UK Theatre Network

Following its debut at the Edinburgh Festival and a national tour, Sometimes I Laugh Like My Sister receives its London premiere as part of the Finborough Theatre's New Writing Season.

Rebecca Peyton’s sister is dead. She was murdered during a work assignment for the BBC. Kate was sent to Somalia – the most dangerous country in the world – after only 4 ½ days of preparation, six weeks would be about normal. Although Kate had some reservations about this trip she felt that she had to go because her commitment was in doubt after having declined two assignments in Iraq. Now there is an inquest regarding the BBC’s role in Kate’s death but Rebecca is not interested. What does it matter? Her sister is dead, there is no consolation.

This is a very personal account of Rebecca Peyton’s grief and anger following her sister’s death seven years ago. Peyton recounts the days when she learnt that her sister had been shot and her 18-month period of drinking and partying in an attempt to get away from the painful truth that her sister was dead. The 75 minutes would be hard to bear if it was not for Peyton’s complete lack of pathos and her sense of humour. Rebecca Peyton decided within days of her sister’s murder that she wanted to make a show out of her experiences (it was initially going to be titled 101 Uses For A  Murdered Sister) and the end result is deeply moving and hard hitting. More than one member of the audience was weeping when Peyton recalled her shock at the news of her sister’s death and the reaction of her sister’s Congolese fiancé Roger who kept repeating “Ma femme est morte,” reliving his father’s death. Before it becomes unbearable Peyton quips about the reaction of other people to this tragedy: “They can see it on me, all over me, the sticky custard of death.”

Written by Peyton in collaboration with the show’s director, Martin M. Bartelt, this monologue is presented as if the actress was addressing the audience on a whim. When a mobile phone goes off Peyton invites the culprit to take the call and even offers to talk to the caller herself.

The show is followed by an informal post-show discussion in the bar. 

by Carolin Kopplin 

22 and 23 January 2012 - Evenings at 7.30pm.

Extra performances on

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 at 3.00pm
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 at 9.30pm
Tickets £13, £11 concessions
Booking opens on Wednesday 18 January 2012 at 9am

 For information and tickets, see:

http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productions/2012/production-sometimes-i-laugh-like-my-sister.php

Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, London, SW10 9ED

Oliver Award-winning Our Country’s Good tours UK theatres

Original Theatre, with Anvil Arts, presents Aden Gillet and Phillip Whitchurch in new production of Wertenbaker’s classic

The acclaimed Original Theatre Company, in association with Anvil Arts, is set to tour a new production of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Olivier Award-winning play Our Country’s Good this season, performing at theatres across the UK, starring Aden Gillet (Accolade, The Winslow Boy, The Queen’s Sister, House of Elliot, Mary Poppins) and Phillip Whitchurch (Billy Elliot, Sharpe, The Bill, My Hero)

 "A play is a world in itself. A tiny colony we could say. And you are in charge of it. That is a great responsibility."

Australia. 1788. A British ship arrives with a cargo of soldiers and convicts transported abroad for their country’s good. As the soldiers struggle to impose order on the outcasts of the old society, a benevolent governor seizes on the notion of a play. In the shadow of the gallows and the gum tree the convicts gather under the direction of 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Clarke and rehearsals begin for The Recruiting Officer.

Based on real events, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Olivier Award-winning modern classic is an inspiring tale of the transforming power of theatre. This major touring revival, at a time when the argument over publicly funded theatre is raging once again, is produced by the acclaimed Original Theatre Company and follows the success of their recent productions of See How They Run, Twelfth Night, Dancing at Lughnasa, The Madness of George III and Journey’s End.

Our Country’s Good is touring UK theatres this winter/spring 2012. For more information, or to book tickets, visit www.originaltheatre.com

 

“Wertenbaker has searched history and found in it a humanistic lesson for hard modern times: rough, sombre, undogmatic and warm”

-THE SUNDAY TIMES

“Highly theatrical, often funny and at times dark and disturbing”

-THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, CHARLES SPENCER

 
 

Original Theatre Company - Formed in 2004 by Creative Director Alastair Whatley, The Original Theatre Company is an acclaimed touring company based in the market town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. We have built up an ever increasing reputation, performing both classical and contemporary texts with our own brand of daring innovation and bloody minded determination.

From our early days playing in often unconventional locations (cliff tops, stately homes and football grounds) in often unconventional weather (rain, hail and flooding), we have gone on to produce ten touring shows, travelling over 220,000 miles up and down the length and breadth of the UK, playing to hundreds of thousands of people in some of the classic repertory venues. We have gained a reputation for work that is carefully conceived, crystal clear, challenging and always entertaining.

Touring theatre is at the heart and soul of everything we do, taking diverse and engaging theatre of the highest quality to as much of the UK as possible. We passionately believe that great theatre does not have to be elitist and that people everywhere expect and deserve the best. We like to think that our work is characterised by its vitality, honesty and humour alongside a dynamic and dedicated approach by everyone both in front of and behind the curtain.

 

TOUR SCHEDULE /

 

JAN ‘12                

Wed 25 – Sat 28           BASINGSTOKE               The Haymarket                        01256 844244
Mon 30 - Tues 31         KINGSTON                    The Rose                                  0208 546 6983 

FEB ‘12

Wed 1 – Sat 4               KINGSTON                    The Rose                                  0208 546 6983
Mon 6 – Tues 7             READING                       The Hexagon                            0118 960 6060
Thurs 9 – Sat 11           BERWICK                      The Maltings                            01289 330999
Tues 21 – Sat 25           JERSEY                         The Opera House                     01534 511115
Tues 28 – Wed 29        NEWBURY                     The Corn Exchange                  01635 522733 

MAR ‘12

Thurs 1                        NEWBURY                     The Corn Exchange                  01635 522733
Fri 2 – Sat 3                  PETERBOROUGH           The Key Theatre                      01753 207239
Tues 06 – Sat 10           HARROGATE                  Harrogate Theatre                   01423 502116
Mon 12 – Wed 14          CHIPPING NORTON       The Theatre                             01608 624350
Mon 19                         BUXTON                       Opera House                            0845 127 2190
Tues 20 – Sat 24           MOLD                            Theatr Clwyd                           01352 755114
Mon 26 – Sat 31            GREENWICH                  Greenwich Theatre                  0208 858 7755 

APR ‘12

Mon 2 – Wed 4              LLANDUDNO                  Venue Cymru                           01492 879771
Tues 17 – Sat 21           EASTBOURNE                Devonshire Park Theatre         01323 412000
Mon 23 – Tues 24         BRACKNELL                   South Hill Park Arts Centre      01344 484123
Wed 25 – Thurs 26       FINCHLEY                     Arts Depot                                0208 369 5454 

European Premier of 'Man in the Middle'

By Ron Elisha

Directed by Lucy Skilbeck

Theatre503

Viewed on Friday 13th January 2012

Cast

 

-       Olivia Carruthers

-       Jonathan Coote

-       Andrew Leung

-       Amy Marston

-       Paul McEwan

-       Ben Onwukwe

-       Jonathan Tafler

-       Darren Weller

 

The public will have heard of Wikileaks in one form or another- The infamous Baghdad video, the manuals of the secretive religion, Scientology, or the leaked US cables- these are among some of the classified anonymous packets of information that are placed at the public's scrutiny.

 

Julian Assange, on the other hand, might bring up more than just being the founder of this site dedicated to transparency and truth. White-haired and explosive Assange, played terrifically by Darren Weller, is the 'middle' man, whose arrogant, 'passionate, verging on crazy' ambition leads the country to a state of international tension using just one powerful weapon. The Truth.

 

What Ron Elisha attempts is an ambitious retelling of the private, public and political events surrounding the man who defiantly defends the 'First Amendment', in the age of the Internet. We follow a cascade of moments, which develops Assange into a man estranged from his family, facing rape charges and extradition, and the sole target of a 150-man government task force intent on his every move. We follow the changes that turn Assange from the 'most dangerous man in the world' to nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

There are times where the reworking of the original version is questionable. We see Barack Obama and David Cameron greet under media gaze and lightbulb flashes, only to discuss in a petty manner Obama's leaked opinion of Cameron, where he called Cameron a 'lightweight'. A smile and a handshake hide Cameron's adament call for amends and, while humorous, the playground-bully portrayal of major political leaders throughout, jars against the care applied to Assange.

 

Nicely incorporated is the evidence that we are living in an information-age. The set is full of glossy and reflective, with AV screens, partitions and gadgets enhance the feeling of 'plastic' and modernity. Audio, Headlines and Media perceptions remind us that we are exposed to constant information at all times. Mark Zucckerberg, energetically performed by Andrew Leung, becomes a tool for exploitation as Facebook is recognised as the gateway to reaching the Digital Generation. A Laptop, for all it represents, is deemed more important than Assange's life.

 

Assange maintains that Truth is best for its own sake and the subsequent fear of exposure will prevent immorality. Is the impact of Truth so black and white? It is not until the second half, that Assange's focused demeanour begins to show some wear and turmoil. Events do not go to plan and, in the game of gaining truth in a time of corruption, privacy and fair rules are thrown out of the window by all parties.

 

A great cast effortlessly handle multiple roles in this high-impact play about the nature of Man, Truth and Power.

                    

Theatre 503

503 Battersea Park Road  

London SW11 3BW
020 7978 7040

10th January- 4th February 7.45pm (Sundays at 5pm)

Tickets £14 (£9 Concession)

That Agatha Christie’s mysteries are popular with theatregoers goes without saying, especially if the opening night of Murder on the Nile at Windsor’s Theatre Royal is anything to go by.

A packed house gave an appreciative response to The Agatha Christie Theatre Company’s latest production – and with just cause. Taking place on a paddle steamer set by Simon Scullion which is so stunning that it had me wanting to book a voyage, and with Mike Robertson’s sunsets and twilight so realistic as to make me feel I’d already made the journey, the production is so stylish and visually beautiful that it will not only appeal to Christie diehards. The fashion-conscious will love Brigid Guy’s costumes, while Matthew Bugg’s exciting music adds to the setting’s authentic feel, enhanced by Sydney Smith’s performance as the Steward and Saif Alfalasi, whose portrayal as the Bead Seller adds a great deal of warmth and humour. And director Joe Harmston even fits in their Islamic Call to Prayer for added authenticity.

The play may have made its stage debut in 1944 but a lot of the dialogue is still relevant today. References to international financiers who sale close to the wind and talk of ‘the have nots’ in society still ring true, though we could perhaps learn from the morals of the day and how the lack of them were just not acceptable. Also, the way people dressed showed that they took a pride in themselves and their appearances, which is refreshing. Of course, the production could not be staged without a cast and The Agatha Christie Theatre Company stalwarts just get better and better. Now in their seventh production, they slip easily into the idiosyncrasies of the time. Each character is finely drawn and superbly portrayed. Petite Kate O’Mara fills the stage with her presence as a matriarchal aunt whose bullying of her nice but naïve niece sent shivers down my spine. Denis Lill brings to his role of a caring Canon the old worldliness and slight eccentricity of his part in TV’s The Royal, while Mark Wynter must surely shake off his ‘60s pop singer’ tag as the eminent Jewish doctor.

As the honeymooning heiress Kay Mostyn, Susie Amy is every bit the poor little rich girl; Ben Nealon is energetic as her husband and Chloe Newsome unhinged as his ex. With thwarted love, jealousy, greed and deceit mixed up with a couple of murders, Murder on the Nile makes for a thrilling and compelling couple of hours which keeps you guessing right up until the end.


Murder on the Nile continues at the Theatre Royal Windsor until January 21 and then continues on tour:
January 23-28 Theatre Royal Bath
January 30-February 4 Richmond Theatre
February 6-11 Hall for Cornwall, Truro
February 13-18 Connaught Theatre, Worthing
February 20-25 Palace Theatre, Southend
February 27- March 3 Derby Theatre
March 5-19 Church Theatre, Bromley
March 12-17 Devonshire Park, Eastbourne
March 19-24 Civic Theatre, Darlington
March 26-31 Malvern Festival Theatre
April 2-7 New Theatre, Wimbledon
April 10-14 Marina Theatre, Lowestoft
April 17-21 New Theatre, Cardiff
April 23-28 Floral Pavilion, New Brighton
April 30-May 5 Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
May 21-16 Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
May 28-June 2 Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
June 5-9 Theatre Royal, Plymouth
 June 11-16 Theatre Royal, Brighton
June 18-23 Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury
June 25-30 Glasgow Theatre Royal
July 2-7 Milton Keynes Theatre
July 9-14 Swan Theatre, High Wycombe
July 23-28 Newcastle Journal Tyne

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, Richmond Theatre

© Writer: Tremayne 
 

Calendar Girls opens to the voice of Jennifer Ellison (Cora) singing Jerusalem.

A Tai Chi class at a Women’s Institute follows, and then a talk about the harvest.

 

Lynda Bellingham (Chris) makes the suggestion to Head of The W.I. group, Ruth Madoc (Marie) that in next year’s calendar, when it came to the final month in the year that there could be a flap you lift, where upon you would get to see George Clooney’s credentials. The first of many corker lines still to come!

When Rula Lenska (Celia) pipes up, her spoken voice is not unlike that of Actress Joanna Lumley.

 

‘How does such a lovely man end up like an old git like you,’ is said light heartedly by Lynda Bellingham’s character to Joe, played by Joe McGann, who is keeping his morale at an all time high despite undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

‘Do you know, if more people did W.I. there’d be half the need for hallucinogenic drugs!’, said by Chris in response to one of the ladies’ who has managed to use a combination of cotton reels and Ferrero Rocher wrappers to make a desert island.

Annie (Jan Harvey) in the next scene is seen tucking a blanket into her husband, John’s lap, as it is revealed he is a wheelchair.  Something is taken away from what would have been a sentimental moment in the play by an audience member’s mobile sounding off!

 

What a sugary sweet scene it is when Chris is awarded The Overall Prize at The W.I. Fete, as well as for Best Sponge Cake in The Best Sponge Cake category.  The lady to open the event insists on her divulging to all what her secret is.  Chris, reluctant to make a speech but when she eventually does, gives out the following advice: ‘to butter the bowl, to always warm the spoon and if it is a special event to buy it from M&S (Marks & Spencer)!’

 

The centre stage, on a mount, rises as a form of eulogy is read out in memory of John who has now passed on; and we learn what a great affinity he had with sunflowers.

Annie, out on the hillside with the other ladies hands out a nude calendar to each of them.  Funds need to be raised without delay and doing a calendar of this genre seems a viable option.

Chris, all for the calendar, then proceeds to clarify the difference between ‘naked’ and ‘nude’, and Cora, who is a vicar’s daughter, sees that both would involve downing a vodka!

Chris continues her argument on, whipping her upper half of clothing clean off, swivelling round to face them, careful to keep her supplies covered. Then, as she swivels back around, she lifts her arms up in the air, and one motorist, or even several, have obviously caught a glimpse of her as we hear the screeches of brakes in the background.

 

Back in the Women’s Institute building June, played by June Watson, is in agreement with the nude calendar, just as long as ‘no front bottoms’ are involved!

Cora (Jennifer Ellison) seems adamant that the sight of her naked body is reserved for one man, and one man alone!  Also unsure as to whether it would be inappropriate when she is a vicar’s daughter but it is clear to us that underneath her sloppy overalls is a svelte body.

 

A very funny scene is to follow as each of the ladies sneaks onto the stage, clearly embarrassed over being photographed, and to ease them into the idea, Celia (Rula Lenska) lines up a row of shots along the piano top.  They then decide who will go first by drawing straws, and on Celia realising it is to be her, she grabs the bottle of vodka and starts to guzzle it down in one.

I particularly love the part in the scene where Celia picks two buns up with glacier cherries on top from the display and places them over her bosom, which is considerably smaller in comparison.

June responds to the faces Celia makes by saying: ‘she looks like she’s got pelvic floor trouble!’

The next lady to go up is Cora, or the calendar ‘Miss July. She is insistent on warming herself up on the piano first, re-coining the piece of music she plays as, ‘air without a g-string’.

It’s June’s turn next. Her set-up involves a pair of crossed knitting needles with a fluffy wool centre. Hilarious! 

It turns out that  June is the ex teacher of Lawrence (Bruno Langley), the photographer.  You can guess who is the most embarrassed of the two!

 Ruth, the least up for getting her kit off in the group, then strolls in plastered but ironically, it is probably the only state she is prepared to be photographed in.

An impressive pick-up by Lynda Bellingham and Rula Lenska, when one of them gets a stiletto heel stuck in the stage before going on to pose for the November page of the calendar. The way it is covered up, one would almost believe that it had been part of the original story.

 

In Act II we establish how news of the calendar’s publication has spread as reporters block the end of the road where the Women’s Institute  is situated; and when Miss November, or Chris comes to pose for the Press she holds up a funereal plaque of flowers upside down, which would have spelt out the word, ‘Mom’ but instead manage to spell out ‘Wow’.  She had arranged it, and thought it only right to put it to good use since it had not been used for its original purpose.

Friendships are tested when Chris appears to lose sight of what the calendar stood for in the first place.

Right at the end the ladies gather on the hillside to uncover the sunflowers they have sown in full bloom in memory of  Annie’s husband, John.

The sunflowers act as a symbol of John whose death also brought about an unexpected closeness within the different ladies’ friendships.

 

‘The Calendar Girls work is a tribute to Angela Baker's husband John, who tragically died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The Girls began in Yorkshire and have raised over £3 million for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research since their first calendar.’

 

-         How can you tell she’s a blonde?
-         Because she’s a bitch!

Rob Young researched his play by spending ten years in an office, and it shows:  He captures the catty atmosphere and the bitchiness perfectly. Crush tells the story of Johnny and his doomed crush on Celia, the official office bitch. Although he does not find her attractive at all he has a crush on her because "she is angry about everything". So he intentionally plays the office clown and provokes her with daft statements: “She’s shouting at me. She’s giving me attention!” The trouble is, Celia does not fancy men who pant all over her desk – Johnny is asthmatic – she is dreaming of a romantic dinner, paid for by her successful, virile date. Meanwhile she is shagging Alpha male Nudds, the married marketing guy complete with everlasting sun tan and range rover. Things are looking bleak for Johnny. Then suddenly, the new temp Laura walks in – freshly hired through Office Angels, in killer heels. Laura’s caustic remarks make Celia look like an amateur and her efficiency is such that she starts typing even before she has been assigned any work.  Now it's up to Celia to maintain her position as bitch queen.   

Aptly directed by Laura Casey, the actors effortlessly switch from monologues to dialogues, their comic timing flawless. There is at least one good joke a minute. But there is much more to this play than funny repartees, it makes some very valid observations of human relationships and the insanity involved. 

Erin Richards is cold and aloof as Laura but very touching in her one weak moment. Matt Roberts is desperately jealous and therefore desperately funny as Johnny. Dolly Wells is the sarcastic Celia who feels invisible spending 18 hours a day on a paper that nobody cares about.   

The entire run is almost sold out so please hurry to get your ticket.

http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productions/2011/production-papatango.php

 

Finborough Theatre
118 Finborough Road
London
SW10 9ED

When I was one
I ate a bun
The day I went to sea
I jumped aboard a Pirate Ship
And the captain said to me
We’re going this way, that way,
Forwards, backwards, over the Irish Sea
A bottle of rum to warm me turn
That’s the life for me! 

Of course there aren’t really any pirates in Cinderella, which is principally a romantic fairy tale story, but the kids love them and so a singalong of this song  was included. There is much to enjoy in this family friendly show that marks Jenny Éclair’s debut in panto as a funky Fairy Godmother who also serves as the narrator. The lavish production is geared completely towards children and there is plenty of audience participation to make sure the kids don’t get bored. The sets are stunning, they seem to come right out of a fairy tale picture book, and the costumes are colourful and original (sets and costume design by Terry Parsons). The getup of the Ugly Sisters is especially outrageous with Eugenie wearing a whole Christmas tree as a dress at one time.  No costs were spared. There is even a real horse-drawn carriage to take Cinderella to the ball. 

 

We all know the “rags to riches” story of the kind-hearted Cinderella who is treated abominably by her horrid stepsisters but finds true love and happiness when she meets Prince Charming. In this production the Ugly Sisters Beatrice (Graham Hoadly) and Eugenie (Paul Burnham) are veritable monsters and enjoying every second of it – and so are we when they are cracking jokes about us after returning from a holiday in Slough. Gary Wilmot is wonderful as Cinderella’s best buddy Buttons whose feelings go far beyond friendship. His comic timing is spot on: “He is so stingy. When he had a hip replacement he asked if he could keep the bone for the dog.” If it wasn’t for the gruesome stepsisters, Wilmot’s lovable character would steal the show with his jokes and antics. Robert Aldous is quite good as Cinderella’s father, the quirky Baron Hardup, and Ben Redfern is funnily efficient as Dandini. 

This show is a great night out for the youngsters. It runs until 15 January 2011 at the Richmond Theatre.

Richmond Theatre,The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ

http://www.atgtickets.com/Cinderella-Tickets/45/531/

Carolin Kopplin   

Sell A Door Theatre Company presents

A Christmas Carol

 

Co-directed by David Hutchinson and Anna Schneider

Music by Richard Reeday

Run from 6th December 2011 to 15th January 2012

Watched on 15th December 2011

Set in the Financial Crisis of 2008

 

Cast-

Stephen Barden- Scrooge

Nick Bechman- Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come

Tara Goldolphin- Ghost of Christmas Present

Katrina Innes- Mrs. Cratchett

Rowena Lennon- Mrs. Maggs

Jess Mack- Ghost of Christmas Past

Charlotte Mason-Apps - Belle

Jenny Palmer- Belinda Cratchett

Christopher Rowland- Fred/fezziwig

Rosie Thorpe- Tiny Tim/ Swing

Lee White- Bob Cratchet

Jonathan Ashby-Rock - Swing/ DSM

 
If you're a fan of physical theatre, then this is a stellar show for you. Bursting to the brim with clever choreography and synchronised dances, David Hutchinson and Anna Schneider have shaken up this Dicken’s classic into a dynamic, humourous and, at times, impressively sinister affair. A spectacular production that highlights the mastery of good direction.

 

Stephen Barden creates a great ‘man of money’ Scrooge. Wrapped up in a tailored suit and in his own self-importance, Scrooge is a man who sees the world as the pursuit of more money and more wealth. In this version, Scrooge is an intelligent articulate Investment Banker, who commands the fear of the people around him, the likes of which he regards as ‘parasites’. The Church’s carol singers are quickly dismissed and his nephew Fred (Christopher Rowland) is sent away- along with all hope of Scrooge spending Christmas with his family. Poor Bob Cratchett (Lee White) gets a good deal of misery from the harsh rules and punishments that Scrooge mercilessly dishes out.

 

It is a truly miserable outlook on Christmas, until we have the arrival of the ghost of Jacob Marley. As the play opens, the jarring disturbed scene of Jacob Marley’s funeral initially gathers all the cast,while setting up the somber tone of the beginning. Scrooge’s late friend and business partner, Jacob, reappears into Scrooge’s room strapped down with heavy chains, representing the toll of his wrong-doings whilst he lived. Bob brings a warning that Scrooge is close to achieving the same fate and forewarns him of three visits by the Ghosts of Christmas.

 

Jess Mack plays a very youthful and innocent Ghost of Christmas Past, playfully scaring Scrooge and giggling. She shows Scrooge the details of his past, but it is easily a past that we can all relate to- nervous First Love, dancing disaster and finding your feet with new people. Laugh out loud awkward conversation ensues when Young Scrooge, played by Nick Bechman, tries and wins the love of Bella (Charlotte Mason-Apps) - the endearing emabarrassment of asking a girl if he can ‘please get you drunk?’ is enough to charm anyone. However, as with Dicken’s original, the pure love he gains is later destroyed as Greed and Vanity take a hold of Scrooge’s heart.

Alongside Scrooge’s memories, we get treated to natural realism from Bob Cratchett’s family. Katrina Innes and Lee White do some great work as Bob and Mrs. Cratchett, showing a wonderful relationship that has a sense of real history. The children, Belinda, Martha and ‘Tiny’ Tim Cratchett (Jenny Palmer, Jess Mack and Rosie Thorpe) talk of Christmas presents and Turkey- all desires that are a little out of grasp in the Financial climate of 2008- and perhaps prevalent in our Credit Crunch of Winter 2011. It seems that the overhauling ecomonic conditions pervade over everyone without prejudice- even Scrooge remarks that the ‘investments are not growing as they should be’. I shift in my seat with dread as the Cratchetts worried over medical bills for Tiny Tim.

 

Huge laughs come from the Ghost of Christmas Present, and- boy!- did she present the present party generation. Loud, crass, good-time Ghost of Christmas Present, played by Tara Godolphin, earns the jolly atmosphere with her naughty behaviour, excitable hyperness and a bag stuffed with every party accessory under the Sun (I stopped recording what they were after we reached the cracker joke).

 

Keeping to the Dicken’s original, we end with the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. While most versions undercut this part, we are given a well paced version of the Future and what lies in store for the characters. The death of Tiny Tim is accompanied with superb acting and heartwrenching realism. The Ghost itself strikes terror as a build up of rage and anger is unleashed upon the thoughtless Scrooge. The brutatlity of the malicious reactions to Scrooge’s own death is the final horrifying vision that marks Scrooge’s change into a grateful, happy soul. Christmas Day. Morning. And we see the vast contrast in character. And I smile along with him.

 

A jolly musical chorus rounds off this play nicely and I couldn’t help feeling enamoured by the charm of the tale’s message. Scrooge is transformed from a greedy and selfish person, to a warm-hearted and happier soul. The knowlegde that Christmas is just a few days away is a reminder to be kind and giving in this festive period. ‘Tis the season... This play comes across as a very tight,well rehearsed production; and it should with a cast of acclaimed academy graduates. As impressive as rehearsing and performing after two weeks, they all have a fantastic singing repetoire among them. Christmas festive cheer was definitely in the room with a revelry of songs and carols throughout the play that were beautifully delivered. Accompanied by a very well thought-out ad executed score by Richard Reeday, it delivered very highly on the musical theatre scale. My verdict- go see this show before you miss out.

 

Address: Greenwich Playhouse

Greenwich Station Forecourt

189 Greenwich High Road

London SE10, 8JA

Telephone: 020 8858 9256

E-Mail: BoxOffice@Galleontheatre.co.uk

http://www.galleontheatre.co.uk/

 

Tuesday-Saturday @ 19:30; Sundays @ 16:00

(Except 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 31st Dec and 1st Jan 2012)

Tickets £13, £10 (concession)