CHANGE OF URL AND BRAND

Henceforth all reviews will posted under my new BLOG brand,  in conjunction with my partner Ian Henderson at:

backtothetheatre.blogspot.com

REVIEW: THE BODYGUARD (UK Tour) @ Regent Theatre, Stoke

 

It's taken us a while to catch up with The Bodyguard,  the stage musical of the acclaimed 1992 movie.  It debuted in London in 2012 and has been on several UK tours since then.  However we finally managed to catch the current touring production at the Regent Theatre, Stoke.

To jog everyone's memory, the show - as in the movie -  is about 'the biggest star on the planet' Rachel Marron, pop idol supreme.  However her cosy world of topping charts and Oscar nominations is rocked when she recieves threatening letters from a mysterious stalker. Enter Frank Farmer, former secret agent and now bodyguard to the queen of pop.  They don't hit it off initially,  Rachel acting the full diva as Frank tries his best to protect her from the clutches of her stalker.  Meanwhile,  Rachel's lesser gifted sister has developed the hots for Frank, but so too has Rachel.  Sure enough the stalker comes out of the shadows and the race is on to catch him before he causes harm to Rachel and her family.

Now this show is a melodrama.  There is nothing subtle about it.  You get a fairly corny story with a little bit of thriller but basically its all about the music.  And what music.  The catalogue of the late great Whitney Houston is exploited to the full.  Wall to wall pop classics including 'Greatest Love Of All',  'I'm Every Woman',  'I Wanna Dance With Somebody',  'One Moment In Time' and of course the immortal Dolly Parton anthem 'I Will Always Love You.'

The current touring cast are more than up to the task of delivering the show to a packed house in Stoke. The billed Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton was absent on the opening night (filming duties for The National Lottery At The Musicals provided a schedule clash) and whilst hardcore Pussycat Doll fans may have been gutted, the rest of us took great pleasure in welcoming Samantha Mbolekwa to the stage as Rachel.  Samantha made the most of the lacklustre script but unleashed a powerful soul voice on the big numbers,  dancing up a storm in the process.  Emily-Mae as Nicki Marron equalled her for the vocal complexities,  both ladies the bright shining core of the show.  The ensemble were no slouches either,  James Groom as Sy Spector,  John Maculay as Bill Devaney and Marios Nicolaides as the Stalker all worked hard in bringing the story to life.  

Set and Costume designer Tim Hatley has provided a visual feast for the show,  which has to travel from small nightclub to a big theatrical event to out of town log cabin. A series of enormous curtains helping change the scene with the minimum of fuss throughout the evening. Mark Henderson's lighting design helps keep the mood at optimum level,  as the routines are delivered with energetic relish.

Director Thea Sharrock delivers all the beats in the show,  and it will undoubtedly be a crowd pleasing attraction as it makes its away around the country.  This is a superior touring show which does what it says on the tin.  If you are a fan of the original movie or indeed just love a bit of Whitney Houston,  this is the show for you.  You might even get to dance with somebody at the end.  

Rob Cope

 

 

REVIEW: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (UK Tour) @ Regent Theatre, Stoke

 

It's always a risky business when a popular movie is adapted for the stage. Audiences love to see familiar characters, but if you get it wrong, they can be unforgiving. So a bold move by producer Bill Kenwright to transfer one of the most popular movies of the 1990s, The Shawshank Redemption into the theatre. Based on Stephen King's 1982 short story 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption', this is an unusally uplifting prison drama.

 

For those unaware, Andy Dufresne is sent to Shawshank to serve two life setnences for the (supposed) murder of his wife and her lover. Here he meets Red, a convinct who specialises in supplying (for a price) contraband items. The two become unlikely friends, and Andy's quiet conviction and inner strength become a fascination for Red. But Andy, a gentle and intelligent soul, becomes the victim of the prison system. The brutal guards - led by psychotic Hadley - and a gang of inmates nicknamed 'the sisters' repeatedly inflict sexual and physical abuse on Andy. One of Andy's passions is reading, and he is determined to get a better library in the prison. The elderly prison librarian Brooksie, having served five decades there, welcomes any help in improving the facilities at the hell hole of a state penatentiary.

 

When Andy asks Red to get him a rock hammer and a large poster of Rita Hayworth no-one could have imagined that over a period of 19 years these two items would form the basis of Andy's plans for a new life.

 

Finding two actors to match up to the iconic on screen performances of Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins must have been difficult. But Bill Kenwright has managed to get two superb actors who are equal to the challenge. Ben Onwukwe has a flavour of Freeman, but very much gives his own reading of Ellis 'Red' Redding. He is our principal narrator of the evening, observing and getting caught up in the spiraling events at Shawshank. Ex-Eastender Joe Absolom is equally impressive as Andy, managing to capture the muted grit and amiable demeanour that Robbins managed so beautifully on celluloid. Mark Heenehan is a delight, as the slimey and corrupt Warden Stammas. Feathering his own nest with financial scams for which Andy is pressured into being book keeper. We never get to see his come-uppance on stage which slightly robs the audience of a pay-off for the character. Joe Reisig as Hadley is very much at home in the role, dishing out beatings to the inmates and generally being the scourge of the prison. On the other side of the line, Kenneth Jay as Brooksie, facing parole but terrified of life on the outside after a lifetime behind bars, is another lovely performance.

 

Director David Esbjornson manages to find the balance between the harsh environment of Shawshank and its less than savoury inhabitants, and the gentle beauty of the friendship between Red and Andy. Gary McCann has designed a realistic prison set, into which props and furniture are rolled on, which cements our belief in the story being told. This is complimented by Chris Davey's lighting design which enhances the mood of the scenes, and creates a clautrophobic atmosphere.

 

I have to say this screen-to-stage adaptation is one of the better of the genre. It's a classic story, tightly told and brilliantly brought to life given the confines of the stage. I would imagine that if you are like us, an admirer of the movie, you won't feel short changed by this stage production. The enthusiastic applause of the audience at the end ensured that Red and Andy's incarceration was not in vain.

Rob Cope

REVIEW: The Way Old Friends Do (tour) @ Birmingham Rep

 

This review is based on a PREVIEW performance

 

It seems that just when the world has reached ABBA saturation overload,  there is always something new inspired by the four Swedes (OK, three Swedes and a Norwegian as the play points out) on the horizon.   The new play The Way Old Frirends Do written by and starring Ian Hallard celebrates obsession, friendship and sparkly lycra. 

Schoolfriends Edward (James Bradshaw) and Peter (Hallard) re-connect when they discover each other using Grindr.  Childhood reminiscences inevitably return to Peter’s obsession with ABBA.  To cut a long story short,  memories of a disastrous school concert where they died a death singing ABBA results in an idea is hatched to form the world’s first drag ABBA tribute with Edward and Peter as Frida and Agnetha respectively.  Auditions to find the two male members of ABBA are less than successful with struggling actress Jodie (Rose Shalloo) cast as Bjorn and dotty rehearsal pianist Mrs. Campbell (Sara Crowe) gently persuaded to be the keyboard maestro Benny Andersson. All seems to be going well until the arrival of flirty 25 year old Christian (Andrew Horton), a senior member of the online chat group ABBAChat and apparently mega enthusiastic about the new tribute.  But Christian hides a darker nature which will threaten the apparently bright future of this new drag super group.

 

Director Mark Gatiss skilfully brings out the best in this Midlands based study of eccentrics. James Bradshaw carries the bulk of the comedic banter as caustic Edward, full of double entendre and quick put downs.  Ian Hallard is Peter,  bisexual and whose Nan (the voice of Miriam Margolyes) remains unaware of his penchant for men,  hiding the frustrations of not having a long term partner with his love of ABBA.  Lesbian Sally (Donna Berlin) remains Peter’s best friend and is shoehorned into the role of road manager when the group go on tour and shouldering the bulk of the problems caused by this ramshackle mob.  Rosie Shalloo gives Jodie a hippy sensibility,   happy to be earning a penny from her chosen profession... albeit always cast as men.  Sara Crowe’s terminally confused Mrs. Campbell is great fun throughout,  always on the verge of fathoming the events of the evening.   Andrew Horton as the eye candy Christian serves as something of a villain of the piece.  Horton possesses him with charm as all the best villains often have.  

At times the play comes over like an ABBA encyclopaedia with facts rammed down our throats from the career of the Scandi legends.   The show is very much a play of two halves,  the first with the bulk of the comedy, the second exploring the darker nature of Christian and his effect both on Edward and Peter,  the former with self destructive power.  This makes the play feel a little uneven at times,  and can be classed perhaps as ‘the a funny half’ and ‘the serious half’.  But by and large it is a pleasant ride, full of ABBA interludes during the scene changes and the sight of Peter and Edward as Agnetha and Frida has to be worth the price of admission.  The set and costumes by Janet Bird are spot on,  luring us into a time warp where the 1970s are fusing with 2015 (when the play is set).

 

For most of the plays two hour plus duration, the evening is great fun played to the hilt by a quality cast.   The performance I attended was very much a preview,  and tweaks undoubtedly will occur.  In these dark times,  we need a laugh and this is an evening full of them.   In the words of Mr. Ulvaeus:  take a chance, take a chance, take a chance-chance-chance...

Rob Cope

 

 

REVIEW: DREAMGIRLS (UK Tour) @ Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

The legendary Broadway show Dreamgirls took a while to arrive in the UK.  37 years in fact.  However we British theatre goers are a patient lot, and with its popularity buoyed by a wonderful movie adaptation in 2006, finally the Dreamgirls conquered London and are now bringing their sequinned gowns to theatres nationwide.  I finally caught up with the tour at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham where a packed house waited patiently for a delayed curtain up, with the lead role quickly being replaced by the understudy for reasons not explained.

Dreamgirls is loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes.  The Dreamettes - Effie, Deena and Lorell - enter a talent competition, they don't win but are invited to become backing singers for R & B star Jimmy "Thunder" Early.  Naturally this is all well and good but former car salesman Curtis Taylor Jnr. becomes the Dreamettes manager, and eventually repackaged as the Dreams they embark on their own successful hit making career.  But behind the scenes things are working out so well.  Curtis is seeing Effie, but when Deena and Curtis get together Effie is furious and proves herself to be unreliable.  The group have no choice but to permanently replace Effie.  

And so the story unfolds.  The production currently touring the UK has a lot to commend it.  Tim Hartley's set and costumes superbly conjure up the 1960s and 70s, as the career of the Dreams is played out.  In the central roles Nicole Louise Lewis,  Natalie Kassanga and Paige Peddie lead an outstanding black cast.  In the role of Effie White,  Lewis power bombs her way through the score, and the iconic "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" brings the audience to its feet,  almost unheard of mid-show.   Kassanga and Peddie provide solid vocals and fill out the drama, but its really Effie's show, its written to showcase her.  Brandon Lee Sears is a stand out as the groin thrusting Jimmy Early,  his high energy,  physically skilled take on the character makes sure that this is not a total walkover by the female leads.  Similarly Christopher Gopaul delivers a Curtis who is brutal in his business dealings and also with his behaviour towards Effie and Deena.  

 

The score by Tom Eyen and Henry Kreiger sounds just as as fresh today as it did more than three decades ago.  "One Night Only" has become a standard for many singers over the years, but it really is at its best when in the middle of this musical as both Effie and her former colleagues in the Dreams both release single versions, only for Curtis to use his money and influence to block Effie's version.  The stage version has adopted the song "Listen" written for Beyonce Knowles in the movie, and is here transformed into a powerful duet.  Just two examples of a rich score,  which remains one of the great Broadway musicals.

Director and Choreographer Casey Nicholaw has balanced the musical numbers with the smaller, but equally powerful emotional drama at the heart of the show.  The audience is rooting for Effie throughout, and when she returns at the end of the show for a final performance with the Dreams there is not a single person in the auditorium who isn't thrilled that she has seemingly come through tough times and is unbeaten.  Its a mirror for us all.

The only reservation about the evening was the sound.  There were many times in the show where the musicians - and indeed the dialogue - just needed ramping up.  I was sitting five rows back and was struggling to hear.  Goodness knows how it sounded much further back.  The first time I have encountered this for a major musical.  I thought it might just be me, but talking to others it seems I was not the only one.  Very strange if this was a deliberate sound design choice.

But that aside, Dreamgirls lives up to its massive reputation.  We undoubtedly haven't seen the last of Effie, Deena and Lorell.  The UK may have had a long wait for The Dreams, but I would say that they are here to stay.

Rob Cope

 

 Curtain call at the Alexandra Theatre

REVIEW: THE WIZARD OF OZ @ Leicester Curve

 

As we approach the festive season,  some theatres are looking at presenting an alternative to the traditional Christmas pantomime.  Leicester Curve have played a blinder by comitting to perhaps one of the best loved of all fantasy shows.  The Wizard Of Oz has endeared itself to the public for over 80 years,  through the iconic 1939 movie which had become a fixture of the Christmas TV schedules, and now streaming services.  Despite it's enormous popularity,  it does come with some pitfalls.  The performances and look of the movie have become part of its legend,  so conjuring up a new version of the tale is bound to be difficult as the public is so well engrained with what is seen as the definitive screen version.

But the people at Leicester Curve like a challenge,  director Nikolai Foster has assembled a formidable team of talents both on and off stage to bring the magic alive.  The combined talents of set designer Colin Richmond,  projection designer Douglas O'Connell and costume and puppet designer Rachael Canning are the real stars of the evening.  We are presented with a lavish interpreation,  which opens with sweeping projections over Kansas as we hone in on the farm where Dorothy Gale lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.   The entire show is a feast for the eyes at every level.  Abstract designs are employed in many hues to conjur up the magical land of Oz.  

Dorothy is played by the talented Georgina Onuorah (whom I saw giving a wonderful Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical earlier in the year) and here she employs her beautiful voice to great effect,  finding the real pathos in 'Over The Rainbow'.   She is joined by three powerhouse performers Jonny Fines (Scarecrow),  Paul French (Tin Man) and Giovanni Spanó (Lion) who have the difficult task of not replicating the movie,  but each finds their own take on these most famous of characters. Christina Bianco is a stylish scooter riding Glinda the good fairy,  but of course the most enjoyable scenes are provided by Miss Gulch alias The Wicked Wicked of the West played by Ellie Mitchell.  Ellie stepped into the role of the Witch at short notice when the actress playing her was indisposed,  and credit where it is due,  Mitchell was amazing.  Nobody would ever have known, had it not been a speech at the curtain call, that with minimal rehearsal a cover had stepped in. Bravo.  Despite all the talented performers on stage, inevitably the scenes are often stolen by the puppet Toto who won the kids over throughout the show. Never perform with children, animals or puppets it seems because you will be upstaged every time.

In this version of the show, there are extra songs by West End legends Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice,  but in effect these are not really very memorable.  And for my money could easily be cut in favour of giving the characters more time to breath,  the scenes zip by at such a rate that  there is little chance for us to really get to know the characters.  Perhaps its a desire to keep the running time modest for fear of restlessness among the younger children,  personally I felt it needed to slow down a little in places so we can take in what is happening and work up some empathy for the characters.  

The eleven piece band were certainly on top form, blasting out the music in a manner which would have many a West End show struggling to keep up.   Overall the show is bright, bold and classily presented and is yet another example of why Leicester Curve now lead the way with musical revivals.

It was lovely to see Judy Garland as Dorothy looking down on the final scene, as if her presence empowered the efforts of all involved.  The Wizard Of Oz remains a huge crowd pleaser of a show and this Yellow Brick Road should certainly lead to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for the Curve. Get those ruby slippers on and head for the Emerald City whilst you can.

Rob Cope

Further information on this production can be found HERE

REVIEW: BUGSY MALONE @ Manchester Opera House (UK Tour)

 

Musicals come in many forms,  some last and some fall by the wayside.  One show that seems to be an evergreen is Bugsy Malone, the tale of rival gangs in 1920s New York.  Originally a movie written by Alan Parker (with music and lyrics by Oscar winning Paul Williams).  This 1977 screen version gave a major boost to the fledgling careers of Scott Baio and Jodie Foster among others and cemented the musical as a favourite with generations, due to its high slapstick factor.

The stage version is being revived by the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, and the dark walls and fire escapes that provide the backdrop to the stage set immmediately conjur up for us the era of Prohibition and mobsters.  Adding a huge dose of colour is Fat Sam's Speakeasy, where gang leader Fat Sam intends muscling in on the territory of his long time rival Dandy Dan by the use of the new 'splurge gun'.  It was perhaps a stroke of genius taking away the threat of deadly ammunition and replacing it with custard pies and gunge,  thereby making this a real family friendly take on mob rule.

The slapstick OTT style of the show may not be everyones cup of tea, but it certainly had a great reception from the packed Opera House audience. Songs such as 'Bad Times', 'So You Wanna Be A Boxer?' and 'Fat Sam's Grand Slam' are expertly delivered by a cast of minors and adults, weaving together the story.  True, a few of the scenes fall a bit flat from time to time but overall the pace of the story is kept,  and there are some standout performances not least from big voiced Mia Lakha as Blousey whose 'Ordinary Fool' is a showstopper,  Albie Snelson as Fat Sam brings the right amount of comedic heavy to the role and Aidan Oti delivers a wonderfully bleak 'Tomorrow.'   

Director Sean Holmes keeps the rather thin story from dragging,  bringing us slapstick and song combined whilst set and costume designer Jon Hausor delivers both the glamour of the 1920s and the faded splendour of downtown New York.  The Speakeasy and an inventive car chase sequence are two examples of how the look of the show is stylish whilst true to its setting. 

The cast work hard to bring the admittedly stock characters to life, and their sheer exuberance wins the audience over.  Bugsy Malone has been performed in schools for decades, and it is clear that with its target audience the show is still a winner.  This quality production - heading into London as soon as its tour is completed - will ensure Bugsy, Dandy Dan and Fat Sam will be around for some time yet.  Get your ticket now - but learn to duck!

Rob Cope

Further details of the production can be found at the BUGSY MALONE WEBSITE