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Theatre review: The Audience (Gielgud Theatre, West End, London, W1)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 18, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Theatre review: The Audience
Gielgud Theatre, 35 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6AR
Gielgud Theatre – map
Performance run: 15 February to 15 June 2013
Performance review date: Wednesday matinee, 14:30, 15 May, 2013
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: ***** (out of 5)

Thoroughly enjoyable. Ladies and gentlemen, you are cordially invited to attend an audience with Elizabeth II and not just one, but all of her prime ministers (13 to date). Since before her coronation in 1952, every Tuesday, except for when Tony Blair was prime minister (the audience was moved to Wednesdays ‘so that he had more time to prepare for Prime Minister’s question time’), the Queen has had a meeting with the UK’s Prime Minister so that he could brief her on important affairs of state and gain her support – well, she also has questions and requests, but prime ministers, as Elizabeth has seen and tolerated, tend to have their own agendas.

In this wonderful piece of theatre, which was written by Peter Morgan, directed by Stephen Daldry and with the central role of Elizabeth II performed by Helen Mirren, we, the audience, are luckily and happily privy to the Queen’s audiences with her various prime ministers, and there is insight into what is happening and the formalities that the Queen and her prime ministers undergo by a seasoned and trustworthy official.

Lasting two and a half hours, we not only get a sense of what it was like to work with Winston Churchill through to David Cameron (the play is kept current with new events, such as Margaret Thatcher‘s death added in), we also get to visit Balmoral, meet Elizabeth as a girl growing up in a Royal household and also see her dressed in a flowing and shimmering tulle gown, with her crown on her head and wearing many diamonds, for her famous photographs by Cecil Beaton.

Helen Mirren is wonderful in this role as she must constantly change outfit and hai style (and even colour) for each of her different audiences with the various prime ministers. The sets of the play are also gorgeous and elegant as they “show off” both Buckingham Palace and Balmoral. She is also bold, proud and confident as a monarch should be. The Queen wants to get her way, but understands that she must bow to the will of the people – she didn’t even get to take Prince Philip‘s surname of Mountbatten, although she wanted to.

Kudos to Helen Mirren, writer Morgan and director Daldry and designer Bob Crowley for creating such an inviting and modest yet sentimental, powerful and humourous play. It does indeed feels like we are in the intimate audiences that Elizabeth II had with her prime ministers. Theatre this palpable yet professional, strong and enticing is fairly hard to find as the time flies by. Well done to all involved in this production. Don’t miss the opportunity to be in the presence of two great people – both ‘the Queen’ and Helen Mirren.

Further information:
The Audience (official site)
Gielgud Theatre (official site)
Queen Elizabeth II of England (Wikipedia)
Helen Mirren (Wikipedia)
Peter Morgan (Wikipedia)
Stephen Daldry (Wikipedia)

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Theatre review: The Bread-winner by Somerset Maugham (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, Surrey)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , on May 14, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Theatre review: The Bread-winner by Somerset Maugham
Orange Tree Theatre, 1 Clarence Street, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 2SA
Orange Tree Theatre – map
Viewing date: 13 May 2013
Performance run: 17 April 2013 – 17 May 2013
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: *** (out of 5)
Credits: written by Somerset Maugham, directed by Auriol Smith, designed by Sam Dowson.

Somerset Maugham and the Orange Tree Theatre are both well-known and much fun – when done right. This production was quite good but for some reason the play, perhaps because of the way it was directed, came over as quite complacent. Although the piece is about a man who just lost everything in the stock market crash of the 1930s, I had little sympathy for the characters. I was glad to see a Somerset Maugham piece on stage but I don’t think it had the depth it could have if it was interpreted and directed in a different way.

Charles Battle of Golders Green, Northwest London, has just been “spiked” on the stockmarket. This means, as stated above, that he has lost everything and owes his creditors and backers much money. In Act I of the play, we meet his family (wife and two children) and his friend, Alfred Granger and his wife and two children. Before Alfred arrives, his children are discussing how horrible it is to have a non-grass tennis court, how the War (ie World War I) has affected their parents’ generation and how they want to live in London. Life, post-Roaring Twenties is still ok – until the crash. The wives wouldalso like to  holiday on the Riviera in France this year, without their ‘boring’ but tolerable husbands – until Alfred, and then Charles, come and describe what Charles has been through in now being poor.

When Charles enters in Act II, he is actually quite calm about what has happened to him. He is upset that he has lost everything but, possibly in shock, decides to make a new life – leaving his wife and children £15,000 to survive on. Charles says that now his children have grown up, he is bored of them and he feels that his wife has fallen out of love with him and he doesn’t want to be with her either. As Charles announces his news, his wife and Alfred’s wife and Alfred’s daughter all throw themselves at Charles – hoping he will stay and go back to the stock market to make more money (or in the case of Alfred’s daughter she wants to run off and be his mistress).

Charles, however, sticks to his guns and wants to be poor on his own. This is the action and plot of the play. Unfortunately, it is not as good as it could be. Why? A combination of directorial interpretation – and acting being a little bit lifeless and not as deep as it could be due to this. The sets are lovely and some of the costumes are also ok, however, this play pales in comparison to the Orange Tree’s last production, The Man Who Pays the Piper by GB Stern, which is from the 1920s – just before the first production of this play (1930). Thankfully, the Orange Tree has reasonably priced tickets for something that is passable but is not exactly stunning. It seems like everyone tries hard but this production is off the mark.

Further information:
The Bread-winner by W Somerset Maugham (Wikipedia)
W Somerset Maugham (Wikipedia)
Orange Tree Theatre (official site)
The Man Who Pays the Piper review (The London Reviewer)

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Theatre review: The Man Who Pays The Piper (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, Surrey, UK)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , on April 14, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Theatre review: The Man Who Pays The Piper
Orange Tree Theatre, 1 Clarence Street, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 2SA, UK
Orange Tree Theatre – map
Credits: Written by GB (Gladys Bronwen) Stein. Directed by Helen LeBlique.
Performance run: 13 March to 13 April 2013
Performance review date: Thursday 11 April 2013
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: ***** (out of 5)

It’s 1930 and Daryll Fairley’s father, who was a doctor and the family “breadwinner” dies in World War I (after we meet him briefly in the first scene of the play). Now, it’s Daryll’s responsibility to earn money to support her mother, siblings and their families by running a posh London fashion house. Yes, Darrell can earn money and run a household and business well – but only as a despot who barks out orders. After doing this both at work and at home, for several years, can she ever have fun and be “feminine” again? Can anyone help her become more ‘sub-ordinate’, or “break her” as she pleads for.

Written by GB Stein in the 1930s, to reflect the “current” time when this was written, this is a well-made and poignant play. Unlike some Noel Coward, Alan Ayckbourn or other 20th century pieces where it feels like we don’t meet the characters or there is little plotline, this play has both amply, so we laugh, like and at times feel sorry for Daryll and her family.

Hurrah for Helen LeBlique staging the play in traditional costume and sets and props. The Orange Tree Theatre, with its thick wooden floorboards and theatre in-the-round is the perfect setting for this story. So with that, and also that the cast does an excellent job of portraying their characters, it is no wonder why the show sold out so many nights – as it utterly entertaining.

For the 3.5 hours you are at theatre you are not only treated to excellent theatre, you also really do enter another era and feel like you an observant part of Daryll’s family. So many people sat quietly watching the play with satisfied and intent grins – truly, also, an amazing and happy creation to see.

Further information:
Orange Tree Theatre (official site)
GB Stern (Wikipedia)
The Man Who Pays The Piper by GB Stern (Wikipedia)

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Performing arts review: No Fit State (circus): Bianco

Posted in Performing Arts, Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Performing arts review: No Fit State (circus): Bianco
Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8EH
Roundhouse, Camden – map
Performance review date: Tuesday 9 April 2013
Performance run: 6-27 April 2013
Rating: *1/2 (ie 1.5 out of 5)

If you’re looking for an industrial-feeling show of acrobatics that represents “Urban Britain” and fits in well (ironically?) with the dark and high-rise landscape and atmosphere of Camden, then look no further than the current run of No Fit State‘s Bianco at the Roundhouse. The troupe of performers who do many acrobatics above your head at the Roundhouse get hats tipped to them for doing their best – and at times, the show, which incorporates a lot of people in various outfits (the long flowing dresses, suspenders and trousers and corsets and other flowing things being the most fun to be seen flowing through the air), is touching, alive, clever and unique.

But, unfortunately, a lot of the time it feels like you have people swinging above your heads and they don’t care much about what they are doing. I realise that they don’t intend this, but the show seems very loosely put together and there is not much personality to it. The best part of the show is that the Roundhouse looks fantastic in the lighting and it is a huge and lovely venue to spend time in and the music of the show puts you into a relaxed state.

Bianco, at times, is fun to watch what is going on, but for £20+/ticket and without much direction in the show, No Fit State’s current offering is a waste of time and money. One viewer of the show who has seen many of their shows said, “No Fit State’s other shows had a lot of emotion. They were unique and made you laugh and cry. This one, I don’t know. There is no life in it. What happened? I don’t know.”

Some people don’t like Cirque du Soleil, but their last show was actually a lot of fun. At the same price, it was more value and fun for money – and the Royal Albert Hall is also a great venue, particularly when there is a lively show on. No Fit State has great posters for the show and at times they make you laugh and smile at some of the stunts they perform (such as a snorkelling act) but overall it needs structure and choreography to it. With a lot of circuses coming and going, it is easy to see people on trapezes swinging over your head. What exactly they are doing on the trapezes will make you remember whether you want to come back and see (and trust) their next show or not. Not worth the money, but at least half the time they are trying hard to do something. What? Nobody really seems to know.

Further information:
No Fit State (official site)
Roundhouse (official site)

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Theatre review: Quartermaine’s Terms (West End, London)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Theatre review: Quartermaine’s Terms
Credits: Written by Simon Gray. Directed by Richard Eyre. Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Conleth Williams, Will Keen, Felicity Montagu, Malcolm Sinclair, Matthew Cottle, Louise Ford.
Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DA
Wyndham’s Theatre – map
Performance run: 23 January to 13 April 2013
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: **** (out of 5)
NB: the foreigner jokes can come across as racist, depends what kind of mood you are in.

It’s the 1960s and this Cambridge-based English language school for foreigners, which is a “well-established British institution” with “English lawns”, “dictation classes”, “croquet” and more, is back in session for another year – and St John Quartermaine, one of the teachers, needs to be well prepared!

Starring Rowan Atkinson as Quartermaine, this production of the Simon Gray play, which is well-directed and well-done – as a whole – by director Richard Eyre, is the perfect rendition of this tragi-comedy as there is much humour and Quartermaine is very funny and almost witty at times. However, poor Quartermaine (and you feel very sorry for him) is also (most likely) senile and incapable of accomplishing much as he is usually in a “haze” and a near full-time fixture in the school’s staff lounge. Quartermaine’s Terms, therefore, is a progression of how things go from status quo to desperate for him and also we learn about the lives and trials and details of his fellow teachers’ lives.

Well-directed and revived by Richard Eyre and the other creative directors, as well as by the cast, each character has a lot of definition and you care about all of them, no matter how self-obsessed or unsatisfied with life, or overly sensitive they may seem. Their foibles are what make them interesting, whereas if a play is either poorly written, poorly interpreted/presented or both these things can kill a play.

The whole cast and production are excellent and there is that “English cosiness” about it as the cast wear wool and tweed and various checked patterns, there is an overstuffed leather chair and books everywhere. Plus the lighting is just right and not too dim (which can kill a West End production), not too bright or too cold and the Wyndhams Theatre is very beautiful with the figurehead of the Queen in it as well as gilt detail and the cherubs and garlands over the stage. Well worth the time to see Rowan Atkinson and the production as whole. If you love Rowan Atkinson’s work, likely, you will love his humourous, oddly-mannered and poignant character in this play.

Further information:
Quartermaine’s Terms (official site)
Quartermaine’s Terms (Wikipedia)
Rowan Atkinson (Wikipedia)
Simon Gray (Wikipedia)

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Theatre review: Old Times by Harold Pinter (West End, London)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 30, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Theatre review: Old Times by Harold Pinter (West End, London)
Stats: Written by Harold Pinter. Directed by Ian Rickson. Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas – Kate/Anna, Lia Williams – Kate/Anna, Rufus Sewell – Deeley. Design by Hildegard Bechtler. Lighting by Peter Mumford.
Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DN
Harold Pinter Theatre – map
Performance run: 7 January – 6 April 2013
Review date: 29 March 2013
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)

Wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out as some later 20th “couple-lounge-dramas” can be heavy and self-aggrandising and a waste of time and energy (ie some 20th century ‘supposedly great’ British dramas are set in an uppermiddle class or upperclass lounge and don’t actually go anywhere or do anything – intellectually or emotionally).

However, this was a fantastic surprise and well worth going to see. Kristin Scott Thomas is a fantastic actress so did not want to miss the opportunity to see her on stage. (NB: I also thought the same of Rupert Everett until I saw him recently in The Judas Kiss – even though the show was boring I thought he could have shone through that, but I was wrong).

Pinter is a fantastic writer and I should never forget this. I think I did, however, because I started, in my head, comparing some of Alan Ayckbourn’s and some of Noel Coward’s work to his. However, now, fortunately, I remember that Pinter is more like Edward Albee and Samuel Becket and even a little bit of Mike Leigh – if I have to compare him to anyone.

Old Times is a sharp, stinging and breathtaking piece of theatre and even though I came to see it late in the run, it still had so much energy that I imagine that it has been truly stunning all the way through.

Kate, Anna and Deeley all know each other from the past. Kate and Anna lived in London together and used to it explore it and have many adventures together. In the show, Deeley and Kate are now married and live in the countryside, while Anna lives in Italy with her husband, but has come to visit them. Kate has had some kind of accident that makes her mentally vulnerable and she needs help from those around her to think straight and function. Meanwhile, Anna is a retired escort and Deeley once used to drink with her and still, in some respects, thinks she is attractive. Anna does not like to be reminded of this but also sort of tries to steal Deeley from Kate, due to boredom in her marriage and life, but when things don’t boost her ego or Deely’s ego as much as possible, they both try to cling to Kate and drain as much affection and admiration from her as possible. Thus we have our vicious and painful triangle that creates the energy, tension and curiousity throughout the piece.

There is a constant war for who is the “best friend” and most desirable of the three. Kate can’t help being vulnerable and needing love and attention but she is also caught up, unknowingly, in the struggle. The wonderful and clever thing about this piece, also, is that although there is monumental stories and action in the piece, which also has much of this happen through reminiscence but also the “almost” fling of Anna and Deely, by the end of the piece, things must go back to as they were when we just met them… so perhaps the phrase “Love’s labour lost” comes in.

Old Times runs 80 tense and exciting minutes. Pinter is a master at cruelty, tension, excitement and irony – what many successful dramas try to have. The piece is interesting, well lit and has a great simple, shabby set (nb: it is meant to be shabby to show how the characters struggle financially and that their glory days are indeed the “old times” they keep talking about.

Ian Rickson directs the actors in a style that is both like whiplash and continually exciting and the audience enjoys the bitter, unestimable tension of this piece. The sets and acting are also both wonderfully telling yet also tight and minimal. Therefore, we do not need much to know who these characters are or that they once experienced wealth but now there lives are beset with a lower middle class poverty, lethargy and sadness.

Many thanks to all involved for portraying this piece for us – with all of it, in a way, lead by Kristin Scott Thomas as she is full of energy and she doesn’t just deliver her lines, it feels like she knows and truly is her characters. (She and Lia Williams both play Kate and Anna, rotating  on different nights.) I saw her as Anna, the old friend and temptress. She was wonderful as a poshly dressed blond who was bored with her life, in some respects and therefore just a bit unsure of what she wanted and could get from Kate and Deely. Kate (as played by Williams) was obviously fragile and Deely was obviously bored, not really by his own fault, but due to having a wife that needed someone to look after her and could not be a real partner (at the least on an intellectual level). Great stuff, as you are intrigued by what is going on, feel a bit of pity and also are very impressed by the script, the sets and Scott Thomas’ amazing acting ability. One of those wonderful productions I will always remember fondly and be very glad I went to!

Further information:

Old Times (official site)
Harold Pinter (Wikipedia)
Kristin Scott Thomas (Wikipedia)

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Theatre review: Judas Kiss (West End, London)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Theatre review: Judas Kiss
The Duke of York Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4BG
The Duke of York Theatre – map
Stats: Written by David Hare. Directed by Neil Armfield. Cast: Rupert Everett as Oscar Wilde. Freddie Foxx as Lord Alfred Douglas.
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: *1/2 (out of 5)

Official synopsis (in brief): “It is 1895 and Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, is playing in the West End after a triumphant premiere, but already the wheels are in motion which will lead to his imprisonment, downfall and vilification. Forced to make a choice between his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, and his freedom, the ever romantic Wilde embarks on a course towards self-destruction…”

Argh… doesn’t this sound great? Unfortunately it is a sore, painful and IMHO expensive disappointment – painful because it looks great on  paper.

Roll on the review... Hmm. Let’s just shoot from the hip today and with this. It is literally freezing cold in London right now. So going out to the West End and spending your money in freezing, raining weather, when there is the chance that your boiler could go or you could get pneumonia is just the start (and  how many thousands of pounds is a new boiler or heating repair?) Meh. This experience is a shame. I had a toss up between getting a ticket to this or to see Old Times at the Pinter Theatre with Kristin Scott Thomas and I wasted my money and time on this production.

I thought it would be great as the premise of learning about what it was like for Oscar Wilde when he had to choose between imprisonment or being with his lover Lord Alfred Douglas (also nicknamed Bosie) would be great. Plus, you also get a promise of seeing and learning about the different parts of Wilde’s life.

But, unfortunately, this production is flaccid and boring – from the acting to the sets and a huge, overall and general lack of inspiration. Maybe it was better at the Hampstead Theatre? Maybe the cast have been spending too much time in a small, dark space, I don’t know? But unfortunately the show is boring and a waste of time. What a shame.

I’ve already started this review, but in some respects don’t know where to start, as the premise is great and the promise of seeing Rupert Everett on stage was also exciting. But, you get in and you are instantly dulled by the darkness of the theatre and lack of good lighting. Even worse, the set for the first act is a boring hotel scene with dark brown satin sheets. Surely, someone should have known that this won’t go over well in such a dark space?

The script is minimally amusing but it just does not hold one’s attention very well and by the intermission the staff tried to be kind and encourage you to stay by saying, “the second half picks up” and “other theatregoers all like the second half better”. And that it how it is…

We are hopefully enticed to the Duke of York Theatre by what looks like it should be a great night about Oscar Wilde. The brochures are nicely printed, the synopsis of the play is accurate but we get a boring act one and the second is slightly wittier and thankfully shorter (one hour). I think it comes down to the actors being tired of performing in such a small space on a minimal set. So in act one we get an interaction between Wilde and Bosie and Wilde staying to try and defend himself/his affair and getting incarcerated and then in Act Two he is “a broken man… holed up in exile from the UK in a rat-infested hotel in Naples”. This description is from Wikipedia, but it has grit and at least this production highlights this – ie what Wilde went through – fairly well in the second act.

I think I should have just read the script. Please, get these actors out of this show and this set and lighting as it is draining their energy too fast!

Further information:
The Judas Kiss (Wikipedia)
The Duke of York’s Theatre (website for it, but likely, not official)
David Hare (Wikipedia)

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Theatre review: Kiss Me Kate (West End, London)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Theatre review: Kiss Me Kate
Production run dates: 20 November 2012 – 3 March 2013
Performance review date: 3 December 2012
Old Vic Theatre, The Cut, London SE1 8NB
Old Vic – map
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: ***** (out of 5)
NB: a fantastic show. The staff are fantastic as is the actual stage and choice of seats. However, the venue is currently very very dusty (you could see the dust floating through the air during the performance) and the bar was (to be kind)  “overwhelmed” (ok, I’ll be frank – it stank!) by the smell of over-brewed coffee last night. NB: I don’t drink, but you must pass through it to get anywhere and sometimes these spaces do have great decor/architecture and views.

Nutshell review: Well, the posters on the Tube for this Cole Porter musical, dating back to 1948 America, look great and thankfully, the show is as exciting as the brightly coloured posters. Written by Cole Porter, it proves why this American man, who was born in Peru, Indiana in 1891 is a “musical” (in the Broadway/West End sense) genious. This show is not only beautiful to watch – thanks to the dancing and costumes, but it is also sassy, energetic and fun – which is a combination of the piece itself, the direction and talent of the cast! In fact, when it was on Broadway, it ran for over 1,000 shows and in 1949 won the Tony Award for Best Musical.

This is the musical that has made the song “Too Darn Hot” famous and dare I say, wow – it was great on stage tonight. Kiss Me Kate is a piece about love stories, which is framed within a production of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew – so not only do you get the pencil skirts and pill box hats as well as the double breasted pin-stripe suits and fedoras from 1940s Southern America, you also get some interesting Shakespearian/1950s style costumes.

Fred Graham, the director, has a show to put on and  his leading lady, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi, nor anyone, is not going to stop it. So, with the premise, ‘the show must go on’, we get a lively string of rehearsals and scenes from Taming of the Shrew, plus other numbers, interspersed with dance routines and also gangsters holding Lilli at gunpoint to make sure she doesn’t quit as Kate, because Fred owes them $10,000 and they won’t get paid unless the show runs.

The famous song “Too Darn Hot” comes in in Act II as Fred’s assistant (Paul – ie Jason Pennycooke) and others complain that it is “Too Darn Hot” to meet their lovers that night.

Director Trevor Nunn  is responsible – and to thank for this fun and lively production, which is tight, witty and completely enthralling. [Interestingly, he was also the director of the recent sell-out and fantastically done Off-West End Samuel Beckett production All That Fall - a radio play that was brought to stage this past autumn at the Jermyn Street Theatre, then at the Arts Theatre (30-seconds from Leicester Square tube).]

I left the theatre very happy and upbeat, so it indeed has the potential to be a feel good musical. Thankfully, Nunn has helped the cast to showcase the genious, grace and memorability of this piece. It is kind of like a Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind of theatre if done right – ie something beautiful, dramatic and utterly lovable, fun and clever.

Colourful and passionate in many ways – this is a delight for the ears and eyes and will have you smiling and toe-tapping throughout. From the very beginning all the way to the end, you not only like the piece, you also get to know and love the characters.

____________________________

And a special hats off to…
Excellent acting, dancing, singing and more by: Alex Bourne as Fred, Hannah Waddingham as Lilli Vanessi/Katherine, Jason Pennycooke as Paul, David Burt (First Man) and Clive Row (Second Man)  as the gangsters, Holly Dale Spencer as Bianca and Wendy Mae Brown as Hattie.

Memorable numbers: Too Darn Hot and Always True to You in My Fashion.

Further information:
Kiss Me Kate (Wikipedia)
Cole Porter (Wikipedia)
Kiss Me Kate information (Old Vic official site)
Old Vic Theatre (official site)

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Theatre review: Lemony Snicket’s The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming (Camden Roundhouse, London, NW1)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Theatre review: Lemony Snicket’s The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming
Performance date: 29 November 2012
Camden Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8EH
Camden Roundhouse – map
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: ***** (out of 5)

Nutshell - performance ratings:
Overall: 5*s (out of 5)
Acting: 4*s (out of 5)
Direction: 5*s (out of 5)
Piece that theatre piece is based on: 5*s (out of 5)
Script: 5*s (out of 5)
Sets: 5*s (out of 5)
Costumes: 4*s (out of 5)
Lighting: 4*s (out of 5)

Nutshell review: If you love the dark humour of Lemony Snicket‘s writing for children then you will love this piece of theatre. Lemony Snicket is probably best known for his series of books about the Baudelaire family in A Series of Unfortunate events. The Latke Who Couldnt’ Stop Screaming is about a potato pancake who is misunderstood. He is always on the run or looking for those who might try and understand him – and not eat him!

Compared to some of the shows in the West End right now, this production by YaD Arts and Tall Stories has loads of energy and is very creative. The sets are great shadowy looking houses and the cast is vibrant. Lighting is also good. It’s also nice, that this piece is only 50 minutes long – keeps it peppy and punchy. This piece has a dark edge but is also very merry and witty, yet also simple. It’s Lemony Snicket all over! Don’t know if he’ll ever get to see it, but he’d be very proud of what this theatre group has produced.

Production/Creative credits – all those who made this show the amazing and vibrant piece of art that it is! Directed by Olivia Jacobs & Tim Hibberd. Cast: Stuart Barter, Michael Lambourne, Luanna Priestman, Heather Saunders and Damien Warren-Smith. Music, lyrics and sound design: Lemez & Fridel. Designed by Bek Palmer. Lighting design by James Whiteside. Associate Producer Bonnie Mitchell. Produced by Josephine Burton and YaD Arts

Further information:
Lemony Snicket’s The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming (Camden Roundhouse official site)
The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming (Wikipedia)
Lemony Snicket (Wikipedia)
Lemony Snicket (Official site)
Camden Roundhouse (official site)

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Theatre review: War Horse (West End, London)

Posted in Theatre reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Theatre review: War Horse
Performance date: 30 November 2012
New London Theatre, Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5PW
New London Theatre – map
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: ***** (out of 5)

Nutshell performance ratings:
Overall: 4 1/2 *s (out of 5)
Acting: 31/2*s (out of 5)
Direction: 4*s (out of 5)
Script: 21/2*s (out of 5)
Sets: 5*s (out of 5)
Props (ie the amazing puppet horses, geese and more): 5*s (out of 5)
Costumes: 5*s (out of 5)
Lighting: 5*s (out of 5)

Nutshell review: Wow! Similiar to their success with Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, this is an absolutely beautiful-looking production, by the National Theatre, that I was happy to see. The visuals, the puppets, lighting and costumes are what make this show vibrant, worth the money and an absolute sell-out. The entire play is a graceful and living creature. A West End must-see (and therefore why it is always sold-out!) whether you like the script or not. Worth seeing just for the man-made horses and other animals!

Kudos to Michael Morpurgo for the book, stage adaptation by Nick Stafford, puppetry done by Handspring Puppet Company.

Synopsis information: War Horse synopsis – Wikipedia

Further information:
War Horse at the New London Theatre official site (National Theatre)
War Horse on Stage (official site for the theatre productions)
War Horse (Wikipedia)
National Theatre (official site)

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