In March 2020. I was asked to put together an event at one of our local pubs. The Salutation in King Street, Hammersmith, London had been a little quieter than normal since the local Town Hall had closed for refurbishment and I was asked to put on a bill of varied artists in order to get new people over the threshold.
After a few phone calls and a little planning, we had six acts, across a broad range of styles:
What: The Girl from the North Country
When: February 2020
Musical by Conor McPherson, Songs by Bob Dylan (used by permission, Dylan has no formal involvement)
This is not “We Will Rock You” or “Mamma Mia”. The Queen and Abba musicals are essentially vehicles to promote the greatest hits in the back catalogue of two acts that are no longer recording. The songs are made to measure into storylines of varying ridiculousness and unbelievability.
It is also not “Jersey Boys”. There the story of Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio’s musical partnership is told (albeit in a truncated form) and the songs are inserted to illustrate the development of the 4 Seasons’ career. This indeed was a level higher and a completely different approach to your average “jukebox musical” as the first category has often been labelled.
What: King John by William Shakespeare
When: October 2019
Who: Royal Shakespeare Company
Where: The Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Three plays? No, just one.
Are you sure? Well, yes as much as I can be sure about anything to do with this production.
But whatever we say, we have to say that the production is an untidy mess.
What: Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare
Where: The Swan Theatre @ The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Waterside, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
When: 13th December 2018
It has been a strange year for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). It just got stranger. Their take on – should I say adaptation of Timon of Athens – is an unusual one. And that is to say something quite remarkable because this play is seldom performed.
What: The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare
Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
Where: The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), Stratford-Upon-Avon, England
When: 14th August 2018
This new production of Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor is quite perplexing in places but I found it a whole lot more enjoyable than their current Romeo and Juliet. And I think audiences in general will concur.
What: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Where: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Who: Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
When: June 2018
A mid-season visit to the RSC’s latest interesting adaptation of a Shakespeare classic.
Relevance!
Relevance!
Relevance!
This is the catch word that almost every RSC production screams at you as soon as you enter their building in its quaint setting along the River Avon.
What does Shakespeare have to say to today’s world and its issues?
What: Bat Out of Hell – The Musical
Who: Jim Steinman et al
Where: Dominion Theatre, Tottenham Court Road
When: May 2018
The Bat out of Hell phenomenon dates back to the release of the Meat Loaf album of the same name in 1977. Bat out of Hell – The musical opened in Manchester, England in February of 2017 before transferring to London in June of the same year where it was housed at the Coliseum in the West End. In October 2017 it transferred to Toronto, Canada before returning to London, England and its new venue at the Dominion in April of this year.
What: Kabaret at Karamel
Where: Wood Green, London
When: 2nd March 2018
Who: Society of Imaginary Friends, Darren Hirst – Monologues & Soliloquies, Outre Dan Steele, Stepan Honc + others.
Well, for some reason, wise or foolish, the good people at the Karamel Klub invited me back for a second visit to perform another branch of my occasional show: Darren Hirst – Monologue and Soliloquies.
What: A Christmas Carol, adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens
Who: The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
Where: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
When: December 2017
How can you go wrong with “A Christmas Carol” at Christmastime? The most famous of Charles Dickens’ five major Christmas novellas, well-loved by the nation and the Western world at large. Well, somehow the RSC have managed to make a mess of it all.
What: The Nutcracker
Who: Saltmine Trust
Where: Ravenscourt Arts, Hammersmith, London
When: 14th December 2017
This Christmas was Ravenscourt Arts’ 4th annual Christmas production and its most difficult to organise – simply because it was put into the theatre’s calendar very late and, because of that late organisation, then trying fill up the house for a free show for children when schools had so much already organised proved rather difficult, meaning a half full house. This for a show that deserved so much more but fortunately a heart-full of humour made this production a huge success.
twilightdawning 