INTERVIEW: Rob Houchen, currently starring in SOUTH PACIFIC on tour and at Sadler's Wells

Rob Houchen is a true modern-day Musical Theatre leading man, his CV is one to impress anyone out there with a huge range of work under his belt. He is currently playing the role of Lieutenant Cable in the UK tour of South Pacific after appearing in the production at the Chichester Festival Theatre, the show will also make a stop in the West End when it comes to Sadler's Wells from the 27th of July to the 28th of August. 

His theatre credits include South Pacific (Chichester Festival Theatre); Marry Me A Little (The Barn Theatre); City of Angels (Garrick Theatre); The Light in the Piazza (Royal Festival Hall), (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles) & (Lyric Opera, Chicago); Les Miserables All-Star Concert(Gielgud Theatre); Eugenius! (The Other Palace); Broken Wings (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Les Miserables 30th Anniversary (Japan); Titanic (Charing Cross Theatre); Les Miserables (Queen’s Theatre); The 12 Tenors (World Wide Events); Godspell in Concert (The Lyric Theatre); Candide in Concert (Cadogan Hall) and Peter Pan (Harlow Playhouse).

Television/Film credits include: ‘Tony’ West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic (BBC) and Les Miserables The All-Star Concert (Universal).

South Pacific has just opened at the Manchester Opera House, but we managed to speak to Rob during the rehearsal process. 

REVIEW: Now or Never at the Barn Theatre (Online)

The creative team at The Barn Theatre in Cirencester who produced the brilliant modern reimagining of the Oscar Wilde story of The Picture of Dorian Gray have again shown their innovative approach to the challenge of Lockdown and streamed content with this new musical work, Now or Never. Described as a nonstop one-shot song cycle, the 38-minute video does what it says but does it in a technically wonderful way that just has to be admired. 

The seven songs are written by Matthew Harvey who also plays one of the seven characters we meet as the camera sweeps around the Barn venue. Every song is a delight with a different message, tone and style reflecting each character’s response to the news that a solar flare will hit earth in seven days threatening extinction. What would you do as the news breaks and a cacophony of news and speculation hits the airwaves? 

Freddie Tapner (of the wonderful London Musical Theatre Orchestra) is the Musical Supervisor and brings his love of musical theatre and infectious energy to the cast. The Director of Photography Benjamin Collins (Barn Theatre Media director) and Sound Designer, Harry Smith (Barn Theatre) capture the whole sequence exquisitely with delicately arranged lighting perfectly illuminating the characters as we meet them and capturing the vocals perfectly. Ryan Carter effectively stages and directs the piece as a seamless response to the News Report.

REVIEW: The Secret Society of Leading Ladies at the Barn Theatre (Online)

The Secret Society of Leading Ladies should be anything but a secret! Ryan Carter’s new interactive concert is slick and chock full of talent. 

The mini-concert is... well it's completely up to you! Throughout your concert you have 5 chances to choose which song you’d like to see performed, and with over 150 combinations to choose from, there’s plenty to whet your appetite. A wide variety of shows are featured spanning from old classics like Chicago and The Wizard of Oz to musical theatre nerdy gems like Steel Pier and Bonnie and Clyde.

Stitching the songs together are some very clever scenes as your performers share a short scene together, really elevating the concert from cute gimmick to technically impressive and delightful. Cumulating in a fabulous finale, the show really will put a smile on your face and tide you over for when we can finally be back in theatre’s in person.

REVIEW: Marry Me A Little, The Barn Theatre, Cirencester

A catalogue of songs largely cut from Sondheim shows; Marry Me A Little follows an estranged couple, now living in separate apartments, dreaming of a connection outside their four walls - something we can all relate to more than we’d like this year. The Barn was one of the first regional theatres to re-open and stage socially-distanced productions in their outdoor space over the Summer. Each of those shows received huge praise, and this is no exception.

It’s incredibly refreshing to see both performers in a different light. Celinde Schoenmaker (a seasoned Christine Daae), and Rob Houchen (a veteran Marius) are both given the opportunity to play with a broad range of different emotions throughout the sung-through piece. They make a formidable partnership and deliver exceptional performances.

We hear a wonderful, fuller voice from Schoenmaker in Can That Boy Foxtrot, beautifully contrasting her famous soprano, whilst Girls Of Summer is sultry and full of yearning. In the show’s title number, she teases big, belted notes and then quickly switches to a soprano sound. Finally, in There Won’t Be Trumpets she opens fire, and it is absolutely worth the wait. Thrilling!