Tag Archives: Joseph Hodges

I Do! I Do!

★★★½

Upstairs at the Gatehouse

I do I do

I Do! I Do!

Upstairs at The Gatehouse

Reviewed – 30th October 2019

★★★½

 

“consistently entertaining and extremely well delivered: a successful fusion of music and narrative that makes for a compassionate study of the miracle of love”

 

Spanning half a century and featuring just two actors, this is a charming adaptation of a 1966 Broadway musical that was based on Jan de Hartog’s 1951 play, The Fourposter. Directed and produced by Joseph Hodges, this new version revives the timeless tale of a marriage in all its stages.

We join Michael and Agnes in their bedroom on their wedding night, young and very much in love but also inexperienced and nervous at the prospect of spending their lives together. Fast-forwarding through the years to reveal the progression of their relationship, the show alternates between dramatic vignettes and vibrant, clever songs.

Gemma Maclean and Ben Morris carry the entire performance, animated and energetic enough to fill the stage by themselves. They are accompanied only by musical director Henry Brennan, who offers dextrous live keyboard interpretations of the songs by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones.

The unfussy-but-detailed set design by Emily Bestow wisely puts the bed at its centre, flanked by a dressing table on the left and a writing desk (Michael is a novelist) and chaise longue on the right.

There’s subtle humour and plenty of warmth, but – keeping sentimentality at bay – there are also barbed observations and arguments. One of the funniest moments, built around the song ‘Nobody’s Perfect’, shows the bickering couple reading from pre-prepared lists of each other’s faults. We learn that she wears cold cream in bed, while he makes a strange sucking noise in his sleep. There’s also an amusing running joke about a ‘God is love’ pillow that Agnes is fond of and which Michael cannot stand…

The scenes flow sequentially but the plot strands aren’t always resolved. Instead, each scene presents a new snapshot of their lives. This was a little frustrating in the case of the bombshell that ends the first half. You really want to find out how they respond to this crisis, and then… time marches on and it’s as if that scene never happened. Yet despite this slightly disjointed aspect, the narrative gives Michael and Agnes surprising emotional depth. Indeed, the ups and downs of their journey through marriage are frequently poignant and touching. We join them as they encounter the joys and fears of parenthood. We witness the rise of Michael’s writing career and see how his success affects them both differently. And we observe their mixed feelings at their daughter’s wedding as the whole cycle begins again.

If there’s a flaw it’s that the show supposedly spans the 50 years from 1890 to 1940 – a period encompassing World War I and the start of World War II – but you get little or no sense of wider events unfolding beyond the walls of their bedroom. Instead, the focus is on how time passes for the couple, which makes perfect sense given the theme, but it does seem like a missed opportunity to infuse their situation with additional gravity.

That minor point aside, it’s consistently entertaining and extremely well delivered: a successful fusion of music and narrative that makes for a compassionate study of the miracle of love.

 

Reviewed by Stephen Fall

Photography by Kevin Ralph

 


I Do! I Do!

Upstairs at The Gatehouse until 16th November

 

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:
Kafka’s Dick | ★★★★ | June 2018
Nice Work if You Can Get It | ★★★★ | December 2018
Bad Girls The Musical | ★★★ | February 2019
Strike Up The Band | ★★★★ | March 2019
The Marvelous Wonderettes | ★★★★ | April 2019
Flat Out | ★★★★ | June 2019
Agent 14 | | August 2019
Pericles, Prince Of Tyre | ★★★ | August 2019
Working | ★★★★ | September 2019
A Modest Little Man | ★★★★ | October 2019

 

Click here to see our most recent reviews

 

The Marvelous Wonderettes
★★★★

Upstairs at the Gatehouse

The Marvelous Wonderettes

The Marvelous Wonderettes

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!

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

 


The Marvelous Wonderettes

Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 12th May

 

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
Strike Up The Band | ★★★★ | March 2019

 

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