Il Trovatore WNO
reviewed 16 April

This revived 2003 production is solid and strong if a little problematic at times. Firstly, there are certain implausible aspects of the plot that, in the spirit of storytelling, need to be overlooked in order to engage fully with the drama. Secondly there is the set. Peter Wilson’s staging is thoughtful and powerful, and Tim Hatley’s set design of four massive, bronze, sculptural walls which are configured to create the various interiors and exteriors of the scenes – palace, gypsy camp, convent, military encampment, prison - mean the stage is always dramatically dark, stark and foreboding. This is effective overall but the seemingly interminable breaks between scenes, necessary no doubt in order to shift the massive set, mean that the drama is interrupted constantly and so overall there is a stilted, staccato air to the evening. This minimal staging means the performers have to fill the stage with their performances and this they all do with consistency of voice throughout. There is perhaps a lack of interaction between them though, as they so often face front.
The excellent David Soar as the commander Ferrando enlightens us in the powerful opening scene of the complicated plot as he tells his soldiers the story of the gypsy Azucena who brought about the death of Count di Luna’s brother in infancy.



Di Luna, David Kempster, produces a subtle performance in that, though clearly ‘the baddie’ he displays, along with the colder, more menacing moments, a gentle tenderness in his declaration of love for Leonora.



Katia Pellegrino (Leonora) gives an impassioned performance and was compelling in her depiction of the vulnerable young woman in love with the troubadour, Manrico. She has a powerfully rich, intense, and beautifully toned voice and her soaring arias were exceptional.



Gwyn Hughes Jones (Manrico) partnered Pellegrino perfectly in their pieces together. Jones has a very big voice indeed – the power of this tenor permeates out to fill the entire theatre but this is not forced at all. Indeed his voice flows with ease and this tenor is tremendous. The tragic ‘In Quella Pira’ was painful in its beauty and demostrates his great theatricality; his portrayal of the loving son when her tucks Azucena (Joanne Thomas) up to sleep is so deeply moving.



Thomas plays the gypsy not as a mad woman but as a deeply anguished being and therefore reduces the amount of melodrama embedded in this character (thankfully). She worked beautifully in partnership with the male voices but was occasionally overshadowed by the strength of the always excellent WNO orchestra under the guidance of Simon Phillippo.

These central four are well supported by the WNO chorus who are outstanding in the opening scene and in the anvil chorus and the famous 'Squilli e cheggi'.
Overall a powerful evening and very warmly received by the audience who were particularly enraptured by Pellegrino and Hughes.

at Milton Keynes 16 April
0844 871 7652 (bkg fee) 
www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes (bkg fee)
 

This week saw a trio of popular ballet performances at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury as The Russian State Ballet of Siberia took up residence at the theatre in order to perform the three dazzling ballet Masterpieces; Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. I was lucky enough to be invited to witness the final performance of the week, the most famous of Ballet fairy tales, The Nutcracker.

Since being formed in 1981, The Russian State Ballet of Siberia has established itself as one of Russia’s leading ballet companies and has built an international reputation for delivering performances of outstanding quality and unusual depth, with both the soloists and the corps de ballet being highly praised by critics.

Having grown up as a ballerina myself and having seen The Nutcracker countless times as a child, the show and its story have always held a special place in my heart and it was a joy to revisit this enchanting tale by watching this exquisite traditional production.  

As the production started, I was delighted to find that there was a live orchestra. Having seen other dance performances at the Waterside where this was not the case, I was thrilled to learn that this performance would be enriched by the warmth and fullness of live music, and I settled down comfortably to listen as the swell of the overture began to fill the auditorium. 

As the production begins, the audience watches as guests start to arrive for The Stahlbaum’s Christmas Party. Immediately I am struck by the beauty and detail of the company’s elaborate costumes, as families arrive in cheery pastel dresses and snow capes. The feeling of enchantment and wonder that we all feel at Christmas was wonderfully encapsulated on the stage as the excitement of the dancers’ characters radiated out into the audience. There were even a few children playfully throwing snowballs at each other as they exited the stage, a sight that delighted me greatly.

Amongst the guest is the mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer, an old eccentric inventor and ingenious toymaker. We watch as he entertains the Stahlbaum’s children, Marie and Fritz, and their friends with his magical tricks and wind-up dolls. As we watched the dolls of Harlequin, Columbine and the Moor, the talent and expertise of the ballet company really started to shine through. The choreography appeared simply effortless in the hands these highly experienced and skilled dancers. Pirouette after pirouette, jump after jump, each quirky and playful move was performed perfected, all executed with strong and exact precision.

Drosselmeyer then produced the hero of our piece in the form of an oversized nutcracker, which Marie quickly chooses as her favourite toy. As the party ends, the guests leave, and the Stahlbaums retire for the night, all apart from Marie who is too excited to sleep. As the clock strikes midnight, Marie quietly sneaks downstairs to peep at The Nutcracker which has been left under the Christmas tree.

Drosselmeyer then appears as a wizard and as Marie falls asleep, the room fills with an army of giant mice, closely followed by The King Mouse. The ensuing battle between the mouse army and The Nutcracker’s army of life-sized toy soldiers has always been a favourite part of the story for me and this version was possibly the best I have ever seen it. Again, I was totally enthralled by the detail and engineering of both the soldiers and the mice’s masks and vibrant costumes, which even included thin silver claws on the mice. As The Mouse King and The Nutcracker fought, the dancers appeared weightless as each jump that they performed appeared to top the one before it, a truly awe-inspiring sight of technically and wondrous accuracy. As we finally saw The Mouse King defeated, I felt like cheering; both for the loveliness of the story but also for the all-consuming exquisiteness of the dancing.

After the battle, the Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome prince and we watch Marie and her new prince dance amongst the snowflakes under a starry sky, ending the first act with a truly magical and romantic atmosphere.

In Act Two, we see Marie and The Nutcracker Prince arrive in fairyland where they join with the fairyland dwellers in celebrating The Nutcracker’s victory over The Mouse King. The music in this half of the production is arguable the most recognisable, with much of it having been used in Walt Disney’s 1940 animated extravaganza ‘Fantasia’. As fairyland characters from many different cultures take to the stage, I was charmed by the bright and refreshing revisiting to such pieces as the flamboyant and passionate Spanish dance, the dreamy and mellow Arabian dance, the cute and sprightly Chinese dance, the strong and impressive Russian dance, the Waltz of the Flowers and the re-imagined Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, this time performed with two female dancers and one male performing as a trio.

The finale of the piece saw exquisite and breathtaking solos from both Marie and The Nutcracker Prince which then culminated in a short piece from the whole fairyland company.

As we see Marie gently drift off to sleep, we witness, with some help from Drosselmeyer, the magical transformation of The Nutcracker Prince back into a doll. Marie then awakes in her chair in the drawing-room, silently watched by the lonely Nutcracker doll. As Marie rushes to embrace it, the magic and wonder of the evening is drawn to a close as she wonders if the mysterious events of the night really did happen or if they were just part of a wonderful dream.

After beholding this incredible production, I too felt as if I was waking from a dream; the flamboyant and colourful set and costumes, combined with the highly skilled, romantic and often humour-infused re-telling of this classical tale left me feeling invigorated and in high spirits. I, along with the packed audience, applauded until our arms ached in thanks for a truly captivating evening.

Vicky Poole

Reviewed 22 March



The ‘Trocks’, as they are know to their followers, are back with a sensational production for this international tour. You will have to rush to catch them as this is a limited tour in the UK. You can guarantee though that it won’t be too long before they are back due to popular demand!

This long-standing company, set up in New York in 1974, have never fallen out of favour with their audiences and this is in part due to the fact that although they have an irreverent attitude to the ballet world, they are not irreverent about the dancing. The skill displayed here is equal to that of the top ballet companies and indeed many of these dancers are from those very companies. They have won numerous dance awards including the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (UK) 2007 so make no mistake this is a company to be reckoned with by any standards.

Humour is prevalent throughout and laugh out loud moments are abundant from the beginning with the announcement in faux Russian that various dancers are either not appearing or are performing different parts, Natalia Notgudinov, Maya Thickenthighya, and Mikhail Mypansarov among many others!
The infamous Act 2 of Swan Lake is first for the very particular treatment of the Trocks and is lampooned brilliantly. It is one of their staples and loved by their fans. Prince Siegfreid’s vanity gets in the way of his dancing, spending time attending to his wig and posing for photographs by the sycophantically adoring Benno. The usually delicate and ethereal Odette is played by a rather more solid Olga Supphozova (Robert Carter). The swans, basically following the original choreography of Ivanov, are often on 'pointe' after hours and hours of painstaking work and practice.

In Go for Barocco the music of Bach is interpreted by the company, dressed gracefully in little black ballet dresses, complete with tutu’s and flowers. The grace is intermittent though and the choreography constantly contrasts the ‘femininity’ of traditional ballet moves with least graceful ‘male’ movements of everyday behaviour. This is where the comedy lies.

The point of the Trocks though, is to celebrate ballet not demean it. Fun is poked at the ‘old style’ Russian ballet stars and not at the pursuit itself. Throughout the show, the combination of moments when you are marvelling at the skill is effortlessly balanced by moments when you are laughing at the ‘fun-poking’. It is very affectionately done.

Raymonda’s wedding shows off the whole company together and illustrates just what superb dancers they all are, and what superb comedians.

In the Q&A session after this performance with Tony Dobrin, Artistic Director, we learnt that the most important element to have as a Trock is to be a team player. This is evident on stage, although the dancers may be acting the part of diva, there are in fact none in the company. Another vital element according to Dobrin is to ‘be funny’. He says you can tell very quickly in auditions which dancers fit the bill of being both a team player and have the ability to be comedic. In this troupe of 17 dancers, some of whom have been with the company since the mid 90’s, you can see this combination clearly. Dobrin says the comedic moments are very carefully choreographed into the pieces and there is no improvisation. The company also build on each dancer’s personality so inevitably characters change according to who is playing them.

This is an uplifting evening, full of genuinely talented performers and accomplished dancing, expert comic acting and superb comic timing. The success of this group is that they illustrate clearly that in order to be able to play with great ballet choreography and musical interpretation you need, first, to be to dance great ballet.

March 22/23             Milton Keynes Theatre 0844 871 7652. www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes (bkg fee)

March 25/26             Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe 01494 512 000.

www.wycombeswan.co.uk

March 29- April 2             Hippodrome, Birmingham 0844 338 5000

www.birminghamhippodrome.com

April 5/6                      Lyceum, Sheffield 0114 249 6000

www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

April 8/9                      Alhambra, Bradford 01274 432 000

www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

April 12/13                 Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 0131 529 6000

www.festivaltheatre.org.uk

April 15/16                 Lowry, Salford 0843 208 6010

www.thelowry.com

Then international. Go to www.danceconsortium.com for Les Trocks information.

Michael Grandage’s production stands with the best, thanks largely to Jacobi’s outstanding performance. Not just this though, it is clear, sharp, and fast moving - the energy and pace on stage signifying the speed of the unraveling of Lear’s mind. 

Christopher Oram’s set, brave in its complete sparseness, is merely daubed wooden boards for floor and walls turning the stage cell-like. Neil Austin’s lighting moves from harsh whites to soft, gentle reds echoing the despair and hope, hate and love that see-saw throughout. Adam Cork’s extraordinarily subtle sound designs eerily evoke the gathering storm with a barely audible howling wind, whirling around the auditorium, Lear’s knights with far away voices and horns, and then intermittent, plaintive birdsong. It’s all perfectly woven sound sculpture.

Jacobi is astounding, demonstrating his importance as a truly classic actor here in his interpretation of the absolute emotion of Lear’s arrogant, intimidating persona contradicted in turn by his tender geniality. The transformation from adoring, indulgent father to venomous, cruel tyrant is convincing and terrifying. The fundamental madness of Lear’s mind is exposed by Jacobi in such a way that it is emotionally inescapable. We are left conflicted by despising this tortured soul of his own making and the hatred he shows to all his daughters in turn, and yet laughing both at him and with him, at his delighted chattering and his baffled meanderings.

Supporting cast is strong across the board. Daughters Goneril and Regan (Gina McKee and Justine Mitchell respectively) portray with clarity the perverseness in their antics. McKee’s Goneril has a spitefulness which is  visible from the opening scene whilst Mitchell’s Regan gives you the smallest hope that she may be able to resist her sister’s plan up until she becomes manically hysterical and complicit in Gloucester’s tortuous blinding. 



Outstanding is Ron Cook’s Fool, possessing the stage with his overflowing compassion and love for his king and emanating a deep sadness both in his verbal moments and when silent. Alec Newman’s Edgar uses his show off wickedness well and is contrasted by Gwilym Lee as the honest, moral brother.

Grandage’s production and Jacobi’s performance combine to create in essence a sense of sorrow and mournfulness that lasts well after the players have left the stage. I can still hear the howling as the hanged Cordelia is carried in Lear’s arms and see his desperate attempts to believe she lives, knowing all along he brought this to pass. This final scene is, for all its grief, beautiful through its hushed whisperings.

A deeply moving, intelligent and riveting production. 

King Lear plays Milton Keynes Theatre until 19 March
Box Office: 0844 871 7627
www.ambassadortickets.com

The Lowry, Salford. 22 – 26 March 2011
Box Office: 0870 787 5790  
www.thelowry.com

Richmond Theatre. 29 March – 2 April 2011
Box Office: 0844 871 7627
www.ambassadortickets.com

Bath Theatre Royal. 5 – 9 April 2011
Box Office: 01225 448844
www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Hall for Cornwall. 12 – 16 April 2011
Box Office: 01872 262 466
www.hallforcornwall.co.uk

The Imperial Ice Stars - Swan Lake on Ice
Reviewed 8 March 2011

This is a quite magical evening and a chance to escape from the real world for a couple of hours. Whilst Swan Lake is a staple of companies around the world this is a slightly different version to the original storyline in featuring an uplifting and joyous finale.
This is an exciting, skilful, engaging, and exquisite production performed by world class international champions and a triumph for all involved. 
The audience were clearly enthralled from the very beginning and there were gasps and spontaneous applause throughout. The prolonged standing ovation at the end showed there is no doubt that The Imperial Ice Stars are truly mesmerising.

Tony Mercer’s choreography is beautiful and graceful balanced with dynamic, gymnastic episodes. It’s gripping throughout and there is never a moment that is not engaging. Eamon D’Arcy’s staging and Gavan Swift’s lighting are dramatic both visually and aurally; a ring of fire on the ice, tumbling mist, falling snow, thunder and lightning, all perfectly matched with Tchaikovsky’s marvellous score. A live orchestra would have been the icing on the cake. However, this is not a criticism but rather, I believe, an impossibility. The installation of the ice rink, and the technology and expense involved in that process, coupled with the proximity of the performers to the audience and the speed at which they travel - often resulting ice showers being projected into the first rows would mean that installing anyone in the orchestra pit is not viable.

And so, to the performers which are exemplary throughout. The skill of these international, multi-medal winning world champions is a marvel from beginning to end. And it is not just that they have the obvious superlative skating skills; it is that they can act, interpret and portray the emotions of the story so effectively. It is impressive work from each and every performer.

This is a relatively small cast with all but the main characters having four or five parts meaning they were almost always on stage throughout the evening, changing from palace guests to white swans, from guests to princesses, from hunters to black swans, and so on making the convinving characterisation of all these diverse parts all the more outstanding.

Prince Siegfried (Andrei Penkin) and Benno (Ruslan Novoseltsev) bring a warmth and compassion to their friendship and supply some gentle comedic moments. Count Von Rothbart (Vadim Yarkov) is superbly sinister and has great stage presence. The outstanding lead females Olga Sharutenko (Odette) is grace and elegance personified whilst the marvellous Olena Pyatash (Odile) is perfect.

The ensemble pieces are superbly put together by Mercer – the dancing cygnets, the ball, the black swans among them and all performed against enchating and fantastical backdrops of the forest and lake, the palace and it’s gardens.

This is a must see production and highly enjoyable for any age. Regardless of whether you have seen The Imperial Ice Stars before or not, the thrill of world-class skating  and this brilliant new interpretation will thrill and delight everyone.

Swan Lake on Ice is at Milton Keynes until 12 March
box office 0844 871 7652 (bkg fee)
www.ambassadoortickets.com/miltonkeynes

then on UK tour until 14 May 2011. Visit http://www.imperialicestars.com/coi_calendar.shtm for details.

National Theatre on tour present

Hamlet

By  William Shakespeare

At Milton Keynes Theatre

This modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic is directed by Nicholas Hytner with Olivier award winning actor Rory Kinnear taking the lead role of Hamlet which he performs brilliantly.

Still devastated by the death of his father, the King of Denmark, Hamlet’s fragile mental condition is not helped when his mother, the Queen Gertrude (played by Clare Higgins) remarries to his father’s brother only a month after his father died.  Hamlet’s uncle is now his stepfather King Claudius (Patrick Malahide). There are TV crews filming the newly married couple, portrayed in an American Presidential style.

The play, staying true to the original plot has been updated to include soldiers in fatigues with Kalashnikovs rather than spears. Another modern adaptation is the use by Ophelia of a portable stereo which allows Ruth Negga to demonstrate her excellent voice. Inside the castle of Elsinore the CIA style security men wear suits and earpieces and stand discreetly positioned to maintain a “big brother” style overview. No one is ever alone. Further adaptations include Ophelia in her madness becoming a bag lady complete with supermarket trolley and the use of lights and sound system by the players visiting the castle. The costumes throughout reflect current trends, smart suits, casual hoodies, tee shirts and jeans.

The set was fairly simple consisting of a series of connected panels, alternate ones containing doors with presidential style seals, which allowed rooms of various sizes to be formed and changed. This was augmented by the use of various pieces of furniture brought on by the actors as scenes changed and lighting effects particularly spotlights. The panels and doors were painted white which appeared to create an overall impression of blandness which I didn’t particularly like.

The acting throughout was excellent with particularly good performances from Rory Kinnear as Hamlet, who not only put his heart and soul into the performance, he seemed to have an uncanny insight into the many facets of the character. Giles Terera takes the role of Horatio, a part less obvious than some yet pivotal within the play.  Patrick Malahide was convincing in the role of Claudius King of Denmark as a treacherous assassin. Clare Higgins was a feisty Gertrude Queen of Denmark, a strong woman who liked a drink. David Calder effectively portrayed Polonius as a kindly old man who had power and influence in the court. He was a trusted chief counsellor to the King because he was his spymaster belying the image he presented. Ruth Negga gave a good performance of Polonius’s daughter Ophelia who at one time was courted by Hamlet and later was rejected as a distraction from his avowed path. Alex Lanipekun played Laertes, the son of Polonius who was particularly good in the duel with Hamlet.

I found this modern adaptation of Hamlet to be most enjoyable, although it is Shakespeare’s longest play it did not appear too long. I found the sight of Hamlet in a hoodie refreshingly different. Rory Kinnear’s portrayal of Hamlet makes this production a must see.

Hamlet plays Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 5^th March 2011. Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office 0844 871 7852 (bkg fee)

The tour continues playing Theatre Royal Plymouth from Tuesday 8^th March to Saturday 12^th March 2011.

www.miltonkeynestheatre.com www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Reviewed by Sue Marks at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday 1^st March 2011.

Reviewed at MK Theatre 22nd February

Set in the 1940’s during the London blitz, Bourne’s adaptation of the traditional tale is a wartime romance delivering some of the elements of the original tale combined with his usual quirkiness. Bourne fell in love with Prokofiev’s score during Frederick Ashton's ballet version which brought together the traditional and the pantomime. It is this combination that Bourne was interested in and the strong elements of pantomime are paramount in this production. This, coupled with the mournfulness of Prokofiev’s score which influenced Bourne’s decision to set his version during WWII, gives a rather unusual feel to the production. 
Cinderella, elegantly played by (Kerry Biggin) is one of Bourne’s usual downtrodden characters. Her character is overshadowed by her boisterous stepfamily, which now includes three stepbrothers, and a further extension in the form of a wheelchair-bound father (Paul Smethurst), and even boyfriends and girlfriends for the step-siblings. Perhaps all these extras are because Bourne likes his ensemble dance pieces. By necessity then, he must increase his players to enable these to happen. However, much of the time it seemed that these characters were surplus, superfluous even, and present as padding and to occasionally provide a comic turn. Most notable for laughs was the favourite, goofy youngest son Elliot (Gavin Persand), the alcoholic, man-eating Cartoon Cruella stepmother (Michaela Meazza), and the vulgar shoe-sniffing fetishist brother (Daniel Wright) styled as a David Walliams look-a-like. This resemblance to one of Walliams’ overly camp characters in a Little Britain sketch was, judging by numerous audience comments, the main focus for them when he was on stage. The ugly stepsisters, not so ugly or unpleasant here, (Sophie Hurdley, Katy Lowenhoff) were swallowed up by the numerous family members so the interplay between Cinderella and them was missing. Removing this means that Cinderella's forgiveness of her family and the element of redemption evident at the end of the story is lacking.

In this adaptation, Cinderella, enthralled by movie star magazines, falls for an injured pilot (Sam Archer) and dreams of going to the ball; here, bash at the Café de Paris. It transpires that a dream is exactly what it is as the realisation that we are watching her hallucination, the result of suffering a head injury in a bombing raid, dawns on us. As a consequence we get hospital scenes, a visit from the awful stepfamily and attempted murder by the stepmother. The fairy godmother, here an angel (Christopher Marney) in designer 1980's suit, flits in and out an awful lot throughout the production and at times his purpose is not clear; he is often used as a filler to illustrate Prokofiev's score.

As always Lez Brotherston has designed a series of fabulous sets which constantly delight, from the monochrome, minimalist family home, to the Café de Paris, and most effectively the bombed out buildings, explosions and smoky red fires of blitzed London. The imaginative staging of the bombing of the Café de Paris played out in reverse, where the shattered ballroom, smouldering dance floor is returned to its glorious, glittering height, is fantastic. Brotherston’s set is the true star of this show.

There is no live orchestra, which is a shame, but more of a problem is that Prokofiev’s score is too big for the story that Bourne tries to fit to the music. He seems to run out of ideas so introduces tenuous subplots, places and people and we are treated to rent boys, prostitutes, the London Underground, thugs, and gas mask dogs among others.

Whilst Act 1 fits well with the music, from the second half of Act 2 onwards the production is at times confused and confusing with the interweaving of dream sequences with the ‘real’ story and the numerous extra characters. So, structurally the piece is unbalanced and by the time we get to the end and the lovers have been reunited there is still music left over and we are left with an homage to Brief Encounter in the overlong final sequences.

So, overall the characters are one-dimensional with heavy reliance on the characterisation (or lack of) of British pantomime; the stepmother sneering at the audience and being booed at the curtain-call for example. By relying so heavily on this tradition little empathy with the characters is possible. They are devices to serve Bourne’s particular take on the tale.
Strange, when we are involved in such a sensory feast with Prokofiev’s music, Brotherston’s set and costumes, Pathé news footage, sound effects of sirens and bombs. This is all going on around us but we don’t connect to the characters except in the most superficial way.

Bourne states, “we have a friendly audience who like what we do already, so they will go with you on a journey”. Maybe so, but it seems perhaps he is in danger of producing the same characterisations, themes, and choreography over and over again, knowing his faithful audience will pay to see his mix of sentimental and quirky. 

Cinderella plays MK theatre until 26 Feb 
www.ambassadorstheatre.com/milton-keynes-theatre

0844 871 7627 (bkg fee)
then

Woking - New VIctoria Theatre
1 March - 5 March 2011
Box Office: 0844 871 7645

Bradford - Alhambra
8 March - 12 March
Box Office: 01274 432 000

Norwich - Theatre Royal
22 March - 26 March
Box Office: 01603 63 00 00

Liverpool - Empire
26 April - 30 April 2011
Box Office: 0844 847 2525

London - New Wimbledon Theatre
3 May - 7 May 2011
Box Office: 0844 871 7646

Oxford - New Theatre
10 May - 14 May 2011
Box Office: 0844 847 1585

Bristol - Hippodrome
17 May -  21 May 2011
Box Office: 0844 847 232

Sheffield - Lyceum
24 May  - 28 May 2011
Box Office: 0114 249 6000

Theatre Royal Bath Productions & Duncan C Weldon & Paul Elliott present

Noel Coward’s

Blithe Spirit

Directed by Thea Sharrock

At Milton Keynes Theatre

At the start of the play there is a very amusing scene involving the maid (Jodie Taibi) who is carrying a loaded tea tray which she appears to find too heavy and her efforts to place it on the table are hilarious. She also feels impelled to run everywhere, when not carrying a heavy tray but attempts to persuade her to slow down result in her moving too slowly.

In an attempt to research a character for his latest novel author Charles Condomine (Robert Bathurst) plans to host a dinner party which includes a séance. Charles has arranged for a medium, Madame Arcati, played by Alison Steadman to attend and hold the séance. Charles is very sceptical and is convinced that mediums do not have the ability to contact the afterlife, believing many of them to be charlatans and at best self deluded but this doesn’t concern him as he is only interested in discovering the phrases and tricks of the trade they use to give his character realism. Charles and his wife Ruth, portrayed brilliantly by Hermione Norris, have invited Dr Bradman (Bo Poraj) and his wife Mrs Bradman (Charlotte Thornton) for dinner followed by the séance.

When everyone has dined the séance takes place which leads to the manifestation of the ghost of Charles’s first wife Elvira (Ruthie Henshall) who had died several years ago. It is particularly amusing that she is only seen and heard by Charles and the audience. The other participants believe nothing was achieved. As the play progresses it is amusing to watch Charles being nagged by two wives, at least one of whom is a ghost.

A major part of the plot of this play is the interplay between Charles’s beautiful but rather empty headed first wife and his brilliant but somewhat plain second wife and this is handled very well by both actors. I also think Alison Steadman did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of a medium, totally believable, eccentric without being ‘over the top’.

The set is very plausible as the comfortable lounge area of Charles and Ruth’s luxurious 1930’s home. The costumes were excellent and reflected the era. Lighting and sound were used to good effect to create atmosphere and there is a final sequence of effects which is superb.

 Robert Bathurst was comfortable in the role of Charles. I have enjoyed watching Hermione Norris’s TV roles as Ros in Spooks and more recently Stella in Outcasts and her performance in Blithe Spirit   achieved her usual high standard. Alison Steadman took on the role of Madame Arcati with gusto and delivered the accomplished performance I expected of her. Ruthie Henshall was excellent as the ghost of first wife Elvira, delivering the high standard performance I was hoping for. As I’ve already said Jodie Taibi was hilarious as the maid and if the rest of the cast were not such accomplished actors she would have been a show stealer.

Blithe Spirit plays Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 19^th February 2011. Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office 0844 8717852 (bkg fee)

The tour continues playing Richmond Theatre from Monday 21^st February to Saturday 28^th February 2011.

Apollo Theatre London from Thursday 3^rd March 2011.

www.miltonkeynestheatre.com

Reviewed by Sue Marks at Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday 14^th February 2011.

Reviewed 2nd February 2011



Themed around the story of Rasputin, this show combines traditional and contemporary acts. The audience and the show were a little slow to get going probably because of the rather lacklustre and peculiar start. A narration by an Alan Deddicoat soundalike giving background about Russia at the time the show is set booms over the loudspeakers to then be replaced by a Russian, narrating in English, some of the story of Rasputin’s life. Using the latter narrator throughout and actually on stage would have created more atmosphere and felt more relevant. However, this entire aspect could be done away with – there is no need to ‘theme’ these acts under the pretence of trying to fit them in with the story of Rasputin’s life. The narrative interruptions did not add dramatic effect, they were confusing and irrelevent to the acts comng before and after. An approach that involved a straightforward introductions of acts would have been sufficient.
So, at the start cloaked, hooded monks(?) present themselves on stage and walk through to the front of the stage to music and lights. Endeavouring to be dramatic as far as choreography (such as it is), music and light goes was ruined by the performers chatting and sniggering as they paraded about the stage. Not a good start.
However, when the evening does start to showcase the talent and abilities of the performers there are some real highlights and moments of ‘how DO they do that!’
The programme only gives a list of the names of the ‘scenes’ i.e ‘Grand Vision’, Russian Bar’, Hanging on’ etc but no names of any performers. The official Moscow State Circus site gives very limited detail and the press office did not reply to my query so I am unable to give detailed accounts of most the names of the acts and performers in this particular show.

The clowns Valik and Valerik feature several times giving more continuity to the show than the narration. They are very funny and engage well with the audience displaying traditional slapstick combined with highly skilled elements; the tight rope section very clever and amusing. The 3rd clown that V&V send off the stage two or three in the first half gets his chance to perform later in the show and is hilarious in his act. I can’t do it justice here but his tomfoolery and physical comedycombined with great skill and daring are wonderful and had everyone in raptures.
The jugglers are fantastic, four of them onstage throwing huge numbers of clubs fast and furiously across the stage with incredible accuracy creating an exciting and complicated series of arrangements.
Anton and Nataliya Popazov’s crossbow act is clearly intricate and highly technical with the finale of seven crossbows firing at an apple on Anton’s head seemingly deadly dangerous. The posturing of Nataliya (as with a number of the female performers when frillying around the male performers) is a bit dated and gets a bit much at times,but seems to be a component of many of the acts in this show.
The most stunning performances are those by the couple who performed ‘Statues’ and ‘Hanging on’. The male/female team create the most incredible balances of weight and tension displaying a physical strength that is truly amazing. The sense of control and the very slow pace at which these gymnastic acrobats perform create wondrous tableaux. In 'Statues' these poses are performed on a raised station, in ‘Hanging on’ they are performed up in the air using floor to ceiling drapes of material and at times seem to totally defy gravity.



Matching these are the three females who performed ‘In Balance’, a series of poses demonstrating great strength and suppleness as they bend and twist supporting each other in pyramid like structures.

So, if you ignore the narration and instead focus on the skill, strength, beauty and fun of these acts there is much to admire and enjoy here. The audience was won over by the end but it took some time.

Moscow State Circus play Milton Keynes until 6 Feb. 0844 971 7652 (bkg fee)

www.miltonkeynestheatre.com

then

Lincoln. Theatre Royal  9 – 12 Feb

Cambridge. The Cambridge Corn Exchange 13-15 Feb

Woking The New Victoria Theatre 16-19 Feb

Darlington Civic Theatre 21-23 Feb

Glasgow. King’s Theatre 24-26 Feb

Douglas Gaiety Theatre 1-3 March

Carlisle Sands Theatre 5 & 6 March

Halifax Victoria Theatre 8-10 March

Retford Majestic Theatre 11& 12 March

Sunderland. Sunderland Empire 14-16 March
Salford. The Lowry 17 – 20 March

Robinsons and First Family Entertainment present

Dick Whittington

At Milton Keynes Theatre

Yes it’s that time of the year again, oh no it isn’t, oh yes it is and Dick Whittington at Milton Keynes Theatre is a must see. It is panto at its best and was enjoyed by   children and adults in the audience, with humour accessible to all. This production is Directed by Christopher Dunham and written by Eric Potts.

Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey) was excellent as the lovely Alice Fitzwarren and Dirk Benedict (The A Team) was very good as the nasty King Rat (Hiss, Boo). Stavros Flatley (Britain’s Got Talent) appeared as the Cypriot Royal Family with the same sort of routine they performed on the TV show and went down a storm with the audience.

Tucker was very amusing as Idle Jack and kept us laughing throughout. I loved Graham Hoadly’s portrayal of Sarah the Cook   which was reminiscent of the character Mrs Slocombe from TV’s Are You Being Served? Dick Whittington was played by Joel Montague who was convincing in the role. Fairy Bowbells was taken by Shona Lindsay, who was an excellent fairy with a really good voice. I liked Phil Snowdon’s portrayal of Alderman Fitzwarren, particularly when he was running from the rats. I mustn’t forget Tommy the cat who was adorable and played very well by Kayleigh Wilson.

The audience were drawn in to participating throughout the show in a manner which made you part of the show without making you feel that you were the show. At several points through the show there were “hitches” which were so well acted I still cannot decide whether any of them were genuine or all were staged. A sketch with a gorilla gave the audience the opportunity to shout the much loved line “it’s behind you” and there were of course, other scenes which involved the essential banter of “oh no it isn’t....”

There is an ensemble of excellent dancers, with choreography by Leon Maurice-Jones, whose performance would not have been amiss in theatre where the focus was pure dance.

The scenery was superb and I liked the use of seasonal glitter. The costumes were lavish and colourful. Lighting was used to good effect. Pyrotechnics were used throughout the show.

However, I was really impressed by the 3D experience in the second half of the show. We had been given 3D glasses as we entered to be used later in the performance. When the time came a large screen filled the stage and we were told to wear the 3D glasses. There followed an amazing 3D underwater experience which I enjoyed immensely.

There was an emphasis upon song much of which was modern pop, together with Cockney classics appropriate to this pantomime. The music was provided by an excellent orchestra.

For me this panto had everything I hoped would be there and more, the 3D section was a surprising bonus. This show has plenty for everyone, go and see for yourself.

Dick Whittington plays Milton Keynes Theatre until 16^th January 2011. Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office 0844 871 7852 (bkg fee).

www.miltonkeynestheatre.com

Reviewed by Sue Marks at Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday 13^th December 2010.