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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Woking

    ★★★★☆ | Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Woking

    **This review was taken from the Sheffield date**

    During the 1960’s Carole King was part of one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the era, writing hits for The Shirelles, The Drifters and Little Eva; leading to success with songs including “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, “The Loco-Motion”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman”, “You’ve Got A Friend” and “I Feel The Earth Move”.  But behind the success was a personal struggle for King in trying to make her marriage with Gerry Goffin, her philandering husband and songwriting partner, work; and it is her rise to the top and her troubled home life which form the backbone of the story for this musical biopic.

    Beautiful really stands apart from the usual jukebox musical/musical biopics, given the quality of the writing, presentation and performances. The narrative absorbs you straightaway; and there is an abundance of instantly likeable characters, a wonderfully sharp script filled with warmth, humour and personality and a lighting design which really does bring the stage to life, making it feel bright, bubbly and brimming with energy.

    But the quality was not reserved only for the look of the piece, but extends to its rather talented cast members. Bronte Barbe was delightfully charismatic as Carole King, projecting a powerful voice without ever having to force a note; and exuding a natural and believable on-stage chemistry with Kane Oliver Parry as King’s husband, Gerry Goffin. Amy Ellen Richardson and Matthew Gonsalves bounced off each other nicely as the bickering Weil and Mann; and the entire cast, including the ensemble, all stepped up the plate in terms of their vocals, alongside some incredibly competent acting, giving rise to very believable performances across the board.

    The first act, detailing King’s success within the music industry, brings with it a barrage of 17 musical numbers which are performed with flair and vigour; whilst the second act is slightly more downbeat and more drama focussed, as the decline of King’s marriage and her growth into a solo artist are depicted.

    Although you may not have heard of Carole King, her music is embedded into popular culture, and with the number of songs that you immediately recognise adorning the stage, you realise just how much of an influential songwriter King really was. Ultimately, this is a story of love, hope and determination, and a production which rises above the usual jukebox musicals with a set of strong central performances, in particularly Bronte, and a polished, professional and quality feel.

    Beautiful is at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, until the 3rd March 2018

    The show then continues on its national tour until 23 June 2018. Click here to book tickets.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dirty Dancing, New Victoria Theatre, Woking

    ★★★ | Dirty Dancing, New Victoria Theatre, Woking

    Set in the 1960’s, Frances “Baby” Houseman goes to Kellerman’s holiday camp with her family. She befriends the staff of the camp and develops a crush on charismatic dance teacher, Johnny Castle. When Johnny’s dance partner cannot perform at a show at a local hotel, Baby steps in to ensure that they do not lose their jobs. But as Johnny and Baby rehearse, they fall in love and learn more from each other than just the dance moves.

    Based on the hugely popular film of the same name, Dirty Dancing hits the stage with a show which follows the story of the film very closely, with the bulk of the script being comfortingly recognisable from the film. There are some additional scenes thrown in, which mainly expand on the political changes in the 60’s and some which flesh out the relationship between Baby and Johnny; whilst the show’s music came from a combination of both live and pre-recorded tracks, including “Hungry Eyes”, “Love Man” and “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”

    Katie Eccles and Robert Colvin took the lead roles of Baby and Johnny, and had some chemistry between them; and they were supported by a broadly competent cast of singers, dancers and musicians. Unsurprisingly, the dancing was better than the acting, but given that the show’s main focus is the musical numbers it doesn’t cause too much of a problem.

    The show has been given a major overhaul and is all the better for it. This production has a vibrant lighting design and has ushered in a luxurious, well designed and thoroughly detailed set which transform smoothly without ever interrupting the story; whilst the show has been sexed up a little with a few more bare chests and muscular arms on display. Overall, the production values here are very high and very impressive.

    But where the show really succeeds is in its ability to bring the movie to life and recreating it on stage. All of the familiar lines, plot points, dance routines and songs are there and there is something very comforting about watching such a faithful recreation of the movie. For those who have not seen the film, the show is a good introduction to the world of Kellerman’s. For established fans of the film, the show will be hard to beat.

    Dirty Dancing is playing at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking until 9th July 2017

    • Review taken from the Sheffield Theatre production