The Seagull/King Lear - TNT
Director Trevor Nunn isn't letting anyone go home early with either of these RSC productions which arrive in London via Stratford and an international tour. His leisurely but atmospheric production of The Seagull proves, for the most part, to be a straightforward account of Chekhov's 1896 tragi-comedy. It's full of people with too little to do, thwarted in love and in their careers, and always at risk of making their unsatisfactory lives even less fulfilling. On the whole, it's the less showy roles that make the most impact. Though a predominantly shrill Frances Barber is ultimately moving as ageing actress Arkadina (clinging, with a "last chance" desperation to her novelist lover as he falls under the spell of admiring teenage neighbour Nina), newcomer Richard Goulding is every bit as impressive as her aspiring playwright son Konstantin. Jonathan Hyde's commitment-phobe Doctor sings to drown out the pleas of Melanie Jessop's married Polina, and Ben Meyjes is sadly comic as teacher Medvedenko who marries Monica Dolan's despondent, openly alcoholic Masha, even though it's Konstantin who has captured her heart. Meanwhile, William Gaunt's rueful portrayal of ageing, ailing Sorin leaves no doubt that his life has been one long disappointment.
Gaunt shares that role with Ian McKellen who is presumably saving some energy for his thoughtfully poignant performance as the misguided King Lear who splits his kingdom and disowns a daughter. Packed with misplacedfraternal trust, this tragedy unfolds against the backdrop of a crumbling theatre and an insistent soundscape. McKellen convincingly conveys Lear's decline from shaky old age to the bewildered confusion of a senility hastened by the callous behaviour of his older offspring - a sadistic Regan and Frances Barber's icy Goneril . Yet, stripped of finery, status and much of his sanity, he still remains tenderly protective of Sylvester McCoy's loyal, spoon-playing Fool as they shiver together in the storm.
New London, Drury Lane, WC2 (0870-890 0141). Until January 12. £40-£15
Monday 31 December 2007
Cinderella - TNT
Stephen Fry is a clever man and he doesn't hide the fact in this saucy version of the seasonal favourite, which boasts a semi-closeted gay Buttons, an irrelevant lovesick cow with lashes to die for, and Sandi Toksvig as a diminutive gender-bending narrator with a tache. But he's astute enough to provide something for everyone in this innuendo-packed panto. There's Joseph Millson's smooth-skinned Prince Charming getting naked in the shower and a hairy-chested Dolce (plus her equally Ugly Sister Gabbana). There's also singing white mice to keep Madeleine Worrall's girl-next-door Cinderella company as she bemoans her lack of cleaning products, a sprinkling of intentionally duff jokes and some cracking quips, too. A couple of slapstick sequences need tightening but otherwise this is a fun-filled and rather risqué show.
Old Vic, The Cut, SE1 (0870- 060 6628; www.oldvictheatre.com). Until January 20. £10-£40
Stephen Fry is a clever man and he doesn't hide the fact in this saucy version of the seasonal favourite, which boasts a semi-closeted gay Buttons, an irrelevant lovesick cow with lashes to die for, and Sandi Toksvig as a diminutive gender-bending narrator with a tache. But he's astute enough to provide something for everyone in this innuendo-packed panto. There's Joseph Millson's smooth-skinned Prince Charming getting naked in the shower and a hairy-chested Dolce (plus her equally Ugly Sister Gabbana). There's also singing white mice to keep Madeleine Worrall's girl-next-door Cinderella company as she bemoans her lack of cleaning products, a sprinkling of intentionally duff jokes and some cracking quips, too. A couple of slapstick sequences need tightening but otherwise this is a fun-filled and rather risqué show.
Old Vic, The Cut, SE1 (0870- 060 6628; www.oldvictheatre.com). Until January 20. £10-£40
Monday 24 December 2007
The Life & Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Parts I & II - TNT
David Edgar's fast-paced reworking of his 1980 landmark adaptation has a smaller cast (27 playing more than 100 parts) and — even at 6½ hours — a shorter running time. It is still a considerable commitment from actors and audience, but it's one well worth making as the hustle of London, the squalor of the infamous Dotheboys Hall and the quirky Charles Dickens characters come to life. As penniless Devonshire-born Nicholas and his sister Kate try to make their way in the world, the bad (David Yelland as their wealthy Uncle) and the good (the flame-haired Cheeryble brothers), the poor (Richard Bremmer's damaged, knuckle-cracking Newman Noggs) and the rich are all to be found in this epic, which brought the audience to its feet at curtain call.
Gielgud, Shaftesbury Ave, W1 (0870-950 0915). Until January 25. £49.50-£20
David Edgar's fast-paced reworking of his 1980 landmark adaptation has a smaller cast (27 playing more than 100 parts) and — even at 6½ hours — a shorter running time. It is still a considerable commitment from actors and audience, but it's one well worth making as the hustle of London, the squalor of the infamous Dotheboys Hall and the quirky Charles Dickens characters come to life. As penniless Devonshire-born Nicholas and his sister Kate try to make their way in the world, the bad (David Yelland as their wealthy Uncle) and the good (the flame-haired Cheeryble brothers), the poor (Richard Bremmer's damaged, knuckle-cracking Newman Noggs) and the rich are all to be found in this epic, which brought the audience to its feet at curtain call.
Gielgud, Shaftesbury Ave, W1 (0870-950 0915). Until January 25. £49.50-£20
A Christmas Carol/The Magic Flute - TNT
With their infectious enthusiasm and boundless vitality, it's impossible not to be swept away by the joyful atmosphere of these new versions of two old favourites as reinterpreted by South African company Isango/Portobello Under the lively direction of Mark Dornford-May, they take most liberties with Dickens' seasonal staple, turning Scrooge into a successful business woman who has worked her way up from the township (seen in video footage) and isn't prepared to give anything back. Cratchitt toils in her goldmine, and his sickly child is now a daughter, Tiny Thembisa who comes looking for sponsorship for her school. Thrillingly evoking the miners working underground with a vibrant mixture of effective lighting, dance, song and Stomp-like effects, this triumphant production starts on a high note and goes on to ensure that Dickens' message of redemption and Christmas spirit still comes across loud and clear but with a particularly South African resonance.
The Magic Flute isn't quite as inventive or moving but it's just as vivacious. Mozart's operatic score has been attractively rearranged for a mini orchestra of marimbas and half-filled glass bottles played by the cast with broad smiles of pure enjoyment. The xylophonic sounds create a unique lilting rhythm against which Tamino sets out to save Pamino, daughter of the Queen of the Night, from the high priest Sarastro. Masonic rituals are replaced by Xhosa-like rites of passage, but all ends happily in this relocated allegory in which even Zamile Gantana's tubby, weak-willed but rather endearing Papageno finally gets his equally tubby gal.
Young Vic, The Cut, SE1 (020-7922 2922). Until January 19. £21.50-£24.50, under 26s £9.50
With their infectious enthusiasm and boundless vitality, it's impossible not to be swept away by the joyful atmosphere of these new versions of two old favourites as reinterpreted by South African company Isango/Portobello Under the lively direction of Mark Dornford-May, they take most liberties with Dickens' seasonal staple, turning Scrooge into a successful business woman who has worked her way up from the township (seen in video footage) and isn't prepared to give anything back. Cratchitt toils in her goldmine, and his sickly child is now a daughter, Tiny Thembisa who comes looking for sponsorship for her school. Thrillingly evoking the miners working underground with a vibrant mixture of effective lighting, dance, song and Stomp-like effects, this triumphant production starts on a high note and goes on to ensure that Dickens' message of redemption and Christmas spirit still comes across loud and clear but with a particularly South African resonance.
The Magic Flute isn't quite as inventive or moving but it's just as vivacious. Mozart's operatic score has been attractively rearranged for a mini orchestra of marimbas and half-filled glass bottles played by the cast with broad smiles of pure enjoyment. The xylophonic sounds create a unique lilting rhythm against which Tamino sets out to save Pamino, daughter of the Queen of the Night, from the high priest Sarastro. Masonic rituals are replaced by Xhosa-like rites of passage, but all ends happily in this relocated allegory in which even Zamile Gantana's tubby, weak-willed but rather endearing Papageno finally gets his equally tubby gal.
Young Vic, The Cut, SE1 (020-7922 2922). Until January 19. £21.50-£24.50, under 26s £9.50
Monday 17 December 2007
The Family Plays — The Good Family & The Khomenko Family Chronicles - TNT
Everything in the garden is rosy in the first of this short double bill of well-acted, contrasting playlets which brings the Royal Court's International Season to an end. But if you've ever hankered after the perfect family — with no arguments, no problems, and absolute agreement about everything — you might just think again after spending time with Swedish playwright Joakim Pirinen's characters.The closest the teenage kids come to quarrelling is in deciding who's going to do the washing up — because they both really, really want to do it — and you couldn't wish for a more lovey-dovey mum and dad. But harmony can be sickeningly cloying and, although there's a final hint that this mini utopia might be about to change, a life devoid of any friction proves to be not much of a life at all.
But it's definitely preferable to the sort of existence portrayed in the even shorter second piece in which Ukrainian Natalia Vorozhbit paints a very different picture. Nine-year-old Lyosha has lost his hair and is fixed up to a drip, but when his parents come to visit - his mother heavily pregnant, his father boorishly swigging a beer — the bickering barely stops as they recall, with unexpected, poignancy, how their romance first flourished under the shadow of Chernobyl. Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000). Until December 21
Everything in the garden is rosy in the first of this short double bill of well-acted, contrasting playlets which brings the Royal Court's International Season to an end. But if you've ever hankered after the perfect family — with no arguments, no problems, and absolute agreement about everything — you might just think again after spending time with Swedish playwright Joakim Pirinen's characters.The closest the teenage kids come to quarrelling is in deciding who's going to do the washing up — because they both really, really want to do it — and you couldn't wish for a more lovey-dovey mum and dad. But harmony can be sickeningly cloying and, although there's a final hint that this mini utopia might be about to change, a life devoid of any friction proves to be not much of a life at all.
But it's definitely preferable to the sort of existence portrayed in the even shorter second piece in which Ukrainian Natalia Vorozhbit paints a very different picture. Nine-year-old Lyosha has lost his hair and is fixed up to a drip, but when his parents come to visit - his mother heavily pregnant, his father boorishly swigging a beer — the bickering barely stops as they recall, with unexpected, poignancy, how their romance first flourished under the shadow of Chernobyl. Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000). Until December 21
Doubt: A Parable - TNT
John Patrick Shanley's short four-hander was a prize-winning hit on Broadway when it premiered in 2004. But, not for the first time, what wowed in New York fails to strike the same chord when it crosses the Atlantic. Set in a Catholic school in the Bronx in 1964, it takes a cautious peek at the issue of child abuse by men of the cloth. But is young Father Flynn really guilty of seriously overstepping the mark with a 12-year-old boy who just happens to be the only black pupil, or does the strict principal, Sister Aloysius, have nothing but her own unwavering (but unsubstantiated) certainty with which to accuse him?As she encourages the younger, idealistic Sister James to report any evidence which might confirm her suspicions - and even when she confronts the increasingly angry and worried priest — the dialogue seems dry and stilted. Only the unanticipated reaction of the boy's mother (Nikki Amuka-Bird) really surprises. For the rest, this is an uncharacteristically pedestrian production of an unremarkable play.
Tricycle Kilburn High Rd, NW6 (020-7328 1000). Until January 12. £18- £8.50
John Patrick Shanley's short four-hander was a prize-winning hit on Broadway when it premiered in 2004. But, not for the first time, what wowed in New York fails to strike the same chord when it crosses the Atlantic. Set in a Catholic school in the Bronx in 1964, it takes a cautious peek at the issue of child abuse by men of the cloth. But is young Father Flynn really guilty of seriously overstepping the mark with a 12-year-old boy who just happens to be the only black pupil, or does the strict principal, Sister Aloysius, have nothing but her own unwavering (but unsubstantiated) certainty with which to accuse him?As she encourages the younger, idealistic Sister James to report any evidence which might confirm her suspicions - and even when she confronts the increasingly angry and worried priest — the dialogue seems dry and stilted. Only the unanticipated reaction of the boy's mother (Nikki Amuka-Bird) really surprises. For the rest, this is an uncharacteristically pedestrian production of an unremarkable play.
Tricycle Kilburn High Rd, NW6 (020-7328 1000). Until January 12. £18- £8.50
Women Of Troy - TNT
Never one to stick closely to conventional interpretation of classic works, director Katie Mitchell has effectively transposed Euripides' Trojan women from 415 BC to the dimly lit canteen of a '40s dockside warehouse — where they shiver in strappy evening gowns nervously reapplying lipstick as they wait to hear their fate. Helen of Troy (the cause of the war that led to the downfall of their city) moves frantically and seductively back and forth along the office corridor above them, a silent witness to their mounting grief as the clanging of metal shutters heralds yet another outrage in the aftermath of war. The dialogue isn't always clear, but as the women dissolve into eerily elegant dance routines (a memory, perhaps, of former happier times), the effect is visually and emotionally compelling.
Lyttelton at the National, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000). Until February 27. £39.50-£10
Never one to stick closely to conventional interpretation of classic works, director Katie Mitchell has effectively transposed Euripides' Trojan women from 415 BC to the dimly lit canteen of a '40s dockside warehouse — where they shiver in strappy evening gowns nervously reapplying lipstick as they wait to hear their fate. Helen of Troy (the cause of the war that led to the downfall of their city) moves frantically and seductively back and forth along the office corridor above them, a silent witness to their mounting grief as the clanging of metal shutters heralds yet another outrage in the aftermath of war. The dialogue isn't always clear, but as the women dissolve into eerily elegant dance routines (a memory, perhaps, of former happier times), the effect is visually and emotionally compelling.
Lyttelton at the National, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000). Until February 27. £39.50-£10
Tuesday 11 December 2007
Desperately Seeking Susan - TNT
If anyone involved in this musical remake of the cult '80s movie was hoping it would do for them what it did for Madonna, they'll be disappointed. Some of Blondie's songs — especially One Way Or Another — fit neatly into this caper about bored New Jersey housewife Roberta and her entanglement in the life of free-spirited New Yorker Susan. The rest, however, are over-amplified adjuncts that provide an excuse for lacklustre choreography. Emma Williams struts her stuff as a rather un-edgy Susan, and the whole enterprise isn't really bad, it is just bland (but still, a not-very-good musical with decent songs is better than a really rotten play). If you love Debbie Harry listen to a CD and If you're a fan of the film, watch the DVD.
Novello, Aldwych WC2 (0870- 950 0921). Until December 15. £55 -£15
If anyone involved in this musical remake of the cult '80s movie was hoping it would do for them what it did for Madonna, they'll be disappointed. Some of Blondie's songs — especially One Way Or Another — fit neatly into this caper about bored New Jersey housewife Roberta and her entanglement in the life of free-spirited New Yorker Susan. The rest, however, are over-amplified adjuncts that provide an excuse for lacklustre choreography. Emma Williams struts her stuff as a rather un-edgy Susan, and the whole enterprise isn't really bad, it is just bland (but still, a not-very-good musical with decent songs is better than a really rotten play). If you love Debbie Harry listen to a CD and If you're a fan of the film, watch the DVD.
Novello, Aldwych WC2 (0870- 950 0921). Until December 15. £55 -£15
Sunday 9 December 2007
Some Kind Of Bliss - TNT
If only fictional Daily Mail journalist Rachel had hopped on a bus or jumped on a bike, she probably wouldn't have got laid, got mugged or killed a dog on her way to interview Lulu — and she certainly wouldn't have needed to steal an ice-cream van. But if you've left home six hours early to escape from a well-meaning but irritating schoolteacher husband and from an unexpected, unsettling e-mail sent by your ex from student days, what's a girl to do to kill the time but walk along the Thames Path all the way from London Bridge to Greenwich in her unsuitable killer heels? Samuel Adamson's 75-minute one-woman show gives Lucy Briers plenty of scope show off her versatility as she revisits the haunts of a beloved uncle (who succumbed to Aids and whom, as a child, she always wanted to impress) and re-evaluates her comfy but unfulfilling life on the way. And even though Rachel's incident-packed journey through the less familiar streets of London frequently strains credibility, Briers is an engaging performer who adds an extra dimension to this mini voyage of self-discovery.
Trafalgar Studios (2), Whitehall, SW1 (0870-060 6632). Until 15th December. £22.50-£15
If only fictional Daily Mail journalist Rachel had hopped on a bus or jumped on a bike, she probably wouldn't have got laid, got mugged or killed a dog on her way to interview Lulu — and she certainly wouldn't have needed to steal an ice-cream van. But if you've left home six hours early to escape from a well-meaning but irritating schoolteacher husband and from an unexpected, unsettling e-mail sent by your ex from student days, what's a girl to do to kill the time but walk along the Thames Path all the way from London Bridge to Greenwich in her unsuitable killer heels? Samuel Adamson's 75-minute one-woman show gives Lucy Briers plenty of scope show off her versatility as she revisits the haunts of a beloved uncle (who succumbed to Aids and whom, as a child, she always wanted to impress) and re-evaluates her comfy but unfulfilling life on the way. And even though Rachel's incident-packed journey through the less familiar streets of London frequently strains credibility, Briers is an engaging performer who adds an extra dimension to this mini voyage of self-discovery.
Trafalgar Studios (2), Whitehall, SW1 (0870-060 6632). Until 15th December. £22.50-£15
Sunday 2 December 2007
The Arsonists - TNT
Weak-minded appeasement causes a whole load of trouble for a bourgeois businessman when a former wrestler and his partner-in-crime take up residence in the attic. Swiss playwright Max Frisch's 1958 political satire comes to illuminating life in Alistair Beaton's sparky new translation. Will Keen's discomfited Biedermann decides that (rather than denouncing the intruders) the best way to ensure his own safety is to lend a hand measuring the fuse-wire linking the suspiciously full oil drums stored above his perfect, ultra-modern home.Ramin Gray's nifty, well-acted production highlights the dangers of misplaced tolerance — but it also serves as a reminder of how easy it has always been to turn a blind eye and convince yourself that everything will turn out all right.
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000). Until December 15. £25-£10
Weak-minded appeasement causes a whole load of trouble for a bourgeois businessman when a former wrestler and his partner-in-crime take up residence in the attic. Swiss playwright Max Frisch's 1958 political satire comes to illuminating life in Alistair Beaton's sparky new translation. Will Keen's discomfited Biedermann decides that (rather than denouncing the intruders) the best way to ensure his own safety is to lend a hand measuring the fuse-wire linking the suspiciously full oil drums stored above his perfect, ultra-modern home.Ramin Gray's nifty, well-acted production highlights the dangers of misplaced tolerance — but it also serves as a reminder of how easy it has always been to turn a blind eye and convince yourself that everything will turn out all right.
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1 (020-7565 5000). Until December 15. £25-£10
Rent - TNT
Like Hair in the '60s, Jonathan Larson's Aids-era musical has something of an iconic status — not just because of its subject matter but also because the young playwright died suddenly on the eve of its 1996 off-Broadway premiere. The plangent tunes lingered in the memory and his updated version of Puccini's La Boheme, transported to a loft apartment in New York, is still going strong in the US. Unfortunately, for its third London outing, William Blake (Kylie's former creative director) has removed the rough, grungy intensity which gave the work its identity. The resulting "remix" is a totally sanitised affair — from the bare, whitewashed (and here far too upmarket) concrete walls to the once poignant melodies, he's stripped away the heart of the piece. As a result, beyond basic human compassion, it's hard to care what happens to these budding musicians and artists as they face the reality of what was then an almost certain death sentence.Luke Evans's Roger has a great voice (but desperately needs to expand his range of facial expressions) and Francesca Jackson's strong lesbian lawyer steals the limelight from both her bisexual lover (Denise Van Outen) and from former Sugarbabe Siobhan Donaghy's heroin addict Mimi. If you've never heard the original music, you might just salvage something from this weakly plotted story of youthful promise cut short, but if you're listening out for your favourite songs, there's a strong possibility that you won't even recognise them in this amorphous rehash.
Duke of York's, St Martins Lane, WC2 (0870-060 6623). Booking until April 5. £15- £45
Like Hair in the '60s, Jonathan Larson's Aids-era musical has something of an iconic status — not just because of its subject matter but also because the young playwright died suddenly on the eve of its 1996 off-Broadway premiere. The plangent tunes lingered in the memory and his updated version of Puccini's La Boheme, transported to a loft apartment in New York, is still going strong in the US. Unfortunately, for its third London outing, William Blake (Kylie's former creative director) has removed the rough, grungy intensity which gave the work its identity. The resulting "remix" is a totally sanitised affair — from the bare, whitewashed (and here far too upmarket) concrete walls to the once poignant melodies, he's stripped away the heart of the piece. As a result, beyond basic human compassion, it's hard to care what happens to these budding musicians and artists as they face the reality of what was then an almost certain death sentence.Luke Evans's Roger has a great voice (but desperately needs to expand his range of facial expressions) and Francesca Jackson's strong lesbian lawyer steals the limelight from both her bisexual lover (Denise Van Outen) and from former Sugarbabe Siobhan Donaghy's heroin addict Mimi. If you've never heard the original music, you might just salvage something from this weakly plotted story of youthful promise cut short, but if you're listening out for your favourite songs, there's a strong possibility that you won't even recognise them in this amorphous rehash.
Duke of York's, St Martins Lane, WC2 (0870-060 6623). Booking until April 5. £15- £45
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