★★★★ | Closer by Circa, Udderbelly London
© Luke MacGregor
Category: Theatre
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THEATRE REVIEW | Haram Iran
★★★★★ | Haram Iran
CREDIT: Above The Stag Two young men were publicly hanged in a square in Mashhad, Iran on 19th July 2005. The new play Haram Iran tells this horrific story.
Ayaz Marhoni and Mahmoud Asgari were both teenage boys who liked to hang out together. But it was suspected that these two young men had a homosexual affair, though the true nature of their crime had never actually been confirmed. But they were publicly executed after being convicted on the trumped up charges of raping a 13-year old boy.
The Above the Stag theatre in Vauxhall has produced a play that re-enacts and tries to give credence and understanding to the story of these two young men, and their lives, and their execution. It’s an amazing and relevant play.
Ayaz (Viraj Juneja) and Mahmoud (Andrei Costin) play ball, study together and hang out at Ayaz’s house. They’re fast becoming good friends, enough so that it makes Fareed (Merch Husey) jealous. Mahmoud spends a lot of time at Ayaz’s house, in his bedroom, just hanging out. Ayaz is obsessed with books, books that his mother (Silvana Malmone) has illegally kept as she’s not allowed to have them because of Sharia law.
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Ayaz is most enraptured by The Catcher in the Rye, and he reads passages of the book to Mahmoud. Some of the passages are sexual, making the young men a bit turned on. One day Ayaz notices huge marks on Mahmoud’s back, caused by whippings inflicted on him by his father. Ayaz rubs oil on Mahmoud’s back, but it’s this act, witnessed by Fareed, which causes their downfall. Ayaz is initially charged with corrupting, and penetrating Mahmoud, is thrown in jail, and repeatedly raped by the prison guard (Fanos Xenofos). Eventually they are both charged with consensual homosexual acts and the judge (George Savvides) punishes them to death.
Haram Iran is a hugely important play that highlights the brutality and injustice that these two young innocent men endured in Iran. While not every scene in Haram Iran might not have actually taken place, what is fact is the murder at the hands of the Iranian government of these two young men.
Directed by Gene David Kirk with brutal and emotional intensity, Haram Iran was written by Lawyer Jay Paul Deratany, who happened to find the story online. And each member of the cast are excellent. Juneja and Costin are both very believable as Ayez and Mahmoud, young and innocent but punished nonetheless. Maimone as Ayaz’s mother is superb in her role. Xenofos is very scary (and a bit too believable) as the prison guard who shows no mercy, while and Savvides is downright cold, mean and heartless as the judge.
Haram Iran is a brutal yet delicate story of two young men who didn’t deserve to die because of who they were.
Haram Iran plays at Above The Stag until the 1st May 2016
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THEATRE REVIEW| Twelfth Night, Birmingham Rep
★★★★★ | Twelfth Night
If Adventure Time were to come up with an episode of Twelfth Night, what was seen last night, created by Filter theatre company, would be what you would see. A lunatic, ‘filter-less’, bold and a surprising production that literally got you on your feet playing with balls.
CREDIT: Pr Supplied Nerves start to unsettle when one gets an invitation to watch ‘another’ production of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. But those were soon soothed when we walked in to The House of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre to come upon what looked like a set for a band. If one could sum up Filter’s creation, it would be: ‘A Shakespeare Rave’. My leg certainly didn’t stop bobbing up and down to the music.
The quadruple –threat cast multi- part and multi-instrument played with energy that was coming from the power sockets. Electric like no other. Harry Jardine, who played Orsino and Aguecheek must have got his muscles from the rehearsals, for he was continuously running, summersaulting switching characters so efficiently that one would get dizzy after a few blinks of an eye. Effortless performance and Harry still managed to speak in blank verse to an excellent standard. Ferdy Roberts, who redirected Twelfth Night alongside Oliver Dimsdale, played Malvolio to a degree of mastery. The ‘don’t-know-what-you’re-going-to-get’ type actor kept the audience on their toes, as Ferdy sauntered around as Malvolio capturing the danger of the character. At the same time, rocking out with his air guitar solo, and stripping off to his yellow stockings which capitalised the ‘b’ of bold. Dan Poole as Toby Belch was hilarious and had comedic timing down to a ‘t’. Olivia Darnley who played Olivia was funny and charming, and did formidably well in the scenes where she tried to seduce the male characters. All in all, everyone had an incredible talent that brought the show alive, ingredients of which have led me to see this as my favourite Twelfth Night production I have ever seen!
The highlight for me was when Harry as Aguecheek asked/made me get on stage with the rest of the cast. He did this because I missed his Velcro cap when throwing the ball at his head. So, Harry kindly allowed me another chance, but I missed again. In the end I had to wear a cap like his to which the audience were given balls to throw at us. I loved it! This tour should be a sell-out and where dates need to be bolted on for more to see!
Twelfth Night plays at The Birmingham Rep until the 16th April 2016, 0121 236 4455
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THEATRE REVIEW | Tom: A Story of Tom Jones – Sheffield Theatres And National Tour
★★ | Tom: A Story Of Tom Jones
Tom – A story of Tom Jones tells the tale of the early days of the legendary singer and the struggle he faced as he moves from the green, green grass of home to the big city lights of London in search of his big break. Constantly supported by his wife, Linda, Tom struggles with self-doubt and frustration as he pursues his dream in this musical biography.
Photo Credit – Simon Gough The show was presented nicely enough, with projected backdrops and some well-staged, if simplistic, musical numbers; all held together by a good vocal and physical performance from Kit Orton as the Welsh crooner. The songs were inconspicuously slotted in to the show, and flowed naturally within the story, rather than feeling shoehorned in; and the live band added both atmosphere and energy.
Despite this, the show just had too many flaws to allow it to hang together. The show is primarily narrative based, so those expecting a run through of Tom’s greatest hits will be disappointed. The songs were just too few and far between, and consisted primarily of a collection of cover versions of 60’s hits or songs which were not always instantly associated with Tom Jones by the casual observer. It’s only after the best part of two hours has passed does the show provide the songs which the audience most likely came to hear, and only then in a closing mini concert consisting of four or five numbers.
The show demonstrates the drive and ambition that is needed to succeed and the determination by both Tom and his wife Linda to hit the big time. Underneath it all, there is a story of self-belief and about paying your dues to achieve your ambitions, but the constant cycle of Tom threatening to quit and his wife urging him to keep going seemed to be on a perpetual loop, with all dramatic tension lost given that we all know he makes it in the end.
The problem with the show is not the performances, staging or direction, but rather the writing, which has a narrative which just doesn’t have enough about it to ever really drive the show forward. The show focusses on Tom, his relationship with his wife and his struggle to make it, but the reality is that this story is one which is just to too bland and repetitive to make the narrative interesting, especially when compared to other similar musicals such as Soul Sister – The Tina Turner Story, Jersey Boys or Buddy!. In a lifetime career of a legendary singer with so many highlights in it, it feels like a missed opportunity to restrict the story to the narrow focus of repeatedly gigging in working men’s clubs.
That said, the audience was packed full of Tom Jones fans, and there were more whoops and cheers from them than you can shake your pelvis at. The show clearly appealed to Tom’s dedicated fan base and they thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a show which will no doubt thrill existing fans of the singer, but unfortunately is unlikely to have a much broader appeal than that.
Tom – The Story of Tom Jones – The Musical is currently at Sheffield Theatres until 16th April 2016 before continuing on its national tour until the 4th June 2016. Visit the show’s website for further details at www.tomthemusical.co.uk/
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THEATRE REVIEW | In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel
★★★ | In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel
CREDIT: Scott RylanderA middle-aged woman sits in a bar in a Tokyo hotel waiting for her husband; knocking back cocktails, sexually harassing the waiter and throwing out barbed comments. Her speech is unfiltered and whilst lyrical at times is also staccato and brutal at others. She sits well within the ranks of Tennessee Williams’ characters: a brittle yet beautiful monster who is bemoaning the onset of old age and so tightly coiled that an unravelling of some sort is inevitable. In short, she’s simultaneously a joy and a horror to watch.
Tennessee Williams’ late play “In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel” was met with a hostile critical reaction when it was first staged in 1969 and has rarely been produced since. It’s a shame that this work has floundered out of sight, as there’s much merit to it, despite its flaws. Written at the start of his final descent into addiction and depression’ it’s an unusual play with absurd elements and strange patterns of speech. The characters are unsympathetic at times, the dialogue isn’t easy to follow and the interactions are surreal. Yet, it’s also a very funny play in parts and there are moving aspects to the scenario. As the play progresses it becomes easier to fall into the patterns of the dialogue.
Director Robert Chevara has bravely mounted this version and done so with aplomb. The movement and rhythm is perfectly captured in his use of a well-chosen cast and a stylish set. The great Linda Marlowe plays Miriam with spiky coolness and is pitch perfect. She careers round the vertiginously steep stage on heels like a terrifying Gorgon crushing everyone in her path yet flashing hints of her underlying vulnerability. Andrew Koji is desperately handsome as the deadpan barman, gritting his teeth as Miriam shamelessly fondles him. Alan Turkington puts over the waspish campness of Leonard with style. Yet beneath all this lies an imperfect play that just doesn’t quite rise to the occasion.
If you’re a fan of Williams’ work then this play is an interesting addition to the body of his work. Within the period piece hallucinatory style there are echoes of characters, themes and styles that will be familiar. If you’re a newcomer to his work then it’s still worth a try.
Even at his less than best Williams is a monumental writer and always worth revisiting.
In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel plays at Charing Cross Theatre until the 14th May 2016
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Russell Tovey To Join Cast Of Heartbreaking Play Angels In America
Russell Tovey is apparently joining the cast of a National Theatre production of Angels In America.
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THEATRE REVIEW | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
★★★★ | Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It’s not your usual type of play.
CREDIT: Supplied(more…)
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THEATRE REVIEW | The Rotters’ Club
Young in age, but precocious in talent, the cast of fifteen actors stood proud and commanded the stage with their strong ability to project, act with a great emotional range, and move around effortlessly, all with unrivalled energy.
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THEATRE REVIEW | English Touring Opera’s Don Giovanni – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour
★★★ | English Touring Opera’s Don Giovanni – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour:
Lust, passion, revenge, deceit, drama and sex all combine in the gloom of the subterranean tunnels in Don Giovanni, the classic opera, performed by English Touring Opera.
Picture credit – Richard Hubert SmithOpening with him fleeing the scene of a murder, Don Giovanni is pursued by his past, including the bitter lover he jilted, the bride-to-be he seduces (along with her jealous husband-to-be), and also by the daughter of his latest victim who seeks to redress the balance of his wrongdoings. This opera is brimming with drama from the passionate opening bars of the overture to the supernatural denouement. Part thriller and part comedy, the opera is ambiguous enough for you to decide whether Don Giovanni is a murder, philanderer and criminal, or whether he is a hero of defiance who refuses to allow his behaviour to be governed by social convention and authority.
Mozart’s opera has shades of both light and dark in it, with delicate comic touches and some witty one liners buried in the brooding tale of lust, murder, insatiable sexual appetites, betrayal and revenge. Sung in English, this version is relatively accessible and is presented with subtitles to ensure that even an opera novice can get the most out of the story.
Out of the cast, George von Bergen was as charismatic as Don Giovanni himself in his portrayal of the titular character, with his booming baritone voice and cocksure swagger fleshing out the anti-hero of the piece, whilst Matthew Stiff provided much needed comic relief in his cheeky turn as Leporello, Giovanni’s servant.
The static set design worked well, with the oppressively tall structure and a metal staircase dominating the stage and to some extent, blurring the time frame of the piece, making the themes of the opera feel simultaneously traditional but still relevant. Equally, the themes of above and below ground level intimated by the catacombs remind the audience that this is an opera which also deals with the issue of class and Anna Fleischle’s design reflects that nicely. Guy Hoare’s lighting design is subtle and unobtrusive throughout, but yet explodes into dramatic and assertive visuals which not only accompany, but utterly enhance the culmination of the story in the closing scenes. Musically, Mozart’s score was beautifully played by the English Touring Opera’s orchestra and the addition of live music always enhances a piece such as this.
Opera is often shunned and thought of as being rather elitist, but the reality is very different. Don Giovanni pulls together the darker themes of opera, enhances it with some lighter moments, but which retains all of the passion, power and dramatics one would expect.
English Touring Opera is currently at Sheffield Theatres , before continuing on its extensive UK tour until the 10th June 2016 with a trio of operas – Don Giovanni, Iphigenie En Tauride and Pia De’ Tolomei. For more information and to book tickets, visit www.englishtouringopera.org.uk
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THEATRE REVIEW | Bug
★★★★★ | Bug
In a run down motel room in Oklahoma City, cocktail waitress Agnes is killing time, hitting the bottle and smoking a little crack with her lesbian friend R.C. Hiding from her violent ex and trying to numb the pain of her past; the evening takes a sudden unexpected turn when a stranger arrives.
CREDIT: Simon AnnandFound 111 is an intimate new theatre space on Charing Cross Road that perfectly suits Tracy Letts’ gripping and claustrophobic 1996 play. The audience are all around the four sides of the tiny motel room and the actors are within touching distance. The airless heat of the room built up as the tension ramped higher and it becomes appropriately oppressive. By Act Two the audience itches and scratches and bristles with tension as the characters descend into a deranged scenario. Theatre doesn’t often feel as real as this. The play is gruesome, disturbing but darkly comical which is what you’d expect from Letts; the author of hit films Killer Joe and August: Osage County.
There was a major distraction for me in Bug in the form of the handsome James Norton (Happy Valley, War and Peace, Grantchester) who was playing the stranger. He was so close to me at points, stripped down to a pair of baggy boxer shorts and displaying an admirable torso, that I almost had to sit on my hands before a restraining order was issued. My lustiness aside: Norton is a very fine actor. It’s a testament to his skills that in spite of his ubiquitous presence on our televisions, he subsumes the character with ease and his familiar face doesn’t make the viewer think of his other roles. He portrays a brooding ex-soldier with a polite gentlemanly manner and a burgeoning psychosis. He doesn’t miss a beat and unfailingly does justice to this tightly scripted piece.
CREDIT: Simon AnnandEqually superb is his co-star Kate Fleetwood (Medea, High Society, London Road). She’s all spiky edges and nervous tics as she prowls the room in hot pants and heels, toking on cigarettes and swigging wine. Any actor or actress who can draw my attention to their face whilst James Norton is on stage wearing very little, has to be a skilled practitioner indeed. Fleetwood is hypnotic and the interplay between the two characters is a master class in top quality acting.
This is definitely a 5 star show. Credit has to go to director Simon Evans for bringing this twenty-year-old piece to life and making it feel so fresh, vibrant and relevant. This isn’t an evening’s light entertainment but nor is it doomy and grim. There’s plenty of humour too. Just expect to leave the theatre feeling a little itchier and a little sweatier than when you first arrived.
Bug is playing at Found 111, London, until 7th May.
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THEATRE REVIEW |Thriller Live – Sheffield Theatres And National Tour
★★★★ | Thriller Live.
A spectacular two-hour tribute to Michael Jackson which celebrates the music, dancing and performances of the entertainer, via a whistle stop tour through his back catalogue. This highly polished and slick show brings to life some of Jackson’s most memorable routines, the iconic costumes and the classic hits.
This show was much more than just two hours of a Michael Jackson impersonator with a few backing dancers. It was a glossy and thoroughly entertaining musical revue with a broad range of songs spanning the singer’s career which were performed with unyielding vigour and energetic enthusiasm by the cast and live band.
The 32 song set list started with the early Mowtown years, featuring ABC, I Want You Back and I’ll Be There; moves through the years with the Jackson 5; with Can You Feel It and Blame It On The Boogie; before heading into his solo career with some of his biggest hits including Off The Wall, Bad, Beat It, and The Way You Make Me Feel. The show also features some of Jackson’s lesser-known songs, including She’s Out Of My Life, Show You The Way To Go and Dangerous and it was good to see some routines to the songs that you wouldn’t immediately associate with Jackson over his biggest hits. Only Earth Song and Dirty Diana let the side down, with both descending into a bit of an overblown and indecipherable mess, but these are easily forgivable when nestled amongst the other great songs and performances.
Particular highlights of the show included music video recreations of both Smooth Criminal and Thriller, great renditions of Man In The Mirror and I Just Can’t Stop Loving You and a thrilling recreation of the Mowtown 25 performance of Billie Jean, but in a show with so many show-stopping moments, highlights are difficult to choose.
Featuring a quartet of singers who put their own spin on the vocals, avoiding them coming across as MJ impersonators, the standard of singing was very high, whilst the choreography and dancing were simply amazing. Cleverly utilising many of the routines (or elements of them) from the original music videos or stage performances of Michael Jackson, the dancers were spot on in terms of their timing and performance , with their acrobatic and exhilarating dance moves eliciting cheers, whoops and shouts of delight from the audience. Regardless of the controversy surrounding his life, Michael Jackson’s enduring appeal undoubtedly remains, and this is a show which ignores the singers private life to celebrate his musical legacy in a foot tapping, smile-inducing show which you can’t help singing along to; and a production which had people, quite literally, dancing in the aisles.
Even if you are not the biggest fan of Michael Jackson, there is still a lot to recommend this show. Obviously, enjoying the music is an advantage, but if you enjoy watching spectacular dancing and a well performed musical revue then this show is up there with the best of them. Thankfully, this is not a gushing, Michael Jackson praise-fest, but instead simply allows a bunch of highly talented singers, dancers and musicians to let the songs and routines speak for themselves.
Thriller Live is currently at Sheffield Theatres before continuing on its national tour until 23rd July 2016. For details visit www.thrillerlive.com
