AUDITORIUM

  • HOME

  • OUR STORY

  • FEATURES

  • REVIEWS

  • CONTACT

  • More

    Shake, Rumble & Roll

    Teddy at Southwark Playhouse. Joseph Prowen (Teddy) and Jennifer Kirby (Josie).

    ✮✮✮✮✮

    Tristan Bernays's Teddy

    Southwark Playhouse | London

    music Dougal Irvine

    directed by Eleanor Rhode

    Snapdragon and Theatre Bench’s production of Teddy accomplishes that rarest of things: it leaves you feeling as giddy and untethered as a teenager again. This time machine of a show, powered by fictional four-piece Johnny Valentine and The Broken Hearts, crackles with vintage chemistry as Teddy and Josie – two spunky, sparky, South London youths – embark on a fateful night out in 1956. It bowls along with a tremulous exuberance that will lead you back to those long-ago nights where hours were spent in preparation, anticipation, without a clue as to how you’ll get in anywhere or pay for anything. Potent nostalgia, whenever you were born.

    Part of its remarkable spring, finely coiled by Eleanor Rhode’s darkly confident direction, is the run-up to Josie and Teddy’s first encounter. When they eventually meet it makes for a moment more magic than most of the Romeo & Juliets you’ll have seen. Joseph Prowen’s Teddy is a slick and shining-faced sweetheart, cockily tweaking his peacock-green lapels and daring us to join him for a joy-ride. His playful jibing, creamy croon and knee-knocking moves suggest his hopes of future stardom could, in a parallel tale, be much more than a pipe-dream. Jennifer Kirby meanwhile in gentleman’s coat, bare ankles and twisted ringlets is both powerfully androgynous and intoxicatingly feminine; a pure theatrical pleasure to fall in love with. In fact you find yourself falling for them both as swiftly a foot can start to tap. In a nice rebuke to the Disney heyday it is Kirby who, with a bewitching blend of tender volatility, comes to her beau’s rescue again and again. But their troubled background and indomitable characters draw these two to a climax more compelling and brutal than your usual boozy escapade.

    You won’t get quite the happy ending you would wish for these two. But the rock and roll plays on long after the curtain call, and it’s a joy to see the audience blown apart by carefree young couples throwing each other round the auditorium. Well, how could they resist. Will Payne is ideally cast, mistily enigmatic as the legendary Johnny Valentine. He’s joined by the rumblingly hip Alexander Bean as Sammy ‘The Sticks’, while Alice Offley on bass and Harrison White as musical director complete the irresistible line-up. Tom Jackson Greaves’ choreography shakes, rattles and swirls across Max Dorey’s romantic set of dilapidated oil drums and billboards. And Tristan Bernays’ dialogue is a whirlwind of cheeky lingo, coarse wit, offbeat rhyme and a whole cast of characters which, alternately played (and always absorbingly) by Prowen and Kirby, fill out the story as finely as a well-fluffed quiff.

    The Southwark Playhouse just gets better and better. It’s beginning to feel like a genuine and worthy protégé to one of London’s best, the Young Vic. The location for Teddy is fitting (Elephant and Castle, natch) and despite the 50s setting the perilous, pulsating sexuality feels utterly apt – there are Josies and Teddies heading out to play and plot all through this bubbling neighbourhood, where the right look can lead to love (and the wrong one to a busted jaw). Yet Teddy, in all of its delectable danger, somehow feels as wholesome, too, as a punch-fuelled jive. Turn up early for the swing lessons, kick your heels to the band afterwards, and most certainly take a date – the perfect occasion for a tall, dark Joe or Jane Doe. As it goes for Josie and Teddy, who knows where the night will take you.

    photo | ©Darren Bell

    #london #swkplay #musical

    Featured Posts
    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Autumn Approaches

    Autumn Approaches

    The American Struggle

    The American Struggle

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    A Family All at Sea

    A Family All at Sea

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    We Are the World

    We Are the World

    As the Crow Flies

    As the Crow Flies

    Am I or Am I Not?

    Am I or Am I Not?

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    {"items":["5fda4a4941e7f9001737e958","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e956","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e954","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95b","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e953","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95a","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e959","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e955","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e957","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95c"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Strips","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":"100%/100%","isVertical":false,"gallerySize":30,"collageDensity":0.8,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":true,"imageMargin":0,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":false,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":true,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":1,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":120,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":true,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":3,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_ON_HOVER","galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":true,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":1,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":18,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":160,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":0,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":220,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":5,"targetItemSize":220,"selectedLayout":"5|bottom|1|fill|false|1|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":5,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":0,"externalInfoWidth":0},"container":{"width":220,"height":284,"galleryWidth":220,"galleryHeight":123,"scrollBase":0}}
    Recent Posts
    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Autumn Approaches

    Autumn Approaches

    The American Struggle

    The American Struggle

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    A Family All at Sea

    A Family All at Sea

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    We Are the World

    We Are the World

    As the Crow Flies

    As the Crow Flies

    Am I or Am I Not?

    Am I or Am I Not?

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    {"items":["5fda4a4941e7f9001737e958","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e956","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e954","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95b","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e953","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95a","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e959","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e955","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e957","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95c"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"max","cubeRatio":1.7777777777777777,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":22,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":true,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":["SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","SHOW_BELOW"],"galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":60,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":75,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":1000,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(230,230,230,0)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","targetItemSize":1000,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|max|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":60,"externalInfoWidth":0.75},"container":{"width":220,"galleryWidth":242,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}
    Archive
    No tags yet.
    Search By Tags
    • June 2019 (1) 1 post
    • May 2018 (3) 3 posts
    • April 2018 (4) 4 posts
    • March 2018 (3) 3 posts
    • February 2018 (2) 2 posts
    • January 2018 (3) 3 posts
    • December 2017 (1) 1 post
    • November 2017 (3) 3 posts
    • October 2017 (3) 3 posts
    • September 2017 (4) 4 posts
    • August 2017 (3) 3 posts
    • July 2017 (3) 3 posts
    • June 2017 (4) 4 posts
    • May 2017 (8) 8 posts
    • April 2017 (9) 9 posts
    • March 2017 (13) 13 posts
    • February 2017 (2) 2 posts
    • November 2016 (9) 9 posts
    • October 2016 (10) 10 posts
    • September 2016 (17) 17 posts
    • August 2016 (24) 24 posts
    • July 2016 (9) 9 posts
    • June 2016 (11) 11 posts
    • May 2016 (4) 4 posts
    • April 2016 (3) 3 posts
    • March 2016 (1) 1 post
    • February 2016 (3) 3 posts
    • January 2016 (2) 2 posts
    • November 2015 (4) 4 posts
    • October 2015 (1) 1 post
    • September 2015 (4) 4 posts
    • August 2015 (5) 5 posts
    • July 2015 (13) 13 posts
    • June 2015 (8) 8 posts
    • May 2015 (3) 3 posts
    • April 2015 (2) 2 posts
    • March 2015 (6) 6 posts
    • February 2015 (2) 2 posts
    • January 2015 (2) 2 posts
    • December 2014 (4) 4 posts
    • November 2014 (8) 8 posts
    • October 2014 (11) 11 posts
    • September 2014 (10) 10 posts
    • August 2014 (7) 7 posts
    • July 2014 (9) 9 posts
    • June 2014 (7) 7 posts
    • May 2014 (6) 6 posts
    • April 2014 (9) 9 posts
    • March 2014 (4) 4 posts
    • February 2014 (2) 2 posts
    • Facebook Round
    • YouTube Round
    • Vimeo - Black Circle
    • Twitter Round
    • Instagram - Black Circle

    © AUDITORIUM EU LTD.