Pink Power
Legally Blonde, the Musical
by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, book by Heather Hach, based on the novel by Amanda Brown
TOPS Theatre Company at the Hampton Hill Theatre, until 27th April
Review by Polly Davies
I enjoyed the film of Legally Blonde. It didn’t strike me as an obvious choice for a light-hearted funny musical, but I have been converted by the TOPS production of the Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin musical at Hampton Hill Theatre. This convinced me that I was wrong. A light, fluffy and funny musical wrapped around a life affirming message to be true to yourself. It worked at all levels. The band was good, the dancing was great, the funny bits were funny, and the message wasn’t lost. It was a fun evening. And the costume designer Lynn Hume really deserves a shoutout. With so much story to cram into two acts the audience needs to know whom we are dealing with, and the costumes were just right.
Read more…Trip of a Lifetime Goes with a Bang
Bonnie and Clyde, the Musical
by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black, book by Ivan Menchell
Adama Entertainment and associates at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking until 27th April, then on tour until 26th October
Review by Mark Aspen
Rat-ta-tat-tat! The startling opening of Bonnie and Clyde, the Musical, as the proscenium is sprayed with machine-gun bullets, overwhelming with its noise and disorientating strobe flashes, is a self-inflicted spoiler. It goes straight to the climax, the violent deaths on 23rd May 1934 of a notorious, yet celebrated pair of murderous lovers. Nevertheless, this works superbly dramatically, notching up the intensity and the inevitability of the tragic tale. After all, most of audience will know the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow through the acclaimed, but controversial, 1967 film.
Read more…Green Moor
Othello
by William Shakespeare
Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham until 27th April
Review by Celia Bard
The Richmond Shakespeare Society has provided an enthralling and sincere retelling of that classic story of Shakespeare’s, Othello. The themes of jealousy, revenge, racial intolerance, uncontrolled anger, murder, sinister manipulation, toxic masculinity are central to the play and these different themes are well exploited and presented in this production. Basically, the play is about sexual jealousy and how one man, Iago, can convince another, Othello, that his wife, Desdemona, whom he loves dearly, has been unfaithful when she hasn’t. Desdemona’s only crime, if you can call it that, is that she radiates happiness to all those she encounters, especially Cassio, and thus she opens herself up, like a lamb to the slaughter. Iago is quick to exploit this aspect of Desdemona’s behaviour in his desire to take revenge on Othello, partly because of the latter’s decision to promote Cassio to the rank of lieutenant over the more experienced Iago.
All the actors in this production play their parts well, successfully portraying the range of emotions necessary to pull off this challenging play. Maxina Cornwell as Brabantia, the mother of Desdemona, is just splendid. Although only appearing in the opening scenes, she establishes the atmosphere for the rest of the play in which many of the themes mentioned above are explored. Cornwell’s stage presence and acting skills are a joy to watch.
Read more…Bye Jove!
Semele
by George Frideric Handel, libretto by William Congreve
Richmond Opera at Normansfield Theatre, Teddington until 21st April
Review by Susan Furnell
Nestled away on an unlikely campus in Teddington, lies one of London’s best kept secrets – an absolute treasure of a Victorian theatre. The Normansfield Theatre was completed in 1879 and has been recently restored to its full glory and grandeur and is the venue for Richmond Opera’s 2024 offering, the musical drama, Semele, by Handel.
Above the elevated stage hangs a curtain from a proscenium arch, flanked by resplendent gilded paintings. With dimensions more akin to a church than a theatre, our eyes are taken first upwards to the lofty beamed wooden ceilings and then back along the vast walls resplendent in red and pale brick patterns and panel portraits who try to make eye contact with us to tell us secrets of a bygone era, and to hint at the magic that will unfold when the curtain rises and the patiently sitting twenty-strong musicians in the Baroque orchestra lift their gaze attentively to the conductor awaiting the first beat.
Read more…Boxing Love
Little Boxes
by Joann Condon and Leonie Simmons
Alphamum Productions at the New Wimbledon Theatre Studio until 27th April
Review by Heather Moulson
As an intriguing array of boxes awaits onstage, the soundtrack of the namesake song by Malvina Reynolds percolates the snug space. Although a childhood favourite, it has taken me a long time to see its irony. But as Joann Condon’s autobiographical gem, Little Boxes unfolds, telling of her life and times, stage career and career stages, its clarity breaks through.
In a one-person show, that is very detailed even down to the pronunciation of her first name, Joann Condon creates an intimate atmosphere, as she shares her past and present with honesty and candour. She tells how she was compartmentalised, particularly her being the ‘fat’ fourth sister, and her resigning herself to that label. This was before finding inner sanctum in drama classes and finally embracing her true potential.
Read more…Hypnotic Fragility
The Glass Menagerie
by Tennessee Williams
Rose Theatre, Alexandra Palace, and Belgrade Theatre at The Rose Theatre, Kingston until 4th May, then on tour* until 1st June
Review by Brent Muirhouse
Upon taking a seat in the Rose Theatre, I fell into an instant hypnosis beginning on an empty stage graced with a solitary, central neon sign with the single word, ‘PARADISE’. As the dialogue began, this centrepiece spun as the narrative’s whirling pendulum, and it was clear that audiences would be treated to a mesmerizing interpretation of Tennessee Williams’ classic, The Glass Menagerie. Through a meticulous blend of visual and auditory elements, Atri Banerjee’s direction breathes a zest – an almost steely oxygen – into a tale of family, dreams, and disillusionment taking place in America’s Deep South.
Read more…Lithe Show
Sophie’s Surprise 29th
Three Legged Race at the Underbelly Boulevard, Soho until 28th June
Review by Denis Valentine
First and foremost, Sophie’s Surprise 29th is a ninety-minute highly entertaining and skilled circus-cabaret romp. All the performers are elite level talented and at the top of their craft, with credits from the likes of La Clique, The 7 Fingers, Cirque du Soleil to their names. They have come together to put together a fun and accessible close-up show environment that entertains its audience on a variety of different levels.
Read more…Elephants not Required
Aïda
by Guiseppe Verdi, libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni
Kentish Opera at The Stag, Sevenoaks until 20th April
Review by Patrick Shorrock
Verdi’s opera is a hugely demanding piece that makes exorbitant demands on any opera company, with its frequent scene changes, dance interludes, and costumes, even if, these days, there is a feeling that elephants are not actually required. It also ruthlessly exposes any vocal limitations in the cast – especially the title role – in a way that makes you question whether Verdi has provided something of a musical obstacle course rather than a beautiful musical line. However, Verdi gives his roles music that is at the limit of what singers can manage as a metaphor for people who are being put through the emotional mill and are facing the limits of what human beings can endure. That means that beautifully sung Verdi is an all too rare phenomenon and one that can endanger the credibility of the drama.
Read more…Loitering Within Tent
1 Tent 4 Girls
by Amber Charlie Conroy and Rosalie Roger-Lacan
Talkers and Doers at the New Wimbledon Theatre Studio until 13th April
Review by Heather Moulson
As we took our seats at the black box space in Wimbledon’s studio theatre, we couldn’t help but admire the four actor’s cramp-defying discipline, as they froze as a tableau there in front of us. One of them was actually horizontal. They created more impact than if they’d actually walked on. I willed the time away in empathy so they could at least move again. In the 1 Tent 4 Girls plot, their character were to freeze in a different sense, as they camp out in a tent with no guys, in several senses.
Four twenty-something girls come vibrantly to life, right up-front from the start. Laden with walking boots and punishing rucksacks, they had laboriously arrived in Wales to camp at the presciently named Worm Field in the eponymous one tent for girls. We can clearly see from the beginning that this is actually going to be a journey to Hell. With appalling weather, and a long hike to the very basic site, things could only go one way. And there is a limit to how much anyone can whistle to keep the spirits up.
Read more…Sour Puss Puts Women in a Pickle
Vinegar Tom
by Caryl Churchill
YAT at the Coward Studio, Hampton Hill Theatre until 13th April
Review by Steve Mackrell
Born out of the anger of the 1970’s feminist movement, Caryl Churchill’s Vinegar Tom is a disturbing reminder of the past, and indeed present, oppression of women which, in this play, is exemplified using powerful images of injustice as seen through the lens of a seventeenth century witch-hunt. This ensemble production from YAT (Youth Action Theatre) in the Studio at Hampton Hill Theatre is a stark reminder of a darker past which, for many women, was filled with fear and intimidation.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 