Farewell Mister Haffmann - Review

Park Theatre, London

***

Written by Jean-Philippe Daguerre

Translated by Jeremy Sams

Directed by Oscar Toeman

Nigel Harman and Jemima Rooper

Blending history with fiction, Jean-Phillipe Daguerre’s narrative explores Paris under Nazi occupation in the early 1940s.

Alex Waldmann is the titular Parisian jeweller, a Jew who transfers the ownership of his business to his Catholic employee Pierre (Michael Fox) to avoid it being seized by the Nazis. Haffmann also requests of Pierre that he and his wife Isabelle (Jennifer Kirby) move into the flat above the jewellery shop, with the hope that the couple will provide sufficient decoy to enable the jeweller to avoid deportation to the concentration camps. Not long into the establishment of this ménage-a-trois, we learn that Pierre is infertile and that a bizarre deal is to be brokered in which Haffmann is to impregnate Isabelle. This is an improbable storyline at best, which for the audience’s disbelief to be effectively suspended, requires actors of the highest calibre. Unfortunately the hard-working trio lack a convincing chemistry and so the first hour or so of this 90-minute, one-act play makes for soggy and unconvincing drama.

However - much like the way Steven Spielberg made the audience wait 80 minutes before revealing the shark in his movie Jaws, the evening’s final third is electric, as Otto Abetz (Nigel Harman), Hitler’s real-life ambassador to France together with his wife Suzanne (Jemima Rooper) arrive as the dinner guests of Pierre and Isabelle.

Harman’s Nazi is clipped and manicured and in a performance that must surely be up for an Offie nomination, his manifestation of the Third Reich’s evil proves as mesmerising as Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds. Rooper’s drunken Suzanne is equally entertaining.

There maybe moments when Farewell Mister Haffmann feels like a long-haul but hang in there, Nigel Harman is sensational!

Runs until 12th April

Photo credit: Mark Senior

Lunch and The Bow Of Ulysses - Review

Trafalgar Studios, London

*****

Written by Steven Berkoff

Directed by Nigel Harman

Shaun Dooley and Emily Bruni

In a powerfully devastating and unrelentingly humorous look at the dark and unspoken truths manifest in the psyches of men and women after decades spent together in a relationship, the double header of Steven Berkoff’s Lunch and The Bow of Ulysses at Trafalgar Studios is gripping theatre that will possibly provide less than comfortable cab rides home for some of the couples in the audience.

Starting with Lunch, the audience is introduced to the plays’ only characters played by Emily Bruni and Shaun Dooley, on a beach (outstandingly minimalist and effective set design from Lee Newby) and portrays the raw passion, emotion, insecurities and yearning that comes during those first moments of courtship - that first night, week, month are frequently referenced - between two eventual life partners. Bruni and Dooley create a stand out chemistry that offers a profound fluidity to the show.

Fast forwarding from that initial encounter on the beach, the audience are presented with their second course, the Bowl of Ulysses. Transported through the rabbit hole of reality, mundanity and time itself the two characters are 20 years older, with Nigel Harman coaxing a harrowing contrast in tone, performance, humour and light heartedness.

It is undeniable how time and life has transformed the pair, but without special effects (or even makeup), just a change of coat and a tying up of the hair, the deliverance of this clear passing of time by just their stage presence is a credit to the performers.

Berkoff is clearly an equal opportunities writer as he points out the numerous and apparent flaws of both sexes. We see his characters launch consecutively devastating attacks on each other in the form of mini monologues with cross hairs aimed solely at the inadequacies of the other, each more brutal and razor sharp than the last.

Ringing throughout the evening is a scorching reality in both script and performance. The production acts as one giant mirror, compelling the audience to look in horror yet all the while wearing smile as they enjoy the and enjoying the show’s potent dark flavours.

To call the plays uncompromising in their articulation of people’s need for companionship and all the wonderful and stark flaws of our species would be an understatement. Whether you walk away from this play electrified or shaken, there is an undeniable honesty in Berkoff’s masterpiece.

Runs until 5th November

Reviewed by Josh Kemp

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

Shrek The Musical - Review

The Lowry Theatre, Manchester


***


Music by Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics and book by David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Nigel Harman

The Company

As the Shrek UK tour draws to a close, it was fun to catch up with the show’s final week at Manchester’s Lowry Theatre.

Long long ago, before Shrek became a stage musical, it was an award winning DreamWorks movie that stole the hearts of adults and children alike. Upon its release in 2001, Shrek won the first ever Academy award for Best Animated Feature, as well as receiving countless nominations at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes.

The story follows the tale of loveable ogre, Shrek and his trusted steed Donkey, as they head out on a quest to rescue the Princess Fiona from a dragon-guarded tower. Meanwhile and elsewhere, formidable if miniscule and extremely short tempered Lord Farquad has banished the Kingdom’s fairy-tale creatures to exile In Shrek’s swamp home.

From the get go, the set engages the audience with vibrant colours and fabulous detail, throwing us into Shrek’s fairytale theme. The writing sparkles, with numerous references to other big musicals including Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Wicked – and when the Dragon (brilliantly voiced by Candace Furbert) is revealed, the detail of the puppetry behind the creature is exquisite and almost identical to the creature in the film.

Shrek, played by Dean Chisnall is an instantly likeable character, notwithstanding a few accent wobbles. A few bars into his first song however and the audience was left with no worries. He is a fabulous performer with a voice that would leave most envious!

Idriss Kargbo’s Donkey is a lovably hilarious character with perfect comedic timing, effortless charm and strong vocals. Likewise Bronté Barbé, who played the tomboyish Princess Fiona with a committed performance and impressive dancing, though their might just have been a hint of end-of-tour fatigue creeping into both of these performances. 

Gerard Carey however was a delight as the dastardly Lord Farquad. The tour's director Nigel Harman had originated this role in the UK in an Olivier-winning performance at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane back in 2011, so one might perhaps a touch of excellence here. Carey’s vocals are good but it’s his character that really steals the show. His commitment to the role is genius and his comic timing and the way he has adapted to performing the whole show on his knees to adopt the illusion of being so particularly short, deserves praise indeed! 

Overall the show itself is fantastic, the ensemble are tight and perform powerful and impressive numbers that entertain and enlighten. Whilst this tour maybe ending, Jeanine Tesori’s bright and uplifting music and David Lindsay Abaire’s witty lyrics should ensure that Shrek remains a family favourite for many years to come.

Guest reviewer: Charlotte Darcy

I Can't Sing!

Palladium, London

****

Music and lyrics by Steve Brown

Book and additional lyrics by Harry Hill

Directed by Sean Foley 

SINCE THIS REVIEW WAS PUBLISHED, I CAN'T SING! HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS TO CLOSE ON MAY 10 2014

MY COMMENTS ON THAT CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT CAN BE FOUND HERE. 

Nigel Harman

Christmas has come early to the London Palladium as I Can't Sing! - The X Factor Musical lampoons modern Britain in a hilarious pantomime of a show. Merciless in its satirical view on Simon Cowell, the judges and all of the rituals that comprise the eponymous talent show, nor stinting in mocking itself, this is a glorious festival of frivolity, that also carries a message both about and to, a modern cynical audience.

The “boy meets girl” story may be a shallow cliché, yet around this cheesy structure, Harry Hill has crafted moments of comic brilliance. Speaking to The Stage newspaper after opening night Cowell, who has co-produced the show, says of Hill that "in TV Burp he used to take the piss out of (the X Factor) every week, but in a really fun way. He approached it with a sense of humour and observation" and it's that observation that gives this show it's bite. Contestants, hosts and celebrities are mocked perceptively, yet amongst the satire and the corny romance, there's a number in the first act sung by the show’s two lovebirds, Missing You Already, that combines honest emotion with on screen projections of the lyrics transcribed into tender text messages. It’s a clever touch that speaks to today's teenagers.

But the real strength of I Can’t Sing! lies in the human talents on and off stage. Nigel Harman's portrayal of Cowell is a brave assault on a living icon. Harman pulls it off, notably in the lavish tap number Uncomplicated Love, giving the media tycoon a strong hint of Chicago's Billy Flynn. Preposterously overstated maybe, but it works. The reality show's host, Dermot O'Leary is similarly scrutinised with Simon Bailey's brilliant Liam O'Deary being the (cynical) highlight of the evening. The heroine, Chenice, who hails from the wrong side of the tracks is accompanied everywhere by her pet dog Barlow and building upon his puppetry skills deployed in Avenue Q, Simon Lipkin animates the dog with flair and pinpoint wit. Katy Secombe (a spitting image of dad Harry) gives a cracking turn as a Susan Boyle supermarket misfit whilst playing the other half of the loving leads, Alan Morrissey puts in a credible shift as Max, a ukulele playing plumber with an alter ego as a singer songwriter.

Simon Lipkin, Cynthia Erivo, Alan Morrissey

It is however in Cynthia Erivo’s creation of Chenice, that this show has cemented the reputation of one of the West End’s newest stars. Playing a typically ditsy self-deprecating heroine who through the show learns to believe in herself, it is not until 40 minutes into the first half when Erivo sings the title number, that she displays her vocal process. Chenice is yet another stunning performance from this elegantly framed lady whose voice is sweet, rare and profoundly powerful. When she sings, she captivates and even though it is Harman’s name that tops the bill, it is Erivo who deservedly takes the final curtain call.

In many respects I Can’t Sing! is a glorious celebration of contemporary British musical theatre. Blessed with tycoon producers who have been able to invest millions in a show that notwithstanding being totally bonkers, actually strings together some good tunes, some great gags and all on a set that designer Es Devlin has been allowed to spend a fortune upon, all makes for a fun night out. It's not perfect though. Some of the writing is a tad too silly and the ending will leave jaws dropped at such a flamboyant re-definition of “ridiculous”. There is also little to appeal to foreign tourists who will be unfamiliar with the ridicule of our domestic idiosyncrasies and even more importantly, among the home market that consumes Cowell’s broadcast output, many will find the price of London tickets prohibitive. The show may well not be due the longest of runs at the Palladium, but it sure as heck deserves to tour. The regions have contributed much to Cowell’s wealth and they are entitled to this show being taken on the road.

I Cant Sing! presents a technically excellent company delivering clever and innovative work. And in Cynthia Erivo’s performance, one is surely witnessing what has to be the West End’s very own X Factor.

Now booking through 2014