Tag Archives: Carly Bawden

“Carousel” at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

The joy of theatre is that it changes all the time – it’s alive. And most can agree that Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical, wonderful as it is, needs some changes. The show’s lead, wife-beating fairground attendant Billy Bigelow, is a tough sell for our times. And the too casual acceptance of his violence, including that from Mrs B, means that the romance leaves a nasty taste, despite the sublime score. Boldly attempting a new kind of Carousel, director Timothy Sheader can be applauded – the aim is admirable – even if the production doesn’t quite succeed.

Tom Scutt’s bare design is an indication that this Carousel isn’t going to be pretty or charming. Any nostalgia about the New England setting is replaced with British regional accents that manage to bring an air of working-class realism surprisingly well. And Drew McOnie’s excellent choreography shows us a world of work and violence. The only sheer delight is a wonderful Carrie Pipperidge, where Christina Modestou’s lilting Welsh voice made me wonder how she would deal with all manner of show tune standards.

Carly Bawden and Christina Modestou in Carousel at Regents Park
Carly Bawden and Christina Modestou

Women come to the fore in Sheader’s vision for the show. To be fair to Rodgers and Hammerstein, that isn’t hard. Carly Bawden’s Julie – the lead with bad taste in men – intrigues; she has an otherworldly quality to go with her out-of-this-world voice. Joanna Riding’s matriarchal Nettie is convincing, while the carousel owner Mrs Mullin is made a forceful presence by Jo Eaton-Kent. The ensemble provides memorable moments, confronting the audience and Billy about his crimes.

Carly Bawden and Declan Bennett
Carly Bawden and Declan Bennett

As for our kind of hero, Declan Bennett’s Billy has none of the usual charisma… fair enough. Billie is a weak, feckless character (too easily swayed by Sam Mackay’s somewhat pantomime villain, Jigger) and Bennett does this well. But Billy being boring makes the love story at the heart of the show unbelievable. We know Julie is a fool to fall for him, but if the audience doesn’t fall as well – just a little – the show becomes robbed of emotion.

A chilly Carousel then, but that isn’t the biggest problem here. While Sheader’s vision can be respected – it’s clever and clear – changes to the score are less successful, and updating the music is a riskier affair. Again, the approach is bold: a classic American score has hints of Americana (with surprisingly modern touches), but seemingly at random. The additions will keep you guessing – they entertain – but hampered by excessive amplification the sound is sometimes cheap and tinny. Overpowering the singers more than once, the music is almost unpleasant. And that can’t be the kind of new ride Sheader intended.

Until 25 September 2021

www.openairtheatre.com

Photos by Johan Persson

"Ghost Quartet" at the Boulevard Theatre

Here’s another new theatre for London, and a particularly stylish one – it’s clear that cash has been splashed on this refit of the Comic Strip’s one-time home in Walker’s Court, Soho. Still a little seedy outside, the theatre is one of the comfiest I’ve visited and the first year of programming from artistic director Rachel Edwards looks like a good mix. First up is a deceptively modest affair, a song cycle for four performers from Dave Malloy that’s a stylish American import aimed at a sophisticated clientele.

While there may be a Halloween connection, Edgar Allen Poe interests Malloy as much as ghosts. The piece takes in so many different kinds of relationships, around the themes of love and loss, with so many references, it ends up quite dizzying. Malloy cites the concept album as an inspiration, with track numbers announced to the audience, but any concept seems loose. There is a unifying story buried here, a love triangle with two sisters, but the focus isn’t clear. The story spans time and space and even seems to be connected to the Arabian Nights! It all becomes a little too confusing to actually enjoy. While fluid identities may be exciting to explore, they don’t aid any narrative here. And unrelated songs, while often musical highlights, don’t help either. As for the score, it’s eclectic to the point of bewildering. You expect a few scraped strings given the title but there are moments when Malloy gets carried away with the weird that aren’t so wonderful. And he isn’t scared of lyrics devoid of poetry, which is fine, but occasional imagery that could be described as baroque adds to an inconsistent feel.

Zubin Varla in Ghost Quartet at the Boulevard Theatre
Zubin Varla

If these are problems – and you could easily defend or revel in the compositions’ diversity – the cast take them in their stride. The Boulevard Theatre has recruited some serious talent that really delivers. Zubin Varla serves as a commanding presence and sounds fantastic, while ‘cellist Niccolò Curradi leads the music. Both Carly Bawden and Maimuna Memon play plenty of instruments and their voices are remarkable; Memon is especially good when it comes to creepy, Bawden a natural at puzzled innocence as past lives come into focus. The whole cast makes the more outlandish moments of the stories feel grounded and, when it comes to audience participation – of which there’s rather a lot – shows yet more expertise.

Carly Bowden and Maimuna Memon in Ghost Quartet at the Boulevard Theatre
Carly Bowden and Maimuna Memon

A lot of Ghost Quartet is wilfully quirky. It’s a quality that clearly appeals to director Bill Buckhurst. Again, that audience participation comes into play, with drinks and musical instruments handed out to the crowd prompting a chaotic feel. The benefits include keeping an audience engaged – it’s impossible to know what’s coming next, and it feels original and is often funny. But being so obviously ‘challenging’ can come across as contrived – to the point of being smug. Nonetheless, the show is undoubtedly an excellent choice for the venue; Buckhurst makes the most of its intimacy and clubby atmosphere, while Emma Chapman has fun with an impressive lighting rig. While I can’t imagine many falling in love with Ghost Quartet, it is a natural choice that makes a super start for the Boulevard Theatre.

Until 4 January 2019

www.boulevardtheatre.co.uk

Photos by Marc Brenner

“Romantics Anonymous” at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

With her last show in charge at Shakespeare’s Globe, Emma Rice is going out in style with a musical romantic comedy that showcases her talents. This adaptation of the French film Les Émotifs Anonymes, is hilarious and heart-warming with a sense of wonder – at stories and making theatre – that is Rice’s trademark appeal.

The story of two chocolate makers falling in love sounds sickly sweet but a big dose of humour prevents any cloying aftertaste. Angélique and Jean-René are pathologically shy – émotif as the French say – and that’s the obstacle they have to overcome to find love. It’s great material for a musical: when the tongue-tied characters can’t speak, they can sing. And the scenario allows the lead performers, Carly Bawden and Dominic Marsh, to win hearts, as we fear and hope alongside them.

You’d be cold indeed not to fall for this fumbling pair. But to cater for cynics, Rice’s book for the show has a cool edge. The therapies tried (including the film’s titular support group) are viciously funny. As is pointed out, the secret of chocolate is a touch of bitterness. So, alongside all the Gallic sensitivity, we have old-fashioned English wit. Even the self-help tape Jean-René listens to loses patience with him! Great jokes and a sense of playfulness mean laughs throughout.

While Bawden and Marsh are brilliant as our emotionally challenged couple, this is the kind of ensemble piece Rice excels with. The often Breton-topped troupe takes on a range of delightful roles. Take your pick: Joanna Riding as Angélique’s uncouth mother, or Gareth Snook as two chocolate shop owners, both male and female. When the cast assemble as the misfit support group, each and every characterisation gets a laugh.

Although the comedy numbers are superb from the start, Michael Kooman’s sophisticated score gets off to a slow start and the lyrics by Christopher Dimond seem serviceable rather than inspired. But, like another description of chocolate from Angélique and Jean-René, the music has a complexity and power that builds.

Despite its everyday story, and a score of satisfying references, Romantics Anonymous is an original. It’s the first new musical at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse for a start. It glorifies in lo-fi touches, often Rice’s forte, that show each moment approached with fresh intelligence. It revels in the mechanics of theatre, creating complicity with the audience, with a novel self-deprecation. But the underlying, unabashed aim here is to create theatrical magic. And Rice succeeds so well, you feel gratitude for experiencing this great show.

Until 6 January 2018

www.shakespearesglobe.com

Photo by Steve Tanner

“Twelfth Night” at Shakespeare’s Globe

Emma Rice has chosen well for her last show as director of the Globe, with a cross-dressing comedy that updates the Bard for our gender-fluid times. If you don’t think Shakespeare and Sister Sledge mix, then be warned – Rice’s energy, sensitivity and sense of irreverence are bountiful. The disco lights are on and it’s time to celebrate her reign at The Globe.

Let’s not forget that organising a good party is hard work and can call for tough decisions. There are moments of forced jollity – musical chairs proves messy – and a close reading of the text isn’t invited. But the passion in Twelfth Night is frenzied and Rice’s insight is to allow this. Nasty edges have poignancy, fate is presented as a choreographed natural phenomenon (cleverly mocked as a touch of “community theatre”) and the laughs are manic.

The twins, Sebastian and Viola, whose adventures we follow, are used to anchor the show. In these roles Anita-Joy Uwajeh and John Pfumojena impress, respectively showing a touching vulnerability and sounding particular gorgeous. The confused suitors who fall for the ship-wrecked siblings are played by Annette McLaughlin, who makes for a joyous Olivia, and Joshua Lacey, whose river-dancing-mullet-sporting-lothario Duke is the funniest I’ve seen.

Marc Antolin
Marc Antolin

The trio of pranksters in Olivia’s house continue the strong comedy. Sir Toby, Fabian and Maria, played by Tony Jayawardena, Nandi Bhebhe and the super-talented Carly Bawden (another strong voice) really go for it. The revelation is Marc Antolin as Aguecheek, transforming the role with physical comedy, ad-libs and fluorescent Y-fronts. And a lisp… sorry, but lisps are funny.

Katy Owen
Katy Owen

What the production takes seriously is drag, spoiling us with cabaret star Le Gateau Chocolat, whose Feste steers the tempestuous proceedings like a glittering, magical MC. It’s impossible to steal a show from six feet of sequins, but Katy Owen’s Malvolio holds his/her moustachioed own. Funny again (well, most jokes are better with a Welsh accent), Owen tackles bullying intelligently, tempting us to join in, then allowing the character to retain some dignity. Role-play can be dangerous.

All good parties depend on their soundtrack. Rice’s secret weapon is Ian Ross, whose compositions dominate the show: driving plots, aiding comedy, interacting with the text – check them out online. Using so many lines as lyrics enforces how productive treating the text loosely can be. It annoys purists when Shakespeare is tampered with, but Rice does so intelligently, aided by additional lyrics and lines from Carl Grose. The revisions sustain her imaginative interpretation, making the play both accessible and stimulating and her the sadly departing hostess with the mostess.

Until 5 August 2017

www.shakespearesglobe.com

Photos by Hugo Glendinning