December Round-up: Theatre

Annie (WYP, 30/11/11 & 19/12/11)

I've now been fortunate enough to see the musical Annie twice through volunteering at the Playhouse, and I'm due to see it again before the year ends. I'm not sure I want to see it anymore than that, however much I enjoyed it, but as it doesn't finish until Jan 21st I may just be out of luck. Starring Duncan Preston and Verity Rushworth and a whole host of little girls, not least the star of the show, Annie, the show is a non-stop spectacle featuring some fantastic songs (Hard Knock Life, Tomorrow, Ease Street and New Deal for Christmas being highlights) with exciting special effects, inspired comedy and a thrilling baddie in the form of buxom Miss Hannigan. I feared this would be a cutesy, sugary girls-only affair so I was very pleased to enjoy the rather simple story with the fascinating, and historically resonant, depression-era setting with the references to US politicians Hoover and Roosevelt (the latter of whom is a supporting character!) adding unexpected depth.

Top Hat (The Grand, 05/12/11)

The day after Melanie C we were back in Leeds and at the theatre to see the new stage musical version of the old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat, starring Tom Chambers as a dancer caught up in a screwball farce involving mistaken identities and featuring some amazing dancing. To be honest I'd almost forgotten about this show inbetween all of the things I've been up to this week, which isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it at the time. It was a sweet confection, lacking in edge but soaked in nostalgia for old Hollywood. The dancing was first rate, some of the American accents less so (I'm looking at you Chambers), but the whole thing was shot through with so much fun I couldn't help but be swept up in it's old-fashioned charm.

The Mousetrap (St. Martin's Theatre, London, 08/12/11)
In London for the night, before catching the Eurostar to Brussels early next morning, we hunted and ran through buckets of rain and made it to the theatre with nary a minute to spare to see the longest running drama in the history of the medium. Our third Agatha Christie play, following Witness for the Prosecution and Verdict, we picked The Mousetrap as our London show of choice because it's one of those you don't think about, plus it was cheaper than some of the bigger, gaudier shows - and now we learn it's to tour next year! The drama takes place over 2 days at the Monkswell Manor guest house and is as classic a 'whodunnit' as you're likely to see. Someone has already been murdered before the play begins, and one of the 8 characters, the owners and guests at the Manor plus Sergeant Trotter, is offed at the end of Act 1. Christie's genius comes in the addition of so many red herrings, double-dealings and suspicious machinations that your opinion of who might have done it changes from moment to moment. I won't spoil the ending, as the murderer requests after the cast take their bows, suffice to say that I honestly did suspect the person more towards the end, but it took some false starts to get there. There's nothing overly clever or show-offy about The Mousetrap, it's a confidently written, perfectly performed little drama that uses the longevity of the performance and the mystery of culprit to create a wonderful theatre experience.