Skip to main content

Every Last Trick at The Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

I tweeted during the interval of Every Last Trick that I thought I was tripping while watching the show. After having then seen the second act, I think I can certainly confirm that they were some pretty high end drugs.

All this in the positive respect. by the way. Every Last Trick for me acted very much like a legal high (plant food if anyone asks), with some of the most bizarre incidents possible.

A cast of four and an elephant provided a riotous show lead by head clown Aitor Basauri as Juan, he from Barcelona, well maybe not, but you get the gist. A heavy accent, a bit of conveniently mispronounced English. That sort of thing. A magical performance in every sense, down to his handling on the performance I saw, of the loosened belt audience member. Beware the front rows!

Juan's short suffering wife, played by Sophie Russell was also a delight. The perfect flapper crossed with a liberal dose of insanity. Who was equally impressive being manhandled around the stage unconscious. Large drawers!

Toby Park as Tom was all upper class, adventurer, with elephant in tow and looking for his former love. He quickly found himself embroiled in the mad antics. Give her a blow!

Finally completing the line-up was the glorious loose limbed Adrien Gygax, the most frantic of the performers, with a tremendous physical ability. Bandy legs!

The set was also quite a bit of a star as well, with moving parts, raising parts and on occasion failing parts. On the subject of failing, I would perhaps be fascinated to see what went wrong via a second viewing, as its one of those plays, with such skilled performers and such random action, that if there was a prop fail or a line forgotten, they wove it smoothly into the play.

I read in a review of Every Last Trick on the website of the local Chronicle & Echo newspaper that this was perhaps their least silly production at the Royal. Having not seen any previous ones, I would be concerned of what level drugs their previous would be like.

This truly was one of the most bizarre experiences that I have witnessed, and it suited me because I have a brain like this on many occasions myself.

You need to go to see this because it has the potential to make your jaw ache and your brain melt in equal measure and it really is an experience. Yes, it is certainly an experience...

Every Last Trick is on at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton until Saturday 10th May, 2014
Every Last Trick trailer
http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk - Every Last Trick

Popular posts from this blog

Review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Milton Keynes Theatre

There have been numerous productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's groundbreaking musical since it first appeared in 1968 and opened in the West End in 1973. One might wonder if there is still room for another tour. However, judging by the packed audience in Milton Keynes Theatre for the opening night of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , much interest remains for this show. Also, with this production first seen at The London Palladium in June 2019, and with a few production elements altered, Joseph still has, after all those years, the room to change and evolve. However, the question is, does this change help or hinder the show's history? For those unfamiliar with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, it tells the story of Joseph, Jacob's favourite son, in a lighthearted and musical style that jumps between various genres. Joseph's brothers are somewhat envious of him, leading to them selling him into slavery to an Egyptian nobleman. As for ...

Review of The Wizard Of Oz by the Northampton Musical Theatre Company at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

The last couple of shows from the award-winning Northampton Musical Theatre Company has been a slightly mixed bag, with their last show at Derngate the rather difficult to get a grip on thrills of Grease , a woefully inferior stage version of the classic film despite being very well performed. Their best show recently was ironically Summer Holiday , hidden at the much smaller Cripps venue. Therefore still in the wake of the exceptional Sister Act , does The Wizard of Oz create the Derngate magic once again? The answer for me, is both yes and no, it is as always an exceptional production filled from top to tail with talent, as NMTC is so renowned for, and packing the audience in and thrilling them like perhaps nothing like Oz can in the musical department, you cannot question its selection really. However, like Grease , and to readjust a requote, "it's just Oz". This time I use it in the way that Oz is just a little over-familiar, I am desperate for the buzz that I go...

Review of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

I have seen a few touring shows of extremely well known shows like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a few have been quite a disappointment. Producers sitting back happy to sell the tickets on the name of a show, and deliver on stage not necessarily a terrible production, but one that sometimes never really leaves you feeling you have got value for your money. Music & Lyrics/West Yorkshire Playhouse's  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is far from one of them. An exemplary and large cast, costumes both in multitude and wonderful to look at, a set of infinite invention and a hidden but quality and large orchestra. Jason Manford as Caractacus Potts Perhaps more importantly this show also doesn't fail on its casting of "stars" over stage talent, for in the lead is Jason Manford as Caractacus Potts, an artist known for his comedy more than his acting history, and certainly little known for his singing ability, is a revelation. Likable, dominant on stage with clear chara...