Goodnight, Oscar

 

Review by Paul Towers, 14/8/25

Goodnight, Oscar by Doug Wright

Directed by Lisa Peterson

Produced by Trafalgar Theatre Productions and others

At Barbican Theatre til Sunday 21^st September 2025

Oscar Levant is largely an unknown name in the UK. Unless you are a movie buff. Look closely at the credits of numerous films of the 30’s to 50’s and his name will be somewhere down among the also-rans. However, if you had lived in America at that time you would have seen and heard him on various TV and radio shows.

So it is an eye opener for us Brits to get a glimpse into his troubled personal life. Goodnight, Oscar is a snapshot of his mental illnesses and how he ‘coped’ with them.

On stage Oscar (Sean Hayes) has been sprung from the mental institute where his wife June (Rosalie Craig) has had him sectioned for his own safety. All sorts of treatments have been tried including ECT to control his OCD, depression and psychosis. All to little effect.

He has just 4 hours’ freedom in which to appear on friend Jack Parr’s (Ben Rappaport) show. Oscar is being nurse-maided by institute worker Alvin (Daniel Adeosun) while Oscar browbeats studio runner Max (Eric Sirakian) into sourcing drugs for him.

But, no matter what is going on around him it is Sean Hayes’ outstanding performance as the dissolute Levant that we wonder at. Oscar drifts from psychotic madman  to weeping desperation to almost normal. All the while still managing to throw away searing one-liners willy nilly.

Of course the absolute highlight of the performance is Hayes’ astonishing rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, live on a grand piano centre stage.

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/ 

Edinburgh Festival 2025

This was my first visit to Edinburgh’s world-renowned Fringe Festival. These are my favourites this year.

SMILE – The story of Charlie Chaplin

Actor and writer Marcel Cole, an Australian (believe it or not) presents a multi layered telling of two of the most important periods of Chaplin’s life. The first half is his enactment of The Gold Rush, Chaplin’s biggest self-produced film in 1925 (coincidentally 100 years ago), in all its silent glory.

The second half is centred round his advisors pleading with him to make a talking picture. His response? “I can’t talk. I am a pantomimist”. However he did relent and scored success with, amongst others, The Great Dictator, a savage satire on Hitler.

Cole cleverly peoples his performance with many audience members, often to get effect and much hilarity.

AN ADEQUATE ABRIDGMENT OF BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AS A HOMO

Jonny is 18 years old at an all-boys boarding school. He is ambling through his final year, very aware of being gay, adoring Britney and not really fitting in. Then there is Harry. School rugby star, hunk and quite happy to get his rocks off with Jonny. Both funny and telling, Abridgment is searingly honest about that first love and what happens when your boyfriend says he isn’t gay!

SIMON EVANS

Simon is a seasoned professional comedian whose face is familiar from any number of TV shows. Coming up to his 60^th Simon ruminates of the downsides of older age, but also the benefits. Plenty of laughs.

THE FIT PRINCE (WHO GETS SWITCHED ON THE SQUARE IN THE FROSTY CASTLE THE NIGHT BEFORE (INSERT PUBLIC HOLIDAY HERE))

Awkward Productions’ latest offering is Fit Prince. Following on from Diana, The Untold and Untrue story and Gwyneth Goes Skiing, this is just as bonkers and just as hilarious. Set in Swedonia, the Prince must marry or lose his kingdom forever. As Swedonia is enlightened it doesn’t matter who he marries. So when Aaron Butcher turns up they fall in love and save the day. Along the way we get outrageous puppetry, lots of improbable laughs and lots of help from the audience as additional cast members. Totally bonkers and hilarious.

SAUNA BOY

This was my third visit to the ‘South Coast’s Premier Gay Sauna’ and I still found it eye opening and raunchy. Dan Ireland-Reeves has had world-wide success with this production and it shows no sign of slowing down.

 

Grease

 

Review by Paul Towers, 5/8/25

Grease by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey

Directed & choreographed by Ryan-Lee Seager

Produced by Celia Mackay

At Kilworth House Theatre until Sunday 7^th September 2025

This year has been an especially good one for musicals at Kilworth House. This season we have been treated to TWO big, spectacular musicals. Earlier in the summer we had 42^nd Street and now, in the second half of the summer, we have got the ultimate summer loving musical, Grease.

Ryan-Lee Seager (familiar to theatre-goers at Curve) has stepped into the shoes of Kilworth House resident director Lee Proud who has had to withdraw due to ill health. And a great job he has done.

As always with Kilworth House productions the standard is high and Grease is definitely the word in this spectacular story of American High School romance. Michael Nelson as Danny Zuko has charm and arrogance to spare as he fights to keep his feelings for Sandy Dumbrowski (Lillia Squires) from spoiling his street cred with his chums.

While the girls, The Pink Ladies, are prickly and bitchy at first and close ranks they eventually welcome Sandy into their circle. Betty Rizzo (Julia Imbach) and Frenchy (Millicent Blair) are the two stand out members of the group. Quite often various girls get lost in their fantasies. Teen Angel (a very camp Declan Egan) persuades Frenchy to give up her dream of being a beautician to return to school.

Over on the boy’s side the throbbing testosterone is somewhat channelled into their obsession with cars which leads to the classic Greased Lightening (the battered old car’s name) as they cleverly transform it into a gleaming chrome encrusted man toy.

The set is very clever and transforms into various school locations and makes good use of the now legendary back wall opening to bring in huge props like the car and stairs.

The choreography by Ryan-Lee Seager is, in places, reminiscent of that of West Side Story, No bad thing

All in all the fantastic vocals and lots of comedy make this an evening of outdoor theatre not to be missed. Summer Nights have never been so magical.

Grease is at Kilworth House Theatre until Sunday 7^th September

https://www.kilworthhouse.co.uk/kilworth-house-theatre/

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/ 

By Royal Appointment

 

Review by Paul Towers, 23/7/25

By Royal Appointment by Daisy Goodwin

Directed by Dominic Dromgoole

Produced by Daniel Schumann & Lee Dean

At The Richmond Theatre til Saturday 26th July 2025

Author Daisy Goodwin is probably best known for writing the TV series Victoria. So she already has a forensic interest in royalty and is ideally suited to a chronicle of the late Queen’s life. Very creatively she has used the proposed exhibition of some of Her Majesty’s (Anne Reid) clothes to hang the narrative on.

Supposedly her dresser (Caroline Quentin) and personal assistant Angela Kelly has been approached to vouch for the various outfits and the stories behind them. Very cleverly this allows for all sorts of world events to be referenced, thus anchoring the clothes in the correct period. The Curator (Grainne Dromgoole) of the proposed exhibition acts as narrator describing both the clothes and the current events, often to the amusement of the audience.

Her Majesty is served well by her Milliner (James Dreyfus) and Designer (James Wilby) who, apart from providing Her Majesty’s iconic outfits also provide the audience with much laughter with their spiky bitchiness.

By Royal Appointment is as much about how the Queen, never knowingly being indiscreet, nevertheless speaks volumes with the clothes (and jewellery) she wore. Sparkling and poignant in equal measure this show is a fascinating look behind the curtain of public duty. Something, perhaps, that some in the spotlight might like to learn from.

By Royal Appointment runs at Richmond Theatre until Saturday 26^th July and then continues touring.

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/ 

Calamity Jane

 

Review by Paul Towers, 8/7/25

Calamity Jane by James O’Hanlon, music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

Directed by Nikolai Foster, choreographed by Nick Winston

Produced by The Watermill

At Curve til Saturday 12th July 2025

When the Deadwood Stage rolls into town you can be sure of an exciting time, especially if Calamity Jane is on the reins.

In the capable hands of Curve’s Nikolai Foster this classic musical of The Old West is a joyous evening of hoe-downing and whip cracking one liners.

Calamity Jane (a fabulous Carrie Hope Fletcher) runs the stagecoach that connects the remote townships such as Deadwood City to the outside world. Her authority, alongside that of Wild Bill Hickock (suave and brimming with sexuality Vinny Coyle), keeps the peace in the town, mostly. When local saloon owner Henry Miller (Peter Peverley) is let down when his bill topping act, Frances Fryer mistakenly turns out to be Francis, with an ‘i’ Fryer, a man (Samuel Holmes) Calamity only prevents a riot by waving her pistols about. To rectify matters Calamity offers to go to Chicago  and bring back a real life stage star, Adelaid Adams (Molly Grace Cutler).

Of course, mistakes are made and Calamity returns with the wrong girl, Katie Brown (Seren Sandham-Davies), who goes on to partner up with Calamity in double dating with Bill and local soldier Danny Gilmartin (Luke Wilson).

The main cast are joined on stage by a bevy of triple threat performers who sing, dance and play instruments which makes the illusion that you have wandered into a local saloon all the more real. Choreographer Nick Winston has the cast hoe-downing at a pace.

This is a great evening out and you will leave the theatre humming several well know songs and a light step, especially now a lot of the scaffolding around Curve is gone.

Calamity Jane is at Curve until Saturday 12^th July and then continues to tour.

https://calamityjanemusical.com/

www.curveonline.co.uk

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/ 

Brassed Off

 Review by Paul Towers, 7/7/25

Brassed Off by Paul Allen, based on the screenplay by Mark Herman

Directed by Mary Jones

Produced by The Little Theatre

At The Little Theatre til Saturday 12th July 2025

When I was a teenager it was deemed advantageous for me to learn some sort of musical instrument. I couldn’t sing so finding something for me to play was felt more easily achieved. So it was that I was bought a cornet and enrolled in the school brass band. For the next five years I spent many after school sessions crammed in a dingy room puffing away as we waded through numerous brass band standards. Sadly once I left school the only thing I took with me was the ability to read music. It hasn’t been a lot of use.

Settling in my seat at The Little Theatre took me back to those sweaty practice sessions as the superb Enderby Senior Band were revealed on stage to play their part in Brassed Off.

Brassed Off is ‘the other miners’ strike’ show. Billy Elliot being the other better known one.

In 1994, with echoes of the 1984 miners’ strike still ringing in their ears, miners were seeing the shadow of pit closures looming ever closer. In the fictional Grimley the coal pit is the backbone of the local community and the Grimley Colliery Band is the pride of the colliery despite not winning any competitions for years.

Gloria (Nikki Favell) is sent back to her home town by the management to assess the profitability of the mine. Allegedly. Turning up at band practice she bumps into an old flame, Andy (Robin McFarland) and they rekindle their romance until Andy works out that she is working for ‘the other side’.

Danny (Adam Jones), the band leader, struggles to keep the band’s spirits up as he battles emphysema, the result of years of working down the pit. His son Phil (Chris Brookes), when not at the coalface moonlights as a children’s clown in an attempt to feed his wife, Sandra (Chloe Thorpe) and their children. One of which, 8 year old Shane (Samuel Smith on Press Night) acts as a sort of narrator filling the audience in on context when needed and provides many of the laughs with his assured performance.

A large main cast and a huge ensemble, as well as the band themselves, means this is a full-bodied production and will leave you tumbling out into the night humming tunes you had no idea were in your head.

Pics: Jonathan Pryke

https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/ 

42nd Street

 

Review by Paul Towers, 24/6/25

42^nd Street by Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble, music & lyrics by Harry Warren, & Al Dubin

Directed & choreographed by Lee proud

Produced by Celia MacKay  

At Kilworth House Theatre til Sunday 13th July 2025

42^nd Street is the ultimate backstage musical. If you want to be pedantic it is ‘just’ a jukebox musical but it is so much more.

In 1930’s America inexperienced actress Peggy Sawyer (Mia Kobayashi) is wide eyed and naïve as she gatecrashes the auditions for Julian Marsh’s (Lewis Griffiths) latest show, Pretty Lady. Marsh’s career is on the line as his writers Maggie Jones (Rosie Strobel) and Bert Barry (TJ Lloyd) scrabble around to tweak the songs for the show. The star, Dorothy Brock (Michelle Bishop) is already past her prime and is only leading the show because she has brought her sugar daddy Abner Dillon (Pete Gallagher) on board to sponsor the tour.

Right from the off Peggy has attracted the eye of the juvenile leading man, Billy Lawlor (Brian O’Muiri) who shows her the ropes. Also being shown the ropes is Dorothy Brock’s boyfriend Pat Denning (Tim Rogers) who is being careful to avoid Dorothy’s sugar daddy.

While Dorothy’s acid put downs are tolerated for the sake of the show it is with a sigh of relief when she falls and breaks her ankle. Cue a scramble for someone to take over the lead and save the show. Despite having been fired by Julian Peggy is persuaded to return to the company as the only one with enough talent to pull off the lead at short notice. Julian Marsh drills Peggy to the point of exhaustion to get her ready for opening night and sends her out on stage with the iconic words "You're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!", and she does.

This all allows for a slew of songs, virtually every one of them hummable. While the lead actors play out the story it is the exceptional ensemble who tap their hearts out in almost every scene. Their energy and enthusiasm is plain to see and really makes the show shine.

Lee Proud’s direction and choreography are once again spot on with an adaptable set by Philip Wilcomb making full use of the limited stage. A full orchestra of 10 is presided over by Rick Coates and  gives a fullness to the show.

So come and meet those dancing feet at the sublime Kilworth House Theatre this summer. This year we are being spoiled as Grease is also taking up residence from 29 July til 7 September.

Pics: Fox Corporate Photography

https://www.kilworthhouse.co.uk/kilworth-house-theatre/

https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/