Sandy Pritchard-Gordon

Sandy Pritchard-Gordon
Theatre Blog

Friday 23 December 2011

Jerusalem at The Apollo


What can I say that hasn’t already been said about the wonderful Jerusalem?  It is a marvellous portrait of England’s green and pleasant land in the twenty first century and I can safely say that I enjoyed it even more the second time around, with tears welling up once more when Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron finally has to give up his fight to stay in his mobile home in the wood.
Mark Rylance doesn’t act, he inhabits and it is impossible to imagine anyone else being the strutting, limping teller of implausible fairy tales to the young who frequently visit him for wild drug and alcohol fuelled parties.  On occasions he delivers lines directly at the audience enabling us to see dark eyes glinting with the heady mix of mischief and something dark and disturbing.  Yet he also manages to convey awkwardness when talking to his son and elicit our sympathy when really his character is often anything but sympathetic.  He is certainly the most exciting and real actor I have ever had the pleasure to watch.
The rest of the cast are also impeccable, from the excellent Mackenzie Crook as Ginger to Alan David as The Professor.  The Designer, Ultz has done the most wonderful job creating the Rooster’s ‘coop’, Ian Rickson, the Director is flawless and the play itself, written by Jez Butterworth is a modern classic, which mixes humour with tenderness, tragedy and violence.
For me and I’m sure for everyone else who has had the privilege of seeing Jerusalem, it is one of the best nights ever at the theatre and it makes me feel so proud to be British.

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Noises Off at The Old Vic


I’ve seen several productions of Noises Off, including its first West End run at The Savoy Theatre in 1982, so you may have got the hint that I rather like this play by Michael Frayn.  This new production at The Old Vic, directed by Lindsay Posner more than does it justice.
Noises Off is a play within a play, where a third rate travelling theatre company are performing in a typically clichéd farce entitled Nothing On.  Each of the three acts of Noises Off contains a performance of the first act of Nothing On.  The first act is set during the dress rehearsal in Weston-super-Mare where a lot can and does go wrong, whilst the second act is seen from behind the stage during a performance in Goole and the third shows the play being performed a couple of months later in Stockton-on-Tees.  This time the script has been changed;  real life and farce have merged into a surreal variant on the original.  Add to this mix personal friction within the cast brought about by various sexual liaisons and the whole effect is hilarious, especially when performed by the excellent company of actors here at The Old Vic.
The wonderful Celia Imrie excels as Dolly Otley, whose ‘char’ character, Mrs. Clackett, has her work cut out remembering whether or not a plate of sardines should be on or off stage, whilst Robert Glenister hits just the right note playing the harassed director, Lloyd Dallas.  Every other member of the cast deserves a mention, especially Jamie Glover who as Garry Lejeune  is always stuttering and completing sentences with “you know” but whilst in character as Roger Trampleman has no such speech affectations, Jonathan Coy, playing Frederick Fellows an actor with a serious fear of violence and blood who constantly blames himself when things go wrong and Amy Nuttall who as Brooke Ashton, the inexperienced and dumb actress, is forever searching for her lost contact lenses.  I also particularly enjoyed Paul Ready’s Tim Allgood, the overworked Stage Manager and Understudy.
Noises Off is a perfect way to forget all life’s problems and have a bloody good laugh.

Thursday 8 December 2011

Richard II at The Donmar

Having seen Richard II in the West End once before and not being very inspired by it, I really only booked to see this production because of Michael Grandage.  He always delivers and, as this is his last play as Artistic Director at The Donmar, nothing would keep me away.  And am I glad I bought the tickets.  It bears no resemblance to the rather tedious interpretation I’d seen and the casting of Eddie Redmayne is a stroke of genius.  He is one of those luminous actors who keeps you focused on him whenever he’s on stage.  Plus he can act. 

I don’t know what it is about The Donmar but every production ( well every one that I’ve seen ) manages to create the right atmosphere and setting. This one was no exception.   The scene was immediately set when walking into the wonderful little theatre and seeing King Richard already in place, trance-like on his wooden throne and with the smell of incense in the air.  We were entering the medieval world of gothic arches, oak pillars and the amber glow of candlelight.  Perfect.  Full marks to Designer Richard Kent and David Plater, the Lighting Designer.
The play moves at a cracking pace and with no weak links.  The whole cast speak their Shakespearian dialogue as if it’s the most natural thing in the world and, as a result, one always understands what’s happening.  I’d seen many of the actors in Michael Grandage’s wonderful King Lear last December, so no wonder he is using them again.  Who wouldn’t?  It makes perfect sense.

As I mentioned earlier, Eddie Redmayne makes a wonderful Richard.  He portrays excellently the King’s hauteur whilst still on the throne and then the frailty when he’s usurped by Henry Bolingbroke, expertly played by Andrew Buchan.  In the scene where he is imprisoned Eddie’s Richard discovers emotional depth and self-realisation, which is very moving.  There are three performances which are particularly fine, namely Ron Cook as the bumbling Duke of York, who is torn between national duty and family loyalty, Sian Thomas, who is wonderfully moving as the Duchess of Gloucester and Michael Hadley’s raging John of Gaunt.

I’m sure even non Shakespeare-loving theatre goers would enjoy this production and I can’t wait to see what’s next on Michael Grandage’s agenda.

Sunday 4 December 2011

The Ladykillers at The Gielgud

I was so looking forward to seeing The Ladykillers, mostly because I’ve been hooked on watching Peter Capaldi ever since my first viewing of The Thick Of It. However, I hate to admit that I was slightly disappointed.  Not with his performance as Professor Marcus, for he “nails” playing comically sinister, but with various timing issues – it wasn’t “tight” and cues weren’t crisply picked up.  It’s true that it was only a second night preview but, bearing in mind the cast have been playing it in Liverpool, it could have been much sharper

I’m sure it was just an “off” night as it promised so much.  The set, comprising a gradually subsiding “lopsided” house in Kings Cross, built over the entrance to a railway tunnel and designed by Michael Taylor, is wonderful (must have cost a small fortune) and the comic touch of using toy cars is very ingenious.  There was a slight amateurish moment, when Professor Marcus could be spotted in the wings, climbing down the set, having supposedly fallen out of the window, but I mustn’t dwell on the negatives, as I really did enjoy the evening.

Marcia Warren as Mrs. Wilberforce, the unsuspecting octogenarian widow who rents out a room to the five oddball criminal types intent on planning a bank robbery, is a tour de force.  The criminals posing as classical musicians are well characterised, especially James Fleet, as Major Courtney and Stephen Wight as Harry Robinson.  I was a little disappointed with Ben Miller as Louis Harvey, although he did improve as the play got more into its stride.  The scene where they perform a concert for a bunch of elderly ladies, who are expecting much more than they are given, is hilarious, as is the running joke of Harry Robinson continually being banged on the head.  And the first time a train rumbled past, shaking everything on stage and rendering the conversation between Mrs. Wilberforce and Professor Marcus inaudible, was hilarious.  Full marks to the Sound Designers, Ben & Max Ringham and Special Effects Designer Scott Penrose.

The whole piece managed to convey the fifties very well and stayed true to the original movie, thanks to the writer Graham Linehan.  I so hope they manage to iron out the little niggles because it has the potential of being very funny indeed.