Posts with the label anna Francolini
Showing posts with label anna Francolini. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anna Francolini. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 May 2018
Strictly Ballroom, Piccadilly Theatre | Review
Strictly Ballroom
Piccadilly Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 23rd May 2018 by Nicola Louise
★★★★
Every now and then a show fly's into theatres that involves more sequins and glitter that you can shake a stick at... this is DEFINITELY one of those shows!
Set in Australia, in the crazy world of ballroom dancing competition, the show focuses on Scott Hastings (Jonny Labey), a young boy wanting to break out of the norm. There's no denying Labey's skill on the dance floor but it's his ability to adapt to different to the various dance styles with ease and grace that make him really stand out. When joined by Fran (Zizi Strallen), you're blown away by the chemistry of the two. Strallen's character has the perfect edge of adorableness and elegance. When dancing, this elegance shines through and even as the dance and drama become more intense, she retains her somewhat geeky side.
Will Young stars as the host of the Ballroom competition and the shows narrator, Wally Strand. Young has the comedic timing down like the best of them, however, I felt his voice let him down. Although a great singer, it's clear that Young's voice still has more of a pop sound than a traditionally musical theatre one and at points I felt his voice was not as strong as needed.
Strictly Ballroom is very predictable but this doesn't take away from it. I was still awe struck by the amount of talent each dancer has on stage; "Watching this makes me want to learn how to Ballroom dance" said a friend of mine, and I was right behind her on that, you'll be mesmerised my the swift movements and sparkles.
I wasn't a huge fan of Anna Francolini, playing Scott's mother Shirley Hastings. Although clearly a very funny actress, I couldn't help cringe a little at her over the top interpretation which at times felt a bit panto. (Think Kath and Kim do Panto!)
Although this show focused on the dancing, it is classed as a musical and maybe I'm wrong but I would expect more than one person singing. Young sings the whole show with the main characters singing one or two lines at the very end. It would be nice to have more variety of voices, especially as I didn't feel Young's voice was strong enough to carry a whole show by himself.
This show is perfect for all the family and anyone who loves ballroom dancing, the comedy is perfectly timed and the direction by Drew McOnie is perfect.
There was a full theatre standing at the end cheering and clapping, something which I assume happens every night after this up-beat, joyful musical.
Strictly Ballroom runs at the Piccadilly Theatre until October 20th 2018
photo credit: Johan Persson
Tuesday, 24 April 2018
Strictly Ballroom, Piccadilly Theatre | Review
Strictly Ballroom
Piccadilly Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 24th April 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Strictly Ballroom is a chilled out, glittering celebration of dance and a refreshing show to add to the list of ones to cheer us up in these dreary times.
Based on Baz Luhrman's 1992 film, Strictly Ballroom tells the story of Scott Hastings, a young Australian man who’s been dancing and winning awards for almost his entire life. He longs to break free of what moves are ‘expected’ and 'strictly ballroom' and pave his own way in the dance world. Enter Fran, just Fran, the overlooked dancer who wants a life of love, passion and to dance with Scott. When Scott starts improvising at a dance competition again, his partner Liz leaves him and he and Fran become secret dance partners.
This show is cheesy beyond belief but it’s also extremely self-aware. The over exaggeration and somewhat cringy humour works because it doesn’t try to be anything other than fun. The characters are larger than life but work to create an embellished version of life as a competitive dancer.
This show is of course, all about the dance and Drew McOnie has done an outstanding job choreographing his West End debut. The moves are sharp, sleek and a real joy to watch. When attending this show, I wasn't aware that it's not a typical musical. In fact, I would describe it more as a play with songs. Will Young takes on the role of Wally Strand who acts as the compere, narrator and singer. His voice is beautiful and he does a fabulous job of performing Marius De Vries' arrangements of hit songs such as Dancing With Myself, Love is in The Air, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and more. This set up doesn't take away from the show at all but it would be nice to see the rest of the company getting a chance to show off their vocals. However, it's the dance that's the star of the show. Taking the place of big vocal numbers, it's stunning to see such colourful, glitzy routines on the stage. The act 2 close of the Paso Doble and Habañera is especially powerful, with Fernando Mira's flamenco routine wowing the audience and proving how emotive dance is.
There’s a running joke that the west end isn’t the west end unless a Strallen sister is in a show. Seeing Zizi Strallen perform you can understand how their talent has made them a crucial part of the London theatre scene. Zizi’s performance is dorky and heartfelt and her character arc throughout is beautiful to watch. It’s truly joyous to watch her perform and you can't help but keep your eyes on her every second she's on stage. I am definitely going to have to bring my apricot face scrub out of the cupboard if it'll make me look like Zizi! Ms Strallen's footwork is also sublime and she works in perfect synchronicity with Jonny Labey who is is dazzling on stage and clearly the perfect choice for the role. The pair of actors are a winning combo.
Anna Francolini is suitably hilarious as Scott's mother who lives vicariously through him- her comedic timing is outstanding. Eve Polycarpou is sweet and endearing as Fran's Abeula and her latin vocals really stand out amongst the rousing music. The ensemble of Strictly Ballroom are great, all with clear personalities in their dancing duos. Gabriela Garcia and Liam Marcellino really stand out as Vanessa and Wayne. The entire cast work brilliantly together to create a polished show.
It's a lovely feature to have the band live on stage and it's amazing how they become part of the action rather than being overshadowing at all. Catherine Martin's costumes are as sparkly and over the top as you could want and Soutra Gilmour's set is simplistic but emotive. This production is well thought out and it's clear to see how much care and love has gone into it from the entire cast, crew and company.
It's time to escape the grey for the colour filled dance hall of Strictly Ballroom. Bogo Pogo your way to the Piccadilly theatre for a spectacularly sparkly experience, and a fun, chilled out night that'll make you want to get out of your seat and dance.
Strictly Ballroom runs at the Piccadilly Theatre until October 20th 2018
photo credit: Johan Persson
Saturday, 3 December 2016
Peter Pan, National Theatre | Review
The Olivier Theatre, National Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 2nd December 2016 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Reviewed on Friday 2nd December 2016 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
The story of 'The Boy Who Never Grows Up' is one which we all know. Since J.M Barrie's original story and production there have been countless re-imaginations of Peter and Wendy's adventures in Wonderland, each trying to add their own spin to the story. With a such a Classic it can be hard to make the distinction between a play and a panto but the National Theatre's production has done that perfectly and created a fresh and exciting version of Peter Pan which is sure to be enjoyed by children and adults alike!
Madeline Worrall captures Wendy Darling's character wonderfully, with moments of childishness as well as of maturity and practicality. Wendy, is this production is much more free spirited than I've seen previously; she doesn't just follow Peter's every whim but seems to weigh up every decision she makes. She's independent whilst still having childlike qualities; a lovely contrast to Peter himself, played by Paul Hilton.
Peter is not the charming, sweet boy we usually think of. He is much darker and more frantic; a mix between Drop Dead Fred and The Mask (maybe that's because of all the green though!) At first I was unsure of this portrayal but Hilton's Peter really grew on me and I understood why he had such a cocky and arrogant side and was able to sympathise with him much more in his moments of despair than if he had been sweet throughout.
Of course motherhood is a key theme in the story of Peter Pan but in this production it is really magnified, especially through the choice of having Captain Hook played by a woman (Anna Francolini who replaced an injured Sophie Thompson.) Francolini is dark and menacing as Hook. Her gold teeth glistening like knives, her gothic get-up and of course her hook, all create a truly threatening character. The character of Hook is deconstructed slowly throughout the play, with snippets of her humanity showing all through, making her somewhat melancholy. I got the feeling that Hook would have liked to be a mother but as she is stuck in Neverland and evil has been drilled into her, she knows she never could be. This was a revelation to me as I had never seen Hook as anything other than the evil antagonist.
The stand out scene of the whole show for me was when she was roused up and dressed by Smee in a revealing scene where she transformed from a frail, balding lady to the strong, menacing Hook she shows the world. Although Hook was suitably scary, I found myself drawn to her and wanting to know more and more about her.
Another stand-out character was Tiger Lily played by Lois Chimimba. Tiger Lily is a feisty girl who's been raised by wolves and knows her way around. The wolves themselves would have terrified a 10 year old me- they're very reminiscent of The Wheelers in Return To Oz coming onto the stage erratically with masks and crutches.
The only character I didn't feel attached to was Tinkerbell, played by Saikat Ahmed. He was too aggressive and not at all likeable. Although it was heartbreaking when he drank the poison, there was just something about him which made me feel uneasy. I loved the made up language used for Tink and the whole premise felt very solid but I personally was not a fan.
I loved the theatricality of the production. It was wonderful to see how all the 'magic' was being done. Seeing the counter-weights and 'fairy strings' on stage didn't distract from the magic at all but made the whole thing even more enjoyable to watch. The use of music is another highlight of the production. Whilst it is clearly not a musical, it is also not just a play. The songs added are not randomly thrown in for decoration but to add to the characters and emotions, the duet/vocal duel between Hook and Wendy was raw and rich and exciting to hear.
Overall this production is lively, colourful, exciting and rich. It takes the classic story and elevates it to a new level of wonder and fantasy without taking it anywhere near the pantomime realm. This is a creative and refreshing production which is magical for children and touching for adults. The whole production is a visceral spectacle which is not to be missed!
Peter Pan is playing at the National Theatre until the 4th February. Tickets can be booked at: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/peter-pan
A huge thank you to #LDNTheatreBloggers for having me at the show; make sure you check them out on twitter @TheatreBlogs and their website: http://theatrebloggers.co.uk/!
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