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 Friends - The Musical Parody at Milton Keynes Theatre

The One Where 2026 starts in a world of confusion. And so, 2026 is upon us and for my first trip to the theatre this year, one of my most significant reviewing challenges was to occur. Touring to Milton Keynes Theatre is Friends - The Musical Parody , based, unsurprisingly, on that little American show that ran to a few audience members for ten years. However, I confess that I was not, and have never been in that audience, never having seen a single episode of the show. However, always up for a review challenge and doing my due diligence by having a Friends superfan as my plus one, I headed to Milton Keynes with anticipation. For those unfamiliar with the show, I could say I can’t help; however, a quick review of some of the information you might need (thanks, Google and my plus one). Running for ten years between 1994 and 2004 with 236 episodes (quiz question, you are welcome), the main characters consisted of Phoebe (ditzy, writer of sad songs), Monica (in possession of an unfeasibly...

Review of 2:22 A Ghost Story at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

2:22 A Ghost Story continues an endless rise and run of success on the stage. This play by Danny Robins was first staged as recently as August 2021 at the Noel Coward Theatre and since then the show continued to run in London for two years, moving to four further London theatres, before eventually closing in the city to embark on this tour, which began in September last year. During these runs, the cast has constantly been updated with often populist actors, and some, which are not even associated with acting. As this reaches Royal & Derngate, now even the touring cast has been swept clean and four further performers take on the incredible success of a show. This is the second time I have seen 2:22 A Ghost Story , and it is safe to say that on that first viewing, with the previous tour cast, I was not as blown away by the play as the success seemed to warrant. The aforementioned populist casting seemed to have driven a so-so ghostly tale into success beyond its quality, and with th...

Review of Matthew Bourne's Romeo + Juliet at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Despite now having seen a few dance shows encompassing many different styles, I had yet to see one developed by Sir Matthew Bourne, a controversial player in his time, but as the relatively recent knighthood suggests, now very much embraced by the establishment. So, does Romeo + Juliet live up to his name, that is the question? So, first, this might normally be where I give you a brief outline of the story, but, for one, most have a general understanding of the love disaster of William Shakespeare's play already, and two, as it turns out from the Bourne production, a huge amount of what you might be familiar with has gone or been dramatically changed anyway. There is shocking complicity in murders, there are different moments of murder and gone are the warring factions of the Montagues and Capulets. Characters themselves feel very different at times also, to such an extent that even knowing the play doesn't always make it clear who is who at times. So, if all that sounds...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

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