Buyer and Cellar...

Last Friday night Stuart and I went to see Michael Urie's one-man show Buyer and Cellar at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London's somewhat glitzy London Bridge Quarter.

The conceit of the play came after the writer Jonathan Tolins stumbled upon a passage in Barbra Streisand’s coffee-table book, My Passion for Design, that mentioned the fact she has built for herself a shopping mall beneath her Malibu estate. Inspired by that curious tidbit, Tolins invented a character, Alex, a young, gay, out-of-work actor in L.A., and spins a fiction in which Alex gets hired to be the sole shopkeeper in this mall for its sole customer, Streisand.

When Streisand visits the mall to shop, the running joke is that she comes by to buy what she already owns. And so, absurdly, Alex and Barbra haggle over the price of an antique doll she wants.

The play is very funny, full of zippy one-liners and the audience was in stitches. Adorably, Michael Urie seems genuinely to be enjoying the audience’s enjoyment. While the audience is laughing at something he just did or said, an impish grin will flash on his face as if to share the delight. This has the uncanny effect not of diminishing audience response by stepping on the laughs but of amplifying them. Urie’s being in on the humour enhances the spirited connection.

And it is perhaps a tad disingenuous to say that you need three things to enjoy this US import: a fetishistic fascination with Barbra Streisand, total immersion in showbiz and a love of high camp. You don't. But any or all of the above would certainly help.

So well worth a visit.

Forbidden Broadway...

Last Friday night Stuart and I went to the Menier Chocolate Factory in London's not so glitzy London Bridge Quarter (sic.) to see musical satire Forbidden Broadway.

It's a show that has been running off-Broadway for well over 30 years putting new lyrics to songs from living musicals. This long-running hit is relentlessly, cleverly, breathtakingly funny. This is precision-engineered ridicule. I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

Despite never seeing the Irish musical Once, I loved Forbidden Broadway's vicious skit about it - and I'll be sure not to catch it.

There are numerous highlights - Les Mis comes in for a particularly vicious (and funny) attack as does Miss Saigon.

My fear that all in-jokes are thin jokes was utterly unfounded. The sparkling quartet of Anna-Jane Casey, Sophie-Louise Dann, Damian Humbley and Ben Lewis make this a most consistently funny show.

Go see before it closes.

Candide...

Last week Stuart and I went to see Candide at the Menier Chocolate Factory in the London's increasingly glitzy but not quite there yet London Bridge Quarter.

Oh dear. Where to begin? "It was boring", how about that?

All the worse aspects of Pippin - over-long, hey fiddle-dee ye olde worlde episodic travelogue, mediocre lyrics, trite plot line - were just about saved by excellent tunes, acting and singing.

James Dreyfus and Jackie Clunes sang their hearts out but sadly the source material was just too weak. It looked great and was performed with great gusto but... but... it just wasn't a very good piece in the first place.

In my humble opinion a rare dud from The Menier Chocolate Factory. Avoid.

The Color Purple...

Last week Darren organised a trip for Rachel, Chris, Hudd, David, Mark, Tim, Stu and I to go and see The Color Purple musical at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London's not so glitzy London Bridge Quarter (LBQ).

It was an outstanding show with great songs - magnificently sung by a superb cast. Head and shoulders above these faultless singers was Cynthia Erivo who played protagonist and narrator Celie. She sang her heart out and us into hers.

Celie is a poor, uneducated black woman with a sad personal history who not only survives a stepfather who rapes her (something we don't see) and steals her babies (something we do) but also survives an abusive husband (the focus of the piece.) As an adult, Celie befriends and finds intimacy with a blues singer, Shug Avery, who gradually helps Celie find her voice - quite literally. By the end of the musical, Celie is a happy, independent, and self-confident woman. And boy are we in for a rough ride. Well, it perhaps should have been a little rougher in my opinion. Not that I wish ill of her as a character. It's just that the book pulls no punches with its depiction of abuse, betrayal and revenge. We got zipped through the main plot points touching rather too lightly upon each rather than getting gripped by the dramatic turns of events. This meant that the musical came across as a little too family-friendly for my liking perhaps demonstrated best by the happy ending which was a tad too sweet for my taste. There is a room here for an edgier adaptation I think.

That said, there is much here to marvel at. The vivid depiction of generations of black men still treating their womenfolk with the same odious strictures as slavery sends a powerful and salient message. It seems only the menfolk have truly broken from their yolk of oppression. This message translates from the book beautifully.

The run has ended now at the Menier Chocolate Factory but since it was largely sold out here's hoping it gets a much deserved West End transfer.

Merrily We Roll Along...

Late to the particular party last night Stu and I went to see Merrily We Roll Along at The Menier Chocolate Factory in London's glitzy London Bridge Quarter.

Running backwards in time from 1976 to 1957 the show tells the story of three friends and their successes (and failures) to make it in show biz.

I'm no big Sondheim fan and the backward timeline took a bit of getting used to but it was overall great fun. Packed with very polished performances and clever songs the show was well crafted, perfectly judged and very funny.

The show is now extended until early March now too - which says it all really.

Charley's Aunt...

Last night Stu and I went to see classic comedy Charley's Aunt at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Set in 1890, two students at Oxford force their rascally friend and fellow student to pose as an aunt from Brazil - where the nuts come from - so they can persuade their sweethearts' guardian to let them propose.

It's one of those trickiest of pieces, a traditional farce. A genre that hinges on the skill of the central performances. Most of which were excellent. Most.

Starring Mathew Horne (him off of Gavin and Stacey), Jane Asher (her with the cakes), Norman Pace (him off of Hale and Pace) and Steven Pacey (him off of Blakes 7) it was certainly a stellar cast. Stand-out performance was Steven Pacey. He was funny, sweet and believable as father of one of the young suitors. The weakest performance however was Mathew Horne. He just wasn't convincing in drag as the 'aunt'. He should either have camped it up a bit more to be hyper-real pastiche or tried to be more convincing as a woman. Basically he should have either have gone for Pantomime Dame/Dockyard Doris or Mrs Doubtfire/Tootsie.

Worth a visit though. We did laugh.

Torch Song Trilogy...

Last Friday Stu, Darren, Andy, Kev, Andrew, Michael, Andy, Tim, Joao, David S, David C, Mark and I went to see Torch Song Trilogy at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London's glitzy London Bridge Quarter.

We met up for a beer and nosh at the Southwark Rooms first just to get us in the mood.

Written by award-winning actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein Torch Song Trilogy tells the story of Arnold, a drag queen; his life and loves. It's divided into three parts 1971, 1973-9 and 1980.

1971: Arnold meets Ed and they fall in love. Ed, however, is uncomfortable with his sexuality and he leaves Arnold for a girlfriend, Laurel.
1973-79: During Christmas, Arnold meets the love of his life, a male model named Alan. They settle down together, later spending a weekend with Ed and Laurel in the country, where their relationship is tested but endures. Eventually, they apply to foster a child together with a view to adoption. However, Alan is killed in a homophobic attack.
1980: Months later, in the spring of 1980, Arnold's mother comes to visit from Florida, but her visit leads to a long-overdue confrontation. Arnold's mother disapproves of Arnold's homosexuality and is shocked to learn of Arnold's planned adoption of a gay teenage son, David. They have a series of arguments where Arnold demands that she accept him for who he is, insisting that if she can't then she has no place in his life. The following morning, before she returns to Florida, they have a conversation where, for the first time, they seem to understand each other. With both David and Ed (who is now more mature and settled) in his life. Arnold's life is finally complete.

Arnold is played by larger than life David Bedella who's virtuoso rather steals the show. His on-again off-again bisexual lover Ed is played by Joe McFadden.

It's funny, moving and a darn good night out.

The Invisible Man...

Last Friday Stu treated me to a night at the theatre. We went to see The Invisible Man at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London's glitzy South Bank / London Bridge Quarter.

Following the plot of the original book quite closely the story was of a scientist who turns himself invisible but cannot become visible again, becoming mentally unstable as a result. The show however was framed within an Old Time Music Hall setting - the players regularly breaking the forth wall peppering the action with topical jokes. A sort of preposterous pantomime with added death, magic and a chorus line.

The cast did an excellent job. Gary Wilmot was fuuny as the tramp. The innkeeper's gal played by Natalie Casey was also good - especially when she jumped into my lap! And John Gordon Sinclair as the rarely seen hero gave just the right level of menace.

But it was the magic that really wowed. The illusionist behind the show Paul Kieve was the star. He brought us such tricks as curtains being opened, drawers being rifled and papers being shuffled all by the invisible character. A bread knife, with no wires visibly attached, hovered in the air and threatened the throat of a suspicious innkeeper. The crowning glory though was the big reveal - the dressing-gowned hero peels the bandages off his head only to reveal a total void still puffing on a glowing cigarette.

We laughed at the silliness, gasped at the magic and were thoroughly entertained throughout. Go see. Runs until 13th Feb.

The Accomplice: London...

It all started with a call.
The deep, calm voice asked if we're alone. We were, so instructions poured forth on precisely where and when we were to meet our co-conspirators. And so began the game-cum-tour experience which is the Menier Chocolate Factory's Accomplice: London, an exercise in immersive theatre.
It was Stu's birthday treat for me and what a treat it was. Right up my alley. Puzzles, team work, a goose-chase around London's South Bank (with occasional stopped for food and drink). We loved it. Strongly recommended.

Sweet Charity...

Last November Stu and I went to a preview of Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory and had felt at the time that a West End transfer would be coming. Sure enough, last night Paul, Allegra, Suzie and I went to see the show at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

The transfer itself wasn't a surprise as the creative team behind this show has propelled Little Shop of Horrors and La Cage aux Folles in the same direction.

So did it travel well across the river? You betcha.

The show follows the misadventures of love encountered by the gullible and guileless Charity Hope Valentine, a dancer at a dance hall called the Fandango Ballroom in New York City, who always gives her heart and her dreams to the wrong man. Again and again.

And it was just a great production. Tamzin Outhwaite made a simply superb Charity - she can sing, she can dance (and I guess we knew this already) she can act. The rest of the cast were spot on too. Bob Fosse would have been proud. It was funny, entertaining and energetic. As at the Menier, the staging was simple but affective.

Best songs of the night: I Love To Cry At Weddings, Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now and There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This.

Highpoint of the night: The Rhythm Of Life

Go see.