Review - Sweet Charity (In Concert at Cadogan Hall)

On the 21st August, I was invited by a friend to see a concert performance of the popular musical Sweet Charity at Cadogan Hall. I was familiar with the music of Sweet Charity (having covered a large number of the songs in my singing lessons) but had never seen the musical as a whole. Intrigued, I went in knowing very little about the story.

In short, Sweet Charity follows a young taxi dancer named Charity Hope Valentine, a lady with several unhappy relationships behind her, as she searches for romance in New York City. It's a fun tale full of ups and downs, coincidences which could only be found in musicals, and a ton of wonderful, recognisable songs.

 

As the title character, Denise Van Outen was charismatic and likable, with a strong singing voice and engaging stage presence. The way she kept looking out at the audience and sharing her thoughts and feelings with them ensured that everyone was fully on her side. Although the concert format of the show allowed for script usage, Denise (who had by far the biggest part and the most lines to learn) barely glanced at it throughout the show. This allowed for a smooth , evenly paced show (unlike the extremely long, drawn out How To Succeed In Business concert, which I saw earlier this year, where scripts were relied on much more heavily!

 

Michael Xavier, who I had previously had the privilege of seeing in Assassins earlier this year, was yet again one of the most impressive highlights of the show. His voice was fantastic and he absolutely nailed his character's comedic moments. For me, he absolutely stole the show!

 

In the roles of Nickie and Helene, two taxi dancers and Charity's best friends at the club where they all work,  pop star Kimberley Walsh and West End star Kerry Ellis gave lovely performances. I did think that they were rather underused, especially as their duet Baby, Dream Your Dream was a sweet song full of gorgeous harmonies, but this is an issue with the book rather than the specific production. Overall, I found their scenes very enjoyable. The same can also be said for Rodney Earl Clarke as Daddy Brubeck. His song, The Rhythm of Life, was definitely one of the most memorable songs of the evening, and without doubt received the biggest round of applause. It was an electrifying, intense and quite hilarious opening to act 2 that really took everyone by surprise.

 

I was also thrilled by the performances of the ensemble members, comprising of Arts Ed students. They all gave top notch, professional performances and held their own next to the other, more seasoned performers on stage. Of course, this is exactly what you'd expect from students studying at one of the most prestigious drama schools in the UK, but it was exciting to think that those young actors will no doubt be cropping up everywhere once they've graduated.

 

All in all, I found the evening hugely enjoyable. The cast was first rate, the music (provided by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra) was excellent, the musical itself was very enjoyable, and it was great to see a semi-staged production of a show which hasn't been seen on the West End since 2011!

 

Verdict - 4 stars

 

Twitter: @OddJazzShoes

Bloglovin: Talkstageytome

Review - The 39 Steps

Having opened in 2006, The 39 Steps is not exactly a show that screams 'review me', and yet given that it sadly closes on the 5th of September and I myself have only just seen it, I wouldn't want anyone else to miss out on seeing this hilarious show like I almost did!

 

 

Based on Alfred Hitchcock's brilliant spy drama of the same name, The 39 Steps may connote drama and intrigue, but in this stage adaptation the story in given a comedic spin which really helps to bring the perhaps outdated elements of the plot into the 21st century. It's also given a relatively short running time of just 1 hour 45 minutes, meaning that far from dragging, or trying to translate every scene from film to stage, The 39 Steps moves along at a brisk pace, which really ramps up the excitement and urgency which the spy drama element of the plot creates.

 

The play's hero Richard Hannay (played with gusto by the charismatic Daniel Llewelyn-Williams) is inadvertently pulled into the middle of a top secret mission, which the fate of the nation depends upon. He is joined by a whole host of characters ranging from a German secret agent to hapless Scottish Policemen. Impressively, all 150 characters within the show are played by just 4 (very versatile and energetic) cast members! As a result the audience in treated to a multitude of hilarious moments where more characters are required on stage than there are actors to fill the roles, and subsequently there are man moments where multirole-ing comes into play in the most ingenious and hilarious ways!

 

As a comedy, there is no doubt that this Olivier Award winning play succeeds. There are moments of genuine laugh-out-loud humour, and plenty of giggles throughout the show too. It's definitely a play I'd take visiting family or friends too, as it's pretty safe and family friendly, but still features a little bit of adult humour which would no doubt go over younger children's heads.

 

There are jokes, sight gags, some slapstick comedy and an exciting, fast paced storyline, laced with love and drama. Don't miss out!

 

Verdict - 4 stars

 

The 39 Steps closes on September 5th. If you've not seen it yet then you can book tickets here.

Reviewing previews - yes or no?

Hi guys!

This will only be a quick post as I only landed in England a few hours ago after two weeks on holiday in Turkey, but I've been following the drama surrounding the newspapers who published reviews of Hamlet at The Barbican before press night, and subsequently, the uproar in the blogging community as a result of these actions being branded blogger-eque by some, and just wanted to consolidate my thoughts (which I posted over on twitter) into a quick post, so you all know where I stand.

When I began this blog in October 2014, it was solely for my own use. I wanted to practice my reviewing skills as I knew I'd be using them a lot while studying Drama and English Literature at uni. I posted online copies of all of the articles I'd written for my Sixth form magazine, and then began reviewing all the shows that I saw, regardless of whether they were local productions, tours, West End shows or anything else even remotely theatre-y. I shared them on twitter afterwards as it was the easiest way to tell my friends and family about what I'd been seeing. At this point, while I followed a lot of larger theatre blogs such a West End Frame and West End Wilma, I wasn't aware of the larger theatre blogging community (the fabulous #LDNtheatrebloggers and #UKtheatrebloggers) and I was very surprised when people I didn't know began reading and commenting on my blog posts.

During my first few blogging months, I saw two shows during previews, and subsequently posted my thoughts in a review form on this site. The first show, Memphis the Musical, was one I had been eagerly anticipating for months, and the second, City of Angels, was one which I very luckily managed to bag a Barclays Front Row ticket for, as it had sold out months in advance.

At this point, I wasn't aware of embargoes, and didn't realise that reviewing previews was not the done thing. However, I also has a VERY tiny audience, had paid for my tickets and was not being paid or rewarded for sharing my thoughts. I didn't see myself as a "theatre blogger", just a theatre fan who happened to also have a blog. I didn't receive any complaints as a result of posting both of these reviews (possibly due to the fact that I had next to no page views), and several actors read/retweeted my writing. One even put up a link on his Facebook page, which made me (the young, naïve blogger) very excited indeed. And that was the end of that.

However, after coming into contact with the #LDNtheatrebloggers via twitter, I decided to take a more professional approach to my blog. I ditched (for the most part) the gushing, in favour of a (slightly) more analytical tone, and quickly learned the theatre bloggers etiquette. I also became aware that reviewing previews was not really the done thing, and so swiftly stopped doing that as well. The last thing I wanted was for my past efforts as a rookie blogger to tarnish my reputation later on!

I know that a lot of theatre bloggers, myself included, would like to be seen as knowledgeable and reliable sources, and  as such, I now try to conduct myself in a professional manner, both in the theatre, and when writing my review or blog posts. Although I have not posted any other preview reviews aside from the two I already mentioned, I now make a conscious discussion to wait until press night (or afterwards) to post my thoughts.

That being said, I am a blogger, not a journalist, and I don't have the privilege of being invited to review every single new show in London. If I want to see as much as possible, then for monetary reasons previews become pretty much my only viable option.

At the end of the day, I really don't know enough to say for certain where bloggers stand in the argument. On one hand, we (for the most part) pay for our own tickets, form totally unbiased opinions of the shows we see, and, like the majority of audience members, we aren't sitting in the best seats in the house. We are normal audience members, and have a right to post what we like (as far as I know). What's the difference, after all, between sharing your thoughts on twitter, and sharing them in a blog post? I'd say that the majority of people who see a show in previews comment about it on some form of social media, and there is no way of censoring every single audience member who steps into the theatre before press night, is there?

However, if I as a blogger have dealings with the show directly, am invited to press nights or blogger nights etc. Basically, if I get invited to review the show, then jumping the gun and reviewing a preview beforehand is a huge no-no and the thought would never even cross my mind!

Those are just my thoughts though, and if I'm wrong then please do correct me in the comments! Although I am ecstatic with how much this blog has grown in the last few months, I'm still quite new to the world of blogging (I don't reach my first birthday until mid October!) and certainly don't know everything there is to know on the subject yet.

Thanks for the support, and for the fascinating conversations on the subject over on twitter too!

Charlotte xx

Theatregoing on a budget - The antidote to my blog break

Hi guys!

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post! I've just been so busy, and frankly too hard up to afford, well, anything recently. My housemates and I are moving house and so I've had to dole out so much money in the last few weeks.

SO. MUCH. MONEY.

Deposits, insurance and summer rent certainly aren't cheap.

For this reason, when I read a blog post entitled 'Do You Go To The Theatre?' on ThoroughlyModernMaisie's blog, it really resonated with me. As a theatre blogger, it's easy to feel left out and inadequate if you're not going to the theatre 3 or more times a week  and reviewing every single show. Especially when your twitter timeline seems to consist of new blog posts every time you check in.

Blog envy gets to us all. It's understandable.

But really, if you can't afford to go then you can't afford to go. Especially if, like me, you're not based in London and have to commute in on the train in order to see the shows which everyone is raving about.

That being said, London is not the be all and end all with regards to seeing fantastic theatre, and certainly by looking for ways to see more in my local area I've been able to fill that West End shaped gap when things have gotten a little tighter moneywise.

Consequently, I've decided to put together a list of hints and tips about how to see amazing theatre without having to sell a limb or forsake a weeks food shop. To regular theatregoers some of the points on this list may seem a bit obvious, but hopefully some of the information on here is helpful to someone. And so, without further ado, here it is...

1) Explore the power of the Student I.D.
I am very fortunate in that I currently live and study in a city which has not one but two brilliant local theatres, and both of them offer some form of student ticket deal. Theatres offering a percentage off the price of tickets for students is not uncommon, but my local theatre (The Marlowe in Canterbury) has a fantastic programme which enables young people aged 16-26 to access brilliant seats (often in the front stalls or first few rows of the upper circle) for prices starting at just £8!!! I've seen countless tours and fantastic one off performances at The Marlowe Theatre for the price of a night out or a cake and a coffee in Costa. This is an AMAZING example of a student ticket deal that actually makes theatre affordable for students, and as such I hope more theatres around the UK adopt a similar scheme. It may be worth investigating whether theatres near you offer a similar sort of deal because honestly it has opened so many doors for me and allowed me to see shows which I may have otherwise been hesitant to take a chance on.

2) Never underestimate a drama student.
If you go to uni or really live anywhere near a university, then you'll probably have at least been made aware of the student productions which are produced, directed and star drama students (or members of a drama society). Often these student productions will be very well acted, high quality shows, and are always fairly cheap to attend! Not to mention you may have the opportunity to witness new writing or experience a play which is staged more infrequently. I think by now every student theatre group has done Romeo and Juliet and Hedda Gabler to death and have had to dig a bit deeper! Fantastic for everyone involved!

3) Investigate unconventional venues
Pubs, clubs, forests, parks, even public toilets! Often local companies stage the most innovative, exciting productions simply out of necessity. It's worth checking out local notice boards/twitter pages etc. and exploring theatrical experiences that you perhaps weren't aware actually existed.

4) National. Theatre. LIVE.
Need I say more. See the show completely unobstructed.... from the comfort of your local cinema!


5) The cheapest options are not always the terrible ones
In fact, they're almost always not terrible.

Okay for regular theatregoers this is probably the most obvious point on the list, but I remember a time not that long ago when I bought massively overpriced seats, miles away from the stage, and was just willing to accept that when seeing a West End show, that was the way it was.
When I take a trip down to the West End, I ALWAYS sit in the cheapest seats possible. I'm a student, there's no way around it. But as strange as it may sound to some people, the cheap seats are very rarely terrible... I mean ... REALLY terrible. If you really want to see a show but you're not sure about taking a risk when ticket prices are so steep, sitting in the cheap seats is your best option. Again, this might sound obvious, however, I am always shocked by the amount of people who splash out of £70 seats when three seats along or one row behind you can get a ticket for a third of the price. You could always check out Seatplan for honest seat reviews in London venues if you want to be certain you're not going to be staring at a pillar for 2 and a half hours.
Aside from this, there's the option to get dayseats for a number of West End shows (very often these are in the front row and are normally around £20-25 so if queuing in the morning is doable for you then I'd fully recommend it.). Not to mention a load of student ticket schemes that operate in London theatres, such as the RSC Key, National Theatre Entry Pass and Menier Chocolate Factory Golden Tickets to name but a few. Yes, theatre in London is expensive, but there are nearly always ways to cut costs while maintaining an enjoyable theatregoing experience.

I'll be honest, I do find this post a bit sad. It may be a fact of life, and has been ever since I began going to the theatre, but unfortunately, there is no way to avoid the fact that theatregoing IS an expensive hobby. While I hope I've helped to prove that ways to see great theatre locally, and avoid unnecessary expenses, it is rather unfortunate that as far as the masses are concerned, the epicentre of all buzz-inducing theatre is still London.

However, I hope that this post has helped to prove that there are ways to see theatre without breaking the bank. There is only so much that we as audience members can do though, and I do feel that in order to attract younger audiences, theatres need to radically adjust their accessibility, and tailor themselves towards a younger audience. Otherwise I fear young people may be further deterred from attending the theatre full stop.

How horrendous!

But what do you think? Is theatre in London more well regarded by the masses? Do you find the theatre inaccessible because of price, or because of any other reason actually? Let me know here or on Twitter if you'd like.

*  *  *

Right, that was long but fun. If you're still reading them I really hope you've enjoyed this post. Yes, it was a bit different my usual stuff, but hopefully I'll be posting regularly again soon. I've got some really exciting shows coming up in August / September, and then I'll be back at uni at which time business will resume as usual! Finally!

Thanks for sticking with me this long though guys,

Charlotte xx

Star For A Day - Elphaba

Hotel Direct are currently running a fabulous competition which allows theatre bloggers to envision themselves as a character from a West End play or musical, and design their perfect day out in London. For me, a character who I not only adore but also think deserves a lovely relaxing daytrip is Wicked's Elphaba, the green witch who is often cruelly labelled 'Wicked Witch Of The West'. She lives a pretty humble life normally, and dedicates a lot of her time to the protection of animals, which, while an admirable feat, is surely a bit draining after a while. Therefore, If I were to live as Elphaba for a day I'd want to experience things I've NEVER felt tried before!

Itinerary

Protecting animals is something that Elphaba feels very strongly about, and so the first stop of the day would be ZSL London Zoo, who envision 'A world where animals are valued, and their conservation assured'. I'd call in on the Lions and Monkeys and watch the eagles and hawks defy gravity in the Bird Safari, however I'd probably avoid the aquarium, as getting wet is the last thing I'd want!

After visiting the animals, I'd pop over to Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium and indulge in some pre-theatre tea and savoury treats, whilst surrounded by cats (!!!), before whisking myself off to the Cambridge theatre to see Matilda the Musical. The story of a bookish young girl who discovers that she has magical powers and uses them to bring down a tyrant isn't dissimilar to Elphaba's own life story, and so I think she'd find Matilda's tale a truly inspirational one!

My last stop before bed would be at the Zenna Bar where I'd indulge in a truly magical cocktail. After enjoying a classic cocktail with a unique and unexpected twist, in the twinkling, candlelit and palatial cocktail bar (whose azure walls are reminiscent of Oz's own Emerald City!) I'd make my way back to my hotel to reflect on the day and read for a little while, before drifting off to sleep.

What about you? If you were a star for a day who would you be and where would you want to go? Why not write up your own itinerary and enter Hotel Direct's competition too! I'd love to read about where some of the West End's other biggest and brightest characters would spend their down time!

 

Twitter: @OddJazzShoes

Bloglovin: Talkstageytome

Review - Miss Saigon

I have a confession to make...until this week I had never seen Miss Saigon! I know, I know, a self confessed musical theatre obsessive who had never seen what is often referred to as one of the best musicals of all time! Shocking! Luckily, a few days ago I, along with several other #LDNtheatrebloggers, were given the opportunity to see the newest cast in action at The Prince Edward Theatre, and so thankfully I am now enlightened!

Set during the Vietnam war, the story follows a young Vietnamese bar girl named Kim, who falls in love with an American GI named Chris. He promises to save her from her unhappy life, but before he can help the pair are torn apart by the fall of Saigon! The story is certainly not easy going, in fact, by the end of this epic tale (with a runtime of 2hrs50 including interval) I found myself a bit drained. Perhaps it's Miss Saigon's ability to pull on its audiences heartstrings so effectively that has helped maintain it's popularity for more than 25 years.

In the lead role, Eva Noblezada was a sweet Kim with an effortlessly beautiful voice and a magnetic stage prescence. From her first entrance she had the audience under her spell and was an absolute marvel to watch. Similarly, Chris Peluso made Chris a sympathetic character, which meant that when he had a difficult choice to make, the audience felt his struggle. The pair's duet, 'Last Night Of The World', was so sweet and did a fantastic job of getting everyone on board with their love at first sight. The rest of the cast did a fine job (we saw the full cast minus Jon Jon Briones and Siobhan Dillon. The roles of The Engineer and Ellen were played by Christian Rey Marbella and Claire Parrish.) and I was particularly struck by the honesty and power behind the performance of Sangwoong Jo as Kim's fiancé Thuy.

Given the show's frequent comparisons to another Boublil and Schonberg epic, Les Miserables, I went in expecting a show with incredible scale, and was not disappointed. The huge ensemble helped to give each scene a sense of vastness and chaos, and the amazing lighting effects and large impressive and detailed set pieces thoroughly transported the audience into wartime and later post war Vietnam.

For me though, the element which I was most impressed by was the music! I adore a good sung-through drama and Miss Saigon was brimming with amazing emotional and affecting songs. 'I Still Believe', 'Why God Why' and 'Movie In My Mind' were particularly gutwrenching, 'The Wedding Ceremony' was just beautiful, 'Kim's Nightmare' was perhaps the most tearkerking few minutes of the whole show, and while I did find it a little jarring (although I think that's probably the point), the penultimate song, The Engineer's 'The American Dream' was a showstopper that I really didn't expect! Frankly, there were too many jawdropping moments to count.

Although I did find the story a bit bitty and disjointed, and I felt the ensemble numbers could perhaps have been performed with a bit more enunciation as at points vocals seemed a bit jumbled and muffled (although this may have been a sound problem rather than a problem with the cast) I found Miss Saigon to be a surprising, harrowing and unpredictable show with georgous sets and lighting, memorable music and a brilliant cast.

Oh, and THAT helecopter scene was as epic as everyone says it is!

Head over to The Prince Edward Theatre to catch the new cast of Miss Saigon in action. Just make sure you've packed plenty of tissues in your bag!

Verdict - 3.5 stars

Twitter: @OddJazzShoes

Bloglovin: Talkstageytome

West End Live 2015

West End Live, an event which boasts of a free weekend of musical theatre in trafalga square, was an event I'd been dying to experience for several years, so when my musical theatre obsessed friends suggested we all take a trip down to London for the weekend I whole heartily agreed! Looking back now, I can't believe we missed it for the past couple of years! There is no better event on a musical theatre lover's calendar!

I headed down on the train, met my friends at the station and got into the queue at about 8:40. There were already loads of people queuing at both entrances, but when the gates were opened at just after 10am, we managed to grab a spot about 30 rows from the stage and dead centre! Result!

Throughout the day we were treated to some absolutely fabulous performances, some from shows I was already a fan of, and some from shows I'd not seen before. I loved seeing the 30th anniversary Les Mis cast in action, turned into a proper Righteous Brothers fangirl during the Beautiful: The Carole King Musical set, enjoyed the Miss Saigon performance which wowed everyone and, of course, adored the  Memphis performance, especially as we got to see 3 songs from that particular show including the final song, the crowd pleasing  'Steal Your Rock And Roll!'

We stayed for as long as possible at the event, but had to leave a little bit early in order to check into our youth hostel and freshen up before our evening outing to Memphis (what else could it be?)

The show was, of course, fabulous! It was my 5th visit but one of my friends had never seen it before so it was brilliant to hear what she thought of it afterwards! I won't be writing up a seperate recount because I feel as if every other thing I post on here is Memphis related! We saw the full principle cast, minus Rolan Bell, (Delray was instead played by Simon Ray Harvey) and as usual everyone was top notch! It was nice to see Killian in the role of Huey one last time before he leaves for Kinky Boots, but I digress...back to West End Live...

On day 2 due to the fact that we'd stayed overnight in London we were able to join the queue much earlier. In fact, we were one of the first groups of people there. This was fabulous, as when the gates opened at midday we managed to secure a place in the front row, at the very far left of the stage! The view was amazing and totally worth the early start and long wait!

We stayed for the whole day this time and witnessed too many wonderful performances to count! The Billy Elliot number 'electricity' was an incredibly powerful tearjerker (I need to see that show soon!), Let It Be's The Beatles set was rediculously fun, John Owen Jones made a surprise appearance and the West End Cabaret near the end of the day was wonderful too (Ben Stock and Caroline Sheen's rendition of 'Suddenly Seymour' had me longing for a production of Little Shop Of Horrors which I never knew I wanted). Of course, for me, the best performance of the day yet again came from Memphis. Felicia understudy Rachel John wowed the crowd with a rendition of 'Coloured Woman' which literally brought me to tears!

Then we got our very first taste of Xfactor's Matt Cardle as Huey, singing one of my favourite numbers from the show, the showstopping 'Memphis Lives In Me'. I had been sceptical but he really impressed me! He even went for the 'D' at the end if the song! A promising introduction indeed!

West End Live ended with an amazing surprise- a Rock Of Ages cast reunion! Host Oliver Tompsett announced that he would be singing 'Don't Stop Believing' from "Flock Of Cages", which was incredible to begin with, and even more so when ex cast members including Natalie Andreou, Nathan Amzi and Simon Lipkin to name but a few joined the stage. The atmosphere surrounding the performance was AMAZING and it really made the end of the event memorable.

Sadly, the weekend had come to and end though, which meant saying goodbye to my friends and heading home. Still, the weekend was absolutely the most enjoyable time I've had in ages and I cannot wait to check out some of the shows we caught a glimpse of at the event! I'll definitely be heading down again next year. Can it be June 2016 now, please?

Charlotte x

Were you at West End Live this year? What were your favourite performances?

Twitter: @OddJazzShoes

Bloglovin: Talkstageytome