Three musicals to report back on. I love musicals. But you probably knew that.
Matilda - RSC, Stratford
To my eternal shame (well, about 10 seconds of shame if I’m honest - it’s only a blog), I missed out Matilda from my January round-up. And it’s so good! If I am completely honest, I didn’t exactly come out humming the Tim Minchin songs - clever though the lyrics are, the music doesn’t stick in your head. The honourable exception to that is Miracle, the opener, which is funny, sharp and clever, and opens the show on exactly the right off-beat note that a Roald Dahl adaptation deserves. The whole show, though, is exuberant, warm-hearted and full of jokes for adults and kids. It also has some wildly enthusiastic dance routines and a couple of routines with swings and a gym vault that had my heart in my mouth. Special mention to Bertie Carvel (who I always love) for his grotesquely brilliant headmistress. If this moves to London, don’t miss it. And tell every parent you know to take their kids - they’ll adore it.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Donmar
Another month, another madly exuberant musical. Again, songs which didn’t really stay with me, but with a script as funny as this one, it doesn’t matter in the slightest. I didn’t stop laughing from the second it started. It’s got some good singing, some enthusiastic dancing (including an excellent cheerleading bit) and I enjoyed every minute. Big fun all round.
Company - Southwark Playhouse
Oooo, I’d never been to the Southwark Playhouse before - I felt so adventurous! I HATE open seating, by the way, I’ll just get that off my chest first. And if you go to see this show, try to sit in the centre bank - I was house left and I missed out on some of the choreographed numbers. In general, though, it’s worth seeing, if only because Company has some of the loveliest musical theatre numbers ever written - Marry Me a Little and Being Alive in particular, but it’s almost craven to single anything out since the whole show is fabulous. The production itself isn’t perfect - a couple of the songs were awkwardly staged, and a bit further down the cast list you’d have to say there are a couple of weaker links. But the leads, especially Rupert Young as Bobby, are charming, and there is a brilliant comic performance from Katie Brayben as April which is almost worth the price of admission on its own. Oh - stand-out vocal performances were Cassidy Janson and Greg Castilioni singing Getting Married Today - both moving and hilarious. In conclusion - well worth seeing.
Only one (maybe two) more theatre trips this month. Then (deep breath) eight (maybe even nine) in March. Yikes.
Showing posts with label theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theatre. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Monday, 14 February 2011
New Year FAIL
So, I made a new year’s resolution to review every theatre trip I went on. Exciting, right? Imagine how much fun reading them would be. If you dare. My thinking was that I spend a fortune on these bloody tickets - if I am not then sharing my thoughts about the shows with the whole world, what on earth is the point? The world NEEDS MY OPINIONS.
The resolution lasted exactly no shows. I could defend myself, but I think we all know that would just be a waste of typing energy, and my lack of blogging already demonstrates the paucity of said energy. I am weak. Very weak.
I am going to try again for February. First trip is this Wednesday - I bet you’re on tenterhooks. In the meantime, though, here’s a January wrap-up, even though most of this is now out-of-date and my views are of even less relevance than they were back then.
Twelfth Night - Cottesloe
Hmmm. I wanted to love it. I think that was probably the problem. Peter Hall directing Twelfth Night? With Rebecca Hall who I think is ace? I wanted so much to love it that perhaps my expectations got in the way. It’s a perfectly good production, but I wanted magic. Rebecca Hall is as charming as ever, though I like a Viola with a bit more oomph. Simon Callow is... Simon Callow. And it has the most bizarre Orsino I have ever seen (seriously, it’s like he’s in a different production from everyone else - everyone else is playing it straight and this guy sort of prowls and pouts his way around the stage - it’s incredibly distracting). But I liked the melancholy, autumnal feel of the whole thing, and Simon Paisley Day as Malvolio is super and dignified even when suffocated by indignities. Best of all, Charles Edwards is probably the funniest, most sympathetic Sir Andrew I have ever seen - totally stole the show. In short - worth seeing, but don’t kill anyone for a ticket. (I mean, I hope you weren’t planning to, but if you were: DON’T.)
A Flea in Her Ear - Old Vic
Great fun, but we saw Tom Hollander’s understudy. Tom Hollander’s understudy was perfectly fine but he’s not, you know, Tom Hollander. Disappointing. Especially at the prices the Old Vic charges. So I am in the unhappy position of knowing it’s a rather good production but still being unable to recommend it, because when I saw it, it was woefully undercooked.
Barbershopera - Trafalgar Studios
This was a second trip to see a show I very much enjoyed in Edinburgh last summer - did I enjoy the show, or did I enjoy the show because I was seeing it in Edinburgh WITH BEER? It turns out, I enjoyed the show. No mean feat to perform an entire show a cappella in four-part harmony, and all four of the cast perform with a huge amount of energy and focus. That said, this has been through some rewrites since Edinburgh - story-wise, they’re definitely for the better, but the new songs aren’t quite as good as the ones that have been around for a while - I’m sure this will get refined through future performances. I’ll definitely go and see whatever this lot do next - they’re good writers, with a nice line in cheap jokes which, as we know, I adore - I’d love to see them write a full musical, to be honest, where they’re not governed by the a cappella thing. Definitely worth checking out if you like musical comedy (come on, who doesn’t?).
Becky Shaw - Almeida
A fairly new American play - a hit off-Broadway apparently. I loved it. It’s not perfect, by any means - I’d rework the ending, for a start - but it is incredibly funny and acerbic and full of excellent performances. Worth seeing just for David Wilson Barnes, who appeared in the off-Broadway production. He is eerily like Kevin Spacey in this part - by turns laconic, funny, bitter and warm-hearted - a wonderful performance. Whole-heartedly recommended.
Less Than Kind - Jermyn Street
The year of Rattigan begins. Every Rattigan play I have seen has begun gently and quietly and then, before I even know what’s happening, the play has my heart in a vice-like grip and is squeezing gently. They make me laugh and make me tense and make me sad, all at the same time. This production is of a not particularly well-known Rattigan play, and you would have to say it’s not quite the powerhouse play of After the Dance or The Winslow Boy. But it’s a gorgeous, unhistrionic production, filled with unshowy, strong performances, particularly from Sara Crowe and Michael Simkins. I very much hope it has a life after Jermyn Street - if it does, go and see it straight away.
And that’s it for January, other than two failed attempts to see King Lear at the Donmar (don’t ask) and a Rory Kinnear talk at the National about his performance at Hamlet (interesting talk, fantastic performance - try and see it on tour if you can). February brings with it (currently) only three shows - the Donmar, Hampstead and Southwark. Let’s hope I report back rather more quickly this time round...
The resolution lasted exactly no shows. I could defend myself, but I think we all know that would just be a waste of typing energy, and my lack of blogging already demonstrates the paucity of said energy. I am weak. Very weak.
I am going to try again for February. First trip is this Wednesday - I bet you’re on tenterhooks. In the meantime, though, here’s a January wrap-up, even though most of this is now out-of-date and my views are of even less relevance than they were back then.
Twelfth Night - Cottesloe
Hmmm. I wanted to love it. I think that was probably the problem. Peter Hall directing Twelfth Night? With Rebecca Hall who I think is ace? I wanted so much to love it that perhaps my expectations got in the way. It’s a perfectly good production, but I wanted magic. Rebecca Hall is as charming as ever, though I like a Viola with a bit more oomph. Simon Callow is... Simon Callow. And it has the most bizarre Orsino I have ever seen (seriously, it’s like he’s in a different production from everyone else - everyone else is playing it straight and this guy sort of prowls and pouts his way around the stage - it’s incredibly distracting). But I liked the melancholy, autumnal feel of the whole thing, and Simon Paisley Day as Malvolio is super and dignified even when suffocated by indignities. Best of all, Charles Edwards is probably the funniest, most sympathetic Sir Andrew I have ever seen - totally stole the show. In short - worth seeing, but don’t kill anyone for a ticket. (I mean, I hope you weren’t planning to, but if you were: DON’T.)
A Flea in Her Ear - Old Vic
Great fun, but we saw Tom Hollander’s understudy. Tom Hollander’s understudy was perfectly fine but he’s not, you know, Tom Hollander. Disappointing. Especially at the prices the Old Vic charges. So I am in the unhappy position of knowing it’s a rather good production but still being unable to recommend it, because when I saw it, it was woefully undercooked.
Barbershopera - Trafalgar Studios
This was a second trip to see a show I very much enjoyed in Edinburgh last summer - did I enjoy the show, or did I enjoy the show because I was seeing it in Edinburgh WITH BEER? It turns out, I enjoyed the show. No mean feat to perform an entire show a cappella in four-part harmony, and all four of the cast perform with a huge amount of energy and focus. That said, this has been through some rewrites since Edinburgh - story-wise, they’re definitely for the better, but the new songs aren’t quite as good as the ones that have been around for a while - I’m sure this will get refined through future performances. I’ll definitely go and see whatever this lot do next - they’re good writers, with a nice line in cheap jokes which, as we know, I adore - I’d love to see them write a full musical, to be honest, where they’re not governed by the a cappella thing. Definitely worth checking out if you like musical comedy (come on, who doesn’t?).
Becky Shaw - Almeida
A fairly new American play - a hit off-Broadway apparently. I loved it. It’s not perfect, by any means - I’d rework the ending, for a start - but it is incredibly funny and acerbic and full of excellent performances. Worth seeing just for David Wilson Barnes, who appeared in the off-Broadway production. He is eerily like Kevin Spacey in this part - by turns laconic, funny, bitter and warm-hearted - a wonderful performance. Whole-heartedly recommended.
Less Than Kind - Jermyn Street
The year of Rattigan begins. Every Rattigan play I have seen has begun gently and quietly and then, before I even know what’s happening, the play has my heart in a vice-like grip and is squeezing gently. They make me laugh and make me tense and make me sad, all at the same time. This production is of a not particularly well-known Rattigan play, and you would have to say it’s not quite the powerhouse play of After the Dance or The Winslow Boy. But it’s a gorgeous, unhistrionic production, filled with unshowy, strong performances, particularly from Sara Crowe and Michael Simkins. I very much hope it has a life after Jermyn Street - if it does, go and see it straight away.
And that’s it for January, other than two failed attempts to see King Lear at the Donmar (don’t ask) and a Rory Kinnear talk at the National about his performance at Hamlet (interesting talk, fantastic performance - try and see it on tour if you can). February brings with it (currently) only three shows - the Donmar, Hampstead and Southwark. Let’s hope I report back rather more quickly this time round...
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Spring Storm - The Cottesloe
Look, look! It's another theatre review! Once I've done this one, I'll be up-to-date. Well, except for the eight plays I saw before the whole blog review resolution thing, and the one I saw on Sunday. But other than that - UP. TO. DATE.
So, anyway. Spring Storm. It's an early play by Tennessee Williams and it's about a lot of things, but basically boils down to a girl deciding between a respectable, rich suitor and a wilder, brutish boy who has (unknown to everyone else) already been her lover for a year and more. It's a production brought to the National from the Royal & Derngate in Northampton and is apparently a European premiere of the play.
There is a great deal to enjoy, particularly in the performances of Liz White as Heavenly Critchfield (never short of excellent names, old Tennessee) once she'd recovered from her accent wobbles in the opening scene and Jacqueline King as her mother (also Donna's mother in Doctor Who, fact fans). It's also fascinating to see proto-versions of later Williams characters - the dialogue and characterisation is good here, but I imagine it would have even greater resonance if the play was in rep with Streetcar.
All that being said, I enjoyed the play less than most reviewers seem to have - the Northampton production picked up four stars from most critics. For me... Not so much. The first half meandered and pootled along. It wasn't until the second half, when the plot starts to move with some urgency, that I felt any real engagement. When it's good, though, it's very, very good and the second half contains a couple of scenes with recognisable Williams themes (suppressed female sexuality, the clash between past and present, courtliness and brutality) that pack a real punch.
All in all, if you're offered a ticket, I'd take it. But I wouldn't necessarily kick down doors to get one.
Verdict: Je dis, "Comme ci, comme ca."
So, anyway. Spring Storm. It's an early play by Tennessee Williams and it's about a lot of things, but basically boils down to a girl deciding between a respectable, rich suitor and a wilder, brutish boy who has (unknown to everyone else) already been her lover for a year and more. It's a production brought to the National from the Royal & Derngate in Northampton and is apparently a European premiere of the play.
There is a great deal to enjoy, particularly in the performances of Liz White as Heavenly Critchfield (never short of excellent names, old Tennessee) once she'd recovered from her accent wobbles in the opening scene and Jacqueline King as her mother (also Donna's mother in Doctor Who, fact fans). It's also fascinating to see proto-versions of later Williams characters - the dialogue and characterisation is good here, but I imagine it would have even greater resonance if the play was in rep with Streetcar.
All that being said, I enjoyed the play less than most reviewers seem to have - the Northampton production picked up four stars from most critics. For me... Not so much. The first half meandered and pootled along. It wasn't until the second half, when the plot starts to move with some urgency, that I felt any real engagement. When it's good, though, it's very, very good and the second half contains a couple of scenes with recognisable Williams themes (suppressed female sexuality, the clash between past and present, courtliness and brutality) that pack a real punch.
All in all, if you're offered a ticket, I'd take it. But I wouldn't necessarily kick down doors to get one.
Verdict: Je dis, "Comme ci, comme ca."
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
The White Guard
So, I go to the theatre a lot. Like, a lot. It costs me a small fortune. To date, I have not blogged about any of the plays/shows I have been to see. Tonight, people, that changes.
(I bet you're super-excited.)
First up - The White Guard, currently previewing at the Lyttelton at the National. It's by Mikhail Bulgakov and it's all about 1918 Kiev and a family that sees itself as Ukrainian, Russian and Tsarist, with all the terrifying complications that brought with it. An excellent fact about this show is that Stalin loved it, even though its heroes were the White Army - the reason why becomes painfully clear in the final act.
Basically, you should go to see this play. It's dark and funny and satirical and brutal. The cast has no weak links (particular mention for Anthony Calf's perfect cameo and Pip Carter, who looks probably fresh out of RADA and who I have seen in three plays at the National in each of which he has been perfect) and the sets... Well, I'm not one to get excited about sets, or I never used to be though what with going to all these plays now I notice them more, but the design of this show is spectacular.
This is the third Andrew Upton-translated Russian play I have seen at the National in the last few years. If I hear he's translating any more, I'll be first in the queue. Seriously - go and see it.
Verdict: Je dis oui, oui.
(I bet you're super-excited.)
First up - The White Guard, currently previewing at the Lyttelton at the National. It's by Mikhail Bulgakov and it's all about 1918 Kiev and a family that sees itself as Ukrainian, Russian and Tsarist, with all the terrifying complications that brought with it. An excellent fact about this show is that Stalin loved it, even though its heroes were the White Army - the reason why becomes painfully clear in the final act.
Basically, you should go to see this play. It's dark and funny and satirical and brutal. The cast has no weak links (particular mention for Anthony Calf's perfect cameo and Pip Carter, who looks probably fresh out of RADA and who I have seen in three plays at the National in each of which he has been perfect) and the sets... Well, I'm not one to get excited about sets, or I never used to be though what with going to all these plays now I notice them more, but the design of this show is spectacular.
This is the third Andrew Upton-translated Russian play I have seen at the National in the last few years. If I hear he's translating any more, I'll be first in the queue. Seriously - go and see it.
Verdict: Je dis oui, oui.
Sunday, 8 November 2009
A week in summary
My resolution to write an entry on this every day lasted, let me see now... a day. However, in news that will delight me, the writer, and would I am sure delight all readers if I in fact had any, I have managed to spend the afternoon today writing for the first time in a very long time, so perhaps even that one blog entry has, you know, jogged something loose.
Here's what I have been doing this week:
1. Going to the theatre. I went to see Bedroom Farce at the Kingston Rose, a play I like by a playwright I like. Jane Asher and Nicholas Le Prevost were in it and were masterfully experienced and urbane and extremely funny. The younger folk in it? Not so much. I don't think it can be that young people cannot do Ayckbourn, I think it is more that they just managed to cast quite a lot of people who aren't funny. Funny is not the same as being good at acting. Also, it had not one, not two, but three sons/daughters of famous actors in it. I have views about this. I'll share them another time.
2. Going to the cinema. I saw An Education with Zoe T (she was with me, she wasn't in it). It was set in Twickenham, where I grew up, which made me oddly happy even though I didn't recognise any of the locations. It's very good, but I think the chat about Carey Mulligan being Oscar-worthy is OTT. She's lovely in it, but she's been lovely in everything I have seen her in, but the same sort of lovely every time. Possibly not her fault - clearly she is being cast as a certain type of character - but not ready for Oscar-chat yet, that's what I say.
3. Watching Strictly. I thought about doing a proper long blog about this, but others are doing it already and in a very funny way, so read them, not this. Maybe I'll do it another week. A few thoughts, though.
a) Dear Producers, you have leapt on the possibility of another showmance (Ricky and Natalie) with indecent haste. Let it lie. You too, Tess - no-one thinks you're funny.
b) There is a special place in hell for the person who decided the best use of BLACKPOOL WEEK was a bloody pro Viennese waltz, for God's sake.
c) Bruce singing is good for no-one, least of all Bruce. "What a rare this has been." What?
d) This was the first week that I voted. I voted for Jade and Ian. It's a losing cause, but I love them.
I think I'll try to blog again tomorrow. I bet you (by which I mean I) can't wait.
Here's what I have been doing this week:
1. Going to the theatre. I went to see Bedroom Farce at the Kingston Rose, a play I like by a playwright I like. Jane Asher and Nicholas Le Prevost were in it and were masterfully experienced and urbane and extremely funny. The younger folk in it? Not so much. I don't think it can be that young people cannot do Ayckbourn, I think it is more that they just managed to cast quite a lot of people who aren't funny. Funny is not the same as being good at acting. Also, it had not one, not two, but three sons/daughters of famous actors in it. I have views about this. I'll share them another time.
2. Going to the cinema. I saw An Education with Zoe T (she was with me, she wasn't in it). It was set in Twickenham, where I grew up, which made me oddly happy even though I didn't recognise any of the locations. It's very good, but I think the chat about Carey Mulligan being Oscar-worthy is OTT. She's lovely in it, but she's been lovely in everything I have seen her in, but the same sort of lovely every time. Possibly not her fault - clearly she is being cast as a certain type of character - but not ready for Oscar-chat yet, that's what I say.
3. Watching Strictly. I thought about doing a proper long blog about this, but others are doing it already and in a very funny way, so read them, not this. Maybe I'll do it another week. A few thoughts, though.
a) Dear Producers, you have leapt on the possibility of another showmance (Ricky and Natalie) with indecent haste. Let it lie. You too, Tess - no-one thinks you're funny.
b) There is a special place in hell for the person who decided the best use of BLACKPOOL WEEK was a bloody pro Viennese waltz, for God's sake.
c) Bruce singing is good for no-one, least of all Bruce. "What a rare this has been." What?
d) This was the first week that I voted. I voted for Jade and Ian. It's a losing cause, but I love them.
I think I'll try to blog again tomorrow. I bet you (by which I mean I) can't wait.
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