Morning by Simon Stephens, Lyric Hammersmith, dir Sean Holmes

B….. Work-shopped by the Lyric Young Peoples’ Company, Morning recalls Eclipse and DNA, written by Simon Armitage and Dennis Kelly. All three deal with adolescence on the dark side. In Morning soul-mates separate as one is about to go to university, while the other vows to make them stay with horrific consequences. The dangerous atmosphere is unrelenting, picked out by harsh lighting; isolated ‘bits of set’ such as fridge, a fish tank, in which paper-boats float and burn; and in a nod to Filter Company, an on-stage SX technician, who makes dissonant sound. The actors do seem to play younger than their scripted personas (Stephanie and Cat are seventeen); a little too gauche and knock-kneed. And for the most part play ‘face-on.’ This raw, authentic stance suits the story and production style. Yet the 'Youth Experience’ is not all about attitude….There is also a terrifying poetry, which Armitage offers; and taut action explored by Dennis Kelly. Morning, in comparison, still feels in places like a script in development…… 

Theatre: The Last of the Hausmanns

The Last of the Hausmanns by Stephen Beresford, Julie Walters, Rory Kinnear, Helen McCrory

Atomic. A deceptively comic play about disintegration. The Hausmanns' dynasty and family-stock are re-aligned. Judy Hausmann is the last of the bohemians – free-thinking, free-loving and free-boozing – she accepts her fate; think Chekov’s Raneveskaya. Judy’s neurotic daughter, Libby, tries to keep things together, while her son, Nicky, unfulfilled in life and love escapes as crises surface. Surrounded by sundry characters - Summer, Libby’s abrasive yet drive-in-the-wedge daughter, Peter ‘the good doctor’ who buys into Judy’s free-wheeling spirit, and speedo-clad Daniel, who has free access to the family’s outdoor swimming pool – the seasonal summer swelters. Judy Hausmann is a natural vehicle for Julie Walters - snappy one-liners, good character and observational detail - but it would be wrong to dismiss it as derivative. Walters is feisty and her timing perfect. Helen McCrory and Rory Kinnear as the siblings, crackle. While the other characters puncture this Devon idyll, with its ingenious clutter, colour and hippy sound track, in a random bid towards progress. If there is a message then it's 'be yourself.'….The Cherry Orchard it isn’t, but this is an impressive debut by Beresford. 

Theatre: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, National Theatre, dir Marianne Elliott, Adapted by Simon Stephens, Bunny Christie, Luke Treadaway, Niamh Cusack, Paul Ritter, Nicola Walker, Una Stubbs

Awesome. Mrs Sear’s dog, Wellington, is killed by a garden fork in front of her house. Christopher obsessed with numbers, astronomy and the colour yellow decides to investigate. He unravels more than he can handle, discovers he doesn't like Batternberg Cake, while his journey takes him to London. He takes the train, negotiates the underground and ends up in Chapel Gardens, NW. Hugely impressive, Marianne Elliott's production stays faithful to Christopher’s perspective throughout: with ingenious design, choreography and lighting; and moments of real sensitivity. Playwright, Simon Stephens uses a clever narrative device: Siobhan, Christopher's teacher narrates his story and later turns it into a play. This allows for doublings, re-casting – watch the policemen - and detachment. Christopher’s attention to detail, his repetitions, patternings are all re-enacted by a committed, well-drilled, ensemble cast playing an assortment of characters. Lovely to see Una Stubbs.......While Mark Haddon’s iconic script is brought vividly to life making it a talking point all over again. Luke Treadaway as Christopher, is extraordinary, while Paul Ritter and Nicola Walker excel as his parents. And the dog? Well the dog…….a clever reality check, but you’ll have to go and discover that for yourself…… 

Theatre: London Road

London Road, National Theatre, Alecky Blythe, dir Rufus Norris, music Adam Cork, design Katrina Lindsay

New-mint. London Road is different. A musical in a spoken verbatim style, similar to recitative, which Alecky Blythe carefully crafts to commercial success. Real lives/voices are recorded with every hmm….pause, repetition and non sequitor; ‘Begonias, Petunias, Impatiens and things’……The music, by Adam Cork, feels forensic: reminiscent of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. Yet its dissonance and counterpoint perfectly suit the unconventional, production style. It's a year in the life of the London Road residents, Suffolk, as they reclaim their neighbourhood, enter Ipswich in Bloom and organise themselves into a successful neighbourhood association after the arrest of Stephen Wright, serial killer of 5 sex workers, who lives next door at No 79. There are no big numbers, no stars, yet London Road is compelling throughout. It shows sugar and starch, old and young, selfishness and atruism. Direction and pace are tight and the ensemble acting uniformly good, with ingenious, versatile design by Katrina Lindsay……Blooming marvellous - see it before it fades!......

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises, dir Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy

Epic. It’s big and bold, with back-stories and narrative twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. Batman/Bruce Wayne are in reclusive mode, each battles with demons, made manifest through a physical debility – we first see Bruce Wayne with a stick – later he is straightened out as a stray vertebrae is clicked back into place. There is a countdown of sorts, as once on board, they work against a ticking bomb, which will blow not only Gotham City out of the water but the world as well. It is an apocalyptic vision in which Christopher Nolan produces all the metallic, heavy hardware he and the CGI and props guys can muster; and to great effect. With costume by Lindy Hemming, who worked on five Bond movies, there is a sense that the film is not just the conclusion to the trilogy but a homage to all screen heroes who live to rid the world of evil; there’s even a nod to Angels With Dirty Faces. Estranged from Alfred, Commissioner Gordon and Fox Wayne’s world is a lonely one. The spin here is that Wayne as much as Batman is on trial. Anne Hathaway is superb as Cat Women with a wonderful line in put-downs, leather outfits and killer stilettoes. And this under-cut, tongue-in-cheek saves the film from being too reverent with itself. While Tom Hardy as the evil Bane, who plots to subvert Gotham underground, is all beef, sinister mask, brute force with brute mentality….. Everyone is at the top of their game….. 

Dark Shadows, dir Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Moretz

Blood-curdling!.....Take it on the rise: vampires, curses, the Adams family, hallucinogenic 70s, with sharp, cliff-face promontories….The film doesn’t take itself seriously and invites you not to do the same…..Homage to the B movie horrors with buckets, buckets and buckets of blood, reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins is released after two centuries from a chained coffin. He meets his descendants in the run-down family pile  and sets about restoring the family business – canned fish – to its former glory…..Running through his veins is the curse of the she-devil…...Everybody camps up in this movie. It is shot and conceived in excess, so you either go with it or you don’t….Wicked performances by Burton veterans Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, while popular newcomer, Chloe Moretz, is a convincing teenage uber-slayer, transformed into a werewolf……Dark Shadows is a diversion, with cameo moments by Alice Cooper, lava lamps, which underscore Burton’s affectionate, nostalgic  retro-70s, neon look……

Review: Film

Albert Nobbs dir Rodrigo Garcia, Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Brendan Gleeson, Pauline Collins

Slow-burn……In years to come, Albert Nobbs will be judged a little masterpiece. Now it is too close (no pun intended). Close’s beloved project, fifteen years in the making, has given us a great cinema moment: two women, dressed as women who’ve spent their lives living as men, walking free for the first time along the strand, yet with all the awkwardness of the unfamiliar as they trip and clod-heel in dresses…..Marvellous……Allbert Nobbs has worked his way as a waiter in a shabby-genteel Dublin hotel, Morrisons, in the late 19th century. He carries with him a picture of his mother, an account book, and hides under the floorboards his accumulating savings; yet he is really a she. When Mr Herbert Page, painter and decorator, comes to work at the hotel and is billeted with Nobbs, Page is revealed as a woman also. Yet a typhoid epidemic strikes the city and threatens to unravel both their lives….There are touching and poignant scenes between the two, and devoid of any sexual overtones these are all the more moving for the characters’ individual, yet shared experience….The film, taken from George Moore’s novella, shows an intriguing array of Dublin-rich characters both upstairs and downstairs – the wastrel doctor, Brendan Gleeson, and the lady concierge, Pauline Collins - a precursor to James Joyce. Yet it is the two central performances by Close and McTeer which are memorable…..….. 

Review: Film

Salmon Fishing in Yemen dir Lasse Hallstrom, Sceenplay Simon Beaufoy with Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Amr Waked and Kristin Scott Thomas

Fun. A fisheries' expert is brought in to realise a Sheik’s vision to bring fly-fishing to the Yemini dessert. Plenty of fun, fish and faith…described as a Bill Nighy comedy without BN – filming commitments in India - its whimsy is beguiling. Good pace…Stunning Scottish backdrops contrast to the exotic Middle East. Characters lose everything and gain much as they dare to swim against the tide…..Performances are finely balanced, though Kirstin Scott Thomas steals it in presence and hutzpah, as press secretary to No 10 in search of a good British/Arab news story. Yet Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt work comfortably within the film's style, while Amr Waked brings a finely tuned dignity and wisdom.....  A restorative experience, more than a diversion, despite the mawkish love plots with direction and edits reminiscent of Blake Edwards’ Pink Panther series - with split screens, the interplay between emails/widgets and the throwaway line……..Stylish

Review: Theatre

Spamalot, Bonnie Langford, Todd Carty, Steven Pacey, Eric Idle, dir Christopher Luscombe, Richmond Theatre

Spam, spam, spam, spam….Yet the real deal…The Python's music and best-loved sketches are there: the black death, the Knights of Ni, brave Sir Robin, Sir Belvedere as Arthur and the boys go in search of the holy grail, led by the Lady-Diva of the lake. Bonnie Langford as the watery goil is fabulous. She is the all-singing, all-dancing original and has ‘special’ written through her like Brighton Rock…….The production is silly, fun and very, very British with a penchant for dressing up. Even God as Eric Idle makes an appearance via a touch screen! Such is the Python's following……….There are ridiculous songs - the fish-slapping, Finnish song; and outrageous, glorious dance numbers, with singing nuns and bible-head-hitting monks. The whole thing is a hoot. And its audience: a respectable mix of old, new and very new…..Spamalot goes as billed: ‘lovingly ripped off’….from the grail, Brian but you might want to add panto, end-of-pier and sea-side postcards as well...So for those looking for a bit of nostalgia or cult enjoyment, it works. It's a balance that Chrisopher Luscombe understands.…..There’s even a nod to Morecombe and Wise….oh, and that song: something about bright, look, right, side, life.... 

Review: Film

The Best, Exotic Marigold Hotel, Ol Parker screenplay from Deborah Moggach’s novel dir John Madden, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Dev Patel

Pension-planner. Everyone is at the top of their game. Whilst the evocation of the colour, smells and vibrancy of India will do more than any tourist industry brochure could. Seven people have to adjust: to life, to death, to ruin, to loneliness and new possibilities. Some make the leap of faith to discover a new vigour and determination, while others turn their backs and run into a cultural cul-de-sac. The best exotic marigold hotel is itself the most colourful metaphor with its age-old splendour, now pealing and faded, yet waiting for the right combination of dreams and determination to kick start it into a better future. The ensemble cast are superb: one-liners and pay off lines abound, with some wonderful anticing, particularly Ronald Pickup, as a serial roue; exquisite sensitivity between Bill Nighy and Judi Dench – the sight of him in a near ‘high-five’ and the pair bombing around on a motorbike is worth the price of a ticket alone - and contrasting mis-fits, Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton, who never compromise truth with popularity…Old age in its golden sunset, as expressed here, is an opportunity for renewal…… 

Review: Theatre

The Recruiting Officer by George Farquahar, dir Josie Rourke, Rachel Stirling, Mark Gatiss, Nicolas Burns, Tobias Menzies, Donmar Warehouse

Delightful. Like slipping into a warm bath: everything is pitch perfect. Novel, yet poignant take on Over the Hills and Faraway - manipulated by John Gay in The Beggar’s Opera, which is the same vintage. Britches part; mistaken intentions; thwarted love and intentions as Kite, the recruiting sergeant on behalf of Captain Plume dragoons, cajoles and hood-winks innocents for the army. The womanising Captain Plume is in love with Silvia yet considers her above him. Melinda her cousin, ‘has airs,’ and is in love with Mr Worthy, Plume’s friend. Enter the post-restoration fop, Captain Brazen, who is connected and known to everyone, according to him - even the Conundrums of Shropshire – who seeks Melinda’s hand and you have a heady brew of fun, romp, wit and music that fizzles with energy……Yet Josie Rourke’s poignant twist as the soldiers do indeed go over the hills and far away, that as an after-image, remains long after the play has finished…..And for anyone familiar with Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker, The Recruiting Officer offers a poignant reminder of those real castaways in 1789, who staged this play on the shoreline of what is now Sydney….A case of art mirroring life, mirroring art, mirroring life made all the richer for it….. 

Review: Theatre

Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker, dir Alastair Whatley, Emilly Bowker, Emma Gregory, Aiden Gillett, Chris Harper, The Rose Theatre, Kingston

Heavy-going. The play still sparkles and is as fresh now as it was when written in the 1980s. Yet this production is laboured and there are beats and nuances missing as it drives to its conclusion, particularly in the handling of the erratic Harry Brewer and his jealous preoccupation with his ‘she-lag’ Duckling Smith. Part of the problem is the entrances and exits and the width of The Rose stage; the episodic scenes need more defined, intimately-marked space to show the hugger-mugger existence of the convicts and officers; in this new outpost all are prisoners. Yet the central scene amongst the officers discussing the merits of theatre is still strong, as is the derisory note of a Sydney opera house; this is still deliciously sweet. Our Country’s Good uses a play within a play device, made all the more poignant as the events and most of the characters are historically accurate. The first convicts to arrive in Australia celebrate the King’s Birthday - George III, in 1789 - by putting on a play, The Recruiting Officer by George Farquahar. The play shows, particularly in the development of the character of Liz Morden - due to be hanged - just how important respect, freely given, is to the most low in spirits and circumstance, and how this can restore dignity and hope…… 

Review: Dance

Balletboyz The Talent, William Trevitt, Michael Nunn, A New Generation

Fabulous. 3 pieces promoting high octane, high testosterone levels of animal physicality with nine guys at the top of their game….The baton has passed to a new generation: a clever ploy on behalf of original ballet boys, William Trevitt and Michael Nunn, as the company, now ten years old, repackages itself for a new audience. First up Torsion, the twisting of an object due to an applied torque, with choreography by Russell Maliphant, is striking, fast, classy and with movement that just erupts from the minimal square of light, from which set pieces build into explosions of strength, stamina and athleticism. The romantic Alpha, with choreography by Paul Roberts and music by Keaton Henson, is a fest of colour and movement as costumes, suggestive of the eighteenth century, depict sailors marooned or shipwrecked on dry, bleached sandy beaches. There is an elegance to this piece, in contrast to the visceral quality of the first, as dancers are lifted, in counterpoint, high into the air. Finally Void: edgy, fast, with a black and white film backdrop as a group of disenfranchised hoodies circle and strut in a collision of movement and balance, which is breath-taking. With fresh choreography by Jarek Cemerek, film by Andrew Ellis and music score by Ondrej Dedecek, Yoav and Ismael de Garay this is a stunning closure to the evening…..Balletboyz are on tour now; catch them as they come round….if you can.....  

Review: Film

The Iron Lady by Abi Morgan, dir Phyllida Lloyd, Meryl Streep, Olivia Colman, Jim Broadbent

Imbalanced. A staggering, meticulous performance by Meryl Streep as the iron lady, ex-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. If the film had remained as an account of grief and dementia, which is its humanity, it perhaps would have earned more plaudits. As it is those at Westminster seem to have distanced themselves from it, and indeed part of an awkwardness is the juxtaposition of real footage, such as the 1980s’ miners’ strike and the sinking of The Belgrano, with its fictionalised, familial account. The difficulty is that we don’t know how to ‘read’ these as they are remembered by the ‘present’ Margaret. They come to us in an unexpurgated form, so that the mis-match of film format, after a while, becomes irritating. This is a shame for its human story is touching. Ably supporting Streep are Olivia Colman as Carol Thatcher and Jim Broadbent as Dennis; and Abi Morgan – who seems to have written everything at the moment – once again demonstrates, as she does in Lovesong, that she writes with real heart. The Iron Lady, complete with the off-stage, spectral presence of Mark Thatcher - always the favoured off-spring - as Carol does her best to keep ‘mummy’ going; and the inter-cut, imagined scenes involving Dennis, elevate the film from a kind of ordinariness……

Review: Film

Shame written by Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen, dir Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan

Brave. A few dead-end alleys in an otherwise compulsive movie: it’s shot beautifully, and erotically, around Manhattan, in subways, in anonymous grey offices, apartment buildings, sleazy bars and meat joints. The common currency is sex: Brandon, a successful middle executive, is an addict. No reasons are made clear for this. Though when Sissy, his drifter-sister, comes back into his life, there is sense of shared history, of which neither speaks. Sissy brings colour and a little bit of the exotic in the beginning, but her fragility is all too apparent when she hits on Brandon’s boss; and her heart-wrung singing of New York, New York shows her already half-submerged. There are two fine performances from Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, in an endless, though compelling round, of seedy assignations and joyless sex, where the New York backdrop is grey and unforgiving. Whether British artist, Steve McQueen, is making some subtle call here, is difficult to tell, as his standpoint at best, is ambiguous…….Hard viewing, but the film is shot with a sincerity as we see Brandon spiral from porn sites, lack-lustre dinner dates, call-girls, orgies to a battle-scarred, mess of self-loathing….He still rides the subway, but whether he is tempted or cured as he catches the eye of an attractive girl in the final sequence, we never know……..   

Review: Theatre

Lovesong by Abi Morgan, Lyric, Hammersmith, dir Steven Hoggart, Scott Graham, design Merle Hensal, video design William Galloway, Adam Young, lighting Andy Purves, Edward Bennett, Leanne Rowe, Sian Phillips, Sam Cox

Spell-binding. A couple, in their early and late years, interleave experiences, in just 90 minutes. It is the story of their beginning and their end......Margaret and William, Billy and Maggie, live as a believable, seamless couple in a beautifully choreographed and finely judged production by Frantic Assembly. The use of projections, architecture, music and movement show the most simplest of stories: a lovesong. Yet it is epic in design. William at one point asks what if our lives are a series of film strips which we inhabit; in which time is not linear?....The company have captured this concept in a threnody that has left audiences standing. Abi Morgan’s script is a clever contrivance: juxtaposed ideas, themes, objects drop into the action only to recur later with an added poignancy, such as the peaches, the hammock and the boy Adam. We are being unashamedly manipulated yet the subject matter is so contemporary and the performances, so much in tune with each other, that we go along with everything. Even the flocks of starlings as they go about their business, mimicking all they hear in their upward sweep, play a fine, thematic role....And a production that can make sense of ipods,cave paintings and dentistry in the same orbit shows a deft touch.....………Exquisite 

Review: Theatre

Comedy of Errors, NT, dir Dominic Cooke, Lenny Henry, Claudie Blakely, Daniel Msamati

Muted-Tint. Classic tale of twins separated in infancy by a shipwreck……mistaken identity as Antipholus of Syracuse arrives in Ephesus to search for his lost brother…….confusion as the action of both brothers and their identical twin servants, ‘the Dromios’, spirals ever faster into chaos and absurdity. Yet the setting and other theatrical signifiers are confusing: we are in a run-down city with tenements, smart apartments and seedy red-light district. The period is difficult to read. The range of accents suggests Africa, Latin-American…..Essex. While a live band sing British pop songs in Romanian. The costumes include football shirts, 60s’ chic, hip-hop, contemporary tart, anonymous brown suits with light travelling clothes…….The appeal overall is contemporary, modern, but the disparity between these elements is too wide for it to truly cohere…..Yet Lenny Henry does a fine job as Antipholus, bringing off comic routines and moments of real pathos; similarly, Claudie Blakely - so secure in comedy – is equally dexterous when she realises she has bedded the wrong guy; and Daniel Msamati, a united Emirates Dromio, with his near-monologue on the uncertain virtues of a close admirer is great fun……..These are joyous moments but the overall dilapidation of the city with its greys and dark tones, has the effect of laughter short-lived………… 

Review: Theatre

Noises Off, Michael Frayn, dir Lindsay Posner, Celia Imrie, Janie Dee, Johnathan Coy, Amy Nuttall, Jamie Glover, Robert Glenister, Paul Ready, Aisling Loftus, Karl Johnson, des Paul McKintosh

Priceless. Just when you think comedy couldn’t be bettered after ‘One Man Two Guvnors’ along comes ‘Noises Off’ at the Old Vic. A masterly script, played at a breakneck pace, which is truly awesome, using a play-within-a-play format where genre and structure is expertly manipulated throughout. Set over three acts, ‘Noises Off’, features Act One of the sex comedy ‘Nothing On’….produced by a second rate touring theatrical company with its stock of theatricals: young juveniles, old hacks, persistent worriers and drunks. Over time, the production disintegrates, as do the relationships between the characters, as actors play characters, who play actors and characters, who play….you get the picture…. ‘Nothing On’ - replete with sardines, banging doors and country-house setting - is ripe for exploitation, reminiscent of the slap n’ tickle, seedy comedies, at the butt-end of pier. Yet Act Two, where the action switches to backstage, objectifies the highlights of Act One while the ensuring chaos of the characters’ feelings towards each other are made more ludicrous because of the backstage etiquette for silence....Celia Imrie more than matches her two predecessors, Patricia Routledge and Patricia Hodge, Robert Glenister is in perfect pitch as the frazzled director, Lloyd Dallas. Yet overall, ‘Noises Off’ is an ensemble triumph: a seasonal treat, expertly told, expertly executed…… 

Review: Theatre

One Man Two Guvnors, Adelphi, dir Nicholas Hytner, James Corden, Jemima Rooper, Oliver Chris

Hoot. Everything you could wish for and more:  great comedic ensemble playing, stolen identities, ensuing chaos, 60s’ concept, Brighton setting and scene covering with live skiffle-band,The Curve, which has the audience standing on its feet by the end…...Francis Henshall, fired from his skiffle band, needs to keep his two new guvnors – one a gangland, androgynous twin the other a snooty toff - happy but separate. Unbeknownst to him each, in a natural twist of fate, is in love with the other. Throw in a scene-stealing, masterly waiter, Tom Eddon - think victoria Woods’ ‘two soups’ - a criminal underworld backdrop and you have a glorious romp as top-of-the-form James Corden, as the ever-hungry Francis, guides us through the byways of Richard Bean’s sparkling new adaptation of Goldoni’s 1794 comic Italian classic, A Servant and Two Masters, turning it into a very British farce par excellence….

Review: Dance

The Sleeping Beauty, Royal Ballet, Petipa, Monica Mason/Christopher Newton, Lauren Cuthbertson, Sergei Polunin

Sumptuous. This glorious ballet, with stunning choreography and soaring Tchaikovsky score, was in 1890, a theatrical event which showed off the grand, Russian, Imperial style. It is also the Royal Ballet’s signature piece. It has land-marked its history from its inauguration at Covent Garden after the war through to its closure for refurbishment, when Darcey Bussell as the lilac fairy put the house to sleep for two years. And in the right season, Christmas, where the spirit of renewal and thanksgiving is uppermost, it is a magical, festive treat. The overall look for this current 'Beauty' is striking, in its recreation of Oliver Messel’s 1946 designs. Back then the paucity of material necessitated the mother of invention, so that the gentlemen’s cuffs were made out of paper doilies. Now its opulence, vibrant colour and grand style throws into relief the grey world of tightened belts and cut corners, and we are the better for it. Under the direction of Monica Mason and Christopher Newton this production is a homage to its 1946 lineage. Lauren Cuthbertson as Princess Aurora has a great technique with long, languorous limbs. She is also a good actress. She excelled in the Grand Pas of Act 111 with Sergei Polunin, and there is a real sense of connection and musicality between them. Polunin, touted as the next Nureyev, is stunning to watch: huge jumps, whose crisp, clean turns are thrilling. The confection of the story is lightly spun, so story book characters such as puss in boots, red riding hood, bluebeard line up as wedding guests alongside the seasons and other royal dignitaries, as we see a handsome prince kiss and reawaken a cursed princess. Yet its reality lies in a noble sentiment in which goodness rather than triumphs, endures.....We are in an allegorical world........a world, like the angels, which dances on a pin…….. 

Review: Film

My week with Marilyn, Colin Clark, dir Simon Curtis, Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh

British. The film is taken from the diaries of Colin Clark in a week in 1956 where he meets, and falls in love with, Marilyn Munroe while she films The Prince and the Show Girl opposite Lawrence Olivier. Clark is at the outset of his film career, he later went on to make documentaries, with Lawrence Olivier Productions and as third assistant director is keen to learn everything he can. Yet the focus is never on him ....Instead the film offers a glorious opportunity for Judi Dench to give her Dame Sybil Thorndike and for Kenneth Branagh to give his Olivier….both excel. For a one note song the film is diverting, amusing. Yet the real interest lies in how Marliyn’s other close associates act towards Colin as his Marilyn stock increases. Yet the film gives little thought to this, beyond a few peeved expressions, so it remains a fluffy light-weight. As Colin is infatuated with Marillyn before The Prince and the Show Girl, once she gives him the glad-eye, that’s it…….Yet the period detail is finely recreated, and for the most part has some fun, interesting performances. And for all its soft focus, shampoo-advert moments - skinny-dipping in the Thames, mid-afternoon, after being halloooed by some hot-under-the-collar Etonians, I dont' think so - My Week With Marilyn is worth the price of the popcorn…… 

Review: Theatre

13, Mike Bartlett, The National Theatre, dir Thea Sharrock, Geraldine James

Big. Similar in scope to Earthquakes in London with recurring stylistic features: a messianic figure, a large multi-racial cast, of all ages, covering sections of the community from the government down. The thematic backdrop is protest and the exploration of personal and political belief, whilst widespread disaffection is across the board…..Enter John - think John the Baptist - who offers hope, action and positive change, albeit briefly, until the consequences of a young girl’s untimely death de-rails him……It is difficult to know whether hope-cut-down is Bartlett’s own view or not. What is striking is the huge canvass that he sets up which is contemporary and exciting. Bartlett dares to be bold and that is a good thing…..The exploration of belief is central to the play as people wake up from similar, recurring dreams and images. Big in concept 13 features an eerie physical and psychological landscape both familiar and strange. (In Earthquakes in London he reaches into the future, 2025, with the messianic figure, Emily)…..13's huge, revolving metal cube and staging add to the alienation. While an abstract, dissonant soundscape and digital countdown, create a disturbing,  dystopian world……terrific……… 

Review: Film

The deep blue sea, Terrence Rattigan, dir Terrence Davies, Rachel Weisz, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Hiddleston

Moody. Ex-fighter pilot Freddie lives in an older world. He finds it hard to adjust: he drinks and brawls his way through life. Hester falls for him with a passion which consumes her, while married to Judge, Sir William Collyer, who is increasingly out of his depth. The film begins with an attempted suicide. While the presence of death, destruction, is never far from the surface throughout. For the most part the film is believable: the period is meticulously evoked, with fly- on-the-wall camera-work - a Davies’ trope - together with pub sing-songs, and the absence of emotional underscored music, showing a gritty, grainy post-war London. As a result, The Deep Blue Sea is bleak, muted: too much so. The passion between the leads' shared screen-time, despite the artistic entanglement of bodies, kindles rather than fires. With moments from zero to sixty driven rather than realistic……..It looks good, though, if heavily-laden.......and Simon Russell-Beale triumphs……….

Review: Film

We Need to Talk About Kevin dir Lynne Ramsay, Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C Reilly

Accomplished. Shows the intense relationship between a mother and son, over fifteen years, as one grows in hate and manipulation while the other tries to manage and disarm. Tilda Swinton as Eva is outstanding. Her life unravels in seconds and the two main strands in the film, the events which lead up to her changed circumstances and how she copes with this, form the film’s narrative drive. The reveal is slow and utterly compelling from the start: from the breeze-blown curtains to Eva’s start from consciousness as she wakes from a dream. Linking images, ideas such as the thematic use of the colour red, Ramsay produces an intense, psychological thriller based on the best-selling novel by Lionel Shriver. We Need to Talk About Kevin explores the nature vs nurture debate, revealing Eva’s culpability or inheritance, set against Kevin’s disturbed tendencies. Yet there is a redemptive quality at the end, albeit small, which is both dramatically satisfying and prevents the film from being just another nihilistic, slasher-movie. The cinematography and direction capture the story's inside-out quality; and Ramsay in creating a strong, visual text, combines a moral uncertainty with a persuasive narrative, to build towards a chilling, memorable climax……

Review: Film

Wuthering Heights dir Andrea Arnold, Robbie Ryan, Kaya Scodelario, James Howson, Shannon Beer, Solomon Glave

Muddied. Feral children become poised adults with a stretched believability across the two states. Arnold has a great concept: to make the natural elements of the Yorkshire Moors, the weather, time of day as complete a visceral experience as possible. Yet glaring gaps in the narrative and continuity make Wuthering Heights an intensely annoying experience to sit through. The plot is reduced and simplified: Heathcliff is taken in by the wealthy Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister, Cathy. Yet most of the film centres on the younger actors whose inexperience shows little connection between the two, never mind passion. The pair inhabit little more than a pigsty, at odds with the Earnshaws’ wealthy status, roll around in the mud, climb the highest tor and ride bare-backed horses. Yet Cathy’s conversion to the Lintons’ Georgian splendour is covered in one line. The infamous tapping-branches-on-the-windowpane is there but no supernatural, destructive force which dominates and grips the novel. That said it looks wonderful, cinematographer Robbie Ryan, and the bleak aspect fits the dour emotional landscape of the film…… 

Review: Theatre

Lysistrata, Aristophanes, Actors of Dionysus, The Rose, Kingston

Rambunctious. An anti-war play with a difference….No sex please, we’re British…in an end of pier style which is fresh, funny, and when it needs to be, serious. Actors of Dionysus do a great job with a pared down company of five – though this is stretched to the point of incredulity when the male and female chorus unite. Names have been changed to Luce, Claire but the ribaldry of the men’s ardent desire and the women’s sex ban is pure Aristophanes; and in this sense this production is a glorious study in comedy. The plot is deceptively simple: the women withdraw their favours until the men renounce war and sign a peace treaty. Yet while this is done by the end of the play it is not long before Athens and Sparta spate and goad each other again……The humour is knockabout, scatological but never crass; a must for followers of the forum, Frankie Howard and those that like their humour more Beryl Cook than Oscar Wilde…… 

Review: Film

Anonymous dir Roland Emmerich, Vanessa Redgrave, Rafe Spall, Joely Richardson, Rhys Ifans

Teasing. The contention about the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays is well known. The front-runner, apart from our William, is the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere; and here he takes centre stage. De Vere offers playwright Ben Jonson money to claim authorship, as to do so himself would be to compromise his position. Yet in a moment’s hesitation, one William Shakespeare - jobbing actor, semi-illiterate and would-be-blackmailer – steps up to claim penmanship and the money. Set this teasing diversion against the political intrigues of the powerful Cecil family, the perennial fantasies about Elizabeth 1, our virgin, or not so virgin, queen, and you have a melting pot of multi-plot involving some of the best known English characters from the history and theatre annals of the seventeenth century, which is hugely entertaining. There will be no peace in the hen coop, however, for the film’s claims range from tame to outlandish, yet are teasingly plausible: from Robert Cecil as the model for Richard III to Elizabeth's incestuous relationship which produces the Earl of Southampton; now think about those sonnets……. Roland Emmerich’s seventeenth recreation is visceral, cut-throat; with the need to see Elizabeth at the beginning and end of her reign, neatly answered by the intriguing casting of mother and daughter, Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson……  

Review: Film

The Help dir Tate Taylor, Jessica Chastain, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Sissy Specek

Faithful. Taken from Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help, on last Summer’s reading hit list, the film is an up-lifting tale, about black maids who raised the white children of America’s south in the 1960s. Though sanitised for general consumption, the film has some cracking performances: Viola Davis as Abileen, Octavia Spencer as the mischievous pie-maker, Minnie, Jessica Chastain as gauche Celia Foote and Bryce Dallas Howard as the spiteful Hilly Holbrook. Segregation is routine and Hilly decides to impose the ‘home sanitation initiative’ – an outside toilet for ‘coloureds’ - in Jackson, Mississippi. In the background is the assassination of civil rights campaigner Medger Evers, pre Martin Luther King; with the shocking image of his son, heart-broken, on the front of Time Magazine, providing one of the few moments of real tension. Yet Abileen finds her own independent voice, as do the other helps, who aid Skeeter – white and fresh out of the University of Mississippi – to compile a book about all their experiences. Its development, and the subsequent fall-out, is the film’s meat and drink……faithful recreations of hair-dos and home-bakes add to the 60s' feel, in which conservative America's crisp, gingham is as stiff and outmoded as their dyed-in-the-wool principles....... 

Review: Theatre

Earthquakes in London, Mike Bartlett, dir Rupert Goold, Headlong, Paul Shelley, Richmond Theatre

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Big.Big. Big in ideas: global warming; 6 billion people in a world that can only sustain 1 billion; a prophet/scientist who sells out; 3 disenfranchised children, 2 more if you include self-identified aspergers subject, Peter, and Freya’s unborn child; and a messiah called Emily........Big in concept: revolving stages, multiple locations, multiple realities, mega timespan 1960 to 2525, and yes, it does include Zager and Evans’ doom-laden hit......Big on theatricality: multiple/juxtaposed scenes, dance/robotics, music, and projections which are fast, fluid, as the play’s referencing constantly shifts in contemporary, edgy fashion from trendy restaurant interiors to manic street-scenes….A production of no compromises: catch it....... 

Review: Theatre

The Playboy of the Western World, dir John Crowley, Niamh Cusack, Old Vic

Traditional. It caused Yeats to get to his feet and condemn the protests which greeted this play when it first opened at The Abbey Theatre, Dublin; hard to believe now. This revival approaches the play with reverence; too much at times. It has a wonderful set, an evocative shebeen, which revolves; and you can smell the peat and taste the porter, as Pegeen Mike falls for fantasist Christy Mahon and his tall tales of killing his father, while Master Keogh, her intended, jealously looks on. A group of musicians open both halves, which is an authentic touch, as game-player Christy, spins his yarns and reaches the status of hero. It is this that sits oddly, and sinisterly, with the play. This is no harmless fun, as the duped-townsfolk turn on Christy, burning his leg, when his father unexpectedly turns up. It was this negative image that caused the initial riots: Irish people as clichés, sentimental, gullible, and more often than not, drunk. This revival is careful to distance itself from this; and all the characterisations have been carefully thought out, particularly in the groupings of the men and women. Yet Pegeen Mike and Christy too reverent. Niamh Cusack is outstanding as Widow Quinn: her widow is vibrant, sexual and quick to assess the situation where the others do not. Used to living by her wits, it is this knowing angle which saves the play from slipping into ‘irishy’, giving it a fresh, contemporary appeal…….. 

Review: Film

Contagion dir Steven Soderbergh, Kate Winslet, Marion Cottiliard, Jude Law, Lawrence Fishbourne, Matt Damon

Pacey. Fear spreads. And disease from bats to pigs to humans is a step away from global contagion. The film is built up using several strands and begins with an edgy summation from the major capitals of the world as the air-borne disease affects entire blocks of the human population from Hong Kong, the States to London. The science is plausibly presented via high-tech scanners, computer programmes and lab monkeys. While the main drama involves the race for an antidote and vaccine as Mitch Emhoff, Matt Damon, cares for his teenage daughter after losing his wife and son.  Predictably across the board we see the range of human response from panic and desperation to altruism and simple acts of kindness. If there is a fault it is that director Stephen Soderburgh is spoilt for starry choice as to how to tie up successfully all the strands from his A-List cast. Some of the stories seem to be either heavily edited, the 'Stockholm' angle involving Marion Cottiliard is a case in point, or to just peter out. Yet the film's overall pace is good, as it tracks retrospectively the movements of Beth Emhoff, Gweneth Paltrow, revealing in the final frames, in 'quick time' how she contracts the disease. Contagion is Soderbergh's cinematic investigation into cause and affect, big time; part thriller, part disaster movie......enjoyable in spite of its limitation......

Review: Theatre

Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde, dir Stephen Unwin, Jane Asher, Rose, Kingston

Elegant. Framed by a black-lacquered picture frame, embossed with gold, all the sharpness of Wilde’s observations, wit and period detail is beautifully captured in this elegant production. The epigrams are delivered in a fresh, fast-paced form as new coinage and as natural as a new spring day; and the well-loved set-pieces, the bunburying, the muffin-eating, the tea-party between Gwendolen and Cicely, and the final production of the handbag itself are deliciously and lovingly executed. With a strong ensemble cast and direction, in which clarity is uppermost, the pairings between Jack and Algy, Gwendolen and Cicely, Dr Chasible and Miss Prism, with a sharply delineated Lane and Merriman as the butlers who see everything but say nothing, not even for ‘ready money’, are uniformly superb. Proceedings are presided over by Lady Bracknell which sees Jane Asher on fine, winning form. She is wiry, formidable but with a natural grace borne from the divine right to lead……....