'Nell Gwynn' Apollo Theatre ****

Nell Gwynn is world renowned for being the very first professional female actor in the United Kingdom, moreover to witness a play that presents this iconic moment in British Theatre was exceedingly welcoming indeed. The West End transfer of Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of Jessica Swales’s 2013 play, ‘Nell Gwynn’ was such an ambrosial depiction of how this woman  fought against a highly prejudice and sexist Britain, additionally, the performances were outstanding throughout.

‘Nell Gwynn’ is set in the 1600’s where we are introduced to Nell Gwynn who is heard heckling by actor, Charles Hart outside of the playhouse where he decides to train her as an actress which was revolutionary as women were not allowed to perform professionally, furthermore the two form a relationship.  When King Charles II bequests that women can act on stage and as such Nell becomes a member of the King’s Company with the full support of playwright, John Dryden (Nicholas Shaw) and director, Thomas Killgrew (Michael Garner), on the contrary, Edward Kynaston (Greg Haiste) disapproves most strongly as he has previously played the female parts. Throughout the performance, King Charles II seems to make more than a few appearances at the playhouse as he has become fascinated in Nell’s charms and her acting abilities, on the other hand, King Charles II is already married to Queen Catherine (Sarah Woodward) and has two mistresses, Lady Castlemaine and Louise de Keroualle (Sasha Waddell) so he is exceedingly sleazy and a cheater. However, Nell does not seem to mind about this and she decides to break up with Charles Hart. Tension builds as Nell becomes threatened by Lady Castlemaine and Charles’ chief minister, Lord Arlington (David Rintoul) who declares that she must choose between King Charles II or the theatre and from this a brutal attack on Nell’s sister, Rose (Anneika Rose) occurs which has been set up by Arlington.  Rose is not thrilled by her sister’s new attitude and her lack of communication to her and their mother, Ma Gwynn, in addition to this; she’s not impressed that Nell is not proud of her background.  When Nell is informed of her mother’s death which Rose quarrels with her due to the fact that she didn’t bother to say goodbye to her. There are further developments as the Exclusion Bill has been dilapidated where Arlington has been appointed as the Royal dog-walker and King Charles II and Nell are more content than ever. Nonetheless, as King Charles II experiences a stroke and unfortunately his health deteriorates and as such; he dies and Nell is not allowed to be by his bedside. At the finale, Nell makes a sensible choice to return to the King’s Company on a full-time basis where she makes it up with Charles Hart and performs in Dryden’s, ‘Tyrannick Love’ and because she is out of the acting loop, she offers her role to Kynaston.  Swale’s narrative is stupendous as there is such an in-depth into how the very first female professional actor who from an un-privileged background became one of King Charles II mistresses who in actual fact he really loved and would do anything for her. 

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Nell Gwynn’ to be so undefeated as there is an enormous amount of joyful energy that has been infused in capturing the emotions and humour that is required for a piece such as this one. Gemma Arterton is resplendent as central protagonist, Nell Gwynn; especially how we see the transformation from someone who is from a working class background to being a famous actor and the King’s mistress, moreover, what makes me loose sympathy is that she turns her back on a man who actually found here and made her famous and her refusal to see her mother is quite appalling. David Sturzaker is magnificent as cringe worthy King Charles II; especially how disrespectful he comes across to not only his wife and two fellow mistresses, then again, you can see that Nell is the woman of whom he really wants to be with but  due to certain circumstances it looks like it won’t happen.  Jay Taylor is impressive as King’s Company lead actor, Charles Hart; predominantly how at the beginning he sees something quite special about Nell and what she can offer to the theatre industry, nevertheless, you can see that he is vastly upset by Nell’s betrayal as he feels hurt that he has given her everything and what does she do, she turns her back on him. 

Christopher Luscombe’s direction is first-rate here as he has presented an accomplished performance that highlights a pivotal moment in not only British Theatre but women’s liberation as the woman was able to perform in a famous theatrical venue without any repercussions whatsoever which was a triumph. Hugh Durrant’s design is opulent as we care transported to the 1600’s immediately and the costumes were out of the world and highly realistic to the time and stunning also, as well as, the scenic art and construction were heavenly and are a credit to the wonderful practitioners that are scenic artists and constructors. Overall, the experience of, ‘Nell Gwynn’ to be such an energising and thought-provoking tale of how Nell Gywnn fought against austerity and prejudice in a male dominated society.

'Hand to God' Vaudeville Theatre ***

There are some theatre shows that have had to close unfortunately because of mediocre ticket sales and this is morbid when the production is actually very funny and where rude humour comes from puppetry and a decent plot. The West End production of Robert Askins’ play, ‘Hand to God’ which received massive success Off-Broadway and on-Broadway was a pleasant and very amusing show about how Christianity can be a little possessive via a puppet, in addition to this, the interpretations were adequately depicted.

‘Hand to God’ is set in Cypress, Texas where we are familiarised to a heavily devout Christianity community where Margery who has just became a widow recently has been asked by the local pastor, Pastor Greg (Neil Pearson) to run a puppet club which is being used to teach children and teenagers on how to follow the Bible. The three teenagers who attend the club are Margery’s son, Jason, Jessica the girl who lives next door and Timmy (Kevin Mains), the troublemaker whose mother is going to AA. Over the course of the performance, Jason’s puppet, Tyronne begins to cause problems; especially with sleeping and his constant outbursts are making it hard for Jason to form relationships such as with Jessica who Jason has got a massive crush on. Jason and Margery’s mother-son relationship is somewhat fraught due to the fact that it is because of the death of Jason’s father and when he doesn’t want to go to the puppetry class, she doesn’t want to listen to him and when he pulls the head off of his puppet, his mother angrily kicks him out of the car despite the fact that he is exceedingly apologetic. Margery appears to have two people vying for her affections, Timothy and Pastor Greg and as she is dealing with a lot of stress at home rejects both of their advances and as a result of none of their student’s not dropping in, she smashes up the classroom and when Timothy shows up they have strange and berserk sexual intercourse.  Tyronne who has been repaired is not impressed with Jason is determined to hurt him and states that he should inform everyone at the church and from this Tyronne torments Timothy and makes some crude remarks to Jason so that things become awkward for Jessica and Jason. When Timothy brings up that he had sex with Jason’s mother and as such he strikes Timothy and bites his ear off. Throughout the performance, Jason has been locked into the basement and Tyronne with the assistance of Jason, the room has been completely ransacked and made into some sort of hell. When Pastor Greg finds Margery and Timothy having sex, he is adamant that he will be going to the police. Jason realises that he has been supressing so much anger so he scream at his mother as he thinks she is responsible for his father’s death and things come to a head when Tyronne tries to kill him for being increasingly unthankful. However, Jason tries to break away from Tyronne’s clutches, he ends up hammering his own hand and with this Tyronne’s practically deceased and at the finale, Tyronne makes one final appearance mocks the audience with a devilish expression and then he bids a long awaited goodbye. Askins’s narrative is really rib-tickling as combining puppetry and the comedic dialogue with extremely strong language reminds me of a rude version of ‘Punch and Judy’ with a bit of ‘South Park’ thrown in and making a mockery of Christianity may be controversial but it may be slightly factual. 

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Hand to God’ to be famously groovy as there is such a fluidity through quite demanding fight sequences and the American diction were credible and this works with the side-splitting moments.  Harry Melling is awesome as troubled teen and wicked puppet, Jason/Tyronne;  in particular how we see that how the puppet Tronne has made it impossible for Jason to be fully himself and it has caused Jason to being isolated when it comes to his feelings towards Jessica and his rage at his mother shows how vulnerable he his. Janie Dee is nifty as Jason’s mother, Margery; mainly due to the fact that how her grieving process is making her do some pretty stupid things like having sex with a teenage boy and violently ripping up the church’s Bible as she thinks that her loyal God should have done much more to help her situation and how she is treating her son is rather despicable and not that nice.  Jemima Rooper is okay as Jason’s hope to be girlfriend, Jessica;  largely how their little private scene in the playground where they are on the swings shows how teenagers come to find their feelings for either girls or boys and this actually captures the realism in the show where the rest of it a little bit bonkers. 

Moritz Von Stuplepnagel’s direction is dandy here as he has been able to give us an insight into how someone’s death can really affect people’s relationships where they are blaming each other for the deceased passing, furthermore, the work with the puppetry to establish the fact that Tyronne is the demented being suggests that people are questioning their beliefs in the Christian faith. Beowulf Borit’s set design and Sydney Maresca’s costume designs are amazing as we have been transported to the Texan locality where the transition of such places has been handled with such panache and the costumes reflect the times of the characters. Plus, the scenic art and scenic construction are out of this world and work to communicate the humour to the whole proceedings. Overall, the experience of, ‘Hand to God’ was a delightful play and it is a shame that it has to close weeks before it’s expected closing date but then again that is theatre at times. 

'Reasons to be Happy' Hampstead Theatre ****

We all crave to be happy in our lives, nevertheless, there are extenuating circumstances where delirium can be conflicting when it comes to relationships and parenting. The Hampstead Theatre’s production of Neil Labute’s current play, ‘Reasons to be Happy’ which is a follow up to his 2013 play, ‘Reasons to be Pretty’ was a distinctively written piece that truly conveys about getting older, romance, friendships and most significantly people who do not know about what to do, as well as, the performances were swell throughout.

‘Reasons to be Happy’ is set in an incognito city in the US where we’re habituated with Greg, Steph, Carly and Kent who some years later have gone through a strange period when it comes to their relationship status. Greg who split up with Steph three years before is seeing Carly and Kent and Carly who were once joined in holy matrimony have a child together are now divorced. When Greg and Steph are suddenly reunited, they establish an understanding that they still have feelings for each other and embark on a sordid affair, be that as it may, what is most disturbing is that Greg is in fact a friend of Kent’s so an abundant amount of deception is at bay here. We can see that Kent does not think too highly of himself, on the other hand, he does come across too moody and he feels too apologetic for himself so we lose some sympathy towards him. Throughout the show, Greg and Steph have to retain their secret meetings; as such, when they try to have a date at a restaurant, they’re extremely concerned  that they’ll be caught by someone who knows Kent and Carly, however, they muster up the courage to bite the bull be the horns and venture inside.  There’s a lot of conflict that arises between Kent and Carly which is because of the welfare of their child and due to the fact that they work at the same place of work, tension is rife. Greg asks Steph to see him at work, which is a teacher soon to be a university lecturer informs Steph that he has been offered a job in New York City and asks Steph to join him. Of course Steph is a little startled by Greg’s news; nonetheless, she thinks it may be an opportunity for her to not refuse.  Things get a bit too much for Kent when he breaks down in tears to Greg as he has had enough of how Carly has been treating him over their child also how badly work is going as of late. Over the course of the performance, we see a different side to Greg who we learn that he is a sex addict and quite frankly enormously deluded as it is understood that he has had a relationship with Carly and he invites her to New York City too. Noticeably, both women are flabbergasted by Greg’s plans, thankfully for Steph, Carly declines Greg’s offer and wants nothing to do with him anymore. At the finale, emotions are running high as Steph makes a decision that it’s best for Greg to move to New York City on his own and learn about himself before she moves over there with him. Labute’s narrative is excellent as we are given such an in-depth insight into a strange combination of relationships and the struggle of being in love that is so out of reach that the ultimate conclusion is that it might be the best solution for them to be a part.

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Reasons to be Happy’ to be fantastically portrayed as they captured the raw emotions and the constant niggles which are rather huge and this is done through convincing dialogue. Tom Burke is remarkable as Greg; especially how we see that he has so many problems with really comprehending how he sees relationships i.e. with Carly and Steph; moreover, he does appear to show that he has a real fondness for Steph compared to his feelings for Carly. Lauren O’Neil is brilliant as Greg’s love-interest, Steph; principally how we can see that even though she is having some form of an thing with Greg but she doesn’t want to upset Kent’s feelings, yet, we can see that she is besotted by Greg and that when he somewhat betrays her you can still see the love in her eyes. Robyn Addison is towering as Kent’s ex-wife, Carly; particularly how repulsed she is when she even sets her sights on Kent, but, what is most irritating as her attitude towards the situation that is their child as we know that Kent completely loves his child and that she’s upsetting him and that is not fair whatsoever. Warren Brown is stately as down on his luck, Kent; expressly where we see him not being afraid to show his emotions such as crying because his life is going through a really rough patch and that is because of his ex-spouse who is refusing to allow him to see his child and that is not helping his situation.

Michael Attenborough’s direction is majestic here as he has been able to bring into focus how relationships can be attracted together and in some scenarios can be forced apart and this is what life is a part, and that it is a learning process. Furthermore, the characterisations were fully defined as we can see how the funny and heart-wrenching moments are brought together in such a striking manner. Soutra Gilmour’s design is crackerjack as the stage revolve shows each place in the show to a wondrous fashion and the scenic art and construction are resplendent because the minor details are just great and of course Oliver Fenwick’s lighting design suggests the dark that is lying underneath each character’s journey. Overall, the experience of, ‘Reasons to be Happy’ was an consequential production that encapsulated the whole range of relationship traumas and turmoil such as being a sex addict and the duplicity of friendships. 

'Don't Sleep There Are Snakes' Park Theatre **

The Pirahã was and remains a distant tribe in the Amazonian jungle where their language has never been understood by someone outside of their tribe, but when Daniel Everett, a linguist and missionary is ordered to venture out to the jungle where he has to learn their language and revert their religion to Christianity. The Park Theatre’s production of Sebastian Armesto and Dudley Hinton’s, ‘Don’t Sleep There Are Snakes’ was such a monotonous and desensitising production that did not have any promise in the slightest.

‘Don’t Sleep There Are Snakes’ is obviously set in the Amazonian jungle where we are introduced tp Daniel Everett who is sent to a really off the beaten track part of Brazil but along the way he goes through a journey of self-evaluation where instead of converting the Pirahã tribe to Christianity, he wants to see how the tribe perceive their language as in actual fact a lack of grammar as their need for vocabulary is rather limited. Over the course of the performance, we learn how Dan has to adapt to the Pirahã environment and why language is different to other cultures that does not fit to the “norm”, on the contrary, throughout, you can see that the tribe are keen to learn something new but it does take some time for the information to pass through their brains due to the fact they have no notions of what numbers are. It’s blatantly obvious that Dan has a battle on his hands as his boss is pressurising him for results, yet, it doesn’t seem to be going in the way that she is hoping for as progress is not on the horizon. Problems arise in this journey for Dan as when he and the rest of the Pirahã are asleep one member of the tribe has a nightmare but because of the lack of vocabulary, they think that snakes are fighting them; nonetheless, Dan is adamant that it is a dream and that snakes are not hurting them.  Dan begins to fully appreciate what the Pirahã have to offer the world and this is reciprocated by the tribe themselves and is now welcome with open arms. However, when his boss orders him to return home as his mission has been unsuccessful in their viewpoint and sadly for Dan who really doesn’t want to go decides to record a farewell message to his newly found friends. At the finale, the Pirahã tribe listen to Dan’s goodbye recording, and understandably they are unaware to what he is actually saying which is quite a sad moment as he hasn’t had the opportunity  to tell them that he has had to leave them. Armesto and Hinton’s narrative is disappointing as the premise at first proves a lot of promise, but the constant changes of characters does alter my liking of the plot as there is only one justifiable character and the themes of language is lost due to it.

One found the performances by the company of, ‘Don’t Sleep There Are Snakes’ were substandard and slightly ghastly as the ensemble of, Christopher Doyle, Rachel Handshaw, Yuriri Naka, Emily Pennant-Rea and Clifford Samuel makes a discombobulated effort in the transitions of their characters do not work and to be honest pretty rubbish. Mark Arends is conventional as missionary, Dan Everett; specifically how he begins his journey with one goal, on the other hand, he changes his opinion  where he stands up to his boss for not having any level of humanity and slams her for her blinkered approach to the work that they have to undertake.

Sebastian Armesto, Hannah Emanuel and Dudley Hinton’s direction is pretty transparent here as the whole show appears to be quite a jumbled tale of Daniel Everett’s journey to the Pirahã tribe, furthermore, the portrayals of the characters left a lot to be looked-for and I became bored for the most part of the 90 minute performance. The design was minimal and lacklustre as there was not one single redeeming feature because I was not engrossed into the Amazonian landscape and the other locations that are present in the show and this is rather inadequate for a production at the Park Theatre. Overall, the experience of, ‘Don’t Sleep There Are Snakes’ was not a very enjoyable play and this is quite surprising for a performance that has been created by, ‘simple8’ and I must admit I wanted to leave.