THEATRE AND CONCERT REVIEWS
Romeo and Juliet at London Coliseum.
Added 26-Jul-2011
This is a beautiful and uncomplicated production of
Romeo and Juliet with exquisite technical dancing.
The artistic direction took liberties with the story line
(Mercutio has a girlfriend?). I was interested in
attending the ballet after seeing a couple of
episodes of the TV drama about the E.N.Ballet.
I regularly attend the Royal Opera House and
unfortunately because the the lack of Arts funding
the E.N.Ballet it comes off as the poor relation.
Mongrel Island at Soho Theatre
Added 26-Jul-2011
Very clever staging of this production and the acting
was outstanding. They used every possible
production technique available to them and
there were very committed performances.
BUT I have no idea what it was about or what it
meant?
Trojan Barbie at Charing Cross Theatre
Added 26-Jul-2011
Satisfactory for a college production (I didn't read
the blog and didn't know it was a college production).
Some satisfactory performances but the storyline
had an unclear time period-present day and historical.
The mixed era's didn't work. The fault was in the writing.
Park Avenue Cats at Arts Theatre
Added 26-Jul-2011
Lovely big set (too big for the stage) which would
have looked great if it had worked. The committed acting
is often overacted but the writing is so poor that the whole
show loses continuity and meaning. The story goes
nowhere and is cringeworthy. There are eye catching
posters all over London and the producers have put a
lot money into the publicity but unfortunately when the
critics get their hands on this show they will tear it to
shreds. What a shame.
Billy Stritch Sings the Mel Torme Songbook at The
Pheasantry
18-Aug-2011
I had to go for back second time and how could the
second performance possibly be better than the first
except to say that I now knew all the music in context.
I have now met Billy who is most wonderful, kind and
humbling gentleman (considering his amazing talent
and the company he keeps) and his show is SIMPLY
STUNNING. I don't often go back for a second
performance but he is inspirational in my current line
of work and I could do nothing but observe and take
in his consummate professionalism and exquisite
comedic timing, acting, and sublime presentation.
I told him that they don't breed singer/songwriter/
musicians like him anymore because they really don't.
His selections from the Mel Torméy songbook
(Superstar-American singer/ songwriter) were so easy
to listen to and Billy's piano skills are outstanding as
well as his musical arrangements of each piece which
has us guessing to which cadence, key change or
tempo he is leading us to. Only accompanied by superb
bassist 'Dave' it means that Billy's show is open for the
slightest mistake to be heard and there was none...
I mean it-perfection. A flawless performance-how can
this be? 30 years of experience and expertise I tell you
in honing his skills! There are only a handful of cabaret
artists in the States like this and Billy is top of the list.
I only wish I could give him more than the 5 stars on this
page-please go and see him as he is not to be missed-
seriously. The venue, service and the pizza express food
was divine (just like sitting in a NY cabaret venue) and
listening to an amazing cabaret made for a truly perfect
evening. Thank you Billy for talking to me-you are such
an inspiration seeing I'm writing my first one woman show.
You showed me that practise makes for perfection-like I said
SIMPLY STUNNING!
A Woman Killed with Kindness at National Theatre (Lyttelton)
20-Aug-2011
Such a wonderful production with exquisite staging and
THE BIGGEST SET YOU EVER SAW...IT'S HUMONGOUS!
A fabulous cast with some well known faces from TV. It is
a heart-wrenching story with a very poignant ending so
beautifully written that I was pleased to see a period piece
with period dialogue and no modern language references
for a change. The theatre, and the way the set is designed
is so vast that the actors really had to project throughout.
The performance runs for 2 hours with no interval. I enjoy
the fact that I can go to 'The National' and I take every
possible advantage of a ticket when they are available.
I asked a friend: 'with all the arts funding cuts how can
The National afford a set like that?'...'our taxes' he replied!
Touché!
The God of Soho - Seated tickets at Globe Theatre
28-Aug-2011
I didn't really think this piece was Globe material.
It had committed performances and who wouldn't be
working at the Globe! Well done to them trying a new
work but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone...completely
disjointed, sparse, reggae and ska music and a male soprano-
odd music choices, the Gods lose their flavour and
unnecessarily deep in parts where the meaning gets lost.
There was swearing and sex for the sake of it and in this day
and age it doesn't raise an eye-lid. Unfortunately the piece
just doesn't work and what on earth or in their case the
heavens does it mean?
A Century of Women at Leicester Square Theatre
7-Sep-2011
An interesting fringe show with a good concept which
has inspired me to want to find out more about these
influential women from the last 100 years. It is a most
informative production. I'm aware that it is a co-op
production which comes across as NOT highly
professional. There is one actress who is far too
dominant in the piece with too many strong characters
leaving the work unbalanced but the actress who plays
Marie Curie, Germain Greer and J.K. Rowling is the
most convincing and commendable. The singing is
NOT of the most professional standard but they do
capture the mood of the piece with the arrangements
and their combination of voices. The Vivienne
Westwood scene towards the end is unclear in its
intention, overly done and completely lost me with the
other characters' involvement but the ending of the show
is suitable even though it doesn't go out with a bang!
I'm not sure how it will be received...it's a lovely piece
which stimulates but isn't sensational by any means.
Confessions of a Mormon Boy at Charing Cross Theatre
10-Sep-2011
One gets the impression from the blurb that it is going to
be hilarious and I can tell you now it is not. It is serious stuff,
thought provoking, sad and the actor's life story. He is
onstage acting and singing for just over 90 minutes.
Hard going for the performer but it is well done.
