stage
OH HELLO! Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, Fri 31 July; Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Sat 1 + Sun 2 Aug; Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Thurs 3 Sept Oh Hello! is a one-man show, guiding us through the lifetime of Charles Hawtrey as if he were still alive and on stage. Capturing the life of a well-known individual is not an easy task if you hope to avoid sensationalism or caricature. Hawtrey, on the other hand, often portrayed a character already caricaturised by eccentricity and outlandishness. It’s to Oh Hello!'s benefit that said eccentricity of manner and poise is mimicked so uncannily by starring actor Jamie Rees that you’re left wondering whether the man himself is actually on stage; summoned by showbiz from the afterlife for one last hurrah. His performance has already garnered immense praise for its simulacrum of a complex man. Mostly known for his startled, energetic performances in the Carry On films, Hawtrey gained the public’s attention during the 1960s and 70s with his outward personality. It’s easy to forget just how transgressive his effeminate demeanour was during a time when homosexuality was illegal. Yet it was this vivaciousness that endeared him to the public, albeit within the limits of an established stereotype. This limitation haunted him in his later years, typecasting himself within the boundaries of his Carry On persona to hold the public’s attention as his career started to flounder. Rees bottles this hilarious, sad and memorable figurehead of a bygone era in comedy, and plays out his life's biographical details. Choice moments include the run-ins between Hawtrey and his Carry On co-star Kenneth Williams, and a fascinating period in which he worked with Alfred Hitchcock. We also gather an insight into his relationship with his senile mother, which is both touching and amusing. Oh Hello allows us a glimpse of both showman, and the man behind the show. Tickets: £8-£12. Info: www.torchtheatre.co.uk / www.chapter.org / www. aberystwythartscentre.co.uk DARREN MILLARD
AVENUE Q
Grand Theatre, Swansea Tues 28 July-Sat 1 August Imagine The Muppets/Sesame Street gone wild, and then you might be close to what Avenue Q does. Packed with political incorrectness, tonguein-cheek humour and a little bit of puppet naughtiness, this multiple Tony Award-winning musical brings some eye-watering humour to Swansea’s Grand Theatre after a successful five-year stint in London’s West End. The plot revolves around Princeton, a recent University graduate living on a downtown New York Street, Avenue Q (obviously), with a whole host of other colourful characters, just trying to make sense of adulthood and life’s burning issues. Avenue Q is a musical performed by both people and puppets. The cast consists of three human characters and multiple puppet characters who interact as if human, Sesame Street-style. The show satirises almost everything about coming of age and post-university life; the opening number is titled What Do You Do With A B.A In English?. However, a word of advice for parents considering taking their children to this puppet show, note that the most popular song from the soundtrack is The Internet Is For Porn, before you go. Tickets £14.50-£25. Info: 017924 75715 / www.swanseagrand.co.uk (RW)
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JERSEY BOYS
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay Tues 21 July-Sat 1 Aug Oh what a night there is to be had when the West End phenomenon Jersey Boys makes its Welsh debut. This awardwinning jukebox musical tells the true story of pop quartet The Four Seasons, once dubbed “the most popular rock band before the Beatles”. Written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and based on an idea by Bob Gaudio (an original ‘Season’), the play unfolds in four acts each narrated by a different band member. Brickman was drawn to the project because, he says, “It’s a classic American story. It’s rags to riches, and back to rags.” The show includes hit songs such as Big Girls Don’t Cry, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, Who Loves You and Rag Doll. Upbeat, fast-paced and heavy on nostalgia, Jersey Boys gets to the heart of the group’s relationships but with a special focus on lead singer Frankie Valli – the little guy with the big falsetto voice. The production is for fans and non-fans alike, and with sexual innuendo and enough bad language to turn the air blue it comes with an age restriction of 12+. Prior to the show’s premiere, little was known about The Four Seasons, so expect a few revelations that suggest this cleancut mainstream pop group might not have been so clean-cut. Tickets: £17.50-£48 / £53.50-£57.50 premium seats. Info: 029 2063 6464 / wmc.org.uk (LN)
THE VERY GREY MATTER OF EDWARD BLANK
Pontardawe Arts Centre Tue 28 July From the people who brought you The Greatest Liar In All The World, a show which (memorably) featured a birth scene involving a live puppet, comes The Very Grey Matter Of Edward Blank, the latest production by theatre company Familia de la Noche. On the outside, the titular character Edward Blank is quiet and mildmannered, keeping himself to himself and rarely leaving his flat. In his head, however, it’s a different story: he has a whole host of imaginary friends clamouring for his attention, and he’s happy to join them on their adventures. It’s an unconventional life, but Edward is content, until a voice on an audio tape changes everything... The company, which first formed in 2013, is based in Carmarthenshire and consists of actors, clowns, puppeteers, and musicians – an ensemble Familia de la Noche refer to as a Pandora’s box of performers. Familia de la Noche is developing a reputation for producing theatre with a dark sense of humour and The Very Grey Matter Of Edward Blank promises to live up to that, aiming to be funny, affecting, and, above all, entertaining. Tickets: £7/£5. Info: 01792 863722 / www.nptartsandents.com (BT)
LARVAE
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff Fri 10 + Sat 11 July Theatr Ffynnon is a professional community arts theatre company working with young people and adults with learning difficulties and mental health producing challenging and thoughtprovoking theatre. Larvae is the second phase of their dance/movement project Metamorfoza, which is based on the four stages of human development. It’s the story about our external world which can be reflected through our internal thoughts, feelings, and dreams. The show is set to focus on the physical growth of Ffynnon’s performers, so it looks at the morphological – the more internal changes reflecting our outward appearance where we build the shape, structure, colour and pattern of the human body. So to understand better the journey we must ask ourselves how we use that experience? It isn’t just the physical movement of the performers that is important: the whole process attempts to bring a new perspective to the way we perceive our own internal sense of self. The project can trace its ideas back to a particular aspect of psychoanalytic theory known as the ‘mirror stage’ – the growth of an infant as it realises its place in the world recognises its own reflection. If you want to know more about the show there will also be a post-show Q&A. Tickets: £8.50/£7. Info: 029 2030 4400 / www.theatrffynnon.co.uk (DM)