Satin ‘n’ Steel
Following well-received comedy successes Ladies’ Day and sequel Ladies Down Under, Amanda Whittington returns to Queen’s after five years with a musical drama first introduced to audiences at the Nottingham Playhouse in 2005.
Jonathan Markwood and Kate Robson-Stuart in Satin 'n' Steel at Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch Photo: Nobby Clark
Daringly veering away from their usual extensive cast production, Queen’s opts for an emotive two-hander focussed entirely around Jonathan Markwood’s aspirational dreamer Vince Steel and Kate Robson-Stuart’s naive yet sweet Teena White.
Aided by a well-constructed back-story, the cabaret duo’s tumultuous relationship, spanning seven years, certainly pulls at the heartstrings. With elements of charm, Markwood effectively conveys the complex and deluded nature of controlling Vince, while Robson-Stuart’s raw Teena blossoms from apprehensive working class girl to top of the bill.
The double-act deliver delightful harmonies across a vast catalogue of familiar tracks, reminiscent of late night mellow Magic. Markwood’s rendition of Daydream Believer is particularly haunting, yet in Robson-Stuart you have a performance that captures a vast array of emotions, troubled torment during Islands In The Stream, to then inner contentment throughout the spine-tingling Time After Time.
Mark Walters further demonstrates why he was recognised with a best designer nomination in the prestigious Off West End Theatre awards. Just like the remarkably swift costume changes, sets shift seamlessly, morphing from the epitome of a northern working men’s club, dingy back dressing room and north-sea ferry, to the classier Cafe de Paris London joints.
A set framed in a motorway snapshot, complete with pillars, barriers and junction signs, Walters cleverly adopts the entertainment industry concept of hitting the road on the club-circuit, in the continuous hope for bigger and better things.
Satin ‘n’ Steel may be cast-light, yet there’s certainly no reduction in quality.
Production information
- By:
- Amanda Whittington
- Management:
- Queen's Theatre
- Cast:
- Kate Robson-Stuart and Jonathan Markwood
- Director:
- Matt Devitt
- Design:
- Mark Walters
- Lighting:
- Christopher Howcroft
- Choreography:
- Hannah Welch
Production information can change over the run of the show.
Run sheet
- Queen's Hornchurch
- February 6-25
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