Friday 27 January 2023
In Clay, The Vaults | Review
A sweet tale of a female artist, specifically a potter/clay creator, in 1930s France, In Clay follows our protagonist Marie-Berthe developing her love of creating as well as looking at a few of her relationships and ultimately, the way she strives for and eventually defines, success.
Rosalind Ford takes the helm of this one woman show and does so with glorious affect. Not only does Ford play Marie-Berthe, but also a number of side characters such as her best friend Henrietta and her teacher Jean-Charles, all of whom you truly feel have entered the stage. With the noise of next door's performance and the rattling trains overhead, your attention could easily wander but Rosalind does a stellar job of keeping you engaged throughout. Her vocals are also gorgeous and an absolute treat to listen to.
Aside from the performance, the star of this show is the lovely music that is typically and gloriously French. Jack Miles and Rebecca Simmonds's songs completely embody French-cafe, pre/post war vibes and are so fitting to the story, with an especially wonderful scat section that really mirrors the freedom of art. A couple of the songs feel abruptly/imperfectly ended and could do with a slight rework but overall they're very smooth and the clever lyrics are so witty and compelling.
All in all In Clay is a short, sweet, well-moulded show that with a few more tweaks on the potters wheel could be perfect. A great opener to the 2023 Vault Festival, it will be a treat to see how this musical progresses.
{AD PR Invite- tickets gifted in exchange for honest review}
Thursday 12 March 2020
Identity, Turbine Theatre | Review
Saturday 23 February 2019
Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train, Young Vic | Review
Friday 8 December 2017
Sinners Club, Soho Theatre | Review
Saturday 16 September 2017
Gate, Cockpit Theatre | Review
Sunday 3 September 2017
In Conversation With... Stacey McClean and Stevi Ritchie | Sword and the Dope | Interview
Interview by Olivia Mitchell, Editor
*this is a sponsored post*
Thursday 31 August 2017
Late Company, Trafalgar Studios | Review
Monday 24 July 2017
I Loved Lucy, Arts Theatre | Review
Just transferred from the Jermyn Street theatre to the Arts Theatre, I Loved Lucy is an autobiographical play, adapted from Lee Tannen's memoirs about his relationship with cultural icon, Lucille Ball.
A massive fan of the comedy star, Tannen uses obscure family ties to meet and form a friendship with Lucy. They bond with stories and fantasies over their games of backgammon as Tannen becomes a close confidant and sees a side of 'Auntie Mame' that very few got to see.
As someone who wasn't alive during any of Ball's life and who until writing this review, had never seen an episode of I Love Lucy, I don't suppose I'm the target audience for this play. There were a number of anecdotes and names which meant nothing to me purely because of my age and I felt I was an outsider looking in on the jokes. However, for most of the times I didn't laugh, something else came along which had me in hysterics proving you don't need to be a Lucy fan to enjoy this show. Tannen's script is witty and uses repetition extremely well to generate laughs. Alongside the laughs there are also more heartfelt moments, especially in act two when Lucy realises she has peaked and can never achieve the same levels of fame and love again.
Tannen as the narrator is humorous and he doesn't shy away from showing his dark side as well as Lucy's but I found it strange at times how closely he paints the relationship. Tannen is shown as being one of Lucy's only confidants and the only person in her life. With her children and partners barely mentioned I feel that Tannen is an unreliable source and although it may have been true that Lucy had very few other relationships, it would be interesting to see why the others are so absent.
Sandra Dickinson captures Lucy's mannerisms and iconic laugh perfectly. She gives a truly wonderful performance and remains committed to the role throughout. Her comedic timing, although sometimes ever so slightly off is good and she delivers Lucy's slicing asides and witty quips with ease.
As the celebrity obsessed, excitable, Tannen, Matthew Scott is great and he gives a beautifully emotive performance. He not only plays his main role but a number of smaller roles such as the hotel receptionist and chauffeur where he shows off his versatility well. Dickinson and Scott's chemistry is great and although the stalkerish fan becoming best friends with the star is kind of strange, it somehow works and comes across in a natural way.
Anthony Biggs' direction makes good use of the black box Arts Theatre and he is unafraid of stillness for dramatic effect. Gregor Donnelly's simplistic set design adds just enough drama whilst keeping the flow of the piece.
I Loved Lucy is a joy to watch- great fun with an air of drama, glitz and glam.
Sunday 14 May 2017
Tick, Tick... Boom, Park Theatre | Review
Park Theatre