Morning:
11°c
London faces a wave of bus and Tube strikes that could cause chaos for millions of passengers as unions walkout over pay and conditions
More...
An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Bruce Dessau's rating
Reader rating
Concerted effort: Dame Edna, with conductor Carl Davis in the background
It was certainly a notable spectacle in all sorts of ways. From the massed ranks of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra filling the stage to the extravagant black, sparkly-winged glasses sported by Dame Edna Everage. Somehow, though, this ambitious revival of a performance here 28 years ago never took flight.
Yet it started so well. After a sweeping overture conducted by Carl Davis, Barry Humphries appeared in the guise of Sir Les Patterson, cultural attaché extraordinaire, dribbling more than a Roy Hattersley Spitting Image puppet. Patterson is a magnificent monster and his 75-year-old creator was on filthily fine form, insulting the stony-faced Sheilas in the front row and boorishly berating latecomers.
The problems began when Patterson introduced a piece of music entitled Peter and the Shark — apologies to both Prokofiev and Jaws. The juxtaposition of his gloriously coarse-grained humour and the story of one man’s encounter with nature, via cameos from dingos and kookaburras, sat uneasily together.
It was left to Dame Edna in a salmon-red sequined frock to sail to the rescue after the interval, but the same problem ensued. After a brilliant spell of banter in which the housewife “giga-star” skewered hedge fund managers reduced to sitting in the cheap seats, more oratorio intruded again.
The theme here was Australian history, as classical orchestrations accompanied Everage, who drearily dragged us from Captain Cook to Kylie Minogue. It was only the contrastingly comical interruptions that sustained interest. A spoof call from Camilla was deftly cut short — “I’m sorry, I’ve got people”.
First the Ashes, now this. It has not been a good summer for visiting Australians. It was unsurprising that some Sheilas were exiting before the end, probably wanting more mockery, less music.
An encore of gladioli-chucking cheered the mood a little. Everage claimed they were aphrodisiacs: “Sellotape them to the affected parts.”
Unfortunately it needed more than newly picked flowers to leave this show smelling fresh.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
