946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips - Kneehigh at Shakespeare's Globe

Kneehigh and the Globe. They do suit each other rather well, actually. Especially when it comes to a production like 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (which I saw at the matinée on 28^th August 2016).

There’s something about the irreverence and exuberance of Kneehigh that suits the Globe space. I think perhaps it’s the way we can all see each other – audience, actors, musicians. The Globe has always encouraged a sort of conversation between the stage and the yard, and Kneehigh certainly live up to that in Adolphus Tips.

From remarking on the weather to getting the audience to sing and dance along – even beyond the performance, to a Q&A session after the show – the cast of Adolphus Tips really welcomed the audience as a part of that afternoon’s story.

946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is an adaptation of a Michael Morpurgo book. I’ve not read the book (though I want to now), so I was coming to the story fresh. It’s a tale of war and displacement – of loss and sadness mingled with joy and love. There were big laughs and some wonderfully joyful song and dance numbers, but there were also some profoundly moving moments, and the girl standing next to me in the yard was sniffing away towards the end.

There are so many bits I want to mention. The puppetry. The motorbike. The way the sea battle was depicted – it reminded me a little of that wonderful Bristol Old Vic production of Swallows and Amazons, but it was also hugely moving. The moment when the cast played a tune by blowing across the tops of bottles. The touching scene when they all played recorders. The morris dancing. And of course the entirely unscripted moment when the heavens opened just as the vicar was lifting his hands to pray.

All of the cast in Adolphus Tips were talented multi-instrumentalists as well as actors. They sang, danced, swapped instruments, and operated puppets all with the same energy, and you couldn’t help being swept along with it all. I couldn’t single anyone out for praise – they were all brilliant.

And it was nice to see the cast onstage afterwards in an unexpected (by me, at any rate) Q&A session along with Michael Morpurgo and Emma Rice. It was a bit like the old Talking Theatre sessions at the Globe (do they still do those?) but on a larger scale. Michael Morpurgo was very funny, and it was interesting to hear Emma Rice and Mike Shepherd talk about Kneehigh and the Globe.

I’ve seen Kneehigh perform at their Asylum down in Cornwall, and – despite some obvious differences – there is something similar about the Globe. I love the Globe – it’s one of my favourite spaces. It’s fun to see Kneehigh here.

Romeo and Juliet - The Pantaloons

Everybody knows Romeo and Juliet. They’ve either studied it at school, or seen a film adaptation, or maybe some people have even seen it in the theatre. Most people probably don’t think of it as a funny play. But when you see the Pantaloons’ version (as I did on 19^th August 2016), you realise how much humour there is in Romeo and Juliet.

From the punning banter between Mercutio (Mark Hayward) and Romeo (Tim Phelps), to the affectionately teasing relationship between Juliet (Violet Patton-Ryder) and the Nurse (Caitlin Storey), the Pantaloons draw out and make the most of the comedy in the text.

And it’s great to see original Pantaloons Mark Hayward and Caitlin Storey back on the stage and flexing their acting and improvisation muscles again. The quick-wittedness and warmth of their interactions with the audience is a joy, and Caitlin Storey’s Nurse has the audience in the palm of her hand throughout (with or without the help of kitkats).

That’s not to say that the drama and tragedy are forgotten about in this production though. Romeo’s despair on hearing of Juliet’s ‘death’ was palpable, and I was particularly struck by Juliet’s speech before she drinks the potion that will make her appear to be dead, where she voices her fears about waking in the tomb. It’s not a speech that I’ve ever really registered before, but Violet Patton-Ryder’s delivery of it really made me feel the horror of what Juliet’s imagining.

The cast of just four in this Romeo and Juliet moved effortlessly between the drama and the comedy – and between the Shakespearean language and modern ad libs. I’ve written before about how the atmosphere changes at an outdoor show as darkness falls, and it was the same here. Romeo and Juliet does get darker as it goes on, and the fall of night only intensifies that.

I feel I must give a mention to the balcony scene. Previous Pantaloons productions of Romeo and Juliet have played on how well known certain lines are (“It’s the famous bit!”) – but in this version they take a fresh approach to the scene. I won’t spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, but I thought it balanced the humour and the romance of the scene nicely, subverting our expectations without diverting from the text.

And another special mention must go to the venue where I saw the play. St Mark’s College at Audley End had put together a Romeo and Juliet themed playlist for the incoming and the interval – Prokofiev, Des’ree, Dire Straits, Taylor Swift… I can’t imagine many venues put that much thought into setting the scene for a touring theatre company’s show. Nice touch.


The Pantaloons are on tour with Romeo and Juliet until 26^th August 2016 and then will be touring an indoor version of the production later in the autumn. Full details are on their website. I’m sure the autumn cast will be equally brilliant, but it’s well worth catching the summer cast if you can!

Avenue Q - Sell A Door Theatre Company

Avenue Q’s been around for a while now and it’s a show I’ve been meaning to see for ages. But I only saw it for the first time this week: the UK touring production from Sell A Door Theatre Company on its stop at Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre (5^th July 2016).

I really enjoyed it. A lot of it was a very funny take on the kind of twenty-something angst that I think a lot of people feel post-university. The opening lyric to one song was ‘What do you do with a BA in English?’. I have a BA in English, and it’s a question I still haven’t really answered satisfactorily, ten years after graduation.

Right now, my answer would appear to be: get a job to pay the bills – preferably one you don’t hate; read books on the commute to and from said job; write a blog about your occasional visits to the theatre.

Well, it’ll do for now.

And that’s what Avenue Q’s final message was. Yes, it’d be great to have a ‘purpose’ (a concept they explained Sesame Street-style on overhead TV screens), but actually most things in most people’s lives are pretty fleeting. Even Donald Trump is only ‘for now’.

So this grown-up Sesame Street, populated by unsentimental muppets who swear, drink, have sex, and sing songs about racism and internet porn, ends up being oddly reassuring.

Part pastiche, part glossy musical, part offbeat and a bit fringey – I know so many people who’d enjoy this show.

Catch it in Eastbourne until Saturday 9^th July!

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk - Kneehigh

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk was a small, intimate piece in the small, intimate setting of the Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse on 2^nd July 2016. Lyrical is the best word I can think of to describe it.

Every movement in Kneehigh’s Flying Lovers is as carefully choreographed as the words are written. And this flowing movement, combined with the vivid live music, makes for an unusual, charming, and – yes – lyrical piece of theatre.

Just two main cast members, plus musicians, play out this tale of the artist Marc Chagall’s life with his wife Bella. I knew next to nothing about the Chagalls before seeing this. I was not familiar with his work or with hers. But that didn’t matter. Their work, their outward-facing lives, the historical context are all part of The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, but also somehow outside of its gaze.

Above all, this is a tale of two people. Small and intimate. And I found it a very thoughtful exploration of an individual’s creativity, and how that interacts with everyday life, the wider world, and those you are close to.

Some years ago in Cornwall, I saw Kneehigh’s Midnight’s Pumpkin. There was aerial work in that – trapezes and such – and I was sort of expecting something along those lines in The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk. I suppose it would’ve been difficult in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, but it would have been wonderful to see these lovers actually take flight.

As it was, though, the movement was beautiful, and I was smiling almost throughout the whole piece.

Lyrical really is the best word I can think of for it.

Gulliver's Travels & The Canterbury Tales - The Pantaloons

This week I have been mostly watching The Pantaloons. Gulliver’s Travels in Eastbourne on 21^st June and The Canterbury Tales in Brighton on 22^nd June 2016.

Both were a lot of fun. Gulliver’s Travels was very silly generally, and full of fun little touches acknowledging the challenges of staging the outlandish story with no special effects. The Canterbury Tales was slick, pacey and hugely enjoyable despite the thunder and rain.

I’ve seen quite a lot of Pantaloons shows over the years (and I’ve written about a few of them on here), but before this week I’d never sat through a thunderstorm to see one. Mind you, I’d also never seen one performed beneath a rainbow, but at Canterbury Tales on Wednesday we had all the weather!

Actually, it kind of added to the experience. The thunder started rumbling just as we came to one of the darker tales, the Manciple’s tale told in the style of Edgar Allan Poe. And the Second Nun’s opera was accompanied by some well-timed thunderclaps. In the second half, the falling rain and sodden stage were incorporated into the cast’s performances to great comic effect.

We may have all got rather wet, and I may have seen them do Canterbury Tales before, but I’m glad we made it through to the end of the show. It’s a reliably funny adaptation of The Canterbury Tales, and with a cast full of confidence and enthusiasm, this is probably one of The Pantaloons’ best shows.

Gulliver’s Travels, by contrast, was indoors – so no weather worries there. (Though typically it was on a gloriously sunny day in Eastbourne). The challenges at this performance were more to do with managing the audience, who included stony-faced teenagers and good-natured hecklers. But of course the cast dealt with this with their customary humour and quick wit.

I enjoyed the Lilliputian finger puppets and their ‘close-ups’ – and the fight between the One Direction doll Gulliver and the giant rats was inspired. Just like watching children play with their toys. The yahoos were also fun – reminiscent of a memorable Sir Toby Belch in a previous Pantaloons production of Twelfth Night, and not all that dissimilar from a couple of characters in Canterbury Tales.

Both casts for Gulliver’s Travels and The Canterbury Tales are very strong: funny, shape-shifting, confident in interacting with the audience, and really rather talented musically.

And, in referendum week, both productions made reference to the EU vote. In the improvised tale at the end of The Canterbury Tales, an undecided dragon voter was defeated by a ‘Vote Remain’ poster. I bet the politicians wish it was that simple.

And on that note, I’m off to vote!


The Pantaloons are on tour with The Canterbury Tales and Gulliver’s Travels all summer – visit their website www.thepantaloons.co.uk for a full list of tour dates.

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare's Globe

A new Globe season. The start of the summer. (Only a little rain). And a new artistic director – with A Midsummer Night’s Dream the first production under Emma Rice’s leadership, and also the first production directed by her at the Globe.

She’s come from Kneehigh, and there were some familiar Kneehigh faces in this – particularly Puck (Katy Owen), who was very funny as the young servant Robert in Kneehigh’s wonderful Rebecca last year. She’s equally funny as Puck in this – mischievous, naughty, dangerous and fun, playing gleefully with both the actors and the audience. And Bottom (Ewan Wardrop) was another familiar face from Kneehigh who became an instant Globe favourite.

There were also echoes of Kneehigh’s style in the music, dancing, aerial work, and general air of irreverence in this A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Special mention to the Changeling puppet, which was quite beautiful too.

I can see what this production is intended to be – a riot of fun and colour and wildness. I’m thinking something like a Baz Luhrmann film live, on stage, in the Globe space. But it needed to be pacier to really achieve that wildness. I dare say the pace will pick up as the run goes on.

What worked particularly well were the scenes with the lovers. I really like the male Helena – ‘Helenus’ – the gender switch brought something new to the dynamic. And all four lovers had great chemistry and comic timing. They were recognisably of our world and our time (the Hoxton hipster references went down well, and I enjoyed the Beyoncé dance).

In fact, all the dancing was fabulous – from the fairies’ slightly terrifying moves right through to the joyous Bollywood-inspired jig at the end.

But am I allowed one quibble, as someone who goes to the Globe a fair bit? I know I probably sound like a bore, but I found the amplification of the actors’ speaking voices quite disconcerting. I didn’t mind it for the music, but for the dialogue it seemed unnecessary and took away from the intimacy of the Globe space. When you’re standing in the yard, sometimes actors talk directly to you - or sometimes someone tall is standing in front of you and you can’t see who’s talking, so you rely on your ears to tell you where to crane to look. When their voices are coming from somewhere other than their bodies, neither of those things work.

In a production that was otherwise really proudly physical – with some imaginative and brilliant movement – it seemed strange that the voice was treated as separate from that physicality. The voice is part of the body too.

But hey, that’s a minor quibble. It’s exciting to see new things at the Globe. New ideas, new approaches, new faces. And I really enjoyed A Midsummer Night’s Dream (which I saw at the matinée on 21^st May 2016). It was naughty, irreverent, imaginative and fun, and – most importantly for a comedy – it was funny.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the season!

The Importance of Being Earnest - The Pantaloons

I always enjoy a Pantaloons show. I like their style – madcap, physical, and often slightly anarchic but not without depth and substance.

The Importance of Being Earnest is not an obvious choice of play for them – it has little depth and doesn’t lend itself easily to anarchy. But that didn’t stop the Pantaloons bringing their customary verve and vigour to it at the Underground Theatre on 7^th May 2016. With added songs, audience participation, and numerous un-Wildean interjections, they unashamedly turned the piece into a proper Pantaloons show.

Wilde purists may have been taken aback by the way the physical became just as integral to the humour as the words. Lady Bracknell (Kelly Griffiths), Doctor Chasuble (Neil Jennings), and Miss Prism (Alex Rivers), in particular, became much funnier through their physical characterisation than I have often seen them portrayed.

But a Pantaloons show is no place for purists. As they say in their programme notes, the company aims to “wrench these works from the closed world of theatrical and educational institutions and return them to the breathing, bustling world of the outdoors, telling contemporary stories in a contemporary way to contemporary audiences.”

So if you’re attracted by the title and only want to see a traditional production of The Importance of Being Earnest, then, I’ll be honest, this may not be entirely for you. But if, on the other hand, you’re ambivalent about the title because you think it’ll be the same old thing, then I’d urge you to give the Pantaloons a go. You’ll enjoy it more than you think, and it definitely won’t just be the same old thing.

And that goes for Earnest, their Shakespeares, and any of their other productions too. So if you’ve missed Earnest (it's on tour until 14th May), the Pantaloons are on tour with three productions over the summer months. Take a look at their website for details of Gulliver’s Travels, The Canterbury Tales, and Romeo and Juliet.

Henry V - Merely Theatre

Henry V is known for being quite a masculine play: all war and bravado. So what was interesting about Merely Theatre’s production (which I saw at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre on Thursday 17^th March 2916) was its gender-blind casting.

In the performance I saw (and the line-up changes, show to show), there were four female cast members and one male. As is often the case with all-female, all-male, or gender-blind casts, this sometimes made me forget about the gender of the characters entirely, and sometimes made me focus on gender even more.

What I found most striking in Henry V was that it was where female actors were playing female roles that it felt most like a caricature. I don’t know if this would have been the same had I seen male actors in those roles, but as it was, it was noticeable that the women were performing being women in a way that it wasn’t so obvious that, for instance, Zena Carswell was playing Henry as a man.

This put me in mind of a lecture I had at university about the performativity of gender. We were shown a clip of Some Like It Hot, with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag – and then Marilyn Monroe sashaying along and putting on an unmistakeable performance of femininity.

It seems there’s something about men playing women or women playing men being juxtaposed with women playing women that makes you notice just how much of a performance gender is.

Aside from the gender thing, this production of Henry V had some interesting ideas around social class, some fine comedic acting, and some very rousing speeches (particularly the St Crispin’s Day speech). And that was just with the cast I saw – there’s a whole other line-up possible and I’m sure each version brings a different slant to it.


Merely Theatre are currently on tour with Henry V and A Midsummer Night’s Dream – see their website www.merelytheatre.co.uk for full tour details.

Sunny Afternoon - Harold Pinter Theatre

People are often a bit snobby about so-called ‘jukebox musicals’. But Sunny Afternoon is not one that shoehorns songs into an unlikely story. It uses songs by The Kinks to tell the (loosely factual) story of the band’s experiences in the 60s. And it does it really well.

A lot of The Kinks’ songs have a narrative style anyway, so these work well in a musical. The band within the story also play songs onstage as a band. So nothing here feels forced or shoehorned in.

The show’s clearly aware of the danger, though, and makes no bones about the artifice required for a musical. It’s established early on that Ray Davies often thinks and communicates through song, and there’s a great line mid-song where his wife asks him to stop singing so they can have a proper conversation. But, often in this show, the ‘proper conversations’ do take place in song. Just see the wonderful a capella ‘Days’ or the moment of rapprochement between the brothers. The songs fold into the story as if they were written especially for it.

All of the cast of Sunny Afternoon play instruments (guitars, drums, trombones) as well as acting and singing. And the band’s instruments and mic stands are at the back of the stage throughout, ready to be used at any moment. It makes it an exhilarating performance – part theatre, part gig. In fact, like Orpheus at BAC, some of the audience are sat at tables in the auditorium, and everyone’s encouraged to get to their feet and dance at the end.

I suppose it’s one way to ensure a standing ovation at every performance.

The great thing about the cast in Sunny Afternoon, too, is that they don’t sing as if they’re in a musical. They sing as if they’re in a band. They give high energy yet nuanced performances which fit the style of The Kinks perfectly.

I’ve always appreciated The Kinks’ music – the witty melancholy of the lyrics combining with that distinctive guitar band sound. To me, as a nineties kid, they sounded like Britpop 30 years early. At the mid-week matinée I went to (on 25^th November 2015), I was one of the younger audience members. Most people there were of the baby boomer generation. Maybe for them the show was powered by nostalgia, but for me it was an exciting new show. In jukebox musical terms, it’s probably closer to Buddy than to Mamma Mia, but better than either as far as I’m concerned.

Very much worth seeing. I’ve been singing Kinks song ever since. (All day and all of the night, you might say).

Macbeth - The Pantaloons

Film noir. Intrigue, suspense, guns, cars, darkness, saxophone music. Witches in bins? Shakespearean knock knock jokes? Stories from the audience? Why not? This is the Pantaloons, after all.

Their take on Macbeth (which visited Eastbourne’s Underground Theatre on 17/10/15) incorporated all of the above and much more in a tight, dramatic and inventive production.

I particularly liked the witches. Three puppets in a bin, like some kind of sinister Sesame Street, lit from beneath and swaying and cackling in the darkness. Brilliant.

The light (or lack of it) and sound throughout was really effective – atmospheric, suspenseful, and at times used for comic effect. The film noir homages, the shadows, the way many of Macbeth’s soliloquies were delivered in semi-darkness in the midst of the audience – all these combined to create a much darker show (literally and metaphorically) than we’re used to from the Pantaloons.

And it was great. There were some pretty powerful moments – from Macbeth (Chris Smart), Lady Macbeth (Alex Rivers), Macduff (Neil Jennings), and Malcolm (Hannah Ellis) as our narrator.

I heard several audience members afterwards comment on the dexterity with which the cast switched between drama and comedy. There’s not a huge amount of comedy in Macbeth, but the Pantaloons drew out and made the most of what there is. Kelly Griffiths, in particular, struck up a great rapport with the audience as the Porter: getting members of the audience to tell stories of strange goings-on and riffing on these; telling jokes; encouraging us to join in as guests at the banquet. The audience always becomes part of the play at a Pantaloons show, and Macbeth was no exception.

A packed house at the Underground Theatre all left the place buzzing and saying how much they’d enjoyed it. The cast may have sung about the curse of Macbeth, but luckily the curse didn’t seem to be in evidence on the night.


The Pantaloons are on tour with Macbeth until the end of November – see their website www.thepantaloons.co.uk for full tour details.

Nell Gwynn - Shakespeare's Globe

What a fab end to my Globe-going season this year! Nell Gwynn (which I saw at Shakespeare’s Globe on 11/10/15) is funny, bawdy, energetic, and fun, with a luminous star turn from Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the title role.

This is another Globe play about women and theatre (see also The Heresy of Love) – but Nell Gwynn has a much lighter touch, making serious points by making you laugh. The conversation about why Lady Godiva is famous being a case in point.

While based on real people from 17^th century London, the play is not afraid of including a few anachronisms and of speaking to the modern Globe audience through references to our own culture. For instance, Dryden describes the plot of Titanic when trying out ideas for plays – and King Charles’ resounding “Down with austerity!” got a big cheer from the audience.

Like most of my favourite Globe productions, Nell Gwynn does not go for all-out naturalism. During the performance, the ‘fourth wall’ was regularly broken – with Nell’s mother even taking beer from the audience at one point – and this created an atmosphere of inclusivity and spontaneity that made the whole afternoon great fun.

Probably the best thing I saw at the Globe this season.

The Oresteia - Shakespeare's Globe

So it’s been a summer of Greek theatre this year, what with the Alemida’s Bakkhai and now The Oresteia at the Globe.

The two productions were done very differently from each other, but you could see that the plays came from the same Ancient Greek tradition. It’s quite unlike any other theatre you see. It’s certainly very different from the Shakespeares and the more modern plays that you usually get at the Globe.

However, I thought The Oresteia (which I saw on 26^th September 2015) suited the Globe quite well. I liked the way the cast walked through the yard, and how the chorus merged with the crowd at some points.

Like the Bakkhai, The Oresteia is intense, gory, and morally perplexing. Perhaps in Ancient Greece it was obvious whose side to be on and what view to take of the characters and their actions – but, if so, it’s certainly not so clear today.

Most of all, the impression I was left with was that The Oresteia is a play that hates women. We may have been encouraged to laugh, in this production, at some of the outdated notions on display – parading a giant gold phallus at the end of the play doesn’t allow anyone to take the conclusion seriously – but it remains an uncomfortable story in terms of gender relations and hierarchy.

Even when Clytemnestra kills her husband, another man comes along and claims the credit for it! (I never thought I’d feel so indignant on a savage murderer’s behalf).

I feel like this would have been a good piece to study at A level. To really dig down into its problems and contradictions; to analyse the way they used the space, the visuals, and the sound; to work out how the meaning or meanings were pieced together.

But as it is, it was an interesting, enjoyably perplexing afternoon at the theatre. I may not be a student any more, but I can still appreciate feeling perplexed occasionally.

The Heresy of Love - Shakespeare's Globe

Well, the summer’s coming to an end, but there’s still time for a few more trips to the Globe yet. We’ve done some Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing), and now we’ve started on the non-Shakespeare.

First up, The Heresy of Love by Helen Edmundson. I saw this at Shakespeare’s Globe on its last performance (Saturday 5^th September 2015).

Following Blue Stockings a couple of years ago, this is another play about the plight of intelligent women in a world run by men. It shares themes with this season’s Merchant of Venice too, dealing as it does with the more oppressive aspects of religion.

I found The Heresy of Love an interesting play because of its constant sense of deferral or displacement of the truth. You were never sure who was being honest with whom or about what. And while most of the characters seemed to be in the wrong at one point or another, none of them was ever really presented as being in the right. No straightforward goodies and baddies here – just lots of people, each with their own conflicting motivations.

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure the Globe was the ideal setting for this play. It’s difficult to conjure a sense of claustrophobia or being shut in or trapped when there’s a wide open roof and sky above you. But perhaps that would have been better at an evening performance (I saw a matinee).

It was a thought-provoking play, though. And very moving at the end. Not a play that gives you any easy answers.


On a sort-of related note, the playwright Helen Edmundson also wrote the musical adaptation of Swallows and Amazons with Neil Hannon, which is one of my favourite things I’ve ever seen at the theatre. Just wanted to give it a mention…

Much Ado About Nothing - The Pantaloons

It’s always fun seeing a Pantaloons show, but it’s a particular pleasure when it’s a Shakespeare play.

They performed Much Ado About Nothing at Eastbourne’s Underground Theatre on 11^th August 2015. On top of the familiar Pantaloons ingredients of music, ad libbing, and interacting with the audience, Much Ado has the added benefit of being written by Shakespeare, who has been known to write a good play or two.

The cast has such ease with the language: full of life and character; never a struggle to understand; you could hardly discern the join between the original text and the modern asides.

In a cast of just four, there was much doubling (tripling/quadrupling), and this is where the physicality of the cast’s performances came into its own. They didn’t just rely on costume or voice to distinguish one character from another: each character was immediately identifiable simply by how they held themselves and moved. The villainous Don John, Borachio’s mimes, the old man Antonio, and the choreography of the Watch showed this physicality at its best.

Other touches I enjoyed: the Loons boxes; the music, bubbles and birds when Benedick decided he was in love (and the expression on Neil Jennings’ face as Benedick at that point); the ‘post-credits’ moments at the end; the way the cast seamlessly incorporated a broken telescope prop (and trying to fix it) into a scene, without once losing the rhythm of the dialogue or direction of the action.

The Pantaloons are primarily touring Much Ado About Nothing as an outdoor production, and I’d have liked to have seen this outdoors. I can see that certain scenes would work even better out in the open air and with more space than the stage at the Underground Theatre would allow.

Having seen other Pantaloons shows both inside and outside (Pride and Prejudice most recently), it’s interesting what differences the setting makes. Outdoors in Pride and Prejudice, and probably in Much Ado too, a more serious, reflective mood seems to settle as the darkness falls. While still moving in an indoor setting, I can imagine Claudio’s heartbroken song at Hero’s ‘tomb’ is quite spine-tingling outside at nightfall.

But the Underground Theatre, as its name suggests, is underground – and there are definite benefits to being indoors. You know you won’t get rained on, for a start.

Speaking of which, (as I’m hoping it doesn’t rain), I’ll be seeing the Globe’s production of Much Ado About Nothing this weekend. It’ll be interesting to compare and contrast.


The Pantaloons are on tour with Much Ado About Nothing until 23^rd August. Full tour dates are on their website: thepantaloons.co.uk

Bakkhai - Almeida Theatre

Intense would be the word for this, I think.

Bakkhai at the Almeida (8^th August 2015): three male actors playing the main roles; a chorus of women speaking and singing in unison; a sparse set; no interval; words and music woven into some sort of spell of intensity.

It wasn’t all intense. There were moments of levity. Take Ben Whishaw’s androgyny contrasting with the sight of Bertie Carvel in drag, for instance, who was evidently playing it for laughs to begin with. Having seen Carvel in the RSC’s Matilda a few years ago, there was a definite hint of Miss Trunchbull lingering here.

I saw the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of The Bacchae (same story, different spelling) in 2007, and from what I remember, it was very different to this. That had a sense of spectacle, violence and exhilaration, while the Almeida’s Bakkhai was much quieter in comparison. More than being about excess, this was about control, in various forms.

Control and intensity and a sense of unease.

Treasure Island - The Pantaloons

Huge amounts of energy. Huge amounts of silliness. Huge amounts of fun.

This incredibly fast-paced production of Treasure Island by The Pantaloons (which I saw in Eastbourne on 25^th July 2015) sees just three actors play all the characters. There follows an entertaining variety of madcap characterisations and questionable regional accents. And audience interaction, singing, drumming, ad libbing, and so much packed in you wonder that the cast don’t just collapse in a heap at the end!

I really enjoyed it. So did the kids in the audience around me. They were completely rapt throughout.

In a lot of ways, watching The Pantaloons’ Treasure Island is like watching kids playing at being pirates. The plastic swords, the parrot puppet, the hand gestures to show imaginary spurts of blood when injured. And all played with such gusto and exuberance.

I particularly enjoyed the sword fights (hey, I’m a big kid), and the hip hop medley as Jim ‘drives’ the ship.

I have to confess there were times when I didn’t entirely follow what was going on plot-wise – but it didn’t bother me in the slightest. I was having too much fun.

I’ve read the original book of Treasure Island (I’m afraid it hasn’t stuck in my head much), and I’ve seen the Muppets’ version on film (which has stuck in my head much more). The Pantaloons’ version rivals the Muppets’ for zaniness and probably surpasses both versions in terms of pace.

Really, the huge amount of energy on stage was something to behold.


The Pantaloons are on tour with Treasure Island until 30^th August 2015. See their website for full tour details.

They will be returning to Eastbourne’s Under Ground Theatre on 11^th August with Much Ado About Nothing. After their Treasure Island and Pride and Prejudice, I’m looking forward to seeing what else they’ve got up their sleeves.