The Grand Tour - Review

Finborough Theatre, London

****

Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman

Book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble

Directed by Thom Southerland

Nic Kyle and Alastair Brookshaw

Thom Southerland's production of Jerry Herman’s The Grand Tour may tell a bittersweet fable, but the show defines all that is good in fringe theatre today. Whilst Broadway success may have eluded its 1979 premier, a staging in the 50 seater Finborough offers the rare privilege of seeing this eclectic work make its maiden voyage across the Atlantic.

The pedigree of Herman, Bramble and Stewart was already established when they collaborated on this tale of tragic whimsy, set against a backdrop of France's encroaching Nazi occupation. Jacobowsky, a Jew who has already fled his native Poland and subsequently Austria and Czechoslovakia must flee Paris. So too must Colonel Stjerbinsky of the exiled Polish Army. Like the Nazis, Stjerbinksy hates Jews but the Germans are after both men and so out of necessity an unlikely allegiance is formed. Throw in a beautiful French woman Marianne, to whom not only is the Colonel betrothed but who can also recognise the human decency of Jacobowsky and the tale evolves into the most tragi-comic of Road movies, as the Holocaust’s tragedy looms.

Alastair Brookshaw’s Jacobowsky is a stunning performance that leads the show. Avoiding caricature, Brookshaw (an actor whose choral career has seen him more accustomed to Westminster’s Abbey rather than Syngaogue and who now, following his outstanding Leo Frank in Tarento’s 2011 Parade confirms his Jewish credentials) nails Jacobowsky’s desperate vulnerability in a performance that combines hilarious chutzpah with profound pathos. Onstage almost throughout, Brookshaw’s opening number I’ll Be Here Tomorrow, sung as he walks, stumbling, across the outstretched arms of the company, evokes the frailty and the tragedy of the time perfectly.

Nic Kyle is the Colonel. His is a tough act, playing the bad-guy/straight-guy to Jacobowsky’s antics, yet the kiwi Kyle skilfully manages his character’s transition as he learns to love his Jewish travelling companion. Completing the trio is Zoe Doano’s Marianne. Doano’s singing matched by her perfect poise and presence that convinces without once becoming sugary, evidences her West End experience.

As well as producing, Danielle Tarento casts the show and her eye for talent is, as ever, spot on. Blair Robertson’s murderous SS Captain defines a villainy that is cliché free, whilst Vincent Pirillo’s Jewish father whose grief as the Nazis destroy his daughter’s wedding (in a scene that is one of several gloriously choreographed routines from Cressida Carre) is a beautifully sung turn that also avoids melodrama.

The Finborough’s stage is tiny yet Phil Lindley’s ingenious scenery, comprising panels that open to reveal differing backdrops sets the locations wonderfully. The act one closing number, One Extraordinary Thing, set in a circus big top complete with high wire routine is a particular delight. Max Pappenheim’s well crafted sound design adds authenticity, whilst Joanna Cichonska’s filleting of the orchestral score to an arrangement for just two pianos maintains the charm of Herman’s melodies whilst never drowning the un-mic’d actors. Southerland has got the balance of song and setting just right – every lyric is crystal clear.

Reflecting the fate of France’s Jews, The Grand Tour offers no happy ending. The narrative may be fiction, but the backdrop is the most painful truth and in this expertly assembled troupe, Danielle Tarento offers up yet another slice of theatrical genius.

Runs until 21st February 2015

Diamond Dozen - My 12 Best Shows Of 2014

In Chronological Order:

Oh What A Lovely War

Terry Johnson's remarkable recreation of this show, on the stage where it all began: Theatre Royal, Stratford East. A beautifully crafted tribute to the horrific legacy of the First World War and the artistic legacy of Joan Littlewood

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/02/oh-what-lovely-war.html

King Henry IV Parts 1 & 2

In Stratford upon Avon, Greg Doran fashioned tragi-comic excellence from Anthony Sher's Falstaff, supported by Alex Hassell's Hal. 2015 will see this trio re-united in Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman. I can't wait!

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/04/henry-iv-part-1.html
http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/04/king-henry-iv-part-ii.html

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Jethro Compton (writer and director) scaled down this iconic Western to fit the Park Theatre, without losing a drop of the story's nuances and tensions. John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart would have been proud.

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/05/the-man-who-shot-liberty-valance.html

Carousel

On a shoestring budget at the Arcola, Morphic Graffiti with Lee Proud's visionary choreography, breathed a new life into this beautifully tragic classic. Gemma Sutton broke hearts as the girls and gays swooned for Tim Rogers.

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/06/carousel.html

Amadeus

In the first of three nods on this list for both Chichester and for Stephen Mear, Rupert Everett's Salieri paired with Joshua McGuire's Mozart marked a gloriously styled re-opening of the Festival Theatre as this South Coast centre of excellence gave the most exciting take on Amadeus since the play's 1979 National premiere.

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/07/amadeus.html

Dogfight

Producer Danielle Tarento spotted the dramatic potential for this tale of misogyny misfired, set during the Vietnam war. The best of the critics loved it, including (eventually) the Evening Standard who went on to give leading lady Laura Jane Matthewson their 2014 Emerging Talent Award.

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/08/dogfight-review.html

Guys and Dolls

Chichester again, for another show that was the best since the National's version in 1982. A cracking cast led by Peter Polycarpou, Jamie Parker and Clare Foster made the Festival Theatre's first musical, memorable.

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/08/guys-and-dolls-review.html

Gypsy

And again! Imelda Staunton (with Lara Pulver and Gemma Sutton) was scorching as Mama Rose, whilst Stephen Mear choreographed par excellence and Jule Styne's brassy brilliant sound filled Chichester's cavernous orchestra pit for the first time. Arriving in London in March 2015, don't miss this one.

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/10/gypsy-review.html

The Scottsboro Boys

A deserved West End returning transfer for last year's sensational debut at the Young Vic. Broadway may have shunned this tragic stain on America's history, but London critics recognised Kander & Ebb's final collaboration for the work of troubling genius that it is and the Evening Standard have proclaimed it Best Musical of the Year.

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/10/the-scottsboro-boys-review.html

On The Town

Broadway does what it does best in this sensational celebration of song and dance. Bernstein's classic score underpins this fairytale of New York.

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/11/on-town-review.html

Assassins

Rarely seen commercially, Jamie Lloyd's directs a stellar cast (Jamie Parker included) in Sondheim's caustic commentary upon the USA. Sold out at the Menier until March '15 this show may transfer but it will never be the same anywhere else. Oh, and Soutra Gilmour's Arkham inspired design is a knockout!

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/12/assassins-review.html

City Of Angels

Stephen Mear's third UK triumph, where with director Josie Rourke the pair craft a world class company into musical theatre perfection. Hadley Fraser cheats (on stage) on real life wife Rosalie Craig and Peter Polycarpou drops his trousers, again. Sold out but tickets released daily and weekly for this clever, classy comedy. Kill to get your hands on one!

http://www.jonathanbaz.com/2014/12/city-of-angels-review.html

Golem - Review

Young Vic, London

****

Directed and written by Suzanne Andrade

Golem is this year's seasonal offering from the Young Vic, a multimedia production from the usually ground-breaking 1927 company. Based on Gustav Meyrink's Jewish Czech fable of 100 years ago, the story tells of a man-made creature that starts its existence under the control of its creator but evolves to break the shackles of its its command, going on to dominate the people around it. Sounds familiar? Around a hundred years prior to Meyrink, Mary Shelley explored a similar vein with Frankenstein.

Today's outing adds little to the tale, other than to update dilute its message. Suzanne Andrade's Golem suggests that our monster is the technology from the likes of Google, Apple and Amazon to which we have enslaved ourselves. Andrade may have a point but her argument never leaves a first base of childish simplicity and predictability. Where Meyrink's original yarn ended with the Golem's death, this version conveniently avoids that troublesome flaw in the adaptation.

Nonetheless, the show is worth seeing, as its production values are first class. Paul Barritt's animations, which include a nude claymation Golem (think of a hybrid Morph, cross-bred with John Holmes) along with montages drawn from familiar images are brilliantly conceived. The performances of the 5 strong company are honed to precision and their interactions with the projections of the Golem as well as their entire surrounding world are flawless. Lillian Henley's music (played live) adds a delicious dimension to the whole.

Runs until 31st January 2015

Assassins - Review

Menier Chocolate Factory, London

*****

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by John Weidman
Directed by Jamie Lloyd

Carly Bawden and Catherine Tate

It is a thrilling, chilling intimacy that infuses the Menier's production of Assassins, Stephen Sondheim's compelling work that unfolds via the back stories of those who have taken a pot-shot at America's Presidents down the years. The audience enters a traverse space through the sinister open jaws of an oversized clown, with Soutra Gilmour's inspired design placing this show's prescribed fairground setting in a decayed theme park. Video-gamers will find more than a hint of Batman's Arkham City amidst the grotesque paraphernalia - and that's even before setting eyes on Simon Lipkin's Joker-esque Proprietor.

There is as much history as there is entertainment in this show. Broadway import Aaron Tveit is the first of the shooters, playing John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's Confederate murderer. Booth was committed to opposing the abolition of slavery that Lincoln championed and proves to be one of the musical's few assassins who is drawn to kill purely in pursuit of a political even if reprehensible political motive. There is little that's crazy in Tveit's sensitive portrayal of a man who sees Lincoln destroying his nation and whilst many of the other assassins are executed, Booth's suicide as his captors close in, evokes a surprising pathos from the American actor.

Aside from the Proprietor, Sondheim's key narrative thread comes from Jamie Parker’s guitar-strumming Balladeer. Amidst moments of brilliant irony, Parker achieves a subtle blend of satire and tragedy as he weaves his way through the show's haphazard chronology, his final transformation, from everyman to Lee Harvey Oswald, is one of Sondheim's most chilling creative concepts.

The power of this show lies in its construction as an ensemble piece and Jamie Lloyd has assembled a world class company to portray this clutch of infamous inadequates. Catherine Tate cleverly underplays her comic genius as Sarah Jane Moore who was to have a pop at Gerald Ford, whilst in a separate bid to kill Ford, Carly Bawden's Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme offers up another carefully crafted slice of ditzy 1970's Americana.

Rising star Stewart Clarke electrifies (literally) as F.D.Roosevelt's would be killer Giuseppe Zangara. Clarke's last Latino turn was as Pirelli in NYMT's Sweeney Todd and this young actor's Italian job has to be seen to be believed. Andy Nyman offers a perfectly nuanced nebbish as immigrant Charles Guiteau who shot Garfield in 1881. Nyman's disturbingly hilarious reprise of The Ballad of Guiteau, complete with jazz hands as his character's corpse swings from the gallows (great stagecraft from Freedom Flying) must rank as one of the most ghoulish moments in the canon.

Canadian Mike McShane is perfectly placed as the oft forgotten Samuel Byck, a middle-aged unemployed salesman who plotted to fly a 747 into Nixon's White House. Lumbering on stage in a Santa suit and in a role that credits him with no sung solos but rather rambling monologues, McShane leads the company in Assassins' most portrayal number, Another National Anthem. (And if McShane is one day cast as Willy Loman, remember that you read it here first)

Lipkin is an assured force throughout - and as each President is in turn shot at, he dons a paper target on head, back or torso, inviting gunmen to take aim. His is a performance (that also includes his acclaimed puppetry skills), that like the show itself, is as exciting as it is thought provoking. With no interval, Assassins proves to be a relentless roller-coaster ride. The most famous assassination of them all, that of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, sees the Menier's stage flooded in crimson petals, mimicking the famously televised bloody horror that the world witnessed in November 1963. 

As one of London's visionary directors and a creative force who consistently brings a perceptive flair, often sprinkled with just a hint of carnage, there was an inevitability that Jamie Lloyd would want to tackle this troubling show. His execution is flawless, ably supported by musical director Alan Williams' interpretation of Sondheim's complex melodies.

Sold out until March, this show is a work of genius that deserves a wider audience. A West End transfer may yet be a possibility, but nothing will match the cockpit-like intensity achieved in this versatile venue. The finale's ensemble of the assassins, guns aimed at the audience and all singing Everybody's Got The Right will, to quote Sondheim, stay with me for a long time.

Runs until 7th March 2015

City of Angels - Review

Donmar Warehouse, London

*****

Music by Cy Coleman

Lyrics by David Zippel

Book by Larry Gelbart

Directed by Josie Rourke

Rosalie Craig in rehearsal

It's more than 20 years since City Of Angels last played in the West End and it is a mark of panache that sees the Donmar reviving it now. An unconventional tale, mixing morality with the darker side of Hollywood's film-noir era, but for this particular production with a shortish run, a million-dollar cast and production values to match, tickets to the Donmar are like gold dust.

Hadley Fraser is Stine, a writer contracted to monstrous mogul Buddy Fidler's studios. Sat at his Corona typewriter, Stine taps out his pulp fiction screenplay City Of Angels, a mystery of murder and double crossing that centres upon the investigations of fictional gumshoe Stone. All of Stine's movie characters are modelled upon the people who share his world, with a feature of the musical's book being that the actors who play Stine's contemporaries mirror their roles in Stone's fictional existence. With one key exception: although Stone is the writer's alter-ego, he is played by Tam Mutu, in a role that sees the detective slowly usurping his creator's influence. Fraser and Mutu, both giants of their generation in musical theatre, are flawless as the protagonists inhabiting their parallel worlds. The irony as Stine stamps on Stone at the end of act one in the glorious You're Nothing Without Me, a message so brilliantly reinforced by clever projections, is slickly mirrored in the show's closing number I'm Nothing Without You.

The acting is perfect throughout. Rebecca Trehearn smoulders as secretary / other-woman in both worlds and sings sensationally, first in a striking duet with Rosalie Craig's Gabby, What You Don't Know About Women and later stealing the show with You Can Always Count On Me. Flame haired Craig stuns too, with her With Every Breath I Take a fabulous act one solo. The production's list of talent is endless. Samantha Barks pops up (literally) in Stone's bed, singing as beautifully as her looks are deliciously provocative, whilst the show's humour is never bettered than in Marc Elliott's Latin detective Munoz's number All Ya Have To Do Is Wait.

Peter Polycarpou has been busy building a reputation as the master of middle-aged Americana, with his Hines (Pajama Game) and Nathan Detroit (Guys and Dolls) proving to be recent comic delights of the canon. He surpasses himself here, both as Fidler and fictional producer Irwin. Whether it be with trousers round his ankles or cigar wedged firmly between his teeth, Polycarpou is a master.

Josie Rourke directs her first musical with an assured touch that showcases the hallmark precision of the Donmar's Artistic Director. The gorgeously voiced backing ensemble of the Angel City Four (who also play the various serving roles in the LA locations and who include the sensational Sandra Marvin) are black. In a show set some years before the (partial) emancipation that the Civil Rights movement was to yield, Rourke subtly layers her production with a tacit acknowledgment of Tinseltown's racism. Stephen Mear's inspired choreography pushes this exposition just a little further, with his work in particular on Ev’rybody's Gotta Be Somewhere and the song’s underlying theme of the resentment of white privilege proving another example of this dance supremo's excellence.

(read my recent interview with Stephen Mear here)

The Donmar's space is famously, deliciously, tiny. By early into act two the fake stage smoke has been replaced with a rich fug of cigar smoke, filling the auditorium and only adding to the authenticity. Robert Jone's set design is ingenious, with the simplicity of a scene-setting slow revolve fan cutting a swathe through a hazy spotlight beam matched only by the wizardry of Jone's CGI projections that Tardis-like expand the Donmar's confines. (The swaying palms at the Kingsley mansion are inspired!) Gareth Valentine's ten musicians, heavy on the brass and wind, extract every note of genre-laden tension and nuance from Coleman's score.

Gelbart's book is clever but it ain't perfect and there are moments when Stine's stylised "reality" is as incredible as Stone's fantasy world. But when a show is produced as perfectly as this, frankly who cares? The Donmar's City of Angels drips with world class talent. Kill to get a ticket.

Runs to 7th February 2015. The production is sold out, however the Donmar is releasing a number of Barclays Front Row each Monday and a limited number of day seats can be purchased at the box office.

Photo: Johan Persson

Singin' In The Rain - Review

Upstairs At The Gatehouse, London

****

Screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green

Songs by Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed

Directed by John Plews

Simon Adkins

There is a delightful air of ambition that pervades each Christmas musical at the Gatehouse and this year is no exception. In offering Singin' In The Rain to the good people of Highgate, director John Plews aims high indeed. The songs are classic, the book has the potentially lethal cocktail of gorgeous romance mixed with schmaltzy simplicity and of course there's "that" iconic scene.

Plews is a visionary creative and it is to his credit that his productions blend recently trained performers with seasoned West End and commercial talent. The story needs little introduction. Set in Hollywood, Monumental Pictures is contemplating the end of silent movies as glamorous starlet Lina Lamont realises that her voice is not as good as her looks. Meanwhile, dashing co star Don Lockwood has stumbled upon the demure and angelically voiced Kathy Selden. Love blossoms and jealousies burn as the rain-sodden tale unfolds.

The principal roles are all cast delightfully. Frankie Jenna's Kathy is a beautifully pitched performance of vocal perfection whilst Paul Harwood's Cosmo (Lockwood's best friend) offers up some great dance routines, with especially beautiful work in Moses Supposes and Make 'Em Laugh. This show's moments of breathtaking excellence however come from the carefully crafted performances that Plews coaxes from Simon Adkins' Lockwood and Thea Jo Wolfe's Lamont. Adkins' West End pedigree is manifest in his voice, his presence and his dance. He consistently convinces as the era's dashing movie-star, bringing a gravitas of quality to the performance that drives the entire show. Wolfe, a relative newcomer to professional theatre is just deliciously contemptible as the story's villain. Her dumb blonde vocal squawk is painfully hilarious and her mastery of Lamont's charisma, envy and ultimate fragility belies an acting talent of some considerable depth. Elsewhere, Nick Barclay is the believable Monumental boss R.F. Simpson and Emily Wigley sets the scene nicely as a Movietone news reporter.

The Gatehouse show offers a delicious flourish with its screenings of grainy black and white movie footage that the story demands. Seasoned director Monica Swelp racks up another triumph with her interpretations of The Royal Rascal and The Duelling Cavalier.

Chris Whittaker's choreography cleverly exploits the compact traverse performing space, with tap routines that make lavish use of the dozen performers and yes, for an off West End production there's even a rain drenched title number that includes the baton-twirling cop on his beat. Up in the gallery Matt Ramplin's six piece band knock out the favourites with a pleasing familiarity.

Singin' In The Rain makes for perfect festive fayre. A classic tale, beautifully told that brings a splash of Broadway rhythm to North London. It put a smile on my face!

Runs until 25th January 2015

It's a Wonderful Life - A Radio Play - Review

Bridge House Theatre, London

*****

Written by Tony Palermo

Directed by Guy Retallack

The company of It's a Wonderful Life - A Radio Play

‘Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings’…

To take a much loved iconic movie and condense the magic of its story onto the immediate intimacy of the stage is one of the hardest dramatic challenges. Yet with the Bridge House Theatre's It's A Wonderful Life, writer Tony Palermo under Guy Retallack's assured direction achieves just that.

A latter day fable from the '40s, Palermo reduces the classic yarn to a radio play with a company of just six playing all the roles. In the small town of Bedford Falls, George Bailey is despairing of his life and about to end it all. Meanwhile in heaven angel Clarence, who has still not earned his celestial wings after 200 years of trying, is despatched to Earth on a mission to rescue George from his despondency. An emotional roller-coaster with both cast-members and audience in tears at times, without spoiling too much it's safe to say that there is an uplifting climax of redemption and the happiest of endings.

Opening the show Daniel Hill chats with the audience as himself and radio host as we wait for Radio IBC to go live ‘On Air’, before transforming into the story’s bad guy Mr Potter. Gerard McCarthy makes for a stupendous George, lifted convincingly from the depths of despair, whilst alongside him, Kenneth Jay's Clarence captures an almost cherubic desparation as he strives to make his mission a success. Sophie Scott is charming and commanding as George's wife Mary, whilst the wonderful and ever-versatile Gillian Kirkpatrick resplendent in red, is resourceful and imposing in a range of roles and accents. This is truly a special piece of theatre with Retallack lavishing an attention to detail, from sound effects and lighting to accents, props and musical underscore, all delivered by a company at the top of their game.

It is impossible not to be moved by this modern morality tale of decency triumphing over nastiness and the show's powerful message of how we all affects other people’s lives in ways we will never be aware of and cannot imagine. George Bailey represents everyman and woman and he touches us all for the better. It’s A Wonderful Life truly puts everyone young and old, in the Christmas spirit.

Runs until 4th January 2015

Guest reviewer Catherine Francoise