Review – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra play Verdi Requiem, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 19th May 2024

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It’s always a grand occasion when the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra comes to Northampton – even more so for this concert, as they were performing alongside the formidable Northampton Bach Choir and members of the Daventry Choral Society. As a result, there was barely a seat to be found and the pre-concert vibe, in the foyers as well as in the auditorium, was truly buzzing.

Our conductor for the evening was Adrian Partington, whom we last saw conducting Sir Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man two years ago; Mr Partington obviously has a penchant for big punchy pieces of music, as well as a fondness for conducting the Northampton Bach Choir. As conductor of the BBC National Chorus of Wales for over twenty years, what he doesn’t know about conducting choirs isn’t worth knowing. It’s a familiar sight to see a conductor waving his arms around to get the best out of an orchestra, but it was also a joy to see Mr Partington keeping the choir on perfect track simply by enunciating the words towards them. It looked for all the world as though he was lost in his own silent disco.

Verdi’s Requiem constitutes a big beast of a classical night out – 83 minutes (but who’s counting) of passion, fire, attack, emotion – and a whole lot of sung Latin. Helping the RPO and the choirs to deliver this beauty were four fantastic soloists – Hye-Youn Lee (Soprano), Annabella-Vesela Ellis (Mezzo-soprano),Joseph Buckmaster (Tenor) and Ossian Huskinson (Bass-baritone). A forceful presence one and all, standing or seated either side of the conductor for the whole performance, rendering (to my ear at least) faultless vocals of purity and power.

The Requiem is noted for its tremendous Dies Irae, which was performed with dynamic strength and sensational musicality, trumpets a-blazing and the choirs at full pelt. It took your breath away.Other highlights included a perfect blend of soprano, mezzo and chorus for the Agnus Dei, and a particularly stunning finale led by Ms Lee in the Libera me section. The orchestra, led by Duncan Riddell, continually soared with their astounding playing, and the 83 minutes went by in an instant.

At my estimation, there were probably about 200 people on that stage, including the choirs, soloists and orchestra; that means that my £23 ticket bought the musical services of each of those people at a rate of about 8.5 pence for the evening. Amazing value! And it’s truly admirable that all those people were able to come together at the same time with the same purpose to produce such extraordinary music. A massive enterprise indeed, and one that was superbly successful.

Three new concerts with the RPO in Northampton have recently gone on sale; see you there in November for a Film Music Gala Night!

 

Review – The Comedy Crate and Castle Comedy present Comedy at the Abbey, Delapre Abbey, Northampton, 17th May 2024

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So here’s a new comedy initiative, courtesy of those nice people at the Comedy Crate (and I am sure nice people at Bedford’s Castle Comedy also), an impressive comedy line up under the sky in the beautiful grounds of Northampton’s Delapre Abbey. What could be finer than a warm blue sky gently twinkling its stars as comedy stars also twinkle on the stage? And even if there is the occasional raindrop or the odd attack by a plethora of flying bugs attracted by the lights, who cares?!

An abbey, you ask? Were we entertained by a group of Cistercian monks? Not quite. Our host for the evening was the bright and happy Paul Revill, whose main task it was to keep everything on track and get to know a few of the front row punters at the same time. No mean feat that, as the open-air aspect of the show meant there was naturally more of a distance between us and them. Nevertheless, Mr R did a great job and was slowly able to reveal that the audience was, in fact, a secret collective from Northampton Council, covering bins, resettlement housing, property maintenance… you name it, we covered it.

First up, and someone whom we haven’t seen live for nine years, was the splendid Zoe Lyons, a truly adroit performer who mines excellent laughs from recognisable mundane aspects of daily life. She has brilliant routines about living with a seventeen year old Jack Russell – you could almost smell the little devil from your seat from her descriptions – and what happens when a bunch of menopausal women go sea swimming in Brighton. She sets up an excellent rapport with the audience, was extremely funny throughout and was a perfect start to the night.

Next, and someone we’ve seen several times before, was Nathan Caton, a naturally funny guy who gives us a different slice of life as a newlywed still suffering from the costs of his extravagant wedding, and how he is (in his words) a mummy’s boy and soft as sh*t despite his height and imposing appearance. No friend of Gen-Z types, so it was fortunate there weren’t any in. He had the best joke of the night – involving his reasoning behind why he can no longer take porn seriously. He has a fluid, assured delivery and elicits some huge belly laughs. Always a pleasure to watch him at work.

Our headliner, and someone we last saw live fourteen years ago (yikes!) was Gary Delaney – a master of the one-liner and a comedy stage presence to die for. With him it’s a never ending stream of gem after gem, sometimes at a speed that takes your breath away. Mr D seemed to enjoy his set – appreciating how quickly we were getting the punchlines before he’d delivered them! He was thrown by two unexpected heckles: one from one of the aforementioned flying bugs that seemed to go for his jugular, and by an audience member pointing out the moon to his friend. I think it was the first time Mr D had been upstaged by a celestial being – but to be fair to the audience member, the moon was doing some really weird things that night! There aren’t many clean jokes in Gary Delaney’s repertoire – but there are some extremely filthy ones! And he kept us fully entertained long into the night. Great stuff!

A highly enjoyable evening – let’s hope they do it again sometime!

Review – The Sweet Science of Bruising, BA Acting Third Year Students at the University of Northampton, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 17th May 2024

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The second of this year’s Third Year Acting Students’ productions introduces us to Joy Wilkinson’s The Sweet Science of Bruising – in other words, women’s boxing. And whilst today we see it as a modern development in the sport, who knew that its roots went back to the nineteenth century? Championed by “The Professor” – Charlie Sharp, an early example of a boxing promoter, we find out about the four women who together shared the self-styled title of Lady Boxing Champion of the World.

At the heart of the play are four women from very different backgrounds who find strength and empowerment in the boxing ring. Their passion, skill, strength, and competitiveness enable them to assert themselves within a misogynistic society that refuses to allow them to be anything other than either demure ladies or providers of, shall we say, intimate services to gentlemen. They are surrounded by suffocating menfolk, stick-in-the-mud traditionalists or violent partners; and each finds their own achievement through their own struggle.

It’s a very thoughtful and intelligent play and provides some superb characters for the Third Year Students to lose themselves in. This play does not so much seek out the comedic talents of the performers but more their ability to inhabit truly dramatic and emotional roles. And they rise to this challenge terrifically. Many of them also need to acquire boxing skills! And the level of convincing stage combat in this production is excellent, from the movement of a punch to the sound of it hitting its target, to the flooring of its victim – it was all superbly done.

The characterisations of the four women are particularly impressive. Sophie Lawlor is spellbinding as the nurse Violet Hunter, both at home with her posher relatives at the theatre and working alongside her half-hearted doctor colleague (an entertaining performance from Roman Norman). The balance she needs to keep between healing people (as a nurse) and hurting people (as a pugilist) is very clearly and often agonisingly portrayed.

Millie Metcalfe gets all the attitude right in her portrayal of good time girl Matty, courting any stray gentlemen who might chance her way, such as the loathsome Gabriel (a remarkably strong villainous performance from Ben Lole) who is married to the ignored and abused Anna, played by Sadie Douglas with a mixture of upper class pleasantry and sheer determined guts as displayed in her guise as the boxer The Angel of Death.

The fourth woman is Polly Stokes, an outstanding performance from Sasha Wallett, full of energy and drive. Polly is a working class fighter in love with Paul; they box each other as a brother-and-sister outfit but she’s easily a match for him. They agree that marriage will not change anything but this doesn’t materialise; her skill in the ring does no good for Paul’s status or self-confidence, powerfully portrayed in another strong performance from Jorin Beaumont.

Linking the entire play together is a commanding performance from Richard Akindele as the Professor, creating a fully realised character out of what could otherwise be a plain narrator role. And there’s yet another great performance from Emma Luff in her two roles as Violet’s Aunt George, a rather severe elderly Victorian dowager, and Nancy, Anna’s maid, requiring two very different accents and characterisations, both perfectly expressed.

A very fine performance which held the audience’s attention superbly – a cliché I know, but at many times you could literally hear a pin drop. The overall acting standard is of a very high quality and you would not know this cast wasn’t fully professional. I enjoyed it tremendously – congratulations to all!

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows

Review – Nell Gwynn, BA Acting Third Year Students at the University of Northampton, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 16th May 2024

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Seizing my first opportunity to watch the skills of this year’s Third Year Acting Students at Northampton University, I settled down for the matinee of Jessica Swale’s Nell Gwynn in the Royal on Thursday afternoon. A challenging choice indeed, with comedy at the forefront even before the show starts, with the Gwynn sisters offering their oranges in the bar and in the aisles, and rowdy theatregoers cat-calling from the stalls. I had to make my way past one of these reprobates to get to my seat and they certainly helped to create that lawless Restoration vibe on which the play thrives.

It’s the story of the one and only Nell Gwynn, plucked from the shadows of wayward fruitmongering by the renowned actor Charles Hart to break the unwritten rules of the theatre at the time and become an actor (or indeed, as the show puts it, an actor-ess). Outrageous to think that a female could possibly portray a woman on stage; how on earth would they know how to go about it? But Nell is a big success, and catches the wandering eye of the King. Abandoning her family she lives the highlife, much to the annoyance of her fellow actors, taking the notion of a rehearsal as merely a serving suggestion. She becomes an influential figure at Court, but, because she is still essentially the commonest of commoners, is instantly a nobody again when King Charles pops his clogs. Nevertheless, she still has the last word.

With plenty of lively characters and a witty, anarchic script to relish, there is a lot here into which the Acting Students can get their teeth. Heading the cast is Charlotte Biseker as Nell Gwynn, and what a terrific stage presence she has! A powerful voice, and an excellent feel for the comedy, she gives a performance full of commitment and versatility, leading the cast in several musical numbers. As her sister Rose Gwynn, Rose George makes a strong contrast by mining all the seriousness of the story and attempting to keep a check on Nell’s flighty attitudes. She commands the audience’s attention throughout.

The King is played by George Pavey with rumbustious confidence and excellent presence – there is a hint of the James Corden about his style and that can only be A Good Thing. With a much quieter approach, but equally successful, is Henry Rutter as Hart, giving an intelligent and sincere performance. A small point: Mr R does have a tendency to talk through the laughter of the previous line; experience will solve that!

With three parts to grapple with, Tobias Bradley does an excellent job of giving us three distinctly different characterisations. His Edward Kynaston, the actor whose nose Nell puts fully out of joint, is a crowd pleaser full of over-the-top outrage; I wonder if perhaps a little less hysteria and a more stylised foppishness might give the performance more light and shade. Nevertheless, it’s a total tour-de-force.

Among the smaller roles, there’s another superb comedy performance from Kitty Jackson as Nancy, who shows superb comic ability through the character’s cheekiness and effervescence – she brightens up the stage whenever she appears. Harry Unwin gives a superb supporting performance as the long suffering Lord Arlington, very believable as he treads the delicate balance of sucking up to the King but also looking after affairs of state.

Alex Hayes has good stage presence as the director Killigrew, his patience wearing nicely thin whenever his troupe is difficult with him; Kate Dillingham gives good support as Ned and Nell’s justifiably cantankerous Ma; and, last but not least,Ines Dias gives an amusing portrayal of the uncertain and out-of-place playwright John Dryden.

Nell Gwynn is a good choice of play for this cast, its rowdy eccentricity requiring strong comedic skills tempered with a few scenes of genuinely emotional drama. The students acquitted themselves extremely well and I could certainly see how – with the right role at the right time – any number of them could go on to have a successful career in the theatre. Great work!

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – English, Royal Shakespeare Company at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, 15th May 2024

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Samuel Beckett first brought his play Fin de Partie to the Royal Court in London in 1957 performed in the original French. This was still during the era of stage censorship, but the Lord Chamberlain’s Office had no objection to this production. However, when it was translated into English as Endgame, for a repeat performance at the same theatre six months later, suddenly the censor perked up and objected to the description of God: “The bastard! He doesn’t exist!” on grounds of blasphemy. However, there was no objection to this line when the same blasphemous concept was expressed in French. Words are much stronger than thoughts or actions. Especially when they’re in English.

CastSanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize winning English proves that point superbly. Four Iranian students embark on a basic English course, guided by their kindly and supportive teacher Marjan. We see their initial struggles, coming to terms with the prospect of only speaking English in class, and not drifting into Farsi. All the lines in the play are actually spoken by the actors in English, so we can understand everything going on. When the language flows confidently and rapidly we know the characters are speaking in Farsi, where they feel comfortable; and when they start to speak in English, they adopt a stilted, faltering tone, loaded down with a heavy accent. It’s a very entertaining device, and once your brain has adapted to the trick, it works extremely well and is the source of much of the humour.

Teaching gamesWe see the characters’ building confidence – or waning, depending on how well they are progressing. We note the element of competitiveness between them, and how jealous the female students are of Omid, who already seems to be very good at English. It’s extremely funny to relate these struggles to any times we, the audience, might have tried to learn a foreign language. You realise that those feelings of utter stupidity, such as when trying to have a conversation about the ownership of a pencil, or bewilderment when you can’t keep up with the pace of conversation of a native speaker, are problems that all language students face, no matter where they’re from. It serves as a good leveller; it’s all very recognisable, and at times hysterical.

RoyaThe play questions the motivations behind all the characters. The oldest student, Roya, is learning English because she wants to be able to speak with her granddaughter, now living overseas. Others might need it for a visa application, or a job as a teaching assistant. The play also examines the need for honesty within a closed community. There are secrets – some are kept, some are betrayed; when it is discovered that one of the five characters in the play is not telling the truth as to why they are there, the shockwaves it sends through the group is very destructive.

MarjanWords can be used as a weapon, for division, or as a symbol of identity and belonging. Roya is annoyed that her Canadian granddaughter has been given a name she can barely pronounce; it’s just one symptom of how the older woman is being estranged from the rest of her younger family. Teacher Marjan talks of how she was called Mary when living in England because it was easier for the lazy locals to pronounce; she looks on this eccentricity with Anglophile affection, but Roya is offended at the way it belittles and disrespects Marjan’s Iranian heritage. This is not new; think of the Kapoors and the Rabindranaths in TV’s Goodness Gracious Me, obscuring their Indian backgrounds as they aspire to be recognised as the traditional English families, the Coopers and the Robinsons.

ClassSanaz Toossi’s fascinating play keeps you spellbound from the very start and is like one of those big flowers with masses of petals that you can keep stripping away at until you finally get to its well-hidden core beneath. Diyan Zora’s delicate and modest production gently reveals these layers as we get to know the characters – that is, to the extent that Ms Toossi will allow us. There’s no change of scenery; Anisha Fields’ simple set is all we need – some tables and chairs, and a TV and DVD to allow the students to watch Romcoms to perfect their language skills. Each short scene progresses through the five or six weeks of the course, the characters taking up different positions around the tables. You might think this would feel static; but Ms Zora’s clever direction makes us see the progress through language and character development rather than location.

Nadia AlbinaAll five actors give tremendous performances. Heading the cast is Nadia Albina as Marjan, the kind of teacher you would have enjoyed having at school, ready to praise you for the progress you have achieved, trying her best to make her limited resources go as far as possible. Like all teachers, she has her favourites; and when they inevitably let her down her frustration and hurt becomes subtly apparent. It’s an excellent and highly believable performance.

Sara HazemiSara Hazemi is terrific as the willing and sunny Goli, the youngest in the class and perhaps the nearest to being a “schoolchild” in her helpful attitude. Serena Manteghi is also superb as the more cynical Elham, prepared to work up to a point but also more at home when she’s in disruptive mode.

Nojan KhazaiI really enjoyed Lanna Joffrey as Roya, fully aware that her age makes her a fish out of water, trying to grapple with the basics of a foreign language that is beyond her capability, and trying even harder to hang on to her position within her family. And Nojan Khazai gives a quietly strong performance as the slightly mysterious Omid, who can always be relied on to speak with confidence and ability – even to the extent that he can correct the teacher.

Classroom anticsI came away from the play uncertain as to Omid’s motivations. He has a secret, that I won’t reveal, that makes you question his commitment to the course. It’s a loose end that isn’t tied up. But that’s life isn’t it – full of loose ends? The ending of the play also breaks the convention that had been established throughout the previous 89 minutes of the 90 minute production; the final two characters start talking Farsi (we assume it’s Farsi) to each other. As a result, it ends with a conversation that the audience doesn’t understand. Are they just saying “Goodbye, it’s been nice knowing you”? Are they saying, “I hated every minute of this rotten English course”? Are they concealing another secret about the relationships in or the purpose of the classroom? It’s simply a moment of privacy between two people, so we’ll never know. Just like the first British audiences of Becket’s Fin de Partie, who didn’t know that they were hearing highly censorable blasphemy, it all just goes over our heads as an indistinguishable sound. Language is possibly man’s most powerful tool; and English provides a very intriguing and thought-provoking contribution to the discussion.

The show runs at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon until 1st June and then transfers to London’s Kiln Theatre from 5 – 29 June.

Production photos by Richard Davenport

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – Grease, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 14th May 2024

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I’ll be honest with you, gentle reader; the last time we saw Grease in 2012 we were impressed by the production but absolutely hated the story, and I was genuinely apprehensive about revisiting the show. Maybe a lot has happened over the last twelve years; or maybe Nikolai Foster’s touring production simply hits the nail on the head in every single department. Either way, this Grease is a total stunner.

Danny and SandyI don’t need to remind you of the story. Danny and Sandy met on their summer vacation and had a bit of thing. However, when they discover they’ve both ended up at Rydell High School, Danny realises Sandy will cramp his style and drops her; and Sandy’s innocent personality doesn’t fit in well with the other girls. But will she end up being the one that he wants? Do musicals like this always end up happy ever after?

Pink LadiesWhilst Danny and Sandy are the dish of the day, there are many other side salads to enjoy, like the growing relationship of Roger and Jen, the on-off couple Kenickie and Rizzo, the adventures of Frenchy the wannabe beautician, the jockeying for position within both the boys’ and the girls’ gangs, and, of course, the dance competition. Frankly, the plot is fairly thin but is fleshed out with a variety of strong characters and big musical numbers.

Dance offAnd this is where this production completely excels. The whole presentation is superb. Colin Richmond’s set and costumes, Ben Cracknell’s lighting and Tom Marshall and Richard Brooker’s sound design all work miracles, and this is without doubt one of the best looking and sounding musicals I’ve ever seen on the Derngate stage. The clarity of amplification is spot on – so often in other productions it can be too loud or distorted, but this is 100% perfect. Arlene Phillips’ choreography is vivacious and joyful, an excellent mix of 50s/60s styles with contemporary musical theatre. And Charlie Ingles’ eight person band behind the scenes does a brilliant job of capturing all the excitement and emotion of the iconic songs, both from the original stage show and the later successful film.

Burger Palace boysBut I think the true excellence of this production stems from Nikolai Foster’s vision for the show. Many of the excesses that dogged the previous production – overtly sexual dance routines, the characterisation of Sandy as a victim, the whole notion of the Teen Angel being an unnecessary star turn – have been pared away. This production has gone back more to the 1971 original; some of songs have been dropped, others reintroduced, and the order in which they appear has been slightly reshuffled. As such, it feels like you’re watching something completely new – even though you’re still going to get your full quotient of all the songs that everyone knows and loves.

SandyThe production also manages – somehow – to steer our attention away from its essential misogyny and other sleazy aspects and concentrate on the vulnerability and development of the characters. The bad-boy/bad-girl nature of the Burger Palace Boys and the Pink Ladies is downplayed. This makes them more nuanced and – as a result – more likeable. Although there’s no sense of childishness about the show, you still get the feeling that these kids are exactly that – kids, not young adults on the verge of a life of disappointment but hopeful hearts with all their dreams still intact.

DannyTo crown it all, Nikolai Foster has created an amazing ensemble who deliver uniformly wonderful performances throughout the show. You’re going to have to look to the finest West End or Broadway casts to find a comparable ability to sing and dance at this level without the suggestion of the tiniest weakest link anywhere. In fact, two of the understudies, Imogen Malone as Betty Rizzo and Sergi Ibanez as Roger, were on duty last night and gave sensational performances. Ms Malone’s song There Are Worse Things I Could Do, combined with her brilliant stand-up row with Sandy were definite highlights of the show, and Mr Ibanez exuded sincerity and charisma as his character Roger gained the confidence to ask Jan (a delightfully endearing performance by Emerald B) to the dance.

Danny and SandyHeading the cast are two big stars in the waiting. Marley Fenton is a very engaging Danny, naturally living up to the character’s top-dog status, with a strong stage presence; he’s an extraordinary song-and-dance man of the future. Similarly, Hope Dawe is outstanding as Sandy, steering the character away from the Goody-Two-Shoes aspect of her personality, but portraying someone who is as positive about who they are as any of her contemporaries. Her truly sensational rendition of Hopelessly Devoted to You is the stand-out moment of the show; not, as it can be, a declaration of useless victimhood and self-obliteration, but a mature acceptance of the way things are. Both Mr Fenton’s and Ms Dawe’s voices are fantastic throughout and their harmonies are sublime.

CastBut all the performances throughout are pitch perfect; every single member of the cast pulls it out of the bag and makes it a night to remember. I had every expectation of sitting grumpily through this show; instead, I was beaming from ear to ear and was among the first to be on my feet at the end. The tour still has an extensive run through the summer; once it leaves Northampton, it goes on to Ipswich, Liverpool, Norwich, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Birmingham, Truro, Bradford, Milton Keynes, Eastbourne, Blackpool, Nottingham, Cardiff, Canterbury, Bristol, Oxford, Dartford, Manchester, High Wycombe, Southampton, Southend and finally ending up at the Lyceum in Sheffield in November. Catch it if you can!

Production photos by Marc Brenner

Five Alive Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – The House Party, Minerva Theatre, Chichester, 4th May 2024 (Preview)

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Strindberg’s Miss Julie was first staged in 1889, and has always been a source of fresh theatrical material, crying out for new directors to have a stab at it, to keep it relevant and contemporary, and to play around with it to get something new out of it. In fact, it was only ten years ago that a new version by Rebecca Lenkiewicz was produced on the very same Minerva stage, preserving the structure and roles of the original play but with 21st century bite.

Now it’s Laura Lomas’ turn, with her version of the play now called The House Party, co-produced with two of the best production companies around, Headlong and Frantic Assembly, and directed by Holly Race Roughan with her usual feel for a quirky twist. Set in her father’s kitchen, Julie’s wishes dominate all domestic proceedings, including the house party that’s arranged for later that day – hence the title of the play. She’s besties with Christina, who has an interview at Cambridge University in the morning; her beloved and trusted boyfriend Jon is going to drive her there.

Christina and Jon have a good thing going, but Julie is never one to miss a chance to stir things, and when Jon confesses to Julie that he used to fancy her five years earlier when his mum used to come and clean for her dad, she doesn’t dissuade him from – if I may be so crude, gentle reader, thinking with his d*ck. Successfully having ruined the fairytale dreams of her friend, the usual Miss Julie tragic consequences ensue, with heartache, broken trust, livid arguments and a suicide attempt.

Unlike the original, Ms Lomas’ version bookends the classic one-act structure of the play with two extra scenes. In the first, we see Julie and Christina gearing up for the party, a pair of giggling girls preparing to have fun. This allows us to see deeper into the characters and assess for ourselves the extent of their friendship and the risks that either of them might be prepared to take in order to get their own way. The final scene offers us what you might consider to be an alternative ending to the traditional play, but to save the impact that the writer wants it to achieve, I’m not going to say any more about it – don’t want to spoil any surprises for you.

Loren Elstein’s set design is impressive; the stage is dominated by a superb, sleek, top-of-the-range kitchen island that includes concealed wine fridge, dishwasher, cupboards and so on. It emphasises beautifully just how rich Julie’s dad must be to have an enviable kitchen like this; all the best equipment, and a worktop to die for. Upstairs is a bathroom, all modern opaque window wall, like an ensuite in the finest Oberoi hotel bedroom. A statement-making lamp hovers over the plush white sofa (White? What were they thinking?!) and that’s all that’s necessary to suggest this ultra-privileged, ultra-modern lifestyle.

One of my favourite mantras about theatre is that I would prefer to see a brave failure more than a lazy success. It’s very subjective as to what constitutes both failure and success in those terms; there’s absolutely nothing lazy about this production at all, but it doesn’t work 100%. It is, however, very brave in its concept, and despite its failures (I think there are a couple) it’s extremely enjoyable and watchable. Here’s the first problem: this production has a gimmick, which is that audience members form part of the house party guests. Once the prologue is finished and the party gets underway these audience members emerge from behind a darkened screen where they have been watching and waiting like an eerie ghostly presence, filing out into a selection of sofas, seats, chairs and benches.

I must be honest; the on-stage seats look incredibly uncomfortable, as did the poor members of the public as they blundered about the stage trying to find spare seats. It’s a risky undertaking by the production to stage it this way; you fully rely on these audience members to play ball and behave. Bizarrely, it makes zero difference to how we appreciate the play anyway. The only effect it has is to raise a small accidental laugh when audience members have to budge up on the big sofa whilst actors try to squeeze themselves into whatever gap has appeared between them.

Admittedly, in Strindberg’s original, there is a ball taking place off-stage but it rarely intrudes upon the meat of the story. In this production, however, the party takes centre stage, with dynamic dancing and music and light effects, and the constant presence of the audience members who are party hangers-on reminds us all the way through of the fun and games that is happening elsewhere. But the whole notion of the party is completely irrelevant to the story and the dramas that emerge between the three main characters. The final scene, which constitutes a twenty-minute second act, causes those audience members to feel even more surplus to requirement; that party has long finished. Structuring the production on the party is frankly pointless, and although the party dancing is admirably and acrobatically performed, it has no place in the show at all. It’s just a distraction.

The second failure is the fact that the final scene exists at all. In the programme, Laura Lomas states that she wanted it to express her wish that the play shouldn’t “be making a judgment about what kind of life is a life worth living”. One of the strengths of Strindberg’s play is that the final outcome of what we’ve witnessed is left to the audience’s imagination; it’s a deliciously inconclusive ending. The final scene of The House Party, however, eliminates all possibility of doubt and recounts exactly what happened. There’s no room for any I wonder ifs at the end of this show. It is brave; it is bold. But I wish they hadn’t done it.

In the programme Laura Lomas also says she wants the play to remove some of Strindberg’s misogyny that’s inherent in the original. Does it succeed? There’s no doubt that Lomas’ Jon is much less ruthless in his dealings with Julie than Strindberg’s Jean. However, at the end of the day, Jon is still triumphant, getting everything he wants. Julie comes across as much more manipulative than Jon, who’s just led by the horns to do what she wants. Christina remains an under-achiever, accepting a lower position in life than she merits.

The show we saw was only its second preview, but I can’t imagine that the three central performances are going to get any better. This is not the first time I’ve seen the excellent Rachelle Diedericks work with Holly Race Roughan and they clearly have a brilliant understanding of each other. Ms Diedericks is spellbinding as the put-upon Christina, pussyfooting around the subject of Cambridge because it will mean she can’t go with Julie to Thailand, even though Julie puts a lot of pressure on her to cave in. When it’s revealed that Jon has been unfaithful and had sex with Julie, Ms D’s devastation at the news and the realisation that everything she held dearest has been destroyed is tangible. Simply brilliant.

Nadia Parkes is also superb as Julie; exuding power and privilege, you really feel she’s deliberately courting lowlier types with her relationships with both Christina and Jon. Flighty, self-absorbed and loving to lead people astray, she also conveys that wafer-thin balance between self-confidence and mental illness; the kind of person who is both entertaining and terrifying to know.

Josh Finan is terrific as Jon; an equal partner for Christina, and a bit of rough for Julie, displaying the strong class difference that attracts them both to each other. Mr Finan has a marvellous sincerity that makes you believe unquestioningly everything he says, as though Jon were an open book with no hidden agenda.  Holly Race Roughan’s direction is tight and intimate despite the large acting area at her disposal, which is successfully sacrificed in the final scene to give an impression of cramped claustrophobia.

It’s a strong production with much to say which benefits from three stupendous performances. Despite any misgivings about the changes made to Strindberg’s original, it’s hugely entertaining and cleverly realised. Don’t buy the on-stage seats though.

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – The Other Boleyn Girl, Festival Theatre, Chichester, 4th May 2024

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It’s to my shame, gentle reader, that I never even knew there was another Boleyn girl. For someone who ought to have a love of history, I blame bad teachers. And, if I’m honest, being a history-hating kid. Too late to do anything about it now, sigh. Mike Poulton’s new play, based on Philippa Gregory’s best selling romantic novel, is my new gospel on the subject and I am sure it’s one hundred percent historically accurate. I trust.

Mary is the other Boleyn girl in question, used by Henry VIII for some diverting rumpy-pumpy whilst Catherine of Aragon was giving him dark looks. No surprise that Mary had a son by him whilst Catherine was “determined” not to conceive – how simple that period of history could have been if only the young lad had been born legitimate; but no, Henry had to keep banging away, literally, until a legal son and heir would be born. As history recounts, it was, in modern parlance, a big ask. Anne, Mary and their brother George were a trifle unorthodox in their relationships, with the very first scene of the play strongly hinting that they were equally at ease with each other’s bodies; yes, incest does raise its ugly head in this story. So do their hideously ambitious mother Lady Elizabeth and their cruelly manipulative uncle, the Duke of Norfolk. Two very ugly heads.

This is a court where, like Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy, nice guys get washed away like the snow and the rain. Mary’s husband William Carey has to watch powerless whilst his wife is regularly summoned to the king’s bedchamber and there’s nothing either of them can do about it. Harry Percy secretly marries Anne Boleyn only to be subsequently “cancelled” and “ghosted”. Only William Stafford is sufficiently lowly of status to keep his head below the radar and end up happily married to Mary for as long as God allowed – which sadly for them wasn’t that long.

Mike Poulton’s adaptation tells a story that brings together many plots, relationships, deceptions, manipulations and a lot of highly unpleasant people with enormous clarity and simplicity. This is not meant to be uncomplimentary, but it felt to me like each scene was an episode in a rather classy soap opera, keeping us hanging on with interest until the next part of the tale would be unfolded. Lucy Bailey directs with appropriate stateliness and brings out a lovely juxtaposition between the formality and privilege of the setting and the common ruthlessness of status and ambition, which only the strongest (and luckiest) survive.

Joanna Parker’s set is austere and foreboding, super-simple in having a few rooms and hiding places at the back in a suggestion of rooms and corridors that we never see – all the machinations at court and elsewhere are played out in the useful open space that dominates the front of the stage. Orlando Gough has composed a few stately dances where backhanded comments can be shared and devious plots hatched. The costumes are classy but darkly severe; even Henry VIII’s outfit is elegant but subdued.

The performances are of an impeccably high standard, with Lucy Phelps giving us a Mary Boleyn with whom we can all identify; juggling her life as enforced Royal whore with trying to do her best to protect her children, being a good wife and fully grappling with the needs of running a farm. Freya Mevor is excellent as Anne Boleyn, ambitious from the start, always with an additional touch of arrogant haughtiness that her siblings lack, but as much a victim as anyone else who came into the orbit of the Court.There’s a terrific scene where Anne demands official recognition of her status from Mary, constantly requiring her to call her Your Grace, which Mary steadfastly refuses to do. Sisters, eh, what are they like? Another Anne highlight is her daring to dominate King Henry by refusing his advances and even physically rejecting him, knowing full well that he will bow to her will – temporarily at least. It was as near to an if you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it moment as you could find in Tudor times. Gripping drama – but with the benefit of dramatic irony, it had the whole audience muttering to themselves oh, she’s going to come to regret this.

James Corrigan makes up the sibling throuple as George; it’s an excellent portrayal of a character who is only ever a supporting cast member, trying to do the right thing for the Tudor dynasty whilst still maintaining his own value and position, hiding his male lover Francis in plain sight whilst saddled with marriage to the ghastly lady-in-waiting Jane Parker (Lily Nichol brandishing very nicely underplayed mischief in the role). Alex Kingston and Andrew Woodall are terrific as Lady Elizabeth and Norfolk, the mother and uncle from Hell, prepared to sacrifice the younger Boleyns’ happiness, health and even necks for the sake of the surname.

Kemi-Bo Jacobs is superb as the dignified and tragic Catherine of Aragon, playing the game that she knows she has to play, and also as the money-grabbing midwife who does her job with brutal callousness. And Oscar Batterham delivers an appealing portrayal of the practical and loyal Stafford; one of those rare characters in and around the Court who simply falls in love, says so, and acts like he does.

At just short of three hours, you’d think this show might drag a little but it never does. There’s always a new plot twist or characterisation to appreciate that keeps our attention throughout; and the simplicity of the storytelling really helps our enjoyment of the play. It continues at the Festival theatre until 11th May and it’s well worth a trip to the South Coast to enjoy it!

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – Screaming Blue Murder, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 2nd May 2024

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In the last of the Screaming Blue Murders to be held in the Royal theatre (for a while at least), our indefatigable MC Dan Evans held court as usual over a grateful Northampton audience, getting to know those foolish enough to book Rows A or B. This included the Abington nurse who was out for a good time no matter what, the threateningly tattooed Liam and the splendidly named Harrison who described himself as a “stay-at-home son” – good line, that. We also discovered from the man sat directly in front of me that a pair of ordinary Cheaney shoes will start at around £400. Of course we talked shoes. This is Northampton!

First up, and someone we’ve seen twice before, it was the unpredictable silliness of Paul F Taylor, a naturally funny guy who treads a fine line between the surreal and the stupid; a tactic which can pay off fantastically well sometimes, but occasionally might miss the mark. He gave us his excellent routine about how one of our hands is a reliable type and the other is a useless hanger-on; and I really loved his imagining of how dogs got the worst end of being domesticated pets in comparison to cats, and it’s all down to the expert legal team the cats hired. An unexpected heckle sent him slightly off course, but he ended up with an intricate mime routine which at times I found too difficult to follow, and at others all too easy; you had to see it to believe it. A truly inventive comedy brain, it didn’t entirely go to plan but the bits that did, were brilliant.

Next, and in a change to the scheduled line-up, came Kate Lucas, blessed with a voice that’s all sweetness and light, with a guitar that she’s not afraid to use. We’ve also seen Kate twice before and she never fails to mine good belly laughs from her unexpectedly savage lyrics delivered to gentle folky tunes. It’s amazing quite how bitter and vengeful a tone you can adopt whilst playing what is essentially a lullaby. I remembered a couple of these songs from her previous visits to Northampton – including when she was Tez Ilyas’ support act – but if you haven’t seen her before she’s an absolute treat.

Our headliner, and new to us, was Darius Davies; a confident, edgy performer full of attack and presence, and not afraid to stir some hornets’ nests on stage. Intelligence and a quick wit such as Mr D possesses usually put an audience at ease in the knowledge that they’re going to have a good time. But Mr D challenges us with tricky routines, like getting us all to call out Allahu Akbar, or referring to a section of the audience as autistic; boldly tackling racism and prejudice where angels fear to tread. More than once he really took us out of our comfort zone, and rather like Mr Taylor at the beginning of the evening, some of his material landed on fertile soil and some on stony ground. But he has a very winning way about him and commands great interaction with the audience. Maybe the formal setting of the Royal Theatre isn’t quite the right environment for his act; but it was very enjoyable nonetheless.

Next show is on June 16th in the luxurious surroundings of Screen 2 of the Filmhouse; and a sensational line-up is promised! There’s still time to bag some excellent seats, so don’t delay!

Review – The Buddha of Suburbia, Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 30th April 2024

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“Buddha of Suburbia?” I hear you ask. “Wasn’t that the TV series in the 1990s that was full of sex? Disgusting, I tell you.” I didn’t see the programme, so I can’t vouch for its content, and nor – unlike most of the rest of the world – have I read Hanif Kureishi’s best-selling book. But I have seen Emma Rice’s production of the RSC/Wise Children co-production of Rice and Kureishi’s own stage adaptation, on at the Swan Theatre until 1st June, and believe me, it’s the best thing since sliced chapatis.

Disco timeKarim greets the audience and welcomes us back into the England of May 1979. Ah yes, I remember it well… the winter of discontent, National Front members roaming the streets, and the upcoming electoral victory of a grocer’s daughter from Grantham. Happy days. If that wasn’t nostalgic enough, we then go back to 1976, to visit the domestic bliss of 17-year-old Karim’s homelife; his yoga-loving father Haroon, his dowdy mum Margaret, his cheeky auntie Jeeta, his grumpy uncle Anwar, his bestie Jamila, and the love of his life, Charlie.

ProtestOver the next three hours or so, we witness Karim’s journey to adulthood, through sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll; or, rather, fabulous trashy 70s disco which is even better. Relationships, his first acting job, and what the young people of today call adulting – it’s all there. It reminded me a little of the picaresque escapades of Nicholas Nickleby – only without the sex. It isn’t a journey without its problems; mind you, who’s is? For a young man who appears to think a lot, Karim makes a few reckless decisions, leaving others hurt in his wake. But he achieves an enviable personal sense of being at ease with everything that life can chuck at him; lucky lad.

SetIt’s very rarely that every single aspect of a production comes together so stonkingly well. The script is affectionate, insightful, bouncing with comic observations and stunning use of language. Rachana Jadhav’s intricate, compact and yet hugely versatile set manages to convey living rooms, bedrooms, gardens, shops… you name it, it conveys it. Vicki Mortimer’s outstanding costume design picks up all the delightful eccentricities of the 1970s: flares, gaudy colours, cowboy jackets, tunics, and above all, the primary coloured Jockey Y-Fronts that were all the rage. The show is accompanied by a superbly chosen range of music of the era, and choreographer Etta Murfitt has gone to town recreating those marvellously silly dance routines we used to do back in the day. Even elements such as Kev McCurdy’s fight direction and the superbly convincing range of accents are top-notch, as Changez might say.

MatthewEmma Rice’s direction brings out so many superb individual performances and the show is peppered with hilarious and telling moments that say so much about a character or a situation with fleeting wordless eloquence; such as the casual flicking out of belly-button fluff or the subtlest of knowing glances. There’s also the most inventive use of fruit ever seen on a stage; be warned!

KarimEvery single member of the cast pulls a brilliant performance out of their respective hats. It all starts and ends with Dee Ahluwalia’s captivating Karim, a character who instantly wins you over with his honesty, approachability and charisma, and provides an unbreakable link with us over the whole three hours. It’s an astonishing central performance that’s a major step on the way to making him a star.

YogaAnkur Bahl is also fantastic as his father Haroon, essentially a weak and conceited people-pleaser who spends more time attending to his own needs than anyone else’s; he’s an excellent yogi too! He makes a terrific contrast with Bettrys Jones’ brilliant vision of dowdiness, Margaret, a mass of unkempt hair and suppressed artistic talent. Ms Jones is also excellent as Eleanor, with whom Karim has his first proper relationship; she’s on her own journey that does not necessarily include him.

ChangezNatasha Jayetileke gives a strong performance as the unruly free spirit that is Jamila, beautifully ill-matched with Raj Bajaj’s innocent-abroad Changez whom her family have chosen for her to marry. Mr Bajaj provides some of the best laughs but also some truly moving moments as he accepts he’s never going to get everything he wants. Rina Fatania delivers stunning performances in all her roles – Auntie Jeetathe irrepressible Auntie Jeeta, the deliciously lascivious Marlene and the politically correct actor Tracey. Ewan Wardrop gives a sensational performance as the pompous and pretentious director Matthew Pyke – with possibly the best line in the show, addressed to an audience member.

Charlie and KarimLucy Thackeray shines as Haroon’s sophisticated second love interest Eva, and Simon Rivers portrays Anwar’s cantankerous and spoilt inner child to perfection. And Tommy Belshaw takes your breath away as he conveys Charlie’s rise as a super-confident and charismaticEnsemble young man, followed by his subsequent fall as a dashed and destroyed dependent, wasting away before our eyes.

JamilaNot one weak spot in the production; and not one thing I wish they’d done differently. Emma Rice always makes you think and surprises you with unexpected tweaks and quirks, but here she has truly excelled herself. Incredible characterisations, superb performances, brilliant direction; a production to relish.

 

 

Production photos by Steve Tanner

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