Live Theatre Looks a Bit Different Now! Old Vic: In Camera: Faith Healer; Before After, First Dates

Faith Healer really worked Zoom and the camera to the limit. It's not every day that you get to stare directly into Michael Sheen's eyes. David Threlfall's hands were a character in themselves, deeply channelling his inner theatrical luvvie. Three person play about a faithless faith healer, his much neglected wife painfully portrayed by Indira Varma, and their agent/friend/audience in their personal drama. I was alarmed by the depth of warning on the play, not knowing really what it was about - but it is deeply moving in the emotions and losses of people's lives, and how intertwined they are. Also the things that people feel but don't say.

Worth seeing alone for the amount of stage beer David Threlfall appears to consume; his invisible, misbehaving dog, and Michael Sheen's Dickensian hair and side burns.

Though the faith healer of the story was potentially unlikable; his almost personal sacrifice at the end took a kind of faith, in knowing his end and the outcome of what he was about to do.

LOVED this! A new musical sung by Rosalie Craig and Hadley Fraser. Although delivered from music stands and behind folders of scripts and scores, it had such life and spark in it. Maybe being a real life husband and wife team makes a difference, but they acted out their parts, even, at times, angrily turning the pages of their folders in character! Tho not fully acted, there was nuance, emotion, charm, even jokes!

Romance with a hint of Hitchcock's Rear Window, man meets woman...only they've met before, and the musical jumps backwards and forwards through their past and present relationships. Perhaps it was the presentation, perhaps the engaging characterisations and singing with gusto - but it felt fresh and new, uncliched. And it's not every day that you get a musical number about pasta bake! Also art and jokes about art (and pasta bake....) Great voices; great tension as the will they, won't they progresses and the challenges of being a modern man and artist (and a commitment phobe), as well as regaining your memory and... the truth...

Romantics Anonymous

Just didn't deliver; the romance was anonymous. Emma Rice's Wise Children company had made it look really good; the parts were all delivered very well (from leads to chorus) but it lacked the charm and engaging qualities of Before After. Tho set in France and meant to oozing quirky Amalie charm, it just didn't. The main female lead could create chocolate confections with fairy sparkle dust (or glitter and inspiration!) But her mother was embarrassing. The chocolate factory owner yearned for new ideas and... romance... The female lead seemed to be in therapy to sort out her lack of romance... The 'Allo 'Allo characterisations of the French began to jar with the Amalie charm sets - no-one quite had onions round their necks, but they might as well have done. I think I was expecting more je ne sais quoi, and there just wasn't. Perhaps it's the songs - they weren't very memorable. Maybe it's the set - it's totally The Grand Budapest Hotel with extra neon. It was a shock to hear French leads singing in RP English - I was expecting more en Francais. Also couldn't understand why the immaculately presented female lead would go for the frankly surly and grumpy factory owner, especially when he'd sweated into his third shirt at their restaurant date.

I was looking forward to this, purely on promotional visuals and it being a live production rather than performers in Zoom theatre compartments. I was disappointed as it just didn't work for me - it wasn't romantic or charming, I couldn't see why the leads were a couple. I struggled with the leads themselves - they were so quirky with so many 'isms that I couldn't really see their characters. There was a funny song from the factory owner's team when they tried to work out what was impacting his emotions - depression, sadness, unhappiness? - No, he's in love! I don't know why someone (the factory owner's manager?) was a man dressed like a managerial pantomime dame with very cartoonish hair, but they were very funny in their mannerisms. I did like the chap who offered the online audience a sweetie from his bag (to camera!) Couldn't stay for the second half as I just wasn't enjoying it, tho I appreciate the sweet sharing!

Would be interested to hear from anyone who's enjoyed this musical - let me know what I've missed, please. Maybe it's better in French - it's based on a quirky looking French movie.

Godspell (Hope Mill Theatre)

My first Zoom musical! This one was really working the Zoom conventions with a singing chorus in boxes, on phone screens, socially distanced singing on a woodland dog walk or in a church, with your friend/partner driving you around the countryside as you sing! I'd heard this was better than Jesus Christ Superstar so my hopes were high.

The songs were great - lots of gospel influences and utilising social distancing for all it was worth, and some great singing. Having looked this up later, it's a musical within a play - here the Hope Mill Theatre just gave us the songs. This led to a certain disjointedness as it wasn't clear who anyone was - half way through I realised that the slightly grumpy guy in the brilliant white t-shirt was meant to be Jesus. Also traumatised by Ruthie Henshall singing in her bath - perhaps the Devil tempting, perhaps just too much information!!!!

Songs are much deeper generally than Jesus Christ Superstar, even if they disconnect without the plot and you lose a sense of who the characters are. Darren Day work on a less grumpy Jesus please! Will be interesting to see how this transfers to stage...

First Dates

I had big hopes for this - a new Zoom musical and Samantha Banks. The singing is great, but it confuses love with sex from the opening credits and hipness with lots of swearing; the lyrics are crude and malicious. Yet somehow beneath all of this the dates just want to be 'loved'. So convinced of it's own coolness that it lacks charm. It seems to be very hard on the first male date, whilst Samantha Banks' character seems unpleasant (and no-one has noticed)... Didn't last the course to experience the other dates. More of the same? Can't work out if the bartender is funny, creepy or both - not so much smooth talking...

Before After so much better!

Publicity image suggests that it does get better...or maybe not... Let me know if it does....

Bubble

Zoomin' with Nottingham Playhouse Theatre and a new James Graham play. Very, very funny take on recent Lockdown experiences and history, bit vulgar in places, but the two actresses lift the drama and give it emotion, pathos, charm. A lot of fun and the best why I hate Zoom rant ever....

Title of Show

Didn't like this, even tho there's a character called Susan in it. The bit I saw in a casting read through was amusing but felt narcissistic. Unnecessary heavy swearing to be cool drove me away, although the idea of a writer having a convo with a winning musical idea sock puppet was funny. Perhaps it gets better. Like First Dates, trying too hard to be hip and in your face confrontational; good ideas, comes across as vulgar and lacks enchantment, and just kindness to its characters.,.

Or perhaps dancing around like John Travolta with My Charleston had disco-balled my brain! New shows see Before After for something new but better!