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RUTH RENDELL’S

A JUDGEMENT IN STONE

STARRING ANDREW LANCEL, SOPHIE WARD, MARK WYNTER, DEBORAH GRANT,

SHIRLEY ANNE FIELD, ANTONY COSTA and BEN NEALON

ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY SIMON BRETT and ANTONY LAMPARD

DIRECTED BY ROY MARSDEN

 

Adapted from one of the most celebrated works of the writer often hailed as the successor to Agatha Christie, Ruth Rendell’s A Judgement In Stone is at Leeds Grand Theatre next week for one week only.

Rendell was first published in 1964 and was awarded a CBE in 1996. Her prolific output included film and TV as well as 80 novels and one of the genre’s most famous characters, Chief Inspector Wexford. Widely considered to be one of Rendell’s greatest works, A Judgement in Stone is loved for its brilliant rendering of character, plot and motive, and is undoubtedly Rendell at her thrilling best.

Eunice struggles to fit in. When she joins a wealthy family as their housekeeper the very reason for her awkwardness, long hidden and deeply buried, leads inexorably to a terrible tale of murder in cold blood – on Valentine’s Day. Ruth Rendell’s brilliant plot unravels a lifetime of deceit, despair and cover-ups which, when revealed, brings a shocking revelation almost as grizzly as murder itself.

The star cast includes award winning TV and stage favourite ANDREW LANCEL best known to TV audiences for his portrayal of villainous business man Frank Foster in Coronation Street, winning Villain of the Year in the British Soap Awards, and as DI Neil Manson in over 300 episodes of The Bill.

Andrew is joined by SOPHIE WARD who played the beautiful, ill-fated love interest of Young Sherlock Holmes and Dr Helen Trent in long-running ITV drama Heartbeat.

Pop-idol MARK WYNTER made his professional debut as a recording artist and went on to have nine Top 20 singles, including Venus in Blue Jeans and Go Away Little Girl. He has also enjoyed an acting career that has spanned nearly 50 years, appearing on radio, television, film and stage where he has featured in seven Agatha Christie Company productions.

DEBORAH GRANT has starred in the BBC’s Not Going Out, Bergerac and Roger, Roger.

Movie icon SHIRLEY ANNE FIELD has had a long and successful career. Her breakthrough role came when she got the part of Tina the Beauty Queen opposite Sir Laurence Oliver in The Entertainer. Her role as Doreen in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning soon followed, with her next role as the female lead in the Hollywood title The War Lover opposite Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner.

ANTONY COSTA shot to fame in chart topping boy band Blue in early 2000 becoming a huge commercial success in the United Kingdom and many other countries, selling 15 million records worldwide to date. On Stage Antony has starred in the lead role of Mickey Johnstone in the West End production of the long-running musical Blood Brothers and was last at The Grand Theatre in Save the Last Dance for me in 2016.

 

A Judgement In Stone is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 24^th to Saturday 29^th April

Tickets are priced from £19.50 to £36

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

Newcastle Theatre Royal – until 22 April.  Reviewed by Andrew Bramfitt

Stunning evening leaving everyone out of breath and that was just the audience

Firstly let me confess, I’ve not been a ‘Strictly’ fanatic, sure I knew of it and probably, like many of the millions of viewers, I watched mainly to see which celebrity was being put through their paces and trying to lose their usual persona. Likewise, despite having two daughters who spent years going to dance classes I doubt I’d be able to tell the difference between a Pasadoble from a Chicken Passanda so the chance to go and see Keep Dancing at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal was as much education as it was entertainment.

Boasting a cast of super fit and talented dancers and backed by singing duet Harriet Mullen and Adam Warmington, Keep Dancing brings a hyper energetic look into modern and contemporary ballroom and Latin dance which, after just the first number, leaves the audience more out of breath than the dancers themselves. Brilliantly choreographed by Emma Rogers and Robin Windsor to incorporate easily recognised pop, traditional Latina and Spanish and some very modern interpretation, each number aims to surpass the previous for style and energy. Themed sections include Glenn Miller Jive, Showtunes, Disco and South American.

Guesting on this tour are Strictly superstars Katya Jones, Neil Jones and Robin Windsor, 3 performers for whom the term ‘dancer’ just isn’t enough to do justice to their talents. Following routines so complex that they would test a super computer, they manage to imbibe each number with passion, humour, tragedy and pathos, creating a miniature play within the 3 or 4 minutes on stage. Each have a tremendous pedigree and clearly enjoy bringing their own characters to the fore – playful, sultry, sexy and powerful.

Costumes are, as one would expect, bright, flamboyant and very sparkly. The guys’ shirts seem to all miss most of their buttons (meaning they are open to the waist) whilst the girls frocks are, in the interests of safety, short and tight to avoid any trip hazards – at least that’s what I told my niece when she asked why they were so revealing.

Harriet and Adam deliver a good background of live singing. Sure, there are some numbers which have clearly been chosen for the dance routine rather than being a great song to sing but having live backing adds an extra layer to the evening.

As always, Newcastle Theatre Royal and the FOH team deliver a great theatre experience, brilliant sight lines and an inclusive evening for everyone.

Leeds Grand Theatre, 17-22 April 2017

Thoroughly Modern Millie is Thoroughly Marvellous – a totally feel good show with absolutely no weak links at all.

It’s 1922 and naive ingenue Millie Dillmount quits Kansas for the bright lights of New York City, determined to bag herself a wealthy businessman as a husband.  But things don’t go exactly to plan, as she has her money stolen, ends up living in a flophouse run by a white slave trader Mrs Meers and falls for the penniless Jimmy instead of capturing the heart of her boss.

The character of Millie is fascinating, warm, charismatic and full of bubbly personality and Joanne Clifton ticked all of those character boxes. Obviously as a Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer and the current series winner she is an amazing dancer but she also has a stellar pair of lungs and a stunning voice and I found some of her solos a delight.

Her best friend Dorothy, played by Katherine Glover, is the complete opposite to Millie. Desperately trying to become an actress, she is highly poised, well dressed and has a polite exterior. Her charming vocals reach unbelievable notes, and there is an element of comedy as she is constantly singing about how in love she is whenever she first meets a man.

Sam Barrett is handsome in that boy next door way made so familiar by endless American television shows, possessing  the confidence his character needs, and his vulnerability. He has a fabulous voice and he can dance – he gives the part vigour and enthusiasm.

Millie’s prospective husband, her boss Trevor Graydon III, is hilariously played by Graham MacDuff.  It really is a basic requirement of the part that he can sing Sweet Mystery of Life with ease and The Speed Test with alacrity and dexterity and he was clearly up to the task.  He steals the show though when playing the most hysterical drunk I have ever seen.

Jenny Fitzpatrick gives the vocal performance of the night as Muzzy Van Hossmere, effortlessly filling the auditorium with her rich, velvety voice.

Described as a musical comedy, the production certainly pulls out all of the stops when it comes to the over the top characterisation. Hotel owner Mrs Meers (Lucas Rush) presents himself as an old Chinese woman, despite actually being a wanted criminal. The two sidekicks Ching Ho and Bun Foo (Andy Yau and Damian Buhagiar) pander to his manipulative orders, and their lack of English provides great comedy. The decision to put up surtitles for the rapid Chinese dialogue is a masterstroke.

There was lots that I enjoyed about this production, the scenes in the illegal drinking club.  The massed ranks of the stenographers in the office, earphone hairstyles and spectacles, coloured in green under the eagle eye of Miss Flannery (Catherine Mort) were fun.  The big ensemble numbers have bags of pizzazz, and director/choreographer Racky Plews’ clever tap dancing typing pool sequence is a visual treat.

The set is magnificent, the costumes are sublime and the live band, lead by Rob Wicks, are superb – never drowning out the vocals of the performers.  This is possibly the best David King Production I have had the good fortune to see

Epitomising old school musical theatre, Thoroughly Modern Millie is a show that boasts a tremendous score and excellently witty dialogue.  Thoroughly Modern Millie is a thoroughly fun show which continues until Saturday.

York Theatre Royal – 13 April 2017.  Reviewed by Marcus Richardson

September In The Rain is a play written by the Yorkshire born playwright John Godber famous for his comedies such as Bouncers.

The play features a couple who goes to Blackpool every year in September. Set over the past 40 years of their lives we see their journey as a couple and how it grows with conflict and love. The whole play is a dialogue between the couple and is very character heavy, which puts a lot on the actors.

Una McNulty played Liz, a woman who loves to travel by bus and loves getting a tan at Blackpool, chirpy she holds most of the dialogue with her telling stories and often getting carried away.  Coming from Yorkshire, just like her creator she is both funny and independent.  

Mark Stratton played Jack a pit worker and very traditional Yorkshire man, a person of few words and when he does speak it will often be with authority and just one word mainly being ‘eye’. Their relationship on stage is key to creating an amazing performance and the whole structure depends on it. The two work so well together on stage, in creating the believable bond as we watch through some arguments and the sweeter parts where we fall in love with their story.

My favourite part of the whole entire play was when McNulty pretended to be her daughter when she was young, doing a talent contest in Blackpool.  This was both hilarious and sweet to watch as it just mirrored what so many children do on stage and when they do talent contests. Stratton added to the comedy here saying she was absolutely amazing and shedding a tear.

The stage was rather simple with the barrier to the beach acting as the backdrop, I loved the simplicity of this as it gave the actors a lot of room to set the story and focus more on their acting rather than the performance space.  There were fairy lights that also lit up the stage in certain scenes, these looked aesthetically pleasing – making some scenes feel much more pleasant to watch. The music also played a key part in the play as the song September in the Rain plays a big part in the story and a lot of music perfectly set the scene.

The play is pleasant to watch and you can sit back and relax, have the frequent chuckle at the jokes, you don’t need to get too involved with the story and it’s a rather enjoyable night out to the theatre. If you have a night off and fancy a simple pleasant play go and see this

York Theatre Royal – 11 April 2017.  Reviewed by Marcus Richardson

Cyrano a classic tale of love war and poetry. The play set in France during the 1600s and follows an amazing swords man, a brilliant poet and witty charmer; but there is one large problem, very large problem. His nose. The comic play takes us on a journey with the whole play in verse.

The acting style has to be naturalistic even if the script adds this poetic vibe. The actor who played Cyrano, Christian Walker was the prime of performance with the script, the wit of Cyrano certainly came out with a fiery passion, working with poetry can be very hard and if you mess a line the whole flow can fall apart but thankfully he commanded the script and stole the performance. The ever so beautiful but sturdy Roxanne played by Sharon Singh, when she first spoke I was surprised by her accent as it was a thick Scottish and I was caught of guard as most of the other actors had Yorkshire accent, however after the first few seconds I got used to her accent and she captures the independent but elegant perfectly.

The stage was decorated with Lunar Diagrams and such, due to the simplicity of the stage, scene changes were quick and effective on of the best scene changes was into the bakery as loads of pastry and bread filled the stage which didn’t take time to put on and take off, in the second act war breaks out and the transition was just as seamless as all the other changes even though there was a lot to change, and it was the whole cast in charge of doing the changes so well done to one and all for their amazing acting and stage use, the actors played instruments and sung during the scenes and their changes this was done really well and was so effective in moving the play along.

This is second time I’ve seen the play, and it’s my most favourite script capturing the hilarious wittiness that I love to watch, and read. I loved what they did to the script and I have to lower my expectations for the play. If you can please go and see this production of Cyrano as you won’t be disappointed with the whole package of the play.

King’s Head Theatre 11 – 29 April.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Girl power storms back to the King’s Head in this 90s pop musical, squeezing a decade’s worth of fun into 60 all too short minutes.

Jess thought that her relationship was as unbreakable as Brad and Jen’s, or Justin and Britney’s, but she was wrong. After being dumped, she just wants to stay in and watch Titanic, but her friends find the perfect way to cheer her up – speed dating!

Full of warmly mocking nostalgia and smutty innuendo, this show feels like the naughty little sister of Victoria Wood and French & Saunders. The four girls are instantly recognisable caricatures – think Sex in the City set in Essex. Amanda (Jessica Brady) is the romantic searching for Mr Right to fit her 5-year plan, Charlie (Eliza Hewitt-Jones) is just out for a good time, Molly (Kerrie Thomason) is the weird one and Jess (Natasha Granger) just can’t let go of her last relationship. Writers Thomason and Granger could have kept the best lines for themselves, but the belly laughs come thick and fast from all the cast. Familiar lyrics are quoted and, like every good musical, the cast burst into song at every opportunity: Shania Twain, All Saints, Britney, B*Witched and, of course, the Spice Girls are in the mix. With delivery ranging from karaoke queens to clean harmonies, depending on the laughs the cast are aiming for, you can’t help but sing along, and if you’re lucky, you could get pulled up to dance too. If you’re unlucky, you could be the object of Amanda’s affections and end up on a speed date with her, leading to a brilliantly naff and hysterical Celine Dion number. Another standout is No Scrubs – performed on the loo using toilet brushes as microphones.

The loud and brash girl power attitudes are tempered with recordings of men talking about women and dating that will make you laugh, groan and wince. As will Jess’s slipups when she reveals slightly too much about her boyfriend. The cast are all fantastic physical comedians and seem to be having as much fun as the audience, who all left on a high.

If you’re looking for a laugh, great music (and B*Witched) and a show that will leave you buzzing with nostalgic feel good energy, get your ticket for 2 Become 1. It’s the perfect start to a girls’ night out.

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – 13 April 2017.  Reviewed by Lindsay Sykes

It’s no secret I like Earl Carpenter, the velvet richness of his vocals are beautiful and totally worth flying from one end of the country to the other to see him perform in his hometown.

An Evening with…. however was a to raise cash and awareness of the Mayflower Musical Youth Theatre and show off the amazing talent of the youngsters who attend there.  And yes, Earl was supposed to be the star of the show but I’m sure he’ll agree the kids were the real stars

The show started with comedy and there was much comedy through out, Earl supposedly auditioning by singing Race You to the Top of the Mountain from The Secret Garden, after a rapturous performance he was told he was too old and this paved the way for the stage to be invaded by one who weren’t too old and we got to hear the theatre group sing songs from Hairspray, Bugsy Malone and two from special shows written just for the group – Rock Around the Gaumont and Five of the Best.  We were given information about the shows and heard some lovely stories about how the MMYT had given help and confidence and where the older performers were now – at various colleges and performing arts schools.

There were some stunning vocals from Hannah Morton, Hannah Hunt and Georgia Carr – showing what amazing talent MMYT is producing

The first half ended with Earl singing Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera, after he’d given us an entertaining story about the his Frank Spencer impression at the 20th anniversary of Phantom.

The second half opened with Earl and company sing Luck be a Lady from Guys and Dolls the show the MMYT are putting on this year.  Followed by a solo rendition of Sunset Boulevard.

The MMYT entertained us to a few from Oliver – with vocals from Charlie Steggall, Megan Pake, Sam Wood and Georgia Carr again.  A stunning version of Bui Doi from Miss Saigon with Earl on lead vocals and then one of the hi-lights for me – the very multi-talented George Shrapnell singing Major General and Hail Poetry from The Pirates of Penzance.

The evening ended with a stunning run of songs from Les Miserables.  Starting with a brilliant version of Master of the House with Sam Wood and Jenni Walker. Sadie Levett’s stunning rendition of On My Own was phenomenal.  Earls own version of Stars – a song he has sung over 2000 times but makes every time seem like the first and a whole company version of One Day More with Earl, George Sharapnell, Sam Wood, Jenni Walker, Sadie Levett, Hannah Hunt, Theo James and Dominic Green on lead vocals

The whole performance was supported by a fabulous live band on stage lead by Simon Slater.

The show was wonderful, showcasing what amazing talent we have right on our own doorstep and proving how we should nurture that talent so we can have our next West End stars.

Richmond Theatre 13 – 15 April UK tour.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The Crucible, set in the Salem Witch trials of 1692, where bitter neighbours jump on the bandwagon of vengeance, hysteria and tyranny, blaming the most vulnerable for their own misfortune, was Arthur Miller’s brilliant allegoric response to the McCarthy era. Modern parallels are clear, making the judges pronouncements and denouncements seem frighteningly familiar.

Director Douglas Rintoul has created a dark and moody production, with Anouk Schiltz’s imposing wooden set adding to the atmosphere of brooding tension. Even the set changes are impressive, with the cast all working together like an Amish barn raising. The only flourish Rintoul has indulges in is the projection of occasional stage directions, which works wonderfully, and the thrumming sound design, which sometimes made it feel as if there was a night club below the theatre and drowned out some dialogue. The placing of the microphones was almost inspired, creating an echoey tone that gave the actors’ words great weight, but should, perhaps, have been turned down in the shoutier scenes, as it gave the speeches a strident, irritating feel.

The strong cast was headed by Eoin Slattery as John Proctor, bringing a lightness to the character that is rarely seen, but still showing his strength and guilt convincingly. Victoria Yeates is a devastatingly noble Elizabeth and Lucy Keirl is full of malicious energy as Abigail. As Reverend Hale, Charlie Condou gives a wonderfully measured portrayal of a good man gradually realising that his faith in justice has been misplaced. Jonathan Tafler gets to chew the scenery as Judge Danforth, full of self-righteous rhetoric, delivered with relish and producing gasps of disbelief from the audience.

This touring production isn’t exactly a barrel of laughs (although David Delve delivers quite a few as Giles Corey), but if you’re looking for an intelligent, atmospheric and relevant play, The Crucible should be at the top of your list.

UK Tour dates: Brighton, 24 – 29 April

Manchester, 8 – 13 May

Birmingham, 5 – 10 June

Glasgow, 12 – 17 June

Lyric Theatre, The Lowry, Manchester – April 12th 2017.  Reviewed by Julie Noller

I was very excited about The National Theatres touring production of Jane Eyre, Directed by Sally Cookson. This was nothing to do with the red carpet and as always friendly welcome I’ve come to expect at The Lowry in Manchester. More to do with my younger years and Jane Eyre being one of my favourite novels. Albeit a classic and their tendency to confuse a younger reader, Jane Eyre expertly written by Charlotte Bronte always called to my imagination from young child struggling with grief and lost in a world she did not understand to young love and determination. If you want girl power look no further than Jane.

Settling into our seats I, as usual with the Lowry, took in the stage set up, modern theatre is so much more inviting than that of old, there are no curtains or hidden crevices. It looked like a church set up or maybe a school, perhaps an old country house. For you see what The National Theatre has done is clever, they have kept it simple using basic structures with ladders and your imagination to fill in the blanks. The only changes to set throughout are the addition of lights, props and from the ceiling little touches such as pictures, window frames or small children’s dresses to define the changing settings and periods in Jane’s life.

With theatre in my opinion what you see is what you get, rawness that’s practised without the CGI polished screens of the movies. However to suggest Jane Eyre was anything but polished would be wrong.

Maybe I am a little biased as from the start I was hooked, pulled onto the stage to watch characters I knew so well or felt I did. For just over 3 hours I sat transfixed at times forgetting I was sat in a theatre with others but that I was the only one watching a personal performance. I loved the fact the costume changes happened in front of our eyes, characters developed and grew in the same way they do whilst reading. Jane Eyre is brilliantly portrayed by Nadia Clifford whose physique so resembled my image of Jane, small and slight yet with a power that drew you in. I was struck by how Jane was Jane, childlike yet so grown up at the same time.

I could see there was a set up on stage for a small band however I wasn’t expecting music from Alex Heane as the musician along with Matthew Churcher and David Ridley but the folkstyle music fitted perfectly, add in the haunting voice of Melanie Marshall who plays Bertha Mason and well, what a fantastic voice. At times the music reminded me of Dr Who, I know that statement does not do this modern twist justice but I’ve listened to Dr Who at The Proms and believe me I got the same shivers and goosebumps. I’m still humming to myself this morning, wondering if there’s a CD?

Credit to Lynda Rooke for her talented portrayal of mean and nasty Mrs Reed, hating Jane believing her to have destroyed her family. Yet as Mrs Fairfax we see the polar opposite, amazing. She is warm, inviting and intuitive. Then there was Paul Mundell who was saintly Mr Brockhurst, a worried Mason (some would say fool) yet an impressive Pilot (Rochesters loyal dog). Tim Delap was a mean and moody Rochester as we had expected but somehow I wasn’t quite expecting him to be quite so surly. The kiss between Jane and Rochester I am sure had some audience members blushing and some (me included) beaming with delight. I am sure I heard a few sighs. All in all an extremely talented cast who show great understanding of each others characters and as such I must mention Hannah Bristow who was wildchild Adele, poor Helen Burns and not forgetting Grace Poole whom Jane misguidedly believes to be behind the misterious acts of attempted murder and then Evelyn

Miller as trustworthy friendly Bessie, bolchy Blanche Ingram and ultimately St. John wanting Jane to marry him and lead the same life as her parents had.

I can not end his review without mention of the energy that resonates across the theatre, from the constant climbing, swinging even running at times. To the clever use of those ladders to portray Rochester’s horse riding. I thought the use of all the actors as a collective conscience for Jane was superb and helped us to understand her reasoning without the need of a narrative. My favourite was the coach scenes which reminded me a Zumba class, full of so much fun that I wanted to climb on stage and join in. My surprise came in the humour throughout and that’s the joy of theatre, challenging me to see the very things I had never considered. If you enjoy the classics you will love this retelling with a modern twist.