For those who would like to see an excellently staged Seventies piece, then look no further as this piece has excellent costumes, lights and acting – and you are stepping BACK into the Seventies for two and a half hours. However, despite all of the excellent sets and costumes and acting… one isn’t very sympathetic to the characters as the script, which is about people having an affair, is very heartless and souless. Worth seeing if you like light humour, otherwise give it a miss and go catch something with more substance. The short review is prompted by one not having much sympathy for the superficiality of the script, despite some witty quips and jokes.

As always, Cirque du Soleil is a flurry of pleasant noise and colour when it comes to London (and the UK). However, this time, Totem, which depicts man’s evolution from an aquatic and amphibian being in to a species that wants to fly is pretty but does not take one’s breath away as Quidam did at the Battersea Power Station, when Cirque du Soleil first introduced itself to Britain in 2001.

Make no mistake, the costumes are pretty and the music is upbeat but most of the acrobatics, and the comic interludes, are not as sharp or enticing as past shows. And, for the expense of the tickets, one would be better off getting cheap seats at the opera, doing something outside for free like walking a dog or flying a kite or staying at home and playing a game while listening to good music.

However, although not as electrifying as some of Cirque’s other shows, there are still a few “as always” that hold true.

As always:

• costumes are incredibly beautiful such as “crystal man’s” and the “crystal ladies” who “emerge from the fiery bowels of the earth to evoke the creation of the world and the beauty of minerals” (the ladies also spin shimmering crystal plates for their act)
• the orchestra has a beautiful sound
• the performers try their hardest – and what they do, they do extremely well
• the sets, costumes and lighting are extremely imaginative and eye-catching

So what is the problem? The problem is that the tickets are way too expensive, the plotline is too watery and unimaginative, and because of the vague storyline the acrobatics – such as plate-spinning and tight-rope walking – just don’t come across as exciting as they could if there was a focus purely on either acrobatics or on storyline.

So for a minimum of £27 per ticket after you pay all of the booking fees, is it worth a trip to the Royal Albert Hall to sit in the dark and possibly have an obstructed view? Er, no. Be happy with the website (for clips of the show and artwork) and advertising that you might see around London.

Further information:
Cirque du Soleil: Totem (official site)
Cirque du Soleil (official site)
Royal Albert Hall (officiall site)

Based on the Disney film, this is the tale of lion cub Simba’s growth into adulthood and rise to being king of his pride. A captivating story, it works well on stage due to the gorgeous puppet-characters and live accompanying music. 

Simba is the son of the brave and good king Mufasa and the little lion cub has a good life until his uncle, Scar, decides he wants to be king and kills Mufasa. After this happens, Simba is banished from the kingdom and meant to be killed. Fortunately for him though, those sent to do the job are too lazy to bother.

The musical focusses on Simba’s adventures in the ‘Shadowlands’ and his coming of age to regain his rightful throne.

The Lion King has lasted so long in the West End due to the beauty of the production – from its elaborate and clever puppetry to the joviality of the songs and music. A feast for the senses, it’s definitely worth seeing.

Further information:
The Lion King (Official site includes synopsis)

Who’d have ever thought murderesses could be sexy, but they are in this vaudevillean 1920s musical, which is written by Kander and Ebb and choreographed by Bob Fosse.  Roxie Hart is looking for stardom and tries to learn how to achieve it from Velma Kelly, who is in for a double murder of her husband and sister - and has had her story splashed all over the papers. 

Hooking up with slick lawyer Billie Flynn to represent her in court, Roxie gets her chance at fame, with Velma as an unlikely sidekick. It takes a while for this musical to grow on you, but it’s a clever piece of dark theatre with great dancing and songs. Worth seeing for its choreography and smart-aleck dialogue.

Further information:
Chicago the Musical (Official site includes synopsis)

Wicked is the very pretty, but light story of the making – and friendship between - two of Oz’s most famous characters: Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North. 

Based on the book by Winnie Holzman, this story starts long before Dorothy arrives and kills Elphaba’s sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. It tells how both witches were found to have powers worth developing as little girls. It then goes on to delineate their experiences at school and how Elphaba is the nicer and more powerful of the two, yet Glinda becomes the beloved and well-dressed good witch and Elphaba becomes a rued outcast.

The musical is most noted for its gorgeous costumes, interesting dance routines and the fact that it expands the story of the Wizard of Oz. And being a feast for the eyes, the so-so songs and bland plotline are excusable. Worth seeing for the visual experience, but not much to take away with you afterwards.

Further information:
Wicked (Official site includes synopsis)

Italian author Luigi Pirandello is a wonderfully clever writer who can create the most beautiful images on stage through his words – as he has done with this play. And because the original premise of this piece is so good, and the reviews for this show at the Gielgud were also good, I was indeed eager to go and see it – for only a tenner*!

However, sadly, this production is nothing like the original. Modernised and set within a framestory of a film crew making a piece about euthanasia that they are not happy with, the six characters enter the film crew’s lives (or moreover ‘reality’ – as this is one of the main themes within the play) and begin to play out their tale.

The story within the story – ie why the six characters are there is very intriguing. Looking very noir (perhaps something from the Addams family), as they are dressed in black with powdered faces, a mother, her four children (two boys, two girls) and their stepfather tell their tale of incest and death using a good deal of Pirandello’s original language.

Fortunately, this carries most of the piece for a traditionalist, like me, who doesn’t like how the story has been interspersed with the modern-day film documentary. The other excellent part of the play was in Act Two when the little girl dies in the pond. It was eerily captivating as, on a dim stage, she slowly drowns in a large, underlit fish tank.

For people wanting an innovative piece of theatre, they will be pleasantly satisfied. Plus, the six characters are all excellently acted. However, Pirandello traditionalists may be disappointed of how this beautiful work has been skewed.

Further information:
Gielgud Theatre (Official site includes information about this show)
Luigi Pirandello (Wikipedia)

Blood Wedding by Gabriel Garcia Lorca
at The Scoop, in the City of London this summer? With good reviews, this brilliant play by Lorca sounds like it’s worth an outing.

• Currently scheduled for free from Thur to Sun until 7 September.
• Check the official site for further details: http://www.morelondon.com.
• Show time: 8pm
• Address: The Scoop at More London, Queen’s Walk, London, SE1.
• Tube: London Bridge/Tower Hill.

Despite being two hours long, the engaging performers and the half-hour intermission, give the show a perfect pace and by the end of the night, you feel liked you’ve floated along on a raft of unique entertainment and are ready to ‘flow’ home.

With each act seeming more breathtaking than the next, this is a highly recommended show for all ages.

More information:
Afrika! Afrika! (official site)

Ticket bargains:

* The Peter Doig at the Tate Britain exhibit only costs £5.50 with the booking fee via the Tate’s official site. It’s also gotten 6/6 stars in Time Out. Looks good if you like pretty realism scene paintings (with rainbows even).* Afrika! Afrika! has extended to May and you can get some tickets for the later April and May shows. (Ie you can pay £19.00 + booking fee for a limited view instead of having to buy the £49.00 & £59.00 tickets + fee – these are the unrestricted view seats.)

And, as always, reviews will be incoming after I see these!

More gossip:

I went to book Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow at the Old Vic (with Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Spacey) and it’s sold out! Had no idea it was so popular. *sigh*

It’s the 1970s and we’re in dinner party territory – which many have done before and better than Alan Ayckbourn on this occasion. Throughout the three acts of this play, which incorporates kitsch sets and the excitement of a new-fangled thing called a ‘dishwasher’, we learn about the relationships between three middle-class couples, which come as across as unoriginal characters with corny lines. With the action taking place ove three consecutive Christmases, we learn more than we wanted to know about the ins and outs of their dysfunctional relationships.

Despite starring the versatile Jenny Seagrove and Jane Horrocks, who is generally considered a ‘little darling’ of stage and film, the sets, costuming, dialogue and plot are all lacklustre. Acting from Horrocks and Seagrove is weak while that from Lia Williams as Eva, an unstable woman who contemplates suicide, is overdone.

I’m surprised that someone as famous as Ayckbourn could concoct something so cheesy and, sadly, trite. If you’re looking for a 70s-80s piece that’s similar, check out some good, proper farce like Ray Cooney’s Run for Your Wife or Marc Camelotti’s ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ or the interesting cocktail party-social drama Abigail’s Party by Mike Leigh.

Further information:
Absurd Person Singular synopsis (Wikipedia)
Alan Ayckbourn’s biography (Wikipedia)
Garrick Theatre’s history (Wikipedia)