Tezza's Theatre Place

Into the Woods (photo by David Ovenden) I have a tendency to overanalyse things. This can be a huge mistake, particularly in regards to fairy stories. Why? You may ask. Well, most fairy stories are actually quite nasty. Death, destruction and humiliation are often at their heart, The saving grace is that they always finish with a happy ending, or do they? Well, pop along to the Cockpit Theatre for an evening of Sondheim with  Into The Woods . The musical starts with an introduction from the Narrator (Jordan Michael Todd) who introduces the audience to the various protagonists in the story. First, we have a wistful Cinderella (Abigail Carter-Simpson), unhappy since the death of her mother (Christina Thornton ). Her father has remarried and brought his new wife (Mary Lincoln) and her two daughters Florinda (Macey Cherrett) and Lucinda (Francesca Pim) into her life. Next is Jack (Jamie O’Donnell) and his young mother (Madeleine MacMahon), living on the breadline with a cow that do...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/172052/review-half-moon-theatres-happily-ever-after/ Happily Ever After My fondness for children is well known so when the call came out for a volunteer to review ‘a delightful fairytale tail with a twist’ you can imagine mine was not the first hand raised. However, being free at the time it was on, I took myself out to Tower Hamlets and the Half Moon Theatre to see  Happily Ever After . The play starts as the audience gets settled – youngest kids on the cushions at the front, adults on the seats – with two Paiges gently cleaning the checkerboard floor of the palace, moving gently, nicely co-ordinated with Patrick Dineen’s music. Once the performance proper starts, the Paiges begin filling the walls of the palace with portraits of previous kings and queens who had ruled the country. Then, with a fanfare, we get to meet The Queen (Bruno Mendes) herself. She does all the Queenly things, waving, smiling and pretending to take an interest in th...

http://www.lastminutetheatretickets.com/londonwestend/review-peter-pan-olivier-theatre/ There are days when I get up, face the morning commute, spend an hour stood on a crowded bus with my head thrust into some stranger’s armpit and I really wish I had never grown up to be an adult. Of course, that was impossible, after all, death taxes and growing up are about the only things you can count on happening in life. However, if you want to escape the humdrum and learn the story of the boy that never grew up, the place to be is the Olivier Theatre where Peter Pan has taken up residence for the festive season. The action takes place in Victorian England where Mr and Mrs Darling are heading off to a party leaving their three children, Wendy (Madeleine Worrall), John (Marc Antolin) and Michael (John Pfumojena) under the care of their ‘nurse’ Nana (Ekow Quartey). However, unbeknown to the parents outside their window lurks the shadowless figure of Peter Pan (Paul Hilton) accompanied by h...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/151557/the-red-candle-mermaids-in-the-east-review/ Sometimes, a play is not just a play and a ballet is not a ballet. However, for some theatrical aficionados, the different genres of theatre have to be kept in individual silos not allowed to mix. However, Théatre Lapis are a company that believe in challenging these ideas of exclusivity and their latest production  The Red Candle, Mermaids in the East  which is at the Brunel museum in Rotherhithe is a case in point. Based on ‘The Red Candles and the Mermaid’ a folk tale by Mimei Ogawa, The  Red Candle, Mermaids in the East  tells the story of a young girl who is brought up by an elderly couple of candle makers. The young girl has a secret and her adopted parents do everything in their power to protect their daughter and stop this secret from getting out. The girl is very talented at making candles and the local villagers believe they have magical powers. The family lived a ...

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/150291/jasmin-vardimon-companys-pinocchio-review/ Jasmin Vardimon Company’s Pinocchio – Photo credit Tristram Kenton There’s something about theatre aimed at children that always surprises me. I think part of it is seeing the hordes of sprogs rushing into the foyer, parents or other unfortunate relatives trying to keep up, then the noise that a few hundred children can generate while waiting for the show to start is quite phenomenal. However, if the production is a good one, then as soon as the curtain goes up, the noise level goes down and the attention to the stage becomes 100%, proving once more the magical properties of the theatre. I mention this because last night I was privileged to see this effect at work once more when I went to Sadler’s Wells to see Jasmin Vardimon’s new production of  Pinocchio . First things first, forget Walt Disney, there is no cute cricket singing ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ in this production. Instead, Ja...