Falling Stars, The Union Theatre (online) - ★★★★ - November 22-29, 2020


"Smile" was one of Charlie Chaplin's best-loved songs, and it is with a smile that we welcomed Falling Stars – a charming musical revue inspired by finding an album of old songs in an antique shop. Peter Polycarpou writes, sings and tells anecdotes about well known and long forgotten songwriters active in the 1920s, and he is joined in this venture by another West End star, Sally Ann Triplett. Both artistes perform beautifully, individually and together. With their bursts of comedy and delightful song and dance numbers, like "Yes! We Have No Bananas" and "Tea for Two", they also manage to create real interaction with the invisible audience. Aficionados of the Great American Songbook won't find many surprises here but they will find plenty to enjoy. The balance of the popular and the unfamiliar is just right with quite an emphasis on the music of Chaplin. Immaculate staging by Michael Strassen, top-class lighting from Andrew Exeter, plus some excellent camera angles and editing, combine with Mark Dickman's sympathetic accompaniment to make the sixty minutes whizz by. In these days of streamed shows, this one really hits the mark and has a properly theatrical ambience. Throughout the production there is a heart-warming feeling, great joie de vivre and plenty of variety. Peter Polycarpou gets the “eleven o'clock number” just right with a lovely rendition of "Roses of Picardy" and the show ends wistfully with the evocative "What'll I Do". What we suggest you do is catch the very classy Falling Stars while you can.

Reviewed by D.S.J.
Photo by Paul Nicholas Dyke.

 Our Score:  ☆☆☆☆ 

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE:
November 22-29, 2020
The Union Theatre (online)
Various show times available at:
https://www.stream.theatre/home

Most Popular

Bliss ★★★★ Finborough Theatre | May 17 - Jun 11, 2022

Image
Bliss is Fraser Grace's theatrical adaptation of the short story, The River Potudan , by Russian writer, Andrey Platonov. It is the tale of Nikita, a young soldier, who returns to his village home after the Russian Civil War. It is 1921, and he seeks to resume his pre-war life, courting a young medical student, Lyuba, and trying to re-establish himself in the world he once knew. However, his dream is dashed by both his own demons and the external forces unleashed in the conflict he has participated in. Ostensibly a story about post-traumatic stress syndrome, Nikita's struggle also serves as a grim parable of Russian history. Written in 1937, Platonov's story exposes the loss of idealism that followed Lenin's triumph and underlines all the horrors of Stalin's takeover of the revolution. Jesse Rutherford is positively haunting in his portrayal of Nikita, the once idealistic young man who is reduced to unfeeling impassivity, while Bess Roche does a terrific job of cap
Full Details »

Orlando ★★★★★ Jermyn Street Theatre | Apr 28 - May 28, 2022

Image
Admirers of Virginia Woolf will adore this adaptation of her whimsical Orlando . Woolf's romp through 500 years of history with her writer protagonist changing from male to female along the way looks at the historical construction of gender while cunningly considering its very definition. The work is also a rather playful love note to Vita Sackville-West and has a lightness of tone which is not easy to capture. However, Sarah Ruhl's reworking manages to hit just the right note. The mischievous humour and subtle sting of Woolf's original are beautifully reimagined. Similarly, director, Stella Powell-Jones, succeeds in walking the difficult line of creating empathy for characters who are by definition fanciful inventions while sustaining interest in a story that is gossamer thin. The whole cast are strong and get into the spirit of the piece with performances that have elements of mime and märchen. Taylor McClaine is an effervescent Orlando who brings a delightfully Peter Pan
Full Details »

Love Is Only Love ★★★★★ The Other Palace | Apr 29 - May 15, 2022

Image
Are the answers to love and life to be found in the film Hello Dolly ? This and other vital questions are all answered in this charming, feel-good musical about a young man growing up gay and searching for love. This is a story as simple and sweet as that of an old-style Broadway musical, and the usual conflict and trauma of the gay bildungsroman are absent. The power of Love Is Only Love comes from its humour, its resonance with many gay peoples' experience, and some superb performances. Sam, played by Sam Harrison grows up in a home that accepts his sexual orientation, but that doesn't mean that life is without anxiety or that the search for romance is free of complication. Harrison is incredibly likeable and does a terrific job of making us believe in his character. It is not easy for an adult to play a child credibly, and Harrison's dance performance as the young Sam is simply perfect. He radiates pride in his childlike attempts, and when we laugh it is never at him. S
Full Details »

Alright Bitches! ★★★★ Above The Stag Theatre | May 11 - Jun 4, 2022

Image
Vacations are a chance to get away from it all and also an opportunity to let it all hang out. This is a very funny holiday story of gay men heading off to Gran Canaria for the time of their lives. There are enough bitchy remarks to put any self-respecting dog kennel to shame and more hilarious put downs than any staged wrestling match. However, the supposed escape from everyday life can also provide time for things that have been under the surface to be revealed and might force one to confront some previously ignored realities. Beneath all the double entendres, Alright Bitches! touches on some of the complex issues that affect gay people and particularly the questions of gay community. Acceptance can be a double-edged sword and the escape from the ghetto might also be a loss of a support system. Friends Max (Josiah Eloi) and Garth (Daniel Breakwell) have a friendship underpinned by complementary insecurities, while Ollie (Marcus J Foreman) and Jason (Wilson Armour) have an intergener
Full Details »

Five Characters in Search of a Good Night’s Sleep ★★★★ Southwark Playhouse | Apr 27 - May 21, 2022

Image
The title says it all. These are five monologues delivered by characters who are apparently suffering from insomnia. They are five very different people, but they all endure the same malady and in doing so they have time to recount their memories, regrets, fears and aspirations. Helen (Sally Knyvette) is a middle class woman who is self-contained and house proud; Bill (Vincenzo Nicoli) is a gentle chef with a romantic nature; Hugo (Gary Lilburn) is an Irish sculptor who as a child was abandoned by his father; Terry (Geraldine Alexander) is a woman who has lost a child and is now a caregiver for her own mother; Harvey (Andrew Hawkins) is a left-wing teacher who has been sacked from his job. All of the characters have interesting stories and all of the actors do absolutely first rate jobs at bringing them to life. Indeed, the quality of the acting is what makes this an exceptional production. However for us, the writing and construction of the work did not always rise to the high standar
Full Details »

Dreamgirls ★★★★★ New Wimbledon Theatre | May 9 - 14, 2022

Image
Dreamgirls is a piercing look at the heart of the American music industry. Behind all the glamour and amazing songs, people are exploited, the public is manipulated and dreams are destroyed. Yet, it is also a story of black and female empowerment, the development of unforgettable music, an expression of sheer energy and total joy. The American Dream of success and celebrity is simultaneously exposed and exalted. In this latest production, all the despair and exuberance are wonderfully captured by a cast led by Nicole Raquel Dennis who manages to rise to the ranks of the great artists who have previously performed the role of Effie White, while also making the part her own. Her renditions of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "I Am Changing" deservedly brought down the house. Paige Peddie is both hilarious and moving as Lorrell Robinson whose dream is to find love, but who, in the end, when finally exhausted by the inconstancy of Brandon Lee Sears' Jim
Full Details »

German Cornejo’s Wild Tango ★★★ Sadler's Wells Peacock Theatre | May 12 - 21, 2022

Image
This is a tango show plus! German Cornejo's Wild Tango has elements of break dancing and aerial work plus some terrific examples of the Argentinian national dance itself. The production also goes back to the origins of tango by presenting a lot of same sex dancing which has an authenticity and athleticism that is often quite breathtaking. German Cornejo himself with partner, Gisela Galeassi, were absolutely sublime in their sequences together and the rest of the company constantly amazed us with their nimbleness and gravity defying feats. Unfortunately, the show's costumes do not always work to display the talents and skillfulness of the dancers, with the dress decisions sometimes distracting from, rather than complementing, the performances. The use of gaucho-like trousers in one sequence simply obscures the dazzling footwork that is taking place. There is also a problem with the lighting throughout. Frequently it seems unnecessarily dark, concealing the stunning terpsichorea
Full Details »

La Bohème ★★★★★ King's Head Theatre | Apr 26 - May 28, 2022

Image
Lovers of Puccini's classic opera and those unfamiliar with the work will both find lots to like in this very clever recontextualising of the story. This pared down version cuts some of the characters from the original and introduces a contemporary twist with Robin (Daniel Koek) falling in love with Mimi, also known as Lucas (Philip Lee). Both do quite splendid jobs as the doomed lovers, and we were surprised at how well the duets worked with two male voices. Koek's version of "Che gelida manina" and Lee's "Mi chiamano Mimì" were absolutely delightful. These familiar arias also worked very well in their new English translation, and we thoroughly enjoyed all of the updated libretto. As originally conceived by David Eaton and Adam Spreadbury-Maher and reworked by Philip Lee and David Eaton, there is a puckish humour in this telling of the story that perfectly offsets the tale of ill-fated passion. Matt Kellett as Marcus and Grace Nyandoro as Marissa both c
Full Details »

Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show ★★★★★ Richmond Theatre | May 23 - 28, 2022

Image
If you've ever wondered about the appeal of this cult classic, the current production will definitely answer any questions!  Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show is a manically delightful evening in the theatre. Ore Oduba and Haley Flaherty are simply perfect as the naïve young Brad and Janet whose car breaks down and who then stumble into a world of questionable pastimes and forbidden pleasures. Oduba's rendition of "Dammit Janet," supplemented by the obligatory audience commentary, sets the tone for a hilarious rollercoaster of a night. From that point on, we are off and running, and the pace never flags as the horror/science fiction narrative bewilders and bemuses. Some of the funniest ripostes come from the audience itself, but the Narrator, Philip Franks, contributes a superb commentary, laced with some pithy comments about the contemporary political situation, that adds to the mayhem. Lauren Ingram as Columbia does a quite brilliant comic mime, and Suzie
Full Details »

Space Station Earth ★★★★ Royal Albert Hall | May 15, 2022

Image
Space Station Earth combines original music by Ilan Eshkeri with images from the International Space Station to create an experience that seeks to offer the audience a new perspective on our planet and our place in the universe. The concert is preceded by a discussion between the composer and British, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, Tim Peake. Peake talks about approaching Eshkeri with the idea for the project and about his own experiences travelling to the Space Station and living there. He does a terrific job of communicating his enthusiasm for space travel and for this collaborative effort which seeks to share that adventure. The concert itself strives to immerse the listener/spectator in the myriad of feelings provoked by a voyage into space. As Eshkeri notes "There are so many facts and figures about travelling to the International Space Station, but no one has ever told the emotional journey that astronauts go on." Eshkeri's lush and uplifting composition wh
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings