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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is aptly named. For although ‘serious’ theatregoers may turn their noses up at it with its pantomimic singing camels and pop-up sheep, this most enduring of all family shows is… amazing, and in glorious technicolor!

Forty-seven years after it made its professional debut as a 35-minute piece at the Edinburgh International Festival, it’s back in the city at the UK’s largest theatre, yet the sheer energy and spectacle of the first musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to be staged in public seems to fill the cavernous space.

Bill Kenwright’s production is, not surprisingly considering how long he’s been directing it, slick and fast-paced, a kaleidoscope of colour and favourite songs, moving seamlessly from one effervescent scene to the next; an upbeat show when even Joseph’s sad tale of banishment, slavery and imprisonment comes second to the singing camels and a Pharaoh mask with flashing eyes.

Once again it is an X-Factor finalist who dons Joseph’s coat of many colours. And Jaymi Hensley, in his first major musical role, wears it perfectly, starting off as everyone’s favourite little brother but growing in stature - with a voice to match - in a captivating performance on a par with Phantom of the Opera.

He is strongly supported by his band of 11 brothers, high energy, entertaining dancers and singers, led by their ‘father’ in many ways, for not only does Henry Metcalfe play a revered Jacob but the 72-year-old is also the original choreographer.

The whole thing is held together by the Narrator, Trina Hill, whose pure voice soars throughout, while Andrew Geater, taking part in his first UK tour, is a particular favourite of mine as Pharaoh aka Elvis. I could have listened to his voice all night! Of course, none of them could be where they are without musical director Rich Morris and his musicians.

With Sean Cavanagh’s design, Nick Richings’ lighting, Dan Samson, who manages to overcome the sound difficulties associated with such a large space, and Gary Lloyd’s additional new choreography, this visual and audio delight looks set to run for another 47 years – at least!
Photo: Pamela Raith

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is at the Edinburgh Playhouse until March 23.
Box Office:  0844 871 3014
It then continues touring:
Mar 26-30: Rhyl Pavilion 01745 33 00 00
Apr 2-6: Theatre Royal, Newcastle 08448 11 21 21
Apr 9-13: Milton Keynes 0844 871 7652
Apr 16-20: Storyhouse, Chester 01244 409 113
May 14-18: Wales Millenium Center, Cardiff 029 2063 6464
May 21-25: Hippodrome, Darlington 01325 405405
May 28-Jun 01: Winter Gardens, Blackpool 0844 856 1111
Jun 04-15: Grand Theatre, Leeds 0844 848 2700
Jun 18-22: Derby Theatre 01332 59 39 39
Jun 25-29: Regent Theatre, Ipswich 01473 433100
Jul 02-13: Hippodrome, Birmingham 0844 338 5000
Jul 16-20: New Theatre, Oxford 0844 871 3020

Who could forget the quintessentially British gentleman Mr Banks (Mary Poppins 1964) or Professor Emelius Browne (Bedknobs and Broomsticks 1967) and the dastardly Peter Thorndyke (1968 The Love Bug)? With such a timeless quality, our warmth towards David Tomlinson does not waver. Memories are made of this and the Park Theatre presents a poignant homage to this upright gentleman whose stiff upper lip and received pronunciation defined his character.

But of course this was Tomlinson the actor. Beneath the charming veneer was a troubled man who battled many demons, including the huge heartbreak of the suicide of his first wife with their two sons (Michael and John), the duplicitous life of his father and his battle to have his son, Willie, recognised as one of the first British cases of autism. Yes, he was a fighter not only in World War II as a fighter pilot but also in life.

The Life I Lead sees Miles Jupp,stand up comic and acclaimed actor (Mock the Week, The News Quiz, Neville's Island, to name but a few) bring to the stage the remarkable life of David Tomlinson. Not an easy feat this. To play the moustached, bowler hatted man of bygone days for near on two hours and succeed in a realistic and compassionate portrayal is to be applauded. His ability to convince, involve and share is seemingly effortless and entirely natural. Jupp will admit that he has a connection with Tomlinson and was delighted to be invited to play the role by friend/writer James Kettle. The script and direction (Didi Hopkins/Selina Cadell) offer candour and grace, taking the audience on a shifting tide with emotions changing at each juncture. Together, and with the subtle variances of lighting (Matthew Eagland) and music (Eliza Thompson) this team have achieved a fitting tribute to this very gentle gentleman, who was well deserving of his immortal position in Disney's Hall of Fame.
 
As he presents anecdote after anecdote from the Disney-esque turquoise checkered heaven, Jupp confidently and assuredly strides across the unobtrusive set, (Lee Newby), filling it with his storm of words and characterisations. Never failing to show a stiff upper lip, there is still a vulnerability to his portrayal which carries the audience through the vast range of emotions. 

This is a charming production which is respectful in its portrayal of the troubled and enigmatic Tomlinson. Jupp has played his role with commitment, honesty and integrity and has made the performance his own. It is hard to believe he has a script to follow as he releases his words with ease and confidence and is able to move us in his vulnerability and self depreciation.

Do you need to know the back story of Tomlinson before you see this play? I don't believe you do. As Tomlinson/Jupp maintained, retain the magic and hold on to the memories.

Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes including an interval.

Photography: Piers Foley
 
THE LIFE I LEAD 

Venue: Park200, Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP
Dates: 18 March - 30 March 2019
Performances: Evenings Mon-Sat 7.30 pm  Matinees Thur & Sat 3 pm
British sign language: Thur 28 March 2019
Age Guidance: 12+
Booking: www.parktheatre.co.uk / 020 7870 6876

Fresh from the announcement of their impressive five Olivier nominations (Best New Musical, Best Costume Design, Best Theatre Choreographer, Outstanding Achievement in Music, Best Actress in a Supporting Role) and their extension into 2020 at the Arts Theatre, Six is going from strength to strength, taking the West End by storm, and it’s obvious why. 

From the get-go, the energy from the cast is electric, and doesn’t falter once during the seventy five minute, one act show. This energy is so much of what makes this show charged, and has the audience bopping and laughing along as the pop concert style show progresses. 

Jarneia Richard-Noel gets the show going with an impressively sassy Catherine of Aragon, performing ‘No Way’ with an energy that easily fills the Arts and bringing a vibrant, fresh, bold strength to the longest reigning Queen. Next up is Millie O’Connell, bringing a totally different, almost childlike energy to Anne Boleyn within her song ‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’ which contains endless wordplay and modern teenage colloquialisms, including the triple entendre of the songs title (and yes, there are some wonderfully crude blowjob gestures). The audience love it of course, and O’Connell works with the writing duo Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ lyrics to create Anne Boleyn’s story in a completely new way. Her comic timing throughout the show was impeccable, and often had the audience in stitches.

I was honoured to see Courtney Stapleton’s debut as Jane Seymour; after seeing Natalie Paris in the role last year, it’s awesome how Stapleton completely made it her own, bringing a vulnerability to the role and almost completely re-working the song ‘Heart of Stone’ to reflect on the pain and heartache that Seymour goes through. Her raw portrayal contrasted the sassy songs that came before and resonated with the audience. Alexia McIntosh is the most ballsy, brutish and unapologetic Anna of Cleves, and it was empowering to see; McIntosh is sassy, sexy and slays during her anthem, ‘Get Down’. Again, she brings a dynamic energy, with her iconic Anna of Cleves owning the situation as the “Queen of the Castle”.

Before the script started taking place, Marlow and Moss set out six aims for the musical, one of which is “to show that even 500 years later, there are still parallels to be found in the female experience”. ‘All You Wanna Do’, Katherine Howard’s hard-hitting pop life story runs horribly parallel to modern sexual abuse stories and absolutely achieves this. Aimie Atkinson takes the audience on a journey with Howard, starting with this wonderfully excited naivety, working her way through to physically trying to claw her way out; she handles the sensitive material beautifully, and again there’s got to be a nod to the wonderful writing duo of Marlow and Moss. Atkinson is both a vocal powerhouse and absolutely owns ‘K Howard’; empowering, sassy, vulnerable, naïve, strong… she’s endless. Maiya Quansah-Breed finishes off the competition with ‘I Don’t Need Your Love’, another ballad-y style song to accompany than the pop numbers. Her Catherine Parr is compassionate and caring, with a raw hatred of King Henry, and her vocals are too, raw and honest. 

The Best Supporting Actress Olivier nomination is well deserved, and although the Queens are incredible as their characters, the show’s strength lies in their support of each other; they barely leave the stage, working with the (also Olivier nominated) choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille and amazing backing vocals to create this wonderful ensemble feel. 

A show unlike anything else on the West End at the moment, Six is self-aware, sassy, feminist, and hilarious; it’s is a powerhouse, and truly deserves all its awards and more recently Olivier Nominations. Six is booking at the Arts Theatre until 2020, so check out ‘Divorced, Beheaded, Live’ for a hysterically historical night out.

I said to the woman sitting beside me in the Traverse, we must have warped minds to want to see a production about dead people!

But there is much to commend having a warped mind. If I hadn’t I would have missed the best party ever to be held underground.

There’s a lot going on under the cemetery on Dickinson’s Brae. The undead dead enjoy death carousing - singing, dancing and drinking whisky, while above the ground one man still mourns for his lost love 60 years on.

We, the audience, are being inducted as necropolitans by convincing narrator Elicia Daly, who tells us there is life after death, and it isn’t so grim.

Through the imagination of Matthew Lenton, artistic director of internationally renowned theatre company Vanishing Point, who conceived, wrote and directed this production, The Dark Carnival is essentially a pop opera-cum-cabaret, with Scottish band A New International holding the whole thing together with Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill-type original songs written by its lead singer and compelling performer Biff Smith.

Kenneth MacLeod’s imaginative, Tim Burtonesque set is largely a tumble of coffins poking out of the earth; their inhabitants are a colourful mix: the matriarchal Mrs Mark in Edwardian tartan; Major Toast in full uniform; Little Annie, complete with gold baseball boots and teddy bear... And then there is the cigarette-smoking, gin-guzzling angel stuck in a heaven God has put up for rent.

Lenton’s rhyming dialogue is highly entertaining in a warped sort of way, while there are plenty of performances to keep us happy including Ann Louise Ross, a powerhouse as characterful Mrs Mark, and Harry Ward as Major Toast is the funniest, especially when he practices being a ghost.

The back-story, however, is the unrequited love between Young John, sensitively played by Malcolm Cumming, and Peter Kelly’s moving portrayal of the still living Peter, who visits John’s grave every day. It’s a poignant tale, in sharp contrast to the necropolitans’ knees-up, as is Little Annie’s untimely death. As the child, Olivia Barrowclough’s confusion and fear as she discovers what has happened to her tore my heart to shreds.

The Dark Carnival doesn’t go out on a high, however. It tells us that we should make the most of life… because death isn’t a death-long party!

The Dark Carnival is at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh until March 9, and then at Dundee Rep Theatre from March 13-16
Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Having never seen a show from Two Gents productions or at Tara Theatre for that matter, I had no idea what to expect from their co-production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Taking on the show with only two actors is a feat in itself and the importance of the delivery is integral in keeping the audience engaged and understanding the plot.

But what a joy the show was, Ayesha Casely-Hayford and Kudzanayi Chiwawa’s energy and personality drove the show. There was an honest sense of play and enjoyment throughout the piece. Barely a few moments would go by before the audience began to laugh again and although the women were constantly switching between their characters (or fighting each other for the next) they still managed to bring a sense of themselves and their African heritage whilst staying true to the farce.

Being that there were only two actors on stage audience interaction was encouraged, stopping to have conversations with the audience and even bringing them onstage to be some of the characters themselves. There is no time to switch off during this show as the Actress’s are beautifully connected with each other and will stop to check in and make sure you are following what is happening.

The staging and props were simplistic using the uniqueness of the high brick wall space they were in and the Sports Direct bag was a definite reminder of modern day England. The show begins with the Actress’ entering the space playing Janelle Monáe’s Pynk on their iphone and setting up their interchangeable backdrop of the British countryside along with a list of the four to five characters each Actress will be playing. Comically throughout the show there seems to be a battle to be the best Zimbabwean Lady Bracknell. The house lights stayed up the entire time which aided in encouraging audience participation at all times with the audience even making farm yard animal sounds and being used as Casely-Hayford garden roses.

If you’re looking to laugh and dive into the playground of Oscar Wilde then this is the show to see, the adult audience had the chance to play together on a drizzling Thursday evening and the pleasure and amusement of that was apparent long after we left the theatre.

Art, written by Yasmina Reza and based on the original 1996 production by Matthew Warchus, showed last night at the Richmond Theatre as part of its national tour starring Nigel Havers, Stephen Tompkinson and Denis Lawson.  After winning pretty much every available major award back in the 90s during its original London run, I was excited to see this production and see if it lived up to the hype. My mother (who absolutely loves the show) worked in the box office of the original Wyndhams Theatre production, and reports that this touring production is near enough identical to its 1996 counterpart- after all, if it ain’t broke… 

Havers, Tompkinson and Lawson bring a masterclass in comedic subtleties, creating a connection with the audience as their eyes roll, shoulders shrug and we, the audience, feel their plight. Direction by Ellie Jones is seamless, with the three chairs, three entrances, and three dynamic characters weaving in and out of themselves and the “shitty” masterpiece at a phenomenal speed for the duration of the one act play. The dialogue, although often weighty and certainly considered, is impressively pacey and dynamic, and the trio work wonderfully with the text to deliver a hilarious outlook on human relationships. I was surprised that the show had been resurrected from production twenty years ago, as the script has scope for some exciting concepts and modernisation, but the white backing and living room setting gave a blank background to encourage the emphasis to be on the character’s relationships.  

It was an evening of laughing out loud, human relationships and spending a lot of money on a white piece of art- you can still catch this award-winning comedy in Richmond, Cheltenham, Shrewsbury or Aberdeen.  

Fresh from winning five People's Choice Awards at the recent offwestend.com awards - including the accolades for Best Programming Policy and Most Welcoming Venue - Blue Elephant Theatre announces its first shows of 2019. From comedy to dance, scratch nights to accomplished pieces, once again the Blue Elephant offers an eclectic programme to suit all tastes.   A highlight of the season is The Wolf Inside Me, commissioned by Blue Elephant Theatre’s Youth Board members. It was created by Sepy Baghaei in response to a brief set by young participants and then chosen for research and development at the Blue Elephant after participants met shortlisted applicants. A play with sound and music, The Wolf Inside Me speaks to us of finding our own way through grief and sadness. Rooted in South East London and seen through the eyes of teenagers, it’s a captivating and creative reframing of loss and hope.

This season sees comedy (It's No Job For A Nice Jewish Girl), dance (TRY/TRYING/TRIED),
sound experimentation (Nothing to Fear) and new writing (LunchBreaks) take
to the stage. As well as this, we present, The Wolf
Inside Me,  commissioned by Blue Elephant Theatre
and chosen by our Youth Board Members. Told through the eyes of
teenagers, this is set to be a unique portrayal of a journey through
grief told with music and sound.

We also have an array of FREE  Family storytelling events taking place in
March across Elephant and Castle, bringing theatre to the doorstep.

Listings Information:


Venue: Blue Elephant Theatre, 59a Bethwin Rd, Camberwell,
SE5 0XT (entrance on Thompson Ave) Nearest tube: Oval (Northern Line)

Wheelchair accessible Box Office: 020 7701 0100


info@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk
www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk |@BETCamberwell

Quick witted, moving and remarkably funny Nigel William's Black comedy My Brother's Keeper? highlights the struggles of dealing with the potential loss of a family member whilst overcoming past grievances and familial strains.


Following a severe stroke, seventy-four-year-old actor Mr Stone lies dying in a near-empty hospital ward. His two sons, Tony and Sam, together again after several years must try to reconcile their fractured family over their dying father's hospital bed before it's too late.They confront each other, their past and the imminent loss of their father.


The play explores the complexities of adult fraternal bonds, where shared childhoods and personal histories work as hard to repel as they do to bind, and poses the question of whether the shared love of a dying father can overcome the damage done. 

This play is a terrific exploration of family conflict that we can all relate to, it highlights how repressed anger and jealously can unwittingly affect our relationships and how easy it is to hurt those we truly love.


Andy De La Tour as Mr Stone  brings to life a difficult character struggling with his own impending death and acts as a catalyst to the entire narrative of the play. Supported by stellar performances from Josh Taylor as Tony Stone and David Partridge as Sam Stone who together bring to life the angst, anger and past grievances of two brothers who seemingly feel at war with one another, one as a realist and one as a romantic and who throughout the play address their own strained relationship in order to meet on mutual grounds and support their family.

Katherine Pogson as Mrs Stone brings vulnerability and also the strength that only a mother can project to the stage as the matriarch who is trying to simultaneously attempt to keep her family together, and deal with the potential loss of a life partner.
William Reay as Terry and Richard James Lawler as Mr Pittorini a stroke victim act as much needed comedy relief throughout.

The set design by Maddie Whiffin accompanied by lighting by Chris Withers and Sound by Benjamin Grant evoke the feeling of being but a fly on the wall in one of Britains fading NHs funded hospitals, and highlights the ongoing problems the system faces.

This is truly a beautiful show with content that every audience member can relate to, and brings home the reality that death truly does unite people. Highly Highly recommend seeing this show.

The shows Running  at the Playground Theatre, London until the 23rd  of March.

For tickets and show equiries: https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/brothers-keeper/

In Edinburgh last night the buzz on the bus was Allan Stewart (for those who don’t live in Edinburgh, everyone uses the buses, because the service is second to none). He’s a phenomenon, loved by everyone in Scotland and since seeing him in panto last Christmas, by me too.

I don’t suppose many critics - who are known largely but not always accurately for being critical – show their appreciation like I did last night… laughing (loudly) till my face ached and whooping with sheer joy at the good, old-fashioned entertainment this country is famous for.

Glasgow, where Stewart was born, is, or rather was, the home of variety. It spawned comics like Stanley Baxter and Rikki Fulton, and it had to be good. Many visiting artistes were lucky to get out alive if their audiences at the Glasgow Empire didn’t like them.

Those days now belong to a bygone age, but variety can still offer the best entertainment (look at Britain’s Got Talent), and in the hands of Allan Stewart it is the best.

Known foremost as a comedian and impressionist (and, for the last 25 years as THE pantomime dame), Stewart is no mean singer and gets his sixth Big, Big Variety Show rolling with a resounding Get This Party Started – and what a party!

Backed by the eight-piece Andy Pickering Orchestra, it is none-stop fun and frolics, with first-class banter between him and his panto partner-in-crime, broadcaster, Outlander actor and comedian Grant Stott one of the many highlights of the evening.

Being the first night, as Stewart said, there were a few gremlins, but his professionalism shone through except when it didn’t and everyone on stage was laughing uncontrollably – which, of course, all added to the enjoyment. It was just one moment which made it feel home-grown and personal, like the early family photographs of Stewart and Stott on a video screen, and Stewart’s grand finale – singing If He Could See Me Now as a moving tribute to his dad.

Of course, everything is an original in this show. Stewart’s other memorable musical renditions include his own versions of Bohemian Rhapsody and Love Changes Everything, and his Mick Jagger impersonation is hilarious, though he could do with swivelling his hips a wee bit more.

His impressions came thick and so fast I couldn't write them down quick enough beyond Bruce Forsyth and Frank Spencer. But this engaging, cheeky chappie, who says his life changed after he appeared before 26 million viewers on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, is not the only impressionist on this show.

British-Armenian Kev Orkian, an outstanding piano player who has been likened to Dudley Moore, not only gives a remarkable performance as Elton John (on a scratchy CD!) but imitates composers from Mozart to Andrew Lloyd-Webber and how they would play Happy Birthday.

There is more warm-hearted comedy from magician and BGT semi-finalist Mandy Muden, while the Soul Nation Choir won’t fail to uplift your spirits even further with invigorating versions of songs like Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and Oh, Happy Day.

Oh, happy night it was indeed!

Allan Stewart’s Big, Big Variety Show is at the King’s Theatre, Edinburgh until March 2.
Box Office: 0131 529 6000
www.captialtheatres.com

Ulster American is an extraordinary piece of theatre.

At the entrance to the auditorium we are warned that the production contains graphic violence and extreme language and yet, while writer David Ireland’s script deals with so much that is wrong in today’s world, it is the funniest hour and a half I have spent for a long time!

I say this without feeling perverted or guilty. Yes, the humour is dark, but so wonderfully written and acted that, while at times I sat open-mouthed at what was happening, mostly I was guffawing with the rest of the audience. It’s like Quentin Tarantino crossed with Victoria Wood.

In the hands of RSC and National Theatre regular Darrell D’Silva, Robert Jack and Lucianne McEvoy, award-winning writer David Ireland’s masterpiece is an assault on the senses.

The action takes place in director Leigh Carver’s London flat where he is joined by Oscar-winning actor Jay Conway and writer Ruth Davenport to discuss a new play which connects Conway with his Irish roots.

Both Carver and Davenport are somewhat in awe of the actor but when Conway starts questioning the script, boundaries are crossed and the heated discussion leads to a violent climax – though, through the beauty of the writing, the final line is priceless and has us going home laughing!

D’Silva should indeed win an Oscar for his gripping portrayal of the American actor. He is like a chameleon, yet throughout even the worst scenarios still makes us laugh. His is a strong character, in sharp contrast to Jack’s Carver, at first in awe of Conway and frightened of crossing him. You can imagine him having a limp, wet handshake!

Then, into the mix comes McEvoy, who is a force of nature as the fiery playwright, again in awe of Conway until her script is compromised and that’s when the fireworks start exploding. It’s wonderful to watch these three bouncing off each other, and director Gareth Nicholls should be proud of what they have all achieved.

Confrontational yet brutally funny, this is a satisfying must-see.
Ulster American is at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh until March 2.
Box Office: 0131 228 1404
www.traverse.co.uk
Photo: Sid Scott

0h what a night! It was a night of highs, and lows, both in the story of one of the US’s most successful bands and in the telling of it.

I’ve said it before and I’m sorry to have to say it again, but the sound quality at the Playhouse isn’t always what it should be. In such a big space it often reverberates and the dialogue, especially spoken in a nasal American accent, isn’t always audible, so I had to guess at some of the (many) events in the lives of The Four Seasons.

Thankfully, when it came to the music I have no complaints. Michael Watson as lead singer Frankie Valli is superb, hitting just the right falsetto notes which made the band from New Jersey so distinctive. For me it took about 45 minutes, until the singing of Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk Like a Man, before the show really got going, and by the reaction of the audience they were in agreement. But after that, Watson, Simon Bailey as Tommy Devito, Declan Egan as Bob Gaudio and Lewis Griffiths as Nick Massi took me right back to the days when, as a young schoolgirl, I couldn’t get enough of The Four Seasons’ music. The choreography is a bit strange, however, with the boys moving like automatons…very regimented.

So, the show is musically very satisfying, but the backstory is worth a production all on its own. So much happened to these guys from the wrong side of the tracks: they were mixed up in petty crime, and then the Mafia, their private lives were a bit of a mess, and professionally they had more than their fair share of hardship. Nevertheless they had sold 175 million records before the age of 30 and, apart from The Beach Boys, were the only US band to survive the British invasion of the likes of The Beatles.

There is a lot packed into this show, and the delivery includes lots of humour and pathos too, when you can understand the lines!

The Jersey Boys are at the Edinburgh Playhouse until March 2.
Box Office: 0844 8713 014
The tour then continues:
March 6-16: Dublin Bord Gais Energy Theatre
March 19-30: Southampton Mayflower

I love living in Edinburgh. The close proximity of so many theatres, the arts festivals, and being able to offer a home from home for touring actors makes it the perfect place. We were made for each other.

But the King’s latest production has rendered me homesick. Until my move 400 miles north my second home for 30 years was the Theatre Royal Windsor. It’s where I interviewed countless actors and reviewed innumerable productions.

The reason I feel like this is that the company performing this week is Bill Kenwright’s The Classic Thriller Theatre Company, which began life in Windsor and where it still starts its national tours. It’s where I often bumped into the prolific West End impresario, who took on the theatre in 1997, and where I looked forward to talking to the lovely Roy Marsden (remember TV’s Insp Adam Dalgleish?) who directs this production.

There is always something familiar about these plays. They hark back to bygone days when everything had a quality feel, from the writing and the presentation to the characters and the way they spoke, dressed and behaved.

So this classic is easy on the eye. I love Morgan Large’s backdrop of a station (somewhere near Austria). Together with Charlie Morgan Jones’ lighting and Dan Samson’s sound, it sets the scene perfectly for a good, old-fashioned mystery thriller.

There is also quality in the casting. Juliet Mills, member of the acting dynasty which includes sister Hayley and included father Sir John, is joined by another kind of royalty…TV soap stars Lorna Fitzgerald, who played Abi Branning in EastEnders, and Philip Lowrie, long-time resident of Coronation Street.

The 1938 film, which was the making of its director Alfred Hitchcock, was voted 31st of the Best British films Ever in 2017, but I wouldn’t include Antony Lampard’s adaptation in a similar category. The plot, surrounding an elderly governess who vanishes on a train travelling to Paris and London in the late 30s, is somewhat convoluted by today’s standards though I like to think of it as a glorious romp featuring plenty of gunfire, a sword-wielding magician, a high-heeled-wearing nun and the mummified patient of a brain surgeon – and that’s just for starters!

Fitzgerald successfully shakes off her East End roots to play Iris, a somewhat air-headed girl who is travelling home to marry a lord when she is accidentally struck on the head and is befriended by Miss Froy (Mills), who subsequently disappears. Strangely, the other passengers then deny having ever seen her as Iris sets out, sometimes rather hysterically, to find her.

As can happen on any train, there is a mixed bag of characters, all played with aplomb, though they need to be on the same page when it comes to movement as if in motion on a train! Lowrie is a grumpy, bumbling lawyer afraid of being discovered with his mistress; Maxwell Caulfield (still memorable from the 80s Dynasty  spin-off The Colbys, and also Juliet Mills’ husband of 39 years) is a Viennese brain surgeon, and Joe Reisig is a menacing presence as a Nazi official. For a bit of light relief, though there are many laughable moments, Robert Duncan and Ben Nealon make a wonderful double act as upper-class cricket-mad Englishmen trying to get back home for the Test Match, while Mark Carlisle shows his versatility as an Austrian-type station master and a Cockney porter but goes a little over the top as Italian magician Signor Doppo.

The most spirited performance, however, comes from Matt Barber as Max (an engineer who is also writing a book about folk dances, as you do) who starts out as a pompous, sarcastic character but wins the day by helping Iris solve the mystery of the vanishing lady.

Photo: Paul Coltas

Edinburgh Kings Theatre, 18-23 February
New Brighton Floral Pavilion Theatre, 25 February-2 March
Blackpool Grand Theatre, 4-9 March
Richmond Theatre, 11-16 March
Malvern Festival Theatre, 19-23 March
Bromley Churchill Theatre, 25-30 March
Chesterfield Pomegranate Theatre, 1-6 April
Stoke Regent Theatre, 8-13 April
Inverness Eden Court Theatre, 15-20 April
Barnstaple Queen’s Theatre, 23-27 April
Doncaster Cast Theatre, 3-8 June
Llandudno Venue Cymru, 10-15 June
Lichfield Garrick Theatre, 17-22 June
Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre, 24-29 June
Glasgow Theatre Royal, 1-6 July
Crewe Lyceum Theatre, 8-13 July
Cardiff New Theatre, 15-20 July
Leeds Grand Theatre, 22-27 July.

Take just three actors and a white canvas and what have you got? Not much, you may be thinking.

That’s where you’d be wrong.

For this is Art, an 80-minute study of male friendship, which launched Yasmina Reza almost overnight into the English-speaking theatre more than 20 years ago and has since won just about every award going.

It’s been said before but there is no other word for it: it’s a phenomenon, and in the hands of three of our most popular actors it’s a no-brainer. It’s a must-see.

Nigel Havers, Stephen Tomkinson and Denis Lawson have been playing up their off-stage camaraderie and liking for Martinis in the media, but there is nothing frivolous about their performances.

With a minimalist set and no plot to speak of this is all about words and their delivery and, boy, does this trio deliver. It’s sheer poetry… or should I say, a work of art (yes, I know. I’m not the first critic to have used that phrase!).

When Serge buys a painting for £200,000 he obviously wants his best friends’ approval. But as the canvas is just plain white (well, with a bit of texture), he doesn’t get the response he is looking for and the men’s 25-year-long friendship is in danger of crashing.

But though the three run the gamut of emotions this is a first-class comedy, so much so that some of the lines were missed on the first night because of the laughter coming from the audience. The humour is not only in the dialogue but in the body language and facial expressions of its stars.

Whether or not they are the best friends they purport to be off-stage, on-stage the rapport between them is palpable. They make their closeness look so easy. At times I wondered if their gales of laughter were off-script. It certainly didn’t sound forced.

Art is not new to Havers, nor to me. I saw it a lifetime ago when he shared the bill with Roger Lloyd-Pack and Barry Foster, and I got to interview them in the West End where they were taking over from, among others, Ken Campbell.

Havers has certainly not lost any of that famous cheeky charm. As Serge, the owner of the painting, he is endearingly naïve and the perfect foil to Lawson’s explosive performance as acerbic Marc and Stephen Tomkinson’s masterful portrayal of the downtrodden Yvan – a type he does so well. His several-minute rant about his forthcoming marriage and his mother’s concern over invitations received a well-deserved round of applause.

Translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Ellie Jones, this is a slick production which should ensure Art’s continued reputation as a phenomenon.

Edinburgh King’s Theatre
11 – 16 February 
Guildford Yvonne Arnaud
18 – 23 February
Malvern Theatre
25 February – 2 March 
Richmond Theatre
4 – 9 March 
Cheltenham Everyman Theatre
11 – 16 March 
Theatre Severn
18 – 23 March 2
Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre
25 – 30 March 
photo Matt Crockett

The Goze (blind performers) travelled the length of medieval Japan, making their living from telling stories, making music and sharing great tales. Flight Paths, which was presented at the Stratford Circus Arts Centre on Friday 8th February 2019 by Exant and Yellow Earth was directed by Maria Oshodi and Kumiko Mendl inspired by the traditional Goze. Working with arial silks, blind performers Amelia Cavallo and Sarah Houbolt present a multi-media performance combining “movement, music, narrative and creative audio description using new sound technology” allowing the piece to be inclusive and engage multiple senses. The performance combined many different elements, from the storyline of the onstage performers, to the characters that they engaged with via the creative sound design, which sometimes became a little tangled within each other. The performance was an official event of the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-20, and is touring until March. More details can be found at http://www.extant.org.uk/flightpaths/programme/tour

Brand
new show celebrating Tina Turner heads out on 50-plus date debut UK tour.
A brand new show celebrating the music of Tina
Turner is set to tour the UK with more than 50 dates already secured.

The massive debut tour of What’s Love Got To Do
With It? launches in February 2019 promising to be the ultimate tribute
show.

The tour previews at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone
on Wednesday February 13, and has its premiere at Liverpool Empire Theatre on Tuesday, February 19.

Tickets
on sale now from www.cuffeandtaylor.com

Brought to you by the award-winning
producers behind the hugely successful Whitney - Queen Of The Night, What’s
Love Got To Do With It?  pays homage to one of the most iconic and
much loved musical artists of the 20th Century.

In this brand-new touring theatre show, audiences can
expect a night of high energy, feel-good rock-and-roll featuring Tina's
greatest hits performed by the amazing
vocal talent of Elesha Paul Moses (Whitney - Queen Of The Night, The Voice,
X Factor) supported by a full 10-piece
live band.
Speaking about playing Tina Turner, Elesha said: “I
am absolutely thrilled to be touring the UK with What’s Love Got To Do With It?
This is going to be a magnificent show and one that truly celebrates the
incredible music and career of Tina Turner.

“Tina is a great persona to emulate on stage. I have
performed as her many times over the years so to now be the lead in a show that
will travel all over the UK and celebrate everything about her is an amazing
opportunity and one I’m really looking forward to.”
In a breath-taking career spanning more than 50
years, audiences can look forward to hearing stunning musical arrangements of
Tina's most-loved classic hits including Private Dancer, What's Love Got To Do
With It?, Proud Mary, River Deep, Nutbush City Limits, Simply The Best and many
more. This not-to-be missed musical experience is a stunning celebration of one
of the greatest female singers of our time.

TOUR DATES 2019

February
Wed
13th MAIDSTONE, THE HAZLITT THEATRE
Tue
19th LIVERPOOL, EMPIRE THEATRE
Sat
23rd BUXTON, OPERA HOUSE
Tue
26th SOUTHEND, CLIFFS PAVILION
Wed
27th EDINBURGH, USHER HALL  

Thu
28th GLASGOW, KING'S THEATRE
March
  

Fri 1st ABERDEEN, MUSIC HALL

Sat 16th
DARLINGTON, HIPPODROME

Thu
21st BRADFORD, ST GEORGES HALL
Wed
27th PORTSMOUTH, GUILDHALL
Fri
29th HULL, CITY HALL
April
  

Thu
18th SHEFFIELD, CITY HALL
May   

Wed 1st
COVENTRY, BELGRADE THEATRE
Fri
31st DARTFORD, ORCHARD THEATRE

June
   

Sat 1st
HODDESDON, THE SPOTLIGHT
Sat 8th
HUDDERSFIELD, TOWN HALL  

Thu
13th MALVERN, FORUM THEATRE
Sat
15th BASINGSTOKE, THE ANVIL
Sun
16th CANTERBURY, MARLOWE THEATRE
Sat
22nd TORQUAY, PRINCESS THEATRE

Thu
27th NEW BRIGHTON, FLORAL PAVILION THEATRE
Fri
28th CARLISLE, THE SANDS CENTRE

Sat
29th NOTTINGHAM, ROYAL CONCERT HALL
July

Thurs
11th HORNCHURCH, QUEENS THEATRE

Sat 20th BLACKPOOL, OPERA HOUSE


Sun
21st SUNDERLAND, EMPIRE THEATRE
Sun
28th CROYDON, ASHCROFT THEATRE
September

Fri
13th CARDIFF, ST DAVIDS HALL
Fri
20th MANCHESTER, BRIDGEWATER HALL
Sat
28th BRIDLINGTON, BRIDLINGTON SPA
October
   

Wed 2nd
LEICESTER, DE MONTFORT HALL
Thu 3rd
HORSHAM, CAPITOL THEATRE
Fri 4th
BOURNEMOUTH, PAVILION THEATRE

Sat 5th
LLANELLI, Y FFWRNES
Fri
11th DONCASTER, THE DOME

Thur
17th DERBY, DERBY ARENA
Fri
18th BATH, THE FORUM

Sat
19th SALISBURY, CITY HALL
November
   

Fri 8th
DUDLEY, TOWN HALL

Sat 9th
HIGH WYCOMBE, WYCOMBE SWAN

Sun 10th RICHMOND, RICHMOND THEATRE

Fri
15th HARROGATE, ROYAL HALL
Thu
28th MARGATE, WINTER GARDENS
Fri
29th CAMBRIDGE, CORN EXCHANGE

December    

Wed 4th
SWANSEA, GRAND THEATRE
Sat
14th WORTHING, ASSEMBLY HALL

 

TOUR
DATES 2020

January

Sun 12th SOUTHAMPTON, MAYFLOWER THEATRE

March


Fri 13th WARRINGTON, PYRAMID & PARR HALL

Thurs 19th BIRMINGHAM, BIRMINGHAM ARENA

Sat 21st NEWCASTLE, CITY HALL

Judy Kuhn truly is a musical theatre star, and it was an honour to see her in conversation and perform with Seth Rudetsky in Broadway at the Leicester Square Theatre on Sunday 3rdFebruary. A last minute ticket grab, I went in with very little idea of what to expect, but came out with a very full heart. Seth Rudetsky hosted the evening with ease, using his comedic wit and personal relationship with Kuhn to develop a rapport that was inclusive with the audience, allowing us a truly exclusive insight into her incredible career. Starting at Oberlin Conservatory (where they both studied), Rudetsky sculpts the journey through Kuhn’s career chronologically, encouraging anecdotes (often dishing the dirt on other stars), illuminating highlights and paying tribute to others. Hilariously human, we also heard about the flops, the mistakes (cough * Rags Tony performance 1987 * cough) and the divas!A split stage was very effectively used to create the two different aspects of the show; stage left held two comfortable, living room style seats which created an easy, informal setting for the conversation, while a stunning glossy black grand, red roses and a single microphone stand stage right created an intimate concert setting. Kuhn was unfortunately suffering from illness, and apologised to the audience as she wasn’t “sure what [would] come out” when she sang, however the songs, specially chosen to compliment the chronological interview, were glorious, and you could truly hear her passion and talent. Among many others, Judy performed a number from Fun Home, a musical that she was involved in from the workshopping, and Colours of the Wind from Pocahontas, which she is the singing voice of in the original Disney movie. An audience full of the stagiest people in London sat with awe as the Broadway legends told tale after tale of luck, talent and stagey stardom, and shared the career of a truly wonderful woman.