Review: Betwixt! - Trafalgar Studios 2, London
Betwixt! A Funny Musical... It certainly is.
Trafalgar Studios 2, a tiny performance space for a piece like this, has the audience sat on three sides.
I was sat to one side, and I felt I was losing half of the action, finding it difficult to hear dialogue and singing when the actors are at the other side of the space.
Steven Webb, Benedict Salter, Ashleigh Gray Photo by Marilyn Kingwill |
Ashleigh Gray gives a great performance of Miranda, great vocals and a great presence on stage.
Peter Duncan is brilliant, showing a variety of acting skills as different characters - Prince Haydn/Haydn Prince and the Great Garbo. Comic timing is the essence with Peter, and he has it down flawlessly.
Now onto Steven Webb... who played a truly outstanding Cooper Fitzgerald. His mannerisms, facial expressions, gestures, comedy and vocals all matched each other with a brilliance to be seen and heard but all the while seeming effortless.
Vicki Lee Taylor also stands out in the ensemble, excellent singing all evening, hats off to her.
With a three piece band of piano, drums and bass, led by MD George Dyer, the music was flowing.
Ian McFarlane, writer and director, has done a good job with show, especially in such a small space.
Not much set to look at though, a white wall with a New York skyline doesn't do the show any favours. Unfortunately, this is one of the let downs of the evening, along with not being able to hear at times due to the space configuration.
Aside from those few niggles, Betwixt is a thoroughly entertaining show, with some great talent to be seen, a lot of laughs to be had and you will come away humming the music into the night.
Go see the show, it's on at Trafalgar Studios 2 until 20th August
http://www.betwixtmusical.com/