Thursday 31 May 2018
9 to 5 The Musical (Oxford Operatic Society), New Theatre Oxford | Review
9 to 5 The Musical (Oxford Operatic Society)
New Theatre Oxford
Reviewed on Tuesday 29th May 2018 by Emma Gradwell
★★★
Based on the 1980 film of the same name, 9 to 5 The Musical is set in the late seventies in the Offices of Consolidated Industries. It takes us back to a time of telephones with dials, electric type writers, very big hair and some odious male predatory behaviour.
The story, which is not a very stretching narrative, centres around three female employees all of whom have their own personal problems. Long term employee and single parent Violet (played by Frankie Alexandra) has been passed up for a deserving promotion by sleazy CEO Franklin Hart Jr. (played by Dave Crewe) as he likes to keep his management team strictly a boy’s club. Shapely and kind hearted Doralee (played by Saffi Needham) discovers that her office unpopularity is down to unfounded rumours from Mr. Hart that they have been having an affair. It is Judy’s (played by Nicola Blake) first time employment having been financially reliant on her now absent husband.
The trio come together and find a mutual loathing of how they are being treated by Mr. Hart and they carry out their revenge.
The three leads all carry out their roles with finesse. Frankie Alexandra’s Violet is confident and her relationship with junior accountant Joe (played by Guy Grinsley) is very sweet. This is certainly one of the nicest dynamics in this production and their rendition of Let Love Grow was beautifully executed. Nicola Blake as Judy was truly the mouse who roared and her performance of Get Out and Stay Out was moving as she transitioned from the put upon victim to the ruler of her own destiny. Saffi Needham as Doralee was every bit as bubbly and buxom as Dolly herself and is a fine performer.
Dave Crewe as Franklin Hart was not as powerful or seedy as he needed to be and his performance was outshone by the three leading ladies. A notable mention must go to Nicola Jones as Roz, the delusional and smitten assistant of Mr. Hart whose version of Heart to Hart was comedic and well executed.
At times it felt as if there were way too many people on the stage and at times they were noticeably out of synch with one another during the big dance numbers. At other times it was seamless and impressive. Some of the set changes were evidently clumsy.
With music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton there is not much to complain about with the musical score. The songs have a strong country pop feel as you would expect and move the story along well. The orchestra were fantastic.
The atmosphere of the show created by the nasty and sexist antics that were tolerated to a point back in the 70’s/80’s did leave an unpleasant taste. Although the well-meaning message of female empowerment was evident, in a time of the #METOO campaign I was uncomfortable with some of the humour that carried it.
Oxford Operatic Society (OXOPS) have an excellent reputation as one of Oxford’s best non-professional companies and they put on a great show.
9 to 5 The Musical is at the New Theatre Oxford until June 2nd
Wednesday 30 May 2018
The Rink, Southwark Playhouse | Review
The Rink
Southwark Playhouse
Reviewed on Tuesday 29th May 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse is theatrical brilliance, made even greater by a spectacular cast, including Caroline O'Connor who understudied Diane Langton as Angel in the 1988 London production of the show. With a book by Terrence McNally and music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb, the show focusses on Anna, the owner of a roller skating rink on a fading seaside boardwalk, who has decided to sell it and move on. This goes smoothly until her prodigal daughter, Angel, returns on a mission to reconnect with her past. Through a series of beautiful songs and flashbacks, the pair try to deal with their past resentments and move on with their lives.
Adam Lenson's production is subtlety and sparkle perfectly combined, with the complexity and fragility of the mother-daughter relationship the firm focus. The small Southwark Playhouse is masterly transformed into the cast off roller-rink with Bec Chippendale's minimalistic set providing a back drop which will work equally as well on a bigger stage when this show hopefully takes it's place in the West End.
As well as the story, the cast are the core of this show. The leads are meaty roles so it's great that we have two brilliantly talented women heading the show. The extensive ovation after Caroline O'Connor's first solo, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, proved that she is the embodiment of star power. Caroline is raw, ugly, homourous and emotive, all combined to create a masterclass in musical theatre and a performance which leaves you wanting more and more. With equal measures of ferocity and warmth, it's Caroline who steals this show and makes it as special as it is.
Despite a few brief moments of vocal/accent faults, Gemma Sutton gives a stellar performance as daughter Angel and matches O'Connor in oomph and vigour. The pair are extremely well cast; pulling off the mother daughter relationship extremely realistically whilst supplying laugh out loud joy, as well as tear in your eye sentimentality.
Fabian Aloise's choreography is again simplistic perfection. Tap dancing on roller skates- what more could you want? The tight cast do an exceptional job of using the space without making it feel cramped. Each member is outstanding but mention must go to Stewart Clarke as Dino who suitably transitions from loved up to angry at the world; Ben Redfern who is sweet as Lenny but shines in What Happened To The Old Days? and Jason Winter who dances with such power and precision that you can't help but be drawn to him.
For a technically brilliant show with performances that will leave you wanting to return to the Coloured Lights again and again, go see The Rink. This is musical theatre at it's best- lets just hope that the rink keeps rolling in London.
The Rink runs at the Southwark Playhouse until 23rd June
photo credit: Darren Bell
Monday 28 May 2018
A Little Princess, Southbank Centre | Review
A Little Princess
Southbank Centre
Reviewed on Monday 28th May 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★
After the recent success in the UK of Big Fish and The Addams Family, Andrew Lippa's lesser-known show A Little Princess was brought to the west end for it's UK Premiere at the Southbank Centre. Telling the story of Sara Crewe, a girl sent from Africa to a boarding school in London where she meets mean girls and a strict headmistress, this is a sweet story, with melodically beautiful songs and a heartwarming moral.
As Miss Minchin, the headmistress who's a melange of Miss Trunchbull, Mrs Lovett, Mdme. Thenadier and others, Amanda Abbington was good. In her musical theatre debut she did well to convey the tiredness of the character but lacked menace. Vocally she was a little lacking and tended to speak-sing but still gave a pretty solid performance and I look forward to seeing her tackle future theatrical roles.
Danny Mac was dashing as ever as Captain Crewe, with wonderful vocals alongside a sweet connection with the children of the cast. The pacing of the show itself is funny and means that all the characters are a little under-developed. We got to see a lot of Captain Crewe at the start but as the show went on (especially in Act 2) everything felt rushed. With some rewrites this could be a lovely show and it would be great to see Danny having a bit more time to shine. Mention must go to his stellar performance in the pattersong-esque, Timbuktu.
Equally deserving of more time to shine was the stunning Rebecca Trehearn who always manages to steal her scenes. As Miss Amelia, the ditsy sister of Miss Minchin, Rebecca gave a wonderfully humourous performance and shone in her solo, Once Upon a Time.
Alexia Khadime and Adam J Bernard as Aljana and Pasko gave vocally stunning performances despite being a little overpowered by the orchestra at times.
This was the first production which had actual children playing the children and it was them who stole the show. All the young cast did a great job of owning their roles, with Jasmine Nituan giving a heartfelt, funny performance as Sara's best friend and maid, Becky.
Jasmine Sakyiama is truly a star in the making. Her performance as Sara Crewe was 100 miles a minute from the start with her vocals and emotive facial expressions never failing. Of all the children, Jasmine also had the strongest diction which made her stand out even further. Keep an eye on this girl because she's going to go far!
Nic Farman's lighting added a mystical, magical vibe to the story which was lovely and took the show from a simple concert to an emotive production.
Despite enjoying this production, it does need some edits. I'm no one to say what these edits should be, but Act 2 felt extremely rushed and there were a number of moments that felt unnecessary/over-extended. However, the cast were great and I hope this isn't the last we see of this sweet show in the UK.
Friday 25 May 2018
Confidence, Southwark Playhouse | Review
Confidence
Southwark Playhouse
Reviewed on Friday 25th May 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★
The Southwark Playhouse is a hub for amazing theatre and has been the home to some of my favourite, fresh, exciting, talent-filled productions. Unfortunately, the first UK revival of Judy Upton's 1998 play Confidence is not one of these shows. There is nostalgia and some positives but overall the play feels shaky and underdeveloped.
The plot of Confidence is pretty random. There's a dead hamster, ice cream, flakes and fake dolphins. Ella is on a mission to make money and move to LA where she can mingle with celebrities and live a dream life. For the moment she is stuck with her friend Dean on the pier of a seaside town. From here we see the characters strive for love and money.
Overall the piece feels slow, simmering but never reaching the boil. What could have been explosive moments are dimmed down and any real drama happens too fast for it to have an impact.
The standout performances of the show come from Will Pattle and Rhys Yates who could genuinely be brothers. The two humourously bounce off one another as they vie for money and Ella's love. Will is particularly impressive, especially towards the end - a great professional debut. Anna Crichlow is funny and random as cafe worker, Ruby. Her quirky role provides some comic relief whilst also hinting at a more painful side.
As the commanding, Machiavellian girl who oozes sex appeal and fire, Tanya Burr falls flat. It’s certainly admirable that she is taking steps to make the jump into theatre but taking on a lead role, in an intimate space, with very little to work with has not led to the greatest debut. The character of Ella is someone who is able to wrap people (specifically men) around her finger and make them believe she can offer them everything. Whilst there were brief moments of fluidity and power, ultimately Tanya’s newness and one-dimensional acting is sub-standard and it's hard to believe Ella's power over people.
From a number of sold out performances, it’s evident that Tanya’s fans are booking to see the show and whilst it’s great that this could potentially be introducing new audiences to theatre, this show is far from suitable for her younger viewers. Of course that is not Tanya’s fault at all and this is clearly a step towards her maturing her career, but just a warning to anyone going with younger children that whilst this is a 90s throwback show, the emphasis is on much deeper, less child-friendly themes.
The set design by Amelia Jane Hankin is suitably 90s filled, with the carpet and retro kiosk designs alongside little features such as a walkman adding to the atmosphere.
Something about Confidence just doesn't click. Given more time and a bit of a rework it could be a layered, interesting show but in it's current state there is a unity and flow missing. Hopefully the energy and verve will come and those seeing future performances will experience a solid (if random) story, alongside some wonderful 90s nostalgia.
Confidence runs at the Southwark Playhouse until June 16th
photo credit: Helen Murray
F*cking Men, King's Head Theatre | Review
F*cking Men
King's Head Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday 24th May 2018 by Shaun Dicks
★★
I’m a massive advocate for LGBTQ+ theatre and the King’s Head Theatre is a fantastic platform for LGBTQ+ art. It is a venue that I whole heartedly support. It produces exciting work – like Strangers In Between, which I previously reviewed - and is really a benchmark for pub theatres. The King’s Head is currently home for the show F*cking Men, written by Tony Award winning writer Joe DiPietro. The show follows a multitude of characters that are interwoven into multiple narratives, exploring monogamy, lust and cruising.
In recent times I’ve come across the quote of ‘Happiness writes white,’ but in a play where there is no happiness, simply sex, the word I would use to describe F*cking Men is beige. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few redeeming qualities that I commend. One of the shows biggest pluses is its characters. In mainstream media there is a overwhelming amount of archetypal gay characters that only represent a small cross section of the community; here there is a smorgasbord of characters covering much of the gay community. Another redeeming quality is the performance of the actors, they do the best they can with what they have been given.
Despite these redeeming qualities, there are too many negatives in this show that far outweigh the positives. As I was reflecting on the show after I’d seen it, I couldn’t decide whether it was brave or demoralising that the show was so full frontal with its exploration of the modern gay relationship and cruising culture. Ultimately, I concluded that it’s demoralising. F*cking Men takes a metaphorical dump on one of the rights the LGBTQ+ community have fought for, monogamy.
DiPietro presents men of the gay community as lust driven, predatory creatures who can’t hold down a monogamous relationship. It is repeated throughout the script that one of the bonuses of being gay is that we aren’t bound by monogamy. The show is also hampered by it’s painstakingly long transitions from scene to scene, and when we finally get to a scene, they are very vague and basic; the actors spend more time taking their clothes off than they do act. We were given no time to invest into characters, so when heartfelt moments happened, I felt nothing.
I simply don’t understand why most LGBTQ+ shows insist on including such vulgar nudity. I’m no prude but I don’t come to a theatre to stare at a chiselled man and his penis. I implore all who are writing LGBTQ+ theatre, raise your taste level, we will rise with you.
I urge you to go and support the King’s Head Theatre, it is an incredible venue with a very bright future but do it in ways other than seeing F*cking Men. It’d be a waste of your time and money. I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed.
photo credit: Christopher Tribble
In Conversation With... Anna Crichlow | Confidence | Southwark Playhouse
Confidence opens tonight (May 25th) at the Southwark Playhouse. It features a small cast, some of whom are making their theatrical debuts. Anna Crichlow, who has previously appeared in Pride and Prejudice for Regents Park Open Air and Common at the National Theatre, plays Ruby, who works at the cafe on the pier in the show. Anna took the time to talk to us about Confidence, the 90s and what the audience can expect from the show...
Can you explain a little about Confidence and how your character Ruby fits into it?
Confidence follows four young people who live in a seaside town in the 90s. The world is shaken up by the introduction of Ella, played by Tanya Burr, who’s dreaming and scheming attitude gets some of them into a pickle. Ruby runs the cafe on the promenade and has a more down to earth approach. She’s sweet and seems less ambitious than the other characters but she is a grafter.
The show has a small cast and is playing at the intimate Southwark Playhouse, you must all have had to grow close quickly. What was the initial meeting and rehearsal process like for you?
It was lovely and really chill. We all met initially trying on loads of hilarious 90s clothes on in a vintage shop so I think that definitely broke the ice. It being some of the cast’s first theatre job made it even more exciting because everyone was so ready to get stuck in. The rehearsal space was always really open and Rob made us all feel comfortable to play with each other and the piece.
You get to live out your 90s dreams in this show, what's your favourite song from the 90s?
That’s a really hard question, there are so many bangers from the 90s. I think right now it’s Jade-Don’t Walk Away.
Ruby works in the cafe over summer, have you had any random summer jobs?
Don’t know how random it is but I used to works as an usher at Regents Park Open Air Theatre over summer. It was lush and I got to go back to act there three years later.
Why should people come and see Confidence? What will audiences be saying as they leave the theatre?
Confidence is an explosion of 90s fun but it also explores what it means to work and all the different ways people, especially young people, achieve their dreams.
I think they’ll leave thinking “I didn’t see that coming” and hopefully having laughed.
If you had a magic wand which show would you do next?
Gosh that’d be nice but genuinely I want to do the next show that is meant for me. If I had to say it would be amazing to get stuck into some Shakespeare.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring performers?
Don’t give up and be your most authentic self.
Thank you so much Anna for taking the time to do this interview. Confidence runs at The Southwark Playhouse until 16th June.
photo credit: Clare Park and Helen Murray
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