Betty Blue Eyes Review

Novello Theatre Thursday 24th March 2011

It’s been ten years since Cameron Mackintosh produced his last new musical. Other than the occasional public appearance, such as sobbing onstage at the Les Mis 25^th Anniversary Concert or bigging up his bezzie mate Steven “Steve” Sondheim at the Oliviers, it seemed his role as producer had drawn to a close. Surely it would take something incredibly special to persuade a multi-millionaire to actually go back to work? Enter Betty Blue Eyes, playing at the Novello Theatre and starring Sarah Lancashire, Reece Shearsmith and Adrian Scarborough.

First, an admission. As much as I want to support new British musical theatre, my entire reason for booking these tickets was Reece Shearsmith. All I knew was the name of the show and the possible involvement of a pig, but lovely Reece proved an irresistible prospect. I admit it, I love him. Whether he’s singing to a farmyard animal, or in the role of the ever-terrifying Papa Lazarou in League of Gentlemen, I still want to touch his lovely face and bake him scones. But back to the show.

Betty Blue Eyes is a gentle but surprisingly touching story set in Post WW2 Britain where austerity still reigns and the only prospect of excitement is the upcoming Royal Wedding. Good timing indeed. Shearsmith and Lancashire play Gilbert and Joyce, a childless couple living off Gilbert’s modest wage as a travelling chiropodist while taking care of Joyce’s 84 year old mother. Local tension is high between the “nobodies” and the “somebodies”: the steak eaters and the spam eaters, those invited to the celebratory royal wedding banquet and those who aren’t. The titular Betty is an illegally bred pig intended for the aforementioned banquet, but who has a strangely seductive effect on men. Will Gilbert and Joyce find their place in society? Will Betty be saved? Will Reece Shearsmith take his trousers off? Yes. Yes he will. Thank you Cameron.

Seeing it without expectation, the show was a complete surprise and the most perfect piece of escapism I could have wished for. Expertly balancing the comedy and tragedy, with timely but subtle reminders of the war that has just passed but with some true Alan Bennett moments still running through its heart, this is a real guilty treat. The leads do an incredible job with the full on farce of Act Two, but we stay sympathetic to their plight with cracking solos “Nobody” and “The Kind of Man I Am”, the latter of which really brought a tear to the eye. Special mention must also go to David Bamber as the endearingly conflicted council member, and the female ensemble who for once in a musical are used to their full potential, and to great effect. And yes, the pig is incredibly realistic.

As expected from Mackintosh, it’s beautifully staged almost to the point of excess. A five second appearance of a truck at the end of Act One could only be described as gratuitous, and you can just imagine the conversation that got it there:

Cameron Mackintosh: I think we need some more high tech scenery in there somewhere

Set designer: But Mr Mackintosh we’ve got an animatronic pig. It’s the one of the most expensive onstage animals ever created.

CM: Well people love vehicles onstage...have we got any vehicles?

SD: Gilbert does ride a bicycle.

CM: Could we put him in a car?

SD: There’s really no need...the bicycle suits his character. They’d never be able to afford a car.

CM: Let’s get him a car. We can slip it in the end of Act One. People love a good vehicle at the end of an act.

SD: Yes Mr Mackintosh.

CM: WAIT! Make it a truck! A BLOODY BIG TRUCK!

But I can forgive Cameron his flights of fancy, because he’s backed an incredibly lovely British musical that otherwise wouldn’t have achieved anywhere near the support and exposure it has without him. It’s great to hear brand new music on a London stage and Lancashire in particular is vocally impressive. Reece Shearsmith’s performance is worth the ticket price alone. Yes there are cringeworthy lines, pig puns and several bizarre fantasy scenes, but if you’re a musical theatre fan this is a must see. Sometimes theatre needs no controversy, and does not need to challenge us. Go, escape for two hours and return to 2011 thinking that things really aren’t so bad after all.

Umbrellas of Cherbourg Review

Gielgud Theatre 11th March 2011

I was first introduced to Kneehigh in 2008 when they brought their stunningly beautiful production of Brief Encounter to the Haymarket Cinema. Having only lived in London for a matter of months at this point, I am happy to admit that this was the play that truly cemented my love for theatre in the capital. Struggling at the time to stay motivated in what I can only describe as an overwhelming yet alarmingly uninspiring term of a Drama degree, it completely remotivated me and reminded me that theatre is more than standing outside a laundrette in minus temperatures pretending to be an autumn leaf. It can actually be a bloody good night out.

Absolutely no pressure then for this - another film adaptation from those clever folk at Kneehigh. Expectations were high, the ticket prices even higher and it was going to take something spectacular to live up to Brief Encounter, not to mention justifying spending my entire weekly intern wage in the process.

Visually, Umbrellas of Cherbourg cannot be faulted. The use of a parallel miniature set which brought titters of uncertainty from the audience was an inspired scene-setting decision that set the tone for the quaint kitchness of what was to come. Upon the emergence of the full-sized scenery it was clear that we were in for a real spectacle of an evening: neon signs, iron spiralled staircases, helium balloons and, of course, the titular umbrellas all created an enchanting vision of 1950s Cherbourg.

While the beauty and inventiveness of the visuals could probably have kept me entertained alone, the aspect of the production I was most eagerly awaiting was the music. New musical theatre which challenges convention is always going to be exciting, although in advertising Umbrellas of Cherbourg as "A French romance that just happens to be sung" it is perhaps not fair to expect a score which rivals its West End neighbours. This indeed turned out to be the case, and the non-stop recitative which the actors so valiantly sung through did drag at certain points. The big showstopping moment came with the evening's only stand alone number: "Without You", performed by the effortlessly divine Meow Meow. Two minutes of pure emotion, there was no need for any flashy imagery and the stunned silence which came before a justifiably extended applause cemented this moment as the most powerful of the night. While the entire ensemble was excellent, for me it was the casting coup of Meow Meow which made the production so utterly refreshing and full of joy despite the inherent tragedy of the plot. As our "maitresse" for the evening, she guided us through the action with humour, elegance and more than a few flashes of undercarriage...what a woman.

Umbrellas of Cherbourg is for those who have tired of the identikit musicals that London currently has on offer, although please don't go expecting the actors to turn to you and belt out numbers that you will be singing on the way home. This is an altogether gentler and more immersive experience; part musical, part cinema, part cabaret but all totally Kneehigh. If you go with an open mind and an open heart you'll have a treat of an evening. And I have no doubt that this will provide countless others with their own Brief Encounter moment.