Kevin Sherwin - Page 2

Miranda Sings is a very modern creation indeed. The comic alter ego of performer Colleen Ballinger, one of a growing number who can legitimately cite 'YouTuber' as their career, 'Miranda' has accrued millions of video views over the past five years. Her popularity seems to be growing too, if this week-long stint at the Leicester Square is anything to go by.

My Fringe was a bit of a mixed bag... I had high hopes for some shows that I felt quite let down by in the end and I was also pleasantly surprised by others, as detailed here.

There is a kind of musical I've started to call plinky-plonk (the name is a work in progress). They're invariably set in New York, and they always involve a perky group of young twentysomethings and a piano. And I find them supremely irritating, and [title of show] is definitely one of them.

I didn't know what to expect other than 'Howie the Rookie' is a one-man show set in Dublin. Or at least it's a one-man show now. It's comprised of two monologues from two young Dubliners, first The Howie and then The Rookie. Previously, these roles were portrayed by different actors, but in this production directed by writer Mark O' Rowe, both are played by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, recently seen in the acclaimed Irish crime drama 'Love/Hate' on Channel 5.

You get the impression that resistance is futile: from the dimly-lit entrance of Le Gat (that's what I'm calling him), certain corners of the audience are filled with yelps of delight, gleeful whoops and just general joy at his arrival.

In the post-ANTM age (if that doesn't make immediate sense, I won't explain it for fear of embarrassment), the word fierce has become a bit overused but it's the only description for the five 'Starlets' in this new production by Theatre Ad Infinitum, darlings of the Fringe after their previous show, the quietly devastating 'Translunar Paradise'. This group of immensely talented physical performers has energy for days, and they are just hugely watchable for the entire running time, thanks in no small part to the twitchy, spiky choreography of Orian Michaeli (one of the five).

A cast of young people performing in a Fringe musical that isn't 'Spring Awakening' is a thing to treasure, and when it's in fact Stephen Sondheim's glorious 'Merrily We Roll Along', it's an even greater cause for celebration. The programme is scant on information on where this company, The Red Oak Theatre, originates, but nobody in the cast looks anywhere near their mid-twenties, which makes the fact that they've tackled this decades-spanning piece all the more interesting - not to mention admirable.

At the end of this performance of 'Bath Time', the actor/writer Ruaraidh Murray (it's a one-man show) shook hands with everyone in the front row, and very sincerely thanked everyone for coming - the venue is called the Wee Room so there was plenty of scope to make eye contact with the whole audience, and all in all, he came across as a genuinely lovely and grateful chap.

I don't know much about Shakespeare, and I knew even less about Titus Andronicus before seeing this version by Smooth Faced Gentlemen, the UK's only all-female Shakespeare company. But one would hope the work of 'the Bard' should be accessible without much prior knowledge, and it's to the company's credit that this production very much is.

'Blood Ties', by cast members Anika Johnson and Barbara Johnston, seems to have had quite a journey pre-Fringe. Written when the two were at theatre school, the musical has since featured in various festivals and five years later, its fourth draft arrives in Edinburgh in what appears to be a final hurrah for the show.

'Between' is packing them in. Its poster design is a fine example of how to attract your intended audience, with two nubile young men in a topless clinch. And indeed, the audience is almost exclusively male, and it's a capacity crowd, so full marks to the marketing.

"Life isn't your oyster - it's your lobster and it's being boiled alive." It's probably the most memorable quote from Undeb Theatre's shed-based hot ticket - so hot they're all gone - and it gives an indication of the kind of mood this gardener is in.

Picking a musical to see at the Fringe is always tricky, especially with brand new shows, and lack of name recognition must be something of a liability here, but it also helps to make Between Empires the immensely enjoyable surprise it is.

Kevin Sherwin takes in this ambitious, emotional transfer of the 2005 Broadway hit.

When it comes to sky-high expectations, this production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has it harder than most, the challenge being how to satisfy an audience likely to have read and loved Roald Dahl's book and seen the story already realised - twice.

There are certain things one can expect from any given production of RENT: the Mark will always wear a scarf, the cast will always try to get a bit of a clap-along going in 'Seasons Of Love' and the Benny will do his best with what is a thankless, nothingy role. While it's sometimes refreshing to see new takes on well-known shows, there's a certain pleasure to be had from seeing Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking rock opera play out exactly as you expect, cringe-worthy 'white light' ending and all.

From the Guy's opening number, the plaintive 'Leave', it's not difficult to see why the Girl silently falls for him, thus setting up the framework of what is a slight but affecting and tender love story.

Based on August Strindberg's 1888 play Miss Julie, Mies Julie transfers the action from a Count's estate in Sweden to a powerful (unseen) white farmer's house in modern-day post-apartheid South Africa. The bulk of proceedings concerns his daughter Julie (Hilda Cronje) and John (Bongile Mantsai), a young black man who has worked for the family with his mother Christine (Thoko Ntshinga) for many years. In an early conversation, Julie tells John her father will 'shoot the black man in the head that puts his hands on me', setting into motion a chain of events that seems doomed to end in despair.

It must have seemed like a no-brainer. Take the back catalogue of one of the most successful and iconic pop groups of all time, get national semi-treasure Jennifer Saunders to write the script, and add Mamma Mia! producer Judy Craymer for good measure. A recipe for success, surely?

As high concepts go, it doesn't get much simpler: Two heterosexual male friends decided to make porn with each other. Instant intrigue. A plethora of questions.