24th Sep2019

Rouge (Theatre)

by timbaros

Rouge-ReviewThe final headline act the 2019 Underbelly Festival Southbank is the Australian circus cabaret act Rouge. The award-winning group is in a long line of acts that have played at the famous Southbank venue, the most memorable of them Little Death Club – a naughty but nice cabaret act from Berlin that tore the house on fire. While Rouge doesn’t quite attain this level of scandal (and nudity), they give the audience what they want: jaw-dropping acrobatics, skin, and lots and lots of chairs.

The cast includes the mind-bending Cyr wheel action and the phenomenal fire routines of Jessie Mckibbin, astonishing acrobatic feats from Lyndon Johnson, Liam DeJong and Madison Burleigh, aerial antics and more than a little cheek from dancer Paul Westbrook, plus the powerhouse operatic vocals of Issie Hart (who had laryngitis the night we were there).

The sexy Westbrook is the emcee for the evening – all he really needs to do is just stand on stage and that would be enough! But he’s got a job to do – not just to emcee but also to perform in some of the acrobatics – and perform he does!

Rouge is 60 minutes of twirling (the acts) and slurping (you – from drinks at the bar). And at the end of the show, you can meet the cast at the bar outside – what other show lets you do that? So go on and experience a naughty night – at the hands of Rouge!

Rouge plays at Underbelly until Sunday 15 September 2019.

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24th Sep2019

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Theatre)

by timbaros

Hunchback-Of-Notre-DameCovent Garden is now Paris in 1831. Well, it is for 150 minutes when St. Paul’s Church in the heart of Covent Garden plays, to great effect, Notre Dame cathedral in an excellent outdoor production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Victor Hugo’s classic tale of survival, injustice, and love is played out in the grounds of the church by the actors from Iris Theatre. They are an award-winning theatre company created in 2007 to produce site-specific work centred around it’s Covent Garden home, St. Paul’s Church.

A priest and a hunchback both fall for the mysterious and beautiful Esmerelda who solely longs to find her long-lost mother. When the unhappy pair try to take matters into their own hands they set off a chain of events that no one can control.

Revolution then sweeps over the city of Paris and the mob breaks against the walls of the cathedral. Will the hunchback find true love? Will the priest save his soul? And will it take the people of Paris to save Esmerelda?

Benjamin Polya’s adaptation is superb as the scenes move around the church courtyard and then brilliantly the most dramatic scenes of the play take place inside the church, perfect timing as the outdoors gets a bit chilly and the darkeness and smoke in the church adds great dramatic effect to the finale of the play.

This very affordable production is for the entire family.

The Hunchback Of Notre plays at the Iris Theatre until 1st September 2019, www.iristheatre.com

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24th Sep2019

Evita (Theatre)

by timbaros

Samantha Pauly as Eva Perón and Company. Photo Marc Brenner (2)One of the biggest, best and most well-known of shows has made another return to London.

Evita, which has been around since 1978, tells the story of Eva Peron (a/k/a Evita) who was the wife of Argentine President Juan Peron from 1946 until her early death in 1952 at the very young age of 33. She has been immortalised in this show that was written by the duo Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, with this being perhaps their most popular and famous collaboration.

The songs in this show are epic. “You Must Love Me,” “Buenos Aires,” and of course “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” – perhaps one of the most famous songs ever written for a piece of musical theatre, are all here. Madonna brought Eva to life in the 1996 film version which made Eva perhaps more popular than when she was alive.

Now there is a new production in the gorgeous venue that is the Regents Open Air Theatre. In a set that can be called bare-bones (there is, unfortunately, no proper set, just a wide staircase that leads up to the orchestra), it allows the cast to sing and dance to their heart’s content.

The character of Che, played superbly by Trent Saunders, is our narrator who guides us through the story, and sings superbly in the anthem “And The Money Kept Rolling In (And Out).”

Che continues telling the story when Eva meets and falls in love with Juan Peron, and in the process literally kicking his current lover out of the Presidential Palace, her rise in popularity and then, unfortunately, her sudden illness which leads to her death.

But this production doesn’t quite convey the magnitude spell Eva had, and it leaves out the balcony where she used to wave to her admirers. Also, some scenes don’t quite add up: when a little girl suddenly appears (in a ghastly getup) to beg for money and then walks off with a wad of cash, and when the cast, and Eva, perform in their underwear – these are scratch your head moments.

But all of this aside, it’s a huge huge musical with amazing songs, great dancing by a cast who works hard to entertain you, and all performed in a beautiful setting.

https://openairtheatre.com

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