LONDON 2013 TO 2014
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, THE MUSICAL
lyrics by Tim Rice; music by Stuart Brayson; book by Bill
Oaks
How interesting that Time Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
opened shows on the West End in London within one month of each other! Mr. Webber’s show will be reviewed
below. What a treat to be able to see From
Here to Eternity, the Musical the first night of my visit! Usually when I attempt to do this, I am tired
and start to nod off. Not with this
show! With a good sized cast of 22 able
performers, the director Tamara Harvey has put the cast through its paces without a
glitch. Each character is well defined,
and creates the 40s era to a tea. The
music is good and very appropriate for the times… often filled with humor, and
then at other times quite moving. I’ll
be surprised if you don’t find this show on Broadway in a year or two. But I do hope they don’t have to subject it
to the demanding cast cuts of other shows brought to Broadway in the past.
BARKING IN ESSEX
a new comedy by Clive Exton
What a farce… and I mean that in the best way! With a capable cast of 5 brilliantly funny
actors, and a shocking bit of spicy language, this play takes off and never
stops. Sheila Hancock as the matriarch
of the family has you in stitches, as does her son Lee Evans, who I have to say
chews up the scenery and almost upstages every scene he is in, for the good of
the show. He gets the award this year
for his facial antics as well as his body contortions, which are nothing short
of hilarious. Harry Burton directed with
much tongue in cheek. A good British
comedy that everyone seemed to enjoy.
GHOSTS
by Henrik Ibsen, adapted and directed by Richard Eyre
When one is taking a full 3 act classic play like Ghosts and editing it down to 90 minutes
with no intermission, some things must get lost. But
I believe every play should be merited on its own, and not judged based on a
previous rendition. Given that, I can
honestly say that Ghosts certainly
carries with it a sense of the morality of the times. Were it not for the lead actress Lesley
Manville playing Helene Alving, the play would not come as alive as it
does. With a set design by Tim Hatley and
fantastic costumes credited to Cosprop with additional costumes made by Kirsty
Reid, this play is a credit to the tradition that we expect from Ibsen’s other
plays.
EAT, PRAY, LAUGH,
BARRY HUMPHRIES’ FAREWELL TOUR
How happy I was to be able to see this show at the London
Palladium, since I am so fond of Dame Edna… and I’m sure this will be the first
of his many farewell performances… at least I hope so. He is backed by 2 female and 4 male dancers,
one of whom is also his well-accomplished piano accompanist, Nick Lee. This show is split into 2 acts, the first act
allowing Mr. Humphries to perform several of his character creations. The first character he plays, however, made
me a little bit queasy as the character spits at the audience, and drools over
the stage as well. Most of the Brits
love that bit, but with the audio of other body sounds, I was slightly put
off… and I feel I am quite liberal when it comes to the stage. Other characters in the first act are fun,
and with the inclusion of a couple of audience members, we all felt like we
participated. After the interval… enter
Dame Edna! What a delight she is, and
with her ability to give and take via spontaneous dialogue with her fans, she
is an absolute dynamo… filled with humor that seems to show her improvisational
skills as well as her love of people… and the sarcasm is a scream. The credited director is Simon Phillips, but
if I didn’t read Simon’s bio in the program I would wonder whether he isn’t one
of her creations as well. A delight!
BUTTONS, ANOTHER CINDERELLA STORY
This hysterical adult panto is put on by the Charles Court
Opera Company, at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, over a pub in Islington. I discovered this group 2 years ago, and now
I try not to miss a performance. The
talent is so sensational for a tiny theatre of around 50 or so seats. But the quality of the singing!!!… One would
expect all of these people to be working on the West End, each and every one of
them. With a cast of only 7, the panto
was written and directed by John Savournin, the artistic director of the
company, with musical direction, arrangements and lyrics by David Eaton. In a panto, several roles are played by the
opposite sex, to hysterical ends, and this panto is no exception. Joanna Marie Skillett plays Cinderella with
honesty. John Savournin plays Cinderella’s mother brilliantly, and Prince
Charming and his valet Dandini are played by Rosie Strobel and Nichola Jolley
respectively. Cinderella’s teddy bear,
Buttons is played to the physical hilt by Mathew Kellett. The Fairy Godfather, played by Simon
Masterton-Smith and PC Pumpkin played by Amy J Payne round out the extremely
talented cast. WHAT A TREAT!!!
MOJO
by Jez Butterworth; direction by Ian Rickson
Now I understand what may have happened to British male teenagers
who were beginning to become men in 1956… lost, seeking financial and peer acceptance,
and beginning to show their basic animal instincts with respect to crime and
morality. Even though all of the acting
seemed flawless to me, I still had trouble understanding a bit of the accent,
until Brendan Coyle, one of the stars of Downton
Abbey entered. Rupert Grint from Harry Potter makes his professional
stage debut here. Other actors are
Daniel Mays (one I had difficulty understanding), Colin Morgan and Ben Wishaw. I must admit, being an American, it is not
the fault of the creators or actors if I may have difficulty with any accent
from time to time. Suffice to say their renditions are true to the characters,
and that is what counts most. This play is filled with drama and physicality and sets an example of Britain's pop culture of the 50s.
THE DUCK HOUSE
by Dan Patterson and Colin Swash
Talk about a door slamming British farce!!! This is one of 2 politically scandalous plays
this year… this one poking fun at Parliament and specifically 646 members of
Parliament who created a true scandal in government. In fact, over 380 MPs were forced to repay
over 1 million British pounds back to the taxpayers. Often over the top (it is a farce, after
all), Ben Miller plays Robert Houston MP with so much physicality that my sides
felt like they were splitting. Supported
by down to earth wife Felicity Houston is Nancy Carroll, whose credits include
the films Iris and An Ideal Husband. Playing their son Seb Houston is James
Musgrove. Filling out the able cast are
Diana Vickers as Seb’s girlfriend, Debbie Chazen, in a tour de force as Ludmilla,
their foreign housekeeper, and Simon Shepherd as Sir Norman Cavendish, another
fantastically funny portrayal. Ably
directed by Terry Johnson, I almost missed this one, and I am so happy I
didn’t.
BODYGUARD, THE MUSICAL
directed by Thea Sharrock; orchestrations & musical
arrangements by Lawrence Kasdan; book by Alexander Dinelaris
This brilliant musical stars Tristan Gemmill as Frank
Farmer, and Beverley Knight as Rachel Marron.
I cannot give enough platitudes to Ms Knight, as I thought she was
unbelievable! Her singing, her acting,
everything about her gives the correct illusion for the STAR she is
playing. And I love to go to the theatre
where you see where the money is spent.
It is all ONSTAGE, as it should be… the sets and costumes by Tim Hatley,
hair, wigs, & makeup by Campbell Young, musical director Richard Beadle,
sound designer Richard Brooker, and finally video designer Duncan McLean and
lighting designer Mark Henderson… the lighting effects are unbelievable, along
with the video and all the other elements that blend so beautifully. The appropriately wonderful choreography by
Arthur Pita and the creative direction by Thea Sharrock are so well meshed,
and so, so enjoyable. It is not necessary for you to have seen the film of The Bodyguard to
truly love this musical. I have no doubt
that Broadway will see a version of this show, if they can afford to do it… I
may have counted 32 actors… I never mind spending money on a show that gives me
such joy in the theatre!
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, THE NEW MUSICAL
I don’t really want to be repetitive… but this is another
great show that has all the makings… NO!… it already is a great musical, and
the money spent is all onstage for our pleasure!!! The same creators of Matilda have produced here a show of probably even greater audience
appeal. Book is by David
Greig; music by Marc Shaiman; lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman;
orchestrations by Doug Besterman; arrangements by Marc Shaiman; musical
direction by Nigel Lilley; lighting design by Paul Pyant; video and projection
design by Jon Driscoll; puppet and illusion design by Jamie Harrison; musical
supervisor is Nicholas Skilbeck… I hope I haven’t left anyone out! Roald Dahl’s
CHARLIE
is a tribute to what musical theatre should hope to be. With set and costume design by Mark Thompson,
choreography by Peter Darling, and direction by Sam Mendes, the quality of this
piece soars over and above what we usually have to settle for on Broadway. Granted, some may say that it shouldn’t have
to take so much money for the physical part of a production to make it great…
but considering all the huge shows that we no longer have because of money
issues, what a treat to see the finished product here with a huge, great cast
and great costumes, on a great set, with great direction, effects…and
flow. It is THEATRE and we all love it…
No doubt there will be productions of this musical, albeit smaller casts,
around the world shortly…
STEPHEN WARD
music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; book & lyrics by
Christopher Hampton and Don Black
This is the other ‘political’ show I mentioned which caused
another of Britain’s many scandals over the years. This one is about the Profumo affair scandal
of 1962.
Webber always picks interesting subjects, some of which are
not generally thought of as great subjects for musicals. But all of his shows are provocative, and
entertaining, as is Stephen Ward. Basically
every political scandal has a scapegoat.
That being said, I found the show enormously entertaining. The score is basically what I call ‘low key’
for a Webber score, but his songs are haunting, plot- pushing, and humorous. Alexander Hanson plays the title character
with all the panache, charm, and sometime elegant sleaze of a playboy and woman
procurer. Although never seeming to get
involved with his ‘merchandise’ (women), it is never really insinuated whether
he is interested in a sexual partner of either sex. This helps create an aura of mystery which
the actor maintains throughout. I
believe Mr. Hanson was last seen on Broadway in the revival of A Little Night Music, which he also
starred in previously at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London. So it is no mystery that this man is a strong
actor as well as singer. With the
supporting cast of Charlotte Blackledge (Mandy Rice-Davies), Charlotte Spencer
(Christine Keeler), Ricardo Coke-Thomas (Lucky Gordon), and many others who
played dual roles, the show, being of a more serious nature, still has its
comedic moments such as Super Duper Hula Hooper, Manipulation, Black-Hearted
Woman, etc. This is helped by the clever
numbers choreographed by Stephen Mear, as well as Richard Eyre’s appropriate
direction. This cast of 22, although
larger than I expected, creates an environment that pulled me into the life and
times of Stephen Ward. I expect an outcome by the public to be
somewhat similar to the outcome of Aspects
of Love, which I also enjoyed thoroughly.
CANDIDE
by Voltaire; music by Leonard Bernstein; book by Hugh
Wheeler; lyrics by Richard Wilbur (and Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian
Hellman, Dorothy Parker, and Leonard Bernstein)
What a delight!!! I
tried earlier in the week to see this, but several of the performers were out
with flu, so I arranged to go back and be put on a waitlist until the end of my
stay… and it was so worth it. I have
seen Candide
several times and I have always felt the music is so wonderful, but it
is a difficult piece to direct. This
musical is being performed at the Menier Chocolate Factory, which is not a huge
theatre. It is done in the round, as I
originally saw it at the Broadway theatre in NY, but in a space a fraction of the
size of that house. With choreography by
Adam Cooper, of Bourne’s Swan Lake
fame, and direction by Mathew White, Candide
absolutely comes to life in a way I have not seen before. The able cast is constantly being used,
playing parts, doing the lines of the narrator split among the cast, dancing and inter-acting with the audience, and generally having such a great time
themselves, within their own parts, we were all drawn into the Candide
‘happening’ (at the loss of a more proper term). The costumes and set pieces, both by Paul
Farnsworth, are fantastic… the music, which is the greatest element of the
show, is nothing short of great, with musical supervision David Charles Abell,
musical direction by Seann Alderking, and orchestrations by Jason Carr; the light
design by Paul Anderson and sound design by Gareth Owen are absolutely
super. And the cast are all just WONDERFUL,
most of them playing multiple roles… among them Fra Free as Candide, James Dreyfus as Pangloss, Scarlett Strallen as Cunegonde - her “Glitter and Be Gay” is a sensation, Cassidy Janson as Paquette, and David Thaxton as Maximilian… and more (over 17 in
total), each and every one brilliant in each of the many, many roles they
play. Over all, a fantastic musical
experience with one of the best scores ever on Broadway!
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