Anything Goes, Sheffield Crucible 13/12/14

It's become a bit of a tradition for me to travel over to Sheffield to take in their Christmas musical offering. Call it a Christmas present to me from me! It always delivers a memorable festive treat, and this year's offering of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes doesn't disappoint.

The first thing that must be mentioned is the fabulously creative set design from Richard Kent, all 1920's glamour, with an inventive and stunning recreation of the ship's deck folded at right angles, which is used to great effect by the cast throughout with its multiple entrances, multilevel performance spaces and even a tiled swimming pool, it really has to be seen to be believed. I was seated quite close to the stage for this production and the detail was amazing. The lighting and costumes are equally sumptuous making this a real visual treat. Add in an excellent orchestra and you have all the basics for a great Christmas package.

As I have come to expect from director Daniel Evans Christmas productions, there are some breath-taking ensemble numbers, including the first outing of Anything Goes that rounds off Act One and created a massive audience buzz in the interval, and the energetic rabble rouser Blow Gabriel Blow which ramps up the energy again in Act Two. At the centre of both of these, and many other highlights, is Debbie Kurup as Reno Sweeney, an amazingly talented all-rounder who lights up the stage (and boy can she get her legs high!)

Another scene stealing performance comes from Stephen Matthews as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Act Two as he finds his inner gypsy in quite dazzling style! Zoe Rainey and Matt Rawle as the lovers Hope and Billy make a nice pairing, both in the comedy moments and the more romantic interludes. The rest of the cast (which is huge!) whilst too many to list, are all brilliant, working incredibly hard to deliver such an energetic, slick and enjoyable production.

If I'm completely honest and very picky, this didn't blow me away quite as much as some of the musical productions I have seen at the Crucible, but I think that is the fault of the story rather than anything else, it is quite weak, especially in the first act, and really serves as an excuse to bring together some wonderful songs and show stopping production numbers.

Notwithstanding that minor quibble, I once again had a wonderful Christmas trip over to Sheffield, left feeling all joyful and festive, and was still humming the songs and wishing I could tap dance long after I had travelled back across the 'border' to my home. Well done all, it really was 'delightful and de-lovely' and I definitely 'got a kick out you'

Anonmyity, 24:7 Theatre Festival, 25/7/14

Two workers, Brendan (Gareth George) and Al (Joe Bateman) start work in the basement of a building. Their instructions are precise but mysterious, there are strict rules that must not be broken, and both seem afraid of the consequences of failure to follow the rules and step over the lines, real or imaginary. This play, written by one of the performers, Gareth George, examines themes of trust, fear, deception and misdirection of each other and the audience.

This is a play where nothing much actually happens, there is little narrative, a lot of it makes no sense whatsoever, it has a slightly unsatisfying ending and a lack of any explanation of circumstances or characters. This is just the type of writing that usually drives me mad. It often indicates a lack of respect for an audience and a writer who wants to show off. But somehow here, despite a long week of theatre going, and possibly an increasingly short attention span, I really enjoyed it and was gripped for the majority of it!

I think it was probably down to the quality of the performances from George and Bateman, together with an interesting script, a simple but effective staging, and excellent sound that combined to great effect to build a sense of menace and intrigue. The character of Brendan in particular was fascinating, often inconsistent, possibly hiding something, possibly behind this whole strange situation. Al was a more 'straight up' kind of guy, wanting to get the job done but clearly in great fear of the consequences of not delivering to the brief.

It wasn't perfect, I think there was probably one character that was surplus to requirements, and that strangely unsatisfying ending, but I personally was completely absorbed, enjoyed it, it made me think and stayed with me long after I left the venue.

Three Women, 24:7 Theatre Festival 25/7/14

I try not to put too many spoilers in my blog entries, but it's quite hard to talk about Three Women without revealing the event that has led to the situation we witness in this play by Mari Lloyd. As I saw this on the last festival day though I think I'm pretty safe!

Three generations of the same family gather on the morning of a funeral, that of daughter Ellie's child, a concealed pregnancy stillborn at 22 weeks. Ellie (Lily Shepherd) has not yet come to terms with, or even fully processed, what has happened, Mum Lorraine (Jackie Jones) has arranged everything trying to put right events of the past when she herself lost a child and sank into depression, Nan (Annie Edwards) just wants her family to get through this but doesn't know the right way to support both mother and daughter.

This is pretty emotional subject matter and the play tries to deal with a lot in the short running time. It's an interesting situation to explore with complex feelings to portray and I feel it probably needed a bit more time to develop the characters fully. It's also told in real time, and as such the emotional journeys each of the characters take in such a small time frame seem a little unrealistic.

Despite that there are moments of really touching emotion and realistic interaction portrayed by the cast, and a very impressive set has been created by designer Emily Adamson. All in all I felt it was an interesting concept and something that with a bit of further development could have a life beyond the festival.