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Theatre review

Anyone Can Whistle, Union Theatre, 2017

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Anyone Can Whistle at the Union Theatre is an ebullient production of a lesser known Sondheim musical. Originally performed over 50 years ago on Broadway, it is certainly one of his shows that deserves a second hearing.

The storyline is quirky, this production brings out the humour and mayhem very nicely.

It has some great characters; Felicity Duncan is excellent as the power hungry, desperate to be loved politician, Rachel Delooze and Oliver Stanley are both very good as the lovelorn fake investigator and the fake doctor, and their final duet “With so little to be sure of” is a thing of beauty.

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It is packed with fantastic classic Sondheim songs: “Me and my town”, “There won’t be trumpets”, “Parade in town”, “Everyone says don’t”, “Anyone can whistle” and “With so little to be sure of” are all from this show!

The ensemble here are great, the stage can seem a little packed at times, but this works very well for the chase scene and the dance numbers are filled with energy and inventiveness.

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With all the talk of political madness and fake news, the time is right for the revival of this wonderful, undervalued musical and I thoroughly enjoyed this production.

This is a show that is not revived often enough, you should go to see it while you have the opportunity!

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Theatre review

Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Apollo Theatre 2016/7

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This production is just coming to the end of its Christmas 2016 run, but I am pretty certain that it will return next year, because although Captain Hook keeps asserting that this is not a pantomime, well……(all together now!) Oh! Yes it is!

This is not the show you should choose if you are looking for the full-on traditional British panto experience, but it does have some elements of the genre, along with some slapstick and a lot of physical comedy.

If you take note of the title, you will know, generally what to expect, everything that you can think of does go wrong, but I’ll bet that they manage to find a few extra disasters that never even occurred to you.

A version of this was performed for the BBC and shown on television over Christmas. This was quite entertaining but it is a play that comes across much better live.

The show is very funny and the characters are very likeable, even the villain. It is great for kids and adults alike, in fact it would be a fantastic first time theatre experience for a youngster, both memorable and enjoyable.

It is great that London finally has a Christmas show to come back to every year!

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Theatre review

Half a Sixpence, Noel Coward Theatre

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This is a revival of a 50 year old show. It has been done with so much love and a nice attention to detail.

There are new songs and a tidied up storyline but it still does not feel current and it doesn’t attempt to.

It looks and feels like an early 1960’s musical and that is its charm.

It has the early 60s obsession with class, it has the big boisterous dance numbers of the time and it has some great songs. There is an innocence and optimism about this show that one doesn’t find in contemporary musicals.

The whole cast are fantastic but Charlie Stemp is outstanding as Arthur Kipps. How he manages to maintain that energy throughout the whole show is remarkable.

Some of the songs have been moved around and there have been new ones added. “Pick Out a Simple Tune” is a particularly memorable new song. Moving “Flash, Bang, Wallop” to the close is a master stroke, finishing the show on a glorious high.

This is a great show with a wonderful finale and I will be amazed if it does not win a host of awards in the coming season.

Go see it while you have the chance – you will leave the theatre elated!

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Theatre review

Dead Funny, Vaudeville Theatre, 2016/7

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24 years on is a difficult time at which to attempt the revival of a play. It’s long enough ago for the jokes and attitudes to appear dated and out of touch, yet not distant enough for us to see the play as an interesting period piece, or for us to indulge the mores of a different society.

This show has a great cast and they perform very well. The play itself has not aged well. The storyline and many of the lines feel old, the characters are not developed. The female roles in particular are one dimensional stereotypes – the hysterical woman desperate for a baby and the flirtatious, glamorous eye candy. There is an inherent sexism throughout the play that is uncomfortable to sit through now.

The male characters are caricatures too and we have come to expect more subtlety from the dialogue. The parts of the play that set out to shock us are no longer outrageous, the tasteless joke was neither shocking nor funny and the nudity was superfluous.

The acting was of a very high standard though, you could tell that Steve Pemberton loved the play and Ralf Little and Katherine Parkinson were a joy to watch.

It is very possible that in another 25 years this play will be an antique heirloom but currently, it is just out dated and out of fashion.

 

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Theatre review

Into the Woods, Menier Chocolate Factory, London

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The Menier Chocolate Factory has a history of showing great productions of Sondheim musicals, so I went in with high expectations. This American troupe has transferred here, from off Broadway, having had runs in Princeton and San Diego before that.

They bring a stripped down, lo-fi interpretation of “Into the Woods” that is perfectly suited to the intimate surroundings of this theatre. The whole show, including music, is performed by 11 actors and musicians multitasking, with limited props and set changes. The resourcefulness of the company turn this into an asset and the simple setting allows one to notice new details in the lines and new depths in the characters. All of the players are great, but Andy Grotelueschen is fabulous as both the cow (!) and as Rapunzel’s prince. Patrick Mulrayn, who plays Jack, can belt out a tune too.

The set is quirky and funny, it looks like the inside of a piano reimagined as a Victorian dolls house. I particularly liked the piano keys surrounding the stage.

Shows from the Chocolate Factory often transfer to the West End, and this one surely deserves to, you don’t often see the whole audience stand to clap at the end of a show in London – but don’t wait until it does transfer before you go because this theatre is the  perfect setting for such a gem.

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Theatre review

The Donkey Show, Proud Camden, London 2016

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In this version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the forest outside Athens has become a 1970s disco. Oberon, the king of the fairies, is the nightclub owner, Titania is his main squeeze and the fairies are a troop of Muscle Mary disco dancers strutting their stuff on raised plinths and around poles.

Puck is a roller-skating drag queen narrator and the 4 star crossed lovers are punters in various states of alcohol and drug fuelled confusion. I was amazed at how well the setting fitted the original play.

All of them sing their parts (no lip synching here) to classic 1970s disco tunes while interacting with the audience and getting increasingly out of it as the night goes on.

It’s camp, it’s brash, it’s rude and crude, its funny and it is great fun. London needs a camp, frothy, boisterous night out as a tourist attraction and this could be it!  After all,  “Beach Blanket Babylon” has run in San Francisco for over 40 years now and is still going strong.

Leave your inhibitions at the door and be prepared to party.

This is the best rowdy, rollicking night out in London this summer!

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Theatre review

The Deep Blue Sea, National Theatre, London 2016

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This is a play that will stay with you after you leave the theatre. Terrence Rattigan is the ultimate playwright if you wish to see quiet desperation. It starts out by seeing the bitter humour in a suicide attempt that fails because the money in the meter ran out and it gets darker from there.

Hester Collyer is surely one of the best parts written in the 20th Century and the anguish that Helen McCrory has seeping through her “stiff upper lip” is palpable.

We see the easier options that she has available to her, yet we also understand why she chooses not to take them. There is lovely interaction between her and Peter Sullivan, who plays her estranged husband. It could be so tempting to go back to him, but it would not be honest. On the other hand, her love for Freddie will ruin both of them in long term.

In the end, she is strong and does not take any of the easy ways out, but I have to say, this is one of the saddest happy endings you will ever see.

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Theatre review

Hobson’s Choice, Vaudeville Theatre, 2016

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This is the centenary tour of Hobson’s Choice, but I have to say that it doesn’t show its age. Martin Shaw is very good in the title role, it requires a blustering, exaggerated performance and you can see he is enjoying himself here.

Really though, the play is all about Maggie. Naomi Frederick is excellent, she plays it totally straight and carries it off perfectly. Bryan Dick puts in a great performance as Willie, his transformation is both funny and credible.

The sets are relatively simple but beautifully made, and the direction is uncomplicated. They allow the real stars of the show to shine through and they are the words. It is a fantastically written comedy drama, with great individual lines and genuinely funny characters. It is easy to see why it is still regularly produced even one hundred years after it was written. This is a production by people who really love Harold Brighouse’s play and that care shines through on the stage.

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Theatre review

Funny Girl, Savoy Theatre, London

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This is Funny Girl without Sheridan Smith.

Funny Girl is one of my favourite films. There is no getting away from the fact that it is a star vehicle and I was worried for any understudy undertaking the role. It has big emotional songs that need a big voice and a big personality to fill.

Natasha Barnes has a remarkable voice and sings the songs brilliantly. She had the audience totally on her side and received a full standing ovation at the end. She seemed genuinely moved by this.

Darius Campbell’s singing is really good. The big set dance pieces are beautifully choreographed. Joel Montague is excellent as Eddie. The Savoy Theatre itself is an Art Deco chocolate box and has to be the prettiest in London.

All in all a good night out. (Get well soon, Sheridan!)

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Theatre review

The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre

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I have to say that I felt a bit sorry for Cornley Polytechnic drama, after all the rehearsal and effort that went into the production, that they should have a night like this.

I suppose that we could have guessed it wasn’t going to be their night when the dog went missing even before the show began! However they struggled on manfully and the understudy that came on for Constance after she was knocked out did very well ……. considering.

If I were them I’d probably sack the sound engineer, I mean how much can he know about sound, given his love of Duran Duran.

I applaud the cast for (mostly) making it through to the end of the show unscathed.

I’m going to recommend that you go to see this production because they surely could never have another night like this. The acting was brilliant, with hand gestures and everything, and I’m sure that once they get their difficulties sorted; there is a wonderful murder mystery in there, just waiting to come out!