Good morning and welcome to Theatrewise
I don’t have a vote in the US Presidential election. Stupidly, while married to an American, I passed up the chance to become a dual American citizen, believing that my Green Card gave me everything I needed to be a tax-paying lover of my adopted country - the right to work, the right to live where I wanted, the right to, ahem, pay taxes in my city, state and country. Both countries.
And it did, except, of course, for the right to vote. And now I’m sorry, because I so badly want to exercise that vote to support a supremely qualified woman over a crazed demagogue. What tipped it for me? Hulk Hogan did. The sight of a screaming wrestler tearing off his clothes in devoted obeisance to a cult leader and being applauded for his antics, clarified for me that if we don’t turn back to civility, experience, and lawful public discourse, this is what we can look forward to.
I don’t know who Americans will choose to lead them, that’s up to those who, unlike me, have votes. But whether it’s the current Vice President or another of the qualified candidates who might throw their hats into the ring, I’m sure that we’re in safer hands, this Monday morning, than we were even 24 hours ago because now there’s a good chance that they’ll win. And those who believe that Hulk Hogan is a good guide to how their country should be run, will not.
In this week’s Ruth Leon’s Theatrewise, there’s little chance of a political or any other sort of struggle. There’s so much to watch and I encourage you to dip into all the items on this week’s list. Sometimes you can watch for free but, in many cases, the links I’m giving you will take you to a page where you can buy tickets or subscribe to be able to watch the programme. Often, a single subscription will give you access to a year’s worth of programmes or you can rent one programme for a limited time for much less.
For instance, Medici, a presenter with a huge selection of programmes, has two on this week’s list – a chamber music concert and a ballet from La Scala. One subscription will buy you both and the rest of their enormous catalogue for a year.
If you’re a fan of Hercule Poirot, and who isn’t, here’s a conversation with the actor who played him for 24years. David Suchet is much more than a single role, having played the stage heavyweights of Shakespeare, O’Neill and Miller, and many others to critical and audience success. He’s a delightful man eager to share his varied career with us.
On Ruth Leon’s Theatrewise this week I’ve included a film about Klaus Makela, the newest star conductor you may not yet have encountered, and a charming short film from the Met Museum which combines a professional obsession with an expert’s view of some very unusual art objects.
There’s a full-length mystery play to enjoy online no matter where you are in the world, and, for readers in London or visiting London, reviews of two of this week’s important openings in the London theatre.
Not a sign of Hulk Hogan or anyone like him. If you discover any online arts events that might be included here, please don’t keep them to yourself. Most of what is recommended on Ruth Leon’s Theatrewise comes from you, the readers. This week, a regular reader unearthed a video of Sammy Davis Jr singing two rarely sung songs. That’s included too. It’s on YouTube so, as usual, you’ll have to skip the commercial at the beginning.
This week, I’m not sure why, there has been an amazing inrush of new subscribers and I’m so happy you’re here. Welcome to you all.
Ruth
THIS WEEK IN THE ARTS ONLINE - JULY 22-28
Murder in the Dark – Original Theatre
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What happens when the lights go out? It’s New Year’s Eve, when a car crash on a deserted road brings famous but troubled singer Danny Sierra and his dysfunctional family to an isolated holiday cottage in rural England. From the moment they arrive, a sequence of inexplicable events begin to occur…and then the lights go out. As the tension rises and deeply buried secrets come to light, nothing is quite as it seems.
This is a fimed performance of Torben Betts’ ghostly stage thriller Murder in the Dark, starring TV and stage favourites Tom Chambers and Susie Blake, filmed by Tristan McShepherd at Southend Palace Theatre and directed by Philip Franks.
Murder in the Dark also features Rebecca Charles, Jonny Green, Owen Oakeshott and Laura White, Sasha Brooks and Cameron Falconar.
Towards The Flame - Klaus Makela
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There’s a new conductor abroad in the world for us all to ooh and aah over. You may not have come across him yet because he’s only 28 but he is already doing great things so music-lovers need to pay attention.
Here are his current appointments: Chief Conductor & Artistic Advisor - Oslo Philharmonic; Music Director: Orchestre de Paris; Artistic Partner: Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the big one -- Music Director Designate: Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Here, then, is the magnetic conductor-cellist Klaus Mäkelä, one of the most exciting young talents in classical music today, through the lens of legendary filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon. The director first glimpsed Mäkelä's talent in 2021 during a concert with the Orchestre de Paris. At the age of 25, he was already capable of filling the hall with the heady emotions usually only inspired by veterans.
That evening, as the orchestra's members talked excitedly about performing under his direction again, Monsaingeon decided to share the story of this gifted artist in this documentary about an important new conductorial talent.
Channelling Edward Moore – Met Musum
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Obsessions are fascinating. Here’s a splendid film about one woman’s job. Eileen Travell is a photographer at the Met. It is her voice telling us about the objects made and colleted by the Tiffany silversmith Edward C. Moore and how she sees and photographs them. Your mind will be opened, she says.
We go behind the scenes at The Met with Eileen Travell as she channels the spirit of Edward C. Moore (1827–1891), the creative force who led Tiffany & Co. to unparalleled originality and success during the second half of the 19th century.
In photographing Moore’s vast collection of objects, Eileen discovers a throughline of inspiration running through all he gathered and studied.
David Suchet - Poirot and More: A Retrospective
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For more than 25 years, David Suchet captivated millions worldwide as Agatha Christie’s elegant Belgian detective.
Beyond Poirot, he has been celebrated for his portrayal of iconic roles such as Lady Bracknell, Cardinal Benelli and Freud. David has also graced the world’s stages bringing literary greats to life, including Shakespeare, Wilde and Albee. Meet the actor behind the detective and the many faces he has portrayed on stage and screen over a career spanning five decades. Take a retrospective look at the career of one of the most celebrated and fascinating actors of our time, and witness some of his most beloved performances in a new and intimate light.
The Emmy Award winning and multi Olivier Award nominated actor is in conversation with the award-winning author, broadcaster and journalist Geoffrey Wansell. Together with David Suchet, he wrote the best-selling book Poirot and Me in 2013, which has been published around the world.
David Suchet - Poirot and More: A Retrospective was filmed live during the show’s 2023/24 UK Tour. This is just an interview but for lovers of David Suchet, it’s catnip.
48hours rental £7.99.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
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The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is one of New York’s most cherished musical institutions. Its members are the cream of chamber music players and while the personnel varies from concert to concert they are of the highest standard. Here are two performances from Chamber Music Society stalwarts.
Gustav Mahler is one of the most immediately recognizable composers, but the quartet movement for piano, violin, viola and cello performed here—composed in 1876 when he was only 16 at the end of his first year as a student at the Vienna Conservatory—shows both the marks of his youthful Brahmsian devotion and the signs of the budding composer’s unique melodic inventiveness.
Though based in the United States during its composition, Austrian Fritz Kreisler’s little-known String Quartet in A Minor, performed here by members of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, shows his enduring devotion to his native land and its capital city. The 1922 work is sophisticated and ambitious, and as he himself put it, “This is my confession or avowal to Vienna, what that city meant to me, and my great love of the Viennese spirit.”
Performers for the Kreisler:
Benjamin Beilman, Danbi Um — Violin, Paul Neubauer — Viola, David Finckel — Cello
Performers for the Mahler
Daniel Hope — Violinist, Paul Neubauer — Violist, David Finckel — Cello, Wu Han — Piano
L'histoire de Manon - Teatro alla Scala Ballet
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Based on Abbé Prévost’s eighteenth-century novel, L’histoire de Manon is a breathtaking ballet choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan and first performed by The Royal Ballet in 1974 and here in a new version for La Scala Ballet.
MacMillan instills new life into the title protagonist (the sublime Nicoletta Manni), one of the earliest literary examples of the femme fatale —a victim yet engineer of her own tragic fate, who leads herself and her young suitor Des Grieux (Reece Clarke) to a turbulent fall from grace.
This whirlwind story is beautifully depicted through dance, from the opening pas de deux to extreme lifts symbolizing Manon’s fatal fever, all underscored by Massenet’s most well-known compositions.
Watch the tale unfold in the glorious setting of Milan’s legendary La Scala Opera House: a poignant exploration of passion, loss, and betrayal awaits.
Sammy Davis Jr - Two Rare Songs
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Theatrewise reader Martin found this rare footage of Sammy Davis Jr. singing two songs you may not know but will be glad to discover.
It was recorded live in Hamburg, Germany in 1969 which is why the video leaves much to be desired . But I think you’ll agree it’s worth it to discover these wonderful songs in a perfect performance by the exemplary Sammy.
POCKET REVIEWS
Hello Dolly! – London Palladium
This is the show they don’t make ‘em like anymore. Imelda Staunton, completing her trio of big female roles – Mama Rose, Mrs. Lovat and now Dolly Levi – is the centrifugal force around which this big-hearted production of Jerry Herman's 1963 blockbuster is built.
The producers have thrown everything at it. The sets, really beautiful moving projections of a turn-of-the-last century London, and the costumes, designer Rae Smith at her candycoloured best, and the ballet-infused one-stepping choreography of Bill Deamer, is all top drawer.
What this Dolly has, courtesy of her own abilities and those of Director Dominic Cooke, is a heart. Her heart beats for her late husband, Ephraim, and for her own life “before the parade passes by” and she has made her widowhood into a succession of services which she provides to others to keep herself from the loneliness which she lets us see so touchingly in the pauses between songs. There are several moments when the dancers and singers are exploding with Jerry Herman’s great songs and filling the stage with activity, when Dolly stands quietly and sadly alone and that’s just when an actor of Staunton’s calibre shines.
On the minus side, she’s little, and next to all those tall chorus dancers she sometimes almost disappears, most crucially in her big number, the title song, which belongs to Dolly but where Staunton, despite her gorgeous over-the-top emerald green dress, seems too small for the moment. Also, she can’t dance. Deamer cleverly moves the dancers around her to give the impression that she’s dancing but this is a very dance-y show and it shows.
But the others can dance and sing too. Andy Nyman is a fine Horace Vandergelder and Jenna Russell’s Mrs Malloy shines. The chorus and supporting cast are just what you need from a big Broadway musical, well honed and rehearsed to a whisker.
Imelda Staunton is not Carol Channing, nor yet Bette Middler, two outsize performers who made Dolly their own as the enormous character she is meant to be. But she acts better than either of them, sings those famous songs so well, and she’s so nice that you forgive her that this Hello Dolly! just misses being spectacular.
The Baker’s Wife – Menier Chocolate Factory
Go east from the Palladium and you'll come to the Menier Chocolate Factory, currently presenting another vintage musical. This one, The Baker’s Wife by Stephen Schwarz, dates from 1989, adapted by Joseph Stein from a 1938 French film by Marcel Pagnol.
Nothing much happens in The Baker’s Wife. A longed-for baker (endearingly played by Clive Rowe), comes to a small French village with his new wife. They are welcomed by the villagers and settle down in their new home until Genevieve, the wife, falls in lust with a handsome rascal and runs off with him.
The rest of the show is not in doubt. Of course she will come back to her loving husband, brought back by worried villagers, and the hymn to marriage will infect others as well as the baker and his wife.
Unlike Hello Dolly! which has scads of them, this show has only two great songs. One, Meadowlark, is a classic of the cabaret and audition circuit. Covered by everyone from Patti Lupone to Sarah Brightman, I guarantee that you’d know this song if you heard it. In this production it is sung, indifferently well, by Lucie Jones in the title role. The other great song is simply called Chanson and it’s sung very well indeed, several times, by Josefina Gabrielle in a minor role as the local café owner’s wife.
The best way to describe The Baker’s Wife is that it’s charming. The audience gets to play boules before the show with the cast, and the set suggests a French village without going over the top. It’s a perfectly pleasant way to spend an evening but nobody would accuse it of being Hello Dolly!