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| Beats Hollywood |
THE WIZ
The GateHouse By Richard Osley
AT some stage all of us who are haunted by the 1978 film version
of The Wiz have to come to terms with the fact that we have wasted
two hours of our lives that we can never have back.
Think of the things you could have been doing instead of watching
Diana Ross and Michael Jackson trundling down the Yellow Brick Road
in that awful movie.
Blank it out and indulge in the perfect therapy this Christmas by
seeing it done properly at the Upstairs At The Gatehouse in Highgate.
The Wiz is a breathless, rock ‘n’ soul version of the
familiar Wizard of Oz yarn and in this form knocks spots off Jacko’s
annoying Scarecrow routine in that blasted film.
Credit should be reserved for theatre managers John and Katie Plews,
and their daughters Racky and Jessica, who together direct, produce
and choreograph a wonderful show.
Never dull, this lively production has the perfect mix of fast and
slow songs, slick costumes and eye-popping costumes, funny gags
and gags that you would only accept at Christmas.
And it’s all kept simple enough for you to the take the kids
without worrying about them having nightmares about flying monkeys
and wicked witches. Sarah Boulton shines in her dungarees as Dorothy,
she has a knockout voice and a face full of cartoon expressions.
The best set pieces, however, are when the whole cast are spinning
around the set – be it in the middle of a hurricane or hopping
through the gates of the Emerald City. Theme tune Ease On Down The
Road is the most infectious number.
Originally a black musical that was big news on Broadway in the
1970s, it’s a shame that there isn’t one black actor involved.
But The Wiz has been done by all-white casts before and is now a
drama school staple performed by all, but you won’t see it
pulled off as well as cleverly or expertly as this elsewhere.
Until January 29
020 8340 3488
Horse dance steals panto
SNOW WHITE GOES TO KITSCHVILLE
Jacksons Lane By Rebecca Omonira
SNOW White goes to Kitschville tries very hard to be very modern.
It explodes with euphemisms: Tranny and Fanny (Trinny and Susannah);
X Factor; Big Brother and Les Dennis.
Despite this it is very amusing and its ‘reality TV style’
characters had the families in the audience laughing throughout.
It tells the story of Snow White, a teenager more politically correct
than most fairytale characters. She refuses the name ‘Snow
White’ forced upon her by tradition, instead embracing the
name ‘Rainbow’ because of its ‘more multicultural’
connotations. If this is sounding too political for your average
panto, don’t fear. ‘Rainbow’ is traditionally saved
by her Prince Charming (although he has no castle and can only promise
dear Rainbow congestion charge debts and the possibility of a £400,000
mortgage) and she has a ‘Hattie McDaniel’ to boot.
Openhouse Productions worked very hard to localise the play. As
well as references to 4x4s and Jewish nannies, there was clearly
a lot of effort put in by the younger actors. Their evident enjoyment
was infectious and cannot fail to bring a smile.
The evil Queen Karaoke and Rainbow both brilliantly held the stage
and roused the audiences into traditional panto banter, charming
them with their differing quirks.
The class act of the show was undoubtedly Ned the Horse, whose super
dance alone moves make the event worthwhile.
Until January 5
020 8340 5226
RSC comes up trumps yet again
TWELFTH NIGHT
The Novello By Tom Foot
THE Royal Shakespeare Company’s Twelfth Night does exactly
what it says on the tin.
Their productions have long combined a conventional, no nonsense
approach with a complete understanding of the text.
You are never likely to be thrilled, but rather schooled into deference
like a pupil discovering a good teacher.
Thankfully, with Michael Boyd as artistic director, the RSC has
realised traditional dress is a thing of the past. Gone are the
men in tights, the goblets and the unspeakable prancing.
Twelfth Night is a tribute to spontaneity. The maid Maria sings
“thought is free” and most of the characters are defined
by their ability to woo, mock or act on impulse. The play invites
experimentation from its directors. But while there was little of
this in Boyd’s production – no wartime setting or Hollywood
stars to be seen – there were some meaningful insights. Shakespeare
has Feste the ‘dry fool’ (Forbes Masson) on the rocks.
His jokes drying up, he pimps his art for money and often struggles
to prove his worth.
Boyd has Feste as an old musical hall comedian, skilled, but similarly
redundant.
And this nervous, insecure flailing old fool has a thing for mistress
Maria (Meg Fraser). I’ve never seen or read that one before,
but the unlikely affair – the best part of this production
– unlocked a few of the script’s secrets and made sense
of the rejected Feste’s sad song “the rain it raineth
every day”.
Top performances from Masson and Fraser brought this relationship
to the fore. But a special mention must go to John Mackay as the
spindly Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Richard Cordery as the cross-gartered
Malvolio. They excelled as the real fools of the play.
Until December 31
020 7379 4431
Amiable Mowgli swings his way into kids’ hearts
THE JUNGLE BOOK
Bloomsbury By Angela Cobbinah
IN the Bloomsbury Theatre’s version of the Jungle Book,
Mowgli first appears as a life-sized puppet being eyed up for dinner
by the villainous tiger Shere Khan.
With a puppeteer’s delicate manipulation, the toddler wanders
oblivious into danger only snatched from the jaws of death by animal
onlookers.
So the stage is set for Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale of the
wolf boy whose blissful jungle existence is overshadowed by the
tiger’s determination to one day find his prey.
The older Mowgli, played appealingly by Tony Hasnath, has a protection
of sorts from his friends and mentors Baloo the Bear, and Bhageera
the Panther.
But even they cannot save Mowgli from himself, a man-cub who despite
being steeped in the ways of the jungle will never really ‘belong’.
But when Mowgli returns to his village, he finds himself up against
his own kind too.
But Stuart Patterson’s adaption of the story never gets too
serious in a production geared to the younger child. The play doubles
up as a musical dominated by X Factor type pop, and while I may
not have liked it much, young members of the audience clearly did
as they stamped their feet and clapped along.
They are further drawn into the proceedings by pantomime-style call
and response – and a good time is had by all.
Stellar performances by Trevor A Toussaint’s genial Baloo and
Suzanne Ahmet‘s hypnotic Kaa the Snake, add to the fun, while
a rousing finale, song and all, finally rescues the production from
its middle of the road drift.
Until January 28
020 7388 8822
First in panto circles
SYLVESTER McCoy, best known for playing the seventh Doctor Who,
stars as the King Rat in London Zoo’s first full-scale panto.
From the delights of London town to the Moroccan shores and back
again, the production promises to be packed with comedy and festive
fun for all ages.
Featuring a brand new script, dazzling costumes, a spectacular sea
voyage and specially composed music, the panto is set in a purpose
built theatre.
The classic tale of rags to riches comes with a free pass to see
the animals.
Panto at the Zoo: Dick Whittington and his Magical Cat opens on
Friday, December 23.
CLICK HERE FOR LISTINGS |
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