Questions I hope HEX answers before opening nightby Randi / December 14, 2021There are no excellent boiled potatoes, but the Ferrero Rocher tower will have to do.
It’s Theatre Thursday! (Well it was supposed to be but I forgot to publish so let’s just go with it!) Today’s show is the phenomenally fun Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) playing at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus. As of publication it is one of the West End shows not closed due to Covid cases so go see it and have a laugh!
As a passionate devotee of Pride & Prejudice by way of the Colin Firth miniseries that gave way to the superior (will fight to defend) Keira/Macfadyen movie and all its subsequent instagram meme content, I am undoubtedly the target audience for this hilarious and goofy take on the classic, and yet I still was not prepared for how much fun I would have. I could spend 1000 words just saying “lol x was so funny….lol y was so funny…lol z was so funny” so to do that but in a less annoying way, I’ve made a list, I’m checking it twice*, gonna find out who’s naughty or nice,** Santa Claus he doesn’tttt exiiiiist.
*lolz like I ever edit this blog
**nice people wear masks, naughty people who don’t wear masks should be getting a lump of coal shoved up their bums next week heyooo.
The Best Parts of Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) (besides everything)
– The pre-show bits
Starting even from the pre-show bits as people were still going to the bar and finding their seats, I was cracking up. The cast desperately tried to get a cleaning glove down from the chandelier in wildly entertaining hijinks, all performed while they kept telling the audience “no we HAVE NOT started yet!” It made me giddy with hysterics. I was all in from the start.
– The use of modern music
At opportune moments throughout the play, the characters grabbed microphones and sang relevant, fun, and/or scathing overviews of the current situations. My favorite was probably Elizabeth grabbing the mic and singing “You’re So Vain” to Darcy at the Bingley Ball, a perfect theatrical moment. Does it count as a jukebox musical? Don’t worry about it.
– Literally everything Hannah Jarrett-Scott did
As Charles Bingley, Caroline Bingley, Charlotte Lucas, and other characters, HJS had me sobbing with laughter. She managed to embody a believable version of Bingley without being actually like him, instead choosing a kind of doltish pomposity by way of merely a jacket. Her Sister Bingley was my favorite, that bitch. And playing poor Charlotte as in love with Lizzie was clever and meaningful without being overly sad. The audience was in stitches whenever Hannah appeared, in whichever character’s hat. She was the gem of the show for me.
– Isobel McArthur’s Mrs. Bennet
Usually portrayed to infuriating you (well, me), Mrs. Bennet here was understandable and more agreeable if only because she was so damn funny. The only reason I didn’t love Isobel’s Darcy as much is merely because it wasn’t Matthew Macfadyen melting the screen. It was still a riot. I didn’t realize until after that this actress was Isobel McArthur as in the writer of this adaptation and co-director. People shouldn’t be so talented it’s just not right.
– Mary’s glasses
Poor fucking Mary.
– The lack of Kitty
Not having anyone even briefly don a cap as Kitty made me continuously cackle. She lifts right out!
– Every time Lydia appeared onstage
Tori Burgess’s portrayal of Lydia as an out of control twit of a party girl was too on the nose. Of course she’s be the one getting drunk first. She was played exactly like so many girls I see out and about in the city on the weekends and it was glorious.
– The props
The Ferrero Rocher tower. The chandelier. The horse (below). Everything was so funny. Darn I said I wouldn’t just keep saying it over and over but really what else can I say; also it’s been a few weeks and I forgot to take notes, so.
– Mr. Bennet
Absolute genius to have him ‘portrayed’ like that, and also a scathing critique of a character that usually gets a pass simply because he isn’t annoying like his loudmouth wife. At least the mother has a purpose to her behaviour, trying to get FIVE DAUGHTERS MARRIED. Can you imagine.
– The de Bourgh family values
Every time Christina Gordon’s Lady Catherine de Bourgh appeared in her insane and elaborate getup, it was a riot, but the best was the stupid/clever joke about the song “Lady in Red” by her relative, you know, Chris de Burgh. I love when I get stupid jokes and this was no exception. Ridiculous.
– Jane on the gd horse.
As Jane traveled on horseback to the Netherfield at her mother’s urging (you know the part, when it rains and she has to stay there for a few days because rain was a death sentence back then), Christina Gordon kicking her heels in time as she sang “At Last” atop that giant fake horse was one of the funniest bits of physical comedy on stage in years. I am cracking up here just thinking about it.
Do yourself a favor and go see this if you haven’t yet. It’s at the Criterion, the one right in the center of Piccadilly Circus. Sit house right (stage left) in the orchestra and you’ll be closest to the bathrooms by the bar. It’s a bit of a cave, this theatre, with all levels underground, and you can sometimes hear the tube, but this show is so much fun you (I) will (did) forget that you’re (I’m) claustrophobic.
Related Posts
Dear Evan Hansen in London: Hot Damn I Love this Show
It’s Theatre Thursday! Today’s show is Dear Evan Hansen, now playing in London at the Noel Coward Theatre until the end of time if there’s justice.
Man alive does it feel good to see a flawless show in this old town! You know from my review of past productions of Dear Evan Hansen (off-Broadway and Broadway here) that I love this show. However, there were concerns among some (myself included) that the show might rely on the talents of original star Ben Platt to succeed as much as it did. His is a singular talent that seems born for this role, and the role tailor-made for him, so it seemed valid to wonder if his incredible performance was what made the show great. While Benny boy is definitely the definitive Evan, and no one can match his vocal ability in this role – in particular his ability to sing and emote through snot-dripping tears – it’s safe to say the success of this phenomenal musical does not rely on him, and the West End is doing it proud.
Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of – you guessed it – Evan Hansen, a high school outcast with no friends, a single parent working overtime to pay the bills, and a broken arm. When a fellow student commits suicide, there’s A Misunderstanding that the deceased and Evan were friends, and the grieving family is so overjoyed at the thought of their son having had a friend that Evan goes along – and builds – the lie instead of coming clean. He benefits in many ways from prolonging his lie, but of course he can’t continue lying forever and in different ways to the family, his mom, and his friends. And this means it all goes to shit, which is when Platt did his aforementioned incredible snot-faced singing. Although Sam Tutty, our British Evan, doesn’t fall to as many wet pieces, his Evan is great (and we found ourselves weirdly feeling proud of him). He makes the journey so believable and real, and his timing and inflection may be even more impressive than his vocals. DEH is EMOSH and stunning in its mature handling of the subject matter while also managing to be hysterically funny at times. The emotional beats, the fun songs, the heartbreaking songs, the nuances that build these characters so fully – the creators did everything they could to establish a watertight show, and this cast and production team take it and run with it.
This is the extraordinary and rare show that has a fantastic score and equally strong (maybe even more gripping) book scenes, a feat rarely witnessed, all while capturing today’s yoots and their struggles in a way that’s relevant and modern without seeming condescending. Now that I know all the music so well, I could concentrate on the book scenes more and really appreciate how well written and well performed they were. And I am convinced even more that this is a flawless show. On this viewing, I was curious to see if I could find any merit to the complaints about Evan the character. Since DEH’s bow, we’ve had lots of fans arguing on message boards about how Evan deserves more punishment or how he’s an evil person or how he’s the villain in the story. I don’t know if it’s because they’re under 26 and their brains aren’t done yet but I cannot see how someone can watch this show and think anything close to that. It’s so obvious to see Evan’s struggle, with the part of him that knows he should tell the truth, with his desire to not cause the family any more pain, with his longing to belong, and wit his attempt to just make grieving people feel better. No, he’s not perfect, and his Act II spiral out of control as he takes down his first friends shows this, but it’s so obvious that his hostility is due to his lack of control in trying to do the right thing (also his baby teenage brain unable to handle all that is happening). People who think he’s evil clearly don’t watch The Good Place, where the most important thing is to try to be a good person. Evan is trying to do the right thing – he thinks what he has chosen is right because it makes the family feel better. And yeah he’s lying but he’s not a Kantian; he thinks that it’s for a good reason. It seems impossible to me not to empathize with his predicament, especially when you know what he’s been through himself.
Anyway, despite my incessant rantings about how British musical theatre does not compare to Broadway and how productions are just done better there because musicals are treated with more respect whereas here there’s this weird need for Brits to always assure the world that they value straight plays more AND the history of panto seems to bleed too much into their vision of musical theatre – well, that’s a long essay, apparently, for another day, so despite all that, this production is ace, as we Brits say. Tutty is giving the star turn of the year, and the supporting cast is equally good. Along with the absence of Platt, I was worried about the absence of Rachel Bay Jones as his mother, since her performance was pitch perfect and as usual she found more to the character than is written. While Rebecca McKinnis might not have uncovered as much between the lines or with her delivery as RBJ somehow magically did, she was no disappointment, and her ‘So Big/So Small’ was the most emotional part of the show, even more than Evan’s breakdown. It was perfect. If I did my own awards (should I do my own awards) they’d all be winners.
INFORMATION
The Noel Coward theatre is one of those ‘stalls is below ground’ theatres, so if you don’t like being below ground, sit in the circle. Also, the ladies bathroom is house right, right next to the circle entrance. If you go for stalls like we did (CRY ON US), there’s a ladies in the back of the theatre with 4 stalls??? Like good luck even getting back there at the interval. Or you can sit house right and run upstairs for the circle one. RENOVATE THESE THEATRES, GUYS.
Stagedoor: We waited for just under 10 minutes but it was too cold. If it’s too cold to wait, it’s too cold to make them talk to you.
An Inspired Production of The Last Five Years at Southwark Playhouse
It’s Theatre Thursday! Today’s show is the amazing The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown, which officially opened last night.
Whether you are new to The Last Five Years (what, how but welcome!) or know it better than you know your phone number (me)(UK numbers are hard), the new, dazzling production of this beloved work is a necessary treat for musical lovers, theatre lovers, and even regular lovers who feel like being depressed but like in a beautiful way. A song-cycle of a show, Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years shares the love story a divorcing couple, but the two characters famously share their stories in opposite directions: Jamie goes in chronological order, starting at the beginning of their courtship and ending at their divorce, while Cathy goes backwards, starting after their relationship has fallen apart and ending after their first date. IT IS HEAVY, YES, but it’s some of the best music in modern musical theatre, and this unique, inspired production does a commendable job.
There are a few (maybe like 50) musicals I feel very protective about because of how much I love them. The Last Five Years is one of them. I remember all of us in the plays in high school listening to the original off-Broadway album with Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz (only people with three names were allowed to be involved originally) and being completely obsessed. So, I’m even more critical than usual about this show because it’s impossible not to compare to the originals, and no one can compete with them. And because the score is so g-d beautiful and emotionally raw and funny and moving and amazing (though it’s always a tad uncomfortable to remember that this show is fairly autobiographical) so I’m always like DON’T FUCK IT UP OR I WILL FUCK YOU UP. But the Southwark’s production, with fairly flawless direction from Jonathan O’Boyle, doesn’t try to compete through sheer vocal ability in the usual stand-and-plant manner of running this show. Instead, they’ve created a distinctive version that keeps both actors onstage most of the time, and – spectacularly – makes them each other’s accompanist.
That’s right, Cathy (Molly Lynch) plays the piano for all of Jamie’s (Oli Higginson) (literally just realized their names rhyme) songs, and vice versa, adding the nuance of an extra layer of responsibility for what the other experienced (along with extra chances at seriously impressing us with their talents). It’s an exceptional move, making for a more vibrant and energetic version than usual, for a show that doesn’t usually have the characters interact until the wedding crossover point. While it would be impossible to get performers who are superb singers, actors, and pianists, especially for a small production like this, Lynch and Higginson (who I often thought was Matt Doyle undercover) are often great. They shine brightest as pianists, but they are more than serviceable singers. Lynch excels during Cathy’s faster numbers, when she can show off her humor, like in “A Summer in Ohio”, staged cleverly with her playing the ukulele to Jamie over a video call. Higginson’s slower songs (the more depressing ones I guess) gave him the breath for stronger belting so he sounded best in the second half. They’re both probably working harder than anyone on a London stage right now, and it’s a joy to watch.
In addition to the novel accompaniment, this production’s use of props was interesting. The actors were always doing something active with their books or picture frames or, my favorite part, the subtle and genius use of the gift box for Cathy’s watch in “The Schmuel Song” (very Jeannette Bayardelle in Shida), which could end up distracting but I thought always added to the scene positively. There were also lyric changes that I think were in the last production I saw but always surprise me but then I’m like oh no it’s okay (changes include “Russell Crowe” replacing “Linda Blair” which is meh, and “who you could say looked like Tom Cruise” replaced with “with some very well placed tattoos” which I’m fine with). All I know is if anyone ever changes the Sonny Mehta line I will stand up and walk out (RIP).
It’s not a perfect production – I actively disliked how long the pause in The Schmuel Song during ‘limbovitch’ was (I prefer no pause! it’s funnier!) (also, speaking of, this song features ‘funny’ use of a prayer shawl, which reminded me that I don’t know if any Jews are involved and Jamie is a verrrry Jewish role so like yeesh I hope because ahh). And, as I’ve increasingly seen in young performers, there was a bit too much swallowing of lyrics and speaking lyrics instead of acting emphasis out through song. In the second half, I thought Cathy reacted too much in real time to Jamie’s songs, confusing the opposite timelines (I don’t think people unfamiliar with the concept would have any idea that she was at the beginning of their relationship for a good 20-minute chunk, until her “I Can Do Better Than That”). And while I can’t pinpoint why, this is the first production I’ve ever seen that didn’t make me cry the entire time, with extra heaving during the wedding scene and the end. I just didn’t feel the emotional pull I usually do, which might be due to the prioritizing of the performers’ musical skills over their acting skills. However, for this production, I enjoyed the change of pace that that prioritizing created.
INFORMATION
The Last Five Years plays at the Southwark Playhouse until March 28.
The show is about 90 minutes straight through. My performance ended about 9:15pm because it started about 15 minutes late but that’s okayyyy things happennnn I didn’t get a utiiiii (or did I). The setup this go round (the Southwark changes layout for each show) has the audience on three sides and the only door blocked by the stage area so leaving is difficult at the end. If you need to make a fast exit your only real option is A1-10, the front row of the section by the door (because it’s stadium-style seating with barricades, the first seat of the other rows don’t count as aisles for me unless you are willing to jump through the railings) (which I am but I don’t know your life).
