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Sister Act
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Music by ALAN MENKEN. Lyrics by GLENN SLATER. Book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, and additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane.
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society/company: WWOS (West Wickham Operatic Society)
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performance date: 15 Nov 2019
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venue: Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley, Kent BR1 1HA
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 Whenever I see Sister Act I’m struck by what a warm and affirmative piece it is. Deloris is a bit of a failure in the night club world but against the odds she’s a huge success in the convent where, eventually, she finds all the love and friendship she has previously lacked. In a hilariously unconventional way she finds a niche and I think that’s where the underlying strength of the show lies. And all this is in very competent hands with the well practised West Wickham Operatic Society.
Janine Kelly, who plays Deloris, leads two gospel choirs in real life so she brings terrific confident authenticity to the singing – and the development of the nuns into a famous choir – in this production. She sways, sashays, flirts, quips and yet presents a troubled rounded human being underneath it all. And her voice is a real delight. Alison Rich is outstanding as Mother Superior. You might even say ‘superior’. It’s a lovely part full of self questioning and depth as well as human anxiety and irritation. Rich has a beautiful mezzo voice, speaks with very appropriate simple clarity and works intelligently with everyone she interacts with. As the young Sister Mary Robert who in suddenly unsure of her vocation, Ellen Gauntlett richly deserved the big cheer she got at the end of the performance I saw. She sings like a nightingale and finds a very appealing innocent earnestness in the role. Even her ankle socks are poignant. This show is directed – and well directed – by WWOS stalwart Kevin Gauntlett who also plays Monsignor O’Hara. I marvel at how he can direct and cast himself in such a major part (as well as having a demanding day job) although he makes a good job of both. We could, however do without his warm-up intro before each of the two acts. It feels like a self-indulgent bit of panto practice. One of the most memorable features of this enjoyable and uplifting production is the size of the female ensemble. It consists of 34 nuns plus the six who have specific named roles. It enables Danielle Dowsett to do some very slick but expansive work with the choreography because the playing space at the Churchill is large and, on this occasion, there was real scope to make the most of it. |
| First published by Sardines: http://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/reviews/review.php?REVIEW-WWOS%20(West%20Wickham%20Operatic%20Society)-Sister%20Act&reviewsID=3778 |
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Extremism
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by Anders Lustgarten
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society/company: West End & Fringe
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performance date: 13 Nov 2019
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venue: Theatre Peckham, 221 Havil Street, London SE5 7SD
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⭐⭐⭐⭐Rarely have I felt so shocked and distressed at the end of play and it’s a huge credit to director Suzann McLean and her cast of ten accomplished young professionals that they could have done this to me, a seasoned and hard bitten theatregoer, in only 45 minutes. Anders Lustgarten’s powerful play, originally written for National Theatre Connections, explores the dynamic in a secondary school classroom when everyone starts thinking about extremism. It opens when the teacher has just left the room with one Muslim boy and two policeman who have come to the school. The other pupils don’t know why although they soon guess: this is Prevent, the Governmental anti-terrorism programme in action. It advises people such as teachers, doctors and nurses to be eyes on the ground and report their suspicions of radicalisation. The students, of course, have ten different personalities and come from a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds. They are a microcosm of everyday inner city life. The whole studio space is set out as a classroom so that every audience member is, peripherally, part of the class. They rib each other and banter but when does banter become bullying and when does bullying become racism? A long time before the profoundly shocking assault on the Muslim girl, Suhayla (Asha Hassan – outstanding) the horror of which is still nagging at me as I write this review two hours after the show went down. Situations can escalate so fast – it’s hideously realistic theatre. Every actor in this cast is good and they work very energetically bouncing off each other relentlessly. Marlo Rye, for example, is strong as the very articulate Darren parroting – and trying out – the racist arguments he has heard from the adults in his life. Denneil Dunbar does a lovely job as the usually reasonable, bright Chris and I liked Kingsley Sowole’s work as the gentle giant of the group. Nanci Love excels as Rachel, who quickly becomes heady with hatred and Nadezhda Stoycheva dancing around, eyes glittering, refusing to return the stolen hijab will stay with me for quite a while. The purpose of this work is to encourage audiences, especially young audiences to reflect on these issues and the speed with which things can get out of hand. There is a short workshop and Q/A session after each performance. The one I attended brought some very perceptive contributions and questions. |
| First published by Sardines: http://www.sardinesmagazine.co.uk/reviews/review.php?REVIEW-West%20End%20&%20Fringe-Extremism&reviewsID=3774 |
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Stop Kiss
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by Diana Son. Produced by Kylie Vilcins for Above The Stag Theatre.
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society/company: West End & Fringe
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performance date: 12 Nov 2019
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venue: Above the Stag Theatre, 72 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, London SE1 7TP
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⭐⭐⭐⭐Another interesting, thoughtful piece at London’s only space dedicated to exploring LGBTQ related work, Stop Kiss is well worth catching. We’re in New York City in the early 2000s where two professional women – one a teacher and the other a weather station radio presenter – meet. Each has a strong heterosexual past and the gradual discovery that they are drawn to each other surprises them both. It’s a snappily written narrative studded with flashforwards (as opposed to flashbacks) because eventually they become the victims of an appalling incident. This 100-minute, straight through, play skilfully builds the tension by feeding information to the audience in small dollops. The most striking thing about the show is the quality of acting which director Rafaella Marcus has coaxed out of her cast of six: three women and three men. The best acting is, of course, “invisible” because it’s so naturalistic that you quickly become totally convinced. And that’s certainly the case here. Kara Taylor Alberts as Sara and Suzanne Boreel as Callie are awkward with each other for a long time and that’s perfectly caught – especially when they spend a night in the same bed for “sensible” non-sexual reasons so they chat inconsequentially and the tension is palpable. Matt Brewer as Detective Cole has exactly the right edginess for a New York cop who has seen it all. Rebecca Crankshaw doubles a concerned neighbour and a kindly hospital nurse with very believable warmth. Ashley D Gayle is strong as Callie’s decent (sort of) on and off boyfriend/ best friend and I love the way Alfie Webster’s Peter uses silences and micro facial expressions to convey feelings he can barely hold in. The staging is neat too – designed by Anna Reid. We’re in Callie’s untidy flat on a slightly raised dais. The flashforward scenes take place in the annular space around the dais so the distinction is clear. My only caveat is that this is (sadly) a timeless play and it could very easily have been set in 2019. It needs only the tiniest tweaks – replace the dated landline with a mobile, use an iPad instead of a CD player and alter the one or two date references in the text. As it is the period detail, such as it is, feels a bit laboured and unnecessary. |
 First published by Sardines:
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What was it Bob Dylan used to sing about “The times they are a’changing?” I don’t think he meant drama schools but it certainly seems to apply at the moment.
Take audition fees. No one should have to pay to apply for a higher education or training place in any field. Yet, audition fees have long been standard because the largest schools, which see thousands of candidates every year, find it a useful income stream. Well you know – I’ve said it enough times before – what I think of the morality of that.
Two cheers then for LAMDA which has just slashed its first round audition fee to £12. It’s a pity they continue to charge £45 for recalls (“We think you might be in with a chance so now pay up”?) but it’s a start. And where LAMDA leads there is a reasonable chance that other famous colleges will follow. Meanwhile Read College in Reading tells me that it too charges only £12.00. Fourth Monkey (of which more below) is now not charging at all.
The best idea in my view, comes courtesy of TheMTA, a small college which punches well above its weight with a fine track record, founded by Annemarie Lewis Thomas in 2009. Based in north London, the college caps its audition numbers so it has to guard against the no-shows which free auditions might cause. The solution they’ve come up with is to charge a returnable deposit for auditions: you pay up front but get it back once you’ve attended your audition. Genius. I hope all drama schools and colleges are listening.
I’ve followed the development of Fourth Monkey since Steve Green founded it as a training company in 2010. It is now based in its own very businesslike premises (“The Monkey House” near Finsbury Park) where it runs its original one year course as well as a two year course so students can do a full three year training if they wish.
Fourth Monkey has just announced that it is validating its two-year actor training programme in partnership with TEF Gold Standard Falmouth University – to offer an accelerated, 2-year degree course. The accelerated BA (Hons) Acting degree (provided the validation process is finalised) is auditioning now for entry in September 2020.
That’s good news, I think, for two reasons. First Falmouth University runs highly regarded actor training of its own so, unlike many universities, it really does understand the issues. Second, this will give Fourth Monkey students, for the first time, access to funding and support such as student loans.
“With an alumni employment rate of 84% across all media, from stage to TV and film to radio, Fourth Monkey’s graduates can be seen plying their trade throughout the world” Steve Green told me recently.
Then there’s American Musical Theatre Academy (AMTA). Originally based only in London, it’s another school whose fortunes I’ve followed almost from the beginning.
Like Fourth Monkey it celebrates its tenth year in 2020. It is now an international academy with schools in London, New York, Rome and Belfast so its new name is ICMT (International College of Musical Theatre). Co-founder Kenneth Avery-Clark tells me: “We are adding a new degree pathway through Middlesex University, London as a training option.” That, of course, means available students loans and other facilities.
I have long argued – and there aren’t many in the industry who would disagree with me – that you don’t need a degree to be an employable performer. If you can sing the song, dance the dance and entrance the audience no one will care about what certificates you have in your desk drawer. No, it’s all about money. Once a college goes down the accredited degree route students no longer have to self-fund.
Change is definitely in the wind. The schools I’ve mentioned here are just examples. I shall be surprised if there isn’t more news along similar lines from elsewhere in the next few weeks.
In other contexts I often argue, like Henry Ford, that if it aint broke don’t fix it but there is a lot in vocational performing arts education which has been “broke” for decades. Thank goodness a few people are, at last, taking note and doing a bit of fixing. A new trend towards increased accessibility? Fingers crossed.
10 November
The high spot of this concert was the Budapest Café Orchestra Selected Medley when Christian Garrick, David Gordon, Richard Pryce, Tom Hooper, Eddie Hession and Adrian Zolotuhin played without the BPO strings who sat in rapt admiration. With lovely folksy panache they weren’t, at times, a million miles from the vibrant ceilidh band my dad used to lead. Rapport and exuberance, lots of shouts of “hey” with accelerandi to ridiculous tempi made it tremendous fun. The presto sections were interspersed with schmultzy slow bits and witty musical “chats” between players and all played without notation exactly as my father always insisted dance music must be.
The rest of the concert consisted of a number of other pieces of different lengths, two composed by Garrick himself. Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Brighton Aires, which dates from the late 1960s in various forms is almost a concerto grosso. Garrick began by playing close to the bridge to create a scratchy sound and I admired his rhythmic harmonics. The Invierno movement is particularly listenable although it owes a lot to Pachelbel’s Canon and I couldn’t help wondering whether Andrew Lloyd Webber lifted one of the Jesus Christ Superstar themes from here. The piece also, played enthusiastically here, references Vivaldi.
John Dankworth’s Violin Concerto, written for Garrick has been performed only once before so perhaps I can be forgiven for never having heard of it. The most interesting thing about it is the way it uses amplified violin (Garrick also uses an acoustic instrument and a fully electric one in this concert) and provides plenty of scope for some fine virtuoso playing. Its components are a bit disparate however. There are some quite interesting passages but they don’t seem to flow one from another.
This concert was a new departure for BPO – presumably an experimental attempt to entice new audience members. Those who were there seemed thrilled with the programme but, sadly, the Dome was barely half full.
First published by Lark Reviews: http://www.larkreviews.co.uk/?p=5672
London Coliseum, 9 November 2019
For a production that has been around since the mid-1980s Jonathan Miller’s Mikado is vibrant, fresh and fun. Elaine Tyler-Hall has clearly made an accomplished job of reviving it.
So what distinguishes it? The traditional trappings have gone and we’re in a 1930s hotel although the material is so strong it really doesn’t matter where you set it. It’s a visual feast of black and white and it is a feat of directorial genius to have a troop of twelve dancers in addition to the singing chorus because it enables all sorts of sparky choreography with the tap dancing in both finales being a real tour de force.
Interestingly though, Gilbert’s libretto is almost intact with only very minor adjustments such as the substitution of a “slow suburban” train for the now meaningless parliamentary one. In general it’s still as funny as it ever was and it’s good to see that respected. It’s also pleasing to hear people, who presumably aren’t particularly familiar with the piece, laughing not just at performers doing clever things but at Gilbert’s wit.
Richard Suart is back in harness writing a new “Little List” for every performance and of course it’s a show stopper. He knows how to squeeze every ounce of humour from every nuanced word of the rest of his part too and looks suitably absurd with that floppy back wig centrally parted. John Tomlinson looks suitably tyrannical in a colonial white suit and Panama hat, his enormous stature dwarfing everyone on stage. His gravelly bass voice is just the job too.
There are no weak links among the principals – this is ENO after all – but I think it’s the quality of the choral singing which really makes this production stand out. Every note of the harmony is gloriously incisive and resonant.
It’s also a joy to hear Sullivan played by such a large and competent pit band (Conductor: Chris Hopkins) which brings out the musical jokes as well as playing the whole score beautifully. I was also delighted to be allowed to listen to the overture properly too, without the visual trappings most directors seem to clutter it up with too.
As a production, the performance I saw was hugely enjoyable but not flawless. Because Richard Suart has to read his List – or at least consult his notes – presumably because he hasn’t had time to learn it, he and the orchestra were seriously out of sync. There were timing problems in The Mikado’s song too and in one or two other places. These are very minor gripes though. It’s a magnificent show
First published by Lark Reviews: http://www.larkreviews.co.uk/?p=5666
Glyndebourne Tour: Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
Last month my granddaughter, aged 8, saw this production at Glyndebourne. It was her first opera but she was well prepared because the company had done some outreach work in her Brighton primary school (Hurrah!). She was thrilled with the production and having now seen it I can see why. It is huge fun and immaculately well staged and sung.
The oblique frontage to Adina’s house provided by Les Brotherston’s set leaves plenty of room to accommodate the large and fine chorus which Donizetti’s score makes more use of than earlier composers such as Mozart.
Nardus Williams is terrific as the attractive but hard-to-get Adina wanted in marriage by two men, one of whom is a cad (Matthew Durkan – good) and the other is clearly the one she should have (Sehoon Moon of whom more anon). Her top notes soar, her emotional control is excellent and her duets are delightful.
Moon (tenor) is boyish and very appealing dramatically. And his last famous aria, over harp and clarinet, just before Adina finally sees sense is the showstopper it should be. All in all his is a very memorable performance.
Also outstanding is Misha Kiria as the Dr Dulcamara – all those fabulous bass patter songs unfurled at high speed with clarity and insouciant panache. He looks comical too because he dwarfs everyone else.
Much of this performance reminded me of a comment made by Michael Berkeley in his recent Private Passions with psychotherapist, Philippa Perry on Radio 3. He explained to her that traditionally, before the mid nineteenth century, almost every emotion in opera was expressed in a vibrant 3/4 rhythm, (oom-pa-pa). This show is almost a case study to prove his point which is partly why it swings along so cheerfully.
I was delighted to see lots of very engaged school parties at the matinee I attended. Ironically what, I suspect, most of them will remember most is the performance by mime artist, Maxine Nourissat as Dr Dulcamara’s assistant, Puck to the other man’s Oberon. It’s a non-singing part but he commands the stage for every second he’s on it whether he’s dancing, prancing, twitching, gesturing, “talking” with his very expressive hands or twirling an umbrella in the colours of the Italian flag.
First published by Lark Reviews: http://www.larkreviews.co.uk/?cat=3
31 October 2019, Islington
Paul Fincham, composer of The Little Princess, which premiered at Garsington Opera at Wormsley this summer invited me to this private recital by Serbian pianist Ljubica Stojanic in his Islington home. I joined about 30 other like minded people – mostly Fincham’s friends, colleagues and people who sing with him in the London Philharmonic Choir.
It’s a novel joy to hear and enjoy salon music played in a salon. We sat in rows at one end of the house’s large all-through sitting room which Fincham uses as a studio and music room. Stojanic played Bach’s French Overture in its rather lovely entirety including all the movements which are usually omitted. With the piano lid open and Stojanic facing her audience it became a very engaging experience because we felt the music with her intimately. I admired the way she managed the varied moods, time signatures and tempi with thoughtful silent links. She is, moreover, mistress of Baroque decoration. Rarely have I heard so many grace notes and turns.
Then we repaired to Fincham’s generously proportioned kitchen/dining basement area for a delicious supper (some of the best vegetarian food I’ve ever been offered) before going back upstairs and fast-forwarding nearly 300 years for Rachmaninoff Preludes Op 23. It was a good choice because they’re a varied set of pieces and Stojanic gave us plenty of colour and mood change all played with precision and warmth. She ran very dramatically with the famous, bouncy number 5 in G minor which worked particularly well after the more lyrical one which preceded it.
The great advantage of hearing this music in a very small space (and with an informed audience) is that you can really hear and appreciate the slow dying away of notes at the end of sections until the release of the sustaining pedal. It fosters attentive listening.
All in all this was a very congenial informal recital and I hope we hear a lot more of the talented Stojanic, still only 24, in the future.
First published by Lark Reviews: http://www.larkreviews.co.uk/?cat=3