Review – Hair *****

Hair is a musical designed to court controversy. Its famous nudity (which features only briefly) was only possible when the show originally played in London because of the removal of theatre censorship the day before opening night in 1968.

It tells the story of a tribe of hippies in New York who try to live a life of freedom and self expression. The backdrop is the Vietnam war and the looming threat of the draft. The apparent leader of the tribe, Berger (Jake Quickenden) sets the scene. Various characters then introduce both themselves and the tribe’s attitudes to sex, war, race, drugs – everything you shouldn’t discuss at a polite dinner party – in some of the numerous songs. Gradually a sort of narrative appears in which Claude (Paul Wilkins) has received his draft card to go to Vietnam. The tribe urge him to burn it but ultimately he feels duty-bound to accept his fate.

The show still has the power to shock and it’s important for the power of the piece that it does. Being drafted into the Vietnam war is not a real and live possibility as it was for audiences in 1968. To achieve that same effect 50 years later this production opens with what is to modern eyes the most daring thing you can do on stage – smoking! The entire cast line-up downstage and simultaneously light their cigarettes (or perhaps more likely spliffs). Shortly afterwards Berger is down to a G string and running into the audience. Having unsettled us we now know we are in the company not of a bunch of hippie throw-backs but daring, care free and individual people who know their own minds and bodies.

For all this, the music is where it’s really at. It’s packed with songs. Many you’ll know – The Age of Aquarius, I Got Life, Let the Sun Shine, Good Morning Starshine. The cast sound great individually and simply stunning together. The band is on stage, dotted about in various places and apparently playing without sheet music – heightening the sense of this being a spontaneous happening. And they are also terrific.

The colourful set is both atmospheric and effective, with brilliant lighting transforming the mood from song to song. This was my first ever experience of Hair and I was completely blown away by the music and the energy. It could so easily have been a period piece, but this feels modern, daring and relevant even 50 years on.

Hair is at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford until Saturday 18 May 2019.

Review – The Band *****

Filled with Take That’s numerous hits over the last almost three decades, The Band  can all but guarantee its audience an enjoyable trip down memory lane. However, with some particularly ingenious and imaginative staging, impressive projection effects and an emotional plot, The Band offers more than just warm nostalgia. This is a serious piece of work with a great story, great script (Tim Firth), and great performances, all presented in a slick West End quality production.

The stage is set from the moment you walk in to the auditorium, with a ceefax screen displaying the latest up to the minute news from October 1993. We follow five young women, and their teenage lust for a boyband and more importantly, their unwavering love and support for each other. Once inseparable, circumstances arise resulting in a reunion after 25 years apart, once again brought together by the music of the boyband they so loved as teens.

Young Rachel (Faye Christall) guides us through the first part of the show, she masters the art of being bubbly yet sensitive. All of the young cast (Lauren Jacobs, Sarah Kate Howarth, Rachelle Diedricks and Katy Clayton as well) deliver strong, believable performances which made the audience audibly gasp and giggle along with them. Their older counterparts, (Alice Fitzjohn, Emily Joyce, Rachel Lumberg and Jayne McKenna) have a slightly more difficult task, treading that fine line of once close, now distant friends. However, what comes across through all the women is a sense of warmth.

Winners of the BBC’s Let It Shine, AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Sario Soloman and Yazdan Qafouri play the titular ‘Band’ and find themselves appearing from the most unlikely of places throughout the show. They have to jump (many times literally) from emotive, moving performances to over enthusiastic 90s dance moves within the space of seconds and do so with ease and style.

The show uses Take That’s vast catalogue of music well, showing off Barlow’s impressive songwriting skills. ‘The Band’ perform the majority of the numbers, with gorgeous harmony and some dance moves fans will definitely be familiar with.

Overall the show has a surprising amount of heart in it, alongside all the classic pop tunes audiences turn up for. Don’t be surprised if you leave with a tear in your eye and a song in your heart!

The Band is at the Orchard Theatre Dartford until Saturday 9 February and then on tour

Review – Saturday Night Fever ****

This version of Saturday Night Fever is very much a faithful interpretation of the film. And although we might now look back on the film as simply a vehicle for a series of classic disco hits and a beacon of questionable 70s style, in its day it wasn’t attempting to be either of those things. Now it’s a period piece but it was created as a contemporary tale of Brooklyn kids struggling to make something of their lives and avoiding their dead-end jobs and lack of ambition by living out their fantasies at the 2001 club on a Saturday Night. Add in teenage pregnancy, child abuse, unemployment, sexism, racism, gang culture and suicide and you can see this is a serious and, at times, seriously dark piece.

The cast bring this all to life with admirable conviction. It’s a tribute to them that the serious aspects of the drama are woven so well into the musical context provided by the Bee Gees. The production resists the temptation to just give-in and become a juke box musical of their hits. The drama is allowed room to unfold and characters reveal themselves to us. Richard Winsor as Tony Manero has the biggest challenge. The part requires outstanding dancing talent, which he has (his CV includes the Central School of Ballet and numerous roles for Matthew Bourne). It also needs a certain naiveness and twinkle to soften his chauvinistic bravado. That comes across as the evening progresses, but early on it’s hampered by his delivery. The Brooklyn accent he has to affect makes it hard to follow all the dialogue in some of the early scenes, which are famous for their quick delivery featuring the bickering members of his Italian-American family at their most argumentative. But he certainly grows on you and we feel for him as he has to make difficult choices. I must also mention Raphael Pace who has a big journey to make with his character and handles it with convincing sensitivity.

All this is not to meant to play down the impact of the music. From the off it’s clear we are in safe hands. The Bee Gees hits – including some from other parts of their catalogue besides Saturday Night Fever – are brought gloriously to life. And unlike the film we have the three Bee Gees on stage , along with the brilliant six-piece band, to perform the numbers.

There’s an undeniable challenge with the piece, though. It’s not really a musical and the disco numbers are not constructed like typical musical theatre songs. They don’t build. They’re written as dance floor fillers and so they launch straight into the meat of the song from the beginning and stay their for three minutes. And this lack of a build denies us the big, applause generating finish. At the same time it’s clear the audience really enjoys the music and dance moments purely for what they are, regardless of the somewhat gritty story in which they find themselves.

Ultimately I think this production is treading a careful balance between celebrating the Bee Gees disco era and telling the story of Tony Manero and his life on the wrong side of the Brooklyn Bridge. If on seeing the show you invest in the latter you’ll enjoy the former all the more.

 

Review – The Band

Filled with Take That’s numerous hits over the last almost three decades, The Band  can all but guarantee its audience an enjoyable trip down memory lane. However, with some ingenious staging, impressive projection effects and an emotional plot, The Band offers warm nostalgia coated in a slick West End production.

The stage is set from the moment you walk in to the auditorium, with a ceefax screen displaying the latest up to the minute news from October 1993. We follow five young women, and their teenage lust for a boyband and more importantly, their unwavering love and support for each other. Once inseparable, circumstances arise resulting in a reunion after 25 years apart, once again brought together by the music of the boyband they so loved as teens.

Young Rachel (Faye Christall) guides us through the first part of the show, she masters the art of being bubbly yet sensitive. All of the young cast (Lauren Jacobs, Sarah Kate Howarth, Rachelle Diedricks and Katy Clayton as well) deliver strong, believable performances which made the audience audibly gasp and giggle along with them. Their older counterparts, (Alice Fitzjohn, Emily Joyce, Rachel Lumberg and Jayne McKenna) have a slightly more difficult task, treading that fine line of once close, now distant friends. However, what comes across through all the women is a sense of warmth.

Winners of the BBC’s Let It Shine, AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Sario Soloman and Yazdan Qafouri play the titular ‘Band’ and find themselves appearing from the most unlikely of places throughout the show. They have to jump (many times literally) from emotive, moving performances to over enthusiastic 90s dance moves within the space of seconds and do so with ease and style.

The show uses Take That’s vast catalogue of music well, showing off Barlow’s impressive songwriting skills. ‘The Band’ perform the majority of the numbers, with gorgeous harmony and some dance moves fans will definitely be familiar with.

Overall the show has a surprising amount of heart in it, alongside all the classic pop tunes audiences turn up for, don’t be surprised if you leave with a tear in your eye and a song in your heart!

Sue in the Stalls attended courtesy of London Box Office.

The Band is at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 12 January 2019.

Review – Let It Be

Let It Be brings The Beatles to life presented as a series of excerpts from iconic performances in their career. We meet them as John invites wealthy patrons at the 1963 Royal Command Performance to rattle their jewellery. Not, perhaps, the greatest joke ever told at such a show, but certainly the most famous. But this isn’t musical theatre. It’s not like Jersey Boys or Buddy. It is essentially a concert. We move on through Shea Stadium and Sergeant Pepper to Abbey Road and the roof of the Apple Building for their last ever public performance. And that’s just the first half!

For each mini concert the Fab Four appear in appropriate clothes and with the required hair styles – including facial hair as necessary. Combined with some nifty set dressing and lighting, in appearance alone it is already clear this is way more ambitious than your average tribute band concert. The opening scene is effectively in black and white, as if we’re watching the original live broadcast of the Royal Command Performance. The psychedelic Sergeant Pepper segment is a joyous riot of colour.

Then there’s the music. I guess most people at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford had not ever seen The Beatles live. But this re-creation of those songs which are now part of our national heritage is truly outstanding. As the show progresses the feeling you’re actually watching The Beatles creeps up on you. An early highlight is Emanuele Angeletti playing acoustic guitar and singing Yesterday as Paul. The simple brilliance of the song shone through in a gentle and un-showy performance. I was just thinking how magic it must have been to have been in a world where Yesterday hadn’t been written and then hear it for the first time. This was only slightly spoiled for me when Emanuele/Paul invited the audience to join in. What this show also highlights is the fantastic contribution of Ringo Starr, with Ben Cullingworth driving some complex rhythms from his podium position centre stage.

The second half of the show is an imagined Beatles reunion taking place on John Lennon’s 40th birthday in 1980. This allows for each of the four to have their own moment in the spotlight as their respective solo hits are reprised. John Brosnan as George, having been somewhat overshadowed in the first half, really comes into his own with some simply brilliant solo guitar work, especially in While My Guitar Gently Weeps, channelling the original soloist on the track, Eric Clapton. And of course there’s John Lennon, a charismatic performance from Michael Gagliano, at the piano for Imagine. Another highlight was Paul McCartney and Wings’ Live and Let Die, truly one of the greatest of all the Bond themes. I’d never heard it live and this was loud, rousing and stylish. Augmenting the brilliant musicianship of the four leads is the show’s musical director Michael Bramwell on keyboards, who brings the added dimension of strings and brass to the later songs.

I’m a big fan of musical theatre and really like a great story and engaging characters to be at the heart of a show. But in this case, just letting the music speak for itself was clearly the right decision. All you need to do with the music of The Beatles is let it be.

Let It Be is at The Orchard Theatre Dartford until Saturday 20 October and on tour.

 

Review – Barry Humphries’ Weimar Cabaret

Barry Humphries shares his childhood discovery of a stack of sheet music in a Melbourne second-hand book store, music which revealed a largely forgotten flowering of creative, original and experimental music from Germany in the 1920s.

The time in history is crucial to an appreciation of this music and this show. The music is extravagant, free and daring – all things which ended in Germany with rise of Hitler and the Nazis. And with few, if any, recordings this art form, unlike say paintings, effectively ceased to exist the moment it stopped being written and performed.

Here it is brought joyously to life. And although in some ways this is a history lesson, the music feels fresh and new. Every item is stimulating and hugely entertaining. And there are also a few stunning moments. The Geographical Fugue (composed by Ernst Toch with the English version performed here written by John Cage and Henry Cowell) is a virtuoso piece performed by the entire Aurora Orchestra entirely a cappella, which surprises both in its originality and in the skill needed to perform it. Assistant Musical Director Ben Dawson at the piano seems to have music effortlessly flowing from his fingers, never more so than in Jezek’s Bugatti Step – a thrilling piece requiring outstanding virtuosity.

The songs are performed by cabaret artist Meow Meow – who is a performance force to be reckoned with. Equally at home in English or German, sad or seductive, she is a marvellous performer and actor. Barry Humphries – sans Dame Edna et al – is our guide through this treasure trove, sharing his obvious admiration and enthusiasm infectiously. He also provides great entertainment in his own right. After joining Meow Meow, who guides the 84 year-old Humphries through some carefully crafted trepidatious choreography in one of the numbers, he quips at the end, “Is there a cardiologist in the house…or a choreographer?”

Barry Humphries is of course the draw to attend this show. And it is a rare pleasure to enjoy his company, as he puts it, “heavily disguised as myself.” And whilst there are generous amounts of his time in the evening, the other elements are equally enthralling. The 17 piece Aurora Orchestra is amazing (and credit to sound designer Phil Wright for his subtle blending of the instruments to make it sound wonderful), as is the musical director Satu Vanska, who also takes on singing duties in a couple of numbers.

If you think you know 1920s Berlin form the musical Cabaret then you do – but only up to a point. Take this opportunity to let the estimable Barry Humphries open your ears and mind at this truly special evening.

Barry Humphries’ Weimar Cabaret is at The Barbican throughout July 2018. 

Review – 20th Century Boy – The Musical

Pop stars burn bright and briefly. Often we only see them at their brightest but this musical story of Marc Bolan sheds light into his life before fame – although even as a child he dreamed of becoming ‘bigger than Elvis’ we are told.

It’s a form that has worked well since ‘Buddy’ told the story of a similarly young, short-lived and influential star. We begin after Bolan’s untimely death in a car crash at just 29, with George Maguire as Bolan pondering his own legacy. This device enables a quick flash-back to school boy Marc and his adoring mum. From here on we’re on a ride through his life with generous helpings of his greatest hits.  Early on the simple but effective set unfolds to reveal the (excellent) real live band, who crop-up later as T. Rex. For the most part the songs appear only as natural performances at gigs, concerts, recording studios and so on. Occasionally they are placed into the narrative Mamma Mia style to illustrate the story and character. But Bolan’s music is simple in its form and lacks the variety to work effectively as an illustrator of emotion and plot so is wisely not used in this way often.

The Bolan we meet in this version of his life is cocky but charming as a youngster. When his mum complains about the noise he comes back with, “It’s rock and roll, mum. It only comes in loud.” His heroes have a habit of dying young in car crashes, most notably James Dean. Only when he latches on to Cliff Richard does he find someone who he thinks “might live forever.”

This supreme self confidence leads to his marriage when he meets his future wife, who is it seems some sort of receptionist or clerk at a record company, and plays his demo song to her. “It’s left a strange buzzing in my head,” she says. “That’ll be me, then,” he replies and proposes almost on the spot.

The story is told in the usual efficient way of these things. Characters are well played by the hard working and enthusiastic cast. George Maguire, though, shines. He makes us fall for Bolan as we would an over enthusiastic puppy. He may be badly behaved but he’s so cute and charming we can’t be cross with him.

Then there’s the music. Clearly many in the audience were serious devotees of T. Rex. Someone brought along a white swan (a toy one, obviously!). Another had an original Marc Bolan/T. Rex scarf from the 70s. That’s before you get to the feather boas. Their devotion was well-rewarded with outstanding renditions of all the classics both throughout the show and in the obligatory encore. And even if your knowledge of T. Rex extends only to ‘I want to boogie’ as featured in Billy Elliot, you’ll soon discover that you know much more than you think. His music is so straightforward in its construction, but the sound is something he worked on. Hearing it now 40 years on sounding so fresh and original it’s clear there is something genuinely unique and special about it. The simplicity really works, as does this musical.

20th Century Boy is at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford until 13 June 2018 and on tour until the end of the month.

 

Review – Songs for a New World

Once again Sue in the Stalls is at the ever delightful The Space in London’s Docklands, this time for a musical event  – Jason Robert Brown’s ‘Songs for a New World‘.

A constant stream of exciting and occasionally moving melodies is something of a hallmark of Jason Robert Brown’s work, and ‘Songs for a New World’  is no exception. With limited plot, and more of an overarching sentiment holding the pieces together, the cast at The Space had to really emote throughout each individual performance, whilst gelling seamlessly as a team and holding the 90-minutes plus interval production together. No mean feat.

The individual performances of Rosie Cumber, Meesha Turner, George Gehm and Oliver Metcalfe were thought provoking and emotional. The strength of their solo voices was amplified when together they sang, filling the room. They were beautifully accompanied by the band under the Musical Director, Sally Goodworth, with a stand-out performer on the drums, seeming to really hold the show tightly together.

Cumber, Turner, Gehm and Metcalfe are faced with the potentially daunting task of jumping between emotions for each song they perform. At times they are called upon to be bold and daring, brash and callous, moody and reserved or even just a silent partner during someone else’s turn in the spotlight. The dedication and talent of each performer meant that these transitions rarely felt uneven, and their distinct characters were easy to spot. The basic and static set was used inventively at times, and projection added a sense of depth and variety to the otherwise bland stage.

Stand out numbers include Meesha Turner as a seductive yet scornful Mrs Claus in “Surabaya-Santa”. This song really gave Turner the opportunity to show off the rich tone of her vocals, particularly in the lower end of her range which is her clear strength. “She Cries” offered a more sensitive performance, whilst “The River Won’t Flow” brought the whole company together in a raucous but musically sound performance. Rosie Cumber’s performance of “I’m Not Afraid of Anything” was sensitive yet empowering, giving the character a depth of emotions you wouldn’t expect possible in a brief singular song.

The Space is an intimate and inviting venue which at times felt overpowered by the vocals on display. With song taking centre stage (dialogue and choreography slip into the shadows) the cast admirably offered varied tone and dynamic but could even afford to pull back more, allowing the wonderful music to fill the space. Overall, ‘Songs for a New World’ was an uplifting and musically varied masterclass in song, as an ideal combination of musical direction, performance and of course the impeccable work of Jason Robert Brown came together. The talent on show was undeniable, and the hard working cast (barely a moment off stage for them all) received a well deserved standing ovation for their efforts.

‘Songs for a New World’ by Jason Robert Brown is at The Space until Saturday 16 September 2017.

Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Review – Annie

Annie must be a sure-fire thing for amateur societies. As in the story, the children do all the work! They perform most of the big numbers and, significantly, by dint of having two casts, they sell most of the tickets to doting parents and other relatives. This certainly seemed to be the case for Petts Wood Operatic Society’s production at The Stag theatre in Sevenoaks, which was pretty-well sold out for most of its short run.

With a child in the lead role you always worry, especially in an amateur production, that they’re going to be up to it. In this case Olivia Samuels most certainly was. She seemed right at home from the first note and, as a result, so did the audience. She delivered a convincing American accent (although it did fade back to something more local by the end of the evening!), and did a stunning job on the big numbers. Notably she delivered a heartfelt ‘Tomorrow’ whilst at the same time wrangling ‘Sandy’ and keeping him under control (a scene-stealing turn by Otis).

There was solid support from the adult cast, with the redoubtable Elizabeth O’Donnell coming into her own as Miss Hannigan. Playing to the slightly more mature age of the cast there was an inspired comedy moment from director James Mullin who cast the Boylan sisters (Susan Mann, Christine Mabbott and Caroline Bunker) as three doddery old-time musical stars who still think they’ve got it, although they’re obviously no longer sure what ‘it’ is! Ben Southworth wisely eschewed the traditional bald pate of Oliver Warbucks and brought huge warmth and tenderness to the part, especially in his scenes with Annie. And Josef Paris and Vicky Kenway were hilarious as Rooster Hannigan and Lily St. Regis.

Overall a smooth production with spare but efficient staging and quick scene changes keeping things moving nicely and leaving you wanting more.

Review – Aladdin

Disney has done its best over the years to expunge memories of British Pantomime with its slick Broadway-style musical versions of panto-season staples such as Cinderella, Peter Pan and Aladdin.

So one comes to the Prince Edward theatre in London with high expectations of this Broadway transfer of one of Disney’s biggest hits. And, of course, it also begs the question, can it match the hugely imaginative and powerful re-invention of The Lion King as a stage musical?

Well, the answer is – to some extent. In the flesh this interpretation of the story feels, at least to a UK audience, closer to our own dear panto than it does to a magical musical reinvention like The Lion King. But it’s not without its brilliance and sparkle. Outstanding in the central role, the part of the Genie is brought gloriously to life by Trevor Dion Nicholas making his West End debut having played the part on Broadway. Also making his West End debut at this performance was Anthony Hewitt in the title role, standing-in for regular Aladdin Dean John-Wilson and listed as usually being ‘Ensemble’. So a big step-up and handled brilliantly. Also outstanding was the magic carpet, flying effortlessly around as the stand-out special effect. Fitting, actually, as the carpet in the movie was claimed to be Disney’s first fully computer animated character.

The sets have a ridiculous amount of sparkle and general bling to them. And Alan Menken’s score has been added to with some new numbers by the man himself. The original film always sounded like a Broadway musical and now it’s here in the West End. Does it earn its place? Yes – its tuneful, huge fun and spectacular. But at the same time, we all know what it is really. Although others, having seen it, may say “Oh no it isn’t!”