★★★

“the star of the evening is Michaela Stern who beautifully concludes the show”

“There are many lyrics which wouldn’t get past the sensitivity reader these days” quips Nigel Planer before launching into a tongue-in-cheek rendition of Lionel Bart’s ‘Living Doll’. He singles out the line “Gonna lock her up in a trunk…”. When Cliff Richard sang it back in 1959 nobody would have batted an eyelid. When Planer revisited the song with his fellow ‘Young Ones’ for Comic Relief in 1986, he turned the dodginess into plain silliness, ad libbing with “I feel sorry for the elephant”, which became a bit of a catchphrase.

There was more than one elephant in the room at “Celebrating Lionel Bart” – a musical tribute to the great songwriter. Director Adam Lenson, one of many talking heads projected onto the back wall, drew attention to the accusations of antisemitism that Charles Dickens faced after publishing ‘Oliver Twist’ on which Bart based the musical drama ‘Oliver!’. But controversy aside, the evening settled into a light-hearted, nostalgic and gentle homage to the man Andrew Lloyd Webber once described as ‘the father of the modern British musical’.

A handful of songs were interspersed with video projections displaying a few famous faces – Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard, Anita Harris among them. Mildly informative, they were little more than a garnish; the focus being on the onstage performers. Jos Slovick is first up with the aptly titled ‘A Handful of Songs’, giving a wistful touch to the number with the purity of his voice. Brady Isaacs Pearce delves into ‘What is Love?’ from ‘Oliver!’ with an airy beauty and vulnerability, while Debbie Chazen tackles ‘So Tell Me’ (a lesser-known number from Bart’s ‘Blitz!’) with more character than virtuosity. Nigel Planer has fun with ‘Reviewing the Situation’, but the star of the evening is Michaela Stern who beautifully concludes the show with ‘As Long as He Needs Me’. Stern also gives us another highlight with Bart’s unproduced ‘Nobody in Particular’.

We have a well-balanced cross section of Bart’s repertoire, including his 60s pop hits and his Bond theme, ‘From Russia with Love’. During the latter, Musical Director Theo Jamieson truly shines. The grand piano is the sole accompaniment and Jamieson draws out the different character of each number with an understated flair and intuition. The shades and nuances are matched by the singers’ delivery, but unfortunately are let down with a somewhat flat sound through the in-house sound system. We are never too sure if this lack of sparkle is a reflection, or a cause, of the low energy that pervades the performances.

There are moments of beauty, but the atmosphere is thin, and the songs have little room to breathe fully. A rather damp encore invites the audience to sing along to ‘Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be’. We get a hint of the cheeky chappie that Lionel Bart epitomised. Yet we never get beneath the skin. The show is a polite recital rather than a celebration. Bart was a complicated character. The darling of the sixties who later withdrew from the limelight; bankrupt, diabetic and alcoholic. He never really recovered from ‘Oliver’s!’ success, even though he still managed to stir hearts when he spoke to audiences directly through song. This evening’s showcase of his work doesn’t quite speak to us in the way he might have wanted. Yet it is a faithful rendition and we do get a sense – if not the true scent – of Lionel Bart’s impact on the British musical theatre scene.

IT’S HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARDS US at the Park Theatre

★★★★★

“Hound and West are outstanding”

Imagine your greatest enemy. Now, imagine being trapped in an actor’s trailer with them. That’s on a moving glacier. That’s on the side of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull. That’s erupting.

‘Disaster comedy’ It’s Headed Straight Towards Us – written by Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer and directed by Rachel Kavanaugh – presents just this scenario. Gary Savage (Rufus Hound) and Hugh Delavois (Samuel West) are bitter rivals. From drama school through to their acting careers, the pair have always clashed; the former, a drunken, grouchy Hollywood wash-up; the latter, a neurotic, bit part actor nicknamed ‘Custard Man’ after an unfortunate incident in front of Alan Bennett which went viral online. To their horror, they are both set to star in the film Vulcan 7, before an avalanche halts filming and separates them from the rest of the cast and crew.

Trapped with 21-year-old runner and self-proclaimed seismologist Leela (Nenda Neururer), they are forced to confront their historic animosity as their situation becomes more and more perilous.

Hound and West are outstanding. Their constant bickering is utterly believable whilst also being brilliantly funny. Their quips and jabs at each other range from silly to deeply cruel and you never know what will come out next. Digs are made at sexual promiscuity, failed fatherhood, embarrassing career moments, just to name a few. The only thing of which they are in agreement is a hatred of Daniel Day Lewis.

We get to know our two leads intimately. Their deepest anxieties, greatest regrets, and dwindling hopes for the future. Though both completely unlikeable at first, we feel real pathos for our sparring (failing) actors, especially in the second half and the final scenes. Props also to Hound who spends the first hour in a heavy latex costume designed by Wendy Olver.

“our great attachment to Gary and Hugh is in no small part to the strong acting and clever script”

Neururer does well to balance the warring duo with her youthful eagerness and naivety. Her character is also the only one linked to activities outside the trailer via her headset and thus provides significant exposition and forward motion in the plot. The only slightly confusing element of the narrative is that it takes place in less than 24 hours – these two characters who so vehemently hate each other are very quick to get vulnerable. However, considering the unique space of the actor’s trailer, the claustrophobia of their situation, and some rather wonderful acting, this rapid opening up seems perfectly natural.

The set (designed by Michael Taylor) is really quite brilliant. We see the inside of a large trailer – there is a table with seating to the left, a sofa and pouffe in the centre, and a small bathroom on the right. All this sits atop a moving floor that rocks, jitters, and tilts as the tremors worsen. The trailer door leads to the back of the stage – there is no back wall, so any approaching character is seen. Snow – in the form of small pieces of white paper – falls along the front edge of the stage in a few scenes creating a pleasant effect.

The set is further enhanced by the impressive lighting designed by Mark Doubleday. Behind the stage is a large screen that reaches from floor to ceiling. The calming hues of the first half are soon replaced with angry reds – the mood of the natural world and the desperation of our characters expressed perfectly. Eerie sounds that evoke a certain natural mysticism play between scenes to further remind us of the power of the volcanic mound (Fergus O’Hare).

It’s Headed Straight Towards Us is an intimate exploration of hate and regret. Our two characters are inextricably linked whether they like it or not and they find a strange comfort in their familiarity with each other. Moreover, our great attachment to Gary and Hugh is in no small part to the strong acting and clever script. A play thoroughly worth seeing.

CELEBRATING LIONEL BART at JW3

★★★

“the star of the evening is Michaela Stern who beautifully concludes the show”

CELEBRATING LIONEL BART at JW3

Reviewed on 7th July 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Recently reviewed by Jonathan:

CELEBRATING LIONEL BART

CELEBRATING LIONEL BART

IT’S HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARDS US at the Park Theatre

★★★★★

“Hound and West are outstanding”

“our great attachment to Gary and Hugh is in no small part to the strong acting and clever script”

IT’S HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARDS US at the Park Theatre

Reviewed on 19th September 2023

by Flora Doble

Photography by Pamela Raith

Previously reviewed at this venue:

It’s Headed Straight Towards Us

It’s Headed Straight Towards Us