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Tag: National Theatre

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Follies, National Theatre, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Follies, National Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Follies

    follies national theatre review

    If you are a huge theatre fan, love musicals, and worship the ground Stephen Sondheim walks on, then you’ll love Follies.

    Playing in its second run in two years at the National Theatre, Follies is true and pure Sondheim. At the ripe age of 88, Sondheim currently has another hit show in the West End – the critically acclaimed and very popular Company. But Follies is a certain kind of musical – a musical that will perhaps only appeal to the die-hard Sondheim musical theatre fan.

    Follies lusciously and lavishly tells the story of former Follies girls, in 1971, coming back to their soon to be demolished theatre for a reunion. It is a brilliant idea for a show and is executed to flawless perfection. The women range in different ages and are at various stages in their live, but they will always be Follies girl, past performers of the “Weismann’s Follies” musical revue, that played in that theatre between the World Wars. While the next day the building is going to be demolished to make way for a parking lot, the women have one last night to reminisce about their time as Follies Girls and their younger and more glamorous selves.

    The book of the musical, by James Goldman, takes a look at these women through rose-tinted glasses in a story that is all illusion, smoke and mirrors.

    And while there is no proper character development, some of the women do get to shine in a cast that appears to be dozens (40 actually). Tracie Bennett smashes the Sondheim classic ‘I’m Still Here’ while Dawn Hope passionately sings ‘Who’s That Woman.’ Janie Dee excels in ‘Could I Leave You’ and Joanna Riding drips with emotion while singing ‘Losing My Mind.’

    Yes, Follies is a show that showcases the ladies. And while some of the men (Peter Forbes and his younger self Harry Hepple), and Alexander Hanson, get their moments, Sondheim shows his enthusiasm, appreciation and love for the ladies. For it’s their show, it has and always will be.

    Winner of Best Musical Revival at last year’s Olivier Awards, Follies is playing until Saturday, May 11, 2019.

  • Casting announced for National Theatre’s run of Bent

    The National Theatre will mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales by staging the first of many LGBT+ events.

    A group of world-class actors and directors will look at how theatre has charted the LGBT+ experience through a series of rehearsed readings and post-show discussions in the Lyttelton Theatre.

    The fourth play in the NT’s Queer Theatre series of rehearsed readings is Bent by Martin Sherman (1979), directed by Stephen Daldry on Sunday 9th July 2.30pm.

    Following Nazi Germany’s Night Of The Long Knives in 1934, gay lovers Max and Rudy are taken away to Dachau by the Gestapo. Desperate to avoid the dreaded Pink Triangle, Max claims to be Jewish. In amongst the horrors of the Camp, he meets Horst who wears his Pink Triangle with pride.

    Cast announced today includes:

    George Mackay, Simon Russell Beale, Giles Terera, Pip Torrens, Paapa Essiedu, John Pfumojena and Adrian Grove.

    The NT’s Queer Theatre event series is hosted in partnership with Pride in London and includes:

    • Neaptide by Sarah Daniels, directed by Sarah Frankcom, Thursday 6 July, 7.30pm
    • Wig Out! written and directed by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Friday 7 July, 7.30pm
    • Certain Young Men written and directed by Peter Gill, Sat 8 July, 7.30pm
    • Bent by Martin Sherman, directed by Stephen Daldry, Sunday 9 July, 2.30pm
    • The Drag by Mae West, directed by Polly Stenham, Monday 10 July, 7.30pm.

     

    Book tickets now

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Salomé, National Theatre, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Salomé, National Theatre, London

    ★★★★| Salomé, National Theatre, London

    Johan Persson

    It was always going to be hard to produce a version of Salomé on the stage. It’s a story that’s mythical, biblical, violent, and perhaps a bit confusing. A new version of the show is now playing at The National Theatre, and it’s executed beautifully.

    Staged by Director Yael Farber, this version of Salomé, at a short 110 minutes with no interval, will mesmerize you but may also confuse you as the story is told through song and dance and imagery and hebrew, and lots of sand and water. But it’s the story of Salomé who was born the daughter of Herodia who was a princess of the Herodian Dynasty of Judea during the time of the Roman Empire. Salomé, as you may or may not know, is infamous for receiving the head of John the Baptist. Played in this show by Isabella Nefar, Salome is not very respected, stands naked on the stage, has sand thrown all over her, but it’s at the end that she’s redeemed and resurrected, but the road to get there is an intense one.

    A character by the name of Nameless (Olwen Fouéré) tells the story of Salomé, as Salomé the character doesn’t speak, and takes place in Roman occupied Judea. She’s yelled at and ridiculed by her stepfather Herod (Paul Chahidi), but finds something, perhaps a kindred spirit, in Iokanaan – John the Baptist (Ramzi Choukair).

    But it’s not just the story, it’s the design of the show, by Susan Hilferty, that takes us on a journey, or perhaps better worded – on a ride – a ride that’s both luminous and heavenly, with lighting that adds mystery and darkness. It’s also the haunting vocals and chanting of Israeli folk musician Yasmin Levy and Syrian soprano Lubana Al Quntar that will take your breathe away. Their vocals that accompany the story told on stage is the most memorable part of the show – their voices are out of this world, and listening to them is well worth the price of the ticket.

    Salomé will be broadcast by NT Live on Thursday 22 June 2017. For further details visit NTLive.com

    Below is a list of connected talks and events for Salomé:
    Acts of Violence and Salomé, Monday 12 June, Cottesloe Room, 2-5pm
    Mothers/Daughters/Sisters, Wednesday 21 June, Cottesloe Room, 6-7pm
    Yaël Farber, Friday 14 July, Olivier Theatre, 6-6.45pm

    To buy tickets, please go here:
    https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Angels in America, National Theatre, London

    ★★★★★| Angels in America, National Theatre, London

    Angels In America 2017 review

    It’s seven and a half hours long, and it’s shown in two parts, but Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is well worth a watch.

    Calling it epic does not even describe the show. Now playing at the National Theatre, it is monumental, larger than life, phenomenal, engrossing, but it is in no way too long or too boring – sure it may be a bit complex, but it’s first class theatre. And both parts of the production – Millennium Approaches and Perestroika – really do need to be seen together. And the cast in this current production is top notch – actors you might not be able to see in such a production again in your lifetime. But more on the cast later.

    Unfortunately, Angels in America is totally sold out – it’s been sold out since tickets went on sale, and calling it the hottest ticket in town is an understatement (the upcoming Hamilton may come close, but Angels is in a limited run, only up until August 19th). So If I were you, I would do anything to get a ticket. But more on that later.

    Angels in America has won almost every theatre award up for grabs. Written in 1993 by Tony Kushner, it has won the Tony and Pulitzer Prize awards, and both parts were performed in London in the early 90s. What is it about? Well, first and foremost it’s about AIDS in New York in the 1980s – that horrible decade when friends were dying right and left, disappearing only never to return. There was no cure, and when people started to see purple lesions on their skin, they knew that it was all over. But Angels in America is also about so much more. It delves deep into relationships that we have with each other and especially with ourselves, it deals with power, greed, lust, lies, betrayal as well as fantasy, ecstasy, religion and last but not least life (notice that I did not mention death). The show is complex only in that it goes off into the deep end at times for the necessity of one of the characters. Angels is also still very timely, as it touches on immigration and discrimination based on heritage – themes we are seeing first hand in the much-changed political climate that we now live in.

    Andrew Garfield is Prior Walter – and he’s got AIDS. He’s good looking yet very thin and has the tell-tale signs of the disease (Kaposi’s Sarcoma). James McArdle is Louis Ironson, his boyfriend who’s having a hard time dealing with Prior’s illness. Then there’s Joe Pitt (Russell Tovey), who is married to Harper Pitt (Denise Gough). The Pitt’s are Mormons from Seattle and live in Brooklyn. Harper Pitt has problems, she’s agoraphobic and has hallucinations. Joe, a clerk in a law office, is deeply closeted.

    Then there is Roy Cohn (Nathan Lane), a notorious ruthless lawyer who happens to be gay but doesn’t quite believe it himself and definitely doesn’t want anyone to know this. So for over seven hours, we go on a ride with these characters as Angels in American puts them, and us, through a rollercoaster of emotion and drama. Louis is unable to care for Prior and walks out on him at the moment that Prior needs him most. Louis strikes up more than a casual friendship with Joe as they both work at the same law firm. Meanwhile, Joe, who becomes more than a bit friendly with Cohn his mentor, eventually falls in love with Louis. Meanwhile, Prior (and eventually Cohn) are taken care of by nurse Belize (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett). But all’s not right in Prior’s life – he’s seeing angels, angels that are trying to tell him a message, angels that are a response to his illness, yet there’s not much these angels can do for him except only to be by his side (or to fly over him)… they’re helpless just as much as he is. There’s also a crisis in the Pitt home – Joe’s mother sells her house in Utah and goes to Brooklyn to look for her son who has just announced to her that he is gay. And Cohn can’t accept the fact that he’s got AIDS – he informs his doctor that it’s liver cancer that he’s got. And Belize turns out to be the real angel in the show – taking care of the dying, the ones who don’t accept the fact they’ve got AIDS and the ones who are way too young to die of AIDS.

    Angels in American deals with a dark time in gay history – the AIDS plague. Conservative President Ronald Reagan didn’t help matters. He did nothing about the disease, Rock Hudson had just died, and the stigmatisation of the disease pretty much erased all the gains that the homosexual community had achieved in the late 1960s and 1970s. But in this retelling, and for those of us old enough to be around where all this actually happened, it takes us back to the time when there was nothing we could do for our friends dying of the disease but to just hold their hands and watch them die. And Angels in America takes us back to those horrible time. It’s a credit to the story and the production that the performers excel in their roles and take it to the next level. Garfield has a field day playing Prior – he’s in agony because he’s dying and because Louis has left him – and Garfield gives it his all and succeeds enormously. Lane was made to play Cohn – caustic yet not a bit remorseful, even after the ghost of Ethel Rosenburg practically stands over him waiting for him to die. Lane is just simply superb. Tovey – in his biggest stage role yet – doesn’t disappoint. His Joe Pitt is vulnerable yet determined to be who he’s supposed to be, and he accidentally falls in love with Louis yet is still in love with his wife, and Tovey is very believable every second he is on stage. Stewart-Jarrett, practically an unknown, holds his own with the acting heavyweights on the stage. His nurse and friend Belize

    Russell Tovey in Angels In America 2017 review

    It’s a credit to the story and the production that the performers excel in their roles and take it to the next level. Garfield has a field day playing Prior – he’s in agony because he’s dying and because Louis has left him – and Garfield gives it his all and succeeds enormously. Lane was made to play Cohn – caustic yet not a bit remorseful, even after the ghost of Ethel Rosenburg practically stands over him waiting for him to die. Lane is just simply superb. Tovey – in his biggest stage role yet – doesn’t disappoint. His Joe Pitt is vulnerable yet determined to be who he’s supposed to be, and he accidentally falls in love with Louis yet is still in love with his wife, and Tovey is very believable every second he is on stage. Stewart-Jarrett, practically an unknown, holds his own with the acting heavyweights on the stage. His nurse and friend Belize

    Stewart-Jarrett, practically an unknown, holds his own with the acting heavyweights on the stage. His nurse and friend Belize is practically the glue that holds the other characters together – and Stewart-Jarrett does it so sarcastically and beautifully. A star is born. McArdle is adequate – he’s got a lot to do and say and it’s perhaps one of the hardest characters in the show as so much centres around him – and McArdle just about succeeds, but less so Gough as Mrs Pitt who doesn’t quite wow us as the others do. Other notable performers include Susan Brown as Harper Pitt, Joe’s mother, and especially Amanda Lawrence, who plays the Angel, a nurse, a homeless woman, and a Sister, among others, is there nothing this talented performer can’t do?

    Of course, the sets and music are all amazing, and director Marianne Elliott brings it all together in excellent fashion – but it’s all about the acting (and the message) in Angels in America, the message is loud and clear – this show is history in the making and relevant to all of us now, even 25 years after it was written.

    The National Theatre is running a ballot for £20 tickets so I urge you to give it a try. There are two ballots left:

    Ballot no.’s 4 and 5
    Show dates included in the ballot: 11 Jul – 29 Jul and 2 Aug – 19 Aug
    Ballot opens at midday on: 26 May and 30 Jun respectively as per the dates above

    You’ll need to log-in to your National Theatre account or create an account to register for the ballot, you can do so here:
    https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/angels/login?destination=node/5066

    Also, Angles in America will be broadcast live to cinemas around the UK and internationally. Part One will be broadcast on 20 July and Part Two will be broadcast on 27 July. For more information and to buy tickets, please go here:
    http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk

    Photos by AiA Perestroika Production Images (c) Helen Maybanks

  • Russell Tovey To Join Cast Of Heartbreaking Play Angels In America

    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.

    (more…)

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Wonder.Land at The National Theatre, London

    Alice’s Wonderland has had a major upgrade to version 2016 and it’s good. ★★★★

    Wonder.Land comes to us via Rufus Norris, Blur’s Damon Albarn, who wrote the score, and playwright Moira Buffini, who have taken Alice and Wonderland and brought it right up to date for 2016. If you liked the original then you will not be disappointed, if you can get past the online element to the new wonderland. The usual characters survive such as the mad hatter, the rabbit, the twins and of course the Cheshire Cat, but as you have never seen them before.

    Alice or Aly, played by Lois Chimimba and brilliant, is a teenager growing up in a suburban city dealing with a mother’s attention focused on baby brother Charlie, the feeling of responsibility for her parents’ separation and being bullied at school. Her only means of escaping the life she hates is a new online game ‘Wonder.Land’ where she can be who she wants and find answers to the ‘who are you’ question which is asked throughout.

    It’s in this online world where Alice creates her online avatar persona, who is the complete opposite of herself, and follows the white rabbit through various online levels, meets other like minded gamers and battles against the red queen, who happens to be Aly’s head teacher in the real world with a hint of Cruella De Vil thrown in the mix.

    The songs, which are easily recognisable as written by Damon Albarn, are great, each character having their own unique song that is the personification of that character. From the sad and desperate songs of Alice and her mother, the hypnotic and soothing song from the caterpillar and the mad and hectic song of the hatter all play their part in this wonderland on stage.

    The staging itself is a mix of contemporary theatre, digital displays, weird and wonderful costumes and characters that all fuse seamlessly into one. The real world is grey and dull, even down to the costume which is in complete contrast to the colourful online world, and when they collide on stage, almost creates a hallucinogenic experience for both the stage characters and audience alike (not that I know what such an experience is like of course).

    The only downside were the three school girl bullies who, when combined, reminded me a bit too much of Catherine Tate’s “am I bothered” sketches and I wasn’t sure if I should of laughed at their bullying or not.

    That aside it was still worth a watch.

    The modern musical story creates laughs, wonder, glitter, self driving sofas, and a baby throwing up, yes I did say a baby throwing up. So if you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland then you will not be disappointed by this modern take on the classic if you dare enter Wonder.Land at The National Theatre.

    Also, for those who like that bit extra for their money, turn up a bit early for the fully interactive wonder.land things to do from entering the magical garden, creating your very own avatar to a musical tea party.

    Wonder.Land plays at The National Theatre, London until 13 March 2016, 020 7452 3000

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | War House, National Theatre

    ★★★★★ | War House, National Theatre

    First off, don’t hate me. Please don’t hate me, but I have to confess… I got up close and personal with Joey last night in Salford and had a great time.

    Who is Joey? Joey has chestnut hair, flowing in the breeze, he’s strong, muscular, has great legs – all 4 of them… Joey is War Horse.

    Don’t know about you, but I’d seen the images of the stage play, I’d even sat through the snoozefest that was the film, but nothing, and I mean nothing prepared me for the stage play.

    The story is so well known, I don’t feel the need to go over it here but it’s simply boy meets horse, boy trains horse to pull a plough, WW1 begins and the horror starts.

    This current touring production is at The Lowry until 20th September so you have time to book your weekend away in sunny Manchester before it travels to Stoke and then off to South Africa.

    I think the main thing that makes this production so darn wonderful is the animals – and by animals I mean Handspring Puppet Company and their puppets and puppeteers. These are some amazing creations – so articulated, so well observed, not just in terms of the look, but in the way they are manipulated and worked. Their walk, the noises, even down to their breathing… these are nuanced performances… you eventually forget about the people working them and buy into them as “real”. Watch out for the amazing flying birds, and the goose!

    That isn’t to detract from the human cast, with Lee Armstrong giving one hell of a performance as Albert Naracott who trains Joey, and then follows him to war. Martin Wenner makes up the other half of this main human duo, playing Albert’s German counterpart, Friedrich. I love how the story weaves together both Albert and Friedrich, alongside the equine Joey and Topthorn.

    This story seems to flow better than the film for some reason, the horror of battle shown better in the drawings displayed constantly on a torn paper screen, the minimalist staging ripe for touring but leaves so much to your imagination, the dirt and grime, the gas attacks, the effect on the people in occupied France…

    We were lucky enough to get to do a quick Q&A with Martin Wenner, Lee Armstrong and the horses/puppeteers after the play, and I managed to grab some half-decent images to give you some scale of these magnificent creations. (see above)

    If you can, get tickets, sell your gran if need be but go see it live – it’s a whole new world! I’ve been to the theatre quite a lot, but have never, ever seen such a reception as this cast and crew received for this production. Standing ovation? Tick!

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Roof

    ★★★ | The Roof

    A door opens and an immaculate figure steps out onto a roof. Knives are sharpened and the game begins. Set within the suspended reality of a brutal and unforgiving game, this mix of intimate three-dimensional sound and free running aims to transport the audience into the body of a reluctant hero, desperate to stay alive.

    Following Electric Hotel and Motor Show, The Roof is Requardt and Rosenberg’s third production and takes place in a purpose-built arena designed by Jon Bausor, set designer for the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony.

    The Roof is a blend of dance, free-running inspired moves and surreal fragments of disconnected stories. Staged in a car park at the back of The National Theatre, the set is a multi-level 360-degree panoramic creation. A figure emerges and begins trying to complete levels on a game, aiming to rescue a D.J. trapped in a small box representing her brashly decorated bedroom. The game is one that the audience, standing watching, are immersed in via headphones and witty sound design. The opening moment where a heavy breathing figure appears to run across the gravel, approach you from the back and whisper into your ear was inspired and left the audience all looking round in alarm.

    It all sounded really exciting. The rain held off, the audience stood poised for a unique and immersive experience but sadly, the show failed to deliver. The free-running element felt tired and relentless and lacked thrill. I’ve definitely seen better examples of free running. The narrative felt slightly contrived and weak with a script that didn’t always work and the dance moves, although imaginative, failed to glue the piece together. The costumes were inventive and wouldn’t have looked out of place on a t-shirt designed by a hipster from Hackney (women in 70s suits with rabbit faces with no eyes, surreal drum majorettes and people with triangular heads).

    I liked elements of the show (mainly the really clever and immersive sound design and the occasional glimpses of humour) but on the whole the show left me a bit cold, in spite of it being a warm night. Looking round at the rest of the audience and a lot of slightly bored expressions, I could see I wasn’t alone in this.

    The Roof runs until 28th of June 2014

    Buy tickets here: www.liftfestival.com

  • THEATRE REVIEW | From Morning To Midnight

    ★★★ | From Morning To Midnight

    “For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.” I felt rather like Miss Jean Brodie after seeing From Morning to Midnight at the Lyttleton Theatre last night. Evidently there were plenty around me who liked the play rather more than I did. Well, to be honest, I didn’t like it at all.

    Admittedly we were not seeing it under the best of circumstances. Adam Godley, who was playing the central character of the Clerk had been taken ill, and his role was taken by understudy Jack Tarlton. Under the circumstances, Tarlton did a sterling job, but nobody can deny the debilitating effect of having to go on with an understudy so early in the run, and before the production had had a chance to settle down. One applauds Tarlton’s achievement, whilst duly noting that the balance of the whole can’t help but have been upset.

    From Morning to Midnight is a German expressionist play, written in 1912 by Georg Kaiser, and initially banned for its portrayal of the Kaiser. The action unfolds over a single day, on which the clerk breaks with normality, absconds from the bank he works in with 60,000 marks and goes in search of something to make life worth living. The loosely linked scenes are given titles: Machine, Bourgeoisie, Epiphany, Family, Society, Sex and Salvation, but, unsurprisingly, his search is fruitless.

    This is the theatre of ideas. None of the characters have names and all, even the clerk himself, are no more than ciphers, representatives of types; an Italian lady, a bank manager a society gent, mother, wife, daughter etc. Even the clerk is not a fully developed character, more of a catalyst for the events that unfold.

    Production values, as so often at the National are consistently high, with ingenious sets by Soutra Gilmour. Director Melly Still has a firm grasp of her material, helped by some wonderful choreography from movement director Al Nedjari, but I remained uninterested and uninvolved. No doubt others will enjoy it more than I did.

    From Morning To Midnight plays at the Lyttleton Theatre until January 26th 2014

    http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Children Of The Sun

    ★★★ | Children Of The Sun

    A Maxim Gorky classic play, adapted by Andrew Upton, is a deep and philosophically driven piece set during a cholera epidemic, which works on many significant levels.

    On the surface its comedic approach could be mistaken as a light hearted play, but below the surface lies a distinct feeling of danger – a narrative of fear which is explored through many conversations.

    Protasov is longing to find the answer to all of life’s mysteries through scientific experimentation and research. He believes that the quest of life will be answered through science so he becomes immersed in his own ignorance; failing to acknowledge the significance of what is happening around him.

    There is a superb collective of talent in this adaptation, with strong gestural performances and moments of intensity which breaks up the performance, constantly focussing it back to the deeper questions.

    The stage set is the perfect backbone to the story, with a commendable attention to detail and realistic nature which helps one to engage on an additional level. Indeed the National Theatre is one of my all time favourite destinations, with its strong Brutalist architecture just asking for performance and drama. This is exactly what is delivered with ‘Children of the Sun’. A though-provoking and engaging play, highly recommended.

    Treat yourself to some theatre this month at the National Theatre. Tickets range from £12-34 and Children of the Sun is on until Sunday 14th July 2013.

    www.nationaltheatre.org.uk