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Dock X, Canada Water – until 9 December 2023

Reviewer Alec Legge

4****

Off to London’s Dockland to see ‘Rumble in the Jungle‘! Not knowing what to expect, advertised as a trip back in time to the fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974 Zaire and it being an immersive spectacle.

On entering what appeared to be a warehouse and a foyer type space where at one end there was a boxing ring set up which was open on two sides and surrounded by an array of of punch bags hanging from the roof. The audience members were encouraged to gather round the ring and treated to a lively intro to what was going to happen. It was stressed that we were no longer an audience but were active participants in the show.

Then a door opened and we were led into a large colourful space where there were bars, stages and stalls set up and at one end a reproduction of a hotel entertainment area complete with a bar, food counter, tables and chairs and a dais with a pianist,double bass player and then a singer.

We were treated too songs with the audience being encouraged to participate whilst drinking and dining. All this time there were actors playing the part of Congolese citizens and soldiers and also various characters involved in the boxing scene such as Don King and others including David Frost. Being an immersive show the audience were encouraged to connect and speak with the characters as though we were actually back in time at Zaire in 1974.

This was followed by press conferences with actors taking the parts of Ali and Foreman plus their entourage. The repartee between the fighters was brilliant with including Ali’s famous, ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’

There was also a re-creation of the famous Zaire ’74 music festival with entertainers taking the parts of James Brown, BB King, Miriam Makeba and others. A feast for the eyes and ears!

Thus to the finale, the actual fight. This took place in an arena consisting of a semi circular seating area facing a boxing ring backed by a large screen on which film of the actual fight was shown whilst in the ring the two actors playing the participants and a referee acted out the fight in real time. This was a really enjoyable spectacle in its own right. Fantastic.

All in all the show was really immersive and spectacular with the audience engaging with the action in the various scenarios wholeheartedly.

The producers and directors of the show are to be commended for bringing to life this amazing sporting event and events surrounding it! It was a spectacular, colourful and enjoyable experience all round. Well worth a visit not just for fight fans but enjoyable for all.

Park Theatre – until Saturday 28 October 2023

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Sibling rivalry and silly spooky shenanigans are a real Halloween treat in this energetic and atmospheric new comedy from Make It Beautiful Theatre Company.

After their father’s death Jack (Felix Grainger), Sarah (Cara Steele) and Connor (Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson) struggle to keep his pub running. Sarah (an entrepreneur with disastrously unfeasible ideas) and Connor (drifting from one mate’s sofa to another) return for the funeral and blame reliable Jack (the only one who stayed in town and visited their father in the care home) for the sorry state of business at The Nag’s Head. Behind her brother’s back, Sarah accepts a deal with an old uni friend who works for Greene King and tries to boost business so that they can get more money when they sell to that ubiquitous chain.

Sarah struggles to find The Nag’s Head’s USP, until she encounters Dr G Host and decides to market The Nag’s Head as the most haunted pub in Shireshire, helped by a front-page story about a mysterious painting that their father left them. Also thrown in are some ghostly romance, demonic possession, the cult of the Greene King, warnings from apparitions in the beer cellar and lessons about animal poo. Is this mysterious painting a tool of the devil or is it the family’s inability to deal openly with their grief that leads to the spiralling madness that leads to chaotic and explosive situations?

The bond between the siblings is portrayed beautifully – no matter the insults, apathy (no one remembers the name of Jack’s girlfriend of 15 years!) and jealously, the unbreakable love and affection always shines through in writers Grainger and Fogarty-Graveson’s script. The running jokes bed in well and the physical comedy from the cast is as strong as the dialogue. Steele embodies every horror film’s cliché portrayal of possession as Sarah becomes obsessed with consistency in a fantastically dynamic performance. Fogarty-Graveson is sweetly ridiculous as the snarky and hapless Connor he acts out his dates with the mysterious Mary, and hilarious as the insane characters who visit the pub. Grainger is madly OTT as Dr Host, and a bundle of frustration as Jack.

The simple yet effective set evokes the sticky floors and mismatched furniture of rundown village pubs, and Beril Yavuz’s lighting ramps up the tension and frames the scares brilliantly. Alice Chambers directs skilfully, allowing the humour, scares and pathos to mix seamlessly.

The Nag’s Head is a story of grief, sibling love and the nonsensical systems we develop to heal rifts, interweaved with paranormal phenomena and bonkers comedy – what’s not to like?

Leeds Grand Theatre – until Saturday 28 October 2023, then on tour until 17th November 2023

Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood

4****

Opera North’s new Green Season is underway at the Leeds Grand Theatre with its third production, a new one, Puccini’s La rondine . La rondine (means The swallow) is a lyrical comedy (operetta) written by Guiseppe Adami and based on Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Riechert’s libretto. It is a three-act opera which is sung in Italian with English surtitles.

It is set in Parisienne 1930s where love is fashionable along with excessive indulgence and enchanting glamour being at the height of high society. It tells the story of Magda (Galina Averina) who is the mistress of Rambaldo (Philip Smith), a wealthy banker. She subsequently meets Ruggero (Sébastien Guéze) at a café and falls in love with him. From this point forward the romantic chaos and confusion begins between the three characters alongside Lisette (Claire Lees) whose happiness is sought with Prunier (Elgan Llŷr Thomas), a modern poet at the time.

Magda is guided by Prunier via a palm reading that she will be like a swallow looking for happiness, relocation and ultimately true love. The opera narrates through song Magda’s pursuit that leads to self-doubts thus making some crucial and uncertain decision making. Her self-sacrificing spirit is demonstrated with the moving heart wrenching duets between her and Ruggero in Act III. One wishes for the story to be continued when it ends and how Magda gets on with her pursuit of the above.

Under the direction of James Hurley, the opera has a musical feel with a mixture of song and dance and Opera North never disappoints with a stellar performance with excellent portrayals from Averina, Guéze, Lees and Thomas in the lead roles. The lead performers are well supported by the company and Chorus of Opera North under the choreographic direction of Lauren Poulton and musical direction of Kerem Hasan.

The recycled and reused sets, courtesy of Leslie Travers, work well with the narrative and the Parisienne scene it depicts. The space coincides so well with Paule Constable and Ben Pickersgill’s lighting which responsibly projects and is aesthetically pleasing both in the fore and back grounds.

Richard Mantle, Opera North’s General Director and Chief Executive Officer, at curtain call paid a tribute to the company and how much Opera North has grown and developed creatively and adaptively over the years under his lead. This is greeted with respect and rapturous applauses and the audience are now looking forward to future seasons.

La rondine is an enjoyable as well as beautiful and reflecting opera. La rondine is a well-produced and recommended opera to see this season.

Omnibus Theatre, London – until 4th November 2023

Reviewed by Mitzi Luck

5*****

‘Invisible Animal’ written and performed by Tom Manning, is a glimpse into the mind of a young man with autism who has learnt to mask his true self. We meet Tom as he readies himself to leave his home environment and face the world – he tries, but he can’t face leaving yet. The audience is ushered into the inner battle that Tom faces in an intimate and raw portrayal as there is so much of himself that he must hide when outside.

Tom (played by Manning) is able to learn how to be a different person than himself in order to fit in with a neurotypical society. He does this by repetitively watching films and tv – we see his space littered with VHS boxes and Simpsons memorabilia. He finds his way in life by learning his lines and acting them out. Reels of classic films echo his own mind. The audience is even invited on stage to act out a Simpsons scene that Tom finds to be key to his own life.

The set design by Emma Wee creates an intimate and cosy home space with personal items – it is easy to see why Tom finds it his safe haven. Screens are used throughout the play to show Tom’s inner thoughts – the part of him that he has named the ‘invisible animal’ because he has learnt through society’s reactions to hide this essential part of him away, is portrayed on a screen behind him. On a television close by, a YouTube commentator engages Tom and provokes his journey. His inner true self creates the dialogue that Tom needs to discover whether he really does want to leave that part of him behind. All three parts are played excellently by Manning and work together so succinctly and convincingly, it is engaging to watch and creates a dynamic play.

The pressure builds as we see just how much strain Tom is putting himself under in order to fit in. As his inner monologue reveals his true past and the hardships he has endured – it becomes apparent that he needs to decide whether to continue forcing or allow his true self to emerge. Tom lifts weights and repeats lines and the lighting, by Rachel Sampley, wonderfully echoes the intensity building within Tom.

The writing is so revealing and confronting and yet Tom engages and brings a sense of togetherness. There is a lightness in amongst all the dialogue that breaks tension over a serious subject and brings Tom’s character to such vivid liveliness. I hope many people will take the opportunity to see this wonderful play – I highly recommend it to all.

Prince Edward Theatre – until 13th January 2024

Reviewed by Ben Jolly

4****

Entering the vast auditorium of the Prince Edward Theatre, we are greeted with a stark and formidable set; it is cold and menacing as though torn from the sound stages of a science-fiction movie, not something one would expect from a play chronicling England football manager Gareth Southgate and his journey with the team (where’s the turf?), yet still, entranced by the bright circle of penetrating light, we are drawn in and before we know it Dear England has kicked off into play. 

James Graham’s latest labour of love hits the ground running with its high energy, witty characters, and engaging narrative. Opening with a historic but poignant moment that plagues Gareth Southgate’s psyche, we are given a glimpse into the deeply rooted demonic battle that he is having to face after all these years, and this is before he’s even begun to dissect the team or even the nation’s inner conflict. Seamlessly jumping to 2016, Southgate is offered a temporary management position to manage the England football team and it’s from here the plot commences. 

We’re introduced to the ensemble of characters who make up the team and coaches – including Head of People and Team Development officer, Pippa Grange who is deliciously played on this outing by Dervla Kirwan winning the title, “woman of the match” for her performance. Kirwan embodies the behavioural characteristics without allowing the performance to lean into stereotype. Her performance is layered and crafted but is open to growth and impulse. The piece has been expertly cast with every detail and nuance clearly considered to the nth degree. There really is no weak link here. The entire ensemble work fluidly and consciously as a team to tell this story but there are still moments where each has the chance to shine with their vulnerable, raw emotional monologues and dangerously spot-on impersonations of media journalists and politicians alike. Without a doubt, our manager and principal cast member, Joseph Fiennes in the role of Gareth Southgate ultimately takes home the prize. Fiennes is commanding, sensitive and utterly charming in the role and he does so with an ease that can only come from a seasoned professional.  

The play discusses the dramatical storytelling device of the three-act structure relating it to the England team’s six-year plan of victory. It is here that the playwright’s voice coming through the language is most prominent, and taking these dramatic forms and fusing them into a sports vernacular is a stroke of genius. In Act 2 we explore past the “road to success” and delve deeper into the psyche of the sport and pressures faced by the players both on and off the pitch. We investigate the racist attacks that players were targeted with following the loss of the Euro 2020 match. Packed with urgent subjects and intense confessions, this act was riddled with heightened emotion. These were unfortunately tied together and bandaged over with a little too much haste and thus prevented us from a satisfactory resolution. There was also a tendency for the play to meander with its narration and message as we were drawing to a close. It is, however, an impossible task to summarise a plot that is still an ongoing story today; I suppose trying to find some form of resolution in a world that continues to be in chaos would be a futile attempt. 

It has become transparent both through this play and in other recent forms of media how well sport and drama go hand in hand. This piece can and should be appreciated by all, both sports and theatre fans combined as there is a pick-and-mix of what one can take away from this play, and smartly it ultimately leaves the audience to decide for themselves. My hope for this production is that it will be witnessed by both the usual theatre attendees and by avid football fans who for some may have never stepped into a theatre before. May this play become a timely wake-up call of the challenges we face as a society and in this unification remind us that we are not all that different after all.

Forum Theatre, Malvern – 19th October 2023

Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau

4.5****

Back in 1959 the world tragically lost one of the finest musicians that has ever lived, Buddy Holly. Since then his ouevre has lived on in the hearts of music lovers everywhere. His influence changed everything – he is the man who showed Lennon that rock ‘n’ rollers could be cool wearing glasses, who showed the next generation that you could write your own songs and who gave us the template for the modern group – singer, two guitars, bass and drums. Buddy Holly and the Cricketers (a very witty name) tonight gave us the chance to experience what a Holly concert would have been like, and to bask in his wondrous music.

“That’ll Be The Day”, “Rock Around With Ollie V” and “It’s So Easy” opened proceedings in style, providing all the uninitiated could need to know about Holly’s music – the greatest of hits, lesser known classics and melodious pop jewels. All killer, no filler, all night long.

Jamie Alexander as Buddy was a very personable front man, looking and sounding like the man himself, his guitar playing was joyous and effortless. In truth this is a band of frontmen rather than a frontman with a band. Apart from instrumental solos and being integral to the comedy they took lead vocals on many of the era’s non-Holly jukebox faves like “La Bamba” (Nik Barrell, guitar), Ray Charles’s “Hallelujah I Love Her So” (Alan Grice, piano), “Twist and Shout” (Malcolm Nilsson, bass – sorry if I got your name wrong, I couldn’t find it anywhere on the website) and Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” (John McClaine, from the drum kit which included the rather witty lyric change to “..don’t ever play the drums”, tickling me greatly!).

There’s a lot of bonhomie in this show. From humorous one liners during the audience participation to jokes at the band’s own expense, this show is a mountain of fun! The band were masters at getting the crowd involved and keeping the party atmosphere going.

All the hits were present and very correct; from “Not Fade Away” and “Peggy Sue” to tracks the super-fan would appreciate like “Blue Days, Black Nights” and “Peggy Sue Got Married” alongside some genuine surprises like the pre-Crickets era Buddy n Bob’s

“Down The Line”. A lot of care and attention has obviously gone into the show to present an overview of the band’s catalogue and a very pleasing set in its own right.

The second half of the show really took off with the musicians turning it up to 11. The encore, especially, had that on the edge, dangerous abandon that any truly thrilling rock ‘n’ roll gig has and was everything that is good and fine about live music.

Rushing headlong into the finale, we had a trio of songs that would be enough on its own to relieve any box office of its tickets; “Oh Boy”, “Think It Over” and one of my personal Holly favourites “Rave On”. One last 50’s era medley at blistering pace to climax and we were all breathless, sporting massive grins and with a renewed enthusiasm for the original rock era. A Buddy great show – oh, I went there (and you should too, asap).

Garrick Theatre, London – until 17 February 2024

Reviewed by Alun Hood

4****

Nobody does these drama-cum-pageant historical pieces better than the RSC, and Hamnet is vintage work, with its economical but stylish production values, intelligent theatricality, and fine performances from a diverse cast. Lolita Chakrabarti’s play is based on the 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell which imagined what happened when Hamnet, William Shakespeare and Agnes’s (after reading the will of Hathaway’s father where he refers to her as Agnes, O’Farrell is convinced that she has been misnamed for over 500 years) eleven year old son died, and the effect this would have had on his grieving parents and family.

First seen flying her pet kestrel, watched by a smitten Shakespeare (Tom Varey, excellent), Agnes is a feisty, unconventional, fascinating young woman, unfashionably (for the time) free-thinking, and in connection with otherworldly forces. Madeleine Mantock, in a ferociously good performance, invests her with tremendous warmth and emotional directness. William falls for her unconventionality, and so do we. Her grief after the death of her beloved son is authentically difficult to watch, and her regret and bitterness when it looks as though her marriage will be the next casualty after her child, is beautifully, painfully expressed.

One of the great virtues of Chakrabarti’s script is that it seldom feels like an adaptation. So many stage versions of novels suffer from a somewhat frantic necessity to cram in beloved sections of the book so that the cumulative effect is less theatrical and more like box-ticking, but not so here. It is, by necessity, episodic as the location switches between Stratford and London, but it feels measured, theatrical, and the story and characters get full rein to breathe. It also feels relatable in this post-Covid era, as the Shakespeare household is forced to quarantine when the twins Jude and Hamnet succumb to the fever that will eventually carry the latter off.

The detail in Erica Whyman’s production is impressive: minor characters seem vivid and fully drawn, the subtle adjustments in sound and lighting evoke interior or exterior, a simple repositioning of the blocks on Tom Piper’s glorious timbered set transform the space into “this wooden o” of Shakespeare’s Globe where the final scenes take place. Prema Mehta’s lighting design is particularly effective: autumnal, evocative. Simon Baker’s sound is complex and transporting, although I could barely make out what the “voices” that haunt Agnes were saying.

In a large cast, there’s superb work from Peter Wight, doubling as Shakespeare’s abusive father and a fruity Globe actor, and Sarah Belcher and Liza Sadovy as a pair of contrasting female family members with suitably strong opinions on the relationship between William and Agnes. Ajani Cabey and Alex Jarrett are very affecting as the Shakespeare twins, as is Phoebe Campbell as their older sister. Gabriel Akuwudike is magnificently understated as Agnes’s world weary, likeable brother.

It isn’t perfect: some of the blocking feels as though it hasn’t been adjusted from the (quite differently shaped) Swan Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon where the show premiered earlier this year, which makes a few moments frustratingly unfocused. There’s not much humour, and the pace is sometimes lacking in energy.

Those small cavils aside, this is a spellbinding piece of theatre, classy, intelligent and satisfying. Very highly recommended, whether or not you’ve read the book.

Leeds Playhouse – until 28 October, then on UK Tour until November 2023

Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood

5*****

Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing first premiered in 1993 at the London’s Bush Theatre. Thirty years later it returns with a new revival, co-produced by Stratford East, Leeds Playhouse and HOME Manchester.

The play is about two teenage boys, Ste (Raphael Akuwudike) and Jamie (Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran), neighbours on a housing estate in Southeast London. The boys are so different and yet they are experiencing bullying, Jamie in school and Ste in the home. When Ste faces a crisis at home, he turns to Jamie and seeks refuge in his flat and soon a relationship between them is formed. Unknowingly and knowingly, they learn from one another how to articulate their honest feelings, affirm their sexuality and come to terms with coming out. Set in the background of family, community and friendship spheres, both boys explore what it is like to be in love and turning sixteen.

The title of the play sums up how the story is beautifully, thoughtfully and sensitively told and it narrates about navigation of life and love and its challenges, which resonates well today individually, collectively and in society. Directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike there are excellent portrayals from Owokoniran as Jamie and Akuwudike as Ste. Owokoniran and Akuwudike are robustly supported by rest of the cast with Shvorne Marks as Sandra (Jamie’s Mum), Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge as Tony (Sandra’s young man) and Scarlett Rayner as Leah (a lonesome teenage neighbour).

Rosie Elnile’s set represents the housing estate neighbourhood the boys live in, and the space is used well for the narration of the story. The set is complimented with Elliot Griggs’ lighting and the music and sounds of the 1990s from XANA.

Beautiful Thing is beautifully told with humour with touches of deliberations, poignancy, reflections and hopes for the future. An unmissable production which is highly recommended.

The Arches, London Bridge – until 26 February 2024

Reviewer Alec Legge

5*****

Off to the Arches, under London Bridge Station, this being a new exhibition space made out of five interconnected tunnels with six metre ceilings which sets out to be a new cultural hub for London.

On entry I was provided with an audio commentary gizmo which I found very useful. Into the exhibition itself and honestly I was completely taken back. Elvis’s music was playing continuously in the background whilst each room was packed with artefacts from his life and career.

Starting from a layout of items from his early life growing up and starting work in Tupelo, a small town in Mississippi, which even included a pair of work overalls he once wore. A model of his house which was self built by his family showed his working class origins.

Continuing on there were items from his early career showing his rise to fame including signing for Sun Records.

On to exhibits showing his Ferrari Dino GT4, his TCB Super Trike Motor Cycle and the marvellous jump suits he wore for his stage appearances. The array of his jump suits was amazingly stunning, one after the other in different fantastic designs and decoration.

Also included is his uniform, pictures and so on from his time in the Army when he served in Germany. Remember ‘GI Blues‘ and ‘Wooden Heart‘! In another area there was a display of Lisa Marie’s baby clothes.

In one room the wall was lined with an amazing array of his film posters. What memories they brought back! Also in this room was his red MG sports car which featured in ‘Blue Hawaii‘ Also displayed were artefacts from Graceland such as his gold telephone, a pottery monkey and gold plated lion statues which were in his den he called the jungle room.

The walls of each area were adorned with candid photographs of Elvis together with video displays, posters etc. plus some of gold records he was awarded over the years.

As myself and my companion Betty, wandered round the exhibits it brought back the memories of our teens and twenties in the sixties and seventies when Elvis’s incomparable music accompanied us through these times. I am also sure that a younger generation will also enjoy seeing this exhibition as Elvis and his music will appeal to all.

This is a most wonderful, spectacular, awe inspiring (just ran out of expletives!) exhibition which is a must, must, see for any fans of Elvis in particular, but will also appeal to all.

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