UK Theatre Network

If a picture is worth a thousand words then the accompanying production shot should tell you a great deal about Brandon Thomas’s 1892 farce Charley’s Aunt, which has just opened at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre.  If you examine the photograph carefully you will notice that Oliver Gomm, who might be said to share the title role, is not playing a conventional Victorian widow.  But then, Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez is, in her own words, “no ordinary woman”.

Dating from the same period as The Importance of Being Earnest and the Savoy operas, Charley’s Aunt is every bit their equal for verbal dexterity, ridiculous situations and favourite stock characters - the silly-ass lord, the tyrannical uncle and the gauche lover are all present and correct.

The simple premise - two Oxford students invite their prospective fiancées to lunch and require a chaperone at short notice - is complicated by (among other accidentals) a jealous guardian, an impoverished (but titled) father, and the imminent arrival of a millionaire aunt who has never met her orphaned nephew because she’s been living in Brazil - “where the nuts come from”.  And in the best tradition of English farce there’s plenty of elaborate business, clowning about and slap-stick. 

Oliver Gomm is lovably daft as Lord Fancourt Babberley, and his virtuosic comedy cadenza with the piano in Act 3 earned him a round of applause on press night.  Stephen Hudson as the put-upon valet Brassett acts as a kind of world-weary Chorus, Malcolm Rennie is terrifyingly pop-eyed as the apoplectic Uncle Spettigue, and Briony McRoberts is charming and mischievous as the relative from the New World.

Director Braham Murray has slightly updated the setting to the 1920s for no discernable reason, although it is to the detriment of the plot device: the extremities of Victorian propriety might necessitate a cross-dressing chaperone, but the Bright Young Things of Brideshead-era Oxford could happily have managed without.  And if the intention was to give a Wodehousian flavour to the proceedings it doesn’t work because the most of the playing is far too naturalistic.  But at least the business is performed with flair and fluency, and all the physical comedy is first-rate.

Designer Johanna Bryant gives us three delightful sets, and the ladies’ flapper costumes are ravishing.  Truly, if the Royal Exchange were ever to go up in flames it would be the wardrobe department that I would rush in and save.

Those who have seen Charley’s Aunt before know it’s one of the English stage’s most copper-bottomed comedy classics, a treat never to be missed, and will already have booked their seats.  If you haven’t seen it before then you should make arrangements to remedy this situation as soon as possible. 

 

Charley’s Aunt is on until Saturday 7 August 2010

Prices: £8.50-£29.50

Evenings: Mon-Fri @ 7.30, Sat @ 8pm [no performance Tues 6 July]

Matinees: Wed @ 2.30pm, Sat @ 4pm and Tues 6 July @ 2.30pm

Box Office: 0161 833 9833

www.royalexchange.co.uk

THE ARDEN OF FAVERSHAM, Rose Theatre, Park Street SE1, until July 7 2010

A trip to the theatre besides the river is always a treat, especially on a balmy Summer's evening and to meander round the small back streets to seek out England's oldest tragic comedy in London's oldest theatre promised to be a special event - and indeed it was.

Currently under archaelogical excavation, the Rose was the first Elizabethan theatre to be built on Bankside in 1587 and seeing the show here lends a palpable atmospheric backdrop that would be quite impossible to recreate elsewhere. The play itself, still author unknown, is a historical gem with all the ingrediants for a good night of theatre going; domestic unbliss, a murder plot, buffoon comedy potential assassins, star-crossed lovers and a host of other supporting players.

At the centre is the 'Lady Macbeth - like' character of Alice of Faversham, played by Rachel Dale. An outstanding performance, Dale brings so much to the plate - her Alice is a living, breathing, manipulative, loving, animal-like creature who vividly fills the space she inhabits for the duration of the unfolding drama. Alice wants her husband Arden (Mark Carlisle) dead - simple, so she can be with the object of her desire, her flighty lover Mosby, (Jonathan Woolf), whose affections for her are based on what his material gain would be once Arden is disposed of. Alice knows not this truth and goes full throttle to do what she can to have Arden ousted and thus the plot unravels.
Around this, employed to do the deed, are the stooge - like characters of Black Will (the excellent Dan Gingell) & Shakebag (good support by Simon Pennicott) , whose attempts to fulfill the contract are continually thwarted - their entertaining comedy duo providing a successful counterbalance to the increasing emotional intensity of the lovers and the domestic wranglings. The inevitable, when it does happen, is excellently done with graphic, visceral realism.

The two hour play moves swiftly on without an interval, never once losing your attention - a tribute to the strong ensemble work of the cast, sharp direction and good storytelling. This is a little gem and most certainly worth seeking out down amongst the bowels of Shakespeare's Southwark heartland. See it before it ends on July 7.

For information on the Rose Theatre Campaign: www.rosetheatre.org

Em-Lou Productions Present...

The Most Lamentable And True Tragedie of Mr. Arden Of Faversham

Anon. (1592).
Directed by Peter Darney

Bookings

Buy tickets online

 

 

Tickets £10.00 / £8.00 concessions
Box office: 020 7261 9565
Email: boxoffice@rosetheatre.org.uk

Tuesday 8th June - Wednesday 7th July
All performance at 7:30pm (no performances on Monday 14th, 21st and 28th June)

Mr. Arden of Faversham is in trouble. His wife Alice wants him dead. His wife’s lover Mosby wants him dead, so do Michael, Greene, Clarke, Black Will and Shakebag. Come and see which, if any, succeeds...

A darkly comic tale based on a true story, full of the lust, greed and ambition of real people, showing what this makes them capable of. Argued by many to be Shakespeare’s earliest surviving work, Arden of Faversham is the first English domestic tragedy.
There will be a Q and A with cast and team on 16th and 30th June.

I’m on a whisky diet. I’ve just lost four days.

The Sands hotel was the very height of Las Vegas sophistication. It was there in 1960, during the filming of Ocean's Eleven, when for the first time Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford performed together on stage. From then on, they were forever known as the Rat Pack, a name coined by Humphrey Bogart’s wife Lauren Bacall. Las Vegas was their playground and everywhere else was known, in Rat Pack vocabulary, as 'Dullsville, Ohio'.

This production celebrates the talent of three of the finest entertainers and performers of the 20^th century – Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis jr and Dean Martin. The audience experiences a typical show at the Sands in Las Vegas with its party spirit and all the hilarious bantering and rivalry between the three great singers. There is smoking and drinking on stage and a complete lack of political correctness. Accompanied by a very fine 15-piece orchestra Frank Sinatra sings some of his most popular songs such as The Lady is a Tramp, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, and Fly Me to the Moon. Sammy Davis jr delights with a brilliant delivery of Mr. Bojangles What Kind of Fool Am I, and Once In A Lifetime. Dino starts out with That’s Amore and Everybody Loves Somebody - and there is a lot more to enjoy. In the extremely funny number You’ve Got Style, the rivalry between the three performers becomes very imminent indeed with Sammy Davis jr appearing in the most outrageous costumes but eventually turning out to be the most elegantly dressed of the three.

There are excellent performances by Mark Adams as Dean Martin and Giles Terera as Sammy Davis jr. They capture the personalities of the two stars completely. When I closed my eyes I actually thought Dean Martin had risen from the dead and was back on stage. However, although Tam Ward is a good performer he does not quite convince as the Chairman of the Board. His New York (New Jersey?) accent is a bit over the top and he does not dominate the stage as he should. The Burelli Sisters look right but their dancing and singing is not quite up to the standard of this show.    

Nevertheless, The Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas is a must for everybody who loves these three great entertainers.

The show runs until 3 July 2010 at the Richmond Theatre.

Richmond Theatre,The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ
http://www.ambassadortickets.com/4/659/Richmond/Richmond-Theatre/The-Rat-Pack

The Cock Tavern theatre’s production of A Stretch Of The Imagination, based around the popular stereotype of the Australian male, makes interesting viewing.

Monk O’ Neill lives very much alone in an old iron shack on One Tree Hill, in the bush. He is facing the physical deteriorations of old age, and is haunted by memories of his past relationships. Monk kills the time with obsessive daily routines, and by telling tales that are often hard to determine as the truth, or a stretch of his imagination. He introduces us to a bunch of lively characters such as biker Mort Lazarus, who died outside his shack from frost bite, to ex-lover Dora-Bella and her angry husband Merve. He’s persistently belligerent, and O’Neil seems to have alienated most of the people in his life and turned an angry back on society. He faces his loneliness and inevitable death with acceptance, but not before rewriting his tattered will and leaving it to the dispossessed of the land.

Despite being slightly too young to the play the character, Mark Little gives an interpretation of this anti-hero which has depth, and is often as moving and as it is funny. Monk is essentially not a likeable character, but nevertheless it is hard not to give empathy when he is dumped by this girlfriend Muriel, or even when he shoots his own dog because it is an extra mouth to feed. In contrast, Little is hilarious with his affectations at a posh dinner party, and his satire of the French during his visit to Paris.

Written in 1972 by Jack Hibberd, one of Australia’s most famous writers, A Stretch of the Imagination, is one of the classics of Aussie theatre. Culturally it is so important that in 2009, it was studied as a set text on the drama syllabus in Australia. However as a newcomer to his writing, the incoherent ramblings of this monodrama were in parts quite difficult to follow. The text which is often thematically clichéd, is partly a throw-back stylistically to absurdist writers like Becket, and is a mish-mash of prose and poetry. It hasn’t aged well and offers few surprises.

Mark Little has ably directed himself as Monk, and also created a rather nifty set representing his character’s lonely, ramshackle life. The Cock Tavern also provides the perfect venue for the intimacy of Monk’s revelations. 

A Stretch Of The Imagination runs until 17^th July. For more information call the box office on 08444 771 000 or visit www.cocktaverntheatre.com

OLIVER VALENTINE   

            

 

 

The Birmingham Stage Company’s newly adapted version of ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ by David Wood at Richmond Theatre on Tuesday 22^nd June 2010

 

Published by: Tremayne

 

 

Roald Dahl, original writer of George’s Marvellous Medicine, was born in Llandaff, Wales on September 13, 1916 and is my own personal favourite children’s writer.  As a result, I am always very sceptical over any adaptations  of his work, whether it be in film or in theatre.

Dahl went to Repton School in Derbyshire and is appreciated most for his children’s writing. Here he is never afraid to show us just how despicable his characters really are, often relishing  leaving us with a level of discomfort, twisting plots in such a way that we have absolutely no inkling as to how things might turn out but fearing a really nasty ending.

 

Immediate participation is needed from the audience when George (Clark Devlin) asks us to be his friend, thus creating a bond between himself and us. This is soon broken up by the screams from his mother (Alison Fitzjohn) as she learns the news that her sick mother (Erika Poole) will be coming to stay, uninvited.

 

Clark Devlin imitates a child’s accent for the character of George. I was not initially convinced by it, as it was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that an adult actor was playing a child. But, as the story unfolded, the age factor ceased to exist.

Erika Poole, the nasty grandmother, had the task of displaying different character traits during George’s daydreams.  These ranged from idyllic grandmother (who quite frankly, was not as much fun!) to an evil witch, who was a lot truer to her character.

The moment where George conjures up various ways inside his head of how to scare his grandmother could be considered unsuitable for a very young age group.  It could have the potential of causing them nightmares, especially when George puts on the Scream mask.

 

An interesting question is raised before the lights black out for the interval. We can make a clear comparison between George’s father (Thomas Woodman) and seeing the advantages in using his son’s ‘marvellous’ medicine to make the farm animals larger, and the whole argument of GM crops. It is obviously more thought-provoking to the adults in the audience than to younger members. The farm animals themselves were manoeuvred by the actors who showed good skills in puppetry.  This seems to be quite the thing in theatre these days.

 

The actor who gave the most convincing and natural performance for me though was Alison Fitzjohn, who played the mother, whose bubbliness outshone the rest and reminded me of Dawn French.

You are without a doubt sent away from the theatre with a warm feeling inside you but I still remain a stickler for Rik Mayall’s Jackanory version of George’s Marvellous Medicine.  I have yet to see something that tops it!

Columbo – Prescription: Murder

Darlington Civic Theatre

The dishevelled Lieutenant Columbo is an iconic figure in the world of the television detective genre, and Peter Falk’s portrayal of the character between 1968 and 2003 ensured that the hit series achieved cult status. Now, the case that launched the legend, ‘Prescription: Murder’, has been returned to the stage with Middle Ground Theatre Company’s production.

Former star of television series ‘The A Team’, Dirk Benedict takes on the title role and has the unenviable task of walking in the shadow of the legendary Peter Falk. Although the character of Columbo does not appear on stage until a fair way into the plot, when Benedict made his entrance it was to warm applause from the audience.

In addition to his visual impressiveness, Benedict also had every mannerism and nuance of the character honed to a tee and his performance was consistently excellent. Patrick Ryecart, as the murderous Dr Flemming, performed his role with a strength and assuredness which ensured that he was in no way overshadowed by the dogged detective.

The supporting cast – Karen Drury (Claire Flemming), Elizabeth Lowe (Susan Hudson), George Telfer (Dave Gordon) and Karren Winchester (Miss Petrie) all give top-notch performances, too.

Michael Lunney’s direction keeps up the momentum and, although the identity of the murderer is no mystery (in true ‘Columbo’ style), the suspense is maintained in the taut game of cat-and-mouse played between Dr Flemming and Lt. Columbo.

John Goodwin and Andy Martin are to be commended for the design of the effective set and the backstage crew must be congratulated for some of the slickest scene changes I have ever seen at a theatre. Similarly, the lighting design, by Bob Hodges, adds an additional element of atmosphere to the proceedings.

Indeed, ‘Columbo: Prescription Murder’ is a first-class production that, at times, drew audible gasps of shock and surprise from the audience. As Dr Flemming observed: ‘You are magnificent, Columbo!’

Steve Burbridge.

TODD GORDON & TINA MAY SING
 
FRANK & ELLA

DARLINGTON ARTS CENTRE

There’s something about the sound of jazz and swing that makes my spine tingle – I love it! Add the smooth, silky quality of Todd Gordon’s crooning, the dulcet tones of the sultry, sophisticated, sassy Tina May and the hit recordings made famous by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald and, in my opinion, you’re in for a pretty spectacular evening.

On Saturday night, Darlington Arts Centre played host to Mr Gordon and Miss May in their tribute to Ol’ Blue Eyes and the First Lady of Song. After Todd Gordon opened up with a set that included You Make Me Feel So Young, S’Wonderful, Hard Hearted Hannah and The Summer Wind, Tina May stepped into the limelight and wowed the audience with her renditions of A-Tisket, A-Tasket, Night and Day, Black Coffee and Someone To Watch Over Me. The duet numbers, Manhattan and They Can’t Take That Away From Me demonstrated that these performers go together as well as champagne and caviar.

In a corner of my mind, I was transported back in time to an old ‘speakeasy’ in Prohibition-era New York. Perhaps I was born in the wrong place and time?

The evening continued with many more classic standards from the American songbook, including I Get A Kick Out Of You, It Was A Very Good Year and How Long Has This Been Going On? The vocalists were accompanied by a truly talented trio of musicians in the form of Gordon Kilroy (percussion), Brian Shiels (bass) and David Patrick (piano).

The evening was rounded off with a playful and quirky duet of The Lady is a Tramp and, after two delightful hours of wonderful musical entertainment the audience, and this reviewer, left the theatre and entered into the warm, dusky night air humming those fabulous tunes.

Steve Burbridge.

A British tar is a soaring soul,
               As free as a mountain bird,
          His energetic fist should be ready to resist
               A dictatorial word.

Opera della Luna was formed in 1994 to create new and innovative productions of musical theatre, comic opera and operetta in English, and to tour them to mid-scale venues all over Britain. Now the acclaimed company of The Merry Widow fame come to Richmond with their abridged version of HMS Pinafore – Gilbert and Sullivan’s first blockbuster hit of 1878.

Satirising the  snobbery and hypocrisy of the English class system of its day, HMS Pinafore is a comic tale of love, class pretensions and mistaken identities. Jeff Clarke, the director, chose Dickens as a point of reference for his production. Clarke states that like Dickens, Gilbert’s greatest fascination is with the middle class, who can so quickly be elevated to elegance and luxury on the one hand, and so easily reduced to penury and misery on he other. This is an interesting approach and I could see the slightly Dickensian touch in the production.  

There are many good things to be said about this show. The ensemble work is admirable and there are wonderful performances by the actors /singers, especially by the charming Louise Crane as Little Buttercup, the witty Ian Belsey as Captain Corcoran and the outrageously funny Simon Butteriss as Sir Joseph. The show is fast-paced and very entertaining. There were many delightful scenes such as Sir Joseph’s delivery of I’m the Monarch of the Sea or Never Mind the Why and Wherefore However, there seemed to be a lack of direction at times, particularly in the first half of the show. Some of the actions did not seem to be well choreographed. I can see why the director felt it might be a good idea to provide some action for the audience during the overture but watching the crew scrub the floor and carry props around was more distracting than captivating.

HMS Pinafore is definitely worth seeing because of the talented ensemble and Gilbert and Sullivan’s unforgettable music.

The show runs until 18 June 2010 at the Richmond Theatre.

Richmond Theatre,The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ
http://www.ambassadortickets.com/1797/659/Richmond/Richmond-Theatre/HMS-Pinafore-ODL

I have seen better plots in a cemetery!

Mortimer and Brian Cooke who were responsible for the successful stage adaptation of Round The Horne... Revisited now return with their Kenneth Wiliams extravaganza Stop Messing About directed by Michael Kingsbury. The show which reunites Kenneth Williams with his Carry On co-stars Joan Sims and Hugh Paddick recreates the recording of two episodes of the radio show series including such classic sketches as The Driving Test and The Ballroom Dancing Rally as well as a number of movie adaptations.

Stop Messing About has a very nostalgic feel about it. It takes us back to the 1960s when jokes could be funny without swear words or being too explicit. We meet such familiar characters as Sir Inigo Parchmutter, Doctor Amanda Snatchforth, and the Kingston, Surbiton, Wimbledon and District Line Trio. My personal favourite was the first topless fish fryer in Fulham! The show is fast paced with perfect comic timing.

This is harmless fun and it certainly does not cross new boundaries but I found it quite entertaining. I especially enjoyed Charles Armstrong as Douglas Smith. (I might actually join the „Douglas Smith Appreciation Society“ just to meet its charming and witty chairman – Douglas Smith!) Having said that, the cast was impressive throughout. Robin Sebastian’s performance of Kenneth Williams was nothing less than brilliant. India Fisher gave a charming and witty Joan Sims and Nigel Harrison was an energetic Hugh Paddick.     

The show still runs until 16 June 2010 at the Richmond Theatre and then moves on to Southampton.

Richmond Theatre,The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ
http://www.ambassadortickets.com/1800/659/Richmond/Richmond-Theatre/Stop-Messing-About

 

Mum’s The Word

Darlington Civic Theatre

Essentially, Mum’s The Word is really rather similar to The Vagina Monologues but instead of three women perched on stools talking about , erm – well, you know, vagina’s – you get five seated women talking, at great length, about motherhood and sprogs.

Gillian Taylforth leads the cast, stepping in as a last minute replacement for Bernie Nolan who had to withdraw from the tour due to illness, and she does an admirable job. Her warm, gravelly voice is well-suited to the role of straight-talking mum, Robin. She is joined on stage by two other former soap actresses, Tracy Shaw (Coronation Street’s Maxine Peacock) as Jill and Sally Ann Matthews (Coronation Street’s Jenny Bradley) as Alison. Mandy Holliday and Susie Fenwick complete the line-up, although on press evening at Darlington Miss Fenwick was indisposed and understudy Kaye Quinley performed the role of Deborah.

Initially, I have to say, the production left me feeling rather underwhelmed and rather bored. And before anybody jumps to the conclusion that, because I’m a guy, I wouldn’t ‘get’ the show, let me set the record straight. During my time as a reviewer, I have seen productions including The Vagina Monologues, Menopause: The Musical, Hot Flush! and Women on the Verge of HRT and ‘got’ at least three of them totally.

However, I have to say that my personal tolerance of endless monologues on dirty nappies, snot, urine, faeces and vomit isn’t particularly high. Sure, I guess if you’ve experienced motherhood, you’ve experienced your fair share of all the aforementioned, but what about those in the audience who have not? The main difference between Mum’s The Word and the other female-orientated productions is that it excludes those who are not mothers, whereas the others don’t.

The first act was a rather lack-lustre affair for me, although I don’t attribute the blame for this to the actresses nor the director, Andrew Lynford. In my opinion, the script is to blame and I suspect that having been written by six women, it has suffered from too many cooks spoiling the broth.

The second act was considerably better, though, and there were some genuinely funny moments, particularly during parodies of The Weakest Link, during which Kaye Quinley gives an eerily accurate impersonation of Anne Robinson, and Puppetry of the Penis, in which Mandy Holliday interacts with a pink sock penis puppet.

Although Mum’s The Word is by no means a slick, stylish and successful comedy in my opinion, I must point out – in the interests of fairness and  balance – that it has attracted some great actresses in its eight-year history, including Blythe Duff (Taggart), Jenny Eclair (Grumpy Old Women), Patsy Palmer (EastEnders), Kim Hartman (Allo, Allo) and Maureen Nolan (Blood Brothers), and that the largely-female audience seemed to enjoy the show immensely and cackled in delight and recognition.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 19^th June 2010.