Flora the Red Menace was Kander and Ebb’s first collaboration to be produced, and throughout a neat production of this lesser known musical, you can’t escape the feeling that they are on their way to writing Cabaret but haven’t quite got there yet.
This musical tells the story of Flora - a young, headstrong, out of work fashion illustrator – during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, and her search for work, love and justice. At a time when unions, workers’ rights and poverty are on the rise, Flora (Katy Baker) is drawn haplessly into the communist party by her stammering love interest Harry (Steven Sparling) leading to conflicted feelings about her new relationship, her newly-landed job at a New York department store, and the needs of her artisan friends with whom she shares studio space in an old hotel ballroom.
The show fits neatly into the small space of the Landor, and Randy Smartick has created a suitably intimate and light-hearted production with musical direction and arrangements for the piano/bass band by Aaron Clingham. The set serves its purpose effectively in the way that a fringe musical set has to do, although the devil is in the detail – some graduation gowns in dire need of an iron, an opening number full of mortar board hats wobbling to the point of collapse, and an office desk with a visible layer of dust could do with being fixed up to add a layer of gloss to the visual elements, but overall a lot is achieved by this show with very little.
Without a question of a doubt however, there is one element of this production that is utterly superlative, and her name is Katy Baker. In the title role of Flora, she carries the audience with a firm and reassuring hold through the show giving a performance of extraordinary depth and charm. Somehow invoking the spirits of Judy Garland and Lucille Ball at the same time, her characterisation of Flora brings her naivety, wilfulness and confliction to life with great clarity and Baker’s emotional, husky, 1930’s Broadway belt of a voice steamrollers through Liza Minelli’s original version. It is worth noting that this is Baker’s first musical since graduating Central School of Speech and Drama (although she has sung with a band since then) and it is hard to think of anyone recently having looked more comfortable on the musical stage.
With strong ensemble singing throughout and some nice moments choreographically between Greg Sheffield as Kenny and Kimberley Moses as Maggie in their act two tap-dance duet, the show is largely enjoyable and fun to watch and is well suited to be scaled back for a fringe production like this. A few cuts wouldn’t go amiss, but any dragging of the heels seems to be largely the fault of the material itself rather than the production, and the subject matter of the masses struggling to survive the financial crash has definite resonances for contemporary audiences. Catch it at the welcoming Landor Theatre until July 14th.
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REVIEWED: 29/06/12
By Jamie Read @VoiceTeacherUK
26th June - 14th July 2012
Landor Theatre, London, SW9.
Let me start this review with one fact about me – I do not like audience participation. At least, I didn’t think I did. When I was handed a song sheet on my way into an auditorium full of cast members leading a preshow sing-a-long of Music Hall classics, I thought I was in hell. Admittedly I did not make any attempt to join in the preshow but by the interval I was too caught up in belting out songs about father decorating the parlour and some girl with long hair that my drink remained untouched – a first time for everything!
It must have been the charming first act of endless laughs and wonderfully drawn characters which caused me to let down my ‘anti-participation barrier’ as I found myself booing and cheering along with the packed out house at the show’s new home – The Arts Theatre, Leicester Square. It was very pleasing to see a theatre (albeit a smaller one) buzzing with a large crowd after spending far too many of my recent outings in sparsely populated auditoriums watching disheartened casts try their upmost to make the best of an empty midweek show.
I liked many things about this production but the one thing which left me most satisfied was the use of its ‘star name’, Wendi Peters. Yes, she may have her face and name on the poster but when it came down to her performance, she was a member of the cast who worked just as hard as anyone else and looked in her element taking part in the rousing company numbers which complimented and, to my mind, made the production. Despite her having quite an impressive theatrical background, most people will remember Peters from her days in Coronation Street and nothing made me happier to see a soap star returning to the stage who actually has the talent to carry a part. She is a revelation in the double role of Angela Prysock/Princess Puffer.
The production itself transfers brilliantly into the Arts Theatre. The cast make full use of two staircases leading from the stage to the auditorium and also appear regularly in the balcony making sure that the audience are completely involved regardless of their seats. The sound of the show really benefits from the larger sound system with the cast perfectly in balance with the brilliant orchestra under the baton of James Cleeve.
There are excellent performances overall from a very hardworking cast. My one grumble would be Daniel Robinson as Clive Paget/John Jasper who, despite seeming an incredibly talented performer with a lovely voice, didn’t quite grasp the ‘Music Hall’ style of acting as the rest of the cast did. Stand out performances for me were from Loula Geater as Janet Conover/Helena Landless and Tom Pepper as Nick Cricker/Deputy; both of whom I struggled to peel my eyes from during the scenes and production numbers.
The ‘audience vote’ towards the end of the show really makes the evening and adds such a unique touch of fun to the piece. Talking to other audience members after the show I was very pleased to hear that the ending is actually different every night, the vote is not just a very well-acted diversion!
All in all, a very enjoyable evening and a production which deserves so much more than just 35 performances in town. I whole heartedly recommend it – I will definitely be returning before it closes.
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REVIEWED: 22/05/12
By David Coverdale @davidcoverdale9
18th May - 17th June 2012
Arts Theatre, London, WC2.
“I love Lucy” Sebastian exclaims to flatmate Tom Ambrose, ignorant that he is, in fact, talking to her husband! Their marriage, having declined since the discovery of a ‘hickie’ on his wife’s neck on their fifteenth wedding anniversary, has entered a period of separation. Tom, now adopting a false name, seeks and finds her bohemian, artist lover in a seedy bar downtown and the unlikely pair decide to co-habit. Thus the comedic musical scene is set and so begins a journey of love, pain and a strange bromance.
Peter Gerald is a human dynamo as the successful advertising executive husband, his performance so full of energy that I feared a cardiac arrest at any moment! John Addison in contrast is laid-back as the destitute and broke adulterer, totally emphasising the world of difference that exists between the two men and the attraction they both share for Lucy Ambrose (Kate Graham), who at one point in the story wears the most stunning pair of high heels this city has seen since Priscilla!
Steven Webb and Lucyelle Cliffe, as simply Man and Woman, take on a range of secondary roles that provide much of the comedy. Almost, but not quite, eclipsing the main players and this makes for an interesting spectacle overall, since much of the musical theatre is provided by the three chief characters while the majority of the laughs come from the other two. Cliffe proves to be good value in a multitude of roles. She plays the nosey yet gormless neighbour Edith to great amusement and her country and western singer act is a blinder. Webb revels in a whirlwind of diverse characters too and since each one seems to come with a different accent to the last, he should be applauded just for keeping up! His city restaurant Maitre d’ is quite ridiculous but very entertaining; the fun continues as he morphs from one role to the next as an Irish priest, latino cab driver, a camp tailor and more besides.
The story moves along at quite a pace, so it’s just as well that I was feeling alert. The first ten minutes confused me as I strived to work out the relationship between each character (and the lack of the same in the case of ‘Man’ and ‘Woman’). Having got that sorted, I began to appreciate John Addison’s clear vocal ability in his solo ‘Free, Easy Guy’. This is a musical with a strongly varied score by Jimmy Roberts. There are some rhyming howlers e.g. ashen with cash-in and make a promise, Thomas, but writer and lyricist Joe DiPietro more than recovers with delightful numbers including ’Me Too’ which particularly grabbed me, together with ‘The Better Man Won’ sung tenderly by Peter Gerald. As a musical, this is a well delivered production by director Andrew Keates and one that I certainly found enjoyable. The band, lead by musical director Joanna Cichonska, provides piano, cello and reed accompaniment to the vocally talented cast. As a comedy, there are some jovial moments, particularly during the first act finale and through the second act. Maybe Lucy could be a little bubblier though; she is somewhat overshadowed by Tom’s buoyancy, even when he is supposed to be depressed!
Martin Thomas’ imaginatively copper-framed design of doors and urban skyline is beautifully accentuated by Howard Hudson’s warm lighting to give a good feel from the beginning and adds a smart dimension. So is this another smash hit for the Landor? Well, the thing about men is that they are so very hard to predict.
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REVIEWED: 18/05/12
by Gareth Richardson @BargainTheatre
15th May - 9th June 2012
Landor Theatre, London, SW9.
During the bicentennial year of Charles Dickens’ birth it seems only fitting for it to be marked by the novel that encompassed his death: The Mystery Of Edwin Drood.
Rupert Holmes, encouraged by Joseph Papp, wrote the musical loosely based on Dickens’ unfinished tale through a mixture of pantomime and British music hall traditions, which gained momentum in the years following Dickens’ death.
Inspired by the novel’s ambiguous, non-existent, ending, Holmes created the first musical with multiple outcomes determined by the audience, a different resolution depending on who the murderer is…if there is one.
From the production team who brought you The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas and Children of Eden at the venue that housed The Hired Man and Ragtime comes the Drama Desk and Tony Award winning musical Drood. The cast led by Natalie Day, Victoria Farley, Daniel Robinson and Corrie’s own Wendi Peters, will have to work extremely hard to quickly accommodate the audience’s choice each night making sure that every performance is never quite like the next, no matter how many times you attend.
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@BenVivianJones
11th April - 5th May 2012
The Landor Theatre, London, SW9.
The era when actors reigned supreme in the theatre, pursuing a basic plot by using improvisation instead of following a script, is the setting for The Landor Theatre’s latest musical. While Shakespeare was busy penning in London, Commedia gained popularity in town squares across Europe, particularly Italy and France. The Glorious Ones, while partially factual, combines musical theatre with comedy cameos to tell the story of a commedia dell’arte troupe working at the time when staged writing gained popularity over the long-established tradition of simply making it up. Telling the story of those who look to the future with excitement and others who yearn for the comfortable ways of the past, in a similar way to say, Singin’ in The Rain encompasses that time when pictures became talkies and the wealth of change it brought.
Busty maidens, quacks, lovers and prostitutes are just some of the eclectic mix who travel from town to town with their lewd show, having hardly more qualification than the belief that ‘If you’re good in bed, you’re good on stage!’ I’m not sure how that argument would stand up today?
The strength of this production is undoubtedly in the music: Stephen Flaherty’s score comprising of twenty five numbers, played by five musicians including musical director Joanna Cichonska on piano. Stand out vocals being those of Kate Brennan playing the buxom Columbina and Peter Straker as Pantalone. Essentially though, this is an ensemble piece and the cast of seven produce admirable harmonies to compensate for the somewhat tedious book. Ironic that the script should be at fault here, but it seemed that the comedic interludes simply did not stand up and the story as a whole is somewhat lame. That is not to say it’s unfunny, simulated sex behind backlit calico sheeting and saucy song lyrics yield good laughs. Delightful period costumes, which I suspect were sourced from wardrobe at The National, certainly add a lush feel to this European Premier.
The writing duo Flaherty and Ahern who brought us Ragtime, excellently staged by the same creative team at this venue last year and receiving three Off West End theatre awards, have not quite hit the same mark here. There are some very strong elements, particularly musical, which fans of that genre should not hesitate to hear for themselves. While lead male Mike Christie doesn’t dominate as much as he might, the strong cast enthuse with energy under the ever-reliable direction of Robert McWhir.
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REVIEWED: 12/03/12
By Gareth Richardson @BargainTheatre
6th March - 7th April 2012
The Landor Theatre, London, SW9.
The Landor Theatre has given us some great musicals over the past few months including The Hired Man and Ragtime, both nominated for numerous Fringe awards. However, third time lucky certainly isn’t the case in Clapham.
Stand Tall is a contemporary twist on the biblical tale of David and Goliath, funded as a school musical to combat bullying.
Ryan O’Donnell plays the shy and modest lead with an endearing quality, I couldn’t help likening him to a young Martin Freeman. Natasha Barnes as Princess Mia delivers soaring vocals and hits the money notes with ease. Keisha Amponsa Banson is the cheeky Black Sheep with a rich, soulful voice. Martin Pirongs is hilarious as the not-so-hip King Saul. Jack Shalloo is phenomenal as Goliath, his rapping is an unexpected treat. In fact, the only songs that work are the raps and indie pop numbers, including the Princess’ Kate Nash styled “So Indecisive”, along with the anthem “Stronger Than This”. The musical genres are too varied and need focus, from grunge to ska, heavy metal to r&b and a riff of pop rock. However, the band are deserving of praise, and in particular the MD Dean Austin who works extremely hard. A small cast inevitably meant that they all had to sing backing vocals, which became confusing and distracting.
The book is weak and certainly needs a rewrite to be considered for venues other than the dinner hall make-shift auditorium. The whole piece needs a bit more tongue in cheek, a cast allowed to laugh at the hilarity of what they’re doing, in the style of Rock Of Ages or Betwixt. The ultimate electric guitar showdown becomes a matter of life and death and this is where the piece, and I, lost the plot.
The scenery and costumes need readdressing and I’m still wondering why they had handheld mics clipped to belts and shoved in boots.
An extremely talented cast who work hard with what they’ve got. I can completely understand this working as TIE, but certainly not ready for one of London’s most prestigious and popular fringe venues.
A little versus large story that’s too big for its boots.
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REVIEWED: 14/10/11
By @BenVivianJones
12th October - 12th November 2011
The Landor Theatre, London SW9.
