Category Archives: Theatre

The Blonde Bombshells of 1943, Upstairs at the Gatehouse

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If you are travelling a long way for something you want to be sure it is worth the journey. I have visited the tiny loft theatre Upstairs at the Gatehouse in hilly Highgate before, but never have I witnessed such an evocative and fun production as The Blonde Bombshells of 1943, a show that overwhelms the limited stage space and entertains an audience of all ages.

This late Alan Plater work is filled with warm nostalgia and retro charm; I wonder why the production has been such a rarity in the London theatre. Set in the crucial year of 1943, the narrative portrays the struggle and trauma of the Second World War, the lost husbands and missing boys, the constant worry for those left behind. Bomb explosions echo throughout the show, contrasting the melodic musical numbers.

The story is simple and sweet… the bold Blonde Bombshells band provide light entertainment for audiences in the north of England in need of distraction from the war. The four band members are led by bossy but kind Betty (Louisa Beadel) a phenomenal saxophonist; they are in search of new recruits for a big television performance. A naïve nun comes on board, a giggly schoolgirl joins and a precocious army driver completes the group, together they are the Valentino trio, a close harmony unit resembling the Andrews Sisters. Rehearsing for their big showcase, each girl’s story unfurls, the challenges and sacrifices that they have had to face because of the war and the small pleasures they reap from their musical talent. When a war-evading young man comes along to play drums for the band, the group dynamic changes again.

Despite their young years, the cast present the show with a wise and touching sensitivity for this bygone era. Each character displays staggering ability on a variety of instruments, whilst also acting, singing and speaking in a broad Yorkshire accent! I was particularly impressed with Giovanna Ryan, the only real blonde in the group, who strums effortlessly on her double bass and sings beautifully and Emma Jane Morton who displays a youthful enthusiasm that is infectious and sings with an affecting lilt in her voice.

I spent the long bus ride home texting friends recommending the show, and I encourage you to buy tickets too.

Continues until 29 June, book tickets here.

THOROUGHLY MODERN MAN: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Savoy Theatre

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Robert Lindsay’s performance at the Savoy Theatre had me googling him on my phone during the interval to check out his age. What I discovered made me even more impressed by his consummate performance as lovable trickster Lawrence Jameson in David Yazbek’s adaptation of the famous 1988 film, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Lindsay is both funny and suave opposite Rufus Hound’s more histrionic portrayal of rival conman Freddy Benson – the pair are in competition duping glamorous tourists on the French Riviera out of their spare cash. Katharine Kingsley as their principal prey charismatically sings and dances circles around the duo.

This stage show is infinitely more sophisticated and satisfying than the very dated film. The songs are catchy enough to be memorable although I’d never heard any of them before. The dance routines are sassy and dizzily complex. The dialogue and libretto are very witty and 21st century. The set design does wonders with the limited space and is very much in tune with the Savoy’s wonderful deco interior.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a proper musical, combining traditional razzamatazz with a contemporary sensibility and makes for a very entertaining night out.

Continues until 29 November 2014, buy tickets here.

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Man, Chris Kenny.

THOROUGHLY MODERN MAN: Philip Pullman’s Grimm Tales

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This review will be unusually brief, as the feelings of intrigue and mystery created by Philip Pullman’s masterful reimagining of the fairy tale is better experienced than described. This is theatre-in-the-round at its best, with characters weaving in and out of the clusters of audience members scattered throughout the perfectly eerie performance spaces. The performers’ fluid transition from narration to acting creates a seamless chronicle that flows at a good pace. This pace is what makes the minimalist storyline fly, unencumbered by the trappings of modern storytelling like backstory and description. To borrow from Einstein, storytelling “should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”. Suffice it to say that, of the five stories, the ones you think you know beforehand you’ll see in a new light, and the ones you hadn’t known existed previously – here I am specifically thinking of the half-man half-hedgehog who rides on the back of a cockerel, playing his bagpipes – will be left engrained in your memory. Get yourself down to the Shoreditch Town Hall basement, and let yourself be carried away by the ambience, the acting, and above all the reinvention of stories handed down generation to generation.

Continues until 24 April, book here.

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Man, James Bomford.