THEGAYUK

Author: Chris Bridges

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dickens With a Difference, Trafalgar Studios, London

    ★★★ | Dickens With a Difference, Trafalgar Studios, London

    What can be more festive than Charles Dickens with his depiction of Victorian London in ‘A Christmas Carol”? Trafalgar Studios has chosen to present a spectacle of an all together different and darker aspect to Dickens’ work over this year’s Christmas period.

    Miss Havisham’s Expectations
    ★★★
    If you’ve not heard of the iconic Miss Havisham then it’s about time you treated yourself to this embittered, grief-stricken woman. Sitting in her rotting wedding dress amongst the remnants of the wedding breakfast that never was, in a dilapidated mansion overrun with mice? Training up a child to wreak havoc on men? That’s my kind of reaction to a messy break-up. Being jilted at the altar and conned out of money is bound to turn a girl’s head a little. ‘Miss Havisham’s Expectations’ adds a new dimension to the story we’re told in ‘Great Expectations’. Finally, in Di Sherlock’s play, she gets to tell her side of the story. Self-aware, funny, sweary and in the full knowledge that she is a fictional character; this Miss Havisham dances, practices conjuring tricks and speaks her mind very clearly. Her views on Dickens’ treatment of women are particularly illuminating.

    Critically acclaimed actress Linda Marlowe (currently Sylvie Carter in EastEnders) gives a superb performance. The sets are adequate; the wedding dress was maybe a little too modern and the play does have the odd moment but on the whole, this monologue packs a punch and is worth a look.

    Sikes and Nancy
    ★★★
    Dickens wowed Victorian audiences with his dramatic readings of his work. Here, James Swanton, takes on the scene from ‘Oliver Twist’ where Nancy is murdered by Bill Sikes. This is high melodrama, bought to life by one man with only a few chairs as props and a clever lighting set to accentuate his storytelling.

    Swanton takes on numerous characters through shifts in voice and facial expressions and takes us through the build-up and aftermath of the crime on what is a thrilling ride. It’s a show that’s received much acclaim and even Dickens aficionado Simon Callow classed it as remarkable.

    A word of caution: There’s a lot of facial contortion, character voices and melodrama. I enjoyed it but my companion was left cold by the show.
    Miss Havisham’s Expectations
    Tuesday 9th December 2014 – Saturday 3rd January 2015

    Watch the trailer and buy tickets here: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/miss-havishams-expectations/trafalgar-studios/

    Sikes & Nancy
    Performance Dates Tuesday 9th December 2014 – Saturday 3rd January 2015

    Read more here: http://www.jamesswanton.com/sikes–nancy.html

    Buy tickets here: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/sikes-and-nancy/trafalgar-studios/

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Apartment 40C

    ★★★★ | Apartment 40C

    Relationships are difficult things; from their tenuous beginnings through to their rocky patches, moments of pure joy and sometimes bitter dissolutions. Apartment 40c looks at the lifespan of a relationship of a New York couple by looking at their lives over the course of three pivotal evenings.

    Tom Lees and Ray Rackham’s clever new musical uses six actors to play the same two characters at different points in their lives. The characters often mingle on stage, unaware of the existence of their older or younger incarnations.

    Fresh-faced Alex Crossley and Alex James Ellison lend a romantic comedy element to the piece, playing the couple when they first meet in the apartment. Lizzie Wofford and the handsome hunk Drew Weston play the couple as they hit a difficult patch with brooding resentment, differences of opinion and betrayal threatening their once blissful intimacy. Nova Skipp (last seen in the incredible Damn Yankees at The Landor) and Peter Gerald play the couple in later life, returning to the apartment to arrange its sale.

    The story is well balanced with comedic moments, poignant numbers and rousing passionate songs. The music and lyrics are as good as you’d hear in any big West End musical (if not better, at times). Tom Lees and Ray Rackham’s show has a touch of Sondheim about it in places but ultimately has a unique and very distinct style of its own. The cast are spectacular with a standout performance from Lizzie Wofford who has the most amazing voice and is a breathtakingly accomplished actress. Drew Weston’s torso is worthy of a mention too. The sight of his six pack as he strode on stage in nothing but a towel led to a lot of shuffling and creaking of seats in the theatre.

    The set is well constructed and barring a few weak moments, this is an outstanding musical and a rare treat. Catch it while you can and I can almost guarantee that you’ll also catch some rising stars of theatre.

    Apartment 40C runs until the 20th of December at the London Theatre Workshop.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Accolade, St James Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Accolade, St James Theatre

    London, 1950: Private and public worlds collide when on New Year’s Day author Will Trenting’s knighthood attracts the glare of the British press. Happily married novelist, Will, has been leading a double life. Drawn to the seedier side of life, he’s been mixing with London’s ‘low-life’ and indulging in debauched sex parties and drunken debauchery. Will is forced to battle against the exposure of his secret life, its effect on his family and friends and the double standards of a society bent on destroying him.

    Rising star Director Blanche McIntyre (Best Director 2013, UK Theatre Awards) directs Emlyn Williams’ tale of sex, scandal and blackmail. As relevant now as when it first shocked audiences in 1950, this gripping thriller was awarded Time Out’s Best Off West End Production and three Off West End awards including Best Production when it was presented at the Finborough Theatre in 2011.

    Playwright Emlyn Williams was openly bisexual, balancing his marriage and family life with a series of flings. Coming out as bisexual ahead of most of his contemporaries, Williams’ play echoes his own private life. Surprisingly, the play passed the strict censorship rules of the early 1950s and still retains a freshness and salacious yet sympathetically drawn power to shock in 2014. This is a superior play and a worthy revival of a piece that was sadly neglected and mostly forgotten for many years. Shades of Coward and Rattigan exist but this play has a daring boldness that wasn’t always evident in works of the era.

    The staging and cast are pitch perfect with no weak links in the powerful nine-person line-up. The versatile set invokes the feel of the early 1950s and manages to echo the play as the walls slowly close in along with the world Trenting inhabits.

    I’d heartily recommend catching this rare gem at the St James Theatre.

    Accolade runs until the 13th of December 2014

    Buy tickets here: http://www.stjamestheatre.co.uk/theatre/accolade/

    by Chris Bridges

  • REVIEW | La Soiree, Southbank, London

    ★★★★★ | La Soiree, Southbank, London

    A Treat For Cabaret, Circus or Burlesque

    Roll up, roll up – the circus is back in town! Last seen in London in 2011, multi award-winning cult hit La Soirée returns to the capital celebrating a triumphant world tour and the 10-year anniversary of the troupe’s first show.

    The show is a heady mix of cabaret, circus and burlesque with enough quirky weirdness to please even the most twisted of people. Trapeze work, juggling, strip-tease and acrobatics feature along with music, comedy and some quite frankly hot men wearing very little at all. The world of cabaret can be a little tired but the well curated acts all put original and exciting spins on traditional art forms. Acrobatics are so much more fun when the performers are dressed as English gents and stripping off to the National Anthem, surely? What could be finer on a winter’s evening than a man dressed as a giant blue bunny squashing a balloon with his bottom or a depressed clown belting out songs? This is a very funny, lively and engaging show and well worth seeing. If you love cabaret, circus or burlesque then this is a definite treat. If you’re naïve to all of that then this is a good place to start sampling it.

    The Spiegeltent is the perfect venue with intimate ringside seats and a vintage feel that suits the proceedings well. There’s a range of seats with booths available and dining packages available if you’re feeling extravagant. Surrounding the venue are winter themed bars and stalls, a maze of fir trees and a lot of people in Christmas jumpers.

    The strictly limited Christmas season runs until the 11th of January 2015

    View the acts here: http://www.la-soiree.com

    Buy tickets here: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/la-soir%C3%A9e-87403?dt=2014-11-12

  • Are LGBTs Receiving The Right Support In Later Stage Illnesses?

    Research has found that people who identify themselves as LGBT may not receive the support they need when they are facing the later stages of a life-limiting condition or illness.

    Researchers at King’s College London are trying to understand more about why this may be, and what can be done to improve the care for LGB and/or T people.

    If you identify yourself as a lesbian woman, gay man, bisexual and / or transgender person, and are approaching the later stages of a life-limiting illness (cancer, neurological conditions, organ failure such as heart, lung or liver disease, or any other life-limiting illness or condition), we would like to talk to you about your experiences. We are conducting interviews, which will last up to one hour, and can be arranged at a time and location convenient to you.

    Findings from this study will be used to create media resources and information for patients and their informal carers, partners or family. The findings will also inform the development of training and resources for healthcare professionals to improve care for LGB and/or T people with a life-limiting condition or illness.
    This study is being carried out by the research team at King’s College London with Marie Curie Cancer Care, GMFA / HERO, care providers and educators.

    For more information please visit our website: www.csi.kcl.ac.uk/accesscare
    Or contact us by e-mail: accesscare@kcl.ac.uk or telephone: 020 7848 5521

  • FILM REVIEW | The Imitation Game

    ★★★★★ | The Imitation Game

    Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, The Imitation Game portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain’s top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.

    Via a series of flashbacks, the film spans the key periods of Turing’s life, from his unhappy teenage years at boarding school and the triumph of his secret wartime work on the revolutionary electro-mechanical ‘Bombe’, which was capable of breaking 3,000 Enigma-generated naval codes a day, to the tragedy of his post-war decline, following his horrific and shocking conviction and subsequent enforced chemical castration just for having gay sex. Finally pardoned in 2013 by the Queen, for the ‘crime’ of carrying out homosexual acts that he was tried for in 1951, Alan Turing’s role was pivotal in winning the Second World War.

    With such a fascinating story and a stellar cast (Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance) this is a film that is destined to be a major success. Already garnering critical acclaim, it’s not hard to see why. The script, period detail and performances are all exemplary. Cumberbatch is pitch perfect in his portrayal as Turing, portraying the strengths and vulnerabilities of a man with little social skills who is driven by his passion for his work and his intellect. He’s ably supported by Keira Knightley as the feisty Joan Clarke; a woman of great intellect who has to fight to the constraints of a society that devalues and oppresses women. Mark Strong as a particularly dashing MI6 agent and Matthew Goode as a fellow code-breaker, are equally strong.

    The script is actually very funny as well as being poignant and thrilling. This is a must see film of this autumn/winter.

    The Imitation Game is in cinemas from the 14th of November 2014

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Spine, Soho Theatre

    From fast-rising Channel 4 Playwright Clara Brennan comes a hilarious, pan-generational call to arms for our modern age.

    Spine charts the explosive friendship between a ferocious, wisecracking teenager and an elderly East End widow. Mischievous activist pensioner Glenda is hell-bent on leaving a political legacy and saving Amy from the Tory scrapheap because ‘there’s nothing more terrifying than a teenager with something to say’.

    In this era of damaging coalition cuts and disillusionment, has politics forgotten people? Can we really take the power back? Amy is about to be forced to find out.
    There’s something about a well scripted and performed monologue that can be immensely powerful and intense and Brennan’s play manages to be both of these things whilst also being incredibly funny. Rosie Wyatt’s Amy is initially an unsympathetic character with an accent and pattern of speech like nails on a blackboard and a strutting, angry demeanour. The skill in both the script and the acting lies in making the viewer warm to and believe in the changes that take place in Amy, in spite of her bad points.

    The Soho Theatre is a great space for this play with the small space crammed with teetering piles of books. I laughed a lot and almost didn’t notice that the play was delivering a message about apathy in an age when we’re challenged and tricked into thinking that we should be grateful for what we have. And keep quiet. There’s a touch of the 1970s classic film Harold and Maud about the play: eccentric pensioner and off the rails teenager learn from each other.

    Kudos to Rosie Wyatt too for telling an audience member off for using her phone during the play, whilst remaining in character. She’s a woman after my own heart.

    Spine runs until: Tue 21 Oct – Sun 2 Nov, 7.15pm. Matinees: Sat 2.30pm, Sun 5.30pm
    Buy tickets here: http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/spine

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Damn Yankees, The Landor Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Damn Yankees, The Landor Theatre, London

    Perpetual losers, The Washington Senators, are failing to win at baseball yet again and fanatic Joe Boyd is tempted into a Faustian pact when he sells his soul to the devilish Mr Applegate in return for a series win. Joe soon realises what he’s leaving behind and is torn between the wife he’s left behind versus the chance to take his team to victory and the distraction of the devil’s sidekick, beautiful and vampy Lola.

    Adler and Ross’s multi-award winning musical may have one of the silliest plots around but that doesn’t matter at all. Coming straight after their success with The Pyjama Game and a string of chart hits, Damn Yankees was well received and was even made into a film starring Tab Hunter and Gwen Verdon. Sadly, at the height of their success, Ross died aged 29 from complications of lung disease.

    This production has already been nominated for an Off West End award for Best Choreographer for Robbie O’Reilly. It’s not hard to see why. The dance routines are breath taking. The production values of the show are up to the standards of a West End production and tickets are a fraction of the price. O.K., The Landor is a fringe venue and has fewer frills in terms of special effects and scenery but is well worth a trip to Clapham North. The lighting, set and costumes are all well put together especially given the constraints of a smaller venue.

    The cast are especially strong with wholesome and handsome Alex Lodge putting in a stellar lead performance as Joe Hardy, showing dazzling dance moves and a powerful voice, which considering that he’s a recent graduate shows a considerable talent. He’s definitely one to watch and not simply because of his boyish good looks. Poppy Tierney and Jonathan D Ellis are both hilariously camp as Mr Applegate and his sidekick Lola and give well polished performances. Ellis’s cabaret turn in Act Two was especially waspish and funny and Tierney gives a good rendition of “Whatever Lola Wants”.

    Did I mention the boys? I haven’t seen so much bare male flesh in a musical in quite some time. As well as being a stage presence due to their singing and dancing, their abs and pectorals are worthy of some kind of award, surely? The supporting female cast are equally good but with less flesh on show.

    This is definitely worth checking out for an entertaining few hours.

    Damn Yankees runs until the 8th of November 2014

    Buy tickets here: http://www.landortheatre.co.uk/index.php/booking-office/musicals/damn-yankees-90/

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Next Fall

    ★★★★ | Next Fall

    Imagine meeting a younger man, falling in love and then finding out that he has a very different ideology from yours. How would you cope if you found out that he was a fundamentalist Christian who believes that homosexuality is a flaw, the Bible is a literal document and is waiting for a rapture to occur so that he can be drawn up to heaven?

    Adam and Luke have managed to make their relationship work in spite of their differences. Adam is a failed writer from New York and a neurotic atheist with hypochondria issues. Luke is from Florida and is an aspiring actor with strong religious views and a tendency to pray to thank God for food and again after sex to ask for forgiveness. Luke has kept his sexuality secret from his parents, always planning to tell them next autumn but things come to a head when Luke is hit by a car and is lying in hospital in a coma and his long separated parents arrive from Florida along with a closeted male friend and his best female friend.

    This multi award winning play by Geoffrey Nauffts is so much more than an issue centred play but works on varying levels: as a tender exploration of human frailty and diversity, a moving drama and also a really witty comedy with laugh out loud moments. Charlie Condou (Coronation Street) and Martin Delaney portray the couple at the centre of the play with skill but the real stars of the play are the supporting cast. Nancy Crane is exceptional as Luke’s flaky mother with drug issues and her comic timing is absolutely impeccable. She delivers killer line after killer line without batting an eyelash. Sirine Saba and Mitchell Mullen are equally brilliant in their portrayal as Adam’s New Age best friend and Luke’s bullish father, struggling to cope with his suspicions about his son’s sexuality.

    The set is versatile, making use of the intimate space in play at Southwark portray hospital waiting rooms, apartments and even a street scene. The theatre is a perfect space for a play of this intensity and warm humour.

    This is a play that is really worth catching. It’s definitely worth a trip to Southwark for a rare opportunity to see a play that has the potential to make you cry with both laughter and sorrow.

    Next Fall runs until the 25th of October 2014

    Buy tickets here: www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Ghost from a Perfect Place: Arcola Theatre, London

    ★★★★★ | Ghost from a Perfect Place: Arcola Theatre, London

    Multi award-winning playwright Philip Ridley returns to the Arcola with his contemporary classic Ghost From A Perfect Place, a scorchingly dark comedy where a monster from the past meets the monsters of the present.

    Twenty years after its premiere at Hampstead Theatre, Ghost From A Perfect Place has its first major revival under the direction of Russell Bolam, following his critically-acclaimed production of Ridley’s Shivered (Southwark Playhouse 2012).

    Back in the 1960s, Travis Flood led a gang that terrorised East London. Now, after an absence of many years, he returns to find his old turf in the clutches of a new kind of gang with a new kind of leader. Rio, the ruler of a mob of girls, instantly captivates Travis with her haunting beauty but soon a shocking story begins to emerge and it is one that shatters both their distorted memories.

    A stark half burnt out council flat in Bethnal Green sees Torchie (played by the excellent Sheila Reid) entertaining the returning gangster, Travis Flood (Michael Feast) as he waits to meet up with her prostitute granddaughter, Rio for sex. Torchie fondly regales him with tales of their ‘heydays’ and unfurls the terrible story of how her life fell apart.

    Ridley’s play is both hilariously funny and horrific in equal measures. The audience both laugh and wince as the play hurtles towards (a not unexpected) yet shocking conclusion. The cast are excellent with Sheila Reid (Madge from Benidorm) showing her skill as an actress. Michael Feast is a superbly edgy yet absurd Travis Flood and the two are more than ably supported by a cast of three young actresses as the terrifying Rio and her disciples.

    This production is a real triumph for the Arcola and the staging and direction are faultless. This is theatre at its gritty best and Ridley’s play has lost none of its relevance to disconcert, even after twenty years.

    Ghosts from a Perfect Place runs until 11/10/14

    Buy tickets here: http://www.arcolatheatre.com/production/arcola/ghost-from-a-perfect-place-by-philip-ridley

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Autobahn, The King’s Head Theatre, London

    ★★★★★ | Autobahn, The King’s Head Theatre, London

    Regarded as one of the most celebrated American playwrights, Neil LaBute has enthralled audiences all over the world with his layered characters, sharp dialogue and subtle social commentaries. Savio(u)r return to the King’s Head Theatre after the success of 2013’s Our Town with the London premiere of LaBute’s play, Autobahn, directed by Off-West End Award nominee Tim Sullivan.

    This short-play cycle follows colourful, complicated people making their way across America’s highways and their stops, starts, and stalls along the way. The London cast includes Sharon Maughan (Holby City, The Bank Job, She’s Out of My League), Henry Everett (Michael Grandage’s (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Tom Slatter (Robot Overloards), and Zoe Swenson-Graham (Our Town).

    This cycle of seven short pieces stretching over 2 hours 10 minutes (with an interval to catch your breath) consists of scenes of people in cars. The stark set is a disembodied half of a car with a background scene projected on the wall and the 4 actors take various roles in the vignettes. Some of the pieces are total or almost total monologues with little interchange between characters whereas others are sharply written well-performed two handers.

    The concept of two people talking as they sit in a car might not fill you with excitement but the skill of the writing and the intensity of the dialogue soon drags you in. These are nasty stories at times with LaBute’s characters having only a thin veneer covering their insecurities, betrayals and crimes. Unfaithful wives, psychotic girlfriends, unrepentant addicts and willing abductees abound in the dark world that is depicted, yet at times the plays are also painfully funny.

    The cast are excellent and really bring life to the disparate and often desperate characters. This is a really unique theatre experience. The last outing for a LaBute play (Bash Latterday Plays at The Old Red Lion) ended up transferring to the West End. Catch this stellar production while you can. It deserves a wide audience.

    Autobahn runs until the 20th of September 2014