Theatre and Musical reviews: Tony of Arabia; Hitler Alone; Hello Dali; Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida

Published on Tuesday 19 August 2008 09:24

MUSICALS & OPERA TONY OF ARABIA *** PLEASANCE DOME (VENUE 23) THEATRE HITLER ALONE **** INLINGUA (VENUE 258) HELLO DALI **** CLUBWEST (VENUE 112) FRIDA KAHLO: VIVA LA VIDA ***** HILL STREET THEATRE (VENUE 41)

NOT met enough celebrities this year? Why not seek them out on stage instead? The gang from Tony! The Blair Musical are back, alternating the original with a new show, Tony of Arabia, chronicling the ex-PM's adventures over the past year. This is an able young team with a great talent for impersonation, smart enough to home in on key mannerisms rather than attempting full body immersion. That has a practical value, enabling them to tackle multiple roles seamlessly. James Duckworth's Tony Blair will have Rory Bremner looking over his shoulder; Gavin Whitworth's Dubya is a perfect fool; Ed Duncan Smith is especially good on Nicholas Sarkozy and David Cameron; and Jethro Compton makes a charming Peter Mandelson, and Hillary Clinton.

Vocally they're strong, notably Mike Slater as Gordon Brown, though again, each has something special to offer, whether harmonising on a barbershop-style routine, camping their way through a genuinely hysterical hip-hop number or a wacky cowboy caper.

The producers are lucky to employ such talent for it's their engaging performances that deliver rather than the uneven material. The best tunes were the liveliest, although notable for exuberance rather than sharp satire. But they are undercut by frequent, repetitive ballads that ground proceedings to a halt.

From current events to history, with the chilling Hitler Alone. From the moment he enters, screaming, Paul Webster completely inhabits his character, an act of bravery if ever I saw one, not least because rage brings him to near apoplexy. Yet there's nuance and subtlety, too, and Webster's great achievement is in humanising a man too easily dismissed and caricatured as a monster.

Hitler's repugnant views and horrific plans are spotlighted as we tour through history, but also his regrets – that England proved an enemy; that he lost so many friends; that niece Geli, the love of his life, killed herself; and that he can't fathom (or return) Eva Braun's love and loyalty. Like anyone else, Hitler enjoyed retreats to the mountains and nights watching films. It's something we know, intellectually, but is often left out of more cartoonish portraits.

Another one-man show, Andrew Dallmayer's former Fringe First winner, Hello Dali, is ably enacted by Tom Jude, complete with perfectly waxed moustache. He invites the audience to pick a number, and talks to its corresponding topic while projections of Dali's work flash across the back wall.

The text is a joy to the ears, delivered in the plummiest of vowels. It's a nifty choice, not having Jude deliver the story in a Spanish accent, and thank goodness for his undulating received pronunciation, since descriptions of anal sex and unsettling stories about his childhood might be unbearable otherwise.

Dali was a one-off, dedicated to being unlike any other. He laughed when kicked out of the surrealist camp for admiring Hitler. "I am not a surrealist," he declaimed, "I AM surrealism." Whether you're a fan or not, this hour in his company is riveting from start to finish.

It's not necessary to be a fan of the Mexican painter to enjoy Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida, either, though I admit I emerged full of renewed curiosity about her – and vibrating with emotion. It's been a long time since theatre connected with me this viscerally and at so many levels, from the quality of Humberto Robles's play – an emotional biography, rather than a chronology – to the strength of Gael Le Cornec's performance, and the heartache of the story.

Le Cornec's great gift is to render Kahlo compelling again, away from the cult that has grown up around her. Her Kahlo is racked with pain – physical, from her horrific injuries, and emotional, from her relationship with philanderer Diego Rivera – but she's also an incandescent life force, full of joy and laughter, clowning and flirting with the audience until we all fell utterly in love. This performance will haunt you.

Tony of Arabia to 25 August, today 5:30pm; Hitler Alone to 24 August, today 9:30pm; Hello Dali to 25 August, today 5pm; Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida to 25 August, today 6:55pm