“People Do Dreadful Things”
The Hollow
by Agatha Christie
Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham until 28th January
Review by Louis Mazzini
There’s no gainsaying Agatha Christie, the Queen of crime fiction and – incredible as it may seem – Britain’s most popular woman playwright, the first to have three plays running simultaneously in the West End. Indeed, two of Christie’s plays are on in central London today, and for decades her work has been a staple for community theatre companies. It is therefore surprising to find that The Hollow is the first time in its ninety year history that Richmond Shakespeare Society has “done a Christie”, in this case her own adaptation of her 1946 Hercule Poirot novel of the same name.
Like most of her plays, The Hollow is set in what one critic described as “Agatha Christie time”. Rodney Figaro’s magnificent set, complemented by the music and some of the costumes, nicely evokes the 1930s ambience with which Christie is generally associated, but other touches suggest the 1950s – the play was first produced professionally in 1951 – despite the presence of servants.
The Hollow takes place in the eponymous home of Lord and Lady Angketell. The couple are played by Geraint Thompson and a sparkling Frances Billington, who knows exactly what kind of play she is in and exactly how to play her character, an eccentric aristo with a flair for forgetfulness and a shrewd eye for the truth. Christie’s servants are usually entertaining and the Angkatells’ are no exception. James Phillips is suitably mordant as the butler and Asha Gill delightful as a star-struck maid; both actors have excellent comic timing. Milly Newman plays the Angkatells’ daughter Henrietta, a sculptress whose current work-in-progress is somewhere offstage left where it is admired from time to time by members of the cast, all of whom seem to have a different idea of its height and position.
There are also several houseguests: John Cristow, a self-centred doctor played with the right amount of disdain by Hugh Cox, and Gerda, and Cristow’s subjugated wife, an excellent Katie Abbott. Edie Moles is the Monroesque Midge – “half an Angkatell” – a woman-child whom no one takes seriously, least of all the man she adores, Edward Angkatell, portrayed by a suave Luke Daxon. A good whodunnit also needs an unexpected guest and in The Hollow this is provided by Anna Piggott, channelling Lady Gaga as a vivacious Veronica Craye, a vampy actress whose entrances – and jewellery – light up the stage. Surprise, surprise … … there is a murder, which leads to the arrival of Inspector Colquhoun and Sergeant Penny, played at just about the right speed by Mark Saunders and Graham Schafer.
Originally billed as a comedy thriller, The Hollow is at times very funny and though some of the appreciative audience laughter certainly wouldn’t have been expected by Christie, it would for the most part by the director, Derek Stringer, who has done a very good job in animating this classic of the 1950s. With a whodunnit the “thing” that matters most is the plot and the performances of the victim and murderer. It would be wrong to identify them but, despite Christie’s somewhat ponderous script, the actors concerned are thoroughly convincing, especially the killer in the final scene when … … but that would be telling.
Louis Mazzini, January 2023
Photography by Jessica Warrior
The Root of All Evil?
Little Dorrit
by David Hovatter after Charles Dickens
Questors Theatre at the Judi Dench Playhouse, Ealing until 28th January
Review by Steve Mackrell
There is a rich tradition of adapting novels into stage plays, and the works of Charles Dickens are no exception, with recent examples including Nicholas Nickleby and A Christmas Carol. Indeed, without the novels of Dickens to adapt, the world of theatre, film and television would be that much poorer. The latest Dickens adaptation to reach the stage is David Hovatter’s vision of Little Dorrit presented by Questors Theatre, Ealing.
The theme of Little Dorrit is debt and, more generally, money – and the problems associated with having either too little or too much of it. Money is a frequent theme of Dickens perhaps because, as a child of twelve years old, he suffered the trauma of seeing his own father taken into a debtor’s prison – a completely illogical punishment given the debtor was unable to work and hence couldn’t earn any money to pay back the debt. It’s been suggested that perhaps his own father could have been the model for a character such as Mr Dorrit and, indeed, the book Little Dorrit is divided into two halves – “poverty” followed by “riches” – with the extremes of both being equally unpleasant; although, being a Dickens story, the “riches” soon returns to rags.
Read more…Flights of Fancy
Peter Pan, the Musical
by Piers Chater Robison, based on J.M. Barrie
Step on Stage at Hampton Hill Theatre until 14th January
Review by Thea Diamond
What an absolute joy to have seen Step on Stage’s production of Peter Pan. For those not in the know, Step on Stage is one of the Richmond borough’s popular youth theatre companies, with students ranging in age from 5 to 21 years. Directed and produced by Emma Louise Tiniswood with assistance from Jasmin Carmody, this was the last night of their sell-out four-show run, which ended with, not only the end of show speeches and presentations to the crew, musicians and back stage helpers, but the young cast’s obvious emotional finale and farewell to what had clearly become a close-knit community over the months of rehearsing together. Step on Stage describe themselves as a family, as this was very evident in the interactions between all members of the cast, from the youngest to the older actors where their comradery and friendship shone through.
Read more…Mean, Menacing, Murderous
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare, adapted by Lucy Morrell
Rose Participate and Oldenburg State Theatre at The Rose Theatre, Kingston until 15th January
Review by Gill Martin
The stage is set, dark and dangerous, mean and menacing. The cast is ready, raw and ragged, with robotic, jerky movements contorting their bodies.
This gritty version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth spares nothing. Big sound, flashing lights, screeching voices bring to life this tale of murderous treason and tyranny, tragedy and treachery at a dizzying pace. A non-stop ninety minutes of intense action of the Scottish play zip past as blood is spilt in battle and in a quest to seize power.
Read more…Compelling Charm
Swan Lake
Nerubashenko Ballet at Richmond Theatre until 15th January, then on national tour until 31st April
Review by Michelle Hood
The production company presenting this ballet, Nerubashenko, is perhaps an unfamiliar name in the world of touring ballet. However, the pre-publicity also alludes to the participation of Smirnov-Golovanov Productions. This relates back to Victor Smirnov-Golovanov who was the founder and Artistic Director of Moscow City Ballet. Although he died in 2013, he was survived by his wife, Ludmila Nerubashenko, who has given her name to this current touring company. Ludmila succeeded her husband in 2013 as Artistic Director of Moscow City Ballet but, given her Ukranian birthright, and the current Russian-Ukraine war, has set up a new company with other dissenters from Russian ballet circles.
Politics aside, Nerubashenko Productions have gathered together a talented group of performers who are now embarked on a lengthy UK winter tour with a repertory that, as well as Swan Lake, also includes The Nutcracker. Also associated with the company is their Artistic Director, Marina Medvetskaya, a Georgian prima ballerina previously involved with the St. Petersburg Classic Ballet Theatre, who is responsible for selecting many of the international dancers appearing in the show.
Read more…Buoy Band
Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical
by Amanda Whittington
Royo Entertainment at Richmond Theatre, 28th February to 4th March
Preview: The company of Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical discuss their forthcoming production. Critic Thomas Forsythe reports.
The world premiere production of Fisherman’s Friends, The Musical embarks on a UK and Ireland tour this spring, including to Richmond Theatre and the New Wimbledon Theatre.
Thomas Forsythe meets with the show’s director James Grieve, who promises audiences are in store for “a feel-good, foot-stomping, sea shanty musical telling the astonishing story of the world’s least likely boyband”.
Based on the true story of the Cornish singing sensations and the smash hit 2019 film about them, the show has already played to packed houses at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro, where it broke box office records as the most successful production in the venue’s history.
Read more…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…
Mark Aspen 