The Homecoming, Trafalgar Studios ****

The Homecoming as a play sits uneasily with me. Despite the astute commentary of the nature of the male psyche and the changing views and roles of the sexes, it is tricky to emotionally connect to a narrative where no character (with the possible exception of Sam) is in any way sympathetic. There is also an issue of seeing prostitution as empowering and a sign of female strength which I find dated and warped. 
In spite of this, I really enjoyed Jamie Lloyd's 50th anniversary revival. The production feels like it should be at the Royal Court, with an electric and brooding feel, enhanced by Soutra Gilmour's bare bones set and Richard Howell's intense lighting design, that shocks and, whilst I have some objections to the text, it still has something to say. Lloyd makes everything these characters say gripping and painful and, with use of the Pinter pause, makes the silence as painful as the awful words being said. Keith Allen's Sam is somewhat over-camp for my liking, with his performance bordering on caricature, but the rest of this stellar cast are exceptional. Ron Cook is a domineering as Max, the control freak who can't control his own family. John Simm's magnetic Lenny is psychotic, with his amicability punctuated by violent anecdotes as John Macmillan's as with John Macmillan's simple yet menacing Joey. Gary Kemp's Teddy is perhaps the most hateful of the lot, with his passivity and acceptance in the second act demonstrating how intellect doesn't always change people's base behaviour. Gemma Chan is hypnotic and fascinating as Ruth who is just as twistedand perverse as the other characters yet appears to be more of a victim then the others. For me, this is the best production I have seen from the Jamie Lloyd residency at the Trafalgar Studios with a production of a play that challenges and provokes strong responses from anyone who watches or reads it.

Oresteia, Trafalgar Studios *****

It was with great surprise and delight that I found out that Icke's acclaimed production was getting a West End transfer. I had no idea what it was about when I saw it at the Almeida so each twist of the plot seemed truly remarkable.  Getting to look back at this production is good, therefore, to be able to see the production with some knowledge of the plot was enlightening. The story of Electra makes more sense the second time around whilst you could see the proleptic irony in the first family dinner. I also forgot how shocking it is, much more so than 1984. The feminist spin at the end didn't feel forced and Oliver Ryan is just as creepy as Calchas whilst the original cast are just as spellbinding here as at the Almeida. I can't think of a production that I could have wished a West End run on more as this is an impressive and important piece of theatre that as many people as possible need to see.

My original blog post is here: http://britainstheatre.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/oresteia-almeida-theatre_28.html 

Constellations, Trafalgar Studios ****

It is safe to say that Nick Payne's play has taken the theatre world by storm. After opening at the Jerwood theatre upstairs in 2012 it has had a West End run, a Broadway run and now a return to the West End after a hit tour. With productions such as Anything Goes, Beautiful Thing and Godspell having to cancel half their run halfway through without making it to the West End, it is remarkable that such a challenging production has had the success it's had. For a story of love and 'the boundless potential of a connection between two people', Constellations is hardly a breeze. The structure of the play is based around quantum mechanics which means that the structure is fragmented, with scenes being played out again and again. This could get very tiresome if it wasn't for the work that Joe Armstrong and Louise Brealey put in. The chemistry between them helps the play to click and for it to go from something that could be considered as self-aggrandizing as a Tom Stoppard play to a quirky and sweet story of two people and using big ideas in a small and understated way. This is helped by the direction from Michael Longhurst who has helped maintain the intimacy in a larger space than at the Royal Court. I have never been able to understand how you maintain the atmosphere of a space like the Jerwood Upstairs and I'm not sure if Longhurst has done it as I didn't see the original production. However, that feeling of excitement and buzz that I get whenever I enter the Royal Court was there at the usually lifeless Trafalgar Studios. Tom Scutt's design used balloons that take on different meanings as the piece develops, from a party to a hospital. A wonderfully acted and produced play that only occasionally is wearisome is a great representative for the work of the Royal Court and an example that challenging and stimulating works of theatre can be successful and popular on a large scale.

Barnes' People, Trafalgar Studios ****

It was a great shame that I could not find a ticket for The Ruling Class for love nor money after seeing the magnificent James Mcavoy light up the stage with the 'honourable man' speech from Julius Caesar in the last trafextra. Fortunately I did manage to grab a free ticket to see monologue written by the same playwright by a surprise cast. The speeches themselves were beautiful. The first was about a female doctor talking about the plight of the elderly in the east end of London, the second was an 113 year old reminiscing about her promiscuous past whilst the third was an ordinary man who found his identity as a receiver for an alien race. They are gut- wrenching and beautiful and needs to be seen. What enhanced these exquisite speeches were the stellar line up who performed them. Rosa's speech was delivered with heart from Urinetown's Jenna Russel who conveyed the real distress that is felt by and for the elderly and their treatment. Yesterday's news was portrayed by Maggie Steed who was powerful yet vulnerable in the role. The last performer was none other than the ninth doctor Cristopher Eccleston. He was equally impressive in a role which could alienate audiences because of the sci fi element to the monologue but portrayed the human side to the character. This evening was extraordinary and puts many theatres to shame in its efforts to make theatre more accessible to all.

East is East, Trafalgar Studios ****

The cast of East is East at the Trafalgar Studios

Theatre in the West End is usually performed by and watched by middle class, middle- age, white people and often centres around male characters. How refreshing, therefore, to see two productions in 3 days which bucks that trend. This modern classic about a northern, white woman living in a Pakistani family in Salford 1971 is brought to life by Tom Scott's fantastic designs. The comedy is brilliantly executed by the cast, with the divide between western culture and Pakistani culture provides lots of humour, with sausages and the female anatomy providing the biggest laughs of the evening. However, the character development is so strong that, when the dark events occur in the second half, it is more disturbing than anything that happened in Jamie Lloyd's Richard III. I have found Jane Horrocks annoying in the past, with a slightly wingey accent but in this, she is astonishingly good. The children also are great, showing the split of east and west nicely, with impressive performances from both the inexperienced and experienced actors, one of which (Amit Shah) is particularly recognizable from such shows as Bluestone 42 and Fresh Meat. After a rather dissapointing first production in this revolutionary season, this piece puts Trafalgar Transformed solidly back on track.

The Moment Before I am Powerful, Trafalgar Studios (TrafExtras) ****

When getting into the theatre seemed too much for trafalgar studios, with the incompetent staff packing people into the bar and not opening the house until 5:58 for a 6 pm start, I was in a bad mood. However, at 6:15 until 6:40, the finest Shakespeare speeches were performed by some of the best actors in the West End. The performance started with a speech from Hamlet performed by Lauren O' Neil, then followed by Deborah Findlay reprising her performance as Volumnia, giving her soliloquy from Coriolanus, a role she last played at the Donmar during Christmas. These two impressed me the least. I only managed to understand part of what they were saying and could not put together the first part of the narrative. From then on, however, it was all on top form. Papa  Essiedu and Cynthia Erivo (next performing at the Donmar in an all female production of Henry IV) performed their last speeches as the titular roles in Antony and Cleopatra. They were both moving and moved the narrative forward considerably. However, James McAvoy stole the show performing Antony's speech at Caesar's funeral from Julius Caesar. This cleverly followed on from Erivo's soliloquy. It was brilliantly moving and engaging and had the whole audience captivated. It just showed why McAvoy is one of the great British actors.

Richard III, Trafalgar Studios ***

Martin Freeman in Richard III at Trafalgar Studios

If you want gore,Titus Andronicus at the Globe is for you. If you want Shakespeare retold in a modern context, you can't get much better than King Lear at the National. For a great Richard III, Mark Rylance's is hard to top. What I am trying to get at is that Jamie Lloyds adaption of this play does not have a USP; a sticking point. Yes, he has put a big star at the helm and has dramatically cut it to make sense to a younger generation but there is nothing particularly dangerous or different about it. Others have criticized the Winter of Discontent theme but I don't mind it. Whilst it does not make dramatic sense, if it wasn't for the sake of it being the only thing anyone in the production seemed to talk about, it would have been glossed over by many of the critics. Freeman himself seems to have developed the typical Shakespearean accent which was quite off-putting but his physicality was excellent. Gina Mckee was superb as always, as was the majority of the cast although the little child who played York overacted hugely and rather amused me when,in the dream sequence, he bumped into a desk. Whilst the deaths, publiscised for being overly gruesome, were pretty ordinary, the lighting was the stand out part of the show. It was stunning how it showed Richard's private and personal life. It is the one thing in this play which is awards- worthy. 

What really excited me, however, was the fact that there was an impromptu question and answer session after the show. Having see Jamie Lloyd at West End Live and much of the cast interviewed across the BBC, I was not expecting anything original but I was wrong. What is so good about these sessions is that, because you have just seen the show, the director and cast do not need to worry about revealing spoilers about the play. This led to some intriguing answers as well as astonishment to hear the schedule for ensemble member Alasdair Buchan who understudies 5 roles. These events, which are intended to go on for multiple dates in the season, are an absolute delight.

Richard III is playing at the Trafalgar Studios until 27th September.