Review of the Year 2025 – The Fifteenth Annual Chrisparkle Awards

Posted on January 18, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Greetings again, gentle reader, to the glamorous showbiz highlight of the year, the announcement of the annual Chrisparkle Awards for 2025. Slightly fewer shows seen this year – 230, twenty-four down on last year’s 254 productions; I hope that’s not a sign that I’m slowing down! Eligibility for the awards means a) they were performed in the UK and b) I have to have seen the shows and reviewed them in the period 5th January 2025 to 4th January 2026. Are you all sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin!

The first award is for Best Dance Production (Contemporary and Classical)

This includes dance seen at the Edinburgh Fringe, which is just as well, as I only saw two dance productions this year, and they are:

In 2nd place, Matthew Bourne’s charming but undemanding The Midnight Bell, at the Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton, in July.

In 1st place, Saeed Hani’s challenging and emotional Inlet, performed by Hani Dance at Dance Base, Edinburgh, in August.

Classical Music Concert of the Year.

Again we only saw two classical concerts this year, both by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal and Derngate in Northampton. The award for the best goes to their Valentine’s Day Gala in February.

Best Entertainment Show of the Year.

This means anything that doesn’t fall into any other categories – for example pantos, circuses, revues and anything else hard to classify. Here are the top three:

In 3rd place, our local pantomime, The All New Adventures of Peter Pan at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in December.

In 2nd place, the spectacular extravaganza that is Sleeping Beauty at the London Palladium in December.

In 1st place, the home of great panto, Aladdin at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, in January 2026.

Best Star Standup of the Year.

Only four eligible shows this year, so here are the top three performances by Star Standups in 2025:

In 3rd place, Eshaan Akbar in his I Can’t Get No Satisfakshaan show at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton in February.

In 2nd place, Kae Kurd in his What’s O’Kurd show at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton in October.

In 1st place, Dara O’Briain in his Re: Creation show at the Corn Exchange, Bedford in April.

Best Comedy Crate/Screaming Blue Murder Standup of the Year

It just so happens that all the top five were from Comedy Crate shows!

In 5th place, Jordan Gray (at the Charles Bradlaugh in February)

In 4th place, Charlie Baker (Edinburgh Preview Weekender in July)

In 3rd place, Hal Cruttenden (at the Charles Bradlaugh in January and at the Edinburgh Preview Weekender in July)

In 2nd place, Mike Rice (at the Charles Bradlaugh in May)

In 1st place, Thor Stenhaug (Edinburgh Preview Weekender in July)

Best Musical

I only saw nine musicals this year, and here’s the top five:

In 5th place, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in May.

In 4th place, The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum, in April.

In 3rd place, the post-West End touring production of Dear Evan Hansen at Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton, in January.

In 2nd place, a curiosity-driven revisit to see Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre, London, in February.

In 1st place, Evita, at the London Palladium, in July.

Best New Play

Just to clarify, this is my definition of a new play, which is something that’s new to me and to most of its audience – so it might have been around before but on its first UK tour, or a new adaptation of a work originally in another format. We saw seventeen new plays this year, and I awarded five stars to five of them; it therefore follows that they are the top five!

In 5th place, Mischief Theatre’s The Comedy About Spies, at the Noel Coward Theatre, London, in May.

In 4th place, Tom Wells’ adaptation for the RSC of Roald Dahl’s The BFG, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December.

In 3rd place, Karim Khan’s inventive and insightful Before the Millennium, at the Old Fire Station, Oxford, in December.

In 2nd place, James Ijames’ delightful reworking of Hamlet, Fat Ham for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in August.

In 1st place, James Graham’s outstanding Punch at the Young Vic, London, in April.

Best Revival of a Play

I saw twenty-four revivals, with six receiving five stars from me; here are the top five:

In 5th place, the RSC’s two-part production of Galsworthy’s Forsyte Saga, adapted by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December.

In 4th place, the RSC’s brave and thrilling production of Marlowe’s Edward II, at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in March.

In 3rd place, Ivo van Hove’s riveting production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, in December.

In 2nd place, the RSC’s superbly imaginative production of Hamlet, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in February.

In 1st place, James Graham’s extraordinary exploration of England – both the team and the country – in Dear England, for the National Theatre at the Olivier Theatre, London, in April.

As always, in the post-Christmas season, it’s time to consider the turkey of the year – and it’s a toss-up between the six productions to whom I only gave two stars; but the one I feel failed to deliver when it had the most potential to succeed was Unicorn at the Garrick Theatre, London, in March.

Now we come on to our four categories specifically for the Edinburgh Fringe. The first is:

Best play or musical – Edinburgh

We saw 106 productions of plays and musicals in Edinburgh this year, 18 of them got 5* from me, and here are the top 5:

In 5th place, Louisa Marshall’s savage and innovative exploration of weaponised incompetence, Clean Slate (Summerhall)

In 4th place, Dylan Kaueper and Will Grice’s wickedly inventive examination of childhood friendship, Cody and Beau (The Space on the Mile)

In 3rd place, Tony Norman’s beautiful musical about the Van Gogh brothers, Vagabond Skies (Gilded Balloon at the Museum)

In 2nd place, Priyanka Shetty’s shattering reconstruction of the rise of the Alt Right, #CHARLOTTESVILLE (Pleasance Courtyard)

In 1st place, creating satire where you might think it’s beyond satire, Miss Brexit (Underbelly Bristo Square)

Best Individual Performance in a Play or Musical – Edinburgh

As always, an impossible choice, and it’s as close as close can be. Nevertheless, here are the top five (and yes I am cheating for 5^th place):

In 5th place, Dylan Kaueper and Will Grice for Cody and Beau (The Space on the Mile)

In 4th place, Priyanka Shetty for #CHARLOTTESVILLE (Pleasance Courtyard)

In 3rd place, Louisa Marshall for Clean Slate (Summerhall)

In 2nd place, Quaz Degraft for In The Black (The Space at Surgeons’ Hall)

In 1st place, Christoffer Hvidberg Ronje for The Insider (Pleasance Dome)

Best Comedy Performance – Edinburgh

We saw forty-one comedy shows this year, of which eight received 5* from me, and here are my top five:

In 5th place, Matt Forde: Defying Calamity (Pleasance Courtyard)

In 4th place, Sam Lake: You’re Joking, Not Another One! (Monkey Barrel at the Tron)

In 3rd place, Robin Grainger: People Pleaser (The Stand Comedy Club 4)

In 2nd place, Tom Stade: Naughty by Nature (The Stand Comedy Club 1)

In 1st place, Casey Filips as the impossible Tobias Finlay-Fraser in Virtuoso (Assembly George Square)

Best of the rest – Edinburgh

From a shortlist of seven, here are my top five:

In 5th place, mixing a real live date with comedy improvisation, Looking for Laughs (Gilded Balloon Patter House)

In 4th place, the irrepressible Accordion Ryan with his Pop Bangers (Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower)

In 3rd place, Broadway’s Laura Benanti in Nobody Cares (Underbelly Bristo Square)

In 2nd place, Chase Brantley’s truly hilarious Don Toberman: Ping Pong Champ (Pleasance Courtyard)

In 1st place, a star is born: Arthur Hull’s FLOP: The Best Songs from the Worst Musicals Ever Written (Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower)

Three shows received a dreaded One Star review from me: and for me the Edinburgh turkey of the year was The Fiascoholics’ 4’s a Crowd, which contained just too much of everything it didn’t need.

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Musical

Time to get personal. Here’s the top five:

In 5th place, Alice Fearn as Heidi in Dear Evan Hansen at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton in January.

In 4th place, Lucie Jones as Fantine in Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre, London, in February.

In 3rd place, Sharon Rose as Garage Girl and Kate in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in May.

In 2nd place, Frances Mayli McCann as Daisy in The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum, in April.

In 1st place, Rachel Zegler as Evita in Evita at the London Palladium in July.

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Musical

Here’s the top five:

In 5th place, Corbin Bleu as Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum, in April.

In 4th place, Luke Kempner as Thenardier in Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre, London, in February.

In 3rd place, Ian McIntosh as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre, London, in February.

In 2nd place, Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che in Evita at the London Palladium, in July.

In 1st place, Jamie Muscato as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum, in April.

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Play

Nineteen in the longlist, and ten in the shortlist, and here’s the top five:

In 5th place, Freema Ageyman as Beatrice in the RSC’s Much Ado About Nothing, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in April.

In 4th place, Gina McKee as Annie in The Years, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London, in April.

In 3rd place, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Kate in All My Sons, at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, in December.

In 2nd place, Beverley Knight as Rosetta in Marie and Rosetta, at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in July.

In 1st place, Tuppence Middleton as Annie in The Years, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London, in April.

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Play

Twenty-three in the longlist and nine in the shortlist, each of whom could easily deserve the award, However, here is the top five:

In 5th place, Daniel Evans as Edward II in the RSC’s Edward II, at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in March.

In 4th place, Jonathan Bailey as Richard II in Richard II, at the Bridge Theatre, London, in February.

In 3rd place, Olise Odele as Juicy in the RSC’s Fat Ham, at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in August.

In 2nd place, Joseph Millson as Soames in the RSC’s Forsyte Saga, at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December.

In 1st place, David Shields as Jacob in Punch, at the Young Vic, London, in April.

Congratulations to the winners – special mention this year for James Graham whose Punch and Dear England feature so highly – commiserations to the losers and thanks for your company again throughout the year, gentle reader. Here’s to another year full of artistic excellence!

Review – A Christmas Carol, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, 3rd January 2026

Posted on January 16, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Ever the businessman, I reckon Charles Dickens today would be pretty satisfied with how his Christmas Carol franchise was performing, 183 years since it was first published. From Alastair Sim to the Muppets, from the musical Scrooge to the regular Old Vic production, old Ebenezer and those ghosts are never going to go away. One of the most influential books ever written, its legacy truly lives on. And now, Aisha Khan has adapted it with a unique Sheffield twist for the Crucible stage.

In this production, Jack – a kind of Artful Dodger, briskly played by Mel Lowe – tells three young scallywags about Scrooge’s extraordinary tale, creating a distancing framework and a setting for the story. Once the story starts to unfold, it’s told in a very traditional and straightforward manner, with the revelations of Scrooge’s humble beginnings and how he threw away his chance of happiness with Belle, how he mistreated his kindly boss Mr Fezziwig, and his encounters with those oh so important ghosts.

As an aficionado, rather than a native, of Sheffield, I wasn’t aware of the area’s carol tradition. Dickens saw his story of the redemption of Scrooge as the embodiment of a carol, hence his choice of title. What could be more relevant, then, to incorporate the local tradition of carols into this show? Every year come November, local pubs ring out with the informal singing of songs like Six Jolly Miners, Hail Smiling Morn or Sweet Chiming Bells, known by all so that everyone, unrehearsed, can join in – but totally unknown outside the local area. Aisha Khan’s adaptation includes many of these rousing numbers, helping to take Dickens’ original tale away from its traditional London setting and bring it to Sheffield. This local influence is also seen in the inspired decision to make the Ghost of Christmas Past a miner, leading Scrooge through his history with the aid of his torch-equipped helmet.

Rose Revitt and Kevin Jenkins’ alluring set combines a grim, rickety, upstairs office garret with a more comfortable room downstairs, contrasting Scrooge’s solitary workplace for one with a sociable space for the Cratchits to enjoy their meagre Christmas lunch or for Scrooge’s nephew Fred to host his Christmas party. Bob Cratchit’s desk is placed centre stage, virtually cut adrift from the rest of society, with no creature comforts; just a target for Scrooge to hurl his bundles of documents from a height above so that they come crashing down next to Cratchit to work on – a very nice touch to display the inhumanity of Scrooge’s treatment of his employee.

The costume design is perfect for its era, and the production requires over 100 costumes in all, so the Crucible’s Wardrobe department had its work cut out to recreate the times so credibly. Richard Howell’s lighting design is evocative and inventive, including an ominous creation of Scrooge’s grave, and John Bulleid’s illusion designs work very effectively, adding a touch of eerie magic to the proceedings. Trundling large and heavy elements of the set into place, however, was unfortunately noisy and distracting – just a minor quibble.

Director Elin Schofield created a superb ensemble feel to the entire production, with many cast members adopting several roles, as well as joining in with the songs and choreography. Everyone gave a great performance; stand-outs are Adam Price combining the roles of Fezziwig and the Ghost of Christmas Present, Nitai Levi as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Ryan O’Donnell and Kimberly Blake as Mr and Mrs Cratchit, the latter’s refusal to raise a toast to their employer sending a thrill of righteous indignation in agreement with her down all our backs. The a cappella singing is electric – and put me in mind of the production of One Big Blow at the Liverpool Everyman more than forty years ago, which gave rise to the successful group The Flying Pickets.

Ian Midlane is excellent as Scrooge; this is no pantomime villain but a believably complicated and self-deluding soul who fell back on his complacency and saw no need to treat the world kindly, when he thought money was the answer to everything. His change into a charitable chap is great fun to watch and gives the audience a feelgood pickup.

A well-constructed, innovative approach to a familiar story; sadly, now closed, but it is an excellent addition to the Crucible’s ever-growing list of successful Christmas shows.

Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – Aladdin, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, 2nd January 2026

Posted on January 15, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

Wasn’t it Chicago who sang – and I think it was – you’re a Hard Habit to Break? That could have been written about our relationship with the Sheffield panto. And why wouldn’t you – like us – go back year after year for the nostalgically effervescent thrill of an iconic production in a glorious theatre, with music provided under the direction of the most enthusiastic man in show business James Harrison, plus great performers, and all fronted by a bloke in a dress?

The showcase production from Evolution Pantomimes, this year’s offering was Aladdin. Cue an opportunity to meet villagers, a genie, a spirit of the ring, a beautiful princess, a protective policeman, a lovesick local lad, his mates, an evil baddie and a Dame. I rather like the old characterisations of Wishee Washee, Widow Twankey and Abanazar, but this is the 21^st century, so instead we have Charlie, Dame Dolly and – you have to give them a lot of credit for this name – Kevin Clifton as Ivan Tochacha.

Having seen the Palladium panto a few days earlier, with all its talent and – let’s not beat about the bush, financial resources – it’s truly impressive how exciting the Sheffield panto remains. The set is a joy to behold, the lighting is exhilarating and the music is impossibly good for just four musicians. Not only that, but the script always treads the perfect balance of giving plenty for both the kids and the adults to laugh at – a balance that few other pantos manage – and is genuinely funny.

It’s no surprise that the recently widowed Dame Dolly is after a new boyfriend, and for our show it was third row Chris who was her lucky suitor. This year his duties were not restricted to his seat, and he sportingly joined the cast on stage for a bit of banter – always irresistible fun. There was some terrific stage magic with Aladdin’s flight on the magic carpet – from our position in Row E, with Aladdin performing aerial somersaults not that far from our heads, we couldn’t work out how it operated. And I’m happy about that – you don’t always want the magic spoiled! And of course, it isn’t the Lyceum Panto without the legendary Lyceum Panto bench, which this year featured a group of mummies (Egyptian, not scrummy) terrorising the decent citizens of the village until they flee at the sight of the Dame. Charming!

The villagers were an exceptional ensemble as always – I particularly liked Dance Captain Charlotte Ross Gower’s turn as “Lorraine” in one of the comedy routines. Joey Wilby was perfect as our gang leader Charlie, George Akid a delightfully frenetic PC World, and Elliot Broadfoot showed off his terrific voice and stage presence as the Genie. Sario Solomon and Lauren Chia made a convincing couple as Aladdin and his beloved Princess Jasmine; to be honest, never has it been so easy for a young lad to win the hand of a princess, but I’m sure they’ll be very happy together.

Evie Pickerill (that’s Evie from CBeebies, as we heard many a time) was outstanding as the Spirit of the Ring, conveying just the right amount of upbeat enthusiasm to keep the story moving for the kids – who loved her – whilst always having a little knowing glint in her eye for the adults. And hats off to Kevin Clifton, who really ran with the role of Mr Tochacha, playing the baddie for all he was worth, giving us plenty of dance moves (he hasn’t lost it yet) and providing the best moments in the show as he led the ensemble in a thrilling rendition of I Predict A Riot.

But the star of the show was, as always, Damian Williams, returning to the Sheffield panto for his 18^th year in the role of the Dame – I guess that means he has now reached adulthood. There’s no one quite like him, with his amusingly ungainly presence, larger than life in all directions, tremendous versatility in physical comedy, and a true understanding of what makes panto tick. He celebrated his 1000^th performance as the Dame during this run – which kind of says it all.

Next year – Cinderella, and we’re already booked in. So should you!

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – All My Sons, Wyndham’s Theatre, London, 30th December 2025

Posted on January 14, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

The American Dream: a vision that not only shaped a country and its citizens, but also its theatre. From Oklahoma! to A Chorus Line, from The Iceman Cometh to Glengarry Glen Ross, its inescapable influence and driving force steer characterisations and storylines to dramatic conclusions, both triumphant and disastrous. An arch-critic of the American Dream, Arthur Miller turned his writing career around with the success of All My Sons, first performed in 1947. Apparently, he had decided that if the audiences didn’t appreciate his new play, he would ditch playwrighting and find more lucrative employment. It’s to everyone’s benefit that it ran for 328 performances, picked up various awards, and was adapted into two films.

After the doldrums of the recession, Joe Keller has done well in the aeronautical industry, although his business partner Steve Deever was jailed for shipping defective parts during the war which caused the death of 21 pilots. Joe was also accused but exonerated. Now living in a grand house with his wife Kate and son Chris, all that’s missing is their other son, Larry, who never returned from the war. Kate is convinced Larry is still alive which is why she won’t agree to Chris marrying Ann Deever, who was Larry’s girlfriend. Ann’s brother George also can’t support their union as it would mean marrying into the family that caused the destruction of their own family. Will Larry return? Will Chris and Ann marry? Is Joe innocent? If you don’t know the answers, firstly, where have you been since 1947?! Secondly, I’m not going to tell you. It’s not for me to ruin Miller’s masterful plot revelations.

This is only the second time I’ve seen an Ivo van Hove production, the first being the thrillingly avant garde Hedda Gabler produced by the National Theatre. That production was also designed by Jan Versweyveld, as is the case with All My Sons – van Hove and Versweyveld go together like a horse and carriage, as the old song goes. All My Sons starts with a visceral shock to the system – Kate Keller caught in a violent storm in her garden, battling against the howling winds to save the tree that was planted when Larry was born, 27 years earlier. Her efforts are in vain as the tree cracks mercilessly and falls to the ground, dominating the stage. You won’t find that short scene in Miller’s original text, but it truly sets the pace for a rollercoaster of a production.

Versweyveld’s design places the tree at the absolute heart of the play, representing the lingering presence of Larry in the family dynamic. Family members walk around it and sit on its branches, like designer garden furniture. This becomes visually even more brutal in the second Act, where Chris starts sawing branches off with his chainsaw, literally eradicating Larry from the family. The grand house is relegated to somewhere in the background, captured in a circle of light, resembling a rifle sight, from where characters can look down on the action.

Elsewhere, van Hove’s direction is crisp, clear and emotional, driven by the beautifully unfolding plot and opposing characterisations, identifying the reality as a contrast to the artificiality of the design. My only quibble is that the production has chosen to remove any intervals – unnecessarily in my view, as this is a truly intense play and production which would lose nothing by having a few minutes to regain your breath and pay an urgent visit to the loo. The scene changes within the play necessitate the curtain coming down anyway, so it’s not as though it’s portrayed as one long unbroken event. I reckon something with the power of All My Sons can sustain a comfort break.

The extraordinary cast deliver some of the best performances currently on stage. Hayley Squires gives a clear, powerful performance as Ann, the epitome of reason, conveying that difficult balancing act between being as accommodating as possible with her potential in-laws and asserting her right to live her own life and marry who she wishes. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is outstanding as Kate, portraying those maternal qualities that have always served her – and the wider community – well, but also create her own psychological damage. The interactions between Ms Squires and Ms Jean-Baptiste emphasise how Arthur Miller stands out as one of the few 20th Century male dramatists who can get to the essence of what a woman thinks and feels.

Paapa Essiedu, who was one of the most intriguing Hamlets you’ll ever see, beautifully underplays the role of Chris as the typical second son and people-pleasing underachiever. He is a master of the quietly delivered, throwaway line that conveys so much of the character whilst never demanding attention. This makes his moments of true assertiveness even more effective. Leading the cast, Bryan Cranston gives a tremendous, finely judged performance as Joe; a mixture of happy bluster and family man, teetering on the edge of taking responsibility and slowly coming to terms with the enormity of his secret. The confrontations between Joe and Chris spark with theatrical electricity and you cannot take your eyes off them.

Miller populates the play with a number of minor roles, including an entertaining performance by Zach Wyatt as the astrology-mad Frank, Aliyah Odoffin as his upbeat, positive wife Lydia, Cath Whitefield’s down-to-earth and fearless Sue, Richard Hansell as her frustrated husband Jim, and Tom Glynn-Carney as the seethingly resentful George. At our performance, 8-year-old Bert was played by Sammy Jones who was crackingly confident opposite such esteemed actors.

Issues of responsibility, deceit, the handling of grief; the need to move forward versus the desire to look back, and how emotional selfishness and instability can affect all those around you, All My Sons piles on the themes to create a blistering piece of theatre that will remain with you long after curtain down – as will the memory of those remarkable performances. The show runs at Wyndham’s until 7^th March; a surprising number of tickets remain available but watch out for that dynamic pricing.

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – The Playboy of the Western World, Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre, London, 29th December 2025

Posted on January 13, 2026 by therealchrisparkle

It has long been a personal travesty that I’d never seen a production of a J M Synge play. I’ve always been fascinated by the story of the riots at the opening performances of Playboy of the Western World in Dublin in 1907, where the honest Dubliners were affronted at the perceived slight on decent Irish womanhood that Synge dishes out. Synge wanted to show a warts and all representation of Ireland, despite the fact that his Irish patrons didn’t want to see that at all. In Britain, only the personal intervention of the Lord Chamberlain himself allowed the play to be performed in London – his advisers expected the play to provoke similar bad reaction from the crowds in Britain as in Ireland. But they overestimated the extent to which British audiences cared about the decency of Irish women, and the play went down rather well as a comedy drama.

In County Mayo, young Christy Mahon turns up at a scruffy bar, dishevelled, tired and dirty. He claims to have murdered his father, which sparks a fascination with him, leading to his becoming a surprise local celebrity. Pegeen Mike, who works in the tavern, despite the protestations of her fiancé, falls in love with him. However, when Christy’s father also turns up, and is revealed not to be dead after all, the townspeople turn against Christy for his deceit. In an attempt to regain his popularity, he has a second go at killing his dad, but this doesn’t make matters any better.

We all know that girls prefer a bad boy. You can deny it as much as you like, but deep down you know it’s true. Playboy can come across as the ultimate proof of that belief, with Christy’s criminality seemingly being a turn-on for the village women. But that is to miss the point. It’s not that he’s a bad boy that makes the girls swoon – it’s that he can spin a great tale. When his craic turns out to be false, it’s the ultimate turn-off. And trying to recreate the crime just makes it worse. The irony is that Christy never intends to be a Playboy – he’s really just a blundering oaf who accidentally becomes popular. No wonder he’s clueless how to put it right.

It’s a cliché to invoke the description a curate’s egg, but in this instance, it nails it. There’s a lot of excellent work here. Katie Davenport’s set and costume design, for example, is outstanding – you can truly believe this is a rural backwater and Catriona McLaughlin’s direction equally makes you believe in the people who live there. The performances are nuanced and strong. Let’s face it: a cast led by the likes of Nicola Coughlan, Siobhan McSweeney and Eanna Hardwicke is always going to turn in a powerful performance. In our show, Old Mahon was played by understudy Donncha O’Dea and he was superb.

The overall impression one gains from the entire production is one of resolute authenticity, from the keening of the village women to the straw costumes for the mumming scenes. And of course, some very strong accents. However, this authenticity is also a problem for a London audience. This production provides a lesson in early 20^th century Irish drama that the audience might not realise they need. There’s no doubt that the accents are very, very strong – and if your familiarity with Irish inflections goes no further than Father Ted or Mrs Brown’s Boys you might find yourself completely failing to understand much of the first Act. Regrettably, it was no surprise to anyone that there was a considerable number of no-returns after the interval.

The production is very reverential of Synge’s original work; slow-building, solid, respectful and an authoritative portrayal of that Western World of north-west Mayo in 1907. The trouble with this reverence is that, as a result, it forgets that it’s a comedy; we miss the humour and only concentrate on the characterisations and plot. Many subtleties are lost, including Synge’s gifted use of language, and the reason why Christy gains and loses his popularity so drastically. Unfortunately, that’s really what the whole play is about.

Despite its best intentions and the undoubted expertise of its cast and creative team, this production fails to communicate the essence of the play. It comes across as a historical curiosity rather than a timeless tale with a message for today. Sadly, for me, the negative aspects of this production outweigh the positives. I can’t imagine anyone watching this as their first Synge and then committing to discovering more of his output – and that’s not just a shame, but a disservice to a great writer.

Two Disappointing For More!

The Points of View Challenge – A Father-to-Be – Saul Bellow

Posted on December 17, 2025 by therealchrisparkle

Saul Bellow (born Solomon Bellows; 1915 – 2005)

Canadian-American writer, best known for his novels The Adventures of Augie March, Herzog, and Mr. Sammler’s Planet, (each winning the National Book Award for Fiction), Henderson the Rain King, Seize the Day, Humboldt’s Gift, (which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1976) and Ravelstein. A Father-to-Be was first published in The New Yorker on January 29^th 1955 and in Seize the Day on November 15^th 1956.

Available to read online here.

This is the last of eight stories in the volume Points of View to be given the style classification by Moffett and McElheny of Biography, or Anonymous Narration – Single Character Point of View. Their introduction concludes: “We have included a large number of selections in this group because this technique is the most widely used for telling a short story and very often used for telling a novel, especially in this century. Examples are Stendhal’s The Red and the Black, Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and Marquand’s Point of No Return.”

Spoiler alert – if you haven’t read the story yet and want to before you read the summary of it below, stop now!

A Father-To-Be

On a snowy Sunday evening, 31-years-old research chemist Rogin is on his way to his fiancée Joan’s for supper. She had asked him to buy some items on the way, so he stops at a delicatessen to buy roast beef, shampoo and some other treats he thinks she might enjoy. He allows his mind to wander; thinking about how he has to give money both to Joan and to his brother to get him through college, then he observes the behaviour of the people in the delicatessen, and people on the subway as he starts his journey to Joan’s. There’s a man who thinks no one knows he drinks, two children from different families with the same toy, a dwarf whose sex he cannot determine, and a middle-aged man whose facial features reminded him of Joan. He takes an instant disliking to the man – and becomes upset as he realises he is how any son that Joan gives birth to will look like him. His anxieties escalate when he thinks of how the future could turn out, so much so that he considers ending his relationship with Joan. When he arrives at her home, he is initially frosty and grumpy, but Joan insists on washing his hair with the new shampoo, and this gentle, loving action calms him down so that his mind is once again at rest.

This is a very curious short story for two main reasons. First, very little happens. A man goes to his fiancée’s home via a delicatessen and the subway. Almost all the events of the journey happen in his mind. Second, our hero Rogin does not come across as a particularly pleasant person. True, he is generous, not worrying about the thirty dollars he gave Joan a few days ago, buying extras at the shop so that their supper will be more enjoyable, and we note that he pays for his brother’s college fees. But he is very judgmental; he mentally appraises and criticises all the people he meets and observes on his journey. Sometimes he compares them to himself, and always unfavourably.

Bellow’s concise writing is always effective and tells us more than we need to know. He encapsulates everything about Rogin in his first paragraph; not only his age and profession, but the eccentricities of his appearance (for example, his “preposterous gait”) and the fact that he wears a Burberry coat suggests his wealth. He also tells us exactly what the rest of the story will be about: “the strangest notions had a way of forcing themselves into Rogin’s mind”, and “he fell into a peculiar state”.

“Who is free […] who has no burdens?” Rogin asks himself, as he reflects on both the people around him and his own life. He likes to fantasise about inventions he could make – but doesn’t – and frets about his mother’s changing behaviour and condemns the secret drinker for believing he could fool anyone. He rehearses how he is going to compliment Joan when he meets her, as if he has to plan his spontaneity. He condemns the unthinking crowd because of “how they slept through life” and spends more time than he should trying to decide whether the subway passenger is male or female – something that should be of absolutely no concern to him at all.

But it’s when he allows his fanciful brain to expand on the character of the silent man to whom he takes an instant dislike that it actively does damage to the balance of his character. The title of story is A Father-to-be, but it’s not as though Rogin is shortly to become a father; there’s no evidence that Joan is pregnant, and indeed, it wouldn’t be something that would be acceptable in that time and in that social stratum. It’s just his imagination that, if he and Joan were to have children together, and did have a son, he fears he would grow up to resemble this man, about whom he makes the wildest judgments without knowing the first thing about him. To Rogin he is simply “flat-looking, with his ordinary, clean, rosy, uninteresting, self-satisfied, fundamentally bourgeois face.” “What a curse to have a dull son!” he concludes.

As a result, his demeanour has quite changed by the time he gets to Joan’s, but her loving touch and the possible religious symbolism of a hair-washing ritual – using the shampoo that is a “sweet, cool, fragrant juice” – puts all those damaging thoughts out of his mind. However, one does wonder whether those damaging thoughts are gone forever; and it’s curious to reflect on what kind of relationship he and Joan might have long-term. Will his fears of dull suburban existence come true, or will he just enjoy life for what it is?

Finely and precisely written, it’s a fascinating insight into the way one’s thoughts can wander and drift, and how easily it is to catastrophise. It definitely captures a recognisable moment and tells us more about the central character than he would ever want us to know.

The next story in the anthology is the first of three to be classified by Moffett and McElheny as Anonymous Narration – Dual Character Point of View, Maria Concepción by Katherine Anne Porter.

Review – Fallen Angels, Menier Chocolate Factory, London, 14th December 2025

Posted on December 15, 2025 by therealchrisparkle

One hundred years on from its first London run, it’s funny to think that Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels caused a moral shockwave amongst the theatre glitterati at the time. Almost banned in totality, only the personal intervention of the Lord Chamberlain himself guaranteed its licence, and many of the reviews at the time despised it as an insult to decent womanhood. Today, those decent women (as do the rest of us) look at it as simply a comic creation with a devilish insight into the human mind, not to mention the human sex drive.

Just in case you don’t know, Julia and Jane are married to sensible but dull husbands Fred and Bill, who go off for a golfing trip together, leaving their wives behind to entertain themselves in the company of several bottles of wine. Both women have had a pre-marital fling with an exotic Frenchman named Maurice Duclos, and it just so happens that after a long absence, he’s back in town. The absence of the husbands leaves a vacuum, and as we know, nature abhors a vacuum; but Julia and Jane are virtuous wives… aren’t they?

Simon Higlett has designed an immaculately stunning set, positively throbbing with art deco touches; Julia and Fred must have taken all their design ideas from the newest Mondrian catalogue. Fotini Dimou’s delightful costumes dress Julia and Jane as bright young things of the era, with Fred and Bill in classic plus fours, Saunders in a prim and proper maid’s uniform and Maurice as an elegant roué about town. All the trimmings are perfect.

And the production boasts a fine cast, with Janie Dee regal as Julia and Alexandra Gilbreath mischievous as Jane, with Richard Teverson and Christopher Hollis putting in decent portrayals of a pair of golf-loving duffers as their husbands. Attention to detail throughout is admirable and all the performances are full of commitment and character.

But for some reason – maybe a number of minor reasons – this production just doesn’t land successfully. This ought to be an uproariously funny show, with elegant ladies reliving their lost youth and cavorting around under the affluence of incohol, dumb husbands being duped, a smart-ass maid who confounds the class system and a classic confrontation moment when Maurice arrives to discover their husbands are still there. There are, of course, many laughs, but few of them uproarious, and I’m afraid I found the second Act in particular surprisingly dull.

Somehow Christopher Luscombe’s direction highlights all the things that Coward needs us to know in order for the story to work, thus showing its creaking mechanics at the expense of all the lighter touches that Coward wants us to enjoy. The opening scene, for example, about no longer being in love and the ladies both having a presentiment, comes across as laboured. Julia and Jane get paralytically drunk on precious little champagne, and it just doesn’t look credible. I can’t believe this is the fault of terrific comic actors like Janie Dee and Alexandra Gilbreath; but sadly, for me, their drunk act didn’t really work.

Somehow you don’t notice the fun that’s taking place on the stage, but instead you’re waiting for an event (the arrival of Maurice) that looks like it’s never going to happen, and as a result you start to get a little frustrated with Coward. Even Sarah Twomey’s smart and sophisticated take on Saunders the maid seems out of place. The production certainly cheers up with the arrival of Graham Vick’s Maurice, who acts as a catalyst to galvanise all the other characters into upping their game. It’s just a shame he’s only around for the last fifteen minutes or so!

I must say I rather fear for the future of Noel Coward on our stages. The audience at the Menier for their Sunday matinee was only about half full, and everyone there was middle-aged and older. Whilst the big guns of Private Lives and Blithe Spirit will probably never go away, if plays like Fallen Angels fail to grab the attention of theatregoers, I sense the days of “The Master” might be limited.

Three-sy Does It!

Review – Roald Dahl’s The BFG, RSC at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 9th December 2025

Posted on December 10, 2025 by therealchrisparkle

©Marc Brenner

You’ve heard the phrase, the magic of theatre. Many productions aim for it, some get near it; few achieve it. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s new production of The BFG defines it. Suffice to say, there’s technical wizardry in abundance here, but that’s not what creates the magic alone; what this production has is heart, pure heart. It arises from the combination of all the elements that create this wonderful show, from director Daniel Evans’ vision, the seamless pairing of puppets and actors, the lighting, the sound, the video projection, the how did they do that elements when an actor seems to disappear and then reappear somewhere completely different; not to mention the remarkable characterisations, and the comedy, which genuinely provokes several massive guffaw moments.

©Marc Brenner

For some reason, I never encountered any of Roald Dahl’s children’s stories as a lad, and I only think of him in terms of Tales of the Unexpected. Before seeing the show, I therefore had no preconceptions of The BFG, I only expected him to be big, friendly, and… well you get the picture. Tom Wells’ adaptation introduces us to besties Sophie and Kimberley, in their beds at their orphanage, with different coping strategies about surviving the witching hour. When Sophie catches the eyes of the BFG looking through her window – and the BFG realises he has been sprung – he has no alternative but to kidnap her and take her back to Giant Country. But rather than this being the beginning of her end, they form a charming bond which leads on to an adventure where they survive a fight against the evilest of the giants, Bloodbottler, and engage the services of H. M. The Queen to capture these giant unwanted menaces to prevent human beans from being eaten. All in a day’s work.

©Marc Brenner

Stage puppetry has come a long way in recent years; it all started with War Horse. Thankfully The BFG hasn’t gone full AI in its approach to creating the illusion; it’s gone back to basics with teams of puppeteers who make their characters truly come to life in a most human way. And the faces of the puppets are truly outstanding in that they absolutely capture their characters’ attributes. I realised at one point that the eyes of the BFG puppet were staring straight into mine and – I kid you not – you could see into his soul; that’s how believable they are.

The other devilish trick this production has up its sleeve is that Sophie, the BFG and Bloodbottler are all represented by both puppets and actors, at the same time. This doubles the characterisations and makes the story come even more to life. In fact, there are three scales of puppetry/actor: massive giant puppet with child actor, adult actor with child puppet, and another scale where the giant is a small puppet, with the other adult characters smaller puppets and the child actors being represented by teeny tiny puppets – such playfulness works brilliantly.

©Marc Brenner

The BFG’s personal speciality is being a dream creator and controller, and the production’s visual representation of this is enchanting. Dreams whizz around the auditorium like speedy miniature comets, or they are born or captured in glass jars where colours whirl and lights pulsate. The BFG transmits a dream by blowing a huge trumpet at someone; the recipient is then bathed in light as the dream takes hold. I’ve often wondered how dreams catch on; now I know.

©Marc Brenner

This production relies heavily on its two child actors playing the parts of Sophie and Kimberley. No pressure, kids, but it’s a big ask. At our performance, Sophie was played by Ellemie Shivers and Kimberley by Maisy Lee, and they are both sensational. Young Ms Shivers in particular has both remarkable comic timing and an extraordinary insight into characterisation for someone so young. It is, appropriately, a dream of a performance. And Ms Lee also completely holds her own on a stage full of adults, neither of them ever putting a foot wrong with the most assured performances.

©Marc Brenner

John Leader’s BFG is another beguiling performance. From the fluidity of his movement to his superb vocal characterisation, he creates the kindliest, most thoughtful, and indeed most self-deprecatory giant you could ever imagine. Helena Lymbery is a delight as the Queen, positively itching to get herself away from the suppressive flunkies and get her teeth stuck into an adventure. There is a truly hilarious double-act from Philip Labey and Luke Sumner as Captains Smith and Frith, taking military stiff upper lips where they’ve never been before, treading a fantastic line between parody and credibility; Mr Sumner’s running joke about Frith’s vocal delivery has everyone in stitches. Richard Riddell’s grotesque Bloodbottler is the perfect baddie, and Sargon Yelda wins us over as Tibbs, the Queen’s butler undergoing a crise de confiance.

©Marc Brenner

And it goes without saying that all the puppeteers are extraordinarily gifted in the way they bring humanity to their characters. I was even engrossed by observing how carefully they made the smaller puppets walk; the accurate placing of heel, then arch, then ball of foot before launching off on the toe before the other heel comes down. Such attention to detail!

With its inventive helicopter scene and its (let’s not beat about the bush) farting conclusion, this is one of the best examples of children’s theatre I can remember. If you want to create theatregoers of the future, this is how you do it. The BFG is thrilling children – and adults – at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 7^th February and then has a month in Chichester before a run in Singapore. I can’t recommend this strongly enough.

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – The All New Adventures of Peter Pan, Royal and Derngate, Northampton 7th December 2025

Posted on December 7, 2025 by therealchrisparkle

©Pamela Raith

Yes, I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas either. But as sure as night follows day, the pantomime season swings into action, bringing its delightful formula of bad jokes, audience interaction, ghosts lurking behind benches and wheelbarrows heaving with puns. Evolution Pantomimes’ offering for Northampton this year is Peter Pan – The All New Adventures of, because we’ve moved on from Wendy Darling (who everyone agrees was SO BORING) to Poppy Sunshine, and Never Never Land has become Forever Land; go figure. But some things just don’t change: the mischievous Tinkerbell, the villainous Captain Hook and Peter Pan, of course; he’s no longer a child as Hook points out, but an actor with Botox and Mounjaro (don’t sue me, I’m only quoting what he said). And we mustn’t forget the Lost Boys and Girls, and the crocodile – this year, chummily known as Colin.

©Pamela Raith

Evolution are masters at pantomime and this year’s show is no exception. They have a great understanding of which panto traditions are sacrosanct, and which ones you can play with a little. The ghost bench is always a winning combination – but in a nice nod to Peter Pan this year, the ghost comes down from the sky on a wire. The musical numbers consist of a few classic pop songs – the Tina Turner double-bill that sends us into the interval is fabulous – mixed with several songs from musical theatre. Sweeney Todd’s Not While I’m Around has its scary subplot removed and becomes a sweet lullaby in the orphanage, Stick it to the Man from Rock of Ages works very well and, best of all, the mermaids using Welcome to the Rock from Come from Away as their theme for Mermaid Cove – it makes absolute sense that mermaids would affirm their identity with the chant I Am an Islander.

©Pamela Raith

There’s also one of those water pistol moments. Foolish me; as it had been raining, I brought a bag with me so that my programme would stay pristine whilst walking home. However, by the time Gordon Cooper’s Mrs Sweet had soaked the central stalls with her bazookas it had wilted into a soggy mess. But it’s all part of the Essence of Pantomime, which just so happens to be precisely that intangible substance that Captain Hook is trying to steal and destroy, so that he can eradicate laughter, music, dancing, and, above all, booing. What a bad fellow he is. You’ll be pleased to discover he fails in his quest.

©Pamela Raith

There’s energetic song and dance from the boys and girls of the chorus, amusing interruptions from Ethel the Overacting Pirate and Trevor the Pirate who can’t be Bothered, and the super-messy but very funny ice-cream making interlude. Musically, this is a particularly strong pantomime with two outstanding musical performances, from Millie Davies as Poppy and Simone Robinson as Miss Doodle/Myrtle. Neal Parsons and Emily Walder’s media videography is extremely effective, with the walls and door of Poppy’s orphanage bedroom shimmering into a dream sequence and a glorious projection of Poppy and Tink’s flight over London and beyond into orbit. This is the magic of pantomime; and there’s nothing quite like it.

©Pamela Raith

John Thomson leads the cast as the baddie Captain Hook; he has a fine and imposing stage presence and is appropriately malign, so that he fully deserves his boos. There’s a hilarious brief sequence where he attempts to deliver a powerful soliloquy in an ever-diminishing follow spot – it’s a lovely piece of physical comedy. And he can play the drums too! Oliver Scott plays our gang leader Charlie with immense and addictive enthusiasm and forms a fun double act with CBeebies favourite George Webster, whom the children in the audience absolutely adored.

©Pamela Raith

Gordon Cooper relishes all the opportunities that being the pantomime dame can offer. As Mrs Sweet, she nicely plays up to her new boyfriend of the afternoon, the unfortunate front-row Chris (who was a very good sport indeed) and drives the show on with pace and power and a lot of splendidly outrageous costumes. I mustn’t forget the impishly cheeky Tink in the form of Georgia Brierley-Smith, and a big shout-out to Uncle Joe Church and his Royal and Derngate Philharmonic, playing their instruments from the side boxes, who create a bigger band sound than is decent from just four musicians.

©Pamela Raith

I must be honest; Sunday afternoon’s show was occasionally a little chaotic, but I have no doubt that any tiny niggles will sort themselves out admirably over the next couple of performances. And anyway, when things do go a little awry, that just adds to the Essence of Pantomime! Above all, the kids loved it, and that’s what really counts.

Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – The Forsyte Saga, Parts One and Two, Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 5th December 2025

Posted on December 6, 2025 by therealchrisparkle

©Cam Harle

It’s impossible to underestimate the importance of The Forsyte Saga to the nation’s psyche in the 1960s. The Queen’s coronation aside, it was one of the first examples of event TV, when Britain stopped doing everything else to catch up with what Soames, Irene and Fleur would get up to next. One of my first television memories is a distinctly black-and-white Soames rushing back into the flames of Robin Hill to rescue his beloved paintings and not making it out alive. That and the Tingha and Tucker Club, naturally.

©Cam Harle

John Galsworthy’s evergreen Forsyte books – nine in total – were published between 1906 and 1933 and chronicle the lives of a ruthless family who knew only two things: the value of money and the importance of repressing one’s emotions. Anything that could jeopardise either of those two activities was to be eliminated from their lives. But people are only human, and they do have emotions, and money isn’t always available, so inevitably real life would permeate their walls and disrupt them.

©Cam Harle

Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan’s adaptation – originally for radio but now re-adapted for the stage – concentrates first on the beautiful Irene who cannot abide her husband Soames, and second on Fleur, the curious and independent daughter of Soames and his second wife Annette. And, of course, in Soames, Galsworthy created an extraordinary character – a true villain but with a multifaceted personality, answerable to nobody except his father, and who has to mask his human foibles in order to preserve that Forsyte resolute respectability.

©Cam Harle

The Man of Property, as the first book of the saga is named, cleverly plays on the double meaning of the word property, suggesting not only Soames’ desire to have a great house to live in, but also his need to acquire things – and more disastrously, people. Fleur acts as a narrator for both plays – although less so in the second play – as she picks her way through an understanding of what happened before her birth, and what elements have combined to make the adult Fleur who she is. Will she go on to become a Woman of Property?

©Cam Harle

The late Victorian and Edwardian times are perhaps not seen today as the most intriguing eras of our history – certainly not in comparison to fifty or sixty years ago when TV’s The Forsyte Saga led into the likes of Upstairs Downstairs and The Duchess of Duke Street. However, Galsworthy’s characters and their stories examine the most timeless of themes: familial relationships, secrets and lies, honour and dishonour, and they will never become irrelevant. Soames’ rape of his wife is a pivotal act, not illegal at the time but totally barbaric and unforgivable. And, of course, a modern audience quite correctly condemns him outright for it, as indeed do many of his peers. Yet, in one respect, he’s merely obeying the advice of his father, whom we see as an irascible but rather likeable and funny old duffer. Curiously, we don’t condemn him in the same way. This is all part of the gripping story line that gives you so much to consider and assess, which is why you’re hooked throughout.

©Cam Harle

That said, there’s a definite imbalance in the two plays being performed together as a whole. Part One, Irene, is truly brilliant throughout. You can’t wait for each scene to develop as you find out more about all these fascinating people. And the play ends on a delicious sudden moment that makes you yearn to watch the second part instantly.

However, Part Two, Fleur, doesn’t quite have the same irresistible plot. We miss the rich tapestry of the bickering, repressed older generation – the Forsyte Exchange, as Fleur puts it; it’s replaced by fewer characters, and a simpler, more straightforward domestic love triangle story. It’s a credit to the production that it still holds our interest, but it’s simply not quite as absorbing. I guess one can only blame Galsworthy for that (and he’s long dead). It’s possible to see each play separately on a different day, or to immerse yourself in a Forsytian binge with Irene as a matinee and Fleur in the evening. Watching the plays in that chronological order makes much more sense; I think if you see Fleur first, some aspects simply won’t make sufficient sense or at least won’t resonate as well.

©Cam Harle

It’s a magnificent double-production; a first-rate cast, fantastic storytelling, a delightfully bare stage, save for a few chairs and occasional other props, quality costume design, elegant writing and effective direction. Luxuriously rich red curtains adorn the back of the stage for Irene, that both indicate the wealth of the family but also represent those secrets that are hidden when the curtains close. They’re removed for Fleur, to reveal the stark, featureless brick wall that not only represents Robin Hill but gives the sense of a terrifying exposure, with no hiding place. Alex Musgrave’s telling lighting design works most effectively in Irene, where it starkly delineates her private bedroom against which she locks her persistent husband.

©Cam Harle

The cast are uniformly superb, without the remotest weak link, creating a splendid ensemble. Flora Spencer-Longhurst controls the stage from the start as Fleur, combining her narrator role with a constantly growing understanding of her ancestors’ motivations and problems; a truly believable central character around which the entire five hours of theatre revolve. As her character becomes more mischievous and wilful, we still identify with her, despite her reckless decisions. Fiona Hampton absolutely captures Irene’s tragically unhappy marriage and completely inhabits the remarkable dignity that the character maintains throughout. It is a shame that there is comparatively little for the character to do as the second play moves to its conclusion.

©Cam Harle

There is much in the way of clever doubling-up of roles over the two plays. Jamie Wilkes is excellent as the outcast Jo Forsyte in the first play, subtly portraying his slowly growing affection for Irene; and as the honest and positive young Michael Mont, who marries Fleur. His physical comedy of trying to take Fleur on a boat ride is hilarious, and he delivers a terrific exchange with Soames about the “ownership” of women. Andy Rush, too, is superb as Bosinney, the sharply determined architect with whom Irene has an affair, and the sunny-dispositioned Jon Forsyte who becomes an irresistible possession to Fleur in the same way that Irene was to her father.

©Cam Harle

Michael Lumsden gives us a brilliant Old Jolyon – his death scene was genuinely moving – as well as some other entertaining characterisations, and Nigel Hastings is superb as James Forsyte, Soames’ father, as the kindly and earnest older Jo Forsyte, and the aggressively opinionated painter Harold Blade. Florence Roberts’ marvellously effervescent young June steals a wonderful scene when she leaves her indelible mark on the remaining members of the Forsyte Exchange; as well as giving us an emotionally powerful Anne – Jon’s increasingly alarmed wife – and an amusingly manipulative Annette.

©Cam Harle

The truly outstanding performance comes from Joseph Millson as Soames, totally embodying the character’s slimy, reptilian nature, constantly lurking as a malign presence in Irene’s life, opting to endanger Annette’s life in order to obtain his son, and generally observing how his understanding of human nature is becoming more outdated as life goes on. I’ve only seen Mr Millson perform comedy roles before, and he uses his fantastic comic timing to perfection in this otherwise non-comedic role, placing his words and movements with absolute precision to create a riveting characterisation that endures long after curtain down.

It’s a stunning production that frequently gave me Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby chills. It’s unfortunate that the sheer thrills of Part One don’t quite endure into Part Two, but it’s still more than good enough to recommend it without hesitation. A hugely entertaining double bill, and an excellent Christmas offering from the RSC.

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!