REVIEW: SIX THE MUSICAL @ THE LOWRY, MANCHESTER

Aragon. Boleyn. Seymour. Cleves. Howard. Parr.  Random names maybe?  But when you put the name Henry VIII to them, it all becomes clear.  They are the famous six wives of history. Several attempts have been made in musical theatre to tell their story but here perhaps is the one that will propel these long dead maidens to West End star glory.  Composers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss have managed to tap into the thirst for telling history in a modern style that made Hamilton a phenomenon.  They have made the SIX into a girl band, they are the Spice Girls via Destiny’s Child and many more.  These women are stepping out of Henry’s shadow and not exactly re-writing history but filling in the gaps to show they were a force in their own right. History becomes Herstory.

On a stage occupied by the band, the Ladies in Waiting, a four piece combo (and a lot of sequencing) add the big sound to allow the Queens to present their stories.  The ex-wives introduce themselves as if playing the Wembley Stadium,  there is even a techno burst of Greensleeves to remind us we are now at the Tudor court.  Its a high octane beginning and things are not going to slow down as the Six quickly get very competitive.  They compete to be lead singer via their experiences with Henry, the one he shat on most is going to be the winner. (That’s not literally by the way).

First up is Catherine of Aragon.  A Spanish princess who stands as the very first woman ambassador in European history.  Jameia Richard-Noel is the first of the incredible six to deliver some vocal chops. No Way  is her response to Henry’s decision to try and have the marriage annulled after failing to produce a male heir.   

Catherine’s lady-in-waiting Anne Boleyn is added to the mix,  a full on minx in the form of Millie O’Connell in a green dress. “Sorry not sorry about what I said, I just want to have some fun. Don’t worry, don’t worry don’t lose ur head, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. LOL, say oh well, go to hell...”  She is having a good time, and happily snatches away Henry from her mistress to become the second Queen. 

But what goes around comes around because Anne’s own lady-in-waiting Jane Seymour (no not Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman) has caught Henry’s eye. He needs to find a way of getting rid of Anne in order to marry Jane, so he has Anne beheaded for high treason on a lot of trumped up charges.  Jane is apparently the one Henry truly loved and died after childbirth,  but out of this tragedy she gets an Adele-esque big ballad Heart Of Stone allowing Natalie Paris some big notes to display a mighty vocal dexterity.   

But if we shed a tear at Seymour’s sudden passing,  we are back with a smile on our faces as Anna of Cleves, a German duchess, arrives on the scene.  Alexia Mcintosh commands the stage during the ensemble number Haus Of Holbein, part German Oompah folk song, part rave anthem.  Anna was painted by Holbein and her portrait presented to Henry as a possible future wife.  He liked what he saw, but having set preperations in place for marrying her found that the real life Anna was nothing like her portrait and the marriage was quickly annulled,  and a generous settlement arranged.  Anna lived a life of luxury and had a lot of fun ;-) Alexia gets sassy and beguiles the audience during Get Down,  and rightly receives an ovation for her performance.   

By now Henry has got his fingers into another pie – Catherine Howard.  A true beauty who knew how to use her sexuality from an early age according to her song, a Britney Spears-style stomper All You Wanna Do which Aimie Atkinson delivers with great attitude.  However Howard strayed from the Royal husband and he used these indiscretions to execute her.   

And so to Catherine Parr, the final wife.  She outlived Henry and was treated as a Queen until she died in childbirth to her fourth husband Thomas Seymour one year later.  It is down to Maiya Quansah-Breed to sing for the six, I Don’t Need Your Love is her mantra, it is an empowering song and a fitting end to the stories of the Six.  She is the survivor and brings them together for a unified end to the show.

At 75 minutes long without an interval,  SIX is the perfect length.  The momentum builds with each addition to Henry’s catalogue of marriages.  Just as Aragon/Boleyn/Seymour/Cleves/Howard/Parr have gone down in history, we must stand and applaud their 21^st century incarnations.  Richard-Noel/O’Connell/Paris/McIntosh/Atkinson/Quansah-Breed who all deliver comedy, pathos and impressive vocals throughout the show.  The staging is simple but effective,   Gabriella Slade’s marvellously surreal costumes, combining with Tim Deiling’s lighting to create the perfect atmosphere for these songs of struggle in a male dominated world.   Directors Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage join forces with choreographer Carrie-Anne Ingrouille to make sure the energy levels never dip.  We come out surprisingly far more enlightened about the six wives than the sheer joy of the show would seemingly allow.

SIX is fun, its educational, its entertaining and its the best night out you’ll have for some time. Thankfully SIX is heading back to London and out on tour again in 2019. Invariably sold out well in advance,  I wouldn't of course advocate beheading someone for their ticket, but you know, if needs must...

Details of tour dates and more about the show can be found at the official website

SIX THE MUSICAL

REVIEW: STARLIGHT EXPRESS @ BOCHUM

Andrew  Lloyd  Webber  and  Richard  Stilgoe’s  Starlight  Express  is  incredibly  34  years  old  this  year.    It  holds  a  special  place  in  my  heart,  as  it  as  the  very  first  West  End  show  that  I  saw  with  its  original  cast.    And  what  a  cast  they  were:  Jeff  Shankley,  Jeffrey  Daniel,  Frances  Ruffelle,  Stephanie  Lawrence,  Ray  Shell  and  the  amazing  Lon  Satton.    The  flimsy  story  of  a  steam  engine  who  beats  all  the  odds  to  win  a  race  against his technically superior rivals has  confounded  arts  critics  but  has  been  equally  adored  by  the  paying  public.    Its  pop / rock  score  shaking  auditoriums  around  the  world  as  the  cast  on  roller  skates  zoom  around  the  theatre  whilst  singing  and  dancing,  a  mighty  feat  of  interactive  creativity.  The  original  production  was  staged  in  the  converted  Apollo  Victoria  Theatre in London,  where  on  two  levels  the  actors  would  be  within  touching  distance  as  they  whizzed  past.    Nothing  quite  like  it  has  been  seen  before  or  since  on  that  scale  in  the  UK.    It  ran  for  an  astounding  7,409  performances  between  1984  and  2002.    Anybody  who  saw  it  would  have  the  size  and  ambition  etched  into  their  memory,    not  to  mention  those  infernally  catchy  Lloyd  Webber  melodies.  I  was  lucky  in  also  being  able  to  see  the  even  larger  scale  Broadway  production  at  the  Gershwin  Theatre,  which  managed  a  reasonable  but  less  impressive  709  performances  from  1987  –  1989.    And  despite a series of scaled  down tours using screens to convey the races,  the  epic  staging  of  Starlight  has  become  a  rarity.  Due  to  the  immense  cost  of  converting  venues  mostly.  However,  the  German  city  of  Bochum  has,  since  1988,  been  presenting  the  show  in  its  original  glory.   The  theatre  was  especially  built  to  house  the  production  incorporating  the  multi level tracks  which  allow  the  cast  to  tell  the  fairytale  in  360  degree  splendour.   Now in its 30^th year,  it was time to put on my skates and head to the Starlight Express Theatre to witness what has become a phenomenon in German entertainment.  Luckily I had fellow Starlight enthusiast Phillip Beamon with me so we could nerd out together debating the various changes since we last travelled the railroad. Naturally the show is performed in the German language but to anyone familiar with the score,  this is of no importance.  The show is easily followed in any language.

 Daniel Ellison as Rusty

Richard Woodford as Greaseball

 

 Carriages with attitude:  Carrie (Vernokia Hammer) Dinah (Rose Ouellette) Pearl (Georgina Hagen) Belle (Rochelle Sherona)

I would think that Starlight could lay claim to being the Andrew Lloyd Webber show with the most changes over its three decades.  Songs have come, gone and sometimes returned with baffling regularity.  Lloyd Webber originally devised the show to appeal to his children after a day out on the Valley Railroad,  and he has sought to keep it as relevant as possible to a youthful audience since then. Detailing the various song and subtle storyline changes over the years would take far more time than I have available,  hardcore fans of the show debate each change as it happens.  Some loyal to the former version, others embracing new melodic ideas.  The creative core of Lord Lloyd Webber,  choreographer Arelene Phillips and set and costume genius John Napier all revisited the show for its 30^th anniversary year and once again rung the changes.  Many major upgrades to the sound and lighting systems were implemented to achieve what Lloyd Webber now calls “the definitive version” (until he messes with it again obviously).

Mama (Reva Rice) and Dustin (Daniel Holley)

Electra (Sjoerd van der Meer)

So let’s take a look at how the show is shaping up in its 30^th year in Bochum.  As the lights dim and the overture starts,  a magical wave of light sweeps the auditorium as we hear for the first time the Starlight Express theme.  The voice of a child is heard playing with his toy trains but is then silenced by his mother who wants him to go to sleep.  But the fantasy is just starting, and into the theatre roll the international train factions.  Turnov (Russia),  Rhurgold (Germany), Expresso (Italian), Manga (Japan), Coco (France) and the British entry Brexit.  But they are only the warm up for the arrival of the Union Pacific representing the United States – Greaseball.  To the driving rock beat of Rolling Stock this alpha male engine cranks up the decibels: “I’m just the fastest thing you’ll ever see,  that streak of lightning you just missed was me...”  Richard Woodford gives Greaseball the cocky arrogance of the diesel train, this is a leather Elvis on wheels and Woodford pitches his performance perfectly as the villain of the piece and with great vocal aplomb.  Its not long before the young steam engine Rusty is whizzing about,  telling us all he’s Crazy as he weaves in and out of the international rail arrivals. His youthful exuberance is captured by Chorley’s own Daniel Ellison, all winning smile and sweet nature.  The larger engines of course mock him for his old fashioned steam power,  (Call  Me Rusty / Nennt mit Rusty).  The girls are all looking to hook up with one of the powerful locomotives as we meet Pearl the observation car,  Dinah the dining car, Carrie the luggage van and Belle, the bar car.  They are looking to be pulled, but definitely not pushed around.  They instruct Pearl in the art of looking after yourself.  And here we have a brand new song for the 30^th anniversary of the show in Bochum,  I Got Me / Ich bin ich.  It’s clear these girls won’t be messed with,  they can do anything their male counterparts can.  Rusty has developed a crush on Pearl, and she tells him of her dream engine where He’ll Whistle At Me / Pfeife mir zu. Its now the turn of the heavy duty mob.  Freight / Fracht celebrates all the rail stock who travel with no human passengers.  Rocky I, II and III,  Flat-top the brick truck,  Dustin the big hopper and Caboose.   It is one of the most infectious songs of the evening as the rolling stock extol the virtues  'travellin' with gravel in'.  But the jolly nature of events is about to be cut short.  The auditorium has a power failure, and suddenly through a laser beam arrives Killerwatt, an armaments truck.  He heralds the most spectacular entrance of the show as the huge steel railway bridge springs to life, twisting and turning, pulsating with light... and from within emerges a superstar challenger -  Electra.  Sjoerd van der Meer bristles with gender fluidity as his opposing currents AC/DC light him up like a Christmas tree.  This is Prince on wheels.  And he wants everyone to know he is the future of rail travel.  However,  Greaseball is still around and gets everyone rocking again as he demonstrates his diesel infused Pumping Iron.  Naturally Electra and Greaseball are immediately at loggerheads as race time nears.  Despite her love of Rusty,  Pearl is torn in her affections Make Up My Heart / Hilf’ Mir verstehen  and eventually opts to race with the flashy Electra.  Georgina Hagen as Pearl has a lovely, clear voice and finds the conflict with Pearl easily, and as such we remain on her side even though we know she should choose Rusty to race with.  The first semi-final race is a fast and furious affair as the engines race around the theatre auditorium on many levels – zooming to the upper level and over hydraulic ramps which suddenly appear.   This is as immersive as theatre gets,  literally just a few feet in front of you as the actors portraying the engines zoom past as incredible speed.  Pretty soon is it clear that both Greaseball and Electra are through to the final race.  As we wait for the second semi-final we get all bluesy with the arrival of Mama.  An older steam train, once a champion of her day,  Mama’s Blues sees the veteran racer in mellow mood.  And this is where we get Starlight Express royalty – Reva Rice was the original Pearl on Broadway and has played the role around the world, including the 1993 London cast recording.  And here she is again, this time as Mama.  Her soulful voice easily conjuring up Mama’s lifetime experience.   Mama decides she will race one last time and against the odds wins a place in the final although the effort of racing wipes her out.  Rusty desperately wants to race but is declared a Laughing Stock / Bummellok by the others,  he prays to the mythical Starlight Express for help.  

The Rockys:  Lucy Glover, Garry Kessing, Dewayne Adams 

John Napier's amazing set

As Act 2 gets underway,  all the engines perform a Rap (this seems to have returned to the original version following many re-writes). When Greaseball chooses Pearl as his racing partner,  Dinah is cruelly rejected.  It is the perfect opportunity for a country ballad – U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. / A.B.G.E.H.A.N.G.T is a spoof of the old Tammy Wynette divorce hit and is given much humour by Rose Ouellette in a finely tuned performance throughout the show.  The final race approaches and Rusty is racing for Mama, but paired with Caboose who is secretly sabotaging events to ensure that Greaseball wins.  Sure enough skulduggery on the track forces the race to be abandoned and with a re-race looming Rusty calls on the Starlight Express once again.  The Starlight Sequence is the emotional highpoint of the show as Mama appears in a beam of light to inform him that the power of the starlight is within him,  and with some stunning ethereal lighting effects to boost the message home,  Rusty is empowered for one more attempt paired with Dustin the big hopper.  The Final is the most fast and furious of all the races,  and initially it looks as though Rusty and Dustin are behind,  with Greaseball and Electra distracted by trying to outwit one another,  as in all the best morality tales Rusty manges to shunt past the finish line first.  It’s a case of One Rock ‘n’ Roll Too Many / Ein Rock ‘n’ Roll zu viel for Greaseball, Electra and Caboose.  Meanwhile Rusty sets off to find Pearl who has long since abandoned her alligeance with the fancier engines but fears she has lost Rusty in the process.  Here we get the latest love duet for the show. On various recordings it is Only He (Has The Power To Move Me) or Next Time We Fall In Love.  But  the latest addition is now I Do or Fur Immer in the German production.  Written by Lloyd Webber’s son Alistair and lyricist Nick Cole, it’s a nice piece of Euro-pop.  The show ends with an optimistic message from Mama via a fine piece of uplifting gospel Light At The End Of The Tunnel / Licht am Enda des tunnels

The light at the end of the tunnel

It’s fair to say that despite the superb performances of Woodford, Hagen, Ellison, Rice, Ouellette and van der Meer in the leads this is an ensemble show of the highest order. Everyone of the 28 strong cast play vital roles in establishing the world of the trains,  it is a thrilling team to watch.  Lets not forget the band either, an eight piece band tear through one of Lloyd Webber’s most infectious scores with zeal.  The other major star of the show is the set itself,  having seen John Napier’s designs in action in London and New York, I think this is my favourite setting of them all.  It is just enormous enough to convey the wonder of the rail yards but retain an intimacy for the audience.  Goodness knows how the performers manage to get up to such speeds on the tracks wearing the beautifully sculpted helmets that Napier has designed for them.  

In many ways this show is impossible to describe to anyone who has not seen it.  You have to be there,  and you have to see it more than once as so much is happening in all parts of the theatre. Arelene Phillips dance and movement in the show manage somehow to convince us that we are watching the personalities and movement of trains. Its uncanny. 34 years ago I was lucky enough to see the show during its early days, now with several different productions under my belt, I have found the show in better shape than ever.  Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe have created a fantasy for adults and children alike,  and on this evidence there is no stopping these engines.  I expect to find it in Bochum in another 30 years (FCUK...I’ll be in my 80s by then)  If you have not seen Starlight Express before then you need to.  It was totally unique in 1984 and it is just as unique in 2018.   Although rumours of a re-staging in London abound, you will be hard pushed to find a better night out in the West End or Broadway than is currently playing nightly in Bochum. Bravo to all involved. You have stolen the hearts of two Brit Starlighters.  We shall return!

More information on Starlight Express in Bochum can be found via the

OFFICIAL STARLIGHT EXPRESS WEBSITE

REVIEW: CALENDAR GIRLS THE MUSICAL @ REGENT THEATRE, STOKE

The march of the Yorkshire Calendar Girls is seemingly unstoppable.  Whilst in continental Europe a group of middle aged women getting their kit off is perhaps not exactly headline news,  in middle England it is a blow-your-socks-off shocker.  Tim Firth’s 2003 movie immortalised the Knapely branch of the Women’s Institute and their true story into an international feel good hit.  From there it re-emerged as a successful West End play, and now it returns in the form of a musical.  Firth has remained at the dramatic helm throughout and this time is aided and abetted by his childhood friend Take That’s Gary Barlow on music duties.

The entire story is of course started by personal loss, when the death of Chris Harper’s husband John, from Leukaemia, is a springboard for a wild idea to raise money for a memorial sofa. It was a decision that would transform both the lives of the Knapely W.I. and all those subsequently inspired by their tale.

A packed theatre is given a emotional journey of the lives of the major protagonists as we explore each of the women and their differing backgrounds.  Rebecca Storm gives a bravura vocal and comedy performance as Annie’s wild card best friend Chris Harper,  full of mad ideas and her latest to pose naked for a calendar is greeted with derision at first.  But Chris is determined to see her best friend’s husband honoured and won’t be put off.  She is matched by a touching central performace from Anna-Jane Casey,  watching her husband get slowly weaker during his treatment and finally facing the agonising pain and loss.  

Whilst the movie explored much of the aftermath of the calendars’ success,  this musical focuses more on the women themselves in the lead up to the big day of the photoshoot. Their differing lives, and how these diverse and complex women are united once a week for the Women’s Institute, where they are forced to ensure the bulb on the projector blows whenever they have a boring guest speaker. The producers have assembled a classy cast to bring their stories to life.   Loose Woman Denise Welch as Celia needs ‘considerably bigger buns’ and sings triumphantly of having had work done to maintain her looks.  Hi-de-Hi’s Ruth Madoc is retired schoolteacher Jessie who takes great delight in reminding former pupil photographer Lawrence (Derek Elroy) where they know each other from as she is sat sans clothes. Fern Britton gives an assured performance as W.I. leader Marie,  who is much more about the jam and preserves than stripping off. Sara Crowe steals a lot of the comedic limelight as repressed housewife Ruth.  She finally finds her true self (as have many women I expect) with the help of ‘My Russian Friend and I’ – vodka.  Single mother Cora is given life by Karen Dunbar as she struggles being both parents to Danny (Danny Howker), who in turn is all hormones and insecurity whilst catching the eye of Marie’s daughter Jenny (Isabel Caswell). In fact a shout out to the men in the production who underpin this tale of women empowerment – Phil Corbitt (John), Ian Mercer (Rod), Sebastian Abineri (Colin), Alan Stocks (Denis) and Tyler Dobbs (Tommo).  All lend gentle but powerful support to the distaff dames and help the story into a three dimensional experience.

This show is very much an ensemble piece, although Casey and Storm are the emotional heart,  and the audience quickly empathise with each of the characters throughout the evening either through laughter or the odd tear. Tim Firth knows the characters back to front by now and delivers his usual stalwart telling of their story. Gary Barlow’s music serves the plot well, although you are not likely to be going out of the theatre humming any of the songs or rushing to buy a CD.  Maybe after a few listens the score resonates more, but on a once only visit,  it is largely forgotten. Not that this matters, the sheer joy of the story more than carries the show.

Robert Jones' set design

Director Matt Ryan understands the highs and lows of the story, and deftly moves the show along until we get to that scene – where they finally strip off.  And bravo to the ladies on stage for embracing the inspiration for the show, and baring so much flesh.  The whoops from the audience as each dressing gown is shed shows that their courage didn’t go unappreciated.

 

In fact,  as the audience got to its feet instantly as soon as the curtain fell demonstrates that this touching of story of loss, determination and ultimately triumph in raising many many thousands of pounds for cancer research is still as relevant and inspiring today as it was in 1999 when the original calendar was launched.  Hats off (or should that be kit off) to Calendar Girls The Musical for reminding us that out of the desolation of grief can come something wonderful.

Calendar Girls The Musical is on tour throughout 2018 / 2019 and details can be found at the official website.