Trills without Frills
The Magic Flute
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder
Harrow Opera at the Compass Theatre, Ickenham until 28th May
Review by Michelle Hood
Perhaps one of the most popular and frequently performed opera ever written, The Magic Flute can never really fail to excite because of the sheer beauty of its music. A timeless classic and, despite its abstract and allegorical storyline, the imaginative brilliance of the score always uplifts and stimulates.
Mozart’s masterpiece was premiered in Vienna in September 1791 and yet, just two months later, Mozart died prematurely aged 35. This was the only opera ever written by Mozart for a popular audience in which he collaborated with a well-known comic actor of the time, Emanuel Schikaneder, who wrote the libretto and also played the part of Papageno in the first production.
Given the complex fantasy world in which The Magic Flute exists, the opera has been staged in countless imaginative ways and in many different time periods and costume. In this production, by Harrow Opera at the Compass Theatre, Ickenham, no liberties have been taken and the production is stripped back to its basic essentials, and is also sung in English.
Read more…In Her Own Lunchtime
All’s Nell That Ends Nell
by Little Nell
Trafalgar Studios Theatre until 23rd May
Review by Heather Moulson
An enigmatic icon of Rocky Horror royalty tapped danced her way onto a very camp set, a splendid throne and quite literally, a table with legs. Here was Laura Elizabeth Campbell aka Little Nell, backlit with an impressive slideshow, who gave us an honest and open account of her life and success. As she, resplendent in a sequinned dress, invited us into her rich and generous past we were drawn in from the start.
When I saw Little Nell in The Rocky Horror Show in 1974, she was only nineteen years old, and a former tap dancing busker, discovered by Jim Sharman and Brian Thomson in Kensington High Street. And what a discovery! Australian director, Sharman was asked to put on a production for the Theatre Upstairs at The Royal Court, with a budget of a £1,000, a three week rehearsal and a three week run. While searching for a project, he was shown a musical written by a young Richard O’Brien. Nell became a natural part of the team of powerful Antipodeans.
Read more…What the Dickens
Bleak Expectations
by Mark Evans
Anthology Theatre and Glass Half Full Productions at the Criterion Theatre, West End until 3rd September
Review by Eugene Broad
In this effervescent spoof, every Dickensian motif one can imagine is pastiched, riffed on, subverted, gently ridiculed, poached, and served to the audience with a hearty helping of winks, nods and elbow nudges.
The whimsical plot of the radio show’s first season is condensed into two hours of Dickensian spoofery. To summarise, the “ghost of future self” narrator (each week, a different celebrity guest; this week was Sally Phillips, perhaps best known as “Shazza” from Bridget Jones’ Diary) recalls their younger self’s life-story.
Read more…Clocking the Miles
Around the World in 80 Days
by Jules Verne, adapted by Juliet Forster
Tilted Wig and York Theatre Royal at Richmond Theatre until 20th May, then on tour until 22nd July
Review by Mark Aspen
Busy, busy, busy. “This play is about the joy of movement … in every sense”, says Juliet Forster, the director of Tilted Wig’s high-energy version of Verne’s 1872 classic adventure story. Appropriately for a tale about a race against time, here is a production that cannot stand still. And stacks are packed into its eighty days as they are reduced to a couple of mad-cap hours.
This take on Around the World in 80 Days packs stacks of theatrical genres too, circus, spoof, pantomime, thriller, farce, travelogue and definitely physical theatre. The inventive directorial force and dynamic cast leave even the audience exhausted.
Read more…By Night
Mayfly
by Joe White
Putney Theatre Company at the Studio, Putney Arts Theatre until 20th May
Review by Heather Moulson
The opening scene of Mayfly jumps shockingly out at us, with the shock of a near tragedy as young Harry takes the first steps of carrying the awful load he bears from a splintered family. Attempted suicide, sexual propositions, grief, loss – he shoulders the lot as the play unravels. Morgan Beale in this role smoothly carries these burdens, which are all thrust upon Harry by a twist of fate.
Read more…Making a Splash
Jonah
by Ian Fletcher, libretto by Jeffrey Lewis
National Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Chorus at Cadogan Hall, Chelsea, 9th May
Review by Helen Astrid
Cadogan Hall rides the waves, as the sea dominates a glorious and varied orchestral and choral programme, with a very special concert entitled Jonah, Theme of the Sea. All the items in the first half with nautical references were indeed a voyage of discovery, but our destination was the world premiere of the oratorio, Jonah.
Read more…Fiery Red
Oliver! Jr
by Lionel Bart
Dramacube Productions, Hampton Hill Red Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre, until 7th May
Review by Sadie Williams
As the curtains drew back to reveal the brilliantly staged set (designed by Hannah Callarco), the audience was instantly transported to Victorian London. The steps, the tunnel and the dreary but realistic brickwork simultaneously presented an atmosphere of destitution, but also gave the opportunity for endless theatrical possibilities. The fantastic young cast of 8–12-year-olds set the tone with vigour and vibrancy, and I felt that a West End production would struggle to do Food Glorious Food more justice. The orphans were brilliantly dressed by Jo Scholes and their dirty faces helped to convey their loveless, dire fate. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, Huey Chalmers lit up the stage as Oliver with his angelic singing voice and heartfelt performance. A larger- than-life Mr Bumble, played by Raphael Cavendish also helped to keep the energy high and contagious.
Read more…Dance, Music and Much More!
Oliver! Jr
by Lionel Bart
Dramacube Productions, Twickenham Green Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre, until 7th May 2023
Review by Sadie Williams
It may have been their final performance, but this young cast of 8-12-year-olds certainly showed no signs of complacency. The wit and entertainment of this piece was conveyed with expert direction from seasoned performer and director Matthew Bunn, and he didn’t waste a moment as we were treated to a menacing, Cockney, pre- show announcement, threatening that we’d be “brown bread” if we didn’t turn off our electronic devices. We’d been warned!
Read more…Singing the Blues
Oliver! Jr
by Lionel Bart
Dramacube Productions, Twickenham Blue Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre until 7th May
Review by Heather Moulson
Matthew Bunn’s prolific multi casting of this iconic and ambitious production paid off once again in his detailed directing Oliver! Jr. The Twickenham Blue cast, like other casts before them, were impressive. Each actor played these well-known characters with their own unique interpretation.
Read more…Mellow Yellow
Oliver! Jr
by Lionel Bart
Dramacube Productions, Twickenham Yellow Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre until 7th May
Review by Heather Moulson
With director Matthew Bunn’s huge cast and an ambitious musical, we looked forward to this production of Oliver! Jnr performed by Hampton Hill’s Yellow Cast.
With the standard silver bricked set, its centrepiece a sinister tunnel, the cast opened up with the exuberant Food Glorious Food. The orphans of the workhouse were all credible with good voices and their black and white tattered attire. Oliver, played by Imogen Logan, despite initial reticence, became fiery and engaging. Oliver’s wistful song Where Is Love? and the moody lighting made the undertaker’s scene atmospheric. Not to mention the formidable Mr Bumble, played beautifully by Wilf Perkins.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 