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

 

REVIEW: LES DAWSON - FLYING HIGH @ Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury

 

 

In the summer of 1984 I was lucky enough to see Les Dawson performing at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool.   It was a masterclass of comedy.   He did it all.... Cosmo Smallpiece,  playing the piano badly and joined with Roy Baraclough to bring Cissie and Ada to the stage as Blackpool landladies.  It was a performance that has stayed in my memory for nearly four decades. So naturally I was intrigued to see that master mimic Jon Culshaw was bringing to the stage a one man show, written by Tim Whitnall,  paying tribute to the much missed Dawson.

Culshaw is a performer whose career has been defined by detail.  So much was expected of the physical manifestation of Les Dawson, and Culshaw doesn't disappoint.  With rotund figure and a face like a robbers dog,  we have before us Les.  And of course as you would expect, Jon's vocal delivery is pitch perfect.  For all intents and purposes we could be seeing Les rise from the dead.  It's uncanny.   The world weary asides and the impossible facial contortions, are all recreated with uncanny accuracy.  We are in for quite a ride.

The play is superficially set on a flight on Concorde to New York, where Dawson will be performing at a club.  The set consists of just a chair,  a piano and a large 1970s telly that dominates the stage.  As Dawson's story gets underway, it's not long before the TV screen comes to life and Cissie and Ada (Culshaw of course) start to comment on the course of the narrative in their own inimitable fashion,  amid much gurning and bosom heaving.

We are taken through Dawson's eventful life from a childhood of poverty,  his early talent for comedy,  failed jobs and a stint in Paris as a pianist in a brothel.  All through Dawson really wants to be a writer, his ambitions to be a published author nestling away even when he has broken through the tough variety circuit and achieved remarkable things on television.

The show is a mix of the Dawson we know and love, and the private man with his fears of failure forever looming over him like a black cloud.  Culshaw taps into the warmth of Dawson, never letting the maudlin aspects of the story overwhelm,  but delivering a performance of great depth and empathy.  Whitnall's script employs several of Dawson's famous comic monologues, and the comedian's naturally verbosity is evident throughout the evening.  Culshaw diverts us from one major impression to others such as Alan Whicker, Billy Connolly and Dale Winton as an invisible air steward.  No need for a full cast with this man, he can provide the lot.

Les Dawson - Flying High is a love letter to a comedian's comedian and a national treasure.  That Culshaw and Whitnall have delivered it with Dawson's class and talent intact is the greatest tribute I can pay.  A must see show.

Rob Cope

 

 

REVIEW: MRS. DOUBTFIRE @ Manchester Opera House

 

She's the Nanny with something extra. Yes, the loveable Scottish home help is back having captivated Broadway, and is now in Manchester with a London transfer expected to be announced soon.  It is always encouraging to see a full house, and Mrs. Doubtfire has been packing them in at the Opera House for its month long engagement. Based of course on the 1993 movie which gave the late Robin Williams one of his most memorable screen roles. 

For those that are unaware,  the plot revolves around failed actor and house-husband Daniel Hillard, whose unpredictable behaviour results in his wife Miranda divorcing him.  With the Court refusing to give him visiting rights until he proves he can hold down a stable job and provide for his three children, he invents an alter ego who applies for the role of nanny in order to see his kids. An elderly Scottish lady by the name of Mrs. Doubtfire.

The much loved movie has been adapted for the stage by John O'Farrell with music and lyrics by brothers Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick, whose Shakespeare musical Something Rotten! is slated to arrive in the UK soon.  Together they have managed to pluck out some of the best material from the movie and wrap it with a whole load of musical theatre sparkle to produce the feel good show of the season.

                                                 Gabriel Vick as Mrs. Doubtfire 

Central to the show is of course the playing of Daniel / Doubtfire.  This show is blessed with a tour de force performance by Gabriel Vick, whose comedic skills are the very centre of the show.  With fantasy and reality blurring Daniel has to rapidly become Doubtfire and then back again, the quick changes and pace of Vick's performance is wonderful to behold.  He has the audience spell bound,  his Doubtfire is part homage to Williams original creation and part Vick's own take on the character. He certainly manages to replicate Williams creative energy. But lest this should sound like a one-man show,  Vick is supported by Laura Tebbutt as Daniel's long suffering ex-wife and her impassioned solo ballad 'Let Go' is among the evenings musical highlights.  On the night I attended Amy Everett played the role of the eldest sibling Lydia, with great verve. Fred Wilcox and Darvey Dean completed the young family as Christopher and Natalie respectively. Further comedy comes from Cameron Blakely as Daniel's gay brother Frank and his husband Andre (Marcus Collins),  both add to the wonderful chaotic farce that unfolds as Daniel's subterfuge spirals out of control.

Legendary Broadway director Jerry Zaks has made sure Doubtfire has crossed the Atlantic retaining its quality and pace. The songs are all solid show tunes that have your foot tapping from the Donna Summer-esque 'Make Me A Woman',  the frenzied 'You've Been Playing With Fire' (Riverdancing Doubtfires?) and the jaunty finale 'As Long As There Is Love', its an impressive score to add to the high comedy that is the focal point of the evening.  

Manchester Opera House has been the first to stage Bat Out Of Hell,  & Juliet and Back To The Future, all of which have gone on to thrill the West End and Broadway.  Now, they have imported Mrs. Doubtfire from the US and it looks as if they have yet another winner of its hands.  The standing ovation was heartfelt as the company took their bows.  It is my opinion that Mrs. Doubtfire is here to stay for a while, dearies.

Rob Cope

For further information check out the UK Mrs. Doubtfire website

 

                                            Photos from the Broadway Production

REVIEW: THE KIDS FROM FAME U.K. REUNION CONCERT 2022 @ Birmingham Town Hall

 

If you, like me, were around in the early 1980s,  you cannot say the word 'fame' without adding "I'm gonna live forever..."  The seminal performing arts movie Fame, directed by Alan Parker in 1980 begat the spin-off TV series which began in 1982.  This in itself spawned a pop sensation with the TV cast going under the collective title 'The Kids From Fame'.  For a couple of years,  'The Kids From Fame' were sensations,  hit singles and LPs followed,  as well as hysteria fuelled concert tours of Europe by the cast. Fame-mania seemed unstoppable. The BBC broadcast one of the concerts from the Royal Albert Hall. A debut LP soundtrack shot to number one in the album charts,  thus cementing the pupils and staff of the New York High School Of Performing Arts in the British public consciousness.

                                         Fame on tour 1983.  Bruno, Gene, Debbie, Carlo, Lori

Like many fads and fashions, the momentum couldn't be maintained. The BBC showed only four of the six seasons, with the curtain finally coming down on the series in the US in 1987.  But Fame was a sleeping giant. The energy and sheer infectious joy of its songs and stories of empowerment through the performing arts continued to inspire a devoted band of fans, whose rose tinted specs has kept the flame of Fame alive!   A quick look at the superb website The Kids From Fame Archive proves that Fame cast reunions are not exactly a rare occurance,  the cast have continued to get together at sporadic intervals over the past four decades to join fans in celebrating the show. 

Super fan Sue Hinds had the idea of reuniting the cast again in order to raise funds for the Claire House Childrens Hospice in Liverpool.  Herculean efforts on her part saw a Liverpool concert reunion in 2009 which was received with great enthusiasm.  A live CD recorded in Liverpool has also been released, marking the long overdue album return for 'The Kids From Fame'.

                                           Gene Anthony Ray and Debbie Allen in the UK, 1983

So, here we are in 2022 and we have the 40th Anniversary concerts taking place at the Town Hall in Birmingham.  Sadly perhaps the two most recognisable faces of the series are not with us.  Debbie Allen, who played fearsome dance instructor Lydia Grant and whose voice is heard at the start of every episode with the iconic words "Fame costs... and right here is where you start paying!" is an incredibly busy director / choreographer and not available for the UK concerts. Rather more sadly, Gene Anthony Ray alias the talented misfit Leroy Johnson, who blazed a trail with his incredible dance moves, passed away in 2003, aged just 41.

However, a core of the series veterans has been re-assembled for the Birmingham shows.  And the Fame fans turned out in force at the opening of three nights.  'The Kids From Fame' are back but obviously the 'Kids' bit is no longer valid.  All of tonights performers have had long and successful careers in showbiz outside of their Fame personas.  They may be older, but they have lot none of their sparkle.

 It is clear from the outset that the fans are up for a party and they get it from the off with a spirited 'Step Up To The Mike'.   What becomes obvious is that the cast are having as good a time as the audience as the show progresses. Quite cleverly,  given the performers are all now well into middle age,  the show has the good fortune to have a troupe of dancers from the LIPA Academy, who don leotards and legwarmers to deliver that authentic 1980s high energy flavour to the evening.  They are assisted by three very capable backing singers and a four piece band who belt out those iconic melodies in great style.

Each of the cast members have a solo chance to shine. Jesse Borrego delivers a fine 'The Other Side Of The Road'.  Loretta Chandler rocks out with the movie song 'Hot Lunch Jam' and Cynthia Gibb offers a touching 'A Special Place'.  P.R. Paul and Cynthia even gave us a live rendition of their new single 'Everything Works Out Just Fine'.  But it is those songs we have come to know and love and have become part of the 1980s cultural fabric that get the biggest reception. Jesse stepped into Gene's shoes for 'Desdemona' and 'Life Is A Celebration' had the cast and audience in unison. Ladies of a certain age were on their feet as Carlo Imperato launched into 'Friday Night' and the silky voiced Valerie Lansburg sent us all wild donning a 'Doris Schwartz' wig as she brought the house down with 'Hi-fidelity' as if the years had never passed.  Keyboard maestro Lee Curreri (Bruno Martelli in the series) was on hand all evening,  whether solo, dueting with Valerie or simply accompanying the house band,  he is still a remarkable talent. By the time the show reached the finale with a video tribute to the cast members no longer with us, shown as the cast performed their biggest hit 'Starmaker', we were all in Fame heaven.  The songs have lost none of their nostalgic lure,  and for a short time we were in a happier place where fame costs... but we were happy to pay. 

These concerts are a hit on two levels.  Obviously raising much needed money for a very worthy cause,  and also feeding our need to feel better about the real world by taking refuge in past, happier, times. Judging by the euphoric reaction of the audience on the opening of the three nights, it is perfectly possible that Fame just might live forever!

Rob Cope 

The live CD can be ordered HERE or downloaded from online music sources.  A new book on the Fame phenomenon is also raising funds via Amazon