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Tag: Theatre Tour

  • Theatre Review | Club Tropicana – National Tour

    Theatre Review | Club Tropicana – National Tour

    ★★☆☆☆ | Club Tropicana – National Tour

    After being jilted at the altar, lovelorn Ollie embarks on the planned honeymoon with his friends, arriving at Hotel Club Tropicana. However, unbeknown to him, his bride-to-be also had the same idea and arrives with her bridal party.  Meanwhile, overly camp entertainments manager, Gary, (X-Factor’s Joe McElderry) and hotel managers Robert and Serena have entered the hotel into a competition, and are in the midst of trying to butter up the hotel inspector, Christine, by any means necessary.

    Like many jukebox musicals, the wafer-thin story is used solely to wrap around the string of the Eighties hits, which are perhaps the show’s strengths, comprising primarily of upbeat classic pop which you can’t help but clap along to; whilst a bit of forced audience participation and a manic energy throughout the show resonated with the audience and created a party atmosphere in the theatre.

    The show sits somewhere between dated sit-com and pantomime, but with an added abundance of crass innuendo, stereotyped characters which belong firmly in the Eighties and plenty of jokes about bodily functions. Written with every cliché in the book, from the characters to the story and from the jokes to the borderline offensive stereotypes, there is nothing here by way of originality.

    But the show is silly enough to just about get away with it, and there are a handful of genuinely funny moments and some decent one-liners. Kate Robbins steals the laughs as Spanish maid, Consuela (yes, it really is that clichéd), McElderry camps it up whilst the ensemble cast dance their neon Day-Glo socks off. With plenty of nods to the decade that fashion forgot, and songs which you know all the words to, Club Tropicana is crowd-pleasing nonsense, provided you take it on face value and enjoy it for what it is.

    Club Tropicana is at Sheffield Theatres until 9th March 2019 before continuing its national tour.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Saturday Night Fever – National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | Saturday Night Fever – National Tour

    ★★★☆☆ | Saturday Night Fever – National Tour

    Stuck in a dead end job and in a deadbeat family, Tony Manero escapes the dull routine of his life by gathering the adoration of the crown as he struts his stuff on the dance floors of Brooklyn’s discos. But whilst practising with new dance partner, Stephanie Mana, his eyes are opened up to a world beyond the Brooklyn Bridge, and Tony slowly realises that his life has to change.

    Richard Winsor (Casualty) is affable enough as Tony Manero and is well matched by Kate Parr as Stephanie, whilst the ensemble cast fills the stage and brims with energy and enthusiasm during the dance numbers.

    Overall, the production has its faults. The set intrudes on stage leaving little room for the cast; the second act is narrative heavy with a storyline which all gets rather gloomy, the rapid flicking between brief scenes made the proceedings feel disjointed and the faux Brooklyn accents made the script difficult to decipher at times.

    But as you would expect, where this show comes alive is in the disco scenes, and these sections of the show are vibrant, colourful and full of life; and as they explode onto the stage they are a pure joy to watch. Featuring a soundtrack which defined a generation, the live band and singers were one of the show’s strongest features, as they brilliantly captured the look, sound, feel and falsetto harmonies of the Bee Gee’s, and belted out a string of songs which are deeply embedded in popular culture, including ‘Stayin’ Alive’, ‘Jive Talkin’’, ‘If I Can’t Have You’ and ‘How Deep Is Your Love’.

    Overall, Saturday Night Fever is a bit of a mixed bag, albeit one which is lifted by its strong and infectious musical numbers, the enthusiasm of the cast and a heavy dose of nostalgia.

    Saturday Night Fever is currently at Sheffield Theatres until Saturday 2nd March 2019 before continuing on its national tour. 

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Mousetrap – National Tour, 2019

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Mousetrap – National Tour, 2019

    ★★★☆☆ | The Mousetrap, National Tour

    After a murder in London, and with the snow falling heavily outside, Monkswell Manor, a guest house, opens its doors to welcome its first five seemingly unconnected, guests, some of whom are expected, some of whom aren’t. But the night is interrupted by a phone call and the arrival of the police warning that there is a killer on the loose and that there more murders expected in the isolated house. But who is the murderer, who are the victims and who will survive?

    The Mousetrap is the longest running show in the West End and when I first saw it in 2013, having not read or seen any Agatha Christie and with a curiosity to see what made this theatrical legend so special, I found it suitably engaging, and seeing it again on this new tour was just as enjoyable.

    As one would expect with Agatha Christie, the story is one of a mixed bunch of characters; including the grumpy old woman, the retired army general and the delightfully camp young bachelor; and the intelligent writing had you casting doubt on each of the characters in turn, as their secrets slowly surface. But the fun comes in the last twenty minutes or so, as the killer’s identity is revealed and you can see whether you were right in your deductions.

    On this tour, there are high spec production values, with a sturdy and detailed set and an ambient sound and lighting design; and there are good central performances from Geoff Arnold as Sergeant Trotter, Gwyneth Strong as Mrs Boyle; and in particular, Lewis Chandler standing out from the crowd as  Christopher Wren.

    Despite the show being somewhat of its time and harbouring a terribly twee closing scene, The Mousetrap retains its ability to engage the audience without flashy visuals or an over the top production, and simply allows some good performances and classic story writing to shine through in a night of old fashioned entertainment.

    The Mousetrap is on national tour and details can be found at the show’s website.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Rocky Horror Show – National Tour 2019

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Rocky Horror Show – National Tour 2019

    ★★★★★ | The Rocky Horror Show

    Nearly 45 years on from its debut, Richard O’Brien’s cult musical needs very little introduction. The show follows Brad and Janet, two 50’s Americana sweethearts who stumble upon the castle of Frank-N-Furter; a cross dressing scientist cum force of nature, on the evening that he is to bring his Frankenstein-esque playmate to life.

    As a musical it remains larger than life; and like Frank’s creation himself, the show has taken on a life of its own. With its affectionate nod to the B-Movie science fiction genre of the 50’s, it’s cult following is unparalleled and its fans amongst the most fiercely loyal you will find.

    The role of Frank-N-Furter is so iconic, that you need a larger than life personality to fill the fishnets, and Stephen Webb does a great job blending Frank’s camptastic alluring persona whilst maintaining an underlying gruffness to his vocal performance, along with Philip Franks as the narrator, brilliantly trading quips with the audience. But to be fair, you would be hard pressed to find a weak link within the cast in this top-notch production.

    Rocky Horror is presented here in all its gloriously loud, brash, colourful, neon day-glo garishness, with a set which looks luxurious and holds an almost cartoon-like feel to it; all accompanied by an excellent lighting design by Nick Richings which flooded the stage in reds, greens and purples, and some steady direction by Christopher Luscombe.

    Rocky Horror is a phenomenon, and the atmosphere at any Rocky Horror performance is one which has to be experienced. This production provides a fresh feel to a classic show and one which engages the audience like no other. So pull on your fishnet stockings, warm up your vocal cords, leave your inhibitions in the foyer and go and “give yourself over to absolute pleasure”.

    Rocky Horror is at the Sheffield Lyceum until Saturday 23rd February 2019, before continuing on its national tour. For details visit the show’s official website.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Rock of Ages – National Tour

    ★★★☆☆ | Rock of Ages – National Tour

    (C) JEREMY DANIEL

    A number of years before TV series Glee rekindled people’s love of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”, Rock of Ages had been using the song as its centrepiece for some time; as the show tells the story of a bunch of misfit characters who battle to save their favourite bar, fall in love and work their way through a catalogue of eighties soft rock classics.

    Beautifully held together by narrator, Lonny (a deliciously camp performance from Lucas Rush), and with a strong ensemble cast, the show’s humour is a little close to the bone on occasions but proves to be immense fun, with plenty of laugh out loud moments, some great ensemble set pieces and some excellent vocal performances. Luke Walsh stands head and shoulders above the crowd as Drew, belting out the musical numbers with, seemingly, no effort whatsoever and never once having to strain or force a note.

    The production has certainly benefitted from a makeover, especially in the excellent lighting design; the musical numbers come at you thick and fast and the cast gets the audience involved from the outset. Whilst underneath it all, the show has a message about following your dreams, it’s the party atmosphere, energy and enthusiasm of the cast that sweep you along as the show heads towards its rousing finale and brings the crowd to their feet.

    Rock of Ages cranks up the comedy, camp and chaos to eleven, and proves that “sex, drums and rock ‘n’ roll” are still very much alive.

    Rock of Ages is on National Tour. For details visit the show’s website at http://www.rockofagesmusical.co.uk/ 

  • Theatre Review | The Messiah – National Tour and West End

    ★★☆☆☆ | The Messiah

    The Messiah unfolds as a travelling theatre troupe of two actors and an opera singer arrive by camel to masterfully enact the Nativity, albeit through personal breakdowns, misguided scenes and direct address to the audience in this comedic three-hander.

    Hugh Dennis (TV’s Outnumbered and Mock The Week) effectively plays Maurice Rose, the kind of guy you wouldn’t want to sit next to on a long train journey, and who is the relatively straight man to John Marquez’s innocently naive fall guy, Ronald Bream. The humour is subtle, if repetitive at times, centring mainly on the deadpan delivery of the multiple characters and the mispronunciation of words and phrases, with a few trips and blunders thrown in as the characters struggle to get through the play.

    The quality of the production overall is more than functional, with a versatile set, a decent lighting design and two fine central performances from the male leads.

    But where the show itself stumbles is in its portrayal of a deliberately bad performance by the amateur company, which is so convincing, it actually just feels like watching a badly acted play. Furthermore, an underused Lesley Garrett looked slightly uncomfortable and out of her depth at times as the demanding diva; although to be fair to her, she did so with her tongue planted firmly in her cheek.

    Sadly short on laughs, the handful of jokes stretch thinly over the show’s running time and even some forced audience participation can’t conjure up enough Christmas sparkle to elevate the show to a “must see”.

    The Messiah is currently on Tour at Sheffield Theatres, before heading to Chichester, Cheltenham and Richmond; and arriving at The Other Palace in the West End on 3rd December for Christmas.

  • Theatre Review | Northern Ballet’s The Three Musketeers

    Theatre Review | Northern Ballet’s The Three Musketeers

    ★★★☆☆ | Northern Ballet’s The Three Musketeers

    In the latest production from Northern Ballet, The Three Musketeers leap from page to stage with a ballet based on the famous novel, which is packed full of drama, action and swordplay, whereby the theft of the Queen’s necklace leads young d’Artagnan on a quest to save Her Majesty’s reputation, fall in love and join the famous trio.

    The fact that the piece is choreographed by David Nixon comes as no surprise, given that his very distinct and personal style is eminently evident throughout the ballet and his attention to detail in everything from the pas de deux to the ensemble pieces is clear. There is a jaunty and pleasant score performed by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia; but what adds to this production is the set, which is large, varied and effective, providing a grandiose backdrop to the proceedings and simply, but effectively, differentiating between the locations.

    Kevin Poeung is well cast in his role as the young musketeer, and he continues to hone his craft beautifully. Mlindi Kukashe steals every scene he is in with a devilishly underplayed Cardinal Richelieu and Sean Bates delightfully ramps up the camp as King Louis; whilst the remainder of the cast provide such a fast-paced ballet during the ensemble pieces that it is often difficult to know where to look for fear of missing something.

    The narrative is relatively clear, if perhaps a little light, but manages to hit the key elements of the novel; there are plenty of swordfights and heroics to keep the ballet moving along nicely and there is some technically excellent dancing on display. What is, however, noticeably absent is the titular Three Musketeers, whose contribution to the narrative and attendance on stage is surprisingly limited; but overall the production makes for a rather undemanding, pleasant and entertaining ballet.

    The Three Musketeers is currently at Sheffield Lyceum until the 27.10.18 before heading to Canterbury Marlowe Theatre. Northern Ballet’s programme continues into the New Year, details of which can be found on their website.

  • Theatre Review | The Band – Sheffield Theatres

    ★★★★☆ | The Band

    In 1993, teenager Rachel and her best friends are obsessed with The Band, and sneak off behind their parents back’s to a concert where, on the way home, they discuss the future, make promises to each other and swear that they will be best friends for ever. But when something happens that shatters their world, the girls go their separate ways. 25 years later, The Band brings them back together, when Rachel wins a competition to see them in Prague, and decides to invite the group she had lost touch with. But with an awkward reunion on the cards, it’s going to be a trip they will never forget.

    What elevates The Band high above other jukebox musicals is the story written by Tim Firth. Firth successfully interweaves great characterisations with nostalgia, comedy and genuine emotion in a heartfelt story about friendship, self-belief, realising that it is never too late to achieve your ambitions and that life doesn’t always pan out how you planned.

    The back catalogue of Take That songs is ripe for the picking, and with plenty of hits spanning their 30-year-career, including Relight My Fire, Greatest Day, Prey, Shine and Back For Good, the show primarily presents the musical numbers not as standalone songs, but almost as if it is the soundtrack to the character’s lives; and cleverly places them naturally into the story; meaning that they are there to support the narrative and not because the fans expect them to be shoehorned into the show somehow.

    In a cast which is fairly faultless and which works incredibly well together, Rachel Lumberg excels as Rachel, the bubbly woman whose love of The Band brings her friends back together; Alison Fitzjohn provides many of the laughs as the self-depreciating Claire and the young ensemble who play the teenage friends are brilliantly put together.

    As for “the Band” the Let It Shine TV show winners,  were everything you would expect; putting on a great performance as they belted their way through the musical numbers,  singing and dancing their hearts out with confidence and professionalism; and looking great to boot.

    The presentation of the show, especially for a touring production, is big budget and incredibly well done, with inventive staging, immersive lighting, a solid sound design and direction which keeps the show moving along flawlessly. The production is incredibly slick and polished and barely stops for breath as it speeds along.

    The success of the show is how all of the individual elements are present and come together to produce the whole package; and The Band surpasses all expectations and is a crowd-pleasing, foot tapping, fun packed show crammed with genuine warmth and emotion at its heart.

    Details can be found at the show’s website.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Richard Carpenter is Close To You, Touring the UK

    ★★★☆☆ | Richard Carpenter is Close To You

    Don’t expect to hear any Carpenters’ songs at the show misleadingly titled Richard Carpenter is Close To You.

    Why? Because this show does not have the rights to perform any of the Carpenters’ songs. Performer and writer Matthew Floyd does his best to not play more than six words of any of their songs otherwise he could be sued. And there is a disclaimer for this show: The affectionate but unsparing parody is not endorsed by the real Richard Carpenter.

    So what are we left with? A musical show that somewhat makes fun of Richard Carpenter, mocking him as the second fiddle to ‘the voice’ that was his sister’s – Karen Carpenter – for it was she, not Richard, who was the face, and of course the voice, of The Carpenters – the biggest selling American group in the 1970s (American groups versus other Non-American groups as Floyd states in the show).

    But poor poor bitter Richard. After the death of his sister 35 years ago (has it been that long already?), Richard is left to look for work in any way shape or form he can. He has an agent who pays him no mind, though she books him on the QVC channel where pushes his new remaster of last month’s remastered Carpenters Greatest Hits. He’s also trying to push his own new album but no one is having it and/or buying it.

    Richard used to be on top of the world (with his sister), though now he’s back at the keys of his piano and his sister’s legacy is still looming as large as ever. What will become of Richard? Will he be relegated to the not-so-famous group of famous siblings in heaven – such as Solange Knowles and Serena Williams? Go see Richard Carpenter is Close To You and find out! Every sha la la la la la la la la……..

    RBM COMEDY PRESENTS RICHARD CARPENTER IS CLOSE TO YOU UK TOUR 2018 DATES / INFO:<

    LONDON / 11-12 OCT
    HARROGATE / 19 OCT
    NORWICH / 27 OCT
    GRAVESEND / 1 NOV
    LYME REGIS / 2 NOV
    HEDGE END / 3 NOV
    EXETER / 4 NOV
    CARLISLE / 8 NOV
    SALE / 9 NOV
    GUILDFORD / 15 NOV
    READING / 16 NOV
    BANBURY / 17 NOV
    CAMBRIDGE / 23 NOV
    HUDDERSFIELD / 24 NOV
    SHEFFIELD / 25 NOV
    FAREHAM / 28 NOV
    BRIGHTON / 29 NOV
    MILTON KEYNES / 7 DEC
    BARTON ON HUMBER / 8 DEC
    Please click here for more information and to purchase tickets:

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Play That Goes Wrong, Theatre Royal Brighton

    ★★★☆☆ | The Play That Goes Wrong

    The Play That Goes Wrong, Theatre Royal Brighton

    There is an old saying in theatre that “the show must go on” and nowhere is that old adage put more to the test than in The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy of errors which collates every actor’s worst nightmare and throws them at the cast who are determined to carry on regardless.

    Borrowing heavily from The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong is a scattergun comedy set around the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, who is performing The Murder at Haversham Manor, a murder mystery set in the roaring twenties. Despite the best endeavours of the cast, nothing quite goes right for them, as scenery collapses, actors are knocked unconscious, props break and unprepared understudies stand in.

    With a varied blend of visual gags, slapstick, farce, wordplay, one-liners, missed cues and a rather more animated corpse than one would expect, the gags come thick and fast; some hitting the bullseye and others missing the target; but the whole thing is so fast-paced, that there is always another gag heading your way imminently. Garnering some genuine laugh out loud moments, the show has a sensible one hour forty minute runtime meaning that even if a few of the gags begin to outstay their welcome, the show does not.

    Whilst there is plenty of fun to be found and a lot of chuckles, guffaws and belly-laughs to be had, the ending of the show descends into a rather shouty and chaotic handful of closing scenes which, unfortunately, slightly takes the edge off of what has come before. But that said, the cast is delightful, in particular, Kazeem Tosin Amore; and there is some excellent split second comedic timing and plenty of physical dexterity on offer as the fictional cast try desperately to keep their faces straight, their upper lips stiff and prevent the performance collapsing into a catastrophe.

    *This review was taken from the Sheffield production*

    Book tickets for Theatre Royal Brighton through our ticketing partner ATG Tickets

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Play That Goes Wrong, Princess Theatre Torquay

    ★★★☆☆ | The Play That Goes Wrong

    The Play That Goes Wrong, Princess Theatre Torquay

    There is an old saying in theatre that “the show must go on” and nowhere is that old adage put more to the test than in The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy of errors which collates every actor’s worst nightmare and throws them at the cast who are determined to carry on regardless.

    Borrowing heavily from The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong is a scattergun comedy set around the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, who is performing The Murder at Haversham Manor, a murder mystery set in the roaring twenties. Despite the best endeavours of the cast, nothing quite goes right for them, as scenery collapses, actors are knocked unconscious, props break and unprepared understudies stand in.

    With a varied blend of visual gags, slapstick, farce, wordplay, one-liners, missed cues and a rather more animated corpse than one would expect, the gags come thick and fast; some hitting the bullseye and others missing the target; but the whole thing is so fast-paced, that there is always another gag heading your way imminently. Garnering some genuine laugh out loud moments, the show has a sensible one hour forty minute runtime meaning that even if a few of the gags begin to outstay their welcome, the show does not.

    Whilst there is plenty of fun to be found and a lot of chuckles, guffaws and belly-laughs to be had, the ending of the show descends into a rather shouty and chaotic handful of closing scenes which, unfortunately, slightly takes the edge off of what has come before. But that said, the cast is delightful, in particular, Kazeem Tosin Amore; and there is some excellent split second comedic timing and plenty of physical dexterity on offer as the fictional cast try desperately to keep their faces straight, their upper lips stiff and prevent the performance collapsing into a catastrophe.

    *This review was taken from the Sheffield production*

    Book tickets for Princess Theatre Torquay through our ticketing partner ATG Tickets