drama saves lives

Letting in Air

2009-11-22T20:57:00.003Z

Old Red Lion
Director: Adam Quayle
Running until 28th November

Becky Prestwich’s Letting in Air is all about words; what words mean, how words sound, discovering new words and yet it is actually what is not said, the silences between these words that reveal the true story of this play.

Broken relationships and betrayal define this play about a father (Frank) and his son (Ryan) who’s already strained relationship is pushed to the limits following the death of their wife/mother. As they struggle through; neither really speaking their true feelings, a catalyst appears in the unlikely form of a sixteen year old called Amy who brings all these unspoken tensions to the surface with repercussions nobody is ready for.

Amy, played by the terrific Rebecca Elliot is incapable of not saying the first thing that pops into her head and can only speak the truth. She is a damaged young girl, who although sixteen, seems to be stuck in the mind space of a ten year old. After she meets Frank outside the theatre they become unlikely friends. Perhaps the first person she has ever known who hasn’t taken advantage of her, Frank is almost as naive as Amy to think that his family won’t read more into their relationship than there actually is. However, it is through the close bond that Frank forms with this stranger that he is able to address the reasons why he has never truly connected with his own son.

The superb cast portray Prestwich’s characters in all of their tortured glory under the subtle direction of Adam Quayle. Edmund Kente’s sensitive portrayal of Frank as a man who is just looking for someone to take care of is heartbreaking. Rebecca Elliot’s Amy is utterly open and completely honest. A great comic actress who avoids becoming a caricature, Elliot also accesses the tortured soul of this girl who on the one hand has never experienced childhood yet cannot escape from her childlike imagination. Ryan Hawley shows that still waters run deep as confused and hurt son Adam who struggles to deal with his changing family situation as it seems to implode.

Letting in Air is exactly what you need to do after this tense two hour drama which leaves you feeling as if you have been holding your breath for the entire duration. A fantastic piece of new writing which reminds you just how excellent fringe theatre can be – providing the space for new voices to be heard and Prestwich’s is a voice that really must be listened to.

Liberace Live From Heaven

2009-11-22T20:52:00.001Z

Written and Directed by Julian Woolford
Performed by Bobby Crush
Leicester Square Theatre

Bobby Crush is Liberace, a decedent performer who has died from Aids and finds himself in a sort of musical limbo, while a group of heavenly angels (who are played by us, the audience) decide his fate as to whether he should go to heaven or hell.

Liberace Live From Heaven is camper than a camp site. Bobby Crush with his horrendous American accent aims to entertain with stories of performances at the Hollywood Bowl and mingling with the stars whilst showing off on his piano playing skills to prove why he was the greatest pianist of his team. While sharing these stories he is interrupted by the voice of God and St Paul, played respectfully (and quite astonishingly) by Stephen Fry and Victoria Wood. These voices provide a vehicle for them to clumsily debate issues such as closeted homosexuality and the contraction of HIV. As if that isn’t awkward enough, topical gags such as discussing Michael Jackson and Jade Goodey’s death are also weaved into the act alongside of carry on moments where a member of the audience assists Liberace with a costume change while the audience are left listening to shrieks of “oh aren’t you a big boy” and “oh it’s not going to fit”.

The one thing that saves this performance from sinking completely into a pit of inane nonsense is Crush’s piano playing. If you can ignore the ridiculous expression on his face for a moment he clearly is a skilled musician as he covers classical, bogey woogey and current pop songs all within the same set and quite impressively at the end asks the audience to shout out songs they’d like to hear and manages to play every one of them.

It is this final performance which quite honestly saved him for eternal damnation in the fiery pits of hell as the majority of the audience voted for him to go to heaven…. Who knows, on another night he might not be quite so lucky.

Marilyn Forever Blonde

2009-11-22T20:49:00.002Z

Writer – Greg Thompson
Director – Stephanie Shine
Leicester Square Theatre

Greg Thompson – writer of Marilyn Forever Blonde has been involved in a love affair with Marilyn Monroe for over fifty years. After years of effectively studying her, he knows her intimately, not just the glamorous bombshell we are all familiar with. Forever Blonde is his attempt to humanise the image of Monroe using verbatim dialogue from interviews she had given over the years.

Greg Thompson must have thought all his Christmas’s had come at once when he convinced his wife, Sunny Thompson to become the woman of his dreams. Understandably she was initially hesitant to take on this larger than life character. Whilst it had been remarked many times to her that she looked like Monroe, she understood that taking on this icon required a great deal more than a passing resemblance.

However she ultimately decided to take on the challenge and boy did she take it on. Sunny succeeds where many “impersonators” fail – in that she doesn’t impersonate; she becomes her. It’s hard to pin point exactly how this happens; is it through her sexy cooing voice, with lips that never stop moving, her sensual walk (achieved through having one heel always slightly shorter than the other), her gorgeous, melodic singing voice or that with the glitz and glamour Sunny looks just like Monroe. Or is it something more than that? Thompson seems to connect with Monroe’s soul and captures the intangible.

We join Marilyn in a sort of an interview situation towards the end of her career. Sunny speaks directly with the audience as she takes you on a rags to riches tale. Since this play is created from her words, talk of her drink and drugs problems are almost glossed over as she prefers to discuss other topics. However blatant discussion is not needed as her behaviour and constant drinking of champagne throughout the piece tells another story to the one we hear. Her tales her intercepted with voice overs from people who knew Marilyn stating how they felt about her and various songs which she performs are weaved in alongside her dialogue, often reflecting the tone of the story she happens to be telling.

Whether you’re an obsessive fan or not that familiar with the life of this legend, Monroe’s is a story that will captivate all (and not just because you cannot help but be seduced by this starlet). Marilyn Monroe was the perfect creation but beneath the veneer laid a multitude of cracks which could only be covered for so long. Greg Thompson’s play explores beneath the story of Marilyn Monroe to reveal a troubled soul indeed. We’re all familiar with Monroe’s untimely demise but this piece allows you to gleam just a little more understanding of what drove her.

Aware of her sexuality from the age of about 13 she understood her power and was not afraid to use it to get what she wanted. Her success can almost be entirely attributed to this (and the fact she wasn’t afraid to sleep her way to the top) and yet it was also her downfall. Once she’s created this image it was impossible to undo and prove that she was more than something to look at and yet as much as she try when her insecurities surfaced she would return to her using her sexual prowess like an old security blanket.

Monroe was a complete dichotomy and this is why she has captivated people for decades – long after her death. She was a woman and a child, a dumb blond who loved Yates and Shakespeare, someone who used men but loved men deeply and a person who took advantage of others and was constantly taken advantage of herself.

All little Norma Jean ever really wanted was to be “wonderful” and who better to show that she already was than Sunny Thompson.

I Bought A Blue Car Today

2009-09-24T23:35:00.003+01:00

Alan Cumming
Musical Director – Lance Horne
Vaudeville Theatre

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

He was in Sam Mendes highly acclaimed production of Cabaret and yet still one doesn’t automatically associate Alan Cumming with the musical world. He’s an actor (an incredibly fine one) and a comic, but a singer?

Well you can decide that for yourself as his one man show I Bought A Blue Car Today takes the audience on a journey through his last ten years in New York and is punctuated by musical numbers which relate to his experiences or have had an impact on him during his time in America, or that he just plain likes and doesn’t really have any other reason for singing them.

So the big question is, can he really sing? It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting. Sure Cumming can carry a tune and it’s no surprise to see several comic songs pop up such as Victoria Wood’s “Thinking of You” and “Taylor the Latte Boy” by Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler. However they are weaved in alongside of power ballads like Cyndi Lauper’s “Shine” and Cole Porter’s “Every Time We Say Goodbye” and even a few self-penned numbers. Performing these songs with an almost desperate sincerity, Cumming is clearly anxious about performing these songs well and you can’t help but feel a little nervous for him. He lacks the effortless ability of a natural singer and at times falls a little flat through his eagerness to communicate the song.

His witty repartee about his experiences in America, although a little self-indulgent are quite the contrary. Despite the nerves he discusses, his banter is easy and casual as if talking with old friends. As Cumming says; this is like a party; it’s just that we had to pay to come!

His tales of his life Stateside, mixing with the stars and performing at the Tony’s are fabulous and yet they are extremely personal as he discloses that he was sobbing in the shower just before meeting Whoopi Goldberg backstage at Cabaret. His stories although at times a little boastful are endearing and he’s really just a Scottish lad, excited by his life Stateside. Although it is interesting that he has become a citizen in a country which he had to leave in order to get married as they don’t recognise same sex marriages. He talks a great deal about his partner and friends and at times gets quite sentimental, although there is always a mischievous grin and a naughty twinkle in his eyes.

Whether he is the greatest singer in the world is almost neither here nor there. His sensual, dirty version of “Mein Herr” from Cabaret proves that you don’t have to have the strongest belt for a song to make an impact and whilst this isn’t the case for every song; it really doesn’t matter all that much. It’s Alan Cumming and even a story about buying a blue car today is entertaining when he’s telling it.

Stockwell

2009-09-24T23:29:00.006+01:00

By Kieron Barry (edited from the court transcripts)
Directed by Sophie Lifshutz
Tricycle Theatre
Playing until September 20th 2009

Stockwell – an intense and thrilling courtroom drama; except rather more disturbingly this isn’t a drama, it is real life. A piece of verbatim theatre taken from the transcripts of the Jean Charles de Menezes inquest, this is a story that needs little explanation as we all followed it in the news in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in London, reading with shock and disbelief that an innocent man (who was believed by intelligence to be a terrorist) had been shot nine times by the police on a tube at Stockwell tube station.

As the piece begins eight actors superbly take on the role of thirty people (lawyers, police, surveillance officers, eye witnesses and family and friends). It initially fells like a staged documentary, repeating that what we already know, however as the piece unfolds and you listen to the facts of the case in this 90-minute drama, you are drawn into this incredibly tense and disturbing piece of theatre.

It was two specialist firearms officers who fired the shots that killed de Menezes, however there were an abundance of mistakes that led to that moment, placing the blame on many heads. Why hadn’t the surveillance team watching the property where de Menezes lived realised it was a block with a communal entrance rather than a house with a private entrance? They thought it suspicious when he got off the bus by Brixton tube station only to get on another bus to Stockwell. What they failed to notice was that Brixton tube station was closed that day. Communication between C019, operation room staff and surveillance officers was completely shambolic as messages were misinterpreted and in some instances not even received. And probably most shocking of all is why when the firearms officers boarded the tube did they not state that they were police, leaving eyewitnesses momentarily thinking that the police were the bad guys (I know it’s ironic isn’t it?)

Of course as the firearms officers and other members of the police point out that when it is broken down it is easy to point out the many mistakes occurred but this operation took place at a frenzied pace. However as the confused counsel for the de Menezes family, Mr Mansfield (Jack Klaff) questions in his deliciously dry and patronising manner, why was it so frenzied and not a more slick and controlled operation?

This production is simply and sensitively handled and whilst you leave the theatre in no doubt that the police are entirely to blame for this wrongful killing (even though they remain resolute that the mistakes weren’t theirs) you can’t help but feel empathy for the two men that fired the shots and what they’ll live with for the rest of their lives. Of course the greatest sympathy lies with Jean Charles de Menezes and his friends and family who speak of how he’d previously praised the police and was completely trustful that the police would keep him safe.

The York Realist

2009-09-24T23:26:00.002+01:00

By Peter Gill
Directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher
Produced by Good Night Out
Riverside Studios
Playing until 11th October

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

A story of a forbidden love is always going to have its tensions and complications, especially when the protagonists are male and it’s set in the early 1960s in a small farming community. A sort of a Brokeback Mountain set in Yorkshire; Peter Gill’s Olivier Award nominated, The York Realist is ultimately a very lonely tale.

Two men; George (Stephen Hagan) who lives with his mother in a small labourer’s cottage and John (Matthew Burton) an assistant director up from London working on the Mysteries Plays in which George gets a part. George’s family brushes over the fact that he still lives with his Mother and is not interested in any of the local girls. Completely clueless, his close-knit family have no idea of his extra curricular activities. Interestingly it is he, rather than cosmopolitan John who is at ease with his homosexuality. Not that it’s something he can parade in front of the local folk, it is 1961 after all but behind closed doors he is very comfortable with himself. Much like Brokeback Mountain after their summer of love (or winter as is the case in this play) is over and John has to return to London, they are both left to face the reality of their situation.

Adam Spreadbury-Maher’s production is nostalgic without being stuffy. Home baked apple pie, several pots of tea and an elderly mother doing all her son’s laundry create a warm and cosy feeling within. Meanwhile the rug is being pulled out from under your feet with an overwhelming feeling of loneliness. A family that chatter endlessly about nothing in order to avoid what really needs to be said, they remain oblivious to George’s inner turmoil. This impressive cast take a very London audience out of the city and into Mother’s front room. It’s all very claustrophobic yet well meaning and there’s no chance of missing anything either as they all talk in that slightly too loud way of speaking to each other, to be sure that everyone in the front room can hear even though they are all sat around the same small table. Stephanie Fayerman as Mother gives a tender and moving performance of a woman whose son is the apple of her eye and Sarah Wadell as the well meaning neighbour, Doreen whose heart is sadly wasted on George adds some light humour whilst avoiding the trap of being the caricature religious do-gooder.

Hagen and Burton have a natural chemistry as these two men from very different worlds who find a mutual love and respect for each other. Hagen is adorable as the slightly simple George but still rivers run deep and his rivers are at times heartbreaking. Burton turns in an equally brilliant performance. He’s middle class without being pompous and whilst he may not wear his heart on his sleeve like George, his pain is just as palpable. The sexual tension between these two men is made all the more unbearable as Spreadbury-Maher’s direction allows us to think everything but see very little.

This really is a traditional love story like many others (although probably not the sort of love Mother had imagined for her boy). Two people meet and fall in love and have to overcome various obstacles that will either make them stronger or break them….ah they don’t make ‘em like they used to.

Catwalk Confidential

2009-09-15T13:41:00.001+01:00

Catwalk Confidential

Robyn Peterson

Directed by: Tony Abatemarco

Arts Theatre

Playing until 3^rd October

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Robyn Peterson is bringing a touch of glamour to the Arts Theatre as the swaps the catwalk for the stage. Well in actual fact she hung up her platforms quite some time ago as it was back in the 70s and 80s that she was the “IT” girl working with prominent photographers Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin and infamous fashion designers such as Dior, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent. In her hey day she graced the covers of Vogue and Elle and appeared on catwalks all over the world.

One of the first supermodels, Peterson shares her experiences of life behind the flashing lens in her one woman show, Catwalk Confidential about a girl who certainly lived and now a woman who has no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Less Lilly Cole (her early photos bare an uncanny resemblence) and more Cybil Sheherd these days, Robyn Peterson is still utterly georgous and oozes sex appeal as she strutts her stuff down memory lane. Screens behind her flash with images of her home town Miami, Paris where she spent her formative modelling years and various magazine covers to suggest time and place. Peterson’s stories are sexy, funny, shocking but nothing that we’ve not really heard before from the bizarre and wonderful world of fashion. Her one woman shows covers a period of ten years from the age of 16, when she landed in Paris and started booking jobs to the age of 26 when still barely a woman she would already be considered past her prime.

Peterson speaks with confidence to the audience but lacks the natural ease of a trained actress. Her performance is very much a memorised speech and though these are her own personal stories, due to the nature of her delivery she seems detached from what she is saying. Having said this she is still incredibly alluring and succesfully charms the audience (although it should be noted that this was a fashion crowd and I’m unsure how much tales of a make bag weighing 15 pounds will translate to a less couture-savvy audience).

When comparing to stories of other models from the 70s and 80s such as Gia Carangi, Peterson’s story lacks the same substance. Rather than dealing with hard hitting issues such as drug addiction (although of course she had her dalliances) and bipolar disorder, hers is more of a story of how she catapulted to fame through stealing a wrap around bikini off another model for a catwalk show to become the talk of the town and an overnight sensation. Not to demean Peterson’s story in any way; it’s great to see a woman emerging from the modelling world so vivacious, rather than crippled with insecurities, it’s just that her story is a little on the light and fluffy side.

However her 80 minute show still manages to entertain with her dry sarcasm; “You don’t compete with brunettes, you kill them” and her sense of humour about the world of fashion; “Have you ever seen an outfit so perfect that it literally stops time”. If anything it’s a shame the show comes to an end when it does with her at the age of 26 as judging from the woman we see onstage I suspect it was after her modelling years that the story gets really interesting.

The Assault

2009-09-03T12:47:00.002+01:00

The Assault

(Part of Brazil X 2)

Directed by Victor Esses

Written by Jose Vicente

Produced by Alter Ego Productions

Old Red Lion Theatre

18^th August – 5^th September

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide.

The Assault is in fact, just that; not just an assault on the characters but also the audience as you are forced to confront the seedy truth about power, money, desperation and homosexuality in Sao Paulo in the late 1960s. At only an hour and twenty minutes, there is no beating around the bush with Jose Vicente gritty two hander. Vicente’s exploration of class divisions is anything but black and white and is instead a rather murky shade of grey.

Victor (Steven Farah) a lowly bank clerk and Hugo (Jade Willis) a cleaner earning half the minimum wage are confronted with one and other as Victor locks Hugo in his office and essentially terrorises not only Hugo, but also himself. Farah’s performance as this lonely, nebbish accountant is intensely unnerving. Crippled by his closeted homosexuality and feelings of worthlessness within a corporate jungle, he is desperate to assert his power over someone; anyone. As his obsession with Hugo reveals itself , Farah’s twitching mannerisms and frantic ramblings contrast beautifully with Jade Willis’s mild mannered Hugo who has become accustomed to being used and abused but has learnt best how to manipulate it to his advantage. Willis’s cool exterior initially remains unaffected; however, even he underestimates the twisted nature of Victor’s desperation.

Inspired by de Vicente’s experiences of military dictatorship and his own personal homosexual repression, the brutal nature of his writing cuts right through any sense of political correctness to take an intensely personal look at how mankind react when faced with extreme repression.

Victor Esses’s production of this award winning play really is hard hitting stuff which stays with you long after you’ve left the theatre. As part of a double bill with Rodrigo de Roure’s The Last Days of Gilda, The Assault whilst capturing Brazilian culture in the 1960s, continues to speak volumes today about social class structures and repression to a modern London audience.

Latitude Festival - Part 1

2009-08-07T17:19:00.008+01:00

So the bruises have finally faded from my Latitude Experience (nothing to do with the theatre I saw and all to do with the mosh pit I found myself in during the Gossip gig at the Uncut Arena) and i'm ready to report back from Latitude 2009!

Three things you expect to see at a festival:

· People running around with face paints, fairy wings, tutus, and other mystical paraphernalia

· Bands a plenty playing into the night

· Rain!

Three things you don’t expect to see at a festival:

· An audience enthusiastically waving their arms in the air to Westlife

· A selection of theatre that rivals the West End

· Sunshine!

The brilliant thing about Latitude 2009 is that it had all of the above; everything you’d expect and everything you’d never expect. Treading new ground in the world of festivals Latitude 2009 is so much more than a music festival with the token arts tent throw in. It caters for a whole other audience without sacrificing its music loving fan base. At Latitude there is room for everyone, music, theatre, comedy, cabaret, film, literature, poetry and that doesn’t even take into account the one off installation pieces that are happening in every corner. By creating such an eclectic vibe, Latitude draws a diverse crowd and by keeping all acts in fairly close proximity of one another there is a real feeling of intimacy that other festivals can lack.

Focusing in on the theatre there were two main spaces; the theatre arena (a sort of circus tent) and the outdoor theatre, located in the woods. Throughout the four days, many productions were repeated so as if you missed something one day, you had the opportunity to catch it on another. Theatre companies from all over the country took their turns on the two stages with the majority of performances playing to a full house, with the audience spilling outside.

A variety of pieces that had been especially created for Latitude were combined with pieces that are on their way up to Edinburgh and also a sample of what’s going on in the West End right now. Whilst the majority of pieces clearly had a festival crowd in mind a handful were oblivious to the audience they were playing to. Mercury Theatre for some reason opted to perform without the head microphones that all the other companies used. Playing against the blaring music that was coming from nearby venues and with the sound of people walking in and out, you could barely hear them.

It was the productions which involved some sort of audience participation which were, not surprisingly, the biggest hits. Dry white with their rather simple formula of creating various scenarios which resulted in the characters having physical fights was received with a rowdy response. Wearing coloured hats that we had been issued with to represent what character we thought would win each fight, we cheered and goaded as if at a WWF match. Hugh Hughes in his one man show 360 insisted we all chat to each and become acquainted in order to breakdown any barriers, whilst the Bush theatre’s Sudden Loss of Dignity read out embarrassing stories which had been submitted by members of the audience.

My top picks for the weekend have to be the afore mentioned Sudden Loss of Dignity which was met with a standing ovation and the RSC’s terrifying production of Here Lies Mary Spindler which was especially created for Latitude. The performance about the witch trials and subsequent burial site which just happens to be the Latitude site scared the living daylights out of me. Blood coming out of characters mouths and blood curdling screams pretty much guaranteed that there was no way I’d be going to the toilets on my own in the middle of the night!

So that was Latitude 2009, a sort of tea party/circus/rock concert/cultural/weird and wonderful event. Of course the only real way to discover the joy of Latitude is to go yourself, so who’s in for next year?!

360
Written by Hugh Hughes
Produced by touring theatre company Hoipolloi
Presented by Pleasance

The Pleasance prides itself on providing an early home for the best on the theatre and comedy circuit, in both Edinburgh and London. This year, the Pleasance returned to Latitude with four ‘Picks’ of comedy treats. One of which was Hugh Hughes with his brand new show 360. For anyone who has seen any of Hugh Hughes’ previous work they’ll know to expect organised chaos as his story telling technique goes off on random tangents which always find their way back to the heart of the story. That is not to say that Hughes doesn’t really know what he’s doing; he knows exactly what he’s doing, he just enjoys breaking down those performer/audience barriers in order to make the audience feel as comfortable as possible; as if we are all friends.

And that is the theme of 360; friendship, in particular Hughes’ relationship with his childhood friend Gareth. Taking us on a trip down memory lane he reminisced about funny moments they shared as young boys back in Wales, spending their Summer holidays together building Dams. He talked about how that friendship altered as they grew up as Hughes moved to London while Gareth stayed in Wales but how ultimately no matter what the change in circumstances the bond between two old friends is a difficult one to break.

Of course, as I have said already his story telling is not straight forward. Having told the children that were in the audience that the worst thing he was going to say was “Fucking Shit” and that if their parents were ok with that then they could stay, he began, in fact he even used one of the children to join him on stage to play Gareth in one of their Dam building adventures. As he frantically told the audience about one particular occasion when he and Gareth, as adults, climbed mount Snowdon he explained how their friendship was threatened due to the fact he was having, what he refers to as “ a Jack Johnson moment” (Jack Johnson being some moody idiot he worked with in London who would always make him feel stupid and therefore send him into a bad mood). Hughes’ simple tale reminds you how old friends help you deal with such moments and allow you to see the funny side of any situation.

Always nice to have a piece of theatre with a good old moral, although to be honest the chance of having “a Jack Johnson moment” at Latitude is pretty slim, especially with shows such as 360 taking to the stage.

When Cheryl Was Brasic by Leo Richardson
Crunch by Duncan McMillan
Produced by Nabokov Shorts

Nabokov aims to produce theatre which offers an antagonistic response to contemporary agendas and trends. Their monthly development forum showcases young playwrights, directors, and comedians etc to test and develop their work in front of an audience.

When Cheryl Was Brasic by Leo Richardson and Crunch by Duncan McMillan are such examples of work emerging from this initiative and what better place to get a true response than at a festival where the audience are free to get up and leave whenever they want.

With so much on offer at Latitude, if you’re not enjoying something you just leave and with some productions over the weekend that is exactly what people did. Nabokov Shorts however captured its audience’s attention with people crammed into every corner of the tent.

Both Richardson and McMillan’s short plays shared the theme of money; or rather lack of it, but each tackled the subject matter in a very different way. Richardson’s protagonist, Cheryl is sick of being broke and so takes the advice of her sex mad, role play loving, lesbian best friend Shenekwa – to focus on entertainment that’s free and doesn’t require you to leave the house. Cheryl sets about trying to spice up her nonexistent sex life with her Wi-Fi loving boyfriend, Dean. Dean is completely oblivious to poor Cheryl’s hilarious attempts to get him into bed such as covering herself in Nutella in the hope he will want to lick it off and telling Dean that a wasp has flown up his trousers in order to convince him to take them off. Her failed attempts are intercut with Shenekwa’s various role play fantasies with her girlfriend such as posh bird and robber and gangster and moll.

Very funny at times, Richardson’s light hearted take on money problems contrasts nicely with McMillan’s rant at consumerism. A couple verbally attack each other whilst teaching their child about third world debt, genocide, capitalism and massacres; all the things every child needs to know. Dealing with some pretty heavy issues, McMillan’s script certainly shocked you out of your comfort zone but it did become rather relentless and in fact almost watered down the seriousness of these problems by becoming a constant stream of consciousness rather than anything more poignant.

Both promising young playwright’s with very different styles if the rest of the theatre going public receive their work as well as those at Latitude, I’m sure they’ll do very well.

Traces
Directed by Tessa Walker
Produced by Paines Plough

Paines Plough is undoubtedly one of our most promising theatre companies with hits such as House of Agnes under its belt and writers such as Mark Ravenhill and Enda Walsh working with them they have already accumulated quite a following.

As with other theatre groups at latitude, Paines Plough are very supportive of up and coming talent. With their initiative “Future Perfect 2009”, six young writers came together to write Traces which was performed by members of National Youth Theatre.

There is always something so fresh and vibrant about work that emerges from young talent, even if it doesn’t quite work you can’t deny the energy that comes from a piece created and performed by people yet to be jaded by life.

Traces is most certainly a play by teenagers for teenagers with all loose ends neatly tied up and the odd group movement piece and rap thrown in along the way for good measure. A fairly simplistic plot about a famous girl, Leanne Turner (We’re not sure what she is famous for) who returns to her home town, wanting to reconnect, having lost touch with reality. Fame has bought her nothing but misery, however as she encounters various old friends and co-workers from her past she realises that it’s not that easy to go back and ultimately comes to the conclusion that there is nowhere that she can be happy in this life time.

Traces lacked the spark of pervious pieces performed by NYT members such as the electric White Boy. This sadly felt like an amateur production, especially as half the young cast are still to learn that when you’re off stage and your head microphones are on, even whispers can still be heard by the audience.

Kissed by Brel

2009-08-06T15:02:00.002+01:00

Directed by Geoffrey Hyland
Jermyn Street Theatre
Playing until 9th August

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

“He goes to the limit of his strength because, through his singing, he expresses his reason for living and each line hits you in the face and leaves you dazed” – Edith Piaf

Having just been introduced to the work of Jacques Brel I’d have to say that Ms Piaf hits the nail right on the head with this description.

I say introduced, in fact I was, without realising already acquainted with some of Brel’s work as his music has been recorded by many well known artists including Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Neil Diamond and Nina Simone to name but a few.

Jacques Brel’s songs cut right to core as he expresses his feelings about love, friendship, hatred of women and anti-conformism in the most poetic of ways. Compared by some with Bob Dylan, Brel’s use of expression such as, “I’d be the shadow of your shadow if I thought it would keep you by my side” sung to a loved one or “we skinned our hearts and skinned our knees” to an old friend from a death bed sends shivers down your spine (to use a cliché, which of course Brel would never do).

South African, Claire Watling is paying her respects to Brel in her one woman show Kissed by Brel. Fresh from her success in South Africa, Watling sets off where Brel finished by continuing to tell his stories; which is exactly what Brel’s songs are. They are stories which need to be more than sung; they need to be communicated. Watling wears her heart on her sleeve and is often overcome by the emotion of songs such as “Seasons in the Sun” and “If You Go Away”. However she also plays around with the chirpier and suggestive numbers like “Madeleine”, showing off Brel’s wicked and dry sense of humour, whilst her rendition of “Amsterdam” reflects Brel’s darker side.

On stage with accompanist Godfrey Johnson, Watling owns the space, although she’s in danger of being upstaged by her purple shawl which she wears in a different style for each song and constantly plays with.

Watling doesn’t have the greatest voice in the world. At times she struggles with the top belts and some notes fall a little flat but more importantly it is her ability to capture the soul of each song appealing to those that are already fans and newbie’s like me.

Sing for Your Supper

2009-08-06T14:59:00.001+01:00

Music by Rodgers & Hart
Devised by David Benedict, Simon Green and David Shrubsole
Cadogan Hall
5th – 9th August 2009

We’ve all heard of Rodgers and Hammerstein and their endless list of classic hit musicals; however many of us are less familiar with the duo of Rodgers and Hart.

Lorenz Hart was Richard Rodgers’s partner before the runaway success with Oscar Hammerstein. That is not to say that Rodgers and Hart weren’t successful. It’s fair to say that most of us couldn’t name a single musical they wrote but that’s not to say that there weren’t hidden gems within these shows. Songs such as “Lady is a Tramp”, “Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered” and “Manhattan” have certainly stood the test of time, even if the shows they come from haven’t.

Sing for your Supper is a sophisticated affair, performed by Simon Green, Graham Bickley, Tim Howar, Maria Friedman and Mary Carewe who are all oozing with elegance. Songs are punctuated with a commentary from Simon Green who seems far more comfortable with this role than as a singer. Green tells tales of Rodgers & Hart’s turbulent relationship, the stories behind certain songs and other little bits of trivia. Who knew that “Blue Moon” went through so many incarnations until the perfect lyrics were written to marry with the infamous melody? Tim Howar’s performance of this classic song is exquisite as his rich, velvety tone leaves the audience hanging on his every note.

Lesser known songs are weaved in along side of favourites. Carewe and Friedman’s harmonious “Why Can’t I” is beautifully delivered, followed by a wonderful composition of “This Can’t Be Love” and “It’s Got to Be Love”.

Of course, not surprisingly, the show stopping moment is delivered by Maria Friedman’s glorious rendition of “Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered”. Even when she forgets a lyric she still manages to captivate an audience with her natural ability to really communicate a song.

After a night of Rodgers and Hart music one can see why they didn’t quite set the world on fire in the way that Rodgers later collaboration did. However, there are many intoxicating songs to be discovered in their repertoire that are certainly worth celebrating

Tom Tom Crew

2009-06-28T11:52:00.002+01:00

Tom Tom Crew
E4 Udderbelly
19th June – 17th July 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

It’s difficult to describe the indescribable. I shall do my best but have to insist that you go down to the big, upside-down, purple cow on Southbank and catch the Tom Tom Crew for yourself as this is an act that must be experienced first hand. Yes, you did read right, I did say a big, upside-down, purple cow, otherwise know as the E4 Udderbelly; a temporary venue which has been erected as part of the Summer season down on Southbank.

The Udderbelly is due to present a wide variety of shows but for now it has opened its udder? To the Tom Tom Crew, direct from Broadway, after sell out shows in Sydney and Edinburgh. This is a circus for the clubbing generation. This youthful, vibrant group of boys from Australia combine their talents to make music and show off their acrobatic prowess in the most imaginative and unbelievable of ways.

On the decks you have Sampology who has turned spinning records into an art form as he combines sound and vision to create a multi media sensation. DJ Dizz1 is on the drums; but why keep things simple? Of course drums are fine but it’s far more exciting to do something different, like play blue plastic barrels for instance. DJ Dizz1 creates as much energy and buzz as if he were playing an electronic drum kit as his arms move at such a speed, his drum sticks become a blur, while all the while ensuring that the audience are pumped and there’s a “vibe” in the house. Generating music in the most inspired of ways, DJ Dizz1 is also spectacular on the omnichord; but you’ll have to see the show for yourself to learn more about this instrument.

Tom Thumb’s beatboxing is like a magic trick as he produces the most bizarre spectrum of sounds, often making three of four sounds simultaneously. He is the mixing deck, the drum kit, saxophone, bass guitar and even the female vocals as he becomes a jazz quartet or a DJ scratching his records. It really is something that has to be seen to be believed.

As if this wasn’t enough, you then have four acrobats flipping their way about the space, hanging from the ceiling, executing the most fantastic displays of agility and throwing themselves from a teeter board (imagine a terrifying see-saw) which leaves you with your heart in your mouth.

Separately these acts are impressive but combined they are a spectacle. Tom Thumb hooks his microphone to the decks and lays down his catalogue of sounds for Sampology to scratch, filter and reverse (yeah, I know the lingo; I’m down with the kids!) Meanwhile DJ Dizz1 is beating his drums like a maniac whilst the acrobats bounce, somersault and fly across the space as if dancing in a club.

I’ve already given too much away, so let me just finish by saying the Tom Tom Crew are an example of pure, raw talent at its best. These boys are clearly having the time of their lives on this stage and what’s great is that they are determined the audience will share this experience with them.

Kerry Ellis Celebrates the Great British Song Book

2009-06-24T10:24:00.002+01:00

Kerry Ellis Celebrates the Great British Song Book
Musical director Steve Sidwell
Shaw Theatre
Playing until 26th June

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Kerry Ellis really is the rock star of the musical theatre world. Her adoring fans from We Will Rock You and Wicked have been eagerly awaiting her next move and now she’s at the Shaw Theatre as the second part of the Great British Song Book installation. Kerry Ellis takes off where Maria Friedman finished, leading a new generation of musical theatre fans.

Whilst Friedman strolled through the traditional chapters of our Great British Song Book, Ellis shakes things up a bit and bounds through the final chapters. A far more extravagant affair than Friedman’s simple, elegant set; Ellis has a band of six, a backing singer, four dancers and even a surprise guest. Where as Friedman enjoyed the effortless banter with the audience, Ellis says of herself that she is a girl of few words and prefers to let the music do the talking and boy does it talk! This is where the comparisons between the two performers end as Kerry Ellis really has emerged from behind the green make up as a star in her own right.

Mixing musical theatre with pop music this celebration feels more like a rock concert as Ellis sashays her way across the stage and struts her stuff. Musical theatre has a reputation for being camp and cheesy but there is nothing cheesy about Kerry Ellis (ok, the four the male dancers are a bit camp) but that’s it. Ellis is as sexy as any other female pop star out there today and she sings like a true diva.

Clearly enjoying the opportunity to sing about something other than “Defying Gravity”, Ellis rocks her way through her eclectic set. Her distinctive vocals are velvety rich with a gorgeous break to her voice and a belt that just won’t quit. It is no surprise that a few Queen songs make an appearance but other stand out moments include a Lloyd Webber medley, featuring songs from Song & Dance, Tell Me on a Sunday, Evita and the rockiest version you’ve ever heard of “Memory” from Cats. Ellis also seduces the audience with an intoxicating Bond medley and gives a taste of the music she likes to listen to by singing songs by Snow Patrol, Goldfrapp and James Morrison.

The audience may not have any voice left after a night of shrieking and whooping but the same can’t be said of Ellis, which is just as well as this limited run has been extended by two days due to popular demand. With a standing ovation before she’d even started, Kerry Ellis was never going to disappoint her dedicated fans. She may have left Oz for good but there is no place like home and for Kerry Ellis that home is most definitely the stage.

The King and I

2009-06-16T10:38:00.004+01:00

The King and I
By Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Royal Albert Hall
Directed by Jeremy Sams
Musical Direction by Gareth Valentine
Presented by Raymond Gubbay

12th – 28th June, 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

In the Royal Albert Hall’s 138 year history The King and I is only the second musical to be fully staged here and stage it they have. The decadent Albert Hall is the perfect venue to stage a musical where the majority of the scenes take place in an opulent palace. Performed in the round, Robert Jones’s set design is vast and impressive. Taking up the entire floor of the arena, a dirty shipping yard, surrounded by water, strewn with barrels and cases and with ropes and chains hanging from above is transformed into an opulent palace with magnificent silks draping from every corner, stunning pillars and even a small firework display.

Despite the imposing scenery, the story of The King and I is a simple tale of East meets West. Based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, Rogers and Hammerstein’s score tells the story of Anna (an English school teacher) and her son who go to Siam to teach the King’s children. As an educated (scientific) woman from the western world, Anna has difficulty adapting to the customs and lowly position women must take in Siam. Despite their many differences, Anna grows close to the King and when news reaches the palace that the British diplomats are to be visiting the palace she wants to help him convince the western world that he and his people are not barbarians. However contradicting this theory is one of the King’s many wives, Tumtim who feels she is being held captive by the King and wants nothing more than to escape with her true love Lun Tha. Her feelings threaten to reveal the true nature of oppression and slavery in Siam and have a heavy impact on Anna’s relationship with the King.

Whilst certainly an impressive spectacle to watch this cast of 70, the intimacy of the story is completely lost by the fanfare that surrounds it. By staging it in the round there is an obvious concern that the audience on all sides of the venue see the faces of the performers and therefore there is constant, needless blocking as the actors continuously walk around the stage with little motivation.

As always Maria Friedman, as Anna captures the stories of the songs she is singing beautifully and gives an emotional performance as the frustrated school teacher but even she falls victim to this incessant movement. Starring opposite Friedman as the King is Daniel Dae Kim of Lost fame and whilst a great coup for the Albert Hall to land a Hollywood star, he unfortunately can’t sing a note. His pompous ignorance is often amusing but he lacks the charisma of Yul Brynner who made the role famous and with whom you can’t help but compare. The highlight of the show actually arrives in the form of the ill fated lovers, Tumtim (Yanle Zhong) and Lun Tha (Ethan Le Phong) whose sexual tension is palatable even in this vast space.

With the exception of classics such as “Getting to Know You”, “Shall We Dance” and Friedman’s fiery rendition of “”Shall I Tell You What I Think” this is not one of Rogers and Hammerstein’s most memorable scores and so it is essential that the story itself make an impact. It is an old fashioned tale and rather than create a feeling of nostalgia this production remains old fashioned, stuffy almost.

A flourish of drums, a cast in vibrant and exotic costumes entering the space from here there and everywhere and an actual firework display and yet this production still fails to ignite. Unfortunately it is a case of being a spectacle with very little soul.

Who Will Carry the Word

2009-06-14T18:59:00.004+01:00

Who Will Carry the Word
The Courtyard Theatre
Based on the writings of Charlotte Delbo
Directed by Natasha Pryce
Produced by Roberts Pryce & Co
9th June – 5th July 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

No matter how many books you read or plays and films you watch about the atrocities that occurred in Auschwitz and the other prisoner of war camps during World War II, it never ceases to shock. On the one hand it depicts mankind at its absolute weakest and depraved and simultaneously demonstrates the strength and kindness of the human spirit.

Whilst the barbarity of World War II is far behind us, across the world similar, senseless acts of violence against mankind continue to take place. This is the reasoning behind plays such as Who Will Carry the World; by making the personal the political, these issues are brought to the forefront of our minds and cannot be ignored.

Based on the true account of Charlotte Delbo who was part of the French Résistance and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1942, Who Will Carry the Word tells the story of a group of female prisoners who befriend each other and struggle to survive in horrific circumstances.

The truth is brutal and painful to hear and a script such as this could only be based on the writings of someone who has experienced such torture first hand. This stripped back performance under the superb direction of Natasha Pryce allows the stories; the words, to literally speak for themselves.

The all female, multi cultural cast are vulnerable, raw and exposed in their sensitive handling of the subject matter. Avoiding the temptation to completely breakdown on stage, they portray the strength, courage and solidarity of these women who often didn’t even know each others names. As they deal with starvation, humiliation, family dying, babies being dowsed in petrol and then set alight and watching as rats chew at body parts of their friends who are too crippled with illness to move; they miraculously soldier on. Of course we know these stories already from previous memoirs of other courageous survivors but as I said; it never ceases to shock.

The excellent Esin Harvey as Francoise steps out to address the audience, explaining that what we cannot see and will probably (hopefully) never fully understand. The cast move as a whole, as they shiver and shudder, rub themselves and each other to keep warm and shield themselves from attack. However, Who Will Carry the Word is not just a story of tragic despair; it is a story of bravery and sacrifice. The women individually share their hopes and dreams as a way of escaping from the horror that is their life and it is these acts of courage that are the most painful to watch.

Delbo felt a moral obligation to raise the “past from its ashes to carry the world”, in order to prevent the world from letting this happen again. This production is a testament to her will and whilst often painful to watch we owe it to these women to listen to the stories that many of them never got the chance to tell.

Jim Bailey as Judy Garland

2009-06-11T10:59:00.002+01:00

Jim Bailey as Judy Garland
Leicester Square Theatre
David Shepherd & Brian Daniels for D&B Productions
9th-14th June 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Judy Garland, a self proclaimed legend, the original diva. There is only one Judy Garland; or is there? Those that have seen Jim Bailey over the last five decades in which he has been paying tribute to Ms Garland may disagree.

I wouldn’t have believed it without seeing it for myself. How can anyone become Judy Garland, let alone a man and yet sure enough, no more than one song into this performance you are no longer seeing a man in drag but Judy Garland herself. Bailey is not just a one trick pony either, in fact he portrays many great stars; Barbara Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Mae West to name but a few. However for now, whilst in London for this limited run he is paying tribute to that girl who just wanted to fly over the rainbow.

With The Wizard of Oz on TV every Christmas and Easter Parade every Easter it’s hard to believe that it’s actually forty years since Judy Garland died. This year she would have been 87 years old and whilst sadly she can’t be with us, Jim Bailey really is the next best thing. From the moment he steps foot on that stage with the erratic, nervous energy that Garland was known for; you are transported back to the days of her performances at the London Palladium. He kicks off his uncomfortable shoes, struggles with the stool on stage and anxiously tugs at his hair. Garland wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t always the polished performer and this is what made her so popular with the audience, despite her many career set backs. She exposed her flaws for the entire world to see and Bailey captures this perfectly. Of course what she was most famous for was her voice; that rich, vibrant, husky sound, filled with heart ache. Again, apart from the odd crack (and lets face it if Judy Garland was still around today she’d have the odd crack too) it’s as if Garland is up on that stage as he belts out classics such as “Get Happy”, “Zing Went My Heart Strings”, “The Man That Got Away” and of course “Somewhere over the Rainbow”.

The night’s music is punctuated by conversation as Bailey talks effortlessly with the audience, telling stories, having the occasional bitch and going off on random tangents as he forgets what he is talking about (a quality Liza Minnelli has inherited from her mother). The slightly slurred speech and breathless quality to his voice is spot on in his camp but honest portrayal of this fabulous woman.

You don’t have to be an expert on Judy Garland to marvel at this astonishing act, a simple appreciation for the stars of yester year will suffice. For the majority of us who never had the chance to see Garland herself when she was last in London, this is a great opportunity to see her songs performed the way she would have performed them.

Liza Minnelli once said to Bailey that if he stopped performing Judy Garland, how would she ever see her mother again? If it’s good enough for her then it’s most definitely good enough for us.

Naked Boys Singing 2009

2009-06-08T11:47:00.002+01:00

Naked Boys Singing 2009
King’s Head Theatre
Directed by Phil Willmott
Conceived by Robert Schrock
26th May – 5th July 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Soon there will be nobody left in Soho if the King’s Head has anything to do with it. F**king Men continues to extend its run and is now sharing it’s outrageously camp stage with Naked Boys Singing 2009 (which is pretty much just what it says it is – naked boys singing).

Naked Boys Singing is one of Off Broadways’ longest (no pun intended) running shows and it looks set to continue its success. With a title such as this it leads you in little doubt as to what you are about to see; in fact the opening number “Gratuitous Nudity”, lets the audience know that the performers know exactly why they have come to see this show. It also won’t shock you to know that with the exception of a few dedicated fag hags (myself included) the audience for this production is largely same sex orientated, which is a shame actually as this show is about more than penises.

Camper than A Chorus Line, Naked Boys Singing follows seven men as they audition to be in a show which requires nudity. They sing about other jobs they have had which required nudity, about admiring the naked boy in the apartment across the street, about being a “perky little porn star” and about Hollywood stars whose nude appearances did their careers wonders. Of course, I know what you’re all thinking; this is all very well and good but when do they stop singing about being naked and actually get naked themselves!

There is a great deal of teasing, or what you might call theatrical foreplay before the big reveal and boy do they reveal it. These boys don’t let the fact they have no clothes on deter them from their energetic dance routines, complete with high-kicks. In fact, before they get to this moment you may feel that they have played it safe by keeping their clothes on for so long. However by forcing us to wait, the impact is that much stronger and in all honesty once they are naked it is, as you can imagine rather distracting.

The star of this show may be the nudity but it is supported by a fantastic cast. Their performances are funny, moving, and bizarre (and this is even with their clothes on!) There are moments when it all gets a little bit too Queer as Folk with a rap about checking out the other men in the gym, accompanied by full on pumping disco lights. However aside from that (and of course the fact that they are naked for half of it) Naked Boys Singing really isn’t that different from any other musical.

There is no reason why Naked Boys Singing shouldn’t replicate its American success in London with its great songs, great performances oh and of course I mustn’t forget to pay tribute to their co-stars.

Cirxus

2009-06-02T10:16:00.002+01:00

Cirxus

Arcola Theatre

Written & Directed by John Harrigan

May 2th - June 13th 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for whatsonstage.com

The title of this piece, a mutilation of the word ‘circus’, is representative of the bizarre and distorted world you enter into at the Arcola’s new industrial space, which officially opens in July as Studio K. For now it is home to Seascale Atomic Village, which isn’t exactly your typical seaside resort.

Taking us back to 1957 writer and director John Harrigan explores the effects of the Calder Hall nuclear power station and Windscale reactors. In the surrounding areas various farm produce had to be destroyed as a result of these places; as for the people, well, take a wander round and you’ll see for yourself.

The stark and industrial setting for this piece of promenade theatre is instantly eerie and unnerving. There are posters of atomic bombs and mushroom clouds, a ghost-like woman wandering around with an accompanying rattle of radioactivity and a classroom dedicated to the study of all things nuclear; all reminds us why we find ourselves in this warped environment.

The lighting is dim, the space echoes and bizarre characters creep up on you. These characters are all part of a circus group and yet rather than perform to hundreds of excited tourists they inhabit this space which time seems to have forgotten. Amongst them is a fortune-teller lurking in the corner, a ringmaster who no longer seems to know who is he is, a girl in a stripy leotard causing mischief and an equestrienne called Athalia searching for her clown boyfriend.

Harrigan completely smashes down the fourth wall as the audience, walking around the space, become entangled in the piece. The performers speak softly to one another; drawing you in closer as you strive to hear them. They may ignore your presence or they may engage you in their bizarre conversation. The experience is simultaneously funny and disconcerting. Whilst involved in one situation there are many other scenarios happening around the space which you are not witnessing, adding to the idea of the unknown and therefore making every audience member’s experience completely unique.

For the benefit of those audience members who do not arrive in time for the 8.30pm entry and instead join this weird and wonderful world at 9pm the earlier scenes are repeated, helping to fill in some of the gaps.

Much of the excitement of this piece comes from its mystery, so I am loath to give anything else away. Cirxus is a place of the unknown and should remain so for those of you yet to enter this demented playground.

Jet Set Go!

2009-05-28T15:27:00.000+01:00

Jet Set Go!
Take Note Theatre
Book and Lyrics by Jake Brunger
Music and Lyrics by Pippa Cleary
Directed by Luke Sheppard
Musical Direction by Candida Candicot
Jermyn Street Theatre
Closes 18th April 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

It’s been a while since we’ve seen some aircraft based entertainment. Not since the reality programmes about Easy Jet and Ryan Air and does anyone remember a young Alan Cummings in the sitcom The High Life?

Jet Set Go! had its premiere in Edinburgh in 2008 and has now flown into London for a short run at the Jermyn Street Theatre – hot on the feet of the extremely well received Saturday Night. Jake Brunger’s script is not by any means ground breaking; it simply follows the lives of cabin crew on their flight to New York and back and lets the larger than life characters take over.

Jet Set Go! really is as camp as it gets and it is unashamedly so. A fantastically kitsch set transports you from economy class to the cock pit to a New York City sky line and of course a good old song and dance always ensures a gay old time.

Memorable songs include “What Do You Actually Do?” “If I Could Find A Boy” and “Cabin Fever”, however Pippa Cleary’s score whilst always fun, lacks sophistication at times. Whilst more accomplished composers will weave a repeated melody throughout various songs in a score, leaving you in no uncertain terms that all songs belong to that show, Cleary’s score lacks unity and is a tad hit and miss. However any criticisms become irrelevant when you discover that Cleary is still at university and has miraculously composed this score whilst studying for her degree. If this is the quality of her work at such a young age, the future looks very promising indeed for Cleary.

An enthusiastic cast brings this production to life with Mark Evans who was seen earlier this year as one of the finalists on Your Country Needs You stealing the show. With his good looks and powerful vocals, Evans screams leading man. His subtle performance is a breath of fresh air whilst all those around him ham it up. Of course that’s part of this show’s charm, and it does require a heightened performance from some characters and boy do they deliver. John McManus is outrageously camp as Ryan as he minces about like a true queen. Amy Coombes is delightfully entertaining as the girl from “The Valley” Hayley who’s desperate to find love. In true Gavin and Stacey style she plays on the hilarity of the Welsh accent, however the character would benefit from her toning it down slightly on occasions to allow the truth of this lonely girl to shine through as she is dangerously close to spilling over into caricature. Sadly it’s too late for Emily Sidonie as Julia from Puerto Rico whose frantic performance is as up and down as the turbulence on their plane.

This is still a new show and of course it is going to have its flaws but it’s exciting to hear a new voice emerging in British musical theatre and if this is the start well the sky is the limit.

Cooking With Elvis

2009-05-28T15:21:00.000+01:00

Cooking With Elvis
Written by Lee Hall
Directed by John Plews
Upstairs at the Gatehouse
14th March – 19th April

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

It’s fairly rare to find an Elvis impersonator and a tortoise sharing a stage and yet here we have it in Lee Hall’s Cooking with Elvis. First staged at the 1999 Edinburgh fringe festival with a subsequent transfer to the West End Cooking with Elvis is back in London serving up a tasty treat.

Lee Hall, best known for writing the screenplay for the film Billy Elliot tells a very dark but funny tale of ‘Dad’ – a wheelchair bound “cripple” (the result of a terrible crash) who dreams of being an Elvis tribute act. Meanwhile his wife and daughter Jill antagonise each other as they struggle to cope with their inner frustrations.

I’m not sure if it’s the voice of Big Brother or Cheryl Cole on the X Factor but there is something about the Geordie accent that makes you pay attention and Hall’s dialogue in Cooking with Elvis is no different. You cannot help but be drawn into the conversations of this dysfunctional family.

Whilst the activities in this Northern household are utterly bizarre, the dialogue remains completely normal, thus making the events that unfold all the more peculiar.

It is hard to believe this Mother and daughter are related as Mam refuses to eat and drinks herself into oblivion while fourteen year old Jill finds solace in the kitchen cooking and eating everything she can get her hands on. When Mam invites her twenty-eight year old lover, Stuart, to move into the family home with her, her daughter Jill, her paralysed husband and their tortoise things go from the bizarre to the completely surreal as Stuart gets a little too close with Jill and goes above and beyond in an attempt to “help” Dad out. Not to mention the breakout Elvis moments that punctuate the piece when Dad springs to life performing various Elvis Presley songs, to which the family are completely oblivious to.

Despite first impressions this is a pretty depressing script and director, John Plews achieves just the right amount of tongue in cheek attitude. The cast expertly tread that tightrope of finding humour without indulging it. Catherine Nix-Collins in particular is superb as a troubled teenager, struggling to digest the enormity of what is going on around her and her skilful negotiation of constantly eating throughout the majority of her dialogue is to be applauded.

Cooking with Elvis has all the ingredients for a hit and lets face it, Mario Kombou is petty much the closest you’ll ever get to seeing Elvis in Highgate. Over the top costumes and a voice that has been officially endorsed by Graceland; he’s a pretty good substitute for the real thing.

Yours Abundantly, From Zimbabwe

2009-05-28T15:11:00.000+01:00

Yours Abundantly, From Zimbabwe
Oval House – Downstairs Theatre
Directed by Annie Castledine and Ben Evans
Running dates: 30th September – 18th October

Reviewed by rachel Sheridan for Whatsonstage.com

In 2002, just before the elections Gillian Plowman made a trip to Zimbabwe which resulted in a correspondence between a young orphan named Enock and many other orphans. This was the inspiration for the monologue; Boniface and Me, which under the superb and sensitive direction of Annie Castledine and Ben Evans has been work shopped to produce Yours Abundantly, From Zimbabwe.

A large circular platform pivots in the centre of the raked stage. Nell and her daughter Georgia appear on this circular platform; the centre of this rapidly declining world. Nell, like Plowman has struck up a friendship with a community in Zimbabwe much to the annoyance of her daughter. As Nell becomes inundated with letters and appeals from Zimbabwe she struggles with her motives for wanting to help, whilst facing fierce opposition from her daughter who feels she is as deserving of a mother as these Zimbabwean orphans.

The Zimbabwean community are evoked through the reading of letters. There’s a dedicated headmaster; Boniface and his activist wife, orphans forced to grow up and a young girl desperate to be educated. The performances are incredibly moving, full of desperation, yet full of hope. Aicha Kossoko as Violet Masunda (the wife of Boniface) gives an incredibly powerful speech in resistance to Mugabe’s regime. Life in Zimbabwe is so bleak and the courage of the people who live there is remarkable. As you sit in your comfortable seat in the theatre one struggles with the feelings of sadness and guilt but Plowman’s writing is coloured with humour in her depiction of life in Zimbabwe.

Gillian Wright’s tortured Nell is desperate to help but bombarded by requests to do so. How much can one person do? Why is she doing this? Haunted by feelings of guilt, she wonders if she is trying make up for failures within her own family by buying her way into the hearts of this community.

Hannah Boyde’s, Georgia provides an interesting perspective into the different kinds of problems we have to deal with in the Western world. Plowman in no way degrades the emotions of this bitter young woman who really just wants to know that her Mother loves her, however it certainly is a harsh reality check.

Yours Abundantly, From Zimbabwe, does not preach and it does not take you on a guilt trip but it does remind you of what is happening right now in that place you may choose to ignore as you flick to another channel when it appears on the news.

The Walworth Farce

2009-05-28T14:41:00.000+01:00

The Walworth Farce
By Enda WalshDruid

RNT Cottesloe

September 2008

Review by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

The world Enda Walsh paints is extreme and the characters that inhabit it even more so. Initially you may look at such a depiction and think it a complete exaggeration but then you turn on the news and you see it all over again.

The Walworth Farce wrenches you into the theatrical world of Dinny (Denis Conway) and his two sons Sean (Tadhg Murphy) and Blake (Garrett Lombard). For over ten years these three men have been recreating the same event, the day they left Cork for London, every single day in their small, dirty flat on the Walworth Road. Every minute is dedicated to re-imagining each moment from that day all those years ago and in doing so they have completely lost touch with reality.

Dinny has turned his sons into willing prisoners, petrified of the outside world. Only Sean leaves the house each day to go to Tesco to buy the necessary food and props for their performance but he always returns, too fearful to explore any further. However it is on the day that we witness this terrifyingly funny production of theirs that the outside world finds a way in with horrific consequences.

The flat is disgusting. Yellow walls, peeling wallpaper, greasy cupboards and filthy floors are the stage on which these men perform their tale. The performances of Conway, Murphy and Lombard are all exceptional as the three men dart about the stage reinacting various roles, switching wigs and accessories and holding a coat in one hand and a hat in another to illustrate other characters. Conway as Dinny is both the perpetrator and victim. His anguish is simultaneously hilarious and painful to watch as his desire to love and protect these boys smothers and destroys them. Murphy as Sean is incredibly endearing with his big dopey eyes and ridiculous haircut, as is Lombard with his powerful performance as the confused and frustrated Blake. Their naivety is touching and heartbreaking, making you burst out laughing one minute and be close to tears the next.

This completely insane scenario that has become normality to these men is yanked right out of its comfort zone with the arrival of Hayley played by the utterly adorable Mercy Ojelade; her non-stop chatter initially making her unaware of what she has entered into.

Walsh takes comedy to the edge and then leaps right off. His portrayal of the normally unseen aspects of society is unnervingly funny and extremely poignant. He pulls back the curtain on family domesticity revealing that life is not always like the Waltons.

The Song Book Revue

2009-05-28T14:39:00.000+01:00

The Song Book Revue
The Delphi Theatre Company
Camden Etcetera Theatre
17th May 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Musical theatre has absolutely seen a revival in recent years thanks to the influx of reality programmes in which we the audience hand pick our cast. There has never been a lack of musical theatre performers but now there is certainly an ever growing audience to pack out not only the big West End shows but also the smaller fringe productions which showcase London’s emerging talent.

The Song Book Revue is an example of such show. Without question it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of these young performers and whilst it may not be perfect that doesn’t really matter as it’s just a great opportunity for both performers and composers to get their work out there.

I said it doesn’t matter if it’s perfect which is just as well as The Song Book Revue is far from that. There are some questionable lyrics, some unmemorable melodies and some rather cheesy performances but on the other hand there are songs that show real promise and some cracking voices.

“Straits of Magellan” is a lovely narrative piece performed beautifully by Josh Boyd-Rochford and Cristin Curtin’s emotional rendition of “I Won’t Mind” by Jeff Blumenkrantz is a touching moment. However on the flip side there are also songs such as the completely unimaginative “Reunion” by S. Carlile & Linda Rocco O’Connell.

This small cast work well together even if the harmonies aren’t always spot on and it does tend to be a little sickly sweet at times. Musical theatre may not be the edgiest of performance styles but there are a little too many cute smiles and nods to each other for my liking, combined with the mystified, slightly startled expressions that spread across the cast’s faces as they look above the audience feigning sincerity.

However despite these criticisms, ultimately The Song Book Revue is a charming evening of entertainment and as worthy of our attention for spotting new talent as any reality show.

The Family (Semiankii)

2009-05-28T13:51:00.000+01:00

The Family (Semiankii)

Written and interpreted by Teatr Licedei
Hackney Empire
Running Dates: 9th September – 27th September

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for whatsonstage.com

Teatr Licedei origins lie in political physical theatre with past works including a manifestation against nuclear danger. In recent years however they have turned their hand to clowning, which in today’s current climate is actually incredibly apt.

The Family (Semianyki) aims to explore daily Russian life through depicting a family of six with four naughty children, their grumpy father and pregnant mother, who still craves romance with her husband.

Initially The Family is akin to a great big toy box full of all your favourites: silly costumes, crazy hair and make up and a stage strewn with brick a brack. However it’s when you play with these toys that the fun really starts and sadly Teatr Licedei and I have very different ideas on what constitutes fun.

The action primarily revolves around a father who is constantly threatening to walk out on his family as he reaches the end of his tether with his naughty children. This is certainly realistic but a little strange for a children’s show. Scene after scene depicts their various antics, some of which make sense others which are completely random; pillow fights, conducting an imaginary orchestra and drawing on an invisible blackboard to name a few.

There is also a strange mix of naturalistic performance integrated into the clowning with the mother constantly dancing in a sexual manner trying to seduce her tired husband. The use of some props also felt a little uneasy at times with guns and saws used to threaten violence and the children smoking their father’s cigarettes to antagonise him. Returning to the main focus of the play, this may be reflective of life in Russia and whilst it is executed in a silly manner it doesn’t always feel suitable viewing for children

One may say that this is the perfect show for children as the way in which kids play is nonsensical. However with a running time of two hours, some structure is necessary to hold a child’s attention and whilst the children in the audience certainly seemed to be amused it was not by any means the enchanted audience that other kids shows such as The Gruffalo can achieve. Although I have to comment that Act 2 does redeem itself slightly with a great deal of audience interaction, yanking back the attention of any children whose minds have clearly started to wonder.

A show for kids, perhaps, but unfortunately my inner child was not enticed out by The Family.

The Exqusite Corpse

2009-05-28T13:40:00.000+01:00

The Exqusite Corpse
Southwark Playhouse
True/fiction theatre company
Director – Matt Peover
5th -30th May

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Most of us have played a game of consequences at some stage. You draw a head, fold the paper over then pass it on to someone who draws the torso who then folds it over and passes it to someone who draws the legs etc, revealing a rather unusual creation at the end. The surrealists called this game Le Corpse Exquisite which is the inspiration for true/fiction Theatre Company’s The Exquisite Corpse. However rather than a piece of paper in this instance it is scenes written by various writers which are performed in a different order each night.

On paper this sounds incredibly unique and exciting. Five writers have individually written scenes in isolation. There are reoccurring themes such as death and water as some writers were inspired by the same materials but ultimately they stand alone and come together to create one piece. As the audience are waiting to go into the theatre they are surrounded by objects which represent each scene. The audience are free to move these objects around, thus determining the order that these scenes will play in, therefore each performance is completely unique. As I said this sounds great on paper however the execution of it is another matter.

Surrealist work often features the element of surprise with unexpected juxtapositions. They present a distorted version of the world in order to reveal the truth. However the problem with The Exqusite Corpse lies in the difficulty to derive any meaning from what you are seeing. Yes there are a motife of reoccuring themes, the peformances are good and there really are some nice little scenes however as a piece it feels very disconnected and ultimatley somewhat pointless.

Director Matt Peover discusses the infinate possibilites in which the scenes may unfold, yet even if the scenes were told in the same order every night the piece would remain illogical. Believe me I am not desperate to see a linear narrative with a beginning, middle and end, in fact it would perhaps be more interesing to take a piece of theatre written with a linear narrative and let the audience jumble those scenes up every night to see what emerges. However when the scenes are already detached from one another as they are with this piece, aside from it being a great challenge for the peformers, little extra is added by mixing them up.

One may think I am missing the point of The Exqusite Corpse and that the very nature of the piece is that it be non-sensical. It is true that the Surrealist movement did not concern itself itself with logical reason or thought, however they did wish to ignite passion in those who witnessed its works and sadly The Exqusite Corpse, despite some interesting moments fails to keep that flame alive.

The Establishment

2009-05-28T13:27:00.000+01:00

The Establishment
Written by Jessica Woolf
Directed by Elin Glennfjord
Crescent Theatre Production
The Etcetera Theatre
16th August – 21st August

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

We’re in the future….I think. Society had been taken over by some sort of dictatorship….I think. The future of society depends on women rapidly reproducing….I think.

Jessica Woolf’s play The Establishment hints at all these ideas but is aggravatingly vague in the execution of them. Set in some sort of an office a group of women debate their situation. It seems that the function of the female race has been reduced to breeding and the consequences are devastating for anyone who violates this law.

What is not clear, is why? What has happened to society for this to happen? I presume it is some sort of consequence of more and more women following career aspirations and delaying child birth, however this is not really explored. There is no sense of who these women are or where they are. Again, perhaps to portray how the differences in women have been eliminated reducing them to nothing more than reproductive organs. Yes you have the funny one, the stern one, the slightly mysterious one but these are all very one dimensional characteristics with no depth to them.

As the questions remain unanswered, one very quickly looses interest in the discovering the answers. The tense atmosphere is evident, however the entire play hinges on this feeling. The performance is all very much on the same level with no real highs or lows, even though the action suggests otherwise.

Death of a Maiden this aint and whilst young theatre companies should be praised for their drive and commitment to producing their own work, the future of this particular production is unfortunately as bleak as the dystopian society they’ve tried to depict.

The Buccaneer

2009-05-28T13:20:00.000+01:00

The Buccaneer
Finborough Theatre
Running Dates: Sundays and Mondays, 16th, 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th June

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for Whatsonstage.com

There is always a chance with musicals from the 1950s that they can wind up being corny and artificial. There are certain pitfalls that need to be avoided and sadly the Finborough Theatre’s production The Buccaneer falls head first into every single one.

It is 1950s England and the much loved comic The Buccaneer is under attack from its American rivals which threaten to corrupt Britain’s “innocent” children. As Mrs Barraclough (April Nicholson) and Mr. Donkin (John Paton) fight to save their beloved comic, the so-called wholesome kids also get involved in the hope that good will triumph over evil.

Although a semi-staged, script in hand production this is not an excuse for a sugar coated performance with an empty centre. With the exception of Samantha Giffard (Marilyn) and Tim Edwards (Montgomery), the cast wander about the stage clinging to their scripts as if they are security blankets. Nicholson and Paton barely look at the other performers and there are the inevitable long and awkward pauses throughout as they loose their place in the script and then struggle for their line.

The set is of the time and delightfully kitsch. Graeme Thewlis on piano accompaniment plays with passion and energy, however this does not apply to the performance itself. Whilst the songs are fairly well rehearsed the dialogue is clunky and monotonous as if watching a second or third read through.

Admittedly the script certainly has its flaws and perhaps there is a reason that this is the first performance of this musical in over fifty years. Lending itself to a certain style of reading you may expect the production to be somewhat tongue in cheek but not to the extent that it becomes a comedy sketch version of an amateur dramatic performance.

What could have been a nostalgic glance at the “good ol’ days” is what the folk back then would call a bit of a “rotter”. Good clean fun does not have to be old fashioned and dated and whilst I usually want the good guys to win, I think I’m prepared to make an exception to that rule on this occasion.

The 39 Steps

2009-05-28T12:46:00.000+01:00

The 39 Steps
Directed by Maria Aitken
Adapted by Patrick Barlow
Production Company – Fiery Angel
Criterion Theatre

Monday 4th August, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

The 39 Steps now in its second year at the Criterion Theatre and boasting an Olivier for “best new comedy”, is a fast paced, quick witted comedy caper which shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.

Nigel Betts and Alan Perrin join the cast to makeup the other half of the four strong ensemble who play approximately thirty nine characters amongst them with Betts and Perrin taking on the majority of these roles.

The melodramatic farce involving the falsely accused and ever so suave Richard Hannay (Jo Stone-Fewings) who is on the run to prove his innocence continues to be a sophisticated and slick “who dunnit” mystery with plenty of surprises thrown in (literally) along the way.

Taking its inspiration from the John Buchan novel of the same title and the subsequent films that were made; most memorably Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 version, the play is very much of the same beautifully over the top performance style. However with a twist, why have a cast of thirty when four actors can play all the roles.

As the stage transforms from London town house to the Scottish moors to a B&B and even the London Palladium the performers maintain the pace as they switch between spy, cleaning lady, milkman, policeman and farmer to name but a few with Betts and Perrin often skilfully playing two or three roles simultaneously.

Betts and Perrin are superb, creating distinctive and memorable characters; no matter how minor, no line is thrown away. What could easily descend into a shambles is in fact polished and extremely tight with the doubling/tripling/ quadrupling of roles creating much of the humour.

The melodramatic dialogue is superbly observed with many a wink to the audience. The sweeping score throughout enhances the performances adding yet more comedy to moments of high emotion.

The 39 Steps is delightfully theatrical and unashamedly so as it virtually draws the audience’s attention to the majority of its theatrical devices. Tongue in cheek, yet certainly not without a brain this production should continue to do “jolly well old chap”….I say.

Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

2009-05-28T12:33:00.000+01:00

Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Union Theatre
Directed by Sasha Regan
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
12th November – 6th December

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

The Union Theatre with its exposed brick work, the musty smell of damp and trains intermittently running overhead is the perfect setting for Steven Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

After twenty years imprisonment for a crime he didn’t commit, Benjamin Barker (Christopher Howell) travels back to London to discover he has lost his wife and daughter. He returns to his former profession as a barber (under the new name of Sweeney Todd) with the help of local pie shop owner Mrs Lovett (Emma Francis). Sweeney quickly re-discovers his passion for shaving and gives the folk of Fleet Street the closest shaves of their lives; which has a surprising impact on Mrs Lovett’s pie shop.

Following in the footsteps of Tim Burton’s lavish film production staring Jonny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter it is impossible to avoid comparisons. With probably a millionth of Burton’s budget, the Union Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd does not disappoint.

Sweeney Todd is arguably Sondheim’s most challenging and complicated score with its multiple harmonies, twisting and turning in unexpected directions. Musical director Christopher Mundy, with only two pianos handles this mammoth task with skilful ease.

Taking advantage of the space and its natural dinginess, the set is minimal with lighting indicating the changes in space and time and candles illuminating the actor’s faces.

Sasha Regan’s subtle, understated direction allows the chilling story of Sweeney Todd and his murderous appetite to be told without becoming farcical.

Howell as Sweeney gives an unnerving performance as his penchant for killing develops, whilst his rich and powerful vocals portray the pain and suffering of this broken man. Francis; the seductive Mrs Lovett, provides a great contrast to the sombre Sweeney with her witty sarcasm and there is a fiery chemistry between the pair; aroused by their killing spree.

Supported by a strong cast and a hilarious cameo from Nigel Pilkington as the ever so camp Beadle Bamford, this production of Sweeney Todd is comparable to any West End musical. Certainly not your typical run up to Christmas show, it is well worth a visit, although I’d probably give their pies a miss.

Story of a Rabbit

2009-05-28T12:06:00.000+01:00

Story of a Rabbit

Created & Performed by Hugh Hughes Hoipolloi Barbican Pit
June 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

There are things that I know for certain. I know that I am female, I know that I live in London, I know that last night I saw Story of a Rabbit. These are all indisputable facts.
Through performance art Hugh Hughes aims to examine knowledge verses experience. Although having said this, in keeping with the show's ethos; this is not fact, it is merely assumption on my behalf based on my personal experience of this show.
Story of a Rabbit examines death. However in doing so, it almost becomes a show that is in fact more about life. Hughes directly addresses the audience, as he flits between two stories; the 1995 death of a neighbour's rabbit whilst in his care and the death of his Father in 2001.
Biographical in nature this is a very personal show. Not only because of the content but also through the very essence of Hughes himself. Throughout there is direct and often improvised interaction with the audience; asking late comers the reasons for their delay, requesting that we share certain experiences and even offering two lucky people a cup of tea.
I'm usually not a fan of audience participation as it feels contrived and an unnecessary device to make one feel part of the action. However Hughes manner is effortless and his childlike eagerness to communicate with his audience is very endearing.
Throughout Hughes is at pains to explain each device in his "multi media" performance; nothing can be taken for granted. If an image appears on the back wall, he will explain why it is there and how it will be created. The constant soundtrack provided throughout by his good friend Aled Williams is also explained; why he is involved in the piece and how he is creating the effects. Of course this is interesting as despite these efforts to ensure we understand the reasoning behind his work, ultimately he has no control over how each individual audience member will perceive the piece.
As Hughes deconstructs life and the theatrics of theatre, outlining the interchangeable nature of the two he manages to avoid over sentimentality. What could have become a self indulgent, cathartic process for Hughes is instead reflective and actually pretty funny. Not only because of his comedic delivery but just as you feel yourself sinking into something slightly morose he snaps you out of it by suddenly drawing your attention to the angle at which the ladder was from which his Father fell when having a heart attack.
Running at eighty minutes, Story of a Rabbit could do with shaving twenty minutes of its time. The connection with Hughes starts to fade towards the end which is not ideal for a piece that actively seeks to engage its audience. However it must be applauded for challenging conventions of theatre. It is easy to get bogged down in the theoretical nature of this piece and question the reasoning behind each decision, however it is not necessary to leave with complete understanding. Some of the most effective pieces of cinema, to take David Lynch films as an example leave you with more questions than answers; just as with life.
As one famous man once said "Imagination is more important than knowledge" (Albert Einstein)

Spreading Her Thinly

2009-05-28T11:46:00.000+01:00

Spreading Her Thinly
Whose Shoes Productions
Directed by Joy Forsythe
Written by Tracy Forsythe
Etcetera Theatre
24th February – 15th March

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

An examination of the modern day mother; juggling her various commitments whilst trying to achieve it all is hardly an original concept, but it’s a topical subject and there’s plenty of scope for humour; or so you would think. Spreading Her Thinly takes this potentially funny idea and somehow makes it about as interesting as changing a nappy.

On the one hand you have your career mother, completely dependant on her nanny and who wouldn’t know how to make a healthy snack if her life depended on it. Then you have the stay at home mum, who is vigilant about avoiding additives and relaxes on her yoga mat. Completely different and yet so similar, both are consumed by feelings of inadequacy about their mothering skills and the choices they make. This still sounds like a potentially entertaining play; however it is in the execution that it falls apart.

There is no plot, merely sketch show like scenes strung together. The various characters are complete two dimensional stereotypes and again this would probably be ok, if it was at least funny. Writer Tracy Forsythe certainly intended this script littered with cheesy gags to be comical but sadly it is not.

Forsythe who also plays earth mother Nuala and Emily Ballantyne who plays career mother Jenny as well as a host of other characters such as a patronising ballet teacher, a bossy American and an extremely loud school teacher whiz through their lines as if there is no tomorrow, barley giving the audience enough time to consider the already weak punch lines. The performances, like the script, lack any sophistication or truthfulness, particularly highlighted in the scene where Forsythe is a single mother signing on. Apparently in the world of Spreading Her Thinly anyone claiming benefit is a total simpleton, incapable of eating her custard creams without getting them in her hair and is, of course, from the North!

Spreading Her Thinly presumably refers to a mother spreading herself thinly between, work, husband, children and all her other commitments, but in terms of this play I’m not sure if it’s worth spreading it at all.

Shout

2009-05-28T11:38:00.000+01:00

Shout
Based on a concept by Phillip George and David Lowenstein
Directed by Bill Deamer
Mark Goucher Limited
Arts Theatre

31st April 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

With shows like Wicked and Hairspray still playing to sell out crowds and new musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert just opening with Sister Act hot on its heels the sixties based musical Shout certainly has some tough competition on its hands.

Although a show on a much smaller scale (and budget) than the afore mentioned musicals, Shout is more than capable of holding its own. The poster pretty much says it all and it’s nothing more or less than exactly what you would expect. It’s fun and cheesy and packed full of songs from the swinging sixties.

As three girls travel from the north of England to London to stay with wacky Aunt Yvonne (Su Pollard) we follow them through the decade that invented the word teenager, introduced girls to the contraceptive pill and of course there was the arrival of the Beatles. Narrated by the voice of Shout magazine and a soundtrack of favourites including “Downtown”, “Bobby’s Girl”, “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself”, “Shout” and many more there is a song for everyone. However as you would expect, all of this is strung together by a fairly weak plot.

The intricacies of the plot (or lack of) are immaterial as this show is designed to have the audience up on its feet, clapping along and this is exactly what it achieves. The performance style is anything but subtle as the cast relish in the naff gags and Su Pollard who has made a career out of overacting doesn’t disappoint us now and hams it up a treat.

Shout is playful and light-hearted and will have even your most cynical audience member tapping their feet against their better judgement. Is it the “grooviest show in town” as the programme promises – probably not, but here’s “wishin’ and hoping” it does better than the Arts Theatre’s recent offerings as it’s definitely worth taking a trip down memory lane; after all “these boots are made for walking”!

Sht Mx

2009-05-28T11:31:00.000+01:00

Sh*t M*x
Written by Leo Richardson
Directed by Samantha Potter
From The Curving Road
Trafalgar Studios – Studio 2
Running dates: 30th September – 25th October

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Pumping music, a minimal set with inner city photography hanging at the back and stylised movement fused with naturalistic performance; all the ingredients for another piece of urban realism.

Ok, so there may not be anything particularly original about Sh*t M*x but that doesn’t really matter as it’s funny and poignant and a very accurate portrayal of a group teens; each with their own problems to deal with.

The characters in Sh*t M*x are not patronised and their issues are not degraded. Maybe it’s because the writer Leo Richardson who also plays Lonely Boy (LB) is not much older than the characters he writes about that you feel a genuine sympathy for these teenagers; as you’re laughing at them you’re also remembering exactly what it felt like to be a confused and misunderstood teenager.

Set in a park, an unlikely group of friends hang out, drink, flirt, confide and fight with each other. Closeted, West End Leading man wannabe, Bent Ben (Steven Webb) with his fag-hag Raggedy Anne (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) the gothic misfit who is besotted with LB – the chav with a love of Lonsdale clothing and desperate to loose his virginity. Then there is the town bike, Dirty Debbie (Cassie Atkinson) who is more than happy to help LB with loosing his virginity but is clearly desperately seeking approval and lastly, Harry the Hottie (Jay Taylor) LB’s older brother who everyone is in love with but he doesn’t even want to contemplate who he may be attracted to.

The hanging photography flashing with graffiti images accompanied by various hip hop tunes and a dance break indicates the shift in pace or emotion of a scene. Although, eager not to take itself too seriously these “conceptual” moments are often a complete parody of this style of theatre, such as whenever a character imagines themselves with Harry the Hotty, he appears on stage a la James Bond to the soundtrack of “For Your Eyes Only” or Bent Ben appearing onstage to the music of “Dream girls” (although this isn’t as far fetched as you’d think, I know more than a few men of a certain disposition who have this as the imaginary soundtrack to their lives playing in their heads). Sometimes these moments worked and others didn’t as they either went on for too long or didn’t quite mesh with the rest of the scene.

What really makes this play work though is some very well observed dialogue and superb performances. All five actors whilst giving heightened portrayals are all incredibly truthful and I could literally watch Steven Webb all day with his funny little nuances and easy manner.

Richardson is a promising new writer with some challenging ideas; it’s not all musical theatre and popular culture references (although there is a lot of this). He is not afraid to take his writing to a darker place and I look forward to what comes next when he re-m*xes the sh*t.

Pluto

2009-05-28T11:12:00.000+01:00

Pluto
Written by Jon Bonfiglio
Directed by Emily Agnew
Theatre Company: The New Writing Collective, GRIT Productions, Mokita Productions
Blue Elephant Theatre
28th May – 15th June, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

What happens when a fascination with what’s out there, in that vast, never-ending galaxy stops you from actually living your life on earth?

On a mountainside in Chile, John Bootes (Bill Hutchens), his daughter Mira (Samantha Hopkins) and his assistant Lau (Matt Addis) spend their days and nights gazing into space, studying constellations, debating whether Pluto is a planet or a star and as we join them they are waiting to see if a shuttle survives its return to earth.

However all is not as it seems; there is all this talk of looking, yet Mira is blind. Blind from birth she has no point of reference; no understanding of what is black and what is white.

The unexpected arrival of Mira’s Mother, Cass (Ruth James) who John hasn’t seen for eighteen years unearths emotions which have been deeply buried. Pluto rather poetically explores the blurring boundaries of emotion and science; of love and hate.

This sparse mountain top landscape plays host to a family (for want of a better word) who are finally being honest with each other. Resisting the urge to play the melodrama there is a quiet passion in Samantha Hopkin’s Mira, refusing to let the fact that she can’t see the stars get in the way of her fascination with them. Just because you can’t see something, does it mean that it’s not there?

All the while Lau observes from the shadows, wanting to be a part of it, yet always remaining on the outskirts. Essentially narrating the piece through a number of spotlight monologues Matt Addis is endearing and charming as he deliveres Jon Bonfiglio’s beautifully written dialogue. There is a connection between him and the audience who are also on the outskirts of the action; observing but never fully drawn in. At times the verbose nature of this script gets in the way of cutting to the core emotions of these characters.

In many ways this play can be likened to its subject matter – a star blazing in the distance yet extinguished by the time it reaches us. The flowery language with its array of metaphors and similes whilst poetic feels detached and although interesting to observe the irony of two people who look at things for a living having a blind daughter, I found myself feeling rather indifferent.

In over analysing, you can in fact miss what is staring you in the face. Whilst I appreciate that this is what Bonfiglio is at pains to point this out, he should perhaps listen to his own advice.

Piaf

2009-05-28T11:06:00.000+01:00

Piaf
Written by Pam Gems
Directed by James Lloyd
Donmar Warehouse
Wednesday13th August, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

A tiny female figure, hunched over, barely able to stand, unsteadily makes her way onto the stage. As she struggles to sing a note she is pushed around the stage by the rest of the cast, physically thrown back in time as they disrobe her, revealing a young and very cocky teenager and so the story of Edith Piaf’s life begins.

Pam Gem’s Piaf, first produced by the RSC in 1979, now playing at the Donmar Warehouse charts the life of Edith Piaf; from her childhood on the streets to her many relationships, to her appetite for alcohol and drugs and above all her overriding desire to sing.

Elena Roger (an established name in the West End since her acclaimed performance as Evita Peron) gives another outstanding performance as Edith Piaf. Often referred to as “little sparrow”, Roger flits about the stage with the intensity and passion of Piaf herself. She may be tiny but what a powerful presence Roger is as the crude, blunt, unsophisticated and loveable Piaf. Her performance is everything that Piaf’s songs were; conveying the anticipation of hope, frustration, despair and desire.

However, can the life of this extraordinary woman be crammed into ninety minutes? Gem’s has certainly given it her best shot as the scenes wiz through Piaf’s early years to the detriment of portraying just how tough Piaf’s upbringing was and the impact it had on the rest of her life. Whilst her good friend Toine (Lorraine Bruce) is always present the intensity of her other relationships are lost, particularly that of her affair with her married lover Marcel (Phillip Browne) which is played out in just one scene.

Whilst Roger’s journey and progression as Piaf is clear, it is not always clear why. So many characters come and go that it is difficult to keep track of who is who and the impact that they had on Piaf. Although Katherine Kingsley’s performance as the stunning Marlene Dietrich, every inch the star, oozing sexuality must be noted.

Piaf’s songs, passionately performed by Roger with incredible similarity to Piaf are often used as a soundtrack, rather than performance moments, helping to define the emotion of the moment and charting where Piaf was in certain stages of her life but sadly this does not make up for the lack of detail in the story line.

It is difficult not to compare Piaf with the recently acclaimed film La Vie En Rose which running at approximately three hours was able to provide far greater detail. However, whilst some keys facts may be amiss, James Lloyd’s production certainly conjures up the vigour with which Piaf lived her whirlwind life. Performed against a blackened, burnt out stage, with the word “Piaf” decaying and peeling off the back wall, it very much resembles Piaf herself. In her final years, looking much older than her forty-seven years, Piaf physically faded away through illness and drug abuse in front of a nation but she refused to do so quietly.

As a fragile and weak Piaf takes to the stage for one final song – “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” her words ring loud and true for this woman who certainly lived life to the full and will always be remembered for doing just that.

Only When I Laugh

2009-05-28T10:47:00.000+01:00

Only When I Laugh

Love & Madness production
Written by Jack Shepherd
Directed by Nicky Henson
Arcola Theatre
14th April – 2nd May 2009

Reveiewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

The variety act is a dying art form but there was once a time when folk who had very little money would spend what they did have on a trip to the local theatre and catch the variety acts that were in town.

Written by and starring Jack Shepherd (of Wycliffe notoriety) Only When I Laugh takes us back to a time when the most unlikely characters toured up and down the country together entertaining the locals in whatever town they happened to be in. The years after WII were not easy times. Especially in the north of England which is where we are on the night we join this mismatched group of entertainers. There was no central heating, no fridges, no washing machines and there was mass unemployment. The variety show was an opportunity to escape from the harsh realities of life and sit back to enjoy a song, or a laugh or watching someone do something strange with balloons; whatever happened to be on the bill that night. However on this particular occasion there is more drama happening off stage than there is on stage.

The band is a no show for rehearsals, there is a new singer in town who unbeknown to legendary comedian Reg Henson has kicked him off the number one spot. There are acts having affairs and there’s an old busy-body milling around trying to ensure that no obscenities make there way into the acts.

The performances cannot be faulted. Each cast member is superb as they capture the essence of characters from this era beautifully. Yet despite this, it is not a captivating story. There are certainly funny shenanigans to enjoy such as Jim Bywater as Reg Henson throwing a drunken hissy fit and demolishing his room upon discovering that he has been relocated to the number two dressing room. Stephanie Thomas is delightful as naïve Rita Atkinson (half of the twin tap dancing sensation) who has been foolishly seduced by the up and coming (and married) comedian Stanley Hinchcliffe and of course Jack Shepherd is brilliant as always as he tries to control this unruly rabble. However as a show it feels a little old fashioned. It’s pleasant enough but in the same way that an episode of Last of the Summer Wine is on a Sunday night.

Perhaps this show is more appealing to a certain generation but it’s a shame that this production about variety acts is not quite as entertaining as they once were.

Oliver Twist

2009-05-28T10:45:00.000+01:00

Oliver Twist
Love & Madness
Directed by Abigail Anderson
Riverside Studios

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for Whatsonstage.com

It’s a brave choice to stage Oliver Twist when you have the highly publicised and anticipated musical version playing just down the road. If high kicks and good ‘ol cockney spirit is what you are after then you’d best stick with the Drury Lane production as you won’t find any of that down at Riverside Studios.

This much loved story of an orphaned boy needs little explanation, so ingrained is it in British literature. Love & Madness’ production is far more true to Dickens original story of the bleak existence of a boy called Oliver Twist. Not to say that this production is without laughs as there are many comical characters to be found but the humour certainly doesn’t come from a little ditty about how to pick a pocket or two.

Abigail Anderson’s pacey and energetic direction is perfect for this production which is ideally suited to a younger audience. The cast of five are wonderfully over the top in their presentation of Dickens larger than life characters, yet their performances remain truthful and do not patronise their audience. A grotesque Mr Bumble (Simon Yadoo), a troubled Nancy (Lucia McAnespie) with a heart of gold and a Dodger (Cary Crankson) who sounds like he hangs out with the kids of today remind us why this story remains so popular. Although the brutal murder of Nancy is not for the fainthearted.

The problem however lies in the fact that this production is essentially geared towards children and yet is playing to an adult audience. Whilst an older audience will still gain enjoyment from the performance they would realistically prefer something a little more sophisticated.

Children and teenagers will delight in the re-telling of this classic and it could be especially popular with those studying the text at school. However if Riverside Studios want its audience asking “please sir, can I have some more” they’ll need to reconsider their scheduling of such a production as sadly your more mature audience member will need something a little more filling.

New Voices: Broadway Outside the Box

2009-05-28T10:41:00.000+01:00

New Voices: Broadway Outside the Box
Directed by Annette Jolles
Presented by New Voices Concerts (NVC)
Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall
One night only – 12th October

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

One off cabaret performances involving stars from the West End seems to have become very popular of late. Usually performed on a Sunday they give the dedicated fans of musical theatre another opportunity to see their favourite performers do something a little different.

This is exactly what New Voices: Broadway Outside the Box wants to do; produce musical theatre that is a little bit different and unexpected. Conceived in New York in 2003 the concept was to create a show in which new and established composers and lyricists could explore new directions with their work.

The composers and lyricists are presented with various stimuli for which they can draw inspiration from. Maybe a city, or a concept such as love or even a poem and they are encouraged to take risks; to produce music that the audience would not expect from them. Obviously if you aren’t familiar with their work, you won’t appreciate the new direction they are taking but it certainly will not taint your enjoyment.

New Voices places its emphasis on the story of the song. There are no fancy costumes or big dance numbers, simply a small band and on this occasion eight performers taking to the stage to share with you these stories. Hosted by the very dry and witty Richard Sisson (a composer himself with recent works including The History Boys at The National) the audience were taken on a journey through New York City, the ins and outs of complicated love affairs, a young girl’s teenage crush on a boy called Eduardo and a surprising turn into the adventures of a foolish cookie boy.

Particularly poignant moments came from the beautifully composed “The face” by Steve Marzullo which took it’s inspiration from an obscure poem from the early 17th century poet Arthur Gorges. One song comprised of three poems running separately yet simultaneously was performed by Damian Humbley, Oliver Tompsett and Liam Tamne. Malinda Parris bought the audience to a complete silence on more than one occasion but particularly with her stunning rendition of the song “Out of Love” composed and written by Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler. There was also a great deal of humour throughout, especially from Dianne Pilkington (currently playing Glinda in Wicked) in “Eduardo” (Marc Smollin/Kelly Dupuis) and “The Cookie Boy” (Sam Davis/Sean Hartley) doing what she does best; comedy with a heart.

This was not a one off visit from New Voices, with another performance already planned for March 2009 showcasing more new material and starring more West End names it won’t be long before New Voices is no longer new to London and a regular date for all musical theatre fans.

Never Forget(The new musical based on the songs of Take That)

2009-05-27T21:39:00.000+01:00

Never Forget (The new musical based on the songs of Take That)
Music & Lyrics by Gary Barlow
Writers – Danny Brocklehurst, Guy Jones & Ed Curtis
Musical Director – Matt Smith
Director – Ed Curtis
Savoy Theatre

Wednesday 21st May, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

It has been over ten years since we heard the traumatic news that saw teenagers running for the phones to call the Samaritans upon hearing that Take That had split. More of an East 17 girl myself, I still remember that day well and whilst the come back of my personal favourite boy band didn’t quite take off I was more than happy to welcome Gary and the gang back with open arms when they reunited.

However, another musical, following the example of shows such as We Will Rock You and Mama Mia, well that, I was a little more dubious about. Having completed its national tour, Never Forget has come to the Savoy Theatre where it seems crowds of adoring fans await.

This musical is not the story of Take That, it is rather the story of a group of lads who for various reasons join a Take That tribute act in the hopes of winning a talent contest. How do they do it? I hear you say. What ingenious plot will they think of next?

The truth is, this is a musical for Take That fans (of which there are plenty) and nothing more. Featuring virtually all of their greatest hits the production works best when the songs are used as music for the various bar/club/salsa scenes or when the tribute band are performing as Take That. It doesn’t work however, when the songs are weaved into the virtually non-existent plot. The audience seem to totally miss the point that it is meant to be a painful and emotional moment between the two leads when they sing “A Million Love Songs” to one another. Instead they giggle at the recognition of the song, join in and then start waving their arms in the air. I was getting ready for the stewards to tell people off for getting their lighters out.

Dean Chrisnall as Ash who plays Gary Barlow in the band (are you following?) has a fantastic voice and Sophia Ragavelas as Chloe (Ash’s girlfriend) is better than Lou Lou herself when singing with the boys. Nevertheless great singing and dancing is not enough to hold a musical together. One must care about the characters which is difficult with cheesy acting and even cheesier dialogue, littered with cheap gags and interrupted every five minutes by an inconsequential dance break that does nothing to move even a simplistic plot along.

There are some impressive theatrics, combined with spectacular lighting from set designer Bob Bailey and lighting designer James Whiteside creating several moments just like a Take That concert and despite my better judgement the performance of “Relight my Fire in all its flaming glory left me unwittingly covered in goose bumps.

Throughout the audience are on its feet; whooping, clapping and singing along. As I said though, this is when this musical is at its best – when it is like a concert. This leads me to only one conclusion; why see a show about a tribute act when you could just see a tribute act, or, even better, now that the mighty boys (minus Robbie) are back together you could just go and see the real thing.

As I left the theatre humming classics such as “Pray” and “Everything Changes” I have to admit it was fun to be reminded of the soundtrack to my teenage years. However in terms of following the show’s mantra “Never Forget”, I’ve got to be honest, I probably will.

Mirror Magic Market Tales

2009-05-27T21:00:00.000+01:00

Mirror Magic Market Tales
Presented by: Love & Madness
Written by: Chantal Schaul
Directed by: Neil Sheppeck
Riverside Studios
Running dates: 9th December – 4th January

16th December, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

Just round the corner from Hammersmith Tube, through the doors of the Riverside Studios you’ll find a magical world where a lady gives away gingerbread from a house made of sweets and a market stall that sells smelly-feet flavoured jam.

This is the land of Mirror Magic Market Tales, a fantasy world in which mirrors are far more than a reflective surface to look at. Visually this world is stunning, as you wander amongst the stalls, you literally do feel like a child in a candy store, taking in the multi coloured jams for sale, and a strange array of bric a brac. The characters that inhabit this world are just as unusual with their interesting approach to selling. The prematurely bald Lionel (Craig Tonks) and his fantastic selection of knitwear, Yes (Richard Holt) who is only capable of saying the word “yes” and uses an electronic kit attached to his belt to aid the selling of his various metal goods and then there is poor Will (Jack Roth) who suffers from a rare condition around reflective surfaces, which is unfortunate in a land surrounded by mirrors.

Once you’ve become fully acquainted with the town folk you may take a seat and the story begins and this is where it begins to unravel slightly. As we follow the adventures of this group of misfits and their encounters with the “magic mirror of consequence” it’s hard to know who this show is aimed at. Initially you may think children but the language is verbose and the plot fairly complicated. Yet it is not really a show for adults either. The wordy dialogue is funny and the execution of Chantal Schaul’s script by the performers cannot be faulted, but the content is not meaty enough to hold an adult’s attention.

It’s a shame as this style of performance has become very trendy of late. With a set and costumes that TV show The Mighty Boosh would envy and disturbing and distorted tales to match, this show has great potential. However by falling somewhere in the middle between adult comedy and kids show it in fact risks loosing both audiences.

Maria Friedman Re-Arranged

2009-05-27T20:52:00.000+01:00

Maria Friedman Re-Arranged
Trafalgar Studios – Studio 1
Direction – David Babani
Musical Director – Gareth Valentine
Thursday 5th December

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

Having transferred from a successful run at the Chocolate factory, my dear friend Maria Friedman is performing at the Trafalgar studios for a limited run. So I say friend, strictly speaking that’s not quite true; ok, so I don’t know her personally but after seeing her one woman show, Maria Friedman Re-Arranged, one really does feel like they are life long friends with Ms Friedman.

Looking like she is having the time of her life, Friedman is relishing the opportunity of playing not just one role but a whole range of characters as she performs a wide selection of songs from a variety of musicals allowing her to, as she says herself “dip in and out of as many pools of emotion as she can”.

However that is an understatement; to say that Friedman dives in and out of those pools would be a far more accurate description. Every song has an emotional connection; be it sentimental, funny or saucy. Her eyes as well as the lyrics tell a story that you cannot help but be swept up in as she gracefully turns those tears of sadness into tears of happiness.

There is a contemporary feel to the show as songs such as “Dido’s Lament” are weaved in along side of classics such as “As If We Never Side Goodbye”. The most memorable and poignant moment being “Sunday In The Park with Dot”; a beautiful arrangement by Jason Carr of songs from Sondheim’s Sunday In The Park With George. Her connection with the music bought not only a tear to her eye but also to most of the audience.

However don’t be deceived by this elegant lady, and her charming exterior, deep down she is a true geezer with a dirty mind and a laugh to match. Her interaction with the audience is dry and sarcastic and there is probably a little more audience participation than you might expect from a show of this nature.

Friedman invests everything into her performance and what a performance she gives. You might imagine someone with such talent and experience to at least be a little bit diva-ish and yet she is humble and gracious and despite her huge voice gives a very intimate performance as she interacts with the audience as if they are old friends. You get the impression Friedman would be just as happy giving this performance in her front room; there just wouldn’t be room for everybody.

Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Songbook

2009-05-27T20:47:00.000+01:00

Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Songbook
Arrangements by Jason Carr
Shaw Theatre
5th February – 7th February

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

It’s only been a few weeks since Maria Friedman finished her Olivier award nominated show Maria Friedman: Re-Arranged at the Trafalgar Studios and yet somehow she’s found the time and energy to rehearse for another one woman show – Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Songbook.

A limited three day run at the Shaw Theatre, with a sequel to follow in June with Kerry Ellis of Wicked and We Will Rock You fame who will also take to the stage and remind us what makes British music so unique.

Friedman has had a varied and illustrious career, but what sets her apart from many of her contemporaries is her ability to share a song. She says she loves words and this comes as no surprise. When Friedman sings, it really is as if you are hearing the words of each song for the first time as she takes the audience along on an incredible emotional journey. One moment you are watching with tears in your eyes and the next you are laughing at some geezer like comment she makes.

Sadly there is no way of working her superb medley from Sunday in the Park with George into this line up as Sondheim belongs to the other side of the pond. However, as Friedman shows, we’re not short of a few great composers and lyricists ourselves. With beautiful arrangements by Jason Carr, Friedman’s song choices are an eclectic mix with songs from the Beatles to Lloyd Webber to a nostalgic war medley and even a little something she wrote herself. “As If We Never Said Goodbye”, sung to perfection could be Friedman’s signature song – surely it is just a matter of time before we see her tread the boards as Norma Desmond. “Norwegian Wood” and “Eleanor Rigby” by Lennon and McCartney are beautifully sentimental and as she sings “It’s Bound To Be Right On The Night”, the audience are treated to stories of her own early failures; obviously now hilarious in retrospect. Who ever knew that Maria Friedman was once the cleaner to her future co-star Michael Crawford. And of course it wouldn’t be British, if there wasn’t just a little bit of audience participation!

In an age where people rise to fame at the drop of a hat (or as the case may be; drop of a reality TV show), Friedman really is a testament to where a great deal of talent and a lot of hard work can get you. It is her open and honest manner that captivates her audience. She is warm and utterly charming and with a powerful belt that goes on and on, it is little wonder that people keep returning to see Ms Friedman.

Of course I’ll be in trouble if I don’t mention Friedman’s family and friends – David and Lynn in particular. Clearly very important to her, they also put on a fantastic side show, if you’re lucky enough to catch them in the bar after!

Lie Of The Land

2009-05-27T20:03:00.000+01:00

Lie Of The Land
Written by Torben Betts
Directed by Adam Barnard
Arcola Theatre – Studio space

April 6th – 2nd May 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

We’ve all thought it – “I need to get out of the city”. For most of us it’s a momentary thought, at best we plan a trip to the county for a long weekend but very few of us actually go through with quitting the city for good in favour of a more simple existence. Torben Betts wrote Lie Of The Land after having a nightmare in which he did just that; the result, a sort of surreal nightmare set by the sea.

A husband and wife in their late 20s/early 30s (they have no names) played by real life husband and wife team Emily Bowker and Chris Harper stand facing the audience; united by their virtually identical grey outfits and yet completely separate. They talk of quitting the rat race and shedding their city costumes in favour of a life of domesticity. They speak in broken sentences as they imagine this new, higher level of existence.

They are at pains to point out the positives of this life they have chosen, almost as if they must keep reminding themselves, lest they forget. Betts dialogue is both witty and intelligent as he writes in a style that is more akin to a commentary rather than actual conversation between the pair.

Lie Of The Land is rather like looking into a distorted mirror. Listen in on the conversations of any group of people in their late 20s/early 30s in London and you’ll hear them complaining that they don’t think they are making the most of their lives; that they could be doing so much more. Bowker and Harper are superb together as they portray this couple who are desperate to live, to exist, to just be. Their heightened style of performance throughout makes their frantic desperation all the more disconcerting to watch.

The influence of film director Lars Von Triers cannot be ignored. In much the same way as Nicole Kidman’s character in Dogville escapes a life she hates only to find herself in a bigger nightmare; so do these characters. As in Dogville all set and props are drawn against this black space and each scene is punctuated by a written description of what we are about to see emphasising this forced environment they find themselves in. They are anything but free of structure, in fact they have to structure themselves more in an effort to avoid the TV, internet and all other modern devices.

As the years go by we find ourselves in the future and the supposed tranquil life of this couple has descended into chaos. In their desire to make more of life they have simply ended up hiding from life. In some sort of weird dystopian future the world outside seems to be falling apart and whilst stubbiness keeps them from leaving the countryside they are in agony as they resist rejoining civilisation.

An acute observation of mankind’s inability to be content, the only flaw with watching people who are bored and miserable is that it can be at times boring and miserable to watch. For the most part Betts avoids this but there are moments when it becomes slightly monotonous.

An extreme and scary picture of the lengths people go to in order to find happiness; ultimately showing that it doesn’t matter what you do, where you go or who you go there with, you can’t escape from yourself.

La Clique

2009-05-27T19:49:00.000+01:00

La Clique
London Hippodrome (Leicester Square)
Running dates: 2nd October – booking until February 2009

10th October, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

It’s quite hard to review a show when you were hiding behind your hands for half of it.

The cult smash hit variety show La Clique is one of those shows where the heart is willing; you want so much to watch but what you see is so fantastically unbelievable that you end up hiding from it. However when you peer out from behind you’re hands you are treated to a line up of some of the world’s finest international acts.

The London Hippodrome re-opens its doors to La Clique with its seductive assortment of circus/burlesque/cabaret. Unpredictable in nature it attacks all the senses with each act somehow topping the one before with the element of surprise and danger adding to the excitement.

To take away any of the mystery would take away from the experience itself. So I shall wet your appetite (there’s a bit of a clue for you already) without giving too much away. There are acts that you will have seen before, a contortionist, a sword swallower, a juggler and acrobats. However La Clique is a cabaret performance with a twist. They present a juggler that is a reincarnation of Freddie Mercury who moves his balls (juggling balls that is) to the music whilst singing throughout, a contortionist who looks like he is from the 118 adverts as he clumsily stumbles about the stage making you fear for his safety as well as your own and there is the stripper with her mischievous disappearing hanky; you know what’s coming and still you can’t believe your eyes.

How on earth people discover they posses these skills is probably not worth contemplating. How they then turn them into an art form is truly remarkable; as Captain Frodo the contortionist says himself “isn’t it just amazing what people can do for a living”.

That really is just a sneak preview into the weird and wonderful world of La Clique but you’ll thank me for not spoiling it. Simply be prepared for a night of guilty pleasures and astonishing acts that must be seen to be believed.

Informed Consent

2009-05-27T19:37:00.000+01:00

Informed Consent
Jermyn Street Theatre
Running Dates: 6th October – 25th October

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for Whatsonstage.com

Four separate stories all collide as the people involved become unwittingly tangled in each others lives. A taxi driver, Battle (Anton Stephans) wonders aimlessly up and down hospital corridors while his daughter lays in intensive care waiting for a new heart. Meanwhile Dom (Brett Goldstein) and Katya’s (Eugenia Caruso) young son is involved in a road accident which leaves him brain dead. A surgeon Mandl (Will Chitty) and his on off girlfriend nurse Ellen (Susan Bracken) are looking after both these cases, however Mandl is somewhat distracted by the presence of a lonely drag queen, Shirley (Charlie Holloway) who “grants favours” on the streets of New York.

You might say this sounds like another episode of E.R and you wouldn’t be far off the mark. As your attention is divided between these various plotlines you can feel yourself edging towards the predictable point of collision between all these characters.

The only thing that reminds us we are not watching another TV hospital drama is the constant presence of a somewhat distracting radio station at the edge of the action as various actors take turns to play the DJ’s on different stations. Predominantly the radio is Battle’s lifeline to the outside world but also it demonstrates how all the characters are connected as they tune into the same station in their very different circumstances.

It is no surprise to see that director, Mirra Bank has worked a great deal in film and television but her style unfortunately does not translate onto stage. Without the advantage of differing angles and quick cuts between the actors the play struggles with pace and is lacking in urgency. Whilst the clumsy overuse of overlapping lines, rather than feel realistic makes it difficult to follow the thread of a conversation.

However the cast turn in very fine performances. Stephan’s performance is incredibly touching as the loner who’s practically become a ghost on these hospital corridors. Holloway gives a beautifully understated portrayal of this lost drag queen, resisting the temptation to camp it up. Chitty (the George Clooney of the play) and Bracken have fantastic chemistry as they struggle with their feelings towards one another amongst all this anguish and Goldstein and Caruso are heartbreaking as two parents, destroyed by the loss of their boy.

Yet despite these moving performances, I felt detached from their stories. The heart of the play is great with potentially very moving stories. It just needs a little bit of work to get it pumping properly.

In My Name

2009-05-27T19:34:00.000+01:00

In My Name

Writer: Steven Hevey

Director: Julia Stubbs

Trafalgar Studios 2

Yaller Skunk Theatre

1st July – 19th July, 2008

Thursday 3rd July, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Take a significant and topical subject matter and present it in a light hearted fashion in order to highlight how society is under estimating the issues that surround us today. This can work, however down play it too much and by the time you actually attack the bone of contention you may find that you have already lost your audience and missed the point entirely.

This is exactly what In My Name attempts to do with its portrayal of the backlash against the violence that is threatening our society at the moment.

Egg (Kevin Watt) is a very confused young man trying to escape from a past that is already one step ahead of him. It all comes to ahead on the day of the London bombings, July 7th, when Egg takes his frustrations out on an oblivious Grim (James Alexandrou) whose couch he has been sleeping on for the last week and Grim’s co-worker, Royal (Ray Panthaki). He projects his own demons onto those around him and issues blame on innocent people for the crimes of a minority.

As one of the Paines Plough writers which has recently produced outstanding work such as House of Agnes I expected something a little more sophisticated from Steven Hevey. The journey from mundane flat life to prison cell torture fails as one’s interest disappears before the supposedly climactic conclusion.

The overly dim witted, layabout, Grim and the gobby, jumping off the walls (from all the coke he’s done – in case we didn’t get it) Royal, transform into two panic stricken men with snot running down their faces. However this comes so late in the play that it is difficult to make the adjustment from sitcom comedy to action thriller.

The play is not exactly bad, but there is nothing impressive about it either. It sort of bumbles along in a Men Behaving Badly kind of way, but its attempt to be provocative and hard hitting is where it unravels. In My Name makes an interesting point in questioning “who am I?” “Who are you?” Although the not exactly subtle comparison between a game of Guess Who and society could have been given a miss.

Whilst the characters are for the most part two dimensional, the fault lays as much with the script as it does the actors. The dialogue lacks any real depth and jumps all over the place in its desperation to cover its subject matter in an innovative manner; forgetting that this is in fact an interesting subject and does not need to be clever to prove this.

Of course it is important to raise awareness and make us think twice about switching over to Friends when the news is on, but don’t underestimate your audience when doing so.

Idina Menzel Concert

2009-05-27T19:23:00.000+01:00

Idina Menzel Concert

Ambassadors Theatre

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

Tuesday 20th May, 2008

When Tony award winner Idina Menzel was last in town reprising her role of Elphaba in Wicked, fans camping outside the theatre and queues stretching around the block from stage door were a familiar sight. So it was no surprise when tickets for her one off concert sold out in thirty minutes.

Fresh from playing Florence last week at the Royal Albert Hall’s anniversary concert of Chess, Idina Menzel has also been in town to promote her new album I Stand. Without a doubt this lady can sing but the jump from musical theatre to more mainstream music is a tricky one to negotiate. Not that Idina is in anyway a “newbie” to this scene with two albums already under her belt, however, you’d be forgiven if you hadn’t realised this. After making her name in hit shows such as Rent and Wicked it is undoubtedly the world of musical theatre that Idina is most associated with.

So the question is; can Idina Menzel’s music reach an audience that is not familiar with Elphaba? If last night is anything to go by (and if the musical theatre fans give anyone else a chance to get a ticket next time) I see absolutely no reason why not.

Dressed down in skinny jeans, Idina had as much presence on stage as if she were still riding high on that broom. Retaining her powerhouse voice, but without a hint of “jazz hands” Idina manages to skilfully balance being big with being intimate.

You may have noticed how I’ve casually dropped the formality of referring to her by her full name; I’ll probably be calling her “Dee” by the end. This is due to Idina’s very self-depreciating, familiar way that she has about her, making you feel as if you are friends. As she casually worked the stage, moving between standing to sitting on the stage floor, it felt very natural, rather than contrived familiarity. Idina mixed in little stories about herself or the inspiration behind certain songs, drawing you in, leaving her already dedicated audience hanging on every word. As a result of the intimate nature of this performance I actually found myself really listening to her lyrics and of course Idina’s skill as an actress played its part with her ability to communicate the message and connect with the emotional story of her songs.

The obvious comparisons have been made between Idina and Alanis Morissette. They are both singer-song writers, from the other side of the pond and it has to be said they do look pretty similar. However Idina’s music has a much rockier edge to it and while her songs tell stories, they are less folky. Songs such as "Brave" (her current US single) and "Better To Have Loved" were particularly impressive and really allowed Idina to show off her vocal prowess.

I sense that if Idina had been completely flat all night, this audience would have loved her anyway. However this was not the case and this crowd obviously know when they are onto a good thing. Her song "A Hero Comes Home" has already been used on the soundtrack for the Hollywood blockbuster, Beowulf; exposing Idina to a wider audience and with her superb vocal talent and catchy lyrics I think it’s a safe bet to say that Idina Menzel will be back in our neck of the woods fairly soon, performing to much larger audiences (providing the musical theatre fans will share her!)

Ida Barr: So This Is Christmas

2009-05-27T19:14:00.000+01:00

Ida Barr: So This Is Christmas
Written, Produced and Performed by Christopher Green
Director: Cal McCrystal
Barbican – Pit
Running Dates: 10th – 23rd December 08
Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide
11th December, 2008

Man dressed as a woman – check
Audience participation – check
Innuendos a plenty – check.

All the necessary ingredients for your typical Christmas show, except Ida Barr: So this is Christmas is anything but your typical Christmas show.

Christopher Green is back at the Barbican again with another wonderfully surreal and completely unique Christmas show. For Christmas 08 he comes under the guise of Ida Barr, an established music hall performer. After working in the industry for over 50 years she has now embraced youth culture and imaginatively worked rap and urban beats into her repertoire – innit!

Highly influenced by her recent discovery of urban culture Ida Barr’s dialogue is a strange mix of affected RP and street lingo, as she “arks” the audience questions, and pretty much gets her freak on.

With DJ Godslove Mensah to her right, Ida Barr entertains the crowd with various songs including a little ditty about a shopping trip to Dalston set to the classic tunes of Missy Elliot and Eminem. If at all possible So This Is Christmas is a camper version of the Graham Norton Show. Like a chat show, she sits by her fireplace with a plasma screen inside it telling us what’s in store for the night. A mix of stand-up, songs, guests and of course audience participation all come together in a weird and wonderful way to create this Christmas extravaganza.

On paper it sounds like a hideous disaster – music hall drag queen, bringin’ down the house with topical rap, accompanied by a magician and a singing impersonator; however it works. Yes it could do with tightening up a little and some segments go on slightly too long but overall this Christmas show (which certainly is not for all the family) manages to entice Christmas joy from even your most cynical Londoner.

Forget your pantomimes and their fairytale stories of magical kingdoms, this year it’s all about keepin’ it real and gettin’ down with your bad self for a “wiki wicked” Christmas at the Barbican.

Hit Me – The Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury

2009-05-26T15:59:00.000+01:00

Hit Me – The Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury
The Courtyard Theatre
Presented by Irving Rappaport and Playback Theatre
Written & Directed by: Jeff Merrifield

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide
27th November 2008

There are those who are familiar with the world of punk and 80’s rock and those that are not. For those who are, Hit Me – The Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury provides the opportunity to wander down; or probably it is more accurate to say, go on a rampage through memory lane. For those who are not, myself included, one would hope to get an introduction to this world that you wouldn’t forget, leaving you hungry for more. However whilst you may leave with a flavour of what this provocative era was like, it’s hardly revolutionary.

After a successful run in Edinburgh for which Jud Charlton received a best actor nomination for his role as Ian Dury, Hit Me has come to London’s East End where it most definitely has a fan base ready and waiting. Chronicling his life from the start of his success in the 80’s to 2000 when he died of cancer, Hit Me aims to not only re-visit his music but also to look at the complex man behind the angry facade that was Ian Dury.

It is understandable why Charlton received his nomination. His physical characterisation of Dury (who contracted polio as a young boy from a local swimming pool) is impeccable and he has a real twinkle in his eye as this man who craves attention and is desperate to create a reaction. However at times his performance slips into that of a caricature as does Josh Darcy as roadie, Fred ‘Spider’ Rowe. Absolutely these characters are larger than life but some scenes become very reminiscent of an episode of the “Young Ones” which of course was a deliberate parody.

Punk was a revolution; it was a reaction to the music of disco not to mention the political and economical environment from which it emerged and yet Hit Me feels safe, it doesn’t break any rules, unless you count the completely indulgent overuse of the F word and C word.

Having said this for fans of this era they will love seeing one of their favourite punk stars reborn on stage. Over the three chapters Dury revels stories from his childhood, the inspiration behind certain songs and gossip from the tour bus, including that of his turbulent relationship with the band The Blockheads, and of course it’s a chance to see classic tracks such as “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” and the scandalous “Spasticus Autisticus” performed.

So whilst Hit Me didn’t leave me wanting to dye my hair pink and attach my nose ring to my ear via some sort of chain, for those with punk already in their blood I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to be hit by Dury’s rhythm stick.

Hello and Goodbye

2009-05-26T15:10:00.000+01:00

Hello and Goodbye
By Athol Fugard

Directed by Paul Robinson
English Touring and Treatment Theatre Company
Trafalgar Studios – Studio 2
22nd April – 17th May, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide
Monday 28th April, 2008

A young man sits alone in a filthy, decrepit room. He talks to himself, reciting events with absolute accuracy, speaking as quickly as the words can tumble out.

It is 1965 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Only a few years previous Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and South Africa has recently been declared a republic amongst violent rebellions and an aggressive apartheid.

However, we are in this dirty room with Jonny Smit (Rafe Spall) and no matter what the political atmosphere when Athol Fugard wrote Hello and Goodbye, this is essentially a family drama, riddled with guilt, bitterness, fear and ultimately love.

Hester Smit (Saskia Reeves) returns home one night, having left fifteen years previous. This sibling reunion forces the pair to confront memories some of which are deeply buried. Hester believes she is owed inheritance from her sick father and is prepared to literally dig up the past in order to get it.

This superb two hander originally premiered in 2003 at the Southwark Playhouse to critical accalaim and the second time around it doesn’t disappoint. Once again under the direction of Paul Robinson this production is emotionally charged, concerning itself more with the oppressive nature of religion (The Dutch Reformed Church in this instance), rather than that of the apartheid which obviously is not without its influences.

Jonny is physically imprisoned in his childhood home; he is free to leave but emotionally tied. Whilst Hester may have escaped, the emotional connection is equally as strong; binding her and affecting all other relationships.

The chemistry between Reeves and Spall is electric. Seemingly complete opposites; Spall’s Jonny is anxious and erratic with his dishevelled appearance and twitching mannerisms. Living the life of a recluse, his social skills have become some what limited and Spall is completely endearing with his boyish grin and nervous energy. A complete contrast was Reeves who initially presents Hester as the strong and confident sibling; her stylish appearance and hard as nails exterior disguising her ultimately broken centre which is slowly revealed by Reeves.

Hello and Goodbye whilst emotionally wrought also has a great deal of dark humour. Only a brother could get away with saying to his sister, “I dare you to commit suicide”. What could easily have been filled with self pity is in fact lifted, making the story all the more poignant.

Haunted

2009-05-26T15:00:00.000+01:00

Haunted
Written by Jon Claydon & Tim Lawler
Directed by Paul Jepson
Arts Theatre
May 21st – June 14th 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide
Wednesday 28th May, 2008

I am easily scared. In fact during the recent one minute earthquake that struck London, I lay in bed, deadly still, petrified under my duvet. My first thought was that there was a ghost in my room, vibrating my bed. Yes, that’s right. Not a person, not even a natural disaster entered my head. My first and only logical conclusion was that some kind of poltergeist had come to torment me.

I do myself no favours though as I am a sucker for a good ghost story, so I was very excited (if a little scared) at the prospect of another Woman in Black(esque) horror in the West End.

Inspired by the Faustus legend and his fascination with the dark side, Haunted plays with the notion of possession. Five old friends gather together at Alex’s (Jesse Wallace) new flat, but the building has a past, just as the friends do and as the evening progresses it’s each man for himself.

A promising start, although it soon becomes clear that this plot is far more suited to screen than stage. The casual gathering of friends with sinister undertones initially works well with the exception of some embarrassing dialogue comparing the preparation of a salad dressing to the blossoming romance between old friends Alex and Daniel (Gary McDonald).

However a crucial component in the success of a horror film is the soundtrack. Yes this production has the eerie clanking of pipes and whispering walls but the warning music that lets you know when something terrible is about to happen, or that lulls you into a false sense of security is missing. As a result the play lacks suspense. In fact it becomes rather shambolic as the audience struggle to follow who was after who.

Jesse Wallace heads up this established cast and is charming as the ever so middle class Alex. Despite the often lame script she is thoroughly convincing as a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Although I have to admit when the spirits take over and she turns to face the audience in full cockney glory, you can’t help but think, “YES!” Kat Slater's back! Sadly that is not the case. It just seems that all spirit/devil/poltergeist incarnations come from East London as another character also adopts this accent when possessed.

As the plot spins out of control, so does the staging as cleavers, cling-film and other household objects are used in attack. Who knew a bottle of fairy liquid could be so deadly? Almost impossible to follow who or what is to blame and with its abrupt conclusion, Haunted feels less sophisticated horror and more Scooby-Doo Caper.

Gone Too Far

2009-05-26T14:51:00.000+01:00

Gone Too Far!
By Bola Agbaje

Directed by Sheibani
Royal Court
Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide
Monday 28th July, 2008

After a successful run at the Royal Court last February Bola Agbaje play Gone Too Far has returned for a second run and it couldn’t be more topical with its exploration of violence amongst youngsters.

However whilst a prevalent theme it is not the main focus of Agbaje’s urban drama which is more concerned with observing identity in our multi cultural society.

Two Brothers; Yemi (Tobu Bakare) and Ikudayisi (Tunki Lucas), one raised in London the other in Nigeria are reunited forcing them to confront questions about their identity. Are they defined by what’s in their blood or by where they were raised? As they walk the streets it soon becomes clear that they are not the only ones struggling to identify with who they are.

It seems we can’t open a newspaper these days without reading about another violent crime amongst teenagers with particular emphasis on “black on black” war fare. However what does that mean? “black on black”? Agbaje observes the divides within this culture which seems to have conveniently been defined by white people as one group. Some West Indians have problems with Nigerians and vice versa but then some Nigerians have problems with themselves; feeling forced to identify with a country that they have never been to. Or those that are fiercely proud to be Jamaican and claim knowledge of this country when they rarely leave their estate, let alone get on a plane.

Prejudices and ignorance are highlighted in Gone Too Far as many characters make assumptions on others based on stereotypes and at times this message is laid on a bit thick as scene after scene portrays characters jumping to conclusions on others, particularly when two white police officers question the brothers. However Bijan Sheibani’s hip production is pumping with the energy of youth in its realistic depiction of teens and their interaction with each other today. The rhythm of the dialogue is akin to a drum and base beat with the body language of those on stage moving in time. Set on a bare stage with nothing to distract from the immediate action this young cast is pumping with vibrancy, particularly Zawe Ashton as Armani who buzzes with attitude with her “in yer face” manner, talking a good talk with little to back it up.

Ultimately this is a play about being proud of yourself, whoever that may be and whilst the moral isn’t particularly subtle, the way things are going at the moment, perhaps it does need to be hammered home. Respect breeds respect – innit!

Girls and Dolls

2009-05-26T14:41:00.000+01:00

Girls and Dolls
Old Red Lion
Running time – 90minutes approx
Running dates: 3rd February – 21st February

Two girls tell the same story, both reiterating and contradicting what the other says. The characters dialogue continuously overlaps with each other and there is constant repetition of words and phrases for dramatic emphasis.

All these theatrical devices are reminiscent of plays such as Charlotte Keatley’s My Mother Said I Never Should which are guaranteed to appeal to GCSE drama students but unfortunately lack much sophistication.

Two girls in their early twenties reflect upon their childhood, growing up in Belfast. Thick as thieves back then, but no longer in touch now, the memories come flooding back as they share the same stories with the audience and become the various influential figures from their youth.

Set against the backdrop of the strife in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, these young girls are wrapped up in their own world of stealing sweets to set up a shop and playing in their tree house. All the while, writer, Lisa McGee is hinting that all is not as idyllic as it seems.

The main flaw with this style of writing is that it never really delves beneath the surface. All the characters are one dimensional stereotypes, which although often funny, make absolutely no impact whatsoever. Niamh McGrady as Clare and Bronagh Taggart as Emma take on the roles of various characters from their neighbourhood as they reminisce: the older boy who sold them his tree house, the two local gossips, the local man who has been facially disfigured in a fire, both of their parents and Dervla – the beautiful single mum.

McGrady and Bronagh do the best they can with a fairly limited script. They slip between the various characters with ease, and bring out the comedy in the script. However the problem lies in the subtlety of the writing, which is about as subtle as an IRA attack. The constant hints that Clare is being abused by her father and suggestions that something awful is going to happen that will change their friendship forever are so incessant that by the time we reach that moment it is a complete anticlimax.

Girls and Dolls tries to include anything and everything and unfortunately achieves very little for its efforts. A cast of twenty played by two actors, the use of symbolic prop after symbolic prop and several references to The Wizard of Oz are thrown in.

If they had just kept things simple and not tried to be clever maybe they would have had far more chance of flying over that much discussed rainbow.

Fucking Men

2009-05-26T14:21:00.000+01:00

Fucking Men

Written by: Joe DiPietro
Directed by Phil Wilmott & Sam Miller
The King’s Head Theatre
Running Dates: 7th January – 25th January, 2008
Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide
9th December, 2008

Fucking Men is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who like their tea served by attractive gay men, it will go down very well.

After a run at the Finborough in 2008, Fucking Men is back in London at The King’s Head and if the enthusiastic audience is anything to go by, I’d say Soho has a bit of competition on its hands.

Ten gay men, from different walks of life, fall in love, fall out of love, connect and disconnect. Each have their own idea of what constitutes happiness and for some it works out, whilst others are still left searching. Sounds like real life, which is what writer Joe DiPietro sets out to achieve. Almost a reaction to the customary safe depiction of gay lifestyle portrayed on TV and theatre today, DiPietro wants to set the record straight. Not all gay men want to achieve the heterosexual ideal of a monogamous relationship. This may be somewhat disconcerting for those who don’t want to consider the promiscuous nature of some gay men; but as I said, this play won’t be for everyone.

At a first glance one may think some of the characters in Fucking Men are nothing more than stereotypes; the closeted movie star, the ridiculously camp college boy or the confident escort. Yet whilst stereotypical on the surface these characters have a heart and truth to them as they all struggle with various inner demons.

The escort John (Shai Matheson) who falls in love with Steve (Matthew Clancy) the tough army guy; who’s not gay; he just likes having sex with men. Leo (Timothy Lone) and Jack (Morgan James) who have been together for over ten years and love each other but continue to lie to each other as well as to themselves and of course the young idealistic porn star, Ryan (Adam Unze) who could have anyone and yet has fallen for “married” Jack. These stories are funny, touching and sad and are bought to life by a very strong ensemble. Dan Ford in particular is hilarious as the insecure writer Sammy who pours all his personal neurosis into his work.

The majority of the play provides a fascinating insight into the lives of gay males and an interesting reflection for those who are already familiar with this world. However towards the end it starts to feel a little like a “message” play as it hammers home the idea that everybody should be free to live their life however they feel fit. Despite this small criticism, Fucking Men is brave and audacious and of course sex is a predominant theme, but it’s smarter than that. It doesn’t shy away from the truth and while certain ideas may be a little hard for some to swallow (no pun intended) we are definitely ready to hear the facts about f**king men.

Frozen

2009-05-26T14:01:00.000+01:00

Frozen
Written by Bryony Lavery
Directed by Sonia Fraser
Fresh Glory Productions
Riverside Theatre

30th June – 20th July, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for Remotegoat

Wednesday 2nd July, 2008

Paedophilia is a sad but harsh reality that we are constantly faced with today.

Bryony Lavery’s play Frozen may have premiered back in 1998 with the Birmingham Rep but it could not be more topical and poignant in today’s current climate, particularly with the recent announcement that the Portuguese police have closed the case in the search for missing Madeleine McCann.

Lavery does anything but skirt around the issue as she delves in and goes straight for the jugular, in perhaps the most honest depiction of child abduction that I have seen on either screen or stage.

Three Loners stand on stage: the mother of an abducted child, a Paedophile and a criminal psychologist. They each tell their story as the play spans twenty years; considering the impact on the family left behind, the mind of the perpetrator and the reasons behind their crimes as Lavery explores the difference between mental illness and pure evil – if in fact there is a difference.

Director, Sonia Fraser, lets the narrative of this play speak for itself. With minimal set and props, she allows the story to simply be told by the immensely talented cast who bring these characters to life.

Dorothy Lawrence’s Nancy is both fragile and strong as a mother who has lost her youngest daughter in the cruellest of ways. Despite never physically seeing her family, they are conjured up on stage through the love and tenderness with which she describes them, making the disappearance of one of them all the more painful to endure.

There is a tangible feeling of empathy for Nancy amongst the audience which is matched with a feeling of loathing for Jack James’s remarkable performance as Ralph. Physically nervy, yet mentally calculated, James frighteningly brings to life the logistics of being a paedophile. His almost smug exterior with his darting eyes and fiddling fingers leaves one feeling extremely uncertain as he shares his exploits, sparing you no detail.

However, Frozen is not black and white. Lavery introduces many areas of grey as criminal psychologist Agnetha (Rosalind Cressy) uses Ralph as part of a study to examine the criminal mind; arguing that you are not born evil and that both physical and mental trauma at a young age can have astounding consequences. This concept is difficult to digest. We need someone or something to blame for the atrocities in life. To have someone’s behaviour explained; painting them as a victim also is difficult and painful to swallow but something that all the characters, as well as the audience are forced to consider.

Surprisingly, considering the subject matter, Frozen is not all doom and gloom. There is a thread of humour throughout the play, finding comedy in the darkest of moments, reminding us that things can’t stay frozen forever, eventually they must thaw.

Fragments

2009-05-26T13:39:00.000+01:00

Fragments

Written by Samuel Beckett

Directed by Peter Brook

A C.IC.T/ Theatre des Bouffes du Nord and Young Vic Co-Production

Young Vic

27th August – 13th September, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Thursday 28th August, 2008

If only I had the writing ability of Samuel Beckett, this review of Fragments would be about ten words long and would describe this production with absolute accuracy; not a word wasted.

Sadly I am not Beckett and as you can probably tell, it is going to take me a few more words to convey my thoughts.

Fragments, directed by Peter Brook returns to the Young Vic after its sell out run last year. Five short pieces, all with their own individual stories, yet still very much one whole piece is essentially an exploration of human nature.

As you would expect from a Beckett play directed by Brook, the stage is virtually bare; after all that is what our imagination is for. Fragments, like much of Beckett’s other work, is all about the words and yet simultaneously it is not. His frugal use of dialogue reveals the significance of every word. This is particularly true of the second piece “Rockaby” where the same few sentences are repeated continuously by the extremely talented Kathryn Hunter. With each repetition comes a different and completely new interpretation, identifying the flexibility and contradictions of language.

Juxtaposed with “Rockaby” comes “Act Without Words II” in which Marcello Magni and Khalifa Natour clown about and words are redundant. Reminiscent of “Laurel & Hardy”, although never slapstick, two men react in very different ways to their bizarre circumstances. Aside from the occasional moment of playing for laughs, there is truthfulness to these bizarre characters and as with the other pieces, the action whilst nonsensical somehow makes complete sense.

At a quick glance Fragments is about nothing and yet it is about everything. Beckett skilfully communicates what it would take another playwright three acts and a cast of twenty to say. Beckett’s observations of mankind are taken a step further by Brook’s direction. Another director may have been tempted to over complicate things, afraid to keep things simple. Brook has the courage to do just that and through this production’s simplicity, the absurdity of Beckett’s writing rings incredibly true.

One can very easily fall into the trap of taking an academic approach to Beckett’s work, over analysing every moment, considering its intentions and ironically in doing this miss the very essence of what he is trying to say. Life is absurd; can it ever be fully understood?

Forever Plaid

2009-05-26T13:36:00.000+01:00

Forever Plaid

Written by Stuart Ross

Directed by John Plews

Upstairs at the Gatehouse

24th May – 22nd June, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

Saturday 31st May, 2008

With all the new extravaganza musicals that are taking over the West End it is a refreshing change to see something that is without spectacle, without a cast of fifty and simply goes back to basics but still leaves you feeling that you’ve just seen something special.

Forever Plaid is exactly that; a musical about four all American, wholesome, clean cut guys who together are “Forever Plaid” a male harmony group who (in their opinion) are destined for success. However tragedy hits and we join them in a sort of juke box limbo where they finally perform the show they dreamed of, back in 1964.

When Forever Plaid originally opened in the West End at the Apollo Theatre in 1993 it closed after just a few months, whereas in America it continues to play all over the country to this very day. Perhaps this is due to Britain’s affection for dirty rock ‘n’ roll over cheesy barbershop quartets, or perhaps it was simply the venue as this show works perfectly in the intimate space at Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

This is not by any means a character driven musical; it is more of a revue of both renowned songs from the fifties and also some unfamiliar ones. Graham Weaver, Anthony Williamson, Joe Allen and Steven Craven are “sweet as apple pie” as Frankie, Smudge, Sparky and Jinx. They perform in perfect harmony together, not only vocally but also the way in which they interact with one another. Each has their own quirky mannerisms; Joe Allen in particular is adorable as the cheeky and slightly goofy Sparky. However none outshine the other, rather they balance each other out and there is a genuine rapport amongst them.

Performing a show like Forever Plaid in today’s cynical society lends itself to a cheap send up. Whilst John’s Plews’s production is certainly tongue in cheek he resists the temptation to litter it with tawdry gags. Racky Plews’s choreography must also me commented on. It is slick and simple and beautifully kitsch.

With a title like Forever Plaid you can imagine that it attracts an audience of a certain age, and they undoubtedly seem to enjoy being taken on a trip down memory lane. However I am far from drawing my pension, and whilst I’ve always had an appreciation for a good tune, this musical will appeal to a much wider audience than the purple rinse brigade (as appreciative as they are).

This is an intimate show so whilst I don’t think a West End transfer is on the cards (although the show is jetting off to Malaysia for a short run) it certainly gives those Jersey Boys a run for their money.

Fight Face

2009-05-26T13:23:00.000+01:00

Fight Face
Lyric Hammersmith
4 Stars
Running time – 1 hour and a half (no interval)
Running Dates 16th September – 4th October

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for Whatsonstage.com

I walk home and the street is strewn with litter and chicken bones from left over take-aways. Some local teens hanging about on the street are heckling their mate in KFC who is giving the man on the counter a hard time.

It’s almost as if I am a character in Sophie Woolley’s new play, Fight Face. I am surrounded by her inspiration for this very funny although quite depressing when you think about it, depiction of our society.

Morgan Large’s design is the perfect backdrop for Woolley’s high street. Boarded up walls and abandoned corrugated iron covered in graffiti are used to project various images to set the scene. Kebab menus, signs for lap dancing clubs and television sets are all illuminated to set the scene. Characters boil a kettle and rather than see the object in their hands, an image of the boiling kettle flashes up on screen. Or a young mum’s phone rings; again the phone is not in her hands but on the back wall appears a bright pink mobile with flashing graphics blaring Adele’s “Chasing Pavements”. The defining characteristic of this post-modern extravaganza is the captioning that appears throughout for the deaf. Again in keeping with this urban set, images are intercut with the dialogue, such as the logo for coca cola replacing the word itself.

The captioning rather than be a distraction is integrated into the performance and of course allows Fight Face to reach to a larger audience. Something which I imagine is close to Woolley’s heart since she uses a hearing aid herself.

Woolley and David Rubin take on about fifteen different characters matching if not overtaking the pace of the edgy set. A young single mum, a chavvy teen, a tramp, some builders taking it all in and even a cat and dog are just some of the colourful characters you encounter in Fight Face. Although I have to say that posh girl Tabitha, living in cutting edge East London and the poor kebab shop owner are my favourites.

So different in many ways, yet highlighting their similarities by playing all the characters themselves, Woolley and Rubin skilfully navigate the transition between roles with incredible energy. Although as all the characters come together it does begin to feel somewhat chaotic and in all the madness some of the energy is in fact lost.

Fight Face is, to quote Tabitha, “a happy slappy” take on life today. It’s fast paced, funny, sad, violent, loving…everything that life is.

Dov and Ali

2009-05-26T13:20:00.000+01:00

Dov and Ali
By Anna Ziegler Theatre 503

Review by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide (2008)

Running until 5th July

It's a strange and complicated world we live in today where our differences both separate and unite us, where our desire to love can breed hate and where our own survival is often dependant on the demise of others.

Anna Ziegler's new play Dov and Ali is an acutely observed exploration of the hypocrisies that not only surround us but engulf us today. Set in an urban school in Detroit, Ali (James Floyd) and his English teacher Dov (Ben Turner) go round in a vicious circle as they debate the unanswered questions of life. Why are we here? What effect do religious beliefs have on one's life; should they determine it or merely enhance it? All the while the pair are both struggling with their own personal demons.

Ali lives by the Koran and swears to live an honest life. However, he has a secret about his sister that he is not quite prepared to admit to and take ownership of. Dov is struggling with his Jewish faith and, in reaching out for God, he alienates those closest to him.

Ziegler's script packs a powerful punch and under the direction of Alex Sims the dialogue is practically bouncing off the walls with energy. Throughout Ziegler draws parallels between Dov and Ali who whilst fighting each other are essentially fighting themselves. Ali's questioning of Dov is relentless as he begs for him to define himself so as he can make sense of the world; sending Dov into turmoil.

James Floyd's Ali is a precocious teenager; on the surface completely sure of himself, yet unsure of everything at the same time. Turner is articulate and razor sharp as he carefully balances arrogance with naivety. As Ali tortures himself he projects his own fears of uncertainty onto an already uncertain Dov. Turner's Dov slowly unravels before your very eyes, as he struggles with his Jewish guilt. His confusion and desperation are tangible and painful to watch.
Parallels are also drawn between the characters and the text that they are studying in class, Lord of the Flies. A constant backdrop is the school whiteboard with questions such as "who is the beast?" scrawled across it. There are statements comparing the character Piggy to the sacrificed pig and words such as "victimisation" are hard to ignore.

Dov and Ali delicately explores the oppressive nature of religion whilst avoiding being sanctimonious or "preachy" in anyway. As Ziegler delves further we see the effect on the women in these men's lives, Ali's sister Sameh (Kiran Landa) whose boyfriend the family disapprove of, and Dov's non-Jewish girlfriend Sonya (Orla Fitzgerald). It appears that everyone in this play is somehow a victim; simultaneously through their own doing and also through no fault of their own. Landa and Fitzgerald are equally superb in their portrayal of women who are in essence the virtual opposites of these two men. Through circumstance they must be strong, or at least try to fight a situation which is completely out of their control.

An incredibly moving play that challenges notions of freedom, expectations and ultimately forgiveness, Dov and Ali does not seek to answer any questions; it merely shines a stark and uncompromising light upon them.

Defending the Caveman

2009-05-26T12:31:00.000+01:00

Defending the Caveman
By Rob Becker
Directed by Cath Farr
Leicester Square Theatre
3rd Feb – 15th March, 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

10th February 2009

Defending the Caveman by Rob Becker first opened in 1991 and has now toured in over thirty countries. With this kind of run, there is no denying the wide appeal of a show like this, however nearly twenty years since it first opened, perhaps this is the reason it now feels incredibly dated.

Defending the Caveman is a one man show, the one man being Mark Little of Neighbours fame (who has been defending the caveman since 1999) and highlights the many differences between men and women.

Observational humour is always a crowd pleaser as the audience recognises themselves and their partners in Little’s portrayal of male and female rituals. However there is nothing new here. Of course it’s funny to be reminded of these things but it certainly isn’t groundbreaking.

The crux of this show is to highlight that these crucial differences between the two sexes are not a product of the 21st Century, no, they are innate and have always existed. Man – Hunter, Woman – Gatherer and this concept permeates their behaviour. For example the way in which women always want to gather information from her partner, friends, wherever she can get it and then want to share and analyse this information with others. Men on the other hand go straight for the kill. They don’t question the people around them wasting their words unnecessarily. A man says what he wants without giving it too much thought and when he has ran out of words he is happy to merely nod and grunt in approval or disapproval at something.

Of course these are highly stereotyped portrayals of men and women. In fact, considering Little highlights a man’s inability to talk endlessly, he has a fair stab at it for the hour and a half the show lasts.

If you like your comedy brash and straightforward then Defending the Caveman may appeal. However for me it is, well now, how would a “man” put it? “Yeah, it was, yeah, no yeah, mmmm, well you know, it was alright”.

Catalysta

2009-05-26T12:27:00.000+01:00

Catalysta
Oval House
3 Stars
Running Time – approx 90 minutes (no interval)
Running dates: 21st October – 8th November

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for Whatsonstage.com

Hurricanes can rip through a city and destroy it within a matter of moments; throwing everything and everyone into turmoil.

Families on the other hand may not seem as threatening and they may take a little bit longer but they too can wreak havoc which unfortunately can’t always be rebuilt.

Allister Bain’s Catalysta emerged from a story that was initially going to be about the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan in Grenada in 2004. However what emerged is the story of a family in trouble; a family that needs a “catalyst” for change.

It is shortly after Hurricane Ivan’s attack on Grenada and Eartha (Carmen Munroe) is at the end of her tether; not with the effects of the hurricane but with her family. Her daughter (Pat) and her husband (Lionel) and their little girl have moved into Eartha and her husband Edward’s house. Not because they lost theirs in the hurricane but because Lionel is a good for nothing sponger and Pat lets him get away with it. The arrival of Eartha’s sister Catalysta (Angela Wynter) soon changes things as she blows through the house forcing the family to confront issues that are well over due.

The performances are strong; however Catalysta is more of a powerful gale than a hurricane. Bain skates over the surface of this family’s issues without ever really delving further to allow us to discover the reasons for any of their problems and as a result the play doesn’t really go anywhere; it simply meanders along to a rather predictable conclusion.

Having said this, the dialogue is very well observed and the cast turn in engaging performances. Munroe is delightful as the matriarchal head of this family, stern yet soft and she certainly knows how to move. Wynter, as the complete opposite of her sister Eartha is exotic and glamorous as Catalysta but with a beautiful heart and open mind.

The audible enjoyment from the audience in their recognition of certain character types is intoxicating and whilst this can’t be guaranteed every night, Catalysta does appeal to an audience who have similar family backgrounds. Not that it alienates those from other cultural upbringings but with the plot being a little on the weak side it is this point of recognition where the majority of the enjoyment is to be found.

Baggage

2009-05-14T17:32:00.000+01:00

Baggage

Pentameters Theatre – Hampstead
Directed by Andrew Miller
March 3rd – 22nd

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

5th March 2009

When one goes to see a new piece of writing you expect there to be a few flaws but you also hope to see some potential and sadly the new musical Baggage has none.

One hopes a musical will be entertaining and yet you can’t help but question a musical about someone contemplating suicide. However, it could work, who would have thought Parade - a musical about someone wrongly accused of murder could have been such a success? However, a musical about suicide which is a comedy; now that’s when you know you’re in trouble. I say comedy, that’s probably being kind. While its intentions are certainly to be that, the execution of it is debateable.

We’re not sure why Danny (Steve Watts) has found himself out on the ledge of a building and to be honest you don’t really care but Baggage takes you through a series of flash backs as we see the events which led to this moment. Baggage is the most peculiar mismatch of styles. It plays with naturalism, surrealism, characters talking in rhyme and of course why not throw in some singing monkeys. I’m actually serious, there are singing monkeys. It’s no mean feat to write a musical, let alone stage it but the trick with a new musical is to keep it simple and not throw every idea you’ve ever had into one show which is exactly what Kelly Kingham and Toby Herschmann do. The narrative is weak, which buy itself wouldn’t be too much of a problem; musicals are not renown for their complex plots. However the same has to be said of the dialogue, score and performances.

As we follow this very unsympathetic protagonist in a bizarre chain of events which have been strung together to show off various mad ideas such as Casper (Josh Boyd-Rochford),a transvestite helping out a straight laced Sarah (Lisa Peace) to seduce Danny away from his girlfriend, a scene where portraits talk to each other and did I mention the singing monkeys?

Baggage is a non-deliberate farce and its attempts to be provocative are embarrassing as vulgar swear words are thrown in willy nilly, especially in one confusing scene at an art gallery where an old couple deliver a tirade of expletives to a patter rhythm in order to decide what painting they will buy.

Not that I wish to encourage suicide in any way but you’ll find yourself silently pleading “just jump” by the end, however there are few more surreal scenes before your completely let off the hook, including a pleasant little ditty with the lyrics “torture, torture, torture, wo, wo wo”, I know catchy right?

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Birthday in the Park

2009-05-14T17:28:00.000+01:00

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Birthday in the Park
BBC Radio 2
Hyde Park
Sunday 14th September (Live)

On radio October 10th at 7.30 – BBC Radio 2

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

West End royalty joined by stars from the world of pop and classical music all came together for a special BBC 2 concert in Hyde Park for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 60th Birthday, which was in actual fact six months ago but that’s neither here nor there, it was just a great excuse for a good old sing song.

The popularity of Andrew Lloyd Webber has undoubtedly grown in recent years thanks to reality TV shows such as Any Dream Will Do and I’ll Do Anything and with thousands of people turning up for the birthday celebrations there seems to be no sign of this changing. Of course the promise of seeing John Barrowman and Lee Mead, who also have a lot to thank these TV shows for, will also have had something to do with enticing this crowd. However it’s when you are presented with three hours of music from Webber’s illustrious career that you understand the real reason for his popularity.

The superb BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by musical director, Mike Dixon provided the soundtrack for the evening, performing Webber’s music with the same passion with which it was written. They were supported by the Crouch End Festival Chorus and Capital Voices who seemed to be having as much fun on stage as their captive audience.

Hosted by the cheeky John Barrowman, Joss Stone opened the concert with a soulful version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” although it was when Webber’s songs were performed simply that the audience really took notice. Broadway star, Idina Menzel once again proved herself as a leading West End lady with her performance of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. Having walked on stage to a rapturous applause, Menzel held the whole of Hyde Park in absolute silence with her beautiful performance.

Other notable performances came from Maria Friedman’s emotionally charged “As if We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard and Steve Balasmo’s “Gethsemane” from Jesus Christ Superstar, which evoked more than a few tears from the audience.

In fact the whole evening was notable; Lee Mead created havoc as his adoring fans went wild every time he appeared on stage, X Factor’s Rhydian singing Phantom's “Music of the Night” showed it’s clearly a matter of time until we see him in this musical and Ruthie Henshall, racing over from the Albert Hall after recording the Songs of Praise Christmas Special showed absolutely no signs of tiredness with “Another Suitcase In Another Hall” from Evita.

Of course there were also performances from many of the young talent emerging from Webber’s TV shows and the judges themselves, Barrowman and Denise Van Outen also performed on this special occasion.

With the whole crowd on their feet for Lee Mead singing “Any Dream Will Do” followed by Elaine Paige singing the song she made famous “Memory” from Cats the man himself came onstage for a few words. The audience were then treated to a firework display that seemed to dance to the various songs from Webber’s career that were being played below.

Don’t feel too jealous if you missed out on this concert, I mean of course you won’t actually get to see the firework display but you can listen to the concert on BBC Radio 2 on October 10th at 7.30 and for those that were there, well you’re lucky enough to have the chance to listen to it all over again.

Alex

2009-05-14T17:14:00.000+01:00

Alex

By Charles Peattie & Russell Taylor

Directed by Phelim McDermott

Leicester Square Theater

25th November – 20th December 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

28th November 2008

Alex is obnoxious, selfish and arrogant, certainly not a man you’d wish to befriend and yet London loves him. After a successful run last year at the Arts Theatre and then jetting off to Australia and Hong Kong for sell out shows, Alex is back in London boasting of his financial and personal exploits once again.

‘Alex’ is a daily comic strip about a banker (with a B!) called Alex. Created by Charles Peattie and Russell Taylor (who interestingly have never worked in finance themselves) they parody the affluent and amoral lifestyle of a city banker through the character Alex. With our current economic crisis and the credit crunch on everyone’s minds, could there be a more topical play in the West End?

The production of ‘Alex’ is literally a comic strip on stage. Robert Bathurst as Alex negotiates his way around the stage, interacting with cartoon strip characters who appear on the various screens against their black and white worlds. The interplay between Bathurst and what is happening on the screens is skilfully executed. On occasions when not interpreting what other characters have said to the audience he in fact becomes the voice of his colleagues and family, slipping effortlessly into that of a northern working class secretary or his eager, flamboyant, French, graduate trainee assistant, Sebastian. As Alex, Bathurst is a proud, pompous snob. He apologises to nobody for who he is (unless it serves his own devious plans) and even as we sit there watching disaster after disaster come his way there is still a smug air of confidence about him.

One does not have to be a financial wiz or a follower of the comic strip to recognise the character of Alex and the world he inhabits (although I’m sure it adds another level of humour if you do). I’m certain Alex himself would say that this play is an intelligent, articulate parody of the world of finance with a fantastic male lead and actually on this occasion, he’d be telling the truth.

Airswimming

2009-05-14T17:12:00.000+01:00

Airswimming
By Charlotte Jones
Directed by Gemma Kerr
The Courtyard Theatre Studio
27th January – 15th February 09

30th January, 2009

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide.

Two ladies in their early twenties are sent to an asylum for the criminally insane. Neither is sure why they are, but as the years and the decades roll by and they become institutionalised you begin to realise that if they weren’t mad when they went in, they certainly are when they get out.

We know these two women were locked away in the early 1920’s but Airswimming plays with linear narrative as the story of Dora and Persephone is told both forwards and backwards. It difficult to get a grasp on time as like the characters themselves you struggle to decipher what the year is and how long these poor women have been incarcerated for. Initially polar opposites of one another they grow fiercely dependant on each other and develop an unhealthy relationship as they disappear into their imaginations to escape the horrifying facts of their reality.

Charlotte Jones’s play is as funny as it is chilling. Spanning approximately six decades (I think – as I said, the concept of time is a little hard to grasp) Jones’s depiction of these two characters descent into madness is skilfully executed by Katie Cotterell as Dora and Helen Bradbury as Persephone. Whist Airswimming begins to become a little repetitive, what it lacks in plot it certainly makes up for in the intelligent and witty dialogue.

Gemma Kerr’s understated direction gives this world of imagination room to breathe and Cotterell and Bradbury are superb together. Their differences both physically and in character compliment each other perfectly. Cotterell who is reminiscent of a young Julie Walters skilfully works Jones’s very wordy dialogue with a sharp and dry manor. Initially so strong, it is very sad to watch her decline. Bradbury is utterly adorable as she is swept up in her own vivid imagination of a world of glamour and sophistication. The subtle nuances she brings to the character of Persephone are brilliantly observed and her obsession with Doris Day is hilarious. If you are not that familiar with facts on Doris Day when you go into this play, trust me, you will leave an expert.

Whilst not based on a true story Airswimming is probably the story of many of those women who were locked away for absurd reasons and escaping to a land of make believe was their only way of coping. Airswimming is harsh reminder of those ill-fated women who were just simply forgotten about.

A Conversation With Edith Head

2009-05-14T15:16:00.000+01:00

A Conversation With Edith Head

Authors – Susan Claassen & Paddy Calistro
Production Company – Anthony Field Associates Ltd
Leicester Square Theatre

29th July – 21st August,2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Wednesday 6th August, 2008

Edith Head was responsible for some of Hollywood’s most infamous fashion; dressing virtually every Hollywood starlet from the late 1920s through to the early 1980s and winning eight Oscars for her work, more than any other woman has won.

Now she is in the West End for those wishing the pleasure of her company. Well, Susan Claassen is in the West End, playing Edith Head in A Conversation With Edith Head, However it is hard to tell where Susan starts and Edith ends in this utterly captivating performance.

Speaking at the time of the last film she worked on, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford this is a night of informal conversation with Ms Head as she takes you on an enchanting stroll down memory lane, bringing back to life the golden age of Hollywood.

The Leicester Square Theatre (formally The Venue) is the ideal space for this intimate occasion. Surrounded by framed photos of stars Head has worked with such as Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Bette Davis alongside of sketches of her designs and mannequins modelling her creations, Claassen glides around the set with ease, as if she were in her own living room.

Whilst refusing to indulge in salacious gossip, Ms Head openly shares precious moments from Hollywood history: stories from film sets, the nature of her relationships with certain stars and her inspiration behind designs. All the while engaging in casual chit chat with the audience, who submit questions beforehand, as if she were talking with old friends.

As she comments on certain aspects of the audience who hang off her every word, the performance is fresh and spontaneous, all the while helped along by the charming Christopher (Christopher Arnold), the host of the evening and the well planted fanatical fan who seems to know more about Edith Head’s life than Head herself.

A beautifully frank portrayal of Head she is certainly not all sweetness and light. She is sentimental, arrogant, fun, indignant, friendly and above all a self confessed “master of self promotion”. Never wanting to go unnoticed, yet in the same breath never wanting to compete with the stars she styled. At only 5”1 (and a quarter inch) Head is a force to be reckoned with.

A Conversation With Edith Head is so much more than just a show for followers of fashion. It is about years gone by; a period in film history that set a trend for generations to come. Edith Head passed away in 1981 only two weeks after completing her last film, however as you leave the theatre with Glaassen still in character chatting to each and every person, one honestly does feel that they have met the truly inspirational woman that was Edith Head and what a privilege it is.

A Little Night Music

2009-05-05T14:31:00.000+01:00

A Little Night Music
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Chocolate Factory Production
Garrick Theatre

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

Wednesday 8th April 2009

Another show at the Chocolate Factory, another West End transfer and once again deservedly so. Based on Ingmar Bergman’s film Smiles on a Summer Night Sondheim’s musical, A Little Night Music about the comings and goings of various couples continues to amuse.

It’s difficult to explain in a nutshell as the relationships on stage are as complicated as Sondheim’s score, but I shall do my best. Fredrik Egerman has recently wed 18 year old Anne, ignorant to that fact his son Henrik is completely besotted with her (although Henrik is managing to pass the time with the maid, Petra). Fredrik takes Anne to the theatre so see the world renown actress Desiree Armfeldt (failing to mention that ten years previous he had a passionate affair with the actress). They spot each other across the crowded theatre and Anne, although not the smartest girl instantly senses that something is amiss. Fredrik cannot resist a visit to Desiree’s dressing room for old times sake (Anne is still a virgin and a man has his needs!) Aside from the fact he is married, Desiree is also having an affair with a Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm who is insanely jealous and of course, chaos ensues. Oh and then there is Maureen Lipman as Desiree’s disapproving mother, Madame Armfeldt. That’s all you’re getting for now; if you want to find out more you’ll have to see the show for yourself which I highly recommend you do.

Sondheim’s score is like an elegant waltz and the cast dance it beautifully as they sashay across the stage. The complexity of the music and lyrics as they bounce back and forth is something to behold and typical of Sondheim they duck and dive in the most unexpected manner. Hannah Waddingham as the beautiful Desiree seduces not only Fredrik but also half the audience. A force to be reckoned with, both physically and emotionally; she relishes the comic moments and despite some early criticism for her rendition of “Send in the Clowns” she is now completely immersed in the heart of the song.

Kelly Price is hilarious as the humiliated wife – Countess Charlotte Malcolm and I’d Do Anything’s Jessie Buckley is some what of a revelation in her West End debut. Far more suited to the role of an innocent 18 year old than Nancy in Oliver, Buckley is sweet and endearing and I’m pleased to report that she has got that annoying habit of singing out of she side of her mouth under control. Of course I must also comment on the fabulous Maureen Lipman who delivers her lines in true Lipman style – dry and to the point as she imparts words of wisdom such as how important it is to preserve one’s teeth and how you should avoid Scandinavians at all costs. Supported by an exceptionally strong ensemble I could mention several other stand out performances but I’d be here all day.

So often when talking about a musical, all the praise is lavished upon the composer but Hugh Wheeler’s book must be given the credit it deserves. Wheeler and Sondheim’s partnership is exceptionally tight. There is no clunky transition from dialogue to song that is often so apparent in musicals. Wheeler’s script is incredibly droll and works seamlessly with Sondheim’s score.

Sondheim is not for everyone. His complex compositions can prove a little too much for some. However, Trevor Nunn’s production is so effortlessly stylish that this is not one you have to work at to enjoy. In fact I’m fairly certain that there’s going to be A Little Night Music every night for the foreseeable future.

A Disappearing Number

2009-05-05T14:22:00.000+01:00

A Disappearing Number

Directed & Conceived by Simon McBurney

Devised by Complicite

The Barbican

10th October – 1st November, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

15th October, 2008

The National is doing it with War Horse and now it’s the Barbican’s turn as Complicite return with A Disappearing Number. Back in 2007 it came away with a number of accolades including the Olivier for Best New Play and had people queuing round the block for return tickets.

Who would have thought a play about maths would have got London’s theatre going public so excited. It’s difficult to sum up (excuse the pun) exactly what A Disappearing Number is about as it seems no explanation will do it justice. It is so much more than a play about numbers and yet numbers are everything in this play.

Exquisitely devised, A Disappearing Number takes you on a journey I would not have thought was possible from the comfort of a theatre seat. The true story of the relationship between the brilliant Indian mathematician, Ramanujan (Divya Kasturi) and Cambridge Professor, G.H Hardy (David Annen) and the work they did together back in 1913 is intertwined with the life of the passionate and enthusiastic Maths lecturer, Ruth Minnen, played by the utterly compelling and totally adorable (Saskia Reeves) and her partner Al Cooper (Firdous Bamji). Supported by a tremendous ensemble their stories unfold in front of you.

Maths is often perceived as cold and isolating, disconnected from real life in anyway and yet it is the one element that unites these characters. School is often to blame for many people’s phobia of numbers and maths and as A Disappearing Number begins with formulas and equations that go on and on, one doubt's that they are going to be changing their opinions on numbers anytime soon.

However as numbers swirl across the stage, stories are told backwards, forwards and from the middle all colliding and collaborating simultaneously, the relevance of numbers and maths in our lives starts to become clearer. This is not a piece designed to convince you that maths is wonderful, it a piece designed to tell a story whilst at the same time presenting the value of maths and how life is reflected in numbers and numbers are reflected in life.

Simon McBurney’s direction is effortless and the fluidity of Complicite’s work is truly remarkable. I would have never thought it possible to tell so many tales in so many diverse and mesmerising ways. There is a real filmic quality to the piece which is not created from the screen projections but from the skill in with Complicite navigate around these stories; a feat which is usually accomplished by a highly skilled editor.

Michael Levine’s design is exceptional and as enthralling as the performance. As with numbers, there seems to be infinite possibilities to what the set can do as you’re transported from a lecture hall to the bustling streets of Bombay to an aeroplane. The cast nimbly move amongst these interwoven stories reflecting the beautiful patterns that numbers create on the screens behind them.

One person’s interpretation of A Disappearing Number will be quite different to the next. You may take nothing from it or you make take everything, the readings are infinite and in keeping with this theme I could probably talk about this piece forever, constantly discovering something new.

White Boy

2009-05-05T14:00:00.000+01:00

White Boy
By Tanika Gupta

National Youth Theatre

Soho Theatre

February 2008

Review by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

Does one look at a play like White Boy from one's own point of view or from the point of view of a teenager towards whom this play is essentially geared? This is not particularly because of the content, although the themes in White Boy are very relevant to teenagers, but it is more the style of the production that very much appeals to an MTV audience.

I would not dare to patronise a teenage audience by presuming to know how they will react to a piece of theatre such as White Boy but I do not have to dig too deep to recall those troublesome school days and think how I would have reacted to this production back then.

Returning to the Soho Theatre after its run back in August, the National Youth Theatre's production of White Boy looks at what it means to be a teenage white boy in today's ethnically diverse Britain. Luke Norris as Ricky, who is almost more black than the black characters themselves, swaggers about the stage with his twitching mannerisms speaking in an unfaltering Jamaican dialect; determined to be just like his "black bruv" Victor (Obi Iwumene). Colour is just skin deep right? Or is it more than that? Are there different histories, different cultural influences, all of which shape the people we become and create something that cannot be imitated?

Whilst on the surface White Boy is the same as many other pieces of urban realism depicting the often shocking actions of teenagers today and their consequences, Tanika Gupta's playground feels fresher and more current with the portrayal of the character Sorted (Timi Fadipe) who gives a sensitive performance of a young refugee from Sudan, trying to fit into this new world but still carrying the burden of the world he has left behind.

Under Juliet Knight's direction White Boy has a vibrant energy about it that can only emerge from seeing teenagers playing teenagers rather than actors in their mid twenties trying to pass themselves off as these hip youngsters. Vanetia Campbell as Zara captures perfectly the liveliness of a young girl at school with her mates, excited about the new love of her life but naïve about the repercussions of certain actions.

The action is constantly on the move with scenes of naturalism juxtaposed with scenes that are highly stylised. The two for the most part work seamlessly together and the play has a real fluidity to it. However towards the end it begins to feel slightly contrived with the introduction of musical instruments and members of the cast singing. Whilst undoubtedly talented, it begins to feel like a showcase for all their abilities.

White Boy works best when stripped bare, exposing the raw and frustrated emotions of these kids but at times, due to some unnecessary theatrics, the message feels laboured. What could have been "wicked" was just "alriiiiiiight".

My life with the Dogs

2009-05-05T13:57:00.000+01:00

My life with the Dogs

Directed by Alex Byrne

Theatre Company - NIE

Venue – BAC

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

Thursday 17th April, 2008

It is always exciting when a production is brave and takes risks and whilst I would never discourage a company from doing this, unfortunately these risks do not always pay off.

Through a variety of mediums My Life with the Dogs explores the story of a young Russian boy, Ivan, who ends up on the streets one night whilst his drunken mother is preoccupied with his “Uncle Boris”. Whilst on the streets he is taken in by a pack of dogs and over a period of time he slowly develops canine attributes of his own.

This devised piece uses its imagination and in the same breath asks the audience to do the same. We are told to forget that we are in South West London; to forget that we are seeing a 46 year old actor from Manchester and instead see a four year old boy from Russia. Robert Orr as the young Ivan made this easy with his wide eyed innocence and sense of childish adventure.

This production is almost a text book illustration of a “post-modern” performance with its pastiche of influences and it is here that the problem lies and is ultimately its downfall. Guitars, an accordion, a piano and drums (made out of upturned plastic bins and a silver tray) produce the inventive soundtrack which initially works well. With the use of a mega phone to enhance and distort the sound they are the radio, the TV, the buzzer on the door. Fans with shredded paper blowing in front of them create a snow storm whilst coloured lights, operated by the performers create the illusion of a shop window. However this overdose on theatrical devises eventually becomes numbing and unspectacular.

There is a similar dilemma with the performance style. Initially drawn in by the improvised nature of the piece it is interesting to watch the performers casually switching between “character” and “actor”; acknowledging the audience with funny asides. However the trick is knowing when enough is enough and eventually the piece begins to feel as if we were watching a rehearsal as the performers indulge themselves with scenes that stretch on and on as they play for laughs with their adlibbing.

As is often the danger when the director (in this instance Alex Byrne) is also in the piece it can lack that vital third eye and sadly My Life with the Dogs is a prime example of that.

There is little structure and thus the aim of the piece is completely lost. Did they intend to portray the harshness of contemporary life; to dismiss notions of the Russian stereotype; or simply show the plight of a young boy? Perhaps they wanted to communicate all of these ideas but it is hard to know as unfortunately the message vanishes in a whirlwind of theatricality.

Mum’s The Word (Revue)

2009-05-05T13:39:00.000+01:00

Mum’s The Word

Organised by Amy Nicholson & Laura Costello

Soho Revue Bar

Sunday 11th March, 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

You may have thought the place to be last night was at the Grosvenor House Hotel where this years Olivier Awards were being hosted. However just down the road was an equally hot ticket to be had at the Soho Revue Bar for the cabaret Mum’s The Word.

Organised by Amy Nicholson and Laura Costello the two girls have turned personal tragedy into something positive. Amy lost her mother, Linda Nicholson to Meningitis and Laura lost her mother, Jean Violet Costello to Ovarian Caner. A desire to raise awareness and money for The Meningitis Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action resulted in Mum's The Word and allowed the girls to celebrate the lives of their mothers and what a celebration it was.

Host by Nicole Faraday, recently seen in Bad Girls The Musical the evening was a delight for any fan of musical theatre. Faraday was charming and entertaining as she joked about the competition a few streets away as sadly some artists promised for Mum’s The Word had double booked themselves. This did not matter in the slightest though. It was still a fantastic line up with West End performers such as Julie Stark (We Will Rock You), Shona White (Wicked) and Peter Eldridge (Rent) who all generously volunteered their night off for these two great charities.

Under the musical direction of Peter White, songs were performed from both the world of pop and of course musical theatre. Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Eva Cassidy’s “Fields of Gold” were just a few of the classics performed along side of hits from Wicked, Footloose and the lesser known The Last Five Years. The highlights of the evening came from the tiny Julie Stark and her power-house voice and Shimi Goodman with his performance of Little Mary Sunshine from Chicago.

As well as an auction of musical theatre memorabilia and a raffle there were also a few words from representatives of both charities, reminding us all why we were there and allowing us to appreciate the difference that an evening such as this makes to these organisations.

Completely packed out, the Soho Revue Bar which donated its premises for the evening was the perfect space for this intimate occasion. With £6000 already raised for the two charities the girls are not stopping there. The plan for the next cabaret is to move to one of the larger West End venues and really make Mum’s the Word a date that every musical theatre lover has in their diary.

The House of Agnes

2009-05-05T13:33:00.000+01:00

The House of Agnes

Written by Levi David Addai

Directed by George Perrin

Oval House Theatre

Theatre Company: Paines Plough

4th March 2008 – 29th March

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

Friday 8th March 2008

In a play which is so rich with dialogue it seems somewhat ironic that I find myself at a loss for words in describing The House of Agnes. Brilliant simply does not seem to suffice, but for fear of gushing I shall try to elaborate.

Paines Plough kick off their 2008 season at Oval House with House of Agnes; a humorous and poignant exploration of family ties. After forty years of working and raising her two sons Caleb and Solomon in London, Agnes has decided to return to her home in Ghana. Before she leaves she wants to be certain that her two sons will live in harmony together; however her eldest son, Solomon, is living with a girlfriend who Agnes detests and Caleb is determined to turn his mother’s house into a bachelor’s pad. This forces the family to address the question: who will live in the house of Agnes?

George Perrin’s House of Agnes has its doors wide open, welcoming everyone in as the audience are virtually scattered amongst the living room set. Not your typical theatre going crowd, the audience felt completely at home and relaxed as their audible enjoyment was expressed through loud bouts of laughter and thigh slapping, as well as commenting amongst themselves and nodding in recognition at the characters behaviour.

Not a particularly complex plot, House of Agnes is- as the best things often are- kept fairly simple. It is the rich detail in between that gives Levi David Addai’s script such zest and energy. The dialogue has a dynamic rhythm to it as it unites the Ghanaian dialect of Agnes with the urban speech of her two sons, which Caleb litteres with impressive vocabulary in an attempt to prove his intelligence. There is nothing funnier than a script that doesn’t try to be funny. You’ll find no gags here but the hilarity emerges through the superbly observed dialogue and of course through the delivery.

Addai’s characters are brought to life on stage by an impressive cast. Cecilia Noble’s Agnes is both well meaning and overbearing, only wanting the best for her sons and smothering them in the process. A formidable presence on stage Noble is difficult, loveable, frustrating, everything that a mother should be.

Ludvig Bonin as Solomon and Anwar Lynch as Caleb, both united by understanding and separated by sibling rivalry, are faultless. Their bond on stage is natural and unaffected and their comic timing is impeccable.

It is so wonderful when all the elements come together in a production: script, direction, performance, set, lighting and sound. The House of Agnes perfectly illustrates this. This is a play that will strike a chord with anyone who… well anyone who has a family.

An Audience With the Mafia

2009-05-05T13:06:00.000+01:00

An Audience With the Mafia
By the Mercy ManRebel
20 Contracts Ltd
Apollo Theatre

2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for the British Theatre Guide

It has been rumoured that the Mercy Man (his real name is not revealed to protect his identity; although of course we can see his face) who is appearing at the Apollo Theatre has hired two minders to "protect" him whilst he is in town, exposing the secrets of the worlds most notorious gangsters.

Well, he need not have bothered since this show is about as chilling as an ice-cream. Watching the Mercy Man can only be compared to enduring the longest history lecture you can imagine, as he regurgitates fact after fact after fact. One might expect to leave this show an expert on the Mafia and their underground world of crime. However, as with all tedious history classes, one finds one's mind wandering, not paying attention and waiting for the bell to ring. I knew I was in trouble when we were at 1924 and we still had six decades to chronicle.

Alone on stage the Mercy Man with his monotonous, Jewish/Croydon/American accent roams about like a robot imparting his knowledge about Meyer Lansky and the gang. A repertoire of about four gestures accompany his stories, allowing the audience to detect when something important iss being said due to the excessive amount of pointing.

Impressive screens (replacing the traditional projector and slides) hang behind him showing various clips of footage from years gone by, whilst Nicole Faraday makes cameos as a cop, waitress, daughter of a gangster and even Marilyn Monroe. All of which have about as much truth and depth to them as characters from a high school production of Bugsy Malone, although at least those characters are deliberately tongue in cheek.

The audience are also treated to moments where the Mercy Man takes on the persona of various famous gangsters as he stands under a spotlight, accompanied by music which belongs to a Crime Watch re-enactment. Al Capone would have been turning in his grave to see his life and those of his peers transformed into something so dreary. The only time I felt any sense of dread was when I realised that I still had to sit through Act Two.

I am a bit confused as to what the director Keith Strachan's involvement in the show is. I don't think that even Al Pacino could have made this script come to life but at least with some variation in movement and story telling techniques it may have broken the decades up a bit.

By Act Two it seems like the Mercy Man had actually managed to bore himself as well as the slowly disappearing audience and when he commented, in reference to one of his tales, that "the evening was a disaster" and the audience showed their first sign of life with a burst of laughter, I think that the Mercy Man would have had to agree.

By the end you just want the embarrassingly, uncomfortable experience to finish. Unfortunately what should have been an audience with the Mafia feels more like an audience with Mr Jones, your boring history teacher that you'd just rather forget.

The Harbour

2009-05-05T12:58:00.000+01:00

The Harbour

Directed by Ben Samuels

Theatre Company: Limbik

Blue Elephant Theatre

5th March 2008 – 7th March 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

Thursday 6th March 2008

The relationship between land and sea and the characters that inhabit both are explored in this haunting tale; beautifully told through Limbik’s production of The Harbour.

Under the superb direction of Ben Samuels, this imaginative one act production combines many story telling techniques to take the audience on a journey to a non-specific harbour town where we are drawn into the lives of the inhabitants.

One could easily imagine being told this story, huddled around the fire in a small harbour pub by a local fisherman who was told the tale by his grandfather many years before and the intimate nature of the tale is beautifully retained in this telling.

With minimal props the story moves effortlessly from the harbour to a bathroom to a factory as crates double up as a bed, a sink, a deck and funnily enough crates for the fish. Wellington boots are also transformed into a shoal of fish swimming in perfect symmetry across the stage.

The impressive and skilful ensemble who devised The Harbour are as flexible as their props. It can often be difficult to integrate dialogue with a physical performance as one discipline can conflict with the other; however The Harbour unites both perfectly. With especially touching performances from Sarah Johnson (Sally) and Juan Ayala as her frustrated husband, Beto this is ultimately an actor’s piece. However, the physical nature of the performance enhances the story, creating as much energy and passion as the ocean itself.

A haunting soundtrack performed by Sarah Moody on the cello accompanies the performance. Seated at the edge of the space, one is aware of her presence yet is never distracted as her stunning score serves only to enhance the emotions on stage.

Aside from the odd moment where it lacks pace slightly it is hard to believe that this performance of The Harbour is still a work in progress as this nautical tale is absolutely ready to set sale.

Lithuanian Triple Bill

2009-05-05T12:31:00.000+01:00

Lithuanian Triple Bill:

The One That Hurt the Most by Gabriele Lababauskaite
The Doll by Dovile Katiliute
Goodbye My Love by Marius Macevicius

Arts Printing House

Southwark Playhouse

7th January 2008 – 26th January 2008

Reviewed by Rachel Sheridan for The British Theatre Guide

“Get carried away with your imagination. Live up in your dream-trees and come down only to harvest your ideas” is one of the ten commandments of the arts printing house currently working in association with the Southwark Playhouse presenting the Lithuanian Festival.

Set up in 2002 in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, the Arts Printing House nurtures its young artists in a safe haven where they can experiment, discover and ultimately strive for change to create new and uncompromising work.

The festival sees the collaboration of not only theatre but also film, art, music and design which intends to make a connection with a British audience with whom Lithuanian artists have previously felt disconnected from.

As a self confessed novice to Lithuanian theatre, I admit I was unsure as to what to expect from this trilogy of work (of which The One That Hurt The Most and Goodbye My Love were performed). Two very different plays dealing with both personal and economic progress in a post Soviet Lithuania, bought to life the difficulties of shaking off Lithuania’s communist legacy in an attempt to confirm to European Union standards.

Exploring the lives of a group of gay friends, disconnected from a homophobic society, one could argue that The One That Hurt the Most was old hat. Haven’t we seen the trials and tribulations of a marginalised, homosexual society presented time and time again as we witness the trauma of coming out to friends and family, the discrimination they endure and the effects of HIV on their community. The answer is yes, our cosmopolitan British audience are very accustomed to this topic, however to Lithuanians this is in fact very relevant and raw in a society where two thirds of the population claim they would rather have a drug dealer as a neighbour than a homosexual. Consequently The One That Hurt the Most felt anything but dated; in fact it felt very current and poignant.

Labanauskaite’s has created a vibrant group of characters bought to life by a talented cast. The performances are primarily truthful and real. Even characters who initially seem like stereotypes, such as Blue (Daniel Abelson), the heartbreaking queen who glides about the stage has depth to him, revealing fears and insecurities. Or Schnittke (Steven Beard) the aging gay man in his pink nightgown and matching lipstick. His costume is almost incidental to Beard’s melodramatic interpretation of a man who lives his life as if it were a performance, too scared to be himself.

As their lives are gradually turned upside down one can’t help but realise the importance and courage of such a play that gives a voice to this group pf people, silenced by public discrimination.

Goodbye My Love, whilst on the surface a play about capitalism in a post Soviet Lithuania, is more a play about relationships and family ties, speaking to all, regardless of cultural upbringing.

Antanas is reunited with his Mother, Birute, as she visits Lithuania from her seemingly wonderful life in Scotland where she lives with her Turkish lover. But we are soon questioning if life is as glamorous as Birute would have you believe.

Daniel Abelson in a total departure from his role as Blue is exquisite as the poor, long suffering son of Birute. However Macevicius’s dry and quick witted writing is let down by Valerie Gogan’s portrayal of Birute. The writing suggests this is a character who is as up and down as a yo-yo and her verging on manic personality has been the bane of her son’s life. Whilst Gogan certainly presented an entirely intolerable woman her performance lacked any colour or variation. Constantly on the same level Gogan seemed to adopt the technique of if in doubt, just shout.

Ultimately this is a play speaking volumes about manipulation of one human over another and from the privileged position of an audience member I couldn’t quite decide who I felt more sorry for?

The Southwark Playhouse with its industrial space and slightly damp walls is ideal for showcasing these new plays, the occasional sound of the trains only adding to the raw, vibrancy of this work. If this is a taste of what we can look forward to from these emerging Lithuanian writers then I certainly wait with eager anticipation of what is to come from a country whose voice is now being well and truly heard.