Joking Apart Review

Joking Apart

Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury

After a fantastic production of Way Upstream, the Salisbury Playhouse has brought the Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company's production of Joking Apart to their stage. The premise of the play is a simple, slice-of-life story that follows four sets of neighbouring couples in middle class suburbia over 12 years. Set in the garden of Richard (Robert Curtis) and Anthea (Emily Pithon), the passing of time is acknowledged by references to their unseen children. The play ends with Richard and Anthea allowing their daughter, Debbie (Katie Brayben), to celebrate her 18th birthday with her friends in the garden. This happy ending is deceptive as long before this cracks have appeared beneath this idyllic setting.

Alan Ayckbourn is known for creating stereotypes in his plays, and it is easy to notice most of the characters' flaws. What is clever is that Richard and Anthea are the least stereotypical of all the characters, with their noticeably happy attitude their own flaws, while only gradually became apparent. Moments of revelation and tension break the gradual pace of the play, and as it ends there is a slight taste of sourness in the air. However, Ayckbourn's witty dialogue is sprinkled throughout to create what is, on the whole, a lovely comedy.

Some of the characters and their personalities soon became tiring. Thorston Manderlay plays Sven, who speaks with a rather jarringly knowing and cynical tone of voice, though as he revealed his frustrations I was able to sympathise with him. Sally Scott played nervous Louise, however I felt the character's gradual break down is portrayed heavy-handedly which impacts upon the final scene.

Will Barton was the most sympathetic as Brian, the new vicar. His difficulty in being accepted amongst his neighbours is made worse by his reserved character. Robert Curtis and Emily Pithon made a lovely couple as Richard and Anthea. Even as their motivations are revealed, I would never have guessed what was behind their cheerful guise.

The the sense of anxiety cannot be missed with Edward Harrison playing Hugh, who recognises the facade that Richard and Anthea put on, and from the start shows the bitterness that gradually spreads throughout the play. In each scene he is accompanied by different, but equally eccentric girlfriends, all of whom are played wonderfully by Katie Brayben before she appears as Richard and Anthea's daughter at the end.

Yet again Salisbury Playhouse is adorned with a detailed set produced in conjunction with Nottingham Playhouse. The garden is perfect, with tennis court, a tree with swing, summerhouse and nicely trimmed shrubbery. The passing of time is shown as the characters bring on and off jack-o-lanterns, lights, speakers, seats, a table, and all sorts. During the first scene the production team use some neat effects to give the impression of Guy Fawkes Night (and not just lighting and sound). Between each scene songs from the 70s are played which complements the setting.

This is not a fulfilling play that leaves you with a bright ending. However, together with Ayckbourn's writing and a strong cast it is an engaging, and at times deceptive little play to watch at a low Top Price.

A Chorus Line Review

A Chorus Line

London Palladium, London

This musical about the challenges faced by hundreds of performers competing for a few roles is told with so much heart in this fantastic production. Directed by the original co-choreographer, Bob Avian, there is a sense that the cast and production team cares for this musical and it shows.

The plot is a basic one, where John Partridge as director and choreographer, Zach, puts on an audition for a new musical. He chooses 17 hopefuls and now has to find "four and four" for the chorus line, so he then asks each dancer to tell him about themselves. The musical is based on "tapes of informal sessions in which a group of long-time Broadway dancers recounted their battle scars, frustrations, heartbreaks, fears and small triumphs". Indeed as the play progresses each character steps forward from the line of auditionees to tell Zach about their different stories. 

The first few are interesting to hear. As the first to tell his story, Adam Salter starts hesitantly but grows in confidence and optimism showing dozens of dance moves during I could do that. Simon Hardwick as Al is a caring, if overbearing, husband to Frances Dee's tone-deaf Kristine, as he finishes all her verses in tune. Rebecca Herszenhorn is a flirtatious Val, as she confides in the song Tits and Ass how she had to have plastic surgery to enhance her looks and gain attention.

But soon the musical begins to show how chorus dancing matters to the auditionees. Leigh Zimmerman plays veteran dancer Sheila, a competitive woman who at first does not take Zach's new approach to the audition seriously. However, she soon begins to confide her unhappy childhood. Together with Daisy Maywood and Vicki Lee Taylor as Bebe and Maggie, the three quaintly show how dancing allowed them to escape from life "At the Ballet".

Scarlett Strallen is almost the mirror image of her character, Cassie, a veteran dancer and successful singer. Yet as she reveals why she has decided to go back to the chorus line, there follows a heated confrontation between her and Zach. Soon afterwards she performs a passionately fiery dance number in The Music and the Mirror. John Partridge meanwhile commands the audition as the imperious Zach, whilst at times he gets to show a caring side to his character.

My favourite actor though would have to be Gary Wood as Paul. He was a nervous young man who remains in the background until the second half of the musical. The story he tells Zach about his early career as a drag act gradually becomes more poignant as he describes his struggle with his homosexuality.

But let us not forget about the dancing and songs. I was attracted to this musical by listening to the music, and now that I have finally seen this production it did not dissapoint.  From the start a simple audition turns into a vigorous and competitive song and dance number, I hope I get it, as the music comes alive with thunderous aplomb. Auditionees struggle to keep up with the veterans, whilst others sing of their longing for the job that is only available for the best. During the rest of the musical we get to see each wannabe show off their dancing. When the musical finishes with One (Reprise) the chosen dancers get to show the spectacular dance number they were auditioned to do

The set is a simple one, consisting of a black stage with a wall of mirrors at the back and a white line along the floor. This allows the audience to focus on the dancing and drama that takes place within this space. It is only when the musical gets to One (Reprise) that the stage becomes an extravaganza and the dancers wear golden satin costumes. Special mention though must go to the lighting designer, Tharon Musser, for providing some colourful and stylistic moments in the musical.

This is not your typical musical is full of spectacle and entertainment from beginning to end, so bear that in mind if you are just looking for a good night out. However this production is recommended not just because of the music and dancing, but because it gives you an insight into the life of the budding performer in the musical theatre industry. This is put across by a perfect cast, who help to create some poignant moments. This should be seen at a high Top Price

The Phantom of the Opera Review

The Phantom of the Opera

Tour - The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

This is a musical that needs no introduction, but I was interested in seeing this revamped touring production and how it would compare to the London production. I saw the latter about four years ago. I have never really been a fan of this musical, and lately I have been appreciating Stephen Sondheim more than Andrew Lloyd Webber. However I do recognise that this musical is outstanding and would agree that it deserves its 26 year run. 

I have read the numerous complaints that this lesser production has deviated from the original. Having seen this production I would agree that some of the changes work and others do not. Yes, there are moments that did not make sense, Stranger Than You Dreamt It in particular. Yes, it was disappointing that the chandelier did not fall, though I thought the production team nicely replicated the Overture as much as they could. Yet for a touring production in this day and age, this production excelled at what it could do with the musical for the average theatre goer.

If there is a reason why this production should be seen, it is to see the leading performances. Earl Carpenter proves to be a very expressive phantom. In this production the character is shown to be more human and indeed during The Music of Night he is shown tutoring Christine Daae as her Angel of Music. At the same time Early was caring, masterful and even flirtatious at one point. He shows the phantom's yearning for love but by the end he becomes a pathetic creature. Elsewhere, Earl would fly into fits of rage and at times would twist the lyrics with menace.

Alternate Olivia Brereton is lovely as the innocent Christine Daae. By the time she sings Wishing you Were Somehow Here Again she is overwhelmed with despair and uncertainty but matures with growing resolution. Simon Bailey is a boyish, honorable, and at times impatient Raoul, though sometimes his singing is slightly erratic.

The rest of the cast is good. Angela M Caesar sings her songs well enough as Carlotta, though she is a bit breathy at other times in the musical. Andy Hockley and Simon Green sadly did not leave much of an impression as the managers and produced a rather dry Notes. Elizabeth Marsh did not give a subtle portrayal of Madame Giry and her outbursts were sudden.

If I do have a problem with the production values it is that a lot happens on the stage. What struck me about the London production was there were moments when a lot of the stage was in darkness whilst the actors would only use a portion of the stage. A lot of the scenes were therefore minimalistic, set-wise, and it gave the musical an enigmatic edge. In this production the stage was taken up by circular, rotating walls that moved around the stage and revealed scenes from within. Together with other sets they did look cheap, whilst taking away the mystery from the musical.

Overall I do think this is a good production, and the changes to the original production do not instantly make this production bad. The lead performances and a number of the special effects alone, make this musical worth seeing for itself.  For newcomers this is worth a Low Full Price just to hear the music. I myself am glad that I saw it but would have rather paid to see it at a high Bargain.

God of Carnage Review

God of Carnage

Nuffield Theatre, Southampton

One has to wonder whether we all carry a bit of carnage within ourselves, after seeing this play. In this production, Yasmina Reza’s award winning play, God of Carnage, a strong cast helps to bring alive issues of child-rearing and marriage whilst leaving the audience in stitches.

The production starts off with two sets of parents trying to resolve a serious incident between their children. What ensues however are continuously heated arguments about who is in the right, whilst bringing out some ugly sides to the parents. With some witty dialogue it is hilarious to watch these people stoop to the level of monsters

Within a simple set of a stylish lounge, with a tint of red to it, the play relies on the performances which are what the production excels at. However within a 1 hour and 20 minute one act play so much is revealed that I can only give my general thoughts on the characters without spoiling  the twists of the complex narrative.

Matthew Kelly’s Michel Vallon is jolly and keeps agreeing with everything the others say. James Clyde, as hotshot lawyer Alain Reille, with mobile at the ready, is to the point and confrontational. Yet it is clear that both lack the concern for their sons that the women display.

Tracey Childs’ Veronique Vallon was the upstanding, overbearing wife who is ever willing to preach on child-rearing methods and the third World. Miranda Foster is a fragile but intelligent and graceful Annette Reille. It becomes clear that her problems stem from the attitude of her work obsessed husband. 

These strong performances allow the wit and swirling issues of the play to be cleverly brought to the fore.  Although it is perhaps 10 minutes too long, this delightful one act play combines laughter with the serious issues of child-rearing and marital discord. Go and see this at a low Top Price

The Winter's Tale Review

The Winter's Tale

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Starting the RSC's 2013 summer season (ignoring the fact that we are only in February) is Lucy Bailey's production of The Winter's Tale. Since seeing David Farr's 2009 striking production I have been fascinated by the story of a man overcome with jealousy, which results in his downfall. However despite all he has done he is forgiven by the end. I was therefore looking forward to seeing this production.

My knowledge of Lucy Bailey goes back to the 2009 production of Julius Caesar, and the impression I have is that she dealt with the text of both using broad brush strokes. For example, it was interesting to see the Romans presented as ultra-violent in Julius Caesar, but this did not allow the actors to develop their characters.

When approaching Leontes in this production, Bailey kept indicating his jealousy by turning idyilic Sicilia cold and putting red lights on Hermione to represent her from Leontes' point-of-view. This would be fine stylistically, but Jo Stone-Fennings was not able to expand on Leonte's jealousy. He would wail with angst, rant with menace in his voice, and at one point punched his pregnant wife's stomach, but that was about it. In contrast there was Tara Fitzgerald, making her RSC debut, who gave a mature and resolute Hermione, and during the trial she cried out her pleas in agony. Against this performance, Fennings' Leontes comes off as a bit childish, which made his continuing jealousy unbelievable and tiring.

However, the second act was an improvement once the play got to Bohemia. It is even a tad better than the David Farr production. Instead of having the country folk wavering aubergines from their lower parts into the faces of those in the front row, Bailey provided some fantastic Morris dancing. I prefer Brian Doherty from the 2009 production, but Pearce Quigley's Autolycus was a suave thief, excellent at quickly changing disguises on the go and providing a lot of the hilarious moments of the production.. Emma Noakes meanwhile was a feisty Perdita and together with Gavin Fowler as Florizel they were a lovely couple.

Once again Lucy Bailey's husband, William Dudley, has designed the production using projections. Thankfully they did not detract from the performances as much as they did in Julius Caesar, and they showed a nice transformation of Sicilia during the first act. Sadly I was sitting at the back of the stalls at the side and therefore half the projections were obscured by the gallery above me, including the famous bear moment. However, as much as I got the point of Leontes locking himself away in a tower for 16 years, did the production really need a whopping big structure rising from below the stage and taking up the back of the stage for the second act. The tower did not even make sense with the change of setting to the British countryside backdrop of Bohemia. Maybe Bailey was showing a contrast in class between the pre-Raphaelite Sicilians and the country-folk of Bohemia, but it still begs the question of the geographical position of the two countries.

Once again Lucy Bailey has created a very stylistic production, but once again had left some of the acting half baked. Some of William Dudley's designs were good whilst others were unnecessary. I would recommend the production just to see the second act, but this should only be seen at a Bargain.

The Life of Galileo Review

A Life of Galileo

Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

As the RSC's 2013 'Summer' season starts, the varied winter season comes to an end with Mark Ravenhill's translation of Bertolt Brecht's A Life of Galileo. I am becoming increasingly interested in the playwright, especially after seeing my favourite play last year, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. When the winter season was announced, I could not pass up the opportunity to see one of Brecht's well known plays.

When Galileo Galilei (Ian McDiarmid) replicates the telescope for the Venetian Republic, he uses it to discover that  the Aristotelian belief that the earth stood at the centre of the universe, whilst the sun, planets and stars spun around it, was incorrect. He concludes that the earth is only a small part of the universe. It goes against the church's belief that the earth and its creatures are God's divine work. Galileo works endlessly to persuade bishops and politicians that he is correct, to no avail. Soon his theories begin to affect the church, who become divided, his followers, and those who close to him.

This production did very well in using Brechtian techniques. In the form of placards, the production had ticker tape screens hanging above the stage and the words would stream across them, whilst actors spoke some versed lines that showed different views on the events that occurred. A song that took up the beginning of the second act showed how science was affecting the lower classes. The cast used the Verfrumdungseffekt technique so that I observed rather than felt involved in the action. Although the issues and themes were shown more subtly than The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, I was fascinated the whole way through.

This was helped by a great cast. Ian McDiarmid was in a world of his own as an energetically, optimistic Galileo, but he gradually became despondent and bitter as he tried to make people believe in his theory. At times this egotistical character was flawed, as Ian portrayed a man obsessed with science to the exclusion of human relationships. A highlight showed him dismissing the passionate arguments for faith by Joel Gillman's Small Monk.Once again Jodie Mcnee gave a strong performance as Galileo's innocent and caring daughter Virginia Galilei. She became anxious for his safety and during a tense moment she prayed continuously that he would save himself, whilst his friends hoped that he would stick to his scientific theories.

Other outstanding performances included Patrick Romer, who came on at one point as an indignant old Cardinal flailing about and shouting his opposition to Galileo. Matthew Aubrey was a simple Andrea at first but he developed as a learned student of Galileo's during the play. Sadie Shimmin as Galileo's housekeeper Mrs Sarti was a down-to-earth character and a contrast to Galileo. Martin Turner meanwhile had a moment as the Cardinal Inquisitor when he tried to persuade the new Pope to denounce Galileo.

The set was full of striking, contrasting colours. Against a background of blue graph paper, red structures were brought on and off, which adds to the non-illusionary Verfrumdungseffekt technique. Galileo's explanations of his theories by using objects as demonstrations kept these moments interesting. The costumes worn by Galileo and his companions were modern in comparison to the medieval vestments worn by the church, which demonstrated how science was advancing further than the church.

What a great follow-up to The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Although I prefer that production, this was a fascinating Brechtian production with a strong cast. This should be seen at a Top Price.

Dangerous Corner Review

Dangerous Corner

Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury

Dangerous Corner is the first Salisbury Playhouse production of 2013. My knowledge of J.B. Priestley is  limited to reading An Inspector Calls and so I was interested to see this play.

Director of a publishing firm, Robert Caplan (Edmund Kingsley), and his wife, Freda (Kirsty Besterman), are holding a party at their country retreat. Their guests include co-directors, Charles Stanton (Tim Dutton), and Gordon Whitehouse (Mawgan Gyles) with his wife, Betty Whitehouse (Ellie Beaven), and close friend, Olwen Peel (Ruth Everett). After listening to a radio play the guests discuss the recent suicide of Stephen Caplan's brother, Martin. Freda offers Olwen a cigarette from a music box which Olwen recognises and it is  soon discovered that both of them saw Martin hours before his death. This leads to the characters revealing dark secrets that should have been left alone.

The play reminded me of The Sacred Flame, except this play is set long after the investigation of a death. Dark secrets are revealed and the the tension rises until the play culminates in J.B. Priestley's signature ending, where the play goes back to the beginning and starts to give a different, happier, 'what-if' story. The difference is that the audience is shown an illusion whereas they have just seen the reality of the characters' lives. Whilst The Sacred Flame ended on an emotional note, Dangerous Corner revealed each secret subtly. What is more I prefer this play to The Sacred Flame because the former made sure it was easy to follow as each revelation sprang on the audience. 

The cast was shown at first as the perfect circle of couples, but as the play progressed each actor had a chance to shine. Edmund Kingsley's Robert Caplan, as the dead man's brother was naturally pushing for the truth, but was left drained by the end. Kirsty Besterman's Freda Caplan was fiery when confronting others yet could not bear to hear the truth. Ellie Beaven gave an excitable naive and energetic performance as Betty Whitehouse. 

Mawgan Gyles meanwhile produced a Gordon Whitehouse who was protective and would easily burst out in anger as the secrets were revealed. His revelation may also have been the most emotional of them all. I did think though that Tim Dutton was speaking too fast as Charles Stanton. Elsewhere, although Ruth Everett was a steadfast Olwen Peel, when forced to reveal her dark secret, the biggest revelation of the play, I thought she should have been more distressed.

There is not much to say about the design, because the play relies more on the performance, but once again Salisbury Playhouse had created a detailed set of a art-deco drawing room. A detail of the set was the number of large bottles of brandy and with so much tension, it was easy to see why they were there.

This was a fantastic play that was performed by a strong cast. Whilst I liked The Sacred Flame, Dangerous Corner took its time and was therefore easier to follow. This is a great start to the year for the Salisbury Playhouse and is worth seeing at a low Top Price.