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Two Ladies: La Bella Bimba at Barons Court Theatre / Canal Cafe Theatre

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T hey sing. They dance. They clown around. They even wash clothes! Such is the story of La Bella Bimba, part of the Voila Theatre Festival, which highlights new and emerging artists. A tale of two Italian ladies who land in 1920s New York, trying to break into Broadway without speaking a word of English. It’s harmless, primarily even if a little nonsensical, and is currently playing as part of the Voila! Theatre Festival .  I caught the performance at the Barons Court Theatre , where the intimate setting created an evocative atmosphere reminiscent of dark New York alleyways. The space was almost claustrophobic with a distinct smell of rising damp, making you feel immersed in the story of two Ladies hanging around the theatre doors of Broadway. On the plus side, the theatre has some of the most comfortable seats you will find in any pub theatre in London. As the naive and hopeful singers, Co-creator Lucrezia Galeone as Carlotta and Sarah Silvestri as Cecilia are fine singers with co...

Sleight of hand: The Fabulist @charingcrossthr


Billed as a musical comedy, The Fabulist is actually a rare chance to see Giovanni Paisiello’s rarely performed light opera, The Imaginary Astrologers, translated and updated to Mussolini’s Italy. With sublime music, fine singing and a bit of additional silliness thrown in for good measure, it’s a welcome addition to the choices available on the West End. It’s currently playing at Charing Cross Theatre.

In this update, the action moved to Italy in 1929. A magician (or, as he prefers to be called, Fabulist), Julian is on the run from both the fascists and the Catholic Church. On the run, he stumbles on a film shoot and dazzles the screenwriter Clarice with his charm while her sister tries to complete a series of mildly subversive historical films. What will win in a battle of ideas between science and magic, the church and the Fabulist? It’s an evening of light operatic comedy, so there are no prizes for guessing. 


Experts in clerical fascism and fascist mysticism may find some of the plot points a bit suspect. And this update adds a few too many layers of complexity to the delicate music. But even with these labours, they don’t get too much in the way of high-spirited and fast-moving shows.

Watching the cast sing and add a dash of high jinks to the evening is a delight. I saw the alternate cast (not pictured), which had baritone Jack Holton as Julian and Marienella Phillips as Clarice, both in fine voice and comic timing. Holton could even show he had a few magical tricks up his sleeve. James Paterson is hilarious as Count Petronius, trying to get his daughter to marry someone better. Stuart Pendred makes a delightfully evil Cardinal Bandini.

It is a rare opportunity to see an informal staging of a rare operetta that takes the source material and gives it a new perspective. Hopefully, it won’t be the last. Directed by John Walton with music direction and orchestration by Bobby Goulder. Based on Giovanni Paisiello’s Gli astrologi immaginari, with new book and translations by James P. Farwell. The Fabulist is at Charing Cross Theatre until 21 September. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




Photos by Mark Senior

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