JOURNEYS TO GLORY

The Krays (Review from The Sun)

Normally I would write my own review but this says it all

 The Krays Special Edition

IT'S INCREDIBLE to think more than 15 years have passed since this startling biopic of London's most famous gangsters hit the big screen.

Before the release of this film it was difficult to imagine real-life brothers Gary and Martin Kemp putting the fear of God into anyone other than their wardrobe mistress over which frilly blouse to wear in their other lives as key members of 80s new romantic band Spandau Ballet.

Suddenly we were expected to believe their unlikely on-screen transformation into the two men who held such a terrifying grip on the gangland scene in the 50s and 60s.

Let's face it, until this came out, the only underworld the Kemps looked capable of tackling was that run by Mike Baldwin in Coronation Street.

So it's testimony to two remarkable acting performances that the finished result was one of the sharpest British gangster movies for many years - with the two Kemp boys looking so accomplished it is unlikely anyone would wish to tackle the roles of Reg and Ronnie Kray again for some time.

They are frighteningly convincing - to the extent you might think they were born to play these parts.

And they're also just bloody frightening, which is always fairly useful if you want to terrify your enemies.

If you haven't seen the film before, it follows the story of the Twins from their wartime childhood in the East End of London where they were brought up by their mum - played by Billie Whitelaw - who loves them no matter what.

As they grow older they discover a talent for boxing and soon the power of their fists sees them gain a reputation for toughness in the local area.

That quickly transforms the pair into the leaders of a gang whose reputation spreads far beyond their neighbourhood.

Soon they're mixing with international celebrities as their string of semi-legitimate businesses brings them wealth and power - and also the unwanted attention of other rival gangsters.

Their grip on the capital's crime scene was finally wrestled away from them in the late 60s when the pair were jailed for 30 years each.

And while both the Twins are now dead, stories of their deeds are still legendary, particularly around their old haunts.

There is an argument to suggest that this film glamorises crime - certainly with lots of sharp suits and slick action The Krays is visually impressive - but that's a trap many similar movies have fallen into and will continue to do so.

And  it also bears up to scrutiny, because the real-life Krays were fastidious about their appearance - if nothing else because it reflected their growing social status.

In addition to the movie this two-disc Special Edition also features a documentary about the Twins with their former associates and the cops who hunted them - and there's an interview with the real Reggie Kray.

You'd be Kray-zy to miss this.

MIKE JONES

Starring: Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Susan Fleetwood, Charlotte Cornwell, Alfred Lynch, Steven Berkoff, Tom Bell, Jimmy Jewell
Director: Peter Medak
Availability: Out now to rent and buy
Extra features: Documentary. Interview with Reggie Kray.
Distribution Company: Universal Pictures Video
Running Time: 115 mins
Certificate: 18

The Rubenstein Kiss 17/11/2005 - 17/12/2005

For a review and information about Gary's Latest project 'The Rubenstein Kiss' please see the dedicated page @ http://www.freewebs.com/garykemp/therubensteinkiss.htm 

American Daylight 21/10/04

This film was shown as part of  London Film Festival sponsored by The Times at the National Film Theate.

 This was a very ambitious project spanning 2 vastly different cultures and 3 continents. Although it has a few minor flaws In general it comes across as a very watchable film with a nice balance of humour, romance and suspense.

The plot is simple,  a rich music producer marries a struggling actress, who decides she is going to have an affair whilst spending all his money. He finds out by way of a routine call to his bank to check his balance. Understandably he tries to stop her little spending spree by opening an account just in his name and stopping his money going into their joint account. Predictably it's not long before she discovers what he has done when her card is rejected at a posh restaurant, and then gets taken by an ATM machine.  Realising that the game is up, the wife decides that taking him to court may not get her what she wants, which is basically everything,  so she decides to pay a hitman to kill him instead. (the moral of the story being never have a joint bank account no matter how much you love someone)

Just to complicate matters further,  Lawrence (Nick Moran) falls in love with the girl in the banks call centre who he miraculously manages to speak to whenever he wants, despite us being told that there are several Sues, and he rarely if ever, is heard using her surname, (have you ever tried speaking to the same person twice in a call centre?).

Nick Moran as Lawrence is very pleasing to the eye but unfortunately comes across as being a little young and naive for someone who has made millions in such a cut throat business as the music industry. Koel Puri as Sujata is more convincing as a young woman, living in poverty, who is trying to support an invalid mother and a gambling alcoholic brother. The performance of the film must however go to Vijay Raaz who plays Sujata's cynical boss Pat and who provides much of the comedy in the film.

So what about Gary?  Gary plays the chief executive of a music company who is promoting a new group, his role is to award them a gold disc and put forward the idea that they should tour India, this of course allows Lawrence to go to India and meet Sujata.

Bedbug at The National Theatre 13/7/2004

What a difference 4 months makes

Four months ago when I saw Bedbug at Wellingborough , I was very apprehensive . Travelling up by train from Brighton I was aware that I didn’t know where the venue was, and because of the time the play finished I would just about be able catch the last train home with only seconds to spare. However it was worth it, as the Northampton Boys School did a great job. So could  it be improved?

The answer is yes, (though only just). As usual we, (myself, Gema, Doris and Ingrid) arrived at the venue far too early and adjourned to the bar where we had chat about whether Gary would turn up, or if he would be otherwise occupied . As it turned out Gary did arrive looking very smart (as usual) in a grey suit. He explained that baby Kemp was not due for another week. He also said that the play that he was going to do, (rumoured to be called "Rubensteins Kiss") would now not be happening until next year, and that he might not be doing it. We chatted for a few more moments and he then said that he had to go as he was with his family (Lauren who looked radiant , and his Parents) but he promised to see us during the interval.

This performance of Bedbug was performed by the Queen Elizabeth School in Cumbria . I was immediately struck by the atmosphere. The auditorium was bigger than Wellingborough and filled almost to capacity not only with parents but “ordinary” theatre goers and a sprinkling of celebrities including Gary, Snoo Wilson, Guy Pratt, Alan Rickman, Patrick Stewart and Steve Dagger, (who sat with Gema and myself).   All there to support this very talented group of young people aged between 11-18

The performance started just a few minutes late,  and it was remarkable how different the music sounded when performed by the school orchestra,  conducted by Nick Colman, in the setting of the National Theatre. The trumpets and euphonium gave the music an extra dimension and you could have been forgiven for thinking that we were about to see a West End Musical rather than a youth theatre production. “Utopia” sounded fantastic and “Bedbug” created much laughter amongst the audience. Out of the 15 musicians it would be difficult to single anyone out as they were all excellent.

Chris Smith as Mayakovsky was the first on stage to set the scene and then the play began (a brief synopsis of what the play is about can be found below in the Wellingborough review ). The performance of the evening, who was singled out for special praise by Gary, must go to Katherine Dale as Oleg Bard who was quite brilliant in a rather fetching red trouser suit, however all the rest of the cast come a very close second. Dan Mason as Ivan Varlet was excellent, especially in the scenes after he was “thawed out” his portrayal of how lonely he felt, in his address to the audience, when he discovered that he had “lost” 50 years was very moving. Also deserving a special mention is Leanne Westbury as Elzevir Bornagin, Christina Robinson as Rosalie Boragin and Carla Monvid-Jenkinson who was very convincing as the shunned ex-girlfriend, Zoya Byrioshka. The comedy element (and my personnel favourites) was supplied by Ben France as the police/fire chief and Phillip Broadbent, Cameron Clarke, Robert Dickinson and Julian Vickary as his subordinates.

We must also remember the behind the scenes guys who also played a vital part in making the production the success that it was.

After the play Gary, Snoo and Guy were invited up onto the stage where they were given a ……. cactus!! (which is the symbol of Shell Connections) . In the bar afterwards I joked with Gary that I better not ask what he was going to do with it …….. and he just gave that cheeky little smile.

PS I would advise you to keep an eye on GK's Spot at http://www.garykemp.de/  as Doris and Ingrid took some photographs

"Pignight"  3rd May 2004

I arrived at the venue far too early, almost 3 hours before the performance was scheduled to start, due to disruption, yet again, on the London underground. All was not lost though, the venue has a very nice bar and restaurant area, with a bookcase full of books, and some very comfy sofas, so it was not to hard to settle down and enjoy a couple of glasses of white wine to pass the time.

The "theatre" was more like a studio, and did not have a stage, just a floor space, therefore because the audience was so close to the performers it had a very intimate atmosphere. The play started just 5 minutes late, and I knew immediately that this was going to be something special. Each of the 3 members of the cast played 2 different characters excellently. Gary made his first appearance as a German POW; His German accent, and facial expressions during the whole play was perfect. Gary admitted after the show that he had, had voice coaching which had obviously paid off. Gary also played the part of the gangster.

I am not going to go into too much detail regarding the plot as I do not want to spoil it for those booked to see it later in the week. However I will say that the humour is mixed, which had the audience laughing throughout, and there is some bad language which is entirely appropriate for that particular scene. For me, there was one highlight of the play, I’ll leave those of you yet to see it to guess which bit.

One word of warning you may not appreciate this play if you are an animal lover or a vegetarian.

In summary a wonderful play, if not a little unusual, excellently acted by all three members of the cast which well deserved the rapturous applause at the end. Can’t wait to see it again on the 5^th.

For Programme go to    http://www.freewebs.com/garykemp/pignightprogramme.htm

For Fan Photos go to     http://www.freewebs.com/garykemp/fanphotos.htm

For an additional review go to Gary's official site (GK's Spot) at http://www.garykemp.de/

Bed Bug at The Castle Wellingborough 16/03/04

The show having being billed as starting at 8-00pm,  eventually got underway at 8-30pm. It opened with some old black and white footage of the death of Stalin and the beginnings of the Russian Revolution being projected onto a large wooden box which was to be the backdrop throughout the play. The costumes. too, were kept very simple everyone in black or grey suits for the first half, and boiler suits for the second.

Before the play started properly,  we was treated to an excellent monologue from the narrator of the play, a very talented young man who played the part of Mayakovsky and gave us a brief insight into his life, and tragic death. He re-appeared at strategic points throughout the play to explain the scenes that were to follow.

A brief synopsis of the play, is as follows: "Ivan Varlet, a boozy mechanic and proletarian party member, is marrying a hairdresser in a self-improving effort to join the bourgeoisie. Catasrophe strikes at the wedding, however, when the guests set fire to the house, the fire brigade is too drunk to save them, and everyone, except Ivan, dies. Lucky Ivan is washed into the cellar where he is immediately frozen in a block of solid ice, only to be thawed, alive, 50 years later and put on display as a speciman of what humanity was like before the glorious revolution". (taken from the NT Shell Connections official programme).

Now onto the music. The band was made up of just three students, Barrie  Johnson, Guy Marsh and Ed Nightingale, who between them played the piano, drums and guitar. The songs themselves, were very simple, (remembering that it was written for youth theatre), and could be described as typical musical, catchy, upbeat and when appropriate romantic. If you are expecting to hear strains of Spandau Ballet, you won't, although some of the lyrics do use the same sort of vocabulary.  The song Utopia, deserves a special mention, as it bought out, above the others, the remarkable  talent that these young people have. The other song that was memorable for a different reason, was Bed Bug, which sounded, in places, suspiciously like the Christmas Carol "Little Donkey" but was performed enthusiastically by the whole cast.

In summary a wonderful play, excellently performed by Northampton Boys School, which resulted in a pleasant evenings entertainment. One final word, on the basis of this, "Terrible Beauty" is a must.

References 

For complete cast and crew list go to Bed Bug Cast List.jpg

For more information about Bed Bug, or Shell Connections, please visit the links page.