Robin Hood at Durham Gala

 A wonderful family Pantomime

It’s Panto season again (oh yes it is) and true to form Durham Gala are putting on a wonderful traditional family show.  The in-house team have a long history of bringing the best of panto land to the good people of Durham and this year’s offering – The Adventures of Robin Hood, is another great production guaranteed to give kids and grown ups the best of starts to the festive period.

The story of Robin Hood, Maid Marion, the merry men and their battles with the Sheriff of Nottingham is well known and this panto remains true to the tale, albeit with a little added local fun from the Monks of Murton.

Jacob Anderton (Dark Angel, Coronation Street) is our titular hero, bedecked in his posh tights and with the dash and poise of Errol Flynn.  The beautiful Millie Banks (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium) is Maid Marion, King Richard’s daughter and target of the Sheriff’s affections.

Whilst tradition used to decree that the principal boy in a panto would be played by a girl, this show goes one better and posits Robin’s Merry Men as those of the fairer race; Kylie Ann Ford is Friar Tuck, Lauren Waine is Dennis of Dawdon and Lily Storey/Katie Thompson play Little John.  This presents many opportunities for some great gags, especially as Robin doesn’t seem to realise his Merry Men should be called Merry Women.

Of course, no panto could be complete without the bad guy and here Durham Gala excel yet again – since 2008 Neil Armstrong has been teasing the audience, chasing the heroes and welcoming the boos.  I’d offer that there is no one in the country as good as villain as Neil and this shows every time he takes to the stage.  Playing to both the children and the adults, you can’t help but love him as the evil Sheriff.

Rounding out the cast, and providing the madcap silliness are Gala stalwarts Paul Hartley as Will Scarlett and Paul Dunn as Dame Gertie Gossip the castle cook.  The 2 Pauls are wonderfully daft giving the kids all the traditional elements of a panto and ensuring the front 5 rows stay very much on their toes.

This is a great family friendly panto – the jokes and fun all land firmly with the younger members of the audience while the ribbing of local towns gives the adults a cheeky grin, the dancing and costumes are shiny and bold and the use of the whole theatre brings the show right into the laps of those watching. 

Snow White and the 7 Dwarves

 

The BEST advert for live theatre, pantomime and the North East

The annual tradition of Pantomime was sadly missing last year so we've been 2 years without our fix, but if  it's possible to turn the dial up to 12 on madcap humour, double the feel good factor and raise to the power 2 the fun and enjoyment then the Theatre Royal have managed it with aplomb.  

This year's offering, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves from Crossroads Pantomimes and written, produced and directed by Michael Harrison should go down in history as possibly one of the greatest pantomimes of all times - packed to the gills with laughs (on all levels) stunning costumes, amazing singing and oodles of chaos, everyone was left in tears of joy, be they 4 or 84.

The stalwart characters of Snow White (Kirsty Ingram), Prince William (Wayne Smith), evil Queen Dragonella (Chris Hayward) and dame Nelly Nightnurse (Steve Arnott) are the perfect foundation upon which to build the panto - they are the dreamers of dreams and the tellers of tales and it is through them, ably assisted by the Magnificent Seven (Josh Bennet, Simeon Dyer, Scott English, Jamie John, Blake Isle, Andrew Martin and Fergus Rattigan) that the good versus evil fairy tale is delivered.

Adding in an extra depth is the Man in the Mirror (Joe McElderry) and the Spirit of Pantomime (Carole Stennett).  Carole lifts the usual 'Fairy Godmother' type role embracing the whole of Panto Land and serving some timely comfort that what we have missed over the past 18 months is now back again.  I will admit, this is my first time seeing Joe live and I was blown away by his amazing voice and stage presence - so at ease within the role, very happy to be the target of some jokes and able to go toe to toe with the evil Queen.  

Of course, anyone who has been to a Theatre Royal panto over the past 16 years will know that the USP - the Unique Silliness Parts come from Danny Adams (Danny the Court Jester) and Clive Webb (Oddjob) - these 2 are panto perfection pas compare, undoubtedly the best in the country for madcap anarchy and rib-aching routines.  Clive, an accomplished magician, writer and the brains behind the duo is the straight guy to Danny's Tasmanian Devil.  

Danny, a cross between Lee Evans and Norman Wisdom, gets better every year which is saying something because he was brilliant when I 1st saw him 11 years ago - his timing, physical comedy, non-stop goofing and hilarious voices suggest an out of control performer but this couldn't be any farther from the truth - the dedication and devotion to his craft make him unparalleled in modern day comedy theatre.  Whilst he shoots out jokes and quips in a seemingly random fashion he knows exactly where he wants them to land - daft and silly are pitched straight to the kids, risque and very near the knuckle go over their heads and smack into the adults, leaving many in tears of laughter while nervously glancing at their young guests and hoping they aren't asked to explain why it is so funny.

The 3rd wheel to the zany gang is Mick Potts, cruelly playing The Idiot - Mick is as much a part of the madness and ensures that both Danny & Clive have an extra stooge off which to bounce.

Packed with pyrotechnics, amazing lighting and some truly brilliant flying sequences (for which I will offer no spoilers) the whole production is a triumph and one everyone should feel mighty proud of.

If you can only choose one pantomime this season then I suggest, nay insist, this should be it - oh yes I do !

Rock of Ages

 For those about to rock, and those who did so in the 80’s, we salute you.

Rock of Ages is a modern day musical theatre phenomenon; it ran for a record breaking 2328 performances on Broadway, has toured in more than 30 countries and spawned a 2012 movie.  Now it is back on UK stages, opened at Darlington Hippodrome, and guarantees to rock you in, and out of your seats.

Packed full of iconic rock songs, this is the musical equivalent to time travelling for anyone who was around in the 80’s (or anyone younger who just loves great rock anthems).  The story is a classic Boy Meets Girl, Falls in Love, Boy Loses Girl due to his pig headedness , Boy has an epiphany and wins her back.  Running in the background is the threat of big business developing the Sunset Strip and demolishing the iconic bars and music halls and the 80’s counter culture of resistance and proletariat. So far pretty formulaic, however what sets this one aside from so many other pop musicals is its total abandonment of the expected norm – Rock of Ages may be serious about the music, but it certainly doesn’t take itself serious at all.

Constantly breaking the 4^th wall the cast ensure that the audience are as much a part of the story as the choice of songs – they regularly display acute existentialism by referencing themselves as being actors in a musical, making for a collective sense of us all being ‘in on the joke’, together at a jam session or perhaps harking back to sitting in a friends bedroom playing records.

The cast clearly enjoy the show as much as the audience, none more so than Luke Walsh (Drew) and Rhiannon Chesterman (Sherrie), the story’s love struck leads who brilliantly toy with the perils of LA stardom and sleaze  - think Brad and Janet from Rocky Horror.  Both find themselves at the Bourbon Room, a rock club on the Sunset Strip ran by Dennis Dupree (Ross Dawes); Drew bussing tables and writing music, Sherrie as a wide eyed innocent looking to become an actor.  Both of them end up betraying their dreams for a dose of LA reality (Drew joins a boy band and Sherrie becomes a stripper) while Dupree tries to fight off the German developers and protect his club.

Guiding the audience through the story is the narrator and Dupree’s assistant Lonny, played by the mercurial Joe Gash – Gash gives Lonny all the sexual tension of Russell Brand crossed with the over the top flamboyance of Timothy Claypole (from Rentaghost).  Impish, mischievous and just deliciously naughty, Gash plays up to, and with the audience, like an adult pantomime dame, filling scene changes with surreal humour and adding in plenty of on the edge devilishness.

There are standout performances by Jenny Fitzpatrick as Justice (showing her prowess as a powerful soul singer) and Strictly star Kevin Clifton as the aging rock god Stacee Jaxx proving it’s not just dancing he excels at.

The playlist should be filed under ‘definition of jukebox musical’; it feels like the writer, Chris D’Arienzo, wanted to make a mix tape of his favourite 80’s songs and then make up a story to tell by using them.  Every tune sits as a chapter heading to progress the story; there is little subtlety in which tune fits where but that is fine, we’re not here for high brow, deep thinking culture, we’re here for Rock and Roll. 

Backed by a brilliant ensemble, some rather risqué costumes and a rocking live band, this is not so much a love letter to rock as it is a wild Friday night of abandonment and worry about the consequences later.  So, if you like comedy, if you enjoy live music and if you love 80’s rock then this is the perfect way to reminisce about, or reacquaint yourself with, classic songs,  but be warned, you may feel the need to dig out your tasselled leather jacket and big up your hair.

Songs include:  

Any Way You Want It

Can't Fight This Feeling

Cum On Feel The Noize
Don't Stop Believin'
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Final Countdown
Here I Go Again
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
I Hate Myself For Loving You
I Wanna Rock
I Want To Know What Love Is
Keep On Loving You
More Than Words
Nothin' But A Good Time
The Search Is Over
Shadows Of The Night
To Be With You
Too Much Time On My Hands
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Wanted Dead Or Alive
We Built This City
We're Not Gonna Take It

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

 

Perhaps more confusing than scary, there's probably a good story hidden in there.

Over the years The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been everything from a Disney short to a Tim Burton macabre thriller.  Based on the story by 18th century writer Washington Irving, it tells the tale of Ichabod Crane, a Bostonian teacher who winds up in the hamlet of Sleepy Hollow, a tightly knit community who have dark secrets and even darker pasts.

The reason for Crane's visit is not immediately clear, he states it is to bring his teaching to a new town, but as the villagers attempt to bring him into their ways it is clear that neither he nor they are being entirely honest with each other.  The annual tradition of Hallowmas, the retelling of the legend and the apparent ritualistic acceptance of fate lead to a sense of uncertainty, but sadly for a ghost story, no real feeling of fear.

The 1st act remains quite true to the original story; out of towner trying to ingratiate himself with the locals, they being wary of anyone new.  Sam Jackson as Crane paints a believable image of a city teacher finding himself in a hamlet unchanged since the original settlers.  His 'rival', local Brom (Lewis Cope) is clearly threatened by Crane, both for the affections of Katrina (Rose Quentin) and as a destablising influence on the traditional way of life.  This could have been developed more into a love triangle, were it not for the fact that the only real chemistry was between the two male leads.  Quentin seems to favour shouting as her method for portraying intensity which weakens the menace of her character in the finale.   Other members of the cast try hard with their parts (most play multiple roles) but some are odd and others just baffling.  Bill Ward as the patriarch Baltus Van Tassel seems a little lost as to whether he is drunk, insane, a bully or just in the wrong place.  Wendi Peters as the Widow Papenfuss (an original character written for this production) however is the one true solid character - she toes a fine line between age old confidante and dangerous harpy, never letting the audience settle into deciding to like or fear her.

The 2nd act tries to introduce more folklore; Wendigo, Wraiths, and a sea devil to name but a few, the legendary Headless Horseman makes a brief appearance but sadly the writing prevents any chance to build tension towards the climax.  It takes a few moments to adjust to the recounting of both the legend and Crane's past life before you realise what is being played out and even then the relevance to the main plot is not entirely clear.

There are some very clever uses of smoke and lighting (credit Amy Watts & Jason Addison) and some unique scene changes using interpretative dance but these can't redeem some poor direction - all too often the blocking meant dialogue was being delivered to the rear of the stage with the lead standing with their back to the audience and as such it was nigh on impossible to hear everything being said.

In all, this felt like a compilation of Hammer House of Horror tv shows; lots of individual components but no golden thread to tie them all into a comprehensible story.

9 to 5 at Sunderland Empire

 

More than just a cup of ambition, its a whole coffee shop

Remaining faithful to Patricia Resnick's book and the 1980's movie in both story and much of the script, 9 to 5 The Musical is a riot of song and dance, fun (more than a little risque in places) and makes for a brilliant evening.

The premise is centered on a stereotypical New York company in the 1980's - a corporate boys club where women are seen as second class items of titillation or simply to be tolerated as they perform the most menial of tasks, ran by CEO Franklin Hart Jnr (Sean Needham), a sexist misogynist who takes great pleasure in denigrating the female workforce.  Cue our three protagonists who, after a particularly difficult day discuss how they would like to kill off Hart.  

Whilst this may just be girl talk, it does get them thinking as to how they would change things should they ever get into the hot seat.  Following a hilarious encounter in Hart's office (resulting in him being hog tied at gun point), they find themselves presented with the opportunity to revise the working conditions and at the same rid themselves of Hart once and for all.

Violet (who for this performance was brilliantly performed by Sarah-Marie Maxwell in her debut appearance) Judy (Vivian Panka) and Doralee (Stephanie Chandos) work so well together as the lead trio - initially they are very separate with little time for each other and quite set in their opions but by the 2nd act they have formed a formidable triple threat.  Sean Needham as Hart keeps 'the boss' on the right side of despicable - he's not played as a pantomime villain, more a sad deluded middle aged man who believes his name plate entitles him to anything he desires.  His comeuppance at the end of act 1 is hilarious.  Special mention to Julia J Nagle who plays Roz, Harts office spy - her unrequited love for him doesn't just border on obsession, it is firmly entrenched in 50 Shades of ... 

With lyrics and music written by Dolly Parton you know you're guaranteed some fantastic songs and it is refreshing to have a musical that does not follow the traditional Broadway/West End formula.  There is tonnes of humour, great up tempo country-style numbers coupled with wonderful 3 way harmonies and all performed by the brilliant cast.  

Choreography by Lisa Stevens is amazing; she manages to pack in all the feelings of a busy office, loads going on without ever distracting from the leads, and at times it feels like a Busby Berkeley number.  Designer Tom Rogers deserves particular applause; the set, transitions and very clever use of perception is some of the very best this theatre will have ever seen.

Fans of Dolly, fans of the original film and certainly fans of funny musicals will LOVE this show and it guarantees to leave you singing all the way from 9 to 5 and back again.

9 to 5 is on at the Sunderland Empire (who work tirelessly to ensure you feel safe, relaxed and can enjoy the show) running until Saturday 13th November.