Monthly Archives: July 2024

The Edinburgh Fringe All Month Long – 1st August 2024

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Another day of Edinburgh Previews – what’s on the slab for today? Another six shows – here goes!

10:45 – Alvin Liu: Rice, Laughing House at the Counting House. From the Edinburgh Fringe website:

“Transgressive, irreverent, yet adorable and heartfelt, with a touch of political satire. Rice (WIP) is a comedy about growing up in China and fighting repression with food. ‘Charm personified, definitely one to watch’ ***** (Morning Star). ‘What he has is potent in its imagery, authenticity, perverse logic, and volatility’ (Comedy.co.uk). Alvin was made in China, schooled by the English and influenced by Tupac. In 2022 he moved to London to pursue his dream of being a funny expat, sharing his ridiculous views on cultures and countries. ‘We can all find happiness with a bowl of rice’ (Confucius).”

We start the day with some Chinese comedy from someone who is a new name to me. The show is designated a Work in Progress (not a Wok in Progress, I’ll leave the jokes to Alvin). No idea what to expect – let’s hope for lots of laughs!

13:15 – Mhairi Black: Politics Isn’t For Me, Gilded Balloon at the Museum.

“In 2015, at the age of 20, Mhairi Black became the youngest person ever elected to the House of Commons. Nearly 10 years on, she has announced she will stand down at the next election and looks forward to embracing her dark sense of humour. For £13 you could buy 491 teabags, 43 Freddos, six and a half lottery tickets, or one alcoholic beverage at the Edinburgh Fringe. Even better, for £13 you could buy a ticket to this first hand, behind the scenes, ruthlessly honest look at politics in 21st-century Britain.”

I remember very clearly when Mhairi Black first entered the House of Commons; she was a breath of fresh air and her no-nonsense, get-your-hands-dirty approach won her many admirers from all parts of the UK and members of all parties. It will be fascinating to hear her talk about her life and thoughts for the future.

16:10 – Liam Farrelly: Flipbook, The Stand Comedy Club 2.

“Well known for his excellent writing and storytelling ability Farrelly returns to Fringe with a new show which will be more personal and emotional than he’s ever been before. His rise from 17-year-old newcomer to now 24, the star of Live at the Apollo and Netflix, has been nothing short of impressive, and this new step in direction guarantees to follow in this pattern of success. Farrelly’s first Fringe show was met by great reviews and loving audiences; he now faces a difficult second album, but he promises to buck the trend and continue with the laughs.”

We saw Liam Farrelly at the Fringe last year where he was one half of a double-bill – and hugely funnier and more entertaining than the other half! I’m very much looking forward to seeing him deliver an hour of comedy by himself – very hopeful of an excellent show.

19:00 – Goose’s Quizzes Elimination Game, Assembly Rooms.

“With bigger prizes and brand-new rounds, Scotland’s premiere quiz company triumphantly returns with the Elimination Game: Round Two! Through a series of make-or-break questions that pit you against your fellow audience members, test your knowledge – and your luck – to see if you will face elimination, or be crowned champion! A five-star reviewed hit in 2023, this unique blend of competition and camaraderie has something for everyone, from classic pub trivia to daft new game modes. There’s only one winner per round, will you claim your moment of glory?”

And now for something – as they used to say – completely different. I genuinely have no idea quite what this show will be like – one big pub quiz I guess! Well, I do like a pub quiz; but does it work as a Fringe show? We’ll find out!

20:55 –  House of Life, Underbelly Cowgate.

“House of Life is a place of worship with one goal: happiness for all, at any cost. One part sermon, one part purge, three parts party, this is a space to let it all out. Led by the glitter-clad RaveRend, House of Life provides a scientifically proven sense of togetherness and elevation at a time when people feel more disconnected than ever. Heal through music, joy and noise in an eight-step musical programme that is hailed as ‘one of the most joyful productions the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has to offer’ (BroadwayBaby.com). Get happy. Join the RAVEolution.”

This sounds like it could be a riot. I trust the glitter-clad RaveRend will be on good form as he cajoles a preview audience into a church service of hilarity. Fingers crossed!

22:15 –  Cabaret of Filth, Laughing Horse at the Three Sisters.

“Come inside the Cabaret of Filth and indulge in a night of pure debauchery, comedians, burlesque and drag in this comedy riot! Will contain nudity, filthy comedy, anti-establishment rebellion and all the good swear words. Come and join in the revelry you sexy ****s!”

One of those late(ish) night shows in Edinburgh where you expect the unexpected and I dare say it will either be superb or the opposite. Let’s hope for the former!

Check back later to see how we enjoyed all these shows!

The Edinburgh Fringe All Month Long – 31st July 2024

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Last year, for the first time, we committed to doing Edinburgh for a full 28 days and nights, clocking up 145 shows in all, including a few days of previews before the Fringe started “officially”. It seemed a successful plan – so we’re doing it again this year! I hope I don’t simply conk out before the month is up.

Like last year, I’m going to write just one blog a day, previewing the shows we will see the next day, uploading it around 10 pm every evening, and then following up with updates as to how good each show was. I’ll update at least once a day, probably at the end of the evening – or I might update as each show finishes depending on whether I have the time and the space to sit down and collect my thoughts! If I don’t update until the following morning, please forgive me – it can be an exhausting few weeks!

Here’s the schedule for 31st July. These are all previews, so I will of course take that into account when I give my comments later:

10:50 –  Shellshocked – An Explosive New Play, Pleasance Courtyard.  From the Edinburgh Fringe website:

“From the creative team behind the five-star, multi-award winning plays Jesus, Jane Mother and Me, and Heroin(e) for Breakfast. The horrors of war have broken young Wesley, but could the madness he encounters beyond it save or destroy a soldier’s shellshocked mind? A powerful new play from multi award-winning playwright Philip Stokes, recognised by the British Library as a culturally important playwright of the 21st century, and Olivier, Tony and Emmy award-winning producer Richard Jordan. Starring Jack Stokes (Winner, Adelaide Critics Circle Award 2023) and Lee Bainbridge – Heroin(e) For Breakfast: ***** (Sunday Telegraph).”

We were very impressed with this team’s Jesus Jane Mother and Me last year – which was also our first show of the Fringe for 2023, so it only seems appropriate to kick off with Shellshocked this year! I’m expecting great writing and great acting – here’s hoping!

12:35 –   Sell Me: I Am from North Korea, Pleasance Courtyard.

“On her 15th birthday, Jisun, a North Korean girl, decides to sell herself to an old man to buy medication for her dying mother. But after risking her life by crossing into China, she learns that her under-developed body is not-sellable. Will she survive as she struggles in a merciless foreign land, where her very existence is illegal? Performed at the U.S. Capitol Center, this powerful and fast-paced solo piece is inspired by the true stories of incredibly courageous female North Korean defectors. ‘Excellent… important’ (Henry Song, North Korean Human Rights Activist).”

This play sounds like it will be very serious and hard-hitting, and obviously has an important story to tell. We know so little about life in North Korea, so hopefully this will be informative as well as dramatic. I’m not sure I can say that I’m looking forward to it, but with any luck it will be memorable and stay in the mind for days afterwards.

14:30 –   Will Sebag-Montefiore: Will of the People, Underbelly, Bristo Square.

“With over 62 millions views across his digital platforms, Will Sebag-Montefiore brings his sharp musical, comedic and satirical prowess to the tangible realm of the stage 27 days after a General Election. Will is an actor, writer and satirist who turns the news into sketches and songs and Will of the People is his debut solo show. Watch him struggle to keep up with the ever-changing news cycle as he tries to make the world a better place (for him).”

Will is a name new to me, but I saw some online videos of him doing his stuff and he had me instantly howling with laughter! With any luck his live comedy will be equally as hilarious.

16:40 –  Sooz Kempner: Class Of 2000, Underbelly, Bristo Square.

“The award-winning, viral sensation returns to the Fringe with a follow-up to her sell-out Fringe 2023 hit. Join Sooz as she looks at class through the lens of doing her GCSEs in 2000 at a state comp… while knowing all about dressage. Politics, horses, EastEnders and the Millennium Bug. ‘Kempner has funny bones’ **** (Scotsman). ‘Brilliant’ (LA Times). ‘An unforgettable show… hits the nail on the head at every turn’ **** (Entertainment-Now.com).”

Sooz Kempner is always a name we look for whenever planning our Edinburgh Fringe; always a super-reliable comedian who I’m sure will give us another great show.

19:45 –  Amos Gill: Going Down Swinging, Underbelly, Bristo Square.

“Award-winning comedian and international rising star Amos Gill is back at the Fringe with another boundary-pushing hour of hilarious, challenging and sometimes caustic stand-up. Smart, fearless and always bitingly funny, Amos has conquered Australia’s comedy scene,   challenging audiences to think and taking them to the edge. Nothing is off-limits for Amos. Expertly skewering absolutely everyone, he’s gained a legion of fans around the world touring with Jim Jefferies, including a sell-out crowd at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden. ‘Amos is going down swinging’ **** (Scotsman). ‘An absolute hoot of a show!’ ***** (ScottishDailyExpress.co.uk).”

Amos Gill is another new name to me – so this is a bit of a lucky punt, but those quotable quotes from the Fringe website are very impressive – so fingers crossed!

21:30 –   Reginald D Hunter: Fluffy Fluffy Beavers, Assembly George Square Studios.

“For years, Reginald D Hunter has been misinterpreted as a controversial comedian because of his show titles despite his repeated objections that he is not a controversial comedian. He has penned Fluffy Fluffy Beavers with some hope to rehabilitate his persona by manifesting images of well-coiffed river creatures building dams of chocolate in rivers of candy, whilst continually delivering pressure inducing ideas to form diamonds of laughter. ‘Arguably the most accomplished act in the comedy section of your Fringe brochure’ (Scotsman). ‘Stand-up comedy’s coolest customer’ (Telegraph). ‘Comedy of a rare scope’ ***** (Times).”

Another always reliable name, I’m sure Reginald D Hunter will end our first day’s Fringing with a dangerously hilarious and daring show. Can’t wait!

Reviews to follow in the next few days!

Review – Edinburgh Previews with the Comedy Crate: Jacob Nussey and Markus Birdman, Cheyne Walk Club, Northampton, 27th July 2024

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With the Edinburgh Fringe just around the corner, there’s just time to squeeze in two more Preview shows – courtesy of those nice people at the Comedy Crate – before half the comedians in the country up sticks and head North of the Border.

Our first act was Jacob Nussey, whom we last saw a year ago as part of a Comedy Crate  night. He’s a gifted comedian, with a wry, authoritative style and a steady, earnest delivery to whom it’s impossible not to warm. He is now shaping up his material about the other places where he has worked – primarily Amazon – into a full Edinburgh show for next year. As a result, this was very much a work in progress set, as he finds a way to link together his ideas into a finished format. It’s an excellent idea, as everyone has some experience of Amazon one way or another, so it’s very relatable and recognisable. Nicely self-deprecating, and full of amusing observations, it’s probably too Early Doors to gauge the show as a whole, but so long as he keeps up those unexpected insights I’m sure he’ll do great.

Our second act was Markus Birdman, a fantastic comedian whom we’ve seen many times before and was, indeed, an early recipient of a Chrisparkle Award back in 2013. Having taken his health problems (two strokes which affected his sight) as the basis of his last Edinburgh show, he’s amplified them and is now concentrating on people’s reactions to his earlier material in his new show, We Are All in the Gutter, but Some of Us Are Looking at the Gutter (the sound you hear is Oscar Wilde turning in his grave) on at the Banshee Labyrinth in Edinburgh from 3rd to 17th August (except for those pesky Tuesdays).

I can’t hide the fact that I am an enormous fan of Mr B and every time he brings a new show out, he confirms that my awe of his comedic abilities is fully justified. Even when he’s checking his exercise book to make sure he’s on track (this is still a Preview/Work in Progress) he has such energy and such spiky turns of phrase that you never know what to expect next. From unexpected admissions of racism (joke) to the concept of straight guys giving other straight guys an orally good time because, why not?, Markus Birdman turns the negativity he received following his last show into a powerfully positive new hour of comedy. Taking some inspiration from his religious upbringing and his family life  – although not necessarily in the way you’d expect – the show is a plethora of brilliant ideas and superbly spun stories that will be an absolute winner when it hits Edinburgh.

That’s it for the Edinburgh Previews – the real thing starts in a few days. If you’re joining the Exodus to Bonnie Scotland, have a great time – and if you’re not, you can always follow the best (hopefully) of the action by keeping an eye on my reviews!

Review – As You Like It, Royal Shakespeare Company at The Holloway Garden Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 24th July 2024

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Tucked behind the main Royal Shakespeare Theatre building and constructed on the gardens by the river you can currently find the Holloway Garden Theatre, first opened in 2021 as a way of Getting Theatre Back in those miserable Covid times, and now freshly renewed for a summer season of As You Like It, the perfect outdoors play, in a brand new production directed by Brendan O’Hea.

CompanyThe perfect outdoors play? Yes, because apart from a few introductory scenes in Duke Frederick’s Court, it all takes place in the Forest of Arden, a mere hop skip and a jump from Stratford-upon-Avon; although I’m not sure lionesses ever roamed Sheep Street as they do in this particular Forest. But the play is awash with woodland glades, notes pinned on trees, shepherds and shepherdesses, and exiled gentry living the country life as best they can. Odd, perhaps, then, that Liam Bunster’s set doesn’t give one nod to greenery or flora, but instead is a rather sterile blue wooden affair that looks more like a packing crate than a grassy nook. In fact, there’s no “scenery” as such, nor indeed “furniture” anywhere to be seen – so at least that allows us the audience to use our imagination to create our own personal Ardens.

Celia and RosalindNormally, with an RSC production, you can tell from the start that the director has a vision for the play – whether it be transplanting it to a different era or location, or discovering insights due to some creative gender-swapping, or promoting a theme from within the text to give it some extra depth. There’s no obvious vision for this production; and, at 85 minutes without a break it sometimes feels its main purpose is just to get to the end as quickly as possible. To be fair, there is some argument for doing that with an open-air production; if the weather changes at the Holloway Garden Theatre, there is no hiding place from wind and rain apart from whatever coats you brought or a classy RSC rain poncho.

Audrey and TouchstoneThis is a distinctly shortened version; and whatever benefits that brings – concentrating on the main thrust of the plot and, dare I say it, Shakespeare’s Best Bits – inevitably it suffers in other ways. One of the cuts is to remove some of Touchstone’s pontifications; personally, I think that’s a shame, as I rather like his wordy comings and goings. Part of the charm of the play is the balance between the Courtiers and the Country dwellers; in this production, the Countryfolk distinctly play second fiddle and at times you feel the production rather ignores them. A good example of this is how, because of the doubling-up of roles, Touchstone and Audrey’s marriage is sidelined in the final nuptial scene; so there are three couples, not four, at the end. This creates an imbalance and doesn’t give equal weight to their relationship. Another side effect of rattling through the play is that some of the plot developments seem to happen extremely suddenly, making what is already a slightly unbelievable plot even more unbelievable at times.

AmiensThere are, however, some splendid aspects of this production. Nearly all the cast also play instruments throughout the show and this device fits seamlessly into the text. The play has a number of songs, which frequently today come across as archaic and somewhat out of place. However, Catherine Jayes’ music is totally beguiling and beautiful, and with the entrancing and evocative voice of Natasha Magigi as Amiens, this is the best music in a Shakespearean context I’ve heard for decades.

Also, for no apparent reason, apart from the sheeDuke and Jaquesr fun of it, many of the cast use strong local accents for their characters; so we have a Geordie Jaques, a Brummie Duke Senior, and an Irish Celia. Somehow, these accents add to the musicality of the production, and certainly give an extra dimension to the comedy of the play.

CeliaThe performances are universally excellent. Letty Thomas is everything you would expect from a Rosalind; and especially in her role of Ganymede leads Orlando a merry dance of humiliation in her encouragement of him to be more upfront with his wooing. Christina Tedders’ Celia is outstanding, making much more of the role than usual – full of fun and enthusiasm, giving Celia a real personality. Luke Brady is also superb as Orlando; having injured his ankle, Mr Brady played the part seated at the side of the stage – a true trouper indeed – and it’s a credit to his perfectly pitched performance that the production lost nothing as a result. This did, of course, lead to an unexpectedly humorous sequence where Orlando wrestles Charles; the sight of Peter Dukes playing the swaggering chap in a deftly choreographed sequence of one-sided wrestling holds will stay with all of us for a long time, I suggest. Mr Dukes is also excellent as the exiled Duke, serenely conveying his character’s ability to maintain courtly standards in an unforgiving environment.

OrlandoChris Nayak gives two great performances as the usurping Duke and the wetly forlorn Silvius, and Trevor Fox is an authoritatively melancholy Jaques – strongly emphasising the character’s cynicism. Duncan Wisbey creates a light-footed and physically cheeky Touchstone the clown, and Susannah van den Berg gives great support as Le Beau and Audrey.

Charles the Wrestler and the Usurping DukeThis is a basic production – in the sense that it doesn’t highlight any special aspects or themes, or transport us to another time and place; this is firmly Shakespearean, set on a Wooden O. If the idea behind it is to provide a decent introduction to the Bard for children or Shakespeare-newbies, then I judge this a success. However, if you know the play well and you’re looking for some hidden depths, you might be disappointed. The production continues, with regular 2pm and 5pm performances, at the Holloway Garden Theatre until 1st September.

Production photos by Marc Brenner

3-starsThree-sy Does It!

Review – The Comedy Crate Weekender, Edinburgh Previews and Works in Progress, Northampton, 20th and 21st July 2024

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A veritable cornucopia of comedic talent descended on Northampton last weekend to take part in this year’s Comedy Crate Weekender, two days of fun and frolics where comedians who are honing their Edinburgh shows to perfection come and try them out on the willing guinea pigs of Northampton. Three venues, twenty-six (twenty-seven actually, there was one double act) performers, and enough laughter to make even Greyfriars Bobby satisfy his FOMO by leaving his post and sniffing it out. It’s all down to the precision engineering planning and organisation of those nice people at the Comedy Crate, to whom we offer three cheers!

The structure of the weekend means you can make it very much your own adventure. With two or three shows on at the same time, you can create your own comedy recipe for each day. I’d like to be able to say we chose our schedule with meticulous research – that would not, strictly speaking, be true. But this is what we saw – and how we reacted!

Saturday 20 July:

Michael Odewale (The Black Prince)

We’d not seen Michael Odewale before, although I knew the name. He’s a very likeable presence on stage, quite relaxed and confiding, and he started off with some very relatable and recognisable material about his driving instructor being a conspiracy theorist; I think that was especially funny as it’s a completely believable concept! There’s a great reason why he failed his Hill Stop and Start, and he has an excellent way of telling old white ladies and old black ladies apart. His show frequently returns to a central thread about just trying to be a better person. He will be the first to agree that it still needs a lot of weeding and shaping, but once it’s there I’m sure it will be a great hour. His Edinburgh show, Michael Odewale: Of Mike and Men, is on every day at 14:50 from 30 July – 12 August at Monkey Barrel Comedy at The Hive.

Olga Koch (The Charles Bradlaugh)

Olga Koch is another name of whom I had heard Good Things but had not yet seen for myself. Whereas Mr Odewale gently took us through his material, Ms Koch dives straight in, all guns blazing, with a fiery, spirited attacking style full of vigour and kapow. Born in Russia, university-educated in New York City, and for the last ten years a resident of the UK, Olga Koch is clearly a citizen of the world but very much shaped by those unusual Russian/American formative years. She wants us to know that she is rich; she’d like to be able to tell us where the money came from, but much of that is surmise – however, her father apparently was one of six or seven men who basically took control of Russia’s oil industry once the Iron Curtain was down. Nothing illegal, he assures us. Ms Koch has a fast and funny style, hardly pausing for breath as she illustrates her life story with observations on privilege, wealth, and learning from other countries. This is also work-in-progress, but there’s not that much left for her to tweak, and her Edinburgh show Olga Koch Comes From Money is going to go down a storm. It’s on every day from 30 July to 25 August at 17:40 at Monkey Barrel Comedy 3.

Andrew Bird (The Charles Bradlaugh)

Local lad Andrew Bird (what he doesn’t know about Towcester isn’t worth knowing) returns to the County Town with a very polished and hilarious show delivered with his usual cheeky, knowing, down-to-earth style. Its central thread is about the nature of comedy and how and why we appreciate it – including plenty of local variations, which enables him to give us some comedy nuggets about his stage appearances in Belfast, Liverpool, and Birmingham. He’s not afraid to come close to some tricky subjects – race, religion and suchlike, but handles them with such aplomb that it’s impossible to be offended. There are also lots of stories about his nine year old, and life with a Slovakian wife (or is it Slovenian, he can never remember). Full of drive and immensely likeable, he hasn’t got an Edinburgh show coming up, but he will be taking this new material (and hopefully some other, as yet, unwritten stuff) on tour later in the year. Just don’t call him Andy!

Angela Barnes (The Charles Bradlaugh)

Angela Barnes prefaced her show with a warning that, not only was this a Work in Progress, it’s a Work in Progress for a show for 2025! So the fact that there is clearly a long way to go before the comedy material she shared can be neatly dovetailed into a properly structured show, she does at least have plenty of time to achieve it. That said, she is taking her Angela Barnes is Getting Worked Up (WIP) show to Edinburgh this year. A hugely funny and always reliable performer, Ms Barnes gave us some unfamiliar topics of discussion; predominantly, the fact that she suffers from synaesthesia, the condition where your sensory perceptions get muddled up – which of course she uses for comic gain. There are also entertaining anecdotes about performing to a nudist group, and taking part in the TV programme World’s Most Dangerous Roads with Rhod Gilbert. Angela Barnes is a naturally funny person with terrific style and presence, and once this material has been properly “worked up” this will be a brilliant show. Meanwhile, Angela Barnes is Getting Worked Up (WIP) is on every day from 12 to 25 August at Assembly George Square Studios at 18:15.

Maisie Adam (The Charles Bradlaugh)

Of course, we knew who Maisie Adam is – but confession time, we have never seen her perform before, neither live nor on TV. So we had no idea quite what a treat was in store. She is one of those gifted comedians who appears to need to put no effort in whatsoever to deliver you a brilliant hour of comedy, because she makes it look so easy (which we know it certainly isn’t!) A lovely, honest storytelling style leads you to believe absolutely everything she says, which, in this work in progress show, included avoiding turning up to a gig in Halifax wearing a Leeds United strip (a definite no-no, I understand), what happened on her hen night, explaining how she was happily married to a man to a club full of lesbians, and the tactical error she made before going on the TV programme The Wheel. A masterclass in confident, fluid delivery and a bundle of truly hilarious material to enjoy too. Maisie Adam is not preparing for an Edinburgh Fringe show but has a UK tour, Appraisal, starting in September, finishing in November.

Sunday 21 July:

Sophie Duker (The Black Prince)

A fairly last-minute replacement for Darren Harriott who was unwell, Sophie Duker brought her Work in Progress show to the Black Prince; and, although she was using notes, it struck me that the show was a good 90% in place. Ms Duker is new to us, but she has a strong stage persona, a confident delivery and a wonderfully playful use of language. However, the content of her show didn’t appeal to us at all, I’m afraid. It came across as misandrist, describing all men as toxic, saying that they shouldn’t live over the age of 35. I know I’m sure this is not her genuine belief (I think) – and, of course, it is comedy – but it nevertheless alienated the men in our party and Mrs Chrisparkle found her content – the whole notion of delusion or delulu – so uninteresting due to sheer repetition that she decided to have a short nap. I suspect we were completely the wrong demographic for her show. I guess you either love her – or you don’t! Huge kudos to second-row Nick, by the way, who played the role of her missing Daddy superbly. Her show But Daddy I Love Her is on at 19:00 in the Pleasance Courtyard every day from 31 July to 25 August except the 14th.

Brennan Reece (The Black Prince)

We’ve seen Mr Reece a couple of times before and he never fails to impress with his likeable cheekiness and impish sense of humour. The basis of his latest show is that he was signed up to become the new face of CBBC, which is a great gig to get – guaranteed work for a year – but just before he started the job, he was sacked – over an allegedly offensive joke in a tweet (allegedly) – and they wouldn’t tell him what it was. Being Mr Reece he goes all around the houses with a maze of funny observations and tangential sideswipes, and it was a very enjoyable hour of comedy. Very much still a work in progress – and I would say he possibly has to get his skates on to get it ship-shape before Edinburgh opening night. But he has such a winning personality that you sense he could get away with virtually anything on stage – and probably off it too. Brennan Reece: Me Me Me is on every day at PBH’s Free Fringe at the Liquid Room Annexe/Warehouse from 3 to 25 August except the 13th.

John Robertson (The Black Prince)

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from Mr Robertson – and what we got was a whirlwind of anarchy that is possibly unique in the world of comedy. Armed with an electric ukelele (what deranged mentality thought of that?), a razor-sharp brain and a truly inventive attacking style that meant that no one was safe in the room, no matter where you sat, Mr Robertson just spends the whole show riffing off the audience in all kinds of unexpected and unpredictable directions. For about the first five minutes I was thinking oh no this was a terrible mistake, but after you start tuning into his sense of humour you appreciate the high energy 100% hilarious show it is. It’s notable that, for all the danger that he radiates as he careers around the stage and the audience, none of his interaction with the crowd is ever cruel; it’s perfectly pitched. In fact, if you get picked on by Mr R – it helps; I was identified as the rich retired man of the audience and it was quite a flattering role to have been given. He has one particularly silly song – The Kitekat Blues – that genuinely had me in hysterics.  Never come across him before – but Goodness Me what a force of comedy he is! This was a work in progress for his Human Hurricane show in Edinburgh – every day at 20:20 at the Laughing Horse at the Counting House from 1 to 25 August except 9th; he is also performing in his Dark Room show every day from 31 July to 25 August at the Gilded Balloon Patter House at 22:00. They don’t call him The Human Hurricane for nothing.

Steen Raskopoulos (The Black Prince)

Another new name to us, Steen Raskopoulos comes with lots of success in his native Australia, so I was hopeful of a strong performance. He clued us in at the beginning that his shows are not regular comedy stand-up type routines, but a more involved series of sketches, improvisations and other elements of audience participation. And, to be fair, before he started, he established whether there was anyone who didn’t want to be approached to become part of the show – and we all stayed silent, as we wondered what on earth he was going to do to us. His new show, Friendly Stranger, takes as its core thread the kind of thing that most of us would do to help a stranger, if they were in need. And we all pretty much confirmed that, as nice people, on the whole, we’d do what we could. What follows is a complicated sequence of sketches, ideas, and interactions that together form a very clever overall piece. Now, of course, this is a work in progress, and one must always make allowances for that. However, and I’m afraid this is a big however; it just wasn’t very funny. Many of the sketches didn’t land – the punchlines and pay-offs fell short; and the end scene, which is like the physical version of one massive callback, concludes the show in a messy, unravelled and scruffy way. I can’t help but think that in Edinburgh that particular ending is going to be very tricky. I really wanted to like this more because Mr Raskopoulos is clearly the friendliest and most easy-going of chaps, and you’d love to go for a pint with him afterwards; but the show itself left us feeling very shortchanged. Friendly Stranger plays at the Pleasance Courtyard every day at 16:50 from 31 July to 25 August except the 12th.

Amy Gledhill (The Charles Bradlaugh)

The final hour of comedy at this year’s Weekender was spent in the company of Amy Gledhill, a riotously funny lady who doesn’t take herself remotely seriously but also shows a delicate vulnerability beneath the hilarious surface. Her show, Make Me Look Fit on the Poster – brilliant title, by the way – is an all-encompassing look at her life and loves (so far), and the scrapes that she sometimes gets herself into in the pursuit of a man. There is a wonderfully funny sequence about her hapless visit to a Go Ape venue which ends in calamity but has you shaking with laughter. Ms G has a brilliant aptitude for physical comedy, so that when she recounts a scene where she’s dangling from a harness a few feet from the ground, she gently spins around like a giant Christmas bauble, to give the visual effect of what she might have looked like – and it’s so believable! There’s another story where she tells about receiving an automatic massage and how it jolts her in the back – and the physical portrayal of this scene just had me collapsing with laughter. But there’s also a serious side to the show, where she tells of an assault she experienced on a train; downplayed, ridiculous, self-deprecating but very real. Amy Gledhill is hugely likeable on stage and radiates funniness from every pore. And I’m going to insist on butter on my chips in future. Make Me Look Fit on the Poster is on every day at Monkey Barrel Comedy 1 at 18:10 from 13 to 25 August.

And that, gentle reader, sums up our Comedy Crate Weekend! I hope if you were there that this reminds you of some brilliant laughs, and if you weren’t – where were you? You’d better be there next year!

Review – Madagascar the Musical, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 18th July 2024

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There was a very excitable buzz at the Royal and Derngate for the opening night of Madagascar the Musical, a stage spin-off from the successful 2005 film, which has been touring the world for the past six years. And although we didn’t have any children to bring with us to the show, the enthusiasm and enjoyment of those present was very contagious!

MadagascarIn case you don’t know; four special friends live at New York’s Central Park Zoo – Marty, the zebra, Gloria the hippo, Melman the giraffe, and, star attraction at the zoo, Alex the lion. Marty pines for a lost life in the wilds of Africa, rather than being clamped behind bars in a zoo – not that his other friends are bothered by it at all. However, when the penguins decide to escape to Antarctica, Marty decides he’d like just a day of freedom and so makes a break for Grand Central Station with the intention of visiting Connecticut. When the others follow him, they end up captured and sent on a ship – and when they get off, they’re in Madagascar! Julien, king of the lemurs, allows them to stay at his encampment, but the adventure does not stop there…

AlexFrom an adult point of view it’s all too easy to pick holes in the story, but I’m sure this is not an issue for the show’s target audience – which I would estimate to be around 4 to 10 years old. And there’s still plenty for everyone to appreciate. Tom Rogers’ vibrant, colourful set gives a good sense of the different locations and allows loads of space for the characters to get some good singing and dancing in. The costumes are also colourful and good fun, and there’s some enjoyable puppetry representing the penguins, the chimp and the lemurs.

MartyThe show does highlight a few important messages that you’re never too young to appreciate. I particularly enjoyed the opening, which started with the Born Free theme but then showed Marty being incarcerated in the zoo against his will. And there’s a recurrent theme about how valuable good friendships are, and the importance of trust and loyalty. Even when the starving Alex can’t help but look at Marty as a potential meal, and though Marty is terrified by the danger he knows he is in, he nevertheless continues to be loyal to his best friend. It’s all rather charming really.

Gloria and MelmanThe characterisations are very entertaining; Jarnéia Richard-Noel’s Gloria is a fun-loving, boisterous hippo but with a streak of common sense, Joshua Oakes-Rogers’ hypochondriac Melman is obsessed with his health and avoids aspartame, Francisco Gomes’ earnest Marty is honest, decent and loves to party, and Joseph Hewlett’s Alex is the vainest of lions but incredibly friendly and polite; giving Marty an “Alex the Lion” t-shirt on his birthday is just typical of the man. Lion. I mean lion.

King JulienAnd then there’s Karim Zeroual’s hilarious presentation of King Julien, wearing a deft costume that initially denies common sense but allows him to move it move it with the best of them! Which brings us on to the music, an essential element of the fun of the show, together with the excellent dancing and choreography.

Marty and AlexI confess I didn’t have much hope for this show, but it exceeded my expectations enormously. We came away with a smile on our faces, a spring in our step, and memories of a few very funny scenes. And, by the sound of the uproarious reception it received at the end, we weren’t the only ones. I know comparisons are odious, Marty and Penguinsbut if you compare this show with, say, Shrek the Musical – this one comes up tops for production values, performance and message.

Madagascar the Musical continues at the Royal and Derngate until Sunday, then on to Nottingham, Southend, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton. It’s lots of fun – and the youngsters will love it.

Production photos by Phil Tragen

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – Hello Dolly! London Palladium, 17th July 2024

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Thinking back on some of the stand-out critical notices relating to some of the big opening nights in theatre history, one of my favourites is Walter Kerr in The Herald Tribune on the opening night of Hello Dolly in 1964: “Don’t bother holding on your hats… you’ll only be throwing them into the air!” – I may be paraphrasing here, but you get the picture. A big night, with a big show, fronted by a big star – that’s the secret of Hello Dolly. Over the years, it’s been synonymous with the likes of Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, Phyllis Diller, Ethel Merman, and, the Dolly of them all, Carol Channing. And now there’s a new star to add to this dolly mix – Imelda Staunton.

There aren’t many shows that you look forward to for five years, but Imelda Staunton was announced as the new Dolly last decade, with the big show set to take place at the Savoy Theatre (if I remember rightly) in the summer of 2020. But we all remember what happened in the summer of 2020, when politicians partied whilst the rest of us lived in isolation. Plans for joyous events like a revival of Hello Dolly obviously had to be shelved. Fortunately, you can’t keep a good Dolly down and in 2024 it’s finally come to fruition on the glorious stage of the London Palladium.

It’s a simple story of simple folk; curmudgeonly half-millionaire (we are talking about a long time ago) Horace Vandergelder has engaged the services of matchmaker Dolly Levi to find him a wife. Horace runs a Hay and Seed merchants, where his underlings Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker have no lives of their own and no time to themselves. But one day, Horace must go to New York to meet a potential new wife, and Cornelius and Barnaby decide to shut up the shop and go to New York for an adventure of their own. Dolly also has plans up her sleeves – engineer it so that she marries Horace, and if Cornelius and Barnaby can also meet and fall in love with a couple of New York girls, that would be a day well spent. Rest assured, it’s a happy ending with four weddings in the finale!

Hello Dolly benefits from a – largely – superb score by Jerry Herman and a surprisingly funny book by Michael Stewart; no wonder that original Broadway run lasted for 2,844 performances. As well as the memorable title theme, you’ve got the stirring Before the Parade Passes By and Put On Your Sunday Clothes, the witty It Takes a Woman, Elegance and So Long Dearie, the emotional It Only Takes a Moment and Ribbons Down My Back – and the irrepressible Waiters Gallop. The only song that strikes me as being completely outdated and probably worth skipping is Dancing, where Cornelius discovers, lo and behold, that he can dance. Ten years earlier, Salad Days did it better with Look at Me (I’m Dancing). There’s only so far you can indulge that whimsy.

As I was watching the performance of Ribbons Down My Back, I remembered how much I hated that song when I was younger; slow, ponderous and thoroughly boring, I thought. I hear it now and I relish in its gorgeous swapping from minor to major and its subtle lyrics that tell you so much about the character of Irene without making it obvious. Sometimes musical theatre is wasted on the young! That use of a song, to get deeply into a characterisation, is also beautifully realised in Before the Parade Passes By, which is where Dolly realises this is probably her one last chance to return to the world of the living; and – more frivolously – It Takes a Woman, which tells us so much about Horace’s misogyny and thorough laziness!

You already knew that the London Palladium is a massive stage, and you need huge sets to make the maximum impact. Rae Smith’s design is pretty successful on this count; I really admired the use of the streetcar in Before the Parade, giving a wonderful sense of movement on the stage, and the vital sweeping staircase at the Harmonia Gardens restaurant is tasteful and stylish rather than gaudy and glitzy. And that is the watchword for the whole production; taste and style predominate over the brash and brazen. And that’s very suitable for our new Dolly, Imelda Staunton, who is a pint-sized powerhouse rather than a domineering, in-your-face life force like Carol Channing. This production feels very slightly toned down to accommodate Ms Staunton’s interpretation of the role; much more toned down than Ms Channing, but then even Brian Blessed is more toned down than her.

This thoughtful, realistic Dolly comes to the fore most clearly in the famous restaurant/Hello Dolly scene halfway through the second act. Previous Dollies have relished the thought of performing the big number, and come out on stage, all guns blazing, ready to deliver a rip-roaring good time. Ms Staunton pares the performance back, to bring out all Dolly’s insecurities about returning to a place where she had such good times in the past – but it’s been so long now, she’s lost her confidence and her stride, and she doesn’t even know if they’ll be happy to see her again. So at least the first half of this scene concentrates on exposing her fears and gradually seeing her return to her usual self as she realises she’s been accepted back. It’s a very bold way of performing this song, but completely in keeping with the book and the characterisation.

I have one little cavil about this production: the stage movement and choreography relies too heavily on using the revolving stage to present characters walking purposefully from one side of the stage to the other, only to pause, so that they return to where they were before and then resume walking. It works brilliantly at first, but then it gets tedious; and by the time they were still using it in So Long Dearie, it was really annoying me! Less is more!

One thing you can certainly say about this production is that it sounds stunning throughout. Nicholas Skilbeck’s 21-piece orchestra produces exquisite arrangements and performances that fill the auditorium and make your toes curl with pleasure. And everyone’s voices, from Ms Staunton down to the members of the ensemble, are pitch-perfect and harmonise with genuine beauty. Jenna Russell can always be relied upon to deliver a superb performance, and here she gives us a playfully spirited Irene, ready – like Dolly – to take an unexpected leap into the unknown. Harry Hepple is another excellent song and dance man who brings enthusiasm and excitement to the role of Cornelius, leading the terrific Elegance quartet and delivering a powerful It Only Takes a Moment. There’s excellent support with great comedic performances by Tyrone Huntley as Barnaby and Emily Lane as Minnie, and Emily Langham steals every scene with her bawling performance as the eternally miserable Ermengarde.

Andy Nyman gives us a rather likeable Horace Vandergelder. In fact, I wondered if he could be more of a misery-guts and more terrifying to his staff. You get the feeling that Mr Nyman is so completely delighted to be performing this role at the Palladium that he forgets to be grumpy! When he finally becomes bowled over by Dolly’s charms, no one is the slightest bit surprised. And the cast is led by the brilliant Imelda Staunton, using every breath of her stunning voice to full effect, emphasising the comedic way in which Dolly wraps everyone around her little finger to do precisely what she wants them to do, but also tapping into the character’s uncertainties and internal monologues to give us a Dolly with depth, more than just the traditional glamorous showgirl.

A great night’s entertainment which sends you home with the warm glow of Feelgood Factor 50! It’s on at the Palladium until 14th September.

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – Kiss Me Kate, Barbican Theatre, London, 11th July 2024

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There aren’t many musicals where there isn’t a duff song in the entire score, but Cole Porter’s fantastic Kiss Me Kate is one of them. The very definition of an Evergreen show, the new production at the Barbican features an eye-catching set, a lush orchestra and a quirkily talented cast; and it seemed a perfect opportunity to catch up with the old thing.

It was also an opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the Barbican Theatre – it’s been an extraordinary 38 years since we were last there! And I’d forgotten what a pleasant experience it is. A huge stage, comfortable seats, terrific sightlines and a plethora of bars, cafes and toilets. I wonder what they did to upset us so much that we had to wait so long for a revisit?!

Porter’s musical retelling of The Taming of the Shrew sees actor/producer Fred Graham trying out the show in Baltimore as Petruchio opposite his starry ex, Lilli Vanessi, as Katherine. Lilli has moved on, and is now being courted by General Harrison Howell, a military bigwig who’ll promise her the earth – for at least three months. But for now, Fred and Lilli have to rub along together as best as they can for the sake of the show. Meanwhile second billing male, Bill Calhoun (Lucentio) is dating second billing female, Lois Lane (Bianca). No sooner does he earn money than he loses it through gambling; and he’s just signed a $10k IOU for one big night’s losses. However, he signed it as Fred Graham; so when two heavy gangsters turn up at the theatre to put pressure on, it’s Fred they target, not Bill. It turns out that these gangsters have an artistic streak; but not enough to prevent them from threatening Lilli when she decides she’s going to walk out of the production. Honestly, if you haven’t seen it before, it’s very easily understood when it’s acted out.

Whilst the story is good fun – although alarmingly misogynistic in some respects, just like Taming of the Shrew is – the prime interest in seeing this show is in the music. It would be unforgivable if the production cut out any of the songs; but as soon as I opened the programme, I saw that not only were we missing Were Thine That Special Face, but to add insult to injury, no From This Moment On! You might try to defend the decision to exclude it on the grounds that was originally written for a different show and was only included in the 1953 film version. But I would parry that with the fact that Could We Start Again Please was not included in the original stage version of Jesus Christ Superstar but written for the film, and woe betide any production that now excludes that song from the show. It’s common practice today to have From This Moment On sung by Harrison and Lilli in the second Act. Definitely an opportunity missed.

Fortunately all the other great numbers are there. The songs in Kiss Me Kate fall into three categories. Those that evolve naturally from the plot – Why Can’t You Behave, Always True To You in My Fashion, Another Op’nin Another Show; those that evolve from the plot of Taming of the Shrew – I’ve Come To Wive it Wealthily in Padua, I Hate Men, Where is the Life that Late I Led; and those that have absolutely nothing to do with anything – Wunderbar, Too Darn Hot, Brush Up Your Shakespeare. If you consider a typical musical theatre show to be a portrait, Kiss Me Kate comes as close as you can to a Picasso, with a dislocated smile in one corner and a nose in the other, all plonked higgledy-piggledy across the canvas. But it works; it’s just one of those amazing shows.

Bartlett Sher’s new production contains some inspired directorial decisions, and the occasional totally bizarre one – for example, in Too Darn Hot, why is nobody, erm, hot? Michael Yeargan’s striking set dominates the Barbican stage, revolving to reveal the dressing rooms and the communal backstage area, as well as the stage of this unnamed theatre in Baltimore. This gives a great opportunity to follow characters from one part of the set into another as they race around the stage in a panic, fury, or simply because they can.

The stage also juts forward to create an apron around the orchestra pit, with the effect that conductor Stephen Ridley’s head pops up in the middle of the stage floor as though he were the next tissue in a packet of Kleenexes. The apron works well as additional acting and dancing space, but the orchestra pit does create a slight distraction, especially as you spend a lot of the time worrying that someone is going to fall into it. However, you have to admit it – Stephen Ridley’s relatively massive stage orchestra sends out a sensational sound, and, from a purely audio perspective, this is about as good as it gets.

But we’ve got to consider that quirky cast head-on. Leading the team as Fred Graham is Adrian Dunbar, a much loved actor primarily because of Line of Duty but also through many other TV and stage appearances. We saw his Claudius to Cush Jumbo’s Hamlet at the Young Vic a few years ago and found him oddly underwhelming. However, he seems much more at ease as Fred Graham, with his quieter delivery very effectively conveying his sarcastic asides; he very much looks the part, and I appreciated this rather less showy interpretation of the role. He has a thoughtful singing style, in that it conveys a lot of meaning; however, what he doesn’t have is a jazz-hands singing style, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. He underperformed Wunderbar, and slightly mixed up the lyrics of Where is the Life that Late I Led (even thought that is probably still his best moment in the show).

However, he may well have been distracted, because playing Lilli for our performance was Stephanie J Block’s understudy, Anna McGarahan. Ms McGarahan has a terrific voice, no question; I have no idea how much notice she had that she was to play the role, and one must always admire and appreciate an understudy without whom, basically, the show can’t go ahead. That said, I felt that in many of the scenes she was under-rehearsed – not her fault. This was most obvious in the physical comedy scenes which involved a level of stage combat that was amongst the least convincing I’ve ever seen. Like Mr Dunbar, she gave us a very tentative Wunderbar, and her I Hate Men had – I’m afraid – absolutely no conviction to it at all; we came out at the interval reminiscing about how good Nichola McAuliffe had sung it at the Old Vic in 1987.

This had the effect of unbalancing the performance strength, as the lower you went down the cast list, the more impressive and memorable the performances. Charlie Stemp and Georgina Onuorah are excellent as Bill and Lois, the former’s incredible ability to dance, sing and act at the same time coming to the fore whenever Anthony van Laast’s breathtaking choreography called upon his skills; and Ms Onuorah gives one of many scene-stealing performances with her powerfully and intelligently delivered Always True To You In My Fashion.

Nigel Lindsay and Hammed Animashaun give us possibly the best portrayal of the Gangsters I’ve ever seen, with brilliant characterisation, wonderful physical comedy, and a Brush Up Your Shakespeare that we all sang along to. Jack Butterworth’s Paul completely wows us leading the dance in Too Darn Hot – inviting Mr Stemp to keep up with him in a sequence that is performed to perfection – and Josie Benson as Hattie starts the show with arguably the best vocal performance of the production in Another Op’nin’, Another Show.

I guess that all boils down to the fact that – at our performance at least – it was a rather uneven presentation. However, you simply can’t not love it; and there were so many hugely enjoyable songs, scenes and performances that the temptation to book again is surprisingly strong. Kiss Me Kate continues at the Barbican through the summer until 14th September.

 

 

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – The School for Scandal, Royal Shakespeare Company at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 9th July 2024

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In these modern days of social media and tabloid press, we tend to think that celebrity gossip is a relatively recent phenomenon. But no! Almost 250 years ago that bright spark Richard Brinsley Sheridan captured the essence of tittle and tattle in his evergreen comedy The School for Scandal, which receives a timely and welcome revival this summer at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. At the time, Sheridan was riding high on the success of his previous play, The Rivals, and had bought the Drury Lane Theatre from David Garrick and could fill it with his choice of plays and his choice of actors. Think of it as a bit like the government stacking the House of Lords but with arty types.

Lady and Sir Peter TeazleIt was this kind of gossip-based, satirical lampooning that originally brought about the censorship of plays. Henry Fielding’s Historical Register for the year 1736 was the last straw for Prime Minister Robert Walpole, who could take being teased no more, so in came censorship in an attempt to restrain the wit of the current crop of playwrights. Luckily for us, in 1777, the Deputy Examiner of Plays and puritanical Shakespeare fan, Edward Capell, disapproved of The School for Scandal, and wanted it banned. But the Lord Chamberlain at the time, Lord Hertford, overruled him – and that was just as well; how much poorer our lives would have been without the escapades of Sir Peter Teazle and the gossip of Lady Sneerwell.

Lady Sneerwell courtedI’m sure you know the story, but, in a nutshell: brothers Joseph and Charles Surface seem to live very different lives. Joseph, an ascetic and “sentimental” man, is respected by all, but Charles is a debauched drunkard, keeping ill-judged company and spending his money, rather like the late George Best, on wine, women and song – the rest he wastes. But Joseph is a hypocrite, and equally desirous of the secret company of women, no matter to whom they are attached. He keeps the company of Lady Sneerwell, the 1770s equivalent of a News of the World gossip editor, who plots and intrigues to ruin people’s lives for the sheer fun and hell of it. Into this circle comes the young and flighty Lady Teazle, recently married to Sir Peter, a man of good repute but at least twice her age. Add to the mix the return of the Surfaces’ rich uncle Oliver, his attempts to test the morality of his two nephews, and the amorous attention paid to Sir Peter’s ward Maria by the insufferable Sir Benjamin Backbite, and you have a recipe for hilarity – at the very least.

PinkThere’s just one word to describe director Tinuke Craig’s vision for this production – pink. From the lighting, to the dominant colour of the costumes, to the backdrop, to the props; if it can be pink, it is. The text gives no indication as to why this should be the case; but maybe it simply comes across as a light-hearted, cheeky, luxuriant, slightly naughty colour. I think the question to be asked is not so much why is everything pink, but more, why not?

Lady T and JosephIt’s very much a why not production, in fact. There’s no obvious reason why new scenes and entrances should start via three trap doors in the stage, rather than from the wings; but why not? Nor is there any reason why Sir Peter Teazle’s asides whilst contemplating revealing the little French milliner behind the screen to Joseph Surface should be delivered via a stonking great reverberating microphone – but why not? I’m still trying to work out exactly why that simple device is so funny. When we first witness Joseph Surface in full debauched mode, drinking and enjoying La Vie en Rose with his pals, he’s dressed like a – may I speak frankly? tart in her boudoir – whilst his mates are in corsets and nighties (all in pink, of course). Odd. Very odd, in fact; but why not?

Lady S and Mrs CThere’s an entertaining use of musical leitmotifs; including when anyone – especially Joseph – starts spouting sentiment, a serene theme drifts in, which ridicules it mercilessly. The costumes range from the fanciful to the outrageous, apart from for those characters where respectability is a watchword (albeit with Joseph, a hypocritical one.) Clever use of back projections keep us informed as to where each scene is set; this also works well for the picture gallery scene, where Joseph sells off the family heirlooms at a snip, and for revealing the faked letters that Snake has been devising.

Lady T and Sir PeterA lively, busy, packed and colourful presentation, then. However, what impresses me most about the production is that it tells what can be construed as a very complicated and confusing plot with simplicity and clarity. And whilst most of the characters beg their actors to “caricature them up”, and reduce them to two dimensions, they are all totally believable. The portrayal of Sir Peter and Lady Teazle, for example, shows them to be real people with real problems and concerns and, when you take away the fripperies, a real love for each other. Similarly, whilst Joseph Surface may – on the surface (Sheridan never wastes a surname) – be a disgrace, deep down he is a much more honest character than his seemingly pious brother.

JosephThis is all helped along by some superb performances that truly deliver the characterisations as well as the laughs. Geoffrey Streatfeild is a marvellously realistic and quietly reasonable Sir Peter, proffering confiding glances to members of the audience which engage us in his plight. Tara Tijani beautifully conveys Lady Teazle’s youthful exuberance and excesses, squealing like a spoilt child when he consents to give her more money, but realising over the course of the play that there’s more to life than expensive shopping. Stefan Adegbola’s Joseph is an excellent study of a self-aware man to whom hypocrisy comes as a given, whilst John Leader’s Charles, rather like Richard O’Brien’s Frank’n’Furter, gives himself over to absolute pleasure, but shows us the decency hidden below.

Sir OliverSiubhan Harrison commands the stage as a tremendous Lady Sneerwell, making entrances and exits sideways to allow for her ridiculous dress, plotting magnificently until she meets her match. Wil Johnson is also excellent as Sir Oliver, giving us a fine hail-fellow-well-met characterisation, but mixed up with an East End wideboy Mr Premium and a frail and humble Mr Stanley. Emily Houghton’s Mrs Candour cuts an impressive figure, beautifully gaping with awe at any precious nuggets of gossip that come her way.

SnakeThere’s great support from Tadeo Martinez as Snake, oozing mistrust from every foppish pore, Yasemin Özdemir as a no-nonsense Maria, Jason Thorpe as a petulant Crabtree, Patrick Walshe McBride as a surprisingly realistic Sir Benjamin, and, getting the biggest laugh and spontaneous round of applause of the night, Jessica Alade as the servant Lappet, whose patience with her master Charles suddenly wears alarmingly thin, with a choice of language that you definitely won’t find in the original text.

Lady SneerwellHowever, I think Sheridan would have approved of the modernisations and liberties taken with his precious script. The play’s opening speech, in this production delivered by Lady Sneerwell, casts a net over the whole world of gossip, which here includes a reference to one Baroness M – we all knew of whom she was speaking; and the epilogue, which in the text is given to Lady Teazle, here is delivered by Maria, and, to be honest, why not?

Sir PeterA very funny, and well appreciated production, that satisfies all the senses but also tells its story with commitment and clarity. Who knew that the 1770s and the 2020s had so much in common?

 

 

Production photos by Marc Brenner

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – Comedy Crate Edinburgh Previews – Scott Bennett and Sara Barron, The Lamplighter, Northampton, 8th July 2024

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With just a few weeks to go before the Edinburgh Fringe kicks off, Northampton is in full Edinburgh Preview Season with another of the Comedy Crate’s top value and great entertainment gigs giving the chance of a useful preview show to some amazing names in comedy. It’s always fascinating to witness comedy shows being crafted and honed before your very eyes, in preparation for the Big Festival ahead. And Monday’s sold out show (yes, you don’t often see “sold out” and “Monday” in the same sentence) provided two hours of super-impressive comedy as two comedians dotted their I’s and crossed their T’s in the pursuit of perfection.

First up was Sara Barron, who will be taking her show Anything For You to the Monkey Barrel venue on Blair Street, Edinburgh, from 30th July to 25th August (except Mondays). Ms Barron pointed out from the start that she has the main content of the show sorted, plus a few excellent add-ons to be dovetailed in, but as yet the full structure of the show is to be settled on – and also a decent ending. However, given the utter brilliance of the material she delivered in the Preview, I don’t think she’s got much to worry about.

The main premise of the show is that she thinks she’s better than her mother – that sounds a bit big-headed, but then again, her mother also thinks that she was better than her own mother, so it sounds like reasonable evolutionary progress. Sara Barron gives us a hilarious insight into what her mother is really like – and it’s a delightful mix of outrageous caricature and total credibility. En route, you end up feeling sorry for both Ms Barron’s father and husband, as they both come in for more than their fair share of gentle torture from their womenfolk!

Sara Barron has a superb stage presence with brilliantly attacking delivery, and a very funny way of conveying the social differences between Britain and America without ever becoming unsubtle about it. I loved her account of that domestic moment when your husband lets out a pitiful “ouch” from another room; and there’s a lovely sequence concerning how and when she agrees to have sex. Even in its current loose format it’s an incredibly funny hour, and when Ms Barron has the show fully shaped it’s going to be a terrific Edinburgh winner this year.

After the interval, we had an hour in the presence of Scott Bennett, who is bringing his show Blood Sugar Baby to Edinburgh at Just the Tonic at the Mash House on Guthrie Street, Edinburgh, every day from 13th to 25th August. It’s listed on the Edinburgh Fringe site as a Work in Progress, but apart from Mr B using a paper script at this stage, it struck me as being a pretty nigh-on finished product – and a riot of laughter from start to finish.

It doesn’t sound like an obvious starting point for a comedy show – the account of his daughter Olivia’s congenital medical condition, which meant she had very low blood sugar from the tiniest age – and at first you wonder if it’s going to be one of those uncomfortable comedy performances where a comedian uses the audience as therapy by getting it all out of their system. Definitely not so in this case. For one thing, we can start with a happy ending as Olivia is alive and well and being a dreadful troublesome teenager that fulfils her current job description; but also the several intervening years have clearly put distance between Mr B and the horror of the baby’s earliest months which provides us all with safety and reassurance.

The show takes us, steadily and factually, through the complete procedure of identifying that something was wrong with their baby, finding out what it was, how it could be put right, and the treatment she received. Scott Bennett delivers his material in a very structured, logical, almost episodical sequence; and the benefit of this is that every episode receives a comedy side commentary which explodes the seriousness of the situation with the humour of everyday life and brilliant observations. He peppers his routine with hilarious self-deprecations and cunning callbacks. Towards the end of his hour I actually found that I had exhausted myself with too much laughter – that’s got to be a good sign.

Two Edinburgh productions that will have a great time at the Fringe. And it’s not long now until the Comedy Crate Weekender with 26 acts available over two days! Can’t wait!