Too Many Penguins - Review

Polka Theatre, London

****

Dramaturg  Brenda Murphy

Director Heather Fulton

The review was first published in The Public Reviews

The colourful staging of Too Many Penguins

Too Many Penguins is a delightful piece of children’s theatre, aimed mainly at 3 – 4 year olds but with occasional toddler-friendly performances for 1 – 2 year olds throughout the run. Accompanied to a lunchtime performance by 21 month old Layla, The Public Reviews was able to truly gauge the impact of this Polka Theatre show upon its target audience.

Set somewhere in Antarctica, the 40 minute story revolves around a delightful Latina penguin, Penguina, and her charmingly stuffy, FT reading, polar bear of a neighbour, Mr Polaro, who amongst other things , has a responsibility for maintaining the local lighthouse. Partial to jazz, Polaro has a modest vinyl collection , played on a genuine turntable, which sets some of the show’s musical ambience, other musical interludes include a delightfully squeaky Faith by George Michael, given a distinctly Hispanic feel. Whilst Polaro is an English educated bear, Penguina speaks a pidgin language, but with sufficient key words in her vocabulary so as to be understood by the toddler audience.

When the mischievous Penguina is not scribbling on the lighthouse , to gasps of disbelief from the audience at such naughtiness, she is busy welcoming numerous members of her family who have come to visit. The arrival of boat and car and balloon loads of cuddly penguins that follows is delightful, and the ingenious nature of the production’s simple effects had the children wide eyed in amazement.

By the time the tale is told, a couple of dozen penguins are sharing the stage with Penguina and Polaro and when they are gently thrown into the audience for a participative finale the shrieks of delight are a joy.

Samuel Jameson and Clare Fraenkel perform the piece, cleverly costumed so as to be recognisable as bear and penguin, but open-faced so as not to be in any way frightening to the children.

Layla did not stop smiling throughout the performance, clapping her hands before the show was ended such was her appreciation of the excellence on display. The Polka is a wonderful venue, aimed exclusively at children and their parents or carers and this production entertains and stimulates amongst a sea of grinning faces.

In repertory until February 16 2013

All The Fun of The Fair Special Edition DVD - Review

E rated - Exempt from classification

***

Writer: Jon Conway

Music & lyrics : David Essex

Director : Nikolai Foster

David Essex as fairground owner Levi Lee

Following a successful UK tour, the Special Edition DVD of David Essex’s All The Fun of The Fair has just been released. The staged version was reviewed earlier at London’s New Wimbledon Theatre ( see below, or here) with the DVD being recorded later in the run, at Sheffield’s Lyceum.

Opening with an eerie Wall of Death montage not previously seen on stage that sets the scene for the emotional roller-coaster of fairground life that the show depicts, close up the production is almost as effective recorded as it is live. The story’s finale in particular is as inspiring and spine tingling on the small screen as it is on stage.

The DVD has been produced simply but carefully. The sound recording is excellent, missing neither word nor beat and the camera angles whilst at times simplistic, are neatly planned. No cameras or cranes are ever in shot and the atmosphere of having been captured before a live theatre audience is effectively maintained. Nearly all of the cast perform well given the closer scrutiny of the video lens, in particular Tim Newman, Susan Hallam-Wright and,  playing her enchanting Irish Romany, Louise English. Those watching on a large screen may observe that David Essex certainly looks a weathered 65 years but, as originally reviewed, the unique tone of his voice is timeless. What is also clear from the close-ups is Essex's natural enthusiasm for his show which remains the one “Juke Box Musical” that actually features the artist on whose songs the show is based.

Nikolai Foster , who directed both stage show and recording has produced a DVD that is fun and faithful to the original. If your mum, your nan or even your man is an Essex fan, then this will make for a wonderful Xmas gift.

Available for GBP 14.99 from http://www.davidessex.com/shop/

ORIGINAL REVIEW OF THE STAGE SHOW

All The Fun of The Fair is a rare piece of musical theatre. Unashamedly a feel-good "juke box musical" , it is also, perhaps the only such show that actually boasts the original artiste as lead performer.  The publicity proclaims David Essex’s name, as boldy as the title of the show itself, and without doubt it is his presence that provides the foundation to the show’s strengths.

The audience enters to a drape across the stage, proclaiming the daredevil Wall of Death fairground motor cycle ride. That image, mixed with the opening number, a haunting rendition of A Winters Tale sung by Rosa, the Irish fortune teller, sets the scene for a story that will inevitably lead to tragedy.

The storyline of the show is un-complicated, cleverly written around many of the star’s well –known songs.

Several love interests are portrayed. As Rosa, Louise English reprises the role she delivered in the West End last year. Her knowing smile and flowing skirts portray a woman fully capable of the potential to steal the heart of Essex’s  Levi, the fairground owner.

Levi’s rebellious son Jack, falls for Alice, the daughter of a disapproving London gangster and as this romance blossoms, Jack spurns the lifelong desire felt for him by Mary, Rosa’s daughter, with whom he has grown up within the fairground community. Whilst at times the “rebellious child” storyline wears a little thin, there is a moment of unexpected  poignancy in the bond that develops between Levi and the orphaned roustabout Jonny, a teenager with learning difficulties who has been with the fair since a small child. When Levi eventually addresses Jonny as “son” the young man’s overwhelming response movingly portrays how even the most simple of family relationships, that of father and son, is so precious to a young person who has only ever dreamed of receiving such affection.

While Levi and Rosa play out their own complicated love story, Alice, Mary and Jack are tangled in a love triangle of their own. As Alice , Tanya Robb is an impressive actress , and in He Noticed Me, and later , in If I Could, her voice is a delight. Also returning from the West End run are Susan Hallam-Wright as Mary who skilfully tugs our heartstrings as she realises Jack’s love lies elsewhere and Tim Newman who portrays Jonny’s difficulties sensitively.

The stage design by Ian Westbrook evokes a fairground that has seen better days, and Ben Cracknell’s lighting subtly contributes to the on stage atmosphere. As the story unfolds the finale of Silver Dream Machine is as breathtaking as it is moving.

The songs, (nearly) all penned by Essex, are generously shared around the cast, and generally this works well. However for those of us who know David Essex from  Radio 1, rather than his more recent appearance in EastEnders, to hear Hold Me Close sung by Jack and Jonny, and not the man himself was a small disappointment. Notwithstanding, the Dodgem car ballet within that song was a joy to watch.

Without question this is a good show, even if the main draw is David Essex himself.  The man’s timbre is timeless, and the authenticity that he delivers in performing his own songs is unquestionable. When he sings, he owns the stage, and he has (mostly the women in ) the audience in the palm of his hand.

If you want a good night of romantic, escapist, musical theatre, that will leave you grinning at the end, and humming a tune, then this show undoubtedly delivers. I clapped enthusiastically at the end – many women stood !

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

Sweet Smell of Success - Review

***

Music by Marvin Hamlisch

Lyrics by Craig Carnelia

Book by John Guare

Directed by Mehmet Ergen



Stuart Matthew Price



If the aromas of this country’s recent nasty episodes of cheque-book phone-tapping journalism could be distilled they might be ironically labelled the Sweet Smell of Success. This show from Marvin Hamlisch, he of blessed memory, is a thoroughly unpleasant tale of a morally bankrupt press, with a plot that includes almost flippant nods to McCarthyism, suggested incestuous motives, suicide and murder. There is a love interest , but it merely serves as second fiddle to the devious malfeasance that drives this work.

David Bamber is JJ Hunsecker, an influential New York columnist, with an unhealthily protective attitude towards his much younger sister Susan, played by Caroline Keiff. Whilst the immorality of the press has long been a rich seam for writers, Bamber’s character however loathsome is not a patch on the grotesque media baron that was Lambert Le Roux in David Hare's Pravda. Bamber’s acting is impressive but his singing disappoints and a second act vaudeville number, whose sole purpose seems to be that of providing Hunsecker with a big song and  dance routine, is an opportunity squandered. As Sidney Falcone, a protege of manipulative journalism whose character is ruthlessly manipulated by Hunsecker,  Adrian der Gregorian is frequently reduced to acting by simply shoulder shrugging.

To the show's credit, other performances shine. Stuart Matthew Price is masterful as Dallas, the young pianist in love with Susan. It is a delight to see this actor in a large “almost lead” role that for once offers his character numerous opportunities to sing solo, as his voice is simply divine. Similarly excellent is Celia Graham in the far too minor role of cigarette girl Rita. A highlight of the evening is the belting of her character’s one and solo number, Rita’s Tune. Wonderfully mopping up a handful of the minor scene-setting roles is Russell Morton, a young man of striking presence and potential. Hamlisch’s melodies are bold and jazzy and Bob Broad’s direction of his pitch perfect 7-piece band is a beautiful evocation of time and place.

Nathan M Wright’s choreography of the ensemble numbers lacked polish on press night. It was sometimes clumsy, and whilst expensive sets may not be expected in this fine off-West End establishment, foot-perfect dance routines are and Wright should urgently drill his cast further. Mehmet Ergen’s direction also denies his actors their full potential. The show’s staging is at times poorly thought out: a crucial beating takes place on a badly lit gantry, not easily visible to a proportion of the audience and a repeated gag of the chorus appearing from an upstage pit, wears thin with repetition.

In Jason Robert Brown’s Parade one song from a journalist, Real Big News, says more about a corrupt press than this show manages in two acts. If the cast and creative team can refine its weaker points, then this production stands a chance of generating a modest whiff of success.

Runs to December 22

Lend Me A Tenor - Original London Cast Recording - CD Review

*****

Book and lyrics: Peter Sham

Music: Brad Carroll

Producer: Stewart Mackintosh and Paul Gemignani

This review was first published in The Public Reviews

Lend Me A Tenor is a deliciously silly story that makes for a wonderful CD recording. The London premiere of this production was sadly short-lived which did not do justice to the multi-faceted talent that the show presented .

Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the local opera house prepares to welcome celebrated tenor, Tito Merelli, accompanied by wife Maria, to perform Otello. Impresario Henry Saunders is desperate for the opera’s financial survival, his daughter Maggie lusts for Merelli, whilst Saunder’s Jewish shmuck of an assistant, Max, loves Maggie. Add in Saunders’ numerous ex-wives, a local diva with an over-sized ego, and a plot that involves mistaken identities, suspected corpses, bedroom doors opening and closing and trousers around ankles and Peter Sham has assembled all the components of a hilarious traditional farce, set to music.

The essence of good comedy is timing and the comic brilliance of this show lies within a number of perfectly performed duets. Early in the show, with Merelli’s late arrival in town, ‘How Bout Me’ has an eager Max ( Damian Humbley) suggesting to a panicking Saunders that he could step into the star’s shoes. Matthew Kelly shines as the opera promoter who has seen it all. Merelli eventually arrives with wife, Michael Matus and Joanna Riding, and these two stalwarts of musical theatre sing a hilarious number Facciamo L’Amor, in which he professes love for her, whilst she in turn berates him for relentless womanising. The plot thickens, and when Merelli unwittingly finds himself having consumed a powerful sleeping draft and unable to perform,he encourages Max to take his role. Their number, Be You’self is the highlight of act one, as the opera singer coaxes Max’s talents from out of the shy backstage guy. When Humbley unleashes the true power of his voice mid-way through the song, the moment is musically spectacular. Not since Valjean confronted Javert have two men created such stirring passion.

Act two sees Humbley successfully play Otello, and following the performance Sophie-Louise Dann, as diva Diane DiVane, seeks to impress Merelli with May I Have A Moment?, a whirlwind of a performance in which she spectacularly sings a breathtaking pastiche of numerous famous soprano roles and arias.

The CD captures the wit and verve of a wonderful show whilst the liner notes provide a detailed synopsis supported by lavish show photography. This recording offers the opportunity to possess a perfectly captured moment of West End excellence.

Available from Amazon and iTunes and most distributors

Victor/Victoria - Review

Southwark Playhouse, London

****

Book by Blake Edwards

Music by Henry Mancini

Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse

Directed by Thom Southerland

Anna Francolini

Yet again, the Southwark Playhouse demonstrates that whilst it may be an off West End venue underneath London Bridge station, it continues to remain a showcase of the very best of London’s performing talent, with Thom Southerland’s production of Victor Victoria.

1982 saw the release of Blake Edward’s movie of this story, ( itself based on a 1933 German tale ), written by Edwards largely as a vehicle for his wife Julie Andrews. Scored by Leslie Bricusse, whilst the film received some acclaim, it took 14 years before making the transition on to a Broadway stage, where it ran for a further 2.

The story is novel but ultimately shallow – struggling female singer discovered by an opportunistic gay actor, also down on his luck, who presents her as a man who pretends to be a woman and all set against a modicum of farce and some clichéd caricatures of homosexuals and hoodlums.  The tale would not survive on a modern West End stage, but in the intimacy of the traverse staging of the theatre’s Vault, it achieves a life that is breathtaking if only for the array of excellence that Southerland has assembled.

Anna Francolini as Victoria, who in turn performs both the title characters,  is first encountered as an impoverished Parisian singer eking out survival. Whilst the strength of this show is derived from an excellent company performance, Francolini is one of the two lynch pins that power the production. Her poise and vocal range are delightful, and her slender physique lends plausibility to the remarkable journeys of transformation that she endures. Whilst her performance ( or more likely, the story's structure ) fails to tug the heart strings, Francolini enchants with her powerful delivery and gamine beauty. For those who can recall Edward’s movie, Miss Francolini's first appearance as “Victor” is a spine-tingling moment, faultlessly re-imaging the skill of Julie Andrews’ creation.  Her costumes are outstanding and credit must also go to wig mistress Jessica Kell.

Richard Dempsey is Toddy, Victoria’s befriender and most loyal promoter and he is a delight to watch. Camp but always commanding and in control, Dempsey and Francolini are worth the ticket price alone. Exquisite acting, perfect voice and in the final scene a costume of extravagant beauty.

These two leads are supported by a cast that to a man (or woman), all excel. Kate Nelson’s gorgeously dumb blond and Michael Cotton’s bodyguard with a secret, are but two examples of an acting company that not only set the scene with their style, but also serve to flesh out their predominantly two-dimensional characters with a detail that describes both time and place, on a stage where Martin Thomas’ suggestive design is evocative but, of necessity, minimal.

Joseph Atkins' 8 piece orchestra deliver numbers that are at times almost “big-band” and their interpretations of Mancini’s melodies are a delight. Andrew Johnson’s sound design is skilfully balanced for the complex acoustics of this un-conventional venue.

The choreography of Lee Proud stuns again, with ensemble numbers and tap routines that dazzle and bear more than an occasional nod to the seductive nightclub style of  Bob Fosse. Proud’s vision adds real value to the production whilst Howard Hudson’s lighting transforms the Vault from Paris to Chicago and back again . There are occasional moments when a lead performer drifts out of the spotlight mid-song and this can be a distraction. The production's impact would be modestly improved with a follow-spot placed at each end of the traverse.

With Southerland, in this their third musical pairing, Danielle Tarento has formed a creative duo that echoes the partnership of Cameron Mackintosh and Trevor Nunn. Tarento's productions continue to be staged with an attention to detail and a commitment to outstanding production values that cannot be faulted. Whilst the story may be dated, this show offers a close-up view of musical theatre perfection in performance with singing, dancing and acting that is amongst the best that this city can offer.

Runs to 15 December

Skyfall - Review

On general release, certificate 12A

****

Skyfall is the 23^rd film in the James Bond franchise and as has been widely reported, is released to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of  Dr No, the first in the series. It’s a dark movie, featuring a Bond who, in the words of director Sam Mendes is a “combination of lassitude, boredom, depression [and] difficulty with what he's chosen to do for a living”.

The acting in Skyfall is outstanding. Whilst Daniel Craig continues to refine and define his interpretation of 007 the film introduces the elite of Britain's performing talent, the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Rory Kinnear, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw, to the various echelons of Judi Dench's MI6. Noted theatre critic Mark Shenton tweeted on seeing the film of the legacy owed to British theatre by world cinema. He is not wrong. Shenton further points out that several of these names have already gone so far as to have reached the pinnacle of playing Hamlet within their stage careers. In the current climate of public spending cuts Mendes is clearly leaving this Government department very ably staffed, pending the next Bond instalment. To witness the interaction between these performers, including Javier Bardem as the villain and even a cameo from Albert Finney towards the film’s conclusion, sees the movie mirror the stellar casting that the Harry Potter franchise has consistently attracted over the years.

Whilst the script is biting, witty and sharp, the plot disappoints and to describe the story in even the remotest detail risks spoiling. The evolution of this yarn has had a chequered path as MGM’s finances wobbled during the film’s development and it shows. The plot ultimately evolves into a British based version of Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner's The Bodyguard, an unquestionably well acted but nonetheless unfulfilling narrative.

For the fans, the classic ingredients of Bond are all there. The lines, THAT tune, and an outstanding opening sequence filmed in Turkey are all an absolute delight. Bond’s women are stylish and sexy as well as being thoughtfully fleshed out as characters, though perhaps the film could have cut back on some of the topless nudity. There is only so much of Daniel Craig’s chest that one can bear to watch over the course of two plus hours.  The film also largely plays out in London and the UK and again it is pleasing to see so much of the capital city and the nation's landscapes being exploited by Mendes in this 50^th anniversary tribute.

Whilst the photography and the performances shine, some of the action sequences and visual effects disappoint. Relatively early in the movie when a prominent London building is the target for a terrorist explosion, the Bond special effects team fail to deliver a convincing blast. It has also been widely trailed that the film features a tube train crashing. When this moment occurs, the visual effects involved in capturing the destruction of the (clearly model) train carriages are poor. The producers need to bear in mind that modern audiences have sophisticated tastes. They are accustomed to, for example,  both the excellence of the Harry Potter visual effects and also the outstanding work of James Cameron, so when in 2012, the audience is presented with a crashing Underground train that looks as authentic as Spielberg’s shark from the 1970’s, they are entitled to feel cheated. At the risk of being accused of pedantry, a minor point of location credibility also extends to the actual tube trains used. A journey in the movie through Temple tube station on the District Line is being made by a deep “tube” train, rather than the more “rectangular” stock that actually serve that line. The film is of course being marketed at a global audience, many of whom will not have the faintest idea of what carriages run on which London Underground lines. But some of that audience will be Londoners and they will watch those scenes with some part of their suspended disbelief (essential for all story telling) being gradually brought back down to earth. And when filmmakers choose to play fast and loose with even the most basic elements of consistency and respect for location, they insult  their audience's intelligence and it can leave a temporarily unsatisfying taste. On a positive note, Bond's on-foot chase of a villain through the foot tunnels of the tube station is the best such sequence since John Landis' An American Werewolf in London including an impressive and much envied slide down a deep Tube escalator. 

The climax of the movie, without revealing anything, is a shoot out between the good guys and the bad guys that relies too heavily on silhouettes machine-gunning each other and lobbing grenades and sticks of dynamite. For this sequence, less would have been more, and again a model of the final building in flames was visually disappointing.

Whilst the opening and closing chapters of this Bond tale are truly striking moments of quality cinema, it is a disappointment that the intervening narrative lacks depth and credibility. Notwithstanding, Mendes and Eon Productions have crafted a worthy and watchable adventure that demands to be savoured on the big screen before it is swallowed up for broadcast on the Sky 007 channel, if only to gasp in amazment at the opening sequence of Bond grappling with a villain on top of a moving train. A classic action movie sequence, captured brilliantly by Mendes and his crew.

James Bond is a very modern icon of very traditional British culture and this film is gloriously British. Mendes however has had his creditable turn at the wheel of this Aston Martin of the movie business. He should park the car and give the keys to Danny Boyle.