Written by Mike Shaw
Published on 15 Jun 2010
The Fantasticks is the most curious production hosted in a major London theatre for some time.
Almost unheard of here, in the States it is the theatrical equivalent of a favourite old jumper. The show, with book and lyrics by Tom Jones (no, not that one) and music by Harvey Schmidt opened off Broadway in 1960 and ran for 42 years, before reopening in New York in 2006, where it is still going strong.
The story is a familiar one: two buffoonish fathers trick their children into falling in love by building a wall between their gardens and stage a mock rivalry, safe in the knowledge that their offspring will do the utmost to defy their parents. But of course, we know what they say about best laid plans, and it’s upon this point that the show pivots.
Read the rest of the review on Show and Stay.
Written by Mike Shaw
Published on 30 Jun 2008
In 1968 legendary theatre practitioner Peter Brook wrote about the concept of Deadly Theatre, describing it as theatre that not only fails to elevate or instruct, it hardly even entertains.
Had he been writing 40 years later, Brook could have dispensed with the term Deadly Theatre and just referred to Cats instead.
When it first opened in the early 1980s, Cats was no doubt an impressive show but those days are long gone – it’s time to forget the memories of what it was and move on.
Lumpen, meandering and filled with interminable opera-lite sequences, Cats is a perfect example of a musical that has failed to stand the test of time. It’s not the cast’s fault; but there is only so much can be done with such a tired show.
Set, costumes, choreography and lighting are still fantastic, while the impressive opening number establishes the tone for what should be a gripping production, but what follows is an incomprehensible mess.
The plot hardly exists, the tunes (bar the obvious exception) entirely forgetful, and the singsong dialogue painful to interpret. Cats still looks wonderful but is a solid gold example of style over substance.
They shoot horses don’t they? But the question of what to do with a mange-ridden cat is a far more pressing concern.
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