|
| |
As a preface, I don't really like to explain the plot of the play in my review, but rather the work as a theatrical piece. Having said that, here are the shows I saw in
the West End, London December 27, 2011 to January 3 2012
Stan Mazin
|
|
|
|
 |
(by Ben Brown; directed by Alan Strachan)
Three Days In May is a period piece concerning Winston Churchill’s meeting with the War Cabinet to decide their possible standing with France and Italy against Hitler. An interesting play with very little action, but a wonderful ensemble led by Warren Clarke (Winston Churchill) and Jeremy Clyde (Lord Halifax), supported by Robert Demeger (Neville Chamberlain), James Alper (Jock Colville, Churchill’s aide), Dicken Ashworth (Arthur Greenwood), Timothy Kightley(Paul Reynaud), Paul Ridley (General Dill), and Michael Sheldon (Clement Attlee). Anyone interested in World War II should thoroughly enjoy this play, especially in light of the great acting.
|
|
|
|
 |
by Mike Kenny and directed by Damian Gruden; based on the 1906 book by Edith Nesbit
There are several reasons why I felt this play was so very special. Primarily the physical location of the play was on the railway tracks originally built to take the Eurostar to France, but when they changed the Eurostar to St. Pancras Station, the rails went unused. So, with bleacher type seating on both sides of the rails facing each other, the play takes place on the rails with the use of sliding platforms, moved by men down near the rails. The acting was wonderful throughout, with great costumes, and quite imaginative direction considering the logistics of ‘the theatre’. The Railway Children are 3 well-to-do children whose family loses its position when their father is put in jail and the children are forced to live as a poor family near the railway, where they grow accustomed to playing. The cast are all outstanding actors, so it would be difficult to single out a few above the rest. It was an interesting show for adults and children alike. |
|
|
|
|
 |
by Ariel Dorfman
Having never seen this play before, I was involved almost immediately. I felt the direction by Jeremy Herrin was very nicely executed. The actors did a fine job as well. Basically it is the story of a woman (Thandie Newton), who claims that years before, she was tortured and sexually abused by this particular doctor (Anthony Calf), and trying to take revenge she is almost thwarted by her husband (Tom Goodman-Hill). This 3 character play has all the intrigue and suspense one would expect from such an interesting plot.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
by Graham Linehan; directed by Sean Foley
This comedy follows the film of the same title about a group of robbers who stay at this old woman’s house until they can commit their robbery. They are there under the guise of being a small musical group. The woman is played to perfection by Marcia Warren, and the boss of the group is played with expertise by Peter Capaldi. All the characters were a treat. The set and costume design was by Michael Taylor, who executed both with style and practicality. Honorable mention must go to the rest of the cast… Harry Peacock, James Fleet, Stephen Wight, Clive Rowe, Ben Miller, and Beverley Walding. I would have missed a good comedy had I not seen this one.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
by Roald Dahl; directed by Mathew Warchus; chorography by Peter Darling
This musical was such a surprise to me that I have to rank it up there with all the great musicals I can count on both hands. What a delight, from beginning to end. The staging, the choreography, the direction, the songs, and the cast were absolutely brilliant. With so many children in the cast, I was afraid it would be like another Oliver or Annie, with lots of kids but no real cohesiveness, but this show was so well executed that the children came across as professional as the best Fosse dance ensemble. And coming from a dance background on Broadway, I so appreciated the ‘cleanliness’ of all the movements, as well as the characterizations of the many character parts. I hope this comes to NY to show what a great ensemble looks like. The children’s roles are triple cast, with the role of Matilda having 5 girls play her. The one I saw was Kerry Ingram and she was, like all the other children, great. The evil Miss Trunchbull was played with delight by Bertie Carvel, a great male actor. The entire production was developed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, which explains the expertise that went into this production on all accounts… Truly a show not to be missed.
|
|
 |
|
 |
adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams (also
director), with music by Harold Arlen; additional
music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by E.Y.
Harburg; additional Lyrics by Tim Rice
I am a sucker for Oz and since Michael
Crawford was playing the wizard, I decided to go. At
the performance I attended Dorothy was played by
Sophie Evans, and the Lion (Zeke) was played by Tom
Kanavan. The sets and costumes were wonderful and
extremely colorful, but the show seemed slightly
lightweight in numbers of cast members, even though
when I read the program there seemed to be tons of
people in the show. Everyone did an admirable job,
but nothing really to write home about. I was
excited to read that Arlene Phillips choreographed
this piece, directed by Jeremy Sams, but the
choreography didn’t really ‘stand out’. Of the other
characters, the only ones that really seemed to hit
the mark were Paul Keating who played the Scarecrow,
and Marianne Benedict who played the Wicked Witch of
the West . Edward Baker-Duly (Tin Man) did a fine
job as well, but Crawford did nothing out of the
ordinary, which surprised me somewhat. But overall,
I still enjoyed the piece with recognizable tunes
throughout. |
|
|
|
|
 |
by Richard Bean; based on an old Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793) play; directed by Nicholas Hytner
This play, truly a big hit in London, was very funny to the attending audience, but with my naivete, I must admit that many of the ‘local references’ were typically British and went over my head. However, the physical ‘shtick’ had me in tears laughing so hard, especially during the first act… probably the best physical comedy I have seen since the Broadway production of Noises Off. Normally I have found, on the West End, that it is rare when an audience applauds a famous actor when he or she first enters the stage. But when James Corden entered, the audience spontaneously burst into applause. A well deserved applause, for not only was he terrific at what he did with his lines, but his improv skills also worked for him, as he brought audience members to the stage to ‘play’ certain parts. Special attention must go to Tom Edden as Alfie, an older waiter, who handled the slapstick, physical humor so brilliantly. I hear they are bringing this play to Broadway this season, and they are already working on altering the ‘local references’ to adjust to the American audience. I’m sure the next time I see this play, I will enjoy it more fully, since I assume I will be more familiar with the references. I just hope that physical humor is still appreciated as much as I appreciated it. This is a National Theatre production.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
by Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran, with musical arrangements by Keith Strachan and David Clement-Smith
This musical was not on my preferred list to see, until I learned that Des O’Connor, a UK singing sensation of the 60s was in it. Then, curiosity led me to the theatre, and I am so glad it did. First of all, Des O’Connor must be in his late 70s, and his voice is still fantastic. The rest of the cast are primarily young singers and dancers (choreography by Carole Todd), who did their jobs exceptionally well. The multitude of songs used were often songs I was familiar with, and many newer songs as well (new to me, that is… they were probably hits in the UK). The light plot of the story is only there as an excuse to adorn it with the singing and dancing, which was amazingly entertaining. This ‘60s’ musical (new in 2011) was delightful, and I had the special treat of meeting Des O’Connor after the show.
|
|
|
|
 |
produced by the Charles Court Opera in association with the Rosemary Branch Theatre; directed & choreographed by John Savournin
This is a delightful surprise, as I was told it was an ‘adult’ panto, which I was not aware existed. But it was predictably and deservedly over the top, and that is precisely why I enjoyed it so much. It follows the classic story of Beowulf, with humor and Broadway songs along the way (of course, the words of the songs were changed to fit in with the story), and every song was a gem. The cast worked beautifully together and so many of them were wonderful singers as well. The cast included Sian Winstanley (the Spirit of Good Cheer), Simon Masterton’Smith (King Hrothgar/Dragon), Catrine Kirkman (Princell Hrothmund), Philip Lee (Grendel), Kevin Kyle (Beowulf), Amy J. Payne (Wiglaf , Beofulf’s sidekick), John Savournin (Grendel’s Mother)- in traditional Panto, the woman is often played by a male comedian, James Young (Aeschere, a courtier), and David Eaton (Unferth, a courtier). To many in our group, this was a highlight of the trip.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Thriller
is a celebration of the music of the undisputed King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Having worked with Michael on a television special, I wasn’t anxious to see this show, as I could have on former trips to London. I wanted to keep the memory of this special person alive in my memory. This year I succumbed, and I am so happy I did. The dancing was sensational, and the singers were great, so the entire show paid well deserved homage to an icon. The combination of great singing (the singers did their own singing), sensational dancing, and eye-popping multi-media effects, brought us back to the realization of why this person became so special in all of our eyes. And seeing their representation of the likes of “Thriller” and “Beat It” brought back memories of Michael Peters, no longer with us, who choreographed so many of Michael’s works. Thriller is a special presentation that honors Michael Jackson in a way that can only be done in this special show, truly a tribute to the memory of a classic icon. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
with book and lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin and music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard; directed by Mathew Warchus; choreography by Ashley Wallen
Ghost follows the popular film of the same name quite closely. When it first started I was afraid that the use of such great hi-tech computer projections might overpower this delicate story, but once I accepted the spectacular graphics, I could see that they enhanced it. There are of course going to be comparisons to the film, but when you see something live, onstage, where it is impossible to obtain the close-ups of the film, the stage piece must be accepted on its own merits. That is easy to do when the performance is enhanced with a brilliant cast, with great direction and interesting choreography. Unlike dance ‘numbers’ for a traditional musical, the choreography eludes to the ‘feeling’ of the moment. For example, much of the early ‘movement’ numbers gives us a feeling of the people on the streets of a cosmopolitan city in the business world. The two leads Richard Fleeshman as Sam Wheat and Caissie Levy as Molly Jensen carry off their respective roles with care and conviction. Andrew Langtree also does a respectable job as Carl Bruner, Sam’s co-worker, who wants to take over for his own selfish reasons after Sam’s demise. But the performance of the evening goes to Miss Da’vine Joy Randolph for her portrayal of Oda Mae Brown, a role that won Whoopie Goldberg her Oscar. Ms. Randolph not only pays homage to Whoopie’s portrayal, but gives the role her own stamp of humor and personal frustration, to the delight of the entire audience. Her final number in Act II, “I’m Outta Here” is the only production number that can be considered a traditional Broadway show stopper… wonderfully performed and hysterically accepted. I cannot compliment the technical craft of this show enough. The visual effects were magical, and by the end of the show we all shed a tear or two. This show is coming to Broadway this March, and I hope it is as well received as it deserves.
|
|
|
| |
|
