PERFORMANCE REVIEW: Great Pretenders

Great Pretenders: The Musical
Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate

You could quite easily sit through Great Pretenders, a small-scale musical about wannabe tribute acts, and be a prude. Or, with even greater ease, you could sit back and enjoy it.

Skepticism is not dispelled by the slightly shaky and underwhelming opening, bizarrely entitled 'When the day is over'. Neither is it dispelled by the introduction of the almost irritatingly idealistic Joyce (Jennifer Saayeng) and the predictably vulgar Irishman, Liam - Luke Jastal. But this is not a show about profundity and obfuscation. It is an energy-fuelled and well-rounded piece about petty rivalry and uprooting secrets that succeeds in the balance and clarity of its story.

Although there is often a feeling of the inevitable - with plot, music and gags - there are definite moments of surprise. The macho PJ, played by Leon Kay, reveals himself to be a Liza Minnellli impersonator, and to have a deeper crisis about the acceptance and tolerance of this than we might at first imagine. So too, the tense reunion between Rebecca Bainbridge’s Paula and Andy (David Higgins) - the most convincingly played storyline in the show - is compelling, despite its sentimentality.

The fantastically detailed set, designed by Gemma Harris, enhanced the plausibility of the dressing room scenario. Graffiti on the inside of the toilet door, postcards round the mirrors and cluttered coffee cups give the sense of a backstage area that has been used and abused.

Great Pretenders is superficial, but this is overridden by the fact that it is undeniably entertaining. Escapist, yes, but pretentious it is not.

Helena S. Rampley

Great Pretenders: The Musical runs until 15th November

FEATURE: Suspense Festival at Jacksons Lane

Puppets can divide opinion. For some, the skilled manipulation of the inanimate objects is a gift to be marvelled at, as they are brought to life and made to sit on swings, go for walks and even order coffee like miniature munchkins. For others, the realism is too much, tapping into Freud’s idea of the uncanny and bringing on nightmares more frightening than Jan Svankmajer’s Otesánek. If you find yourself siding with the latter, make sure you stay away from Highgate’s Jacksons Lane this November where puppets are most definitely the order of the day as Suspense takes over.

The Suspense festival is the first puppetry festival to take place in London in over 25 years and has a clear mission to show that not all puppets are child-friendly Sesame Street characters. Over the course of ten days, and at seven venues across London, the festival will present adult audiences with work from a variety of UK and International practitioners revealing the artform to be sophisticated, grotesque, irrational and, above all, incredibly potent.

Innovative dance venue Jacksons Lane will be showcasing three events from the festival’s programme providing haunting tales of chance, sickness and decaying old age from prominent British companies.

Starting with FaultyOptic’s Fish Clay Perspex, audience’s will be given the chance to see the London International Mime Festival veterans not only manipulate the puppets but also miniature armless figures, clay, pens and pieces of plastic as they present a collection of short ‘character studies’ musing on ideas of chance, doubt and turmoil providing audience’s with a compelling, spellbinding and, at times, revolting experience and a chance to suspend their disbelief and enter an alternate reality.

Second on the bill are South-western trio Full Beam Visual Theatre. Watching Strictly Come Dancing contestant Jo Wood (playing the defenceless, deserted woman with the theatricality of a pantomime dame) makes us all aware that the baby boomers - and Stones’ affiliated personalities - are coming to the point in their lives when they need to wave goodbye to their drugs-induced hedonistic days and instead settle down for a cup of cocoa and the Antiques Roadshow. My Baby Just Cares For Me explores the difficulty of looking after an older generation that doesn’t want to grow up and questions how to make life plans match up with pension plans.

Finally, Heartbreak Soup follows the story of a young boy caught in a limbo-like existence as he awaits transplant surgery. Spending his time under his hospital bed, Cuddy dreams of a time when he’ll be able to run and jump, shutting himself off from the drab confined surroundings he forced to inhabit. While it may sound serious and gut-wrenching, The Empty Space promise a heart-warming, uplifting experience for its audience.

Once again, Jacksons Lane show they are at the forefront of experimental performance in the capital’s current theatrical climate. While, there’s ongoing feuds between theatre companies, producers and the Arts Council, we are here shown that fear of the recession should not hamper creativeness.

Lily Eckhoff

Fish Clay Perspex runs from 30th – 31st October
My Baby Just Cares For Me runs from 5th – 6th November
Heartbreak Soup runs from 7th – 8th November

To book tickets contact Jacksons Lane HERE and for full programme details check out Suspense London Puppetry Festival site HERE

PERFORMANCE REVIEW: Secrets Birthday Party

Secrets Vaudevillian Birthday Party
Southwark Playhouse, 3rd October

Beneath the arches of London Bridge lies Southwark Playhouse Secrets, the cabaret-style side show from the innovative theatre. The dimly lit walls of grey brick, red decor and bare white bulbs give the hidden location a feel of shabby glamour. Combined with a late bar and a sense of happy-go-lucky, this is the perfect scenario for a variety of mystery acts comprised to celebrate the new season of the post-show and lunchtime entertainments.

Knowing that the whole venture was conceived with a more-or-less £0 budget - requiring the performers to give themselves for free - it was hard to know what to expect of this evening. And as it happened, it was a real mixed bag.

Nudity was the order of the night at Southwark, some of it prepared for, and some more of a surprise. A burlesque dancer flaunted through and amongst the audience, with huge purple feathers and little else. Although scantly clad, the voluptuous Khandie Khisses managed to remain poised and never seedy. Wes Zaharuk, however, became unexpectedly and unnecessarily undressed during his performance. One of his several questionable routines involves, incomprehensibly, attaching two plungers to his nipples and invading the faces of audience members. Like the rest of his act, this is a complete non sequitur, and leaves you wondering what exactly it is that he is claiming to be skilled at.

Further bizarreness ensued. The ring master of a flea circus looked very professional in his red outfit, but succeeded to entertain the audience with the spectacular amount of tricks that went wrong. Keeping a brave face at all times, he was at least endearing if not very practised. An androgynous musical saw player was also slightly bewildering; untuned notes accompanying the score of Atonement was entertaining in a curious kind of way.

The potential of a fantastic scenario was slightly dampened by a couple of underwhelming acts. The draw of the event was evident from the initial crowd that filled the stage and bar area. If a core of the successful and intriguing acts could be established, then the audience would no doubt dwindle much less than it did on this occasion.

Helena S. Rampley

For the full line-up of Secrets new season just click HERE

PERFORMANCE REVIEW: Bedtime Solos

Bedtime Solos - Across the Pond Theatre Company
Old Red Lion Theatre, Angel

Is physical proximity enough? Or is it necessary for two people to know the innermost workings of each other's minds in order to have a fulfilling relationship? Bedtime Solos exposes the different worlds inhabited by two people who supposedly share a high level of intimacy, while two stiff single beds show the distance within their union.

Self-obsession and reticence reign as each of the partners tells themselves bedtime stories of their pasts. Jakob Holder – the play’s author - masterfully integrates and eeks out references to the banal but pervasive events that cloud their childhood memories. Even during sex, and 'the greatest feeling in the universe', the couple are still far away from one another; he caught up in the re-imagination of wetting himself, and she in the traumatic fantasy of brash but apparently loving sex behind a dumpster.

As each partner becomes more involved with their own elaborate emotional world, together they become more tangled up in mental tantrums and conundrums. They begin to expect the other to understand the vaguest of hints to something too deep within their psyche to be guessed at.

Holder is something special. The agility, honesty and originality of the thought processes the characters go through makes you wish this was something you had written. It is natural and unforced, yet fresh and unpredictable. The private notions that enter the head of a man trying to stave off orgasm - of a cat, of cats, of dead cats, of the smell of vomit, of poking smelly dead cats with a stick - makes this play absurd yet very real.

Intricate shadow play, unfalteringly absorbing performances from Heather Wilds and Scott Christie, and a uniquely poetic script make Bedtime Solos flow past in a sense of post-coital timelessness.

Helena S. Rampley
Photo: Christian Alegria

Bedtime Solos runs at the Old Red Lion until 26th September

PERFORMANCE REVIEW: Stories for the Starlit Sky

Stories for the Starlit Sky - Daniel Kitson
Regents Park Open Air Theatre

While a production starting at midnight in the picturesque Regents Park Open Air Theatre may conjure images of a relaxed picnic enjoyed in the beautiful fairy-lit surrounding, this is theatre land, and there is a clear hierarchy. You see, when not setting the scene for the bearded comic genius, the Open Air Theatre is playing home to Hello Dolly! and, in a classic case of theatre self importance, we are told to wait by the roadside until the musical audience has drifted off into the night air.

This is a test of any true Daniel Kitson fan, but luckily we are a hardy stock. Armed with blankets and booze, the already exciting event is given an added level of intrigue as we are forced to wait, it’s as if we’re some sort of speakeasy, a community of fans who have secretly met up in the middle of the night away from the prying eyes of the law. And as we’re finally allowed entry and Kitson takes to the stage to tell his tale, our pilgrimage is rewarded.

The final episode in his set of three midnight readings, finds a father telling his son a story whilst the two share a cup of cocoa - a mise en abyme if you will – following a group of retired assassins retreating to the comforts of a rural village. The story is perfectly broken down into chapters with Gavin Osborne singing and playing guitar in the intervals.

The idea for this performance arose 4 years ago, and having seen Kitson perform Stories for the Wobbly Hearted at the Melbourne Comedy Festival it feels like a natural progression. The duo work succinctly together and allow you to totally suspend your disbelief. I can honestly say it was one of the most interesting and original pieces I have seen at the theatre for a very long time, I hope to see more of this sort. It shows how effective a story told simply can be, and showing there’s no need for music, costumes or unfounded pomposity.

Izzy O’Callaghan

FEATURE: Esk Valley Theatre

It is one of the most unlikely places to find a theatre company. Driving through the village of Glaisdale, perched on the side of a hill in the heart of the North York Moors, my dad drives past the ‘theatre’ twice before finally noticing it. I, on the other hand, find all of this familiar and can’t wait to get through the doors of the village hall and take my seat for what I know will be a satisfying experience.

Almost a year and a half ago, I wrote to Esk Valley Theatre asking if they would take on a prospective Drama student for work experience during their annual summer performance. I had no idea what their shows were like, having only ever seen advertisements for their plays stuck into the grass verges of the moor roads whilst driving to Whitby. It was a huge leap into the unknown but I had chosen the best possible people to ask.

Founded in 2005 by actor Mark Stratton and choreographer Sheila Carter, EVT brings professional theatre to the North York Moors. This is not the kind of ramshackle but striving outfit which often shuffles on stage at village halls but a sharp, crisp theatre company, professional to its core. EVT is an integral part of the community which fiercely and rightly regard it as ‘their’ theatre.

For two months in the summer of 2008, I made tea for everyone in sight, sat at the back of rehearsals generally overawed by it all, and once the run began, sold ice creams and programmes like there was no tomorrow. I watched countless audience members come out bowled over after watching Vacuum by new writer Deborah McAndrew - a sharp, funny, deeply unsettling and absolutely mesmerising thriller.

This summer I returned, this time as an audience member for John Godber’s April in Paris, directed by Stratton himself. Another two-hander, it lacks the bite of the previous year’s production, but in no way falls short as entertainment. Yorkshire couple Bet and Al live in a monotonous, stifling world. Al has been unemployed for six months and Bet, his working wife, keeps her hopes alive by entering magazine competitions. When she actually wins a romantic break to Paris, the couple are catapulted abroad for the first time, stripped of all that’s familiar and have to find their way back to each other before returning home.

As ever with Godber, it’s achingly funny and with an overwhelmingly Yorkshire audience, the humour is spot on and thoroughly engages the 100-strong spectators. Stratton’s subtle direction ensures that Eamonn Fleming and Fiona Wass put in absorbing performances as Al and Bet. Both have worked previously with Godber’s company Hull Truck, as have Stratton and the rest of the production team. They are perfectly placed to make the most of the play and do so, giving an energetic and true performance. Fleming’s Al is beautifully revealed: edgy, frustrated, his self-belief undermined by the futility of unemployment, but with ambitions to become a painter. The scene in the Louvre when he begins identifying the painters with pride and joy, is one of the most sincere and touching moments. Fiona Wass fills Bet full of genuine hopes and dreams, and the audience can easily identify with her longing to escape her grey home life and to slide seamlessly into the glamour of Paris. Between them, they truthfully recreate the bickering of a long established couple who know just how to hurt each other, although at times the relentless pace needs more pathos to be really effective.

Another highlight of the show is the set design. Pip Leckenby, who works frequently with Alan Ayckbourn and Hull Truck, has created a simple but very evocative set which beautifully compliments the direction. Cream with printed images of crosswords and newspapers, which are then flipped to reveal colour paintings of Parisian landmarks, it captures the buoyant mood of Bet and Al. Mood and location are also brilliantly created through the sole use of two chairs and clever lighting design by Graham Kirk.

For the month of August the village hall is completely taken over, a seating and lighting rake is brought in, and local volunteers staff the bar and ticket desk. EVT produce theatre of the finest quality, generating a real feeling of pride and excitement in the community. We read time and time again in the press how the theatre industry is trying to engage new audiences and find ways of making theatre matter in today’s world. I suggest that they look no further than the tiny village of Glaisdale. It’s an obvious way forward and I’m glad I had chance to be part of it.

www.eskvalleytheatre.co.uk

Jane Williamson

PERFORMANCE REVIEW: Down-A

Down-a - In Beween Butoh Dance Company
Camden People's Theatre, Euston

Agile, ethereal and completely disturbing; don't go home alone after watching Down-a. This butoh performance involves two performers who simultaneously physicalise the 'guilt of the human soul'. The show opens with white noise and a woman (Flavia Ghisalberti) straining backwards against a wooden chair, evoking the experience of ECT. Initially this seems slightly ludicrous, but, as with the rest of the performance, the image is so intense that our prolonged exposure to it makes it feel utterly real. As Ezio Tangini enters, repeatedly popping his shoulder out of joint, this visceral performance takes on an obscene quality.

Generating new thoughts in the mind of the audience is an obvious prerogative for many shows, and making them feel uncomfortable is one way to achieve this. However, staring into the eyes of those who have invested money to come and watch your performance, whilst whispering without words, is invasive and unnecessarily accusatory. Watching this engenders a feeling of self-loathing, as the performers unload their disgust onto you.

If fear is something you crave, then Down-a will more than satisfy you. Ghisalberti at one point becomes a possessed puppet, with quivering, half closed eyes. In the tiny space of Camden People's Theatre, this is terrifying. In yet another amazing physical feat, Tangini riles, flails and bangs his head on the floor repeatedly. As he moves towards a light, the audience is reminded of its own hubris and the denigration of The Fall. Although well executed at every point, the audience leaves this piece self-flagellating, but not quite sure why. We are overwhelmed by our senses and an immense, incomprehensible guilt floods our reason.

Helena S. Rampley

Down-a runs as part of the Camden Fringe until Monday 24th August