NOISES OFF

NOISES OFF

Made in Colchester 

at the Mercury Theatre

05.05.2015

for The Public Reviews

Doors and trousers, boxes and sardines. The very essence of farce distilled in “Nothing On”, Robin Housemonger's classic from the early 70s.

Michael Frayn's no less acclaimed tribute to the genre shows us the action on opening night [The Grand, Weston-super-Mare], then from backstage at an Ashton-under-Lyne matinée, one month into the run, and finally, on its last legs, in Stockton-on-Tees, or was it the Old Fishmarket Theatre in Lowestoft ?

The company of eight, plus their director, struggle not only with the demands of the show – props, cues, entrances, exits – but also with their tangled private lives, the jealousies and the mutual loathings that spill out onto the stage.

Daniel Buckroyd's production skilfully builds the chaos and confusion, working up to the Act III climax that sees the curtain fall on the exhausted cast.

There is much physical fun on offer – the stairs, the doors, the telephone – but some fine character studies too. David Shelley excels as the earnest but dim Freddie, forever seeking motivation from harassed director Lloyd [Hywel Simons], who has woman trouble of his own, and would clearly rather be in Aberystwyth with Richard Crookback. Sarah Jayne Dunn looks stunning as the myopic airhead Brooke, and Louise Kempton makes a very convincing ASM, a tearful scapegoat for each fresh disaster. Dan Cohen is the company manager, who manages to go on as two different characters in the final act, and Peter Ellis plays the elusive Selsdon, a great Shakespearean reduced to character parts and driven to drink, wandering off stage to get his line.

Especially enjoyable as they become more and more fraught, Louis Tamone as Garry Lejeune, a slick farceur on stage, lost for words off, and Sara Crowe, her brave, clipped tones masking the turmoil within.

Dotty Otley, the housekeeper and mistress of the sardines, is given a fine double characterization by Louise Jameson – finding it all too much after twelve weeks on the road, she goes through the motions with bemused resignation.

The converted posset mill is wonderfully realised in Dawn Allsopp's design – an archetypal touring set, with red warmers on the tabs and light music on the tannoy. And there's a nicely spoofed Otstar Productions programme to enjoy during the scene change.

The first act, where Frayn is establishing his characters and setting up the play with the play, is a little slow, and only fitfully amusing, but there are many wonderful, laugh-aloud moments after the interval when things begin to unravel, as well as some subtler pleasures: the collective relaxation once the show is underway, the passing mention of an understudy run – surely an opportunity missed for a fourth helping of Housemonger.

this piece first appeared on The Public Reviews

EUROPEAN UNION CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

THE EUROPEAN UNION CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

M&G Concert at the Civic Theatre

03.05.15

The last M&G of this season, and a chance to hear the remarkable young cellist Guy Johnston in the Haydn Concert.

Elegant and exciting, his playing had plenty of heart; the subtly lyrical cantabile of the central Adagio was particularly impressive. His 1714 cello, by Rome maker David Tecchler, also acknowledged the warm applause.

After the interval, he played Bridge of Sighs, by Tim Watts – an atmospheric evocation of the restless canal beneath, with a nod to Monteverdi, premièred by this orchestra in 2013.

The concert began with sweeping string sounds of Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances, and ended with the unfailingly popular Fortieth Symphony of Mozart; after the subdued palette of the Watts, an athletic, extrovert rendering by this excellent chamber orchestra, directed from the violin by Eva Stegeman.

Another superb season of Civic Concerts, made possible by the fruitful collaboration between Orchestras Live and M&G Investments.

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

Horizons Performance Company at Brentwood Theatre

28.04.15

Dominic Cooke's stage adaptation of the 1001 nights was an excellent choice for the young performers of Horizons, blending story-telling with acting in role.

All fourteen actors played multiple parts. Especially successful in switching between narration and depiction were Charlie Bailey, as Ali Baba and others, Luke Edmunds as greedy Kaseem, and Liam O'Connell as Sinbad and the beggar boy. Shahrazad, whose bedtime tales save countless lives, was played by Songul Gilgil, with Kavneet Padam as her attentive sister. But this was very much an ensemble show, with everyone playing a crucial part in the six stories and the big set pieces.

Julia Stallard's production, though its pace was sometimes sluggish, was full of ingenious creativity. The horsemen and the umbrellas turning to gold inside the Sesame cave, the great auk, the beautiful island, the dogs and the wedding arches. Some impressive puppetry, notably for Sinbad, and lovely ombres chinoises. And there was a magical moment near the end, when snatches of stories past travelled through the mist to the ear of the king [Joe Nutter].

Good to see Brentwood Theatre packed to support these young performing arts students, and watch them acquiring key language and movement skills in such an entertaining context.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Witham Amateur Operatic Society

27.04.2015

Cartoon strip, black and white tv show, a popular, if not critical, success on Broadway, and the West End planned for next year.

This wonderfully weird family is busy in Essex just now, with WAOS this week, and LODS [at the Palace Westcliff] next.

The Witham show looks great, with projected backdrops and some stunning stage pictures. The living dead, the assorted ancestral Addamses from history, are pallid and wraith-like, with creative costumes in shades of beige and grey.

Against them, the harsher black and white of the present-day family, and the tasteful leisure-wear of their inlaws-to-be, the Beinekes from Ohio.

Some excellent performances in both camps. Corrina Wilson is priceless as Mrs Beineke: whining voice, powerful soprano and a spectacular “Waiting” after her chalice has been spiked. Stewart Adkins, as Gomez Addams, bears the brunt of the show, ably keeping the comedy coming and delivering some brilliant numbers; Constance Lawton his classy Morticia. The rest of the clan have varying success with the very special style this show demands – Edward Groombridge gives a splendid Grandma, and Fraser McLaughlan shows presence and polish as Pugsley. Trevor Marks has his moments as the moonstruck Fester, though the role demands a little more, perhaps.

The star-crossed lovers are engagingly portrayed by Ashton Reed and Ed Tunningley.

Nikki Mundell-Poole's energetic production is imaginatively staged – the supper-table “Full Disclosure”, jazz hands and enthusiasm from the ensemble, “Death Is Just Around The Corner”, the trees in Central Park, the “Secrets” dance routine, the chorus in “One Normal Night”.

All in the worst possible taste. The lyrics frequently sound feeble, the book is patchy, though there are some winning lines: “... makes Mary Poppins sound like Medea./I'm not getting your references./ Well quit the texting and pick up a book for once!”.

The music, though rarely memorable, is serviceable in many genres, and is well served by the company under Musical Director Geoff Osborne.

Always good to see a new musical, even if the characters are familiar. And Witham certainly pull out all the stops to sell the show. But I'm not sure I shall be queuing outside the St James's next year …

production photo courtesy of Matilda Bourne

video: Nick Griffin Film

WAOS The Addams Family Teaser #2 from Nick Griffin Film on Vimeo.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Shakespeare's Globe

26.04.2015

A colourful picture of Cinquecento Venice by the Thames: a lively carnival with drums and masks, torches and vendible maids, squibs and a Masque of Cupid, pimping and anti-semitic violence.

Curtain-raiser to a fine production from Jonathan Munby, with the stories clearly told, the audience involved. Beautifully designed too [though it remains my view that this stage needs no set] by Mike Britton, with a bronze gauze curtain to suggest Belmont, and sumptuous frocks all round.

The performances are neatly tailored to the space, too. Daniel Lapaine's lovesick Bassanio, Dominic Mafham's grizzled, strong Antonio, feisty charm from Rachel Pickup and Dorothea Myer-Bennett as Portia and her maid, the lawyer's clerk. The first suitor, Morocco, is given great presence by Scott Karim, got up to look like the ambassador to the Virgin Queen. Naturally, the comedy is very much to the fore, with an amusing Aragon from Christopher Logan and a great turn from Stefan Adegbola as Launcelot Gobbo, actually making his quandary funny, with the help of two groundlings as Devil and Conscience. Old Gobbo, though, presumably beyond rescue, remains excised.

But there's a deep, thoughtful, careful Shylock from Jonathan Pryce, in his first Globe role; despite his meticulous business with scales, weight and knife, he elicits the sympathy of the crowd, so that the legal quibble seems a little harsh, and Gratiano's taunting petty and base. His excellent Jessica is his own daughter, Phoebe Pryce.

At the end, in contrast to the riotous opening, and instead of the traditional jig, Jessica's Jewish lament, and a solemn procession for Shylock's painful Christian Credo.