UK Theatre Network

End of the Rainbow, Richmond Theatre

 
Cast: Tracie Bennett - Judy Garland
Hilton McRae – Anthony
Norman Bowman – Mickey Deans
Robert Maskell – Radio Interviewer/ Porter /ASM

           
              © Writer: Tremayne

‘Forget your troubles and just Get Happy.  You better chase all your cares away.  Sing Hallelujah, come on, Get Happy.  Get ready for the judgement day.’

(from “Get Happy”, a song often sung by Judy Garland).

I am immediately struck by how convincing Tracie Bennett’s American accent is.  As for her singing voice, it is spot on.

A heart rendering line from Judy that will come to mean more as the play unfolds is: ‘..he doesn’t like it when I dig up the old husbands. They don’t get along!’, when referring to her new fiance, Mickey Deans (Norman Bowman).

I find Bennett has a certain composure not unlike that of the character Blanche in The Golden Girls, played by the late Rue McLachlan. I particularly notice this aspect in her as she comes to leave the hotel suite, and playfully says to Anthony (Hilton McRae), her long time Pianist, ‘Well, of course you’re invited, you’re paying!’

Scene Two only highlights the close friendship of Judy Garland and Anthony by the patience he shows when it comes to her first run-through of the songs she will sing in Concert in London.  She insists on having adequate time to warm up, and it is not long before she is lighting up.

In a swift change of scene we find ourselves the live audience Garland is performing to.  This idea has been used time and time again on Stage, one example which springs to mind is The Sound of Music.  It still, however, holds up, particularly when Bennett shows off Garland’s truly vivacious personality.

After her performance she insists her fiancé allow her some non prescription medicine to help her sleep.  He eventually agrees, in part because he is also her Manager, and should she not please her audience, it would bear a bad reflection on him.  A heartless individual in every way!

Garland appears to do a disappearing act at the end of her first performance. When she is brought back to the hotel by hotel staff her fiancé begins to lay into her.  She retaliates by saying, ‘suck my dick!’  Now, whether this speech is accurate to the type used by Garland, herself, is another matter but I believe that for Playwright, Peter Quilter, it was more about getting across the sort of person Judy Garland was.  Without a doubt he manages to do that, and with a tremendous amount of success!

As Garland waltzes her way to the bedroom, she grabs the bag of her pianist, knowing there are prescription drugs inside but we learn later that she has taken the medication the vet gave his sister for her Spaniel.

What could have been a sorrowful scene highlighting Garland as a dependent on prescription drugs, consuming a combination of them for various purposes: to help her to sleep, to wake up and to curb anxiety levels before either shooting the scenes of a film or stepping out onto the Stage. Her parents could more than likely be blamed for this, as they would have reinforced the idea, forcing her to get up at 4 am, with a 15-hour day ahead at the Studio. Every kind of drug would have been dished out to make sure she performed to her best ability. She knew of no other way to capture the Starlet that was Judy Garland.  Quilter, however, manages to pull humour out of tragedy.

This is made reference to in the play after Garland is lifted clean off the ground  by her fiancé and carried over to the mirror to catch a glimpse of herself, as she adds: ‘I could have flown down the yellow brick road!’

It is rare in Musical Theatre to come across a Performer whose ability and talent are high both in Singing and Acting but in Tracie Bennett we find it all.  She is the very essence of Judy Garland, who ultimately was searching for love.  A love she received from her father but not her mother, and in marriage she found that men would fall in love with her star status but then, when she so much as revealed a bit of herself to them, they would scarper. 

Anthony challenges Mickey when he catches him screwing up the cap of a bottle of ritolin; reckoning on him seeing her as his meal ticket!

Garland, in front of Anthony ,throws the remainder of tablets out the window for the pigeons to feed on.  He encourages her to cancel all forthcoming shows, and for her to come and live with him. Although he won’t be able to offer her much in terms of income, he can offer her a piano. Two forms of genuine love, in the form of friendship and Music.  And who could want or need for anything more?..

Facts follow about Judy Garland’s Funeral in 1947, which was paid for by Frank Sinatra and watched by an estimated 2,000 followers.

The song, ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ sends chilling echoes throughout the theatre, and despite Garland’s passing into heaven, her legend is shown to live on as Tracie Bennett takes to the stage once more for a welcome Encore.

My life is one big adventure and that’s how it’s going to stay.

Beowulf, the oldest Anglo-Saxon epic, is an unusual choice for a panto and quite a different Christmas show, but Charles Court Opera once again manage to produce an intriguing and highly entertaining piece of theatre!

As the Spirit of Good Cheer (Sian Winstanley) provides an introduction the curtain, suitably painted with ravens,  rises.  The monstrous Grendel (Philip Lee) arrives at the castle to catch fresh food for the Dragon. He has been hunting King Hrothgar’s courtiers for this purpose, and the King is not amused. Hedonistic King Hrothgar (Simon Masterton-Smith), a partying alcoholic, is holding out for a hero when suddenly macho  man Beowulf (Kevin Kyle) and his sidekick Wiglaf (Amy J Payne) appear. Beowulf promises to “bring disco and dance back to your realm!” King Hrothgar is delighted and soon introduces our hero to his lovely daughter Hrothmund (the wonderful Catrine Kirkland). Unfortunately, Beowulf is a better swordsman than lover and punches the Princess in the face in order to win her love. His tough guy attitude works better in his fight with Grendel whose arm he swiftly cuts off -  to the chagrin of Grendel’s Mother (an utterly charming and lovely John Savournin).  Who is now going to hunt prey to feed the Dragon? Soon the whole country is thrown into chaos because the Dragon is on the loose! Now only Beowulf can save the day.  

John Savournin, who is also the director and choreographer, cleverly combines the dramatic story with comic elements including the courtly comedians Aeschere and Unferth (played by the pianists James Young and David Eaton) and a variety of songs and music from Sondheim to Bernstein. The characters are stock characters but funny and charming. Interestingly enough Grendel is the most touching character of them all – he only fed the courtiers to the Dragon because he was misguided. In reality he is a softie who is afraid of sheep. The great hero Beowulf is shy and awkward with girls.

There is plenty of audience participation in this show culminating in a food fight when Grendel’s Mother is trying to cook fish fingers choosing two lucky members of the audience as volunteers.

Beowulf – the Panto plays at the Rosemary Branch Theatre until 8 January 2012.  Please hurry, many performances are already sold out! 

The Rosemary Branch, 2 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DT

Box Office: 020 7704 6665

Carolin Kopplin 

Usually these things don’t touch us. But there is this dark side to certain people, certain communities. And it’s a reminder to the rest of us, of how vulnerable we all are

Through the Night is an intelligent psychological thriller exploring the question how far people will go to protect the ones they love. Set over a single evening, the play discusses issues of class and violence, and how they have the potential to affect and even destroy the comfort of our sheltered homes.

Sal (Terri Dwyer) arrives at her friend Jessica’s home, shaken. There was a fight involving a gang of boys. One boy was down, an ambulance was called, police were present. Sal’s daughter Debbie (Nadia Giscir) will be coming over to talk to the police at Jessica’s and Michael’s home – she is a witness. The crucial point is that Debbie believes she saw Jessica’s son Joe (Jack Johns) in the fight. Jessica (Jan Shepherd) thinks this is completely ridiculous and that Sal is getting worked up over nothing. She is almost too cheerful and overconfident in her denial whereas Sal is painfully self-conscious and insecure. Jessica’s husband Michael (Steven Elder) is a lawyer dealing with people’s problems every day. His reaction to Sal’s story is different as he is trying to rationalize it. By and by the two old friends are getting more and more irritated with each other. Jessica accuses Sal of being hysterical whilst Sal tells her daughter Debbie: “Make them suffer just for once.” When Michael leaves to fetch Joe, who is staying at Colin’s place – a friend of Michael’s -  the situation escalates.

Aptly directed by the talented Matt Grinder, who was also responsible for the intriguing production Orphans at the Trafalgar Studios, this play is perfectly cast and brilliantly unsettling.

For information and tickets, see:

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

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

Carolin Kopplin

It’s a pity Crimson Fair Ltd only appears to have one more booking before Christmas.

For The Twist: Great Songs Never Die is the ideal show for office parties wanting to celebrate the festive season. It’s bursting with the feel good factor; you really can’t fail to have fun and let your hair down.

It’s a simple concept, and it works: Tony Tremendo, an irritatingly enthusiastic rock and roll fan played memorably by David Peyton-Bruhl, runs The Twist Diner where ‘the stars’ of the 50s and 60s hang out after hours and sing with his band The Twisters. During the course of the evening just about everybody who is anybody pops in: Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Petula Clark, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Billy Fury, Dusty Springfield… singing the great songs of the era and all accompanied by backing singers Lindsey Cleary and Chris Madin and all singing, all dancing, hand-jiving waitresses The Twistettes.

The show is a great vehicle for Suzi Jary, who not only plays the roles of all the female singers but also wrote and directed the show. She’s got a cracking voice, a bit too full on for the husky Dusty and too tall for the likes of Pet Clark and Brenda Lee, but a great performer all the same.

Gavin Stanley is cute as Billy Fury and Eddie Cochran, Chris Madin, who wrote the original music with Simon Woodroffe, makes a believable Buddy Holly, but Ivor Potter doesn’t quite do it for me as Elvis.

The second half of the show is a ‘live broadcast’ on Real Music Radio, coming from The Twist Diner with more of the same, only bringing it together this time is DJ Danny Dellany, played by Jack Harding whose southern American accent is something to admire.

For me the real stars of the show were The Twisters, musicians Rob Eckland on keyboards, Dave Manning on drums, Charlie Wilkinson on guitar, and especially bass player  Clayton Stocker who played his instrument every which way… upside down, underneath it, by standing on the side of it; a real showman if ever there was one. It's a pity they are not mentioned in the programme which, although lavish, has very little information in it.

The Twist continues at the Theatre Royal Windsor until 3 December and then tours

9 December: The Lyric, Carmarthen

2012

21 January:  Grand Opera House, York

4 February: Princess Theatre, Clacton

8-10 February: Beck Theatre, Hayes

11 February: Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone

1 March: The Anvil, Basingstoke

17 March: Civic Theatre, Darlington

20 April: St George’s, Bradford

21 April: Civic Hall, Bedworth

16 June: The Playhouse, Harlow

21 July: The Hawth, Crawley

1 August: Landmark, Ilfracombe

29-30 September: Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage

12 October: Civic Theatre, Doncaster

18 October: Civic Hall, Bedworth

The Stag’s adult pantomime Sleeping Beauty – One Little Prick, offers the ideal night out for seekers of a saucy giggle and a pint.

Lady Gargoyle’s gorgeous, gay and permanently horny son Beauty, is cursed by the wicked fairy Carabosse, to die from a prick on his 21^st birthday. The spell is reversed to a sleeping one by the good fairy Glowstick, and Beauty and his extended family awake in modern Stratford in 2011 just before the Olympics. Beauty has been stirred by a vampire prince who has survived the long sleep, and is devoted to him. Yet there are fit lads everywhere, and Beauty wants to try all the temptations that are on offer on the 2011 Vauxhall gay scene.

Written by Jon Bradfield & Martin Hooper, the creators of the Stag’s past two Xmas smashes Dick Whittington – Another Dick in City Hall, and last year’s sell-out smash hit Robin Hood – Queen of Thieves, Sleeping Beauty adds another winning notch to their collaboration. Despite this the evening is not without flaws. Occasionally the script could have been tightened up with a few cuts, and the night was slowed down by poor pacing. However these are minor issues that will no doubt be resolved under Paul Taylor-Mills astute leadership.

Matthew Ferzdenzi gives a wonderfully committed performance as Beauty, and this is mirrored by Greg Airey as his sexy vampire lover. Samantha Ridings is fabulously nasty as Carabosse, and Steven Rodgers wins the hearts of the audience in a lovely under-stated performance as Sydney the Tortoise. Sounding very much like Victoria Wood’s ‘Kitty from Cheshire,’ Matthew Baldwins’s gentile Lady Gargoyle is nicely contrasted with Phillip Lawrence’s hilariously gruff Aggy.

Sleeping Beauty – One Little Prick, is apparently already sold out, but if you are lucky you may get  returns on the night.

OLIVER VALENTINE                                                                        Runs till 08 Jan 2012

Goodbar Productions in association with Arcola Theatre present

Goodbye Barcelona

Book by Judith Johnson

Music & Lyrics by K S Lewkowicz

Goodbye Barcelona is a moving musical that eulogizes The International Brigade, a group of volunteers from over 50 countries who came to Spain in the late 1930s to help fight General Franco's fascist coup, which seized power from the newly elected Republican government in July 1936. Around 35,000 people came from over 50 countries, to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil war, 2000 of whom heralded from England and Ireland. Goodbye Barcelona is dedicated to keeping the memory of their brave efforts alive.

The story follows a young idealist from the East End called Sammy, (Tom Gill) who decides to risk life and limb to fight in the Spanish Civil War for what he believes in and stop the spread of fascism, despite his mother's (Lucy Bradshaw) protests. When Sammy arrives  with a few British volunteers, he discovers thing are not as straight forward as he imagined. Led by George (Jack Shalloo) and teased by Jack (Mark Meadows), a first World War veteran; under equipped and poorly organized, the platoon embark on a two year campaign armed with antique rifles and a steady supply of beans, bread and wine. Eventually Sammy's mother, takes it upon herself to find her son and winds up working as a nurse in Spain, only to fall in love with a Spanish man, Ernesto (John Killoran).

Politics and history are interesting topics for a musical and I imagine Goodbye Barecelona is what you get if you crossed Evita with Oh What a Lovely War. La Pasionaria (Laura Trebbutt) issues impassioned songs of freedom and revolt which bring to mind Madonna's performance in Evita and the whole spirit of the performance is buoyed up with that wartime, upbeat spirit. Unfortunately the whole play tends to drag a little and the music is slightly repetitive. Nevertheless, Rabinowitz staging is excellent and there is strong enthusiasm within the cast with their voices creating an uplifting chorus. Gill is a decent actor with an adequate singing voice, believable as a young idealist whose beliefs are stronger than his understanding. The musical asserts a clear message, that we should commend those who die for their beliefs, which in this case is certainly true, but it lacks sufficient depth for us to really engage with the characters. Jack the grizzeld war veteran is an enigmatic character and Meadows does a good job of really conveying a menacing, bitter cynic but we can't get beneath the surface of his character and we are left with an unsatisfying explanation of his harsh exterior. Katie Bernstein as Pilar, Sammy's love interest has a captivating singing voice and does a god job of portraying a tender young girl, caught between desperation and destitution. 

The songs themselves are jaunty entertaining numbers with a live band of drums, piano and violins  providing the soundtrack from behind dirty white curatins. The lyrics themselves are passionate and rebel rousing while the songs work best, when the whole ensemble join in and bring their insatiable energy and gusto to the performance. One song in particular called,  Factions, is a clever send up, which mocks the confusion of the whole movement, mentioning the anarchists, socialists, communists and their abbreviated groups, the PNT, the COV etc. which despite all sharing a common hatred of fascism, are incapable of uniting with one other.

The sub plot concerning Sammy's mum, Rebecca and Ernesto was rather weak and despite Killoran making a decent effort at portraying a Spanish man, his hot blooded Spaniard was as clichéd as Meadow's cynical war veteran.

One of the hardest things about making a historical play is allowing the audience a fresh insight into a bygone world of traditional values and Johnson and Lewkowicz have made a good effort, but like the crutch that Ernesto depends upon, the play relies a little too heavily on the stereotypes that film and theatre have already made us accustomed to.  

http://www.arcolatheatre.com/?action=showtemplate&sid=487 

Second Skin Theatre presents an updated version of six of Edgar Allan Poe’s best known tales and makes them politically relevant as well as thrilling. Rob Johnston, Richard Allden, Mike Carter, Jacob Hodgkinson and Nadine Hearity have taken Poe’s stories and transformed them whilst keeping the essence of the tales. The production is set in St. Mary’s Old Church, the oldest Protestant church in England, an amazing venue perfectly suited for Poe’s stories, yet sadly threatened by lack of funds. The setting could not be more unnerving and Andy McQuade has wisely chosen to make it a promenade play to take full advantage of this great venue. The audience is extremely close to the actors at times, which makes the action even more intense. The lighting team (Sarah Grogan and Anna Shokou) uses every nook and crevice to make the setting even more eerie. 

As we are seated in the pews, the Preacher (a mesmerizing performance by Stephen Connery Brown) sets the mood by cheerfully warning us that we might be scared to death - but no worries, there is a graveyard right outside. This announcement is followed by an unsettling  performance of The Preacher and the Raven, with a truly ghoulish Raven (David Hugh). After that we are invited to join Montresor and Fortunato for a tasting of Amontillado. The character Montresor is changed into a woman (Sarah Scott) and Fortunato (Owen Nolan) is coming on to her quite strongly which makes Montresor’s revenge appear even sweeter. She lures Fortunato into a room complete with cobwebs and stairs that seem to lead down into an abyss. The audience is so close to the action that we can feel Fortunato’s fear when he notices that the handcuffs might not be meant as sex toys. The Pit and the Pendulum is set in a Guantanamo like torture chamber. Beaten up by two thugs, Maheen (Priyank Morjaria) is then thrown into a window less dungeon. Pained by the death and suffering of his family, he finds a little bird.

Fully recharged after the interval we are led outside to the cemetery to witness a Premature Burial. Set in Afghanistan, Michael Amariah truthfully conveys the fear and terror of his character who feels buried by the horrific conflict before he is even dead. Safely back inside, we experience the woes of a widow (the charismatic Mia Zara) who is unable to cope with her husband’s suicide in The Black Cat. Overwhelmed by grief she turns to drink and falls prey to a pathological jealousy regarding her 3-year old son’s cat. As the widow describes the “simple enjoyment of cruelty”, we are pulled into a torrent of evil. Mask of the Red Death recalls George Orwell or any Fascist dictatorship. The dictator Prospero (an equally menacing and charming Conrad Williams) hides away in a church with his lover as the search for an antivirus to combat the red death has been unsuccessful so far. This is, without a doubt, the most thrilling performance of this story that I have ever seen. The ending made my blood run cold.

St Mary's Rectory, Church Street, London

Carolin Kopplin