In Celebration - TNT
Although it's Orlando Bloom's name that'll pull in the punters (and his performance is perfectly acceptable) it's Paul Hilton who deserves star billing. He plays the oldest of three surviving brothers who have escaped a life down the pit to pursue white-collar careers. Unfortunately, this social mobility hasn't proved quite the glittering prize they'd anticipated. For one night, they return to their Yorkshire roots to celebrate their parents' 40th wedding anniversary — an occasion which gives Hilton's Andrew (a disillusioned lawyer turned artist) the chance to rake up old resentments and hushed-up skeletons. David Storey's 1969 working class drama burns slowly (often too slowly), but has a strong (if dated) social awareness, a finely detailed period feel, and a clutch of convincing performances.
Duke of York's, St Martin's Ln, WC2, 0870-060 6623. Until September 15. £57.40-£25.50
Sunday, 29 July 2007
The car man - TNT
Bizet's popular 1875 opera, the story which inspired the steamy film The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Matthew Bourne's energetic choreography combine to form a heady mix of fatal passion in New Adventures' revival of their popular 2000 dance drama. With its vibrantly provocative sequences and catchy, familiar music the result is guaranteed to appeal to a modern audience. The original Carmen score has been rearranged to suit the Stateside relocation, and (instead of a fickle Spanish toreador and his jealous gypsy girl lover) Bourne gives us itinerant drifter Luca and instantly attracted Lana, the frustrated wife of the slobbish owner of Dino's Diner and Garage who takes him on as a handyman - totally unaware that it's not just the broken-down cars this hunk intends to service. Bourne adds his signature gay slant — Luca swings both ways — and the consequences are tragic. Catch it before it goes on tour.
Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Avenue, EC1, 0844-412 4300. £10-£48. Until August 5
Louise Kingsley
Bizet's popular 1875 opera, the story which inspired the steamy film The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Matthew Bourne's energetic choreography combine to form a heady mix of fatal passion in New Adventures' revival of their popular 2000 dance drama. With its vibrantly provocative sequences and catchy, familiar music the result is guaranteed to appeal to a modern audience. The original Carmen score has been rearranged to suit the Stateside relocation, and (instead of a fickle Spanish toreador and his jealous gypsy girl lover) Bourne gives us itinerant drifter Luca and instantly attracted Lana, the frustrated wife of the slobbish owner of Dino's Diner and Garage who takes him on as a handyman - totally unaware that it's not just the broken-down cars this hunk intends to service. Bourne adds his signature gay slant — Luca swings both ways — and the consequences are tragic. Catch it before it goes on tour.
Sadler's Wells, Rosebery Avenue, EC1, 0844-412 4300. £10-£48. Until August 5
Louise Kingsley
Monday, 23 July 2007
The Last Confession - TNT
Set in the Vatican in 1978, New York lawyer Roger Crane's first play takes an intelligent and provocative (though sometimes heavy-handed) look at how Luciani, Cardinal of Venice, became Pope John Paul I, only to be found dead 33 days later. Crane focuses on Cardinal Benelli, the man instrumental in securing Luciani's elevation to the head of the church. David Suchet plays him with a troubled gravitas as he wrestles with his own doubts and demons. The behind-the-scenes machinations as the old Pope approaches death reveal the conflict of ideologies and interests at the highest level, but it is only after the papal elections (when Richard O'Callaghan's benign but determined new broom begins to tackle the problems he has inherited) that this drama-cum-thriller really comes to life.
Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, SW, 0870-400 0626. Until September 15. £18.80-62.50
Set in the Vatican in 1978, New York lawyer Roger Crane's first play takes an intelligent and provocative (though sometimes heavy-handed) look at how Luciani, Cardinal of Venice, became Pope John Paul I, only to be found dead 33 days later. Crane focuses on Cardinal Benelli, the man instrumental in securing Luciani's elevation to the head of the church. David Suchet plays him with a troubled gravitas as he wrestles with his own doubts and demons. The behind-the-scenes machinations as the old Pope approaches death reveal the conflict of ideologies and interests at the highest level, but it is only after the papal elections (when Richard O'Callaghan's benign but determined new broom begins to tackle the problems he has inherited) that this drama-cum-thriller really comes to life.
Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, SW, 0870-400 0626. Until September 15. £18.80-62.50
Marc Salem's Mind Games Extra - TNT
There's no point trying to lie to this tubby, balding New York psychologist in a suit- he'll catch you out just about every time. I've seen him on a handful of occasions, and although he explains that all he's doing is reading non-verbal signals, I'm still completely baffled by how he manages to fathom the digits on an Oyster card randomly selected from a member of the audience — not easy when you've got 50p pieces taped over your lids which are then covered with an opaque blindfold. He's pretty nifty with figures, stops and starts his pulse at will, sprinkles his avuncular patter with corny jokes, can figure out where you've been on holiday and even what you ate — and is guaranteed to leave your mind well and truly boggled.
Tricycle, Kilburn High Rd, NW6, 020-7328 1000. Until July 29
Louise Kingsley
There's no point trying to lie to this tubby, balding New York psychologist in a suit- he'll catch you out just about every time. I've seen him on a handful of occasions, and although he explains that all he's doing is reading non-verbal signals, I'm still completely baffled by how he manages to fathom the digits on an Oyster card randomly selected from a member of the audience — not easy when you've got 50p pieces taped over your lids which are then covered with an opaque blindfold. He's pretty nifty with figures, stops and starts his pulse at will, sprinkles his avuncular patter with corny jokes, can figure out where you've been on holiday and even what you ate — and is guaranteed to leave your mind well and truly boggled.
Tricycle, Kilburn High Rd, NW6, 020-7328 1000. Until July 29
Louise Kingsley
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Glass Eels - TNT
As in her previous award-winning play at this address, Nell Leyshon brings a brooding portrayal of rural Somerset to Hampstead. She paints a claustrophobic world of limited opportunity where children automatically take over where their parents left off, and which is ruled by the forces of nature. Her style is deeply symbolic, almost poetic, more intent on creating a mood than a story — and Mike Britton's evocative design echoes this perfectly with its splintering glassy ceiling tilted to reflect the encroaching water on the stage below. If you're looking for dramatic storylines or big laughs, you won't find them here. But in its well-acted portrayal of a teenage daughter's sexual awakening in the stifling summer heat as she, her widowed father and demanding grandfather come to terms with the watery death of a woman too young to die, Lucy Bailey's 90-minute production catches you up in its oppressive atmosphere and offers at least some hope for a brighter future for them all.
Hampstead, Eton Ave, NW3, 020-7722 9301. Until July 21
LOUISE KINGSLEY
As in her previous award-winning play at this address, Nell Leyshon brings a brooding portrayal of rural Somerset to Hampstead. She paints a claustrophobic world of limited opportunity where children automatically take over where their parents left off, and which is ruled by the forces of nature. Her style is deeply symbolic, almost poetic, more intent on creating a mood than a story — and Mike Britton's evocative design echoes this perfectly with its splintering glassy ceiling tilted to reflect the encroaching water on the stage below. If you're looking for dramatic storylines or big laughs, you won't find them here. But in its well-acted portrayal of a teenage daughter's sexual awakening in the stifling summer heat as she, her widowed father and demanding grandfather come to terms with the watery death of a woman too young to die, Lucy Bailey's 90-minute production catches you up in its oppressive atmosphere and offers at least some hope for a brighter future for them all.
Hampstead, Eton Ave, NW3, 020-7722 9301. Until July 21
LOUISE KINGSLEY
Gaslight - TNT
Written in 1938, Patrick Hamilton's psychological thriller is set firmly in the Victorian era when women of a certain class stayed home to take charge of the servants and didn't ask where their menfolk were going at night. Though very watchable, Peter Gill's revival lacks real menace as Andrew Woodall's sadistic Manningham accuses his wife of going mad and humiliates her in front of their insubordinate maid. Rosamund Pike's Bella has the fragile air of a woman born to be subjugated, and Kenneth Cranham's retired Detective Rough is an avuncular old codger with a twinkle in his eye and whisky in his pocket. Although structurally creaky, this oppressive melodrama exerts period fascination as the secrets of an unsolved murder, missing jewels and ominously flickering lamplight are revealed.
Old Vic, The Cut, SE1, 0870-060 6628. Until August 18. £17.50-£50
Monday, 9 July 2007
The Lord of the Rings - TNT
It cost £12.5 million to bring JRR Tolkien's epic trilogy about hairy-toed Hobbits to the London stage. So, luckily, it's unlikely to be music, story or performances that will attract the crowds. With a handful of exceptions, the acting is unimpressive, and narrative plays second fiddle to anticipation of the next special effect. Laura Michelle Kelly sheds her Mary Poppins image to deliver Galadriel's eerie high notes, Malcolm Storry's dignified Gandalf is buffeted by a wind machine and Michael Therriault's Gollum writhes in agonies of torment. Yet, the most memorable moments aren't provided by the expensive revolve but by the shadowy figures of the Black Riders, by Shelob (the giant spider) spreading its tentacles, and by the Orcs executing thrilling back-flips in what is, as my companion observed, ultimately a "silly but spectacular" show.
Theatre Royal Drury Ln, Catherine St, WC2, 0870-890 6002. Until March 28. £30.30-£66
It cost £12.5 million to bring JRR Tolkien's epic trilogy about hairy-toed Hobbits to the London stage. So, luckily, it's unlikely to be music, story or performances that will attract the crowds. With a handful of exceptions, the acting is unimpressive, and narrative plays second fiddle to anticipation of the next special effect. Laura Michelle Kelly sheds her Mary Poppins image to deliver Galadriel's eerie high notes, Malcolm Storry's dignified Gandalf is buffeted by a wind machine and Michael Therriault's Gollum writhes in agonies of torment. Yet, the most memorable moments aren't provided by the expensive revolve but by the shadowy figures of the Black Riders, by Shelob (the giant spider) spreading its tentacles, and by the Orcs executing thrilling back-flips in what is, as my companion observed, ultimately a "silly but spectacular" show.
Theatre Royal Drury Ln, Catherine St, WC2, 0870-890 6002. Until March 28. £30.30-£66
Angels in America - TNT
Having only intended to review Millennium Approaches (Part I of Tony Kushner's 7 hour Gay Fantasia On National Themes) I found myself so caught up in the troubled, overlapping lives — of guilt-ridden Jewish Louis and Prior, the terminally ill lover he deserts when he succumbs to A.I.D.S., and of Mormon Joe (a repressed homosexual) and his Valium-popping wife Harper — that I cancelled my evening plans and stayed to the end of Part II, Perestroika. Premiered in the early '90s, together they form an escapist phantasmagoria and a critique of America during the Reagan years - a time when, as Greg Hick's corrupt, real-life McCarthyite lawyer states (whilst flagrantly denying his own sexual proclivities) gays had "zero clout". Daniel Kramer's production isn't a total success and the less focussed Perestroika, in particular, suffers from several longueurs. But, overall, Kushner's imaginatively ambitious scope and witty one-liners (especially from Obi Abili's outrageously camp nurse-cum-drag queen Belize) make this revival well worthwhile.
Lyric Hammersmith, King St, W6, 08700-500 511. Until July 22
Having only intended to review Millennium Approaches (Part I of Tony Kushner's 7 hour Gay Fantasia On National Themes) I found myself so caught up in the troubled, overlapping lives — of guilt-ridden Jewish Louis and Prior, the terminally ill lover he deserts when he succumbs to A.I.D.S., and of Mormon Joe (a repressed homosexual) and his Valium-popping wife Harper — that I cancelled my evening plans and stayed to the end of Part II, Perestroika. Premiered in the early '90s, together they form an escapist phantasmagoria and a critique of America during the Reagan years - a time when, as Greg Hick's corrupt, real-life McCarthyite lawyer states (whilst flagrantly denying his own sexual proclivities) gays had "zero clout". Daniel Kramer's production isn't a total success and the less focussed Perestroika, in particular, suffers from several longueurs. But, overall, Kushner's imaginatively ambitious scope and witty one-liners (especially from Obi Abili's outrageously camp nurse-cum-drag queen Belize) make this revival well worthwhile.
Lyric Hammersmith, King St, W6, 08700-500 511. Until July 22
Kismet - TNT
Salman Rushdie receives a knighthood, and English National Opera revive a '50s musical Broadway hit set in Baghdad in which the lead almost gets his hand lopped off by a Bin Laden look-alike — what timing! And it's not even as though this panto-like production carries it off. The choreography is poorly executed (sorry!), the story line risible (how could so many cooks come up with such thin broth?) and, despite some strong singing and lush Borodin-inspired melodies, the whole enterprise limps slowly along without much life or humour. The romantic leads sing endearingly (but win no acting awards) and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" and "Stranger in Paradise" have an enduring, lilting familiarity (when they're not fighting the orchestra). But this uninspired tale about a wily penniless poet (a cheery Michael Ball) who is repeatedly mistaken for someone else, and the lovesick prince in disguise who falls for his daughter, needs a drastic overhaul before it sees the light of day again.
English National Opera at the London Coliseum, St Martin's Ln, WC2, 0870-145 0200. Until July 14
Salman Rushdie receives a knighthood, and English National Opera revive a '50s musical Broadway hit set in Baghdad in which the lead almost gets his hand lopped off by a Bin Laden look-alike — what timing! And it's not even as though this panto-like production carries it off. The choreography is poorly executed (sorry!), the story line risible (how could so many cooks come up with such thin broth?) and, despite some strong singing and lush Borodin-inspired melodies, the whole enterprise limps slowly along without much life or humour. The romantic leads sing endearingly (but win no acting awards) and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" and "Stranger in Paradise" have an enduring, lilting familiarity (when they're not fighting the orchestra). But this uninspired tale about a wily penniless poet (a cheery Michael Ball) who is repeatedly mistaken for someone else, and the lovesick prince in disguise who falls for his daughter, needs a drastic overhaul before it sees the light of day again.
English National Opera at the London Coliseum, St Martin's Ln, WC2, 0870-145 0200. Until July 14
Monday, 2 July 2007
The Pain and the Itch - TNT
Everything may seem perfect in Clay and career-woman Kelly's spacious minimalist home, but beneath the pristine surface lurk a lot of nasties — including a mysterious, avocado-nibbling intruder and the embarrassing genital rash which is plaguing their four year old daughter. She's the reason Matthew Macfadyen's househusband Clay has asked his cynical plastic surgeon brother (with his outrageously non-PC eastern European girlfriend in tow) to join them and their forgetfully dotty mother (excellent Amanda Boxer) for Thanksgiving. They despise each other, but he wants a private prescription to keep the embarrassing problem under wraps. But there's more moral hypocrisy than physical degeneration waiting to be exposed in this all-American household in which superficial liberal values have been smoothly applied like a mere topcoat, glossing over the bigotry beneath. Bruce Norris' intricately structured social satire scratches away the veneer of pretence with a sharp wit and ruthless honesty and Dominic Cooke's exceptionally well-acted production is slick, funny and irresistibly entertaining — in a very uncomfortable way.
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Sq, SW1, 020-7565 5000. Until August 4
LOUISE KINGSLEY
Everything may seem perfect in Clay and career-woman Kelly's spacious minimalist home, but beneath the pristine surface lurk a lot of nasties — including a mysterious, avocado-nibbling intruder and the embarrassing genital rash which is plaguing their four year old daughter. She's the reason Matthew Macfadyen's househusband Clay has asked his cynical plastic surgeon brother (with his outrageously non-PC eastern European girlfriend in tow) to join them and their forgetfully dotty mother (excellent Amanda Boxer) for Thanksgiving. They despise each other, but he wants a private prescription to keep the embarrassing problem under wraps. But there's more moral hypocrisy than physical degeneration waiting to be exposed in this all-American household in which superficial liberal values have been smoothly applied like a mere topcoat, glossing over the bigotry beneath. Bruce Norris' intricately structured social satire scratches away the veneer of pretence with a sharp wit and ruthless honesty and Dominic Cooke's exceptionally well-acted production is slick, funny and irresistibly entertaining — in a very uncomfortable way.
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Sq, SW1, 020-7565 5000. Until August 4
LOUISE KINGSLEY
The Drowsy Chaperone - TNT
If you're a sucker for the saccharine-sweet musicals of the '20s, there's a chance you'll enjoy this frothy spoof, which brings big production numbers into the basement flat of a nerdy Man in a Chair (played with ingratiating charm by co-author Bob Martin). When he puts on an LP of his favourite (fictional) show, it comes to life. It probably went down a storm when it surfaced in Toronto in 1998, but as a full-scale, full-price West End show it lacks variety. Summer Strallen's bride-to-be has amazingly high-kicking legs and Elaine Paige's fans will doubtless welcome her self-mocking, over-the-top appearance as the tipsy Chaperone. But there's something tedious about the obvious effort involved. Pastiche or not, this is one musical comedy that had me struggling to stay awake.
Novello, Aldwych, WC2, 0870-950 0935. Until February 23. £20-£55
If you're a sucker for the saccharine-sweet musicals of the '20s, there's a chance you'll enjoy this frothy spoof, which brings big production numbers into the basement flat of a nerdy Man in a Chair (played with ingratiating charm by co-author Bob Martin). When he puts on an LP of his favourite (fictional) show, it comes to life. It probably went down a storm when it surfaced in Toronto in 1998, but as a full-scale, full-price West End show it lacks variety. Summer Strallen's bride-to-be has amazingly high-kicking legs and Elaine Paige's fans will doubtless welcome her self-mocking, over-the-top appearance as the tipsy Chaperone. But there's something tedious about the obvious effort involved. Pastiche or not, this is one musical comedy that had me struggling to stay awake.
Novello, Aldwych, WC2, 0870-950 0935. Until February 23. £20-£55
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