Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
…or at least, that’s how it feels when you go to the Theatre Royal. Unlike other shows that rely on which soap star is particularly hot that year (although it must be said that Harold Bishop is a legend and should never be called otherwise), Berwick Kaler and his motley band of pantomimeers base their act on re-using as much as possible. The end result is that you simply cannot help but warm to the performance because you feel like you’re in on the joke too. It also renders a plot description pointless, as it’s all just a huge vehicle for Savage the dog, Waggon Wheels and jokes about Berwick Kaler ad-libbing.
You must understand, however, that when I imply that the production is self-indulgent and baroque in the extreme at times that this is exactly the case, but also the whole point. I just loved the extravagance of things like a massive Close Encounters sequence and the amazing detail in the costumes. The production values are so high that at times it was all that was needed to keep my attention. It was just magical.
A small caution: famous as the pantomime is, it should be understood as a pantomime. It is not excellent because it re-invents the genre but because it uses it very well. Saying that, however, I did feel after seeing the play that even the hardest of theatre-goers would probably warm to Sinbad's good natured silliness. All in all, a superb night out.
"Oh no it isn't!"
Well, actually, I really think it is.
*Note: this history may have been fabricated for the purposes of satire
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