If tonight’s performance represents the future of British theatre then we are in very safe hands indeed. OK, so the story is about as substantial as the walls that kept toppling throughout the production. However, a beautiful score and some first-class performances showed that Amour really can be a labour of love. Now, where can I find a cast recording?
Crouch delights in theatre which unsettles and pushes boundaries and An Oak Tree is no exception. In parts, it is brilliant and it is never less than compelling – at least, so it was when Burnett was the guest actor. On other days, it might be different – better, mostly the same or worse. The dynamics of the performers, usually honed in rehearsal, is here basically raw, and will either work or not. With Burnett and Crouch dancing this tarantella of guilt, grief and occasional guile, it’s a quirky, original and compelling exercise in the extremities of theatrical form.
Partial casting has been announced for the upcoming national tour of The Rocky Horror Show commencing in December 2015. More than 40 years after its stage debut The Rocky Horror Show has been performed in more than 30 countries and translated into 20 languages. X Factor finalist and star of the stage version of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Diana Vickers will star in the role of Janet Weiss. S Club 7 star, Paul Cattermole, will play the role of Eddie and Dr. Scott. Emmerdale actor. Ben Freeman, will join Diana and Paul, playing the role of Brad Majors. Following his huge success in over 900 performances of the 40th Anniversary Global Tour of The Rocky Horror Show, Kristian Lavercombe returns as Riff Raff. Further casting will be announced soon. BOOK TICKETS FOR THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW ON TOUR
The cast and crew of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory celebrated it’s second anniversary in the West End last Thursday with a special gala performance. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory has fast become one of the West End’s most popular stage musicals winning two Olivier awards in 2014 and repeatedly breaking box office records at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane where it has now been seen by over 1.3million people. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is directed by Sam Mendes. Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig, set and costume designs by Mark Thompson and choreography by Peter Darling. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is now booking until 4 June 2016. BOOK TICKETS … Read more
It has been announced that Harry Potter will come to the West End Stage in Summer 2016 in a new play entitled Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. The play will be based on an original story by J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, the play by Jack Thorne will open at the Palace Theatre. Rowling has already stated that the play will not be a Potter prequel. Little else is known about the play but Jack Thorne made the following Twitter comment “Re Harry Potter, can’t say anything, other than playing in jk_rowling‘s sandpit is the greatest honour & the greatest fun”. Harry Potter And The Cursed Child will be directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett, with set designs by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, lighting by Neil Austin, music by Imogen Heap, sound by Gareth Fry and special effects by Jeremy Chernick. Tickets … Read more
There is not much room for manoeuvre upstairs at the Old Red Lion, but the creative team, led by director Jonathan Kemp, have put together a flexible and well dressed set that provides a richly textured backdrop for the play, full of relevant artistic clutter and debris and gorgeous fabrics – self-consciously theatrical in a way that is entirely appropriate for the paintings from this period in Rembrandt’s life. The intimate atmosphere and finely calibrated acting draws you into the relationships and the issues very quickly, and as a result we have a properly tough-minded, and warm-hearted night at the theatre. The play runs until mid-July and is rewarding in every respect. And you may never think of gloves in quite the same way ever again….
It’s not that this is a bad play; it’s more that it is not really a play at all. It’s a series of separate scenes, mostly two-handers, which chiefly concern the central character, Jackie. It doesn’t really have any compelling over-arching theme, there is no lyrical, poetic or political beauty to the language, and it does not attempt to shine a light on society or culture in any significant way. It looks and sounds like a short film – not a coherent, magnificent drama worthy of the Lyttleton stage.
As with so many theatres of a certain age, the bar at the Theatre Royal is proudly lined with photos of bygone productions from the golden age of repertory theatre; and there, sure enough, were the production shots of a 1986 production of this very play, Joking Apart – all duffle coats, cravats and tweed jackets, floral print dresses, and big, frizzy hair-dos, taking you straight back to the 1970s. But the lesson of this fine production is that this is a timeless play that holds up as true a mirror to our foibles now as ever it did before.
