alinewaites

Liza Pulman
Liza sings Streisand ****
at the Crazy Coqs

Liza is a member of the illustrious and hugely talented Pulman family. An ex opera singer with a perfectly placed soprano voice with an extensive range – and a mischievous sense of humour
In her a tribute to Barbra Streisand she begins by telling us not to ‘Rain on Her Parade’ from ‘Funny Girl’ the show that made Barbra famous.
In her opening chat Liza tells us when, as a blossoming opera singer she went into a music shop to buy Wagner and came out with Streisand. A lesson well learnt.
Is this an impersonation or a fanzone? Not either. Liza Loves Barbra, but as her own person, on her own terms, with her own arrangements. She has a wonderfully thrilling voice and she is backed by her band, a brilliant double bass, drums, guitar, sax and trumpet = plus her wonderful musical director and arranger Joseph Atkins.
The songs of Streisand take us back with to so many memories. Her husband Eliot Gould, who was appearing in South Pacific at Drury Lane said in Gerry’s “My wife is going to be the biggest star of all’ This may be apocryphal (he didn’t say it to me}, but whether true or not, he was right.
The songs Liza choses from Barbra’s repertoire were eclectic. Lovely to hear ‘Second Hand Rose’, ‘Miss Marmelstein’, ‘You made the pants too long’ ‘On a clear Day’ ‘New York State of Mind’. Just too many to recall. She ends her first half with a bravura performance of ‘My man’ from Funny Girl before she goes off to change her frock!
Funny anecdote Barbra nearly didn’t get the part of Fanny Brice, because, though both Jewish, Brice had her nose reshaped and Streisand refused to do so – she no longer looked like Fanny Brice. But she got the role and the rest is history.
Liza’s finale is the song to break hearts in 2018. The song that Streisand sang to every President but the present one ‘Happy Days Are Here again’
Her encore is of course ‘People’ the song that just yells at us Barbra Streisand every time it is heard.
It is always a delight to visit the exquisite Crazy Coqs. This is a short run but ‘Liza sings Streisand’ is to be seen a many prestigious venues throughout the year.

THE MIKADO ****
By Gilbert and Sullivan
At the Kings Head Theatre
Probably the best known of all the Savoy operas, and of course, as performed by the Charles Court Opera Company, it is seen at it very best.
The comedy is sublime. This is one of the few occasions that John Savournin is not taking part, but he has directed this show perfectly for the open plan thrust stage and it works a dream. I am particularly taken by the divine heartless comedy. Koko is played by Philip Lee, a comic actor and singer worthy of his hire as he enters into the crazy world and witty wordplay of Gilbert. It took me a long time to figure out how he found his curious style London accent and eventually came up with Michael Crawford in some Mothers do Ave ‘em. I wonder if I got it right.
Nanki-Poo is played by Jack Roberts ..a fresh faced young man with an exceptional tenor voice and he handles the tremendously complicated ‘Wandering Minstrel’ song as easily as if it was ‘Sing a song of sixpence’. Matthew Kellett looking like an elegant moustached cad is exceptionally impressive as Pooh-Bah in one of the great GS comedy parts.
The whole thing takes place at the British consulate in Japan Pish-Tush, Poo-Bah and KoKo sing ‘If you want to know who we are. We are gentlemen IN Japan’ and it is in modern dress. The men look handsome in their diplomat style suits and I love the little girls in their gym slips but not so keen on their wedding gear in Act two – they are pretty, but would have liked a little more glamour. Alys Roberts is a delightful heroine Yum Yum, Jessica Temple and Corinne Cowling are lovely as Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo. The Mikado himself {Matthew Palmer) is dressed as a General and Matthew Sivetere is his daughter in law elect – Katisha in exotic female dress.
It goes without saying that the singing as in all Charles Court productions is simply superb Every one of those actors can sing up a storm and play the fool just as easily.
The final glory of course is the love scene between Katisha and Ko-ko which runs between heavy drama, cuteness, slapstick and witty dialogue all in the space of a few minutes. {I am always moved by the story of the Tom Tit which illustrates my personal idiocy.}
A terrific crowd pleasing production. Pure comedy and song with some satirical/topical items which fit in perfectly.

Philip Ridley’s blisteringly honest play is here directed by the most appropriately vital director in the business. Robert Chevara and Philip Ridley are a match made in heaven or hell. Add to this the charismatic actress Louise Jameson and the talented young actor Thomas Mahey and Nicolai Hart Hansen’s designer eyes and the effect is breath-taking.
Robert Chevara has so much insight to the characters he shows us and he is lucky to be able to use the dramatic abilities of Ms Jameson who matches his honesty with hers and the chemistry between her and Mahy with such absolute professionalism.
Anita is the mother of a murdered boy a victim of homophobic hate crime. She has been forced to leave her neighbourhood because of the scorn of her neighbours – it is pointed out to us that mothers of homosexuals and come in for scorn and disapproval from uncaring and unknowing people. She tries desperately hard to stay cool, but we can tell there is probably an explosion below the surface.
She has arrived at her new flat and is visited by a young man who has been stalking her for eighteen weeks, ever since the young man was killed. He is Davey, the boy who found the body of her son.
They talk of Vincent, Anita reveals a certain amount of information – she says she had no idea her son was gay until the press wrote the murder story. But she tells us about a good looking, kind and intelligent young man.
Eventually Davy admits that the girl he has promised to marry was just to please his dying mother who he has nursed during her last illness.
The two gradually get to know each other through their relationship with Vincent. There are many points of powerful high drama that never falls into melodrama but always stays completely true, so many moments of black humour and actually funny scenes when Anita shares a joint for the first time and cannot stop laughing. She has been swigging straight gin from the bottle she was keeping under the sink and, after demurring weakly Davy has to join in
Humour is never far away, nor is tragedy. Both explode in anger frequently – anger, laughter and tears
As an admirer of the work of Philip Ridley one is constantly amazed at his expertise in creating dialogue that is real and rue and never stops being entertaining. He will take a favourite subject that has been told many times and finds a brand new way to tell it. This play gives two actors the chance to do a bit of real acting with no holds barred. This did not receive a standing ovation – we were still so gobsmacked we were anchored to our seats.

OLD FOOLS ****
BY TRISTAN BERNAYS
AT THE SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

Tristan Bernays adventure into the lives of a married couple makes an extraordinary play. Much has been written about Alzheimer’s Disease, but this is the one that brings the message home so completely and in a seemingly effortless manner. Like many people’s lives, those of Tom and Viv are surprisingly funny and almost unbearably tragic. Asked how he wanted audiences to describe his play he said heart-warming and heart-breaking.
The play is written without a conventional time frame. A spoken word can send the minds of the characters into a completely different time and place – life for
Tom and Viv is a series of snapshots.
We are allowed into the heads of the two characters and we see them live through the changes in their relationships and their relationships with their parents and children. All portrayed by the same two actors.
In order for this to work, one needs a couple of outstanding players and here they have them Mark Arends and Frances Grey work together as if they are reading each other’s thoughts and give the audience the impression that they are also thinking and feeling just like the characters in the play. We get to know Tom as he was a cheeky young man, who picks up Viv by telling her she fancies him. We see them as young courting couple m as a married couple with conflicting professional problems and separations and near break-downs of their marriage.
I t has been directed carefully and with imagination by Sharon Burrell who has light handed way of dealing with this most tragic subject. The song that haunts them throughout their life cycle is the song that was playing when they first met. ‘The Way you look tonight’ A memory song, that cuts through the awfulness of memory loss.
My father had an early stroke and lost his ability to speak at all, so his means of communication were in song –as a musician he had a load of songs at his disposal. He could always find one to express what he was feeling even though he could not persuade his larynx to let him speak without music.
The actors play the whole thing on a bare stage with just one stool.
It is an extraordinary experience for an audience allowed into the hearts, minds and worlds of people under the threat of a dreadful disease.
The production is an official supporter of Alzheimer’s Research.

OLD FOOLS ****
BY TRISTAN BERNAYS
AT THE SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

Tristan Bernays adventure into the lives of a married couple makes an extraordinary play. Much has been written about Alzheimer’s Disease, but this is the one that brings the message home so completely and in a seemingly effortless manner. Like many people’s lives, those of Tom and Viv are surprisingly funny and almost unbearably tragic. Asked how he wanted audiences to describe his play he said heart-warming and heart-breaking.
The play is written without a conventional time frame. A spoken word can send the minds of the characters into a completely different time and place – life for
Tom and Viv is a series of snapshots.
We are allowed into the heads of the two characters and we see them live through the changes in their relationships and their relationships with their parents and children. All portrayed by the same two actors.
In order for this to work, one needs a couple of outstanding players and here they have them Mark Arends and Frances Grey work together as if they are reading each other’s thoughts and give the audience the impression that they are also thinking and feeling just like the characters in the play. We get to know Tom as he was a cheeky young man, who picks up Viv by telling her she fancies him. We see them as young courting couple m as a married couple with conflicting professional problems and separations and near break-downs of their marriage.
I t has been directed carefully and with imagination by Sharon Burrell who has light handed way of dealing with this most tragic subject. The song that haunts them throughout their life cycle is the song that was playing when they first met. ‘The Way you look tonight’ A memory song, that cuts through the awfulness of memory loss.
My father had an early stroke and lost his ability to speak at all, so his means of communication were in song –as a musician he had a load of songs at his disposal. He could always find one to express what he was feeling even though he could not persuade his larynx to let him speak without music.
The actors play the whole thing on a bare stage with just one stool.
It is an extraordinary experience for an audience allowed into the hearts, minds and worlds of people under the threat of a dreadful disease.
The production is an official supporter of Alzheimer’s Research.