The Importance of Being Earnest - Review

National Theatre, London

****

Written by Oscar Wilde

Directed by Max Webster

The company

Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a sharply observed farce that sets improbably false identities against a gorgeously satirical examination of the hypocrisies of English society in the late 19th century. Given a makeover by Max Webster in his revival for the National Theatre’s Lyttleton stage, the production’s colourblind casting may give rise to moments of cultural inconsistency, but its performances are sublime and the cast’s delivery of Wilde’s script, exquisite

Sharon D Clarke is magnificently matriarchal as Lady Bracknell. Deliciously costumed in an African/Caribbean style, Clarke exudes commanding snobbery together with a sharp social awareness. Her interpretation of one of the canon’s most fearsome women is a delight.

As the two bachelors Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing, Ncuti Gatwa and Hugh Skinner are on point throughout, their flamboyant japery delivered with pinpoint timing. Opposite them as Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew, the subjects of their wooing, are Ronke Adekoluejo and Eliza Scanlen respectively who equally immaculately capture their roles.

But it’s not just in the five lead roles that this production excels. Richard Cant as Revd. Canon Chasuble and Amanda Lawrence as Cecily’s Governess Miss Prism absolutely nail their deliciously nuanced parts, their modest but critically important contributions to the narrative only adding to the evening’s comedy. Similarly, doubling up as the butlers in both the town and country houses of the action, there is lovely work from Julian Bleach.

Rae Smith’s scenery and costumes are a marvel although one has to question the expensively costumed, camped-up pantomimes that are performed at the opening and closing of this production. The play alone is a gorgeously crafted - it does not need such accoutrements.

Only on for a few more days and mostly sold out, if you can grab a ticket it's well worth catching!

Runs until 25th January

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

Ballet Shoes - Review

National Theatre, London

****

Written by Noel Streatfeild

In a new version by Kendall Feaver

Daisy Sequerra and Justin Salinger

Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes is given an enchanting makeover by the National Theatre. In Kendall Feaver’s adaptation, Streatfeild’s tale of the three orphaned/foundling Fossil sisters, who are fused into a family by Malcolm an eccentric but gifted paeleontologjst who places them in the care of his adopted great niece Sylvia becomes a vivid drama.

The themes of self-belief and familial love run strong through the classic yarn and under Katy Rudd’s direction and Frankie Bradshaw’s impressive designs that fill the Olivier stage, the play makes for classy modern theatre.

On the night of this review understudy Katie Singh stepped effortlessly into the role of Sylvia. Playing (Great Uncle) Malcolm together with a host of other inspirational roles throughout the evening is Justin Salinger - who provides just enough quirky unconventionality to hint at something divine in his on stage presence.

The show however belongs to the three performers playing the adolescent sisters Yanexi Enriquez, Grace Saif and Daisy Sequerra, with all three carrying the story magnificently. Their supporting company are equally strong.

In a show that has dance in its veins, Ellen Kane’s choreography displays her usual creative excellence.

The play goes at a pace through the novel, at times perhaps for younger audience members, a little too fast in show that lasts more than two and a half hours. But this is a thoughtful family show, beautifully acted and imaginatively staged.

Runs until 22nd February

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Corteo - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London

****

Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca 

Valentenya Paylevanyan

Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo has spectacularly arrived at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the company’s traditional Winter residence. The beauty of this particular show is that the festivities, joy and wonder commonly associated with the circus are combined with imagining what lies beyond life on Earth, as it follows the vivid imagination and dreams of a clown named Mauro.  What follows is a breathtaking display of skill, artistry, strength and story telling as only Cirque Du Soleil know how.

Much of the narrative takes place in a carnival like setting with the traverse stage full of jugglers, dazzling costumes and fabulous music. There are moments though, when the stage is more bare and the act more nuanced such that the show can feel a little lost in the huge auditorium.

Of course there are some standalone performances across the show. In the first act particularly, Ukrainian Valentenya Paylevanyan has the entire audience in the palm of her hand, or rather her in the palm of their hands as she floats and flies merely by the force of 4 giant helium balloons and bounced around the auditorium. 

The second half is a snappier affair, filled with some simply death-defying stunts. Ranging from Duo Straps, an aerial routine performed by Hitomi Kinokyuniya (Japan) & Oleksandr Kunytsky (Ukraine) to Roman Munim (Russia) and his Acro Ladder which at one point has the entire audience breathless and silent as he climbed to the top step the ladder. 

Corteo takes us from childhood memories such as bouncing on the bed and pillow flights or playing with puppets and dolls, right through to ex-lovers and partners in a form & style that is, as always, unique. Written and directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, there are so many aspects of growing up and life that are included within the show, with Pasca rarely missing a beat. 

Occasionally in the slapstick scenes - performed mostly in Italian - the storyline becomes a little blurred. That being said, some of the visual moments and concepts as Mauro, played by Stephane Gentilini (France), explores not only his funeral but also his journey to heaven is truly beautiful and even at times, dare one say, comforting.

At a time when the world can in so many ways feel divided, it is a pleasure to witness the 58 strong group of performers and musicians from across the globe come together to form this insanely talented company. While Corteo could do with some tightening up in places, as a spectacle it’s flawless and an opportunity to see some of the best in the world soaring to dizzy new heights!

Runs until 2nd March

Photo credit: Anne-Marie Forker

Oliver! - Review

Gielgud Theatre, London

*****

Music, lyrics and book by Lionel Bart

Freely adapted from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist

Revised by Cameron Mackintosh

Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne

Cian Eagle-Service and Billy Jenkins

Matthew Bourne’s production of Oliver!, arguably the greatest English musical ever written, was outstanding when it opened in Chichester last summer. Now transferred into the West End, it is a privilege to be back soon, reviewing the situation of this production that sparkles even brighter than before. Rarely does a show offer such breadth and depth of performances, across the entire cast, as is achieved by Bourne with his wondrous company. Co-Producer and reviser Cameron Mackintosh has had a lifelong love affair with Oliver! and the subtle revisions that he brings to Lionel Bart’s brilliant original move the show effortlessly into the 21st century.

On press night it was the sublimely talented Cian Eagle-Service playing Oliver, delivering a finish to his big solo, Where Is Love? that all but took the roof off the Gielgud. Rarely, actually NEVER, has that song been sung by a child performer with such power, passion and intensity.

Bart’s genius - aside from penning a show that delivers so many hit songs in rapid-fire succession - was to take the bleak brutality of Dickens’ novel and imbue it with nuanced and perfectly pitched bittersweet comedy. The fun begins early on with Katy Secombe and Oscar Conlon-Morrey paired as Widow Corney of the workhouse and  the beadle Bumble. In a double act that in the original Oliver! was to inspire Boublil & Schoenberg in their creation of the Thenardiers in Les Miserables, they capture the duo’s heartless bombast and petty penny-pinching to a tee. With pinpoint vocals and a mastery of physical comedy, their work is flawless.

Next up are Stephen Matthews and Jamie Birkett as the undertaking Sowerberrys. Again, harsh irony and tragedy but overlaid with comic class - and it should be noted there’s a fine turn from Birkett in act two with her reprise of Where Is Love? in the role of Mrs Bedwyn.

Oliver’s arrival in London of course introduces the show’s most colourful characters. Billy Jenkins is The Artful Dodger, whose cockney vocals and nifty footwork are everything a Dodger should be and more. Aaron Sidwell has grown into the role of Bill Sikes, his understated menace proving both ugly and chilling.

As Nancy, Shanay Holmes has also matured into this most intriguing and complex of roles. Holmes is yet a further example of this company’s vocal magnificence with her take on As Long As He Needs Me giving the Gielgud’s rafters another rattling.

And then of course there is Fagin. Much like Steven Spielberg made us wait before our first glimpse of the shark in Jaws, so too does Bart let most of act one go by before Simon Lipkin erupts from a trap door.

Lipkin’s take on the old Jewish fence is carefully researched and meticulous in its delivery, unlocking Fagin’s humanity and vulnerabilities with a sprinkling of immaculately timed humour. As we see Fagin care for the newly-arrived Oliver into his den of thieves, Lipkin imbues the role with a rarely seen pathos. His skills in comedy and magic are also used wonderfully and with his spectacularly klezmer-esque Reviewing The Situation, his is one of the finest musical theatre performances in town right now.

Lez Brotherston’s designs are simply stunning. Amidst a whirl of wrought iron staircases and bridges, and a deft deployment of the Gielgud’s revolve, Brotherston shifts the narrative across the country and the capital, aided in no small measure by Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs stunning lighting designs. In the pit, Graham Hurman’s orchestra are spot-on throughout.

 

Consider yourself well-in to witness this fantastic spectacle!

Booking until 28th September

Photo credit: Johan Persson

The Merchant of Venice 1936 - Review

Trafalgar Theatre, London

*****

Written by William Shakespeare

Adapted by Tracy-Ann Oberman and Brigid Larmour

Directed by Brigid Larmour

Tracy-Ann Oberman

It is nearly two years since Tracy-Ann Oberman’s Merchant of Venice 1936 opened at Watford’s Palace Theatre in a production that realised Oberman’s powerfully driven mission to take Shakespeare’s classic tale and shift it through four centuries and a 1,000 miles to London’s East End at the time of Oswald Mosley and a focus on the play’s troubling antisemitic narrative. 

Since that opening however, sorrows have befallen the world’s Jewish communities not single spies, but in battalions. The barbaric terrorist assault on Israel on October 7th 2023 unleashed an outpouring of Jew-hatred across the globe in which loudly shouted criticisms of the Jewish state have proved to be little more than thinly-veiled calls for the eradication of the entire Jewish people. While Oberman’s brave production is a tribute to the heroes of the 1936 Battle of Cable Street there are moments which, when contexed against today’s globally expressed antisemitism, already make the show feel out of date.

Now at the Trafalgar Theatre before re-touring the UK, Oberman reprises her Shylock in a performance that remains steeped in the stance and tone of an eastern European immigrant. When her Shylock speaks of being spat upon and treated like a dog by Antonio and his fellow citizens, there is an understated heartbreak to the hatred that she has experienced.

A significant cast change sees Antonio, the Merchant, now played by Joseph Millson. With his character depicted as a prominent member of Mosley’s British Union of Fascists, Millson brings a sharpened gravitas and credibility to the role and a scornful hatred of Shylock that is palpable. Other notables in the cast are Gavin Fowler’s continuing as Bassanio, a performance that has matured into the character’s nuanced complexities and sexualities over the months. There is equally fine work from newcomer to the production Georgie Fellows, who carries the Mitford mantra into her take on Portia.

Interestingly, and again in the context of a 2025 viewing of the production, Grainne Dromgoole’s take on Jessica achieves a further perspective. Hers is the assimilating Jew who discards her faith to follow her love for Lorenzo but yet who, through having been born a Jew, is still scorned by the gentile fascists. Her character echoes those Jews today (and indeed other minority groups too) who appeasingly befriend their enemies while remaining blind to the underlying hatred that can lie just beneath veneers of apparent tolerance.

Watched today, the courtroom scene in which Shylock having already lost his family is now stripped of his fortune and his faith, brings a chilling resonance that Oberman and Larmour in writing their adaptation could scarcely have imagined. Their production may have transported the Duke and his court from Venice to London, but in events that have mirrored the 19th century Dreyfus trial, 2024 has seen new Dukes emerge to hold Jew-hating courts in Pretoria, The Hague and Dublin to name but a few. 

Shakespeare had his Shylock exit the play in act four. In Larmour and Oberman’s truncated fifth act, the devastated moneylender remains on stage throughout, her presence a haunting reminder of the destructive power of hate.

Back in 2023 The Merchant of Venice 1936 was compelling. Two years later it stands as essential and unmissable theatre, brilliantly performed.

Runs until 25th January, then tours

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

Here You Come Again - Review

Riverside Studios, London

****

By Bruce Vilanch, Gabriel Barre and Tricia Paoluccio

Additional material by Jonathan Harvey

Directed by Gabriel Barre

Steven Webb and Tricia Paoluccio

Hitting the sweetest of sweet spots, Here You Come Again is a juke-box musical that does for Dolly Parton what Mamma Mia did for ABBA. Oozing with sincerity as much as it defies credibility, the show is built around the importance of recognising one’s self-worth, while staying heart-warmingly true to Parton’s glowing public persona.

Set during 2020’s lockdown, Steven Webb plays 40-yo gay Kevin, freshly dumped by his boyfriend and now returned to his parent’s home where for the purposes of social distancing they have isolated him in the attic den that was his bedroom as a teenager. Festooned in Dolly Parton merchandise, the attic is a tribute to the star that Kevin has never stopped adoring for decades.

In the depths of Kevin’s despair and with more than a hint of Mary Poppins, Dolly Parton herself bursts through a poster on his wall singing the title number and lifting the packed Riverside Studios onto a fluffy pink cloud of joy and exhilaration. The show's writing is clever throughout, but with the shrewd addition of Jonathan Harvey to the creative team, dramatic heft is added to the narrative.

Tricia Paoluccio (a co-creator of the show) plays Parton to a tee. Her personification of the queen of country music is nigh-on flawless with a voice that captures Parton’s unique timbre and a tone and cadence that is so spot-on that if you shut your eyes and listen it might just as well be Dolly herself here in Hammersmith.

Parton’s biggest hits (try saying that after a few drinks) are in the show. A wondrously corny storyline introduces Jolene (with superb red-haired accompaniment from Webb), while the interval is sandwiched between Love Is Like A Butterfly and 9 To 5. Islands In The Stream (with the audience all waving the torches on their phones) and I Will Always Love You are two of the second act’s highlights, as a handful of Dolly’s lesser known delights add to the evening’s songlist.

The story line is simple and neat and if the ending may be a tad twee (no spoilers here) at least it ensures the audience leave with the broadest of grins and the warmest of hearts. The finale of a singalong Dolly megamix (currently followed by a Christmas megamix too) is as cheering as a glass of brandy-laden mulled wine.

Above all, this show stands on the strengths of its two leads. Webb has the challenge of convincing us of the sentimentality and integrity of Kevin, which he does magnificently. Paoluccio of course has to become Dolly Parton and both of them produce a top-notch chemistry that is touching and believable. On press night Aidan Cutler and Charlotte Elisabeth Yorke stepped up to deliver a range of minor supporting roles, while the music was perfectly directed by Jordan Li-Smith’s four-piece band who were both on and off stage as the numbers demanded. Paul Wills' set design is simply effective and his glitzy costumes, magnificent. Lizzi Gee's choreography sees the actors perfectly drilled in some outstanding routines.

Here You Come Again will wrap your heart round its little finger. On tour after its month-long Riverside residency, this evening of pure entertainment deserves to end-up in the West End.

Runs until 18th January 2025, then tours

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - The Next Generation - Review

Sadler's Wells, London

*****

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne

The Company

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, now badged “The Next Generation”, plays at Sadler’s Wells over the festive season. This remarkable ballet that has literally introduced and inspired generations of young people into the world of dance remains a radical re-imagination of the classic gothic fantasy.

Bourne’s interpretation veers away from magic and enchantment. His is a modern world of challenged mental health, of society’s demanding expectations, and of a young Prince grappling to define his sexuality – all danced to Tchaikovsky’s music.

On the night of this review The Prince was magnificently danced by Stephen Murray. The show’s principal dancer however is given a gruelling two-role responsibility with this review seeing Harrison Dowzell take the parts of both The Swan and The Stranger. Dowzell is sensational throughout. His Swan, a creation of The Prince’s troubled mind, moves with an avian power and grace that is compelling. Matthew Bourne’s interpretation is very dark, with a tragic climax to the show that reflects Dowzell’s hypnotic influence over the damaged young Prince.

The complementing role that falls to Dowzell is as the charismatic Stranger who appears at the palace ball. Teeming with testosterone, Dowzell asserts himself as the alpha human male, truly the balls of the ball, sweeping all the Princesses - and then the Prince – off their feet. Dowzell’s contribution to an evening of scorching dance-fuelled drama is simply breathtaking.

Of course, it is not just The Swan that stuns. As Bourne’s corps of Swans, all bare-chested and clad in Lez Brotherston’s now famous swan-leg costumes fill the stage, the beauty of the director's vision is ingenious. Their perfect poise and movement only heightening the painful poignancy of the Prince’s mental decline. Rarely have a flock of birds looked so ripped!

Ashley Shaw danced The Queen for this performance as Katrina Lyndon played The Girlfriend. Shaw has long impressed on these pages in her work for Bourne – here, supported by subtle hair and makeup enhancements, she convincingly plays a role way beyond her years as the matriarch emotionally disconnected from her damaged son. Shaw shows sheer talent in a critically important supporting role. Lyndon (also the show’s dance captain) makes the most of a slighter role, mixing moments of comedy with perfectly weighted vacuity as she delivers the complex part of the young woman whom The Prince, at first, so passionately desires.

Brotherston’s set design is, as always, a treat, while in the pit, Benjamin Pope conducts the New Adventures Orchestra through a fabulous delivery of Tchaikovsky’s work. Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake remains a chillingly exhilarating evening of dance.

Runs until 26th January 2025 then on tour

Photo credit: Johan Persson