COMEDY MUSICAL KEVIN (THE MUSICAL) Z ARTS

   

Many artistic works have been inspired by visits to foreign places, often creating an interesting scenario to a romantic encounter or perhaps a dramatic backdrop to a criminal manhunt. ‘Kevin (the musical)’ was primarily inspired by writer Will Sharland's two-month journey around the Northern regions of the U.S.A. but rather than America providing a backdrop to a story, the show was nothing short of a detailed, satirical examination of modern-day American society. The writer’s affection for American people certainly came through in both the characters and the writing but conclusions of the story were quite another matter.

   Rather than being viewed through a fly-on-the-wall approach, America was observed through the eyes of Kevin, a young English visitor staying with an America family. His experiences started with engaging with the various family members and expanded to include school, fast-food social culture and general aspects of daily life in the states such as meeting the same people each morning on the bus. The dramatic-style was akin to something by Amanda Whitington with each scene represented by a huge, photo backscreen and this worked well in compartmentalising American life. With a large cast of sixteen, the atmospheres of social situations such as a classroom or a diner were convincingly created.    

    The music was very much in the style of a modern, American show, many songs sung by a different cast for almost each line, with rousing rhythms that kept up a constant pace, backed by a lot of movement on stage. There was little music that could be described as memorable but as a musical experience, the show was fast-flowing, keeping the audience engaged and entertained. Elena Whiteley as Chase and Charlotte Naylor as Cindi stood out with some fine solos whilst Steffan Eldridge provided excellent comic support as Eugene. There were some touching characterisations as well, notably Kitti Horvath’s diner proprietor Betty and Myome Mortimer-Davies ‘s teacher, Mrs Sanders. And not forgetting a very funny impersonation of Donald Trump by Stian Jebson

   The impression given of America during the whole of Act One was of a sugar-coated life in which everyone seemed to be constantly convincing themselves that life was great or at the very least, in the process of becoming so with every new day gleefully greeted as the day that is going to be the day and the photo backscreens echoing this with images of neatly manicured lawns and pristine rooms (save a few rats in Betty’s diner). The American dream was constantly drummed in to everyone with Mrs. Sanders insisting that everything was possible if you just ‘did your best’.

   Suffice to say, everything got deconstructed in the second act with the backscreens showing a filthy squat with graffiti-covered walls a psychiatric hospital and a rubbish-strewn back street, as dark undercurrent came to the surface, including school shooting. A very funny scene was a pastiche of ‘West Side Story’, where the school bully Marty (played by Noah Wessel) and his gang ambush Kevin in an alleyway, where rather than beat him up, they present their dancing skills. This was a metaphor for one of the show’s underling themes that all Americans were living a state of make-believe, as if they were actually in a show rather than reality.

  The most curious device of ‘Kevin’ was McGuffin, memorably played by Kevin Jones, a sort of homeless version of Billy Connolly who kept appearing to Kevin giving warnings that all was not what it seemed. Keir Lundy gave a sterling performance as Kevin, showing from the outset, an unsettled feeling in his surroundings which progressively descended to the point of a virtual mental breakdown as the falseness of American life and attitudes impacted upon him.

Added this were understated racist attitudes exemplified in the difference between an ‘American’ and an ‘Amercaine!’ Ultimately, it came as no surprise to see that ‘Kevin’ did not put America in a very positive light but beneath that was a genuine feeling of warmth towards the American people who were essentially shown as victims of their own society and culture.

Reviewer: John Waterhouse

Reviewed: 7^th March 2025

 

           

           

JASON DONOVAN - DOIN' FINE 2025 BRADFORD ST GEORGE'S HALL

35 years after his Doin’ Fine 90 tour, Jason Donovan is back with a bang in his follow up tour, Doin’ Fine 2025 and judging from the palpable excitement in the room, it’s been a long time coming.

In a relatively small and cosy Bradford venue, Donovan was able somehow combine the loud, bright, high energy feel of an arena tour with the intimacy of a local gig; singing and dancing along with Jason felt like hitting the karaoke bar with a (much more talented) old friend. Despite the decades that Donovan’s career spans the audience was a lot more diverse than expected, fans both young and old alike came out in their masses for a fun Friday night of 90s pop nostalgia, and that’s exactly what they got. 

Reliving his musical theatre days, Donovan opened with hits from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, and from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which proved popular and were a great way to get the crowd warmed up. His impressive vocals have aged like a fine wine, hitting high notes with ease and showing a range and level of control that can only come with so many years of experience.

While we were treated to a wide range of Jason’s many hits from over the year, from slow and sultry ballads such as ‘Sealed with a Kiss’ to bouncy bangers like ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ there were a couple of special moments that really stood out. Donovan had a great rapport with the adoring audience from the get-go, deepened by his candid story sharing about his past, his family life and his views on fame. It was these personal moments of connection and memory that made an already intimate performance feel all the way special. The show was set against a backdrop of a constant stream of home videos, photographs, posters and film reel of Jason’s incredible history in the limelight, but it was the introduction of a 1961 video of his father Terence that provided a truly unique moment unlike any I’ve seen before. Using this black and white video from his father’s early days in performing allowed Jason to join him for a beautiful rendition of Sinatra’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’, and it’s clear where Jason’s talent came from. Stealing the show was a stellar encore performance of Donovan and Minogue’s classis ballad ‘Especially for You’ complete with Neighbours-esque costumer change,  his vocal backup from Sophie Hiller was the perfect accompaniment, and his band were top notch.

All in all, it made for the perfect trip down memory lane for long time fans and beautifully encapsulated a long and decorated career. Donovan provides an incredibly charming look back over the years, while showing just how excited and wistful he is about what’s still to come. Even if (like me) you don’t know every song you won’t feel left out, as with Jason’s amazing energy and the love in the room you just can’t help but dance and sing along. It’s definitely a night I’ll remember for a long time, and not just because Jason Donovan whizzing around a stage on a skateboard wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card, but that’s definitely up there.

Reviewed by: Hazel Kaye

Review Date: 07/03/2025

REVIEW AS YOU LIKE IT - The Grosvenor East Theatre, Manchester Metropolitan University Students

On entering the theatre this afternoon, we were presented with an open stage, upon which a set, very reminiscent of the great age of Shakespeare productions (i.e.. circa 1930) was shown. A sideways set of steps and stark black pillars with a bare cyclorama to the rear. The programme notes do not say in which time period the play is set, nor was I previously aware, but as soon as the cast walked on wearing costumes reminiscent of the between-war years, I felt vindicated. 

'As You Like It' is one of Shakespeare's comedies, and in this production, directed by ex-student Emily Raymond, there was much to admire and enjoy. On the surface, the plot is easy to follow and the characters mono-dimensional, but actually, strip away the outer layer, and as with many other Shakespearean characters, there is much more to them than at first meets the eye. The play was kept quite pacey and light, and yet, not to much. We still invested in their follies and their plights, and a good balance between characters and scenes was found. 

Hopey Parish was born to play the role of Rosalind, and having seen countless versions of this play over the years, it was her interpretation this afternoon which I shall now use as my new benchmark for the future. Her performance was incredibly well measured and not a single syllable was out of place, whilst physically she commanded the stage without upstaging anyone. All of the actors this afternoon impressed, and it is easy to see why the Manchester School of Theatre holds on to its reputation of excellence. Other performers this afternoon to give me goosebumps were Naomi Ricci's Phoebe, and the inspired decision to cast Edward Burgess as Audrey.

Sensibly not utilising the standard RP accent which seems to be (apart from Northern Broadsides) de rigueur for all Shakespeare plays, this was a very enjoyable, sensible and sensitive interpretation of one of the Bard's more enduring plays. 

Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu

Reviewed - 8.3.25

REVIEW CLASSICAL MUSIC STUDENTS The RNCM Symphony Orchestra in concert - 6th March 2025 Venue - The RNCM Concert Hall, Manchester.

It has been far too long since my last visit to this hallowed establishment in the heart of university-land, Manchester. Sadly, ill health has kept me away for almost 12 months, but I was certainly very excited and happy to be back. A mix of styles was on this evening's programme, and the concert started with the world premiere of a new work by 3rd year undergraduate Patrick Gorry, titled, "Weight, Pressure, Position".  I have to admit that of all the classical music genres, I find the contemporary compositions the hardest to get to grips with. Certainly this was true of Gorry's work. In the programme notes he states that he injected elements of techno and acid house rhythms and styles into the piece, as he envisaged this work to be as a dancer warming up before a presentation and the actual dance itself. In all honesty, this was not an image that came easily to my mind. Conducted by Benjamin Huth, there was much emphasis given to dynamics rather than 'tune' or 'lyricism', and as with many modern pieces of music, I felt cheated and unsatisfied, as I felt I was listening to technique and invention over expressionism and tunefulness. 

The second piece on this evening's programme however left me in no doubt as to why I was there. I was back on terra firma, and not just that, this was one of my dad's favourite pieces and was constantly on the CD player when I was growing up. The piece in question being Beethoven's Piano Concerto no 5 (op73), commonly referred to as 'The Emperor Concerto'. With a reduced orchestra and prize-winning pianist Siyi Dai II was hearing and watching live the notes which had been implanted into my brain somewhat subliminally from my dad's constant playing and whistling around the house! It is a masterful and indeed wonderful piece of music, and truly lovely to be able to enjoy it live.

After the interval, and again, another slight shift in timescale and genre, but perhaps one could argue that this, Prokofiev's music for 'Romeo And Juliet' provided the bridge between the first half's two pieces. Written in 1935, Prokofiev's writing in strident and bold, but easily captures the emotions which we can all readily relate to from Shakespeare's tragic romance story. We hear influences in the music of Prokofiev's love of his native Ukraine with the inclusion of that country's folk music, as well as Russian military music, and even a little hark forward to his plagiarising one of his themes here to 'star' in his 1936 composition 'Peter And The Wolf'! 

Both of the more substantial works this evening were conducted with passion and obvious joy by Andrew Manze, and his control over the orchestra and his natural enthusiastic style, helped to bring out the best from every player. 

One word on dress code. In previous concerts the RNCM have always worn professional blacks (or black and white) uniformly, however this evening's concert took me somewhat by surprise to see the orchestra dressed in different colours and styles. It looked aesthetically more like a rehearsal than a concert.

Nevertheless, a great-to-be-back experience, and look forward to hearing more from these talented students who come from all over the world to study within these walls. 

Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
Reviewed - 6.3.25

PLAY REVIEW - A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, CRUCIBLE THEATRE, SHEFFIELD

 

A Streetcar Named Desire is easily Tennessee Williams’ most famous play; it squats over his reputation rather like the malignant tarantula Blanche alludes to toward the end -as long as it exists; his other plays (and there are many - all of them various shades of good to excellent to great) get barely a look in. Recent years have seen a glut of Streetcars - you’ve never had to wait for one, there have always been plenty to catch - so any new production has to fight to stand out from the crowd. That’s not to argue against Streetcar’s greatness - it’s endured for nearly eighty years, proof of its worth - but do we need to see it again and again ad infinitum?

When it’s produced as stylishly and imaginatively as in the Crucible Theatre’s current version, we do. Josh Seymour’s scenically spare production - no attempt is made at a naturalistic representation of Stanley and Stella’s poky two-room shack on the Crucible’s expansive stage - takes a fresh look at a familiar text and manages to say new things about the piece without desecrating it. Perhaps the most striking innovation is Amara Okereke’s radical reinterpretation of Stella - too often played as a passive buffer zone between the contrasting temperaments of her sister Blanche and husband Stanley - here seen as a figure of some authority, not afraid to call her husband out for his loutishness or reprimand her sister for her prissiness, and in many ways the only adult in the room. Never before has the sheer burden of Stella’s life been made so explicit as in Okereke’s performance, banal household duties still having to be done while the world whirls around her. Her breakdown at the end, when she cracks under the responsibility of having consigned Blanche to an asylum, is hard to watch for all the right reasons.

Competing for moral ownership of this still centre are Joanna Vanderham’s Blanche and Jake Dunn’s Stanley. Vanderham is a wraith-like vision in white and red, her pencil-slim figure serving notice of an innate fragility, a person marked out from the first for an unhappy ending. Yet Vanderham mines the incidental comedy of the early scenes, pivoting around Blanche’s fondness for the bottle, better than most. Dunn, a less emphatic Stanley than is often the case, is still the pugnacious defender of his rights as the king in his own home and his final confrontation with Blanche has a slowly uncoiling menace The ‘expressionist’ representation of the climactic rape was another effective touch.

The most original innovation here, though, is the decision to make Blanche’s dead husband, Allan Gray (Jack Ofrecio), a silent witness to her downfall and, sometimes, during her narrative speeches, a physical presence in the action. This worked especially well during the long exposition section in Act One but came close to being intrusive later on in the play (the point that Blanche is haunted by Allan’s suicide has been made and doesn’t need re-stating). Somewhat outside the main action, there is a splendid performance from Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong as Mitch, Blanche’s awkward suitor, well meaning but thoroughly out of his depth, and excellent ensemble support from Bridgette Amofah , Lia Burge, Nuhazet Diaz Cano and Dominic Rye.

The resources of the Crucible’s wide apron stage and revolve are thoroughly exploited in Frankie Bradshaw’s design with effective lighting from Howard Harrison and sound and music from Alexandra Faye Braithwaite. Despite the play’s formidable length (two and three quarter hours, including interval), this is a Streetcar worth travelling some distance to catch, especially if you’ve never seen it before or are only familiar with the less than faithful 1951 film version.

The play runs from 7th-29th March 2025

Reviewer: Paul Ashcroft 

Reviewed: 06.03.25. 

THEATRE REVIEW - CALAMITY JANE LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

Well, crack my whip and call me a calamity...what a show!

As a long time fan of a good ol’ fashioned cowboy comedy and a will-they-won’t they romance, I was excited to see what sort of plumb fancy fun had come rolling into Leeds. As someone who has somehow never seen the classic Doris Day musical, I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but with such a stellar cast and rave reviews for the first leg of the UK and Ireland Tour, I went in with high hopes – and I was not disappointed.

The show takes us back to the wagon riding, gun slinging Wild West where we meet the smart- mouthed firecracker that is Calamity Jane. When a mix up at the theatre leaves the goldrush town of Deadwood with an angry mob and no entertainment, Calamity volunteers herself as the heroine to venture over to the big city of Chicago. Her aim? To bring back world renowned performer Adelaide Adams – much to the delight of the infatuated townsmen who have only seen her photograph from their cigarette packets. A major mix-up leads to the wrong woman being brought back to Deadwood; but the whole town falls for the unexpected Katie Brown anyway. While a beautiful friendship blossoms between the two women, infatuation spreads fast throughout the small town and stubborn Calamity is forced to swallow her pride and figure out what her heart really wants.

The show is full of fun from start to finish; crowd favourite Rattlesnake (Richard Lock) does a stellar job of warming the audience up with his trusty banjo and brings us straight into the well-loved classic of an opener, 'Whip-Crack-Away'. The toe tapping musical numbers are brought to life with an incredible on-stage band sprinkled throughout the cast, making the local saloon feel like home from the get-go. 

While an on-stage band is always fun, it does create some slight coordination problems during whole cast dance numbers. But it’s only noticeable if you’re really looking for it, and the

energy on stage is more than enough of a distraction; at all times it’s clear just how much fun the entire cast is having.

The chemistry between the cast is electric, but none more than between the stars of the show – Carrie Hope Fletcher as the outspoken Calamity, and Vinny Coyle as the cool and collected, famous Wild Bill Hickock. Never sure if they love or hate one another, the laughs and snide remarks between the two feel utterly natural, whether he’s bringing her down a peg or two, or she’s giving him a dressing down about his wanting her to get dressed up, the comradery between the two is so fun to watch. There’s also a comfortable companionship between the hilarious Samuel Homes as the anxious actor Francis Fryer and his ever-supportive Sue (Hollie Cassar) that brings even more hilarity to an already rib-tickling show.

Fletcher is an absolute spitfire – her comedic timing and high-energy performance are captivating, and her vocals are stunning, particularly in her beautiful rendition of secret love, which gave me goosebumps. 

Coyle absolutely dazzles with 'Higher Than A Hawk', and the town of Deadwood sure

are lucky to have an entertainer with a voice as beautiful as Seren Sandham-Davies in the role of Katie Brown. Her quirky duet with Fletcher in ‘A Woman’s Touch’ might be just a tad dated, but it sure sounded amazing!

With such a stellar cast, classic show tunes that you can’t help but want to sing along to, and a beautiful set that feels right at home, it’s an easy to enjoy show that anyone can enjoy. The only downside is the story itself; it might be a classic, but it’s a little outdated for a modern audience. 

The tale of Calamity Jane is definitely a product of its time and that’s worth noting; there’s something about seeing a woman as lesser because she doesn’t wear fancy dresses that just doesn’t sit right in 2025, but it’s harmless enough. As a fun, memorable musical it’s definitely up there, and the incredible cast make it more than worth a watch – I’m already planning on heading back to see it again later this year as it continues its UK tour into the latter half of the year. 

The production is directed by Nikolai Foster, co-directed and choreographed by Nick Winston and features musical supervision by Olivier, Grammy and Tony Award winner Catherine Jayes.

Its run at Leeds Grand Theatre is only a short one, until 8th March, but you can catch Calamity’s stagecoach rolling across the UK until late September. So go on, get to booking!

Reviewer: Hazel Goodlad  6.3.2025

COMEDY PLAY - SHIRLEY VALENTINE EVERYMAN THEATRE, LIVERPOOL

A special celebration of the Everyman’s 60th birthday season, brought back the revival of Willy Russell’s one-woman play, Shirley Valentine which first  premiered at the Everyman theatre in 1986.

This fabulous production is directed by Stephen Fletcher and produced by Harriet Warnock and starred the talented Liverpool actor, Helen Carter.

The production opens with the scene set as a typical basic kitchen from the 1980’s,

‘Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer’ is loudly playing as Mrs Shirley Bradshaw enters the kitchen, with her food shopping in a string bag. The music fades as she takes off her coat and shoes and puts on her pinny and slippers.

She immediately opens a bottle of Riesling wine that her daughter Millanda has told her is the trendy drink of the moment, and as she sips from her glass she proceeds to put away her shopping whilst addressing the audience and talking to the wall, revealing how dull and monotonous her life has become now that her two children have grown up and left, and she’s just left alone with her husband Joe.

Her son lives in a bedsit in St Helens, and she wishes it was somewhere more glamorous like Childwall or Woolton, and her daughter shares a flat with her friend in Fazakerley.

She reveals the loss of her identity as her true self, the young vivacious single woman she once was, Shirley Valentine, and not the drudgery of a life she has somehow ended up with now as Shirley Bradshaw. While she is expressing her views on her life with Joe, she explains that she gave the mince she just bought for his tea, to her friends’ dog, and he will be having chips and egg tonight instead and won’t be happy.

She explains her friend Jane is going on holiday to Greece and has bought her a ticket to accompany her. She dismisses going with Jane as a ridiculous idea, until her daughter falls out with her friend and says she is moving back home.

The set is a full working kitchen (Katie Scott, Set and Costume Design) and as she talks to the wall and the audience, she switches the deep fat fryer on and peels the potatoes and cuts into chips and puts them into the fryer. She butters two rounds of bread and cracks two eggs into a frying pan and fries the eggs. Once cooked (all real and in real time) she plates up the prepared food and carefully places it on the table setting for Joe.

The sound of the door in the hallway opens indicating Joe coming in from work, the lights dim, as Shirley briefly leaves the set, and reappears dressed all ready for her holiday to Greece with Jane, with her suitcase packed, and her passport and sunhat.

After putting up with a disgruntled Joe over his chips and egg tea, she explains to the audience and wall, this was the final straw that made her change her mind and join Jane in Greece. This ends the first half of this fabulous play.

The second half is set on the beach in Greece with a table and parasol surrounded by large rocks. Shirley donning a swimsuit and shades appears on stage and proceeds to talk to the rock (instead of the wall at home) explaining how Jane has left her on her own for four days after being chatted up on the plane flying to Greece.

Whilst Shirley is dining alone, she is asked by Costas the restaurant owner, to join him sailing around the island on his boat. This sailing trip turns into a fling where she re-names Costas with a pet name of Columbus, the reason why becomes clear as the story proceeds.

She knows it is only a short holiday fling, but it has reignited and awakened her passion for life again and she decides not to return home to the dull life she has endured.

The play ends where Shirley sits sipping Riesling wine on the beach and explains that she has a job at the restaurant offering the British people who dislike Greek food, cooking chips and egg!! and that Joe is on his way flying to Greece desperate to see her, but doubts he will recognise her, as she is once more Shirley Valentine.

As the play ends, the lights dim and ‘Running up that Hill by Kate Bush’ softly plays. The audience applaud very loudly and whistle and shout, and Helen Carter received a standing ovation, for a truly outstanding performance.

This is a very enjoyable, witty, engaging play, full of comedic timing excellently executed.

Carter had the audience in the palm of her hand, in awe and howling with laughter all the way through, local areas were referenced too, including the famous Adelphi Hotel.

This is an excellent production which runs until 29th March. 

Reviewer: Jill Ollerton 7.03.2025

PLAY REVIEW A NUMBER 53TWO MANCHESTER

Caryl Churchill’s play is a taut little piece set in the near future, and deals with the outcomes of

cloning. Red Brick Theatre gives “A Number” a Northern interpretation. This performance was at

53Two, Manchester.

Performed in traverse, the set consisted of several pieces of quite dated-looking Victorian-style

furniture; and a table with a decanter and glasses for whisky, which was almost constantly in use. As

the father character, Salter, Joe Simpson shuffled around in a rumpled suit, glasses, and with a

walking stick. The effect was almost pre-war. He appeared to be the last man on earth to have got

involved with anything as high-fangled as human cloning.

Playing all the son characters was Tom Ryder; and in this age of personality casting, it is lovely when

an actor can show what he can do. Ryder had only minimal costume changes between characters;

but gave each person a distinct voice, movement style and personality. The three sons were still all

obviously cloned brothers; and the different environments they’d grown up in and the flickering

little differences in personality were enhanced with a crisp confidence that was a pleasure to watch.

Director Jess Gough was able to tease out what is a rather complicated story, and have each clash

sculpted into a shattering little scene. Ryder’s first appearance was as Bernard 2, raised by Salter

from birth, and only just finding out he is the product of cloning and that the DNA was illegally stolen

to make many more copies. Bernard 2 shuffled around in a drab top and glasses, looking very much

like a young version of his father. Having everything he knew about his identity up until that point

dissolve in front of him, his existential crisis was softly played but very real.

Ryder later appeared as Bernard 1, the original son that the clones were copied from. Extra directing

choices added a volcanic temper, a more underclass style of clothing, and an ankle tag. This was the

child that was put into care at four years old because his widowed father could no longer cope with

him. Naturally, Bernard 1 was now full of resentment, and having murderous impulses at the

thought of having been replaced with a clone. It’s not really answered in the play why Salter got a

problematic and living child cloned, rather than just starting again with a new family; and Joe

Simpson didn’t really answer it in his performance either. But Ryder’s display of explosive aggression

was very compelling.

And to finish with a more comedic uptake, Ryder finally appeared again as one of the unauthorised

clones: Michael Black. This is the first time this reviewer has seen the role played as an American.

Salter is trying to make amends for the past by meeting with the other clones, but Michael Black is

infuriating – one of those very laid-back Americans who is perfectly happy with everything and has

no depth of personality. The play ended with Salter’s pain humorously coupled with Michael Black’s

superficiality.

Reviewer: Thalia Terpsichore 

Reviewed: 23.5.24

OPERA REVIEW POLLY (THE HEARTBREAK OPERA) THE LOWRY, SALFORD

This feminist and modernised pop musical adaptation of John Gay’s once-banned 18th century ballad
opera is vibrant, energetic, and sends up anything and everything going. The performance was
presented by Sharp Teeth at the Lowry, Salford.
Four female performers played all the characters between them, on Sam Wilde’s simple set
featuring some glitter and neon and extendable palm trees. The cast had taken the characters and
plot-line of John Gay’s forgotten sequel to “The Beggar’s Opera” and created their own script from
it, with a great deal of irrelevance and caricature – particularly for the male characters! Eighteen
original pop songs were composed by Ben Osborne, and the general effect was of a hen party in the
Caribbean with beer-bellied drag kings and beatbox pirates. It was bonkers, but immense fun.
Taking a sort of narrator role was Madeline Shann as The Poet. Dressed as an uber-elegant
Elizabethan jester, she glided around the staged spraying sardonic looks, and guided us from one
ludicrous scene to another. This is a story about Macheath’s three wives all coming to track him
down after he’s been transported to the Caribbean for his crimes and then set up a successful
pirating enterprise. Trafficking, sexual harassment, and a pregnant woman swimming across the
Atlantic Ocean all feature: – Shann’s almost unmovable face and dry voice kept everything plausible.
Polly Peachum, just eighteen and having her “Hello”-magazine style wedding with her East End
gangster parents in attendance, was played with great verve by Eleanor Nawal. She got the tone of
the overly excited upper-crust debutante (her parents had sent her to an expensive convent school)
perfectly.
Jenny Diver, the hard-nosed prostitute and businesswoman, was given sharp dynamism by Norma
Butikofer. This was doubled with Butikofer strutting around in tight Union Jack shorts as Mr Ducat,
the governor of the island, who beneath the comedy also had an unpleasant line in sleazing onto
hapless indentured housemaids.
Lucy Lockitt, the pregnant jailor’s daughter who helps Macheath escape, was played with daft
warmth by Marie Hamilton. Hamilton doubled as the sly matron Mrs Trapes, who gets Polly into
trouble on the cruise ship and then sells her to Mr Ducat once on shore; and she triumphed as
Macheath himself, portrayed as an older manipulative and misogynist Lothario in tasteless flashy
jewellery and clothing.
Hamilton is seven months’ pregnant in real life, and featured this in Macheath’s costume by having a
large exposed protruding belly – as many middle-aged men do. Charmingly during the performance,
Hamilton junior woke up and spent ten minutes doing a very noticeable baby dance behind the
tightly-stretched skin of Hamilton mater’s stomach, upstaging everything else on the stage. (Never
work with children or animals.)
Director Stephanie Kempson kept a tight handle on a wildly riotous show, and the spirit of John Gay
lived on once more.
Reviewer:  Thalia Terpsichore 
Reviewed: 14/5/24

REVIEW SOUNDTRACK OF LIFE and TIMELESS TREASURES City College, City Centre Campus, The Longmore Theatre STUDENTS 2nd Year Musical Theatre students (17 and 18 year olds)

Without a programme or cast information sadly I am feeling a little lost. These were  Musical Theatre showcase / revue shows which moved swiftly from their opening full company song and dance "Revolting Children" from 'Matilda' / 'One', "A Chorus Line",  through 22 more songs, dances etc, culminating in their full company finale of "Raise You Up" from 'Kinky Boots' / 'Happy Feet' respectively.

Played out on a bare stage with minimal lighting effects and some haze, and with a semblance of costuming throughout, it was left to the performers' own versatility and talent to be able to convey all the rest through their performances. If I am completely honest then I feel that the choice of songs was at times a little unwise, as their voices and techniques were not yet ready to tackle these technically difficult song choices. This was especially true in the first of the two showcases. All however made a very brave effort and considering their ages and experience, managed to convey a highly emotive and entertaining evening, proving that this is a talented ensemble and truly deserved the long applause for their show at the end. 

A few of the numbers were unknown to me, and others I knew but could not remember titles etc. In the first showcase, there was a large blank screen to the side of stage left, which was used only once in the showcase to play images of the students as younger children learning their craft. Why could this screen not have advertised the title of each song and the name of those performing it? Whilst the second boasted live solo piano music from one of the students which could have been capitalised on more.

In general the sound levels for both evenings were set too high. Using playbacks of the songs they were singing and not a live musician is always tricky, and I felt that the cast would have benefitted from more playback turned onto the stage as they were not always singing or dancing in time with the recording. Further, when the accompaniment drowns out the soloist, as it did a few times, this also needs some consideration and adjustment. In the second showcase, Timeless Treasures, we experienced a lot of microphone issues, including loud feedback and them not even working for the soloists. That was such a shame, but huge kudos to the ensemble who carried on regardless.. very professional. Especially to the lead singer in 'Somebody To Love'.. well done. 

Personal favourites for Soundtrack Of Life evening were "Don't Rain On My Parade", "I Don't Want To Be Here Anymore", "Burn", the solo acting monologue, "Mein Herr", and "Heart Of Stone".  Whilst in Timeless Treasures my personal favourites were, "Mama Who Bore Me", "Goodnight My Someone", "Broadway Baby", and "Singin' In The Rain".

Two entertaining evenings watching some upcoming talent. Congratulations to all involved.

Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu 

Reviewed: 26.2.25