'The Cripple of Inishmaan' Noel Coward Theatre ****

The Michael Grandage Company's opening season has produced two fantastic productions and the third one is just as brilliant. 'The Cripple of Inishmaan' by Martin McDonagh is about a crippled teenage boy Billy, living on the small Irish island of Inishmaan dreams for a better life for himself and when there's a film being made on another island Billy decides to leave Inishmaan to try a make a career in the movies. Billy is conveyed by the world renowned 'Harry Potter' actor Daniel Radcliffe and his performance is nothing but brilliant  as the attention to detail of the disfigured movements were superb and the Irish dialect was spoken with such clarity that I couldn't recognise the actors voice. I think that he has understood and researched his character with a high level of knowledge and portraying Billy with humour and emotion. The performances by Billy's two adopted aunties Kate Osbourne (Ingrid Craigie) and Eileen Osbourne (Gillian Hanna) were incredibly comical and the comedy from their lines seemed not too false and this added to the professionalism of this revival. As well as, I liked the protective qualities that conveyed at both the serious and comedic scenes. The fraught relationship of Johnnypateenmike (Pat Shortt) and Mammy (June Watson) were hilariously conveyed so that we could understand the stupidity of Shortt's character and the drunken persona of Watson's character. I thought that their jibes towards one another reflects on how families today still have arguments that turn out funny in the end. The company's director, Michael Grandage is a master in the art of directing as he directs this production brilliantly because I could see that he has scheduled enough rehearsal time for each of the five productions with the same level of quality. Grandage has created an emotional and amusing production that would appeal to audiences of fifteen plus and works with McDonagh's narrative with such tenacity.  In addition to this,  Grandage and the set and costume designer Christopher Oram seemed to have worked with one another amazingly well and Oram's vision of creating a small Irish island and a small community on what I assume to be on a low budget and on the West End stage was nothing more than extraordinary.  I think the saying three is a magic number can be identified with this production and I do hope that the forth production in the season ' A Midsummer Night's Dream' wll be on par to this one.

'A Season in the Congo' Young Vic ****

The Young Vic's production of Aimé Césaire's play 'A Season in the Congo' is a show to be seen this summer. The acting by Chiwetel Ejiofor as the Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumber was superb as he portrayed a character dealing with a dictatorship from the Belgian government with such sincerity that I found this to be highly emotive and poignant at points throughout the play. I thought that the work and performance by Kabongo Tshiense as Likembe Player was extraordinary as he spoke in the native Congolese language throughout the entire production which makes me understand how much time he has taken to fully embody this character to the highest quality possible. Absolutely wonderful to witness and his character exuded comedy throughout his performance.  I thought that the performances by all the company were superb and highly believable especially English actors portraying Congolese people.  In addition I found the use of puppetry to convey the government figures in a grotesque way was highly amusing as I was able to understand the playwrights political context that he was trying to convey even further. I liked this feature very much and the wonderful work by the company's Puppet Director Sarah Wright and beautifully crafted by Lyndie Wright, Julia Jeulin and Rebekah Wild. The directing by Joe Wright was out of this world as he ensured that he captured the essence of the Congolese way of life throughout the difficult decade and I think that his research trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo was inspired. I liked how he worked with the unconventional Young Vic proscenium arch format and the design by Lizzie Clachan was very intriguing as I was sitting on an actual outdoor seat rather than a general theatre seat.  I liked the simplicity of the set but also the high edge detailing of the insight I received of how Congo was like during their struggle of freedom. Black Theatre has definitely found its place this summer in on and off West End theatre work.   

'The Amen Corner' National Theatre, Olivier ****

'The Amen Corner' is a masterpiece of creativity and definitely suggests and shows how Black Theatre has progressed over the past five to ten years. The performances by the company were impressive to say the very least. Marianne Jean-Baptiste's interpretation of Margaret Alexander was outstanding as she has worked so technically on the characters personal journey from running away from her ex husband and turning to the church as a sanctuary to change her own life and others in the slums of Harlem, New York. In addition to this, the other two leading female characters Odessa played by Sharon D Clarke and Ida Jackson performed by Naana Agyei-Ampadu were superb as you could see the passion the characters have for their community and religion. I think that Rufus Norris' direction from James Baldwin's 1954 play was brilliant as I could see the religious and racial issues exuding through the very good dialogue that Baldwin wrote nearly sixty years ago. I was pleased with Norris' work on this production. I particularly liked how Set Designer Ian MacNeil has worked with the Olivier Amphitheatre format through the use of levels where the church is positioned directly in level with the circle and the basement apartment in line with the stalls. This was a superb creative decision and choice to make as the Olivier poses a difficult challenge. The musicians Tim Sutton, Bryon Wallen and Joseph Roberts were brilliant throughout the production as they entwined the gospel attributes of  to the jazz Harlem social background.  I found aspects of the play to be highly emotive and highly amusing especially the performances by the three female leads.  I liked my experience at 'The Amen Corner' and I would recommend it to you.

'Sweet Bird of Youth' The Old Vic ***

The Old Vic production of Tennessee Williams' 1959 play 'Sweet Bird of Youth' was a satisfactory production to have witnessed. The performances by world renowned actress Kim Cattrall as the Princess Kosmonopolis and up and coming actor Seth Numrich as Chance Wayne were conveyed with sincerity through their understanding of the characters they were conveying where Kosmonopoilis hired Chance Wayne to be her personal servant come escort who takes pleasure in seducing him. Not far from the role that made Cattrall famous as Samantha Jones in 'Sex and the City'. I found the humour through the dark comedy but I thought that the narrative could have been more thorough as it felt often confusing due to conflicting themes such as romance and segregation. However I thought that Olivier Award winner Marianne Elliot's direction for the play was superb but not on par to her previous productions 'Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime' and 'Port'.  I think that she could could understand Williams' vision of the production with such ease and fluidity.  I became intrigued  to know that James Graham was asked to be the Dramaturg to improve certain aspects of the script e.g. the strange dialogue and working closely with Elliot's direction. He has done a very good job with this production. Rae Smith's design of 'Sweet Bird of Youth' was inspired as I became enthralled by the unusual concept as to why he and Elliot wanted to extend the Old Vic's proscenium arch for this specific production and this worked particularly well for this revival of 'Sweet Bird of Youth'. I really liked the use of fight work throughout the proceedings to depict such matters of segregation and sexually transmitted diseases. The work by Fight Director Katie Waters and Bruno Poet's lighting co-existed with one another with clarity due to the dreary themes that Williams originally wrote in 1959.  I think that the Producers and the Programming team for this production have chosen an intriguing but quite eccentric play to stage for the summer season but an experience that I enjoyed immensely.

'The Bodyguard: The Musical' Adelphi Theatre ****

There have been many stage musical adaptations of popular films recently and I can say that the stage adaptation of 1992 film 'The Bodyguard' was a brilliant piece of theatre indeed. The lead role Rachel Maron, played by the excellent Heather Hedley was highly emotive indeed and I found that she captured how Whitney Houston played Rachel but of course she added her own unique style and poise to the role. The relationship between Rachel Maron and her bodyguard Frank Farmer, played so tenderly by Lloyd Owen were terrific and you could believe the romance by them throughout all sensual scenes. In addition to Lloyd Owen's superb portrayal I thought that the collaboration between him and Joshua-James Thoma (Fletcher) was so beautifully acted that I became quite touched by this and this made me relate to the relationship I have with my own father. Thea Sharrock's directing was exceptionally pleasing as I was able to understand her on vision for the theatrical stage. The choreography from Portuguese choreographer Arthur Pita was created with such precision but also organic shows the level of good this musical actually is. The work by Chris Egan, the Orchestrator and Musical Arranger and Mike Dixon, Musical Supervisor and Vocals Arranger were of a high standard of finish as the detail of the music and vocals were presented highly by the orchestra and the company. The set and costume design by Tim Hatley were exceptionally thought about and designed with how 'The Bodyguard' could be worked on the West End stage. The costumes were dramatugically accurate to the 1990's time period. I enjoyed the production of 'The Bodyguard: The Musical' immensely.    

'Private Lives' Gielgud Theatre ****

The Chichester Festival Theatre never ceases to amaze me with such productions as 'Kiss Me, Kate', 'Sweeney Todd: The Musical' and 'Singin' in the Rain' proving such successes in the West End and the transfer of Noel Coward's 1930 comedy 'Private Lives' is as good as them. The comedic performances by Toby Stephens, who plays Elyot Chase and Anna Chancellor, who plays Amanda Prynne were superb through the use of Noel Coward's legendary words and I particularly loved the idea of when the two ex counterparts argue they quickly resolve the issue by the drinking of alcohol and romancing. The two roles were played with such tenacity that I believed every ounce that they spoke. The two supporting roles of Victor Prynne (Anthony Calf) and Sibyl Chase (Anna-Louise Plowman) were just as convincing and on par with Stephens and Chancellor. The Casting Director, Gabrielle Dawes has done a grand job with these wondrous decisions. i found Jonathan Kent's ingenious direction for the whole production  to have been with such understanding of Coward's text  especially the use of violence, which back in the 1930's when the theatre's official censor, the Lord Chamberlain was still around at the time that 'Private Lives' was first staged. Even thought this was an occurrence the reader George Street found it difficult to censor large proportions of the original play script due to its comic values. The set and costume design by Anthony Ward was absolutely terrific as it conveyed the time that the play is set with such a luxurious vision of glamour and wealth. The lighting design by Mark Henderson and sound design by Paul Groothuis depicted the fraught atmosphere that surrounded the performances by the company. I had a really interesting time seeing a highly amusing play that if you want to see a hilariously funny show this summer then this is the production for you.        

'Merrily We Roll Along' Harold Pinter Theatre *****

What can I say about the Menier Chocolate Factory West End transfer of Stephen Sondheim's and George Furth's musical 'Merrily We Roll Along'? All I can say is that I found the whole experience to be one of such wonder and enjoyment. When 'Merrily We Roll Along' was first staged in 1981 it became one of Broadway's most notorious flops by only lasting for sixteen performances but now in 2013 at the Harold Pinter Theatre it has become a triumphant reinvention. Maria Friedman's direction was outstanding  as I was able to understand her vision for the show to symbolise how friendships are incredibly and her own personal experience, when she performed as Mary in the 1992 production shines through the characters. The three lead roles of Frankie, Mary and Charley, portrayed by Mark Umbers, Jenna Russell and Damian Humbley were conveyed so delicately that I became enthralled by the friends arguments over Frankie's success in the 1970's film industry.  The backwards timeline showed how film producers have no originality whatsoever and this is how the theatre industry today is reflected through musical adaptations of popular films. The choreography, beautifully crafted by Tim Jackson  fitted in exceptionally well within Friedman's vision. I especially enjoyed the scene in The Downtown Club where you could see the originality of Charley, Frankie and Beth's (Clare Foster)  artistic collaboration through incredible dance sequences. Every single production value were on par to the acting and directing. You should see this before the end of July as it closes at the end of July. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at 'Merrily We Roll Along' and I recommend you go and see it.