Tag Archives: Richard Katz

Uncategorised

“Goodnight, Oscar” at the Barbican Theatre

There’s a danger of damning Doug Wright’s Broadway hit with faint praise. The writing is sound, the direction from Lisa Peterson solid. There are plenty of interesting themes surrounding the story of a virtuoso pianist suffering from poor mental health that make the show an excellent vehicle for its star, Sean Hayes, who is aided by a strong supporting cast. It looks good, too, with the 1950s setting made stylish in Rachel Hauck’s set and Emilio Sosa’s costumes. There’s next to nothing to complain about.

Oscar Levant, billed as one of the 20th century’s greatest wits, followed his successful musical career as a TV personality who was infamous for his openness about his health. The play pairs him with Jack Paar, said to have invented late-night television with Tonight, and imagines one episode with Levant sneaking out of a mental hospital to appear on the show. It’s a good story that Wright gets a lot out of, and Peterson paces the script superbly.

The blend of comedy and tragedy is handled well. Levant is funny, but his condition is a concern. Blessed (or should that be cursed?) with prodigious self-awareness, he needs to perform. Fascinated TV executives and viewers both condemn and exploit him. 

The role’s attraction for Hayes is clear, and he is, indeed, a revelation. That’s not so hard, since most Londoners will only know him as Jack from early Noughties sitcom Will & Grace. But he gets a standing ovation presenting a very different and complex man. Strong support from Rosalie Craig as his wife helps, despite her role, like too many others, being underwritten. Craig is excellent at showing a cool compassion that carries the action. Yet Hayes can’t help but steal the show. Yes, he is good with the comedy, but he is moving as well, managing to make us feel for Levant without patronising him. The piano playing is especially impressive and a great theatrical moment. Not only does Hayes give a great rendition of Rhapsody in Blue, but he acts while he is doing it.

Given Levant’s tortured relationship with Gershwin, who appears as an hallucination (performed by David Burnett), the influence of Peter Schaffer’s masterpiece is clear. But this is Amadeus with addiction issues, an addition that is interesting and convincing.

Another side of the story, Levant’s involvement with TV, might present more of a struggle for a home crowd. The late-night chat show isn’t as much of an institution here. While Ben Rappaport gives a layered performance as Paar, the excellent Richard Katz doesn’t have enough to do as a TV executive and Eric Sirakian’s role as a show runner is a weak comic foil. But even here, Peterson manages to convey the bustle of live TV, while questions around the nature of celebrity are clear and thought-provoking. If the play isn’t particularly adventurous, it is admirably thorough and conscientious. There really is a lot to praise.

Until 21 September 2025

www.goodnightoscar.com

Photos by Johan Persson

2022

“Cabaret” at the Kit Kat Club

Still a hot – and pricey – ticket since opening last December, Rebecca Frecknall’s production of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical is now on its third set of leading performers. And it has seven Olivier Awards to boast about. There’s a special thrill about seeing a hit – and a sense of success fills the air of the refurbished Playhouse Theatre. This one’s getting better and better.

As for the awards, Frecknall is a deserving recipient for directing such a bold show. But I’m a little surprised choreographer Julia Cheng didn’t get an accolade: her work adds tremendous interest and, with the ensemble at work before the show and during the interval, is a big part of making the evening special. Likewise, the design from Tom Scutt, whose set makes the interior lush while the costumes aid the performers, could easily have picked up a trophy.

It was the performers who gained most of the gongs, so a change of cast could be tricky for the production. But never fear. Taking the roles of Emcee and Sally Bowles are exciting young stars Callum Scott Howells and Madeline Brewer. Sid Sagar brings plenty of intensity to Clifford Bradshaw, while Vivien Parry and Richard Katz play the story’s older romance with sweet and melancholic touches.

Just as important as the famous characters, the whole ensemble have the confidence to support the leads and shine in their own right. There are a lot of eye-catching moves and humour from the Kit Kat Club’s performers. Everyone is given a moment in the spotlight and grabs it, but they work together wonderfully, particularly bringing Cheng’s dance – both gritty and otherworldly – to life.

The show has grown in humour. This was my only reservation from an initial visit. There’s more fun at the start. The number, Two Ladies, is a lot ruder! And there’s a looseness to the performances that works well. Scott Howells seems particularly relaxed and his Emcee is really enjoying himself. It’s not just a question of more fun for all. Less tension at first makes the drama to come more powerful. Cabaret was great to begin with and has now found its feet to becomes something even more special.

www.kitkat.club

Photos by Marc Brenner

2019

“The Merry Wives of Windsor” at Shakespeare’s Globe

Shakespeare’s comedy, containing all manner of trials for married life, could well be the perfect fit for the South Bank venue that bears his name. In Elle While’s production, the often broad humour enjoyed in productions at The Globe is in full force. The show is as smutty as it is witty, all out to include the crowd, and a great deal of fun.

The setting for Sir John Falstaff’s efforts to become a gigolo – and the plots to stop him – is updated to the 1930s. The decade provides some lovely costumes from designer Charlie Cridlan while Frank Moon’s music adds a great deal of energy. But the production is very much for today, with an eye on the #metoo movement the men here are pretty awful. I’ll not argue with the observation but there’s a danger, as men try to tyrannize wives and daughters, that the comedy will turn sour; it’s While’s achievement that the play still manages to be funny.

With the husbands, who aren’t really going to be cuckolded, Forbes Masson has a nice line in apoplectic rage while Jude Owusu does well with his character’s jealousy. The men who surround their houses, a trio of suitors and a Welsh parson, are also easy to laugh at (with Richard Katz’s ‘Allo ‘Allo accent making him stand out). Meanwhile, Falstaff becomes a real villain. The interpretation is fair enough when you consider his plans. Pearce Quigley’s performance is undoubtedly a success: his deadpan delivery gets a lot of laughs and his plentiful adlibs, while getting most of their charge from seeming irreverent, are good. Just one question, against all the odds, don’t we want Falstaff to have some charm?

There’s no doubting Quigley’s success with physical comedy – he can really hold a stage. Indeed a big key to the success of the show lies with its continual movement, most obviously with Sasha Milavic Davies’ choreography and a lovely little recap scene that is mimed. But a combination of manic dashes and confident surveying of the stage are carefully balanced throughout. The Merry Wives of Windsor isn’t a true farce, the pace is different and While understands that. You can see the combination in Falstaff’s final humiliation, when the cast mask themselves for a fairy masque, (which will look quite lovely when the weather improves) – here’s a scene marked by a wonderful sense of rhythm.

The real triumph of the production comes with the women in the play which it brings to the fore and makes the real stars. Sarah Finigan and Bryony Hannah take the leads as the eponymous wives and give delightful performances. They’re joined by a feisty Anne, the wonderful Boadicea Ricketts, who excels at carrying the show’s story of young love. And the play’s democratic bent adds further joy with its working class figures. There’s Mistress Quickly, of course, but a clever recasting of the local landlord as a hostess makes both Anita Reynolds and Anne Odeke major roles that add heart to the show. Revelling in its female characters, While delivers not just merry wives, but merry women all around, and a happy audience as well.

Until 12 October 2019

www.shakespearesglobe.com

Photo by Helen Murray