TIL 9 March 2018

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18 THE GRINNING MAN Trafalgar Studios Facial or physical deformity is no stranger to art. Going way back to Shakespeare’s Caliban in The Tempest, the struggles of the mutilated to overcome their misshapen bodies and grotesque faces have resulted in a trenchant output of novels, plays and films as affecting today as they were when first conceived. The most durable include the many incarnations of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Tod Browning’s 1932 shocker Freaks, Frankenstein (and its numerous variations), George Cukor’s A Woman’s Face (1941, David Lynch’s The Elephant Man (1980), Peter Bogdanovich’s Mask (1985), and most recently Steven Chbosky’s Wonder (2017). Another, and one of the earliest examples of a man suffering the emotional and physical agonies of facial deformity was Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs, which he wrote in 1869 and which tells the story of a young boy called Grinpayne who, as the victim of some political skullduggery, has his mouth hideously slashed by an unknown attacker, leaving him with a permanent rictus he conceals with a cloth. Using this as the basis for their new musical, The Grinning Man, originally staged at the Bristol Old Vic, director Tom Morris, writer Carl Grose, and composers Tom Philips and Marc Teitler, put a caricaturally gothic spin on the novel setting it in a Trafalgar Square fairground where Grinpayne has found employment as a freak show attraction run by a puppeteer called Ursus (Sean Kinglsey), his adoptive father. Also living with them is Ursus’s pet wolf-dog (Loren O’Dair) and his beautiful daughter Dea (Sanne den Besten) whom he adopted after her mother was drowned in a shipwreck. Unsurprisingly Grinpayne (Louis Maskell) and Dea fall in love. And unsurprisingly too, puppetry plays a large part in the production. Having had a massive success with War Horse, Morris has once again joined forces with pupeteers Finn Caldwell and Tobi Olie, who help animate both Grinpayne and Dea as children, as well as wolf-dog. Coming so close on the heels of the National’s Pinocchio, which also relies on puppetry for many of its effects, there is a sense of deja vu here. And John Bausor’s designs are redolent of Beowulf Borritt’s for Young Frankenstein, now ensconced at the Garrick. Nor does the show’s message – that beauty is only skin deep and that surface appearances are often misleading, come as a revelation. The plot, in particular, is pretty deceptive, especially in the lengthy second half. Nothing is what it appears to be. Social injustice (one of Victor Hugo’s signature themes) permeates a text that veers uneasily between tragedy and comedy; and aristocracy, as represented by the incestuous sex-obsessed Princess Josiana (Amanda Wilkin) and Prince Dirry-Moir (Mark Anderson), are easy targets for ridicule. There’s also a dastardly, deliciously conniving clown called Barkilphedro, played with oodles of relish by the excellent Julian Bleach. A fully committed cast of 16 do their best to liven an uneven score, with Labyrinth and Stars in the Sky the standout numbers. Morris’s direction keeps the action on the move until the last 20 minutes when the complexity of the plot and its eventual unravelling had me looking at my watch. The rest of the audience embraced it all unconditionally. CLIVE HIRSCHHORN 2018 – A YEAR CELEBRATING MICHAEL JACKSON Through his timeless music, groundbreaking music videos, dance moves and choreography, Michael Jackson became one of the most influential cultural figures to come out of the 20th century, and his legacy continues today. 2018 would have been The King of Pop’s 60th birthday, and a year of celebration is planned for ‘The Greatest Entertainer of All Time’. Thriller Live, the concert spectacular at London’s Lyric Theatre, which showcases his unforgettable music and dazzling choreography will see its record-breaking West End run enter its 10th year in 2018 with celebrations planned for the 4,000th West End performance later in the year. Stefan Sinclair as Michael Jackson. The Grinning Man. Photo: Helen Maybanks. Photo: Betty Zapata t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e
Photo: Matt Crockett. LULU RETURNS TO THE WEST END TO JOIN 42ND STREET Lulu returns to the West End next week after 30 years to join the cast of 42nd Street, the dazzling and romantic homage to the world of musical theatre in the iconic role of ‘Dorothy Brock’. Lulu made her acting debut at the age of 16, starring with Sidney Poitier in the unforgettable To Sir With Love – and taking the title song to Number One in the US for five weeks. Since then, she has never been away from the spotlight as an actress, singer, song-writer and businesswoman. She has worked with some of the greatest musical talents of our time – Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, David Bowie and many others. Lulu’s career highlights are too many to mention but include the unforgettable Shout, her Bowie collaboration The Man Who Sold the World, a Bond theme song and a Number One with Take That. She is a multi-award winning artist, including Ivor Novello and Grammy nominations for the world wide hit she penned for Tina Turner, I Don't Wanna Fight, and she is an OBE. The role of ‘Julian Marsh’ will continue to be performed by Tom Lister, who played ‘Carl King’ in Emmerdale for 8 years and had recently starred as ‘Wild Bill Hickok’ in the UK Tour of Calamity Jane. Clare Halse, whose performances have been hailed as ‘outstanding’ will continue as ‘Peggy Sawyer’. She most recently appeared in the acclaimed production of Gypsy as ‘Marjorie May’ at the Savoy Theatre. CIRCUS ABYSSINIA: ETHIOPIAN DREAMS AT UNDERBELLY FESTIVAL Following a hit run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017 and as seen on ITV’s Royal Variety Performance, Circus Abyssinia makes its London premiere at Underbelly Festival from 6 April until 20 May. As circus marks its 250th anniversary this year, Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams is a jubilant celebration of circus itself that will mesmerise audiences of all ages through the sheer infectious energy and spirit which fly from its cast. Written by Cal McCrystal, Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams is an unashamedly joyful mix of astonishing stunts, astounding circus skills and enchanting adventure. The show dramatises in surreal, often comic and mostly wordless ways, the magical true tale of two Ethiopian brothers, Bibi and Bichu who dreamed as little boys of joining the circus, and stages the journey of how their dream came true. Performed from the perspective of the young brothers, through the universal language of circus, the show mixes autobiographical and fictional narratives to tell how the Bibi and Bichu became world-class jugglers. Underbelly Festival audiences will be plunged into a world of daredevil wonders as they encounter a host of other circus dreamers: dancing, contorting, gravity-defying figures, all weaving tales of their own. The Circus Abyssinia Troupe is a team of dazzling and prodigiously talented acrobats from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, whose reputation for bold and vertiginous acrobatic displays are both awe-inspiring and heartstopping to watch. The multi-talented and versatile troupe celebrate the birth of a new Ethiopian tradition through a breathtaking range of circus skills including human juggling, hand-vaulting, contortion, cloth spinning, Cyr Wheel, clowning and the astonishing eight strong double Chinese Pole act. Fusing theatrical storytelling with astonishing stunts, the show combines the arts and innovations of contemporary circus with Ethiopia's artistic heritage to create one of the world's first full-blown Ethiopian circuses. 19 t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e
Page 3 and 4: Welcome to London 3 CONTENTS Events
Page 6 and 7: 6 MOUNTBATTEN FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 201
Page 8 and 9: 8 WHITEHALL CHOIR PERFORMS BRAHMS R
Page 10 and 11: 10 EALING CHORAL SOCIETY ANNUAL CON
Page 12 and 13: 12 Photos: Warner Bros. Studio Tour
Page 14 and 15: 14 THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR BATTERSE
Page 16: 16 Photos: Robert Viglasky. AUSTENT
Page 21 and 22: WICKED Hit Broadway story of how a

TIL 9 March 2018

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