With a stellar line-up of comedy acting talent, Humble Boy has now been revived in a delightful new production by director Paul Miller that deals with death and dysfunction with wit and a warm heart.
Mark Ludmon reviews the sparkling new production of Shaw’s lesser-known play Misalliance at the Orange Tree Theatre
While the tunes and harmonies for the new material might not be memorable, the orchestrations and playing is first rate. Kenny Seymour and Joseph Church, together with the 13 piece orchestra led by Aaron Jodoin, make great, evocative and stirring sounds. And when the title tune finally comes, the fusion of its simple majesty, the brilliant harmonisations of the cast and the clever arrangements, see the whole musical end on an intensely satisfying note.
For the first time in a generation Terence Rattigan’s 1936 comedy will have a London run at the Orange Tree Theatre. After a group of young men arrive at Monsieur Maingot’s French school for the summer to cram for the Diplomatic exam, their concentration is disrupted by beautiful visitor Diana Lake. Quelle surprise, they must learn another new language: girls. At first, it seems pretty simple. Kit loves Diana and she loves him. And Bill. Oh, and darling Alan, of course. Then there’s Jack: she’s in love too. Meanwhile, Babe conceals his feelings… Not so simple after all. French Without Tears will be directed by Orange Tree Artistic Director Paul Miller. Casting includes Laila Alj, William Belchambers, Alexander Bhat, Joe Eyre, Genevieve Gaunt, Tom Hanson, Patrick McNamee, David Whitworth and Sarah Winter. French Without Tears is designed by Simon Daw, lighting design by Mark Doubleday, Costumes by Holly Rose Henshaw … Read more
The Orange Tree theatre has established a unique niche for itself as a home for new writing and carefully chosen revivals of long-neglected repertoire. This production is a distinguished badge added to that reputation and another notable success for director Paul Miller and his creative team in their award-winning first season.
