COMING HOME: Megan Cerys-Holland, recently graduated from the Arden School of Theatre

Pocket Size Theatre and Liza Heinrichs (Captured by Liz) have teamed up again and created our new series 'Coming Home'. In this new piece, we look at the reopening of Theatres in London and around the country and celebrate our industry coming back. We got together some performers who will be some of the first to return to theatres and created this piece to bring some positivity to the theatre industry which has been through one of the toughest years in our lifetime. Whilst it is important to acknowledge the hardships we've all gone through, it's important we pull together as a community and celebrate our beloved industry finally coming back!

Over the pandemic, the theatre industry has been hit hard. There's no denying it, we’ve all struggled. Maybe some have been in better positions than others, but we’ve all had our livelihoods on the line. But out of this uncertainty, so many wonderful things have happened, and as much as it is important to acknowledge and not forget the struggle we’ve been through we must also celebrate the wonderful things that have come out of this situation. One of them being, the celebration and support of recent drama school graduates entering this industry. 

Its always been difficult coming into this industry as a fresh graduate but more so right now than ever because the industry hasn’t really existed! However, there have been a few projects and companies supporting those and giving them a chance to shine, something that wasn’t necessarily available prior to the pandemic. Megan Cerys-Holland, a recent graduate of the Arden School of Theatre, is one of the graduates who has been featured in some of these fantastic opportunities. 

REVIEW: Gatsby: A Musical at Cadogan Hall

As a huge fan of ‘The Great Gatsby’ I was excited to see how ‘Gatsby: The Musical’ would adapt the book in this musical revival concert, back by popular demand from the 11th-14th March. 

The grandeur of the venue and incredible live band quickly had me feeling almost like I was in the theatre itself, excitedly waiting for the show to begin. With Gatsby (Ross William Wild) lurking on the balcony above the grand empty hall, his voice booming when he begins to speak, you can easily believe the characters are speaking from Gatsby’s long-abandoned mansion.

This adaption of the story places Daisy (Jodie Steele) at the centre, as she returns to Gatsby’s mansion 7 years later, in 1929, looking for him. In this version, Daisy is a far more sympathetic character than the one in the books, and Jodie Steele’s vulnerable performance places you firmly in her shoes as she relives the disastrous events of 1922.

INTERVIEW: Dianne Pilkington, currently starring in The Only Fools and Horses and soon to star in Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Dianne Pilkington is currently playing Raquel in the musical version of The Only Fools and Horses at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. She will soon be appearing in the semi-staged concert version of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Cadogan Hall with Take Two Theatricals and Club 11. Her other credits include Elizabeth in Young Frankenstein (Garrick Theatre); Aunt Lily in Whisper House (The Other Palace); Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre); Sophie De Palma in Master Class (Vaudeville Theatre); Amalia in She Loves Me (Minerva Theatre, Chichester); Pamela/Margaret/Annabella in The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre); Glinda in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre); Grizabella in Cats (National Tour); Mary in Tonight’s the Night (Victoria Palace); Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (National Tour), Kim in the original cast of Boy George’s Taboo;  Protestant Girl in The Beautiful Game (Cambridge Theatre) and understudied and played Fantine and Cosette in Les Miserables (Palace Theatre).

You’re appearing in a semi-staged concert version of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Cadogan Hall with Take Two Theatricals and Club 11, tell us a bit about the show and what we can expect from this production.

The show is a classic, and has some of Roger & Hammerstein’s most beautiful songs in the score. It has been updated and will be the first time this new version has been performed here.

And you’re playing Marie, tell us a bit about her.

She’s pinned as a crazy lady, and all is not as it seems! She’s a wise woman, and wants to reward goodness and kindness.

You’re playing another Fairy, pretty close to the role that many people will know you from! How is it to return to a magical role again?

Ah, but she’s a Fairy, not a Witch! I can’t wait. At least this time I should be good at the magic bit...

REVIEW: All You Need is Love at Cadogan Hall

Flying Entertainment, the producers of All you need is love , are building a portfolio of tribute shows building on the success of their West End hit, Thriller (now in its 10th year) and this latest addition combines the musical talents of some of the West End cast of Let it be with the National Philharmonic Concert Orchestra to produce the concert that never happened with the Beatles performing many songs that they never sang on stage together. In all they present nearly forty songs from the extensive and varied Beatles catalogue over the two hour show.

This is a celebration of the Beatles songs and the focus is on the music with the orchestra enhancing the sound of the Fab Four. In Cadogan Hall, the fifth show of the current ten venue tour, the set, animated graphics on the large screen and colour washes of moving lights were disappointing and well short of the publicity blurb description of a spectacular multi media concert. Only occasionally do the graphics add something as in the sixties street scene projected behind "the long and winding road'. But in the end it does not matter as the music is enough and when the full orchestra backs the boys it is a wonderful rich well balanced sound.

The performers present a passing resemblance to the original stars with the help of a variety of wigs, occasional moustaches and studied mannerisms but they capture the Liverpudlian roots of the the sound with each getting at least a couple of turns on lead vocals.