Fiddler on the Roof ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Whether you have seen a production of Fiddler on the Roof
or not, don’t miss the transfer of the 2024 version from Regent Park Open Air Theatre
to the Barbican (until 19th July) and then on tour around the UK.
This is one of the most commercially successful musicals of the last century since
it was first staged in 1964 (and filmed in 1971) but this production gives a beauty
and relevance that is simply astonishing.
The five daughters propel the story against the threat of
changes in their wider society. Each expected, by tradition, to accept the
matchmaker’s choice of husband, they are played with lovely characterisations
as they challenge the society norms. They reject the matchmaker’s wisdom that “even
the worst husband in better than none”. Tzeitel (Natasha Jules Barnard) pleads to marry Motel, the tailor (Dan
Wolf) rather than the elderly widower, Lazar Wolf (Michael S Siegel). Hodel (Georgia Bruce) falls under the
spell of Perchik ( Daniel Krikler), a
radical student from Kiev, and follows him to Siberia. Chava (Hannah Bristow) goes further and runs off
with Fyedka (Gregor Milne), a gentile
youth. The youngest two, Shprintze (Ashliegh Schuman)and Bielke (Georgia Dixon),will
undoubtedly marry for love once in America!
The Fiddler on the Roof, often an enigmatic distant
figure is brought centre stage by Raphel Papo as an alter ego to Tevye and
moves as he plays adding immensely to the production with a powerful added twist
of being joined by Chava on the clarinet as the pressure on the village of Anatevka
mounts. The choreography by Julia Cheng is stunning building on the original production
concept but giving it an energy and precision that is a delight. From the opening
routine “Tradition”, to the drunken celebratory
“To Life” and the joy of “The Wedding” with the famous bottle dance, each
routine is exciting, fresh and uplifting.
Director Jordan Fein’s brilliant reworking of “The dream” into a comic masterpiece
which still reinforces the relationship between Tevye and Golda is a show
highlight.
We have seen Fiddler on the Roof many times,
but this is without doubt the best production we have ever seen (we are not
quite old enough to have seen Topol) and we urge you to go see it as it tours the
country or perhaps in the Cinema as we expect it to be captured for that wider
audience.
Nick Wayne
Five stars
The Great Gatsby ⭐️⭐️
The huge ensemble seek to set the period in the opening and
closing number “Roaring on”
with a very
well drilled and synchronised movement but fails to capture the energy and joy
of the Twenties jazz and flapper era. Indeed, the music throughout is curiously
old fashioned, a relic of the fifties heyday of American Musicals and despite
being played and sung very loud and amplified by a nineteen-piece orchestra and
some good vocals is unmemorable without a single toe tapping or show stopping
tune. The sound fills the vast auditorium with its perfect acoustics for
unamplified opera singers but at times I almost felt like covering my ears.
Playing loud does not make the music better.It is not enough to fill the stage with expensive looking
settings, pyros, and flashing lights or an ensemble of 14 used infrequently, it
just looks excessive. A show need heart and relevance, it needs tunes that ear
worm into your head as you journey home , it need to evoke a bygone era that
makes you wish you had been there. The Great Gatsby does none of these
things. It proclaims, “Where is the
party…and can you take me there?” and to be fair many in the audience looked
like they wanted to be at one of Gatsby’s soirees. For me I left longing for
Lerner and Lowe’s “Wouldn’t it be
luverly” ,Jim Steinman “You took the words right out of my mouth” or Gloria Estefan’s “Rhythm is gonna get you”
as this show lacked the rhythms and the words that would have made it lovely.
Nick Wayne
2 stars.
My Neighbour Totoro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The RSC may have created another long running West End show
to revival the success of Matilda with their beautifully conceived and executed
show My Neighbour Totoro which is now settled into the Gillian Lynne Theatre in
Drury Lane after two short season visits in 2022 and 2024. It is an extraordinarily
creative and original piece of theatre, imaginatively staged, with wonderful
haunting music, a heart felt story and two marvellous central performance by
the young actresses.You immediately get a sense of the care and attention taken
in taking a Japanese 2D children’s cartoon into magically 3 D theatrical world
when the front title screen that greets you when you take your seat comes alive
with the letters dancing and small creatures traverse the screen. It makes you smile
but also warms you up for the magical puppetry that is to follow. Director Phelim Mc Dermott takes his time with each scene, nothing is rushed,
and we get sucked in emotionally to the simple tale by the pictures he creates
and the smooth transitions between locations and scenes.
Two sisters, Satsuki and the younger Mei are moved to a
haunted house by their father Tatsuo to be closer to the hospital where their mother
Yosuko is being treated for some unspecified ( but implied very serious) illness.
Satsuki has to go to school and her father travel by bus back to his work in
Tokyo. Mei cared for by a neighbour, Tsukiko and Granny Ogaki but soon gets tempted
to wander into the forest where she meets, Totoro , a huge furry creature with
an awesome roar.
The puppetry is superb by a team of over twenty and what is
more although dressed in black they are allowed through veiled masks to express
individual personalities which make them all the more charming and engaging. Rather
than aiming to become invisible they become characters themselves as well as operators
of the puppets. A wide range of techniques is used to create the magic. The carton
journey to the new home is a simple cardboard cutout ion a 2 D landscape. The small
black furry insects the girls meet in the house are on long poles on gloves. The
Catbus is a huge, inflated creation, derivative of a Chinese dragon dance. The fields of sweetcorn that dance across the
stage are racked in groups for each operator. The Trees that grow out of the stage
combines puppeteer with inflation. The two small furry creatures who lead to
Totoro and on poles but still create delightful animation in their movement. It
all builds to the arrival of Totoro himself, a huge brilliantly animated creature
who can wrinkle his nose, close his eyes, bare his teeth and roar with a huge
tongue billowing upwards. A team of operators is artfully hidden behind the giant
creature as it shuffles around the stage. The techniques are inventive but more
importantly breathe life into each creation.
Or course all this technical excellence would be lost if the
story did not have heart and meaning and was not performed to a standard that
draws you in and irresistibly tugs at
your emotions and this is led by the young girls. Ami Okumura Jones is amazing
as Satsuki, forced by the situation to act as a guardian to her sister, she is
required to be childlike but with a control and maturity beyond her age and she
conveys this brilliantly . Victoria Chen as Mei has more fun, a free innocent
spirit, carefree and adventurous and totally charming. Together they rule the
show. Steven Nguyen as the neighbour young son, Kanta adds to the dynamic as
the awkward young boy who does not understand how to talk to girls. The adult
characters are equally well portrayed, and each have their moments.
Throughout the music from a band of ten located in tree
house locations around the stage adds to the narrative and underscores the
action with some exquisite singing in a mixture of English and Japanese, from Ai Ninomiya between or under movement that
creates an ethereal moving oriental feel to the piece. Interestingly each intervention
is from a different location around the stage requiring a few seconds to locate
where the voice is being sung from.
The day tickets at £25 are in the front row which takes you
very close to the action and makes it a more immersive experience with the
puppets and perhaps in the more expensive seats further back you get a better perspective,
but it still feels a magical experience . It is impossible to not get sucked
into the emotional moments of what will happen to the girls and will their
mother survive. Even though we did not know the original 2D characters we loved
this show which is everything you want from a theatrical experience- magical,
emotional, musical and totally engaging .
Nick Wayne
Five stars.
Kiss Me Kate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Following
the success of the musical “Anything Goes” with the amazing all singing and all
dancing Sutton Foster in 2022, it was simply inspired casting to bring another strong
female Broadway star to London in Stephanie J Block as Kate, in Kiss me Kate
and then match her up with her up with the wonderful Adrian Dunbar who built up
such a personal following as Ted Hastings in the wonderful TV series “Line of
Duty”. They play the former married couple of stage actors reunited in
Baltimore to try and save a failing US tour of “The Taming of the Shrew”.
The chemistry between them is a joy to watch as they bicker and fight but show
flickers of remaining affection despite their extra marital dalliances.
The unlikely pairing adds to the fun and both shine in their own way.
Catherine
Zuber’s costumes are a beautiful treat with elegant gowns and doublets for “The
Taming of the shrew “ contrasting with informal offstage outfits with bursts of
colour. It all adds to the look of quality in this first-class production that
once again shows Bartlett Sher has a magic touch in bringing these classic
musicals to a 21st Century stage without completely reinventing them and losing
their charm .
“Kiss
me Kate” runs until the 14th of September and certainly brightens the grey
drab concrete of the Barbican Theatre with its joyous music, excellent comedy
and a glorious cast. A “Wunderbar” evenings entertainment.
Nick
Wayne
Four
stars
The King and I⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bartlett
Sher’s magnificent revival of Rogers and Hammerstein’s wonderful 1951 musical
was first produced for the Lincoln Centre in New York in 2015 before being
remounted at the London Palladium and released to cinemas in 2018 . The
production has been recast and remounted and after an extensive UK tour arrived
at the Dominion Theatre in the West End. It is well worth catching with is
beautiful score, simple slick staging and appropriately diverse cast lead by
Helen George as Anna and Darren Lee as the King. In modern theatre there is a temptation
to “update” the classic plays and musicals to appeal to a different audience,
but this production thankfully avoids that mistake and delivers the nearly three-hour
running time with its historic look and feel and full of its dated attitudes.
As a result, we can just sit back and admire the luxuriant show and reflect on
how the world has changed.
Opposite
her Darren Lee brings all his American musical theatre experience to stage as
the aloof King who is used to fawning subservient courtiers around him and
gradually learns to adapt his leadership in response to her prompting. It is an
excellent well judged performance played with just enough comic touch to make
him endearing. He is regal in “A puzzlement” as he reflects on the modern world
and then burst into joyous life in “Shall we dance” as the swirl around the
stage together.
They
are well supported by an impressive cast with Cezarah Bonner as Lady Thiang
with the charming “Something Wonderful”
and then leading the Ensemble in the amusing take on different culture
dress styles in “Western people funny”. Marienella Phillips is very engaging in
the troubled tole of Tuptim, sings beautifully, and narrates the second half
ballet “The small House of Uncle Thomas” with great charm. I enjoyed watching the ballet more than previous
versions which sometime seem overblown but here is graced with delightfully paced
choreography. Her love interest Lin Tha is played by Dean John-Wllson and
together they delivered the beautiful “I kiss in the shadow” with great control
and charm. Caleb Lagayan does well creating the role of young Prince
Chulalongkorn struggling with the impending responsibility of being king. Part
of the endearing charm of the show are the young royal children who we meet in
“March of the Siamese children” each responding differently to the King and
Anna and establishing their individuality and love for both people.
Nick
Wayne
Four stars
My Top 5 West End Musicals of 2023
Crazy for you at Gillian Lynne
We can measure the success of a Chichester Festival season by the transfer of shows into the West End and they have a good track record of musical transfers which is now joined by the superb production of the George and Ira Gershwin musical comedy Crazy for you. Based on the music of the 1930’s musical Girl Crazy with a new book by Ken Ludwig and first staged in the 1990’s, it is a joyously entertaining romantic comedy in which the fabulous score of delightfully melodic tunes provides a perfect platform for one of the great new young stars of British Musical theatre, Charlie Stemp, and the fresh and exciting restaging of the choreography by director and choreographer Susan Stroman. It’s simply impossible to not be enthralled and delighted by this combination.
Mother
goose at Duke of York
Jonathan
Harvey’s brilliant script did everything you want from a Pantomime, it makes
sense of the Mother Goose Story, builds cleverly on the talents of the cast,
and integrates the traditional Panto business into the tale so it makes a
coherent whole. John Bishop told the audience in his ten-minute warm up before
the curtain rises to forget what it’s like outside and immerse yourself in the
Panto experience and the whole cast work wonderfully together to make sure that
happens. Sir Ian McKellen was of course magnificent milking the Dame’s role
with all his theatrical skill and experience, timing the physical and comedy
business beautifully and never missing a chance for a well-judged grimace, or
pause for a laugh. It is a master class in Pantomime Dame but always Ian
McKellen in drag .
Guys
and Dolls at Bridge Theatre
Nick
Hytner has adapted the show to the “in the round” format with some audience
members able to stand in the acting space. It is a masterful technical
operation but, in some scenes, the movement distracts from the joy of the show
for those watching from the seats. Daniel Mays was perfect as the
charming rogue Nathan Detroit delivering his lines with a devilish glee and
reacting with delightful looks and grimaces as well as singing his main songs
“The oldest established” and “Sue me” with a simplicity and clarity of on old
hoofer. He lights up the stages when he appears and is as good a Nathan as I
have seen.
Old
friends at Gielgud Theatre
It a
rare occasion when you see an Ensemble cast in the West End all of whom are
capable of playing a leading role in musical theatre but that is the delicious
treat served up by Cameron Mackintosh’s tribute to the work of Stephen Sondheim
(and in particular those of his shows that Cameron produced) and billed as
Sondheim’s Old Friends. Notionally the stars are Bernadette Peters and Lea
Salonga who get plenty of time in the spotlight, but they are joined by the
irrepressible Bonnie Langford, Joanna Riding, Jannie Dee and Clare Burt.
The men are led by Gavin Lee, Jason Pennycooke, Jeremy Secomb and Jac Yarrow.
Each can deliver the Sondheim gorgeous tunes and clever witty lyrics with
clarity and a joy that enthrals the audience of Sondheim aficionados. The
fast-moving show segueing from song to song will surely seduce even his musical
detractors and help them acquire a taste for his work.
Sound
of Music at Chichester Festival Theatre
The
1959 hit musical Sound of Music has one of the best scores ever written with
wonderful Richard Rodgers tunes that tug at the heart strings, delightful
moments of gentle humour from Oscar Hammerstein II and an authentic grim
context that still resonates today with the daily news of invasions. It would
be very hard to fail in mounting a revival of this glorious musical but equally
difficult to escape the memory of Julie Andrews performance in the 1965 film.
Chichester Festival’s wonderful revival directed by Adam Penford certainly
managed to not only do the stage show full justice but also beautifully
differentiate itself from the memorable film version and magically make the
most of the theatre’s tricky thrust stage. A West End Transfer would have been
fully deserved.
The Witches - National Theatre ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It may be unfair on the leadership of the National Theatre
but when we visit this venue which takes a large proportion of the Countries Arts
funding, I expect to see shows that are more engaging, more innovative, and more
interesting than we often see in the West End Commercial sector or in Independent
regional venues on tight budgets. They achieved it with Dear England , the
fabulous exploration of the secrets of Gareth Southgate success as England Manager
but you never quite know what you will
get in recent years. It must be hoped that the new Chief Executive finds a
formula that gets this right more often than not over each season.
You can see the cash lavished on their Christmas show Witches
based on the 1983 Roald Dahl novel and aspiring to be as big a hit as his later
novel Matilda, successfully brought to the stage by the other massively funded
Arts company the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2010 and still running. And of
course, it is a worthy, even a required, ambition to seek to create product
that has a long profitable life just as War Horse has had for the National. Yet
does it really need fifteen witches and a band of thirteen to deliver this show,
isn’t this just an excess afforded by public money? To justify such overblown
excess the show has to be even better and for this adult, without a teenage child
alongside, it failed to fully engage in its overlong running time. Advertised
as two hours thirty minutes including a twenty-minute interval, the evening ran
to nearly three hours due to a late start and extended unexplained interval,
and I nearly fell asleep in the first Act!
The issue is the unremittingly dull music by Dave Malloy
with too few really catchy tunes especially in the first half. Only in the second
half with Gran’s “When I was young” and the Grand Witch’s “Wouldn’t it be nice”
does the music really catch the ear and give the cast something really interesting
to get their teeth in. Sally Ann Triplett is very good as the Norwegian Gran battling
for revenge against her childhood friend who is now the Grand Witch played with
an equal authority and presence by Katherine Kingsley. The adult men are crude
cartoon character, closer to pantomime than musical theatre with Danial Rigby
playing the Basil Fawlty like Mr Stringer and Irvine Iqbal as the Chef with a touch
of Knuckles McGinty from Paddington about him.
The National Theatre grand Olivier stage is cut in half by a
false proscenium with witches’ fingers that descend from time to time and most
of the action takes place on the forestage with the revolve changing the furniture.
However again any sense of magic is lost be seeing props and cast moving into position
through the open portals ,even on one occasion a chaperone accompanying her
charge into the starting position! When Luke is required to climb the kitchen wall,
we see the safety wire being lowered into position moments before signally and
destroying the illusion. Indeed, perhaps these nods to theatrically are deliberate
as at one point the Grand Witch stops the show to berate a supposed audience
member whose phone has rung. It is amusing but do we really need to include this
when too often Audiences already disrupt shows by use of their phones?
This is a show designed to attract upperwardly mobile young families
for at £66 for a side stall seat it is not cheap but some of the references to
parent / child relationships do resonate well and will amuse both generations.
If shorter, at say 2 hours, cheaper at less than £50 and with a touch more
magic and illusion it would be a good Christmas family offering but I at least would
prefer to see another well written pantomime this Christmas.
Nick Wayne
Three stars
Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends - Gielgud ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It a
rare occasion when you see an Ensemble cast in the West End all of whom are
capable of playing a leading role in musical Theatre but that is the delicious
treat served up by Cameron Mackintosh’s tribute to the work of Stephen Sondheim
(and in particular those of his shows that Cameron produced) and billed as
Sondheim’s Old Friends. Notionally the stars are Bernadette Peters and Lea
Salonga who get plenty of time in the spotlight, but they are joined by the
irrepressible Bonnie Langford, Joanna Riding,
Jannie Dee and Clare Burt. The men are led by Gavin Lee, Jason
Pennycooke, Jeremy Secomb and Jac Yarrow. Each can deliver the Sondheim
gorgeous tunes and clever witty lyrics with clarity and a joy that enthrals the
audience of Sondheim aficionados. The fast-moving show segueing from song to
song will surely seduce even his musical detractors and help them acquire a
taste for his work.
There
is strong opening with the company giving a rousing well-choreographed Comedy
tonight and then Clare Burt and Gavin Lee have great fun together with The
Little things you do together while Joanna Riding makes a desperate bride
in Getting married today . In Tonight Christine Allado and
Beatrice Penny-Toure get their moment as Rita and Maria.
The
show is at its best when it puts a bit of production effort into the sequences,
helping contextualise the songs but adding to the drama or comedy . The Sweeney
Todd sequence with Salonga at Mrs Lovett and Secombe as Todd is wonderful from
the haunting and dramatic Ballad , the chilling My Friends and Pretty
Women and the brilliantly comic A Little Priest. It reminds you what
a brilliant show that is and brings back wonderful memories of the original
Drury Lane production in 1980.The
Into the woods sequence does not get the same setting but just enough costumes
and props to separate the characters although it is Peters as Little Red Riding
Hood being pursued by Bradley Jayden’s bare-chested wolf that catches the eye .
Once again, the brilliant songs of Into the Woods , Agony and Children
will Listen provide the insight into another of his unique scores and fresh
vision of traditional children’s stories.
When
the red tabs and false proscenium arch drop in in the second act you know you
are in for a change of tone and two threesomes deliver two show stopping comedy
numbers . Gavin Lee, Damian Humbley and Jason Pennycooke combine for a
hilarious hammy Everybody ought to have a maid . While Peters, Riding
and Burt combine to outdo them in a brilliantly comic You Have Gotta have a
gimmick. Pennycooke also has great fun in a vaudeville patter song Buddy’s
blues. Without doubt the comic highlights of the evening.
Salonga
smashes it with her solos of Somewhere and Every coming up roses
and Peters packs a punch with Losing my mind and the hauntingly sad Send
in the clowns. Bonnie Langford is a delight in I’m still here and
Janie Dee gives us a breathless comical The Boy from.
At
the end it does get rather sentimental and self-indulgent with video and
pictures of Sondheim growing up and his relationship with Mackintosh, but
mawkish thoughts are soon swept aside by Old Friends and side by side
( a lovely reminder of the fabulous 1976 show Side by side by Sondheim)with the
whole company working together side by side as old friends and displaying a
genuine love of the great composer and his legacy of wonderful music .
Nick Wayne 4 stars
Guys and Dolls - The Bridge Theatre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When you remember seeing the Richard Eyre production of Guys
and Dolls at the National Theatre five times between 1982-1984, the Michael Grandage
production at The Piccadilly twice in 2005 and the Chichester Theatre production
at the Phoenix in 2016, it is inevitable that you come to another revival with
high expectations and strong memories. After all, Frank Loesser music is perhaps
the greatest musical score, and Damion Runyon’s characters are some of the most
wonderful creations ever written. So, Nick Hytner’s production has both the advantage
of familiarity with the show and the challenge of overcoming those powerful recollections.
On the other hand, Celinde Schoenmaker as Sarah Brown is practically
perfect in every way with a delightful contrast between the earnest and desperate
efforts to succeed at the Mission and the joyous free spirit after a few dulce
leches in Havana. She wonderfully duets with Adelaide in the bar in “Marry the man
today” helpfully set on a platform just in front of our seats, so we could catch
every nuance of her performance. Equally she duetted delightfully with Sky,
played by Andrew Richardson in the romantic “I’ll know” and “I’ve never been in
love before”.
Disappointingly the iconic “Luck be a lady” ballet of crap shooters
was blocked from our view by Big Jule ( Cameron Johnson) throwing his dice on
the platform nearest us although we faired better in the show stopping “Sit down
you are rocking the boat” which was staged centrally but facing us for most of
the scene with understudy Simon Anthony delivering a very soulful version as Nicely
Nicely. Obviously with theatre in the round some scenes are played with backs
toward you or blocked by someone else on stage if you are seated , at least
those promenading could adjust their view.
This is a title that is hard to fail with and this production
has some very good elements but some of the technical aspects of staging get in
the way of your full enjoyment, and I expected to leave keen to revisit for
another view perhaps from a standing position but instead I left satisfied I had
seen a good production of my all time favourite musical but in no rush to
return to see it again.
Nick Wayne
Four stars
Get Up, Stand Up! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The
legend of Bob Marley’s global music status has continued to grow since his
early demise at just 36 from cancer in 1981 and if ever an artiste had earned a
theatrical music jukebox show it is surely him. But Get Up Stand Up is much
more than a celebration of his music and although staged in a concert format
they do not shy away from his back story and the political and cultural context
of his music. And then simply and effectively remind us that although there has
been progress and integration there is still more to do on equality, diversity,
and representation of the communities he championed. The use of images and
headlines throughout on screen and on-stage props provides the insight into his
world.
This
show which has sat on Shaftesbury Avenue for a year and with a new cast about
to take it through to its January 2023 closure, brings into the West End a more
diverse audience than we usually see. Judging by the late arrivals drinks in
hand delaying the start, sneak use of camera phone to capture the best-known
numbers and singing along to those tunes, they may not yet have adopted the
usual theatre going etiquette, but it adds to the celebratory feeling of the
show and demonstrates that with the right programming producers can widen the
appeal of the West End.
The
show centres inevitably on the central performances of Michael Duke as Bob
Marley and Gabrielle Brooks as his long-suffering wife Rita. Their relationship
is at the heart of the show from their first meeting in mid-sixties to his
final concert in 1980 and explores how their marriage was tested by his long
relationship with Miss Jamaica, later Miss World, Cindy Breakspheare played by
Shanay Holmes. Together Rita and Bob delightfully deliver “Is this love”
(1978).
As his dreadlocks grow so his music develops leading to climatic
conclusions of each act. Act 1 ends with “I shot the sheriff” (1973) and
“Jamming” (1977) songs that had global reach transcending his cultural roots
and leading him to be accused to selling out. Act 2 ends with “One love” (1977,
released as a single in 1984) and “Get up stand up” (1973), the last song he
played live, with their emotional messages of the power of love and the need to
stand up for your rights and equality. In between we get the show stopping “No
woman, no cry” (1975) sung powerfully and emotionally by Rita. Just as
when these songs were first released the rhythmic music and strong vocals
connect with the audience and bring waves of deserved applause. It must be
hoped that the new cast can sustain this quality.
There
is excellent support from Natey Jones and Jacade Simpson as the original
Wailers band members Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer and Henry Fabre as Chris
Blackwell the founder of Island Records whose speculative advance set them on
the road to global fame. Maxwell Cole played little Bob on the night I
went with an energy and charm that delightfully kept reminding us of his
dysfunctional family and poverty of his beginnings as his global stardom grew.
Of
course, the rich sound of the reggae music is essential to the show and the
band were excellent including the addition of a small brass section and a
strong base line vibration through the auditorium so you could really feel the
music. The cultural background was never far away in the story telling
with drugs, gun violence and political and racial tensions always underpinning
the narrative. His appearance at the Smile Jamacia 1976 concert, after an
assassination attempt, and at the Pittsburgh Concert in 1980 while seriously
ill emphasised his commitment to change through his music and using his global
appeal to good effect. The powerful “Redemption song” (1980) regarded by many
as his greatest song and described as the most influential recording in
Jamaican music history with its lyric “none but ourselves can free our minds” remains
as powerful and moving today as when it was written. An anthem and an enduring
legacy that underpins his legendary status.
This
is a wonderful show setting out Bob Marley’s life story and reflecting the
cultural background of racial tension, drugs, violence, and politics but
showing how he grew into a Global Icon with a musical style that broke down
barriers and extended across cultures. Go hear his story and by the end you are
sure to get up, stand up in his honour.
Nick
Wayne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Legally Blonde - Regent Park Open Air ⭐️
⭐️
⭐This 2001 film which arrived in the West End in 2009 in a
wonderful production led by the irrepressible Sheridan Smith has a strong fan
base but gets a significant revamp in its revival at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre
to reflect the impact of social media on our lives and new attitudes to
diversity in casting arising from the #Metoo, BLM and LGBTQ+ campaigns for
equality and changes in behaviour. Even a short burst of rain and a show stop
could not dampen the rapturous response of the weekday audience. The girly glow of the original is replaced by a gloriously diverse celebration of success
being driven by being true to yourself regardless of your race, sexuality, physical
shape, or background in Lucy Moss’s reenvisaging of the show for Generation Z.
It remains a high energy, fun show with something for
everyone with upbeat music, lively dance routines and some over the top camp
moments in staging and performance. If anything, the determined effort from the
Director to reflect what she calls “celebrating femininity in all its forms,
the same way that Rhianna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie line redefines what is sexy
and beautiful” dominates the production so much that it detracts from the story
telling and some of the joyful charm of the Sheridan Smith version. We are
distracted by the posing and posturing, the whoops of delight from some of the
audience and the poor diction in some songs which means we don’t hear some of
the words from the Ensemble and minor characters. However, the Principals are
excellent and carry the show especially in the big numbers.
Courtney Bowman makes a bubbly determined Elle Woods
excelling in “Serious” and “Legally Blonde” that define her character and
conveying well the important relationships with Warner, Emmett, Paulette, Callahan,
and Brooke which shape her responses. Warner (played by Alistair Tovey) seems
to become a secondary character despite his central role to the story. Emmett
played by Michael Ahomka-Lindsay is excellent with a lovely telling of the
“Chip on my shoulder” advice to her. Paulette as played by Nadine Higgin is
magnificent with a big stage presence and a strong voice in “Ireland” and great
fun in “Bend and snap”. Eugene McCoy makes a suitable creepy and unpleasant
Callahan setting the tone in “Blood in the water”. However, it is Lauren Drew
who steels the show as Brooke, looking every bit the Green Goddess and opening
Act 2 with a brilliant “Whipped into Shape” with its amazing skipping dance
routine.
The staging and costumes are generally tacky and cheap
looking with large quantities of gold tinsel curtains that blow in the wind,
very little location setting furniture (except in her Bedroom), a strange heart
shape lift that added very little and a bizarre ball pond bed and shower unit
that was more trouble than its worth. With the band visible centre stage, it
had more the feel of an open-air concert version than a theatrical production
with the long walkway up and across the back of the stage seeming unnecessarily
high and cumbersome. When the rain did briefly stop the show, I imagine for
safety reasons there were great cheers as the stage crew mopped up.
The small dog that adorned the Sheridan version is
replaced by a grinning man in the shape of Liam McEnvoy as Bruiser who gets his
own love interest in another dog costume played by Joe Foster both of whom were
adored by sections of the Audience. It did leave you wondering how the same
venue will cope with its next show 101 Dalmatians!
This is a fun musical given a little more bite and more
campaigning stance by the revival and strongly appeals to its target
demographic but those who like more traditional musical theatre are likely to
find it less appealing than the original version.
Nick
Wayne
Three
stars
My Fair Lady - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The classic Lerner and Loewe rich melodic score of My
Fair Lady gloriously fills the cavernous
Coliseum auditorium in this wonderful Bartlett Sher revival of the show which has
transferred from Broadway for the summer before touring the UK. There are so many
marvellous tunes in this story of transformation from street flower girl to
magnificently strong woman who passes as an educated European princess. It
offers a lovely escape from today’s world to a simpler time and although there are
moments when you feel the three-hour running time is a little too long, you are
soon transported back with another brilliant tune. It must be the best score of
its decade, if not one of the best of all time.
At the heart of the show are the two protagonists.
Professor Higgins is played with a precise and upright control, only
occasionally revealing his emotions, by Harry Hadden-Paton and for once he can
really sing and deliver his songs with clarity and musicality. He is at his
very best in the delivery of “I’ve grown accounted to her face” which is beautifully
paced. Opposite him is the beautiful Amara Okereke who really shines as the
transformed Eliza Dollitte once she has mastered “The rain in Spain “and she emerges as a
magnificent strong woman and her deliver of “Just you wait”(reprise), “Show me”
and “Without you “are simply wonderful . As is often the case, the contrast
with the "guttersnipe” flower girl of the first half is rather overplayed
and not wholly convincing as she grimaces and snarls her way around the
streets. The blossoming is very well handled and the final scene as she breaks
the fourth wall and exits through the auditorium is as surprising as it is
symbolic of her development .
There is excellent support from Malcolm Sinclair as
Colonel Pickering who shows a caring and sympathetic attitude towards Eliza and
makes a good contrast to Higgins’ largely unfeeling teacher and from Annie
Wensak as Mrs Pearce who adds another caring voice and presence in the
household. Shariff Afifi elevates Freddie Eynsford-Hill from unemployable buffoon into a likely and loveable young man in
“On the street where you live”.
There is no doubting the impact of the extraordinary
Venessa Redgrave as Mrs Higgins as she carefully steps across the stage with a
crutch on hand to provide reassuring stability but as much as we admire her as
an actress, the modern dressed crutch does make you wonder whether the casting
was sensible. Equally Stephen Amos’s experience as a stand-up may equip him for
the comedy of Alfred Dolittle but it does not equip him to sing the two most
lively songs in the show “With a little bit of luck” and “I’m getting married
in the morning”. These two showstoppers are two of my personal favourites in
the show but here they are serviceable versions wrapped up in some outrageous
choreography to distract from his own flaws as a musical theatre performer.
The show setting feels light and sketchy for the huge
coliseum stage with two false prosceniums to lessen the width, and a large deep
stage which is generally minimally set . The best scenes are in the excellent
revolving truck of Higgins home which adds to songs with the choreography
around the various rooms and a very good use of the door in “A hymn to him”.
The Covent Garden scene creates the atmosphere of the location but the curious
fences though which cast peer look unnecessary scene dividers and the streetlights
on wheels remind us of the designer’s intention to create theatrical scene
transitions. The pub entrance and door to 27 Wimpole Street though practical
allow us to see cast moving “offstage” and create no illusion of the location.
The show is very well lit as you would expect, and the English
National Opera orchestra ensures we have a very full rich backing to the show
and songs from the heart lifting overture onwards. The costumes are elegant and
attractive without having the lasting impact of Cecil Beaton’s stunning costumes
for the “Ascot Gavotte” with wonderful coats for Higgins but a rather overlarge
coalman’s cap for Doolittle and an unfashionable headscarf got Mrs Higgins.
This is a production which, while updating the casting to
break new ground, is very much routed in the original styling and staging, and revels
in the wonderful music show casing each song as a carefully thought-out presentation
that enhances the songs and showcases the voices and orchestra. It is thoroughly
uplifting and enjoyable experience and will be well worth catching on the tour.
Nick Wayne
Four Stars
Moulin Rouge - The Musical ! ***
Moulin
Rouge was a successful 2001 Baz Luhrmann film, a jukebox musical romance with Nicole
Kidman and Ewan McGregor winning eight Oscar Nominations and loyal band of followers
who loved its style and witty use of famous pop lyrics. It was inevitable that in
the current proliferation of jukebox musicals and screen to stage adaptations it
should find its way to the West End stage . Being set in the legendary Paris cabaret
club it naturally lends itself to a theatrical presentation and this production
duly delivers converting the auditorium of the Piccadilly Theatre into the cabaret
room with table seats close to the stage , a giant blue elephant and red
windmill in each box and festooning the ceiling with bulbs, chandeliers, and drapes.
It is an impressive setting enhanced
preshow by the salacious slow movements of the ensemble as they parade around
the stage and forestage. For once it is worth taking your seat early to enjoy the
preamble.
When
the show bursts into life it is loud brash and over the top with a heavy base
in the early songs that vibrates through your body. There is no denying the energetic
and flirty styling of “Lady Marmalade” which opens the show lead by Nini (Sophie
Carmen-Jones), Arabia ( Zoe Birkett) , Baby Doll ( Johnny Bishop) and La
Chocolat (Timmika Ramsey) setting the scene and defines the show style. However,
it is Clive Carter’s magnificent Harold Zidler who drives the show and dominates
the production. He promises the place is a fantasy for hire and creates a state
of mind as he leads a visual and audio assault on our senses. “Let’s Dance” is
high on energy and low on subtlety.
The whole
show is based around snatches of well know tunes or spoken lyrics from them with
over seventy music credits given in the programme! The loyal audience members laugh
in recognition of each extract but for me it was best when they sang the whole song
as in an excellent “Your song” performed
by Satine ( Liisi Lafontaine) and her lover Christian (played on this occasion
by understudy Adam Gillian) or Satine’s “Diamond are Forever”. Both are solid performances,
but they lack the stage presence and charisma of the original film actors and
never really convince of either their love or her illness.
The
staging is spectacular recreating the Moulin Rouge cabaret room and the central
locations of the story . The beautiful stage truck of Satine’s roof top
dressing room and Jason Pennycooke’s Toulouse-Lautrec’s studio glide seamless on
stage and the Paris street scenes are elegantly created . Indeed, Derek McLane’s
scenic design is the best element of the production with Justin Townsend’s bright
exuberant lighting and Catherine Zuber’s glorious brightly coloured costumes enhancing
it and creating the feel of Paris in 1900.
As
with so many Jukebox musicals this is a good night out, lively fun, high energy
dancing and the story plays second fiddle to the set piece dance routines. It
is extravagantly staged, played loud and over the top and entertaining . If you
love the movie or remember the music of the late twenty century you are sure to
love this show. If not, there are better written, more interesting musicals to
see in the West End for your £90 seat and £6 programme investment.
Nick
Wayne
Three
stars
Back to the Future ****
IMDb
ranked the 1985 film Back to the Future as one of the top 50 movies of all time
and its creators, writers Bob Gale and Bob Zemeckis, decided after the second
sequel in 1990 that the story was told, and the film franchise was concluded.
Its enduring popularity to new generations of fans is testament to the quality
of its writing and performances and therefore it was somewhat bold to tinker
with that legacy by turning the original film into a stage musical. What’s more
to do it with the original creative team showed not just a loving care to
protect the memory but also a risk to damage it by getting it wrong in the
transfer to stage. It may have been a long development path from the original
idea in 2005 but Back to the Future – The Musical has finally arrived in the
West End.
We
originally booked for the Manchester opening, cut short by the Covid pandemic,
and rebooked for the London opening only to see that delayed so it was with
great anticipation that we finally found ourselves in the Adelphi Theatre at
the third time of trying. By the end of two hour forty show we were celebrating
the fact that they have pulled off a magical trick of honouring the original in
style and content but giving it a fresh new life that matches the movie’s cult
status. Indeed, the tongue in cheek comedy acknowledges the transition to
stage, celebrates the iconic movie moments with neat twists and sets out to
create a new cult stage musical to rival the longevity of the Rocky Horror Show.
It won’t be long before audiences are shouting out the responses and lines and
dressing up to be Marty or Doc Brown to watch!
The
staging is wonderful with a revolve, automation, graphical effects and the
magical Delorean car brilliantly integrated to create the iconic scenes such as
Doc Brown’s garage laboratory, the tree outside Lorraine’s house, the Hill
Valley High School Enchantment under the sea ball and of course the square
outside the clock tower. Critical details like the picture of Marty’s family
are cleverly projected to explain where we are on the space time continuum. Of
course, the star of the show is the DeLorean car which feels like it is
traveling at 88 mph across the stage before finally taking off as at the end of
the first film to go back to the future.
However,
it is Olly Dobson as Marty and Roger Bart as Doc Brown that really bring the
show to life with wonderful energetic performances that acknowledge the
original stars but add a delightful knowing charm to their stage performances.
They have the same quirky chemistry between them, bouncing off each other and
letting us know that this is a stage musical of a cult movie at every
opportunity. Some of it is bizarre, like the opening to Act 2 with a fantasy
sequence with the Doc belting out the song “21st Century” together
with a dancing chorus of lab coated assistants; it may not be the “Time Warp”,
but it seems to pay tribute to other Musical films and stage shows, as does
“Future Boy”, with a chorus in top hats and tails.
The
music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard are not instantly humble or
memorable but will grow on us with repeated listening. “For the Dreamers” is
the strongest new song, a Doc Brown ballad to the inventors who have gone
before. The new songs are outshone by the classics from the Movie "Back in time”,
“Earth Angel”, “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B Goode” in the climatic
sequence around the High School Ball, although it is rather too obvious that
Marty is not playing the guitar!
The
supporting cast is excellent, recreating the look of the original stars but
also directed by John Rando to bring the comedy to the forestage. Hugh Coles
making his stage debut as George McFly is hilarious and gets multiple rounds of
applause as he practices his challenge to Lorraine’s abuser, “Hey you get your
hands off her”! Rosanna Hyland pulls of the challenge of her 1985 motherly self
and her 1955 young lover self well and we can feel her confusion as she
lovingly seduces her own son! Cedric Neal has great fun in the elevated role of
Goldie Wilson and the guitarist Marvin Berry adding a nice modern uplift to the
show. Courtney- Mae Briggs is charming as Marty’s 1985 girlfriend Jennifer and
Aidan Cutler gets the unenviable role of recreating the bully Biff. Mark Oxtoby
looks like he has been lifted straight out if the film as the teacher
Strickland.
This
is a show that will merit a second visit with so many little details to look
out for like the Tardis spinning across the back cloth or references to the
celebrated features of 1955 such as fossil fuel, cigarettes, asbestos, and spam
(what a difference the passage of time makes!). The original creative team have
pulled off a marvellous trick, honouring their great film franchise, but
reinventing it as a stage show to delight 21st century audiences. It
is a perfect feelgood show for the post pandemic time that puts a smile on you
face and a spring in your step as you are thoroughly entertained by a fine cast, wonderful staging and are taken “Back in time” and shown “the Power of Love”.
Nick
Wayne
Four
stars
Jersey Boys
Audiences post pandemic, venturing back to live
theatre, want to be able to say at the end “Oh What a night” and it may be nearly
60 years since 1963 but the Jersey Boys certainly gives them that feel and
sends them humming the very tune as they leave the newly restored Trafalgar Theatre.
The 1976 Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons hit is an upbeat dance tune and one
of many songs featured in the documentary style Jukebox musical. Indeed, once
the Band renames itself, in 1960, as the Four Seasons, after a bowling alley
sign, the show takes off with the hits weaved into the narrative.
The book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice is
based on separate interviews with each surviving original band member and
reveals the difficult back story of prison sentences, involvement with the mob
and broken relationships from their different perspectives. It begins in the
Spring narrated by Tommy DeVito, the band founder, played by Benjamin Yates who
is the driving force behind the band formation but not always driving them in
the right direction. In Summer Bob Gaudio, Adam Bailey takes over, he is the
composer whose tunes deliver the success and yet is a reluctant performer. In
Autumn, Nick Massi, Karl James Wilson, takes over as the tensions between the original
four start to drive them apart. Always on the point of leaving to start his own
band he finally leaves in 1965 and although he joins them for induction in the
Hall of Fame in 1990, he dies in 2000. The final segment, Winter, is narrated
by Frankie Valli, Ben Joyce, and covers the period when he was the sole
surviving original member and is backed by four new Season members.
It is a clever devise and brings emotional insight
into the characters and in the second half dramatic tension that lifts the show
beyond the many rather saccharine bland jukebox shows that have come to the
stage over recent years. It is this quality that kept it running for many years
in the West End from 2008 to 2017 and has created a strong fanbase. There are
moments of humour too like when Valli says to his first wife Mary, Melanie
Bright, “ I am going to be as big as Sinatra” and she replies “Not unless you
stand on a chair”!
This remounting of the production is by the same
creative team led by Director Des McAnuff who won a Tony for the show on
Broadway and an Olivier in the West End together with Sergio Trujillo who won a
Drama Desk Award on Broadway and another Olivier in London. In particular the
live camera shots projected from the stage as they recreate two TV appearances
are very well choreographed and executed. It is a fast-paced slick show moving
swiftly between multiple locations, backed by some colourful Lichtenstein style
cartoon illustrations with some songs cut short to keep the story moving along.
If anything, it does spend a little too long in the back story extending the 1st
Act to 75 minutes but the second act benefits from that exposition of the four
main characters as the consequences lead to the breakup, while the legacy lives
on.
Of course, the real appeal of the show is the music
and unique sound recreated by the band under MD Katy Richardson and the vocals
of Valli. Hits like “Sherry” (1962), “Big girls don’t cry” (1962), “Walk like a
man” (1963),” Bye Bye Baby” (1965),
“Working my way back to you” (1966) , and “Can’t take my eyes off of
you” (1967) from the original line up and “My Eyes Adored you” (1974),”Who
loves you” ( 1975), and “Fallen Angel” (1976) from the later line up show what
a incredible enduring band they were. It is the music that will keep audiences
returning and it will be fascinating to see how long Jersey Boys “Stay” (1963)
in the West End this time.
Nick Wayne – Three stars
Only Fools and Horses
Finally caught up with Paul Whitehouse's lively tribute
to the classic TV sitcom of the 1981 to 2003 that made TV stars of a brilliant
ensemble cast led by Nicholas Lyndhurst and David Jason. He wrote the book,
lyrics and original score for this stage musical with the original creator John
Sullivan's son Jim and borrows heavily from the best gags of the forty-four
hours of TV. We have the famous chandeliers, references to Batman and Robin,
the classic bar fall, the reliant Robin as well as the classic catchphrases
" you plonker “, " not now Grandad”, "Marlene”, and Del Boy's
malapropisms. He stitches all this together around the marriage of Rodney and
Casandra and Del Boy meeting Raquel and himself appears as Grandad and later
Uncle Albert. The TV show is still remembered with great affection and each
reference triggers ripples of affectionate laughter from the packed house.
Yet is does rely heavily on the original characters and
jokes and indeed the best songs are the TV theme tune, Chas and Dave's Margate
and That's what I like, Bill Wither's Lovely Day and Mick
Hucknall's Holding back the years. The rest of the songs while amusing
in the moment are soon forgotten. In Mange Tout Del Boy performs a silly
routine in bowler hat and cane and in Raining for Grandad Whitehouse has
some fun hamming it up. While in the Tadpole song we see projected
tadpole moving up the rear screen before exploding in a firework display!
Indeed the set and costume design by Liz Ashcroft is one
of the few really fresh things about the show with a very clever twin revolve ,
raised platform and rear projection screen used to create the interior and
exterior of the Nags Head pub , Del Boys living room , Waterloo station and a
host of other locations in slick constantly evoking scene changes which keep the
action moving . Director and
Choreographer Caroline Ranger makes sure the whole thing remains true to the
original and captures the eighties world of Peckham.
The large cast of eighteen recreate the familiar TV
characters to varying degrees, some mimicking odd characteristics and other
doing very passable full impressions. Best of all is Jeff Nicholson as the
bombastic Boycie but Ryan Hutton does a very good job in his stage debut as
Rodney with many of the mannerisms of his TV alter ego. Tom Bennett has perhaps
the toughest task taking on David Jason's Del Boy. He portrays him as a cheeky
chappie often breaking the fourth wall but does not quiet capture Jason's dodgy
dealing optimism. Ashleigh Gray and Pippa Duffy create passing resemblances to
the original Raquel and Cassandra respectively whereas Samantha Seager's
Marlene reminded me more of Angie Watt from Eastenders! Of the supporting
characters Peter Baker is suitably stupid as Trigger and Oscar Conklon- Morrey
has fun as the dating agency manager and the villainous Danny Driscoll.
The show does lift when Paul Whitehouse is on stage as
Grandad and Uncle Albert and he makes the most of every grimace and reaction
and plays it all for obvious laughs with great effect. He deserves great credit
for the production which remains a wonderful tribute to the writer John
Sullivan clever writing and enduring creations and is a fun night out for the
shows fans and coach parties without either taking the story forward or having
anything to say about how Del Boy would be getting on today .
Nick Wayne
Three stars.
Come from Away - Four stars
When Come from away arrived in the West End in a wave of
promotional hysteria in early 2019 after its US success in 2015/16 I assumed it
was just another marketing led opening but this joyous celebration of human
nature in adversity deserves every bit of its praise. Based on the real-life
stories gathered in Gander during the 10th anniversary commemoration of the
tragic events of 9/11, the authors have created a fast paced, fun, moving tale
in tribute to the response of the Newfoundlanders to finding 38 planes and 7000
people diverted to their airport. But at the same time, it recognises and
respects those who lost their lives in the Terrorist attacks and highlights the
tensions and uncertainties that arose and were dealt with in that tiny town. It
is the charm and heart-warming stories that make it work first.
Irene Sankoff and David Hein have then added on a lively
folksy score which has the audience feet tapping from the very start with the
opening number "Welcome to the rock" and some fresh looking
choreography by Tara Overfield Wilkinson which uses the ensemble cast very
effectively even when seated as if on board a plane or coach as in
"Wherever we are' and "Darkness and trees" . I also enjoyed the
story of pilot Beverley (Rachel Tucker) in "Me and the Sky”, the first
female American Airlines Captain.
It is simply but cleverly set and lit by Beowulf Boritt
and Howell Binkley with a slatted back wall that looks like painted wood and
doubles for the plane fuselage and a band of eight playing in trees stage right
until they take centre stage in a wonderful post bow musical send off. The
revolve and chairs are easily moved to stage the plane, coach, local bar and
all the other locations of Gander and this allows cast to always be on the move
adding to sense of busyness as the townsfolk are overwhelmed by the arrivals.
Most did not sleep for the five days the planes were on the ground.
The ensemble cast of twelve double up multiple times as
Newfoundlanders and those who have "come from away" but also have one
main character whose story we follow and that gives the heart to the story.
Even if it all feels a little contrived in the diverse stories picked to
feature and there is a great deal of exposition, it still works. Clive Carter
is excellent as Claude the Gander Mayor (and several other local town mayors
too). Robert Hands and Helen Hobson are two independent travellers who meet and
fall in love. Cat Simmons is Hannah the mother of a fire fighter caught up in
the Twin Towers attack and desperate for news. Jonathan Andrew Hume is a Muslim
visitor, but it allows them to cast suspicion that perhaps another terrorist
plane has been caught up in the diversion to Gander. Nathaniel Campbell and
David Shannon are two gay men fearful of a "redneck" reaction to
their relationship. Jenna Boyd and Mary Doherty are local town folk responsible
for the feeding the visitors and looking after the animals in the hold
respectively. Each is simply portrayed with a change of accent and one piece of
different clothing.
This one-hundred-minute show without an interval flashes
through with a constantly changing scenes and upbeat music only occasionally
pausing to reflect on the tragic events and loss of life in the attacks. When
other recent shows in the West End like Sweat and Emilia call for rebellion and
uprising it is refreshing to have a play celebrating the more positive side of
human nature in response to crisis where working together, setting aside
differences and solving issues is the way forward rather than overthrowing the
so called establishment .
Nick Wayne
Four stars
9 to 5 at Savoy and on tour
It
has taken nearly forty years for Dolly Parton's iconic movie to make its way
from the cinema screen to the West End Stage via Broadway in 2009 and after its
sparkling opening gala night one must wonder why it has taken so long. It is a
brilliant fun lively show with a fantastic cast, slick fast-moving staging
and a strong varied score by Dolly Parton.
Even
though Dolly Parton is not on stage each night, it is her show and she stamps
her mark and approval on the production through video inserts that introduce
the characters, lead the singing of the best-known number “9 to 5” and explains
the characters future in the epilogue. Her character from the film Doralee
Rhodes is wonderfully recreated by Natalie McQueen, who has great comic timing
and some of the best lines and is a joy in the Country and Western number
"Backwoods Barbie". Alongside her Caroline Sheen is excellent as
Violet Newstead (the Lily Tomlin character in the film). She is the undervalued
office manager hoping for a promotion. The third member of the trio is Judy Bernly,
the office typist pool secretary played by Amber Davies (the Jane Fonda role).
She is a revelation as a comedian and singer and the three have great fun on
the roof of the office together in "Hey Boss".
However,
the show stopper is Bonnie Langford as Roz Keith, the Executive Assistant in
love with her boss. Her fantasy dance routine dressed in corset and stockings with
Franklin Hart jnr (Brian Conley) is hilarious and sexy at the same time and she
revels in the role. In the second half she laments on her devotion to work in
"5 to 9" but when she lets rip shows she has real stage presence. We
first meet Conley in his office with "Here for you" when he is
described as a cross between a peacock and a rabid dog with a lower IQ. We are
not meant to like the character who gets his comeuppance, but he brings his
natural comic charm to the role.
The
themes may be of the eighties but are given a fresh lease of life by the #MeToo
campaign. When they say, "Equal pay; in 10 years’ time it won't even be a
discussion" it gets a big laugh and Act 2 opens with an excellent "One
of the boys" as Violet dreams of being a female CEO. When she gets a
chance to change the way the way the office works, she introduces job sharing,
rehab support, personal photos on desks, changed office layout and table
football and productivity is increased.
There
is great support from a very good ensemble, each with individual characters who
also keep the action moving forward with slick scene changes from the typist pool,
to the coffee station and Hart's office and house. The production team of
director Jeff Calhoun, Lisa Stevens choreographer and designer Tim Rogers bring
the film to the stage and breath fresh life into the story with great success.
This
is fun night out and worth catching in West End or on its subsequent UK tour.
But most of all the four leading ladies are a joy to watch and will send
audiences home happy every night.
Nick
Wayne
Four
stars
The large cast of eighteen recreate the familiar TV
characters to varying degrees, some mimicking odd characteristics and other
doing very passable full impressions. Best of all is Jeff Nicholson as the
bombastic Boycie but Ryan Hutton does a very good job in his stage debut as
Rodney with many of the mannerisms of his TV alter ego. Tom Bennett has perhaps
the toughest task taking on David Jason's Del Boy. He portrays him as a cheeky
chappie often breaking the fourth wall but does not quiet capture Jason's dodgy
dealing optimism. Ashleigh Gray and Pippa Duffy create passing resemblances to
the original Raquel and Cassandra respectively whereas Samantha Seager's
Marlene reminded me more of Angie Watt from Eastenders! Of the supporting
characters Peter Baker is suitably stupid as Trigger and Oscar Conklon- Morrey
has fun as the dating agency manager and the villainous Danny Driscoll.
Irene Sankoff and David Hein have then added on a lively
folksy score which has the audience feet tapping from the very start with the
opening number "Welcome to the rock" and some fresh looking
choreography by Tara Overfield Wilkinson which uses the ensemble cast very
effectively even when seated as if on board a plane or coach as in
"Wherever we are' and "Darkness and trees" . I also enjoyed the
story of pilot Beverley (Rachel Tucker) in "Me and the Sky”, the first
female American Airlines Captain. 
Even
though Dolly Parton is not on stage each night, it is her show and she stamps
her mark and approval on the production through video inserts that introduce
the characters, lead the singing of the best-known number “9 to 5” and explains
the characters future in the epilogue. Her character from the film Doralee
Rhodes is wonderfully recreated by Natalie McQueen, who has great comic timing
and some of the best lines and is a joy in the Country and Western number
"Backwoods Barbie". Alongside her Caroline Sheen is excellent as
Violet Newstead (the Lily Tomlin character in the film). She is the undervalued
office manager hoping for a promotion. The third member of the trio is Judy Bernly,
the office typist pool secretary played by Amber Davies (the Jane Fonda role).
She is a revelation as a comedian and singer and the three have great fun on
the roof of the office together in "Hey Boss".
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