Stormy Weather
Pressure
by David Haig
Teddington Theatre Club, at the Hampton Hill Theatre until 27th January
Review by Gill Martin
Storm Isha had just loosened its grip but Storm Jocelyn was now battering Britain on the opening night of Pressure, TTC’s docudrama, subtitled 6th June 1944: The day the weathermen fought the war, and meticulously directed by Clare Cooper
Weather hardly ever drops out of the headlines, with horror stories of floods, fires and famines. Meteorologists and climate gurus take centre screen night after night with their dire warnings and predictions.
Read more…Viennese Swirl
Measure for Measure
by William Shakespeare
Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre until 27th January
Review by Brent Muirhouse
Gracing the Mary Wallace Theatre in Twickenham, Richmond Shakespeare Society’s rendition of Measure for Measure merged the prose of the Bard with a vibrant contemporary heartbeat, building a production that more than measured up to the reputation of the great man himself.
Much like the themes of modern, glossy TV series Succession or The Morning Show, Measure for Measure puts a kaleidoscope onto the emotions of the large array of characters (played by a sizeable cast of fifteen) as they navigate the intricacies of power, morality, and justice.
Read more…Yee/Yer/Yey Hah
Cowbois
by Charlie Josephine
Royal Shakespeare Company, at the Jerwood Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre until 10th February
Review by Gill Martin
Come out with your guns blazing, your Stetson at a jaunty angle and your spurs sparkling for a night on the town with the wildest Western. Cowbois is tagged as a rollicking queer Western like you’ve never seen before. They ain’t wrong.
Audiences at the Royal Court are treated to a rare rootin’ tootin’ night of lively music, livelier dance, the steamiest of erotic sex scenes, and furious gun fights overlaid with serious messages of gender inclusivity.
Read more…Nature’s Hand Dealt
The Father
by Florian Zeller
Rhinoceros Theatre Company, at the Coward Studio, Hampton Hill Theatre until 20th January
Review by Gill Martin
A momentary murmur of confusion shivers around the audience. We are suddenly plunged into the depths of doubt and uncertainty that plague the minds of those with Alzheimer’s -and those closest to them.
Welcome to the world of André, an engineer who might have been a tap dancer … or a conjurer. His broken mind conjures a myriad of events both real and imagined, pleasant and painful, terrifying and menacing.
Read more…Rainbow Roadies
The Wizard of Oz
by L Frank Baum, adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Step on Stage at the Hampton Hill Theatre until 13th January
Review by Michelle Hood
The delightful Wizard of Oz rarely fails to enthrall audiences with its familiar mix of rich characters, fantasy and memorable melodies. And this production at Hampton Hill Theatre, by the performing arts school Step on Stage is no exception. Indeed, this was an ambitious project for a children’s production, using the full-length RSC adaptation, and running for some two and a half hours. With a cast of just under forty children and young adults, all under sixteen, even the marshalling of the performers and their many entrances, exits and costume changes was a vast undertaking, and which was managed seamlessly.
Director Emma Tinniswood is to be congratulated by the way she filled the stage with colour and movement, aided by Ashley Johnson’s creative choreography, which was capably executed by an energetic cast. The production values were enhanced by good use of colour, from the drab greys and blacks of Kansas to the bright yellows and greens of Oz. Particularly effective were the use of different coloured umbrellas, such as the blue and green umbrellas in the “munchkin” scene and the red umbrellas in the “poppies” scene. Effects too were excellently executed, such as the tornado scene, and the countless costumes reflected what must have been hours of work put into their creation, from frilly white tutus to polka-dot skirts – all key elements in creating the enchanted world of Dorothy with her ruby slippers and blue and white gingham dress.
Read more…Glad to Be Alive
The Unfriend
by Steven Moffat
Playful Productions at Wyndham’s Theatre, West End until 9th March
Review by Mark Aspen
The West End blockbuster comedy, The Unfriend is a story that could almost be true, but isn’t.
Now, here is a true story, which could almost be untrue. Some years ago, following an event that my wife attended in the USA, we were enjoying a lunch on the sunny harbour-side in Boston, Mass. Suddenly a heavy downpour sent us all rushing into the restaurant’s small building. Sardine-packed together, commiserating, we all were soon chatting. When the sun soon came out again, our fellow diners invited us to join them on their table, where they’d been having a party. Naturally, we asked what they were celebrating. “Oh, it’s Joe. He came out of prison this morning”. When we open-mindedly inquired what he had been in for, the reply was totally light and matter of fact, “Homicide”. As the quite convivial lunch drew to an end, we were invited to continue the party chez Joe’s that evening. It may have been churlish, but we didn’t go … and Joe seemed a really nice chap.
Read more…Humour and Humanity
A Christmas Carol
by Mitch Benn after Charles Dickens
Mitch Benn at Baron’s Court Theatre until 23rd December
Review by Heather Moulson
In Barons Court’s subterranean performing space, a one-time beer barrel cellar, an effective smoke-filled atmosphere gives the ambience of the archetypical Victorian winter. In his one-man storytelling of Dicken’s much loved seasonal tale, comedian, satirist and songwriter Mitch Benn cuts a monumental figure in top hat and thick overcoat. Taking on all characters from Charles Dickens’ intricate morality tale, this is an ambitious project, but Benn brings his own particular aura, with only a lonely coat stand for a prop.
Mitch Benn is perhaps best known as the resident comedy songwriter on BBC Radio Four’s The Now Show. Here he uses Dickens’ original abridged text to breathe new life into A Christmas Carol.
Read more…Blue Beans Optional
Jack and the Beanstalk
by Jonny Danziger
OSO at the OSO Arts Centre, Barnes until 23rd December
Review by John Davies
The great thing about pantomimes is that everyone knows the story, so you don’t have to worry about not following the plot and I don’t have to do a full synopsis here.
The tricky thing for a pantomime is that everyone knows the story, so the risk is the audience are always ahead of the action and not fully engaged! So, tweaking the tale is a recommended approach – and essentially de rigueur with pantomimes.
The OSO production of Jack and The Beanstalk does a great job of managing the balance of familiarity and surprise. We have still have the somewhat dim-witted Jack (Toby Baddeley) – who really loves animals – and his larger than life Mum (William Relton) as Dame Trott – “I’m a man in a bra” he says at one point, in case we weren’t sure – plus Yeasty Jill (Kaitlin Reynell) as the bright and ambitious girl next door. But then there is an evil Tech Giant (Maddy Maguire) – played hilariously as Elon Musk – and a particularly sexy cow, Daisy (Emelye Moulton), taking a much more central role. Add to this the Golden Goose and the Giant’s incompetent secretary, and you have your full cast.
Read more…Dazzling Delight
Ellie & Starlight’s Christmas Adventure
by Ken Mason
Stephen Leslie Productions at Cecil Hepworth Playhouse, Walton until 24th December
Review by Sadie Williams
Cecil Hepworth Playhouse finally received their turn to host the unlikely companions Ellie and Starlight, two much-loved characters who had previously trodden the boards at Hampton Hill Theatre to delighted audiences. Now their adventures continue.
Read more…A Sad Tale’s Best For Winter
The White Carnation
by Robert Cedric Sherriff
The Questors at the Questors Studio, Ealing until 31st December
Review by Andrew Lawston
We are now firmly in the grip of the wintry dark days of December, and the British have long agreed that there’s nothing like a good ghost story to while away the longest nights of the year. These stories have taken many forms over the years, from the morality tale of A Christmas Carol to the chilling short stories of M.R. James, but perhaps none of them are quite so urbane as The White Carnation, R.C. Sherriff’s 1953 play, now revived by Questors Theatre for this festive season, and running in their studio alongside the pantomime fun of Treasure Island.
Following a Christmas Eve party, the faintly obnoxious stockbroker John Greenwood waves off his guests before his front door slams shut, locking him outside, and his house is plunged into darkness.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 