Taboo - 2013 cast

Brixton Club House, London

****

Book: Mark Davies Markham

Music & lyrics : Boy George

Director: Christopher Renshaw

Jordan-Luke Gage as Marilyn

Chris Renshawe’s site specific revival of Taboo at the Brixton Club House, set an ambitious aim for an off West End production even with its initial longer than usual performance run of three months. That run has itself now been extended to six months, with some cast changes, which speaks volumes for the foresight of producers Danielle Tarento and Bronia Buchanan in staging this still provocative even if mildly, but nonetheless deliciously, dated show. It is thus a delight to re-visit the production to witness not only seasoned performers three months in, but also to observe the latest cohort of freaks to join this outlandish troupe as they perform The Boy George Musical.

The book traces photographer Billy from teenage to adulthood as he discovers his sexuality within the ambivalent and decadent world of the 1980’s London club scene. Billy, his parents and girlfriend Kim are fictional creations, but the people and freaks that they encounter were living cultural icons of their time.  Amongst these real life caricatures, Leigh Bowery was a flamboyant inspiration of the mid 1980’s London club scene. An obese Australian, whose outlandishly made-up visage contributed to the Punk/New Romantic cultural crossover of the times, he is played in the show by Sam Buttery, a finalist from TVs The Voice. A flamboyant Oscar Wilde like creation, we encounter Bowery whilst he cottages and his character’s arc through to an early HIV-AIDS related death, leads to one of the show’s moments of poignant tragedy. With I’ll Have You All, Bowery shocks and laughs as he touches upon the men from all reaches of society who have rented his sexual services, yet with Ich Bin Kunst, (transl “I Am Art”)  he sings honestly and powerfully of his impact upon the world. Bowery’s closest friend of the time was (Big) Sue Tilley, played by Katie Kerr who like Buttery, has been with the run since commencement. Sue’s love and support for Bowery deepens through the story and as her friend finally succumbs, Kerr’s stunning rendition of Il Adore reduced much of the house to sobs.

Phillip Sallon, another key pillar of the gay/club (anti) establishment, continues to be played deliciously and flamboyantly by the talented Paul Baker. Equally at ease in leading the line as he is in engaging with provocative ad-lib banter, Baker is a consummate professional and a talented singer. Petrified, sung prone following a homophobic beating provides another moment of raw human grief that Mark Davies Markham draws into the spotlight of his book.

Amongst the new cast members, Julia Worsley’s Josie, Billy’s mother, gives a powerful performance as a woman ridiculed by her ignorant abusive husband before eventually and very publicly being confronted with her son’s homosexuality. Worsley digs deep for her character and her gut-wrenching Talk Amongst Yourselves proves a highlight of act one. Josie’s self-discovery and re-working of family relationships in the second act are further displays of both the depth and breadth of Worsley’s craft.

Boy George and Billy are played by debutants Paul Treacy and Alex Jordan-Mills. Both performers shine, yet both also suggest that they have more in the tank to offer. Boy George in particular was a keystone character of his era and represents a challenge to any performer. Both these young actors are likely to grow in both confidence and stature as the run continues. Devon-Elise Johnson brings an innocent fragility to Kim, at heart a sweet and innocent naïve thrust into a harsh and freakish world. As she discovers Billy’s betrayal of her and sings Pretty Lies, she displays a set of pipes that belie her age. She is without doubt an actress to look out for.  

Owain Williams’ Steve Strange, a portrayal of yet another ancient icon who was in fact amongst the press night audience, is a small role wonderfully delivered. Williams, who also originated the role in this production, has matured wonderfully over the run and his interaction with his character’s real life counterpart was a delight. Jordan-Luke Gage’s new boy interpretation of Marilyn is an entertaining and accurate depiction that chimed well with those of the audience able to recollect the era.

The show is a technical treat, performed on a catwalk that runs through the Club House bar, with every available inch of space used to tell its tale. It remains a highlight of the capital’s fringe and with its intoxicating blend of outrage, tragedy and biting satirical comedy, continues to be a grand night out in Brixton.

 

Runs to March 31 2013

Taboo - Review

Brixton Club House, London

This review was first published in The Public Reviews

*****

Book: Mark Davies Markham

Music & lyrics : Boy George

Director: Christopher Renshaw



Matthew Rowland as Boy George
Picture by Roy Tan

Taboo is an updated and re-imaged take on a show that first arrived in London a decade ago.  Staged upon an intriguing catwalk that seductively threads its way through the audience exploiting every facet of this unusual venue’s intimacy, one senses that director Renshaw, who created the original concept of the show with Boy George in the last millennium, is delivering authentic excellence. 

Paul Baker reprises the role of Phillip Sallon that he created in 2002. Act one opens with his Ode to Attention Seekers and his command of the audience is startling. His make up is vivid with his perfect poise and movement setting the tone for the production’s descent into the sexually ambivalent world of London’s club scene.

The show’s story follows rookie photographer Billy who we meet living with his parents. As the programme notes comment, it’s Billy’s lens that captures the world of the 1980s that surrounds him. One of the BBC’s Josephs, Alistair Brammer plays Billy with just the right combination of strength, naivete and curiosity. His mum and dad are the West End stalwarts Sarah Ingram and Michael Matus. Ingram’s performance as a mother who initially struggles to accept her son’s sexuality is touchingly crafted, whilst Matus portrays the misogynist and intolerant father with a chilling degree of slobbish ordinariness. Matus plays two other small but critical roles in the show with breathtakingly slick costume and make-up changes.

Sallon introduces Billy to the hedonistic world of Boy George and his assistant Kim where love soon blossoms between the photographer and the girl. Whilst Kim is attracted to Billy, so too is Boy George. Billy becomes an emotional pinball ricocheting between his desire for Kim and finding the sexual attentions of the singer irresistible. As he deflowers Kim, so in turn is he deflowered by Boy George. Playing Kim, Niamh Perry a BBC Nancy and now a young and accomplished West End star, is a convincingly vulnerable young adult. She sings Pretty Lies, in which she confronts Billy’s betrayal of her, with a vocal performance that is as powerful as it is pained.

Matthew Rowland quite simply IS Boy George. Making his professional debut, Rowland evokes the singer’s immediately recognisable look, style and affectation. He charts George’s rise to fame and drug fuelled collapse in a tour de force performance. For those old enough to remember the 80s, to look at Rowland is to step back in time. Leigh Bowery is a slightly lesser known character from that era who ran the Taboo Club. Obese, flamboyant and literally larger than life, Sam Buttery ( a finalist on BBC’s The Voice ) is yet another professional debutante who dominates his scenes with confidence and clarity. His remarkable make up changes, designed by Christine Bateman, expertly applied by backstage assistants from Greasepaint school.  Owain Williams as Steve Strange and Adam Bailey as Marilyn complete the set of instantly recognisable faces of the age, each captured in performances that combine both character and caricature. Anne Vosser’s casting has been exceptional. 

Together with Bronia Buchanan, Danielle Tarento has again produced a theatrical masterpiece, supported by talented creatives. Mike Nicholls’ costumes evoke both Punk and New Romanticism.  Howard Hudson lights the confined spaces of the club ingeniously and Graham Simpson’s sound design ensures that the cast are clearly heard against the sound of Matt Smith’s three piece band, whilst choreographer Frank Thompson’s dance exploits every aspect of the performance space.

Blending fable with fact and new talent with established troupers, this flawless production is quite possibly one of the best shows to open in London this year.

Runs until December 23