Reviews
Theatre in London’s 2010 Fringe Reviews
I originally posted the reviews below on the London Fringe Festival’s review/discussion board; because that forum is cleared every year, they’re included here for posterity.
Caroline intertwined
Clever show that will improve through the festival.
A series of vignettes and anticlimaxes that explore the ideas of self-identity and self-acceptance, ONEymoon has a lot of promise. It’s a clever idea and has a lot of the hallmarks that I’ve seen in Christel’s previous work, including bold approaches to audience participation, a willingness to take concepts to extremes, and a lot of physicality. Her “Caroline” is “very particular… no,…
Legends
The Beat Goes On with the Twist and Shout Sequel
Orchestrations and Vocal Arrangements by Robert Foster
Choreographed by Gino Berti
Musical direction by Mike Lerner
Originally produced by Drayton Entertainment
Grand Theatre, London
April 20–May 22, 2010
If you enjoyed Twist and Shout: The British Invasion when it played at the Grand two years ago, you’ll love Legends. It’s 1975 and Roy Solomon (who was the Ed Sullivan-like character in Twist and Shout) is retiring after 20 years on television.…
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice — A Romantic Comedy?
Directed by Susan Ferley
Performed by Susanna Fournier, Brad Hodder et al.
The Grand Theatre
March 10–April 3, 2010
When Artistic Director Susan Ferley welcomed the audience to the opening night of Pride and Prejudice at the Grand, she told everyone to “Enjoy this romantic comedy.” That is probably the most amazing thing about Pride and Prejudice — it is a 200-year-old romantic comedy not unlike the light fare in our movie theatres today.…
Nine
What a Show
Directed by Dariusz Korbiel
Performed by Simon Goodwin, Christel Mack, Sarah Cholmondeley, Laura Giberson, Ceris Thomas, Kate Harter, Kathleen Granger, Megan Moorhouse, Cole Nelson, Nicole Newell and company
The Palace Theatre
March 18–27, 2010
The Broadway musical Nine is currently running at the Palace Theatre. I saw the performance on the preview night, March 18th, 2010, and it was a night of technical difficulties. Nonetheless it was an amazing show, the actors covered up very well when the keyboard…
A Thousand Clowns
Gotta Love Those Clowns
Directed by Don Fleckser
Performed by Jordan Morris, Brady Johnson, Andrew Johnson, Kathryn Mitchell and Mark Speechley
The Palace Theatre
February 19–27, 2010
A Thousand Clowns, written by Herb Gardner, took place at the Palace Theatre on February 19–27. It is a heart warming comedy, taking place in…
Wingfield Lost & Found
Witching for Laughs
Directed by Doug Beattie
Performed by Rod Beattie
The Grand Theatre
February 9–28, 2010
The Wingfield franchise of laughter continues with its seventh instalment, Wingfield Lost & Found, which opened Friday at London’s Grand Theatre.
For those not familiar with the Wingfield series, Dan Needles has used a string of newspaper columns to create a story of a Toronto stockbroker who leaves the big city to become a hobby farmer in the mythical township of Persephone. Stratford actor Rod Beattie stars in the…
The Last Five Years
A “he says/she says” relationship
Directed by Vikki Anderson
Musical direction by Ryan DeSouza
Performed by Julie Martell and Mark Uhre
The Grand Theatre
January 19 to February 6, 2010
The Last Five Years, currently on stage at the Grand Theatre in London, is one of those show-business shows that will be appreciated more by those in the industry. A musical with very few spoken words, it tells the story of a five-year relationship between Jamie, a writer, and Cathy, an actress. But even if all…
Mourning Dove
Tina and her Mourning Dove
Directed by Sue Perkins
Performed by Andrew Jiggins, Emily Mailloux, Paul Myers and Maria Piccoli-Zimmermann
The Palace Theatre
January 21–30, 2010
The premiere of Mourning Dove by Emil Sher occurred at the Palace Theatre on Wednesday January 20th. Directed by Sue Perkins, it is the story…
The Wizard of Oz
Music and lyrics by Harold Arden and E. Y. Harburg
Directed by Susan Ferley
Musical direction by Mike Lerner, assisted by Floydd Ricketts
Choreography by Kerry Gage, assisted by Doug Price
Grand Theatre, London
November 25, 2009–January 3, 2010
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
An old favourite has been revived at the Grand Theatre. The Wizard of Oz is on their stage again, after just seven years. However, as director Susan Ferley points out, that’s a lifetime for some members of the Wizard’s audience.
The classic…
Dry Streak
Dry Streak creates comedy out of city/country clashes
Directed by Rona Waddington
Performed by Charlotte Gowdy, Alison Jutzi, Darren Keay, Brian McKay, Ben Saunders, Lorna Wilson, Sandy Winsby
Grand Theatre, London
October 20–November 7, 2009
The Grand Theatre’s latest main stage offering, Dry Streak, is more fun than naked rain dancing. Shown for the first time outside Saskatchewan, Dry Streak is written by Leann Minogue, herself a product of Saskatchewan farm life. It’s Corner Gas for the live stage, with a little more wit.
John Richards moves home to…
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