An Evening With Lorna Luft

Crazy Coqs, London

****

Lorna Luft

The Crazy Coqs have a canny eye for a cabaret crowd puller. The intimate art deco venue is fast establishing itself as a stage for both discerning performers and audiences and was again a sell out as Hollywood's Lorna Luft took up her week’s residency in this elegant London haunt.

Judy Garland’s younger daughter, Miss Luft's showbiz pedigree is impeccable and accompanied by her English husband, talented pianist Colin Freeman, expectations were high as she introduced her set describing it as a journey through the American songbook. With just a couple of diversions along the way, Luft provided a polished whirl through some of the finest numbers to emerge from Hollywood and Broadway over the course of the 20th century.

Luft has a vocal presence that reminds one of a beautifully maintained 1980’s Cadillac. Impressive, American, bold, luxurious, with just a hint from time to time of needing maintenance, but above all, providing an absolutely luxurious ride. Hers is a beautifully large sound and though she hails from and speaks of her heritage as being from Los Angeles and California, to this untrained ear at least there is more than a hint of New York Bronx in her voice. This lady’s vocal strength though is in her belt. Whilst as a glamorous and beautiful woman she is of course ageless, her ability to deliver powerful melodies and hold a note for an unbelieveable number of bars was inspiring. The Crazy Coqs though is nothing if not close-up and private and there were moments when Luft's sound was perhaps a little too overbearing for the room.

Luft has lived a rich life amongst some of the most colourful and creative characters of post-war America and when she speaks one listens. Her name-dropping of performers and composers was as authentic as it was fascinating and her warm reference to Jerry Herman, composer of the comedy musical Mame, as being one of the few people to recognise her mother as being a woman with a capacity for humour even in her troubled final years and of being one of the few men to then see in Judy Garland so much more than just tragedy, was an anecdote that it felt a privilege to have listened to. As she introduced the plaintive Time Heals Everything from Herman’s Mack & Mabel, a song that the composer had told her, was now “her song”,we saw a momentary glimpse of the mutual closeness and affection that Luft enjoys with many iconic individuals. That it would be easy to listen to Luft's tales for hours is the hallmark of a fascinating cabaret performance.

Herman’s work popped up from time to time through Luft’s set, which also included an extensive nod to Burt Bacharach and Hal David, as well as Rodgers and Hart, before closing with a compilation, this being the movies awards season, brilliantly stitched together of numerous Songbook classics from the pictures, that had NOT gone on to achieve Oscar recognition. There were some surprising inclusions.

With an appreciative audience on the night, predominatly sexa- and septuagenarians, Luft’s routine garnered rapturous applause with some of the crowd making the not insignificant effort to stand and cheer. The singer's message though is for all, and not just society's seniors. Both her connection with and her interpretation of, some of America's most recognisable show tunes is a rare treat on this side of the pond, and if you love the numbers then go see the show.

Thriller Live - Celebrating 1,000,000 tickets sold

Lyric Theatre, London


****

Conceived by Adrian Grant
Directed and choreographed by Gary Lloyd





The Thriller Live company re-create a famous Jackson moment



Celebrating the sale of its millionth ticket to a delighted 6 year old Chantelle, Thriller Live this week staged a gala performance that also marked the 5th anniversary of its residency at London's Lyric Theatre. Drawing its title from Michael Jackson's album of the same name, the show premiered during the singer's lifetime receiving his endorsement and continues to be a celebration of the works of arguably the world's greatest entertainer.

Commencing with The Jackson 5 era, the production then showcases a selection of songs from Jackson’s subsequent albums with a cast and creative team who are West End professionals at the top of their game. Identified only in the programme as Lead Singers or Dancers, the songs are shared between the 5 leads throughout the evening, men and women as the producers think appropriate and performers who are either, in the words of the song, Black Or White. Of these lead performers, David Jordan dons the suit and hat for the most recognisable recent-day evocation of Jackson the consummate performer, and his incarnation of the man is uncanny. Mannerism and the famous moonwalk are spectacularly nailed by this talented performer but whilst Jordan has responsibility for singing some of the show’s biggest hits including Thriller and Billie Jean, amongst his co-lead singers, Trenyce Cobbins, Haydon Eshun and Alex Buchanan (who does not even get a mention in the programme, but sings a fine She’s Out Of My Life) are also excellent. Eshan Gopal is the little kid in the afro wig who gives a fun and energetic interpretation of the young Jackson performing with his elder brothers.

The choreography from Gary Lloyd, who also directs, is a combination of classic Jackson moves and situations, scaled down from the stadium arena, where most of Jackson’s magic was conceived for, to the tighter confines of  a London stage. Thankfully Lloyd’s dance work builds in impact through the show as the first act’s routines, particularly when the Jackson 5 are performing, could be tighter. After the interval however, the performers move through the gears towards a dynamism that is well drilled and at times breathtaking. Man In The Mirror in particular was an exciting routine and the zombie backing work in Thriller is another piece of meticulously planned company dance, that also serves as effective tribute to the inspired vision of John Landis director of the song’s video from nearly 30 years ago.

The music on the night is excellent. John Maher who has arranged the melodies, has been with the show since its inception and his understanding of the rhythm and pulse of the Jackson sound is clearly second nature. His 6 piece band is another fine example of the production’s overall commitment to excellent production values.

In an era of juke-box musicals, Thriller Live takes the genre one step closer to pure juke-box. Eschewing any aspect of plot or story whatsoever, and subject to occasional words of introduction it unpretentiously segues from one hit to the next. The show may well be little more than a slick tribute act, but it packs a punch of perfect professionalism that Jackson himself would surely approve of.

Now booking to September 2013

The Bodyguard - A New Musical

Adelphi Theatre, London

****

Based on the Warner Bros. Film

Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan

Book by Alexander Dinelaris

Directed by Thea Sharrock



Mark Letheren as Rachel Marron's stalker



The Bodyguard at London’s Adelphi Theatre has been around for almost three months and played this week to a reassuringly packed house on a wintry Thursday night. Alexander Dinelarishas has taken Lawrence Kasdan’s twenty year old screenplay that was embellished with the starring roles of singer Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner as the gun hired to protect her and filleted it down to a staged tale, taking not only a few (modest) liberties with the storyline but also cannily identifying moments along his story’s journey to liberally add in Houston’s hits at any available opportunity. And do you know what? It's a little corny, but it works!

The story broadly follows fictional singer Rachel Marron and her family and entourage and how following the receipt of crazed threats, a skilled bodyguard is hired for the close protection of the star. Any more detail would spoil a good show. If you know the film, expect a few surprises and if you are new to the tale then expect an entertaining ride with a few thrills and spills and the occasional tear too.

The American actress Heather Headley is headlined as starring as Marron. Not so well known in the UK, her Broadway credentials are impeccable. However, it was with a little initial (and short lived) disappointment that we learned that Gloria Onitiri was to take the lead at the performance reviewed here. The cast list states Onitiri as an Ensemble member, yet her detailed bio in the programme describes her as Alternate Rachel Marron. We subsequently learned that she regularly covers for Headley in what is clearly a demanding role. Note to producers : If you regularly have an alternate playing a lead role, then do what Phantom Of The Opera have done for the last 25 years and own up to the fact on your posters and publicity. The honesty does you no harm. Rant over, back to the talent.

Onitiri is quite frankly an unexpected diamond in a glittering show. Her take on Houston’s hits that are sung exquisitely. She was all of rock star, diva, mom and woman-in-love, performed with a gorgeous sound. Her climactic number, Houston's signature hit I Will Always Love You that is an absolute roller-coaster of a song soaring from intimate to epic, was spine tingling. Lloyd Owen as bodyguard Frank Farmer is a turn that is strong and credible. The professional demands of his character demand modest understatement and a performance that is mostly sardonic and laconic. Farmer is allocated few songs in the show (a wise call as a singing bodyguard could well send an audience’s suspended disbelief crashing to the ground) but his rare tuneful moment raises a knowing smile amongst an audience familiar with the tale. The other stunning chanteuse of the night is Debbie Kurup, playing Marron’s sister Nicki. Her delivery of Saving All My Love is exquisite and when she duets with Onitiri, the close harmony work is West End vocal perfection.

Thea Sharrock directs on Tim Hatley’s imaginatively designed set. I suspect the producers have not only an eye on a Broadway opening for the show, but Vegas too, as the classic hits, glitzy sets and not too demanding storyline, will go down well in Nevada’s Sin City. Richard Beadle’s band deliver a very polished and authentic sound ( the delicate guitar lead in to I Will Always Love You was a joy) and for a night of top production values in song and dance, The Bodyguard is another shining example of what makes London the theatre capital of the world.

 

Booking until September 2013

 

 

Janie Dee - Satin Doll Cabaret

Crazy Coqs, London

****





Janie Dee in cabaret

The lights dim in the art deco Crazy Coqs, and slinking her way through the cabaret tables of the venue, Janie Dee eases into Duke Ellington’s Satin Doll, a song title also used to headline her week’s residency at Brasserie Zedel's wonderful basement setting.

Barely 72 hours out of her celebrated stint as the star turn in Leicester’s Curve Theatre production of Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! , Miss Dee loses the brash New York/Yonkers accent that is one of the defining components of the outstanding Dolly Levi that she delivered, adopting instead a seductively smooth sound for a collection of predominantly American numbers. Acknowledging the great chanteuses, her delivery of Diana Ross' Touch Me In The Morning was a wonderfully heartfelt interpretation of that plaintive song whilst her take on Minelli’s There Goes The Ball Game early in her set was cute and enchanting.

Dressed in a strapless ballgown, fishnets, with eyes sparkling throughout and striking red heels that would grace a grown up Dorothy Gale, Miss Dee looks as good as she sounds. Later, in the Dreamgirls song, I Am Changing, Dee goes on to do precisely that, stripping down to her basque and re-dressing as a gamine coquette, complete with cocked hat and bow tie draped around her neck and all whilst performing the number with her allure, confidence and poise, perfect throughout.

Dee’s delivery of reflective anecdotes is warm and sincere, drawing the audience into some brief intimate recollections, making a thoroughly professional performance incredibly up-close and personal too. There is clearly a sound understanding between the singer and Ben Atkinson, her youthful but talented pianist that reflects a well drilled rehearsal routine, itself a fortunate spin off of his having been her musical director at Leicester.

The highlight (for this reviewer at least, though of course everyone will have their own favourite) was her inclusion of Misty. Scaling the complex chords and melodies of Errol Garner’s classic with an apparently effortless mastery, it was a spine-tingling privilege to hear the song given such a fine interpretation. Closing her set with a nod to Dolly, and the appropriately selected So Long Dearie, Dee's accomplished delivery was that of a relaxed and skilled performer who knows a song inside out. Here for 5 nights only, Dee’s Satin Doll routine is an evening of classy cabaret from one of this country’s finest artistes.

In cabaret until Saturday 26th January 2013

My profile of Janie Dee can be found here.

Hello, Dolly! at the Leicester Curve, review can be found here.

Hello, Janie! A profile of Janie Dee

Janie Dee

Janie Dee is one of this country’s treasures of the stage who this week makes a fleeting dash from Leicester’s Curve Theatre, where she has been playing Dolly Levi to rave reviews for the last few weeks, to a brief residence at one of the new London cabaret venues, the Crazy Coqs at Brasserie Zedel. I caught up with Janie shortly before she headed up the M1 for her final week in Leicester.

Dashing from gig to gig seems to be the current hallmark of this busy actress. Hello, Dolly! followed hard on the heels of her appearance in NSFW at the Royal Court, and whether it be in Shakespeare, modern drama or musical theatre, for more than twenty years, Dee has been delivering excellence in all of her stagecraft. Gaining a Best Supporting Actress Olivier Award as a sparkling and truly memorable Carrie Pipperidge in Nicholas Hytner’s 1992 Carousel at the National Theatre, a performance that is even today described by Wikipedia as amongst the top three ever to have been played of that role globally, defined her starry potential and also introduced her to Cameron Mackintosh who with a canny eye for transfer potential, was at that time adopting a wonderfully philanthropic approach to the National’s musicals. Mackintosh wanted Dee to transfer across the river with the box office smash that the show had become, but a combination of commitment and also professional choice, led her to decline the producer’s advances. Nonetheless, she speaks glowingly of Mackintosh’s commitment to the musical theatre genre and has nothing but sincere and considered praise for his recently released film of Les Miserables.

Dee is also a member of that select group of UK performers who has achieved recognised success on Broadway  (make it there and you can make it anywhere, so it is sung) with her creation of Jacie Triplethree (android JC 333)  in Alan Ayckbourn's Comic Potential, a multi-award winning performance in London that went on to achieve numerous New York nominations. She  has garnered critical acclaim for roles in regional theatre as well as London, with particularly strong working relationships being established with Paul Kerryson in Leicester (who also directed the most recent ‘ Dolly!)  and Jonathan Kent at Chichester.



Dee as Dolly Levi in Leicester Curve's recent Hello, Dolly!

When the role of Dolly Levi was offered to Dee she was hesitant, mindful not only of Streisand’s giant shadow but also of Samantha Spiro’s successful 2009 London turn in the role and initially was inclined to decline. Fate, however, had fortuitously intervened, with the complete coincidence of her father, for whom the show is a personal favourite, asking her  “So when are you going to play Dolly, Janie?”, just a week or so before Kerryson actually approached her with the part. Her father’s plea convinced the leading lady to accept and all who have seen the Leicester show are the richer for it.

Dee was already familiar with the work of ‘Dolly’s composer, Jerry Herman, having played the female lead in the most recent West End production of his Mack and Mabel. Herman made the trip to London to see the show for himself, establishing a distinct bond of mutual admiration between writer and performer and sharing with her his underlying philosophy of a strong musical theatre plot, that “people need to love and to be loved”, a writer’s note that Dee has evidently absorbed into her recent hilarious yet sensitive and intuitive performance as New York's professional matchmaker. Showbiz is of course not without its knocks and Dee, who made her Hello, Dolly! entry each night from a seat in row 8 of the stalls, talks anecdotally of an audience member in her 80’s, not recognising that the show's star was sat in front of her, commenting quietly to the actress that a friend (also elderly)  who had already seen the show thought it “really wasn’t very good at all“ ! With those words of criticism ringing in her ears, Dee then had to take the stage and launch into the show’s wonderful opening number Call on Dolly. Suffice to say, Dee was the consummate trouper and by the end of the performance, the 80 year old buttonholed her, to say how wonderful it all had been!

And thus to the West End, where today Miss Dee commences her residency. With pianist  Ben Atkinson who is fresh from musically directing her in Leicester, the two have had plenty of time to rehearse together and polish the set. She talks of a song list including a smattering of Fats Waller combined with other numbers from era and her take on some of the classics of the American Songbook is eagerly awaited. If you like your music like your bourbon, long slow and smooth with moments of dancing liveliness, then an evening in the intimate cabaret company of  this sublimely talented actress is likely to prove time wisely and wonderfully spent.

My review of Hello, Dolly! at Leicester's Curve can be found here.

Janie appears in cabaret at the Crazy Coqs at Brasserie Zedel until Saturday January 26th 2013, reviewed here.

Feature : Jen and Sylvia Soska - Canada's Twisted Twins




Jen and Sylvia Soska in a cameo appearance from their latest movie American Mary



Meeting Jen and Sylvia Soska (who are the founders and driving force of Twisted Twins Productions) one is quickly struck by their energy and ability to create a rapport. You feel that their directing of a film unit is likely to be as invigorating for their crew members, as watching their movies is for the audience. So it was as I arrived at London's Soho Hotel for my interview with these talented identical twins, in town to promote their newest feature American Mary, which will be released on DVD and Blu-ray from Universal Pictures (UK) on 21st January 2013.

By the time of the interview my advance copy of American Mary had not yet arrived so in that regard I was interviewing blind, however this was not to prove a problem. The twins, together with the movie’s star, Katharine Isabelle who was touring with them, were delighted that my first viewing of the film was to be later that evening on a big screen in central London and so the conversation flowed around the Soskas’ first feature, Dead Hooker In A Trunk, as well as their background and their philosophy in filmmaking.

The twin’s have long shared a passion in horror film and they speak warmly of the influence and guidance of established director Eli Roth, in working with them and mentoring the pair. They shot Dead Hooker on the infinitesimally micro-budget of C$2,500 ( approximately £1,750!) and of this, most was spent on prosthetics. A look down the cast and credits of that picture at movie database IMDb, reveals that nearly all the main performers (as well as the twins themselves who starred in that oeuvre) often had several roles behind the camera, ranging from electrician to stunt-driver. Only once completed was a copy sent to Roth, already then a giant of horror production with Cabin Fever and Hostels 1 & 2 to his credit and who was bowled over by what he saw. With his input and supportive promotion, the picture went on to achieve global recognition and allowed the twins to command a (still tiny) budget of closer to C$1M for American Mary. The sisters refer to Roth as their “favourite Jew since Jesus”. American Mary is dedicated to him and the guidance that he has passed on to the sisters – one of his most helpful notes being that if a movie cannot be pitched in two sentences, don’t shoot it – echoes the mentoring and support that he himself received from Quentin Tarantino who came on board to produce the two Hostel pictures.

Dead Hooker is a quirky, left of field picture that follows a group of young people, (think of a parody of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five), discovering the body of a hooker in their car’s trunk and setting off on a blood spattered mystery, to uncover the truth behind her murder. Their journey takes them on a bizarre tour of the twins’ native Vancouver and the movies denouement, without too much spoiling, hilariously/horrifically touches upon a Jewish guy whose circumcision as a child had gone a little awry. The glee with which the Soskas’ take such recognised urban anxieties and nightmares and project them on screen as brash innovative statements, is a hallmark of their writing. In American Mary they have defined some of their most evil male characters as eminent teaching doctors.

Another common Soska thread is their desire to overturn the historic exploitation of women on screen. Their refreshing and honest empowerment of their heroines has so far given rise to stories and chapters that are often best described as emasculatory, at the very least! It is a mark of the respect that these filmmakers engender from their performers that during the filming of Dead Hooker, when the staged beating of actress Tasha Moth by the movie’s mysoginist bad-guy was being filmed, even under the expert eye of a stunt co-ordinator a baseball bat blow went off target and Moth took a swipe to the kidneys. Such was her devotion to the movie and the twins’ vision that she didn’t complain, even when the next day she was passing blood. Needless to say, the Soskas were mortified on learning of this mishap and happily the actress went on to make a full recovery.

Jen and Sylvia work well together throughout the development process of their stories. They talk of how as one creates, the other plays video games before, in the tradition of all good siblings, they dutifully trash and pull apart the other’s efforts. Yet from this process emerge well-argued storylines and intelligent plots. Music and excellent sound feature heavily in  Twisted Twins productions. They talk of how when they write a script that every camera angle, sound effect and background detail is documented right at the very commencement of the creative process. The baseball battering referred to above is set to the Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen and incredibly the combination of refined beauty in music being juxtaposed against distressing violence ( think of Beethoven in Kubrick’s The Clockwork Orange) is effective. The twins speak warmly of having been immersed in culture from a very young age by their parents and in a novel gesture of appreciation have had their real-life father perform minor comic cameos in each of the movies.

Meeting the Soska sisters (and my review of American Mary can be found here) confirms my perception that these striking, talented young artists represent a distinctive and refreshing take on the horror genre. Their films are graphic and wildly imaginative, but where Mary Shelley once shocked a world with Frankenstein, so are these two women reaching out to leave their mark on Tinseltown as an invigorating and formidable force. They also shoot damn good pictures.


American Mary, which will be released on DVD and Blu-ray from Universal Pictures (UK) on 21st January 2013 and will open at UK cinemas on 11th January 2013 (FrightFest)

The Helpers - DVD

Certificate 18, available on DVD and Blu-ray from January 21 2013


***

Directed by Chris Stokes

Christopher Jones, tied to a chair

In a flurry of life imitating art imitating life, The Helpers DVD and Blu-ray launches on January 21^st amidst a publicity spurt rarely seen for a “straight to DVD” release. Achieving coverage in the national press and on ITV’s Daybreak, a cleverly assembled pop up shop in the heart of London’s East End displayed several tableaux in which some of this horror film’s most gruesome moments had been painstakingly recreated  in cake, marzipan and spun sugar creations  ( see the delicious lemon drizzle severed head below ) .

So, given the cake promotion theme, is The Helpers more than just a storm in a tea cup ? Well, the answer is just, probably. Based upon some apparently true events, the tale tells of a Jeep laden with 7 of America’s finest young people heading for a weekend in Las Vegas, breaking down in the desert. This reviewer has experience of a tyre blow-out in Death Valley followed by a nine hour wait for assistance (long story but our car renter – a massive global brand – had failed to supply the (tiny) lockable wheel nut key - believe me, it cost them!) and the anxiety that the group of friends experience on being stranded is authentically scripted.

Conveniently, there turns out to be a gas station and motel within a short walk of the breakdown, run by an apparently cool and hip bunch of young people who are keen to help the travellers. The alcohol flows and all retire to bed, intoxicated. Of course, come the morning, some of our protagonists wake to find that they have been tied to various implements of bondage and pain and shortly thereafter a series of torturous or decapitating or even more shocking events befall them in turn and the body count inevitably starts to rise. As the story winds out there is an inevitable fight back against the bad guys, before a final sequence that is a little predictable.

The acting is good, the desert photography is well assembled and the film’s $4M budget has been wisely spent. The special effects were almost as disgusting to look at as the cakes at the movie’s launch and as stay-at-home movies go, The Helpers is worth a purchase or a download, making a refreshing change from the norm in that it presents both predator AND preyed-upon as young Americans of both sexes. The soundtrack is not too bad either and if like a good steak, you enjoy your horror bloody, you will not be disappointed.

( To see a full picture gallery of the delicious cakes that promoted the DVD launch click here)

Naughty but nice. This shocking decapitated head is in fact a delicious Lemon Drizzle Cake + wig!