Tag Archives: David Woodward

It’s a Wonderful Life

★★★★★

Reading Rep Theatre

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE at Reading Rep Theatre

★★★★★

“If you feel like a great big Christmas hug, go along and see this elegant and lovely show”

Who hasn’t seen ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’, the classic 1946 Christmas film directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart? It’s a hugely popular and tear-jerking Christmas tale of all-American neighbourliness in which humble George Bailey always puts others before himself. Except that things go horribly wrong for him. The only remedy is to send three heavenly envoys down to Earth on Christmas Eve to prevent him from ending it all. The original story was loosely inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and is presented by Reading Rep in Mary Elliott Nelson’s theatrical adaptation, first performed in 2000.

A cast of just four faultlessly juggle three or more roles apiece in this highly inspired show – Mark Desebrock (Hedda Gabler: Reading Rep, Hamlet: Almeida West End), Eugene Evans (Peter Pan: Reading Rep, Romeo & Juliet: Lyric Theatre), Orla O’Sullivan (War of The Worlds and We’ll Catch Stardust Yes We Will: The Vaults) and Charlotte Warner (A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Reading Rep).

Mark Desebrock makes a strong impression as the sweet-natured banker George Bailey, who is well-matched with Orla O’Sullivan as his wife Mary and as a second class and so far wingless angel called Clarissa (Clarence in the movie). She shows George all the lives he has transformed and how much worse the world would be had he not existed. Eugene Evans is the wicked villain of the piece, scruple-free businessman Mr Gower, and also (with hardly a pause for breath) a soft spoken angel. Charlotte Warner is the third angel and also George’s characterful aunt.

In this delightful show, Libby Todd’s set and costumes are quite ingenious. Pale colours designate the angels and brighter colours the townspeople. The set is dominated by an enclosing arch formed by a lattice of grey snow-topped girderwork, its arc echoing the circle of snow on the floor and also the globes carried by the angels. There’s a bridge at the back of the set from which George plans to jump. It all works nicely with Aaron J Dootson’s sophisticated lighting design, with a backdrop of stars and colour changes that symbolise different kinds of action on stage.

Reading Rep have a hit on their hands in this heart-warming evocation of small town America with a universal appeal. If you feel like a great big Christmas hug, go along and see this elegant and lovely show. ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ runs in repertory with ‘Potted Panto’ until December 30th.


IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE at the Reading Rep Theatre

Reviewed on 5th December 2023

by David Woodward

Photography by Harry Elletson


 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Shakespeare’s R&J | ★★★★ | October 2023
Hedda Gabler | ★★★★★ | February 2023
Dorian | ★★★★ | October 2021

It’s a Wonderful Life

It’s a Wonderful Life

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Malevo

Malevo

★★★★

Peacock Theatre

MALEVO at the Peacock Theatre

★★★★

Malevo

“for sheer bravissimo entertainment, featuring an extraordinary and quite dazzling company, this is a hard show to match”

Did anyone say beefcake? Thirteen highly talented dancers a tabloid might describe as hotter than midsummer on the pampas, took the Peacock Theatre by storm last night. Their 90 minute show, directed by company founder Matías Jaime, presents a re-interpretation (or evolution?) of Malambo, a fiercely competitive traditional Argentinian gaucho dance, which is performed exclusively by men.

Joining the dancers on stage were a quartet of musicians: Martin Morales, Juan Carlos Acosta, Lucas Coria and Gustavo Ybarbas. They play violin, squeeze box, guitar and a battery of drums which send out the high octane beats at the heart of the show. The music majors on catchy flamenco, tango and other energetic rhythms, all re-mixed loudly and edgily with the sounds of the performers who stomp, drum, whoop and dance with dazzling precision.

The first routine features the thunderous sound of traditional drums, carried by all 13 bare-chested dancers who are led by their captains Miguel Flores and Ariel Pereyra. True to the traditional form, this is defiantly macho stuff, complete with fierce glares and puffed out chests. As the energy levels and the pace wind up, the sweat really flies.

“the show came to a thunderous conclusion which was met with rapturous applause from a very enthusiastic audience”

Malevo also features some stunning routines with a version of the bolas or boleadora, a throwing weapon consisting of heavily weighted cords traditionally used to capture animals by entangling their legs. The cords spin brilliantly in different directions as the weights beat out a rhythm on the floor which is set against syncopated foot-tapping and stomping by the performer.

Whilst the first half hour consisted predominantly of chorus style line-outs, the central section, which followed the first of two musical interludes, included a slightly subtler sequence in which a stomper, a drummer and a boleadorista vie with each other in proudly rapping out rhythms at one another. Another routine features a softer style of barefooted tap-dancing, which called for one of several costume changes into lighter outfits which contrasted with the all black leather look of most of the show. The dance form also includes a distinctive side-footed tapping of the boot on the floor.

The lighting design by Eber Cepeda had some impressive effects although there were a few inconsistent moments.

After a second musical interlude, which featured an unexpected re-mix of a familiar Beatles tune, the show came to a thunderous conclusion which was met with rapturous applause from a very enthusiastic audience. Was the overall pace just a wee bit too relentless, and were the rhythms a bit too deafeningly insistent? Perhaps, but romantic pas de deux in the style of Matthew Bourne were hardly to be expected, and for sheer bravissimo entertainment, featuring an extraordinary and quite dazzling company, this is a hard show to match.


MALEVO at the Peacock Theatre

Reviewed on 31st October 2023

by David Woodward

Photography courtesy of Malevo

 

 

Peacock Theatre

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

 

Kyiv City Ballet – A Tribute To Peace | ★★★½ | September 2023
House of Flamenka | ★★★★ | September 2022
Machine de Cirque | ★★★★★ | June 2022

Malevo

Malevo

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