★★★★

“The rivalry, which fires the first half hour, is heated and hilarious”

Let’s start with a question. If you wanted to find yourself in a room full of adults (a loose term), singing the nursery rhyme, “Incy Wincy Spider”, accompanied by a human beatbox on a loop-pedal – where would you go? Okay – even if the question has never entered your mind before, it should now!

Let me put that in context. We are at the sixth birthday party of Anastasia, a Russian oligarch’s daughter (in reality we are in the basement of the Soho Theatre, but I don’t want to spoil the illusion), for which the entertainment is being supplied by a rather odd couple: the highly-strung, silver-spooned Sylvester String (Ed MacArthur) and the TikTok-rapper-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks MC SPITTA (Kiell Smith-Bynoe). Once the reigning king of the lucrative West London children’s party circuit, String’s crown is being usurped by SPITTA, whose grittier, grimier act is gaining favour with the Gen Alpha kids.

The rivalry, which fires the first half hour, is heated and hilarious. How on earth did these two get to work together? Cue prefatory flashback. As the duo duel in song and semi-improvised banter, their diverging paths shift towards each other and they reluctantly agree to collaborate and put on this party together. They pool their respective skills and throw their differing backgrounds into the magician’s hat, pulling out a constant stream of laugh-out-loud absurdity. The show inevitably milks the subject of class and the socio-economic chasm between the two characters, but it is dished out with such relish that after an hour we don’t want this party to end.

The sheer entertainment value screens us to the fact that the plot has been left behind at the school gate. What follows are all the trappings and paraphernalia of a kids’ party, complete with magic, song, audience participation and overall downright silliness. But with an offbeat irreverence that, had the audience actually comprised a bunch of six-year-olds, the duo would be out of work long ago – if not behind bars.

The opening number details their back stories, while subsequent songs and surreal fun and games peel back further layers. We learn how String underhandedly gate-crashed SPITTA’s gigs in disguise to wheedle himself into his schedule. We learn, too, of SPITTA’s dubious means to steal String’s gigs in the first place. The pair are constantly sending themselves up as much as each other. Topical references are thrown in between the obviously more established but outrageous one-liners. It is politically incorrect and also politically acute. But beneath the ramshackle humour, the skill and talent of MacArthur and Smith-Bynoe are clearly visible. And the fun they are having is clearer still. And even clearer still… is the fun the audience are having.

SPITTA started off stealing String’s shows, String tries to steal it back. But in the end, they both end up stealing this show. It’s a party not to be missed.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS at the Watermill Theatre

★★★★★

“The nuances of the characters are beautifully executed, particularly up close on the small stage.”

‘When Mr Bilbo Baggins announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement’. And so opens J. R. R. Tolkien’s monumental “The Lord of the Rings”; one of the best-selling books ever written. Since my early teens, I’m not sure I have met anybody who hasn’t read it. The Sunday Times once stated that “the English-speaking world is divided into those who have read ‘Lord of the Rings’ and those who are going to read it”. Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films echoes the epic scale of fantasy and adventure. How, then, can the story translate to a two-hundred-seater theatre in the Berkshire countryside? A good question, and one that becomes swiftly answered as we wander through the Shire, under an open sky, into Bilbo’s much anticipated birthday party. Woodsmoke drifts from the gardens of the old mill down to the stream, with the scent of Hog roast floating among the jugglers and minstrels, while Hobbits mingle with ‘the Big Folk’. As the party reaches its end, we are ushered inside where the adventure begins. A very big adventure in a pretty small space, but The Watermill Theatre have concocted a production in which each element of the stagecraft would put the most hallowed wizard to shame.

It is telling that this adaptation by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus (with music by A. R. Rahman, Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale) is referred to as a ‘musical tale’ rather than a musical. Shunning convention it avoids formulaic showtunes. Instead, the soundtrack follows the pulse of the emotions rather than the narrative; the underscoring seamlessly merging into song. Impressively performed by the actor-musician cast and ensemble, Mark Aspinall’s orchestrations ranges from folk to bar-room jigs, through to bombastic percussion-driven anthems, back again to the mysticism of the Celtic harp, whistles, fiddles and gorgeous voices.

“Each member of the cast deserves mention, and each could threaten to steal the show”

Frodo, who has inherited the One Ring from his cousin at the birthday party has to undertake the quest to destroy the ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Louis Maskell carries the role with an instinctive ease that belies the demands of the emotional journey required. Nuwan Hugh Perera, as his companion Sam, is an unexpected voice of reason, merging light relief with solid support for his fellow hobbits. Across the board, the portrayal of the characters is natural, and paradoxically believable in all their other-worldly implausibility. Peter Marinker’s Gandalf has the wizened wisdom that keeps his power in check. Both Georgia Louise, as the Royal Elf Galadriel, and Aoife O’Dea as Arwen, enchant us with their performances and musicality. Each member of the cast deserves mention, and each could threaten to steal the show. The largest threat being Matthew Bugg’s Gollum, who weaves his way into the second act: feral, feline and fluid. Bugg moves as though underwater, defying gravity as easily as abusing the hobbits’ trust.

The nuances of the characters are beautifully executed, particularly up close on the small stage. But remarkably, when required, the epic proportions magically come into full force. Paul Hart’s staging is phenomenal. Simon Kenny’s ingenious design utilises every nook and cranny of the playing space. With the stunning combination of Adam Fisher’s sound, Rory Beaton’s lighting, George Reeve’s projections, Charlie Tymms’ puppetry and Anjali Mehra’s choreography (to name a few of the key creatives), the effect is that of a sweeping panorama. Only later, in retrospect, does one wonder how it is achieved.

“The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale” is little short of a miracle. As we are led back outside, back to the Shire, darkness has fallen. We bid farewell to Frodo. Emotions are running high. Our senses have been caught in the storm of a spectacle, but we have still heard the intimate sounds of extraordinary theatre making. Most people who have read Tolkien’s high-fantasy novel would agree that they could read it again. Everyone, I’d like to think, who sees this adaptation at The Watermill will agree that they could see it again. And again.

STRING V SPITTA at the Soho Theatre

★★★★

“The rivalry, which fires the first half hour, is heated and hilarious”

STRING V SPITTA at the Soho Theatre

Reviewed on 3rd August 2023

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by James Deacon

String v SPITTA is at the Soho Theatre until the 10th August then moves to the Pleasance in Edinburgh from 18th – 26th August

Previously reviewed at this venue:

String V SPITTA

String V SPITTA

THE LORD OF THE RINGS at the Watermill Theatre

★★★★★

“The nuances of the characters are beautifully executed, particularly up close on the small stage.”

“Each member of the cast deserves mention, and each could threaten to steal the show”