Emily Bestow Archives - Page 3 of 3 - thespyinthestalls.com

★★★★

“a celebration of two great eras for music”

It’s 1958 and the evening of Springfield High School’s prom. The Marvelous Wonderettes, consisting of Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy, are set to provide the entertainment, and that they do!

The four performers are immediately recognisable as 1950s teenagers. Costumes (Emily Bestow, Designer, and Susan Hodges, Costume Supervisor) are classic fifties style dresses, each one a different pastel shade, which makes for an eye-catching design element. This is complemented well with the use of matching props including lollipops and school exercise books.

Within Act One we’re treated to an array of fifties hits (vocal arrangements by Roger Bean and Brian William Baker), including Mr. Sandman, Lollipop and Stupid Cupid. As well as group numbers, each character performs solos as part of their efforts to be voted Prom Queen. Joseph Hodges has directed them well and good use is made of the small performance space.

Act Two finds us at Springfield High School’s Class of 1958 ten year reunion, with obvious sixties style costumes a clear reflection of this. The Marvelous Wonderettes are again performing, but this time with updates on their love lives, heartbreaks and big events. This is realised through the performance of hits from the sixties, including You Don’t Own Me, Son of a Preacher Man and Respect. In both acts, the four performers display strong vocals as well as good storytelling through song.

Characterisation is spot on, with each girl bringing something different to the table with their personaility traits. From Betty Jean (Louise Young) and Cindy Lou’s (Rosie Needham) clear schoolgirl rivalry to Missy’s (Sophie Camble) sweet peacemaker role and Suzy’s (Kara Taylor Alberts) lovable quirkiness, there’s a lot to keep us entertained.

This show is undoubtedly a celebration of two great eras for music. Although the plot (Roger Bean) is quite basic, this is not a massive issue as the four performers do a good job of engaging the audience through their delivery of the catchy songs, as well as some highly entertaining audience interaction scattered throughout. With impressive harmonies and high energy performances, go and join The Marvelous Wonderettes for an evening of nostalgic fun.

Reviewed by Emily K Neal

Photography by Kevin Ralph

Cry Havoc

Park Theatre

Reviewed – 29th March 2019

★★

“not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be”

Imagining the “blood and destruction” that will sweep Italy, Marc Antony famously pictures the moment when Caesar’s spirit “Ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice, Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war”. Lacking true drama, threat or passion, Tom Coash’s play, sadly, never lives up to the promise of its title.

Mohammed El-Masri (James El-Sharawy) returns to a trashed flat in Egypt after six days of imprisonment and beatings at the hand of the government police forces. Weakened and shaken by his ordeal, he turns to English gent Nicholas Field (Marc Antolin) to help him escape the regime. After pleading with Karren Winchester’s bizarrely entertaining immigration officer Ms. Nevers, Nicholas gets the visa they need. But Mohammed’s love for his homeland is not so easily overcome, and he ends up facing a stark choice.

Told through various conversations taking place in Mohammed’s flat, Coash’s script introduces a vital topic for our times: the continued and frequent imprisonment and torture of gay men in countries across the world. And yet his play lacks any real intention or high stakes, and his characters remain forgettable. We meet Mohammed at the wrong time in his story so that the anguish of his ordeal draws less sympathy than it should. Considering this moment defines so much of the character’s actions, some sense of who he was before his imprisonment would have really added to our understanding of his character.

Director Pamela Schermann’s well-known skills never quite shine through in this production, hampered, perhaps, by the script. Time passes, but it is often unclear how much. Her actors do well however in the regular black-outs to change scene in character. Mohammed and Nicholas’ relationship struggles to convince however, and even an awkwardly placed scene where the pair reminisce about how they met (and handily fills us in on their history in the meantime) fails to make it clear who these characters really are and why they are trying to be together in the first place. The climax therefore lands with a dull thud. This story deserves more.

‘Cry Havoc’ has too many caricatures and not enough character. An important story that raises awareness of a global problem, but not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be.

Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Reviewed – 11th April 2019

★★★★

“a celebration of two great eras for music”

It’s 1958 and the evening of Springfield High School’s prom. The Marvelous Wonderettes, consisting of Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy, are set to provide the entertainment, and that they do!

Reviewed by Emily K Neal

Photography by Kevin Ralph

The Marvelous Wonderettes

Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 12th May

Previously reviewed at this venue:

Park Theatre

Reviewed – 29th March 2019

★★

“not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be”

‘Cry Havoc’ has too many caricatures and not enough character. An important story that raises awareness of a global problem, but not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli

Cry Havoc

Park Theatre until 20th April

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: