Theatre Things

Review: Knights of the Rose at the Arts Theatre

Published on July 6, 2018July 20, 2019 by Liz2 Comments

On paper, Knights of the Rose is everything I ever wanted in a show. A Shakespearean rock musical, with a soundtrack featuring the likes of Bon Jovi, REM and Muse, and a cast of impressive West End talent, many of them sporting guyliner and leather trousers whilst rocking out with an electric guitar and a big sword. What’s not to love?

In practice… well, it’s now been 24 hours, and I still don’t quite know what I watched – literally, it’s impossible to tell if we’re meant to take Knights of the Rose seriously or treat it as the big silly spoof that it is. And if we have to ask the question, I have a worried feeling that means it’s the former.

Knights of the Rose at Arts Theatre — Photo credit: Mark Dawson

Created by Jennifer Marsden and directed by Racky Plews, Knights of the Rose is the story of Prince Gawain (Andy Moss) and his trusty band of knights, who’ve been away for years fighting a war against various enemies of the realm. When they come home victorious, everyone rejoices – not least the beautiful Princess Hannah (Katie Birtill) and Lady Isabel (Rebekah Lowings), who are immediately proposed to by Sir Hugo (Oliver Savile) and Prince Gawain respectively, much to the distress of the ladies’ other suitors, Sir Palamon (Chris Cowley) and Sir Horatio (Matt Thorpe). As it turns out, the lovers’ happiness is short-lived, because the men are immediately called away to fight again – for reasons that are unclear – and this time they may not all return…

It all gets off to a promising start, with a suitably macho rendition of Bon Jovi’s Blaze of Glory from the returning knights. Musically, this is a sign of things to come, and Act 1 is basically hit after hit – the women are Holding Out For a Hero while the knights are Addicted to Love (more on that in a minute); there’s a brilliantly surreal moment when Sir Hugo woos Princess Hannah with a bit of Enrique Iglesias’ Hero, and it all comes to a dramatic, heartfelt conclusion with Meat Loaf’s Is Nothing Sacred, as the characters mourn the end of love affairs that have lasted approximately three minutes. In between musical numbers, the script is a patchwork of quotes from Shakespeare, Chaucer, Marlowe, Keats, Tennyson, Byron, Kipling and more; the literary references are so numerous that they take up three whole pages in the programme. It’s all extremely cheesy – but quite enjoyably so, as long as you’re in the mood for a bit of silliness.

Unfortunately, the show uses up most of its best material before the interval, and by the time we return it seems to have rather run out of steam. A couple of protracted death scenes are paired with such bizarre music choices that they become more funny than tragic, while a lacklustre finale leaves us feeling distinctly unsatisfied – and only partly because some of us spent the entire night waiting in vain for Livin’ on a Prayer.

And therein lies the most frustrating thing about Knights of the Rose: the wasted potential of a show that sounded so promising. Some of the best tracks are thrown away – Everybody Hurts and Don’t Speak are prime examples – while others, like The Calling’s Wherever You Will Go, bear such tenuous links to what’s happening on stage that it becomes very hard to take even the best performances seriously. The plot is thin; even an attempt to make things interesting by introducing a villain ends with a bit of a whimper, and – possibly most irritating of all, particularly given the female-led creative team behind the show – the women serve absolutely no purpose except as beautiful love interests for the men to fight over. (This being Shakespeare of sorts, I kept half hoping at least one of them would disguise herself as a boy and head off to war, but sadly not.)

But let’s try and end on a positive note, because despite everything the show does still manage to be quite fun. It’s surreal, utterly mental fun – but if you’re willing to embrace the madness (and you’re not a diehard scholar of Shakespeare) there’s an entertaining enough evening to be had.

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: Boxman at the Blue Elephant Theatre

Published on July 6, 2018July 20, 2019 by LizLeave a comment

How can we, as individuals lucky enough to have been born into a country not torn apart by war, ever truly understand the refugee experience? The answer is that we can’t, of course – but plays like Daniel Keene’s Boxman take us one step closer, not only to understanding but to appreciating that for so many refugees, making it to the “safety” of the UK is far from the end of the story.

Such is the case for Ringo, the young man who shares his story in Flugelman Productions’ London premiere of Boxman. He’s made it out of Sierra Leone and all the way to Britain, but we learn little about his journey. Instead we find him living on the streets, in a home he’s built himself out of an old suitcase and some cardboard boxes. Now he passes each day with only a few assorted possessions and his memories to keep him company. “I’ve lived so many lives”, he tells us repeatedly, as he reminisces about life as a child soldier, or recalls the loss of his family to an uncertain fate.

But despite his obvious trauma, Ringo’s a survivor, with an extraordinary determination to make the best of a situation that would break most of his audience. (At one point he asks us all to think of the thing that hurts us the most, a powerful challenge that reminds us yet again how lucky we are.) Again and again we see him physically shake off the horror as he breaks into a broad grin and a cheerful laugh, both of which are so infectious we can’t help but join him even as our hearts are breaking for all he’s been through.

It’s clear from both the show itself and the short Q&A that followed on opening night that the team behind Boxman, and in particular director Edwina Strobl and actor Reice Weathers, take their responsibility to Ringo’s story very seriously. The show is produced in partnership with The Refugee Council, Refugee Action and Young Roots, and is informed by conversations with real refugees. So perhaps it’s not surprising that everything about Weathers’ performance rings completely true, whether he’s telling knock knock jokes to the front row or remembering the moment his father was torn from his arms by soldiers. Like Ringo, he has only his few meagre possessions on stage with him, but he brings Keene’s words to life so evocatively that we can clearly picture both his surroundings and the small figure who haunts the corners of the stage, occasionally drawing nearer to hear stories of their shared childhood.

Common sense tells us that the first step to empathising with displaced people who’ve been forced to flee their homes is to stop viewing them as headline statistics and start seeing their humanity. In Boxman, Daniel Keene gives us an insight into one man’s inner monologue, and a stark reminder of the ongoing trauma he and millions of others are still living through every day – even if they’ve “made it” to their destination. Beautifully performed by Reice Weathers, it’s essential viewing and a powerful counterpoint to the anti-refugee rhetoric to which we’re so frequently and depressingly exposed.

Review: Peepshow at Underbelly Festival

Published on July 5, 2018July 20, 2019 by LizLeave a comment

Acclaimed Australian circus ensemble Circa have taken up residence for the summer in the Spiegeltent at London’s Underbelly festival, and are already looking very much at home. The European premiere of their latest offering, Peepshow, opened this week on the South Bank to unanimous gasps of disbelief and awe from a spellbound audience.

The show moves away from the traditional with an intriguing blend of circus and cabaret, performed by a seven-strong cast under dramatic lights, to music so loud you can feel the beat of it in your chest. There’s a hula hoop routine that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen; a trapeze act that’s as mesmerising as it is terrifying to watch; bodies contorted at seemingly impossible angles; human towers that spring up out of nowhere, then tumble towards the ground at frightening speed. In a fun twist, an unwitting audience member chosen seemingly at random is revealed to be another performer only after she’s been forced to change her outfit on stage, get extremely hands on with a fellow cast member, and suddenly finds herself standing on the others’ shoulders, high above the stage.

The concept of the production, as explained by director Yaron Lifschitz, is to turn the traditional seedy connotations of the “peepshow” on their head, in a show that’s “about looking and about being seen” – inviting us to step through the mirror and view life from the other side. There’s certainly a knowing, almost flirtatious quality to the artists’ performance, which veers at times into burlesque territory; they’re fully aware that we’re there watching and admiring them, and as a result the audience and our reactions become as much a part of the show as the artists we’re observing. Apart from that, though, it’s not really clear what story Peepshow is trying to tell; what we have, essentially, is an hour of mind-blowing set pieces that aren’t really linked in any cohesive way.

Whether that matters or not is debatable, however; the skill on display is so astonishing that the audience is guaranteed a good time regardless. Every member of the cast shines as an individual, but Peepshow is all about the ensemble, and when all seven work together – whether they’re nimbly shimmying up a human tower, flinging their fellow cast members into space or balancing at impossible angles in mid-air – the visual impact is stunning. This is particularly true of the finale, which is all the more powerful for the fact we don’t see it coming, preceded as it is by a relatively subdued dream-like sequence that builds almost imperceptibly to the show’s incredible climax.

There’s a reason Circa are known as the rockstars of the circus world; they certainly know how to put on a great show that thrills and entertains. What the show lacks in narrative thread, it more than makes up for in energy and daring, and earns every second of the standing ovation that concludes the evening.

Interview: Liam Ashmead and Laura Shoebottom, Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on Her Vest

Published on July 2, 2018July 20, 2019 by LizLeave a comment

Liam Ashmead and Laura Shoebottom are the co-founders of Thematic Theatre, a company they set up last year to specialise in new writing. Next week they’ll open their debut production, Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on Her Vest, at the Bread and Roses Theatre in Clapham. Written by Laura and directed by Liam, the play follows the effects of anxiety and workplace bullying on the central character, Jenna, and the toll it ultimately takes on her health.

Laura, who also plays Jenna, has previously had work performed at Theatre 503, The Churchill Theatre and The Tabard Theatre. Blue Tights, Red Knickers and an ‘S’ on Her Vest is her first full production, and was inspired by a conversation with her mum: “Around a particularly stressful exam period, she told me it was ok to ‘take the superwoman outfit off once in a while’ and look after myself rather than trying to be all things to all people. It’s always stayed with me and the message is the essence of the show really, that it’s impossible to be everything to everyone.”

As a new company making their debut, Laura and Liam are looking forward to sharing their show with audiences within their local area, and taking the opportunity to start a conversation about mental health. “We hope that audiences will empathise with Jenna, but mostly it’s about raising awareness for mental health. We’re so happy that we’re fundraising for Mind because it’s a charity that’s very close to both our hearts.“

The two friends graduated last year from Italia Conti, where they decided to set up their own company – and Thematic Theatre was born. “We knew that we enjoyed working together as creatives and we were both passionate about creating new work for ourselves, so we thought a theatre company would be a great route to go down.

“We want to collaborate with as many people as we can and make contacts with others who share the same passion as us. We’ve both been involved in many scratch nights and new writing festivals and we believe they are great platforms for creatives. We want to offer these same opportunities to others and we aim to do this through our own new writing event ‘Box of Themes’, where we pick out a theme and then get writers/ directors and actors to create a short piece based around it.”

Both founders agree that starting their own company has been both exciting and challenging: “The biggest challenge has been trusting our work and making sure it’s sensitive to the subject matter. We’re very excited about it but as it’s our first time producing we naturally have moments of doubt. It’s also very expensive putting on a show so there’s always money to consider, and balancing rehearsals and promotion alongside our other jobs.

“Creatively, though, it’s been amazing. We both work well together and we’ve enjoyed the freedom and fun we’ve had in the rehearsal room – there’s equal control and it’s relaxed since we’re good friends. There’s always been that mutual trust and respect there so we’ve been able to be totally honest about whether something works or not from the get go; that’s something we’re both really thankful for.”

Following next week’s short run at the Bread and Roses, Laura and Liam are looking ahead to the show’s future. “We plan to take it to The Vaults and the Edinburgh fringe next year. We’re really happy with where the play is at the moment and we want to use this run in London to get an idea of how audiences react and develop it even more.”

Review: Knock Knock at RADA Festival

Published on July 1, 2018July 20, 2019 by LizLeave a comment

Now in its seventh year, the annual RADA Festival brings together past graduates and a network of theatre-makers from different backgrounds in a ten-day celebration of new writing, emerging talent and the possibilities of theatre today. Key among the aims of the festival is to ensure that theatre is open to all; in line with this objective, tickets start at £5 and the three headline shows each place a strong emphasis on accessibility.

For Hot Coals Theatre, this is nothing new: since 2008 the company has specialised in work that’s fully accessible to d/Deaf and hearing audiences, and their latest show Knock Knock is also designed to be accessible to all ages. A highly visual performance style, combining comedy, clowning and physical theatre, removes any need for spoken word or sign language while still ensuring the story and its message are easy to understand.

Modern fairy tale Knock Knock tells the story of a woodcutter whose solitary existence is interrupted when a woman he’s never met before knocks at his door. It’s love at first sight, but when they both succumb to the pressure to live up to “traditional” gender roles, the happiness of their perfect union is threatened. Can they see past what’s expected of them and live the way they want to, or is their relationship doomed?

It’s impossible not to be charmed by the story’s loveable characters, who are brought beautifully to life by Hot Coals founders Jo Sargeant and Clare-Louise English. Spoken word proves to be unnecessary as the two communicate their thoughts and emotions through movement and facial expressions (Sargeant’s twinkly eyes above her bushy beard are a particular highlight). We share all their joy and heartbreak, and also enjoy some moments of cheeky humour that lift the characters out of the two-dimensional fairy tale world and make them real, imperfect human beings we can relate to.

A meticulously observed set also aids the storytelling, dividing the stage in two so the characters can move easily between their cosy living room and the mysterious, magical woods just outside their door. The structure of the show is based around the establishment of patterns; the opening sequence takes turns to introduce the two characters in their individual routines, while the second half of the story shows how their domestic activities change little by little as each day passes. Visually this works very successfully to demonstrate the gradual transition in their lives – we can see the way things are going long before they do – although the musical soundtrack does start to become a bit overbearing by the third or fourth repetition.

Sweet, funny and with a powerful and very topical message for audiences of all ages, Knock Knock packs a surprising emotional punch. Within minutes, I was completely caught up in the story and rooting for the characters to resist the stifling social expectations that stand in the way of their happy ever after, both as a couple and as individuals. All in all, it’s a very worthy headliner for the RADA festival, and hopefully a show with a great future.

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…