Now I’m a Believer!
Shrek, the Musical
by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire
TOPS Musical Theatre Company at Hampton Hill Theatre until 16th April
Review by Thea Diamond
It was with a fair degree of scepticism that I approached the opening night of Shrek the Musical. After having watched DreamWorks quartet of films countless times, as any parents with a Netflix account and time to kill on a rainy weekend can relate to, I was doubting how such integral elements of the story such as the RuPaul’s Drag Race glammed-up dragon in her lava-encased keep would translate onto the stage at Hampton Hill. Not only this, the completely underwhelming Broadway production that’s available to view for free on YouTube felt like a failed attempt at converting this well-loved progressive fairy tale to the musical theatre format, but with, at times grating, imitations of the celebrity voice cast and the unfortunate loss of its impeccable popular song choices.
It is a complete understatement to say that I’m now a complete convert after experiencing TOPS’ show stopping production! I was quite honestly taken aback at the sheer scale and size of this undertaking. With 47 cast members under the skilful direction of TJ Lloyd, we were swept away by a fast-moving musical and dance extravaganza. What an achievement to pull this off! Originally due to premiere just a month before a certain global pandemic struck, a second attempt in 2021, and with third time lucky, I’m not exaggerating to say it’s nothing short of a miracle that all cast members were singing and dancing tonight without anyone succumbing to the most recent wave of Omnicom sweeping the capital.
Read more…Crisp Biscuits
Tapped
by Katie Redford
Theatre 503 and Bethany Cooper Productions at Theatre 503, Battersea until 23rd April
Review by Gill Martin
Dawn is an unfulfilled, long-married mum with petulant daughter Jen going nowhere. Gavi is a kindly Co-op colleague with his own baggage but with a determination to change all their lives with Club biscuits, motivational mantras and positive visualisation.
And all this can be achieved in a bleak, grey space that is his garage.
The set of Tapped, a debut stage play by the acclaimed actor and writer Katie Redford, is symbolic of their monochromatic, dull, closed-in lives.
Read more…The Moosetrap
Catch Me If You Can
by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert
Bill Kenwright Productions at Richmond Theatre until 16th April, then on tour until 3rd July
Review by Andrew Lawston
Billed as a psychological thriller, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert’s play Catch Me If You Can, based on a French play by Robert Thomas, has a darkly comic streak that runs from the opening moments through to the final curtain. But rather than being any kind of parody, the humour arises from the tense and unusual situation, as well as from the dry wisecracks of Inspector Levine, the exasperated detective charged with recovering Mrs Corban.
The whole play unfolds in the house in the mountains, a tasteful design by Julie Godfrey which evokes a luxurious 1960s setting, without pandering to clichés – reminiscent of the murderers’ homes in early episodes of Columbo. With the first half set in the evening, and the second half the following morning, Chris Davey’s lighting is suitably simple, but completely effective.
Elizabeth Corban is missing. Following a squabble with her new husband, advertising executive Daniel Corban, she has left the remote house in New York’s Catskill Mountains, in which they were honeymooning. After several days with no news, Daniel frets, and worries, and puts up hopeful signs welcoming her home, which he hangs from a giant moose head that hangs over the comfortable property’s fireplace.
Read more…To Pluck Bright Honour
King Henry IV, Parts One and Two
by William Shakespeare
Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham until 23rd April
Review by Celia Bard
The RSS must be congratulated for mounting what must be considered a hugely challenging production for directors and cast alike. When deciding to attend both productions on the same day, I feared it might be an endurance test. Not so, for I was very soon drawn into this gripping historical tale of power, honour and rebellion that is the essence of Part I. In King Henry IV part II the emphasis shifts to the burden of power, old age and atonement. I would suggest, if possible, that any prospective audience member try and see Part I before seeing Part II. For me, the latter seems more an afterthought, and if not familiar with these plays, despite the prologue, characters and events might be confusing.
Read more…Warped Magnificence
The Handmaid’s Tale
by Poul Ruders, libretto by Paul Bentley from the novel by Margaret Attwood
English National Opera at the London Coliseum until 14th April
Review by Mark Aspen
What a remarkably prescient author Canadian novelist Margaret Attwood is! When she published her work of satirical speculative fiction in 1985, neither the Taliban nor ISIS existed. Yet The Handmaid’s Tale gives an uncannily accurate picture of these brutally repressive regimes and how they have developed during the 21st Century, with the warped sense of religious interpretation they represent. The “shalt nots” particularly repress women and extend to denying women and girls an education; they are not allowed to learn to read and write. They are denied the right to work or possess property. The position of women is one of total subservience.
Veni, Vidi, Vici
Bourgeois & Maurice: Pleasure Seekers
by Liv Morris and George Heyworth
Soho Theatre and Tim Whitehead, at the Soho Theatre, until 30th April
Review by Gill Martin
If you can raise a raucous laugh over impending nuclear war and the pandemic while simultaneously insulting your audience you are on a winner.
The cult cabaret self-styled super stars Bourgeois (George Heyworth) and Maurice (Liv Morris) are true champions. In a sea of spangly sequins they launch Pleasure Seekers, putting the fun back into what we now realise is our fundamentally pointless existence.
Read more…Penguin with Icing
Alby the Penguin Saves the World
by Helen Eastman
Reading Rep at Reading Rep Theatre until 18th April
Review by Nick Swyft
Alby finds that his Antarctic home is melting and is almost drowned when he gets entangled in a plastic bag. Since this is all to do with the humans making the planet hotter, he makes a decision. He is going to talk to the humans and tell them to stop. Ingeniously, he collects more plastic bags from Una the Upcycler to make a hot air balloon to fly to the human seat of power, Reading. How does he know that Reading is where the humans live? Because amongst Una’s collection of things to upcycle is a Huntley and Palmer biscuit tin, and Alby’s grandfather told him that Huntley and Palmer were based there.
Read more…Yours Truly Madly
Our House! The Madness Musical
by Tim Firth, music and lyrics by Madness
HEOS Musical Theatre at the Judi Dench Playhouse, Ealing until 9th April
Review by Vince Francis
We’re an intrepid bunch, we reviewers. Take Wednesday. Opening night for the HEOS Musical Theatre production of Our House. The rain fell in what my old mate Terry would describe as horizontal stair-rods, greying out the surroundings and driven by a squally wind that devoured umbrellas with contempt. We watched all this through the window of the restaurant where we were enjoying a pre-show risotto artesanale and a glass of decent d’Avolo Nero, tutted quietly and agreed to give it five minutes before we sallied forth.
However, to business. HEOS Musical Theatre is a well-established company in the area, having been around since 1911. Originally called ‘Hanwell and Ealing Operatic Society’, it has, like other similar societies, retained the initials but dropped the overt reference to opera since it tends toward producing stage musicals rather than the more traditional opera or operetta. HEOS MT has earned a number of NODA awards over the years, which gives an indication of its production values.
Our House is a musical featuring the music of the iconic North London band Madness, who were around in the late Seventies through to the Eighties and who also covered a 1971 Labbi Siffre song, It Must Be Love, which is included in the show and should therefore be credited. The book is by Tim Firth, whose catalogue includes Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots, both of which related true stories and captured the essence of the people involved, their relationships and dialogue with absolute authenticity.
Read more…Kids in Bohemian Detail
Poetry Club
by Hannah Lowe
TS Eliot Foundation at the Coronet Theatre, Notting Hill until 5th April
Review by Heather Moulson
As I arrived in Notting Hill, I have to confess that apart from seeing this wonderful poet, I had an ulterior motive to exorcise memories of that former flea pit, The Coronet, a cinema I frequented in the late seventies, a grim setting with unforgettable films like Jubilee. Despite The Coronet now a theatre and beautifully cleaned up, the winding corridor still gave out that claustrophobic aura that a small cinema exuded. It was oddly appealing and something one once took for granted.
In the Coronet bar, where the reading was to take place, there was such gothic splendour and bohemian detail that complimented the fitting intimacy for this occasion. The bar itself operated over a grand piano, which made it worth buying a gin and tonic. A dimly lit ambience embraced the audience who, like me, were eager to see Hannah Lowe, the 2021 Costa Book Award for Poetry winner. Having seen her read previously in 2019 at the Slip Off festival in South London, I looked forward to revisiting her work.
Read more…Anniversary Array of Energy And Colour
Aladdin Jr.
by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin
Dramacube, Hampton Hill Red Cast at Hampton Hill Theatre until 2nd April
Review by Heather Moulson
What a way for Dramacube to celebrate its tenth anniversary! The company’s third show in ten months, Aladdin Jr. is its first production of 2022. Exploring a range of theatres and many talented young performers, aged from seven to fifteen years old, since 2012, the current performers had good cause to celebrate.
Aladdin Jr. is based on Disney’s 1992 Academy-Award-winning film, and the 2014 Broadway and West End hit show.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 