Reviews

In 2004 Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph said Noël Coward had written three ‘comic masterpieces’ Hay Fever, Private Lives and Blithe Spirit. The latter was created in 1941, ran five years in the West End, and was the longest-running play in London until overtaken by The Mousetrap. It was Coward taking a swipe at the fashionable pastime of Ouija boards, séances and mediums, and it still hasn’t lost its currency today.

Jack Raft is a young crooner going places. At only 17, and looking the part, singing and presenting the songs of the legendary Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin, he has the style, confidence and presence of a man who has tasted life and experienced love and disappointment.

Lizzie’s A Darlin’ and so is is this delightful little World Premiere production by Irish Theatre Players, coming to the end of its run in the newly named Townshend Theatre, in the Irish Club in Subiaco.

A feel good comedy with a heap of Irish charm, and some clever touches, this is a wonderful nostalgia trip that flows well, keeping the audience engaged and laughing throughout.

Noni Hazlehurst is a magnificent actress and she gives a bravura performance as Christie, a homeless alcoholic bag woman who lives a pointless existence day to day, lost in memories of one part of her life that ended tragically. It is flawless acting and the success of the 75-minute work rests solely on Hazlehurst’s performance. You can almost smell her, and you can certainly see the ingrained dirt on her feet and hands. Her physical performance is as strong as her interpretation of the text.