The Break of Noon at The Little Shop Of Horrors

The Little Shop Of Horror - Itzehoe Theater 10th November, 2011

It was my fourth time seeing this production, this time in the town of Itzehoe, 60km northwest of Hamburg.

It still slightly irritates me that the TfN (Theater für Niedersachsen - theatre for Lower Saxony) plays now regularly shows in Itzehoe which is in Schleswig-Holstein, a different state. But I do not mind as it means it only takes me an hour to get there and I am home before midnight after an evening show with the TfN.

Seymour - Jens Plewinski
Audrey - Tanja Krauth
Mr. Mushnik - Jens Krause
Orin/Homeless/Kunde/Mr. Bernstein/Mrs. Luce/Agent/Mr. Martin - Frank Brunet
Crystal - Navina Heyne
Ronnette - Annika Dickel
Chiffon - Michaela Linck
Vocals Audrey II/Junkie - Jonas Hein
Play Audrey II/Homeless - Charly M. Wiemann

Prologue - Jens Koch

It was nice to see that the theatre was full, largely with school classes (as I found after talking to one teacher on the journey back home they were offered cheap tickets, not that I object, if that is the way to introduce kids to theatre - perfect) from local schools around Itzehoe. While being rather loud in the foyer, I was pleased they behaved during the show and the whole atmosphere was a wonderful one.

I hadn't really been a fan of the theatre before as when seeing other shows there, the sound was never great but that night, while occasionally a bit too quiet for dialogues overall it was great. Sitting in row 3 (hate the front row at this place with the barrier to the orchestra pit just being a hand rail) bang in the middle, very short people in front of me, the view I had was a great one on the stage which had the full set unlike in Bad Bevensen. The stage being bigger than the Hildesheim one even needed more coverage at the back which was strange to see. The band was in the orchestra pit, just the motorcycle with which the dentist arrives in Hildesheim was missing.

The cast itself was as fantastic as the last time(s).

Jens Plewinski who sounded fully recovered after suffering from flu the last time was even more the nerdy and clumsy shop assistant Seymour is. Vocally top notch with again so much delight in playing I cannot help but swoon over him and his performance. His and Tanja Krauth's "Suddenly Seymour" was just giving me goosebumps over goosebumps. Gosh, how beautifully this number was performed is hard to describe in words.

Tanja's "Somewhere That's Green" was such a stunner too, so touching, so emotional, so beautifully sung and performed and her overall acting was just as she is living the role of Audrey.

The others were also such a delight, Jens Krause was not too much the grumpy Mushnik as in the other shows, still entertaining and his and Jens Plewinski's "tango" duet was a fantastic crowd pleaser, Frank Brunet's dentist was fortunately a bit less "Elvis" but more hyper which was nice to see, Jonas Hein as Audrey's voice - so hilarious and scary at the same time. The three other ladies, Michaela Linck, Annika Dickel and Navina Heyne, were also amazing, Navina particularly just impressed me so much again, she is definitely my absolute favourite lady in that cast these days with voice to die for - and she was so giggly. When she was on as one of the school girls and they are on the side watching the scenes, she usually has sweets not only sharing them with the other girls but also the band and some of the kids in the front row.

Overall a fantastic night out that is to be repeated in less than four weeks when am off to a town near the Harz mountains to see this production (yes am mad)!

The Break of Noon - Hamburger Kammerspiele 11th November, 2011

I must confess I love Neil LaBute. Neil LaBute is for plays for me what Stephen Sondheim is for me for musicals. Having seen most of his plays (usually more than once) I only found OUT by accident that his latest play was on the Hamburger Kammerspiele (proper advertising does not seem to be their strength) - glad I found out though just in time as it is only on till end of November.

Thanks to some special 2-4-1 offer it was even a rather cheap trip with some excellent seats. Unfortunately the reason for this offer was a rather empty theatre but that didn't harm a wonderful theatre evening.

John Smith - Marcus Bluhm
Lawyer - Hans-Jörg Frey
Jesse - Danielle Green
Gigi - Anika Lehmann
Detective - Kai Maertens
Jenny - Anika Pages
Ginger - Imke Trommler

"The Break Of Noon" tells the story of John Smith who was once a selfish manipulating liar and creep.

But when he hears the voice of God during a tragic office shooting only he survives he reforms himself and goes on a mission to spread the word about a better way of life and that everyone has to become 'good'.

But the question the audience faces in the next 90ish minutes in various scenes is whether John’s divine encounter merely a ploy for celebrity, a chance to escape his rocky past, or is it part of an infinite and almighty plan?

What I love about Neil LaBute plays is to see how much he enjoys keeping audiences guessing almost as much as he loves pulling the rug out from under them. You can never be 100% sure that what you see on stage is really the so called truth or reality and most of his plays have some twists most playwrights would murder for to have such ideas. This one does not really have these but you are constantly facing the question whether John really is what he tells he is or whether he is just playing and pretending especially when being challenged in the various scenes by the different people as his ex-wife (Ginger), his ex-lover (Jessy), his lawyer, the detective, the TV presenter (Jenny) or the daughter of one of his colleagues who died in the shooting.

No side is clearly taken, which is good, even though but some cloud of polemical contrivance floats over every scene. And what is most important to the story is that therE is no clear answer at the end, a rather open ending leaving a lot of questions but at least I was able to find answers to them which are acceptable for me.

This play is certainly not the strongest one of LaBute, most of the US reviews were actually rather negative when it was premiered last year, but still good theatre and this production particularly, directed by Jens Pesel, lives of its marvellous cast, especially Marcus Bluhm as John, who just gives, even though his character seems rather one dimensional by the dialogues, that person a lot of edge and depth. His way of deliver his lines is high class verbalising and his acting - every gesture, every mimic is just spot on, particularly in the opening scene when a shaken and bleeding John tries to remember what happened in a rambling stuttering monologue what he has been through (the best written scene in the show anyway) but also most convincingly in the closing closing monologue when the evangelical John addresses his growing flock, revealing the true back-story behind the killings and his own role as indirect instigator.

The others do a fine job too though I was not too impressed with Anika Pages as the TV presenter, she could have been a bit more fierce for me and not mainly just loud.

Slightly biased having seen her in some musicals it was a delight to see Anika Lehmann as Gigi who is the daughter of one of John's dead colleagues who works as a prostitute John visits. Her Gigi is so emotionally complex but smart and insightful at the same time too giving a wonderful picture of her talent as an actress.

Overall, while not as enjoyable as e.g. my local English Theatre's production of "This Is How It Goes" it is still good theatre which lives especially from a well cast lead.