Pretending to be Alice in Wonderland at The Vault Festival.

The Vault Festival allowed me to fulfill my long held fantasy of wanting to disappear down a rabbit hole to escape from the bustling metropolis. For six weeks the vaults tucked away beneath Waterloo station are home to series of experimental pieces of theatre, amongst these is a one woman show called Spark. In this reworking of the German gothic ballad Lenore,  we follow erratic red head Leo (Holly Campbell) and her drunken ramblings as she spouts her frustration that her solider boyfriend Will- who was due back on leave a fortnight ago has yet to arrive. Breaking the fourth wall Leo addresses the audience directly to apologize for her drunken stupor the night before, and poetically explains that she is “much more than gin and smudged mascara.” Whilst recounting the many quirks she finds endearing about Will, she is overjoyed to find him knocking at her door. He proposes to her, and the pair decide to set off a mysterious journey through the sea to a small hut where they first met. As soon as the couple leave Leo’s flat, any hope the audience had of an easy to follow narrative soon slips away, instead we were left to piece to together incomplete statements, surreal encounters and characters that may or may not be figments of Leo’s imagination.

A key theme that reverberates through Dissolve Theatre production is Leo’s loneliness. The vault’s high ceilings and cavernous nature provided an atmospheric backdrop for her isolation. Particularly during the moments when she was traipsing towards a distant hut, the location of the vault helped to intensify her distress at being all alone at sea. Campbell is clearly a good actress, whose forte appears to be expressing extreme emotions. However, the speed at which she flitted from whimsical light hearted exchanges with Will, to screaming and cursing at the sky without any logical transitions, felt disjointed and schizophrenic. Lenore in Gottfried August Buerger’s original poem is clearly a complex character with a wide variety of emotions and perhaps it was a tad ambitious to try and cram all of these into just fifty minutes.

Neither myself or my companion had read the german ballad that Spark was based on. I personally couldn’t shift the niggling feeling that I would have gained a clearer understanding of the evening if I had been familiar with the original work. Although this modernised retelling of Lenore was lyrical and compelling in parts, there seemed to be a greater emphasis on evoking a surreal ambience rather than telling the story in a way that was easy to comprehend. Even with a more well known text, surely it is an oversight to rely on your entire audience having read the work as a prerequisite to be able to engage fully with the show.

Although Leo and her mysterious tale failed to spark my imagination, the real star of the evening was the venue. As I emerged from the vaults, and left the secretive tunnels I felt like I had discovered a hidden gem right in the heart of London. 

 Spark is playing as part of The Vault Festival until the 8th of February, for tickets and more information please visit www.vaultfestival.com/spark 

Sam Mendes' King Lear in a word - faultless

Following his box office success with the Bond film Skyfall and his recent stage adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sam Mendes really is the director with the Midas touch. Naturally, upon hearing that The National’s latest production of King Lear was being directed by Mendes - I expected great things. Whether you were made to study King Lear at school, or are someone that has seen countless renditions, most people will have some level of familiarity with this canonical tale. 

Set in a totalitarian state, we find Lear (Simon Russell Beale) holding court to try and decide how best to divide his land between his three daughters. Lear believes that the degree to which a daughter loves and cares for their father should be proportionate to the amount of land that they should inherit. His oldest two children Goneril (Kate Fleetwood) and Regan (Anna Maxwell Martin) are forthcoming with exclamatory proclamations and false statements that Lear is the only person that they love in the entire universe, flattery that Lear finds very pleasing to hear. However, when Cordelia (Olivia Vinall) expresses her true love for him, she speaks plainly explaining that she loves him as a daughter should. Cordelia’s honest retort angers Lear so much that he decides to disown her. A bad judgement that sparks a bleak series events that ultimately lead to his demise. 

The backbone of any production of King Lear, is establishing Lear as a powerful and well respected figure at the start of the piece, so that his descent into madness at the end of the play is a shocking and dramatic transformation. Mendes accentuates Lear’s militant prowess by surrounding him with a forty strong army of men whom he barks orders at in manner that borders on an impersonation of Brian Blessed. However, as his power and control over his own fate begins to fade, his number of followers also depletes rapidly, until a pint-sized Beale is left exposed, vulnerable and all alone -  albeit the blinded Earl of Gloucester, the beggar man Poor Tom and his Fool, who are the only men willing to stand by his side. There is an undeniable sense of foreboding that palpitates magnificently through out this production. It is cleverly accomplished through the use of projections of dark storm clouds and the sound of claps of thunder during the scene changes, that would suddenly disappear as soon as the scene started, exploring the idea that Lear’s inevitable demise is inescapable as it’s perpetually lurking in the background. Although using pathetic fallacy isn’t a particularly subtle or novel device, in this instance it was extremely effective. 

Beale is everything you could hope for in a Lear, as he embodies the titular characters physiological torment splendidly. His performance is however indebted to the superb supporting cast such as Maxwell Martin’s sultry and vindictive Regan who venomously shrieks with glee as Lord Glouchester’s eyes are gouged out.For me, some of the finest and memorable moments were those shared by Lord Gloucheter (Stephen Boxer) and Edgar (Tom Brooke), Gloucheter blind and unaware that the man leading him and providing comfort in his time of need is in fact his illegitimate son in disguise (as the beggar man Poor Tom) makes for some very heartfelt and moving exchanges. Brooke’s unhinged and whimsical nature as Edgar is both captivating and intriguing. 

This production of King Lear is tragic, comical and has a haunting quality that lingers in the air long after you have left the Olivier Theatre. It really is a stellar piece of theatre, though if you are prone to being squeamish I’d highly recommend that you look away during the scene where a Gloucheter’s eyes are brutally gouged out with a spoon... 

King Lear is being performed at The National until May 25th, and will be broadcast live in cinemas worldwide on May 1st, for tickets and more information please visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Who Knew A Pair Of Green Breeches Could Cause Such Havoc!

Don Gil of the Green Breeches, is one of three plays which makes up the Arcola Theatre’s Spanish Golden Age season. The piece is rife with characters donning multiple disguises, repeated cases of mistaken identity and a tangled web of lies all of which form a complex yet comical plot. The theme of honour was very prevalent in seventeenth century drama, and this Tirso de Molina play written in 1615 is no exception. Donna Juana angered that Don Martin (the man she loves and intends to marry) has abandoned her to pursue the wealthy Donna Ines in a match clearly motivated by money rather than love. Following hot on Don Martin’s heels, Donna Juana decides to disguise herself as a rival male suitor - hoping that by doing so she will be able to prevent the marriage by seducing Donna Ines herself. To make this premise even more convoluted both Don Martin and Donna Juana decide to operate under the same pseudonym ‘Don Gil’ differentiated only by a pair of green breeches. 

Don Gil of the Green Breeches could easily be referred to as a Spanish version of Twelfth Night. Not only due to the similarities between Donna Juana’s and Viola’s cross-dressing guises, but because in both works much of the comedy derives from the dramatic irony of the audience being the only constant figure that knows the true identity of all the characters. As Donna Juana, Hedydd Dylan is extremely skilled at accentuating the duplicitous nature of the text particularly when addressing the audience directly during her humourous asides. Many belly laughs were also produced during the scenes when Donna Ines (Katie Lightfoot) kept remarking on the physical similarities between Donna Juana and Don Gil, statements that were made all the more comical by fact that she is oblivious that she is referring to one and the same person. 

The common pitfall with translating works of literature is that they can end up sounding quite stilted, lacking the nuances and overall essence of the original text. I am pleased to report, that translator Sean O’Brien didn’t fall victim to this, and as audience member you don’t feel like anything got lost in translation. Brien’s version of Molina’s play not only captured the finesse of the original but where possible also maintains the rhyme in the prose. Brien, includes musical interludes in the piece- which as well providing divertissement also upholds a dramatic device that many writers of the Golden Age used at the time. Furthermore, in this production the musical numbers were accompanied by the sounds of strumming of a Spanish guitar and fast paced castanets, which reinforced the works cultural heritage.    

Although Don Gil of the Green Breeches, is firmly rooted in Spain many of the plays themes such as: unrequited love, deception and jealously make for a timeless and universal work. The calibre of this cast is extremely high, and personally I don’t think that there is a single weak performance among them. As well as this gem of a production, the company are also performing two Lope de Vega plays in rep (Punishment Without Revenge and A Lady of Little Sense). As a language graduate myself, I know that all to often brilliant plays such as these are left sitting on bookshelves gathering dust. It is a real joy to see a Golden Age play brought to life and executed so well on stage. Although the plot of Don Gil of the Green Breeches may seem mind-boggling at first, once I’d pieced it all together this comedic and chaotic farce was a true delight to watch. 

Don Gil of the Green Breeches is being performed at The Arcola Theatre until March 15th, for tickets and more information please visit http://www.arcolatheatre.com 

A Gypsy, a Solider and a Donkey in Carmen - at the ROH.

Georges Bizet’s Carmen is a much loved and highly emotive tale, whose score is so recognisable that it transcends the opera itself - with popular arias such as the Habanera and theTorreador which are firmly rooted in societies collective consciousness. Bizet’s seminal piece is the second most performed work in The Royal Opera’s repertoire. First staged in 2006, Francesca Zambello’s version of Carmen is currently being revived for the sixth time. Anita Rachvelishvili reprises her role as the wild and fiery Carmen, a gypsy whose sensual and seductive nature entrances all that meet her. Solider Don José (Roberto Alagna), is instantly spellbound by her charms and consumed by passion.Willing to sacrifice his freedom, rank and ultimately his dignity in his quest to capture Carmen’s unobtainable heart. 

Although performed in French, (with English translations projected on a screen suspended from the proscenium arch), the cultural heart of Carmen is undisputedly Spanish. Andalusia is instantly evoked by the terracotta walls, and the small orange tree positioned centre stage. Seville’s strong cultural identity is intensified when the rowdy Gypsies burst onto the stage, as a argument between Carmen and her fellow tobacco factory worker spills out into the main plaza. Upon being arrested, Carmen tricks Don José into setting her free, and thus establishing the reoccurring motif of Carmen manipulating  the besotted solider’s emotions for her own personal gain. Personally, I found the transition from Act I and Act II slow and cumbersome. However, once the stage had finally been transformed into Lillas Pastia’s traditional Spanish tavern, the joie de vivre created by their rapid flamenco footwork coupled with the inclusion of castanets and tambourines in the accompaniment was truly infectious. Zambello’s production transported us from a soggy evening in Covent Garden to Spanish style fiesta. 

Don José's main rival for Carmen’s affections is Escamillo (Vito Priante), a bullfighter whose entrance on horseback exerts his macho and self assured persona. Pirante’s character provides an excellent foil for the feeble and mild mannered Don José As you would expect from any production performed by The Royal Opera, the calibre of their voices is superb. Personally I found Rachvelishvili’s soaring range and vibrato an absolute pleasure to listen to. That said, with regards to her embodiment of Carmen as a character I found her overtly provocative and sultry. Although she displayed glimmers of vulnerability during their tarot card reading scene, for me Carmen’s enigmatic nature which is so prevalent in Prosper Mérimée’s original novella was somewhat lost in Rachvelishvili’s performance.

 With a strong cast comprising of over 50  (plus a few more if you count the live donkey and horse) on stage for the bullfight in Act IV creates a real sense of believable commotion. The most memorable image, that will stay with me from Zambello’s Carmen are the final moments of the piece - when the aforementioned hustle and bustle of people leave, and the emptiness on stage is filled only by Don José's final desperate pleas as he begs Carmen to reciprocate his love. Zambello’s version of Carmen stays very true to the original work, and in my opinion wisely so, as I believe that  any attempt at altering a classic such as Carmen would be entering extremely dangerous territory. 

Although, Carmen may meet a tragic end, the gypsy created by Mérimée and immortalised by Bizet lives on in our minds as the archetypal femme fatale.

Carmen is being performed at The Royal Opera House until January 9th for tickets and more information please visit  http://www.roh.org.uk

Peter Pan Goes Wrong- Does Exactly What It Says On The Tin

A set that falls down; countless missed cues; and an accident prone cast. You would be forgiven for thinking that these calamities were merely symptomatic of staging a press night on Friday the 13th. Whereas, in fact they were actually intended hiccups in the aptly named play Peter Pan Goes Wrong. Those that are familiar with Mischief Theatre’s previous work will know that any production staged by their fictional amateur dramatic society: Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, tends to be littered with disastrous mishaps. For this year’s production they have set their sights on a retelling of the J.M Barrie classic Peter Pan, but as the title of this hilarious show suggests anything that could possibly go wrong does.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong is the epitome of a well crafted farce, as it feels like they’ve combined comedic elements from shows like One Man Two Guv’nors; Faulty Towers and a fair few Monty Python sketches - resulting in an accomplished piece of theatre that had the entire audience in hysterics through out. Much of the humour relies on visual slapstick inspired gags, for instance a rotund Robert (Henry Lewis) repeatedly gets stuck in various parts of the set. I lost count of the amount of times that Lewis and the rest of this young cast were hit on the head with various props and collapsing scenery. It didn’t seem to matter how many times these tropes were used, they still continued to be funny every time they occurred. I think this was largely thanks to the stellar cast’s exaggerated and pained reactions and also their impeccable comedic timing. I can’t remember the last time I saw a piece of theatre where the audience’s laughter provided an almost constant soundtrack to the production.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong in many ways is a homage to the feeling of schadenfraude. Playing on the idea that an audience will often find an unintended mishap on stage funnier than any of the scripted jokes. The true brilliance of this piece comes from the fact that everything that went ‘wrong’ comes across as completely believable. Thanks to Martin Thomas’ clever set design when pandemonium occurred it never looked staged. The play also draws many of its laughs from the idea that Cornley Polytechnic are a low budget community theatre group. Or more precisely parodies the type of characters that take part in amateur dramatics such as: Chris (Henry Shields) the group’s director who is the definition of an overacting theatre ‘lovey’ and Sandra (Charlie Russell) whose interpretation of Wendy is surly and uncharacteristically streetwise. Personally, I thought that the standout performance of the evening was Dave Hearn’s Max, a grinning simpleton who had only been cast as the crocodile because his father was lending Cornley Polytechnic a motor to power their rotating stage. I’m sure it will come as no great surprise to hear that during the battle scene on Captain Hook’s pirate ship the rotating stage, goes out of control and the cursed cast are trapped as they unable to stop it from moving. 

 Mischief Theatre are a talented young company and their similarly titled The Play That Goes Wrong was recently been nominated for Best New Comedy as part of the WhatsOnStage awards. In my opinion, deservedly so. They seem to have found a formula that works extremely well, I am keen to see which play they will successfully dismantle and transform into a farce next. The phrase ‘fun for all the family’ is all too often bandied about and misused. However, personally I can’t think of a more fitting description to describe Peter Pan Goes Wrong. I throughly enjoyed it, as it provided a refreshing alternative to a conventional Christmas show. I would be utterly astounded if this play doesn’t cause you and your clan to erupt into fits of hysterics. 

Peter Pan Goes Wrong is playing at The Pleasance until January 5th for tickets and more information please visit www.pleasance.co.uk 

A Real Cracker- The Meyer Dancers Festive Takeover Of Paper Dress Vintage

A few soggy mince pies and some lukewarm mulled wine tend to be the extent of most Christmas events aimed at adults. I was therefore relieved to discover that vintage clothing store come venue Paper Dress Vintage are putting some sparkle back into the festive season on Friday 13th of December! Yuletide treats include: festive GoGo dancing, two bands, a raffle, live DJ's and perhaps most excitingly a Santa's grotto complete with a complimentary gift! Whoever said that kids get to have all the fun?  

Regardless of whether you've been naughty or nice this year you can still enjoy a festive sing-a-long with Simon Love and the Crackers. I do hope they fully expect the audience to join in and belt out the Christmas classics at full pelt. Also on the bill are Thee Faction, who describe themselves as a Pure Socialist R&B group, although I'm not entirely sure what category that would come under in HMV, I've heard great things about their classic Fifty Shades Of Red. They promise that the tunes will keep on coming all night as Dj David Quanktick and Andy Lewis hit the decks playing the best in 60's soul and pop! 

At this expensive time of year, hearing that this extravaganza is a free event is extremely pleasing for my empty pockets. That said, do bring along any spare pennies if you can as there will be a raffle with some great prizes. After seeing acclaimed 60's Gogo troop The Meyer Dancers strutting their festive stuff no doubt that everyone will have their eyes on the top prize of a party package for four with the talented Meyer Dancers themselves. 

In the spirit of it being the season of goodwill all proceeds from the raffle will be donated to Hackney Winter Night Shelter. Personally I'd much rather donate to such a worthy cause than splurge on tat that I don't really need, so please give what you can at www.hwns.org.uk

The Meyer Dancers Go- Go Wild Christmas Spectacular will take place at Paper Dress Vintage on December 13th from 7.30 till late. For more information please see the Facebook Event and The Meyer Dancers website.

http:/on.fb.me/1cZECzm

Partial To A Bit Of Panto- Oh No You're Not.. Oh Yes I am..

You can't feel truly Christmassy without watching a Panto. A friend of mine was in the ensemble of this production, could have been a bit tense had I not liked it but luckily I enjoyed it and was even able to give her a well deserved namecheck! Also free mince pies and mulled wine went down a treat, other press nights take note! 

A cow sold at market, some magic beans and a giant beanstalk. You don’t have to be a detective to deduce that the Lyric Hammersmith’s pantomime offering this year is Jack and the Beanstalk. Writer Tom Wells’s interpretation of this well-known classic for the most part stays true to the traditional tale; however, it is cleverly peppered with references to the surrounding postcode of W6. A female Jack (Rochelle Rose) is tasked with defeating Nostril the Snot Giant, who has evilly robbed the borough of the colour green and of all festive merriment. In short, if Jack fails, ‘Hammersmithmas’ will be ruined! 

Regular frequenters of the Lyric’s pantomime will no doubt recognise narrator Steven Webb, as this is the fourth consecutive year that he has reprised the role. Webb’s guise this year is as Jack’s best friend Sprout, a playfully bouncy character who has aspirations of being a florist. As Sprout, Webb commands the stage with charismatic ease, particularly when engaging with the crowd in a spot of audience participation. Sprout’s energetic interjections throughout the show act as the glue holding the entire piece together. 

Accompanied by an electrifying live band, we are treated to renditions of many chart-topping artists such as One Direction, Taylor Swift and Adele, to name but a few. I was struck by the impressive level of singing talent within the cast, and without exception they should all be congratulated on their ability to convey character through song. Richard Howell’s vibrant lighting design, coupled with the abundance of gaudy colours and sparkles, result in this production being a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Visually, I found that the titular beanstalk is the pièce de résistance. Not only does it grow to a great height, but the articulated branches unexpectedly sprout from various parts of the set. The astonished gasps of the little people beside me, as they excitedly pointed out to their parents which parts of the beanstalk they had spotted, is testament to just how magical an end to the first act this is. 

The most noticeable departure from the classic tale is Wells’s choice to have three baddies within the piece. Alongside the traditional giant, the villainous Mr Flashcreep (Nigel Richards) and a street dancing urban fox (Emily Aitcheson) are also present. The decision to divide the archetypal role of the villain is an interesting one, and it did mean that the audience at first were unsure who exactly to direct their boos and hisses at. However, after some gentle prompting, the intended jeers at all three soon ensued. That said, Wells’s clear understanding of the classical conventions of pantomime is apparent from the way in which he adheres to most, and pokes fun at others. Wells skilfully avoids the common pitfall of groan-worthy jokes by including some great modern references – the joke about the hare from the recent John Lewis advert still makes me chuckle just thinking about it. 

For many, the family tradition of going to see a pantomime at Christmas is often a young child’s first exposure to the magical world of the theatre. The Lyric’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk is silly, bursting with puns and high-octane performances. This majestic production is everything young and old audience members alike would hope to see in a family friendly pantomime.