[JonnyBoy]

Okay, so I did a mini-review a few months back of some shows I saw on a trip to London. I thought I might post again on my latest outing to the capital; I crammed 5 shows into 4 days and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Hope the following mini-reviews are useful for those considering the shows or are of interest to people in general:

Oliver!

This is full of great tunes and largely they are executed very nicely. The only problem was my attention wasn’t really held between the big numbers and I found myself simply waiting for the next song to start. Some of the scenes, e.g. the couple in the workhouse (I forget their names) are unnecessary, tedious and play for extremely cheap laughs, while touching on ‘humour’ that is surely not entirely appropriate for a family audience (‘puppies’ etc...). The Oliver, Gwion, was good, Jodie Prenger was good as Nancy (although the role doesn’t involve much) and I enjoyed Burn Gorman’s Bill Sykes. The show was stolen though by Rowan Atkinson; a masterclass in comic acting. Yes, it bordered on Mr Bean, but he played Fagin well and added his own twist (pun intended). He was always entertaining and my eyes rarely left him on stage. His ‘Reviewing The Situation’ was a highlight of the show. I must also say the sets are marvellous. I would urge people to see Oliver! before Rowan Atkinson leaves as, for me, he made the show. Without him, it would have been a solid, entertaining show, but Atkinson pushes it into special territory.

Phedre

A last-minute decision was made to see this. I bought a £5 standing ticket but spied an empty seat as the lights were dimming so could sit throughout, although at the back of the circle (but for a fiver I’m certainly not complaining). I am not used to being so far from the actors, I feel more involved at the very front where I can study the faces. Up in the circle, despite not being able to see facial expressions, the sound was surprisingly good and not a word was missed. As the curtain rose I was struck by the set; simple stonework that had a real Greek feel to it. The lighting was astonishing as it created shadows and an intense beam of sunlight across the stage. I really felt I was there in the heat. This combined with the sound effects provided an ominous atmosphere that grew in tension throughout. The acting was good uniformly; solid and I wouldn’t pick out a single person. Mirren was good and strong but gave a performance that did not move us to ovate or be overwhelmed. The story was powerful and held my attention especially in the last half hour. 2 hours straight through is a long time and I did check my watch several times; perhaps an interval could have been placed where Theseus returns, a good dramatic end to a first half? Anyway, I enjoyed this and was glad to have seen it for the price. Would I have been happy to pay full price? Perhaps not, as it is rather tedious in places and doesn’t immediately hold your attention. You have to work with it to reap rewards; listen carefully to the dialogue, as it is rather beautiful and poetic in places. Absorb the atmosphere and carefully follow the characters’ connections with each other. You may then find you’ll become engrossed in it.

A Doll’s House

We obtained recently released seats for the sold-out run at the Donmar in the extreme side circle. £18 is a bargain for them and you are very close to the actors (even though you may be looking at the backs of heads in some speeches). Toby Stephens and Gillian Anderson make a believable and interesting couple to watch. I cared for Gillian Anderson’s character and thus the story had emotional impact. (Has she ever fallen over after that spinning dance?) The secret and the letter in the mail-box provided a thriller aspect to the play and it held my attention throughout. The end was perhaps slightly disappointing – I knew how it ended before seeing it but it didn’t feel as dramatic as it should have been (although at the time it was written the ending would surely have been more shocking). As always, the Donmar set was engaging and it offers the best acting to price ratio in the West End. Where else can you be at such close proximity to such fine actors for under £20 for a full-price ticket bought in advance? Very few places I expect can offer this.

A Little Night Music

I loved Sunday In The Park With George and was keen to see this. I was not disappointed. The set was beautiful and the acting and singing by all was excellent. I am still so impressed by the lyrics of Sondheim’s musicals; they never let you rest on your laurels, are always engaging, surprising and witty. The cast pulled them off perfectly and I was most impressed by Jessie Buckley making her debut. She was perfect for the part and am now glad she did not win the role of Nancy (I feel she has in a way bettered the Oliver! winner, Jodie, as the role is much more meaty, interesting and involving). Her singing was excellent and she is talented at playing humour and seriousness. Hannah Waddingham’s Send In The Clowns was touching and her voice soaring over the words along with Alexander Hanson was emotional. Maureen Lipman offered the musical’s closing moments and it was done in a beautifully realistic, poignant way. Any fan of serious musicals will surely love this and it has yet again proved to me how powerful the ‘serious musical’ can really be (compared to the ‘juke-box musical’). Bravo!

War Horse

My second time seeing this marvellous piece (first time round in the Olivier) did not disappoint. At the National, I was seated far away and the spectacle was great. Here I was in front row and I enjoyed it even more than the first time. It is here you feel the horses are alive – their breathing, head twitches etc... are remarkable. You can either watch the actors operating the horses or the horse as a whole (the latter is much easier than it sounds – I am amazed how human and horse puppet work as one and you forget at times they are expertly controlled by actors). The interplay between horse and human, horse and horse, horse and goose (!) is subtle and completely believable and just watching the horse acknowledge a human brings a tear to one’s eye. On top of all this, the spectacle is incredible. A charge into battle is expertly done and breath-taking as the horses and riders fall, the change from young to adult Joey is beautifully done, the tank and barbed wire episodes are thrilling and the end to the first act is electrifying. It is amazing how the show can work for adults and children alike, be poignant, educational, thrilling, funny, inventive...(I could go on and on). My only criticism is the leader of the English troops (effing this, effing that) – it sits uncomfortably in the play – is it meant to be serious or farce? The humour isn’t needed there and I think it was a bad decision to keep it in; it just felt awkward to watch that bit but that is a minor criticism in this phenomenal piece. I could watch the horses close up for hours and the whole production is as thrilling and moving as one could hope for. A real must see!

Sorry for the length of this. I enjoy writing about what I’ve seen and hope it is useful and interesting for some of you.

[Rain]

Fantastic reviews. Thanks for that Jonnyboy.

[meerkat]

Thank you Johhny Boy- I think you have convinced me to book up for War Horse -not sure about the others at the moment- I already have tickets booked for Forbidden Broadway, Sister Act, Little Night Music, Shall we Dance and Jekyll and Hyde- and am considering Blink and Jersey Boys, so my purse needs a little breather!

[Job]

I wish more people would post things like this. Thank you.

Can't agree with you about the Regimental Sergeant Major in War Horse, though. Such a dark play cries out for a few threads of comic relief and he does the job admirably. I've seen it three times now, and every time the audience has seized on the Goose in Act One and the RSM in Act Two. And just remember how much the audience laughs at Albert's line "at least she's supposed to look like a horse" when he's in the trenches: it's all the funnier because of the grim setting from which it arises.

Job

[Weez]

As with anything involving humour, I think the opinions are going to be completely subjective. While there's obviously a lot of people who are looking for something funny to cling onto and give them a bit of a lift during a dark play, there's also a lot of people (myself included) who'd quite happily see the Gravediggers and the Porter reduced to non-speaking cameos.

Although with regards to JonnyBoy's point here, I've seen War Horse a few times now (although I haven't seen it at the New London yet, so my thoughts here may not be completely spot-on), and the RSM has become more cartoonish and exaggerated each time. It's possible to be funny without going completely over-the-top. Indeed, it's often funnier if you *don't* go completely over-the-top.