The Play's The Thing

Review: The Last of the Duchess (Hampstead Theatre)

2011-10-22T04:17:00.001-07:00

It's been a few days and still I find myself mightily confused by The Last of the Duchess, Nicholas Wright's new play about the last days of Wallis Simpson - well, kind of. It's based on Lady Caroline Blackwood's biographical portrait of Simpson, but really focuses far more on her fiery lawyer, Maitre Suzanne Blum, who guarded her and her affairs in the last few years of her life. We only see Simpson once, and that's a dream-state version.

As Lady Caroline, who visits the Windsors' house in the Bois de Boulogne and discovers what she sees as some very peculiar goings on, Anna Chancellor is typically commanding, bringing a warmth and also a steeliness to the writer desperate for a scoop, but who is loath to expose her own issues. John Heffernan is superb as ever as Blum's assistant Michael Bloch, who supports her despite his own misgivings - mainly, it would seem, because she is helping him to write a book about Simpson (for more on this, read Hugo Vickers' Behind Closed Doors). Heffernan shows off his emotional range as much as possible, and has some strong moments, mainly when coming to terms with the fact Lady Caroline is not everything he thought she would be, but the character's confines don't allow him to show off what he can really do.

Played snappily by Sheila Hancock (plus a dodgy French accent), Blum comes off as a dragon, ready to tell lies or twist the truth about her employer when any hint of impropriety is mentioned. She only reveals more to her character towards the end of the play, and you are left wondering exactly what it is Wright is trying to say - if anything at all. He implies that Simpson has already been bumped off and Blum is stealing her possessions for herself - but this is soon retracted. It feels like an over-dramatic momentary slump into weird murder-mystery territory that doesn't quite work. Meanwhile, what he reveals about Blum's reasons for behaving the way she does still don't really tally with her status as a lawyer - this feels like messy writing, unless in fact it is all true, which, if you've read up on the story, might not surprise...

The saviour of the play is undoubtedly Angela Thorne as Lady Diana Mosley, who was a good friend of Simpson's. Without her, it would simply be a somewhat dull two hours (despite the presence of Chancellor and Heffernan), but as she waltzs in in the second half, accompanied by a million brilliantly zingy one-liners (so, Wright, you can do it when you want to...), you sigh with relief and relax. Everything that happens in her presence is broken up by humour - but once she departs, the audience is left bereft. It's hard to see where else she could fit, but something feels rather off about the structure of the play. Overall, fun, but very confused. As am I.

Review: Taming of the Shrew (Southwark Playhouse

2011-10-09T04:43:00.001-07:00

Taming of the Shrew is purportedly one of Shakespeare's comedies. But for a modern sensibility, it's hard to find that many laughs in this misogynistic play - a tale of a woman subdued to her husband through, essentially, mental and physical abuse, it's hard to make it fit well in today's equality-driven world. It's a difficult one.

Perhaps this is why director Robin Norton-Hale has gone for a sliced-down version of the play, which strips out much of the nasty misogyny and reinterprets the Katherine-Petruchio relationship as a much more equally sarcastic, sexual games-driven pairing.

There are moments of comic genius - the use of 'anon' to end a phone call, for instance - and the sexual chemistry between Simon Darwen's Petruchio and Elexi Walker's Katherine crackles throughout. Darwen's Petruchio is fabulous - selfish and sexy, while his line-readings are the stuff dreams are made of. Walker's attempts to marry a modern, teeth-sucking 20-something with Shakespeare's character doesn't work well at the start, but she grows into it as time goes by, imbuing her Katherine with a pleasingly sparky sultriness.

Will Featherstone, recently of Shakespeare's Globe, and Simon Ginty do nice comic work as switched suitors Tranio and Lucentio, while Simone James' Bianca is sultry and sweet, but cutting out so much of the text inevitably makes this adaptation confused - some scenes make little sense or appear to have happened too quickly. It's a shame, because there are some great and admirable ideas in this production - but taking out the heart of this very difficult play and irrevocably changing the nature of the relationship between Katherine and Petruchio is somewhat of an error.

Here's the thing... Much Ado About Nothing with Eve Best and/or Naomi Frederick (Shakespeare's Globe)

2011-09-27T02:05:00.001-07:00

The Globe has produced a really lovely production of Much Ado About Nothing. Eve Best is a tremendous Beatrice - thoroughly hilarious, fantastic chemistry with Charles Edwards' Benedick, whose brilliant comic timing and ability to judge the audience's mood serves to keep them laughing, loving and with him from start to finish. Philip Cumbus' Claudio is so fantastically teenage in his emotional responses it almost makes the underwritten character work, with pretty much every adolescent girl in the area awwing at his behaviour. Ony Uhiara brings real pathos to her Hero, to the point where when she is confronted over her fidelity by Claudio, your chest gets tight and your eyes are suspiciously close to watering.

In supporting roles, Joe Caffrey is excellent as Borachio/Friar, bringing pathos and humour to both of these smaller parts, while Matthew Pidgeon is gorgeously evil as Don John - he plays it tremendously close to the edge of panto, but pulling it back just enough that it remains a strongly dramatic performance, albeit an intermittently hilarious one. Rhiannon Meades, Lisa McGrillis and John Stahl all shine as Ursula, Margaret and Antonio respectively, while Joseph Marcell brings the necessary amount of twinkle and severity to his Leonato.

Paul Hunter and Adrian Hood have the difficult task of Dogberry and Verges, whose humour may have been amusing at the time but now, as Leonato says, seems frankly "tedious". The Globe seeks to get around this problem by casting polar opposites - one very small, one very tall - and subsuming the text in little pre-word mannerisms from Hunter. This doesn't really work for me - having seen it twice, it once did not work at all, barely raising a grin from the crowd and once, perhaps because the audience was full of schoolchildren, actually really did, with Hunter and Hood getting two or three rounds as they left the stage.

Last week of the run:

Eve Best left the show for the last week or so of the run due to other commitments and Naomi Frederick stepped in. Frederick was a truly exquisite Rosalind in the 2009 As You Like It, but has been fairly quiet since, so a return visit had to be made to see what she did with Beatrice.

It would be unfair to expect a chemistry between Edwards and Frederick on the same level as Edwards and Best, considering they have had the entire summer to build this and she has had but a few performances, but considering, she did rather well. She keeps it similar to Best's portrayal, perhaps not wanting to put her own stamp on the character in this short space of time, sticking with what works. Much of the business is the same, though not completely - there's seeming-spontaneous, and then there's forced - avoiding the latter is always good.

There were some heartstopping emotional moments, though, and while she was unable to wrench the humour from the text quite as well as Best, perhaps given more time, she might have been able to. Although Frederick is a good comic actress, her true strength lies in the ability to balance Beatrice between a desperate vulnerability and steely determination.

She is a subtler actress than Best, who is funnier, but broader too. Frederick is lovely to watch on stage - she really has that special something. Though this is perhaps not the best showcase for her style, let us hope she makes a much-needed full-time return to the stage in another guise very soon.

Rant: What is it about German school groups and Shakespeare's Globe?

2011-09-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong. I love Shakespeare's Globe. I'm there as much as I remember to, I try and make it to most shows in a season, I enjoy the atmosphere, the night sky and the stark lights, the often fantastic acting and so many other things about this place. But there's nothing that annoys me more than a Globe audience full of German schoolchildren.

I realise this might sound faintly xenophobic, but it's really not. Of all the schoolgroups in all the varying corners of the globe, it is pretty much always the Germans who have to be conducted out of the auditorium, who talk at normal volume throughout productions, who wear rain ponchos when it's not raining and rustle around in them noisily throughout sensitive moments, whose teacher seems to be mysteriously absent or lacking in any sort of care. And the reason why this makes so little sense is that Germany is renowned for the way it treats performers - English actors flock to work there - in both its professionalism and perks. So why is it that they seem unable to behave themselves when they visit the Globe?

It's definitely not a schoolgroup thing. Most are capable of behaving absolutely appropriately, no matter where they're from. Today I stood next to a group of international students from Bangkok. They weren't completely perfect (one had played Beatrice in a school production and started the production saying her lines along with the show, until a judicious tap on the shoulder quieted her down), but they too were distracted by the noisiness of the Germans - and when the international students' teacher asked the girl behind to be quiet, as she turned back, the girl made an extremely rude face at her. We were all schoolchildren once, but I'm pretty sure I never disrespected the rest of an audience in the way these children do.

Speaking with the ushers afterwards, many of the group had to be removed from the theatre during the show. They kept trying to come back, to go round the back of the auditorium where the actors move around, to climb over the walls of the Globe (!), and all the time their teacher did not seem to have a care in the world for where they were. It makes a mockery of the time spent queuing for those who really care, for those who came to be sucked into some wonderful theatre.

Oh, and, hey two English guys who started shouting at Charles Edwards 'just kiss her, Jesus!'... yes, we are all watching this production too, and would quite like to hear the lines and not your inane commentary. Thanks.

Review: No Naughty Bits (Hampstead Theatre)

2011-09-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Please take into consideration that this review is of a first preview.

Steve Thompson, who wrote the brilliant Roaring Trade, as well as numerous episodes of shows ranging from Sherlock to Silk, returns with latest offering No Naughty Bits at the Hampstead Theatre. It's the story of Monty Python's battle with American network channel ABC back in 1975, when they tried to censor the Pythons' work before broadcast. The network and the comedians end up in a court battle in New York, trying to sort it all out.

This isn't exactly revelatory work for Thompson but it is fairly funny and well written, though there is the occasional clunky moment as we move between scenes. The humour ranges from explanations of Monty Python jokes to your typical groan-worthy lowest common denominator gag. The wonderful Harry Hadden-Paton is already doing exquisite work as Michael Palin, giving a full sense of the man without copying Palin's behavioural tics too much, making the part his own. Meanwhile, Matthew Marsh practically steals the show as the amused judge who presides over the Pythons' trial. If only all judges were able to snap out the one-liners with such ease.

The others all do fine work, particularly Issy van Ryndwyck as an American TV executive, but excluding van Ryndwyck, there's a strong need to work on American accents - Sam Alexander as Terry Gilliam is the worst offender, veering repeatedly into far more English territory as the show wends its way onwards. While we're on the subject of niggles, hopefully a few more performances will iron this out, but the lighting was a bit all over the place, as were the stage management crew, who tried to be fast, but often blundered past in the semi-light, drawing more attention to themselves than is necessary.

Overall, fun, but not fantastic. Some knowledge of Monty Python would be good before you go in, but not necessary. Oh, and No Naughty Bits? Just wait until the end...

September

2011-09-07T07:41:00.001-07:00

Singing in the Rain £14
God of Soho (forgot!) £5
Much Ado £5
Beauty Queen £17.50
Rattigan's Nijinsky £31
Deep Blue Sea £35
Betwixt £10
Jamie Parker £50
One Man Two Guvnors £12
Massacre at Paris £8
Anna Christie £50
Much Ado £5

Review: Rock of Ages (Shaftesbury Theatre, London)

2011-08-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

Please remember: this is a review of a first preview, and should be judged as such.

I may be biased, since I saw it in New York and loved it (and have no problem with jukebox musicals if the songs are sensibly placed), but the London production of Rock of Ages looks set to more than challenge its US counterpart, given time and a bit more work on the mic levels. This deeply satirical, slightly filthy, thrillingly funny show takes all the theatrical conventions you're used to and turns them on their heads.

As narrator Lonny, the very seasoned Simon Lipkin (Avenue Q, Austentatious) is hilarious, holding the audience in the palm of his hand as he keeps the action swinging, breaking the fourth wall when necessary. Comedian and presenter Justin Lee Collins is a happy surprise as bar owner Dennis Dupree, rising to both the singing and acting challenges demanded of him. Oliver Thompsett (Wicked, Our House) excels in the tough sing of lead boy Drew, who has travelled to LA to become a rock star but instead falls in love with Sherrie (Amy Pemberton, strong). Thompsett can play the super-nice boy and also blast out a rock tune with a voice that, hopefully, he can keep at the same level throughout his tenure with the show.

Rohan Tickell and Sandy Moffat form a great double act as German property developer father and son Hertz and Franz. Moffat, for whom this is his first featured role, is well on his way to stealing every scene he's in (and got an extended round of applause after his show-stopping song) and Tickell isn't far behind (though he could make his German accent slightly stronger - at points he almost sounded English).

Shayne Ward showcases his powerful vocals as bad boy rocker Stacee Jaxx, but struggles a touch with the acting side - though very funny in many places, he needs to enunciate more clearly and take his time over his lines - it's clear that he has the least experience out of the cast.

Otherwise, Jodie Jacobs (Me & Juliet)'s delightfully husky voice is an intriguing choice for eco-activist Regina, and although she didn't quite hit all her comic notes, a few more shows will hopefully iron those issues out. And it would be a shame to end the review without mentioning Dylan Turner's cheekbones and tongue wiggling as Joey Primo.

This isn't Shakespeare, but then it's not trying to be. It's just good, solid, sarky fun. And I'll definitely be going back.

Review: The Faith Machine (Royal Court)

2011-08-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Alexi Kaye Campbell's newest play is The Faith Machine, currently on at the Royal Court, after the recent regional premiere of The Pride in Sheffield. The blurb on the Court's website says: "Travelling from America to Britain to a remote Greek island, this epic new play explores the relationship between faith and capitalism and asks fundamental questions about the true meaning of love."

Confused? Don't worry, we all felt that way. This is one of those weird plays where the performances are pretty good but the story itself strives too hard to 'mean' something. We flip between time periods and locations as we witness Sophie's life - firstly, her advertising exec boyfriend who doesn't share her staunch morals and her father, ready to quit the church over its homophobia after 47 years. Later, we see all of these sections of her life disintegrate slowly but somehow inevitably.

As boyfriend Tom, fairly recent RADA graduate Kyle Soller is the epitome of versatility. Moving from hilarity to devastation in the blink of an eye, Soller is deliciously interesting to watch as he skilfully holds the narrative together.

Hayley Atwell does a good job as daughter Sophie, combating Soller well in their numerous fight scenes - you truly feel that they could have been lovers. She has great presence and good comic timing, and completes some difficult scenes with fortitude. Ian McDiarmid as her father also does well with the material, which, for his character, becomes quite tough going towards the end.

The problem with The Faith Machine is that it just seems to be a vehicle for Campbell to express his own views. In the first act, this grates somewhat, while it does seem to work better in the second, which sucks you in more. Campbell's laudable attempt to make some important points instead results in a mish-mash of scenes where nothing is really said at any deep level.

The characters, too, ring less true the more you think about them. Sophie is so good it's almost unbelievable. Yes, she might lose it at Tom on occasion, but always in defence of her staunch beliefs. Even when she's pissed, she's unrealistically elegant. Tom, meanwhile, suffers from the opposite problem. Very much the everyman of this scenario, his character swings through the gamut of emotions, but we never really see anything deeper, besides his obvious trauma at not being with Sophie. Both characters are so inflexible and stuck in their own thought processes it frustrates.

Other moments that annoyed: the noting of the character doubling. We're not watching a farce. No need to make that so obvious. And there's something peculiar about Agatha - the question of whether her accent is meant to sway between African and English or whether this is a fault of the actress is unclear.

See it once, not sure you'll want to see it again.

Review: Emperor & Galilean (National Theatre)

2011-07-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Emperor & Galilean is a divisive play. It's three and a half hours long (originally circa nine hours, thank you Ibsen), tells the story of the last pagan Roman emperor, Julian, and is written by the aforementioned Norwegian.

However, here's the plus side to all of this: Ben Power's adaptation is stonkingly good. It's hard to tell what's Ibsen and what's Power without looking at an original manuscript, but he's done a fantastic job. Secondly, it's very pacey and it moves along at a seriously fast snap, without affecting the story. Thirdly, Julian's story is really, really interesting. He is a truly fascinating person - there are many things to talk about when it comes to him, his motivation, his influences and so on.

As Julian, Andrew Scott (formerly of Design For Living, Cock, Sea Wall, Roaring Trade... the list goes on) is excellent. He is barely off stage but, as ever, completely commands it when around and about. Scott's energy and nuance has to be seen to be believed - this is a man who can charm an 80-seater and also hold an Olivier audience in the palm of his hand.

As best friend Peter, John Heffernan is wonderful. This terribly charismatic, charming actor is also superb at nuance and demonstrates this fully as poor Peter, who is faithful to Julian until the end. Isn't it time Heffernan was given a really big lead part in the West End? His exquisite Richard II at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol proves he has the chops for it.

Jamie Ballard is powerful as Gregory, who leaves Julian early on and diverts onto a path of true Christianity. James McArdle, too, is intriguing as childhood friend Agathon, growing ever more disturbed as Julian treads his way down the pagan path. The rest of the ensemble work well together and provide strong support throughout.

Niggles? Ian McDiarmid could have been a little more forceful as the manipulative Maximus, while Nabil Shaban needs to enunciate more clearly as the emperor Constantius.

But these are small tweaks - this is a fantastic, never-to-be-seen-again production that you shouldn't miss. Julian is a thrilling figure and thoughts on his behaviour, why he did it, how much in control he was are no doubt going to be sharply divided - if you want to have something really interesting to argue about post-show, go and see Emperor & Galilean.

Review: Lord of the Flies (Open Air Theatre)

2011-05-26T04:57:00.001-07:00

Regents Park's Open Air Theatre is the perfect setting for this venal, predatory stage adaptation of Lord of the Flies.

Jon Bausor's set evokes the boys' plane crash on a desert island wonderfully, mounds of compacted sand set atop with suitcases that spew out the remnants of the boys' former lives, while broken chunks of the plane they came in on litter the area, providing areas that are first used for shelter and fun, but later for violence and idolatry.

James Farncombe's lighting is terrific too, astute choices combining perfectly with the incredible setting - the surrounding trees balance the compacted sand skilfully, meaning that when the group run off into the woods - they literally do. The magical moment when the sky fades to black and the lighting shines red really creates a deep sense of isolation and tension, and Farncombe is to be commended for his sterling work.

Although the pacing needs to be tightened and the fight scenes can be choreographically repetitive, there are some great performances - Alistair Toovey is particularly spot-on as leader Ralph, who watches his attempts at maintaining civilisation dissolve before his eyes, while Joshua Williams impresses as Simon, left out and treated shamefully by the others. James McConville and Stuart Matthews are also well cast as sweet twins Sam and Eric, seeming almost impossibly young in their school uniforms. The fight scenes between Toovey and James Clay's Jack are viciously entertaining, hitting just the right level of aggressiveness.

This production of Lord of the Flies sucks you into its world, and it's only when the airman arrives that we are wrenched back into civilisation, bewildered and not a little shaken by how easily the descent of man into savagery can come.

Review: Many Moons (Theatre503)

2011-05-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Nothing is as it seems in Many Moons, and the play is all the better for it. The first full-length effort from fresh young writer Alice Birch, formerly of The Old Vic's 24 Hour Plays, this play sees four characters tell their intertwined stories over the course of a fascinating hour and a half.

There's more to each character than you would think, with Birch cleverly twisting perceptions every step of the way. She's a thoughtful writer, and a versatile one too, perfectly balancing laugh-out-loud moments with disturbingly dark moments. All her actors (two boys, two girls) do sterling work, too, showcasing how easy it is to misunderstand others.

Esther Smith is wonderful as gorgeous, dotty, darling Juniper, who believes in Jesus and unicorns, both at the same time, as is Esther Hall, whose paranoid, lonely Meg accurately represents that certain kind of traumatised, upper-middle-class housewife. Smith endears, while Hall creates empathy. You'd want Juniper to be your friend - but you'd stay well away from Meg.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Newth is strong as Robert, who cares for his dementia-clad wife loyally, but who harbours a dark secret - but as with the rest of the play, judging before the conclusion is not advised.

Edward Franklin does exceedingly well with the intensity of jerky, socially awkward Oliver, who finds himself quite unable to fit in with the rest of the world, his life unravelling before his eyes, seemingly incapable to stop himself from doing anything about it.

It's difficult to be so vague, but it would ruin the play to explain the plot in any more depth. But if you like haunting, twisty writing and great acting (and an early finish!), this is probably the show for you

Review: One Man, Two Guvnors (National Theatre)

2011-05-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

One Man, Two Guvnors is easily the funniest farce you'll see this year. A Richard Bean adaptation of Italian Carlo Goldoni's One Servant, Two Masters, the action is re-set to Brighton in the 1960s, the scenes stuffed full of fantastic characters who will have you absolutely roaring with laughter pretty sharpish.

As Francis Henshall, the chancer who accidentally ends up with not one but two jobs, James Corden is great fun. It's not a massive stretch for Corden character-wise, and it's all slightly Smithy-cum-Timms, but this is not a bad thing, and it shouldn't take away from the excellent and exhausting work Corden conducts over the course of the evening. He interacts brilliantly with the audience and makes the slapstick moments (particularly when he has to beat himself up!) look pretty effortless.

Daniel Rigby is a joy as hapless, terrible actor Alan, who misconstrues most things and overemphasises the rest. Vying with Oliver Chris in a battle of 'who has the best - or most ridiculous - lines', each time he storms onto the stage, full of rage and impotent actorliness, you can practically feel a burble of joy rising within your body, ready to spring free in a great, gallumphing laugh. It's no surprise that Rigby has just won a BAFTA for his TV performance in Eric & Ernie - he's fabulous and worth the ticket price alone.

The aforementioned Chris, as toff gangster Stanley Stubbers, separated from lover Rachel Crabbe, Francis' other 'master', has some of the most outrageous lines you'll ever have heard on the West End stage. Chris, clearly a master of farce, is nothing less than brilliant as he huffs and puffs his way through the play, hilarious in every tiny appearance, wringing every last ounce of comedy from his increasingly messy clothing.

On-stage band The Craze, who play at the start, interval and end of the show and who cover scene changes with bouncing skiffle tunes, make this show a real party atmosphere - and there's a lot of fun to be had in watching their reactions to the material. It's fun, too, that the cast each get their moment in the musical spotlight, whether it be playing the xylophone, the horns (literally) or singing three-part harmonies.

Massively, enormously, hugely recommended.

Review: Iolanthe (Wilton's Music Hall)

2011-04-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Sasha Regan's production of Iolanthe has transferred from the Union Theatre to Wilton's Music Hall, but has it weathered the necessary changes in cast, staging and choreography? Yes, pretty much.

Most of the cast have stayed with the production, which has been skilfully re-staged and re-choreographed by director Sasha Regan and choreographer Mark Smith. The magical atmosphere of Wilton's lends itself perfectly to the fairies/peers theme, and the lone piano playing works just as well here as it did in the 50-seater Union.

The star of the production is undoubtedly the extremely watchable Christopher Finn, reprising the title role of Iolanthe with grace and charm. Finn's gorgeous vocal and nuanced portrayal of the fairy ripped from her family due to fairy law (and her duty, a common G&S theme) is thrilling and reason enough alone to see this production. Although some of the intimacy of Iolanthe's reunion with the Lord Chancellor (Shaun McCourt) has naturally been lost in the transfer, the two nevertheless manage to wring lots of emotion from this precious moment. The super-youthful McCourt is also good fun in his patter songs, managing to balance perfect enunciation and comic timing well.

As Strephon, Louis Maskell is an improvement on previous incumbent Gianni Onori, bringing more vocal power and emotional strength to the role, but he sometimes needs to enunciate more clearly in order to be understood in the larger space of Wilton's - unlike Onori, he doesn't have the benefit of an audience literally at his fingertips. Overall, though, Maskell works well in the role and displays good chemistry with Alan Richardson, who makes a strong, sparky Phyllis, perhaps slightly more arch than before but with a vocal that fills Wilton's, as opposed to his all-too-quiet Mabel in Pirates of Penzance just a summer or so ago.

Matthew James Willis (Earl Tolloller) once more anchors the ensemble with his powerful vocal, which somehow manages to both blend with the others and stand out from the crowd. As Lord Mountararat, Luke Frederick is fine, but can't live up to the work of the delightful Kingsley Hall, who played Mountararat at the Union - it's a curious decision to demote Hall to the ensemble, which causes, for those who saw it first time round, a great deal of hankering for his wonderful chemistry with Willis and his super-smooth vocal.

Alex Weatherhill's Fairy Queen is funny and authoritative, and although he can't quite match former Fairy Queen Kris Manuel's unbelievable power on the high notes, he proves to have a much more reassuringly even tone to his voice than Manuel. Weatherhill is supported well by Reuben Kaye as Celia, who manages to wring honest laughs out of just a few lines.

It's also lovely to see Michael Burgen, who played Samuel in Pirates of Penzance, and former ensemble member Joseph Davenport back in a Union G&S production - both show their versatility as members of the ensemble.

Things have certainly changed for Iolanthe, but it's (mostly) all for the good. It's a classy, clever production of a G&S classic that has wit, charm and a great deal of heart.

Read my original review here.

Review: Flare Path (Haymarket Theatre)

2011-03-05T03:43:00.000-08:00

This review is for a first preview, so please bear this in mind when reading

Terence Rattigan's centenary has seen a number of his plays either revived or premiered. Trevor Nunn's choice is Flare Path, titled so because of the series of flares set out on airfields to light pilots on their way as they set off for air raids. Set in the midst of World War Two in a hotel full of fighter pilots and their wives, Rattigan sets out an awkward love triangle - an airman, his actress wife and her fling with a former co-star. Surrounding this are the stories of the other pilots and their relationships.

Sienna Miller is a pleasant and believable choice as conflicted actress Pat, who is visiting husband Teddy (Harry Hadden-Paton) at his airbase for the first time. She has felt herself drift from him over the course of their short marriage, finding herself committing adultery with film star and former co-star Peter Kyle (a solid and charming James Purefoy), whom she had been sleeping with previous to her whirlwind romance with Teddy, and who turns up unexpectedly at her hotel, forcing her to make a choice between the two sooner rather than later.

As airman Teddy, harbouring a painful secret beneath his friendly, confident demeanour, the less famous but no less talented Harry Hadden-Paton, recently seen in Prince of Homburg at the Donmar, is the best thing in the whole production. Hadden-Paton makes Teddy charming and affable, relatable and kind - the sort of chap you want to spend reams of time with, but he is also able to gain the audience's sympathy with a heart-rending scene between Teddy and Pat late in the play. It's worth seeing Flare Path if only for his performance.

Sheridan Smith also tugs at the heartstrings as Doris, married to Polish airman Count Skriczevinsky (a sweet Mark Dexter), who can barely speak English (and as such provides many of the somewhat outdated - laughs in the production). Although her choice of accent was a little overly reminiscent of her role as Janet in Two Pints of Lager, Smith is actually an extremely versatile actress, able to run the gamut from funny to barely suppressed despair.

Flare Path is essentially quite a gentle play, despite the subject matter. It sits very much in the middle of comedy and drama, and there's certainly some tightening up to be done on the pacing in order to ensure the audience doesn't drift away. It's a nice production - not dazzling, but enough to ensure a thoughtful night out at the theatre.

Review: Iolanthe (Union Theatre)

2010-11-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I updated the blog, but if anything could convince me to start reviewing again it would be Sasha Regan's Iolanthe at the Union Theatre. Following up on Pirates of Penzance, which took London by storm last summer, this is another G&S show that Regan has put her unique all-male spin on, and it's so much the better for it. G&S is hard to do well and companies often stick to old-school costuming or pick an entirely inappropriate setting for their work, but here the charm and subversity of the material shines throughout.

Director Regan and production designer Stewart Charlesworth have created an enchanting world within a world that allows the frequently very silly material to make sense within an intriguingly thought out context, which allows the extremely youthful cast to avoid aging up. Meanwhile, musical director Chris Mundy provides strong support on the piano, keeping the fairies and peers in check with his expressive playing, and there's some intriguing choreography from Mark Smith.

Standout performances include Australian belter Matthew James Willis as Earl Tolloller, whose gorgeous voice rang out powerfully in every scene without overpowering his fellow peers, while Reuben Kaye was perfectly judged as slightly snooty fairy aunt Celia and Kris Manuel produced some very funny moments as the Geordie Fairy Queen. Christopher Finn impressed in the title role, wringing both comedy and almost-tragedy from the role, particularly in one spine-tingling moment in It May Not Be. Alan Richardson as chancery ward Phyllis was also excellent, seeming far more suited to the role than as Mabel in last year's Pirates of Penzance - the notes this man can reach are both shocking and thrilling to hear. Although nerves seemed to mute some vocals a touch, this is surely something that will be resolved as the run continues.

Although Pirates was so utterly perfect at the Union last year that it's hard for another G&S to live up to it, this is definitely one production you should be making time to see, especially since it's only on until 11th December. Sasha Regan has done it again.

Review: Deathtrap (Noel Coward Theatre)

2010-08-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Deathtrap feels like a familiar old friend come to visit. It's not often - and not often enough - that a good old-fashioned thriller comes to town. Starring Simon Russell Beale as past-his-best author Sydney, Claire Skinner as nervy wife Myra, the much-feted Jonathan Groff as Clifford, as well as Estelle Parsons as nutty psychic neighbour Helga and Terry Beaver as lawyer Porter, Ira Levin's thriller is a carefully plotted and very funny tramp through the conventions of murder in the eyes of a playwright.

Full of knowing injokes and sarky references, the production plays to Russell Beale's comic strengths whilst giving Groff the opportunity to show he can shine in a non-musical role (his background is in Hair, Spring Awakening and most recently Glee). And shine he does, for the two leads in this piece are superbly cast. Groff exudes an air of innocence and simultaneously evil, while Russell Beale's naturally benign nature is well played against - you never really know what he's thinking.

The shocks come thick and fast with this one, keeping the audience jumping and gasping until the very end. While the ending could do with a bit more tightening (bearing in mind this is a few preview performances in) and more blood would be welcome, there is very little else to quibble about with this skilful, classy rendering of a superbly clever thriller.

Review: After The Dance (National Theatre)

2010-08-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

After The Dance is one of Terence Rattigan's lesser-known plays. Admittedly, this may be for a reason - it rattles on for three hours, and some of the dialogue is, while exquisitely well thought out, a touch dull. Its cleverness lies in its tragi-comic nature and this is where it stands up against much of the other programmed work at the National at present.

Benedict Cumberbatch gives a sensational performance as family controller David, while Adrian Scarborough will find it hard to better his turn as drunk, lazy friend John, who revels in his role as figure of fun, staying on the sofa as his friends keep him stocked with food and booze and not having to work. Scarborough, pleasingly, is able to show his versatility as John becomes somewhat of a revelatory figure as the piece progresses. Nancy Carroll, too, is excellent as David's wife Joan, the very model of the English wife who suppresses her emotions for far too long.

It's always lovely to see the ever-reliable John Heffernan on stage, and to see him able to flex his dramatic muscles as character Peter finds himself drowning in a sea of loss is brilliant to watch. Pandora Colin too has a nice turn as Joan's drunk, inappropriate friend, who always turns up at the most inappropriate moments.

Ultimately, Rattigan promises more than he delivers. His writing can be superb but besides the shocking end to the second act, this piece is nowhere near as dramatic as it could be.

Review: Lingua Franca (Finborough Theatre)

2010-08-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

Peter Nichols' new play Lingua Franca takes Privates on Parade's main attraction Steven Flowers (Chris New) and places him in a language school in Italy. Add in a mix of multicultural and multi-lingual teachers and hijinks ensue. Well, less than you'd imagine. This is a surprisingly dark piece which grows increasingly more traumatic for all as the play reaches its inexorable conclusion.

There are some lovely performances, notably from Rula Lenska as Russian Jew Irena and Ian Gelder as innocent Jestin. Chris New and Natalie Walter spark off each other admirably, the former showing the desperation and selfishness of Flowers but still retaining a mote (but just one) of sympathy for his devil-may-care teacher. Much of the darkness is offset by Abigail McKern's casually racist Aussie teacher, a hilariously awful person but too depressingly real for words. It is only Charlotte Randle who fails to convince as oh-so-British Peggy, her choices and tics a little too obvious to make her portrayal quite 'on'.

The problem with Lingua Franca is that it is simply too uneven to form a fully successful evening. The ending is unbalanced, with the denouement far too sharp and short to make sense. Many characters are underwritten and the writing itself could do with sharpening and tightening. Having said this, there are some brilliant moments, such as the exchange between New's Flowers and Walter's Heidi concerning the Holocaust - Heidi's naivete is astonishing but not unbelievable. Ultimately, however, these moments of genius are too few and far between for a wholly successful night out.

Review: Love Never Dies (Adelphi Theatre)

2010-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a bit of a shocker to the system - Love Never Dies is actually pretty darn good. Definitely not something you necessarily expect when walking in the doors and certainly not some a non-Andrew Lloyd Webber fan was thinking at the start, but somewhere between the projections and the fabulousness of the Phantom's singing voice, something began to give and continued to do so.

Love Never Dies is completely bonkers, but fantastic for it. It's full of mad, brilliant projections, clever ideas that can seem a touch out of place (the walking skeleton) but still delight and wonderful sound, lighting and effects that bring a real atmosphere to the piece, something often lacking in musicals.

The storyline's all a bit crazy and, though this bills itself as a standalone to Phantom Of The Opera, still relies heavily on its source material - those coming to it without Phantom knowledge may be slightly confused. For the Phan, too, there are touches of the original's music littered throughout, which work well to link the two, even if that wasn't Lloyd Webber's intention.

Of the actors, Phantom understudy Tam Mutu really stood out. His stunning vocals and wonderful acting cannot be faulted - his singing brought a tingle and a shiver to the spine. Although from all accounts usual lead Ramin Karimloo is excellent, Mutu more than measured up to him in all departments. Joseph Millson, too, impressed as Raoul, managing to make the behaviour of this now-aggressive, alcoholic man understandable (after all, wouldn't you turn to drink if you knew that your wife really loved another?).

Also worthy of mention was the child (possibly Tyler Fagan) playing Gustave, Christine Daae's son. It must be hard to find young boys able to meet the demands of this music and libretto (incidentally, I stick by my assertion that Ben Elton should never be let near a keyboard, ever), but he managed it terrifically. Boggess, meanwhile, charmed and hit insanely high notes with panache, but the plethora of notes up at the top end of the scale did mean that her words were often inaudible - not really her fault, though.

While Summer Strallen alternately annoyed and impressed as Meg Giry, unfortunately Liz Robertson's vocals as Mme. Giry failed to impress, while the trio of Niamh Perry, Adam Pearce and Jamie Reid-Quarrell as Fleck, Squelch and Gangle also grated - Perry's vocals were too nasal and Pearce's too weak. However, these being smaller roles, the show came out relatively unscathed. What a nice surprise - do go and see this, but see Phantom first.

Review: The Man (Finborough Theatre)

2010-05-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

The Man is one of those plays that you walk into not really knowing what to expect. Joy abounds, therefore, upon discovering a beautifully characterised slice of London life that drags you from laughter to sorrow within an exceedingly short space of time.

Ben Edwards lives a stressful life. He has to fill in his tax return for the first time and is visibly unable to cope with it. The mere thought of it breaks him out in a sweat, his muscles tense and he shakes with fear. He calls the tax helpline and ends up in a series of silly conversations with one of their advisers, gradually getting to know her as he works his way through the form.

The audience hold receipts signifying moments in Ben's life, meaning that the order of how we get to know Ben changes nightly. While this isn't a life-changing play, when your receipt is picked and Ben (played on this occasion by Samuel Barnett) looks into your eyes to tell you this story, it is all too easy to forget this is acting.

Barnett is a wonderful actor, able to hit both the comic and dramatic notes with ease. He is a sympathetic actor, able to squeeze every emotional point out of the material without overplaying either the script or his own performance. Lizzy Watts, while slightly frustratingly disembodied, did well as the patient Lisa, guiding tentative Ben through his issues.

Playwright James Graham, who also wrote the Bush's The Whisky Taster, also starring Barnett, is clearly a keen observer of human life, able to mould experience into words beautifully. The conclusion is annoyingly short and frustrating, but otherwise this really is a little gem amidst the dross often seen in fringe theatre.

Finally, would a HMRC representative be quite so open and friendly in real life? I suspect not. But that's another question for another day.

Review: Spamalot (Touring - New Wimbledon Theatre)

2010-05-31T13:49:00.001-07:00

Please be aware that this review is of a first preview - things will naturally tighten up as the cast become settled in their performances

Eric Idle's new tour of Spamalot is all kinds of fun. Zippier than the West End version and chockfull of topical jokes and fun rewrites, Idle has pared down the ensemble to just four boys and four girls, sped up the pace and even given himself a video cameo role.

As King Arthur, Marcus Brigstocke is surprisingly good. His singing voice, while not quite on par with some of his knights, is still perfectly respectable and his comedy background serves him well in Arthur's more snarky moments. Jodie Prenger, too, as the Lady Of The Lake, shows her physical comedy chops are well honed as she 'overacts like hell' during her appearances on stage, visibly buzzing to the extent that her hat fell off during one scene. If she's not quite Sara Ramirez vocally, she more than makes up for it with her fun goofiness and silly asides.

As Sir Galahad, Avenue Q's Simon Lipkin is almost unrecognisable. He acquits himself in 'The Song That Goes Like This', showing his powerful vocals off to great satisfaction, but is woefully underused for the rest of the show. Samuel Holmes, fresh from the Union's all-male Pirates Of Penzance, also does a sterling job as musical theatre-loving Sir Robin, squeezing every ounce of comedy out of the thoroughly rewritten 'You Won't Succeed'.

Although David Langham is not quite effete enough as Herbert, he does a wonderful job of swapping between characters with little time to spare. He is more than matched talent-wise by Graham Macduff's fantastically aggressive skinhead Sir Lancelot. Macduff (who is shorter than Langham, making it a touch odd for Sir Lancelot to call Herbert 'little'!) pulls off both uber-macho and camp, though more work is needed to build chemistry between himself and Langham.

All in all, this is a sharply choreographed, fairly family-friendly and thoroughly enjoyable night out at the theatre. It's a little overly toned down set-wise due to the demands and cost of a tour and Idle's replacement of John Cleese as God with himself doesn't really work. There are also moments where a missing prop causes problems - mentioning 'pushing the pram' without one appearing, for instance, leaves the moment lacking something - but these are very minor quibbles. This is a great touring show worthy of full houses across the UK.

Review: London Assurance (Olivier, National)

2010-05-19T04:57:00.001-07:00

London Assurance is undoubtedly one of the silliest plays you'll see this season. A revival of Boucicault's 17th century comic romp, it provides a breath of fresh, non-darkly dramatic air in an intriguingly mixed season for the National. Centred around Sir Harcourt Courtly and his son's love affairs, it sees the pair go from the town to the country, fall in love and lust and generally have an utterly silly time. There's even a deliberately unconvincing case of mistaken identity - oh, and a wind-up rat. You couldn't make it up.

Simon Russell-Beale provides much of the humour as the ridiculously pompous Sir Harcourt. His bulk provides a fair few jokes, as does his outrageous attire, while Russell-Beale's balletic movement and constantly rolling eyes land him on just the right side of camp. He is balanced marvellously by a snortingly wonderful Fiona Shaw as Lady Gay Spanker, a rather crazy hunting type who allows Sir Harcourt to pursue her, even though she has no intention of leaving her husband Adolphus (an underused but fun Richard Briers).

Paul Ready as son Charles, who has been lying to his father about his real personality and behaviour for many years, was wonderfully verbose and totally oblivious. He skilfully bounded between Charles' fake persona of nerdy and unsociable to his overly fluffy but naughty reality. It is a pity that he was not better served by love interest Grace, played with a little too much awareness by Michelle Terry. Although Grace is meant to be aware of Charles' yearnings and although there is many a fourth-wall-breaking moment, Terry seemed a little too exasperated, slightly overplaying all her interactions. Thankfully she was offset by Matt Cross' lying, cheating Dazzle, who inveigled his way into the family despite not knowing a soul.

Meanwhile, Nick Sampson was in fine form as servant Cool, whose acidic asides and sneery manner worked well, especially in his scene with lawyer Meddle (Tony Jayawardena), who came off rather weakly, his jokes really not hitting home with the audience, who seemed to prefer the more physical comedy of Russell-Beale and Shaw. This is a charming, hilarious and utterly bonkers play that should be caught if possible.

Review: Enron (Noel Coward Theatre)

2010-05-12T03:40:00.001-07:00

Having shuttered after just a week of shows in New York, Enron is still going strong in the country in which it was conceived and devised. Having just announced an extension until August 8 and with a national tour on the cards, many Brits find it hard to understand what the Americans did not like about this intellectual, satirical play. It's not really that much of a surprise, though, considering that it takes a long, hard look at American economic and political activity and comes up having found a great deal of corruption and not much else. Too many home truths for our Yankee buddies, methinks.

Although accents were variable throughout, the core point of the play was well-made and the explanation of how it fraudulently built its own stock up and then manipulated the markets were well-explained for a novice audience. In the lead roles of Skilling and Fastow, Samuel West and Tom Goodman-Hill were somewhat surprisingly sympathetic. The former played Skilling as a genius raised beyond his expectations, where his lack of people skills was completely exposed and as a man struggling along, trying to help the company he loved survive, even though that necessitated the use of illegal and awful behaviours to do so.

Goodman-Hill, on the other hand, gave financial whiz Andy Fastow a good touch of inferiority complex in his excellently nuanced portrayal. Even the way he moved gave the impression that Fastow felt he was inferior and wanted to please on an almost constant basis. Although his promotion to Chief Financial Officer brought him more confidence, in moments where he shared the stage with 'Lay' and 'Skilling', Goodman-Hill effectively conveyed his essential inadequacy.

As an amalgamation of female Enron executives, Amanda Drew was just fine, though given far too little to do. Although character Claudia Roe was just as unsympathetic in terms of her corporate single-mindedness as the men, she provided a good foil for their excessive behaviour with her choice to quit the company instead of allowing herself to be used as a pawn for the men's actions, which would eventually land them in jail.

The songs and dance routines that peppered this production may seem like an odd choice for a serious play about the Enron crisis but they were so cleverly done and to such a high standard that they integrated perfectly with the occasionally over-long and overly complicated monologues that were spread throughout. The satirical use of Siamese twins to represent Lehman Brothers, the blind mice in the boardroom and the small child asking 'why' all contributed towards a production that encapsulates everything Brits like - a bit of music, a bit of satire, some serious, intellectual talk all meshed into one great play.

Review: Jersey Boys (Prince Edward Theatre)

2010-05-12T03:01:00.001-07:00

What to say about Jersey Boys, the Frankie Valli musical with a heart of Four Seasons music and a wont to tell the story of the group from beginning to end in almost excessive detail? This is the problem, for while you wouldn't call it 'bad', it's certainly not anything exceptional and it doesn't necessitate excesses of emotion either way, apart from when listening to the stunning vocals of all four leading men.

As Frankie Valli, Jye Frasca is just the right age and had just the right vocal sound and strength to support his interpretation of Valli's life. While he was not helped by some rather uneven sound levels, Frasca's voice was certainly pure and powerful enough to command attention. At an astounding thirty, he somehow looked young enough to be realistic as a teenager (yes, I'm looking at you, Ryan Molloy) yet was able to pull off an older look too.

Jon Boydon as Tommy DeVito showcased staggeringly good vocals along with an interestingly likeable interpretation of aggressive, addicted DeVito. While DeVito's gambling habit eventually put the group in jeopardy, seeing him move to Las Vegas in order to pay off his debts, the twinkle in Boydon's eye convinced you he was not a bad man after all, while his sharp, high-quality dancing also endeared.

Eugene McCoy as Nick Massi and Stephen Ashfield as Bob Gaudio also impressed with their solid vocals and acting - comedic for the former, serious for the latter. Ashfield has been in the show for two years but shows no signs of wear and tear. His portrayal was sweet and sincere and his character's relative innocence did not seem feigned. Simon Adkins, too, was an unexpected stand-out as manager Bob Crewe, bringing a slick feyness to the man who co-wrote hits like Sherry and Big Girls Don't Cry.

While Jersey Boys is nothing inspirational, it is certainly an educational evening out. Designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator to some extent, it is an unsurprisingly easy paint-by-numbers watch, but a fun one at that. The talent on show and the wonderful music showcased should be enough to get you buying a ticket, but don't expect Sondheim.

Review: Dirty White Boy (Trafalgar Studios)

2010-05-05T03:48:00.001-07:00

Dirty White Boy was the name of a clothes shop in the heart of Soho, on Old Compton Street. Its owner, Clayton Littlewood, kept a diary of his time there, which first became a book, now a stage show. This three-hander, starring David Benson and newcomer Alexis Gerred, covers the three years Littlewood spent running the shop, but, though occasionally engaging, it feels more like a series of sketches than a proper play.

Littlewood is clearly a talented writer and able to conjure up interesting images of the area he knows so well and the people he encountered during that time. Some of the lines he comes up with - particularly in relation to Soho instutitions such as The Stockpot - are exquisitely funny, and some of his characters, like transsexual Angie, are brilliantly written.

However, he is not an actor, nor a natural public speaker, and is prone to fits of giggles when he should stay stoic and also to mouthing Benson's lines while waiting for his own cue. This really detracts from the strength of the production. He also fails to convince in any moment where he veers away from straightforward narration. An actor could have done so much more with these stories.

Gerred also struggles due to the patchiness of the material and is only briefly able to show off his dramatic versatility. His vocal skills are not quite strong enough for the pop numbers that tie the vignettes togther; when he attempts the high notes things get a little strained.

Thankfully, veteran David Benson manages to hold the piece together with his myriad interpretations of Littlewood's characters. He displays a real variety of voices and accents: playing both sides of an elderly gay couple, a Diana Ross impersonator called Chico, and a bailiff. Benson is a witty actor able to show nuance within even the briefest of character sketches, and the show benefits hugely from his steadying presence.

Dirty White Boy is not quite a vanity project, but its appeal is likely to be limited to people who are familiar with that particular Soho scene.

Review: History Boys (New Victoria, Woking)

2010-05-05T03:47:00.000-07:00

When the History Boys originated at the National Theatre in 2004, it was phenomenally successful. Its then-cast have now become household names (James Corden and Dominic Cooper), steadily working actors (Samuel Barnett and Jamie Parker) and the film version of the production has retained some truly special performances on celluloid forever. While it is often bad form to mention previous productions in such glowing terms before launching into somewhat of a pan, in this case it's more than necessary.

You see, while this is not the same production produced at the National, you'd hardly know it. The cast of this co-production between West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Theatre Royal Bath appear handpicked in order to maintain a similarity to the original cast. Rob Delaney as Scripps is almost a dead-ringer for Jamie Parker, who originated the role, while James Byng's vocal inflections reflect spotlessly the way original Posner Samuel Barnett, currently strutting his stuff in Women Beware Women, speaks. Penny Beaumont is a plausible Mrs Lintott, though again far too similar to Frances De La Tour for comfort, while the worst offender is Ben Lambert as Irwin, who could quite easily make a living as a Stephen Campbell Moore impersonator.

This is not to say that these actors are bad at what they do; there are some fun moments in this production and all have strong singing voices. The problem is that we've seen this all before, and done so exquisitely well that any attempt at recreation will naturally fall short. When things don't match up, it's too obvious. The Brief Encounter impersonation falls far short, while Christopher Keegan's Timms is half-hearted and over-acted. The songs, too, are simply sung, rather than felt.

It's a real pity that director Christopher Luscombe has chosen to go in this direction. Most of the cast are talented young actors who have long futures in the industry ahead of them. While they have not disgraced themselves in this production - indeed, the audience greatly enjoyed it - it is impossible to become passionate about something that is simply a half-hearted carbon copy of a thrillingly wonderful original.

A lame lack of posts

2010-05-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry for not keeping this as updated as I had planned throughout April. A new job has taken up literally all my time and I have not been going to the theatre half as much as usual. Hopefully things should resolve. Time for a reboot anyway - I haven't been fulfilling my remit of talking about exciting and unknown actors, so will be doing more of that over the coming months!

Review: Little Gem (Bush Theatre)

2010-04-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

Elaine Murphy's Little Gem is a celebration of all the women she has worked with over her career.

The play charts the lives of three different generations of the same family, taking in unexpected pregnancies, the death of a loved one and the blooming of new relationships. The three women never interact, instead they speak in monologues, a series of bittersweet vignettes.

The way Murphy has structurd the piece, having the three women address the audience rather than each other, can feel limiting. But her ability to build dramatic tension and to write scenes full of wry humour is clear.

It helps that the play is blessed with a sterling trio of performances. This is very much an actor's piece, full of emotional highs and lows. As grandmother Kay, Anita Reeves sparkles; her character gets the funniest lines and her monologues veer from the hilarious to the heartrending. Her pain as she recounts her loss is palpable, yet Reeves never overplays it.

Amelia Crowley, as Kay's daughter Lorraine, also impresses, bringing out a real sense of conflict within the character; Lorraine is a worn-down and hard done by woman who really just wants to be loved by a good man and Crowley's delivery is tinged with genuine melancholy.

Sarah Greene is, for the most part, beautiful and believable as the teenage Amber. She brings a real sense of pathos to her character's rawer moments, though her tendency to over-enunciate and over-emphasise detracts from the power of her performance.

Little Gem is not a groundbreaking piece of writing, nor is it particularly enthralling, but it is a well-played and nicely nuanced work. Conventional and even a little plodding in the way it is presented, it nonetheless leaves its audience a little bit heartbroken, if also somewhat weary.

Review: Kursk (Maria Studio, Young Vic)

2010-04-04T09:55:00.001-07:00

Sound & Fury's Kursk is what they call immersive theatre. From the moment you walk into the Young Vic's Maria Studio, you are ensconsced in the world of the submarine. As audience members are herded around and down the metal stairs, you begin to feel a sense of claustrophobia. This is only heightened by the sharp sounds issuing from unknown areas, crew members pushing past you and the dark lighting that characterises this play.

Kursk is only tangentially about the doomed Russian submarine, rather choosing to tell the story of a British submarine crew, their journey to the Barens sea and their (fictional and brief) interaction with the Kursk. Although the script is a little detail-heavy for non-seafarers, the sense of community and companionship created by months spent with the same small crew is perfectly realised. The men banter, wrangle and work, many moments of seriousness only leavened by the occasional masturbation joke and a few brief, mundane letters from home.

When things finally come crashing down for one crew member towards the end, the group connection has developed to such an extent that your heart can't help hitching a beat. However, while many critics have lauded the piece, it feels like far more of a character study than a rounded play, and as such, while you can empathise with the men, the story itself is too bitty and lacking. The connection to the Kursk, its last few moments and the resulting emotional fallout for the men on board could be much more strongly emphasised - the few words we hear from the Russians are heart-rending, but deserve more focus.

Review: Hair (Gielgud Theatre)

2010-04-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

The latest tenant of the Gielgud Theatre is hippie musical Hair. Arriving complete with the majority of its original Tony-award winning cast, it seems ready to revitalise the West End with its own particular brand of interactive American funtimes. The story centres around the whims and woes of Claude, stuck at the centre of a group of draft-evading, drugged-up hippies. Claude wants to be like his friends, but his sense of duty and pressure from his parents sees him become increasingly conflicted over the right course to take.

Although the narrative is slim at best, the uniformly excellent American cast made the most of it in this first preview performance. The show is extremely interactive - any innocent audience member may find a cast member planting a great big kiss on his lips or dancing with her during an inopportune return from the toilet. Flowers are handed out, as are propaganda posters, while the cast steadily belt out songs both familiar and less so, such as 'Aquarius' and 'Let The Sunshine In'.

Gavin Creel and Will Swenson sparkled in the lead roles of Claude and best friend Berger. Although Swenson is visibly far too old for the role of a teenager, his charisma and habitation of the character take attention away from this in a rather magnificent way. As Mick Jagger obsessive Woof, new tribe member Luther Creek also shone, reaching beautiful high notes with ease. This also stood for everyone from Sasha Allen, who belted out Aquarius with verve, to Caissie Levy's slightly desperate Sheila, love interest for both the boys. Darius Nichols amused as Hud with his deep tones and sexual magnetism, but the main attraction was Andrew Kober's hilarious Margaret Mead, whose fourth-wall breaking scene-stealing moment is something you will never forget.

Although the slim story is forced to an overly speedy conclusion, and the disorienting nature of the scene changes, lighting and cast interaction can confuse, the show felt fresh, fun, thrilling and powerful. Although the cast have already played the roles for a year, and are clearly well settled in, it felt like a brand new show, possibly thanks to the rejigging they'll have to do to in the face of British audiences. Hair may have been around since the '60s, but there's nothing stale about this revival.

Oliviers coverage - a round up!

2010-03-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

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

Top ten moments from the Oliviers 2010

2010-03-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

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.

Musical theatre videos of the week (drag theme!)

2010-03-19T18:07:00.001-07:00

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:

Review: The Sanctuary Lamp (Arcola Theatre)

2010-03-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

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

Review: Eigengrau (Bush Theatre)

2010-03-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

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

Review: Random (Royal Court at Elephant and Castle)

2010-03-12T07:54:00.001-08:00

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

Exclusive: Ghosts gets its notice

2010-03-06T13:43:00.001-08:00

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!

Review: Return (Battersea Arts Centre)

2010-03-05T04:48:00.000-08:00

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.

Review: 11 + 12 (Barbican)

2010-02-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

Oh dear. This was not the most successful of theatre-going evenings. Perhaps it's a snobby point of view, but the Barbican seems to often programme rather more 'worthy' pieces that appeal to a specific kind of theatregoer, such as Peter Brooke's rather over-hyped 11 + 12, which takes Amadou Hampâté Bâ's look at a prayer said either 11 or 12 times and sees how this causes deep divisions between Muslim sects in Africa. Adapted into English by Marie-Hélène Estienne, 100 minutes of this piece felt like watching a book of fables come to life.

Incredibly gentle, placid and slow-moving thanks to Brook's direction, the actors utilised the set well to tell their story, moving a sparse array of objects into different positions to signify differing landscapes. Particularly effective was the use of a sheet to signify a boat crossing a river, while Tunji Lucas as our narrator and protagonist provided a cheery, expressive presence, though his tendency to pronounce 'ask' as 'arx' did break his accent out of the realistic. Meanwhile, Toshi Tsuchitori's music provided a perfect accompaniment. Performing onstage meant you were constantly aware of his presence, but somehow he blended in, never jarring, his music complementing the production perfectly.

The problem with 11 + 12 is that the hour and a half (and a bit more) come to an end without much resolution. It's an interesting subject to look at - an incredibly divisive one that sees characters Tierno Bokar and Cherif Hamallah torn apart by their religious belief - but not one that is given any resolution. We move through scenes without ever really connecting with the characters, there is a lack of depth and drama to some extent and the audience is left in that awkward situation of being unsure whether the play has finished, leaving a big gap before applause starts (not because they're so drawn into the piece). It promises much but delivers little.

Review: Off The Endz (Royal Court)

2010-02-21T15:26:00.001-08:00

There is no doubt that Bola Agbaje is a talented writer with a great future ahead of her, but although her writing is funny and incisive, it fails to make a deeper emotional impact. Previous creation Detaining Justice took an important topic and created what felt more like a series of sketches rather than a truly hard-hitting play, while her most recent work, Off The Endz, is extremely witty but fails to say anything particularly interesting.

Agbaje's strength lies in her ability to understand small segments of the community. Her language is realistic and cutting, her situations all too familiar. In Off The Endz, we see the return of chaotic David into polite society after a spell in jail. David, played with attack by a darkly funny Ashley Walters, comes back into his friend Kojo's life and creates disorder and drama where previously there was none. David has no understanding of normal life, he lives according to his own rules and sucks businessman Kojo (a strong Daniel Francis), who, along with partner Sharon (an under-utilised Lorraine Burroughs), has been trying to help David live a better life, further into his life of crime.

This kind of writing is a positive thing for the Royal Court, as it attracts a whole new audience - both age and ethnicity-wise. Agbaje's reputation has grown massively over the past year and her writing talent is certainly not to be sniffed at, but still it feels as if something is missing from her work. There's no massive shock to round her arcs off, nothing particularly new being said - Agbaje writes about the world she knows and understands, but a little too intimately to make it a truly thrilling visit for a theatre-goer.

While all concerned created good work with somewhat unexciting material, the real stand-out here was the set. Designed by the highly experienced Ultz, who has worked with Boy Blue and on Da Boyz, it utilised fluorescent graffiti against a white surface to truly stunning effect, while the thumping music, composed by the wonderful Sophie Solomon, blended well with the dark nature of the story. Gorgeous though both these elements were, it's not really a fantastic thing when the set and music completely overpower the words. Something to cogitate on for next time, perhaps.

This review originally appeared on Broadwayworld

Review: A Man Of No Importance (Arts Theatre)

2010-02-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

A Man Of No Importance, telling the tale of Dubliner Alfie Byrne, who works as a bus conductor but aspires to greater dramatic possibilities, is the first Union Theatre show to transfer into town, and is emblematic of the high quality the Union expects from its productions. Although the show is clearly underwritten for the majority of characters and while something undefinable is lost as the show moves from from the wonderful intimacy of the Union to the rather larger and rather more uncomfortable Arts, the show is still able to stand up straight on its own merits - the great songs and strong casting.

In the lead role of Alfie, Paul Clarkson is simply wonderful. He has a truly warm quality to his acting that means his chemistry was strong with everyone at all points, whether interacting with bus driver Robbie (Patrick Kelliher) or new girl Adele (Roisin Sullivan). He is the glue holding the production together, bringing pathos and humour to Alfie, who has bumbled his way through life without ever really showing his true self, rather choosing to focus on others.

Kelliher, too, is a delight to watch, and while his vocals can at times seem more pop than musical theatre, he hit his high notes with alacrity in the gorgeous 'Streets Of Dublin' and managed to build a strong and believable friendship between Robbie and Alfie. Sullivan, who looked almost ethereal in Adele's floral dress and beige heels, handled the underwritten Adele's dramatic scenes with ease and maturity, sparkled when on stage and more than convinced of the peculiar balance between innocent and secretive that her conflicted character demands.

Unfortunately, Joanna Nevin as Alfie's strict Catholic sister Lily seemed well out of her vocal comfort zone when shooting up the octave, and also somewhat overplayed the comic elements of her scenes. Dieter Thomas as the charismatic Breton Beret didn't quite hit the mark for some of the audience, who saw comedy in what were meant to be far more dramatically charged scenes witH Clarkson, but he soon redeemed himself with his smooth vocals.

Meanwhile, the rest of the ensemble ably supported with lovely harmonies and nice comic nuances, eliciting a vocal standout from Barra Collins (Sully O'Hara) and a comic one from the brilliant Jamie Honeybourne (Ernie Lally). While A Man Of No Importance could benefit from some tightening (possible) and better writing for some of the characters (not going to happen), it is a sweet, compelling piece that more than deserved its transfer and will hopefully bring a new audience to the Union.

This review was first published on Broadwayworld: West End

Review: Jerusalem (Apollo Theatre)

2010-02-09T11:59:00.001-08:00

If you missed Jerusalem first time round at the Royal Court, fear not, for it has returned in rude health to the Apollo Theatre in London's not-so-glittering West End. Starring Mark Rylance as Johnny, Mackenzie Crook as mate Ginger and a whole wonderful host of Wiltshire accent-sporting actors besides, the audience sees a day or two in the life of Johnny Byron, who lives a determined, drunken lifestyle in a caravan in the Wiltshire woods, surrounded by ne'er-do-wells and young'uns who know no better than to hang out with Johnny, a self-styled hero of the 'Shire. After years of threats, the council have finally decided to evict Johnny from his home, but he doesn't seem to care one jot. Amongst all of this, the disappearance of a young girl, Phaedra, wends its merry way through the text until the climax.

Rylance more than justifies his recent Olivier nomination for the role. He is an incredibly versatile actor, without doubt one of the best working in the UK today, and certainly worthy of the nomination for this. He is barely recognisable from his role as Hamm in Beckett's Endgame, in which he recently starred, moving easily from stiff, well-spoken and withdrawn pessimist in that play to bumbling, drug-addled tramp in this. Watching this tour de force of a performance leaves one wishing it had been possible to catch him many years ago in Propeller's all-male Twelfth Night, where he played Olivia opposite Eddie Redmayne's Viola. Weep.

Mackenzie Crook, too, more than justifies the plaudits he has won for his transition from TV and film to stage. He is clearly a gifted comic actor, but also displays an unexpected talent for rap, alongside an unexpected reticence that means his performance is well-rounded and enjoyable. Tom Brooke is also strong - his weak-willed, whizz-obsessed Lee is worryingly sympathetic despite his many faults and has a fantastic entrance that hasn't been bettered by many plays. Meanwhile, Brooke himself has a wonderfully juddery, sweet quality to his acting that, like Robin Whiting in An Inspector Calls, makes you want to come back and watch exactly what he's doing, even when the 'main' characters are busy acting on the other side of the stage.

Barry Sloane as the dark, angry Troy Whitworth impressed with his raw physicality and intensity, as did Alan David's dappy, hilarious Professor, but others, such as Jessica Barden's Pea, and Charlotte Mills' Tanya, teetered dangerously on the edge of 'showing their work'. Their facial expressions did not ring true and you didn't feel as if they were fully immersed. This is probably down to youth - but even so, the last thing an audience wants is to see someone visibly acting. No joins should be shown. Other characters, like Danny Kirrane's two-faced fool Danny, were promising but felt under-utilised in the end.

Indeed, the play itself lapses somewhat in the third act, as if it's had a hit of whizz and lost its way. While the ending is shocking and affecting to many, it all seems a bit sudden - more could have been made of this. But this is not to do the show down. It runs at over three hours, yet it flew by, and thinking that MORE time could have been spent on fleshing out the final indignities is surely a positive thing for writer Jez Butterworth. He has created a cleverly subversive world that we all know exists but that we simply don't want to admit to.

Review: Early Bird (Finborough Theatre)

2010-02-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

Early Bird, part of the Finborough's season of new plays, is a deeply unsettling, claustrophobic 70 minutes of theatre.

From the moment you walk into the theatre - which designer takis has staged in-the-round, allowing for the accommodation of just 30 theatregoers at a time - and take in the great glass box containing the shut-in actors in the centre of the room, you know this is not going to be an easy ride.

Leo Butler's play was always going to be a difficult ask - it's a piece about the disappearance of a child - but in the hands of Catherine Cusack and Alex Palmer, the two actors charged with showing us the aftermath of this terrible situation, it becomes aggressive, ambiguous and intensely creepy.

They play Debbie and Jack, a seemingly ordinary couple suddenly immersed deep in a traumatic incident. Donnacadh O’Briain's production uses jagged inserts of noise and music, exploiting the confines of their observational prison to the full, and there's not a laugh in this piece as both monologue for dear life, occasionally peering straight at audience members with a piercing gaze.

The way the pair play the story deliberately leaves everything up for debate. What actually happened to Kimberley, the aforementioned child? Did the child really disappear? Did she exist in the first place? Does Jack even exist? Or perhaps Debbie is the figment of imagination in Jack's twisted mind – it's impossible to tell.

By keeping the cast down to just two actors, the audience is subjected to searingly awkward moments as each actor impersonates the lost child – particularly so when Ryan turns into Kimberley, his body language shifting quite strikingly as Cusack tickles his sturdy frame.

Clever moments abound, such as when Jack fakes out the audience by implying sexual abuse of his child but then reveals that in fact he's committed nothing of the sort. Butler's writing is intriguing, if sometimes overly repetitive, and ultimately unfulfilling.

Reading in the programme that Palmer and Cusack are a real-life married couple, it is a pity, if not wholly surprising, that the chemistry between the two seemed somewhat lacking. While both were able to summon up deep reserves of anger, they failed to connect on any other level. Their cuddles and singing scenes seemed forced, their affection unreal.

It must be difficult to play something this dark with your real partner, and neither actor managed to take themselves over the boundary in this instance. This is, it goes without saying, not the lightest of nights out, although the brevity of the play does mean you'll be able (and will need) to wind down with a glass or two afterwards.

This review was originally published on www.musicomh.com

Review: Red (Donmar Warehouse)

2010-02-07T08:41:00.001-08:00

With its recent announcement of a Broadway transfer and some rave word-of-mouth, you would expect Red to sizzle and snap, but instead it flails and fades away, making little impact on the psyche. Its lack of focus does make one wonder whether its transfer is simply down to a generous financial backer and the expectation that a New York audience is likely to take to the story of Rothko and his assistant more than a London crowd, because the story simply doesn't seem strong enough to stand up to scrutiny.

Eddie Redmayne sparkled as Ken, Rothko's new assistant, brought in to help the artist as he painstakingly creates his series of Seagram murals, destined to hang on the walls of the Four Seasons restaurant in New York. Although somewhat of a device to allow Rothko to postulate endlessly about himself, Redmayne imbued his character with real joie de vivre, depth and heart, coming into his own after he and Alfred Molina as Rothko gave into their urges and aggressively painted a canvas in an almost-sexual fashion.

Molina gave a strong performance as Rothko, carefully balancing the anger, pathos and internalised pain of the increasingly conflicted Rothko, easily expressing his self-absorption, likely brought on by depression. There was a lack of connection here - not between the two leads, who bonded well and gave good emotional output, but between Molina and the audience.

It is not the fine performances at fault here, but the material. A play that only really gets interesting more than half-way through (this is a 90-minute play with no interval) is simply not acceptable. Long, rambling monologues passed by without making any impact, while other jokes flew over the head of those not au fait with the world of art. While some of the lighting (such as that on the painting, and the cleverly placed lights behind the boards that keep all natural light out from Rothko's studio) worked well, the decision to keep the audience in the dim for much of the show, complete with a lacking script, contributed to a deep sense of exhaustion and maybe even boredom.

While the faults in this show lie mainly with the writer, it is clear that Rothko himself wasn't the nicest of folks and this, too, creates a slight struggle with the audience. As Redmayne's contribution only builds an hour in, the audience became all too aware of the selfishness and crassness that Rothko frequently exhibited, never caring about his issues but only caring about himself, but which isn't sufficiently balanced by Redmayne, despite best efforts. Here's hoping, like Little Dog Laughed, it plays better elsewhere.

The brilliance of understudy runs

2010-02-07T08:14:00.001-08:00

Oh my god. How did I not know about understudy runs before last week? Well, as a relatively recent convert to the full-on joy of theatre it's probably not that surprising, but now that I do know I know I'll be attending many more.

Written into many performers' contracts, understudy runs aren't a rehearsal, they aren't just one person getting to play the part they might play if someone gets sick, this is a full-on, everyone chipping in, proper professional performance of a show. They're an exciting opportunity for the audience to see what a different cast can bring to a show, for the cast to play out the entire piece they've been rehearsing for an audience, usually for the very first time, and for agents and casting directors to get a good look at the actor for possibly the only time in a run.

Understudy runs are completely free - the only requirement is knowing when and where to turn up. They're not publicised, hence why I only just discovered them, and are usually around matinee time on a non-matinee day, but they occur regularly in the West End and on Broadway, it seems. A while back, actor Matt Ryan spoke to WalesOnline about his performance in Hamlet as Horatio and about understudying for Jude Law. He called understudy runs like "putting someone else's jacket on" and said it was "strange but brilliant" to do an understudy run.

I was lucky enough to see Six Degrees Of Separation on Friday after discovering the concept through Facebook. It's a show I'd been pondering seeing but due to mixed reviews hadn't got around to booking for. I wasn't sure what to expect, and it did take some time to get going, but overall I had a really enjoyable time. It was very funny, quite dark in places and kept the attention well. While it's frustrating that there were no programmes available in order to figure out exactly who was who, the cast's dedication and hard work cannot be faulted. It would be unfair to review the performance due to this, so I'm afraid you won't be getting any more than that on the show.

Indeed, seeing a show with an audience who are all simply there for the performers, who are mostly theatre people so know exactly how to behave in a theatre and who provide exactly the right amount of appreciation is a real thrill, and not one that usually occurs. All the understudies were just as polished and professional as those actually cast in the parts, bringing real humour and depth to their characters. There were no caricatures, and this is borne out by the strong audience reaction and feedback on the Facebook group - words of praise included 'excellent' and 'brilliant'.

Check out the Understudy Runs In The West End group for further information.

Little Dog Laughed (Garrick Theatre)

2010-01-31T11:59:00.001-08:00

Brace yourselves, for here comes a little bit of flail pre-review. Prediction: Harry Lloyd will, one day, be very famous. Hopefully. Lloyd stands out magnificently, but not overly, in everything he does. He brings nuance and soul to his performances, is equally attractive and chilling and exudes charisma from his every pore. Lloyd brightened up our TV screens as the snotty-then-evil Baines in Doctor Who, was the sole positive thing in a terrible Arcola production of Ghosts, gained numerous fans in Robin Hood and is currently baring his rather lovely bum to audience gasps in this rather insipid production of Little Dog Laughed. See him in whatever you can, whenever you can.

It's a real shame that the material doesn't stand up to the performances in Little Dog Laughed, for all in this production are strong performers with the ability to do a good job - that is, if they're given good enough words to play with. Gemma Arterton proves herself competent as Ellen, the sometimes girlfriend of Lloyd's rent boy Alex, but her character is so underwritten and under-realised that it's hard to come away with a lasting impression of anything other than a relatively pleasant performance. Meanwhile, Tamsin Greig is engaging as snappy, snarky agent Diane, but feels somewhat distanced from the action, utilised as a deux ex machina rather than a real fourth person blending into the action.

Rupert Friend blends the arrogance, loneliness and kindness of actor Mitchell (who is forced to hide his sexuality but who falls for Alex) rather well, and although he never gets the chance to develop their relationship, the seeds of a strong chemistry are well sown between him and Lloyd, who sparkles at every opportunity as he and Mitchell dance around each other throughout. Having said that, there aren't many of those opportunities, thanks to the superficial, over-the-top and often cliched writing from Douglas Carter Beane. Not only do the characters constantly break the fourth wall - not always an issue, but sufficiently irritating in this case - but when they do, they've not really got anything new to say. And the ending. Oh, the ending. Lame isn't the word, nor is ridiculous, but it doesn't fit well with the rest of the play and it lacks any real conviction.

The issue of hidden homosexuality in Hollywood is an incredibly interesting and still extremely valid one, but sadly Carter Beane completely fails to attack it with any real depth or integrity here.

Review: Trilogy (Battersea Arts Centre)

2010-01-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

It's hard to know what to expect from Trilogy. I suspect a great many of my fellow audience members didn't, either. All I had heard was that there would be naked ladies and this put me, the most self-conscious person in the world, immediately at unease. I thought that it would probably be cliched, that I wouldn't feel anything, that I would be embarrassed and that the nudity would just seem deposited in there to make a point. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong.

Women are all too often afraid to show their bodies, worrying instead about every minute aspect and about being viewed by others and this fear is what Trilogy reacts against so well. With the leads stripping off practically from the get-go after a kitsch but fun dance routine, it removes all boundaries as the audience is essentially asked to 'get over it' before the massive bevy of amazing volunteer dancers venture out onto the stage, pounding the floor and shaking every inch of themselves to the beat. It sounds odd, but it was instead extremely moving and empowering. These women simply did not care. Maybe they did in their real lives, but they'd managed to cast aside these worries for just a few moments to show that it really doesn't matter what you look like.

Somebody said, and it's a very apt point, that it's rare for a woman to see another naked woman, unless it's in porn, or in passing at the swimming pool. This gave the mainly female audience the opportunity to do so without judgement or fear, to finally be able to appreciate the varied ways women actually present without darted shirts and Spanx on - and which is why the conclusion of the third part of Trilogy was as moving as its opening, almost inspiring me to join in.

The dance sequences in the middle section, which looked at a 1971 conference on feminism, hosted by 'notorious misogynist Norman Mailer'. They didn't seem to fit with the message, lacking focus and variety, and in the final section there were a couple of misjudged moments - faking out the audience with a slightly worthy juxtaposition of 'comedy' ideas and serious crimes against women, as well as Laura's phone call to her mother moving from her mother speaking to Laura relaying her mother's words.

However, on the whole it was a very special, very interesting and very intriguing experience. It is a complete piece, though not perfect, but one that has struck a wonderful nerve with many women - and hopefully some men, too.

First published on Broadwayworld

Review: Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake (Sadler's Wells)

2010-01-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake is a very different proposition from your traditional telling of the tale. Described by the man himself as 'contemporary dance' rather than 'ballet', its use of an all-male corps de ballet (sorry, Matthew), modernising of the story and use of a variety of dance styles set it far apart from others in the same genre.

The first person in view as the curtain rose was the Prince, lying in bed and dreaming of the Swan. Performed enchantingly and convincingly by Dominic North at this performance (the performers alternate from night to night), his plight, forced into courtly behaviours, deprived of affection from his mother and unable to date who he wants, seemed all too real, knowing what we do about our own Royal family. North evoked such tremendous passion and angst in his Prince, his disdain for royal life clear but his love and adoration for the Swan all too real. By the conclusion of this sorry tale, your heart was in your throat - would the desperate, maddened Prince be allowed to be with his true love, the Swan?

Jonathan Ollivier's stunning portrayal of the Swan/Stranger is also one that will not be forgotten any time soon. He is a dancer of immense power and flexibility, but also a subtle and clever actor. His Swan was affectionate and attractive, while his Stranger was selfish, snobby and aggressive, sending the poor Prince into a frenzy of anger and confusion. While recent Swan Lakes have failed to capture the heart-in-mouth moment as the drama concludes, this one certainly managed it, thanks to the strong, exciting and beautiful performances of its two leads.

Meanwhile, Nina Goldman gave her Queen an icy demeanour that sent chills down the spine - you could understand why her son took to drink if she treated him so distantly - and the ensemble proved impressively versatile, adapting easily to all dance styles required. While the action lagged at moments - such as the various dances enacted at the party in Act III - and the Private Secretary felt a little underused, other moments, such as the Prince's descent into madness and his subsequent medical treatment, left you unable to breathe.

Furthermore, any shortcomings were more than made up for by the Swans, whose vacillation between horribly aggressive, murderous behaviour and graceful, beautiful dance transfixed. Although all gave good performances, of particular note are Jack Jones and Ben Bunce, both of whom impressed with their poise and strong lines.

This review originally appeared on Broadwayworld

Review: Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre)

2010-01-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

While it's not the most highbrow of pieces, there's no denying that Legally Blonde is chirpy, fun and full of laughs. Starring sitcom star Sheridan Smith (oh, the alliteration), We Will Rock You's Alex Gaumond and supported by Blue singer Duncan James, Doctor Who actor Peter Davison and actress Jill Halfpenny, this production doesn't stint for star names, even if they're not quite in the Keira Knightley stratosphere.

Telling the story of Elle Woods, who takes a somewhat implausible trip from Malibu to Harvard to follow her love, and along the way finds herself, Legally Blonde sticks pretty close to the popular film that accounts for much of the trade the show is doing. The songs are witty and lyrical, showcasing the vocal talents of various cast members, more than making up for the clunky shortcomings of the set and the repetitive sound issues that plagued the show the night we visited.

A versatile Smith impressed as Elle with her ability to play both humour and pathos without overdoing it, while James as former boyfriend Warner was enjoyable and sparky, if not in the same vocal league. Meanwhile, Gaumond and Halfpenny both did their roles (of love interest Emmett and friend and salon owner Paulette) proud, though projection was somewhat lacking. Sterling work from the ensemble, who impressed in group numbers including 'Ireland' and 'Is He Gay Or European?' The only dud was Davison, whose interpretation of Professor Callaghan seemed to be limited to blustering and singing off-key in his one solo ('Blood In The Water'), while the understudy for Kiki (normally played by the wonderful Darren Carnall) unfortunately mistimed his one line and was instead swamped by cheerleaders.

While Legally Blonde is not exactly revolutionary in its premise, it provides a welcome ray of sunshine in an all-too gloomy London theatre scene. Although it is not yet as polished as Priscilla or as blended as Hairspray, given time it should sort out its teething issues and develop into a bundle of joy that all the family - well, all the female members of the family - can enjoy.

Oh, and an honourable mention must go to the brilliant Chris Ellis-Stanton and his impeccable comic timing for singlehandedly reinvigorating the female population of London with the single line: "I've got a package" (critics who don't pay attention to names or actual lines, take note).

Musical theatre videos of the week

2010-01-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Bobby Steggert's snarky, gothy portrayal of Mordred in Camelot. Yum:

The wonderful Me And My Dick, from the writers of A Very Potter Musical. And yes, it's about exactly what you think it's about:

On Broadway, Memphis kidnap In The Heights lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda to ensure high revenues for their show (sorry about the size issue!):

Review: An Inspector Calls (Wyndhams Theatre)

2010-01-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

An Inspector Calls is undoubtedly a classic of the genre. JB Priestley's thrilling and allegorical play is still to be found on GCSE syllabi the nation over, and its recent West End transfer after a successful run at the Novello proves it's still popular - whether for nostalgic or study purposes.

Fielding a strong but not very starry cast, this revival of Stephen Daldry's production features a Blitz-like lower design complete with giant lamppost and extensive dry ice, as well as a dolls house on the upper level, into which the family are crammed into at the start of the play, slowly descending to earth as Inspector Goole questions them. While it starts sufficiently creepily, unfortunately the tension breaks early on - Nicholas Woodeson as the Inspector isn't particularly imposing either physically or verbally - and it is only upon his departure that it begins to build once more.

The final chunk of the play is satisfyingly eerie and thought-provoking, but although the design is undoubtedly beautiful and the lighting works well with Priestley's themes, the production is massively over-directed. The characters are terribly static, creating an emotional distance between them and the audience - something exacerbated further by the awkward use of levels. The music is also unnecessarily melodramatic, proving a distraction rather than a worthy addendum to the piece.

Thankfully, it's not all bad news. An Inspector Calls has managed to discover a wonderful new talent in Robin Whiting, as Eric Birling, one of the two emotional cores of the play. As Inspector Goole turns his attention to him, Whiting successfully conveys Eric's horror and the audience finds itself transfixed. Whiting, a recent RADA graduate, is immensely watchable, to the extent that you find yourself looking at him even when he's not involved in a scene, just to see how he reacts. His portrayal of Eric's violent anger and traumatised reaction was beautiful and horrifying.

Marianne Oldham also acquitted herself well as Sheila Birling. She has a quite ethereal yet sometimes harsh quality to her acting which is lovely to watch, and which played much better than David Roper's somewhat over-blustery Mr Birling or Sandra Duncan's regal, funny, but ultimately lacking Mrs Birling.

This is a very uneven production - great in some places, but dull in others. If Stephen Daldry had only let the actors have a little more leeway to make their own choices, perhaps this review would be a rave, but as it is - go for the nostalgia, but not for the tension.

Review round up: Jiggery Pokery, 1984, Cock (and a look forward to 2010)

2010-01-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long break - I have been distracted over the past month by real-life concerns, and somewhat uninspired by the productions I've seen, which were mainly at the Battersea Arts Centre. While Blind Summit's version of 1984 was brilliantly puppeteered and very impressive for its young audience, it failed to connect emotionally, which for me is the benchmark I need a production (unless it is absolutely meant to be abstract) to achieve for me to find it enjoyable.

In a similar tone, Amanda Lawrence's Jiggery Pokery was an impressive effort to portray the life of Charles Hawtrey in a one-woman, frenetic hour and a half, and while it had its moments, it again felt overloaded and somewhat superficial, as Lawrence never allowed a moment of reflection for the audience.

Although I also saw some better productions, such as Rope at the Almeida, I believe I may have been spoilt by the wondrous Cock, which I returned to (in the returns queue, no less) a couple of times. The writing is so perfectly shaped and the acting so stunning that I just couldn't get it out of my mind when seeing other shows.

So, 2010 is here, and what is there to look forward to? There's a fair amount. Judi Dench is reimagining (apparently) the role of Titania at the Rose Theatre in Kingston. While the RSC's fab version back in January played it more traditionally - and was wonderful for it - it will be interesting to see what Dench can bring to it. There's a production of Private Lives with Matthew Macfadyen (yes, he of Spooks and Pride & Prejudice) and the Broadway show Hair brings its mad energy but thin plotline to the Gielgud Theatre. What will happen to Avenue Q? Will it close or transfer again? We wait in anticipation...

Review: The Priory (Royal Court)

2009-11-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

Michael Wynne's latest play takes a topic most of us are all too familiar with - the trauma of New Year's Eve - as well as a bunch of well-observed characters and draws a funny, if confused, couple of hours from the premise. Set in a big old house in the middle of nowhere, six old 'friends' come together to celebrate, but as the night continues, secrets and tempers unravel and the air becomes ever more fraught.

Variously starring Rupert Penry-Jones as washed up actor Carl, the rather lovely Joseph Millson as gay architect Daniel and Jessica Hynes in a rather Norman Conquests-esque turn as writer Kate, who booked the house back in the spring when still with boyfriend Matthew, Wynne takes a sharp, clever look at the way pretentious, middle-class professionals behave and speak.

The writing sparkled, as did the acting - there isn't a weak link in this group. Millson came off best as sympathetic, lonely Daniel, whose dalliance with Adam (an under-used Nick Blood) ends in disaster when he only wants to hug and talk, rather than screw around. Penry-Jones, too, was a lot of fun, particularly in his interactions with snobby wife Rebecca (a sparky Rachael Stirling). Alistair McKenzie's turn as Ben, the travel writer who can't live without his iPhone (whoever thought an iPhone would become a crucial plot point in a play?), was really very funny, while Charlotte Riley as new girlfriend Laura sparkled, particularly when telling Daniel about her appreciation of "the gays". Riley is clearly an actress with range - her portrayal of Laura's breakdown in Act 2 elicited an en-masse gasp from the audience and immediate silence. While Laura's actions seemed out of nowhere at the time, thinking back, her behaviour clearly foreshadowed an eventual loss of control.

The problem with The Priory is that Wynne doesn't really seem to know what he wants his play to be. It's very funny, but it's not quite farce and it's unclear as to whether the thriller aspects (Laura keeps spotting a hooded man at the window) are meant to be hinting at a darker purpose or simply there to make the audience laugh. There are a fair few moments of dark drama as relationships fray, not all of which fit in with the general hilarity overshadowing most of the production, particularly towards the end. While it's an interesting character study and is well-written, it's also immensely frustrating, because you struggle to see the point Wynne is trying to make. Perhaps there isn't one. Perhaps that's the point?

The Priory will date very quickly, so see it while it and the topics it talks about are hot.

(First published on Broadwayworld)

Review: Last Five Years (Watford Pump House)

2009-11-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

If you're not from the area, Watford's a fairly long way to go for a fix of musical theatre, but this very professional production of Jason Robert Brown's Last Five Years was more than worth the trek. Starring Nadeem Crowe, who debuted this summer as Tank in Zanna, Don't! and actress Bobbie Chatt, it tells the story of Jamie and Cathy's marriage from beginning to end, complete with ups and downs. The twist here is that Jamie tells his story forward, while Cathy tells hers backwards. The two meet in the middle, and the audience is able to see both sides of their tale.

MD Simon Beck and orchestra performed Jason Robert Brown's score beautifully, throwing power into the necessary places and letting the acting take the front seat in others. With strong, sweeping crescendos sharply followed by lovely clashes, it was hard to keep focus on the performances at points whenever the evocative music swelled.

Both Chatt and Crowe acquitted themselves well, utilising a minimal set that helped focus attention on the story and the vocals. Chatt brought a huge amount of emotion to Cathy from start to finish, allowing the audience to sympathise with the character despite her clearly unstable and often selfish nature, while Crowe's delightful vocal took attention away from Jamie's similarly self-serving actions and put it firmly on his good points.

A hard musical to perform at the best of times, this show only ran for three days - it's a pity it couldn't work up the courage to try for a full week!

Review: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (Novello)

2009-11-23T13:10:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: The performance we saw was the open dress rehearsal, so please bear this in mind - plenty of things can change between a rehearsal and a 'proper' performance.

Brought over from New York with some of the original cast and a fair few newbies, this all-black Cat On A Hot Tin Roof filled the Novello space nicely with a comedic but slightly over-long version of the Tennessee Williams classic. Retaining the talents of the legendary James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad as Big Daddy and Big Momma, the production takes a pleasant meander through proceedings at the Pollitt estate in Mississippi. Brick and wife Maggie aren't getting on, Brick can't stop drinking, while brother Goober and wife Mae angle for the family fortune after the discovery that Big Daddy is dying of cancer.

Sanaa Lathan and Adrian Lester in the lead roles of Maggie The Cat and Brick portrayed the two's temperamental, somewhat lacking relationship well. Lathan's Maggie took up most of the first act with extensive, rambling, pointless speeches that merely got a grunt in response from Brick. As Maggie herself said, she just had to fill the silence. The allusion to Brick's possible homosexuality (with late friend Skipper) was the first thing to elicit a real, deep response from Brick, though it took a lot of hard work - too much, some would say - to get a true, deep response to the situation from him.

The supporting talents of Nina Sosanya as Mae and Peter de Jersey as Goober came off best in this production, their occasional catty, hilarious appearances breaking up Maggie's endless speeches and Brick's morose stage-hopping. While their roles were relatively small, the pair, who have masses of stage experience between them, unsurprisingly stole the show with their fantastic acting and wonderful chemistry.

At points, it was difficult to understand Rashad and Earl Jones, both of whom mumbled a fair few of their lines. This is something that really must be improved for a British audience, to whom the American accent is not natural - the stronger it gets, the harder it is to pick up if not enunciated well enough. However, Rashad's portrayal of the elderly Big Momma and her upset and trauma towards the end of the play was excellent, while Earl Jones' funny, naughty and life-experienced Big Daddy also came off well in his snappy interactions with Rashad, though he seemed a little all over the place when interacting with Lester. At some points, it was hard to tell whether he was acting or had simply forgotten his lines.

The main issue with Cat, and this is hopefully something that can be fixed during previews, is the length. With two acts plus a brief curtain-down halfway through the second act, it was running at three hours, a little too long to keep an audience's focus with material that, while interesting, isn't quite good enough to hold the attention for quite so long.

Review: Cock (Royal Court)

2009-11-23T11:27:00.000-08:00

Cock is amazing. There, joke out of the way in the very first sentence. But seriously, it actually is. There's something truly wonderful about intense, involved theatre where there are so few of you in the room and you're so close to the actors that you can't help but get completely sucked into proceedings. Staged in an intimate circle in the Upstairs section of the Royal Court, Mike Bartlett's play puts you within touching distance of John (Ben Whishaw), W (Katherine Parkinson) and M (Andrew Scott), bringing a whole new dynamic to the room.

Showing the story of John's relationship with M, its breakdown, his subsequent dalliance with W and his inability to choose between the two, the claustrophobic atmosphere, use of sharp beeps to move from scene to scene, brilliantly funny dialogue and the powerful chemistry between Scott and Whishaw all contributed towards a thrilling theatrical experience. While, on the surface, the play's intent may have been to discuss the issue of sexual fluidity, it was John's inability to ever make a decision - about anything - that was clearly the main problem with his relationships with others, both of whom themselves were able to make the choice to stay with him, despite his infidelity.

Unable to ever truly say anything meaningful to either of his sexual partners, John wound M (as well as the audience) up with his lack of expression and hunted behaviour. It was easy to understand why M, wonderfully played by the flexible, expressive Scott, got so angry at his boyfriend. Unable to tug himself away from the relationship due to his deep love for the man, he was reduced to begging John for answers, answers that John simply could not give. M's fits of pique and catty, nasty remarks about W didn't come off as just snide behaviour, but the actions of someone desperate for some equality and some understanding in his relationship.

John's selfish behaviour and lack of self-understanding were well-portrayed by Whishaw, whose long arms, legs and frame were put to good use, bending under pressure like a willow tree in the wind as the situation became more pressurised and his partners pleaded with him to make a choice. Katherine Parkinson too, as W, who John slept with while on a break from M, impressed with her bossy, coercive manner, seductive behaviour and cutting comments. The only problem was with M's father, played by Paul Jesson, who showed up towards the end to try and sort out the situation with M, W and John. While his role was undoubtedly important in terms of moving the play on towards its climax, it felt a little inserted and unnecessarily blustery, while Jesson's brief dry moment ruined the moment somewhat, but this is simply quibbling.

This is a fabulous, fantastic, witty, dry and thought-provoking play that allows belly laughs and spine-shivering tension to coexist wonderfully within a few sentences of each other. Let's hope it returns in the near future.

Theatre things we're excited about...

2009-11-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

- The Priory at the Royal Court from next Thursday
- Legally Blonde at the Savoy this December
- Doug Hodge returning to La Cage Aux Folles for the final month of the run
- The all-male Swan Lake coming to Sadler's Wells in December
- Addams Family Musical over on Broadway next April

And last but not least, the RSC Hamlet DVD release coming this December! If you can think of any more, let me know...

The Spanish Tragedy (Arcola Theatre)

2009-11-16T15:07:00.000-08:00

With fantastic productions like Melly Still's 2008 Revenger's Tragedy at the National, revenge tragedy appears to be gaining currency in the London theatre scene - death and destruction are being enjoyed by an ever-widening array of theatregoers. If you didn't already know, Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy heavily influenced Shakespeare in his writing of Hamlet, a revenge tragedy but not in the typical sense. The Spanish Tragedy, however, is far more typical of the genre. It's blood, murder and angst all the way, and what blood.

Dominic Rowan helmed the production as Hieronymo, whose son Horatio (Hasan Dixon) dies early on at the hands of Lorenzo (Patrick Myles) and Balthazar (Msimisi Dlamini). This transforms the mild-mannered lawyer into a desperate, bloodthirsty mess who cleverly manipulates those around him before committing mass murder towards the end of the play. This really isn't spoiler material - in fact, it's pretty typical for revenge tragedy.

Rowan, who sparkled as Touchstone in the Globe's As You Like It this summer, showed his versatility as Hieronymo, moving from quiet to raging with complete control. Although the role of Bel'Imperia seemed a touch miscast, Charlie Covell still did a good job, her lush, deep voice showing off the verse to great effect. Also strong were Myles and Francis Ortega as Andrea, whose full-throttle, heartfelt performance managed to sufficiently cover the acting weakness of the young girl playing Revenge. The blood and death certainly drew attention - Horatio being stabbed and then hung upside down for an extended period shocked the audience, while the blood orgy of the last fifteen minutes, involving tongue-slicing, intestine-ripping and a final stab up the nose with a Biro, caused audible gasps and some hysterical laughter from the audience, seemingly unable to believe quite what they were seeing.

However, the rest of the cast seemed rather all over the place, though how much of this is down to the relative weakness of the verse in comparison to Middleton or Shakespeare is questionable. The comedy was severely lacking, while the decision to set the audience on either side of a walkway was interesting, but caused problems with sightlines and neck-craning. All in all, The Spanish Tragedy was a good theatre experience to have, but not necessarily one you'd be desperate to repeat.

Re-Review: Prick Up Your Ears (Comedy Theatre)

2009-11-13T05:34:00.000-08:00

Prick Up Your Ears, the story of the slow disintegration of the relationship between Kenneth Halliwell and playwright Joe Orton, has had a doomed run at the Comedy Theatre, which most recently hosted the so-terrible-it's-amazing Too Close To The Sun. Little Britain star Matt Lucas, who had been portraying Halliwell, was forced to pull out after his ex-husband committed suicide, leaving theatre veteran Con O'Neill to step into his shoes with little rehearsal time. The show has struggled to pull in the punters now that Lucas has left, and sadly it closes on Saturday, despite best attempts by the very talented cast, who also include Chris New and Gwen Taylor.

It's particularly sad because O'Neill makes a far better Halliwell than Lucas could ever have hoped to be. While Lucas was fantastic at the dramatic side, he utterly overplayed the comedy, while O'Neill was able to balance the two much more satisfactorily. His portrayal of the relationship between Orton and Halliwell seemed much fresher than Lucas' and his ability to show the depressive nature of Halliwell through a much more centred performance worked spectacularly well.

With a physical presence completely disparate from Lucas, who is shorter and big and naturally bald, O'Neill did seem to hulk over New in a number of scenes, making the character far more dangerous than Lucas' bulk enabled it to be. New was just as brilliant as before, but his chemistry with O'Neill was wonderfully strong, and as the relationship broke down and the two became increasingly vitriolic and aggressive, you really felt a frisson of fear at the violence breaking out on stage.

There's not much to say about Gwen Taylor, who played the somewhat comic cipher role of Mrs Corden with applaudable aplomb. Although it could certainly be said her character doesn't really bring anything to the story, it was a very welcome diversion from the darkness gradually spreading on stage. In addition, it was nice to hear certain scenes as they should have been performed (the previous time, an unruly audience member caused the actors to break down in laughter and struggle to make it through a scene). The ending was shocking, transfixing and terrible, as it was before, but in a completely different way. The wonderful detachment O'Neill brought to Halliwell as he snapped and murdered his partner was so much more dramatic for the sheer calmness he imbued Halliwell with. A really wonderful performance - it is a real pity this must close now.

Review: Life Is A Dream (Donmar)

2009-11-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

Harking back to the 17th century with their production of de la Barca's intriguing drama, the Donmar pulled in some star casting with The Wire's Dominic West, pretty much ensuring a sell-out. Theatrical Leanings has never seen The Wire so had no preconceptions about what to expect from West - thankfully, Life Is A Dream managed to live up to expectation, as did West, whose background is in theatre. Although the play itself could be somewhat uneven, beginning with physical action ala Revenger's Tragedy but suddenly dropping into traditional dramatic stomping, much of the acting cannot be faulted.

West's Segismundo was incredible; hugely nuanced and thoroughly entrancing. There are surely few performers who can equal his ability to switch from despairing, sympathetic prisoner to arrogant, violent prince in seconds and make it believable. His stumbling first steps after being brought to the palace wrenched the heart - until he bared his teeth and showed his proud nature to awful effect. He explored Segismundo's animalistic qualities best when hanging from the wall or hunching himself in the palace throne, expressing the 'beastly' side of the man brought out by the entrapment enacted upon him by his father at birth. When brought down to earth again at the end of the first act, his pain and anguish was almost too much to take. Easily one of the best performances of the year in London theatre.

It was hard to sympathise with any of the other characters, however, and it's unclear whether we should sympathise with Segismundo at all, considering his behaviour during his first 'dream sequence', when he murders, assaults and speaks with alacrity. However, the behaviour of characters like the aggressive, whiny Rosaura (Kate Fleetwood), the two-faced Clotaldo (David Horovitch) and Malcolm Storry's thoughtless, dictatorial Basilio matched up to Segismundo's actions and left the audience feeling more for him than they did the courtiers.

The only character to garner any sympathy was Lloyd Hutchinson's fabulous Clarion, whose comic duties throughout did not prevent the audience empathising with his difficult position and, indeed, gasping in shock at his unexpected death. Although the second act felt hurried and Rupert Evans as Astolfo hugely under-utilised, West's presence and versatility strengthened the play and made the rather surprising ending work. The ideas posited by de la Barca (what if life IS a dream and we are all dreaming) are interesting, thought-provoking and different from those conceived by his contemporaries and all the more worthwhile for it.

Review: A Small Town Anywhere (Battersea Arts Centre)

2009-11-09T08:44:00.000-08:00

A Small Town Anywhere is unlike pretty much any show you'll ever have been to. Without giving too much away, thirty strangers are put in a room together (a small town), assigned roles and left to work out the mysteries of the town, forge relationships with each other and behave as well or as badly as you'd like. If you don't like to interact with your fellow theatregoers, stay well away from this one - but don't be afraid, it's not like your normal audience interaction. The only actor in the whole thing is Henri, the town historian, who appears at the beginning and end of the show to give exposition and conclusion to the proceedings.

Yours truly took on the role of Le Prisoner, wrongly imprisoned (or so I told everyone). I gossiped, flirted, sent letters, accused (in particular, the schoolgirl, who seemed to be stealing and reading everyone's letters and acting a little drunk). I drank (Ribena, ahem) at the pub, sang a song to the community and generally had a fantastic time. The two or so hours we must have spent in that set seemed to flash by.

The great thing about Small Town Anywhere is that you're not forced to do anything, pulled up on stage or any of that. You can do as little or as much as you like, be as mean or lovely as you want and you're not even being yourself. It's playing pretend for two hours, like when we were children and we did it every day. Small Town Anywhere has now finished, but plans to tour next year - we can only hope this comes to pass. It is an original and exciting experience, enabling you to lose yourself and forget about real life for a little while. One of the best evenings I have ever spent at the theatre.

Review: Showstopper - The Improvised Musical (Drill Hall)

2009-11-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

The idea of an improvised musical is tremendously appealing, as it turns out. Everyone likes seeing theatre in its rawest form, so to go from the seed of an idea to a full-flung show in the space of two hours is a massive task and one that only really very talented artists should ever attempt. Improv is fun, but doing it well professionally means you should come out looking like you had the inside scoop from the beginning. Showstopper: The Improvised Musical manages all of this in abundance.

Helmed by co-creator Adam Meggido, the ever-varying cast use a 'composer' who takes suggestions from the audience as to subject, musical styles (on the night we went, choices included Jason Robert Brown and Benny & Bjorn) and various other bits that might crop up during the show, such as the former occupation of a character. The cast work from this minute amount of information and make up songs as they go. Their energy is spectacular, their ingenuity impressive and their work actually of a pretty high standard. This show won plaudits when it showcased up at the Edinburgh Festival and has been running off the success of this for the last while down in London at venues including the Drill Hall off Goodge Street and the Leicester Square Theatre.

Particularly worthy of mention in this particular production (story: The Race To The Moon) was Ruth Bratt, whose hilariously eccentric former astronaut caused the only corpse of the night and who kept the audience in fits every time she appeared on stage. Meggido was also a lot of fun, and extremely versatile to boot. Dylan Emery as the charismatic narrator amused too, with his amused interjections and sarcastic asides. Although it took a while to get going, once the cast had got into it and figured out who their characters were, the audience joined in too, building the somewhat lacking atmosphere to a buzzing, brilliant level by the end of the show.

This is the kind of show you could take all the family too without too much fear of being mightily offended, but at the same time it's not dull or PC. It's the perfect date show - one person can't be put off by their prior knowledge of the show. See it while you still can.

Battersea Arts Centre

2009-10-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

After an interesting induction today, I am now a volunteer usher at the Battersea Arts Centre. It's a really interesting building, holding over 70 performance spaces. Dating back to the 19th century, its rooms range from huge to tiny and its performances could be called nothing less than eclectic. They focus on encouraging and developing new work and have previously hosted such fantastic projects as Punchdrunk's Masque of the Red Death (which we missed, sadly, but is obviously perfect for the building) and are currently presenting A Small Town Anywhere. Although the show is sold out, I'm going to usher it, so will get to see it from that perspective, which should be interesting.

News: La Cage tour cancelled

2009-10-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

We hear that the La Cage Aux Folles tour has been cancelled - or at the least postponed. Although casting had begun on the tour, it seems a lack of a suitable star name to take it on the road means it's just not going to happen right now. Does this mean the show will extend its West End run? Who knows... things will undoubtedly become clearer when current Albin John Barrowman hits the tail-end of his run in the Playhouse production.

Review: Sister Act (London Palladium)

2009-10-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

With such familiar (and well-loved) source material, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Sister Act was a sure-fire hit. Not so. For this new musical, situated in the barn of the London Palladium and starring Patina Miller and Sheila Hancock, is in fact struggling to pull in the crowds and suffers from an extremely weak script and terrible pacing. It's a real pity, because there are a lot of great songs dotted throughout the production, such as 'Take Me To Heaven' and 'Fabulous, Baby' but they are ruined by the terrible jokes, the cipherous characters and a great deal of pointless posturing and chasing.

Patina Miller made a strong Dolores. She has great vocals and a natural warmth that helped the audience warm to her harsh lounge singer and believe in her transition to a friendly team player. Sadly, the script doesn't give her much to play with. While the team of nuns provided some much-needed comic relief in their ever-changing outfits, the male characters are so badly characterised that it was hard not to cringe when they appeared on stage. This is particularly applicable to Chris Jarman, who swaggered and overacted like nobody's business as Dolores' evil ex-lover Shank, failing to impress in a pretty major way. While we got no real insight into Shank or the gangsters (although the three gangsters provided a few moments of amusement and a nice little Bee Gees tribute tune), Ako Mitchell thankfully made a sweet and plausible Eddie, though his role seemed designed specifically to appeal to the ladies and not much else!

For the ladies, the redoubtable Julia Sutton was a very funny Sister Mary Lazarus and Katie Rowley-Jones hit the nail on the head with her Sister Mary Robert. On the whole, though, it was hard to really feel anything more than basic appreciation for any of the characters, which is a pity because the show's source material is so thoroughly wonderful and multi-dimensional, but suffer through one of the interminable chase scenes and you'll understand what the problem is. This truly is a show that has aspirations beyond its capabilities. The glitz and glamour of the whole shebang can't make up for the script and staging shortcomings and as such it falls too flat to come close to its competition in the West End.

Review: Prick Up Your Ears (Comedy Theatre)

2009-10-12T20:23:00.001-07:00

Matt Lucas (now departed from the production after his sad loss of former partner Kevin McGee) struggled to change public perception of his acting skills during his short run in this dramatic comedy, which tells the story of playwright Joe Orton and his stormy relationship with long-term partner Kenneth Halliwell.

And indeed, poor Lucas struggled to distinguish himself from his numerous Little Britain characters during the performance Theatrical Leanings saw. This, alas, is the perennial problem of the TV star (ala Tennant). When we watch them, we inevitably pick up on mannerisms and voices they may have used in the past and say 'ah, it's very -'.

This was particularly evident for Lucas in the comedic scenes, where he went over-the-top and thus made the comic interaction less funny than it could have been. His Halliwell was manic, up one moment then down another, paranoid and proud, sliding slowly and inexorably into a depression that he could not pull himself out of. Lucas is a good actor, but prone to overdoing it comedically.

Conversely, he excelled in the dramatic scenes, bringing a menace and a frisson of violence to his scenes with Chris New as Orton. Indeed, when the final moment comes and Halliwell kills Orton in his sleep, you could have heard a pin drop. Even though the majority of the audience must have known it was coming, it was still shocking.

Chris New as Orton was excellent in all respects, physically the opposite of Lucas (the casting of Lucas went against how Halliwell actually looked and enabled the inclusion of jokes about being bald and a horrible wig - although this served to show how proud Halliwell was, it seemed cheap laugh-wise) and buzzing with nervous energy. His anger and similarly up-and-down existence were realistically portrayed by New.

The addition of Gwen Taylor as Mrs Corden, the couple's landlady, was well played and broke up the claustrophobic interaction between the two men (this assisted by the one-scene set), although her involvement seemed somewhat superficial, very much for laughs and to give the other two actors something to bounce off rather than for a deeper understanding of the character.

This is a somewhat satisfying play, but it is also extremely uneven. It's understandable that the playwright didn't want the whole play to be depressive, but at the same time the out-and-out comic nature of some of the scenes unbalanced the later, much darker scenes, and more affectionate interaction between the two leads would have been welcome.

Re-Review: La Cage Aux Folles (Playhouse Theatre)

2009-10-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

As the latest leads to take on the roles of Albin and Georges in La Cage Aux Folles, John Barrowman and Simon Burke have a lot to live up to. Their predecessors, the formidable Roger Allam and Philip Quast, brought a huge amount of sensitivity, power and nuance to the roles and were widely lauded for their portrayals. While both Barrowman and Burke have strong credentials in musical theatre, unfortunately they don't quite hit the spot in either of their characterisations.

Barrowman undoubtedly has a fantastic vocal, but in the Playhouse's intimate setting, his acting falls short. Unable to rein in his over-the-top tendencies, his rather brash Albin mostly fails to convince of the insecurity that lies beneath the gaudy exterior. It's not so much Barrowman's age, but the confidence he oozes from every pore that prevents him from being believable. He can't get at the vulnerability that simmers beneath Albin's surface.

Barrowman also loves playing to the audience, which he did as much as possible. His frankly peculiar, if hilarious decision to channel Carol Channing during one of the latter songs is a good example of his preference for superficiality over a deeper understanding of Albin's comic nuances. Yes, it was funny, but WHY? He was, however, much stronger in the second half of the play, and his acting during the scene where Jean-Michel freaks out about his future in-laws coming to stay was nothing less than exemplary, but even so, on the whole it's still Barrowman being Barrowman rather than Albin.

Meanwhile, Simon Burke as Georges did a good job when he wasn't trying to show his "affectations" off - Burke is not naturally flamboyant, so while Quast's physical movement and presence fit well with the character, it merely looked silly when the much smaller Burke flailed his arms about. When he brought a little stillness and calm to Georges the emotional side came out much more strongly and you really believed in his love for Albin.

With the majority of the cast remaining from the previous incarnations - Dane Quixall is still a joy to watch, as is Abigail McKern as Mme. Dindon - the new Cagelles did well on the whole (Faisal Khodabukus as Chantal was a particular improvement on his predecessor) but still need time to meld with the speaking parts of their roles.

Syrus Lowe as crazed maid Jacob didn't quite get it right either - Jacob is majorly over-the-top but Lowe was visibly acting rather than embodying the character in the way Jason Pennycooke did (although at least you could understand what Jacob says this time round - by the end of Pennycooke's run, his lines were practically incomprehensible!). The chemistry between Gabriel Vick as Jean-Michel and Alicia Davies as Anne was also much stronger than that of Davies and former Jean-Michel Stuart Neal, though Vick's voice seemed a little weak at points - perhaps a cold?

All-in-all, this was a mixed bag of a night - the show is still very enjoyable, with some comic high points and incredible vocals from Barrowman (I Am What I Am was a complete barnstormer) but it all feels a bit too try-hard in comparison to last time. See Barrowman for the vocals, but wait for Hodge if you want the nuance back.

News: Priscilla heads to Broadway

2009-10-02T09:41:00.001-07:00

Exciting news - Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is actually going to make it to Broadway. Hopefully. After a Toronto run in late 2010. Which has already been postponed a few times. But fingers crossed it comes off this time... and let's hope the wonderful Tony Sheridan gets to reprise his incredible Bernadette over there.

Back from holiday!

2009-09-26T17:18:00.001-07:00

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.

Review: A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar)

2009-09-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Feature: The Swing Of Things

2009-09-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

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...

Review: A New World: A Life Of Thomas Paine (Globe Theatre)

2009-09-04T01:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Review: Mamma Mia (Prince of Wales Theatre)

2009-09-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Review: We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre)

2009-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

Theatrical Leanings loves cheese. Whether it's Legally Blonde or Hairspray, a bouncy song and a clever costume do wonders for our mood, but we have never seen anything quite like We Will Rock You before. With a book by Ben Elton, a score chock-full of Queen tunes and a massive barn of a theatre to fill, it shouldn't really be that surprising that WWRY forgoes any semblance of depth or character development in favour of cheap, ridiculous jokes and lines that exist solely to shoehorn in the next song.

The score is great - who doesn't love Queen - and with an uber-talented cast who can hit notes far beyond our wildest imagination, they sound wonderful too - but whenever they stop singing, things grind to a halt. The show is clearly angled to appeal to the lowest common denominator, to housewives and tourists, easily impressed teens and dad-rockers who like girls with short skirts and long legs. The jokes are horrifically cringeworthy (one particularly WTF-able scene involving the injudicious use of the word 'beaver' saw the Killer Queen have a bikini wax... of sorts... on stage) and the references (the naming of the various Bohemians - Cliff Richard, Britney Spears, etc) similarly unfunny. Unlike other shows, which try to layer the cheese with heart, emotion and character depth, this just ploughs along through, with the final climax pretty limp by any West End musical's standards.

Going back to the cast, their vocals definitely rescued the three-hour (!) show from becoming painfully tedious. Sabrina Aloueche as Scaramouche was snappy, funny and did her best with a very angry character, while Matthew McKenna's vocals as Galileo were simply unbelievably amazingly incredible (you get the picture), despite his American accent going a little whiny at points and his character's immature treatment of Scaramouche failing to endear. Rachel Tucker as Meat was also strong, building a believable relationship with Ian Carlyle's Brit. In the ensemble, Ashley Nottingham stood out for his fantastic dancing and facial expressions - this man is eminently watchable.

Okay, so perhaps this sounds a little snobby, but Theatrical Leanings does love theatre in all shapes and sizes and tries not to prejudge (on the whole). However, sometimes there comes a show that simply blasts away all of those efforts and leaves you reeling with the sheer dreadfulness of it all. Oh, this is no Too Close To The Sun, that was just purely bad. This isn't 'bad', it's just cringey and cheesy beyond your wildest dreams. Enjoy?

Review: Waiting For Godot (Haymarket Theatre)

2009-08-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

Nothing happens. Twice. This is the well-known tagline that accompanies most attempted descriptions of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot. This particular production has become an extremely hot ticket, being as it stars Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as Vladimir and Estragon (and let's not forget Simon Callow and Ronald Pickup as Pozzo and Lucky), meaning tickets were scarce and the audience was somewhat more diverse than one would probably normally see at a Beckett production.

It's a pretty accurate description of what actually happens in Godot, though the final few minutes of the play do turn what you might have thought on its head - or not, depending on what you get from the play. Although Godot really isn't as funny as the majority of the audience seemed to think, McKellen and Stewart's interaction was still wonderful and the time did not drag despite its slow-moving way of going on.

While McKellen thoroughly immersed himself in his character, changing everything from his posture to his accent, Stewart did seem to be playing his stock 'Patrick Stewart playing Patrick Stewart' persona. It was almost impossible to connect the McKellen on stage with the one we know so well, while this problem did not exist with Stewart, whose stature and booming tones resounded around the auditorium, reminding one of his performance as Claudius in last year's RSC production.

Callow's Pozzo was so, so over-the-top it transcended all layers of acting, but still was extremely well done - no bad acting here, unsurprisingly - while Pickup's one speech as Lucky was a crazed tour de force. Funny, a touch long-winded and thought-provoking, this was a strong production of a difficult play.

Review: Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre)

2009-08-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

When Theatrical Leanings first visited the West End production of Hairspray, it felt like something was missing. Not quite sure what, our review was lacklustre - not one of our best, but we struggled to find the right words to describe the production. Happily, that issue has now been resolved, thanks to a judiciously timed cast change bringing in some much-needed fresh blood to the show.

The new leads - Brian Conley as Edna, Liam Tamne as Link and Chloe Hart as Tracey - more than do justice to the material, with lively, emotional and sparkling portrayals from all. Sadly, the audience was full of kids and theatre brats, all of whom felt it necessary to treat the show more like a panto or a gig, screaming over people's lines, showing off how well they knew the movements to certain songs and even getting up to dance BEFORE THE FINAL NUMBER HAD FINISHED. School holidays, sigh.

While Michael Ball gained many fans for his sweet and loving Edna, the excellent Brian Conley just brings something more to the table. Although not yet fat enough (if only the majority of us had this issue) to convincingly play Edna (his legs are just too skinny and the fat suit is obviously a fat suit), his natural gift for comedy and his powerful, deep vocal really suited the role - to the extent that it just seemed a better fit than Ball. Only in his second week in the role, he still didn't seem quite able to believe he was performing it, to the extent that when receiving applause at the end of songs he occasionally broke character to beam widely at the reception, causing hysterics from the audience in response. Although we all know that Timeless To Me contains a deliberate corpse, poor Conley truly lost it at a couple of points - probably something he will come to control over time.

Hart, meanwhile, also showcased a fabulous voice and wonderful dancing in her first ever professional role. Full of energy, she bounded about the stage like mad, and the chemistry between her and Tamne was almost as strong as the still fantastic performances from Adrian Hansel as Seaweed and Verity Rushworth as Penny. Tamne has already attracted criticism for the colour of his skin - he's noticeably half-Indian, and since he plays a character who is meant to be part of the white crowd, some have wondered why he was cast in the role. Well, it's probably because he's really wonderful.

After a few minutes of watching him, you forget about the colouring issue completely. He's leaps and bounds above what Ben Ellis managed in the role, mainly because he's actually properly trained and can pull off a convincing American accent without flubbing and rushing lines. Being able to understand what a character says is a fairly integral part of any show, but Ellis' lack of training and inexperience really showed. Additionally, while Ellis came off as a little slimey and self-obsessed, Tamne's Link seemed much more kind and conflicted - a bit of a sweetie, really.

This production has been revitalised like nobody's business. As it's so early in the post-cast change run, the leads still seem full of beans and utterly thrilled by their luck, so get down now, before everyone starts to flag a few months down the line.

Review: La Cage Aux Folles (Playhouse Theatre)

2009-08-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

This gentle production of La Cage Aux Folles is intimate, somewhat shabby and utterly charming. With the buttery-voiced Philip Quast and the hilarious Roger Allam starring as Georges and Albin, plus a bevy of limber, gorgeous-voiced Cagelles littering the stage and showing off their splits at judiciously placed points throughout, you should leave the confines of the Playhouse Theatre feeling warmed, amused and generally rather pleased.

Telling a rather implausible tale of a gay couple who have been together for decades, but who agree to pretend they are not - and that effeminate, drag-loving Albin is straight - the two leads made the story work thanks to their immense likeability and their chemistry. Quast's incredible voice and versatile range glittered throughout, while Allam, seemingly channelling Tim Curry more and more throughout the night, came into his own during his heartbreaking I Am What I Am solo near the end of the first act, ending with Albin storming out of the theatre - literally.

The Cagelles were also marvellous. Dane Quixall as the grumpy Angelique brought a lot of funny nuance to what is, by necessity, a background role, while Nicholas Cunningham's striking Hanna was terrifying - and utterly hilarious. All displayed incredible gymnastic, dance and vocal skills. Stuart Neal's almost balletic Jean-Michele was enjoyable, if a little studied at times, while Tracie Bennett and Abigail McKern sparkled as Jacqueline and Mme. Dindon respectively.

Although this is not the most exciting night you'll have out at the theatre, and involves a great suspension of disbelief as to the likelihood of the plot ever occurring, it's still a fun night out for all the family. If you've never seen Quast on stage before (and Theatrical Leanings hadn't) you really must see this before cast change in September. He alone is worth the ticket price.

Review: Ghosts, or Those Who Return (Arcola Theatre)

2009-08-05T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure whether it was the stifling heat, or the Ibsen, or a combination of both, but never have I been so close to falling asleep in a theatre in all my life as at last night's Arcola production of Ghosts. With the Arcola's tempting 'pay what you like' offer running on Tuesdays, it would have been rude not to take advantage, but when you leave a play being glad you paid so little, it's not a good sign.

The story, about a family dealing with the return of the long-missed son and the revelations that ensue when he embarks on a relationship with a servant girl, moved incredibly slowly, and what was just an hour and forty five minutes sadly felt interminably long. Although the intense final third of the play redeemed this somewhat, making it much more lean-forward-on-your-seat work, this didn't extend to the majority of the piece.

Harry Lloyd as Osvald was excellent, bringing the right shades of dark and light, as well as tremendous poise and intensity to a character who keeps things hidden for far too long. Drooping eyes shot open whenever he appeared on stage, and he was transfixing in his final scene with Suzanne Burden (Mrs Alving). Burden was good in the most part, though her over-the-top reaction to Osvald at the end of the play was just a touch too histrionic to be realistic.

Some odd acting choices were made by other members of the cast, too, particularly from Paul Hickey as Pastor Manders - his jerky, trying-too-hard attempts at comedy jarred a great deal. Natasha Broomfield's Regine suffered from similar histrionic issues to Burden as she hit her final scene, while her Scots accent didn't quite fit in with everyone else's choices, but otherwise she was pretty strong. There was also far too much pottering about at the back of the stage through sets of doors, where lines couldn't be heard for the walls, a bad directorial choice if ever there was one. A quick mention must be made for Jon Clark's wonderful lighting, which really gave the set a great atmosphere that came into its own in the final third.

Although Ibsen's work obviously has comedic moments, it feels like adapter Rebecca Lenkiewicz has gone far more for the dramatic elements and laid the comedy by the wayside. Whilst it's obviously possible to combine both, it doesn't feel like this production has done so successfully. A real disappointment.

Review: Pirates of Penzance (Union Theatre)

2009-08-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Pirates of Penzance is probably the most overdone of all Gilbert & Sullivan's operattas, and this, combined with traumatic experiences in a cliquey university society mean it's been a while since a full-on G&S experience has been had by Theatrical Leanings. Too long, it feels, after seeing this wonderful production from the Union Theatre, in which all parts are played by men and the accompaniment is refreshingly provided by a lone piano.

Staged in an intimate space where all entrances and levels are utilised by the versatile and youthful cast, this is sure to be remembered as a standout fringe production of 2009. With strong leads and a wonderful ensemble to boot, there wasn't a weak link in this utterly charming show. Literally everyone was wonderful (and that's not something you often find yourself leaving a production saying!).

There were powerful vocals all round - special mention must go to Adam Ellis' (Mabel) incredible vocal range - and wonderful comic moments the whole way through, particularly from Samuel J Holmes as Ruth and the sisterly quartet of Adam Lewis Ford as Isabel, Dieter Thomas as Kate, Stewart Charlesworth as Edith and Lee Greenaway as Constance. The ensemble was tight, the falsetto top-notch and the choreography fun and slapstick.

Favourite moments? Alan Winner's rogueish Pirate King, Russell Whitehead's sweet, decent Frederic and Holmes' hilarious and worryingly attractive Ruth's rendition of 'When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold (A Paradox)', the ridiculous comedy of 'How Beautifully Blue The Sky', the awfully touching 'Oh Here Is Love And Here Is Truth' between Mabel and Frederic, and, best of all, 'With Catlike Tread' in the pitch black - complete with torches.

Get in quick if you want to see this, though, as it finishes on Saturday and tickets are very, very scarce.

Review: The Mountaintop (Trafalgar Studios)

2009-07-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Katori Hall's one-act play The Mountaintop is full of surprises. Starring David Harewood and Lorraine Burroughs, it tells the story of the night before Martin Luther King Jr's death, with verve, thrust and a hell of a lot of raw energy. While it certainly takes its time getting going - Harewood's stage-stalking takes some getting used to, while Burroughs looked stiff and uncomfortable before she warmed into her character - it soon becomes a very interesting, thought-provoking play with a twist you really won't see coming.

Harewood's Martin Luther King, while a little overly reliant on the preacher-style voice patterns used in King's public broadcasts, rather than the calmer tones King might have used in private, was a wonderful evocation of the way the man might have been - though of course, not having been there, this is all conjecture on Hall's part.

Burroughs, too, was strong on her accent and characterisation of maid Camae, who brings King a late-night cup of coffee and stays to chat. Camae, unsurprisingly, is not exactly what she seems to be at first. Burroughs dealt with the twist well, managing to avoid it becoming ridiculous. Instead, she brought a gravitas to the play at just the moment when it could veer off in the wrong direction in less secure hands.

The Mountaintop is an uncomfortable watch, for language and for the sheer fact you know what dreadful thing is to come, but nonetheless this is a play that's more than worth seeing. The use of lighting, sound and props is wonderfully clever, the storyline unusual but intriguing and the ending extremely apt.

News: Deaths, extensions and expansions

2009-07-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's not been a good week for the theatre community as two stalwarts of the industry have sadly passed away. First, famed choreographer Merce Cunningham died at age 90. Despite being confined to a wheelchair in his latter years, he continued to choreograph until very recently. Earlier this year, he announced plans for his company to tour for two years after his death and then to wind down. Character actor Harry Towb has also gone. His work encompassed everything from Little Shop Of Horrors to Guys and Dolls and, on television, Z Cars and Doctor Who.

It's happy days for puppet musical Avenue Q, however, as it announced its extension to January 2009. Its run had already been extended following its transfer to the Gielgud Theatre from the Noel Coward, but no concrete news on its fate past this September had been given until this week. Also enjoying some good news is website Broadwayworld.com, whose West End section has undergone an expansion, with freelance writer Carrie Dunn named editor-in-chief of the section.

News: Too Close To The Sun, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, La Cage Aux Folles

2009-07-27T04:55:00.001-07:00

It has now been confirmed by producers that massive flop Too Close To The Sun will close two weeks early, on August 8th. The musical was roundly panned by critics, including the Telegraph's Charles Spencer, who called it a 'rubbish heap of a show', and The Stage's Mark Shenton ('a crime against humility') although the West End Whingers, forced to observe a five day moratorium on review posting after taking free tickets on the Monday before press night, seemed to have a lovely evening, saying it was 'wonderfully bad' and 'inspirational'!

Comedian Richard Blackwood and the fabulous Nina Sosanya are to join the cast of Broadway transfer Cat On A Hot Tin Roof when the play comes to the Novello this winter. Already confirmed to appear in the very starry cast are Americans Phylicia Rashad, James Earl Jones, Sanaa Lathan and Brit actor Adrian Lester. Sosanya has recently been seen in Apologia at the Bush and last year's Love's Labours Lost with the RSC. She is, of course, beloved to us all for her role as Jenny in Teachers.

John Barrowman has already created waves of controversy with his appointment to the role of Albin in La Cage Aux Folles from September, and now his Georges has been announced. Experienced Aussie actor Simon Burke will take over from Philip Quast on September 14, and will remain in the role until November 28.

Word on the street...

2009-07-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

We hear that:

Resounding flop Too Close To The Sun may close August 8th
The cast of A Little Night Music, which just closed, cannot be taken across the Atlantic to perform in New York thanks to Legal Issues :(
That's about it for now! It's a quiet weekend...

A Sneaky Peek At... Zanna, Don't!

2009-07-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

There's no news on a transfer for the charming off-West End production of Zanna, Don't!, but Theatrical Leanings has been pointed in the direction of this sneaky video of the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEej4yNJHbs (there are a couple of others elsewhere from this user).

Vocals blow the sound a fair bit (must be a small camera) but still give a good sense of what's going on. 'Straight To Heaven' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peJYc2FCU2Y - is particularly strong, despite cutting off early (does the rest of the show exist somewhere on MTLoverrr's hard drive, we wonder?).

Definitely watch this if you saw the show and want to remind yourself what was going on *all* over the stage during that piece and not just where your focus may have been to start off with. You may be surprised by just what you missed first time round and by the raw and awful emotion of the scene.

Additionally, Nadeem Crowe's (Tank) music vids, which you can see linked on the page beneath the video, are very much worth watching, especially if you enjoyed his solo and want to hear more baritone funtimes (and how he actually speaks!). Here are a couple for starters - his gorgeous version of Bare's Role Of A Lifetime and also a lovely, powerful rendition of Anastacia's One More Chance.

And why not finish off by indulging in a quick visual comparison of some of the international productions:

Be A Man Australia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtxoIVrcd20
Be A Man UK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZADRZvKVeJo
Be A Man Korea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vqgRMzkTP4

Which is -your- favourite?

Review: Hamlet (Donmar Theatre)

2009-07-25T01:58:00.000-07:00

Only six months on from the RSC's acclaimed Hamlet, starring a certain Monsieur Tennant, the Donmar West End has presented their own star-studded production, complete with Jude Law in the title role. While certainly star casting to rival and somewhat out-do the RSC, whispers from the go were that this production didn't quite match up to the strong ensemble work and smart, comedic bent the RSC managed.

Law's Hamlet was jittery and expressive, seemingly thoroughly sane, and while this is an interesting way to play him, we never got the true emotional core of Hamlet because of this. At his best when the sexual chemistry fizzed in scenes with Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ophelia (a thankless role at the best of times, but one she did wonders with), or when sarcing the other characters with quips and piss-taking, Law's Hamlet was so angry at everyone and everything that he failed to achieve quite the emotional range needed.

Penelope Wilton made a strong Gertrude, though even she was hampered by the extremely peculiar staging of the bedroom scene behind a white curtain, which meant you could barely see her and Law interact. Kevin McNally was fine as Claudius, though he too seemed to rear away from the emotional connection. You didn't believe his on-bended-knee repetance, borne out by how Claudius' drink had to be forced down him at the end.

Speaking of the closing, the rapier fight was a particular weak spot for this Hamlet. Badly choreographed but decently executed, there was no real effort to show the impact of the blade on the men's bodies, it never felt remotely threatening, and once everyone had been poisoned, death times were so ridiculously varied that you almost wanted to giggle. Hamlet, for one, despite having been hurt just as much as Laertes, manages to soliloquise on for far too long before finally succumbing.

The ensemble was hampered by a series of dull, badly-fitting black/white/grey costumes that brought down the mood, even when it was meant to be comic. Speaking of comedy, where was it in this production? Hamlet may not be the first play you think of when looking for something funny, but it contains mounds of comedic possibilities, none of which were exercised by the cast.

Polonius, for instance, is a very funny character, but Ron Cook appeared utterly unable to extract more than a smidgen of fun from the pompous old windbag. Hamlet and the Player King's interaction as Hamlet tries to remember lines should be amusing, but here it was simply boring. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's exchanges with Hamlet are cutting (against them), but funny too, yet John MacMillan and Gwilym Lee were almost ciphers in the roles, forgettable and dull. While Alex Waldmann made an enjoyably perky Laertes, he too did not draw as much as he could from his exchanges with Mbatha-Raw near the start of the play. The grave-digger scene - well, the less said about that the better.

The biggest problem with this production of Hamlet? Dullness, through and through. Everything felt flat, everything felt stifling. While, barring the over-the-top stylings of Alan Turkington's Fortinbas and Matt Ryan's Horatio, the cast were strong, they were hampered by boring direction, bad script choices and a failure on their parts to fully inhabit their roles. While the RSC production was unforgettably brilliant, memories of this will soon fade away.

Word on the street...

2009-07-24T07:41:00.001-07:00

We hear that:

Avenue Q is about to extend booking (it's currently on till 27th September) to the new year
Angela Lansbury would like to bring Blithe Spirit (which she has just finished starring in on Broadway) to the Haymarket theatre in the West End. When or who else with is unknown
Despite reportedly comping its way through much of its run at the King's Head and now at the Arts Theatre, rumours are that Fucking Men and possibly Naked Boys will transfer to a third venue when their time at the Arts comes to a close

News: The London Paper on Too Close To The Sun, Jay Benedict pulls out

2009-07-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here's what The London Paper's Stage Snoop section had to say about can't-be-anything-but-a-flop Too Close To The Sun, which 'star' Jay Benedict, who plays - or should I say played - creepy Rex, has just pulled out of, citing a bad knee. Yeah... Poor, poor understudy.

"Good? Heming-no-way.

Ouch. The knives are out in theatreland, as the opening of new musical Too Close To The Sun approaches. Whisper is the show has a whiff of flop about it. Well, the subject matter doesn't scream hit - it's loosely based on the final days of Ernest Hemingway. And it's written and produced by John Robinson, whose most recent claim to fame was 2005's short-lived Behind The Iron Mask. That received some of the worst reviews in living memory ("I would quite happily have volunteered for death... to help speed things up"). The critics deliver their verdict on the latest effort over the weekend - perhaps we'll be pleasantly surprised. Although Twitterers from previews describe it as 'comedy gold'. Problem is, it's not a comedy."

Here, too, for your reading pleasure, are a couple of threads from prominent theatre forums chatting about the show:

What's On Stage: http://www.whatsonstage.com/board/index.php?showtopic=7313

and

Broadway World: http://westend.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=1000947&dt=72&boardid=3

Review: Too Close To The Sun (Comedy Theatre)

2009-07-21T00:47:00.000-07:00

Too Close To The Sun will give you a truly memorable night out at the theatre. Sadly, this isn't for quite the reasons the composer intended (by the way, he is the man who brought you Behind The Iron Mask, which should really tell you all you need to know). If you're still not getting it, perhaps this will give you an idea of the quality of this particular show. Yes, this is absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst piece of theatre to have sat in any part of London in the last decade, and possibly ever.

Starring James Graeme as a rather overly vigorous Ernest Hemingway, Helen Dallimore as long-suffering wife Mary, Jay Benedict as the pervy and rather disturbing Rex de Havilland and Tammy Joelle as naughty secretary Luella, the piece gives a fictional rendering of what 'might' have happened during Ernest Hemingway's last days. According to John Robinson and Roberto Trippini, who between them wrote the music and libretto, he spent his time drinking heavily, aggressively hitting on young women and arguing with de Havilland. Thankfully, despite the majority of the audience (including Theatrical Leanings) knowing not very much about Hemingway at all, the musical is so ridiculous that you soon come to realise this fictional account is very fictional indeed.

With songs written in freeverse and scored all over the scale, plus a series of hackneyed and unfortunate lines ('enough of this bullshit' provoked one audience member to laugh so loudly it sent the rest of the - by that point mostly empty - theatre into paroxysms), this show is a disaster not even waiting to happen. The poor performers struggled along with the tone-deaf score and terrible lyrics, gamely ploughing through, though despite their professional status, they often seemed unable to stay in tune. The songs came out of nowhere and often had no relevance to the plot (see 'Havana' and 'Alabama, The Queen Of Them All') - while others were simply so, so bad as to be laughable ('Just Relax - Think Good Thoughts' and 'Make Yourself One With The Gun'). Poor Joelle was forced to sing a tune with the title 'Poor Little Silly Young Me', showing exactly how little thought had been put into her character.

This was an unintentional comedy, with the audience sniggering their way through both acts. The majority of the audience left at the interval, unable to take any more, and those who did remain had to self-medicate to make it through the remaining 12(!) songs, including yours truly. Whether it was the aggressive, somewhat harassing flirtation between Ernest and Luella, Rex running around like a lunatic stage left singing about how he'd make a film while Ernest earnestly caterwauled about committing suicide stage right, the endless revolve or Mary and Luella discussing (at length) bleu cheese and hot sauce before the immortal line: 'I don't trust that pirate girl' was uttered by Dallimore as Joelle exited the stage, TCTTS provided the remaining audience with an evening out unlike any other (apart from those who saw Behind The Iron Mask, that is).

When it comes down to it, whoever thought it was a good idea to make a musical about Ernest Hemingway committing suicide should themselves be shot. While it could possibly have worked as a straight play, with a lot of rewriting, as a musical it was utterly abysmal. The performers knew it too - at curtain call the smiles were slipping and the weary horror showed on their faces. 'Can't Think Of It Without Wanting To Cry'. With laughter, that is.

Go and see this horrific gem of a show. You'll want to say you did in years to come, trust me. But make sure you load up on booze before you even start, or you won't make it as far as the interval.

Review: Fucking Men & Naked Boys Singing (Arts Theatre)

2009-07-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

After successfully transferring from the King's Head in Islington, Fucking Men and brother show Naked Boys Singing are just settling into their run at the Arts Theatre in Covent Garden. Although the shows are very different - one's a straight play, the other almost a cabaret revue with the thinnest of plot strands to tie it together - they have been presented as a double act by the producers. You go to see one, you stay for the other. It's a pity, therefore, that the latter's quality does not stand up to that of the first.

Fucking Men takes ten gay men in New York and tells their stories, if somewhat perfunctorily. From the closeted soldier to the out-and-proud porn star, the banker who doesn't want to reveal his HIV-positive status to the struggling playwright who can't find a partner who loves him, Joe DiPietro's split-stranded play blends their stories into one interesting, thought-provoking evening.

Some garnered more sympathy than others - HIV-positive Jack behaved pretty badly to his loving partner Leo, played by a sweetly sympathetic Timothy Lone. Meanwhile, Russell Howard lookalike James Kristian's obnoxious college kid left you wanting to slap him silly as he practically forced his partners (including the heinously under-used Chris Polick as tutor Marco) into sexual situations they never really wanted.

You began to invest in the characters as the play gathered pace; why did funny, sexy escort John (Shai Matheson) stay with tense, closeted soldier Steve (Matthew Clancy), who began the relationship with a punch to the face? By the end, thanks to a heartfelt confession, Matheson's loved-up performance more than convinced of why. It's a pity that Clancy's performance didn't ring quite true - not helped by his occasionally uneven accent - and the fact you didn't see Steve after his cessation of denial.

On the other hand, Adam Unze's goofy, adorable porn star Ryan was an absolute standout performance. Poor Ryan just wanted to settle into a monogamous, loving relationship and to have his personality and intelligence, not just his dick, appreciated, but instead found himself 'cared for' in a New York flat he never really wanted, his kindness and his love going to waste. Unze's scenes with Dan Ford as verbose, nervy playwright Sammy were particularly brilliant - both actors clearly have a gift for comedy and form a formidably funny double act. Unze, in particular, is a burgeoning -and big - talent, but pretty much everyone in the ensemble did a fantastic job.

Fucking Men is funny, but it's also sweet and sad, and it's just a pity that it wasn't twice the length - DiPietro only scratches the surface of each character, all of whom are worthy of having more time spent on them.

After a break for the loo and a quick drink, the evening resumed with Naked Boys Singing, essentially a Chorus Line-style hour of song and eventual nudity. Huge props to the cast, all of whom show absolutely everything - and with gusto! When this ran at the King's Head, rumour was that pervy old men would take the (unreserved) front row seats - and at such a small venue, you'd be a little too close to the men for comfort.

Thankfully, the Arts is a rather bigger venture and as such you're deposited at a safe distance (unless you're in the front row, in which case you might get a bit of a lapdance). With songs that ranged from clever (The Bliss Of A Bris) to lame (I Beat My Meat) the material varied tremendously in quality, but the performers were at least triple threats to a man - great dancers, decent actors and with lovely vocals to boot.

Duncan Leighton's hilarious and perky ode to porn stardom and the ridiculously buff Nathan Taylor's emotional ballad to former lover Chris were particular highlights, as was the minute moment of pseudo-ballet towards the end, but as far as the nudity goes - well, I'm far from a prude, but suffice to say it reminded me why I prefer men with their pants on. It's all downhill from...well, downhill.

Fringe benefits: The importance of off-West End theatre

2009-07-14T09:13:00.001-07:00

With the inevitable focus of London theatre centreing on the plethora of musicals and high-profile plays that currently line the streets of the West End, it is all too easy to forget that there is plenty of great stuff out there for less money and in more intimate venues. Admittedly, you're not going to find anything with the production values of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, or the star pulling power of Hamlet, but there's value and joy to be had from many off-West End productions.

With venues dotted all over the outskirts of London, from the King's Head in Angel to Above The Stag in Victoria, there's something to be found no matter which borough you live in. Productions vary in size, quality and audience - some are absolute stinkers, while others could easily (and often do) transfer to full-on West End productions. Particularly proud amongst this group of venues is the Bush Theatre, which often offers exciting, thought-provoking work, as well as Upstairs At The Gatehouse, tucked away in Highgate but a purveyor of often high-quality, fun and quirky pieces.

Theatre is ephemeral, and fringe theatre even more so. While you're pretty much guaranteed to be able to return to The Mousetrap next September if you enjoyed it this summer, most shows that run at these smaller venues only do so for a month or two tops, and if they don't sell out and the production doesn't transfer - well, that's that. It's not even the case that the show in question may be put on again soon... you may never get to see the production again - or at least, not for many years.

For instance, the recent production of Zanna, Don't! at the Gatehouse was favourably reviewed by many critics - Time Out even rather belatedly made it its Critic's Choice - with the entire ensemble receiving plaudits for sterling work, but even this, probably due to the niche nature of the material and the location of the venue, didn't get the piece selling out, and therefore a transfer looks unlikely. Apologia at the Bush finishes this Saturday - you'll have to get in quick for that one before it, too, retreats into the mists of a few lucky souls' memories.

Additionally, the exciting thing about London fringe (and by fringe, I suppose I mean smaller venues in less 'Strand-like' locations rather than in reference to the funding they receive) is the opportunity it provides for lesser-known and indeed often first-time playwrights to have their work produced. At present, 23-year-old Ella Hickson's Eight plays at the Trafalgar Studios, while Apologia is only the second play by Alexi Kaye Campbell. The Royal Court's programme for young writers enables productions like Polly Stenham's acclaimed That Face to be put on - opportunities abound. This is only a good thing. Without new writing theatre becomes stale. This is not something you ever want to be able to say about London.

May it long continue.

Review: What's Wrong With Angry? (King's Head Theatre)

2009-07-08T15:52:00.001-07:00

Originally presented back in 1993 as a somewhat searing indictment of Section 28 and its effect on gay teenagers, 'period piece' What's Wrong With Angry? resurfaced at Edinburgh last year and is now making its London return at the intimate King's Head Theatre in Angel Islington.

Telling the story of Steven Carter (Oliver Jack), who is happy with who he is but bullied for it, and John Westhead (Christopher Birks), closeted and afraid, What's Wrong With Angry? teeters between brilliant and disappointing from scene to scene, partly due to some clumsy writing and the rather uneven sound balance, but mostly thanks to a couple of unfortunate weak links in the cast. This was the very first performance, so there's still plenty of time to iron out issues before the run really gets into full swing.

Both leads are excellent, with Oliver Jack a particular treasure. One to watch, his intense and nuanced portrayal of sweet, intelligent Steven, who just wants to be who he is, love who he wants and not have to apologise or lie for it, was by far the best thing about this production. His captivating, sympathetic and funny Steven meant you forgot the actor and simply believed the character; always a hard feat to pull off.

Christopher Birks' similarly intense, powerfully emotional John, struggling with his new-found sexuality, played well against the much more settled Steven. Intimate scenes felt real, the emotions not forced - and by the end of the play, unlike in film adaptation Get Real, you felt sorry for John, rather than angry at him for the way he treated Steven. His anguish and internal struggle were all too real.

There was strong support from the versatile male ensemble, with Andrew Bryant, Matt Granados and Tom Millen pulling off a variety of accents and sometimes comic, sometimes nasty actions as they switched roles from scene to scene. The gay club scene was particularly hilarious, while the violent fight scene in the locker room made you physically wince. The final dream sequence, where Steven hears all his friends, family and acquaintances in his head, was also extremely affecting.

Unfortunately, the two weakest performances came from two of the larger roles. Charlie Deans as Linda seemed woefully miscast - Linda is meant to be a 'big' girl who boys don't really go for, but you could hardly call Deans' not-much-bigger-than-a-12 figure 'stout'. Everything felt stilted and forced, facial expressions put on for the benefit of the audience and not coming naturally. This was particularly noticeable in scenes with Jack, as while you truly believed the emotional relationship between Birks and Jack, Deans just couldn't deliver a 'real' performance.

However, Nic Gilder as gay teacher Simon Hutton wasn't simply stilted; he was just plain bad. Meant to punctuate the story with important points, his monologues left you wishing for a bit of peace and quiet. Often given while the two lead characters were onstage, his speeches were jarring and unbelievable, disrupting the flow of the drama, and the words became ridiculous and melodramatic. You wanted to laugh rather than appreciate the serious sentiment beneath them.

It is totally understandable that playwright Patrick Wilde wanted to make a point about gay rights with this play, but the inclusion of the monologues simply doesn't work. It may have done when the play was originally presented, but now it just seems superfluous to the action. Without the monologues, the audience still understands the point he is trying to make and is able to focus on the relationship between Steven and John rather than being constantly pulled away from this to hear Gilder mouth over-the-top paragraphs of text.

Go for Jack, Birks and the young male ensemble, all of whom are worth a trip for sheer charisma alone.

News (Broadway edition): Hamlet, Rock of Ages, Avenue Q

2009-06-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

The Donmar's sold-out production of Hamlet is to hit Broadway ala The Norman Conquests. The cast, including Penelope Wilton as Gertrude and Jude Law as Hamlet, will all transfer to the Broadhurst Theatre (W 44th) on September 12, with the show officially opening on October 6 for twelve weeks.
Amy Spanger has left '80s hair musical Rock of Ages for 'personal reasons'. The singer, who came into the production after its off-Broadway run, had been out on 'vocal rest' for a month from June 8, and was expected to return on June 29, when the announcement was made. Savannah Wise has been covering for Spanger in her absence, but it is not yet known whether she will continue to do so on a permanent basis.
The Broadway production of Avenue Q will close for good on September 13. It has run for six years but with sales dropping, the decision has been made. The UK version is currently running until late September, but there are rumours that sales are good and it will extend until 2010 - but these are still just rumours!

Review: Zanna, Don't! (Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate)

2009-06-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

Although it only runs until the 5th July, Zanna, Don't! is absolutely worth seeing. With a clever, if rather cheesy plot that reverses the usual high school experience into a gay is good, straight is bad theme, albeit with a couple of unusual twists and turns along the way, its sparky, youthful cast bring a huge amount of energy to this small production.

There's not a weak link in the cast, all of whom (bar 33-year-old West End vet Michael Cotton) are recent graduates with a variety of credits to their name. It's refreshing to see such a fresh and un-jaded group, putting absolutely everything they have into their performance (despite it being a Sunday afternoon in stiflingly humid heat when Theatrical Leanings visited) and uniformly giving great American accents, not an easy task if you've heard some of those attempted recently in the West End. Luckily for them, this is a musical with a swathe of fantastic songs and a lot of potential for humour and pathos.

Mike Shearer as Zanna is definitely a man with a future - his top notes are a joy to hear and his sweet, almost innocent portrayal of the magical matchmaker leaves you invested in what happens to the boy who helps everyone but himself. Bonnie Hurst as Roberta makes her professional debut in the show, though you'd never know it from the power and control she has over her voice.

Nadeem Crowe, who only really comes into his own just before the finale with a stunningly heartfelt, beautiful solo, is also worthy of a solo mention, as is back-up belter Justine Marie Mead and the pairing of Josh Bellil and the wonderful William Cassidy (a particular audience favourite thanks to his strong comic chops).

The only downsound, as mentioned elsewhere, is the band, who often overpower the vocals. This is particularly noticeable in 'Fast', where the singing gets so speedy that you need to listen very carefully to understand what they're saying.

Review: As You Like It (Globe Theatre)

2009-06-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

With Thea Sharrock firmly established as a strong and interesting director thanks to the wonderful production of Equus that recently ran in the West End, the RSC's production of As You Like It was never going to be less than clever, stripped down and full of great, if possibly lesser-known actors. Buzzing with a giddy, late-night atmosphere, both actors and audience were sucked into the spectacle, with the audience visibly warming up as the play continued.

Strong performances all round, with Jack Laskey an utter revelation as the gangly, earnest and clever Orlando, whose romantic pursuit of Rosalind centres the whole play. He corpsed and grinned through the serious bits a little more than you'd expect, but it was a midnight performance and it was all part of the fun, and something an audience always cherishes.

Jamie Parker as evil-to-good brother Oliver was excellent as always, his clear tones and centred performance bringing some gravity to a smaller and very changeable role. While the role of the fool is often not so funny in these more au fait times, Dominic Rowan did a superb job as Touchstone, making hackneyed Elizabethan jokes newly hilarious, adding a touch of Richard Wilson to proceedings as he pawed the ground and muttered: 'I don't believe it.'

Naomi Frederick made a fine (and androgynous) Rosalind, and the decision to dress both her and Orlando in almost identical brown leather outfits was particularly clever, causing a somewhat Shakespeare In Love-esque frisson when the two touched. However, she was outshone by the wonderful Laura Rogers as Celia, who took the comedy angle and ran with it as far as she possibly could.

Support in the other roles was also strong, with particular mention for Tim McMullan's lugubrious and snooty Jaques and Sophie Duval's slutty, silly Audrey. The only weak link in the cast was Jade Williams as Phoebe, whose rather overdone flouncing made her not only stand out in a negative way, but also made you completely fail to appreciate why Silvius might have fallen for her in the first place.

Word on the street...

2009-06-22T11:25:00.001-07:00

We hear that:

Matt Lucas has been confirmed to star in Prick Up Your Ears, a new play by Simon Bent about Joe Orton. The play tells the story of Orton and lover Kenneth Halliwell, who murdered the playwright with a hammer back in 1967, from Halliwell's point of view, a rather unusual choice based on a book by the same name, as well as Orton's diaries.

UPDATE: Chortle.co.uk has the news - and the play will be booking at the Comedy Theatre from September 17 until December 30, though it will preview in venues including Richmond Theatre over the summer.

Review: Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre)

2009-06-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: Two years ago, I saw an incredible production of Hairspray on Broadway, starring Shannon Durig and Paul Vogt. With a tip-top ensemble, wonderfully large set and an audience buzzing and reacting to absolutely everything (almost the same cast as this video) it is a rare show that can top that kind of thing, and unfortunately the West End Hairspray was unable to on this occasion, despite their best attmpts.

Leanne Jones was off for this performance, leaving understudy Charlotte Riby to take on the lead role of Tracy, which she did with gusto, a great voice and great dance skills. Not only talented, but beautiful, Charlotte carried the production - a true triple threat.

Unfortunately, Ben Ellis as Link Larkin disappointed - although he has a nice voice, clear worries over the strength of his American accent meant he garbled and hurried most of his sentences, meaning you could only understand 50% of what he said. However, his dancing was nothing short of fantastic - this is clearly what he excels at.

Other outstanding performances included Verity Rushworth's incredible belting vocal and lovely comic timing as Penny, Sandra Marvin's fabulously emotive performance as Motormouth Maybelle and Adrian Hansel funny and gorgeous Seaweed.

Review: Arcadia (Duke of York's Theatre)

2009-06-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Raved about by critics, Arcadia is an erudite, witty play covering all manner of topics. Sliding happily from mathematical theorems to landscape gardening, Tom Stoppard has tried to tie in a great deal of purportedly linked ideas in this play. While it certainly leaves you with a lot to think about, this doesn't necessarily mean it's quite the masterpiece that the writers for the nationals would have you believe.

The play (in the past) tells the story of a precocious teenager called Thomasina, her tutor Septimus Hodge and her amazing and untimely mathematical discoveries. In the present, it looks at the implications of the past on the present for all from relatives to academics. The plots are intertwined, with the cast from both time periods winding around each other on stage by the end of the play. There's a lot to contend with here, and if you find maths goes over your head even a touch, or you like to keep things simple, this really won't be the play for you.

It's interesting, certainly, and there are some very funny lines, mainly uttered by Hodge as he attempts to deal with the many ridiculous outbursts of the family he lives with. However, it can drag at less comic moments and it is only the strong performances from the majority of the cast who keep it jollying along as it does.

Particularly worthy of mention are Samantha Bond as academic Hannah. A strong stage actor in her own right, Bond's work here is nuanced and sizzlingly sexy. Her Hannah is no-nonsense yet sweet, loving yet harsh and very amusing. Meanwhile, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour's Dan Stevens gives an incredibly powerful performance as the tutor. He is clearly a talented comic actor, but can turn his hand to just about anything emotionally. Additionally, Ed Stoppard (yes, son of Tom)'s Valentine is sweet, sensitive and kind - just the kind of man you'd go for out of the group if you had the choice.

Sadly, letting the side down somewhat majorly is Jessie Cave as the aforementioned Thomasina. For such an important role in the play - the whole story pivots around her - it seems amazing they cast Cave, whose overly mannered, over-the-top rendition of every single line jerks you out of your suspension of disbelief and back into the remembrance that this is indeed a play. This is particularly irritating in scenes with Stevens, who is so wonderfully good that Cave's performance looks even worse by comparison.

This is an interesting play that will broaden your mind, but don't take it as a given that you'll enjoy it.

Zanna, Don't!, MirandaSings08

2009-06-07T21:40:00.001-07:00

It got raves when it was off-Broadway, and now a new production has hit off-West End. Yes, I know you may be wondering what the hell off-West End is, but it's pretty self-explanatory. It's where the smaller shows, the niche and silly ones that would die a death in the West End, go in order to have a nice run, make money and build an audience (like Austentatious, whose transferral we're still waiting for...). This is the same as off-Broadway in the States, where shows that would collapse within a few weeks on Broadway can recoup their investment four years down the line (yes, I'm talking about you, Altar Boyz).

Anyway, after a short run at what was apparently a church, the show has transferred to the Gatehouse in Highgate for a month's run between the 8th June and 9th July. Although I, and most of you, have not as yet seen the show, Youtube clips look highly promising - and Seth Rudetsky likes it, so it must be halfway decent!

It tells the story of a high school where everything is reversed from real life. Heterosexuality is verboten, ala homosexuality in many an American high school. But there's a twist to this reversal storyline, in the form of the school's magical matchmaker Zanna.

http://www.zannadont.co.uk/

Meanwhile, Youtube sensation MirandaSings hits the Ambassadors Theatre and a number of other venues in mid-June. Her *unique* brand of vocal stylings, complete with guest appearances from various West End casts, look set to stun (literally) audiences. The casts of shows including Priscilla, Les Mis and Avenue Q are expected to join Miranda on stage. Tickets are selling fairly fast for this one-off set of performances. You can find more information on Miranda's Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miranda-Sings/78618944219

Fangirl Alert: Hugh Jackman & Daniel Craig to star in NY play

2009-05-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

Shows like Wicked already attract a devoted fanbase without the need for star leads, but it's always a boost when a theatre can attract big names to their latest play. Josh Hartnett, Judi Dench and James McAvoy are just some of those to have starred in West End productions in the last year or so, while Katie Holmes caused a media frenzy with her recent Broadway appearance in Arthur Miller's All My Sons.

Broadway is about to get its latest dose of A-list material with the news that Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman are to team up in A Steady Rain. Written by Keith Huff, it tells the story of two Chicago policemen who become involved in a domestic dispute when they return a child to his guardian. When the child dies, someone must take responsibility, and the pair find their friendship put to the test.

While both Craig and Jackman started their career in the theatre - Jackman notably in Oklahoma - both have been subsumed by film work recently, with Craig starring in James Bond films and Jackman exploring the background to X-Men character Wolverine.

It is expected (surprise, surprise) that the show will sell out, and fast, so keep an eye out for tickets to this rather special number.

News: Barrowman for La Cage, Sunset Boulevard to close

2009-05-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

John Barrowman says he will appear in La Cage aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre from 14th September-28th November 2009. He made the announcement during the Birmingham leg of his concert tour. Nothing official is online yet but the details were confirmed through his mailing list.
Sunset Boulevard, which has been at the Comedy Theatre since December 2008, will close on 30th May 2009, meaning it will meet neither of the extensions previously announced for booking. More information can be found here.
Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Phantom sequel Love Never Dies, which was originally destined for the West End in mid-autumn, is now expected to debut in March 2010 and to head to Broadway around the same time.