'Dogfight' Southwark Playhouse ****

An Off-Broadway feat has now ventured across the Atlantic Ocean to Southwark’s fringe theatre, the Southwark Playhouse with Peter Duchan’s musical, ‘Dogfight’, and one found the performance exuded impressiveness and enjoyment. ‘Dogfight’ has been dramatically adapted from Rob Comfort’s 1991 film, which expresses a tale of a young American marine, Eddie, and along with his two best friends Boland and Bernstein, who call themselves as “The Three Bees”, who have been training strictly, in the hope that they will be deployed to fight in the Vietnam War. To celebrate their last days of leisurely freedom, they endeavour to discover which single woman they’d like to invite to the party, and see who will triumph as the winner of the dogfight, which is not a very pleasant competition whatsoever. Casually, Eddie, whilst sitting in a diner sets his sights on the inexperienced, Rose, who appears to have never been asked out on a date, and sadly not been kissed by a boy before. Moreover, she's hardly drank any alcohol or partied before, and not had the opportunity to be romantically involved by someone. With this she quickly agrees to be Eddie’s date for the night, and within moments an unusual affection between the two becomes outward. As well as, the musical conveys the strength of friendship and how the differences of Eddie, who’s a particular pleasant boy is compared to his repulsive friends, which somewhat makes Eddie's affections to charm Rose’s affections slightly fraught. However, Eddie acts the gentleman around Rose when on their second date, at an expensive restaurant; he spends all his remaining money so that Rose can have an enjoyable time. It's a tender love story that introduces us to two vastly diverse people, especially the bedroom scene where Rose plucks up the courage to welcome him into her bed as a way of cementing their quirky relationship. Duchan’s narrative is entertaining and emotive, and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s music and lyrics are blissfully touching; such as “Some Kinda Time”, “Dogfight”, “Before It’s Over” and “Come Back”. The performances by the company of ‘Dogfight’ were delivered with tenacity and ease. Jamie Muscato is transcendent as the slightly scared and genuine marine, Eddie. One found the tender side of Eddie’s character was effortlessly portrayed. Laura Jane Matthewson’s professional debut is vivid as the adolescent, Rose. She was enormously brave to strip off into the night attire, and her aggressive nature was intriguing too. Helen chucks Cellen Chugg Jones and Nicholas Corre are amazing as Eddie’s two best friends, Boland and Bernstein, in particular when the two of them get tattoos to bind their strong friendship. Matt Ryan’s direction is wondrous as he is captured the heartfelt truth of obtaining love in improbable situations, and a portrayal of powerful friendships is encapsulating. Lee Newby’s set and costume designs are simplistic but lovingly engaging as it has been constructed under a slightly whittled down version of San Francisco’s landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge. Lucie Pankhurst's choreography is epic and has been achieved of the uppermost of quality through vivid and eclectic dancing, such as the “Hey Good Lookin” sequence. Overall, one found the experience of ‘Dogfight’ to be beautifully presented. A definite ticket purchase for you before the production closes. 

'Sommer 14- A Dance of Death' Finborough Theatre ***

This year marks the centenary of the beginning of the First World War, and whilst we remember all those soldiers who lost their lives, and those are fighting currently, the Finborough Theatre in Kensington presents Rolf Hochhurt’s play, ‘Sommer 14- A Dance of Death’. I thought that the production was one that connected the accurate portrayal of a sovereign who requires to be the authoritative nation above all others, and narrated by a guide who prompts a thought-provoking insight into the effects of war on young men. ‘Sommer 14- A Dance of Death’ is set, of course in 1914, which has been cleverly adapted into a 150 minute performance by Gwynne Edwards have permitted us to see the rigorous planning of what became known as the Great War, and the constant deception from both sides. The play is channelled through the character, Death, who appears to be occupying the persona of a deceased soldier, and threads through a biased European viewpoint of the reason for the First World War, which instigates a real dislike to the Kaiser Wilheim II. As well as, the production flutters into such locations as Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Washington and on board many ships within a miniscule amount of time, which lead to one frequently trying to maintain my focus on the consequences of the war that obliterate thousands of people across Europe. Death seems vastly despondent towards the actual reasoning of being a part of the war, and why he was killed, as with many other servicemen. Throughout the production Kaiser Wilheim II feels immensely mental as he requires to rule a dictatorship on a worldwide scale, where his rules and regulations are the only ones that are acceptable. This reminds me of the National Theatre's production of William Shakespeare’s, ‘King Lear’, where they monarch is crazed. Hochurtt and Edwards’ narrative is agreeable as we are narrated through a disturbing individual, and a disconcerting atmosphere. Paradoxically, the play lacks a somewhat cohesive nature and discombobulated ones focus. On a positive note, the performance did have some wondrous aspects, and the dialogue was slightly rib-tickling. The performances by the company of ‘Sommer 14-A Dance of Death’ were performed with gracious energy and vocally splendorous. Dean Bray is excellent as a central protagonist, Death. His movements were spellbinding and his vocal abilities were really intriguing and vastly mesmerising. One hopes that Bray will be successful in his acting career as he is a fine performer. The direction by Christopher Loscher was pleasing as he is captures the fraught atmosphere that surrounded the First World War and Kaiser Wilheim II’s insanity. It's worked wonders on the Finborough Theatre's proscenium arch. Mike Lee’s design is gorgeous as the dark and depressing reality of war has been complimented here with Rob Mills’ exquisite lighting design and Ermo Frankvyle’s abundant sound design. This was very impressive collaboration and fruitful one. Overall, the experience of ‘Sommer 14- A Dance of Death’ was enjoyable.  

'The Picture of John Gray' Old Red Lion Theatre ****

If you could not travel up to Edinburgh this summer, and desperate to witness some fringe work, then look no further than the Old Red Lion Theatre and see their current production of C.J. Wilmann's innovative play, ‘The Picture of John Gray’. One found the performance displayed a heartfelt story of homosexual living in a world where it's frowned upon and unsurprisingly illegal to do so. ‘The Picture of John Gray’ is grounded on factual events during the summer of 1889 where their fabulous writer, Oscar Wilde commences an affair with a young man, who exudes loveliness. He instigated Wilde’s sexual fantasy, and decided to use his surname for the writer’s most infamous conception. However, this appreciation is destroyed as Wilde and John Gray's relationship is ended, which leaves John to begin his adult life, and for him to discover what profession he is called on to do. The play focuses around to passionate and secrecy that surround gay men during the late nineteenth century, and how romance develops from the most unlikely of pairings. The central protagonist, John Gray, an emerging poet discounts the conversation with literary critic, Andre Raffalovich as he disagrees with the critical reviews he has written. Nonetheless, the two soon settled the dissimilarities and romance strikes. During this time, Oscar Wilde has been found out about his illegal actions with men; John soon panics because he could be facing a jail sentence. Luckily enough for him, Andre decides that they should take a vacation to Berlin to forget all the issues that are occurring in United Kingdom. When they visit Rome after Berlin, John appears to have signed up to become a priest, meaning that the passion with him and Raffalovich is not destined to be due to religious obligations. Wilmann’s narrative is extraordinarily moving as he welcomes us to the realisation of gay life amongst Wilde’s array of male conquests, and the troubled situation that John has found himself in. Some elements left me with tears in my eyes as the dialogue is incredibly infectious. The performances by the company of ‘The Picture of John Gray’ were convincing and characterised with such panache. Patrick Walshe McBride is wonderful and central protagonist, John Gray. One found the emotional vulnerability he portayed indicated the man's need to find peace in himself. Christopher Tester is outstanding as the critic, Andre Raffalovich. He provided a splendid use of diction is performance when he attempted to comfort John in his breakdown. Jordan McCurrach and Oliver Allan were dazzling at as the art enthusiasts and makers, Charles Shannon and Charles Ricketts. Tom Cox was sublime as the incredibly pretentious Bosie. The direction by Gus Miller here is transcendent as he has directed a masterpiece of the production that conveyed the brutality of Oscar Wilde. Rosanna Vize’s design is excellent as we are transported to the atmosphere of a society that despises the acceptance of homosexuality. Overall I found the experience of ‘The Picture of John Gray’ to be a gracious one. Well worth a visit to this imitate space above a Public House.  

'Therese Raquin' Park Theatre ****

Finsbury Park’s relatively new theatre, the Park Theatre has been entertained audiences with an array of emerging and rediscovered plays and musicals, which have proven to be highly infectious pieces of work, such as ‘Thark’ and ‘Daytona', and it's called current offering of ‘Thérèse Raquin’ is a musical fall of brilliant aspects and one that's vastly enjoyable. Nona Shepphard’s musical rendition of Emile Zola’s first major pieces of writing, which was written in 1867, which was first performed at the intimate Finborough Theatre , in March of this year, and it is just as warm in the slightly bigger auditorium here. ‘Thérèse Raquin’ is set in 19th-century Paris, where we are voyeuristically observing a woman's indiscretion with another man and her husband is none the wiser of this action. Thérèse has been in forced to marry her particularly naive cousin, Camille, who is moddy-coddled by his overbearing mother, Madame Raquin. Due to Camille's desire to live in the city, they decide that they would manage a shop selling a manner of objects for the local citizens. On Thursday evenings , Madame Raquin invites her loyal friends over to play a game of dominoes and it's apparent that she is a negative influence towards her son, because he’s not a mentally developed adult. On one instance, Camille is reunited with his childhood acquaintance, Laurent, who then engrosses Thérèse’s yearning for sexual intercourse and to have a mature man to woo her. This commences a treacherous affair were they have sex in Camille’s own bed, and when the three of them visit the French countryside, with a river it appears that Thérèse  and Laurent have violently murdered Camille by drowning him. Zola and Shepphard’s narrative is likeable and Shepphard’s lyrics, accompanied by Craig Adams music were exceptionally charming, especially with such numbers as; “Snuggy Little House”, “Thursday Nights”, “A Sunday Tragedy” and” If I Had Known”. I thought that the performances by the company of ‘Thérèse Raquin’ were gracefully executed with grandeur. Tara Hugo was spectacular as the matriarch, Madame Raquin. Her vocal range and facial expressions were intriguing to look at, especially when she learns of the real reason of her sons' death. Julie Atherton is fetching as the dishonest Thérèse . I found when she realises that Laurent is quite ferocious; she became regretful for murdering Camille. Jeremy Legat and Greg Barrnett were both pleasing as the lead males Camille and Laurent. Nona Shepphard’s direction was opulent as it captured the deceitful action of adultery with a real sense of care and attention. Laura Cordery’s design is sublime as the detailing of a Parisian shop has been crafted with such charisma and within the Park Theatre’s limitations I couldn't fault it. Overall, I found the experience of ‘Thérèse Raquin’ was a quirky experience and one that was most attractive.

'Antony and Cleopatra' Shakespeare's Globe ***

The wondrous Shakespeare's Globe has proven to have had a fruitful year with such productions as ‘Titus Andronicus’ causing audiences to faint, due to its violent scenes, and William Shakespeare's historical masterpiece ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ was a play filled with delightful romanticism and acceptable performances. Shakespeare wrote ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ around 1606 and follows the happenings after Julius Caesar’s demise and the downfall of Brutus and his fellow accomplices. Caesar's Roman Empire is now governed by a triumvirate of Lepidus, Octavius Caesar and Mark Anthony. Currently the Roman Empire is fighting a battle with a frequent antagonist, which is Julius Caesar’s enemy’s son. However, Anthony has forgotten his important duties as a husband to Fulvia, and is preoccupied with love of his mistress, Cleopatra, The Queen of Egypt. Whilst visiting Egypt, Antony has learned about the failure of Fulvia and his siblings’ campaign contrary to Octavius Caesar has been progressing well above his station. Due to the apprehensive and unknowing nature of Rome at the current time, Mark Anthony has had to tear himself away from Egypt, and more notably his paramour Cleopatra. The three rulers encounter with one another, in Rome, in the hope that they can resolve their issues and re-establish a working and productive relationship. Nonetheless, a proposed marriage with the Octavius’ sister, Octavia is discussed as a possible solution to solve their problems. Unfortunately, Antony explains this is not an option as his love for Cleopatra cannot be forgotten. Stereotypically, with an array of Shakespeare plays, ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ is packed full of tragedy, romance, and some hints of violence and within this presentation, it has been constructed with conceivable precision. One found the performances by the company of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ were wonderful and tasteful. Eve Best is astounding as the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. She moved around Shakespeare’s Globe stage with a whimsical approach and her vocal range was severely commanding. Clive Wood is brilliant as Cleopatra’s love interest and Rome’s many leaders, Mark Antony. I thought that he was dominant with the productions’ ensemble, one of whom is Sebastian Hill, and his romantic scenes with Best were sublime. Phil Daniels is graceful as Enorbus. He provides the humorous moments within the play, and his comic timing was immaculate throughout the entire performance. The direction by Jonathan Murphy was courteous, as we are witnessing a classic play and seeing a battle for authority with tenacity and ease. On the other hand, a few elements needed more strength and command, bequeathed a slightly disappointing proportion of the performance. Colin Richmond’s set and costume designs were carefully considered. Alternatively, at times I became confused with what location the play was in at specific moments. Overall the experience of 'Antony and Cleopatra' was engaging, mostly. You should endeavour to witness this for yourselves. 

'Bring Up the Bodies' Aldwych Theatre *****

The Royal Shakespeare Company has returned to one of its former London homes, which is the Aldwych Theatre, with Mike Poulton’s dramatic adaptation of Hilary Mantel's 2012 novel, ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ and one found the production to be exceptionally thrilling to witness. The play is set in England, 1535, where King Henry VIII has been remarried to Anne Boleyn, with authorisation from Thomas Cromwell as the king’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon has been annulled, and who has been arrested with her daughter, Princess Mary. Anne Boleyn is comparatively different to her predecessor. She’s progressively volatile and scheming as she has forced King Henry to eradicate Britain's alliance with the Catholic Church. This inevitably instigated the formation of the Church of England, in which the monarch is the Head of the Church. In addition to this, Henry is aggravated by the fact that his wives have not conceived a male heir to the throne, and the clash with the Holy Roman Empire is increasingly becoming problematic. Due to the fact that Lord Chancellor Thomas More and Cardinal Wolsey are deceased, Cromwell is the King's closest consultant and acts as the delegate against a precarious court as to please the King's desires. Poulton’s narrative is incredibly flawless as the play focuses on a significant aspect of King Henry VIII life where we are viewing the vulgarity of the monarchy and a country fixated with increasing power. One has not seen the other Mantel/Poulton production of ‘Wolf Hall’ as of yet but will endeavour to see it. Paradoxically, ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ does whet ones appetite into seeing the first of the two published books, and Poulton’s dialogue is impeccable and a wondrous interpretation of Mantel’s novels. The performances by the company of ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ were outstanding. Ben Miles is phenomenal as the King Henry VIII’s mentor, Thomas Cromwell. I thought that when he's interrogating the many conquest of Anne Boleyn’s, who she’s been sleeping with was increasingly thought-provoking as his vocal delivery was with immense affection. Lydia Leonard is sublime as Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, in particular when she is about to be beheaded at the end of the play and how powerful she was in portraying a resilient woman, who would do as she pleases. Nathaniel Parker is excellent as the monarch, King Henry VIII, especially when we see his stupidity of the characters persona. The direction by Jeremy Herrin is tremendous as he directs the production with considerable clarity and this is exacerbated with the companies’ transcendent characterisations. Christopher Oram’s set and costume designs are brilliant as we have transported to Medieval England with a pleasurable amount of tenacity and ease, and what our country used to be like. Overall, the experience of ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ was vastly treasured. One hopes that ‘Wolf Hall’ will be up to this standard.

'Perseverance Drive' Bush Theatre ****

One has often thought about the complicated relationships that religion and self-expression have with each another and, from witnessing Robin Soans’ play, ‘Perseverance  Drive’ clearly in the case that these two factors cannot coexist together. ‘Perseverance Drive’ is set both in Barbados, and in London, which brings together the Gillard’s, who are devout Christians whose wife/mother has recently passed away. Comparatively, the majority of the Gillard’s do not get along, this is evident when Joshua, the middle son arrives, who has been forced out of the family due to the fact he is homosexual and a non-believer to the Christian religion. This is certainly not acceptable within Caribbean culture. One of the most poignant and mesmerising elements throughout Soans’ exuberant script is the relationship between Joshua and his distant and not accepting father, Eli. At first, we perceive the issue of Joshua being gay will, on no occasion be tolerant of this fact, as he's not allowed to stay in his late mother’s home. Nonetheless, when the family are back in England, Eli is incredibly ill, and no one appears to be looking after him, until Joshua takes on the responsibility of caring for his sick father. Eli realises that he must accommodate his son and assertively stands up to her other sons, Nathan and Zechariah when they insist that they’d require an employed person to look after him, rather than their own brother. This instance made one immensely emotive and pleased that Eli sides with his homosexual son, rather on the side of his two homophobic children. Soans’ narrative seamlessly encapsulates the prejudice and stigma that surrounds a culture that's ridiculously old-fashioned and how being artistic is a sign of wickedness. This is conveyed through the scenes between Nathan's wife, Ruth and Errol Clarke, the son of the funeral’s Pastor and how their creativity is ridiculed at all costs. The performances by the company of ‘Perseverance Drive’ were charismatic and excellent. Leo Wringer is wonderful as the father, Eli. One found that the helplessness, when he’s severely ill presented the sadness of a lonely old man. Clint Dyer is sublime as Eli’s gay son, Josh, in particular when he's made to feel isolated from his family because of his sexuality. Frances Ashman is tremendous as Nathan's artistic wife, Ruth. I found when she presented her secretive canvases to Errol (Lloyd Everitt) conveyed her passion for fine art to such tenacity. Of course, the other performances carried a vast amount of precision in their characters. The direction by the Bush Theatre’s Artistic Director, Madani Younis was intriguing, as we are transported to a family who rarely agree with each other's actions; such as which brother is going to be the new owner of the family estate. This is continued during the entire show. Jaimie Todd's design was immensely opulent as one believed he was in Barbados as the auditorium was extremely sizzling, and then back to the coldness of London, England. Fundamentally, the experience of ‘Perseverance Drive’ was elegantly appealing and you should see it before it closes in two weeks’ time.

'Miss Saigon' Prince Edward Theatre *****

There have been a number of musicals that one will never erase from the memory, and the long awaited revival of Boubil and Schönberg’s phenomenon, ‘Miss Saigon’ is certainly on par with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and Marvin Hamlisch’s ‘A Chorus Line’. This establishes that originality will inevitably prevail. ‘Miss Saigon’ was first performed in 1989, to critical acclaim, and this arrangement was one that left me fixated throughout the entire performance. The musical conveys the tragic conditions that happened during the Vietnam War, and how love and affection between an American soldier and a local girl blossoms. However, this will lead to heartbreak and misfortune as the war forbids that their romance should endeavour to continue. At the beginning of the production, we are transported to a Vietnamese table dancing club where the armed forces, after finishing a day of fighting are enjoying a night of sexual and drunken activity. In addition to this, handsome soldier, Chris, a respectable gentleman falls passionately in love with 17-year-old novice prostitute, Kim, and during that one meeting,  Kim loses her virginity and immediately becomes infatuated by him , with the hope that she'll marry him and move to America to obtain a healthier life. Unfortunately, someone from Kim’s past returns to her life, stating she's going to be is wife destroys this and Chris has to vacate Saigon due to its increased vulnerability of Saigon’s destruction. The narrative is outstanding and incredibly emotional. I was moved to tears and I did especially when Kim sings to her son, Tam, who is in fact Chris's son with “I'd Give My Life For You”. It reminds you of the importance of a mother's love for her child. One of the spectacles of the production and the element that the show is known for , the flying helicopter did not disappoint and one impatiently craved to witness the moment for oneself, and I jumped for joy when the helicopter entered the Prince Edward stage. The music and lyrics by Boubil and Schönberg are   spectacular and emotionally engaging with such numbers as, “The Heat Is On”, “I Still Believe”, “The American Dream” and “Little God Of My Heart”. The performances by the company of ‘Miss Saigon’ were electrifying. Jon Jon Briones is remarkable as the brothel owner, The Engineer. He delivers both sinister and humour of the character with brilliant tenacity, also it was satisfying that Trevor Jackson and James Orange cast a Filipino actor. Eva Noblezada is exceptional as lead female, Kim. She's passionate and heart wrenching, especially when she kills herself because she realises that Chris cannot be hers. Alistair Brammer is sublime as Kim’s courtesan, Chris. One found that the apprehension of meeting his son for the first time was incredibly virile and increasing realistic. The direction by Lawrence Connor is incredible as it significantly portrays the horrendous Vietnam War to such perfection and the revival is elegant throughout. Excellent one must advocate. Tottie Driver and Matt Kinley’s set designs are vastly stylish and the scenic transitions are slick and sophisticated, and encapsulate the war zone atmosphere to such transcendence. Overall, ‘Miss Saigon ‘was an experience that all that is most welcome and one that will never fade away. You should witness it yourselves and enjoy their performance in all aspects.