A Spoonful of Sherman - Review

Live at Zedel, London



****

Daniel Boys and Helena Blackman

It’s a surefire treat after a hard day of toil or tourism, to slip into the comfort of an collection of songs from the Sherman dynasty. In a show last seen at what is now The Other Palace, Robert J. Sherman (Robbie)  4th generation tunesmith and son/nephew of the legendary Sherman Brothers (Richard M. and Robert B.) has brought his carefully curated compilation across London for a two week residence in the Art Deco charm of the Crazy Coqs’, Live at Zedel.

The gig is badged as The Songbook Of Your Childhood – and the description is spot on. Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book, two of Walt Disney’s biggest hits of the 1960s were scored by the Sherman Brothers and if one then throws in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from James Bond’s Ian Fleming, the place of the pair in songwriting’s pantheon is assured.

50 songs are referenced in a 90 minute whirl as  Sherman offers fascinating glimpses of narrative into the lives of his antecedents. That the set list also includes such pop hits as You’re Sixteen and Let’s Get Together only evidences the breadth of the Sherman Brothers’ careers.

As one would expect, performers Helena Blackman and Daniel Boys bring a crisp technical skill to the numbers, with glimpses of the songs’ original magic occasionally shining through. Boys positively relishes every moment of Wind’s In The East, giving a passionate enthusiasm to his performance that would more than match any of the stage Berts that have preceded him. Christopher Hamilton accompanies the pair on the piano, with a turn that spills into a celebration of irreverent excellence, including a stunning take on The Ugly Bug Ball.

Robbie’s recent offering of Bumblescratch makes up a pleasing portion of the second half, but for all the family’s multi-generational talent, this show lives and breathes the genius of the Sherman Brothers. Love, laughter and history – it’s all here in a charming evening’s entertainment.

Runs until 20th August

Emerald

Landor Theatre, London

***

Book & lyrics by Chris Burgess

Music by Denise Wright

Directed by Nikolai Foster

Emerald at the Landor Theatre was a rather special occasion in the From Page To Stage season that is running at this Clapham cockpit of musical theatre creativity. Whilst (only) a rehearsed reading from the book, it was nonetheless a pitch perfect delivery of the show’s musical numbers, in a performance of such fidelity that it could have easily passed muster as a top notch radio play, such was the company’s vocal excellence.

The programme documents Emerald’s extensive workshopping to date, however the show remains very much in development and as a story it sits fairly and squarely in the shadow of Bill Forsyth’s 1983 movie, Local Hero:  Big corporation seeks to exploit local village to exploit oil/gold resources and the villagers win. Forsyth’s story (albeit Scottish, whereas Emerald is set on the Irish west coast) was more magical and whimsical and Chris Burgess’ book and lyrics for the most part fail to enchant and transport in the way that good musical theatre should do. The writers say in a programme note that the tale transcends nationality, going on to say, by way of example, that one does not need to be Argentinian to appreciate Evita. Whilst they have a point in principle, their comparison is conceited. Evita was majestic and global, Emerald is compact  and parochial, with a story that lacks originality. Notwithstanding, Nikolai Foster has worked his usual magic to achieve some beautiful sounds from this outstanding troupe.

West End leading lady and former soap star Claire Sweeney heads the cast as Grace, a New Yorker who journeys to the Emerald Isle in search of her roots. Sweeney is one of the few Brits who as Paulette has played an Irishwoman in the USA, in Legally Blonde and here reverses nationalities to play a Yank in Ireland. She has a large singing role in the show and two of her duets above all stood out, Everyday and I Never Wanted To Want You, the latter, with love interest Mulcahy played by the muscular and gorgeously voiced Glenn Carter, showing a real vocal chemistry between the singers. Helena Blackman put in the finely voiced turn that we have come to expect from this Maria finalist, her Hopeless was wonderful, whilst her paramour Oliver, played by Jon Paul Hevey , was an absolute aural delight as a hopelessly idiotic young Irishman in love with her. The surprise performance of the night came from veteran Sidney Livingstone as elderly villager Theo, who struck emotional gold with his beautiful number First Love.

Sarah Travis puts in a fine shift at the piano, with playing that was at all times perfectly nuanced, but the star of this reading is Nikolai Foster, who brings every voice to a perfect delivery and whose company work was stunning with some incredibly structured harmonies in the ensemble numbers with Black Pig in particular being a song that was spine-tingling to listen to.

It is hard to discern if there is a broad commercial future for this show. It needs a producer to take it on to the next step and its book needs some serious stiffening up. The production also needs to break away from the Local Hero mould to provide a more stimulating and unique journey. Nonetheless, as an opportunity to peak “behind the scenes” at some industry greats working hard to support the development of new writing, the evening was a privileged treat.

Impotent

Lion & Unicorn Theatre, London


****

Written by Matt Reed

Directed [edited and with additional text] by Graham Hubbard

Helena Blackman and Rebecca Crookshank

Britain has always had a love affair with the comic potential of the knob-gag and as a nation we have long found the penis to be an irresistible subject of humour. In a play that could easily have been re-titled Carry On *** ( for *** insert anything at all to do with erectile dysfunction), Matt Reed’s Impotent (stop sniggering) is at times a hilarious but always provocative discourse on this most private and personal of conditions.

Set mainly in the NHS consulting room of elegant female therapist Dr Lane, the first act follows five men through their individual sessions with the doctor, whilst act two sees all the patients assembled for a group therapy session. Reed introduces most of the men’s individual sessions with a brief soliloquy to the audience from the woman in their lives who was their partner at the time of the sexual failure. All of these different women are played hilariously by the talented Jessie May, in a range that stretches from a refined country lady, through to a Serbian prostitute and May's mastery of accent and poise is one of the play’s highlights. Making further occasional interjections into the narrative are the clinic’s receptionist Kelly and her brutish alpha male of a carpet-fitter boyfriend, Tommy. Kelly is performed by Rebecca Crookshank (who boasts an astonishing career in the RAF before taking up acting) and who is another of the production’s star turns. Her scouse character who dreams of setting up her own beauty salon, delightfully totters across the stage displaying a calculated cocktail of thinly veiled contempt for the patients that she has to deal with 9-5, whilst managing her own desperate domestic insecurity that stallion Tommy, played by Randall Lyon, might stray. Lyon is another cracking performer. Whilst his character may not be an intellectual, his physical presence is as eloquent as his words and the frequent frantic (offstage) copulation of this pair is a neat contrast to the frustrations of the suffering five.

First of the flaccids is Don Cotter’s Keith, playing a guy in his late fifties, whose marriage along with his performance, has wilted. Cotter is a master of the mundane, representing perhaps the man that Frank Spencer (if you can remember Michael Crawford’s comic creation) may have grown into. When whilst being asked by Dr Lane about what arouses him sexually, specifically as to what he uses to masturbate over and Cotter replies with the words: “my pyjamas”, he also demonstrates a mastery of comic timing and delivery.

The story’s second struggler is actuary Gareth. Tom Durant-Pritchard’s portrayal of the unfortunate young professional is a masterclass in characterisation. He nails the bumbling awkward sexual inadequacy of a gauche young man with such pinpoint precision that if Durant-Pritchard has any buddies working in the City, they should be looking to themselves to check that this portrayal was not inspired by them!

The one gay patient is Joe with another perceptive performance that is delivered by Paul Harnett. His delivery is probably the smuttiest of the quintet, but his perfunctory descriptions of his struggles as a young gay man also bear a ring of touching credibility.

Nik Drake is Saul, an assertive young man and an interestingly created character, not lacking in self confidence. His eloquence is perhaps the most realistic of all five, with Reed giving Saul very little comedy to hide behind. Drake’s sensitive portrayal of this challenging yet frustrated young man defines some of the play’s more troubling arguments.

The final patient is Gordon played by established actor Neil Stewart. A larger than life, loudly spoken Guardianista, Gordon is the epitome of the clichéd man who is large mouthed but nonetheless modestly endowed. His character is the most angry of the bunch and Stewart delivers him well as a toothless tiger, angry with the world yet struggling, if barely able, to accept his own flaws.

As Dr Lane, Helena Blackman has a marathon role. On stage throughout and with a part that is mammoth in length, her elegance and sophistication shine as she struggles to chart a course of compassionately listening to and caring for her patients whilst at the same time maintaining professional boundaries. When the storyline suggests that these boundaries may become blurred, Blackman’s portrayal of a woman caught between desire and duty is masterful. She, along with the entire troupe, has been superbly cast.

Reed’s writing is perceptive and unforgiving and through most of the play he sharply cuts to the bone of social and sexual mores as well as good old fashioned gags, with Graham Hubbard directing his writing well. The second act therapy session however stretches a good idea too far. In the creation of therapist Dominique, Reed gives Jessie May her one character of the evening who through no fault of the actress whatsoever, is the least credible.

Producers Oliver Taheri and Michael James-Cox have delivered a production based upon sound values, with particular credit to Taheri who has performed a gruelling pantomime schedule throughout the weeks leading up to and beyond this show's opening night. Impotent is a play that is above all a delightful, funny and sometimes very poignant look at one aspect of how some of life’s modern challenges are tackled.

Runs until Saturday January 26

A Winter's Tale - Review

Landor Theatre, London

****

Book by Nick Stimson

Music & lyrics by Howard Goodall

Developed & directed by Andrew Keates

 

This review was first published in The Public Reviews

In his programme notes, Howard Goodall says that A Winters Tale is a play that he has long wanted to adapt and it shows. Goodall’s quintessentially English sound resonates throughout the production and the care that he has lavished on composing this work is evident.

Converting a classic into a musical, though, is fraught with peril. Shakespeare’s tale, described variously as a comedy and also as a romance, paints a famous picture not only of misplaced jealousy, deception and anger, but also of hope, forgiveness and love and, with divine intervention, a remarkably happy ending. It’s a story that should lend itself perfectly to a musical theatre treatment. However , whilst Shakespeare’s original lasted in excess of three hours Goodall’s shorter oeuvre has filleted it to the bone, retaining the skeleton of the plot but, particularly in the second act, stretching the book’s credibility almost to breaking point – a risky approach with any fairy tale.

Andrew Keates has nonetheless attracted a cast and creative team of the highest standard to deliver this professional world premiere. Pete Gallagher’s Leontes is imperious in his majesty and his character’s arc, from jealous aggression to broken grieving guilt, is moving and convincing. Helen Power as Ekaterina is a creation of loving honesty and integrity, yet also singing and acting with a purity and beauty that lends a believability to Leontes’ raging jealousy. Alastair Brookshaw as Polixenes, Leontes’ suspected rival, has a more fragile style of fidelity that contrasts well with Gallagher’s initially aggressive machismo.

Fra Fee is a cracking Florizel, whilst Abigail Matthews enchants as Perdita. Her character’s youthful loving innocence had more than a whiff of May Tallentire from Goodall’s The Hired Man, whilst her song The Same Sun Shines, evoked harmonies from that same show’s number No Choir of Angels. Helena Blackman brings an elegant excellence to Paulina, making her a worthy foil to the king’s bombast and bluster and Christopher Blade’s Camillo gives life to a minor part that remains critical to the story. Ciaran Joyce’s comic Rob brings perfectly timed ridicule in the song Sheep and Denis Delahunt’s elderly shepherd Melik is a delightfully wise buffoon.

For a story set in Sicily and central Europe, Goodall eschews Italian influence as well as Bohemian rhapsody . While the story roams across continental borders and oceans, this cast speaks with brogues of broadest Cockney, Irish and Welsh making for A Winter’s Tale that represents a thoroughly modern continent, no matter the medieval costume style.

George Dyer’s four-piece band are perfect, Howard Hudson has again lit the Landor’s space with cunning creativity, and Martin Thomas’ design, particularly the oppressive walls that open and close to denote the different countries, is ingenious. Cressida Carré’s act one choreography again shows what miracles of movement can be delivered in the Landor’s Tardis-like performance space, though at times the act two numbers, particularly at the shearing contest, are less polished.

Like good wine, this show will improve over its run. It’s impressive on the eye, symphonic on the ear and proves that Goodall remains one of Britain’s leading composers.

Runs until 1 December