Animus - Review

Laban Theatre, London

***

Music by Michael Webborn

Lyrics and book by Daniel Finn

Directed by Simon Grieff

The company of Animus

Set amidst family strife in 1700’s London, three children bicker and squabble over their inheritance after their father has mysteriously died. Charlotte, the eldest, a headstrong and determined young woman who’s been bequeathed her father’s wharf business is determined to prove to the patriarchal society around her that she is their equal, however deadly the consequences. 

In what is the second collaboration from British writing team Webborn and Finn, Animus delivers a cleverly constructed plot including complex characters and a chilling mystery that keeps one guessing.

There was fine work here from the students of Trinity Laban who gave the piece a 3-show outing. Animus is no easy beast to tackle comprising a dark subject matter, challenging score and multifaceted characters. Played out on Amy Yardley’s sparse set, the audience had to use their imagination to envision the settings. This may have been another hurdle for the students to climb but they did so with precision and confidence. While no doubt well intentioned, Yardley’s projections of 18th century London were at times an unnecessary distraction, failing to fill the backdrop that they were intended for.

Three specific names must be mentioned for their performances. Danielle Whittaker as Fanny Penhaligon, the powerhouse madam of the local brothel was a joy to watch. She brought an excellent comic timing that lent itself so imperatively to the nature of the character and her voice while powerful was delicate enough to suit the style well. Similarly, Harvey Westwood as Joe Grey, the loveable cheeky street urchin/thief, who helps Charlotte, track down her enemies was very easy to watch. Westwood brought a welcome, relaxed vibe to the piece that lifted the mood continuously. Resembling something of a young Ralph Fiennes, he’s an honest actor with an impressive vocal range that comfortably met Webborn and Finn’s challenging melodies.

The most striking performance however came from Laura Barnard as Lily Donne, Charlotte’s younger sister. In an incredibly complex role she simmered quietly throughout the show as the chaos ensues around her. Hovering in the background until her true motives are revealed in the second half proved effortless for the young actress and was truly the highlight of the evening. Barnard has a soaring and emotive voice and her visible turmoil had one ensnared throughout.

The students of Trinity Laban should be proud of their achievements. They have tackled a monster of a piece with professionalism and skill. It will be intriguing to see what else this year has to offer, later down the line.

Reviewed by Charlotte Darcy

Rumpy Pumpy! - Review

Union Theatre, London

***

Music, lyrics and book by Barbara Jane Mackie

Directed by Simon Grieff

Linda Nolan and Louise Jameson

The true story behind Rumpy Pumpy! is both noble and remarkable. Jean Johnson and Shirley Landers, two stalwart Hampshire grandmothers and pillars of the WI no less took it upon themselves to try and right the conditions of the county's sex workers. Their research saw them travel the world in a pursuit of dignity and safety for the women. Barbara Jane Mackie has taken their tale and transformed it into a musical, first seen last year and now making a brief re-appearance at London’s Union Theatre before a hoped-for national tour and possible movie treatment too.

Likened to "Calendar Girls meets London Road", Rumpy Pumpy! actually falls short of both. The performances may well be flawless throughout, led impressively by the trio of Louise Jameson and Tricia Deighton as Johnson and Landers respectively alongside Linda Nolan's Holly, a Portsmouth Madam - but that’s about it. Aside from occasional gems (act one's Red Bull and Cigarettes is particularly punchy), the songs lack depth. Likewise Mackie's book, for all its truthful bedrock, reverts too often to clumsy cliché. The baddy female cop, DC Hecks (a good effort from Basienka Blake) is more Keystone than the Javert / Frollo nemesis that Mackie may have had in mind and none of the writer's verses match the caustically poignant wit that Boublil and Schoenberg imbued in Lovely Ladies from Les Miserables or that Kander and Ebb were able to capture in their work. The evening's numerous numbers that are performed in fishnets and lingerie hint at a show that is more of a "Chicago Lite" than innovative new writing.

Paul Smith's solo hard work on the piano offered a fluid accompaniment and if Gregor Donnelly's costumes were a little unimaginative, at least the money spent on shoes wasn’t wasted - the heels on display were stunning! There may yet be an entertaining film to be made here - the locations themselves from Pompey's grime to New Zealand via Nevada are potentially mouthwatering. But this worthy homage to the working girl needs work.

Runs until 19th November

Photo credit:Scott Rylander

Picture Perfect

St James Studio, London

***

Music & lyrics by Scott Evan Davis

Conceived & directed by Simon Greiff

Jerome Pradon

In another display of fine production values, the fledgling United Theatrical team of Stuart Matthew Price and James Yeoburn have assembled a classy quartet to premiere Scott Evan Davis' new show.

Empty picture frames adorn the St James' basement stage, signalling that whilst appearances (frames) may be gilded, what lies beneath often isn't. Early on we find fourty-something Elizabeth discovering hubby Harry's infidelity. As son Josh agonises over the fear of mom leaving home, the mistress-young-enough-to-be-Harry's-daughter Ellie, swoons over her lover's apparent perfections. Throughout, Simon Greiff directs his company with a precise clarity.

Helen Hobson gives a beautifully weighted Elisabeth. Singing from the book, the script she held was barely noticeable. It is a mark of the woman that her delivery was exquisitely nuanced, either as caring mother or betrayed wife. She gives fabulous vocals and a faultless presence.

Jerome Pradon is her greying deceitful spouse. Again, a flawless performance, though it is in his role that the cracks in Davis' writing start to emerge with his guilty husband/dad character barely given an opportunity to crawl out of cliched predictability.

Josh is played by a mellifluous Joel Harper-Jackson. The young man's voice has a divine range and a fabulous belt and it is a mark of his talent that he can convince in songs that pitch him from aged 7 through to a much older young man struggling with his sexuality. He too however is bogged down by lyrics that are sometimes eye-rollingly awful. "Knowing who I was, Has taught me who I am" is a line that should never have made it past an early workshop.

As coquettish Ellie, the outstanding Charlotte Wakefield again shows why she was up for an Olivier earlier this year (coincidentally nominated for a Maria that played against Helen Hobson's Mother Abbess in the Open Air's Sound of Music). Amongst the best of her generation Wakefield dances her way through the show, each number a distinct and polished example of acting through song. A youthful audience filled the theatre (an impressive achievement on a sunny Sunday afternoon) and today's musical theatre students would do well to note the professionalism and excellence that Wakefield brings to all her roles.

Colin Billing's piano work with Sarah Bowler on cello bring a passion to the afternoon's accompaniment, though whilst all the tunes are superbly played, few are memorable.

In a curious irony, the show lives up to the pretext it purports to argue. The cast and creatives are glitteringly top-notch but scratch this show's surface and there is very little to stir the soul. Picture Perfect is a middling book about mediocre folk. Davis needs to inject more sparkling satire that lifts his lyrics above a paltry attempt at humour referencing human vices. Where Sondheim and Schwartz possess a brilliance that either tickles ribs or bites at one’s psyche, too much “new writing” (with Dougal Irvine and Scott Alan being notable exceptions) lacks the wit of these wordsmiths. On this showing, Picture Perfect remains a work in progress. Remove the cliche and there may yet be a deeply moving show waiting to emerge.

Emerging Artists - April 2014

Crazy Coqs, London

Produced by Simon Greiff

The series of Emerging Artist gigs that are taking place at London’s Crazy Coqs is a potentially exciting showcase for new talent in the arenas of both performance and also creativity. The guru behind the events is Simon Greiff, long recognised as a champion of the talent that is to be found breaking through in musical theatre.

Three writer/composers were showcased in the April session, Jonathan Eio, Ella Grace and Dan Looney. All talented musicians for sure, far more talented than this critic and all able to structure a song with a respectable number of verses, a key change and a middle eight that works too. But it was a disappointment that too many of the evening’s numbers bore the hallmarks of bland ballads. The human condition has long been the driving force of strong musical theatre and songs about relationships are all very well and good. But, there’s a difference between just writing a song and writing a good striking song that hooks the audience. All too often there wasn’t enough imaginative bait on offer to make me want to bite, either in terms of an exciting melody or truly witty lyrics.

That being said, whilst Eio’s When You Were Mine may have been lyrically trite, Adele Pope’s delivery of the song was rather gorgeous. Elsewhere in the programme Grace’s Promise Me tackled the challenge of violent abuse. A dark subject for any song (Suzanne Vega nailed it years ago with Luka) and whilst Kay Hindmarsh sung it beautifully, the lyrics veered from being painfully percepetive to at times being shallow and occasionally patronising. These are criticisms that I suspect could not have been further from Grace’s mind when she penned the number, her song simply needs more work.

Dan Looney’s work was generally excellent. His Swear Our Love, about a young man with Tourettes, was a brave song that trod very thin ice. To write a witty song about a disability requires profound sensitivity and tact and Looney got the balance just right, showing judgement and maturity in his lyrics. Looney was also blessed with two of the evening’s stellar performers. Seasoned young star Matthew Rowland served his Excalibur 93 number very well, whilst Mollie Melia-Redgrave was a stunning Ditsy Blonde.

Not really an emerging talent, more a leading-lady in waiting, Laura Pitt-Pulford graced the stage with Eio’s Sandbox. Pitt-Pulford only really knows to do “fabulous” when she sings and this song proved no exception. A cracking performance as ever, which also seemed to truly tickle the hen party that staggered in to the Crazy Coqs half way through her number!

Talent showcases will always present a variety of abilities and whilst it is proving hard to discern an emerging wit to match the the likes of a young Rice Sondheim or Schwartz there is definite potential amongst today’s young composers. The venue was packed, the show only lasted an hour and it costs a tenner. And all this all takes place in one of London’s most elegant art deco cabaret venues. Greiff’s next gig in the series is on Saturday June 7 and if you care about the future of the genre, it’s well worth attending.

The next concert in the series is at Crazy Coqs on 7th June