★★★★

“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 CROWN JEWELS at the Garrick Theatre

★★★

“survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast”

Expect to be disappointed if you turn up to the Garrick Theatre for an historically accurate show about King Charles II and the theft of the Crown Jewels in 1671. If, on the other hand, you are buying a ticket for Simon Nye’s The Crown Jewels because you know that several of Britain’s leading comedians and stand up artists are in the cast, you will probably enjoy this show. You will then, quite rightly, be expecting an entertaining evening full of ad libs and dangerously outrageous exchanges with the audience. But let me give you some words of advice anyway: gentlemen, don’t sit in the first three rows if you aren’t sporting a well made periwig. And ladies, don’t sit there either if your partner is even slightly prone to fits of jealousy. Don’t expect to be safe from the cast’s attention if you splurged on tickets for a box, either.

The facts surrounding the seventeenth century’s most notorious jewel heist are well known. But if you need a refresher, the programme notes for The Crown Jewels are well written and provide a wealth of background information about the main characters in Nye’s drama. The appropriately named Colonel Thomas Blood apparently hatched a plot to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in an attempt to recover his Irish estates. Blood lost those as a result of switching sides to support the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. Hatching plots against the Crown was nothing new to Blood—he’d been involved in several—but stealing the royal regalia was the crowning event of his career, as it were. If only Nye’s play was as well constructed as the programme notes. But The Crown Jewels is a shaky mash up in Horrible Histories, Blackadder—and even Panto—territory, and we’re nowhere near panto season in August. But perhaps it doesn’t matter. The Crown Jewels has been created to provide a rich—seriously rich—backdrop for its comic stars. It’s difficult not to see the rest of the show as just adroitly crafted stage management of a complicated set with lots of changing scenery.

It takes a while to warm to The Crown Jewels, and this is mostly time spent trying to figure out the plot. The characters on stage bear no resemblance whatsoever to the historical figures they are meant to represent. But let’s list them anyway. There’s Al Murray, (of Pub Landlord fame) playing Charles II with a strangled accent, Mel Giedroyc, (Great British Bake Off) doubling as the Keeper of the Crown Jewels’ gap toothed wife and—a brilliant contrast this —a very seductive French Noblewoman; Neil Morrissey (Men Behaving Badly) as Blood’s co-conspirator Captain Perrot; and Joe Thomas (The Inbetweeners) as Blood’s son. Carrie Hope Fletcher is given the opportunity to show off her beautiful singing voice as Elizabeth Edwards. She otherwise has little else to do as the Keeper’s daughter desperately searching for a husband, if only to avoid calling the Tower of London, home. The gifted Aidan McArdle as Colonel Blood has the thankless task of acting the villain, yet manages to make him sympathetic. Adonis Siddique has the even more thankless task of supporting Charles II as a footman.

But the real crown jewel of this production is, of course, Al Murray, doing his recognizable schtick as the Merry Monarch himself. There are lots of inappropriate jokes of all kinds, involving the newly discovered banana, to mention just one routine. McArdle really had my sympathy there. And on this particular evening, Murray set up a lively exchange with a couple of audience members from Australia (still undiscovered in Charles II’s time.) The Dutch also came in for a particular roasting, as the historical Charles was still smarting, in 1671, from a daring naval attack on London. One or two supporters attempted to stand up for the poor Dutch, and were ruthlessly put back in their places. Murray knows how to work his crowd.

The Crown Jewels survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast. The set design by Michael Taylor (who also designed the costumes) is also competent, although not, strictly speaking, historically accurate either. But pretty to look at, nonetheless. Fans of Al Murray will enjoy this show. But it’s not suitable for children, despite its similarity to panto. And The Crown Jewels won’t teach you much about the complicated politics and larger than life characters who really lived during Charles II’s reign. But it’s an enjoyable evening in the West End, nonetheless.

Tag Archives: Dominica Plummer

Express G&S

★★★★

Wilton’s Music Hall

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:

The Mikado | ★★★★ | June 2023

Ruddigore | ★★★ | March 2023

Charlie and Stan | ★★★★★ | January 2023

A Dead Body In Taos | ★★★ | October 2022

Patience | ★★★★ | August 2022

Starcrossed | ★★★★ | June 2022

The Ballad of Maria Marten | ★★★½ | February 2022

The Child in the Snow | ★★★ | December 2021

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The Crown Jewels

★★★

Garrick Theatre

THE CROWN JEWELS at the Garrick Theatre

★★★

“survives on the energy of its comedians, and the competence of the rest of the cast”