farce
Johnny English RebornMonday, 03 October 2011![]() "Barclaycard? This man's in no state to go shopping!" Thus we remember the credit card commercials which formed the "origin story" of blundering secret agent Johnny English, then known as Richard Latham. Better name in fact, but no matter. Eight... Read more... |
One Man, Two Guvnors, National TheatreTuesday, 24 May 2011![]() Dropped trousers, audience participation and an onstage skiffle band fronted by a singer/songwriter boasting specs by way of Buddy Holly: what has become of the National Theatre's Lyttelton auditorium? Well, let's just say that for the entire first... Read more... |
A Flea in Her Ear, Old Vic TheatreTuesday, 14 December 2010![]() Most critics have their own indicator of shows they have enjoyed hugely; for my part, if I fail to take anything but the most basic notes it’s because I’m so engrossed in the story or I’m laughing too much. And so it proved last night, when I found... Read more... |
Les Parents Terribles, Trafalgar StudiosMonday, 29 November 2010![]() This is the final production in the Donmar Warehouse’s 12-week season at Trafalgar Studios (which showcases the work of its resident assistant directors) and is a revival of Jeremy Sams’s translation of Jean Cocteau’s play - first seen in Sean... Read more... |
The Duenna, English Touring Opera, Linbury Studio TheatreThursday, 14 October 2010![]() Christmas has come early to the Royal Opera House this year. Without a single shout of “He’s behind you!” or even an implausibly-uddered dancing cow, pantomime season is well and truly underway in the form of The Duenna – a corset-straining,... Read more... |
Le nozze di Figaro, Garsington OperaSunday, 06 June 2010![]() The sun rode high, the gardens glowed green, my lemon berry pudding bulged proudly and, on stage, the familiar 24-carat farce that is Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro was working itself out to perfection. It was Garsington - and my baking - at its very... Read more... |
Le nozze di Figaro, Royal OperaTuesday, 01 June 2010![]() The opening night of Le nozze di Figaro was not so much an opera of two halves as an opera of two teams. In the pit we had Sir Colin Davis and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House offering a crisply incisive rendering of Mozart’s score; onstage we... Read more... |
Taking Steps, Orange Tree TheatreMonday, 29 March 2010![]() One of the stranger facts of the theatre in recent years is the comparatively short shrift given to Alan Ayckbourn, who was once a seasonal mainstay. The upside of that same lessening of productions is that those Ayckbourn outings that do come along... Read more... |
Mascarades, Ciné LumièreMonday, 07 December 2009![]() It begins with a touch of brio: a sinuous, swirling tracking shot plunges deep into the daily chaos of a market place in a remote Algerian desert village. Signs are hoisted aloft and askew, mobile phones noisily bickered over, clapped-out bangers... Read more... |
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