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The Sunset Limited (Theatre)

A middle-aged white male attempts to get on The Sunset Limited but is stopped by a middle-aged black man.

What is The Sunset Limited? It’s the name of a new play that has just opened at Soho’s fantastic Boulevard Theatre, and it’s also a euphemism for committing suicide.

The white man (English Actor Jasper Britton), is on his daily commute (as described by the actors) when, instead of wanting to go to work, he intentionally wants to jump in front of a subway train pulling into a strangely empty NYC subway station. But he is saved by the black man (an excellent Gary Beadle) who in turn takes him to his run-down apartment to discuss his motive for wanting to commit suicide.”

So the play (written by Cormac McCarthy in 2006) takes place in the black man’s apartment (the two leads are not assigned proper names). So for the next 95 minutes we get to learn a lot about both men. The white man is a professor, an atheist, really hates his father and mother, and has very bad thoughts about all of his fellow commuters – everyday he has had these bad thoughts – and has had them for the past 20 years. The black man is an ex-con who served time for a crime we are not told, he is very religious, and is now the guardian angel to the white man, trying, very determined, to understand why he wanted to end his life. The play also tries to explore the meaning of life and especially the lives of people who have to endure a commute back and forth to work every day. But it also raises questions on the question – are we living the lives we want to lead? And when the show is over, and the black man finally lets the white man leave, what happens next, not just to him but also to the rest of us – back to our daily grind tomorrow, one that we might find depressing, depressing enough to take the Sunset Limited?

Perhaps the white man is everyman – one who is sick and tired of his commute, of the people around him, of his life and of his relationships – just plain miserable as hell.

Writer McCarthy wrote the brilliant ‘The Road’ (which went on to win a Pulitzer Prize, and which was turned into the classic 2009 film), which had themes of suicide and doom, was a brilliant piece of work. The Sunset Limited, apart from very good acting (Beadle is superb) and very good direction (Terry Johnson), is just a bit too thin to really care about the characters (white man is still a mystery to me) and what happens to them next.

The Sunset Limited is now playing at Soho’s Boulevard Theatre until February 29th.

& Juliet (Theatre)

A new musical loosely, very loosely, based on the classic Romeo & Juliet is raising the roof down (not literally) at the Shaftsbury Theatre.

& Juliet is the hottest and most unique musical to hit town this year. It takes bits and pieces from Romeo & Juliet and reshapes the story line, with excellent twists along the way, to give us a modern day, very modern day, love story that is unique, timely, explosive, and lots of fun.

Based around the songs of Max Martin (you might not know his name but you sure know his songs, pop classics such as ‘Baby One More Time,’ ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ ‘Roar,’ the list goes on and on – songs that were sung by superstars such as Brittany Spears, N’Sync, Jessie J, Ed Sheehan, the list goes on and on) are reinterpreted here in & Juliet.

There is lots going on in this show, but thanks to the music and lyrics by Martin and Friends (this is what the program states) and cleverly intertwined with a book by David West Read, and excellent direction by Luke Sheppard, we get William Shakespeare (a natural Oliver Tompsett) and his love Anne Hathaway (an extremely talented Cassidy Johnson) writing the plot of the show while we watch the show (clever!).

And the show within the show has Juliet Miriam-Teak Lee newly single after the death of Romeo. She also finds out Romeo had many many lovers.

But she is still not deterred in her quest to find romance and quickly meets Francois (Tim Mahendran), the son of very rich playboy Lance (a brilliant David Badella who steals every scene he is in). Lance is very keen to have his son marry the beautiful Juliet. But Francois has never really ever been with anyone before and at the same time meets the dashing May (Arun Blair-Mangat), a man who likes the friendship of women but romance with men. So it all gets a bit complicated, especially when Romeo (Jordan Luke Gage) shows up! What a mess!

From beginning to end & Juliet is high energy throughout, thanks to a cast who work very hard in scenes that are superbly choreographed to the nth degree (Jennifer Weber). And most of the songs in the show were major hits so you find yourself humming along – it’s like welcoming a new friend back into your life. But besides the music, it’s the cast who really bring this to life. Tompsett and Janson work so well together on stage, they really complement each other. Teak-Lee as Juliet can really belt out numbers, but it’s Badella as the dashing Lance so willing to give up his son in marriage to anyone who steals the show. His French accent, his facial expressions, and also his dance moves are just all so brilliant.

Give this man an Olivier now!