PRIVATE LIVES

PRIVATE LIVES

London Classic Theatre 

at the Civic Theatre, Chelmsford

26.10.2017

for The Reviews Hub

Coward’s frothy comedy of manners was concocted – as a vehicle for the Master and Miss Gertie Lawrence – at break-neck speed. And that’s how it’s delivered by London Classic Theatre, in Chelmsford for the 12^th date of its national tour.

All over in and hour and three-quarters, including the interval. Realistic characters performing in classic Coward style – speeches to the front, consonants sharp and precise. The pace is often a plus. The four actors have achieved a chemistry that enables subtle interchanges while rattling through the speeches like well-oiled machine guns. But there is a price to pay. Difficult decisions have to be made about which lines will be allowed a laugh, and some of the worldly wit, a few of the bons mots, must fall by the wayside.

The piece is nothing without style, and Michael Cabot’s production has plenty of that. The set – by Frankie Bradshaw, who also designed the costumes – is masterly. The Deauville balconies have twin french windows, with louvred shutters, and twin bistro tables, separated by a row of standard roses. During the interval, the stage is transformed into the flat in Paris, elegantly furnished and dressed with nods to Erté and Tiffany. There are some lovely frocks, too, though even the most sheltered upbringing will have encountered a more ”ravishing” dressing gown than that sported by Elyot here.

Four splendid performers capture the mannered style very convincingly. The first honeymooning couple we meet is Jack Harwick’s Elyot, relaxed in spats, and Olivia Beardsley’s Sibyl – kittenish and breathlessly gushing as she takes in the harbour view. The most tremendous coincidence has the next suite occupied by his ex, Helen Keeley’s langorous, vampish Amanda with her new partner, Victor [Kieran Buckeridge, whose physicality, and physiognomy, seem perfect for the period]. His “rugged grandeur” is somewhat ruffled by first-night nerves, but complications come thick and fast when Amanda spots Elyot over the rose-bushes – her reaction perfectly judged.

Coward’s own “cheap music” doesn’t get a look-in here – the hotel orchestra is both larger and more remote than usual. But the “travelling the world” speech is beautifully delivered, with its unspoken undertones of love rekindled. And when the other halves emerge in their turn, and spot the Duke of Westminster’s yacht, the difference in their reaction neatly encapsulated the difference between the two couples.

In the Paris apartment, Elyot and Amanda squeeze onto the chaise longue; their tempestuous relationship is punctuated by music from the mahogany Victrola and a tiny music box – no baby grand here – and by the time-out imposed by the Sollocks truce. These moments of respite are cleverly devised as cadenzas, allowing the actors and the director to bring in subtleties not explicit in the text.

The two doors recall the symmetry of the Deauville balconies; the violent row at the end of the piece – like Elyot and Amanda, Sybil and Victor find their fights a heartbeat away from passion – echoes the confrontation at the end of Act Two.

The breakfast scene – the quartet crowding behind a small table, Elyot and Amanda happily munching brioche as their partners argue – is exquisitely done, a perfect end to this bracing sprint through Private Lives, in a stylised, and stylish, interpretation. Another fine production of a great play from this enterprising touring company.

production photograph: Sheila Burnett

STRICTLY MURDER

STRICTLY MURDER

Talking Scarlet at the Civic Theatre Chelmsford

23.05.17

Jean Sablon on the soundtrack speaks the period and the setting in a way that the décor – a generic rustic cottage – fails to do, despite some evocative detail.
The lighting too, while often effective, could enhance the mood better – the kitchen seems overlit from the front.
But the company do a fine job with Brian Clemens' period thriller, from the first appearance of the huge hunting rifle through the door to the final declaration of war, with a surreal swastika and a deluge of poppies.
Lara Lemon is Suzy, the only character who is just what she seems – living the Provençal idyll with the moody “Peter” [Gary Turner], agricultural labourer and Sunday painter. The other woman – much less convincingly written, is Chief Inspector Miller, played in elegant trousers by Corrinne Wicks. Andrew Fettes is the amnesiac Josef, from the hovel next door. And Brian Capron is outstanding as Ross – subtly altering the character between the acts. The Chateau Latour scene with Turner is brilliantly done – a tour de force of twists and turns. Not all the scenes grip us as much, and there's a good deal of sign-posting, with clues and hints thickly scattered. Peter, for instance, is rarely without a scary kitchen knife in his hand.
The piece is directed by the playwright's son, Samuel Clemens, best known perhaps as a film maker, and he has the action underscored like a movie, with impressive music composed by Edward Patrick White.

Not a packed house, alas, perhaps punters were deterred by the title, which suggests a much less interesting drama. But those who missed this intriguing piece in Chelmsford can catch it at the Mercury in Colchester, or the Palace in Westcliff.

MISS SAIGON – SCHOOL EDITION

MISS SAIGON – SCHOOL EDITION

King Edward VI Grammar School

24.02.17

Expectations were high after last year's Les Mis. And this is a much more challenging piece: a less familiar sung-through score, and dark, adult themes.

But this outstanding production is every bit as impressive, musically and dramatically - James French the director, Tim Worrall the MD.

The orchestra, wrapped around by the action, produces a full, symphonic sound, the keyboards rightly taking second place to the real instruments. Good to see Declan Hickey's “solo saxophone” given some well-deserved limelight. And vocally the standard is stunningly high, both from the ensemble and the soloists.

Hiya Dhar makes a superb Kim. Her mature voice never falters, her numbers are emotionally charged but never overdone. She's well matched by Joseph Folley's compelling Engineer – a mesmeric presence, and perfectly delivered numbers. A creepy, slippery survivor, he gets what few laughs there are in this hard-hitting story. His American Dream will be hard to forget, I feel – a great production number choreographed by Gavin Wilkinson.

Strong contributions from many others, including Rafee Ahmed's commissar Thuy, Samuel Harper's GI Chris, and Olivia Moul as his wife Ellen.

The staging is simple, with many of the numbers presented on the walk-way surrounding the pit. The helicopter is sketched with sound and animation, the wire fences paint a stark image of despair.

The ensembles are tellingly used – the military, the dancers, the whores. And the junior chorus makes its mark, too, as urchins, refugees, mini-me Uncle Sams, and as the brilliant Bui-Doi choir, making a powerful opening to Act Two with Benjamin Kinder's strongly sung John.

This is musical theatre work of a very high standard, artistically and technically. A cliché, but no less true for that, to say that we forgot that we were in a school hall, and all these actors would be back in the classroom next week – Dreamland, Ho Chi Minh City and the rice fields no more than an imperishable memory.

production photos: Peter Langman Photography

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SPRING CONCERT

SPRING CONCERT

King Edward VI School

10.03.16

KEGS' Spring Concert was ambitious, accessible and very enjoyable.
Kicking off with Shostakovich's flamboyant Festive Overture. For what is basically a chamber orchestra [just ten fiddles] they made a splendid noise – frisky woodwind and fortissimo brass.
Salon forces are just what you need for Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals, giving some excellent young soloists a chance to shine: clarinet cuckoo, xylophone fossils, strings for asses, double bass for the arthritic elephant. The serene swan, upstream here on the leader's violin, and the piano duet practising scales ready for their cameo in the next work, another of Saint-Saens greatest hits, the Organ Symphony, with William Foster the accomplished soloist at the console. All three orchestral showpieces conducted by Tim Worrall.
Becky Chant took the baton for Fauré's much-loved Requiem, sounding fresh and sincere, with an open tone from the trebles and some dramatic dynamics. No guest soloists here – like the harp and the organ, all members of the Grammar School community. After a beautiful O Domine – women's voices to the fore, with lower strings – the Hostias from Joseph Clark, and a powerful Libera Me from Tom Mitty. The treble soloist in the Pie Jesu was the confident, pure-toned Mark Godley. And the closing In Paradisum had a beautifully controlled, movingly sustained final “Requiem”.

LES MISERABLES

LES MISERABLES

King Edward VI School Chelmsford

29.01.16

Not a show for the faint-hearted, Les Mis. The “School Edition” not noticeably less challenging than the full-fat grown-up version.
Director James French, in his first big musical for KEGS, gets 110% from his huge company of urchins, students, convicts, topers, dancers and ladies of the night. The battle of the barricade is stunningly effective, as is the stirring climax to Act One. The choral set-pieces – Turning, At the End of the Day, Look Down – are superbly sung, and the idealistic “schoolboys” are strongly characterized individuals.
The solo voices are excellent, taking the operatic scoring in their stride, led by Joseph Clark's haunted Valjean, Isabelle George's tender Eponine and Joseph Folley's cold, clipped Javert.
Musical Director Tim Worrall keeps everything tightly together, conjuring a satisfying symphonic sound from his prominent pit orchestra.

photographs: Essex Chronicle

Richard Broadway writes for the KEGS Newsletter:

Richard Broadway became the sixth Head Master of KEGS in the year Shakespeare co-founded his Lord Chamberlain's Men. More recently, he has ghost-written appreciations of performances at his old school. This is his last.

Masques in the reign of the Virgin Queen. A Victorian pantomime with songs. Niche shows on the new stage: Smike, Jennings Goes to School, the made-in-house Midas. And more recently the big blockbusters: Oliver!, Joseph, Anything Goes.

This marvellous Les Mis must surely top them all – a huge challenge bravely undertaken and triumphantly met.

House Full notices out, and we make our way into the already crowded hall as, on the extended stage, the convicts are already wearily breaking rocks.

The catwalk encloses the impressive pit band, and is inventively used for many of the scenes, allowing smooth transitions between the big set pieces and the more intimate moments. The powerful end to Act One an outstanding example, with the soloists ranged around in front as the chorus swells on the main stage.

The principal players give confident, engaging performances. And convincing vocal accounts of the challenging Schönberg score.

Not least the youngest actors: Elliot Harding-Smith as a cocky little “top-of-the-class” Gavroche, superbly sung. And what a treat to have such a good voice [Matthew Wadey] for Castle in the Cloud instead of the cute breathiness which has become the norm.

The cast is hugely strong in depth, too, with all the young revolutionaries in the ABC café neatly differentiated, and small roles like the Bishop [Benjamin Russell], or the tipsy Grantaire [Benjamin Kinder], given full weight.

Molly Sun-Wai brings an artless innocence to the tragic Fantine, Charlotte Abbotts as the older Cosette is girlishly charming, an ideal foil for Thomas Mitty's finely nuanced law student revolutionary Marius. Eponine, the first to fall in the uprising, is beautifully sung by Isabella George – her duet with Marius – A Little Fall of Rain – exquisitely done, the trio A Heart Full of Love another musical highlight.

The terrible Thénardiers are given broad-brush characterizations by Benjamin Southern-Thomas, blatantly watering the wine under the nose of his clientèle, and fishwife Hazel Ellender as his frightful missus. Nice to see them resplendently dressed as beggars at the feast.

Harry Clark carries most of the revolutionary fervour as Enjolras, waving the red flag, rallying his doomed troops with style and a strong will.

The legendary role of Jean Valjean is superbly taken by Joseph Clark. Fighting for justice, bearing his guilt, ageing and dying, this is a compelling performance by any standards. His face-off with Javert is an electric moment on front stage. Joseph Folley plays the obsessive Inspector with exemplary precision and panache. A tall, menacing figure, his black-gloved hands firmly behind his back, he draws the eye whenever he appears. Every word is clearly enunciated; his big number – Stars – is given a kneeling climax, a bold move which seems only to accentuate the emotional heft.

Given the inevitable budgetary limitations, the staging is thrillingly effective. On countless occasions, Joseph Thorogood's set design, George Twinn's lighting and James French's groupings form a thrilling fresco – notably at the barricade. The runaway cart – often risibly lightweight – is here, with its load of luggage, a believably weighty burden for Valjean. The scene changes happen seamlessly – the drunkards clear Thénardier's tavern, for instance; the inn – well frequented by underage drinkers – is another great crowd picture, giving opportunities to the colossal chorus; their distant singing behind the final deathbed scene makes another subtle transition.

The twenty-strong pit orchestra – surrounded by the cat-walk fore-stage – produces a stunning sound, generally well balanced with the voices. [Claire Greenwood's oboe heard to touching effect.]

Les Misérables is directed by James French, with the assistance of Elizabeth Hutchinson and Henry Sainsbury; the Musical Director is Tim Worrall, with sound design by Rafee Ahmed.

This huge company, on stage, in the band and behind the scenes, have earned the indelible memories they'll have of this milestone show. And they thoroughly deserve their moment of triumph at the end of Act One, to say nothing of the rapturous roar, the double encore and the standing ovation that greets their last bow. One of the many reasons that the performing arts are so vital in education. As Victor Hugo has it: '“Le beau est aussi utile que l'utile.” Il ajouta après un silence, “Plus, peut-être.”' 'Rien n'est tel que le rêve pour engendrer l'avenir.'

STONES IN HIS POCKETS

STONES IN HIS POCKETS

at the Civic Theatre, Chelmsford

09.09.2014

It's a long way from The Quiet Man to Game of Thrones, but here we have the chiselled features and sexy tones of Connor Delaney playing amongst many other roles, Wee Mickey, the last surviving extra on that classic John Ford movie.

Director Ian MacIlhenny is a Game of Thrones veteran too, but more importantly was responsible for the first ever Stones in His Pockets, nearly twenty years ago.

Like Bouncers, or Woman in Black, it's become a classic, at least in part because of the virtuoso performances it demands of its two actors. Delaney, and Stephen Jones [yet to appear in Game of Thrones] are wonderfully contrasted, and bring us in quick succession, a gallery of memorable characters, brought together in County Kerry. They switch voice and physique in an instant, turning, one walking behind the other, nipping into the wings for a swift costume change.

A quiet backwater has been invaded by a Hollywood blockbuster, with its flaky star, phlegmatic director, security, dialogue coach, and intern. Not to mention the cast of thousands, including Jake and Charlie, the two extras at the heart of this hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking, look at fame, fortune and the dream factory.

This is a warm, hugely enjoyable theatrical experience, easy to enjoy on many levels and on repeated viewings. Chelmsford was their first UK port of call – they're on the road now well into November !

CINDERELLA

CINDERELLA

One From The Heart at the Civic Theatre Chelmsford

07.12.13

for The Public Reviews

This fast and furious family panto is focused on giving everyone a good night out, and especially on drawing the kids in the audience into the action.

So Simon Aylin's offering this year has Kerris Peeling as a no-nonsense Fairy Godmother – Go-Mo to her fairy-friendly chums – who enlists our aid in getting Cinders to the Ball and ensuring a happy-ever-after ending for everyone.

Suzie Chard comes on like a size twenty Sharon O, hurling ever more inventive insults at the audience in return for boos and hisses. And Lewis Barnshaw, as a delightfully bashful Buttons, plays for sympathy as well as laughs, and leads the youngsters in a familiar singalong – The Music Man, an excellent choice not often heard in panto nowadays.

The strikingly ill-matched Ugly Sisters are Neal Wright's Gusty Gail [dumpy and aggressive] and Richard Foster-King's Windy Wendy [seven foot nothing without the heels and the ostrich feathers] – constant bickering and frequent flatulence, plus some really impressive frocks and the flair to wear them well.

Sophie Camble is a svelte, demure Cinders; a strong singer and pleasingly assertive in adversity.

Tom Parsons' dishy Prince proves a fine vocalist, and his Dandini – Rhys Rice – is a great little mover in his spectacular dance routines. In fact almost everyone gets a good number to showcase their talents – as well as Adele [Someone Like You] and the inevitable but appropriate One Direction [We Danced All Night] we have a disco medley, something from The Wiz, that old chestnut Friendship and, for the brassy Baroness [and four chorus boys], Reciprocity from Chicago.

Richard Peakman's choreography is crisp and inventive, with the cast of eight boosted by energetic ensemble players from Laine Theatre Arts – It's Raining Men [for the Sisters] with oilskins and brollies for the boys. The transformation, done with stars and mirrors, is impressive, and what a treat to see real Shetland ponies pulling the coach …

Almost all the favourite panto features are in place – a ghost routine [with ghouls all around the auditorium], custard pies, water pistols, old jokes [“Nothing's that funny ...”] and a victim from the audience, Max on this occasion, who was unwise enough to sit in row B with his shorts and his woggle.

The Brentwood Beavers and the Writtle Rainbows loved every minute – possibly the loudest, most excited audience ever. They've probably bought their tickets for next year already, when the same team will be bringing Peter Pan to the Civic.

this piece first appeared on The Public Reviews

SUMMER CONCERT

SUMMER CONCERT

King Edward VI School, Chelmsford

27.06.13

Plenty of pleasant surprises in the summer concert this year – and not just the green fiddle amongst the second violins.

Iain Buchanan played his A-level practical work – Electric Counterpoint, a 1987 piece by the father of minimalism, Steve Reich. Very impressively executed, it involves a multi-tracked backing [all twelve tracks laid down by Iain] and live electric guitar. No less impressive was the other solo, a Brahms clarinet sonata from David Wringe with William Foster playing the demanding piano accompaniment – a very polished performance with eloquent pianissimo passages.

David brought his bass clarinet to the ever-popular Wind Band, which this time out played an energetic Slumdog Millionaire and a smooth Come Fly With Me, with fine work from the two trombonists amongst others. They ended with a tribute to Whitney Houston in an arrangement by Michael Brown.

Tuneful light music from the Junior String Ensemble, [eleven players plus piano] including a lovely Pennies From Heaven with an authentically Thirties piano intro.

The Junior Orchestra, led by Jonathan Belay, brought us Haydn's Surprise and Mozart's French nursery rhyme, featuring col legno and pizzicato among the variations.

Vocally, the trebles sang a very pleasing arrangement of Sting's Fields of Gold, as well as Pure Imagination, written for the 1971 Chocolate Factory film, and revived in the new West End musical which opened this week.

The Year 7 Singers, a sizeable proportion of the year group, filled the stage for a confident performance, with a splendidly open continental sound, of Vois Sur Ton Chemin, from the 1984 film Les Choristes.

The vocal ensembles, and the Junior Strings, were directed by Rebecca Chant; the Orchestra and the Wind Band by Director of Music Tim Worrall.

Richard Broadway

JIBBER-JABBER

a day of tales around Chelmsford town

19.03.11

Essex Story-telling laureate Mike Dodsworth launched his series of happenings in the Central Library. Among the stories he referenced then was the Norfolk classic The Pedlar of Swaffham. It was told again in the amazing space of the Town Sign Tepee by that celebrated teller of tales Hugh Lupton.

Between these two story spots, the Iliad outside Waterstones, and Footprints Theatre Company dressing the tree in Half Moon Square. Other events were more peripatetic: Movable Feast, John Row's Story Walks ... I loved Phil Drew's Historical Tour, which brilliantly combined stand-up, stories and anecdotal history. I admired the way he introduced other characters into his very personal story – the frog umbrellas, the Lynx effect – and then subverted the effect by arguing over the cash in hand, and tearing a strip off the hapless actress who'd been hired to do the Spontaneous Combustion.

The weather was certainly kind to the scores of al fresco performers. And, as the sun began to set, three ghostly ladies emerged from the churchyard trees round the Cathedral to tell their stories. Caroline of Brunswick, forever grateful to Judge Tindall, Elizabeth Wolton, remembering her philanthropic husband Hyem, both now at rest in one tomb, and Mrs Gepp, gossiping about Income Tax, her husband the Captain [and solicitor] and the Loyal Chelmsford Volunteers.