#TheatreReview By Lou of @PrettyWoman @PrettyWomanTheMusical on #UKAndIrelandTour @ATGTICKETS @oreoduba @Amber_Davies7 @oliversavile @nataliemayparis @EdinPlayhouse #PrettyWomanTheMusical

Review by Louise Cannon

“Big night out. Big. HUGE. Pretty Woman: The Musical is finally embarking on a UK and Ireland tour – so make a date to see Hollywood’s ultimate rom-com, live on stage…”
See the link for booking tickets after my review. It’s going to several theatres in both the UK and Ireland, so could be one near you!
*Please note, I am not affiliated to any theatre.

Cast

Amber Davies as Vivian Ore Oduba as Happy Man/Mr Thompson Oliver Savile as Edward Natalie Paris as Kit de Luca
Ben Darcy as Philip Stuckey Chomba Taulo as David Morse
Stuart Maciver was Phillip Stuckey
Swing cast: Becky Anderson, Rebekah Bryant, Joshua Lear, Stuart Maciver,
Victoria Rachel McCabe.
Ensemble: Andrew Davison, Sydrie Hocknell, Ellie Jay, Michael Kolwadia, Eleanor Morrison Halliday, LJ Neilson, Annell Odarty, Elliott David Parkes, Curtis Patrick, Toby Shellard

Synopsis

Once upon a time in the late ’80s, Vivian met Edward and her life changed forever. Be swept up in their romance in this dazzlingly theatrical take on a love story for the ages – and get to know these iconic characters in a whole new way – in a sensational show that took London’s West End by storm, guaranteed to lift your spirits and light up your heart.

Review

It’s the 1980’s and the opening sequence oozes with colour and life. Get into the Hollywood groove and enter The Blue Banana Club to meet Vivian and Kit De Luca and others in a terrific song and dance sequence, full of so much energy that you can feel it sweep into the audience.
Then get swept off your feet in the romance as you see escort, Vivian’s life change when she meets business-man Edward. Get caught up in the fashions of the day when Vivian hits Rodeo Drive and high fashion shops, which are ingeniously recreated. See how lives transform.
The transforming of the whole stage to recreate iconic scenes of the film/movie, coupled with a terrific score means all eyes are glued to the stage for the entire time in enjoyment and entertainment.
Throughout, there are big, bold musical numbers, with some quieter songs in-between, all carrying the story seamlessly from “scene to scene”.

To my delight, the musical pretty much follows the film, but with great musical scores added that carry the story along.

Amber Davies is very convincing as Vivian, so much so that you no longer see it as a part just for Julia Roberts. It’s like she’s perfectly cast as Vivian taking the chance away from the club. You can hear in her voice and see in the way she acts, the vulnerability, the passion, the strength and the determination as the show progresses. The chemistry between her and Oliver Savile as Edward projects very well as the love story unfolds. He switches very well between being a suave business man buying up businesses and dealing with lawyers to transforming Vivian and bedroom romance, (which is all done very tastefully) very smoothly.

Ore Oduba as Happy Man/Mr Thompson brought some terrific humour in both his delivery of lines and at times, his poise. Look out for a fun homage to his time on Strictly. This guy, however is very multi-talented and carries the charisma needed for this roll, wonderfully.

Ben Darcy normally plays Philip Stuckey, but when I saw this production I saw the excellent Stuart Maciver who embodies this manipulating character with aplomb and great acting skill.

The ensemble cast were also compelling, adding to the richness of stage action in both dance and song.

All the cast sang with great depth and richness to their voices. They all fit together incredibly well. It truly is an excellent cast.

I highly recommend this musical, whether you’ve seen the film or not. Either way, I’m fairly certain you won’t be disappointed.

I’ll also add that it’s ingenious and wonderfully creative what is said at the beginning of the show and interval… to find out what that is and about the rest, you’ll have to watch the show.

Book Your Tickets Here https://uk.prettywomanthemusical.com/tour/

#Review of Jekyll and Hyde By Gary McNair A #Stage Adaptation By @TheGaryMcNair @OriginalTheatre Starring @ForbesMasson @lyceumtheatre @ReadingRep #Theatre #JekyllAndHyde #RobertLouisStevenson

Jekyll and Hyde

By Gary McNair, adapted from the novel by
Robert Louis Stevenson
Directed by Michael Fentiman

I saw this one-man show, starring Forbes Masson on Original Theatre Online.
Discover the synopsis and my review below, as well as a link where you too can watch this great play.

Synopsis

Streaming Online
Drama | Thriller | Classic

Forbes Masson (The Crown, Farm Hall, Newsies) stars in this captivating one-person play, written by Gary McNair.

“Are those little voices in our heads our friends, or our enemies? What if they’re neither, what if they’re both?”

Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh presents Reading Rep Theatre’s production of
JEKYLL & HYDE
By Gary McNair, adapted from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
Directed by Michael Fentiman

The classic story of Jekyll & Hyde is turned on its head revealing the depths of one man’s psyche and the lengths we will go to hide our deepest secrets. What will happen to a curious mind as it’s left to its own devices?

A brand new film of this critically acclaimed show, commissioned by Original Theatre in special arrangement with the producers, exclusively streaming on Original Online.

Review

A door, just a lit door in the shadows of darkness in a minimalist set, but a highly significant door nonetheless. All eyes are on this and Forbes Masson in what is an exceptional one man play.

There are quite a few characters that are bestowed upon Forbes Masson to play and each one is deftly portrayed. No need to worry about getting lost as to who’s who, he’s found ways around that, through voice and tone changes and ingenious ways of using props. This has made it easy to follow.

Forbes Masson, shrouded in darkness, pulls you into a wonderfully curated intense atmosphere that builds and builds as the psyche of Jekyll and Hyde are examined. Surprisingly, there’s also some humour within the play, delivered with excellent timing.

Jekyll and Hyde is a haunting, compelling play that I highly recommend.

Watch Here On Original Theatre if you dare to find what lies behind that door and inside the psyche of Jekyll and Hyde…

#Review By Lou of #TheatrePlay -Murder In The Dark @OriginalTheatre @InTheDark #MurderInTheDark

Murder In The Dark
Written by Torben Betts
Directed By Philip Franks

Torben Betts is a writer of many plays for the Original Theatre Company. It was brilliant to see Original Theatre hit Scotland again. This theatre company does seem to have some rather interesting, intriguing shows both online and on-stage, such as A Cold Supper Behind Harrods and The Habit of Art, to name a couple I watched and gave favourable reviews of. I reckon it’s one to watch out for. They sure get great writers and cast into their productions. It’s refreshing to see their productions actually tour to different theatres. I saw this one at The Pavilion in Glasgow.

Cast

Susie Blake plays Mrs Bateman Tom Chambers plays Danny
Rebecca Charles plays Rebecca Johnny Green plays Jake
Owen Oakenshott plays William Laura White plays Sarah

Synopsis

What happens when the lights go out?

It’s New Year’s Eve, when a car crash on a deserted road brings famous but troubled singer Danny Sierra and his dysfunctional family to an isolated holiday cottage in rural England.

From the moment they arrive, a sequence of inexplicable events begin to occur… and then the lights go out… As the tension rises and deeply buried secrets come to light, you’ll find nothing is quite as it seems.

From the mind of acclaimed writer Torben Betts and produced by the award-winning Original Theatre, who brought you the smash hit production of The Mirror Crack’d by Agatha Christie, Murder in The Dark will have you on the edge of your seats until the final chilling twist.

Are you brave enough to uncover the truth?

Starring TV and stage favourite Tom Chambers (Holby City, Casualty, Waterloo Road, Father Brown and Strictly Come Dancing champion) and produced by the award-winning Original Theatre (The Mirror Crack’d by Agatha Christie, Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art).

Cast also includes Rebecca Charles (The Dresser), Jonny Green (It’s a Sin), Owen Oakeshott (Witness for the Prosecution) and Laura White (Doctors).

Review

“Three Blind Mice, Three Blind Mice…” A well-known nursery rhyme that runs through the play as does a song, that ends up sticking in your head – “Murder In The Dark”.
Chilling, thought-provoking with intensity that builds, to a certain extent to an almighty crescendo of a twist at the end. The psychological element that weaves and builds throughout makes this play captivating.
And yet, it is entertaining with unexpected humour for a good deal of the play.
Set, in an old house where the lights don’t always work, but the tv mysteriously turns on at certain points, there are many twists that just keep coming. I won’t say what as this would spoil the play.

Murder In The Dark is a play that plays with your mind long after it’s finished. The minute it ends, it causes much chatter about what’s just been seen, especially how the end plays out.

Tom Chambers plays the tormented Danny absolutely magnificently. Throughout, he gives such a strong and impressively convincing performance, with great stage-presence.
I’d seen him once before on-stage (and lots on TV) in Private Lives and was most impressed, and he absolutely still lives up to and even exceeded expectations in Murder In The Dark.
Susie Blake brings much mysteriousness and a chilling air to the piece and is marvellous. She may well make your spine-tingle and she carries her character off wonderfully.
The rest of the cast also bring strong, powerful performances to what is a rather weird, yet compelling and intriguing play.
They’re all actors who are highly watchable and to watch out to see what else they do too, whether it’s screen or stage.

If you ever get a chance to see it, whilst it is on a proper, full UK tour, then I very much recommend it for your “what to see on-stage” list.

Check out Original Theatre Here: Original Theatre

#TheatreReview of David Suchet – Poirot and More: A Retrospective – 5/5 star Talk and Performance @David_Suchet #Theatre #Poirot #Stage #TV #PoirotandMore

Theatre Review of David Suchet – Poirot and More
A Retrospective

Written By Louise (Lou)

David Suchet, actor of many parts on stage and screen, but perhaps most famously, that little Belgian man of Agatha Christie’s creation – Poirot is on tour with:
Poirot and More: A Retrospective. There’s a link at the end of my review so you can discover where you can see him. He’s touring across the UK and Ireland until and including March 2024. He’s also written books, find out more later…

I saw David Suchet at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh as part 2 of a birthday present from my parents and as a thanks for caring for them. I was so excited and I am genuinely pleased to say, it lived up to expectations and so much more…

I highly recommend this talk. It’s running time is about 2hrs 20 mins and time goes fast . David Suchet is mesmerising with excellent stage presence as he passionately and warmly shares his fascinating life as an actor on screen and stage and more… He has acted in many tv series and films and mentions Doctor Who, Blott on the Landscape, Maxwell and of course, Poirot. I have a link, after my review for you to explore what else he’s acted in. He also talks of stage acting, such as doing Rep Theatre, part of getting into Equity and being in Panto for the first time in recent years, playing Captain Hook.
He’s admired by people, young and old and everything in-between.

The interviewer, Geoffrey Wansell, is a great friend of David Suchet’s, and you can tell on-stage, which is really lovely. He’s a well-informed person, not only about David Suchet, but about the history of the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. How excited they got when it is revealed that it used to be an Empire theatre. There’s a reason for this, but you’ll have to see the talk to find out more…

All eyes were on David Suchet. It’s great that, although he begins in a chair, he doesn’t stay in it and makes use of the whole stage he’s as he treat the audience to a mix of talk and acting. There’s also a screen behind him that is used to great effect as photos and a short film are shown to illustrate what he’s talking about.
When he talks to the audience, it feels inclusive. He isn’t talking at you, but to you, with parts that feel conversational. It feels special! You can feel the care, respect and appreciation he has of his audience when he speaks.

He talks of his family, his mother and father that brings much poignancy and humour, as well as mentioning his famous brother, John Suchet and shares many anecdotes throughout, that ooze love for his family and brings laughter. He also takes the audience right back to when he was 8 years old, at school and being in a play as an oyster and what funny thing happened whilst on-stage.

There’s much chat about his route to London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and how he is perhaps not quite your typical student. For anyone looking to apply to stage schools, his talk of this would be most inspiring as it was far from the case of him applying and being accepted. He talked about it taking time and many tries.

It is a joy to watch David Suchet act. He does most of this in the second-half, but there is some in the first too. His acting is powerful and you end up hanging on his every word as he brings characters to life. It hits your heart and soul. This, perhaps is because he cares about the characterisation and the writer who created them. For Poirot, for instance, he studied him so much to get him right. I truly have a lot of respect for him for this. He talks of going back to what the original writer has on the page and wants to be depicted and translates it to the letter, as much as possible, on stage and screen. You can tell this belief is strong, even if he has to change those people’s minds, who may want something different from the original creation.

Later, there’s music in the background as he launches into a speech from Amadeus. Then he goes and does something even more surprising, and gives what is like a quick and fun masterclass in Shakespeare that includes the language, rhythm and art. If you didn’t think Shakespeare was relevant or couldn’t understand it, you sure will after this performance. I sat, thinking he should make a short film of it and share it to educational establishments, tv and continue it in his talks. I even heard adults around me saying they then really understood it like they hadn’t before and gained greater appreciation.

It, of course all culminates, more or less in talking about his most famous creation of all – Agatha Christie’s Poirot. It wasn’t a role he immediately jumped into. He shared anecdotes of this about what his brother, John Suchet and friend, Geoffrey Wansell had to say. Suffice to say, the opinions were polar opposites. He has the props and shows, bit by bit how he gets into character. The skill and care is immense and it is fascinating to watch. He talks about how, even after all these years, since the series finished, he still has a love of the role and is grateful for it.

The role of Poirot instilled David Suchet into many hearts and minds. I explored what else he did before and was eager to watch what he did after. So, when Long Journey into Night arrived at a theatre in Scotland, I jumped at the chance to watch it and I avidly watched Murder In Mind at the time on TV. I now see this is being repeated. I borrowed a DVD of Blott on the Landscape. I watched many other tv programmes, I can also recommend, such as Maxwell, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Urban Myths, Tales of the Unexpected, The Way We Live Now, The Phoenix and the Carpet (voice of the Phoenix).

Suffice to say, I was impressed by this talk, that exceeded all expectations.

If you get the chance to see David Suchet’s talk, then I highly recommend it and do have fun exploring the actor’s work and books.

As everyone walked out at the end with the Poirot theme tune, aptly playing in the background, there was a buzz of positivity and cheerfulness around.

I then joined the stage door queue and was lucky to talk to David Suchet, on what was a very cold January night. He was very kind, indeed and I felt very privileged to meet him, something I hadn’t ever thought I’d get a chance to do.

David Suchet has also written excellent books – Poirot and Me and Behind the Lens: My Life.

Links

Tour Locations and Dates IMDB – What David Suchet has acted in on-screen Waterstones

*Photos courtesy of David Suchet’s manager on tour.

#Review By Lou of #Macbeth #RalphFiennes #IndiraVarma #MacbethTheShow #Shakespeare @HighlandCentre @FollowTheCow #Theatre

Macbeth
By William Shakespeare
Ralph Fiennes Adaptation for Stage
Directed By Simon Godwin

Review By Lou at Bookmarks and Stages

Immersive and absolutely phenomenal performance starring:
Ralph Fiennes as Macbeth and Indira Varma as Lady Macbeth

That Scottish Play or The Play That Must Not be Named as Macbeth is often referred to was timely in Ingliston, near Edinburgh city centre since all eyes turn to Scotland in January. I got a ticket from my parents as part 1 of my birthday treat.

A play showing what the lust for power does to a person, how far they’ll go and the consequences. They’re enough to put you off murdering anyone. Macbeth is in the first folio of Shakespeare’s works, which is celebrating it’s 400 year anniversary.

Walk through the sounds and sights of what looks like a war scene, with smoke and lights. It is truly a fantastic way to enter the main auditorium that is almost a round, to continue the immersive feeling as every spare inch on and off stage is used.
There is a bit of a mix of a modern and (very nicely) a traditional feel, that’s very cleverly put together. The Shakespeare rhythm in speech is spot-on and feels authentic, all adding to this magnificent performance.

There’s a crack and the 3 witches appear. The audience goes silent and for the whole play, everyone is silent. Ralph Feinnes is Macbeth, appearing in battle gear and then we see Indira Varma as Lady Macbeth.

Until now, I had not seen either on stage, but I had on-screen and they acted their socks off.

Ralph Fiennes is fabulous as the bold and then very troubled Macbeth. Ralph Fiennes converged the light and dark seamlessly, even adding a little humour here and there, that worked rather well.

This is the best I’ve seen Indira Varma play a character. Shakespeare, perhaps suits her style. This play certainly does. She is steely, strong and controlled, until her character can’t keep it together anymore. She is very convincing in this transformation as the enormity of what they’ve done eats away.

Both give great monologues and it struck me that you could hear a pin-drop and all eyes were just on them. They had the audience in the palm of their hands, absorbing every single word and mannerism. This was powerful!

The 3 witches, full of mystique and mischief in the subconscious are deliciously mischievous and dark as they cackle away and say their spells.

All supporting cast were great, who you’d see now and again.

This performance got a well-deserved standing ovation at the end by everyone who could stand. It was that fantastic that it felt the most natural thing to do.

This is a production that is not to be missed. I was in awe from start, from the walkthrough to the end of the play. He seems to have a great love and admiration of Shakespeare and I loved that he looked outside the usual places, like the city centres to put on this production. He did what Shakespeare did. He took plays to little towns and suburbs, they weren’t solely shown in the centres. The place was absolutely packed out. A full-house with people coming from even across the border from England. It could be something that the creative arts could start considering, taking theatre and some big-named actors to places they aren’t normally expected to be. It could be an interesting future for theatre, to get people in. I spoke to people who didn’t really know where they were going had flocked in. This was special and something that would be wonderful to be replicated for this play and other plays. Ralph Fiennes took a gamble and it truly paid-off.

I would advise you to eat beforehand. These are pop-up venues with pop-up bars with some drinks and some crisps and chocolates, which are unfortunately, some of the most expensive I’ve ever seen. Apart from that, it is a very well-organised affair by The Underbelly, with great customer service too. It’s worth getting to the venue earlier as it was lovely to witness the socialisation of people, strangers all mingling together.

The Underbelly are one of the companies, renowned for hosting fabulous performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is held for the entire month of August, every year. They have become synonymous with their, rather fun, upside-down purple cow symbol.

#Theatre Post By Lou of – Strong Wind @SCENATHEATRE #StrongWind

Strong Wind
By Jon Fosse
Artistic Director, Robert McNamara

In US Theatre Now

The temperature is dropping, the nights are drawing in and there’s moment of lull. All the fun of Trick or Treating is over and it isn’t quite Thanksgiving or Christmas, the solution may just lie within theatres. So, why not take a moment to pause and treat yourself to a night of premier theatre performed by SCENA. There is even a sale on until November 9th, 2023. See details below, including a link to tickets.

Strong Wind – November 2-26 2023 at DC Arts Center, Adams Morgan.
Wed – Sat 7:30pm Sun – 2:30pm
2438 18th St. NW Washington, DC 20009

Strong Wind is a surreal, tragicomic tale. A man who has been away a long time peers out the window of the flat he shares with his wife. But is this still his home… and is this still his life? Or does he belong to the past — a spectator of his own abyss?