CINDERELLA

Matthew Bourne's ballet

New Adventures at the Theatre Royal, Norwich

26.03.09

Imposing front cloth with London in the Blitz, and a huge close-up of Cinderella's right glass slipper. Vera Lynn on the sound-track; not ousting Prokofiev, surely … No, here's the familiar ballet score, in glorious surround sound, just one of a number of respectful references to the movies.

At the end, after the curtain calls, showers of VE day confetti, and jiving Pennsylvania 6500 for a slow fade back to the slipper and St Paul's.

In between, a ballet which managed to be both innovative and traditional. This is a grey 1940s austerity world, with a dowdy Cinders and her vampish sisters. Even the flowing ball gowns are grey silk. Matthew Bourne's re-interpretation has many brilliant ideas, many of them realised thanks to Lez Brotherston's wonderful designs. The Embankment scene, the sidecar ride to the Ball after a glorious “Can't black out the moon” waltz sequence, the station tea room, with the clock a reminder of the last midnight, the wheel-chair-bound Father staring into the fire, the knees-up to what is usually Ugly Sisters music, and most impressive of all, the direct hit on the Café de Paris.

Although pure balleticism is not what this show is about, their was some fine dancing from a large company: Harry the Pilot [the Prince of this fairytale], who has most of the work to do, was Sam Archer, his Cinderella, looking as glamorous as Grace Kelly, was danced by Kerry Biggin, Madelaine Brennan played a Joan Crawford evil stepmother, and the Angel, our silver-haired Fairy Godfather, a lithely athletic Christopher Marney.

HAY FEVER

The Hutton Players

Brentwood Theatre 

March 24 2011

Mary Redman was at the back of the stalls ...

Noel Coward was known as The Master for many reasons including his mastery of sparkling repartee, his use of language to define both character and class, for the craftsmanship of his plays and their sheer entertainment value. Any group that wants to recreate for us his lost world needs to pay careful attention to pace, diction, period details and above all, energy. The plays need to sparkle as they have always done.

I saw this production on opening night and by the interval at the end of Act I was ready to shoot myself. This really surprised me because many of the members of Hutton Players are of mature years to remember how things were done as far as social and table etiquette are concerned. Plus they have enormous theatrical experience.

First of all Ray Howes's set design was so disappointing, being very déclassée and looking as though it was furnished from a jumble sale. Certainly not shabby chic - if that was the intention. One has to remember that this was a country home at Cookham, not a cottage, and this set didn't scream at us that it was the comfy retreat of an enormously successful actress and equally successful writer. Plus sight lines for the sofa were so bad much of the action was missed.

As the two younger members of the ironically named Bliss household, Vicky Wright's Sorel looked extremely good but swallowed her words while both she and John Mabey's Simon lacked the necessary pointing of lines so that by contrast with the older cast members there appeared to be two different plays going on. Helen Robins as the very young ingénue Jackie was another one who looked daintily pretty but whose words were often hidden by her giggles

As the house and its Japanese Room filled with extra guests invited without prior warning by every member of the family for a “quiet weekend” the production underwent a transformation. The great change came in Acts 2 and 3 when the other characters really came into their own, perhaps after an interval team pep talk by the director Marjorie Dunn rallied the troops.

Margaret Corry's “retired” leading lady and grande dame of the theatre took to her role with relish. Clashing verbal swords with her friend Myra (Meryl Spinks in fine form and equally ready for battle), the two of them took no prisoners. Watching them in both verbal and physical action was like being in the front row while a well-matched pair of Wimbledon Ladies Finalists played a blinder of a swift power serve and volley match lightened by the occasional lengthier rally.

Observing the action and giving the ingredients an occasional stir or nudge whilst enthusiastically lapping up the resulting effects was Martin Goldstone's David Bliss, innocent as the day is long and a bit of a dog to boot.

Excellent supporting work came from Lindsey Crutchett's withered twig of a theatrical dresser now enlisted as a housekeeper and Alan Thorley's enthusiastic admirer of Sorel.

The utter, five star highlight of the evening was the exquisitely played and timed flirting scene between Judith and William Wells's boring Richard with his character's annoying attempts at a “natural” laugh. Watching his body language as he leaned further and further off centre, quite overwhelmed by Bliss, spoke volumes about his pop-eyed astonishment at being supposedly wooed by a “bedazzled” and entrancing Judith blatantly re-enacting one of her major stage successes.

Kathy Smith's faultless, hard working stage management team deserve every praise especially for the speed with which they set up the complete breakfast for eight.

The result is that whilst I wouldn't willingly want to sit through Act 1 again the rest of this production was great fun and full of goodies.

GUYS AND DOLLS

The New Wolsey Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru and Salisbury Playhouse

26.03.11
for The Public Reviews

until April 16^th

^{then at the Playhouse, Salisbury, 28th April - 21st May}

A score of the best actor-musicians, three of the best regional producing houses, and one of the best musicals ever to come out of Broadway.

Guys and Dolls, on its way from Wales to Salisbury, is at the New Wolsey Ipswich till April 16.

It's a stunningly successful production, with due respect given to Runyon's story and Loesser's songs.

We start on a New York thoroughfare - neon signs in steep perspective to a skyscraper vanishing point – with eight hoods bearing menacing instrument cases. Six brass, two reeds, and we're into the overture, which has more incident, more characters than many shows can boast in the whole of their First Act.

What amazing characters they are, the “evil-looking sinners” especially: lovely, lived-in faces marked by careers in big-time crime. Harry the Horse, of course [Kraig Thornber], and his portly partner in crime Nicely Nicely Johnson [Gavin Spokes], never without a handy snack. Their duet in the title number was immaculately done.

Terrific versatility further down the billing: Susannah Van Den Berg, to name but one [last in Ipswich with the Spend, Spend, Spend tour, I think]. She was a General in the Salvation Army, a hoofer in The Hot Box, a hooker on the street, and did two hilarious turns as an air hostess to cover the Cuban scene change.

Oh, and she played clarinet and sax in her spare time. Many of the lesser characters made up the free-flowing band, beating the drum for Jesus or standing around like so many subway buskers.

I'd also pick out Nick Lashbrook's Brannigan, Paul Kissaun as an imposing gangster on vacation from Chicago, and Johnson Willis as the gentle Abernathy - “More I Cannot Wish You” movingly done.

The two central couples were nicely contrasted. Brilliant character comedy work from Ben Fox and Rosie Jenkins as Nathan Detroit and his Miss Adelaide, and star-crossed Sky Masterson [Robbie Scotcher, comparatively lacking in charisma] and his Sally Army Sergeant Sarah [Laura Pitt-Pulford, whose vocal style was impressive].

The big show-stoppers were delivered with style, energy and imagination. The Crap-Shooters' Ballet in the sewer, Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat, with its shipwreck simply suggested [and a wind quartet of Mission girls], and the finest Havana sequence I've ever seen, when Miss Sarah gets her first taste of paradise, and takes her first faltering steps down the primrose path …

This enterprising co-production of the much-loved Musical Fable, directed by Wolsey regular Peter Rowe, has been attracting packed houses and glowing notices as it visits each venue. See it, and you'll soon understand why.

this piece first appeared on The Public Reviews

DRACULA SPECTACULA

Offspringers at the Cramphorn Theatre

22.03.11

The Undead, the Brides of Dracula, the trolley dollies all thronged the Cramphorn stage for the energetic opening of this ever-popular vampire musical.

It's a splendidly camp spoof – though much more innocent than Rocky Horror – and some of these young performers caught the style better than others. Among the most successful was Henry Whitington's Genghis; not as grotesquely deformed as he might have been, but constantly in OTT character. Becky Brewer as Wraith, and Alex Whitington as the Count himself, were also big, bad and bold – their hat-and-cane trio routine was a winner. Clod the Gravedigger, whoever he was, contributed a memorable mime.

On the side of the angels, I liked Ben Hitchen's earnest Professor [lovely subtle mugging] and Eve French's “sweet but vulnerable” Nadia Naïve, the Pennsylvanian teacher who brings her small charges [Loretta Bushell, Paul French, Mattie Scott]

to Transylvania on a school trip. And enthusiastic comedy relief was supplied by Kieran Young and Stephanie Quade as Hans und Gretel.

It was all good fun, with some clever ideas – the bogeys, the Red Bull, the “bridal” bed – and big production numbers – the Drinking Song, Transylvanian Airways. The climax, when the forces of evil are not quite vanquished, was confidently handled.

The Dracula Spectacula was directed by Jayne Silk, with June Watson the Musical Director.

CITY OF LONDON SINFONIA

M&G Concert at the Civic Theatre

20.03.11

Directed by guest leader Thomas Gould [who was here with the Britten Sinfonia last October], the City of London Sinfonia brought an unusual sequence of works for the last of this season's M&G Civic Concerts.

Two symphonies to start. An ebullient Allegro Assai led us into a nuanced performance of Haydn's 'Lamentatione', a reflective Adagio followed by a perky Minuet.

A much rarer treat from two centuries later: Philip Glass's Third Symphony, a chamber work for strings alone, and not without classical influence. Its mesmeric, subtly developed sequences were intelligently interpreted by the CLS, Gould's positive tempi bringing out what he referred to in the pre-concert talk as a suggestion of salsa … Movement Three was especially enthralling, with the lower strings setting up a pattern over which violin solos wove a marvellous melodic line.

A similar juxtaposition after the break: Barber's much more familiar Adagio for Strings, played with haunting intensity, preceding Mozart's Third Violin Concerto, given a performance of style and substance by Matthew Trusler, who achieved an easy rapport with the orchestral players. The spirit of Mozart was mostly clearly felt, perhaps, in the lilting Adagio, eloquently phrased by both soloist and Sinfonia. A dying fall at the end of the Rondeau concluded another hugely successful M&G series. Though it did make me long – vain hope, I know - for a proper concert hall in the county town, without the intrusive air conditioning or the annoying clink of cups and glasses from the bar after the interval.