Tag Archives: Neal Foster

Horrible Christmas
★★★★

Alexandra Palace

Horrible Christmas

Horrible Christmas

Alexandra Palace Theatre

Reviewed – 13th December 2018

★★★★

“wonderfully witty, packed with mischievous gags that appeal right across the generations”

 

Built in 1873 as an answer to South London’s Crystal Palace, Alexandra Palace burnt to the ground just sixteen days after its opening. Two years later it was reconstructed as a kind of pleasure dome, with palm court, circus, concert hall with its own park land and railway station. Hidden at its heart was the spectacular theatre, that rivalled many in the West End with its size and ambition. Welcoming stars like Dame Ellen Terry, Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin.

A home for opera, dance, ballet, music hall, theatre and pantomime it entertained thousands in its heyday but eventually struggled to compete and, for eighty years, has been closed to the public, a hidden gem perched high above the city. Until now. Following a multi-million-pound refurbishment, the abandoned theatre is unveiled in all its former glory. The auditorium, resembling a forgotten and crumbling Roman temple, is vast but feels intimate at the same time. Reflecting its former use, the programming embraces a variety of stand-up comedy, classical recitals, jazz music; but the first big stage show is “Horrible Histories: Horrible Christmas”.

Birmingham Stage Company has been bringing Horrible Histories to life on the stage for ten horrible years now, and this latest version, in association with Derby Theatre, retains the anarchic mayhem that has become their trademark, while still managing to impart a little bit of knowledge onto its young and older, though not necessarily wiser, audience.

When Christmas comes under threat from a vengeful Santa imposter out to ruin Christmas, it is up to one young boy to save the day. A tight-knit troupe of eight actors take us on a whirlwind trip through Christmases past and present. Watson, the intrepid young hero, played with wide-eyed gusto by Tom Cawte, joins forces with ‘Shirley’ Holmes (Erika Poole) in a race to save Christmas. Speeding back through the centuries on Holmes’ time-travelling scooter, they join forces with Charles Dickens, King Charles, Henry VIII, St Nicholas (the bishop of Myra, in Turkey) and Oliver Cromwell, among others. Completely absurd yet informative, it perfectly mixes humour into its incisive, laconic low-down on the background of Christmas Day.

Terry Deary’s script (adapted from his own original publications) is wonderfully witty, packed with mischievous gags that appeal right across the generations. Never patronising, nor descending into superfluous slapstick, it satisfies the senses of the kids in all of us. Ally Pally’s auditorium is quite cavernous, but the talented multi-rolling cast create a warm glow that easily reaches the upper balconies.

Chris Gunter as Sydney Clause, the Grinch-like antagonist, and Ashley Bowden as his shambling side-kick, Rudolph, are a cracking comedy duo. Gunter’s sinister caricature of the ‘Bad Santa’ has shades of Tim Burton, with as many dimensions too; so that ultimately his performance transcends mere ‘panto’ and, like the show itself, is ultimately quite moving. In the meantime, Neal Foster, leads us through the Yuletide backstory shifting with ease between many characters with impressive versatility.

By giving us a potted history of Christmas the cast dig to the core of what Christmas should really be about. This horribly hilarious show is a real celebration of Christmas.

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Ian Tilton

 

Alexandra Palace

Horrible Christmas

Alexandra Palace Theatre until 30th December

 

 

 

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

 

Awful Auntie
★★★½

Bloomsbury Theatre

Awful Auntie

Bloomsbury Theatre

Reviewed – 12th December 2018

★★★½

“for the book’s fan base it is no doubt a delight to see the antics brought to the stage with imagination and charm”

 

Stella Saxby, 12-year-old heir to Saxby Hall, awakens bound in a bed at the will of her awful Auntie Alberta. Told that her parents were killed in a tragic car accident, all is not what it seems when auntie suspiciously mentions the ‘deedly weedlies’ for Saxby Hall.

David Walliams’ best selling book is brought to life by Birmingham Stage Company and the talented adapter and director, Neal Foster. With all the mischief and mayhem of Dahl’s Matilda, Awful Auntie is a dark comedy-thriller, with the mood captured perfectly in Jackie Trousdale’s marvellous staging. The gothic set features spectacular rotating turrets made for giddy chases in and out of rooms and chimneys. Puppets are creatively used throughout the play, crossing the expansive grounds of Saxby Hall to evoke the exhilarating sense of adventure of Walliams’ book. Wagner the Bavarian Owl is an exceptionally-made puppet, artfully managed by Roberta Bellekom.

Georgina Leonidas plays the resilient Stella with youthful energy and vigour. Despite her captivity and the fatal loss of her parents, Stella is rather unemotional which could explain the sense that something is missing throughout the show to make the audience really root for her. The lack of emotion becomes particularly apparent with the out of place class moral wedged on the end of the play. Despite this, scenes between Leonidas and the cockney ghost chimney sweep, Soot, have a playful innocence all set to the background of Jak Poore’s atmospheric score. The endearing, wide-eyed Soot is played humorously by Ashley Cousins, who previously starred in Gangsta Granny.

Awful Auntie Alberta (Richard James) is a Miss Trunchbull character with a sizeable dash of pantomime dame. The shrill dame voice is slightly grating in an overly-wordy opening scene that sadly falls flat. Fortunately, poo and trump gags win the young audience’s attention. The second act livens up with slapstick humour and a more villainous Awful Auntie appearing. The electrocution chamber that Stella is locked in feels slightly inappropriate but luckily only parents and not their children seem concerned about it.

Awful Auntie doesn’t quite follow in the footsteps of Gangsta Granny but for the book’s fan base it is no doubt a delight to see the antics brought to the stage with imagination and charm.

 

Reviewed by Beth Partington

Photography by Mark Douet

 


Awful Auntie

Bloomsbury Theatre until 6th January

 

 

 

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