Category: Theatre

Why I love the Royal Shakespeare Company

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

One evening in 2009, I walked into the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre with my parents. We had arrived to see Julius Caesar. This was not my first experience of Shakespeare in Stratford-Upon-Avon but it was the first that did not result in me returning to a classroom to write an essay.

I had read Self Made Hero’s Shakespeare Manga Julius Caesar in preparation, but nothing can really prepare you for the experience. I was hooked from the moment that the cast took to the stage. The RSC Ensemble were, on this occasion, led by Greg Hicks in the role of Julius Caesar, but a huge part of the charm was that there was not a ‘star’, but an ensemble of very talented actors telling the story of the Emperor of Rome. I left that evening exhilarated with a new appreciation of the Bard (I already loved Romeo and Juliet but that was probably thanks to Baz Luhrmann casting Leo in the film…). It was clear from that moment that nothing could beat seeing these plays on the stage. I was lucky enough to see a number of the plays at the Courtyard with the RSC Ensemble and have never looked back since and now visit the beautiful RSC Theatre.

Over the years, going to the RSC productions have become something of a family tradition. And, if we have not had the same desire to see some of the productions, then I have gone with friends who have a similar passion for the theatre. However, none of us restrict ourselves to the tales of Shakespeare. The wonderful musical ‘Matilda‘ started at the Courtyard and ‘Wendy and Peter Pan’ was a fabulous retelling of J.M Barrie’s classic.

Memories are made each time we visit this wonderful town and its theatre, and I can not wait for the fast-approaching Rome Season and making many more memories.

Top 10 memories (in no particular order – and I have probably still missed something):

  1. Matilda on a very snowy December day.
  2. Othello with Hugh Quarshie in the title role and Lucian Msamati as Iago.
  3. Richard II with David Tennant (and spotting him in the street on the morning of the play).
  4. Wendy and Peter Pan (on both occasions).
  5. Love’s Labours Lost, sitting on the same row as Prince Charles.
  6. Julius Caesar – that first grown-up RSC experience.
  7. The Merchant of Venice with Sir Patrick Stewart as Shylock.
  8. Twelfth Night with the very funny Richard Wilson as Malvolio.
  9. Much Ado About Nothing with Meera Syal and a truly exotic setting.
  10. The wonderful Hamlet with the award-winning Paapa Essideu in the lead role.

Cinderella certainly goes to the ball!

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

For 10 wonderful days, Birmingham Royal Ballet transported their audiences, at Birmingham Hippodrome, to the most fabulous fairy tale world of Cinderella.

Ballet appears to be becoming a bit of a little tradition for this time of year. Last year, Mum and I went to Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty (stunning) and, this year, we continued the fairy tale theme with Cinderella. I am not going to claim to be a expert in dance – I did ballet when I was younger, but the skill of these dancers was unbelievable. As beautiful as the costumes are (and they were) and as majestic as the sets are (and they really were), it was down to the dancers and the wonderful choreography to tell the story. The music offers a beautiful narration, but it really is the elegant movements of the those on the stage that truly brings the story to life.

You feel every emotion that Cinderella portrays, from her early tragic story to her happy ending. The ‘Ugly Sisters’ make you love them with the ‘elegant’ comedy they portray (I did wonder if it is harder for one to keep up the flat-footed movements of her character when she must be so used to being completely elegant and delicate). And Prince Charming, well, the strength in his dancing was amazing. When he lifted Cinderella with a stunning one-arm lift, the audience went wild (or as wild as an audience at the ballet dares to be).

However, despite the character name checks, the production would not have been as amazing as it was without the whole company. Every dancer on the stage made ‘Cinderella’ the stunning production that it was. As did the orchestra (I have always slightly envied those who play an instrument) who performed with such skill.

This production simply left me wishing that I could go to the ballet every week. It was beautiful!

Theatre Club 1: What a Triumph!

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

It can finally be revealed that the first ‘Theatre Club’ trip of 2017 was to see…‘Half A Sixpence’ at the Noel Coward Theatre.

The choice was made simply on the suggestion of my mum. We were on one of our jaunts to the big smoke and she spotted it and made it very clear that I would be a fan. To be honest when she told me that the film was Tommy Steele with a banjo, I was intrigued and the decision was made there and then that this would have to be the first adventure of 2017.

So, on a rather cold, grey London day, my friend and I met for our traditional catch up and theatre date. We started with a stroll around Covent Garden and lunch at one of our favourites, ‘The Palm Court Brasserie’. We discovered this lovely little restaurant on one of our other ‘Theatre Club’ dates and it offers a great pre-theatre set menu. The service is always excellent and the staff are very friendly. We passed a good couple of hours enjoying good food and good company, before leaving fully prepared for our afternoon in the theatre.

It is a simple stroll to the Noel Coward Theatre, which is beautifully showing off that it is home to ‘Half A Sixpence’. Even the atmosphere as you enter the theatre is electric. We had balcony seats (with a warning of a restricted view) and they were some of the most comfortable seats with leg room that we have ever had. The safety rail does not obstruct the view too much as the whole stage is used and it certainly did not impact on our enjoyment of the show.

From the moment ‘Half A Sixpence’began, the audience were hooked, and it appeared that the cast were having a lot of fun too. Their energy is infectious and you are swept away with the story. You can not help but like Arthur Kipps (played in the matinee on February 11th by Sam O’Rourke) as he goes from rags to riches to rags to riches on a journey of self-discovery. The songs are catchy throughout and when ‘Flash Bang Wallop’ is performed, it’s like a party on the stage and in the aisles. (The ladies next to me had clearly been waiting for that very moment). The appreciation from the audience was amazing and the cheers were non-stop, especially for Arthur and Ann (Sam O’Rourke and Devon-Elsie Johnson).

We both really enjoyed the production and will no doubt have the tunes in our heads for days to come, especially…‘Flash Bang Wallop’!

http://www.halfasixpence.co.uk/

Theatre Club – A little tradition for making memories

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This is one of the two weeks in the year where excitement levels are crazily high. It is one of the two weeks of the year which is the build up to ‘Theatre Club’. This is a little tradition to ensure that a friend and I will always catch up at least twice a year (as it is so easy for busy lives and distance to throw up obstacles).

The only rules to ‘Theatre Club’ are it needs to take place as close to our birthdays as possible (sometimes easier said than done), a good pre-theatre lunch is a must and a show is booked as a surprise. The final rule is always my favourite as it is such a joy to see the excitement at the big reveal or to be the one who can not wait to find out what the delight of the afternoon is going to be. There have never really been any rules about the shows that have to be booked but it seems that musicals are the winners. After all, they are a perfect girly treat!

Although, it can not yet be revealed what the show will be this weekend, here are 5 of the shows that have made it into ‘Theatre Club’:

  1. Guys and Dolls – The rendition of ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat‘ blew the audience out of the water.
  2. Funny Girl – Sheridan Smith really did shine as the star of the show.
  3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – A dream for any Roald Dahl fan and chocolate lover.
  4. Once – Such a charming story of struggling musicians set in Dublin.
  5. Singin’ in the Rain – Nothing more to say other than a timeless classic.

So, how are you going to get out there and make more memories?

The Play That Goes Wrong – Tour

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Over Christmas, you may have caught ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ on BBC One – and, if you did, you probably had an attack of the giggles. Well, ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ also causes uncontrollable laughter. The ‘play’ starts even before the curtain goes up as the ‘cast’ have various situations to deal with that are probably a nightmare for anyone trying to put on a slick, professional production. The inspiration for the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’ is clearly Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’. It represents all the romantic imagery of those classic stories but the ‘cast’ encounter such a collection of mishaps along the way that the audience are rolling in the aisles with laughter. The farce is thick and fast but never disappoints. A little like ‘The Mousetrap’, the ‘story’ and ‘mishaps’ really should not be shared and only experienced at the theatre. So, if you are up for a wonderfully ‘acted’ play, catch ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ on its national tour – it will not disappoint.

http://www.theplaythatgoeswrong.com/uk-tour

Theatre Mouse’s Top 5 Shows of 2016

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

In no particular order here are Theatre Mouse‘s favourite shows of 2016:

  1. Kinky Boots – The Musical at The Adelphi Theatre, London.
  2. Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon.
  3. The Merry Wives of Windsor at Bard on the Beach, Vancouver, BC.
  4. Sleeping Beauty at The Birmingham Hippodrome.
  5. Showboat at New London Theatre, London.

What adventures will Theatre Mouse have in the coming year?