INTO THE WOODS OPEN AIR REGENT PARK
By OLIVER VALENTINEThe latest production of Into The Woods at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, offers an enchanting night of magical, musical story telling that is not to be missed.
Written in 1987 by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, this complex musical uses classic fairytales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk, to tell a morality tale of self-discovery. From the first chords the audience are led on an emotional journey as the characters realise a collective responsibility for the results of their decisions, wishes, greed and desires. In the first half everyone's wish comes true, and in second act they have to deal with the consequences. The central theme deals with the loss of innocence, and the narrative is given a highly effective new dimension by being told by a lonely child who has run away into the woods, and uses his imagination to create a fantasy world.
The stage is naturally surrounded by the park’s trees, and Soutra Gilmour’s impressive climbing frame set that peaks with a nest for Rapunzel’s tower, contributes to the visual spell. This is further invoked when darkness falls and Jon Clark’s lighting design adds to the treat.
Timothy Sheader’s direction is endlessly creative, and perfectly complimented by Liam Steel’s movement work. Beverly Rudd is delightfully comic as Red Riding Hood, and Michael Xavier and Simon Thomas work in perfect synchronicity as the princes. Jenna Russell shows great emotional range as the Baker’s wife, and Alice Fearn is memorable as Rapunzel.
Into The Woods is one of Sondheim’s masterpieces, and this production has managed to create a more than satisfying revival. It is a wonderful 80th birthday gift for the composer, and is a superb finale to the season at Regent’s Open Air theatre.
OLIVER VALENTINE

Into The Woods runs until 11th September www.openairtheatre.com
La forza del destino
By Katherine HayesThough Verdi’s La Forza has many plot twists that seem far too coincidental, the Opera Holland Park current production is certainly an example of minimal staging with maximum impact.
Daughter of Seville Leonora (Gweneth Anne Jeffers) attempts to elope with Inca blood prince Don Alvaro (Peter Auty ) but in the midst of their escape is startled by her father who is accidental killed by Alavaro. Leonora is condemned to flee, later becoming separated from Alvaro.
Action goes to Seville at war – the chorus were in fine voice and acted as a living set , using Alison Chitty’s designs of black and red to evoke wartime and hunger.
Leonora’s brother Don Carlo (Mark Stone ) embarks on a sojourn of vengeance to find the lovers, who eventually by chance are both seeking refuge at a monastery headed by Padre Guardiano (Mikhail Svetlov).
Though a first ever production for OHP, audiences would recognize the overture for this work, regularly played by classical music radio and featured in the film Jean de Florette.
The performance of the evening and indeed for me the season so far was from Gweneth Anne Jeffers. Her Leonora is exquisite, her voice caresses notes one by one – she is a joy to listen to. Even the most hard hearted critic could not fail to appreciate what a talented performer Jeffers is.
With an animated Stuart Stratford leading the City of London Sinfonia, this piece is
a memorable night at the
opera.
July 27, 29, 31, August 4, 6, 10,
12, 14
ANNE BOLEYN THE GLOBE
By OLIVER VALENTINEHoward Brenton’s new play at The Globe adds to the fashionable cult of Anne Boleyn, by re-painting her not as a scheming power seeking witch, but as a forward thinking idealist and reformer, responsible for the revolutionary ideas that changed English religion.
Early on it is clear that Brenton has a loose hold on history with imagined scenes of Anne meeting bible translator William Tyndale. In his play her influence very much still lives on, and it is implied that her religious legacy not only gave us Protestantism and the King James Bible (although her ‘heretical’ Tyndale Bible was essentially the same book), but was also a possible historical contributor to the Civil War years later.
The story packs in a lot. In the first part young Henry VIII is madly in love with Anne, and desperately trying to find a way to get rid of his sonless wife Katherine of Aragon. In Act II the drama rather cleverly plays with time and Anne is not only seen as a living queen, but the also as a ghost in James Ist reign. The King becomes a dominant character as he negotiates with religious factions who are threatening to pull the country apart, and Anne’s downfall is almost upstaged by this new storyline.
Anne played by Miranda Raison, is sexy, assertive and shrewd. Rather than being the monster often portrayed by history, she is the audience’s friend. She play’s with them, teases and takes them into her confidence, and even shows her head as a joke. She announces the interval with a naughty wink, saying unashamedly that it’s time for her and Henry to get down to sex after holding off for seven years. The language is modern and direct. Henry admits to having ‘a raging hard-on,’ and Anne wastes no time is describing Queen Katherine as “such a cow.”
The casting is spot-on. Raison shines in the role of Anne, and is well matched with Anthony Howell who plays a dynamic, virile Henry VIII. James Garnon bring’s almost a Rocky Horror Show quality to the role of King James as the camp, twitching, larger than life ruler, and Amanda Lawrence is also notable as Lady Rochford.
The production is kept at a pace by John Dove’s fine direction, and is complimented by William Lyons's delightful score.
Anne Boleyn plays at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre until August 21, 2010.
OLIVER VALENTINE
SUBS COCK TAVERN THEATRE, KILBURN
By OLIVER VALENTINEYou don’t need to be a sub-editor to enjoy Subs, the latest offering from the Cock Tavern Theatre, Kilburn.
Set in the gloomy, generic office of Gentlemen Prefer…, 3 subs face repetitive days of spell checking, headline writing and colleague in-fighting..
Chief sub Derek, is hoping to be promoted and get rid of his moaning Minnie of a co-worker Finch, by sacking him. The ambitious office junior James, brown-noses Derek while ruthlessly having his own agenda to get ahead. Finch has fallen into addictive whinging and internet porn to get through the day, and given up all hope of ever moving on. However the unthinkable happens and Anna a young woman joins the team, signalling that the time has come for things to change both career wise and personally for the subs.
R.J.Purdey’s observant and often hilarious script is rife with catty and condescending remarks, and shows that men can be the biggest bitches in the office if provoked. The funniest lines are given to the semi-tragic and acerbic Finch, and are delivered with immaculate timing by the superbly cast Michael Cusick. Euan Macnaughton is convincing as Derek, the older man who has missed the career boat, and Naomi Waring is very likable as Anna. The play is tightly directed by Hamish Macdougall.
For fine acting, thought provoking drama and a hearty laugh, Subs is the play to see right now.
OLIVER VALENTINE
Subs plays until 12th August
08444771000
PAY AS YOU GO COCK TAVERN THEATRE
By OLIVER VALENTINEPAY AS YOU GO COCK TAVERN THEATRE
The Cock Tavern Theatre boldly continues with it’s policy of showcasing new writing talent with Steven Hevey’s play Pay As You Go.
Set in modern day Southend-on-Sea, Mark and his colleagues work in a mobile phone shop where scripted-selling, blokish banter, and sexual competitiveness dominates. With the exception of Tom a teenage employee, the other male workers are heading towards middle-age but persist with their laddish behaviour. Mark is tiring of this, has problems at home and is heading towards an emotional meltdown.
Hevey’s dialogue is strong and naturalistic, and the play ably takes on the theme of mis-communication - despite technology being designed to improve this. Face to face conversations are often blocked with constant text and call interruptions, and the mobile phone takes on a menacing persona through happy-slapping.
It is only towards the end of the drama that it seems to lose it’s way and feels more like a work in progress. There are lots of little scenes that that add little to the plot, and key themes are not fully developed. These however are small shortcomings to what is essentially a good piece.
Structurally the play could also have done with an interval. And this is not just because after an hour and a half in the hot and airless space of the auditorium, it became decidedly uncomfortable.
Samuel Miller’s direction is focused, and there are strong performances by Marc Geoffrey, Daniel Jennings and Richard Aloi, as the key players running the shop.
It is good to see Good Night Out Productions supporting new writers and directors, and as result maintaining it’s lead in producing some of the best innovative quality work on the London fringe.
OLIVER VALENTINE
Pay As You runs until 14th August.
Box Office: 08444771000Legendary star of TV’s Wonder Woman sings solo in West End for first time in 30 Years
By Douglas McFarlane
A STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION COCK TAVERN THEATRE
By OLIVER VALENTINEThe 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 17th July. For more information call the box office on 08444 771 000 or visit www.cocktaverntheatre.com
OLIVER VALENTINE
War horse: Much more than just a puppet show By Emily Bear
By Douglas McFarlane
I went to see a puppet show last week, now I know this may conjure up images of seaside Punch and Judy or a muppet show spectacle but although the show, War Horse, does feature puppets it’s certainly no joke on the stage.
War Horse, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo, is currently showing at New London Theatre in the West End and is the latest in a line of National Theatre productions that have earned the company a reputation for producing some of the best family shows on the stage.
Previous shows have included the popular shows of His Dark Materials, an adaptation of Phillip Pullman’s trilogy, and Coram Boy which both received positive reviews. Having seen a National Theatre production before, let us say that War Horse certainly had a lot to live up to.
War Horse tells the story through the eyes of Joey, a horse who is shipped off to work for the cavalry division in the First World War, and his master Albert who enlists in the army in order to find his beloved horse.
Of course you may have spotted a small flaw in adapting this for the stage. Surely it is impossible to put a fully grown horse on the stage and have it as the central character? Putting an actual horse on the stage would likely be a fiasco and this is where the puppetry comes in, but this is no ordinary puppetry, this is a puppet from the Handspring Puppet Company.
The horse puppet for War Horse does not aim for realism but instead features a wooden framework with a translucent skin that manages to capture the energy and gracefulness of an equine entity. The mobility in the puppet is fantastic and the character is entirely believable.
The performances in the show were absolutely stellar and really
brought the whole story to life, and although we went to see it
so that our boys could have a trip to the theatre, it was
completely enjoyed by all which just goes to show that this is
more than just a puppet show for kids; it’s a highly powerful and
emotive story that captures the entire audience.
Now showing at New London
Theatre in the West End.
A BIG DAY FOR THE GOLDBERGS NEW END THEATRE
By OLIVER VALENTINE
A BIG DAY FOR THE GOLDBERGS NEW END THEATRE
A Big Day For The Goldbergs is a delightful new play that continues to maintain the high standard of work at Hampstead’s New End Theatre, and provides a family night out suitable for most ages.
The drama takes place in an ordinary semi-detached house in Leeds, where 2 teenage sisters are hiding secrets from their mother. Lucille is pregnant and Michelle is planning to run off to the circus. With a series of monologues that mimic their relations, the sisters cleverly bring the Goldberg home to life.
The one hour drama written by the New End’s artistic director Brian Daniels, is a witty observation of three Goldberg generations as seen through the two teenagers eyes. The characters endearingly and convincing played by Emma Gordon and Elisa Boyd, make this new work highly watchable.
The play is smoothly directed by Olivia Rowe, who also designed the nifty set for the production. Although playing to the generally older audience of the New End, the drama could just as easily work with teenage audiences, as its revelations also touch upon the interests of a younger market.
This charming play runs until 21st
March.
Box Office: 0870 033 2733
Oliver Valentine
UK Theatre Network - Happy Valentine's Day
By Douglas McFarlane
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Have
you heard the story of the Johnstone twins?
If not, you have missed what has become a
classic of British musical theatre and now
is your chance to hear the tale! Willy
Russell’s Blood Brothers is on tour -
follow a trail of tears and snotty
handkerchiefs all the way to the King’s
Theatre, Glasgow until 13 February
2010.