Review of Scaramouche Jones by Justin Butcher at The Playhouse Theatre, Northampton (White Cobra Productions)

Leading up to my seeing Scaramouche Jones for the first time, I had been informed by many that this was a quite a special show. Well written, intense, and in the case of those that had seen it at a previous visit to Royal & Derngate in 2002, a quite incredible performance by the late great Pete Postlethwaite. Having now seen the play I can only imagine what power Mr Postlethwaite brought to the role. Thankfully for my Scaramouche Jones, Richard Jordan, my preconceptions came fresh with no startling memories of such a performance.

Written by Justin Butcher, Scaramouche Jones takes us through the last hour or so of the life of a clown in his one hundredth year on the planet. He recounts his life from being born in a Trinidad whore house to a gypsy prostitute with a penchant for holding a meat hook in her hand while servicing her clients. He recounts his epic journey over fifty years to the land of England, including time featuring a snake being charmed to the music of Scott Joplin and Gilbert and Sullivan. His journeys also bring him to a devastating role in a camp in the Second World War, a role that indeed manages to change his very future.

It is indeed a quite incredible play, basically a storytelling one but with subtle almost barely noticeable moments like the removal of the clown's nose or the lighting of a candle. Played out on a wonderfully dressed set which for the best part is left ignored for most of the proceedings. Occasionally using an upturned circus prop for a snakes basket, or grabbing another item of clothing from a rail. The set is generally however just an observer like us of proceedings as Mr Jones recounts his tale.

Richard Jordan as Scaramouche does everything right for me. It is of course an actors play and I don't doubt the likes of Mr Postlethwaite or his ilke would have given this performance more zest and emotion, but as a first encounter, Jordan is everything I could want. Soft and subtle when needed, bold and decisive during the tough challenging moments and finally clear and precise during the mime performances. It is a challenging one man show that Richard Jordan ha perfected in his own way.

Production and direction from Kate Billingham is also everything you want from a show like this, subtle and just going about its business in the background. This is a performance show like no other and doesn't need any clever distraction.

At times it might be a little vulgar for granny in its content and it is just the second time I have heard the dreaded C word on stage so far. However for all its vulgarity, it never feels offensive. It just seems appropriate. Running at an uninterrupted ninety minutes offers its own challenges on the audience, but not one of the sold out crowd moved during the show as I suspect just like me they were spellbound by it. I was even surprised at the end how quickly the time had passed.

So an exceptional play and easily one of the best, richly written I have seen. Tough and challenging but absolutely rewarding viewing. A perfect night at the theatre and totally justified of that packed out house. Send on the clowns indeed if they can bring emotion, joy and sorrow to us like this.

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Performance reviewed: Saturday 13th February, 2016 at the Playhouse Theatre, Northampton

Scaramouche Jones is on a brief national tour. 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 Bat Out of Hell - The Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre

This tour of Bat Out of Hell - The Musical has become sadly a double-tribute as it tours throughout the UK into 2023 and the love of its creator Jim Steinman, and the man who made his work world-famous, Meat Loaf, both lost in the last year, runs through the cast in this impressive version of the show. The storyline of Bat Out of Hell takes the Peter Pan idea and warps it into a dystopian world of a group of youth known as The Lost trapped forever at 18 years of age. The centre of this group is Strat, who, after a chance encounter, becomes under the spell of Raven. Of course, into this mix must come a megalomaniac, as all dystopian worlds really need. This is the father of Raven, Falco, who, with his wife Sloane, battle The Lost, Raven’s relationship with Strat, and indeed their own very bizarre relationship, to the backdrop of Steinman’s music. Bat Out of Hell doesn’t start particularly well, be it the performance or a show issue, for the first twenty minutes there is a lack of clarit

Review of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Last year's pantomime at Royal & Derngate was exceptionally successful. Sharp, funny and entertaining for all ages, so, it makes a lot of sense for the theatre to mine from that success once again. So, while this year Jack and his beanstalk are exchanged for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , you could be forgiven for thinking at times you are watching the same show as this treads the same format throughout. It doesn't matter one jot though; this year it still feels fresh and actually stronger in many ways. Produced once again this year by Evolution Productions, co-founder Paul Hendy has again written a fine script to make a superbly entertaining pantomime, with an exceptionally strong cast. Alongside his wife, Emily Wood, also co-founder of Evolution, and here in the directing chair, this is stunning entertainment. Leading the cast as the eponymous princess Snow White is the captivating Lauren Lane, and she is a delight in the role. She has a lovely singing voice and charms

Review of Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent performed by R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Underground), Northampton

The National Theatres Connections series of plays had been one of my highlights of my trips to R&D during 2014. Their short and snappy single act style kept them all interesting and never overstaying their welcome. So I was more than ready for my first encounter with one of this years Connections plays ahead of the main week of performances at R&D later in the year. Hacktivists is written by Ben Ockrent, whose slightly wacky but socially relevant play Breeders I had seen at St James Theatre last year. Hacktivists is less surreal, but does have a fair selection of what some people would call odd. Myself of the other hand would very much be home with them. So we are presented with thirteen nerdy "friends" who meet to hack, very much in what is termed the white hat variety. This being for good, as we join them they appear to have done very little more than hacked and created some LED light device. Crashing in to spoil the party however comes Beth (Emma-Ann Cranston)

A Small Mind At The Theatre

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