REVIEW - Bull, at the Young Vic

FOUR STARS

Max Bennett as Tony and Marc Wootton as Thomas in Bull 

at the Young Vic. Credit Manuel Harlan

THE corporate world and the bullying that goes on within it is under the spotlight in a revival of Mike Bartlett's fantastic play Bull.

The production, put on at the Young Vic earlier in 2015 is now back there on the Waterloo theatre's Maria stage and is 55 minutes of often painful viewing.

It is played out in a boxing ring alongside which the audience stands and within which three office workers await their fate from their boss Carter who is looking to get rid of one of them.

It is glaringly obvious from the minute he comes on stage that it is Thomas who is the target for being made redundant and he is mercilessly pursued by his colleagues Tony and Isobel.

Verbal punches thrown with precision, they are like exocet missiles in their relentless destruction of what remains of Thomas's self esteem, self confidence, ability and character.

It is distressing to watch but at the same time not something you can easily take your eyes off.

Eventually after prowling around the stage and disorientating their prey, the lions that they are have ripped him to shreds and he lies utterly broken in a pool of water.

Despite the cruelty which his co-workers inflict on Thomas, this razor-sharp piece is full of dark humour and is a thrilling and gripping production.

Brilliantly written it is also superbly acted by Max Bennett and Susannah Fielding as Tony and Isobel who make life hell for Thomas and Nigel Lindsay as Carter.

But the evening belongs to Marc Wootton as Thomas who desperately tries and ultimately fails to cling on to his job and his self esteem.

Thought provoking and hard hitting, this is a superb production.

Bull is on at the Young Vic until January 16. Visit www.youngvic.org/ or call the box office on 020 7922 2922.

REVIEW - The Lorax, Old Vic

FIVE STARS

"I AM the Lorax! I speak for the trees". That is the proclamation of the Lorax, a beaver like animal with a fabulous moustache and extra long arms and who is the environmental campaigner in Dr Seuss's book of the same name.

His story, written in 1971, has provided the inspiration for a musical interpretation adapted by David Greig and brought to the Old Vic stage by director Max Webster.

And they have done a great job. For they have taken this classic tale, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes to read, and spun it into one which has been embellished with both extra text and music to make a show of about two hours.

The Lorax is a somewhat cantankerous chap who is on a mission to save and protect the earth from greedy people like the Once-ler and his family.

He lives in a forest full of Truffula trees which bears a fruit which the Once-ler has discovered can be used to make thneeds - oddly shaped things that have a variety of uses.

Unfortunately for the Lorax and his animal chums, the market for these thneeds increases and so does the chopping of trees until there is nothing left except a factory, pollution and crucially, nowhere for the animals to live and breathe.

The show is just glorious. Full of invention, colour and plenty of razzle dazzle it blends puppetry, songs and theatrical wizardry with all the eccentricity and humour from the book to make it fit for all the family.

Puppeteers Simon Lipkin, Ben Thompson and Laura Cubitt bring the orange coloured Lorax wonderfully to life where even the subtlest gestures are beautifully executed.

Elsewhere puppeteers are responsible for a trio of hilarious open mouthed dancing fish, yellow-coloured flying swans and the vibrantly coloured trees.

There are also three dark red bears who show off their acrobatic skills, a donkey and swan ballerinas.

Clad in green, Simon Paisley-Day is a jovial Once-ler whose conscience is caught between the environmental aims of the Lorax and the greed of his family.

Ultimately greed wins but at the detriment to the forest and its inhabitants who slope off stage with heads bowed.

It is a cautionary tale, which despite the hilarity, fun and frolics of the piece, is kept very much at the front of what is a wonderful production.

The Lorax is at the Old Vic, The Cut, Waterloo until Saturday, January 16. Tickets from £12. Visit www.oldvictheatre.com/ or call the box office on 0844 871 7628.

REVIEW - Cymbeline, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

FOUR stars

ANYONE who hasn’t been to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse really should. The smaller sibling to the Globe is a thing of beauty, and even more so when illuminated by candles.

It is currently hosting a season of Shakespeare's late plays and with which Dominic Dromgoole has chosen to end his 10-year tenure as artistic director of the Bankside theatre.

The second in the season is Cymbeline and for anyone not familiar with the piece, there is a lot going on!

There are lost children, a cross dressing heroine, a decapitated man, lies, deception, travel, banishment, war, trust issues and a lot more besides.

In a nutshell, Innogen, daughter of King Cymbeline, has secretly married Posthumous, something which angers her father and wicked stepmother as they had planned to marry her off to her step brother Cloten.

Postumous is exiled to Italy and there he boasts about his wife’s virtue and her beauty. The villainous Iachimo decides this is too good to leave alone and lays a wager on her fidelity.

And it seems he will stop at nothing to prove that Innogen has been unfaithful, even stealing into her bedroom in a trunk and ravishing her with his eyes, something that in this production is utterly creepy.

When Innogen finds out Posthumous thinks she has betrayed him with Iachimo, she fleas to the woods, dresses up as a boy and takes refuge in a cave. Unbeknownst to her it is inhabited by her two brothers who had been lost 20 years previously.

In typical Shakespeare fashion, there follows plenty of too-ing and fro-ing between characters - not least the scene in which Innogen, disguised as a boy, wakes up to find herself lying next to a headless corpse who she mistakenly believes to be her husband - before order is restored.

It is a somewhat complex play but this production directed by Sam Yates is a gem with the humour brought out to great effect.

Globe regular Christopher Logan as the physician Cornelius is a delight and really plays to the gallery.

Eugene O’Hare is suitably creepy as the villain Iachimo and Jonjo O’Neill and Emily Barber are great as Posthumous and Innogen.

Cymbeline is at the Sam Wanamker Playhouse, Bankside until April 21. Tickets from £10. Visit www.shakespearesglobe.com or call the box office on 020 7401 9919.

REVIEW - Funny Girl at the Menier Chocolate Factory

FIVE STARS

IT hasn't been staged in London for almost 50 years but now the Menier Chocolate Factory has revived musical Funny Girl and it's an absolute cracker.

Directed by Michael Mayer and starring Sheridan Smith it tells the story of 1920s Jewish girl Fanny Brice who while she may not have the model looks, she is determined to be a success on the Broadway stage.

Through guts, hard knocks and a not inconsiderable amount of chutzpah she rose from the Lower East Side of New York to achieve her goal of becoming the star of the Ziegfeld Follies and along the way catches the eye of conman Nicky Arnstein.

They fall in love and get married but in the end their love is doomed because of his gambling and her trying to bail him out all the time.

Although the story is a bit flimsy and lacks depth, it is one full of humour and poignancy and this is a classy production.

It has a great set with two almost constantly moving travelators, opulent costumes and packs in what could be seen as a large cast onto the small Menier stage.

The score too, by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill, features an aray of memorable numbers not least People, Don't Rain On My Parade and You Are Woman, I Am Man.

The entire cast is superb. Sheridan Smith is utterly fabulous as Fanny and really makes the part her own. Indeed she brings her character alive with a glorious combination of comic timing, vulnerability and a beautiful singing voice - not to mention her "36 facial expressions".

Her renditions of People and Don't Rain On My Parade were wonderfully done and the whole piece was performed with incredible energy and enthusiasm.

She also lays to rest the spectre of Barbara Streisand whose performance as Fanny Brice in the 1960s propelled her to fame.

Smith is ably supported by Darius Campbell as the flawed Nicky and Joel Montague as her childhood friend Eddie Ryan.

Other highlights are the three card-playing ladies - Gay Soper, Valda Aviks and Marilyn Cutts as Fanny's mum - who are hilarious and full of joie de vivre.

Funny Girl is on at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Southwark Street until March 5 and then at teh Savoy Theatre from April 8. Visit www.menierchocolatefactory.com or call the box office on 020 7378 1713 for full listings.

REVIEW - Slava's Snowshow

FIVE STARS

MAGICAL is the only word to describe Slava's Snowshow. This amazing spectacle, which is back at the Southbank Centre for a fifth year, is beautiful, colourful and imersive. It is also funny, poignant, engaging and oodles of fun.

The show, which has been wowing audiences around the world for the past 20 years, was conceived by Slava Polunin.

It features about seven clowns all but one of whom are dressed in long grey overcoats with hats to match, extra long shoes and bright red noses.

The other one, who is on stage most of the time, is dressed in what looks like a yellow baby gro. He doesn't wear a hat but sports red fluffy shoes and a red nose.

But what the show is exactly is a tricky one to answer because it doesn't fit any particular genre. It's not panto, although there are elements of panto, it's not dance, although there are certainly elements there too and it's not a circus show, although it is performed by clowns who create mischief and mayhem and make us laugh out loud.

By and large they do not utter a sound although it is all set to a musical score that is both hauntingly beautiful and varied - ranging from pop to classical.

It is also not a magic show despite there being some fantastic magical moments. It is perhaps a combination of all of them and it makes for a superb theatrical experience.

There are various scenes which all connect with one another and show a childlike voyage of discovery which is utterly charming.

One of the best scenes was when the yellow-dressed clown had a conversation with himself via two big, fluffy telephones. Another was when he had an emotional relationship with a coat on a hat stand.

Gestures are subtle and even the raising of an eyebrow had the audience laughing one minute and gasping the next.

Other highlights include the audience being sprayed with water as the clowns roam amongst us, being shrouded in a giant cobweb, playing with some enormous coloured balloons and being caught in a blizzard.

Beautifully choreographed and crafted it is a fabulous show and a treat from start to finish.

Slava's Snowshow is on at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre until January 3. Tickets cost from £20. Visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk or call the box office on 020 7960 4200.