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Susan’s Bookshelves: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

When I was teaching English I always listened carefully to my students’ accounts of what they were reading and quite often read their recommendations as a way of a) demonstrating my open-mindedness b) teaching respect and c) keeping up to date with the tastes of young people. Then, if I didn’t like what I’d read I was in a position to explain why, and I hoped, to model critical reading.

I was reminded forcibly of all that when my second granddaughter, 22, came to stay with me recently. She and her older sister are, I learned, very keen on Colleen Hoover, of whom,I had to admit, I had never heard. Still open-minded and no literary snob, I promptly ordered It Ends With Us which was published in 2016.

When I began to read, my heart sank. Set in Boston, Mass it’s a first person narrative presenting a young woman, Lily, who starts her own business, gets into an abusive relationship, and hankers for a gentle lad she knew as a teenager. That’s enough about the plot because you might decide to read it and you won’t thank me for spoilers.

My initial reaction was that it’s badly written: “Like all the air is being let out of his heart” or “my blood feels like it’s bubbling”. The narrative method is clumsy. As means of filling in the details of Lily’s backstory we are treated to lengthy extracts from unsent letters the teenage Lily wrote to a TV presenter which form a quasi-journal which she rereads now as an adult. And the characterisation is miserably shallow. Ryle is a stereotypical dishy doctor with issues and a good salary, Atlas is implausibly saintly and Allysa so jolly decent that you wish she’d do something reprehensible because, as it is, she’s a cardboard cut-out.  And to name her unfortunate child “Rylee” after her brother is nauseating. The vocabulary gets repetitive in places too. I soon wearied of the word “cute”. Moreover there’s quite a lot of sex which is tediously and unsexily described.  In terms of literary merit it sits somewhere between Flowers in the Attic and Fifty Shades of Grey. Nonetheless I plodded on out of fairness to my granddaughters.

Well, this novel is over 370 pages long and when I got into the final 60 pages or so I began, to my surprise, to warm to it a little when I realised Hoover’s quite serious purpose. Through her narrator, she is exploring the complex mindset of someone who is in an abusive marriage but still loves the abuser and knows that he loves her. Such a situation is nothing like as straightforward as “He hit me so I’m leaving” which is how outsiders, who don’t have this experience, usually expect it to be. There are some very confused and confusing emotions and anxieties, not least about children forced to grow up in abusive householders. Moreover, if love still draws you it’s extremely hard to quit. And when you get to the very end and read Hoover’s authorial note you learn that her own father was abusive and discover how that panned out for her family. That, of course, is why, when she eventually reaches the nub of her novel, it suddenly feels truthful.  I ended up, therefore, being quite glad I’d read it although I shan’t, I’m afraid, be adding Hoover to my list of favourite authors.

Next week on Susan’s Bookshelves: The Koran: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Cook

The Importance of Being Oscar

Micheal Mac Liammoir

Original Theatre & Reading Rep Theatre

Jermyn Street Theatre

 Star rating: 3

Photograph by Marc Brenner

Liammoir’s sombre 1960 play is a biography of Oscar Wilde presented by a single actor: Alastair Whatley is this calm, arguably understated, revival.

Wearing a gorgeous burnt orange three piece velvet suit (costume and set design by Madeleine Girling) Whatley unfolds the life of Wilde in the third person and impersonates him, quite gently, as the story unfolds. We meet the colourful camp man who couldn’t wait to leave Ireland, writes poetry, marries, becomes a successful playwright, fathers two sons, gets into relationships with young men and is eventually imprisoned for homosexuality. Whatley also depicts other characters such as the judge who sentenced Wilde.

The emphasis is on Wilde’s writing and the text includes, among other things, quite long extracts from The Importance of Being Earnest, De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol along with a semi-dramatisation of The Portrait of Dorian Grey. Whatley makes them funny or moving as required and Chris Davey’s imaginative lighting helps to heighten the mood especially during De Profundis.

There is, however, almost no dramatic tension in the mix. I understood (mainly from Richard Ellman’s excellent 1987 biography) that the two years of hard labour Wilde was sentenced to was what broke his health and caused his early death.  But it is made nothing of in this play. Wilde was devastated to have all contact with his children severed and although it is mentioned, it too could perhaps be made more of.

Sensitively directed by Michael Fentiman, this play is interesting, if low-key, and it’s fun to hear all those familiar Wildean aphorisms worked in (“I have nothing to declare but my genius”). Whatley, moreover, is a competent actor who inhabits the role and is to be congratulated on an astonishing feat of memorisation. This play runs for over 100 minutes in two halves and must be very demanding to do.

It’s a pleasing enough show in its way but it isn’t likely to set many fires alight.

Stiletto

Lyrics and music by Matthew Wilder

Book by Tim Luscombe

Directed by David Gilmore

Charing Cross Theatre until 15 June

 

Star rating: 2

 

A new musical about the horrors of 18th century castration of young boys is unlikely fare for a warmish Monday night but it’s a good way of testing one’s open mindedness.

Ceci Calf’s shadowy set really encapsulates the murky atmosphere of Venice in the 1730s and converts neatly enough to a noble salon with the wheeling on of chandeliers. The orchestra (MD Jae Alexander) seated on a balcony above are partly visible through two big arched windows and that works very well, especially for the harp.

Then comes the creaky  plot. Marco (Jack Chambers) has been “sold” to the Church by his impoverished parents for castration at the age of eight to preserve his treble voice. This was common practice involving around 5000 boys a year so that the church could furnish its choirs with adult sopranos at a time when girls and women were not allowed to perform. A handful of these boys acquired star status and that is the future envisaged for Marco.

The narrative, however is shot through with complicating issues such as Marco’s apparently pretty active bisexuality – yes, some men can enjoy sex even after full orchidectomy although it is usually low key. Marco’s enthusiasm doesn’t quite ring true although his anger is understandable. Also in the mix is the frustration of talented women such as Gioia (Jewelle Hutchinson – third time I’ve seem her in action and she’s good) who want to perform and aren’t allowed to. Then, just to complicate things further Gioia is black and therefore completely beyond the pale as far as the nobility are concerned. And there’s a sub plot involving Marco’s companion Nicolo, who has what would now be called post-traumatic mutism, which is never fully developed. On top of that is a another subplot about an innocent woman who’s about to be hanged for murder – although we all know she won’t be.  There’s far too much going on in this show.

Max Wilder’s dialogue seems forced and unnatural especially in the first half in which there’s a lot of declamatory shouting. I like, the way, however that it drops into rhyme and then, almost imperceptibly into song. The music, however, is a problem although it’s beautifully played.  It’s good enough in its way but we’ve heard most of this score before. It comes with many echoes of Oliver!, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Hamilton and Jesus Christ Superstar to name but a few. That, of course, is the very reason why this show might just catch on – some audience members will enjoy the sound of something which sounds comfortably familiar. Best to try, however, not to hear lyrics such as “Shaken as you were, like a kitten you did purr” although you’ll be hard put to miss them because the diction is unusually clear.

Greg Barnett puts in a good performance as Faustino, Marco’s promoter and soon-to-be-ex lover. And Kelly Hampson is pleasing as Azzura who spots Marco, wants to support Gioia and stands up to her own appalling husband Pietro (Douglas Hensell – strong)

There’s a large ensemble in this show and a great deal of walking on and off as in an amateur G&S production although each individual does a reasonable job and there are some quite nice choreographic groupings.

The trouble with a show about someone who is supposed to have exceptional talent is that somehow you have to present that talent convincingly. Stiletto uses a female mezzo double for Marco and, as a device, it falls disappointingly flat because he sings in a perfectly decent but standard tenor voice at other times.  Surely they could have cast a male actor who could have done this in showpiece falsetto? After all Sasha Regan finds plenty of them for her productions of, say, The Pirates of Penzance or HMS Pinafore.

Providers

Ambreen Razia

Directed by Esther Baker

Synergy Theatre Project

Brixton House Studio 2

 

Star rating: 4

 

This strongly cast, perceptively written play is moving, entertaining – and as relevant to our troubled times as it could possibly be.

Two pairs of south London siblings are each grappling with problems of money (the cost of living crisis) and the absence of parents. Who is responsible for whom and for what under these circumstances?  We see Christa and Mia at home, having not told anyone in authority that their mother has died. In parallel are Yusuf and Saleem whose parents have gone “home” to Pakistan and left Yusuf in charge. Christa has serious mental health problems and Mia, still at school, struggles to cope. Saleem is the same age as Mia and they are drawn to each other. Meanwhile Yusuf is not simply a vape shop owner. The 60 minute piece is shot through with issues, decision points and foreseeable disaster borne of the need for money – although it ends on a hopeful note.

Sunjay Midda is outstanding as Yusuf, variously angry, wheedling, violent, caring, unscrupulous but trying, in his own way, to hang on to family values. His is a very complex character who somehow needs to keep his brother and send money to his parents so the vape shop isn’t enough.  Midda also doubles – good voice work – as a teacher.

There is a fine performance from Aamira Challenger as Christa, a character which develops and eventually finds some strength. She too doubles, rather effectively, as a teacher. Adil Hassan is pleasing as Saleem, finding all the right boyishness and enthusiasm replaced by fear when he gets out of his depth. And Daniella Henry is interesting as Mia. She is very good at puzzled determination and anxiety.

Synergy Theatre Project uses theatre to transform lives and works across the criminal justice system: with prisoners, ex-prisoners, young offenders and at-risk young people. Providers has toured to schools, prisons and institutions as well as performing to school parties at Brixton House.

The cast for Providers comprises three professional actors and one who has worked with the director, Esther Baker, on projects while in prison. As she told the audience in the Q/A which followed the performance, Danielle Henry was released from prison just six weeks ago after serving four and a half years. She then came straight into this paid job – her first professional role. This is very inspiring and one hopes fervently that she gets more work soon and that every young audience member takes away the vital message that, challenging as life is, there are always choices and people who will try to help.

I discovered Daphne du Maurier when I first read Rebecca in my mid teens. I gobbled the whole of her backlist from the library and, for the next ten years or so, pounced eagerly on each new novel as it was published. Rule Britannia, which arrived in 1972, turned out to be her last. She died in 1989.

I agree with du Maurier’s biographer, Margaret Forster, that this is probably her weakest novel. Nonetheless, although until now I had read it only once, over fifty years ago, its premise is something I have often thought about. It posits an invasion of Britain by the Americans, invited by a bankrupt British government to form USUK. I need not spell out why it has sprung to mind forcibly now and why I have just reread it in horrified fascination.

Cornish residents – strong characters, all of them – are the focus. Britain has just withdrawn from the Common Market which has led to devastating economic problems. Yes, with astonishing perception, du Maurier anticipated Brexit. She was writing  a few months before January 1973 when  Britain joined the group which later became European Economic Union and finally the EU. America, of course, sees Britain as a strategic toehold in Europe. So marines arrive on the beaches of Cornwall and there’s a warship in the bay.

Mad is a feisty, determined retired actress who has brought up her granddaughter Emma, 20, from whose point of view the story is largely presented. She has also adopted six boys, unrelated to each other, and each with his own clearly drawn personality – and issues. Shades of JM Barrie’s “lost boys” and I’ve now learned that the Llewellyn boys were cousins to Daphne du Maurier. The characterisation is the strongest part of this novel whose plot is pretty creaky as the Cornish people rebel. It is worth noting, that du Maurier, set eight of her novels in Cornwall and became a Cornish nationalist.

Also in the mix is an American marine who takes a shine to Emma – because initially everyone tries to keep relations cordial. The local doctor, also a family friend, gradually comes on side and he’s very plausible. On the other hand Joe, the eldest boy who does the gardening is surprisingly articulate for someone who’s not meant to be able to read and write. And Mr Willis, the Welsh beachcomber squatting in a hut on the cliffs, is underdeveloped. He seems mysteriously helpful but Emma finds him sinister so reader desperately wants to know his back story but never gets it.

There are deaths, explosions, cover-ups, curfews and it all gets pretty implausible,  although it seems a lot closer to reality in 2025 than it did 1972 when Rule Britannia was written.  This situation with modern communications would be a thousand times worse. As it is, the Americans simply block the radio waves and cut off the phones when the locals start being troublesome. I suppose the novel is, in a sense, parody although I enjoyed the idea of building an impenetrable, pungent wall of manure to scupper Thanksgiving celebrations.

It may not be in the Rebecca league but do read, or reread, Rule Britannia for its Orwellian prescience.

Next week on Susan’s Bookshelves: It All Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Shakespeare in Love – Tower Theatre, London

Reviewer: Susan Elkin

Photo of The Reviews Hub - LondonThe Reviews Hub – LondonMarch 22, 2025

0 2 minutes read
Shakespeare In Love
 Image: Giulia Paratelli.

Adaptor: Lee Hall based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard

Director: David Taylor

The writing in Shakespeare in Love is so witty and literate that it glitters. This is Tom Stoppard, much of whose work for the 1998 film Lee Hall has ably translated to the stage, at his sparkling best. As in Travesties (1974), arguably Stoppard’s best play, the script is threaded through with quotes and references thus becoming an affectionate send-up of theatre itself.

“Give me to drink, mandagora,” says Shakespeare casually in the inn. “Anon, anon,” says Viola to her nurse. “I’ll be revenged on the whole pack of you” declares The Lord Chamberlain. Add to this effortless ingenuity Paddy Cunneen’s elegant period music, played live in this production, and you’re on to a winner almost before you start rehearsals.

Tower Theatre is very good indeed at attracting fine new talent and three leading actors in this show are appearing there for the first time. Christopher Edge excels as Will Shakespeare, variously nervous, passionate, exasperated and determined. This is an accomplished actor on top of his game giving a totally convincing performance.

Kizzy Parvin is warm, soft and delicate – but feisty – as Viola, who wants to be an actor but can’t be by law, which, of course, she defies. She gives a well-judged contrast between the “real” Viola and her character’s ability as an actor, combining sweetness and gutsiness. Then there’s James Collins, who commands the stage as Ned Alleyn, who is directing Shakespeare’s new play with forceful panache – another outstanding performance.

Also in this rich mix is Vahan Salorian who leads the music from a stage-right alcove. He is a multi-instrumentalist who really makes violin, pipe, trumpet, and guitar sound convincingly Elizabethan. As with previous shows at The Tower, there are occasional cohesion and intonation issues with the incidental ensemble choral numbers (all settings of Shakespeare songs), possibly because Salorian is not visible to most of them thanks to the fan shape of the playing area. James Collins, though, stands out again as a talented actor-muso with a very pleasing tenor voice.

This production needs, and uses a big cast, ably directed by David Taylor to make the best possible use of space and to allow every delicious line. Christopher Lloyd-Jones, for example, gives us a nervous Henslowe, Nvaron R Anderson a Christopher Marlowe who lords it over Shakespeare and Victoria Flint a suitably haughty Queen Elizabeth. Also rather delightful are the dances choreographed by Rachel Berg.

Runs until 29 March 2025

The Reviews Hub Score 4.5 stars

Warmly entertaining

This review first published by The Reviews Hub https://www.thereviewshub.com/shakespeare-in-love-tower-theatre-london/

Maidstone Symphony Orchestra 22 March 2025

Mote Hall, Maidstone

The third overture (of four)  which Beethoven wrote for Fidelio, his only opera – Leonora No 3 – is a pleasingly colourful concert opener because it tells the story so clearly. In this performance the trombones set the scene nicely in the opening dungeon scene, the off-stage trumpet nailed the triumphant drama and I admired the accuracy of the high speed string work which precedes the joyful ending.

Then came the centrepiece of the evening: Tchaikovsky’s flamboyant violin concerto and soloist Callum Smart whose modest demeanour belies his phenomenal technique. His first entry was breathtakingly mellifluous as he delivered every note with all the compelling warmth the piece demands. Wright meanwhile balanced the orchestra so that we heard a coherent conversation, including very incisive pizzicato, between soloist and players. Smart looks at the orchestra and listens attentively when he’s not playing himself and that’s very telling. The show-stopping cadenza was stunning too. How on earth does Smart find all those climactic harmonics and make then resonate so tunefully?

The tender shift into G minor for the Canzonetta movement was, as ever, a beautiful contrast: silky playing from Smart, some delightful flute work and plenty of tension in the link passage into the Finale. Smart and Wright emphasised the dynamic and rhythmic contrasts in the latter and packed the duet between soloist and orchestra with excitement. And if it wasn’t always quite together then it didn’t detract from the infectious joie-de-vivre. Smart’s impressive encore was his own arrangement of Amazing Grace – a mini masterclass in double stopping, split chords and imaginative harmonies.

Dvorak’s Symphony No 7 is always a melodic delight and MSO, now fully warmed up, more than did it justice on this occasion from the bravura brass work in the opening movement to the grandiloquence of the final page. Wright ensured there was gentle beauty in the string playing in the Poco adagio especially when  we reached the sublime cello melody and I have rarely heard this movement brought to such a sensitive conclusion. Also noteworthy was the elegantly negotiated counterpoint in the Scherzo which included strongly supportive timp work and delightful flute playing in the “trio” passage. Wright chose, rather refreshingly, to exaggerate the tempo changes in the Finale more than some conductors do and built plenty of mystery into that wonderful section which I always think sounds like theme music for a faux sinister comedy drama. Good old Dvorak.

Thanks, MSO, for yet another enjoyable concert.

Photograph credit: Patrick Allen & Roscoe Rutter 

Haydn Symphony 104

Barbara Hannigan

Academy Chamber Orchestra

Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Music

Transitioning from internationally renowned soprano to respected orchestral conductor is an unusual musical journey. Barbara Hannigan is on record as saying that as a singer she is also an actor. And, standing in for indisposed Rachel Podger, she certainly found plenty of drama in Haydn’s final London symphony at this performance which must have been a roller coaster experience for the participating students.

Second violins on the outside and cellos next to the firsts meant that we heard plenty of colourful detail directed with flamboyant fluidity. Hannigan  conducts by making expressive shape pictures with her beautiful hands rather than using a baton or doing anything as conventional as beating time, other than very occasionally. Her facial expressions are so eloquent that she is effectively acting the narrative of the music. This resulted in, for example, an exceptionally exciting development passage in the first movement. Hannigan loves Haydn and it came through in every bar.

There was plenty of tender insouciance in the adagio with a beautiful bassoon solo along with those alternating heavy statements. The decorated variation was lovely too because we really heard the second violins weaving round the texture and that can easily get lost.

The minuet and trio movement was enjoyably lively and Hannigan took the finale at a pretty nippy tempo. Her emphasis on the colourful swoops and quasi glissandi wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste but for a Friday lunchtime concert it felt pleasantly fresh. And the flute decoration was outstanding.