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Debbie Hicks and Jesse Romain in association with Park Theatre present

 

The World Premiere of

THE RETREAT

By Sam Bain

Directed by Kathy Burke

 

At Park Theatre

From Thursday 2 November to Saturday 2 December 2017

 

Park Theatre will host the World Premiere of new comedy drama The Retreat, the first play by BAFTA award-winning writer Sam Bain, directed by Kathy Burke, playing in PARK200 from Thursday 2 November to Saturday 2 December 2017.

 

Luke, a former high-flyer from the City, is sitting in a remote stone hut halfway up a mountain in the Scottish Highlands.  He is on a meditation retreat, searching for the inner peace that so far has eluded him. The trouble is, not only will his mind not settle, but an uninvited guest arrives – his obnoxious older brother, Tony. Is Tony everything that’s wrong with Luke’s old life, or is he the only one who can really see into his soul? And is Luke’s quest for spirituality a way of transforming himself, or is it just another form of addiction? The Retreat is a sharp new comedy drama about a world where we can never escape ourselves, or find ourselves either.

Sam Bain, with Jesse Armstrong, has co-created and co-written nine series of the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, winning BAFTA, British Comedy, Royal Television Society and Writers Guild of Great Britain Awards. Sam is also co-creator of Channel 4 comedy drama Fresh Meat which ran for four series and won a British Comedy Award. Film writing includes Four Lions, co-written with Chris Morris, which premiered at Sundance and won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut. Sam’s first solo series Ill Behaviour will premiere on BBC iPlayer before being broadcast on BBC Two this Summer.

 

Kathy Burke is a director, actor and writer, well known for television work including Ab Fab, Harry Enfield and Chums and Gimme Gimme Gimme, for which she won a British Comedy Award. Film work includes Absolutely Fabulous the Movie, Pan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Nil By Mouth, for which she won Best Actress at Cannes.Work as a theatre director includes Betty (Vaudeville Theatre), Kosher Harry (Royal Court), Out in the Open andBorn Bad (Hampstead Theatre), Blue/Orange (Sheffield Crucible), The God of Hell (Donmar Warehouse), Smaller(Lyric Theatre) and The Quare Fellow and Once a Catholic (Tricycle Theatre).

The Retreat is written by Sam Bain and directed by Kathy Burke. Set and Costume Design is by Paul Wills with Lighting Design by Paul Keogan and Sound Design by John Leonard. It is produced by Debbie Hicks and Jesse Romain in association with Park Theatre.

 

Casting is to be announced.

 

Twitter: @TheRetreatPlay

Facebook: /TheRetreatPlay

 

LISTINGS

Thursday 2 November – Saturday 2 December 2017

PARK THEATRE, PARK200

Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP

Performances:    Tue – Sat Evening 7.30pm; Thu and Sat Matinees 3.00pm

                                Parents & Babies performance 1.00pm Wed 22 Nov

Press Night:         Tuesday 7 November, 7.00pm

Tickets:                 Tue – Thu and Sat Matinees £20.00 – £26.50 (Conc £18.50)

Fri and Sat Evening £25.00 – £29.50 (Conc £22.00)

Previews £18.50. Under 16’s £15

Box Office:            www.parktheatre.co.uk | 020 7870 6876

Recommended for ages 14+

REVIEW: DIRTY DANCING (Sunderland Empire) ★★★

June 28, 2017 

For: West End Wilma 

https://www.westendwilma.com/review-dirty-dancing-sunderland-empire/

I have a confession – I’m not a fan of the film version of Dirty Dancing. But this new musical version on tour is actually quite good. Vibrant, exciting and very sensual, Dirty Dancing positively simmers with sexuality and the audience in Sunderland loved it.

The first act centres on 17-year-old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman (played by Katie Eccles), on holiday with her sister and parents at Kellermans. Baby is about to learn some major lessons in dancing and life when she meets Johnny Castle (Lewis Griffiths). He’s the resort’s hunky dance instructor who is from the wrong side of the tracks and has never forgotten it. Johnny initiates Baby into rock ‘n’ roll (“dirty dancing” in the eyes of her uber-conservative parents) and other delights of the young and restless as he trains her to take the place of his regular dance partner Penny Johnson (Carli Milner) who has some of the most defined calf muscles ever!) when the latter, who has an illegal termination, can’t participate in the big Sheldrake Hotel Dance.

It takes a brave man to strip down to less than his boxer shorts in front of a Northern crowd but, Griffiths seems happy enough with his bare backside showing on stage and so did the audience. But aside from being a physical spectacle, his portrayal of Johnny Castle is a one of poise, and polished perfection as a dancer. Eccles journey from shy virgin to confident young woman is utterly convincing. There was palpable onstage chemistry between Griffiths and co-star Eccles which no doubt helped.

Lizzy Ottley (Baby’s sister, Lisa) gives a stand-out performance, her hula dancing and off-key singing getting the biggest laugh of the night. Samuel Humphreys pulls off an excellent Neil Kellerman, suitably awkward in his high-waisted pants and starched white shirt, combining hotel management zeal with some inelegant dad dancing.

Some of the more iconic songs are pre recorded — including “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey, Baby!” “Maybe” and “Cry to Me.” Others are played by a live on-stage band under Jo Servi’s superb direction and some, such as “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” are sung by ensemble members Michael Kent as Billy Kostecki and Sophia MacKay as Elizabeth who shine through with their brilliant voices and charismatic performances almost acting like a set of narrators as the show’s vocal leads.

For this musical, the dancing must be, well, dirty, and Gillian Bruce’s choreography does not disappoint. There’s plenty of grinding, sensual stroking and swaying, with some impressive lifts to boot. And some nice effects when Baby and Johnny practice their dance moves on a log in the river, in an expansive grassy field and in a lake.

Roberto Comotti’s set is impressive in its size and versatility, using a rotund to change into many scenes seamlessly.

Of course the end is perfect with Johnny coming back for his love Baby and uttering the immortal lines (along with almost everyone else in the theatre) “No one puts Baby in the corner”.

Dirty Dancing is by no means a ground-breaking piece of a theatre, but it is clearly adored by audiences, who were whooping and clapping throughout (particularly at the iconic lift) and dancing in the aisles at the end. A wonderful party atmosphere and well worth the visit to see this iconic production on stage.

Mayflower, Southampton – until Saturday 8 July 2017.  Reviewed by Karen Millington-Burnet

Well, it wasn’t the film, but Grease in the Mayflower knocked out all the toe tapping tunes we love and launched into a flying start with the on-stage band kicking off with gusto.

What a joy to see Jimmy Osmond back on stage as Teen Angel, though no longer the youngster he once was. He stunned us with his natural humour, empathy with the audience and cracking voice – a star performance as was to expected from such a seasoned campaigner; long may he continue to delight us! He lifted and carried the cast with a slightly miss-cast Tom Parker as Danny who couldn’t quite carry off the Travolta routine – we couldn’t help feeling that Tom Senior and Michael Cortez, who would normally have been understudies, would have made stronger Danny’s.  That said, everyone has to start somewhere and we hope Tom Parker will keep developing.

Danielle Hope’s Sandy made a great partner to Danny and led the girls strongly, lifting Louisa Lytton’s Rizzo to a very strong presence.  Special mention to Callum Evans who made the most of the character, used the full space of the stage and brought the hapless Eugene to life for us.  We did enjoy Ryan Keenan’s Doody and his very able guitar playing.  All in all, a high energy cast with a great feel for complex routines and plenty more potential to offer; well deserving of their standing ovation at the conclusion.

Memorable moments included the transformation of Greased Lightening, the car, from wreck to sparkling glitter ball. Though this was countered by a less than transformative set generally.  As ever we were cheered up with the wonderful Mayflower ice creams at half time!

Slightly worryingly, come the second half, there was a general emptying-out of the seats around us in the Stalls; not quite sure why – the performance didn’t warrant a walk-out in any way.  A slightly disappointing response to the Southampton run which should only get stronger after this first night.  We wish the cast and crew all the best for the next fortnight in town.

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

2017 NATIONAL TOUR OF

FREDERICK KNOTT’S THRILLER

“WAIT UNTIL DARK”

NATIONAL PRESS NIGHT TUESDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2017

Graeme Brookes and Tim Treloar will play Croker and Roat respectively in Frederick Knott’s thriller, WAIT UNTIL DARK. They join the previously announced Jack Ellis as Mike, Karina Jones as Susy and Oliver Mellor as Sam Henderson. Shannon Rewcroft and Thomas McCarron complete the cast as Gloria and Policeman.

The tour will begin at Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne on 24 August 2017, with a national press night on Tuesday 5 September 2017 in Richmond.

Graeme Brookes has just finished playing Alan in The Original Theatre Company’s production of Invincible in New York City, as part of the Brits Off Broadway festival, and on tour in the UK. Graeme’s other theatre credits include The Tempest (Teatr Modrzejewskiej/Colchester Mercury), A View from the Bridge, The Rivals; A Slight Ache/The Lover, King David – Man of Blood (all Colchester Mercury Theatre) and Transmissions (Birmingham Rep).

Tim Treloar most recently played Teddy in House and Garden at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury. His theatre credits include The Heart Of Robin Hood, Thomas More, Sejanus, Believe What You Will, Back To Methuselah , Richard II , Romeo And Juliet (all for the RSC), Birdsong (UK tour) and Henry V (National Theatre). His television credits include Dark Heart (ITV) and Father Brown, Framed, Casualty, Silent Witness, Doctors, Holby City and The Bench (all BBC).

Set amidst the social turbulence of 1960s London, the play follows the story of Susy, a blind woman who, left alone in her apartment, becomes the victim of an elaborate scam hatched by a group of conmen. Susy is left to fend for herself, and eventually finds a way to turn the tables on the conmen and give them a taste of life in the dark.

Frederick Knott, best known for writing Dial M For Murder, wrote WAIT UNTIL DARK in 1966. Audrey Hepburn starred as Susy in the 1967 film adaptation, for which she was nominated for both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress. The film is often ranked as one of the top 100 scariest films of all time.

WAIT UNTIL DARK will be directed by Alastair Whatley, with designs by David Woodhead, lighting by Chris Withers, sound and music by Giles Thomas, fight coordination by Rc-Annie and casting by Ellie Collyer Bristow. The national tour is produced by Tom Hackney for The Original Theatre Company.

Website: www.originaltheatre.com

Facebook: TheOriginalTheatre 

Twitter: @OriginalTheatre

 

2017 TOUR SCHEDULE

24 August – 2 September        Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne        01323 412000

                                                www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk                         

 

5 – 9 September                      Richmond Theatre                                         0844 871 7651           

                                                www.atgtickets.com/richmond                         

 

12 – 16 September                  Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham                   01242 572573

                                                www.everymantheatre.org.uk                           

 

19 – 23 September                  Cambridge Arts Theatre                                01223 503333

                                                www.cambridgeartstheatre.com                      

 

25 – 30 September                  Salisbury Playhouse                                      01722 320333                                                                                                                 www.salisburyplayhouse.com             

 

3 – 7 October                          Exeter Northcott Theatre                               01392 726 363

                                                www.exeternorthcott.co.uk                               

 

10 – 14 October                       Lichfield Garrick Theatre                              01543 412121

                                                 www.lichfieldgarrick.com                                

 

24 – 28 October                      Malvern Festival Theatre                                01684 892277

                                                www.malvern-theatres.co.uk                           

 

31 October – 4 November       Palace Theatre, Southend                              01702 351135

                                                www.palacetheatresouthend.co.uk                 

 

6 – 11 November                     New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich                        01473 295900

                                                www.wolseytheatre.co.uk                               

 

14 – 18 November                   New Theatre, Cardiff                                       029 2087 8889           

                                                www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk                          

 

21 – 25 November                   York Theatre Royal                                        01904 623568                                                                                                                    www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk                              On sale 17 July

 28 November – 2 December   Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford                            01483 440000
www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk                              On sale 23 July

YORKSHIRE ROWS ATTEND MAMMA MIA! AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

 

When MAMMA MIA! opened at Leeds Grand Theatre there was one group of Yorkshire women who simply had to see the show.

In February 2016, Helen Butters, Frances Davies, Niki Doeg and Janette Benaddi, better known as The Yorkshire Rows, became the first women to row across the North Sea.  A story of determination, friendship and true Yorkshire grit, they have since written a book in which they tell of singing ABBA songs to keep them going.

Speaking after the show, Helen Butters said: “Sitting in the theatre watching MAMMA MIA! brought back so many wonderful memories of our time on the ocean. The Show was amazing; the atmosphere in the theatre was incredible and getting to meet the cast afterwards was such a treat.”

Facing storms, hurricanes, 40 foot waves, sleep deprivation and power failures, the four women crossed the Atlantic in 67 days, 5 hours and 2 minutes earning them a world record for being the oldest women’s crew to cross any ocean.

Janette Benaddi said: “One of our favourite songs to sing was I Have a Dream. We changed the words so instead of ‘crossed the stream’ we sang ‘crossed the ocean’ – it didn’t sound right, but it felt right; it was our dream to cross the ocean.”

MAMMA MIA! is Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs through an enchanting tale of family and friendship on a Greek island paradise. To date, it has been seen by more than 60 million people – in 50 productions – in 16 different languages. In 2008, MAMMA MIA!The Movie became the highest-grossing live action musical film of all time.

The team of four women have raised thousands of pounds for various charities and now work with women’s groups and schools to encourage people to take up sport or to challenge themselves.

MAMMA MIA! is at Leeds Grand Theatre until Saturday 8^th July 2017

 

Tickets are priced from £20 (RV) to £59.50

(prices include a £3 booking fee. Postage charge £1 where applicable)

 

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

 

Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom

• The third in a series of free to the public digital commissions celebrates the opening of the 2017 Festival season
• Celebration of 70 years of the International Festival and Edinburgh’s status as the world’s Festival City
• Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom reimagines the St Andrew Square inviting audiences to travel through a magical digital installation
• For the first time the Opening Event takes place on two nights, Friday 4 & Saturday 5 August
• Free event tickets released at 10.00am on Monday 3 July
• A family of sponsors, donors, collaborators and city agencies have come to gether to make Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom possible

 

In 1947, Sir John Falconer – Lord Provost of Edinburgh and the International Festival’s first Chair – spoke of his ambition that the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival should ‘provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit’. 70 years later, Edinburgh has bloomed into the world’s Festival City and its impact has been an constant inspiration, propagating new festivals throughout Europe and beyond. The International Festival continues to celebrate our highest artistic achievements, our imagination and creativity, our generosity and diversity.

The third in a series of commissions from the International Festival’s Artistic Associates 59 Productions, the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom is a an epic public artwork by 59 Director Leo Warner, which brings together large-scale animation and architectural projection mapping, celebrating the cultural re-ignition sparked by the Festival’s creation. Featuring a newly commissioned musical score from award winning composer Nick Powell, the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom charts the joyful transformation of Edinburgh, from the darkness and division of the post-war years to the colour and vibrancy of today’s Festival City.  Bloom draws upon the architectural beauty of the new town, Edinburgh’s rich cultural heritage and the technological innovation for which the city is renowned.

Today the International Festival unveiled new information about the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom, naming the location as St Andrew Square in Edinburgh’s New Town. Following the successes of The Harmonium Project in 2015 and 2016’s Deep Time, this year’s opening event sees 59 Productions transform not only a single building but use the facades around St Andrew Square to create a vast canvas for projection-mapped animations. The Square becomes an immersive environment of colour, texture, sounds and sensations that places the audience at the centre of a visually stunning digital constellation.

The International Festival also announced that the Opening Event will take place on two nights for the first time, on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 August, giving audiences another opportunity to experience the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom during the opening weekend of the International Festival. The event runs from 10pm to midnight on a 20 minute loop, allowing audience members to explore it at their own pace.

The Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom is made possible by support from a portfolio of partners across the private and public sector. This is the second event in a three year partnership between the International Festival and Standard Life – the International Festival’s Opening Event Partner – which supports the the event alongside other key funders including EventScotland and the University of Edinburgh, which have supported the Festival’s Opening Event since it’s inception in 2015. This year the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom also enjoys support from the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals EXPO Fund. This year the EXPO Fund has made an additional £300,000 available to support the Festivals celebrating 70 years of the Festival City. Edinburgh International Festival is working with Essential Edinburgh to realise the event.

Entry to the event is free. To guarantee access for the 10pm start, a limited number of tickets are available for both nights and will be released from 10am on Monday 3 July. Ticket holders can access the event arena from 9pm ahead of the event beginning at 10pm on both evenings. Non-ticket holders are also welcome to attend and will be admitted from 10.30pm on a first come basis.

Fergus Linehan, Edinburgh International Festival Director, said: ‘Since 1947 the International Festival has welcomed the world to Edinburgh, creating an electric atmosphere in this city which has radiated back out across the globe. That energy has transformed Edinburgh and sparked not only the development of the Festival City we know today, but the creation of countless other festivals around the world. We’ll experience that trans-formative power first-hand in Bloom, as 59 Productions create a digital constellation in the centre of our city that places our story and Edinburgh’s people at its heart. It takes a huge amount of collaborative work to mount an event like this, and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partners. I’d like to thank all of them – Standard Life, the Scottish Government, EventScotland, the University of Edinburgh, Blue-i Theatre Technology and Mclcreate – their support enables us to present this incredible celebration of our Festival City in its birthday year’.

 

Leo Warner, Founder of 59 Productions and Director of Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom said: ‘Following two wonderful years working with Fergus and his team at the International Festival to create increasingly ambitious and engaging opening events, we faced a challenge in conceiving a new piece befitting the significance of this anniversary year. We decided to place audiences inside the event, encompassing them within nearly half a linear kilometre of projection-mapped architecture and bespoke lighting fixtures, and use music, sound and light to tell a story celebrating the 70 year history of the International Festival and the associated Edinburgh festivals, and the immesurable impact that it has had on the cultural world.’

 

Standard Life’s Chief Executive Keith Skeoch, said: ‘We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Edinburgh International Festival’s Opening Event, particularly as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary. The Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom will look back and celebrate the creativity and achievements of this world-class Festival. Both Standard Life and the International Festival have a rich heritage that reflects our shared commitment to excellence and our forward-looking approach, often leading the way through collaboration and innovation. The Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom will bring many examples of this to life and will inspire others for the future too.’

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: ‘I never tire of championing Scotland’s outlook as a welcoming and progressive nation and this is particularly demonstrated in the arts. In 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival boldly invited artists from across Europe to perform in the capital. 70 years on, we’re revered as a festival nation that welcomes performers and audiences from every corner of the globe. We boosted the Scottish Government’s EXPO Fund by a further £300,000 to mark Edinburgh’s 70th anniversary as a festival city. I am delighted that part of this will support the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom, an ambitious, inspiring and artistic visual representation of those 70 years. It is a fitting tribute to Edinburgh’s legacy as the city that inspired cities around the world to celebrate the arts.’

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: ‘EventScotland is delighted to once again support the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. Since its inception in 2015, the opening event has truly captured the imagination of festival-goers and opened it up to a whole new audience. Scotland is the perfect stage for events and we are very proud to have backed Fergus and his team’s vision to launch an event that has gone from strength to strength. In 2017, the Standard Life Opening Event:Bloom will be a wonderful visual celebration of the Festival’s 70th anniversary and Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.’
Professor Dorothy Miell, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The University’s strong links with the Edinburgh International Festival go back to its inception, and we are delighted to collaborate once again to create this spectacular opening event. Our world-class researchers in digital media, design informatics and biological sciences will assist in shaping this epic artwork, and our archives will help tell the story of how the Festival has inspired a blossoming of creativity within the city and beyond. Academics will also work closely with 59 Productions to develop ambitious new ways for people to interact with the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom, creating a lasting legacy for future generations.”

The Rt Hon Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Frank Ross, said: ‘In 1947, my predecessor Lord Provost Falconer championed the inception of the International Festival. Today, I am as determined as ever to see the event bring people together from all over Scotland and the world. The Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom will provide a beautiful and fitting celebration of our festivals and our city, and of course, the continued flowering of the human spirit. We are delighted to have supported our city’s festivals for 70 years.’

Sponsored by Standard Life

Supported by EventScotland

Supported through the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund

Created by 59 Productions

In association with The University of Edinburgh

Technology Partner Blue-I Theatre Technology in partnership with mclcreate

 

Friday 4 & Saturday 5 August, 10.00pm – 12midnight.

Entry to the event is free. To guarantee access for the 10pm start there are a limited number of tickets for both nights available on 3 July at eif.co.uk/bloom. Ticket holders will have access to the arena from 9pm. Non-ticket holders will be admitted from 10.30pm on a first come basis.

Tickets are available at eif.co.uk/bloom.

 

Richmond Theatre 27th June – 1st July.  Reviewed By Jessica Brady 

The Jukebox musical is often a chance for audiences to experience getting up close and personal with a musician or group of musicians they admire and never got the chance to see perform. Although the real artist isn’t performing on stage, their spirit is and BUDDY; The Buddy Holly Story is no exception.

The plot follows the incredibly talented Buddy Holly at the beginning of his career breaking into the music industry and ends with his tragic death at the young age of 22 in a plane crash near Clear Lake Iowa. Buddy [played by Alex Fobbester] is a musician who has been pigeon holed as a country singer from Texas but he has a lot more up his sleeve than that and defies the rules of his generation by bringing a strong rock and roll sound to his music but is met with resistance to begin with. Despite this, Buddy remains true to his band ‘The Crickets’ and his sound and gains huge success after a string of hits becoming one of the originators of rock and roll! It’s a show that allows you to get to know the man behind the hits, his intelligence and staying true to himself despite not looking like a rock and roller.

The versatile set was used as a recording studio, radio station and stage for Buddy and the Crickets performances amongst other things and if you close your eyes, it would be like you were listening to the old radio shows of the 50’s! This was a great way to make the show about the music and the quality Buddy Holly produced at a young age.

The multi-talented cast play instruments live on stage which brings the audience into the heart of the action and gives the feel of being at a real show of Buddy Holly. Alex Fobbester shares an uncanny resemblance to Buddy with the dark black rimmed glasses and is vocally identical giving a really authentic and incredible performance for the audience.

This show is perfect for anyone who loved Buddy Holly, the age of Rock and Roll, the fabulous 50’s and is a wonderful tribute to an incredible man. You will hear all your favourite tunes and be drawn into the charisma of a musician who had so much more to offer the world but the legacy he left behind is still very much alive and unlikely to be forgotten. Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is going to have you toe tapping and singing along from start to finish so go see it at The Richmond Theatre before it ends or that’ll be the day that you’ll say goodbye at the chance to catch it!

Above The Arts Theatre 16 – 28 May.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The Quentin Dentin Show is a wonderfully weird rock musical that takes a skewed and scathing look at the foibles of modern life.

Stagnating in a dead end relationship, Nat and Keith accidently summon the supernatural therapist Quentin Dentin to their flat. His methods are unusual to say the least, and just what is his hidden agenda?

The show starts quietly – as the audience takes their seats, the 3 piece band (led by Henry Carpenter – writer, composer and musical director) plays waiting room muzak while 3 eccentric white clad characters explore the place like childlike robots. The Voice (Freddie Fullerton) chooses one of the friends to be the next Quentin Dentin and get 2 humans to sign up to “The Programme”, and Nat and Keith are introduced. They find a magical golden microphone, Quentin Dentin appears and the show explodes into two of the most unpredictable and insane two hours of your life.

Quentin finds the couple two friends and makes them live out their fantasies – using only a sofa as a prop, we are taken to art galleries, under the sea, and outer space – but nothing makes them happy, and nobody likes you if you’re not happy!

The story is basically bonkers, but brilliant – any show that includes songs about lemons, space (“there’s literally no pressure!”) and the ocean (that plays like “Under the Sea” on a bad acid trip), showcases the worst gold lamé suit ever created and makes everything that happened to Alice in Wonderland seem completely logical is a sure fire hit. Since I first saw this show, Henry Carpenter and Tom Crowley have added extra songs and scenes and made a tight one hour production into a more meandering show. Yes, it’s interesting to see more of Quentin’s initial conflict, but the best lines and songs were already there, and the extra material doesn’t really add that much that is different to the story in my opinion. It’s still brilliantly entertaining though, and the audience members who hadn’t seen the previous version loved it.

Luke Lane is still phenomenal as Quentin. It’s as if someone distilled John Barrowman, Edmund Blackadder, Billy Graham, Jerry Springer and Marge Proops, added a gazillion blue Smarties and shook vigorously. He belts out his songs and is hysterical as he becomes more and more manic when his methods keep failing. His lines are delivered with sly and oily charm at first but soon he is threatening to insert stress eggs into Nat and Keith’s bodies, twitching and shouting “It’s not fascism if it’s good for you!”

Shauna Riley and Max Panks are great as Nat and Keith – more an owner/pet relationship than two adults as he bounds around the set like a puppy. Freya Tilly and Lottie-Daisy Francis as Friends 1 and 2 are full of energy, very funny and pop up all over the place.

A fantastic production. You don’t need therapy to be happy, just go see The Quentin Dentin Show.

Arts Theatre 22 June – 15 July.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

No red carpet for Rotterdam’s opening night, but a Pride rainbow instead as the Olivier award winning play returns to the West End.

New Year’s Eve in Rotterdam, and after painstakingly drafting and redrafting an email to her parents to finally come out after being with her girlfriend Fiona for 7 years, and finally summoning up the courage to press send, Alice is stopped in her tracks by Fiona’s sudden announcement that she knows she’s a man and needs to transition. Fiona begins the journey to becoming Adrian, with Alice’s apparent support, but their relationship comes under pressure as Alice begins to question her own feelings and identity.

This phenomenal play tells a transgender story with heart and honesty, but it doesn’t matter whether you’re gay, straight, trans or cis; the question of who we are, and how we want the world to see us and accept us is universal, and Rotterdam strikes a chord with the entire audience. Jon Brittain has created wonderfully rounded and layered characters that are relatable, funny and sympathetic. Although the laughs come thick and fast, the scenes where characters talk seriously about their emotions are wonderfully written. The scene where Fiona describes how it feels to be trapped in that body is brilliantly written and performed, and had a few people around me reaching for their hankies. No histrionics, just eloquent sadness and pain. When Fiona tells her parents over the phone, you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre as we waited for her reaction to their (unheard) reply – the audience is invested in these characters lives wholly and quickly thanks to the inspired writing and performances.

Alice McCarthy gives a beautifully nuanced performance as Alice. Uptight and thoroughly British, and stuck in a self-imposed rut, Alice hides behind politeness and will do anything to avoid confrontation. McCarthy’s posture, sideways glances and pursed lips allow glimpses of the fire beneath, and when she finally lets rip, you almost want to cheer. Anna Martine Freeman is stunning, brilliantly convincing as Fiona/Adrian with subtle changes to her performance as Adrian transitions that are fantastically judged. As Alice sees the woman she loves become a man, her confusion and anger are given an outlet by workmate Lelani (Ellie Morris). Loud, gay and hedonistic, Lelani tempts Alice to finally try new things. Morris is a hoot as Lelani, with a fantastic Dutch accent and OTT mannerisms that manage to keep this selfish character likeable. Lelani’s judgemental pronouncements about life are in stark contrast to Josh (the fantastic Ed Eales-White), a delightfully well-meaning and loveable character who acts as the voice of reason and reconciliation in the play. He is the one both Alice and Adrian turn to, and although he cannot say anything without putting both feet in his mouth, Josh understands them better than they do, and his love for them both is cleverly written, with his stupendously silly metaphors and jokes being a real treat.

Director Donnacadh O’Briain keeps the pace brisk without rushing important quieter moments, and the inspired set design, full of hidden doors and shelves that feels a little like an Ikea display, allows fast scene changes and prop movement by the cast, in character, accompanied by a stonking soundtrack.

Rotterdam is a simply brilliant play that deserves a long run. It begins conversations and helps fight prejudices without ever becoming preachy and self-important. It is basically a clever, funny and emotional story about the power of love – people NEED to go and see it.