Author Archives: Nick Hennegan

Writer and creator of The London Literary Pub Crawl.com. and a few plays. BohemianBritain.com. Event and Theatre Producer. Done quite a bit on the wireless too!

Don’t Mention Donald!

A Special Relationship, by Tim Marriott and Jeff Stolzer

The Tabard Theatre

🍷🍷🍷🍷 and a 🌭 (5 out of 5!)

Serendipity? Could there arguably be a better time to talk about the relationship – the historically ‘special’ relationship? – between Britain and the USA? Possibly not. But with the genius that actor and co-writer Tim Marriott brings to this production, as he always does with his small-scale shows, this 2 hander by Tim and Jeff Stolzer shows the differences between “two great nations, divided by a common tongue!” (Who DID say that? Oscar Wilde? Winston Churchill?)

It’s quite a simple story, with Becket-esque references, although in this case, the pagoda… (or is it a tent?)… does get constructed! And it starts with music from Vaughan Williams, setting the pace for the piece.

It is the morning of their children’s wedding, and British dad Monty (Tim Marriott) is hosting American dad Pete (played with warmth, verve, and gusto by Brian Dykstra) and his family. Everyone else has gone to the church for the wedding rehearsal, but the two dads have been left behind to put up a gazebo in the garden. Communication proves challenging, and not just because the instructions are in Chinese. (Oh… and watch out for the Godzilla impersonation!)

It could be a one-joke play, but it’s much cleverer than that. It is funny, but ultimately as we find out more about the two men, their lifestyles and secrets, it becomes very much a buddy story. Director Margarett Perry keeps the action moving but knows when to pull back and there were moments towards the end of this one-hour, one act offering when the odd sniffle could be heard from the audience. It is genuinely very moving and there was even a breaking of the fourth wall (which may have been an ad-lib!) towards the end that had the audience spontaneously applauding.

As always the Tabard technical side from Sandra Szaron, Rob Miles and Alice Joy was spot on . Tim Marriott was a regular on BBC programmes in the 90’s, especially playing Gavin in every episode of The Brittas Empire. With his other hit shows, Watson and Appraisal, Tim is now becoming a regular at the Tabard. And we’re all the better for it too. This production is also supporting Parkinson’s UK, a clue to some of the drama in the show. And after this, the production is heading to New York, for Brits On Broadway.

So, yea-hah! Ride on down to the Tabard Theatre, pardner, for a special, Special Relationship! Pip pip!

BOOK TICKETS HERE

TICKET PRICING:

Preview 26th February – £10 all tickets

Performances 27th February to 1st March – £15/£12 concessions

Performances 5th to 15th March – £18/£15 concessions

Performances 19th to 22nd March £20/£17 concessions

AGE GUIDANCE: 12+

Lit Pub Crawlers.

Another brilliant night @londonliterarypubcrawl in @Soho and @fitzrovia with a FUTURE short story writer and her hubby!

Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George are raising funds for Maverick Theatre!

This week! Join us Friday at 7.30pm or Sunday at 5pm for a live stream of our Edinburgh hit ‘Winston and David’

It’s a fundraiser for April’s ‘A Ghost of a Chance’! A 2-camera shoot, filmed live at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show lasts just over an hour and there will be a Q and A afterwards.

Tickets £5. To £1,000! (Well it is a fundraiser!)

Tickets and more information.

Review: Passing on the Animal Farm Pelt!

Animal Farm by George Orwell – The Playground Theatre, London.

🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷 – Five porkers out of five.

IMAGES: NUX PHOTOGRAPHY

In full disclosure, I know the Director and adaptor of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, Guy Masterson. He’s presented four of my plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival over the years. He is the sole actor and producer of my version of Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’ wowing the critics, appearing off-Broadway in New York, Europe and touring the UK every year. But, of course, the fact we’ve known each other for SO long, is perhaps the reason why Guy Masterson is passing on the Animal Farm Pelt to… well… a younger actor!

I’m not being ageist here. This is an adaptation of George Orwell’s classic tale that is full of movement and motion. It is hugely physically demanding. The actor is barefooted and boiler-suited, using minimal props and homemade sound effects to perfectly present Orwell’s farmyard tale of betrayed idealism and abuse of power. And although he still has a way to go to match the 20-year experience of the Maestro Masterson, young actor Sam Blythe makes a good fist – or should that be hoof! – of Orwell’s allegorical masterpiece.

Last year I was talking to the original Director Tony Boncza in the bar before the show in London. I asked if he’d cast anyone other than Guy Masterson in the part. “No”, he replied. “I can’t imagine anyone else but Guy doing this show now.”

This is perhaps why Guy has directed this show himself, using traits from Boncza and his own considerable award-winning directing and performing experience. And it’s already a hugely strong offering. Sam Blythe has almost nailed the physicality, even if at this point – his second-ever performance in front of an audience – he’s not completely nailed the script. But even the drys were ‘in character’. “Where am I?” He would ask the brilliant technician, who would give him the next line – and off he’d whoosh again!

It still contains the occasional contemporary additions to the mix which signpost how Orwell’s tale is still so relevant today. Trump, Thatcher, Cameron and others, make audio appearances. And two of the brutal bullying guard dogs are called ‘Elon’ and ‘Nigel’. I wonder where they got those names from?

“We are a Grandfather” is a misquote that many may not remember, but was a seminal moment in the reign of Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – the first time she started using the Royal ‘we’ and prompting comments about how she saw herself. The dogs deciding there will be ”be no more debate,” remind us of how Boris Johnson prorogued parliament – effectively shutting it down when he couldn’t get his own way – and what seems to be happening across the pond at the moment. We have good old reliable Boxer… who accepts everything he’s told, like most of us do… and works himself to death for the good of all; then the sheep who mindlessly repeat the political rhetoric that suits the current Party Line. Comrade Squealer is a Special Advisor if ever I saw one. And of course, we have politics straight out of the Donald Trump and others, playbook. Blame Farmer Jones. It’s all HIS fault. Not ours.

I feel Blyth will become an experienced and seasoned campaigner. It’s funny, relevant and unmissable. Guy Masterson, Tony Boncza, George Orwell. And now Sam Blyth. A winning combination. Vote for them!

And, perhaps, Animal Farm is a tale we need to tell now more than ever.