Tag Archives: Giulia Scrimieri

Strike up the Band

Strike up the Band
★★★★

Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Strike up the Band

Strike up the Band

Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Reviewed – 8th March 2019

★★★★

 

“Beth Burrows as Joan displays exceptional acting abilities as well as charming vocals”

 

I’ll be the first to admit I’m a massive fan of musicals, so was surprised to learn of one I wasn’t already familiar with. Strike Up The Band was written by George S. Kaufman in 1927, with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, and is a satirical look at America’s lust for war. The story centres around Horace J. Fletcher (Richard Emerson), a bigshot cheese factory owner who, with the help of various political figures and businessmen, gets the USA to declare war on Switzerland, who have recently opposed tariffs imposed on its cheese.

The show’s comedy value is clear from the start with the song “Fletcher’s American Cheese Choral Society” proving an entertaining opening number. We are then introduced to an array of characters, including Mrs. Draper (Pippa Winslow), a society woman intent on pursuing Horace, and her daughter, Anne (Charlotte Christensen), also looking for love in the form of Timothy Harper (Adam Scott Pringle). Meanwhile, Jim Townsend (Paul Biggin) uses a degrading newspaper article to get the attention of Horace Fletcher’s daughter Joan (Beth Burrows), both of whom have clearly fallen for each other.

The entire cast have done a good job of developing their characters and all show great vocal and acting skills. Richard Emerson as Horace J. Fletcher is a convincing power-hungry businessman, with Charlotte Christensen embracing her role as a naive young girl with love on the brain. Her scenes/duets with Adam Scott Pringle are particularly entertaining. A special mention must also go to David Francis as George Spelvin, who delivers a masterclass in comedy acting as a mysterious spy-like character.

A fairly simple set (Camille Etchart) with nostalgic props suffices and is brought to life with Giulia Scrimieri’s spot-on period costume.

Songs are well delivered with the help of a six-piece band, although this did overpower the singing at times, particularly during ensemble numbers. That being said, there are some definite musical gems scattered throughout. Personal highlights include “Hangin’ Around With You”, “Homeward Bound” and “The Man I Love”, a song in which Beth Burrows as Joan displays exceptional acting abilities as well as charming vocals.

Although bonkers and, at times, a bit difficult to follow, this is a musical that certainly has relevance today and will introduce audiences to some of the Gershwin brothers’ lesser-known songs – there’s even a bit of tap dance thrown in, for good measure! Thanks to director Mark Giesser for bringing this well-performed satire to the London theatre scene.

 

Reviewed by Emily K Neal

Photography by Andreas Lambis

 

Upstairs at the Gatehouse thespyinthestalls

Strike up the Band

Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 31st March

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:
A Night at The Oscars | ★★★★ | February 2018
After the Ball | ★★★ | March 2018
Return to the Forbidden Planet | ★★★ | May 2018
Kafka’s Dick | ★★★★ | June 2018
Nice Work if You Can Get It | ★★★★ | December 2018
Bad Girls The Musical | ★★★ | February 2019

 

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com

 

The Lady With a Dog – 4 Stars

Dog

The Lady With a Dog

White Bear Theatre

Reviewed – 23rd February 2018

★★★★

“warm, charming and delightful”

 

With the current news in today’s society being portrayed as very dark and upsetting, it was extremely refreshing to watch Mark Giesser’s bright and cheerful adaptation of Chekhov’s romantic comedy, ‘The Lady With a Dog.’

Set in Britain in the late 1920s, this simple “boy meets girl” love story (with the exception of a Pomeranian dog), is quite delightful. It was as fresh as the sea air that Anne Dennis (Beth Burrows) takes in when walking on the beach with her new acquaintance, Damian Granville (Alan Turkington). They soon begin to exchange their common interests – one of them being Pomeranian dogs. However, it is Damian who is up to his old tricks as he tries to seduce Anne, even though they are both married.

Something I found particularly peculiar, was the fact that both characters didn’t shy away from revealing the truth about their spouses. They were very upfront and honest, and still agreed to indulge in the secret love affair. Burrows and Turkington did a superb job at portraying the chemistry between these two devilish characters, and worked beautifully together at conveying their audacious relationship. The sexual desire between them soon escalates when they dance a passionate Argentine tango, (choreographed by Orley Quick), but later Anne admits to feeling “cheap” and “vulgar” after sleeping with the London banker. Here, Burrows succeeds in portraying an engaging story but also a very accurate one, where women in the 1920s wanted to escape from the mundane duties of a housewife and feel liberated.

There were also great performances from Duncan Maclnnes as Carl Dennis and Laura Glover as Elaine Granville, the cheated spouses who would often make the audience chuckle with their brilliant one-liners. Congratulations are definitely in order for Oscar Selfridge’s set design and Giulia Scrimieri’s costume design that both helped encapsulate the 1920s post-war feel.

There is no doubt that both the cast and crew have worked extremely hard at creating a very successful show. It was warm, charming and delightful, and was one that I very much enjoyed.

 

Reviewed by Jessica Brewer

Photography by Andreas Grieger

 


The Lady With a Dog

White Bear Theatre until 10th March

 

Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com