Gallowglass @ Darlington Hippodrome

Gallowglass at Darlington Hippodrome

A tense and claustrophobic thriller which explores the dangers of unrequited love when left to fester for years, Gallowglass, by Ruth Rendell, takes the audience into the mind of a deranged lover who has spent years plotting how to be reunited with his supposed betrothed. 

A chance meeting in exceptional circumstances on a railway platform between recently released mental patient Joe (Dean Smith) and erudite (but somewhat psychotic) Sandor (Joe Eyre) leads to an unlikely relationship.  Eyre plays Sandor as a controlling, highly functioning sociopath whose knife-edge personality disorders make for very uncomfortable viewing, never letting the audience relax into believing they know him.  Smith’s Joe grows in confidence, never more so than when he recognises that he is Sandor’s ‘Gallowglass’ – a Chiefs Servant – and is happy to have a definition.

Between them, they explore Sandor’s past life in Italy, his appreciation of fine wine and his recounting of tales of kidnap and mystery, yet all the while there is an under-current that he has been planning something for many years and just needed a stooge to trigger him into action.  Very quickly, he convinces Joe to undertake surveillance on a rich couple’s luxury home, with the initial suggestion that they are going to burgle the property.  In truth, Sandor has designs to recreate a kidnap/ransom that he had ‘heard’ about whilst living in Italy.

The rich couple, Ralph (London’s Burning’s Richard Walsh)  and Nina (the stunningly beautiful Florence Cady), are very security conscious, driven by the fact that they live in a remote country house but in truth there is something else giving them cause to be overly cautious.  They employ Paul Garnett (Emmerdale’s Steve Marchant, Paul Opacic) to be their driver, support and additional help, mainly to look after the young and attractive Nina.  Paul, and his daughter Jess move into the converted barn and begin to settle into village life, but when trips to the coast and confiding conversations become the norm, he and Nina find themselves being drawn towards one another.  It is this compromise that creates a dilemma for Paul and ultimately a decision for Nina.

It is now that all paths seem to cross – Sandor recreates his past, Paul finds his future being put in doubt and Joe is left being swept along with twisted loyalties.  The ending, though not entirely surprising, was still enough of a twist to leave some in the audience thinking “ah, now I see”.

This is most certainly a tale of two halves – the first act is very deliberate, slow at times in creating the foundation for the characters, almost like being dealt a hand of cards, then having them taken back and the same ones dealt again. (The cast did very well not to be upstaged by a rogue pigeon who had taken to perching up in the flies)  The second plots a pretty predictable path through to the crescendo which, although quicker in pace, just doesn’t quite have the urgency needed to grab the audience and whisk them to the final ‘reveal’.  

There are some plot holes and inconsistencies, especially around Paul’s previous job(s) and his ‘reactions’ which, given the amount of time on stage, could have been easily filled, or it could be better suited to being an hour long single act play with more even pacing throughout, but on the whole this is a well performed thriller.

Jersey Boys @ Sunderland Empire

New Jersey, the 4^th smallest state by area but possibly the greatest for musical influence, has spawned some of the world’s most iconic performers – Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Count Basie, Debby Harry, Job Bon Jovi, Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston all hail from this, the US’s most densely populated province, but it is perhaps the bringing together of 4 guys, and its influence on their song writing, that has had the most impact on popular music as we know it today.

The Four Seasons were, and to many still are, ground-breaking in their harmonies, melodies and simplistic yet undeniably catchy hooks but like many super groups, the story of how the group formed, grew and ultimately broke apart is as interesting as any pop chart records.

This show, fresh from sell out runs at the West End, is a whistle-stop tour of the real lives of Frankie Valli and the seasons, told from their point of view and in a style that is instantly recognisable to their fans.  This is a warts ‘n’ all recounting – their initial start in petty crime, links to the East Coast mob and Italian culture and how they initially struggled to get anyone to listen to their own songs is made all the more amazing set to a backdrop of hit song after hit song.  Particularly interesting is how they came up with some of their most iconic classics – scribbled on the way to a meeting or just simply made up on the spot to fill a gap.

The pace of the show is relentless, it has to be if we are to be treated to the story of over 40 years at the top in just 2 and a bit hours, but not once does it feel rushed – it’s like getting on top of a tidal wave of musical brilliance and just riding it out.  The Four Seasons are one of a very few groups whose ‘Best Of’ album could easily fill 3 discs – Rag Doll, Dawn, Cant Take my Eyes off you, Opus 17, Beggin, December 1963 (and it’s celebratory recanting of Bob Gaudio’s ‘1^st time’), Walk Like a Man, Big Girls, My Eyes Adored you – the list goes on and on and on.  Perhaps what is more telling about their catalogue (and Gaudio’s writing in particular) is that there are as many hits left out of the show as there are in it.  

The 4 leads are a perfect blend of musical brilliance combined with very strong character acting – each is given enough centre stage to ensure the audience can appreciate their part in the history of the group.  Of course, to many, it is the vocal range of Frankie Valli that makes the Four Seasons’ hits so special and in Dayle Hodge, there is no doubt that Valli’s prowess and legacy is front and centre.  Dayle manages to retain an almost boyish charm, even through the sad scenes when Valli loose his marriage, his best friend and his daughter, and yet is still able to show the effects of the passage of time and the never-ending touring which meant Valli seldom had a day off. 

This is much more than a tribute act or a ‘story of the hits’ – Jersey Boys picks up the lives of 4 young men from an Italian blue collar suburb on the East Coast and lays bare all their hopes, dreams, excitement and disappointment for the audience to see.  It leaves everyone with a sense of “wow, I didn’t realise ….” as you find out about Valli’s family values which almost bankrupted him, brings tears to the eyes when you find out the truth behind some of his most poignant hits but most of all it gives you some wonderful earworms for the drive home.

★★★★★

The Rat Pack - Live from Vegas

It will be 20 years ago in May that the world lost one its most beloved and revered entertainers – Frank Sinatra is instantly recognisable, not only for his super smooth voice but his style and stage presence.  Fans of Frank are some of the most loyal and vociferous in the world so any production which attempts to recreate his Vegas Lounge shows is going to have to be perfect to pass muster.  The Rat Pack – Live from Las Vegas does just that – from the first raise of the curtain to the last encore, all the performers are note perfect and combine brilliant singing with the mannerisms and interplay that made their shows legendary the world over.

Hit follows hit including Pack favourites The Lady is a Tramp, Mr Bojangles, That’s Amore, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, What Kind of Fool Am I, Volare, My Way, Everybody Loves Somebody, Night and Day, S'Wonderful, Mack The Knife and many more. 

Frank Sinatra, played by the phenomenally talented Garrett Phillips, is clearly the leader of the pack, at times letting the other two, Nigel Casey as the always well oiled Dean Martin and David Hayes as the jack in the box live wire Sammy Davis Jr, mug off and play around while he stands and observes like a friendly but stern uncle.  Phillips never resorts to a cabaret version of Sinatra just trying to bang out the big numbers, he captures all the subtleties of the great entertainer without it ever feeling like an act, more like he has embodied the persona.

Casey manages to walk the fine line of Martin’s legendary drinking on stage to perfectly blend the brilliant crooning with just a frisson of ‘what am I doing again’ that always gave the impression he was one sip of scotch away from passing out.  Hayes has perfectly bottled the jazz freedom that Davis brought to the Rat Pack,  at times taking off on a scat journey that seemed a million miles away from the song he was meant to sing, yet always returning to the familiar tune in perfect timing.

The show is further enhanced by a very special guest Nicola Emmanuelle as a show stealing Ella Fitzgerald, the sensational Burelli Sisters and a stunning big band led by Matthew Freeman which creates a rich sound that wraps around you like a huge blanket.

Looking around the audience, most were of an age that would at least remember the songs being first released, if not the actual live shows, but a quick flick to YouTube and you can see all the original shows featuring these 3 mega stars – what is most impressive of this current show is that all the witty one liners, the ribbing between Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior, the master interjections by Frank Sinatra and the sense of 3 mates having fun is ever present.  This is far more than just a ‘Stars in Their Eyes’ type show, it feels like you’re being allowed to peek behind the door into a private lounge where three guys are just having fun with their mates.  Playful changing of lyrics, messing with the stage and set, trying hard to make each other laugh and of course, the suggestion that they are ‘well oiled’ all add to the sense of a full evening of entertainment.

For fans of the 3, this is a must see, for anyone who knows their songs and perhaps has a few favourites, go see this and pretend your back in the 50’s in Vegas - regardless of the size of the theatre you’re sat in, within a few minutes you feel like you’re in an intimate cocktail lounge, all that’s missing is the smell of cigarettes and the clink of glasses.

If you miss it at Sunderland Empire, this show is coming to the fabulous New Darlington Hippodrome from Tuesday May 8^th – tickets at https://www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk/whats-on/the-rat-pack-live-from-las-vegas

★★★★

The Play that Goes Wrong

It must be a sign of my age, but I find myself seeking out ‘sure things’, ‘guarantees’, safety and avoiding risk – not only in my purchases, holidays, choices of pizza toppings, but also in choosing what to spend my spare time on.  One thing I know without a shadow of doubt, is that any production by The Mischief Theatre is going to be hilarious, witty, silly and brilliant and will be the best 2 hours spent of many a week.

This tour of their West End & Broadway smash, The Play That Goes Wrong (a show I first saw 4 years ago and have plagued friends & family about it ever since) is their take on the eponymous Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s murder mystery.  Made possible by a generous legacy from Claude Bennett (which is possibly why his nephew features in the show in a number of roles), this play explores the whodunnits of old, set in stately Haversham Manor with plot and counterplot to rival any Agatha Christie tale.  Sadly (for the Polytechnic Director, Designer, Costumer Designer, Press, Box Office Manager, Dramaturgy, Voice Coach (and many more roles he has claimed for himself) Chris Bean that’s where the similarities end and instead the whole production descends into a comedy of errors beset with pratfalls, slapstick and the ultimate destroying of the set that would not be out of place in a Buster Keaton movie.

The real nub of this show is that it is a play within a play; if you hadn’t already guessed, Cornley Poly are the fictitious company wonderfully directed by Mark Bell performing the brilliance of writers Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields.  The real show starts well before curtain up (so make sure you’re in your seats at least 20 mins early) as some of the stage hands and tech team begin to set up for the opening scene.  From here on you know this isn’t going to be like any other show you’re likely to see, nor are you likely to laugh as hard and as loudly as you will whilst watching it.

I’ll attempt to summarise (so please do try to keep up) ….. Chris Bean, played by Jake Curran, plays Inspector Carter who is drafted in when Steven Rostance as Johnathan Harris playing Charles Haversham (he of the manor) is found dead on his engagement night.  Suspects for this foul deed include his brother Cecil, played by the afore mentioned Claude Bennett’s nephew Max who is actually the brilliant Bobby Hirston, Robert Grove (who is really Kazeem Tosin Amore) playing Thomas Colleymore, and his sister, Charles’ fiancé Florence, played by Elena Valentine playing Sandra Wilksinson.  

Okay, now breathe as there’s still more to add – the family butler, Perkins who is Dennis Tyde (but really Benjamin McMahon) tries to keep the peace between the warring factions, but constantly finds his attempts thwarted by both the props and the overly ambitious staging, not to mention the unfortunate accidents that befall most of the cast in one way or another – Elena, as Sandra, as Florence, ends up unconscious and so is replaced by stage manager Annie (Catherine Dryden) who suddenly finds that her original shyness in front of the audience has been replaced by a real calling to take centre stage.  Likewise, Duran Duran fan and sound and lighting guru Trevor Watson (the hilarious Gabriel Paul) is drafted in to try and surreptitiously fix some of the calamity, only to find he too falls prey to the acting bug (and the curse of the set).

The story moves along at a real pace with never a moment missed by the cast, or cast, to inject some additional action or incident.  Make no mistake, this is probably the hardest technical show I’ve ever seen; to make so many mistakes and accidents look authentic and yet remain on cue and perfectly timed is sheer brilliance – people used to say of Les Dawson that he could only play the piano so badly because he could actually play it brilliantly and this show is exactly that.  The set designer Nigel Hook has taken every classic joke, prop fail and pratfall and melded them into a non stop riot – sure you see some of them coming but that actually makes them even funnier because the cast apparently can’t.

All too often we are served up tv comedy which consists of people trying very hard to look very clever and witty yet so much of it is Emperor’s new clothes – people laugh because they think it’s meant to be funny and therefore they need to be a part of the ‘gang’ who get the joke – forget all that false and pretentious humour and go see The Play That Goes Wrong – it is honest, genuine, and unashamedly daft yet done so brilliantly that not only will you laugh out loud, you’ll not give a damn who hears you because everyone else will be doing the same.

The Play That Goes Wrong is on at Darlington Hippodrome until March 10^th but fear not if you can’t get now, it will be back in the North East again:

Newcastle Theatre Royal 2^nd – 7^th July

Billingham Forum 17^th – 22^nd September. 

Treat your funny muscles to a real work out and you’ll ache, and smile, for days afterwards.