UK Theatre Network

The Greenwich Playhouse will close its doors on the 10th April 2012 after twenty years of service to theatre and following a final production by Galleon Theatre Company of the great John Webster classic The Duchess of Malfi.

 

The Greenwich Playhouse will close in April 2012 as the theatre’s landlords - Beds and Bars - have decided not to renew this popular South East London venue’s lease in order to exploit commercial opportunities offered by the Olympics. Theatre landlord’s Beds and Bars, run hostels throughout Europe, offering cheap bunk-bed facilities for backpackers.  

 

The Greenwich Playhouse is located in a building which has housed a studio theatre since 1989. Galleon Theatre Company took residency at the venue in 1995 and has since staged an incomparable body of work. The Greenwich Playhouse is Greenwich’s all year producing theatre. Annually it stages in the region of 12-14 theatre productions and these generate work and entertainment for some 15,000 people.

 

The venue and resident company’s artistic director, Alice de Sousa, said:

 

“The Greenwich Playhouse and Galleon Theatre Company have over two decades made an immeasurable contribution to our capital’s cultural infrastructure. The Greenwich Playhouse is one of London’s most established small scale theatres. The work shown at this critically acclaimed venue draws annually from all over the world and the immediate community many, many thousands of people. The Greenwich Playhouse has been a platform for celebrating theatrical excellence since 1995, when Galleon Theatre Company became resident. It has staged hundreds of high quality theatre productions which have entertained and created work for hundreds of thousands of people. It is regrettable that the theatre’s landlord Beds and Bars, who have benefitted for eleven years from generous revenue generated by the theatre’s substantial trade, should have their sights focused on such short term objectives as the Olympics.’

 

The Greenwich Playhouse and Galleon Theatre Company are in discussions with Greenwich Council, who have been active supporters of the organisation’s efforts to find a new home in a borough where they have been resident for over sixteen years.

 

The Greenwich Playhouse’s final production:

THE DUCHESS OF MALFI

by JOHN WEBSTER

Dates: 21^st February - 18^th March 2012

 

Directed by Bruce Jamieson;

Produced by Alice de Sousa;

Presented by Galleon Theatre Company at the Greenwich Playhouse

 

Costumes by Natasha Piper; Scenery by Charlotte Randell; Lighting by Philip Jones.

 

Tues-Sat @ 7.30pm & Sun @ 4pm

Tickets: £13, £10 (concs)

Box Office: 0208 858 9256 -

boxoffice@galleontheatre.co.uk

www.galleontheatre.co.uk

 

Greenwich Playhouse, Greenwich Station Forecourt, 189 Greenwich High Road, London SE10 8JA

Aladdin

Whitley Bay Playhouse

Reviewing two different productions of the same pantomime in the same season inevitably leads to the drawing of comparisons. With Aladdin at the Customs House in South Shields being such a showstopper, the pressure couldn’t have been greater for the co-production from Whitley Bay Playhouse and Blue Genie Entertainment to deliver the goods.

Having had some considerable experience in marketing, myself, I am somewhat sceptical of subjective claims which are made unattributably. So, when I noticed that the publicity material announces that this production of Aladdin is the ‘North East’s Best Value Panto!’, I mentally threw down the gauntlet and challenged them to convince me of as much.

Certainly, with tickets for parties of schoolchildren priced at only £7 per head, they can claim to be the cheapest (a quick check on the internet confirmed that). But, more importantly, does the production offer high standards all-round? Does it tick every box on the panto check-list? The answer, in this reviewer’s opinion, is an emphatic ‘YES’.

Indeed, this production boasts a cast in which there really isn’t a weak link. Jassa Ahluwalia (from Disney’s Art Attack) plays the title role and his Aladdin is all fresh-faced boyish good looks and cheeky charm. Kirsty Swain (from BBC’s So You Think You Can Dance?) compliments Ahluwalia nicely, as Princess Jasmine, and they particularly shine in the musical numbers.

For the second year in succession, local lad Steve Walls returns to the Playhouse panto in the role of principal comic. Having excelled as Muddles in last year’s production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this year he takes the role of Wishee Washee and ups his game yet again. It is with total expertise that he establishes a rapport with the children in the audience, who are all thrilled to be part of his ‘gang’, yet his near-the-knuckle gags (which go straight over the kids’ heads) make him a firm favourite with the adults, too. Only a comic of the highest calibre is capable of achieving such a feat.

Paul Harris proves there really is ‘nothing like a dame’ with his perfect portrayal of Widow Twankey. Clearly a bloke in a dress caricaturing a female – which is the precise point of the Dame! – he is also believable enough as a woman to allow the audience to suspend their disbelief and accept him/her as mother of Aladdin and Wishee Washee. Personally, I don’t go in for this new breed of drag queen style dame - give me a proper, good old fashioned dame every time, in terms of sheer comedy and entertainment, and I’m in panto heaven.

Of course, every good panto also needs a good villain and Simon Barnard provides plenty of opportunities to hiss and boo in the role of Abanazar. Jimmy Burton-Iles also puts in an energetic performance as a Genie with plenty of personality, whilst supporting roles are played by Christina Kerridge (Slave of the Ring), Darren Sawdon (PC Ping Pong) and Leigh Steedman (The Emperor), some of whom also double-up as professional dancers.

The production is structured well and adheres faithfully to the story. Simon Barnard and Guy Pascall’s script, as it should be, is peppered with those well-worn jokes that are resurrected from retirement each festive season but never fail to make us laugh – no matter how many times we hear them. There’s also a slosh scene, a ‘take off’ scene (in which the characters are scared off, individually, by a ghost), sight-gags and a real flying carpet. The musical numbers are all re-workings or re-wordings of current or recent pop songs, giving a contemporary feel, and Alison Hefferon’s choreography suits them well. The sets and scenery are well-designed, too, and help bring a touch of the Far East to the North East.

It is difficult to retain the attention of some youngsters for the entire duration of a pantomime, yet this production of Aladdin seemed, for the most part, to do just that. Undoubtedly, this is because it is a fast-paced, gag-filled show which is full of family fun.

In the current economic climate money is scarce and families may only be able to see one pantomime all season, therefore they need to know that their hard-earned money is going to be well spent and the price of the tickets will be worth it. This panto most certainly is!

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Monday 2^nd January 2012.

 

 

CHRISTMAS CROONERS

WHITLEY BAY PLAYHOUSE

It may not be Christmas just yet but, with the temperatures dropping, winter is definitely upon us, so why not kick off the festive season a little early. With pantomime season nearly upon us, Theatre 1^st Ltd is bringing Christmas Crooners to various theatres around the UK and Ireland to provide a bit of seasonal cheer – and, judging by the large audience tonight, it’s something people really want this year.

As the lights went down the curtains opened to reveal a simple but practical set, consisting of a fire place, Christmas tree, rocking chair and a few other items.  Its design succeeded in bringing a homely feel and brought back memories of the video for Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s “Little Drummer Boy”. The live band “The Jazz All Stars” were also on stage and blended in well with the overall feel and visual.

The four piece band led by the show’s Musical Director (Martin Hughes) on piano, was excellent and played with a perfect laid back swing feel. The show itself pays homage to Christmas favourites from Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, with a few other swing numbers thrown in for good measure.

To perform the music of such legendary vocalists is challenging enough, but to become those singers in look, manner and voice is a huge ask of any performer. The show, therefore, really requires three exceptional performers to achieve what it sets out to do.

Chris Vincent as Bing Crosby is very much the glue that holds the show together and he produced a great performance. Not only does he have a more than passing resemblance to Bing, but the attention to detail in his mannerisms, vocal tone and inflection were superb. A few times, when the lighting was subdued, you could actually be mistaken for thinking you were watching the original. Robert Grose , as Nat King Cole, brought a fantastic level of energy and charisma to the role but, while his songs were all well sung, he never quite got the gentle and subtle Nat King Cole tone.

As I previously mentioned the show requires three exceptional performances and unfortunately this was where the production fell slightly short. While Bing and to a large part Nat were brought to the Playhouse stage, unfortunately Frank didn’t make an appearance. Instead we got Jonny Parker whose suspect vocals and lack lustre characterisation (an American accent and a hat does not make you Sinatra), really pulled the show down. 

That being said, Director Stephen Leatherland, has created a solid show with a great relaxed, almost informal feel about it. The song selection was fantastic featuring all the classic Christmas songs (White Christmas, Jingle Bells, Let It Snow), add to that some cheesy gags and a bit of audience participation, and the audience headed out into the cold, humming a tune and feeling suitably festive.

Reviewed by Gareth Hunter 

By Mirrorcradle

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

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

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

The show continues until 4 December 2011

St Mary's Rectory, Church Street, London

Carolin Kopplin 

After the death of his overbearing father, Edward, Prince of Wales ascends the English throne, intending to be a very different kind of king.  But his obsessive love for a commoner upsets the status quo and eventually leads to the loss of his crown. 

Tales of the Royal Family’s doomed passions seem to be flavour of the month, with Madonna’s cinematic take on Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson premiering at the Venice Film Festival, and now Marlowe’s Edward II opening at Manchester Royal Exchange.  Although both works feature flamboyant, spendthrift monarchs who don’t mind flying in the face of public opinion, the main difference between the two versions is that Edward II’s paramour is a man. 

The film received a critical drubbing, but I can’t believe it is as turgid as the play.  Anyone who thinks Shakespeare and Marlowe are the same person needs to have a serious word with themselves. 

Director Toby Frow threw every conceivable theatrical device at his production of Dr Faustus last autumn, but his decision to go for post-war austerity this time merely results in an off-stage jazz band, wine bottles with candles stuck in their necks, and a handful of leather jackets: hardly indicative of a court revelling in vice, luxury and unbridled sensuality.  Chris New was witty, cynical and satirical as Joe Orton in the stage version of Prick Up Your Ears, but seems less enthusiastic about Edward’s moral turpitude.

What Edward II requires is some daring choices, as Marlowe’s colourless characters are mainly mouthpieces delivering exposition.  Certainly a fine troupe of actors play the clique of peers credibly, and the crowd scenes have a real feeling of the Establishment en masse, but as individuals there is nothing to distinguish one from another.

Only Samuel Collings’ creepy Lightborn – neat and almost camp in his linen suit and panama hat, yet as cold and controlled as the assassin he is – injects any emotion into the play, and by then it’s all over.

Edward II is on until Saturday 8 October 2011
Prices £9-£33
Evenings: Mon-Fri @ 7.30, Sat @ 8pm
Matinees: Wed @ 2.30, Sat @ 4pm
Box Office: 0161 833 9833
www.royalexchange.co.uk

Lumenis Theatre in association with Southwark Playhouse presents

There’s Only One Wayne Lee and Magical Chairs by Roy Williams and Mary Mazzilli, a  Double Bill of intercultural theatre as part of London- Beijing Connections. These two plays were double billed because Lumenis Theatre felt that there was a strong need to represent and give a voice to ethnic minority communities in a context that reflects our everyday lives. This double bill brings together the London African-Caribbean and Chinese communities in intertwined stories.

Magical Chairs by Mary Mazzilli

You don’t want to play with me, do you?

Magical Chairs is an allegorical experimental piece, an absurd play loosely based on Eugene Ionesco’s The Chairs. Two trapped Magicians are trying to escape a room filled with chairs whilst a radio announcer describes the plight of abandoned and homeless chairs as if they were children.  After all the smoke from the dry ice has cleared we see two young people grappling with growing up and adverse social attitudes to youth.  Mazzilli means to achieve that the audience is brought to look at universal truths foreshadowing the consequences of our preconceptions and choices on the youth of today by storytelling. She sees the play as a dystopian scenario where young people live at bay, with no boundaries and little control over their environment and themselves.  

The incompetent Magician (Chris Chan) considers himself the Greatest Magician of Chairs. Alexandre is only his assistant but thinks of himself as a far better magician: “I just don’t want to embarrass you in front of your chairs.” Director Jonathan Man introduces a veritable chair choreography as the two actors move through an atmosphere of Endgame struggling to escape.

 

Playing football is the way to go.

 Willams’ play is based on There’s Only One Wayne Matthews, a story of friendship between two Black British teens. Jonathan Man originally directed this as a work-in-progress performance at Contact Theatre showing the experience of growing up in modern Britain. This production re-imagined the piece as a unique coming of age tale, where Wayne, a bookish British Chinese teen unexpectedly befriends Carl, the British African Caribbean school football captain.  Set in 1970s Britain, where racism and intolerance were brazen and rife, this production shows what it means to try to fit in contemporary Britain, and the hitherto unexplored parallels and divergences between the different diasporas.

 Carl Wilkins and Wayne Lee –“the Irish Pelé” - both dream of becoming great footballers with Carl being somewhat closer to his goal than Wayne as Chelsea is interested in the talented boy whereas Wayne usually “falls on his arse” when he tries to kick the ball. Wayne simply idolises Carl, he strives to be like him. The play shows the life of those two boys at school and at home. Wayne’s brother Dennis runs the household since their mother died which left their father devastated and weak and Wayne without any respect for him. Carl lives with his mother and his irritating sister Chantelle. Carl’s girlfriend is white, her family doesn’t know of his existence. This play is very funny without shirking the more serious questions. The relationship between Wayne and Carl and Wayne’s learning process are the heart of the story. Alexandre Ross and Chris Chan play all the roles with sometimes outrageously funny results.

Alexandre Ross and Chris Chan  are truly exceptional in both productions.

Until 3 SEPTEMBER 2011

Show starts 7.45pm Tue-Sat Matinee Starts 3.15pm Sat
Running Time 110 minutes with an interval Price £10

 

　

Set in the deep southern state of Georgia, PARADE is a powerful and moving piece of work by Jason Robert Brown about the true-life story of the conviction of a Jewish factory manager, Leo Frank, for the alleged rape and murder of a young girl who worked in his factory.

From the beginning of his time living in Georgia, Frank (Alastair Brookshaw) never felt comfortable or felt he fitted in with its people or customs. He yearns to be back home in NY. Even the Jewish folk in Georgia behave differently he feels. This set-up of the society against the Jew is the theme that permeates the action of the story to it's tragic end. Anti-Semitism was as rife in the deep south at the time as was the struggle for race equality.

There is no circumstancial evidence strong enough to convict either Frank or Newt, an old factory worker they also question; but the local Governor has got to pin this on someone - the people are demanding it.

They say of Newt - 'let him go...hanging another nigga ain't enough this time. We gotta do better' and so Frank gets convicted of the crime.

Laura Pitt-Pulford as Lucille Frank, Leo's wife, has all the warmth, dignity and passion required for the role. Determined to stick by her husband, knowing his innocence, she is totally committed to securing his release. An excellent actress who brilliantly embodies the emotional heart of the story to the end; two of her solos 'You Don't Know This Man' and 'Do It Alone' being especially memorable. As husband and wife they work extremely well together. The culmination of their relationship in the final prison scene and their emotional rendition of 'All the Wasted Time' is particularly moving.

Alastair Brook establishes Franks' work - obsessed, clinical, nervous character from the outset and he grows on us as the story unfolds. The God he prays to in vain for a reason why he has been placed in this position does not come through for him in this lifetime but, interestingly enough, this case proved to be the catalyst for the birth of the Jewish Civil Rights Movement in the US.

Alongside the leads, the whole cast give committed, energetic performances, but a special mention must be given to Terry Doe, who really does shine with all the charisma and quality of a musical theatre star in the making as Riley in 'A Rumblin' and a Rollin'' (ably supported by the excellent Abiona Omonua as Minnie, the Franks' servant), and later as Jim Conley in the chain gang with 'Blues: Feel the rain fall'.

This is truly an outstanding show with a strong score, fine cast and slick production values and should be on anyone's current theatre - going list.

Southwark Playhouse until September 17

Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, book by Alfred Uhry

Management:Danielle Tarento, in association with Joe Fredericks and Southwark Playhouse

Cast:Alastair Brookshaw, Laura Pitt-Pulford, Simon Bailey, Mark Inscoe, Kelly Agbowu, Jessica Bastick-Vines, Michael Cotton, Terry Doe, Natalie Green, David Haydn, Abiona Omonua, Philip Rham, Samantha Seager, Victoria Serra, Samuel J Weir

Director:Thom Southerland

Design:John Risebero

Sound:Theo Holloway

Lighting:Howard Hudson

Musical direction:Michael Bradley

www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

New opportunities for emerging Scottish Playwrights

A new mentoring and development programme for emerging playwrights is announced today. Edinburgh-based theatre production company Siege Perilous is introducing the scheme in conjunction with its inaugural Writer-in-Residence Caroline Dunford.

The aim of the ‘Playwrights’ Development Programme’ is to help aspiring playwrights develop their writing skills. Up to six playwrights will be chosen for the programme. Playwrights will be invited to submit a single script or work-in-progress which will be used to determine the final selections. At the end of the programme, the developed work will be workshopped with the production company and a team of professional actors. There is the further possibility that a script will go into a full production.

“We are so pleased that someone of Caroline’s experience has agreed to become our first Writer-in-Residence and that she is so enthusiastic about this new initiative” said Siege Perilous General Manager Tina Finch.

Caroline commented that “There are a number of excellent mentoring programmes available but it is extremely rare to find one that offers such richness of support. Not only does the playwright get direct one-to-one mentoring with me rather than email exchanges, they also get feedback about staging the work and practicalities from an experienced Director and Producer.”

The Company is committed to running the programme for an initial 3-year period subject to evaluations from the first cohort of playwrights in this first year, and funding.

The programme to be operated in Edinburgh will be open for submissions for a 2-week period from 12^th September, and any Scotland-based playwright will be eligible to apply. The playwright does not have to have been previously produced, but the work they submit should not have been professionally performed nor used as part of another mentoring scheme. Full details of the programme can be found at www.siegeperilous.co.uk.

There is much to enjoy from The Customs House’s latest theatrical offering, Visiting Mr Green. It is a well-written piece of theatre which is performed with panache by two talented actors. And, whilst it may not appeal to audiences who are used to altogether flashier fare, it is a sensitive, gentle and ultimately uplifting production which deals with themes of tolerance, acceptance and diversity.

What made this production so enjoyable for me is the fact that, right its core, it concentrates on character and storyline rather than special effects. Two actors, two characters, two lives which are, initially, unrelated but are soon inextricably entwined.

A somewhat careless and speeding Ross Gardiner (Collin Baxter) almost runs over the frail and recently widowed Mr Green (G. Phillip Hope) and is ordered to spend his community service period shopping and cleaning for the old man. Neither is happy about the situation and both are resentful of each other. However, when Mr Green learns that Ross is Jewish, like himself, a friendship begins to form. That tentative bond is tested when the older man discovers the younger is gay.

Hope and Baxter are a great double-act and nail their parts with admirable precision. Hope, as the hunched, constantly trembling geriatric, should be easy to dislike due to his bigoted views but this is not the case. We make allowances for his homophobia, attributing it to his orthodox views and a lack of understanding. Baxter, as the too-busy-to-care corporate animal, should also evoke our anger on occasion for his lack of consideration. He doesn’t. In both cases, this is due to the talent and stagecraft of the actors. Both portray their characters with honesty and sincerity and the result pays dividends.

On press night, much was made of the lengthy breaks between scenes which, to be fair, did tend to stilt proceedings somewhat and lead to annoying, incessant whispering from the audience. However, this minor irritation did not spoil my enjoyment of a charming production which explored issues close to my own heart in an intelligent and entertaining manner.

Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 30 July 2011.