Month: February 2020

The Other Palace – until 3 May 2020

Reviewed by Adam Craddock

4****

When I got the offer to review “Be More Chill” at The Other Palace I didn’t really know the show bar one or two songs. After a quick google search I found, in hindsight, quite possibly the most accurate description of this show there is… “Dear Evan Hansen crossed with Mean Girls in the world of Little Shop of Horrors”. This show is absolutely mindbogglingly crazy yet a hilarious rip ride along the way. The show follows Jeremy, a teenage nerd at high school trying to be cool who takes a mystery Japanese supercomputer drug, a squip, and unlocks his coolness potential, but with grave consequences for all around. 

Scott Folan was brilliant as Jeremy, with a lovable air about him even in the characters darkest moments and a falsetto as sweet as a nut. I really wouldn’t be surprised to see him make this bracket of lovable nerdy characters his own for the next few years to come. Christopher Fry was hilarious as Mr Heere, with exceptional comedic chops on full display. James Hameed and Renee Lamb we’re both good as Rich Goranski and Jenna Rolan respectively. Miracle Chance was exceptional as Christine Canigula, striking the perfect balance of lovable nerdy without it being sickening. This was one of my favourite characters in the show. Stewart Clarke and Eloise Davies we’re both strong as the Squip and Brooke Lohst respectively, with Clarke having some strong singing chops and Davies having a beautiful realism in her display of the second choice friend. Miles Paloma was great as Jake Dillinger, with his strong dance ability on display in this fairly limited movement show. Millie O’Connell was very strong as Chloe Valentine, with her amazing character work and acting ability showing another side to her performers catalogue than what you would have seen in Six, this was really nice to see! However, the absolute highlight of the night for me was Blake Patrick Anderson as Michael Mell. He showed his great acting and singing chops off to their fullest when he belted out “Michael in the Bathroom” in early act 2. This number really stood out to me and made me want to jump out of my seat and applaud it. 

The direction of the show was really good with exceptional use and integration of the AV aspects and the minimal set. Costume design was brilliant, particularly in the party with some spot on outfits. The choreography was a little strange but for some reason it really worked within this absurd piece of theatre. 

Overall, I would highly recommend going to see “Be More Chill” at The Other Palace while it is still playing. Don’t expect anything too serious, but if you want a hilariously geeky night with your friends, get yourself down there now! 

John Cooper Studio @41, York – until 22 February 2020.

Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

4****

York Stage have bought their latest production of Steel Magnolias to the John Cooper Studio @41. A box theatre I had never been to before. On stepping inside the building it was quite a unique experience, all dark walls, stairs and corridors, to finally get to the actual theatre area, which by comparison was very bright. The stage was set up in the middle as a 1980’s hair salon with three rows of white seating each side, very intimate and we could sit wherever we wanted.

Steel Magnolias, based on the much loved female driven film, is the bittersweet story of six women who frequent Truvy’s Beauty Salon. It is a hub of social life for the ladies of the town, where over the space of four days (scenes), across nearly three years. Six women share secrets, recipes, swap gossip, meet friends, and of course get big hairdos. A story of marriage, motherhood, love and loss. Men are not seen, but they are topics of conversation, especially with the loud blasts of gun shot that echo through the salon.

Truvy (Kathryn Addison), all resplendent in her animal print and magnificent perm, owns the salon and doesn’t believe in “natural beauty”. She has just taken on a new stylist, the timid and shy Annelle (Carly Morton), who has her own secrets. It is an important day where everything revolves around Shelby (Louise Henry), who is getting married and has chosen Truvy to do her wedding hair. She is adamant that she is going to wear her hair up and be full of baby’s breath flowers, much to her mother’s disgust. M’Lynn (Joanne Theaker) has accompanied her daughter to the salon, to also have her hair done, along with Clairee (Sandy Nicholson), a friend and widow of the former mayor. The final player, who we get to meet later, is the eccentric and totally bonkers Ouiser (Julie Ann Smith). Over time we see these ladies, bond together, argue together and then grieve together.

All is not sweetness and light though, with Shelby suffering a diabetic episode, setting the seeds of what is to come later. Advised not to have children, she gets pregnant anyway, and gives birth to a premature baby boy, who nonetheless flourishes. Unfortunately, her body cannot take it and tragedy strikes.

You really got to believe in the characters, and all six performances performed skillfully, but Ouiser was just brilliant. Smith’s portrayal was just so over the top, it was superb. Addison must be commended for stepping in Truvy’s role at short notice, she had so much dialogue, it can’t have been easy.  As always, Theaker delivers a strong performance, most notably during M’Lynn’s tortured speech that had the audience sniffling and dabbing their eyes, a truly powerful moment. You could tell that the actors were truly immersed in their roles, as even at the curtain call tears could be seen in their eyes.

The set worked really well and it was great to be in the thick of it, I really enjoyed the intimacy of the venue. At times it really felt as if we were part of the show and it was hard not to reply to questions when the characters were asking, you got that involved. As for the dodgy haircuts, dress sense and music, it took me right back to when I was growing up. I’m an 80’s chick and love reminiscing, even on the way back to the car I had a conversation about how both of us had those questionable perms.

This bittersweet but sentimental comedy, directed and designed by Nik Briggs, will make you laugh and cry, so make sure you take a hanky with you. For the price of a ticket you honestly can’t go wrong.

TUCKSHOP PRESENTS

DRAG! LIVE AT THE LONDON COLISEUM

A DRAG VARIETY EXTRAVAGANZA

COMING TO ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC VENUES IN THE WEST END

STARRING RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK FINALISTS

DIVINA DE CAMPO AND BAGA CHIPZ AND

THE FAMILY GORGEOUS FROM CHANNEL 4’S DRAG SOS

ALONG WITH A HOST OF THE UK’S OTHER BEST DRAG PERFORMERS

SUNDAY 5 APRIL @ 7.30PM

You never forget your first time… especially when it’s this big!

Let the respectable raucousness ensue…

TuckShop – the UK’s only specialist production company devoted all things drag, and the team behind sell-out hit Cinderella, the UK’s first ever all drag pantomime in the West End, and nationwide sensation Gals Aloud with Cheryl Hole – will present a historic first on Sunday 5 April: the London Coliseum will be taken over by some of the UK’s biggest drag performers for a variety extravaganza.

DRAG! LIVE AT THE LONDON COLISEUM will star RuPaul’s Drag Race UK finalists BAGA CHIPZ and DIVINA DE CAMPO (who will be showing off her high soprano and four octave operatic range), THE FAMILY GORGEOUS from Channel 4’s DRAG SOS, plus a host of other talent from across the UK drag scene.

Tickets will go on sale at midday on Thursday 20 February and can be purchased via www.londoncoliseum.org/drag . Premium tickets include an exclusive VIP reception with DJ, Limited edition DRAG Lanyard, and an exciting meet and mingle allowing patrons to mingle with some of the country’s greatest drag talent.

Other talent appearing will be (in alphabetical order, line up subject to change)  
Adam All, Baby, Lolo Brow, Kitty Scott Claus, Ophelia Love, Meth, HERR, Cara Melle , Vanity Milan, and Holly Stars

Headed up by West End theatre producer Christopher D. Clegg, TUCKSHOP is an entertainment company like no other, specialising in theatre production, club promotion, merchandising and artist representation all centred around DRAG.

Christopher Clegg said, “I remember my first time at the London Coliseum, I was blown away by the talent, the people and the building… so to be the first EVER drag show in history taking over this iconic venue is just an incredible honour. We have an amazing line up of drag performers and we will be filling the theatre with TuckShops signature brand of madness, music and mayhem  ”

With the huge rise in drag popularity over the last ten years, TuckShop is at the forefront of UK Drag culture, coming hot off the heels of Chris’s fifteen years’ experience in the West End as a producer, theatre manager, and marketing expert. As well as creating bespoke productions and producing nationwide tours, TuckShop also represent some of the UK’s best Drag talent, raising their profile through branding, promotion and regular bookings. With new productions in development, an ever expanding roster of headline performers and our new online store, TuckShop works tirelessly to give Drag the leg-up it deserves.

Divina De Campo is a seasoned British drag queen and singer. Known for her high soprano and 4-octave range, Divina has been featured on national television programs including The Voice, All Together Now, and most recently on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. Her love of theatre led her to star in stage productions including The Ruby Slippers, a play that explores prejudice in the LGBT community, and Dancing Bear, a musical that explores faith, sexuality and gender identity. Divina has worked with the George House Trust, a charity supporting people living with HIV. She has also hosted Superbia’s Drag Queen Story Time, reading stories to young children. When not touring, recording or filming, Owen enjoys a quiet life with his husband. Divina is represented by Producer Entertainment Group and can be found online @divinadecampo.

Baga Chipz is a notorious staple amongst the UK Drag scene. She has been performing across London in pubs and clubs for the last 10 years and has just made a huge splash on the first ever season of RuPauls Drag Race UK, reaching the final three. One of only ten queens selected from across the UK and Ireland, Baga has already had a touch of reality limelight on Drag Queens of London which was shown worldwide and is known to many as the face of G-A-Y Porn Idol at Heaven nightclub. She’s the kind of drag queen that “gets her t**s out for the lads,” she says. “[I’m] a pub queen; Like someone’s auntie I give advice on how to pull fellas and how to get pissed … I’m common as muck, bagachips from Walthamstow.”

HOLLY STARS

Holly Stars is an icon, and a Gorgeous natural beauty. She hates her neighbours, Fat Julie and Posh Sue, and is thrilled that her husband Gary’s gettin’ out of prison next week. She’s almost excited about this show, but doesn’t like the West End that much as it’s a bit posh.

Lyric Theatre, London

Reviewed by Rhys Payne

4.5****

Having booked tickets for Showstopper! at the Lyric theatre in London I was very perplexed as to how you perform an entirely improvised musical but I have to be honest it was one of the most entertaining shows I have seen in a long time and I already can’t wait to see it again.

Before seeing the show I realised I had to write a review for the performance which really did fill me with a lot of angst. The purpose of a review is to say this show is really good or not and encourage people but this is extremely difficult as the show I saw will be nothing like the show that someone else will see. Due to this I can’t really comment or promote the content of the show but instead the atmosphere and emotions it invokes. I have always wanted to see a live performance of improvised theatre as I have only ever seen it in shows on tv and it seemed like a barrel of laughs so to actually get to see something improved was great but it is an entire musical took it to a whole other level!

The first thing you need to keep in mind for this show is that it could be considered as a show perfect for extreme musical theatre fans. This was the most obvious thing that was clear even before the show opened. When I walked into the theatre we were greeted with a medley of musical theatre classics which had the majority of the audience sang (and danced) along to. This is a new thing for me to see an audience who got so involved with the production before it even opened but I guess this was to ease the audience into any audience participant sections later in the show. This concept was also used to give the audience ideas and suggestions for the story which I will discuss later.

As I have already said this is an entirely improvised musical which means every show is different. This is facilitated by narrator asking the audience for a collection of possible locations which is then voted on by the rest of the audience, next the audience are asked for musicals they like and modified versions of certain songs in the musical will appear in Showstopper! (which shows the talent of both the performers and the band that were on stage) and finally the audience is asked for a title which once decided upon the person who suggests the name gets given a prize in act two. With this in mind, in an ideal world, I would want to watch this show again with just me in the audience so I can suggest all the musicals I enjoy.

In this performance it took place in a McDonald’s with songs inspired by Hamilton, West Side Story, Come From Away and We Will Rock You which are not musicals that I am particularly familiar with but I was still able to appreciate the skills and talent being showcased.

This was performed by an extremely talented cast who clearly have a strong bond and connection in and off stage. They were able to flawlessly bounce off each other with the quick wit and hilarious jokes which made for a very easy to watch and enjoyable show to watch. Even when mistakes were made, for example, character being called the name etc, they were acknowledged on stage in a hilarious manner and within the world, the show was set it. I often see shows were I think the cast is talented and stuff but these people involved in Showstopper! clearly know the craft inside and out and are able to work together excellently which is an exceptional skill that many shows do not contain.

Overall this was a hilarious and enjoyable show however I believe I may have missed some of the musical references due to the fact that I am unfamiliar with the shows that were chosen. However, I would strongly encourage everyone to catch the chaotic musical in the Lyric theatre as it is only performed once a month and only two performances before it is gone for good!

New Victoria Theatre, Woking – until 22 January 2020

Reviewed by Becky Doyle

4****

For someone who had gone to see this show without a real knowledge of Carole King, her music or her history I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed it… Even to the extent that I was listening to her music on my drive home. A gorgeous story of young love with drive, passion and ambition along their journey.

It took me a little while to buy into the American accident, but I soon didn’t realise as the music, singing and story evolved. Carole was portrayed so well by Daisy Wood Davis, she made it easy to feel love and sympathy towards at times a naïve, vulnerable but hugely talented girl. Her singing voice captivated the room as did the dancers from the ensemble whose energy made you want to get up on stage and join in.

The set used fantastically to portray different rooms, settings and needs – quite simple yet fully capable of drawing you in. The only way you reaslised that time was passing by was through fashion choices and hairstyles, a really clever way to carry the audience on the journey.

The whole cast were fantastic, Laura Baldwin and Cameron Sharp (Caynthia Weil and Barry Mann) allowed for healthy competition but also a budding friendship and romance and Adam Gillian (Gerry Goffin) was the initial heartthrob who turned into the villain when you realised he was a man who was never going to change…

The finale was literally the meaning of the word “Beautiful” Carole in her long flowing blue dress and her performance at Carnegie Hall, which again Daisy’s voice was phenomenal left myself and from the dancing and singing around, the rest of the audience falling a little bit in love with Carole King.

Highly recommended

Windsor Theatre Royal – until 22 February 2020

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge

3.5***

Billionaire Boy is written by David Walliams and directed by Neal Foster it’s about a boy called Joe (Matthew Gordon) who’s dad (Jason Furnival) becomes rich by making his millions from toilet paper. One side dry and the other moist, revolutionising wiping bottoms forever with his company “Bum Fresh“.

Although they have all the money in the world, Joe is still very unhappy and all his father can do instead of spending time with him in which he is craving, is to throw money at him. In his pursuit for happiness he leaves his posh school to enrol into the local comprehensive where nobody knows his background, or just how rich he is! Hoping to find a friendship and hoping to put behind him his unhappy unfulfilled life. It soon becomes apparent that no matter how much money you have it doesn’t always make you smile or make you happy.

Joe who seems quite jolly and enthusiastic but deep down is sad and looking for a friendship in which he finds in Bob (Davy Bell) who comes across quite nervous at times, seems to over think as well as over talk. He has many gestures but plays the part well, they play best friends, both give a strong performance and show a  good connection throughout with each other.

Dad (Jason Furnival) a salt of the earth character believing that anything could be brought with money he played an effective and convincing part.

Raj (Aosaf Afzal) played a very excited, loud and over chatty character at all times, trying to sell his shop products. Any question you have, he’s there all day, if there’s a problem, he around to answer it. You’ll definitely know about all his special offers and promotions. He was very funny to watch and had the audience laughing on many occasions.

Sapphire (Rosie Coles) plays a very over the top, no class, demanding, ditsy, money grabbing girlfriend she plays it well and is very focused.
Mrs Trafe (Emma Matthews) who was loud, inventive and over enthusiastic with her food, such as the blu tack special, she loves to be in the lime light and had the audience clapping away.

All actors brought the characters to life with some great costumes thrown in. The show offered some very enjoyable songs where the audience clapped and joined it giving the show a good sense of liveliness throughout.

The set was done extremely well using lots of boxes as well as toilet rolls in order to set the scenes, simply by opening them up and turning them into many different props. For instance a set of boxes opened turned into the local shop and for the class room a few boxes that turn into a cupboard of teachers supplies and a desk then turning the area into a class room. All  very effective and gave many opportunities for different areas to be used for different scenes.

All in all a good lively, imaginative, enjoyable show for all to watch.

Princess Alexandra Auditorium – 17 February 2020

Reviewed by Lyall Mum & Son

5*****

The Sooty Show is a fantastic production which is keeping the legendary Sooty and his gang alive. Richard Cadell is the perfect host for this show with his comedy and magical elements for the children and the adults! Little Lyall has never seen or heard of Sooty before so this would be the perfect way to introduce the show to him. As soon as the show began the theatre was filled with colour, magic, sparkles, songs and entertainment, to then we were introduced to the little gang which really put a smile on little Lyalls face! Mine as well…. 

Richard and the casts enthusiasm and energy is none stop which is perfect to keep those little ones engaged. We see typical pantomime elements such as “Where is Sooty?” and Sooty popping out in a variety of places on the stage. Water pistols being squirted into the audience and Sweep being the typical comic who has a thing for bopping Richard in the face and interrupting sketches.

Not forgetting the beautiful moment when Richard brought a little girl on stage for her to perform some magic. With the famous words “Izzy Wizzy Lets Get Busy” this little girl was astonished with what was happening. She was literally lost for words. Not giving this magical part away she really had a flying dream. 

Not forgetting Richards magician friend who makes a wonderful appearance to perform his own magical acts. This young magician is full of energy and really brings a wow affect to this show. 

Highly recommend to go and see this show and celebrate the 70 years of Sooty being alive! Introduce him to the little ones.

Little Lyall will not go to bed without his Sooty bear now!

A huge thank you for the entertainment to Richard, Sooty and the rest of the gang.

Princess Alexandra Auditorium – 16 February 2020

Reviewed by Lyall Mum & Son

3***

Puss In Boots is a typical story telling production with wonderful bits of detail to keep us reeled into the story. We meet Patrick Lynch who begins to tell the story of Puss In Boots by introducing a man called Felix and his two brothers. We learn that Felix and his brothers were given things to keep from their Father and Felix was given a cat whilst the two brothers were given farmers fields, donkeys and many more to keep their own family’s running.  Felix is struggling living with just his cat but he is not aware how much this cat will bring to him.

Patrick delivers this one man show with minimal set, props, costume and lighting. It seems quite dark for a childrens show to begin with but as we get into the story we begin to understand what this production is about. The small elements are very clever as Patrick is able to tell this wonderful story but also have the audience to use their imagination which can be a very magical use. The clever set was able to produce an oven, a lake, fields, a ramp for mice to run down and also the home of an ogre. Patrick is able to bring his story telling, puppetry and acting skills into one.

Unsure that this production was suited for 4 year olds due to their attention span but little Lyall who is 6 stated he did enjoy it but was Shrek in the story? He thought the ogre was indeed Shrek….

A clever production with a variety of magical elements and detail. If you are one for the theatre and into your styles and story telling, this is a production for you.

OSO Arts Centre, Barnes, London SW13 – until 22nd February 2020 VAULT Festival, Crescent, Leake Street, London SE1 – 6th–8th March

Reviewed by Antonia Hebbert

3***

In a dreamlike set with a big paper moon and stars, this show puts together the poetry of Roger McGough with the acrobatic skills of performers from Feathers of Daedalus circus troupe. While McGough’s poetry plays with words and follows curious threads of thought, the circus artists provide a physical counterpoint, rolling and flowing around the small performance space with handstands, puppetry, juggling and other turns that are beautiful to watch.

The poems span 30 years of McGough’s work, and follow a sequence through the day, from waking up and going to school, to night-time and dreams. There is a lot of charm here, and the playfulness of McGough’s poems should be well suited to the playfulness of circus skills. They both take you by surprise with counter-intuitive inventiveness.

The combination didn’t entirely work in the performance that I saw, which was geared to the very young (pre-school) children in the audience, while McGough’s poems seem to belong most to older children, of at least primary age. As he says himself, ‘When writing poems for children I have in mind the daydreamer, the one who is always staring out of the classroom window …’ It was very sweet and gentle, but the jokes and puns and word play didn’t always come across strongly, and the darker poems felt a little too dark for the tinies.

It will probably be very different with a more rambunctious school-age audience for the performers to play up to. Alongside the show, McGough and Feathers of Daedalus are also running children’s poetry workshops, which sound like fun. Joanna Vymeris directs.

Mikron Theatre Company present

A Dog’s Tale

A new play by Polly Hollman

Director: Rachel Gee

Composer and Musical Director: Rebekah Hughes

Designer: Celia Perkins

Cast: Rachel Benson, Thomas Cotran, James McLean and Elizabeth Robin

Mikron Theatre, in their 49^th year of touring,  are celebrating (wo)man’s best friend this season when they stage the premiere of Polly Hollman’s new comedy caper A Dog’s Tale, which looks at canines past and present and the enduring love between people and their dogs.

You’d be FURgiven for thinking that Mikron is just another run of the mill theatre company, but you’d be BARKING up the wrong tree. 2020 will see them LEAD you on a unique journey. It’s a PAWsome show you won’t be able to TERRIER yourself away from.

A Dog’s Tale will kick off its tour at Marsden Mechanics Hall on the 23rd May and then tour nationally by canal, river and road until 24th October.

Linda and her wayward rescue dog Gary are pursued by security through the halls and history of Crufts, accused of a terrible crime.

When Charles Cruft, the ‘Greatest Showman in Dogdom’, held his first show in 1891, he had a sense that dog ownership and breeding was about to become pretty big.

In this extraordinary world of heroic hounds, pampered pedigrees and naughty nobblers, does Gary have what it takes to win the day?

A Dog’s Tale is directed by Rachel Gee , designed by Celia Perkins, music composed and directed by Rebekah Hughes. The cast will feature Rachel Benson (Redcoats, Mikron Theatre ), Thomas Cotran (Loserville, Union Theatre), James McLean (Much Ado About Nothing, Northern Broadsides) and Elizabeth Robin (The Little Mermaid, Everyman Theatre, Liverpool).

Why a play about dogs? Why not? Mikron tells the stories of the people behind the big events in history and the things that are close to our hearts. A great story, cracking songs and versatile quartet of actor musicians will guide audiences through the halls and history of Crufts.

Playwright and cat lover Polly Hollman said about her new play:

I’ve written over twenty characters to be played by only four actors, but I know they’ll enjoy the challenge of bringing it to life! I was picked to write the play after participating in Mikron’s 2018 Writer’s Scheme: it’s my first professional commission. It’s been a delight to work for Mikron, a company whose creativity and ethos I love. I can’t wait to see them work their magic on ‘A Dog’s Tale’.

I spent two fascinating days at Crufts last year, eavesdropping on competitors and trying to work out which dog would win in each competition (success rate: zero). People were very friendly and frank in sharing their suspicions about judging bias. ‘Well, you know, that dog will win because it’s Scottish and so is the judge!’ (it did win). My impression of Crufts was that whilst dog participation was on a fairly exclusive basis, a huge variety of humankind was in evidence, on two legs or four wheels. Testament perhaps to the huge importance of dogs to many different people in their roles as pets, medical assistance dogs, working dogs and more. It’s also true to the founding principles of Charles Cruft, who charged only a penny so that everyone could enter their best friend.

“A Dog’s Tale is my first directing job with Mikron and it’s the ideal show for me as a dog owner. We can’t wait to welcome audiences (and their dogs) to shows up and down the country. Dog lover or not, this is the perfect night out for fun, laughter and wonderful songs.”

The atmosphere at most Mikron performances is disarmingly informal, but don’t mistake informality for simplicity – in its laidback way, it’s an ambitious undertaking, and dogs are welcome at most Mikron venues

In 2020, Mikron Theatre Company will embark on their 49th year of touring.  Based in the village of Marsden, at the foot of the Yorkshire Pennines, Mikron Theatre Company are like no other. For starters, they tour for most of the year on board a vintage narrowboat, secondly, they put on their shows in places that other theatre companies wouldn’t dream of; a play about growing-your-own shown in allotments, a play about bees performed next to hives, a play about chips to audiences in a fish and chips restaurant, as well as plays about hostelling in YHA Youth hostels and the RNLI at several Lifeboat stations around the UK.

A Dog’s Talewill be touring nationally in the Summer alongside the previously announced new play by Amanda Whittington Atalanta Forever.

For further information on both shows please visit http://mikron.org.uk