Review of The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel is perhaps the perfect antidote to the troubled times we are in, harking back to when things were perhaps simpler and mass media and the press were less in your face. Not to say that bigshot Charlie Chaplin didn't make a name for himself in more than just the movies he made. This though is a warm show, filled with love.

This show is based on the very real tale of the 1910 ship heading course for New York, which aboard were Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, unknown, but part of Fred Karno’s music hall troupe, and destined for different, but very major futures.

Told by an Idiot's production with Theatre Royal Plymouth (and Royal & Derngate and Unity Theatre) breaks down the tale of the voyage of the SS Cairnrona with intriguingly created flashbacks of the life, generally of Charlie Chaplin. Therefore along the course of the voyage, we see Laurel's moment as understudy to Chaplin, the birth of Chaplin (brilliantly realised) and his dad, a hilarious moment played by Nick Haverson. It all creates a magnificent potpourri of happenings, presented virtually all in the classic silent film style.

The performers themselves are quite brilliant, capturing the style of movement and delivery of each of their characters. Haverson especially mastering the movement of the choppiness of the mid-twenties frames per second vintage.

Amalia Vitale is very much the essence of Chaplin, perfecting his walk and cane swivelling technics and through virtually no dialogue captivates and entrances as the tale unfolds. Jerone Marsh-Reid equally gets the mannerisms of the legend that is Stan Laurel, representing his dumb look brilliantly. He also has an excellent turn as well as the Bell Boy.

Perhaps although he isn't given either of the main two lead characters, Haverson becomes quite a scene-stealer in all of his moments, from the aforementioned brilliant dad, onto the very Hollywood like Fred Karno, and an amazingly funny cameo at Charlie's Butler. He doesn't, as a result, disappoint at his depiction either of Oliver Hardy himself and his playfulness with the audience during the golf moment is quite brilliant.

Completing the quartet of performers is Sara Alexander who does very briefly feature as Charlie's mother, but mainly shows quite brilliant skill performing Zoe Rahman's perfectly judged score on the piano.

There is some brilliant invention in this show which doesn't shy from interacting with its audience either, including two brief moments of members of it on stage. Nothing to fear though if you are worried, it is gentle playfulness.

The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel is a gorgeous piece of theatre, stunningly performed with incredible physicality from the performers. Paul Hunter's writing and direction are pinpoint in its desire to maintain period, yet it offers something new and refreshing for the stage and is a clear love letter to a classic time of the film industry.

Warm, loving, funny and fresh.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Wednesday 11th March 2020 at the Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton.

The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel runs at Royal & Derngate until Saturday 21st March 2020

For further details about the Royal & Derngate see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: Manuel Harlan

Review of Northern Ballet - The Great Gatsby at Milton Keynes Theatre

This production of The Great Gatsby performed by Northern Ballet was my fifth encounter at the theatre of a full ballet production and as before, I happily share my review of the show with nearly zero knowledge of-the-art form and more of a casual theatre-goer. You could say that this is a poor direction to come in on a review, but I would say that casual audience are the ones to review this for. Over the years, Northern Ballet has set quite a high benchmark for ballet productions, and any audience member who is worth their salt as a ballet fan would no doubt have tickets for this new touring version of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby , lovingly created by David Nixon OBE. So much is Nixon part of the very fabric of this show, that he not only provides the choreography and direction but also the initial scenario and costume design (assisted by Julie Anderson). So, discounting those ballet fans already sitting in the audience, what does this offer for the more casual theatre-goer ...

Review of Murder She Didn't Write at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Murder She Didn't Write , stopping off for a four-day run at Royal & Derngate on a lengthy UK tour, treads the now well-worn path of an improvisational evening of theatre entertainment. Unsurprisingly, from the title, this show from Degrees of Error's takes a murder mystery as its inspiration, with the story influenced by ideas from the audience each evening. Due to this, Murder She Didn't Write and a review are very much an individual affair. What I saw in my evening at the theatre will differ significantly from what the audience will see the following evening; however, the fine performers will remain. The touring cast, in no particular order, is Lizzy Skrzypiec, Rachael Procter-Lane, Peter Baker, Caitlin Campbell, Stephen Clements, Douglas Walker, Harry Allmark, Rosalind Beeson, Sylvia Bishop, Emily Brady, Alice Lamb, Sara Garrard, Peta Maurice and Matthew Whittle. For my performance, Skrzypiec, Procter-Lane, Baker, Walker, Bishop, and Clements were on stage alongsid...

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes

Seeing the 46-year-old Rocky Horror Show at the theatre for the first time is quite an experience on many levels. First and foremost as a regular theatregoer, the audience, even on a relatively demure evening of a Monday, is something you would never really experience at a theatre beyond this show. Many are dressed up (even on that demure Monday), and so many are so in tune with the show, that these regular fans have become entwined within it. They know every word of the script, they contribute to it, they enhance it, often they make Richard O'Brien's already adult content into something much more adult. It's a revelation of experience, much before a newbie such as myself even considers the show. Laura Harrison's beautifully clear rendition of Science Fiction/Double Feature sets the scene for some generally excellent performances of O'Brien's classic tunes, in a musical which is clearly audible, sadly not something that always happens with many productio...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog