Tag Archives: Northampton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday 20 July:

Michael Odewale (The Black Prince)

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

Olga Koch (The Charles Bradlaugh)

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

Andrew Bird (The Charles Bradlaugh)

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

Angela Barnes (The Charles Bradlaugh)

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

Maisie Adam (The Charles Bradlaugh)

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

Sunday 21 July:

Sophie Duker (The Black Prince)

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

Brennan Reece (The Black Prince)

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

John Robertson (The Black Prince)

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

Steen Raskopoulos (The Black Prince)

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

Amy Gledhill (The Charles Bradlaugh)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Production photos by Phil Tragen

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Review – Gareth Mutch and Tom Stade, Comedy Crate Edinburgh Previews at the Museum, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, 23rd June 2024

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With the inevitability of night following day and misadventure following Sunak, Edinburgh Previews come around again, as plucky comedians start girding their loins for the Greatest Show on Earth (well, the Greatest Show north of the border). A quick check of the Edinburgh Fringe website reveals over 1,350 comedy shows taking place there this summer, so it’s only right and proper that the Comedy Crate should bring some of them to our attention. And the first of these shows we were able to catch this year took place in the dignified surroundings of the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.

Gareth Mutch and Tom Stade shared a preview night last year, so they clearly go together like Cheese and Onion. First up was Gareth Mutch, with a preview of his Edinburgh show for this year, Modern Man. Not sure what you think of when you think of “modern man”, but I think of a man with a progressive outlook, a firm feminist and not afraid to show his feelings. Gareth has followed the advice of some expert who described it as someone who “struggles with modern life”. Not sure I quite believe that.

No matter. Gareth has a hugely engaging stage persona; he’s a big chap with a bit of a gruff exterior but within a few seconds of seeing his act you realise he’s a true softy inside. He has some excellent material where he beautifully demonstrates his Beta Male qualities, with his inability to fix a boiler – he can’t even come to terms with the fact he has an airing cupboard. He also has a brilliant routine where he challenges audience members to decide what’s best: falling in love or being married? If you’re concerned about offending your other half with your reply, he has a very funny test to help you decide the right answer.

A preview show is precisely that; as Gareth said in his introduction, there may hopefully be parts of the show where the comedy soars, and there will doubtless be parts where it falls flat on it’s a*se. He started a sequence which involved a very dubious reference to shall we say a difficult subject – and it was met with stony – nay, shocked – silence from the crowd. Wisely, he decided instantly to drop it. Because Gareth comes across as such a likeable guy, suddenly to confront us with a very challenging and tough-to-find-humour-in subject was like a slap in the face. But a Preview Show is a learning curve – that’s what it’s all about. There’s definitely plenty to look forward to in Modern Man, and Gareth’s stage confidence and delivery skills are a sheer delight to witness. He’s on at The Stand Comedy Club 2 at 18:50 every night from July 31 – Aug 25 except August 12th, and you can book tickets here.

After the interval we were treated to the whirlwind of comedy dynamite (yes, I know that’s a mixed metaphor) that is Tom Stade, with a Preview of his new Edinburgh show, Risky Business. An hour spent in the company of Tom Stade is a rollercoaster of a white knuckle ride, and you genuinely can’t guess in which direction he’ll go next. We started off in fairly familiar Stade territory with an assessment of the average ages of audience members, and how language can (does) mean different things to different age groups. He has some great material about how the prevalence of computers in the lives of the twenty-somethings and younger is so ingrown that it can lead to severe misunderstandings, and, if you’re as mischievous as Mr Stade, can become delightful weapons in the war of comedy.

I loved his observations about modern travel, and how travel agents are redundant if you know someone young enough to work their way around a computer; and how his perfect holiday must include a waterpark. Another observation that rang true is how there’s only one thing that Mr and Mrs Stade want to go when they go to bed – scroll. And he has a brilliant slant on that old favourite, Mr Potato Head. Trying to review or even encapsulate much of what passes in a Tom Stade set is an impossible task because all his nuggets – big or small – just wash over you and you simply can’t keep track of what he says. You only hope that he can! You always feel that there’s an element of danger in what might happen on stage when he’s on; it gives an intangible edge to the whole proceedings. Wonderfully funny as always; even though this show was still at the let’s chuck ideas in the air and see where they land stage, you just know his new Edinburgh show will be a winner. You can catch Tom at The Stand Comedy Club 1 at 20:15 every night from July 31 – Aug 25 except August 12th, and you can book tickets here.

Many more Edinburgh Previews to come: our next date is to see Scott Bennett and Sara Barron at the Lamplighter on July 8th.

Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet BRB2, Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 25th May 2024

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Almost thirty years ago (gasp!) the Royal Ballet started their occasional touring production of Dance Bites; regular visitors to the Swan Theatre, High Wycombe (our nearest decent theatre at the time) over a period of four years we enjoyed the likes of Darcey Bussell, Adam Cooper, Jonathan Cope, Deborah Bull and the two Billys (Trevitt and Nunn) performing short, stunning pieces, largely choreographed by the new young stars of the day. They were fantastic nights out, and the memory of them remains a true pleasure.

Fast forward to today, and Carlos Acosta has put together a programme of twelve short pieces for his Classical Selection tour, performed by some of the younger members of the Birmingham Royal Ballet – BRB2, a name modelled, no doubt, on the fantastic NDT2, the youth department of the Nederlands Dans Theater who have always been at the forefront of showcasing their young dancers. So we were very much looking forward to seeing what BRB2 can do – and it was a thrilling performance.

With a combination of recorded soundtracks and live music from Jeanette Wong on the piano and Antonia Novais on the cello, the dancers covered a whole range of styles from the ultimate classic Swan Lake to modern interpretations of Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel. The first half of the show was devoted to traditional classical ballet – with just a hint of modernity; the second half to contemporary dance – with just the occasional hint of classicism. It’s a superb blend.

The presentation of the show is refreshingly unstuffy. I’m a big fan of going full pelt on classical ballet, with several dancers modestly surrounding the main performer and graciously recognising their talent, pausing for a round of applause every few minutes. It’s stylised, rewarding, and unique. But the presentation of this show is the complete opposite – and it really works. The curtain rises to reveal a long barre at the back of the stage, towards which the dancers unceremoniously make their way, change out of their day clothes and do a gentle warm-up, whilst chatting to and supporting each other. Then a curtain falls in front of the barre and the first pair of dancers emerge to perform their piece.

When it’s over, they take their applause, and then we see them make their way back to the freshly revealed barre, clearly discussing how the performance went. This structure continues throughout the first half; in the second half, the barre is occasionally removed for a blue background that provides the scenery for a few short dances that merge into each other. At the end, they all return to the barre, pack up their dance bags and drift off into the wings. It’s a very unshowy approach, very much in keeping with the youth of the performers. And don’t worry, you do get the chance to give them a final big round of applause at the end.

The first dance was the pas de deux from Rhapsody, choreographed by Ashton, and danced superbly by Alisa Garkavenko and Mason King; then came the pas de deux from La Sylphide danced with charm and grace by Sophie Walters, and a bravura performance from Tom Hazelby. Next came the Act II pas de deux from Swan Lake, with Maïlène Katoch exquisite in her balance and expression, faultlessly supported by Alfie Shacklock: for me the best partnering of the first act. Alexandra Manuel and Oscar Kempsey-Fagg then performed Dying Swans. Not just the traditional Saint-Saëns/Fokine swan but accompanied by an Acosta-choreographed contemporary addition; I was uncertain of this duet at first but quickly realised how clever the updating of it is. The first act finished with the return of Alisa Garkavenko and Mason King in the pas de deux from Diana and Actaeon; both on terrific form and with some crowd pleasingly elegant and dynamic solos.

After the interval, the mood changed with the return of Alexandra Manuel and Oscar Kempsey-Fagg in Ben Stevenson’s End of Time, performed to the third movement of Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata in in G Minor. Simply but stunningly staged, it was another immaculate performance of a truly powerful dance. The mood then changed again as the set became an Argentinian nightclub with Gustavo Mollajoli’s crackingly exciting A Buenos Aires, a cunning combination of tango with classic and contemporary styles, rivetingly performed by Maïlène Katoch and Tom Hazelby. Then Ariana Allen performed a truly eloquent solo to Edith Piaf’s Je ne regrette rien, followed by an (almost) show-stealing dance by Jack Easton as Brel’s drunken antagonist in Les Bourgeois, combining brilliant dance with comic characterisation.

The final three pieces were a simply romantic dance to the second intermezzo of Bizet’s Carmen, choreographed by Carlos Acosta and movingly danced by  Alexandra Manuel and Oscar Kempsey-Fagg; then a more challenging modern piece choreographed by Will Tucket entitled Mirrored, danced by Frieda Kaden and Jack Easton to music by Ravel. The finale came with Jorge Garcia’s joyful Majisimo, with four couples dancing to several styles from across Spain in a combination of classical and contemporary choreography – a true crowd pleaser to finish.

It’s a terrific way to expose the younger dancers to a variety of styles and audiences, and they all thoroughly earn their stripes! These are not ballet stars yet; but many of them will be. If I were to highlight the dancers whom I think have the full potential to make it big, I would plump for Alexandra Manuel, Maïlène Katoch, Jack Easton and Tom Hazelby; but everyone gives an immense performance and show the Birmingham Royal Ballet to be in the rudest of health! Their tour continues to Canterbury and Peterborough – very well worth catching!

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – The School for Scandal, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 21st May 2024

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I’m probably prejudiced from the start, gentle reader, but I hereby confess that Sheridan’s School for Scandal is one of my favourite plays of all time. Aged 26, Richard Brinsley Sheridan was already an old hand at writing plays of comic genius when it first appeared at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Pshaw, there was never any doubt that Drury Lane would host the play – egad, he owned the theatre!

Sir Peter and scandalous societyLooking back at the history of theatre, there’s a long drought between the Restoration Comedies of Congreve, Wycherley, Etherege and Vanbrugh, until you reach the gems of Wilde and Shaw at the end of the nineteenth century. Sheridan is really the only feast to be found during that famine, and I unhesitatingly propose The School for Scandal as his best play (yes, even better than The Rivals!) This text has been decently edited to remove a few unnecessary and unwanted characters and given just a tiny hint of updating, nicely in keeping with the original.

Chattering classesSixty year old Sir Peter Teazle has married – finally, at last – the desirable and irresistible young Lady Teazle. And since then, his life has been nothing but misery. Lady T has got herself involved in a social scene full of meddlers and chattermongers, headed by the catty Lady Sneerwell and boosted by the likes of Crabtree and his odious nephew Sir Benjamin Backbite. There’s nothing they like more than seizing on some tasty morsel of gossip and ensuring that everyone in London knows about it. And if there are no tasty new morsels to share – they’ll just invent something anyway! It’s not hard to see where the gutter press started.

Sir OliverSir Peter’s old friend Sir Oliver Surface has returned from many years in the East Indies. His two sons, Joseph and Charles, have lived very different lives in his absence; Charles has spent his fortune on wine, women and song and is up to his ears in debt, but Joseph has (ostensibly at least) devoted his life to books and learning, and being a pillar of the community. A man of sentiment, as Sir Peter insists. No one has a word to say against him; but can anyone truly be that good? After a whirlwind of liars revealed, mistresses exposed, and all levels of trickery and deceit practised, can Sir Peter and Lady Teazle’s marriage survive? You’ll have to watch the play to find out. Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1777!

Lady Sneerwell and her phonesExcept that we’re not, as Seán Aydon’s production takes us to a London somewhere in the 20th century, where the newspapers are distinctly tabloid, the costumes are 1950s and the telephones are 1970s – an excellent device for doing away with minor servant roles, i’faith. The scene is set even before you enter the auditorium, if you care to read the wonderfully created programme which takes the form of an issue of Town and Country Magazine, which – inter alia – includes the revelation of Lady Frizzle’s muffler catching fire, has an advert for Charles Surface’s equestrian breeding business and an exposé on Sir Peter’s domestic arrangements.

Backbite and CrabtreeIt’s an essentially playful production, with the characters of Sneerwell, Joseph, Charles, Snake, Weasel, Careless, Bumper, Backbite, Crabtree and Mrs Candour all portrayed with cartoonish fun. It treads a tricky balance to stay on the correct side of caricature, but, fortunately, it succeeds. On the other hand, Sir Peter and Lady Teazle, as well as Sir Oliver, Maria and Rowley are played straight, which emphasises the genuine disaster that those people could potentially face if they’re caught out in this cut-throat society.

Joseph and Sir PeterSarah Beaton’s set design is immensely simple – expensive looking drapes surround a largely bare stage – just a chaise-longue and a couple of stools; a swiftly revealed screen arrives just in time to secrete Lady Teazle in her hour of need, and the closet in which Sir Peter hides is just a bit of curtain. Don’t forget the three vital telephones pitched high on pedestals, which visually stresses the importance of chatter in this play. The costumes are superlative, full of primary colours as though you’d just done a raid at Benetton – but much, much more exclusive, of course. Peter Small’s lighting brightens and fades with the varying fortunes of our protagonists so effectively that I genuinely don’t have a clue what colour those drapes really are.

Sir Peter and Lady TeazleAt the heart of the production is an elegant, understated and authoritative performance by Joseph Marcell as Sir Peter Teazle, very much the still point in the turning world, trying to keep up with all the events unfolding around him. With the rest of the cast doubling up on roles, there are tremendous comic performances from Garmon Rhys as the irrepressible Charles and the frequently hysterical Backbite; and Alex Phelps as the super-sleazy Joseph and the completely-out-of-it Bumper. Lydea Perkins gives us a Lady Teazle who is both refreshingly honest and cynically manipulative; and a very different portrayal as Mrs Candour, bent double with both age and duplicity.

JosephNorthamptonshire’s own Emily-Jane McNeill is a strikingly elegant and scheming Lady Sneerwell, and also plays Careless, Charles’ drunken pal, as cheerfully corrupt and yet strangely supportive. Ayesha Griffiths’ Maria is aloof and hard to impress, and also gives a brilliant comic turn as Weasel, a sharp-suited EastEnders geezer. Guy Dennys gives excellent support as the all-purpose factotum Rowley and the Sam Spade-like sneaky investigator Snake. Tony Timberlake’s Crabtree provides an excellent support foil for Mr Rhys’ Backbite, and is excellent as Sir Oliver, the only character who truly goes on a journey of discovery in the play.

Charles and his acolytesTilted Wig’s production started its tour in March at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake and has arrived at Northampton ten venues later. Two more venues await – Darlington and Oxford. Heaps of fun, terrific comic performances – and the baddies get their come-uppance! A slick, smart, thoroughly entertaining show, and it’s great to see Sheridan on stage again.

Production photos by Robling Photography

4-stars Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

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