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Bear with me: Sun Bear @ParkTheatre

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If The Light House is an uplifting tale of survival, Sarah Richardson’s Sun Bear gives a contrasting take on this. Sarah plays Katy. We’re introduced to Katy as she runs through a list of pet office peeves with her endlessly perky coworkers, particularly about coworkers stealing her pens. It’s a hilarious opening monologue that would have you wishing you had her as a coworker to help relieve you from the boredom of petty office politics.  But something is not quite right in the perfect petty office, where people work together well. And that is her. And despite her protesting that she is fine, the pet peeves and the outbursts are becoming more frequent. As the piece progresses, maybe the problem lies in a past relationship, where Katy had to be home by a particular hour, not stay out late with office colleagues and not be drunk enough not to answer his calls. Perhaps the perky office colleagues are trying to help, and perhaps Katy is trying to reach out for help. It has simple staging

The not-so merry widow: Ballroom @Waterlooeast


There's a terrific band and a real nice crowd... So one of the opening songs goes. Not all the magic is here in this lost musical of loneliness and rediscovering life. But as a vehicle for a star performance by Jessica Martin, it's great.

Martin plays lonely widow Bea who runs off to a ballroom and finds herself living life again. She's vulnerable, she's stunning and she has a great singing voice. It's currently playing at Waterloo East Theatre.


Ballroom was Broadway legend Michael Bennett's follow up to A Chorus Line. He produced, directed and choreographed the piece. With a book by Jerome Kass, music by Billy Goldenberg and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman it became a labour of love for him. So much so that he spent £2m of his own money producing it. It opened in 1978 and ran for just over 100 performances.

The life of a lonely widow running a junk shop with her sister-in-law and the magic of a beautiful ballroom filled with dancers is meant to be the contrast and drama in this piece. It is less a musical than a drama with music and dance. The ballroom is a metaphor for life and Adam Anderson and Danielle Morris as the ballroom singers provide commentary on the action.

But it is important to have this properly staged to carry off the illusion. Otherwise you're left with an awkward story about a lonely widow who sleeps with a married mailman. And nobody wants to see that.

At least Martin keeps her likable even as she becomes the other woman. No doubt it's the fabulous hair and dresses that make her get away with adultery. She also delivers with power the torch song "Fifty Percent". Where she realises that she won't have all the man she wants. It's a song that has become a cabaret standard that ends the piece with a bang.

And she is supported by a cast of musical theatre veterans. If you were ever wondering what ever happened to so and so you might find that they're alive and well here.

A show to take a divorcee or a not-so-merry widow to check out. Directed by Gerald Armin, Ballroom is having its European premiere at the Waterloo East Theatre until 4 June.

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎




Photos by Robert Piwko

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