Catwalk Confidential

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.

Shout

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”!

Haunted

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.