THEATRE AND CONCERT REVIEWS JULY 2012

Theatre and Concert Reviews from July  2012

THEATRE AND CONCERT REVIEWS

The Hurly Burly Show-Duchess Theatre

3rd July. 2012

I missed this show whilst it was at the Garrick Theatre but was thrilled to have a ticket to see it the second time around. Though only in its second preview, it didn’t seem ready for performance and had too many hiccups with the sound, lighting, set and wardrobe malfunctions etc. I have been privileged to see really good Burlesque which operates like clock work in Paris. The Moulin Rouge, Lido and of course The Crazy Horse are brilliant shows, well rehearsed and slick but dated.

Hurly Burly is a good updated and modernised Burlesque show but all the components don’t quite gel. The musical arrangements are exceptional (a few too many slow numbers in Act II) and the singing, which is good in parts, adds to the stripping which the men surrounding me thoroughly enjoyed. The MC has a fine singing voice but the script is a quite pantomime and the leading lady Polly Rae is excellent but has long gaps in between her numbers. Unfortunately the songs for Polly are often not in her key so they either sit high or too low in the voice, which can be overshadowed by the dense accompaniment and chorus.

Rachel Muldoon is a star and it was such a joy to see her strut her stuff. Beautiful fluid movements in dance and a sultry voice she exudes Musical Theatre experience. My favourite number in the whole show was ‘Let’s Get Physical’ which displays clever, simple and effective choreography. I walked away feeling that the show seems unfinished and more could be done with it to make it truly spectacular. 

Reduced Shakespeare Company's - The Complete World of Sports (Abridged)

Friday 20^th July 2012

The boys have done it again with an abridged, satirical and parodied version of sport. Another hilarious, witty and cleverly written show depicting every sport known to man starting with the Neanderthals to the current Olympics. This show was brought to the Arts Theatre in London following their sell out US, tour. Due to branding they call the Olympics the ‘Olympish’, but nothing deters from their skilled and tuneful singing and I laughed from start to finish whilst being in awe of their writing skills. They managed to use clever staging techniques with a simple set and functional costumes, referred to as ‘no expense spared’ and the performance included multiple forms of comedy including: slap-stick and vaudeville using all the sporting clichés. There were many Americans in the audience who lapped up all the in-jokes, as did I with the Australian ones. The content had ‘Every sport ever played on every continent in the entire history of the world which was performed in under two hours!’ I have no idea how they rehearsed and memorised this show because the pace was fast, furious and very wordy as they impersonated sporting commentators. Well done to the boys who also stayed in the bar after the show to greet the punters on leaving and as a result everyone cued up to say ‘well done’! My favourite set of gags has to be about Cricket being boring because for me it’s truly a boring sport. My devoted cricket loving friends (Tim and Ben) are going to be suitably unimpressed I have actually put that comment in print but I was relieved someone else thought that as well.

One-Day Script Writing Course for Screen-Empire Cinema. London.

Saturday 21^st July. 2012

My writing skills consist of essays, blogging, reviews and writing a one-woman show but I have over the years made many a home movie for university, friends and school. What a perfect opportunity to gain pearls of wisdom from the top professionals in London about writing for screen, producing and directing in a Master class sponsored by Show Film First at the Empire cinema in Leicester Square. I thought I was in heaven acquiring inside information on what makes a good script and how to get to the point where one could possibly be signed to a literary agent. Ludo Smolski, script editor and consultant gave very clear and concise instructions on how to put a script together and how it should be laid out, character development and interesting plot lines as well as the pit falls. Ludo’s biggest tip was write, write and write some more. That’s the only way to improve one’s skills. After Ludo’s fascinating lecture the Microwave-Film London representative gave an interesting talk on how to put together a low budget film and the expectations of micro budget films. Her tip was to be surrounded by a good creative team, director, producer, writer and cinematographer and pay them something. There is money out there for funding, you have to find it and get people interested in your project. Be audience focussed. Following the budget discussions, some current film directors and producers talked about their films and answered questions on their own projects, their trials and tribulations and the journey to having a film distributed internationally. Post lunch was the much-awaited film ‘The Imposter’ where the director and producer were in attendance to answer questions. A motivated, constructive, thoughtful and inspirational day of which I was most appreciative to be in attendance.

Peter Schaufuss Swan Lake at the Coliseum.

Monday 23^rd July. 2012

Photo by Tristram Kenton

This is the first ballet in a trilogy reimagining Tchaikovsky’s ballets with the theme ‘metaphors for the composer's tormented sexuality’. Newcomer and Danish star Alban Lendorf is strong, beautiful to watch and has an excellent execution of technique. I look forward to seeing him in the future, performing more dynamic and technically difficult works to show off his proficiency.

The problem with this version of Swan Lake is in using the original Tchaikovsky score, without a live orchestra and as a result, unbalanced sound levels whilst attempting to reimagine the ballet against a tried and tested, well known and well loved ballet of 1877. How can one watch the cygnet dance without visualising the original? I tried and failed and not because I am a purist. It is a wonderful opportunity for the younger Danish company to perform at the home of the English National Ballet but there is no excuse for poor quality of performance especially from the corps de ballet in being sloppy and out of time. I’m also not impressed with immature choreography, which has dancers jumping up and down on the spot waving their arms and hands frantically (as in improvised movement) because it isn’t innovative. It was a valiant attempt at choreographing a new work with this score but the ideology outside the choreographer’s mind didn’t translate to the audience. What was the point of the two male dancers wearing the hideous dog like head/face masks and their frequently repeated signature routine? It became tedious and like the bed rolling on and off the stage at the beginning and end of the performance, one could hear the audience question why? The blurb says ‘the child in an adult world and the transition between the two?’ Schaufuss tried to use simple staging techniques (obviously due to budget) rather than a glamorous set by using cumbersome plastic panes and a mirror to reflect a floor routine (I saw this used recently in a comedy routine in Donka) which did come to a natural end only to keep going and I desperately wanted to see the White Swan get up off the floor. The costumes at times hindered the performance: the Prince’s mother, Siegfried dancing in a cropped woolen jacket and lack of feathers for the swans. I also failed to see Odile’s suggestive seduction scene, where she pretends to perform almost pornographic oral sex on the Prince, as passionate, enticing and sexual?  When seen smiling and wiping her mouth afterwards I pondered as to whether that was necessary? Dance legend Irek Mukhamedov, now an older dancer had a small role as Von Rothbart, but managed to carry Odile around on his back throughout the performance as she pointed in the direction of the Prince Siegfried. Suffice to say the storytelling was confusing, unfocussed and unclear and whilst I struggled with this work other audience members next to me who have never been to the ballet enjoyed it.

Peter Schaufuss Sleeping Beauty. Coliseum London

Tuesday 24^th July. 2012

This is the second in the Trilogy of the Peter Schaufuss’s Tchaikovsky reimagined ballets. It works better than Swan Lake using disconnected and abstruse ballet scenes but the dramatic storyline only slightly resembles the actual fairytale. One could be confused on the outset after having seen the previous production of Swan Lake as the characters wear similar outfits, which completely confuses and complicates the storyline. The bed, with the Prince lying on it, is used at the beginning and end of Swan Lake (which has nothing to do with the plot) is once again used in a similar fashion for Sleeping Beauty. Therefore, as a continuation the Prince is seen at the beginning of Sleeping Beauty being awakened by the ‘dream master’. He arises lethargically and then trudges, hunched over into the wings. The mother of the Prince in Swan Lake now becomes the mother of Aurora, whom she gives birth to onstage. As Aurora physically develops, Schaufuss draws on both the storylines of Copelia and the Red Shoes for inspiration, choreographing her being stuck to the floor in glittery black point shoes unable to dance and acting like a rag doll. It becomes deeply disturbing trying to work out the characters, how they are linked from the previous ballet to wondering if they are a psychological representation of the male and female psyche in Tchaikovsky’s tormented sexual struggle? There were far less corps de ballet scenes which enabled a cleaner, sharper production but wobbles and falls were clearly visible at times. The sound balance hadn’t been rectified from the previous evening and the set, which included the perspex panes, and mirror remained the same with the addition of long pieces of black material banners flown in representing the woods. The Prince engages in a sexual encounter with Carabosse, Yoko Takahashi, who played Odile in Swan Lake and they too had a sexual encounter. Carabosse is the daughter of the King and stepsister of Aurora, Megumi Oki, whom she attempts to kill. Danish star Alban Lendorf provides yet another fine performance as Prince Florimund despite his restrictive green jacket and 51-year-old dance legend Irek Mukhamedov as the King was given a whole dance solo to show that he can still perform well. The King leaves the stage and returns seconds later wearing is Von Rothbart coat from Swan Lake comforting Carabosse as he did Odile last night. I still remain confounded, mystified, baffled and perplexed?