HARVEY

Malvern Festival Theatre

(Don Gregory in association with Birmingham Repertory Theatre) 

‘Harvey’ makes an appearance at Malvern Festival Theatre this week. Or does he? This charming story of a man and his invisible friend, a six foot three and a half inch, white rabbit, is a jolly jaunt through the human psyche of belief and what is acceptable, and often preferable, when it comes to someone’s sanity.

James Dreyfus is brilliant and simply adorable as the endearingly gentle Elwood P Dowd who, following the death of his mother, acquired the companionship of Harvey, a pooka (a faery creature of Celtic folklore) in the form of a giant rabbit. Elwood’s insistence to introduce Harvey to everyone that he meets drives his social climbing sister, Veta, to distraction and leaves his lovelorn niece, Ethel, devoid of suitors. So dire is their situation that they decide to commit him to Chumley’s Rest, the local sanatorium. Misunderstandings twinned with misdiagnosis leads to a series of unfortunate events that leaves everybody’s psychological stability in question.

Maureen Lipman delights as the dithering sister, as does Amanda Boxer as the despondent niece. An ample cast of thirteen others make up the collection of characters to tell the tale, notably Jack Hawkings and David Bamber, as the psychologists, Dr Sanderson and Dr Chumley.

Although this is a thoroughly enjoyable play, it seems to fall a little short of it’s potential due to the seeming lack of direction and cohesion of characters. It is almost as if the actors were left to their own devices without an overseer of action. This is surprising, considering the apparent calibre of director, Lindsey Posner. The blocking was awkward in places, characterisations were underdeveloped and two dimensional at times and the use of some props, in particular the home telephone, drew too much focus with its unnerving potential for catastrophe. Having said that, the writing is wonderful, the performances engaging overall and Peter McKintosh’s set design breathtaking. A double revolve, impressively glides from beautiful, wood panelled, library to hygienically imposing sanatorium to smoke filled, Charley’s Bar; a stunning feet of artistic engineering. Effective stage tricks really help bring the eponymous character to life too.

Harvey is one of those shows that you will find yourself grinning through from beginning to end and is certainly worth experiencing.

4 stars

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

Malvern Festival Theatre

(Theatre Royal Bath Productions with Robert Stigwood)

Theatre Royal Bath has done it AGAIN! Their revival of Saturday Night Fever, in association with Robert Stigwood, is phenomenal. Breathtaking. Stunning!

The date is 1976 and in New York, Tony Manero, a young man from a tough Brooklyn neighbourhood with a dead-end job and an extraordinary ability to dance, has only one ambition in life - to become the disco king.  Every Saturday night, Tony dons his flares and hits the dance floor, creating a stir as he wows the crowds with his phenomenal moves and routines. When he meets Stephanie, who also dreams of a world beyond Brooklyn, and they decide to train together for a dance competition, their lives begin to change forever.

Ryan McBryde’s creative vision and direction has stripped this musical back to its gritty, pre John Travolta, roots. This coming of age story is raw and fresh and as relevant now as in the decade of disco, when it is set. The original and classic Bee Gee’s discography score has be superbly reinvented by Musical Supervisor, Paul Herbert, making it contemporary and more relevant to the storyline and modern audiences, in an Ed Sheeran, Jessie Jay and Sam Smith style, while remaining true to the original genius. Simon Kenny’s brilliant design cleverly incorporates movie projections on a simplistic and functional set to bring the stage to life as the action seamlessly glides from scene to scene. All this is topped off with Andrew Wright’s delicious choreography, which fuses classic ballroom with iconic disco that is perfectly executed by the unbelievably talented cast of actor musicians.

Danny Bayne absolutely nails the lead role of the anti-hero, Tony Manero, giving the performance of a lifetime with his honest characterisation, awesome vocals and dynamic moves! Naomi Slights is a wonderfully captivating match as his muse and love interest, Stephanie and Bethany Linsdell is equally endearing as Annette, the victim of Tony’s unrequited affections. Every single person in the cast is truly amazing, without exception, as they showcase their wealth of talent across all of the performing disciplines. CiCi Howells has to be mentioned for her powerhouse vocals, as the Club Singer, that were hauntingly woven through the protagonists journey of self realisation.

This is musical theatre at its best! Make sure you see this production. It runs at Malvern Theatres until Saturday before continuing on the UK tour.

5 STARS!