 |
|
This years show for young children at the National transforms Jon Klassen's popular story into a fun hours-worth of excitement. Wils Wilson directs this rather quaint and enjoyable production in which Marek Larwood's bear tries to find his hat which has been stolen by Steven Webb's rabbit. Natalie Klamar, Peter Lawman and Naana Agyei-Ampadu play an assortment of animals and shrubbery during this bears journey to find his hat. Fly Davis' design creates an inviting, living room setup where the children could play and interact with cast members before the show. Sadness and tragedy is shown quite candidly here, with a surprisingly vivid death which I initially thought would upset the young audience yet they handled it well with no one seeming upset. Arthur Darvill's music is jolly and upbeat whilst Joel Horwood's book is fun both for children and adults. Performances, as expected, are excellent, especially Larwood who tackled tricky questions from some inquisitive children well. This is a charming production that takes it's audience seriously and, as a result, is much better for it.
 |
|
FOUND111 is a new, temporary space in the heart of London which has transformed into a New York apartment for the UK Premiere of Richard Greenberg's play about love and the perils of intellect. David Dawson plays Homer Collyer, a man whose sole purpose appears to be to support his ultra-intellectual and musical brother Langley, played magnificently by Andrew Scott. Complete with alibis in the form of opera plots and complaints that instruments are a 64th tone flat, this pair are the height of eccentricity. Ben Stone's intimate and cluttered design shows a world of disorder which brushes off love interest Milly Ashmore (Joanna Vanderham) and the convention she brings with her. Vanderham's American accent feels a tad inconsistent but is only jarring for the first few minutes until you are taken into her intense and sad performance as a woman whose order threatens the life of Scott's Langley. A poignant and moving second act is finished with the perfect final image that finishes a beautiful production in an exciting space.
 |
|
From Greeks to Europeans, Rupert Goold now has a season of Ibsen and Chekhov, first being Richard Eyre's staging of his own adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Little Eyolf. The work of Ibsen and Chekhov often inspire the same dread as with Greek drama. The focus on the bourgeoisie and the flowery language makes it difficult for me to find an in to the drama. Eyre's adaptation, however, is far easier to relate with all the flowers pruned and a three act play being condensed into an 80 minute roller coaster of tragedy. Tim Hatley's pristine and pretty set of a wooden veranda with a mountain backdrop lulls you into a false sense of security before being ripped apart by the brutality of Eileen Walsh's rat woman who induces death and destruction on this wealthy family. The cool and settling nature of the Scandinavian sounds and fjords are given a more brutal and harsh characteristic by Ibsen and Eyre and Jon Driscoll's videos bring this out. The whole play and production is full of deception deceit and finding new meaning, with the innocence of childhood and the relationship between siblings being challenged. Jolyon Coy is wonderful as Alfred, whose revelation to focus attention on Eyolf starts a competition between the child and Lydia Leonard's superbly portrayed Rita, whose sexual desires create hatred and distrust. This is a brutal and raw production of Ibsen at his best.
 |
|
Mia Chung's play is not a Royal Court play. If you go to the upstairs space at the theatre for a metaphorical sledgehammer to the head. They are punchy and to the point holding nothing back. You for Me for You in comparison is a subtle and reserved play, perhaps due to its prior American productions. Despite these differences, however, it is just as powerful and moving as other more blunt productions in the vibrant upstairs space. The play examines the differences and similarities between America and North Korea through the lens of two sisters separated trying to escape the best country in the world. One particularly strong moment for me was the pressure to stand for the national anthem showing that, whilst America is clearly more free than North Korea, similar intimidation and conformity is used in both states and is made especially relevant after the outrage of Corbyn's 'refusal' to sing our national anthem. It deals with the frightening language barrier for immigrants with Daisy Haggard's various American character's speaking things that sound meaningless but taking more meaning on over time as Katie Leung's Junhee learns more of the language. The absurdism of Wendy Kweh's Minhee's journey across North Korea to find her son is harder to get your head around and I still don't quite understand the point being made by Chung here. Richard Twyman's production show these two countrie's obsession with style and facades, with a beautiful design from Jon Bausor hiding the grim and dark reality of both countries. Performances are strong across the board although none stand out as truly great. I still don't quite understand Chung's message in this play but there is still plenty to get from it even without knowing this.
 |
|
Here We Go has attracted many negative reviews mainly due to it's final scene which is approximately 20 minutes of a man being dressed and undressed. It's true that this scene is excruciatingly painful and torture to watch. But that is sort of the point. Here we go, is a 45 minute examination of death. The first scene looks at people commenting on a man's life at a funeral, with interjections on their own death which highlights everyone's mortality. The second scene shows a dead man contemplating on which afterlife he wants, with the exiting imagery conjured directly contrasting with the painful final scene which shows the mundanity and pain before death. Churchill doesn't explain death here or even tread new ground on the subject. Instead, she plays with form by fragmenting familiar situations so that they are faux-natural, creating an upsetting and moving art installation. Dominic Cooke's production is minimalist and as fragmented as the form which demonstrates our flaky and incomplete understanding of the subject. Patrick Godfrey gives a matter-of-fact performance as the Old Man, showing no sentimentality. The rest of the ensemble give partly comic, partly poignant performances as onlookers at the funeral and highlight the need for us to live in the moment and the temporary nature of life. This is a powerful piece of theatre that deserves a greater run in a building that needs more alternative theatrical experiences such as this.
 |
|
Classical superstars Bartoli and Villazon have graced the Barbican with an evening of Classical and bel canto arias, duets, and excerpts. Supported by the excellent Orchestra La Scintilla of the Zurich Opera, the pair bring joy and energy. Rolando Villazon may not be the most able of tenors, even without the cold he had on this evening which haltered his head voice and passagio, yet he is certainly the most energetic and lively tenor, with a likability that makes his documentaries so compelling. Cecillia Bartoli without doubt is one of the greatest mezzos and also has a charm and a rapport with Rolando that is just wonderful to see. The evening's programme tackled lovein all its forms from unrequited to requited to tragic. Whilst Villazon's arias were damaged because of his cold, he still brought the energy and passion which made them easy to listen to. Bartoli had no illness so soared through the evening, seeing off difficult Rossini arias as if they were 'twinkle, twinkle, little star'. The finale of Otello was moving and perfect. Rossini writes the final scene better than Shakespeare, making Desdemona a far stronger mezzo and the end is far grittier and less romanticised than in the play so, whilst there were some lighting effects which were unneccesary, the performance of this scene was spellbinding from both of them. This was certainly an evening which deserved the three encores this duo received.
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.
 |
|
Jane Eyre makes 3 and a half hours feel like 30 minutes in perhaps the most powerful pieces of theatre in 2015. Sally Cookson and the cast have devised this show, forming Charlotte Bronte's story through improvisation. This gives the novel new life and appears to generate sublime performances from the best ensemble of the year. Far from the cushy chic-flick with winsome staring into the distance, the company have created something that demonstrates the tough nature of Jane who fights to be free and for justice. Michael Vale's set further defies the expectation of an adaptation of Jane Eyre. Described by many as a playground, it captures an audiences imagination and,as well as being able to cope with the multiple scene changes, it highlights the adventurous and exiting journey Jane has undertaken. Benji Bower's fantastic music choices and arrangements further the pain felt by Melanie Marshall's Bertha Mason, whose voice is divine and full of burning hatred and pain. Madeleine Worral is a defiant, strong and brilliant Jane, Felix Hayes is a mysterious and intruiging Rochester, whilst the rest of the ensemble cast are also extraordinary as Jane's conscience and the multiple roles each actor takes on. With a national tour on the cards, this is a show which is essential for everyone to experience.
