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
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Sunday, 25 November 2007
The Brothers Size - TNT
The staging of Tarell Alvin McCraney's three-hander could hardly be more austere — a circle drawn in chalk, subtle changes in lighting, a sprinkle of red dust and a musician tucked away in a corner. Yet its intensity is astonishing as ex-jailbird Oshoosi Size (the younger of two brothers) fails to get to grips with the work ethic of older sibling Ogun, a Louisiana car mechanic. The exploration of brotherhood is sensitively and movingl handled, but there are also moments of delightful humour with the characters speaking not only the dialogue but the stage directions too. Obi Abili and Nyasha Hatendi give superbly tuned performances as the quarrelsome blood relations whose deep, indestructible love for each other is finally expressed, almost too late.Nathaniel Martello-White is impishly destructive as Oshoosi's former cell-mate who became almost as close while they served their sentences. Powerfully directed and with its unique blend of the poetic and the colloquial, this is 90 minutes of thrillingly unmissable theatre.
Young Vic, The Cut, SE1 (020-7922 2922). Until December 12. £18.50-£15.50
The staging of Tarell Alvin McCraney's three-hander could hardly be more austere — a circle drawn in chalk, subtle changes in lighting, a sprinkle of red dust and a musician tucked away in a corner. Yet its intensity is astonishing as ex-jailbird Oshoosi Size (the younger of two brothers) fails to get to grips with the work ethic of older sibling Ogun, a Louisiana car mechanic. The exploration of brotherhood is sensitively and movingl handled, but there are also moments of delightful humour with the characters speaking not only the dialogue but the stage directions too. Obi Abili and Nyasha Hatendi give superbly tuned performances as the quarrelsome blood relations whose deep, indestructible love for each other is finally expressed, almost too late.Nathaniel Martello-White is impishly destructive as Oshoosi's former cell-mate who became almost as close while they served their sentences. Powerfully directed and with its unique blend of the poetic and the colloquial, this is 90 minutes of thrillingly unmissable theatre.
Young Vic, The Cut, SE1 (020-7922 2922). Until December 12. £18.50-£15.50
Hairspray - TNT
A feel-good show with not one but two serious messages to impart, this musical adaptation of John Waters' 1988 film arrives hard on the heels of the updated movie version and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Newcomer Leanne Jones is terrific as Tracy Turnblad, the big-haired and bigger-hearted teen who doesn't conform to the slinky stereotype of her peers on the local Baltimore TV talent show — though she must surely have already shrunk a dress size to execute the moves she's taught by her equally ostracised black friends. Michael Ball is unrecognisable as her ever-hungry laundress mum, and — with its vibrant '60s pastiche songs and sparkling choreography — this is a triumph for Ball's fake sagging boobs and everybody out there who's carrying a few too many extra kilos.
Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, WC2 (020- 7379 5399). Until October 25. £60-£20
A feel-good show with not one but two serious messages to impart, this musical adaptation of John Waters' 1988 film arrives hard on the heels of the updated movie version and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Newcomer Leanne Jones is terrific as Tracy Turnblad, the big-haired and bigger-hearted teen who doesn't conform to the slinky stereotype of her peers on the local Baltimore TV talent show — though she must surely have already shrunk a dress size to execute the moves she's taught by her equally ostracised black friends. Michael Ball is unrecognisable as her ever-hungry laundress mum, and — with its vibrant '60s pastiche songs and sparkling choreography — this is a triumph for Ball's fake sagging boobs and everybody out there who's carrying a few too many extra kilos.
Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, WC2 (020- 7379 5399). Until October 25. £60-£20
A Night In November - TNT
TV host and stand-up Patrick Kielty takes to the stage in a revival of Marie Jones' 1994 one-man show about the life- changing experience of a Belfast Protestant at the Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland World Cupqualifier in 1993. A football stadium may seem an unlikely place for petty-minded dole clerk Kenneth to realise the offensiveness of his bigoted views, but watching his father-in-law's unbridled sectarian vitriol suddenly makes him see his belief system through newly opened eyes. It's a brave undertaking for an acting debut, but Kielty gives an energetic and well-paced performance. Whether impersonating his complacent wife or the once despised Catholic boss who'll never get elected to the golf club, he knows how to work an audience. The story might not convince, but Kielty certainly knows how to tell it.
Trafalgar Studios(1), Whitehall, SW1 (0870-060 6632). Until December 1. £42.50-£30
TV host and stand-up Patrick Kielty takes to the stage in a revival of Marie Jones' 1994 one-man show about the life- changing experience of a Belfast Protestant at the Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland World Cupqualifier in 1993. A football stadium may seem an unlikely place for petty-minded dole clerk Kenneth to realise the offensiveness of his bigoted views, but watching his father-in-law's unbridled sectarian vitriol suddenly makes him see his belief system through newly opened eyes. It's a brave undertaking for an acting debut, but Kielty gives an energetic and well-paced performance. Whether impersonating his complacent wife or the once despised Catholic boss who'll never get elected to the golf club, he knows how to work an audience. The story might not convince, but Kielty certainly knows how to tell it.
Trafalgar Studios(1), Whitehall, SW1 (0870-060 6632). Until December 1. £42.50-£30
Monday, 19 November 2007
The Giant - TNT
Thanks to the ingenuity of designer William Dudley, the intimate Hampstead theatre gets its own impressive replica of Michelangelo's "David" in Antony Sher's ambitious new play about the creation of one of the most familiar sculptures of all time. Set in Florence at the beginning of the 16th century (and imagined from the perspective of a fictional young quarryman who servesas the model for the statue) this exploration of the relationship between repressed homoerotic urges and creativity successfully conveys the emotional and practical challenges of artistic endeavour. It's got more than its fair share of nudity – but it's also hugely overwritten. If only Sher had been as fastidious in excising the verbiage from his material as Michelangelo was in freeing his magnificent creation from the huge block of Carrara marble, this dramatised Renaissance rivalry between the driven, obsessive young sculptor and the older, resolutely celibate Leonardo Da Vinci could have been so much more persuasive.
Hampstead Eton Avenue, NW3 (020-7722 9301). Until 1st December. Tickets -£10-£22
Louise Kingsley
Thanks to the ingenuity of designer William Dudley, the intimate Hampstead theatre gets its own impressive replica of Michelangelo's "David" in Antony Sher's ambitious new play about the creation of one of the most familiar sculptures of all time. Set in Florence at the beginning of the 16th century (and imagined from the perspective of a fictional young quarryman who servesas the model for the statue) this exploration of the relationship between repressed homoerotic urges and creativity successfully conveys the emotional and practical challenges of artistic endeavour. It's got more than its fair share of nudity – but it's also hugely overwritten. If only Sher had been as fastidious in excising the verbiage from his material as Michelangelo was in freeing his magnificent creation from the huge block of Carrara marble, this dramatised Renaissance rivalry between the driven, obsessive young sculptor and the older, resolutely celibate Leonardo Da Vinci could have been so much more persuasive.
Hampstead Eton Avenue, NW3 (020-7722 9301). Until 1st December. Tickets -£10-£22
Louise Kingsley
Alex - TNT
City slickers might just catch a reflection of themselves in this entertaining depiction of life in the Square Mile, an amusing marriage of projected animation and live performance as cartoon strip character Alex comes to 3-D life. For two decades, this smug, insensitive investment banker has appeared in the daily press – previously in the Independent, and, since 1992, in the Telegraph. In this stage adaptation, his creators have placed him in crisis – his wife wants a baby but he's too preoccupied for a sprog-making shag, one of his client companies is seriously overvalued, and he's far too busy spending time not working to read a crucial report. Floppy-haired and with the suggestion of a paunch beneath his pinstripe suit, Robin Bathurst makes a perfect Alex as he not only interacts with digital projections of his friends and colleagues but provides their voices too. At 75 minutes long, this engaging show knows its limits but still succeeds in exposing some of the least likeable traits of the city financier.
Arts Theatre, Great Newport Street, WC2 (0870-520 4020) Until 8th December. Tickets £27.50 -£12.00
City slickers might just catch a reflection of themselves in this entertaining depiction of life in the Square Mile, an amusing marriage of projected animation and live performance as cartoon strip character Alex comes to 3-D life. For two decades, this smug, insensitive investment banker has appeared in the daily press – previously in the Independent, and, since 1992, in the Telegraph. In this stage adaptation, his creators have placed him in crisis – his wife wants a baby but he's too preoccupied for a sprog-making shag, one of his client companies is seriously overvalued, and he's far too busy spending time not working to read a crucial report. Floppy-haired and with the suggestion of a paunch beneath his pinstripe suit, Robin Bathurst makes a perfect Alex as he not only interacts with digital projections of his friends and colleagues but provides their voices too. At 75 minutes long, this engaging show knows its limits but still succeeds in exposing some of the least likeable traits of the city financier.
Arts Theatre, Great Newport Street, WC2 (0870-520 4020) Until 8th December. Tickets £27.50 -£12.00
War Horse - TNT
Forget traditional Christmas shows — this adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel is an absolute stunner. From the moment young Joey totters uncertainly onto the stage on spindly foal legs, to the closing moments which had me in tears, South African puppet company Handspring ensures their life-size creations are every bit as credible as (and often more sympathetic than) the humans who decide their fate. Following Joey's path from a Devon farm to occupied France during World War I, this simply but powerfully staged story of devotion and devastation tugs at the heartstrings. The production pulls no punches (how could it when so few military horses survived?) and the resulting integration of puppets, people and evocative song is theatre at its magical, unmissable best.
Olivier at the National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000). Until February 14. £10-£39.50
Forget traditional Christmas shows — this adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel is an absolute stunner. From the moment young Joey totters uncertainly onto the stage on spindly foal legs, to the closing moments which had me in tears, South African puppet company Handspring ensures their life-size creations are every bit as credible as (and often more sympathetic than) the humans who decide their fate. Following Joey's path from a Devon farm to occupied France during World War I, this simply but powerfully staged story of devotion and devastation tugs at the heartstrings. The production pulls no punches (how could it when so few military horses survived?) and the resulting integration of puppets, people and evocative song is theatre at its magical, unmissable best.
Olivier at the National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000). Until February 14. £10-£39.50
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