JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

Danbury Players

19.12.10

Keeping the panto flag flying through the snow and ice, Danbury Players with their Jack and the Beanstalk, directed by James Tovey, who was also the imaginative MD.

Not a bad recipe: a fairy tale, some classic show tunes, and in the line-up a mix of experience and youthful enthusiasm.

Stuart Charlesworth donned the dame's dress this year – a genial, if fidgety, Dotty Trott, working up a good rapport with his audience. Only the one dress – times are hard in Merrydown – but a colourful one. His offspring – that wooden doll make-up must be genetic – were played by Stephanie Wright [a proper, thigh-slapping principal boy] as Idle Jack, Georgia Westley as Jill, and Jamie Haines working hard as Silly “Who touched my helmet?” Billy.

Among the more experienced thesps, a boo-able Jean Speller, Annette Michaels as Miss Muffet [yes, there was a splendid spider] and Iris Hill as a flustered fairy in a meringue frock.

A high-tech giant, Gigi, South Pacific and Life of Brian. A bemused dog in the back of the audience, along with Keith and Alan from the Ukulele Club. And as we left, the whole cast lined our exit to sing us out with We Wish You A Merry Christmas. My colleague Jim Hutchon and I would happily sing along with that …

THE LION IN WINTER


Chelmsford Theatre Workshop at the Old Court

16.12.10

Goldman's 1966 historical soap takes liberties with history, but makes the people behind the pageantry both human and believable.

Often, they seem to have one eye on posterity – “this is 1183, we are barbarians,” Eleanor reminds us. In this “world in small” nothing is what it seems, no-one says what they mean. With their banter and their bickering, this royal pair could be Beatrice and Benedict, Elyot and Amanda, George and Martha.

They were brilliantly played in this production by CTW veterans Dave Hawkes and Christine Thomson. Hawks played Henry with a light touch which emphasised his moments of temper, the Master Bastard plotting his succession, channelling both Lear and Medea. And as his “widow”, Thomson movingly suggested the complex character of this clever woman. The moment when she was offered freedom, her meeting with Richard [an impressively intense James Christie] and the final skirmish in the dungeon were amongst many powerful scenes.

I liked Harry Sabbarton's charming, slightly giggly Phillip of France, and Ian Willingham's middle son. The pimply runt who was to become King John was Jake Reeve, and gentle Alais was given some emotional depth by Roxanne Carney.

The set was impressive – sconces, heavy brocade, an imposing door. And though there was a deal of bustling between scenes, the pace was good throughout, with sympathetic sound and lighting. The director was Mike Nower, assisted by Tom Strudwick.

production photograph by James Sabberton

GILLS AROUND THE GREEN

GILLS AROUND THE GREEN

Eastern Angles at the Sir John Mills Theatre, Ipswich

for The Public Reviews

Maybe the front row wasn't such a good idea. We chased the horse round the stage, wielded an inflatable hammer, as well as barking like a fox and being stung by a jellyfish. Didn't dare take out the notebook, either, so I hope I've got this about right ...

Gills Around The Green is the twelfth show that Julian Harries and Pat Whymark have penned for the cosy John Mills Theatre. Eastern Angles have given us grade 1 daftness in the past, but this has to be the weirdest and the wackiest yet.

The crazy eco-fable started bizarre – Aqua Boy vs the evil Piscator played out in his bath-tub – and got more and more surreal with every new scene.

Ready meals, plastic pollution, hunting, over-fishing and the future of the planet in general and Ipswich in particular – all these were checked along the way, in a scenario of inspired silliness.

Some ideas worked better than others – maybe this varies from audience to audience – but the costumes and the characters changed so frequently there was no chance of critical ennui. Amongst the more memorable notions: the cows – horned hats, pink udder handbags, black and white gowns – discussing the judging at the cattle show, and the Hairy Growlers [unevolved humans] with their cod-Shakespearean dialogue.

Harries himself grasped each preposterous persona with manic enthusiasm, from mad Professor Grimsby to Jasper, King of Eden. And, like his fellow actors, he gladly turned a hand to playing an impressive range of musical instruments.

He was joined on this mad journey through Thorpeness and a thousand fish jokes by Nicholas Agnew as Vernon Spratt [aka Aqua Boy], Kai Simmons as his mother and the sinister Bernard, Rose van Hooff as a Mermaid, Leda and Grimkin, and Holly Ashton as the posh Tory who's lost in the snow and foolishly falls in with Vernon.

Wonderful to see the irrepressible Mrs Giblets [canine superstar] back on the boards as a hypnotic hound.

The set looked like something left over from a 50s TV science fiction series, and the props showed all the inventive economy we've come to expect: the phone box, the fish tank, the bikes, the snow-bound car, all conjured up from next to nothing.

Helped of course, by the sell-out audience's willingness to use its fevered imagination, and the enthusiasm and energy of this talented company.

photographer - Mike Kwasniak

this piece first appeared on The Public Reviews

CHRISTMAS AT BLACKMORE

The Stondon Singers at the Priory Church

21.12.10

In this remote church a tall tree and the aroma of spiced wine speak of Christmas before the choir has sung a note.

They begin with an Advent Responsory by Palestrina, and end with that great hymn for Christmas Day, O Come All Ye Faithful. And, as tradition demands, Stille Nacht from the west end. This year they programmed Villette's Hymne à la Vierge, from 1954, and a gentle setting of Swete Was The Song, from the early 17^th century.

The central work was the much-loved Fantasia on Christmas Carols of Vaughan Williams, with its tunes collected from counties all over England and its Happy New Year ending. The soloist was Matthew Butt. For me, the Singers' most successful sequence was the group of Elgar, with some impressive solos, Howells and Christopher Tinker's I Saw A Maiden. Tinker, the choir's current director, also contributed a clever arrangement of Angels From The Realms Of Glory using a brass quartet as well as the organ. Brentwood Brass, directed by Shirley Parrott, also gave us two varied sets of seasonal music, as heard on many a snowy street corner – Christmas Joy, for example, was a lovely patchwork of pieces from oratorio to Jingle Bells.

THE PLOTTERS OF CABBAGE PATCH CORNER

Brentwood Theatre Company

20.12.10

This was David Wood's earliest original play, and first saw the light forty years ago. It does seem somewhat dated now, with its ecological message and wordy dialogue.

But Ray Howes' colourful production made it an entertaining couple of hours, giving his team of eight actors plenty of chances to shine – a lovely variety of voices - and his young audience opportunities to interact with the insects and ape the Big Ones [voiced by Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin].

Mark Middleton won us over as the sleepy glow worm, and Charley Durrant – first time at Brentwood – was a great Bumble Bee. Katie-Elizabeth Allgood – Baby Fox two years ago - was a moody, mischievous Maggot, with Jenanne Redman as her Greenfly mother. The beautiful people included Sarah Goodstone as the posh Ladybird, and Toby W Davis as the military Red Admiral.

Michael Francis was Slug, a telling contrast with Adrian Palmer's wonderful workaholic Ant.

The musical director was Ian Southgate, making the most of the varied styles. “Insecticide”, a protest song, worked well, as did Let Our Garden Grow, which could have passed for Bernstein.

The corner setting saw the tiniest audience members dwarfed by the toadstool, the plant pot and the compost heap, and the insects all wore the most gorgeous frocks [by Joy Dunn], especially stunning was Ladybird's red and black number …