Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London
****
Warm fires, great
grub, and friendly faces; the Gatehouse is a hospitable and homely Highgate pub,
serving as the ideal retreat from a brisk and, as always in Britain, soggy trek
through London. The pub’s jovial atmosphere drifts upstairs to the theatre, fashioning
the perfect ambience for the 1992 jukebox musical, Crazy For You.
 |
| Photo: Minyahil Giorgis |
Based on a
reworking of the 1930 Gershwin musical Girl
Crazy, Ken Ludwig’s book Crazy For You
tells the simplistic yet warming tale of Bobby
Child (Jay Rincon); a goofy New York dreamer, who unwittingly falls for Polly (Ceili
O’Connor), the owner of a theatre his family
bank is attempting to close down. In charming style, Ovation presents
the shows first official London fringe production with astonishing vigour.
The intimate
theatre and traverse staging infuses us with the exceptionally exuberant cast. Rincon is perfect as the adorably comic Bobby
Child and O’Connor puts in a beautiful performance with spectacular vocals as
Polly. Both performers harmonise delightfully and set the benchmark for an
exceptionally talented ensemble to follow suit. Another standout performance
comes from Tamsin Dowsett who takes to the stage as Bobby's demanding New York mother and later as eccentric English travel
writer Patricia Fodor. Although her performances come close to being too
exaggerated, Dowsett never oversteps the mark and delivers a wonderfully
entertaining performance.
Grant
Murphy’s choreography doesn’t disappoint either with spellbinding bursts of
energy as the cast dance from bar table to balcony to lamppost, brushing the
noses of those in the front row as they ignite the stage. With such
choreography and the live music of a six-piece band, it becomes impossible to
resist the odd toe tap, head nod, or rye smile.
 |
| Photo: Minyahil Giorgis |
Although the
set can sometimes seem clunky and out of sorts with the production, there is no
doubt that taking a successful Broadway show and placing it within a London
fringe theatre takes courage, enthusiasm and perseverance. Under the artistic
directorship of John and Katie Plews, Crazy
For You Upstairs at the Gatehouse admirably revives a perhaps forgotten
musical with true class.
This production runs until 27 January 2013.
For more information: http://www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com
@GatehouseLondon
No comments:
Post a Comment