'A Taste of Honey' National Theatre, Lyttleton ***

 The National Theatre’s revival of Shelagh Delaney's 1959 play ‘A Taste of Honey’ was not as thrilling as I anticipated. Written in the time when the kitchen sink dramas were being allowed to be performed on stages across the United Kingdom, especially John Osborne's ‘Look Back in Anger’, which the iron was used onstage for the very first time. ‘A Taste of Honey’ explains the pressure of working-class life in the north of England, in a country that's it is recovering after the Second World War and post rationing. We are introduced to Helen and her teenage daughter, Josephine, who due to a lack of money have had to move into one bedroom flat that has seen better days and re-evaluate their lives. However when Helen's toy boy boyfriend, Peter arrives on the scene, it seems that Helen only cares about herself and abandons her only child to live in luxury, surrounded with and an array of money. Unfortunately the narrative and the flow from one scene to another lacks quite a lot of energy and I became slightly bored at moments. This is very disappointing as the National Theatre is my favourite theatre and the work produced within the building on the South Bank is normally exceptional, but that this production wasn't particularly enthralling. The play was written by a nineteen year old, who did not have much theatrical knowledge and to be truthful I can see where this is apparent and why the dialogue lacks finesse and raw entertainment value. Quite appalling! The performances by the company of ‘A Taste of Honey’ were of a satisfactory level of precision and the characterisation was pretty lacklustre. I found that Lesley Sharp’s portrayal of the inconsiderate mother, Helen needed more emotion, especially in the arguments she has with her daughter and her daughter’s friend. She certainly didn't live up to the hype that was included into the marketing of the play. Kate O’Flynn is acceptable as the teenager Josephine, who becomes pregnant by a black sailor, and at the time it was a shameful action. Dean Lennox Kelly is good as Helen is rich boyfriend/husband Peter. I thought that when the character has his drunken moment his movements were wonderfully executed. Eric Kofi Abrefa and Harry Hepple were agreeable as Josephine’s partners Jimmy and Geoffrey. The direction by Bijan Sheibani was not that fantastic as the Lyttelton stage wasn't used to its full potential and I found Hildegard Betchler’s set design looked too amateur inspired, so I was quite aggravated by this shameful production.

'Other Desert Cities' The Old Vic ****

Families are very difficult things to come by, and the Wyeth family is one of those types, as well as the in the round transformation of The Old Vic was particularly astonishing. ‘Other Desert Cities’, written by the creator of former American television drama ‘Brothers and Sisters’, John Robin Baitz suggests the troublesome circumstances that can occur within a secretive one. The play originally performed on Broadway a couple of years ago opens with former actor, now politician Lyman Wyeth and his arrogant and somewhat emotionless wife Polly on Christmas Eve, Palm Springs, along with their two adult children Brooke a novelist, and Trip, a television producer are always arguing with one another. The conflict in this instance is when Brooke has written a novel that clearly conveys Polly and Lyman's eldest son's suicide and the reasons behind this. The parents are stunned and dismayed by the novel’s concept and pleads with their daughter to not publish the book until they pass away. However, Brooke disagrees but there is a huge secret that their parents are hiding. Robin-Baitz’s narrative is vastly compelling; unfortunately the first act was not as appealing as the second act was. I found that Polly’s sister Silda Grauman, a recovering alcoholic suggests the slight sibling rivalry that can arise, which is a realistic account to the conflicts that can occur in actual life. The writing of families seems a regular female Robin Baitz's work and one that's incredibly moving especially the mother daughter relationship of Polly and Brooke as to which their love for one another feels quite awkward in an array of scenes. I thought that the characterisation and performances by the company were wonderful and encapsulated the playwright’s dialogue with heart and ease. Sinead Cusack is outstanding as the unresponsive mother/wife Polly who become extremely distant with Brooke’s decision to publish a book that could decrease her position in society. Martha Pimpton is sublime as the daughter, Brooke, who is trying to improve her mental stability after a stint in rehab. Peter Egan is wonderful as the father Lyman, in particular his somewhat approval to his children's life choices. Daniel Lapain is excellent as the unknowing son/brother trip and Claire Higgins is brilliant as Polly’s down on her luck sister Silda. The direction by Lindsay Posner was gracious throughout as the challenge of directing and in the round performance has been achieved amicably well and interrogates the family environment with brilliance. Moreover, his collaboration with designer Robert Innes Hopkins was superb as the Palm Springs home as being constructed with tenacity. Overall I thought that ‘Other Desert Cities’ was a good production overall and one you should see before it closes.

'Another County' Trafalgar Studios 1 ***

Another production from the exceptional Chichester Festival Theatre is now embracing its run in the West End, and this time its Julian Mitchell’s 1981 play ‘Another Country’. Unfortunately, this performance didn't live up to my high expectations as you'd be expecting from such a brilliant festival, that has brought such productions as ‘The Winslow Boy’, ‘Kiss Me, Kate’,  ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’ onto West End stages for the last couple of years . ‘Another Country’ explains the ruthlessness of public schooling and the pressures of being homosexual in a country that finds it positively sickening, as well as attempting to fight for equality in all areas of society. The play begins with a traditional military number due to the fact the setting is in 1930s Britain and performed by the all-male company, which appears to be the sign of a war zone environment. Once this has been conducted, the production makes its way into the public school that has been sculpted from Eton and Winchester influences. However, for me, the narrative and flow of the performance wasn't particularly enthralling in the first act but it improves ever so slightly in the second act where the play seems to flourish, especially when we see the strains of Bennett’s open approach to sexuality and the violent punishment he has had to suffer because of this illegal act. What did frustrate me during the performance were the woeful scene transitions and the backstage noise that soon became increasingly noticeable and incredibly loud. This is seriously appalling for a West End production and for Trafalgar Studios 1. Paradoxically, the performances were impressive throughout and this made me more comfortable in realising that this revival was performed as part of Chichester Festival Theatre last summer. Rob Calendar is remarkable as the central protagonist, Bennett as he conveys a passionate and flamboyant sense of ease and a sense of comic immaturity. Will Attenborough is exceptionally gripping as the highly intellectual school runt, Tommy Judd who reads 'Das Kapital' under his duvet covers. I became quite moved when he kindly tucks in a homesick boy and kisses him on the head to help him through his intense homesickness. A special instance within this production. I found Julian Wadham’s portrayal as the visiting lecturer, Vaughan Cunningham to be quite engaging and amusing, in particularly when he pretentiously shows off in front of the schoolboys. The other actors were as impressive too. Jeremy Herrin’s direction for ‘Another Country’ was of an acceptable standard as he has meticulously approached Mitchell’s script with style and elegance and inevitably wants me to be state “I'm proud to be homosexual”. Peter McIntosh's design was very good too as he has been able to construct a public school in the way that we can all feel an appreciation into the stressful time that was the 1930s. Even though the production had quite a few mistakes, such as this scenic transitions, it was still and agreeable performance.

'Let The Right One In' Apollo Theatre *****

The sold-out Royal Court production of Jack Thorne’s theatrical adaptation ‘Let The Right One In’ is a welcomed addition to the West End and a spectacular one to reopen the Apollo Theatre with. The play originally produced by the National Theatre of Scotland that tells the story of a bullied schoolboy, Oskar, who is going through his puberty period, spontaneously encounters a girl which soon changes his life forever. Within the area that Oskar lives, a considerable amount of people have been maliciously murdered by a serial killer, that soon unleashes a comprehensive police investigation into the murderers. Instead of keeping with John Ajvide Lindqvist's Swedish background, it has been successfully relocated to a snowy Scottish forest and allows us to become enthralled by the beautiful set on the proscenium arch. The concept is horrific from the very beginning when one of the victims is trussed upside down with blood pouring out over the snowy surface. Furthermore, the play does not sympathise with the police investigation, and makes it extremely difficult to discover who the slayer is. Oskar’s life is particularly depressing as he constantly is the subject to bullying and his parents are quite dysfunctional, his mum is a frequent drinker and his father seems rather distant. This endeavours to create an emotional moment, which becomes a frequent occurrence throughout the performance. The girl who Oskar makes acquaintances with, Eli is a challenge as she is in fact a vampire and obviously only drinks blood for sustenance. In addition this is probably Oskar’s only chance for some kind of relationship. I found that Chakine Yavroyan's lighting design and Gareth Fry’s sound design added a chilling layer to the production, especially when Eli’s vampire personality traits become apparent. The acting by the entire company are sublime in every scene. Martin Quinn is amazing as the boy hoping for better life prospects Oskar. Rebecca Benson is wonderful as the vampire girl Eli. Gary Mackay and Susan Vilder are great as Oskar’s parents and Graeme Dalling is superb as the vile bully, Jonny. I thought that John Tiffany's direction and Steven Hoggett’s movement work are spectacular and the work is particularly captivating and will make you laugh and cry. What can I say about Christine James's design? It's a design of pure splendour and horror. The experience of ‘Let The Right One In’ was a frightening one and a play that you should purchase tickets for. 

'A View from the Bridge' Young Vic *****

I have seen a variety of plays and musicals already this year, and without  a shadow of a doubt the Young Vic’s interpretation of Arthur Miller’s 1955 play, ‘A View from the Bridge’ is the standout production of them all. Even though I have never witnessed one of  Miller's plays until tonight, without seeing previous performances of his plays I instantly felt that it was a brilliant and entertaining representation of the playwright's work. The play is set in Brooklyn's Italian-American neighbourhood; however, instead of having an elaborate set, it has been uniquely staged as a naked thrust, which uses minimalistic set, which can feel rather clinical, however despite this it still engages you throughout . As well as this ,all actors perform barefoot  The narrative explores the idea of, betrayal, family, honour and obsession. Through narration by the lawyer, Alfieri we are taken on a journey to see the effect that obsession can impact on a man's life . Eddie a middle-aged family man and has an obsessive relationship with his seventeen year old niece, who he's been looking after since her mother passed away. He becomes erratic when his wife's cousins arrive illegally from Italy, and when Catherine, his niece, decides to be romantically involved with Rodolpho, trouble begins for everyone connected with Eddie. It's a spectacular revival for such a well-respected piece of playwriting and the ending is exceptionally moving and it is such moments that will remain in my memory for the rest of my life. It's worth a visit to the Young Vic. The acting by the entire company is exquisite and fully encapsulates the struggles of Italian-American life. Mark Strong is extraordinary as the central character, Eddie. Nicole Walker is wonderful as Eddie’s frustrated wife Beatrice. Phoebe Fox is amazing as the mollycoddled niece, Catherine, Emun Elliot and Luke Norris are spectacular as the immigrants, Marco and Rodolpho the two actors. Matthew Gould is sensational as the lawyer/narrator, Alfieri. Ivo van Hove's direction is simply phenomenal as he has been able to reinterpret Millers’s text out of the naturalistic style and present it as a piece of theatre that will engage you in a variety of ways. I found Jan Versweyveld's design to be a work of pure splendor and something I haven't seen before. What an outstanding production and I have to say an excellent experience all round.

'A Small Family Business' National Theatre, Olivier ***

Family businesses, no matter how big or small do you pose a challenge with the dynamics, especially when corruption is incredibly prominent. Alan Ayckbourn's 1987 play, ‘A Small Family Business’ has returned on the original stage in which premiered and identifies where these problems can occur. The production should convey Ayckbourn’s comic excellence, but the revival does lack this slightly and it's a real shame as the playwright is a British theatre phenomenon. We are introduced to Jack McCracken, a vastly moral man is stunned and horrified to learn that his own relatives are all fraudsters, in terms of the furniture distribution, and his own daughter is a thief and a frequent drug user. To protect his family secret from private investigator, Benedict Hough he comes up with a strategy, even know it demoralises his own principals. However, the narrative and lines are ultimately interesting, even though the plot and pace needed refinement as it turns into a farce. A little disappointing to be honest. The play moves around a number of the families residences and it uses the same set throughout, with little changes at all. Moreover, it possesses another confusing aspect as to whose home it is. This could have been due to budgetary constraints or the director's vision. On the other hand, it does allow the quick scene changes to be more fluid. Wendy Spon and Charlotte Evans’ casting decisions are quite good, but there are too many comedians within this and loses the serious moments within the dialogue. I thought that Nigel Lindsay's portrayal of the central protagonist, Jack McCracken was of an acceptable level of precision as he encapsulates the legitimately clean and ethical individual who tries to resolve the shocking and vulgar situation that his own family has left the company in. Debra Gillett is brilliant as Jack's not so humble wife Poppy. Matthew Cottle is outstanding as the slightly slimly private investigator, Benedict Hough. I was impressed with the projection in his voice which makes him stand out amongst the rest. Nicky Wardley’s performance as Jack sister-in-law is exceptional as she provides the comic value within the entire performance. The rest of the company were of a good standard as well. Adam Penfold's direction for Alan Ayckbourn's revival was of a satisfactory nature as he appears to forget the sole meaning behind the text. The designer Tim Hadley has done a spectacular job in maintaining a family environment that is fraught in all sense of the word and Paul Hansley's production management is outstanding. It's not a lacklustre show but a performance that needs improvement.

'Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense' Duke of Yorks Theatre ****

What can I say about to be PG Wodehouse inspired play ‘Jeeves &Wooster in Perfect Nonsense’? It's a powerhouse of a production that leaves you in hysterics from start to finish. The play is reflective to style and tone to how Wodehouse wrote his novels, but instead of it being solely a first-person narrative that only features Bertie Wooster, Robert and David Goodale have decided to make Wooster's butler, Jeeves to act as himself and another, Aunt Dahlia's personal butler performing the minor roles. The dialogue is beautifully captivating and well-constructed; the comedy within the production is rib-tickling and most importantly does not pose any form of falsity. Exceptionally written I might add. The week in which I saw the show was in fact Stephen Mangan, Matthew Macfayden and Mark Hatfield's final week and I found their performances to be vastly breath-taking. That meant that I had trouble breathing because I was laughing a considerable amount throughout the proceedings. For an all-male cast it is definitely work of genius and the connection between the three actors is wonderful. With one of the biggest grins in show business, Stephen Mangan seems to be a great casting decision for Wooster as he provides a spectacular combination of classic comic moments with serious acting panache. The scene where we see a naked Mangan happily playing with the yellow rubber duck in an overbearing bubble bath was a personal highlight.  In addition to Mangan, Matthew Macfayden is excellent as the formidable Jeeves. He conveys the character with a superb commanding presence and forms the traits of an old-fashioned servant, who is extremely strict.  As well as, the portrayal of the other parts were brilliant, in particular when he cross-dressed as Bertie’s horrendous former fiancée Madeline Bassett. Finally, Mark Hatfield is amazing as the slightly minuscule role of Seppings. The power in his vocal delivery is sublime and when he quickly transforms into Roderick Spode, leader of British Blade-Shorts, a seven foot tall man is a moment that repeatedly moves an audience in uproars of laughter. Direction by Sean Foley is nothing more than impressive as he has constructed to play with classic concepts that can work for audiences of all ages. Exceptional job I must express. The set and costume design by Alice Power is flamboyantly well thought of that become ever more inventive and lavish as the show progresses, and this apparently makeshift production creates a delightful sense of conspiracy between the actors and their audience. I found 'Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense' to be a worthwhile experience. Extraordinary to say the least.