'Bakersfield Mist' Duchess Theatre ****

Probably one of the shortest place I've ever seen, and one of the funniest ones I have witnessed, ‘Bakersfield Mist’ is a production that's a must see. The play has been written by Stephen Sachs and conveys a woman's desire to earn lots of money and you have her claim to fame in finding a rare piece of artwork that has been missing for a long while. Set in a dirty caravan/trailer park in Bakersfield, California introduces us to only two characters, Maude a middle-aged woman who is craving for some attention from the world that seems to be missing the point is convinced that a piece of art she recently purchased is the real canvas of Abstract Expressionist artist, Jackson Pollock. On your other hand, when she invites an arts connoisseur from New York, who she hopes could prove it’s the original is displayed by his unpleasing evaluation of the painting. The characters in this production have been wonderfully constructed by Sachs as the juxtaposition between a drinker, chain-smoking and quite frankly undesirable woman to be well dressed, knowledgeable and pretentious art expert , Lionel were very well thought of and the dialogue is incredibly comical. It’s definitely not lacking in that department whatsoever. The themes are that also very engaging too. I thought that the characters backgrounds were vastly realistic, this is due to the fact ‘Bakersfield Mist’ is based on actual events. Sachs has done a successful job here. I must express this is the year where the play is overtaking the musical genre, as the plays’ have a more emotive and comical concept and are extremely more original. This performance is just as amusing as ‘Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense’ where there is a limited company also. They performances by a miniscule company of ‘Bakersfield Mist’ were fantastic during the entire production. Kathleen Turner is outstanding as the atrocious fame-seeking Maude. I particularly liked the scenes where she would try to use alcohol to make the art expert sign the form, claiming it's the real Pollock. She was incredibly funny indeed. Ian McDiarmid is stunning as the quite snobbish art connoisseur Lionel. I found that his facial expressions when he looked at the fake painting were very comical from beginning to end. Excellent performances all round. Polly Teale's direction is sublime as she's been able to capture the essences of life that needs improvement, which reminded me of Imelda Staunton in ‘Good People’. Tom Piper's design is extraordinary as you become immersed into this story. I did have an enjoyable experience and one that you should enjoy too.

'Titus Andronicus' Shakespeare's Globe ****

The show there has been making people faint due to its large amounts of scenes involving blood, 'Titus Andronicus' was an impressive production indeed. The play written by William Shakespeare around 1590-93 explains the rivalry between brothers who are competing to rule Rome because their father, the emperor recently passed away and they need someone to take charge. However, Titus Andronicus Rome's most respected general has been offered the responsibility to rule, but decides to decline the offer and indicates that he'd rather have Saturninus, the late emperor's first born to take over. To than him he asks Titus's daughter, Lavinia to marry him. This is vastly awkward as she's in fact Bassianus' fiancée. This instils the bitter rivalry to be more prominent. I found the narrative to be incredibly compelling as you want to find out what could happen with this horrible sibling rivalry and fierce battle may occur, definitely a regular theme within the Bard William Shakespeare's work. Shakespeare's play takes you on a journey of discovery and thought making process especially in ‘Titus Andronicus’ and how you must appreciate your siblings, even through harsh times. I have great admiration to my younger brother and I know he feels the same. The environment at Shakespeare’s Globe was quite hot due to the fact that the roof has been covered with black masking. The scenes involving the immense amount of blood were extremely shocking but were powerful nevertheless. The company of a ‘Titus Andronicus’ were incredibly well delivered and exactly what you'd expect from the work of William Shakespeare. Matthew Needham was exceptional as the eldest brother Saturninus. Steffan Donnelly was wonderful as Bassianus. I found the scenes with them together, which was lovely to watch and engaged me throughout. William Houston is outstanding as the popular general, Titus Andronicus. His vocal delivery was incredibly powerful and makes you question why he wants to cause friction between the two brothers. Flora Spencer-Longhurst is sublime as Lavinia. The direction by Lucy Bailey was extraordinary beyond belief as staging Shakespeare's work in a traditional format is somewhat risky but it definitely engrosses the audience as expected of a production. William Dudley's design is wonderful as he has been able to construct the atmosphere of Rome to  a superb standard of finish. It's an impressive set design I must advocate. Overall I found Titus Andronicus to be a pleasing production and a production that you should go and see, even if you may have to stand in the pit. 

'The Believers' Tricycle Theatre ***

Frantic Assembly, stereotypically are one of the countries' most successful physical theatre companies, with such productions as 'Beautiful Burnout' proving to be a sublime performance. However, their current offering in London's Tricycle Theatre, 'The Believers' hasn't got the sparkle that previous productions have done. For me it's quite upsetting. The play written by Bryony Lavery invites the audience into a spooky and fighting atmosphere and it should be. Marianne and Joff, an extremely spiritual couple ask their friends and neighbours Ollie and Maud to dinner and to stay the night. They cordially accept, but they will soon regret their decision as their lives won't be the same again as Marianne and Joff’s daughter is possessed by an evil spirit and anyone in the same room affair should be warned. My advice is simply do not be alone with her as you are not safe whatsoever. The writing by Lavery was not at all thrilling and the narrative didn’t feel well written due to the company’s comprehensive movements that were incredibly executed I must admit. Throughout the performance I began to loose concentration as the apparent horrifying moments did not engage me in the slightest and I found that some of the technical work needed more refinement. ‘The Believers’ transports me to December 2013 when I saw ‘The Woman in Black’ where I again didn't find the scary elements that spine-tingling. The play was not Frantic Assembly and Bryony Lavery’s spectacular pieces of work and this saddens me immensely, especially when ‘Beautiful Burnout’ was one of the reasons I wanted to enter the phenomenal world of theatre. I thought that the performances by the whole company were vastly mediocre to be honest and a disappointment for the Olivier Award winning venue. Eileen Walsh as the slightly crazed spiritualist, Marianne was of an acceptable standard of professionalism, in particular the religious scenes and the slight suspension with the harness. Christopher Colquhoun was quite satisfactory as Marianne's husband Joff, unfortunately the dialogue wasn't that appealing and well delivered if I'm going to be frank. Penny Ladyen's portrayal as Maude was vastly adequate and Richard Mylan was reasonable as her spouse, Ollie.  I thought that the director and choreographer by Frantic's Artistic Director, Scott Graham was of a pleasing standard. Paradoxically there could've been more in depth rehearsal time and acting needed a lot more work. Jon Bauson’s design was quite appealing as it was somewhat mystical and allowed us to become intrigued by what's going on or it should have done. ‘The Believers’ was a suitable experience and the annoying schoolchildren in the auditorium made it slightly worse.

'Relative Values' Harold Pinter Theatre ****

The West End has two Noel Coward plays running at the same time with 'Blithe Spirit' playing at the Gielgud theatre and 'Relative Values' entertaining audiences at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Both productions are on par with one another. 'Relative Values' written in 1951 conveys the position of the social classes and the secrets of family. As with most Coward plays, the setting is in rural Kent, where we are introduced to Crestwell a butler and Mrs Dora Moxton "Moxie" a maid for Felicity, Countess of Marshwood are constantly arguing with each other and are presently awaiting the arrival of Nigel, Earl of Marshwood and his actress fiancée Miranda Frayle. However, there's a huge sting in the tail, Miranda is in fact Moxie's youngest sister. To solve the issue, Felicity and her nephew, the Honorable Peter Ingletton conjure up a plan and promote Moxie to companion/secretary, which upgrades her position in the social ladder. The narrative is incredibly fluid throughout and the dialogue is vastly hilarious, certainly what you expect from a Noel Coward script. It was pleasant to see immense respect that Felicity has with Dora Moxton and her lifelong devotion to her. The production reminds me of the successful ITV show 'Downton Abbey' and the juxtaposition between the upper and working classes both seem to portay the admiration of the superb work that maids and butlers contribute to their well-being. I must admit that Noel Coward never seems to disappoint in both emotional and comic moments. His work still engages audiences 50 - 60 years on and 'Relative Values' engrosses me throughout the entire performance. The performances but the whole company was wonderful and very funny. Rory Bremner's theatrical début was amazing as Crestwell, the butler, and of course he was rib-tickling especially in his lines. Caroline Quentin is outstanding as Mrs Dora Moxton and the transformation from the maid to a respectful woman of society was a personal highlight. Patricia Hodge is brilliant as Felicity, Countess of Marshwood. I particularly liked the scenes between her and Quentin as it feels like they should be secret sisters. Leigh Zimmerman was sublime as Moxie's younger sister Miranda and her comic timing was wonderful to see. The direction by the legendary Trevor Nunn was wonderful as he's been able to present a revival of Coward's to a superb standard of finish, as well as it felt that the audience reacted to it positively due to the eruption of laughing during the proceedings. Stephen Brimson- Lewis's design is beautiful as the parlour has been styled in a semicircle format and it's very captivating as both scenic art and scenic construction was phenomenal. I have to say that 'Relative Values' was an enjoyable experience and one you should purchase tickets for.

'1984' Playhouse Theatre ****

What a year is has been for the Almeida Theatre and Headlong with both ‘Chimerica’ and ‘Ghosts’ triumphing in the Olivier Awards. The West End transfer of Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan's adaptation of George Orwell's novel ‘1984’ was an intriguing and thought-provoking performance. ‘1984’ is a dystopian horror story and expresses the idea of the years passing by without anyone knowing what year it is. In addition, the world has been taken over by an evil dictator called Big Brother who has installed television screens into everyone's homes and businesses to spy on his subjects, and can't be turned off under any circumstances. I find that even though Orwell published his book on 8th June 1949, it is vastly current in today’s society with such technologies as CCTV and social media overtaking people's lives. The narrative is incredibly stylish and flowed with incredible ease due to the lighting design that complimented the productions’ clear and coherent scenic transitions. We are taken on a journey with Winston, a mid-twenties man who has been infuriated by the constant bombardment from Big Brother and tries to fight the power it has, but as we all know “Big Brother is always watching!” The play is vastly engaging and your eyes will be transfixed throughout and the themes are very present and the dialogue is exceptional. I found the scenes in a tortuous bunker Room 101 were incredibly shocking and at times slightly disturbing, especially the large amounts of fake blood that poured out. With such programs as’ Big Brother’ and ‘Room 101’, I wonder how many people understand their original contexts. The performances by the entire company were wonderfully performed and unbelievably compelling throughout. Sam Crane is outstanding as the central protagonist, Winston, who unsuccessfully battles with the not democratic world and becomes a victim in the horrific torturous Room 101, and he conveys the hanted circumstances with tenacity. Hara Yannas was brilliant as Winston's lover, Julia who is very manipulative as well as everyone else in the community. The direction by Ike and Macmillan was sublime as they've been able to capture George Orwell's political novel with wonder and suspense. Chloe Lammond and Tim Reid’s set and video designs were phenomenal, I found the scenes off the proscenium arch and staged in a filmic style allowed the performance to feel Big Brother’s wrath. It's spectacular beyond all recognition. It's a production I would recommend, all I can express to you is “Kieran J Knowles is watching you!.”

'I Can't Sing!' London Palladium *

The year 2014 hasn't exactly been a successful year for musical theatre with 'Stephen Ward' and 'From Here to Eternity' closing very early into its run, there is another production about to vacate its stage and it is Harry Hill's 'I Can't Sing!' I must advocate this performance is a disgrace to the theatre industry and wasn't worth all the fuss it created. The decision to create a musical based entirely on music and television mogul Simon Cowell and talent show 'The X Factor' was a vile subject/concept and the narrative was woeful and sickening to witness as it felt rather under rehearsed and not taken with pure heart and enjoyment, and that was from the acting company as well as the Creative Team. I thought that the plot of searching for the next music superstar seemed far too cliché and the comic elements within the dialogue was vastly lacklustre and quite frankly unfunny. At points I had the urge to leave, but decided to remain to see if the show would improve and sadly it was repulsive from beginning to end. The production was more heinous than last year’s Spice Girls musical 'Viva Forever!' The music and lyrics by Steve Brown were not captivating in all aspects of the poor performance and I found that they were not constructed with the intention to entertain an audience, but to make money, in particular Simon Cowell. Simply awful and infuriated me immensely. Every single musical number was atrocious especially "It Could Be Me", "Here Come The Judges" and "Please Simon". There definitely needed more work and passion that would've made the production more appealing. Katie Prince's choreography was sincerely appalling and looked too improvised for one’s liking. It feels that the musical was meant to make money, rather than artistic success. On the other hand, it's lost over £4 million and a major blow to Simon Cowell's ego. The performances by the company of ‘I Can’t Sing!’ were far too cheesy and is not conveyed with tenacity whatsoever. Nigel Harman's portrayal of the impresario Simon Cowell was ridiculous, in particular his facial expressions, which looks very melodramatic and his movements are far too camp! Simon Bailey was far too creepy as Liam O'Deary was a vast replica of the actual host, Dermot O'Leary. Alan Morrissey was quite woeful as the plumber, Max. The only reason why I stayed up with Cynthia Erivo as the girl searching for a music career Chenice as her vocal delivery was wonderful. The direction by Sean Foley was horrific as he seems to have not cared about the premise of performance and quite vulgar to be truthful. I was not impressed with this whatsoever and this is the real cause for concern for musical theatre. Hopefully 'The Pyjama Game' and 'Memphis' will be much better. I had a lacklustre experience here and extremely pleased it's closing early.