REVIEW: Death Drop at the Garrick Theatre

The Garrick reopens post-pandemic with a new play as a vehicle for two of Ru Paul’s Drag Race stars, Courtney Act and Monet X Change to strut their stuff on the mainstream West End stage with an overlay of Potted Panto at other times to use the socially distanced capacity more effectively. It’s a bold move and its commercial success in bringing these two talented performers to a wider audience will depend as much on whether London remains Tier 2 for Covid restrictions as on the show itself.

The plot, as far as there is one, is a cross-dressing of Agatha Christie’s book and play “and then there were none” (a story that itself had to change its name to be politically correct) and the breakout commercial success of “the play that goes wrong”. No doubt the marketeers were thrilled by both the title “Deathdrop”, a reference to particular drag artiste manoeuvre and the tag line “Dragatha Christie murder mystery” which should leave the audience in no doubt what to expect from the show.

The programme notes highlight that drag has been part of the mainstream West End stage for a long time and sets up comparisons with the great stars that have gone before such as Danny La Rue, “La Cage Aux Folles”, Lily Savage, Edna Turnball in “Hairspray” and “Kinky Boots” all of which I have seen and enjoyed in shows with high production values and witty clever scripts. “Deathdrop” does not pretend to have either and revels in its cheap-looking set, boudoir pink lighting, and a broad basic camp humour verging on slapstick. There is a running gag about diarrhoea (which prevents Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer appearing), dated references to cheese and pineapple hedgehogs, Fab ice lollies, and Vienetta and bad taste gags about Jim’ll fix it and Rolf Harris. It is after all set in 1991!

REVIEW: Rip it Up at the Garrick Theatre

Following the hit success of ‘Rip It Up Dancing Through The 50’s’ back in 2017, this year Strictly Come Dancing heart throbs and favourites Harry Judd, Jay McGuiness, Aston Merrygold and Louis Smith MBE delve into the swinging sixties with their brand new production ‘Rip It Up the 60s!’, currently playing at The Garrick Theatre. 

Being a huge strictly fan myself, I was eager to experience the decade of revolutionary change through the sound and soul of the souring sixties, headlined by our four leading gentlemen. Backed by the exceptional Rip It Up live band, and undeniably talented troupe of backing dancers and vocalists, the four Strictly champions dance and sing to songs from British legends such as The Beatles, The Who and the Bee Gees. Throw in a mix of American superstars such as The Beach Boys, and vocal phenomenon’s Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, and Motown icons Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, and you have the soundtrack to this show. A soundtrack that provided an unforgettable and everlasting decade of hits that changed the face of music and world forever.

REVIEW: Harlequinade/All on her Own at the Garrick Theatre as part of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company Season

Beginning the first season by the ‘Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’ at the Garrick Theatre in London is ‘Harlequinade/ All on Her Own’ – two rarely performed plays by the celebrated British playwright, Terrence Rattigan.  This season, in which the company will take over the theatre for a year, promises a very exciting troupe of actors – Zoë Wannamaker, Judi, Dench, Derek Jacobi as well as Branagh himself, but also some new kids on the block, fresh from drama training who are clearly set to give the industry a bit of a shake up.

REVIEW: Let it Be at the Garrick Theatre

Let it be returns to the West End, playing at the Garrick Theatre. The show made its debut at the Prince of Wales Theatre back in 2012 and has since played at the Savoy Theatre, on broadway and has toured the UK. This is not a musical, its a ‘concert’ of songs. It does have some sort of narrative however, the show features some of the appearances they made through out the bands career; for example their performance at the Royal Variety and the Shea Stadium. 

Now, I am not particularly a huge Beatles fan. In fact, theres quite a few of their songs I can’t stand! So I wasn’t sure how I was going to react to this show. But it wasn’t that bad, I can honestly say I sat through the whole thing and wasn’t completely bored. 

LET IT BE returns to the West End for limited run

Due to overwhelming public demand, LET IT BE, the international hit show celebrating the music of The Beatles returns for a third run in London’s West End, following a triumphant 18-week tour of the UK and Ireland.

LET IT BE will begin previews at the Garrick Theatre on 9th July 2014, marking the 50th anniversary of the London premiere of A Hard Day’s Night.LET IT BE will play for a strictly limited 11-weeks, with a media night to be held on Thursday 10th July.

LET IT BE established itself as one of the West End’s most popular shows when the production originally opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre in September 2012, before transferring for a year-long run at the Savoy Theatre from January 2013 – February 2014.

Loserville the Musical: Theatre Review

Loserville is a new musical written by James Bourne and Elliot Davis, the show previously played at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds and ran from the 18^thJune to 14^thJuly 2012. The musical then announced that it would transfer to the Garrick Theatre in London's West End, opening on the 1^stOctober. The show tells the story of 17 Year Old Michael Dork who is obsessed with computers. He and his friends are the losers of the school which is run by the 'popular kids', Eddie and his girlfriend Leia. Then a new girl comes to the school, Holly, who is also a geek. She starts working with Michael on his computer project and she gives Michael the credit he deserves whilst also falling in love with him. It's the classic 'High School Musical' and 'Glee' storyline, very cheesy. I honestly thought I'd hate this show, I added up everything I had heard, all the things I'd seen and the way it had been marketed in my head and that made me have my doubts about the show. However it impressed me!

Chicago the Musical: Theatre Review

The original production of Chicago first played on Broadway in 1975 with Chorography by Bob Fosse; it then opened at the Cambridge theatre in London in 1979. The show was revived on Broadway in 1996 with the production opening at the Adelphi Theatre in 1997; it then transferred to its original home (The Cambridge Theatre) in 2006 with it recently transferring again to the Garrick Theatre.The musical still has the original essence that Bob Fosse wanted, thanks to Ann Reinking's choreography. The show is timeless, the mix between the modern aspects of the show and the classic 1920s elements are wonderful.

The orchestra were absolutely fantastic, perfectly placed in the middle of John Lee Beatty's simple but beautiful and fitting set. But the thing that impressed me the most about this production was the brilliant lighting design by Ken Billington, absolutely incredible. I don't take notice of things like lighting design usually but in this production it was stunning. The production which re-opened on November 7^that the Garrick Theatre is staring Ugly Betty star, America Ferrera. America brought a new flavour to Roxie Hart, the role has been played by so many people that it could be hard to find new life in her but she done this fantastically. She played the role with sweetness and a beauty that made you love her; I do wish she could have played the role with a little more sass though. America has a good voice (however may need to work on her movement) and although she did have a strong cold, still sounded good.

Rock of Ages the Musical: Theatre Review

 

Rock of Ages first premiered in Los Angeles in 2006 with later productions taking place in Melbourne, Broadway, Off-Broadway and a film coming out in 2012. Rock of Ages started previews in London on 31^stAugust with an opening night on 27^thSeptember.The story is exactly what you would expect from an 80's musical, Boy with big dreams meets girl with big dreams, they fall in love, boy ruins the relationship, girl turns to stripping, boy regrets this, boy meets girl again, boy and girl get together and everyone lives happily ever after.

Ok, so the show is a lot better than I'm making it sound! The thing i really liked about this show is that it makes fun of itself; they pull out a programme for the show in the second act and occasionally break the fourth wall. From the audiences point of view it was fantastic, it's such a refreshing break from conventional musical theatre.

Respect La Diva the Musical: Theatre Review

Respect La Diva premiered at the Garrick Theatre on the 7^thSeptember with a press night following the night after; I was fortunate enough to be at this night however I can only feel that the show is still unfinished and needs a lot of work.
The show will embark on a UK Tour after its limited engagement at the Garrick of three weeks and I'm hoping for the sake of mankind, that they re-rehearse the whole show.
The show comes from the creators of Thriller! Live, and is a tribute to the Divas past and present, featuring the work of Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Ross and many other female Legends. But, I feel the poor narrative and unexciting presenting from Andy Abraham overshadowed the work of these fabulous women. What I couldn't get my head around was why Andy Abraham was even part of the show, his presenting skills were horrific and didn't flow and he also had a few songs, did it turn into the Andy Abraham show with a few women singing songs in between? At points, it seemed like it.
There was also a story of a sound technician wanting to be in the show.... Please producers, if you're reading this, cut it out before it's too late.