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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Bruce Dessau's rating
Reader rating
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Website: www.trbc.co.uk
And now for something slightly different. Having conquered the stage with Spamalot Eric Idle returned to London on Friday to mark Monty Python’s fortieth birthday with more musical back catalogue-milking, this time reviving his oratorio inspired by The Life of Brian, aided by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and all of his surviving colleagues except John Cleese. Not the Full Monty then, but oddly entertaining, from the bombastic opening theme courtesy of Sousa to the Lumberjack Song encore, courtesy of Michael Palin.
In fact it was comedy’s nicest man who stole the proceedings with numerous cameos. One felt sorry for the impeccably skilled singers, Shannon Mercer, William Ferguson, Rosalind Plowright and Christopher Purves, regularly upstaged by passing Pythons.
Palin donned a toga to recreate his lisping Pontius Pilate, Terry Jones sported a miner’s helmet for the stirring pitmen parody Take Us Home and Terry Gilliam got a hero’s welcome for merely intoning “I’m Not” in response to the chorus of “We’re all individuals.”
If the music, co-written with John Du Prez, was impressively eclectic, pastiching everyone from Dylan to Handel, the plot was more muddled. If one had never seen the controversial movie, regularly voted the funniest film of all time, one might have struggled to follow the satirical tale of Brian Cohen, mistakenly proclaimed the people’s champion even though his mother says he is just a very naughty boy.
That did not matter, of course. The faithful full house could have probably recited the dialogue by heart. So simply hearing “What have the Romans ever done for us?” was enough to make the walls of the Albert Hall rattle.
Very slickly produced and very lavish, it certainly felt like a 24-carat event, yet also like a curious digression rather than something that will outlive the boxed sets.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
I went to the "not the messiah" production on Friday 23rd Oct with no preconceived ideas of what to expect.
Some audience members pushed the boat out and dressed up as D P Gumby possibly because they bought front row seats.
Others I noted were a Frenchman and an explorer together and some long bearded "gentlemen" ? waiting for a stoning perhaps.
Before the show started and after the intermission someone shouted "Albatross" (an audience member) but should have been performed by one of the team without spoiling the show.
The atmosphere was pretty good although there were posted notices requesting that no cameras not even mobiles were to be used.
Luckily I bought a show guide because the Oratorio was performed by excellent opera voices and so some of the words hard to make out but these were almost ver-betem in the guide.
Brilliant orchestra and chorus that delivered perfect timing to the many jokes.
The cameos from the guests were small and in one case bordering on subliminal with I think only 3 words spoken pythonesque.
Michael Palin started as Mrs Betty Parkinson and returned for 3 more parts and as a Canadian lumberjack as an encore.
Pity John Cleese snubbed the show as a parrot sketch would have lifted the roof.
Very enjoyable on the whole but pricey, I paid £110 direct from RAH.
Worth going to see if they decide to repeat this but no need wasting your money on a front row seat, in fact anywhere in the arena would do.
Tim Smith
- Tim Smith, Telford UK
LOVE LOVE LOVE The Pythons. They can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.
- Janicebyrne, sussex
