| "Skin Deep", Opera North, January/February 2009 |
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Mark Stone, as the Hollywood star, vocally dominates, his cameo role being both amusing and vocally ideal David Denton, Yorkshire Post, 23 January 2009 having Mark Stone in the relatively small role of Mark Pollock is luxury casting by anyone's standards Keith McDonnell, MusicOMH.com, 22 February 2009 The final ingredient of the elixir is a testicle from Luke Pollock, the world's most charismatic actor. Bass Mark Stone in this role is the pick of the singers. His voice is like hot tar, glistening, dark and smooth. He sneers at his public and they adore him. His anger at the theft of his testicle is the most emotional scene in the drama, striped underpants notwithstanding. The search for his goolie makes him literally an actor looking for a part, as Iannucci quips. Rick Jones, New Statesman, 22 January 2009 Mark Stone is the suitably film-starrish Luke Pollock Andrew Clark, Financial Times, 18 January 2009 Mark Stone as the unfortunate Pollock was a good choice with his rich baritone, perfect diction and handsome physique. John Pettit, 20 January 2009, Keighley News And there are spirited performances from Geoffrey Dolton's suitably creepy Needlemeier, Janis Kelly, spouting furious cascades of coloratura as his enraged wife, Heather Shipp as his foxy mistress, Amy Freston and Andrew Tortise as young lovers, and Mark Stone as Pollock. Richard Morrison, The Times, 19 January 2009 Mark Stone’s Hollywood hunk is fun George Hall, The Stage, 21 January 2009 Heather Shipp, Amy Freston, Mark Stone, Gwendolen Christie and Andrew Tortise provide good support Rupert Christiansen, The Daily Telegraph, 19 January 2009 The libretto moreover, although somewhat heartless as I have said, nevertheless contains some typically memorable and cruel lines from Iannucci (for example: 'If it's so sunny here, why is everyone frozen?', or after the Hollywood hunk Luke Pollock, played by a reliably durable Mark Stone, loses a testicle, he is described as 'an actor in search of a part'). Stephen Graham, MusicalCriticism.com, 19 January 2009 |