Pink Panache
Legally Blonde, the Musical Jr.
music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, book by Heather Hach, based on the novel by Amanda Brown
Dramacube, Twickenham Purple Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre until 21st December
Review by Heather Moulson
The musical Legally Blonde, the Musical which first hit the US stage in 2007, is a fun coming-of-age story set in a Californian high school and the law college at Harvard. I hadn’t seen the film nor the West End version of this detailed production, so I arrived with a blank page. This was the Purple cast for Legally Blonde, director Matthew Bunn having taken on two different casts in two different venues for this production.
A simple set with the lead’s name Elle in big letters, surrounded by balloons and other pink girly paraphernalia was a good focal point as Elle’s friends brought the heroine into the frame with Omigod You Guys. Dressed for a dream date with her steady guy Warner Huntington III, Elle was given the elbow, as Chester Barnes’ Warner revealed his upward mobility, intending to move onto Harvard without her. Elle, played by Mimi Worsley, was convincingly upset and outraged, and dealt with the catalyst moment well. Was Elle too blonde? Too pink? Despite what the cad feared, these two things worked for her.
Read more…The Bard Goes to Camelot
King Arthur and the Twelfth Knight
by James Rushbrooke
The Questors Theatre at the Judi Dench Playhouse, Ealing until 31st December
Review by Steve Mackrell
Questors has a long-standing and well-deserved reputation for producing outstanding pantomimes and, after an absence of three years, this season’s offering, King Arthur and the Twelfth Knight certainly doesn’t disappoint.
This festive season has seen a number of productions which have broken out from the strict pantomime straight jacket of familiar characters and plot lines, by introducing more creative and innovative ideas. This has certainly been achieved by writer James Rushbrooke whose pedigree includes Tomcat, winner of the 2015 Papatango New Writing Prize. In this original variation on the traditional panto theme, we witness a witty collusion between the mythical world of Camelot with that of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Read more…Wistful Yearning in Kansas
Wizard of Oz Jr.
by L. Frank Baum, music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Dramacube, Hampton Hill Yellow Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre until 19th December
Review by Heather Moulson
I vividly recalled this complex, nightmarish tale and the strong moral it carried when I saw the Wizard of Oz at my local fleapit, being a similar age to the Dramacube cast. Unforgettable is putting it mildly. Also very ambitious, and I was curious to see how the highly reputable Dramacube would interpret such an iconic piece. With their former high standard, I had every confidence in them.
Read more…Integrity, Authenticity and Storytelling
Wizard of Oz Jr.
by L. Frank Baum, music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Dramacube, Twickenham Blue Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre until 18th December
Review by Lottie Walker
The good thing about The Wizard of Oz is that we all know the plot; it’s a familiar tale that first saw the light of day in celluloid in 1939 on the eve of the Second World War, offering a beacon of hope that better days were “over the rainbow”. It is difficult not to draw comparison with the current difficult times in which we live and the moralistic element of the story is not lost on a modern day audience. Integrity, love, friendship and authenticity are the themes that run through this storyline and when portrayed by a cast as young as Dramacube’s the message is all the more poignant.
Read more…Fast-Moving, Funny, Authoritative
The Remarkable Theatrical Adventures of Peregrine Proteus
by Jane Dewey
The Questors Theatre at Questors Studio, Ealing until 31st December
Review by Vince Francis
Exactly one month has passed since I last visited Questors and I’m more than happy to return for another studio show – and an original to boot. This time, it is The Remarkable Theatrical Adventures of Peregrine Proteus, an original work written by Questors’ member Jane Dewey and based on the 1825 Pierce Egan novel, The Life of an Actor. Worth noting that Jane had won the World Coarse Acting Championship with her previous play Present Slaughter, so we know we’re in for a proper piece of work. This is running until New Year’s Eve and provides a very satisfying distraction if panto isn’t your thing.
Read more…Feel-Good, Festive, Feisty
Wizard of Oz Jr.
by L. Frank Baum, music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Dramacube, Hampton Hill Red Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre until 19th December
Review by Daniel Wain
In his programme note, Dramacube producer Steve Leslie draws parallels between The Wizard of Oz and the company’s other Christmas production Legally Blonde. However, at this time of year, the much-loved tale of Dorothy realising that there’s no place like home seems more akin to panto: with a plucky heroine on a quest, befriended by a motley collection of comic sidekicks, helped by a good fairy and hindered by a wicked one.
Director Matthew Bunn, his creative team and 22-strong Red Cast embrace the feel-good festive mood. Hannah Calarco’s design is colourfully cartoonish and the set piece numbers, helmed by Rory Cubin and Heather Stockwell, are equally bright and bold. Special mention must be made of Calarco’s impressive parade of over fifty costumes, with her apple trees a standout.
Read more…There’s No Place Like Home
Wizard of Oz Jr.
by L. Frank Baum, music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Dramacube, Twickenham Green Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre until 18th December
Review by Evie Schaapveld
Evie Schaapveld is one of our younger reviewers. Twelve years old, she acts with a number of local stage companies.
As we were making our way to Hampton Hill Theatre, I was looking forward to seeing the next Dramacube show. I always feel excited going to see the next generation of singers and actors. The lively auditorium was bustling with people looking forward to seeing their children perform after the months of rehearsing and all their hard work.
Read more…An Ice Jolly
Hatti and Pippa’s Christmas Adventure
by Ken Mason
Stephen Leslie Productions at Hampton Hill Theatre until 24th December
Review by Gill Martin
Forget the freeze, soaring energy bills, World Cup woes, industrial action on the railways, threats of a nursing strike and a dearth of Christmas cards thanks to a post workers’ walk-out. What better way to banish the blues than a festive fix of cheer with a magical Christmas show?
I joined around a hundred excited youngsters from Hampton Hill Junior School at Hampton Hill Theatre for the opening day of Hatti and Pippa’s Christmas Adventure. Their robin red uniforms matched pigtailed Hatti the Human’s scarlet coat as they jumped, sang, laughed and clapped throughout fifty minutes of fantasy and fun with Pippa the Penguin in her head waiter costume and yellow flapping flippers.
Read more…Role Models
The Flint Street Nativity
by Tim Firth
Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre until 17th December
Review by Ian Moone
Many of us have memories, some more distant than others, of our own involvement in school Christmas nativities. In my youth, for example, I was proudly cast in the role of Joseph, much to the delight of my highly competitive Irish mother who proceeded to shoehorn this exciting news into every possible conversation. To be fair, as a child I never gave her much to brag about, so I can’t really blame her for wanting to cherish those rare moments of scholastic pride!
Read more…Hot Chestnuts
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens, adapted by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Rose Original at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until 2nd January
Review by Lottie Walker
Bah humbug – that old chestnut A Christmas Carol is back again. But do not despair, for this particular chestnut has been roasted by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, and served up with all the festive trimmings along with a few new exotic spices.
Lloyd Malcolm has “previous” for making something new and exciting from what we think we already know (just look at what she made of Shakespeare in Emilia) and this new twist on the Dickens classic does not disappoint. Running at just under two hours including interval, director Rosie Jones has served up the perfect Christmas treat for children that in its retelling loses none of the deeper message Dickens intended. And in Lloyd Malcolm’s adaptation that message is brought bang up to date; the meaning of workhouses may be lost on younger members of the audience; the reference to food banks not so.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 