A Small Mind At The Theatre

For Milton Keynes Theatre's 2023 pantomime, production company Crossroads has come up with its take on the classic story of Cinderella . Often told, and a panto staple of many a theatre this year, it is required to come up with a spin or two to make it stand out from the pack. However, does it have enough fresh ideas and lavishness to be the big MK Theatre show of 2023? Fortunately, the answer is yes, but perhaps only for one reason, heading the cast, and the only big name in the cast, is vintage treat Brian Conley, and what a treat he is. To say that the success and failure of Cinderella rests on Conley's shoulders is no understatement, as other than his presence, and the admittedly lavish looks of the set and show in general, this production is nowhere near of the quality for such a big theatre. The personalities of the rest of the cast are by the numbers sadly, with just a couple of exceptions. The Fairy Godmother played by Lucy Conley (daughter of Brian) is excellent. Her ...

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...

So, as December draws in, the world of theatre moves into panto season and first up this year is Castle Theatre’s production of Cinderella , and the deja vu world begins again and we are all crying “He’s behind you” and “Oh no you’re not” etc, etc. Perhaps it is reassuring in a world of change that pantomime land never changes. The jokes might get a little nudge, a few of the characterisations might change a bit, but you all know that we will have a split theatre singalong, a grand wedding at the end and a multitude of stuff you have seen year after year. Unlike many of the bigger theatres around the country, Castle Theatre, presents a pantomime with no “big name” from the showbiz world in sight, just great little stage performers, and how refreshing it is to see. No awkward bolted-on references to a star's normal day job, just more emphasis on fun characters and the usual sly references to the local towns and villages. That, in itself, is great to see. The title character is playe...

Michael Frayn’s 1982 play Noises Off is perhaps British farce at its most chaotic and has created a vast number of spin-off plays of its ilk, no less more successful than The Play That Goes Wrong , which you can see a heavy influence upon. The chaos in question, much like that influenced play, is the play within a play structure, a play titled Nothing On . The production is on a constant edge of disaster as we see, through three acts, a dress rehearsal, a behind-the-scenes scene of often silent slapstick and finally the catastrophic onstage spectacle to culminate the show. So, after over forty years, is this still the cracker it was back then? The simple answer is yes, Michael Frayn's show is remarkably well structured to sustain longevity, but, maybe at the interval you might not realise that, as the first act is, at times clunky, wordy, and not as funny as you might expect of such a successful play. However, as the second and third acts play out, you realise how astute Frayn has...

The original stage version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I hit Broadway in 1951 and both that and the later film version made a star of Yul Bryner, and the evocative tale, based on Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam has continued to captivate audiences to this day. Whether this be for nostalgic reasons, or, simply put, because it is tremendous, is unknown. However, the latter part of that is true. I first saw The King And I on the same Milton Keynes Theatre stage three years ago, and I was enthralled. It has to be said that the passing of the years has not changed that position, mostly, helped in no small way by the fact that this new tour brings the same two amazing leads as back in 2023. The first obvious thing from The Lincoln Center Theater Production of The King and I is that it looks gorgeous, despite being a touring production, this carries with it a lot of set, costumes and props to make you feel that you are getting as near as possible, a Lo...

Ken Loach's devastating 2016 film I, Daniel Blake sent shockwaves through many areas when it first came out and the worlds of politics and the general community became at odds with its depiction of the benefits system and the world of poverty. The political minds rubbished the theory and tales within it, but others knew well, living on the breadline and weaving and trying to survive the system themselves, that is was very true. Daniel Blake is an upstanding citizen, a typical worker, who following a heart attack, hopes quite rightly, to be protected by the state in his bad days. This fails to happen as he finds himself unable to provide the points needed to gain benefit for his inability to work, and cannot take Universal Credit as he cannot work unless he continues to apply for jobs he simply cannot take. The system fails him, and fails his new friend Katie and her daughter Daisy, "transported" from London at the whim of the system. The play has been cleverly and skillf...

It is hard to believe but way back in 1970 when Jesus Christ Superstar first appeared it failed to get the backing it needed to be staged, therefore the show found its first release as a concept album. The following year though, following the album's success, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice's rock opera launched upon the stage of the Mark Hellinger Theatre on Broadway. The journey of the revolutionary show had begun, but, is it still a revelation now, that is the question. The answer is a clear yes, this show following, loosely, the final days of Jesus Christ is as strong and striking in this version, hot from Regents Park Open Air Theatre, as the show may ever have been. Rather unusually for a review, I have to open by commenting on movement and the immense choreography that has been created by Drew McOnie. Rarely has a show, beyond that of a dance one of course, been so impactful in the essence of movement. Our cast arrives at the opening show in a rabble-...

This new musical The Drifters Girl first opened in Newcastle as recent at October 2021 and since then it has gained quite a success. Transferring to London and running for several months at the Garrick, it became a greater success thanks to the casting of Beverley Knight in the lead role of unforgiving Drifters manager Faye Treadwell. Its success there saw this UK and Ireland tour which now lands at Milton Keynes for one week. Knight has gone now, having moved on from the show before it left London, and in her place at Milton Keynes Theatre and on as first cover, was Loren Anderson, on for main lead Carly Mercedes Dyer. She is a controlling presence in the lead, and tries hard to make Treadwell likeable, because, in many ways, she isn't a nice person. Her drive for success, following her effective falling into the role after meeting then Drifters manager George Treadwell, feels exploitative at times of the coming and going members of The Drifters. However, mayb...

The musical Kinky Boots is perhaps the perfect show for the homegrown theatre group Northampton Musical Theatre Company to perform with the very core of the story bred within this very county. The tale of of Charlie Price and his encounter and unlikely partnership with a certain Lola is based on a true story of factory W. G. Brooks Ltd and the owner Steve Pateman. Back in 1999 his story of men and their wearing of shoes for women featured on a BBC documentary and this in turn inspired the 2005 film, Kinky Boots . Finally, in 2012, this musical adaptation of the story hit the stage, with a book by Harvey Fierstein and songs written by Cyndi Lauper. Longtime readers of my blog with good memories may remember that five years ago I reviewed the opening of the UK professional tour of Kinky Boots , also at the Royal & Derngate. While I enjoyed the show, I didn't give it the most favourable review. Five years on, and a second viewing, have I warmed to the charms of Charlie and Lola...

The true story of Calendar Girls , a group of middle-aged ladies getting their kit off for a Women's Institute charity calendar  became a global story and success back in 1999, and even more so when writer Tim Firth penned the 2003 film. It was inevitable that the success of the film would spur spin-offs, and in 2008 a stage play appeared, and then a few more years later, in 2015, Firth collaborated with Gary Barlow to produce this musical, first staged in Leeds. It became a success in the West End and in 2018 went on a UK tour. And now, we have a second tour travelling around the country with a slightly revised score and book. So, twenty years after the film, does the tale from Yorkshire still pull at the heartstrings? The answer is yes, the story of Annie and her husband John's battle with leukaemia that spurs her friend Chris to come up with the thought of the calendar is still an emotional rollercoaster. However, with this mix of upbeat and ge...