As You Like It – @sohoplace Theatre – Saturday 7th January 2023

(Rated 7/5) As We Liked It – I would say – more than words can possibly express – I’d love to learn the arguably superior to words Shakespearean Sign Language (SSL) as developed by BSL consultant Nadeem Islam in collaboration with Rose Ayling-Ellis (playing Celia) and Gabriella Leon (playing Audrey) together with associate director Katie-Ann McDonough for their performances in this production – to express the sheer delight, joy, laughter, intense feelings of being utterly moved, heightened excitement, and plain awe – if awe can be plain – at what we were witnessing! This play seems to often be dismissed by those in the know – although as will become apparent – what do they know?! – as one of Shakespeare’s weaker comedies. It is judged to be a little lame in plot and of course with the usual mistaken-identities comedy device, he seemed to use in – well – all of his comedies as well as it trickling into some of his other plays. But, in this truly wonderful production by extremely accomplished director Josie Rourke, the mistaken-identities business is interpreted to its most rich. The casting of this show – yes it really is a show not just a play – couldn’t be more diverse and inclusive. Fantastic actors and performers from all creeds and colours and gender identities – he, she, they and not necessarily I’m sure those they were given at birth – as well as sexualities I’d imagine – even though the play does still ‘require’ for one pairing at least, the preference for each individual to be a member of the opposite gender. I am aware that I have a tendency in my reviews to say ‘this is the best ever bla bla…’ and here I go again: this is the best ensemble performance I think I have ever seen! And so, I will take you to the beginning: The audience were all sitting in our seats ready for the drama to commence, when a man who I thought had come from the audience, walked up to the piano and played some notes! Uumm, whaatt? Well the fact that the captions on the four screens showed the notes being played gave me the answer that, ok, yes, this is not a member of the audience randomly walking on stage – a pretty easy mistake to make as you have to walk on a bit of the stage to get to your seats if you’re in the stalls. The fact that he was actually a performer himself was confirmed when he put on the jacket – complete with beautifully Elizabethan ruff – now we know what time we are entering into – and properly took us all along with him into the play. This man turned out to be the music composer – as well as pianist – his name Michael Bruce. Oh, my goodness a name to remember! And he didn’t just play the piano – well ok yes in essence he did – but he reacted brilliantly to all the other cast members – as though he was another character – which effectively he was though not one created by Shakespeare himself as far as we know. The music from the midi piano – I have it on good authority that that’s a piano which can be kind of pre-programmed so a section of music can be produced by simply hitting one switch – was the most enchanting player in this show. And at its sound along came the entire cast onto the stage to open the show with joy and merriment. (I happily saw Rose Ayling-Ellis – you never know when one of the key reasons for choosing to go to something may be absent and you’d get the understudy instead.) A candelabra on the piano together with an impressive chandelier – both with real candles – and the dress of those present guided us into the opening scenes in the court of Duke Frederick (Tom Edden). So, then what happens? Well following some playful – between heroin Rosalind (Leah Harvey) and her cousin Frederick’s daughter Celia (Rose Ayling-Ellis) and not-so-playful - between hero Orlando (Alfred Enoch) and his brother Oliver (Ben Wiggins) - wrestling and interactions establishing the key characters and their relationships, Rosalind, Celia and court fool, Touchstone (Tom Mison) decide to flee to the forest of Arden with Rosalind disguised as a young man and Celia as a poor lady as Frederick has become angry with his niece Rosalind. Rosalind’s father – the exiled Duke Senior (also Tom Edden) lives there with various supporters, including Jaques (Martha Plimpton), who has the honour of delivering the “All the world’s a stage…” speech. It should also be noted that Rosalind and Orlando have fallen in love at court, but then Orlando also has to flee following his fight with Oliver and dispute with Duke Frederick. So basically, the entire cast of characters ends up in the Forest of Arden. Let the mistaken-identities shenanigans begin!! And it really does become wonderfully entwined and complicated! I was most interested to see Rose and her SSL. Incorporated into it is not just BSL, but elements of visual vernacular, sign mime and gesture to convey her emotions. Rose was a very active Celia indeed! The words of Shakespeare she was performing were posted up on the screens (as was the entire script) and sometimes I’d look to check I was interpreting her correctly, but she was phenomenal. She only actually spoke once and in doing so indicated a fundamental issue going on for her character and what was expected of her by her father – so poignant. There are many lovers in this play (all mixed up but eventually coming together neatly!) and each couple beautifully develops their own language of love – be it with the use of words, sign, mime, song and/or dance and movement. The piano and its operator Michael kind of becomes the interactive plaything and conductor for all the performers. This is no school-play interpretation but a really highly sophisticated, clever, enchanting and engaging experience for everyone. As my theatre companion dad said ‘It’s Insightful, philosophical tomfoolery’ with Shakespeare’s Troubadours exceptionally and expertly showing off his poetic language of human nature and love. Many of the cast sung, but for me the most gorgeous voice came from Allie Daniel as Amiens and ‘Court Lady’. Everybody had comic turns, but Tom Mison’s Touchstone was outstanding and interacted well with audience members too. I wished I’d been one of those he deliberately chose for one of the teasing jokes! Leah Harvey was superb in the lead role of Rosalind. I adored the immensely caring relationship between her and Rose as devoted cousins. And the little touches that Leah, Alfred and later Ben too continued to sign for her to explain what was going on even if their characters were not part of the main action at the time. Michael wins best smile for me. And as I hinted before really performed all his interactions with the characters of the play as well as responding to the dramas that were going on. He and Touchstone tuned up the goats with the piano at the start of act II causing great hilarity. It was a fantastic sight with everybody – well at least all performers even if all characters could not be as actors doubled or even tripled up roles – on stage in the last scenes. The energy of them all together just so magical. I felt so close to them all. In fact, Dad and I literally were – we could easily touch the stage – oh and in my case even steal some stage leaves which showered onto the stage to indicate the transition from court to forest! – and see every single detail of anything or anyone at our side of the stage. I noticed Syakira Moeladi’s character supposedly preparing mushrooms, but instead she just turned them round in her hands lol. Who haven’t I mentioned yet? Mary Malone – playing Phoebe – was as beautiful as her name and character name may suggest. Nathan Queeley-Dennis trying to woo Phoebe naïve yet so charming. I wanted him to win her! June Watson played dual roles Adam and Corin to great effect even transforming between them whilst lying on the piano! Cal Watson was a very handsome Le Beau. Gabriella Leon was great fun and cuddly as Audrey. Dickon Gough also very good in multiple roles. Everybody was truly excellent and inspired empathy and deep connection. I felt so highly emotional at the end and had tears – some sadness that they’d gone – but mostly just incredibly moved by the whole experience in their company. At curtain call – oh except there was no curtain and I should say that @sohoplace theatre is like a smaller and inside version of Shakespeare’s Globe with the audience in the round on all sides – the actors moved around to bow to all sections of the audience. As Rose passed me, I BSL signed my applause to her – I got a BSL and mouthed thank you 😊. The brand new – since September 2022 - @sohoplace theatre has been described as soulless. I couldn’t disagree more. It was jam packed with soul and very sensitive talented souls. I love it and want to go again – to the theatre and maybe to see ‘As I Loved It’ again <3 https://online.fliphtml5.com/iqdop/dpst/#p=5

As You Like It – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2023

Good – The Harold Pinter Theatre – Saturday 10th December 2022

 

(Rated 5/5)

I think the role David Tennant is best known for is The 10^th Doctor, and in that role for the main ‘Ten’ is ‘Good’ and all his actions are intended to be for the ‘Greatest Good’ of humanity or even to attempt to change the hearts and minds of the ‘Bad’ Aliens to do ‘Good’. In attempting to do ‘Good’ and save people from ‘Bad’, later in his regeneration Ten acts for the ‘Good’ of one particular person – saving the life of Lindsay Duncan’s character Adelaide Brooke in ‘The Waters of Mars’ – and she then proceeds to kill herself, knowing that her death will be for the ‘Greatest Good’ of humanity!

For me this illustrates the fine line there is sometimes between what could be judged as ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ and how values and morals can be distorted leading us to question what is ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’?! This is pretty much the topic tackled by playwright C. P. Taylor in his stage play ‘Good’. An apparently ‘Good’ man, Halder – played by David Tennant – becomes drawn into circles and finds himself experiencing challenging situations involving his highly disabled mother and anxious wife, which lead to him being seduced by the now clearly terrifying thinking of the Nazis. The disturbing aspect of which is that within the words and arguments of Taylor’s characters, we as audience can start doubting ourselves and our own – we hope – clear distinction between ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’. For me the production of the play and use of just two actors to play the parts of all the other characters interacting with Halder, also adds to this blurry theme and in trying to distinguish and separate arguments and characters, we can go into a state of confusion. I confess that is what happened to me while watching Act1. I found myself trying to follow the points and views and becoming mixed up in my mind. As she will know, I asked my theatre companion for this show, if she had ‘understood’. I imagine that is deliberate by originally the writer and also director, Dominic Cooke.

For me the play comes across as a psychological stream of consciousness in the mind of Halder with little snippets of scenes of interactions/manipulations between him and the other ‘real life’ characters, chopping and changing all the while between his thoughts and actual conversations. The lack of clear distinction is supported by the supporting actors Elliot Levey and in this day’s production ‘1^st cover Helen’ Edie Newman playing Jewish friend to Halder, Maurice and other characters, and wife, girlfriend to Halder and other characters respectively. Important to pay attention – note to self as I didn’t as much as I wished I had – or you might get lost 😉 That said both Elliot and Edie were brilliant – as Ten might say – in switching between roles. I was actually particularly impressed by understudy Edie switching between anxious wife, seductive student/girlfriend, vulnerable needy mother and even a military man! I also enjoyed that Elliot used me at least twice as his audience focus. At one point in the play – and I should mention myself and theatre companion were front row stalls in the middle – Elliot and David were in discussion sitting at the very front of the stage – I could have reached out with my walking stick and easily touched them – and with me and companion both hands up to our chins thinking about the ‘debate’ they were having – Elliot looked right at me and I could see each individual tear coming from his eyes and down his face. So powerful! In fact, I also sensed and realised how in tune me and my theatre companion were in taking sips of our Harold Pinter Package champagne and adjusting position in our seats etc. At one point close to the end though, I was so relaxed down in my seat with feet far out in front of me. Thankfully, I noticed as an actor – who initially I thought was a member of the audience – walked from stage right to left, and I rapidly sat up again with feet under me lol! Just in time not to trip him up!

David Tennant has become so ‘Good’ at playing ‘Bad’ – will that be the last time I use those terms – eg in ‘Des’ as serial killer Dennis Nilson - that it is no surprise whatsoever that he is excellent in this role. Disturbingly ‘Good’ – whoops no not the last – but it’s a testament to all three performers that for me there was absolutely no distinction – yep that word again too – in talent. I loved that at curtain call David and Elliot both indicated Eddie for specific applause. She was so ‘Good’ – lol – an understudy I wonder how ‘Good’ – okay maybe I need to stop – Sharon Small was. I’m unlikely never to know as I doubt I will see it again – even though I genuinely feel I missed a lot of specifics in dialogue that could be very interesting to read over and unpick. It’s for sure a highly thought-word-processy drama. I won’t say anything about the plot as even to say a little sort of gives things away, but suffice to say in the main it is set in a set looking like a prison in Frankfurt between 1933 and 1942. And the end is… chilling!

Excellent play, superb production, but maybe not for Christmas as such 😉

 

Good – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2022

Prima Facie – The Harold Pinter Theatre – Saturday 11th June 2022

 (Rated 7/5)

Jodie Comer as Tessa in ‘Prima Facie’ is easily the most powerful performance I have ever seen on stage. That is no exaggeration at all. The play, written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin is the story of a defence barrister who finds herself on the other side in more than one way after she is sexually assaulted by a colleague defence barrister.

For 100 minutes Jodie is the sole performer who narrates, plays Tessa and Tessa impersonating a multitude of other key characters using simply alterations in her physicality and voice.  She seamlessly changes tone and emotion as she hardly pauses for breath through the highly verbose and lengthy script whilst also changing her clothes, doing her make-up, turning lights and candles on and off and moving furniture around!! As we have come to expect of Jodie Comer, she explores her vast emotional range through her facial expressions and body posture and movement as she uses the entire stage, furniture and props to demonstrate to us all that is going on in the play. She takes Tessa from in control, expertly trained barrister witty and dramatic in her defence of her latest client accused of sexual assault proudly pronouncing that the legal truth is more important than any so-called actual truth to defenceless, vulnerable victim, a broken woman trying to win her case with the actual truth of her assault. For any of us it would be difficult enough to memorise the entire script but she truly performs it and gets all the business in too! Absolutely extraordinary!! A True Tour De Force

 

Prima Facie – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2022

P.S. Other Reviews:

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/apr/27/prima-facie-review-jodie-comer-on-formidable-form-in-roaring-drama

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/prima-facie-review-jodie-comer-harold-pinter-theatre-b996782.html

 

https://www.theweek.co.uk/arts-life/culture/theatre/956644/prima-facie-review-awards-will-follow

 

Johannes Radebe: Freedom – The Peacock Theatre – Saturday 2nd April 2022

 (Rated “It’s a Ten from Pen”)

In this Johannes Radebe’s first headlining tour he chose to share his life story so far told through the medium of dance. Using a beautifully simple colourful set changed by lighting (Designer Andrew Exeter) to take us from his place of birth – on Freedom Day 27^th April 1987 (Jojo was 7 years old when apartheid ended) – in the township of Zamdela, South Africa, via trips around the world and then settling into feeling fully at home in the Elstree studio of Strictly Come Dancing pairing John Waighte in the first all-male partnership last year.  Jojo explores how he came to feeling the freedom to fully express himself along this journey via moving to traditional South African beats, accidentally encountering the more contained ballroom dances along with their inspiring glittery costumes, transitioning to grooving along to ABBA on cruise ships, showing his ballroom and Latin skills on Dancing With The Stars South Africa and then making it all the way to the Mother Show Strictly! From his own beautiful blood Mother, being partnered with a best friend for life in ‘Auntie Cath’ Tyldesley, finding an English Mother figure in Caroline Quentin and then last year’s history-making partnership in a relationship of mutual love and respect. Jojo’s transformation from holding back to fully free is as much about the relationships along his journey. From Blood Family to Dance Family embracing all of who he is and enabling him to let that all out in full glittery glory on the dance floors of the world!

I realise I’m really struggling to write about this special experience that I had last Saturday with a really good friend and fellow Jojo fan because I am trying to do so in words! That’s impossible as the power of this performance was all about the movements, the emotions you get from the dances and the music that accompanies those dances and gives the dancers the rhythm and beats needed.

The show opens with fabulous singer Anelisa Lamola sweeping the floor as she sings and sets the scene of Jojo’s home township. The party starts with the full supporting company of dancers joining her on stage, and in time parting the way for the entrance of the beaming smiled apparition that is Johannes Radebe wearing very little more than a traditional South African headdress and loin cloth so revealing his incredibly lean yet muscular tall physique. So little of him. No wonder he couldn’t lift John Waighte haha! Though of course for John he was quite a weight to lift too! Goodness me 😉

And then we have the truly open personal touch as Jojo talks to his admiring audience about his dance and life journey. There was some heckling from what appeared to be his mainly female ‘of-a-certain-age’ (me too lol) audience expressing how much they love him and asking for the kiss of life etc! All taken in excellent humour as he playfully bantered back. Later in the interval one lady said that it was a shame he bats for the other side. I disagree. I’m beyond thrilled he is out and proud as a black gay guy realising his full potential and absolutely living his best life. It’s so beautiful to witness. He was full of gratitude for all our support in voting him to the final but no thanks needed – he gives back in spades of joy, emotional expression and supremely special dance entertainment.

More dancing, more exploration illustrates Jojo’s dance life in South Africa, through Ballroom and Latin and then later he shows us adaptations of his favourite routines from his Strictly dance life. My favourite of his dances with Cath Tyldesley is also his – The Rumba to ‘Shallow’ sung exceptionally well by Anelisa Lamola & Andile Mabhena. Adele’s ‘Hometown’ – again performed by Anelisa – also puts in an appearance hinting at Jojo&John’s Couples’ Choice as well as telling us London – as well as Zamdela – is Jojo’s hometown. (My only disappointment that none of that routine was actually danced – maybe just not possible without John.) I confess I hoped that Catherine, Caroline and John would appear though Cath is heavily pregnant with her daughter so making any dancing with or lifting her a little tricky. And maybe with being tour busy and covid Jojo sadly won’t be able to be the promised birth partner.  

All the dancers were very good though none as good as the main man 😉 Of special note Lowri Evans and Ben Rutter, both with Jojo in a fantastic Latin routine.

I am The Restricted Reviewer but actually this is the least restricted view I have ever had in any show. Right at the front row in the midst of the action. The show ended with a medley of true party numbers including ‘We Are Family’ – yes we really felt like Jojo’s Family – and up I got with many others to dance along whilst being showered in sparkly confetti and colourful streamers! In spite of disabilities - though happily much less now – I was saying to my friend “I was dancing” and she replied “Yes you really were”. So unfortunately I haven’t yet managed to become famous enough to get asked to do Strictly but I can say I have danced with my favourite Strictly dancer Mr Johannes Radebe!!

“I DANCE TO MY OWN TUNE” Proclaims Johannes Radebe as his motto for his ‘Freedom’ Tour… and Oh Yes He Does – What a Tune and What an Am-a-zing Dancer and All Round Profoundly B-e-a-utiful Human Being!

Johannes Radebe: Freedom – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2022

La Belle Sauvage – The Bridge Theatre – Saturday 12th February 2022

(Rated 4/5)

The last book I was reading before the coronavirus pandemic hit and all was still ‘normal’ was ‘The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage’ by Philip Pullman. It also happened to be the first book I was reading as we went into that first lockdown during which I finished it.

The first play I’ve now seen in our ‘new normal’ post-pandemic was ‘The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage’ adapted by Bryony Lavery from Philip Pullman’s novel at the wonderful Bridge Theatre thanks to a very good sister-from-another-mister theatre companion friend 😉 That friend is also responsible for introducing me to Philip Pullman and ‘His Dark Materials’ in the first place! And I couldn’t be more grateful to her for doing so. I’m now a massive fan and addicted to Lyra’s story – come on Philip where is the third ‘Book of Dust’ please – what were you doing in the pandemic lockdowns?! – and especially fascinated by Human-Daemon relationships and his ideas around ‘Dust’ and Consciousness, human souls, external manifestations of we humans in animal form and how he weaves topical issues impacting us all – climate change, religion, politics etc into his stories.

‘La Belle Sauvage’ is the story of how 12-year old Malcolm Polstead (Samuel Creasey in his first stage role) from the Trout Inn – his mother is the landlady - with the help of pot-girl Alice Parslow (Ella Dacres) rescue our heroin baby Lyra Belacqua (Adiya or Khalil or Paloma or Sarah or another 6-month old baby human except in the more dramatic moments when she’s a doll I believe) from floods, her dangerous parents, the Consistorial Court of Discipline of the Magisterium and other perils! And of course there are lots of adventures on the way and a kind of rites-of-passage experience for young Malcolm; not least in the development of his relationship with the initially relatively cold Alice.

Adapting the fantastic other worlds inhabited by Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon for the screen is one thing – CGI can of course play a part – but for the theatre is yet more of a challenge. And in ‘La Belle Sauvage’ you also need the ability to convince the audience you have a boat floating along the flood waters. And yes the production team managed that beautifully. The daemons in this are puppets – in a similar vein to those in ‘Warhorse’ on stage – all white with golden lights in their faces. Again all operated so well, though sadly for me something was missing there. I know Bryony had to make some big decisions in her adaptation – and the programme includes a fascinating article on adapting for the stage – but for me the most magical and psychologically interesting aspect of ‘His Dark Materials’ and ‘The Book of Dust’ is the relationships between each human and their daemon and at times interactions between deamons either in synch or in some ways in conflict. As a person develops in personality and beliefs their daemon changes until adulthood when they settle into an animal most reflective of and opposite in gender and personality to their human counterpart. Malcolm’s daemon Asta was operated and voiced by Oliva Le Andersen. As Malcolm is pre-puberty his deamon has not yet settled so Olivia was fairly frequently changing puppets – all done with ease – but for me Asta was always too separate from Malcolm – as were other daemons from their humans – to really feel that amazing interconnection you experience when reading the books.

But that is my only ‘criticism’ – and I think because I know it’s possible as you can really feel the power of emotion from the puppets in ‘Warhorse’ as well as the connection between them and the human characters – and again I understand how big choices have to be made to stage something like this incredible fantasy. Overall very impressive, well written, well produced, well performed and lovely entertainment for humans of all ages.

Do take your own deamon/spirit and imagination with you 😉

 

La Belle Sauvage – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2022

David Suchet: Poirot and More (A Retrospective) – The Harold Pinter Theatre – Saturday 8th January 2022

 

(Rated 7/5)

My first Restricted Review for three years and who better to welcome me – and in this case my dear Dad too – back to the theatre than (as of 2020) Sir David Suchet.

Though I have watched some of his Hercule Poirot performances prior to 2020, his companionship as I consumed as many of his seventy episodes as I could find was so much appreciated as easily one of the best entertainments during all the covid pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and further confinements of 2021. For me and I know for so many others including – and I think most importantly Agatha Christie’s daughter – he IS Poirot. As his stage companion and good friend Geoffrey Wansell stated as part of his introduction to the show every second someone, somewhere in the world is watching David Suchet as Hercule Poirot on their screens. How amazing is that?!

David Suchet entered stage left - or right to us but Dad will appreciate the reference as I used to enter stage left to the living-room on lockdown mornings to the accompanying sound of a creaking floor board to announce my arrival – full of beaming smiles and waving with joy to us his audience. He seemed absolutely genuinely delighted to see us all – the theatre was almost at capacity – and thanked us for our bravery in coming to the show all masked up of course so sadly he couldn’t identify anyone.

Geoffrey Wansell was a wonderful ‘guide {for} us on this journey’. It was performed initially as a kind of interview or maybe better described as two friends chatting about David’s life on stage and screen. It was all so completely natural you wouldn’t think it was planned or scripted as it clearly had been with the help of producer Liza McLean and David’s wife Sheila.

To start we were given an exploration of David’s early life and introduced to his Grandma and Mum – both performers themselves – and his Dad who was a clinician. His Grandma was his key inspiration for embarking on his life as a performer. Though his supportive companion on that journey was his Mum who attended many of his appearances on stage. David told us how during one of his first outings he had to call out ‘‘Mother, Mother’’ across to the offstage area. From the stalls he heard “I’m here, David” 😉. In later performances in other shows she would announce her presence during a quiet moment in whatever his first speech would happen to be with a little cough 😊

David also rejoiced in first encountering his wife-to-be (at that stage more seasoned than he in the profession) as she came down onto the stage to greet him a then junior actor. He was smitten straight away! And they have remained together for decades so lasting much longer than many relationships in the industry.

Poirot was naturally the main feature popping up several times throughout the show. David informed us as to how he would get into a character. To begin his beautifully demonstrated masterclass he took us back to Greek theatre and the wearing of masks. A character was at first expressed silently through body movement but then performers progressed to using their voices to im-per-sona-te i.e. inhabit their character per/though the sona/sound of the voice they choose to pass through the mask. As he gradually revealed further the precise ways of vocal expression conveys character and the meaning of the words of the writer. This brought us onto an excellent lesson in Shakespeare’s Highway Code – Iambic, Pentameter, Iambic Pentameter, Alliteration and Onomatopoeia. He showed us their use in various speeches from Shakespeare exaggerating some to highlight and clarify as he would do in rehearsals while exploring his character development. To land on consonants or not can be a question 😉 David emphasised – as indeed I’ve heard many actors do – that his acting choices are to serve the writer. And in turn it is crucial to understand how the character is needed in the play. What would happen if you took Iago out of Othello for example? Othello and Desdemona would have a honeymoon and live happily ever after. No conflict and no jealousy! No drama!! David was involved in a production of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ in which he played Shylock. He and the production received complaints about antisemitism. David showed us through two speeches both the ‘dark’ sides of Shylock and the humanity in him “Hath not a jew eyes… If you cut us do we not bleed…” Here surely Shakespeare is telling his Elizabethan audience at the time and us now that we are all the same whatever creed and colour we are – a profound exposition on humanity as appears in many of his plays. There really is more than unites us than divides us.

And so shall we travel back to Cher Hercule for our grande finale?! As I had already read – also during one of our lockdowns – in ‘Poirot and Me’, David read all of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot Mysteries digesting every single detail of his character and making handwritten notes which he used to be absolutely precise in his impersonation of him as well as giving copies to all involved in the productions so they could help him maintain that accuracy. Sadly where Agatha Christie was alive to fully approve of Joan Hickson as her definitive Miss Marple, she had passed away at the time David Suchet embarked on Poirot. However her family knew other interpretations had not felt right to his creator. Agatha’s daughter told David the audience needs to laugh with but not at Poirot. David fully achieved that in his inhabitation of Hercule. Now to the piece de resistance – the fundamental aspect of character - a demonstration of going from the voice of David Suchet to that of Hercule Poirot with steps on the way incorporating first a French accent, then a twist of Belgian/Flemish and gradually going up from stomach via ribs (he could feel it there and still not right) to neck, behind the eyes (where the voice was “out there” rather than within the body) and finally reaching the little grey cells where Hercule resides! We could hear each subtle difference in sona along the way perfectly. I was in floods of tears by the end and so wished I'd been naughty and recorded it!! I did not but here is a more compressed version: https://youtu.be/MZJpGq6W1bw

Et Voila Poirot within Suchet smiles with arms outstretched on stage as behind him we see Poirot in the same pose and in full costume outside Agatha Christie’s Hatfield House.

Magnifique!!

 

David Suchet: Poirot and More – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2022

Introduction to The Restricted Review

Hi! I am the Restricted Reviewer.
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