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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...

Tales from the monoculture: One Million Tiny Plays About Britain @JSTheatre


There is a theatre-sports feel to One Million Tiny Plays About Britain, currently playing at the Jermyn Street Theatre. Two actors are thrown into the challenge of portraying characters of a range of ages and types across Britain with barely seconds to make costume or wig change. At best, there are some touching moments about chance encounters. But by the end, you feel there's a repetitiveness to the characters and their micro stories so that you feel like it's more like a million tiny plays about the same thing.

The most fun from this show, however, comes from its send-up of the Jermyn Street Theatre and audiences that you likely find here. Before the show begins, the actors are playing ushers telling the audience where to go, with a direct yet amusing twist. The theatre announcements, including when the toilets are about to be closed are delivered with elaborations. And before the second half gets underway, we're treated to a game of bingo.

Playing the various characters, Emma Barclay and Alec Nicholls, give the show it's heart and warmth. They switch costumes, wigs and accents within seconds. And the bingo hall design by Ceci Calf feels as if you could be somewhere in middle England. But as the piece goes on, it feels more repetitive than revelatory. The setups often don't lead anywhere. And despite the best efforts of the cast, it's only a superficial account of diversity in Britain. A series of tiny plays about a monoculture might be more appropriate.

Nevertheless this outing of the show, complete with Christmas tree, tinsel and a bingo game is an inspired alternative Christmas shown. Written by Craig Taylor and directed by Laura Keefe, One Million Tiny Plays About Britain continues at the Jermyn Street Theatre until 11 January.

⭐️⭐️⭐️



Photos by Robert Workman

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