despite the clanging, banging and occasional shouts to be heard from outside during the play, the Royal Court's six-month tenancy of this unit looks set to be a success. If anything the external noise adds to the atmosphere of debbie tucker green's (she prefers lower case as it's the text that counts) potent play.
Davis spends a mesmerising hour detailing a day in the life of one ordinary family who suddenly find themselves torn apart by knife crime - an all too common occurrence in London these days.
She has a wonderful ability to switch from accent to accent within sentences, to twist from one character to another with the greatest of ease, using only her body language to indicate who the audience is listening to moments before she speaks. She can convey her characters' aggression or their innate softness with just a few short words, and when the tears roll down her cheeks, it's hard not to cry too.
As Mum, her hands placed firmly in front of her, she sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes at the behaviour of her children, while her swagger is exemplary as Brother, full of bravado, who by necessity we see far too little of. She even manages a strong portrayal of Dad, who barely says a word and struggles to express himself even more once he is suffering. But Davis is best as Sister, whose narrative holds the play together, as she comes to realise how her family life has been changed in such a short space of time. Her lines may not be the funniest, but her everyday problems are all too relatable, while the awful situation she is pitched into is starkly related.
green's play (first seen at the Royal Court's main space in 2008), taut and rich, full of beautiful language and necessary moments of comedy, is a gift to a performer. green's writing is gorgeously developed. It is dark and dramatic but also witty and emotionally raw. She can go from throwaway humour - "flick on the Phillip and the new gurl... mi still missin' Fern" to foreboding - "I ketch a sliver of the shadow of the shadow of the day." Performer and text fit together perfectly. This is startling, stunning stuff.
This review was written for MusicOMH
Despite the clanging, banging and occasional shouts to be heard from outside during the play, the Royal Court's six-month tenancy of this unit looks set to be a success. If anything the external noise adds to the atmosphere of debbie tucker green's (she prefers lower case as it's the text that counts) potent play.
Davis spends a mesmerising hour detailing a day in the life of one ordinary family who suddenly find themselves torn apart by knife crime - an all too common occurrence in London these days.
She has a wonderful ability to switch from accent to accent within sentences, to twist from one character to another with the greatest of ease, using only her body language to indicate who the audience is listening to moments before she speaks. She can convey her characters' aggression or their innate softness with just a few short words, and when the tears roll down her cheeks, it's hard not to cry too.
As Mum, her hands placed firmly in front of her, she sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes at the behaviour of her children, while her swagger is exemplary as Brother, full of bravado, who by necessity we see far too little of. She even manages a strong portrayal of Dad, who barely says a word and struggles to express himself even more once he is suffering. But Davis is best as Sister, whose narrative holds the play together, as she comes to realise how her family life has been changed in such a short space of time. Her lines may not be the funniest, but her everyday problems are all too relatable, while the awful situation she is pitched into is starkly related.
green's play (first seen at the Royal Court's main space in 2008), taut and rich, full of beautiful language and necessary moments of comedy, is a gift to a performer. green's writing is gorgeously developed. It is dark and dramatic but also witty and emotionally raw. She can go from throwaway humour - "flick on the Phillip and the new gurl... mi still missin' Fern" to foreboding - "I ketch a sliver of the shadow of the shadow of the day." Performer and text fit together perfectly. This is startling, stunning stuff.
This review was written for MusicOMH
Saturday, 6 March 2010
Exclusive: Ghosts gets its notice
Not a massive surprise following the rather scathing tone of its reviews, but I've been told the cast and crew of Ghosts have just had their three weeks notice. The Ibsen play, which was originally due to run until May at the Duchess Theatre, and which stars Iain Glen and Harry Treadaway amongst others, has been plagued by relentless negativity on theatre boards like Whatsonstage and a swathe of negative reviews. It hasn't managed to pull in the crowds - and with its dark tone, perhaps theatregoers are just looking for something a little more chirpy. I thought about going, but like many others, I think I would have preferred a night out at Legally Blonde!
Friday, 5 March 2010
Review: Return (Battersea Arts Centre)
Spoken word artist Polarbear's latest show, Return, is a pleasant way to spend an hour but ultimately not a very exciting one. His voice lulls you into a sense of security as he begins to tell the tale of writer Noah and his return home to Brum, his difficulties settling back in and his ultimate realisation of how he relates to his surroundings. As Polarbear himself says, his work is ultimately about himself and by normalising the process, his themes are therefore universal.
However, that doesn't make them interesting. The story isn't anything special, and although many audience members seemed to appreciate the jokes, it simply wasn't particularly amusing. It wasn't dull, but just failed to advance beyond a lot of well-spoken imagery. Although the lighting was fabulous, reflective of the mood and clever, too, with the pitter-patter of raindrops upon projected directions, or birds sliding across the wall behind Polarbear, this wasn't enough to redeem this all-too-ordinary tale.
However, that doesn't make them interesting. The story isn't anything special, and although many audience members seemed to appreciate the jokes, it simply wasn't particularly amusing. It wasn't dull, but just failed to advance beyond a lot of well-spoken imagery. Although the lighting was fabulous, reflective of the mood and clever, too, with the pitter-patter of raindrops upon projected directions, or birds sliding across the wall behind Polarbear, this wasn't enough to redeem this all-too-ordinary tale.
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