Beverley Ministers
Abigail’s Party
by Mike Leigh
Northern Stage, RTK et al at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until 16th November
Review by Steve Mackrell
What is there left to say? Here’s an established play that’s stood the test of time, been analysed, dissected, criticised and praised. Seeing it again is like visiting an old friend, nostalgic, familiar and fun. After countless revivals over many years, another version of Abigail’s Party has arrived, this time at Kingston’s Rose Theatre. Originally devised and directed by Mike Leigh, and developed through improvisation, the play originally opened at the Hampstead Theatre in 1977.
For those new to the play, there is always the excitement and curiosity of seeing a production for the first time – a journey into the unknown. Conversely, for those who know the play, the journey is somewhat different. It becomes more a question of how the play is presented, how it’s aged and how, or if, it’s been re-interpreted by the director. Happily, with a fresh vision from a young director, the play has aged graciously and continues to deliver a rich mix of comedy and irony.
Read more…Booby Trap
NSFW
by Lucy Kirkwood
Teddington Theatre Club at Hampton Hill Theatre until 9th November
Review by Louis Mazzini
NSFW is a comedy by Lucy Kirkwood, one of Britain’s leading playwrights. First seen at the Royal Court in 2012, the play focuses on the position of women in the media and how that position reflects the attitudes of men – and women – generally. Twelve years on, the play has been revived by Teddington Theatre Club at Hampton Hill Theatre in a new production directed by TTC newbie Matt Dennis.
A play of two halves, the first act of NSFW is set in the offices of Doghouse, an unsubtly named “lads mag” – there are articles but its editor, Aidan, is keen to keep a sharp focus on the magazine’s core offering to readers – boobs, boobs and more boobs. Aidan is supported by his three assistants, trustafarian Rupert, self-serving Charlotte and Sam, the play’s closest thing to a moral compass.
Read more…Back from the Dead
Maria de Rudenz
by Gaetano Donizetti libretto by Salvadore Cammarano
Gothic Opera at The Battersea Arts Centre, Battersea until 2nd November
Review by Patrick Shorrock
Donizetti’s Maria de Rudenz doesn’t sound promising. It only lasted at its Venice premiere for two performances, and has never been performed in the UK before. Its gruesome plot – only the baritone of the four major characters survives at the end – is rather less scary than Katia Ricciarelli’s vocal wobbles on the only commercial recording. But this splendid performance by Gothic Opera proves that the piece is well worth dragging from the vaults of operatic obscurity and that it is wrong to assume that neglect is always justified.
Read more…Spirits in the Pub
The Ghost Hunter
by Stewart Pringle
OHADS at The Bell, Hampton until 2nd November
Review by Steve Mackrell
Do you believe in ghosts? Trying to keep an open mind, the audience are gathered looking expectantly at a stage, not in a theatre, but in the space of an upstairs room in an old pub at Halloween. This is the historic Bell Inn in Hampton, overlooking the Thames, where we are seated, cabaret style, looking at an empty space set simply with just a bar stool. Welcome to OHADS (Old Hamptonians Amateur Dramatic Society) eerie production of The Ghost Hunter by Stewart Pringle.
The room is long and narrow, intimately lit by candlelight, without stage lights, and onto the set walks a rather world-weary man with a cane, black hat and topcoat. He empties some books out of his Tesco carrier bag, sits, and starts to directly address the audience. He is alone and it is then clear, reinforced by the fact that the word Hunter in the play’s title is in the singular, that here is the only character in the play.
Read more…Hazzard Warning
Fast
by Katie Barton and Stephen Bennett
Stephen Leslie Productions, Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate until 17th November
Review by Stephen Oxford
‘How far would you go to find the perfect cure?’ is the strap line for this play. A question which is as relevant today as it was back in the early 1900’s when this piece is set. ‘Dr’ Linda Hazzard’s seminars (one of which we witness), newspaper adverts and books perhaps offered society a glimpse of what we now know as celebrity influencers, protein shake peddlers and diet pill pushers. The parallels are all too familiar.
Fast is the true story of ‘Dr’ Linda Hazzard, a complex and utterly driven woman — whose promotion, in the early 1900s, of her own radical fasting cure, gripped the press and divided a nation. But this is a complex scenario. Hazzard was vilified as an interfering woman in a man’s world, and in the play, she is quick to fight her corner on this front. John Harvey Kellogg, a contemporary of Hazzard also lost patients but was not scrutinized by the press in the same way. Writers Kate Barton and Stephen Bennett present a good argument.
Read more…Yee Hah!!
Oklahoma!
by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
TOPS Musical Theatre Company at the Hampton Hill Theatre until 2nd November
Review by David Stephens
A wonderfully entertaining evening was experienced by local theatre-goers this week, as TOPS brought their latest musical offering, Oklahoma! to the Hampton Hill Theatre stage. Considered by many to be Roger and Hammerstein’s finest hour, this timeless musical blends much-loved tunes, such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'” and “People Will Say We’re in Love”, with a compelling early story-line, set on the American frontier.
Read more…Pulled from the Hat
White Rabbit Red Rabbit
by Nassim Soleimanpour
The Questors at the Questors Studio, Ealing until 2nd November
Review by Polly Davies
I am always a little nervous about a play described as experimental theatre, even one that has achieved cult status after playing in over thirty countries. But after an hour in James Burgess’ capable hands, I am happy to offer some advice – if you can get still get a ticket to Questors production of Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit then go before they all go. There is a reason why the run of this play in the West End has been extended, and the Questor’s production of this extraordinary play, first performed in 2011, makes this clear.
Read more…Class in Session!
History Boys
by Alan Bennett
Theatre Royal Bath Productions at Richmond Theatre until 2nd November, then to continue on tour
Review by Viola Selby
It is hard to believe Alan Bennett’s much loved yet controversial masterpiece is now celebrating its 20th Anniversary, particularly when watching Sean Linnen’s refreshing rendition. Through Linnen’s creative direction, a rather heavy script is given a youthful energy and pizazz, adding to the feel that the audience, as well as the cast, are all back to our sixth-form selves.
Such nostalgia is then increased by the clever addition of a cappella 80s songs, often used in the transition between scenes, making the whole story flow smoothly at a perfect pace. Flow is also achieved through the highly effective movement and choreography directed by Chi-San Howard. Through the mastery of Russell Ditchfield as composer, arranger and sound designer and Eamonn O’Dwyer as musical director, the audience are transported back to the 80s. This is also helped greatly by Grace Smart’s period-accurate costumes and simple yet effective stage design. With just one set Smart creates a feel of two worlds: the classroom and everything else, highlighting the closeness of the characters both physically and emotionally.
Read more…‘Ardening of Hearts
Arden of Faversham
by William Shakespeare et al
Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham until 2nd November
Review by Salieri
My first task must be to congratulate Richmond Shakespeare Society for selecting their 2024-25 Season to include this 16th Century play with basically unknown authors, although one of which is suggested as being Shakespeare, but I do not intend in this review to discuss whether Will had any hand in it. In fact I saw very little of him from the script’s point of view. In any event it is the performance at the Mary Wallace Theatre that is more important.
Arden of Faversham is described as being a domestic tragedy, and it is based on a true story involving Arden and his wife Alice, who intends to murder her husband so she can elope with her lower-class steward lover. When the curtains open we see just a bare stage; in fact, an actual set is not necessary, as the action takes place in various locations, so occasionally items of furniture are brought on by the cast, as and when they are required. The production is set in late Victorian England, which seems to me to be quite acceptable as the storyline does not necessarily mean it has to be Elizabethan.
Read more…Rabbit-hole Rebooted
Alice in Wonderland
by Asha Gill, after Lewis Carroll
YAT at the Coward Studio, Hampton Hill Theatre until 26th October
Review by Steve Mackrell
Curiouser and curiouser. Such were the thoughts of the child protagonist in this inventive interpretation of Alice in Wonderland by YAT (Youth Action Theatre) at Hampton Hill Theatre. However, in this version, Alice’s curiosity is roused, not by falling down a rabbit hole, but by falling through the screen of her video game.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 