REVIEW: Grease at the Dominion Theatre

Everybody knows Grease; we all know the story, we all know the songs and we all know the film. But what you may not be familiar with is this version. This revival of Grease, in one of its old London homes, the Dominion Theatre, takes the beloved show back to its original form. The original production has been brought back to life and the piece benefits from it massively.

This production originated back at the Leicester Curve theatre and after doing a few rounds of the UK on tour, it's finally hit back into the West End, and it comes back with a bang. 

What you get out of this production is a much more fleshed out storyline with more grit and drama centred around the characters. Yes, all the loved moments and numbers are all still there but what we end up with is actually a much better production. At times the story did drag a little in Act 1 but this is me being very picky, on the whole, the show benefits from this in such a huge way. Meaning the show goes from being your classic crowd-pleaser to a proper engrossing musical with depth. 

COMING HOME: Samantha Bingley, soon to head out on tour with Disney's Beauty and the Beast

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! 

Since March 2020 the entertainment industries have been through one of the hardest times we could ever possibly face. From the moment the theatres closed things went from bad to worse with financial help almost nonexistent for most and being told we should retrain in other industries. However, recently it's been a pretty exciting time for theatre! With shows opening up in London and productions starting rehearsals for West End shows and now, excitingly, touring shows! Tomorrow (July 5th 2021) Beauty and the Beast starts rehearsals for its new UK tour. The show finally makes its return back to the stage and is coming to a theatre near you! 

We met Samantha Bingley outside the Dominion Theatre, the original UK home to the show where it opened in 1997 and ran until the end of 1999. Samantha has been cast in the new touring production as the Wardrobe and couldn’t be more excited to hit the road with this show. 

COMING HOME: Felipe Bejarano, just reopened in The Prince of Egypt at the Dominion 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! 

The West End premiere of the new musical production of ‘The Prince of Egypt’ had opened at the Dominion Theatre on the 5th February 2020, but this exciting new opening of an original show in London was soon cut short by the closure of theatres due to the pandemic back in March 2020. After a long wait, it's back and reopened its doors yesterday (1st July 2021) well over a year since it closed along with every theatre around the country 

Felipe Bejarano was featured in the ensemble of the show, as well as covering the role of Ramses before the show shut its doors at the Dominion Theatre. In the reopening of the show, he returns to his roles! Before appearing in The Prince of Egypt, he was in the groundbreaking revival production of Evita at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in the ensemble and covering Peron. His other credits include playing Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls at the Mill At Sonning, playing Sundeep and Nikos as well as covering Kyle in the UK Tour of Legally Blonde and made his West End debut in Mamma Mia at the Novello Theatre in the ensemble and covering both Sky and Pepper. 

COMING HOME: Danny Becker, soon to be back in the West End cast of The Prince of Egypt at the Dominion 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! 

Danny was in the original London cast of ‘The Prince of Egypt’ at the Dominion Theatre, a show he had only been with for just under a month when theatres shut their doors. With the recent announcement that the Dominion will be reopening its doors on the 1st July, Danny takes time to reflect on how it might be when the show returns; “I can’t wait for the end of our opening number, ‘deliver us’ when we hit that button and the light shine on the audience, it’s going to be electric!”.

Danny was in the ensemble of the show and was also covering the roles of Aaron and Moses, he didn’t have the chance to go on for either of these roles before the show closed but it won’t be long until he’ll get the chance! His other credits include covering the role of Fabrizio Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza at the Royal Festival Hall, understudying the title role in Disney’s Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre, The Who’s Tommy at the Greenwich Theatre and playing Niki in Out of this world at the Old Rose & Crown. 

REVIEW: A Christmas Carol at the Dominion Theatre

Producer and Conductor Freddie Tapner wanted to bring a bit of joy and an uplifting message that it is “never too late to change” to the West End stage and never can the emotion and inspiration of that message have been felt more strongly than on this opening night of A Christmas Carol just four hours after the Government had announced Theatres in London must close again on Wednesday 16th December. What was already destined to be an outstanding show was elevated into one of the most magical nights I have ever experienced in the West End. The Producers, Creatives, Cast, Crew and Front of house staff used the news to put on a wonderful show and as Brian Conley said early on the best way to keep Covid at bay is to clap loudly and often and that is what this audience did from start to finish.  

Tapner and his London Musical Theatre Orchestra (a twenty-six-piece band laid out across the back of the huge Dominion stage) regularly stage Musical Theatre concerts and in recent years I have enjoyed their versions of Girlfriends and Camelot. But on this occasion the term concert does the production a disservice. This is a fully staged and choreographed multi-sensory celebration of life with a faultless cast and staging. Though the story is well known and often staged or filmed (this year there are many versions available) I was not familiar with the score, but it is instantly enjoyable with hints of Sondheim and Lerner and Lowe. Written by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, Sister Act and Newsies) with book and lyrics by Lynn Aherns and Mike Ockrent it tells the story mainly through song. 

Cast Recording of The Prince of Egypt Available from Friday 3 April

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, the new musical based on the acclaimed DreamWorks Animation film, is pleased to announce that Ghostlight Records will release its original cast recording on digital and streaming formats on Friday 3 April 2020. A physical CD will be available later this year. Featuring the “miraculous music” (Time Out London) of Stephen Schwartz, the album is produced by Dominick Amendum and Stephen Schwartz, with Kurt Deutschserving as Executive Producer. 

With a cast and orchestra of almost 60 artists, “this truly phenomenal production” (BBC London) has music and lyrics by GRAMMY® and Academy Award®-winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell), a book by Philip LaZebnik (Mulan, Pocahontas) and features 10 brand new songs written by Stephen Schwartz, together with 5 of his acclaimed songs from the DreamWorks Animation film (Deliver Us, All I Ever Wanted, Through Heaven’s Eyes, The Plagues and the Academy Award®-winning When You Believe, which was a global hit for Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey as well as a UK and Ireland chart-topping winner’s single for The X-Factor). “Brought to life in truly epic fashion” (Mirror Online), THE PRINCE OF EGYPT premiered at London’s Dominion Theatre on 25 February 2020.

REVIEW: The Prince of Egypt at the Dominion Theatre

The Prince of Egypt, based on the biblical story, was a hit film in 1998 grossing over $218 Million, making it the most successful non-Disney animation at the time and this new musical version comes into the West End after a handful of productions around the world. This is one of the most exciting productions to come to the West End in a long time; in a time where we see countless revivals, jukebox and 80’s film adaptations, this is a breath of fresh air into our industry. Even though its based on a film, this original concept goes far beyond what we’ve seen before. 

The shows main issue is the Book, similar to that of a pantomime it likes to explain everything we’re seeing rather than let the audience interpret the actions. At times, the book made the acting look pretty bad as its not natural nor does it benefit the story. The cast are incredible talented but all are let down by the stale book. 

Scott Schwartz, the son of writer Stephen Schwartz, directs the show and although the concepts, imagery and staging were interesting the show was based around the Choreography so you start to ask the question of where did the directors job actually start. Saying that, Sean Cheesman’s work on the show was stunning. A mix of contemporary, lyrical and traditional choreography that we’ve never seen on this scale on the West End stage. 

REVIEW: White Christmas at The Dominion Theatre

Based on the 1954 movie of the same title, White Christmas has just opened at The Dominion Theatre and we at Pocketsize Theatre were lucky enough to attend the gala night amongst a plethora of Love Islanders, Loose Women and many more stars and press. 

Upon entering the theatre - there were a trio of insanely talented ladies singing Christmas songs in gorgeous three part harmonies. Something that set the tone for the show and encouraged festive cheer. Whether this happens every night, I’m not sure, but for the sakes of both the audience and those three ladies - I sure hope so! 

White Christmas stars Danny Mac & Dan Burton as Bob Wallace & Phil Davis. This gorgeous duo work really well together and bring out the best in each other. Both giving flawless vocals, choreography and acting beats, they really put you at ease. Clare Halse also performs beautifully throughout and is a true example of a triple threat. The rather large ensemble perform the choreography exquisitely and make it look so easy - a true testament to their talents. 

REVIEW: Big at the Dominion Theatre

Based on the 1988 film with Tom Hanks, 12-year-old Josh Baskin (Jamie O’Connor) decides to makes a wish to be ‘big’ on an old Zoltar machine after being humiliated at the carnival. The next morning, he wakes up a fully-grown man (Jay McGuiness) much to the horror of his mother (Wendi Peters) who thinks she’s being robbed. Josh, with the help of his best friend Billy (Jobe Hart), moves to New York and is given a top job in a toy shop by (mildly creepy) business tycoon McMilan (Matthew Kelly). There he meets the serious Marketing Manager, Susan Lawrence (Kimberley Walsh), who swiftly falls for him- unaware of his real age, of course.

Overall, the production is bright, exciting and bursting with youthful energy. However, there are many flaws that cannot be dismissed. The problem with musical adaptations of films is there is little room for originality and any kind of individual flare. The biggest let down of the show was the music by David Shire and lyrics by Richard Maltby. With 27 musical numbers, you would hope that at least one of them would be slightly memorable- this was not the case. The opening song made no impact; it was not catchy or clever and this set the scene for several hours of songs that could have been cut. It all becomes quite monotonous in the first act and made me question whether it would have been better as a play. Even the cast seemed deflated when singing several of them.

REVIEW: Bat Out of Hell at the Dominion Theatre

There are two things in the theatre world that terrify the life out of me. Jukebox and Musical - I wasn’t a fan of ‘We Will Rock You’ and I’m certainly not a fan of ’Mamma Mia!’ I hold a lot of trepidation for ’Bat Out of Hell’. 

Going into the theatre on opening night the stars are out in full force. ‘Bat Out of Hell’ returns to The Dominion after a successful run at the London Coliseum and abroad to great anticipation. Reviews have been great and glittering but will it impress an anti-jukebox musical man like myself? 

The music is written by one of the greatest composers this century has seen, Jim Steinman; I was brought up on his music sung by the the vocal powerhouse that is Meat Loaf; him, mixed with Tina Turner and Price were the only thing my Mother needed to keep me at peace. Later finding Steinman through Celine Dion I’m more excited by the music than anything else. The only downside I felt about the music is that some could have been edited. At times they were a little long (and that’s my only critique for the music). 

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.

FIRST LOOK: White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre

The company is led by Aled Jones as Bob Wallace, Tom Chambers as Phil Davis, Wendi Peters as Martha, Graham Cole as General Waverley, Rachel Stanley as Betty Haynes and Louise Bowden as Judy Haynes, with Lori Haley Fox, Michelle Bishop, Phil Cole, Brendan Cull and Jonathan Halliwell.  Also in the cast are Vikki-Marie Ryan, Lucinda Lawrence, Karen Aspinall, Emma Caffrey, Hayley Reed, Helen Patching, Vicki Davids, Jennifer Davison, Grace Holdstock, Ross McLaren, Joshua Lay, Matthew Cheney, Jonny Labey, Anthony Whiteman, Eddie Myles, Stuart Winter, Matt Clark and Gary Murphy. Amy Snudden, Emily Robins, Sophia Pettit and Tatum Confrey will alternate the role of Susan.

Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS will open at London’s newly refurbished Dominion Theatre on Wednesday 12 November, following previews from 8 November, for a strictly limited eight-week season, ending on 3 January 2015.

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. 

REVIEW: Evita at the Dominion theatre

Evita returns to the West End stage nearly 36 years after making its debut in London, the production ran from 1978 to 1986 and a Broadway production opening in 1979. The musical was revived in 2006 with . The touring production comes into a newly refurbished Dominion Theatre for a limited run of 55 performances, playing until 1st November. 

The show tells the story of the Argentinian and ‘leader of the people’, Eva Peron (Madalena Alberto). Starting when she is just 15 and going through to her death at 33; it shows her raise to fame, her struggles and battles with illness and her romantic life. 

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score is one of the most iconic in the world, Don’t Cry for Me Argentina has to be up there as one of the most famous musical theatre hits. Although the score sometimes has some strange moments and often shows resemblance to some of the other Rice and Webber shows, its glorious and powerful. The orchestrations are wonderful in this production, beating straight into your heart. Although, it would have been nice for them to have turned up the microphones of the actors because we struggled to hear them for half the show. David Steadman (Musical Director) has really lit a fire under the music, bringing it up to date and filling the huge Dominion Theatre.