Katre Archives - Page 11 of 24 - thespyinthestalls.com

★★★★

“a spectacular show with dazzling displays of martial arts … prepare to be amazed!”

This is a spectacular show with dazzling displays of martial arts. The thirty three strong company thrilled us with their incredible physical feats; at times it felt as though everyone in the audience was holding their breath, only to gasp in amazement at the skill, strength and grace of the performers. The young boys were a particular delight, portraying their life in the temple learning Kung Fu and being naughty and cheeky like kids the world over. There is a lot of humour in the show, in addition to the central story of a mother and her lost child.

The story is set in China in a time of war, and a mother hides her baby behind a rock to keep it safe. She leaves half of a jade amulet with her son, keeping the other half for herself. When she manages to return the child has gone. She has no way of knowing that the tiny boy has been found by a Shaolin monk and taken to the monastery, where he will be cared for and trained in martial arts and spiritual discipline. The action of the show follows the boy, Hui Guang, as he grows from into a man and becomes a Kung Fu master. He is played by three different performers as he ages. There is a lovely relationship between the boy and the monk who found him, showing the tender, caring side of these almost supernaturally powerful warrior monks. One day Hui Guang breaks up a fight in town and loses his half of the jade amulet, which is found by one of the women he has just defended. She is, of course, his mother. She goes to the temple to find him, and he has to decide whether to stay with his fellow monks or go and make a life with her.

But the story is not really the point of the show. The point is the stunning artistry and athleticism of the cast. The acting is stylised, as it often is in ballet, but we really feel for the young man as he decides whether to leave the only home he has known, and for the kindly monk who raised him. The sound is all recorded, and is nicely evocative, blending with the projected backdrops to give the audience a sense of the passage of time and the sights and sounds of temple life. Liu Tongbiao choreographed and directed, weaving martial set pieces into the simple story in an accessible and thrilling way.

It is really worth trying to get a ticket, but it’s not on for long. If you go an see it, prepare to be amazed!

Reviewed by Katre

Photography courtesy Soul of Shaolin

Mother of Him

Park Theatre

Reviewed – 24th September 2019

★★★★★

“Tracy-Ann Oberman is superb as Brenda, finding her way through a landscape of emotions in a devastatingly truthful arc”

Do you have to love your child, no matter what they have done? Can you? This is a play about what it means to be a mother, in particular, what it means to be the mother of a son who has done something terrible. Evan Placey has written a masterful and gripping examination of this question, set during the week leading up to the sentencing of Brenda’s son Matthew for the crime of rape. But Matthew is not the only son, he has an eight year old brother, Jason, and Brenda has to deal with his needs, her own distress, and a media siege outside her front door. Tracy-Ann Oberman is superb as Brenda, finding her way through a landscape of emotions in a devastatingly truthful arc, and bringing in delightful and unexpected humour at times. It’s a performance that had my friend and I in tears. We are both mothers of sons, and were both impressed that a young man could write such a complex, real woman with understanding, humanity and a lightness of touch. Because, while this is a play that challenges us to think and question, while it is a bit of an emotional roller-coaster, it is never heavy, never forced.

The action is set in 1998, before social media, so the press and television were absolutely in control of the narrative in any situation. Every time Brenda or Jason leave the house they pounce. This is only shown by off stage sound and lighting, a successful design decision that makes the house seem more and more like a prison as the story progresses. Matthew, played by Scott Folan, is probably not anyone’s idea of a rapist. he is young, gangly and defensive. A normal teenager. Folan never reveals too much, leaving us questioning why this boy man could have done what he did. He is sweet with his young brother Jason, delightfully portrayed by Matt Goldberg, one of two boys who share the role. We get the feeling of a real family, a single mother trying to keep some normality for her younger son, not knowing how to deal with the older one. The boy who has become a stranger, a kind of monster.

Simon Hepworth plays family friend and lawyer Robert Rosenberg, trying to help with the court case and trying to keep Brenda on an even keel. His reliability and patience balancing Neil Sheffield’s unreliable Steve, the long absent father of the boys who shows up late in the play. Anjelica Serra completes the cast, playing Matthew’s girlfriend Jessica, and Tess, the cleaner. None of the cast put a foot wrong and, although it is Tracy-Ann Oberman’s Brenda who is at the centre of the drama, everyone deserves an accolade.

The sound design includes radio broadcasts, and is a valuable evocation of the time beautifully created by Fergus O’Hare. Ali Hunter’s lighting and Lee Newby’s costumes and flexible set create a believable world, a home that’s now both a prison and a refuge from the outside world. The whole thing is drawn together and directed by Max Lindsay with a lovely sense of place and family. It is a triumph.

Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

Reviewed – 26th September 2019

★★★★

“a spectacular show with dazzling displays of martial arts … prepare to be amazed!”

It is really worth trying to get a ticket, but it’s not on for long. If you go an see it, prepare to be amazed!

Reviewed by Katre

Photography courtesy Soul of Shaolin

Soul of Shaolin

Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre until 6th October

Last ten shows covered by this reviewer:

Park Theatre

Reviewed – 24th September 2019

★★★★★

“Tracy-Ann Oberman is superb as Brenda, finding her way through a landscape of emotions in a devastatingly truthful arc”

Reviewed by Katre

Photography by Bronwen Sharp

Mother of Him

Park Theatre until 26th October

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: