DAYTONA
* * * *
October 21, 2013
Birmingham Rep until Saturday, October 26, 2013
THE script for this intriguing, thought-provoking play came to actor Oliver Cotton as he lay beside a pool in Florida. After much development work and encouragement from actress Maureen Lipman, it finally emerged in London earlier this year and is now getting an outing in Birmingham.
There’s not much I can say about the content of the piece without giving up many of its secrets – which would be a shame, as they are carefully constructed and powerfully delivered, for the most part. Suffice it to say that it revolves around a New York Jewish couple in their seventies and the surprise reappearance of the husband’s younger brother after an absence of three decades.
What I can tell you is that the three performances are absolute barnstormers. The roles Cotton has provided for Ms Lipman and her colleagues, Harry Shearer and John Bowe, are actors’ gold dust, and they all make the most of them.
Shearer – best known for providing many of the voices for The Simpsons – is wiry and edgy, a feisty if slightly forlorn figure resigned to retirement from his accountancy job and the devotion of his wife to their ballroom dancing hobby.
Lipman’s Elli is utterly believable, pottering around making coffee and sandwiches as the fireworks erupt around her. But she’s no stranger to fireworks herself and the range of the emotions she covers is both impressive and, at times, deeply moving.
The showiest opportunity goes to Bowe as the younger brother, and he relishes every moment. Whether he’s getting drunk on his host’s whisky or expounding in expansive mood about the mysterious missing years, Bowe is never less than totally convincing. His skill in bouncing from one shock revelation to another is crucial in holding the whole production together with credibility and vulnerability.
There are many questions left unanswered at the final poignant curtain, but Cotton and director David Grindley deliver a complete enough slice of this trio’s complex life to make this a fascinating evening well worth exploring.
TWELVE ANGRY MEN
* * * * *
October 12, 2013
Birmingham Rep until Saturday, October 19, 2013
ASSEMBLE a dozen talented actors, among them a sprinkling of household names, give them a script that positively sizzles with heat and tension, and shut them in an enclosed space on a stage. It’s a recipe for high drama.
Producer Bill Kenwright has done exactly that, putting his old friend Martin Shaw in the top dressing room and handing the directing duties to rising star Christopher Haydon. The result is an outstanding piece of theatre that’s bound for a West End run after its outing in Birmingham.
Reginald Rose’s 1954 play, which began life as a television script and was later memorably filmed with Henry Fonda, is as full of electricity as the thunder-laden sky outside the US jury room in which the action takes place. The gradual heightening of the emotions is aided by an imaginative, well-used set from Michael Pavelka in which the jurors’ table revolves imperceptibly throughout the performance. This not only eases the potential problem of awkward sightlines, with twelve people sitting round a table, it also allows differing perspectives as the characters’ viewpoints subtly shift under the persuasive influence of Juror Number Eight.
The trick of maintaining interest and building to an impressive climax is no mean feat when all you’ve got is a dozen guys talking. Haydon pulls it off with panache, but he’s just one cog in this superbly functioning machine.
Shaw himself is a model of restrained power, arguing his points forcefully but with dignity. His main nemesis, Juror Number Three, is a fiery, volatile Jeff Fahey, whose explosions hide a bitter core of self-doubt. There are fine supporting performances from Nick Moran as a cocky wideboy, the veteran Robert Vaughn as a thoughtful elder statesman and an almost unrecognisable Miles Richardson as a prejudiced working-class meathead, while the rest of the twelve – plus their guard – each play their important part in keeping up the momentum.
Far from being a stuffy, old-fashioned procedural play, Twelve Angry Men feels like it’s fresh out of the box and as highly charged as it must have appeared sixty years ago.
THE LEGEND OF MIKE SMITH
* * * * *
September 20, 2013
Birmingham Rep Studio until Saturday, September 28, 2013
CALL it jazz, call it hip-hop, call it theatre – call it whatever you like. The fact is that Soweto Kinch’s extraordinary new piece defies conventional categorisation. The first production to grace the new mid-sized Studio at the freshly-minted Birmingham Rep, The Legend of Mike Smith is, broadly speaking, a version of Dante’s Inferno and a contemporary take on the seven deadly sins.
Beyond that description, it’s hard to explain exactly what you get from this wildly inventive, endlessly creative performance, which features the indefatigable Kinch himself at its heart but also displays considerable talents elsewhere in its tight-knit cast.
The narrative follows a day in the life of MC Smith, starting with a tantalising phone call from a record company executive who invites him to stage a showcase of new material 24 hours later. In his quest to come up with something that will blow the suits away, Smith finds himself lured almost to the point of ruin by each of the deadly sins in turn.
Kinch, playing a dark, satanic version of the protagonist, leads him into considerable temptation using every artistic means at his disposal. He switches seamlessly from virtuoso jazz saxophone to double-time in-yer-face rapping, throwing in some athletic dance manoeuvres and impressive acting skills along the way. The range of his talent is breathtaking and the result hugely entertaining.
He’s teamed up with director and choreographer Jonzi D to create a work that is always shifting, looking for ways to enlighten and amuse the story, and never lets up in its relentless pace.
Joined on stage by performers Ricardo da Silva and Tyrone Isaac-Stuart, the trio each play a slightly different version of Smith, bringing out alternate facets – and even new realities – of the character with a bold confidence that managed to overcome some of the technical glitches they faced at this performance.
They’re backed by a jazz bass and drum combo of Nick Jurd and Shane Forbes, who drive the score on insistently and with perfectly judged precision, allowing Kinch’s lyrics and musicianship to soar superbly over the top.
The production is played out on a simple square of white, accompanied by some fabulous artwork and projections from Nat Jones, although Kinch and his team also break out of their minimalist box to roam the audience in a hilarious Lust sequence.
It’s a firecracker of a show with a powerful message and makes a fine curtain-raiser for the Rep’s exciting new space.
* * * *
October 21, 2013
Birmingham Rep until Saturday, October 26, 2013
THE script for this intriguing, thought-provoking play came to actor Oliver Cotton as he lay beside a pool in Florida. After much development work and encouragement from actress Maureen Lipman, it finally emerged in London earlier this year and is now getting an outing in Birmingham.
There’s not much I can say about the content of the piece without giving up many of its secrets – which would be a shame, as they are carefully constructed and powerfully delivered, for the most part. Suffice it to say that it revolves around a New York Jewish couple in their seventies and the surprise reappearance of the husband’s younger brother after an absence of three decades.
What I can tell you is that the three performances are absolute barnstormers. The roles Cotton has provided for Ms Lipman and her colleagues, Harry Shearer and John Bowe, are actors’ gold dust, and they all make the most of them.
Shearer – best known for providing many of the voices for The Simpsons – is wiry and edgy, a feisty if slightly forlorn figure resigned to retirement from his accountancy job and the devotion of his wife to their ballroom dancing hobby.
Lipman’s Elli is utterly believable, pottering around making coffee and sandwiches as the fireworks erupt around her. But she’s no stranger to fireworks herself and the range of the emotions she covers is both impressive and, at times, deeply moving.
The showiest opportunity goes to Bowe as the younger brother, and he relishes every moment. Whether he’s getting drunk on his host’s whisky or expounding in expansive mood about the mysterious missing years, Bowe is never less than totally convincing. His skill in bouncing from one shock revelation to another is crucial in holding the whole production together with credibility and vulnerability.
There are many questions left unanswered at the final poignant curtain, but Cotton and director David Grindley deliver a complete enough slice of this trio’s complex life to make this a fascinating evening well worth exploring.
TWELVE ANGRY MEN
* * * * *
October 12, 2013
Birmingham Rep until Saturday, October 19, 2013
ASSEMBLE a dozen talented actors, among them a sprinkling of household names, give them a script that positively sizzles with heat and tension, and shut them in an enclosed space on a stage. It’s a recipe for high drama.
Producer Bill Kenwright has done exactly that, putting his old friend Martin Shaw in the top dressing room and handing the directing duties to rising star Christopher Haydon. The result is an outstanding piece of theatre that’s bound for a West End run after its outing in Birmingham.
Reginald Rose’s 1954 play, which began life as a television script and was later memorably filmed with Henry Fonda, is as full of electricity as the thunder-laden sky outside the US jury room in which the action takes place. The gradual heightening of the emotions is aided by an imaginative, well-used set from Michael Pavelka in which the jurors’ table revolves imperceptibly throughout the performance. This not only eases the potential problem of awkward sightlines, with twelve people sitting round a table, it also allows differing perspectives as the characters’ viewpoints subtly shift under the persuasive influence of Juror Number Eight.
The trick of maintaining interest and building to an impressive climax is no mean feat when all you’ve got is a dozen guys talking. Haydon pulls it off with panache, but he’s just one cog in this superbly functioning machine.
Shaw himself is a model of restrained power, arguing his points forcefully but with dignity. His main nemesis, Juror Number Three, is a fiery, volatile Jeff Fahey, whose explosions hide a bitter core of self-doubt. There are fine supporting performances from Nick Moran as a cocky wideboy, the veteran Robert Vaughn as a thoughtful elder statesman and an almost unrecognisable Miles Richardson as a prejudiced working-class meathead, while the rest of the twelve – plus their guard – each play their important part in keeping up the momentum.
Far from being a stuffy, old-fashioned procedural play, Twelve Angry Men feels like it’s fresh out of the box and as highly charged as it must have appeared sixty years ago.
THE LEGEND OF MIKE SMITH
* * * * *
September 20, 2013
Birmingham Rep Studio until Saturday, September 28, 2013
CALL it jazz, call it hip-hop, call it theatre – call it whatever you like. The fact is that Soweto Kinch’s extraordinary new piece defies conventional categorisation. The first production to grace the new mid-sized Studio at the freshly-minted Birmingham Rep, The Legend of Mike Smith is, broadly speaking, a version of Dante’s Inferno and a contemporary take on the seven deadly sins.
Beyond that description, it’s hard to explain exactly what you get from this wildly inventive, endlessly creative performance, which features the indefatigable Kinch himself at its heart but also displays considerable talents elsewhere in its tight-knit cast.
The narrative follows a day in the life of MC Smith, starting with a tantalising phone call from a record company executive who invites him to stage a showcase of new material 24 hours later. In his quest to come up with something that will blow the suits away, Smith finds himself lured almost to the point of ruin by each of the deadly sins in turn.
Kinch, playing a dark, satanic version of the protagonist, leads him into considerable temptation using every artistic means at his disposal. He switches seamlessly from virtuoso jazz saxophone to double-time in-yer-face rapping, throwing in some athletic dance manoeuvres and impressive acting skills along the way. The range of his talent is breathtaking and the result hugely entertaining.
He’s teamed up with director and choreographer Jonzi D to create a work that is always shifting, looking for ways to enlighten and amuse the story, and never lets up in its relentless pace.
Joined on stage by performers Ricardo da Silva and Tyrone Isaac-Stuart, the trio each play a slightly different version of Smith, bringing out alternate facets – and even new realities – of the character with a bold confidence that managed to overcome some of the technical glitches they faced at this performance.
They’re backed by a jazz bass and drum combo of Nick Jurd and Shane Forbes, who drive the score on insistently and with perfectly judged precision, allowing Kinch’s lyrics and musicianship to soar superbly over the top.
The production is played out on a simple square of white, accompanied by some fabulous artwork and projections from Nat Jones, although Kinch and his team also break out of their minimalist box to roam the audience in a hilarious Lust sequence.
It’s a firecracker of a show with a powerful message and makes a fine curtain-raiser for the Rep’s exciting new space.