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BANGING DENMARK

★★★

Finborough Theatre

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BANGING DENMARK at the Finborough Theatre

★★★

“the story is well paced and refreshing in its levity”

Banging Denmark is rom-com about a pick up artist who asks a feminist sociologist for help in seducing a Danish woman and hijinks ensue. Written by Van Badham, the piece is a light hearted look at the feminist debates going on in the modern dating scene. The play’s dialogue leans towards timeless rather than topical, but includes some brilliant lines and delivery from the cast.

The stage is set with Jake (Tom Kay) leading a radio show and receiving calls from disgruntled men (James Jip) who spew bile and resentment about women. Jake blasts crude sound effects and bad advice surrounded by pizza boxes and the stench of loneliness. He is enamoured with Anne (Maja Simonsen), an ethereal Danish woman who works at the library. Jake is desperate to connect with her after a failed introduction. We meet Ishtar Madigan (Rebecca Blackstone), a hard-done by sociology PhD student living in her office, supported by Denyse (Jodie Tyack), a computer scientist and ‘nice guy’ Toby (James Jip). Despite their differences, Jake and Ishtar mirror each other in their respective squalor, with Anne’s clean library booth sitting centre stage, connecting and dividing their lives (Set designed by Katy Mo and Leah Kelly). The group become entangled in each other’s lives as we watch them pick at their values and opinions instigated by Anne, or more accurately; their assumptions of Anne.

Aside from being relatively predictable, the story is well paced and refreshing in its levity. Anne breaks the fourth wall in a joyous fashion and the show doesn’t take itself too seriously. Jake and Ishtar both hold strong beliefs about what people want from sex whilst hypocrisy and nuance carry on around them. Anne is a surprising character, Simonsen shows layers of personality whilst representing the gold standard of an empowered woman, having been raised in ‘the best country in the world to be a woman’. Directed by Sally Woodcock, the show makes clever use of the intimate space in the Finborough and brings out the rom-com themes of the piece. Kay and Blackstone centre the events with engaging arguments, volleying insults and observations with great chemistry between the two enemies. Jip portrays Toby as a wise voice of reason pining after endearing and plucky Denyse. Jokes are squeezed for their laughs and sometimes fall flat, however there are many triumphs and fun to be had from this production.

Its premise is entertaining and contemporary, but its execution is inherently a bit old-school with “the more things change, the more they stay the same” attitude coming from its story and resolution. It exists in a heightened realm of possibility in which a misogynist broadcaster would actually reach out to a sociologist for help, and that online abuse generated by someone like Jake would really render an academic homeless. There are attempts at delving into ‘gaming’ and the ‘internet’ but these topics feel underbaked, especially in 2023 (Twitter is called ‘X’ now!). The character study of Jake felt inherently more kind then these men appear in real life, and Ishtar seemed very persecuted for a sociology post-grad in UCL. These factors make for a good comedy, but perhaps not the most grounded story. The ending is a delightfully happy one brimming with optimism…probably because the play was written before the advent of Andrew Tate and a new wave of much more vile rhetoric. If only we could go back to the days of laughing at cringy sound bites and complaining about video games. Banging Denmark is a quippy dissection of feminism in modern dating dressed up in a well-crafted rom-com that occasionally struggles to be current.


BANGING DENMARK at the Finborough Theatre

Reviewed on 19th April 2024

by Jessica Potts

Photography by Ali Wright

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

FOAM | ★★★★ | April 2024
JAB | ★★★★ | February 2024
THE WIND AND THE RAIN | ★★★ | July 2023
SALT-WATER MOON | ★★★★ | January 2023
PENNYROYAL | ★★★★ | July 2022
THE STRAW CHAIR | ★★★ | April 2022
THE SUGAR HOUSE | ★★★★ | November 2021

BANGING DENMARK

BANGING DENMARK

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THE FAIRY QUEEN

★★★★

Jacksons Lane

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THE FAIRY QUEEN at Jacksons Lane

★★★★

“the ensemble company of fourteen young opera singers work tirelessly well together, invested and focused throughout”

There was a lot to like about HGO’s production of The Fairy Queen, including the twelve piece on stage Baroque HGOAntiqua Orchestra led by Seb Gillot, playing Henry Purcell’s semi-opera beautifully.

The Fairy Queen is loosely based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream but in this production it is more a series of dream like Masques, without a through story line.

The five scenes are seen through the eyes’ of a photographer played by Hannah Jessop (a movement specialist, she is the only cast member who never gets to open her mouth to sing). It tells the story through her lens, her photographic fantasy of a classical Athens coming to life. Directed by Eloise Lally, the ensemble company of fourteen young opera singers work tirelessly well together, invested and focused throughout, creating lovely classical tableaux, with each performer getting their chance to shine and sing Purcell’s glorious songs.

There were some wonderful voices on show in this production and the majority of their diction exemplary, something that HGO is renowned for. Chris Murphy has a crisp base baritone and strong comedic timing; Allyn Wu has a rich voice as both Winter and Hymen; Brenhan Alleyne is a tenor to keep an eye on, as still an undergraduate; as is Daisy Livesey as Second Fairy who has a glorious soprano; and the countertenor Richard Decker sings One Charming Night with an exquisite tone – he just needs to find his light in the reflection of the stage mirror as he sings! It would be churlish not to name the whole company: Emily Gibson, Betty Makharinsky, Elspeth Piggott, Amy Kearsley, Garreth Romain, Guy Beynon, Jack Harberd, James Holt. Finally, Issy Bridgeman as Juno, gives a witty performance in act two’s wedding scene, which does get slightly out of hand in this production with a conga dance and a Baroque rendition of YMCA – which went on for too long; with several of the singers not singing out, clearly protecting their voices.

A lot of The Fairy Queen is instrumental and probably would have had a chorus line of many dancers in early productions. Here we have some lovely movement and choreography by Monica Nicolaides, who has drilled the company hard to create interesting almost Greek dancing. Few of the company can seriously dance, but that said, the choreography works very well, and is at its best with the full company up on their feet, as one. For me, dance/movement is something that truly does need to be taught early on in opera studies, so that this new generation of opera singers move better – opera stars do not just stand and sing anymore.

It was a joy to see such beautiful Baroque instruments being played by the HGOAntiqua Orchestra, particularly hearing the three long trumpets, recorders, bass violin, theorbo and harpsichord (so delicate it needed retuning during the interval). One of the highlights was the singer Betty Makharinsky singing If Love’s a Sweet Passion so majestically with oboist Katie Lewis following her round the stage, singer and oboe together – two very strong instruments on show.

To hear and see Henry Purcell’s unique seventeenth century English style in such a vibrant and, yes, charming production, just goes to show how accessible and current Purcell’s music can be.

 


THE FAIRY QUEEN at Jacksons Lane

Reviewed on 19th April 2024

by Debbie Rich

Photography by Laurent Compagnon

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THIS IS NOT A CIRCUS: 360 | ★★★★★ | October 2023

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