Brockley Jack 30 August – 3 September, Theatre N16 4 – 8 September.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

If the actual gospels were this entertaining, then a lot more people would be going to church.

Arrows and Traps latest production, The Gospel According To Philip, is a romp through the highlight reel of Jesus’ Lord of the Dance Tour 30AD, as observed in excruciating detail by wannabe disciple Philip. In this new comedy, Richard Melchior and Heidi Svoboda have written the disciples as the nightmare pupils from hell, with poor Jesus (Pearce Sampson) getting stuck in circular discussions about tiny details as if he was a hapless trainee teacher. Philip (Will Mytum) hangs on every word Jesus says like an enthusiastic puppy, whilst James (Matthew Harrison-James) is the special needs pupil whose greatest achievement is turning up on time. Matthew (Gareth Kearns) delights in asking awkward but pertinent questions to expose the flaws in Jesus’ logic, and Paul (Alex Stevens) is ready to blame all evils on the gays – who he REALLY REALLY hates, especially their fit, tempting bodies. Simon and Thomas (Elle Banstead-Salim and Olivia Hanrahan-Barnes) have suspiciously luxuriant beards and appear to be more interested in Judas (Adam Elliot) than Jesus; while Peter (Tom Telford) is the teacher’s pet who is constantly tormented by the effortlessly cool Judas, whose tales of loose women provide the disciples with deeper insights than Jesus’ parables.

Jesus’ miracles are never seen, instead the consequences are reported by those involved. The wedding at Cana is described by the sobbing bride, sitting on the toilet complaining about Jesus taking over her big day, and Lazarus’ reunion with his widow doesn’t quite go to plan, probably because of the smell. The Last Supper is a hilarious disaster with Jesus stomping off to the garden for a smoke after having to use very interesting (and tastier) substitutes for communion. The writing is irreverent and insightful, taking a swipe at organised religion – Paul goes to Rome to set up his gold filled money obsessed death cult – but also celebrating individual choice and faith in humanity, summed up beautifully in Philip’s final gospel entry; made all the more poignant by the fact that writer Heidi Svoboda sadly died last year, leaving this play as a wonderful legacy. But most importantly, the writing is laugh out loud funny. Comparisons with Life of Brian are addressed swiftly and neatly, and God and Jesus even give their own scathing reviews of the fantastic temptation scene and Satan’s forecast of the horrors people will commit in Jesus’ name.

With costumes and props resembling an anarchic school nativity play, director Ross McGregor and the cast have developed a show that feels as if the cast are having just as much fun as the audience. Will Mytum is adorable as wide-eyed Philip, reading his gospel entries with a sweet lisp, and Pearce Sampson’s Jesus is fantastic, forcing a fixed grin as his patience grows thin with his followers. Adam Elliot is a joy to watch as Judas, manipulating and mocking the other disciples with cocky glee, and his double act with Tom Telford’s Peter is pure sibling warfare. Telford’s expressions as he is outwitted are a delight. Alex Stevens’ sudden transformations from Paul’s nervy near silence into rabid wild eyed rants about the foulness of gays will make you squirm and laugh in equal measure. Gareth Kearns makes you want to slap him as know it all Matthew, and Elle Banstead-Salim’s Mary Magdalene is full of hair swishing feistiness. Olivia Hanrahan-Barnes gives a well-judged, no frills performance as Satan, making him the sanest and most logical character in the play.

There are dance numbers too! Well, Jesus is the Lord of the Dance. Pearce Sampson’s choreography is simple, but every cast member holds character and delivers the ridiculous moves brilliantly, making the audience whoop with delight.

The Gospel According To Philip is wildly entertaining, irreverent and hysterical, but it has a sweet hopefulness running through it that will leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Everything you could wish for in a comedy – this deserves a long run in bigger venues. Spread the Gospel, and share the dance moves – Jesus rocks.

Sept 19th – Oct 8th 2016, Above the Arts Theatre

 

Leon Fleming’s punk-rock one-man play about hero worship transfers into London’s West End after a UK tour, starring Dario Coates (Coronation Street, ITV; Another Country, Chichester Festival Theatre &

Trafalgar Studios West End) and directed by Scott Le Crass (Cancel the Sunshine, The Hope Theatre).

★★★★★ “The hairs start to stand on the back of your neck and you unexpectedly find yourself (…) perched on exquisite tenterhooks” (Grumpy Gay Critic)

Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious may have been a junkie and an alcoholic (and, let’s be honest, not much of a musician), but he was PUNK. More than anyone else at the birth of the punk movement, he kicked against the system and spat in the face of polite conformity. For Craig, living in a world that just eats people up and spits them out as mindless zombies, a place where people leave him and are never seen again, this long-dead anti-hero is all he has to keep him on the straight and narrow, to keep him from joining all the other sheep. And he’s not having a good day.

★★★★★ “Immersive theatre (…) gripping and provocative ” (LondonTheatre1)

This new 50 minute one-man play features a “mesmeric” performance (Theatre Wales) from Dario Coates as Craig, best known for playing Alex Neeson on long-running soap opera Coronation Street. Sid is directed by up-and-coming young director Scott Le Crass, who has been directing new work in London’s Off West End for over 8 years. The show comes to London after a rip-roaring successful UK tour, with sell-out performances and great critical acclaim.

★★★★ “Quick, energetic and focussed (…) recommended” London City Nights

If you’ve ever been obsessed with someone; if you’ve ever taken solace in music; if you’re an ageing punk who feels like the world is getting stranger every day – this is the convention-breaking, cutting edge theatre show for you.

 

The Bread and Roses Theatre 30 August – 3 September.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Jonathan Stephenson’s play sets out to examine “the human condition, mourning, grief and what tragedy can do to someone’s soul.” Which sounds cheerful.

Happily, the play starts off on a light note, with cheeky chappy Ed (Jonathan Stephenson) popping round his ex Verity’s (Hannah-Jane Pawsey) flat after a nice curry hoping for a drink and afters. Ed and Verity haven’t seen each other for two years, after what appears to have been a particularly nasty breakup following the failure of his business and the terminal illness of her mother.

It doesn’t take Ed long to thaw Verity’s attitude towards him, and the constant shift between awkward pauses and comfortable mickey taking is mostly well written and has an authentic feel to it. The action moves back in time to just before the breakup, and the cracks in the relationship are made clear, although there is still lots of dark humour, and debate about the merits of a good curry.

After the interval, there is a complete shift in tone and Verity has a very long and dull monologue – a letter she’ll never send to Ed – before the action returns to the present time. Verity’s monologue signposts the “shock” reveal in the final scene more clearly than most notices on the M25, meaning that the actors have to work very hard to maintain momentum towards the low key ending.

Both actors give committed performances, not shying away from the less appealing sides of their characters, and have an interesting onstage chemistry. The problem is that Stephenson’s characters are, on the whole, recognisable and sympathetic at the beginning of the play, but return after the interval as miserable, self-pitying and slightly boring versions of themselves. At least Ed’s reaction doesn’t provide a neat and tidy ending, providing something to talk about as you leave.

Stephenson’s writing shows promise, but the structure of the play feels a bit muddled, with some confusion about what it’s trying to be. The same can be said for Ed – a Sun reader who is constantly patronised by Verity for his ignorance – who often uses language and references that, although funny and helpful for the plot, just don’t sit right. It’s as if Stephenson cut a third character and tagged their lines onto Ed’s role, creating a slightly schizophrenic feel at times.

Ruby is a brave attempt at tackling difficult issues, but it’s nowhere near as deep as it thinks it is. More of a korma than a vindaloo.

David King for Spirit Productions Ltd presents

BROADWAY’S MULTI AWARD WINNING MUSICAL COMEDY

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE

TO TOUR THE UK IN 2017

STRICTLY COME DANCING’S

JOANNE CLIFTON

TO STAR AS MILLIE

Award winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie is set to tour the UK in 2017 opening at New Wimbledon Theatre on Tuesday 17 January.

World Ballroom Showdance Champion and Professional Dancer Joanne Clifton will take on the title role of Millie Dillmount, a Kansas girl determined to make it big in New York City! Joanne’s credits include Face the Music, Burn the Floor, Strictly Live Tour and Marilyn Monroe in Norma Jeane Musical.

Winner of six Tony Awards including Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie is based on the 1967 Academy Award-winning film. Taking you back to the height of the Jazz Age in 1920s New York City, when ‘moderns’ including a flapper named Millie Dillmount were bobbing their hair, raising their hemlines, entering the workforce and rewriting the rules of love.

From explosive tap numbers to a ‘Fred and Ginger’ dance routine on a window ledge, and featuring hit songs including Gimme Gimme and Not for the Life of Me Thoroughly Modern Millie is a brilliantly funny and entertaining show for all the family.

Tickets for Thoroughly Modern Millie are on sale now. Further casting to be announced.

WEBSITE | TWITTER

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE

Book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan

New Music by Jeanine Tesori

New Lyrics by Dick Scanlan

Original Story and Screenplay by Richard Morris for the Universal Pictures Film

Presented by arrangement with

Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited

Director and Choreographer Gary Lloyd

Musical Director Tom Turner

Set Designer Paul Tate Depoo III

Casting Director Sue Talbert

Celebrity Casting Advisor Bambi Haines

Executive Producer David King

Lead Producer Graham King

 

THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE – 2017 UK TOUR DATES

Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 January Box Office: 0844 871 7646 New Wimbledon Theatre Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 January Box Office: 0844 871 7652 Milton Keynes Theatre Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 30 January – Saturday 4 February Box Office: 0844 871 3014 Edinburgh Playhouse Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 6 – Saturday 11 February Box Office: 0844 871 7648 Glasgow, King’s Theatre Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 13 – Saturday 18 February Box Office: 0844 871 3011 Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 20 – Saturday 25 February Box Office: 0844 871 3017 Liverpool, Empire Theatre Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 27 February – Saturday 4 March Box Office: 0844 871 3024 York, Grand Opera House Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 6 – Saturday 11 March Box Office: 01494 512 000 High Wycombe, Swan Theatre Website: www.wycombeswan.co.uk

Monday 20 – Saturday 25 March Box Office: 023 9282 8282 Southsea, King’s Theatre Website: www.kingsportsmouth.co.uk

Monday 27 March – Saturday 1 April Box Office: 0844 871 7607 Aylesbury, Waterside Theatre Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 3 – Saturday 8 April Box Office: 0844 871 7650 Brighton, Theatre Royal Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 10 – Saturday 15 April Box Office: 020 3285 6000 Bromley, Churchill Theatre Website: www.churchilltheatre.co.uk

Monday 17 – Saturday 22 April Box Office: 0844 848 2700 Leeds Grand Theatre Website: www.leedsgrandtheatre.com

Monday 8 – Saturday 13 May Box Office: 0844 871 7645 Woking, New Victoria Theatre Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 22 – Saturday 27 May Box Office: 0844 871 3019 Manchester, Palace Theatre Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 29 May – Saturday 3 June Box Office: 01492 872000 Llandudno, Venue Cymru Website: www.venuecymru.co.uk

Monday 5 – Saturday 10 June Box Office: 01322 220000 Dartford, Orchard Theatre Website: www.orchardtheatre.co.uk

Monday 12 – Saturday 17 June Box Office: 01872 262466 Truro, Hall for Cornwall Website: www.hallforcornwall.co.uk

Monday 19 – Saturday 24 June Box Office: 0844 871 3012 Bristol Hippodrome Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 10 – Saturday 15 July Box Office: 0844 811 2121 Newcastle, Theatre Royal Website: www.theatreroyal.co.uk

We are delighted to announce WONDERFUL TOWN Music by Leonard Bernstein Lyrics by Betty Comden & Adolph Green Book by Joseph Fields & Jerome Chodorov Based upon the Play My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields & Jerome Chodorov and the Short Stories by Ruth McKenney To conclude our 2016 season, All Star Productions are delighted to present a new chamber production of Leonard Bernstein’s 1953 musical WONDERFUL TOWN.   Based on the play, MY SISTER EILEEN by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov, the Tony award winning WONDERFUL TOWN is a bright and cheery love letter to the colorful experience of living life in New York in the 1930’s. The show tells the story of two sisters, Ruth and Eileen, who move from a rural town in Ohio to experience the bright lights, the big city, and the crazy characters of Greenwich Village, New York City. Ruth is an aspiring writer and Eileen is a dancer who wants to pursue a life on stage. One sister can’t find a man no matter what she does, the other can’t keep them away. Together, these two sisters take on the world, pursuing their dreams and finding love along the way. WONDERFUL TOWN features a bright Leonard Bernstein score, including such classics asA Little Bit in Love, One Hundred Easy Ways to Loose a Man, A Quiet Girl and Ohio.

LISTINGS INFORMATION Venue: Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, 53 Hoe Street, London, E17 4SA Closest Tube/National Rail: Walthamstow Central, Victoria Line. (5 mins walk) Dates: 12th – 30th October 2016 Press Night: Friday 14th October 2016 Times: Tuesday – Saturday at 7.30pm; Sundays at 3.00pm. No performances on Mondays Price: £18.00/ £16.00 Concessions Box Office: 020 8520 8674/ www.ticketsource.co.uk/allstarproductions Director: Tim McArthur Musical Director: Aaron Clingham Choreographer: Ian Pyle Casting: Benjamin Newsome Producer: Andrew Yon Website: www.allstarpro.co.uk Twitter: @wonderfultown16 Other: Performances by arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.

Tristan Bates Theatre 23 August – 10 September.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Lazarus Theatre Company have a growing reputation for energising and exploring plays in exciting new ways, and their adaptation of John Ford’s classic is impressive in many ways.

Ricky Dukes’ adaptation of John Ford’s classic, squeezed into 90 action packed minutes, wisely cuts most of the sub plots involving minor characters, and instead concentrates on the original scenes that drive the action forward. Giovanni and Annabella are in love. They are also brother and sister. Giovanni keeps running off to discuss and justify the relationship with his tutor, while Annabella has earthier discussions about love with her guardian, Putana. Elder brother Florio is busy organising Annabella’s marriage and her suitors, Soranzo and Bergetto are planning their moves. When the truth about the siblings’ relationship is discovered, Soranzo seeks revenge. The themes of incest, revenge and violence are highly stylised in this production, but the cartoonish presentation doesn’t dilute most of the impact.

Prince Plockley and Lucy Walker-Evans make a heart-breaking couple. Their delivery of Ford’s language is crisp and they both capture the turmoil of their characters in moving performances that transcend some messy collaborative moments. Luke Deeley as Bergetto, the play’s Fool, is a scream, revelling in the buffoonery of his character. The interplay between him and the fantastic RJ Seeley as his longsuffering sister Donado, is a comic highlight. Sasha Wilson as Hippolita, Soranzo’s jilted lover, chews the scenery sashaying around the stage plotting her revenge, and I can understand why Dukes didn’t kill her off as Ford did.

The company’s love of physical and visual collaboration, usually their strength, is the major weakness in this production however. The traverse stage is dominated by a long dinner table, with most action taking place with characters interacting from either end, with only the most intimate moments happening in the centre. The ensemble sitting around looking cool in sunglasses works, but when intense exchanges are taking place on the table, it can be distracting and a slightly questionable choice to have other actors moving around the space to music. The most memorable parts of the play were the quiet ones when the characters were just speaking to each other. The opening and closing dance/fight numbers felt a little like a cop out. The subplots of Richardetto (who was kept in, but his reasons for murder never fully explained) and multiple deaths were all crammed in in the final, frankly messy, scene. Again, I can see what Dukes and the company were aiming for, as it led to an extremely moving and visually stunning final moment with Giovanni and Annabella surrounded by death, but it just felt a bit rushed to me. Although I did love the way the production kept the heart on the knife image – bloodless, but still deeply shocking.

Jai Morjaria’s lighting is, again, highly stylised and unsubtle, but works really well. The only thing that grated was the thunder roll that accompanied every change – a bit too much for me.

I knew that Lazarus would give ‘Tis Pity a kick up the bum and present a wildly different production from others I have seen, but I really didn’t think I’d enjoy it. Well, I was wrong. Although I think that the company should have pared back their physical approach in some scenes, the production as a whole is engaging and exciting. This is a challenging reinvention for Fordophiles, but a wonderful introduction to Ford for a brand new audience.

Park Theatre 24 August – 24 September.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

This is the first major revival of JB Priestley’s comedy in 80 years, and that is a crying shame. Yes, it’s not quite An Inspector Calls, but this production is a joy to watch.

Set in the 1930s in the garden room of Lord Kettlewell’s (Brian Protheroe) country house, on the day that he finds out his business’s and investments are all about to crash. Happily separated from his wife (Lisa Bowerman) for years, he is trying to extricate himself from a relationship with the persistent Hilda Lancicourt (Carol Starks). The unannounced arrivals of his long-lost daughter Pamela (Bessie Carter), newly returned from Russia, her comrade, Staggles (Steven Blakeley), and then Lady Kettlewell all add to his problems.

Priestley encapsulates the shifting social order and the discomfort felt by the erosion of the class system with a light touch. Priestley’s leftward leanings are clear, but he mocks both communism and the British class system equally. The shift in status when Parsons the butler (Derek Hutchinson) wins the Guernsey sweep is a lovely moment, highlighting the difference between perceived and actual wealth.

Comrade Staggles’ po-faced pronouncements about how life should be are delivered brilliantly by Blakeley, and his frustration at the maid’s horrified reaction to his advances, with him being “a gentleman staying in the house” is played well. Bessie Carter makes a huge impact as Pamela – completely changing her body language according to her costume, and managing to make this slightly abrasive character sympathetic.

The show is stolen by Hugh Sachs and Richenda Carey. They are both gifted comic actors, and have the best lines in the play. As Chuffy, the self-proclaimed Edwardian parasite, Sachs observes proceedings and comments gleefully on the foolishness he sees. Sachs’ delivery, pauses and glances are just perfect for this play. Carey’s character is hysterical. Lady Knightsbridge is a mercenary matriarch scooping up gossip in between trying to find meaningful occupations for her useless relations – “Didn’t I ask you to get Claude into rubber?” Carey’s imperious glances and politely catty putdowns are hysterical. If only Priestley had given them more lines!

The pace slows after the interval as loose ends and motivations are explored, but this feels right, as the act is set directly after dinner, when full stomachs and woozy heads abound. Hugh Ross obviously LOVES Priestley, and his production has a fresh, but nostalgic feel. Polly Sullivan’s design is simple but evocative, and allows the audience to focus on the performances – which are all first rate.

This may not be a hard hitting play, but its perceptive wit and sublime word play makes The Roundabout well worth seeing. Yes, it feels like a lovely ITV3 show that you watch cuddled up on the sofa on a rainy afternoon, but sometimes that’s just what you need. I loved it.

Grand Theatre, Leeds – 30th August 2017

In 1967, when Relatively Speaking first played to audiences, it opened to a roar of approval from the critics, and the first offering of now acclaimed playwright Alan Ayckbourn set him on the path to success. Now, 49 years later, the comedy is on tour, offering a night of hilarity that is still relevant and completely charming today.

The script is ingeniously strung out from a rather threadbare premise. Two couples, both with infidelity problems, meet and talk at cross-purposes for an afternoon. The action opens in a dingy London bedsit where fun-loving Ginny (Lindsey Campbell) is entwined with a nice-but-dim Greg (Antony Eden) who wants to marry her. But Ginny plans to spend the day with her older lover in Buckinghamshire. Ginny misses the first train but Greg catches it and arrives at The Willows first. Greeted by a Philip (Robert Powell) whom he wrongly assumes is Ginny’s dad. Philip, meanwhile, assumes that Greg is his wife Sheila’s (Liza Goddard) bit on the side.

The first scene, in the London flat, is intermably long and apart from a single pink sheet, not overly funny.  My heart sank as I was expecting hilarity and was receiving something more painful than heart burn.  But, after watching, the map light up to follow the train for an epic scene change, we arrived in an English country garden and laughs a plenty followed.

Liza Goddard is a delight as the confused, good-natured Sheila, suddenly greeted by a boy who wants to marry a daughter she didn’t know she had, but also hints at the pain of a woman who knows that her husband is unfaithful. Robert Powell is all self-righteous, pink-faced indignation as her philandering husband. Antony Eden memorably captures the confusion of the gawky young innocent abroad, while Lindsey Campbell is both sexy and devious as the woman he loves.

The set itself, does need a special mention, the dingy London bedsit flat is just grungy and threadbare enough but the country house is magnificent and Peter McKintosh’s design is to be congratulated.

In Leeds until Saturday 3rd September and on tour around the country

 

Mark Thomas wins prestigious The Stage Special Award

Mark Thomas will be presented with the prestigious The Stage Special Award at Edinburgh Festival Fringe on Friday, August 26, 2016. The prize, part of The Stage Edinburgh Awards, celebrates sustained excellence at the Fringe. Previous winners of the Special Award include Chris Goode and Pip Utton.

Thomas is a comedian, theatremaker and activist. His Special Award win will be added to multiple prizes for his work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including three Fringe Firsts. He will be presented with the award by The Stage’s reviews editor, Natasha Tripney, and interviewed by Thom Dibdin, Scotland correspondent for The Stage, critic and member of The Stage’s Edinburgh review team.

Tripney said: “Mark Thomas is a deserving winner of The Stage Special Award. His work has always straddled comedy, theatre and activism. His presence at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has often made a significant impact and his current show, The Red Shed, is one of his strongest to date, revisiting his political awakening while also exploring the stories we tell ourselves and the ways in which we tell them.”

Thomas’ 2016 show, The Red Shed, is inspired by the Wakefield Labour Club of the same name. In his review for The Stage, Thom Dibdin called it “a wide-eyed tale that has truth at its heart and the need to find the stories which will help shape a better future in its head.” The Red Shed has also been awarded a Fringe First award, his third after Bravo Figaro! (2012), about his opera-loving father, and Cuckooed (2014), about corporate espionage.

The Stage Special Award will be presented at a Q&A with Thomas at the Traverse Theatre in a public event at 2pm on August 26, 2016.

The Stage Edinburgh Awards are in their 21st year and celebrate acting talent at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Special Award, presented to a performer with a significant history of excellence at the Edinburgh Fringe, was introduced in 2014.