tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88674024210608441172024-02-07T07:29:32.695+00:00Behind the FootlightsReviews of Professional and Amateur Theatre@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-25538469583867139272014-08-18T19:30:00.000+01:002014-08-21T14:33:04.463+01:00THE CHERRY ORCHARD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Cherry Orchard</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Acting Gymnasium</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Theatro Technis, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Monday 18th August 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chekhov's final work is given a contemporary twist in James O'Donnell's thought-provoking adaptation for the Acting Gymnasium's short rep season at Theatro Technis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tracing the decline of a wealthy landowner's fall into poverty and the auction of her estate, which includes a famed cherry orchard, the play is a political and social comment on a Russia that is going through a significant change in its class system and wealth hierarchy. This adaptation brings the piece into a modern setting, in a society where the class system has a very different impact on society, giving a fresh look at this classic story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The adaptation brings out the many comic qualities of the script, with references to modern culture - including the use of mobile phones and references to Twitter - included alongside the original text. The performances work to maintain the humour throughout, embellishing the piece's tragi-comic intention without losing sight of the tragic juxtaposition of the protagonist's financial and emotional plight. T</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he shining performance in this production came from Shane Noone's energetic portrayal of the wealthy ex-surf Ermolai. He achieved a layered depth to this complex and naturally unlikable character that drove the plot forward. His intelligent characterisation showed an empathic side to the ambitious young man to which a modern audience could entirely relate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some intelligent choices of lighting, designed by Luis Alvares, and considered use of sound especially in the pre-show and interval, add another level of interest and comedy for the engrossed audience. An unusual and enthusiastic take on this classic piece, performed with energy and flair. </span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-61364620289726146322014-04-11T19:30:00.000+01:002014-04-12T20:40:46.784+01:00GREASE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Grease</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CYGAMS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Civic Theatre, Chelmsford</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 11th April 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Grease</i> is the original "High School Musical" and the bright, retro design of Jeremy Tustin's production for CYGAMS this week escorts us warmly back to its 1950s setting. Such a familiar story, this classic musical is brought to life with some excellent touches - the full scale 'Greased Lightning' car being a delightful addition for Kenickie's big number. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he pace has a tendency</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to drop during the spoken scenes, t</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">his current CYGAMS incumbent definitely thrives on music and there are some stand-out numbers throughout the evening. 'Those Magic Changes' is given a confident rendition by Charlie Toland as the charming Doody, complete with golden backing girls. 'It's Raining on Prom Night' is styled as a powerful split scene duet between the Prom's vocalist, beautifully</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> sung </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">b</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">y Kathryn Peacock, and the lovestruck heroine Sandy, a doe-eyed characterisation by a talented Natasha Newton. The group numbers are also sung with style and enthusiasm, particularly the big Prom dance contest number 'Born to Hand Jive', led by Elliott Elder as Johnny Casino.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Henri de Lausun leads the cast as the charismatic Danny Zuko, singing with power and excelling in the dance numbers. Ben Wilton gives attitude as bad boy Kenickie, and Edward Bonney is an endearing Roger. The Pink Ladies include the dreamy Frenchy played with a cute grin by Monique Crisell, and Sophie Walker's intelligently characterised Marty, thoughtfully and confidently acted. A wonderfully funny dance break for geeky Eugene wins a deserved cheer for Jack Toland, maintaining his character with consistency. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is very difficult to teach stage presence. It is the X-Factor, that extra something, and if a performer has it naturally it will draw the audience in completely. Tamara Anderson is ideally cast as the tough, confident Rizzo, and she shows a depth of feeling and understanding during her 'There Are Worse Things I Could Do' number that is a rare moment of genuine emotion in this otherwise frivolous show. She doesn't have the purest voice of the group and she isn't the best dancer, but the maturity she brings to her perfectly pitched characterisation is the highlight of the production.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another unfailingly entertaining evening from this committed group of youngsters. Excelling musically as an ensemble, their next production - the sung-through Andrew Lloyd Webber dance show <i>Cats</i> - will suit them perfectly, playing at the Cramphorn in April.</span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-41964961519425978682014-04-02T17:55:00.000+01:002014-04-02T17:55:50.283+01:00BETTY BLUE EYES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Betty Blue Eyes</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Made in Colchester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mercury Theatre, Colchester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday 29th March 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Betty Blue Eyes began life in the West End in 2011, starring Sarah Lancashire and Reece Sheersmith, in a short lived but dazzling production that won over the critics. Arguably not suiting a West End audience, this very British story follows the fate of one chiropodist and his wife in a small North of England town in 1947 - while rationing was still in force and the young Princess Elizabeth planned her wedding to Philip Mountbatten. Based on the film A Private Function, the musical version by Stiles and Drewe concentrates on the illegally reared pig that is to be the subject of the town council's celebration banquet for the royal wedding. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">With leading cast members straight out of the West End themselves, Haydn Oakley and Amy Booth-Steel are exemplary in their performances. Beautiful voices and gently comic characterisations make their two characters, Gilbert and Joyce Chilvers, warm and lovable. Joined by an ensemble filled with triple-threats, there is a surprising and very entertaining amount of dancing for the size of the production, which was all executed with excellence. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Made in Colchester team have built a reputation for their production values, and the set, costume and technical aspects of this production are ideal examples of this. The lighting design is particularly effective, with some lovely use of colour and a beautifully lit "dream" sequence during "Nobody". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Where the West End failed to maintain audiences for this charming celebration of Britishness, perhaps with its large percentage of tourist-based audiences, on a more local scale the show works brilliantly. Set to embark upon a UK tour after this initial run in Colchester, the wit and style of this clever production will charm audiences around the country.</span></div>
<br />@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-9203854325084399392014-02-15T19:30:00.000+00:002014-02-24T17:11:52.701+00:00DIAL M FOR MURDER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mercury Theatre, Colchester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday 15th February 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first play of 2014's Made in Colchester season tells
the story of Tony, who is convinced his wife Sheila is having an affair. He
decides to kill her in what he believes is the perfect murder....that is until
it all goes terribly wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The play is a murder mystery that asks more of a 'why'
than a 'who' and with its twists and turns has audience members gasping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is hard to pick out any single performance when every
cast member contributed towards a flawless production. The struggle between Kelly
Hotten's Sheila and Robert Perkins' Captain Lesgate was a particular highlight
bringing Act 1 to a dramatic close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The set, designed by Mike Britton, captures your
attention as soon as you enter the auditorium, with red cloths draped from the
rig and stairs leading far past the audience's sight lines to add a further dimension and realism to the space. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always have faith in the Mercury Theatre to put on a
good show. This production did not disappoint. A brilliant start to the season
and I look forward to <i>Betty Blue Eyes</i> in March.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Review by Nicola Myers</i></span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-90716135256667906312014-02-07T20:00:00.000+00:002014-02-15T16:59:35.451+00:00NOT I, FOOTFALLS, ROCKABY...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Royal Court Theatre Production</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Duchess Theatre, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 7th February 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Starting with a front of house warning - the theatre is about to go dark, really dark, and if this makes you uncomfortable please make yourself known now - a strange tension is built before the show begins. Then the theatre really does go as dark as the warning suggests, with just the lips of the wonderfully talented Lisa Dwan lit from up close so as not to leak any unnecessary extra light. <i>Not I</i> is the first and most famous of this trilogy of Samuel Beckett mini-plays, and in a way is the most affecting. Rattling through the random thoughts and feelings of one woman through her life of loneliness and fear, this stream of consciousness piece can less be listened to than absorbed. Allowing the words to wash over the audience, one begins to pick out certain phrases and even stories deep with significance of the character's unhappiness, exemplified with the frequent use of "she" rather than "I", distancing herself from herself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A short break leads into the second piece, Footfalls, which sees the same actress pacing up and down outside her mother's sickroom. With careful choices in both costuming and lighting the lonely woman resembles an unhappy ghost. As she pauses between paces she reveals small details of her sad life, and we also hear excerpts from the unseen mother who pities her child, commiserating the many years of misery she has ahead of her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rockaby sees the final minutes of a woman, rocking herself constantly in a rocking chair until her eventual and welcomed death. She is another sad and lonely character, seeking "another living soul" and seeming to have never been satisfied with her lot. She finally rocks herself to death, leaving us with a phrase that seems to sum up the feeling she has been describing; "Fuck Life". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The evening is lifted from this seemingly horrific gloom however, by the beauty of Liz Dwan's powerhouse performance. Such concentration in this one-woman show, exploring these frustratingly fragmented characters and bringing them to spooky, gloomy life, must be an exhausting challenge which this excellent actress lives up to with flair. Rather than leaving the theatre depressed, ones thoughts are provoked and interest is piqued. An exhilarating evening. </span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-8925104707552644242014-01-31T19:30:00.000+00:002014-02-02T13:12:16.712+00:00OCEAN OF LONELINESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Etcetera Theatre, Camden</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 31st January 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aaron Anthony Wallace's sharply paced exploration of the differing effects of loneliness is revived in an intimate new production, directed by James O'Donnell at Camden's Etcetera Theatre this weekend. Told through three intertwined monologues, each of the neighbouring characters addresses the audience as though answering interview questions, gradually revealing the idiosyncrasies of their personalities and the effects of their isolation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The volley of short, choppy, overlapping lines that make up the opening scene start to introduce the traits of each character. Requiring a daunting pace to maintain the flow of the piece, the feeling of emptiness and solitude that is later suggested in the lives of the three individuals is compromised a little in this bustling opening scene, instead perhaps suggesting the hubbub of the city they live above. It isn't until further into the piece, when longer portions of monologue are revealed at once, that </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the three characters' individual threads start to take shape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The style of the piece requires a real team approach from the small cast, whose concentration levels must be acutely focused in the close, intimidating space. Listening to one another, ensuring an awareness and generosity with fellow performers, is essential to allow each of the stories the space they need to grow. Tightly directed, the success of this was impressive for an opening night, although further familiarisation with the environment will only improve the smoothness across the weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An intimidatingly small space in which to perform any piece, especially one in which the entire discourse is conducted towards the very nearby audience, performances were generally well achieved. Alex Barclay's poet, with both delusions of grandeur and crippling writer's block, proves the inaccuracy of his </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">comparisons to Shakespeare and Milton when </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">beginning to write about his neighbour. The character with the most depth, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the affects of his solitary situation are clear in </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this darkly comic interpretation. The comparative insanity portrayed by Helen Bang sits as an uncomfortable juxtaposition, with the initial humour of her eccentricity making way for genuine flashes of mental illness. The distractions of Shian Denovan's character, body image concerns familiar to so many in our appearance obsessed society, have become irrational obsessions through her seclusion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The space of the Etcetera Theatre allows for limited staging options, yet the staging was designed with smart creativity. Each character's space was kept personal and separate with a careful choice of furniture complimenting each individual. Encounters in the lift - the only communal space in which the neighbours share periods of socially awkward discomfort - are tightly staged, with the imagined liaisons between Man and Woman 2 thoughtfully lit (Lighting Design by Luis Alvarez) to suggest a dreamlike quality. The use of original music, by Damon Burrows and Orpheus Papafilippou, is also an important choice in generating the required atmosphere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A thought-provoking evening of exploratory theatre, that proves the value of London's fringe venues to the development of new and experimental writing.</span></div>
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<br />@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-46630320090028392482014-01-29T19:30:00.000+00:002014-01-31T08:59:16.280+00:00THE WEIR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Tx94cZQNcXVJg3RlUHC9Wc9ZhE9cUJ0Quq5lbF9PVd40rtvdOExDkIKJzZlPzo5iCa8FmUHLafC2mogkK0Yvk6n84Xfy52NRZN5NZ9C3JeFpZXBAtmdAWdAgOUfdgeOadH9FLpeetnw/s1600/TheWeir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Tx94cZQNcXVJg3RlUHC9Wc9ZhE9cUJ0Quq5lbF9PVd40rtvdOExDkIKJzZlPzo5iCa8FmUHLafC2mogkK0Yvk6n84Xfy52NRZN5NZ9C3JeFpZXBAtmdAWdAgOUfdgeOadH9FLpeetnw/s1600/TheWeir.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Weir<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Donmar Warehouse Production<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wyndham's Theatre, London<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wednesday 29th January 2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Conor McPherson's lauded Irish drama won widespread
critical acclaim when it first premiered in 1997. Josie Rourke's new production
for the Donmar has brought together a stellar cast in a stunning revival, now
beginning a twelve week West End transfer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Set in a rural pub in Ireland's quiet countryside, the
play on the surface is very simple - a small group of locals drinking heavily
and telling one another ghost stories. It is McPherson's captivating writing
talent however, to explore the minutiae of a situation and extract an
enthralling dramatic tension, that elevates this play to an exciting piece of
must-see theatre. Each of the small group of characters are individually
developed as stories are gradually revealed, maintaining a dramatically steady
pace throughout. Tiny, carefully chosen
phrases are richly steeped with meaning, and pregnant pauses sing out with
dramatic significance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This production brings together a wealth of Irish acting
talent, but it is Brian Cox as Jack who most enthrals the audience with his
effortless charm and intelligent wit. His final speech of lost love is
heartbreakingly delivered, offering a beautiful emotional intensity while
retaining a relaxed realism. Ardal O'Hanlan is also delightful as the simple
Jim and Risteard Cooper's Finbar is ideally pitched as the local-boy-made-good
entrepreneur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is this production commenting on Ireland's collective
distraction by the supernatural? Or merely using the ghost stories to examine
the loss and loneliness displayed by each of the intricately characterised
locals? Delicately directed, it is left open for to the audience to decide, and
made all the more intriguing for the open ended resolution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A thought provoking piece with some superb performances -
a must-see for lovers of tension-filled, character-based drama. Booking at the
Wyndham's Theatre until 19th April. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-7502397466981843862014-01-21T19:45:00.000+00:002014-01-24T17:17:30.957+00:00TWELVE ANGRY MEN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51PN3MOXLy6ROXilZy-NclBIwMxWCCEm9pqwldQaIMRNATpXultDZEG_nVPs7C4Dkf6dQGmHvvcPLuXlkrMJBMwv06NnTi-RyyBZ64wz7d8nluIMRirXxhPnpOsWDHWr5BqeVc00ZF54/s1600/12+men.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51PN3MOXLy6ROXilZy-NclBIwMxWCCEm9pqwldQaIMRNATpXultDZEG_nVPs7C4Dkf6dQGmHvvcPLuXlkrMJBMwv06NnTi-RyyBZ64wz7d8nluIMRirXxhPnpOsWDHWr5BqeVc00ZF54/s1600/12+men.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Twelve Angry Men</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">New West End Production</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Garrick Theatre, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tuesday 21st January 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reginald Rose's 1950s drama depicting the deliberations of an all-male jury on a murder case was most famously brought to audiences via the 1957 Henry Fonda film. Originally written for television, the stage version was first seen in 1954 and has been faithfully revived in this new production at the Garrick, starring Martin Shaw. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The jury room set is intricately realised with the open walls to the bathrooms allowing constant view of the tense hours of decision making. With little other furniture, the twelve-seater table clearly dominates the space, but an ingenious revolve - rotating so slowly the eye can barely see the movement - gives both a practical solution to the potential blocking hazard and a creative visual interest for the audience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the joys of this piece for the audience are the deliberate gaps in detail about the twelve jurors. Gradually we get to know their professions, some very minor details are revealed regarding home life, but we don't even find out their names. It is a testament to the quality of the writing therefore, that each of these men are given individual, distinct and absorbing opportunities to develop, allowing the audience to discover each personality. The success of this style however depends upon the skill of the actors to convey this gradual character development with enough control to maintain a consistent tension throughout. This cast, led by Martin Shaw, has no weak link, with each actor portraying a true and intricate understanding of his own character in a plethora of intelligent performances.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As deliberations descend into arguments, facts about the trial are slowly revealed, and interpretations and opinions debated, each juror comes to understand more and more about himself as much as the importance of the term "reasonable doubt" which underpins the entire judicial system. A fascinating piece that delves into the depths of human nature and displays both the power of the legal system and in doing so its inevitable weaknesses. Tense, exciting theatre with some captivating performances - well worth catching.</span>@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-8927474681734420072014-01-16T18:03:00.003+00:002014-01-16T18:03:41.001+00:00CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcnIhYXsxm2J5ZGkK17TjwbrcCdmGDuqbg_1KO-anFnZ0tUQbvDt8rdz8xSUAEaKlPOtbdLiN6GPncwpEh5gPKV_oI3NahDGaEGwuGjrBxKIVY9Ee1t2jL7duYI4OMpxP00p6wt9c1WA/s1600/catcf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcnIhYXsxm2J5ZGkK17TjwbrcCdmGDuqbg_1KO-anFnZ0tUQbvDt8rdz8xSUAEaKlPOtbdLiN6GPncwpEh5gPKV_oI3NahDGaEGwuGjrBxKIVY9Ee1t2jL7duYI4OMpxP00p6wt9c1WA/s1600/catcf.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Original West End Production</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wednesday 15th January 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A second Golden Ticket to Sam Mendes' triumphant production of the Roald Dahl classic after <a href="http://behindthefootlights.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/charlie-and-chocolate-factory.html">my original visit to the final preview</a> back in June. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I stand by that original review, with the only exception that the show is now slicker, more confident and even more sugary-sweet than in those early days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Worth a visit for the spectacular sets alone, Douglas Hodge is also fantastically charming as the creepy Wonka. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A hot ticket to a fabulous show that can be enjoyed by the entire family. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Tickets booking until <a href="http://www.showsinlondon.co.uk/show/charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory" target="_blank">November 2014</a>...</span> </div>
<br />@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-60250860735479867472014-01-13T19:30:00.000+00:002014-01-14T13:36:41.599+00:00HENRY V<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbv2kqFCM9SVL-4ZIfzBDh63nq-D6DIEPEYQuJGCxz_bmRn3If62OKXgQsY4nK-2tnWA_iBFnbbcuxyoS6vLGC9LZ6JmEE54uQxXEZMDtrSLqjYekoHxHjdcl0kpiHAnm9UW0-M-Pulrk/s1600/Jude-Law-as-Henry-V-at-th-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbv2kqFCM9SVL-4ZIfzBDh63nq-D6DIEPEYQuJGCxz_bmRn3If62OKXgQsY4nK-2tnWA_iBFnbbcuxyoS6vLGC9LZ6JmEE54uQxXEZMDtrSLqjYekoHxHjdcl0kpiHAnm9UW0-M-Pulrk/s320/Jude-Law-as-Henry-V-at-th-007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Henry V</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Michael Grandage Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Noel Coward Theatre, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Monday 13th January 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This final jewel in the richly laden crown of the
inestimable Grandage season at the Noël Coward sees the run of five productions
play out with a bang. Having been privileged enough to see all five star-studded
shows over the last year, it is clear that Grandage's directorial vision and
careful choices of clarity and design have matched up to the expectations delivered by his A-lister leads. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is little doubt that the majority of the
audience have been drawn to this production not for the opportunity to see a
play by the world's most celebrated playwright, acted in the city in which he
worked, about one of the country's most successful soldier-monarchs. Instead
the draw for this sell-out winter production is Hollywood heartthrob Jude Law,
playing the war-hungry and charismatic King Harry. Law's Shakespearean credits
most notably include his 2009 Hamlet at the Donmar, transferring to the West
End and then for a week in Denmark's Elsinore Castle itself before enjoying an
additional Broadway run. His characterisation of Henry V is compelling, drawing
out the proclaimed ordinariness of the soldier, a monarch more accustomed to
the battleground than to courtly splendour. His passionate "Once more unto
the breach" speech makes convincing work of rousing the troops, bettered
only by the carefully directed "Band of Brothers" scene bringing a
patriotic lump to the throat on the eve of St Crispin's day. His playful wooing
of the French Princess in Act 2, regally played by a beautiful and poised
Jessie Buckley, adds another dimension to the grounded King and Law once more
achieves a convincingly charismatic performance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The supporting cast hold some equally captivating
characterisations, with several of note, although none achieving less than an
entertaining and convincing portrayal. Ashley Zhangazha as the explanatory Chorus
maintains immaculate clarity that displays a true depth of understanding, and
his impassioned delivery is absorbing and extremely entertaining to watch. Matt Ryan's Fluellen is also
excellently played, displaying a careful comic timing without the need to play for
laughs, relishing his leek scene with the deliciously unpleasant Pistol,
played by Ron Cook. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a Henry V well-pitched for first timers; there are
cuts aplenty to which the relatively early finish time will attest, and which
may not satisfy the Shakespeare purists, but it helps to keep the pace and intensity manageable for all. No prior knowledge of the true history
of the period is assumed, this was generations earlier than Shakespeare's
original audience would have known too, yet the precision and understanding of
the entire cast gives an easy clarity to this historical piece. Grandage's
ability to make the potential challenges of the Bard's verse easily accessible
to a modern, unaccustomed audience is absolutely key to this production's
success and his hand can be strongly felt throughout. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A wonderfully entertaining and successful finale to what
has been an exciting season from Michael Grandage. He seems to have achieved
his aim, to attract new, younger audiences to West End plays through both head-turning casting and affordable ticket pricing. Long may this attitude remain.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p> </div>
@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-35928016102021373332013-12-14T14:00:00.000+00:002013-12-16T14:01:23.139+00:00CINDERELLA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Cinderella</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chelmsford City Council & One from the Heart</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday 14th December 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This year's seasonal offering from the proven team at One from the Heart, in collaboration with Chelmsford City Theatres, brings the magic of <i>Cinderella </i>once again to the Civic stage. One of pantomime's most popular stories, the tale of poor put-upon Cinders, her hapless best friend Buttons, her grotesque pair of stepsisters and her charming Prince are as warmly familiar at Christmas time as mince pies and mulled wine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Chelmsford have put together a fabulous cast for this year's offering led by the beautiful Sophie Camble in the title role with her strong singing voice and constantly graceful stage presence. Her hilariously mismatched step-sisters are brought to fabulous life by Neal Wright and Richard Foster-King; comic timing pitched perfectly, and donning some truly scene-stealing frocks, they make a memorable team. Their wicked matriarch is played with cackling flair by Suzie Chard, boos and hisses a-plenty but carefully directed this year to minimise the nightmare inducing scares - rewarded by the lack of crying children that so often accompany the baddie scenes. A welcome return to the Civic for the charismatic Lewis Barnard, this year giving us his Buttons, who lights up the stage at every entrance in an utterly engaging performance. Cinders' handsome love interest is strongly played by Tom Parsons, and Rhys Rice as his manservant Dandini brings a spectacular energy to both his comedic sketches and his musical numbers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Technically the show impresses, with beautiful lighting design, sparkling sets and dazzling costumes. The musical numbers are all delivered with style and skill, with the whole cast getting individual opportunities to shine. Some of the song choices are particularly obscure this year and, as can often be the case with <i>Cinderella</i>, slightly too much of the narrative is taken over by slushy love story that tends to allow the less attentive children's focus to slip. The transformation scene lives up to the audience's magical expectations completely, with oohs and ahhs emanating from the adults and children alike, culminating in the delightful white Shetland ponies live on stage as Cinderella leaves for the ball.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A stylish, professional pantomime to set families up delightfully for the festive season. </span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-9295252776414209952013-11-23T19:30:00.000+00:002013-12-15T16:06:15.400+00:00THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWj-uSQFta0BEVkvWZ7YdgYj1Bjcum1-tKw7vsYgq8O1DcEcrQtKWdmqzT0tHR_hgk8vAmoeFlUVA2E6dBQToR6S9pqtoeSDWIGUveOqLoehgem63EnzvUX7dizb719TalF8XwEeZj-k/s1600/800x600.fitdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWj-uSQFta0BEVkvWZ7YdgYj1Bjcum1-tKw7vsYgq8O1DcEcrQtKWdmqzT0tHR_hgk8vAmoeFlUVA2E6dBQToR6S9pqtoeSDWIGUveOqLoehgem63EnzvUX7dizb719TalF8XwEeZj-k/s320/800x600.fitdown.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mercury Theatre, Colchester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday 23rd November 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Martin McDonagh's 1996 black comedy, which follows the relationship between 40-year-old virgin Maureen and her wily mother in Ireland's County Galway, marks the second partnership between the Mercury and Curve Leicester after the success of <em>The Hired Man</em> earlier this year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Irish scene is set from the very start, the stage being showered with a torrent of rain; an impressive effect on the thrust stage. The lighting plot throughout is perfectly pitched - as is so regularly the case at the Mercury - to suggest the shifts in time and atmosphere, with intricate detail right down to both the hearth and stove fires adding a realism to the farmhouse kitchen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The success of this piece rests in the central performances, and the relationship built between the two lead actresses is exemplary. Michele Moran plays Maureen with an unspecified edge from the outset, which is so expertly developed by the time the character's back story is revealed that we can utterly believe her continued demise. Her devious and unlikable mother Mags is played with a delicate menace by Nora Connolly, and the rapport built between them is built with a careful mix of familiarity and spark to create the depth of hatred required. The comedy is unarguably black, although there are moments of genuine humour and even warmth through the first act that by the final climax have developed into a chilling darkness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An accomplished and entertaining production, brought expertly to life by the talented team of professionals at the Mercury and a cast who excel in their ideally cast roles. </span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-15636163647166776762013-11-22T19:30:00.000+00:002013-11-24T10:37:33.661+00:00STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwrKdCDFfdt6xfrY3Sa2ZufecVowktknJSGCw_ShqBBbM1aCRXV8eXPbJ7l6wYi4Hcy8vW-qb0h10wk4i6tvQxgKIUzSTiN63HAMtjLapXp48q1EE9FHoOHHV3CAEcn93C5lw6RyojjY/s1600/13338_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwrKdCDFfdt6xfrY3Sa2ZufecVowktknJSGCw_ShqBBbM1aCRXV8eXPbJ7l6wYi4Hcy8vW-qb0h10wk4i6tvQxgKIUzSTiN63HAMtjLapXp48q1EE9FHoOHHV3CAEcn93C5lw6RyojjY/s320/13338_full.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brother Wolf</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tara Theatre, Earlsfield, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 22nd November 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The intimate space of the Tara Theatre is the ideal venue for James Hyland's latest one-man adaptation of this classic of British literature. Opening with Dr Jekyll addressing the Royal Society of Surgeons, the audience become his contemporaries as we watch him divulge his theories into the psyche of human consciousness. As the description of Jekyll's latest experiment unfolds, this versatile and utterly engaging performer seamlessly becomes each of the characters he meets. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Phil Lowe's direction is intricately and skilfully achieved, w</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ith expertly accurate changes in vocals and physicality integrated smoothly within the flow of the piece. Hyland's captivating performance style is ideally suited to the simplicity of the staging, with his absorbing storytelling ability uncluttered by unnecessary set or props. The wooden lectern doubles as bar, bench, bed, adding spacial interest but leaving plenty of room for this exciting artist to fill the space with his performance. The lighting design is too bright at times, with moments calling out for some dramatic shifts to complement the changes in characterisation on stage, although the shadowy final design works well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another jewel in the Brother Wolf crown, this exciting and dramatic piece of theatre is a compelling hour that leaves the hearts of the audience racing. Along with <i>A Christmas Carol as told by Jacob Marley (Deceased)</i> and <i>Fagin's Last Hour</i>, Brother Wolf's current repertoire is a list of exciting, unmissable theatre for lovers of thrilling storytelling. </span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-5670526747826845432013-11-15T19:30:00.000+00:002013-11-17T11:52:44.284+00:00JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePg6jJk2zPSm7aEER4emiA5-jtvGdTzuacKBry8i_JtfF9a9PHbxYpkc1v3xImEulkoMKYra4TnAEWXBUhxDfkU0cy-2_RQLNiUYO8Ad4yQ7ziA9z7gZuMho78gymSYNYzM8FR9tsVmc/s1600/1393986_411981668930775_1624792516_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePg6jJk2zPSm7aEER4emiA5-jtvGdTzuacKBry8i_JtfF9a9PHbxYpkc1v3xImEulkoMKYra4TnAEWXBUhxDfkU0cy-2_RQLNiUYO8Ad4yQ7ziA9z7gZuMho78gymSYNYzM8FR9tsVmc/s320/1393986_411981668930775_1624792516_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CYGAMS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Civic Theatre, Chelmsford</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 15th November 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's early biblical collaboration has well and truly stood the test of time. The upbeat energy, musically varied score and tongue in cheek lyrics prove a timeless mix with wide appeal. Numerous professional productions are frequently taking place all over the world and with a history of high profile stars in the lead role the show has been enjoyed by many thousands of audiences. Originally written for performances by schools the rights for youth groups have only recently become available, and the energetic, ambitious team at Young Gen have been keen to grab the opportunity to perform this popular show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Opening in front of a bare white cloth, the narrator is surrounded by the delightful chorus of CYGAMS' youngest members, performing the roles of enraptured, awestruck student onlookers with panache - oohing and ahhing to add a lovely richness to the iconic "Any Dream Will Do" and throughout the show. As the curtain opens to reveal the busy golden set we are transported to the biblical Middle East and the excitement and energy of the entire cast never drops through two hours of vibrant, fun-packed performances.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jayden Booroff is perfectly cast in the title role with a natural, laid back stage presence. Handsome and relaxed he is a constant delight, performing the centrepiece songs with skill and flair. The energetic character number "Song of the King" is taken on by a consummate Chester Lawrence whose confidence and personality shine through as Pharaoh. James Bantock doubles up as both aged father Jacob and suave millionaire Potiphar, performing both parts with equal success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is inevitably a very male show, and the ensemble of eleven brothers are superb, surpassing expectations without exception. Brilliant together they master their involved and frequent choreography with charm and sing ideally as a unit, but there are also some sterling individual performances among the group; Ben Wilton as eldest brother Reuben gives a smooth, confident rendition of "One More Angel in Heaven" complete with country twang and a twinkle in his eye, Sam Wolstenholme sings the Benjamin Calypso as Judah with ability and some snake-hipped dance moves, and Jack Toland's Simeon leads the whole group in a fantastic scene for "Those Canaan Days". There is plenty for the girls to do too, with a well drilled female ensemble of wives and others doing complete justice to their many dance routines and remaining noticeably focussed and in character throughout the entire show. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Technically there is much to enjoy too - the lighting design is spectacular, the costume and make-up faultless including some miraculously executed quick changes, and the choreography by Jeremy Tustin, who also directs, is ambitious, well-rehearsed and enthusiastically achieved. The excellent band maintain a tireless energy throughout, never missing a beat in this sung-through score. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is one performer however, among a cast of wonderful talents, who leads the show from the very first moments carrying its success on her steady, reliable shoulders. Kathryn Peacock as the Narrator (who shares the role through the week with Alice Masters) is a complete joy to watch, performing with maturity and professionalism beyond her years. Her beautiful vibrato soars out across the audience with astonishing control and power, and her clipped, schoolmarmish characterisation is perfectly pitched and strongly maintained. A performance to inspire the next generation of Young Genners who gaze up at her as the on-stage students, this was a show-stealing achievement by a committed and extremely accomplished young performer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CYGAMS continue to achieve success after success with each show they undertake, and this much anticipated and entirely sold-out production does not disappoint. A fantastic, fun-packed evening deserving of their well-earned standing ovation. </span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-72798415279609821852013-11-08T19:45:00.000+00:002013-11-10T11:45:06.364+00:00HAMLET<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPHsd9TUyLHEaffBz2xnHtItqoIbWN0xzLQXYcfL8FT8EGLqVvODGXb2M7tvLInXMq_YJ0tgppz_IRZV8z8h2jZ_PXBmfNnWXqTaoIa_2ZpQK1fW2A-heSgpwLsOybijVRx38X8nxRK8/s1600/hamlet-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPHsd9TUyLHEaffBz2xnHtItqoIbWN0xzLQXYcfL8FT8EGLqVvODGXb2M7tvLInXMq_YJ0tgppz_IRZV8z8h2jZ_PXBmfNnWXqTaoIa_2ZpQK1fW2A-heSgpwLsOybijVRx38X8nxRK8/s1600/hamlet-poster.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Hamlet</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chelmsford Theatre Workshop</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 8th November 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A considered character exploration opens the CTW programme, written by co-directors Lynne and Mick Foster, analysing Hamlet's place as a literary "hero". Should we be taken in by his intelligent and profound speeches, or see past them to the terrible actions we witness him perform? Should we be influenced by Hamlet's twisted opinion of the other characters around him, or judge them by their own conduct? An interesting take, and one that cleverly opens the way for thought-provoking direction to engage those with prior experience of this epic work, but does not clutter or confuse the story for those approaching the play for the first time. Similarly the cuts made to the script, drawing the usually 3 1/2 hour piece to a close at a reasonable 10.30, were made with care and retained the key elements to the plot with distinctness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Barry Taylor's young Prince Hamlet is given a melancholy characterisation, exploring the directors' interpretation with a particularly nasty portrayal, especially in his chilling treatment of both Ophelia and Gertrude. His madness remains subtle, more of a consistent depression, and his delivery is relaxed and instinctive with an engaging style. In a supporting ensemble cast of mixed experience there are some standout performances. Beth Crozier gives a compellingly regal interpretation of Gertrude with particularly impassioned reactions to Ophelia's tragic demise. Her new husband Claudius is played by Simon Burrell with conviction and although his posture could be more majestic his delivery is clear and engaging. Sarah Bell's Ophelia is very gentle, quietly done her descent is all the more intense for it's calmness and a pin can be heard drop during her singing scene. Christian Search is assured in his performance of Horatio, and Robin Mahr holds his own as Laertes with particular commendation for the well executed swordplay. A strong couple of cameos too by Jim Crozier as the ghostly old Hamlet, and Robin Winder as the garrulous gravedigger. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The set is uncluttered with black walls and simple candles serving for all of the rooms of Elsinore. Although having the audience set in the round allows for more acting space for the numerous cast, a lot of time is spent on or near the stage generating a crick in the neck for those with a side view. Where the space was used fully it was particularly effective, especially the final death scene.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A fluent and accessible version performed smoothly with moments of quiet intensity. T</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">he hand of the directors can be felt throughout, generating interest for audiences both familiar and new to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">one of Shakespeare's most famous and influential plays</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">.</span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-42000123586328086982013-11-06T19:30:00.000+00:002013-11-07T00:55:55.006+00:00WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Springers AODS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cramphorn Theatre, Chelmsford</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wednesday 6th November 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1996 musical is based on the 1961 film of the same name starring Hayley Mills, with the action moved from Lancashire to a small town in Louisiana. After failing to even reach it's Broadway opening in the US, a UK concept album from the show saw Boyzone cover a version of the beautiful "No Matter What" and subsequently achieve a platinum single that was number 1 in 18 countries. Reworked, the show subsequently played in the West End for over 1000 performances.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Springers' production is adorned by a children's chorus of Offspringers, their youth section, who perform with an overall sense of confidence and energy. Their singing voices are clear and melodic, despite occasional lapses of diction in the speaking scenes, and their handling of the classic "When Children Rule the World" is charming. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lead in this show is a child role, played by 13 year old Offspringer Katy Forkings in an excellent performance of maturity and consistency. Her pretty voice is strong throughout and her performance is assured and engaging. Swallow is a role usually played by an actress with a couple more years under their acting belt, but Katy creates a believable and absorbing character full of innocence and conviction. Her on-stage siblings, Matthew Scott as Poor Baby and Charlotte Golden as Brat, are also played with appeal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Man in Swallow's barn is given an earnest and impassioned characterisation by Springers' stalwart Ian Pavelin. Relaxed and reliable, his resonant voice handles the challengingly high songs through this show smoothly and his performance is emotionally convincing. The duets "Try Not To Be Afraid" at the opening of Act 2 and "Nature Of The Beast" towards the end, both sung opposite Swallow, are emotional and dramatic highlights performed with understanding and flair on both sides. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Among the rest of the cast there is a wide variety of success with the tricky American Deep South accents, and an occasional habit of slipping out of them altogether during the songs, but the singing is always melodic and particularly strong in the ensemble numbers. There is a delightful cameo from Ross Rogers as Ed who sings the upbeat "Cold" with bags of charisma and an excellent singing voice. Aaron Crowe relishes his bad boy image as Amos, but shines particularly in the more emotional second act matching up with equal strength to the two leads in "A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste". His "Tire Tracks" duet with an assured Bethan Anderson as Candy is also enjoyable, with them both handling the large motorcycle set piece with ease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The set is thoughtfully constructed to make the best use of the limited Cramphorn space, with the open wooden flats being hung from runners to aid swift and regular scene changes. The lighting design is atmospheric, if a little patchy, and the timing of the cues is somewhat sporadic with lines being performed in the dark on a number of occasions. The setting of this show does not require much glamour from the costumes, but all choices fitted the requirements well and helped to create the atmosphere of the period - the blood make-up for The Man looked particularly effective. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After teaming up for a couple of productions in a row, Springers and Offspringers go their separate ways for their next ventures. Offspringers take on <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> in March and Springers have their "Baggy Trousers" at the ready to welcome you to the "House of Fun" that is their June production - <i>Our House. </i></span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-42996817945764684042013-10-30T19:45:00.000+00:002013-11-02T19:00:52.090+00:00LOVE STORY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKUSLtDgokK19p3Fcyn07g1GQBn0-KgVG39SXEZ4viqcHYfP6WrFNepqBkIcsxjRsNFbhhyL6UiIHZ33o9t-qmxnwTxftpygm91D8Q6GIfR0TK1kTVPxd2kjjA8KBFl-hP1BhzWIkGnY/s1600/love+story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKUSLtDgokK19p3Fcyn07g1GQBn0-KgVG39SXEZ4viqcHYfP6WrFNepqBkIcsxjRsNFbhhyL6UiIHZ33o9t-qmxnwTxftpygm91D8Q6GIfR0TK1kTVPxd2kjjA8KBFl-hP1BhzWIkGnY/s320/love+story.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Language Laid Bare Productions</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Jack Studio Theatre, Brockley, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wednesday 30th October 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Erich Segal's original 1970 film version of <em>Love Story</em> is considered one of the most romantic of all time, and with his bestselling novel released alongside and the success of the instantly recognisable song from the film, this tragic tale is a wide-reaching classic. Stephen Clark and Howard Goodall's musical adaptation opened as part of the 2010 Chichester Festival season to critical acclaim and was succeeded by a 10 week West End run.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Language Laid Bare have revived this one act musical in a stripped back production at the modest space of The Jack Studio Theatre, directed by Joseph C Walsh. The small space reflects the beautiful and intense intimacy of the story and the unapologetically simple staging compliments the clarity of the plot. Some well thought out design accomplishes the potentially problematic integration of a grand piano into the set without taking over the space, breaking up into multiple tables to wheel independently around the stage. This also gives mobility to the piano itself, with actor-musicians Ian Southgate and Jennifer Lucy Cook handling their roles as interchangeable Musical Directors and ensemble cast members with constant smoothness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The role of Oliver Barrett IV is performed with sincerity by Jonny Muir. His accomplished singing voice shines and he convinces as the arrogant law student. Although he could go further emotionally towards the tragic climax of the play, his more restrained style suggests a controlled truth and avoids any unnecessary additional sentimentality in an already tear-jerking plot. This is an almost two handed piece and the central role of Oliver's wife Jenny is given an exemplary interpretation by Caroline Keating. Her assured performance is entirely captivating, impressing musically as both a pianist and singer as well as engaging dramatically in a believable portrayal of the fiery Radcliffe student. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Emotionally poignant without feeling cheesy and with utterly charming music throughout this show is a treat for musical theatre fans. Language Laid Bare's</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> production and The Jack Studio Theatre align to create a delicate gem worth venturing out of the West End to find. </span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-89975667701610935752013-10-26T19:30:00.000+01:002013-10-27T17:12:40.826+00:00THE OPINION MAKERS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiu-4Qk20WKz0v5lUNR382Jkqux97PfTI_JzjVTw2KSljJ3VMaXyupWeHUAUqColWlrI-agcgXw7GvlnEJxdZzyWyZk-I-y78i9nayhMpzjDImc8Lx3-_m484iQeC1X-uOBnNkPHUZO8/s1600/The-Opinion-Makers-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiu-4Qk20WKz0v5lUNR382Jkqux97PfTI_JzjVTw2KSljJ3VMaXyupWeHUAUqColWlrI-agcgXw7GvlnEJxdZzyWyZk-I-y78i9nayhMpzjDImc8Lx3-_m484iQeC1X-uOBnNkPHUZO8/s400/The-Opinion-Makers-008.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Opinion Makers</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Made in Colchester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mercury Theatre, Colchester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday 26th October 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2013 has been an excellent year for the Made in Colchester team with a string of successes that have made huge strides to put the Mercury on the map as a top quality producing house - the <i>Intimate Exchanges</i> series, <i>The History Boys</i>, <i>The Butterfly Lion</i> and most notably the wonderful <i>The Hired Man</i>. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite a pre-show announcement that one cast member was unable to perform due to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">injury, o</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">n paper </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Opinion Makers</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> ticks all of the boxes to continue this accomplished series; directed by the Mercury's own Daniel Buckroyd and starring a cast of recognisable West End and comedy talents. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Market Research in the 1960s is not the most obvious topic for a new musical, following as we do the plights of 'Fernsby Market Research' as they take on a re-branding research project for Dr Campbell's Lotion. FMR's lazy staff fabricate their piles of questionnaire responses and simply tell their inept boss and crazed clients the result that they wish to hear. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Justin Edwards takes on the bumbling company owner, warming into the role after a shaky start. His reactions during the metaphor number were particularly well done making the most of the unlikely scenario. The Great British Bake Off's Mel Giedroyc plays his fawning long-term employee with a pretty singing voice and a sincere characterisation in a funny and hard-working performance. Proven musical theatre stars Daniel Boys and Julie Atherton sing</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">w</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ith </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">unsurprising</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> style and finesse, with Atherton's lullaby one of the highlights, although neither are given numbers to make true use of their talents. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is true of the writing throughout, with the show never living up to it's "hilarious" billing despite a hard working and talented cast. The plot is thin to the point of tedium with the hints of surrealism never going far enough to add anything but confusion. The musical numbers, despite being played expertly by a consummate band and sung mostly successfully by the various singing talents on stage, rarely remain in the memory and often manage to delay rather than tell the story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is so much potential in this group of talents who have been brought together both on and off the stage, but unfortunately it is not potential we see fulfilled in this new musical. </span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-78476106391619914972013-10-12T19:30:00.000+01:002013-10-26T13:46:18.232+01:00THE GOOD PERSON OF SICHUAN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEfrOK6FAfF4wlIVEO3Bx8iTkUcOrolI-ANfYw8sG_lx-Yiwa-wuQOsGx92inXzCG8CeD5v8f7iQknTWHBculOk9TifTNGEHstb4FViLlsAi0vy6Wx_LjwjllKM8Mawn0pe8zOuDQ7gY/s1600/sechuan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEfrOK6FAfF4wlIVEO3Bx8iTkUcOrolI-ANfYw8sG_lx-Yiwa-wuQOsGx92inXzCG8CeD5v8f7iQknTWHBculOk9TifTNGEHstb4FViLlsAi0vy6Wx_LjwjllKM8Mawn0pe8zOuDQ7gY/s320/sechuan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The Good Person of Sichuan</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Made in Colchester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mercury Theatre, Colchester</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday 12th October 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Playing in the Mercury's main house, Brecht's intriguing interpretation of what it takes to be a good person amid a corrupt society shouts it's epic theatre style over a much smaller, yet somewhat harder hitting piece, in the Mercury Studio. Both plays are inspired by the same events, leading to an interesting and unique opportunity to compare and contrast such differing styles of text, direction and performance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Nikolai Foster;s production brings The Good Person of Sichuan bang up to date, while also maintaining all of the epic theatre influences and intentions so key to Brecht's work. Tanya Foster is compelling as the title character, embracing the detached nature required of her characterisation, yet also maintaining an absorbing natural stage presence throughout. There are some strong performances too from the supporting cast, notably Jake Davies as Wang the water seller and Gary Shelford as the pilot love interest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The intention of Brecht's work is to make the audience think about the central topic address in the play, and to strip back much of the traditional theatricality to constantly bring the audience back to the reality of the play text. Fourth walls are broken down and actors often play multiple roles to remove any naturalism that may detract from the message being portrayed. Foster's direction achieves these aims admirably, getting the audience contemplating their place in society and to what extent their lives can be considered "good".</span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-8250311649697351852013-10-09T19:45:00.000+01:002013-10-12T12:29:33.180+01:00BETRAYAL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oUg6_PIow7XnPKcudeu_srorUMOYTu7BBrbNmsK7ape3JRzFuZsUzxQsDC8qHZj_tzXL7CKD1VkI09kpisBg3oZMmMlFkGNaHg2TuZtK5DsZcwB6Qyx8C3P0Y_LhxpC6WGlabruiD4U/s1600/betrayal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oUg6_PIow7XnPKcudeu_srorUMOYTu7BBrbNmsK7ape3JRzFuZsUzxQsDC8qHZj_tzXL7CKD1VkI09kpisBg3oZMmMlFkGNaHg2TuZtK5DsZcwB6Qyx8C3P0Y_LhxpC6WGlabruiD4U/s320/betrayal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">London Classic Theatre</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wednesday 9th October 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Following a history of successes, including excellent productions of <em>The Importance of Being Earnest</em> and <em>Equus</em>, London Classic Theatre return to Chelmsford again this season with their taut production of Harold Pinter's <em>Betrayal</em>. Directed by Michael Cabot, the slick, elegant performances are played out among Bek Palmer's stylised set. Fragments of once inhabited locations that the characters, ghost-like, slip through and around, their lives reflected in the decrepit, broken down remnants of the walls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pinter's use of reverse chronology slowly reveals details of Emma's affair with Jerry, her husband Robert's best friend, with the audience first witnessing the pair two years after the break up of their liaison. As we work backwards through the seventies we see changes in not only the fashions worn by the initially gloomy characters - brightening gradually from dreary browns and greys through to a bright red number on the almost decade younger Emma at the initiation of the relationship - but also in the fluidity of the text as </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pinter's naturalistic half-finished sentences and disjointed conversation points make way for more fluid and relaxed excitement. The timeframe allows the audience to have a constant sense of the future, and through the revelation of the past to piece together events and revel in the details - hearing the same half-remembered anecdotes repeated with varying levels of accuracy and revealing the depth of the relationships between all of the involved parties. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rebecca Pownall achieves a wonderful depth of character as Emma, portraying the uptight worries of the woman we see at the play's opening covered with a false mask of smiles, gradually shedding years and cares as we witness a youthful, energetic Emma in the honeymoon period of her illicit relationship. The scene in Venice is particularly revealing, with Emma's stony faced reaction to Robert's knowledge of her affair - affectingly performed by Pete Collis - disclosing the emotional disconnection from her husband. This is not a detachment shared by partner Jerry, whose regular references to his wife and family prove that despite his betrayal he is loyal to them at his heart. A softer, needier character than Emma, he is given an intelligent portrayal by Steven Clarke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Produced to the high quality for which London Classic Theatre are now known, this is a fast paced, revealing and thought-provoking production of an entertaining Pinter, which retains an exciting dramatic tension throughout.</span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-71781039193380122672013-10-07T19:45:00.000+01:002013-10-12T18:55:47.581+01:00MAN TO MAN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Monday 7th October 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The latest venture from the Made in Colchester stable this week with a double bill of productions in both the main house and the Mercury Studio. With both pieces taking inspiration from the same remarkable tale, this inextricable link adds an exciting, dramatic layer to the Mercury's choice to stage them simultaneously.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>Man to Man</em> follows the life of German woman Ella Gericke, who upon her husband Max' death decides her only option for survival is to assume his identity and live her life as a man. With direct and indirect comment on what it is to be a woman in a 1930s German society dominated by men, her thought-provoking story is made all the more poignant when Hitler rises to power and the reality of war looms. Surviving against the odds through years of challenges that Ella could never have considered in the moment it took to make this utterly life changing decision, we follow this confused life for many years of conflict. The final climax at the joy and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">release of the fall of the Berlin Wall is juxtaposed with the turmoil of discovering the destruction of the grave of her husband, harrowingly marked with her own name. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This one woman play is performed by Tricia Kelly in what can only be described as a tour de force. Her depth of understanding of this involved text is evident, as is the strong hand of director Tilly Branson. Simply but intricately staged, changes of time and place are shown beautifully through an excellently designed lighting plot that truly makes the most of the flexible studio space.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A deeply felt, dramatically theatrical event that the Made in Colchester team are heightening through direct alignment with Brecht's <em>The Good Person of Sichuan</em> in the main house, which I will be visiting later this week.</span></div>
@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-3066544333723133982013-10-04T19:30:00.000+01:002013-10-05T13:27:01.300+01:00HONK!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Honk!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Little Theatre Company</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 4th October 2013</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hans Christian Anderson's The Ugly Duckling is a timeless fairytale told to generations of children all over the world, and in 2000 this Stiles & Drewe musical adaptation fought off <em>The Lion King</em> and <em>Mamma Mia!</em> to win the year's Olivier Award for Best New Musical. History has prevailed over the Olivier judges decision perhaps, with Disney and Abba still packing out West End houses 13 years on, but through its popularity with amateur societies <em>Honk!</em> continues to reach audiences.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The show follows the story of Ugly, the last-hatched son to Drake and his wife Ida. With its laudable moral of tolerance - "different is just... well... different" - repeated continuously throughout, the show is primarily aimed at youngsters although there is a speckle of humour for their parents to appreciate too.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">LTC's slick production graces the Palace this week, directed with unequivocal skill by Tim Cater. With every scene intelligently thought out, intricately framed and polished to a shine the guiding hand of this accomplished director can be felt throughout the staging. His attention to detail in drawing out rounded and developed characterisations - not only from the principals and named supporting roles but also from every individual chorus member - is absolutely key to the success of this impressive production. Ali Graves' choreography is also well pitched to be consistently achievable by the cast while ensuring a high level of energy and variety in every number.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The set is designed to maximise performing space while also suggesting the edges of the farmyard and lake, with changes in location and the regular split scenes all achieved through the excellent lighting design. For this show the costumes play a particularly important role in the completion of each character, and the choices made by the team at LTC are exemplary. The various birds and other animals are suggested through careful choices of colour and material and the overall clarity of design achieved by the Creative Director with the wardrobe team is a constant delight - outstanding.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ugly is played with innocence and sincerity by Darren Harper whose bold, smooth vocals are consistently impressive</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Darren's wonderfully expressive face and endearingly awkward posture are entirely fitting for the character and combine for an absorbing, polished performance. Stephanie Wilson's mother duck Ida is beautifully sung and tenderly acted, playing the fussy parent with warmth and just enough sentimentality. The Cat is an absolute peach of a character role, and Simon Bristoe seems to truly relish playing the villain of the piece. A tricky comic number in "Play with your Food" he must be careful not to compromise the obvious quality of his voice by throwing away the lyrics, but his lithe physicality suggests a necessary feline quality and his excellent characterisation is wonderfully entertaining. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of the many performance highlights of this superb show must go to the fabulous quartet of duckling siblings played by Laura Harper, Gemma Carracher, Laurelle Gallimore and Jamie Redgate. Each of these accomplished performers has entirely understood the individuality of their character and they work ideally together as an attention-grabbing chorus. One of the joys of this musical for amateur societies is the array of smaller character parts that can be shared among the group. Shining from among the many examples of LTC talent that can be found throughout the supporting cast is an exquisite cameo from Creative Director Bradley Green. Squeezing every ounce of humour from his scene as Bullfrog, his comic timing is exemplary - a skill that will need to be further developed in some of his fellow members ready for the society's next venture into the riotous world of <em>Avenue Q</em><em>.</em> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The staging of the curtain call and final number sum up this feel-good production ideally - the cast enthusiactically portray that they are having a fantastic time, and there is no better way to leave your audience feeling just the same. An accomplished production in every sense, both on and off stage - I look forward to seeing this talented society rise to the inevitable challenges of working with unruly puppets in their next exciting production in April.</span><br />
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-83425432089911868362013-10-02T19:30:00.000+01:002013-10-30T23:12:04.714+00:00THE COMMITMENTS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The Commitments</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">World Premiere</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wednesday 2nd October 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Roddy Doyle's original self-published novel of the late 1980s became a cult hit, telling the down to earth story of a group of unemployed Irish youths filling their time in the Dublin streets by creating a band. The life-affirming tale of Jimmy Rabbitte and his ragtag group of amateur musicians captured the imagination of a society who recognised the characters and their plight all too well. The success of the novel gave rise to a hit film in 1991 and is now being revisited as a brand new musical written by Doyle himself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The opening flies by understandably swiftly, opening as it does without the band assembled, and after a hasty couple of scenes as the group gather the party can really get started. Party being the operative word - this show is like on big Irish craic all the way through, hugely fun and unarguably feel-good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is truly an ensemble show and the members of the band work excellently together with relationships shining through. They generate a camaraderie that is entirely infectious and reaches out to include the whole audience as part of the gang. There is however an absolute standout individual performance from the spine-tingling Killian Donnelly as lead singer Deco. The unpredictable ego of the group, his performance is at times hilarious, charming and touching in equal measure and his voice is total rock perfection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A funny, entertaining, life-affirming show that leaves your toe-tapping and a smile on your face - what more can be asked for…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>See below for an interview with Killian Donnelly and Denis Grindel by <a href="http://www.officialtheatre.com/" target="_blank">officialtheatre.com</a> ... </i></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BPPqentk8H8" width="420"></iframe>@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-12195575982494842582013-09-30T19:30:00.000+01:002013-10-26T13:28:42.430+01:00A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A Midsummer Night's Dream</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shakespeare's Globe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Globe Theatre, London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Monday 30th September 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The atmosphere at the Globe is always a delight and a visit, no matter what the show, makes for an entertaining evening in it's own right. One of London's most iconic theatrical venues, the experience is entirely worth the discomfort of the traditional seating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This season's production of <em>A Midsummer Night's Dream</em> is being promoted with the tag line "Show us your Bottom", and it is absolutely right that this character is singled out. Pearce Quigley's interpretation of Bottom is one of the most engaging I have seen. Relaxed, off-hand and slightly camp, yet also full of the ambitious self-promotion that makes Bottom such a target for ridicule, he is utterly hilarious and the highlight of the production. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The farcical confusion of the four lovers is excellently realised with a particularly enjoyable performance of a frustrated Helena, played by Sarah Macrae. The fairies are styled as woodland nymphs, in furs, leather and antlers, in a raw and slightly unnerving interpretation. John Light's Oberon is energetic and masculine, although his accent is fairly random and at times difficult to understand, and paired with Michelle Terry's feisty Titania they make strong, slightly intimidating, fairy royalty. Matthew Tennyson's rubbery physicality brings a coy youth to Puck in an audience-winning performance.</span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867402421060844117.post-68064284581503383462013-09-27T19:30:00.000+01:002013-09-28T01:14:26.570+01:00THE BOY FRIEND<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Boy Friend</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trinity Methodist Music and Drama</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trinity Methodist Church Hall, Chelmsford</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Friday 27th September 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sandy Wilson's 1953 musical comedy, <i>The Boy Friend</i>, is an affectionate pastiche of musicals of the roaring twenties and is set among the gaiety of the French Riviera. A group of "Perfect Young Ladies" at Mme Dubonnet's finishing school are consumed with desire to find that most necessary of accessories for a seventeen year old girl - a boyfriend - and the sweet, simple story follows the attempt of one young heiress to find true love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a frivolous, feel-good show - the essence of which even the predictable plot line and weak book can do nothing to dispel - and this youthful Trinity cast brings a vitality and spirit to the stage. Polly Browne, set to inherit her father's fortune but wanting to find love regardless of money, is played with earnest sobriety and a sparklingly beautiful voice by Jessica Edom. Ben Huish gives delivery boy Tony a bumbling posh-boy interpretation, with a comic characterisation that would not be out of place in a P.G. Wodehouse novel and a smooth, confident singing voice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hands held at constant right angles, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fluttering lashes over </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wide eyes and fixed smiles with shiny white teeth, the English roses of the finishing school are played with stylised elegance by Charlotte Watling, Helen Quigley, Amy Coster and Nina Harrington. Their enthusiastic Charleston-style choreography is well matched by the strong male support from Joe Gray, Dom Short, Dom Light and Ed Tunningley. All relevant parties spiritedly maintain their French accents, especially Emma Byatt who floats around the stage as </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a graceful</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Madame Dubonnet. An enjoyable cameo too from Director Tony Brett who exudes personality while playing lecherous Lord Brockhurst with a twinkle in his eye.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The set is nicely designed, although it may look more complete if the open space above the short side flats were covered. The hanging basket for Act 3, with its fixings suspended in mid air, is a little too dominant for such a central position, but the furniture and props are</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> well chosen and the set changes are handled smoothly through the two intervals. The costumes and wigs are all excellent, chosen to ideally depict the period and suit each individual character. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The busy three piece band are reliably led by Musical Director Gerald Hindes who pitches the volume levels ideally to ensure that the performers voices are always heard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is lovely to see a talented group of young faces joining the established performers at Trinity, and the result is a fun-filled production with the enthusiasm of the cast reflected by the appreciative audience. An entertaining evening.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Photograph by Val Scott.</i></span></div>
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@LauraKathrynBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14083694147916604289noreply@blogger.com0