PETER PAN
* * *
December 14, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Sunday, January 11, 2015
JM Barrie’s much-loved fairytale about the boy who never grew up might be a children’s classic, with its pirates, fairies and dreamlike adventures. But as the basis for a modern-day pantomime, it’s got some worrying flaws. In this version written by the normally ultra-reliable Eric Potts, there’s no panto dame, no messy kitchen scene and no glamorous wedding scene finale.
What it does have, fortunately for the screaming youngsters in attendance, is Bradley Walsh as an affable, cheeky Mr Smee, running rings round David Bedella’s hissable Captain Hook and taking the audience on a daft, likeable journey to Neverland. He’s constantly watchable, never mean in his comedy and a steadying hand at the helm.
For those who like that kind of thing, there’s Britain’s Got Talent stars Flawless as the pirate crew, including one very cool sequence in total darkness, while George Ure puts in a suitably boyish, energetic turn in the title role. Francesca Mills makes a feisty Tinkerbell and musical director Barry Robinson keeps things rolling along with his live five-piece band.
It doesn’t have quite the relentless sense of fun of previous pantos in Milton Keynes, but there’s lots to entertain and that all-important sprinkling of fairydust to remind you that this is a magical story at a magical time of year.
* * *
December 14, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Sunday, January 11, 2015
JM Barrie’s much-loved fairytale about the boy who never grew up might be a children’s classic, with its pirates, fairies and dreamlike adventures. But as the basis for a modern-day pantomime, it’s got some worrying flaws. In this version written by the normally ultra-reliable Eric Potts, there’s no panto dame, no messy kitchen scene and no glamorous wedding scene finale.
What it does have, fortunately for the screaming youngsters in attendance, is Bradley Walsh as an affable, cheeky Mr Smee, running rings round David Bedella’s hissable Captain Hook and taking the audience on a daft, likeable journey to Neverland. He’s constantly watchable, never mean in his comedy and a steadying hand at the helm.
For those who like that kind of thing, there’s Britain’s Got Talent stars Flawless as the pirate crew, including one very cool sequence in total darkness, while George Ure puts in a suitably boyish, energetic turn in the title role. Francesca Mills makes a feisty Tinkerbell and musical director Barry Robinson keeps things rolling along with his live five-piece band.
It doesn’t have quite the relentless sense of fun of previous pantos in Milton Keynes, but there’s lots to entertain and that all-important sprinkling of fairydust to remind you that this is a magical story at a magical time of year.
CALAMITY JANE
* * *
November 26, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, November 29, 2014
JODIE Prenger has long since proved she was no one-hit wonder when she won the television search to play Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Oliver!. Now she gets the chance to try out her Midwest American accent and full thigh-slapping, gun-toting routines in the title role of this tour of Calamity Jane.
The voice is still a belter and there’s a distinct twinkle of mischief in the eye as she relishes numbers such as The Deadwood Stage and Secret Love in Nikolai Foster’s handsome, pacey revival of the stage version of the famous Doris Day film.
Her colleagues on Matthew Wright’s evocative saloon bar set also put in the effort, being required to sing, dance and play all the instruments in this actor-musician production from Newbury’s Watermill Theatre. Tom Lister makes a feisty Wild Bill Hickok, and there’s plenty of talented support across the cast.
The novelty of the whole actor-musician idea has begun to wear off a little, and the skills and commitment of the players can’t overcome the bizarre anachronism of cowboys toting saxophones. There’s a decided whiff of producers doing things on the cheap, which only denies the audience the full, vibrant experience of a pit band. It also presents technical problems, with the vocals mixed far too low in the mush of on-stage sound, making the lyrics impossible to make out for far too much of the show.
These quibbles aside, ‘Calam’ may be an old-fashioned type, but with a troupe of enthusiastic performers giving it their all, it seems there’s plenty of life in the old girl yet.
* * *
November 26, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, November 29, 2014
JODIE Prenger has long since proved she was no one-hit wonder when she won the television search to play Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Oliver!. Now she gets the chance to try out her Midwest American accent and full thigh-slapping, gun-toting routines in the title role of this tour of Calamity Jane.
The voice is still a belter and there’s a distinct twinkle of mischief in the eye as she relishes numbers such as The Deadwood Stage and Secret Love in Nikolai Foster’s handsome, pacey revival of the stage version of the famous Doris Day film.
Her colleagues on Matthew Wright’s evocative saloon bar set also put in the effort, being required to sing, dance and play all the instruments in this actor-musician production from Newbury’s Watermill Theatre. Tom Lister makes a feisty Wild Bill Hickok, and there’s plenty of talented support across the cast.
The novelty of the whole actor-musician idea has begun to wear off a little, and the skills and commitment of the players can’t overcome the bizarre anachronism of cowboys toting saxophones. There’s a decided whiff of producers doing things on the cheap, which only denies the audience the full, vibrant experience of a pit band. It also presents technical problems, with the vocals mixed far too low in the mush of on-stage sound, making the lyrics impossible to make out for far too much of the show.
These quibbles aside, ‘Calam’ may be an old-fashioned type, but with a troupe of enthusiastic performers giving it their all, it seems there’s plenty of life in the old girl yet.
TOP HAT
* * * *
August 26, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, September 6, 2014, then tour continues
LAST time this exuberant show toured the UK, it starred Strictly winner Tom Chambers and preceded a highly successful West End run. It may be heresy to say it but (whisper it quietly) it’s even better this time around.
Based on the 1935 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie, and stuffed with Irving Berlin songs, this fluffy, toe-tapping extravaganza may be light on story and emotional depth but you just can’t fault it for pizzazz.
With a vast ensemble, all decked out in stunning costumes (Jon Morrell) on an ingenious and well-used set (Hildegard Bechtler), director Matthew White and choreographer Bill Deamer make the most of every opportunity to showcase their talented team’s wonderful abilities. The result is a slick, polished production that strolls elegantly from one standard to another. Let’s Face the Music and Dance follows Cheek to Cheek follows Top Hat follows Isn’t This a Lovely Day follows Puttin’ on the Ritz.
It’s a positive Berlin bonanza, and the ten-piece band in the pit are more than up to the tricky task of delivering this sassy music with style and control under the baton of musical director Jae Alexander. Along with the spectacle on stage, it’s a crucial factor in the success of the show.
Meanwhile, the performers themselves are put through their paces and come out the other side with full laurels. Alan Burkitt, who was seen stepping into Mr Chambers’s shoes on the television documentary The Sound of Musicals, proves both gifted and a warm, appealing presence as movie star Jerry Travers, whose infatuation with the cool Dale Tremont sparks the narrative. Charlotte Gooch reprises her West End stint as Dale with panache and grace, and the pair’s dancing together is simply a delight.
There’s plenty of support in depth among the smaller characters, with some particularly fine work from Clive Hayward and Rebecca Thornhill as the central pair’s closest friends, and a couple of great comedy cameos from John Conroy as the valet Bates and Sebastien Torkia as a hilarious Italian fashion designer.
As the nights draw in and autumn casts its shadow over the evenings, there are worse ways of shaking off the gloom than a couple of hours in such joyful company.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
* * *
July 4, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, July 12, 2014, then tour continues
YOU can’t do Singin’ in the Rain without some rain, and one of the high points of this touring Chichester production is its spectacular use of rain. It provides the finale to the first act, when the Gene Kelly character Don Lockwood performs the title song in a downpour, and it’s back again for the curtain-call encore, when the whole vast ensemble repeats the trick.
The first few rows get soaked in the process, and there’s a lot of Alton Towers-type screaming and laughing going on. But when a show only really comes alive at the encore, you know something’s not quite right.
Director Jonathan Church is great on the visual impact stuff. His musical director John Donovan controls a terrific ten-piece on-stage band. And reliable choreographer Andrew Wright makes sure his well-drilled company rarely put a foot wrong.
The show itself – really the first jukebox musical, pulling together some of the back catalogue of Hollywood songwriters Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed in a 1952 movie vehicle for Kelly – remains an all-time favourite for many and features plenty of great material, from Good Morning to You Are My Lucky Star.
So what’s the problem? Maybe it’s to do with the underpowered acting, on which much less attention appears to have been paid than on the dancing. Or maybe it’s the lack of an emotional core, which leaves a superficially impressive spectacle with little to engage at the heart of it.
Maybe it doesn’t matter much, as much of the audience rises enthusiastically to its feet for the final bows. But it feels to at least one fan of the show that an opportunity has been missed for something truly amazing.
HAPPY DAYS
* * *
June 16, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, June 21, 2014, then tour continues
ANYONE who saw producer Amy Anzel on the Channel 4 series The Sound of Musicals cannot fail to have been impressed by her tenacity, drive and passion for the stage version of the 1970s television sitcom Happy Days. How wonderful it would be, then, to be able to record that her ambition was well-placed.
The reality, as an optimistic Milton Keynes audience discovered when faced with this new musical, is frankly a little disappointing. Despite the energy and commitment of a cast and band to match their producer, the show never truly comes alive, except for the much-anticipated curtain call rendition of the title number.
It’s got heart by the bucketload and a palpable sense of wanting to be a fantastic, fun night. Cheryl Baker leads the company as an affably sweet Mrs Cunningham but she’s woefully underused and willingly exploited for the show’s best gag – a re-enactment of her Bucks Fizz skirt-stripping moment from more than 30 years ago.
James Paterson is equally enjoyable as her husband Howard, overseeing Richie, Potsie, Ralph and the Fonz as they interact harmlessly in the cause of saving Arnold’s Diner from demolition.
Oops, there goes the plot. Because no matter how energetic and dedicated the busy cast become – and they’re asked to do quite a bit, quite frenetically, by first-time director Andrew Wright – there’s no escaping the fact that the production itself is painfully underwritten. What might have sufficed for a 22-minute TV episode in 1974 simply can’t sustain two hours in the theatre, and its creator Garry Marshall is left relying far too heavily on sub-standard jokes and storylines lifted wholesale from 11 series of the show.
Award-winning composer Paul Williams, meanwhile, may have Evergreen and We’ve Only Just Begun on his credits, but there’s nothing of that calibre on offer here. What rescues the rather routine score is the fabulous live pit band that keeps toes tapping and supplies some sublimely performed accompaniment to the stage vocals.
Former Emmerdale star Ben Freeman and Sugababe Heidi Range are perfectly serviceable without being outstanding as the Fonz and his onetime girlfriend Pinky, but with precious little plot and not much in the way of memorable tunes, they’ve always got their work cut out.
It’s a genuine shame that Happy Days isn’t sensational. It’s got the will and the pedigree to have been just that, and Anzel clearly has what it takes to get a show literally on the road. You just can’t help wishing she’d chosen a better one.
WEST SIDE STORY
* * * *
June 6, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, June 14, 2014
IT’S saying something when a production that’s more than fifty years old can still seem fresh, vibrant and full of energy to a modern audience. Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece may have lost the power to shock in the way its jarring musical and choreographic language did in 1957, but it has lost none of its intensity and narrative drive in the intervening years.
With lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a tightly written book by Arthur Laurents, the New York retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story is memorable, catchy and packed with songs that have become standards, from America and Tonight to Maria and Somewhere.
Director Joey McKneely resurrects the work of original director Jerome Robbins, keeping all the iconic movements and stylised action alongside some revitalising injections of up-to-date choreography, and the whole thing rips along with pace and atmosphere, thanks also to the sets, costumes and lighting of Paul Gallis, Renate Schmitzer and Peter Halbsgut.
Among the performances, Katie Hall is a stunning Maria, with an extraordinary voice that is always under her total control, and she’s clearly carving out a career in these difficult, highly emotional roles having previously played Christine in The Phantom of the Opera. At her side is Djalenga Scott as the fiery Puerto Rican Anita, giving a gutsy, intense portrayal with plenty of humour.
The two gangs are sure-footed and strong-voiced, although there are some issues with dialogue being lost, either through thick accents or garbled delivery, but the overall effect is impressive and lively.
With a luscious pit band numbering eighteen and around thirty performers on stage, it’s always going to look and sound well-staffed, and it’s a pleasure to report that the producers’ decision not to stint on numbers pays off brilliantly.
Far from being another retread of a dated franchise, this version of the musical often voted the best ever written does it a fine service.
PYGMALION
* * *
May 28, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, May 31, 2014, then tour continues
WITH its musical successor My Fair Lady proving such an enormous success and Audrey Hepburn so iconic as the Covent Garden flower girl Eliza Doolittle, it's impossible these days to view George Bernard Shaw's original source material other than through the lens of Lerner and Loewe.
Certainly all the bones of the 1956 Broadway smash are clearly visible in his 1914 straight play, and director David Grindley makes no attempt to disguise the links, with designer Jonathan Fensom using the same muted colour palette as the film version.
Ultimately this decision proves harsh on his leading pair Rachel Barry and headliner Alistair McGowan, who are perfectly good but aren't Hepburn or Rex Harrison. McGowan's Professor Higgins occasionally veers towards self-conscious caricature, compete with goofy movements and exaggerated faces, but he's likeable and watchable. Barry, still early in her career, is a feisty Eliza but her early, rough-and-ready scenes work better than the refined fake duchess she becomes.
Elsewhere, Jamie Foreman - the late Derek Branning from EastEnders - is a treat as Eliza's dustman dad, while Rula Lenska adds delightfully acid gravitas in an understated but well-judged performance as Higgins's long-suffering mother.
It's a modestly entertaining evening, without any pretensions, and a welcome rare opportunity to see the Shaw original, but you just can't help humming the tunes that aren't there.
BLACK COFFEE
* * * *
April 28, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, May 3, 2014, then tour continues
IF you thought David Suchet was the only person who could possibly play Hercule Poirot any more, then think again. Robert Powell, onetime Jesus of Nazareth, hero of The 39 Steps and Holby City veteran, is exercising his leetle grey cells to superb dramatic effect.
The Agatha Christie Theatre Company specialises in touring shows by the grand dame of crime fiction herself, and this piece was her first written specifically for the stage. Aside from its slightly awkward two-short-intervals structure, it shows no sign of being written by a novice – indeed, it’s an extremely well-made play, carefully constructed and neatly executed.
Powell is dapper, thoughtful and at times explosive as the Belgian detective in pursuit of the murderer of wealthy inventor Sir Claude Amory. One might even argue there’s more variety and depth to his characterisation than any television or film version could allow, and he’s highly watchable throughout.
But there’s also terrific support from a large cast – no stinting on costs for the producers here – who play out the intricacies of the clever action with a zest and evident love of the material, which makes the whole evening both entertaining and enjoyable.
Would-be audience sleuths get plenty of opportunity to exercise their own leetle grey cells before the revelatory denouement, while less forensic theatregoers can simply enjoy the stunning designs of Simon Scullion, Joe Harmston’s skilful, seamless direction and the capable performances of the likes of Liza Goddard as a rather dotty old aunt or Robin McCallum as a touching, affable Captain Hastings.
David Suchet may have completed his marathon through the Christie oeuvre, but Poirot himself is far from dead.
FALLEN ANGELS
* * *
March 18, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, March 22, 2014, then tour continues
IT may not have the sparkling dialogue, the barbed wit or the ingenious construction of some of his more famous work, but Noel Coward’s frothy 1925 diversion Fallen Angels has enough entertainment value to draw in the audiences on this popular tour.
The fact that it features Jenny Seagrove and Sara Crowe as best friends Julia and Jane may have something to do with it, and it’s clear their rapport is at the heart of the show’s success. When an old mutual lover threatens to return, endangering the ladies’ safe but stale marriages, the friendship is tested and tortured amid copious amounts of champagne and cocktails.
There’s plenty of period fun to be had – all played out on a stunning set designed by Paul Farnsworth – and the comedy gets much broader and unsubtle than perhaps even Coward anticipated. Director Roy Marsden seems to encourage this approach, not least from Gillian McCafferty in the supporting role of the maid Saunders, but there is a sneaky feeling that some of Coward’s light touch is lost in the relentless search for obvious laughs.
Tim Wallers and Robin Sebastian play it straighter, and their characters seem to work better as a result, while Philip Battley does a fine French turn when the old lover Maurice finally puts in an appearance.
As a lightweight commentary on the hypocritical social mores of the 1920s, it’s an amusing bit of nonsense. Just don’t go expecting Private Lives.
* * * *
August 26, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, September 6, 2014, then tour continues
LAST time this exuberant show toured the UK, it starred Strictly winner Tom Chambers and preceded a highly successful West End run. It may be heresy to say it but (whisper it quietly) it’s even better this time around.
Based on the 1935 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie, and stuffed with Irving Berlin songs, this fluffy, toe-tapping extravaganza may be light on story and emotional depth but you just can’t fault it for pizzazz.
With a vast ensemble, all decked out in stunning costumes (Jon Morrell) on an ingenious and well-used set (Hildegard Bechtler), director Matthew White and choreographer Bill Deamer make the most of every opportunity to showcase their talented team’s wonderful abilities. The result is a slick, polished production that strolls elegantly from one standard to another. Let’s Face the Music and Dance follows Cheek to Cheek follows Top Hat follows Isn’t This a Lovely Day follows Puttin’ on the Ritz.
It’s a positive Berlin bonanza, and the ten-piece band in the pit are more than up to the tricky task of delivering this sassy music with style and control under the baton of musical director Jae Alexander. Along with the spectacle on stage, it’s a crucial factor in the success of the show.
Meanwhile, the performers themselves are put through their paces and come out the other side with full laurels. Alan Burkitt, who was seen stepping into Mr Chambers’s shoes on the television documentary The Sound of Musicals, proves both gifted and a warm, appealing presence as movie star Jerry Travers, whose infatuation with the cool Dale Tremont sparks the narrative. Charlotte Gooch reprises her West End stint as Dale with panache and grace, and the pair’s dancing together is simply a delight.
There’s plenty of support in depth among the smaller characters, with some particularly fine work from Clive Hayward and Rebecca Thornhill as the central pair’s closest friends, and a couple of great comedy cameos from John Conroy as the valet Bates and Sebastien Torkia as a hilarious Italian fashion designer.
As the nights draw in and autumn casts its shadow over the evenings, there are worse ways of shaking off the gloom than a couple of hours in such joyful company.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
* * *
July 4, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, July 12, 2014, then tour continues
YOU can’t do Singin’ in the Rain without some rain, and one of the high points of this touring Chichester production is its spectacular use of rain. It provides the finale to the first act, when the Gene Kelly character Don Lockwood performs the title song in a downpour, and it’s back again for the curtain-call encore, when the whole vast ensemble repeats the trick.
The first few rows get soaked in the process, and there’s a lot of Alton Towers-type screaming and laughing going on. But when a show only really comes alive at the encore, you know something’s not quite right.
Director Jonathan Church is great on the visual impact stuff. His musical director John Donovan controls a terrific ten-piece on-stage band. And reliable choreographer Andrew Wright makes sure his well-drilled company rarely put a foot wrong.
The show itself – really the first jukebox musical, pulling together some of the back catalogue of Hollywood songwriters Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed in a 1952 movie vehicle for Kelly – remains an all-time favourite for many and features plenty of great material, from Good Morning to You Are My Lucky Star.
So what’s the problem? Maybe it’s to do with the underpowered acting, on which much less attention appears to have been paid than on the dancing. Or maybe it’s the lack of an emotional core, which leaves a superficially impressive spectacle with little to engage at the heart of it.
Maybe it doesn’t matter much, as much of the audience rises enthusiastically to its feet for the final bows. But it feels to at least one fan of the show that an opportunity has been missed for something truly amazing.
HAPPY DAYS
* * *
June 16, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, June 21, 2014, then tour continues
ANYONE who saw producer Amy Anzel on the Channel 4 series The Sound of Musicals cannot fail to have been impressed by her tenacity, drive and passion for the stage version of the 1970s television sitcom Happy Days. How wonderful it would be, then, to be able to record that her ambition was well-placed.
The reality, as an optimistic Milton Keynes audience discovered when faced with this new musical, is frankly a little disappointing. Despite the energy and commitment of a cast and band to match their producer, the show never truly comes alive, except for the much-anticipated curtain call rendition of the title number.
It’s got heart by the bucketload and a palpable sense of wanting to be a fantastic, fun night. Cheryl Baker leads the company as an affably sweet Mrs Cunningham but she’s woefully underused and willingly exploited for the show’s best gag – a re-enactment of her Bucks Fizz skirt-stripping moment from more than 30 years ago.
James Paterson is equally enjoyable as her husband Howard, overseeing Richie, Potsie, Ralph and the Fonz as they interact harmlessly in the cause of saving Arnold’s Diner from demolition.
Oops, there goes the plot. Because no matter how energetic and dedicated the busy cast become – and they’re asked to do quite a bit, quite frenetically, by first-time director Andrew Wright – there’s no escaping the fact that the production itself is painfully underwritten. What might have sufficed for a 22-minute TV episode in 1974 simply can’t sustain two hours in the theatre, and its creator Garry Marshall is left relying far too heavily on sub-standard jokes and storylines lifted wholesale from 11 series of the show.
Award-winning composer Paul Williams, meanwhile, may have Evergreen and We’ve Only Just Begun on his credits, but there’s nothing of that calibre on offer here. What rescues the rather routine score is the fabulous live pit band that keeps toes tapping and supplies some sublimely performed accompaniment to the stage vocals.
Former Emmerdale star Ben Freeman and Sugababe Heidi Range are perfectly serviceable without being outstanding as the Fonz and his onetime girlfriend Pinky, but with precious little plot and not much in the way of memorable tunes, they’ve always got their work cut out.
It’s a genuine shame that Happy Days isn’t sensational. It’s got the will and the pedigree to have been just that, and Anzel clearly has what it takes to get a show literally on the road. You just can’t help wishing she’d chosen a better one.
WEST SIDE STORY
* * * *
June 6, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, June 14, 2014
IT’S saying something when a production that’s more than fifty years old can still seem fresh, vibrant and full of energy to a modern audience. Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece may have lost the power to shock in the way its jarring musical and choreographic language did in 1957, but it has lost none of its intensity and narrative drive in the intervening years.
With lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a tightly written book by Arthur Laurents, the New York retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story is memorable, catchy and packed with songs that have become standards, from America and Tonight to Maria and Somewhere.
Director Joey McKneely resurrects the work of original director Jerome Robbins, keeping all the iconic movements and stylised action alongside some revitalising injections of up-to-date choreography, and the whole thing rips along with pace and atmosphere, thanks also to the sets, costumes and lighting of Paul Gallis, Renate Schmitzer and Peter Halbsgut.
Among the performances, Katie Hall is a stunning Maria, with an extraordinary voice that is always under her total control, and she’s clearly carving out a career in these difficult, highly emotional roles having previously played Christine in The Phantom of the Opera. At her side is Djalenga Scott as the fiery Puerto Rican Anita, giving a gutsy, intense portrayal with plenty of humour.
The two gangs are sure-footed and strong-voiced, although there are some issues with dialogue being lost, either through thick accents or garbled delivery, but the overall effect is impressive and lively.
With a luscious pit band numbering eighteen and around thirty performers on stage, it’s always going to look and sound well-staffed, and it’s a pleasure to report that the producers’ decision not to stint on numbers pays off brilliantly.
Far from being another retread of a dated franchise, this version of the musical often voted the best ever written does it a fine service.
PYGMALION
* * *
May 28, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, May 31, 2014, then tour continues
WITH its musical successor My Fair Lady proving such an enormous success and Audrey Hepburn so iconic as the Covent Garden flower girl Eliza Doolittle, it's impossible these days to view George Bernard Shaw's original source material other than through the lens of Lerner and Loewe.
Certainly all the bones of the 1956 Broadway smash are clearly visible in his 1914 straight play, and director David Grindley makes no attempt to disguise the links, with designer Jonathan Fensom using the same muted colour palette as the film version.
Ultimately this decision proves harsh on his leading pair Rachel Barry and headliner Alistair McGowan, who are perfectly good but aren't Hepburn or Rex Harrison. McGowan's Professor Higgins occasionally veers towards self-conscious caricature, compete with goofy movements and exaggerated faces, but he's likeable and watchable. Barry, still early in her career, is a feisty Eliza but her early, rough-and-ready scenes work better than the refined fake duchess she becomes.
Elsewhere, Jamie Foreman - the late Derek Branning from EastEnders - is a treat as Eliza's dustman dad, while Rula Lenska adds delightfully acid gravitas in an understated but well-judged performance as Higgins's long-suffering mother.
It's a modestly entertaining evening, without any pretensions, and a welcome rare opportunity to see the Shaw original, but you just can't help humming the tunes that aren't there.
BLACK COFFEE
* * * *
April 28, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, May 3, 2014, then tour continues
IF you thought David Suchet was the only person who could possibly play Hercule Poirot any more, then think again. Robert Powell, onetime Jesus of Nazareth, hero of The 39 Steps and Holby City veteran, is exercising his leetle grey cells to superb dramatic effect.
The Agatha Christie Theatre Company specialises in touring shows by the grand dame of crime fiction herself, and this piece was her first written specifically for the stage. Aside from its slightly awkward two-short-intervals structure, it shows no sign of being written by a novice – indeed, it’s an extremely well-made play, carefully constructed and neatly executed.
Powell is dapper, thoughtful and at times explosive as the Belgian detective in pursuit of the murderer of wealthy inventor Sir Claude Amory. One might even argue there’s more variety and depth to his characterisation than any television or film version could allow, and he’s highly watchable throughout.
But there’s also terrific support from a large cast – no stinting on costs for the producers here – who play out the intricacies of the clever action with a zest and evident love of the material, which makes the whole evening both entertaining and enjoyable.
Would-be audience sleuths get plenty of opportunity to exercise their own leetle grey cells before the revelatory denouement, while less forensic theatregoers can simply enjoy the stunning designs of Simon Scullion, Joe Harmston’s skilful, seamless direction and the capable performances of the likes of Liza Goddard as a rather dotty old aunt or Robin McCallum as a touching, affable Captain Hastings.
David Suchet may have completed his marathon through the Christie oeuvre, but Poirot himself is far from dead.
FALLEN ANGELS
* * *
March 18, 2014
Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, March 22, 2014, then tour continues
IT may not have the sparkling dialogue, the barbed wit or the ingenious construction of some of his more famous work, but Noel Coward’s frothy 1925 diversion Fallen Angels has enough entertainment value to draw in the audiences on this popular tour.
The fact that it features Jenny Seagrove and Sara Crowe as best friends Julia and Jane may have something to do with it, and it’s clear their rapport is at the heart of the show’s success. When an old mutual lover threatens to return, endangering the ladies’ safe but stale marriages, the friendship is tested and tortured amid copious amounts of champagne and cocktails.
There’s plenty of period fun to be had – all played out on a stunning set designed by Paul Farnsworth – and the comedy gets much broader and unsubtle than perhaps even Coward anticipated. Director Roy Marsden seems to encourage this approach, not least from Gillian McCafferty in the supporting role of the maid Saunders, but there is a sneaky feeling that some of Coward’s light touch is lost in the relentless search for obvious laughs.
Tim Wallers and Robin Sebastian play it straighter, and their characters seem to work better as a result, while Philip Battley does a fine French turn when the old lover Maurice finally puts in an appearance.
As a lightweight commentary on the hypocritical social mores of the 1920s, it’s an amusing bit of nonsense. Just don’t go expecting Private Lives.
For Milton Keynes reviews from 2013, please click here
For Milton Keynes reviews from 2012, please click here
For Milton Keynes reviews from 2011, please click here
For Milton Keynes reviews from 2010, please click here
For Milton Keynes reviews from 2009, please click here
For Milton Keynes reviews from 2008, please click here
