UK Theatre Network

A powerful new play from the unequivocally adventurous Second Skin Theatre and penned by resident writer William Whitehurst  brings the story of Rasputin –that mythical mad monk who helped destroy an empire – and his era to the stage in a stunning new production at the Rosemary Branch Theatre in Islington.

The opening moments of the play resound with the sounds –and even the smells –of Russian orthodoxy and as the lights go up we are confronted with a set that really wouldn’t look out of place in a national theatre. This kind of high-reaching and meticulous approach used by designer Mike Lees acts as an indicator of what’s to come on stage.

Andy McQuade brings to the role of Rasputin an astonishing depth of feeling and authenticity, capturing at once the man’s raw peasant vitality, his lust, his craftiness, and most of all the extraordinary pain at the core of his being. His principal antagonist, Felix Yussupov, is played to the hilt by one of the two Russian actors in the cast, Benny Maslov. Maslov brilliantly captures the sinister aspects of Yussupov but we also see this shell progressively shredded by the final dramatic scene –“In spite of everything, I still believe!” And we all know he’s not even fooling himself any longer.

The other Russian actor in the cast, Nika Khitrova, plays the bitterly wronged servant girl Katya, who transforms from humble servant to raunchy stripper to dark instrument of revenge with bone-chilling conviction. With just a few short scenes spread throughout the play she manages the near impossible task of presenting a monumental journey across many years with gut wrenching authenticity; her final moment is as moving as it is horrific.Alice Fernbank as the tormented Tsarina, caught between the demands of empire and a desperate desire to help her suffering son, offers such emotional nuance and range that we come to understand and deeply sympathize with her even as we watch her help unleash the chaos that will destroy her world.

The last link in this remarkably talented ensemble, Alastair Natkiel, creates in the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich a thoroughly sympathetic portrait of a vulnerable, wounded man who wants most of all to love and be loved. Natkiel understands how to maintain the outer façade while showing us how the inner man crumbles. Love may be all this character really wants, but it is in desperately short supply in Russia in the last years of empire and so he like everyone else is swept along by a tide that ultimately chokes off all but the worst aspects of human nature. And that, this play suggests with extraordinary power and conviction, is ultimately the tragedy of Russia itself at the dawn of the twentieth-century.

Do not miss.

http://secondskintheatre.com/

Sean Baker

     

Sex, drugs and... Trolls. Such is the life of “Peer Gynt”, probably Ibsen’s most surreal play which has now been updated in a brilliant Scottish adaptation by Colin Teevan.

The play is about young Peer, who despite his poor background has dreams of becoming rich and famous. After trying to leave the town where he has grown up, fleeing from his ex-girlfriend’s wedding with the bride. He then comes across the kingdom of the Trolls and is forced into marrying the Troll princess, although luckily managing to escape again. When we meet him later he is now much older and is selling arms in Africa, whilst trying to reinvent himself as the leader of a new cult.

This could easily become a very confusing play, but thanks to Teevan’s adaptation he keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Dominic Hill also makes good use of the large stage, keeping it quite bare and allowing the scenes to be filled by the actors instead and giving the piece the feel of epic theatre.

Keith Fleming and Gerry Mulgrew both give fantastic performances as young and old Peer, showing great subtlety and engagement with the piece. Cliff Burnett is also superb as The Button Man, who helps to guide the audience through the maze of Peer’s life.

A very different, but very entertaining piece of theatre!

 

Listings:

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

17 to 20 June

Wed – Sat eves 7:00pm

Matinee, Sat 2pm

Tickets: £7.50 - £20

Box Office: 0131 248 4848

www.lyceum.org.uk

 

Then touring until 27 June

Menopause: The Musical

Reviewed at The Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle

 

WHEN four different women are thrown together at a lingerie sale in a well-known London department store, it seems as though they have little in common. One is a shrewd business woman, one a vegan Earth mother, one a successful soap star and one a dowdy housewife from Skegness.

However, over a fight for a black lace bra, they discover that they have a few more things in common than they first thought: memory loss, hot flushes, night sweats, and a craving for chocolate, to name but a few!

Cheryl Baker, who many will remember from her days as one quarter of the Eurovision-winning pop group Bucks Fizz, leads a fantastic cast including ‘Allo ‘ Allo’s Sue Hodge, Susie Fenwick and Ellen O’Grady.

The laughs come thick and fast as writer Jeanie Linders casts a satirical glance over all things associated with ‘the change,’ and ensures that the menopause is no longer seen as ‘the silent passage.’

Many well-known songs, such as ‘I Will Survive’, ‘My Guy’ and ‘I Got You, Babe’ are re-worked with new lyrics in this joyful musical parody that had the predominantly-female audience cackling with delight – and , no doubt, recognition.

The performances were faultless and every member of the cast proved themselves to be fantastic singers. But, it was their comedic antics that really pleased the crowd, and, in this respect, Sue Hodge almost stole the show with her interpretation of a fat, frumpy middle-aged woman from the Midlands.

By the finale, every member of the audience was up on their feet singing, clapping along and celebrating their femininity – mood swings and all!

Steve Burbridge.

‘Menopause: The Musical’ runs at The Tyne Theatre & Opera House until Saturday 20^th June, before touring to Portsmouth, Horsham, Lincoln and Malvern.

Two years ago audiences were raving about Neil Bartlett’s Manchester International Festival production of The Pianist, which was originally staged in the highly unconventional setting of a loft above the Museum of Science and Industry.  Now there’s another chance to see it with the original cast in the Royal Exchange main house.

The piece is based on the wartime memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a concert pianist who survived the horrors of Warsaw during World War II – Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning film from 2003 was based on the same material. 

This version of the story opens with Warsaw’s Jewish population already incarcerated in the ghetto - overcrowded, starving, infested with vermin and lice, when typhus inevitably breaks out there is nowhere to bury the dead, and rotting bodies lie stripped naked on the streets.  Wladyslaw is now reduced to playing the piano in bars, but eventually his family is summoned for transportation from the ghetto to some unknown destination far away.  As the disinfected cattle trucks draw into the station Wladyslaw seizes his chance to flee, and then spends lonely years hiding in the ruins of what had recently been one of Europe’s wealthiest cities, trying to elude starvation, cold and the Nazis.

The auditorium is stark – merely a wooden floor, a grand piano, a chair, and two performers: actor Peter Guinness, who narrates, and pianist Mikhail Rudy, who punctuates the narrative with music by Chopin and Szpilman himself.  Peter Guinness, with a piercing gaze that takes in the whole audience from the front stalls to the back of the gods, prowls endlessly around the piano as he repeats his tale with the simplicity of a Greek messenger.  It’s an incredibly stripped-down form of story-telling, and the few moments of drama are all the more effective for their rarity.  At the keyboard Mikhail Rudy does far more than provide a pretty background accompaniment – sometimes his playing pushes the difficult emotions even further, sometimes music is the only thing which can resolve and diffuse the tension.  The frisson when Guinness and Rudy interact is thrilling. 

Despite the ostensible minimalism of the design and staging, Chris Davey’s wonderful lighting creates a tangible sense of atmosphere, location, season and mood.

The Royal Exchange main house has never felt so intimate, and The Pianist reveals that it’s not just a wonderful theatre space but also a brilliant venue for chamber music.

 

The Pianist is on until Saturday 27 June 2009

Prices: £8.50-£27.00

Evenings: Mon-Sat @ 8pm (excluding Wed 24)

Matinees: Wed 24 @ 2.30pm

Box Office: 0161 833 9833

www.royalexchange.co.uk

 

Running from 20-26 July, Manchester's top festival of new writing showcases 21 original one-hour pieces in unconventional venues.  

The programme features a mix of experienced and new writers, while previous 247-ers returning this year include Steve Timms, Ian Townsend and Steve Pearce.

Tickets are £8 (£6 concessions) and the venues - The Printworks and New Century House - are both conveniently situated for Victoria Station, buses and Metrolink.

For full details of shows, times, tickets, locations etc visit:

http://www.247theatrefestival.co.uk

"Shining Days," the second full-length play by Julie S. Halpern, made its debut on June 17th on the Royal Stage at the Producers Club in midtown .  The play focuses on the relationships of six historical figures living in the torrid times of war and struggle in Ireland and England in the late 19th century and early 20th century. 

The play opens in the Golden Dawn Temple during a ritual.  We are introduced to the practices of the characters but what is going on is never actually explained - being consistent with the fact that people outside of the society are not privy to the secrets of Golden Dawn.  After this, we are introduced to the complicated relationships between the characters and flashback to how they met.  From here the play follows time, skipping through the years showing glimpses into what happens to the characters throughout the 25 years.

The play's heavy focus in the occult could leave the audience lost especially if they have no prior knowledge of the subject.  Halpern, a tarot consultant herself, clearly has a lot of knowledge on the subject and conveys that knowledge well; however, the plot is so twisted in this it is difficult to feel for the characters.  The weakest part of this experience is the ability to get to know the characters.  Time moves rather swiftly and without the playbill would be impossible to follow.  Some scenes in this play were extremely short and ended almost in the middle of a thought leaving a sense of confusion and wanting to know more - which never comes.  By the end of the play, it is hard to feel sad about the death of two of the characters and to feel hope for the society itself.

The accents left much to be desired but were not overly distracting nor detracting from the performances.  Sarah Koestner (Maud Gonne) had the most believable performance though her stage time seemed less than the others.  All of the actors suffered from outbursts of overacting, which could be from a lack of emotion and then a sudden bit of yelling.  There were many tears, even though many moments did not deem them. 

Overall, "Shining Days" has its flaws but is a well-written piece of work with strong performances from most of the actors.  If you have an interest in the occult or the historical figures featured in this play, then definitely reserve a spot. If you are looking for a zero-thought play, save your money because this is not the work for you. 

"Shining Days" is playing at the Producers Club - Royal at 358 W44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues).  Performances are June 17- June 28. Thursday-Sat@8pm, Sat. mats@2pm, and Sun. mats @4pm.  Seating is extremely limited, so please make reservations early. All seats are $18.00 and may be purchased through Theatermania at www.theatermania.com, 212-352-3101

"Shining Days" Written and Directed by Julie S. Halpern
Starring:
Patricia Duran*, Sarah Koestner*, Megan O'Leary*, Michael Siktberg, Jenne Vath*, and David Lloyd Walters*.

*Appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association


Megan O'Leary and Michael Siktberg


David Lloyd Walters, Patricia Duran, and Michael Siktberg
 

Jenne Vath and Sarah Koestner


Jenne Vath and David Lloyd Walters


Jenne Vath and David Lloyd Walters


Megan O'Leary, Michael Siktberg, and Patricia Duran


Sarah Koestner and Michael Siktberg

(Photos provided by Sarah Jane Marek)

Killing Time

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

The second production of the 10^th Anniversary Summer Repertory Season at Darlington Civic Theatre is an intense and gripping thriller starring, once again, Hannah Waterman and Huw Higginson.

A chance meeting in a supermarket seems to bring Jane and Rick together and the two strangers discover at Rick’s house that they share mutual interests. However, as the dark truth begins to emerge, we see that nothing is, in fact, a coincidence and that they share a number of deadly secrets and a common enemy. There can be no turning back until the entire story is brought to its own ruthless and chilling conclusion.

Huw Higginson and Hannah Waterman deliver another pair of perfect performances. Richard Stockwell’s psychological thriller is about as different as you can get from Charles Dyer’s sex-comedy, and the two actors seem to relish the challenge that accompanies the contrast.

Higginson’s Rick is all laid-back charm and cocky arrogance, whilst Waterman’s Jane is a feisty power-dresser with killer heels and a ballsy attitude. The connection between the actors is fantastic and, once more, they portray two carefully crafted, three-dimensional characters. The fatal attraction between Rick and Jane is brought beautifully to life as, in turn, the balance of power alternates between the two characters.

The plot is sophisticatedly complex without being too confusing and the audience is kept guessing throughout the duration of the play.

The production values are wonderful, with a fabulous set and direction that never allows the pace to dip. In fact, Killing Time is a well-written thriller that avoids being clichéd and predictable and provides a great evening of murder, mystery and suspense.

Steve Burbridge.

‘Killing Time’ runs at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 20^th June 2009.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Reviewed by Louise Winter on Tuesday 16^th June 2009 at Milton Keynes Theatre

Every obvious cliché can be used to describe this musical – thigh slapping, foot tapping, yeehah shouting, hand clapping fun! It is a lovely story and really quite sad at times.

The Pontipee brothers live a typical bachelor life out in the wilds of Oregon.
Big brother, Adam, well played by Steve Houghton, drives into town to find a wife to ‘keep house’ for him and the other boys.
 Luckily for him, he finds Milly, who agrees to marry him and return home with him that evening. Milly, played perfectly by Susan McFadden, is a sweet but spirited gal, who imagines she will be living in a ‘house for two’. She’s less than happy when she discovers there are six rough hillbillies at home.

Milly sets about transforming them into young men with manners and etiquette. This is where the laughs and fun of the story are mostly found and ‘Goin’ Courtin’ with Milly and the brothers was very funny. I did think some of the brothers overacted in this scene – they are country hillbillies, not a cross between Neanderthal man and a primate just dropped out of a tree. However, the contrast between these ‘savages’ and the ‘new’ species of male that Milly manages to conjure up is made very clear by such a strong interpretation.

There are brilliantly memorable songs, ‘Bless your Beautiful Hide’, ‘Wonderful, Wonderful Day’, ‘Spring, Spring Spring’, ‘ Sobbin’ Women’ and many more. 

Most outstanding are the fantastically energetic and inventively choreographed dance routines. Chris Hocking is the director and chorepgrapher and the stage of Milton Keynes Theatre is filled at times what with 26 people hurling themselves around. It really is spectacular.

 

Every single member of the cast is superb; they all give it 100% throughout. To mention all of them is impossible here.

 

This is a brilliant production and a great evening out, so if you can get tickets: GO!

 

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is at Milton Keynes Theatre until 20^th June.

Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office: 0844 871 7652 (bkg fee) www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes.  For details of further tour dates go to UK Productions website
http://www.ukproductions.co.uk/seven-brides-08/introduction.asp. Dates are currently showing on the UK Productions website are:

15	Milton Keynes Theatre
22	Swansea Grand Theatre
29	Leeds Grand Theatre
July
6	High Wycombe Swan Theatre
20	Sheffield Lyceum

Reviewed by Louise Winter on behalf of Catherine Brian

PRODUCT MEDEA 4.0                           COCK TAVERN THEATRE

Medea.4.0 at the Cock Tavern Theatre, Kilburn is a modern marketing take on the classic Greek myth that engages from beginning to end.

Slovenian playwright Sasa Rakef gives the legend a 21^st Century angle by placing it in the corporate world, and spinning Medea’s tragedy for mass entertainment and maximum financial return. With an aggressiveness that would shame even Alan Sugar’s apprentices Medea. Inc uses ‘emotion design technology’ to sell their product.

The main character enters the stage ready to tell her story as an Eva Peron persona, but is stripped of her clothes, jewelry and dignity by Medea.Inc, in order to repackage her. The company conveniently rebrand her long held reputation as a monstrous child killer and makes her a victim who had no choice. We as the audience become investors of this new product, and are also able to buy Medea memorabilia at auction. Believing she has found her Max Clifford with Medea.Inc, she becomes complicit with her new image exploitation.

This brilliantly written and thought provoking play makes some spot-on and cynical observations of product advertising and media manipulation. Medea’s ancient tale could just as easily be replaced today by the late Jade Goody’s, as her demise has probably sold more media copy recently than any other. The message is sell the story, celebrity or brand however dubious the ethics.

The production is tightly directed by Maja Milatovic-Ovadia, and is supported by Verana Meneses imaginative choreography. James Palmer’s original score is highly effective and perfectly compliments the action on stage.

The cast work well as an ensemble, and there are notable performances by Victoria Grove and Konstantinos Kavakiotis as part of the selling team. Nikki Squire as Medea displays strong emotions, although sometimes there is a tendency to make her classic speeches extremely staccato and drawn out.

Product Medea.4.0 has all the best components of theatre. Along with the drama of hard sell and the pathos of it’s central character, there are also some very funny lines. This is probably the best hour of theatre you can invest in all week.

 

OLIVER VALENTINE                                          08444771000             www.cocktaverntheatre.com