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In The Middle With You – Trinity Laban Theatre | Theatre Review

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In The Middle With You – Trinity Laban Theatre
Reviewed 23/01/2014

Trinity Laban Theatre, London, SE8 3DZ

A broken watch can be two things. For two seconds a day it is perfectly right, and in its own internal world it stretches each of those seconds to 12 hour lengths. This broken watch lives its entire life repeating the same cycle of movement, repeating itself every second, every hour, every 12 hours but now it’s frozen in this single moment. Hagit Yakira’s In The Middle With You has echoes of this concept, focusing on the repetitive nature of our lives and exploring what happens when we need a break from it.

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Yakira has designed the piece to be an exploration of the subtle moments between “depression and boredom”, between explosive emotion and mundanity, between the everyday and the real or imagined breakout paths that one can take to recharge ones soul. These moments are often tiny, but here we can luxuriate in the idea of a single moment stretched to breaking point. We can let a emotion run its course rather than have it constrained by discourteous time cutting it off.

The five performers use expansive physicality, loud movements, to take us through what could be a person’s lifetime in microcosm, or a single moment crammed with twitching, reflexive thoughts. Loneliness, friendship, reliance on others, grinding repetition of daily tasks set against frequent desires and thoughts of escape to a more colourful and spontaneous world. That grinding nature of life is shown holistically through the spoken words of the piece, the dance and the music. Persistence is the name of the game here in the face of bleak odds. In the extraordinary “swimming” scene, we see Sisyphean repetition from one dancer which is then supported, replicated and experienced by the rest. Time again here is stretched so the repetition and occasional moments of beautiful synchronicity become hypnotic before we crash into the exuberant and uplifting ending.

Each of the five performers (Takeshi Matsumoto, Sophie Arstall, Mariana Camiloti, Ben McEwen, Kiraly Saint Clare) has a distinct personality, and it is an interesting choice to let their true personalities shine through rather than create characters for them. It’s refreshingly honest to see the dancers become tired, to see them laugh, to embellish and to support each other so fully. Throughout the performance there is a motif of interpersonal support, catching each other when spinning out of control, steadying each other when falling (vital to point out that they are, of course, not actually falling over and bumping into each other and are, in fact, graceful and highly proficient dancers) which provides a warm bedrock above which the cold repetition of the mundane can exist without damaging the characters too much.

Review of In The Middle With You.

With permission granted to the audience by Hagit, by the music and by the performers to let go of time and revel in its disruption, the lack of control is an odd feeling. There will be a divide between an anxiety that a moment has been overextended and a serenity that comes from having all the time in the world to just look at people doing powerful things in front of you. The various movements, or sections, are quite different from each other which is, unfortunately, at times a little jarring. It takes a little while to regain the shows theatrical momentum when the sections shift but it’s not really a problem to worry about.

It’s a dynamic piece that allows an audience and performer the time to reflect on what each movement means to them. At times it’s funny, at times quite sad. It is a well thought out and intelligently realised bit of work and at under an hour for a performance it is one that affords no excuse to decline an opportunity to witness it.

The show had been shown in full at Laban Theatre in November 2013 to a sold out audience and this showcase was a way to raise press interest and get more momentum going before the British Dance Edition in Edinburgh next week.

There are two more dates confirmed after BDE:

Wednesday 5th February 2014, 7.30pm
Quad South Hall, York St John University, York, Yorkshire, YO31 7EX Arts Faculty
Box Office 01904 876433

Thursday 13th February 2014, 8.00pm   
Square Chapel Centre for the Arts, 10 Square Rd, Halifax, HX1 1QG
Box Office 01422 349422

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqsHisQ-B24
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVP57YfQArM

 

Images by Rachel Cherry

Fresh Off The Boat | Theatre Review

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In the words of Fresh Off The Boat co-writer, Sarah Pitard, ‘the UK is fucked’.

 

As the economy struggles, redundancies are commonplace and the political parties are divided on a solution, the blame knocks on immigrations door.

 

And Sarah Pitard, a pretty, white American gal whose only vice was to fall in love and marry her UK man is one of them – an immigrant, an illegal alien.

 

A Border Story (the first act of Fresh Off The Boat) follows Pitard’s real-life story in a touching, witty and unusually comical way, but I can’t help but notice that behind her calm exterior, it’s also a chance to display ‘two fingers’ at the Immigration Officers.

 

Having been refused a marriage visa, it seems marrying a UK citizen is not enough to secure a place in Blighty.

 

From the airport scene with the questions about her dress bag which alluded to her being a whore, it is no surprise her stage double, Amy, tells the audience: “England’s not a very positive place for a person other than the British.”

 

Only having married on 12/12/12 and expecting a baby, (I sighed in relief when Pitard explained this was an addition for dramatic effect) the couple attempted to exploit a legal loophole to gain entry to the UK.

 

Amy and Brian would move to another European country where Brian would get a job (the only one was sans va va voom flipping burgers in Paris) to reach the minimum six-month threshold whereby they would then be eligible for UK citizenship.

 

Now the good news is that Amy, aka Sarah, and her stage hubby Brian, are able to spread the word on this loophole and somehow this production was pulled together while they were living in France.

 

The bad news is that they’re still stuck in limbo, still awaiting to hear their fate and still uncertain about their future in the UK.

 

Despite the serious content of this first act, Pitard shows her determination, and through sympathetic Amy (Lee Lytle) and Brian, played by Paul Tonkin, we saw the emotional fragility laid bare to the audience and no doubt, it acts as an open letter to the Immigration Officers too.

 

Act two can’t help but lift your spirits, again in a satirical, comedic way as it broaches the important subject of immigration.

 

‘The Utility People’, written by Michael Ross, is opened with a couple casually celebrating with a bottle of prosecco when all the noises from the rather large utility cupboard finally spills out into the living room in the form of an immigrant mother and her son.

 

Ironically, Jake (played by Mike Houlihan), who used to work for Amnesty International is far from welcoming, and Chloe (Antonia Reid) almost overcompensates saying £they are humanity” which is abruptly followed by Jake’s “humanity can go somewhere else”’.

 

As the British Empire plundered everyone in history, Chloe feels it is only right that the mother and son ought to be able to stay and she soon starts giving them chores so they earn their keep.

 

She even provides them with the nicknames Goldilocks and Bear (obviously named after Paddington).

 

In scenes that had me chuckling, Matt and Antonia played the couple with enough sense of confusion, surprise and nerve to pull off their treacherous steps towards slave labour and human exploitation in their own home. 

 

The son, played by Theo Ancient, really comes into his own as he’s given a real voice to proclaim damnation of the way immigrants are treated around the world.

 'Fresh Off the Boat' collage

As he eloquently sums up the moral and legal system of immigration in the UK, I was literally blown away.

 

Articulating and applying a magnifying glass to the situation, he underpinned the hopes, fears and realities of immigration against the privileges of those living here.

 

Richard, the narrator, punctuated each scene beautifully with spark and character which illuminated the harsh content with the right tones of comedy.

 

A very deserving play, well structured, rehearsed and it definitely had me thinking about the privilege associated with my British passport. Good luck to the Pritards.

 

Spamalot Review – starring Les Dennis and Warwick Davis

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As a huge fan of the Monty Python films, I was delighted to be able to review the latest version of Eric Idle’s Spamalot. The successful stage version of the film ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’.

In this version Les Dennis stared as King Arthur, Warwick Davis plays his horse Patsy and Bonnie Langford is the Lady of the Lake. It didn’t quite live up to my high expectations but it was still a great night out. The play steals a lot of the great lines and scenes from the original film and these were as funny as ever.

The songs, dancing and choreography are all fantastic and come across even better on stage. But the show sometimes felt too much like a pantomime. I expected this to be the case to some extent but it went too far. The fourth wall was broken too many times.

I wasn’t a fan of Dennis’s portrayal of Arthur. The character felt unnecessarily dumbed down and his performance was a bit unrealistic. One of the great jokes of the film is that nobody obeys King Arthur and he’s frequently left frustrated and outwitted much to the audiences delight. King Arthur’s exasperation and annoyance didn’t quite come across as well on the stage and therefore wasn’t as satisfying for the audience.

On the plus side Warwick Davis was excellent and very funny as Patsy and Bonnie Langford was good as the self-centered Lady of the Lake. I felt Arthur’s knights lacked a strong enough identity.

Overall the play was fun and you’ll have a good night out particularly if you never saw the original film

3/5

Spamalot is on at the Playhouse theatre until February 2014

http://www.spamalotwestend.co.uk/home

ATG Tickets- 0844 871 7631

 

Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde | Theatre Review

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Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, theatre, theatre review, west endAs I entered the Leicester Square Theatre to review the West End Premiere of Brother Wolf’s new award-winning one-man show, ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, ahead of its nationwide tour I remembered that the story was a horror. I then noticed their were children in the audience so I thought it would not be scary, how wrong was I. Impressively adapted, produced and performed by James Hyland, Hyland is a one man tour de force. He is great as Dr Jekyll and his evil side, Mr Hyde. This play is worth seeing for his performance alone.

Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde is not easy viewing. In fact, people even screamed in the audience. It is gruesome, scary and at some points downright uncomfortable, but it is a great piece of theatre. It shows what can be done with a one man show.The tale is an old, classic one and most people know of it and how it ends. This does not ruin the show though, Hyland playing the many characters does so with believability, talent and truthfulness. It is just Hyland and a podium on the stage but he manages to carry the entire show with ease.

As I mentioned before, there were children in the audience. I would not recommend this show for a child. I was quite uneasy at points and my companion thought it was scary.

Scary it may be but it is also brilliant and James Hyland is a superb actor. Go and see.

Based on the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson
Presented in association with Harrogate Theatre
Adapted, Produced and Performed by James Hyland
Directed by Phil Lowe

Leicester Square Theatre

6 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BX

08448 733 433 www.leicestersquaretheatre.com

 

Please visit the following website for more information on the production company: www.jameshyland.co.uk/brotherwolf

 

The Significant Other | Theatre Review

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Insignificant others theatre reviewThe Significant Other can be best described as flicking through the glossy pages of a real life-story magazine.

 

It portrays snippets of the relationship between two people in 10 different scenes played out within a strict 10minute window and each one is as far removed in terms of content as the previous story.

 

Performed at The Park Theatre in Finsbury, The Significant Other explores relationships from the hope, boundaries, friendship and passion experienced in every day life.

 

It expertly portrays the awkwardness experienced by two strangers, to the comforts of a long-term relationship and friendship and even tries its hand at the human interaction with an alien, guardian angel and ghost.

 

Each scene is influenced by a different genre from comedy, fantasy, crime and even a musical, spanning both the past and future ideas of the world.

 

The audience is kept guessing at each turn and the play certainly grips your attention.

 

Three scenes stood out for me:

 

Coyi – a fired up couple are watching their football team on the telly (they can’t be there as the boyfriend lost the game tickets).

 

She tells him that she went to the bookies and made a bet on their future if their team wins 2-1 and they get engaged to marry.

 

The audience feels each missed goal and penalty and enters the couple’s living room as they agonise the unpredictable nature of the football match and the hope they’ll win a fortune.

 

A Month and Five Days – Set in the past in a library, a visitor is attempting to study but keeps talking and distracting himself as he is told off and told to be quiet.

 

The librarian is actually in love with the visitor and in an aside, bursts into song calling herself ‘Julie Andrews’ after adopting his surname.

 

This shy librarian has hopes of marriage and the couple realise they are perfectly suited to each other, as long as he can respect the rules to be quiet.

 

Icebergs – A somewhat ditzy brother and sister plot to steal from their employer but at the last minute, the sister pulls out and we see them reveal their thoughts and feelings of being stuck in a little village, missed opportunities and tattered dreams of the future.

 

By far one of the funniest scenes, the audience sees the protective older brother nature towards his sister, as well as his mocking and arrogant character.

 

But in the end, there is no doubt that sibling love reigns rather than sibling rivalry.

 

Performed as part as a festival of genres, the play is unlike any I have seen, and despite their short length, strangely the audience was still able to bond with the characters and the personal impact was not tarnished.

 

Produced by Neil Byden, Serena Haywood and Laura Kim on behalf of The Pensive Federation, it was a light and refreshing performance on a Friday evening and it felt as if we were sitting among friends in the compact loft studio.

 

The Gut Girls | Theatre Review

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Gut-girls-webSet in the grimy depths of Edwardian Deptford, The Gut Girls was unexpectedly one of the best theatre shows I have seen, easily rivalling the productions staged on the West End.

 

The six strong-spirited, feisty women slog for 13 hours a day in the cattle quarters, artfully removing the offal, entails and entrails of meat before it is fit for the butchers.

 

Their mouths are as sharp as the knives they use; often a defence mechanism to taunts that they’re lower in class than the common whores who run the night.

 

Wonderfully original in plot, the play launches into the hustle and bustle of cockney London life with Annie (Emma Laura Canning) starting her first day at the gutting sheds.

 

Only 16, innocent and a little naïve, she struggles to stomach all the blood, flesh and guts which is ‘enough to stagger a horse’, but the other five quickly take her under their wings and the girls all laugh and joke despite their gruesome work.

 

It is then that Aristocrat Lady Helena visits the girls, inviting them to her ladies club to teach them manners, etiquette, sewing and readings from the Bible to better their prospects should they find alternative employment as maids or nannies. 

 

In a twist of irony, the girls keep saying that as long as there are meat eaters, they would have jobs and they laugh off the ‘barmy idea that people will only eat vegetables’ in the future.

 

And as if on queue, when Maggie (Caitlin Innes Edwards) the oldest, unmarried member of the group resists the advances of Edwin, Lady Helena’s associate, he vows to have her removed from her post after she threatens him with a knife.

 

All the girls are laid off but those who attended the ladies club are given good references but Maggie, who failed to go, struggles to find work and does the only thing she can to survive – by marrying bar landlord Len.

 

Once the women are no longer ‘the gut girls’, their friendship declines, their strong, independent and somewhat feminist nature seems to crumble and they pass one another on the street like strangers, fearing for their jobs and improved reputations.

 

The Gut Girls masterly depicts the struggles of the social classes, the plight of women against their masters, the dim future they face if they fail to marry and it also highlights the political and religious thoughts of the day.

 

Performed at a converted chapel, The Space Theatre in the Isle of Dogs, the actors were faultless, the stage and audience seating area were used to maximum effect, making it seem we were part of the show and the change of scenes were seamless.

 

All the actors proved themselves on the opening night, but hats off to Kate Craggs who played cockney Ellen as well as Lady Priscilla, Emma Laura Canning, the lead of Annie and Catherine Thorncombe, who played Emily and Edna.

 

The show led my emotions perfectly, from tears at the moment when Annie reveal’s she was raped by her master’s son, to tears of laughter as the girls mimic the sounds of tea being poured in a role-play exercise at the ladies club.

 

Vividly entertaining, expertly executed, The Gut Girls should aim much higher than that of a fringe production. I certainly won’t forget this show.

 

The Gut Girls, a Rum and Monkey production by Sarah Daniels and directed by David England, runs till Saturday 25 May. Tickets (£14/£10) can be bought from www.space.org.uk or by calling the Box Office: 0207 515 7799.

Sleeping Arrangements Theatre Review

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POSTERLOWRES-106x150I love musicals. I really do. Which is why I really appreciate how incredibly brave doing a new one is. It is a move that I feel has paid off for Sleeping Arrangements. It is fun and frivolous. A comedy that makes you feel completely involved with the characters. The story about two families who end up in the same villa in Spain at the same time with hilarious consequences. It is a production set during a holiday and it really feels like one.

What the two families do not know is that Hugh and Chloe know each other. Their wealthy friend Gerard double booked them Was it on purpose and if so, why?

It must have been hard to write a musical from scratch but Chris Burgess has achieved it perfectly. I really had fun watching this musical comedy. It really did have some great one liners. All of the actors are just brilliant. I completely believed in all of their characters.

Sleeping Arrangements is based on the novel by Sophie Kinsella, which has been described as the ‘perfect holiday read’, and this theatre production completely encapsulates it. A really funny comedy that is definitely a go see.

Aria Entertainment Presents
Sleeping Arrangements
Landor Theatre
17th April – 12th May

Sophie Kinsella’s Sleeping Arrangements adapted for the stage

 

Aria Entertainment is delighted to announce the full cast for the world premiere of Sleeping Arrangements, a new musical based on the novel by Sophie Kinsella, author of Confessions Of A Shopaholic.

 

The exceptionally high calibre cast includes Fascinating Aïda’s Liza Pulman and West End favourite Jenny Gayner who has trodden the boards as Roxie Hart in Chicago amongst other high profile roles and Sabrina Aloueche who is best known for playing the character ‘Scaramouche‘ in We Will Rock You.

 

The Confessions Of A Shopaholic novel was adapted into a film released in 2009, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy but this will be the first of Sophie’s popular books to be adapted for the stage.

 

“I am so excited to see my story on stage in such a hilarious and tuneful musical”
Sophie Kinsella


This exciting new musical will play at the Landor Theatre in Clapham London for four weeks starting in April 2013 (17th April – 12th May)


 


Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, the musical tells the tale of Chloe who desperately needs a holiday. She’s sick of making wedding dresses and her partner, Philip has troubles at work. Her wealthy friend Gerard has offered the loan of his luxury villa in Spain – Perfect


 


Hugh is not a happy man. His immaculate wife Amanda seems more interested in her new kitchen than him and he works so hard to pay for it, he barely has time for his children. Maybe he’ll have a chance to bond with them on holiday. His friend Gerard has lent him a luxury villa in Spain – Perfect.


 


Both families arrive at the villa and realise the awful truth – Gerard has double-booked. What no-one else realises is that Chloe and Hugh have a history, and as tensions rise, old passions resurface. It seems that Gerard’s ‘accidental’ double booking may not be an accident after all…


 


With music and lyrics by Chris Burgess, Sleeping Arrangements the musical is the perfect summer soundtrack, just as the original novel was “a perfect holiday read”. – Sunday Mirror


 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Tartuffe | Theatre Review

			
						

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Tartuffe and ElmireSinner or saint, the character of Tartuffe certainly divides opinion.


 


To Orgon, the master of the manor, he is the epitome of piousness, yet to his family, he is nothing more than a vagabond taking advantage of people’s good nature.


 


With his reputation tainted and restored at every turn in the opening scene, the audience is eager to pass their own judgement on Tartuffe but his stalled introduction to the stage acts as a clever device to build the mystery.


 


Orgon’s mind is possessed by Tartuffe and he intends his daughter Mariane to marry him (though she’s already promised to wed Valère), and he even signs over the deeds of his estate to the former beggar. 


 


The cheeky glint in Tartuffe’s eyes when he makes his grand entrance further enforces his view of ‘a secret sin is no sin at all’ as he commits the ultimate betrayal by confessing his love to Orgon’s wife Elmire. 


 


When the family try to expose his scheming nature, the play comes over a little ‘carry on’ as they hide behind curtains and under tables to catch him out. 


 


But once his deceit is unveiled to Orgon, it’s too late as the family’s ordered out of the estate which now belongs to Tartuffe. 


 


At each stage, Dorine the maid oversteps the boundaries of her role but gains the trust of the audience as she gives each member of the family honest advice with a touch of flirtatious charm. Played by Katherine Rodden, she was the unexpected the star of the show.


 


Jeremy Gagan convincingly plays Tartuffe and his command of expression in scenes of deceit against those highlighting his virtue are performed with charisma.


 


A modern adaptation by Paradigm Theatre Company of the 17th Century theatrical comedy by Molière, Tartuffe was presented in the intimate surroundings of the Canal Café Theatre in Little Venice. 


 Dorine and Mariane


The audience seating area is cleverly used as an extension of the stage, with the characters often mingling among the crowd and eavesdropping on the conversations taking place just overhead.


 


With a comedic value in the form of Dorine, the betrayal of a committed friend and with a heart-warming twist at the end, Tartuffe (artistically directed by Sarah Pitard and directed by Cat Robey) ticks all the boxes. And by no means a criticism, the cast should possess a little more confidence to balance their abilities.


 


Tartuffe runs till Sat 27 Apr 2013, with tickets for the 7pm show Tue-Sat costing £12 and for the 3pm Sat performance, it’s £10. To book tickets, visit www.canalcafetheatre.com and for more information, visit www.paradigmtheatrecompany.co.uk. 


Photo credit: Jon Bradshaw