She loves me (the original You've got mail)

She loves me (photo credit: Tristam Kenton)

She loves me

I will be honest and say that I am such a huge fan of You've got mail that I imported a copy of 'The Shop around the corner' the movie it was based on. Imagine my joy when I found it was based on a musical!! I booked up as soon as I saw the review in The Times. I have never been to the Menier Chocolate factory (very disappointed that there was no chocolate involved 😢) but was happy to try a new place.

The Menier Chocolate factory is small and has bench seating but this worked out alright (my row wasn't fully booked so we had a bit of room). There is restaurant for pre and post food and drink (little pricey for me but looked nice - had an old school plate warmer!) The bar was ok (I had a Rose which was bit sharp but fine) and there is small cloakroom and plenty of toilets.

Once we got into the theatre space I loved that the curtain had images of famous Budapest buildings, the Parliament building and the Matthias Church which sets us up for the story...

Georg is a shop supervisor working in Budapest who has been writing to a secret pen pal and they have finally decided to meet but that could all be ruined when a young woman called Amalia walks in to his shop looking for work and  seems determined to  get him into trouble...

The set is beautiful! I had stop admiring the wallpaper to follow the action. Bright candy colours which were echoed in the clothes. I want the pink pyjamas (above) and the hats the ladies wear.

 The space is used well with the cast moving out into the audience as well as complicated set moves that are seamless. The ensemble cast are very talented being great singers and excellent dancers (in a key scene there is a great tango going on in the background).

Les Dennis is great as Mr Maraczek and Mark Umbers is excellent 'straight man' Georg but the highlight was Olivia Fines as Ilona and Scarlett Strallen as Amalia, both of whom turn in brilliant comic performances that were funny and awkward in all the best romantic comedy ways!!

This is a excellent musical with a great plot and high energy song and dance routines. Great fun and worth every penny! 

The Red Shoes - Matthew Bourne

Copyright New Adventures/ Sadlers Wells

The Red Shoes

I will be honest, I am a massive Matthew Bourne fan and will happy show up to anything that is put be they good (Swan lake/ Sleeping Beauty) or not as good (Cinderella/ Dorian Gray). I also consider The Red Shoes film to be one of my personal favorites so you can imagine my excitement when I found out that Matthew Bourne was going to bring this magical ballet film to the stage.

  The set and costumes beautifully recreate the film and the 1940's but have their own unique stamp on the story with the performance of the ballet being in monochrome with only the girl in the red shoes in colour. They also have a revolving set (mostly consisting of  a set of theatre curtains that are turned to denote front or back stage)..  It works very well and honours the shabby chic of the original materials.

Now to the performances. Moira Shearer was Vicky Page but Ashley Shaw does an excellent job of showing the joy and passion that drives Vicky Page in her love life and her career. I felt that the rest of cast get to mould some interesting characters with Margot Fonteyn and Nureyeu being lovingly homage. However some of the classic characters from the film are not features in the ballet. it makes sense and as an ensemble the cast really show the camaraderie of the Lermontov crew. The story is squeezed in to it's short two hour running time but I was enthralled and cried at the end!! I always felt the movie left the ending a little open but  the ballet sticks to the reflection of the two act finales. I will say the train is awesome!

The music is not from the film but the early works of Hollywood composer Bernard Hermann who is famous for his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock on Psycho and North by Northwest. This is an inspired idea as the music fits beautiful with the story being unusual but strangely reflecting the oddness of the story being told. It wasn't noticeable that this wasn't the music form the film and was also as engaging as a Tchaikovsky piece!

I would recommend checking out the plot before you come as there is no synopsis in the programme but it's not hard to follow (though lots of people sat around me had to have the plot explained). It is a one of the best ballets i have seen and really shows the strength and beauty of  the new Adventures team. Could not recommend this enough!

Henry IV at the Donmar

I will admit that this is my first time to the Donmar so I don't know how immersive an experience they normally make it (I have seen live streams of their plays before but obviously this is different to being there).

We were lead in via the fire escape as the Donmar is having works done and sat in those ugly plastic chairs they have in school halls but this was to add to the prison atmosphere that we were surrounded by (the soundbooth was like the prison control room). The actors all came out on stage and presented themselves as prisoners doing a performance of Henry IV and then we have the play.

I suppose I am unusual because I really don't like Falstaff and as this is only an edited version of these two plays, the focus is mostly on the comedy and iconic character that is Falstaff. The actress did a great job of showing all his foibles but I like these plays because of the exploration of the nature of Kingship and fathers and sons and I wasn't sure the play had a chance to explore this in depth as it focused on the action scenes (comedy and battle). They also throw in some breaks by having the prisoners break characters and react like female prisoners would to certain situations (when Hal and Falstaff gang up on the Mistress Quickly for example). Hotspur was excellent and did a great job of being a fiery opposite of Hal and there is a great sequence using Harriet Walter's face for the battle scene.

I enjoyed it but I am not sure it completely worked, by sticking to the exciting bits (the Hotspur revolt, the raid on the pilgrims etc) it kept the play going but I suppose I always thought that the important bit of Henry IV was the relationships but this is totally my opinion. I would be interested to see what others think and I would recommend it for anyone who wants to see an alternative version of Shakespeare.

Boishoi Ballet: Swan Lake

I am a massive fan of Boishoi after seeing their productions on TV and being able to see their Copelia last year at the Royal Opera House my expectations of one of the best loved ballets and one of the best ballet companies in the world were high.

I wished, hoped to be transported; the music and the dancing all coming together in seamless joy! However this did not happen. Don’t get me wrong the Boishoi dance seamlessly (besides a few exceptions) and the technique is unparalleled. It is a beautiful thing to witness the precision of 20 to 30 dancers moving as one but the duff note was, I’m afraid to say main couple. Olga Smirnova (who was our big star that night) is great and effortless performs the emotions of the Odette with the technique of Odile (her 32 fouettés en tournant were performed so casually you could have missed them!) but I’m sorry to say Artemy Belyakov gives a wooden perform. He is fine as a dancer but his part demanded some characterisation and he didn’t do anything except be a prop for Odette. His performance especially jarred because the supporting cast were so good with excellent performances from the evil wizard, the fool and the princesses. I was also unhappy with the ending (is it so wrong to want a leap to her death? They taunted us with a rock at the back of the set for the whole ballet!) and the whole thing just sort of petered out at the most dramatic moment in the music. If I didn’t know the ballet or score I would have been surprised to discover it was over. The set was dull but the costumes, while old fashioned seemed to sparkle.

I really wanted to love this and I’m very sad that I did not. Jane Eyre is looking good in comparison and I really want to go and see Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake again. Maybe I am just spoilt for good dance productions in London but this is the Boishoi and what should have been a highlight of the year has turned out to be a forgettable experience.

Jane Eyre by The Shanghai ballet Company at The Coliseum

This is only available for 4 more performances so if you get a chance go grab a seat for this interesting and sensual take on the well-known classic.

A bold choice has been made to place Bertha front and centre in this production contrasting the passionate and physical relationship she shares with Rochester and the innocent, graceful one he shares with Jane. Because of this focus on Bertha the story starts with Jane arriving at Thornfield Hall and quickly dashes through the rest of the story.

The first half is beautiful paced and I fell instantly in love with the costumes (especially in the ball scene) Fan Xiaofeng as Bertha is a wonder, sensual and controlled she frames and haunts the scenes between Jane and Rochester (along with, what appears to be the wet Japanese girl from the Ring which is never explained apparently this is Helen Burns the childhood friend who dies). Jane is dressed in a pinafore like a school girl at the beginning but her costumes mature throughout the production.

The second half seemed less polished. Some of this was because of the music, by choosing recognisable pieces such as Clair de Lune and Adagio air on the G string it was a little jarring and felt more like these were rehearsal music choses rather than suiting the mood and attitude that the action suggested however the act is saved by the excellent Rivers scenes which are amazing and especially St John Rivers who, I always liked in the books, but is excellent in this production and I overheard some ladies discussing how they were totally rethinking his character.

The Finale is a little… odd. I’m not sure that they were trying to achieve with it. Over all it is an excellent and interesting production which blends contemporary ballet moves with beautiful Victorian costumes. Personally I would look into getting an original score for this but otherwise an enjoyable evening and excellent performances. I would see it again and will look out for this company touring again.

Playboy of the Western World

This was... interesting. Set in a small village in Ireland. A young man stumbles into a pub and tells a fantastic tale. He wins the girl and the village only for the tale to prove false and for it all to collapse around him.
Robert Sheehan proves that he is more then his character in Misfits and transforms into the slightly weedy Christy Mahon who hold the play together with his ability to spin a yarn. Ruth Negga and Niamh Cusack are ok as the two women fighting over Christy although I have to agree with the lady sat next to me "I can't understand what the women are saying.".

The set was great and the costumes where fine. I would also say that the musical interludes are beautiful and the best bit of the play. I'm too sure why this was controversial but it was quite amusing and fun. Not as good as Othello though.

Othello at the Crucible

I was lucky enough to see this amazing production of Othello at The Crucible theatre in Sheffield. Starring Clarke Peters and Dominic West (both from the Wire) this period adaptation truly sparkles.

Othello has always been a favorite of mine because Iago is such a wonderful rich and twisted character. Dominic West plays him well and with a Yorkshire accent but the true stars of this production were Clarke Peters and Lilly James who as Othello and Desdemona making this production unique in its ability to make Desdemona likable.

Lilly James is amazing as Desdemona injecting a naivety and youthful exuberance which made Desdemona interesting and her death genuinely heart breaking. Clarke Peters pays Othello with a Nigerian accent which sits beautifully with Shakespeare's words.

The costume and set are amazing and look authentic and even better I got to see this for a £1 as the Crucible allow an audience in to see the Dress Rehearsal. This is an amazing offer and worth the wait at the box office to see it.

Go and see this it is genuinely the best production I have ever seen.