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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
Phone: 020 7589 3203
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
