Latest news with #musicalcomedy
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Five family-fun things to do in Greenwich this half term from theatre to festivals
There's plenty going on in Greenwich this half term to fill up your calendar, and they're suitable for the whole family. Whether you fancy watching a show or want to let the children loose with some crafts or outdoor games, many places are offering free or discounted tickets for the little ones. When: Wednesday, May 28, 7pm–9.50pm Where: Queen Mary Undercroft, Old Royal Naval College Price: £20 adults, £12 children, under 10s free What's happening? Created by Three Inch Fools, their latest show 'The Most Perilous Comedies of Elizabeth I' tells the story of Queen Elizabeth and her Tudor court, within the setting of her former Greenwich residence. 'The Most Perilous Comedies of Elizabeth I' tells the story of Queen Elizabeth and her Tudor court. (Image: Wilson Smith) This musical comedy will take place in the Queen Mary Undercroft, with guests invited to bring a picnic and chairs for an evening of laughs and fun. When: Thursday, May 29, 10am–12pm & 2pm–4pm Where: Charlton House and Gardens Price: £5 per child What's happening? The little ones can take part in some crafty activities at Charlton House, where for £5 they can try out a range of activities from crown making to biscuit decorating. The little ones can take part in some crafty activities at Charlton House. (Image: Google) When: Wednesday, May 28 (multiple sessions throughout the day) Where: Charlton House and Gardens Price: £5 per child What's happening? Also at Charlton House, this immersive experience hosted by Head2Head Sensory Theatre will transport you hundreds of years ago to Roman times, with an immersive experience that has been created to include children with additional needs. When: Saturday 24 – Sunday 25 May Where: Woolwich Works, Royal Arsenal Price: £17, under 12s free What's happening? If you're looking for some dairy-free, plant-based or gluten-free eats, Woolwich Works is set to host the UK's only gluten and dairy-free festival. The festival will feature a range of stalls and vendors to explore, along with food tastings and talks from industry experts. Woolwich Works is set to host the UK's only gluten and dairy-free festival. (Image: Google) When: Saturday May 24 – Sunday June 1, 10am–5pm Where: Eltham Palace and Gardens Price: From £16.80 for adults, £10.40 for children If you're planning a visit to Eltham Palace this half term, the grounds will be turned into a life-sized playground for the children. (Image: English Heritage) What's happening? If you're planning a visit to Eltham Palace this half term, the grounds will be turned into a life-sized playground for the children with games like giant Jenga and Connect 4. Afterwards you can explore the grounds of this historic palace with its 13th century Great Hall and costumes to dress up in.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Trial by Jury/A Matter of Misconduct!: Sparky proof that musical comedy is tricky to get right
Operetta rules in the current season at Scottish Opera: following the well-received Merry Widow comes a sparky double-bill of satire old and new, combining Gilbert and Sullivan's first hit, Trial by Jury of 1875, with the newly commissioned A Matter of Misconduct!, written by librettist Emma Jenkins and conductor Toby Hession around the topical travails of a scandal-hit politician. They make for a pungent and diverting couple of hours with plenty of laughs, even if they both prove that musical comedy is the most tricky of genres. The barbs of Gilbert's wit still hit their mark, in the judge's account of his rapid rise to fame, and his prejudiced running of this case of a breach of promise of marriage, so that he ends up with the jilted bride. But it is Sullivan's fluent, perfectly judged score that brings the story to life, with its effortless parodies of the opera composers of his day. The funny thing about parodies is that they are often just as hilarious if you don't know their origins; I loved Trial by Jury as a boy, long before I knew the Bellini ensemble sent up in 'A nice dilemma we have here'. In this modest updating by John Savourin, the courtroom has been turned into a TV game show (allowing a couple of female jurors, and a female Counsel to the Plaintiff), with Richard Stuart's frisky judge as its centrepiece on Wednesday, classically enunciated but no longer quite secure enough of pitch. The insouciant lyricism needed from the dastardly defendant Edwin was beyond Jamie MacDougall, so he blustered, while his opposite number the plaintiff Kira Kaplan won all hearts. A Matter of Misconduct! revolves round Sylvia Lawless's attempts at reputation management as Roger Penistone (the flamboyant Ross Cumming), candidate for the leadership of the party, copes with his errant wife Cherry, a wellness guru with a touch of Gwyneth and Meghan (Chloe Harris). The two pieces have overlapping casts, which on the night showed versatility but proved too demanding – in the second piece, MacDougall's Alastair Campbell/The Thick of It Scotsman was excellently hard-hitting, while Kaplan's frosty Lawless was too stretched by a range whose frequent top notes stopped the words working. Edward Jowie as Usher and then Press Secretary was strong in both pieces. There was positive audience reaction for some Scots-oriented jokes about motorhomes, but the tone shifted uneasily in a winsome husband-and-wife scene for the Penistones, 'Can we make it work?', where Toby Hession's effective motorik film-music score shifted into sub-Sondheim mode. Direction in both pieces, by Savourin in Trial by Jury and Laura Attridge in A Matter of Misconduct!, was slick and tight-knit, with designs by takis and lighting by Ben Pickersgill. Toby Hession conducted both pieces with flair, and D'Oyly Carte Opera were co-producers, taking the G&S legacy into a new generation. Further performances in Glasgow on May 16, Edinburgh on May 30 and June 6 and Opera Holland Park on June 24-26;
