Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – A Recap of My London Performing Arts Adventures

• By drediman
• June 10, 2014
• No Comments

Over the past week-and-a-half, I had the great privilege of re-immersing myself in the rich, varied performing arts scene in London and beyond. What still strikes me about the scene across the pond is its treatment of performance as an art form first and foremost. Theater-makers there seem to understand that with quality and artistic merit in place, an audience is likely to form and perhaps commercial success, as well. This is as it should be. In many ways, the theater scene in London reminds me of Chicago’s vibrant model, with a majority of theatrical works being produced under the nurturing and patient care of non-profit theater companies, as opposed to being subjected to the pressures of opening cold for a commercial run (e.g., many Broadway productions). Indeed, of the twenty-plus shows I saw, only five of them did not have developmental associations with non-profit companies. Here’s a recap of my adventures.

SHAKESPEARE

Given that 2014 marks the 450th birthday of the Bard, I made a point to see as much Shakespeare as possible during this trip. Hence, I travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon to catch a double-header of the RSC’s productions of “Henry IV, Parts I and II” directed by current RSC artistic director Gregory Doran. This was a traditional, full-blooded account of these celebrated history plays, featuring a surprisingly vulnerable, melancholy Falstaff from Sir Antony Sher. Indeed, this was the first time I was more engrossed with the softer autumnal qualities of Part II, as opposed to the eye-catching political conflicts and bawdiness of Part I. Back in London, I caught the Globe’s slightly undercooked production of “Antony and Cleopatra”, starring a regal, magnetic Eve Best as the tempestuous Egyptian queen. Despite the unevenness of Jonathan Munby’s production, I relished the magical one-of-a-kind experience of witnessing Shakespeare in this famed venue. Next, I caught some of London’s finest Shakespearian actors (including venerable Simon Russell Beale and Harriet Walter) having a go at “Shakespeare’s Sonnets” at the Royal Festival Hall. The very last show I saw on my trip before rushing to Paddington Station to catch the Heathrow Express was the National Theatre’s grand, bleak staging of “King Lear” directed by Sam Mendes and starring a manic, altogether memorable Simon Russell Beale as Lear. With a cast of 50, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more panoramic “Lear”. This was less family drama (like the excellent recent TFANA “Lear” with Michael Pennington) and more apocalyptic political thriller, wherein one more clearly sees the characters being swept along by the tides of history and time.

THE REVIVALS

Beyond Shakespeare, I was able to catch a string of excellent revivals of plays, both familiar and not, on the London boards. Initially, I was concerned that Alan Ayckbourn’s observant “A Small Family Business” would be dwarfed by the expansive Oliver stage at the National. I shouldn’t have worried: Adam Penford’s production capitalized on the play’s broad humor and farcical antics, easily and deliciously filling the space and delighting the audience. Also at the National (in the Lyttelton) was Sean O’Casey’s hallucinatory anti-war play, “The Silver Tassie”, directed by Howard Davies and brilliantly designed by Vicki Mortimer (the visual coup devised for the Act One transition between scenes has to be seen to be believed). This stinging, pointedly-acted production made a strong case for this difficult, rarely-performed World War I play. A few blocks from the National, I caught the Young Vic’s production of Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge” directed by theatrical provocateur, Ivo van Hove. Ivo stripped any semblance of realism from the play and placed the characters in a bare, claustrophobic ring, where the probability of horrible acts (e.g., incest, betrayal, violence) became terrifyingly palpable. Led by a magnificent Mark Strong (in likely the most remarkable performance in London right now), this production was the theatrical embodiment of a pressure-cooker. Also just down the street, the revival of the slight one-man play “Clarence Darrow” by David Rintels (and directed by Thea Sharrock) continued to sell out Kevin Spacey’s Old Vic. This is not surprising, as Spacey himself stars as the famous civil rights lawyer, easily commanding the Old Vic, which has been converted into an in-the-round arena. On the north side of the Thames, the West End revival of Noel Coward’s improbable “Blithe Spirit” effortlessly fizzed, thanks largely to Michael Blakemore’s loving direction and masterclass performances from the legendary Dame Angela Lansbury and the wonderful Janie Dee. Far from the glamour of the West End at the 50-seat Finborough Theatre, I caught an utterly lovely, bittersweet revival of an Irish play that I was completely unfamiliar with, Stewart Parker’s delicate “Spokesong” (directed by Guy Jones).

NEW PLAYS

After the lackluster season we just had on Broadway for new plays, I was heartened by the quality of the new work I encountered across the pond. The Almeida has had quite a season in this regard. I caught their red-hot “King Charles III” by Mike Bartlett (directed by new artistic director Rupert Goold) and the searing adaptation of George Orwell’s “1984” co-written and -directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan (the latter recently transferred to the West End). Coincidentally, both plays happen to be disturbing political speculative accounts of the near future. More importantly, both productions oozed theatrical daring and clearly shook up both audiences I was in attendance with. I was less enthused by the Royal Court’s adaptation of the cult Swedish vampire flick “Let the Right One In” (which recently transferred to the West End) directed by the seemingly ubiquitous John Tiffany. This was probably in part due to the fact that the mid-week matinee I attended was less than a quarter filled, which is a testament to the symbiotic nature of live performance. Last but not least, was the RSC’s epic, beautifully-paced stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s popular historical fiction novels, “Wolf Hall” and “Bring in the Bodies” (efficiently and effectively adapted by Mike Poulton and directed by Jeremy Herrin). These two productions, which are currently running in repertory in the West End, have turned out to be the non-musical commercial smashes of the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the RSC packs up these two productions and ships them across the Atlantic to Broadway’s doorstep at some point in the near future.

THE MUSICALS

As opposed to straight plays, attending musicals in London tends to be a hit or miss proposition based on past experience. Therefore, I’m happy to report that the musicals I caught during my trip were at least positively notable in various respects. The musical adaptation the Roddy Doyle’s “The Commitments” appears to be the West End’s response to “Jersey Boys”. I must admit that Jamie Lloyd’s rough and tumble production and the young, seemingly inexperienced cast had me scratching my head during the first act, but by the second act, I was sold on the show’s commentary on the fleeting and mysterious nature of great performances. The West End version of the forgettable musical “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” was a step up from the mediocrity on Broadway, mostly thanks to Jerry Mitchell’s cleaner, sleeker vision, as well as Robert Lindsay’s irresistible showmanship at the musical’s helm. Equally sparkling was Sir Richard Eyre’s effervescent production of “The Pajama Game” (a transfer from the Chichester Festival), which felt just about perfect and refreshingly not over-produced. The most talked-about musical of the season has to be the major West End revival of Boublil and Schonberg’s “Miss Saigon” directed by Laurence Connor. This is a big production (yes, a physical Huey is brought onstage, but I must admit that I missed Hytner’s iconic, operatic original staging at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane) whose success falls squarely on the affecting power of Eva Noblezada’s authentically heartbreaking, star-making performance as the tragic Kim. In addition, I caught Meow Meow’s quirky, wickedly entertaining cabaret act “Feline Intimate” at the Southbank Centre’s festive London Wonderground.

OPERA & CLASSICAL MUSIC

I caught two operas on this trip. First was Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Royal Opera House (by the way, the acoustics at the Royal Opera House are simply glorious). Jonathan Kent’s handsome production was victim to some remarkably shoddy acting, despite some strong singing (particularly from Oksana Dyka in the title role). The other opera I caught was Berlioz’s rarely-mounted “Benvenuto Cellini” at the English National Opera, directed by Terry Gilliam. The story is rather absurd, which makes Gilliam an inspired choice for director. Despite the risks presented on paper, the performance itself was delightfully irreverent and exuded unbridled madcap glee. Additionally, I had that the great opportunity to catch the work of some excellent young talents in a series of free hourlong concerts throughout my time in London: The Royal Opera House’s Lunchtime Recital, St. Martin-in-the-Fields’ Lunchtime Concert, and Philharmonia Orchestra’s Music of Today Concert at the Royal Festival Hall.

IMMERSIVE THEATER

Finally, I also took the time to see what London had to offer by way of so-called “immersive theater”, a concept I’ve increasingly become fascinated by. This exploration began by revisiting Punchdrunk’s extraordinary “The Drowned Man” (I first experienced it last year), which is loosely based on Buchner’s fragmented play “Woyzeck”. The experience was just as thrilling as the first time around. With their latest work, Punchdrunk has solved some of the frustrations inherent in their current New York smash “Sleep No More” (i.e., spacial, storytelling, flow, cohesion issues). The big surprise was the LIFT Festival’s “Symphony of a Missing Room” performed at the Royal Academy of Arts. This ethereal, creative piece was a guided tour of missing rooms within the museum. Without giving too much away, “Symphony” gets to the heart of the immersive nature of theater, which is the suspension of disbelief. It does so in the simplest, most profound ways. Lastly, I swung by to visit the updated “The London Dungeon” which was supposedly more performance-oriented. Suffice to say, the lesser said, the better.