REVIEW: The Bodyguard at the New Victoria Theatre, starring Alexandra Burke

Since it was announced the massively successful West End production of ‘The Bodyguard’ would be taking on a tour of its own from February 2015, it has sold out performances since day one and has been described as “the hottest ticket in town” by the Sunday Mirror. This smash-hit musical is based on the film of the same name, and features the greatest hits of Whitney Houston. 

                     

I have previously reviewed the World Premiere Cast Recording of this show, which, like this performance, was led by X-Factor superstar Alexandra Burke. I was unimpressed by the album and described it as one of ‘poor variety’ leaving me feeling ‘severely underwhelmed’ and ‘massively disappointed’, however, this show is an absolute knockout. 

REVIEW: Hairspray at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking

As I took my seat in the Royal Circle, I struggled to see an empty chair anywhere at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking. Lights everywhere were rolling through the colour spectrum, illuminating eager faces around the auditorium in the build up to the start of the show. ‘Hairspray’ is one of the most popular musicals of all time, and the excitement in the audience was palpable.

‘Hairspray’ is the heart-warming story of Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and even bigger dreams in 1960’s Baltimore. Desperately seeking fame, Tracy sets out to become one of ‘the nicest kids in town’ and dance her way into everyone’s hearts on the hit National TV show ‘The Corny Collins Show’. Tracy’s audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for super-stardom, equality and romance along the way!

ALBUM REVIEW: Hamilton, Original Broadway Cast Recording

While at the moment, the show can only be seen on Broadway (for those who are fortunate enough to be able to spend up to $300 for a single ticket), for the majority of people, we are limited to this album to involve us in the musical phenomenon. Anyone who has heard it will understand the cultural significance. 

This is the first hip hop/rap musical to ever grace Broadway. David Cote of New 

York’s ‘Time Out’ described Hamilton as “a sublime conjunction of radio-ready hip-hop (as well as R&B, Britpop and trad showstoppers)”, and I totally agree. This cast recording is explosive. 

REVIEW: The Painkiller at the Garrick theatre, starring Kenneth Branagh & Rob Brydon

Kenneth Branagh’s year long residency at The Garrick Theatre has sent ripples of excitement through the entire West End, and with good reason. 5-time academy award nominated Branagh is the modern-day Laurence Olivier, as renowned for his directorial talents as his acting. His latest show at The Garrick is ‘The Painkiller’ by French screenwriter, director, producer and playwright Francis Veber, adapted into English and directed by Sean Foley. 

REVIEW: The Last Tango at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking, starring Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace

The Last Tango is and co-choreographed by Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace of Strictly Come Dancing fame, along with Karen Bruce. This show is not just an evening of disjointed dance routines; there is a charming storyline woven through.

The Last Tango follows George, an aging man, as he looks through his attic and finds various objects which remind him of times gone by.  Each item inspires a flashback to his past, and all the special moments he shared with his true love. Beautifully characterised with Vincent Simone as the younger version of George, and Flavia as the love of his life, we can experience their first meeting in the 1920’s all the way through to their later family lives as they grow old together. 

REVIEW: Sleeping Beauty at the New Victoria Theatre

Matthew Bourne’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ re-imagines the classic fairytale with a gothic twist. This contemporary ballet, like Princess Aurora, is a thing of true beauty. Utterly captivating from start to finish, with humour delicately interwoven and a vampire or two thrown in for good luck.

This production was incredibly refreshing, and while it nods to the upstanding traditions of classical ballet, it is happy to drastically re-write the rule book on a number of things. To some, ballet is synonymous with men in tights, pointe shoes and epic acts of considerable length. This reimagining is wonderfully up-to-date and thrilling to behold. Most of the performance is carried out bare-foot by all the performers, and there is no Lycra in sight. Furthermore, the running time is just right. At just over 2 hours (including an interval), the whole audience seemed very comfortable.

REVIEW: Grease Live!

Increasingly in the USA, networks are broadcasting live musicals. They seem to be bringing in generally good reviews and ratings boosts, however, last night’s ‘Grease: Live’ took everything to a whole new level.

Simply put, the show was electrifying; an absolute knockout.

The shining star of the evening was Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo who utterly embodied the mantra ‘the show must go on’. Hudgens tweeted on the morning of the performance that her father, Greg Hudgens, had died as a result of stage 4 cancer. With absolute professionalism and total fearlessness, she stole the show in dedication to her late father. Her version of ‘There are worse things I could do’ was spine-tingling and poignant. She offered a real layer of vulnerability to the otherwise outspoken and brazen Rizzo with enough conviction to make even the coldest heart warm.

REVIEW: Wicked the Musical at the Apollo Victoria Theatre

It is not often you find someone unfamiliar with the story of Wicked, but as I took my seat in the middle of the stalls in Row H, I was greeted by a lovely couple who had travelled down from Durham to see the show. They told me their daughter lived locally to the Apollo Victoria Theatre and had insisted that while they were visiting her, 'Wicked' was the show to see, but they had no idea what they were in for. "Is this a musical or a play?" they asked... I proceeded to tell them this was not my first visit to the musical, and that I had previously seen Emma Hatton (Elphaba) when she was stand-by for the role back in April 2014, and that even when she was so new to the show, she blew me away. I assured them they were in for a real treat, and I was absolutely right. 

REVIEW: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking

Based on the classic comedy film starring Sir Michael Caine and Steve Martin, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels transports you to the French Riviera and its decadent underworld, as two seasoned swindlers attempt to hoodwink a millionaire heiress. As the pair compete in the true art of the con, they discover there is only room for one of them. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the Musical is a fabulous spectacle about two fraudsters, who are both equally determined to outwit each other, as well as anyone unlucky enough to cross their paths. 

The touring cast is led by Michael Praed as crooner 'Lawrence Jameson' and he is nothing short of outstanding. From his very first appearance, he was instantly likable and performed with smoothness and charm, without being slimy. His dance moves were suave, and his vocals were great. Despite a set malfunction involving a rogue doorknob, (and a forgotten line or two as a result of the raucous laughter from both the audience and actors), he delivered a fantastic performance overall. 

REVIEW: West End Heroes 2015 at the Dominion Theatre

This year was the second annual West End Heroes at the Dominion Theatre. Hosted by Christopher Biggins, this was a night of patriotism, passion and pride. Biggins has graced our screens for more than 40 years and is a much-loved face in show business. He brought charisma and character to the evening; his notoriously camp presenting style injected a real sense of fun to the night and he won over the whole crowd with his fabulous style; both in fashion and performance. Any man who can float into a show in a bubble with as much grace as Glinda the Good is worthy of the standing ovation he received at the end of the night.

The evening was led by The Central Band of the Royal Air Force who orchestrated all performances throughout the evening. They were absolutely sensational. The brass section in particular was outstanding, and every member, including the fabulous conductors, should be commended. They were also supported by the West End Heroes choir who performed both as their own group, but also as a support to other acts throughout the night.

REVIEW: Lord of the Flies at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking

Whenever I hear the phrase “Lord of the Flies” I experience very dramatic flashbacks of my GCSE English Literature days. I had a wonderful teacher who was raised in New Zealand. Her accent was so distinctive that when it came to the exam, I could hear her voice playing round and round in my head. To this day I can still hear phrases like “Simon is the Christ-like figure in the novel” and “the conch is the symbol of order amidst all this chaos” so as I approached the New Victoria Theatre in Woking, I remembered those days. Flocks…no, SWARMS of teenagers poured into the theatre to see William H Golding’s classic 1954 novel brought to life.

The novel, simply put, closely examines the breakdown of societal values and the raw brutality of humanity in times of utter desperation. The novel follows a group of school children who are stranded on an island with no adults after a plane crash. The novel was adapted for this production by Nigel Williams.

ALBUM REVIEW: New Broadway Cast Recording of GIGI, starring Vanessa Hudgens

This week’s album review is of the cast recording of the 2015 revival production of Gigi, the musical, adapted by Heidi Thomas and directed by Eric D. Schaeffer – starring Vanessa Hudgens as Gigi, Corey Cott as Gaston, Howard McGillin as Honoré and Victoria Clark as Mamita. The production closed on June 21^st 2015 but the soundtrack is still available to purchase.

Based on the 1944 novella by Colette, Gigi was first adapted for the Broadway stage by Anita Loos in 1951, with an unknown Audrey Hepburn in the title role. My understanding of Gigi is that it is a tale of “high-end grooming and prostitution” which is supposed to be very French; by this I mean very sexual yet classy, Parisian in its feel and driven by a real je ne said quoi. This soundtrack is missing all of the above. It sounds asexual, über American and carries no real spark or joie de vivre.  If anything, it’s demonstrably un-sexy, which was a real disappointment to me.

ALBUM REVIEW: Something Rotten! original cast recording

Something Rotten is one big comedic ode to 16^th Century performance, centred around William Shakespeare. It’s fun and playful; filled with intelligent comedic writing that isn’t too outrageous and strikes the balance between musical brilliance and entertainment perfectly. 

There’s nothing offensive that might upset you, Something Rotten is tame; free of foul language and adult topics, so it’s suitable for kids and adults alike.

ALBUM REVIEW: Confessions of a Justified Sinner, the debut album from Will Barratt

Will Barratt is launching his debut album of self-penned songs, ‘Confessions of a Justified Sinner’. Featuring 14 original songs written by Will over the past 15 years, the album includes a song co-written and performed with Nadim Naaman, plus a solo and a duet from Rebecca Trehearn.

“If you like songs with a flavour of musical theatre, you’ll like this… but this is more than musicals. Great original tunes and great performances. I really enjoyed it!” – John Owen-Jones

ALBUM REVIEW: World premier cast recording of The Bodyguard the Musical, starring Alexandra Burke

I have not seen The Bodyguard film, however, my understanding of it is that it’s fundamentally a love story between international superstar Rachel Marron (played by Whitney Houston), and her bodyguard (Kevin Costner).

It almost goes without saying that Whitney Houston is one of the strongest female vocalists in her genre, but I must preface this review with a warning to anyone who chooses to purchase this soundtrack. Do NOT compare The Bodyguard’s leading lady Alexandra Burke to Whitney Houston, or the entire soundtrack will do nothing but underwhelm and disappoint you…

REVIEW: Michael Balls new album, " If Everyone was Listening"

There is not a theatre fan who doesn’t know Michael Ball. He is nothing short of a theatre legend and remains a leading musical star as well as a nationally adored radio host and TV presenter. He became a household name as the original Marius with the London cast Les Miserables in 1985, and has since stormed the West End, Broadway and theatres worldwide in Olivier winning roles such as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, and as the title character in Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. His new 15 track album “If Everyone Was Listening” was released on November 17th 2014 and is already #3 on the Easy Listening charts.

I was fortunate enough to see his “Heroes” tour in 2012, again as Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi Theatre in 2013, and also as the host of West End Heroes in September this year, and he was nothing short of extraordinary on all three occasions so it’s fair to say I had very high expectations for this album to blow me away.

Monthly Theatre Obsessions: October

Happy Birthday Wicked!

The most fantasmical show in London, Wicked, turned 11 years old on October 30^th 2014. It’s hard to believe it’s been so long since Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth first took to the stage as the famous Witches of Oz. Congratulotions Wicked on a sensational 11 years!

The West End production is now being led by the epic Jennifer DiNoia, who made her debut on October 27^th, and the stunningly beautiful Savannah Stevenson as Glinda.

Who are your favourite Elphaba and Glinda pairing of all time? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Monthly Theatre Obsessions: September

PERFORMER OF THE MONTH

Hugh Maynard 

Back in 2004, Hugh began to play the character of John in MISS SAIGON for the first time and to date is the youngest person in the history of the production to have played this role. He has received rave reviews for his reprisal in the role of John and I have been obsessing over his voice this month! So strong, powerful and his range is stunning. His leading vocal in “Bui Doi” at West End Heroes made me sob; not just weep a little, or shed a tear – I sobbed with a heart overrunning with emotion from his stunning vocal performance. 

ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Collabro’s Number 1 Album, “Stars” 

They wowed the crowd with their flawless vocals at West End Heroes, and now, I am absolutely hooked on their album! Collabro stars Michael, Richard, Jamie, Matthew and Thomas all have stunning voices in their own right, but it’s the chemistry made between them which makes this band something unique and special. 

REVIEW: West End Heroes at the Dominion Theatre

This year was the second annual West End Heroes charity show at the Dominion Theatre. Dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Help For Heroes, last year’s show raised £88,000, so this year, the stars flocked to take part in this wonderful showcase. West End Heroes was a night of patriotic fundraising and exquisite performances, dedicated to our heroes. 

Made up of members from behind the scenes and front of house teams from across London’s theatre, the 44 piece ‘West End Heroes Choir’ made their debut. They accompanied several of the acts throughout the night and they were fabulous. You could feel their enthusiasm from the audience as their beaming smiles shone across the stalls. The pieces were all arranged so beautifully, particularly highlighting the sheer strength in the soprano section, and it was a fabulous addition which added class and polish to the evening. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: Review

Mark Haddon’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was published in 2003. It was the winner of more than seventeen literary awards and has now been adapted by Simon Stephens for the production that opened at the Apollo theatre in March 2013 after a successful stint at the Cottesloe with the National Theatre. It received much critical acclaim and won seven Olivier Awards including Best New Play. It has now transferred to the Gielgud Theatre where it re-opened on Monday 7^th July 2014.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time follows the story of 15 year old Christopher Boone who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, and Autism. After his next door neighbour’s dog, Wellington, is killed with a garden fork, Christopher sets it upon himself to be a detective who must be “very very brave” and find out who the murderer is. As his journey takes off, we see his life at his “special school” where the kids are “stupid, although I’m not supposed to say that” (says Christopher). Despite his illnesses, Christopher is a superb mathematician and has set it upon himself to be the first 15 year old at his school to sit a Maths A-Level exam.  We also learn about his family life, and his career aspirations for the future as we follow his journey from 12:07am on the night of the dog’s murder…