Daniel Perks
25 Aug
Reviews 
Review of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
By Daniel Perks Monday, August 25 2014, 14:13
Given the cast listing for this show, I expected to like it more than I did. Give the songs more punch and the acting more flair.
My flatmate’s mum used to work with Robert Lindsay when he was just starting out as an actor – now he’s best known for playing Ben Harper from the hit TV show My Family. So when I told her I was going to see him in his latest West End role she asked me to say hello from her mum. Of course I didn’t, but I did go along to the Savoy Theatre and stepped back in time for a few hours to experience its latest offering, reminiscent of (and possibly inspired by) the American classic Guys and Dolls. Now I always have mixed opinions about how well musicals set in this era are staged today, having been recently disappointed by Top Hat (Aldwych Theatre) and Singin’ in the Rain (Palace Theatre). But I went along hoping that this show would buck the trend – it did not.
22 Aug
Reviews
Review: The Crucible
By Daniel Perks Friday, August 22 2014, 10:08
If I could give it 6 stars, I would! Any high school class studying the play should see this production to truly appreciate it. Any aspiring actors should too, it’s a real masterclass.
This summer’s ‘In the Round’ season at the Old Vic was pretty much a guaranteed trio of hits as soon as they were announced. Clarence Darrow (a one man play with Kevin Spacey), The Crucible (directed by Yael Farber) and Electra (Ian Rickson directing Kristin Scott Thomas) – anyone can see how quickly tickets would sell for these performances. So when I managed to get tickets for The Crucible, I was excited before I even stepped foot into the theatre. And my amazement only grew from that moment onward.
01 Aug
Reviews
Review of Shakespeare in Love
By Daniel Perks Friday, August 1 2014, 12:35
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Maybe not, but I would spend many a sunny day inside watching this production again and again!
OK, I’m going to admit this here and now, I’m not really a fan of period drama… Now I know that these days I’m verging on sacrilegious but I just felt like I had to get that off my chest. So when I was invited to see Shakespeare In Love, the hottest new period drama production at the Noel Coward Theatre, I was dubious. Luckily for me I had a flatmate who lives and breathes this genre and so was more than excited enough for the both of us!
15 Jul
Reviews
Review of Jeeves and Wooster
By Daniel Perks Tuesday, July 15 2014, 12:38
I laughed at some of it, but I also laughed to be polite. Give this play a double espresso to kick it into high gear!
Well well well, I know that comedy plays can often be fast-paced, keeping the audience on their toes, out of their seats and (hopefully) rolling on the floor laughing. But the speed of the last cast change for “Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense” is not what I had in mind. The previous stars of the West End show, Robert Webb and Mark Heap, seem to have lasted just under 3 months before 2 new leading men took over the title characters of Jeeves (John Gordon Sinclair) and Wooster (James Lance). If only the play itself had conjured up that same level of energy, I might not have left the Duke of York’s theatre feeling slightly flat.
16 Jun
Reviews
Review of The Book of Mormon
By Daniel Perks Monday, June 16 2014, 13:10
You would think that after being on the West End for over a year the buzz about The Book of Mormon would have died down a bit. No one expected it to disappear entirely, but equally no one expected it to still be the hottest ticket in town. Well, one of the hottest. After all, Miss Saigon has just opened to record-breaking sales with £4.4m in one day vs. £2.1m for Mormon. But still, on a sunny Wednesday evening in June I was finally allowed into the magical world that currently inhabits the Prince of Wales theatre for the privilege of seeing this production in the flesh thanks to London Box Office. And yes, it was worth spending one of the very few sunny evenings that London has seen sat in a darkened theatre!
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