"I'm Potty the Plant," sings a potted plant in this odd little fringe concept of a show. It's hard not to get the tune out of your head, even if the show is brief. It's an earworm for a show that features a worm-like plant as a puppet. And given the show's brevity, running at only an hour, it's hard to get too annoyed by a lack of a coherent story, even if it still seems like the show could use a bit more development (which is underway). It has made its London debut at Wilton's Music Hall. The premise is that Potty, the plant, lives in the hospital office of Dr Acula (geddit?) and dreams of a life with the cleaning lady Miss Lacey (Lucy Appleton). But Dr Acula might be responsible for why all these children are disappearing while trying to romance Miss Lacey for her family's money that she doesn't have. Three nurses are on the case, trying to solve the mystery. If the show settled on a convincing plot, location and set of characters, it could ...
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Theatre: The Beggar's Opera
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Thankfully it was a clear night on Wednesday to see this new production of The Beggar's Opera at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. It is a smart looking production with a great cast and music performed by The City Waites. But although authentic, the sum of it feels more like an embalming of a great work than a ripping night out.
The piece, written by John Gay in 1728 is no doubt quite a satire for its time. It makes you wonder where are all the rude and offensive pieces covering our times... Perhaps things are a little more nuanced nowadays... But there is not much of a story and the petty criminals and prostitutes become quickly repetitive.
The production does try to perk things up by flashing loads of flesh. This includes David Caves who as Macheath seemed to keep losing his shirt. He is quite fit with his ripped abs and great set of guns. At one point you could be forgiven that the ladies falling over him were tweaking his nipples. Even with these distractions he gives a rather commanding performance. The ladies also have a fair share of legs bared, dry-humping and perhaps even the occasional glimpse of snatch. In fact at one point, sitting where I was, my line of sight went straight up Janet Fullerlove's legs...
Sexual energy aside, there is also some great fight sequences between the men and the women. Beverly Rudd's appearance in the second half (and her subsequent cat fight) is a highlight. But rather than stick around until the very end I decided to call it an earlier night, leaving a 9.45.
Of course a trip to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is always very civilised and there is more than just the show to enjoy. There is the barbecue on the lawn beforehand, the sensible drinks and death by dessert. You can even bring a picnic. It is all very smart. Unless of course it rains and you have to wear plastic covers that make you feel like you have been sent to the dry cleaners. And dress warmly even if there is a heatwave as it always feels like winter in the park as the sun goes down...
David McVicar's oddly modern production of Rigoletto is back at the Royal Opera House . This modern and minimalist dark production has evolved over the years. It is better lit now but there is still an orgy and full frontal nudity within the first thirty minutes. This enables anyone not in the stalls an excellent view of a flaccid penis and a nicely shaved bush. But as time goes it seems more and more superfluous to the main focus of this tragedy of a court jester who seeks revenge. Here is hoping that the production continues to evolve... Conductor John Eliot Gardiner keeps the music well paced. Dimitri Platanias in the title role sounded great and received a rapturous applause for his interpretation of the role. You get a sense more of the doting father rather than the court jester or cursed man here. Vittorio Grigolo plays the Duke and sounds too lovely to be the cad the role calls for, but it is hard not to like when he is on stage anyway. And it is easier to understan...
Nowadays no self-respecting gay play can be staged without full frontal nudity of some kind. It feels like the default response for the modern gay play now that gay rights are no longer an issue . Afterglow, currently playing at Southwark Playhouse , serves it up in spades. From the beginning, three men are in a bed, naked. There’s what appears to be a very brief exhalation of ecstasy, before the obligatory rush to the shower. But the gratuitous nudity and excellent performances can’t conceal this is a pretty conventional and predictable story about a fantasy couple. The three men in the simultaneous orgasm at the start of the piece are Josh, Alex and Darius. Josh and Alex seem to live in a New York world where they can afford a rooftop apartment in Manhattan while holding jobs as a theatre director and a grad student in chemistry. As writer S. Asher Gelman based it on his own experiences, perhaps gay plays with full frontal nudity are the way to achieve financial ...
Damn Yankees at the Landor Theatre is one hell of a fun, sexy show. A great cast of dancers and singers give this show about a man who sells his soul to get on his beloved baseball team (and give them a chance of winning) new legs and balls. It also helps to up the ante with the sexiness with some healthy doses of cleavage and legs (and that's just the men). The musical is a retelling of the Faust story set in the 1950s when the New York Yankees dominated the game.
