Tezza's Theatre Place

ROCK OF AGES. Lucas Rush ‘Lonny’. Photo Richard Davenport. There are various elements that have to be in place to make a jukebox musical successful. No. 1, some great music, No. 2, a simple story that fits the music and No 3. a really strong cast to deliver the story and music. Based on those criteria, its no wonder  Rock of Ages  has been a hit, and I was lucky enough to catch the show as it touched down at the  New Wimbledon Theatre  as part of its current UK tour. According to our narrator Lonny (Lucas Rush), Sunset Strip in 1987 is the place to be if you are looking for a good time and a chance of success. Of course, then as now, the odds were against you, but that doesn’t deter aspiring rocker Drew (Luke Walsh). Although currently working at The Bourbon Room, owned by an old rocker by the name of Dennis Dupree (Kevin Kennedy), Drew has his dream and knows that one day he is going to make it. That dream of fame also burns in the heart of Sherrie Christian (J...

Everyone has their own version of hell. One of mine is the idea of going on a cruise. Trapped in a metal box with nothing to look at most of the time except endless stretches of water. Still, at least on an Earth-based cruise, there are various stop-off points where you can explore the local scenery and get away from the rest of the inmates on the ship. For the passengers and crew of the Odyssey, the ship at the heart of new play  Floaters , getting away is not an option. The Odyssey is not one of the queens of the sea, majestically carving a path through one of the great oceans. Instead, she is a state of the art space liner, on her maiden voyage filled with crew and passengers, heading out on an 18-month journey around the solar system. This is the luxury cruise ship of them all, with a huge range of luxury amenities for the whole family. Including gyms, bowling alleys, archery ranges and yoga studios and three Olympic sized swimming pools! The beautifully prepared advertis...

Simon Lipkin as Martin, Laurence operated by Hugh Purves and Charlie Brooks as Tamora in All in a Row. Photograph: Nick Rutter It’s not often a play causes so much controversy – even an online petition to have it pulled – before it even opens. But this has been the case with Alex Oates’ production  All in a Row  which has received its world premiere at Southwark Playhouse. This is the story of Tam (Charlie Brooks), Martin (Simon Lipkin) and their eleven-year-old son Laurence (Hugh Purves (Puppeteer). Laurence is severely autistic. His autism is so bad that he can only communicate in a series of grunts and a form of sign language and, in addition to his parents, needs the assistance of a paid carer, Gary (Michael Fox). The parents love their son and cope with his condition in their own way. Tam is a high flying entrepreneur and motivational speaker who likes to relax with a glass of wine at the end of the day, while Martin is a stay-at-home dad who allows his mind to ...

Bad Girls – Photographer Lidia Crisafulli Ever thought about going to prison? I have to admit that there are times when the idea has quite appealed to me. No real worries, three meals a day, do an OU degree/Masters for free and get fit in the gym. Of course, that is not the reality for many and prison is often a dark, frightening and violent place best avoided at all costs. Still, there’s a fascination with the idea of prison life. Look at the various films and TV shows set in one of the world’s jails. Not to be outdone, musical theatre has its own salute to life inside in the shape of  Bad Girls: The Musical  which I have just seen at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate Village. HM Prison, Larkhill is welcoming a new inmate today. Rachel Hicks (Megan Jobling) is young, terrified and totally unsure of what is going on as she goes through prison induction under the brusque and impersonal eye of Senior Officer Sylvia “BodyBag” Hollamby (Carol Sharp) to whom, Rachel is jus...

Bizet’s opera  Carmen  holds a special place in my heart.  Not only was it the first opera I saw, but Matthew Bourne’s danced version –  The Car Man  – was the first time I really understood how a story could be told so well only by movement. So, when I heard that the King’s Head were presenting a new version of the story, I leapt at the chance to go. This new English version, with libretto by Mary Franklin – who also directs – and Ashley Pearson, brings  Carmen  solidly into the twenty-first century. The action starts here in the UK. where we meet Jose (Mike Bradley/Roger Paterson) a nurse fed up with his lot. He hates his life, consisting of a job he dislikes, a very sick mother being looked after by his wife, and his unrequited love for hospital cleaner Carmen (Ellie Edmonds/Jane Monart). Then one day fate, and Carmen’s naivety changes their relationship and enables Jose to both assist Carmen and get her into his debt. Months later, now work...

Micha Colombo as Prospero.  Photo by Adam Trigg. How important is gender these days? Worry not, this is a review not a political commentary, but gender has recently been at the forefront of news around the world. The thing I, it’s not a new phenomenon, back in William Shakespeare’s day, only men were permitted to act on stage – bringing up the vision of a burly bearded bloke in a dress playing the teenage Juliet. Recently, the National Theatre put on a very well received version of  Twelfth Night  with a female Malvolio. Groundbreaking Lazarus Theatre Company have taken this idea a stage further with their version of  The Tempest , the first of their three production series at the Greenwich. The story is the same. Prospero (Micha Colombo) has been usurped as Duke of Milan by an alliance of her sister, Antonio (Peace Oseyenum), Alonzo (Nicolas Salmon), King of Naples and Sebastian (Nell Hardy) the King’s sister. Thanks to the intervention of a friendly noble, G...

Dracula – Sophie Greenham and Bart Lambert (Mina and Jonathan Harker). Between 1890 and 1895, the Business Manager (Bram Stoker) from the Lyceum Theatre could be found in the London Library pouring over some very interesting books as diverse as “The Devil: His Origin, Greatness and Decadence” through to “A Glossary of Words used in the Neighbourhood of Whitby”. Subsequent research has shown that during this time, Bram Stoker was working on one of the most famous works of fiction known to humanity. 121 years later Creation Theatre have returned to the London Library to bring Dracula home once more. This version of  Dracula  is very different to any other you might see. For a start, it takes place in the reading room of the library, an atmospheric location that is steeped in history and which Director Helen Tennison uses very effectively. The second unique thing about this production is that there are only two cast members (Sophie Greenham and Bart Lambert). And finally, th...

2018 Bleach – Paris Fringe The Vault Festival continues to amaze and entertain with a whole range of shows and productions that cover every taste and interest. Virtually everything I have seen in the years I have been covering the Vault Festival has been somewhere between good and awesome – in fact, only one show comes to mind that I really didn’t like. However, occasionally there is a production that totally takes your breath away and leaves you with a profound sense of seeing – and maybe participating in – something exceptionally special. A case in point is Dan Ireland-Reeves’  Bleach  which runs at the festival until the 10th February. Tyler Everett is a lad who has a degree under his belt and has, like so many others, come to London to make his fortune. Unfortunately for Tyler, his life is not like Dick Whittington’s and he is currently living in a small – or compact and bijou in estate agent speak – bedsit. His initial entry into the employment world sees him startin...

Whenever we hear of the downfall of a famous person, someone is bound to say that their problem was ,they flew too close to the sun - or something along those lines. A strange expression but a famous one and I wonder how many people know where it originated.  Well, if you get yourself along to the Unicorn Theatre for the first UK production of Katrin Lange’s Icarus, you just might find out. Icarus (Marshall Defender Nyanhete) is the eldest son of Daedalus (Selva Rasalingam) and is an unhappy boy. His father, who is a builder by trade, has gone missing.  The family last heard of him arriving in Crete where he was starting work on a hush hush job.  But since then, not a word or, more importantly, any money has come back to Icarus, his mother, and siblings.  The plucky youngster decided to go and find his father and sets off, complete with a home-made jumper on his adventure. In Crete, Icarus and Daedalus meet up and he learns that his father is working for King ...

Fight Night. VAULT Festival. Photo Mark Senior. (Pete Grimwood and Edward Linard). Now here’s a conundrum. I love going to The Vaults Festival and I really enjoy immersive theatre. However, even my best friends wouldn’t call me sporty in any way and I am really not all that keen on boxing – two men fight in a ring and get paid millions, two men fight in the street and end up in the cells. So you can imagine that when I was asked to go to the Vaults and see an immersive production set around a boxing match I was in two minds as to what to do. However, FOMO being the mother of all necessity, along I went to see Exit Productions latest production  Fight Night . The production is set in the world of boxing where a new promoter has set up a match between an old boxing pro, Ian “Bam Bam” Bradshaw and an up and coming usurper to the crown, Joe Williams. However,  Fight Night  is so much more than a boxing match and over the roughly 90 minutes run time, the audience get ...