53Two, Albion Street, Manchester. 18th September 2017. Reviewed by Julie Noller
5*****
53Two was a new venue for me, wow what a perfect place, welcoming and inviting, cosy yet expansive. We were a small audience with just 3 rows of 8 seats and some smaller tables and chairs looking like a club set up. Periodically you could hear the rumble of the trams overhead but it didn’t detract from the performance, the cavenous feel of the old arches aided the sound effects.
Royal Vauxhall more than met my expectations, it was naughty but hilarious, extremely well acted with any slips easily covered with ad libs. The acting was delivered from the stage and from within the audience itself, some even being included. I never thought I’d have Freddie Mercury singing directly to me!
Royal Vauxhall is basically 3 extremely well loved and well known characters from 1980’s Britain. Each facing their own demons and battles from within themselves. Desmond O’Connor dons the moustache and tight trousers of Freddie Mercury he is also the talented writer and composser, Joe Morrow in the best possible taste as Kenny Everett and Carrie Marx sweet and devilish as Princess Diana. I was only a young child (ahem) in the 1980’s and as such I had no concept of the story unfolding. I watched with wide eyed innocence picking snipets out from the story, why they dressed Diana as a king, understanding how different and yet how alike they all were, Kenny facing the guilt of his catholic upbringing yet not knowing how to accept himself and sinking further into depression, Diana who felt the depression of living a life she hated without the freedom of expression or indeed feeling loved, Freddie who lived to express himself on stage yet lived with the fact he had Aids and faced discrimination should the public who adored him found out.
Of course this tour coincides with the 20th Anniversary of Diana’s death, it is long enough for people not to be outraged at seeing Diana portrayed as bored, naughty, guilt free. For those men in the audience this is quite possibly the closest you’ll get to an Ann Summers party, rude words, skits and silly games abound. The ruder version of Blankety Blank had us in stitches and poor Stew who was pulled out of the audience, normally I’d say lucky was the guy who got to introduce himself to ‘disguised’ Diana sitting amongst us but his partner wasn’t too impressed. The portrayal of RVT (Royal Vauxhall Tavern) is as I’d imagine and quite possibly true to the era, loud, brash, fun with a capital F.
Coming towards the end of the musical we see a subtle change in our 2 male characters, Kenny sinking lower, dependant on drugs to just be him. The sketch with him on a drug fuelled high is quite possibly the best of the night. Freddie continues to struggle to admit he’s dying and why. Diana has the biggest change from the meek and mild quipping about horses, to bold and proud singing ‘Don’t fuck with Diana’. We then hear the genuine announcements of each persons death, how sad, how different each one was. But then back to humour with the waiting area of Heaven still Freddie and Kenny are bickering. Then in walks Diana once again a looking a little lost, but wait shes fasttracked through the pearly gates. Her explanation ‘must be Dodis Dad, he’s very influential’
We left and spent the entire journey home discussing what we’d seen, debating how much if any could be true. But does it matter? No it’s just brilliant escapism, I haven’t laughed so loud in ages. If you want fun, inclusive theatre, talented actors, good story, naughtiness and a little education thrown in, then this is a must see. I would without doubt go and see it again.