Rich by Accident
Peggy for You
by Alan Plater
Hampstead Theatre Original at Hampstead Theatre, until 29th January
Review by Heather Moulson
Well, whose head wouldn’t spin from an insight into the iconic Peggy Ramsey’s office?
Not to mention the point of view of an overworked secretary, an aspiring playwright and two weathered writers, whose heads must have been spinning like a top. With this on board, we were already exhausted, but in an invigorating way. Tamsin Greig, a very natural actor, took on this forceful and complex figure who was one of the leading literary agents of the twentieth century.
Read more…Blockbuster Busted
Ben Hur
by Patrick Barlow
Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham until 29th January
Review by Vince Francis
We were invited to the lovely Mary Wallace Theatre on Friday evening to have a look at the Richmond Shakespeare Society production of Ben Hur, which was presented under the guise of the David Veil Theatre Collective as the producers. Intriguing, given that Ben Hur, in my memory, was an epic 1950s movie which held records for budget and cast, while the Mary Wallace is a somewhat more modest venue, “hosting” this company of four. The film itself was based on the 1880 novel by Lewis Wallace, an American Army General.
This is a production in the tradition of chaos comedy, which draws on influences of farce, slapstick, and commedia dell arte, whilst never becoming entrenched in any one of them. Think The 39 Steps, Dick Barton and elements of the Go Wrong series as comparators. Everything about it is presented with comedy in mind and the cast are comfortable and adept at handling the occasional ‘blip’ or slip that goes with such fast-paced, gag-laden material. As with all such scripts, not all the gags and references hit home with all the audience, although the older members with more history to draw, on fare rather better in this respect, but the sheer volume and variety ensures that no-one feels left out.
Read more…Integrity of Emotions
House of Bernarda
by Margaret Lawless after Federico Garcia Lorca
Putney Theatre Company at the Putney Arts Theatre until 29th January
Review by Claire Alexander
I had a personal interest in going to see this production. Several years ago, I was in a production of Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba – as the eldest daughter, Angustias (but more of that later), and I know the play well. I must confess I have always found it a somewhat difficult play to follow, with five daughters vying for the same man’s attention (Johnny) under the jealous and distrustful eye of their mother Bernarda. There always seems to be a tension between making the story really clear and listening to Lorca’s evocative and beautiful writing.
But this version entitled House of Bernarda and adapted by Margaret Lawless for Putney Arts Theatre was inspired and fell into none of those traps. Margaret has chosen to set her play in the American South Midwest as hot, remote, and socially divisive as is the original set in rural Spain. She has kept faith and true to the original text, such that there were many lines and references I recognised, and the same arc of storyline. But she has also found a careful balance between this and adapting to the southern American drawl and American cultural references. Thus the text never jarred and always felt grounded in this setting.
Read more…Smashing It
Teechers
by John Godber
Teddington Theatre Club, Hampton Hill Theatre, until 29th January
Review by Gill Martin
Three young actors. Countless characters. One stage. A theatre in the round.
Teddington Theatre Company smashes it!
Teechers, a comic play by John Godber, could have been the inspiration for Derry Girls and The Inbetweeners. It was first performed in 1987 but scores top marks for resonating with current issues. It seems particularly relevant post-Covid when so many children have had their education severely disrupted, and when the gap between privileged and struggling schools has widened.
This frantic play within a play depicts three pupils, Gail, Hobby and Salty, along with their newly qualified drama teacher Mr Nixon, attempting to navigate a tortured journey through school life, social policy, bureaucracy, teenage crushes and thuggish bullies.
The trio dominate the stage to address the audience directly: ‘All we want you to do is use your imagination, because there’s only three of us and we all have to play different characters … and narrators, so you’ll have to concentrate!’
Read more…Worth All the Tea in China
Aladdin
by Jackie Howting
Edmundians at Cheray Hall, Whitton until 29th January
Review by Celia Bard
So good to see a full auditorium and it is good to see the Edmundians back in action after a two year break due to Covid. Mind you this production was still not free from the viciousness of this nasty little virus, leading to last minute replacements because of forced isolation. However, true to the spirit of panto and the enthusiasm and talent of this drama society, press night performance of Aladdin proceeded smoothly. The audience consisted of people of all ages and did not need much encouragement to participate: “Oh Yes, they were!”
The panto was performed in traditional mode with a much appreciated topical twist. Atypical was the opening scene that opened on a mountain ski resort, a nod, no doubt, to the Beijing Winter Olympics, although I was later informed that the writer had also recently spent some time in Austria, and was able to bring her experience into this production.
Read more…Classy Openings
Red Door Poets II
Red Door Poets, Chelsea, On-Line, 23rd January
Review by Heather Moulson
Knocking and waiting outside that rather smart front door in Chelsea is rather unenviable in January when the temperature is knocking on zero. How much more comfortable to do so from home, where we can wait in spirit, or rather in screen images and voices.
With sixty plus attendees, we were all looked forward to knocking on the Red Door for another hour of poetry with the first presentation of 2022 from this accomplished group of strong prolific poets.
Red Door Poets II opened with musician Chris Hardy from Little Machine (who supports the wonderful Roger McGough) making a slick introduction before the door quite literally opened. And what did we see? We saw a sea of talent.
Read more…Ourselves, or Our Stars?
Dear Brutus
by J. M. Barrie
Questors Theatre at The Studio, Ealing until 29th January
Review by Nick Swyft
‘The fault, dear Brutus, is in ourselves, not in our stars.’ This is the keystone of Dear Brutus, by J.M. Barrie. A group of people have been invited to a country house on midsummer’s eve by the mysterious Lob. In Act One, we learn about the ‘faults in themselves’ and how these have led each to the current state of their lives. Magic as an elemental force doesn’t try to fix things. It shows them how things would have been different if they had chosen an alternative path.
But who is Lob? Is he trying to help or hurt them, or is he merely stirring the pot for his own pleasure? His Butler Jim Matey (Simon Higginson), certainly feels that he is using it to keep him trapped, and advises the others ‘not to go into the wood’. There isn’t a wood within twelve miles of the place, but of course this is a magic wood that only appears on midsummer’s eve. Since nearly all the characters are in some way disappointed with their lives, it is clear that when the wood does appear, following the butler’s advice is the last thing on their minds.
Read more…Bohème Bounces Back
La bohème: Preview
Instant Opera at Normansfield Theatre, Teddington from 28th – 30th January 2022
Preview: Opera critic Thomas Forsythe discusses Instant Opera’s forthcoming production of Puccini’s La bohème with its Artistic Director Nicholas George
TF: Good evening, Nick. I hear there is some exciting news: one of the cast of La Bohème has just become a father (for the first time), a fortnight before opening night.
NG: Good evening, Thomas. Yes, wonderful news and a tonic to the entire cast in these challenging, tough times. Between you and me, I already have the new arrival down as a potential member of the Instant Opera Chorus… If he can sing half as good as his father, we’ll be well served!
TF: That’s marvellous news, and just in time for a double celebration, as Instant Opera’s own “new baby” is due at the end of January, a second generation La bohème, reviving the successful 2019 production. Can we expect a clear family resemblance between the two productions?
NG: Completely. It’s a carbon copy of the original production, which sold out weeks before the opening night back in 2019 and was enthusiastically received. We may add one or two surprises here and there, but what is also exciting is the fabulous cast of new singers that have joined some of the original cast – the audiences are in for a treat!
TF: Instant Opera’s La bohème is set in 1970’s Amsterdam, not as envisioned by Puccini and his librettists, set in Paris in 1830. Why the change of location? Will the atmosphere be different?
Lyricism by Lamplight
Raymonda
by Tamara Rojo after Marius Petipa, music by Alexander Glazunov
English National Ballet at the London Coliseum until 23rd January,
World Premiere production.
Review by Mark Aspen
The Crimean War in the mid-1850s is now best known for the charge of the Light Brigade. By why should it be known for an act of heroism that proved futile? Probably because this war first saw both honest open reporting and the advent of war photography, with the appointment of Roger Fenton as the first official war photographer.
Fenton’s photographs are one of many inspirations for Tamara Rojo’s new honest and open choreography for Raymonda and the setting for its sublime World Premiere production. Indeed designer Antony McDonald’s set is a series of tilted photo frames and the colour palette variations on the sepia of early photographs, muted and richly mellow. All is atmospherically enhanced by Mark Henderson’s lighting designs. Moreover, we have an on-stage photographer of the period (Giorgio Garrett) who re-dances the last move as his shutter clicks. This works surprisingly well, since, as with all ballets, there are episodes and set-pieces, and these shout to be captured on photographic plates. Somehow this makes the narrative more immediate, real and impelling.
Read more…Subliminal Messages?
Dark Sublime
by Michael Dennis
Progress Company at Progress Theatre, Reading until 22nd January
Review by Nick Swyft
How many young gay men would take the trouble to track down Jacqueline Pearce, who played Servalan in the 80’s science fiction series Blakes 7? Actually, probably quite a lot, and if you are one of those, this play is definitely for you. Read Dark Sublime for Blakes 7, and you’re there.
It is about the relationship of one such fan with his idol. The actor in question, in the world of the play, is Marianne Hogg (Melanie Sherwood) who played the evil Ragana in the series Dark Sublime. It is, however, more about Marianne and her issues, than it is about the fan, Oli (Dean Stephenson). Marianne lives with a female companion, Kate (Ali Carroll), and their unstable relationship provides a brooding backdrop to the action, which Oli inadvertently draws out.
Read more…
Mark Aspen 