Theatre Things

Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Wilton’s Music Hall

Published on June 30, 2018June 30, 2018 by LizLeave a comment

You know it’s officially summer when A Midsummer Night’s Dream comes to town. Like A Christmas Carol in December, it seems like every year brings us at least one new production of Shakespeare’s comedy, and it’s easy to give in to Dream fatigue and assume the play can’t possibly have anything original left to say.

The Faction have taken this on board with their stripped back production, and director Mark Leipacher keeps things simple so that the focus returns to the original text without the distraction of elaborate new interpretations. By having so little in the way of set or costumes – all the characters wear modern everyday clothes, and the only nod to the Athenian setting is the orb of the moon which hangs above the stage – we’re able to see the story through fresh eyes and draw new conclusions as to what it’s all about. Personally, I picked up on several themes and textual elements that I’d never considered before in 20 years of seeing A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed; it’s both refreshing and exciting to see such a well-worn classic through fresh eyes.

Having said all that, ironically you do need to know the play reasonably well to keep up with the complex and fast-moving plot – particularly as the multi-roling cast can change character in the blink of an eye, without any change of costume and often without even leaving the stage. For the most part the versatility of the actors means this works well, but there are some moments where scenes blur together and it takes a while to unpick who’s now playing who. (On the plus side, doubling up the roles does mean that the Mechanicals get to conclude the show and perform their gloriously terrible Pyramus and Thisbe uninterrupted by the mocking taunts of the newly-weds.)

Given the treatment of women in the play (and – let’s be honest – most of Shakespeare’s plays), it’s good to quickly see some strong female leads emerge. Tamarin McGinley doubles as Hippolyta, who might be marrying Theseus (Herb Cuanalo) against her will but has no intention of entering the union meekly, and Titania, who refuses to give up her page to Oberon despite all his threats. Meanwhile Lowri Izzard’s Hermia risks everything to avoid her own arranged marriage, and fiercely defends her virtue even against the man she’s just eloped with, insisting that Lysander (Jeremy Ang Jones) sleep further away from her despite his best efforts to convince her otherwise.

In many ways this is a play of two halves; while Act 1 sets the scene and explores some of the story’s darker themes, Act 2 is pretty much wall-to-wall laughs, with Laura Evelyn’s bewildered Helena, Christopher Hughes’ hilariously over-the-top Bottom and Christopher York’s self-conscious Snout (a.k.a. The Wall) stealing the show. The whole cast display great physicality throughout – the lovers’ fight is a particular highlight, as is the moment Linda Marlowe’s Puck enters on Bottom’s back, her hands raised to create his donkey ears.

If ever we needed proof that Shakespeare can still be relevant to a 21st century audience, we have it in this production. It’s got royal weddings, climate change and honour killings, gender roles, body image and the question of consent, all wrapped up in a joyously entertaining evening with great physical comedy and strong performances from a talented ensemble. It takes some doing to breathe new life into such a well-known text, but The Faction have pulled it off. Dream fatigue – what’s that?

A Midsummer Night’s Dream concludes its run at Wilton’s Music Hall on 30th June. Visit The Faction’s website for details of future productions.

Review: The Tempest at St Paul’s Church

Published on June 29, 2018July 20, 2019 by LizLeave a comment

Amidst the chaos and bustle of London’s Covent Garden, St Paul’s Church feels like a little oasis of calm and tranquility. Affectionately known as The Actors’ Church, St Paul’s has been home to Iris Theatre since 2007, and the company’s tenth summer season gets off to a strong start with their promenade production of The Tempest.

Believed to be Shakespeare’s last solo play, The Tempest is a story about love, magic and redemption on a deserted island, where exiled duke Prospero and his faithful spirit Ariel plot revenge on his enemies after they’re washed ashore in a shipwreck. Meanwhile, Prospero’s slave Caliban has run off with some drunkards, and his daughter Miranda’s fallen in love with the third man she’s ever seen in her life – who conveniently happens to be the king’s lost son Ferdinand.

The first thing to say about Daniel Winder’s production is that it’s visually gorgeous. Mike Leopold’s nature-inspired set looks perfectly at home within the beautiful garden setting, Anna Sances’ costumes are full of rich, vibrant colour, and as the daylight fades, Benjamin Polya’s lighting design brings the play to an atmospheric conclusion. Throw in a clever sleight of hand magic scene, a singing spirit and a handsome prince, and you’ve pretty much got a fairy tale come to life.

Jamie Newall leads the cast of seven as a quietly authoritative Prospero; it’s a sympathetic interpretation of the character, whose actions seem motivated more by a sad weariness than by rage or tyranny. Linford Johnson and Joanne Thomson make a sweet and charmingly awkward couple as Ferdinand and Miranda, and Paul Brendan and Reginald Edwards offer great entertainment as the drunkards Trinculo and Stephano, who tempt Prince Plockey’s Caliban with booze and inadvertently find themselves talked into an ill-fated attempt to murder Prospero. The star of the show, however, is Charlotte Christensen as Ariel – a quirky, omnipresent figure, watching both characters and audience with a bird-like curiosity that’s both endearing and ever so slightly sinister.

The promenade aspect of the production, which takes us to three different locations within the gardens and briefly inside the church, works as well as can be expected. Waiting for the entire audience to move from one location to another (particularly when the paths are narrow and require us to travel single file) inevitably breaks up the action, but the actors work hard to keep the atmosphere alive in between scenes, and we’re always encouraged to feel like we’re part of the action. While I wouldn’t quite describe it as an immersive production, this also isn’t a show you just sit back and watch – so be prepared to potentially get a little bit involved…

I’d recommend The Tempest to anyone looking for a traditional Shakespearean production with a bit of a twist. While it may not bring us any radical new interpretations of the text, it does make for a thoroughly enjoyable evening, taking full advantage of a lovely setting to offer a welcome retreat from the madness of the city.

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: Son of a Preacher Man at the Orchard Theatre

Published on June 27, 2018July 20, 2019 by LizLeave a comment

Guest review by Sarah Gaimster

The Orchard Theatre, Dartford welcomes the familiar sounds of Dusty Springfield to the stage, towards the end of its UK touring run of the musical Son of a Preacher Man.

This musical differs to what we’ve come to expect; it’s not “Dusty Springfield – The Musical” but a story written by Warner Brown featuring Springfield’s catalogue of 60s hits.

As the story opens we meet the three lead characters: Kat (Alice Barlow) who has recently lost her Gran, Paul (Michael Howe) who has never stopped loving the man he fell in love with as a teen, and finally widowed Alison (Michelle Gayle), a teacher troubled by inappropriate feelings for her student. The lovelorn trio decide the answers to all their problems can be found by visiting The Preacher, a London record store famed for the advice given by its owner.

When they reach the store they find that it is now being run by the son of the former Preacher Man as a coffee shop, aided by the peculiar Cappuccino Sisters. Convinced that the Son of the Preacher Man can live up to his Dad’s reputation, they enlist his help to solve their problems.

Unfortunately this show needs a bit of polishing as its storytelling is laboured and the atmosphere is lacklustre, not the vibrant lively scene expected. Springfield’s music sounds dull and dreary. Craig Revel Horwood’s choreography is a “disaster, darling”; its delivery is clunky and the on-stage instruments sounded out of tune.

I had been really looking forward to this show, and take regular trips to the theatre. Unfortunately this did not live up to my expectations, and it’s disappointing to write my first negative review.

Review: Belly of the Whale at Greenwich & Docklands Festival

Published on June 24, 2018 by LizLeave a comment

Belly of the Whale, the new show from acclaimed aerial theatre company Ockham’s Razor, began in 2016 as an idea to make “an easy to tour, small outdoor show exploring the relationship between two people”. Somewhere over the last two years, the “easy to tour” part has clearly gone out the window – the centrepiece of the performance is now a huge, heavy and architecturally fascinating structure of wood and steel affectionately known by the company as “the beast”. Despite this physical expansion, however, the heart of the show remains the same and the performance, directed by Tina Koch, retains a feeling of intimacy as it explores themes of friendship and collaboration in a unique and quietly thrilling 40 minutes.

It soon becomes clear that the structure is much more than a prop; its versatility is revealed gradually, to the delight of adults and children alike, as it transforms from a slide to a see-saw to a climbing frame to a catapult – each demanding a different kind of interaction with the performers. The mechanical complexity is such that even when we think we’ve seen it all, another configuration is just around the corner, with at least one of these drawing a collective “ooh” from the assembled Greenwich crowd as it was revealed.

Each of the three performers – Amanda Homa, Nathan Johnston and Stefano di Renzo – gets an opportunity to impress with their own solo spot, but while their talent as individuals is undeniable, this isn’t a show that relies on sensational, gasp-inducing stunts to make its point, and in fact it’s when the three work together that the performance really comes alive. This is particularly true of the finale, which is obviously – and necessarily – very carefully choreographed to ensure the structure remains balanced, but to all intents and purposes appears to be just three friends having fun and existing together in peaceful, productive harmony. That image contrasts powerfully with moments early on in the show during which the three go out of their way to disrupt each other, and end up achieving very little as a result.

Included in this group camaraderie is composer and musician Gabriele Pierro, who provides a fascinating soundscape for the performance, combining live music with recorded sound effects that reflect the movement and mood on stage. When all these elements are brought together, the result is a show that’s innovative, entertaining, and mesmerising in more ways than one – and because it’s neither too long nor too scary, it’s perfect for audiences of any age.

Belly of the Whale continues on tour throughout the summer – all performances are free to attend. For a full list of dates and venues, visit Ockham’s Razor’s website.

Review: Stepping Out at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre

Published on June 22, 2018July 20, 2019 by LizLeave a comment

We all love a good underdog story, so it’s no surprise that Richard Harris’ 1984 comedy Stepping Out continues to pull in audiences over 30 years after its first performance. Written after observing the various interesting characters at his wife’s weekly dance class, the play is a charming, feel-good story about friendship and perseverance against seemingly impossible odds that ultimately proves impossible to resist.

In a small North London community hall, we’re introduced to tap teacher Mavis, pianist Mrs Fraser, and eight enthusiastic but rather rhythmically challenged students. They’re very different characters, who constantly misunderstand and antagonise each other, to the point where you have to wonder why they’d all – Mavis and Mrs Fraser included – put themselves through it every week. It quickly becomes obvious, however, that the class means a huge amount to all of them, even the ones who appear to have life all worked out.

While some of the characters feature more prominently than others – among them shy, nervous Andy (Emily Sitch), for whom the class is the only time she gets to herself all week, token male Geoffrey (Sean McDowell), whose wife recently passed away, and newest member Vera (Helen Jeckells), who can’t stop cleaning and starts every sentence with “I’m not being funny or anything…” – we do get to know all of them just well enough that by the end of the show, we’re rooting for the whole group to succeed (even Vera). And yet at the same time there’s still so much we don’t know; the play’s finale somehow succeeds in bringing the story to a satisfying close while at the same time leaving us with a frustrating number of loose ends about every character.

The small venue for this production, directed and choreographed by David Ball, mostly works well, with the cramped conditions on stage only adding to the chaos each time the class attempts a routine. Such is the level of noise and general incompetence, in fact, that by the time Mavis finally, inevitably snaps, the audience is right there with her (and possibly wondering what took her so long). In a play where the most memorable performances are the funniest – Ceris Hine’s permanently anxious Dorothy, Jessica Brady’s straight-talking Sylvia and Harriet Earle’s eccentric Mrs Fraser, to name a few – it’s Christina Meehan as Mavis who leaves the deepest impression. Her passion for her art, her motherly affection for her students, and her growing frustration at their inability to follow simple instructions are all completely believable, and there are moments when she’s teaching that it really does feel like we’re watching a tap class rather than a play.

Light and frothy it may be, but there’s something about Stepping Out that strikes a chord and may even bring a tear to the eye. Anyone who’s ever felt lonely, or unloved, or worried that they’re not good/clever/pretty/talented enough, will be able to relate to at least one of the characters, and the play is a great reminder that sometimes it’s possible to find companionship and support where we least expect it. But all that aside, it’s also great entertainment – and as Mavis herself would say, as long as we’re enjoying ourselves, that’s the most important thing.

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… 😉