THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Whitechapel Fiend' (Barn Theatre, Cirencester)

Written by Toby Hulse & Ross Smith,  Directed by Adam Meggido.

 

This comedy play with a slightly satirical bite posits that 19th-century tabloid press sensationalised the crimes of Jack the Ripper to such a degree that they turned the mysterious serial killer into a monstrous fiction. Arguing that “it takes a fiction to catch a fiction” who better to investigate the Murders than the ultimate fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Therefore, visitors to the Barn Theatre in Cirencester find themselves immersed in an adventure in which Conan Doyle's fictional Victorian London, one where Cockneys – without fail – stick their thumbs in their lapels and perambulate solely by means of the Lambeth Walk, collides with the 1888 Whitechapel Murders, with regular cutaways to modern Ripper ‘experts’.

The pre-publicity describes it as a hilarious mix of Basil Rathbone, ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ and ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’ (presumably the Patrick Barlow version), combined with the style of Netflix True Crime documentaries, alongside the technical wizardry of the Barn with back projections playing an important part, as well as not just one, but two separate pits in the stage. I therefore attended the anti-penultimate performance.

Having adapted ‘Around The World In Eighty Days’ for three actors at the same venue at the start of 2023, writer Toby Hulse is joined by Ross Smith, for this comic narrative, in which the four actors regularly change roles, so everyone (eventually) gets to play Sherlock, Watson, Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, and other supporting characters. All four were splendid, but I would wish to single out the lovely Chloe Tannenbaum, the youngest of the four, who it seemed would never get her turn as the Great Detective, being forever being pushed out of the way when she reached for the Deerstalker, and finding herself playing the majority of the supporting characters, including most of Charles Dickens’ most famous characters in one London street scene. I also enjoyed the stuffed ‘Giant Rat of Sumatra’ which featured in several moments. The script was full of running jokes, fourth-wall breaking, and the fictional identity of the Ripper was well realised (even if predicted by myself halfway through Act 1). Direction by Adam Meggido (‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’, ‘Showstopper! The Improvised Musical’) was also excellent with him using his experience with physical comedy to full effect.

Very good. 

 

Dramatic Score: 9/10

Rating:   (4/5)     

 

Sherlockian Sojourns - Special #10: 'Calling insistently for well-staged performance(s)' [VALL]

 Day One: ‘The Whitechapel Fiend’

The announcement of not one but two new Sherlockian plays in well-respected local theatres in Western England meant that a sojourn was planned. My initial destination was Bristol, where I had toured some filming locations less than a month before. My coach pulled into the Bristol stop bang on time, but I had a half hour wait for my connecting coach, to nearby Weston-Super-Mare. This also left on time, but due to heavy traffic and roadworks the one hour journey took double this, seriously ruining my tight timetable. I therefore decided to postpone my planned dash back to Bristol to visit Hengrove Park and the former site of Bristol Airport which appeared as the modern-day Airfield in ‘Sherlock: The Abominable Bride’.

Having grabbed some lunch from a nearby supermarket, a five minute walk brought me to Weston Museum, which was hosting ‘Adventures in Time and Space: 60 Years of Doctor Who Art’. This was a display of the original artwork from Target novelisations, other books, comics, BBC video covers, Big Finish audio plays, and even the portrait of Ace from a deleted scene in ‘Silver Nemesis’. I slowly wandered round the whole exhibition, taking photos of the Sixth Doctor related items, and the cabinets of merchandise.

 

   

 

Passing under ‘Pinwheel’ created by local graffiti artist, Banksy, for his dystopian theme park ‘Dismaland’ which was housed in the former site of the Tropicana waterpark on Weston’s promenade, I made my way to Clara’s Cottage, which transported me back to the early 1900s, showing what houses in Weston were like. A large display of dolls representing all English Kings and Queens brought back nostalgic memories of my maternal grandmother who collected similar dolls, and took me to Weston on multiple occasions as a young boy.

  

  

Having browsed the other galleries, and looked in the gift shop, which was not offering items I did not already have or could buy closer to home, save a ‘Knit Your Own Doctor Who Scarf’ kit, I made my way out of the museum and walked the five minutes to the promenade and Weston beach. As in my youth, the tide was a very long way out, but I sat on a bench wallowing in nostalgia.

It was then a twenty minute walk back to Weston Station, where I bought a ticket back to Bristol Temple Meads, staying on the same train using my pre-bought ticket to Swindon. Arriving half-an-hour earlier than planned, I browsed some of the local shops, before catching the #51 bus to Cirencester. This was also scheduled to take an hour, but luckily there were no traffic problems so I was dropped in the Market Square bang on time. My accommodation for the night was three minutes away, and having checked in, I made my way back to the Market Place, and along a main road, grabbing some food on the way, until I reached The Barn Theatre, where my evening’s entertainment was to be ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Whitechapel Fiend’, a comedy adventure in which Conan Doyle's fictional Victorian London collides with the 1888 Whitechapel Murders.

 

Having bought a programme, I settled into my seat a few rows back, to enjoy four actors constantly swapping parts, multiple running gaps, amazing set design (including two separate pits). I found myself laughing heartily in places, and even sussed out Jack’s identity.  (see here for a fuller review).

Returning to my accommodation, I watched a few videos on my iPad before turning in for the night.

 

 

Day Two: ‘The Poison Wood’

Retracing my steps of the previous evening, I found myself waiting for the #51 bus outside the Barn Theatre. This arrived on time, and I made my way back to Swindon. Walking up to the Station, I was in plenty of time for my booked train, which arrived a few minutes late, due to another train which was only for alighting passengers beating them into the platform. (The announcements not to board the train seemed to be being ignored by almost everyone).

A fifteen minute journey brought me to Dicot Parkway (visited in a previous Sojourn). Hurrying to the bus stop outside the station, it looked like my planned bus #X34 was due to arrive on time. However, after about a minute the display changed to indicate that the next bus was only going part of the route (all #X34’s go to a nearby supermarket, but only one an hour goes all the way to Newbury). The Newbury service was then advertised as fifteen minutes away for fifteen minutes. However, finally the service arrived, and I spent the entire journey worrying that I would miss my connection at the other end. However, the driver managed to make up time en-route and I arrived five minutes before the due date of my next bus. A ten minute journey on the #4 bus brought me to the outskirts of Bagnor, and a twenty minute walk brought me to the picturesque Watermill Theatre.

I was early, so decided to have a meal in the bar area. The Watermill also has a highly-regarded restaurant, but this needed to be pre-booked and I was concerned that I would not be able to get there by the required time. A ham-and-cheese Panini and a bucketful of chips (with tomato sauce and mayonnaise dips) very much hit the spot, and just as I was finishing staff members came round selling programmes, and as I had pre-booked one, handed it over for me to read as I finished my meal.

Making my way to the theatre itself, I was very amused by a ‘lost’ poster on one of the wooden supports, and also a display of SH related books from a local bookshop. Taking my seat towards the back of the Circle, I settled in for ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood’, a musical that I had originally seen in a cutdown form at London’s The Other Palace as part of MTFest 2023 in February 2023, with the same actors playing Lestrade and Moriarty. It turned out that I had booked for the Relaxed Performance which also featured surtitles. However, by sitting up in my seat I could use the venue’s roof to obscure these as I was finding them distracting. The music was amazing, the actors wonderful and the script very funny. (see here for fuller review)

  

Following the final bows, I realised that I could just catch a bus back into Newbury (the next one not being for two hours after that), so hurried back to the required stop, twenty-five minutes walk away. Back in central Newbury, I wasted time in shops, before catching a late-running train back to London Paddington, from where I slowly made my way home, feeling very tired. It certainly had been a dramatic couple of days.

 

 

 

 

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Cruel Intentions – The 90’s Musical’ (2015)

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Cruel Intentions – The 90’s Musical’ (2015)

Created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin & Roger Kumble

Based on the 1999 Motion Picture by Roger Kumble

Another musical that does not really fit in either ‘Forgotten Musicals’ or ‘British Musicals’, being a 2015 American Jukebox Musical, based on the 1999 film ‘Cruel Intentions’  (itself based on ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos and the associated 1988 film, ‘Dangerous Liaisons’) , starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon & Selma Blair. It features a score made up of hit songs from the 1990s, originally sung by artists including Britney Spears, Boyz II Men, Ace of Base, Natalie Imbruglia, Christina Aguilera and even The Verve. The musical's book is by Roger Kumble, Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross. Kumble was the writer and director of the original film.  

 

History

After successful performances in Los Angeles and New York, the show made its Off-Broadway debut at Greenwich Village nightclub Le Poisson Rouge in November 2017. Originally scheduled for a ten-week engagement, the show was extended three times, through to April 2018. Following a sold-out, critically acclaimed production in the ‘Assembly Palais du Variété Spiegeltent’ at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, ‘Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical’ finally arrived in London at the start of 2024, at The Other Palace (home to the same producers’ ‘Heathers – The Musical’ for much of its later run).

 

Story

Fuelled by revenge and passion, the diabolically charming and manipulative step-siblings, Sebastian Valmont and Kathryn Merteuil, place a bet on whether or not Sebastian can deflower their incoming headmaster's daughter, Annette Hargrove. As the two set out to destroy the innocent girl — and anyone else who gets in their way — they find themselves playing a perilous game with only one rule: Never fall in love.

 

In A Nutshell

Come and enter the manipulative world of Manhattan's most cruel and dangerous liaisons.

 

Production

The main auditorium at The Other Palace (where I had previously seen ‘Eugenius!’) has excellent sight-lines, and despite being towards the back, I could see everything that was happening clearly. The first few songs weren’t very familiar to me, but as soon as Kathryn started singing ‘Genie in a Bottle’, I found myself hooked. The songs were all perfectly chosen, and the production certainly refuted my rule (after watching ‘Desperately Seeking Susan – The Musical’ featuring the songs of Blondie in 2007) that a musical can either be based on a film (with the songs being written to fit the plot) or be a jukebox musical (with the plot being written to fit the songs), but not both !  The trick here seemed to be to have spoken parts in the middle of songs to cover plot points. Similar to when I went to see ‘& Juliet’, many of the songs were greeted with a chuckle by the audience amused at how the book writers had managed to effortlessly lead into another 90s classic.

The cast comprised three groups of four – the four leads Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky (Kathryn), Daniel Bravo (Sebastian), Abbie Burden (Annette) and Rose Galbraith (Cecile); four supporting characters played by Josh Barnett, Barney Wilkinson, Nickcolia King-N’Da and Jess Buckby; and an ensemble of two males and two females (who also acted as understudies to the other eight). The four leads all had amazing voices, and their relationships were all very believable. And although there was a sexiness to it all, it never slipped into sleaziness. I also left the theatre humming multiple 90s classics (as did the rest of the audience).

Very highly recommended, especially for fans of the film or 1990s music. 

 

‘Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical’ runs at the Other Palace Theatre, London, until 19^th May 2024.

 

Favourite Song

In a jukebox musical this is a slightly different proposition – but I must admit that not only did I enjoy how one of Ace of Base’s finest was repurposed at the start of Act 2, but I was singing it all the way home (thanks to it popping up again in the ‘Cruel Megamix’ at the end).

 

Links

Production website

Trailer