Night of the Living Dead - LIVE!  Pleasance Theatre Islington



I was really looking forward to seeing this production and from the outset it did not disappoint: Designer Diego Pitarch has done a fantastic job with the set, a grey scale production featuring an Adam family esq house, flickering projector style lighting and a section of non speaking zombified cinema viewers.

And so the action begins… cue cheesy American accents and tongue in cheek horror as an unlikely assortment of characters are thrown together in the wake of a zombie apocalypse, and must band together to survive!
However despite their best efforts things go hilariously awry, and as the curtain falls on act one the last survivor has just been mistakenly shot by a vigilante rescue squad….



We return for act two in which the would be rescuers find the bodies of our original cast and ponder the events that lead to their deaths. They then play out a variety of increasingly ridiculous scenarios in which the characters might have survived if they’d done things differently all of which of course, ultimately resulted in them dying again. To me this section went on a bit too long and I found my attention starting to wander. However just as I was beginning to think ‘Is this show is loosing its way?’ It bounced back, finishing as all good old American TV dramas should, with a moral and a chirpy little musical number to see us out - Brilliant! 



All the cast played their parts superbly I can’t praise one with out praising them all, so I will end by saying that overall this is an excellent show, highly recommend for anyone who likes a bit of cheesy horror, also fans of ‘Little shop of horrors’, ‘Rocky horror show’ etc will love this. 



 ‘George A. Romero’s Night of the living dead’ is on at Pleasance Theatre, Islington until May 19th catch it while you can!!

In Bristol, where he's something of a minor-celebrity, Jody Kamali is better known as comic alter ego and Internet hit Terry the Odd Job Man. Now he's back at the Brighton Fringe with a preview of a new working class character - the bumbling, Bristolian ex-darts champion Mike Daly.

        Hugely inventive, warn and engaging - Total Theatre

Directed by acclaimed director character comedian Colin Hoult (Anna Mann, Murder in Successville, Derek) the show offers a whirlwind journey into the soul of an idiot. The beer swigging, pie-munching former champ may have fallen from grace, but he's back. And now he wants to set the record straight.

No stranger to the stage, Kamali regularly performs a crackpot gallery of characters at the Edinburgh Festival, as well as to sell-out audiences at some of Bristol's best known venues. His sixth year at Brighton Fringe, Jody Kamali tells us:

"There's a severe lack of working class actors out there on TV and stage. It's no wonder terrestrial TV figures are dwindling. Everyday people tune into my videos by the thousands as I feel they are not getting this output on TV."

A high energy physical character comedian and actor, Jody Kamali has worked with veteran Lord of the Rings actor Bernard Hill in the film Golden Years, and Harry Hill on the madcap TV project Harry Hill's Tea Time (Harry Hill describes his act as 'brilliant...original visual comedy'.) He currently lives in Beckenham, Kent, where he promotes and comperes the much lauded Beckenham Comedy Caberet. 

Kamali's working class roots inspire many of his character creations, which have in recent years amassed a cult following on Facebook, where his videos have chalked up to quarter of a million views each. These days he even gets mobbed on Bristol's streets.

Mike Daly's calamitous Q&A adventures continue at the Edinburgh Festival later this year.

Mike Daly: Darts and All
The Warren: The Nest
2-5th May - 19.40 - 20.40 - £10

To book tickets visit brightonfringe.org or call 01273 917272

For more information contact Jody Kamali at jodykamali@yahoo.com

Love, power and politics collide in Un ballo in maschera – based on the real-life assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden.
Welsh National Opera’s new production of ‘Un ballo in
maschera’ is the second instalment of the company’s ‘Verdi Trilogy’ under the
patronage of the Italian ambassador to the UK. This is a co-production with
Theater Bonn and the team includes a good number of Welsh and English names as
well as cast and creative from elsewhere in Europe and further field. A fine
example, then, of harmonious international collaboration.

‘Un ballo in maschera’ – a Masked Ball – has complicated
origins. The original libretto by Eugène Scribe was based on the historical
figure of Gustavus III, the theatre-loving King of Sweden, and his
assassination in 1792 by a disaffected and unbalanced nobleman, Count
Ankarstroem. Italian censors in the 1850s were unsurprisingly nervous about a
monarch being killed, if only on stage, so Verdi and his collaborator Somma
moved the action to the then remote and exotic USA. Gustavus became Riccardo,
Governor of Boston, and Ankarstroem was now his secretary, confidant and
husband to Amelia, loved by Riccardo. That sets up the central fatal triangle:
add Ulrica, a gypsy fortune-teller straight out of Il Trovatore (or Gilbert and
Sullivan); the mischievous page Oscar, a skittish ‘trouser role’; and assorted
courtiers, sailors and witches, and the dramatic raw material is complete. The
only nod towards the new setting is Renato’s co-conspirators Tom and Sam,
authentic cardboard-cut-out baddies.

By now in the middle of his creative career and in full
command of his own musical language, Verdi here produced a score of great
variety. His mastery of orchestral colour and vocal style makes for intensely
dramatic moments as well as scenes, particularly the more intimate ones, of
profound emotion; he also produces chorus writing which veers from the solemn
to the banal (back to G & S).

Director David Pountney’s approach to this kaleidoscopic
material is to add further layers of complexity, often at odds with the score.
Taking his cue from Gustavus-Riccardo’s love of theatre, he has the Governor
‘stage’ many of the scenes. This means the opera opens on a mock funeral with
Riccardo emerging from a coffin (shades of the Habsburg Charles V rehearsing
his own funeral?). Elsewhere, Riccardo delivers one aria as if rehearsing it;
directs another as if from a prompt copy; and has a body-double stand in for
him in the final scene where Renato stabs him. In all this he is abetted by
Oscar and applauded by a toadying band of courtiers. Design maintains the
theatrical conceit: the costumes by Marie-Jeanne Lecca are an eclectic mix of
operetta-military and steampunk; Raimund Bauer’s full-height movable panels can
be house fronts or multiple proscenium arches; theatre seats are wheeled in,
making the chorus into audience. Theatricality extends to a melodramatic acting
style which is presumably deliberate (the eye-rolling judge, the Grand Guignol excesses
of Ulrica.) The rum-ti-tum jollity of some chorus numbers is echoed in a chorus
line performing a Pirates of Penzance hokey-cokey.

The other major influence invoked here is the Gothick style.
The world of the supernatural was explored in Baroque opera and later,
influentially, by Weber in Der Freischütz. It comes to the fore here in the
scene where Amelia goes at midnight to pick a magic herb, and Verdi revels in
the dark and mysterious sounds that conjure such a spooky scene.

Set against the superficiality of the public scenes, the
private triangle of Riccardo-Amelia-Renato inhabits quite a different world.
Amelia is an entirely credible anguished mother and lover, tormented by an
illicit love; Renato a convincing wronged husband torn between jealousy and
loyalty. The private scenes between these three are genuinely moving: there is
no chorus present, so Riccardo stops playing to the gallery, and this is
mirrored by a naturalistic approach to these scenes. Whether this collision of
styles and the manifest inconsistency of text and action in this production are
effective will be a matter for each observer, and much depends on the success
of the cast in persuading the audience.

Musically this was a powerful performance with strong
principal singers. Gwyn Hughes Jones filled the role of Riccardo impressively,
his steely voice rock-solid across the range and throughout the evening. He
coped with the near-freakish demands of ‘Di’ tu se fedele’ and conveyed the
breathless, superficial enthusiasm of the character. Mary Elizabeth Williams
was a riveting Amelia, dark and slightly veiled of voice with admirable breath
control and a fiercely focused acting style. Phillip Rhodes was a more than
adequate, if stolid, Renato: a late substitute, he came into his own in his Act
III scene with Amelia, especially in his ‘Eri tu’ aria. Physical and vocal
agility characterised Julie Martin du Theil’s appealing Oscar, though she and
Sara Fulgoni were at times overwhelmed by the orchestra. Fulgoni’s Ulrica also
had to contend with one of the dafter elements of the set, a cross between
wheelchair and scaffolding tower.

Chorus and orchestra had both been expanded: the orchestra
by an offstage band in the ball scene which would have benefited from being
nearer the stage. Crisp though its delivery was, it seemed to be playing
outside in Denmark Street. The chorus was augmented by 20 extra voices. They
delivered a well-balanced sound with exemplary diction and some impressive
pianissimo moments. The orchestra was expressive and attentive, with lovely
cello and cor anglais solos for Amelia’s arias. Gareth Jones conducted with
unobtrusive authority, achieving tight ensemble and tempi that allowed the music
to breathe. The few moments of imbalance between orchestra and singers were
probably less down to him than to the lack of pit in the theatre.

Did the sonic and visual elements of this ‘Ballo’ add up to
a convincing whole? Did the director even mean them to? It was a performance of
massive contrasts, even contradictions. I found elements of the staging crowded
out Verdi’s narrative and would utterly have confused a newcomer to the piece.
Having Riccardo pretending to be dead at the start of the opera is one thing, a
bit of fun; but that he should be left standing at the end and, in character,
acknowledging applause after his own ‘death’ left me perplexed and strangely
unsatisfied, after an evening that had nevertheless been a delight to hear. So,
to misquote John Bercow, ‘the ears have it, the ears have it.’

 

Toast - Nigel slater

I was a big fan of the book when it came out, and have fond memories of sharing it with my mother on family holiday, falling about with laughter reciting the more memorable passages to each other. There is one part that particularly sticks in my mind where a young Nigel tries his first grapefruit and boasts about it to his friends ‘as you might well boast about your first shag’. And so I was very interested when I heard they were doing a theatre adaptation and wondered how on earth they were going to bring this book to the stage? The answer by taking some fairly hefty liberties With the original text with several characters and scenes (sadly including the grapefruit part!) being missed out altogether.
However don’t for a second think that makes it any less enjoyable, on the contrary this whimsical and touching adaptation of Nigel slaters childhood and discovery of cooking positively comes to life on the stage. 
We start with a scene of young Nigel baking jam tarts with his mother, Nigel played by Giles Cooper narrates the tale While the other 4 cast members assume multiple roles around him to bring the scene to life. This method of story telling continues throughout the play in a series of wonderful vignettes in which we explore Nigel’s experience coming of age in 70’s Britain. These include the hilarious ‘Rules of restaurant etiquette’ and the ‘gender politics of sweets’  but also the tragic early death of his mother, the culinary war waged against his gold digging step mother and a toe curling incident involving walnut whips...
Set and costume were excellent, perfectly suggesting the era with out falling into the trap of schmultzy nostalgia, plus a fabulous soundtrack and a free walnut whip for good measure, this show has something for everyone. Tonight the audience gave it a Standing ovation, I defy anyone not to enjoy it!

DAZZLING SHOW!!
Having seen this many times now over forty years (!) I didn’t really expect to find anything new as I took my seat tonight but goodness me, this show feels very fresh and extremely dynamic. Kenwright has thrown everything into this touring production and the staging, lighting, and added choreography, along with superb performances from the whole cast, make this a show well worth getting tickets for.
The story is narrated by Trina Hill who has a crystal clear voice and strong stage presence. She is excellent as the lynchpin of the production and seamlessly links the scenes together. Jaymi Hensley is very new on the theatre circuit but is deeply impressive in this role. No going through the motions here but a sincerely committed performance. He seems absolutely at home on stage and noticeably dedicated to the role and the company. His voice has a great range and depth which can be very sweet yet he can also really ramp up the volume and belt it out.
Lots of humour mostly from Time Rice’s clever and witty lyrics, but the brothers’ antics generate a lot of giggles. Too many to name here but a brilliant group of high energy performers. Pharaoh, of course, is a source of much amusement and Andrew Geater gives an excellent tongue-in-cheek turn as the rhinestone clad king.
Children from Arts 1 make up the Joseph Choir. Placed on the stairs on each side of the stage they enrich the music with their young voices whilst exhibiting supreme professionalism for such fledgling performers, on stage throughout as they are. The staging is stepped which surprisingly gives depth and height to this already large stage. Add in some fantastic props, among them huge gold Egyptian statues, vibrant and constantly changing lighting, lots of highly colourful, shiny, sparkly costumes and this is a visual as well as musical feast. There is a lavishness to this whole production.  Bonkers and bizarre at moments, this is an exhilarating and uplifting show. A brilliant night. Jaymi is Luton born and told us all how proud he was to be performing on stage at MK. The joy and emotion he visibly felt was really rather touching. He is though, one piece of a really impressive cast who were absolutely spot on. Magic. Joseph plays MK theatre until 13 April

Tickets: Box Office on 0844 871 7652 (booking fees apply). www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes

The Finborough Theatre’s summer season features two world
premieres from female playwrights – a new play written and directed by the
first woman ever to direct at the National Theatre, and a debut play from a
brand new American dramatist – alongside another classic Finborough rediscovery
from one of the greatest theatrical figures of the 19th century, unseen in
London for over 120 years. We also bring you the eleventh consecutive year of
our annual celebration of new writing, Vibrant 2019 – A Festival of
Finborough Playwrights, giving us a chance to share with you just a few
of the exceptional writers we have developed, nurtured and championed over the
last year. 

The season opens with the world premiere of playwright and
director Julia Pascal’s award-winning Blueprint Medea, a
gripping new drama loosely inspired by Euripides’ Medea, which connects the
classical to the contemporary to explore eternal questions of passion, war,
cultural identity, women’s freedom, sex, family and love. Blueprint
Medea plays 21 May-8 June 2019. 

In its first London production in over 120 years, our season
continues with After Dark; or, A Drama of London Life by
Dion Boucicault, based on Les Oiseaux de Proie by Eugène
Grangé and Adolphe d’Ennery. Written in 1868, the year that the Finborough
Theatre’s building was constructed, After Dark; or, A Drama of
London Life is a classic Victorian melodrama, but is also
startlingly contemporary with a thrilling climax on the London Underground, and
its sympathetic portrayal of London’s homeless community. It plays 12 June-6
July 2019. 

Playing alongside After Dark; or, A Drama of London
Life, our annual celebration of new writing Vibrant 2019 – A
Festival of Finborough Playwrights returns for its eleventh
consecutive year, playing on Sunday and Monday evenings and Thursday matinees
between 16 June-4 July 2019. This year’s Vibrant includes the
winner of this year’s ETPEP Award in association with the Finborough Theatre
which has awarded £8000 to a new playwright who works in another job in
theatre, alongside stunning new plays from many Finborough Theatre
favourites. 

Rounding off our summer season is another world
premiere, Lunatic 19’s – A Deportational Road Trip, by a new
American playwright, Tegan McLeod, playing 9 July-3 August 2019. With
coruscating humour and caustic observation, Lunatic 19’s captures the human
stories at the heart of the current debate about migration and refugees. 

Finborough Theatre Artistic Director Neil McPherson says:
“Our new season features two world premieres alongside another of my
rediscoveries from Victorian drama – with a play written in 1868, the very year
that the Finborough Theatre building was constructed. And Vibrant
2019 – A Festival of Finborough Playwrights, our annual festival of new
writing, returns for its eleventh consecutive year. 

The Finborough Arms, our pub home, was taken over by an
entirely new management and extensively refurbished at the end of last year,
and now offers a wide menu of traditional pub favourites, all cooked on the
premises. We both look forward to welcoming you.” 

For full information, please visit www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk 

The American Dream is a fine thing: a freedom that offers the opportunity for prosperity
and success through hard work. But how far would you go to achieve it?
Glengarry Glen Ross, David Mamet’s 1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama sets out
to answer that question – and  Sam Yates’s
punchy production shows the results are not pretty.



The play is set in the scruffy Chicago office of a real-estate company
where Mitch and Murray, the bosses, have set up a month-long contest for their salesmen.
The best will get a Cadillac; the two worst performers will be fired. And the
end of the month is looming…



For some it’s a chance to show unequivocally who’s top dog; for
some it’s a chance to show they’ve still got the magic; for some it represents
the end of a career that’s seen them beaten too many times.  As the clock ticks inexorably down desperation sets in,
insecurities are revealed and savagery ensues. The number of knives in the back
make Julius Caesar look like a laughing party.



Mamet captures the sweary locker-room machismo of sales teams
perfectly. When first produced the play was largely an elegiac bookend to
Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman but possibly the play has even more
relevance today’s world of corporate steamrolling of the soul, the gig economy and
money pimping. How well we understand this now. Compassion, team spirit,
friendship and even basic humanity are sacrificed for the mighty dollar.



The
play uses the first act to set up the theft of the Glengarry leads that drives
the action. The scene then shifts from a Chinese restaurant to the salesmen’s
office. It’s worth mentioning here that Chiara Stephenson’s office set makes
the piece – you can almost smell the fug of cigarette smoke and nervous BO.



Sam
Yates’s direction brings out accomplished performances all round: Nigel Harman
is smooth and calculating as ace salesman Ricky Roma, and his interactions with
his client
James Lingk (James Staddon) combine snake-like hypnotic power with insouciant swagger.  Mark Benton as Shelly ‘The Machine’ Levine, is
a model of decline and panic. His mask of increasingly forced bonhomie conceals
an existential anxiety that his powers are on the wane.



Denis
Conway gives us a perpetually angry Moss, whose invective is plentiful rather
than inventive. Wil Johnson’s George Aaronow is a great comic foil for Moss. Never was there a better
example of a man in the wrong job – slow on the uptake, credulous and timid.
Like so many in that career but without the essential carapace of confidence.

Mamet’s
quality as a writer shines through. Though billed as comedy, it could equally
be a tragedy. It’s a night that for every laugh, there’s a shudder, too.

 

Glengarry
Glen Ross is at Milton Keynes Theatre from Monday April 1 to Saturday April 6

In his
pomp, Gaetano Donizetti went on a rampage through British history producing an
opera about Anne Boleyn (Anna Bolena, natch), one about Mary, Queen of Scots
(Maria Stuarda) and, finally Roberto Devereux, which tells the love story of
Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex, which is vividly brought to life by
Welsh National Opera.  Any resemblance to
actual historical veracity is occasional and, more frequently, coincidental.  All you need you know is that It Will Not End
Well.



Set in England in 1601, Elisabetta, Queen of England has sent her
young lover Roberto Devereux, the Earl of Essex, to conduct a military campaign
in Ireland. This she has done to cut court gossip and to maintain her
reputation. In Ireland he disobeys the Queen’s orders by signing a peace treaty
with the Irish rebels. Her advisers, jealous that he is the queen’s favourite, charge
him with treason and have him arrested.


To skip the charge all he has to do is present a ring given to him by the
queen. Elisabetta haughtily demands that his heat belong to her. His reluctance
makes the jealous monarch suspect she has a rival. Hmmmmmm.



Unknown to the Queen, Roberto is still infatuated with Sara,
Duchess of Nottingham, an ex-lover who was compelled to marry his friend the
duke. Sara and Devereux know their love is doomed but he entrusts her with the
Queen’s ring and in return she gives him a scarf she has embroidered.


Elizabeth resists signing Roberto’s death sentence until she is shown the
scarf. Nottingham also recognises the scarf and erupts with jealous rage.
Equally distraught at Roberto’s infidelity, Elizabeth signs the death sentence. Sara rushes
to see the Queen. She presents her with the ring and begs for mercy on
Roberto’s behalf. Elizabeth, deranged by jealousy, tries to stop the
execution…


If you’ve never seen an opera before this is a great one to start with. The
historical context is clear; the characters are strongly drawn and have clear
motivation and the music is emotional and inspiring in the bel canto tradition.
And surprisingly jaunty considering that Donizetti places each of his principal
characters on the horns of a dilemma: Elisabetta is conflicted between her duties
as ruler, which she handles with practiced ease, and her feelings as a woman,
which are a toxic storm of the insecurity the older woman has for the much
younger man; Devereux is torn between living a lie as Elisabetta’s lover and dying
in peace content in a love with Sara that can go nowhere; Sara herself is
tormented that her mad love for Devereux  has poisoned the marriage she worked hard to
hold together and her friendship with Elisabetta; and the duke has to reconcile
his strong friendship with Devereux with knowing that the man whose life he’s
trying to save has cuckolded him.



The bare bones of the story make for a fine piece of theatre, but Madeleine
Boyd’s austerely stylish design of this production take it to an even higher
level of intensity. Black, funereal and forbidding Elisabetta’s court is a web
of deceit, a web of intrigue, a web of lies, and at the heart of it all is the
queen. Arachnid references abound, from her giant metal spider throne, to her
shadow cast on a wall, to the cords that bind Devereux.



Joyce El-Khoury is spectacular as Elisabetta, displaying supreme
musicality and emotion from the start but no more so than in the final scene in
which grief and derangement consume her haughtiness. Justine Gringyte makes for
a superb Sara; effortlessly articulating a doomed, doomed love.Barry Banks’s
Devereux has a Napoleonic swagger about him but who reveals tenderness and
melancholy beneath his tough carapace, and Roland Wood as Nottingham the displays
the power and range of emotion that made him such an excellent Renato in this
company’s production of Un Ballo In Maschera.



An emotion-shredding evening of unrequited love, forbidden
happiness, jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Perfect.



Review by Quentin Fox

Mozart’s The Magic
Flute has always been a crowd-pleaser because it was, basically, written to
please the crowds, and in that tradition Welsh National Opera’s revival offers
an evening of enchantment and sublime music for all.

By 1791 the composer
was ill and desperately short of money. Over the preceding couple of years he
had realised that his best chance of not starving lay in his co-operation with Emmanuel
Schikaneder, singer-manager and showman par excellence. Together they hatched
not a opera but a singspiel, a mix of
music and spoken word that was usually based on a fantastical theme. What
better bit of esoterica to work with than the Masonic ideals of love and
brotherhood to which they both subscribed? This boffo japefest was a world away from the
emperor’s court and Italianate earlier works such as Idomineo. The
sausage-scoffing suburban crowds of Vienna loved it from the start – it’s
burlesque meets the transcendent.



Caroline Chaney’s revived staging of Dominic
Cooke’s production is warm, joyous and witty, aided hugely by Jeremy
Sams’s bright English translation which adds shine and laughter to an
ill-matched-buddies-on-a-quest-to-get-the-gal plot that Schikaneder pillaged
from several sources and must have been already familiar to audiences at the
time of writing.

 

In a nutshell: the
mysterious Queen of the Night coaxes Tamino to rescue her beautiful daughter
Pamina from the grip of the evil enchanter Sarastro. With a magic flute and a
set of magic bells for protection he sets off on his journey aided by Papageno,
the feckless bird-catcher. But as they overcome a series of challenges, it
becomes apparent that all is not what it seems – will they complete their quest
and find true love?



All fair enough. But taken at face value The Magic Flute
presents modern directors and audiences with some teeth-grinding moments in a
tale that embraces some dodgy Masonic philosophy as well as a large and
ungenerous dollop of misogyny. This production attempt to nullify these
negatives with Surrealism. The set is pure Magritte – all doors and sky. Thus,
in a world where lions read newspapers, boys in sailor suits ride through the air on a
bike made out of a fish, and Sarastro commands a corps of Orangemen (literally)
 to do his bidding, everything is
uprooted from reality, so one idea is as daft as another. If Shakespeare can
get away with ‘Exit, pursued by a bear,’ in The Winter’s Tale, we can certainly
deal with ‘Enter, pursued by a lobster,’ here.



 

But, ultimately, it’s about Mozart’s music. Damian
Iorio whips the WNO orchestra through the overture at such a breakneck pace you
wonder whether the 2hr 50min running time is an exaggeration, but as soon as
the principals appear it’s a smooth and mellifluous flight.



Mark Stone excels as Papageno, a part that
brings out not just his fine baritone and clear diction but his superb comic
timing, both sung and spoken. Clair Hampton’s Papagena is an equally wonderful
comic foil. Anita Watson’s sweetly innocent Pamina and Samantha Hay’s Queen of
the Night provide a running current of light and dark energy. Hay totally owns
both the famous arias, hitting the ‘Hofer highs’ with aplomb. James
Platt’s Sarastro is powerful but stolid and feels a little restricted in
characterisation by this production.

 



Ben Johnson’s Tamino is, to be honest, a disappointment. An
audience is rather like a baby duck we tend to latch on to the first thing we
see and follow it forever. This Tamino leads us nowhere. Fuzzy in diction and
with all the expression of a piece of four-by-two, Johnson appears to be
seriously miscast.

 



A mere cavil on a night of miracles, wonder and laughter.

 



Review by Quentin Fox

 

With Un Ballo in Maschera Giuseppe
Verdi gives us a taste of nascent Scandi Noir but with big Italian flavours –
passion, betrayal and death, especially death, saturate the piece, turning this new
production by Welsh National Opera into an evening of gothic splendour.

The 1859 opera is based on
the 1792 assassination of the
Swedish king Gustav III. who was killed as the result of a political
conspiracy against him. He was wounded while attending a masked ball and subsequently died. In
his opera, however, Verdi insisted on giving the ruler and loyal adviser
Italian names - Riccardo
and  Renato repectively,  which can be a point – a small one - to
stumble over.



At the heart of the plot is
a love triangle – Riccardo loves Amelia, wife of Renato, but while she loves
him, she won’t disgrace her husband. A midnight assignation goes terribly wrong
and in saving Riccardo’s life, Renato discovers his wife’s apparent indidelity,
which s enough to drive the adviser to join the plot against the king. Add a
seasoning of magic herbs and witchcraft and the stew bubbles over.

What makes this dish so
delightful, though, is director David Pountney’s decision to stage the opera with
what is almost a punk pop video aesthetic in red and black. The first act
brings out the substantial dark humour of the piece, the second the agonies of
love, the third a ramping up of tension as the plot against Riccardo comes to a
climax.  Death where is thy
sting-a-ling-a-ling indeed.

Any piece of storytelling
involving an assassination is a tough one because, obviously, we know what
happens in the end. In this production a drawn-out death scene at the end is
subverted by opening the first act by Riccardo waving from his coffin to Oscar,
his waspish page and Ulrica, the witch who lights the blue touchpaper for the
plot.

Hugely enjoyable too are the
set pieces for the ensemble. Of particular note is the ghoulish ball of the
title, in which the sober garb of the conspirators is swapped for Day of the
Dead-style skeleton costumes. 



As Riccardo, Gwyn Hughes Jones was in fine
voice, balancing his role as  capricious frivolous,
slightly debauched leader of men with that of the ardent lover. His voice is
powerful, true and sustained. Exactly what Verdi was looking for in the part.



His performance was matched – even exceeded
- by that of Mary Elizabeth Williams as Amelia. We’re given a sample of her range
and power in the first act but it’s in the arias and duets with Riccardo in Act
2 and Renato in Act 3 that her singing and acting reveal a huge emotional heart that is literally
breath-taking. It’s a role made for her.


Roland Wood's Renato was stern, censorious – and beautifully sung, as was Julie
Martin du Theil’s impish page Oscar, who radiated a larkish charm whenever she
appeared on stage.



On this night the WNO Orchestra under
Gareth Jones were at the top of their game especially in providing an emotional
base for Renato’s celebrated “Eri tu” aria.

A very fine spectacle indeed.

Don’t miss it when it comes your way.

Review by Quentin Fox

Do you remember the first time you fell in love?  The intensity of emotions and excitement that
threatens to overwhelm you as your life is changed forever?   That poignant
time in someone’s life when you’re on the verge of adult hood and you’re making
decisions that your parents wouldn’t approve of? Dirty Dancing takes us right back to our teenage years, when 17
year old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman goes on holiday with her
parents and sister and meets seemingly bad boy dance instructor Johnny Castle and they fall in love.

The screenplay and stage show were written by Eleanor
Bergstein and the story is based on her own childhood.  Perhaps that’s why it has been so successful,
as the truthfulness of each character resonates with us all.  Set in 1963, it was a time of political change
with undercurrents of Martin Luther King, JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis all playing
a prominent role behind the joy of escaping to a holiday village.

After struggling to develop the film with MGM, a small
independent company, Vestron Pictures,
made the film which was released in 1987 and went on to make $214millon that
year.  It propelled Patrick Swayze and
Jennifer Grey to global stardom.  The
iconic song I’ve Had the Time of My life
won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and that
incredible dance routine with ‘the lift’ is
still one of the most attempted dances at weddings, probably resulting in quite
a few back injuries!

When I saw the stage show a few years ago, it was very hard
not to think of Patrick Swayze playing Johnny,
as the actor was quite slender and although a brilliant dancer, he hadn’t quite
filled the shoes of Patrick.  Not so with
Michael O’Reilly, who plays Johnny in this current theatre tour and makes the
role completely his own.  He has huge
stage presence and physically he’s tall, very muscular with slim hips, dark
hair with a quiff and he IS Johnny.  The opening dance routine with Simone Covele
(Penny Johnson) is sensual and exciting
and with long legs that move into impossible positions, Simone is captivating.

Kira Malou is great as Baby,
playing the comedy of not being able to dance really well, which isn’t easy
when she’s clearly a very talented dancer. 
The sweetness of her character who wants to do the right thing for Penny when she finds herself ‘knocked up’ is perfectly played and Johnny finds himself drawn into falling
for her as well as we do.

The cast are all superb throughout Colin Charles, Lynden
Edwards, Mark Faith, Greg Fossard, Sian Gentle-Green, Lori Hayley Fox, Jack
McKenzie, Lizzie Ottley and Alex Wheeler as are the band, who have their moment
to shine at the end.

Gillian Bruce has done an incredible job as Choreographer emulating
the dance routines from the film, with a Latin feel, making them so sexy with
the dancers moving together as one. 
Directed by Federico Bellone, with set design by Roberto Comotti and
costume by Jennifer Irwin, all bring the period and setting to life and we’re
transported into their world.

I absolutely loved the show, it’s exciting, sexy, colourful
and authentic and I’m sure that the scene before the interval with Johnny and Baby getting it on will send sales of ice-cream rocketing! You
really will have the time of your life!

Further information and tour dates: https://dirtydancingontour.com

Reviewed by:

Yvonne Delahaye

25.3.19

@yvonnedelahaye

‘Ever and Ever,
Forever and Ever....’ sung by Demis Roussos will irrevocably be linked with
the character of Bev in the 1977 play Abigail’s
Party.  Created by Alison Steadman,
the monstrous Bev (with the accent rather
like a hacksaw cutting through metal that sets your teeth on edge) gave us an
unforgettable scene dancing around the room with a cigarette and glass in her
hands to the sounds of the Greek superstar of the time.  You may not remember everything that happens
in the play, but chances are if you think about Abigail’s Party that’s what will spring to mind.

Alison Steadman was married to Mike Leigh in 1977 and he is
attributed as the author of Abigail’s
Party.  What we know from his film
work though, is that he works collaboratively with the actors and I have no
doubt that the original cast developed their characters and dialogue as
rehearsals progressed.  The final play
has become one of Britain’s most celebrated comedies and is seen as a classic
reminder of a time when aspirations to move above their working class roots to
become middle class and successful, drove people to want more from life.

The premise of Abigail’s Party is that Beverley and Lawrence are
hosting a party for their newlywed neighbours, Tony and Angela.  They’re joined by highly strung Sue whose 15 year old daughter Abigail is throwing her own party and
has banished her mum.  With a heady mix
of cocktails, classic disco tracks and cheese and pineapple sticks, Bev has set the scene for a
sophisticated evening with her neighbours. 
As tensions arise between the couples, tempers flare and the carefully
constructed illusions are dismantled with hilarious and potentially disastrous
consequences.

 What’s really great
about this production directed by Sarah Esdaile is that they give the audience
exactly what they want, a reproduction of the original cast.  Jodie Prenger is superb as Beverly, emulating the moves and vocal
intonations of Alison Steadman to a tee. 
She is hysterical when she puts her shoulders back, pushes out her chest
and sails around the room, pronouncing her own special theories along the way ‘d’you know what I mean, Sue?’ Failing miserably
to keep Bev under control in front of
their guests, is her long-suffering husband Lawrence,
played by Daniel Casey (DS Gavin Troy
in Midsummer Murders).

Vicky Binns (best known for her roles in Coronation Street and Emmerdale) is Angela who is the perfect foil, developing into a mini version of Bev as she loosens up with the help of
several glasses of alcohol.  Rose Keegan
is very funny as Sue who responds to
everything with minimal words or expression.  Callum Callaghan as Angela’s new husband Tony
has great comic timing using pauses before delivering a one word line to great
effect.  At first he seems a nice man,
but we soon discover that all is not quite what it seems.

With a great cast and a clever set that brings to life the Kitchness
of suburban life in 1970s Britain, with references that would now be considered
unacceptable, it’s a slice of life that we can laugh at with fondness and disbelief.

Reviewed by:

Yvonne Delahaye

19.3.19

@yvonnedelahaye

The Bodyguard  - The Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre

The Bodyguard has more the
feel of a pop concert than a musical.  It
has spectacle, polish and incredible choreography. From the offset we are there
with the flames and flashing lights and backing singers and dancers and, of
course the wonderful music. Alexandra Burke, is well cast as diva Rachel; her
powerful voice and singing performance are impressive. Her spoken sections
where she needs to do a bit of acting are a little less impressive, but nonetheless
she gives it her all, bringing a more homely aspect to the character of Rachel
than appears in the film. Being on stage throughout almost the whole show and
having to perform sixteen numbers, including the iconic ‘I will always love
you’, requires unlimited energy and Burke delivers.

Without doubt the stage is
Alexandra Burke’s home and I can think of a number of other classic musical
theatre roles that she is perfect for and will grow into over her hopefully
long career. There’s no doubt she proved her mettle here tonight. In fact I
preferred her interpretation and the production of some of the usually more overblown
Houston numbers; Burke brought a subtle take to them. But whilst Burke is most
suited to the central role it is Micha Richardson (Nicki Marron) who perhaps
seems more confident on stage and perhaps more relaxed. With outstanding vocals
for all her work she matches Burke and at times puts her slightly in the
shadows.

The bodyguard, Frank Farmer,
is played with great charisma by Benoît Maréchal. He plays the role perfectly –
self-effacing, but efficient and strong. Of course in contrast to the energy of
Burke he appears somewhat wooden and emotionless at times – one wonders how
they end up in bed, but familiarity and all that….. The thin storyline remains;
famous singer’s management hire ex-secret service agent to protect said singer
from obsessed stalker. There is an immediate dislike of singer for bodyguard
and vice versa but this soon gives way to love and then to sadness. But the
narrative is of minor importance – it is the music that dominates and fills the
theatre.

 As for the rest of the musical - the staging
and lighting are complicated with dramatic cinematic projections and split
stages. No expense was spared on the décor including lavish boudoir and cosy
rural retreat. Karen Bruce has done  a
marvellous job with the choreography and the orchestra under Michael Riley
never misses a beat.

This is one of the best
musicals I have seen; go and see it if you can.

The Bodyguard the musical is
at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 23rd March

 

www.atgtickets.com

0844 871 7652

Often when a play opens at the Waterside Theatre in
Aylesbury, the cavernous space that seats 1200 provides a challenge for the
actors to be heard.  It was refreshing to
hear from the very first line that this group of extremely talented actors knew
how to project and give 100% energy from start to finish.  The puns were relentless in the first scene
and what I also noticed was that they had all worked hard to have an American
accent that sounded as though they all lived in Minneapolis.  That’s quite a feat in itself, as often a
company will have a variety of regional accents that drift in and out, but this
company were on it all the way through.  That
tells me that this is a company that works and works to get things right and it
shows.  Farce is one of the most
difficult genres to perform anyway, but with this level of physical theatre and
slapstick to contend with as well, they all put everything into the
performance.  I felt quite exhausted by
the end and was glad I wasn’t in it!

Mischief Theatre was formed in 2008 by former students of
LAMDA Drama School and created the award winning The Play That Goes Wrong,
which has now played in every continent except Antarctica. Capitalising on a
successful formula, they’ve gone on the create Peter Pan Goes Wrong and
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong.  In 2018
Mischief receives its fourth Olivier nomination for Mischief Movie Night.

The premise of ‘Bank Robbery’ is that a couple of prisoners
break out of jail to try and steal a priceless diamond that has been entrusted
to the City Bank.  Everyone’s a crook,
including the prison guards and they want a piece of the action too, so the
breakout is just the beginning of the mayhem. 
It’s very, very funny and is a full-on assault on the senses barely giving
you time to take in what’s happening as the action moves forward so rapidly.

The cast are all superb; Liam Jeavons, David Coomber, George
Hannigan, Damian Lynch, Jon Trenchard, Sean Carey, Killian Maccardle with Julia
Frith and Ashley Tucker also giving some powerful singing.

The set design, by David Farley, is incredible.  There was a safety issue in the second half
which closed the stage down for about 5 minutes, but once the scene was
underway we understood why.  Actors were
seemingly sitting on the back wall and having to move around, which created an optical
illusion that took a few minutes to understand. 
Amazing!

When you’re writing comedy it’s easy to keep adding more and
more madcap ideas into the mix, but sometimes that makes it difficult to make
cuts and I do think this would benefit from about 20 minutes being taken
out.  It’s fantastic fun though and we
all need a good laugh and a bit of escapism, so why not give yourself a treat
and book a ticket?

For tour details visit: www.mischieftheatre.co.uk

Reviewed by:

Yvonne Delahaye

12.3.19

@yvonnedelahaye

ALARMINGLY candid and with touches of malice and malevolence, Noël Coward's Song at Twilight is delighting audiences with its bittersweet ironies, following a remarkable opening night with two of this country's best-loved actors at Windsor's Theatre Royal.
Simon Callow and Jane Asher are simply stunning in this wonderfully dark and unnerving emotional romp through a man's dwindling importance as the sun starts to set on a glittering acting career... while sex secrets about his past are uncovered.
Coward's unique gift in exposing society for all its caprices and underlying hypocrisy is delicious as he peels away the thin veneer of sexual appetite to open a man up for public derision.
And it is with admiring candour that Callow and Asher seek out each other's weak points and indulge in pushing buttons in a bid to head each other off at the final pass.It really is a duel of sharp wits and sharp tongues.
The wasps are buzzing around each other, but is there a sting in the tale?
Sir Hugo Latymer (Callow: Amadeus; Four Weddings; Shakespeare in Love) is becoming a rude, grumpy old man in the twilight of his years. While living in a rather Byron/Shelley lakeside stylee alongside his long-suffering wife/secretary, Hilde (Jessica Turner:  Father Brown; Midsomer Murders), and Felix (Ash Rizi: Luther; Silent Witness), a handsome young waiter, he nervously awaits the arrival of former lover and insignificant actress Carlotta Gray (Asher: The Mistress; Dancing on the Edge; Holby City).
It's been forty years since their liaison so what does she want, given his nasty, abrasive tendency and his rather unfair portrayal of him in a recent autobiography? Money? Revenge? No, the pay-off is not about money. Carlotta is writing her own memoirs and wants to talk about love letters he sent her during their affair...oh, and the little matter of letters he wrote to another lover - a secret stash that, now uncovered, is held above his head like the sword of Damocles.
Callow brings a gracious vulnerability to his portrayal of an increasingly emotionally incontinent Latymer. His rich cadences set him as a man apart within the realm of regret Coward creates.
Coward made his farewell stage appearance playing the semi-autobiographical role of Sir Hugo in the West End production of the play in 1966.
Callow's strength is his unerring ability to show a wounded side maybe only Coward himself may have regularly slapped a theatrical bandage over. It's a suitably subtle performance with emotion bubbling under, the rage never quite reaching boiling point.
Asher certainly shows that there are freckles in her temper, but again it's her repartee in crossing swords with Callow where she scores. There are some wonderful direct hits to the heart as she reveals her knowledge of his past indiscretions, delivered with consummate verve.Rizi as Felix is poignantly the character who shows the soft underbelly of Latymer's predilictions.Turner as Hilde holds the key to the kingdom...as any secretary would. As Latymer's patient partner Turner shines in her portrayal of a loyal companion who has long-since prepared for any eventuality in her husband's half-light life.Don't let the sun set before you decide to ditch the tellybox and romp on down to the 'Royal'.Song at Twilight, Theatre Royal Windsor until Saturday, March 16. Box office: 01753 853888 or theatreroyalwindsor.co.ukIt tours then at Kingston, Malvern, Eastbourne and Norwich, until mid-April.

“this might almost be amusing if it were some farce played upon a stage but this is my life!”

It is a perfectly mediocre morning in the very modern household of Mr and Mrs Fox. They sip rhubarb tea and avoid eye contact. With the arrival of increasingly strange visitors, things soon start to spiral out of control. The maid has prophetic dreams, the widow has allergies and the goldfish may or may not have a toothache.

Then a murder takes place and that’s when it starts getting weird.

A new dark absurdist comedy from a writer you’ve never heard of.