Beautifully Choreographed Chaos
Cluedo
by Sandy Rustin
Kilimanjaro Theatricals at Richmond Theatre until 12th March, then tour continues until 15th July
Review by Eleanor Lewis
An apt response while applauding the bows at the conclusion of Cluedo would probably be, “What just happened?” A reasonable answer would be “I don’t care, whatever it was it was thoroughly entertaining!”
Read more…Austentation
Persuasion
by Jane Austen, adapted by Jeff James, with James Yeatman
Rose Original Productions, in association with Oxford Playhouse, at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until 19th March
Review by Gill Martin
Spoiler alert: if you are expecting crinoline, ringlets and Regency ballrooms when Jane Austen reaches the stage hold onto your bonnets. It’s more bikinis, blonde manes and disco action in this adaptation of Persuasion at Kingston’s Rose Theatre.
The romantic comedy has taken a leap from the 19th Century’s measured society to a riotous reimagining fit for the 21st.
Read more…Quibbles with Nibbles
An Hour and a Half Late
by Gérald Sibleyras with Jean Dell, adapted by Belinda Lang
PW Productions, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Sam Julyan at Richmond Theatre, until 5th March, then on tour until 9th April
Review by Melissa Syversen
If you are looking for a pleasant way to spend an evening without committing to anything running too late into the night, something too serious, or resorting to yet another Netflix series for some light entertainment, An Hour and A Half Late might just be the play for you. And as the title suggests, the runtime of this “sitcom-on-stage” is a pleasant hour and a half straight through, no interval. You can get an evening out but can still also enjoy the simple pleasure of being in bed by a sensible 10pm.
An Hour and a Half Late premiered at Bath Theatre Royal and is originally a French play by Gérald Sibleyras and Jean Dell. For the revival it has been neatly directed and adapted by Belina Lang, who herself played the female lead in 2006.
Catch Me If You Can
Pay the Piper
by Anna Appleby, Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, Cecilia Livingston and Ailie Robertson, libretto by Hazel Gould
Glyndebourne Youth Opera at Glyndebourne Festival Theatre until 27th February
Review by Mark Aspen
“Recollections may vary”. This one year-old phrase of diplomacy is now well established in our collective memory. It is a truism that frames the approach to a retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin folk tale, in Glyndebourne’s bold and innovative new opera, Pay the Piper, premiering in an enthralling production with its Youth Opera. Each of four protagonists, The Piper, The Mayor, A Mother and The Lonely Child Tam, tell us, “I will tell the story … This is what I remember … This is what I know is true…”
Thus we have a multi-faceted view of the narrative that reflects the nature of the musical score, which has four composers working in collaboration. This is highly unusual in any musical genre, and must be unique to opera. To this particular first, Pay the Piper adds two other firsts for Glyndebourne, the use of puppetry and the non-use of the theatre’s stage.
Read more…Blast Furnace
King Lear
by William Shakespeare
The Rhinoceros Theatre Company at the Hampton Hill Theatre until 26th February
Review by Mark Aspen
Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice, Storm Franklin. The week leading up to the opening night of Rhinoceros Theatre Company’s new production of King Lear left most open land in the country as a blasted heath. This tempestuous triumvirate was an appropriate herald to announce the arrival of a remarkably insightful production that captures both the elemental and visceral nature of what is arguably Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy.
Read more…Slightly Foxed
The Cunning Little Vixen
by Leoš Janáček
English National Opera at the London Coliseum until 1st March
Review by Andrew Lawston
Unavoidably delayed due to Storm Eunice, the English National Opera’s new production of Leoš Janàček’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen is a visual riot of fantastical costumes and inventive staging, and of course a feast for the ears. As soon as the ENO Orchestra begins tuning up, the windswept West End outside becomes a distant memory. The Coliseum is the perfect venue for this production, as former musical director Sir Charles Mackerras was credited with introducing Janàček’s music to English audiences.
In this deceptively slight tale, a young vixen is captured by a Forester and raised in a human house. Her upbringing isn’t happy, and she eventually escapes into the woods to start a new life, outwitting humans and other animals alike.
Read more…A Force to Be Reckoned With
La Forza del Destino
by Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Francesco Piave
Regents Opera, St John’s, Fulham until 5th March
Review by Helen Astrid
Verdi’s La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny or the Power of Fate) is the only opera where the composer has titled his work with an idea or concept, but it is a relevant one. It means that in his world individuals make decisions and choices that have repercussions. Bad decisions, even slight transgressions, have to be punished. It’s a moral order that permeated much 19th Century art and literature of the period.
Verdi composed the opera to end an extended hiatus from music; a three-year span during which he wrote no new operas, and actually told friends that he was no longer a composer. The commission that brought him back to the opera house came from the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1869. After considering a number of subjects for a new opera, Verdi chose a Spanish play called La fuerza del sino – The Power of Fate. It was adapted by librettist Francesco Maria Piave, who also worked with Verdi on several other operas, including Macbeth and Rigoletto.
Keeping on Track
Holloway Jones
by Evan Placey
Richmond Shakespeare Society Young Actors’ Company at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham until 20th February
Review by Eleanor Lewis
The life stretching ahead of Holloway Jones (so named because her mother is in prison, father absent) is like the track on which she races her BMX bike: ups, downs hairpin corners and plenty of potential for accidents. Having once been given an old bike by one of her former foster carers, Holloway has become a skilled BMX rider and her coach is training her for the Olympic Academy. Aside from her foster carer (only ever briefly referred to), her best friend Gem and her coach, Holloway is largely adrift in the world, so when controlling boyfriend Avery enters her life the train of events is unsurprising.
Read more…Musically Striking
The Bells of St Mary’s : Preview
The Thames Singers at Hampton Parish Church, Hampton 26th February
Preview by Thomas Forsythe with Jonathan Williams
Music critic Thomas Forsythe discusses the Bells of Hampton Church and the forthcoming A Concert for the Bells with St Mary’s Ringing Master, Jonathan Williams
TF: Campanology is a great word for a pub quiz, but it must be exciting to be part of the skilled ringing band making these giants of the musical world sing out so joyously.
JW: St Mary’s eight bells are a key part of our local heritage and has been ringing for nearly two centuries, so yes, it is an exhilarating experience. They were cast together as a set as the present church was being completely re-built in 1831. Our octet has been a call to worship ever since for Sunday services, for weddings and for special occasions … royal jubilees for example.
TF: Though I hear that you are planning a rehanging of the bells, an extensive piece of work. So will they be back in place to ring for the Queen’s Jubilee?
Read more…Six of the Best
WriteFest22
The 15th Annual WriteFest
Progress Company at Progress Theatre, Reading until 19th February
Review by Nick Swyft
The welcome return of Progress Theatre’s WriteFest, after a break of two years due to the pandemic, consisted of six one-act plays. This gives local writers an opportunity to strut their stuff with full stage production and direction in front of a paying audience. Submissions are open to anyone, but this year all the successful ones came from the Reading Playwrights’ group. The message for everyone else is get writing!
Of course, one cannot expect lavish sets with six completely different plays to produce, and for the most part these weren’t necessary anyway. The one exception may have been The Fisherman and his Wife where the changing situations of the pair might have benefited from a more sophisticated set, and some changes of costume. However it’s hard to see how this could have been achieved. As it was the Progress team did a great job of providing exactly the right atmosphere for all the plays.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 