'King Lear' National Theatre, Olivier ****

William Shakespeare's play about the fraught relationships between fathers and daughters, ‘King Lear’ has been revived at the National Theatre, and it's cleverly considered rendition of Shakespeare's work and wonderfully directed by Sam Mendes. ‘King Lear’, originally performed and written around 1603-1606 has received such excellent casting with the likes of Simon Russell Beale and Anna Maxwell Martin. As with many of Shakespeare's scripts, we are sat in the auditorium for three hours, where we are witnessing the traumas of mental instability and the terrors that are apparent with the events of war. As well as, the performance is vastly disturbing due to the amounts of violent scenes, in particular when the Earl of Gloucester has his eyes removed by the Duke of Cornwall because of his wrong deeds towards King Lear. The audience sitting in the Olivier auditorium seemed to be extremely shocked and sickened by the realism of this ghastly scene and the use of fake blood did however look increasingly un-naturalistic which is incredibly disappointing for a National Theatre production. The combination of Shakespeare's original language interconnected with the contemporary dictatorial environment appeared to work successfully with one another as King Lear has been stereotyped as a grumpy, old fashioned father, who doesn't appreciate his youngest daughter, Cordelia’s strength by refusing to marry, which aggravates him to the point where she is disowned and exiled. The performances by the company of ‘King Lear’ were very much impressive. Simon Russell Beale portrays the central protagonist, King Lear to a sublime standard. The scene in which Lear has been mentally scarred by his daughters’ dismissal suggests that Russell Beale remains still a master of his craft. Kate Fleetwood, Olivia Vinall and Anna Maxwell Martin were exceptional as Lear’s three daughters who convey the brutality of women detesting the personality of their father to a magnificent style of characterisation. Stephen Boxer’s performance as visually impaired Gloucester is outstanding and the realism of this impairment was particularly eye-catching. Sam Mendes’ direction here is of a good standard as he has been able to respond with Shakespeare's original dialogue and enabling it to incorporate a contemporary environment left one thinking very positively. Anthony Ward’s designs encapsulates the brutality of a country at war with one another and fully forces us to think about the traumas that are stigmatised with warzone atmospheres and that family life can be one in itself.  The experience was enjoyable and pleasant one.

'The Pajama Game' Shaftesbury Theatre *****

Once again, another West End transfer from the prestigious Chichester Festival Theatre has taken residence at the Shaftesbury Theatre. This time it's Richard Eyre's production of the classic 1950's musical 'The Pajama Game', and for me it's most definitely a delightful performance and makes one engage fully throughout. 'The Pajama Game' was written by George Abbot, and adapted from Richard Bissell's novel called '7-1/2 Cents',which creatively conveys a troublesome situation within a pyjama factory where strike action is a foot as the factory employer are demanding a seven-and-a-half-cents rise as other factories and increasing workers' pay. The musical clearly establishes the females rise in the workplace as Babe is the union’s chairperson and how love can exude through tremendous difficulties as Sid, the factories new superintendent has become infatuated by Babe’s personality and appearance. The show, first performed in Broadway, in 1954 has rarely been performed in the United Kingdom, and this rendition does not disappoint as the themes are incredibly poignant today. In addition, the performance is extremely enjoyable and one that appeals to a diverse range of audiences. The narrative is vastly clear and written with such panache and Richard Adler and Jerry Ross’ music and lyrics are compelling as they engross you to see whether the workers receive their pay rise and that the love story between Babe and Sid can progress, despite differences of opinions. I found such musical numbers as “Racing with the Clock”, “Hey There (You with the Stars in your Eyes”, “Sleep Tite” and “The Pajama Game” to be such sublime pieces of musicality and it seemed that the audience agreed with me too. It's a shame that musicals today are lacking originality, as expressed in previous reviews, to get audiences in, that existing material would aid ticket sales. Can people take some responsible creative risks please! The performances by the company of ‘The Pajama Game’ were spectacular. Joanna Riding is exceptional as the head of the workers union, Babe. I particularly liked the powerful strength behind the characters’ desire for improved pay. The handsome Michael Xavier is outstanding as the “new kid on the block”, Sid. I thought that he was ever so passionate in how he loves Babe with all of his heart. Gary Wilmot is superb at Hines, who provides the humorous elements of the performance to shine through. Alexis Owen-Hobbs is wondrous as Gladys, the boss’ secretary. Claire Machin is amazing as Mabel, Sid's secretary. Richard Eyre’s direction was phenomenal as a rarely produced musical can be performed with such perfection and a performance that entertains people throughout. Stephen Mears’ choreography is stunning, as each dance was delivered with tenacity and ease, especially in “Steam Heat”. Tim Hartley's design was brilliantly designed and consistently captures the factory atmosphere. ‘The Pajama Game’ is a performance worth seeing and an experience that I enjoyed immensely.

'Stomp' Ambassadors Theatre ***

‘Stomp’, the physical theatre phenomenon has been smashing audiences in London's West End since 2002. Finally, after all this time, I have now seen it and it’s a satisfactory production indeed. However, I found the narrative of the performance was slightly limited and needed a more balanced story. But, the mixture of rhythm, percussion, visual comedy and movement was a pure delight. They show devised by Luke Creswell and Steve McNicholas, I assume  was to suggest a group of eight people, who try to create an entertaining performance that endeavours to transport an audience on a journey through sounds from daily items; such as brooms, matchboxes, litter bins, wooden poles and quite strangely the kitchen sink. Even though I found the performance to be somewhat enthralling, I did think a section of dialogue would have allowed this show to follow a clear and structured plot. Unfortunately, one did get confused, as the dramaturgical reasoning behind the story and characterisations was hardly apparent. On the other hand, the audience in the Ambassadors Theatre didn't appear to mind as there were a number of rapturous applause moments throughout the production. I did find some aspects to be somewhat amusing, especially the competition between the two women who are tempting a male with strange objects. As expressed previously I would've preferred a constructed and developed script as it's easier to follow as it felt rather disjointed. The casting by Fraser Morrison was precisely appropriate to the characters’ personas. As such the performances by the company of ‘Stomp’ were very well characterised despite the lack of a constructed narrative. The facial expressions allow the characteristics of the roles to an excellent standard of finish. Furthermore, the synchronicity of the shopping trolley section was performed and executed with tremendous panache. I could not find any faults in the slightest especially the physical contact from one trolley to another. There were hints of Foley artistry exuded throughout the production and I found this to be intriguing and a creative device indeed. The direction by ‘Stomp’s creators, Cresswell and McNicholas were of a wonderful standard and the connection between all aspects of rhythm, percussion etc. worked extremely well and initiated a theatrical atmosphere for all to witness. As it says “It speaks all languages” and successfully achieves this with gay abandon, despite a lack of narrative. If you haven't seen ‘Stomp’ if you want to simply be entertained through Physical Theatre entwined with a sense of Music Theatre. 

'Fatal Attraction' Theatre Royal, Haymarket **

The stage adaptation of the 1987 Paramount Pictures thriller, ‘Fatal Attraction’ was a play full of vast amount of disappointing moments and a real shame with such excellence and high profile casting. The play’s plot follows the same narrative of the film, but of course amendments have been made to make it a theatrical experience and the ending is staged in the exact format that was originally conceived for the film that was never seen. Set in New York City, attorney, Dan, a popular and happily married man was, whilst his wife, Beth and daughter, Ellen are away visiting a house that they're hoping to move into soon becomes Dan’s ultimate downfall.  He becomes attracted to Alexandra “Alex” Forrest, an editor for a publications company meet one another in a typical eighties bar and it'll become a moment he will regret for the rest of his existence, as he cheats on his wife, twice and makes are pregnant due to his indiscretion. This causes Dan to panic and pleads with Alex to abort the baby, but she does not want to, leading her to become psychologically obsessed with him. She constantly bombards him in any way imaginable and when Dan's family moved to Bedford, a rural town, Alex takes it upon herself to make their lives a hellish experience. Written by James Dearman, the narrative doesn't fully engage me and the flow of the performance makes me desensitised quite significantly as a scenic transitions are incredibly awful and lacks fluidity. This is not acceptable for West End theatre. Unfortunately the dialogue was extremely boring and needed much more refinement in powerful and scandalous scenes; such as the self-harming elements. However, the infamous rabbit-boiling scene did make me urge and made my jaw drop quite rapidly. The term “bunny boiler” was first used due to the film.  Thank goodness no rabbits were harmed in the performance for that matter.  The casting by Ginny Schiller and Billy Hopkins were ingenious, especially ‘Sex and the City’ star, Kristin Davis.  The performances by the company of ‘Fatal Attraction’ were quite satisfactory to be honest with you. Mark Bazeley's portrayal as Dan was not that impressive for a piece of acting as his vocal delivery was slightly amateur and I had slight troubles in hearing what he said. This is also due to the high sound levels. Natasha McElhone was spectacular as psychotic Alex. She seems to capture the spirit and personality of an extremely troubled person who will go to any lengths to obtain her prey. The self-harming and car burning scenes were spectacularly theatrical and slightly operatic, which was quite pleasant to witness. Kristin Davis was acceptable as Beth, disappointingly for such a well-known actress I was quite annoyed by her substandard characterisation and her naivety bothered me. Trevor Nunn’s direction and Robert Jones's design were vastly mediocre as the staging on the Theatre Royal, Haymarket stage was not thought of and lacked professionalism as this proscenium arch was not used to its full potential. It felt that the production was not rehearsed coherently whatsoever and it's a shame that this performance did not frighten me as it should have done.

'Circles' Tricycle Theatre ****

I have experimented with a range of theatrical venues recently, and visited the Tricycle Theatre for the second time this year. 'Circles' is written by Rachel De-lahay in 2014, and first performed at Birmingham Repertory Theatre suggests the real struggles of gang culture in council estates across the United Kingdom. Set in the rough and dilapidated outskirts of Birmingham, we are introduced to 16-year-old Malachi, who is extremely streetwise, casually makes acquaintances with 15-year-old Demi, who is comparatively different to Malachi as she dresses and speaks quite well. On the other hand, Malachi dresses in a tracksuit and his English vocabulary is atrocious. All of the scenes involving Malachi and Demi are set on a Number 11 bus. I found the narrative to be vastly intriguing as you want to see whether a romantic love story could develop, but due to the immense differences it doesn't appear likely. De-lahay also brings together Angela, who is in her thirties and recently has experienced domestic abuse from the husband has fled and taking refuge at her mother’s, Phyllis, who's in her fifties. However, their relationship is extremely fraught as Angela blames her mother for her lacklustre childhood. I was horrified by the scene where Angela forcibly makes Phyllis swallow a consumption of tablets. This suggests she has immense hatred towards the mother and how parenting can affect your outlook of life. The dialogue and narrative is wonderfully contemporary and it forces you to become aware into how you need to think about how parents treat and respect their children and vice versa. Wondrous work by De-lahay to say the very least. The performances by the company were well delivered, both comically and emotionally. Toyin Kinch was amazing as the only male character, Malachi as he makes us see how horrendous parenting can really impact on a person’s development. In this instance it's saddening to see such a streetwise child, who will probably not be that successful in adulthood. Danusia Samal is acceptable as Demi. She was very precise in the teasing moments, and how at the end she is manipulative Malachi into a death-trap. Sarah Mendez is gracious as the satisfied and abused, Angela. She was incredibly menacing in the violent scenes with her mother, played so grotesquely by Janice McKenzie. Her movements were well executed with the limp. The direction by Tessa Walker was brilliant as she has been able to direct an issue that estates are facing daily to a good standard. The performance was well constructed and an educating experience and a definite visit to the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn.

'The Silver Tassie' National Theatre, Lyttleton ****

The National Theatre, as previously mentioned is by far my favourite theatre and the revival of Sean O'Casey's fourth play 'The Silver Tassie' does not disappoint. The play explores the woeful circumstances around the First World War and the immense trauma of not being able to walk again can impact on a young man's life. The playwright himself explained, when asked about the play states "A generous handful stones, aimed indiscriminately, with the aim of breaking a few windows. I don't think it makes a good play, but it's a remarkable one." We are introduced to a quaint Irish community, who are celebrating a football victory are horrified to learn that a worldwide war has just been declared and that every male aged sixteen plus must sign up to the army and fight. The narrative is incredibly moving as we are witnessing the destruction of the community and the decline of the young soldier's mobility and his love life is dwindling. This is an issue that's very current due to the effects of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, where loss of limbs is a factor that affects soldier's recovery, mentally, physically and emotionally. I found the handsome Harry Heegan's story vastly saddening as his entire life has been overturned and destroyed as he can no longer walk and his girlfriend, before the war, Jesise Taite has moved on to someone else. This is an engaging piece of playwriting and the dialogue is impressive throughout as it pulls on the heart strings. I could feel the atmosphere in the Lyttleton auditorium change when the war scenes were being performed with grandeur. No wonder this production has proved a big success with audiences and my fellow colleagues. The performances by the company of 'The Silver Tassie' were exceptionally captivating. Ronan Raftery was excellent as the central protagonist, Harry Heegan. His vocal and movement delivery was something you should not to miss whatsoever. Jessie Walker is great as Harry's supportive and protective mother, Mrs Heegan. Aidan Kelly is frightening as the violent Terry Foran, who is left visually impaired due to the effects of war. Deidre Mullins is magnificent as Harry's former flame, Jessie Taite. I particularly like to reactions to Harry's unfortunate situation. Of course the rest of the company were wonderful too, such brilliant attention to detail from start to finish. The director for this exceptionally moving production is National Theatre regular, Howard Davies. His direction is amazing has he is being able to engage an audience with a well-known scenario and make them think. Slightly Epic and Brecht inspired I might add. Vicki Mortimer's designs are intricately detailed and wonderfully combine all setting to a sublime standard of finish. I found some of the pyrotechnics to be a wonderful addition to this interesting piece of theatre. I must advocate 'The Silver Tassie' is a gracious performance and worth saying.