Theatre reviews
In masters’ hands
It seems counterintuitive to start a new theatre company in the current climate so the pressing concern is how to ensure it gets off to a good (meaning profitable) start. It helps if the actor setting it up is a household name and the choice of inaugural play is certain to guarantee bums on seats. So it is with the Nigel Havers’ Theatre Company currently on tour with Noel Coward’s comedy of manners Private Lives (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre). It also helps that the production’s co-star is Patricia Hodge, two acting “national treasures” (two septuagenarians in fine fettle) tempting us into auditoria all round the country and seemingly packing them in.
This is Coward’s acerbic wit at its best, a scathingly vitriolic study of the rich and reckless in love. Elyot (Havers) and Amanda (Hodge), who were once married, find themselves in adjoining rooms in the same hotel on the French coast, both on honeymoon with their new partners. Their initial horror quickly evaporates and soon they’re sharing cocktails and a romantic serenade. You can smell the disaster waiting to happen but in the master’s hand it becomes a hilarious romp as he punctuates the comedy with subtle and nuanced criticism of the privileged.
Havers has made a whole career of being a WYSIWYG performer, what you see is what you get, with his voice being a distinctive characteristic. The last time I saw him in on stage he was playing himself in pantomime, doing very little but getting lots of laughs. Here he was being his debonair and amusing self, his Elyot a man who oozes self confidence, perhaps a little to suave for his own good but the perfect foil for the real star. Hodge is also easily recognisable but she is a very talented performer and somewhat upstages Havers with her portrayal of Amanda. Brilliantly capricious this is a woman who flits between moods on a whim. Nevertheless together these two veterans give value for money are are very much at home with this material.
The supporting cast are also excellent with Aicha Kossoko’s Louise, Amanda’s Frenchhousekeeper, particularly très amusant. When she disagrees or disapproves she is unstoppable with a hilariously hyperbolic tone. A fine production with deft light touch direction by Christopher Luscombe in which the master’s words shine like a beacon.
And Sotira Kyriakides is similarly in awe of a maestro…
Mention the name Mikis Theodorakis you immediately think of a musical master. As a child growing up in Cyprus before and after the Turkish invasion, I experienced Theodorakis’ politically inspired music at a particularly potent time. His renouncing of oppression of any kind and his espousal of freedom was especially inspiring in the context of a war and refugees fleeing for our lives.
But Theodorakis’ career, as this magnificent concert by the Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra (Barbican) reminded us once again, embraced much more than the political activism that continues to give hope and courage to so many. His film score for ‘Zorba the Greek’ is a celebration that, with its joyful abandon, communicates across cultures. He has also composed chamber music, symphonies and operas, in addition to a vast catalogue of over 1,000 songs.
The evening was a marvellous ode to his musical genius. The orchestra that bears his name continues to do him proud even after his death last September at the grand old age of 96. Founded in 1997, it is made up of musicians who have worked with him, and once again paid him marvellous tribute. Special mention must be made of the two amazing bouzouki players, Athanasios Vasilas and Ioannis Matsoukas. Singers Dimitris Mpasis and Margiola Savveria, who both have a long association with Theodorakis’s work, proved what accomplished artists they are. Altogether, an inspiring and moving event, as befits a musical legend.
Private Lives – on tour
Leave a Reply