OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD

OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD

KEGS Drama at King Edward VI School, Chelmsford

29.01.15

This powerful play about the redemptive power of theatre is a brilliant choice for a school drama department.

And you couldn't hope to see it better done than by this talented company of sixth form students under the firm direction of James French.

There are many outstanding performances: Ross Moncrieff's Ralph, the officer who sees the potential for dramatic performance in the convict colony. Matthew Cassettari's Robbie Ross, the bullying Scotsman who opposes the idea. Joe Richards is excellent as Wisehammer, the literate jew; Dominic Short makes a lively Sideway, who's in love with the theatre and seizes the chance to shine. Mary Brenham, subtly drawn by Elizabeth Hutchinson, is the shy girl dragged along to audition by her extrovert friend Dabby [Freya Von-Claire]. Perhaps most poignant of all, the tormented Harry Brewer – a wonderfully compelling performance from Max Purkiss – painfully possessive of his young Duckling, Jennifer Lamb, so moving as she cradles Harry's dying body and confesses her love. And Hazel Ellender is totally convincing as the troublesome Morden, whose death sentence casts a shadow over rehearsals.

But this is an ensemble piece, the carefully devised staging – all of the characters remain in the performance area throughout – providing a frame for the emotional adventures of convicts and Royal Marines in Sydney Cove.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

Theatre at Baddow at the Village Hall

28.01.15

This version of the classic romantic novel focuses on the unsmooth path to true love of the Dashwood girls, with a little comic relief and a hurried happy ending - “events tumbling on top of one another”.

Pauline Saddington's production is stripped to the minimum – black drapes, a few nice pieces of period furniture, and a cast of seven, plus two supernumeraries who bring messages and shift chairs. A simple, largely static staging allowing us to concentrate on Austen's plot, and her words, which are ingeniously woven into the dialogue.

It's a strong, young cast. Almost everyone is dressed authentically, almost everyone is vocally convincing; no easy task with this polished dialogue. The girls – acquiescent Elinor [Sense] and headstrong, emotional Marianne [Sensibility] – are clearly contrasted by Helen Quigley and Donna Stevenson. The objects of their frustrated affection are the pale and amusing Ferrars [Nick Milenkovic] and the fickle, dissolute Willoughby [impressively characterized by Liam Mayle]. The attractive schemer Miss Lucy Steele is played by Ruth Westbrook, and the gentlemanly Colonel Brandon gets a confident, stylish performance from Roger Saddington.

The only bonnet on show is worn by Aunt Jennings, the voluble busybody deliciously done by Beth Crozier.

The music, not much of which would have been heard in the parlour at Norland, provides a lush cinematic under-scoring to the storyline.

MATTHEW LOCKE'S TEMPEST

MATTHEW LOCKE'S TEMPEST

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe

25.01.2015

Easy to forget that for years and years Shakespeare was enjoyed in versions geared to the changing tastes of the public, bastardized, bowdlerized, enhanced by spectacle and musical production numbers.

A taste of the Restoration in the candle-lit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, where the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment brought us Matthew Locke's Tempest. Elizabeth Kenny and her musicians, with stage director Caroline Williams, presented a potted version of the 1674 show put on by Betterton in Dorset Garden, hastily pulled together when the scheduled Psyche hit production troubles. It was based closely on the Tempest done by Davenant and Dryden a few years earlier. So a re-write of a re-write of a re-write.

The emphasis was on the music, but we did have about twenty minutes' worth of text, brilliantly delivered by Dickon Tyrrell - one of the glories of the Golden Pestle – and Molly Logan. Between them they played all the parts [Mustacho the Mate and Miranda's sister Dorinda among the less familiar], with Logan memorably killing herself in a duel.

The singers were Frazer B Scott, Samuel Boden, who played the title role in Ormindo here [it's back later this season] and Katherine Watson, superbly delivering Adieu to the Pleasures and Follies of Love.

That last by James Hart, one of several composers drafted in to supplement Locke's work, amongst them Henry Purcell and Pelham Humfrey.

One of the most spectacular sequences was the Masque of Devils, featuring two excellent boy singer/actors, Harry Cookson and Andrew Sinclair-Knopp.

This hugely enjoyable, revelatory performance is the first in a candle-lit season, including John Williams, Joanna McGregor and Anne Boleyn's Songbook.

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/whats-on/sam-wanamaker-playhouse

For almost 200 years this was the most popular Tempest in town. A bit like only knowing The Taming of the Shrew from seeing Kiss Me Kate. There were some remnants of Shakespeare remaining – some of the verse, and most of the plot, between the opening storm and Prospero's valediction :

Henceforth this Isle to the afflicted be
A place of Refuge as it was to me;
The Promises of blooming Spring live here,
And all the Blessings of the rip'ning year;
On my retreat let Heaven and Nature smile,
And ever flourish the Enchanted Isle.

RED RIDING HOOD

RED RIDING HOOD

Blackmore Players at the Village Hall

22.01.15

An unusual panto, and a production which celebrates the local Blackmore community, with lots of name-checks [Budgen's, anyone ?] and disparaging references to the bigger, uglier towns surrounding it.

It's unpredictable fun, too, with BoPeep's sheep unmasked as spies and the big bad Wolf a cuddly vegetarian, appealingly played by Linda Raymond.

There are familiar panto favourites – a black-hearted villain from melodrama [Keith Goody], a thigh-slapping Prince [Charley Magee], a charming heroine [Juliet Ware as Little Miss Hood herself] and a glamorous granny as the Dame [Patrick Magee].

Not to mention a surprise late arrival by Santa [Steve Hanning], bringing sweeties for all and some lovely one-liners.

Director Lisa Mathews provides some nice production numbers, a popular audience song and a splendid Anything Goes finale, with choreography by Rosemarie Nelson and MD Shirley Parrott at the piano.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Little Waltham Drama at the Memorial Hall

21.01.15

Fresh faces and a new creative team for this year's show from a group with a strong tradition in village pantomime.

Directors Hannah Walker and Louise Louth wisely retain some of the most cherished features – the proscenium paintings and the confectionery walkabout, this time to a piano rag from the excellent orchestra of Dave Perry and Trevor Lee.

They cope impressively with a bright mixture of music: Steps, Wham and One Direction as well as Oliver and Aspects of Love. The chorus, stylishly dressed, get some great numbers [choreographed by Kim Travell], including Power of Love and a nice arrangement of Best Song Ever.

The successful mix of youth and experience is exemplified in the great comedy duo of [Tweedle]Dick and Dom [Ryan Chapman and Ken Little] – shame they don't have a funnier script to work with; it's noticeable that the best laughs come from the ad-libs. Brian Corrie gets his share, too, this year he's attempting a French accent …

Rebekah Walker makes a superb Rose – her “Yesterday” a musical highlight – nicely contrasted, especially in their dance duet, with her giant of a beast, Ash Cobden, transformed to a dashing Prince, but keeping enough hair for a fashionable hipster beard.

Rather too much of the story, when it surfaces, is entrusted to the good vs evil pairing of Vicky Weavers [fairy dust and smartphone in her reticule] and crabby Julie Cole. Other ingredients include a proper pantomime cow, a bungling inventor, a hilarious sing-along, a gorilla ghost routine and a formidable Dame in the shape of Viv Abrey's Nanny Ivy.

Like many of us, she's going through an out-of-money experience, reduced to Tesco for a birthday teddy bear for young Rose. But she couldn't get better value entertainment than this friendly village panto, the latest in a long line stretching back to the first Cinderella in the early Seventies.

production photograph: Peter Travell