Monday, April 22, 2013

The Seagull Review

The Seagull
The Nuffield Theatre, Southampton

Under the direction of award winning Blanche McIntyre, this modern update of Anton Chekov’s The Seagull is fascinating to watch.  Adapted by John Donnelly, this production still retains the melancholic atmosphere of the play as it follows the conflicts between four different artists who desire love and admiration.

In addition the production has a firm cast. Abigail Cruttenden does not display much grandeur as Arkadina, but she plays the overbearing and vain actress well. Alexander Cobb shines as a tortured and sour Konstantin who longs for his mother’s acceptance. A highlight of the play comes during their ironic argument in the third scene, as they insult each other’s artistic integrity amidst oohs from the audience. Pearl Chanda meanwhile is an innocent and passionate Nina, but by the end she gives a touching and dignified performance.

Gyuri Sarossy produces a reclusive and contented Boris, but by the third scene Arkadina’s hold on him is clearly shown as he frantically masturbates for her pleasure.  Elsewhere, Colin Haigh’s Sorin is jovial but melancholic as he looks back at the disappointments of his life. Despite the naturalistic style of the play the clarity of line delivery makes some of the secondary characters less easy to follow, but on the whole the cast is top-notch.

The set is more minimalist than naturalist. The backdrop consists of a blank piece of paper, and the occasional prop is brought on for each scene. To give a sense of location, the ensemble members come on to paint drawings of things like the lake, seagulls, suitcases, and graffiti. What is continuously present is a long wooden platform that is used as a jetty, table and a see-saw, and at times it presents some of the symbols inherent in the production.

The lighting team did well to create the atmosphere of each scene, including the lake at night-time and Sorin’s estate in semi-darkness. There is occasionally some confusion over the modern setting, such as the use of horse drawn transport, but overall the update was believable. Overall this is a captivating production, and together with the cast and designs this is an adaptation that is worth seeing at a low Top Price.

The Misanthrope Review

The Misanthrope
Oxford Playhouse, Oxford

As the last in a trilogy of Moliere plays that have been adapted and directed by Roger McGough and Gemma Bodinetz, The Misanthrope should not be missed. It opens with a masked ball, during which the guests pass secret letters between each other. This is an artificially polite world full of secrecy and deception that renowned poet Alceste (Colin Tierney) wants to disassociate himself from, as he tosses away his wig and mask. He announces to his reasonable friend, Philinte (Simon Coates), that he wants to be honest and frank with everyone. What follows is a series of rivalries and revelations that threatens to upset this "elegant" world.

What makes this production so hilarious is this witty adaptation of Moliere's play. Roger McGough has once again adapted the 12 syllable rhyming couplets, or Alexandrines, inherent in Moliere's plays and varied the verse forms to suit each character. Alceste for one is the only character to speak in plain verse. McCough also plays around with the words as characters slip up on rhyming words that do not make sense. Neil Cople for one has a hard time as the simpleton man servant, Du Blois, as he attempts to speak in verse. Whilst The Book of Mormon attempted to make dozens of puns, some of whom were repeated, The Misanthrope focuses on the dialogue, which results in some consistently fresh and witty puns.

Not only is this play witty but it is performed by a strong cast. Colin Tierney presents Alceste as a bitter and petty man who stands out for his plain speaking amongst the sycophants of Moliere's world. Scenes turn into a war of words as the rules of social intercourse are stripped away and characters spit acid at each other. At one point he makes sarcastic interjections as budding poet, Oronte, reads what is only an average poem.

Daniel Goode was flamboyant yet imperiously indignant as Oronte and his rendition of the poem was met with an appreciative applause from the audience. Together Goode, Leander Deeny as Clitandre, and George Potts as Acaste  can be seen as the perfect clones of what is perceived as a courtier in the world of The Misanthrope. They portrait extravagant yet gullible fops, as they try to court the other leading character of the play, Celimene. Zara Tempest-Walters as Celimene waltzes around these men with a show of flirtation teasing and gossip which hides a scheming, astute mind.

Elsewhere, Simon Coates is the voice of reason as Philinte, who advises Alceste to tread carefully, which the poet ignores. Harvey Virdi plays a pious, but hypocritical, Arsinoe, and a highlight is watching her and Celimene straining to be polite as they trade sweet-coated insults at each other.

The creative team have cleverly designed a set that shows a room with walls comprising of frames against some backdrops. The lighting allows the backdrops to change colour, which stylistically changes the settings, and clever use is made of the props. The outlandish 17th century costumes conform to the colour white, and Alceste's dissent is made even clearer when he changes to modern clothing by the end.

Although the production slows down occasionally, Roger McGough and the cast helps to make this adaptation of one of Moliere's treasured plays hilarious. I would recommend this over The Book of Mormon and say The Misanthrope is worth booking at a Top Price

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Book of Mormon Review

The Book of Mormon
Prince of Wales Theatre, London

This is a musical that has received much praise in America for its controversial wit and humour aimed at the Mormon Church and organised religion. Now this production has finally arrived at the West End and critics regard it as either brilliant or overtaken.

The story follows an unlikely pair of Mormon missionaries, Elder Price and Cunningham, who are sent to Uganda as part of their two year mission. When they arrive they discover that the Ugandans, ridden by AIDs, famine, poverty and a warlord, are not willing to convert to such a meaningless religion. Cunningham, who is prone to make things up, decides to give his own version of the Book of Mormon to the Ugandans in order to persuade them to convert.

From the start I enjoyed the jokes written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park, and Robert Lopez, who created Avenue Q. I was not disapointed with the jaunty opening song Hello and the Ugandan's own 'Hakuna Matata' song, Hasa Diga Eebowai (or Fuck you God), as a solution to their problems. I enjoyed recognising the homages that the writers were making to previous musicals, including the song You and Me (But Mostly Me) and its allusions to Wicked.  For anybody who does not know the story behind the Mormons, then this production gives highly stylised, and satirical, overview of Joseph Smith's creation of the Mormon Church

For a lot of the first act however I was only chuckling. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are well known for their shock value comedy, something I do enjoy at times, but in this musical it gets tiring after a while, especially after repeating "I have maggots in my scrotum" half a dozen times. Also, despite all the clever moments I previously mentioned, the musical is dealing with too many issues. At one point I was confused over whether the song Turn it off meant ignoring one's problems or suppressing one's homosexuality. It is both, but at that point homosexuality felt like one reference too many, especially when it is not used again.

It is only when Cunningham begins making up stories that the hilarity picks up. From the last song of the first act, Man Up, the musical becomes increasingly crazy as Cunningham's imagination goes awry. The result is a take on Uncle Tom's Cabin from The King and I where the Ugandans show a disgusted Mission President the made up versions of the Mormon stories called Joseph Smith American Moses. Furthermore, despite all the references and satire, the musical ends with a lovely message, that believing in something can bring some good if it is not taken literally.

What is more the musical is played by a fantastic cast. Coming over from the US tour are Gavin Creel and Jared Gertner as Elder Price and Cunningham. I myself prefer Jared Gartner, not only because his character made for a hilarious second act, but also he played a childish and neurotic missionary without becoming annoying. Gavin Creel too was great as the optimistic and ambitious Elder Price and he sings I Believe with passion and resolution.

The Mormons are a beaming and buoyant group of missionaries and during the satirical song Hello their door to door evangelising verges on the maniacal. Stephen Ashfield is fantastic as the crazed leader of the Ugandan Mormon missionaries, Elder McKinley. Amongst the natives there is Alexia Khadime as Nabulungi. I was not too keen on her Nala in The Lion King, but this adorable role suits her.

As part of this satire on religion, the set is elaborately evangelical. The proscenium consists of church spires and stained glass windows against a background of stars and planets. The set designs are pretty basic, consisting of backdrops, flats and platforms. The backdrops of Salt Lake City are nicely detailed and colourful, a contrast to the downtrodden and muddy sets of Uganda. The costume department too produced some creative designs for Joseph Smith American Moses. That said a bit more imagination could have gone into the set design of Spooky Mormon Hell Dream.

Overall the production does live up to expectations. Is it one of the best musicals of all time? Not really. Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone did not need to continuously repeat some of their jokes, and the references could have been cut down. Yet the musical moves along at a jaunty pace and the characters are easily relatable to, thanks to a superb cast. Go and see it at a Low Full Price.

Joking Apart Review

Joking Apart
Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury

After a fantastic production of Way Upstream, the Salisbury Playhouse has brought the Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company's production of Joking Apart to their stage. The premise of the play is a simple, slice-of-life story that follows four sets of neighbouring couples in middle class suburbia over 12 years. Set in the garden of Richard (Robert Curtis) and Anthea (Emily Pithon), the passing of time is acknowledged by references to their unseen children. The play ends with Richard and Anthea allowing their daughter, Debbie (Katie Brayben), to celebrate her 18th birthday with her friends in the garden. This happy ending is deceptive as long before this cracks have appeared beneath this idyllic setting.

Alan Ayckbourn is known for creating stereotypes in his plays, and it is easy to notice most of the characters' flaws. What is clever is that Richard and Anthea are the least stereotypical of all the characters, with their noticeably happy attitude their own flaws, while only gradually became apparent. Moments of revelation and tension break the gradual pace of the play, and as it ends there is a slight taste of sourness in the air. However, Ayckbourn's witty dialogue is sprinkled throughout to create what is, on the whole, a lovely comedy.

Some of the characters and their personalities soon became tiring. Thorston Manderlay plays Sven, who speaks with a rather jarringly knowing and cynical tone of voice, though as he revealed his frustrations I was able to sympathise with him. Sally Scott played nervous Louise, however I felt the character's gradual break down is portrayed heavy-handedly which impacts upon the final scene.

Will Barton was the most sympathetic as Brian, the new vicar. His difficulty in being accepted amongst his neighbours is made worse by his reserved character. Robert Curtis and Emily Pithon made a lovely couple as Richard and Anthea. Even as their motivations are revealed, I would never have guessed what was behind their cheerful guise.

The the sense of anxiety cannot be missed with Edward Harrison playing Hugh, who recognises the facade that Richard and Anthea put on, and from the start shows the bitterness that gradually spreads throughout the play. In each scene he is accompanied by different, but equally eccentric girlfriends, all of whom are played wonderfully by Katie Brayben before she appears as Richard and Anthea's daughter at the end.

Yet again Salisbury Playhouse is adorned with a detailed set produced in conjunction with Nottingham Playhouse. The garden is perfect, with tennis court, a tree with swing, summerhouse and nicely trimmed shrubbery. The passing of time is shown as the characters bring on and off jack-o-lanterns, lights, speakers, seats, a table, and all sorts. During the first scene the production team use some neat effects to give the impression of Guy Fawkes Night (and not just lighting and sound). Between each scene songs from the 70s are played which complements the setting.

This is not a fulfilling play that leaves you with a bright ending. However, together with Ayckbourn's writing and a strong cast it is an engaging, and at times deceptive little play to watch at a low Top Price.