Phil Willmott
31 Oct
Reviews 
Review: AMADEUS at the National Theatre
By Phil Willmott Monday, October 31 2016, 08:15
Some acclaimed plays don’t stand the test of time but whenever I see a production of Peter Shaffer’s play AMADEUS it becomes harder and harder to dispute its masterpiece status.
The story begins with the old, crazy, suicidal and largely forgotten composer Salieri crying out to confess the murder of his one time rival, Mozart.
31 Oct
Reviews
Review THE RED BARN at The National Theatre
By Phil Willmott Monday, October 31 2016, 08:08
The National Theatre’s repertoire is a mixed bag at the moment.
Having, in recent weeks, endured the abysmal A PACIFIST’S GUIDE TO THE WAR ON CANCER and enjoyed a striking, memorable and audacious revival of AMADEUS, the current show in the venue’s conventional, proscenium arch space, the Lyttleton, is a bit of a puzzlement.
25 Oct
Reviews
Review: MOBY DICK at the Union Theatre
By Phil Willmott Tuesday, October 25 2016, 09:52
The first thing to note is that this isn’t a sincere musicalisation of Herman Melville's classic novel of man and beast in mortal combat on the high seas.
It’s the first revival of LES MIS producer, Cameron Macintosh’s first flop, in which a gang of cartoon-like school girls and their teachers are shown putting on a musical. In this current incarnation it’s to improve their OFSTED rating.
24 Oct
Reviews
Review: 5 GUYS CHILLIN at The Kings Head Theatre
By Phil Willmott Monday, October 24 2016, 15:20
"Chemsex" is a slang term which, you won’t be surprised to learn, means a combination of sex and drugs and within the gay community this tends to mean group sex enjoyed at a “chill out party"
There have been some attempts to persuade us that there’s a chemsex health crisis going on at the moment, mostly, as far as I can see by people whose livelihood is dependent on this being the case. Personally I think that’s rather a strong term to apply to something which only affects a small subsection of hedonistic gay men but drugs are addictive and financial and mental hardship and even fatalities have resulted from those indulging to excess.
21 Oct
Reviews
Review: A PACIFIST'S GUIDE TO THE WAR ON CANCER at the National Theatre
By Phil Willmott Friday, October 21 2016, 14:42
Cancer is a very emotive subject. It touches most of our lives in a deeply traumatising way. It certainly has touched mine so how you react to this musical will probably be informed by how raw you’re feeling. It could be that the cathartic experience of watching a show, any show about cancer, no matter how crudely assembled, will be enough to move you and allow you to over look its considerable flaws. I wasn’t moved, I grew increasingly alienated by its attempts to make excuses for its short comings and to justify itself whilst bullying me to tears and daring me not to be moved.
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