The cast of The Other Palace’s latest Work In Progress production, Joybubbles have started rehearsals ahead of their public sharing this Saturday 17 June.
The cast is led by Jonathan Slinger (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Urinetown) as Joybubbles with Evelyn Hoskins (Carrie, Spring Awakening) as Little Joe supported by:
Esh Alladi, Emma Thornett, Ben Fox, Ceri-Lyn Cissone, Terence Frisch, Julie LeGrand andStuart Matthew Price.
Tickets are £7.50 for the public sharing of Joybubbles via:
The Other Palace’s Work in Progress series offers productions a space to create, develop and explore their work. Each show has a public sharing where audiences can be the first not only to see the new work but also help in the development of the show by offering feedback and opinion. The audience feedback is then given to the production to help inform the next stage of the project’s development.
Joybubbles is the third Work In Progress production at The Other Palace, it follows Heathers, The Musical and Dr Feelgood which took place in June. The Work In Progress series continues with Bonnie & Clyde from Mon 26 Jun and finishes with Pitch Perfects The Little Beasts, the biggest of our Work In Progress productions, opening in our main theatre in July.
La Strada
The Other Palace
Opening Night – 31st May 2017
⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Audrey Brisson is superb as the meek Gelsomina“
Directed by Sally Cookson, La Strada is a new adaptation of the Federico Fellini 1957 film of the same name. Given that Lionel Bart’s 1969 musical based on the film closed after just one performance, it would be interesting if this new take would fair any better.
The film is a strong and powerful work with gritty characters and a disturbingly dark narrative. It follows the tale of Gelsomina, a young girl sold by her own mother to Zampanò, a travelling street performer. Chillingly the previous year Gelsomina’s sister had been sold to the same man but had ‘not survived the winter’. Zampanò is a brute of a man who regularly beats and intimidates the girl while using her as an assistant to his act.
The play follows the same plot but despite being enjoyable to watch, there is no real sense of drama and it just seems to lack a certain spark. Audrey Brisson is however superb as the meek Gelsomina, her portrayal as the timid, yet desperate to please youngster, is the best in the show.
Stuart Goodwin’s Zampanò is nowhere near unpleasant enough (which is more down to the writing and direction than his acting) and he doesn’t quite have the believable build of the strongman he portrays. The remaining cast and musicians cover a number of characters across several scenes and at times do bring some much needed vibrancy to the show.
The lighting (Aideen Malone) and set design (Katie Sykes) are both pleasing and bring the scenes alive. Director Sally Cookson has succeeded in making a pleasant enough show to go and see but sadly lacking in pathos.
