Louise's Theatre Reviews: August 2009

Saturday, 22 August 2009

Pornography **** TNT

Friday 21 August 2009 14:50 GMT

As a suicide bomber prepares to blow up tubes and buses in central London and news of the winning Olympic bid filters through the capital, playwright Simon Stephens imagines in parallel fragments the lives of a random selection of other Londoners from teenager to elderly widow.

Eight characters - sometimes solo, sometimes interacting in pairs - paint a varied picture of cosmopolitan life and occasionally, for the briefest moment, their stories overlap. But for the most part they’re wrapped up in their own day to day concerns – sometimes mundane, sometimes more startling.

Sheila Reid’s sprightly defiant academic reveals an unexpected taste for porn; a young man (a full frontal Sam Spruell) and his sister (Kirsty Bushell) embark on a brief, incestuous affair; an office worker (Frances Ashman) rebels; a graduate visits the lecturer (Sam Graham) she once had a crush on, and, dressed in his school uniform, the fantasies of a schoolboy (Billy Seymour) grow increasingly unsettling.

Meanwhile Anthony Welsh’s bomber packs his bag and travels ever closer to his target.

A programme note states that the play can be performed in any order and by any number of actors, and although the strands occasionally defy linear logic, director Sean Holmes seems to have got it just right, creating a kaleidoscope of loneliness and alienation on a bleak underground set of trailing overhead wires and flickering lights.

Tricycle, Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JR (020 7328 1000) to 29th August (£10 - £20.00)

Hello Dolly **** TNT

Friday 21 August 2009 14:50 GMT

She may not have Barbra Streisand’s voice, but Samantha Spiro makes a delightful Dolly Levi, the cheerful, meddlesome, marriage-broking widow who’s ready to make a new life for herself as well as for others in Jerry Herman’s 1964 Broadway hit.

Lavishly costumed and with a scene-stealing chorus of tap-dancing waiters, the Open Air’s annual musical has lashings of charm, energy and “feel-good” fun. Akiya Henry’s pert maid and Daniel Crossley’s limber chief clerk add extra zest to the proceedings, while Allan Corduner is suitably grouchy as his employer and Dolly’s unwitting intended.

Add Stephen Mear’s inventive choreography and here’s a show that makes even the vagaries of a British summer well worth risking.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, NW1 4NR Baker Street (0844 826 4242). Until Sep 12. £20-£50.

State Fair *** TNT

Friday 21 August 2009 14:42 GMT

Somehow, director Thom Southerland and choreographer Sally Brooks have just about managed to fit seven pairs of singing and dancing actors onto the miniscule Finborough stage in this lively (if rather cramped) European premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1996 Broadway show which first came to musical life as a 1945 film.

The plot is as corny as they come as the Frake family set off for a long weekend of innocent country fun and competitiveness at the annual Iowa state fair. Ma and Pa are out to win prizes with, respectively, her preserves and his pig. Meanwhile son Wayne and daughter Margy, having left their sweethearts behind (one reluctantly, the other with some relief) find that the fair has a lot more to offer than just livestock and pickles and it’s not long before romance is in the air.

The objects of their affections (cynical cabaret singer Emily and womanising reporter Pat) still need to relax into their roles, but Sion Lloyd makes a likeably gullible Wayne and Laura Main’s Margy combines sweetness and spark. Like their dad (a confident Philip Rham) both these younger Frakes easily hold a tune.

It’s all quite pleasing in a harmlessly old-fashioned way, with a sprinkling of familiar and catchy songs to take your mind off the theatre’s rising temperature on a hot summer evening. And although, ultimately, it suggests that the grass is only sometimes greener on the other side of the fence, everything turns out for the best with even Pa Abel’s boar finding porcine happiness before the holiday outing is over.

Finborough, Finborough Road, SW10 9ED. Earl’s Court Tube (0844 847 1652) to 29th August (£9 - £13)

Saturday, 15 August 2009

Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall **** TNT

Saturday 15 August 2009 11:32 GMT

Even though I’ve never found Spike Milligan’s humour particularly appealing, I’ve got nothing but praise for this co-production with Bristol Old Vic.

Ben Power and Tim Carroll have plundered the famous comedian’s war memoirs to put together an off-the-wall review style show following the young Milligan’s progress from raw recruit to stuttering casualty of the Second World War, linking the sketches with jazz interludes and slick renditions of songs of the period.

Milligan (who co-created The Goon Show and was himself an accomplished musician) had a zany, anarchic wit and an idiosyncratic logic – used here to highlight the ludicrous aspects of wartime as well as to point up the tragedy of losing so many young lives and physically damaging so many more.

Hitler makes frequent appearances as a life-size cardboard cut-out and the manic pace rarely lets up as the Royal Artillery is posted to Italy and North Africa and gunner (later lance corporal) Milligan suffers from shellshock and is plagued by piles.

Under Carroll’s slick direction of this mock ENSA concert party, the cast of five is uniformly excellent, exhibiting not only perfect comic timing but also singing in surprisingly sweet harmony – not to mention playing a cornucopia of instruments between them in this unexpected treat.

Hampstead, Eton Avenue, NW3 3EU (020 7722 9301) until 22nd August (£15-£25)

Naked Boys Singing *** TNT

Saturday 15 August 2009 11:35 GMT

Yes they strip to the buff, yes they sing – and they dance too – but if you’re looking for titillation, this isn’t the show for you.

If it’s just gratuitous nudity you’re after, however, well that‘s what this show spends its 65 minutes working towards – and that, finally, is exactly what you get – all bits bobbing, but definitely not in time to the music. These boys are going for laughs, and to a certain extent they get them.

A long-running success off-Broadway, the show has been reworked for a British audience, with the guys progressively losing layers as they audition for a naked production. Some of the 16 numbers hit home – including an amusing ode to circumcision - but most could be considerably sharper.

Still, the cast performs with such gusto that, whatever your sex or sexual persuasion, the silliness of it all (from a knowingly coy naked maid to the short, sweaty but surprisingly agile chap forcing himself to pump iron at the gym so he can ogle the other blokes getting their kit off) will probably just about win you over .

Arts Theatre, Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB (0845 017 5584) seetickets.com Leicester Square Tube until 22 Aug (£17.50, joint ticket with F**king Men £30)

The Mountaintop **** TNT

Friday 14 August 2009 14:51 GMT

Civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King met his end on the balcony of a Memphis motel in 1968. US playwright Katori Hall’s short two-hander imagines his last night, putting an original (if rather whimsical) spin on how he might have passed the hours after his ‘Mountaintop’ speech.

She portrays him as an icon with holes in his socks and (rather smelly) marching feet of clay, susceptible to the attractions of a pretty woman, and yet fiercely idealistic.

Close your eyes, and, in a powerful, magnetic performance, David Harewood becomes the man himself. He’s more than matched by Lorraine Burroughs’ Camae, the sexy, chambermaid who offers coffee, cigarettes, flirtation and the passage to another world.

Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall, SW1A 2DY Charing Cross. (0844 871 7632, ambassadortickets.com) Until Sep 5. £20-£39.50

Saturday, 8 August 2009

Shall We Dance *** TNT

Friday 07 August 2009 15:36 GMT

Once a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet and later a sexy Swan in the groundbreaking all male Swan Lake in the 90’s, Adam Cooper is showing no sign of slowing down now that his 40th birthday is only a couple of years away. Not only has he choreographed and directed his latest venture, but he’s also on stage almost throughout.

A tribute to the music of Richard Rodgers, it’s a wordless mix of tap, jazz and classical dance which follows The Guy (Cooper) as he crosses continents in search of his ideal woman before realising that the Right Girl was back home all along. In loosely linked scenes this man on a mission encounters, among others, Swing Girl in the swanky nightclub where he works, waltzing European Girl, peasant Russian Girl and elegant Eastern Girl (with Chinese dragon puppet in tow). The fact that they are all already spoken for deters him not one bit - until he’s off to the next country and another conquest.

But it isn’t till after the interval that Cooper shows what he’s really capable of. The dancers let rip with an exhilarating, toe-tapping, Wild West hoe-down to music from Oklahoma. Then (weirdly rolled round the stage in a barrel to meet his partner for a final fatal duet) he dances movingly with his real life wife Sarah Wildor (another former Royal Ballet star) in the evocative Slaughter on Tenth Avenue from On Your Toes.

With music from Carousel, Flower Drum Song, Pal Joey and The King and I, it’s all quite pleasant to watch – though, strangely, stripped of their lyrics, only a few of the melodies sound familiar. One might have hoped for a touch more originality, but thanks to the stronger second half, it easily passes muster as a summer dance treat – and there isn’t a tutu in sight.

Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN (0844 412 4300) Until Aug 30 (£10-50)

Forbidden Broadway **** TNT

Friday 07 August 2009 15:31 GMT

In the last few years this intimate theatre has done an excellent job of reviving musicals and can boast an impressive handful of West End transfers to boost their coffers. With the confidence of past success (and a tried and tested cast, most of whom have appeared at this address before) its latest venture takes a mocking look at these and other major musicals of the last few decades.

First conceived in 1982 by American Gerard Alessandrini as a showcase for his own talents as a lyricist, these spoof versions of familiar songs have been regularly updated during its incredibly long New York lifetime. He’s kept the tunes but ditched the words, and, for the current London version, even The King and I’s recent brief outing at the cavernous Royal Albert Hall gets a look in, as does the short-lived Spring Awakening.

Some numbers bite more than others (the short Avenue Q lampoon absolutely nails it) and, at times, there’s a definite lack of subtlety. But with countless quick fire costume changes and infectious gusto, the talented cast keep the pace fast and effective as the characters from the everlasting Les Mis are caught up on a perpetual revolve and impresario Cameron Mackintosh’s fondness for lucrative merchandising is mercilessly mocked.

It wouldn’t do any harm to scrap a few of the older numbers, but if you know your shows, it’s great fun from start to finish. If Mary Poppins and Cats are all you’re familiar with, though, you may not get the full incongruity of a sluttish 30 year old Annie drawing on a fag and complaining that she hasn’t worked for 20 years, and you might find yourself struggling a bit with the subtleties of a clever parody of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George.

But you’ll get a taste of some of the catchy melodies you’ve been missing, and, if you’ve seen them all before, these tantalising reminders might well make you want to see the best of them all over again. Either way, you can’t really lose.

Menier Chocolate Factory , 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU ( 020 7907 7060) Until 13th September (£15-£25 & Meal Deals available)

CARRIE’S WAR *** (unedited version)

Nina Bawden’s children’s book has never been out of print since its publication in 1973. Emma Reeves’ straightforward adaptation retains a child’s eye view as former evacuee Carrie recalls the Second World War years she and her younger brother spent in a Welsh mining village whilst the bombs fell on London.

Billeted with bullying Mr Evans and kindly Lou, the youngsters find more congenial company at Druid’s Bottom, home to their hosts’ wealthy estranged sister, her housekeeper cum witch Hepzibah, and disabled Mr Johnny who becomes a much loved friend as they experience a completely different way of life.

Told with humour and affection – though a noticeable lack of theatrical imagination - it’s “one for all the family,” a tale of growing up and learning lessons which stay with you forever.

Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ (Piccadilly Circus tube) (08444124658) www.carrieswar.com (£10- £39) until 12^th September

Carrie’s War *** TNT

Friday 07 August 2009 15:27 GMT

Nina Bawden’s children’s book about World War II evacuees has not been out of print since its publication in 1973.

The straightforward stage adaptation by Emma Reeves retains a child’s-eye view as, now grown up, former evacuee Carrie recalls the years she and her younger brother spent in a Welsh mining village while the bombs fell on London.

Told with humour and affection – though lacking in theatrical imagination – it’s a tale about growing up and learning lessons.

Apollo, Shaftesbury Ave, W1D 7EZ (0844 412 4658; carrieswar.com). Until Sep 12. £10-£39

Tuesday, 4 August 2009

Jerusalem **** TNT

Tuesday 04 August 2009 10:32 GMT

The opening moments of Jez Butterworth’s arresting new state-of-the-nation comedy shift in an instant - from whimsical innocence to late night rave to the cold light of day and an eviction order.

Set in a leafy Wiltshire woodland clearing where ageing biker Johnny “Rooster” Byron has parked his mobile home in long-term defiance of the council and the new housing development just yards away, it shows the older generation as lost as the aimless – sometimes underage - youngsters who congregate to drink, take drugs and escape a bland, boring existence.

It’s St George’s day and the 15 year old Queen of the May has, yet again, gone missing in her angel outfit, Tom Brooke’s spaced-out Lee has a ticket to Australia - but there’s no guarantee he’ll even make it to the airport, Rooster’s sidekick Ginger, (Mackenzie Crook from The Office) still behaves like an overgrown schoolboy with fantasies of being a DJ, and Danny Kirrane’s Davey kills cows at the abattoir during the week then gets completely off his face come Friday night.

At just over three hours long, the script could be tighter in places, but Butterworth’s dialogue fizzes with comic originality and is clear-eyed about the flaws and failures in both traditional and current aspects of rural life. And in “Rooster” Byron he has created a formidable mix of drug-dealing Pied Piper, yarn-spinning Falstaff and charismatically eccentric has-been who knows the game is almost up.

Mark Rylance rises magnificently to the challenge – swaggering, tattooed and downing a pint-sized cocktail of vodka, milk, raw egg and speed to get him through the day, he gives a bravura performance tinged with a hint of melancholy and the suggestion of encroaching frailty.

Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS Sloane Square tube (020 7565 5000) until 15th August (£10-£25)

Dreams of Violence *** TNT

Tuesday 04 August 2009 10:30 GMT

It’s all getting too much for near-menopausal Hildy. She’s chucked her philandering husband out of the house – but her once-famous and now alcoholic mother has moved in. Her father’s in a care home (too frail and confused to look after himself, but still more than capable of intentionally annoying the staff) and her drug addict son has gone awol but is somehow managing to extract money from the rest of the relatives.

In the middle of all this family disruption, she’s busy campaigning for workers’ rights and a decent wage for low-paid city cleaners. No wonder her dreams are full of violent acts of retribution for the upsets she’s suffered during the day.

In Max Stafford-Clark’s competent rather than inspired production for Out of Joint, Stella Feehily’s new play is often funny and paints an all too credible picture of the competing demands made on women of a certain age, but it’s too formulaic to maximise its impact. The cleaners are cartoonish characters and her former pop star mum (an impossibly young looking Paula Wilcox) is required to pad out the proceedings with renditions of her old hits.

That said, Nigel Cooke is effective as her ex (a successful surgeon offering great sex, reconciliation and a load more lies) whilst Ciaran McIntyre is touching as well as infuriating as her Irish dad. And at the centre of it all is Catherine Russell’s fading, frazzled Hildy, holding on to her political beliefs but physically and emotionally unravelling as the competing strains start to tell.

Soho Theatre, Dean Street, W1D 3NE (020 7478 0100) Tottenham Court Road tube to 8 August (£10- £20)

Monday, 3 August 2009

Peter Pan ** TNT

Friday 31 July 2009 16:25 GMT

This adaptation feels more rehearsal than fully-fledged performance. Technical problems slow the action and lacklustre performances rip the poignancy from this tale of the boy who won’t grow up.

The enormous ticking crocodile and CGI cyclorama whirling us to Neverland are a treat, while Abby Ford makes a suitably gutsy Wendy. But Tiger Lily has no tribe and the dialogue is largely lumpen.

Overall this opportunity is as lost as Peter’s mislaid boys, with what’s happening overhead more impressive than the story on the ground below.

Kensington Gardens, W8 4PX (0871 386 1122; visitlondon.com/peterpan). Until Aug 30. £22.50-£47.50

Louise's Theatre Reviews