A Knock On The Roof - Review

Royal Court Theatre, London

*

Written by Khawla Ibraheem

Directed by Oliver Butler

Khawla Ibraheem

Khawla Ibraheem is Mariam, a young widow in Gaza and mother to the pre-teen Nour. The play's title refers to the sound made by small projectiles dropped by the Israeli military to signal an impending attack and to allow individuals to run for cover.

In her 75-minute one-act monologue Ibraheem offers little considered analysis of the Gazan conflict. Understandably, Mariam dreads the incoming missiles and bombs, and outlines in verbal detail the images of the region’s destruction that have already saturated Western media. However she makes no comment at all on the possible embedding of Hamas militia amongst Gaza’s civilian infrastructure and communities, a practice that exposes vulnerable non-combatants to lethal harm. Similarly, while we know that Hamas had constructed a network of tunnels underneath Gaza, Ibraheem is again silent when it comes to pleading for these tunnels to be deployed as air-raid shelters.

One can only ponder as to why the Gazan authorities appeared to have been so content to risk the lives of their citizens, and equally why Ibraheem is so reluctant to criticise their stance?

Culminating in a predictable ending, A Knock On The Roof is more melodrama than message.

Runs until 8th March

Photo credit: Alex Brenner

The Last Laugh - Review

Noel Coward Theatre, London

*****

Written and directed by Paul Hendy

Bob Golding, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright

An imaginary dressing room shared by Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse and Eric Morecambe is the setting for Paul Hendy’s new play that makes for an 80-minute one-act wonderland of a tribute to these three legends of late 20th century British comedy.

Damian Williams, Simon Cartwright and Bob Golding make up the trifecta (their names in the same order as their characters are listed above) in this superbly scripted drama that not only revisits countless, gloriously familiar comedy gems but also offers a briefly poignant analysis of how their acts evolved, as well as a glimpse of the sadness that lay behind the three perfectly honed comic masquerades.

It’s not just the script, the three actors nail their characters to a tee. And for those of us fortunate to have grown up in television’s golden-age, the evening is as if we are in the actual presence of these giants of light entertainment.

No spoilers here but be assured that some of the trio’s most loved gags are played out on stage. More than that, the actors truly inhabit the comedians’ personae delivering one of the best shows in the West End.

Hendy also directs with a perfectly nuanced touch, coaxing the gentlest manifestations of genius from all three amidst Lee Newby's immaculately designed set.

Only on for a month before touring - Unmissable!

Runs until 22nd March, then on tour.

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

Backstroke - Review

Donmar Warehouse, London

***

Written and directed by Anna Mackmin

Tamsin Greig and Celia Imrie

Celia Imrie and Tamsin Greig are Beth and Bo, mother and daughter in Anna Mackmin’s Backstroke, a play that explores womanhood, memory and the end of life. Coming fast on the heels of the autobiographical The Years' recent transfer to the West End, this Aga-saga (for there is such an onstage stove) similarly spins its yarn through a company of 5 female actors.

The drama opens around Beth’s hospital bed. A now elderly former hippy, she has recently suffered a stroke. That her relationship with the middle-aged Bo has been unconventional and strained is made clear from the get-go, with Bo addressing her mother by her first name rather than one of the more typical maternal salutations.

This is a narrative that plays fast and loose with timeframes. As the play unfolds, Beth leaps from her hospital bed into the  kitchen of her former years. Bo's past memories are portrayed as an immaculately photographed short film, flashes of which are projected on to an upstage blacked-out backdrop. As we explore Bo’s complex relationship with her mother, further emotional emotional intricacies are revealed that outline the younger woman's infertility together with her journey to adopt daughter Skylar.

This is a story that could have made for a sensational evening in the theatre. As it is, aside from Imrie and Grieg’s outstanding performance skills, Mackmin’s self-directed dialogue creaks, with the whole endeavour feeling far too tedious. In what is (essentially) a two-handed piece, Bo's occasional interactions with healthcare professionals around Beth’s hospital bed appear implausible and unconvincing. 

Lez Brotherston’s set proves surprisingly low-key given his usual hallmark of design genius.

Ultimately Backstroke is a brilliant idea that has been fashioned into a lacklustre script and delivered by world class actors.

Runs until 12th April

Photo credit: Johan Persson

The Years - Review

Harold Pinter Theatre, London

***

Based on Les Années by Annie Ernaux

Adapted and directed by Eline Arbo

Romola Garai

There are moments in The Years that make for some of the finest drama to be found in London. Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical writings, translated here from the French by Eline Arbo who also directs, offer a vivid glimpse into a womanhood spanning from the 1940s through to the early years of the 21st century.

Five women, who all opened the play last year at the Almeida prior to this West End transfer, capture Ernaux through the decades, and all with sublime performances. Seamlessly, the quintet also perform all the play’s supporting roles.

At its best The Years delivers the Nobel-winning Ernaux’s depictions of her own emotional and sexual development. From the highs of the excitement at the discovery of the secret adolescent thrills of masturbation, through to the depths of fumbled painful humiliation experienced during her teenage defloration, (credit to Anjli Mohindra for playing those chapters). The pain is worsened as Romola Garai plays out the backstreet abortion that Ernaux chose to undergo in her twenties. It is a credit to Garai that with nothing more than her outstanding acting skills and a judicious amount of stage blood - but no nudity whatsoever nor any other props or special effects - that her portrayal of such an horrific event is delivered with such harrowing impact.

Gina McKee picks up the emancipated Ernaux in in her fifties, having separated from her husband and enjoying not only parenthood but the joys of passionate sexual liaisons. Again - fine sensitive work from McKee. Deborah Findlay plays the writer’s endgame with equal perception and wisdom. A nod too to Harmony Rose-Bremner who takes up another of the author’s youthful personages.

Aside from speaking of her feminine evolution, Ernaux also offers historical comment on the world’s global and political evolution through the years. Her historical analysis however is crass, barely getting beyond schoolyard Marxism such is her bias. Billy Joel’s song We Didn’t Start The Fire achieves more accurate historical context in five minutes than Ernaux and Arbo can muster over nigh-on two hours with no interval.

Technically, the night of this review was a disaster blighted by not one, but two show-stops. The first was understandable with an audience member who having fainted at Garolai’s depiction of the aforementioned abortion, required assistance in leaving the auditorium. The second however was an inexcusable and appalling fault of the sound system. With tickets selling at close to £200 a pop, paying punters are entitled to expect flawless technical standards at a West End show.

The Years is a curate's egg, albeit brilliantly acted, that is 30-minutes too long. 

Runs until 19th April

Photo credit: Helen Murray

Richard II - Review

Bridge Theatre, London

*****

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Nicholas Hytner

Jonathan Bailey

There is brilliance at the Bridge with Nicholas Hytner’s modern-day staging of Richard II, in an interpretation that sees the politics of the play resonate strongly with England in 2025. The corrupt ineptitude of Richard’s government echoes the bumblings of Keir Starmer and his cabinet, and when the Bishop of Carlisle prophesies domestic strife and discord across the land she could well have been speaking of this sceptre’d isle today.

Jonathan Bailey is Richard in a masterful interpretation of the flawed monarch. His cocaine-powered court may only enhance the failings of his reign, but in both his rage and his sensitivities Bailey’s interpretation of the verse is exquisite. 

Hytner has cast his production well. Notable amongst a virtually flawless company is Royce Pierreson’s Henry Bullingbrook, a classy portrayal of ruthless cunning and political steel. Similarly, and following his outstanding turn in the recent Guys and Dolls, Michael Simkins again brings magnificence to the venue with his Duke of York, fusing avuncular wisdom with an unswerving loyalty to Crown and country. The ‘domestic’ between the Duke and his Duchess (Amanda Root) over the alleged treachery of their son Amerle is a scene that could have been lifted straight out of Albert Square such is the pair's dramatic excellence. Martin Carroll stepped up on press night to deliver a perfect cover of John of Gaunt, while Olivia Popica is a treat in her take on Queen Isabel’s emotional complexities. 

Amanda Root and Michael Simkins

The show’s production values are stunning. Bob Crowley’s stylish modern day scenery silently rises and falls from the Bridge’s bowels, while Bruno Poet’s interrogative lighting designs emphasise the story’s brutality. Grant Olding’s music adds a cinematic dimension to the evening that feels entirely appropriate.

This is a stunning play that cements the Bridge’s reputation as possibly the finest Shakespearean stage on London’s South Bank. Coming out of Richard II and seeing the Tower of London just across the river only adds to the theatre's magic.

Runs until 10th May

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

The Passenger - Review

Finborough Theatre, London

**

Written by Nadya Menuhin

Based on the novel by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz

Robert Neumark Jones

Drawn from his personal experience, The Passenger was a novel by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz describing the flight of Jewish Otto Silbermann from the horrors of Kristallnacht in 1938 Germany. Nadya Menuhin makes her playwriting debut with the piece, but while Menuhin’s intentions in translating the book to stage are honourable, the result is a one-act self indulgence that lacks dramatic sophistication and cries out for the input of a skilled dramaturg.

Robert Neumark Jones is Otto in a performance of remarkable energy that sees him onstage for the play’s entire 100 minutes. The story follows Otto’s journey in a cross-country railway travelogue that sees him, futilely, attempting to flee Berlin. Simply staged with no scenery, Joseph Alford’s carefully crafted soundscape is as impressive as Jones’ performance. A supporting quartet of actors deliver a multitude of roles ranging from Otto’s Aryan wife Elfriede (Kelly Price), through to to both the friendly folk and also the Nazis that he encounters on the rails.

In amongst the dialogue there are snippets of a history lesson - but Tim Supple’s staging is too simplistic and at times disappointingly pretentious. In what feels like a sometimes tedious evening, there’s a hint of a great play lurking within The Passenger. This isn’t it.

Runs until 15th March

Photo credit: Steve Gregson

Figaro: An Original Musical - Review

London Palladium, London

**

Music,lyrics, co-book and co-created by Ashley Jana

Directed, co-book and co-created by Will Nunziata

Jon Robyns and Cayleigh Capaldi

Much like an expensively wrapped trinket, Figaro is a show that has been lavishly cast and is beautifully sung. Unfortunately however, the words that are sung are trite and shallow, leading to an evening of wondering how on earth the likes of the gifted Jon Robyns ever signed up for this.

Robyns plays the titular villain, a Svengali-like man whose character never progresses beyond a cliched fusion of the Phantom of the Opera melded with Gypsy’s Mr Goldstone. Channelling his inner Phantom, Robyns/Figaro leads country-girl Sienna (a name repeated so often in an early number in the show that one could be mistaken for thinking they were at an Ultravox gig) to fall for his charms, and everything goes downhill from there. Equally hampered by the show’s ridiculous plot, Sienna struggles to establish herself as a credible character - her one redeeming feature however is that she is played by the sensational Cayleigh Capaldi whose voice has to be amongst the best in town.

Young Cian Eagle-Service (taking a night off from being a brilliant Oliver just down the road) partners the similarly youthful Sophia Goodman in a kiddy double-act that could almost drown in its own sugary sweetness. That being said, both Eagle-Service and Goodman are simply exquisite in their singing and in their acting through song. These kids are truly talented stars of the future.

Also on stage in supporting roles are Aimie Atkinson, Ava Brennan and Daniel Brocklebank, all adding a twist of shallow soapiness to the evening’s melodramatics but equally, all of them displaying powerful, flawless vocals.

Ashley Jana’s instantly forgettable songs (the show’s musical numbers are not even listed in the programme - always an ominous sign) lurch from ballad to anthem and back again, all underscored with an overemphatic and heavily amplified bass line.

A great deal of money and effort has clearly been spent on mounting the show on London's prestigious Palladium stage - if only similar energy had been devoted to its writing. Rarely have such awful songs been sung so amazingly.

Runs until 4th February

Photo credit: Fahad Alinizi