Sing Street - Review

Lyric Hammersmith, London

***

Music & lyrics by Gary Clark & John Carney

Book by Enda Walsh

Based on the motion picture written and directed by John Carney

Directed by Rebecca Taichman

Grace Collender and Sheridan Townsley

Together with Gary Clark, John Carney has taken his 2016 movie about the power of music, love and dreams to conquer the poverty of 1980’s Dublin, translated it into a musical.

It’s a tall order for any story to be so transformed and (for the show’s first half at least) the photographed beauty that underscored the movie fails to be replicated on Hammersmith’s Lyric stage. Enda Walsh has been drafted in to write the musical’s book, but for all Walsh’s innate understanding of Irish culture, his storyline lurches clumsily through too much expositional cliche.

The evening’s strengths however rest on the extraordinary talents of its young cast of gifted actor-musicians, many of which are making either their London or professional debut in the show.

Sheridan Townsley and Grace Collender (respectively Conor and Raphina) lead the narrative as the young lovers destined to be together. Both have a vocal strength  and charisma that suspends disbelief and drive the story through its cliched backdrop. There is great work too from accomplished singer Adam Hunter as Conor’s older brother Brendan.

It is Carney and Clark’s songs however that power the show, restoring this jaded reviewer’s faith in new writing. Where so much new musical writing can fail to land, in Sing Street, and in the second half in particular, as Walsh’s book fades into insignificance, the songs and more importantly, the passion and power with which they are delivered, make the evening soar.

This show's actors and songs are fab. With a sharper storyline and the 2hr 40 running time trimmed by half an hour, this could yet be a fantastic show.

Runs until 23rd August

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Faustus: That Damned Woman - Review

Lyric Hammersmith, London


**


Written by Chris Bush
Directed by Caroline Byrne

Jodie McNee

Life imitates art with the opening of Chris Bush’s latest play Faustus: That Damned Woman at the Lyric Hammersmith. For where the original tale saw Dr Faust bargain with the Devil to exchange his soul for all worldly knowledge – so here does Bush seek to swap the classic parable for a feminist-angled perspective that fails to hit its target.

There is fine work from Jodie McNee as Johanna Faustus and an equally enchanting turn from Danny Lee Wynter’s diabolical Mephistopheles. But as Ms Faustus seals her pact, and in the future encounters Marie (Curie) played by Alicia Charles, we see Bush scoring the most spectacular own goal. For rather than Curie’s achievements being celebrated for the (true) heroine that she was in her scientific discoveries, Bush relegates her to little more than a sidekick to husband Pierre (Tim Samuels) and where Marie could have been portrayed as a strong, smart and independent woman, Bush and director Caroline Byrne reduce her to little more than a spouse who is both humble and scared. This shallowness of perspective clouds the whole piece, and while there may be some wit in Bush’s words, it is overshadowed by a disappointing structure that sidelines real, factual female achievement in praise of the patriarchy.

The set and costume designs from Ana Inés Jabares-Pita and Line Bech impress, but not enough to avert a disappointing evening.

Faustus: That Damned Woman is a Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Headlong co-production, in association with Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Playing at the Lyric Hammersmith until 22nd February before playing at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 24th February and then touring the UK, visiting Bristol Old Vic, Leeds Playhouse and Northern Stage throughout March and April 2020.

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Vikki Stone - A Songbird Speaks

Vikki Stone

Vikki Stone brings her one-woman show to the Lyric Hammersmith this Monday 2nd December. 

She and I briefly talked not just about the show, but also about her adaptation of High Fidelity, the American musical based upon Nick Hornby's classic London-centred novel and which Stone has just brought back home to the UK. 

JB:    Tell me about Monday's show.

VS:    Well it is nice to be able to bring it to the Lyric Hammersmith and send it off in style. The show is called Songbird and it's a piece that I have been touring this year. I've been in Edinburgh with it and Monday will be the show's last performance of this year.

I've made a conscious decision to try and make a show that feels inclusive and fun as I didn't really want anything particularly heavy at the moment. I go to the theatre a lot and I'm watching shows that are heavy into topics and while that's all fantastic, worthy and good, I really wanted to create something that feels like a bit of comedy escapism and is just there to be silly and really fun.

Songbird has often been described as joyous and hopefully it's an evening that, in the very tense times that we are in, proves to be a good old-fashioned, fun night out.

JB:    Has the impending General Election made you vary your routine or the scripts at all?

VS:    No, not really. I've decided that I wanted to feel like my show was an anti-thesis to politics. It's about life and family and loss and about my dog! It is very silly and very funny hopefully to other people's opinions.

And it’s a one woman show too, although I do come on in the first half and mess around a bit as Abanazar, before doing the second half as me!

JB:    You are quite a presence in London at the moment. Currently playing at the Turbine Theatre is the new musical High Fidelity, a show that saw you re-adapting Nick Hornby’s tale back to its Anglo / London roots. Tell me about that process. 

VS:    It was interesting as High Fidelity has been a very unique project and not something that gets asked of me very much. As a writer I was taking a pre-existing musical and a pre-existing book, with the original book having been set in London, but then the subsequent film and musical treatment were set in the States - so bringing it back across the Pond was an interesting job. My first thing was to read the book a couple of times and  listen to the audio a few times so I felt that I was dead familiar with the source material. 

When I started to add scenes or add language, most of the time it was original stuff from Nick Hornby and not actually from me. I wanted not only to remove some of the American references, but also some of the dated material. Dated in its portrayal of women, in the portrayal of the female characters and the protagonist’s attitude to sex - all of which was stuff that wasn't in Nick Hornby's original novel. 

There was a fair amount of  resistance to some of my changes that I really had to fight for. We were talking over e-mail with the licence holders and who were then taking it the writers. Not so much Tom Kitt, because the music wasn't really changed at all but with Amanda Green and David Lindsay-Abaire. It was a process that went on way after press night as we fought our corners but it has all now been resolved. 

It was quite touch and go as to whether or not we'd really be allowed to do what we wanted to do with it. There were original American lyrics about “a real go-getter, in a thrift store sweater” which the writers didn't want to change it and I was like, but we just wouldn't say "thrift store" as it immediately takes the show out of where we are. Similarly referencing "autumn" as "the fall" where again I'd say we just do not say that, it's not in our language. Even though we understand the fall, we've all seen American movies, we just don't use that phrase. 

I had to make a case for a lot of things, but I can understand this because David and Amanda had spent a lot of time and effort and years of work into making the musical, only for us to come along and go, "we're changing that, we're changing this". I can understand why they were so protective over their material.

But I am very pleased with what the English version of the musical has become.

Vikki Stone can be seen in Songbird at the Lyric Hammersmith on Monday December 2nd. For tickets click here

High Fidelity runs at the Turbine Theatre until Saturday December 7th. For tickets click here

For my 4* review of High Fidelity click here

X & Y - Review

Lyric Hammersmith, London

***

Written and directed by Melina Namar and Jessica Manu

In 2011 Beyoncé Knowles proclaimed in a mightily catchy hook that girls run the world, a far cry of course from James Brown's 1966 declaration that "This is a man’s world”. Whatever the truth of the matter, fast forward to 2017 and everyone seems to be a little bit lost. The topic of gender seems to continually be at the forefront of our cultural narrative, with the ever-shifting paradigm of what it truly means to be a man or a woman or indeed neither, in the modern era.

So it was that under the Lyric Hammersmith’s Open Mic banner and for one night only, Melina Namdar and Jessica Manu offered a fascinating glimpse into bringing these complex issues to the surface. Featuring a series of short, modern scenarios facing both men and women, the evening ranged from such first-world tribulations as swiping through Tinder, to the harder hitting and more volatile issues of abortion and rape. There was much here to fuel provocative thought and debate.

Overall, the show was a mixed bag. Some moments were harrowingly true and effective, hitting the right notes in terms of both gravitas and comedic astuteness. Elsewhere however, aspects seemed slightly contrived though this may well derive from the piece’s structure, compressing enormous issues into tantalisingly brief performance windows. X&Y clearly has a powerful message but it needs to expand its characters’ story lines and give more context to their plight as individuals.

What was undeniable however was the young performing talent that gives the play its authenticity and energy.  Michael Ajih’s honest portrayal of a young man who suffers a traumatic event and is subsequently confronted by a therapist to talk about his experience, has an incredible impact.  The hesitation and build up as he overcame his reluctance to talk, was both moving and credible.

Another stand out performance was Thea Mayeux as a woman confronted with a manipulative and ultimately bad apple of a partner, whose true colours are revealed when she informs him that she’s pregnant. Mayeux’s ability to convey emotional distress with a simple yet effective glazed look in her eyes as she realised her dire situation was immense. A captivating performance that left a considerable impression.

Melina Namar and Jessica Manu have put together a stellar group of young actors and created a piece of theatre that asks questions and explores issues, rarely depicted on stage. If X&Y is any indicator to go by, look out for their future productions.

Reviewed by Josh Kemp

Bugsy Malone - Review

Lyric Hammersmith, London


*****

Play by Alan Parker
Words and music by Paul Williams
Directed by Sean Holmes

Ensemble

Seeing Bugsy Malone not long after having re-visited The Untouchables (Brian de Palma’s Al Capone gangster movie) and the West End’s revival of Guys and Dolls makes one realise just how classy Sean Holmes’ production of this spoof gangland caper really is.

Forty years ago visionary British film director Alan Parker took the adult mobster world of hoodlums, molls and tommy-guns and scaled it down to kids at soda fountains shooting custard pies at each other and all sungalong to an infectiously cheerful score. It was to be another twenty years or so before the movie made it on to the stage in a book adapted by Parker himself.

Failthful to the film, the plot is so corny as to defy too much explanation, but it really doesn't matter. Set in a 1930s Chicago type city, rival gang bosses Fat Sam and Dandy Dan fight it out for a consignment of dastardly splurge guns. Amidst a cast of talented kids (with an adult ensemble in support who look even younger!) and scenes that almost incongruously leap from nightclub to a boxing ring Bugsy Malone, offers two hours of finely crafted froth. 

Vincent Finch and Ensemble

The cast on the night (there are three teams of child actors for the run) ranged between very good and sensational. Vincent Finch puts in a fine turn carrying much of the narrative as club owner Fat Sam, whilst in the title role Mark Charles has all the potential of a future Sky Masterson, as Oliver Emery captures the bad-guy nastiness of Dandy Dan.

Georgia Pemberton

It is the show’s leading ladies (or rather, girls) however, that are out of this world. Olivia Shaye Masterson’s Tallulah brings a confidence and poise that completely belies her age, giving a stunning take on My Name Is Tallulah. She is only matched by Georgia Pemberton’s Blousey Brown whose two big numbers I’m Feeling Fine and Ordinary Fool offer clear evidence of this young performer’s remarkable and accomplished pedigree. A mention too for Leah Levman’s Lena/Babyface, a pint-sized performance packing a punch that oozes cheeky chutzpah!

Olivia Shaye Masterson

Holmes has assembled a classy team of creatives to support him and Drew McOnie’s choreogoraphy, for the most part performed by the adult ensemble is imaginative and exciting. The hoodlum’s routine in Bad Guys is a blast, whilst the boxing/dancing arrangement  (and a shout out here for fight arranger Kate Waters and her captain Lucy Thomas) in So You Wanna Be A Boxer is poetry in motion. McOnie’s penultimate number, as hoodlums reprise Fat Slam’s Grand Slam all toting splurge guns, carries more than a hint of Bob Fosse. Also top notch is Jon Bausor’s design work – the costumes in particular make the girls look fabulous, and it is rare to see so many perfectly scaled down double-breasted suits.

The music is wonderfully arranged and Phil Bateman has done a wonderful job with Paul William’s score. In a world right now that is at best troubled, to leave a theatre humming You Give A Little Love (and it all comes back to you) is priceless.

First seen here at the Lyric last year, Bugsy Malone went on to garner a well-earned Olivier nomination and now it's back for the summer. Take the kids, hell, take anyone, it's fabulous musical theatre!

Runs until 4th September

Photo credit: Tristram Kenton

Bugsy Malone - Review

Lyric Hammersmith, London

****

Play by Alan Parker
Words and Music by Paul Williams
Directed by Sean Holmes

Zoe Brough

The list of gangster movies inspired by 1920’s prohibition-era Chicago is lengthy, but it was not to be until 1976 that British director Alan Parker was to redefine the genre with Bugsy Malone. His award-winning feature film was an inspired musical romp for children, with the classic themes of love and crime all scaled down to a kids-eye view of morality and with sub-machine guns converted to spray custard-pie “splurge” rather than murderous lead. 

Bugsy Malone is rarely seen on stage and the Lyric Hammersmith, re-opening now after a multi-million pound redevelopment, could not have chosen a more suitable show. With new facilities aimed at engaging young people and connecting with the community, Artistic Director Sean Holmes describes the show as “witty and ironic, heartfelt yet never sentimental” and as director, he delivers on his promise. 

From the opening sequence of ‘Splurge Gun’ shootings the world in which these junior mobsters thrive is teed up perfectly. Splurge aside, Holmes and his choreographer Drew McOnie do a fine job in ensuring the 7 youngsters playing lead roles alongside the 12 older ensemble members seamlessly deliver the show’s style and energy.  

The show has a history of being a launch pad for the stars of tomorrow with a young Jodie Foster having played gangster’s moll Tallulah in the movie, whilst in 1996 a youthful Sheridan Smith graced the National Youth Music Theatre’s production, in the same role. Impressing this time round (or at least on the night that the Baz was in) Zoe Brough as Blousey Brown sang Ordinary Fool with an innocence and honesty that ran throughout her performance. In the title role, Sasha Gray's performance is a charmer. 

While the young cast shine as individuals, the ensemble are electric together. Once again McOnie devises stunning dance and his company make it look easy. From car chase to boxing match there seems no limit to his creativity, which also manages to maintain a tongue in cheek playfulness, notably in Fat Sam’s gang’s group number Bad Guys.

Jon Bausor’s set design sees slick transitions from speakeasy to sidewalk, whilst Phil Bateman’s band makes perfect work of Williams’ gorgeously hummable tunes.

Staging the show meticulously, Holmes ensures that as all the splurge stays on stage, with audience faces only ending up spattered with smiles. Mounting a show so dependent on young shoulders is a risk for any creative team, yet the Lyric have found themselves with a sure-fire hit on their hands.

Runs until 1st August 2015