The supernatural includes all that cannot be explained by the laws of nature, including things characteristic of or relating to ghosts, gods, or other types of spirits and other non-material beings, or to things beyond nature. Of course, most supernatural things can be explained away when looked at in the cold light of day but can everything? Are some things truly supernatural? Well, maybe you will be able to decide for yourself after seeing The Mysterious Gentleman at The Courtyard Theatre.
The American Davenport brothers have been wowing audiences with their spiritualist demonstrations. This is Victorian England and the populace is going loopy over the supernatural. Mediums are popping up all over the place and seances are the latest after dinner entertainment. The time is right for fakes and charlatans to come in and make money out of people’s wish to know the answer to what happens when you die? J N Maskelyne (Andrew Thorn) is convinced that the Davenport brothers are fraudsters of the first order and, together with his friend and fellow magician George Alfred Cook (Dave Short) set out to replicate the Davenport’s act using simple stage magic. This they succeed in doing and thus start a lifetime career as stage magicians entertaining the public and debunking fake spiritualists as they go. And yet, behind Maskelyne’s disbelief in the afterlife and anyone’s ability to communicate with it, there is a family story that goes back generations and whose influence may be affecting JN now and his son Nevil (Josh Harper) in the future.
Well, what a fascinating story. The Mysterious Gentleman is. J N Maskelyne was a real-life person who did all the things spoken off in the play – including getting the phrase to ‘spend a penny’ into the English language. He is an amazing character in his own right and, when the mysterious ‘extra’ bit of his family evening is added by writer Jarek Adams, then the stage is set for an amazing tale.
Add to this some very impressive stage magic, performed with style and aplomb by Andrew and Dave. I was sat in the front row and will willingly admit that I have no idea how at least three of the tricks were performed – and I’m a chap that avidly watched all the episodes of “Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed” on TV. So, we have ‘genuine’ magic and a great story. We also have a lovely relationship between the three actors who, particularly when JN and George are starting out, really treat the audience as a part of their inner circle. As they discuss their plans and we follow them through the highs and lows of their trip from simple entertainers to headliners in London, you can’t help but pick a side – either the flamboyant JN or the more cautious George.
All in all, The Mysterious Gentleman is a really entertaining mixture of great storytelling, acting and magic all brought together in a very gentle and, at times a very understated English feeling way by Director Kasia Rozycki. I think if I have one criticism it was that, by the end, I didn’t really know how J N Maskelyne really felt about anything – spiritualism, the family ‘story, etc – which left me a little frustrated. But, ultimately, this was a magical evening of wonder, suspense and good old-fashioned theatrical fun that has got me heading off to YouTube to try and figure how he did it.
Dawid Minnar Janine Ulfane – Photograher credit Alixandra Fazzina. “Survival of the fittest” is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. Which means that even in the most inhospitable of placers, life will find a way – even if at times, you may look and think what’s the point? For example, in South Africa, the aloe plant is considered one of the country’s most powerful, beautiful and celebratory symbols. It survives out in the wild when everything else is dried. At the end of everything, the aloe is still there. And it is this survival that is at the heart of Athol Fugard’s A Lesson From Aloes which has returned to the UK and is currently in residence at the Finborough Theatre. Set in South Africa in 1963, where apartheid is at its height and the citizens are living in a paranoid police state. The play revolves around a middle-aged left-leaning couple – Afrikaner Piet Bezuidenhout (Dawid Minnaar) and hi
Since 1912, the Blackburn Musical Theatre Company has been entertaining the theatre going folks of this Lancashire town with their annual musical production. In that time, they have covered the vast array of musical theatre from their first production - Sunday - through to their latest - Hello Dolly - which I caught at the Blackburn Empire Theatre. Dolly Gallagher Levi (Sue Chadwick) is a woman that likes to meddle, or as she puts it, arrange things. Whatever you need doing, Dolly is the person for the job. And right now, she is the talk of turn of the century New York, having brought together Mr Horace Vandergelder (Kris Wlodarczyk), the well-known half-a-millionaire and Mrs Irene Molloy (Laura Mitchell) a widowed millener. Their engagement and subsequent marriage seems pretty much sewn up though neither is marrying for love. Horace, as he tells his Chief Clerk, Cornelius Hackl (Ryan Coe), and Assistant, Barnaby Tucker (Fletcher Illingworth), is looking for someone to r
Since July 2014, I've seen and reviewed 588 shows altogether. 2017 was a fairly quiet year with a total of 132 shows visited by yours truly. So, in the best traditions of end of the year ideas, here is my list of the top 10 shows that I've seen this year. Please remember, this is my list not anybody else's and if you don't agree with the pick, well, what can I say? 1. Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Bridewell Theatre This story of friendship and hope took two drag queens and a trans woman from Sydney to Alice Springs, in a big pink bus. Along the way, the met new friends and face rampant homophobia. SEDOS brought every element of the show together beautifully, and to a standard that you would expect to see in the West End. Sold out virtually as soon as it was announced, this was the ‘must see production of the year. 2. La Cage aux Folles, New Wimbledon Theatre This is was a touring production of a show that demonstrates the importance of family a
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