Noises Off, Old Vic, Waterloo

Halfway through the performance I looked around - the audience, panting and wheezing, were delirious with laughter, it was hilarity beyond anything I have ever before witnessed at the theatre. I was at the press night for Noises Off, the very clever and very funny play by Michael Frayn. It was first performed in 1982 but feels fresh and exciting in this sparky revival. Having seen some of director Lindsay Posner’s previous work, I am not surprised to see him produce another hit show.

Noises Off is a play within a play, a small dysfunctional cast are putting the final touches to their production of ‘Nothing On’, a farcical comedy. The group are a mix of theatrical types including an unreliable boozer, a clueless young girl, a worrier who needs reassurance every line, and the infuriated director. Gossip is circulated while the cast rehearse the first act, the day before opening night. As the evening progresses, everything unravels and the situation becomes more and more disorderly and ridiculous. Frayn’s script is genius and comes across very naturally on stage, it is fast paced and fluent, Frayn seems to understand this kind of chaos and the piece never loses momentum.

The production is brilliantly executed, and rehearsed to within an inch of its life, each cast member giving a staggeringly precise and perfect performance, the actors are faultless. I recognised most of the faces: Robert Glenister, who I remember well from TV series ‘Hustle,' is fabulously exasperated as the stressed out director. Celia Imrie is wonderful as ever, fully immersing herself in the ditzy part of Dotty Otley. But the real highlight performance for me comes from Jamie Glover who excels in every comic conundrum, he manages to jump up the stairs with his shoelaces tied together!

Don’t blink or you may miss a moment of humour, Noises Off is honestly a laugh a second, and I felt exhausted by the final curtain. ‘Tis the season to be jolly in London… along with One Man Two Guvnors, our capital city is boasting the best crop of comic plays ever.

Continues until 10 March, 2012, book here.

Clip Joint Comedy night at The Camden Head pub

Comedy and I don’t usually get on… the pressure to laugh always deters me… however occasionally I do surprise myself by making the effort to go along to a comedy show, and more importantly enjoying it. Clip Joint wasn’t hysterical, but all in all it was a light hearted and amusing night, and for £4 a ticket the evening was, I think, a success.

The friendly Camden Head pub hosts exciting live comedy acts in a dark and cosy upstairs room. Clip Joint is a new act performed by Dougie Anderson and Iain Lee - it is a monthly show with clips of films and TV series that they find funny, talking and explaining the scenario, in the hope that the audience will share their amusement, for whatever reasons. On Friday they also brought along a special guest, Iain Morris creator of ‘The Inbetweeners’ and generally brilliant Comedy writer whose credits also include two episodes of ‘Flight of the Conchords’.

Anderson and Lee are fun guys, and it’s hard not to feel at ease with them. Both TV presenters, you can tell immediately that they are experienced and at ease performing and talking on cue. Despite the slightly strange layout (watching very random clips on a small TV on the stage) the hour long show felt relaxed and everyone in the mismatched audience seemed to enjoy it.

Unfortunately I think it would be impossible to describe the individual clips here, but take my word for it, they were the bizarrest, most incongruous things I’ve ever seen. Audience members are encouraged to bring along their favourite clips to share with the crowd, though our group was terrified and quiet. Eventually one regular confidently strode up to the video machine with a hilarious rendition of the Chicken Duck Monkey song by Mike Phirman. I’ve managed to find it on youtube, so I’ll leave you with this silly happy video now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N7-wRWg7FU

Udderbelly Festival at Southbank

The Udderbelly Festival comes to the Southbank every summer, inhabiting a flexible structure (a large upside down purple cow!) that seats four hundred and hosting many creative performances including plays, concerts and comedy shows. Boasting twelve weeks of affordable entertainment on the beautiful Southbank and an eccentric garden that has many delicious food and drink stalls, it is a great place to hang out in the warm summer months.

In the coming weeks comedy legends like Jason Byrne and Mark Dolan will be strutting their stuff for the London crowds. The shows I am most excited about are ‘Frisky and Mannish’ and ‘Showstopper’. Frisky and Mannish: The College Years is the newest show from an extraordinary comedy duo - they never fail to produce a great show, and are both exceptionally musically talented and hilarious. More unmissable entertainment is sure to come from Showstopper! who improvise a musical. Each show the brilliant cast create a brand new musical on the spot, making every performance different and unique.

I stumbled across Udderbelly by chance a few weekends ago, while out on the Embankment with a few friends. We stopped to see what was on offer, and sat in the sunshine with a glass of cider each. It has a great atmosphere, and with free entry anyone can walk in and enjoy an event.

Shows on every day until 17 July, book here.

Puckoon at the Leicester Square Theatre

Spike Milligan is an acquired taste. On tour across Ireland, the audiences apparently loved his Puckoon and a few nights ago most of Leicester Square Theatre seemed to be chuckling away but I just didn’t get this play. The lead, Dan Milligan asks towards the end, “What is this play about anyway?” and I couldn’t help but wonder. I left completely confused!

This dingy comedy theatre is sandwiched between the cinemas and Chinatown. When we arrived there was a long queue outside eager to get in. Our seats were right at the front so I had ample space to spread out and get comfy. It soon became apparent that there is no real narrative to Puckoon, at least not one that is possible to discern, much like the Red Shoes it is a folktale though with less of a resonant message.

The muso-actors in Puckoon are multi-talented, each taking on a different character every minute. Paul Boyd sits by the piano (as the Writer) providing a running commentary and musical interludes throughout. I enjoyed the music and feel it adds another dimension to the piece. It is impressive to see such a large variety of instruments played including ukulele, flute, harmonica and percussion.

Six witty men make up the cast but the constant manic dashing about means it is difficult to concentrate on any one of them. Russell Morton is particularly engaging. I have seen him previously in Bent at the Tabard and was pleased to spot a familiar face amongst the mayhem. He displays real versatility and even managed occasionally to make me laugh.

A strange little play that will, I’m sure, amuse some audiences, but was unfortunately really not for me.

Puckoon continues until 27 March, book here.

As You Like It at The Roundhouse

After the solemn Julius Caesar last week I was glad to see a Shakespearian comedy at the Roundhouse, the chirpy ‘As You like It’. It is a witty play that examines different kinds of love.

The strong cast seem entirely comfortable in each other’s company, and have a buzzing chemistry as an ensemble. Interactions are acute and full of delicate nuances bringing the script to life. The set is minimal, especially in the first half; a startling bright white backdrop that makes the characters' humorous expressions jump out. After the interval the auditorium, and indeed the whole building is transformed into the yearning lover Orlando’s forest, echoing with desperate pleas for fair Rosalind to find him. Visually this is very effective, and imaginatively romantic.

Johjo O’Neill is dashing as the hopeful young paramour, Orlando, he reminded me of a young Bob Dylan, with scruffy brown locks, and a mischievous glint in his eye. As you enter the theatre he stands (in character), singing to passers by, seemingly unaware of all else around him, it is a nice touch. The music within the performance is sublime, particularly from Forbes Masson as Jaques, a mad soul who wanders aimlessly with a guitar, and looks remarkably like Bill Bailey. He sings with an astoundingly beautiful falsetto voice, and I couldn’t help thinking I would like to have his melancholic refrains on my ipod. The giggling cousins are played by Mariah Gale as Celia and Katy Stephens as Rosalind. There are some charming scenes together, as they spin round each other and fall about laughing. I particularly enjoyed Gale’s performance, she is dreamy and yet speaks with great elegance.

The play is long, especially for a comedy, and began to drag towards the end... this though is perhaps the fault of writer not director, if I am allowed to criticise Shakespeare(?). Eventually all wrongs are righted, and all rejoice, rather too enthusiastically I thought: they all looked a bit silly. Thankfully the rest of the show is rather more convincing and enjoyable.

As You Like It continues until 5 February 2011, book tickets here.

Frisky and Mannish at The Bloomsbury Theatre

I had a peek at Frisky and Mannish at Latitude Festival earlier this year; I couldn’t get more than a snatched look because their tent was overflowing with fans. I decided I would try and see them properly on the next F & M tour, and this I did. The final date of their tour took place in London at the Bloomsbury Theatre, a popular venue for established comedy acts. Frisky and Mannish presented The College Years, a sequel to their critically acclaimed debut ‘The School of Pop’.

The eccentric duo stormed the stage and immediately commanded the attention of the Bloomsbury audience. It was soon clear that many of my fellow audience members were seasoned F&M supporters, accustomed to the pair’s favourite tricks and jokes.

I would describe the act as a collage of songs with an injection of attitude and comedy. The College Years focuses on lessons about collision theory and grammatical errors in pop music, as well as some hilarious poptastic pairings, including Lily Allen with Noel Coward and Florence and the Machine with Peter Andre – Frisky belting out Florence (uncannily accurate) and Mannish taking on the role of ‘the machine’. The performance was polished and great fun to watch. There was some audience participation, but none so brutal that it was embarrassing, thank goodness!

Frisky and Mannish are brilliant comedians, but more than that they are very talented musicians, and this aspect makes their act unbearably addictive.

When we are Married at The Garrick Theatre

The Helliwells, the Soppitts and the Parkers were all married on the same day in the same chapel. Twenty-five years on they meet up to celebrate their joint wedding anniversaries together. Recreating the special moment is all going to plan until the local organist comes to deliver some shocking news: the minister who conducted the service was not authorised to do so and consequently they are all single and carefree.

The thick red curtain lifts to reveal a stunning Victorian sitting room setting (courtesy of Simon Higlett). The audience gasped in admiration. The play, When we are Married, is just over two hours long, but despite the length it feels slightly rushed towards the end, perhaps because the story is brought to an unsatisfactory, abrupt conclusion with little explanation.

The cast are strong and seem to enjoy frolicking about the Garrick stage. They seem to perfectly understand J.B Priestley’s wit and farcical naughtiness. Maureen Lipman is particularly thrilling to watch as the uptight Clara Soppitt. Her character undergoes a mortifying change as her newly unmarried husband realises he is no longer obliged to accept her bullying. The other star is Roy Hudd as the hysterical drunken photographer Henry Ormonroyd. He dances and sings with bounding joy seemingly unaware of what is going on around him. One last mention must go to Ruby Birtle who is a tour de force as the energetic maid Jodie McNee, she is absolutely hilarious to watch.

A most entertaining comedy - definitely worth going to see, Book here.

The 39 Steps 4th Birthday Show and Vintage Party

The Criterion Theatre was the place to be last Thursday night. I had a ball. John Buchan’s THE 39 STEPS celebrated its 4^th birthday in the West End, with an evening performance and a fabulous Vintage Party afterwards.

The Criterion in Piccadilly is an epic theatre, mostly below street level (you have to walk down several flights of stairs to get to the Stalls). The 39 Steps is a classic comedy, and hilarious for all the family. With the interval it lasts 1 hour 50 minutes, not too long and leaves you wanting more. David Bark-Jones is absolutely brilliant as Richard Hannay, he reminded me of a more quirky Ewan McGregor. The very talented Dianne Pilkington is in the spotlight as the leading lady, having previously starred as Glinda in Wicked. Timothy Speyer and Jeremy Swift make up the other half of the four person cast. In 100 minutes a mere four people tackle 139 characters. The two men between them cover a huge number of parts, their quick wit makes them irresistibly funny – I particularly enjoyed watching them as the Scottish couple who owned the hotel.

The 39 Steps goes into its 5^th year as the West End’s and New York’s longest-running comedy. It is an adaptation of the famous Hitchcock film, a murder mystery; the story follows the ordinary Richard Hannay on a mad chase from London to Scotland and back again. It has won numerous awards, including an Olivier in 2007 and two Tonys in 2008. It is no surprise, with jokes for all ages and a superb cast, this is a must see show.

The vintage party was just as good as the preceding production. Held in the beautiful art nouveau Greene Bar inside the Criterion Theatre, the order of the day was definitely "dress to impress". Guys and gals came in their best vintage gear and if you were embarrassingly unprepared (like me) there were clothes, scarves, gloves, hats on hand to try on and borrow for the night’s festivities. I chose a black fur cape and silk scarf, and some dainty little gloves too. Feeling a bit more the part, I wandered round picking up my tea cocktail, a stylish cupcake and had my photo taken. All in all it was a wonderful evening, Happy Birthday to THE 39 STEPS.