Reviews

Based on the true story, so the program tells us, of ex-astronaut Lisa Nowak who drove fourteen hours non-stop from Houston, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, to confront – or kill? – her ex-husband’s lover.  In the car’s back seat, she carried equipment for disguise, kidnap and murder.

Ute Lemper was just 24, dubbed la nouvelle Marlene by the Parisian press; the original Marlene was 87, living out her last years in the French capital. Ute wrote her a letter and expecting nothing back, was surprised and suspicious when told Marlene had replied. Later that night, the old and the new talked on the telephone for three hours, the original Marlene sharing her love of poetry, of music and movies, of her lost homeland and stories of her lovers, both men and women.

My expectations of this piece of immersive theatre were high, as its reputation for being a ‘masterpiece’ and the promise of ‘transporting’ me preceded its showing. It is sold as a clever mix of physical theatre, puppetry, clowning and character acting.

The Swell Mob is the brainchild of Flabbergast Theatre which first emerged at the Edinburgh Fringe. It is directed by Henry Maynard, who himself is part of the acting troupe.

Kids, a dog, and toe-tapping songs. What more can you ask of a musical? Annie ticks all the right boxes and this production did it proud.

The chorus of kids were great, Jade Kelly as Annie had the voice of a pro and belted her songs to the rafters, and you couldn’t wish for a kinder and more solidly appealing Daddy Warbucks as played by Nathaniel Currie. They were the heart and soul of the show.