Evita @ London Palladium…

Last night Marcus and I went to see Jamie Lloyd’s latest production of Evita at the London Palladium (@thelondonpalladium) in the glitzy West End. 

Wow!

The Andrew Lloyd-Weber (@andrewlloydwebber) and Tim Rice (@tim_rice_words) musical needs little introduction - and aside from the odd quizzical look by some at the virtually plot-free performance - none was needed by most. People knew what they’d come to see.  And what they come to see with something special.

 

Yes, it was a stadium rock, in your face, production and none the worse for that. No set, breachers staging, dancing, stamping, waving flags, flashing lights, tons of streamers, skimpy outfits, and confetti guns galore. 

We got show-stopper after show-stopper. 

Rachel Zegler (@rachelzegler) gave a powerhouse performance as Ms Perón with both wit and panache. The girl can certainly belt out a tune and has got the acting chops too.  

Her performance of Don’t Cry For Me Argentina on the balcony to the crowds waiting outside the venue was a master stroke. Knowing and epic.  

Diego Andres Rodriguez (@diegorodz) as Che was also a revelation. What a performance. 

Apart from DCFMA, stand-up songs for me where 

Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Buenos Aires, and A New Argentina. 

At the end of the show, there was a near-on 5 minute standing ovation. Bravo. 

Go see - if you can find £300 down the back of the sofa! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hastings…

Had gorgeous afternoon in Hastings with Paul & Simon on Sunday. Great to see their new place & fabulous lunch @ The Crown.  

Something for the weekend, Sir?

Sideshow Bob needed a bit of a haircut. He’s moving down from the attic to the big room. So he needed a bit of dead-wooding too.

Something for the weekend, Sir?

#BostonFern
#SwordFern
#GreenLady
#NephrolepisExaltata

 

Inter Alia @ Lyttelton Theatre...

Last Thursday night, Stuart and I made our way to the glitzy South Bank and ended up in a courtroom of conscience at the Lyttelton Theatre (@nationaltheatre). Suzie Miller's (@suziemillerwriter) Inter Alia is what you’d get if Prima Facie had a second act and a sharper legal brief. Similarly urgent, but with a chillier, more deliberate burn. It's Adolescence - but for older teens.

At the centre of it all is Rosamund Pike (@mspike), delivering a performance so exquisitely measured you suspect she keeps her emotions filed in alphabetical order. Trying to keep cool and composed, but often failing' hers is an utterly compelling performance. She handles script like a barrister cross-examining her own sense of morality.

She’s backed by an excellent cast too. 

The writing is needle-sharp: just enough legal jargon to make it ring true and lots of satisfying lyrical tension. There’s not a lot of shouting here - just precision, pace, and the kind of silences that echo. You laugh, wince, and occasionally catch yourself nodding like a juror who’s been won over before the verdict.

The Lyttelton’s stage becomes a crucible — no need for theatrics when the truth is this well lit.

Not quite as raw as Prima Facie, but equally haunting. Inter Alia doesn’t grab you — it sits you down and explains what yor probably suspected from the get go.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Trans Pride London…

Trans Pride in London was fabulous yesterday. Heartfelt, meaningful, fun, and important. 🏳️‍⚧️

Some good signs too. 😂

Darren, Vince, Mark, and I had a great time. 

And finished the night off at Elephant Park Pride. 

This Bitter Earth @ Soho Theatre...

Sometimes a play comes along that is just stunning.  

Harrison David Rivers wrote This Bitter Earth in 2017 and it's just as vital now as it was back then; Black people being shot down on the streets of America, racism, white saviours, Trump, homophobia, dating, moving in, meeting the parents, self-love, self-hating. And it's funny. Very funny.

Directed wonderfully by Billy Porter, the play sees Jesse (the magnificent Omari Douglas), an introspective Black playwright, finding his choices challenged when his boyfriend, Neil (the goregous Alexander Lincoln), a white Black Lives Matter activist, calls him out for his political apathy.

And yet the issues they have; race, class and the bravery it takes them to love out loud are never preached. It's just beautifully portrayed.

Theirs is a deep love challenged by divisive political realities. It's passions vs priorities. The two leads are fantastic. Both award-worthy performances.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@harrisondavidrivers

@theebillyporter

@marsdoug

@alexander__lincoln 

@AlexanderLinc12

@sohotheatre 

Disney’s Hercules @ Theatre Royal Drury Lane…

On Wednesday night, Marcus and I went to see Disney’s Hercules at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. 

Meh. It’s like a weak pantomime. Lame jokes included. There’s not a memorable song in the show. And at times the audience looked bored.

First, the good bits; it’s full of energy, the singing is fine, it has a vibrant staging, is camp as Christmas, and the five Muses' performances are fantastic – some might say the only good thing about the show.  

But the production lacks heart, lacks wit, and has no emotional depth. We don’t really care about anybody - let alone Hercules. 

And while we are talking about Hercules, Luke Brady has the stage presence of a soggy biscuit.  There’s no chemistry between him and his female lead. 

Yes, the production is slick and visually appealing, but the pacing and plot issues mean it can’t reach the heights of other Disney stage adaptations like Frozen or Lion King. 

Don’t bother. 

⭐️⭐️

Bob the Builder…

Finished! They claimed it would take 40 mins to assemble. 

Many blisters later, it took just shy of four hours! 😂

Argh! Double-argh!