Tag Archives: Gabriel Bush

Alan Turing

ALAN TURING – A MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY

★★

Riverside Studios

ALAN TURING – A MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY at Riverside Studios

★★

Alan Turing

“Joel Goodman and Jan Osborne give Turing’s life the musical treatment but, unfortunately, it doesn’t quite crack the code”

In 2023 Artificial Intelligence hit the mainstream, with ChatGPT making waves and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak bringing together world leaders at his AI safety summit at Bletchley Park. Bletchley is widely considered one of the birth places of computer science and an apt fit for a demonstration of British leadership on AI. But it’s also worth remembering that whilst now the government celebrates a grandfather of computer science who worked there, Alan Turing, during his lifetime he was also prosecuted and subjected to chemical castration for homosexuality.

Turing’s is a tragic tale of a genius’ life cut short in its prime – a young man with endless promise, who gave so much to the Allied war effort, and whose contributions could only be revealed long after his death. Joel Goodman and Jan Osborne give Turing’s life the musical treatment but, unfortunately, it doesn’t quite crack the code.

This run at Riverside Studios represents the fourth iteration of the show which has been given a makeover with a new script by Joan Greening and direction under Jane Miles. There are some good theatrical techniques at play – a recurring motif of Alan’s fascination with the fairy tale Snow White humanises his mathematical mind and a myriad of props and costume keep the story visually entertaining. But trying to pack in a man’s whole life into 80 minutes, albeit one cut short at 41, is an arduous task and one that necessitates skimming over things in scant detail or focusing in on some moments to the exclusion of others. Joel and Joan clearly prefer the former, so we see Alan at school, briefly at Cambridge and Princeton, in Bletchley breaking codes and in Manchester where he has his run in with the police. It’s a useful overview of the man’s life, but it does mean some parts – particularly his time at Bletchley, are given short shrift.

“Zara Cooke saves the day each time, lending clarity and resonance to the otherwise humdrum score”

The most moving elements of the piece are the scenes drawn from Turing’s own letters. Even a letter from an adolescent Turing demonstrates his maturity and sensitivity, powerfully delivered by Joe Bishop. The letters also reveal the influence of the women in Turing’s life; his mother, the mother of his childhood friend Chris or his colleague and brief fiancée Joan. These confidants, all skilfully played by Zara Cooke, avoid the piece simply extolling Turing’s singular genius, but neither his mother nor Joan are developed enough as characters to feel any connection to them.

Many of the faults of the show come down to the musical numbers, which lack energy, rarely drive forward the action and are not remotely memorable. Bishop seems to struggle with his cues which then leads to rushed lyrics to catch back up with the music, not helped by having to regularly imitate Alan’s rigorous athletic pursuits whilst singing. Zara Cooke saves the day each time, lending clarity and resonance to the otherwise humdrum score.

A musical biography of Turing’s life is a fine idea, and elements of this show are approaching the mark. But a musical where the defining feature, the music, is this bland and disappointingly executed makes you wonder whether it was really worth the effort.


ALAN TURING – A MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY at Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 9th January 2024

by Amber Woodward

Photography by Gabriel Bush

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ULSTER AMERICAN | ★★★★★ | December 2023
OTHELLO | ★★★★ | October 2023
FLOWERS FOR MRS HARRIS | ★★★★ | October 2023
RUN TO THE NUNS – THE MUSICAL | ★★★★ | July 2023
THE SUN WILL RISE | ★★★ | July 2023
TARANTINO LIVE: FOX FORCE FIVE & THE TYRANNY OF EVIL MEN | ★★★★★ | June 2023
KILLING THE CAT | ★★ | March 2023
CIRQUE BERSERK! | ★★★★★ | February 2023
DAVID COPPERFIELD | ★★★ | February 2023
A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD | ★★★★ | February 2022

ALAN TURING

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The Manny

The Manny

★★★

King’s Head Theatre

THE MANNY at the King’s Head Theatre

★★★

The Manny

“Above all, this is a comedy showcase with plenty to laugh at”

 

We start with a few basic rules of dating. But, despite their comic value, not ones that we really want to take on board. The protagonist – a character called ‘The Manny’ – is supposedly enjoying his lifestyle. By day he looks after posh kids and his nights are filled with casual dates. The lack of joy or purpose is unconcealed. Deliberate even. He won’t allow himself to feel anything substantial or lasting. “I’m falling for her – I’m going to get hurt” encapsulates an attitude borne of some deep-seated wound, or fear. The reasons behind this are not explored, which makes Sam McArdle’s job of winning the audience over that much harder.

But he succeeds. McArdle, the actor and writer who has brought this one-hander to the stage, also brings the required self-deprecation, initially, for the audience to root for such a self-destructive character. And more than the required amount of humour, albeit of the darker variety. The obvious comparison is ‘Fleabag’, but there are also definite shades of Nick Hornby’s ‘About A Boy’. “The Manny” is inspired by McArdle’s personal experience of being a male nanny, working for rich single mums in West London. Early drafts were written during lockdown, so it is inevitable that the themes of loneliness and detachment are going to rise to the surface.

Just as he is resigning himself to a life passing by without any real purpose, the Manny meets Molly, a once-hopeful actress who is now just as disillusioned with her life as he is with his. She sells beetroot brownies in Borough market, as opposed to playing Cleopatra on Broadway. The two are drawn to each other. Meanwhile, in his parallel existence, he meets Michael, a precocious seven-year-old Right-Wing child with no father figure. Until the Manny comes along, that is, and they both have lessons in life to deal to each other. Mel Fullbrook’s sharp direction shifts the action between the two scenarios with the seamless precision of a film editor.

The show runs into difficulties, however, when the character of the Manny truly starts to unravel, and the premise of the comedy becomes muddied. As McArdle digs deeper, he exposes fragments of the subtext, but doesn’t pull them up to the surface. It is clear that the Manny has ‘issues’ and although it’s not explicit, the term ‘mental health’ is never far from his lips. And it is not clear whether societal pressure or the increasing use of dating apps is being blamed for the characters’ lack of connection. These people are hurting in some way, and while we can relate to the situations, it’s not easy to relate to the characters. The ‘Manny’ himself comes full circle – which is a touch unsatisfying as it offsets any sense of self-realisation, redemption or of a journey we can empathise with or connect to.

But maybe we aren’t supposed to over analyse. Above all, this is a comedy showcase with plenty to laugh at. McArdle has the art of entertainment off to a tee. With his comic timing and easy demeanour with his audience, he has the expressiveness of a true raconteur; which is a precious gift in itself.

 

Reviewed on 10th January 2023

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Gabriel Bush

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

 

Tender Napalm | ★★★★★ | October 2021
Beowulf: An Epic Panto | ★★★★ | November 2021
Freud’s Last Session | ★★★★ | January 2022
La Bohème | ★★★½ | May 2022
Brawn | ★★ | August 2022
The Drought | ★★★ | September 2022
Fame Whore | ★★★ | October 2022

 

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