★★★★

“the perfect antidote to the August lull in London theatre”

Express G&S is a spoof of all the things we love about comic operas, murder mysteries and music hall, all mashed up together. It’s a good match for the real Victorian music hall that is Wilton’s in London’s East End. The show is a fun evening, gift wrapped by the Charles Court Opera to include three cheeky performers and a master of ceremonies who doubles as the energetic pianist. Express G&S is familiar territory for the Company, and they pull it off with their usual aplomb.

The show is exactly what it says it is—a medley of songs from Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operas, sung in abridged versions, and produced at speed. Part of the fun is figuring out which operas Charles Court Opera have stolen their musical ideas from, because the lyrics have been changed to suit the murder mystery theme of Express G&S. So forget the plots of Mikado, Iolanthe, and Ruddigore, to name just a few. This story is about a strangely familiar French sounding detective named Philippe Pierrot, traveling on a train in England. When Bridget, the maid responsible for serving teas on the train, discovers that her doily cart has been vandalized, Pierrot is persuaded to take on the case of discovering who could have done such a dastardly deed. Bridget and Reggie, the conductor who loves her, are not above suspicion, either. If you’re already groaning at the outrageous puns and silly rhymes, fasten your seat belts. There’s lots more in store with these lyrical voleurs.

Matthew Kellett is on top form as the dapper Detective Pierrot, and your breath will be taken away by the versatility of the quick role changing Catrine Kirkman (Bridget and other roles) and Matthew Siveter (Reggie and other roles). It’s not just the costumes that get changed either. The variety of roles mean that Kirkman and Siveter have to switch their singing styles as well. They do all this brilliantly, and give Kellett’s magnificent voice (and terrible French—or is it Belgian?—accent) a real run for the money. Director and writer John Savournin keeps the action moving along, although the slenderness of the plot does mean that the show is more than usually dependent on the music to keep things interesting. Lyricist and musical director David Eaton is a real star—a worthy heir of W.S Gilbert in the silly rhymes department. He’s also a wonderfully lively accompanist to the singers. The set, designed by Jessie Huckin, is workmanlike, though a bit lost on Wilton’s sizable stage. Express G&S is an intimate show, set on a train, and Huckin’s set is perhaps better suited to a smaller venue.

Express G&S is the perfect antidote to the August lull in London theatre, when nearly everyone is either on holiday, or up in Edinburgh. Don’t let the deceptive calm of the Big Smoke depress your spirits, however. The Charles Court Opera is here to raise them, and you should hurry on down to Wilton’s while you can. If the show feels short at seventy five minutes, that’s just to whet your appetite for all the good things coming your way later in the year. And you should definitely keep a careful eye out for the annual Charles Court Opera’s panto in December, which never fails to please.

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES at the Canal Café Theatre

★★★

“Aurore Padenou’s performance stands out in particular, delivering many of her lines as though she had just thought of them”

The Vagina Monologues is so entirely engrained in the modern canon, even if you have no idea what it is, you’ve likely heard of it. Debuting in ‘96, it was then largely considered a radical, exciting idea, saying the unsayable with enthusiasm and positivity.

Based on interviews with hundreds of women, each monologue places the vagina at its centre: If it could speak what would it say, if it got dressed, what would it wear? Some are more serious: a refugee recalls being violently gang-raped, and thereafter considering her vagina a pillaged village, unvisited. But most are about discovery: of pleasure, power, identity.

The idea that we don’t talk about vaginas enough, are afraid to say the word itself, is still valid nearly three decades later. But the manner of execution feels dated at times. The many metaphors- “my vagina is a delicate flower; my vagina is a green field” and the airy-fairy ideas of what it would wear, or what it smells of- “snowflakes”- feel counter-productive.

Even in its prime, the play received some feminist criticism, pointing out that third-wave feminism had worked hard to argue that women were more than their bodies, and The Vagina Monologues argues almost the opposite. This feels truer than ever, and watching this production I’m struck by the thought that this is more historical than urgent; a glimpse into ideas past.

The performances themselves vary in quality, but all are carried out with enthusiasm and a sense that they are doing something important, telling stories that have, until now, been neglected, regardless of whether this is always true.

Aurore Padenou’s performance stands out in particular, delivering many of her lines as though she had just thought of them. Despite the controversy of The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could- a grown woman fondly reminisces about being seduced at 13 by an older woman- Pandenou presents this story tenderly and intimately. And while the gnawing feeling that this 13-year-old was essentially raped doesn’t quite go away, Padenou gives the narrative honest complexity.

Each monologue is accompanied by a theme of props- one woman clears up a birthday party, another polishes old silverware. These don’t appear to be relevant to the stories themselves, but given we’re watching multiple one-woman monologues, one right after the other, it keeps the eye focused and the ears from wandering.

Personally, I’m not especially charmed by the idea of my vagina wearing a tuxedo or a tutu, and I don’t think it adds anything to the conversation. But it’s undeniable that V’s (formerly Eve Ensler) work has been massively influential, informing some of the most exciting new theatre today, and that’s reason enough to go see this seminal work.

EXPRESS G&S at Wilton’s Music Hall

★★★★

“the perfect antidote to the August lull in London theatre”

EXPRESS G&S at Wilton’s Music Hall

Reviewed on 15th August 2023

by Dominica Plummer

Photography by Bill Knight

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Express G&S/em>

Ex press G&S

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES at the Canal Café Theatre

★★★

“Aurore Padenou’s performance stands out in particular, delivering many of her lines as though she had just thought of them”

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES at the Canal Café Theatre

Reviewed on 15th August 2023

by Miriam Sallon

Photography by Richard Lipman

Recently reviewed by Miriam:

The Vagina Monologues

The Vagina Monologues

JOIN US

Ex
press G&S