You Can’t Stop The Beat!

Hairspray at The Shaftesbury Theatre

This production is musical theatre at its best. Camp, loud and colourful I defy anyone to see this show and not come out smiling and feeling uplifted. The music is a joy to hear with each number and dance routine adding more vigour and life to the show than the last.

Set in Baltimore in the early 60s, before obesity became such a huge cultural problem, Hairspray centres around Tracy Turnblad, a teenage teenybopper with “indeterminate girth.” With even bigger hair she has one passion: to dance.

After finally winning a spot on “The Corny Collins Show” her dreams come true when she gets to dance live on TV with the dreamboat Link Larkin. This makes her an icon to girls across America who dare to be different. She must defeat the show’s reigning princess Amber and integrate black and white kids on the show in order to win his heart.

Set against the brightly coloured kitsch set, Chloe Hart is wonderful as the vibrant Tracy. She finds much more humour in the part than the previous Leanne Jones. She is clumsy, awkward but unafraid and Hart’s mannerisms are hilarious, especially when feigning with pleasure in the presence of Link.

Liam Tamine is suave and handsome as Link with a smooth voice perfect for the part of the teenage crooner. His performance of “It Takes Two” highlights the flexibility of his voice and is comical in his exaggerated performance.

Sharon D Clarke who plays Motormouth Maybelle (the matriarch of the black community)  is fast becoming a West End legend. Famous for her limitless voice she exudes stage presence and her rendition of “I Know Where I’ve Been” is amazing – expertly hanging back only to surprise us all with her controlled belt in the final choruses.

The choreography by Jerry Mitchell is infectious and perfectly balanced with the lively beat of the music. He captures the mood of the 60s perfectly, especially in the choreography on ‘negro day,’ making the moves clean and simple.

Phill Jupitus as Edna Turnblad (Tracy’s larger than life mother) does not quite fit in amongst the accomplished cast and struggles with the American accent. In full drag if an actor does not fully commit they end up looking like a bit of an idiot: and Jupitus does not commit. He is great at the organised improvisation during “You’re Timeless to me” because he can simply be himself – a comedian.

His best moment is when Velma (the producer of the TV show and Amber’s mother) says, “Oh, your what spawned that (Tracy).” To which Jupitus replies, “Excuse me,” in a voice so low that it penetrates the depths of the theatre.

Unfortunately he does not possess any skills as an actor and makes no attempt to embody the character of Edna at all, appearing mainly  wooden onstage.

This aside Hairspray is a wonderful show that the young energetic cast thrive in. With Sunday matinees just added this is a great musical to take the family to in the run up to Christmas.

Silly Trivia: The cast of Hairspray use 80 cans of Hairspray each week to keep their 175 wigs in place.

Rating: Get the best ticket money can buy.

Hairspray continues at The Shaftsbury Theatre until Octobet 24th 2010. To book tickets click here

Special Guest Appearance…

Last night saw another of Ladygarden’s comedy extravaganzas at The Wilmington Arms. With a new line up, the audience were treated to an array of stand up comedy, sketch shows, comic character monologues and a surprise appearance by Lenny Henry who warmed up with some old and tested out some new material on this unsuspecting audience.

Will Andrews

The night was hosted by Ladygarden but compered by Will Andrews a stand up comedian who gives the impression that he is nervous and comically incompetent; twitching with awkward silences throughout his introduction. However he is brilliantly accomplished at the observational inclusions. His use of old children’s records was hilarious, especially when Ed Stewarts asked the kids if they liked Gary Glitter.

Andrea Donovan as crazy Scottish lady.

Next up was Andrea Donovan who appeared twice in the night; first as a crazy Scottish lady and second as a crazy Brummie lady. Her committed delivery and timing was good but content lacked a certain humour. As a late night audience we want belly laughs, a minute, not the odd smile or chuckle.

Redeeming the night next was Cardinal Burns: a male sketch shows double act. The first sketch was a parody on a Parkinson interview, which was hilarious and well researched.

Cardinal Burns/Parki

Parkinson twitched, moved and intonated as he genuinely does whilst the interaction between himself and Simon Martin (a Footlocker shop assistant) was genius, especially the whispering to each other at the beginning.

Next were the hosts Ladygarden who kept the energy high using both old and new material. They opened with a Girls on Tour sketch parodying the drinking culture of gangs of girls on a night out – the inevitable tampon and weeing in a pint combined with talk of sexual conquests with minors is funny but the ending, as they retract to girlie Sex and the City Girls when approached by a man, is funnier. Camille Ucan is particularly animated beginning the sketch on the way up to the stage.

Girls on Tour get girlie

Nick Mohammed provides a complete change in content as a jobs-worth anger management coach with an temper problem himself.

His high-pitched Manchester accent combined with his stocky appearance in an itchy Aran jumper makes him instantly entertaining. His catchphrase of “I’m absolutely boiling… I feel sick” became funnier and funnier and provided the first real belly laugh of the night. His interjectory “skenarios” in the midst of the anger management

Nick Mohammed

presentation, complete with cue cards are brilliant – particularly the story about him going to Paris on a Eurostar train but being deported because he forgot his passport “because it’s a train!”

Ladygarden appeared on stage once again with a great sketch consisting of three doctors who kept physically getting in each other’s way until the patient finally died.

"But I didn't"

The reoccurring “but I didn’t” short monologues from Hannah Dodd were amusing – not only is her delivery brilliantly dry but the content trivially entertaining.

Next up was Tommy and the Weeks, again a male sketch duo. The funniest thing in their first sketch was their observation that one of the men had an unusually large face and the other looked like a drowned Elizabethan (see photo).

Tommy and the Weeks/Drowned Elizabethan

Special mention to the drowned Elizabethan who did an incredible job filling time as the eager audience awaited the arrival of Henry. His imagery when describing his happy place called the animal pub was brilliant.

Lenny Henry

And finally… the surprise performance of the night and an energetic explosion to the tiny stage by the towering Lenny Henry.

Here to familiarise himself with the comedy world following a long stint as Othello at Trafalgar Studios he used old material as a warm up (jokes about his mother’s beatings as a child never fail to entertain) and new ideas in the run up to Rock With Laughter an upcoming gig.

His booming voice and animated physical gestures make him mesmerising and a lot of material is race based about his life growing up in Dudley making it personal. Particularly entertaining was the image of a woman in the Mississippi Delta wandering around wondering where her voice had gone… answer: Joss Stone.

Ladygarden and Friends is an intimate night of high energy comedy in a packed out, star studded, back room of a pub – well worth a fiver! However my official amytheatre rating will be Don’t spend more than £15.

Ladygarden’s next appearance at The Wilmington will be on the 21st December at 8pm. £5 entrance on the door.

All photos are included with kind permission from 2nowherefast

Who’s The Daddy?

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at The Novello Theatre

Debbie Allen updates this classic Tennessee Williams’ play with an all black cast and a 1980s setting. The casting is superb, the set sleek and the pace quick but is the 1980s theme strong enough to accommodate the all black cast in a play so rooted in 1950s deep South America?

The production is set on a cotton plantation in the Mississippi Delta, owned by a wealthy black family. The future of the 28,000-acre estate is at stake due to the illness of Big Daddy, the patriarch of this complicated family. What ensues is a battle for the inheritance as well as an incite into the complexity of familial relationships.

Set in real time over the course of one late afternoon, the action does not move from the bedroom of Brick, the eldest of Big Daddy’s two sons. This keeps the tension bubbling and the energy high maintaining the audience’s attention throughout.

Brick and Maggie

Set in three acts Cat on a Hot Tin Roof centres on the relationship between Brick and his wife Maggie. The opening act introduces us to the hostility and history of their childless marriage in a script that is rich with hints, subtly leaving clues for an inquisitive audience to piece together why and where their relationship had disintegrated.

Sanaa Lathan as the faded Sothern belle, Maggie, does well to embody a woman determined not to give up on her marriage whilst desperately hurt that the sexual lust the couple once had for each other has disappeared. Much of the first act is Maggie soliloquising to Brick, who rarely listens. Lathan finds hidden humour in this hefty piece of dialogue and exudes the sexiness that Brick is blind to, but she speaks far too quickly at times making her inaudible in parts.

Adrian Lester playing Brick conveys his resistance to his wife and his indifference to the family estate well but offers little range in his emotions. This is partly due to the writing as it demands Brick be moody and uncommunicative throughout, leaving little potential for an actor to experiment with.

Disabled by his broken foot after attempting hurdles in the middle of the night whilst drunk, Brick spends most of the play hopping around the stage. His crutch contributing to his lack of masculinity castrates him; a perfect image for a failed sportsman; a victim of the all American sports star dream.

Despite his injury and his physical incapacity Maggie has no sympathy for her husband, determined that his “laws of silence don’t work” anymore. Whenever his wife confronts him, he hops to the bar that is downstage left highlighting the dominance of alcohol in his life.

When she pleads with him to talk to her and lean on her shoulder for support he retorts with, “I don’t want to lean on your god damn shoulder,” raising his voice for the first time. Maggie enjoys this reaction, feeling that she has finally provoked some emotion in him.

Brick has lost all affection for his wife and there are homosexual connotations throughout the play, suggesting that he had a close relationship with Skipper, his best friend who fell in love with him. Maggie once slept with Skipper because it made her feel alive again and it bought both of them “closer to you (Brick).”

The grotesque couple

The grotesqueness of the pregnant Mae (Nina Sosanya) who has also married into the family, with her four children  (although in the production there were only three children visible) highlights the lack of children in Maggie’s life.

Mae and Gooper’s intention to inherit the estate is embodied in the action of their children singing Big Daddy a birthday song. We can clearly see the parents mouthing the words to them and the family’s appearance in party outfits and pink sparkling hats in an attempt to entertain and ‘butter up’ Big Daddy is hilarious.

Themes and Big Daddy

Act two consists mainly of a father and son conversation between Brick and Big Daddy. Unfortunately this does loose pace towards the end.

Lester is out-shone by James Earl Jones as Big Daddy, whose resonant voice and immense presence conveys the domineering and chauvinistic character brilliantly. Big Daddy’s awareness of the “obnoxious smell of mendacity” keeps the tension high as the characters constantly lie to each other, especially when discussing his illness.

The decision has been made to update some of the language in this scene and therefore Big Daddy swears a lot. This provides much needed comedy to this weighty scene and Jones’ comic timing is superb. He screams “f**k yeh I’m a rich man… 80million f**king dollars.” But money is worthless to someone who is old and ill fated; Big Daddy says, “I can’t buy back this life with it.”

There are some lovely directional touches in this act. Big Daddy tells Brick that life is too short and that he should stop drinking. Following this we hear the soft ticking of a clock as the two men listen in silence. They sit side by side on the sofa, sharing a rare peaceful moment but still unable to fully communicate as father and son.“That’s a nice peaceful sounding clock – sometimes I like to listen to it all night,” says Brick just as Big Daddy experiences some pain in his stomach, highlighting how life is ticking away from him.

Setting

The 1980s setting is conveyed through the subtle designs of Morgan Large (scenic design) and Andrew Allen (original music). The set involves a wood panelled bar with a television embedded in one of its cupboards but this is one of the only visual nods to the 80s as the grandeur and opulence of the room hints more towards the nostalgia of the plantation house.

The outside balcony displays any servants or family members (mainly Mae) who eavesdrop on the goings on in the bedroom, highlighting the lack of privacy throughout the house. This is something that Big Mama thrives on, “no need for doors in my house” and Big Daddy detests, “I can’t stand sneaking and spying.”

The original music is perhaps the biggest indication of the change of time setting with its saxophone solos reminiscent of 80s lounge music. The instrumentation is indicative of that found in popular music of the time whilst still keeping its roots in jazz: a musical genre with black origins.

The costumes by Fay Fullerton are not specifically 80s inspired and perhaps this could have been one area where the decided date could have been more clearly conveyed to the audience.

Apart from the obvious feasibility of a black family in the deep-south being so wealthy, perhaps the change in period setting is fitting due to the revival of capitalism and the search for wealth so characteristic of the 80s. Certainly Gooper and Mae are so desperate for ownership of the estate they will do anything to get it.

There is also the fact that Brick is a retired football star. There were no black sportsmen in the 1950s whereas this is more feasible when setting the play in the 1980s.

Conclusion

This play is timeless and the period setting does not overshadow the brilliance of this production. However there is a chance that some audience members who do not have a prior understanding of the play may be confused.

Overall this production does do this rich William’s play justice. The direction brings out the humour of the piece mainly in the interaction between the relatives – something that we can all relate to. However, the audibility, especially as people speak upstage, is poor and frustrating at times.

Rating: Get the best ticket money can buy - so at least you can hear how brilliant the play is.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof continues at The Novello Theatre until April 10th 2010.

To book tickets click here

Cue AirScript – a new technology that will make theatre accessible to all

Last night saw the launch of AirScript, a new handset that will allow audience members to watch a show with the script in their chosen language at their fingertips.

The launch took place at The Shaftesbury Theatre, who is the first theatre to pioneer this new technology.

Translated in 6 different languages; German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese and Russian, the device can be rented for £6 per performance (on a par with similar Museum devices) allowing a foreign audience member to follow the script in real time. Eventually up to six additional languages will be added to the database.

It will be free for the visually impaired or hard of hearing.

Individual translators were used in order to give a good quality version of the script. The inventor and Chief Executive of Show Translations, Alexander Vegh, told an invited audience at the launch that a “word for word translation would not work” as it may not necessarily make sense to a foreign reader.

How does it work?

Refreshingly the Chief Executive of Theatre of Comedy Company, James Williams, said at the launch that “there has to be a human being there somewhere. That is what theatre is about.”

This means that a person in the circle of the theatre will control a laptop, moving the cursor down the script as the show progresses. If an actor ad libs or a piece of set fails then the script will move accordingly.

David Bradshaw of Cambridge Consultants (developers and manufacturers of AirScript) said that there are three things that make a product successful; “it must solve a real world problem; it must be commercially viable and the product must have a unique relationship with its user” – much like a mobile phone.

He also said that “theatres are not typically welcome of technology” – for example we have all had embarrassing moments when our phones have rang during a performance. Therefore the device is designed to be discreet within the theatrical environment.

Another major problem facing the designers was the fact that the device would have to be wireless. According to Bradshaw, “wirelessly supporting potentially hundreds of devices simultaneously in a theatre was one of the main issues that we had to overcome, but perhaps more important was ensuring that the handsets were universally accessible and non distracting.”

Testing it out

During the performance of Hairspray last night members of the press sat with the Game Boy/Sat Nav black handsets on their laps.

I tested one out and found that they are incredibly light and not at all distracting. Controlled by one touch of the screen, when you select what language you desire, the device automatically controls itself.

When Phil Jupitus, playing Edna Turnblad, improvised for a few minutes the AirScript simply displayed improvisation and the script stopped running.

A widescreen with LED back lighting makes the device discreet and simple. It also has a low power consumption that makes the handset last up to six hours – sufficient for a West End musical.

One third of West End audiences are foreign

According to a Society of London Theatre Box Office Data Report (2008), about a third of London’s theatre tickets are purchased by overseas visitors to London, many of whom are non-English speakers. Therefore there is a definite gap in the market for this type of product.

Problems with the product

However, when I used the product the WIFI did loose connection during the opening number – only for a few seconds but it does raise the question of how reliable the WIFI will be – even if there are back up systems in place.

I thought that having the script on your lap, for example, may not be as natural as seeing subtitles in your peripheral view (like during Opera performances). However, the physicality of glancing down to see the script is not the problem.

The most challenging things about AirScript is that as you look from the bright stage to the darkness of the screen it takes a while for your eyes to adjust. You have to truly concentrate to see the faint text on the screen. This is partly due to the LED backlighting used to prevent the distraction of other audience members but it means that you can’t switch quickly from stage to screen – it is almost one or the other.

Will other theatres take on this new technology?

James Williams said, “it is appropriate that Hairspray, with its broad-based appeal, should be the vehicle for bringing the West End this concept for universal success.”

It is questionable as to whether other theatres will follow the lead of The Shaftesbury Theatre due to the set up costs and the fact that it costs £6 a go.

With ticket prices steep and the universal language of music and dance it will be interesting to see how popular the devices become. Williams said that other theatres were waiting to make decisions, “looking to see how it goes here.”

There will be a website launch next week.

A Unique Theatrical Experience

Salad Days at The Riverside Studios

Productions like this do not happen often. We are in a gargantuan yellow box sitting on fake grass overlooking a multi level platform of kitsch circular tables with crisp white table clothes, clean plates of cucumber sandwiches and sparkling jugs of pink Pimms.

The company dressed as University Tutors welcome in the audience

In between them, and us is the stage – an empty expanse of grass with only two benches at either side. We are in the traverse: a staging device where the audience sit on either side of the stage.

This makes the piece incredibly intimate and the actors vulnerable; if there was a weak link you would quite obviously hear/see it; there is no upstage to hide behind. In this case the ensemble is strong. Lots of different ages make up a varied company who when singing together are a joy to witness.

Particular highlights are Claire Machin’s routine as the lounge singer, Asphyxia and Sophie-Louise Dann’s performance throughout.

Direction

Although the direction, by Bill Bankes-Jones, is wonderful considering the complexity of staging a musical in the traverse due to the direction of voices, the play is bizarre due to its storyline.

A cross between Return to the Forbidden Planet and Red Shoes the play tells the story of an old piano that makes people dance when they hear its music and an alien that lands on Earth in a flying saucer.

Storyline

At the centre of the story is a young couple, Jane (Michelle Francis) and Tim, (Sam Harrison) straight out of Oxford University, struggling against family pressures to get a job and get married. In an attempt to solve these problems they decide to get married and use the magical piano, given to them by a park tramp, to make money.

Both actors embody the characters perfectly and their partner dancing, although beautiful, is hilarious due to their animated faces and surprised gasps as the piano forces them to dance.

The actors do well to embody the style of 1950s London; keeping the RP accents consistent and the jokes prim and proper. There is also a private awareness at how comical some of the lines are.

One particular highlight was when one character asked, “well what do we do now” and the perfectly timed Harrison replied, “well we sing of course.” The group on stage then burst into song, poking fun at the musical theatre genre as a whole.

Salad Days completely breaks the fourth wall with company members welcoming the audience into the space dressed as University tutors handing out degrees; by encouraging people up on stage to dance to this magical piano and by persuading the audience to sing the finale.

Go and see this musical for a completely unique theatrical experience.

Don’t spend more than £15

Salad Days is on at The Riverside Studios until Sunday 22nd November. Tickets “On the Grass” are £10. To buy tickets click here.

Nation – A Visual Spectacular

Nation at The National Theatre

This is a lively coming of age tale set against the backdrop of Imperial Great Britain. The National Theatre, once again, uses every staging device available to make the play a visual spectacular; with puppets; aerial work and flamboyant costumes. It is a play aimed at children and families but with some frightening scenes of cannibalism and shark attacks. It questions the breaking of tradition, the need for progression and the importance of identity.

The play is set on a remote island in the South Pacific where we meet Mau, (Gary Carr) a young boy struggling with his status within his tribe as he teeters between man and boy. Thrust into his life is Daphne (Emily Taaffe) a spoilt, well-to-do English teenager whose father is 139^th to the throne, who has been washed ashore by a shipwreck from a voyage to find her father. They must overcome their language barrier in order to communicate and ultimately survive. This is nicely portrayed in the production by both of the actors speaking English so that the audience can fully understand whilst the characters appear to not understand each other.

A tsunami overturns the ship and causes devastation to the homes of many tribal people who are left homeless and without food. Mau must decide whether to welcome another tribe following the extinction of his own and share what little he and Daphne have in order to keep his “Nation” alive. Daphne must become a woman as she is forced to help deliver Twinkle a new born baby from this new tribe

There are two major threats to Mau’s “Nation:” Lockahah (a devil/grim reaper figure) and Cox (Daphne’s butler with a grudge against her and therefore a desire to kill). Mau’s relationship with Emo (God) is threatened as numerous disasters hit the island and he asks his God, “If you made the world, why do this? Why let this happen?” Surely a question asked by every natural disaster victim. Lockahah lurks in the darkness and appears in the form of many different men, with a white painted face, waiting to pounce during moments of vulnerability. Cox, a canabal, turned mad by the death of his son to Russian Influenza, poses a constant threat that the audience are aware of, providing suspense and tension to the play.

Set Design

The set, designed by Melly Still (also the director) and Mark Friend is beautiful. The action takes place on a slither of globe that revolves, seamlessly linking one scene into the next whilst subtly hinting towards the tribe’s history, steeped in knowledge. Three frames suspended from the ceiling provide a canvas for projections of the sea, dolphins and a beach horizon whilst also highlighting how different people look at the world in different ways.

Style

The style of the production is quite tongue in cheek and the adaptation to stage by Mark Ravenhill is quirky. There are some entertaining devices used in the script when Mau asks, “I wonder what my ancestors would say,” scores of caricature, old men hobble on stage creating humour and a sense of the fantastical. Similarly Daphne asks, “I wonder what my Grandmother would say,” and a dominating figure of a woman appears on the revolving stage to comment on Daphne’s behaviour.

The play centres around Mau’s sadness that in order for his “Nation” to survive it must rely on Daphne’s resources from the shipwreck  – therefore believing that his tribe is useless and irrelevant to the outside world. Daphne proves that years ago his ancestors were learned men who studied the stars and recorded their finding on rocks hidden away in a dark cave.

A Fairytale

The story is essentially a fairytale. A story passed on by generations, represented in the final scene as a teacher, on the island, looks at the stars through a telescope, whilst telling his pupils about Daphne and Mau.

It is Terry Pratchett’s stream of imaginative thought that, as stated in the programme, “began as image of Mau standing on the beach in the chilly rain and screaming at the Gods.” The play is simply a trail of obsessive ideas; tsunamis; dolphins; burial rites; navigation; sharks; Russian Influenza and creation myths that come together to create a busy children’s fairytale.

The storyline does verge on the absurd and the audience must suspend their disbelief, as Daphne’s father becomes King following the influenza deaths of the 138 people preceding him. However this production is spectacular and it is worth a watch purely for this. Underwater scenes are beautiful as character doubles are used in flight behind projections of bubbles and water to create the image of underwater movement whilst the actual characters are downstage representing a more symbolic image of the characters as they fight for breath.

The puppetry is also pleasing to the eye – especially the huge wild pig, whilst the vulture “grandfather birds” are bizarrely believable.

Cheap Tickets

If you are under 25 years old you can join the National’s Entry Pass scheme where you can get the best seats in the house for £5. Bargain.

Don’t spend more than £15

Nation plays at The Olivier Theatre at The National until March 28th 2010. Check website for specific performance dates. To book tickets click here.

Chicago enjoys its 5000th performance

Chicago celebrated its 5000^th performance on Wednesday proving that some shows in the West End are recession proof. Due to the shows ongoing success it will now run until the 30^th October 2010.

The musical is scored by the wonderful Kander and Ebb and is a satirical take on corruption in the American legal system.

The show tells the tale of Roxy Hart, a chorus girl desperate for stardom, who is put on trial for the murder of her lover Fred Casely.  Shunned from the spotlight because of this new criminal celebrity is Velma Kelly, a vaudevillian star who has murdered her sister and husband. After Roxy’s trial and much back stabbing, in order to remain in the headlines, the girls realize that working together may be the only way to achieve true celebrity status.

Perhaps Chicago’s success is due to the limitless casting of celebrities in the lead roles. As mentioned in the La Cage Aux Folles blog below, it seems that the presence celebrities in the West End is a necessity to keep audiences flocking and therefore shows open. If it keeps shows running then great but it is a shame that we must rely on ex Brookie and XFactor stars in order to pull in the crowds.

The production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on 18 Nov 1997 before transferring to its current home at the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006.

La Cage Aux Folles will close due to “the non-availability of suitable star artists”

Following the news this week that La Cage Aux Folles will close its run, it has emerged that the decision made was due to “the non-availability of suitable star artists for the particularly challenging lead roles”. The show will close at The Playhouse Theatre on the 2^nd January next year ahead of a Broadway run.

What does this say about the state of West End casting and why must celebrities rule over non-famous actors when it comes to playing the lead roles in the West End?

I have many friends in London struggling as out of work actors. They work in Pizza Hut, or central London pubs or God forbid Harrods to make ends meet. They are not deluded wannabes, they are skilled professionals. And yet… a West End musical is forced to close due to this lack of, what LCAF producers call, “suitable star artists.”

I understand the argument that a big name might draw more crowds in but an audience does not want to be patronized. What it does want is the best possible actor for the job. With the case of celebrities in leading roles this is not always the case. Ahem Jennifer Ellison as Roxie Hart in Chicago.

LCAF received four and five star reviews across the board. Therefore the decision to close the show has come as a pre-emptive move before the producers could even be bothered to test an un-named actor in the role of Albin, at the risk of it failing. Sad times.

Amytheatre catches up with the Artistic Director of The English Touring Company, Rachel Thackery, to discuss the launch of Digital Theatre.

AT Was becoming a partner with Digital Theatre an easy decision to make and who made that decision at ETC?
RT It was a very easy decision to make and I made it.

AT You are the first company to upload a full length play online. Were there particular reasons why you were so keen to work with Digital Theatre?
RT We’ve been trying to reach a broader audience, hence our emphasis on touring and this allowed us to potentially achieve this.

AT So are you aiming to bring London theatre to a wider audience?
RT London is frustratingly metropolitan. I’m not saying that regional theatre isn’t as good as London theatre because that is just not true but if you live in a town with a theatre within 25miles you are very lucky. A lot of people just don’t and that’s why digital theatre could work.

AT How did it all start? When did Digital theatre approach you?
RT Digital theatre approached us over a year ago. I am actually good friends with Robert [Co-founder Robert Delamere] so we’d talked about it for a while. It was made possible last year in autumn when Far From The Madding Crowd was recorded.

AT Do you know how Digital Theatre has been going since its launch? Are people interested?
RT Robert is in New York at the moment campaigning, doing breakfast and TV interviews – people are interested, yes. However, I think this will only become a major thing when there are loads of plays uploaded. If we can imagine the utopia – the potential for accessing the entire works of Shakespeare by the RSC and being able to compare them with other company’s productions. Remember they will never be seen again, once they are performed. If the website is expanded it could be an amazing incite into theatre as it opens up in the comfort of your own home.

AT So you think Digital Theatre has potential?
RT I think the potential for the idea is huge. Even though Far from the Madding Crowd is a well-loved novel I’m not sure how well it will do. It was only ever meant to be a pilot, just to see if it could be done. We even promised actors that it would never become publically available.

AT I suppose all contracts for actors will change dramatically in the future.
RT Yes but the unions have been brilliant. We have a deal with equity and we talked for ages about what would be fair to the actors.

AT Do we really need theatre online when so much of the joy of watching theatre is found in its immediacy?
RT It’s an access issue. It is there for people who can’t get to the theatre for whatever reason – whether they live abroad or can’t physically get to the theatre. Some people see our plays over and over and are really fond of them. I guess Digital Theatre could be like buying the CD after seeing a musical. It’s a fantastic way to get theatre out to more people. It’s always a risk but we’ve had a ball working with Robert and Tom [founders, Robert Delamere and Tom Shaw] and I hope for their sake that it works out and people support it.

AT Did you ever consider streaming like the National?
RT Yes we did consider streaming but it’s just so expensive. The thing with the shows that were streamed from the National is that they were undoubtedly made for streaming. The lighting, the camera angles are filmed specifically, for that purpose, whereas Digital Theatre doesn’t take anything away, it is filmed live.

AT Can Digital Theatre ever replace live theatre?
RT Digital theatre is not instead of anything. We have to except it is a different thing. It is a different art form. This is still the real production. It doesn’t replace sitting in the theatre – nothing can replace the feeling of gasping at something on stage with 1000 other people. I don’t think it will ever replace live theatre, or could or has the intention to. It won’t replace only enhance. I hope that it will bring our theatre to 100s of thousands. Some of our big shows can get audiences of between 10 and 30 thousand and I think this has the capacity to expand that.

AT Do you think it has the potential to be detremental to Drama education? It is a bureaucratic nightmare for teachers to organise school trips to the theatre – do you think Digital Theatre could encourage laziness?
HT If that turns out to be the case which I think it probably will, I think the blame will lie with the teacher and the education system, not with Digital Theatre.  It will be the fault of the government and the constraints they have put on teachers and the hassle it is to take kids out. Digital Theatre might enhance their experience when they do actually get to the theatre.”

AT What is the creative process like? How much control does the director of the play retain once Digital Theatre move in?
RT Robert is an incredibly collaborative person and I trust his creative judgment. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise. The director of the production works in the editing room. We were very lucky with Far From the Madding Crowd because the director, Kate Saxon, was also quite experienced in making video.

AT Do you think this collaborative decision making could cause conflict between Digital Theatre and the theatre companies?
RT I think it’s important that once the creative team has done their job they are willing to give it someone else and to trust the team they are giving it to. We had exceptional circumstances with Kate – who was fully involved in the editing process. It takes your theatre play to a different medium so there has to be some relinquishing of creative control. It is not like in the rehearsal room where the director has total freedom.

AT Did the ETT have to put any money upfront in order to be involved with the project?
RT We didn’t pay anything, it has been entirely funded by theatre investors. It’s a really complicated deal and it’s been a huge learning curve. Nobody makes money until somebody else makes money.

Introducing The British Burlesque Invasion at Madame JoJo’s

This evening of Burlesque entertainment, organised by Chaz Royal was a farewell to The London Burlesque Social Club and hello to The British Burlesque Invasion to be held at Madame JoJo’s on Brewer Street, every Thursday. The social club is traveling to Berlin to participate in the Burlesque festival there, proving that the world wide new burlesque scene is well and truly sparkling.

Kiki Kaboom keeping the audience in shape

Kiki Kaboom, as compere, did a fair job of keeping the audience under control and her sharp tongue dealt with hecklers well and was funny at times.
Particularly amusing was her characterization of noisy drunks in the audience and Champagne Jonny became an act in himself.
However, the fact that she was simply wearing a British flag wrapped around her like a towel, firstly made her look frumpy and not at all burlesque and secondly suggested that she was in fact going to perform a striptease. She did not which was a disappointment. Perhaps a drag queen would have been a more effective host of the evening.

Chrys Columbine at the keyboard

International burlesque queen, Chrys Columbine gave a wonderful performance that combined musical talent with burlesque tease. She demurely sat at a keyboard, playing with the verve of a virtuoso concert pianist whilst ripping off her clothes. Truly a unique talent with the looks of a fairytale princess.

Luna Rosa with her Egyptian themed costume graced the stage with force. Her height combined with her eratic movements demanded that the audience sat up and watched. Her golden era influence juxtaposed with her extensive tattoos made for a great contemporary burlesque aesthetic. However her stockings, which looked like granny hold ups, were disappointingly off putting.

Slinky Sparkles

Slinky Sparkles is a contemporary Marylin Monroe. Her seductive curves combined with her cute and coy facial expressions made this blonde bombshell a real highlight of the evening.
Her candy dance with sweet shop inspired costume and lolipops  was brilliant and her finale, a homage to the Jill Masterton character in Goldfinger was dramatic.
A true pioneer of the new burlesque aesthetic Sparkles possesses tattoos of stockings up the back of both legs with tattooed bows at the top.

Ginger Blush did a great striptease as a construction worker – only to reveal some hideous neon underwear. This was an obvious attempt to maintain the theme throughout but it didn’t quite work.

Sparkles and her lolipops

Blush’s second act was a young Pride and Prejudice-esque girl who had a china set hidden in her bustle. This was effective as Blush transformed from demure, covered up English rose to a red-haired vamp.

Lydia Darling used fire to wow the crowd. Dressed in a corset made of Dollar bills she threw money, with her face on, out to the audience and set fire to the bills on stage.

Bettie BottomDollar as Charlie Chaplin

Bettie Bottomdollar did a wonderful old school homage to Charlie Chaplin. It was clear that some close study of Chaplin had been done and she embodied him well

This is a fun evening full to the brim with burlesque performances, however it contains nothing else.

The advertising for Madame JoJo’s once again uses the words variety and cabaret which it is not. However, the standard here was much higher than performances previously seen at Madame JoJo’s during last year’s London Burlesque Festival.

Check the Madame Jojo’s website for future performances. Tickets are an extortionate £16.50 – group bookings (over 4 tickets) get 50% off!

Don’t spend more than £15