Aladdin

Darlington Civic Theatre

They say that you should never judge a book by its cover – well, if that’s the case, then you should also never judge a panto by its headliners.

I must admit that I initially turned my nose up at the prospect of reviewing a production starring The Grumbleweeds and X-Factor’s Chico, expecting it to be a bit of a Z-list celebrity affair. The taste of a large portion of humble pie is not a pleasant one, let me tell you, but I must swallow it nevertheless!

Aladdin is everything a good panto should be – frothy, frivolous fun – and this is largely due to Chico, who plays the title role. A natural extrovert, he throws himself wholeheartedly into delivering a performance that is so energetic and physically demanding that it must, surely, be powered by a plentiful supply of ‘the batteries with the copper coloured top.’

The Grumbleweeds – well, two of them anyway – step into the shoes of the Chinese policemen to provide much of the trademark slapstick. Robin Colvill, as Pc Wishee, and Graham Walker, as Pc Washee, are true masters of their art and delight the audience with a brilliant mix of comedy, music and impressions. Their instant rapport with the children in the audience is phenomenal, especially considering that none of the youngsters are old enough to remember them from their 1980s heyday.

Max Somerset is fantastic as the evil Abanazar, convincing the kids that he really is a sorcerer with his magic tricks and flame-throwing staff, whilst Bobby Bennett, a seasoned ‘dame’, treats us to a kind and cuddly Widow Twankey.

Sarah Brown is a quintessential Princess Jasmine and she shines brightest of all during her musical numbers, in which she proves that a petite princess can still produce a powerhouse performance.

There are some amazing circus acts within the production, encompassing juggling, plate-spinning and acrobatics. Yu Yin as So-Shy astonishes young and old alike with her incredible skill and dexterity – the act involving the Chinese parasols is absolutely breathtaking. Bubu Endresz, who doubles-up as The Emperor and The Genie of the Lamp, is equally as impressive.

The talented ensemble of six adds colour and movement to the musical numbers, whist performing Sarah St George’s slick and stylish choreography with precision and panache.

Director David Fleeshman ensures that the action crackles along at a pace that retains the attention of children with even the shortest of attention spans and the script, by Jon Conway, includes plenty of opportunity for audience participation and contains all the required elements to qualify this as a good old-fashioned traditional panto.

Indeed, this production of Aladdin enchants the audience with some real treasure of the Orient and has spirits soaring even higher than a magic carpet.

Until Sunday 17^th January 2010

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Sleeping Beauty   


The Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch

by Nicholas Pegg

music and lyrics by Carol Sloman

Directed by Matt Devitt

“Don’t be silly, Silly Billy!” still rings in my ears after this thoroughly enjoyable performance of Sleeping Beauty by cut to the chase accompanied by children from local stage schools at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.

The tone was immediately set by Simon Jessop as William Sillium, otherwise known as Silly Billy, bearing a vague resemblance to Frank Spencer.  Jessop did a good job of warming up the audience, instructing on when and what to shout.  There was no lack of audience participation, first on the agenda was to single out an unsuspecting adult to harass, the participant was a very willing John, who was given a pink fluffy headband to wear and some lines to shout, to the squealing joy of all children in close vicinity.

Chris MacDonnell’s Nanny Clutterbuck was a delight in an assortment of outrageously ridiculous costumes.  She delivered one-liners and song intros that only a pantomime dame can get away with.  She occasionally threw one up for the adults; you had to be pretty sharp to catch them, but when they landed, they landed well, along with the handfuls of sweets thrown into the audience.  The kids were in a frenzy before the second scene.

Participation was encouraged throughout and this performance fulfilled all the requirements of a good pantomime.  Calls of, ‘Behind you!’ And  ‘Oh no it isn’t.’ were not just limited to the younger audience as plates were dropped and smashed, and faces landed in cakes.  The good Fairy, Forget-Me-Not (Lucy Thackeray) was gladly helped in her need to remember names. Tom Clutterbuck (Elliot Harper), the thigh slapping love interest of the sleeping princess, Aurora (Sarah Scowen) performed a heroic sword fight sequence with the bad Fairy Carabosse (Jane Milligan) over her spell book.  The audience were employed as allies of the brave group who were crossing oceans and mountains in order to find a way of waking up the princess from her hundred-year sleep.  The spell book was passed between the audience as Carabosse fought to get it back. The intrepid group were eventually rewarded for their efforts, as they found the spell and were helped back to the castle by an extremely impressive dragon, (I was almost frightened). The boos and hisses and overwhelming heckling helped to rid the world of the evil Carabosse.  I was enchanted by the puppet show, illustrating the characters’ journey back to the castle on the blackened stage and stunned by the flying dragon as it passed overhead, carrying the characters on its back.

This is truly where cut to the chase shine, using their musical experience and sense of fun  Jane Milligan’s powerful voice carried along a great number, backed by the children and Sarah Scowen and Elliot Harper performed a couple of coming of age duets beautifully. The dance routines, especially King Boris’s Tango style dance with Nanny Clutterbuck in his attempts to woo her, were highly entertaining.

The Queen's theatre showed their commitment to and their familiarity with their audience.  Children from  the local schools were mentioned as well as individuals who were celebrating birthdays.

This was a fun filled evening that was certainly not just for the kids, as long as you unleash the inner child and lose your inhibitions and have a go at screaming at the top of your voice…’Don’t be silly, Silly Billy!’ you’ll have a ball…go on.

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Peter Pan

Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne

Northern Stage’s Christmas productions are, traditionally, presented as an alternative to pantomime. Last year’s excellent production of Hansel and Gretel was the perfect example of how to re-tell a well-loved tale without slapstick, audience participation and double entendres – and it worked.

This year’s presentation of Peter Pan claims to ‘rediscover the charm of the original story that has enchanted children for nearly 100 years.’ In doing so, the auditorium has been redesigned and the traverse stage means that the use of scenery and dropcloths is out of the question. However, some inventive use of props sees the beds of the Darling children being adapted to recreate Neverland and the deck of The Jolly Roger, Captain Hook’s ship.

Not all the changes are as effective as this, though, and I was left wondering as to why Tinkerbell has been transformed into a size-zeroTeletubby with the voice of Sweep from The Sooty Show.

The decision to distance the production from all elements associated with pantomime seemed slightly half-hearted in certain respects. Personally, I’d have preferred it if they’d gone the whole nine yards and included a ‘dame’ or avoided the cross-dressing completely. Either way, it would have been better than Thomas Dyer-Blake’s cringingly embarrassing performance as Annabelle the nanny, which was mediocrity in a mob-cap.

I also found the image of the two mermaids, played by Caroline Reece and Juliet Thompson, caressing each other and stroking one another’s hair to be gratuitously homoerotic, rather disturbing, and totally inappropriate for a children’s production.

Much of the magic of the tale has been destroyed by the obsession to be innovative and avant-garde and the few opportunities to enchant and enthral were shamefully squandered: the fantastic sparkling clockwork crocodile was only required to trundle from one side of the stage to the other on a couple of occasions, whilst the flying scenes were devoid of any magic at all – how can a child engage with the story and really believe that Peter Pan can fly if they are subjected to watching the actors fastening themselves into the harnesses first?

Stephen Sharkey’s script is laden with great chunks of verbose dialogue which, I would imagine, might be quite difficult for children to penetrate and comprehend. He might have been wiser to cut some of the dialogue in favour of a few more swashbuckling scenes, of which there was a distinct lack.

Credit must be given to Louis Roberts, who gave an energetic and engaging performance in the title role. Christian Bradley as Captain Hook, Micky Cochrane as Smee and Tilly Gaunt as Wendy all did their best to inject some excitement into the piece.

Sadly, the pursuit of style over substance has resulted in a production that has no magic, no heart and no soul.

Steve Burbridge.

Peter Pan runs until Saturday 9 January 2010.

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Sleeping Beauty 

THE CUSTOMS HOUSE, SOUTH SHIELDS

There are many aspects of the festive season that I always really look forward to: a turkey dinner; parties; catching up with friends . . . the list goes on. And somewhere near the very top of that list is going to see ‘the little panto with the big heart’ at The Customs House in South Shields.

It’s one of those things that, for me, makes Christmas – along with the Queen’s speech, Bing Crosby singing ‘White Christmas’, mulled wine and mince pies.

Following on from the phenomenal success of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the cast – a mixture of familiar and new faces – are treating audiences to the tale of Sleeping Beauty.

Ask anyone in the country to list the essential elements of a good old traditional panto and they might come up with a list as long as your arm. However, ask anyone in South Tyneside the same question and you’ll probably get only one answer – Dame Dotty and Tommy.

Ray Spencer (Tommy) and Bob Stott (Dame Dotty) are, without any shadow of a doubt, the basis of The Customs House panto and the reason for that is evident – their sheer enjoyment of playing opposite each other in addition to their propensity to deviate, expertly, from the script and indulge in a spot of ad-libbing, which results in a performance that is fresh and spontaneous.

I’m sure that to explain the plot of a story that is as well-known and well-loved as Sleeping Beauty would be superfluous, so it seems more appropriate to focus on the performances.

Peter Darrant’s villain is a stalwart of this particular venue’s panto . This year, as the Evil Chancellor Lord Darling, he elevates campness to a new and previously unchartered level. To say that his performance contained more ‘mince’ than a butcher’s shop window would be erring on the side of understatement. Yet, much to his credit, it is done in a way that goes over the kids’ heads but is not at all lost on the adults.

Darrant’s master of malevolence is joined by Helen Embleton’s fiendish fairy, Narcissis. Making her panto debut in style, Embleton marvellously milks the role for all it is worth, positively relishing the deafening boos that she received.

Lucy Rafton once again occupies the title role and she gives an assured performance as Princess Primrose of Jarra. The Prince, Walter of Howden, who she meets and falls in love with, is played by newcomer Afnan Ifitkhar and he looks every inch the romantic hero. His singing voice has the clarity and distinction which, unfortunately, his dialogue lacks and some of his lines were, to me, inaudible.

Graham Overton, another regular at The Customs House, gives an endearing performance as the bumbling King Street, whilst Rachel Teate (Fairy Cake), Rebecca Currie (Fairy Lights) and Lindsay-Anne Dagg (Fairy Nuff), who all graduated from drama school only this year, spread more than just a little magic as Princess Primrose’s Fairy Godmothers.

Not to be outdone by splashier, flashier pantomimes, The Customs House also has its fair share of technical wizardry in the form of a delightful little animated dragon named Derek and his much larger, fire-breathing uncle, Archimedes.

The script, as it should, has more corn than the Jolly Green Giant on harvest day and it’s great fun to groan along at the predictable puns.

Once again, The Customs House has come up trumps with a sensational seasonal show that is full of festive frolics – I can’t wait for next year!

Steve Burbridge.

Sleeping Beauty runs until Sunday 3 January 2010.

Cinderella

Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne

It isn’t only the Prince who is charming in Newcastle Theatre Royal’s stunning production of Cinderella – everyone and everything else is, too.

Never before have I seen such a lavish, spectacular pantomime and I wouldn’t even like to attempt to guess at the amount of work, time and money that has been invested into making it happen.

Of course, audiences at the Theatre Royal are now used to getting the very best in seasonal entertainment – for the last five years each of the panto’s written, directed and produced by Michael Harrison have broke the previous year’s box office records. And each of them has been bigger and better than the last.

It is probably no coincidence that, for the last five years, the cast has been headed by father and son double-act, Clive Webb and Danny Adams. The audiences, especially the kids, absolutely worship them and erupt into rapturous cheers and applause as soon as they make their first stage entrance.

This year they are co-starring with Roxanne Pallett, formerly of Emmerdaleand Dancing on Ice fame, who plays a spirited Cinderella. Although she isn’t given many opportunities to sing, when she does the hairs on the back of your neck stand up - who knew she could sing like that?

Newcastle’s very own panto dame, the inimitable Chris Hayward, makes a welcome return (it’s his third consecutive panto at the Royal) as Baroness Rita and, as usual wows the audience with a succession of fabulous costumes. What is equally as impressive is the fact that he designs and creates them all himself!

Also making a return this year is local actor Phil Corbitt, from Cullercoats, who teams up with Whitley Bay’s Steve Arnott to play Smelly and Nelly, the ugly sisters. The pair are brilliantly bad, entertainingly evil and wonderfully wicked, really making the most of being mean to poor old Cinders. The partnership works well and who’s to say that panto hasn’t found itself the new, definitive pair of Uglies?

Scooch’s David Ducasse is an affable Dandini, whilst West End musical theatre performers Matt Rawle and Donna Steele play Prince Charming and Fairy Godmother. It would have been great if the characters of Dandini and Prince Charming had been fleshed out a little more, as I felt that Ducasse and Rawle are slightly under-utilised. Steele, on the other hand, has been given a gem of a role as the ditzy, dotty newly-qualified Fairy Godmother and she grabs, with gusto, every opportunity to shine.

It isn’t only the casting of Steele and Rawle that brings a touch of West End sophistication to the proceedings – the production values are outstanding, too. Stunning sets, exquisite costumes, and a great musical score all contribute significantly to the overall effect.

Without wishing to be a killjoy and spoil the many other wonderful surprises that drew ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ aplenty on press night – and, without a doubt, will during the rest of the run – the transformation scene is particularly spectacular.

This production has raised the benchmark for pantomimes, not only in the North East but all over the country and I defy anyone, young or old, to leave the theatre without being completely enchanted. You’d be mad to miss it!

Steve Burbridge.

Cinderella runs until Saturday 16 January 2010.

If you think you’ve seen the definitive musical version of Dickens’ novelOliver Twist, think again.  Like Lionel Bart's classic version, the production at Bolton this festive season is laced throughout with catchy songs and dances.  However the Octagon’s new adaptation, with a cast playing multiple roles as well as all the instruments, is very much in the Northern Broadsides tradition - hardly surprising, as writer Deborah McAndrew and composer Conrad Nelson are both veterans of that company.

The narrative is stripped down to about two hours, so out go various sub-plots, but the old favourites are all present and correct.  Robert Pickavance is an oleaginous and sycophantic Fagin; Tim Frances is excellent comic value as Mr Bumble, the cruel and cowardly beadle; Esther Ruth Elliott is Nancy, the tart with a heart; and a rotating cast of talented and enthusiastic children play Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger and all the assorted urchins.

Dawn Allsopp’s impressive set, an imposing urban sprawl of brick walls, rackety bridges and dirty cobbles, spans the whole width of the auditorium and soars to the ceiling.  Director Josette Bushell-Mingo’s production makes the most of the huge playing area, with great choreography and energetic ensembles.

This version of Oliver Twist is sweet without being saccharine, and addresses the iniquities of Victorian England without being too scary for a younger audience.  Judging by the reaction from the stalls on Friday night, this is a really excellent Christmas show for the whole family.

 Oliver Twist is on at Bolton Octagon until Saturday 23 January 2010

Tickets: £8.50 - £15.95

Shows: Mon-Sat at 10.15am, 2.15pm & 7.15pm (performance schedule varies - see website)

Box Office: 01204 520661

www.octagonbolton.co.uk

Celebrate Christmas

With

Thomas Spencer-Wortley

www.thomasspencerwortley.com

****

"We are so excited about the upcoming concerts. As we are coming into our fourth Winter season, we can't wait to pull together all our experiences of live performances over the years help to create a really brilliant show with the wonderfully talented Thomas Spencer-Wortley”…..All Angels

“The Drop-dead, Sinatra-eyed quintessential Englishman made the hairs on my neck stand up when he sang his self-penned track ‘Credere’.....Lesley-Ann Jones, Sunday Express

Thomas Spencer-Wortley- an exceptional young tenor who possesses talent, looks, integrity and the drive to continually push musical boundaries- will be bringing his spectacular Christmas concert to London, Birmingham and Harrogate. The evenings will include popular classics to songs from the shows and festive favourites.

Thomas will be joined by Platinum & Classical Brit nominated ‘All Angels' as special guests alongside- Natalie Hope– direct from the UK Tour of Evitaand soprano Mairead Carlin. He will also be accompanied by Thomas’ own quartet- ‘The Midnight String Quartet’ and a number of past and present students of the Royal Academy of Music. Details of his tour are below:

Celebrate Christmas with Thomas Spencer-Wortley Tour dates:

December:

20^th      London           St John’s Smith Square, Westminster                     7.30pm

                                    (Feat. the Fulham Camerata)

21^st      Birmingham   Town Hall, Birmingham                                          7.30pm

                                    (Feat. West End Academy Chorus)

22^nd     Harrogate       Harrogate International Centre                              7.30pm

                                    (Feat. Leeds Philharmonic Chorus / West End Academy Chorus)

Thomas’ debut album Credere is out now and contains self-penned songs such as lead-off track- ‘Credere’- a beautifully arranged song with haunting vocals and a soaring melody- a song so brilliant it could stand alongside those of any of the great master works. Other songs present on the album include his take on classics such as -‘Ave Maria’; ‘The Prayer’ and ‘You Raise Me Up’, and it marks the introduction of a major new voice in music. With his English charm, Italian style and world-class voice, Thomas Spencer-Wortley is destined for great recognition. 

To date, Thomas has been described as ‘The English Josh Groban’, the ‘solo version of Il Divo’ and the UK’s answer to Andrea Bocelli but to those who know him, he’s just Thomas...

Thomas lives and works with his younger brother, composer & arranger, Oliver Spencer-Wortley. Between them they set out to create a sound, and one which is becoming clearly recognisable, where the excitement of the modern era meets the classics yet retaining all of the beauty and artistry of the original composition. 

Thomas was born and raised in Derbyshire and then moved to study voice at Trinity College of Music, going on to gain a post graduate diploma and LRAM at the Royal Academy of Music.  After working in music theatre it was evident that Thomas’ classical sound was individual, a real blend of the operatic world and the ‘West End’.  This left Thomas with an apparent decision to make, although now it would appear an obvious step, he chose to combine the best of both and become a solo classical cross-over artist.

For more information, please visit:

www.thomasspencerwortley.com

Werther

Opera North at Theatre Royal, Newcastle.

By no stretch of the imagination could I ever claim to be an opera buff. I always believed that a bunch of fat women warbling away in a foreign tongue wouldn’t be my cup of tea at all. It turns out my preconceptions were way off the mark!

Opera North’s stunning production of Werther, a rarely performed opera by Jules Massenet, was about as accessible as you could possibly get. It’s basically a story of unrequited love that ends in tragedy. Werther is a man who is hopelessly in love with a woman already promised in marriage to another.

Although it is sung in French it is easy to follow and compelling to watch. There are screens at either side of the stage, translating the wonderfully poetic dialogue into English.

The performances are exquisite. Paul Nilon and Alice Coote are brilliant as the star-crossed lovers, Werther and Charlotte. Both have powerful voices that are rich and full – perfect for delivering the emotion of the piece – although the swell of the huge orchestra sometimes engulfed and drowned out Nilon.

The sets, designed by Hildegard Bechtler, are simple yet effective, and the orchestra, conducted by Richard Farnes, wonderfully adds to the drama and intensity of the piece.

Highly recommended.

Steve Burbridge.

Performances: Wednesday 18^th November 2009 & Saturday 21^stNovember 2009. Both at 7.30pm

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Mark Morris Dance Group

Theatre Royal, Newcastle

Friday 13^th November 2009

INDIFFERENCE is probably the worst reaction that any performance can generate – it means that, for whatever reason, the production has not sufficiently engaged the watcher to provoke a more emotive response.

The Mark Morris Dance Group is renowned for its innovative contemporary dance performances.Indeed its namesake has been described as ‘one of the greatest choreographers of our time’ and his multi-award winning group – which started in 1980 in Brooklyn, New York – is now one of the world’s leading companies. Sadly, their latest repertoire, which played two nights at the Theatre Royal, failed to offer anything outstanding.

Although the auteur will always have a preferred meaning, often the individual will form their own interpretation of what is being performed on stage in front of them. Some may not even look beyond the aesthetics of the piece to find their enjoyment.

The programme comprised four different routines, each with a style, tone and mood of their own. The first, performed to Bach’s Italian Concerto, was perhaps the closest to what might be described as conventional dance.

Going Away Party, a camp, kitsch cowboy routine, entertained the audience with its swivelling hips and gyrating crotches. Personally, though, I felt that almost twenty five minutes of corny country and western was a tad too long.

Three Preludes, which replaced the billed Excursions, was a solo performed by Bradon McDonald to Gershwin’s Preludes For Piano. Costumed in black and white, presumably as a metaphor of the piano keys, the movements were Pierrot-esque.

The final piece, Grand Duo, was a spectacle of ritualistic fist-clenching, feet-stomping and body-writhing, in which the loin-clothed performers were almost tribal in their movement and expression.

What failed to impress me was the clumsiness with which some of the movements were executed. You don’t have to be an aficionado of contemporary dance to spot a wobbly landing or two.

Steve Burbridge.

Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield in Association withUniversal Music

Present

Dreamboats and Petticoats

Book by Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran

Reviewed by Sue Marks at Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday 16^thNovember 2009.

This show is a must for anyone who remembers the 1950s and ‘60s, but many of the songs featured are so well known it will appeal to anyone who loves these songs. Before the show started I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of dialogue to music ratio. However, I was pleased to find that there was a good storyline woven around the songs. The show opens with an attic scene where a man shows his Granddaughter his old Fender guitar and says he will explain how he was once, very briefly, in a band. The attic disappears and the band explodes into the opening track, “Let’s Dance.” 

It is the early 1960s and most of the show is set in a youth club in Essex where some members have formed a band and some are attempting to write songs to enter a contest. There are a number of pretty young girls to distract them from their ambitions. There is romance, some of which is unrequited and teenage angst. Songs from the era are performed to a high standard throughout the show as the characters strive to fulfil their dreams. The dialogue is well written and amusing and the characters are believable and likeable. Everyone gave a good performance both in acting and singing. The musicians were also very accomplished.

The band was a permanent fixture on the stage and curtains were used to hide the band for scenes outside the youth club such as the attic or in people’s homes. A thick red curtain was used as a backdrop for the song contest which also served to obscure the band. When the youth club members went on a trip to Southend a couple of dodgems were used to create a fun fair and with a slight modification served as carriers on the tunnel of love. The furniture in the youth club was typical of that time.

The costumes reflected the era and were excellent. Some of the dresses were very colourful with frothy white petticoats underneath. The hair and makeup was also appropriate for the time.  The Teddy Boys’ outfits were particularly authentic.

This show is colourful and vibrant and certainly has a feel good factor. The audience must have enjoyed it as they were clapping in time with the music. Towards the end some people stood up to dance, I was pleased they had managed to resist doing this earlier in the show, as it obviously obstructs other people’s view of the stage. Fortunately those standing up didn’t block my vision of the last few minutes. If you want your spirits lifted go and see this show.

Dreamboats and Petticoats plays Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 21^st November 2009. Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office 0844 871 7652 (bkg fee). The tour then continues playing New Theatre Hull from 23^rd to 28^th November 2009 and the Lyceum Theatre Sheffield from 01^st to 05^thDecember 2009.

www.miltokeynestheatre.com www.kenwright.com

Reviewed by Sue Marks at Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday 16^thNovember 2009 on behalf of Catherine Brian.

Last Of The Summer Wine: The Moonbather

Darlington Civic Theatre

Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running sit-com in the world and a national institution in Britain. Since January 1973, the gentle programme about a trio of old men and their eccentric exploits has charmed and enthralled its viewers.

Now, for the second time, it transfers to the stage with a new play, entitled ‘The Moonbather’, written by Roy Clarke.

The roles of Compo, Clegg and Foggy – which were played on screen by Bill Owen, Peter Sallis and Brian Wilde – are recreated with aplomb by Harry Dickman, Timothy Kightley and John Pennington, respectively. The cast also includes Ruth Madoc as Meg, Tony Adams as Mr Pilbeam and Steven Pinder as Gifford Bewmont.

The story revolves around the hunt for a nocturnal streaker who, being a braver man than I, has been revealing himself to the women of Holmfirth. In a sub-plot, Foggy is also trying to win the affections of the timid Samantha (Gillian Axtell) and steal her away from the hapless Gifford Bewmont who has been stringing her along for the past fourteen years.

Although the performances of the three old codgers are carefully crafted, they are let down by the script which is contrived, smutty and predictable. It is hard to believe that it has been written by the creator and writer of the television programme. The shortcomings of the script are further compounded by some cringe-worthy impersonations of Nora Batty and Marina by Estelle Collins and of Wally Batty and Howard by the equally untalented Ian Marr.

Ruth Madoc attempts, in vain, to bring a touch of ‘star-quality’ to the proceedings in her role as the larger-than-life Meg but, in doing so, delivers a performance that is hammy at best.

In the end, the streaker is caught and his motives are not at all sexually perverted – he has a skin condition that, he believes, is alleviated by exposing his bare flesh to moonlight. Oh well, that’s alright then!

The one consolation is that the piece is fairly short, running at just under two hours. This gave me enough time to obtain a stiff drink and ponder the two mysteries that remained unsolved in Holmfirth – why do the trees grow in symmetrical mirror images of each other and why does Cleggy need a letter box on the internal door of his lounge?

Steve Burbridge.

‘Last of the Summer Wine’ runs until Saturday 14^th November 2009.

The Entertainer is John Osborne’s famous depiction of post-war Britain in crisis, shown through the microcosm of a family of music hall performers eking out a meagre living in a dying industry. 

The Rice family’s domestic circumstances have drifted downhill in line with the decline of the halls, but no matter how urgent the threat from their creditors or the tax-man there is always enough money for gin and cigarettes.

The play is over fifty years old but the sense of national decline, the looming presence of a war abroad, and the binge drinking all strike a contemporary note.  However the most obvious reason to revive this play is the spectacular role of Archie Rice, originally played by Laurence Olivier in a performance said to have reignited his career.

Archie Rice is Falstaff cut from utility suit cloth, a huge personality with a voracious appetite for women, alcohol and life.  Despite the frequently cited private education and boater-and-blazer costume he is Not Quite a Gentleman, though his bluff and bravado carry him along.  Even in the privacy of his own home he continues to give a performance, but while Archie’s on-stage persona is superficially warm and charming there is a sense of menace lying below the surface.  Keith Floyd would have made a great Archie Rice.

The Entertainer is set in the living area of the family’s shabby rented rooms in some god-forsaken provincial town, but with a sudden switch of lighting Archie is on stage and performing his old-fashioned comedy turn and uninspired song-and-dance routine.  To an audience accustomed to a diet of drawing-room dramas à la Terrence Rattigan this technique must have seemed daring and innovative.  Today these interludes merge almost unobtrusively into the whole, which is perhaps why sound designer Steve Brown creates a feeling of dislocation by miking up Archie so his voice eerily seems to come from a distant place.

David Schofield as Archie has totally mastered playing in-the-round, and in the music hall interludes he involves the whole audience with his cheeky appeals and frequent asides.  Laura Rees as his disillusioned daughter Jean shows flashes of real passion when her mid-century angst mixes with large quantities of gin, and  Roberta Taylor playing Archie’s long-suffering wife creates genuine pathos with her terrified vision of a comfortless old age.

Although superficially in tune with our times The Entertainer is emotionally unengaging and the characters are all shot through with John Osborne’s very special brand of bile.  However there is clearly some entertainment value to be had from the seedy life of a down-at-heel 1950s comedian, asHancock’s Half Hour proves every Wednesday on Radio 7.

The Entertainer is on until Saturday 5 December 2009

Prices: £8.50-£29.50

Evenings: Mon-Sat @ 7.30

Matinees: Wed & Sat @ 2.30

Box Office: 0161 833 9833

www.royalexchange.co.uk

The Queen's Theatre returns to its repertory roots with this digging up of Emlyn Williams 1928 warhorse A Murder Has Been Arranged, once a staple of regional theatres and weekly reps but now rarely done outside Amateur Dramatic circles. I was rather looking forward to seeing this play brought back from the dead, my interest in Williams being tweaked by David Cottis' splendid revival of The Druid's Rest at the Finborough this summer. Unfortunately, if there is a case to be made for A Murder Has Been Arranged– and I severe doubts – this production doesn't do much to argue it.

A Murder Has Been Arranged is a thriller which bucks the rational trend of most plays in that genre by including a genuinely supernatural element – a ghost actually appears. The setting is the stage of a West End Theatre, where wealthy old Sir Charles Jasper is celebrating his birthday and hoping he'll live past 11 O'clock, as at that hour he will inherit four million pounds; otherwise, the money will go to a long lost relative, Maurice Mullins. Predictably Mullins appears, yet he's not the only one with a motive for murder, as the handsome young masher hanging round the old man's younger wife also has good reason to want Jasper dead.

The play has a potentially intriguing meta-theatrical element, with most of the characters dressing up in Shakespearean costume and much of the action being those intrigues and lust of the middle classes which were the staple fare of West End audiences between the wars. Sadly, it can't be said that Williams really does anything that interesting with his conceit, and the production never finds a theatrical style to persuade us that the play is anything but a dated and daft dodo. This is compounded by most of the cast seemingly possessed by a palpable contempt for the material. The staging has none of the kinetic verve usually served up with relish by the show's director, Bob Carlton. After the interval, as the acting became ever more arch and coarse whilst the characters rave on about the dead walking the stage and the vitality of the evening becomes equivalently zombified, I idly wondered whether the whole thing wasn't a great big mickey-take of what Peter Brook identified in his seminal The Empty Space as "the deadly theatre" – theatre which exists with no real passion and without any purpose. But it grieves me to say that the production is most likely an example of deadliness rather than a wry comment on it.

A Murder Has Been Arranged is an evening with little wit and still less wonder, except that it does make me wonder why Carlton has chosen to put on a play he appears to have so little interest in making live for his audience. Stephen Daldry's production of An Inspector Calls shows that it is possible to make a creaking old thing breathe for contemporary theatre-goers, although it's admittedly a better play to begin with. Anyone keen on collecting revivals of rarities from the West End's vaults might force themselves down to Hornchurch to watch this corpse stalk the stage, but anyone wanting a living, breathing and truly haunting piece of theatre would be better off steering themselves elsewhere.

The Queen's Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch.

Box Office: 01708 443333

30 October - 21 November 2009

Mon-Sat 8pm, Matinees Thu & Sat 2.30pm

Julius Ceasar

The Royal Shakespeare Company at Theatre Royal, Newcastle.

Corruption, political intrigue, conspiracy, treachery and murder – Julius Ceasar has it all in this classy production from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Rome, 44BC: As Ceasar’s strength and popularity look set to propel him to the imperial throne, those closest to him act to prevent what they fear will become a dictatorship.

The conspirators, led by Caius Cassius (John MacKay), convince the well-respected Marcus Brutus (Sam Troughton) to join them in their ‘enterprise’ for the greater good of the republic, and the assassination date is set for the Ides of March.

Both Troughton and MacKay are on top form and their masterful performances easily outshine Greg Hicks’s slightly puny Ceasar and Darrell D’Silva’s Oliver Reed-esque portrayal of Mark Antony.

The arrogant Caesar disregards the prophetic dream of his wife, Calphurnia (Noma Dumezweni) and goes to the Capitol on the Ides of March, as planned, where he is stabbed to death. Talk about a man never listening to the wisdom of his wife?

However, the assassination of Ceasar unleashes a tide of violence that will drag thousands into a bloody civil war.

Clever special effects are employed to recreate the scale of Ancient Rome and its population, and Lucy Bailey’s direction keeps the story going at a pace that makes the three hours pass a lot quicker than they might have done in less capable hands.

Steve Burbridge.

‘Julius Ceasar’ runs until Saturday 7 November 2009.

Dyssing Monadys

 Producer and writer Lennie Varvarides set up MSFT (www.makingtheatrework.com) while taking an MA at Central School of Speech and Drama and has since set up Write Side of the Brain, SpeedMotion, Sunday Surgery, Missfit Mondays & the current festivaldyssing monadys, running until November 25 at The Horse, Westminster Bridge Road.

The remit is to provide and develop a new writing platform for dyslexic 'storymakers' in whatever their chosen medium may be - covering performance poets, storytellers, filmmakers and playwrights.

Lennie's obvious passion for making a success of this project and of bringing the world of dyslexia to the public's attention is apparent in her commitment in wanting to set up a new charity under which her company will operate and the company are currently looking for sponsorship of £5000. The proceeds from the current festival go towards this amount. Considering the fact that 10% of the UK population is dyslexic, there is a huge scope of a large potential audience for her project, once it becomes know and mainstream.

The structure of the evening's entertainment is sound enough with a brief introduction, a showing of a short film, a reading from a storyteller and then the main event of the night which is an 1 hr long play. All material in the festival is written by dyslexic creatives. As a formula for the future, it will work well with more additional material to the programme and holds promise to be a strong, varied and highly interesting platform for dyslexic writers and creatives.

AWK-WORD by Lennie Varvarides

The hour long play had a it's core quite a clever conceit about communication, truth and how words used can affect relationships either positively or negatively.

The central story is based around a meeting in a bar which leads to an affair and the breakup of a potential marriage. The two characters having the affair spice up the proceedings with playing word-games about their situation and feelings, written down on bits of paper which are randomly picked and responded to- an idea which in terms of the core theme of the festival could have been explored more. The three hander was tackled well with realistic performances from the cast - Rajan Sharma as SAL, the unfaithful boyfriend, Sarah McKendrick as ALEX, the seductive, yet bitter lover, and an endearing performance by Babita Pohoomull as RAZ, the naieve fiance. The staging in the space upstairs at The Horse was slightly distracting with the large raised area used as the bed in the hotel, above our eye-line, but which ultimately meant we felt like voyeurs of the piece instead of engaging fully but given the nature of the affair we are witnessing, snatched in afternoon sessions in a hotel, it worked on other levels. Babuta Pohoomull convinces us of her feelings for her fiance as she discovers him with his mistress in the hotel room she was meeting him in, to finally consumate their relationship, despite her religious beliefs. RAZ, ultimately is the loser, as both the mistress and the fiance see him for what he is, and abandon ship. Framing the piece is the theme of how what people say, what words they use to express themselves, language can sometimes fail us when it comes to truth. There is good potential to develop this piece further and place it more securely within the context of the festival.

Dyssing Monadys Annual Festival:

Date: Every Monday and Wednesday from October - November 2009

Doors open: 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start
Tickets: £5/4 (100% of box office will be donated to new charity called DYS(the)LEXI
Box Office: 07917157748

Venue: The Horse, 124 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XG

Tube: Lambeth North/Waterloo

For further information & to pledge support: www.makingtheatrework. com

For more info on Dyslexia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia

This will be the final year of Manchester Library Theatre Company’s residence at the Library Theatre, partly due to the redevelopment of the building, and partly as they go in search of more spacious and modern surroundings.  As if to prove that they have outgrown their home of fifty-odd years, artistic director Chris Honer has mounted a production of Shakespearian proportions featuring singing, dancing, live music, new media and a cast of fifteen actors.

The Good Soul of Szechuan is one of Bertolt Brecht’s parables for the theatre.  Three gods come down to earth in an apparently fruitless search for a good person, and having finally found one - the prostitute Shen Te - reward her appropriately.  But the warm-hearted girl discovers that wealth makes it harder for her to be good, while her benefactors become increasingly disillusioned on their jaunt among the mortals.

Poppy Miller doesn’t seem especially vulnerable as Shen Te, but when she introduces us to her tough (male) cousin Shui Ta, rendered with convincing bravado and swagger, the contrast is entirely effective.

The episodic nature of the story introduces Shen Te to a wide range of comic characters, allowing for some memorable acting by the diverse and talented company.  Susan Twist is droll and dead-pan as Mrs Shin, China’s answer to Hilda Ogden; James Foster delivers a wonderful pantomime turn as the one-eyed, sartorially-challenged Mr Shu Fu; and Josh Moran’s Policeman gives some indication of how a gun-toting version of Z-Cars might have looked.  Nor will I soon forget the spectacle of the three gods (Olwen May, Natasha Bain and John Cummins) reduced to raggedy straw-stuffed scarecrows by the end of their world tour.

Michael Pavelka’s clever design with its moving corrugated-iron walls allows for slick scene changes, and the projected film of the gods’ heads (despite the image briefly summoning up memories of Superman’s parents in the Christopher Reeve film) is a fully-justified example of new media in a theatrical context.

The Library Theatre is famed for its interpretations of Brecht, and Chris Honer’s energetic production of David Harrower’s easy and colloquial translation fully does justice to this reputation.

The Good Soul of Szechuan is on until Saturday 28 November 2009

Prices: £10.00-£17.50 (concessions available)

Eves: Mon-Sat @ 7.30pm

Matinees: Sats @ 2.30pm; Thurs 12 & 19 @ 2.30pm; Wed 25 @ 2pm

Box Office: 0161 236 7110

www.librarytheatre.com

A classic Glaswegian play finds itself back home on this new tour, and received the welcome of an old friend in it’s Glasgow opening night audience.

Much of the appeal of The Steamie lies in the fantastic script by Tony Roper. As with his recent works (the wonderful Celts in Seville being of particular note) this play is observational, caustic and full of wonderful “parliamo Glasgow” terminology where the author has created well rounded characters whose appeal is not in their glamour or appearance, but their good humour and loyal natures.

The Steamie characters – Dolly, Magrit, Doreen and Mrs Culfeathers feel like old friends to most Scots, who have watched the televised version of this play many a Hogmanay on TV. This makes it a tough gig for any actress to take on these iconic roles, without trying to mimic the previous performances that are known so well. Leading the way on this front was Maureen Carr as Dolly. Excellent comic timing combined with an intelligent physicality brought this character believably to life, which is some feat considering the flights of fancy this character gets carried away with. Jacqueline Hughes, making her Scottish debut, was a sweet and naive Doreen, with a singing voice to match. Her lilting spoken voice worked well against the harsher tones of the older female characters, and helped create the imagery of the plans that she dreamt of, making this young actress one to watch for the future.

Kay Gallie, making a return to the role of Mrs Culfeathers, shows why she is in such demand in both TV and theatre. Knowing just how long to hold a comic pause for effect requires a lot of experience and Kay Gallie has that in spades. Her interpretation of the frail, hardworking older woman had the audience moved to tears, at times with sheer emotion and also with laughter. The “Top Dog” of this group is Magrit – Julie Austin got a lot of laughs here as she had a great delivery of the comic put-downs. It would have been nice if she had been asked to provide more light and shade in the role, so that the emotional sections hit home more. I think this is down to direction, as Alison Peebles seemed to be driving to make sure every laugh was “wrung-out” from this production. This did not make the comic bits seem forced, actually much the opposite, but this same interest did not seem to be shown to the sentimental or emotional moments of this clever play. David McGowan did try to make the most of the role of Andy, however his “drunk” scenes seemed to be a little too “Rab C Nesbitt” to be believable.

Dave Anderson’s songs still stand the test of time, again due to the classic Glasgow patter used in the lyrics – “ a swagger that wid dry a washin’” being a particular favourite of mine – but it didn’t really work to see some singing and non-singing cast trying to put these harmonies together.

All in all, it is great to see The Steamie back on the stage, but it does look like it maybe needs another rinse and a bit of an iron to get it back to it’s former sparkling glory. That said it is still a hugely funny and entertaining piece of theatre, and for Maureen Carr’s alone, especially during and after the “Galloway’s Mince” section, it is well worth the ticket price.

Listings Info:

Mon 2^nd – Sat 7^th November

Tue – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed, Thurs & Sat Mat 2.30pm

Audio described performance Thu 5 Nov 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 - £25

Box Office: 0870 060 6647          www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

THREE MINUTE HERO                    COCK TAVERN THEATRE

A three minute hero is a singer who connects with a whole generation of music fans with a breakthrough number that has a universal message. Phil Setren’s, new play of the same title is based on a promoter’s dream to find such a talent, and explores the clash of the commercial hit making music machine with Muslim cultural beliefs and art.

Dave is an aspiring music promoter who follows his very slim copy of ‘How To Make It In Music,’ guide to the word. He hires a girl band called Hot Goddess, who fail to make the grade but provide him with a big music industry learning curve. He then meets a young Muslim singer called Ash who is in the queue at the X Factor auditions. Simon Cowell’s team fail to see any ability in Ash, but Dave sees his potential and becomes his promoter. All is going well until Ash’s traditionalist brother Raz objects to Ash selling out to the commercial western market and it’s ‘corrupt’ values.

The first half of the play is a rather predictable tale of promoter creates untalented girl band, the girls fall out and the band collapses. Despite strong performances from the actresses and the occasional funny line, the tired storyline and uninspired writing offers little originality. It is not until the second half with arrival of Ash and his brother that the dialogue really comes alive, and dramatic tension is created. Indeed the writing in the second half feels so much more advanced, that it is hard to believe it has been written by the same author.

With the themes in the latter half of the play, Setren has so much original material that this potentially could be a whole drama on it’s own.

Julie Osman’s capable direction keeps the play moving, and there is great sound design by Matt Lee Newby.

Paul Egan is perfectly cast as the eternally optimistic Dave, and Ramanvir Grewal and Anil Kumar are compelling as the brothers.

Three Minute Hero runs at the Cock Tavern Theatre until 14^th November.

                                                                                                           OLIVER VALENTINE                                                                                      

Peter Hall sets this successful revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s  social comedy “Bedroom Farce” in the 1970s – a distant age without mobile phones, ipods or even the internet. Three bedrooms, side by side, fill the Rose Theatre stage and allow us a peep into the lives of four married couples.

The elderly couple Delia (Jane Asher) and Ernest (Nicholas Le Prevost) are getting ready for their yearly dinner at a fancy restaurant.  Delia tries to discuss their son Trevor’s marital problems but Ernest is more interested in the leaky roof.  Jan (Lucy Briers) is off to a housewarming party whilst her husband Nick (Tony Gardner) is grounded with a bad back.  Malcolm (Daniel Betts) and Kate (Finty Williams) are playing childish pranks on each other whilst waiting for their first guests to arrive. Chaotic Trevor (Orlando Seale) and his unstable wife Susannah embark on a journey of destruction by successfully ruining their party with a savage fight culminating in Trevor kissing Jan. A distraught Susannah disrupts Delia’s and Ernest’s romantic dinner in bed and Trevor rushes to Jan only to fall asleep on Nick’s bed, making Nick’s night pure agony.

Prepare yourself for a highly entertaining evening with an outstanding cast in Ayckbourn’s exploration of marriage and beyond.

The Rose Theatre, Kingston

1 Oct – 28 Nov 2009

See Tickets - 0871 230 1552

David Thacker’s artistic directorship at Bolton Octagon continues withGhosts, featuring four actors from his previous production of All My Sons.

Ibsen’s 1881 play, with its themes of adultery, incest, venereal infection and moral hypocrisy was considered scandalous in its day, and is still pretty hot stuff over a century later.

Wealthy widow Mrs Alving has built an orphanage in memory of her late husband, and old family friend Pastor Manders has come to finalise the arrangements before the grand opening.  With the Alvings’ artist son Oswald just returned from Paris, the scene is set for a happy domestic interlude. However Mrs Alving’s apparently comfortable home-life is about to be revealed as a whited sepulchre, hiding secrets which have the power to destroy all that is dearest to her.

The programme records the great lengths director David Thacker, translator Erik Skuggevik and the whole cast and have gone to in order to develop the script for a freshly minted “Lancashire version” of Ghosts.  However anyone expecting some resemblance to a Blake Morrison/Northern Broadsides collaboration will be disappointed, with not much specifically localised apart from a servant remarking “bloody hell” and “bugger”; nevertheless it is an admirably clear reading of the text.

I don’t think I have ever seen anyone look as at home or relaxed on stage as Margot Leicester, whose Mrs Alving practically curls up like a kitten and purrs at Pastor Manders, her frisky youth still all too evident to the straight-laced priest.

George Irving as Pastor Manders, a man who has ever but slenderly known himself let alone anybody else, convincingly portrays the gullible cleric and subtly mines the character’s inadvertent comedy in Act 2. 

Oscar Pearce’s bohemian Oswald makes an astonishing impact on his first entrance, the crumpled white linen suit and red waistcoat a huge contrast with the dark repressed world of his northern homeland, and the character’s gradual decline through the play is deeply touching.

If there is a flaw in this production it is the large table which sits in the middle of the tiny in-the-round space, creating a barrier between the actors as they play out powerful confrontations, dramatic confessions and heartbreaking revelations.  But overall the intimacy of the venue and the intensity of the piece overcome this obstacle to create a unique theatrical experience.

Ghosts is on at Bolton Octagon until Saturday 21 November 2009

Tickets: from £9.00

Evenings: Mon-Sat at 7.30pm

Matinees: Fri 30 and Sat 31 October, Mon 2, Wed 11 and Sat 14 Nov @ 2pm

Box Office: 01204 520661

www.octagonbolton.co.uk

Special event on Sat 14 November @ 10am - Investigate: Who Needs Translators?

The process of translating plays is investigated by director David Thacker, translator Erik Skuggevik and the actors from Ghosts, alongside playwrights working today and scholars including Brid Andrews of the University of Bolton.

Tickets: £5 for workshop, £15 including matinee ticket

It probably says a lot about the tone of last night’s show that Halloween was only briefly mentioned once, by Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste. While London Symphony Orchestra’s performance with Antony and the Johnsons (performed in this hall a year ago) was given a bit of levity by their cover of  Beyonce’s ‘Crazy in Love’, there was no such relief this year. Indeed, Antony Heggarty’s triumphant shows with the LSO seem an appropriate benchmark for last night’s, and on balance the feminine crooner’s show surpassed the Grizzly Bear’s.                       

            While Nico Muhly’s arrangements for Antony and the Johnson’s songs was integral to the performance, tonight the orchestra often seemed surplus to requirements as in the inevitable highlight of the set, ‘Two Weeks’. The sense of anticipation as Daniel Rossen moved to the electric organ for the only time all night was tangible, the opening chords got a cheer, Grizzly Bear played a note perfect rendition of the album version all on their own bar some extra piano from Muhly, and the rest of the set was a bit of a come down. Before this, the mellifluous coda of ‘All We Ask’ demonstrated the Bear’s vocal abilities and provided a golden opportunity for memorable orchestration that wasn’t taken at all.  At the premature end of the following song, a slightly flummoxed looking Droste explained ‘…we had an orchestral ending worked out for this song, but you started clapping  too soon… so we stopped.’  I would have doubted him had the audience not done exactly the same thing during the best song of enjoyable/forgettable support act St. Vincent’s set!

            When the orchestra were allowed to open up I thought they frequently sailed a little too close to the wind, taking songs like ‘I Live with You’ into inappropriate ‘James Bond theme’ territory, but these moments of band/orchestra interaction were fleeting. Luke Turner’s embarrassingly gushing Pseuds Corner programme notes identified Muhly’s selfless ‘appreciation’ for Grizzly Bear’s music, but on the grounds of tonight’s performance perhaps he should reconsider any ‘surrender of the ego’ and make his orchestrations more prominent.

The Barbican’s contemporary Music programme continues with Richard Bona Band and Hindi Zahra on Monday 2^nd November, see www.barbican.org.ukfor details.