Theatre Review: Major Barbara

Plot: Major Barbara (Hayley Atwell) works tirelessly for the poor at a Salvation Army shelter until a large but morally dubious donation is welcomed from her estranged father Andrew Undershaft, (Simon Russell Beale) a millionaire weapons manufacturer. But when she visits the factory itself, the well-fed workers in their thriving model town make a devastating case for arms trade profits and a whole new set of ideals.

This is my first time to watch the inimitable Simon Russell Beale on stage although I have seen him in a couple of made for tv films such as Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time where he played the enigmatic but awkward Widmerpool which earned him a BAFTA. Mr. Russell Beale is truly larger than life and I can now comprehend as to why he is dubbed -now let me get this right- by The Independent as “the greatest stage actor of his generation”. In a recent article from the Times, he is fast in garnering the most brownie points as “the perfect actor to have ever played Hamlet”. Now, I have yet to see him in a Shakespeare production (the horror! I know, I missed them all!) but I have managed to get tickets for Much Ado About Nothing on March 17.

Going back to this production, it was very clear that Russell Beale owned it. His Undershaft was not overdone, he played it quite subtly well, and it seems like with Russell Beale, less is more. And with the intelligent actor that he is, he used that again wonderfully here. Having been reunited with his family, and seeing that he has got more in common with Barbara, you can palpably feel this quiet admiration of a father to his daughter without a barrage of words, but just silent approval, for love, even in silence can still be heard.

The rest of the company were just as compelling particularly Claire Higgins as the Undershaft matriarch, her opening scene with John Heffernan unforgettable, and was reminiscent of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Bracknell. Hayley Atwell did quite well as the zealous savior of souls, but it’s not her fault that Barbara is a one dimensional character, I also thought she became more interesting in the final act. What I have to give the direction its due respect and recognition is the staging of the Undershaft & Lazarus weapons factory with rows and rows of missiles that quite expectedly drew an applause of recognition from the audience. The use of sound effects depicting the Great War added a chilling effect to this brilliant, and what could be considered as Shaw’s greatest literary work. Thanks to Nicholas Hytner having gotten over his Shaw skepticism.

Major Barbara: 4/5

Playing at the National Theatre until May 15

My iMac

There are no words.

Theatre Review: The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other

For a moment, a bright, empty town square. And then a figure darts across, and another and another – businesspeople, roller-bladers, a cowboy, several street-sweepers, a half-dressed bride, a film crew, a line of old men, a tourist, a beauty in a mirrored dress, Abraham and Isaac, a family of refugees, a fool – more and more people, the bizarre and the humdrum, fleetingly connected by proximity alone.

Twenty-seven actors, 450 characters and no dialogue: a play without words by the great experimental figure of European theatre, Peter Handke. – National Theatre

1 hour and 45 minutes of just watching as the actors walk past each other, which seemed exciting and a bit fun for the first 45 minutes but then it obviously dragged for another hour. It’s not something I would recommend as a first time theatre experience, saying that I don’t think I would subject myself again to another. Perhaps it would work better in an open venue, it just didnt work for me personally.

The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other: 2/5

Playing at the Lyttelton, National Theatre until April 12

Theatre Review: Speed the Plow

Plot: Charlie Fox (Kevin Spacey), a struggling producer, comes to his old mate Bobby Gould (Jeff Goldblum), a newly elevated studio boss, with a surefire commercial package: a prison movie combining “action, blood, a social theme”. But, as the two men get high on dreams of profit, Bobby asks his temporary secretary, Karen (Laura Michelle Kelly), to give a courtesy read to a novel by an “eastern cissy writer” about radiation and the prospect of human survival. Bobby’s aim is to bed Karen. But he finds himself converted by Karen’s faith in the book and tempted to greenlight it ahead of the prison project.

This is my second time to watch a preview performance and wasn’t sure really what to expect. I know I shouldnt really worry that much as I am quite certain that Spacey will deliver another knockout performance having seen him in Eugene O’ Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten two years ago. The addition of Jeff Goldblum in the cast is of course another reason why I am keen to see this production not to mention that it will be my first Mamet play.

What an evening! Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum were absolutely amazing! The verbal wordplay between them which is of course a Mamet legacy was definitely the highlight of the show. The level of energy was octane high in the first and final act but slightly dipped in the second. Spacey and Goldblum complimented each other’s great performances but not the same can be said to Miss Kelly, her voice and demeanour came across as not powerful enough, more whiny even, but she might improve in future performances. Speed the Plow if worth the ticket if you have to catch a play whilst in London town.

Speed the Plow: 4/5

Playing at The Old Vic until April 26

BAFTA 2008 Winners

I am so thrilled that Marion Cotillard got the BAFTA Best Actress, now it’s just the Academy left for her to conquer. If you still havent seen her brilliant portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose,  now is the time to add it to your rental queue. Here’s the link to my review of La Vie en Rose:

http://feignedmischief.wordpress.com/2007/06/25/film-review-la-vie-en-rose/

I have yet to see Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood but I am most certain that he has been amazing in it. Other awardees I was so pleased about were for Javier Bardem, the Coen Brothers and The Lives of Others. Can I admit unashamedly that I also voted for Shia LaBeouf for the Rising Star Award?

As for Atonement getting the Best Picture, I’ll quote a Guardian poster’s comment here by saying, what it really means is, a token award for a massively overrated film. Enough said.

The Honor Roll

BEST FILM: Atonement

BEST BRITISH FILM: This is England

DIRECTOR: Joel Coen/Ethan Coen – No Country For Old Men

LEADING ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

LEADING ACTRESS: Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE – The Lives of Others

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Juno – Diablo Cody

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Ronald Harwood – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

ANIMATED FILM: Ratatouille

MUSIC: Christopher Gunning – La Vie en Rose

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Roger Deakins – No Country For Old Men

EDITING: Christopher Rouse – The Bourne Ultimatum

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer – Atonement

COSTUME DESIGN: Marit Allen – La Vie en Rose

SOUND: Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/David Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg – The Bourne Ultimatum

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Wood – The Golden Compass

MAKE UP & HAIR: Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne – La Vie en Rose

SHORT ANIMATION : The Pearce Sisters

SHORT FILM: Dog Altogether

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD: Shia Laboeuf (voted for by the public)

* ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP: Sir Anthony Hopkins

* THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for special achievement by a British director, writer or producer for their first feature film: Matt Greenhalgh (Writer) – Control