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…Moody Clues
HiJinks and Caviar
by Emily and Pete Moody
Fluffy Top Productions at the New Wimbledon Theatre Studio until 26th October
Review by Heather Moulson
Opening with The Invitations, a strong number sung by all the cast, we are drawn into the colourful characters of Moody and Moody’s murder mystery musical, HiJinks and Caviar.
We are ploughed into 1930’s England on Alan Wynn’s splendid set, an ornate room at the recently widowed Lord Shyttevigge’s estate. It is an elaborate production with a relatively large cast in a small space, but taken on with efficiency under the detailed direction of Emily Moody and musical direction of her co-writer Pete Moody.
His second musical number follows, as Professional Standards introduces three members of staff, Lisa Rouselle as the maid, Emily Clare as Cook, and Jeff King as Hyde, the loyal butler (or was he?). Question marks like these are almost permanently raised as we find out whodunnit.
Read more…Twist and a Laugh
Gay Pride and No Prejudice
by David Kerby-Kendall
Stephen Leslie Productions at the Union Theatre, Southwark until 2nd November
Review by Gill Martin
It’s certainly a twist and a half from Jane Austen’s perennially popular book Pride and Prejudice. A sassy script thanks to David Kerby-Kendall’s clever re-working and Steve Leslie’s light touch in his London debut as a producer create a masterful comedy Gay Pride and No Prejudice.
Austen’s book, written in 1796, sold twenty million copies and became inspiration for TV series and movies, a timeless romance with a cuttingly sharp wit. The social issues of that time resonate centuries later: love, marriage, passion, wealth, status, ambition, keeping up appearances, gossip, family dynamics. And to that list we can add homophobia !!
Read more…Belly Laughs
Outpatient
by Harriet Madeley
Reading Rep Company and Crowded Room at the Reading Rep Theatre until 19th October
Review by Sam Martin
The simplicity and honesty of Outpatient left me holding my breath. Harriet Madeley captures the fear and sense of isolation that is so relatable when we contemplate death. I was rooting for Olive, gasped at the twists and turns in her life and felt enormous emotion come the end of the hour-long play. Yet, I haven’t laughed out loud so much in quite some time!
Outpatient is a solo performance that explores the central character of Olive and her ambition as a journalist. Desperate to clinch a publishing deal to put her on the map, she decides to tackle the seemingly silent subject of death. Her search for subjects to interview lead her to a palliative care unit … and her own close encounter as she is diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). Cue a run of close to the wire gags, outrageous dialogue and tongue in cheek quips as she searches for meaning amid her own anguish, whilst still trying to write a captivating piece.
Read more…Quid Est Veritas?
Death and the Maiden
by Ariel Dorfman
Putney Arts Company at The Putney Arts Theatre until 19th October
Review by Claire Alexander
‘When crazy people have power you indulge them’ was the line that stood out for me during this brave production, by Putney Theatre Company, of the searing play Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman. Set twenty years after the fall of the Chilean totalitarian regime of General Pinochet during the 1970s and 80s – a most unhappy period of Chile’s history – Death and the Maiden recounts one woman’s revenge on her own experience of torture and questioning during this most desperate time.
A word about the Pinochet regime – I visited Chile in late 1997 a few years after the fall of the seventeen year tyranny and the subsequent re-emergence of democracy. I visited the memorial to the tens of thousands of the ‘disappeared’ as those who lost their lives or the livelihoods for their beliefs or speaking up, became known. It was not in the guide books and took some finding, hidden in an obscure part of Santiago, mirroring a period of history this country would prefer to forget.
Read more…Murky Depths
The Pillowman
by Martin McDonagh
The Questors at the Questors Studio, Ealing until 19th October
Review by Brent Muirhouse
Despite the fluffiness eluded to by the title, Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman is not comfortable. Thrust into an unsettling world where storytelling and terror are one and the same, the opening moments, played out against a stark, oppressive set — bare walls, a cold interrogation room — immediately signalled that the not even the plushest of pillows would soften many of the blows of the play’s nightmare scenario playing out. Through the direction of Roger Beaumont, the Questors audience in Ealing were invited to confront a symbiosis between the art of storytelling and the horrors it can both depict and perpetuate.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 