Category Archives: Venues

RSNO: BENEDETTI & OUNDJIAN (Usher Hall: 18 March ’16

Posted in 5*, Music, Rated: Outstanding, Usher Hall by

“Full on enthusiasm, lightness of touch and an abundance of joy”

Editorial Rating:  5 Stars Outstanding.

It was a bit like getting ready to hear Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, The Symphony of a Thousand. For there were musicians, and musical instruments, seemingly everywhere. Six timpani, two bass drums, two harps, five French horns, a bass tuba, and I reckoned a hundred young choristers, all dressed in black, sitting neatly at the back. Clearly we were in for quite a show.

And it was a show full of contrasts, spaced over almost 200 years of composition, yet all compellingly complementary. The beautiful austerity of James MacMillan; the lush, joyful optimism of Hector Berlioz; and the intense twentieth century romanticism of Karyl Szymanowski.

Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Little Mass for children’s chorus was “little” only in the sense of limiting itself to the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei and scoring it for young voices. It is a work of substance, first performed in Liverpool almost a year ago and premiered in Scotland with us. A piece of some drama: ghoulish, austere, dissonant and utterly beautiful. Undoubtedly a difficult work to perform, the RSNO Junior Chorus gave an excellent account of themselves in a composition many senior choirs would struggle with. Difficult intonations, tricky entries and fiercely challenging harmonies were sung with confidence and precision, with the cherry on top of the composer coming on to the platform to receive the applause and rightly point to the choir’s laudable achievement. Promising start.

A few minutes later on came Scotland’s musical sweetheart, Nicola Benedetti, resplendent in what looked like a Dolce and Gabbana figure-hugging long black dress with signature cascading curls hairstyle. It is a credit to her playing that one soon forgot such superficial accoutrements. Szymanowski and Benedetti have history, of the good kind. His first violin concerto was the piece that won her Young Musician of the Year in 2004 and her recording premiere for Deutsche Grammophon a year later. Tonight we heard her play the second concerto, a more complex work with a lot of writing in the higher register. Benedetti gave it everything and we got it all back. The young woman combines a phenomenal technique with extraordinary feeling; her 1717 ‘Gariel’ Stradivari more than responding to what she asked of it as it approaches its 300th birthday. Szymanowski’s intelligent and well-rounded orchestration gave the band ample opportunity to support and interplay with the solo part in this break-less twenty-five minute piece in the twentieth century romantic genre. Fine playing throughout. Kindly, this young woman who has absolutely no side, treated us to a Bach sarabande for an encore, considerately thanking us for our applause and announcing what she was going to play.

There is often a slight feeling of flatness as one dutifully returns to the auditorium for the second, usually symphonic part of the programme after the glamour and fireworks of the soloist and concerto have gone. Peter Oundjian and the RSNO were having none of this and brought Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique to light in a way that I have rarely heard it played, with full on enthusiasm, lightness of touch and an abundance of joy. More a symphonic poem than a symphony, there is a danger of the brass dominating, but Oudjian let everybody have their say: a beautiful intertwining of a very exposed but very well played cor anglais and timpani in the third movement; glorious, roaring brass in the fourth, and almost a fairground cacophony in the final fifth movement, the strings being given their head and the conductor, who one felt was liberating rather than directing the orchestra, ensuring balance, never vulgarity, and not once committing the cardinal sin of “looking encouragingly at the brass”. We left the auditorium chuckling.

StarStarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Charles Stokes (Seen 18 March)

Go to RSNO & Season 2016- 17

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Legally Blonde: The Musical (King’s: 16 – 19 March, ’16)

Posted in 4*, King's Theatre, Musical Theatre, Rated: Nae Bad by

“Catchy songs, big dance numbers and laughs a-plenty”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Nae Bad

For those who know the film, the premise of the musical is almost exactly identical – blonde bombshell and fashionista Elle Woods from Malibu, California is determined to bag her man, so she buries her head in books and chases him to Harvard law school in the hope of impressing him. The accompanying score is very poppy and upbeat, and while not to my personal taste, even the sternest of faces can’t help but bop along with some of the numbers.

On the whole, local troupe the Bohemians Lyrics Opera Company handle this big production very well – with some impressive dance routines and real powerhouse vocals throughout. The mind boggles at some of the quick changes performed, especially those done on stage, so credit where credit’s due for the risk and professionalism to carry those off. At times, particularly in Whipped into Shape, the performance felt a little flat and a stretch too far for this amateur group – perhaps a bit of shakiness on opening night or not quite having the musical tempos nailed – but otherwise it’s very well rehearsed and full of personality.

Lydia Carrington gives it her all as leading legal lady Elle Woods, and shines with fantastic energy and likeability. Her spirit never falters throughout – impressive considering she is barely ever off stage – and she shows great range and versatility to reflect the changing mood in each scene. However, it’s Lyndsey McGhee as Paulette who raises the biggest cheer of the night with the very moving Ireland (watch out for that towards the end of Act 1). Her voice is deep, rich and she delivers a knockout performance. It’s a shame we don’t get to see more of her throughout the show.

While the leads very much hold their own throughout the performance, for me it is some of the cameo roles that make this production really enjoyable: Ross Stewart is eminently watchable as UPS guy Kyle, while Sam Eastop and Andrew Knox make a great comic pairing in Gay or European. And of course, there are dogs. Scene-stealing dogs. You have been warned…

Yes it’s cheesy, yes it’s American, and yes at times it’s a bit ridiculous, but it’s also a show full of catchy songs, big dance numbers and laughs a-plenty (my favourite line being “I see dead people” in relation to the rather bizarre inclusion of a Greek chorus). If you like the sound of all that then you’ll love this production.

nae bad_blue

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

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Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 16 March)

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THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED

A Play, A Pie and A Pint – Some Other Stars (Traverse: 15 – 19 March, ’16)

Posted in 4*, Theatre, Traverse by

“Gripping until the very end”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars

There was a real buzz at this, the opening performance of the first in the new season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint at the Traverse Theatre, as audience members of all ages filled the studio – an indicator of the wide appeal the programme has. Opening the batting order is Some Other Stars, which depicts honestly, beautifully and painfully, the journey travelled by a loving couple when one of them, for whatever reason, ends up in a coma.

Performed as two interweaving monologues, Clare Duffy’s script deftly covers a plethora of feelings and thoughts from both sides, from confusion and pain in the early days, through hope, helplessness, boredom and betrayal. The play begins in darkness, with a sizeable monologue from Ian (Martin McCormick) describing what’s going on in his head while in a vegetative state. The discomfort of the darkness and simplicity and repetition of his words work to set a deep and personal tone, drawing us into the obvious conflict of his physical incapability of communicating with his wife, Cath (Kristin Murray).

Once the action gets going it’s quite a pacy affair that is full of dramatic contrasts in perspective that interweave, each seamlessly making way for the next without ever getting bogged down on one idea. Cath’s opening speech is delivered very fast, which on one hand jars against the sensitive, human element of the production, while on the other very ably and stylishly communicates a headful of thoughts that aren’t able to form themselves into cohesive sentences before the next comes along. Perhaps a little too “theatrical” for me, but powerful all the same.

Both McCormick and Murray are very believable in their respective roles, with a command of emotion and tension that makes this play gripping until the very end. While not wholly believable in terms of chemistry as a couple, their energy, pace and variety of emotional intensity are evenly balanced, and that missing spark almost works in their favour in sections where the breakdown in their relationship becomes more apparent.

Yet while the acting is on whole very powerful, I wasn’t convinced by Jonathan Scott’s design which seemed too “artsy” against the very sensitive performance. The use of a hospital bed with a body constructed of plastic bottles and other flotsam certainly represented Ian’s apparent lifelessness, but to me detracted from the integrity of the emotion on display, especially when it was being interacted with. Some of the other design elements also seemed redundant – the table and dolls downstage and the gazebo-like structure didn’t add anything to the production, and I feel that a more stripped back approach, relying on the actors to do the work with their physicality would have aided to the rawness and fragility of the piece. There were moments of this towards the end of the production, where Cath, in desperation straddles her husband in his wheelchair in the hope to get him to feel, which were very moving and required no special effects. It’s a shame this technique was not used more often.

Overall, this is a simple yet moving exploration of a situation none of us ever hopes to be on either side of, presented with real human honesty. Compelling.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

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Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 15 March)

Visit the Traverse archive.

THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED

SCO: IBRAGIMOVA & KRIVINE (Usher Hall 10 March ’16)

Posted in 3*, Music, Rated: Unrated, Usher Hall by

“I commend the SCO for their daring and committed performance tonight”

Editorial Rating: 3 stars

 

Thursday’s concert at the Usher Hall was designed to please, and did not fail. Mendelsohn’s Overture The Hebrides, Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D minor and Brahms’s Fourth Symphony span fifty years of the nineteenth century European Romantic genre and are all immensely satisfying upon the ear.

Yet when we talk of the Romantic genre we must not deceive ourselves with Batt-like portraits of composers gaining inspiration in the coffee house or at their desk by candlelight. These works are often borne out of insecurity and fear.

The Hebrides is really a tone poem in miniature, better known to us oldies as Fingal’s Cave, a short boat trip from Mull if you are interested. Mendelssohn struggled reconciling sonata form with tone painting, and wrote of the work as “the whole so-called development smells more of counterpoint than of blubber, gulls and salted cod”. In fact you would have to be an analytical cynic to agree with him, for it is a live, refreshing work and the SCO despatched it well.

Schumann’s Violin Concerto was also a cause of grief to its composer, who never heard it performed orchestrally. Swiftly composed in but thirteen days it was to languish for 125 years before its entry into the oeuvre after a series of family, political and technical issues. While fitting squarely into the romantic genre, and being a work of substance, it is nonetheless not without its problems. The first movement gives us soloist and orchestra working closely together more in the Baroque style, and this was exacerbated by imbalances between the two. Moreover, the positioning of instruments was curious, timpani within the main body, brass atop, basses to the left behind the first violins. Things came together better in the second slow movement when soloist Alina Ibragimova really came to the fore with confident bowing and tone. In the final movement it worked a treat and the band and soloist brought us romping home.

To me the ultimate version of the closing work, Brahms’s Fourth Symphony, has to be Carlos Kleiber’s extraordinary, almost eccentric 1981 recording for Deutsche Grammaphon with the Vienna Philharmonic, knocked off in a fraction less than 40 minutes. I have heard so many stodgy, proscenium arch type versions that I come to this oft performed work with some dread. I was delighted with the way the SCO tackled it. They took the opening movement very fast indeed – absolutely no trace of stodge here – and I would rather have a racy, resolute performance such as this with a few flaws (the trumpets a little too loud, some tricky moments in the horn section) than an immaculate, more pompous central European type interpretation. As we worked through the piece the playing became more assured, steady ensemble playing in the second movement after the hectic first, a slightly over keen entry to the third with the strings nailing it with their con attacas, a confident brass opening the final with the orchestra playing like the highly polished ensemble they can be.

All live music is a risk. I commend the SCO for their daring and committed performance tonight, and congratulate both them and Principal Guest Conductor Emmanuel Krivine drafted in at short notice to replace the indisposed Robin Ticciati. It was to his and the band’s credit that you never would have guessed.

 

 

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Charles Stokes (Seen 10 March)

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Angels in America (Bedlam: 8 – 12 March ’16)

Posted in 4*, Bedlam, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by
Brooks Hudgins as Prior and Emily Deans as Harper Photos: EUTC

Brooks Hudgins as Prior and Emily Deans as Harper
Photos: EUTC

‘A Gay Fantasia on National Themes’

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Outstanding

If you think a log cabin Republican is the kind of guy who would fire off a Patriot missile at a low flying angel, that would be way, way off target. And what would be his (her?) Democrat equivalent? I dunno but it might involve tepees and he / she might major in lines like ‘Respect the delicate ecology of your emotions’. You get both sorts on the Bedlam stage this week. Yay!

This is Tony Kushner’s cultural blockbuster of a play from the early 90s: that’s actually two plays, Millenium Approaches and Perestroika, with a runtime – then – of around seven hours. See this EUTC production, ably directed by Liam Rees, and you’re done in just over three hours but you will probably want to know what has had to be cut. (There is the made-for-cable HBO miniseries that might help and you won’t have to suffer the Baltic temperatures of Bedlam, although the scenes in Antarctica might feel familiar.) In the original script there are 67 scenes for two characters and that’s more or less how it all proceeds, two-handers with stand-out monologues for the principals. It’s sharp, witty, political, and yet manages to shade from the domestic to the mythic. Its subtitle, ‘A Gay Fantasia on National Themes’ sets the scene.

To begin with it is 1985, Cats is going strong on Broadway and Ronald Reagan is President. In New York City Prior Walter – latest of the Walters who got off the Mayflower – is getting sick from AIDS and his partner of four years, Louis Ironson, is not coping. Lou works in the same building as Joe Pitt, a legal clerk, who is offered a big move to Washington DC by his powerful associate and friend, Roy Cohn. Joe does not know if he can take the job because his wife, Harper, is popping Valium like there’s no tomorrow. You are never entirely sure how many tomorrows Prior has left, not least when he’s visited by two ancestors in black capes who regard his pestilential condition as entirely befitting a sodomite.  Angel wings hang above the stage and at the close a tremendous thrumming heralds the arrival of the ‘Messenger’. In all likelihood the bearer of glad tidings has arrived but there have been angelic voices before and Prior, bless him, has no idea what they’re talking about.

The excellent cast does not leave the stage which works well to impress a sense of full-on, marginally dislocated action. Prior’s sick bed stays up centre throughout. Brooks Hudgins plays the stricken WASP with timing that stings and with biting bittersweet delivery. Abandoned by Louis, he muses on his desperate isolation: it’s a sad joke that his dermatologist is on a [long] vacation in Hawaii and his mother … well, his mother just stays away. Rob Younger as Louis has all the lines and tousled angst of a Woody Allen character. It’s a kind, thoughtful part, full of faltering starts, punctuated by ‘Okay ..’ and ‘Right ..’ as he tries to explain himself. At home, stranded in her Brooklyn apartment, Emily Deans is outstanding as Harper Pitt, managing her depressive state with what amounts to mischievous glee in pyjamas and spotted dressing gown. Andrew Hally as husband Joe has to behave decently against demanding odds and more insuperable than even his Mormon upbringing or his sexuality is the foul mouthed, monster ego of Roy Cohn. The fact that Al Pacino took this part gives you a measure of what Peter Morrison has to do and he does well, lurching from one ghastly judgement to the next upon what’s rotten in the land of the free. It is not at all difficult to realise that Cohn (1927-1986) was a real-life horror show.

Peter Morrison as Roy Cohn

Peter Morrison as Roy Cohn

Supporting roles by Meera Munoz Pandya (notably as Belize, onetime drag queen, Prior’s ex-boyfriend and best friend) and by Erica Belton are clearly defined and remarkably effective within the significantly reduced script. The inevitable problem in this half and half version of Angels in America is that the impact of the ‘blockbuster’ cannot be the same as it was when young Americans were all ‘Reagan’s children’. It even predates Friends for heaven’s sake! The angelic chorus gets muffled, as it certainly did up in the rafters of Bedlam. Exhortations to ‘Look up, look up’ did not just baffle Prior Walter. Nevertheless, when ‘Modern Studies’ in many a Scottish high school can still stop at JFK’s assassination and when HIV infection and AIDS simply register as component parts of the Health and Well Being curriculum, this EUTC production is important work.

 

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Alan Brown (Seen 8 March)

Go to Angels in America at Bedlam Theatre

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King Lear (Pleasance: 1 – 5 March ’16)

Posted in 4*, Pleasance, Potterrow & Teviot, Rated: Unrated, Theatre by
MacLeod Stephen as Poor Tom (Edgar) & Will Fairhead as Lear. Photos: Louise Spence.

MacLeod Stephen as Poor Tom (Edgar) & Will Fairhead as Lear.
Photos: Louise Spence.

“Expressionist-noir”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars

In this ‘Year of Lear’ the Edinburgh University Shakespeare Company is not afraid. It should be though, for the ‘True Chronicle Historie of the life and death of King Lear and his three daughters’ is a terrifying play. The voracious, great, Samuel Johnson could not stomach its last scenes and for near on 200 years it had to put up with the rewrite to end all rewrites. This is the tragedy that puts the brave into bravo.

And, first off, there were standing cheers at the curtain call. Will Fairhead’s performance as the foolhardy, maddening, mad, Lear deserved them. MacLeod Stephen acted out of his skin and nearly out of Poor Tom’s loincloth. Goneril (Caroline Elms) and Regan (Agnes Kenig) did that nasty, alluring thing with crystal diction on high heels and Cordelia (Marina Windsor) would break any father’s heart. Oliver Huband put the bad boy into whoreson, if that’s possible, and Tom Stuchfield made the worthy Earl of Kent positively exciting. Dual death by dagger thrust – Cornwall’s (Jordan Roberts-Laverty) and of the servant who dares protest at the blinding of Gloucester – is admirably dealt and nothing, nothing, disguises the naked brutality of the action that follows the ‘hideous rashness’ of Lear’s decision to dismember his kingdom. Cue the ‘What is Britain?’ line, topical then as now.

Still, forget history, or politics come to that, which is a professional undertaking. Henry Conklin directs a student production that bleaches affection and colour in favour of cold and dreadful suffering. The air drums relentlessly. Grey / blue, white and black predominate in a setting that may as well be called expressionist-noir. Only the all-licensed Fool is allowed to stand out but where, oh where, is the motley coat? A cheeky alpine hat is not enough support, even for the accomplished and confident Pedro Leandro. The wit and the timing worked well enough in the moment, prompting chuckles, but the effect was more often glib than penetrating. There was too much bleak distance between the king and his fool to reach across. Rid them of sympathy and these huge lines get the shakes:

Fool:    Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise.
Lear:    O! Let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven;
Keep me in temper; I would not be mad!

Actually, of all things, it was near indistinguishable costume not age or aging that looked inescapable. No one stoops and Edgar, as poor bare Tom, is unmissable. Lear, mad, should appear ‘fantastically dressed with wild flowers’. You are more likely to notice his pronounced twitching and swinging arm than his headband. Presumably, in a man of eighty plus, this is a sign of Parkinson’s but then it makes sense to join the destruction of Lear’s reason to a modern interpretation that trembles upon Alzheimer’s.

Caroline Elms as Goneril & Oliver Huband as Edmund.

Caroline Elms as Goneril & Oliver Huband as Edmund.

Set aside the difficulties of keeping the verse safe – and some of it is gunned down – Lear can still be a bewildering nightmare of a play, if not downright disorientating, which might put an audience alongside the blind Gloucester (Ben Schofield) who thinks that he has just thrown himself off the white cliffs of Dover when he’s just taken a tumble in a field. Incriminating letters fall out of pockets and the foul Edmund proves irresistible to both Goneril and Regan, which provoked some inopportune laughter. For some reason, at the herald’s command, ‘Sound’ [trumpet] you hear a bell. Swords are fencing foils and you are treated to some impressive attacks and parries.

At heart, of course, this is a production where that throwaway “Love you” at the end of a 21st century phone call meets Lear’s last howling entry with Cordelia dead in his arms. Conklin and cast have done their very best to get you back to 1606 when it really hurts.

 

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Alan Brown (Seen 3 March)

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The Perfect Murder (King’s Theatre: 1 – 5 March ’16)

Posted in 3*, King's Theatre, Theatre by
Jessie Wallace and Shane Ritchie. Image credit: Honeybunn photography

Jessie Wallace and Shane Ritchie.
Image credit: Honeybunn photography

“Dark humour and plenty of jumpy moments ensure sheer entertainment”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars

An (almost) Perfect Murder is taking place at the King’s this week, which, on the whole, I think is worth witnessing. Despite the slightly shaky plot and occasional drop in pace and energy, this stage adaptation of Peter James’ original novella is filled with enough dark humour and jumpy moments throughout to ensure a thoroughly entertaining production.

The plot centres around the rocky married life of Joan and Victor Smiley, played by Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie of Eastenders fame, as they each plot to kill the other in order to run away with their respective new lovers and start a new life on a beach in Spain drinking mojitos all day. Idyllic? These characters seem to think so, and what ensues is a darkly funny and occasionally completely ridiculous two hours, as they attempt to carry out their cunning plan.

The majority of the audience are clearly there to see ‘Kat and Alfie’ in action, yet as the play progresses and we witness the duo in their first scene alone on stage together, the shadow of the soap opera couple diminishes and Wallace and Richie prove they are not one trick ponies, with convincing performances of new characters. The chemistry that works so well between the two on screen is immediately evident on stage, and despite the potentially dull moments of petty marital bickering throughout the first act, the two carry this off with such exuberance and fine-tuned comic timing that it is more than bearable to watch. Wallace in particular, through her portrayal of Joan, is successful in being totally neurotic and batty, yet kooky and loveable at the same time, and for me her solo moments on stage were one of the play’s highlights.

While not quite matching up to the prowess of Wallace and Richie, the rest of the cast are largely commendable in their efforts to bring heart to moments in the plot that don’t quite work. Stephen Fletcher as Joan’s ‘new man’ and subsequent partner in crime, Don, was delightful in a simple, buffoonish performance that worked well alongside Wallace’s Joan. Equally, Simone Armstrong as the psychic Croat prostitute provides necessary comedy and warmth. Benjamin Wilkin’s DC Grace falls slightly off the mark, and there is an immediate drop in the pace of the action in his scenes with Armstrong. While Grace doesn’t seem to do any policing and comes across as quite an unnecessary character altogether, there is definitely potential for a deeper exploration of character to create more interest that Wilkin does not fully exploit.

Michael Holt’s set works well alongside the action, using large homey rooms built on top of one another in a house-like structure to provide the different locations in the plot. High-pitched screams and ghostly flashing lights, reminiscent of an old-school horror movie, do add a certain haunted air that ensures many a jolt of shock among the audience. Director Ian Talbot has led this cast to create an audience-pleasing production whose strong performances allow us to forget about the nitty gritty details of the slightly silly plot and instead enjoy an evening of dark comedy and ultimately, sheer entertainment.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Rachel Cram (Seen 2nd March)

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Julius Caesar (Augustine United Church 1 – 5 March ’16)

Posted in 3*, Other, Theatre by

Antony (Tom Birch), Caesar (Adam Butler) and Calpurnia (Heather Daniel)

“The kind of unbridled creativity I often only see in student productions”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars

Reimagining Shakespeare’s classic tale in the modern day world of professional football may seem like lunacy to some, but with themes like loyalty, pride in one’s city, questions over physical fitness and a bit of back-stabbing, the parallels between ancient Rome and football today aren’t as dissimilar as might be first assumed – it certainly piqued my interest. However, as can happen in football, I think there was perhaps too much theorising behind this production, which didn’t quite convert to success on the pitch.

Much like when reading a Hilary Mantel novel, I worry when I find myself constantly having to flick back to the character list to be reminded who everyone is and what side they’re on. And with this interpretation assigning each character a footballing role (for one or more teams) as well, it’s certainly not the easiest to follow for someone unfamiliar with the play.

Adam Butler as Caesar is every inch the star player in this outing, commanding attention and respect from all around him, and it is easy to build rapport with him as the fans’ favourite. He is confident, charismatic and handles Shakespeare’s text very well. Charlie Angelo is also enjoyable and convincing as Casca, bringing an air of comedy into what is otherwise quite an intense evening’s entertainment.

Various women are cast in male roles in this production, the most interesting of these being Alice Markey as Decius, who holds her own with strength and precision. However, in arguably the most important scene of the play, where Calpurnia convinces Caesar not to go out, only for Decius to then persuade him otherwise, I would have really liked to have seen the female Decius use a more sexual approach to her argument, heightening the tension in the scene which unfortunately seemed rather rushed.

Indeed, missed opportunities seemed the name of the game throughout, with many great ideas going unfulfilled or veering off-target. With almost all characters being football players, it is surprising how much standing around there is in group scenes, whereas seeing some football in action and the interactions that come naturally within that could add more depth and integrity to the performance. Given the interpretation of this piece I was also disappointed the fight scenes are not reimagined as football matches between the rival factions, and that stabbing is so faithfully used as the murder method of choice. With interesting references to performance-enhancing and other kinds of drugs throughout, maybe “dagger” could have had a whole new meaning?

However, what I particularly enjoyed about this production was the inventiveness of the projected films throughout, showing characters as models, celebrities and footballers on the pitch. These sections work very well to give background and depth to the characters, and to cover any edits from the original script. Additionally, when all characters are on stage reacting to Antony’s speech after Caesar’s death the atmosphere is very powerful and sustained, while the fight scenes show great energy and control. The use of hoodies instead of cloaks, paparazzi and mobile phones were all nice modern touches showing the kind of unbridled creativity I often only see in student productions.

Overall, I admire the headstrong strategy and imagination of the squad in this play, but for me the formation didn’t allow it to achieve a resounding victory.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

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Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 2 March)

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THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED

RSNO: Carlos Miguel Prieto; Boris Giltburg (Usher Hall: 26 Feb. ’16)

Posted in 5*, Music, Usher Hall by

 

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars

“The playing’s the thing…”

Friday night is music night – well pretty much every night is actually – at the Usher Hall, but it is also RSNO night and this last Friday they played a successful combination of the well known, the eccentric, and the obscure.

Let’s start with the obscure.  Our evening kicked off with Rodion Schredrin’s Concerto for Orchestra No 1 “Ozorniye Chatuski”, roughly (but appropriately) translated as Naughty Limericks, the music being based on short and bawdy popular songs.  Had you heard of Shchedrin?  Did you know that, unlike Shostakovich, he had few problems with the State authorities, or that Leonard Bernstein was a fan?  I confess I didn’t, and I warmed to this delightful eight-minute pastiche that certainly had shades of not only Bernstein’s West Side Story but also Walton’s Facade.  The RSNO played with precision and affection that set us up well for the evening.

There followed what I suspect everybody came for, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor.  This is a glorious piece, Rachmaninov’s passport to his new life in the USA, and premiered with him soloing with the New York Symphony Orchestra under Walther Damrosch in 1909.  The work is so gorgeously, gloriously and unashamedly romantic that it is tempting, especially for the younger soloist, to ham it up. Hats off, then, to the 31 year old Boris Giltburg, Russian born but now based in Tel Aviv, whose performance was restrained, measured and perfectly controlled so that you felt that it was the composer rather than the soloist speaking to you. The slower than normal tempo of the opening Allegro ma non tanto allowed clear as a bell timbre in terms of notation and phrasing so that you felt you were really getting to the music rather than being overwhelmed by romantic mush.  The long solo passages again made you feel you could hear every note in every chord with extraordinary attention to detail with well judged and never over the top expression. The young man demonstrated maturity beyond his years and true artistic humility that won the hearts of audience and orchestra alike.  His encore was an extraordinary exercise in bravura.

And what of the orchestra? I would describe their playing as both totally integrated with the soloist but also supportive, with solo wind, especially flute and cor anglais, almost curling round the piano part as if they were dancing together. The strings brought out everything we wanted to hear but rightly stopped just short of Hollywood. Percussion and brass were necessarily bold and strong. We heard the piece uncut, symphonic in length and also stature.

Following the interval came Shostakovich’s Symphony No 6. Shostakovich wrote a patchwork quilt of fifteen symphonies from the full on 5th, 7th and 8th to the miniscule 15th. The sixth comes stylistically somewhere near the latter, a mere 35 minutes and three movements, but to their credit guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto and the RSNO made me take this eccentric work more seriously than before. A sombre first movement with a broad, bleak opening line from the violas and cellos followed by sparse, exposed flute and trumpet made this a signature Shostakovich work. As it progressed we were given some lighter relief in terms of joyful woodwind and even humorous, full on brass, resounding tam tam and timpani. A short work rich in contrasts and emotions, well played.

This was a surprisingly good concert given, or maybe because of, the choice of programme. I was impressed by the depth of the interpretations of the Shchedrin and Shostakovich, and the restraint and maturity shown in the Rachmaninov. So I wondered, what makes a successful concert? Programming, interpretation, of course, but perhaps above all the degree of engagement between players, soloist and conductor, and above all between players and audience. The orchestra and their guest conductor clearly had an excellent rapport, as did they with us, rewarding us with a delightful Chabrier style parody encore. So the engagement, and to misquote Hamlet, “the playing’s the thing”. Well played.

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Reviewer: Charles Stokes (Seen 26 February)

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Carmen (Assembly Roxy, 23-27 Feb. ’16)

Posted in 4*, Assembly Roxy, Opera by
Anna Keenan and Robert Forrest

Anna Keenan and Robert Forrest

“For such a young company to produce a work of such masterful quality… sometimes you just have to be in awe.”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars

I’ll admit that I’m not exactly an opera buff and I wasn’t particularly familiar with Carmen before entering the theatre last night, so despite the accessibility of the English libretto in this production, there were times during Act 1 when even I wished Bizet et al had been a little less self-indulgent with their lyricism and more efficient with the quill. In saying that, the magnitude of this production never appeared to be too daunting or a stretch too far for the company, who did their level-best to keep the performance alive and engaging throughout. And for me, it is the stars of the show who deserve the lion’s share of the credit for that.

Anna Keenan is an absolute delight as Carmen, oozing sexiness and style, with a voice full of richness, warmth and subtlety to portray important changes in tone during the performance. Her stage presence and demeanour command attention and it is difficult not to be drawn to her throughout. Robert Forrest as Don Jose is similarly impressive, demonstrating fantastic strength and vocal and emotional range in a role that is very demanding. And considering both leads are still students, one wonders just what heights they may achieve in the future given the talent both displayed in this performance – remember those names. Monica Toll also dazzled as Micaela with gorgeous tones and depth to her voice, particularly in Micaelea’s Aria which was very moving.

Early on I was worried that this production lacked the fierceness and melodrama required to really sell an opera, as the opening couple of chorus numbers were a little flat and pedestrian. At times the stage seemed very full, with chorus members appearing a little lost when not singing. Yet, with each act the energy seemed to be turned up a notch, so by the rousing What A Bargain! in the final act, my earlier thoughts were dispelled as the pomp and gusto had lifted to breath-taking levels with great characterisation, action and a spine tingling sound.

What I particularly enjoyed about this production was how creatively the space was used. Often the performers would enter or exit through the audience, engaging us in the action, while the orchestra (who were magnificent throughout) were placed within the first few rows, which added to that sense of involvement, rather than traditional separation. And as this production is set at the time of the Spanish Civil War, I feel these touches really helped achieve a sense of comradeship with the chorus in their plight, so the whole show became more of an experience than a spectacle – certainly a commendable feat.

I didn’t really know what to expect from this production before seeing it, but I am certainly more than pleasantly surprised by the experience. For such a young company to produce a work of such masterful quality, with just as much energy and vocal strength at the end of the show as the beginning, sometimes you just have to be in awe. Bravo.

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Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 24 February)

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THIS REVIEW HAS NOT BEEN SUBEDITED