Tag Archives: review

“The importance of being Earnest” review

My next show brings me back to the National Theatre and for another NT Young Patron club night. This time for “The importance of being Earnest” which opened at the NT Lyttelton theatre on 28th November 2024 and scheduled to closed on 25th January 2025. However has a NT live streaming date for 20 February 2025. The show has a running time of two hours and forty five minutes. It just so happens that I watched the show tonight and will also be seeing it again tomorrow night for the NT Annual supporters celebration which will be tomorrow. It will be at this event we get to hear from some of the creatives and stars of the show. Which I am now very much looking forward to.

National Theatre 22nd January 2025

Having had this production open back in November I have only heard very good things. From not only the NT staff who one has confessed to seeing the show four times during its run. But also from other theatre going in friends who rated it their favourite show of 2024. So as I took my seat in the Lyttelton stall row K seat 14 I was hoping for good things. I was not disappointed for reason that will be explained throughout this review.

View from Stall Row K seat 14

The importance of being Earnest is a well known Oscar Wilde play first performed in 1895. However like most shows I have not seen or studied it before and as a result had no idea of the story. For those who were like me and do not know the story here is a brief synopsis.

The story of two gentleman friends one from the London Algeron Moncreif (Ncuti Gatwa) and one from the country Jack Worthing (Hugh Skinner). Both use a made up relative or friend as an excuse to spend time away from their respective places of origin. Algeron lives in a city house with his trusty butler Lane (Julian Bleach). While using his made up friend Bunbury as an escape to the country mainly from his aunt Lady Bracknell (Shereener Browne, understudy for Sharon D Clarke) and her daughter Gwendolyn Fairfax (Ronke Adekoluejo). While Jack uses Earnest a wicked younger brother who lives in the city. All this to spend time away from his ward Cecile Cardew (Eliza Scanlen) and her mentor Miss Prism (Amanda Lawrence and his butler Merriman (also Julian Bleach). All seems to be fine until Jack attempts to propose to Gwendolyn who only knows him as Earnest. Things get even funnier as Algeron attends Jacks country estate posing as the wicked brother Ernest only to fall in love with Cecile. In the background we also have the love in interest between Reverend Canon Chasuble (Richard Cant) and Miss Prism. Pure comedy ensues especially when Gwendolyn arrives at the country house. As both Algeron and Jack have their want to be engaged partners together at the same time of which neither know the men’s true identity. With an endless amount of revelations throughout the show all producing hilarious twist and turns. 

Even though the original Oscar Wilde play was from the 1890s it is surprising how relevant the topics raised throughout the play still are to this day. With topics such as relationships, status and expectation all featured and all more than ever relevant into todays world. This meant that the comedy was still has effective as it was over a hundred years ago. As a comedy play this did not disappoint with fits of laughter an inevitable result of every scene and in some cases most lines. Mainly from the brilliant text which as mentioned the modern day audience was still able to resonate with.

There was some slight modernisation in direction and script changes. This came in the form of some subtle and very funny sexual innuendo sprinkled throughout the play. The sporadic but extremely effective use of modern swear words provided some of the biggest laughs throughout the show. There was also the use of very modern songs in which some of the characters were singing acapella including James Blunt “Your beautiful” which was perfectly timed within the sene and made it even funnier. These little touches of modernisation just built on the already very funny text.

Along with the verbal comedic events, the use of physical comedy was brilliant weather it was a stagger own the seemly steep hill to the physical confrontation of the actors. Both the verbal and physical emphasis on certain words during delveiry just made a funny line even funnier. This is where credit has to be given to the director Max Webster as it was at this places and times when he could really push and rely on the brilliant cast to push comedy point through. For me personally some of the funniest movements came in the form of the audience sides or acknowledgment of the audience. It was this along with the odd forth wall breaking comment which had me laughing extremely out loud. For example comments regarding “We should move on now as we have covered the set change” were brilliant and gave it a more modern feel to the whole play.

This brilliantly directed and written play was not let down by the set and staging at all. In typical NT fashion the set design and attention to detail was outstanding. There was three main scenes/set designs. The first being in side the London house which was very grand, this was the stark contrast to the garden of the country house which was rolls of hills and flowers beds. The last scene was inside the country house in the entrance hall with two very large staircases surrounded by floor to ceiling books shelves. Each set had amazing attention to detail and on a scale which engulfed the whole stage. Each scene was perfectly framed with the ornate almost picture frame quality which can be seen in the view from my seat image above. Each scene was as slick as expected with one minute a London house suddenly after the drop of a curtain a very large garden appeared. The lighting design for all the scenes especially the contrast from the house to the very bright and vivid garden was very impressive.

Not only was the larger set pieces attention detail but as expected from a NT production the prop attention detail was outstanding. With food being mentioned a lot throughout the play the fact that most of the props on stage had to be edible and were consumed on stage again a time to much comedic effect. Just goes to show the amount of work and effect the backstage crew have to put into each production. Not only the edible props were great attention to detail the chairs and larger props were perfectly chosen and added to the whole plays era.

The most impressive part apart from the comedy brilliance was the costume. The costume department at the NT is always amazing however they really did out do themselves with this production. They costume designer Petrova Kourtellaris had a dream scenario with this prodcution. And did not disappointment. Costumes were such an important part of portraying the characters and their personas especially within Algernon Moncrieff. The most impressive part was the “Pretty Women” inspired outfit try on scene. The style for every outfit flambouent or not was perfection and really did steal the show and needed for this production. Below is a link to an NT YouTube video where you hear from some of the costume department talking about this show.

NT video on “Dressing Algeron Moncreif”

Now for a quick mention of some of the amazing cast individually. However all the cast was perfectly casted and not one disappointed in their role or participation in the production. I will mention a few of the standouts for me personally.   

Ncuti Gatwa as Algernon Moncrieff was amazing casting and was born to be on the stage and especially in this role. The casting choice here was genesis could not think of anyone who would and could play this role any better than Ncuti. This was the first time seeing him on stage and the performance was amazing, Ncuti is wasted on TV, lets hope he does more and more theatre in future.  

Hugh Skinner as Jack Worthing was perfection. Hugh has a lot of theatre and NT credits however this has to be his stand out performance. The comedic timing and physical theatre was amazing. The connection between himself and Ncuti was superb and fitted the characters brilliantly. He was able to match Ncuti all the any and at some point take over the scene from Algeron.  

Julian Bleach as two butlers of the bubbling idiot of Merrimack to the sophisticated Lane. The ability to play both butlers which were polar opposite is a true showcase of brilliant comedy acting. The equal amount of comedy he was able to bring to both very different roles shows a great talent.

On this performance Understudy for Sharon D Clarke as Lady Bracknell was Shereener Browne. Who did not disappoint and for me Sharon D Clarke was not missed at all. I was however surprised that this role was not a larger part due to the high profile casting and for it being such an iconic role.. Either way Shereener  brought enough energy and power to the role that was needed.

Eliza Scanlen as Cecile Cardew was brilliant the dialect and accent was perfect for this character and prick used some of the funniest moments with her one liners and report with Ronke as Gwendolyn.

If it is not obvious from this review, I really really enjoyed this production and it definitely lived up to the hype produced by everyone in the theatre world I know. Full details can be found on the NT website.

As a result I give this production 4 out of 5 stars. A brilliant version of the hilarious Oscar Wilde play. With simply perfection casting and amazing costumes. A great production which keeps you laughing and entertained throughout the whole show, with Ncuti Gatwa and Hugh Skinner excelling.

 

 

“Ballet shoes” review

My next show brings me back to the NT and once again forms part of a Young Patron club night. The show in question is “Ballet shoes” which is currently running in for previews and has its press night scheduled for tomorrow night (5th December 2024) and is scheduled to close on 22nd February 2025.

National Theatre 4th November 2024

The show is based on the best bestselling book by Noel Steatfeild from 1939. It is has been adapted for the NT Olivier stage by Kendall Feaver and directed by Katy Rudd with brilliant choreography from Ellen Kane. As I was seeing the show as part of a NT club night I did get to choose my exact seat however as usual the NT development staff did not disappoint and allocated me row K seat 37 in the stalls in which I was ready for the 7pm start for this two hour and forty minute show.

From Olivier Theatre stalls Row K seat 37

We are introduced initially to Great Uncle Matthew [GUM] (Justin Salinger) who is an eccentric professor and adventurer who is fascinated by fossils. He is suddenly burdened with having to look after his unknown great niece Sylvia [Garnie] (Pearl Mackie) with the help of the maid Miss Guthridge [Nana] (Jenny Galloway). We quickly learn of how he manages to rescue three babies during three separate exploration trips each with their own dramatic story. The babies grow up into Petrova Fossil (Yanexi Enriquez), Pauline Fossil (Grace Saif) and Posy Fossil (Daisy Sequerra). Once GUM has not returned for many years the introduction of three lodgers occur who are the actor/performer Theo Dane (Nadine Higgin), garage owner Jai Saran (Sif Sagar) and English doctor, DR Jakes (Helena Lymbery). We discover that these three professions align with the interest and talent of each of the children. Act one concludes with the children realising GUM is not returning, as they must now vow to support the house and their family. Act two depicts the continuous stage roles the children are taking in order to raise some money. This gradually delvoples to a brilliant conclusion in which each children along with their respective mentor manages to live out their dream of appearing in films in America for Pauline Fossil, training at a prostegious ballet school in France for Possy Fossil and after the dramatic return of GUM Petrova gets to have the opportunity to live near Croydon aerodrome and live and work around planes. Mackie and mechanic idiain get married.

Before I continue with the review I have to point out that this show is this years NT festive (Christmas) family show. As a result there are lots of signs of this surrounding the whole show. To start the program is not a traditional NT program as it has an activity book at the back and the cast list includes interview questions with the principle cast giving the younger audience a insight into the actor and characters. Another great difference was that the ensemble cast were mingling throughout the auditorium before the metaphorical curtain up. It was great to see actors engaging in character with the audience members and especially the younger ones with some proving ballet lessons and getting pictures taken. A small change to normal play etiquette but great for the children. During the production there were many scenes when the actors appeared running through the stalls and lower part of the dress circle. Another great way of engaging the children in the audience. As part of the concept of making theatre and this show more accessible and to inspire to the younger / next generation. The NT each year organise a great initiative in which you can donate money which will pay for a around 1000 young people tickets so a child would would not have the ability to see this show or any West End production. A great initiative to inspire the next generation. As an adult you recognise these slight differences however they do not distract or take anything away from the show. The rest of the review will be keeping this in mind.

The set design as you can see from the view from my seat image above was as brilliant as ever from the NT. The usual attention to detail from the NT production team was outstanding. Each item and fossil on the huge set was its own individual prop that looked amazing. And the detail perfection was able to portray GUM fossil obsession. This set did not really change throughout the whole show. At a few points it was used to produce the second floor of the house. Generally it was normally just used as a backdrop for all the scenes. However the transition into each scene was so slick. His was orchestrated by the brilliant ensemble cast effortless sliding in of larger prop items such as doors, beds and baths. This being accompanied by the use of again brilliantly detailed smaller props. The lighting was used to focus the audience attention on the relevant sub section of the stage where these limited props create the whole scene without the need for large set pieces. I cannot commend enough the stage management on how slick the transitions were. The effortless scene transitions meant the story was able to flow from one stage another.

One of the largest props was the full size car which was used in multiple scenes throughout the whole show. However especially came into its own in the second act when with the use of brilliant lighting design and sound somehow appeared to speed through roads at break neck speeds when in fact it was only really being pushed round in large circle by some of the ensemble cast.

Another stand out moment for me and I’m sure any young audience member was when Yanexi Enriquez playing Petrova literally flew into and over the stalls on a stage high wire. The use of dramatic lighting and music really made this a stand out part of the show.

You can’t have a show called “Ballet shoes” and not mention dancing. I am no expert when it comes to dancing and especially ballet. The dance intrudes were often but not over done and did not last for elongated amount of time. It really was a perfect way to showcase the ballet art form to not only the younger generation but the total ballet novices like myself. The dancers especially Xolisweh Ana Richards who plays the young Madame Fidolia “Katherine Federovsky” gave a real top class ballet performance. Along with Daisy Sequerra who practice and finale routines were very impressive.

A quick mention of the the costumes which were perfect for this era. They also provided some amazing on stage quick changes especially at the opening of act two.

Now for the actors, there were many main characters as mentioned in the synopsis but also a number of the actors played multiple parts. And no one more brilliantly than Justin Salinger playing the eccentric GUM but them for a large portion of the show playing Madame Fidolia the dance teacher of Possy Fossil. Both characters were polar opposites but bot portrayed perfectly.

Both Pearl Mackie and Jenny Galloway were brilliant in providing an authenticate parental and guardian figures to the children. With Mackie really showing the struggle of trying to look after the well-being but also the childhood of these three children while not being old enough to be their mother and too old to be their sister.

The stand out actors have to be Grace Saif, Daisy Sequerra and Yanexi Enriquez playing the three children. There ability to portray the ambition and caring orphans while epscailly Daisy Sequerra having to dance ballet was brilllaintly. For me out of the three Grace Saif slightly edged it for me as a stand out of the three, the characterisation Pauline Fossil was brilliant and was able to provide some humour and drama throughout the whole show.

The ensemble cast for this show really made it something special. Without them the scene transitions would have not been the same and would have resulted in a more clumsy portrayal. With them it was given a dream like flow.

Overall for me personally 3.5 out of 5 stars but for a young audience member it would be 5 out of 5 stars. It is a great family and young audience friendly show. With the expected perfection of NT production. A great introduction to the theatre, ballet and the NT for any younger audience member.

Further information on this show can be found on the NT website.

The Duchess review

Tonight’s show is The Duchess (of Malfi) at the Trafalgar Theatre. This is my first show at this space since it was refurbished during COVID. I remember seeing lots of shows in the previous theatre spaces of Trafalgar Studios one and two. So was excited to see the newly combined much larger space.

Trafalgar theatre 20th November 2024

The show in question opened on 5th October 2024 and is scheduled to close on 20th December, with a running time of two hours and thirty minutes. This production is an adaptation of John Webster original play “The Duchess of Malfi” from the 17th century. This particular production is adapted and directed by Zinnie Harris.

View from Stalls Row C seat 12

As I took my seat in the stalls of this fully redeveloped theatre in row C seat 12 I was intrigued to see how this piece of drama has been adapted for a modern stage, more on my feelings of that later. The theatre refurbishment itself is well done. It is a unique feeling for me to be able to enter a London theatre space for the first time and for it all to be new. I am personally not sure if I like such a dark design everywhere in the auditorium. But it does seem a nice way to modernize a classic theatre space. I was surprised with quite how close this seat was to the stage hence the slight fish eye lens on the image above as otherwise on camera not the whole set would be visible. However from viewpoint it was very easy to see the whole set and stage.

Now for a very brief synopsis for those like me who are not familiar with the original text. We meet a widowed Duchess (Jodie Whittaker) and her twin brother Ferdinand (Rory Fleck Byrne) and their brother the cardinal (Paul Ready). We learn very quickly of the love and bedroom marriage of the duchess and her book keeper Antonio (Joel Fry) officiated by the maid Cariola (Matti Houghton). The marriage leads to the birth of twins much to the disgust of he duchess brother. During the first at we are introduced with name projection to the remaining characters which include the horse hand Bosola (Jude Owusu). Antonio friend Delio (Hubert Burton) and his wife Julia (Elizabeth Ayodele) who is becomes the mistress under some duress to the cardinal. Act two descends into madness quite literally for some of the characters. As the duchess is tortured within her basement by Ferdinand. This progresses into a Shakespearean tragedy esc second half in which the majority of the characters are killed off all in front of the audience, Creating some of the most goriest scenes in theatre I have seen. With one traumatic murder after another. Unlike the more Shakespearean writing instead of the murder being implied or symbolized the audience have to whiteness it first hand live on stage.

The writing and whole show is trying to be a modernization of a classic drama piece from the 17th century. As a result it uses mostly old style English /Shakespeare inspired script. However occasionally slips in the odd modern day phase or slang. I see what Zinnie Harris is attempting here but it doesn’t ever hit the mark. The attempt to modernize the production is not just in the script but also within some of the theatrical embellishments that are used. Like the use of some characters singing into full on stage microphones during the first act. Once again I see the attempt however this just seems to be out of place and random within the scene instead of modernizing it. I am huge fan of the odd song within a straight play however this was not seamless enough and just stood out and felt random. The use of microphones during the second act for the dead acting to almost haunt the still alive characters was well done and did to some degree feel like it worked modernizing play but this was not enough on its own. The side stories around the the remaining characters also seemed more random than useful for enhancing the story. I could see how they were trying to portray powerful women though the duchess and maid but then equaling it with the physical power of the men. However again the way these was portrayed was not seemless enough for a modernisation of the classic text.

The gore of the second act just felt like he story telling had given up and instead of moving the story on. The shock factor of so many brutal murders happening live on stage seemed t be the whole point of the second act.

Set, good use of stairs and floating walkway during the first act allowed actors to enter the scene very smoothly and give that third dimension to the staging. The manipulation of the set to alter the stairs for a ladder and the production of a large cube to replace the basement for the torture was very good. The closing of the slits on the back way during the second act to depict the basement and removing any “natural” light was a good symbolic gesture. Use of curtain and sliding rails for scene changes were a nice way to keep the simple set basic without overwhelming it. Again a nod to the modernization which within the set design I think did kind of work and the promised has a great discussion with the set designer about how this was completed.

The use of props where effectively used to depict scene changes with most being able to be slide on from stage right and left and the large items such as the bed in the first act and then the basement “prison cell” in the second act being pulled from back stage of center stage. The use of projection during the torture scene to open act two was very effective and with the bull horn and sudden light changes really did make you sympathize with the duchess during these scenes. After the large use basement prison is moved back stage a large section of the back wall remains exposures with no set design and the raw backstage elements being shown. Again another attempted of modernization which kind of worked but again didn’t add to the scene.

The lighting was used a few times troughout the production to dramatically change the dynamic of the scene. It was also very well used during the second act to allow the dead characters to move around in a ghost like movement. The bright sunshine style lighting was well used to portray the very limited glimmer of hopes that occurred during the show mostly used around the children.

The use of lighting and general stage production was impressive especially during all the murder scenes. Which included fighting, suffocation, and lots and lots of blood splatter everywhere. Along with the sudden appearance of blood when not expected like from the bath and from body which were not shot This was an effective way to symbolize the guilt the murder was facing. At one point the blood splatter was so intense it unintentionally hit some of the front row. All this stage production was very impressive for a theatre fan.

Now to mention the star of the show and who was used to heavily it advertise the production. It was Jodie Whittaker first time on a London stage in over ten years since her role in Antigone at the NT. Her performance as the Duchess did not disappoint at all. The passion shown through the production was brilliant. At some points you could see the literal tears or turmoil in her eyes, as I said the seat was very close. I did at some point her accent dropping and her natural accent coming through. I was unsure weather this was intentional or not. As it seemed to suit the mix of old English with then modern slang and phrases.

Rory Fleck Byrne role as Ferdinand did not come into its own until the second act. While the first act was him working well opposite Paul Ready. The madness that Ferdinand slowly descended into from the start of act two during the torture scene to the full breakdown toward the end. Was brilliantly acted and the intensity matched the tension of the final crazed murder scenes.

As mentioned Paul Ready played the cardinal and was very well done. I had only seen Paul on screen in the role of Kevin in BBC`s “Motherland”. Which is a polar opposite character and role to this character. It’s already great to see an actor be able to portray such polar opposite characters however to portray this oppose role on stage, is really impressive and shows his true acting credentials.

Another stand out performer for me was Jude Owusu in his portrayal as Bosola. Who developed from a vulnerable horse hand to the key murder during the second act. His ability to portray this same character but very differently as the play progress was very good. He did perform a few audience side monologues which Gaian made gave the impression of more traditional Shakespearean type theatre. Even though they did once again seem a bit out of place to the whole plot. This is not a reflection on his performance as they were performed very well just the structure just seemed a bit random and out of place.

Another performer and role which really impressed me was Joel Fry portrayal of Antonio. I really liked his ability to become over powered and controlled by the Duchess in the first act. Which added to highlighting the strong characters of the duchess and the maid Cariola (Matti Houghton). But was also able to show the strength determination of a husband and father who literally fights for his wife and family in the second act.

The last person I am to mention is Hannah Visocchi who played “The singer” who did exactly this. During the first act this role was just supporting with a guitar the random singing that occurred . However was used much more effectively during the second act as her singing was perfectly haunting during the “ghost” type scenes one allowing the murder victims to rise form their death and move around the stage. The whole role seemed o have been designed or the second act then shoe horned into the first.

2 out of 5 stars an attempt at modernizing a 17th century piece of text. Which doesn’t quite hit the mark as it gets confused between traditional and modern English language. Saved slightly by Jodie performance and the theatrical skill of the many unnecessary and gory on stage murders.

Further information about this show and the theatre space in general can can be found the Trafalgar website

“A Tupperware of Ashes” review

My next show takes me back to the NT and to my favourite stage of not only the NT but London as a whole the Dorfman theatre. This time to see “A Tupperware of Ashes”. Which is the last show to be staged at the Dorfman before its closes for a few months. In order to complete what I have been reassured by senior NT staff as boring but very important work.

NT Dorfman theatre 15th November 2024

This show opened on 25th September 2024 and closed on 16th November 2024. It is written by Tanika Gupta and directed by Poona Ghai. I managed to grab a last minute ticket the day before show closure. Hence the seat in the circle of dorfman. However as is the beauty of the Dofrman there is no bad seat and this last minute seat confirmed it. The production had varies start times throughout its run however this particular show had the more traditional start time of 19:30.

View from Circle row N seat 48

The show depicts the whole “life cycle” of an Alzheimer’s patient. From the initial suspicion, to full diagnosis and throughout the reality of trying to care and support someone with this disease. While ending with the inevitable conclusion of death. This story is centred around a Indian family and their mother “Queenie” (Meera Syal) the Alzheimer’s patient/sufferer and her three children, oldest son Raj (Raj Bajaj), his younger bother Gopal (Marc Elliott) and their doctor sister Kamala (Natalie Drew). With auntie Indrani (Shona Gulati) and Queenie long dead husband Ameet (Zubin Varla). With the rest of the characters being portrayed by Stephen Fewell and Avita Joy but more on them later.

The set was very static however was initially and remained more traditional theatre staging. This is not the normal scene within the Dorfman however the very large set jutting into the audience and first front rows of the Dorfman pit auditorium was utlerised very well. The set main feature as seen in the image above is a very long large set of steps. Which was used very well throughout the show. Mainly for characters especially the dead husband of Ameet to appear from behind. Especially at the start and end of the show these steps cascading into the rear centre stage replicated the banks of a river in which Queenie initially was frolicking with Ameet to the ending in which her ashes were scattered from the Tupperware container.

Although not spectacular set the prop usage was brilliant. Firstly from the table which seemlessly appeared from the center stage steps. The props were used to depict the different scenes through the shows with this one table being varying representative from a doctors consultation table, to the family dining table to the visa operators desk. It was not only the use of this and other props throughout the show which were very impressive. The use of also magic/sleight of hand and stage trickery at different parts of the stage took myself by surprise. There was multiple occasions where this stage trickery was used to highlight/simluate the confusion occurring in Queenie mind. This includes Ameet sliding into a suitcase on the stage floor and disappearing, a very smooth quick change from Indrani, the sudden production/appreance of mango in Queenie hands. All this magic/ trickery was used to highlight the confusion that Queenie had and to give the audience a glimpse into her confused mind created by the Alzheimer’s desease.

It was not only the slick prop manipulation which helped the audience have a glimpse into the conufused mind of Queenie. The use of sound to muffle the supporting cast voice during some scenes, was used very effective. It really did let us feel like we were seeing the scene from Queenies perspective. The use of sound effects to replicate the sound of water and the ocean was used very effectly at the start and conclusion of the play. This use of perfect sound timings meant that the actors were able to “splash” the water around. As well as tap on the glass/window that separated the family and Queenie during COVID.

Not only the sound but the lighting also helped draw the audience into the state of confusion that gradually increase and become more common throughout the play. The use of light to flick between current real time and Queenie memory’s and story’s/interactions with her dead husband. This flick in lighting was subtle but effect to help provide that glimpse into Queenie point of view and outlook to life and the “real world” as she was seeing and experiencing it.

The whole show was very well written with comedic aspects at comedy the start and throughout. While also showing the real symptoms and side effects of Alzheimer’s and how it affects not only the patient but their supporting family around them. The events that occurred were a realistic glimpse into the harsh reality of such common but hugely effecting illness of Alzheimer’s. Many scenes depicting real symptoms from the illness that I have heard and experienced first hand from sufferers of Alzheimer’s. This ranged from the not eating, to not remember who you are, to aggression to totally alienation of the real world. Being able to write the whole “cycle” of the disease provided a a real hard hitting insight into not only the patients view point but the family who are trying to support and look after the individual.

The costume design was simple and effective to portray a real life family dynamic of Indian culture.

Meera Syal performance was outstanding. The ability to depict the gradual decline as the Alzheimer’s took hold was brilliantly done. From the simple forgetfulness episodes of a Michelin star chief forgoing the menu to the more consuming stages of the disease and the aggression that brings all the way through the the blankness and shell of the person. All these stages were displayed perfectly and gradually revived themselves throughout the show and you could see this person deteriorate in front of your eyes. Anyone who has dealt with any dementia type illness will recognise and appreciate how well Meera Syal portrays this characteristic do not have enough praise for Meera’s performance. You have to catch this show on NT @ home if it becomes available just for this performance alone.

The three actors of Raj Bajaj, Marc Elliott and Natalie Drew portrayal of the three quarrelling siblings was a perfect reflection of a family dynamic. Especially one having to deal with such a difficult and effecting disease. Each of then able to highlight the day to day practicality struggle that exists when having to attempt to care for a loved one with such illness. Including the internal turmoil of having to make that eventual call to put their loved one into a care home for their own safety. The reality and hard hitting nature of this production is only enhanced by these three actors performances.

I was expecting the show to be more based around the Indian cluture however it did not concentrate in to much detail on the culture or background. With a few scenes and costume design to remind you of the culture expection that comes from India. The start of the second act and the conclusion scenes and the reason for the Tupperware transport gave a great insight into the cultural need around the family. The main driving force of the whole show was not around the culture but the impact that this type of illness has on the individual and family regardless of your background or success.

Apart from the main family members Stephen Fewell portrayed many of the supporting characters which were critical at each stage of the show. Each character Stephen played was totally different from each other. They ranged from the expert doctor providing the diagnosis to the foreign care home worker. Each one totally believable and without his brilliant performance the show would not be the same.

Further information can be found on the NT website for this show and I hope to see it appear on the NT at home platform.

Overall it’s a real tear jerker especially if you have had any first hand experience of Alzheimer’s or any other debilitating type illnesses. Overall 4 stars out of 5, an unapologetic glimpse into the life and support needed for an Alzheimer’s patient. A whole “Life cycle” of the disease and the impact it has on the patient and the family’s trying to support them.

“The Other Place” review

Tonight’s show takes me back to the NT and the Lyttelton theatre to see “The Other Place”. Which opened on 8th October 2024 and is running at the NT until 9th November 2024. The show is written and directed by Alexander Zeldin, whose production of “Faith, Hope and Charity” back in 2019 I really enjoyed.

The National Theatre 31st October 2024

The show start time was an extremely early one at 18:30 so I was in my seat within the stall row L seat 15 by 18:15. Which I think has to be the earliest I have ever sat in a theatre for an evening performance. This is part of the ongoing trial that the NT has adopted. This production was having one 18:30 start time each week. The major Benji fit especially for this production in particular which had a running time of one hour twenty minutes with no interval meant that I was on out the theatre before 20:00.

View from Stalls Row L seat 15

The show opens with no immediate house light dim, the only sign that the show has started is the appearance of two out of the six characters. Within a few minutes we are presented with another three. We gradually learn that we are watching Chris (Tobias Menzies) the uncle to Issy (Alison Oliver). Chris wife Erica (Nina Sosanya) her son Leni (Lee Braithwaite) and Chris`s mate Tez/Terry (Jerry Killick). Everyone is awaiting the arrival of Annie (Emma D`Arcy) who is Issy Sister. Through the first section of the play we gradually learn some background to not only the characters but why they are all together. The reason is to scatter Issy and Annie dads and Chris`s bothers ashes. There seems to be lots of fiction caused by he arrival of Annie and she quickly adds to the issues by refusing to let her fathers Ashes be scattered. As the play moves through the middle and later stages we learn more about how the father died and also the relationship between Annie and Chris which stems from her childhood from when her dad committed sucuide in the garden of the same house his and Erica are now leaving in a renovating. As we learn the dark past of both the char enters and the house we expected a sinister end for someone and we this does come to furission at the final scene.

The set was fully static with no moving parts at all. Not even a rearrangement of main set pieces. It was a cross section of the back of the house. The same set shown in the view from my seat picture above was the set and the only set. All props were already within the set. The attention to detail on both the props and set staging was amazing and what I totally expect from a NT prodcution. No other theatre can do the attention to detail that the National does. From having real dirt to surround the partially renovated house and garden. To a real outdoor sensor security light which came on and off at the actors made their way from the inside to out. The set was so static and realistic that the actors did not use the wings to enter and exit the stage. Instead they walked from stage right past the first few rows and used the front stall auditorium entrance.

There were no scene changes throughout the whole show and as a result there was never a full black out instead the huge lightbox above the centre stage would angle and the stage lighting would dim. However the actors just continued to progress the scene and these moments would just extend the timeline of the play slightly so the narrative could move on. The lighting in enrol was god especially the lighting to direct the nighttime scenes within the garden which suddenly reavled some ultra realistic trees a a dark blue tinge to replicate the night sky.

Music and sound effects were used throughout the production to build tension and increase the drama of some of the more pivotial moments. Especially at the the end when the music build and builds to a defining volume while Chris starts to break down. The use of this music and sound effects along with the ongoing election that something tragic will occur really did build some very dramatic movements. Especially in the final part which did get an auidable reaction from the audience, even know we knew it was coming it was still shocking.

The play was written so well especially the way to developed not only the characters but the overall back story that led us to this one day/night for this family. There are some very comical one liners and direction which are a welcome mood lightener in what is quite a trametic play. A paly which tackles some very diffulct subjects not only around sucide but the impact that a sucide has on young family members, the invludeuls who find them. And the logistics and practicacalitys of dealing with a family member who has died let alone though sucide. The play does not shy away from these very challenges topics and instead confronts them head on.

The whole play gave you the feel and approach that you were peering through the window of a real authentic family home. This feel of peering through a real family home was up held in lots of different ways. The first was the writing as the script and delvery of it was so authentic. The long pauses while people were texting, the pause while characters went out of vision for the audience. It is these pausing which occur in real life and normally are written out of plays. The fact the set didn’t move and that someonetimes actors were out of the vision of the audience of behind a glass door in the garden. Also added to the authentic feel. The lack of blackout and no actual scene changes also added to this authentic feel. As we were with the characters the whole time and saw their day from start to finish.

All of these points gave the authentic feel that the play was going for. Along with these points the actors were also outstanding and as mentioned earlier had to deliver these roles. I will now comment on each of the six actors as each deserter there own dedicated mention.

Starting with Annie portrayed by Emma D`Arcy who from the outset was able to highlight the trauma and issues that Annie was going through and had been. Many stages throughout the play Annie is obviously so damaged and emotionally scared from the events of her childhood. Emma is able to deliver these sections so well.

The next character and actor to mention is Chris played by Tobias Menzies who initially doesn’t seem as emotionally damaged but we son learn throughout the paly the effect that the events have had on him and Tobias is able to hint at this throughout the start of the play brilliantly. The finale section of Chris medley shooting at the audience was so impactful.

Issy is played by Allison Oliver who does a brilliant job of portraying what at first seems nieve character which dlevops into raw emotion which varying outbreaks emotional brilliance Allison.

Erica is played by Nina Sosanya who you will recognise from stage and screen including Love actually. As the wife of Chris she did not have much opportunity to show the same emotion as the first charecter and actors mentioned however was able to portray the character of the wife who is just trying to get everything and ever in to progress and survive, in some cases literally survive.

The next character to mention is Terry or Tez played by Jerry Killick. Who was able to show the audience this initially joking, lighting the mood character. But even he has he opportunity to hint towards his home life trouble which a great drunk scene at 4am. Jerry Killick was perfect acting for this role and really was able to deliver the brilliant written daioglue,

The last character to mention is Leni played by Lee Braithwaite. Although not a “Main” character he was able to also provide some light hearted moments. While at certain points really showing how such events can impact family’s and indivudels who were not even around at the time. But have to deal with the aftermath. At many points Leni is used to just say what everyone is thinking.

The whole show gave me a massive NT Dorfman vibe. The static set, the lack of full black out. Really had it made for the dorfman. Now thinking about it the same staging direction was also completed in Alexander other play Faith hope and charity which did run at the Dorfman.

Overall I give this show 4 out of 5 stars. A play which lets you peer through the window of a suffering family who is dealing with the logistics and impacts of loosing a loved one. Another brilliant Alexander Zeldin play produced brilliantly on the NT stage. 80 minutes fly by.

Further information and details can be found on the NT website

“The Real Thing” review

My next show takes me just up the road from yesterday show and to the “Old Vic” to watch “The real thing”. A show which was in its final week with a closing date of 26th October 2024.

The Old Vic 24th October 2024

This production is a revival of Tom Stoppard play which has seen multiple version both sides of the pond since its incarnation in the early 80s. With actors such as Felicity Kendal, Glenn Close, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ewan McGregor playing the title roles. This version is directed by Max Webster and has a running time of two hours and thirty minutes. Before I took my seat in the theatre I managed to grab and drink and relax in “Penny at the old Vic”. Which is the Old Vic bar/cafe/restaurant which along with the rest of the building has been majorly redeveloped since 2018. I then took my seat in the stalls of the Old Vic auditorium row J seat 26.

View from stalls row J seat 26

The show isn’t so much a play within a play like some productions, it is more a few scenes of a play within a play. With a few scenes within the production in hindsight clearly being the scenes from a different play. This quickly becomes obvious as the actors suddenly morph from one charecter to another. During the first half sometimes these transitions are not that obvious but as the character development builds the differentiation becomes more clearer. The first act charts the first of the affairs, this being between Annie (Bel Powley) and Henry (James McArdle) behind the back of their respective parters of Max (Oliver Johnstone) and Charlotte (Susan Wokoma). We learn that Henry is a playwright while Charlotte and Max are actors in his play. We learn of a convicted criminal of Brodie. In whom Annie seems to care about after meeting on a train journey to London. Act one concludes with the what once an affair now love between Henry and Annie who are now together.

Act two jumps forward to Henry and Annie still together but now Annie wants Henry to rewrite Brodies (Jack Ambrose) play which he has written. Through the second act we learn from different characters that Brodie cannot write and the play is unworkable in its current form and that Henry will have to rewrite it. The next potential affair comes to afray once Annie obtains an acting role in Glasgow where she meets the young Billy (Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran). It’s is never confirmed if this affair is a physical one as suspected by Henry or just flirtation. The show concludes with Brodie (Released from prison), Henry and Annie watching their play which has been turned into a TV play with Annie and Billy staring in the title roles. We now have the next potential affair between Annie and Brodie however in conclusion learn that it was Annie fault that Brodie was improsioned and therefore the relationship was based on guilt and not love. We then end with Annie and Hnery relationship back in tack and therefore love again.

The set was totally static with only props being moved around stage by the what appears as stage Crew. They really were stars of the shows. The scene changes were theatrical brilliance with the stage hands who gradually become more and more involved in the changing scene and end up doing a full dance routine during one of the second act change overs. I was glad to see that they came and took a bow at the end of the show. They were not credited so I can only assume they were not actors but they really did add to the show and almost bring in a more modern feel. A nice touch for a show written and based in the 80s. The scene changes were emphersied by the music tracks. As each scene change seem to be triggered by a new record being placed and played on the centrally located record player which was located down centre stage. The way the music built throughout room from what appeared to be playing just on stage to ending up playing across the whole theatre sound system was very well done and very slick and aided the scene transistions.

The lighting design also helped with these scene transitions. As it never fully went dark which allowed us to see the stage crew work their “magic”. And move the props around to physically set the scene for the next part o the play. The overall mix of very strong lighting and the bold blue set also aided to provide a modern twist and feel to this 80s play. There was one particular stage crew involvement which stood out to me. This was to conclude the first act when Annie is sat on the arm of a sofa and then one stage crew member appears and starts to swing the floating lightbulb in large circles around Bel Powley. The way the lights dimmed and the swaying relocation n the plain but bold set was very impressive.

Overall the play was written very well with some parts of the dialogue being very good. The quality of the script can also be emphasised by the basic and staticness of the set. Which meant that it was just the script driving the story and engaging the audience. However there were some aspects of the script which did feel a little dated which is expected of a play that was written and based in the early 80s. However this was counteracted by the direction of Max Webster and the on stage crew who as before modernised the whole feel of the play. Once you hear or read more about Tom Stoppard personal life the script becomes a lot more relevant and understood. Esppecially around the theme of a struggling playwright who is also struggling with personal relationships.

Now for the main title roles and first James McArdle playing Henry. He was very good overall and was able to bounce off of Bel Powley perfectly. Which allowed them to really delve into the script very well. He was able to portray the humour in relevant parts while still keeping the necessary drama and intensity which were required in many scenes throughout the play.

Now for Bel Powley who was portraying Annie. I have been aware of Bel Powley for many years even from the late 2000s when she stared in the children’s TV show “M.I. High”. People of a certain generation will be well aware of the show. More recently I and everyone I know who watched was so impressed by her role in the Anne Frank based Disney plus show “A small light”. I was so pleased to see that Bel was able to transfer these brilliant on screen performances to the stage. Which was excavated seemlessly along with her very unique voice which worked very well for this chrecter and this play as a whole. She along with the script was able to take you on the up and down rollercoaster of love, affairs, love and affairs again. I have not seen Bel perform on stage perform but was very impressed and hope to see her tread the boards in future London or New York shows.

Overall I give this show 3 out of 5 stars. It is a good play which charts the love, affair, love, affair and love again rollercoaster which comes from this 80s Tom Stoppard play. With a great new direction approach and a brilliant performance from Bel Powley.

Further information on this show and the Old Vic itself can be found on their website.

Sunset Boulevard on Broadway

And now for my last show of this trip to Broadway and I really did save the best till last. My final show was “Sunset Bulovard” at the St James Theatre. This is the hottest ticket in town after recently opening for previews on 28th September 2024 with opening night scheduled for 20th October 2024 after its triumph run in the West End , winning pretty much everything that it could. The success was so huge that I was unable to get a ticket for the West End run so was very happy when I managed to secure a Broadway ticket. Currently the show is scheduled to run until 6th July 2025, however there will be no surprises if this gets extended.

The St James theatre 12th October 2024

While waiting in the entry line outside the theatre the theatre staff welcomed us all and exclaimed that this is the best show in town. When taking my seat in Mezzanine Front Center Row B Seat 109 within a very dark auditorium I was wondering if this show was going to live up to the hype and was Nicole Scherzinger really that good. All these questions and more will be answered within this review.

View from Mezzanine Front Center Row B Seat 109

As most people are aware this is a Andrew Lloyd Webber classic musical. With the book and lyrics from Don Black and Christopher Hampton. However this particular version had an ace up its sleeve in the form of director Jamie Lloyd.

I have to admit that I have never seen a production of Sunset Boulevard in the past. I was obviously aware of some the absolute classic musical tracks from this show but did not know the story or context in which they were in within the story. I have to be honest I forgot how many classic musical songs come from this production. So for those like me who don’t know the story is a basic brief synopsis of the show.

Left: Alternative cover Right: Modern Playbill cover

We open with a body a bag and Joe Gillies (Tom Francis) emerging from it reporting there has been a murder. We then change time frame to see Joe a struggling script writter trying to get a studio to take on one of his pieces of work. It is here we also meet Betty Schaefer (Grace Hodgett Young). While trying to outrun people chasing him for money Joe ends up in Norma Desmond’s (Nicole Scherzinger) house. We learn that Norma was a huge movie star however now a nobody and lives in her house with her security man Max Von Mayerling (David Thaxton). Norma is trying to make a come back and persuades Joe to help her with her script she is writing. The relationship escalates and Norma seduces Joe after attempting suicide. Act one ends with a very muted and depressive News Years eve party.

Act two opens with the now infamous street walk in which Tom Francis (Joe) wanders the backstage area and streets of the theatre while performing Sunset Boulevard live. While Norma and Joe along with Max are living together Paramount studios call to talk to Norma she is convinced it is about them taking up the script however we later learn it is to buy her car. We discover that Max is protecting the delusional Norma as we find out that he was in fact Normas first wife. Norma then learns of Joe and Betty affection for each other. In a finale crescendo to act two and the show. Joe attempts to leave Norma and tells her the truth that she is now a washed up actor and her new script will never get made. With this Norma shots and kills Joe (The murder we opened with).

From here on out I fear that it may be a short review as it lives up to the hype and awards and more. This production was outstanding and the director of Jamie Lloyd is an absolute genius. I will now try and attempt to justify this view.

First of all this is like no production let alone musical I have ever seen before, and I seen a lot shows. It wasn’t a concert musical but then it was not a traditional musical or even a more modern musical. This can not be categorised and has to be put in its own class and league. I think it is this reason why it has and will be so successful. I believe this all comes down to previous mentioned genius director Jamie as well as the amazing score and lyrics underpinning it.

There was no staging and for me to speak so highly of a musical with no staging that is not a concert musical is praise in its self. Most of the time it is the actors on a very large black empty stage with just some very good use of lighting and spotlights to concentrate the eye. As well as lots of dry ice. The lighting design or should I say the spotlight design is brilliant. The only changing feature of the set is the drop down video screen that takes up the whole backdrop of the stage.

It is this video screen which engulfs the stage which plays the live fed video feed from the onstage handheld camera operators. These camera operators are the stars of the show on their own. I have seen lots of shows (Network) and some musicals (Bat out of hell) use on stage handheld camera to livestream to a big screen. But i have never seen it done the way this production does it. The quality and clarity of the close up is so extreme you can see the individual hairs on the actors beard along with the scale of the screen make it so impressive. It allows every seat in the auditorium to have the best view regardless of your physical location within the theatre. Jamie Lloyd relies so heavily on these to portray the feeling of each face on screen. I can not speak highly enough of how effectively this was used. As mentioned before this format also allows the ability to have the infamous live walk through the streets of whatever city the show is playing in. One small piece of direction which I really appreciated was as a character left the story towards the end the actor physically removed their radio mics a very small but impactful move.

The effectiveness of this lack or set and camera work is only achievable because the score and lyrics are so good. The quality of the songs especially the more popular and famous ones allow the director to have the ability to strip it back and just listen to the songs. Like all Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals you find the score repeating its self throughout the production but this is a classic ALW approach and does not distract from it being an absolute classic of not only his but musical theatre as a whole.

The costume like the set are basic and understated with simple black and white outfits. With only Joe changing his costume once he becomes part of Normas life.

Before I discuss each of the main actors individually a quick mention of the ensemble. Which as expected was brinllient again there were a few but not so many traditional musical theatre ensable routines. But when there was they were executed perfectly. One such routine which stands out to me was the scene in which the whole ensable are lined up on chairs and stand up and then sit down exactly in unison to leave two random meembers standing to perform their line. The accuracy of these movements resempbled more of the rocketts Christmas show at rockfella that a musical.

Now for the main cast. Betty played by Grace Hodgett Young was brilliant and supported Tom Francis brilliantly. A surprising standout for me was David Thaxton playing Max Von Mayerling not only his amazing low voice but is acting and an ability to act with a camera a matter of centimetres away from your face.

Now for the main stars of the show apart from the director. Tom Francis playing Joe Gillis. There is no surprise that Tom along with a lot of the cast have revived their originated roles of this particular production from the West End to Broadway. He did not disappoint at all the vocals the acting the stage presence. We’re all perfection, even keeping though vocals out on the streets during the live Sunset Boulevard song. I was not really aware of Tom that much before his appearance of this role in the West End. However I along with everyone else will be very well aware of his next step in his career.

Now to move onto the title actress of the show and playing Norma Desmond, Nicole Scherzinger. Going into this show I was questioning whether she along with the whole production would live up to the hype and the awards that it gained in London. I can confirm that she DID. I had not seen her in any of her another stage shows such as Cats so was unsure how she would be able to cope “acting” a musical. I am always very wary of star casting especially in musicals. But in this age i am happy to stand corrected Nicole vocals were out of this world. The ability to stand centre stage with a spotlight and some dry ie and receive not one but two standing ovations mid way through the show just highlights how power her voice was. The first standing ovation came shortly into act one following “With one look”. Have never seen an audience reaction like it in a theatre easpically mid way though the show. It wasn’t until the end that I remembered that she has to to do this 7 or 8 times a week, highlight such power. Not only power but feeling and was seeing it as a musical theatre show and acting through the song like a real musical theatre superstar. It was not only the singing but her whole portrayal of Norma from the deranged to the funny to the vulnerable were all clear to see from Nicole. And unlike on normal musica theatre there was nowhere to hide as her face was the size of the stage thanks to the on stage cameras. I have to mention the casting team who casted Hannah Yun Chamberlain who played young Norma. The likeness to Nicole but younger was unbelievable. It even fooled the American audience who started cheering like it was Nicole during the opening scenes.

You will be able to hear all the whole cast on 25th October when the Cast recodering is released. I for one can not wait to relisten to this whole show and the brilliant cast again and again. It appears to have a total of 39 songs which is much more than any other cast recodering of this show. So I expect it to be everything you can hear during the show. Take my word for it whatever the cast sound like on the recording they sound the same if not better live.

Overall I give this performance a 5 out of 5 stars. There is no other show or production like it. Jamie Lloyd is a genius taking an Andrew Lloyd Webber score and classic Don Black and Christopher Hampton musical and making it like no other. If you can see the show see it, at least listen to the cast recording once it is released. It deserves all the hype and awards it has got and will get.

More details on this show can be found on there website.

Water for Elephants Musical

Now for my third review of this Broadway trip and my first matinee after starting this review site. Which means that it is a two show day for my last whole day in New York. The first show is “Water for elephants the musical” which is currently playing at the Imperial theatre. Which opened on 21st March 2024 and is set to close its broadway run on 8th December 2024 before embarking on a US tour.

The Imperial Theatre 12th October 2024

This show is based on the 2006 Novel by Sara Green which again I have not read or even aware of the story, so once again entered the theatre for the 13:00 start and took my seat in Orchestra Row L seat 104 not knowing anything about the story. This musical production has music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co and a has a running time of 2 hours and forty minutes.

View from Orchestra Row L seat 104

The show starts within a modern day circus and Mr Jankowski (Christopher Russo) who begins to regale the current circus workers the story’s of his past. We are then transported back to 1930s where a young Mr Jankowski, Jacob Jankowski (Kyle Selig) jumps on a train out of town. Without being aware that it is a circus train of the famous Benzini circus. After some convincing Jacob gets to stay a night so he can head out of town. It quickly transpires that Jacob is a nearly fully qualified vet after having to miss the final exams due to his vet father and mother dying in car crash. The circus ring leader and boss August (Paul Alexander Nolan) persuades Jacob to join the circus as their vet to look after the vast array of animals that made up the 1930s circus show. Jacob meets the circus leaders star of the show and wife Marlena (Isabelle McCalla) and her horse. Shortly after due to the poor work conditions the horse has to be put down by Jacob. This results in August having to find a new star of the show and buys the first available animal which happens to be an elephant named Rosie. While attempting to train Rosie, Jacob and Marlena start to fall in love. The first act concludes with the realisation that Rosie can perform when spoken to in Polish. A grand reveal of the whole elephant concludes the first act.

The second act involves a successes story of the new star act with Rosie. Jacob is treated to lavish parties with August and Marlena. Even though he has a new star act August continues to mistreat both Rosie and Marlena. Both Marlena and Jacob grow closer while Jacob tries to break it off for the sake of the whole circus. This is unsuccessful and August finds out about the affair and demands his right hand man Wade (Wade McCollum) to get rid of Jacob and his friends Walter the clown (Michael Mendez) and Cam (Stan Brown). Both of these were the reason Jacob was accepted on the circus train in the first place. As Jacob is with Marlena off the train, Wade continues to get rid off (Kill) Walter and Cam. The show crescendos with a large stampede of all the animals believed to have been caused by Wade due to the guilt. This stampede goes down as the greatest circus disaster of all time and destroys and kills everyone apart from Jacob, Marlena and Rosie. Who in the aftermath continue to live together for the 50 years before Marlena dies. We then rejoin at modern time in which Mr Jankowski is offered to join the new circus show and get out of his nursing home and join the circus again.

Left: Alternative cover Right: Modern Playbill cover

Now for the theatre review part.

First of all the set and props, which were surprisingly lacking for a broadway show. There was very little set design as a whole providing a very basic staging. However this show was not relying on the staging to give impact. This type of staging means that this production is very well suited to a tour production as mentioned at the start this is the next stage of this production life. This means that the touring audience will not actually miss out on any of the staging from the Broadway production. The main set/props are two scaffolding towers which are used to replicate the train. This is done very effectively due to the actors movement and lighting.

Lighting is a huge part of this production and is used instead of set design to set the scenes. As well as stage lighting, the use of shadows are very impressively used throughout this production. Not only in order to set scenes but also to portray the animals and scales very effectively.

The use of puppetry throughout this whole production is brilliant. Due to the vast amount of animals needed for the circus a few are portrayed by actors in suits but the rest are all puppets controlled by the actors. The use of these puppets for me rivals War horse and Lion King. Camel’s dog which is handled and controlled by a number of the cast is very impressive along with the other animals that make up the circus crew. However the stand out has to be Rosie the elephant herself. Who for most of the first half was only portrayed by a trunk or a leg here and there had its grand reveal at the end of act one. This reveal reminded me of the King Kong musical reveal which causes the American broadway audience to have an audible reaction. In this case of large cheers and applause. Very much like war horse you forget that Rosie is in fact a puppet and start treating her like a part of the cast as you start to feel compassion for her.

Not only is the puppetry amazing the use of physical theatre and especially acrobatics and circus style performers were breath taking. Instead of the ensemble having normal dance breaks and or supporting the songs and main characters. For most parts of the production the ensemble who I am going to call he circus performers from now on. These circus performers were the main characters and the main point of interest for the show. I really like how it replaced dance routines with circus/acrobatic routines. Unlike cirque du soleil which I have seen their Broadway show Paramour amany years ago. The routines themselves were not the purpose they symbolised and supported the show and the story. For example the death of the horse in act one is portrayed by an amazing aerial acrobatic routine performed by Nick Zelle. The whole production relied on physical theatre in which even the title principal performers of Isabelle and Kyle had to partipate in as well as perform brilliantly vocally. I can only imagine of the extra training they had to undertake in order to complete this successfully.

Before I move onto the music and lyrics and then the performers. I have to touch on some of the amazing transitions that occurred. It was these transitions that moved the show from the 1930s to modern day. They were so obvious but seamless at the same time. With either a simple light transition. Or one transition which consisted of Paul Alexander Nolan physically transitioning between August and the modern day character of Charlie by literally stepping out of the ring master costume while leaving it floating in the middle of the stage being supported by the rest of the cast.

Now for the music and lyrics and musical part of the musical theatre. For me this was not a major part of the production and unlike normal musical theatre shows, the show was not relying on the songs to progress the story, instead to just accompany it. This becomes more obvious when you look at the cast recording which is available on all major platforms. As it only has 19 songs around an hour of content for a two hour and forty minute show. I personally don’t think this impacted the production as it was relying more on the physical theatre than the songs. However I was a little disappointed as I expected a broadway musical. But it did not distract from the show at all. Having said that there were some stand out songs and musical performers. One came from Wade and his a capella country esc accompany in songs such as The road Dont make you you young. Even though it was not as in keeping with the rest of the show, i really did enjoy it. My favourite track has to be Isabelle singing “What do you do”.

One of my favourite songs of the show

Overall this was a great Broadway show not necessarily the best Musical theatre show I have seen. But the physical theatre and acrobat performances make it a great show and I recommend seeing if you can on tour or if we are luckily enough for it to come to the UK. I expect not initially West End but possible a touring production.

I give this production 3 out of 5 stars. A great story with amazing physical theatre and acrobatics with a bit of musical theatre thrown in. Not a standard broadway musical but still worth a watch.

Further information of “Water for Elephants” can be found on their website.

The Great Gatsby Musical

So now for my second review of this Broadway trip and the first of the three musical scheduled for the weekend. The first being the Great Gatsby playing at The Broadway Theatre. Like many shows and especially musicals I very rarely have seen the film or book in which the production is based on. This production is no different. Like my other musical reviews I will provide a quick synopsis overview before reviewing the musical production areas in more detail.

The Broadway Theatre 11th October 2024

The Great Gatsby opened on Broadway on 29th March 2024 and currently has not posted a closing date. I can totally understand why, I expect this show to run and run and do not expect a closing date anytime soon. I would expect them to announce a principle cast change before long. The production is considered one of the bigger newly opened musicals on broadway. Mainly because of its title leads of Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada. Both in my eyes considered current Broadway megastars. For my production I had the pleasure of whitnessing the understasudy for Jay Gatsby who was played by Alex Prakken, more on this stella cast later. It has music by Jason Howland and Lyrics by Nathan Tysen and is directed by Marc Bruni.

It was another 19:00 show start which seems to be a new thing on Broadway. Again not an issue for me and somewhat prefer an earlier start. I took my seat in the Broadway Theatre in seat Orcherstra Row O seat 1. The last time I was in this particular theatre was for King Kong the musical back in 2018/2019.

View from Orchestra Row O Seat 1

Many may already know the story of The Great Gatsby, as mentioned before I did not and for anyone who doesn’t, here is a quick run down of the synopsis.

The show opens with Nick Carraway (Noah J. Ricketts) visiting his relative (Cousin) Daisy Buchanan (Eva Noblezada) with her husband and their friend Jordan Baker (Samantha Paula). We quickly learn that her husband Tom Buchanan (Pascal Pastrana) is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson (Ryan Nixon), the local garage owners wife. On one of their regular trips to the city, Nick becomes witness to Toms violent side. This prompts Nick to take up the offer from his neighbour and local rich guy Jay Gatsby (Alex Prakken) who is known for throwing lavish grand parties in his mansion. Jay Gatsby wants Nick to organise a meeting with his cousin Daisy. As Jay and Daisy met and fell in love five years prior before the war. And only recently realised that both are still alive and live locally. Act one ends with a successful meeting of Gatsby and Daisy organised by Nick after seeing Toms true side. At this meeting Nick and Jordan appear to also fall in love and are seen entering his cottage together. While Act one concludes with Gatsby and Daisy in bed together.

Act two opens to a flurry of excited and in love couples narrated by Meyer Wolfsheim (Eric Anderson). A party is arranged so Gatsby and Daisy can relive the night they fell in love five years ago. During this time we learn that Gatsby has obtained his fortune from dodgy dealings being facilitated by Meyer Wolfshiem. During the party tensions increase between Gatsby and Tom for obvious reasons. As the tensions grow they decide that Jay, Daisy, Tom, Nick and Jordan should travel the Plaza in the city. Gatsby and Daisy have confessed there love for each other and Nick and Jordan become engaged. It is at this point the story’s takes a Shakespeare tragedy esc style ending. With many turns of events which conclude with Jay and Daisy vehicle hitting a killing Myrtle who was pregnant with Toms baby as a result of their affair. On hearing the fatal news, Myrtle husband (Paul Whitty) who is now aware of the baby assuming it is Jay Gatsby’s kills Jay and then himself. The story concludes with Nick having to leave town and Daisy who also leaving with Tom to start a new life.

Left: Alternative cover Right: Modern cover

Now for the musical theatre part of the review.

Let’s start with set and prop design. Which are simply outstanding some of the grandest and best set design i have seen on broadway (Apart from Moulin Rouge which was in a league of its own). The set design was so clever with amazing use of some top quality projection. It meant that the set on stage seamlessly blended with the back screen making it appear even more grander than it was. I have not seen this quality of projection and ability to merge with the onstage set before. The use of projection was also used to portray rain which somehow seemed to cover the whole stage without the use of actual rain. Lights and projection were also used to make a stationary car appear to be moving. With lights on the wheels and the screen falling away behind it gave such a good illusion of a moving car. In some way they did not even need this trickery as the two cars on stage were amazing props. They were full size cars which moved independently of the staging. It allowed the actors to actually drive them back and forth and around the stage. Again something I have never seen on stage before. They were like life size children’s toy battery cars. Simply amazing props work and highlights the size of stage that the Broadway theatre has. Not only these amazing cars but the level of details on the set and props was outstanding. You were able to see inside details of the cottage through the door even though we never went inside for a scene.

A quick note on the costumes, which were as grand and glamorous as you expect for this 1920s themed story. But again the detail was so impressive with no costume being repeated in any of the scenes. There was even a quick change on stage.

Now for the music and lyrics which were amazing. Some proper real broadway musical theatre. There were amazing ballads from both male and females and not only the two leads by others as well as well as great ensample pieces. This orginal principle cast has already completed a cast recordering which can be found on all major platforms. I have already downloaded the whole cast recodering album. Out of the 23 tracks my stand out by far, a song which I have already replayed six times on my walk from the theatre to my hotel bar where I am writing this review is “For Her” which is sung by Jay Gatsby. On the recodering it is Jemery Jordon but for me especially for the first time hearing it while live Alex Prakken did not dissapoint and is a perfect example of why understudy’s are amazing in any production. Even though there were so many amazing songs for me “For Her” just stands out and really gave me goosebumps on the first time hearing those notes. A snippet of the song along wither another can be found on this YouTube video.

Includes my favourite  track For Her

Now to delve into the actors. I have already mentioned how impressed I was by the understudy of Alex Prakken, there are some very large Jeremy Jordan sized shoes to fill but he filled them and some. The next is Eva Noblezada who if you watched the above link you would have seen and may recognise due to her multiple award nominations over the years. Again she did not disappoint the passion and vocals were breathtaking. I was sum what surprised that it seemed the main character was in fact Nick and not Jay Gatsby as a result Noah J. Ricketts had a lot more time on stage and some great dedicated songs more than I was expecting which was performed effortlessly. While browsing the cast list before the show, the name of Eric Anderson stood out to me as I watched him in the original broadway cast of Pretty Woman a few years ago. I was surprised that he was not as heavily used in this production especially in the first half but was pleasantly surprised when he opened the second act as Meyer Wolfsheim. Overall all four main characters as well as the supporting roles and ensemble were faultless.

Overall this is an amazing new Broadway musical with everything you expect from a broadway spectacle with amazing ensemble pieces, duets, breathtaking solos. With amazing music and lyrics that hint at the 1920s era but somehow keep a very Morden broadway musical theatre feel. All using an amazing set and prop design.

I give this production 4.5 out of 5 stars. A must see for the incredible set and prop design and amazing music and lyrics. I expect to be rewatching this when it undoubtedly transfers to the West End.

Further information of “The great Gatsby broadway musical” can be found on their website.

Job on broadway

Here is my first broadway review on this site. If you have read my About me page you will be aware that a New York and broadway visit is a bi annual trip for me. Within hours of touching down in JFK and arriving at my hotel in Time Square I was making my way to The Hayes Theater which was around the corner from my hotel.

The Hayes Theater 10th October 2024

The first production of this trip was a play. The other three productions scheduled for the rest of the weekend are all new musicals. The play in question is “Job”. Which opened on Broadway on 15th July 2024 after a lot of off broadway success, The production is on a limited run and as a result closes on 27th October 2024. The show is written by Max Wolf Friedlich and stars Peter Friedman and Sydney Lemmon more on them later. Once again like many plays on the West End and Broadway this was a straight though play with no interval and a total running time of 80 minutes. As mentioned in previous reviews I am a big fan of this format especially for a production as intense as this. However having a 19:00 start time (Well 19:10, if you know you know. Anyone who has seen a Broadway show will be aware). It did mean thatI was back at my hotel bar writing this review well before 21:00.

View from Orchestra Row E Seat 111

After receiving my Playbill from the always enthusiastic usher I took my seat in the orchestra Row E Seat 111. A brief note on the playbill itself. When initially handed it I was somewhat surprise by the strange cover sheet as it differed from the norm that I have seen in the past. On closer inspection I discovered that Playbill are celebrating their 140 year anniversary and as a result had around four or five “alternative” covers. Mine was of a 70s vibe. I was pleased to eventually realise that the current/ modern playbill cover was located on the inside cover. Both version for the playbil cover can be seen below:

Left: Alternative 1970 cover Right: Modern cover

After booking the ticket a matter of hours before, during the very drawn out taxi ride from JFK to Manhattan I was luckily to obtain a single seat ticket in a very good location. This seat only added to the authentic feeling of the production. As soon as the house lights went down you are transported to be a fly on the wall to a therapist session/meeting. With a very dramatic opening scene in which the therapist is being held at gun point by the patient. I am concuios that I don’t want to provide any major spoilers for this show. Apart from the fact there is a twist at the end however I will refrain from providing the details of said twist. Just in case you are lucky enough to see this or any future version of this production.

The show running time of 80 minutes makes much more sense when you release the context of the show and also lends to the authenticity of making you feel you really are observing a real therapy session. This authenticity is also continued by the fact the staging (shown above) does not change throughout the whole production. There is no set changes what so ever. At most the chairs are moved from their original spots. Again showing what i imagine a happens in a real theory session. The set design as you can see from above is simple however very effective, I especially liked the floating ceiling mould to depict the top of the room and almost frame the whole stage.

Throughout the 80 minutes we are drip fed information about not only the patient Jane but the therapist Loyd. By the end we discover that Jane works for a big tech company and is the “first line of defence” for online filtering. The audience are given a small insight into the way the internet and social media is filtered mainly by bots. But when the algorithm is unable to come to a conclusion a human has to watch and review the content to make a final call. We learn through quite graphic description the kind of things that Jane not only has been exposed to but is expected to experience on a daily basis to produce the first line of defence. She sees it so the general public don’t. We also learn that Jane has more recently taken on confronting some of the contents creators in a vigilante esc campaigns. As the audience is slowly feed Jane’s background and experience we expectedly assume this is why she is in this therapy session because of her JOB. The big tech company who is imposing a therapist sign off for her return to office after she suffered a viral breakdown. We learn a little but crucially enough about Loyd, he is divorced with two young children a young boy and a young daughter who committed sucide at a young age. We later discover why this could have occurred.

Throughout the session/production Jane raises and mentions lots of challenges and issues that face not only her generation (Millennial) but anyone and everyone who is impacted and connected via the internet. This challenges and issues include the expectation that social media put on individuals along with racism and politics views of the class system of not only the country (US) but the world as a whole, as well as abortion. The ability to put this challenges across and develop such an intense building production all within less than 80 minutes is credit to the writer Max Wolf Friedlich. The show especially during the first half has some very well written dark humour which slowly gets turned on its head to become a very dark and intense final ten to fifteen minutes of the show. The audience go from laughs to audible gasps of realisation within the final few scenes of the show. Again I do not want to provide any spoilers but I really was on the edge of my seat for the last ten minutes. Which brings me nicely onto the ending.

The ending is left up to the audience interpretation and I can not give opinion of which way it would go without spoiling it. In one hand I like the opening ended/ open to interpretation ending as it means each audience member potentially has a different conclusion to one another. However on the other hand not having a black and white clear conclusion does make me feel like we are robed of a truly dramatic finish. Maybe the unknown is more impactful, it defenelty made me think on my short walk back to by hotel.

There is one aspect of the production I have to touch on and this is the lighting. Even though the set does not change the lighting for the most part is the same however it along with sound effects are brilliantly used to symbolise Jane’s panics attacks which occur multiple times throughout the session. The use of total blackouts outs and square light blocks on the back stage wall with load sound thuds. Transform you from the fly on the wall of the theorist office to inside Jane’s mind and the pure panic and confusion that is happening in her head during the session. The stark contrast between the office lighting and the dark thoughts in Jane’s head are really effective with the first transisation being a true jump scare for the audience.

Before I conclude the review I have to touch on and mention the two main and only members of the cast. The fact that it is only two actors on stage together from start to finish and able to create such a rollercoaster of emotions without fancy set changes or other cast members is a credit in itself. First Loyd is portrayed by Peter Friedman of Succession fame as well as lots of other stage and screen productions. He has the ability to instantly convince the audience he is a theorist but maybe with a difference. I had no doubt in the way he portrayed himself throughout the encounter with Jane that this was a theorist from his mannerisms to the amazing script. It all added to the authenticity of the production. This played perfectly opposite Sydney Lemmon who was playing the role of Jane. We easily get drawn into the trauma that Jane has and really feel compassion for her even though the opening scene is her holding her therapist at gun point. The ability of Sydney who no surprise orginaited this role to be able to take the audience on this rollercoaster thoughout the script is a credit to her.

Overall I give this production 4 out of 5 stars. You become a fly on the wall of the most dramatic therapist session you will ever experience. From laughs to audible gasps of realisation. A extremely well written 80 minute play that brings you on a roller coaster where you get to choose the conclusion.

You can check out “Job” on their website which includes all their socials