It takes a great deal of skill to write a comedy about the real-life murder of a gay man, while still maintaining the humanity and integrity of the story. Sleeping With Straight Men by Ronnie Larsen, fails spectacularly in doing this by offering an ultimately shallow piece that lacks vision or sophistication in dealing with the sensitive subject matter.

Trailer park boy Stanley lives in small town Pontiac, and has a habit of lusting after straight men. He befriends Sally a local drag queen, and while dining together they are served by Lee a straight waiter who Stanley falls for. Stanley is celebrity obsessed, and sees a chance to reveal his true feelings for Lee by appearing on television in the Jill Jones Chat Show, where guests reveal they have a crush on someone. Intrigued to find out who his secret admirer is, Lee goes on the show only to feel humiliated when he finds out it is a man. His request not to air the recorded episode is ignored by the TV producers, and in a state of high anxiety Lee shoots Stanley as a result.

Larsen’s 2002 play is based on a real-life tragedy. In 1995 Jonathan Schmitz, shot his ‘secret admirer’ Scott Amedure after he appeared on a episode of the Jenny Jones Chat Show called Same Sex Secret Crushes. During the show Amedure revealed his feelings for Schmitz, and unable to deal with the potential public humiliation Schmitz killed his admirer three days later.

While Larsen is 100% effective in mocking the superficiality of the chat show world where high ratings are more important than socially responsible broadcasting, he fails to find a balance when dealing with the darker side of play. It does not attempt to address any of the social issues that are raised, and borders regressively on inverted homophobia with all the gay characters without exception being stereotypes. The consequences of the shooting are seen almost as an after-thought with only the last 10 minutes focusing on the tragedy. The reactions of Lee’s girlfriend (played with great naturalism by Jill Regan), and the Stanley’s grief stricken mom are watered down to the point that it trivialises the issue. Any empathy for the character of Stanley (Wesley Dow), is alienated because he is played at such a pantomime level that he becomes a caricature of a caricature.

The play is slickly directed by Paul Taylor-Mills, and there are great performances by Amy Anzel as the plastic chat host Jill Jones, and Hannah Vesty as Judy her studio floor assistant. Andrew Beckett shows deft comic timing as Brian the camp make-up artist, and Julie Ross manages give depth to her role as the mother despite a very limited script. Adam Isdale gives a layered performance as the lost and confused Lee, which makes you wonder if he is the real victim of the piece.

Sleeping With Straight Men is a well intentioned play that fails to hit the mark because it does not offer any intelligent analysis of the issues it is dealing with. The story has great dramatic potential, and it would have been interesting to see it dealt with by a more capable writer than Larsen.

Sleeping With Straight Men is at the Above The Stag theatre, Victoria, until 12th February.

OLIVER VALENTINE                                                                www.abovethestag.com

Has Manchester’s fringe theatre scene ever been in finer fettle?  A testament to its vigour is that among the numerous pantomimes, musicals and children’s shows which infest the city’s venues at this time of year there is still an enthusiastic audience for a brand new play, presented in the tiny space at the top of The Lass o’ Gowrie by young company Hazel Tree Productions.

Playwright Chris Dance puts a cynical spin on the season of goodwill by setting his comedy in Britain’s grottiest Santa’s Grotto, where put-upon shop-girl Laura (endearingly played by a starry-eyed Hazel Earle) is contractually obliged to wear the stripy stockings, fluffy red boots and pointy felt hat of one of Santa’s Little Helpers.

Her peaceful lunchtime sandwich among the sacks of presents, stuffed reindeer and fairy lights is interrupted by co-worker Julie (hilariously lairy Emma Laidlaw), who has disguised herself as an elf and fled the lingerie department for a natter with her friend, even though their manager has already tried to separate her from Laura for being a “bad influence”.

Chris Dance explores the girls’ fundamentally different natures with tart characterisation and plenty of wit - Julie is the party-loving singleton who stashes gin, brandy and half-eaten kebabs in her handbag, while romantically-thwarted Laura is the kind of person who revises for a game of Trivial Pursuit after the Queen‘s Speech.  Their tête-à-tête is interspersed with fleeting appearances from Father Christmas himself - David Slack’s downbeat northern Santa is straight out of The Last of the Summer Wine, and his white curly wig wouldn’t disgrace Lady GaGa.  And Mike Seal as Clive, the unworldly Elvis-obsessed busker, tops and tails the story beautifully, ending with a rousing sing-along.

Director Jake Murray - late of The Royal Exchange, where he was responsible for the excellent Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and A Conversation - makes a welcome return to Manchester with this sweet and funny production.

Early booking is recommended, as tonight was sold out.  May I also advise bringing a shoe-horn and a plunger - one for squeezing into your seat with at the beginning, and the other to extricate yourself at the end.

Grotto is on at The Lass o’ Gowrie, 36 Charles Street, Manchester M1 7DB until Saturday 17 December 2011
Tickets:  £6 from www.ibookedit.com
Performances: Thurs & Fri @ 7pm & 9pm; Sat @ 4pm & 7pm
www.hazeltreeproductions.co.uk
www.thelass.co.uk

 

The Stag’s adult pantomime Sleeping Beauty – One Little Prick, offers the ideal night out for seekers of a saucy giggle and a pint.

Lady Gargoyle’s gorgeous, gay and permanently horny son Beauty, is cursed by the wicked fairy Carabosse, to die from a prick on his 21^st birthday. The spell is reversed to a sleeping one by the good fairy Glowstick, and Beauty and his extended family awake in modern Stratford in 2011 just before the Olympics. Beauty has been stirred by a vampire prince who has survived the long sleep, and is devoted to him. Yet there are fit lads everywhere, and Beauty wants to try all the temptations that are on offer on the 2011 Vauxhall gay scene.

Written by Jon Bradfield & Martin Hooper, the creators of the Stag’s past two Xmas smashes Dick Whittington – Another Dick in City Hall, and last year’s sell-out smash hit Robin Hood – Queen of Thieves, Sleeping Beauty adds another winning notch to their collaboration. Despite this the evening is not without flaws. Occasionally the script could have been tightened up with a few cuts, and the night was slowed down by poor pacing. However these are minor issues that will no doubt be resolved under Paul Taylor-Mills astute leadership.

Matthew Ferzdenzi gives a wonderfully committed performance as Beauty, and this is mirrored by Greg Airey as his sexy vampire lover. Samantha Ridings is fabulously nasty as Carabosse, and Steven Rodgers wins the hearts of the audience in a lovely under-stated performance as Sydney the Tortoise. Sounding very much like Victoria Wood’s ‘Kitty from Cheshire,’ Matthew Baldwins’s gentile Lady Gargoyle is nicely contrasted with Phillip Lawrence’s hilariously gruff Aggy.

Sleeping Beauty – One Little Prick, is apparently already sold out, but if you are lucky you may get  returns on the night.

 

OLIVER VALENTINE                                                                        Runs till 08 Jan 2012

   www.abovethestag.com

NewsRevue began way back in 1979 at The Gate, Notting Hill, and has now become a permanent fixture at The Canal Cafe Theatre, Maida Vale.

The show satirises the latest news events, and claims to be the longest running revue of its’ kind. By constantly updating material from a variety of innovative writers, and changing the cast and director every six weeks to keep  it feeling fresh and in the moment, it has created a cult following.

Nothing escapes the revue’s judgement. There is a mash-up of the songs from the musical Grease, - about Greece’s debt crises, and some clever new lyrics about the death of Michael Jackson to the tune of Don’t Blame It On The Boogie. The show has the audience in hysterics with a mockery of Boris Johnson as the super-hero defender of the capitol, and also pokes fun at the protestors at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

As is always the risk with new writing, some things work and some don’t. This time it was too reliant on musical numbers, and lacked ground breaking original sketches. However it is often funnier and a lot less smugger than its broadcast equivalent Have I Got News For You. Also it has something that News For You hasn’t – great acting and musical talent. It is a fast paced show that requires strong ensemble work and great versatility. The current cast of Grace Bishop, Gary Jerry, Charlotte Bradford and Ben Keenan have this in abundance, and play a multitude of accents and characters. It’s all very impressive, and a great reminder of the raw talent out there.

NewsRevue is a must for anyone who wants to spend a very reasonably priced night out in a cosy venue with a giggle and a pint.

 

OLIVER VALENTINE                                                                       Theatre Box  Office:  020 7289 6054

When Anthony Pinnunziato announces that he plans to marry his boyfriend Andrew, to his very loud Italian Brooklyn Catholic family, they are happy to comply as long as all is done in the traditional way. They want the family priest to conduct the service, and the full blessing and attendance of Andrew’s Polish mother.  But unsurprisingly nothing runs as planned, and dramas are inevitable as everyone tries to have  the wedding their way.

Written by Anthony J Wilkinson, My Big Gay Italian Wedding was a word-of-mouth off-Broadway hit, and it returns to The Stag after a rave reviews at the Edinburgh festival this year. Using every gay stereotype possible, the characters are outrageously brash and frequently Panto size. It plays unapologetically for laughs and it get’s them. It’s corny and often totally predictable but wins hands down for entertainment and comic one-liners.

Under Paul Taylor -Mills spot-on direction the piece runs at breakneck speed, and is complemented by Jodie-Lee Wilde’s exuberant choreography. It is extremely well cast, and their brilliant work together is only marred by the repeated pulling focus by a few cast members. Benjamin Vivian-Jones and Robert Hannouch are utterly believable as the happy couple, and Matthew Barksby has a wonderful cartoonish quality as the bitchy Gregorio. Julie Ross plays the Italian mamma to perfection, and Paul Easom is great as the dad. Also his ultra-camp Father Rosalia has to be the funniest characterisations I have seen all year.

My Big Gay Italian Wedding is a must for those who want to escape the winter blues. It is the sort of show that seems designed to have a cult following, and will no doubt have audiences returning over and over again.

OLIVER VALENTINE     

 

www.abovethestag.com   Tel:02089324747

DON'T ASK THE LADY...! starring the inimitable Julie Ross, is one of the best one woman musical shows to be seen London this year, and should not be missed.

Produced by All Star Productions, with Aaron Clingham on the piano, it celebrates the work of 20th Century Female Songwriters, many of whom have succeeded by gritty determination in a male dominated musical world where song writing was not considered ‘woman’s work.’

Ross is a regular face at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, and has appeared in productions such as Company, Follies and numerous Sondheim concerts. Dressed in an elegant black number, she oozes charisma as she strolls on stage singing a cheeky little number about a woman with a dubious past called Don’t Ask The Lady. From that moment on the audience are with her, as she mesmerises them with numbers that explore a rollercoaster of emotions. There is no microphone, Ross doesn’t need one, we are in the hands of a professional, and her voice has the power and vocal dynamics to reach everyone.

With a very witty self- written script she shows off her comedic skills as she introduces the  unknown, and also very famous women of song. The evening is an education as Ross goes through a line up of female lyricists and composers of songs that I had no idea had a ‘woman’s touch.’ She shows spot-on timing with Betty Comden’s pre –Sondheim style lyrics If You Hadn’t But You Did, and Shattered Illusions . She is equally at home with searching numbers like My Brother Lived in San Francisco, and Other Lady. The personal discovery for me that night was the work of Amanda Mcbroom, whose perceptive contributions to Errol Flynn and No Fear I found original and thrilling.

Many of the carefully selected choices are from shows, and they work because Ross is a fine actress as she is a vocalist.  She doesn’t just sing she interprets. I have always loved the melody of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now but never quite understood the lyric. But in the hands of Ross’s heartfelt vocals that seem to reflect life experience, the meaning became clear, and it brought tears to my eyes.   

Don’t Ask The Lady, was a one-off treat at the Ye Odle Rose and Crown, but the show is always available for future bookings at other venues.  For more information please visit Julie’s website at: www.julie-ross.com

 

OLIVER VALENTINE

Steve Wood’s new play is a poignant portrayal of two lonely people trying to find some meaning for their existence.

The scene  opens with an elderly woman, Ada, sitting on a park bench eating a takeaway: “One pound twenty for a penn’orth of chips – they want locking up”.  A formidable handbag is gripped tightly across her chest as both shield and weapon, and we can tell her emotions are buttoned up as tightly as her coat. 

The entrance of a whiskery tramp, Tommy, shouting and swearing as he swigs from a bottle, does nothing to improve Ada’s mood.  Despite her rebuffs Tommy seems determined to strike up a conversation, and as the two mismatched pensioners tentatively swap details about their empty lives a fragile bond forms between them. 

The ebullient and energetic David Milne makes Tommy – initially an aggressive and unappealing old wino – into a funny, charming and sympathetic figure.  His uninvited overtures of friendship hide a desperate craving for companionship; he even chats to the local stray dogs.  It’s a shame that his character is underused, lapsing into a sounding board for Ada’s monologue.

Pat Brocklehurst’s authentic local accent and deadpan delivery are perfect for Steve Wood’s warm and amusing northern dialogue, although Ada’s attitudes to decimalisation, cappuccinos and public phone boxes are so out of date I thought she must have been in prison for the last forty years.

Director Laura Vorwerg does an excellent job of making an everyday conversation into a moving drama, and designer Victoria Vernon has magically transformed the basement of Taurus Bar on Canal Street into an autumnal park.  As well as the typical wooden bench and green slatted rubbish bin, there’s a thick carpet of leaves which covers the entire floor.  As the musty smell of leaf-mould perfumes the room and the leaves crackle underfoot you really feel as if you’re in that park with Ada and Tommy.  It’s indicative of the company’s attention to detail that they go beyond mere set decoration to create a sensually immersive experience for their audience.

You’re Never Too Old
Presented by Organised Chaos Productions
Touring to Levenshulme Festival (31 October) and
Smiths Restaurant, Eccles (30 Nov & 1 Dec)
Tickets: £7.50/£5.50 (conc)
Further details from:
www.organisedchaosproductions.co.uk

REVIEWED BY RICHARD HOWELL-JONES

Be warned! The programme notes tell us that this is an ‘issue’ play, but whatever you think the issue is as the performance begins, you’re going to be wrong. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the theatre…

This makes All Because of Molly, touring the North-West until 18^th September (see below), a slightly difficult production to write about without ‘spoilers’ (as Doctor Who aficionados call them) or giving away the twist – one so truthful in its suddenness that many of us, I suspect, will remember our own moments of catastrophe, in the true sense of the word. One moment life is bumbling along much as normal; the next, it is changed, changed utterly.

Whether a terrible beauty is born as a result depends, of course, on the production, the leads in particular bearing a heavy burden. Alison Flevill and Laura Lindsay (who has a flair for one-liners) work tirelessly to portray Jaime and Casey who decide to become friends after a typical, and intelligently-portrayed, bullying incident at nursery school. This friendship develops throughout their lives, though attempts to show this by one character finishing another’s lines or both speaking the same line simultaneously just don’t come off. Nor does the friendship seem as deep as both profess it to be, the development of the play notwithstanding. The writer, Paul Ferguson, tell us that he spent much time learning about women, and the accuracy of his characters gives us no reason to doubt him, but perhaps he might have balanced this with time taken in selecting his scenes more carefully; too many are small girls talking about small girl things, and lack evident plot or character development.

The nursery-school bully is the Molly of the title, a typically unpleasant early-years brat, the first and most convincing of Christabel Brown’s many supporting characters.

As the performance continues, she and Tamira Hamam populate the rest of the friends’ world with a rapid-fire set of characterisations, of assorted ages and either gender, to such an enjoyable extent that the main characters are at risk of being upstaged. Indeed, this happens in a highly-enjoyable scene at a gym where the ‘jurors’ (as the supporting actors are called in the programme for no apparent reason) play a personal trainer and her suffering client, while the leads talk about something which I completely missed, but of which, crucially, I didn’t feel the lack; nor did this omission seem to affect my understanding of the rest of the play. The leads’ performances were doubtless as consistently good as they were throughout, but the supports had more interesting lines, action and, at that point, characters.

Staging was a simple black box set with four white cubes with hinged lids doing double-duty as set and prop store. Someone had decided that each change of ‘scene’ should be marked by a loud bang as a lid was closed. Perhaps the technical crew hadn’t been given a script, as most bangs seemed to be followed immediately by a sound or light cue – certainly, the audience didn’t feel the need for them.

And so it goes until suddenly…

Molly, appearing from nowhere, causes the lurch into a completely different world, and there were certainly some members of the audience who were moved by that world and the dénouement. But not all. Again, Flevill and Lindsay did some convincing work, but what ought to have been a scene to make a stone distraught left too many in the audience unmoved. Clearly, at the curtain call, some felt a standing ovation was in order – but not all, by no means all.

It’s a pity, because the ‘issue’ is one guaranteed to polarise opinion, but All Because of Molly left many feeling unchallenged, though not unentertained. Perhaps, just as Jaime is caught between friendship and professionalism, the play is caught between polemic and realism, with the outcome equally regrettable, the feeling that ‘there should’ve been a better way’. The play is also very short, not much over an hour, & the ‘issue’ seems squeezed in at the end.

And what of Molly? We learn nothing of her, nor about the course her life took between her appearances at the beginning and the end of the events in the play. She is the catalyst, the raison d’etre, the – if we’re honest – McGuffin.

James Baker directed.

　

All Because of Molly

Presented by Organised Chaos productions

North-West tour, 8 – 18^th Sept:

New Continental, Preston, 8^th Sept. 01772-499425

The Lantern Theatre, Liverpool, 9 – 10^th Sept. 0151-703 0000

Square Chapel, Halifax, 15^th Sept. 01422-349422

Studio Theatre at Pavilion Arts Centre, Buxton, 18^th Sept. 0845-127 2190

www.organisedchaosproductions.co.uk

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), proves yet again that under the leadership of Aaron Clingham, All Star Productions is a leading flagship of creative excellence on the fringe.

Written by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart, The Musical of Musicals is a comic satire of musical theatre genres, and mocks the work of different composers with one repeated storyline – June can’t pay her rent.

Rodgers and Hammerstein are the first to be parodied. Corn! is set in Kansas in August, and evil landlord Jitter threatens June with marriage if she doesn’t pay for her room. Mother Abby advises June to "follow her dream", and it all ends happily when Jitter’s marriage arrangement is terminated due to daylight savings time. The piece has musical and textual references to Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, the King and I and the Sound of Music, and this satirical referencing sets the trend for the four following scenes. A Little Complex cleverly dissects Sondheim’s works with a merciless pastiche of overly-complex lyrics and dissonant music. Jitter is now a Sweeney Todd type landlord wanting to kill his neurotic tenants because they don’t appreciate his artwork. Dear Abbey makes mischief of Jerry Herman’s overly camp Hello Dolly and Mame, while Andrew Lloyd Webber’s work is ribbed in Aspects of Junita, with suggestions that his music is plagiarised from classical composers. June has evolved into Evita clone Junita, with her nemesis becoming Sir Phantom Jitter. Finally Speakeasy set in Chicago re-tells the non-paying rent story one last time in the jazzy style of Kander and Ebb.

All the cast excel in the many roles they play. Maggie Robson however steals the limelight with her hilarious interpretations of Follow your Dream, We're All Gonna Die and Easy Mark. Steven Sparling also displays great vocal and acting versatility as ‘Sweeney’ Jitter, the phantom and the emcee Jutter. There is slick musical direction from Aaron Clingham, and Lydia Milman Schmidt’s direction is on top form. This is complimented by highly imaginative choreography from Brendan Matthew’s.  

This comedic gem has a short run of ten days. Hopefully it will be revised at a later date. More please!

OLIVER VALENTINE       

 

Run until 26^th August.  www.allstarproductions.co.uk

The Untimely Death of Mr. String.

Camden Fringe.

An outstanding success! “The Untimely Death of Mr. String”, The Raven Theatre Company's  latest comedy is a cleverly written and funny interpretation of the importance of time in every ordinary person’s life. The cast works together brilliantly to create an ensemble piece of thought-provoking theatre through song, comedy and physical theatre.

It opens with live music and vocals from the cast (as the audience are seated) in a haunting 1940’s noir style as set by the experienced and talented musical director Andrea Cullum. The underscore remains with us both vocally and instrumentally including bongo’s, guitars and a touch of imagination. Cullum has an undoubted perfect sense of rhythm, expertly directing this throughout.

The pivotal character of Mr. String, who is born at the age of 33 on a train on way to work as a solicitor is played by the highly capable Ben Hale. The train stops and he is launched into his life, not knowing how he got there or when he decided to become a solicitor. His boss bounds into his world in a hilarious over bearing dominance superbly played by the highly talented Naveed Khan. His energy and excitability engage the audience from the off and his unpredictability keep our anticipation level’s topped up not quite knowing if his next words will be praise or a threat with impeccable comic timing.

“Sometimes I want to punch you in the mouth because you’re so damn good.”

Polysemous word play is well used throughout the show to comic effect and an engaging manner at times verging on the absurd. The cast use this and the physical work fantastically together and this is the real strength of the play as a whole. Whilst not in the most central of characters all the cast have moments of brilliance be it Amelia Cavallo’s showing-off little boy or Laura Rugg’s murdering millionaire. The lighting was subtle and just right for the needs of the play.

This play is all about the importance of time and in the ensuing court case time is tried for criminal actions such as it “sped up your happiness and dragged out your misery”. Our solicitor Mr. String argues the case and time is found guilty and sent down. The world without time transcends into chaos, from the young boy who has a birthday everyday and finds them boring and hateful to the graveyard museum full of time past. The theme of Time is one that has been explored in plays and of course poetry for centuries. The Ravens play is a fresh and original take on a timeless necessity of life.

                   “Who is the one person who witnesses everything?” asks Mr. String. “Time. “

Whilst thoroughly engaged in the world of Mr. String I could not help being reminded of some of the great poetry that explore the theme of Time like Donne’s “Death Be Not Proud” and Shakespeare’s Sonnet 60, “Like as the Waves” and it is for this reason I can see this production working brilliantly as a full length production in theatres aimed at students across the country as an introduction to these great works and ultimately some of the most important lessons of life. Fringe theatre is all about trying out new productions to see if they have further life elsewhere. “The Untimely Death of Mr. String” most definitely has potential to transfer as a successful full length play with a few changes that lengthening the play would allow. It is important that we discover more about the wife so that we may move from glimpses of her on the peripheral of the play where she could be anyone to being more central, because the audience will love anyone, but only when they are someone. Mrs String is expertly played by the enchanting Jade Allen who has a refreshingly playful energy and sense of fun which is a delight to watch. A full length production would give us opportunity to see more of her. Perhaps new scenes could include the relationship between Mr and Mrs String and the importance of time in their relationship, anniversaries, the young couple, the old couple, time apart, time together. Both characters certainly are worthy and interesting enough to warrant much more focus together.

The Welsh Shopkeeper, a conniving and eccentric old man executed superbly by the versatile Cullum is a wonderful character and I would like to see him used more. He is the understated God of the show by keeping all the present/ past in his shop/ museum as time gets carried away into nothingness. What I loved about this man was his cheekiness and the realistic quality that Cullum brought to the part.

The importance is to make it relevant to an audience now and engage in a thought-provoking journey that makes you question your own life and make you laugh. Raven Theatre Company tick all boxes here. Brilliant. The action was superbly executed with the precise mix of comedy and life reflections that makes a good play first rate. Massive congratulations to all involved and I thoroughly recommend you buy your tickets now.

Continues until 24th August 2011 daily at 9pm.

www.raventheatrecompany.co.uk

www.fruitionarts.co.uk

The Camden Fringe.

The Camden People's Theatre.