Review of Housebound & Another Fine Mess at The Playhouse Theatre, Northampton (White Cobra Productions)

The two companion pieces of Another Fine Mess and Housebound from White Cobra Productions provided a diverting and entertaining couple of hours of entertainment at the Playhouse Theatre. The feature piece is Another Fine Mess from Gillian Plowman, however the pre-interval short Housebound from Simon Mawdesley is an equally captivating play, if not quite such a socially conscience one. Both plays star White Cobra founders Richard Jordan and Kate Billingham, with Another Fine Mess also starring Paul Fowler (who also directs Housebound).

Housebound is dark in concept but high in comic pleasure as the very briefly masked Bone (Richard Jordan) takes the posh Fiona (Kate Billingham) captive in her home of fine furniture, splendid carpets and resident wasps. Without doubt Housebound suffers in these early stages of being a little under rehearsed with a little hesitation obvious at times from the performers. I think also there was still some development needed to strengthen the characters. It does however remain entertaining throughout with the clever and witty dialogue.

Another Fine Mess is better prepared and solid in its production though. This is a gem of a little play and offers a neat and totally unexpected twist to what you might expect. Set in the back room of a pub in the eighties (a crucially important time setting), we meet Stephen (Richard Jordan) and Philip (Paul Fowler) as they work on their Laurel & Hardy double act. Working with them is occasional co-performer and Stephen's bit on the side Meg (Kate Billingham).

Much more polished than Housebound, Another Fine Mess is a cleverly crafted one act play full of brilliant human drama. It is a tricky piece to review without giving away the twist and this deserves to be seen without foreknowledge. Suffice to say when it plays out, it brings high emotion to the piece and the audience. Billingham in particular is strong as the character who takes the news with initial aggression and self interest, rather than sympathy.

The Laurel & Hardy pieces are nicely performed, getting the feel just right of a tribute act take on them. There was also some entertaining choreography created by Mary O'Brien bringing the musical pieces to life. A special treat as well was a pre-recorded piece of radio programming by Stuart Linnell. Leading through the interval into the play itself, this was genuinely funny and featured a nice collection of classic tunes from the eighties.

These two shows are not the most successful of those I have seen White Cobra perform, however knowing sad circumstances behind the scenes in preparation, still leaves these as great achievements. The two plays are both highly entertaining and the latter Another Fine Mess is unquestionably the best performed with that very powerful emotional punch. Highly recommended to try to catch them as they tour on route to the Edinburgh Fringe.

★★★½

Performance reviewed: Friday 27th May, 2016 at the Playhouse Theatre, Northampton

Housebound/Another Fine Mess is currently on tour until August. For details visit: http://www.whitecobraproductions.co.uk/

For full details about the Playhouse Theatre visit their website at http://www.theplayhousetheatre.net/

Review of Lord of the Dance at Milton Keynes Theatre

On what was so far the hottest day of the year, and the highest in many a record book, it feels a tad evil to watch as a group of extremely talented performers bring to the stage one of the most famous and most energetic dance shows to tour. However, arriving now at Milton Keynes Theatre, as part of what is now the still rather immodestly titled 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour, Lord of the Dance remains full of energy even on the hottest of evenings in Milton Keynes. I last and first saw Lord of the Dance as part of the 25 Years of Standing Ovations tour, four years ago (yes, the sums don’t quite work), and it was every bit as spectacular as you could imagine this world-famous dance show is. Born into the world from Michael Flatley and the Riverdance spectacular that preceded it, Lord of the Dance is a simple but effective battle between good and evil and the resolution of it through dance rather than fighting. The dancing here is, as expected, exceptional, led by the Lord of the...

Review of DNA by University of Northampton BA Actors at Jacksons Lane Theatre, Highgate, London

The final year performances of BA Actors this year upped sticks and headed away from their Northampton Royal territory and gathered to show their skills in London. The first of the three shows being performed was Dennis Kelly's DNA, a play which I saw performed on the Royal stage itself four years ago. I enjoyed it for its dark mysterious nature and was looking forward to seeing a different interpretation of the show. It tells the tale of a group of youngsters who do something really bad, and proceed to attempt to cover it up, resulting in the real bad, well, getting more bad. It's dark yes, but also, very funny at times. It opens with a looming movement piece of theatre, which I always love and this was no different for me, brooding and sinister. It's quite a long opening, which perhaps, in the end, becomes too long, but it's a fabulous piece of theatre for me. It set's the scene very well for Kelly's dark piece to unfold and in the hands of these, about ...

Review of A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story at Birmingham Rep

Charles Dickens's novella A Christmas Carol is a perennial favourite and over the years has been adapted countless times for television, film and here, with this adaptation by Mark Gatiss, subtitled A Ghost Story , a further stage version. Originally performed at the Nottingham Playhouse in 2022 before moving to London at the Alexandra Palace, and the same venues repeated the following year, its past success serves well for a further revival. Therefore for 2024, The Birmingham Rep has taken to staging their own production, with a mostly new cast including Matthew Cottle and Rufus Hound leading an excellent cast. Cottle as Ebenezer Scrooge is excellent, often exhibiting a much more sprightly Scrooge that we would remember, and also, much funnier at times. Despite Gatiss remaining remarkably faithful to the original, the show, directed with excellent pace by Adam Penford mines more comedy than you might expect. Cottle's Scrooge remains without question evil, but in his delivery ...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

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