THEGAYUK

Tag: Three Star Musical Review

The latest Three Star Musical Review from THEGAYUK.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Commitments – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    ★★★ | Set in Dublin in 1986, The Commitments charts the rise and fall of an unlikely group of misfit musicians who are brought together by young music entrepreneur Jimmy Rabbitte. The hardest working soul band in Dublin start out as friends and skirt on the edge of greatness, but as egos clash, band members squabble, fights break out and passions get in the way, the backstage harmony couldn’t be more different from the harmonies on stage.

    Based on the novel by Roddy Doyle and building on the success of the 1991 film, The Commitments is a story of empowerment through music and of the hopes and aspirations of a group of youngsters trying to break away from the mid-eighties urban decay and from their dead end lives.  Adapted for the stage by Doyle himself, the show is on tour after a successful run in the West End; and with over 20 soul classics in the show, including “Mustang Sally”, “River Deep, Mountain High”, “Mr Pitiful” and “Try a Little Tenderness”, it’s a production that really does have soul music at its heart.

    “There is a story behind every song”, says Jimmy Rabbitt at one of the band’s rehearsals, but ironically this adaptation is fairly light on both plot and social commentary. The narrative skims the surface of the story of the band’s rise to the top and limits the development of the characters in exchange for lively performances of the songs that the audience clearly came to hear. The show, wisely, keeps the ballads to an absolute minimum, and instead employs a set-list of upbeat numbers, blasting open the show with an upbeat rendition of “Proud Mary” and maintaining the energy levels cranked up throughout the duration.

    There is an air of organised chaos to the proceedings, with enough raucous energy to help cover the slightly cumbersome scenery changes, and to keep the pace as enthusiastic as the young cast. There is plenty to like about those on stage. Andrew Linnie’s optimistic and happy-go-lucky portrayal of Jimmy Rabbitte is easy to warm to, whilst Brian Gilligan belts out the songs with aplomb as lead singer, Deco. As an ensemble, the cast really do give it their all, in a fusion of talented musicians and soulful singers who are well cast and who, unlike the fictional band, work well together, and it is during those 20 or so musical numbers scattered over the show’s two hour duration where the show really comes alive.

    Bringing the audience to its feet in the finale with a mini-concert of some soul standards, the music is infectious and the definite strength of the production. There is little effort to weave the songs into the narrative; but quite frankly, this doesn’t matter when the songbook is so toe-tappingly good.

    The Commitments is currently on national tour until April 2017 and details can be found at www.thecommitmentsontour.co.uk . The show was reviewed at Sheffield Theatres, who will soon be launching their new musical Everyone’s Talking About Jamie (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/everybodystalking-jamie)

     

     

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Side Show at Southwark Playhouse

    ★★★ | Side Show at Southwark Playhouse

    There’s something grimly fascinating about conjoined twins. As a child, I longed for a twin, someone within the family who would be just like me and understand me completely. Conversely, I also found family life constraining and claustrophobic and wanted solitude and escape. Imagine having a twin who you share a body with and the implications of this? It’s a strange notion to consider.

    CREDIT: Pamela Raith

    One of the most fascinating sets of conjoined twins in history was Daisy and Violet Hilton. They were born in Brighton in 1908 and were joined at the pelvis, sharing some blood supply. Displayed in freak shows, they ultimately hit the vaudeville circuit in America and ended up appearing in films. Their personal life was unconventional: they ‘divorced’ their guardian and manager, both married gay men and died alone with one twin dying a few days before the other.

    Russell and Krieger’s 1997 musical Side Show should be a fascinating and moving tale. It is and it isn’t. There are some spectacularly good songs but also some drearily forgettable ones. The musical feels a tad derivative at times with too many echoes of Chicago and Cabaret but at others feels unique and powerful. Daisy and Violet’s story begins at the freak show and the ‘freaks’ act out the events of their life; doubling as reporters, courtroom attendants, wedding guests etc. Again, this could have worked well but the whole show feels less of a missed opportunity but more like an almost achieved opportunity.

    The two leads are the supremely talented musical theatre actresses Louise Dearman (the only actress to have played both Glina and Elphaba in Wicked) and Laura Pitt-Pulford. They carry the show and have an electrifying presence. They’re ably supported by Dominic Hodson and Haydn Oakley as their career propelling prospective suitors. The problem lies in how the rest of the cast are used.

    The ‘freaks’ are dressed in what looks like Halloween costumes made by someone’s mother and they’re all a bit too stagey in their actions and expressions. There are lots of broad gestures and facial contortions whilst they enthusiastically plod through the seen-before choreography. The Southwark Playhouse is a small and intimate space and works well for close-up musical theatre but not when the cast is behaving like it’s The London Palladium and the clothes don’t bear up to scrutiny from anything less than 50 feet away.

    Overall, it’s a show worth catching, if only for the chance to see two of musical theatre’s rising stars perform so beautifully at such close quarters. Just try not to ‘Come Look at the Freaks’ (as the opening and closing songs implore). You might feel embarrassed and not for any of the wrong reasons.

    Side Shows plays at the Southwark Playhouse until 3rd December

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Sunny Afternoon – Sheffield Lyceum Theatre & National Tour

    ★★★ | Sunny Afternoon

    In this musical biopic, the swinging sixties are brought back to life as Sunny Afternoon tells the story of the early days of the classic British band, The Kinks, as they fight with their management and with each other on the road to fame. Featuring a slew of classic songs, including “Waterloo Sunset“, “You Really Got Me”, “Lola”, “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” and “Sunny Afternoon”, the show charts the on-stage antics, backroom bickering and personal lives of one of Britain’s seminal rock and roll bands.

    Picture Credit : Kevin Cummins

    Whilst the production gives a flavour of the band’s history, the narrative is stripped back to allow for the soundtrack to take pride of place. The show never really provides any detailed  or thorough insight into the band, their relationships or into the music industry of the 60s, but instead offers a show brimming with musical numbers which sit fairly comfortably within the story and remind you just how many great songs the band have done. The musical numbers veer from the tender ballads to some raw and energetic performances, with one of the musical highlights of the show being an acapella version of “Days“.

    Using a wall of speakers, the recording studio style set was visually striking; and a runway from the stage leading out into the audience added gravitas to the concert style feel of the piece and drew the audience in. The costumes accurately reflected the stunning sixties style and period detail littered the set; whilst the lighting design fitted the bill without ever being intrusive.

    Ryan O’Donnell provided a charismatic performance as Ray Davies, bringing with it an air of a thoughtful, reflective and somewhat fame-resistant individual to whom music was the most important thing, which was juxtaposed nicely with Mark Newnham’s confident performance as pill popping, hard drinking and cross-dressing Dave Davies. But what impressed most was the musical talent on display with the cast playing a variety of musical instruments; and in a play which holds the musical numbers out as its key feature, live performances like these really bring the show to life.

    Sunny Afternoon presents as a nostalgic slice of the sixties which benefits from a soundtrack comprising of more hits from the band than you thought you knew; and an interesting, if light, insight into the band which helped define the era.

    Sunny Afternoon is currently on tour around the UK until May 2017 (visit www.sunnyafternoonthemusical.com for details) and is currently playing at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) until 29th October 2016.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | RAGTIME

    ★★★ | RAGTIME, London Theatre

    The US is in turmoil: racial discrimination is rife while immigrants arrive by the boatload to escape feast and famine in their own countries. This could describe present-day US but it’s actually the early 20th century in the new production of Ragtime now playing at The Charing Cross Theatre.

    Ragtime the novel was originally written in 1975 and had its London stage debut in 2003, after it had debuted on Broadway in 1998. The revival of the show was brought back to London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2012. This new version, directed by Thom Southerland, is very ambitious, with a very crowded cast of 24 on a stage barely able to fit in their singing, dancing and acting.

    It’s the turn of the 20th century in New York and we are sung the story of three different groups; an upper class family, African Americans, and Eastern European immigrants, and eventually all their lives will cross in a show that packs a lot in its over two hour running time in a theatre that was too hot and a bit too uncomfortable.

    The upper-class family takes from and centre. It’s the wife, who’s called Mother (Anita Louise Combe) with a young son and a husband who leaves the family behind to go on an exhibition to the North Pole. Then there’s the African Americans, fronted by Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Ako Mitchell), a Harlem musician whose girlfriend Sarah (Jennifer Saayeng) leaves her baby on Mother’s doorstep, but eventually moves in with Mother and is found living there by Coalhouse. Then there’s the immigrants – Tateh (Gary Tushaw) and his daughter (Alana Hinge) – who arrive in the big city with nothing to their name. However they don’t find their American dream in New York so Tateh decides they should go to Boston but right before their trip they meet Mother and her son. And trouble is in store for Coalhouse and Sarah who get harassed by unfriendly locals and it’s at this point when the first half ends.

    The second fails to match the first half’s intensity and drama. It neatly wraps up the storylines, with themes of reunions and acceptance but it’s all a bit of a letdown after the energetic and frantic first half. The cast are all fine, with the excellent vocal chords of Saayeng and Bernadette Bangura. And Combe and Tushaw provide much dramatic acting in their roles, while Samuel Peterson is adorable and perfect as the son on the night I saw it.

    If there ever was a musical that’s full of music, this is the one. It’s a good old classic American story that’s pure red, white and blue – there’s nothing as American as this show. And what a pertinent time to have on display this show of Americana, when the U.S. is going through a most unusual election, and where black men are continuously getting killed, and immigrants from all over the world wanting to live to live there. What took place in the early 20th century is still taking place today.

    Ragtime is now playing at the Charing Cross Theatre until Dec. 10th.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Cats – Sheffield Lyceum and National Tour

    ★★★ |Cats

    Based on the poems of T.S. Elliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s seminal, record breaking musical tells the tale of the gathering of a tribe of cats for their annual “Jellicle Ball”, where they come together to celebrate who they are, and to be chosen by Old Deuteronomy to be the Jellicle Choice to be reborn. Exploding onto the stage in an abundance of colour, choreography and energy and featuring the songs Memory and Magical Mister Mistoffelees, Cats tells of the joys of being a feline and of being an individual.

    Photo Credit – Alessandro Pinna

     

     

    Cats production is impressive. There is no denying that the make-up and costumes are stunning, albeit the leotards are so tight it is not difficult to see which cats have been neutered. The set, based around a rubbish dump, is static and effective, as it spills out of the stage and into the auditorium, littering the edge of the proscenium arch and the aisles leading into the audience. The sound was crisp, clear and pitched at the perfect volume, with a good balance of orchestra and vocals, allowing for the actors clear diction to be heard with ease. The lighting was well thought out and the whole thing was professionally put together.

    In terms of performances, they were broadly difficult to fault. Featuring a cast of around 30 very talented actors and dancers, there were some inspired pieces of choreography, both in terms of the feline movement employed by the actors and the show-stopping ensemble pieces which were brilliant at times. The show, despite being first performed in 1981, didn’t feel dated at all, and had an air of freshness about it – it has certainly stood the test of time better than some of Lloyd-Webber’s other musicals from that era.

    However, as a show, Cats is a curious beast and even now, I am still not really sure what to make of it. Oddly, and despite its success, it was never a show which really appealed to me. Audiences have lapped up this show for the best part of 35 years, so I was keen to see what has carried this show for so long. There were a few issues with the uneven pacing of the piece throughout; although the second act fared much better than the first. Some of the lyrics and choreography were slightly repetitive and overused and the whole thing felt very surreal indeed. But once you had bought into the premise and suspended your disbelief, the show did hit some highs, and it became clear why Cats has been embraced by the theatre going public. On paper, the show really shouldn’t work; but in reality, it turned out to be nonsense, but really quite fun. Tap dancing cockroaches, cats dressed as dogs and acrobatics aplenty all fed into the slightly odd but absorbing spectacle.

    Despite its surreal quality, Cats turned out to be far more enjoyable than I could have anticipated. It did feel, as I left the theatre, like someone had force fed me cheese and heavily sedated me for two and half hours; but ultimately – and surprisingly for me, it won me over and did leave me feline good.

    Cats is currently at Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) until 15th October 2016 before rounding off its national tour at Milton Keynes and Wimbledon, before heading to Hungary, Dubai and Germany. For details visit www.catsthemusical.com/tour/

     

  • Theatre Review | The Glenn Miller Story – National Tour

    ★★★ | In 1944, big band leader Glenn Miller’s plane went missing over the English Channel as he flew to Paris to entertain the troops during the Second World War. From his humble beginnings, Miller’s musical arrangements defined the sound of a generation and secured him legendary status as one of the greatest musical artists of all time.

    Photo Credit – Pamela Raith

    There is a double dose of nostalgia on display in this musical biopic, with not only the music of Miller, but also the presence of the show’s top billed star, Tommy Steele as the titular character. Classed as the first English teen idol and rock ‘n’ roll star, Steele still holds a loyal fan base from his success in the late 50’s and early 60’s, clearly still resonating with the target audience and retaining  a certain charisma and an air of ease and professionalism. That said, at 81 years old, he is twice the age of Miller when he died, requiring a healthy suspension of disbelief, especially during the slightly uncomfortable-to-watch romantic scenes between him and a much younger Abigail Jayne, playing Miller’s wife to be. But despite his age, Steele can still trot out the tunes and knows how to play to the audience.

    So whilst Steele is billed as the star on the posters, the real attraction here is the music itself, and although the show is generally overly-light on narrative, it doesn’t scrimp on the classic big band sound; as a number of Miller’s best known numbers are performed by the on-stage sixteen piece orchestra, including Moonlight Serenade, In the Mood and String of Pearls. Throw into the mix a number of lively jazz numbers, all with the trademark Miller-style arrangements, and you have an energetic and up beat set of songs ably undertaken by the orchestra and ensemble.

    There is very little in the production values to make this show stand out from the crowd. There is generally a basic, but perfectly competent, presentation and Bill Deamers choreography nicely retains the spirit of the era. But show is primarily a tribute to the music itself, and it really comes into its own as the orchestra takes to the stage, especially during the second act.

    The Glenn Miller Story is a pleasant, easy and gentile watch, which is undemanding and which, most importantly, doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It is pure unabashed and unashamed nostalgia which gets the feet tapping and celebrates just how good these classic songs are.

    The show is currently at Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) until the 20th August 2016, before continuing on its national tour through to November 2016. Visit http://www.kenwright.com/index.php?id=1428 for further details.

     

  • Theatre Review | A Dream – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

    ★★★ | A Dream, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

    A warm midsummer evening, a busy hospital, a plethora of patients and staff and a mash up of Shakespeare’s best characters come together in A Dream, where the most infectious thing doing the rounds on the wards is love. Written by Chris Bush, Sheffield People’s Theatre combines a collective talent of over a hundred people to interlace some of Shakespeare’s best-known works.

    Photo Credit – Mark Douet

    The stories include a doctor who falls in love with a cleaner; the love between two gay men, and the impact of their love upon their parents and the relationships between parents and children. Married couples explain the secret of their relationships longevity, whilst youngsters fall in and out of love as they try to find their own way in life. Add into this mixture a number of Shakespeare staples – the girl who disguises herself as a boy, distinctions in social class, the case of mistaken identity, the issue of families separated through tragedy. All of these familiar elements are pulled together in this production.

    Bringing A Midsummer Night’s Dream into modern times, via quips, quotes and characters from As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing and Anthony and Cleopatra, A Dream makes for a whimsical and light-hearted evening which has a number of points of appeal. Chris Bush interweaves the lives, loves and stories of a number of characters, in an intertwining narrative which is light and bouncy. There are a handful of brief musical interludes and pieces of choreographed movement which are enough to keep the pace moving but not numerous enough to class it as a musical.

    But beneath the whimsy and the somewhat seemingly superficial storyline was something that had real heart. The show looks at different ways in which love can manifest itself and how love can transcend boundaries of age, gender, social standing and sexuality. There is a real heart to the show, nowhere more blatant than a very well-written tribute to those who work day in day out in hospitals; and who make a difference to people’s lives with every shift that they undertake.

    The show was presented well with an engaging clinical set and some good performances standing out amongst the masses. Some of the scenes seemed slightly superfluous, some slightly overlong and some seem to run out of momentum a little prematurely. But overall this is a well-written and crafted piece undertaken by a large cast of over one hundred enthusiastic performers.

    Similar in style to Dickensian, which recently graced BBC One; the show can certainly be enjoyed on face value, but there is also ample opportunity for spotting the Bard references for the more ardent Shakespeare fans. It is fitting that with the setting of the hospital and the over-arching theme of love, this show is a love letter to the NHS, to the theatre and to love itself.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Titanic

    The 1997 Broadway musical of “Titanic” may have shared an inaugural year with the showy and special effect laden film by James Cameron but thankfully there’s not so much as a hint of Celine Dion. Saying that it does seem to go on and on in places, much like her poor heart. ★★★

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  • Theatre Review | Dancing In The Streets – Sheffield Theatres & National Tour

    ★★★ | Dancing In The Streets

    Mowtown magic lives on in this musical revue, pulling together the classic artists, the timeless songs and the sound which defined a generation with an unmistakable musical legacy.  Featuring songs from The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder; seven singers and a live band bring to life the golden days of Tamla records.

    Photo Courtesy of The Flying Music Company Ltd.

    Musical revues can often come across as slightly polished cruise ship cabaret and their success rests primarily on their subject matter rather than the way in which they are put together. Production wise, one would be hard pressed to find very much to sing about with this show, with nothing more than a static set made up of a handful of podiums for the backing band, three posters of legendary artists, an average lighting set up and a collection of microphone stands. The costumes are functional but nothing spectacular and overall, the whole show remained on a plateau in terms of pace and presentation. There is no narrative, just a relentless set list to carry the show over its two hour running time.

    But it is that set list which really scores the points for this production, with songs including “Superstitious”, “Stop In The Name Of Love”, “Baby Love”, “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”, “My Girl”, “Dancing in the Streets”, “The Tracks Of My Tears”, “Get Ready”, “River Deep Mountain High” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, the show certainly crams in the classics.  Performed by a five piece band, three female singers and four male singers, the vocals were perfectly functional, with all of the singers taking turns to step into the limelight, and each of them finding their niche with a particular song or two. But where the show succeeds is in getting the audience involved. From the outset, audience members were encouraged to dance, clap, sing and shout throughout the proceedings, and the audience certainly took advantage, barely sitting down for the majority of the show and quite literally packing out the aisles in the theatre as they danced.

    When you compare this show to others similar revues, such as Thriller Live which has the hits coupled with some slickly choreographed routines, Dancing in the Streets is lacking in spectacle and, quite honestly, is visually rather bland. But what it lacks in spectacle, it makes up for in energy and atmosphere.

    So put on your dancing shoes; and provided you go and see this show for the music and the party atmosphere, and not for the production values, then you are highly likely to have an enjoyable night.

    Dancing In The Streets is currently on tour throughout the UK until 19th June 2016. For details, see http://www.flyingmusic.com/our-shows/dancing-in-the-streets/ .The production was viewed at Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) who have announced their new season, including Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Annie Get Your Gun, The Shawshank Redemption and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Funny Girl

    ★★★ | Funny Girl

    CREDIT: Johan Persson

    Is there anything Sheridan Smith can’t do?

    She’s now playing Fanny Brice in the new West End musical Funny Girl, but Smith has done quite a bit in her short 34 years. Already an OBE, Smith has won tons of awards for her work both on stage and on television. She’s won two Laurence Olivier Awards (Legally Blonde in 2011 and Flare Path in 2012) and one television BAFTA (Mrs. Biggs in 2013). Smith has also been featured in several films in the past few years, including the recent The Huntsman: Winter’s War and 2013’s Powder Room and The Harry Hill Movie. But it’s her role as Brice in Funny Girl that’s bringing Smith more plaudits and acclaim.

    In a role Smith starred in last year to sell out crowds at the Menier Chocolate Factory, it’s now transferred to the Savoy Theatre for a short 6 month run. Smith plays Brice, a role which made Barbra Streisand famous (and which won her a Tony and an Oscar), so Smith has huge shoes to follow. And does she fill them? Not even close.

    Fanny Brice is the true story of a young Brooklyn born Jewish girl with huge stage aspirations. The real Brice was born in 1891 to Hungarian immigrants who had arrived to the US as children but managed to make a life for themselves and their children in Brooklyn. So Smith’s job is to make you forget Streisand’s Brice and reinvent the character to make it her own. And she does in her own way. She’s charming and lovely and can sure belt out a tune. Songs made extremely memorable by Streisand – ‘People’ and ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ – are sung by Smith, good enough for this production, but not very memorable. And we’re supposed to believe that the handsome, debonair, charming (and con man) Nick Arnstein (Darius Campbell – perfect in the role) falls in love with her and not for her money. She’s so in love with him that she certainly can put up with his gambling habits and dubious investments. But even Brice can’t figure why he’s fallen for her, and neither can the audience.

    Brice does find fame and fortune as a performer, with a proud Jewish mother (Marilyn Cutts) by her side all the way, living her dream by being employed by the great Florenz Zlegfield (Bruce Montague). But the crux of the show is the relationship between Brice and Arnstein, it’s a volatile one but not quite believable, and it’s a shame that the show isn’t more about Brice’s talent and less about the relationship. Smith is given her moments, and she gives it all she’s got, a bit over the top at times (her Brooklyn Jewish accent is a bit over exaggerated at times).

    There are no amazing sets, and no showstopping numbers as in most musicals. But great costumes and an excellent supporting cast, with classic musical numbers, makes Funny Girl worth a look.

    It’s not a very memorable production but it’s clearly a star vehicle for Smith, and she makes it her own.

    Funny Girl plays at the Savoy Theatre until October 2016, 0844 871 7687

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Guys And Dolls– Sheffield Theatres And National Tour

    ★★★ | Guys And Dolls

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