Blast from the Theatre Past!

In our 30th year @mavericktheatreuk looks back at previous rehearsals for @edfringe. Here the brilliant cast and movement director of ‘Romeo and Juliet FC’

The cast of Romeo and Juliet FC. in rehearsal.

Review: ‘Dressing Gown’

By Andrew Cartmel

Theatre at the Tabard

2 Bath Road

London,

W4 1LW

🍷🍷🍷🍷 – 4 out of 5 glasses of water. No time for Coffee!

Dressing Gown is a little theatrical gem! It’s the story of Theatre Director Ash (Jamie Hutchins) who just wants to get out of his dressing gown and put some clothes on. But he keeps being interrupted. His producer Dan (Ryan Woodcock) comes round and confronts him about his alleged affair with his girlfriend. Playwright Jenna (Freya Alderson) comes over to vent her frustrations about actors improvising and not reading the lines as she wrote them, and Layla (Rosie Edwards), the play’s leading actress and Dan’s girlfriend, wants to know why Dan bought her flowers. Misunderstandings, innuendo, paranoia, and a parade of awkward but witty conversations ensue.
Theatre-folk are always fun to watch and the script and situations are broad enough not to feel like an ‘in-joke’ (I also, when I first started the Maverick Theatre Company, used to spend a LOT of time in my Dressing Gown!)

Under Jenny Eastop’s deft direction, the four main characters bring Cartmel’s script beautifully to life. Comedy is very hard to get right, but this modern-day farce hits every beat, and not a moment is wasted. The dialogue is full of misunderstandings and one-liners, and its quirky humour takes us back to the classic era of farce, without the now-perceived sexism that used to occasionally permeate those older offerings. This one act farce zips past in barely an hour and ten minutes.

Dressing Gown is a new and modern classic. So get dressed and get down to the Tabard Theatre in Chiswick.

DRESSING GOWN at The Tabard 10 – 27 July 2024


Written by Andrew Cartmel
Directed by Jenny Eastop
Box Office: https://tabard.org.uk/whats-on/dressing-gown/

Cast:
Jamie Hutchins as Ash
Ryan Woodcock as Dan
Rosie Edwards as Layla
Freya Alderson as Jenna

Review: ‘The Marilyn Conspiracy.’

By Vicki McKellar and Guy Masterson.

The Park Theatre
Clifton Terrace
Finsbury Park
London N4 3JP

Genevieve Gaunt as Marilyn Monroe.

🍷🍷🍷🍷 – 4 out of 5 glasses of Champagne. (Dom, obviously)

Full disclosure – I’ve seen various incarnations and workshops of this production and I know both the writers, director and many of the cast very well. 

And Who-dunnits are not really my thing but you don’t need to be a fan of Agatha Christie or true-crime drama (or a conspiracy theorist!) to enjoy this intriguing and professional slice of theatre at The Park. 

It concerns the death of Marilyn Monroe, world famous screen icon actor, writer and producer who died at home at the age of 36 on the 5th August 1962. The cause was attributed to an overdose of barbiturates. The official time of death was ruled to be at 3:50 in the morning. Neither can actually be confirmed. But further examination revealed that she’d passed away between 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. the night before, so at least five hours had already elapsed between Marilyn’s alleged suicide and its being reported to the police, making countless conspiracy theories float around ever since.

Co-writer Vikki McKellar has been drawn to Monroe for many years and meeting with director Guy Masterson gave this show the impetus to get it made – first in Edinburgh and now as a full production in London.

And it looks and sounds great – with a clever revolving stage and a hugely talented cast. It’s not just because I know some of them either; the cast are universally flawless and hugely watchable. Director Masterson knows his actors! I particularly liked the ‘girly’ scenes between Marilyn and her pr/best friend, Pat. (Susie Amy) (One scene involves a Big O!)

A show about what might have been and why that is the case will always attract conjecture and if there is one small niggle, maybe this show is overlong and some of the plot points could be contracted. But the woman sitting next to me in the theatre told me her friend had told her about it and word of mouth is the best recommendation!

So get to the Park Theatre and fall in love with Marilyn Monroe again, 60 years after her death. And learn about your do-do-be-do!

Tickets and further information.

Tats the way to do it!

Pub #tattoo of the day! But the #Pub isn’t a very good one. It only serves twice a year… at Christmas and now – the London Library Summer Drinks! 🍷