Category Archives: Theatre

Review – Richard II, Bridge Theatre, London, 20th February 2025

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After its record-breaking run of Guys and Dolls, the Bridge Theatre had to come up with something special to fill the formidable boots of Nathan Detroit and Miss Adelaide. And they have, with Jonathan Bailey, whose star is definitely in the ascendant, starring in Richard II, Shakespeare’s exciting look at the last year of the king’s life before he was usurped by his cousin Bullingbrook, later to become Henry IV.

Written around 1595, the play is known to have offended Queen Elizabeth I, who saw the characterisation of Richard II as a veiled attack on her good queenly self, and in fact she ordered the scene where Richard is deposed to be removed from the printed text; a scene that remained effectively censored for the next two hundred years. Nothing changes, of course; there are plenty of modern parallels to be drawn from the play, proving once again that Shakespeare is always relevant to the modern era. When Richard insists on shamelessly seizing all John of Gaunt’s assets, I couldn’t help but think of Donald Trump’s plans for Ukraine’s natural resources.

Designing the set, Bob Crowley has gone for a clean, bare stage, challenging us to work our imaginations to provide the intricacies of each location. Modern props, such as microphones, pint glasses, hospital beds and walking aids, etc, confirm the production is set in the present day; frosted glass doors at the back of the set make you think that any minute, Lord Sugar’s going to emerge and give you a grilling. Scene changes are made swiftly and effectively through use of traps in the floor; visually, it’s all very slick. Grant Olding’s incidental music is terrific; all too often unnecessary music can really aggravate and detract from a production, but here, the quiet, moody, unsettling themes really build up the tension, and Olding’s stately regal court themes are a delight.

The production makes excellent use of the entire auditorium, with actors often performing from the aisles, audience seats, and even from Gallery 1. The configuration of the stage in relation to the seats does mean that there are occasional blocking issues. To get a good view of everything going on from our positions in Row C of the Stalls you had to do quite a lot of bobbing your head around other cast members to see the action.

Apart from its modern setting, Nicholas Hytner’s production doesn’t approach the play from any unusual or unexpected angle, it just aims to let the text tell the story for itself, bringing out the characterisations of the main roles. Unlike some Shakespeare plays, Richard II isn’t especially overcomplicated; you’re witnessing an arrogant tyrant cling on to power until the power switches to his usurper, and then you see his importance just wither on the vine. It’s fascinating how loathsome Richard is portrayed in the first part of the play; but once he’s ceded his power to his cousin, you feel strangely sorry for him.

At the heart of the play is the tug-of-war for power, beautifully and simply conveyed in the scene where Richard is required to give up his crown to Bullingbrook; both men grabbing hold of it as if it were some kind of exercise ring, and refusing to let go, in an extremely telling test of will.  There are some other notable flashes of directorial brilliance, such as the separate appearances of the Duke and Duchess of York at the locked door, and then their kneeling alongside Aumerle in supplication to Bullingbrook, whilst he wanders around, injecting a spot of comedy into an otherwise bleak sequence. In the famous mirror scene, instead of dashing it to the ground, Richard gives it a head-butt of unhinged fury. Little moments of inventiveness like this keep the whole production lively and unpredictable.

The production is very well cast, although some doubling up of roles can be a little confusing, especially if – like me –  you’re not that familiar with the text. Additionally, one of the actors delivers their lines in a rather mumbling fashion which makes them often difficult to understand them fully. But, for the most part, there are many excellent performances to enjoy. Michael Simkins is superb throughout as the Duke of York, long suffering, allegiance-switching; it’s a very thoughtful and intelligent performance. Understudying John of Gaunt, Martin Carroll is also excellent, delivering the famous “royal throne of kings” speech with a heavy heart and the regrets of old age.

Vinnie Heaven is superb as Aumerle, giving a typically charismatic performance as the doggedly faithful Duke, Christopher Osikanlu Colquhoun impresses as the ruthless Northumberland, and there’s excellent support from Amanda Root as the Duchess of York and Olivia Popica as Richard’s sorrowful Queen Isobel. Royce Pierreson is outstanding as Bullingbrook, exuding nobility right from the start, maturing into the clinically firm but fair Henry IV. He has incredible stage presence and provides the perfect opponent for Jonathan Bailey’s Richard II.

However, it is Mr Bailey who is the star attraction in this production and he gives every inch the star performance. Totally believable as the despotic Richard, with his swiftly changing moods, he switches from imperial grandeur to whiny sarcasm within the same sentence.  It’s a physically demanding performance and he captures both extremes of the king’s character perfectly – the statesman and the wimp. His vocal delivery is perfect too, always with crystal clear elocution and a stage authority that makes you feel you’re in the presence of someone special.

Selling out at the Bridge Theatre until 10th May – if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, you’d better get your skates on!

Production photos by Manuel Harlan

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – Hamlet, RSC at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 18th February 2025

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Ahoy there me hearties as it’s all aboard the SS Elsinore as it crashes through the waves somewhere off the coast of Denmark. Yes, Rupert Goold’s new production risks headlines like This Hamlet is All At Sea with a nautical take on Shakespeare’s longest play, condensed at a tremendous pace into just short of three hours including an interval. There are some bold directorial decisions at play here, and most of them work extremely well, creating a memorable, vibrant, powerful, atmospheric production that has the audience gripped from the start.

Es Devlin has turned the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre into a ship; a floating court if you will, its deck rising and falling in line with the choppiness or tranquillity of the sea, a permanent backdrop thanks to Akhila Krishnan’s very realistic video design. The cast must have Velcro on their shoes to stay upright through some of those stormy scenes, and you really get to understand the meaning of the phrase, those in peril on the sea. Access to the deck is gained via stairs from below at both the front and the back of the stage, as well as from various hatches on the surface of the deck. Colours, in both the set and in Evie Gurney’s costumes, are kept to the minimum, lending a harsh monochrome air to the experience.

On boardIt’s not altogether obvious why a ship setting should work for a production of Hamlet. True, an element of the story includes the prince being shipped to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to get executed, but his negotiations with pirates get in the way of that sordid plan and, consequently, he gets shipped back again. Otherwise, traditionally, the play is rooted in the terra firma of Elsinore; but we know that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, so to make Elsinore less firma and more instabilis makes sense. The programme notes suggest that the setting might represent the fate of the Titanic – indeed, the costumes are set in or around 1912 – in which case the final outcome is doomed from the start. Shakespeare, of course, gives us Fortinbras to arrive in the last scene and herald a new age for Denmark. But in Goold’s production, Fortinbras is one of the casualties of cuts (along with Osric and Reynaldo), so the future for Denmark is deliberately left uncertain at the end of the play.

Famously, Hamlet sets out to make Claudius reveal himself as the murderer of Old Hamlet by causing him to react to the play within the play, where a murderer pours poison into his brother’s ear.  One of the better judged cuts is to do away with a lot of the wordy narrative by the Players – as well as Hamlet and Ophelia’s audience reactions – and replace it with obscure but effective singing; basically, here The Mousetrap – as Hamlet humorously names the piece – has been turned into a musical. Another necessary change results in an odd use of language though; as there are no arrases for Polonius to hide behind to witness Hamlet’s conversation with Gertrude, he takes the downstage stairs instead. When Hamlet hears there is someone hiding down there, he can’t use his sword to dash the villain to death because it’s not long enough, so he shoots him instead. However, Gertrude still tells Claudius that Hamlet whips out his rapier when he killed Polonius.  Err.. no, he didn’t. He shot him.

SwordfightHowever, the production is incredibly successful in making the story clear and easy to understand, in an exciting setting and with excellent stagecraft. I’m a big fan of stage combat done well – primarily because if it isn’t done well, it looks ridiculous. Gertrude gives Hamlet a tremendous slap across the face in the first Act; but, topping that, I’ve rarely seen anything quite so believable and thrilling to watch as the swordfight between Hamlet and Laertes in the final scene. Not only coping with the rise and fall of the deck surface, as the ship tilts alarmingly, to my untutored eye it was Olympic standard fencing. Most impressive.

It was with a heavy heart that I realised this production had plugged in the RSC Binatone LED bedroom alarm clock circa 1981 at the sides of the stage, recalling how fatally the time theme wounded the 2018 production of Macbeth. Here it counts down from some time after 9pm to some time after 2 am, with To Be Or Not To Be delivered on the stroke of midnight. You couldn’t make it up. It was Mrs Chrisparkle who suggested that it might represent the time it took for the Titanic to sink. A shapely theory; but it’s impossible for the events of Hamlet to be crammed into four hours, no matter how speedily it’s delivered. Hamlet travels to England and back, and Laertes to France and back during the course of the play. Not even Ryanair can operate that quickly. The best thing about the clock is that it’s completely ignorable.

SalvationThe production builds to an astonishing crescendo with a final scene that makes you tingle. As the storm gets rougher and the waves toss the ship more dangerously, it starts to tilt into an unavoidable sinking position. Characters are variously poisoned or wounded by swords, and, as they die, gravity slides them down the deck towards a watery grave. It’s a remarkable visual effect and provides a telling juxtaposition with the dignity and formality of Old Hamlet’s funeral at sea with which the play starts. At the end, with no Fortinbras to rescue what’s left of the court of Elsinore, Hamlet stands up, arms outstretched, looking like the salvation of the world, and you expect him to tumble to his death; but he doesn’t. Blackout; end. It’s up to the audience to decide his fate. Does everyone die except Horatio? Or does Hamlet somehow survive and begin the renewal of Denmark?

Rupert Goold has assembled a fantastic cast who nail some superb characterisations throughout. Jared Harris gives a beautifully understated Claudius who attempts to retain his dignity whilst always coming across as guilty as sin. Too quick to lay a kind hand here, or to offer support there, you feel that when the time comes for him to confess his crime, he’s truly relieved to get it off his chest. Nancy Carroll is an excellent Gertrude, reaching for that pacifying cigarette with a ruthlessness that shows there are times when a nicotine patch just won’t do. She is more motherly than Gertrude is normally portrayed, going in for a big maternal kiss and cuddle with Hamlet as she does what she can to make him feel better after killing Polonius, which feels extremely believable; it’s the only way she can try to make good her immoral actions.

ClaudiusElliot Levey is also brilliant as Polonius; not a doddery old fusspot, but an affectionate father who likes to play infantile games with his daughter. Of course, he’s keen to stick his nose into everything from arranging the royal household affairs to critiquing the players, but Mr Levey plays him as a likeable old chap rather than an irritating old git. The always reliable Anton Lesser brings great credibility to the role of the Player King, who’s basically a jobbing actor who has done well, rather than a bighead who knows it all; he also doubles up as the Ghost of Old Hamlet – a very “real” ghost in this production and also turns in a nice cameo as the first Gravedigger. Ah yes, they don’t have gravediggers on ships, but this is a useful exception, someone has to be in charge of dispatching all those dead bodies.

Lewis Shepherd gives us a suitably hot-headed Laertes who puts revenge first and then asks questions after, and Nia Towle’s Ophelia is as strong and independent a young woman as the times would allow; her “mad scene” is as full of power and physicality as I’ve ever seen, enveloping herself around the King without the inhibitions of etiquette. And there’s an entertaining portrayal of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern by Chase Brown and Tadeo Martinez, who would easily pass for extras in The Book of Mormon. It’s always entertaining when Claudius mixes the two friends up and is corrected by Gertrude, in a scene straight out of Tom Stoppard.

HamletA production of Hamlet is always going to succeed or fail on the strength of its central performance, and here Mr Goold’s production is in the safest of hands. Luke Thallon is phenomenal. Young enough to have dreams to be shattered, and old enough to be cynical through experience, he gives a lively, physical, emotionally draining performance, delivering each line as though he’s working out what to say next; Hamlet starts sentences that he often has no idea how they will end, revealing an eloquent vulnerability that conveys his character perfectly.

Also HamletIt’s always a matter of opinion in any production as to what extent Hamlet is mad or feigns madness. Is Mr Thallon’s Hamlet mad? I sense not very. At times channelling the brash comedic smugness of the late Rik Mayall, at others deadly serious and threatening, it’s a performance of limitless possibilities and interpretations and he has the audience spellbound, waiting on his every word. And he heads up a production that’s exciting, powerful and innovative; exploring new ways of telling an old tale and telling it superbly well. On the downside: I miss Osric and Fortinbras; and there’s the clock. But on the upside: Luke Thallon, and that tremendous final scene. An absolute cracker of a production.

Production photos by Marc Brenner

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – (the) Woman, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 14th February 2025

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New Perspectives brought their touring production of Jane Upton’s new play (the) Woman to the Royal and Derngate, Northampton for three preview performances before officially opening in Oxford on 18th February. The inspiration for the play came from Jane Upton’s own experience when, as a new mother, her brother told her that a guy she went out with at school had seen her in the street with her buggy and told him that he expected more of her than just bringing up kids in the same area she grew up.

Lizzy WattsUnderstandably annoyed, she decided to arrange a zoom meeting with the guy; unsure whether it was just to talk it out with him or simply to impress him with what he’d missed. Either way, it didn’t happen – the guy chickened out; end of. From that experience, this semi-autobiographical play started to take shape, centring on her main character’s experience of trying to raise a family at the same time as working as a writer, with many a pitfall en route.

Andre Squire and Lizzy WattsThe structure of the play – that M is trying to write a play for a demanding production team and that this play (i. e. (the) Woman) contains many of the same scenes that the producers are looking for – is clever on paper, but in practice created a play that had Mrs Chrisparkle and me completely baffled. Lighting effects occasionally flash that indicate – I think – that we’ve switched from reality to imagination, from the play that is being written to the play that is being performed; and it’s taken me the best part of four days for it to start to gel in my head.

Jamie-Rose Monk and Lizzy WattsOf course, the last thing anyone wants in respect of a heartfelt and anxiety-ridden play written by a woman from personal experience is to have a 64 year old straight, cis, white male reviewer mansplaining the whole thing. Indeed, the online programme includes a fictional one star review from some pompous and obviously neanderthal bloke called Jonathan Darcy pointing out how awful the play is; thereby batting away in an advance pre-emptive strike any anticipated complaints from men who simply don’t and can’t get it.

Lizzy Watts and Cian BarryHowever, I must be honest; I don’t actually think I do get it. Maybe it’s because I’m not a parent. Maybe it’s because I’m not a woman. Maybe I’m just plain thick; but there is something about this production that sets up a barrier of communication between what we see on stage and what the audience understands. There is no doubt an intentional blurring of the edges between fact and fiction, but rather than illuminating the issues discussed, or even just entertaining the audience, I simply find it frustrating that it isn’t easier to understand. And if you don’t get it, it comes across as a negative piece with unlikeable characters, which makes it all the harder to appreciate.

Andre SquireEarly in the play is a fictional version of the event that inspired Ms Upton to write the play in the first place. This is our introduction to M (she doesn’t have a real name), and in a scene with a lot of profane language from both characters, we see her challenging this scummy lowlife geezer over his misogynist remarks but then agreeing to impromptu “filthy sex” (her words) in the back of his van. Mixed messages, indeed; and that inconsistency of characterisation led me never to truly take to M as someone with whom I could connect as the play progresses. But maybe it isn’t an inconsistency of characterisation. Maybe one part of the story was real, and the other was part of “writing the play”. Frankly, don’t ask me.

Lizzy WattsEither way, it’s a very heavy piece; very intense and dark, full of misery and tragedy. There are trigger warnings (contains strong language, references of a sexual nature and references to baby loss) – take them seriously because this play deals with a lot of disturbing issues. Possibly too many; the difficulties of being both a mother and trying to work, of holding down a relationship when you’re no longer interested in your partner, of being surrounded by men who always know best, of dealing with both physical and mental illness whilst being let down by the NHS – I could go on. At 100 minutes with no interval, there’s very little light and shade, and even though there are some good comedy lines, the overwhelming sense of sadness made it hard for me to laugh at them.

Lizzy Watts and Jamie-Rose MonkThe appearance of a nightmare demon baby with luminous eyes haunting M, which I think is meant as a kind of comedy callback, is both ridiculous and crudely done; and the Brechtian projection of spoken words from each scene seems at first to do little to illuminate our understanding. However, I suspect those words are meant to represent the writer at work, typing out a few relevant lines from each scene. If you don’t realise that at the time, as we didn’t, then they seem meaningless. Again, it’s taken me four days for the penny to drop.

Lizzy WattsThere are some aspects to the story that I found very hard to believe. When M emerges from the back of a van after a shag with the lowlife and discovers the baby is missing – she reacts with all the concern and alarm of a mislaid set of keys; and when she talks to the only guy with a kid at the nursery, she tells him that she assumes they will soon be having sex, much to his embarrassment. People don’t really do that kind of thing. But maybe that’s because they didn’t actually do that kind of thing. Really, the structure does make it difficult to comprehend the play as a whole.

Jamie-Rose Monk and Lizzy WattsThere are some very well written and performed scenes. Lizzy Watts gives a strong and committed performance as M, never off stage, which is a remarkable feat of both memory and endurance. André Squire and Cian Barry make the most of their largely unremarkable male roles, as either ciphers, bullies or plain arrogant; but lifting the production immensely is a superb performance by Jamie-Rose Monk as all the other female roles. Funny, tragic, bossy, she makes you sit up and pay attention whenever she’s on stage.

Andre Squire and Lizzy WattsDeliberately confusing, and certainly it feels too long; more light and shade, and shaving half an hour off it would help. If you get the play and its structure from the start, I can see that it would be much more appealing than we found it; for us, it was just a frustrating watch! After Oxford, the tour continues to Coventry, Birmingham, Nottingham, Worthing and Twickenham.

Production photos by Manuel Harlan

3-starsThree-sy Does It!

Review – Les Miserables, Sondheim Theatre, London, 6th February 2025

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When there are countless new productions coming up every week worthy of one’s theatre ticket budget, it might seem strange to go back to a few old favourites once in a while, just to check up on them and see how they’re getting on, like an elderly relative who’s beginning to lose the ability to look after themselves properly. Thus we decided to pay a visit to Les Miserables at the Queens’, I mean Sondheim, Theatre, to see if, forty years on, it’s still in rude health.

It’s misleading to think of it as forty years, as this is the “new” version of the show, directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, which Mrs Chrisparkle and I were lucky to catch in swanky New York ten years ago. That performance blew our minds, having seen the original version back in 1986 and, frankly, not liking it much; I think you need to have experienced a few hardships in life to truly appreciate Les Mis. Bizarrely, we also saw it at the Leicester Curve in 2018, in a production that completely escapes my memory.onnor and Powell zipped the original up and smartened it out, creating a more vivid show; even though it still lasts just short of three hours, it’s incredibly pacey. When Marius tosses a stone at Cosette’s window she bursts forward to see him instantly, even before gravity has had time for the stone to hit the floor. There’s no hanging about here.

One might not expect a Thursday matinee in February to be full, but so packed was the Sondheim Theatre that there was hardly room for an underfed Parisien street urchin to sneak in. Steward Morley’s fantastic orchestra give the performance of their lives as they emote Claude-Michel Schönberg’s luscious score;crammed full of leitmotifs, and not a note wasted. Matt Kinley’s superb set spills out into the boxes at the side of the stage, recreating the terror of the prisoner labour ship, the grimness of the factories, the grandeur of Valjean’s house and the makeshift mess that represents the barricades. I was struck – perhaps for the first time – by how effective it is, to regularly contrast an elaborate set, such as the ship, with the simplicity of just a table with two candles, such as represents the Bishop of Digne’s humble home.

I know of no other show that can produce audience sobs out of thin air with the ease that Les Mis does. Spoiler alert, soz (but where have you been for the last forty years?) the first tremors of emotion come with Fantine on her death bed, and of course there’s always a gulp at Eponine’s On My Own. But it’s Bring Him Home that opens the floodgates, with alikely trigger at Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, and flat out wailing when the ghosts of Fantine and Eponine come to welcome the dying Valjean out of this world and into a better place. Paule Constable’s stunning lighting design and Finn Ross’ video projections also add to many of these moments, notably Javert tumbling to his death in the Seine, and that amazing second or two when Gavroche’s lifeless body is captured in a crosshair of bright light; they truly take your breath away.

Changes of cast occur from season to season, and the current cast is full of star turns. Ian McIntosh, whom I’ve only ever seen before giving brilliant supporting performances in iffy touring musical productions, portrays a Valjean of valour, nobility and the most exquisitely tender voice. It’s not just the sentiment of Bring Him Home that makes us go wobbly at the knees, it’s that purity and clarity with which he delivers those most immaculate of notes.His nemesis, Javert, is played by Stewart Clarke, whose powerful voice is put to great use, suggesting the character’s bullying and intimidating nature. I’ve seen Mr Clarke many times before on stage and he always nails those imposing, ruthless roles; but I wished for a little more light and shade in his portrayal of Javert. His face is set to one expression throughout – grimace – which only begins to soften in his final moments. You never get the sense that this Javert questions his motives or beliefs for one instant. I know; call me picky.

The three main female roles are all superbly performed. Lucie Jones’ Fantine is a terrific portrayal of decency destroyed by circumstances, giving us a delicate and almost intimate performance of the classic I Dreamed A Dream. Annabelle Aquino plays Cosette with a brightness of spirit and a heart of gold; andAmena El-Kindy pulls out all the stops as her Eponine delivers a soaring On My Own, making the best of observing Marius’ devotion to Cosette on the sidelines, just so that she can be in his company.

Jacob Dachtler’s unswervingly brave and noble Marius is a perfect match for Cosette; he nicely brings out the emotional content in his songs extremely well and is very believable in the role. Robson Broad’s Enjolras is a triumph of heroism, with an amazing stage presence and a wonderful voice which helps those powerful but brief songs, Red/Black and Do You Hear The People Sing, linger on in our minds long after curtain down.

But the secret ingredient of this current production is the inspired casting of Luke Kempner and Claire Machin as the Thénardiers. Crowd pleasers from the start, their physical comedy is outstanding, and their comic bickering is credible rather than just being pure pantomime.Along with the rest of the ensemble, their on stage activity for Master of the House is immaculately timed with hilarious shenanigans complementing the music perfectly. The audience adores them.

I genuinely had no idea I was going to enjoy this show again as much as I did. If you’ve never seen it, what are you waiting for? And if you have, you’ll be delighted to know it’s as great as ever.

 

 

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – Dial M for Mayhem, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 3rd February 2025

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It was with no little excitement that I realised this touring production comes from the Middle Ground Theatre Company, an intrepid outfit that brought a couple of excellent productions to the Wycombe Swan in the mid-1990s and whom I always enjoyed seeing. Small, but beautifully formed, as they say; Middle Ground would tour where angels fear to tread, including the Scottish Highlands and Islands, bringing their productions to remote village halls for one night only.

Selfie timeAnd that is the rather charming and potentially hilarious inspiration for Margaret May Hobbs’ new play Dial M for Mayhem, the story of a bumbling company performing Dial M for Murder for one night at the Loch Shindig Village Hall (no need to look it up; you won’t find it on any map). Pouring rain, a clapped-out van, food poisoning, an accident-prone actor, an escaped pet rat, electricity via a 50p meter – I probably don’t need to go on. But will the show?

WD40 for the lockMichael Lunney’s set perfectly encapsulates that often seen, rather basic, flimsy touring set whilst still serving the purpose of the play extremely well, allowing an Act Two backstage view whilst still being able to see some of what’s going on “on stage”. The cast work their socks off, full of commitment and with plenty of physical comedy. There are some extremely funny scenes which genuinely make you laugh out loud – and there’s no doubt that the show received a good reception. The biggest laugh from a Northamptonshire audience came from the revelation that one of the Scots characters doesn’t come from Loch Shindig – but Corby.

Dial M for MSo is this the new Noises Off? Far from it, I’m afraid. For every funny moment there are several tumbleweed sequences where everything just treads water. The patchy writing extends to the structure of the play itself; only the third scene (of four) gives you the backstage angle with all its unique comedy potential, and much of that sadly falls flat. This leads on to a final scene which partially resolves a few issues – even though you didn’t realise they were issues in the first place. Two members of the team have a brief romantic moment without ever having seen a flicker between them in the first three scenes. You suspect that another character has some unspecified health issues that just brings a cloud to the final few minutes.

Samantha MiddletonMargaret May Hobbs doesn’t sign off her scenes with any significant line or cliffhanger moment to take us to the next scene, resulting in them all finishing hanging in the air, with the audience wondering is that it? At least half the characters are stereotypes with precious little depth to them; the AA man is like a Scouse Eric Morecambe and there’s a stock Highlander who would make the characters in Hamish Macbeth blush with embarrassment. There’s also no sense of urgency or panic in the last minute rehearsals for the performance; Sean the director and Andrew the stage manager allow themselves to be merrily distracted from getting on with the job without the remotest concern. And when we see Dial M for Murder in full flow from backstage, there’s no sense of it progressing whilst we’re watching the backstage catastrophes; the Loch Shindig audience may be as generous as you like but even they can’t be happy with several minutes of nothing happening on stage whilst everyone hunts down a rat.

RupertMichael Lunney’s cast make the most of their roles; Alasdair Baker as Rupert mines a genuine fallen star out of the stereotype elderly luvvie, and I enjoyed Estrid Barton’s Ellen frantically trying to hold the sound cues together whilst simultaneously throwing up in a bucket. But, sadly, a weak script means you come away from the show with a sense of opportunities wasted rather than taken. After its week in Northampton, the tour continues to Darlington, Dundee, Ipswich and Hereford.

Production photos by Marcus Fernando for Middle Ground Theatre Company Ltd

Two Disappointing For More!

Review – A Man For All Seasons, Festival Theatre, Chichester, 31st January 2025

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Our fascination with all things Henry VIII, Norfolk, Cromwell, More, Cranmer et al is seemingly unending. The Wolf Hall trilogy is not only a bestseller but has spawned a successful TV series and countless dining table conversations. But 65 years ago Robert Bolt’s A Man For All Seasons appeared on stage for the first time, enjoying long runs in the West End and on Broadway, and with star-studded film versions in both 1966 and 1988. And this continued fascination was certainly reflected by the lack of empty seats in Chichester’s Festival Theatre on Friday night, as well as the audience’s riveted attention being held throughout with pin-drop silence.

A Man For All Seasons approaches the Henry VIII – Catherine of Aragon divorce and resultant split with the Catholic Church from the angle of Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor who refused to consent to the divorce; and whilst he never actively proclaimed his disapproval, that was never going to be enough to satisfy the King. More’s morals and principles set him on an impossible course, leading to his being found guilty of high treason and his ultimate execution.

This current touring production by the Theatre Royal Bath is strong, simple, clear and gimmick-free, directed with unobtrusive sensitivity by Jonathan Church. Simon Higlett’s traditional costumes and set lend it an air of gravitas and authority, and a high quality cast offer a masterclass in acting. One also appreciates what a tremendous wordsmith Robert Bolt is, with beautifully shaped and constructed sentences and scenes, wonderful characterisations, and a great feel for oncoming disaster. There’s no denying it – the first act is both dense and intense, requiring deep concentration from the audience as we start to see life closing in on More; and the second act gains incredible momentum as chit-chat becomes an unofficial inquiry, and then legal hearings and an eventual trial in court and dispensation of justice (such as it is.) You can always rely on a courtroom scene on stage to be thrilling!

Bolt’s structural brainwave with this play was to have the Common Man as a unifying thread throughout the whole story. Someone who can relate directly to the audience, commenting on the action and characters, who can assume a variety of minor but vital roles as the plot progresses; the Common Man is both one of us in the stalls and one of them on stage. Casting Gary Wilmot in this role is a masterstroke as he is both a genius in stagecraft but also truly has the common touch, and it comes as no surprise that he gives a tremendous performance.

Another fine actor, Edward Bennett, takes to the role of Thomas Cromwell like a duck to water, blending the character’s fastidious attention to detail with a ruthless sadism. He clearly relishes the task of taking down an enemy; but he also reveals that, with the unpredictability of the king, he has no choice but to win at all costs, otherwise no doubt his head will be for the chop too. Calum Finlay is excellent as Richard Rich, portraying the character’s journey from humble start to eventual glory by means of backstabbing and betrayal; Bolt paints him as ruthlessly ambitious at all costs, and Mr Finlay convinces us perfectly.

There’s excellent support from Abigail Cruttenden as More’s wife Alice, unable to understand why he adheres to his collision course to ruination, and from Annie Kingsnorth as his relentlessly positive daughter Margaret. Orlando James has a splendid cameo as Henry VIII, almost unhinged with his own power, and Asif Khan is a delightfully meddlesome and untrustworthy Ambassador Chapuys; but everyone turns in a great performance and there is not one weak or ineffectual scene.

Heading the cast is Martin Shaw as Thomas More, recently turned 80 years but still a powerhouse on stage, with an apparently effortless yet physically demanding performance capturing the character’s unswerving constancy and honest decency.He gives us an impeccable portrayal of a stiff upper lip, only just letting the emotions show in the final moments when he can hold them back no longer.

After its week in Chichester, the tour continues to Malvern, Cheltenham, Oxford, Guildford, Canterbury and Richmond. A powerful play given a fittingly powerful performance.

 

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – Last Rites, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 28th January 2025

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Ad Infinitum’s Last Rites comes to Northampton as part of its UK tour and, as a performance piece, defies labelling into any category, but I’ll have a try. It’s a play with three characters, all performed by deaf actor Ramesh Meyyappan, utilising his superb physical movement and mime skills, to tell a story without speech.

Arjun returns to India from the UK with his small son Krishna, as his father has died. Even though he isn’t religious and has never been taught the intricacies of the post-death Hindu rituals, it falls to him as the oldest son to prepare his father’s body for cremation. And as he does so, he reflects on his childhood and growing up, and his relationship with his father. We see him offering his father unwanted help in the kitchen, making his first visit to the Hindu Temple, and changing his education to a school for the deaf. Following teenage disagreements, and a disastrous rejection of an arranged marriage, Arjun makes his ultimate escape from his father’s influence by emigrating to the UK.

There is no scenery to speak of, just a mattress on the floor, a bowl of water, a small pot of ash and some clothes for the dead. Specifically designed for both deaf and hearing audiences, the production uses a combination of Mr Meyyappan’s sign language and mime to tell the story, aided by text appearing on an eloquent video projection – a combination of words and imagery that compliment the sign language perfectly. Akintayo Akinbode’s beautiful sound composition has many motifs, including some delicately playful music representing Krishna, and Ali Hunter’s lighting design helps us understand the various changes of time and location.

It’s a very thoughtful and emotional piece that poses some fascinating questions about father/son relationships. Arjun shows both love and fury towards his dead father, and it’s clear that he has learned from his experiences how better to bring up his own son. It celebrates deaf culture and identity, and there’s a heartfelt explosion at the end when Arjun despises his father for his refusal to learn sign language; so much went wrong in their relationship simply due to a lack of communication and an absence of valuable father/son conversations.

It tells the story very clearly; however, even at around 70 minutes, it feels a little long. There is a lot of repetition of handwashing; this emphasises the ritual, but nevertheless it is a little tiring to watch the same thing again and again. For the most part Last Rites runs at a slowish pace and could do with some occasional boosts of energy for variety. But it’s performed with real commitment and integrity, and Mr Meyyappan delivers a masterclass in his non-verbal performance skills and style. After its two nights in Northampton, the show moves on to Bedales, Newbury, Scarborough, Ipswich and Salford, plus a week in July at the Bristol Old Vic.

3-starsThree-sy Does It!

Review – Summer 1954, Festival Theatre, Chichester, 23rd January 2025

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In the summer of 1954, Terence Rattigan was the darling of British theatre. The year before, his successful The Deep Blue Sea finished its run at the Duchess Theatre, and The Sleeping Prince opened at the Phoenix. His new production, two one-act plays by the name of Separate Tables would open at the St James’ Theatre in September. He’d ride the crest of this wave for a little longer until John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger reset the theatre scene in 1956, and Rattigan would be consigned to the drawer marked Fuddy-Duddy for many years.

But, as James Dacre’s beautifully staged and paced Summer 1954 reveals, Rattigan wrote plays of extraordinary quality. There’s never an unnecessary line or an incidental character; everything is neatly planned and tightly delivered. Summer 1954 unites one of the Separate Tables, Table Number Seven – where hotel resident Major Pollock falls into disgrace because of his indecent behaviour – with his hard-hitting 1948 one act play, The Browning Version, relating what happens on the last day of Greek master Andrew Crocker-Harris’ tenure at a public school.

Combining these two one-act plays gives a modern audience a chance to see Rattigan in the raw; at once showing both the comedy and tragedy of cruelty, isolation, and a great deal more besides. It also uses Rattigan’s original version of Major Pollock’s indecent transgression of the law, rather than the version that reached the stage of the St James’ – and indeed remained as part of Separate Tables for decades after. There’s no need to worry about what the Lord Chamberlain might disagree with today, after all.

It’s a bold move by James Dacre as the plays arguably work better as part of their original line-ups; especially Table Number Seven which is the second part of Separate Tables and develops some of the characters that we meet in the first part, Table by the Window. The Browning Version was originally staged as the first part of Playbill, which ended with the hilarious Harlequinade, a lighthearted farce which massages away all the sting of the first play. Ending Summer 1954 with The Browning Version sends the audience home with an uncomfortable range of challenges, rather than with a comedy riot.

However, Rattigan’s writing is so deliciously controlled, and creates some truly repressed and displaced characters, hiding away their emotions and realities until their internal pressure cookers explode. You might be expecting some light drawing-room comedy, but this double bill packs a punch. And Dacre’s simple and unobtrusive direction allows the characters and language to come to the fore, telling their quiet, domestic, but riveting stories to the extent that you could hear a pin drop in the packed rows of Chichester’s Festival Theatre.

The cast of Table Number Seven is led by Sian Phillips, giving us a wonderful portrayal of the demanding, withering and manipulative Mrs Railton-Bell. Using masterful verbal tones and facial expressions, she gives a powerful performance of someone who revels in someone else’s misfortune, dominates her mousey daughter, and tries to pay out on anyone who Isn’t Like Her. The object of her ire is Nathaniel Parker’s Major Pollock, breezily spinning his lies and attempting to cover up his mistakes because he doesn’t like who he is. There are also some excellent supporting performances, notably from Richenda Carey as the unpredictable racing punter Miss Meacham, and a lovely study in innate kindness from Lolita Chakrabarti as Miss Cooper.

Some cast members return after the interval for The Browning Version, including impeccable performances by Nathaniel Parker as the out-of-touch Andrew Crocker-Harris (The Crock) and Lolita Chakrabarti as his unfulfilled but cruel wife Millie. Jeremy Neumark Jonesgives an excellent performance as science teacher and Millie’s lover Frank Hunter, and Bertie Hawes shows great promise in his professional stage debut as Taplow.

It would be wrong to say it was perfect throughout; there were some missed or fumbled lines from a few of the actors in Table Number Seven, but, as Browning himself said, I want the heart to scold. Two superb examples of mid-20th century drama at its best. After its run in Chichester, the production tours to Richmond, Cheltenham and Oxford.

 

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

 

Review – Dear Evan Hansen, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 14th January 2025

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Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s inventive musical that combines teenage angst, mental health and social media has been around for a few years now and is well into its UK tour with a week at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton. It’s a show that quickly gained something of a cult status, with most theatregoers getting totally consumed by its fascinating story and emotional score, and a few who just don’t get it.

You Will Be FoundIf you haven’t already seen the show but intend to, please look away for these next two paragraphs because the originality of the story works best if you go into the show with no knowledge of what’s ahead. Evan Hansen is a young man with mental health issues. Taking both medication and therapy, the current attempt to control his neurosis is for him to write regular letters to himself, such as Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day, or Dear Evan Hansen, I did well at school today. However, one day he writes himself an honest letter about how it was a bad day and everything went wrong. He is just about to take the copy off the printer when drug-addict and bully Connor Murphy picks it up instead, reads it, and taunts him with it. What’s worse is that the letter contains an indication of the unrequited love Evan has for Connor’s sister Zoe.

Killian Thomas LefevreConnor then goes missing from school, which makes Evan’s panicking imagination go into overdrive. However, Connor’s absence is because he has taken his own life, and Evan’s letter was found and assumed to be Connor’s suicide note. A whole myth then evolves around the personality of Connor, including the assumption that Evan and Connor were very close friends, which was far from the truth. It gives Connor’s parents comfort to know that he had a close friend, and Evan hasn’t the heart to upset them by explaining what happened. The online grief and virtual deification of Connor continues to grow out of all proportion; can Evan maintain the deception or will he reveal the truth?

You Will Be FoundHaving seen the show in London in 2021, and been impressed by the production and the performances, but still not quite getting the hype, I was keen to see if my reservations about the show have melted at all over the last few years. In short – yes they have! This is a terrific revival, in many ways better than the original, which had an overwhelming stage design, full of digitalised imagery, constantly bombarding you with an impression of feverishly active social media accounts vying with each other to gain the attention of users. There’s no doubt it was impressive and memorable.

Richard HurstHowever, in this production, directed with a greater feel for the characters and the humanity of the story by Adam Penford, Ravi Deepres’ video design is considerably subtler and much less intrusive. And whilst perhaps this production doesn’t give you quite the same sense of social media shaping our every thought and action, it does allow the characters and the story to develop and take shape more freely and indeed more visibly; ironically, perhaps, the show’s original marketing hashtag of #youwillbefound is now much more appropriate and meaningful. Additionally, Michael Bradley’s nine-piece band gives a tremendous performance of Pasek and Paul’s quirky and varied score, full of emotion and unexpectedly tuneful. This is helped enormously by both the fantastic harmonies and the clarity of diction by all members of the cast. No unnecessary over-amplifications here, and I appreciated for the first time what a great score it is.

Ryan KopelThere are very good performances throughout the show, but all eyes and ears are on Ryan Kopel as Evan, who gives a totally believable performance of an anxious, nervous teenager starting to gain a little confidence as he finds a purpose in life, albeit based on a lie. The character’s anxiety and neurosis are superbly expressed in his tentative singing of some of the songs, only to be blown away later in the show with his full-bodied and powerful vocals. It must be exhausting to perform, and he does a brilliant job.

Alice FearnAlice Fearn is also fantastic as his mother Heidi, a hard-working single parent who regrets having to spend so much time away from him, and who also learns more about her responsibilities and priorities as the show progresses.  Her duet with Mr Kopel with the song So Big/So Small truly has the power to make your eyes unexpectedly moist. The scene where she goes to the Murphy family for dinner is acted out with the perfect cringeworthiness that it calls for! Lauren Conroy brings out all Zoe’s varied emotions of grief, affection and teenage rebellion, Tom Dickerson is also very credible as Evan’s family friend Jared, one of those ebullient kids who loves a laugh and a bit of banter but also has many an internal conflict, and Vivian Panka is great as the keen-to-be-noticed Alana, who allows power to get to her head.

Vivian PankaFor our performance, the role of Connor’s mother, Cynthia, was played by understudy Jessica Lim and she has a great voice and presence, and worked well with Richard Hurst’s Larry Murphy to show both the couple’s bickering and genuine suffering. Mr Hurst brought a very nicely understated fatherly love to the simple song To Break in a Glove. And Killian Thomas Lefevre is excellent as Connor, both as the bully and Evan’s conscience-pricker, singing and acting out all the inappropriate content of the emails that the mischievous Jared writes on his behalf.

Meal from hellIt’s not often that a touring production beats the original West End show, but this is one such occasion. It’s in Northampton until Saturday 18th January – although you’ll have to fight for a ticket – and then continues its UK tour right through to July. To coin a phrase, Dear Evan Hansen has finally been found.

Production photos by Marc Brenner

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – Spend, Spend, Spend, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 8th January 2025

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It’s only a few months short of twenty-five years since we saw the original West End production of Spend Spend Spend and were completely bowled over by it. So much so, that we even bought the cast CD at the Piccadilly Theatre – one of our better financial investments, as it was only ever sold at the theatre and nowhere else; have a check at what you can sell it for online and be amazed. When I discovered that a revival was due to be the Christmas show at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, I needed no second bidding to buy tickets.

The story of pools winner Viv Nicholson is the stuff of legend. Her rags to riches to rags life contains every drama under the sun. The struggle through poverty, followed by a lucky win in 1961 that made her and her husband Keith celebrities; fame and fortune that they couldn’t handle, and clearly were given insufficient good advice (or they chose to ignore it), which resulted in them basically drinking away everything they owned. Reckless living cost Keith’s life, which was followed by Viv enduring a string of unsuccessful relationships; but the one thing you can always say about Viv was that she was one of life’s survivors.

It’s invidious to compare productions, but sometimes it’s helpful to do so. The original production of the show not only featured a star cast (Barbara Dickson as the older Viv) but it had the benefit of choreography by Craig Revel Horwood and design by Lez Brotherston. It pulled no punches with its content, frequently making the audience uncomfortable with its portrayal of domestic violence and alcohol-induced abuse. Even in its first introductory scene, you could sense the contempt in which her community held Viv for having had it all and then lost it all – silly bitch, jeered her hair salon customers.

But Josh Seymour’s production, by contrast, is a sanitised, indeed rather cosy account of Nicholson’s life and loves. This may well be due to the tastes of the times, but the domestic violence is here very much played down, and rather than being backfooted by the contempt of her peers, this Viv is merely bored with their incessant curiosity. The only time that the contempt truly stings is in the excellent staging of the song/scene Garforth, where the well-to-do neighbourhood at first accepts their new celebrity incomers, but then turns against them as they reveal they have no class.

There’s another superb number, Drinking in America, which shows the Nicholsons, now unwelcome in both their original neighbourhood and in their posh adopted one, fleeing to the States, merely to spend their time there sozzled, wasting every opportunity they are given. The production could choose to show them absolutely obliterated by drink, and as examples of a true human tragedy; but rather it shows them in a too affectionate light, comfortably tipsy and happy to knock back the Cliquot rather than experiencing everything America has to offer.

Fortunately, the show is blessed with a knock-out title song that brings the first half to a close and sends everyone away humming it loudly in the foyer. When Viv was asked what she was going to do with the money, she said she was going to spend, spend, spend, and the song is a triumph of expressing that absolute exhilaration of the luckiest moment in your life, and the promise that from now on everything will be better than your wildest dreams. The dramatic irony that we know this is not how things turn out, but young Viv and Keith are ecstatic with delight, is a theatrical revelation that alone is worth buying a ticket to experience.

Rachel Leskovac made a splendid decision to take the role of Viv, having played Young Viv in the West End production, and having met the real Viv as part of the preparation for the show. Viv watches and narrates her own story, reacting with both humour and affection, and anger and criticism, at some of the slings and arrows that came her way. She makes a great double act with Rose Galbraith, playing Young Viv, who conveys all the character’s youthful enthusiasm and green judgement; and they sing superbly well together creating some amazing harmonies.

Alex James-Hatton plays Keith as a very likeable lad, Joe Alessi is a nicely whinging George, and there’s excellent support from the entire ensemble. The scene where the football results are acted out by a pair of soccer players is a true delight. And, although I would have liked the production to have a little more bite and edge to it, it’s still a powerful story with some great musical highlights and good all-round performances.

P. S. You’ll never believe this, I know, but with more than 2,700 performances seen over more than fifty-five years, this was my first visit to Manchester’s Royal Exchange. And what an incredible place it is! Beautiful, creative, welcoming, quirky and with a terrifically excited vibe pre-show, it will not be my last visit!

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!