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“Bright Places” at the Soho Theatre

Playwright Rae Mainwaring was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 23. Her Peggy Ramsay Award-winning autobiographical show tackles her illness with frank humour, touching honesty and a little glitter.

From initial shock to the struggle of life with such a debilitating condition, Mainwaring and her director, Tessa Walker, cover a lot of ground. Mentioning parenthood is particularly rushed – surely that could be a whole other play? But it seems fitting that Bright Places is occasionally overwhelming – there are few aspects of life not impacted by MS.

The show is informative, which is no bad thing. But what impressed me is how theatrical it is. There are three performers – Aimee Berwick, Lauren Foster and Rebecca Holmes – who all play the main character as well as other roles. The trio work well as a team (they are towards to the end of a tour) and have fun with different accents as well as plenty of singing, dancing and poetry. The idea that the show is “small-scale subsidised theatre” is leaned into, with costumes on a rack and minimal props aiding an air of intimacy and energy.

Mainwaring highlights what might be thought of as the performative aspects of being ill. Her character wants to be “the best bloody ill person” ever. There’s plenty of fantasy, theatrics even, about what this might be, including a game show element. All in contrast to reality.

There is humour in Mainwaring’s script and the cast does very well with it. But there is also an effort to avoid suggesting jokes can really help that much. The idea that anyone should smile through pain can be a dangerous one. Which is not to suggest Bright Places is miserable… hope grows in the play. 

A first effort joining a support group is described as being in “a fan club for a band you don’t like”. But, by the end, a community is found, appropriately enough, through a dance group. Embracing the healing power of performance is a fitting end to this smart and inspiring show.

Until 7 December 2024

www.carbontheatre.org.uk

Photo by Graeme Bradiwood

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“The Importance of Being Earnest” at the National Theatre

Max Webster’s hit revival of Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece lives up to its sold-out status. The star-studded cast does not disappoint, Rae Smith’s design is gorgeous and a modern sensibility adds surprise touches that excite.

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Ncuti Gatwa

As introducing Algernon in drag indicates, Webster embraces Wilde’s risqué side. There no point hiding that the practice of ‘Bunburying’- taking on a second identity – is a code to cover escapades. Algernon and his pal Jack camp it up in effete style, literally skipping around the stage. There’s even the suggestion the couple are more than just friends. Taking the roles, Ncuti Gatwa and Hugh Skinner are enormous fun and look as if they are thoroughly enjoying themselves.

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Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ and Eliza Scanlen

So, what happens when it comes to the guys falling in love with women? Or when it comes to the final revelation about their own familial relationship? It’s easy to see a claim here for fluidity (they each have two identities already!). The idea is applied to Gwendolen and Cecily, too, who could end up as lovers rather than sisters, adding new jokes to the fantastic performances from Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ and Eliza Scanlen.

Or you could just focus on Wilde’s silliness. Really, nothing should be taken seriously. The Importance of Being Earnest turns the world upside down (hence the production’s surprising encore). It might be said Webster doesn’t take Wilde as seriously as Dominic Dromgoole, whose enlightening Classic Spring series was a rare treat. But there is a boldness to Webster’s work that’s to his credit. 

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Amanda Lawrence and Richard Cant

There is more to praise. An excellent triumvirate of Sharon D Clarke, Richard Cant and Amanda Lawrence, taking the roles of Lady Bracknell, Canon Chasuble and Miss Prism, are superb. Clarke’s accent is a masterstroke, while the courting curate and his schoolmistress get big laughs as well as being, well, cute! As a final thrill, the physicality in the show, from Gatwa and Skinner in particular, is a genuine surprise. Comedies of manners can be static affairs, Wilde’s lines imposing, but this cast does a great job with physical comedy and stylised movements that makes the production stand out.

Until 25 January 2025

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Photos by Marc Brenner

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“All’s Well That Ends Well” at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

While Shakespeare’s text mentions life as “a mingled yarn, good and ill together”, it is easy to see why a modern audience might focus on the unhappier parts of the play. The orphaned Helen’s adoration of noble-born Bertram and his behaviour overall are hard to stomach. Director Chelsea Walker’s production takes a forceful approach to the piece that is successfully invigorating.

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Ruby Bentall

Walker’s sympathies are clear – and who’s going to argue with them? Still, it is an achievement to make the women in the play stand out as she has done. There’s a superb starring role for Ruby Bentall as Helen and her performance is great. Even if we can’t fathom why she’s so in love, her determination and scheming fit in a production that feels like a thriller. Bentall is also a strong comedian, getting laughs from some dark humour. The production is notable for making so much of her accomplices in plotting to fool Bertram – Catrin Aaron and Georgia-Mae Myers – who are excellent at showing a moral dilemma while injecting a sense of risk.

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William Robinson and Kit Young

While the virtue of the women was, probably, what characterised them for Shakespeare’s audience, nowadays it is their intelligence. Debates within the play are injected with excitement. The contrast with the men is startling. They seem a little…dull. Or, to be generous, enthralled by their own machismo. Exciting talents Kit Young and William Robinson take the parts of Bertram and his sidekick Paroles. Adding the suggestion the two might be lovers is eye-catching, but it is when Paroles abandons his pretence at being honourable that both characters come into focus. It’s a captivating performance from Robinson as his character acts as a mirror to Bertram’s ‘heroism’ and calls it to account.

Just so we don’t focus on youthful indiscretions in the play (wouldn’t that be a convenient excuse?), Walker is tough on older characters, too. Siobhán Redmond, who is excellent as Bertram’s mother, is petulant. And the sickly king, played by Richard Katz, and Emilio Doorgasingh’s Lafew both show cantankerous abuse of their power. These are the evening’s poorer performances (their characters look a little silly). But Walker makes her points well: less happy ending, more sorry affair. A direct, intelligent approach to the play, executed with few tricks and admirable care, produces great results.

Until 4 January 2025

www.shakespearesglobe.com

Photos by Marc Brenner

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“[title of show]” at the Southwark Playhouse

Billed as a meta-musical – pretending to depict its writers workshopping and staging the show as we watch it – there is plenty of self-appraisal within Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell’s piece. [title of show] (they are still working out what to call it) states pretty much anything bad you can say about it out loud, and often. I wonder if this makes the piece critic-proof?

It is pointed out that there are lots of obscure Broadway references (one number is based on the titles of flops), so knowledge about the construction of songs and shows really helps to get the jokes. And with self-deprecating satire, Bowen and Bell point out the dangers of all this: the “derivative tricks and the critical undertow” that come with their project. As artists, they want to “ask significant questions” with their songs – there’s a lot about the highs and lows of creativity. But whatever is said comes with the threat of being contrived.

In fact, there’s plenty of skill needed to pull off the concept driving the show. Here’s where the reviewer can address performances and note that the songs are excellent showcase material. Jacob Fowler and Thomas Oxley (I think you can guess their characters’ names) give the roles suitably strong personalities. Abbie Budden and Mary Moore, playing Heidi and Susan, are the “secondary characters” (that’s their description) who have the best numbers. The comedy could be handled less effortfully (it’s good enough) but all four sing wonderfully. And Bowen’s songs aren’t easy. Even if there’s just a piano (props to musical director Tom Chippendale who I’m glad gets to speak), the score is clever and complex.

Most importantly, the cast and director Christopher D Clegg have to make the show feel fresh. Adding the touches of chaos that are demanded from the self-consciously kookie lyrics isn’t easy and the quartet’s energy is fantastic. Nor is it easy giving an improvised air when we all know (don’t we?) the show was a hit back in 2006.

Many have been excited by this long overdue London première. As Bowen and Bell well know, this is a show for the theatre kid and the “Show-mo”. But it is “fun times with friends” with admirable conviction, focusing on the collaborative making of a musical, and the community that comes to watch. [title of show] knows it’s for a clique, but it enjoys that fact… There’s even a song about it.

Until 30 November 2024

www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Photo by Danny Kaan

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“Dr. Strangelove” at the Noël Coward Theatre

Armando Iannucci and Sean Foley have adapted Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 apocalypse movie with an understandable reverence. While their own credentials are impeccable, the reputation of the film weighs heavily on this move to the stage and the result is disappointing. Of course, it’s funny – this is Iannucci and Foley – but it follows the original too closely and works primarily as a vehicle for its star, Steve Coogan.

A comedy great himself, Coogan takes on four roles in the show – that’s one more than Peter Sellers in the film, if you’re counting (and I think people are). Coogan’s performance delivers. It is impressive… and it is very obviously designed to be. Debate your favourite of the quartet (it’s the German accent for me) and note that, while Coogan goes all out for the titular scientist, he shows he can be restrained too. His President Muffley feels, well, presidential. 

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Giles Terera as General Turgidson and Steve Coogan as President Muffley

There are some strong performers accompanying Coogan – Giles Terera and John Hopkins to name but two. The whole ensemble can get laughs out of some pretty old gags. But we’re never allowed to question Coogan’s dominance. For his fans, that’s fine but it doesn’t make for a great play. No matter how quick the costume changes (and the dressers deserve applause), they still take up time. Foley also directs, and the scene changes are, frankly, unimaginative.

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John Hopkins as General Ripper

Surely these moments would have been an easy time to do something new, to make a break with the source material and surprise us. But if Coogan isn’t on stage, this adaptation isn’t interested. And the show ends up stuck in the 1960s, which feels like a missed opportunity. It’s not that the jokes are bad, but they are predictable and far from biting. The strategy is farce rather than satire, and a show about the end of the world ends up silly when it should also be, just a little, scary.

Until 25 January 2025

www.drstrangelove.com

Photos by Manuel Harlan

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“The Buddha of Suburbia” at the Barbican Theatre

One of my favourite directors, Emma Rice, brings Hanif Kureishi’s novel to the stage with every effort to achieve her usual flair. The rambling story, about the early life of Karim – his family, fortunes, and sexual exploits – has its moments, but regrettably, big failings.

Rice co-adapts the book with its author and the result is long. There’s detail, to a fault, but also rushing; the unevenness makes the show a slog. While the characters are vivid, maybe there are just too many of them? Making each role three-dimensional is an achievement but the overall result is confusing.

It’s nice that this hard-working cast each get their moments in the spotlight. Karim’s father (Ankur Bahl) impresses with his yoga, Katy Owen has two roles (Karin’s mother, then lover) and does well contrasting them, Rina Fatania has three and is on fine form in each. Lucy Thackeray and Natasha Jayetileke are strong as women in search of fulfillment. Individual scenes are often good but as a whole the show seems to lack purpose.

All the action, and anecdote, relate to Karim of course. And herein lies a problem. Kureishi’s anti-hero isn’t a strong enough creation. His self-absorption is a turn-off, his struggle strangely unconvincing and, put simply, he isn’t very nice. It’s the role of a lifetime for Dee Ahluwalia who has to carry the whole show; his commitment and stamina is impressive but Karim is hard to care about. 

There are inventive touches throughout; Rice can delight like few other directors. It helps that Karim is an actor and scenes in rehearsal rooms are great fun (and provide a super role for Ewan Wardrop as a director). The “mess” of theatre is evoked, creating bursts of energy and fun. Choreographed scenes from Etta Murfitt help and Rachana Jadhav’s set embodies the fluidity of the action. It’s a puzzle as to why it doesn’t work.

“Class, race, fucking and farce”

Taking a look at the play-within-the-play that Karim stars in might help. The onstage director devises a show with “class, race, fucking and farce” which describes The Buddha of Suburbia itself perfectly.

Class and race are tackled, but too briefly and with little imagination. Maybe the source material, published in 1990, has dated. Or our ideas about the 1970s have solidified. But the shorthand of events and sociology is laboured and sloppy. Ahluwalia struggles to deliver summaries that provide context, he’s even given a microphone to help, and is reduced to waving his hands around. More importantly we hear nothing new. There’s no challenge, just a mush of vague ideas. Even the clips used in Simon Baker’s video design are the usual retro stuff. There is little peril or drama; a traumatic attack is shockingly dismissed. And ideas about representation, surely pertinent, are dealt with lightly. It’s fine if you want the tone of the piece to be celebratory… but too many issues are raised and then left hanging.

There’s also little drama around Karim’s sex life, which is surprising. It makes the “fucking and farce” sections light and funny. Using fruit as a stand in for genitals is a genius move (it’s sure to be how the production is remembered) giving the whole show a big banana energy. It shows Rice’s playful wit and is brilliantly theatrical. Likewise, the party poppers used when characters climax is a super touch. The sex comedy (so appropriate for the 1970s) is a relief to the pedestrian talk of politics and class. But two out of four isn’t great.

Until 16 November 2024

www.barbican.org.uk

Photo by Steve Tanner © RSC

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“The Ungodly” at the Southwark Playhouse

Witches often make good drama and Joanna Carrick’s new play, set in 1645, is part of a trend to intelligently appraise the phenomena. The focus is a family who think of themselves as the victims of witchcraft – parents who have lost their children and a troubled youth who becomes radicalised into a self-appointed ‘witch finder general’.

Carrick also directs, and shows great skill dealing with the period and the play’s basis in fact. The dialogue is treated lightly and convinces as a result. It isn’t easy to show Puritans on stage nowadays, but the cast – Nadia Jackson, Christopher Ashman and Vincent Moisy, who play wife, husband and brother respectively – all bring sincerity to their characters’ religious convictions. Faith is part of the everyday life of the household, and it is easy to see how it comes to influence them.

Time is taken over events. The couple, Susan and Richard, are suspicious about supernatural claims and at first try to calm their younger relation, Matthew. Jackson and Ashman have great chemistry and scenes of their courtship are charming. Moisy endears as a stuttering young man lacking confidence. It’s only when grief overtakes the family, with superb scenes for Jackson, that they become susceptible to superstition. The Ungodly isn’t spooky… it’s sad. And scary because we see what happens to these good people.

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We do get to meet a real victim – a small but smashing part for Rei Mordue as a young girl accused of witchcraft. There are powerful interrogation scenes, and some big themes of justice and revenge tackled with skill. Moisy might hold back more, but the confusion and dynamism of the ‘investigation’ in progress is handled expertly. Jackson shows Susan consumed with anger, while Ashman has Richard struggling to retain his sense of self.

The Ungodly takes a far more ‘traditional’ approach to its subject than the recent Gunter, produced by Dirty Hare. As with another show from earlier this year, Talene Monahon’s The Good John Proctor, the play owes a good deal to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. But this is all good company to keep. Carrick’s historical drama feels deep and deserves praise.

Until 16 November 204

www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Photos by Bernie Totten

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“Guards At The Taj” at the Orange Tree Theatre

Director Adam Karim and his superb cast – Maanuv Thiara and Usaamah Ibraheem Hussain – have evidently been inspired by this superb play from Rajiv. Last seen, too long ago, at the Bush Theatre, this is script with the ability to bring out the best from creatives who tackle it.

Although a two-hander, and relatively short, Joseph’s play is packed with politics and philosophy. The characters, Humayun and Babur, are deep thinkers with a keen sense of beauty. Karim brings out the piece’s tragicomic tone with both dark humour and trauma captured by the performers.

The scenario is simple: two guards working before the Taj Mahal is completed go on to play a role in Emperor Shah Jahan’s plan to make sure nothing as beautiful is ever built again. The play is gruesome and tense but the chemistry between the performers ensures we never lose sight of a moving personal drama.

These are detailed depictions, right from the start; even picking up swords shows us two different personalities. The surprising comedy is especially strong, the banter adds to the idea that these childhood friends are like brothers. At the same time, Thiara manages to convey the weight of expectations from Humayun’s father. And Hussain elaborates Babur’s “fairytales or predictions” with such delight, it is contagious.

Staging the play in the round is done with great care (there are moments that making sure everyone gets a good look might be relaxed). And the production benefits from excellent music, credited to Niraj Chag with sound design by Xana. One highlight is a moment of comfort, sung by Humayun to his traumatised friend, a tune taken up and, like the birds he finds beautiful, allowed to fly. 

While there are a lot of laugh out loud moments, overall Karim’s view is bleak. There is a sense that the men are trapped in their circumstances – only their imaginations can take flight. How seriously could we take suggestions of escape? Giving both roles a boyish charm proves a fascinating move. Karim interprets the play with little hope but plenty of emotion and the result is profound.

Until 16 November 2024

www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk

Photo by Lidia Crisafulli

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“Haunted Shadows” at the Old Red Lion Theatre

Good old-fashioned story telling is the key to the success of this entertaining one-woman show. Two spooky stories, one ghostly, the other ghastly, make an excellent contribution to the Islington venue’s Grimfest season, running throughout the month and perfect for getting theatregoers ready for Halloween.

Having tackled Restoration playwright Aphra Behn in a previous show, Claire Louise Amias takes on the role of author Edith Nesbit. Famous for her children’s books, Nesbit also wrote gothic stories, and Amias tells us two: The Shadow and A Strange Experience.

Taking the roles of a housekeeper and a governess, Amias’ narration is superb. Director Jonathan Rigby paces both pieces expertly and, although we hear about a lot of scary passages in the houses all the action occurs in, movement is carefully controlled. Amias flips from convivial, polite tones to terrified suspense in an instant. It’s delicious fun to be settled comfortably and know you are going to be appalled in the next moment.  

The stories themselves are strong. The Shadow is a more conventional ghost story, although pretending the tale is not “rounded off” is an interesting move (does our nice narrator have a nasty secret)? A Strange Experience is even more of a murder mystery – a great take on gory – that looks at the “ghoulish nature of the living”. Debate your favourite but rest assured that both are memorable.

It’s credit to Amias’ skill that props are so minimal. I’d even suggest the few simple sound effects are unnecessary. As a suggestion that the audience close their eyes shows, performer and director appreciate the power of the imagination and know how to harness it. They take their cue from the Nesbit herself. Moments when the author is brought to the stage might be expanded, but they frame the stories well, and mention of her childhood fears provides another layer to consider, adding further substance to this small but perfectly formed evening.

Until 31 October 2024

www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk

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“The Duchess [of Malfi]” at the Trafalgar Theatre

It’s hard to add to a Jacobean tragedy – they are already… extra. Zinnie Harris, who has adapted and directed John Webster’s revenge play, gives it a good go. There are flaws here, but also lots of ideas. It’s a blunt, brisk affair, but always interesting.

Webster took a character as his title, and the production boasts a star in the lead. Jodie Whittaker, playing the recently widowed noblewoman who falls in love with her steward, is great and clearly relishes the show’s intensity.

Harris, however, focuses on her ensemble and the result is mixed. Decisions will fascinate those that know the original play – who kills who is tweaked – but run the danger of being confusing. Harris senses the problem and projects character names on to the stage. This help is welcome, but it feels as if the action is being set up for too long. There are benefits to giving each character their due. The theme of servitude comes into focus: the hired killer, Bosola, and Cariola, the maid, are highlighted and Jude Owusu and Matti Houghton, who take these roles, really shine. Romance also does well: Joel Fry’s Antonio (another servant) is appealing and is given more to do than in the original.

The cutesy chemistry between Whittaker and Fry is odd, but effective. We feel for both when it comes to their separation. As for the punishment the Duchess suffers – for her secret marriage and children – the production is appropriately horrific, albeit effortful. Of course, scenes of torture are going to be difficult to watch. But surely discomfort needn’t come from the sound design. When the Duchess is deprived of sleep by the playing of loud noise, the production becomes – literally – painful.

Things get better. Bringing the Duchess, and other characters who suffer a similar fate, back the stage as ghosts is a great move – suitably spooky and leading to more fine moments from Whittaker. The trouble is that your ears might still be ringing.

Not all of the production’s problems down to Harris. Updating the language to use a lot of expletives is brave and forceful. It’s a shame it results in a lot of giggles from the audience. But the biggest issue is Webster’s villains – the Duchess’ brothers. Paul Ready, as the Cardinal, is effectively repulsive (and the twist on the murder of his mistress a stroke of genius). But emphasising the character’s knowing hypocrisy makes the role flat. It’s even worse for Ferdinand, who is simply a psychopath. Rory Fleck Byrne is good in the role (he is genuinely scary) but there’s too little descent into madness and the insanity is extravagant. With so many changes to the play, why keep the idea of him being a werewolf? Of course, it’s tough to take the brothers’ warped justifications and outrage over their sister seriously. But Harris doesn’t even allow us to entertain their reasoning and loses too much tension as a result.

Until 20 December 2024

www.theduchessplay.com

Photo by Marc Brenner