(So I usually don’t blog about shows at the Gatehouse as I’m on friendly terms with the owners. But, this isn’t an in-house production so...)
Thom Southerland is seen as one of the up and coming wunderkinds of musical theatre direction. Focusing primarily on classic musicals, he and producing partner Nick Robinson have set about bringing back the golden age classics, including the upcoming premiere of Rogers & Hammerstein’s State Fair and, at the Irving Berlin estate’s request, this production of Call Me Madam.
One of Berlin’s less-often performed works, Madam takes an oil baroness turned ambassador (a fierce Beverly Klein) and her progressive attaché (Mark Henry-Evans) and drops them into the Lichtenstein-like Dutchy of Lichtenburg. Their goal? I’m not exactly sure - when she leaves she’s told not to give them any money, which sets up her pulling out the chequebook when she finds herself attracted to local politician Cosmo Constantine but he stands firm and doesn’t take the money - at which point...her job IS to get them to take the loan and be indebted to the US through the machinations of her liason? This all made sense (I hope) in the original version, but the book was reworked here for length and cast size which has left something of a Dutchy-sized gap in the book’s logic.
Based on this viewing alone, Southerland’s reputation strikes me as...slightly misplaced. Despite his fascination with remarkably American shows (recent work including The Unsinkable Molly Brown and a version of RENT which friends told me to avoid as it was guaranteed to inspire rantage), he doesn’t always get his continuity right: cast members had no idea how to handle the flag, money was miscoloured, accents were broad, and word was that a current London newspaper was used during previews rather than anything looking period. And given that Southerland also reworked the book for this production (a necessity of a shrunken cast), did he have to leave in the constant “I’m a Republican” references? Nobody laughed at them.
In terms of getting actors in the right place and hitting their emotions? It’s fine, and Southerland made a decent go of working to the thrust's demands but there’s nothing revolutionary about the staging.
Enough moaning, though, because it was still a good time out thanks to Drew McOnie’s lively choreography along with Klein’s vivid performance (though the whole cast are lovely and free from any of the show's blame) and, of course, Berlin’s enchanting songs. Alex Weatherhill does his best to negotiate a five piece band, reduced from the original 36, and thanks to the small space and focus on the brass lines, the music maintains a jazzy feel and doesn’t sound empty in the venue.
A final weakness, however, is the lighting, which came down to a no-show from the designer and an enterprising student doing the whole thing on the get-in day in his place - forgivable but annoying nonetheless.
See it if you’re local or have a soft spot for the classics.
Where: Upstairs at the Gatehouse
When: Until 16 August. Tu-Sa @ 19:30, Su @ 16:00
How Much: £12 (All Days but Sat), £15 (Saturday), UNRESERVED SEATING
Concessions: £10/12
--------------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £10. I really should say £12 since there are no discounts, but it's value compared to top ticket price...time to pull out the bus passes and student IDs?
RZ Other Notes: Maybe State Fair will be better? It was entering rehearsals while Madam was in previews.
Showing posts with label Upstairs at the Gatehouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Upstairs at the Gatehouse. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Friday, 9 January 2009
THOUGHTS: “Into the Woods”
“Does the puzzle come together,
piece by piece and row by row?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know
Where the fucking pieces go!”
OK, so the above quote isn’t from Sondheim’s Into the Woods (it’s from the also brilliant Next to Normal) but it’s fitting given the master’s fondness for puzzles, mysteries, and games: many of Sondheim’s shows exhibit jigsaw symptoms of layers and lyrics which come across as confusing on their own but come together to form a large, intricate whole. Into the Woods is very much in this vain, following on from Sunday in the Park with George in its use of linked but largely self-contained acts to illustrate a thematic whole on the childhood lessons provided by fairy tales. It's a deep show that is constantly engaging the audience from one direction or another, and multiple viewings or some quality time with the cast recording are needed to do more than scratch the surface.
To be honest, Into the Woods isn’t in my top three Sondheims (those would be Sunday, Sweeney, and Forum with Company a very close fourth) but that’s like saying Phish Food isn’t my favourite flavour of Ben & Jerry’s. I still like it, and it’s excellent stuff, but odds are good that I’ll buy a pint of Half Baked first. And, being a show which has plenty of cast recordings and an official DVD out of the original production, chances are good that regular theatregoers have previously encountered Into the Woods at some point and already have an opinion of it.
The production at Upstairs at the Gatehouse is surprisingly high-end for a Fringe production, featuring a cast of 11 well established actors - four of which double as musicians - plus TV comedian Paul Nicholas appearing through occasionally glitched but generally well done interactive video, the production is an effective demonstration of how to stretch limited funds.
And thankfully, the implementation is largely successful - Cinderella blowing the birds’ line on the flute is somehow appropriate - if not slightly gimmicky when an actor-musician is interacting with someone poking an arm through a moving projection. It says a lot that while I felt the show dragged towards the end, there wasn’t anything I could specifically point to and say “I’d change that” and even actors who didn’t immediately impress me had their moments when I could appreciate the casting. I also suspect that patrons on the thrust’s sides on busy nights may find themselves with a less than ideal view.
tl;dr: It’s a hard show (like most Sondheim) to perform at the best of times, and it's being done as well as a 120 seat venue can hope for, even if the Graduion thought the staging needed to be more metaphorical.
Where: Upstairs at the Gatehouse
When: Until 1 Feb. Tu-Sa @ 19:30, Su @ 16:00
How Much: £12-15 unreserved depending on the day
Concessions: £10-12 depending on the day
---------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12 will get you a seat on any night but Saturday.
RZ Other Notes: You can also get tickets for £10 on lastminute. This is the last time I’ll review a Gatehouse show here - I like the venue and the shows they do, but it feels like it’s hard to maintain the professional distance needed to review productions here clearly when you get drinks with the show’s director and one of the venue’s owners after..
piece by piece and row by row?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know
Where the fucking pieces go!”
OK, so the above quote isn’t from Sondheim’s Into the Woods (it’s from the also brilliant Next to Normal) but it’s fitting given the master’s fondness for puzzles, mysteries, and games: many of Sondheim’s shows exhibit jigsaw symptoms of layers and lyrics which come across as confusing on their own but come together to form a large, intricate whole. Into the Woods is very much in this vain, following on from Sunday in the Park with George in its use of linked but largely self-contained acts to illustrate a thematic whole on the childhood lessons provided by fairy tales. It's a deep show that is constantly engaging the audience from one direction or another, and multiple viewings or some quality time with the cast recording are needed to do more than scratch the surface.
To be honest, Into the Woods isn’t in my top three Sondheims (those would be Sunday, Sweeney, and Forum with Company a very close fourth) but that’s like saying Phish Food isn’t my favourite flavour of Ben & Jerry’s. I still like it, and it’s excellent stuff, but odds are good that I’ll buy a pint of Half Baked first. And, being a show which has plenty of cast recordings and an official DVD out of the original production, chances are good that regular theatregoers have previously encountered Into the Woods at some point and already have an opinion of it.
The production at Upstairs at the Gatehouse is surprisingly high-end for a Fringe production, featuring a cast of 11 well established actors - four of which double as musicians - plus TV comedian Paul Nicholas appearing through occasionally glitched but generally well done interactive video, the production is an effective demonstration of how to stretch limited funds.
And thankfully, the implementation is largely successful - Cinderella blowing the birds’ line on the flute is somehow appropriate - if not slightly gimmicky when an actor-musician is interacting with someone poking an arm through a moving projection. It says a lot that while I felt the show dragged towards the end, there wasn’t anything I could specifically point to and say “I’d change that” and even actors who didn’t immediately impress me had their moments when I could appreciate the casting. I also suspect that patrons on the thrust’s sides on busy nights may find themselves with a less than ideal view.
tl;dr: It’s a hard show (like most Sondheim) to perform at the best of times, and it's being done as well as a 120 seat venue can hope for, even if the Graduion thought the staging needed to be more metaphorical.
Where: Upstairs at the Gatehouse
When: Until 1 Feb. Tu-Sa @ 19:30, Su @ 16:00
How Much: £12-15 unreserved depending on the day
Concessions: £10-12 depending on the day
---------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12 will get you a seat on any night but Saturday.
RZ Other Notes: You can also get tickets for £10 on lastminute. This is the last time I’ll review a Gatehouse show here - I like the venue and the shows they do, but it feels like it’s hard to maintain the professional distance needed to review productions here clearly when you get drinks with the show’s director and one of the venue’s owners after..
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
THOUGHTS: "A Tale of Two Cities"
(When the backlog gets big, the RZ gets to the point.)
No, the RZ hasn't made a journey to see the critically-slammed megamusical currently running on Broadway. This OTHER version of the classic novel, running at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, is the brainchild of David Pomeranz (score), Steven David Horwich (Book/Lyrics) and David “I wrote the part of Time everybody hated” Soames (Book) manages to do what the big bad Broadway edition couldn’t: condense Dickens’s epic into a svelte 2:40 (with interval) without sacrificing characterisation or major events in the plot.
Director and co-producer Paul Nicholas has brought together an excellent and experienced cast (no fresh faced pre-drama schoolers here like the upcoming cast of Spring Awakening), and in this case things do get better with age: they sell the show marvellously. While the occasionally clunky line shows up in the text, it doesn’t get in the way, and Pomeranz has supplied a chamber score much like that of Marguerite’s: pretty but same-y and ultimately unmemorable, reproduced here on two pianos. Sound tech (no sound designer is credited) Andy Evans has gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide a wonderful mix which, given the large cast and small space, is no easy task. Mike Lee’s costumes are lovely to stare at and his set design is clean and simple.
In short?
Sometimes smaller is better, and this intimate production is worth checking out. The RZ would not be surprised were it to have a lovely future ahead. There’s a gem of a show here, and with some polishing it can become brilliant.
Where: Upstairs at the Gatehouse
When: Until 2 Nov. Tu-Sa @ 19:30, Su @ 16:00
How Much: £12/£15 (All but Sat/Sat). Unreserved seating.
Concessions: £10/12
-----------------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12. Lush costume drama, big cast, and not boring.
RZ Other Notes: Those close to the RZ will appreciate the difficulty he had in actually reviewing this production at all. Not that getting to the show was hard or that he had massive laziness to overcome, but there are other “issues” which made it a bit of a sticky subject.
No, the RZ hasn't made a journey to see the critically-slammed megamusical currently running on Broadway. This OTHER version of the classic novel, running at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, is the brainchild of David Pomeranz (score), Steven David Horwich (Book/Lyrics) and David “I wrote the part of Time everybody hated” Soames (Book) manages to do what the big bad Broadway edition couldn’t: condense Dickens’s epic into a svelte 2:40 (with interval) without sacrificing characterisation or major events in the plot.
Director and co-producer Paul Nicholas has brought together an excellent and experienced cast (no fresh faced pre-drama schoolers here like the upcoming cast of Spring Awakening), and in this case things do get better with age: they sell the show marvellously. While the occasionally clunky line shows up in the text, it doesn’t get in the way, and Pomeranz has supplied a chamber score much like that of Marguerite’s: pretty but same-y and ultimately unmemorable, reproduced here on two pianos. Sound tech (no sound designer is credited) Andy Evans has gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide a wonderful mix which, given the large cast and small space, is no easy task. Mike Lee’s costumes are lovely to stare at and his set design is clean and simple.
In short?
Sometimes smaller is better, and this intimate production is worth checking out. The RZ would not be surprised were it to have a lovely future ahead. There’s a gem of a show here, and with some polishing it can become brilliant.
Where: Upstairs at the Gatehouse
When: Until 2 Nov. Tu-Sa @ 19:30, Su @ 16:00
How Much: £12/£15 (All but Sat/Sat). Unreserved seating.
Concessions: £10/12
-----------------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12. Lush costume drama, big cast, and not boring.
RZ Other Notes: Those close to the RZ will appreciate the difficulty he had in actually reviewing this production at all. Not that getting to the show was hard or that he had massive laziness to overcome, but there are other “issues” which made it a bit of a sticky subject.
Friday, 20 June 2008
REVIEW: Forever Plaid/The Woman in Black
This week, after spending days going in and out of his classmates’ festival of new experimental works, he decided to spend his leisure evenings taking in a pair of the city’s older offerings.
While the current production of Forever Plaid at Upstairs at the Gatehouse is new, the show itself is anything but, having become a mainstay of the American community and regional scene. Premiering in the early 90’s and loaded with nostalgic doo-wop crooners, Plaid is the story of a clean cut 50’s boy band who were killed in a traffic accident on their way to their first professional concert when their Mercury convertible was sideswiped by a bus full of parochial schoolgirls on their way to see the Beatles. Given one chance to perform their show before crossing over, the band talk of girls, friendship, and music in between twenty-odd tracks. The plot is even thinner than in most jukebox musicals, but the concert setting makes it work.
It also helps, of course, to have a cast in fine voice (we do), and director John Plews’ addition of choreography (by daughter Racky) to what is in the US a staid, almost motionless performance, does wonders to make the material accessible to a nation who, in Mr. Plews’ words, never got what Plaid was. When discussing the show with him during the interval, plaid bands didn’t dance but coloured groups did. Whether intentional or not, the added subtext of breaking form adds a new dimension to the title band’s failures at success. Regardless of the subtext, Forever Plaid provides a calm, pleasant evening’s entertainment - and sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.
The Woman in Black, meanwhile, has been a West End juggernaut, currently in its nineteenth year. While it lives up to its reputation when it comes to scaring girls on the many (many) school groups who visit, the RZ found it more of a suspenseful evening than an outright frightening one. Perhaps it was his position in the upper circle, or just too much time watching Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. Either way, the play is still in fine form, with Sean Baker playing a wide berth of secondary characters and Ben Porter taking on Baker’s meta-character who must live out the vicious ghost story that unfolds. With the Japanese cast coming in September, the RZ sees a return visit on the horizon to see if better seats and a cross-cultural approach can build a new addition onto this old mansion of a play.
FOREVER PLAID
Where: Upstairs at the Gatehouse
When: Until 22 June. Sa @ 20:00, Su @ 16:00
How Much: £12 Sun/£15 Sat
Concessions: £10/£12
-------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12. Fun, enjoyable show.
RZ Other Notes: Props to UatG for £1 programmes (printed onsite to demand) and £1 ice creams making an interval treat affordable should one not wish to run to the pub below.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Where: Fortune Theatre
When: M-Sa @ 20:00, Tu @ 15:00, Sa @ 16:00
How Much: £13.50-£39
Concessions: £25 seniors/£20 students and unemployed available 1 hr prior to curtain.
---------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £22.50 - closer is better with this one but it’s not worth the top two prices in the RZ’s opinion. The show is frequently at TKTS, though, so get it there for half.
RZ Other Notes: No, there’s not an uncredited actress. Really.
While the current production of Forever Plaid at Upstairs at the Gatehouse is new, the show itself is anything but, having become a mainstay of the American community and regional scene. Premiering in the early 90’s and loaded with nostalgic doo-wop crooners, Plaid is the story of a clean cut 50’s boy band who were killed in a traffic accident on their way to their first professional concert when their Mercury convertible was sideswiped by a bus full of parochial schoolgirls on their way to see the Beatles. Given one chance to perform their show before crossing over, the band talk of girls, friendship, and music in between twenty-odd tracks. The plot is even thinner than in most jukebox musicals, but the concert setting makes it work.
It also helps, of course, to have a cast in fine voice (we do), and director John Plews’ addition of choreography (by daughter Racky) to what is in the US a staid, almost motionless performance, does wonders to make the material accessible to a nation who, in Mr. Plews’ words, never got what Plaid was. When discussing the show with him during the interval, plaid bands didn’t dance but coloured groups did. Whether intentional or not, the added subtext of breaking form adds a new dimension to the title band’s failures at success. Regardless of the subtext, Forever Plaid provides a calm, pleasant evening’s entertainment - and sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.
The Woman in Black, meanwhile, has been a West End juggernaut, currently in its nineteenth year. While it lives up to its reputation when it comes to scaring girls on the many (many) school groups who visit, the RZ found it more of a suspenseful evening than an outright frightening one. Perhaps it was his position in the upper circle, or just too much time watching Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. Either way, the play is still in fine form, with Sean Baker playing a wide berth of secondary characters and Ben Porter taking on Baker’s meta-character who must live out the vicious ghost story that unfolds. With the Japanese cast coming in September, the RZ sees a return visit on the horizon to see if better seats and a cross-cultural approach can build a new addition onto this old mansion of a play.
FOREVER PLAID
Where: Upstairs at the Gatehouse
When: Until 22 June. Sa @ 20:00, Su @ 16:00
How Much: £12 Sun/£15 Sat
Concessions: £10/£12
-------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12. Fun, enjoyable show.
RZ Other Notes: Props to UatG for £1 programmes (printed onsite to demand) and £1 ice creams making an interval treat affordable should one not wish to run to the pub below.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Where: Fortune Theatre
When: M-Sa @ 20:00, Tu @ 15:00, Sa @ 16:00
How Much: £13.50-£39
Concessions: £25 seniors/£20 students and unemployed available 1 hr prior to curtain.
---------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £22.50 - closer is better with this one but it’s not worth the top two prices in the RZ’s opinion. The show is frequently at TKTS, though, so get it there for half.
RZ Other Notes: No, there’s not an uncredited actress. Really.
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