Tag: Two Star Musical Review

The latest Two Star Musical Review from THEGAYUK.

THEATRE REVIEW | Priscilla Queen of the Desert – National Tour

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Everyone’s favourite big, gay bus is hitting the road again, as Felicia, Tick and Bernadette unplug their curling tongs and go bush, travelling across the Australian outback and making their way to perform a show in Alice Springs. Between the breaking down, bickering and bigotry, the trio learns about life, love and friendship whilst strutting their stuff in their high heels.

As Felicia says at one point in the film that the show is based on, “there’s nothing like new frock to brighten your day, girls.” The show has been re-imagined and like the bus itself, it is given a fresh coat of paint. But not every frock is made of satin and this production, unbelievably, manages to suck most of the fun out of what is, in reality, a superb show.

Joe McFadden is woefully miscast as Tick, hardly making any eye contact with the audience and flipping between being virtually inanimate to over-exaggerating every gesture, whilst Miles Western portrays transsexual Bernadette more as a gay man than a trans woman; with only Jordan Cunningham bringing much to the main trio as Adam and his drag alter ego Felicia.

The corrugated iron-based background set is bland, gone are the recreations of the Oscar-winning costumes (to remove the flip-flop dress is a crime) and the titular bus doesn’t fare too well either. There is an abundance of unnecessary creative decisions – the “comedic” shooting of a kangaroo, a flashing nun and the addition of a set of dancing hicks whilst Adam belts out La Traviata from the top of the bus – which simply don’t sit well within the show. The delivery of the script fell flat. There is an increase in the sexualisation in the show, containing more groin thrusting that is really needed and seemingly replacing the camp with a vague sleaziness.

The choreography was safe rather than outrageous, and the staging made the performance space seem almost empty when the ensemble cast were performing. Those who are seeing the show for the first time may well find much to enjoy, but disappointingly, this is an incredibly uninspiring production.

On the plus side, the Divas’ were able to belt out the tunes, the soundtrack comprising of a selection of disco classics is stomping and the musical numbers are undertaken with energy and enthusiasm by the ensemble. But sadly, the re-imagined show looked cheap, the costumes were disappointing and tacky, the performances from the main cast were broadly poor and the over the top camp felt sadly lacking.

It must be difficult to drain the life out of such a buoyant and uplifting show, but somehow, this production manages to do just that.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is at Sheffield Theatres before continuing on its national tour

6th March 2020
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.

5th March 2019
THEATRE REVIEW | Flashdance The Musical, National Tour

★★☆☆☆ | Flashdance The Musical

Back in the 80’s, movie musicals such as Fame and Footloose blazed a trail across cinema screens and into the hearts of foot tapping teens everywhere. But nestled between the two was Flashdance, the story of Alex – a welder by day and a club dancer at night, with a dream to make it into a prestigious to dance school. Now fully embedded in popular culture, being mimicked by Geri Halliwell and Comic Relief; and even making an appearance in The Full Monty, Flashdance now takes to the stage with Strictly Come Dancing’s Joanne Clifton.

Based incredibly loosely on the film, the stage show waters down the story of the gritty welder and her struggles to make it, and provides a fairly sanitised version of the story, with plenty of nods to the film, but placing the emphasis on different aspects of the story. The show retains a handful of songs from the film’s soundtrack, including “Maniac”, “Gloria” and “Flashdance (What a Feeling)”; but packs them in tightly with a high number of original songs which are functional, but not particularly memorable.

Filled with an abundance of day-glow, colourful neon, the show is little more than an excuse for some vibrant dance numbers, nowhere more alive than in Demmileigh Foster’s show-stealing rendition of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, and in the rather upbeat closing medley. Joanne Clifton shows that she can sing as well as dance, and Colin Kiyani was perfectly affable as Nick, Alex’s boss and boyfriend.

Those wanting a theatrical version of the film (akin to the Dirty Dancing musical) won’t get that here, given the light plot, two dimensional characters and a rather lacklustre script; but this story is really a wraparound device to tie together the musical numbers of which there are plenty; with a few good set pieces and a feel-good ending to be had.

Flashdance the Musical is at Sheffield Theatres until Saturday 11^th August 2018 before continuing on its national tour.

9th August 2018
THEATRE REVIEW | The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas – National Tour

Falling somewhere between a tribute act and a musical revue, The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas, brings together the kings of cool, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davies Jr, as they play a fictional night of variety on the stage of the Sands Hotel. Renowned for their old boy’s club style of camaraderie and songs that defined a generation, the three leads rattle their way through their classics, including You Make Me Feel So Young, That’s Amore, Mack The Knife and My Way.

With a sparse set and little changing visually throughout the show, there is a reliance on the songs and performances to carry the production. The aces in the pack here are Stephen Triffitt with an intonation and vocal style which is undeniably Sinatra and Nicola Emmanuel with a naturally soulful, jazz infused voice as Ella Fitzgerald. But the show’s greatest strengths lies is in its musical numbers, and whilst the classic status of the songs is undeniable, the real joy was to hear them accompanied by a live orchestra creating a sound which reverberated in your chest, and with not a synthesizer or drum machine in sight.

Despite its musical prowess, the show stumbles with an over indulgence of on stage banter which grows old and tiresome towards the end, whilst the portrayal of Dean Martin’s alcohol use descended from witty observation into comedic parody; but it was the racist, misogynistic and homophobic jokes which sat the most uncomfortably, and whilst they may have been reflective of the time, there doesn’t feel any reason why they should have been included for a modern audience.

But there is still plenty of pleasure to be found here, with a barrage of songs, toe-tapping beats and singalong classics coming together to form a fairly undemanding evening of entertainment.

The Rat Pack – Live From Las Vegas is currently at Sheffield Theatres until 5^th May 2018 before continuing on its national tour.

4th May 2018
THEATRE REVIEW | The Wedding Singer, Bromley Churchill Theatre
★★ | The Wedding Singer, Bromley Churchill Theatre

Robbie Hart is a popular wedding singer who has his belief in love shattered when he is jilted at the altar by his fiancé. But as he has promised to sing at the wedding of affable waitress Julia to her sleazy, materialistic boyfriend, Glenn, he spends his time helping her prepare for her big day. But amongst the gift registry and dress shopping, the two of them slowly fall for each other, and as Julia’s big day approaches, will they both find the courage to tell each other how they feel?

This 80’s set musical is based on the film of the same name and is packed with a full list of original songs, a smattering of ensemble pieces and a rapping granny. In terms of the cast, Ray Quinn (X-Factor) stood head and shoulders amongst the performers, with a good performance as Glenn, whilst Cassie Compton (X-Factor) and UK Eurovision singer Lucie Jones provided competent support and, to their credit, some superb singing.

But aside from a handful of good performances, sadly, the whole thing just simply didn’t hang together. The onslaught of songs became intrusive to the progression of the narrative, the clunky and cumbersome set changes interrupted the flow and the show overall fell somewhere between lacklustre and dull. Add into that an incredibly cringe worthy seduction scene between Robbie and his ex-fiancé, a significant lack of chemistry between the two leads and some borderline offensive stereotypes of gay men which felt more like ridicule than parody and you have a rather disappointing production.

But where the show really lets itself down is in its lack of an 80’s feel, especially given that the decade is ripe for the picking in terms of its cultural identity. Part of the charm of the film that the show is based on is its nods to the decade, from the fashions to the music; something that is noticeably missing from this show. It takes more than a randomly placed Rubiks Cube, a Sony Walkman and a reference to the size of a mobile phone to set the 80’s scene. But the biggest omission is that the original songs didn’t have even a tinge of 80’s synth pop to them and were so generic that, on the whole, they could have come from any musical set in any decade; whilst the costumes missed the opportunity to fully exploit the decade that fashion forgot.

The show did finally come alive during the last scene and the curtain call, but it was far too little far too late, and couldn’t avoid the show receiving a rather muted reception from the generally unimpressed audience.

The Wedding Singer is currently playing at the Bromley Churchill Theatre until 5th August 2017
- Review taken from the Sheffield Production.
2nd August 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | The Wedding Singer, Llandudno Venue Cymru
★★ | The Wedding Singer, Llandudno Venue Cymru

Robbie Hart is a popular wedding singer who has his belief in love shattered when he is jilted at the alter by his fiancé. But as he has promised to sing at the wedding of affable waitress Julia to her sleazy, materialistic boyfriend, Glenn, he spends his time helping her prepare for her big day. But amongst the gift registry and dress shopping, the two of them slowly fall for each other, and as Julia’s big day approaches, will they both find the courage to tell each other how they feel?

This 80’s set musical is based on the film of the same name and is packed with a full list of original songs, a smattering of ensemble pieces and a rapping granny. In terms of the cast, Ray Quinn (X-Factor) stood head and shoulders amongst the performers, with a good performance as Glenn, whilst Cassie Compton (X-Factor) and UK Eurovision singer Lucie Jones provided competent support and, to their credit, some superb singing.

But aside from a handful of good performances, sadly, the whole thing just simply didn’t hang together. The onslaught of songs became intrusive to the progression of the narrative, the clunky and cumbersome set changes interrupted the flow and the show overall fell somewhere between lacklustre and dull. Add into that an incredibly cringe worthy seduction scene between Robbie and his ex-fiancé, a significant lack of chemistry between the two leads and some borderline offensive stereotypes of gay men which felt more like ridicule than parody and you have a rather disappointing production.

But where the show really lets itself down is in its lack of an 80’s feel, especially given that the decade is ripe for the picking in terms of its cultural identity. Part of the charm of the film that the show is based on is its nods to the decade, from the fashions to the music; something that is noticeably missing from this show. It takes more than a randomly placed Rubiks Cube, a Sony Walkman and a reference to the size of a mobile phone to set the 80’s scene. But the biggest omission is that the original songs didn’t have even a tinge of 80’s synth pop to them and were so generic that, on the whole, they could have come from any musical set in any decade; whilst the costumes missed the opportunity to fully exploit the decade that fashion forgot.

The show did finally come alive during the last scene and the curtain call, but it was far too little far too late, and couldn’t avoid the show receiving a rather muted reception from the generally unimpressed audience.

The Wedding Singer is currently playing at Llandudno Venue Cymru until 29th July 2017
- Review taken from the Sheffield Production.
26th July 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | The Wedding Singer, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

★★ | The Wedding Singer, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

Robbie Hart is a popular wedding singer who has his belief in love shattered when he is jilted at the alter by his fiancé. But as he has promised to sing at the wedding of affable waitress Julia to her sleazy, materialistic boyfriend, Glenn, he spends his time helping her prepare for her big day. But amongst the gift registry and dress shopping, the two of them slowly fall for each other, and as Julia’s big day approaches, will they both find the courage to tell each other how they feel?

This 80’s set musical is based on the film of the same name and is packed with a full list of original songs, a smattering of ensemble pieces and a rapping granny. In terms of the cast, Ray Quinn (The X-Factor) stood head and shoulders amongst the performers, with a good performance as Glenn, whilst Cassie Compton (The X-Factor) and UK Eurovision singer Lucie Jones provided competent support and, to their credit, some superb singing.

But aside from a handful of good performances, sadly, the whole thing just simply didn’t hang together. The onslaught of songs became intrusive to the progression of the narrative, the clunky and cumbersome set changes interrupted the flow and the show overall fell somewhere between lacklustre and dull. Add into that an incredibly cringe worthy seduction scene between Robbie and his ex-fiancé, a significant lack of chemistry between the two leads and some borderline offensive stereotypes of gay men which felt more like ridicule than parody and you have a rather disappointing production.

But where the show really lets itself down is in its lack of an 80’s feel, especially given that the decade is ripe for the picking in terms of its cultural identity. Part of the charm of the film that the show is based on is its nods to the decade, from the fashions to the music; something that is noticeably missing from this show. It takes more than a randomly placed Rubiks Cube, a Sony Walkman and a reference to the size of a mobile phone to set the 80’s scene. But the biggest omission is that the original songs didn’t have even a tinge of 80’s synth pop to them and were so generic that, on the whole, they could have come from any musical set in any decade; whilst the costumes missed the opportunity to fully exploit the decade that fashion forgot.

The show did finally come alive during the last scene and the curtain call, but it was far too little far too late, and couldn’t avoid the show receiving a rather muted reception from the generally unimpressed audience.

The Wedding Singer is currently playing at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until Saturday 22^nd July 2017

19th July 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | Whisper House, The Other Palace, London

★★ | Whisper House

The Whisper House is a 2009 musical with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, writer of the multi-award winning rock musical Spring Awakening. Never performed before in the UK, this felt like it could be an exciting possibility for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new venue. The bar has been set high with recent jazz musical The Wild Party and the raucous studio hit This Joint is Jumpin’. Sadly, this ghost story felt more soulless than spooky. It was more of a stifled yawn than a sneaky whisper. In spite of a great cast, clever use of lighting and an evocative set, it’s a musical with a dreary book and songs that seem to merge into one anther.

In wartime America, pre-pubescent Christopher is sent to his aunt’s eerie old lighthouse following the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent admission to a psychiatric hospital. Aunt Lily is a mournful woman, encumbered by a club foot and haunted by a past event. Oh, there’s also two convenient singing ghosts who waft about the stage making dramatic hand movements around people’s faces and pulling quaint horror film faces. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. There’s also a flimsy plot involving a Japanese man who works for her and the xenophobia of the times. There are storms, of course, and water swishing about. It’s a weak storyline and an inadequate framework for the equally dull songs. There’s something strangely hypnotic about the whole thing and not in a good way. I came away unsure how long I’d been in the theatre, whether there was a storyline and without any ability to recall the songs.

If you’re a die-hard musical theatre fan and love Spring Awakening then you might enjoy this as a rare chance to see a musical that unsurprisingly failed to hit London before. You’ll definitely enjoy the cast and their fine voices. My general advice, though, would be hollered loudly rather than whispered: stay away.

Whisper House plays at The Other Palace until 27th May 2017

22nd April 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | Stepping Out

★★ | Stepping Out, Vaudeville Theatre, London

Stepping Out steps into the West End again but it’s on the wrong foot and it’s not a very exciting show.

First staged in the West End in 1984 and running for three years and winning an Evening Standard Comedy Award, Stepping Out was then made into a 1991 movie starring Liza Minnelli. It now returns to the West End in a new production starring Amanda Holden and Tracey-Ann Oberman among others playing characters from various backgrounds who attend a weekly dance and tap class. They also meddle – no surprise – into each others personal lives. Holden is Vera, a wealthy woman who seems to have nothing better to do because her whole life revolves around her husband who apparently spends lots and lots of time with their teenage daughter. Then there is Oberman who plays the brash Maxine, and who gets all the best lines in the show. Anna-Jane Casey is Mavis, the dance teacher who is a bit frustrated, not only because her students can’t dance but also because she’s got issues in her personal life (Tamzin Outhwaite had to pull out of this role temporarily because of a broken foot). So Stepping Out centres around the seven women (and one man – Dominic Rowan as Geoffrey) plus the piano player (a wonderful Judith Barker) as they dance and talk but then get the opportunity (of a lifetime!!!) to perform at a charity show. Wow, how exciting! Will they be ready for the show in time? Will one of the students not drop her hat like she’s done many times in rehearsals? Will more dark secrets come out and, god forbid, will one of the woman pull down the towel where Geoffrey is changing behind to add a bit of excitement to this show because this show has no excitement at all?

It’s The Full Monty without the Monty! Sure, the women do their best to get ready for the big charity show, but it’s hardly worth our time. We really don’t get to completely know, or sympathize, with the characters, and only a couple are likeable (Sandra Marvin brings a bit of sass to her role as the token black woman – Rose), and Oberman is wonderful, but there’s not really a whole lot to love in this production. Rowan is one note – not at all attractive or likeable as the lone man – he’s a widow but it would’ve been nice to put him in some sort of romance with one of the ladies. Written by Richard Harris in 1984, with this version directed by West End producer wonderwoman Maria Friedman, Stepping Out, which will be playing at the Vaudeville Theatre until June 17, 2017, probably won’t last that long. Do yourself a favour and just step right past the theatre.

Book tickets now

19th March 2017
THEATRE REVIEW | The Stripper, St. James Theatre Studio

★★ | The Stripper, St. James Theatre

CREDIT: Origin8 Photography

Ever heard of the biographical fallacy? No, it’s not a handy, dictaphone dildo, but a warning to never, ever judge an author’s work by his life. See, back in the 19th Century, critics actually believed in pure, spun-from-thin-air fantasy, that plays and novels came from sheer imagination, not hard, lived experience.

Oh really? Tell that to gay, smack addict and novelistic genius William Burroughs, whose entire output mirrored his self-chosen squalor. And he’s merely the tip of a non-stop, thinly-fictionalised iceberg – every second, every minute, we’re swamped by tsunamis of blogs, memoirs and blatant self-mythologizing.

So unsurprisingly, critical theory’s undergone a complete reversal, and currently, all creative writing is viewed as ultimately flowing from biographical facts. Oh dear. That’s very bad news for Rocky Horror creator Richard O’ Brien’s latest show The Stripper, which once again showcases his low-brow, pop-culture fixations. It’s a heavy-handed, sleazy, musical theatre adaptation of a disposable, pulp-fiction, private-eye novel by hack Carter Brown, and as dire as it sounds.

Me, I pity the show’s outstanding actors. Despite being crippled by O’Brien’s clueless, misogynistic lyrics, an uninspired score and lazily generic stage design and costuming, they often touch real brilliance. In particular, Gloria Onitiri’s lead stripper Dolores has the raw, diva heat of a young Grace Jones, while Sebastian Torkia’s private eye Wheeler is magnificently moody. More quirkily, Hannah Grover, Michael Steedon and Marc Pickering all triple-up to flesh out The Stripper’s seedy, eccentric cast. Sadly, they inhabit a world of laughably clunky exposition, with composer Richard Hartley’s score merely a serviceable, degraded blizzard of inept doo-wop and leaden jazz.

Immediately, it’s obvious that nothing but instant closure can rescue this glacially-paced, Z-grade murder mystery.

Yes, every possible cliché is alive and unfeasibly surviving here. There are one-note tough guys, vapid femme fatales and even – shades of Rocky Horror’s Riff-raff – a two-timing hunchback.

Speaking charitably, it’s more Roger Rabbit than Jason Bourne. My god – didn’t it even occur to O’Brien that Carter Brown was parodying hard-boiled prose and attitudes? How could it? Peel away all the frothy, feel-good kitsch from Rocky Horror onwards and what’s left are O’Brien’s deeply unpleasant, highly reactionary, sexual politics.

Frankly, nothing else explains such shockingly offensive lyrics as ‘I wanna fondle your tits/Baby you give me a hard-on’. There’s a simply appalling sub-text here – f*ck whoever possible and totally abuse their feelings – a textbook, sexual predator sense of intimate entitlement and presumed consent. Sure, as a songwriter, O’Brien is hardly Noel Coward or Cole Porter, but surely he’s capable of finer artistry than this abysmal, teenage smut? Honestly, do audiences really need such insensitivity casually inflicted on them in 2016?

And even more disturbingly, O’Brien’s lyrics don’t even attempt irony – the object of their lust is meant to feel privileged! Gee, whatever happened to any notions or awareness of sexual dignity, humanity or compassion here? Heartless but superficially attractive, The Stripper is a coldly cynical exercise in period sleaze, but ultimately, one best left unattended in a forgotten, theatrical morgue.

The Stripper run at the St. James Theatre Studio until 13th August

Reviewed by Trixabelle del Mar

17th July 2016
THEATRE REVIEW | Tom: A Story of Tom Jones – Sheffield Theatres And National Tour

★★ | Tom: A Story Of Tom Jones

Tom – A story of Tom Jones tells the tale of the early days of the legendary singer and the struggle he faced as he moves from the green, green grass of home to the big city lights of London in search of his big break. Constantly supported by his wife, Linda, Tom struggles with self-doubt and frustration as he pursues his dream in this musical biography.

Photo Credit – Simon Gough

The show was presented nicely enough, with projected backdrops and some well-staged, if simplistic, musical numbers; all held together by a good vocal and physical performance from Kit Orton as the Welsh crooner. The songs were inconspicuously slotted in to the show, and flowed naturally within the story, rather than feeling shoehorned in; and the live band added both atmosphere and energy.

Despite this, the show just had too many flaws to allow it to hang together. The show is primarily narrative based, so those expecting a run through of Tom’s greatest hits will be disappointed. The songs were just too few and far between, and consisted primarily of a collection of cover versions of 60’s hits or songs which were not always instantly associated with Tom Jones by the casual observer. It’s only after the best part of two hours has passed does the show provide the songs which the audience most likely came to hear, and only then in a closing mini concert consisting of four or five numbers.

The show demonstrates the drive and ambition that is needed to succeed and the determination by both Tom and his wife Linda to hit the big time. Underneath it all, there is a story of self-belief and about paying your dues to achieve your ambitions, but the constant cycle of Tom threatening to quit and his wife urging him to keep going seemed to be on a perpetual loop, with all dramatic tension lost given that we all know he makes it in the end.

The problem with the show is not the performances, staging or direction, but rather the writing, which has a narrative which just doesn’t have enough about it to ever really drive the show forward. The show focusses on Tom, his relationship with his wife and his struggle to make it, but the reality is that this story is one which is just to too bland and repetitive to make the narrative interesting, especially when compared to other similar musicals such as Soul Sister – The Tina Turner Story, Jersey Boys or Buddy!. In a lifetime career of a legendary singer with so many highlights in it, it feels like a missed opportunity to restrict the story to the narrow focus of repeatedly gigging in working men’s clubs.

That said, the audience was packed full of Tom Jones fans, and there were more whoops and cheers from them than you can shake your pelvis at. The show clearly appealed to Tom’s dedicated fan base and they thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a show which will no doubt thrill existing fans of the singer, but unfortunately is unlikely to have a much broader appeal than that.

Tom – The Story of Tom Jones – The Musical is currently at Sheffield Theatres until 16^th April 2016 before continuing on its national tour until the 4^th June 2016. Visit the show’s website for further details at www.tomthemusical.co.uk/

13th April 2016