Stalking The Bogeyman - Review

Southwark Playhouse, London


****


By Markus Potter and David Holthouse 
with additional writing by Santino Fontana, Shane Zeigler and Shane Stokes
Directed by Markus Potter

Mike Evans and Gerard McCarthy

Stalking The Bogeyman is a brave and challenging play. Co-written with Markus Potter who directs, David Holthouse tells his very personal and true story of having been raped at the age of seven by a neighbour and family friend, and of the impact that the rape was to have upon his life.

Holthouse lived then (and still does to this day) in Alaska where winter, the season in which he was assaulted, is a time of below freezing temperatures and perpetual darkness. The rapist was ten years older than the young Holthouse, an athletic young man who the child idolised.

In a remarkable performance Gerard McCarthy plays David and it is a measure of both well-crafted writing and performance that sensitively portrays the moment of the rape. Before us, the wide-eyed child at play is transformed from a trusting innocent into a violently violated victim. The drama tracks Holthouse until his mid-30s and we witness not so much the appalling physical damage wreaked upon him by the rape, but rather the emotional and psychological aftermath of the attack. As Holthouse comments later in the play, the very rape itself became part of the fabric of his life, a burden that he has to carry with him every single day. When he learns in adult life that his abuser has, by chance, moved into to his town he purchases a gun and plots a murderous revenge.

McCarthy leads a strong company. Opposite him, Mike Evans puts in a carefully weighted performance as The Bogeyman. At no point are either McCarthy or Evans seeking sensationalism in their roles – rather a desperate glimpse into some of humanity’s darkest corners. There’s fine work too from Glynis Barber as Nancy, Holthouses’s mother. Only learning of his abuse years after the event, Nancy’s pain at having been unable to protect her baby from such horror is a finely tuned performance. Likewise, Amy Van Nostrand’s Molly, Holthouse’s drug dealer and a survivor herself is another well-layered turn. Geoffrey Towers and John Moraitis, playing a variety of roles and ages, complete the sextet.

Cleverly staged in the round, Rob Casey’s lighting and Erik T. Lawson’s music subtly enhance the play’s bleakness. Remarkably Stalking The Bogeyman ends on a message of hope, but sat in The Little at Southwark Playhouse, the venue’s walls have been transformed into a scrapbook of references to rape and child exploitation. The message is clear – sexual violence is everywhere.

Runs until 6th August

American Idiot - Review

Arts Theatre, London


****


Book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer
Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Music by Green Day
Directed and choreographed by Racky Plews

Newton Faulkner

Green Day’s anarchic and rebellious, teen-angst filled musical, American Idiot is back on the London stage with a star-studded cast who battle, and floor, the age old scepticism of putting celebrities into a commercial show. After a well received UK tour Racky Plews’ take on the concept album returns to the Arts Theatre for a tourist-tempting summer residency.

With music and book written by the band’s front man Billie Joe Armstrong, it’s not surprising that the material entirely embodies the initial anger and frustration toward American society that inspired the album back in 2004. The story follows three friends, Johnny, Tunny and Will as they mature, struggling to grow up in a world of right-wing politics and commercial greed that they don’t conform with and we see the three all end up in very different areas of a painful modern life.

Johnny (Newton Faulkner) is the main focus of the story, with a vision to move to the city and separate himself and his friends from the small town mind-set that they’ve been living in and start a new, free life and Faulkner proves a pleasant surprise with a strong performance. There are a few moments when his voice becomes lost in the on stage anarchy, but he suits the character and seems entirely comfortable in the piece. His shining moment is the calm and quiet rendition of Wake Me Up When September Ends, transporting the audience into an intimate, acoustic gig. Learning that he started his music career playing bass guitar in a Green Day cover band comes as no surprise.

The ensemble though is filled with strong seasoned performers who really make the show. Lucas Rush again soars in his role as the heroin-created alter ego of Johnny, St Jimmy. His energy on stage is gripping and each time he appears you are instantly drawn to watch him.

The same can be said for Amelia Lily continuing in the role of Whatsername, with a chemistry across from Faulkner that is enchanting and despite the small role, Lily shines.

Contrasted against current political and social affairs, American Idiot continues to be a very relevant piece of theatre.

Runs until 25th September
Photo credit: Darren Bell

The Fix - Review

Union Theatre, London

****

Music by Dana P. Rowe

Book & lyrics by John Dempsey

Directed & choreographed by Michael Strassen

Lucy Williamson

The timing could hardly be better as Michael Strassen reprises his take on The Fix. With the United States hurtling towards what is likely to be the most fiercely contested Presidential election in decades, John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe's satirical expose of the American political machine is apposite to say the least.

Fra Fee is the naive Cal Chandler - who when his Senator father dies in his mistress' bed is ruthlessly thrust into the race for political power by his scheming mother Violet. While Violet may be the power behind the Chandler throne, pulling the strings is her late husband's brother Grahame, crippled by polio and with an eye on a seat in the judiciary. Oh, and there's been a romantic liaison between Violet and Grahame too - think of Hamlet, Macbeth and The West Wing all hurled into a blender and you start to get close to the Machiavellian machinations of the aspirational Chandler administration.

The acting is fine throughout - and Fee marks the emergent Chandler well, convincing us of the young man's reluctance to have been dragged from his privileged but youthful primrose path, into the glaring scrutiny of public life and politics. There's charming supporting work too from the talented Madalena Alberto as Tina McCoy, a stripper who wins Cal's love, tempting him away from his loveless marriage of convenience. 

The show however is driven by the astonishing performances of Lucy Williamson as Violet and Ken Christiansen's Grahame. Williamson's performance is a powerhouse. In a show that is un-mic'd (see below) her performance is one of the few that offers vocal magnificence, with passion and nuance elicited from every syllable. 

Christiansen, who only last month was wowing the Union's audiences in Little Voice, yet again nails his character's manipulative duplicity. Flawless in both voice and presence, alongside Williamson, the pair steal every scene they're in.

There is magnificent supporting work too from Peter Saul Blewden and Alastair Hill who between them offer up a range of incidental characters, all crucial to the narrative.

This is the first production at The Union Theatre's new space across the road. The building is a beautiful improvement and Sasha Regan should feel justly proud of what she has achieved. But, the acoustics of the new place need a lot of careful thought as sat in the third row, too much of the show's lyrics proved inaudible. Likewise, when action was played out low down on the Union's floor, it becomes invisible to those of us further back. These are very early teething days for the new venue of course, but in the old place, audiences were barely raked and there was little need for mics. The new space offers much gorgeous opportunity for sure, but it also presents challenges that future producers and directors must learn to overcome.

For the most part, Strassen's direction and choreography are a thrilling fusion of sound and vision, enhanced by Josh Sood’s 4 piece band. Simply staged and with an occasional use of the American flag Strassen cleverly evokes the darker side of USA politics. Viewed from Britain, the 2016 Presidential race sees Donald Trump frequently held out as an almost pantomime villain. The closing scene of The Fix however argues otherwise. There's a strong suggestion, as Strassen places the sensational Williamson behind a lectern, maniacal and eyes-blazing, that Hillary Clinton is the more devious contender.

Runs until 6th August

Photo credit: Darren Bell

A Patch Of Fog - Review

****

Written by John Cairns and Michael McCartney 

Directed by Michael Lennox

A Patch of Fog from Michael Lennox marks one of the UK’s more intriguing thrillers of recent years.

Conleth Hill is Sandy, a professor and TV personality. He is also a compulsive shoplifter whose life unravels when he’s caught on camera by security guard Robert (Stephen Graham) . A pathological loner, Robert projects a whole unwanted friendship onto the trapped academic as a profoundly unnerving tale evolves.

What makes Lennox’s story so compelling is that both protagonists are flawed and, to different degrees, unsympathetic characters.  The apparently decent Sandy is a thief, (who can't even resist stealing the cigarette lighter belonging to a late-night petrol station cashier), while Robert is evidently disturbed as he sets about his own path of criminality, stalking, blackmailing and threatening the hapless professor. There’s fine work too from Lara Pulver as single mum Lucy and Sandy’s girlfriend, who is also cunningly preyed upon by Robert.

As a psychological thriller it’s a beautifully crafted picture. The script is tight, edgy and suspenseful, with performances to match. Different time, location and style for sure, but there’s a hint of Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty For Me to the tense narrative. A Northern Irish movie, it's a neat touch that sees Gary Lightbody and Johnny McDaid from the province’s acclaimed Snow Patrol score a perfectly pitched soundtrack in accompaniment.

A classy picture, well worth catching.

Now in cinemas and available in VOD online

Ceili O Connor - The Understudy - Review

Century Club, London


*****

Amongst the best of her generation, Ceili O'Connor has achieved numerous West End castings with a talent that has seen her understudy many a leading lady, truly an achievement in itself. With understduies all too often overlooked, it has not been until recently, when we have seen some of London's finest shows having to famously call upon their understudies when the headlining star has been indisposed, that audiences have been famously reminded of just how good those covering performers are. Their performances are typically nothing less than magnificent.

But for O'Connor however, who has covered some of the biggest roles in town and on tour, fate has never yet allowed her to go on in the leading roles that she has understudied. Ever. 

So what better way to showcase her cabaret than as The Understudy - treating a packed audience at the Century Club to a whirl through many of the numbers that she had evidently honed to perfection, though enchantingly giving each of these classic songs a delightful re-imagining.

To confess, I have never seen O'Connor on stage in a large scale commercial show - rather I have only seen her deliver perfection in several fringe productions through the years. So it was appropriate that whilst her set was wittily attributed to the role of the understudy, early on in her act she paid tribute to her fringe career too, with a sublime take on Someone To Watch Over Me from Crazy For You, in which she had featured some years ago at Highgate.

O'Connor's patter was confident, assured, touching and witty. It says much for the actress that so much of her set was shared with fellow performers - and it says even more that each duet or ensemble number was performed with a meticulous yet relaxed precision. When Emily Tierney and Sophie Evans joined her for I Wish I May (surely one of the best close harmony songs written for three female voices ever) the moment was nothing short of spine-tingling. There was delicious supporting work from her fellow understudy troupers Imelda Warren-Green, Eloise Davis and Emma Kingston - and in yet another ingenious re-interpretation of a classic number and accompanied by Matthew Harvey on guitar, she offered up You Must Love Me from Evita (another leading role that O'Connor has covered) with a tenderness that revealed new layers to the song.

It wasn't all show tunes though. An ingenious act-two opener saw her blend the songs that she had grown up with into an intoxicating fusion. Janis Ian, Joni Mitchell, Disney, Cyndi Lauper and even the Spice Girls all became one glorious concoction. There was not a hint of pretentiousness around O'Connor's set list - rather a focus on honesty, wit and excellence, truly the ingredients of a perfect cabaret. 

With O'Connor having understudied Dorothy the evening had to include Somewhere Over The Rainbow and there was a neat tribute to Beguelin and Sklar, the composers of Elf. A moment of charming selflessness saw O'Connor invite her talented younger sister Aisling to sing her own composition.

One of the most unexpected treats of the night was when Michael Bradley took over the keys from Tim Evans (who'd done a sterling job MD'ing through the gig) to accompany O'Connor and Eloise in a medley of Billy Joel songs. The selection that opened and closed with New York State Of Mind was perfectly tailored as half a dozen Joel classics seamlessly segued into each other. The medley was a touching tribute to her mum and dad in the audience, Joel being one of their favourites. He happens to be one of mine too and the moment proved magical.

It's encouraging that London's cabaret circuit can attract young performers able to blend the contemporary with the classic. But more than that - they need to breach that fourth wall with elegance and élan. Supported by her guests, Ceili O'Connor performed with a beautiful bravura that was simply a delight. When her cabaret returns to London, don't miss it.

Through the Mill - Review

Southwark Playhouse, London

****

Written and directed by Ray Rackham 

Frank Sinatra famously said, “The rest of us will be forgotten – Never Judy.” This is a quote that has lasted the test of time and Through the Mill gives but a handful of the many examples as to why this remains as true today, as it was then. 

Starting its life at The London theatre Workshop back in 2014, Through the Mill reveals an untold chapter in the life of Judy Garland, delving deeper into her personal life than ever before. It explores her neglected and practically non-existent childhood, her many failed relationships and romantic excursions in her late 20’s and the struggles she faced in her adult life with money, drugs, alcohol and thin stretched fame – all whilst desperately trying to get a TV show off the ground, despite the constant negative public reactions and her creative team changing every two weeks. The story portrayed is hilarious, touching, shocking and creates a whole new impression of the child star.

The first thing to note is how well the production has been cast. The three lead actresses who play Judy at the three pivotal stages in her life, CBS Judy (Helen Sheals), Palace Judy (Belinda Wollaston) and Young Judy (Lucy Penrose) are diverse and expertly show different sides of the damaged actress. 

A basic set from Johnson Williams lends itself well to the story’s practicality. The constant weaving in and out of time lines cries out for a flexible and malleable set that can be a sound studio one moment, or a touring train or cabaret stage the next. The use of actor musicians however is a distraction. Having some of the actors double as the sound studio band or Garland’s orchestra may be clever and economic, however it takes away from some characters’ performances. 

Sheals portrayal of Garland in her older years, is the first version of Judy we are given and her performance is really something. She captures Garland in her entirety from her distinctive voice to her very specific physical movements on stage whilst performing. Sheals’ juxtaposition of vulnerability and strength in different moments has one on her side throughout, regardless of whether or not her actions are childish or selfish - Specifically her performance of The Man That Got Away, is phenomenal and a real show stopping moment. Likewise, Wollaston is equally as moving, showing the actress during her developing romance with manager Sid Luft (Harry Anton) who she went on to marry. There is a particularly intimate moment on stage between Wallaston and Anton, where despite the heat and passion of the occasion, every movement is made as though there is an audience watching, giving us a look into the psyche of Garland – That no part of her every day could be acted out without her being made up as a spectacle. 

The star of the show however is Lucy Penrose with a portrayal of the younger Garland that is utterly breath taking and an imitation of Garland’s voice that is simply perfect. Penrose is not only completely convincing, her acting is passionate with an ability to show the wide variety of emotions - dealing with MGM’s constant criticising of her weight, to falling in love with her accompanist Roger Edens (Tom Elliot Reade) or defending her father from the crushing belittlement of her domineering mother, that is nothing short of heart breaking. 

So much more than just a story weaved around Judy Garland’s timeless songs, Ray Rackham has turned out a gorgeous piece of thrilling theatre.

Runs until 30th July

Reviewed by Charlotte Darcy

Savage - Review

Above the Arts Theatre, London


****

Written and directed by Claudio Macor

Claudio Macor's Savage is a brave play examining yet another facet of the depravity that was Hitler's regime, where along with other minorities in Nazi occupied Europe, homosexuals were rounded up and sent to the concentration camps. Savage however sets out to explore and expose the persecution of the continent's gays, focusing on the work of the real life Danish doctor Carl Vaernet, a Copenhagen GP who evoked an horrific hypothesis that by injecting monkey testosterone into the testicles of gay men, that they could be cured of their homosexuality.

Macor weaves a fictional if troubling tale around his carefully researched argument. His gay protagonist Nikolai Bergsen is shattered by the experiments practised upon him, as elsewhere a vicious SS General is forced to hide his own homosexuality, as a kindly nurse and a coterie of companions facilitate the narrative. Interestingly, Macor reserves perhaps some of his sharpest criticism for the British war crimes investigators who after the war interrogated Vaernet with more than a degree of friendly bias - this being of course the era when homosexuality remained a crime in Britain and gays could be sentence to chemical castration. 

There are occasional moments of simplification in Macor's tale - perhaps understandable given its broad canvas that stretches to Argentina to where Vaernet, along with countless other Nazi criminals fled. But throughout, the story combined with a collection of excellent performances, make for compelling theatre.

Alexander Huetson puts in a brave turn as Bergsen, showing us a terrified agony and anguish, alongside a complex, deep yet ultimately damaged love for Nic Kyle's Zack Travis. Macor takes an unconventional stance with the General - played convincingly by Bradley Clarkson. It makes for a reasonable argument to portray an evil man as himself troubled by his hidden sexuality - but *spoiler alert* is it right that the General's suicide should evoke our sympathy, just because he's gay and facing the same conventions of deceit and cover up that those who he is persecuting must endure? By all means recognise (and dare one say it, condemn even) the man's hypocrisy. But inviting us to care for his demise is perhaps a conceit too far.

Gary Fannin's Vaernet is an intelligent if slightly caricatured portrayal, though ever since Gregory Peck played the notorious Dr Mengele in the 1978 movie The Boys From Brazil his evil Nazi doctor has been a tough act to top.

Amongst the darkness though Macor injects a brilliant shaft of humanity in Nurse Paulsen, played with an enchanting sensitivity by Emily Lynne. Her care and compassion towards Bergsen reminding us of the importance of love and kindness in seeking to heal the ravages of hatred.

Savage, itself inspired by the campaigning journalism of Peter Tatchell, confronts us with a glimpse of humanity at its darkest. Even more concerning is that this history of some 75 years ago is repeating itself today, in lands just beyond our own continent, where minorities are massacred for their belief or sexuality. Sadly, Macor's play makes for desperately essential theatre.

Runs until 23rd July