Pride and Prejudice- Oxford Guild Theatre

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews http://www.thepublicreviews.com/pride-and-prejudice-oxford-theatre-guild-oxford/

Peter Kenvyn Jones’ adaptation of Jane Austen’s 200 year old novel, Pride and Prejudice, stays very true to the comedy and romance of the original piece. The Oxford Theatre Guild also do justice to the story of the Bennet family, and this outdoor production, nestled in the grounds of the Trinity College Gardens, will certainly satisfy fans and will also inspire newcomers to read the novel itself.

Snuggled in an array of different coloured blankets, the audience sit around the stage as the nineteenth century Hertfordshire countryside is brought to life and we home in on the goings on of the Bennet family. While Mrs Bennet hysterically flits from one daughter to another in attempt to find each a husband, Mr Bennet sits back in exasperation while injecting dry humour in between the shrill outbursts from his wife. Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia are the five sisters all with different personalities and yet all brought up to believe their main goal in life is to find a wealthy partner. While Kitty and Lydia giggle and flirt their way through their teenage years, Mary would much prefer a book to a husband, Jane remains the calming influence on the family, and Elizabeth is the most headstrong and independent of them all. When the neighbouring Netherfield Park is let to Mr Bingley, his sister Caroline, and their friend Mr Darcy, the Bennets are thrown headfirst into a world of balls, dancing, romance, misunderstandings, and unexpected marriage proposals.

This well rounded cast have remained very loyal to the characters they are portraying. Sarah Pyper as Mary Bennet and Colin Burnie as Mr Bennet are particularly comical; Pyper’s characterisation is especially larger than life and she never fails to evoke loud laughter with her delivery of overly intellectual explanations for the different scenarios she finds herself in. Laurence Goodwin and Adam Potterton are strong leads as Elizabeth and Mr Darcy; the underlying chemistry is noticeable during all of their interactions and even when they are merely on stage at the same time, pretending not to be paying any attention to the other.

While the garden setting itself is a wonderfully immersive idea for such a play, it brings with it some sound difficulties; the conversation between Darcy and Elizabeth during the dancing scene was completely lost and inaudible to those seated stage right. Sitting in the seats at the sides also means that characters’ backs are towards you quite a few times, so I would recommend getting to the venue early to sit in the central block if you can.

Hair and costumes are very authentic, although some of the outfits could do with a bit of TLC and straightening out, but this is only really noticeable to those very close to the stage. The set is also very creative with the enlarged pages from the book in the background, and the cast members are very efficient when it comes to the scene changes.

This is a very enjoyable production in general, and is also fairly easy to follow for younger audience members and those who have not yet encountered this beloved story. Pride and Prejudice is a timeless classic that already has many rejuvenated adaptations to its name that are just as appreciated; this one is no exception.

Save The Last Dance For Me- New Theatre Oxford

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews http://www.thepublicreviews.com/save-the-last-dance-for-me-new-theatre-oxford/

While nowadays we dream of and save up for an exotic holiday on an island as far away as possible, back in the sixties a trip to Butlins, or Lowestoft in the case of sisters Jennifer (Verity Jones) and Marie (Elizabeth Carter), was a hugely popular choice. Save the Last Dance for Me, written by the same duo who brought us Dreamboats and Petticoats, is a simple but fairly charming jukebox musical in which two young girls go on holiday alone together, and find themselves in the company of a few members of the US Air Force. Some of the guys have strictly honourable intentions towards the holiday goers, others not so much. While older sister Jennifer enjoys all of the attention, shy and uncertain Marie only has eyes for the chivalrous Curtis (Kieran McGinn).

A straightforward, romantic comedy like this allows the musical hits such as Viva Las Vegas and Please Mr Postman to shine through, and judging from the enthusiastic clapping and singing along by the audience, it is obviously this element of the show that attracted them to the theatre in the first place. You certainly will not be disappointed if you’re one of those people because the live band and vocal quality, especially from Carter and Jay Perry, who plays the Sergeant known as Rufus, have all the class and energy that will make you want to jump up and shimmy. It is also apparent that the musicians are having a good time, which does make a difference to the feel of the show overall especially when they are in plain sight.

The performing while not singing takes a bit of a backseat role; the acting is at times a bit wooden, and aside from McGinn the American accents could do with some fine tuning. The two lead lovers are sweet together, but once or twice it goes slightly overboard and becomes a bit too cutesy. The comedy is a healthy mixture of cheese and tongue in cheek, some jokes arefunny and some aren’t, but again the script is of lesser importance than the musical performances, and the story is mainly there to link the hits together. The choreography is lacking a bit of sparkle and ingenuity but it is fun to watch. The standout dancer isPerry, ironically so as his character comes across as quite stern; his fluidity and clear cut moves are in a league of their own;l it is hard to take your eyes off him.

A couple of the sets let this show down, with the exception of the main bar with its jazzy lights and feel good atmosphere. The caravan backdrop especially is a bit like something cut from the back of a cereal box; it serves its purpose but it leaves the stage a bit bare and uninteresting.

Save the Last Dance for Me has all the ingredients of a worthwhile night out. It is lacking that extra special something, but I defy anyone to leave the theatre without feeling like their spirits have been lifted.

Swan Lake- Royal & Derngate Northampton

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews http://www.thepublicreviews.com/peter-schaufuss-ballet-swan-lake-royal-derngate-northampton/

Composed by Tchaikovsky in the late nineteenth century, Swan Lake is a well-known ballet with an enchanting and heart-wrenching story. If you go to see Peter Schaufuss’ production with no previous knowledge of classical ballet or Swan Lake then it’s more likely that you’ll be taken with this interpretation currently on show at the Royal and Derngate. Unfortunately, this ballet/contemporary infusion is unlikely to please if you’re a traditional ballet lover.

Originally a ballet in four acts, this show has been condensed into two, and consequently the story telling is weak. Without reading the summary provided on the cast list to fill in the blanks, the show seems fragmented and disjointed. The story follows a young Prince (Thaddaeus Low) who is being pressured by his mother the Queen (Katherine Watson) to find a bride. He stumbles upon a moonlit lake and finds a group of young men and women who have been cursed to live as swans by day and humans by night. The Prince falls in love with their swan leader, known as the Swan Girl (Ryoko Yagyu), who turns back into a swan at the break of day. The Prince vows to marry the girl, but he does not count on the appearance of Sorcerer Rothbart (Josef Vesely), the man who placed the curse in the first place, who tricks the Prince in to falling in love with his daughter, the Black Swan (Yoko Takahashi), instead.

Aside from the entrance of the swans, which was well staged and showed promise of elegance, the swan lake scene itself was a disappointment. There was no romance between the Prince and the Swan Girl, and a lot of their choreography is floor work which, to those seated in the stalls, simply looks like a lot of awkward shuffling around side by side. If you’re sitting in the dress circle and looking down on them, however, it may provide a better angle. In addition, possibly the most recognisable element of this scene – the swans dancing in a row – was replaced with a heavy footed contemporary routine that clashed with the music, and not in a good way. While Tchaikovsky may well have been open to interpretations, I doubt this is what he had in mind.

In terms of the characterisations, the strongest are the Queen, the two jesters, whose acrobatic tomfoolery is impressive at times but could be a bit of an annoyance at others, and the four princesses from Act two, whose performances are the strongest and most enjoyable in the show. The Prince doesn’t overly impress until his very last dance, when all of sudden he becomes an explosion of energy, strength, and passion, and the drama he creates at the end almost compensates for the drama missing throughout the show.

When classic stories are revamped and dragged into the twenty first century it can sometimes be a success, but there are art forms that should perhaps be left well alone. While opposites may attract, ballet and contemporary dance simply do not fit comfortably together and they are best kept apart. This production had its moments of effortless excellence, but it did not live up to expectations.

The Mousetrap- Wolverhampton Grand

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews http://www.thepublicreviews.com/index.php?s=The+mousetrap

Agatha Christie’s quintessential murder mystery, The Mousetrap, is the longest running production in the world, now in its 60th year of being on stage. To celebrate its diamond anniversary, director Ian Watt-Smith is taking the play on tour, and it can currently be seen at the Wolverhampton Grand.

The Mousetrap is a tense but sometimes comical “whodunnit”, in which eight different people are confined by heavy snowfall in a guest house in the middle of the country: the flamboyant architect, the mysterious Italian who appears out of nowhere, and the self-contained young lady who claims to live in Majorca, to name but a few. When it turns out that there is a murderer amongst them, suspicions and accusations begin to fly and the guessing game begins. As each character reveals their own pasts and first impressions shrink into insignificance, the puzzle slowly falls into place piece by piece, and the audience are left hanging right until the very last minute before the culprit is revealed.

It is easy to see how this production has been continuously running for so long; the characters are subtly intriguing, the story is intelligent, and the audience can’t help but be drawn in every time the tiniest of clues makes itself known. Not to mention the sinister utilisation of a well-known nursery rhyme that sends shivers down the spine every time it’s whistled out into the auditorium. On the whole, the current touring production does justice to Christie’s work; it is well paced, funny in all the right places and very entertaining. The performances which particularly stand out are Steven France as Christopher Wren, the architect, who provides most of the comedy with his frank honesty and over-excitement, and Bob Saul as Detective Sergeant Trotter, who joins the audience in attempting to separate the lies from the truth. It is also a treat to see Elizabeth Power reprise her role as the prim and proper Mrs Boyle. There are, however, a few jarring conversational pauses throughout the production, and the second half holds more excitement than the first, but these things do not by any means prevent the show from being enjoyable.

The set design is effective in making the audience feel as though they too are guests at the house and there is just enough decoration to add to the authenticity without being too distracting from the action. The sound and lighting effects are also put to good use, both to create the feel of the period and tension when necessary.

By the end of the show you will, quite literally, be on the edge of your seat; The Mousetrap is definitely not one to miss.



The Three Musketeers- Oxford Playhouse

This review was originally written for The Public Reviews http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-three-musketeers-oxford-playhouse/

A collaborative effort from Rob Castell, Tom Sadler, and Sarah Tipple, has produced a reinvention of classic swashbuckler The Three Musketeers, performed with much gusto and frivolity by Barbershopera. A show that is “all for fun, and fun for all” it is cheesy and light hearted, but beneath all the bravado is a lovely, down to earth message about acceptance and equality.


The village of Pisipouville is facing a Roly Poly embargo, and as her brothers are not equipped to travel to Paris to seek the help of the Three Musketeers (one thinks he’s a pomegranate, the other is frightened of otters) the fate of her home town lies with Nicole D’Artagnan (Laura Darton). Disguised as a man with a very convincing moustache, our heroine joins up with the famous trio – Aramis (Pete Sorel-Cameron), Porthos (Harry Stone), and Athos (Russell Walker) – and, despite her comrades’ initial doubts, proves her worth in a male dominated world. With a combination of slick character changes and all round silliness this is not the Musketeers story we are used to, but it is certainly a unique theatrical experience and the vocal talent itself is definitely not something to be laughed at. Castell and Sadler’s original music and lyrics are bouncy and catchy, and the quartet’s harmonies complement each other and produce a really great sound.

The comedy is fairly old school with a bit of camp thrown in: exaggerated and flamboyant characters, cheeky puns, and some slapstick to name a few examples. Barbershopera have refreshed this style and made it their own, and the jokes flow naturally. An especially enjoyable character is Russell Walker’s Duke of Buckingham, whose pink cuffs and crisp French accent is a real joy. The cast overall do an excellent job of distinguishing the various characters they each perform, and even though the costume change may be just an exchange of a curly wig for the iconic Musketeer hat, the personalities have all been fine tuned.

The staging is very simplistic and the only furniture used throughout the performance is two benches and three chests. What is missing from the set is perhaps a back drop of some kind, as without it the show is a little bit like big kids playing dress up. Having said this, I wish my imaginary games as a child had been as fun and adventurous as this story.