Tag Archives: Review

 

I Hear You and Rejoice

Tricycle Theatre

Opening Night – 12th June 2017

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

“Raw, truthful and emotive”

 

Set in a funeral service for Kitsy Rainey the deceased wife of Pat Farnon, I Hear You and Rejoice led us through a hysterical and heart-wrenching performance of what can only be described as a unique and charming marriage. An incredible 5 star performance from Mikel Murfi who is a one man band, writing and starring in his one man show.

The death of a long-term partner is often a hushed topic we collectively don’t entertain, but a topic that was captivatingly tackled in this piece. Throughout this journey, we are filled with pain and we are heartbroken by the grief Mikel depicts within Pat. What was surprising was that even amongst such sadness, we were still somehow able to laugh; experiencing the joy and love that this character felt for his wife. Often creating a mixed bag of emotion. This shows really gives what feels like an honest and truthful depiction of grief and pain of losing a long-term partner.

Mikel’s performance demonstrates him to be a master of his art; his ability to control, change and shift between different voices and physicality is second to none. Mikel plays all characters within the piece, somehow holding a three-way conversation with such believability and often to a successful comedic impact.

With such skill and precision Mikel takes the audience through a journey; holding us in the palm of his hand. I was entranced throughout this performance. I found myself laughing audibly but as quickly as I laughed I fell silent. With one sentence, Mikel was able to hush a whole auditorium. In this very moment, the atmosphere dropped so quickly that we corporally felt the tension in the room as we watch Pat break before our very eyes.

The audience reception of this piece is but a reflection of the beauty and depth of the performance and honest writings of Mikel Murfi. Raw, truthful and emotive I Hear You and Rejoice left a mark that I myself am still processing. As the audience loudly cheered and gave a standing ovation at the end; I too stood for this play is genius.

 

Reviewed by Daniel Correia

 

 

I Hear You and Rejoice runs until 1st July

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https://youtu.be/7JHgdLGd6xE

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Tommy – 4*

Reviews, , , , , , , ,

 

TOMMY

Theatre Royal Stratford East

Opening Night – 12th June 2017

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

“an energetic and sensory delight”

 

The Who’s Tommy returns to London at the Theatre Royal Stratford East with an energetic production from the New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich in collaboration with Ramps on the Moon. Whilst it has been quite some time since the rock musical, based on the 1969 film Tommy, has graced the British stage and the chance of it appearing aged and irrelevant is high, this production propelled the 60s anthems and its themes into the social climate of 2017.

The story, set in post-war Britain, follows Tommy, the “deaf, dumb and blind kid,” who becomes a “pinball wizard” and goes from being rejected by his peers to becoming their new icon. It is told through an energetic soundtrack led through Robert Hyman’s beautiful musical direction, which doesn’t give the audience time to review some of the absurdities within the play’s story.

It is the perfect musical for challenging the ways in which those with disabilities, in particular disabled artists, are viewed in society. There is frequent comparison between the institutionalisation of disabled people in post-war Britain and the ways in which some of those sentiments prevail in certain places within society today. This, however, is certainly not the focus of the production and is a more about the accessibility of the show itself.

 

The Who's Tommy
Adam Langstaff, William Grint and Becky Barry
Foreground - William Grint as Tommy and Stacey Ghent as Mrs Simpson
Foreground - Max Runham as Captain Walker
The cast of Tommy
William Grint as Tommy
Julian Capolei, Lukus Alexander, William Grint, Matthew Jacobs-Morgan.
The cast of Tommy
Shekinah McFarlane, Lukus Alexander, Julian Capolei and Natasha Julien
Julian Capolei, William Grint and Matthew Jacobs-Morgan
Natasha Lewis, Garry Robson, Donna Mullings, Stacey Ghent, Becky Barry and Amelia Cavallo
Matthew Jacobs-Morgan, Max Runham and Julian Capolei
The Who's Tommy

PHOTOGRAPHY BY  MIKE KWASNIAK

 

The show is championed on its choreography (Mark Smith), beautifully incorporating British Sign Language into the movement and dancing in each scene. The chorus, were incredibly energetic and combined their instrumental skills with their other established theatrical abilities. It was an energetic and sensory delight from the very beginning and whilst the second half was overshadowed by the vitality of the first, the production ended on an absolute high.

Tommy, is truly an inclusively sensual experience which at times, like many rock musicals, felt like more concert rather than a musical. The exceptional lighting design from Arnim Freiss really captured the essence of the post-war setting, switching frequently between a colourful display to represent the growing youth movements of the time, as well as a growing sense of community and love, and a more muted tone for scenes displaying more sombre moments in the performance.

It was clear from the production, and the energy within the theatre, that this was a pure collaborative performance attached to a wider creative community of London-based disabled and non-disabled artists. Ramps on the Moon is a ‘ground-breaking touring project that signals a step change in disability arts provision in the UK’ through collaborating a group of six theatres across the country who are committed to centralise their programmes around Deaf and disabled artists.

 

Reviewed by Claire Minnitt

 

 

Tommy is at the Theatre Royal Stratford East until 17th June

 

 

 

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