Tag Archives: Brenock O’Connor

REDLANDS

★★★★

Chichester Festival Theatre

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REDLANDS at the Chichester Festival Theatre

★★★★

“Justin Audibert’s direction infuses the production with energy, enhancing the psychedelic ambience of the time”

Redlands, a new play by Charlotte Jones, deliciously delivers an enthralling portrayal of a pivotal moment in cultural history. This fictionalised account of the infamous 1967 trial of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the quiet Sussex city of Chichester explores generational conflict and societal change, highlighting the tension between The Establishment and the emerging rock and roll aristocracy.

In the summer of 1967, Keith Richards hosted a party at Redlands, his country house in West Wittering, near Chichester. Their revelry is abruptly interrupted by a police raid, leading to Mick and Keith’s arrest on drug charges. Jones deftly captures the clash between the youthful idealism of figures like Mick and Keith and the entrenched authority represented by Michael Havers, the leading QC defending them. This is no straightforward courtroom drama; it masterfully blends history and fiction, capturing the spirit of an era while examining the generational rifts that define it.

Central to the narrative is 17-year-old Nigel Havers, son of The Rolling Stones’ lawyer and an aspiring actor. Serving as a meta, fourth-wall-breaking narrator, he bridges the old guard and the new generation. Here, Nigel develops a relationship with Marianne Faithfull, whose portrayal in the tabloid press after the raid prompts her to re-evaluate her career and relationships. Their shared background of family and societal expectations, along with noble titles, adds emotional depth, highlighting the personal stakes amidst the public spectacle of the trial.

The show transcends the typical courtroom or coming-of-age drama. It examines the class system of late sixties UK, the reliability of the press and justice system, and the nature of fandom and fame. With ten songs from the Rolling Stones and Marianne Faithfull’s back catalogue performed live by cast members and an on-stage band, the play captures the exuberance of the era. Jasper Talbot (Mick Jagger) and Brenock O’Connor (Keith Richards) excel in their roles, skilfully channelling the unique moves and charisma of their real-life counterparts, particularly in musical numbers featuring classics like “Ruby Tuesday,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” Emer McDaid conveys the complex emotions of Marianne Faithfull, transitioning from the wild atmosphere of the party to moments of vulnerability in her relationship with Nigel.

In addition to father and son Michael Havers QC (Anthony Calf) and Nigel (Louis Landau), we also meet Michael’s father, Cecil “Bongo” Havers (Clive Francis). Despite being a prestigious lawyer and judge, Cecil is depicted as having more in common with his grandson than with his stuffy son. This trio adds both emotional depth and humour to the narrative as they navigate the weight of generational expectations.

Justin Audibert’s direction infuses the production with energy, enhancing the psychedelic ambience of the time. The vibrant set (Joanna Scotcher) and evocative lighting (Matt Daw) immerse everyone in the chaos and excitement of the era, creating a truly dynamic experience. Chichester’s thrust stage brings the action close to the audience, enhanced by direct interactions between performers and audience. Actors dance in the aisles, and two small platform stages above the exits serve as additional performance spaces during the musical numbers, as well as for commentary by journalists and witness boxes during the trial. The hardworking ensemble cast take on multiple roles, from comedic police officers to legal staff to journalists, bringing their characters to life with charisma and depth. Standouts include Adam Young, who plays both the drug dealer sent to Redlands and the News of the World journalist believed to have sent him there, as well as Havers’ other son, Philip. Akshay Sharan shines as Michael Havers’s legal colleague, who is smitten with Jagger.

Redlands cleverly juxtaposes the liberated spirit of the ’60s with the conservative values of an older generation, creating a dynamic commentary on the cultural upheaval of the time, alongside contemporary themes of youth culture and the struggle against societal norms. This celebration of rock and roll rebellion serves as a timely reminder that the clash of ideals continues to shape our world. The audience in Chichester was more than satisfied, despite the city and its residents being the butt of many jokes.


REDLANDS at the Chichester Festival Theatre

Reviewed on 29th September 2024

by Ellen Cheshire

Photography by Ikin Yum

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed by Ellen:

BARISTA THE MUSICAL | ★★★ | CAPITOL THEATRE | September 2024
THE BELT | ★★★★★ | THE CORONET THEATRE | September 2024
THE WEYARD SISTERS | ★★ | RIVERSIDE STUDIOS | August 2024

REDLANDS

REDLANDS

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Rock ‘n’ Roll

★★★★

Hampstead Theatre

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ROCK ‘N’ ROLL at Hampstead Theatre

★★★★

“the dialogue is whip smart – intelligently written and delivered in a natural manner that draws plenty of unexpected laughs”

Hampstead Theatre’s ambitious revival of Tom Stoppard’s Rock ’n’ Roll follows the intersecting lives of Jan and Max, a Czech PhD student at Cambridge and his Marxist professor. Starting in 1968 with the Prague Spring and closing just after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, it covers vast ground, temporally and thematically, but primarily examines the socio-political challenges of Czechoslovakia as a satellite state of the Soviet Union through Jan and Max’s diverging perspectives. It’s pretty cerebral, not least because the academic discussions on Marxism are often only given respite by academic discussions on Sappho, but there is balance to be had with emotive love stories interwoven throughout.

There’s a lot to unpack, whether Czech independence is familiar to you or not. The script is densely filled with characters, storylines and dialogue covered at such a cantering pace it can be difficult to keep up. Jumps forward in time require heavy exposition to make sense of when and where we are. But the dialogue is whip smart – intelligently written and delivered in a natural manner that draws plenty of unexpected laughs.

Stoppard describes this play as a love story primarily between Jan and Rock and Roll music. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Jan is sweetly enamoured by the Velvet Underground and Nico, Pink Floyd, and the Rolling Stones – taking just a suitcase of records with him back from Cambridge to Prague in ‘68. Director Nina Raine brings this to life in the staging, blasting the familiar tunes as the scenes change and using Brenock O’Connor as an ethereal Syd Barrett to hop across the stage like the spirit of rock and roll.

“a timely revival from one of British theatre’s greatest playwrights”

It’s Jan’s singular fixation with Czech rockers Plastic People of the Universe that drive him from youthful idealism towards dissidence for the ruling regime. Almost every scene at times is peppered with ‘plastic people’. His eventual criticism of the communist regime puts him at odds with the fearsome Max. Nathaniel Parker’s Max feels intensely unlikable – an old man stuck in his ways, unbudgeable in his convictions. Czech independence from soviet influence feels viscerally modern at the current moment with Ukraine at war for the right to self determination. Max’s dogmatic insistence in the preeminence of communism has added resonance now.

These intellectual battles are expertly balanced against emotional ones. Nancy Carroll as Eleanor, gives an indelibly powerful performance as Max’s equally accomplished wife whose specialism in sapphic poetry is at odds with the rationalism of her partner. When she talks of Sappho writing of an un-mechanical man you can’t help but think she is imagining the very opposite of her husband. It’s clever therefore that in Act II Carroll plays Esme, Eleanor and Max’s daughter, who harbours a lifelong attraction to the more emotional Jan.

Set in traverse, it is never noticeable that the cast are playing to the audience on both sides. The large stage is fulsomely decked out by Anna Reid as the grand interior of a Cambridge college suitable for a professor of rank just as well as a poky Prague flat.

Rock ’n’ Roll is a timely revival from one of British theatre’s greatest playwrights. Whether you’re a Syd Barrett super fan or Marxist intellectual there will be plenty to mull over long after the final tableau.

 

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL at Hampstead Theatre

Reviewed on 12th December 2023

by Amber Woodward

Photography by Manuel Harlan


 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Anthropology | ★★★★ | September 2023
Stumped | ★★★★ | June 2023
Linck & Mülhahn | ★★★★ | February 2023
The Art of Illusion | ★★★★★ | January 2023
Sons of the Prophet | ★★★★ | December 2022
Blackout Songs | ★★★★ | November 2022
Mary | ★★★★ | October 2022
The Fellowship | ★★★ | June 2022

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Rock ‘n’ Roll

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page