Review - Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre)

35 years after it first opened on Broadway, Dreamgirls has finally shimmied onto the West End. Director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw helms a slick and polished production with all the makings of a dazzling theatrical success. 

Featuring songs such as One Night Only, Family, and of course And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, Dreamgirls' strength undoubtedly lies within its music. The musical, which follows an up and coming trio of female singers called The Dreams who experience the highs and lows of show business in the 1960s, is fairly compelling despite some slightly clunky dialogue, but is to some extent a victim of its own strengths. The songs of Dreamgirls crackle with such dynamism and are performed to such a show stoppingly high quality that at several points the characters' spoken exchanges feel almost superfluous. Although notably the frank portrayal of racial prejudice within the music industry does form the basis for a plot line which gives the musical a more gritty and grounded undertone. 

Any arguably weak points within the book do very little to hinder the ultimately moving narrative which Dreamgirls tells.

Ibinabo Jack, Liisi LaFontaine and Amber Riley in Dreamgirls
Photo credit - Brinkhoff-Moegenburg 

The glitz and mystique of the showbiz world in which The Dreams move is perfectly portrayed on stage thanks to Hugh Vanstone's impeccable lighting design and Gregg Barnes' glorious, glamorous costumes, which are adorned with hundreds of thousands of Swarovski crystals, giving each gown an elegant sparkle. The production design really is heavenly, with a particularly noticeable serene azure permeating the dazzling showbiz numbers! 

Equally divine is American import Amber Riley, who is a force of nature in the iconic role of Effie White. The Glee star takes on the role with all the fierce power and calculated poise of a musical star in the making. Given her Glee character's penchant for iconic show tunes, it's easy to forget that Dreamgirls is not only Amber Riley's West End debut, but also only her second ever professional theatre credit. She is joined on stage by Liisi LaFontaine as the beautiful and sweet voiced Deena Jones, and Ibinabo Jack whose impeccable comedic timing as giddy Lorrell Robinson gets her plenty of laughs. Meanwhile Lily Frazer's Michelle Morris is a great final addition to The Dreams. The cast which has been assembled for this production of Dreamgirls showcases some of the best talent the West End has to offer, with supporting performances by Tyrone Huntley as Effie's songwriting brother C.C and Joe Aaron Reid as The Dreams' conniving manager Curtis Taylor Jr. both delivering superb performances, while Adam J Bernard is electrifying as zany R&B star Jimmy Early.

In a year which has seen many exciting musicals hit London, Dreamgirls is a striking example of just how extravagant the West End can be. Visually stunning and filled with unmissable performances, Dreamgirls is a lavish musical which deserves to keep sparkling at the Savoy for the foreseeable future!  

Don't miss Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre. Visit www.dreamgirlswestend.com to buy tickets. 

Review - Memphis the Musical

Since I first listened to the cast album I've been obsessed with the music of Memphis. In a show where the main storyline is revolves around the birth of rock and roll and the first white DJ to play rhythm and blues on the radio, you expect the music to be fantastic. And it is. The songs are entertaining, they wow, and while the lyrics aren’t necessarily the most complex ever conceived, some songs really do pack an emotional punch.

But what is a musical, even with the most outstanding songs, if it doesn’t have a stellar cast to sing them?

Fortunately, Memphis has found that stellar cast in the form of Killian Donnelly, a popular rising star on the West End, and Beverley Knight, a respected and super talented pop singer who made her West End debut in the original London cast of The Bodyguard. Since I last saw the show while it was in previews in October, it’s been nominated for 10 Whatsonstage awards and wowed critics and audiences alike and the cast has gone from strength to strength. Beverley Knight is simply unbelievable as nightclub singer Felicia Farrell, while Killian Donnelly has found the perfect balance of crazy man-child and naïve innocent that makes his Huey Calhoun simply brilliant.

At the performance I saw, several roles were played by understudies. Simon Ray-Harvey showcased an incredibly powerful voice as Felicia’s controlling but well-meaning brother Delray. Though his performance was more understated than that of Rolan Bell, he commanded the stage like nothing else and in Delray’s standout number ‘She’s My Sister’, Ray-Harvey showcased his brilliant singing voice. Likewise, I was hugely impressed with Charlotte Gorton, understudying Claire Machin as Huey’s exasperated mother Gladys. Gorton was a lovely actress whose performance balanced the comedic and more serious elements of the role perfectly. I was very impressed.

As usual, Knight and Donnelly were stunning as the leads. Their vocal performances were incredible and I cannot wait for the London cast album to be released on the 2nd February so that I can listen to them sing their roles again and again (expect a review of that album asap, because I’ve preordered it, of course!) However, I am curious to hear the roles of Felicia and Huey played by the alternates, Rachel John and Jon Robyns, who have both received high praise from audience members.

But one of the most memorable performances of the show comes from Tyrone Huntley playing Gator, the bartender at Delray’s club. Although he stays silent for the majority of act one, when he does sing, it completely silences the room. He’s spine-tinglingly good!

It seems Memphis the musical has been blessed with a cast of complete stars, and with one of the most talented ensembles on the West End performing astonishing dance routines like you’ve never seen, no matter whom you see, you’re guaranteed an incredible show! The band, which perform on the stage rather than in the orchestra pit, further emphasising the importance of music in the show, also deserve a mention. They are the life and soul of the show and sounded flawless on the evening I saw the show.

If you’re looking for a night of feel-good entertainment then get to the Shaftsbury Theatre as soon as possible. Just don’t be surprised if you’re up on your feet, dancing and singing along by the end!

Verdict - 5 Stars

Twitter: @OddJazzShoes

Bloglovin: Talkstageytome

Review - Memphis the Musical (previews) - October 18th 2014

Having already seen the Broadway proshot and heard the cast album too many times to count, I had extremely high hopes for Memphis, and I wasn’t disappointed. The show only played its first public performance just over a week ago, and it’s still in previews right now, but my god, everything was perfect!

The cast…oh, the cast was incredible. Killian Donnelly played Huey Calhoun, a young man from Memphis who became the ‘first white man to play rhythm and blues for a mainstream audience’. Although his character is fictional, he is based on real DJs from the 1950s. Killian Donnelly’s performance was just outstanding, he was so endearing and adorable and I loved his characterisation. It was VERY different to Chad Kimball’s take on the role, but equally enjoyable. He gave an extraordinarily strong performance throughout the show, but his rendition of Huey’s big act 2 number Memphis Lives in Me was just something else entirely! It was truly one of the most outstanding live performances I’ve ever heard in my life. Donnelly’s voice is so powerful and emotive and characterful too! I could listen him sing that song over and over again (hint hint…West End cast album request!). Playing opposite Killian Donnelly, in the role of beautiful young singer Felicia Farrell was Beverley Knight. I really liked Beverley’s voice already, and have a soft spot for her because she’s from a place very close to where my parents come from, but I had no idea how outstanding her acting was. Oh my gosh she was extraordinary. I LOVED her take on Felicia, because she was so strong and so determined. Her performance of Coloured Woman was just breath-taking, literally. I didn’t dare even blink through it because I was scared I’d miss some little detail of her performance. I literally couldn’t keep my eyes off her. She also had an outstanding number of outfits, and her Felicia always looked so lovely. I was in love with every costume she wore!

Coming to other members of the cast, first and foremost, I have to mention how blown away I was by Tyrone Huntley who played the barman Gator. He was just brilliant. His vocals at the end of act one during Say a Prayer just blew me away. On the subject of that song, it was so, SO well performed and so emotional, and possibly one of my favourite scenes in the show. It was heart-breaking and emotional and the ensemble shone magnificently during that particular song. Stunning. (I did notice a minor lyric change in one song but thinking back I can’t for the life of it remember what it was!)

There wasn’t a weak link in the cast as far as I’m concerned. I did initially feel that a couple of actors had been miscast, but once I got settled in to the show I forgot all of my initial worries and found that each cast member was as talented as the last. Special mention however, must go to Jon Robyns who performs in the ensemble and is also the alternate Huey (and I WILL be going back to see him in that role at some point!). I really love Jon Robyns as a performer (he’s probably best known for playing Enjolras on the 2011 Les Mis UK tour cast album alongside John Owen Jones, Gareth Gates and Earl Carpenter, but also played Princeton/Rod in the original London cast of Avenue Q and has appeared in a number of other shows since) and therefore found myself drawn to him during ensemble scenes. He did appear as Perry Como, Gordon Grant and a number of other minor characters, but I was just excited to see him perform, so that was a personal highlight for me. (oh, one thing I noticed… there were no trapdoors so the actors from the shop scene were brought onstage via a panel that slid across the stage. Also, during the ‘the ride never stops’ part of Radio, the box didn’t raise up, and Huey instead got on to the balcony via the stairs at stage right? Not sure why?),

Music-wise, I was just in love with everything about the music prior to seeing it, but hearing all the songs performed live with a totally different cast is obviously a very different experience. Wow, the music is good… It’s fun, it’s catchy, it fits the period in which the piece is set and each song captures the tone of the scene in which it is performed perfectly! If you haven’t, go and listen to the cast album right now!!!

Memphis is now open at the Shaftsbury Theatre, and I recommend you buy your tickets asap, because I predict that it wont be long until Memphis is a firm favourite with theatre enthusiasts and casual fans alike!

Verdict - 4 1/2 Stars

Twitter: @OddJazzShoes

Bloglovin: Talkstageytome

Edit - August 2015
In response to recent events, I would like to state that this preview review was posted solely for personal use at the time of publication. This blog began as a hobby, and for this reason I was not familiar with embargos or the etiquette surrounding reviewing previews. Even so, this review was posted with the word PREVIEW in the title, so that it would be clear that my comments may not fully reflect the content of the show later in previews or on/after press night. Having now become more a more professional theatre blogger, I would like to state that unless specifically agreed, no preview reviews will appear on this site, and any posts which contain references to or comment upon preview performances will continue to be clearly labelled as such. Thanks for your support!