Theatre reviews

Taping old Father Time

Certain plays stay with you. Meet Krapp, a man in his late sixties. Every year, on his birthday, he records a what has happened, or not, during the last year. He does all this on a tape, a new tape in fact (many of you will not know or have seen a tape). Now having reached the ripe old age of 69, he listens back to a tape he recorded three decades earlier.

The opening scene of Samuel Beckett’s darkly humorous play, Krapp’s Last Tape (Barbican) has Krapp seated, silent, at a long desk spotlighted in muted light. Twice he fumbles to open a drawer, each time taking out a banana which he eats, carefully peeling down the skin – laughter from the audience. He continues on woefully, slumped and slow. We know he is contemplating his life on this birthday – miserable, inward looking, shuffling around. The mood is set.

The replays from the tape made on his 39th birthday, include recorded reflections of a recent romance. He becomes quietly animated with exclamations, muffled laughter and disbelief at this “other” self of many years ago. A phrase of aching tenderness captures his attention, a moment of poignant intimacy, exposing the play’s themes: memory, loneliness, and lost love. Stephen Rea captures the introspective narrative and sharp wit with a beautifully crafted performance.

The production is suffused with quiet humour and melancholy, Rea expressing Krapp’s dishevelled, wandering mind with sly, muted expressiveness, lit in dramatic focus, the rest charcoal black. There is a severity and intensity to reflect the character’s creeping melancholia. The performance is perfectly paced and directed by Vicky Featherstone, pitched for a resolutely meditative experience. A very affecting piece of theatre, one that resonates, deep and silent, to be revisited and reflected upon. That reflection which comes to us all on our own journey of self-discovery and inevitable march of time. Wonderful.

To hell and back please!

The award-winning musical Bat Out of Hell (New Victoria Woking) premiered in February 2017 at the Manchester Opera House and several tours later it is back once more touring the UK and on Tuesday night I caught up with it. A show I had heard a lot about I was looking forward to see if the hype was justified. Let me give you the short answer first, yes! Loosely based on Peter Pan, reimagined in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, called Obsidian, we see Strat (Luke Street), the forever young leader of ‘The Lost’, who has put his foot in it by falling in love with Raven (Katie Tonkinson), daughter of Falco (Rob Fowler), tyrannical ruler of Obsidian. All the songs, music and lyrics, (and book) are written by Jim Steinman, which is unfair to him, as my companion, and no doubt millions of others across the world too, would say this is the “Meatloaf” musical, which is why so many flock to see it of course…and now I know why.
This is a shameless, electrifying rock musical. The plot is fine but secondary to the fantastic songs, accompanied by a banging live band and choreography (originally by Emma Portner with additional choreography here by Xena Gusthart) totally in tune with Steinman’s concept, and thrilling in its own right. The costumes (and set) by Jim Bausor also give you that feel of rebellious youth in a futuristic setting and reminded me a little (this is a compliment) of those in the 1979 film The Warriors. The show opens with a fantastic dance sequence with one of those amazing ballads for which Meatloaf is less well known and together they set the scene for what is high octane entertainment directed by Jay Scheib, whose approach seems to be let the talent and energy run free.
Within the overall approach there are nice touches which give the production a very contemporary feel so the scenes in Raven’s bedroom – a set within a set – there is a cameraman filming, with images projected live onto screens above the stage, giving alternative viewing angles that added intrigue, and spice, to the action. The comical elements of the show, though obvious in parts, also work well, as when Tink (Carla Bertran) betrays Strat and Raven to Falco who in turn calls her every name but her own. Sounds silly but works here.
Most of the plaudits will go to the main characters but this is a show where the whole company do what they do extremely well and I can only assume they drink lots of high energy drinks before and after! After the run here in Woking it heads to Plymouth, London, Leicester and beyond so make sure you grab your chance to catch it for a night out to remember.
Meanwhile coming up in early June at the New Victoria is the fabulous Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. “I closed my eyes… 🎵 🎶
Bat Out of Hell (UK tour) – www.batoutofhellmusical.com