SUBS                                                    COCK TAVERN THEATRE, KILBURN

You 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

 

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 14^th August.

                                                                    Box Office: 08444771000

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

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

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

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

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

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

OLIVER VALENTINE   

            

 

 

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 21^st March.                      

Box Office: 0870 033 2733

 

Oliver Valentine                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE GREAT AMERICAN SEASONAL SONGBOOK                      

                                                              NEW END, HAMPSTEAD

 

 

The Great American Seasonal Songbook, the second contribution from Toby Cruse productions, proves to be a another winner for the New End Theatre. This joyful musical romp is a tribute to the music that dominated the States from 1920-1960.

Written by the classic composers of the time such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Rogers and Hammerstein, it was period that saw an new style of music grounded in the structures of  Tin Pan Alley, and relying heavily on jazz.  Much of it was originally written for Broadway musicals or Hollywood movies, and became the pop of the time as the songs were picked up by legendary singers such as Ella Fitzerald, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra.

With the four seasons being the theme of the production there are nicely selected numbers that explore the emotions though out the year, and inevitably end up at the Christmas period.

There is outstanding musicianship from Andy Rumble on piano and Dave Olney on bass. They compliment each other perfectly, and despite their only being two of them they produce a sumptuously beautiful sound. With focused direction from Heather Simpkin the show happily bounces along. There are consummate performances by Louisa Parry and David Martin. Parry seems most at home with songs that have a  dramatic edge, and there are moving interpretations of Spring Will be a Little Late This Year, Stormy Weather and You’ll Never Walk Alone. Martin clearly has fun with the frothy numbers but is equally at home with more heartfelt songs like April in Paris and Autumn Leaves. Martin fully embraces the sprit of the show, is constantly mischievous and as gloriously camp as Christmas.

The Xmas section visits the classic holiday songs that have touched listeners from one to 92, and is a fitting way to end the evening.

The Great American Seasonal Songbook is a treat for anyone who appreciates wonderful vocal performances and great musical craftsmanship. This is the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one.

 

OLIVER VALENTINE                                                 

                                                                Box Office: 0870 033 2733