REVIEW: THE WIZ @ Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester

 

While the work is never done, Theatreland is finally starting to be more inclusive in the kinds of stories being told and performers that are being spotlighted. Currently in the West End one could take in, ‘Tina, The Tina Turner Musical’, ‘Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical’, ‘The Drifters Girl’, ‘The Prince of Egypt’ or ‘Hamilton: An American Musical’. These shows have predominantly non-white casts and/or creative teams. That producer Ken Harper managed to mount an all-Black version of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in 1975 and have it play Broadway for four years, is near miraculous.

The Wiz or to give it it’s full title “The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" has music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls with a book by William F. Brown, the original run made a star out of Stephanie Mills and spawned a film adaptation directed by Sidney Lumet. The ‘Network’ director made few but significant changes to the show including changing Dorothy’s home from Kansas to Harlem. Matthew Xia’s new staging for Hope Mill takes this cue from the cinematic version, implying Dorothy resides in a tower block against an industrial landscape as opposed to fields of corn. There is footage of Black Lives Matter marches looping on a TV in the corner, suggesting a weariness to Cherelle Williams’ Dorothy and a longing for escape to more vibrant surroundings…

 

Part of the joy of this production is getting to see how Xia reinterprets the familiar trappings of Oz. Tarik Frimpong’s Scarecrow gamely flops about, Llewellyn Graham pops and locks as Tinman, while Jonathan Andre hilariously swishes as the Cowardly Lion. The travelling nature of the story makes it difficult to single out a particular performance, everybody makes an impact with relatively short stage-time; from Cameron Bernard-Jones’ flamboyant Wiz, to Ashh Blackwood’s hilarious Evillene, to Bree Smith’s gorgeous Glinda. Where the script occasionally shows it’s age, with its hepcat 70s slang, the cast give the material new life.

 

Simon Kenny’s designs are minimal but efficient and work symbiotically with the enthusiastic ensemble in creating the world of Oz. Speaking of the enthusiastic ensemble, (many of them making their professional debut) they make the most out of Leah Hill’s impressive choreography. There are some truly jaw-dropping routines that are breathlessly dynamic. Musical Director Ehsaan Shivarani leads a funky eight-piece band, that jams through the score with enthusiasm. The arrangements strike a balance between the 70s soul of the original and peppering in modern beats, as in the ‘Poppies Ballet’ or when the foursome encounter the terrifying Kalidahs. I was also pleased to hear the reinstatement of Scarecrow’s ‘You Can’t Win’, a song pulled before the show ever made it to Broadway but then dusted off for Michael Jackson to sing in the movie.

Ultimately though, the success of any Oz-based tale falls on the shoulders of Dorothy. She is our entry point, the relatable figure amidst the craziness unfolding and to this end Cherelle Williams succeeds excellently, selling Dorothy’s fear but also her warmth, in drawing together and encouraging her band of misfits. Williams’ yearning ‘Home’ at the finale, is a poignant moment that would thaw the coldest of hearts. I have long since thought that the tunes from ‘The Wiz’ deserve far more acknowledgment in the musical theatre canon, it is after all impossible to stifle a massive grin as the cast jubilantly deliver the Luther Vandross-penned ‘Everybody Rejoice’. In this production Matthew Xia has refreshed and reminded us of a classic musical that is the very embodiment of feelgood. 

Phillip Beamon for Dr Theatre

The Wiz runs at Hope Mill Theatre until 16th January 2022

 

 

PODBITE - PUSSYCATS, BALLS & BAD BEHAVIOUR

 

REVIEW: Andrew Lloyd Webber's CINDERELLA @ Gillian Lynne Theatre, London

 

 

I was meant to have reviewed Cinderella,  Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest lockdown written musical, back in July.  But a Covid outbreak among the cast meant that a period of the show was cancelled and thus here we are several months later and finally,  I can take my seat at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.  In the meantime, the show has been honed and polished ready not only for West End audiences but with an eye on a Broadway transfer.

This completely new take on the story with book by Emerald Fennell and lyrics by David Zippel has been written seemingly with a younger audience in mind than peopled the matinee I attended. But no matter. The plays the thing as Mr. Shakespeare wrote.  

Carrie Hope Fletcher & Gloria Onitiri

 Ivano Turco

Belleville (France) has been awarded "Most Attractive Town" for the past 49 years.  Surely this year will be no different? Well think again. Someone has defaced the memorial statue of Prince Charming (missing in action) and the town loses out. Who can it be?  Well, Bad Cinderella as it turns out.  A Goth vision of rebellion, so now the whole town is against her.  But none more so than her Stepmother and sisters Marie and Adele.  And so the familiar story begins with a new twist, whereupon Prince Charming's younger brother Sebastian must choose a bride.  But he is in love with Cinderella, and vice versa. Cinders is holding out because she is not so much bad, as just a bit petulant. 

Andrew Lloyd Webber's melodies are as ever at the heart of the production,  and like him or loathe him he has an annoying habit of delivering earworms that stay with you long after you leave the theatre.  His speciality is composing six or seven musical motifs and having them all return throughout the evening patched up with varying arrangements. Cinderella is no different.  Andy has worked with some of the best lyrists in the world,  sadly David Zippel isn't amongst them.  His lyrics are serviceable but lack the wit and depth of his predecessors. One can only imagine the fun to be had with Tim Rice at the helm.  The sets and costumes by Gabriela Tylesova seem rather low key for the West End,  almost as if the Broadway transfer was expected to be The Broadway in Barking, not New York.  Director Laurence Connor has matched this with some plodding direction,  it's not bad Cinderella just average Cinderella.

Carrie Hope-Fletcher & Victoria Hamilton-Barritt 

 

Rebecca Trehearn

With much publicity around the haphazzard appearance of certain cast members, it came as a surprise to find the matinee contained the entire advertised A-Team in their roles.  Chief among these is Carrie Hope-Fletcher, social media expert and fan girl heroine, who takes up the titular role. Her crystal clear voice is note perfect, (the Phil Spector-esque 'I Know I Have A Heart' is among the best songs of the evening)  but she fails to find any fire in the character. Each scene is played pretty much like the last. Her counterpart Ivano Turco as Sebastian, in his West End debut, finds a little more intensity and, in what is the most high profile audtion for Thriller Live, suddenly turns into a body popping, crotch grabbing Michael Jackson in the final scene. He does though handle his big solo 'Only You, Lonely You' with aplomb.  The real star of the evening though is Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as The Stepmother.  She out Cruella's de Ville as she ramps up the Disney villain stakes, and the show is better for it.  Every gesture, every syllable is played to the hilt.  Her scene with The Queen (Rebecca Trehearn) as they spit out the confession that they know of each others less-than-artistocratic showgirl past is a highlight.  Pity though the marvellous Gloria Onitiri as The Godmother,  a back street plastic surgeon who will make Cinderella beautiful. The price is her dead mother's necklace, Cinderella's most precious possession.  Onitiri is wonderfully sinister as The Godmother, and delivers 'Beauty Has A Price' as the thrilling climax it should be,  but the character is given no background and disappears just as quickly as she came, save for one small moment in Act Two which feels like an after thought. Onitiri deserves better.  And so does the show.  Similarly the two sisters, Adele and Marie,  are given just lip service which must be frustrating for Laura Baldwin and Georgina Castle who need better material to be able to maul their half sister.

The ensemble pieces are for the most part enjoyable,  and then there is the trick of the audience on the revolve which gives the first few rows a unique view of the Ball.  it makes absolutely no difference to the show but is at least an attempt to liven up a scene which should be a showstopper but isn't.

This Cinderella is stuck between two poles.  It is neither the fairytale setting of versions of old but is neither the edgy,  modern take that the publicity would have us believe.  The odd swear word thrown in won't make Cinderella a modern woman capable of forging her own path.  In fact she is rather passive in the events.

It is frustrating for we audience because it is obvious there is a good show in there somewhere,  but it is trapped in this hybrid production that clearly should have had a lot more work before being plonked on a West End stage. Having paid over £100 for my ticket,  I feel I have the right to demand a more cohesive product.  The last half hour particularly needs re-working.  The appearance of the awol Prince Charming should be a denounement of sorts, but instead the show just plods on and on.  Lloyd Webber has a habit of tinkering with his shows, and he'll need to with this one. Ironic that one of the songs is called 'Ego Has A Price'.  Still at least Barking can look forward to a first night with confidence.

 

Rob Cope for Doctor Theatre 

 

Further information can be found via the OFFICIAL CINDERELLA WEBSITE

 

 

 

OPINION: GOING TO THE THEATRE IN 2021

 

It was somewhere in my third year of University, that I realised I was wired differently to my fellow performing arts students. Where my colleagues were, quite appropriately, eager to step into the limelight at any given opportunity, I was quietly formulating a critical voice. The truth about most actors is, they don’t really enjoy going to the theatre all that much and when they do, they usually sit there thinking how they would play it better. Most of my course-mates went to their fellow’s plays out of obligation, the secret agreement being that the favour would be returned when the other was in something. But I always tried to see everything, happily going on my own and airing opinions in those nascent days of social media. I’m a geek that obsesses over the minutiae, theatre can be expensive but to me it’s life affirming and necessary. In summary, I like to exercise my brain and engage with stuff.

This is to say the year of our Lord 2020 sucked. Of course it sucked for everyone and despite being prone to dramatics I do not wish to suggest my plight was all that debilitating and detract from real tragedy but nevertheless…2020 was a bereft time for this West End Wendy. When the first UK lockdown began in March we had no real conception of how long it would last, most venues postponed matters or issued tokens for cancellations. Smaller venues begged patrons not to request refunds and larger ambitious tours dropped off the calendar altogether. One such casualty was a UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, a show I’d enjoyed during the original 2010 London run and was eager to see Simon Phillips’ new staging; as of writing this hasn’t been rescheduled.

By the summer it became clear this pandemic business wasn’t going anywhere and venues started to get creative. As some restrictions eased, a few socially-distanced performances started cropping up. Mr Cope (also of this parish) and I booked for Hope Mill’s Rent in Manchester and Sunset Boulevard: In Concert at Curve Theatre in Leicester…surely our thrilling return to live theatre! Except as the UK COVID numbers began to rise, it became clear that we were headed for another lockdown in winter. Seeing these shows in-person became a naive dream but both venues offered an excellent pre-recorded version available online which offered some tonic.

For better or worse, during this time Andrew Lloyds Bank had become the unofficial spokesperson for the movement to reopen theatres. The main sticking point being that the government was allowing other activities to take place (i.e. going to restaurants, sporting events) so why not theatre? After all, when was the last time you saw someone getting lairy at a theatre, with the possible exception of Saturday night at Thriller Live? Unfortunately Lloyd Webber was the imperfect vessel for this cause, mainly because one can’t discern between altruistic intention and self-interest, also he’s more than prone to hyperbole. This year he warned the government “You'll have to arrest us to stop us reopening theatres”, such histrionics don’t particularly endear theatre-land to the general public. Anyone familiar with Lord Lloyd Webber’s history knows that he enjoys a good dramatic threat; famously marching to the orchestra pit, declaring “I withdraw my score!” and storming out of the theatre during a disastrous tech rehearsal for Phantom. The beginning of 2021 found him trying to launch his new show Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, there were plenty of other shows with a similarly frustrating outlook but of course ALW’s voice was the loudest. Rob and I had tickets for Cinders in July but had our trip to the ball postponed, hopefully you’ll be able to read our verdict very soon. 

 

As the government roadmap was laid out in early 2021, West End shows started to go back on sale for the summer. This was a perilous endeavour for us Northerners though, creating many moving parts that could go wrong. Uncertainty over the exact date shows would open, exorbitant rail fares and a hotel booking. In all honesty it was a bit of a risk booking anything at this early stage but we’d been starved for a year now. Dr Theatre settled on the aforementioned ‘Cinderella’ and the “new” production of ‘Phantom of The Opera’. So was July 2021 our triumphant return to theatre? It was but with neither of those shows! Ultimately we landed last minute on ‘The Prince of Egypt’, a first choice for neither of us but it turned out to be a Biblical epic and continuing the theme of ancient Egypt, the encore engagement of the 2019 production of ‘Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’, heart-warming fun with the enthusiastic Alexandra Burke as The Narrator. I had such a good time I put up with my glasses steaming up above my face covering.

 

This momentous event, momentous for your two intrepid reviewers anyway, marked a change in fortunes for out theatre going. Since then we’ve collectively and individually enjoyed: 

 

·         ‘Rent’ Hope Mill, Manchester. Jonathan Larson's masterwork was given a new vitality. I'll always be impressed by what can be achieved in the relatively compact space at the former factory.

·         ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ The Lowry, Manchester. This testament to being true to yourself is joyous, camp fun with brilliantly drawn characters.

 

·         ‘The Mountaintop’ Royal Exchange, Manchester. Having seen Katori Hall’s work writing the book for ‘Tina’, it was thrilling to catch a new staging of one of her most lauded plays. Martin Luther King has a soul-searching and surprising conversation with a hotel maid the night before he dies. The themes of passing the baton and continuing the civil rights fight are extremely resonant today.

·         ‘What’s New Pussycat’ Birmingham Repertory. A groovy 60s-set musical, that boasts a clever book and a cast with boundless energy. Jukebox musicals are usually my kryptonite but I loved this. Deserving of a West End transfer.

 

·         ‘Tell Me On A Sunday’ The Lowry, Manchester. Don Black and ALW’s one woman song cycle is given a dusting off with Jodie Prenger in the lead. Some beautiful, enduring melodies underpin this story of a single woman, finding love in New York in the late seventies. 

·         ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ Palace, Manchester. The Disney classic is given a quality stage adaptation. Big-budget, decent orchestra and oodles of heart. The fantastical elements are realised ingeniously. It could easily become a family friendly staple for year's to come.

·         ‘Harpy’ Buxton Pavilion Arts. A one woman show starring living legend Su Pollard, written for her by Philip Meeks, about an eccentric hoarder with a dark secret. Su was truly compelling, playing against type and going to some really interesting dramatic places. A marvel in her seventies!

And mercifully, there’s more to come. There is still no thrill like being in a theatre and the lights going down. Theatre can provide a fun break from our mundane lives or challenge us, encouraging us to question the world around us. Now obviously at Doctor Theatre we have quite a rich theatrical diet but if you’ve yet to return, I’d recommend seeing something before the year is out. The smell of the grease paint is life affirming and as the last year has proved, we’re worse off without it.

 

Editorial by Phillip Beamon

REVIEW: HARPY (UK Tour) @ Buxton Pavilion Arts

 

The subject of mental health has thankfully become a major conversation in our daily lives over the past few years.  And so it is pleasing to see a new play which centers on that very subject but presented with wit, empathy and most importantly for us, a star performance.

In the programme notes, Philip Meeks (author of Harpy) admits that the story of Birdie is based on a lady about town in his London ghetto. Birdie is a hoarder. She collects things. Unfortunately that includes Jehovah's witnesses in her box room.  And so we enter Birdie's world.  A living room set of salvage and random objects which reflects both her physical and mental make-up. Alex Marker's set design gives us just enough of Birdie's cluttered world, without making it a distracting element.  Her social worker Featherstone enlists the help of young mother Mattie,  a seemingly sympathetic soul, to help Birdie towards the ultimate goal - getting rid of some of the mess of objects and ephemera that threaten to overwhelm the house.  Birdie has rejected all help offered so far, but something about Mattie strikes a chord with Birdie which links to traumatic events in her past...

With a one person show,  you need a strong performer.  And so it is lucky that the producers have secured the services of showbiz legend Su Pollard,  sans her famous eccentric colourful garb and glasses,  and successfully transformed into a cardiganed and somewhat dour Birdie. The fact that she delivers Birdie's comedy lines with precision is no surprise, but exploring Birdie's darker side finds Pollard in less familiar territory but she tackles it head on.  The telling of a sexual assault is typical of the bravery of the writing and performing.  Playing what would perhaps be termed a society misfit brings out the very best in Pollard, darting between madcap moments when she sings Bananarama karaoke-style   via a makeshift microphone of  kitchen roll tube and tennis ball to the real fear of being stalked by her neighbours' husband whom has a fixation on her.  Or at least that is the way she tells it.  

Director Abigail Anderson is adept at blurring the lines between what might have happened and the version of events in Birdie's disturbed mind.  As we delve further into her dark past,  Su Pollard delivers a bravura performance of vulnerability.  This could be a woefully sad tale but for the sheer life enhancing energy of its performer.  There is something wholly wonderful watching her inhabit the ups and downs of Birdie's life.  As Birdie clutches the ashes of her despised Aunt Maureen, there is a little bit of all of us in this character. Su makes us love Birdie for all her faults,  and that is the success of the evening.  We embrace and celebrate the non-perfect.  It is a mirror for us all.

A standing ovation seemed very appropriate as Su Pollard took her bow.  The character of Birdie might not be as well known as Peggy from Hi-de-Hi! but I'll wager the performance is just as much a cornerstone of Pollard's long career.  An outstanding evening of understanding.

Rob Cope for Doctor Theatre 

 

Further information on HARPY's tour dates can be found at Something For The Weekend

REVIEW: WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT @ Birmingham Repertory Theatre (Preview)

 

N.B.  This review is based on a PREVIEW performance

It is surprising that it has taken this long for someone to connect the dots between Henry Fielding's 1749 restoration romp The History Of Tom Jones, A Foundling and the music of the Welsh sex bomb himself, Sir Tom Jones. But connect them they have, and now a brand new juke box musical going under the banner of What's New Pussycat? is premiering at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre with eyes clearly on a London transfer.  

The producers have gathered together a hit squad of a creative team including writer Joe DiPietro (Memphis), director Luke Sheppard (& Juliet) and choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express).  DiPietro has made the decision to move the setting from its original 18th century locale to the swinging 1960s. To bring you up to speed Tom Jones is living in Somerset, the ward of a wealthy benefactor having been abandoned as a baby by parents unknown. He has fallen for the beautiful Mary Weston, whose mother certainly doesn't approve of the union.  She believes Mary would be much better suited to William Blilfil, a hooray henry solicitor. In order to get temptation out of the way, Lord Allworthy sees that Jones is despatched to London where he meets Mr. Partridge, a former teacher of his, and most importantly the wily Lady Bellaston,  a showbiz entrepreneur.  Naturally Tom is blessed with a terrific singing voice, and lands himself a gig at trendy nightclub The Record Sleeve.  Mary meanwhile is also heading to London with dreams of being a fashion designer.  Their paths are destined to cross again.

 

Dominic Andersen as Tom Jones

                                                  

Bronté Barbé as Mary Western

 

And so the scene is set for a story of excess and true love, in the way all the best musicals deliver.  Naturally the entire evening depends on the charismatic performance of Tom Jones himself - that is to say the character of Tom Jones which all the publicity tells us is Henry Jones' rake not Sir Tom Jones (after all the story of a singer coming to London and getting a record contract whilst openly a bit of a lad in the romantic stakes, is nothing like Sir Tom's story at all!)  Dominic Andersen fits the bill perfectly, with a winning smile, a powerful voice and top hip moves. Everything needed to make Tom the object of desire not only of Mary,  but the audience as well. This is helped when he strips to his underwear revealing an ultra toned body. Andersen's performances of some of Sir Tom's greatest hits are a winner, ensuring that we are very much on his side despite his sometimes caddish behaviour.  Bronté Barbé as Mary, the object of his desire brings a torch song delivery to "Without Love" and rightly stops the show.  Mary is the down to earth girl we know Tom needs,  but he is distracted by the cougar that is Lady Bellaston played by Kelly Price.  All sass and no knickers,  she strives to keep Tom for herself. 

There is fine support from bubbly Ashley Campbell as Tom's erstwhile tutor Mr. Partridge who, in a not too subtle sub plot, encounters a boutique manager named only The Girl In The Polka Dot Dress (there is a guessing game as to her actual name which is revealed near the end) with Rebecca Hinds giving her 'Hello darlin'' Pat Butcher school of East London charm.  Again their duet "Help Yourself" proves one of the evenings highlights.  Harry Kershaw as Blifil, the smarmy solicitor who believes he is the right one for Mary, is another well sculpted performance. The audience promptly fell under the spell of Lemuel Knights' rendition of "Delilah" which is off the scale wonderful. A word too in praise of the high energy ensemble who sing their hearts out and deliver some stunning dance moves along the way.  They make the show the infectious joy it is.

Jon Bausor's multi-purpose set and Janet Bird's evocative costumes give the production a very strong visual flavour,  mixing elements of 1960s pop culture with more foppish historical influences. If I have one criticism its that DiPietro's script needs a bit of work in the first act. The early scenes feel a bit ploddy but of course this is a preview performance, and there is plenty of scope for revising and amending.  Act Two is a breeze as the camp-ometer revs up to maximum.

Musical director Josh Sood leads his superb eight piece band into some serious pop and soul.  I think one of the things I have missed most during the long Covid closed season is hearing a live band just raise the rafters with their glorious talent. We have it here in spades.

What's New Pussycat? has the makings of a major hit show and it is fair to say the reception on the night I went was ecstatic. And why shouldn't it be. The show has the blessing of some of the biggest hits of Sir Tom's 1960s chart topping peak, not to mention several from his career reviving Reload album from 1999.  Right now this country needs some feel good vibes, What's New Pussycat? has two hours worth of sheer pleasure.  Mama told me not to come, but I'm bloody glad I did.  

Rob Cope for Doctor Theatre 

 

For further information visit the official website whatsnewmusical.com