 Please choose a review or scroll to view all: The Visit Separate Tables Coda4Makbet After The Dance FlexFX After the Dance Naina Provoked K3G |
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“The Visit” was a huge hit when it first opened in
Switzerland and the latest adaptation brought to stage at The Questors
Theatre in West London, is not far off. The story begins with a grief
s
What is great about “The Visit” is the level of stylisation
that has been reached by the cast. As an ensemble they excel, and you can
really feel that their circumstances are dictating their
Stephen Kavanagh is well suited to Anton. He displays a range of mixed emotions. You sense his anger and frustration towards his town members as the play progresses and he does a good job of keeping his characters pride and dignity.
Of the supporting cast, Steve Tilliet, Nigel Weaver and Rahul Kohli do great justice in their strong and pivotal roles.
Overall make sure you visit “The Visit”, it is a play that will keep you entertained and provide great humour and sadness all in one visit!!
The Visit opens on 24th March 2007 at The Questors Theatre
By Katy Gallantry |
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It's the off-season at the lonely Beauregard Hotel in
Bournemouth, and only the long-term tenants
This newly revived stage production of Terence Rattigan's 1955 West End hit features a stellar ensemble cast. The play follows the interplay of a group of lonely characters who are staying at a slightly shabby seaside hotel in Bournemouth. The term "separate tables" refers to the practice of seating single guests at their own tables in the dining room, and serves as a metaphor for the characters' fear of intimacy. Major Pollack (Rahul Nath) is a retired officer who likes to wax eloquent about fanciful acts of heroism in WWII North Africa, and Sybil Railton-Bell (Danielle Moran) is a repressed spinster boxed in by an oppressive mother. John Malcolm, a cynical, hard-drinking, occasional writer, is surprised by the sudden arrival of his ex-wife Ann (Amy Bragwyn). Though Ann's legendary beauty is dimmed by age, Ann and John both reach tentatively for some human contact. SEPARATE TABLES, a work that now seems relatively tame, was controversial in its day for attempting to deal with sexual problems, however obliquely.
Chris Amah and Neil Gittoes are great as their roles as Charles and Mr. Fowler respectively. Gittoes provides entertainment throughout both acts in a very dry sense of humour. Amah deserves recognition for his calm and collected portrayal.
A fine cast ensures this play delivers a strong and enduring example of dramatic human behaviour and manages to take you back to the difficulties of sexual issues in its era.
By Fran Hortop |
The all-star cast is excellent, but it is the genius of
Hannah Whiteoak who plays Pat Cooper, that steals the show. She is
sensitive, grounded and has excellent stage presence. This actress surely
has a great future ahead of her and slips into this role, like a glove on
a hand. Rahul Nath proves he is capable of
more serious roles instead of sticking to mostly comedies. His character
transition is great and he has a perfect knack for portraying the
subtleties of his relationship with Sybil. Moran and Nath have great
unsaid chemistry and you feel the care and love that both characters are
displaying. |
TheatreStorm are known for their strange concepts and even
stranger character portrayals, so it comes as no surprise that Coda4Makbet
has this and much more. The story begins in a dated house, where once upon a time budding actors were given hopes and dreams of making it big in the film industry. And enter two such candidates, Kristian (Thomas) and Kimiyia (Azizi). But little do they know that their future is very much determined once they have stepped inside. They encounter the habits and mannerisms of each of their housemates, though it seems a bit odd at first, as days pass what seemed odd now seems to feel normal, what appeared strange now looks like everything else. The ability to think has reduced and it constantly feels like a dream and there is a great need to sleep all the time. And why is everything in the house, from the names of the housemates, to the cereal box start with the letter K?
The question, is this really what the film industry is about?
John Wilson has created an environment that is so uncomfortable that it is better to expect the hairs on your body to stand up. Kornelius (Wilson himself) is the leader of the pack and controls and dictates what is being done and said. His brother Konstantine (Rawkins) has a tendency to let the new guests know what they are in for, so he is kept under control by the beautiful and elegant ladies, Katarina, (Camdzic) Karmela, (Slawinska) Kassandra (Boulhaya) and Katja. (Urbanoowicz) The second in command and also dictating the house is Kritikus (Lawrence) who works closely with Kornelius to make sure their guests are “comfortable”. The relatively sane one if you can call it that is Kyros, (Papafillippou) but when he is watched alone on stage, you probably will not agree. Once Kristian and Kimiya have adjusted, there are new guests to welcome. Keith (Nath) and Kordelia (Higgins) stroll in all excited and happy, but this slowly is washed away, as their reception have very little to say.
This is a fantastic play, not only for the completely off tangent concept, but also it has characters from all over the world. It is great in scene to scene to see all characters speak in their native languages, and still convey the message of what is being said. Though the script is mainly in English, there are snippets in regional languages that add that extra flavor to the play.
Of the cast, no one performance can be faulted. Director
Wilson has done justice to give each character equal weight. Wilson
himself has strong body language throughout, and gives you the sense of
evil that is lurking. Thomas and Azizi give a good sense of what they are
going through. Thomas excels in his breakdown scene and Azizi is
completely there throughout the play. She looks stunning and gorgeous at
all times. Rawkins manages to lighten the mood on each entry, while Lawrence darkens it, with his wit and sarcasm.
The four beautiful ladies are all powerful in each role and all are like goddesses. Slawinska, the one with the most venom is great in her rage mode, while Boulhaya, Camdzic and Urbanoowicz are at their best with their characters temperaments.
Papafillppou adds normality to his role, but makes the transition very well to his other housemates.
Nath is completely at ease with his comical timing, and proves why is constantly selected for these roles. He is great on his entry and gets the laughter’s at the right marks. Higgins does well at her small, but pivotal role.
An excellent cast and a superb direction ensures that Coda4Makbet keeps you entertained from start to finish for the right reasons. It takes you to a place that you may not want to go to, but fortunately you will!!
By Michelle McNally |
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FRESH VIEW NAKED EMOTION RATTIGAN REVIVED After the Dance is a play which is long overdue for a major revival. It was Rattigan’s second play and was premiered in London in 1939. ROMANTIC DRAMA THE CAST Kerri Logan overplays her character as much as needed and does a good job of providing the humour in all her scenes. Iain Stirling is well portrayed as the struggling lover, trying to make a go of his life. Of the supporting cast, Rahul Nath grabs your attention as the Butler. He is respectful, witty and charming all in one breath. You can see the obligation he has at all times of his entry. Ian Buckingham and Nina Lubicz- Nawrocka provide great entertainment in their passionate kiss in the party scene. The party scene itself is handled very well. Gareth Bevan and Mary Davies shine in this scene. With the former being completely drunk and the latter expressing her sexual preferences. The combination of all of this makes the party scene the highlight of the play . Strong performances and good casting all around. This is a rare chance to see a remarkable play. Don’t miss it. By Marcus Reddington |
breaks down it is all the more startling as she has been so successful at
hiding her feelings. Simon Roberts as John is excellent, especially
in conveying, at first, an apparent indifference to everything but his own
comfort, but then, unexpectedly, his sympathy for Joan and his
understanding of her. Kate Langston as Helen makes a good
transformation of the femme fatale, from innocent to brutally honest in
what she wants and her motivation to redeem and rescue David. |
Artistic director Naz Chowdhury manages to keep the pace alive from the very start. He has taken a very basic idea and thrown it on to a huge canvas. Performance wise he has a great stage presence and moves his body similar, if not better than Hrithik Roshan. His co troupers are also on par and especially in the “Dum” number; you are left gasping for more.
The selected music is a mixture of Bollywood hits, Arabic and Bangla tunes, and though this may sound to grating to the ear the result is one that is sweet as melody.
TV anchor Krishna Patel teams up with Imadhur Rahman and TV/Film actor Rahul Nath to provide the acting segment of the show. She herself looks graceful and at ease, but it is the combination of Rahman and Nath that steal the show. Rahman is so at home with his character and Nath provides excellent comical timing.
Singing sensation Raghav closes the show with his two latest hits “It Cant Be Right” and “Can’t Get Enough” again accompanied by the highly skilled dancers seen previously in the show
FlexFX latest offering confirms their slogan, “best in British Asian entertainment” and this one is definitely worth a dekho!
By Nitika Gosswamy |
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FILM REVIEWS
Producer:
Ram Gopal Varma
Genre:
Horror Thriller Released on: May 20, 2005 For those of you who are still curious about this film (and you should be), it is a mix of ´The Sixth Sense´ and the Korean hit ´The Eye´. Don´t let that turn you off though, because the story is original, it´s just the paranormal ideas that bare resemblance to the aforementioned films. The
year is 1986. In England a young girl, on a trip with her parents, is
involved in an accident that leaves her orphaned and blind. At the same
time in Bhuj, Gujarat a lady gives birth to a still born fetus during a
lunar eclipse. By some miracle the baby opens its eyes and lives. How
these two events are linked comes about 20 years later. Naina (Urmila
Matondkar) is no longer the little blind orphan, she is getting a cornea
transplant to regain her vision. However her new eyes hold a terrible
secret and have a difficult past, making this transplant a journey into
hell for our Heroine. When Naina begins to see the future and a multitude
of dead bodies, she has two choices. Either sit there and go crazy or try
to find out what her eyes are trying to tell her. First
time director Shripal Morakhia (who also co-wrote the screenplay with
Sagar Pandey) makes a decent first show with Naina. Anyone who wants to
compare it with ´The Eye´ is best advised not to do so. Naina is not as
The
first half of the film isn´t as fluid, some of the sequences either jar or
seem out of place. However, once we get closer to the interval Morakhia
gets a hold of the story and post interval it´s an edge of your seat ride.
Morakhia and Pandey´s screenplay is too haphazard in the first half,
however the whole back story in Gujarat (where a majority of the second
half takes place) is excellently written and will hold your interest.
While the screenplay leaves a few holes, as a final product Naina is very
entertaining especially the second time around. Cinematography by C.K.
Muraleedhauran and Jonathon Bloom is not a patch on the original but
serves its purpose here.
Muneesh Sappel´s art direction deserves mention, especially the Gujarat
sequences. Sound (Parikshit Lalwani), Visual Effects (Biju D.) and
Background score (Salim Sulaiman) all work with each other and offer a
creepy atmosphere to the film. Since Naina is a slow thriller/horror,
effects, sound and background score play a big part, and the job is well
done.
Urmila Matondkar is maturing as an artiste and is leaving her ´oomph gal´
image behind for a more serious actress image. Naina is another feather in
her cap, however it´s not her best performance. She is excellent in the
quiet scenes, however in a few (not all) of her more high tension scenes,
she borders on hamming.
On the whole Naina is worth the watch. When compared with other Bollywood horror´s in it head and shoulders above the rest! The film offers new scares and themes in the horror genre for Bollywood. Urmila Matondkar´s performance is the main reason to watch the film, and first time director Shripal Morakhia makes a great debut. With a little fine tuning he may be a name to watch out for. A word about the climax however; it´s a little eerie how this climax shares a lot of similarities with the July 7th bombings in London. It´s almost enough to make you wonder if the film would have even had a proper release if it were shifted two months back. Luckily it made its release two months before those attacks but the similarities are still haunting.
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Amardeep Jha, Dinesh Lamba and Sulbha Arya 
polished
or psychologically creepy like its original. Half of the pleasure of
watching ´The Eye´ is the gore and especially its cinematography. In Naina,
Shripal has initial difficulties with some of the sequences after Urmila´s
sight returns. Her ´ghostly encounters´ are interesting but they get
tiresome after a while. Morakhia just wants to scare the audience or gross
them out (the autopsy scene is quite gruesome by Bollywood standards) and
it´s apparent. 
This
is nothing like her understated take in ´Ek Hasina Thi´ but it´s still a
joy watching her on screen. I couldn´t envision a more effective Naina
than Urmila Matondkar (who is Bollywood´s reigning scream queen). Shweta
Konnur as Khemi turns in a very effective performance. She is one of the
highlights in the film. Amardeep Jha as her mother makes a small role
impactful. Kamini Khanna as Naina´s grandmother is way too over-the-top
and annoying. Anuj Sawhney as Naina´s doctor is passable, he doesn´t have
enough charisma or screen presence to be the hero. Rahul Nath as the
Bhooth (Ghost) is so good he´s scary in some of the scenes. Sulbha Arya is
adequate.