THEGAYUK APRIL/MAY ISSUE 3
2014
SHOW
◼◼◼
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN
BROTHERS
BRIGHTON, WOKING,
RICHMOND & STOKE
Set in the backwoods of Oregon
in 1850, Adam Pontipee is a
burly woodsman who lives on
an isolated farm in the
mountains. On a visit to town to
trade goods, he decides to take
himself a wife and meets the
feisty Milly who agrees to
marry him. But when they
return to the farmhouse to start
their married life together,
Adam introduces her to his six
ill mannered, uncouth and
rough and tumble brothers.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on
the whole had a really light feel to it
and was undemanding, foot tapping,
enjoyable entertainment. The story
itself is a little thin and quaint, but
the reality is that this is good old
fashioned entertainment which
harks back to a more innocent time
and is more than capable of
entertaining the audience without
the use of special effects or elaborate
mechanical props. It is a credit to the
musical itself to think that 60 years
after being written for the big screen,
the stage show can still bring a smile
to the face of theatre goers. ∎
◼◼◼◼
Reviews by Paul Szabo & Robin Foreman-Quercus
PHILIP PULLMAN’S GRIMM
TALES
SHOREDITCH TOWN
HALL, LONDON
This immersive retelling of
some of Grimm’s best-loved
fairy tales, alongside a couple
of less well-known ones, is an
extraordinary journey through
a world that is both familiar
and intriguing.
Philip Wilson has adapted Philip
Pullman’s Grimm Tales: For Young
And Old in a manner which remains
true to the author’s collection whilst
allowing the stories to exist in an
entirely new form. Together with
Tom Rogers (set and costume),
Howard Hudson (lighting) and
Richard Hammarton (sound), he has
created a wonderful, wondrous
world where fiction really does meet
reality. ∎
14
◼◼◼◼
NEVER TRY THIS
AT HOME
SOHO
THEATRE,
LONDON
In this “disturbing
homage to Saturday
Morning television”,
TV reunion show,
Looking Back
Together examines
what ever
happened to the
cast of the
anarchic TV
show, Shushi ,
which was
taken off air
when things
get out of hand
and sexy ‘for the
dad’s’ presenter,
Petra Massey, has a
breakdown live on
the show. As the peek
behind the scenes
reveals, not
everything is well
behind the custard
pies and the buckets
of water.
The performances from
the cast were full of energy
and suitably silly, nicely
parodying the presenting
style of the time. The
flares, wigs and catsuits
fitted the show perfectly
and with the amount of
water, custard pies and
baked beans flying
around, the front row
remained sensibly
empty. The cast fully
involved the audience and it
was hard to tell at times what
was rehearsed and what was
improvised. The enjoyment of the
cast in their performances was
infectious and after the show’s 90
minutes running time, the
presenters of Shushi, felt like old
friends (in the same way that Simon
Groom and John Noakes were back
in the day).
The show was really good fun,
especially for those who grew up in
the 70’s and brought back many
memories of wasted Saturday
mornings. With the laughter ringing
out from the audience throughout
the show, it was clear to see that the
satirical writing was a huge hit with
them. ∎
◼◼◼◼◼
MATTHEW
BOURNE’S
SWANLAKE
UK TOUR
Matthew Bourne’s
critically acclaimed
production of Swan
Lake is welcomed back
to the stage on this
national tour. Based
on the traditional
ballet, Bourne
provides an
updated and
contemporary
vision of
Tchaikovsky’s
masterpiece.
The piece
follows a young
prince who is
bored with his life of
public duties and
frustrated by his
mother’s inability to
truly show any
affection towards
him. His life
escalates to the
point where he
contemplates suicide,
but changes his mind
when he appreciates the
beauty and
magnificence of the
swans on the lake.
But his saviours
may also be his
downfall as matters
culminate in
confrontation and
rejection at the Grand
Ball.
By replacing the female swans with a
male ensemble, the show has been
interpreted as being very homoerotic, not least because of the
relationship between the Prince and
the Male Swan, but the attractive
cast quite rightly underplay the
point, keeping the show more on the
right side of sensuality as opposed to
eroticism.
From the opening scenes to the
terrifying and tearful finale, this
show has everything to recommend.
It including humour, style, spectacle,
originality and genuine emotion. As
a piece of theatre, it cannot be
recommended highly enough. ∎