Liz – Page 161 – Theatre Things

Review: Shakespeare As You (Might) Like It at Rosemary Branch

Published on January 24, 2016January 6, 2018 by LizLeave a comment

Wait, what just happened?

Honestly, I have no idea how to sum up what I just saw. Shakespeare As You (Might) Like It is a mish mash of party, cabaret and game show, with bits of serious drama thrown in for good measure. After enjoying free stoops of wine and sweet treats, unsuspecting audience members are called on to read lines, ring bells and pass parcels, and are occasionally hauled on stage to join the mayhem – all whilst wearing paper hats, found inside the party bags that are handed out at the door.

The fact that every single person willingly put their hat on, though, is a testament to the infectious enthusiasm and joy of both the show and its performers. Shook Up Shakespeare’s Roseanna Morris and Helen Watkinson are a natural double act, bouncing off each other (sometimes literally) as they engage in witty banter, play energetic party games, sing Shakespeare-inspired songs (written by Shane Rutherfoord-Jones) and reenact a few of the Bard’s best loved scenes.

It does all get a bit manic, and even slightly alarming, from time to time, and it’s never completely clear what’s planned and what’s just ad libbed on the spot – although I suspect it’s a mixture of the two. The two actors throw absolutely everything into their performance, backed by their ‘one-man, one-wo-man’ band, who often look as bemused as the rest of us.

The show is described as a ‘Quad Centenary Wake’ and is a light-hearted tribute to the great playwright, poet and party planner that was William Shakespeare. I’m not sure what he would have made of it, but hopefully he would have been entertained – and perhaps only mildly outraged by the criticism of his poetry (which we established, through extensive research, ‘doesn’t even rhyme!’). Despite a scene that seems to suggest otherwise, these ladies clearly know their Shakespeare plays, and it’s fun to try and spot all the references to his works casually dropped in throughout the show.

If you’re a diehard fan of ‘straight Shakespeare’, these guys may not be for you; they’re unconventional, unpredictable and often very, very silly, mixing scenes from different plays with wild abandon. Equally, if you dislike audience participation, you may not feel entirely comfortable – although in reality nobody’s asked to do anything too terrifying.

But if you enjoy a bit of randomness, you fancy some light entertainment with a Shakespearean flavour, or you just like the occasional stoop of wine and ‘much ado about muffin’ (I did enjoy that one, I must admit), then they may be right up your street. This particular show ended its run at the Rosemary Branch Theatre this evening, but keep an eye on Shook Up Shakespeare to see what’s coming up next.

Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉

Review: To She Or Not To She at Lyric Hammersmith

Published on January 24, 2016January 6, 2018 by LizLeave a comment

About ten months ago, I was at a scratch night at Morley College, where I watched the first fifteen minutes of a very funny one-woman show about a teenage girl who wants to be Hamlet in her school play, but is devastated to see the role going to an inferior actor – who just happens to be a boy.

Five months later, I was back at Morley to review the full show before it went up to Edinburgh, and was surprised by the direction it had taken. Instead of a riotous comedy about a woman playing Shakespeare’s men, the piece had developed into an honest and brave (but still funny) account of the difficulties faced by female actors in the theatre industry through one woman’s personal experience.

Last night, Joue le Genre‘s To She Or Not To She was back in London, playing to a sell-out crowd as part of Evolution at the Lyric Hammersmith, and I was keen to see how it had developed both during the Edinburgh run and since, under its new director Katharina Reinthaller.

To She Or Not To She is the story of actor Emma Bentley, who plays various versions of herself at ages 14, 19, 23 and 24, as well as a host of other colourful characters from her past. Emma’s a natural comedian, and has no problem with joining the audience in laughing at herself – although even she seemed taken aback last night at how popular some of her one-liners were. Much of these are in-jokes for either the theatre crowd or the women in the audience, but none are so specialist that they can’t be appreciated by anyone who doesn’t fall into one of those categories.

Emma’s confident, natural performance and openness about her own shortcomings and disappointments – as an actor and a woman – mean that by the time we arrive at the serious heart of the show, the audience is fully invested and willing to listen, not just to Emma’s story but also to the other female actors who’ve supplied verbatim accounts of their experiences in the industry, for a scene that marks the show’s turning point from pure comedy to something much darker.

Under its new director, To She Or Not To She has been reworked – so gone is the record player that used to open the show, and instead we see Emma indulging in a bit of secret Shakespeare fangirling whilst mopping floors at the coffee shop where she works to pay the bills. This, it turns out, is the present day, and acts as a sobering backdrop to the younger Emma’s optimism as she chats excitedly to the audience about her future prospects.

It’s a privilege to have seen To She Or Not To She develop from its very early days into the show it is now – one that’s really fun to watch, but also has a clear and powerful political message. At a time when equality in acting is a hotly debated issue, it’s also very timely, and while Emma herself recognises that her own disappointments may not be the most shocking or serious, they nonetheless pave the way for an important discussion that needs to take place.

Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉

Review: Private Lives at the Churchill Theatre

Published on January 20, 2016January 6, 2018 by LizLeave a comment

This week, the Churchill in Bromley plays host to a shiny new production of Noël Coward’s most successful comedy, Private Lives, starring Tom Chambers and Laura Rogers. A terribly English comedy of manners, the play follows the tempestuous relationship of Elyot and Amanda, as they fight, laugh, drink, dance and fall repeatedly in and out of love. The problem? They’re both married to other people.

Following their divorce five years earlier, both Elyot and Amanda have remarried, and on the first night of their honeymoons find themselves – in a startling coincidence – staying in neighbouring hotel rooms in France. It doesn’t take long for old passions to resurface… but can they make their dysfunctional relationship work this time, and where does that leave their jilted partners?

Though it starts out very genteel, with a dashing hero and an elegant, witty heroine, the comedy grows increasingly riotous as the couple reveal their darker sides, and begin to veer wildly between love and hate. Though the suggestion that a successful relationship probably needs a bit of violence sits a bit awkwardly with a modern audience, the fight scene is nonetheless a wonderfully chaotic – and at the same time carefully choreographed – comedy moment, as Elyot and Amanda tear apart their elegant living room while their estranged partners look on in horror.

So the play itself is all (relatively) harmless fun, but is director Tom Attenborough’s production any good? Reviving such a popular classic is a risky business, but I’ll leave it to those who’ve seen other versions to judge their relative merits – though it seems fair to say no couple will ever be able to match the play’s very first stars: Coward himself and Gertrude Lawrence, for whom the part was written, and with whom he reportedly exchanged a series of bickering telegrams before she finally agreed to be involved.

That said, Tom Chambers and Laura Rogers are a great pairing in every way – their romance is as believable as their mutual loathing, the witty banter and physical comedy are spot-on, and there’s even an opportunity for them to show off their skills as musical performers (and for Tom Chambers to remind us why he won Strictly). In addition, each captures the complexity of their character; he’s smooth and charming, but childish with a nasty temper, while she’s beautiful and clever, but selfish and occasionally cruel. And it’s this that makes them so much fun to watch, because you literally never know what they’re going to do next, or whether they’ll end up kissing or killing each other. Their abandoned partners are played by the equally impressive Charlotte Ritchie and Richard Teverson, who manage to be quite incredibly annoying (and dull) considering we’re meant to be feeling sorry for them.

Private Lives is a classy new production that oozes charm and sophistication, even in its wilder moments. From Lucy Osborne’s set, which takes us from a sunny hotel terrace to Amanda’s glamorous apartment in Paris, to Ed Parry’s ‘pretty ravishing’ costumes, every detail combines to paint a picture of young, beautiful people living a life of selfish decadence – and yet Amanda and Elyot’s relationship drama is one that could happen to anyone. And while it’s impossible to decide if we love or loathe them, there’s certainly plenty of fun to be enjoyed while we figure it out.

Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉

Interview: Emma Bentley, To She Or Not To She

Published on January 17, 2016July 22, 2018 by Liz1 Comment

One of the first shows I reviewed for LondonTheatre1 was a scratch night at Morley College. The five companies performing were all preparing their work for Edinburgh, and competing for rehearsal space and the opportunity to return to Morley for a full-length performance before heading to Scotland.

My personal favourite – and the ultimate winner – was a one-woman show by Emma Bentley of Joue le Genre, called To She Or Not To She, about the challenges faced by women in the acting industry.

After a successful run in Edinburgh, Joue le Genre are now preparing to bring To She Or Not To She to Evolution at the Lyric Hammersmith on 23rd January. I was really excited to see it’s coming back down south, and got in touch with Emma, who was lovely enough to talk to me about the show. Thanks Emma! 🙂

What inspired you to write To She Or Not To She?

Both me and Holly Robinson, who co-wrote the show and directed the Edinburgh version, wanted to stick the finger up to casting directors/writers/directors putting women in shit roles. And in doing so write something ourselves where we could reclaim this exciting idea of getting to do whatever you want and not being judged for it.

Shakespeare at drama school had been a really wonderful experience because I had got to play a load of men: Feste in Twelfth Night and Angelo in Comedy of Errors. Not the big dogs like Macbeth or Richard III or anything but it was good fun. And with Feste in particular, it was refreshing to play a character whose relationship with the other characters in the play was not focused on romance and/or sex. I wanted to continue playing roles like this and exploring Shakepeare’s men. Luckily I started doing some work with Smooth Faced Gentlemen, the all female Shakespeare company based at the Greenwich Theatre, so I did get to play a murderer in Macbeth. Working with SFG made me want to write it even more.

Sophie Wu is Minging She Looks like She’s Dead and La Merda, both at Soho Theatre, were two shows that inspired the style of the show for me.

And then one of my teachers from LIPA, Gillian Lemon would always say, ‘What are you gonna do Emma? Just sit around on your arse waiting for the phone to ring? You’ve got to make your own work!’ So I had her very stern Northern Irish voice egging me on too.

Can you sum up the show in one sentence?

Shakespeare’s biggest fangirl falls in and out of love with the Bard and the acting industry, whilst growing into a young woman of no fame or fortune (yet) but some comedy potential.

You’re playing yourself – how close is show Emma to real Emma?

I’ve been working quite a bit on distinguishing the different Emmas within the show with Katharina Reinthaller, who is directing the show for its Lyric reincarnation. There are four different Emmas in total, you meet her (me) at 14,19, 23 and then there is also ‘Show Emma’, which is me on stage right now talking to the audience, trying to be as honest as possible.

The other Emmas are a bit of twist on the truth. I like to think 14-year-old Emma is a little more embarrassing than me actually as a teenager but I’m sure my friends would beg to differ.

Emma at drama school is probably a little more hopeful and bouncy than I really was at LIPA, I feel like I took everything quite seriously.

How has the show developed since you first wrote it?

The show has gone through 10,289 drafts. Or something like that. It’s changed a lot. Even in the last few days there are things where we say, do we really need this? And that’s just script wise, then there are lots of physical and spacial changes that we decide on with every rehearsal. The cynical voice of ‘Show Emma’ has definitely manifested herself a little more for this run of the show. And because we’re in a bigger space than Edinburgh at the Lyric there is more physicality to it. I’m going to push over a chair whilst standing on it at one point which I’m very excited about – I get to have my Frantic Assembly moment.

Has it taken any unexpected directions?

Originally I thought the show was going to be me playing a variety of Shakespeare’s men. Then, one day when I was showing Holly a scene for a scratch night I had written, where I played Hamlet on a tinder date (which sounded hilarious to me), she said to me why don’t we just write a play about you? Why don’t we write your story so far of wanting to play Shakespeare’s men? Then you can play a load of men, but also a load of women and yourself. With some made up bits of course to make it more Shakespearean. I’m not a very private person anyway, so I didn’t find it shocking or anything writing my story to share, but I guess I just never thought of it being dramatic. It turns out stick a few gags in and a bit of lighting and you’ve got a show.

What’s been the highlight so far?

In Edinburgh there was a girl who came to see the show, who sat on the front row and who had come up to do a production of Comedy of Errors. In the preshow I played Shakespeare Top Trumps with someone from the audience, so I spotted her and asked, ‘do you wanna play Shakespeare Top Trumps with me?’ She looked at me and was just like ‘YEAH’. That was a good show.

Aaaand getting to be a part of Evolution at the Lyric. I used to work in the café. Now I’m getting to perform my play there. I like the old-fashionedness of it – a feeling of working your way up by getting to know people. Makes you feel part of a theatre family somewhere.

And finally… if you could play any Shakespeare role, which one would it be?

Hammmm ….

Catch To She Or Not To She at the Lyric Hammersmith on Saturday 23rd January at 8.45pm.

@tosheornottoshe
facebook/jouelegenre

Review: The Long Road South at King’s Head Theatre

Published on January 16, 2016January 6, 2018 by LizLeave a comment

Paul Minx was inspired to write The Long Road South in tribute to Carney, a man who worked for his family in Indiana for almost 15 years, and became a ‘shy second father’ to the young boy. And yet despite this close relationship, Minx knows very little about Carney’s personal life, because he was advised ‘not to pry, particularly with “the help”‘.

This contradiction is recreated in the play through a brief glimpse into the lives of the white Price family and their black ‘help’. Andre and Grace are preparing to leave for Alabama to join the civil rights movement – but as Andre fights for the courage to ask for his final wages, the Price’s teenage daughter Ivy tries anything to make him stay, and her mother Carol Ann heads towards a breakdown, it seems increasingly unlikely that they’ll ever be able to get away.

The Long Road South, King's Head Theatre — Photo credit: Truan Munro

A truly excellent cast, directed by Sarah Berger, draw us into the complex relationships between the family members and their employees, revealing deep personal issues on both sides, where nothing is quite as it seems. Andre (Cornelius Macarthy) is mild-mannered and deeply religious, but fighting an endless battle against the demons who nearly destroyed him, whilst trying to be the man aspiring writer Grace (Krissi Bohn) wants him to be. Ivy (Lydea Perkins) seems like a self-centred brat, until we realise she’s just seeking the attention she doesn’t get from her parents. And Carol Ann (Imogen Stubbs), far from being a bored housewife, is actually a depressed alcoholic, missing her absent son and desperate for her bullying husband Jake (Michael Brandon) to take the pain away.

The drama created by putting these five damaged individuals together is fascinating, with the Prices singled out as, while maybe not the villains, definitely not the heroes of the piece. (They also get most of the laughs – of which there are many – but always at them rather than with them.) Meanwhile Andre and Grace, though far from perfect themselves, behave with a dignity that only serves to highlight the failings of their employers. It’s quite clear which side we’re expected to be on, and it’s pretty easy to oblige.

Though it’s often unexpectedly funny, at its heart The Long Road South, at King’s Head Theatre until 30th January, is a serious and heartfelt depiction of race, religion and family values in 1960s America. Maybe it doesn’t bring any startling new insights to the discussion of these well-worn issues – but that’s not really the point. The play is intended to pay personal tribute to a man the writer loved but never truly got to know, and it does so in fine and truly entertaining style.

Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉