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The greatest show and other bromances: Adam Riches and John Kearns ARE Ball and Boe @sohotheatre

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Alfie Boe and Michael Ball seem to be a bit of a joke act anyway. Their endless interpretations of popular songs (also known as covers) and their double-act bromance make them quintessential crossover artists where popular music meets opera and Broadway. And a perilous choice for the discerning listener. It’s not that they aren’t talented musicians and performers in their own right. Still, their musical choices are always safe, predictable and less than their potential. But every country deserves to have a pair of self-described national treasures that can tour the local arenas and give people a good time for the bargain price of £175 a seat.  And so the concept of Adam Riches and John Kearns - two world-famous from the Edinburgh Fringe comedians taking on this bromance seems like a curious choice for a Christmas musical fare. One can only hope that over the fourteen nights, it is playing at the Soho Theatre that the show evolves into something more substantial than a series of po...

The other path: The Unbuilt City @kingsheadthtr

Life love and legacy is at the heart of The Unbuilt City, Keith Bunin’s play having its European premiere at the King’s Head Theatre. And a lot of talk about sex with men over a bottle of bourbon. But all told it’s a delicate and contemplative two-hander marked by sensitive and warm performances.

Set on a cold afternoon in February. Jonah (Jonathan Chambers) arrives at a townhouse in Brooklyn Heights. His mission is to persuade Claudia (Sandra Dickinson) to sell her secret art collection to a university archive. Particularly her documents relating to an architect and his unrealised plans for New York City. 

But even if she can’t afford to heat her house and debts are mounting, she won’t part with her collection to anyone. She wants to know why Jonah is acting as a free agent. What are his passions, his regrets and his loves. Over the course of the piece each reveal a little about themselves and what things could have been. 

Bunin’s piece The Busy World Is Hushed was set against the backdrop of translating a lost Biblical text. Here it’s about a lost master plan that would have revitalised the city. But both pieces try to delve into the minds and hearts of people. 

The set consists of little more than a pink curtain, a set of drawers and a window. And so it’s up to the performances to make this piece work. And they do. Chambers and Dickenson spar and challenge each other as they knock back the drinks. He is the sharp and earnest student with ill-defined plans. She is the weary ex-socialite wanting to pass on her knowledge (and collection) to the right person. They’re occasionally funny, but always come across as genuine.

A more contemplative offering from the Kings Head. Directed by Glen Walford, The Unbuilt City is at The Kings Head Theatre until 30 June. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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