Theatre and Film reviews

Here are short reviews of live theatre or film - all personal views of course!

01 Live theatre

Looking Good Dead

Looking Good Dead is a thriller, starting off with a murder rather than leading up to one. The two main characters are husband (played by Adam Woodyatt of Eastenders fame) and wife (played by Gaynor Faye of Coronation Street fame). A great combination with little bits of bickering here and there, but generally you get the impression they get on well together. The teenage son is typically whingey and whiney about parents always arguing – we’ve all heard it before!

The plot revolves around the husband, Tom Bryce, finding a USB memory stick on a train which his son eventually hacks into to discover a live video feed. Lots of twists and turns, S&M undertones, dodgy business dealings, and some light relief from Inspector Grace and the police.

Very good performances all round, especially Adam and Gaynor who expertly escaped their TV ‘soap’ characters making for an entertaining and enjoyable evening. Not a full house as normal, but audience members were kept closer together rather than spread out around the theatre to create a better atmosphere.

02 Live theatre

The Upstart Crow

I was really lucky to get to see this in London before lock-down started. I like Ben Elton as a writer, and this was the first time I had seen David Mitchell on stage.

A great start, thunder and lightning and Bottom is very funny. Lots of references to transgender and gay issues - "it will soon be illegal NOT to include them" in theatre productions. It is over-the-top as you would expect from Ben Elton, lots of references to cod piece danglies, and race and gender as presented then and now.

It is funny, lots of laugh-out-loud moments. Mr Whiskers the Bear is brilliant, dancing to the music, being all sad and 'folded up' when she says he has to learn to hunt and kill to be set free. Dr Hall is ludicrously hilarious as the puritanical who lusts after Kate.

The two daughters from Stratford on Avon are a bit odd as they have very broad Black Country accents far removed from the Warwickshire one. Mitchell is brilliant, perfect for the role with expert delivery "I'm not going bald, I have a long face!" Very enjoyable and a great evening's entertainment if you can actually get to see it.

03 Live broadcast

The Taming of the Shrew

Even if you have seen the Taming of the Shrew before, it is definitely worth seeing this version from the Royal Shakespeare Company. I have seen the TV version with John Cleese (inspired casting!) and a favourite was the more romantic ballet version, but the RSC is full of surprises.

Same storyline and character names but genders are “flipped” (the Director’s term). Now it is a powerful matriarchal society and Katherine the shrew, and the younger sister, is played by a man. It does take a little while to get the hang of Katherine being a man and still called Katherine, but the acting is superb.

It is a cruel story in places, of course, and it is primarily about convention and power within a marriage. However, these themes have been interpreted as a ‘play within a play’ where the couple agree to be seen in public as the shrew tamed, yet in private they are an equal couple. On the other hand, many see it just as an abusive relationship where Katherine becomes a subservient chattel.

Whichever you choose, this performance was an interesting study of marriage contracts in the wealthy classes with some real laugh-out-loud comedy moments throughout and brilliant casting. It was definitely a memorable performance, especially as a live broadcast with additional opportunities to hear the Director and main characters discuss the play, and for a unique view of how they work in the wig department and with costume design.

04 Film

Alleluja

This film had been advertised widely on TV and on Facebook, the funny bits and a taste of who the characters are. What British film-makers do best is include our favourite actors, the “oldies”, as we love to see them.

You can tell it is based on an Alan Bennett play showing the older generation doomed to be left out, “rubbed out”. As a BBC film, it was not as good as we expected although not sure why we felt like this.

Dr Valentino is excellent playing the narrator as well as the Asian doctor who loves older people.

Everyone is trying to save the Bethlehem Hospital – the ‘Beth’ – from closure although the hospital administrators see geriatrics care making zero economic sense. The residents don’t want to leave and characters are beautifully portrayed – we loved Judi Dench’s reference to “Marginalia – making notes in the margins of library books”.

Ultimately, it is very disappointing as a film advertised as funny as it is mostly distressing , sad, and too close to real life to be entertaining. It is about failings in the NHS and lack of care for people in the later stages of life. In particular, it shows how difficult it is for NHS staff to do the job they want to.