I cannot believe it’s already over. Five days, four shows and seven posts later I’m almost on my way out of the SOLT offices again. The week has taken me from Islington to Drury Lane, from comedy and drama to musical theatre.

It has been such a pleasure to work as part of the media and marketing team, getting an insight into the daily work of this creative hub. Apart from the reviews, I’ve been helping out with research, and just getting to speak to members of the team covering all sorts of different areas has been insightful and interesting.

The week has flown past and as I get ready for the journey back home, I already cannot wait for the next trip to London, whenever that might be. I hope you’ve enjoyed my posts here as well as on Twitter and Facebook. Keep following us and happy theatregoing!

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

After a week of drama Shrek promised a change of pace. With no real preconception of what to expect I entered into the green wonderland that is Shrek The Musical. As with many other screen-to-stage adaptations, from Sister Act to Ghost or even Priscilla, my only concern was whether it would work and if it was worth it.

To the first I would say, definitely. To the second, I’m not so sure. The cartoon nature of the show lends itself beautifully to create magical sets and costumes. The fairy-tale characters that swarm the stage shine and sparkle in all the colours of the rainbow and the ensemble work incredibly hard throughout the show. It is great to see a musical where the supporting cast is given such a big role. From Pinocchio to Peter Pan and the infamous Gingerbread Man these characters are the heart and soul of the show.

It was only the second night that Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh was belting it out as Fiona, the not so elegant princess with a green secret. The panto nature of the show calls for over the top acting and Walsh fits right in with the rest of the cast. She sang and looked the part, and had an infectious energy about her. Nigel Lindsay as Shrek is almost too likeable to play the mean Ogre and the soft core of this layered onion always shines through. Richard Blackwood’s portrayal of Donkey is close to Eddie Murphy’s movie original but he delivers a great comedic performance. The unlikely audience favourite was Nigel Harman as Lord Farquaad. It looks a bit awkward at first when he shuffles in on his knees to play the part of the minuscule villain, but he uses his set of legs to great effect and some of the loudest laughs in the house went to him.

While keeping some of the movie’s best scenes in place – “Not my gumdrop buttons!” – the musical adds a lot and gives many characters a background story and song they never had in the original. More fairy-tales are spoofed and even the occasional reference to a West End musical finds its way in. While the story of Shrek and Fiona still pushes the action forward, the rebelling fairy tale characters are given much more importance. It becomes a story of accepting those who are different, empowering the underdog and cherishing diversity. With the number Freak Flag they finally become the Glee Club of the Grimm Brothers.

In that sense it very much is a family show and you might find yourself sitting next to a little kid with sticky candy fingers. Yes, kids sometimes talk during a performance, they need to go to the bathroom and they want treats even when the cellophane wrapping rustles. But, like in any good panto, they are part of the magic as they gasp and laugh and stare with eyes wide open at the dazzling splendour on stage.

Would I rush back to see it again? Probably not. But if you like colourful musical theatre it is one to see while it’s there.

Shrek The Musical is booking until December 2012 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

Cool Hand Luke tells the story of Lloyd ‘Luke’ Jackson, war veteran and chain gang convict, always on the run and on the wrong side of the law. He plays a cool hand of poker and keeps his cards to himself. In his chain gang he inspires rebellion, challenging the Bosses. He refuses to conform and live by anyone’s standards but his own.

Bringing the scorching US south to a London stage is not the easiest task, but light and sound design let us hear the crickets and tumbleweeds, and the actors sweat underneath the yellow sun. A clever set opens up spaces within the prison yard while also fencing in the inmates.

These inmates are changed forever with the arrival of Luke in their midst. The new kid quickly becomes the focus of their admiration. The band of brothers rallies together, with the friendship of Luke and Dragline portrayed convincingly by Marc Warren and Lee Boardman. You can just imagine the two of them beings best buds in real life as much as they are on stage.

Warren’s Luke is indeed very cool. Playing the banjo and harmonica, he is the monosyllabic antihero. Emma Reeves’s adaptation of the 1965 novel gives us glimpses into Luke’s experiences as a soldier in WW2 and goes some way to explaining this cryptic character to us. A group of gospel singers helps set the mood, complimenting Luke’s guarded emotions.

The singers also pull together the episodic structure of the play as the script moves back and forth in flashbacks, from the prison yard to the road side, to war torn Germany and back. Sandra Marvin’s powerful voice sets the tone, but even though the intentions are clear the effect of this chorus is not always felt.

As a whole the play touches upon interesting issues. Luke constantly challenges God where others just take his presence for granted. How can it be a sin to steal a parking meter, but not to shoot people in the war? Boss Godfrey’s righteous understanding of faith clashes especially with Luke’s defiance, and justice quickly turns into revenge.

In a way, Warren’s restrained performance offers the ideal foil for the projections of his fellow inmates as well as the gaol keepers. Is he a hero or a villain? It really is just a matter of perspective. How long can one man live up to the expectations of either side?

While the acting is good throughout, with Warren making the most out of his character, and the technical side comes together beautifully, something just doesn’t click. Cool Hand Luke is neither cautionary tale nor a rallying cry to arms. It’s the story of Lloyd ‘Luke’ Jackson, not more but not less either.

Cool Hand Luke is booking until 7 January 2012 at the Aldwych theatre. TheatreFix readers can take advantage of our special ticket offer.

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

Every once in a while there’s a show that really takes your breath away. There can be moments where you want to laugh and cry at the same time. There are actors that leave you in awe of their craft or cunning set designs. Here are my Top Five theatre moments, in no particular order.

– Spoiler Alert! –

1) Enjolras’s death in Les Misérables

I am one of those Les Mis enthusiasts, but compared to others my three visits to see the show are almost nothing. It’s a musical full of drama and feelings running high. Bring Him Home and Little Fall Of Rain make tissues rustle in the audience, but my favourite moment of this show is the brave and noble Enjolras’s death. I was graced with the wonderful David Thaxton falling to his death on the barricades. As the set turns and he hangs over the red flag, with blood streaming down his face and the violins flaring up, goose bumps are unavoidable.

2) Journey’s End curtain call

The play itself is already compelling and emotional enough. Some may argue that it has lost its relevance being set in WW1 with a company of soldiers fighting in the trenches at centre stage. After an entire semester at university studying war film, it was a must-see when I arrived in London for the summer. As the lights go down an almost unbearably loud thunder of shells, rifle fire and exploding grenades descends upon the audience. Sitting in the dark it aims at giving some impression of what war sounds like and how it sets your heart racing. As the curtain rises a row of young soldiers, the ghosts of the dead, stand still in front of a long list of the fallen. You could’ve heard a pin drop!

3) Let The Sun Shine with Hair

Already a favourite before I even went to see it, thanks to the 1979 film, this hippy party had me dancing in my seat. The showstopper of the night was the revelation of the dead Claude lying on a flag in the falling snow, as the tribe throws flowers into the crowd and walks through the auditorium with the echoes of Let The Sun Shine ringing through the corridors. There were tears and a roller coaster of emotion as everyone joined in the big on-stage dance party.

4) Wicked on Broadway

That’s already it, really. On a solo trip to New York I splurged on a ticket to see Wicked. I will never be a big fan of the show, but the Great White Way worked its magic and the flying monkeys did the rest!

5) Schiller’s Maria Stuart

One of those school trips to the theatre many years ago still haunts me. A modern adaptation of a German classic, in which Queen Elizabeth was cast as a dominatrix in a party hat and Maria Stuart was buried in a large heap of sand that occupied almost half the stage. Symbolism abounded as sand trickled down from the ceiling until the fateful moment of her beheading. Memorable it was, but not in a good way.

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

Hardly ever has a play left me with so much to say and lost for words at the same time. This was a Miller first for me. No English graduate can go without studying Miller but I’ve never seen one of his plays performed on stage.

In Broken Glass a whole number of issues are brought to the stage. Yes, it is a play about the Holocaust, as Brooklyn native Sylvia Gellburg is left physically paralysed after seeing the shocking images of the German Reichskristallnacht in the US papers. It is also a play about psychoanalysis as local doctor Harry Hyman tries to treat Sylvia and uncover the psychological cause of her illness. Miller avoids the easy solution of repressed sexuality, a la Freud, and instead creates an intricate web of connections between Sylvia, her husband Phil and their surroundings. Through Sylvia’s illness, Phil’s own anxieties are uncovered and he is made to confront issues of religion and responsibility. Miller addresses persecution and victimisation, but even though there is a strong emphasis on the characters’ Jewish background, he leaves room for so much more.

The play is also about looking away. No one can understand why Sylvie is so concerned about the persecution of Jews happening thousands of miles away. Only she cannot turn a blind eye as she is literally left paralysed by the events. The far-away crisis forces its way into the lives and living rooms of this Brooklyn community. Without being preachy about it, the play touches upon issues of social responsibility. It’s not a question about whether the Holocaust could have been avoided, but how we live with ourselves. As the Arab Spring brings rebellion and violence, as rioters hit the streets of London, as Troy Davis is executed, as Wall Street is occupied and protests are ongoing in Spain and Greece, this play hits home. How far away really are these events? Are we not all just as connected as the characters within this play? In a way Miller opens up a Pandora’s Box of issues, many without a straightforward solution, but all worth considering. And all of that in the disguise of a domestic drama.

The cast superbly portray the relationships between their characters by truly working as an ensemble. There seems little point in highlighting the excellent performances by Antony Sher as the uptight Phil who sees his world crumble apart, or Tara Fitzgerald as Sylvia, a woman losing control over her body but not her wits. Stanley Townsend as Dr Hyman completes the triangle that is more like a Gordian knot.

Understatement defines the set design, as walls of chipped paint, bare floors and naked light bulbs evoke the atmosphere of a run-down asylum. A single cellist sets the atmosphere during scene changes, in which the characters haunt the stage like their own shadows.

Broken Glass is challenging, but also incredibly rich and gripping. I didn’t even have to write about the sex to make it interesting, as a particularly helpful theatregoer suggested to me.

Broken Glass runs until 10 December 2011 at the Vaudeville theatre.

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

“A new Oscar Wilde play?!” I hear you say. Yes, this play has a rather peculiar history. Started by Wilde after his release from prison in 1897, the manuscript was passed on to an American actress who had bought the rights to the play. Upon her death the manuscript fell into the hands of two Frenchmen, Guillot de Saix and Henri de Briel, who developed the draft manuscript into a French version. Years later, Wilde enthusiast Charles Osborne translated this script back into English and developed a never before seen Wilde play. All the while, Wilde’s grandson Merlin Holland has denied Wilde’s authorship, crediting him only with writing the synopsis and selling that on.

The history of Constance is almost as confusing as some of Wilde’s plays, full of mistaken identities and surprising twists. Constance itself is a little less exciting. The title heroine is the perfect wife – loyal, kind, faithful – but married to a rather imperfect husband, industrialist upstart Daventry. At a country house get-together featuring Constance’s godmother, her son Gerald, the Reverend George Preston and his femme fatale wife Delia and other illustrious guests, a chain of events is set in motion which ends in a wild goose chase from Twickenham to London and Switzerland.

For much of the first act Constance is the hostess with the mostess, smiling as she ushers her guests around the house and doing her best to please everyone in true Victorian fashion. When she discovers her husband’s duplicitous nature she takes matters into her own hands regaining control of her life. Ellie Beaven shines in the title role, and I was happy that she got to show her talent later in the play as Constance shows courage and spirit on her voyage of liberation. Bart Edwards, fresh out of theatre school, as the melancholic young poet Gerald makes for a dashing and handsome love-interest.

The Wildean Lady Christina, portrayed by Tamara Hinchco, almost steals the show together with her former diplomat companion Sir Richard, played endearingly by John Atterbury, as she gets to deliver classic bon mots in the style of Lady Bracknell and other austere Wilde creations. But it’s never quite clear if the author paints the two as caricatures of a class on the brink of disappearing or whether they represent a part of British elegant society that is at the heart of Britain as much as they are at the heart of the play.

With the limited space available at the King’s Head, director Marc Urquhart opted for a simple and functional set that convinces in its versatility. With many ensemble scenes, the stage nevertheless seemed crowded at times. As the first act drags on a bit too much for my liking to the inevitable conclusion, the second picks up pace so much that plotlines plough on in strange and surprising fashion to bring a satisfactory conclusion, while the play hovers between comedy and tragedy.

Many ideas flow together in Constance. But the driving force behind this comedy of manners never becomes quite clear. Is it a play about social class and mobility, the inequalities of marriage, the defying of social conventions? Does it mock the aristocracy or patronisingly pat its head? Or is it all just about love? Maybe Wilde, or whoever actually wrote the script, wasn’t quite sure himself.

Constance runs at the King’s Head theatre until 22 October 2011.

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

London 2012 is starting to loom over us everywhere. The sporting event that will descend upon the Big Smoke next year threatens to bring chaos and disturbance. Sound like too much doom and gloom?

For all the theatre-loving folk out there, fear not. It is also the chance for the world to come together in London’s Theatreland. The World Stages London programme aims to do just that. Bringing together producers from around the world, telling “world stories for a world city”, World Stages will showcase the cosmopolitan nature of the country’s capital.

Eight of London’s producing venues, including the Royal Court, Sadler’s Wells, the Lyric Hammersmith and the Young Vic, will host co-productions featuring companies from as far afield as the USA, Israel/Palestine, India, Estonia, Belgium, Germany and France.

Now booking are shows Wild Swans, Three Kingdoms, BABEL, The Suit and Wah! Wah! Girls, with more on the way. All of these shows cross borders, not just literally. Many have celebrated premieres and success overseas and abroad, but all of them look at cultural divides and connections that create the make up of this city.

If you’ve missed your shot for Olympics tickets, here’s a chance for another truly international event right at the heart of London.

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

I have since graduated from the University of St Andrews, where I studied English and Film Studies. Apart from writing for student publications and working in student radio, I stage managed a bunch of student theatre productions and really discovered my passion for theatre.

Whilst I’m now looking for a job, I will be spending a week here in London on a work experience placement. Among other things, I will be seeing a few shows throughout the week, so keep your eyes open for more updates and posts.

Now, back to work!

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor