Category Archives: Theatre

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’

Posted on September 21, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Behind the glass of her all-seeing booth, Nurse Ratched’s honeyed voice whispers a single word into the public address system: “Medication.” It sends a chill down the spine as the insidious power of Ken Kesey’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', Brendan Dempsey, Christian Slater, Dale Wasserman, Frances Barber, Gielgud Theatre, Ken Kesey, Lizzie Roper, Mackenzie Crook, Max Weitzenhoffer, Nica Burns, Stephen K Amos, Tamara Harvey, Terry Johnson | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’

Posted on July 12, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – A shaggy dog story needs a captivating storyteller if it’s not to founder, and “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum” is the shaggiest. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum', Burt Shevelove Larry Gilbert, Desmond Barrit, Edward Hall, National Theatre, Stephen Sondheim | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Simon Gray’s ‘The Old Masters’

Posted on July 2, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Few things are more entertaining on stage or screen than watching two heavyweight actors match wits playing characters whose expertise is sublime duplicity. Peter Bowles and Edward Fox (pictured) go head to head in Simon … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'The Old Masters', Barbara Jefford, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Edward Fox, Harold Pinter, Peter Bowles, Sally Dexter, Simon Gray, Steven Pacey | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Beautiful and Damned’ musical

Posted on June 15, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Such is the current taste for musicals built around well-known pop songs that one with larger ambitions, such as “Beautiful and Damned,” comes as a surprise. If what you seek from a musical is to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Beautiful and Damned', Craig Revel Horwood, Helen Anker, Kit Hesketh Harvey, Les, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, Michael Praed, Reed, Roger Cook | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Frank Loesser’s ‘Guys and Dolls’

Posted on June 2, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Movie star Ewan McGregor has chosen well for his West End musical debut as Frank Loesser’s American classic “Guys and Dolls” spreads the heavy lifting across the entire cast and director Michael Grandage has assembled … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Guys and Dolls', Abe Burrows, Damon Runyon, Donmar Warehouse, Douglas Hodge, Ewan McGregor, Frank Loesser, Jane Krakowski, Jenna Russell, Jo Swerling, Michael Grandage, Piccadilly Theatre, Rob Ashford | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Marivaux’s ‘The False Servant’

Posted on June 2, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – It’s not just the servants who are false in this sleek and entertaining story of sexual intrigue in that elegant segment of French society known for its dangerous liaisons. Martin Crimp has updated Pierre de … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'The False Servant', Adrian Scarborough, Anthony Calf, Charlotte Rampling, David Collings, David Shaw-Parker, Jonathan Kent, Martin Crimp, Nancy Carroll, Pierre de Chamblain de Marivaux | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Stephen Rea in ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’

Posted on May 11, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – There are many things that need to be right in a production of “Cyrano de Bergerac” and among the most essential, right off, is Cyrano’s nose. If we don’t buy the poet’s prominent proboscis, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Cyrano de Bergerac', Derek Mahon, Edmond Rostand, Howard Davies, Stephen Rea | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Pirandello’s ‘Henry IV’

Posted on May 6, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – It’s a not so fine madness that has an unnamed present day Italian aristocrat believing for 20 years he is the medieval German King Henry IV in Luigi Pirandello’s steely fable, here in a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Henry IV', David Yelland, Francesca Annis, Ian McDiarmid, Luigi Pirandello, Michael Grandage, Tom Stoppard | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Jailhouse Rock The Musical’

Posted on May 4, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Elvis Presley was crowned the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll but few would argue that Little Richard did not have a more legitimate claim to the throne. The point is illustrated, more by accident than … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Jailhouse Rock The Musical', Charlie Rich, Elvis Presley, Giles Terera, Mario Kombou | Comments Off

THEATRE REVIEW: Ben Whishaw in Trevor Nunn’s ‘Hamlet’

Posted on April 28, 2004 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Trevor Nunn’s breathtaking new production of “Hamlet” sees the Danish prince as James Dean in “East of Eden,” an immature and deeply torn young man whose love for his father and conflicted feelings for his … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Theatre | Tagged 'Hamlet', Ben Whishaw, Imogen Stubbs, Rory Kinnear, The Old Vic, Trevor Nunn, William Shakespeare | Comments Off