To Kill A Mockingbird - Review

Wyndham's Theatre, London

****

Written by Aaron Sorkin

From the novel by Harper Lee

Directed by Bartlett Sher

Richard Coyle

Bartlett Sher’s stunning revival of Harper Lee’s classic fable returns to the West End for a 12-week residency at the Wyndham’s.

Set in Alabama in the 1930s, in America’s segregated and highly prejudiced Deep South, Lee’s tale is one of oppression, racism and resentment, contrasted with a heroic stance on enlightened and principled legal thinking fused with compassion and the finest family values.

This site rarely seeks to draw comparisons but Richard Coyle’s performance as Atticus Finch demands one. Gregory Peck’s Oscar-winning take on the role (in Robert Mulligan’s 1952 movie) has been defined as one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema. In a performance of breathtaking resonance and character, Richard Coyle redefines Finch, more than matching Peck’s genius. Returning to the role that he created in the production’s original London iteration, Coyle captures Finch’s complex morality and kindness in a performance that is perfectly weighted and nuanced, delivering arguably the greatest transition of an iconic character from screen to stage. For Coyle’s performance alone, one should buy a ticket. 

Sher's work on a London stage has never been so assured or perfectly pitched, where he has assembled a formidably flawless company. As the narrator / Greek chorus of the piece, Anna Munden is Finch’s adolescent daughter Scout. Together with her brother Jim (Gabriel Scott) and their friend Dill  (Dylan Malyn in an extraordinarily brilliant stage debut), the three teenagers serve to advance the evening's litany of cruel injustices, be they social as well as racial.

The cast boasts other supporting gems. Aaron Shosanya is magnificent as Tom Robinson, a black cotton-worker falsely accused of raping the white Mayella Ewell (Evie Hargeaves). Hargreaves similarly masters her challenging role, capturing the impact of the abuse and neglect that she has been subject to by her father Bob (Oscar Pearce playing a despicably ignorant redneck, in a performance that is as brilliant as his character is evil). Richard Dempsey is terrific as prosecuting counsel Horace Gilmer, while Stephen Boxer’s Judge Taylor is another modest role, perfectly performed. Andrea Davy is terrific as Calpurnia, Finch's black housekeeper who frequently holds up a mirror to his frailties.

Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation is masterfully penned – but is too long, especially in the first act. Where the visual impact of a movie scene can describe a story’s canvas in a second, dramatic narrative is a more laboured process. Lee’s original is a rich narrative, the details of which are not easily condensed into the confines of a theatre and there are moments when the story’s otherwise beautiful momentum, flags. At just over three hours, the play is a long-haul. Kander & Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys, a musical also centred on racial injustice in the 1930s American South together with the flawed legal systems of the time, made its point as powerfully in just 90 minutes

Long maybe, but this is powerful theatre and a display of the finest acting in town.

Runs until 12th September

Photo credit: Johan Persson

Jazz Cabaret in Hampstead

Come along on Sunday 5th July at to The Marigold Session, a jazz-infused cabaret hosted by Anoushka Cowan and Elijah Lifton, with special guests, actor Christopher Biggins, and writer Richard Bean (One Man, Two Guvnors).

Jazz, songs, duologues, comedy, discussion.

Two shows at the Circle & Star Theatre, Hampstead, NW3

Cyrano - Review

Noel Coward Theatre, London

*****

Written by Edmond Rostand

Adapted by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson

Directed by Simon Evans

Adrian Lester

Anyone who has ever been in love knows the impossible rollercoaster of feelings it brings: from the silly, adorable goofiness of sweet beginnings, to the nuanced hesitation of self-reflection and the gushing warmth of love — and sometimes, the salty taste of a tragic end. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s new adaptation of the classic French play Cyrano de Bergerac, originally written by Edmond Rostand in 1897, offers all that and more: a wild combination of Greek comedy and tragedy.

At the centre of the story is the iconic Cyrano de Bergerac, played by Adrian Lester. A poet, soldier and philosopher whose words are as sharp as his sword, but despite his charm and wit, Cyrano carries a paralysing insecurity about his appearance, feeling unworthy of the woman he secretly loves: Roxane (Susannah Fielding). As a long-standing friend of Cyrano’s, charming and sharp-tongued herself and recently widowed from her old husband who she had been forced to marry, Roxane longs to be dazzled by raw, breathtaking love.

As Cyrano finds himself watching Roxane fall for the dashingly handsome Christian de Neuvillette (Levi Brown), a man with the looks if not the brains that Roxane demands, he becomes the voice behind another man’s wooing, ghostwriting his rival’s terms of endearment, desperately hoping to provide the love that he believes Roxane deserves.

Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson’s adaptation — Evans’ second encounter with the play, having directed it around 20 years ago — provides a thrilling tale, crafted not only by an outstanding cast of actors, but also by a thoughtful balance between modern and classical language. The hilarious dialogue made the whole theatre laugh uncontrollably, while the emotionally moving monologues were full of romantic, rhythmic pathos.

The immersive staging, using the whole theatre with actors suddenly appearing among the audience adds to the evening’s effective comedy. Grace Smart’s stage designs are also remarkable, moving the audience smoothly through time and places, from Cyrano’s theatre to the battlefield.

In the original play, Cyrano says he has won, on a bet, a private orchestra for a day. Quite wittily, in Evans’ version, the band has apparently decided to stick with Cyrano for much longer. The gloomy yet obedient musicians quietly appear and disappear on the theatre’s balconies, on the stage and behind him, providing a heartwarming mixture of comic moments and a subtle echo of Cyrano’s feelings, sometimes before the character himself is able to acknowledge them. Outstanding amazing work from the band of actor-musicians and the composer Alex Baranowski.

There are no weak performances in the large cast of this big-hearted, bittersweet play. Lester is mesmerising and convincing as Cyrano, moving virtuously from impressive action fighting scenes to upbeat comedy and then to raw emotion. Brown, as Christian, reveals a great comic gift too. Fielding crafts Roxane as a believable character, goofy and vulnerable, allowing us to see her through Cyrano’s loving eyes and to care for her deeply too. 

This is a masterful production that tells of insecurities overshadowing even the greatest of loves — a familiar pain that makes this story so timeless.

Reviewed by Florit Shoihet

Runs until 5th September

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

Sinatra The Musical - Review

Aldwych Theatre, London

****

Written by Joe Di Pietro

Directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall

Joel Harper-Jackson

The song, dance and music in Sinatra The Musical is world-class entertainment. A ‘juke-box’ show that threads together most of Ol’ Blue Eyes’s most recognisable numbers, for those who love Sinatra’s style, flair and voice, the evening is one of sublime talent.

Joe DiPietro’s book charts Sinatra’s life from around the 1940s over a handful of decades, peppering the timeline with hit after hit, each loosely woven into the narrative.

What makes this show soar however is not so much DiPietro’s book, as the legacy of Sinatra’s work, breathed into life at the Aldwych by Joel Harper-Jackson in the title role. Harper-Jackson is sensational in both tone and presence, and if you’re lucky enough to catch a split-second glimpse of his profile from the side, the resemblance to Sinatra is uncanny. The show’s creatives have played a smart move (for the most part) in how the songs are deployed through the evening. Opening with All Of Me (that proves to be a mini-motif of the evening), a novel twist sees Come Fly With Me used as the musical backdrop to Sinatra bedding his way through Lana Turner (Becky Anderson), Judy Garland (Jenna Innes) and Marlene Dietrich (Allana Taylor).

These women were of course bit-parts in Sinatra’s life, with the most influential females turning out to be his mother Dolly (Jenna Russell), first wife Nancy (Phoebe Panaretos) and his subsequent wife Ava Gardner (Ana Villafane). This talented trifecta are handed juicy solos across the show, with Villafane shining in Nice And Easy Does It, Panateros making heartbreaking work of In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning, while Russell along with Marty Aguire as her hubby Marty, sparkles in You Make Me Feel So Young. On the night of this review Sylvie Regan was Little Nancy, who sang with an enchantingly commanding presence.

If there is a criticism of the show it is Joe DiPietro’s wafer-thin book, the years playing out with a bland predictability. Aside from Russell’s fiercely matriarchal mamma, there is barely any humour at all, the mark of the perfect juke-box musical being that it can carry one’s interest in between the songs. There are moments during the dialogue when the evening drags. We already know that Sinatra was a serial womaniser with links to the Mob – Di Pietro sheds little new light on the singer’s journey. And deciding that Sinatra should sing The Way You Look Tonight to Little Nancy as she prepares to accompany him to the Academy Awards is the absolute depth of sugary, cutesy, kitsch albeit beautifully sung.

Those looking for Sinatra's classics will not be disappointed. That's Life and My Way bookend the interval, while New York, New York is gifted to the audience as a singalong number during the finale.

Kathleen Marshall directs and choreographs with flair, while Dave Rose’s 17-piece band are sensational (and don’t forget to stay for the exit music when each band member riffs a stunning solo!)

Lavish production values and oh, those magical songs!

Booking unti 10th April 2027

Photo credit: Brinkhoff-Moegenberg

Barnum - Review

RichmondTheatre, London

***

Music by Cy Coleman

Lyrics by Michael Stewart

Book by Mark Bramble

Directed by Jonathan O'Boyle

The cast of Barnum

After a spectacular run at Newbury’s Watermill two years ago, while this innovative actor-muso take on Coleman and Stewart’s classic musical still showcases fabulous talent, the show has lost some of its Big Top magic on the road.

Lee Mead is P.T.Barnum and to be fair, much like Matt Rawle before him, he’s a convincing king of flim-flam. Mead sings wonderfully and leads his show with an authentic enthusiasm. Not just vocally, Mead’s takes on There Is A Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute and The Colours Of My Life are magnificent, but his acting too is a blast with a stunning tight-rope act to close the first half.

Supporting Mead are original cast members including Monique Young as Charity, Barnum’s wife and Penny Ashmore as Swedish Nightingale (and Barnum’s mistress) Jenny Lind. Both remain exquisite, Young still breaking our hearts with her take on The Colours Of My Life.

But while the circus skills are breathtaking throughout and the actor-muso take on the score, delightful, the demands on one’s imagination that made General Tom Thumb and Jumbo the Elephant seem so glorious at Newbury, seem little more than bona-fide baloney when squeezed into the cramped confines of Richmond’s proscenium arch. 

If you want to see Barnum because you love the songs, then you won’t be disappointed.

Runs until 27th June, then on tour

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England - Review

Garrick Theatre, London

***

Written by Alex Hill

Directed by Sean Turner

Alex Hill

The real-life lunacy of one England fan in 2021, who did indeed insert a lighted flare between his buttocks, was the inspiration for Alex Hill's fictional drama. In this one-hander, Hill plays Billy, a young man used by Hill so the production notes advise, to explore toxic masculinity.

Hill's writing is vivid and his performance throughout the 75 minute one-act piece sensational. His energy - and ability to adlib where necessary - are hallmarks of a production that has been honed in the harsh intimacy of the Edinburgh Fringe. Hill plays Billy, a Wimbledon fan, who we follow through his drug and alcohol-fuelled football fanaticism and hooligan violence, through his relationship with a girl that we know is doomed to failure from the outset and ultimately to the incident with the flare.

Notwithstanding Hill's terrific acting, his characterisation is far too stereotyped. Billy is portrayed as an uneducated white working class male, with Hill inviting us to laugh (sneer?) at the young man's lack of sophistication.

Of course we do not know the real journey that 2021's idiot to perform such a dangerous act, with Hill's writing being disappointingly cliched in its narrative. Fo an audience member with little or no knowledge of football, seeing this play is only likely to deepen pre-existing prejudices about the beautiful game.

After three successful years at the Edinburgh Fringe and a brief UK tour, Alex Hill's play made a one-night appearance at London's Garrick Theatre before crossing the Atlantic next month for a 10-night run in New York.

A cliched script, albeit stunningly performed.

Performing at Soho Playhouse, New York from 8th - 18th July

Photo credit: Rah Petherbridge

Beshert - Review

*****

Written by Gary Enkin

Directed by Lewis Rose

2025 - 19 minutes

Anton Lesser and Kit Rakusen

Winner of the 2025 Pears Short Film Fund award, Beshert is a perfectly crafted 20-minute drama. Set in Leeds, Oliver Simon is approaching his barmitzvah while having been set a Care In The Community assignment from his school to visit an elderly resident in a local care home. On stumbling into the curmudgeonly Mr Pinsky the most charming and touching friendship evolves between (the unbeknownst to Oliver, dying) Pinsky and the convincingly awkward adolescent.

To say much more about the plot would spoil things and it’s only a short movie anyway, but what shines out from Beshert is its beautifully worded script from 70 year old newcomer(!) Gary Enkin that touches on moments of powerfully poignant tenderness while completely swerving sugary cliché. The relationships are played out with authenticity – with Pinksy’s final scene offering the most exquisitely understated depiction of hope emerging from devastating sadness. 

Of course it is not just the script. The young Kit Rakusen is Oliver while the venerable and accomplished Anton Lesser plays Pinsky, the spark between the pair proving electrifying. As Pinsky coaxes Oliver into embracing rather than resenting his barmitzvah, so too does the young boy re-ignite a spark of warmth and compassion in the old man. 

Lewis Rose directs with perfectly pitched nuance, and the whole affair is graced by a score from the always talented Erran Baron Cohen.

This movie is not just beshert, it’s beautiful.

Photo credit: Joanne Davidson