London With a Teenager

In the midst of a crazy busy choir week, it’s good to escape to another time and place for a while and let someone else worry about providing the entertainment. So taking in a brand new show at Chickenshed seemed just the thing to take my mind off my responsibilities for a while.

The weather was not exactly on our side and neither were the Chase Side buses. So VK and I hopped in an uber for the last mile or so, which might be my Chickenshed hack going forward. VK is still on crutches but seems to be a bit more motivated when theatre is involved. As she proudly told me, she’s been to the theatre four times since breaking her ankle. I thought we’d had a slow theatre year so far but when you say it like that, it’s not so bad. This was the fifth time. More theatre trips than French lessons apparently.

Quelle histoire!

She’s also been thinking about 1950s racism this week, thanks to an unexpected word usage from her favourite character in “Lord of the Flies”. I had no idea that word was in that book and it turned out that it had been censored in the edition she’s reading…but it sparked a discussion about historical context, which chimed with the disclaimer for this show. It’s about racial tensions between the black and white communities of the 50s and the trigger warning mentions that the play uses attitudes of the time. It also gives a few spoilers for the plot so yknow, don’t study it closely.

The world of the play is an almost-historical one. It’s set in Forest Hills, which may bear some resemblance to Notting Hill, and there’s a character called Osmos Floozeley…you can guess who that’s based on. So it’s not strictly based on a true story, like “The Washing Line” was but it is based on some things that might have happened within that context.

There is quite a complex set of characters to get to know but all the threads come together nicely in the second half. There are the kids (Zeeko and Romy, tonight played by Kayla James and Karl Leyens), the teens and their parents. Then there are the nationalists, led by Rob Awol (Jimmy Adamou) who abuses black people in public and beats his daughter Madeline (Tilly Morton) in private. As you can tell, there are some intense themes in this play but there is plenty of lightness too – out of the tension, creativity flourishes and Carnival is born. Using the children and their artwork as a framing device works well to give the situation an air of innocence. They are tasked to collect stories and scenes from the neighbourhood, so act almost as narrators and comic-book style illustrations appear on the screens throughout the piece, showing key scenes as they’re happening. The two child leads did a great job of juggling their spoken and sung lines as well as being on the stage for a large part of the action.

The teens represent the bridge between different groups, with white Jackson (Felix Figgis) and black Theo Junior (Ajani Onaolapo) trying to rearrange their classroom seating plan so they can sit together, along with support from their mixed-race friend Diello (Kailee Fisher). However, this is the 1950s and Theo is forced to sit at the back and Jackson at the front. It’s a stark illustration of what life was like for those trying to overcome divisions. That scene also had one of the biggest laugh-out-loud moments where the “Our School is English” song referenced Jesus being turned away for not having a British passport. VK certainly laughed out loud anyway.

The teens are also responsible for a teaching moment where they are lectured on respect by Jackson’s father Isaac (Jonny Morton) after harassing a shy disabled man. These teens might be groundbreaking in their racial equality but they still represent the idiocy that teens occasionally get up to.

The grown ups mainly focus around solicitor Isaac and his colleague Iris (Cara McInanny) as they strive for “Justice for All” as well as organising the carnival. At one point, Isaac is accused of being a “white saviour” which might be a bit of a modern concept but I’m sure the idea was there in the 50s, even if the exact phrase wasn’t. It is strange to see Jonny Morton playing a nice guy, after some notable villain stints, but he is very convincing in the role. Cara McInanny is a Chickenshed stalwart and her motherly role on stage probably reflects her mentoring role behind the scenes. She also wrote some of the songs I believe. Her voice is always impressive and she’s given a real chance to shine in the final song – “The Wrong They Knew”.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s plenty that happens before that point. The first half of the play introduces the characters and the police oppression they live under (“Routine Check”) before moving on to the school scene and then Isaac and Iris setting up a Legal Aid stall. It’s interspersed with vintage newsreels as well as bits of narration from the children. There’s a lot going on but by the end of Act 1, the main conflict is being set up as the nationalist leader’s daughter Madeline develops an obsession with Theo’s dad (Theo Senior, played by Shiloh Maersk). As tensions grow, the company sing a sinister version of “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”. There are a few moments during the piece where nursery rhymes and folk songs are used as incidental music and this is the most striking example, taking a simple children’s rhyme and turning it into something much more threatening. Act 1 finishes on a cliffhanger, which threatens to destroy even the fragile peace that the residents of Forest Hills know.

Then we went for ice cream (Strawberry for VK, Mango and Passionfruit sorbet for me) and chatted about how we thought things might play out in Act 2. From the content warning, I was guessing it wouldn’t be great for Theo Senior.

Act 2 was intense but VK and I agreed it was even stronger than Act 1, which is unusual in theatre (cough Hamilton, cough). The tensions grew and boiled over into racist riots, with the nationalists trying to smoke black families out of their homes. This led to one of my favourite moments, which was the song “Weaponised”. The two groups are dancing on either side of the stage – the nationalists are doing rock n roll style moves on the right, while the black families and their friends are dancing to a more reggae-infused tune on the left. The song cuts between each group until they finally clash in the middle. This being Chickenshed, the dancing is top notch and although there are 200 people on stage at times, everyone knows where they’re meant to be and how their part contributes to the whole. It’s not surprising, after we’ve seen so many brilliant productions, but the effect is always dazzling. There’s always a lot of energy in these routines but increasingly sophistication too, with precision partner work and tricky lifts being held in place. The backflips from the nationalists were particularly impressive – I might not like their attitudes but gosh, they’ve got some good moves.

A quick word about the set too, which was also impressive. Some large wooden slatted pieces on either side of the stage convert to a courtroom, a classroom, a street scene and so much more. The walls are daubed with racist graffiti and there are so many little details that give it an authentic 50s feel. The costumes too are very authentic – all stiff petticoats and immaculate police uniforms. It really helps to immerse the audience in the world of Forest Hills.

I won’t give any spoilers about how the story turns out but I can say that it’s bittersweet. Although progress is made, and dances are danced at Carnival, there is loss and pain along the way and a feeling that this will never quite be resolved.

Well yes, look at the political landscape today and the rise of Reform. If we ever stopped worrying about this, it’s time to start worrying again.

So a timely, powerful piece with something important things to say about race and prejudice but also with a lot of joy and heart. It will make you think, it may make you cry but it will stay with you. At the end, VK was the first one her feet clapping and she said it was brilliant. What more recommendation do you need?

“The Wrong They Knew” is on at Chickenshed until 28th March. Click here for tickets and more info.

Disclaimer: I received press tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own

Shortly before Christmas, Nathan and I were meeting up with old friends in Kennington. We passed the White Bear theatre pub and Nathan mentioned the time we saw a musical version of “Dracula” there. I blithely said that it had been too long since we last saw an acapella vampire production, knowing full well that tickets to “Dracapella” were waiting for him inside a Christmas present card. Luckily he likes that kind of thing. He even dressed for the occasion:

We’d never been to Park Theatre before, although I kept meaning to book tickets for the whodunnits. It’s super handy for us as it’s a quick pop down the the Vic line and then two minutes’ walk from the station. It’s a new-ish build, so has plenty of toilets and is DDA-compliant, which a lot of the older theatres are not. More on that at a later point.

I booked this show on a bit of a whim, not realising that the phenomenal Keala Settle was in it. To be honest, the name that sold it for me was Dan Patterson as I am a kid of the 90s and remember that name being said every week on “Whose Line is It Anyway?” by whichever comedian had won the show. So I thought it would be fast-paced, silly humour and I was right. This show had one-liners, bad puns and pop culture references in abundance.

What it didn’t have, on the night that we were there, was Keala Settle. She’d been taken ill and her character (Lucy) was being played by the musical co-ordinator Awsa Bergstrøm with the script in front of her. I was a bit disappointed to not see Keala, especially as we’d been watching her turn in “Wicked” earlier that day, but we seem to have a bit of bad luck with listed cast members at the moment. I should say though that Awsa Bergstrøm did an incredible job and her vocals blended perfectly with the rest of the cast, despite the lack of rehearsal time.

What to expect of an acapella version of Dracula? Well, it starts out as a fairly faithful adaptation of the book, 80s pop hits and other anachronisms aside. The mysterious Count (Ako Mitchell) lives in his castle in Transylvania and is visited by trainee solicitor Jonathan Harker (Stephen Ashfield), who soon begins to suspect this isn’t a normal property transaction. Yes, he might have taken the rail replacement bus to Dover but, other than that, the plot is the one you already know. The ending is where it all deviates a bit and it’s a lot happier than you might imagine, but isn’t that just the magic of theatre?

Every sound in the show is made through the voice alone (aided by microphones) so ABH Beatbox is on hand to provide sound effects and backing tracks. It’s impressive because some of those 80s songs are quite musically complex and the ensemble is only eight people in total. There’s Lorna Want as Mina Harker, Monique Ashe-Palmer as Dracula’s servant Pustula, Ciarán Dowd as her husband Sinister and Philip Pope as….just about everyone else. There’s a lot of changing hats, Mincemeat style, as characters duck in and out of the story. The turnaround near the end between Sinister and Van Helsing is, if not slick, still remarkable.

The two leads are both strong – Ako Mitchell is suitably dramatic as Dracula and Stephen Ashfield plays it very straight as Harker, despite all the madness going on around him. If anything, Dracula himself is slightly underused but I guess that’s the nature of the book, as it’s from Harker’s perspective. It’s the other actors who really have fun with the show, I think – from Ciarán Dowd’s bantering with the audience to Lorna Want donning a mullet wig and bouncing around on a spacehopper. I did mention the anachronisms a few times already, right? The puns range from the “cracker-standard” to the cracking (“I just can’t see myself living somewhere with no mirrors”.) It feels like Tim Vine was involved in the script writing and I’ll let you decide whether that’s a compliment or not.

So, the songs are well-crafted, the jokes hit and the dramatic stakes couldn’t be higher, even if Van Helsing himself was wielding them. What’s not to love? The set and costumes are fairly basic but that works well with the frenetic nature of the piece. Some reviews commented that the songs seemed shoehorned in and I can’t argue with that but neither do I see it as a problem. You know right from the start that this is going to be an unorthodox version of the story – it’s Dracula scrolling through Tinder that gives it away. From there it’s just a hop, skip and bite to superman-infused Bonnie Tyler cover versions. If this doesn’t sound like your thing, then you probably won’t enjoy it. But if you like something a little bit unhinged, then lean right into it.

Incidentally, Jeremy Corbyn was there. I’m not sure what he made of it as I couldn’t make out his face once the lights went down. It’s a pity cause I’m sure some of the jokes about the current government might have made him smirk. But it was a nicely surreal touch to an already surreal evening. It would have been marvellous to hear the power of Keala Settle in a small venue but we still left the place grinning stupidly. And that’s what you want from an acapella vampire show, isn’t it?

“Dracapella” runs until 17th Jan – click here for tickets and more info.

Image copyright Jacksons Lane

They love the laughter and they love the living….but do they love Christmas? That’s what I was going to find out as I travelled to Highgate to see “Christmastime comes to Moomin Valley” at Jacksons Lane. It’s a venue I’ve been wanting to go to for a while but have never had a reason to. Plus there’s some Highgate-related trauma from around 2007 that I should probably be over by now. I try to forget some bits of that year. 

But I haven’t forgotten what a pretty little station Highgate is. I’m a sucker 1930s Northern Line stations and look! Such lovely tiles!

And Jacksons Lane is also a very handsome looking venue:

Inside it’s all very nicely fitted out and, at the moment, there are Moomin-y details everywhere:

The auditorium is smallish but the seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of legroom. I should really have taken Reuben with me to properly test the limits of the legroom tho as that child is all leg. He was tired tho, from being out at the panto the day before and VK was tired from…life so neither of them could be persuaded off the sofa and across to Haringey. I was flying solo to Moominvalley. 

VK would have found a friend in the Moomins though, as apparently they sleep straight through from October to Spring. She would enjoy that. In fact, the whole basis of the show is that the Moomins usually sleep through Christmas and so have no idea what it is. They’re terrified at first but slowly come to realise that Christmas is nothing scary. Clearly they haven’t been to one of our family Christmases.

It’s a cast of five extremely hardworking actors, who are acrobats and musicians as well as playing the characters. It starts with the humans dressed as the Woodies, larking about in the snow and showing off some amazing juggling skills. There are some incredible acrobat feats too – one actor (Carys Nicholls) seems to be able to do everything upside down, including singing, which is particularly impressive. Her partner-in-tricks is Julia Chan, who I think also plays Moominmamma…..the core strength the two of them have is amazing. Myles McDonald is the juggling pro, Adam Boyle does a lot of the character work and Xenia Garden both sings and plays the harp. That’s a lot of skill to pack into a small cast. 

The circus part with the Woodies at the start is quite lengthy so if you have littlies who are impatient to see the actual Moomins, you might want to pre-warn them. I can see why it’s structured that way though, because the Moomin costumes don’t lend themselves to acrobatics. But worry not – before long, there is indeed Moomin-y action as the Woodies recount the time that Christmas arrived in Moominvalley.

The plot is this – the Moomins are having their winter sleep when The Hemulen arrives at their door to wake them up and make them get ready for Christmas. They stumble sleepily into action, following cryptic prompts from the scooter-riding Fillyjonks, and start decorating a fir tree and finding presents to offer to “Christmas”, whatever that might be. It’s all very gentle and cosy – although there is some peril, it’s very mild and the Moominfamily are determined to face it together. There’s a poignant moment as Moominpappa and Moominmamma snuggle together on the swing, just waiting for Christmas to arrive, and it is very reminiscent of the classic Moomin illustrations. This is pure comfort fodder and the gentle soundtrack complements the soothing feel of the whole piece. The songs that are played on the harp are particularly beautiful.

The actors switch characters with lightning speed – they change in and out of the Moomin costumes and reappear to play the Woodies and the other characters. The Moomin heads are very adorable, with eyes that slowly blink and somehow manage to express a range of emotions, despite only having one moving part. In contrast to the energetic Woodies, the Moomins move slowly and cautiously and it’s kudos to the cast that there is such distinctive characterisation throughout.

The show isn’t complex in terms of plot but it is wondrous – we feel the cautious joy of the Moominfamily as they create offerings of shells and blueberry pie for the Christmas beast. We see the togetherness as they resume their sleep at the end of the story. And there are circus tricks scattered throughout, which will keep even the tiniest audience members enthralled. It’s a great introduction to the world of Tove Jansson for new fans but long-term Moomin devotees will find plenty to enjoy here as well. Many of us choirsters may remember a dear friend who was obsessed with Moomins and I think she would have loved this show. To me, there’s no greater endorsement than that.

So if you’re looking for a piece of comforting Christmassy magic, head to Jacksons Lane this December. It’s a short piece of theatre but it manages to be both awe-inspiring and sweetly poignant. It’s a perfect Christmas treat.

“Christmas Comes to Moominvalley” is on at Jacksons Lane until 4th January. For tickets and more info, click here.

Disclaimer: I received tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own

It’s panto season! And before you say “oh no it isn’t”, let me present my evidence. Namely that Roo and I just went to our first panto of the year, which was Chickenshed’s version of “Little Red Riding Hood”. Being Chickenshed, there’s obviously a few twists on the classic tale but I’m going to be light on the spoilers as it’s so early in the season.

Roo does seem to be a bit cursed when it comes to the Piccadilly Line – we’ve had troubles on the way to the Shed before and this time we just missed a train at Finsbury Park before waiting a full eight minutes for the next one. Then as soon as we squeezed in, we were told that the train was being held until further notice. I’ve already tangoed with the Victoria Line being suspended this week so had a creeping sense of deja vu dread. Luckily it was resolved fairly quickly and we were soon at Southgate. The ticket barriers are all Burger King-branded and I have to say, advertising works. I mean, we’d already decided that’s where we were going to dine but the advertising certainly helped.

Roo’s curse continued, with a narrow miss of a 298 bus, with no more 298s or 299s on the horizon. We decided to take a punt on a 125 or 382 to get us halfway up Chase Side and then walk the rest. It’s not a route I would choose with VK but with the fast walker, it worked just fine. We arrived in plenty of time and invigorated by the brisk stroll.

So, onto the show! The basic story of “Red Riding Hood” is still there but the quite slight fairytale is fleshed out a lot, with a framing device of The Guardians and the Amulets. The Guardians are celestial beings who watch over the humans and are trying to track the missing amulet that will restore balance in the universe. One amulet ends up around the neck of a Guardian-offspring by the name of Red as she’s on her way to see her Grandma and…you get the idea.

There are five different casts of young people, including the child leads, and we were watching the red cast so I believe we saw Eva Marriott as the titular Red, while Jacob Gee and Seren Gee played her siblings Alex and Sam. The adult leads were played by some of the Chickenshed mainstays such as Michael Bossisse (Wolf), Cara McInanny (Grandma) and Ashley Driver (Woodcutter). The rotating casts have around 150 people in each so, as with previous Chickenshed productions, there is often a very full stage and lots to look at. And there are BSL signers integrated into the show as well, as you’d expect from a theatre so devoted to accessibility.

Every year, the production values at the Shed seem to get more and more impressive. This show starts off with a very stark set but a curtain opening reveals the village of Vargheim, complete with buildings, bridges and mountains. And in case you’re wondering, Vargheim loosely translates to “Wolf Home”….or that’s what Reuben and I figured out, using our joint knowledge of Norse mythology and German. Don’t come for me if I’ve got that wrong. There was also a train carriage set and the wolf’s lair for different scenes before the next big reveal – a Gatsby-like mansion belonging to…well, you’ll have to watch the show to find out. It’s always amazing what they achieve onstage and the bar seems to be raised all the time. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for Christmas 2026.

But you don’t come to Chickenshed for the production values alone. What sets their productions apart is the heart that goes into the stories, and the relationships between the characters. This is no exception – although Red starts off as an angry teen, she goes on quite a journey of self-discovery and learns to appreciate the family around her. The wolf is a complex character – not quite man, not quite beast – and he too goes on something of an emotional journey. There are themes of the evils of capitalism (complete with an audience participation song), mob mentality and acceptance. Along the way there are many twists and turns and some great gags – like when the mob decide that hunting the wolf sounds a bit much too effort so they just shout some angry things and go home.

As ever, there are some powerful singers among the cast – Cara McInnany is as impressive as ever – and some new young voices are spotlighted, along with the more established performers. I don’t think I’ve seen Eva Marriott in any lead roles before but her voice was assured and carried well right the way across the audience. There’s some intricate harmony and some nice solos from even the youngest cast members. Chickenshed is always developing new talent and this is a good example of that – I mentioned this in my “Pan” review but the adult performers literally take the younger ones by the hand and show them how to carry the show. It’s this kind of investment in the future that really shows the valuable work Chickenshed does.

There are also some impressive dance routines – notably at the mansion, to a song I think was called “Mula La”. Costuming is used to great effect, as the socialites all sparkle in black sequins, which contrast with the homely brown tweed of the villagers. It’s especially effective when everyone is moving at once. The lighting is also well used, most memorably in a stargazing scene on the mountain, and special mention must go to the live band at the top of the stage, who are occasionally revealed at different points through the show. There’s a lot of music in this show and they were note perfect throughout.

The plot zips by fairly quickly – I think it’s 120 minutes in total and there’s an interval. As Reuben pointed out, there did need to be some fleshing out of the original story but he thought the amulets plot added some real depth to it. He’s a fan of the “mystical treasure hunt” plot device and, although you wouldn’t expect it in “Little Red Riding Hood”, it did work well.

The age recommendation is 5+ and that seems about right to me. The length would be challenging for the very little ones and there are some intense moments, especially when the wolf first appears. The children in front of us were around six to eight and they all seemed to cope well with the peril but it’s worth bearing in mind that the wolf probably would scare a very sensitive child. I didn’t check whether the nearly-adult was scared but I think he was alright.

So if you’re looking for a show with a lot of heart and a fair sprinkling of Christmas magic, “Red” might just be for you. After all, who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

“Red” runs until 10th January. For tickets and more info, click here

Disclaimer: I received free tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own.