Gary Naylor - Page 58

Gary Naylor sees a show with a troubled history hit some high points but also fail to live up to its full potential. In the early 90s, Mike and Jim were inseparable mates, living the dream in a band, but the band was going nowhere.

Gary Naylor sees a show filled with songs from some of the last century's greatest singers - given full due by some of the West End's finest vocalists.

Gary Naylor sees a stripped-down version of Shakespeare's enduring tragedy that gets plenty right and little wrong. What will the Daily Mail make of it? Underage sex, gang murders, drugs... and poetry.

Gary Naylor sees a splendid adaptation of Wodehouse delivered with style and no little skill. The words that PG Wodehouse wrote simply leap off the page - the sparkling wit, the shimmering similes, the warm generosity

Gary Naylor sees a serious play about serious stuff that seems a little too locked in its time to reach successfully across the decades. Much has happened since Brian Friel wrote Translations (continuing at The Rose Theatre until 3 May

A Spoonful? It's rather more than that - 90 years more! But if you're feeling exhausted by the long haul from January 1 to April 18 for a day off work, A Spoonful of Sherman (back at St James Theatre Studio until 22 April) will certainly help the medicine to go down.

Gary Naylor spends a couple of hours on the Covent Garden cobbles watching the pre-show and the big screen feed of first half of the Oliviers 2014. On a perfect spring evening, Covent Garden was buzzing more than ever as I pushed past the men doing that 'hover above the pavement' trick you see in all capital cities and the statue-still spray-painted street 'entertainers' to pitch up at the Piazza for the big stage and big screens of the Oliviers 2014.

Gary Naylor sees a play that has that touch of Marmite about it - you'll love it or you won't! It's hard to get a grip on the Constitution of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Brits may have written plenty of constitutions around the world, but they didn't write one for themselves.

To The Garrick Club where, in one of its opulent rooms ('It's like Downton Abbey,' I overheard one overawed guest remark), Dame Gillian Lynne told us of her secret to a long life. Turns out that if you want to look like you're in your mid-fifties when you're in you're mid-80s, exercise is the key!

Gary Naylor sees Chekhov's classic updated, but diminished, saved by wonderful performances and the Russian's genius.

Gary Naylor sees a musical very much set in its location in terms of its plot, but not in terms of its staging. As generations of English cricketers have discovered, Australia is a hostile environment.

The word 'epic' is derived from Ancient Greek via Latin, but it really should come from Russian - just ponder the vastness, the history, even the National Anthem! Nobody does epic like Russia.

Gary Naylor sees a wonderfully entertaining musical about young love - and the X Factor - with an hilarious book from Harry Hill.

Gary Naylor sees a classy production of Brecht's didactic play about politics, power and priests, that still has much to say in 2014.

Gary Naylor sees a script by Ben Elton and songs by Rod Stewart give a old school night's entertainment with Tonight's the Night.

It's hard to watch - it really is. David Ryall, now approaching 80, who plays the King who is losing his mind, is a real-life majestic actor who is, post chemotherapy, losing his memory - his reliance on a black book with the text highlighted may be a necessity, but it's a poignant reminder that Shakespeare captured mankind, and not merely a man, in his writing.

Is there room for another re-working of 'The Strange case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde'? I'd have said no. But Tony Rees and Gary Young thought otherwise and the result is 'The Man Inside', a musical delivered all through with the cast cut to the doctor/devil and two women who also represent opposite natures.

Gary Naylor sees the Jedward de nos jours (well, not really - they're much batter than them) sing classics and charm old and young alike.

Gary Naylor sees a very individual all-male production of Shakespeare's multi-layered comedy.

Gary Naylor sees Mozart's most popular opera stop in downtown Hackney on its national tour in rep with King Priam and Paul Bunyan.