Playhouse Pickings

Review – 4**** To Have and to Hold: The Hope Theatre

A love story for all seasons told with simple charm, and a tribute to the qualities that make us fundamentally decent human beings.

Mid-February is marked on every calendar as the most romantic day of the year. When cupid’s arrow looks for an unwitting target and a match made in heaven becomes a reality. Well that’s the general idea, but isn’t every day St Valentine’s Day? A time to tell to someone how we feel can be today, tomorrow or any day we choose. Well, the excellent Hope Theatre has come up with an antidote to the sentiment and fluff with To have and to hold; a raw, honest and touching play about a couple weathering the storms of life, yet still enduring as a unit.

Review – 4**** West End Musical Celebration: Live at the Palace Theatre

Some of our brightest young performers shine in this well produced greatest hits package. The West End is alive and well!

This time last year the first lockdown was in full swing and a great night out seemed a distant dream. But just like the Covid jab this show is a shot in the arm for theatre goers starved of real entertainment. West End Musical Celebration is billed as a greatest hits package and essentially this is what we get.

Co-producer and host Shanay Holmes kicked off with a great version of You Can’t stop the beat from Hairspray, and introduced a succession of brilliantly talented performers. Ben Forster, winner of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Superstar TV show totally nailed Music of the night and Superstar. Sophie Evans delivers a spine tingling rendition of Somewhere over the rainbow and almost brings a tear to the eye.

Trevor Dion Nicholas performed Friend like me from Aladdin, a song that could have been written for him. Alice Fearn took a standing ovation for Defying gravity and drew a similar response for Let it go in Act II. Rachel John displayed an impressive vocal range with Don’t rain on my parade, while Layton Williams tore the roof off with the touring production Everybody’s talking about Jamie. As the show cranked up to its finale Shanay displayed her diva credentials on Listen and One night only. The cast joined together at the end to perform the rousing From now on from the Greatest Showman.

3*** Public Domain – The Vaudeville Theatre @VaudevilleTh @publicdomainwe

Public Domain – The Vaudeville Theatre

Tweetingit: 3* The toxic reality of social media laid bare in this innovative new piece from two highly talented performers.

Our reliance on social media during the pandemic was undeniably complete. It provided a vital lifeline and maintained a semblance of human industry allowing many to work from home. However, it must be wondered if real communication has been usurped by a range of annoyingly convenient devices that do everything except keep us real.

So Public Domain is a timely study of how social media became an animal we feed but can no longer control. Following its well-received digital debut at the Southwark Playhouse, it now features in a limited four date run at the Vaudeville Theatre in the Strand.

As a verbatim musical it draws heavily on the indelible universe of the internet. There is a disturbing air of familiarity, as Francesca Forristal and Jordan Paul Clarke portray characters and moods that increasingly dominate our lives. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are thoroughly analysed and exposed, resplendent with their obvious shortcomings. Forristal and Clarke occupy boxes on either side of the stage and engage through words and gestures; but never really talk.

Review: 4**** Titus Andronicus The Show Must Go Online @robmyles #ShakespeareDeck #cultureduringquarantine #staycreative

Tweetingit: 4* The ancient and modern meet head on as social media lends a hand in this inventive production of Shakespeare’s bloodiest tale.

The techno phobe lurking deep within me is now under control thanks in no small part to the ever inventive Show Must Go Online. It’s difficult to imagine how a theatrical production could possibly work on Zoom via YouTube. But these talented thespians turn the trick despite a maddening dip in sound levels.

However the company were undaunted and the gremlins were thankfully defeated. Zoom splits the screen which can feature anything between two and eight actors at any given time. Stage directions are provided with vision mixing according to the requirements of each scene. A green border marked the actor when they spoke as a surprisingly tense live performance began.

Titus Andronicus explores the vagaries of power and ambition as fragile alliances are made and broken at will. The Roman Emperor is dead and his sons Saturninus (Wayne Lee) and Bassianus (Khuyen Le) are fighting over who should succeed him. However Marcus Andronicus (Julia Walker Wyson) appears to calm troubled waters with the announcement that brother Titus (Michael Bertenshaw) is the people’s choice of Emperor. Titus will shortly return from a victorious war against the Goths with numerous scores to settle.

From an actor’s point of view it can’t be easy delivering a performance under these conditions. Actors invariably take their cue from other cast members.

They rely on gestures and mannerisms when delivering a line. Eye contact is vital in timing the correct response especially on stage. All these physical prompts the actors might rely upon are, inevitably largely missing but this did not matter. There was the occasional moment where they spoke over each other’s lines and in these circumstances, this is an occupational hazard but it never troubled the performer nor viewer. The company happily improvised props and links to smooth the transition between scenes.

An actor will never just do a reading, it is always more than that and this group of fantastic actors prove this.

The Show Must Go Online has also produced an online guide for viewers staging a themed party including themed drinks and food. The mind wanders to dark places where Titus Andronicus is concerned but hey, why not?

Director: Rob Myles

Next week is Richard III

To support the production, go to their patreon

To watch, go to their YouTube page

Review: 3*** Love Never Dies – via the Shows Must Go On YouTube @OfficialALW #cultureduringquarantine #stayathome #musicals

Tweetingit: 3*** Andrew Lloyd Webber’s magic touch just about sees this sequel to Phantom through any rough patches. But it’s sometimes difficult to see the join with plainly familiar melodies.

The sequel is generally confined to the big screen where we’re accustomed to roman numerals in the title and resigned to the money printing potential of a follow-up tale. However, in the theatre it’s rarely if ever tried with any degree of success.

Who else but Andrew Lloyd Webber would have the nerve and financial muscle to pull it off? Despite ALW’s protestations Love Never Dies is a sequel to Phantom of the Opera. Negative previews in 2010 forced a re-write before it opened for a year-long run in the West End. However, a planned Broadway transfer was shelved after more mixed reviews. The show decamped to Australia in 2011 where it generally found a warmer reception. This film is a recording of the show staged at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne.

Review: Secret Sofa – The Grand Budapest Hotel – Star rating depends on your own efforts but 5***** for making staying home so much better! @secretcinema #secretsofa @haagendazsuk @KieranMortell #staycreative #cultureinquarantine

Last Friday I got dressed up, drank champagne, ate ice cream and explored the gloriously odd world of The Grand Budapest Hotel. I did in my living with with 1000s of people from around the world thanks to Secret Sofa.

Secret Sofa is a new branch of the highly acclaimed Secret Cinema. It is obviously slightly different as you cannot possibly get the same level of interactivity without the incredible amount of work that goes into the standard Secret Cinema experience, but this is all about what you make it and if you put in some effort, it is blooming brilliant.

The premise is this:

Every Tuesday you receive an email telling us what the next film is. You are given some activities and instructions which we can choose to do, or not, it is up to you. You find a place to stream the film and then on Friday night, the community gathers on Facebook. Announcements are made throughout the afternoon/early evening. This week that included a fabulous Spotify playlist to get us in the mood. 15 minutes before you start the film, a member of Secret Sofa immerses you in the world of that film. This week it was the Lobby boy, Henrik. ( Kieran Mortell). He welcomed the guests, told us of the happenings in the hotel, promised to hold any sordid secrets until his death, and taught us to waltz.

Review: 4**** Treasure Island – The National Theatre at Home via YouTube @PatsyFerran @NTLive #NationalTheatreAtHome #TreasureIsland #cultureduringquarantine

Tweetingit: 4* A one-legged man with a parrot on his shoulder looking for treasure never fails to grip the imagination. A classic story refreshed and rebooted for the London stage.

For a novel first published in 1883 Treasure Island remains an enduring classic. No less than nineteen film and TV adaptations have been made including animated features and a memorable Muppet movie. The story’s appeal lies in the spirit of adventure and promise of untold riches, fighting with pirates and stealing away hidden treasure. We played this story out in our minds as children and this excellent production recreates the magic once again.

Old sailor Billy Bones (Aidan Kelly) takes up lodging at the Admiral Benbow Inn on the English coast. Innkeeper’s child Jim Hawkins (Patsy Ferran) learns of a one-legged seafaring man while Bones fights with old shipmate Black Dog (Daniel Coonan). A blind beggar called Pew (David Stern) later tempts Bones with the promise of a map showing buried treasure. However, Bones dies of a stroke shortly afterwards as Pew and cronies lay siege to the Inn. Hawkins and her mother escape with a package taken from Bones’ belongings. The package contains a map of an island where infamous pirate Captain Flint had hidden treasure. With the help of Dr Livesey (Alexandra Maher) and squire Trelawney (Nick Fletcher) they raise an expedition to the island. Their appointed crew includes the mysterious Long John Silver (Arthur Darvill), a man with history and more than a passing interest in the booty.

Review: 3*** East – The Vaudeville Theatre @digitaltheatre @VaudevilleTh #cultureduringquarantine #stevenberkoff

Tweetingit: 3* A smartly scripted verse play from the cultured pen of Stephen Berkoff is a hit and miss affair but still generates a distinctive aura of time and place.

Stephen Berkoff made his name as a villain in numerous film roles where he grappled with James Bond and Rambo among many others. He even mastered Adolph Hitler in TV blockbuster War and Remembrance. However, Berkoff’s spiritual home is the theatre where his skills as a playwright were honed. East was first performed in 1975 and this is the 25th-anniversary production captured live at the Vaudeville Theatre in London.

The play is an occasionally witty and frequently explicit portrayal of life in London’s East End. The anatomy of a rowdy working class family is explored in a series of vignettes – love, romance, family and friendship are all recurring themes battling for centre stage. Mike (Christopher Middleton) and Les (Matthew Cullum) are two likely lads competing for the affections of flirtatious Sylv (Tanya Franks). Mum and Dad (Edward Bryant and Jonathan Lindsey) survey the unfolding chaos and reminisce about the good old days.

News: Secret Cinema launches Secret Sofa – immersive cinematic experiences at home. @haagendazsuk @secretcinema #secretcinema #staycreative #immersivetheatre

Do you enjoy luxury and decadence? Are you Rich, old, insecure, vain, superficial, needy and liberally perfumed? Well The Grand Budapest Hotel is the place for you, and this Friday you get to escape lockdown and head there with many 1000s of other new clientele.

This might be one of the most exciting things I have seen for a while!

Secret Cinema, have been helping fans since 2008 to immerse themselves in their favourite imaginary worlds for real. Stranger Things, Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future, Blade Runner and many more have been tackled by them so far and now they are creating a weekly Secret Sofa for us to enjoy from our homes.

It is time to escape this madness and join 1000s of other households (potentially from all over the world) and immerse ourselves in the Secret Sofa world.

Review: 5**** Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert – The 02 Arena, London via @SkyArts #CultureinQuarantine @AlfieBoe @MsLeaSalonga @realmattlucas

Tweetingit: 5* Victor Hugo’s sprawling epic seamlessly transfers from stage to the stadium rock atmosphere of London’s 02 Arena. A perfect production showcasing rare genius.

Once upon a time I acquired the hardback version of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Needless to say 1,232 pages stayed in pristine condition as I contrived excuses not to read it. Hugo’s masterpiece had so many alternative uses – mine was primarily a doorstop before its convenient loss during a house move. Any literary guilt was assuaged by the brilliant stage version that first graced the London stage in 1985. My own twisted logic dictated that I no longer needed to read the book. It is after all a brilliantly distilled version of the novel that marries narrative with beautifully constructed songs.

This film made in 2010 marked the 25^th anniversary of the show’s first production at the Barbican. The transfer from theatre to the stadium like 02 Arena might at first present a challenge. However, Les Mis easily fills the 20,000 capacity venue as the songs grow bigger and better. Two giant screens flank a full orchestra and huge choir stretching across the stage. Sets are stripped away as cast members take the stage in authentic 19^th Century costume. The unique atmosphere was obvious even on the small screen and one could sense the film captured a very special night.

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