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Belters and bohemians: Opera Locos @Sadlers_wells

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At the start of the Opera Locos performance, the announcement says that they really are singing. You could be forgiven for wondering that, given the amplification turns up the backing track and the voices so loud that you can't always tell what's real. But this is a mostly harmless and slightly eccentric blend of opera classics fused with the occasional pop classic. However, recognising the pop tunes would help if you were over a certain age. The most recent of them dates back twenty years. It's currently playing at the Peacock Theatre .  Five performers play out a variety of archetype opera characters. There's the worn-out tenor (Jesús Álvarez), the macho baritone (Enrique Sánchez-Ramos), the eccentric counter-tenor (Michaël Kone), the dreamy soprano (María Rey-Joly) and the wild mezzo-soprano (Mayca Teba). Since my singing days, I haven't recognised these types of performers. However, once, I recall a conductor saying he wanted no mezzo-sopranos singing with the s

Passing through: Rotterdam @Rotterdamplay @Theatre503

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Rotterdam is a unique and hilarious story about gender, sexuality and life abroad by playwright Jon Brittain. It is made even more memorable by the strong and tender performances by the leads. It’s having its world premiere at Theatre503 , which is continuing to nurture original new writing in London. It has to be the first “gay play” or perhaps the first "lesbian transgender comedy" in a long time to explore something that feels like real characters.

Where nobody's dared to go: Xanadu @swkplay

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Xanadu , currently playing at the Southwark Playhouse takes the format of musical based on a movie and sends it up mercilessly, but the high energy levels and sheer enthusiasm from this cast make it more than just a cheap show. Usually musicals based on a movie (or a jukebox) have source material that was loved or respected. Xanadu did not have that. It seemed to be a showcase Olivia Newton-John's limited acting (and dancing) abilities. The occasional cheap effect could not conceal that looked as if it was staged in a supermarket. And shot mostly at eye level meant that none of the dance sequences could really be seen anyway. Over the years it developed a cult following among those who appreciated it for being "so bad it is actually good”. It was also Gene Kelly’s final film so how bad could it really be?

Heads up: previewing La Soireé @lasoireelive

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Returning for a sixth season in London, the little show with a big heart La Soirée is back at the Spiegeltent at the Southbank Centre . The show is currently in previews and I recently caught up with some of the performers during a lunchtime break.

Mrs Lovett’s forefather: Titus Andronicus @arrowsandtraps @newwimbstudio

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Shakespeare’s gory Elizabethan shocker Titus Andronicus is less a tragedy than a blood soaked exercise in revenge. But it is given a slick (and slightly gory) updating by Arrows and Traps in this production currently playing at the New Wimbledon Theatre studio space. Heads in plastic bags, severed hands, twitter-based uprisings  combine in this production that borrows from a range of current trends to tell this tale of horror and revenge. But the cast assembled mostly keep the focus on the story for a brisk two hours, keeping a fine balance between the comic, creepy and sadistic elements at the heart of the story.

Couples gene therapy: Valhalla @theatre503

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The second of the joint of the joint winners of the inaugural Theatre 503 Play writing Award, Valhalla ,   is an intriguing and at times frightening tale on science, mythology and a marriage on the edge. This two-hander starts off seemingly normal. Man, a genetic scientist is researching a cure for an epidemic killing thousands. His wife, Woman, is a GP. They are trying for a baby and she is having trouble conceiving. Chaos and rioting has erupted on the streets arising from the epidemic, so they head to a Nordic research facility so he can continue his work.

Try to say no to this: In The Heights @Intheheightsldn

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It's been over a year since In The Heights stormed London. It is back at the Kings Cross Theatre sounding even better than before. This is a thrilling show directed by Luke Sheppard. It's full of terrific performances, spectacular choreography by Drew McOnie and a pulsating latin, pop and hip-hop-fused musical score by Lin-Manuel Miranda .

Drinking and jazzin': The Great Gatsby @Blackeyedtheatr

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It’s the jazz age and there is plenty of period music, and lively performances in this spirited and youthful adaptation of The Great Gatsby by Blackeyed Theatre . In this adaptation by Stephen Sharkey, which was commissioned to mark the 90th anniversary of the novel’s publication, live music is combined with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing to give a period flavour to the evening.