Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Emma Kingston. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Emma Kingston. Sort by date Show all posts
Wednesday, 16 August 2017
In Conversation With... Emma Kingston | Fiddler on the Roof | Interview
In my opinion, Emma Kingston has one of the absolute best voices on the West End. I've been fortunate enough to see her in a number of shows and concerts, including Les Miserables, In The Heights and most recently, the stunning Fiddler on the Roof at the Chichester Festival theatre. Emma was kind enough to sit down and discuss Fiddler, After Anatevka, her hidden passion and more...
Have you always aspired to be a performer or did you have a different dream when you were younger?
I've always wanted to be a performer. I used to sing Les Mis and Anything Goes with my dad all the time.
Have you got any hidden passions you’d like to pursue?
I love Psychology! As an actor I love getting inside a characters brain. I studied Psychology at A Level and I would love to further my understanding of why people are the way they are. Furthering my study's would interest me as well as it being useful as an actor.
What drew you to the role of Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof- are the two of you alike in any ways?
I'm jewish, so growing up Fiddler was always being quoted around the house. I used to watch the film with my grandma. Also, ‘Far from the Home I Love’ was the first song I ever sang in a singing lesson when I was 11.
How is this production bringing something new to the well-loved musical?
We are so lucky that our production in Chichester has amazing new orchestrations by David White and new choreography by Alistair David, bringing a fresh take on the brilliant musical.
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| Sam MacKay (Usnavi) and Emma Kingston (Vanessa) in In The Heights |
Do you feel any extra responsibility or pressure playing one of the few explicitly Jewish female characters in musical theatre?
I feel a responsibility to show the traditions in a way that people of other cultures can relate to. I want to show people that Judaism is a way of life as well as a religion. The community aspect for me is so important.
What’s your research process like for each role you take on, has After Anatevka helped add a new dimension to your portrayal?
For Fiddler I dived into researching about Russia pre 1905 and Russian attitudes towards jewish people. Also looking at Jewish culture in shetles in Russia. My paternal grandparents were children of immigrants from Lithuania and Oddessa, so I had lots of family history to draw on.
After Anatevka I am enjoying so much, especially now I understand so much more about Hodel. I’m loving reading her journey after she leaves home, and how Alexandra has filled in the parts of Fiddler that we don't see in the musical.
If you’d written After Anatevka would you have given Hodel the same after story?
Alexandra's story has portrayed so many aspects of Hodel's life during the Fiddler story and after that I thought about a lot. Especially the way she highlights her relationship with her sisters and Perchik. As I'm reading, I feel that the story all completely slots into place and I can't imagine her next journey any other way.
Tradition is obviously the central theme in Fiddler. Do you have any family traditions?
My family traditions are the Fiddler traditions! Every Friday night my family and I get together for a shabbat meal. We celebrate Jewish festivals like Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement), Passover and many others.
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| Emma Kingston (Hodel), Simbi Akande (Tzeitel) , Rose Shalloo (Chava) in Fiddler on the Roof |
How do you keep your voice healthy? Do you have any vocal rituals?
Drink endless amounts of water and concentrate on centring your breathing.
If you had a magic wand, which show would you do next?
After Fiddler, I'm playing Eva Peron in the Hal Prince production of Evita, international tour and I can't wait! My mum is Argentine, so it's a huge bucket list role, much like Hodel in Fiddler is!
Whats a fun fact people might not know about you?
One of my first words was Archemeaies (the owl from sword in the stone) my parents were so proud haha!
What’s your best piece of advice for an aspiring performer?
Don't compare your journey to anybody else's. Be original. I read a quote by Steve Martin "Be so good they can't ignore you”, to me that means work as hard as you can on being the best you can be.
Thank you so much Emma for taking the time for this interview. Fiddler on the Roof runs until September 2nd.
Read my review of After Anatevka here and keep an eye out for an interview with Alexandra Silber and a giveaway!
Interview by Olivia Mitchell, Editor
Interview by Olivia Mitchell, Editor
Friday, 16 September 2016
Something Wonderful, Royal Festival Hall | Review
Something Wonderful
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre
Reviewed on Thursday 15th September 2016 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Last night the Royal Festival Hall played host to a wonderful exploration and celebration of the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein in a fabulous one of concert featuring some of the West Ends best performers. Emma Kingston, Louise Dearman, Michael Xavier and Ryan O'Gorman fabulously performed songs from one of the best musical theatre partnerships of all time, treating us to some of their well known songs as well as some hidden gems.
Although I expected to know more songs I really enjoyed being introduced to the lesser known pieces. The show opened with a fantastic version of the always rousing Oh What A Beautiful Morning, performed by Michael Xavier who started the night on a superb note! The first half was mostly the lesser known pieces with a particular stand out being Emma Kingston's beautiful rendition of It Might As Well Be Spring from State Fair as well as Ryan O'Gorman's epic opening performance which shamefully I didn't know the name of but it was stunning! There were also duets which added a nice flow to the concert, with a particularly sweet and romantic version of People Will Say We're in Love from Emma and Michael.
Both acts opened with a medley of pieces which the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra of course played wonderfully and really showcased the passion of Rodgers and Hammerstein's music. The second act featured the more well known tunes such as My Favourite Things which suited Louise Dearman so perfectly and had everyone smiling. Louise really showed off her versatility in this concert with some very contrasting pieces and a mix of vocal qualities. You can really tell why Ms Dearman has had the successful career she has. I particularly enjoyed her spirited performance of I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy.
Michael Xavier was the ever dapper and charming man, performing each song to its fullest and really using the stage throughout whilst involving the audience. From a singers perspective I want to say that Michael truly gives me consonant envy, each word is so clear and he really is a technically skilled singer as well as a wonderful performer.
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| photo credits: https://twitter.com/emkingston/status/776538334847967232 |
Having seen Emma Kingston in both Les Miserables and In The Heights I knew she had singing skills but wow is this lady talented! Emma is the definition of clear, effortless singing; not only is her belting off the charts but her soprano voice is as crisp as anything. Each of her songs were astounding with her rendition of The Sound of Music being my number one moment of the night.
Ryan O'Gorman is another force to be reckoned with. His beautiful baritone voice had me captivated from the get go as he effortlessly reached every note of the demanding pieces. Lonely Room from Oklahoma was a breathtaking performance which gave me chills, absolutely dazzling!
Overall this was a fabulous concert. I perhaps would have liked some more background information on each piece and a little more conversation with the audience but the performances were more than enough to stand on their own. The only proper negative I have is that there were not set lists or programmes of any sort provided and in the interval I found most people around me struggling to know what pieces were. However that's nothing to do with the performance and I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Its made me want to delve further and further into the R&H vault! A truly great concert with truly great performers who definitely did create Something Wonderful!
Thursday, 9 October 2025
Emma Kingston to Lead the Global Wicked Singalong Live from The O2 with Young Voices
Young Voices are thrilled to announce that Emma Kingston, one of the West End’s most dynamic and versatile leading ladies, will headline the Wicked Worldwide Singalong on Thursday 22 January 2026, broadcast live from The O2 in London.
Currently starring as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked, Emma has captivated audiences with her soaring vocals and magnetic stage presence. Hand-picked by Andrew Lloyd Webber to play Eva Perón in the international tour of Evita, her credits also include In the Heights, Heathers: The Musical, Fiddler on the Roof and Les Misérables, establishing her as a true global theatre star.
At the Wicked Worldwide Singalong, Emma will lead hundreds of thousands of young singers around the world in a specially arranged Wicked Medley, celebrating the show’s timeless messages of friendship, courage, and self-belief.
“We are over the moon to have Emma join us for this special event,” said Ben Lewis, CEO of Young Voices. “Her talent and energy will inspire every child and choir taking part across the globe.”
Emma added:
“It’s an incredible honour to be part of the global Wicked Singalong. Knowing that children everywhere will be singing together with me in real time is magical—a true celebration of how music unites us.”
The Wicked Worldwide Singalong will connect schools and choirs across continents through a live broadcast from The O2, allowing participants everywhere to join simultaneously for free. Registered schools receive exclusive learning materials, including sheet music from Hal Leonard, rehearsal tracks, and classroom resources from Twinkl and Wicked.
đź“… Date: Thursday 22 January 2026
đź•’ Time: 3 pm GMT / 10 am ET / 7 am PT
🎟️ Sign up for free: youngvoices.co.uk/join-wicked-worldwide-singalong
Wednesday, 2 August 2017
Fiddler on the Roof, Chichester Festival Theatre | Review
Fiddler on the Roof
Chichester Festival Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday August 1st 2017 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
It's not often that I venture out of London for theatre but when I do it's usually to Chichester and so far I've never been disappointed with a production. Of the various shows I've seen there, Fiddler on the Roof is by far the best and I am completely in awe of its brilliance. If I Were A Rich Man, I would fund this productions transfer to the West End right this minute, but as I'm not I will have to settle with the fact that the show, directed by Daniel Evans is absolutely fantastic so is more than likely to make the move without me... I'll just have to wait a little while.
Set in rural Tsarist Russia in 1905 when the first hints of revolution are revealing themselves, we follow Tevye who is trying to preserve tradition in the face of a changing world by marrying off his daughters. They, however, want to marry not for money but for love. In a time when Russia's Jews are facing incredible hardships where tradition is one of the few things keeping them together, Tevye has to decide whether his daughters' happiness is more important than his adored traditions.
Omid Djalili was born to play the poor dairyman, Tevye. His masterful comedic timing is pure excellence but he also manages to capture his internal torment and external hardships perfectly. Djalili is able to involve the audience with every thought that goes through his head and makes sure that every side of the Festival Theatre gets to feel and see the emotion. Tracy-Ann Oberman is great as his wife, Golde, with her caustic personality the ideal contrast to the bright, humorous Tevye.
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| Emma Kingston (Hodel) and Louis Maskell (Perchik) |
The rest of the family are equally strong with the daughters each having clear personalities and being performed to the fullest. Simbi Akande as Tzeitel is sweet but strong, begging her father to allow her to marry the impoverished tailor, Motel (Jos Slovic). The pair work wonderfully together. Emma Kingston shows off her stunning voice as Hodel who falls in love with the forward thinking, Perchik played by Louis Maskell who has an equally beautiful voice which soared over every note perfectly in 'Now I Have Everything'. Particularly touching with the two was during the first Sabbath dinner when they kept subtly making eye contact with one another and we could see the first inklings of their romance. Rose Shalloo as Chava and Luke Fetherston as Fyedka have fantastic chemistry, showing their struggles with honesty and strength.
Lez Brotherston's design is bare and simplistic as it should be but transitions and evolves wonderfully to create the various settings and is able to establish feelings of both warmth and stark cold at various times. Alistair David's choreography is spectacular, lively and powerful. It unapologetically shows off Jewish tradition and does so in a extremely striking way; popping and dazzling from start to end.
The entire cast are incredibly strong and this is as much an ensemble piece as it is a lead-led piece. Each moment when the cast come together- either in choreography or in close a cappella harmony- is magical.
I'm truly wowed by this production. My only little niggle is the accents at times, with some attempting and falling somewhat short but this is my only fault in an overall impeccable production. May it transfer and run for a very long time!
Fiddler on the Roof runs at the Chichester Festival Theatre until September 2nd 2017
photo credit: Johan Persson
Monday, 23 May 2016
Hamilton Dream Cast
My Hamilton obsession has been out in full force recently and the prospect of it coming to the West End in 2017 has got me ridiculously excited and kind of nervous. I'm praying that I'll get tickets and that I won't have to sell a body part to pay for them!
So with all the Hamilton fever going around, I wanted to do my own dream cast for the show (I was inspired by this post.) Before I start I want to say that I basically want the whole of the In The Heights cast to become the Hamilton cast so there's going to be a lot of them in this....!
Alexander Hamilton (Lin Manuel Miranda) - Sam Mackay
I know there are many people who would agree with me in saying that Sam would be the perfect Hamilton. He's currently playing the role of Usnavi in In The Heights so we know he has the chops for it and what would be more perfect than stepping from Lin's first musical baby into his second?
Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom, Jr) -Paapa Essiedu
I was actually struggling with who to cast as Aaron Burr (Sir), but the lovely Hayley suggested Paapa Essiedu who is currently starring in Hamlet. Who knows if he has any musical talent but if he does then sign him up to wow the audiences, his acting abilities are insane so he would definitely perform the hell out of Burr!
King George (Jonathan Groff) -Jon Jon Briones
I know this is a super random one, but the scheming side of King George really reminds me of the Engineer from Miss Saigon. I'm probably the only one but I'd certainly love to hear Jon Jon Briones put his own spin on You'll Be Back! King George and the Engineer would be a dream team for revolution!
George Washington (Christopher Jackson) -Joe Aaron Reid
Do I even need to explain this one? Joe is the obvious choice to take the role of George Washington. Not just because he'd be following in the footsteps of Christopher Jackson going from Benny in In The Heights to this role, but because Joe's voice is insane and I know he would bring a new and fresh interpretation of Washington.
Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs) -Ramin Karimloo
Now I know this is kind of a stupid one and will 99.9% never ever happen but I would love to see Ramin try this role. I'd just love to hear him do What'd I Miss and having him on the West End stage is pretty wonderful. Honestly though, Daveed Diggs is a hard one to replace so I'll just have let the casting directors make the decision for me!
Hercules Mulligan/James Madison (Okieriete Onaodowan) -Tosh Wanogho-Maud
Tosh is currently starring in Showboat and wowing the audiences. His voice is so special and unique and I would love to see what he'd bring to the characters originated by Okieriete. They also have an uncanny resemblance to each other?!
John Laurens/Philip Hamilton (Anthony Ramos) -Cleve September
Cleve is one of the biggest up and coming stars right now, he's currently playing Sonny in In The Heights to immense praise and I know he'll be absolutely incredible in Hamilton. He's got a stunning voice, amazing rapping skills and is really just the whole package! Cleve is just the natural choice for this role and I would certainly place money on him being a part of the West End cast.
Angelica Schuyler (Renee Elise Goldsberry) -Christine Allado
I did warn you that I was basically going to cast the whole of In The Heights and Christine is 100% a force to be reckoned with. Her voice is incredible to say the least and I would love to hear her sing Satisfied, I can imagine the sassiness already! Christine is a wonderful actress too and definitely has what it takes for this role although I can really see her in any of the female lead roles. Theatre Gods, do your work please!
Eliza Schuyler (Phillipa Soo) -Philippa Stefani
Phillipa to Philippa, both extremely talented! Philippa S has sure got some pipes on her, we've seen her vulnerable side in Ghost and her sassy side in In The Heights so of course she'll be brilliant; I just know her rendition of Burn would bring the house down! Whether she ends up in Hamilton or not, I think I'm gonna have to start a petition to hear her sing it!
Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds (Jasmine Cephas Jones) -Emma Kingston
I recently saw a video of Emma singing in the Hamilton medley at West End Fests and she sounded incredible! I think she'd be brilliantly suited to the show and perfect for the roles of Peggy/Maria! Her voice is the definition of flawless- she could sing the phone book over and over and I would be satisfied (pun intended) so her singing Say No To This night after night would be heaven!
I'm going to be counting down every day from now until the show finally opens in the West End and I can't wait to find out the cast and I really hope some if not all of the people above end up in it but if all else fails and none of the people on the list make the show, I'll be happy to do the one woman performance!! Please though theatre Gods, just let this be the cast. Thank you.
I was actually struggling with who to cast as Aaron Burr (Sir), but the lovely Hayley suggested Paapa Essiedu who is currently starring in Hamlet. Who knows if he has any musical talent but if he does then sign him up to wow the audiences, his acting abilities are insane so he would definitely perform the hell out of Burr!
King George (Jonathan Groff) -Jon Jon Briones
I know this is a super random one, but the scheming side of King George really reminds me of the Engineer from Miss Saigon. I'm probably the only one but I'd certainly love to hear Jon Jon Briones put his own spin on You'll Be Back! King George and the Engineer would be a dream team for revolution!
George Washington (Christopher Jackson) -Joe Aaron Reid
Do I even need to explain this one? Joe is the obvious choice to take the role of George Washington. Not just because he'd be following in the footsteps of Christopher Jackson going from Benny in In The Heights to this role, but because Joe's voice is insane and I know he would bring a new and fresh interpretation of Washington.
Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs) -Ramin Karimloo
Hercules Mulligan/James Madison (Okieriete Onaodowan) -Tosh Wanogho-Maud
John Laurens/Philip Hamilton (Anthony Ramos) -Cleve September
Angelica Schuyler (Renee Elise Goldsberry) -Christine Allado
I did warn you that I was basically going to cast the whole of In The Heights and Christine is 100% a force to be reckoned with. Her voice is incredible to say the least and I would love to hear her sing Satisfied, I can imagine the sassiness already! Christine is a wonderful actress too and definitely has what it takes for this role although I can really see her in any of the female lead roles. Theatre Gods, do your work please!
Eliza Schuyler (Phillipa Soo) -Philippa Stefani
Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds (Jasmine Cephas Jones) -Emma Kingston
I recently saw a video of Emma singing in the Hamilton medley at West End Fests and she sounded incredible! I think she'd be brilliantly suited to the show and perfect for the roles of Peggy/Maria! Her voice is the definition of flawless- she could sing the phone book over and over and I would be satisfied (pun intended) so her singing Say No To This night after night would be heaven!
I'm going to be counting down every day from now until the show finally opens in the West End and I can't wait to find out the cast and I really hope some if not all of the people above end up in it but if all else fails and none of the people on the list make the show, I'll be happy to do the one woman performance!! Please though theatre Gods, just let this be the cast. Thank you.
Thursday, 9 November 2017
Rules For Living, Rose Theatre | Review
Rules For Living
Rose Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 8th November 2017 by Jeanine Jones
★★★★★
You only have to observe the frozen, poker faces of London commuters to see that we have all developed certain survival mechanisms for everyday life. Our actions in certain situations, as well as our subconscious coping strategies, are our individual ‘Rules for Living’ which is both the premise and title of the intelligent and insightful play by Sam Holcroft. Premiered at National’s Dorfman Theatre in 2015, Rules For Living sees its revival at the Rose Theatre Kingston this month with a promise of hope for many.
Directed by Simon Godwin, the domestic comedy drama sets up an immediately recognisable scenario in which a repressed, dysfunctional family come together for the ritual of Christmas Day. We meet the archetypical home counties mother Edith (Jane Booker) who has organised her Christmas Day event programme with military precision, and has been cooking for a week - no stone has been left unturned and she even has a spare present ‘in case of emergencies’. We learn that Edith’s motive for desperately keeping everything together is to give her husband Francis (Paul Shelley), who is in hospital after cardiac surgery, the perfect family Christmas.
Enter Carrie (Carlyss Peer), every inch the exuberant and irrepressible actress, as the catalyst to set tensions simmering. Carrie has been brought home by her boyfriend Matthew (Jolyon Coy), to celebrate their first Christmas together, however his tendency to people please has left her waiting for him to ‘put a ring on it’. Despite trying to shrink to fit, the charming but clumsy and innocently tactless Carrie has unknowingly failed to endear herself to Matthew’s family.
Matthew’s older brother Adam (Ed Hughes) and his ‘gluten, sugar and lactose free’ wife Nicole (Laura Rogers) are concealing their ailing marriage behind a united front, whilst trying to establish their daughter Emma's (Charlotte Coppellotti/Bonnie Kingston) ‘energy envelope’. Suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome and adrenal stress, Emma is staying in bed upstairs for Christmas day, much to the dismay and bewilderment of Edith who at only fourteen had raised her own siblings ‘can you imagine I didn’t want to crawl up on the sofa and have someone talk to me about my energy envelope?’
The clever device of displaying each characters’ ‘rules for living’ on projector screens adds the farcical element to the play, building the intensity of the piece as more and more layers are added. Whilst these rules are "rooted in real emotional impulses" by the playwright Holcroft, the physical comedy is reminiscent of the ‘sit up, stand up, lie down’ improvisation game immortalised by Whose Line Is It Anyway. It is hilarious to watch Matthew grapple with the props needed to carry out his ‘rules for living’: ‘Matthew must sit and eat to tell a lie’, and we see Carrie Irish dancing and doing the Thriller routine as she ‘must stand and dance around to tell a joke until she gets a laugh’.
The characters begin to truly unravel when the Father, Francis (Paul Shelley) comes back from hospital – to great amusement as Edith lists the ‘out of bounds’ conversation topics to her family: above all if they cannot say anything nice they must not say anything at all, and there are to be ‘no electronics’ at the table. Now wheelchair bound, Francis is a shadow of his former self with a breathing tube after a delayed, post-operative stroke. We learn that the former judge has not only had a philandering past but reigned terror upon his sons during their childhood, wreaking havoc with their self-esteem and resulting in neither son pursuing their true ambitions. As Francis is only able to remember his sons as children, the family members are thrust into the roles they once assumed, with all of dynamics of sibling rivalry. This also allows the issue of our ‘rules for living’ learned early in life to be addressed, through the two brothers whose own childhood issues remain unresolved. Edith’s perfected response to her husband’s numerous infidelities has been resolute denial and downing liquid aspirin, her ‘rule for living’ being to ‘clean and self-medicate to keep calm’.
The obligatory Christmas Day board game that follows is an analogy of the premise of the play, each player having a secret rule, and the other players having to guess the rule and follow it. The play hurtles along as a masterclass in farce, becoming increasingly complex with polished dexterity from the actors who do not miss a beat. The tension builds to an unexpected profession of love, and ultimately to a spectacular, explosively climatic meltdown on all fronts, descending into outright anarchy. Both insults and food are slung around, brilliantly choreographed by fight director Kev McCurdy, and Emma (Adam and Nicole’s daughter) finally emerges at the top of the stairs to the chaotic display. Even after the complete ruination of Christmas Day Edith insists her son use a coaster, and it’s back to business as usual.
Jane Booker plays the tightly wound, Hyacinth-Bucket-like Edith perfectly, master of her tight ship and asking familiar questions like ‘who’s shoes are these’, ‘who loaded the dishwasher?’- she even cleaning the tinsel and her playing cards to calm herself. Lines such as ‘they all turned out in their Christmas best to be with their old Mum’ will make her instantly recognisable to audiences. Her spectacular turkey fling and the line ‘if you have nothing nice to say go f*** yourself’ will make Edith the hero for put-upon mothers everywhere.
Carlyss Peer is a force as the all-singing all-dancing, wonderfully childlike Carrie, whom those with big personalities will thoroughly relate to - ‘being myself I can be a bit much for some people’. Her presence in the play is a shining example of the importance being authentic - ‘if you wanted a wallflower for a girlfriend you shouldn’t have picked me’. She is ultimately a hero also as she walks out on her boyfriend after his lies and stringing along.
Jolyon Coy is both solid and charismatic in the role of Matthew, and also gives an excellent rendition of A Modern Major General from the Pirates of Penzance– he is completely believable as the would-have-been actor, had drama school not been perceived as his Father as a far less worthy pursuit than law.
Ed Hughes brings plenty of charm and energy as the pedantic Adam and shows off a myriad of accent skills in delivering one of his ‘rules for living’: ‘Adam must affect an accent to mock.’
Laura Rogers gives a solid performance as the uptight Nicole, who has fought hard to save her marriage and just wants to be loved. Nicole introduces the central message of the play, explaining that CBT ‘helps change core beliefs - you create rules for living to help you get on with life. Her character is also a feminist voice, questioning the tradition of the man carving the turkey - ‘sometimes tradition is wrong, I don’t see why the man should be the one to carve.’
Paul Shelley gives a believable portrayal of the irreverent, wheelchair-bound Francis spouting expletives, true to form groping Carrie around the dinner table. In spite of his flaws Francis is likeable, which is the skill of Shelley in understanding his character motivation.
The characters written by Sam Holcroft are extremely well-defined, their motivations and psychology clear to the audience, and underlined by the director Simon Godwin– for actors this is a fine example of relentlessly pursuing an objective. The snappy dialogue and brilliantly written script include excellent ‘arguing couple’ writing with hilarious lines such as: ‘You don’t need to kill it you just need to carve it’, and ‘Is that what you’re wearing, Adam?– ‘apparently not’.
Holcroft defuses the sensitive topic of the effects of a stroke with comedy - Carrie’s line ‘don’t get up’ to the wheelchair-bound Francis receives a huge laugh from the audience.
The scene in which Francis gropes Carrie is also tricky territory, addressing the fact that women are often blamed for sexual harassment– ‘It’s not your Father’s fault when she puts them on display like that’.
The set design with a dividing doll’s house by Lily Arnold, with Mark Melville’s accompanying music box theme, is the perfect backdrop for a play which highlights how childhood issues and belief systems affect our adult life.
The projection of the ‘rules for living’ above the stage, with video design by Andrzej Goulding, gives us an important visual aid for the complex story. The family meltdown is mirrored by the screen image breaking up which is a clever device to add tension. Lighting design by Matt Daw includes beautiful snowflakes floating down, enhancing the Christmas setting of the play. It is a particularly nice touch by wardrobe designer Hilda Sarah Greenwood that all the characters’ Christmas paper hats match their outfits.
Rules for Living is a rollercoaster ride of a play with strong female characters, and a variety of food for thought. It reminds us never to shrink to fit, not to tolerate lying and to follow our dreams. It is an honest portrayal of the pretences kept up among families, with familiar situations such as dating someone from a different family background, and sibling rivalry. We are also reminded of the changing dynamics in a family as parents get older, and the prevalent issue of sexual harassment. The presence of Emma and her psychological state urges us to consider children being affected by the impact of divorce.
With the increase in depression and mental health issues in the UK, the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) component which is so central to the play - Holcroft was in therapy when she wrote it - will encourage audiences to think about their own ‘rules for living’, including negative thoughts and belief systems which prevent progress. Through the character of Nicole the play voices the advantages of CBT, a talking therapy aimed at helping people with psychological, emotional and physical illnesses including depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, eating disorders and insomnia. The hope presented in the play is that CBT can help change core beliefs and create new ‘rules for living’ to help people get on with their lives.
I found Rules For Living to be an extremely cathartic experience, and could thoroughly relate to Carrie so keen to please and ‘entertain’ people, rather than just be herself.
Rules For Living is sure to affect change through the power of theatre to reach audiences, and through championing CBT will help give hope to and new purpose to the many suffering members of society.
Sunday, 25 February 2018
West End Live Lounge, The Other Palace | Review
West End Live Lounge (Concert)
The Other Palace
Reviewed on Sunday 11th February 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
If you're a regular reader of this site, you'll know that I am a huge West End Live Lounge fan, I've been going since they started and feel so proud watching them get bigger and better. The most recent concert was the biggest to date, taking over the main stage at The Other Palace; hosting a number of uber talented performers and providing a wonderful, chilled out, musical night. For anyone that doesn't know, West End Live Lounge is a concert every few months featuring some of the best the West End has to offer who perform a variety of non-musical theatre songs to entertain and raise money for a specific charity. This time, the musical theatre performers united to raise money for the charity Barnardo's. Our compère for the night was the fantastic Ian Stroughair (who wowed me before Christmas with his Velma Celli show) who opened the show with a bang and set the tone for the talent and joy to come.
As always every performance was top notch so I'm just going to mention a few stand outs instead of turning this into an essay! Firstly, the stunning Jodie Steele, fresh off her stint on BBC One's All Together Now, performed 'Castle on the Hill' with ease and smooth riffs which left us all wanting more. Equally riff-tastic was Emma Kingston who joined the West End Live Lounge family during her brief break from touring with Evita, to wow us all with her performance of Lady Gaga's 'Edge of Glory'. The always hilarious Natalie McQueen brilliantly put her own twist on the classic 'Hot N Cold'. All three ladies continually blow me away with their vocal performances.
Kayleigh McKnight was definitely an audience favourite with her breathtaking performance of 'Creep' which showed off her vocals perfectly and Cleve September brought back his signature loop pedal to create an eerie but stunning vocal performance of 'Spirits'.
Superstar Natalie Green gave a beautiful rendition of Adele's 'When We Were Young' whilst Brady Isaacs Pearce channeled Demi Lovato gloriously with her effortless performance of 'Skyscraper'. My final mention goes to Joel Harper-Jackson who's ridiculously long note in 'Wicked Game' should be put into the World Record books- glorious!
The West End Live Lounge concerts are truly joyous to be a part of because they not only celebrate the fantastic talent the West End has to offer but raise money for fantastic causes. I cannot wait to see what's in store for the next concert; my only hope is that the intimate feel can somehow be brought back. With the previous concerts there has been a very informal vibe but bringing the performance into a theatre did distance it somewhat and the audience stuck to the 'normal' theatre etiquette rules more. Obviously it's amazing to be able to fill a bigger space and allow more people to see and hear these outstanding performances but it's hard to strike a balance between having more space whilst still maintaining an intimate feel.
Regardless, this was a wonderful concert and I know the upcoming ones will be to so do yourself a favour and follow @WELiveLounge on twitter so you can snap up tickets as soon as they go on sale!
Monday, 17 April 2017
The Musical Marathon, The Other Palace | Review
The Musical Marathon
The Other Palace
Reviewed on Sunday April 16th 2017 by Grace English
★★★★
Paul Taylor-Mills and Caroline Flack carried us through a maelstrom of powerhouse performers singing songs of their choosing, most of which are in some way anthems of ambition and resilience. Nathan Amzi opened the show with a heartfelt rendition of 'Titanium', and from there, not a single performer gave anything less than their absolute best, each one truly holding the audience completely in the moment. A special mention has to go to Kim Criswell's 'Look to the Rainbow/Over the Rainbow', as well as Emma Kingston's 'Listen' and Marisha Wallace's heart-wrenching 'Stay With Me' as the standout performances of the night, even amongst a group with no weak links whatsoever. In addition, Aimie Atkinson, Genesis Lynea and Stephanie Rojas closing Act One with an energised rendition of 'Lady Marmalade' was a true testament to girl power and their boundless talents as individuals.
Between the performances, Paul Taylor-Mills and Caroline Flack kept us entertained with jokes and anecdotes from their time working with the performers, and even hosted a form of 'karaoke bingo' that resulted in a hilarious improvisation of 'Don't Stop Believing' in the style of Meatloaf and Britney Spears. This allowed the night to easily overcome an issue facing any concert-esque shows; that of failing to engage the audience and thus loosing their attention about an hour in. In overcoming this, we get a sometimes hilarious, sometimes emotional, and constantly enjoyable night showcasing some of the best talent on the West End.
In spite of the fun, it should be remembered that this night was held in the interest of raising money for a serious and important cause which you can learn more about here: https://orchid-cancer.org.uk/
Photo credit: Claire Bilyard
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