UK Theatre Network

Nowadays, it’s difficult to think that John Chapman’s fifties comedy could be listed in the National Theatre’s top 100 plays, running for more than three years in London’s West End.

Its humour doesn’t have enough pizzazz for today’s audiences and its plot, in which a crooked bookie and his two accomplices devise a cunning ‘get rich quick’ plan to kidnap the odds-on favourite horse and replace it with their own decrepit nag, is a bit long-winded.

But having said that, and despite technical problems on the first night of a local tour, Ian Fricker’s production has some worthy performances which, once the hitches have been rectified (as I’m sure they now have) and the pace has gone up a notch, will make Dry Rot a nostalgic and entertaining evening.

Talking of pace, eighties comedy duo Hale and Pace are part of the cast, proving that they can act and make people laugh at the same time, especially Norman Pace as the crooked bookie’s ‘valet’. His vulnerability as Fred Phipps makes him endearing and his performance gives this production a lift, while Gareth Hale adds colour as Flash Harry.

Despite, or in spite of, the material, Dry Rot boasts an all-star cast which makes the most of what it has: Liza Goddard, a favourite of mine since the sixties TV series Take Three Girls, plays the lady of the manor, a bit of a ditzy blonde and the perfect foil to distinguished actor (and medieval historian) Neil Stacey’s bumptious Colonel Wagstaff. Derren Nesbitt, star of Where Eagles Dare, surely the most repeated film on British television, makes a welcome return to Windsor as the roguish bookie, while Irishman Michael Keane Is full of Gallic passion as the French jockey and plays one of the funniest scenes in the production.

The highlight of the show for me, however, is Susan Penhaligon, star of the original series of Bouquet of Barbed Wire in 1976, who was unrecognisable as a Nora Batty-esque maid, complete with woolly stockings and slippers. Complete with a wonderful West Country accent, her performance was a triumph when it comes to character acting.
 Dry Rot continues at the Theatre Royal Windsor until May 19 and then goes to:

 

28 May-2 June Blackpool Grand

11-16 June New Victoria Theatre, Woking

18-23 June Malvern Theatre

25-30 June Civic Theatre, Darlington

3-7 July The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

9-14 July Derby Theatre

16-21 July Richmond Theatre

23-28 July The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

30 July – 4 Aug Palace Theatre, Southend

6-11 Aug Arts Theatre, Cambridge

Whilst recovering from an operation I became addicted to Jeremy Brett’s interpretation of Sherlock Holmes and watched every episode of his eighties TV series. Then, along came Benedict Cumberbatch (I have discounted Robert Downey Jnr’s film version) and, apart from said actor’s performances, just loved the texting on screen.

But that was on television, so I was pleasantly surprised to find similar technical tools are being used for a touring production of The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is in Windsor this week.

Staged by Oldham Coliseum Theatre, this imaginative production, adapted by the talented Clive Francis, is presented in collaboration with Imitating the Dog, whose experts include a scenographer, dramaturgist and a video and lighting technician!

It’s powerful stuff. With use of extensive back projection and graphics, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creepy tale is cleverly brought to life, enhanced by chilling music, atmospheric lighting and disturbing sound effects. It’s presented as something of a melodrama with Sherlock Holmes making his entrance in a spooky spotlight while thunder and lightning rage.

The actors are a hardworking bunch. There are just five of them and between them they play more than 13 characters. With such a quick turnaround you can’t expect masterful performances but they are adequate, albeit that Gwynford Jones as Sherlock Holmes reminds me more of David Cameron than either Jeremy Brett or Benedict Cumberbatch.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is at the Theatre Royal Windsor until 5 May and then continues on tour:

May 9-12: Northcott Theatre, Exeter

May 17-19 Buxton Opera House, Buxton

Ever wondered what made Glenn Miller’s unique sound? Well, Bugle Boy reveals all.

Written by English playwright Den Stevenson, this new play charts the life of the American bandleader from his high school days in Iowa to his disappearance over the English Channel in 1944.

And it’s a triumph!

Not only does Den bring Glenn Miller to life in a sometimes funny, sometimes poignant and moving production, but we get Miller’s music too, played live on stage by a 16-piece big band.

Den Stevenson’s obsession began when he was a booker for Glenn’s brother Herb Miller and his UK Orchestra. His passion is obvious.

In this labour of love, which has already played Broadway, we accompany Miller on his journey as a small town trombonist to arranging and playing in different orchestras until, after 20 years, he realises his lifelong dream and finds his own unique sound.

With producer Bruce Jones’ direction, Ian Knauer truly brings Miller to life. You can’t help but feel his love for his wife Helen, his dogged determination to find his own sound, empathise when he fails and rejoice when he succeeds.

With original footage from the life and times of Miller, and his wonderful music, played perfectly under the direction of Greg Arrowsmith, you will end your terrific, toe-tapping night feeling you really know Glenn Miller – and be all the better for it.

 Bugle Boy is at the Theatre Royal Windsor until April 21 and then continues on tour:

May 1-5 Forum Theatre, Billingham

May 8-9 Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

May 14-16 Beck Theatre, Hayes

May 17-19 The Orchard Theatre, Dartford

May 21-23 Key Theatre, Peterborough

May 24-26 Hull New Theatre

June 13-16 Fairfield Halls, Croydon

June 26-30 Connaught Theatre, Worthing

July 3-7 Grand Theatre, Swansea

July 10-14 Gala Theatre, Durham

July 17-28 Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne

August 7-11 Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth

30 August-1 September The Opera House, Buxton

September 5-9 Grove Theatre, Dunstable

Well! As someone who is not known for her love of opera and operetta, I certainly didn’t expect to enjoy The Merry Widow as much as I did.

I admit Franz Lehar certainly wrote some memorable, and often, spirited music, but it is Opera della Luna’s interpretation of Jeremy Sams’ English translation which had tears of laughter rolling down my face.

The story of Hanna, a simple country girl who finds herself a rich widow only seven days after marrying an elderly banker, is a novel tale of love, lechery and greed. It is set in Paris where Hanna has gone to pursue the young Count Danilo, private secretary to the Pontevedrian Ambassador – who, incidentally, wants to make sure her money stays in the Balkan state of Pontevedro as his country’s economy depends on it… cue five suitors who, in one scene, line up like Four Poofs and a Piano.

It is no secret that everyone lives happily ever after, but not without a little intrigue involving the ambassador’s young wife and her admirer who, at times, reminded me Yvette and Renee in ‘Allo ‘Allo, and the Count – sounding at times like Leslie Phillips but looking like a rock star in his dark shades - whose partying at Chez Maxim’s causes, in this production, great hilarity when the dancing girls come on with false arms and legs!

Covering all spectrums, from fun and games to some serious singing, it is certainly farcical and almost pantomimic in parts, especially with the comedic talents of Adam Price as Njegus, the Ambassador’s right-hand-man.

The translation is saucy and modern, with references to the Euro and although the set is a little basic, it doesn’t stop the enjoyment of a rip-roaring night out.

The Merry Widow continues at the Theatre Royal Windsor until 7 April.

I was looking forward to seeing the latest revival of the British comedy Doctor in the House – because I’m a fan of both Joe Pasquale and Robert Powell.

But I was disappointed.

Not that it is the fault of Pasquale and Powell. Both do the best they can with the material, but it’s tired, and with James Robertson Justice’s screen performance still ringing in our ears after 50-plus years (even though his interpretation was different from the character as written in the original novel and it was the more gentlemanly Kenneth More who won a BAFTA for best actor) Powell seems miscast as chief surgeon Sir Lancelot Pratt and never quite makes an impact.

Pasquale has more opportunity to stamp his winning personality on the production. He is Tony Grimsdyke, one of three medical students whose attempts to do anything but study form the basis of this old-fashioned farce.

It does have its plus points: the 50s pop music which greets us before the show gets everyone in a party mood, and Pasquale’s appeal for ‘a doctor in the house’, answered by his two co-stars who come on from the audience, is a novel start to the proceedings.

I also like the way the engaging Pasquale speaks directly to the audience, telling us how he met his fellow students and then, hey presto, we go back in time.

Under director Ian Talbot’s guiding hand there are some first class performances. Emma Barton, looking and acting uncannily like Sophia Loren, discards her mantle as EastEnders’ Honey Mitchell to play Tony’s glamorous girlfriend; ex-Bill PC Tom Butcher is perfect as suave student John, as is Phillip Langhorne as the gauche but randy Simon; Pete Dunwell as orderly Bromley, and Gay Soper as your archetypal forthright matron. But Rachel Baynton's change from prissy to full-on Janet is too marked and Allison McKenzie’s portrayal of Aussie nurse Ozzy is way too over the top, making her look almost like a cartoon character.

Doctor in the House is at the Theatre Royal Windsor until March 31 and then continues its tour at:

The Festival Theatre, Malvern from April 2

Theatre Royal, Nottingham from April 10

Kings Theatre, Southsea from April 16

Venue Cymru, Llandudno from April 23

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield from May 8

Alan Ayckbourn’s comedies are getting darker.

His last, Life of Riley, charts the final days of a dying man. In Neighbourhood Watch, Ayckbourn’s 75th play, it seems English society, as we know it, has already died and, in its place, the so-called respectable residents of a modern suburban development become fascists in their attempt to guard their homes and wipe out petty crime and vandalism.

When kindly but boring brother and sister Martin and Hilda move into The Bluebell Hill Development they are quite happy to leave their garden unfenced so as to enjoy the view. But when, on the day of their house-warming party, they catch a yob trespassing on their land, their passions rise and they organise a neighbourhood watch scheme which very soon takes on sinister overtones.

We’re all familiar with the scenario. As Ayckbourn says, committees have a way of being taken over by lunatics and extremists, and this cautionary tale is full of them.

Ayckbourn’s ability to observe life as it is is legendary and once again he’s spot on. Not only does he give us characters we all recognise but he also addresses modern hang-ups such as law and order and health and safety. It’s not a pretty sight.

Which is why I’m not happy… Only months after its premiere Neighbourhood Watch went to Broadway, and although the reviews were good I can’t help wonder what New York audiences now think of Great Britain! This is certainly not a commodity to be exported – or does this play appear to be so very real that I am taking it all too seriously?

Certainly the cast, including Ayckbourn stalwarts Terence Booth and Matthew Cottle, know their stuff. But then they have been with it since it premiered and with Ayckbourn himself directing it it just can't go wrong.

Neighbourhood Watch is at the Theatre Royal Windsor until 24 March and ends its tour at the Tricycle Theatre, London from 10 April-5 May

You won’t find Less Than Kind listed among Sir Terence Rattigan’s 27 stage plays.

Written in 1944 for Gertrude Lawrence (who rejected it, apparently without even reading it), it was offered to Broadway star Alfred Lunt who got Rattigan to rewrite so much of it that it became a different play and opened in London under the title of Love In Idleness.

The play now showing at Windsor, however, is Rattigan’s original, one copy of which survived among the Lord Chamberlain’s Office papers.

Is it worth reviving? One friend described it as ‘silly’ and said no wonder it was known as Rattigan’s ‘lost comedy’. But I beg to differ. It does appear, at the start, to be light and frothy, but it becomes increasingly dark and the many twists and turns in the plot make for an entertaining and satisfying evening.

The story revolves around widow Olivia Brown who is ‘living in sin’ with Sir John Fletcher, a cabinet minister, captain of industry – and married. They are blissfully happy – until Olivia’s 17-year-old son Michael returns from Canada where he was sent to escape the war. He is described as a ‘red revolutionary’, Sir John a ‘blue reactionary’, and they hate each other on sight. Their rows and the affect these have on Olivia would be enough for any stage drama, but there is so much more to this production, and to disclose the sub-plots to those who have yet to see it may spoil the many surprises in store.

As Rattigan intended, the storyline is akin to Hamlet, with Sir John as Claudius and Olivia as Gertrude, but I find Winston Churchill’s speeches, which open each act, a clever way of summing up the message of the play.

The casting of James Wilby as Sir John is a surprise albeit a good one. More suited to the likes of Brideshead Revisited and Downton Abbey, he is the archetypal Englishman, but as Sir John he plays a gruff Canadian and does it with aplomb. Sara Crowe is perfectly cast as the slightly ditsy blonde Olivia, an innocent who does, however, show some spirit, but the character Michael Brown sits uncomfortably with me

At a time when, as shown at the beginning of the play, politeness and respect was the norm, this young upstart bursts onto the stage, shouting the odds and showing no respect for his elders. This anomaly is further emphasised by David Osmond as Michael, who looks younger than the character’s 17 years, but he grabs the part with both hands and gives a blinding performance.

It’s not the first time Rattigan has written a strong part for a 17-year-old character. The lover of the wife of the murder victim in Cause Celebre was just that age… interesting!

 Less Than Kind continues at the Theatre Royal Windsor until 10 March and then tours from:

 

12-17 March: Theatre Royal Winchester

19-24 March: Mercury Theatre, Colchester

26-31 March: Arts Theatre, Cambridge

2-7 April: Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold

It is indeed a privilege to observe such heavyweight performers as Richard Johnson and Stefanie Powers at work and on tour in Ernest Thompson's Broadway hit On Golden Pond.
Made famous by the Oscar-winning film starring father and daughter Henry and Jane Fonda, On Golden Pond is a gentle and sometimes moving comedy set in 1978 when a somewhat dysfunctional family meets together at a lakeside summer house on Golden Pond in Maine. 
Beautifully set in a log cabin with a realistic backdrop of mountain forests, a lake and clouds that move, it charts the summer vacation of retired professor Norman Thayer Jnr and his long-suffering and ever upbeat wife Ethel, interspersed by visits from their daughter Chelsea. 
Stefanie Powers is the same age as her character and, yet, it is a sign of our times that she has to be heavily made up and adopt an aged gait to make her look older. What is equally remarkable is that she seems to have taken on the persona of Katherine Hepburn - Ethel in the film. She has that same slight wobble in a throaty voice and her somewhat stiff way of moving, while her grey wig done up in a bun is almost identical to Hepburn's own hair. But she plays her part with more empathy and warmth and an understanding of her somewhat difficult husband which bring tears and laughter in equal measure.
Richard Johnson, for 50 years associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is, of course, just perfect as the crusty old professor who finds new life in the arrival of 14-year-old Billy. And Graeme Dalling as Billy brings a breath of fresh air with his all American boy performance, as does Tom Roberts who is equally convincing as his good, all-rounder American dad.
Elizabeth Carling's role as Chelsea is not so comfortable. Her distant relationship with her father has made her bitter and her awkwardness in his presence is disquieting; it is a part this former Casualty star plays with feeling. 
On Golden Pond is at the theatre Royal Windsor until 25 February and the tour continues at:
Darlington Civic Theatre, 27 Feb- 3 Mar
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, 5-10 Mar
Worthing Connaught Theatre, 13-17 Mar
Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, 20-24 Mar
Lichfield Garrick Theatre, 10-14 Apr 
Plymouth Theatre Royal, 16-21 Apr

That Agatha Christie’s mysteries are popular with theatregoers goes without saying, especially if the opening night of Murder on the Nile at Windsor’s Theatre Royal is anything to go by.

A packed house gave an appreciative response to The Agatha Christie Theatre Company’s latest production – and with just cause. Taking place on a paddle steamer set by Simon Scullion which is so stunning that it had me wanting to book a voyage, and with Mike Robertson’s sunsets and twilight so realistic as to make me feel I’d already made the journey, the production is so stylish and visually beautiful that it will not only appeal to Christie diehards. The fashion-conscious will love Brigid Guy’s costumes, while Matthew Bugg’s exciting music adds to the setting’s authentic feel, enhanced by Sydney Smith’s performance as the Steward and Saif Alfalasi, whose portrayal as the Bead Seller adds a great deal of warmth and humour. And director Joe Harmston even fits in their Islamic Call to Prayer for added authenticity.

The play may have made its stage debut in 1944 but a lot of the dialogue is still relevant today. References to international financiers who sale close to the wind and talk of ‘the have nots’ in society still ring true, though we could perhaps learn from the morals of the day and how the lack of them were just not acceptable. Also, the way people dressed showed that they took a pride in themselves and their appearances, which is refreshing. Of course, the production could not be staged without a cast and The Agatha Christie Theatre Company stalwarts just get better and better. Now in their seventh production, they slip easily into the idiosyncrasies of the time. Each character is finely drawn and superbly portrayed. Petite Kate O’Mara fills the stage with her presence as a matriarchal aunt whose bullying of her nice but naïve niece sent shivers down my spine. Denis Lill brings to his role of a caring Canon the old worldliness and slight eccentricity of his part in TV’s The Royal, while Mark Wynter must surely shake off his ‘60s pop singer’ tag as the eminent Jewish doctor.

As the honeymooning heiress Kay Mostyn, Susie Amy is every bit the poor little rich girl; Ben Nealon is energetic as her husband and Chloe Newsome unhinged as his ex. With thwarted love, jealousy, greed and deceit mixed up with a couple of murders, Murder on the Nile makes for a thrilling and compelling couple of hours which keeps you guessing right up until the end.


Murder on the Nile continues at the Theatre Royal Windsor until January 21 and then continues on tour:
January 23-28 Theatre Royal Bath
January 30-February 4 Richmond Theatre
February 6-11 Hall for Cornwall, Truro
February 13-18 Connaught Theatre, Worthing
February 20-25 Palace Theatre, Southend
February 27- March 3 Derby Theatre
March 5-19 Church Theatre, Bromley
March 12-17 Devonshire Park, Eastbourne
March 19-24 Civic Theatre, Darlington
March 26-31 Malvern Festival Theatre
April 2-7 New Theatre, Wimbledon
April 10-14 Marina Theatre, Lowestoft
April 17-21 New Theatre, Cardiff
April 23-28 Floral Pavilion, New Brighton
April 30-May 5 Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
May 21-16 Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
May 28-June 2 Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
June 5-9 Theatre Royal, Plymouth
 June 11-16 Theatre Royal, Brighton
June 18-23 Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury
June 25-30 Glasgow Theatre Royal
July 2-7 Milton Keynes Theatre
July 9-14 Swan Theatre, High Wycombe
July 23-28 Newcastle Journal Tyne

It’s a pity Crimson Fair Ltd only appears to have one more booking before Christmas.

For The Twist: Great Songs Never Die is the ideal show for office parties wanting to celebrate the festive season. It’s bursting with the feel good factor; you really can’t fail to have fun and let your hair down.

It’s a simple concept, and it works: Tony Tremendo, an irritatingly enthusiastic rock and roll fan played memorably by David Peyton-Bruhl, runs The Twist Diner where ‘the stars’ of the 50s and 60s hang out after hours and sing with his band The Twisters. During the course of the evening just about everybody who is anybody pops in: Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Petula Clark, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, Billy Fury, Dusty Springfield… singing the great songs of the era and all accompanied by backing singers Lindsey Cleary and Chris Madin and all singing, all dancing, hand-jiving waitresses The Twistettes.

The show is a great vehicle for Suzi Jary, who not only plays the roles of all the female singers but also wrote and directed the show. She’s got a cracking voice, a bit too full on for the husky Dusty and too tall for the likes of Pet Clark and Brenda Lee, but a great performer all the same.

Gavin Stanley is cute as Billy Fury and Eddie Cochran, Chris Madin, who wrote the original music with Simon Woodroffe, makes a believable Buddy Holly, but Ivor Potter doesn’t quite do it for me as Elvis.

The second half of the show is a ‘live broadcast’ on Real Music Radio, coming from The Twist Diner with more of the same, only bringing it together this time is DJ Danny Dellany, played by Jack Harding whose southern American accent is something to admire.

For me the real stars of the show were The Twisters, musicians Rob Eckland on keyboards, Dave Manning on drums, Charlie Wilkinson on guitar, and especially bass player  Clayton Stocker who played his instrument every which way… upside down, underneath it, by standing on the side of it; a real showman if ever there was one. It's a pity they are not mentioned in the programme which, although lavish, has very little information in it.

The Twist continues at the Theatre Royal Windsor until 3 December and then tours

9 December: The Lyric, Carmarthen

2012

21 January:  Grand Opera House, York

4 February: Princess Theatre, Clacton

8-10 February: Beck Theatre, Hayes

11 February: Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone

1 March: The Anvil, Basingstoke

17 March: Civic Theatre, Darlington

20 April: St George’s, Bradford

21 April: Civic Hall, Bedworth

16 June: The Playhouse, Harlow

21 July: The Hawth, Crawley

1 August: Landmark, Ilfracombe

29-30 September: Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage

12 October: Civic Theatre, Doncaster

18 October: Civic Hall, Bedworth