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**RENT runs at the Cockpit theatre in Marylebone, London on selected dates until 10 November. The band itself whilst mostly impressive really suffered for not having an acoustic drum-kit – and too many numbers seemed to rely on pre-recorded tracks.īut none of that detracted from an enjoyable evening and lets hope a proper West End revival of RENT may soon be on the cards. This was certainly not helped by most mic cues being missed, meaning each characters first lines were almost always inaudible. It was heavily amplified, which for such a small space simply erected a barrier between the audience and the performers. There were some problems with the show, particularly in the sound department. Although they couldn’t quite make Contact work – it seemed a little rushed – the funeral scene that followed was suitably moving. Tori Allen-Martin as Mimi was strong throughout – and Without You was quite beautiful.
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Any section that included John Mccrea’s Angel was simply a delight to watch – such an important piece of casting, which other productions have got wrong. La Vie Boheme was a riot, although the makeshift table (a combination of the aforementioned palettes and milk crates) looked moments away from collapsing into disaster, which added a certain frisson to the number.
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This production didn’t quite work out how to tackle this problem, but it didn’t mean that there weren’t standout moments in both halves. The seating is in a square minus 1 side so no bad seats as such with just a plain black square for performances. Watched a play about Palestinian identity issues which was interesting and moving.
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RENT is by no means a perfect musical, the first act is far too long and too full of exposition with the full emotional punch saved for act two. Hidden little place even London black cab driver had never heard of it.
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Ambra Caserotti’s Joanne also impressed – leading to a particularly enjoyable Tango Maureen – Mark and Joanne’s duet. Gay Speed Dating in Soho (Ages 21-45) Tuesday 7th June 2022. Price £16 in advance or £18 on the door Get ready for one of London’s best-loved festive institutions coming north of the river Bring along someone in need of a good rolling-on-the-floor-laughing fit Surf to Tickets See you at The Cockpit Running until 23rd December, The Royal Vauxhall Tavern’s 2015 panto is set for a re-erection at The Cockpit. Will Bradnam really shone as campaigning filmmaker Mark Cohen, his strong voice and compelling acting belied his lack of experience – this is his first production since graduating. I am not sure it is worth travelling the distance for, but as a try out provided lessons are learned maybe someday it will.Will Bradnam (Mark) and Ambra Casarotti (Joanne). There were far too many moments when all one sees are backs. The set is charming and the lighting effective but director Scott Alan really has to grasp that if you stage something in the round you must keep your cast on the move so that they perform to all four corners of the globe. Ms Jacobs as the slightly more mature Lesbian comes off best, possibly because she gets the better songs, even if she does end up, a Lesbian no more, with Mr John-Wilson now an alcoholic reformed. Emma Hatton belts out her audition number splendidly, Alexia Khadime is impressive as the impregnated lesbian, and Andy Coxon and Adrian Hansel make the gay romance very amusing to follow, while as the man on the downward slope Dean John-Wilson warbles very well indeed and gets his shirt taken off in a dream sequence surrounded by masked furies revealing a six pack as well toned as his vocal chords. We meet a girl auditioning for a role in a musical, two gay guys who fall in love, get married and decide to have a baby, a couple of lesbians whose affair does not prosper – later one gets pregnant and guess who gets the baby – and a mournful man with a drink problem. Well played though the music is there is just so much cat gut scraping one can take. Things are not helped by the accompaniment of piano and a violin. The songs, with possibly the exception of His Name, an amusing point number about a girl who has forgotten the name of last night’s lover and since her using it excited him cannot call him again, performed with verve by Jodie Jacobs, are mostly to be lachrymose in the extreme. There is no reason to want to find out what happens to the random collection of people who assemble in a park and whose paths may or may not cross. The problem is, however one regards the songs, some of which Scott Alan has used elsewhere, by calling it a song cycle he has avoided having a book. Let’s be quite clear, that third star is for the talented cast who work their cotton socks off to bring this ultimately rather dreary journey to a successful conclusion.
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TICKETS: 020 7258 William Russell 19 October. The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH to 28 October 2018.