Theatre Review: Barker Lacks Bite

FAREWELL TO THE THEATRE by Richard Nelson
Hampstead Theatre, London

For any student of theatre history, Harley Granville Barker is up there with Stanislavski, Artuad and Brook as a true visionary; yet he remains an enigma, and it is difficult to gauge his legacy as all we have from his productions are sketches and faded photographs. A revolutionary figure, albeit somebody who started out as a conventional leading man in many of Shaw’s works, he was keenly aware of the history and philosophy of his chosen art. He soon carved out a lucrative career as a playwright and a daringly modern producer of classic plays for the Edwardian stage, but it is his sojourn in America, writing and lecturing during World War I that forms the backdrop for Richard Nelson’s wistful, but lightweight, new play. 

2011: A Year of London Theatre

For the first time in some years I’ve been DOING theatre more than watching it. Studying for an MA in Theatre Directing meant preparing four separate short plays at Stratford Circus in East London over the past year, as well as grabbing as much professional theatre as I had time and money for.

Theatre Review: Adrift in a Sea of Troubles

HAMLET by William Shakespeare
Young Vic Theatre, London

2011 has been a great year for the Young Vic Theatre. New writing, provocative adaptations of popular fiction and a sprinkling of classics have met with a lot of praise in the press. I’ve seen two productions: Martin McDonagh’s “The Beauty Queen of Lenane” and a new translation of Gogol’s “Government Inspector”, both brilliant in their different ways, showcasing some extraordinary set design, committed performances and terrific storytelling which utterly engaged the packed houses. Ending the year with “Hamlet” should’ve been a safe bet. Michael Sheen as the Dane? Yes please. Former Royal Court head-honcho Ian Rickson to direct? Sign me up. Turn the whole theatre into a mental institution? Erm. OK, we followed the queues round to the back of the building and experienced the workings of what appears a high-security psychological hospital. We get checked by guards wielding clipboards, glimpse cells, offices, even a gymnasium, before entering the auditorium proper through a 1970s-style reception area, on the floor are cheap carpet tiles with an incongruous coffin set centre stage. And strip lighting buzzes above us. It’s an odd introduction. There’s no room for ambiguity when it comes to the director’s vision; here’s a complete, concrete world set out for the play, so does it fit the world of “Hamlet”? In two words… something’s rotten.

Theatre Review: Now is the Summer of Our Discontent

RICHARD III by William Shakespeare
Old Vic Theatre, London

Lame. A word you associate with Richard III as a character. But not Shakespeare’s play in which he appears. Director Sam Mendes has been travelling the world over the past three years with his company of American and British actors under the umbrella of the Bridge Project and this Old Vic production starring Kevin Spacey is the culmination of the experiment and perhaps shows all the flaws of the ambitious undertaking. It is a reverential, tentative and bland approach to the play, from a talented director and star who seem devoid of original ideas. With dictators tottering around the Middle East and power seemingly corrupting the most polite of our own politicians what better time to stage this timeless text?

Theatre Review: Food of Love or Snack of Indifference?

TWELFTH NIGHT by William Shakespeare
National Theatre, London

Peter Hall first directed “Twelfth Night” at the Oxford Playhouse in 1954. In the meantime he formed the Royal Shakespeare Company, replaced Laurence Olivier as the head of the National Theatre and directed dozens of plays and operas. To celebrate his 80th birthday he was invited by the current head of the National, Nicholas Hytner, to direct a play of his choice and he chose to return to “Twelfth Night”. Much has changed in theatre since 1954, notably the rise of Beckett and Pinter (both championed by Hall) – where the notions of traditional storytelling, character and staging were stood on their head, turning the theatre into a stranger, more unpredictable and exciting place for an audience. So then it is with heavy heart that this 2010 production feels frankly old hat. Did Sir Peter just dust off his rehearsal notes from nearly 60 years ago?

Theatre Review: Turner Worth a Prize?

THE PAINTER by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Arcola Theatre, London

“Painting is a strange business” JMW Turner

JMW Turner had two dark secrets in his life: he had his mother committed to a lunatic asylum, and he conducted a life-long affair with a widowed actress who bore him two daughters. Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s interesting, if sketchy, new play “The Painter” weaves a story around these two secrets, and attempts to get inside the head of arguably this country’s finest artist.

TV Review: No Shit Sherlock!

SHERLOCK (BBC1)

That was good. That was really very, very good indeed. Not content with saving Doctor Who from the Billie Piper Fan Club, writer/producer Stephen Moffat has also breathed new life into another British cultural icon. I guess that was elementary.

“Sherlock” (it’s the facebook generation – we’re all on first name terms here) plonks the world’s greatest detective into the London of 2010, at the beginning of his career. Luckily, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote us a snappy little origin novel of his own: “A Study in Scarlet” which Moffat has very carefully drawn upon for this opening episode. Wisely dropping the dull sub-plot about Mormons the film lifts chunks of Conan Doyle’s dialogue – notably the sequence where Watson is first introduced to the mysterious figure toiling away in the lab of Bart’s Hospital. Lob in a smart bit of deduction around a second hand mobile phone and you’ve got your audience hooked – witnessing the birth of the most famous crime fighting team in fiction.

Politics: Ed and Shoulders Above His Fellow Geeks

THE LABOUR LEADERSHIP HUSTINGS East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf, London July 16th 2o10

The Labour Leadership hustings came to London on Friday night. In the grand setting of Canary Wharf’s East Wintergarden, an expectant audience of over 500 party members and activists grilled all five candidates for over an hour and a half under the witty guidance of author John O’Farrell. David Miliband, Ed Balls, Ed Miliband, Diane Abbott and Andy Burnham drew lots to decide the order of speaking and were each limited to only one minute each to respond to each question, submitted merely minutes before. Answers therefore had to be spontaneous and pithy – and to give the candidates credit all handled the format confidently.

Theatre Review: Hedda’s Gabblers

HEDDA GABLER by Henrik Ibsen translated by Michael Meyer
Theatre Royal, Brighton

Speed-runs are a vital component in the rehearsal process of a play. Time-permitting, in the week before the technical rehearsal, the cast should get the chance to rattle through the play from start to finish concentrating solely on lines, cues, entrances and exits – in the shortest possible time. It releases energy, gives the director a clear view of any weak links in the play and bonds actors together with the absurdity of it all. What I never expected was to see one live on stage from the former artistic director of the RSC. Teach me to go to the Saturday matinee.

Theatre Review: Loopy De Vega’s Lunatics Take Over the Asylum

MADNESS IN VALENCIA by Lope de Vega translated by David Johnston
Trafalgar Studios, London

Theatre is a lottery. You may have the most entertaining script, a talented cast and an experienced director producing a play on the finest stage in the country and still have the audience staring at the ceiling for two hours in the fervent hope that perhaps the nasty people shouting in front of them will just stop and go away. Occasionally though all the pieces come together to produce a shared experience that cast, director and audience can all agree is one of pure joy. Simon Evans’ superb production of “Madness in Valencia” for Black and White Rainbow is one of those rare occurances.