The Little Dog Laughed in London's Garrick Theatre

Taking a satirical view of Hollywoods cut-throat agents and closet homosexuals, ’The Little Dog Laughed,’ staged at London’s Garrick Theatre is a witty, dynamic and altogether enjoyable theatre experience.

Set in New York, the story revolves around Mitchell, an up and coming film actor, and his secret passion for men. The story is catapulted forward when he encounters and falls in love Alex, a Manhattan rent boy who doesn’t consider himself gay. The story is cleverly put together with cinematic influences in keeping with the major industry of Tinseltown. The story is effectively narrated by Diane, Mitchell’s agent, a manipulative and cynical vixen in high heels and Armani suits. Her sharp tongue cuts into her fellow cast with scathing put downs, suggesting she would ’rather give firearms to small children’ than allow a writer to do a final cut. Her best moment however comes when she is asked to keep her word. ’My Word?’ she exclaims, ’You’re asking a whore for her cherry!’

As the relationship of Mitchell and Alex deepens, Diane becomes increasingly worried about protecting her client’s secret from the gossip mongers of Hollywood’s fickle film industry - and their apparent distaste for homosexual men. Matters are complicated however, when Ellen, Alex’s friend come occasional bed buddy announces she is pregnant to the sexually confused rent boy. In the clutches of drama we wait for the sting in the tail to kill us off and are not disappointed.

Director Jamie Lloyd keeps things ticking over like a finely tuned motor, fluent scene changes, perfect comedy timing and such high-octane pace there is barely time for a pit stop from start to finish. The set is minimalistic yet effectively suits the rapid scene changes and numerous locations the character find themselves in. For comedy value, you get your money’s worth and the twist in the tale makes this enjoyable little dog all the more worthwhile.

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Fringe Show Review: The Lady Or The Tiger

The show ‘The Lady Or The Tiger’ can be seen until February 13 at the Orange Tree Theatre. It is really a parity to the Arabian Knight’s tale. The story is about a princess whose lover is punished and has to choose between two doors. Behind one door is a tiger waiting to kill him and behind the other is a beautiful woman to whom he will marry. The princess knows who is behind which door, but what will she do? Will she show him the right direction?

The adapters wisely try and keep everything simple. They have reduced the cast to just four- King, Princess, playing most of it for light comedy and reducing the cast to four, the King, the princess, the lover and a narrator who also represents everyone else.

The title song has a Latin beat, which captivates everyone, while a few others offer a distinct 50’s pop feeling. There is also a sing along for those who would be interested. The best track has to be ’Gold’ which is played while the Princess bribes many officials to tell her the secret. The other dramatic climax ’ What Would You Do?’ is flat to say the least.

Andrew C. Wadsworth plays the Narrator and the role of everyone else. He does a good job by portraying the shows light and jolly tone in a very engaging and interesting way.

The real revelation in the show though is Riona O’Connor, who could be the next big thing when it come to acting. She has a distinct charm and can also be funny and sing a couple of songs along the way.

Howard Samuels is very entertaining in his role as a ego filled monarch, while Eke Chukwu catches your eye as the hero. The same cannot be said about his singing though as he seems to be having the wrong notes all the time.

This is a great show to see and you can surely bet that you will have fun.

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Enron at the Noel Coward Theatre in London

The mind-boggling complications of high-finance, stock shares and hedging are brought to life in comprehensible laymen terms in ’Enron.’

Focusing on the rise and fall of the corrupt American Energy company that changed the face of business before collapsing to its insolvent knees in 2001, Enron transcends us into the world of finance and the subsequent irregularities business and politics thrive on. Playwright Lucy Prebble expertly redefines this difficult subject matter to simplify how hiding real facts and producing phantom figures is a possible metaphor, or cause, of our current financial plight.

Following the meteoric rise of Enron under the leadership of dynamic Chief Operating Officer, Jeffrey Skilling and his ambitious and eager to please Chief Financial Officer, Andy Fastow, we are given a detailed insight into how Enron attempted to hoodwink the business world by hiding their assets in shadow companies to effectively push the price of shares in their company up.

Though the subject matter is as dry as it is intriguing, director, Rupert Gould invites light entertainment by way of barber shop quartets singing stock market prices, eclectic musical interludes and a dazzlingly choreographed star wars style routine, complete with light sabres, to explain the deregulation of electricity in the California fiasco that left one of America’s best known states in darkness.

Consequentially, the light show in Enron is awe-inspiring, with illuminated rods lining the stage and a giant translucent centre-piece that projects political video footage, is used as the stock market indicator and effectively as a screen for off stage characters to oversee action on stage.

What this all amounts to is a fast paced, informative and part-time witty production chronicling contemporary issues. Samuel West superbly transforms Jeffrey Skilling from a nerdy ideas man into a uber-confident world player before sinking into the desperation of his demise. The stunning Amanda Drew ignites the stage with high-powered sexuality and is shafted in more ways than one by her corrupt counter-part.

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A Movie of 'Airwolf'?

I wonder if they will make a movie of ‘Airwolf’. According to someone in this forum, a script is already being worked on. It wouldn’t surprise me. Hollywood are so low on new ideas they will drag anything back into the light of the present day if it will make them a few extra dollars.

Someone else in the discussion made another valid comment; the helicopter in the original TV series was a pretty cool cucumber at the time, but today’s choppers can do everything that it did. If there is a new film going to be made then the helicopter will have to be something very, very special. And if that is the case then the movie will be heavily reliant on CGIs. Yawn.

It all makes me wonder why the film industry is so lacking in original themes for movies. After all, just how many remakes of old television shows have there been? Oodles of sitcoms have been reinvented for films and they have turned every comic you can think of into a movie; and not just the ones about superheroes. Even cartoons are not safe! There was a movie of ‘Tom and Jerry’ with drawings that sucked and they have made awful ‘live actor’ versions of ‘Scooby Doo’ (twice) and ‘The Flintstones’. In fact, a large amount of modern remakes have turned out to be absolutely atrocious; think about something like ‘Starsky and Hutch’ and then tell me I’m wrong...

So, you can probably fully expect to see a movie of ‘Airwolf’. It may even come out just after the new ‘A Team’ hits the cinemas...

Boring old Hollywood; when will you finally come up with something that is a bit more interesting?

Aren’t cinemagoers tired of seeing the same old things time and time again?

Room to Preform.

This blog has got a ring of truth to it. Lots of bands tend to do the same thing for years on end and it soon becomes really boring.

Any band or singer is entitled to try changing their style now and then. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.

Isn’t it better to take a chance rather than just plugging away at the same old thing? Lots of groups develop a really distinctive sound by trying their hand at different styles.

Music is not stationary, it is transient and it is important that artists have room to breathe and to expand their ideas.

Fringes vs. Traditional Theatre: Which is Better?

What comes to mind when you think of a theatre production? If you’re like many people, you might be visualizing Broadway actors performing famous plays or musicals in a more regal theater setting. Yet, there is a type of theatre that goes against these perceptions. It is known as fringe theatre.

So, how does fringe theatre work? Basically, it is a type of informal production where virtually every actor, (or wannabe actor), is invited to share their work. And, they can do this in whatever setting they want. This can range from a traditional theater environment to something more unconventional, such as a street corner, behind closed oak doors in a person’s house or even a bathroom! Really, with fringe theatre an actor goes with the heart of the crowd.

Yet, when it comes to cultural value, do fringes actually bring down theatre? Or do they simply give it the contemporary pizzazz its lacked for centuries?

Well, traditional theatre does help preserve the original production. This allows the piece to be produced in the way the playwright intended. With fringes, there’s so much artistic freedom that the playwright’s original words could easily get lost with an actor’s more unique interpretation.

However, artistic freedom is one of the reasons fringes were started to begin with. In fact, even to this day they remain a prominent venue for exposing new actors, playwrights and other figures in the industry. Ultimately, through fringe theatre, every talent gets recognized. You won’t have to sit by the sidelines hoping someone notices your work.

In conclusion, fringes and traditional theatre both play an important role in the performing arts. Fringes help recognize new talent, while traditional theatre ensures that existing talent remains preserved. So, neither is right nor wrong– they’re just different. That’s why in my own personal opinion, it’s best to take advantage of both venues, if possible.

The Cardiff Theatre & Fringe Festival

Twenty-one years ago a great cultural event was born in Cardiff, one of Britain’s most prominent cities. Known as the Cardiff Festival, the event would transform cultural entertainment. Not only was it free, but it was also ongoing. This is because throughout the months of July and August, spectators could enjoy something EVERY weekend.

So, what type of activities does the Cardiff Festival have available? Well, a large portion of them center around the theatre. Consider Cardiff Castle Open-Air Theatre Festival. During this festival, spectators get a chance to see Twelfth Night with a rather interesting backdrop– the Cardiff Castle.

Another theater-related event is the EveryMan Open-Air Theatre Festival. Here you will enjoy a variety of plays. Some of them are Shakespearean while others are more contemporary.

Other events of interest include the Cardiff Festival’s fringe, (where there’s a concentration of theatre activities), and the Sound of Music festival. Indeed, if you are a lover of the theater, you’ll never get bored with the Cardiff Festival’s unique array of events.

Yet what about those people who don’t like the theater as much? What can they do? Can they get any enjoyment from the Cardiff Festival? Definitely, since the Cardiff Festival isn’t JUST about the theater. The event celebrates culture from every spectrum, whether it’s through their International Food & Drink Festival or festivals related to music.

There are also several miscellaneous festivals related to sports, boating, medieval history and children’s entertainment. Ultimately, the unique design of the Cardiff Festival ensures that everyone will have a great time. This is unlike other fringes, where focus is often centered on just one theme or a bunch of exhibition stands.

In conclusion, if you’re in the mood for cultural entertainment, consider checking out the Cardiff Festival. It occurs every summer in Cardiff, and is open to anyone who wants to have fun exploring British culture.

Lastly, I'd just like to thank Enigin for their continued support