Tuesday 20 December 2022

A Pissedmas Carol - Review

Leicester Square Theatre, London


***


Directed by Katy Baker



The company of A Pissedmas Carol

For the festive season at the Leicester Square Theatre, A Pissedmas Carol sees half a dozen actors (no cast list, no names) tell Dickens’ classic morality tale, but with a twist. Each night one of the company has consumed a copious amount of alcohol before curtain-up and takes their part in the show blind drunk.

To be fair, the whole gig has been well rehearsed and there are liberal quantities of modern Xmas songs woven into the narrative to ease the evening along. The pissed performer is, by their nature, a loose cannon on stage and so all the cast are dab hands, not only at their rehearsed lines but also at improvising their way around their inebriated colleague as the story unfolds.

The songs are well sung and on the night of this review (20th December) the drunk female performer sung a spectacular solo number particularly beautifully. The classic yarn is cantered through at a cracking pace too, which all makes for an eclectic, lively show.

Set your expectations low. These are low-brow festive frolics that lack the raunchy filth of a truly adult pantomime. But if you approach the show fuelled with a modest amount of alcohol yourself, you won't be disappointed. Fun times! 


Runs until 7th January 2023

Wednesday 14 December 2022

Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol - Review

Queen Elizabeth Hall, London


***


Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton
Book and adaptation David H Bell
Directed and choreographed by Alison Pollard


Corey Wickens and Robert Bathurst

The cast in Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol are all finely voiced. The show’s sound design however doesn’t match its actors’ talents and when they sing en masse, the blurred acoustics sadly muffle most of Dolly’s lyrics. Thankfully the tale’s a classic so filling in the gaps is not too much of a challenge.


Parton’s show acknowledges the Smoky Mountains’ history of the poverty of depressed 1930s America and also captures the snowy harshness of the Appalachian winters. But Tennessee was segregated until 1954 and looking at this show and its casting, this appears to be a troubling aspect of the state’s history that the producers have conveniently overlooked.


Robert Bathurst is convincingly curmudgeonly as Ebenezer Scrooge with Sarah O’Connor putting in a sweetly sung take on Three Candles. If only the song’s lyrics were as classy as her rendition. The best song of the night that closes Act One and is later reprised to see the audience off into the night is I’m Dreaming Of A Smoky Mountain Christmas, capturing Parton’s country genius at its finest. And credit too to Andrew Hilton’s six-piece band who are on fine form throughout.


Dolly may have whimsically hitched her wagon to a classic of the Christmas canon, but this show is just a little snowbound.



Runs until 8th January 2023

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan 

Monday 12 December 2022

Mother Goose - Review

Theatre Royal, Brighton and Duke of York’s Theatre, London



*****


Written by Jonathan Harvey
Directed by Cal McCrystal


Ian McKellen as Mother Goose

Ponder a while and reflect on the image above. It is a picture of Sir Ian McKellen, one of this country’s finest actors and in this photograph by Manuel Harlan is captured the humour, genius and lifetime of experience that defines him. Now read on…

Mother Goose that has played a week at Brighton’s Theatre Royal before transferring to London’s Duke of York's Theatre and then touring into spring next year, is pantomime at its finest.

In one of those rare theatrical events that sees a Knight become a Dame, Ian McKellen leads the company in a spectacular take on the title role. It’s seventeen years since McKellen last did panto and it’s as if he’s never been away. He holds the role flawlessly in a production that has been built for a long haul on the road and thus denies him both Christmas references and moments of localised fast-moving audience interaction. Nonetheless, his majestic dame captures Goose’s stunning faux-glamour alongside some fabulous moments of self-deprecation and immaculately timed repartee. Heck, McKellen even sings, and for just a brief moment, as he lapses into Tomorrow from Annie that’s prefaced by an autobiographical reference to his 8-year old self seeing panto in Bolton, there is just a hint of poignant pathos as we recognise the man’s remarkable longevity and his place in the pantheon of Britain’s greats. But written by Jonathan Harvey this is panto not pathos - and McKellen’s ability to roll through a script that references Mother Goose’s beaver as well as her (his?) haemorrhoids, hallmarks Harvey's carefully crafted text that will tickle all ages. References to Lord Of The Rings abound, and there’s even a splash of Shakespeare on the closing moments, as McKellen’s Dame treats us to Portia’s “Quality of mercy” speech from The Merchant Of Venice.

McKellen’s supporting cast are outstanding. Sharing the celebrity-billing alongside the venerable Dame is standup comedian John Bishop (mocked throughout by McKellen as not being a ‘real’ actor) as Mother Goose’s husband Vic, making a wonderful foil to McKellen’s high-octane campery. Oscar Conlon-Morrey steps up to the comedy role of the Gooses’ son Jack. Conlon-Morrey is a dab hand at panto, heroically handling Jack’s buffoonery and slapstick.


Oscar Conlon-Morrey, Ian McKellen and John Bishop

The production’s musical references are a delight, with frequent references to classic musical theatre shows - none finer than the Act Two opener of One from A Chorus Line (I can’t explain its relevance to the plot either) with a delivery that is as brilliant as it is hilarious, with Dame Ian providing the number’s visual (if not vocal) climax. It is left to Anna-Jane Casey however, playing the goose of the show Cilla Quack to deliver not only the odd wry menopause gag, but to take the roof off the Theatre Royal, firstly with a brief take on All By Myself, before a simply stunning version of Don’t Rain On My Parade. It is often said that pantomime is, for many children, their first experience of live theatre. In this production they’re also being given a taste of some of Broadway’s finest songs. A nod here to musical director James Keay whose arrangements, delivered by his economically sized three-piece band, are spot on. Lizzi Gee’s choreography is a treat, delivering dance routines (just wait until you see Sir Ian tap!) that has been lavishly designed and immaculately rehearsed.


Anna Jane Casey, John Bishop and Ian McKellen

The show heads into the West End next week and it is a far more traditional pantomime than London’s other highly-priced festive offering. McKellen’s Mother Goose is not about million-dollar costumes shoehorned into a formulaic variety show. Far from it. This is a pantomime created in the mould of hundreds of shows that are playing across the country right now. It just happens to have one of our finest actors ever giving one of his finest performances. What’s more, when the show departs London in February to tour England, Wales and Ireland , all its tickets are affordably priced too.

It is not often that one can say that a pantomime is “coming to a town near you soon”, but this one is. And when it does, don’t miss it.


Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Sunday 11 December 2022

Ennio Morricone The Official Concert Celebration - Recensione

O2 Arena, Londra

 

*****


Diretto da Andrea Morricone
Curato da Ennio Morricone



Ennio Morricone

È raro che l'imponente O2 Arena di Londra ospiti una serata intima. Ma così è stato il mese scorso quando The Official Concert Celebration dell'opera di Ennio Morricone é arrivato all’arena per un unica serata completamente sold out. Per chi scrive, il concerto ha avuto un'intensità particolare poiché nel 2019 avevo intervistato il leggendario compositore nella sua casa romana. Sotto la direzione del figlio di Morricone, Andrea, una selezione di estratti da alcune tra le oltre 500 partiture che il Maestro ha scritto è stata eseguita dalla Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra, con il programma in gran parte ideato e curato dallo stesso Morricone prima della sua triste scomparsa nel luglio 2020.

L'intimità della serata si è definita attraverso una serie di canali: in primo luogo, la musica stessa, con Andrea che ha offerto una conoscenza profonda e impeccabile del lavoro di suo padre. Compositore lui stesso, era chiaro mentre le varie colonne sonore riempivano la serata, che Andrea era immerso nella musica di suo padre.

Andrea Morricone

In secondo luogo, le clip dei film proiettati sopra l'orchestra. Per chi ha familiarità con il lavoro di Morricone, è sempre una gioia speciale rivisitare un vecchio classico. I film sono pietre miliari culturali, ciascuno bloccato nell'era della sua uscita individuale, senza età e congelato nel tempo mentre noi, il pubblico, viaggiamo attraverso la nostra mortalità. E quindi, sia che si guardi l'estratto dal relativamente recente “The Hateful Eight” di Quentin Tarantino, vincitore dell'Oscar, o gli estratti molto più maturi tratti dalla filmografia di Sergio Leone, ogni clip avrà innescato ricordi e ricordi unici e personali in tutto il pubblico.

Il terzo aspetto intimo della serata è derivato dai contributi filmati che sono stati riprodotti tra i pezzi. Da alcune riflessioni rivelatrici e a volte auto ironiche dello stesso Morricone, fino ai contributi di alcuni dei grandi registi ancora in vita per i quali ha composto. I commenti fatti sono stati calorosi, rispettosi e così profondamente pieni di amore e ammirazione per un uomo la cui carriera è durata 60 anni. Giuseppe Tornatore, Tarantino e Roland Joffé hanno tutti parlato con riverenza dello stile e del talento di Morricone. Ma è stato probabilmente Jeremy Irons, una delle star di The Mission di Joffè, a parlare in modo più franco, descrivendo le colonne sonore di Morricone come aventi un effetto edificante sui film sottostanti, che si collocano accanto a Shakespeare per il loro posto nel pantheon della grande arte. 

E poi, ovviamente, c'era il programma della serata. Aprendo con estratti da Gli intoccabili, è stato subito ricordato il genio di Morricone nello scrivere melodie squisite che potevano accompagnare la violenza più brutale sullo schermo. Robert De Niro nel ruolo di protagonista è passato da Gli intoccabili a C'era una volta in America, dove il tema di Deborah e il tema principale sono stati accompagnati da una potente serie di clip del film. A seguire, The Legend Of 1900, il primo dei cenni della serata al regista Tornatore.

Un estratto dell'intervista con il Maestro lo ha visto parlare del suo approccio strutturale alla composizione, che collega musicalmente partiture diverse come The Sicilian Clan e Metti Una Sera a Cena, la seconda con alcuni deliziosi assolo al basso di Nanni Civitenga.

Nanni Civitenga

Dopodichè Il lavoro di Sergio Leone è tornato protagonista fino all'intervallo con un affascinante spiegazione filmata di Ennio Morricone del suo semplice uso di tre note per l'armonica, che ha introdotto “L’uomo dell’Armonica” da C'era una volta il West, malinconicamente e magnificamente eseguita di Daan Wilms all'armonica solista. Quel film, insieme a Il buono, il brutto e il cattivo, ha stuzzicato il pubblico prima dell'intervallo, con il soprano straordinariamente struggente Vittoriana De Amicis che è salita sul palco per Jills Theme, prima di concludere il primo tempo con un'“L’Estasi dell'oro" veramente estatica.

Vittoriana De Amicis

L'orchestra è tornata a suonare l'omaggio di Andrea Morricone a suo padre, Theme For Ennio, che con un Hauser pre-registrato al violoncello è stato un magnifico omaggio al lavoro di suo padre. Poi alcune parole filmate di Tarantino e si è passati direttamente a The Last Stagecoach To Red Rock da The Hateful Eight, un brano musicale quasi sinfonico nella sua lunghezza e bellezza. Davvero non li scrivono più così!

Ciò che è stato particolarmente toccante nei filmati riprodotti durante la riproduzione di questa melodia, è stata l'inclusione del filmato del Maestro stesso che dirige la colonna sonora negli studi di Abbey Road di Londra. A vederlo sullo schermo, bacchetta in mano, era come se non fosse mai morto.

Leandro Piccioni e Hauser

A seguire Cinema Paradiso - dove il toccante tema d'amore del film era stato scritto da Andrea - e Chi Mai. Quest'ultimo occupa un posto speciale nel cuore degli inglesi dai tempi in cui la BBC era ancora in grado di produrre un buon dramma e nel 1981 acquistò la melodia (originariamente scritto per il film di Jerzy Kawalerowicz Maddalena) come tema per The Life And Times Of David Lloyd George. In questa forma raggiunse poi il numero 2 della UK Singles Chart.

Ci sono altri solisti che meritano di essere menzionati per il loro contributo a questa serata. Il primo violino Anna Buevich, che è stata meravigliosa durante tutto il concerto ed in particolare durante i suoi “a solo” nel "La Classe Operaia Va in Paradiso”. Leandro Piccioni al pianoforte, Rocco Zifarelli è stato magnifico alla chitarra, mentre Massimo D'Agostino è stato un tour de force di energia alla batteria. Un cenno anche al direttore del coro del tour Stefano Cucci che per questo concerto londinese dirigeva il Crouch End Festival Chorus, un ensemble locale che ha fatto un lavoro di prima classe nel fornire il supporto vocale necessario ai pezzi del Maestro.

Rocco Zifarelli

Un'intervista filmata con Roland Joffe ha segnalato che The Mission sarebbe stato il prossimo brano, con l'ennesima apparizione di De Niro sopra l'orchestra. L'oboe di Gabriel è stato squisito come sempre, con The Falls e poi On Earth As It Is In Heaven che hanno fatto venire la pelle d’oca al pubblico dell'arena.

L'incantevole Miss De Amicis è tornata per uno scoppiettante bis di Ecstasy Of Gold e mentre la folla chiedeva di più, Andrea ha alzato la bacchetta per l'ultima volta, per riprendere On Earth As It Is In Heaven, solo che questa volta era suonato mentre un montaggio di immagini del Maestro da neonato a novantenne, riempiva lo schermo. Raramente un brano musicale è stato intitolato in modo così appropriato per il momento, e in tutto l'O2 lacrime sono state versate per la bellezza e il genio della musica di Ennio Morricone.

Con sincera gratitudine a Nanni Civitenga per la traduzion



Photo: Hanout Photography

Friday 9 December 2022

Newsies - Review

Troubadour Theatre, Wembley


***


Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Jack Feldman
Book by Harvey Fierstein


The cast of Newsies

On its first transatlantic crossing, Disney’s Newsies rocks up in Wembley’s cavernous Troubadour Theatre.

It’s a solid socialist yarn, founded upon history and telling of how at the turn of the 20th century New York’s newspaper vending kids ( the “Newsies”) challenged the capitalist owners and publishers for fairer trading terms upon which the papers were to be sold. It’s a fine premise, but the yarn doesn’t easily stretch to fill a two-act musical, with Menken, Feldman and Fierstein lathering on layers of schmaltz in their tunes, lyrics and book respectively, to give the audience their money’s worth.

To further paper over the cracks, Menken’s score is used as the groundwork for breathtakingly balletic dance work, where director/choreographer Matt Cole deserves plaudits for the imaginative deployment of his company’s bodies. However this is Cole's first time in the director's chair and it shows. There is a shallow, cheesiness to the show’s dialog from the get-go, with Cole lacking the heft to raise the words to a higher plane.

The actors are all terrific with Michael Ahomka-Lindsay and Bronté Barbé leading in their corny and improbable love story. Above the stage Nigel Lilley makes fine work delivering Menken's essentially forgettable tunes.

If you want to be stunned by lithe young performers performing breathtaking routines, then the show is unlikely to disappoint.


Runs until 16th April 2023
Photo credit: Johan Persson 

Tuesday 6 December 2022

Handel's Messiah The Live Experience - Review

Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London


*


The production's dancers, orchestra, choir and projection


He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy. 

Or to be specific Gregory Batsleer the Artistic Director of Classical Everywhere and conductor of tonight’s Messiah is a very naughty boy. He has taken Handel’s work, a piece of exquisite beauty that to be fair is performed by his musicians to a fabulous standard and wrapped it in the mediocrity of migraine-inducing projections and pretentious dance and poetic add-ones.

The English Chamber Orchestra and London Symphony Chorus, together with the evening’s four soloists are all magnificent and beyond criticism. However, in a ridiculously self-indulgent programme note, Batsleer takes it upon himself to make classical music respond “to the times in which we live”. If this production is an interpretation of making music respond to the present day then Batsleer needs to take a long hard look at himself.

The Theatre Royal Drury Lane may be a work of architectural magnificence, and after Andrew Lloyd-Webbers magnificent refurbishment, a comfortable venue too, but its acoustics do not lend themselves to major choral presentations. And quite why Martina Laird and Arthur Darvill were rolled out, complete with Mad Max costumes, to spout obscure blank verse that they hadn’t even been able to memorise (unlike the magnificent soloists) is a modern Mystery tale,

And then there was Tom Jackson Greaves’ choreography, funnelled into a narrow gap between the on-stage orchestra and Drury Lane’s pit. The movement was clearly precisely rehearsed and delivered by talented dancers, but it bore no apparent relevance to Messiah and together with the ghastly projections, served not to complement but to distract from Handel’s genius.

The evening’s musical money-shot was duly delivered with aplomb, as half of the audience rose (almost akin to a pantomime singalong slot) as the other half scratched their heads in bewilderment, to salute the famed Hallelujah Chorus.

This production sees one of the canon’s most magnificent works reduced to a pound-shop opera. A Christmas turkey.

Saturday 3 December 2022

Ennio Morricone - The Official Concert Celebration - Review

O2, London


*****


Conducted by Andrea Morricone
Curated by Ennio Morricone


Ennio Morricone

It is rare that London’s massive O2 Arena hosts an evening of intimacy. But so it was last month when The Official Concert Celebration of the work of Ennio Morricone played for one night to a full house. For this writer, the evening held a particular poignancy as in 2019 I had interviewed the legendary composer at his home in Rome. Under the baton of Morricone’s son Andrea, a selection of extracts from just a few of the 500+ scores that the Maestro had penned were played by the Flanders Philharmonic Orchestra, the programme having been largely devised and curated by Morricone himself prior to his sad passing in July 2020.

The evening’s intimacy came via a number of channels: Firstly, the music itself, with Andrea offering a profound and flawless understanding of his father’s work. A composer himself, it was clear as the various soundtracks filled the evening, that Andrea was immersed in his father’s music. 

Andrea Morricone

Secondly – the clips of the movies that were screened above the orchestra. For those familiar with Morricone’s work, it is always a special joy to revisit an old favourite. Films are cultural milestones, each locked into the] era of its individual release, ageless and frozen in time while we the audience journey through our mortality. And so whether one watched the extract from Quentin Tarantino’s relatively recent Oscar winner The Hateful Eight, or the far more mature extracts taken from Sergio Leone’s filmography, each and every clip will have triggered unique and personal memories and recollections across the audience.

The third aspect of intimacy came from the filmed contributions that were played between the pieces. Ranging from some revealing, and at times self-deprecating reflections from Morricone himself, through to contributions from some of the great directors who are still alive for whom he composed. The comments made were warm, respectful and so deeply full of love and admiration for a man whose career spanned 60 years. Guiseppe Tornatore, Tarantino and Roland Joffe all spoke with a revered insight into Morricone’s style and flair. But it was probably Jeremy Irons, one of the stars of Joffe’s The Mission, who spoke most frankly when describing Morricone’s scores as having an  uplifting effect on the underlying movies, that rank alongside Shakespeare for their place in the pantheon of great art.

And then, of course, there was the evening’s programme. Opening with extracts from The Untouchables, one was immediately reminded of Morricone’s genius in writing exquisite melodies that could accompany the most brutal on-screen violence. Robert De Niro in a starring role segued from The Untouchables to Once Upon A Time In America, where Deborah’s Theme and the Main Theme played to a powerful string of clips from the movie. Up next was The Legend Of 1900, the first of the evening’s nods to director Tornatore.

An interview extract with the Maestro saw him speaking of his structural approach to composition, that musically links scores as diverse as The Sicilian Clan and Metti Una Sera A Cena, the former featuring some delicious solo work on bass guitar from Nanni Civitenga.

Nanni Civitenga

The work of Sergio Leone returned in the lead up to the interval with a fascinating filmed explanation from Ennio Morricone of his simple use of three notes for the harmonica, which naturally led into Harmonica from Once Upon A Time In The West, mournfully and beautifully delivered by Daan Wilms on solo harmonica. That movie, together with The Good,The Bad and The Ugly teased the audience in the run up to the interval, with the stunningly heartbreaking soprano Vittoriana De Amicis taking the stage for Jills Theme, before wrapping up the first half with a truly ecstatic Ecstasy Of Gold.

Vittoriana De Amicis

The orchestra returned to play Andrea Morricone’s tribute to his dad, Theme For Ennio, which with a prerecorded Hauser on cello was a magnificent tribute to his father’s work. Then a few filmed words from Tarantino and we were straight into The Last Stagecoach To Red Rock from The Hateful Eight, a piece of music almost symphonic in its length and beauty. They truly don’t write ‘em like that any more!

What was particularly touching about the film clips played while this tune played out, was the inclusion of film of the Maestro himself conducting the score at London’s Abbey Road studios. To see him on screen, baton in hand, was as if he had never died. 

Leandro Piccioni with Hauser on screen

Cinema Paradiso – where the film’s touching Love Theme had been penned by Andrea – and Chi Mai were up next, with the latter holding a special place in British hearts from back in the day when the BBC made good drama and in 1981 bought the tune (originally penned for Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s movie Maddalena) as the theme for The Life And Times Of David Lloyd George, where it then went on to reach No.2 on the UK Singles Chart.

There are other soloists who demand a mention for their contribution to the evening. Leader of the strings Anna Buevich was outstanding throughout, particularly in her solo work during The Working Class Goes To Heaven. Leandro Piccioni on piano, Rocco Zifarelli was magnificent on guitar, while Massimo D’Agostino was a tour-de force of energy on drums. A nod too to the tour’s choir conductor Stefano Cucci who for this London gig was conducting the Crouch End Festival Chorus, a local ensemble who have first-class form in providing the Maestro’s vocal backing.

Rocco Ziffarelli

A filmed interview with Roland Joffe signalled that The Mission was up next, with yet another appearance from De Niro above the orchestra. Gabriel’s Oboe was as exquisite as ever, with The Falls and then On Earth As It Is In Heaven tingling spines across the arena.

The enchanting Miss De Amicis returned for a cracking encore of the Ecstasy Of Gold and as the crowd called out for more, Andrea lifted his baton for the final time, to reprise On Earth As It Is In Heaven, only this time played as a montage of the Maestro, from baby to nonagenarian, filled the screen. Rarely has a piece of music been so aptly titled for the moment, as throughout the O2 tears were shed at the beauty and the genius of the music of Ennio Morricone.



Photo credit: Hanout Photography

12:37 - Review

 Finborough Theatre, London


***



Written and directed by Julia Pascal


The cast of 12:37

Julia Pascal’s 12:37 is a multi-layered exploration of nationalism in the mid 20th century, that follows Paul and Cecil Green, two Irish-Jewish brothers, from 1935 Dublin through to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, via a 1936 encounter with London’s fascism.

Pascal’s research is detailed, spotlighting a hatred of the Jews on both sides of the Irish Sea that prompts the brothers, via separate circuitous routes to find themselves in Palestine under the British Mandate.  Paul (Alex Cartuson) is lean and fit, a boxer in his youth, who works his way into the nascent army fighting for the establishment of the Jewish state and ultimately into being part of the terrorist gang who, at 12:37 on 22nd July 1946, bombed Jerusalem’s King David Hotel, a key base for the British Forces. That devastating action that was to prove influential in the UK’s withdrawal from Palestine and the subsequent creation of Israel. Cecil (Eoin O’Dubhghaill), less of a fighter than his brother and a kinder soul with a beautiful voice, finds his own journey to the Holy Land via ENSA, the British military’s entertainments division.

Perhaps the most intriguing character in Pascal’s play is the young Rina Goldberg (Lisa O’Connor) who we first encounter in London as a firebrand communist raising funds for Moscow’s Yiddish Theatre, and who by 1946 has survived the Holocaust, experiencing horrendous sexual violence having been moved around between concentration camps by the Nazis. The love triangle that Pascal creates between Rina and the brothers may lack credibility, but O’Connor’s interpretation of Rina’s horrific journey is a masterclass of powerful understatement.

The quintet of actors is completed by Ruth Lass and Danann McAleer and across the two hours of the drama all five put in outstanding and compelling performances, with Pascal’s direction making ingenious use of the production’s evidently modest budget and the Finborough’s compact space. An observation on the casting (albeit a company of excellent performers, doing their job superbly) is that the producers appear to have put more effort into ensuring the ethnic authenticity of actors playing most of the Irish characters, than they have as regards those playing the Jewish characters.

Dr Pascal is at her best in her slow, harrowing reveal of Rina’s story and equally talented in the bold technical construction of her play. Politically however she loses objectivity, her writing suggesting that she is uncomfortable with the concept of national identity per se. That this production’s printed programme/playtext itself ignores the time and location of the play’s final scene, set in 1948 in the newly-formed Israeli state, speaks volumes.


Runs until 21st December

Friday 2 December 2022

Mother Goose - Review

Hackney Empire, London


*****

Written by Will Brenton
Directed by Clive Rowe


Clive Rowe

Hackney Empire is celebrating its 120 year anniversary with Mother Goose, an absolute cracker of a festive pantomime. Hackney’s (never hackneyed) perennial Dame, Clive Rowe returns in the title role (and in the director’s chair too) and he has never been better on this stage.


Set in Hackneywood, a parody on Tinseltown, the storyline is a simple fable of love and humanity being worth more than fame and money, with an appropriately 21st century morality pitch that shows up the shallow selfie-seeking values of the mobile phone age. There’s goodies and baddies, slapstick, perfectly pitched comedy and a slickly choreographed company, all contributing to an evening of glorious entertainment.


Kat B (another Hackney regular) is great in the comedy role of Mother Goose’s son Billy, Tony Marshall is fun as a hapless landlord (the chocolate bar routine between those two is one of the night’s comic highlights), while Rebecca Parker as the Demon Queen is as evil a villain as you could hope to boo at.


In this special 120th year there’s also a fine tribute to the history of the Frank Matcham venue, with a 5-minute whirl in the second act that pays a nod to some of the greats who’ve graced that stage - from Marie Lloyd and Harry Houdini through to Morecambe and Wise and Louis Armstrong.  


But the evening of course belongs to Rowe, whose years of panto experience allow him to direct the show brilliantly. His stand-up and put-down work is perfectly timed, a hallmark of his consummate professionalism. Rowe’s costumes are gorgeous (credit to Cleo Pettitt) and as for his voice, when Clive Rowe gets his chops around Ain’t No Stopping Us Now and later on, What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted, one is reminded quite what a star of musical theatre he is.


The sets by Imagine Theatre are colourful and lavish the five piece band under Renell Shaw are equally wonderful. Steeped in and proud of its local community, Hackney Empire’s family pantomime does not get better than this!



Runs until 31st December

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Tuesday 22 November 2022

Spectre In Concert - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London


*****


Composed by Thomas Newman
Conducted by Anthony Gabriele
Directed by Sam Mendes





At the Royal Albert Hall and conducted by the gifted Anthony Gabriele, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed the world premiere of Thomas Newman’s 2015 score for the James Bond film Spectre, played live and synchronised to a screening of the movie.

Composed by Newman alongside filming, the score is both inspired by and honours many of the film’s locations. Memorably, the opening sequence set in full swing at a Day Of The Dead festival alongside local bands in Zócalo Square in central Mexico City, gives the orchestra and in particular the percussion section, full opportunity to embrace the vibe of the occasion.

The titles play to Sam Smith's ballad The Writing's On The Wall, with its dramatic strings content deliciously echoing Monty Norman.  For lovers of the famous franchise, Newman’s work incorporates those familiar, almost expected Bond-sounds and the orchestra deliver magnificently. The powerful accompaniment of the musicians provides added excitement, a supercharged experience in the form of waves of pleasure, aesthetic chills almost, from the musical vibrations generated in the acoustically perfect auditorium. Under Maestro Gabriele’s seasoned baton, the orchestra add another nuanced layer to the viewing experience.

The afternoon closed with the familiar Jazzy big band sound of Norman’s original "James Bond Theme".  One could feel the audience relax into their seats, succumbing to that timeless leitmotif, the applause and standing ovation only defining their appreciation and fondness for this classic music, wonderfully and flawlessly performed.


Reviewed by Lucy Bex

Friday 11 November 2022

My Fair Lady - Review

Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff



*****


Music by Frederick Loewe
Lyrics and book by Alan Jay Lerner
Directed by Bartlett Sher



Charlotte Kennedy and company


It is rare that a West End production improves on the road, but so it is with Bartlett Sher’s My Fair Lady, touring the UK and Ireland after a short summer residency at London’s Coliseum.

The show, now with Michael Xavier and Charlotte Kennedy playing Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, is a sensational take on the Broadway classic. The two leads fizz with a chemistry that fills the Millenium Centre, their complicated relationship evolving before our eyes. Michael Xavier is one of the country’s finest leading men of his generation and, aside from his top-notch vocal delivery he cracks the complex emotional dysfunctionality of Lerner and Loewe’s Professor.

Kennedy’s Eliza however is the show’s revelation. Not just in her stunning vocal presence, but in how she inhabits every song. Her transformation from cockney Covent Garden flower-girl to powerfully spoken young woman is mesmerising.  Wouldn’t It Be Loverly and I Could Have Danced All Night are long recognised as Eliza’s highlights – here however, not just smashing those all time favourites out of the park, Kennedy grasps the second act cracker of Show Me, transforming it into a fusion of rage, frustration and passion rarely seen on stage. Kennedy’s elegance and presence is equally astonishing, with her entrance just before the interval bejewelled and ballgowned (take a bow costume designer Catherine Zuber) ready for the Embassy Ball, proving literally breathtaking. There is more than a hint of Audrey Hepburn to this Eliza.

Adam Woodyatt makes the delightful transition from Albert Square to Lisson Grove as he takes on the role of Alfred P. Doolittle. Albeit a supporting role, Eliza’s father is a larger than life caricature of London’s working class and it takes a performer of massive character to play the role to its full, with Woodyatt a delight in both voice and persona. John Middleton’s Colonel Pickering makes for a faultless foil to Higgins, while Annie Wensak, stepping up to cover the part of Mrs Pearce on the night of this review is another treat. Tom Liggins as Freddie Eynsford-Hill gives an excellent performance of On The Street Where You Live that only adds to the evening’s delights.

The set design is ingenious, with Michael Yeargan’s scenery working well for a touring production. Londoners – who are often spoilt for cultural choice – have missed out on a local chance to catch this cast. Now touring the regions until April next year, Bartlett Sher’s My Fair Lady is, at last, unmissable musical theatre.


Photo credit: Marc Brenner

Wednesday 9 November 2022

From Here To Eternity - Review

Charing Cross Theatre, London


****


Music by Stuart Brayson
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Book by Donald Rice and Bill Oakes
Based on the novel by James Jones


Jonathon Bentley and Desmonda Cathabel


This autumn is all about musical theatre based on movies that featured Burt Lancaster on a beach. Last month it was Local Hero at Chichester and now From Here To Eternity returns to London’s Charing Cross Theatre for a short residency in the run-up to Christmas.

This production marks the first UK revival of the Tim Rice and Stuart Brayson show, drawn from the classic film and set on Hawaii in the two weeks leading up to the Japanese attack on the US Navy at Pearl Harbour in December 1941. The power of the story derives from the pressure cookers of passion building up on the island – love, cuckoldry and honour are all at play here – that are to be swamped by the tsunami of death and destruction that rained down upon the island on December 7th.

Brett Smock directs a literally well-drilled company that offers another glimpse of London’s musical theatre fringe at its finest. Jonathon Bentley is the principled Private Prewitt, a gifted boxer who’s hanging up of his gloves and who irks his company Captain, the misogynist Holmes (Alan Turkington). The Captain’s wife Karen (Carley Stenson) finds love in the arms of company Sergeant Warden (Adam Rhys-Charles) as Prewitt falls for local prostitute Lorene (Desmonda Cathabel).

The whole affair makes for a well observed tale of humanity, sung beautifully by the aforementioned leads. In equally fine support are Eve Polycarpou as brothel-keeper Mrs Kipfer and Johnny Amies as troubled soldier Maggio.

Tim Rice’s lyrics are as ever astute takes on life. Witty and perceptive, Rice teases out the characters’ strengths and weaknesses, with The Boys Of ’41, sung as the attack on Pearl Harbour is in full spate, proving a devastating summary of war’s brutality – marred only by the unfortunate, almost invisibility, of the show’s three women who deliver it.

Nick Barstow’s arrangement and direction of his 5-piece band is classy as are Louise Rhoades-Brown’s projections, effectively capturing Karen and Warden’s passionate clinches in the Pacific surf. Equally Adam King’s lighting and Stewart J Charlesworth’s set, make good use of the theatre’s compact space to create Hawaii’s various scenescapes. Cressida Carre's choreography and Renny Krupinski's fight direction (there's a lot of fighting!) are top notch too.

Beautifully performed, From Here To Eternity makes for a tragically gorgeous evening.


Runs until 17th December
Photo credit: Alex Brenner

Wednesday 2 November 2022

Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary - Review

Royal Albert Hall, London


****



For one night only and under the baton of Simon Dobson, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. In some ways any orchestral performance of Oldfield’s groundbreaking album will always be ersatz, as back in the 1970s it was the composer himself who played every instrument in the work layering the recording together over weeks, track by track. When one considers that this was in pre-digital times, with Oldfield only having access to multi-track analogue recording equipment, this makes his original album all the more remarkable. Dobson however is a gifted musician with an intimate understanding of Oldfield’s work. His arrangements of the two Tubular Bells pieces, together with a collection of Oldfield’s other lesser-known recordings, make for an evening of fine music.

The concert initially comprises the first parts of both the Ommadawn and the Hergest Ridge albums with the music and perfectly hazed lighting plots creating an atmosphere of wonderfully mellifluous melody. Moonlight Shadow, Oldfield’s chart-topping single concludes the pre-interval proceedings with Ella Shaw powerfully delivering the vocal honours.

The second half kicks off with the hallmark opening bars of Tubular Bells, the 15/8 time melody that was to define not only The Exorcist's score but also lay the foundations of Richard Branson’s Virgin Records fortune. The RPCO are augmented by featured soloists throughout the performance, with Pete Callard’s Lead Guitar work particularly stunning through many of Tubular Bells’ challenging riffs.

Tubular Bells of course requires a charismatic Master of Ceremonies. Oldfield’s original MC, Vivian Stanshall set the bar high (it was Stanshall’s distinct pronunciation of “tubular bells” that prompted Oldfield to name the album thus) and there are few finer voices than that of Brian Blessed to provide the wry bombast that the role demands. Proud of his 86 years, Blessed bestrides the stage like a colossus through Part One of Tubular Bells, with his Caveman in  Part Two proving an equal delight.

If there is one criticism of the gig it is of the video projections that are (sometimes dimly) shone onto a screen above the orchestra. Ranging in style from what looks like a Lloyds Bank black horse advert through to what could be a Microsoft screensaver based on the Tubular Bells 50 logo, the imagery is tacky. The Royal Albert Hall is one of London’s grandest venues and while the players magnificently fill the space with their music, the video work proves to be an uninspiring detraction, dwarfed by the hall’s imposing grandeur. If projections are to be used going forward they should be grander and LED based or not used at all. A waggish suggestion, overheard on leaving the venue, was that maybe scenes from The Exorcist could be shown!
 
The whole affair is wrapped up with Dobson’s energetic arrangement of the Hornpipe – sending the audience out into an autumnal Kensington with feet tapping, hands clapping and grinning at the evening's wave of nostalgia that has flooded over them.

Friday 28 October 2022

Goodbye Easy Street - Review

Vout-O-Reenee's, London


****


Lyrics and book by Julie Burchill
Music by Robin Watt
Additional dialogue and lyrics by Jim Owen and Daniel Raven




Goodbye Easy Street, Julie Burchill’s new musical, made its debut in the capital at the intimate Vout O Renee’s club on the fringes of the City of London. Burchill’s first iteration of the show, Hard Times On Easy Street had played in Brighton earlier this year. Since then she has taken a sharp pencil to her prose and the result is a slicker, tighter, wittier show.

Featuring a cast of just two, Deborah Kearne and Temisis Conway return as Elle and Anna, two former nightclub singers now the resident turns on a cruise liner. Both in love with each other, the younger bisexual Anna is taking the cruise gig to escape her unrequited love for gay club manager Otto. The worldy-wise Elle has a far more sanguine view of the world. Together however, the pair’s relationship is passionate, credible and fuelled by sharply-tongued banter

In stripping her original show down to the two women only, Burchill’s scripting scalpel re-arranges her earlier love triangle into a far more plausible parallelogram. The interval has been ditched too with the whole piece coming in at just under the hour. Best of all, away from the original over-complicated structure, this simple little love story allows Burchill’s wit to take flight. She’s a gifted writer and her lyrics and dialogue sizzle with sexual frisson and just a hint of political edginess too.

Early on in the show Conway stuns with the numbers Lazy Kind Of Love and Incorrigible You, with Kearne soaring in Speculate To Accumulate. There is a hint of Gershwin in Conway’s There For You, while the pair’s endgame duet of Let’s Be Selfish /Self Care sparkles in its wit and rhythm.

Burchill’s amassed years of premier league writing are on display throughout the piece – her understanding of sex and relationships is blistering, making her points through the most economic use of English. Elle speaks of having had her past love life “fringed by crime tape” – a fabulous metaphor!

Burchill’s Woke-sceptic and staunchly feminist take on the world blaze through this show that demands a bigger audience.