REVIEW: Cinderella at the Anvil Arts, Basingstoke

There is one title that says Christmas Pantomime and that is of course Cinderella. While some producers are tempted to update the story, resetting it in new locations, Jon Monie’s script that played the Theatre Royal Bath last year tells the story in the traditional way with new stepsisters arriving at Hard Up Hall, Buttons in love with Cinders, a chance meeting with the Prince during a fox hunt and then the dramatic ticket tearing scene to stop her going to the Ball. All the key story beats are there and with an experienced cast, the result is a good retelling of the classic story at The Anvil in Basingstoke.

The Fairy Godmother is played by the lovely Debbie McGee, and she easily engages the audience with her delightfully delivered rhyming couplets with a broad smile and a sparkle in her eyes. She even goes back to her ballet and dance roots for a lively dance routine in Act2 in sharp contrast with the little old lady who Cinderella meets in the woods in Act 1! She had a natural charm and infectious giggle which anyone would want from a Fairy Godmother.

REVIEW: Jack and the Beanstalk at the Hexagon, Reading

There is no substitute in Pantomime for a great script and a cast who work as an Ensemble to deliver a good show. Reading Hexagon is lucky to have Justin Fletcher and Paul Morse in their ninth season together with Ryan Alexander Full and Rachel Delooze returning for a second successive year at the venue. Following their success together in Beauty and the Beast last year Justin Fletcher again writes the script for the show and together with director Steve Boden, cleverly refreshes many of the traditional pantomime business to create a practically perfect pantomime for the young Berkshire audiences. The result is a show with a well-judged two-hour running time that engages the audience and keeps the young children from babes in arms upwards entertained throughout that time, demonstrating that Fletcher knows how to connect with his young audiences.

Justin Fletcher as Gil, the brother of Jack, has a commanding effortless stage presence and after an amusing entrance in a Dodgem car (for no obvious reason except he had one in stock) as usual reminds his fans of his alter egos from TV and touring shows and then settles into his routines. Most are delivered with his “partner in crime” the brilliant Paul Morse as Dame Trot (this year) who has an equally strong stage presence with a booming voice, fluttering eyelids and a knowing cheeky grin. They give us a slosh scene routine with plenty of thick gooey white slosh and a magnificent large syringe (a demonstration of the art that many other performers should watch), a refreshed tongue twister “Susie sits in a shoeshine shop” about sold-out sausages (showing the slightest updates give a routine a freshness), the “Chapel Bells” routine (with a twist in the end), a perfectly executed milking scene (with an amusing stage hand gag) and a traditional ghost bench scene with creepy crawlies. Each slightly tweaked the tradition satisfying both first-time audience members and regulars equally. It is shame they did not tweak the “12 days of Christmas” and “a bra that was made to hold three” routine which still works but needs a refresh relevant to the pantomime title. They even cleverly referenced the success of their wonderful “Balloon Ballet” in the last two years which had the audience begging for a reprise to be met with their refusal to good comic effect. It is wonderful to see these two masters of the comic pantomime business delivering these routines.

REVIEW: Cinderella at the Wycombe Swan Theatre

It is always exciting and interesting to see a well-known celebrity make their Pantomime debut and each season new familiar faces are attracted to the stage. I doubt if there has ever been a better celebrity debut than Vernon Kay at the Wycombe Swan as Dandini in Cinderella. Despite the fact that this is sometimes a supporting role he dominates the stage with a bubbly and happy personality and natural charm, he has the audience eating out of his hand from his first appearance. He shows an understanding of the pantomime genre and the nature of live theatre and engages the audience with his asides, looks and smiles. When it comes to introducing the Principal Boy, Prince Charming, he asks a young boy from the audience to come on the stage and do it for him and handles the moment delightfully. Why Cinderella does not fall for him instead of the Prince is a mystery until you remember that they are most of the time following Will Brenton’s excellent script. 

Of course, it takes a lot more than a star name to make a good show and this production has it all from the moment you enter the auditorium, you are transported to a magical world by the amazing digital set with banks of video screens framed by twisted tower portals. The digital scenery, which I had seen before at Fairfield Hall in Croydon, looked even better in the more intimate traditional theatre of the Swan. The technology meant we could see moving rivers, turning windmills, and burning fires with heart and butterfly motifs to add to the script. The transformation scene takes on a new dimension when the on-stage carriage takes off and flies into the distance and then returns and converts back into an onstage pumpkin. It's pure Pantomime magic. Of course, there is a risk in the technology and the frequent black screen was a distraction although Kay brilliantly ad-libbed about it, so it became part of the show. The inclusion of the Gino de Campo and Keith Lemon video projections seemed an unnecessary indulgence adding little especially when we have Jon Clegg on stage as Buttons doing his wonderful impressions of which we could have seen more. His opening routine included Kermit, Alan Carr, The Simpsons, Michael McIntyre, Paddy McGuiness and Sarah Millican while the projected images assisted recognition, the impressions and selected voices were so familiar that the material worked very well. He topically added in a reference to the postal strike when a knock at the door went down well and played the “she behind me” gag wonderfully, twice to a great audience reaction.

REVIEW: Orlando at the Garrick Theatre

Michael Grandage has a remarkable track record of West End success and of attracting the very best talent to his productions as well as tackling fascinating topics in highly theatrical staging. His latest production Orlando brings Emma Corrin back to the West End (after her success on video in the Crown and My Policeman) in a sparkling adaption by Neil Bartlett of Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel. It is a highly engaging and fast-paced exploration of human sexuality and what it is to be a man, or a woman combined with an extraordinary rapid journey through British history from the time of Queen Elizabeth (1596) to the twentieth century and revelling in its meta theatricality as it explores the evolution of theatre and spoken word. It reminds us that “all the world’s a stage and all the men and women are merely players”, in this case, Orlando seems to get stuck as a lover for four hundred years without ageing.

Brilliantly reminding us that this is theatre is Mrs Grimsditch, magnificently played by Deborah Findlay, Orlando’s servant who accompanies the character on their journey, assisting with costume characters (“I just do wardrobe”) and regularly punching through the fourth wall with her asides and observations. She adds a welcome dose of reality and comedy to this otherwise serious critique of the role of gender in society and keeps us on track while providing the best moments of the production.

REVIEW: Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the Richmond Theatre

Billed as the Greatest Panto on Earth the Richmond theatre pantomime may be overselling itself, but it is certainly a very good-looking show with a strong cast and fast-paced comedy and variety acts, but is it a pantomime at all? Of course, it has the love story of the principal boy and principal girl, it has a larger-than-life Dame and a nasty villain who we love to boo and plenty of traditional pantomime business. In fact, it has a long history as a pantomime starting in 1853 at the Haymarket in London and the 1939 Oldham Coliseum production featured travelling showmen and acrobats which finally became the two rival circuses in the 1980s. Of course, the live bears of the 1950s are long gone, and this Richmond production is based on The Palladium spectacle of 2019, and it sits very well on the beautiful Richmond stage. 

There may not be the space on the stage for the bigger stunts of the Palladium, but the show is well cast with plenty to catch the eye of both younger and older audience members. The animals are borrowed costumes from the Palladium with a giant Gorilla, dancing zebras, a pirouetting hippopotamus, giraffes, lions, a kangaroo, and an elephant reminding us of those days when circuses were full of animals in the last century. The variety acts are first class with an excellent juggler Gordon Marquez with a slick 3 and 5 clubs, balls and hats juggling act presented in a spectacular light show and Phil Hitchcock as Mysterioso, a wonderful sleight of hand magician with a lovely twist to the doves in a cage trick. Then Matt Baker, as Joey the clown, reminds us of his gymnastic background with unicycle, juggling and walking the tightrope to close Act 1. Indeed, he throws himself into every bit of business with great gusto and relish and creates a delightfully likeable character.

REVIEW: Jack and the Beanstalk at the South Hill Park Arts Centre

Pantomime may be a wonderful Christmas entertainment for the family but at its heart is the storytelling that draws the audience in and makes them care about the characters, laugh at the silliness and will them to succeed in their goals. For that to work, the creative team need a great script to create a world in which the story can be told. The Wilde Theatre in South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell is very fortunate to have such a fabulous team. Joyce Branagh’s script, her fourth for the venue is superb, recasting Jack as a girl out to save the town of Windy Bottom from the fearful Giant and his dastardly Victorian henchman who, it is revealed, is a Wizard of Oz-style master of the Giant. She adds references to solar energy and recycling to give it a strong modern message and adds a fresh twist on why Fleshcreep is so evil which gives the story a satisfying resolution. Victoria Spearing set design once again is imaginative, and spectacular given the staging depth and a gradual reveal as layers are peeled back and we get closer to Fort Fear in the clouds. It has pastel cartoonish colouring that is attractive to look at and practical to use. Together they create a perfect setting for the young energetic cast to impress.

Director Adam Stafford (who has directed there for the last five years) and choreographer Charlotte Steele (last 3 staged pantomimes at the Wilde) use this setting cleverly to freshen up the standard routines of milking the cow, the baking sketch, the drill routine, the ghost bench scene and the 12 days of Christmas. While other directors stick to what they know works, this team look to add a twist and fit it more strongly into the overall storytelling and while it may not all work it is incredibly refreshing to see old routines being lovingly evolved and played with. They add some interesting puppet work with a mini Dame and Billy and a cut-out puppet Giant which enliven the usual business of the story too although sharper lighting is required to hide the black “ninja” outfits that are used to present these puppets. And then they add a curious in-cast joke where a small fluffy yellow duck is passed from cast member to cast member on each entrance for no apparent reason apart, I suspect to amuse themselves and keep fresh the performances.

REVIEW: Mother Goose at the Hackney Empire

The wonderful Hackney Empire has just finished celebrating its 120th year (though it has existed as a TV studio and Bingo hall for some of that time) with Mother Goose, a title first staged at Theatre Royal Drury Lane by the great Dame Dan Leno in May 1902. It stars and is directed by the irreprehensible Clive Rowe returning to the venue for his fifteenth pantomime of the last 23 years of Hackney pantomimes. It’s a magical venue with its impressive gold and red airy auditorium and uninterrupted views of the stage (thanks to Matcham’s cantilevered balconies) and a perfect setting for introducing young local audiences to the joy of live theatre.

As well as free tickets for Housing Association communities, refugees and young carers, the venue has an impressive track record with its Creative Futures programme which celebrates its 20th year of encouraging and developing young people and providing a safe space to explore new opportunities with a reported 20,000 young lives affected over that time. What better way to tempt new young talent to explore live theatre than a traditional Christmas Pantomime.

REVIEW: Cinderella at the Salisbury Playhouse

Salisbury Playhouse took a year off in 2021 from Pantomime and therefore Cinderella was their first in the venue for three years. They borrowed the script from the creative team behind last year’s Newbury Corn Exchange Pantomime, Clare Plested, Adam Brown, and Amanda Wilsher with its fresh take on the Ugly Sisters as social media “influencers” Hashtag and Viral and the Prince’s aide renamed Deldini. Curiously and disappointedly, they dropped the character Buttons from the show, a standard of Cinderella for years who usually adds comedy and pathos to the show. This places more weight on the shoulders of the Dame, Uglies, and Deldini with mixed results. For some reason, Deldini, originally written as a Del Boy character with lots of reference to Only Fools and Horses, retains only a few catchphrases like “plonker”, “lovely jubbly” and “cushty” but drops most of the other successful business from last years show including the brilliant bar fall.

Lucy Alston and Fergie Fraser as Hastag and Viral bring a fresh modern infectious energy to the Ugly Sisters full of self-confidence and social media references which will appeal to the younger audiences and their parents frustrated by the kids overuse of mobile technology and social! The comedy is broad and a little one level with the sisters being mirrors of each other in character and dress, but they are engaging and well-delivered characterisations including a good energetic Ball Cabaret routine.

REVIEW: Jack and the Beanstalk at the Corn Exchange Newbury

The creative team behind this year’s Newbury Corn Exchange Pantomime, as they have been for the last four years are Clare Plested, Adam Brown, and Amanda Wilsher (who also directs) and they had a clear concept underpinning this year’s show following last year’s success. The whole show is built around the musical choices of Musical Supervisor Dai Watts and played by the MD Josh Cottell and drummer Alun Watson and the thin plot is used merely to link the individual routines. It makes for a musical celebration and a party atmosphere that is fun and enjoyable but lacks some of the traditional laugh-out-loud moments and spectacle of Pantomime.

It opens very brightly setting the tone for the show with the arrival of Fairy Fabulous (played by William Beckerleg) dressed and impersonating Elvis Presley (definitely one for the older audience members as he includes Elvis’s lyrics throughout) who is then challenged about noise levels and singing in Newburyshire by Fleshcreep (a wonderfully silly and well-defined character by Matthew Cavendish). The Giant does not want any music and sends Fleshcreep down to stop them singing and playing music while the villagers want to burst into song at the slightest provocation. We then meet the chief culprit Jack (Sev Keoshgerian) who delivers two excellent songs from the 1944 musical Oklahoma! which give a bright upbeat start to the show. Despite the best efforts of an energetic young cast, it never quite reaches that level again during the show. Instead, we sit back and enjoy a jukebox show of familiar old hits with adapted lyrics.

REVIEW: Pantoland, the online streamed Pantomime

Peter Duncan, the former Blue Peter presenter and chief scout, and a director and Dame for many stage pantomimes has a great deal of experience in engaging young children and in 2020 his company Jack be nimble produced Jack and the Beanstalk in his garden and surrounding area and followed up in 2021 with Cinderella in multiple locations. They were excellent ways of bringing the Pantomime genre into people’s homes through streaming and entertaining young families in their sitting rooms. This year he has drawn on both the experience of those two films and his years as a Children’s entertainer to create Pantoland featuring chiefly himself as a Dame and written and directed by himself with Director of Photography Luke Roberts and music by Colin Cottle.

The result is a well-shot and edited mash-up of creative ideas and techniques based very loosely on Pantomime characters and business without any coherent thread or narrative running through it. It might have been better as if reading a video book with different chapters telling different short stories, like a modern-day Playschool or watch with mother. Chapter headings would have made good placeholders to stop as without a running narrative it is quite a long hour watch for an adult! It feels like the sort of programme that would sit quite happily on CBeebies or used as an audition tape for any number of Children's programmes!

REVIEW: Jack and the Beanstalk at the Lyric Hammersmith

Every Pantomime reflects its local community and in many, a style emerges which embeds itself in each new production. Berwick Kaler in York, Andy Ford In the Southwest, Kevin Johns in Swansea, Matt Slack in Birmingham and Elaine C Smith in Glasgow each has a distinctive style that is recognisable as “their show” and brings back the audience each year to celebrate Christmas. The Lyric Hammersmith situated in a diverse community in West London has developed its own style over the last thirteen years, setting itself the goal of moving the genre on to reflect the themes and issues it sees as connecting it to its young local community. Its programme for Jack and the Beanstalk proudly highlights the recycling of materials in the show, its casting is diverse and inclusive, and its adaptation sets out to innovate on a traditional Pantomime story.

It's fascinating to experience this approach which begins with the venue; with the traditional Frank Matcham auditorium transplanted into a modern bustling foyer space. We are presented with a colourful stage setting drawn from arcades & video games and a loud band of four (which often overwhelms the vocals) raised up on a platform above the stage in a design by Good Teeth. Rarely does this staging give any sense of location or the magic of pantomime but creates a square box in which the cast tries to tell the story. The Cow is nothing like the charming black and white panto creature of the programme pictures but instead, two people stood upright in a ludicrous gold skin that fails to generate any pathos or love. The Beanstalk, despite a row of audience blinders being flown in, does not grow magical from the small bean but instead is a large structure flown in from above and strong enough to be climbed with visible safety wires. The Giant is not some fearful tall creature stomping around the stage, but a large box borrowed from Minecraft that slides forward. As a result, there is no magic or spectacle.

REVIEW: Cinderella at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

Cinderella is a classic children’s pantomime tale that has delighted audiences for decades. It is the epitome of the Pantomime genre with a comic Buttons, an earnest Dandini distributing invitations, the magic of the transformation into a ball gown and Shetland ponies pulling a carriage. You meddle with the stock characterisations as your peril which was obviously the starting point for the writer Leo Butler and Director Eva Sampson at Stratford East as they junked these elements and bodily reset the title in East Egypt. And why not? Well, how does setting it there, thousands of years ago, bring it into the modern day? Like Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella playing with the audiences’ expectations is a great risk so you need to be very confident that your adaption will enthral and excite young families and offer the same shared joy as the original.

Their diverse audience certainly seemed to be up for it from the start and although some audience members seemed to be laughing when there was not even an obvious gag, the production swept us along in a brilliantly funny, inventive and wholly satisfying show. It quickly dispensed with prior expectations and showed a real sense of the essence of pantomime and a strong storytelling narrative which supported the heart-felt thoughts of believing in yourself with an underlying pollical message.

REVIEW: Rapunzel at the Watermill Theatre

The story of Rapunzel, the beautiful woman with golden hair who is locked in a tower is best known as one of the Brothers Grimm’s 1812 fairy tales and for its famous line “let down your hair” to give access to her room. Annie Siddons has developed the story into a full-blown Christmas children's entertainment aimed at primary school kids but with a few elements for their parents too by giving an entire back story to the Prince who becomes Rapunzel’s suitor. In this version at the delightfully intimate Watermill Theatre near Newbury in Berkshire, we meet the Duchess (Miiya Alexandra) who has two sons, Paulo (Roddy Lynch), the ambitious evil brother and Patrizio (Loris Scarpa), her favourite son and chosen heir to the Kingdom. Rapunzel finds herself caught up in the battle between them.

The story has many dark elements with baby Rapunzel’s abandonment, her locking up alone for years, the blinding of Patrizio, Paulo chopping off his own finger and the burial of the finger as well as plenty of assaults and abuse, yet it is staged in such a delightfully comical and creative way that it hardly disturbs even the youngest in the audience and constantly amuses the adults. There are some elements of Pantomime added like the song sheet and audience interaction but generally, it is pitched as a joyous children’s show. Occasionally some adult comedy is shoehorned in like a sketch about inflation or the appointment of a Bunny as Chancellor and a special adviser, but they fall short of parody or satire and feel lame and unnecessary.

Its that time of year again, OH YES IT IS! Pocket Size Theatre's 2022 Pantomime Preview

This year the Pantomime headlines will be grabbed by the two star-led, high-production value shows in London at the London Palladium and the Duke of York but there are plenty of other very good shows all-round the United Kingdom offering a very good Christmas family trip to the theatre. The Pantomime website ITS BEHIND YOU DOT COM - The Magic of Pantomime diary lists around 250 professional pantomimes around the country this year, so there is certain to be a show near you. The Charity UK Pantomime Association seeks to celebrate the very best of Pantomime with its Awards and past winners are one guide to which shows to book for.

The London Palladium makes a welcome return to proper storytelling pantomime this year after two variety-style productions with Jack and The Beanstalk and we can expect some stage magic for the climactic end of Act 1 climbing the beanstalk scene. However, it is the addition of Alexandra Burke (2021 Best Mythical Being Pantomime award winner) and Dawn French (2019 Best Villain Nominee ) that really catches the eye. They join the familiar line up including Julian Clary (Best Principal boy 2017 winner) so expect some outrageous adult double entendre, Paul Zerdin and Nigel Havers. These spectaculars have won, Best Special Effects 2017 & 2018, Best Musical achievement & Best staging 2017, Best leading man, Villain, Script, and Best Pantomime in 2018 and Best Ensemble & Best Costumes in 2020.

REVIEW: Jekyll and Hyde at Reading Rep

Gary McNair’s adaptation of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for the opening play in Reading Rep’s 10th anniversary season at its elegant new home appears to have returned to the source and tells the story through the eyes of a lawyer friend of Jekyll, Gabriel Utterson who seeks to unravel the mystery of a succession of horrific brutal attacks in the streets around his home. It’s a simple and bold device but succeeds because they have been fortunate to secure the wonderful Audrey Brisson to play Utterson and all the characters he meets. 

Brisson is an extraordinary actress with an expressive face, sparkling eyes and a physical presence that grabs your attention and does not let go. She was stunning in the musical Amelie at the Watermill Newbury and in the West End and has just completed an excellent run in Theatre Royal Bath’s brilliant production of Into the Woods but here she is alone on stage for the seventy-minute run time and prowls the raised platform engaging the audience with her looks, pauses and characterisations. Utterson gradually reveals the story but as he says, “we all already know” the truth about Jekyll’s experiments on himself, so the interest is generated through explaining the lawyer’s discoveries and the piecing together of the evidence through the characters he meets. It begins with Jekyll’s change of will in favour of Mr Hyde without explanation and the truth begins to dawn on Utterson when Sir Danvers Carew, MP is murdered.

REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre

This magical show opened in July 2016 and has had sold-out notices outside the Palace Theatre ever since and on 13th October 2022 launched its sixth cast. While some principals have stayed on it is perhaps the biggest cast renewal they have undergone, and I am delighted to report that none of the magic has been lost. Indeed, the show has continued to evolve and improve and is now the only venue in the world where you can see the two-part version, and this is likely to remain the case. As the one Part version was launched worldwide, many of the adjustments have fed back into the London version and the result is a tighter narrative and slicker show which still engages you fully throughout the two parts.

The central theme of father and son relationships remains as strong as ever but there are new developments for Albus and Scorpius which freshen up the narrative. As expected, the magic and illusions remain outstanding and, we love the references to the story and characters films and books in this stage version but what now shines are the performances and acting which bring an emotional heart to the show and make every parent tingle at the thought of a relationship with their children as they watch Albus, Scorpius and Delphi seeking to understand and have a relationship with their fathers. Are we all blinded by love?

REVIEW: Noises Off at the Richmond Theatre

I have strong memories of a brilliantly funny night at the Savoy Theatre in 1982 with Paul Eddington, Michael Aldridge, and Patricia Routledge with Michael Frayn’s cleverly structured fast-paced comedy, Noises Off. The title hints at its theatricality referring to sounds heard off stage while performing and each of the three acts involved the same first act of old-fashioned sex comedy, Nothing On. The first act is the dress rehearsal before the tour in Weston Super-Mare, the second act is the same seen from behind the set on the tour in Ashton under Lyme and the third act is at the end of the tour in Stockton on Tees. In each Act we see mounting chaos as the cast’s offstage relationships fall apart and gradually overtake the on-stage performances. It is a very strong premise and a clever parody of those famous Ben Travers Aldwych Farces of the 1920s and 1930s and Ray Cooney comedies of the 1960s to 1980s.

Forty years on it feels a little different, a sort of cross between Fawlty Towers (which predates it), Acorn Antiques (the TV sitcom of mid-1980s) and The Play That Goes Wrong (from 2012) with characters and business lifted from each (although the latter two may have borrowed from this play) but somehow on this outing not as laugh out loud funny as any of them. Indeed, it is only really Act 2 which really shines with hardly any words from the backstage scenes (while the action on stage is taking place again) but plenty of brilliant physical business with flowers, an axe and a bottle of whisky and an astonishingly well-timed series of entrances and exits which seem to make sense! By the third act, all sense of reality has gone, and it is a bonkers scene of ad-libs, missed entrances and knock-about slapstick comedy.

REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy: The Live Immersive Experience by Secret Cinema

The Secret Cinema has hit the headlines recently with a $100million expansion plan funding from TodayTix, the discount ticket platform to find a permanent home in Los Angeles while continuing to deliver wonderful immersive experiences in strange temporary warehouse conversions around the edge of London. We have regularly enjoyed these experiences since our first encounter in an open-air site near the Olympic Park for Back to the Future in 2014 and have seen how their expertise has grown and they have refined the execution and engagement and I suspect the money-making capability!

We had dived into secret missions in Star Wars (2015), adored the cabaret feel of Moulin Rouge (2017), loved the rain falling in Blade Runner (2018), and delighted in the exploration of the different locations in Casino Royal (2019) and were overwhelmed by the weirdness of Stranger Things (2020). In each, we learned that the more you get into it, engage with the characters, and follow the clues the more enjoyable the experience becomes. It helps if you know the backstory and have seen the film, but it is not essential although their cult status as movies adds to the appeal.

REVIEW: Back to the Future at the Adelphi Theatre

We reviewed this wonderful musical version of the 1985 film Back to the Future in October 2021 after it finally opened following a long Covid delay when its premiere in Manchester was cut short in 2020 but a year on after a fairly extensive cast change it was definitely time to revisit the show. IMDB ranked the film as one of the top 50 movies of all time and its creators’ writers Bob Gale and Bob Zemeckis decided after the second sequel in 1990 that the story was told, and the Film Franchise was concluded. Its enduring popularity to new generations of fans is a testament to the quality of its writing and performances and therefore it was somewhat bold to tinker with that legacy by turning the original film into a stage musical. What’s more, to do it with the original creative team showed not just loving care to protect the memory but also a risk to damage it by getting it wrong in the transfer to stage. It may have been a long development path from the original idea in 2005 but Back to the Future – The Musical is now firmly established in the West End as a hit show.

I am delighted to report that the show, like the films, has matured with age and led by the irrepressible Roger Bart as Doc Brown is as good if not better than when it first opened. Burt who has been with the show since the start seems to relish every moment he is on stage and has learned how to milk the audiences’ reactions and delights in the ludicrous Busby Berkeley-style musical numbers that burst on stage for no logical reason except to simply entertain us. Some of it is bizarre like the opening to Act 2 with a fantasy sequence with the Doc belting out the song “21st Century” together with a dancing chorus of lab-coated assistants; it may not be the “Time Warp”, but it seems to pay tribute to other Musical films and stage shows as does “Future Boy”, with a chorus in top hats and tails. But as with so much of this show, it simply makes you smile with pleasure at the exuberant fun.

REVIEW: Get Up, Stand Up! at the Lyric Theatre

The legend of Bob Marley’s global music status has continued to grow since his early demise at just 36 from cancer in 1981 and if ever an artiste had earned a theatrical music jukebox show it is surely him. But Get up, Stand up is much more than a celebration of his music and although staged in a concert format they do not shy away from his back story and the political and cultural context of his music. And then simply and effectively remind us that although there has been progress and integration there is still more to do on equality, diversity, and representation of the communities he championed. The use of images and headlines throughout on-screen and on-stage props provides insight into his world.

The show centres inevitably on the central performances of Michael Duke as Bob Marley and Gabrielle Brooks as his long-suffering wife Rita. Their relationship is at the heart of the show from their first meeting in the mid-sixties to his final concert in 1980 and explores how their marriage was tested by his long relationship with Miss Jamaica, later Miss World, Cindy Breakspheare played by Shanay Holmes. Together Rita and Bob delightfully deliver “Is this love” (1978). As his dreadlocks grow so his music develops leading to climatic conclusions of each act. Act 1 ends with “I shot the sheriff” (1973) and “Jamming” (1977) songs that had global reach transcending his cultural roots and leading him to be accused of selling out. Act 2 ends with “One love” (1977, released as a single in 1984) and “Get up, Stand up” (1973), the last song he played live, with their emotional messages of the power of love and the need to stand up for your rights and equality. In between, we get the show-stopping “No woman, no cry” (1975) sung powerfully and emotionally by Rita. Just as when these songs were first released the rhythmic music and strong vocals connect with the audience and bring waves of deserved applause. It must be hoped that the new cast can sustain this quality.