Musical Theatre Review

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MUSICAL THEATRE ONSTAGE ★ BACKSTAGE ★ WORLDWIDE

Review

The Book Of Mormon Betty Buckley A Chorus Line New Writing Broadway Overview W W W. M U S I C A LT H E AT R E R E V I E W. C O M

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Welcome Review I During the run-up to launching this brand new online magazine, one thing became obvious: musical theatre is a thriving art form with so much happening across the UK and beyond that we could have probably filled several issues all at once.

This was a sign to myself and the three other key members of the Musical Theatre Review team (production editor/designer Howard Sherwood, subscriptions/marketing manager Simon Howarth and head of advertising Michael Tornay) that what we were creating had massive potential. Musical Theatre Review doesn’t want to work from a distance, just scratching the surface of what is taking place on and offstage in the industry – we want to create a community where like-minded professionals and enthusiasts can catch up on news, reviews and features, and be part of the conversation.

Yes, we will cover the big West End and Broadway openings – just turn to the features about A Chorus Line, The Book of Mormon and the latest news from the Great White Way in the pages ahead – but productions on the London fringe, in the regions, and on tour are just as important to us.

In fact, it is outside of central London that new writing is often nurtured, and supporting original work is very much part of this magazine’s ethos. Just see our

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Telephone 08432 896379 www.musicaltheatrereview.com Editor Lisa Martland lisa@musicaltheatrereview.com Production Editor/Designer Howard Sherwood howard@musicaltheatrereview.com Advertising & Promotion Michael Tornay michael@musicaltheatrereview.com Marketing & Subscriptions Simon Howarth simon@musicaltheatrereview.com Photography Roy Tan roytan@tanphotos.co.uk www.roytan.zenfolio.com

double page spread on that very area in this first issue and there is more to come in future months.

In addition, we are well aware of how musical theatre is a global phenomenon and so we shall strive to bring our readers as much international coverage as possible, with correspondents so far in New York, Los Angeles, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Japan and Australia.

Finally, our desire is to throw the spotlight not simply on the performer, but to

CORRESPONDENTS New York Ron Cohen Los Angeles Steve Parker Australia Neil Litchfield France Patrick Honoré Germany Nicole Freialdenhoven Japan Hiroko & Yoshihisa Honda Norway/Sweden Renate Stridh

catch up with the lyricists, librettists and composers, as well as leading figures in the creative team – producers, directors, choreographers, set designers, stage managers, the list goes on.

All material © MusicalTheatre Review Limited

We want the Musical Theatre Review online magazine and website to be the place to be for all the latest news, reviews and features about the great and good of musical theatre, a genre we feel as passionately about as you do. We hope you will join the likes of Betty Buckley, Leigh Zimmerman, Gavin Lee and the stars of The Book of Mormon and come onboard now and for future issues.

Lisa Martland Editor, Musical Theatre Review

and to Lynda Trapnell, publisher of Musical Stages until its closure last year, for

Front cover: A Chorus Line

the inspiration she provided

Photo: Manuel Harlan

A note of thanks to Sue Gregory for her huge contribution to the website launch

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Contents 6 MUSICAL THEATRE NEWS Olivier Nominations 16 WEST END REVIEWS

The Book of Mormon A Chorus Line Top Hat Viva Forever!

The Bodyguard Thriller Live

28 AGAIN… STEP, KICK, KICK,

LEAP, KICK, TOUCH… Anthony Field puts A Chorus Line in context 30 FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE Q&A Gavin Lee 32 THE BOOK OF MORMON Q&A Jared Gertner and Gavin Creel 35 YOU WAIT, THEN THREE COME

AT ONCE Broadway transfers come to the West End 38 INTERVIEW:

LEIGH ZIMMERMAN

Dear World Mile High – The Musical Merrily We Roll Along The Route to Happiness

Lift 64 INTERVIEW: BETTY BUCKLEY 68 STEP BY STEP – PUTTING IT

TOGETHER Neil Marcus on MMD

THE WRITE TIME Chris Grady 70 INTERVIEW: MARK UMBERS 72 UK REGIONAL REVIEWS

129 LISTINGS West End London Fringe Broadway Off-Broadway UK Regional UK Tours

92 UK TOURS REVIEWS

Hammerstein Publishing

110 WORLDWIDE: LOS ANGELES

44 JENNIFER’S EARNED HER

113 BEGINNINGS OF THE

EURO-VISION

Q&A Jennifer Ellison

114 WORLDWIDE: FRANCE

47 REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

116 WORLDWIDE: GERMANY

118 WORLDWIDE: SWEDEN AND

NORWAY

A Class Act Quasimodo Darling of the Day The Tailor-Made Man Chess

124 CD REVIEWS

Making Records Competition

90 ON THE ROAD WITH

HIGH SOCIETY

104 WORLDWIDE: BROADWAY

WELCOME

Ruthie Henshall Competition

80 TOURING THE UK

BEGINNING Bert Fink of Rodgers &

78 INTERVIEW:

DANIEL BUCKROYD

42 LET’S START AT THE VERY

film plus John Barr on-set

122 BOOK REVIEWS

Piaf The Hired Man They’re Playing Our Song

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show High Society Soul Sister 9 to 5 – The Musical Starlight Express

40 DID YOU SEE THE SINGERS

ACT? Paul Harvard on the Les Mis

120 REVIEW – CONCERT Liza Minnelli

119 WORLDWIDE: JAPAN

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ONSTAGE ★ BACKSTAGE ★ WORLDWIDE

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48

90

38

64

110

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MUSICAL THEATRE NEWS

Birthday cheer Jersey Boys celebrated its fifth London birthday at the Prince Edward Theatre on 26 March with the launch of ‘Senior Sundays’, allowing older theatregoers to buy top price tickets for £27.50. Meanwhile, the booking period at the Prince Edward Theatre is being extended to 2 March 2014.

Edd Post and David McGranaghan recently joined the London cast as Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi respectively, while Ryan Molloy continues as Frankie Valli and Jon Boydon as Tommy DeVito. Jon Lee also plays the Valli role for certain performances.

The musical has now been seen by more than four million people worldwide and has won 55 major awards, including the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It opened in London in 2008. In addition to Broadway, it is also running in Las Vegas, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, touring the United States and opens in South Africa this month (April 2013).

into the woods to find the app Into the Woods is the first musical production to be included in the Digital Theatre iPad app launched this year.

The 2010 London recording of Timothy Sheader’s Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park version of the Sondheim/James Lapine show includes Jenna Russell, Hannah Waddingham and Michael Xavier among the cast. Musical director is Gareth Valentine.

All current Digital Theatre productions are available on the app which has to date received nearly 1.5 million likes on iTunes UK and more than 7 million on App Store.

Commenting on the app, Digital Theatre co-founder and CEO Robert Delamere said: “We developed our iPad app as a direct response to feedback from our audience and we’re delighted to bring Digital Theatre productions to a device with the convenience and ubiquity of the iPad.” The device launch follows the earlier debut of the company’s Samsung Smart TV app in September 2012.

Added Delamere: “Our apps for iPad and Samsung Smart TV form the start of a multi-platform strategy that will allow audiences to enjoy Digital Theatre productions where and when they want.”

In March Digital also relaunched its educational resource Digital Theatre Plus for schools, colleges and universities. More than 500,000 students in 17 countries currently use the system.

Scottsboro boys heads for Young Vic

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Stephen Ward is LLoyd Webber’s new focus It has been reported that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical about the 1963 Profumo Affair (reuniting him with Sunset Boulevard team, lyricist Don Black and playwright Christopher Hampton) is likely to be far more about the fate of the scandal’s scapegoat Stephen Ward, than Profumo.

In the past, the composer has spoken sympathetically about Ward who introduced showgirl Christine Keeler (the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy) to John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s government, leading to what was Britain’s first political sex scandal in 1963.

Ward was prosecuted for living off the immoral earnings of prostitution but committed suicide on the last day of the trial (although conspiracy theorists think otherwise).

Lloyd Webber has been quoted as saying that this was a “terrible miscarriage of justice” and that Ward was “a scapegoat. They had to find a crime to fit him and, since MI6 said there was no security risk, why is it a closed file until 2046?”

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Susan Stroman heads the creative team bringing John Kander and Fred Ebb’s controversial The Scottsboro Boys to the Young Vic in the autumn. Never staged previously in Britain, the tale of nine young black men jailed in Alabama on a false charge of rape and their battle for justice, opens at the London theatre on 18 October and runs until 23 November.

Stroman, who directs and choreographs, said: “I am thrilled (artistic director) David Lan and the Young Vic are bringing The Scottsboro Boys to London audiences. Like Chicago and Cabaret before it, Kander and Ebb have written a musical about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.”

The show’s American debut in 2010 marked multi-award winning Stroman’s fourth collaboration on a Kander and Ebb show. Previous forays include Flora, the Red Menace, Steel Pier as well as And the World Goes ‘Round. Scottsboro, however, had to wait until six years after Ebb’s death before it was staged on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in Minneapolis.

With book by David Thompson, the show is inspired by the 1931 trial in the town of Scottsboro which led to two US Supreme Court rulings, one of which ruled that black people could no longer be excluded from juries.

Added Stroman: “The injustices endured by these nine young men are still unresolved, and threaten to remain so unless we engage in a dialogue about them. Our hope is The Scottsboro Boys is a way to start the conversation and to carry it forward.” The Scottsboro Boys is a Young Vic and Catherine Schreiber production.

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And the olivier noms are…

Top Hat and Sweeney Todd are this year’s musical theatre front-runners at the 2013 Oliviers with the greatest number of nominations. Top Hat, still running at the Aldwych with a new cast in place, is named in seven categories, while the West End transfer of Chichester Festival Theatre’s revival of Sweeney Todd is in close competition with six nominations. Other stand-out productions include Kiss Me, Kate (five, also a Chichester production) and The Bodyguard (four).

West End musicals campaigned madly for a place in the Radio 2 Audience Award shortlist, voted for by the public, and the four shows that came up trumps were Billy Elliot The Musical, Matilda The Musical, The Phantom Of The Opera and Wicked. Among the individual nominees are Heather Headley and Debbie Kurup (The Bodyguard), Leigh Zimmerman (A Chorus Line), Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball (Sweeney Todd), Hannah Waddingham and Adam Garcia (Kiss Me, Kate), Tom Chambers (Top Hat) and Will Young (Cabaret) The nominations were announced by Olivier Award winners Ruth Wilson and Elaine Paige on 26 March live on the BBC Radio 2

Ken Bruce show. Mark Rubinstein, President of the Society of London Theatre, said: “Congratulations to all of this year’s Olivier Award nominees whose incredible talents contributed to a recordbreaking year for London theatre. I am delighted that today we can also announce that MasterCard are continuing their support of the Olivier Awards until the end of 2016.”

The winners will be presented at the 37th Olivier Awards ceremony, taking place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday, 28 April, hosted by Hugh Bonneville and Sheridan Smith. The ceremony will be live on BBC Radio 2 from 6.30pm with a highlights package broadcast on ITV later in the evening.

The TV programme will include the winners’ speeches and extracts of featured performances. Further coverage on the night will be provided at www.oliviers.com, on Twitter via @OlivierAwards.com.

The public can also gather in Covent Garden Piazza for special live performances from top London shows before watching a live relay of the ceremony on big screens. All the musical theatre nominations are listed below: www.olivierawards.com

Best Actor in a Musical

Best New Musical

Best Theatre Choreographer

Michael Ball (Sweeney Todd)

Loserville

Bill Deamer (Top Hat)

Alex Bourne (Kiss Me, Kate)

Soul Sister

Stephen Mear (Kiss Me, Kate)

Tom Chambers (Top Hat)

The Bodyguard

Will Young (Cabaret)

Top Hat

Best Actress in a Musical

Best Musical Revival

Heather Headley (The Bodyguard)

A Chorus Line

Imelda Staunton (Sweeney Todd)

Cabaret

Summer Strallen (Top Hat)

Kiss Me, Kate

Hannah Waddingham (Kiss Me, Kate)

Sweeney Todd

Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical

BBC Radio 2 Audience Award

Best Costume Design Anthony Ward (Sweeney Todd) Jon Morrell (Top Hat) Best Set Design Hildegard Bechtler (Top Hat) Tim Hatley (The Bodyguard) Best Sound Design

Adam Garcia (Kiss Me, Kate) Debbie Kurup (The Bodyguard) Siân Phillips (Cabaret)

Billy Elliot the Musical

Gareth Owen (Top Hat) Paul Groothuis (Sweeney Todd)

Matilda the Musical The Phantom of the Opera

Best Lighting Design

Wicked

Max Henderson (Sweeney Todd)

Leigh Zimmerman (A Chorus Line)

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

PHOTO-MONTAGE: ROY TAN

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MUSICAL THEATRE NEWS

Special Olivier for Acclaimed director and choreographer Gillian Lynne

CRAZY FOR music

Acclaimed director and choreographer Gillian Lynne will receive a Special Award at the Oliviers 2013 in honour of her outstanding contribution to theatre and the arts.

Lynne has most recently been in action as director of the UK premiere of Jerry Herman’s Dear World at London’s Charing Cross Theatre, but probably her best-known work has been creating the iconic staging of Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.

Since beginning her career as a dancer with Sadler’s Wells Ballet, as well as directing what was regarded as the first working-class musical, The Matchgirls, Lynne has staged and choreographed more than 50 Broadway, West End and international stage productions.

Gillian Lynne – at work on the set of Dear World

April’s line-up for London’s Crazy Coqs cabaret room (at the restaurant Brassiere Zedel) offers several treats for the fan of musical theatre.

Tony-winner Donna McKechnie’s new show Same Place: Another Time (2–6 April) celebrates the 70s in New York City with a few references to London thrown in too. Best known for creating the role of Cassie in A Chorus Line, the actress and singer’s other Broadway credits include State Fair, On the Town, Company, Promises, Promises and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

For these performances, McKechnie salutes the music of Jim Croce, Peter Allen, Marvin Hamlisch, Billy Strayhorn, Stephen Sondheim and Irving Berlin, with musical direction by Nathan Martin.

Performing the songs that have meant the most to her over a distinguished career in shows by Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber and her late husband, the great lyricist Alan J Lerner, Liz Robertson premieres her new show Liz Sings Her Favourite Songs (23–27 April).

As a very young actress/singer, Robertson came to public attention starring as Eliza Doolittle in the 1979 London revival of My Fair Lady.

She has led the cast in a string of musicals, including the original productions of Song and Dance and Side By Side By Sondheim. Chris Walker accompanies Robertson on piano.

Also coming up, from 30 April–4 May, is An Evening with Klea, a celebration of classic American popular songs, Broadway show tunes and a few contemporary surprises from actress, singer and comedienne Klea Blackhurst; New York City jazz violinist Aaron Weinstein makes his London debut (9–13 April); and Gary Williams presents Sinatra’s Jukebox, a show full of surprises as the singer performs whatever the audience requests from 100 of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ best-loved hits.

May’s line-up includes American cabaret performer’s Lee Lessack’s show From Manhattan to Paris (7–11 May), Shana Farr’s tribute to Julie Andrews called Whistling Away the Dark (14–18 May) and In a New Key – British actress Anne Reid’s programme of song, nostalgia and humour (21–25 May).

Photo: ROY TAN

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

www.crazycoqs.com

The Park is Alive…

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s summer season will conclude with The Sound of Music (25 July–7 September). Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, this will be the first time that a work by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II has been staged at the venue. Kavanaugh’s previous credits include directing The Music Man and Love Story (Chichester Festival Theatre). She will be joined by choreographer Alistair David, set and costume designer Peter McKintosh (who joins the team for another season), musical director Steve Ridley and lighting designer Tim Mitchell.

Menier’s color-ful scoop

The Menier Chocolate Factory hosts the European opening of The Color Purple for a ten-week run. John Doyle will direct and design the show which runs at the venue in Southwark, London from 5 July to 14 September.

The adaptation is by Tony Award-winner Marsha Norman, with music and lyrics from Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, and is produced by special arrangement with Scott Sanders and Roy Furman.

The Color Purple is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, which follows the life of Afro-American heroine Celie in the US Deep South. Stephen Spielberg directed the 1985 film adaptation starring Whoopi Goldberg, while the original Broadway adaptation ran for more than two years before closing in 2008.

www.openairtheatre.com

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ONCE upon a time Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cvitešić lead the cast of the eight-time Tony award-winning musical Once, directed by John Tiffany and opening at the Phoenix Theatre on 9 April.

Once has a book by award-winning Irish playwright and screenwriter Enda Walsh and is based on the 2007 motion picture written and directed by John Carney, with music and lyrics by Academy Award-winning Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová.

Scenic and costume designs are by Bob Crowley, with lighting by Natasha Katz, sound by Clive Goodwin, musical supervision and orchestrations by Martin Lowe and movement by Steven Hoggett.

The New York production of Once, the fastest Broadway musical to recoup in 16 years, opened at the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre in March 2012. Bennett and Cvitešić will be joined by Valda Aviks, Ryan Fletcher, Aidan Kelly, Gareth O’Connor, Michael O’Connor, Miria Parvin, Jos Slovick, Flora Spencer-Longhurst, Jez Unwin and Gabriel Vick.

Alternating the role of Girl’s young daughter Ivanka will be Poppy-Lily Baker, Mia-Jai Bryan, Pacha Anna Green and Nancy Ann Jeans.

The producers of the West End production are Barbara Broccoli, John N Hart Jr, Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo, Brian Carmody, Michael G Wilson, Orin Wolf and Michael Rose Limited in association with New York Theatre Workshop. www.oncemusical.co.uk

Sondheim Prize Up for gRabs Musical theatre students from Britain’s top drama schools compete in London on 19 May for the seventh annual Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Competition.

A shortlist of 12 finalists will perform before a panel including director Michael Grandage, actress Imelda Staunton, National Theatre head of music Matthew Scott, musical director Mike Haslam and Bert Fink of Rodgers & Hammerstein Theatricals Europe, with journalist and broadcaster Edward Seckerson chairing.

Contestants will each perform a Sondheim piece and new songs written by members of Mercury Music Developments, the writerbased organisation dedicated to new musical theatre.

The winner will be presented with a prize to the value of £1,000 by performer Julia McKenzie and a representative of the Bennett-Muir Musical Theatre Archive Trust.

Writers George Stiles and Anthony Drewe will also present the sixth Stiles and Drewe Best Song Prize – again worth £1,000 – for the best new song. Joining the pair as judges are London Road composer Adam Cork and actor Reece Shearsmith.

Actress Jenna Russell will present the event at the Garrick Theatre.

S & S legacy supports new writing

www.mercurymusicals.com

Pictured – left to right: Caroline Underwood, chair of MMD; Christine Denniston and Gwyneth Herbert, winners of the Special Commendation; the late Sylvia Brown, seated, and Warner Brown, award sponsors; and Denise Wright and Chris Burgess, winners.

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

Photo: MEL CHENEY

they also held a public industry showcase of their show at London’s Tristan Bates Theatre.

An impressive 52 MMD members submitted material to the award last year (at least one member of the creative team must be a member of the organisation or the affiliate body BML – Book Music Lyrics), and it was lyricist/songwriter Charles Hart and musical director Nigel Lilley who were charged with the demanding task of choosing from a final shortlist.

The decision was so tough that alongside Wright and Burgess’ Emerald, writers Christine Denniston and Gwyneth Herbert received a Special Commendation for their musical Before the Law (including a showcase of their own at the Grand Saloon, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane).

All four writers received their awards from Michael Ball at MMD’s 20th Anniversary Gala and saw excerpts of their work performed.

Brown’s current projects include the unusual piece Elsie De Wolfe Isn’t Dead (with Gwyneth Herbert), two shows with well-known American performer and composer Michael Feinstein (The Thomas Crown Affair/The Gold Room) and an opera with Joshua Schmidt (The Perfect Blonde). He is therefore well aware the difference The S & S Award can make to new writers.

“I know my parents would be so proud, that their joint legacy will continue to support new work in musical theatre.” * The deadline for submitting material to The S & S Awards is 8 May. Following a shortlisting process, the judges’ final decision will be announced at the beginning of August. Details can be found via the MMD website.

ISSUE 1

Last year the inaugural Sidney Brown Memorial Award was created by librettist/lyricist Warner Brown and his mother Sylvia to nurture budding writers of original British musical theatre.

Facilitated by Mercury Musical Developments, the prize proved an immediate success and the decision was made to continue the event on an annual basis. Sadly, it is in tribute to both of Warner’s parents that the prize has been retitled for 2013 as The S & S Award, for Sylvia died unexpectedly in January. The couple were popularly known as ‘S & S’ during their 60 years together.

The winners of the inaugural Sidney Brown Memorial Award were Chris Burgess and Denise Wright for their musical Emerald. As part of their prize, the writers had the valuable opportunity to spend a week developing their material with a professional cast, director and MD without the pressure of staging a production at the end of the process – all supported by the Noel Coward Foundation. In addition,

MUSICAL THEATRE NEWS

Stars honour Hal Jason Robert Brown, Len Cariou and Denise Van Outen are among the performers confirmed for this year’s Night of 1000 Stars, honouring the legendary Hal Prince.

Joining them are Heather Headley and Debbie Kurup (The Bodyguard), Tiffany Graves, Kate Rowley-Jones, Alex Bourne, Ian Knauer, Marcus Lovett, Shona Lindsay, Tabitha Webb and Kristen Beth Williams.

Overseas performers announced include Kenneth Nichols, from the US, and from Denmark, Christian Lund. The Anglo-Japanese violin soloist Diana Yukawa will also guest, together with the City of London Philharmonic, West End Chorus and organist Stephen Disley. Kevin Amos and Stuart Morley will provide musical supervision.

The concert, presented by Alan Titchmarsh, takes place again at the Royal Albert Hall and will be staged on Sunday, 5 May. Proceeds will support the Caron Keating Foundation cancer charity.

Musical items will come from Evita, West Side Story, Fiddler On the Roof, The Phantom of the Opera, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Follies, Company, Cabaret, Candide, Parade, and more…

Kevan Allen and Dmitri Gruzdyev (from English National Ballet) will choreograph. Director Hugh Wooldridge said: “This evening is a must for all who love musicals. Come along and hear the best performers in the world performing some of the greatest songs of the 20th Century. Come and join in the fun while raising funds for this most splendid charity.” www.thenightof1000stars.com

Patti LuPone returns to London for just seven performances from 16–23 June. The legendary Broadway star, who also played Fantine in the original West End cast of Les Misérables, will appear at the Leicester Square Theatre accompanied by Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host.

Renowned for her Tony Award-winning title role in Evita on Broadway, LuPone also won a 2008 Best Actress Tony for her portrayal of Mama Rose in Gypsy.

Host and accompanist Rudetsky presents his popular Broadway show on Sirius XM radio in the United States. He will interview LuPone between her song performances for the 75-minute show.

Rudetsky also premieres his solo show Deconstructing Broadway on June 22 at 9.30pm.

LuPone is presented by Mark Cortale in association with Martin Witts for London International Arts Theatres Ltd.

Photo: JOAN MARCUS

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Patti’s back in town

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Ambitious Landor Robert McWhir, artistic director of London’s Landor Theatre, and Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment, have announced that From Page To Stage – a season of new musical theatre writing held this year at the venue ­– will return for a second year in 2014.

The successful five-week season showcased more than 20 nights of original musical theatre in a variety of styles. The producers will announce details shortly of how writers can get involved in next year’s event This year is an ambitious year at The Landor, with almost a year of new musical theatre from both British and American writers scheduled throughout the summer and on to the end of the year. Following the revival of A Class Act, the story of lyricist Edward Kleban (see Musical Theatre Review’s review), is Sleeping Arrangements, a new musical from Chris Burgess based on the novel

by Sophie Kinsella. Featuring Liza Pulman, Jenny Gayner and Sabrina Aloueche, the production runs from 17 April to 12 May. In association with Knockhardy Productions, Aria Entertainment is also transferring Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s The Secret Garden: In Concert to the Greenwich Theatre for one night on 12 April.

Directed by Matthew Gould, the cast includes Alexander Evans, Rachel McCormick, Jordan Lee Davies, Zoe Curlett, Zac Donovan and Ana Martin.

The same team recently produced The Mystery of Edwin Drood. www.aria-entertainment.com/www.landortheatre.co.uk

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First sign of charlie The official video trailer has been released for the world premiere stage production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, along with the first images of rehearsals. Directed by Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes, and starring Olivier and Tony Awardwinning actor Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, the musical opens at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 25 June, 2013.

The music is composed by Marc Shaiman, with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and a book by playwright and adaptor David Greig. Set/costume designs are by Mark Thompson, while Peter Darling takes charge of the choreography.

Alongside the cast will include Nigel Planer as Grandpa Joe, Clive Carter as Mr Salt, Jasna Ivir as Mrs Gloop, Paul J Medford as Mr Beauregarde, Iris Roberts as Mrs Teavee and Myra Sands as Grandma Georgina. Also in the ensemble are Joe Allen, David Birch, Michelle Bishop, Mireia Mambo Bokele, Matthew Clark, Alex Clatworthy, Jennifer Davison, Luke Fetherston, Nia Fisher, Kate Graham, Clare Halse, Mark Iles, Daniel Ioannou, Kieran Jae, Jane McMurtrie, Natalie Moore-Williams, Sherrie Pennington, Damien Poole, Paul Saunders, Jack Shalloo and Jay Webb.

Producers Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Kevin McCormick have also announced that an extra performance will be added to the start of the run, so the show will now have its first preview on 17 May. The new trailer can be viewed at www.charlieandthechocolatefactory.com

no times of trouble for let it BE Producers of Let It Be announced on the eve of its transfer from London’s Prince of Wales Theatre to the Savoy that the show had recouped its costs after just 18 weeks.

Spokesman Jamie Hendry said: “While every show strives to recoup its costs over the course of its run, every producer knows that it is an all too uncommon event, and a huge cause for celebration when it happens.”

The Savoy run began on 1 February and is booking until Saturday, 5 October. The show is comprised of two casts, alternating from night to night. The current company includes Emanuele Angeletti, John Brosnan, James Fox, Michael Gagliano, Reuven Gershon, Stephen Hill, Phil Martin and Luke Roberts. Each group is joined for several songs by either Ryan Alex Farmery or Michael Bramwell on keyboards.

Musical supervisor and UK director is John Maher, set design is by Tim McQuillen-Wright , global lighting designer is Stephan Gotschel, with lighting designer Humphrey McDermott , sound design is by Gareth Owen and video designer is Duncan McLean.

Let It Be is produced by Jamie Hendry Productions, Annerin Productions, BB Promotion, and Rubin Fogel & Julian Stoneman Associates. www.letitbelondon.com

Douglas Hodge and director Sam Mendes in rehearsals for Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

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Photo: HELEN MAYBANKS

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MUSICAL THEATRE NEWS

Will this show have the X Factor?

X Factor – It’s Time to Face The Musical! hits the London stage in early 2014 in a co-production from Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and Europe’s biggest theatre chain-cum-producer Stage Entertainment.

Scheduled for the Palladium theatre, casting for the show is due to begin in May. Comic Harry Hill and Spend Spend Spend creator Steve Brown share responsibility for lyrics, with Hill also writing the book and Brown the music.

Double Olivier Award-winning Sean Foley directs, while Es Devlin and Kate Prince will take charge of design and choreography respectively.

The new show, which will feature 19 new songs, is described by the producers as “an affectionate poke at the world’s most talked-about talent show that will please friends and knockers of the X Factor in equal measure.”

Its plot centres on Chenice, ‘the only girl in the world who has never heard of the X Factor’, who stumbles into the auditions with her talking dog, only to find stardom and love in the shape of her fellow contestant, Max. On the road to celebrity she finds herself pitched against contestants of varying talent before a panel of instantlyrecognisable judges.

Casting details are yet to be confirmed but other creative talent recruited so far includes sound designer Gareth Owen and lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, with Phillip Bateman as musical supervisor. www.thexfactormusical.com

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

princess finally arrives at the national The long-awaited Tori Amos musical The Light Princess will premiere as part of the National Theatre’s 50th anniversary year.

Adapted from George MacDonald’s 1864 fairytale, the piece has music and lyrics by Amos and book/lyrics by Samuel Adamson. The production will open in the Lyttelton Theatre in October (later than originally planned, it was first announced in January 2011). Directed

by War Horse’s Marianne Elliott, the cast includes Clive Rowe and Rosalie Craig.

In the story a princess is cursed with a lack of gravity and the only time she doesn’t float up into the air is when she is swimming.

However, if she can learn the art of crying, there may be a chance she can keep her feet on the ground and marry her prince.

Amos has sold over 12 million records internationally, including the singles ‘Crucify’, ‘Cornflake Girl’, ‘Sneeze’, ‘Spark’ and ‘A Sorta Fairytale’.

Space vixens make their return Last seen in the West End 15 years ago, glam rock sci-fi musical Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens opens at the Leicester Square Theatre for a seven week-season starting 1 August.

Director and choreographer is Stuart Saint, responsible for the venue’s last, sell-out pantomime. Casting will be announced shortly and the show is presented by Martin Witts for London International Arts Theatres Ltd. Saucy Jack was conceived for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, debuting there in 1995 and acquiring a cult audience. It was awarded a Fringe First for innovation in theatre and outstanding new production. In summer 1998 it opened at the Queen’s Theatre in the West End, performing there for 12 weeks.

the great outdoors

In excess of 15,000 tickets have been booked for Kilworth House Theatre’s opening production of My Fair Lady, running from 5 June –14 July.

The open-air theatre’s second production this summer is the classic Cole Porter musical comedy Anything Goes which plays at the venue from 6 August–1 September. Last year’s productions – Me and My Girl, The Sound of Music and the Live at Kilworth concerts – attracted an audience of more than 46,000 people. The theatre is set in the grounds of Kilworth House Hotel in South Leicestershire. www.kilworthhousetheatre.co.uk

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circus time at chichester

musicals are hot stuff at the curve

Chichester Festival Theatre’s musical theatre productions for 2013 will include a ‘refreshed and revised version’ of Cy Coleman’s and Michael Stewart’s Barnum (15 July–31 August ), the first production staged in Theatre in the Park, a temporary state-of-the-art auditorium erected while the £22 million RENEW redevelopment of the Festival Theatre continues. The purpose-built temporary theatre will house 1,400 seats and a thrust stage. It will be just a few minutes’ stroll from the Festival Theatre site.

A major revival of Barnum will be presented in association with Cameron Mackintosh. Directed by Regent’s Park Open Air artistic director Timothy Sheader, the production features Broadway performer Christopher Fitzgerald in the lead role. Mark Bramble has revised the book along with Mackintosh, while Sheader is joined by co-director/choreographer Liam Steel, co-choreographer Andrew Wright and musical supervisor Stephen Brooker.

In addition, Richard Eyre directs Adler and Ross’ The Pajama Game at the Minerva Theatre with Joanna Riding as Babe and Hadley Fraser as Sid (22 April 22–8 June). The creative team also includes choreographer Stephen Mear, designer Tim Hatley and musical director and supervisor Gareth Valentine.

Chichester’s artistic director Jonathan Church confirmed that there are plans for a production of Gypsy starring Imelda Staunton as Mama Rose and directed by Jonathan Kent, but no dates are confirmed. Plus a new musical version of the Wodehouse/Gershwin movie A Damsel in Distress, in development with Rob Ashford and Jeremy Sams, and a staging of Guys and Dolls are in the pipeline.

Chichester Festival Theatre has experienced a golden period of late, with three of its musical productions – Sweeney Todd, Kiss Me, Kate and Singin’ in the Rain – all transferring to the West End. Church confirmed that out of the three shows, it was Singin’ in the Rain which had proved the most lucrative for the theatre. The production goes on tour later this year.

Ceri Dupree returns to the Curve this spring in a new production of Hot Stuff, described as Leicester’s favourite musical.

Opening on 23 April, with previews from 20 April, the show will run until 26 May. Paul Kerryson directs with arrangements and musical direction by Julian Kelly and choreography by David Needham.

Joining Dupree are familiar Hot Stuff faces including Jason Denton, who reprises his role as Joe Soap, Ngo Ngofa who returns as Julie, Yildiz Hussein as Miss Hot Stuff and with Lisa Dent joining the ensemble.

Fresh from his acclaimed performance in Piaf and performing in his first ever Hot Stuff role, Stephen Webb will play The Boss.

Completing the cast are Michael Anthony and Matthew Wesley, a new face to Leicester audiences (West End credits include Chicago and Priscilla Queen of the Desert).

Original devised by Maggie Norris and Curve’s artistic director Kerryson, the show features 70s and 80s disco classics such as ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘I Will Survive’, ‘ Blame it on the Boogie’, ‘Addicted to Love’ and ‘Get It On’.

Meanwhile, the Christmas Curve production will be a brand new stage version of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago, directed by Curve artistic director Paul Kerryson. Running from 29 November to 11 January 2014, the show will be the centrepiece of Curve’s 5th birthday celebrations, marking the official opening of the venue by Her Majesty The Queen on 4 December 2008. Since opening, the Curve has built a strong reputation for its musicals which have included The King and I (and national tour), 42nd Street, Gypsy and most recently Hello, Dolly!

Chief executive of the Curve Theatre, Fiona Allan commented: “Curve has gone from strength to strength in the first five years and it feels the right moment to mark that progress and success. Paul Kerryson’s reputation for producing exceptional musical theatre continues to flourish at Curve and as such I can’t think of a more appropriate way to formally mark our 5th Anniversary than by celebrating on the opening night of his brand new production of Chicago.”

www.cft.org.uk

SCHOOLS ON SONG

www.curveonline.co.uk

Strictly in the mood for fiddler

ISSUE 1

The Mayflower Theatre is launching a brand new production of Fiddler On the Roof alongside the Music and Lyrics consortium (15 of the UK’s leading independent theatres which have come together to specialise in producing large-scale musical tours). The musical will be directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood and will run from 5–14 September.

Michael Ockwell, Mayflower Theatre chief executive added: “As part of The Mayflower’s new artistic vision, we want to collaborate with producers to start tours from Southampton. This will enable our local community to benefit by seeing amazing shows first and establishing Southampton as a place of culture for all.” www.mayflower.org.uk

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

Nearly 70 pupils from four Greater London secondary schools took part in the recent Mousetrap Theatre Projects education programme, StageSong.

Work by students from Park High School in Harrow, Highbury Fields in Islington, Bretside High in Ealing and Thamesmead in Shepperton were mentored by a team of musical theatre creators and performers.

Among the team were composer/lyricist Dougal Irvine, composer Tim Sutton , film/theatre composer Alex Rudd and librettist/lyricist Victoria Saxton, with artists Delroy Atkinson, Lisa Kerr, Aaron Lee Lambert and Lisa Thorner performing the students’ material. A panel consisting of writer Adam Cork, critic Mark Shenton and actor Sam Holmes provided a critique of the work.

Mousetrap’s StageSong scheme is supported by a number of organisations including the Mackintosh and Eranda foundations and the John Lyon’s Charity.

MUSICAL THEATRE NEWS

Stratford East’s Chenoweth tour history in the making cancelled Fans of Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth who hoped to see the actress and singer on tour in the UK in March were disappointed when the tour’s promoter announced that the dates had been cancelled last minute.

Chenoweth was appearing at the London Coliseum on 11 March and was going on to perform at the Manchester Opera House, Edinburgh Festival Theatre and the Wales Millennium Centre.

“We regret to announce that we are unable to present our planned UK tour with Tony and Emmy Award-winning star Kristin Chenoweth and that the tour has therefore been cancelled,” a statement from producers Speckulation Entertainment read. “We are deeply sorry to disappoint Kristin’s many UK fans, who so readily bought tickets to see her in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Cardiff. We wish to make it clear that the decision to cancel the tour is a result of Speckulation Entertainment’s unforeseen circumstances, and that Kristin is saddened not to be able to perform here as planned. She was looking forward to performing to her sold-out audiences. Ticket holders should contact their point of purchase for a full refund.”

The shows would have marked the first time Chenoweth had appeared in the UK for a decade. Speculation on Twitter suggested the reason behind the tour not going ahead was that the star of Wicked, Glee and The West Wing had “no tickets, no work permits, and nothing done”.

Chenoweth’s own comments on Twitter revealed her frustration as she wrote: “Trust me, nobody is more heartbroken than I. Devastated.”

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Half a century after its debut at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, Oh, What A Lovely War! returns in a new production directed by Terry Johnson and designed by Lez Brotherston.

Tickets are on sale already but the show does not open until next year. It will run from 1 February to 15 March 2014 – the year that also marks the centenary of the outbreak of World War 1, the conflict which it satirises.

Stratford East artistic director Kerry Michael said: “We are delighted to be bringing Oh, What a Lovely War! back to Theatre Royal Stratford East in its 50th anniversary year and to coincide with the 100th anniversary [year] of the First World War. “Joan Littlewood’s landmark production was ahead of its time when it was first staged here, challenging our perceptions of war. It also played a significant part in the transformation of British theatre.”

The piece premiered at Theatre Royal Stratford East on 19 March, 1963. Adapted by Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop company from the radio play written by the late Charles Chilton, the show proved an immediate hit. It transferred to the West End just three months later before opening on Broadway in 1964, where it went on to receive a total of four Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Musical.

Commenting on the show’s creative team, Michael added: “We are very proud that we have assembled a world-class creative team for this important production. We will remain true to the spirit of the original and will be re-creating it to resonate with modern audiences.”

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Photo: TRISTRAM KENTON

Jenna Russell, Clare Foster, Mark Umbers and Damian Humbley in Merrily We Roll Along

merrily ROLLs along to the west end Merrily We Roll Along transfers to the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre for just 12 weeks, following its sell-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Previews start on 23 April with the opening on 1 May. A total of 100 non-restricted view dress circle and stalls seats will be available for each performance until 1 June for just £25.

The Sondheim show marked the directorial debut of Maria Friedman and the cast includes Mark Umbers, Jenna Russell and Damian Humbley in the lead toles of Franklin Shepard, Mary Flynn and Charley Kringas.

The orchestrations are by Sondheim collaborator Jonathan Tunick, musical supervision and direction by Catherine Jayes, design is by Soutra Gilmour, lighting by David Hersey and sound by Gareth Owen.

Merrily We Roll Along is presented by Chocolate Factory Productions, Bob Bartner, Scott M Delman, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Tanya Link, Neal Street Productions and Sonia Friedman Productions.

Tim Rice’s first new stage musical in a decade, From Here to Eternity, previews at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London on September 30. Directed by Tamara Harvey the show, an adaptation of James Jones’ 1951 novel of American army life, features lyrics by Rice with music by Stuart Brayson, who makes his West End debut, and book by Bill Oakes.

Set and costume design is by Soutra Gilmour with musical direction

by David White. The show is produced by Rice with Lee Menzies for Eternity Productions.

From Here to Eternity was previously adapted for film, just two years after the book was first published. Starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra, it was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning eight.

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

Avenue Q receives its premiere on the UK fringe in May when it opens at the Theatre Upstairs at the Gatehouse in London. Produced

by Katie Plews for Ovation, the show will be directed by John Plews, with choreography by Grant Murphy and musical direction from Angharad Sanders.

Said a spokesperson for the venue: “We are very excited about this, the fringe premiere of Avenue Q. The show started life Off-Broadway so should be ideally suited to our intimate space.”

The show will open on 16 May, running until 30 June. As Musical Theatre Review went to print, casting details were still pending. With music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the musical opened in London’s West End in 2006. Produced by Cameron Mackintosh, it played for three years before closing at the end of October 2010.

The show was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2007. It also won multiple awards in New York prior to its UK opening.

ISSUE 1

This way for Avenue Q not long to eternity

REVIEWS – WEST END

THE BOOK OF MORMON

currently running

Prince of Wales Theatre

T

hank God for The Book of Mormon. Not only is it performing miracles at the box office – recently breaking records by taking £2.1 million in a single day – this original musical also offers a shining beacon in a market saturated with film remakes. No wonder everyone views it as the Second Coming; I’d say Amen.

For while expectation is a dangerous thing the musical shows redemption for the modern musical is at hand, albeit in an often gapingly distasteful form.

Songs about raping babies, clitoris mutilation and joyously proclaiming FU to God sail perilously close to the wind. While this irreverence is often entertainingly subversive, at times it dampens the experience and feels juvenile. In other ways, however, the piece is terribly conventional, and it is in this tension that its cleverness is revealed. Slick, funny and full of barnstorming numbers, this satirical assault is also a buddy movie at heart and a secular clarion call for a better tomorrow.

As always with writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone no one is safe from ridicule, an egalitarian attitude that softens their acidic tongue.

Religion comes in for a hefty beating but so too does the First World’s attitudes to the Third World. Perhaps most cleverly the musical format itself gets some gentle teasing - “Africa isn’t like The Lion King at all!” Elder Price cries to a guffawing audience.

The savvy meta-mockery doesn’t stop there with Parker, Stone (who also co-directs) and Robert Lopez’s witty musical awash with echoes and nods to past classics. Edler Price’s gleefully self-obsessed ‘You and Me (But Mostly Me)’ soars as high as Wicked’s ‘Defying Gravity’ and parodies the ‘The Wizard and I’ from the same show, while his refrain of ‘Orlando! Orlando!’ practically drags little Annie onto the stage in its nod to ‘Tomorrow’.

Co-director Casey Nicholaw’s choreography is similarly rich with reference, delighting in the ridiculous while smartly attacking preconceptions. The overtly tribal nature of the African set pieces pokes fun at prejudices, while ‘Turn It Off’ sees him unleash a sequins and all tap and jazz hands number on the buttoned-up theme of repression.

“sparkling new pieces that feel completely original in style”

But Parker, Stone, Lopez and Nicholaw are more than happy to strike out on their own with some sparkling new pieces that feel completely original in style. The dramatic ‘Spooky Mormon Hell Dream’ – a bombastic company number underpinned with a toe-tapping refrain,

Photo: JOHAN PERSSON

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Gavin Creel and Chris Jarman

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involving luscious harmonies (arranged by the excellent Stephen Oremus) and scored through with a blisteringly satirical bent that includes nods to Starbucks and Hitler – is a tour de force.

USA tour lead Gavin Creel’s Donny Osmond-inspired Elder Price compassionately shows that pride comes before a fall, but it is fellow tour lead Jared Gertner’s geeky Elder Cunningham who wins my heart. Of the new UK cast, Stephen Ashfield is superb as the sexually repressed Elder McKinley, and Alexia Khadime, fresh from playing Eponine in Les Misérables, brings real heart – and a towering vocal – to this bawdy comedy as hopeful believer Nabulungi.

Honour Bayes

Photo: JOHAN PERSSON

CAST Elder Price............................................................................GAVIN CREEL Elder Cunningham........................................................ JARED GERTNER Nabulungi.....................................................................ALEXIA KHADIME Moroni/Elder McKinley............................................ STEPHEN ASHFIELD Mafala Hatimbi.................................................................. GILES TERERA Price’s Dad/Joseph Smith/Mission President........................................ .........................................................................................HAYDN OAKLEY General............................................................................ CHRIS JARMAN Ensemble.............................................MARK ANDERSON, DANIEL CLIFT, ................................ ASHLEY DAY, CANDAE FURBERT, PATRICK GEORGE, ...............................NADINE HIGGIN, TYRONE HUNTLEY, MICHAEL KENT, .............................DANIEL MACKINLAY, OLIVIA PHILLIP, YEMIE SONUGA, ..........................KAYI USHE, TOSH WANOGHO-MAUD, SHARON WATTS, .............................................................................................LIAM WRATE Swing/Dance Captain.........................................................MATT KRZAN Swing/Asst Dance Captain...............................................LUCY ST LOUIS Swing.........................BENJAMIN BROOK, EVAN JAMES, OLIVER LIDERT, ................................................................LUKE NEWTON, TEREL NUGENT Standby Elder Cunningham........................................ DANIEL BUCKLEY Standby Elder Cunningham...........................................DAVID O’REILLY

Alexia Khadime and Jared Gertner

Jared Gertner and Gavin Creel

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ISSUE 1

RUNNING TIME: 2h 30M

Photo: JOHAN PERSSON

CREATIVE TEAM Co-Director/Book/Music/Lyrics.........................................TREY PARKER Book/Music/Lyrics............................................................ROBERT LOPEZ Book/Music/Lyrics................................................................MATT STONE Co-Director/Chreographer..........................................CASEY NICHOLAW Scenic Design........................................................................SCOTT PASK Costume Design......................................................................ANN ROTH Lighting Design..........................................................BRIAN MACDEVITT Sound Design................................................................... BRIAN RONAN Music Supervision/Vocal Arranger/Co-Orchestrator............................. .................................................................................... STEPHEN OREMUS Co-Orchestrator...........................................................LARRY HOCHMAN Dance Arrangements............................................................GLEN KELLY Musical Director......................................................... NICHOLAS FINLOW Producers.............................................. ANNE GAREFINO, SCOTT RUDIN, ............................... SONIA FRIEDMAN PRODUCTIONS, ROGER BERLIND, ............................SCOTT M DELMAN, JEAN DOUMANIAN, ROY FURMAN, ............................................STEPHANIE P McCLELLAND, KEVIN MORRIS, .......................... JON B PLATT, ROBERT G BARTNER, NORMAN TULCHIN, ..................................................................................STUART THOMPSON Executive Producer.......................................................... JAMES TRINER

REVIEWS – WEST END

A CHORUS LINE

currently running

London Palladium

Photo: MANUEL HARLAN

A

major London revival of the iconic Broadway musical that is A Chorus Line has been a long time coming for those of us who weren’t around to catch the original West End production in 1976.

Sadly, as the programme credits so poignantly point out, most of the original creative team are no longer with us. Since the premature death of visionary director/choreographer Michael Bennett in 1987, the theatre community has also lost the show’s librettists James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, lyricist Edward Kleban and, only last year, composer Marvin Hamlisch (to whom the current producers wish to pay tribute).

Fortunately, though, Bob Avian (who stood beside Bennett as co-choreographer on the original Broadway staging) is on hand to direct with a true flair and a deep respect for the concept his former colleague so carefully nurtured.

There is no attempt to relocate the piece anywhere but backstage at a New York theatre in 1975. Sure, this means that occasionally some of the dialogue seems a little contrived or dated. Casual mentions of homosexuality that may have turned heads nearly 40 years ago are hardly shocking now, but who wants them contemporised? Once the longest-running show on Broadway, A Chorus Line is a slice of theatrical history and it is just as thrilling to see the show as originally intended as it would be with a classic straight play or opera.

What does stand the test of time is the show’s innovative look, style and content. Many lavish and spectacular musicals have come and gone, but Robin Wagner’s design – a black box, empty stage setting accompanied by just a white chorus line and rotating mirrors – beautifully lit by Natasha Katz (who has adapted the work of the late Tharon Musser), is still incredibly distinctive.

It is this white line that the hardworking chorus dancers, so desperate for the next credit on their resumés, always return to. Whether these individuals open up about their parents, teachers, sexuality, insecurities as dancers, we are always reminded that in a couple of hours they could be back being just another anonymous face swaying to and fro behind the star.

Photo: MANUEL HARLAN

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

“the show’s innovative look, style and content”

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Photo: ROY TAN

Some critics have found this dialogue between the performers and the audience (via the often disembodied voice of director Zach, played by John Partridge) somewhat self-indulgent, but that seems to miss the point. Instead, the drama gives those watching a snapshot of the realities of life backstage and an opportunity to see the dancers as talents in their own right.

The way Avian and choreographer Baayork Lee (a member of the first ever cast of A Chorus Line) create a poetic feel to the evening, as one story flows into another, is particularly memorable.

In what is an ensemble piece, no performer receives any kind of star billing, but there are some standout performances. Fresh from Singin’ the Rain, Scarlett Strallen captures both the vulnerability of Cassie while revealing her longing to perform during ‘The Music and the Mirror’, while Leigh Zimmerman is perfect in the role of Sheila, the flirtatious, sexy thirtysomething secretly fearing the end of her dancing career. As Diana, Victoria HamiltonBarritt has the responsibility of tackling two of the show’s best-known numbers, ‘Nothing’ and ‘What I Did for Love’, and does so in a way that stays with you way beyond the famous gold and glitzy singular sensation finale.

Last but not least, there is Gary Wood’s Paul, who describes his parents’ reaction to finding him performing in a seedy drag club. Standing alone on the stage in the spotlight, bearing his soul, he holds the Palladium audience in the palm of his hand.

Lisa Martland

CAST Judy..........................................................................LUCY JANE ADCOCK Trisha..........................................................................GEORGIE ASHFORD Bobby.......................................................................................ED CURRIE Kristine................................................................................FRANCES DEE Butch............................................................................... SEGUN FAWOLE Mark............................................................................... HARRY FRANCIS Diana........................................................VICTORIA HAMILTON-BARRITT Vicki......................................................................................KATY HARDS Al.................................................................................SIMON HARDWICK Val.....................................................................REBECCA HERSZENHORN Richie.................................................................................JAMES T LANE Roy.......................................................................................MARC LESLIE Bebe............................................................................. DAISY MAYWOOD Lois.......................................................................... ALICE JANE MURRAY Zach...............................................................................JOHN PARTRIDGE Larry.............................................................. ALASTAIR POSTLETHWAITE Greg....................................................................................... ANDY REES Mike....................................................................................ADAM SALTER Connie.............................................................ALEXZANDRA SARMIENTO Tom.............................................................................MICHAEL STEEDON Cassie.......................................................................SCARLETT STRALLEN Maggie..........................................................................VICKI LEE TAYLOR Frank.................................................................................. JON TSOURAS Don....................................................................................GARY WATSON Paul......................................................................................GARY WOOD Sheila.........................................................................LEIGH ZIMMERMAN ORCHESTRA Musical Director..............................................................ALAN WILLIAMS Deputy Musical Director/Keyboards.............................DANNY WHITBY Piano.................................................................................SIMON HEELEY Harp.....................................................................................CAMILLA PAY Guitars...............................................................................JUSTIN QUINN Bass Guitar/Double Bass......................................................JO NICHOLS Drums..............................................................................JAMES POWELL Percussion...............................................................MATT WHITTINGTON Reeds.................................................PHIL TODD, JAMES MAINWARING, ................................................................PAUL STEVENS, NEIL CROSSLEY Trumpets............................ SIMON GARDNER, JEAN-PAUL GERVASONI, ...................................................................................ANDY GATHERCOLE Trombones.............................................MIKE KEARSLEY, STEVE HAYNES Bass Trombone................................................................DAVE STEWART

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RUNNING TIME: 2H 00M

ISSUE 1

Photo: ROY TAN

CREATIVE TEAM Conception/Original Choreographer & Director......MICHAEL BENNETT Book...........................................JAMES KIRKWOOD & NICHOLAS DANTE Music..........................................................................MARVIN HAMLISCH Lyrics.............................................................................. EDWAD KLEBAN Director.................................................................................. BOB AVIAN Choreography restaged by...............................................BAAYORK LEE Scenic Design.................................................................ROBIN WAGNER Costume Design.....................................................THEONI V ALDREDGE Lighting Design............................................................THARON MUSSER Lighting Design adapted by.......................................... NATASHA KATZ Musical Supervisor...............................................PATRICK VACCARIELLO Sound Design.............NICK LIDSTER, TERRY JARDINE FOR AUTOGRAPH Producers............JOHN BREGLIO, MARK GOUCHER, ACT PRODUCTIONS, .............................................TIM LAWSON, BRONOWSKI PRODUCTIONS, .................................DANIEL SPARROW & MIKE WALSH PRODUCTIONS, ..........................................JUST FOR LAUGH THEATRICALS/TANYA LINK, ........................ GALE KING PRODUCTIONS, A CHORUS LINE BROADWAY

REVIEWS – WEST END currently running

TOP HAT Aldwych Theatre

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

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Photo: TRISTRAM KENTON

Gavin Lee as Jerry Travers with the ensemble

erhaps it is ironic that a musical based on an Astaire/Rogers RKO film released 77 years ago is up for Best New Musical at this year’s Oliviers (it’s one of the show’s seven nominations), but there is no doubt this trip back to a golden age of movie-making and songwriting is, for many theatregoers, just what the doctor ordered.

Now booking up to 27 April, 2014, director and adaptor Matthew White’s production has seen a cast change in recent weeks with Gavin Lee taking over the role of American dancer Jerry Travers (from former Strictly Come Dancing champion Tom Chambers) and Broadway actress Kristen Beth Williams following in the dance steps of Summer Strallen as the lady he is desperate to impress, Dale Tremont.

One of the first thoughts that comes to mind as Lee opens the show with a rousing rendition of ‘Puttin’ On the Ritz’ is how good it is to see him back in the West End. Following his triumph as the original Bert in the London production of Mary Poppins, the triple threat performer has spent much of his of time working on Broadway and on tour in the US. Now he has taken the opportunity to inject an effortless style and elegance into this production, with no sign that his talent as a song and dance man has diminished in the least since he last appeared on the London stage. Broadway actress Kristen Beth Williams has also made the journey across the Atlantic, fresh from performances in productions of Nice Work If You Can Get It (score by George and Ira Gershwin) and Anything Goes (Cole Porter) so she must have been in just the right mood to switch to the back catalogue of Irving Berlin.

Indeed she proves herself an extremely warm and versatile actress, happy go lucky for ‘You’re Easy to Dance With’, the perfect dance partner during ‘Isn’t This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain)’ and ‘Cheek to Cheek’, while bringing a tenderness to ‘Better Luck Next Time’. Best of all, there is a sweet and believable chemistry between Lee and Williams which allows an audience to root for them, despite the fact that a happy ending is, of course, inevitable.

White and Howard Jacques’ libretto, adapted from the screenplay by Dwight Taylor and Allan Scott, dips in pace when too many sub-plots slow up the narrative, but the comic performances tend to save the day. In the hands of Alex Gaumond as the melodramatic fashion designer Alberto Beddini, ‘Latins Know How’ remains a highlight of the evening. The role of nervous, hen-pecked producer Horace Hardwick is also safe in the hands of Clive Hayward as he attempts to stand up to wife Madge (Vivien Parry brilliantly delivering some of the book’s best lines) and tussles with the idiosyncrasies of his valet Bates (Stephen Boswell).

The glamour and style of the evening is also helped by Jon Morrell’s exquisite costumes and Hildegard Bechtler’s atmospheric art deco designs (used to convey grand hotels in both London and Venice), while Bill Deamer’s uplifting choreography deserves special mention for adding such energy and flair to the proceedings.

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Kristen Beth Williams as Dale Tremont and Gavin Lee as Jerry Travers

Photo: TRISTRAM KENTON

“just what the doctor ordered”

CAST Jerry Travers............................................................................GAVIN LEE Dale Tremont................................................... KRISTEN BETH WILLIAMS Horace Hardwick...........................................................CLIVE HAYWARD Madge Hardwick...............................................................VIVIEN PARRY Alberto Beddini............................................................. ALEX GAUMOND Bates..........................................................................STEPHEN BOSWELL Maid/Lido Guest..................................................... MICHELLE ANDREWS Hotel Guest/Swing...................................................CAROLINE BATESON Cab Driver/Hotel Guest...................................................... JEREMY BATT Florist’s Assistant/Italian Maid.........................................CHARLIE BULL Shadow Jerry/Speciality Dancer.....................................ALAN BURKITT Hotel Porter/Italian Waiter...................................... MATTHEW CHENEY Hotel Guest/Featured Chanteuse/Countess............. LOUISE DAVIDSON Maurice/Italian Singer/Skipper....................RUSSELL-LEIGHTON DIXON Hotel Guest/Swing.............................................................MATT GILLETT Doorman/Lido Guest...................................................JONNY GODBOLD Policeman/Assistant Hotel Manager...................................... IAN GOSS Hotel Guest/Italian Waiter................................................ALYN HAWKE Speciality Dancer/Hotel Guest..........................................LAUREN JADE English & Italian Hotel Managers/George........................PAUL KEMBLE Hotel Guest/Lido Guest.......................................................JENNY LEGG Hotel Guest/Cab Driver............................................ MARTIN McCARTHY Hotel Receptionist/Lido Guest..........................................GRACE McKEE Broadway Chorine/Hotel Guest.........................................DEBBIE PAUL Hotel Guest/Swing........................................................HOLLY ROSTRON Hotel Guest/Swing...........................................................CALLUM TRAIN Maid/Lido Guest...................................................................LOIS URWIN Concierge/Florist/Head Waiter........................................GRAHAM VICK Broadway Chorine/Hotel Guest..............ALEXANDRA WAITE-ROBERTS Hotel Porter/Italian Waiter................................................. ARON WILD

Photo: TRISTRAM KENTON

ORCHESTRA Musical Director.................................................................DAN JACKSON Accordian/Keyboard....................................................... MICHAEL STEEL Violin.........................................................................MARIANNE HAYNES Violin...................................................................................NAOMI RUMP Violin/Viola....................................................................ROSIE TOMPSETT Cello.................................................................................BRYONY JAMES Double Bass.................................................................... RORY DEMPSEY Flute/Piccolo/Clarinet/Alto Sax............................................MIKE DAVIS Clarinet/Flute/Alto Sax/Bari Sax..............................CLAIRE McINERNEY Clarinet/BassClarinet/Tenor Sax......................REBECCA GIBSON SWIFT Trumpet/Flugel...........................................................FRASER TANNOCK Trumpet/Flugel.....................................................................WILL SMITH Trombone...............................................................................ANDY COLE Guitar............................................................................CHRIS GARDINER Drum Kit/Percussion......................................................... MATT FRENCH

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

RUNNING TIME: 2H 40M

ISSUE 1

CREATIVE TEAM Music and Lyrics...............................................................IRVING BERLIN Book.....................................MATTHEW WHITE and HOWARD JACQUES, ........................based on the RKO screenplay by DWIGHT TAYLOR and ............................................................................................ ALLAN SCOTT Director........................................................................ MATTHEW WHITE Choreographer................................................................... BILL DEAMER Set Designer.........................................................HILDEGARD BECHTLER Costume Designer............................................................. JON MORRELL Lighting Designer........................................................PETER MUMFORD Sound Designer............................................................... GARETH OWEN Orchestrator and Arranger.............................................CHRIS WALKER Musical Supervisor................................................. RICHARD BALCOMBE

REVIEWS – WEST END

Viva Forever!

currently running

Piccadilly Theatre

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n Mamma Mia!, producer Judy Craymer struck theatre gold with a musical that had just enough of a story to cleverly showcase the excellent pop songs of Abba, but her luck has run out with this truly mediocre attempt at doing the same with the Spice Girls’ back catalogue.

Right from the start, during an overlong first scene which desperately tries to introduce all the characters in one contrived swoop, it is impossible not to make comparisons with its triumphant predecessor. Again the book revolves around a young woman (Viva) on a journey of discovery, of ‘finding herself’ and working out relationships with her mother and close friends. Except that this time there is not a missing father, but an absent birth mother created for some extra dramatic tension.

Much of this is played out in the context of an X Factor-like reality TV show called Starmaker in which Viva initially competes together with her friends until she is persuaded to leave them behind. But will she come to her senses and be reunited with them by the finale?

One of the biggest disappointments is Jennifer Saunders’ rather trite book which is symbolic of what is sadly a lazily put-together show (and that includes the unusually average work of director Paul Garrington, choreographer Lynne Page and production designer Peter McKintosh).

Despite massive success on the small screen, Saunders exhibits her lack of experience in writing for the stage. Too many characters are sketchy caricatures or stereotypes, however hard the cast attempts to give them substance. Even the experience and talent of Sally Ann Triplett (as Viva’s mother Lauren) and Sally Dexter’s jaded and manipulative TV judge Simone cannot save the day.

Indeed the narrative lumbers along packed with large dollops of dull dialogue, leaving one longing for another musical interlude. It’s more like an extended Ab Fab sketch mixed with a quick injection of emotional intensity every now and then (there is even one character, a ditsy personal assistant on the TV show, who has all the characteristics of Jane Horrocks’ Bubble).

Occasionally, taking a whole different take on a familiar Spice Girls number to fulfill a dramatic purpose pays off, particularly in Act II when Starmaker musical director Angel sings ‘Viva Forever’ to, wait for it, Viva (Ben Cura and Hannah John-Kamen both making their West End debuts). And there is some genuine charm and comedy about the moment Lauren and her friend Mitch (a tongue-in-cheek Simon Slater) decide to make 2 Become 1. However, it soon becomes clear that the Spice Girls’ back catalogue is not generally of a high enough standard to be reinterpreted in this way.

Ultimately there is just too much tackiness surrounding the core story for any of the events to be believable, the best example of which is when there is a quick diversion to Simone’s house in Spain where a bizarre carnival street scene arrives from nowhere. It’s as if someone from the props department found a box of paraphenalia in the theatre basement and thought what a great idea for a scene.

“there is just too much tackiness”

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

It is only when the ensemble is given the freedom to let their hair down to the upbeat tempo of ‘Stop’ and ‘Spice Up Your Life’ during the final bows that Viva Forever really comes alive. At last there is a buzz about the proceedings and some audience members even spontaneously jumped up to dance.

Craymer may have gone out of her way to avoid producing a jukebox musical packed to the brim with energetic covers of original charttoppers, but that may have been just the the kind of spectacle fans of Girl Power would have relished. In the meantime, they could be sorely disappointed.

Lisa Martland published with kind permission of The Stage Newspaper

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CAST Viva.....................................................................HANNAH JOHN-KAMEN Holly.....................................................DOMINIQUE PROVOST-CHALKLEY Diamond............................................................................. LUCY PHELPS Luce.............................................................................SIOBHAN ATHWAL Lauren..................................................................... SALLY ANN TRIPLETT Suzi........................................................................... LUCY MONTGOMERY Mitch................................................................................. SIMON SLATER Johnny....................................................................................BILL WARD Leon................................................................................. SIMON ADKINS Minty...............................................................................HATTY PRESTON Angel........................................................................................ BEN CURA Simone...............................................................................SALLY DEXTER Karen.................................................................................TAMARA WALL Lance..........................................................................ANTHONY TOPHAM Consuela..................................................................CHARLOTTE GORTON Cast also includes:...............................CURTIS ANGUS, MYLES BROWN, ........................SOPHIE CARMEN-JONES, DARREN CARNALL, LIA GIVEN, ............................. LUKE JACKSON, TOM KANAVAN, REBECCA McKINNIS, ................................. CARLA NELLA, ZAK NEMORIN, ROXANNE PALMER, .................................OLIVER ROLL, DAVID RUDIN, KIRSTIE SKIVINGTON, ...........................................................HELEN TERNENT, LUCY THATCHER, ...............................................................................CHARLOTTE WALCOTT BAND Musical Director/Keyboard........................................... JOHN DONOVAN Assistant Musical Director/Keyboard...............................ADAM DENNIS Guitar 1............................................................................PETER CALLARD Guitar 2/Acoustic Guitar..................................................ADAM MARTIN Bass Guitar.................................................................DON RICHARDSON Trumpet/Flugelhorn.......................................................... MARK WHITE Alto Saxophone/Flute.......................................................DAVE BISHOP Trombone........................................................................... PAT HARTLEY Drums.................................................................................... ED CARLILE Percussion...........................................................................DANIEL ELLIS Creative team Book.......................................................................JENNIFER SAUNDERS, ........................................... based around the songs of the Spice Girls Director......................................................................PAUL GARRINGTON Designer.....................................................................PETER McKINTOSH Choreographer.....................................................................LYNNE PAGE Additional Material/Arrangements/Musical Supervisor....................... ...........................................................................................MARTIN KOCH Lighting Designer..................................................HOWARD HARRISON Sound Designer................................................................BOBBY AITKEN Costume Supervisor........................................................... POPPY HALL Producers....................................JUDY CRAYMER IN ASSOCIATION WITH ...................... THE SPICE GIRLS, SIMON FULLER AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC ISSUE 1

RUNNING TIME: 2H 30M

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REVIEWS – WEST END CURRENTLY RUNNING

The Bodyguard Adelphi Theatre

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his is a good, solid, honest musical. It delivers what it says on the label, and gives its audience exactly what they come for – a live version of the popular 1992 movie. If it doesn’t do much more than that, if there’s nothing especially special about it – well, this audience doesn’t want more.

I’m not damning with faint praise or patronising the people who will enjoy this. The special-occasion good-night-out audience is a legitimate population with a legitimate desire to be entertained, and The Bodyguard gives them respect and value for money.

What it doesn’t do is reach beyond a duplication of the film experience as, say, the stage versions of The Lion King or Mary Poppins did. As the Holiday Inn hotel chain used to promise, there are no surprises – the audience gets exactly what they expect, no less and no more.

Alexander Dinelaris’ adaptation of Lawrence Kasdan’s screenplay tells the same story – a pop star threatened by a stalker is given an allbusiness security man. After initial friction they fall in love (or at least in bed), but that threatens his professionalism and he has to step back to be able to do his job.

The musical’s makers have plugged in 15 songs by various writers, in the magpie mode of a film soundtrack, ranging from ‘Jesus Loves Me’ through ‘I’m Every Woman’ and ‘Saving All My Love’ to the inevitable ‘I Will Always Love You’. There is little difficulty shoehorning the songs into the story, as all but one or two are presented as performances, rehearsals or recording sessions.

Heather Headley is attractive and sexy and generates some of the excitement of a real Lloyd Owen as Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard pop star, and, with considerable assistance from the sound engineer, fully delivers on the score’s anthems and power ballads, though the mix tape she’s asked to sing makes it hard for her to pin down her character, as from song to song she jumps among Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Lady Gaga. (Note that, in the all-too-common practice, someone else plays this role ‘at certain performances’.)

Lloyd Owen has the laconic, all-business bodyguard down pat from the start, maintaining the updated-Bogart persona just this side of self-parody in a way that is both thoroughly winning and technically impressive as an acting exercise.

He even gets to sing at one point, quite pleasantly, in one of the musical’s occasional arch self-referential jokes and it is his clearly-defined character more than Headley’s more nebulous one that holds the show together.

Director Thea Sharrock and her design team reach for a cinematic feel through the use of film and TV sequences and the iris-in and split-screen effect of stage masking, with no particular effect, and the raced-through plot leaves little room for Debbie Kurup as the star’s jealous sister or Mark Letheren as the stalker to make much impression.

Gerald Berkowitz lead critic for www.theatreguidelondon.co.uk Photo: PAUL COLTAS

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

“15 songs by various writers, in the magpie mode of a film soundtrack”

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cAST Rachel Marron...........................................................HEATHER HEADLEY Frank Farmer...................................................................... LLOYD OWEN Nicki Marron.....................................................................DEBBIE KURUP The Stalker.................................................................... MARK LETHEREN Bill Devaney.............................................................................RAY SHELL Tony...............................................................................NICOLAS COLICOS Herb Farmer..........................................................MARK McKERRACHER Sy Spector...................................................................... SEAN CHAPMAN Rory....................................................................................... DAVID PAGE Ray Court..................................................................... OLIVER LE SUEUR Fletcher....................................LUIS BUDDY, CAIUS DUNCOMBE, JAYDEN ................................... FOWORA-KNIGHT, KWAMÉ KANDEKORE, TAYLOR .........................................................................LOCKHART, MALAKI PAUL Alternate Rachel Marron................................................GLORIA ONITIRI Cast also includes:............. NIGEL BARBER, JORDAN DARRELL, YASMIN ................HARRISON, SHANAY HOLMES, HOLLY JAMES, ROBERT JEZEK, ..........MELISSA KEYES, GIL KOLIRIN, JANET KUMAH, NICHOLAS MAUDE, .........RICHARD MURPHY, ASHLEY-JORDON PACKER, DHARMESH PATEL, ........................ LUCINDA SHAW, PAUL SMETHURST, CHARLOTTE WATTS, ................................................................................JAMES WOOLDRIDGE

Heather Headley as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard

ORCHESTRA Musical Director/Piano................................................ RICHARD BEADLE Assistant MD/Keyboard................................................JOHN RUTLEDGE Keyboard/2nd Cover MD...................................................IRVIN DUGUID Guitar..................................................................................JAMES PUSEY Guitar...................................................................................HUW DAVIES Bass Guitar............................................................................ANDY PASK Drums.........................................................................ANDY McGLASSON Percussion.......................................................................JAMES TURNER Sax/Flute/Clarinet/EWI..............................................MARTIN WILLIAMS Trumpet/Flugel...................................................................... PAT WHITE cREATIVE TEAM Screenplay...............................................................LAWRENCE KASDAN Book............................................................................... ALEX DINELARIS Director.........................................................................THEA SHARROCK Choreographer...................................................................ARTHUR PITA Set/Costume Designer..........................................................TIM HATLEY Musical Supervisor/Vocal Arrangements........................... MIKE DIXON Orchestrations/Musical Arrangements..............................CHRIS EGAN Lighting Designer.....................................................MARK HENDERSON Sound Designer........................................................RICHARD BROOKER Video Designer.............................................................DUNCAN McLEAN Producers..............................................MICHAEL HARRISON, DAVID IAN

RUNNING TIME: 2H 30M ISSUE 1 MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

Photo: PAUL COLTAS

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REVIEWS – WEST END currently running

THRILLER LIVE Lyric Theatre

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t has recently celebrated the milestone of its millionth West End customer and Thriller Live shows no signs of losing its momentum.

Rather than hang an ill-fitting story around its athletic shoulders, the show is a straightforward tribute to the music and spirit of Michael Jackson, which means performers young and old, male and female, all get a chance to emulate the original King of Pop.

“Eshan Gophal is absolutely astounding”

CAST TRENYCE COBBINS, DAVID JORDAN, HAYDON SCHUN, ADAM J BERNARD, JOANNA JONES, CASPIAN MOYO, JASON BROCK, BRITT QUENTIN, ESHAN GOPAL, JAMES ANDERSON, TRAVIS BLAKE HALL, KYLE JOHNSON, SHANE KEOGH-GRENADE, GAME AGYEMANG, JOE DRUM, DAVID OLANIYI, CLAUDIMAR NETO, JANIERE WILLIAMS, STEFAN SINCLAIR, SAMMI LEE JAYNE, MARIA AKPAN, LIBBY HALL, LAURIE KAY HUE, LAUREN GORE, BEN HARROLD

Eshan Gopal is absolutely astounding as the young MJ, performing a Jackson 5 medley with the showmanship and confidence of the original. That he is absolutely tiny and sings CREATIVE TEAM and dances like a miniature 25-year-old causes the audience to swoon with adoration of his Director/Choreographer......................................................GARY LLOYD cuteness. He is just adorable – an absolute highlight.

Additional Choreography........................................LAVELLE SMITH JNR Moving on to the disco era, the backing dancers come into their own and the Studio 54 Set Designer................................................................. JONATHAN PARK setting with its Manhattan skyline gives the shapely dancers the chance to strut their stuff in Lighting Designer............................................................NIGEL CATMUR sparkly hot-pants.

Costume Designer.................................................. SHOOTING FLOWERS A short and rather unthreatening fight scene sets up an enjoyably energetic version of ‘Beat Sound Designer.......................................................... CHRIS WHYBROW It’ and Trenyce Cobbins’ silhouetted introduction to ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ is exotically Original creator/Co-producer........................................ ADRIAN GRANT atmospheric. Ironically, of all the adult performers, Cobbins is the most Jacksonesque and Producers...................................................PAUL WALDEN, DEREK NICOL she has all his vocal tics down to a fine art. Even the clothes she wears, though feminine, have a distinctly Jacko feel to them, which is startling given that she frequently strides about the stage in thigh-high boots.

Jason Brock’s forte is the slushier tunes and he sails through ‘Each Time the Wind Blows’ and ‘She’s Out of My Life’ with ease and charm.

But it’s not just the soloists that set the scene. Particularly in the second half, the backing dancers crank up the energy levels, successfully managing to get an entire West End audience up out of their seats and dancing.

Of course, the best dancing of the night, comes from gyrating, Moonwalking, Jackson-lookalike David Jordan (although admittedly he does wear his hat low, shadowing his face like a truly ‘Smooth Criminal’).

Saving the iconic ‘Thriller’ dance until near the end and finishing with encores such as ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Bad’ ensure the audience leaves on a high, remembering only the best of Jackson’s legacy.

Catherine Usher

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RUNNING TIME: 2H 40M

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AGAIN… STEP, KICK, KICK, LEAP, KICK, TOUCH… Those are the words that producer Anthony Field vividly remembers hearing for the first time back in London 1976. Here he considers the impact A Chorus Line made on musical theatre

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t was 1971 New York when Michael Bennett first conceived A Chorus Line and met up with 24 dancers in two long taping sessions in which they discussed their backgrounds, their problems and their frustrations. Bennett turned the tapes over to Nicholas Dante, one of the dancers involved in the sessions, who then collaborated with James Kirkwood in writing a play based partially on the taped material. Later, Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban were brought in to write the music and lyrics.

The musical established precedents in plot, development and staging. The plot is deceptively simple, for the action takes place on a bare stage with large mirrors and backdrops, allowing the audience and dancers to see themselves. Twenty-eight young chorus dancers are auditioning for a director who will hire only eight of them. As the musical progresses, he cuts the number down to 19 and finally to eight.

The final script expanded the original taped interviews. The director asks the dancers to tell him about their backgrounds; one talks about

an alcoholic father, another about a domineering mother and others about sexual experiences, religious beliefs or their dance training.

Originally produced by Joseph Papp for the New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theatre, the show opened Off-Broadway on 15 April,1975. After 101 performances there, it moved on to Broadway on 25 July, running for 2,029 performances at the Shubert Theatre.

It won the Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical and then nine Tony Awards for Best Musical, Book, Score, Director, Lighting, Choreography and to many of the dancers. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama.

not limited to Broadway theatregoers

Although the story deals with dancers and their problems, its appeal was not limited to Broadway theatregoers, as it signified the struggle of all young people searching for success, often hampered by obstacles they cannot overcome.

Photo: ROY TAN

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

The current West End production of A Chorus Line

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In 1976, Michael White, who had been overwhelmed by the show in New York, planned to bring it to London and admitted in his book Empty Seats that he didn’t do a deal he was proud of. He was convinced he had to form a new American company to play Toronto en route to London, but he contracted this company without getting a share of the Canadian proceeds.

an overwhelming theatrical experience

When I attended the London first night of A Chorus Line at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 22 July, 1976, I found it an overwhelming theatrical experience. From the outset I was shaken by the strong story and the way it summed up the anguish every actor understands. The first number was dazzling and set the tone for the whole evening in exactly the same way as ‘Tradition’ does for Fiddler On the Roof and ‘Comedy Tonight’ for A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum.

Every decade or so a musical comes along which changes the face of the medium: Oklahoma!, Oliver!, Hair, The Rocky Horror Show, Cats and A Chorus Line.

However, after a successful opening at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, White had to face up to getting a British cast together, due to the fact that Equity, the UK actors’ trade union, would only allow the American cast to play for six months in Britain. Casting this essentially Broadway show with British actors proved difficult because at that time US actors could sing and dance, whereas in England a lot of very good actors did not do either.

This great musical was no starry-eyed variation of the ‘you’re going out there a youngster, but you’ve gotta come back a star’ tradition.

It was a hard-hitting exposé of Broadway auditions which all came true in London with offstage hassles and Equity problems. Indeed, the press was quick to draw a parallel between the dramatised events and Bennett’s actual treatment of artists. This has since been brought

home to UK audiences with the advent of television reality shows auditioning artists in public.

“we had virtually to re-teach the British dancers to dance”

The first six months at Drury Lane with the American cast led to the recoupment of its production costs of £300,000 plus a surplus of less than £100,000 which was all spent on replacing the cast. Bennett and White auditioned hundreds of British artists, many complaining about the toughness demanded of them. Many said they learned more from trying out for Bennett than they had ever learned in an English dance class. The director and choreographer reported that: “we had virtually to re-teach the British dancers to dance.”

The costumes for A Chorus Line are incredibly cheap rehearsal clothes, except for the finale of course. Even in 1975 those gold tailcoats and hats cost £500 each and there were 22 of them needed to create the stunning effect of the finale.

Eventually the show went on to run for two and a half years at Drury Lane, but after 903 performances White considered it too sophisticated to be staged anywhere in Britain outside London, and simply closed the show.

In 1985 Richard Attenborough filmed A Chorus Line but the grit and drive of the original triumph of edgy nerve and energy was dissipated into the studiously unkempt and empty glitz of a film.

Attenborough and screenwriter Arnold Schulman failed to justify Michael Douglas’ nasty Citizen Kane megalomania which resulted in a corny and unbelievable film.

Perhaps the last word can go to Sir Peter Hall who wrote, on seeing the show at Drury Lane, that “it’s kitsch at heart, manipulating the audience brilliantly, the most precisely timed music and lighting and the most expertly done production that I have ever seen in my life”

ISSUE 1 MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

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FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE Q&A with GAVIN LEE You’ve been treading the boards for 20 years, can you describe your training and what difference it made when you were starting out?

I started dancing at the age of nine. My first classes were disco dancing… Well, it was 1980! When I was growing up I did lots of amateur dramatics and school productions and after my GCSEs I went to train at Bird Theatre College. I think every young person should have some form of college training before they start a career in theatre. There is usually a lot of competition in class and this only

helps to give you the drive to be the best when you start auditioning.

If you had a role model, who would that be, and has it changed over your career?

I’ve never really had a role model. Of course I admire certain performers and as a kid I dreamed of being able to perform like Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly – they are simply the best.

Noël Coward once said that actors need a sense of their own destiny, did you always gravitate towards musical theatre?

Photo: TRISTRAM KENTON

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Gavin Lee as Jerry Travers with Kristen Beth Williams as Dale Tremont in Top Hat at the Aldwych Theatre

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I always loved singing and dancing growing up. Musical theatre was kinda all I did as a kid. As the years have gone on I have wanted to try different stuff – TV, straight plays etc – but actors tend to get put in certain boxes and it’s hard to get seen for other projects. Also, I’ve learnt there are so many actors for each job that it’s often best to stick to what you’re good at.

At what point do you think Top Hat will stretch you the most?

I have been singing the same songs and dancing the same steps for eight years in Mary Poppins so I am mentally out of shape when it comes to learning new stuff! Just remembering all the steps is going to be my hardest job. I’m very much looking forward to performing something new though. It’s such a great part, it’s going be a challenge.

We would quite happily spend every waking moment together – which we virtually have done, as Emily was in Poppins on Broadway too, so that was lucky! We do have a two-year-old daughter so we had a nanny for about 50 hours a week. It was hard on our baby girl when we both left the house at the same time. In London my wife will be a full-time mum for a while which all three of us are happy about.

You played Bert in Mary Poppins on Broadway, did your daily life in New York differ much from your life in London?

The past six years were amazing in the States. Moving to NYC to open the show on Broadway, then touring the US for two years with the show, then returning to Broadway, having a baby and living in the suburbs – all very different to living in London. The only thing that felt the same as London was walking into the theatre and performing Mary Poppins every night.

Model: Nikki Grosse

Both you and your wife (American actress Emily Harvey) are in the acting profession, are there pros and cons to both of you being in the business?

PHOTOGRAPHER TO THE STARS OF STAGE, SCREEN AND RADIO Unit One, Quebec Wharf, 315 Kingsland Road, London E8 4DJ T: 0207 254 1199 M: 07753 634443 Email: francisloney@talktalk.net www.francisloney.co.uk

What will you bring to the lead part of Jerry Travers in Top Hat and did you watch the Fred Astaire movie?

I came over to see Top Hat a few months ago and I thought it was great. Tom Chambers and Summer Strallen were wonderful. What’s good about coming in to take over the lead is how members of the creative team are happy to change some choreography and let me find new stuff in the scenes. I’m happy I don’t have to do a carbon copy of the previous actors portrayal of Jerry. I watched the movie after I got offered the role and, of course, they are pretty big shoes to fill. I’m glad I’m not expected to do a Fred Astaire impression. Instead I can make Jerry Travers my own.

What is the appeal of Top Hat to today’s audience?

ISSUE 1

Dancing reality shows and programmes like Glee and Smash on TV have got a lot more people interested in dancing and musical theatre.

The 1930s was the absolute heyday of the song and dance musical so Top Hat is the perfect movie to be adapted for the stage.

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

Disaster can sometimes lead to golden opportunity, what was the worst moment you have lived through in front of an audience?

My ‘golden opportunity’ was many years ago when I was second understudy to the lead in Crazy For You in the West End. The lead cracked his forehead open during a comedy drunk fall during Act II and I was the only cover in the theatre. I got to perform Bobby Child for the next five shows and a year later I took over the part on the UK tour – luck.

Michael Tornay Gavin Lee appears in Top Hat at the Aldwych Theatre in the West End (review on page 20)

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PROVING THAT RISK IS Q&A with Jared Gertner an The Book Of Mormon How have you found the reaction of UK audiences compared with those in the US?

Jared Gertner

JG: “It’s been amazing. This is my third company with the show now and I’ve never experienced audiences like this. They are incredible, really smart, really excited for us to be here, and also really enthusiastic. I’ve seen a bunch of shows here since being in London and I’ve noticed audiences here can be quieter, really into it – but not here at the Prince of Wales”.

GC: “They are surprisingly more boisterous than we expected.”

JG: “I feel like the audiences here sit forward and listen to every word you say in a way that is really great. There was one night I said, ‘Gavin this audience is two steps ahead of us’, as they were laughing at jokes before we’d got to the punchline – they were that into it they knew what was going to come.

Were you worried that the UK wouldn’t get the whole Mormon concept?

JG: “I don’t think it’s that important. It’s used as a vehicle to talk about much larger things and you could take out Mormonism and put in Judaism or Christianity and it might work as well. What Mormonism has is the ‘mission’ – where between the ages of 19 and 22 they spread the word and try and convert people – that is what they use as the vehicle but you don’t have to know about Mormonism to get the show.”

GC: “Most of America doesn’t know the detail of Mormonism. There is a number we do called ‘American Prophet’ – a seven-minute instruction manual about how Mormonism began.”

It’s an original musical. What can other producers learn from the show’s success?

Photo: JOHAN PERSSON

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

GC: “It’s a risk for producers but I hope this show is a testament to

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S GOOD nd Gavin Creel from ‘risk is good’. If you are willing to invest in new writers and new people ­– people others have not heard of before or seen a movie about it – take a risk on it and it can return. I think audiences are generally more hungry for stuff they don’t know, rather than the safety of what they do. And original stuff for me as an actor is where it’s at. You don’t want to walk down a road 18 people have walked down before. It’s fun and I’ve done revivals but it’s great to be able to do something that is new.”

Gavin Creel

Is the show bringing in new audiences to theatre?

JG: “I started as standby for Elder Cunningham on Broadway so I got to see the show from the back of the house. We would have 16-year-old boys with South Park T-shirts showing up or husbands pulling their wives into the show – normally it’s the opposite – husbands checking scores on the phone for some game or something. Matt [Stone] and Trey [Parker]’s following has brought in a crowd who might never have seen a musical before and that is the really exciting thing.”

Has there been any negative reaction to the show and the issues it addresses?

GC: “Last Saturday a man walked down from the dress crumpled up his ticket and threw it at the stage. It was the greatest thing ever.”

JG: “He was 2 hours into a 2 hour 25 minute show. I am thinking, ‘You made it this far why would you leave now?’.”

GC: “I would much rather be in a play that doesn’t leave you indifferent than be in something that does. I am proud of what this show says and have no shame in anything it says. It honours the religions in the right ways and enjoys it in the right ways.”

Interview compiled by Matthew Hemley Matthew Hemley is Broadcasting Reporter for The Stage Newspaper ISSUE 1 33

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Photo: JOHAN PERSSON

Photo: JOHAN PERSSON

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YOU WAIT, THEN THREE COME AT ONCE Ron Cohen on the three Broadway shows planning to brighten up winter in the West End

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out about their lives and careers into a tape recorder, the show took shape under the genius guidance of director/choreographer Michael Bennett. Collaborating with Bennett were librettists James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricist Ed Kleban. How sad and astounding it is to realise that all of these creators are no longer with us.

gruelling

They set the story on a bare stage where Zach, a godlike choreographer/director, auditions a mob of hopefuls – wanting nothing but the chance to dance – for the eight chorus slots in his upcoming show.

It becomes an emotionally and physically gruelling exercise, as Zach puts them through their paces and interrogates them as well, in an effort to get behind their resumés and

headshots. He’s looking for people who can perform together, create a whole rather than shine alone.

It becomes a celebration of teamwork, as evident in the final number, when the lucky eight have been chosen and perform the most glittery and precise chorus number imaginable to the song with the all-tooappropriate title ‘One’. Its high-powered score is blessed with such titles as the heartrending ‘What I Did for Love’ and ‘At the Ballet’, the saucy ‘Dance: Ten; Looks: Three’, and the galvanising ‘Music and the Mirror’.

A movie was made of A Chorus Line in 1985 which attempted fitfully to turn its unique story into a backstage romance. Even with the admirable Richard Attenborough directing, it was – in a word – dreadful and best forgotten. A Broadway revival appeared on the scene in 2006, directed ➽ Photo: PEROU

ucky Londoners! Three grand American musicals have arrived to liven up the closing days of winter: A Chorus Line, The Book of Mormon and Once. Of course, there’s no forecasting the karma that will surround these productions long-term, that’s an unpredictable hazard of showbusiness. But each of these shows has the potential to transport an audience to blissful musical theatre heaven.

A Chorus Line is the stuff of legend, racking up awards and winning hordes of dedicated fans with its original runs in the mid-1970s, both in New York and in London.

The original Broadway stand counted more than 6,000 performances and bountifully filled the coffers of the scruffy and scrappy Public Theater (sic), where it was first developed. Evolving from a workshop where veteran Broadway dancers spilled their guts

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The London cast of A Chorus Line

The West End cast of The Book Of Mormon

Photo: JOHAN PERSSON

➽ by Bob Avian, who was Bennett’s cochoreographer on the original run, and it ran for nearly 800 performances. But the casting seemed off, and in the words of the New York Times reviewer, the remounting seemed ‘’recycled”, congealed “in a timewarp”, although he did praise the freshness of the dancing.

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wicked satire

Of much more recent vintage are both The Book of Mormon and Once. The former opened in March, 2011, and garnered nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Critics could hardly contain their joy in celebrating this very wicked satire of the Mormon religion, do-gooders in general, our vision of a cartoon-like Africa that desperately needs our help, and other assorted topics, ranging from Broadway musicals to latent homosexuality. The New York Times reviewer acknowledged that the piece was “blasphemous, scurrilous and more foulmouthed than David Mamet”. But so as not to scare away the more delicate audiences, he assured them that its heart was “as pure as a Rodgers and Hammerstein show”. Well, I‘m not so sure about that. But at any rate, the audiences keep turning up, sending receipts into the stratosphere.

The show’s book, music and lyrics are the work of an unholy trio: Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez. Parker and Stone are the creators of South Park, the animated 36

cartoon TV series for adults that relentlessly picks away at the sacred cows of American life. Lopez is the composer of Avenue Q, the puppet musical with similar sensibilities.

Parker shared directing chores with Casey Nicholaw (of Drowsy Chaperone and Spamalot fame), who also choreographed.

And somehow within all its expletives and profanity, their work manages to weave all the qualities folks like in old-fashioned musical comedy – jaunty, catchy tunes; cartoon-like but likeable characters, and one joke after another – as it spins its tale of two young Mormon missionaries trying to prove themselves and win converts among the denizens of darkest Africa.

How will the denizens of England react to all this gleeful irreverence? Well, you are the country that gave birth to Monty Python, aren’t you?

And now we come to Once, which is so different from The Book of Mormon that going from one to the other could make you dizzy. This almost-love story between a dispirited Dublin street musician and the Czech immigrant woman who pulls him out of his funk is just about as sweet, sincere and sensitive as it could be. It’s based on the modest Irish movie of 2007, written and directed by John Carney. The film found surprisingly large audiences and won an Oscar for one of its songs, ‘Falling Slowly’, written by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who also starred in the film. They

have also supplied an augmented score for the stage adaptation, which has a book by Irish playwright Enda Walsh and direction by John Tiffany, who has gained acclaim for his work with the National Theatre of Scotland.

too sweetly modest

When the show debuted with much buzz Off-Broadway, it seemed to me almost too sweetly modest to make it in the big time, even with its talented, musically adept cast, headed by Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti, and the occasional bursts of raucous Irish rock. But was I ever wrong. When it moved to a bigger Broadway house last March, its emotional content swelled as well, and I found it tremendously affecting, and apparently many others did as well.

It has won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the audiences have been pouring in.

A big asset is the ensemble movement designed by Steven Hoggett, heightening the emotional pull of both the music and the slim storyline. There is also the welcoming set by Bob Crowley, replicating a spacious Irish pub comfortably housing all the show’s varied locales, and the pre-show concert, which has the cast on stage warming up the New York audiences with lots of toe-tapping music, getting them ready for a pub party with heart.

Hopefully, London’s theatregoers, who are known to have no particular aversion to pubs, will find the party to their liking as well.

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The Broadway production of Once

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Photo: JOAN MARCUS

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Interview: LEIGH ZIMMERMAN

Lisa Martland discovers that this Broadway and American actress is always true to the character she plays

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t’s hard to argue with Leigh Zimmerman’s record when it comes to musical theatre.

Alongside a string of impressive TV and film credits, she has made a habit of playing and creating leading roles in Broadway and West End productions, the latest of which is sexy, streetwise Sheila in the current London revival of A Chorus Line.

Zimmerman obviously knew the reputation of this historic show – conceived, directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett back in 1975 – but it is only since being part of the cast that she has become aware of the skill involved in its creation.

original audio tapes

The American actress and singer has also been fascinated by hearing excerpts from the

original audio tapes of Bennett speaking to the dancers during those early workshops.

These were featured in the documentary Every Little Step that followed the casting process for the 2006 Broadway revival and explored the musical’s history.

“It’s incredible because the stories are for real. It’s not what the writers think the dancers would have said, it’s the real words that came out of their mouths, truly their life experiences. Word for word, their experiences are in the show.”

As a result, Zimmerman felt a certain responsibility to Kelly Bishop, the actress and dancer who told her story through the character of Sheila (and won a 1976 Tony Award for her trouble). Research was a crucial part of Zimmerman preparing for following in her footsteps: “I looked at the character from every possible angle, as well as doing a lot of research on Kelly and the reputation of the show – how and why it survived so long, how it was perceived, what awards it won…”

Zimmerman then went on to focus on the structure of the show, the text and the scenes, “really analysing what is being said and where it comes from.”

At the very beginning of A Chorus Line, experienced performer Sheila is wisecracking (she has some of the best lines), confident and flirtatious – coming on strong to the director who she already knows. It is only later on, when she thinks about what the future might hold when dancing is no longer an option, that her vulnerability begins to show.

emotional and physical

Photo: ROY TAN

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Leigh Zimmerman as Ulla in The Producers

“I have been involved in revivals and the creation of productions, but the construction of this show is something else. The fact that producer Joseph Papp was willing to support all those workshops with the actors and creators in the run-up to the original production made so much difference. Out of that commitment and all they learned, little miracles were born. I am absolutely loving being part of the show.”

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Zimmerman is aware that these are issues that she, and the rest of the cast around her, are one day going to face. So is the show something of an emotional and physical rollercoaster?

“It is draining emotionally, Sheila is larger than life, and I have to build myself up to show that forwardness and strength at the beginning, and then see through the arc

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of the character to when the wall breaks down. It gets me every night, whether it’s something I say or the response of another character. I have to dig deep.

“And physically it’s something else. You think you’re in good shape and then Baayork Lee (the show’s choreographer and a member of the original Chorus Line cast) gives you a good wake-up call and lets you know what it takes to put on and sustain this show. Even the stage management team took part so everyone could appreciate what it takes. You have to understand the discipline involved and how to take care of yourself so you don’t get injured. But everyone has really risen to the occasion.”

pick a fragrance

wasn’t stopping there

Then, in 2000, London called with an opportunity to appear alongside actress Daryl Hannah in the West End production of The Seven Year Itch. And Zimmerman

wasn’t stopping there – soon the capital’s theatergoers were getting to know her via Chicago (Velma Kelly), Contact (The Girl in the Yellow Dress) and, of course, The Producers (Ulla, a role she created in the West End and for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award).

Proud to have British and American citizenship, she is now looking forward to spending another chunk of time in London with her actor and musician husband of 20 years, Domenick Allen (he was the frontman of rock band Foreigner) and their 13-yearold daughter.

stolen by the place

“My daughter was born in London and all our hearts have been stolen by the place. I am always looking for the greatest challenge so I would love to do more TV and film work here while I am doing the show. My daughter has been born a singer, which perhaps is not surprising as she grew up watching us onstage, on set, in the recording studio. But we are encouraging her to educate herself as well as develop those creative skills. We know how important that is. One day she could be faced with that question – what would you do if you can’t perform?” www.achoruslinelondon.com

Leigh Zimmerman in the current West End production of A Chorus Line

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Photo: ROY TAN

Zimmerman points out that it is easy for the eight shows a week schedule to consume your life, but she has a couple of ways through which she finds a little bit of inspiration. “I always pick a fragrance for the character I am playing, it helps me create that different identity, and I also have special pictures up in my dressing room. When I was in Chicago, it was Bob Fosse, and this time I have composer Marvin Hamlisch and Kelly Bishop. It’s my way of saying to them, I’m telling your story, it’s my turn to pass that on.”

The roles in A Chorus Line are very age-specific, so Zimmerman feels blessed that the part of Sheila has come along at the right time in the right place. What she didn’t expect though were the similarities between Bishop’s early career and her own: “Sheila has a monologue during which she describes how she set herself targets – being a ballerina by the time she was 18, playing parts by 21 – and that is exactly how I was.”

Indeed, Zimmerman had her first professional dance lesson at the age of three, at 16 she won a scholarship to dance with the Boston Ballet, and was making her Broadway debut in The Will Rogers Follies in her early twenties. Within a couple of months of that she was on set filming a small role in the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

“I had come from the ballet world, so I was constantly doing acting and voice lessons for the show, and then suddenly I was having multiple casting sessions with director Chris Columbus and testing with Joe Pesci. I know now that it was a real fluke, but when everything career-wise didn’t always happen like that, I became unhappy. I still put pressure on myself to not be pigeonholed, to work in different genres, I think it helps me make everything fresh.

“I love that challenge. I think the biggest one was filming United 93 at Shepperton Studios in the daytime and then appearing as Ulla in the London productions of The

Producers in the evening. I thought to myself, it doesn’t get better than this.”

While she initially considered herself first and foremost a dancer, that focus has shifted, and Zimmerman has worked on her development as an actor. Being part of the Broadway revival of Chicago in 1996, had a huge influence on her turning into an actor.

Fosse’s work is not just about prancing across the stage and being a technically beautiful dancer, he wanted the actor to tell the story through dance. Ann Reinking told us to look into deep, dark places, to dance that material with a purpose, to pick someone in the audience and make them squirm. The dance had to come from some place.”

In addition to those Broadway shows already mentioned above, Zimmerman also added Crazy For You to her credits (the first of three times she has worked with choreographer/director Susan Stroman) as well as creating the role of Panacea opposite Nathan Lane in the revival of A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum.

DO YOU SEE THE SINGERS ACT? “Only when a singer acts through their songs does the work truly come alive” says composer, MD and author Paul Harvard, so who passes the test in the Les Mis movie?

Photo: LAURIE SPARHAM

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Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean in Lés Misérables

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Photo: UNIVERSAL PICTURES

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he barricade has been erected, the battle-lines drawn. It seems the recent film adaptation of Les Misérables – after its popular victory at the box-office in its opening weeks – left a whiff of gunpowder in the air. As filmgoers braved the cold whether to keep the popcorn flowing, an intriguing fight took shape, not involving the students of revolutionary France, but between the critics of the UK’s national press.

Reviewers have not always been kind to Les Misérables. Famously, they nearly disembowelled the show when the stage version first opened at London’s Barbican Centre in 1985. It was only because producer Cameron Mackintosh screwed his courage to the stickingplace, and trusted the voice of popular opinion, that the production transferred to the West End, allowing it to survive and grow into the global juggernaught it is today.

In contrast to its theatrical premiere, Tom Hooper’s admirable film version largely received the praise it deserved. Some commentators picked on the close proximity of the camera, or the odd performance, but a majority of the reviews fell between the grudgingly positive and the downright ecstatic. However, one forthright piece – by the Evening Standard’s David Sexton – stood out for adopting a harshly different tone.

Mr Sexton was plainly not a fan of the film. But in his article he not only took issue with Les Misérables, but with the entire musical theatre genre. He declared himself to be one of those people who ‘can’t bear musicals at all’, a genre he described as ‘embarrassing and stupid’. The crux of his argument was that we don’t have sung conversations in real life, so to do so on the stage, or on film, was silly. He argued that, because he values music and drama so highly, to combine the two in a musical devalues both as a means of expression.

It is unsurprising that Mackintosh decided to refute Sexton’s opinions in his sharp, sarcastic and witty manner. What is perhaps more intriguing is that Lyn Gardner of The Guardian also felt compelled to write an article rebutting Sexton whilst defending the

Russell Crowe as Javert musical as an art form. So who is right? Is the musical simply an awkward hybrid that should never be viewed as high art? Or does it have more merit than it is sometimes awarded?

In my book Acting Through Song I argue strongly for the latter.

I contend that rather than undermining the genre, the unique combination of music and drama in musical theatre is the reason why it can be so compelling. Music is a powerful form of expression.

The most universal of mediums, it transcends cultural and social barriers, reaching out to everyone. It has the ability to move the audience very directly, bypassing their intellectual responses and appealing to the emotions. And this is what makes musical theatre so special: by placing music at the heart of the storytelling, it provides the opportunity to combine the power of drama and music to create a potent means of expression.

But if this is the case, why do people like Sexton frequently dismiss musical theatre? I believe it is because for the material truly to come to life, for the combination of music and drama to seem organic rather than contrived, then the standard of acting must be exceptional.

Take ‘I Dreamed a Dream’. For students of music and drama, it may seem at first glance that the component parts of this song are unremarkable: a serviceable, if uninspiring lyric, set to a catchy tune with a generic pop-ballad accompaniment. You might not expect this material to resonate greatly. Yet in the film the sequence is cinematic dynamite; in the screening I attended it wrung the packed house emotionally dry. So what was the magic component that made this song so arresting? It was the performance of Anne Hathaway as Fantine. Because her delivery was so truthful, raw and committed, the music became heartbreaking and the lyrics poignant.

Compare this with Russell Crowe’s work as Javert. His performance has come in for much criticism, mostly concerning the quality of his singing. But while he doesn’t have an outstanding voice, I don’t consider his singing to be the main problem. His vocal delivery is competent; the real issue is his inability to act successfully through song.

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Crowe is a very fine actor whom I rate highly. Yet when he sings that ability seems to ebb away. Watching his performance in Les Misérables, it is like he has a miniature critic sat on his shoulder, whispering to him while he is singing: ‘What are you doing? You sound awful! You look really stupid!’ And consequently he appears stupefied during his songs. Despite having arguably better material to sing than Hathaway, his performance has none of her impact.

I believe that many students of musical theatre, and indeed some professionals, suffer from these attacks of self-consciousness when they sing. Their heads become so full of their own self-criticisms that they no longer trust their instincts and follow their impulses – that is the worst mistake any actor can make. This problem manifests itself in different ways. Some inexperienced actors become leaden and unable to make any spontaneous choices; those with more experience often fall back on a set of ‘performance tricks’ that suggest a pretence of good acting, but is really just a fake and contrived substitute for the real thing. Some commercial theatre is riddled with this kind of performance.

To free themselves from their self-consciousness, and learn to act truthfully and spontaneously, the musical theatre performer needs to learn to focus outside of themselves while they are singing, so they can respond organically to the other actors, or their imaginary circumstances. In short: they must learn to master the skills of the classical actor.

But why isn’t this automatically the case? Why are these skills not always in evidence? I believe that acting does not always

receive a high enough priority in the education of our musical theatre performers. No matter how much weight is given to it in prospectuses of drama schools, it sometimes ends up being the poor cousin in the reality of the training. I think this is an error. Acting must be explored in all its nuance and detail – as it is the thread that weaves the art form together. Only when a singer acts through their songs does the work truly come alive. The most respected colleges do strive to make acting central to their work, but I believe that there still needs to be a shift in the focus of our musical theatre colleges – so that acting is always placed right in the foreground.

That is why I believe Hathaway’s performance is so important. As odd as it may sound, when I think of her Fantine, sobbing in the docks of Paris, I can’t stop smiling, because the power of emotion she conveys in that potentially forgettable song demonstrates to the next generation of musical-theatre actors the standards of acting that they can, and should aspire to.

Paul Harvard is a musical director, composer and teacher. His new book, Acting Through Song, is published by Nick Hern Books.

“I couldn’t feel my hands and feet, but I loved it”

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was still full-on. We were there for four days, sometimes from 4am to 7.30pm, and the water could be freezing. Every six bars of music, the rain came down on us plus there were wave and wind machines going strong as well. We were wearing wets suits, but they had to be cut down so they couldn’t be seen under our costumes.

When it came to my close up, it was the last bit of filming, and the shot obviously had to be done from different angles. I could hardly feel my hands or feet afterwards.

I have to admit though, I did love it. The attention to detail was just incredible.

While the singing on the whole film was done live, during post-production I had to overdub my line as all the noise of the water and wind affected the sound. I was with Tom Hooper for an hour and I sang my line 62 times. He had me carrying weights and doing press ups. The reality of all the performances was so important to him.

I’m thrilled because before Les Mis I’d never done a film, and now I’ve been in one that has been described as one of the greatest movies ever made.”

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“When I was performing in Ragtime at the Landor, I looked as rough as anything, which was handy really as I didn’t even have to shave when I went up for the role of a convict. A few months later, when I was just about to travel to Milton Keynes to start my pantomime rehearsals, I was called to the big rehearsal rooms above the Queen’s Theatre in London to try-out in front of Tom Hooper and what felt like everyone who had ever had any creative involvement in Les Mis. It was like a firing squad!

Each of the five featured convicts has a line to sing in the film and I had to sing all

those, and do the grunts etc, several times over. I think I must have been there for 20 to 25 minutes, and the director kept saying things like ‘can’t you do it any less?’, ‘not as theatrical’, just try one, imagine you’re really exhausted’. But it wasn’t easy because you have to use a certain place in your voice in order to give those lines the right kind of energy.

I went off, started panto, then got a phone call saying I was definitely in the film, and about a month later I found out I had the convict role in particular. It was early February last year when the big rehearsals began and everything from our characters and accents to our hair and teeth had to be sorted. There was a massive allocation of space at Pinewood Studios, it was us and Skyfall.

Over the next month, I think I must have lost weight, the whole process was pretty intense. There were rope-pulling sessions, costumes were fitted, pictures taken and then there were my wonderful false teeth that reminded me of Maggie Thatcher!

Sometimes make-up could take up to three hours.

When we started filming at a dry dock in the Portsmouth naval base, there were 160 extras for the scene, with five of us featured and of course Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. There may not have been a boat (that was created by CGI), but it

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ohn Barr is an experienced recording artist and musical theatre performer whose most recent role has been as American composer/lyricist Edward Kleban in A Class Act at London’s Landor Theatre. Indeed, it was while appearing in Ragtime at the same venue that his association with the much-acclaimed Les Misérables movie began (he was also a member of the 1988 London stage company, playing Feuilly). In director Tom Hooper’s film adaptation he is Convict 5 in the opening sequence, as Jean Valjean (and more than 160 other prisoners) are seen dragging a storm-damaged ship into a dry dock.

Let’s start at the very beginning…

Senior vice-president of Rodgers & Hammerstein Europe, Bert Fink talks licensing and publishing with Michael Tornay

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ou’ve heard the old saying: where’s there’s a hit, there’s a writ!

It’s far more dignified and less of a wrangle if you’ve already sorted out some copyright ownership of the show in question. Evidence of a piece of legal parchment that states that you wrote this bit, and she wrote that part, is crucial to settling any finances fairly with your collaborators. Obviously a publisher will sort out much of this documentation, if you’ve actually found anyone wanting to publish your work. They also endeavour to farm out your compositions to the entire world. Hopefully there’s an eager and ever-evolving starry-eyed pool of actors wanting to perform your stage show. And, if you’re hot or not, they will pay you for the privilege.

You may have opened sheet music over the years and subliminally noted the publisher’s name: Josef Weinberger, Boosey & Hawkes, Williamson Music.

The newest name in town is Imagem who, hailing from Holland, have just acquired the mighty Rodgers and Hammerstein catalogue for Europe. This is a major acquisition for the company and a shakeup for the smaller aforementioned London-based publishing houses.

I asked Bert Fink, the senior-vice president of R&H Europe, if smaller companies would give better attention to a specialised catalogue of this kind than a massive Dutch international.

“Imagem is big, but supporting. Writers and composers from rock, pop and classical are all writing for Broadway, it makes sense that they are all under one roof.”

Back in the 1940s Rogers and Hammerstein had their own publishing and production office in London.

Williamson Music Ltd (both fathers called William) presented, at the massive Drury Lane Theatre, a nine-year succession of the greatest shows ever seen. Oklahoma! in 1947 was followed by Carousel, South Pacific and The King And I. What is even more astounding is that ‘Williamson Music presents’ sat above the titles of so many other writers. Through them London was introduced to Guys and Dolls, Can-Can and Damn Yankees.

Current writers of new musicals will be interested to know that R&H Europe would be keen to follow in the same tradition as their forward-thinking founders.

Walk into the office of R& H in New York and the images on the walls are Elvis Presley, Phil Collins and Britney Spears as well as a long list 42

of established Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals. Contemporary shows including Bright Lights, Big City, Altar Boyz, The Light In The Piazza are licensed with R&H. The company publishes the score for Legally Blonde and Annie but does not license them. Ask anyone who has written a reasonably successful piece of musical theatre and you’ll find someone who has found their artistic property sliced up and sold off to several different companies.

Thus if you are an am-dram company from the sticks or a Mr Moneybags producer, you will have to get hold of the companies who own all the bits of the show you plan to perform. Permission to perform, a license to perform and getting hold of the manuscript is only the start. I’m happy to say you’ll be assisted in the process.

“R&H is a licensing house too, we supply the best material we can, scripts, scores and an editorial team in NYC supply the finest librettos,” says an upbeat, enthusiastic Fink.

Amazing as it may seem, no matter how small the budget, the ethos is ‘How can we help you do our show?’ Providing that no one tries to rewrite the script, your troupe will be granted the opportunity to perform a celebrated piece of theatrical magic.

Not a bad deal. And a good long-term business investment. That’s if the list of shows are lovingly cultivated by their owners. Andrew Lloyd Webber unusually released the amateur rights to perform a number of his shows like Phantom (often to schools and youth groups) while professional productions were still running.

At the beginning of the 1980s Fink left his job as press agent for the invading British producers to begin work at the somewhat quiet office of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Careful and loving management of the catalogue delivered great results. Even after the great invasion from Britain, which left the once proud American musical ‘bloodied and defeated’, by the mid-90s the tables had turned. Carousel, Show Boat, The King and I and South Pacific returned to become huge awardwinners once again.

Now firmly involved in all things European, Fink will be keen to check out future West End shows.

He’ll be there at the beginning (‘a very good place to start’), also at their rebirth.

If the songs of Rogers and Hammerstein are flowers in the garden, Bert Fink must have green theatrical fingers.

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www.rnh.com

Bert Fink

Laura Osnes in the current Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

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JENNIFER’S EARNED HER WELCOME Q&A with Jennifer Ellison How did you land the part of Lina Lamont in Singin’ in the Rain?

What was it like to be in the film version of The Phantom of the Opera?

I was asked to audition so came to see it and though it was fantastic.

Not a lot of shows make you go, ‘I want to be in that’. It’s a difficult role, because of the voice and accent and the comedy. People think comedy is easy to do, but it’s not.

I still get shivers when I watch it. I remember the premiere, sitting there and seeing that first scene [when the theatre is rebuilt] I got tears in my eyes. It is so magical. I don’t think I realised at the time how important and special it is.

Matthew Hemley

And how hard was it following in the footsteps of Katherine Kingsley, who was nominated for an Olivier for her turn in the musical?

It was terrifying at first. I felt so embarrassed to audition because she is so good at what she does. She had the character nailed. But you have to wipe that clean out of your mind. I watched her a few times but then I stopped, because her interpretation of the character and mine are totally different.

Jennifer Ellison is appearing in Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace Theatre, London Jennifer Ellison as Lina Lamont in Singin’ in the Rain

And what kind of reaction have you had so far?

I didn’t think anyone was going to laugh at me, but on my opening night we had an amazing audience. Getting that reaction is so gratifying. It makes you feel like you’re doing a good job.

What is Adam Cooper like to work with?

He is so lovely. I have been in shows where people rehearsing are so moody, but for four weeks he came in and he always had a smile on his face. He was in rehearsing with the new cast and doing a show every night. He has a family and two young children. He’s so lovely.

When Andrew [Wright] the choreographer found out I was cast he wrote to me and said he was gutted Lina doesn’t dance more. Lina used to be in the tango scene at the beginning, but at the time it didn’t work out. When Andrew found out I was in it, he asked Jonathan [Church, the director] if they could put me into the tango, but he thought it would be too much work.

You started out in television. Has the theatre world been welcoming to you?

When I first started in Chicago at 21, some people were a bit… But as I did more stuff, and got great reviews, people have accepted me more. In this industry people with a profile will get the job before someone who hasn’t. I think now it’s my talent that gets me the jobs, as I am older and my profile is not as crazy as it was then. I got Chicago straight off the back of Hell’s Kitchen. If I had not been talented I probably would have got that job, but then not got one afterwards.

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

You’ve got a background in dance and are known for shows such as Chicago, but in Singin’ you don’t get to dance. That must feel strange for you…

REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

until 15 April 2013

A CLASS ACT Landor Theatre Edward Kleban is perhaps best remembered as the lyricist of A Chorus Line, although A Class Act offers testament to the actual range of his compositions and the affection with which the writer is remembered. Ostensibly a compilation musical, the piece actually has a powerful narrative thread that is supported by carefully selected numbers from Kleban’s vast back catalogue of previously un-published songs. Close friends Linda Kline and Lonny Price have artfully crafted the book, which sheds some light on Kleban’s tortured working methods and the demons of depression and insecurity he had to face in his career.

John Barr as Edward Kleban

Revisiting the show at the Landor after ten years, director Robert McWhir proves a canny producer, with A Chorus Line currently revived to critical acclaim at the Palladium. Yet after the successful From Page To Stage season of new musicals showcasing at the venue, A Class Act perhaps serves a greater purpose, shedding light on the process of musical theatre production while examining how the frailty of the human psyche can direct an artist’s career.

“John Barr’s bravura performance”

Photo: ROY TAN

Central to the success of this production is John Barr’s bravura performance as Ed Kleban. From the moment he arrives on stage, leaping from the audience with the energetic ‘Light On My Feet’, Barr delivers a breathtaking portrayal of the artist. A heady mix of Jewish shtick and genuine charm, Barr confronts the complexities of Kleban’s character head-on to give what has to be one of the most honest and poignant performances of the year.

Yet as Kleban CAST discovers all too Edward Kleban......................................................................JOHN BARR late in his career, Sophie............................................................................. SARAH BORGES musical theatre is Mona..................................................................................ERIN CORNELL about working with Marvin Hamlisch.......................................................CHARLES HAGERTY other people and Michael Bennett............................................................... GARY JORDAN Barr is supported by Lucy.......................................................................................JANE QUINN a genuinely strong Cast also includes:.......................BARRY FANTONI, LAURA McCULLOCH ensemble of actors in a variety of roles. Whole books have been written on the making of A Chorus Line and yet in their brief appearances Gary Jordan as Michael Bennett and Charles BAND Reeds.......................................... BECKY HUGHES, HANNAH LAWRANCE Hagerty as Marvin Hamlisch and Barr manage to capture the spirit and excitement of a Bass......................................... DOUG GRANNELL, SANDY SUCHODOLSKI musical that came to define the industry.

Despite the bouts of depression, the chain-smoking, the hypochondria and self-destructive Percussion.............................................................................RICH CRAIG behaviour Kleban was surprisingly popular with women. Erin Cornall plays the Monroe-like Creative Team Mona, complete with obvious charms and a sassy belt that brings the house down. At the Music and Lyrics..........................................................EDWARD KLEBAN other end of the scale there is a particularly touching performance from Jane Quinn as Lucy, Book....................................................... LINDA KLINE and LONNY PRICE who falls for Kleban’s talent at the same time as the audience, when she hears his enchanting Director.........................................................................ROBERT McWHIR ‘Paris Through the Window’. It’s up to the pragmatic Sophie, played to perfection by Sarah Musical Director.................................................................JAMES CLEEVE Borges, to remind Kleban that their constant friendship is in fact, ‘The Next Best Thing to Choreographer..............................................................ROBBIE O’REILLY Love’ and will survive, even beyond the grave.

Designer.......................................................................MARTIN THOMAS James Cleeve’s band is a constant presence on the tiny Landor stage and if at times the Lighting Designer.....................................................RICHARD LAMBERT underscoring overpowers the dialogue a little, the balance is generally good. McWhir’s Costume Supervisor....................................................SAMANTHA KENT confident direction, coupled with Robbie O’Reilly’s tight choreography, means that the real Producer............................. THEATRICA LTD FOR THE LANDOR THEATRE Broadway moments, both physical and emotional, lift our spirits but never detract from the very real human drama unfolding on stage.

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RUNNING TIME: 2H 30M

REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

QUASIMODO The King’s Head Theatre

UNTIL 13 APRIL 2013

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

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S

ince the 19th Century, the bells of the best-known cathedral in Paris have been ringing out with deafening clangs. So bad were they, that they were mocked as having deafened Quasimodo, the lead of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

But on Palm Sunday, the infamous discordant clangs of Notre Dame Cathedral were replaced with a new and hopefully more harmonious set of bells, to mark the 850th anniversary of the city landmark.

I’m sure Quasimodo would have been over the moon.

It is apt timing then that TheatreUpClose at the King’s Head in Islington has decided to present the world premiere of little-known musical Quasimodo.

The production marks two exciting firsts. It is the first time that Lionel Bart’s show has been staged since it was written in 1963. It is also the first musical to be put on by TheatreUpClose since it moved into the King’s Head two years ago. No pressure then.

A lot is packed into the two hours as we see Quasimodo’s abandonment by his mother, his adoption by Notre Dame Archdeacon Claude Frollo, the story of Esmeralda and the impact she has on the men around her, all leading up to the final tragic scene. The resulting show is an energetic and fast-paced piece of work that swings swiftly through musical numbers.

The musical is also given a much-needed contrasting layer of subtlety and poignancy by Steven Webb as Quasimodo and Zoe George as Esmeralda. The hunchback is not a Disney-like caricature, but an actual young man with disabilities who is afraid of the world. This is made to feel real through Webb’s convincing and moving delivery of the script, the contortion of his body and even through small grunts of effort as 48

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he moves around the stage. Had he maintained the speech and body ticks while belting out Bart’s wonderfully penned songs, such as the moving ‘If Only I Was Made of Stone’, Webb’s characterisation would have felt more consistent.

“Webb and George’s beautiful clarity of voice are impossible to miss”

Photo: ROY TAN

Nevertheless, both Webb and George’s beautiful clarity of voice are impossible to miss, and their duet when Esmeralda is seeking sanctuary in the church is heartrending – and feels or the more so in the intimate surrounds of the King’s Head.

The show does not entirely escape tripping into cartoonishness.

The gypsies, with whom Esmeralda lives, occasionally resemble a rabble of medieval Baldricks breaking into song – although perhaps that was the aim. And the moment when Claude Frollo is jumping to his death in the final scene received a few sniggers from the row behind me. Thankfully, the mood was quickly bought back to place with Quasimodo’s resignation at losing everything he had ever loved.

Quasimodo is a piece of work that TheatreUpClose should be proud of. Although a little flawed, it is a brave and beautiful show.

And let’s hope that the new bells of Notre Dame sing out together as beautifully as Webb and George do.

Lalayn Baluch

CAST Quasimodo........................................................................STEVEN WEBB Claude Frollo......................................................JAMES WOLSTENHOLME Esmeralda............................................................................ ZOE GEORGE Pierre Gringoire...................................................................JAMES HUME Clopin/Fleurien..................................................SEAN PAUL JENKINSON Pacquette.........................................................................HELEN SHEALS Yvette............................................................................ MELANIE BRIGHT

Steven Webb as Quasimodo and Zoe George as Esmeralda

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CREATIVE TEAM Music and Lyrics..................................................................LIONEL BART Additional Book Material.....................CHRIS BOND, ROBERT CHEVARA Director....................................................................... ROBERT CHEVARA Musical Director/Orchestration..................................... PETER MITCHELL Choreographer.......................................................................LEE PROUD Costume Designer...................................................CHRISTOPHER HONE Lighting designer.................................................SETH ROOK WILLIAMS Producers.................................. THEATREUPCLOSE, DOMINIC HADDOCK, .......................................................................................RACHEL LERMAN

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BAND Piano.............................................................................. PETER MITCHELL Accordion..............................................................................JANE SOUTH Clarinet........................................................................RUTH WHYBROW

REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

UNTIL 20 April 2013

DARLING OF THE DAY Union Theatre

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n 1913 Arnold Bennett adapted his novel Buried Alive for the stage, The Great Adventure Cast – A Play of Fancy in Four Acts. In 1921 Lionel Barrymore starred as Priam Farll in a silent Priam Farll...................................................................JAMES DINSMORE movie version of it, and in 1933 Lillian Gish appeareded as Alice Challice in the first talkie Alice Challice....................................................................KATY SECOMBE version His Double Life. Even Gracie Fields had a go in the 1943 British film version Holy Alf...........................................................................MATTHEW ROWLAND Matrimony written by Nunnally Johnson. With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by E Y Harburg Lady Vale........................................................................ REBECCA CAINE and the book again by Johnson, this musical version opened on Broadway in 1968, starring Clive Oxford...................................................................MICHAEL HOBBS Vincent Price and our very own Patricia Routledge, where it ran for three previews and 31 Henry Leek and other roles.......................................... ANDY SECOMBE performances only.

CREATIVE TEAM Set in 1905, the reclusive artist, Priam Farll returns to London after years of self-imposed Music......................................................................................JULE STYNE exile in the South Pacific, along with his faithful butler Henry Leek, to attend, incognito, an Lyrics................................................................................... EY HARBURG exhibition of his work (‘Mad For Art’), where he is horrified to find that he has become the Book....................................................................... NUNNALLY JOHNSON ‘darling of the day’ (“He’s a Genius’). Luckily for him, not even his greedy agent or obnoxious Director............................................................................... PAUL FOSTER cousin recognise him.

Musical Director/Arranger......................................INGA DAVIS-RUTTER After Leek is suddenly taken ill and dies, the doctor called for mistakes Farll for a servant.

Set/Costume Design...................................................... NAOMI WRIGHT He sees this as his chance to ‘get out of the world alive’, so when Alice Challice, a well-to-do Choreographer...................................................................... MATT FLINT widow, who has been corresponding with Leek, suddenly appears on the scene he carries on Producer.................................SASHA REGAN FOR THE UNION THEATRE the deception. They marry and settle down to a contented life in Putney where he continues to paint for pleasure (‘I’ve Got A Rainbow Working For Me’). His paintings are left to the audience’s imagination as Naomi Wrights’ clever, simple set just has empty picture frames on display.

When Alice’s business venture falls through, her friends – led by Alf – convince her to sell some of ‘Henry’’s artwork (‘Money Money Money’). Farll’s cover is blown and he is arrested for fraud and bigamy, as it turns out that Leek was already married. During the amusing courtroom scene it is discovered, to the embarrassment of the Establishment, that the Katy Secombe as Alice Challice supposedly dead Farll, who has been posthumously made a sir and laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, is really a man-servant (‘Butler in the Abbey’). To save face, they release Farll so he can continue living happily as Henry with Alice in obscurity.

The original Darling of the Day had a difficult out-of-town try-out, with three different directors and so many production changes that Nunnally Johnson insisted that his name be taken off the credits.

In the same year that Hair exploded onto the stage, the musical seemed to be a bit of a dinosaur, although Jule Styne considered it to be his best score after Gypsy. Styne’s other musical that year was Hallelujah, Baby! which won him, along with Betty Comden and Adolph Green, a Tony Award for Best Score. It also won the Tony for Best Musical and interestingly, its leading lady Leslie Uggams shared the Best Actress in a Musical Award with Patricia Routledge!

RUNNING TIME: 2H 10M

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“Katy Secombe is a knockout”

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James Dinsmore makes a charming Priam Farll and Katy Secombe is a knockout as Alice Challice, especially in her big 11 o’clock number ‘Not On Your Nellie’. As a mature couple, they have some touching songs together such as ‘Let’s See What Happens’ and ‘Sunset Tree’. They are ably supported by an energetic chorus led by the excellent dancer Matthew Rowland as Alf, with rousing choreography

by Matt Flint. Rebecca Caine is perfectly cast as the art collector Lady Vale, even though she had to mime to her songs as she had come down with laryngitis. And Andy Secombe plays a number of roles, including the original Henry Leek and a comical judge. Director Paul Foster does a fine job with this old-fashioned piece as does musical director/arranger Inga Davis-Rutter with her small four-piece band.

Peter St James

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REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

THE TAILOR-MADE MAN The Arts Theatre

FOR THE RECORD Reviews of recent productions

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s the title suggests silent film actor William (Billy) Haines was a product of the Hollywood system, he was also its first openly gay star. This exuberant and entertaining musical tells of his career as remembered by his lifetime partner, Jimmy Shields, whilst being interviewed. The young journalist quizzing the old man wants to put the record straight about them and a notorious incident that almost destroyed them. Haines’ career and their love story unfolds through a series of scenes with slick, fast moving changes in location and time.

Haines, a handsome charismatic young man, breaks into Hollywood after winning the New Faces of 1922 competition, its prize being a contract with the Goldwyn Studios. Charm, together with his devil may care attitude, makes him popular with the young Hollywood set. His wisecracks, many quoted in the show, become legendary. He is totally open about his homosexuality, despite the studio’s publicist’s desperate campaign to link him romantically with glamorous women. He flaunts convention and the studio’s moral code. As Shields tells him: “You smash your way through life like a freight train – doing what you want.”

His downfall comes after studio boss Louis B Mayer orders him to marry silent screen vamp Pola Negri. He refuses and is fired. Out of the ashes of a screen career arises a second and more lasting one – he and Shields become successful interior designers for Hollywood’s rich and famous stars.

“the exchanges between Billy and co-star Marion Davies are a joy”

Photo: ROY TAN

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

This fast moving and tightly constructed musical is blessed with a book that is lean, witty and often bitchy. The exchanges between Billy and co-star Marion Davies are a joy. The staging is simple, relying on performance and clever choreography rather than scenic spectacle. The dance number ‘Another Party’ is energetic, incorporating the Charleston and the Black Bottom, and there is fine work from the ensemble and band.

The Jazz Age is also reflected in the swinging ‘Don’t Trust Love’, scorchingly put across by Faye Tozer who impresses as Davies.

Dylan Turner has all the right looks, all the smiling charm for Haines, capturing the glibness of his sexual innuendoes and flirting. However, his early number ‘We Got Time’ reveals a weakness with the higher notes. He is much stronger later in the reprise and in ‘The Game’. Bradley Clarkson gives a sensitive performance as Shields – often neglected and hurt by his lover’s antics.

The beauty of their duet, reprising ‘We Got Time’, is shattered by the brutality of the beatings delivered by local White Legion vigilantes who accuse Shields of paedophilia. Subsequent publicity almost wrecks their business and only the skill of the studio publicist saves them.

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Faye Tozer as Marion Davies and Dylan Turner as William Haines

This leads to the 11 o’clock number ‘Designs’ which is a wickedly, witty number naming some of their famous clients. It also brings us to the quote that Hollywood designed Billy and now Billy designs Hollywood.

Mike McShane, as Louis B Mayer, brings the house down as he sings of his belief in ‘Family’ – its hypocrisy later exposed by Haines’ tirade when he is fired. Another glorious moment comes when Kay Murphy goes to town as Pola Negri, a wonderfully funny and camp performance.

Barrie Jerram

CAST William Haines................................................................DYLAN TURNER Jimmy Shields........................................................ BRADLEY CLARKSON Older Jimmy........................................................................ CLIVE WARD Marion Davies........................................................................FAYE TOZER Louis B Mayer..................................................................MIKE McSHANE Howard Strickling/Voice of King Vidor/Reporter 4/.............................

White Legion 4.................................................................MATT WILMAN Victor Darro/E Mason Hoppa/White Legion 1............MICHAEL COTTON Miss Carey/Lois/Helen/Reporter 2................................ LAUREN GRANT Betsy Dawson/Frau Gruber/Norma...............................VIVIEN CARTER Pola Negri/Jessie/Barbara/Maisie....................................KAY MURPHY Robert E McIntyre/Bernard/Reporter 1/White Legion2/.......................

Radio Announcer........................................................EDWARD FRENCH Eleanor Boardman/Sally/Irene/June..................HOLLY EASTERBROOK Tommy/Reporter 3/White Legion 3...................... NIKOLA TRIFUNOVIC

RUNNING TIME: 2H 20M

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TAILOR-MADE BAND Piano & Musical Director................................. DUNCAN WALSH-ATKINS Keyboard & Assistant MD.............................................TOM CARRADINE Double Bass............................................................................. DAN HALL Saxophone & Clarinet................................................NATHAN HAWKEN Drums & Percussion............................................................JON HOOPER Trumpet & Flugelhorn............................................... GABRIEL GARRICK

ISSUE 1

CREATIVE TEAM Book......................................... AMY ROSENTHAL with CLAUDIO MACOR Music..................................DUNCAN WALSH-ATKINS & ADAM MEGGIDO Lyrics...............................................................................ADAM MEGGIDO Musical Director............................................... DUNCAN WALSH-ATKINS Choreographer.........................................................NATHAN M WRIGHT Original Play..................................................................CLAUDIO MACOR Director..........................................................................CLAUIDO MACOR Set & Costume............................................................SOPHIA SIMENSKY Creative Associate................................................MARTIN CONSTANTINE Lighting.............................................................HUMPHREY McDERMOTT Sound..............................................................................TOM MARSHALL

REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

FOR THE RECORD

CHESS

Reviews of recent productions

Union Theatre

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“a starmaking performance … comes from Sarah Galbraith”

Sarah Galbraith as Florence and Nadim Naaman as Anatoly

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

he 1986 musical by Tim Rice and Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (formerly of ABBA) was best known even then for one hit song, ‘I Know Him So Well’, and maybe ‘One Night In Bangkok’. As this attractive small-scale revival shows, there are a few other excellent songs in the score, a plot as clunky as it seemed the first time around, and the occasion for one really exciting performance.

As the title might hint, the plot is about international chess championships in the days when the presence of Russian competitors gave everything politics-driven Cold War significance. An American champion loses to a Russian, who promptly defects, stealing the American’s girlfriend in the process.

A year later he faces a Russian challenger, and political and sexual pressure is applied to make him throw the match, re-defect, or both.

One problem with the plot is that the central figure turns out to be the defecting Russian, although the play takes a long time to figure that out (seeming to be more interested in the American for the first half hour), and then seems to keep forgetting it, wandering off to focus on the girlfriend, the political manipulators on both sides, and even the American again.

The original London and Broadway productions both had the problem that the character who is supposed to be the centre of things can’t seem to hold the centre, and this revival, co-directed by Christopher Howell and Steven Harris, doesn’t fare very much better on that point.

Despite the attractive presence and strong singing voice of Nadim Naaman, the Russian champion keeps drifting into the background, never allowing us to become involved in his experience.

The strongest performance here – and, indeed, a star-making performance if there is any justice – comes from Sarah Galbraith as the switching-loyalties girlfriend.

Not only does she get some of the best songs, making the most of the dramatic and musical power of ‘Nobody’s Side’ and ‘Heaven Help My Heart’, she has a magnetic stage presence that draws all eyes to her.

(She may in fact be too strong, so completely outsinging the other actress that ‘I Know Him

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So Well’ becomes a solo with backing rather than the equal duet it’s meant to be.)

Tim Oxbrow has his moments as the defeated American, Craig Rhys Barlow as the cynical arbiter, and Gillian Kirkpatrick as the chief Soviet handler, but all of them, along with everyone else except Galbraith, share the problem of not always (or, in some cases, ever) managing to be audible in this 50-seat theatre. Not the smallest part of Galbraith’s star performance is that you can hear and understand every word she sings.

The co-directors make inventive use of the small stage, with occasional quite witty touches – ‘One Night In Bangkok’ is particularly clever – and do what they can to keep the meandering plot on course.

Chess remains a flawed musical, but the reminder that it has more than the two songs everyone knows, and the star-is-born performance at its core, made this revival well worth a visit.

Gerald Berkowitz lead critic for www.theatreguidelondon.co.uk

RUNNING TIME: 2H 20M

CAST Florence.....................................................................SARAH GALBRAITH Anatoly..........................................................................NADIM NAAMAN Freddie................................................................................ TIM OXBROW Svetlana....................................................................NATASHA J BARNES Molokov.................................................................GILLIAN KIRKPATRICK Arbiter....................................................................CRAIG RHYS BARLOW Walter............................................................................... NEIL STEWART CREATIVE TEAM Co-Directors.............................CHRISTOPHER HOWELL/STEVEN HARRIS Musical Direction...........................................................SIMON LAMBERT Arrangements....................................................... CHRISTOPHER PEAKE Designer............................................................. RYAN DAWSON LAIGHT Lighting Designer...........................................................BEN M ROGERS Technical Director................................................................ IAIN DENNIS Fight Direction............................ ANDREW ASHENDEN/ANNIE DUGGAN Producer......................................SASHA REGAN for the Union Theatre

Sarah Galbraith as Florence

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REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

DEAR WORLD Charing Cross Theatre

FOR THE RECORD Reviews of recent productions

Photo: ROY TAN

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

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ore than 40 years after its Broadway opening (and closing after just 132 performances), UK audiences have finally had the opportunity to see Jerry Herman’s Dear World, a show close to the composer/lyricist’s heart but one which never repeated anywhere near the success of his other big-hitters like Mame and Hello, Dolly!

Herman and librettists Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee’s whimsical fable – which takes place during just one day in post-Occupation Paris – focuses on a group of businessmen who believe there is oil beneath the Parisian café belonging to Countess Aurelia (also known as The Madwoman of Chaillot). They are determined to get their own way, but she and her friends believe that hope, love and decency will win out over corporate greed. “Where the mad is respected,” acknowledges one of the corporate fat-cats, “our power is at an end.”

Despite the efforts of David Thompson (who has written a new version of the book), legendary director/choreographer Gillian Lynne and a talented ensemble, Dear World remains a flawed piece. Its dependence on whimsy can be tiresome, resulting in a lack of engagement with characters that prove to be irritatingly one-dimensional. And the pace of the piece can also be weighed down by dull, unnecessary dialogue.

“Betty Buckley’s touching portrayal of Aurelia”

However, there is also much to recommend an often charming production, not least Betty Buckley’s touching portrayal of Aurelia ­­– whether she is rousing her troops to fight back in ‘One Person’ – hints of Herman’s ‘Before the Parade Passes By’ – or dreaming of the loss that passed her by during the beautifully staged ‘And I Was Beautiful’ (Matt Kinley’s set design for Aurelia’s basement flat perfectly reflects her personality). Her rendition of the sincerely sentimental song ‘I Don’t Want to Know’, probably the best-known composition from the show which artists like Liza Minnelli have performed, is also memorable.

In addition, when Buckley teams up with the equally dotty countesses, Constance (Annabel Leventon) and Gabrielle (Rebecca Lock), along with the latter’s imaginary dog Dickie, the evening receives a much welcome injection of humour. Paul Nicholas’ Sewerman revels in the quirkiness of his numbers, while Stuart Matthew Price and Katy Treharne deserve a mention for bringing a sweet subtlety to the romance between Julian and Nina.

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CAST Countess Aurelia............................................................ BETTY BUCKLEY Sewerman......................................................................PAUL NICHOLAS Julian................................................................ STUART MATTHEW PRICE Nina................................................................................KATY TREHARNE Prospector................................................................ANTHONY BARCLAY Sergeant...................................................................... MICHAEL CHANCE President One .....................................................................PETER LAND President 2........................................................................JACK REBALDI President Three.......................................................ROBERT MEADMORE Constance...............................................................ANNABEL LEVENTON Gabrielle...........................................................................REBECCA LOCK Mute.................................................................................AYMAN SAFIAH Waiter/Understudy Julian...............................................BRETT BROWN Swing/Understudy.......................................................JOANNA LOXTON Swing/Understudy.......................................................CRAIG NICHOLLS

Rebecca Lock as Gabrielle, Annabel Leventon as Constance and Betty Buckley as Countess Aurelia

CREATIVE TEAM Music and Lyrics............................................................. JERRY HERMAN Authors......................................JEROME LAWRENCE and ROBERT E LEE New Version...............................................................DAVID THOMPSON Director/Choreographer..................................................GILLIAN LYNNE Musical Director..............................................................IAN TOWNSEND Orchestrations..................................................................SARAH TRAVIS Set Designer........................................................................MATT KINLEY Costume Designer....................................................ANN HOULD-WARD Lighting Designer.......................................................MIKE ROBERTSON Sound Designer.................................................................MIKE WALKER Producers....................................STEVEN M LEVY, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, .................................................................................CONRAD FREEDMAN

RUNNING TIME: 2H 30M

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roles, particularly when performing the ironic ‘The Spring of Next Year’.

Apparently Herman always saw Dear World as a chamber piece and was frustrated when it was originally staged on such a grand scale. One cannot help thinking that this interpretation in the old music hall surroundings of the Charing Cross Theatre would meet with his approval.

Lisa Martland Paul Nicholas as Sewerman

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REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

FOR THE RECORD

MILE HIGH THE MUSICAL

Reviews of recent productions

Lost Theatre

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his new musical sees writers Mike Hume and Terry Newman and director Phil Willmott join forces in an attempt to create a light comedy billed as the antidote to ‘the winter blues’.

Mile High promises to take the audience on an emotional journey through the world of two airlines: the weary, budget Icarus Royal Airlines and the superficial Fantasy Airlines. The latter coincidentally channels the glossy flight attendant image of Richard Branson’s recent advertisement for Virgin. The main character, Icarus’ Richenda (Jessica Sherman), dreams of being a pilot and wants to distance herself from the stereotypical ditzy image of a flight attendant. Her best friend Taylor (Ralph Bogard) dreams of being the ultimate ‘trolley dolly’ and securing his dream man Clinton (Alex Beaumont), while Clinton’s best friend Maroula (Cristina Dohmen) revels in her status as a plastic gold-digger.

“it remains grounded in a series of musical theatre clichés”

CAST Richenda.....................................................................JESSICA SHERMAN Taylor..............................................................................RALPH BOGARD Captain Leo.....................................................................WILL BRADNAM Maroula...................................................................... CRISTINA DOHMEN Clinton...........................................................................ALEX BEAUMONT Captain Fantastico............................................................. ANDY IRVINE Olivia.................................................................................... ANNE SMITH Fay......................................................................CHARLOTTE DEBATTISTA Tina......................................................................................LAURA HYDE Zee......................................................................................TOM NORMAN Grace.................................................................. AMBER ROSE SUMMERS Sally..............................................................................HETTIE PEARSON Charlie..................................................................CONNOR MACNAMARA CREATIVE TEAM Writers............................................... MIKE HUME and TERRY NEWMAN Director............................................................................PHIL WILLMOTT Musical Director..................................................................LEE FREEMAN Musical Supervision............................................. ANGHARAD SANDERS Choreographer..................................................THOMAS MICHAEL VOSS Costume Designer........................................PRAV MENON-JOHANSSON Sound.......................................................................GEORGE MADDOCKS Production Designer............................................................... MIKE LEES Lighting Designer................................................................YANA DEMO Producer................................................................................MIKE HUME

Despite the musical’s attempt to take the audience on this ‘emotional journey’, it remains grounded in a series of musical theatre clichés. The chaotic narrative flies between Richenda’s aspirations and undeveloped, unneeded subplots which do not add unity to the piece. This hinders an emotional attachment to both the plot and the characters. Taylor has the potential to be a meaningful character but, owing to the writing, he does not stray from his position as a camp steward. He speaks entirely in innuendo which takes the form of funny acerbic oneliners in the first five minutes, but quickly become tedious. Clinton is also a stereotype who exists as a plot device; he does not emerge from his position as a Kylie-obsessed variation of Taylor.

However, the main characters and ensemble perform with enthusiasm. The lyricist’s creative wordplay within the playful ‘Alphabet Song’ is executed well by the cast. Sherman excels as Richenda, moving between vulnerability and defiance. She shows strong acting and vocal ability, especially in the first half of the show. She and Dohmen work dynamically together, and the opening conflict between the two lends itself well to Willmott’s staging. Although Maroula is a caricature, Dohmen works well to add power and comedy to the role.

A musical based on an airline is a good concept. It has the potential to push boundaries and deconstruct stereotypes. However, Mile High leaves its characters firmly in a holding room of awkward stereotypes. With a tighter structure and complex characters, it could have been so much more.

Rebecca Gordon

Photo: GREG GOODALE

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Stephen McGill productionS p r e s e n t

THE WORLD PREMIERE

OF A NEW MUSICAL STARRING starring

Faye Mike Dylan Tozer McShanE Turner

www.thetailormademanlondon.com

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14 February - 6 April

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Based on the true story of William haines, the silent screen star Who risked it all for the man he loved.

REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

Merrily We Roll Along MenierChocolate Factory

FOR THE RECORD Reviews of recent productions

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ast year produced a string of first-rate revivals of second-rate Broadway musicals, and Maria Friedman’s production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily was an admirable addition the list.

A failure on Broadway in 1981, the musical has (like the Sondheim’s show Follies) been rewritten and tinkered with repeatedly over the years – Sondheim’s volume of collected lyrics offers alternate versions of almost every song – and the text used here differs from the one seen at the Donmar Warehouse in 2000.

The most notable change is cutting the clumsy frame of the school assembly and diving right into the story of Franklin Shepard, the talented young songwriter who becomes a rich Hollywood producer, shedding friends, wives and values along the way. The gimmick is that, as in the 1930s play that inspired it, the story is told in reverse order, beginning with the successful but soul-dead Franklin, and moving backward to the hopes and dreams of youth. (As in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, the device doesn’t really work, the ironies all being a bit obvious and heavyhanded, though in the musical it does allow for some nice effects, like having a reprise precede the full version of a song, and letting the show end with the optimistic ‘Our Time’.)

“some of Sondheim’s loveliest and most touching songs”

Photo: ROY TAN

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What Merrily does have are some of Sondheim’s loveliest and most touching songs. There’s the double-edged love song ‘Not a Day Goes By’, which can be inspirational or heart-breaking depending on who’s singing it, the title song and the catchy ‘Old Friends’ – classics all of them.

Friedman is one of the West End’s finest singing actresses – that is, she knows how to bring out all the meaning and emotion in a song – and as director she has guided most of her cast to similar psychological and emotional depths totally appropriate to this score and this show.

One of the problems of Merrily is that the hero is introduced as a cold, soulless bastard and only gradually do we see the virtues he gave up to get there. But Mark Umbers finds everything in the man deserving of sympathy, even in the first scenes, and all the more as he goes along, by making him less a determined money-grabber than a weakling who takes what seems the easy option at every point and only realises the cost later. He’s more the prey of Josefina Gabrielle’s man-eating Broadway star (a strong and never cliched characterisation) than an active philanderer.

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Mark Umbers ,Jenna Russell and Damian Humbley in Merrily We Roll Along

Photo: ROY TAN

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The one weak link in this production is in the character of Charley, Frank’s collaborator and oldest friend. Every previous Charley I’ve seen has almost stolen the show with his energy and moral voice, but as if to avoid that, Friedman has directed Damian Humbley to underplay almost to the point of invisibility.

His big number, ‘Franklin Shepard Inc’, is a damp squib rather than the explosion CAST Trumpet 1..................................................................EDWARD MAXWELL it should be (Sondheim has compared it Franklin Shepard............................................................. MARK UMBERS Trumpet 2........................................................................ CHRIS SEDDON to ‘Rose’s Turn’ in Gypsy), and he isn’t the Mary Flynn......................................................................JENNA RUSSELL Trombone................................................................MAGNUS DEARNESS strong reminder of how far Frank has strayed Charley Kringas..........................................................DAMIAN HUMBLEY Double Bass.......................................................................PAUL MOYLAN that he should be.

Tyler...........................................................................ASHLEY ROBINSON Drums/Percussion ....................................................JAMES O’CARROLL Partly because of that vacuum, but Terry/Mr Spencer.................................................... MARTIN CALLAGHAN mainly on the merits of her very strong CREATIVE TEAM Scotty/Mrs Spencer...................................................AMANDA MINIHAN performance, it is Jenna Russell as the Music & Lyrics..........................................................STEPHEN SONDHEIM Dory.........................................................................SAMANTHA MERCER gal-pal who has always loved Frank who Book.................................................................................GEORGE FURTH Ru.............................................................................MATTHEW BARROW becomes the play’s moral centre and most Director........................................................................MARIA FRIEDMAN Jerome........................................................................ ROBBIE SCOTCHER sympathetic character.

Choreographer................................................................... TIM JACKSON KT......................................................................AMY ELLEN RICHARDSON The backward plot means that Clare Foster Designer..................................................................... SOUTRA GILMOUR Meg Kincaid.......................................................................ZIZI STRALLEN enters late as Frank’s first wife, but she pulls Lighting Design................................................................DAVID HERSEY Gussie Carnegie.....................................................JOSEFINA GABRIELLE all the heartbreak there is out of ‘Not a Day Sound Design.................................................................. GARETH OWEN TV Newswoman...................................................JOANNA WOODWARD Goes By’ and Glyn Kerslake, as a Broadway Musical Supervision/Direction...................................CATHERINE JAYES Bunker/TV Newsman/Reverend................................. KIRK PATTERSON producer, turns what could be a stock comic Orchestrations...........................................................JONATHAN TUNICK Joe Josephson................................................................GLYN KERSLAKE character into an attractive guy.

Hair/Wig design........................................................RICHARD MAWBEY Frank Jr.......................... NOAH MILLER/TOMMY RODGER/JOSEPH WEST I suspect that nothing can fully conquer the Dance Arrangements.......................................................... JASON CARR Beth Spencer.....................................................................CLARE FOSTER built-in problems and limitations of Merrily Associate Director............................................................ADAM LENSON We Roll Along, but they’re outweighed by the BAND Assistant to the Director................................................... JANET BEHAN Piano/Keys..................................................................CATHERINE JAYES Associate Musical Director..................................................ANDY RAPPS beautiful score and by the several excellent Flutes/Clarinet/Alto Sax........................................BERNIE LA FONTAINE performances here.

Gerald Berkowitz Clarinet/Tenor Sax.......................................................... EMMA FOWLER lead critic for www.theatreguidelondon.co.uk Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/Bassoon/Baritone Sax........DANIELLE HARTLEY

REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

FOR THE RECORD

THE ROUTE TO HAPPINESS

Reviews of recent productions

Landor Theatre

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he Route to Happiness charts the lives, loves and vicissitudes of three young people living in contemporary London. Lorna is desperately looking for commitment but makes terrible choices in men, Trinity has drive but seriously lacks the talent to achieve the celebrity status she so craves, and Marcus is desperate to earn his fortune as a talent manager but struggles to make headway in the precarious business. Whilst the plot borders precariously on the edge of soap opera territory, the score contains a mix of exceptional musical numbers that genuinely touch the heart.

“the intensity of the drama rarely lives up to that of the music”

As if to compound this soap-operatic ideal, the piece is through-sung and this is perhaps its failing as the intensity of the drama rarely lives up to that of the music. When the trio sings wistfully of ‘Holding On’, there is a genuine sense of equilibrium, the music matching the mood perfectly. There is a good deal of comedy too, especially from Cassidy Janson as the hapless Trinity auditioning badly for any reality TV show going – even the hilarious search for a dancing star show, Pirouettes-Factor.

Unfortunately as the plot edges forward, the integrity of the score suffers under a surfeit of pillow talk and business jargon. There are exceptions, notably ‘Not My Fault’, a wonderful crescendo of operatic proportions filled with the pain of betrayal and broken dreams. In fact, there are definitely some real gems in this CAST score but their brilliance is dimmed considerably by a meandering recitative that weights it Lorna................................................................................. SHONA WHITE down.

Marcus................................................................................NIALL SHEEHY Shona White captures the determined edge to Lorna perfectly, negotiating the character’s Trinity............................................................................CASSIDY JANSON elliptical journey with some conviction. Whilst not strictly speaking the lead role, Lorna MUSICIANS is easily the most sympathetic character in the piece and as such could be considered the Piano..................................................................ALEXANDER BERMANGE heroine. We may laugh at Trinity’s determination in adversity but it’s Lorna we are routing for Bass........................................................................ JUSTINE HOMEWOOD from the start. If anything, it is Niall Sheehy as Marcus who draws the short straw here and in a role that lacks neither charm or sympathy, the actor appears to flounder.

CREATIVE TEAM Robert McWhir’s simple direction adds colour to an ultimately uneventful narrative but Book, Lyrics, Score............................................ALEXANDER BERMANGE there is an old saying that musicals aren’t written, they are re-written. Hopefully composer Director.........................................................................ROBERT McWHIR Bermange will assess the work after this first professional outing and consider the value of Producer.........................KATY LIPSON FOR ARIA ENTERTAINMENT AND collaborating with a good librettist. ..............................................................................THE LANDOR THEATRE The Route To Happiness was staged at the Landor as part of the venue’s From Page To Stage season, showcasing new musical theatre writing.

Paul Vale

RUNNING TIME: 2H 10M

Photo: francis loney

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Niall Sheehy as Marcus, Shona White as Lorna and Cassidy Janson as Trinity

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REVIEWS – LONDON FRINGE

FOR THE RECORD

LIFT

Reviews of recent productions

Soho Theatre

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Photo: ROY TAN

9% of new musicals fail, as do albums and rock bands. No one can foresee the future of the new musical genre, yet you can predict what will fail and why.

And this type of tune-free sub-Sondheimwith–shades-of-Rent stuff is doomed to bits.

What is downright strange is that so many writer/composers choose to derive their style from this source. True, it’s feasible that Sondheim and Jonathan Larson did show them a pathway of sorts. They just did it first, sometimes with brilliance. It’s worth remembering that even their shows struggled. Remember Follies? Deemed to be before its time. Being before your time is as bad as being too late.

Like Chekhov, Sondheim is an acquired taste, a niche appeal. Circulating more of the same tired ideas has got many groups of writers absolutely nowhere. The offices of Cameron Mackintosh receive approximately 15 musicals per week.

Choosing the power of melody above any other influence would be a good start for anyone attempting to compose a musical though, as would trying to find a subject matter that has a broader spectrum than your immediate circle of friends. Maybe they are as fed up with their lack of greatness; disconnected and lost as the person in the lift in this particular show. Whatever the chosen subject matter, the aim of any writer is to entertain the people who have just parted with their £30, expecting to be moved and enlightened – not show them a BA (Mus) qualification.

As for the 21st Century chat-room idea in Lift, writer Enda Walsh (who’s Once has taken up residence 100 yards away from the Soho Theatre) got there some years ago. The reviews of his play Chatroom clearly demonstrated that he nailed the darker side of this new social media, an example being: “What begins as seemingly innocent conversations and teenage chat about trivial issues, takes a sinister turn as the

“actors bravely singing their sad tale”

CREATIVE TEAM Music & Lyrics/Musical Director........................................CRAIG ADAMS Book.....................................................................................IAN WATSON Producers.................JIM ZALLES, ROS POVEY, ANDY & WENDY BARNES ..................................................................................FOR PERFECT PITCH

RUNNING TIME: 1H 15M

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Cast French Teacher............................................................. JULIE ATHERTON Secretary..............................................................................NIKKI DAVIS Lap Dancer.......................................................................CYNTHIA ERIVO Ballet Dancer.......................................................................JONNY FINES Bright Young Thing.........................................................LUKE KEMPNER Athletic and Wearing A Thong..............................................ELLIE KIRK Busker......................................................................... GEORGE MAGUIRE Tall Dark And Handsome................................................ROBBIE TOWNS

ISSUE 1

teenagers, who have never met, turn on and manipulate each other”.

Actually the message of all together-all alone in the teeming city is still a strong premise for a show and Lift is a brave attempt to depict what goes on in the minds of a group of eight people. Composer/lyricist Craig Adams and librettist Ian Watson also give the audience a lot of music for their money, with the actors bravely singing their sad tales to the unforgiving skies. Characters are credited as busker, dancer, teacher. It’s a nice idea, leaving us to discover more about them through their misadventures, rather than their names.

Ellie Kirk provides a golden voice with a quirky presence. Jonny Fines, saddled with the confused but promiscuous ballet dancer role, manages to have fun with it. Julie Atherton plays a gay teacher discovering her innermost demons through furtive meetings with a street-wise lap dancer, forcefully played by Cynthia Erivo. In their scenes the searing awkwardness of latent sexuality holds the moment. The message of people being tricked and trapped by their raw emotions is clear. Nikki Davis, as the yearning secretary, has the stand-out vocal quality of the evening.

Lift could be helped to get to the next level. Hope is available through venues like Soho Theatre and production companies such as Perfect Pitch, nurturing and developing the new voices of a complex art form.

Michael Tornay

Interview: BETTY BUCKLEY

Lisa Martland caught up with the Tony Award-winning actress during the London run of Jerry Herman’s Dear World

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n a interview with TheaterWeek magazine in 1996, just as she was preparing to perform Norma Desmond for the last time in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, the Tony Award-winning actress Betty Buckley commented: “I hope that when Sunset is no longer in the picture that I won’t slack back, just hang out drinking cappuccino with my friends and going to the bookstore and reading all afternoon, which was my favourite pastime before.”

Well, why the Texas-born actress and singer may have fitted in a few coffee breaks during the last 17 years, she has hardly been twiddling her thumbs. Alongside her international theatre work, Buckley’s concert performances at venues across the US (including Carnegie Hall) are always in demand, and that’s in addition to 15 solo albums, TV and film work, and regular teaching.

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passion for musical theatre

Throughout, Buckley’s passion for musical theatre and dedication to the art form has been evident, a quality which recently brought her back to London and, in particular, to the Charing Cross Theatre for the UK premiere of Jerry Herman’s Dear World.

Part of the attraction of taking on the role of Countess Aurelia, also known as the Madwoman of Chaillot (from Jean Giraudoux’s play), was the opportunity to work again with director/choreographer Gillian Lynne. Since their collaboration on Cats in 1982 – Buckley’s portrayal of Grizabella won her a Tony Award – they have always stayed in touch.

“It has been really great fun working with Gillian again. She has always been something of an inspiration for me and has been kind enough to see all the shows I’ve done. We had talked about collaborating on a project, and then a couple of years ago she mentioned Dear World. I had always loved the show, and for many years thought the Countess was a part I should do. It’s well-known that the original had some issues, but I think Gillian’s vision solved those problems.

“It is a very delicate piece, but people expected all the showbiz and razzamatazz of Jerry Herman’s other shows. This wonderful and intimate new version treated that fragility with the respect Jerry Herman intended, as did Sarah Travis with her new orchestrations.”

Buckley also points out that the theme of the show ­– which sees “the goodness of humanity win out over corporate greed” – was perhaps a little ahead of its time when it opened in 1969, and that the fable has more relevance than it ever did in 2013.

Before Buckley experienced the “huge moment in my life and career” that was the original Broadway production of Cats, the actress had been best-known in the US for her TV role as Sandra Sue ‘Abby’ Abbott in the popular series Eight is Enough. But her theatrical career truly reached another level when the part of Grizabella came along, as Buckley explains: “Cats was a very precious time in my life. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn and Gillian 64

Lynne brought out the potential of my talent and I began to really believe in it myself. People like them have meant so much to me, I am phenomenally respectful of them.”

It was, of course, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard that resulted in another visit to London in 1994 when she played Norma Desmond in the revamped version of the show, later going on to repeat her success in the Broadway production. She has fond memories of that time in London, and compares how she felt then to her very first visit to the capital as a 22-year-old to appear in Promises, Promises.

“From the moment I visited London, it felt special to me, almost as if I must have lived here in a former life. It seem that every twentysomething years I come to do another show in my life – Promises (’70), Sunset (’94), Dear World (’13). The city has become a touchstone in my life.

“On a professional level I was very well school and prepared for being onstage. I had known what I wanted to do from the age of 13 and it seemed like everything was working the way I had envisaged it, it was beyond thrilling [Buckley’s Broadway debut was in the musical 1776, when she was 21]. But from a young age, I was a pretty lonely kid and I did not have a lot of the skills to cope with life as a performer. During Promises, I had this dinky apartment, and I remember being pretty lonely some of the time. Then the other day, I went by the hotel where I lived when I was appearing in Sunset, and I thought about the success I had had and how my confidence had grow. It was like an out of body experience.”

never one to pick predictable material

Now that the London cabaret scene is having something of a renaissance, maybe it won’t be long before Buckley also brings one of her successful solo shows across the Atlantic. Never one to pick predictable material, her latest offerings have been The Other Woman: The Vixens of Broadway (songs that were performed by second leads or featured actresses in a musical) and Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway (a collection of tunes that were introduced by male characters in shows). The latter project was partly inspired by an interest in women who impersonated men in British Music Hall, and Buckley’s own experience of playing the roles of Edwin Drood and Alice Nutting in the 1985 New York Shakespeare Festival production of the musical version of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Elsewhere she has made her mark in movies and television, including working with her film editor/TV director brother Norman Buckley on the ABC hit show Pretty Little Liars, while one of her most recent credits on the big screen was the Mark Wahlberg sci-fi thriller The Happening.

And so Buckley’s busy schedule continues, she even missed her induction into the prestigious Theater Hall of Fame in

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Betty Buckley

ISSUE 1 there is no sign she has lost her hunger for performing.

“Thank the Lord, I have been very lucky and blessed to keep working. Gillian Lynne is 86 years old and just extraordinary. I want to be just like her when I grow up!”

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January this year because of her preparations for Dear World.

The lady who was once described as the ‘Voice of Broadway’ may occasionally have time off to relax at her Texas ranch – where she helps take care of the 17 animals who also reside there – but

step by step, putting iT together Executive director of Mercury Musical Developments Neil Marcus offers an update on all the organisation is doing to nurture new writing

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Photo: DAVID OVENDEN

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A Song Cycle For Soho

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ercury Musical Developments was formed in 1992 when Stephen Sondheim was inaugurated as the first Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Oxford University and a dozen writers studied with him. The aim of the organisation is to develop the craft of writing book, music and lyics for musical theatre. Early members of the organisation included George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, Howard Goodall and Charles Hart who all now play an active role in passing on their craft to the next generation of writers.

Our programme is a mix of developmental work, mentoring and showcasing. In 2010 we piloted a resident composer scheme with Michael Bruce at the Bush Theatre. He is now in composerin-residence at the Donmar Warehouse. Following that, Dougal Irvine was composer-in-residence at the Royal and Derngate in Northampton and Craig Adams took a similar role at the London fringe theatre Finborough Theatre. Through the scheme, supported by the generosity of the Mackintosh Foundation, MMD is now placing three more writers. The scheme demonstrates the efficacy of mentorship and being immersed in a theatrical environment, the most famous model being the great Oscar Hammerstein II setting tasks for a fledgling for Stephen Sondheim.

The ongoing MMD Lionel Bart Memorial Masterclass allows members working on songs to get one-on-one feedback from a broad church of specialists which have to date included John Bucchino, John Caird, Julia McKenzie, Nigel Lilley, Charles Hart, Richard Thomas, Maria Friedman, Richard Stilgoe, and many more.

For the last two years MMD has partnered with a theatre to create

a song cycle around work they are presenting. In 2011 it was Beyond The Gate (Gate Theatre) and in 2012 A Song Cycle For Soho (Soho Theatre). Both shows are available on SimG Records and contain material from a wealth of emerging writers. Another opportunity to hear new work is the annual Stiles & Drewe Best New Song Prize, now in its seventh year – a West End showcase of new work performed by students. The evening is paired with the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition.

Book, Music and Lyrics, facilitated by David James, also comes under the MMD umbrella where writers get the chance to develop their skills over a sustained period with a broad range of exercises such as – imagine Shirley Valentine was a musical, what would be the opening number?

MMD now has more than 250 members and last year became part of the Arts Council England National Portfolio in partnership with Musical Theatre Network.

October 2012 saw the organisation’s 20th Anniversary Gala at the Novello Theatre where work from over 60 writers was performed or championed by a number of West End artists including Janie Dee, Claire Moore, Michael Ball, Anita Dobson, Christopher Biggins, Danielle Hope, Paul Kaye, Sally Ann Triplett, Alex Gaumond and many more.

Work by several members was performed including Sandy Wilson, Don Black, Frank Lazarus, Josh Cohen, Elliot Davies, Conor Mitchell, Pippa Cleary, Gwyneth Herbert, Dougal Irvine, Tim Sutton, Stuart Matthew Price, Grant Olding, Tim Minchin and more.

www.mercurymusicals.com

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The Write Time for New Musicals Slowly but surely, during the last 30 years, the movement to encourage budding composers, lyricists and librettists has grown, as Chris Grady explains

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bringing in the best luminaries from Broadway and the UK. But there was a problem. No one seemed interested in new musical theatre.

There were the big hit shows, and the logo became king of the West End – with Cats’ eyes, Cosette, a ghostly mask, and a roaring lion taking all the attention. There were no names above the title except the producers and writers. One effect of this was that for 30 years (from 1981 until two or three years ago) there were no star names attracting an audience to new work.

Plays fared better, with a fantastic array of great actors playing at the National or RSC, then moving to the Almeida, Royal Court or Donmar to do a new work, supported by legendary producers such as Michael Codron, Bill Kenwright and Thelma Holt.

The same pathways, support and subsidy were simply not available to new musical theatre writers.

In 2000, BBC Wales invited me to conceive a festival of Musicals in Cardiff.

After the planning phase, Joanna Benjamin took on the role of artistic director/chief executive, creating a glittering array of material on low budgets. Jo created three festivals, but in the end did not have the support that the burgeoning New York Musicals Festival was gaining.

In 2006/7 things started to shift through prime-time TV talent shows. First Maria and then Joseph were discovered and given massive marketing hype through the public voting for who they liked best. Suddenly the West End musical was like a pop concert, a cool place to go to see your favourite celebrity.

The BBC had shifted the domination of the logo, and given us stars. There may be strong arguments against this process – but it did change the face of the West End.

But what of new work? In 2005, I gathered colleagues to form Musical Theatre Matters, a network for emerging producers and creatives and at last, with a conference, a final push of campaigning, and thanks to the influence of Emma Stenning and Barbara Matthews, the Arts Council began to take musical theatre seriously. MTM, now rebranded as Musical Theatre Network, under the leadership of Caroline Routh gained Arts Council funding, along with Andy Barnes’ Perfect Pitch programme of new work.

Mercury has grown into Mercury Musical Development, another Arts Council-funded support body for new writers, led by longserving champion of writers, Neil Marcus.

These bodies have three years funding to help new writers and new writing move to the next level.

Are we there yet? No. But the National Theatre recently created a groundbreaking new musical, London Road, while the RSC is reaping the benefits of commissioning new writers to create Matilda. The MTM Awards in Edinburgh keep giving emerging writers a chance to be spotted. Youth Music Theatre UK is the largest commissioner of new writing. Conor Mitchell and Mark Ravenhill are creating new work for Aldeburgh, Edinburgh Festival and the edgy London scene. Bill Banks-Jones continues to stretch the boundaries between opera and music theatre with his Tete A Tete festival, made glorious at Christmas with a revival of Salad Days at the Riverside Studios. Now is a great time to be writing good exciting edgy musical theatre. There are more opportunities than ever for work to be developed. The challenge remains to filter the best work to reach the widest audience.

In future issues of Musical Theatre Review, we will also profile other organisations that support new work in musical theatre. These include: A membership organisation that champions the creation of new musical theatre. It works in partnership with venues, producers, artists and funders to put in place the structures and the networks that will help musical theatre to grow and the individuals and the organisations working within it to find the ways through which they can create new work. Our programme includes an annual conference, awards in Edinburgh, training and networking events and funded initiatives supporting the development of the art form. www.musicaltheatrenetwork.com

Perfect Pitch Perfect Pitch a not-for-profit company dedicated to the development of new British musicals through readings, workshops and showcases in collaboration with a network of partners within the UK. We work closely with writers, nurturing, supporting and developing their musicals and then bridging the gaps between those writers and producers. We aim to raise the profile of their shows and present a brand of quality work that gives confidence to those interested in producing new musicals. www.perfectpitchmusicals.com

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Musical Theatre Network

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n 1988 there was an historic meeting between musical theatre new works specialists from the USA and UK, held at the National Theatre, attended by director Roger Haines. Out of this meeting came the National Alliance for Musical Theatre festival in New York each September, and the seeds for the creation of the first international Quest for New Musicals and Festival of Musicals which Roger and I created at Buxton Opera House in 1992. We did 19 new works in six weeks, and the event is still remembered with great fondness.

The early 1990s also saw the development of Mercury Workshop – a gathering of writers who had been part of Stephen Sondheim’s inaugural Professorship in Contemporary Theatre at Oxford. Together with some colleagues they generated The Challenge, a one-day event involving their writing talents, showcased at a stunning gala in 1992.

In 1994 I formed New Musicals Alliance and took over administering the Vivian Ellis Prize – an annual search for new writers leading to a gala at the London Palladium. A one-day showcase, celebration and networking session, the very first Vivian Ellis Prize uncovered the talents of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, while Charles Hart was picked by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to be the next lyricist on Phantom of the Opera. The prize continued for 15 years.

New Musicals Alliance and Mercury Workshop continued to support and champion writers into the new Century.

I created a short course on the art of collaboration, A Month of Sundays, which gave writers a fantastic array of tutors/ guides. Mercury developed a host of salons,

Interview: MARK UMBERS

Paul Vale discovers how the actor has travelled from spear-carrier at the National to a leading West End role in a Sondheim musical

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n a relatively short period of time, Mark Umbers has established himself as one of the most sought-after leading men in musical theatre. From Frederic in the West Yorkshire Playhouse production of Pirates of Penzance to Freddy in Trevor Nunn’s production of My Fair Lady, on to Nicky Arnstein opposite Samantha Spiro’s Funny Girl, and all three suitors to Tamzin Outhwaite’s Sweet Charity.

Umbers has an instinct for unlocking the complexities of what many people consider to be problematic characters, a task he has performedto critical acclaim in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s production of Merrily We Roll Along, where he played Franklin Shepard, the talented aspiring composer who sells his soul for success in Hollywood.

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“I ended up not going to drama school at all”

Taking time out before the transfer of Merrily to the West End, Umbers told me a little about his hands-on theatre education and his approach to approach to the work: “I was always going to be an actor but my degree at Oxford was for four years and I screwed up my drama school applications by applying for ‘deferred entry’. I turned up to all the auditions, only to be told that they didn’t do deferred entry. I didn’t want to be worried about auditions during my finals so I ended up not going to drama school at all.

“Eventually I somehow got into a workshop at the Actors Centre that was being directed by Sylvia Sims. She very kindly got me an audition with casting director Toby Whale for a BBC film called the Student Prince – a vehicle for Robson Green and Rupert Penry-Jones – that I had about three lines in.

‘That led to various little bits of television and then I got the audition for The Pirates of Penzance that was being produced at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Ian Talbot was directing and the musical director was Catherine Jayes – who is also the MD of Merrily. They couldn’t find anybody to play Frederic and obviously the role needed somebody with experience – ie not me – and Catherine subsequently told me that before I arrived they had said: ‘If this one can sing, he’s got the job!’ I got the job and that’s how I got into theatre. Then straight after that run, I got into the National Theatre for a couple of years and that was really my drama school. I mean, it was an incredible experience to learn from all those people. I started literally as a spear-carrier in Troilus and Cressida, then I had a little bit more to do in Bernstein’s Candide, a sort of middling size part in Merchant of Venice and then Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady.”

Umbers had been a chorister when he was very young, but he had never had any vocal training as such. “I had a good ear and I was always in the easy listening department of HMV, mimicking certain singers. I remember for My Fair Lady, I would listen to a lot of Vic Damone and Al Martino just to get that rich baritone sound that I thought was appropriate for the role. For me, vocally that’s my way in.”

When Merrily We Roll Along, originally closed on Broadway after 70

only 16 performances it went down in history as one of Sondheim’s biggest flops. Based on a play by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart, the reversed narrative and unsavoury themes sat ill with audiences at the Alvin Theatre, where the last show had been the hugely successful, shamelessly up-beat Annie.

Since that early closure, revivals have been staged with various changes to help solve the show’s problems and Sondheim has even written extra numbers for inclusion, most notably the revelatory ‘Growing Up’.

The Menier revival of Merrily – featuring Umbers as Franklin Shepard, Jenna Russell as Mary and Damian Humbley as Charley – not only opened to glowing notices, but has also garnered a transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End. Umbers reflects on how fortunate he has felt to land the role in the George Furth/Stephen Sondheim musical: “I know a lot of actors who particularly love Merrily and those who I told that I was doing the show were green with envy. I think that is because Sondheim and Furth have created such incredible characters to challenge an actor’s range. Frank starts off being deeply unsympathetic, but it’s not the same experience as playing a villain because he has a journey to go on – albeit a backward one. And the trick, rather than worrying about his likeability is to completely embrace that at the beginning and then let the piece take care of the rest. As he gets younger and nicer you can see where all those changes happened.

“I got a note very early on from Sondheim via our director Maria Friedman which – before we’d even started rehearsals said: ‘For God’s sake, whatever he does, tell him not to try and be liked within the first 20 minutes, because it will destroy the piece’. And now, although it felt horrible and exposing when we first started, I really enjoy the ugliness of those first few scenes – knowing what’s coming.”

The production is Friedman’s directorial debut. As one of this country’s foremost interpreters of Sondheim’s work in her own right – Passion, Sunday in the Park With George and Merrily – I asked Umbers what the Olivier Award-winning actor and singer brings to the director’s chair.

“Maria has been brilliant”

“Maria has been brilliant! Especially on this piece, which is written – like all of Sondheim’s work – for actors to play in as truthful a way as is possible. And when the subject matter is the subject matter of Merrily, you need to be in a very safe place to do all of that. I think having an actor running the ship has been incredibly helpful and has given us all the freedom to go to all of these various dark places, that perhaps we might not want to, but have to in order to make the show work.”

The work has evidently paid off, and sitting in the audience at the first preview was Sondheim who greeted the cast later with nothing but praise and sadness that librettist Furth, who had died in 2008, could not be there to see the eventual success of the show.

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Photo: ROY TAN

Mark Umbers in Merrily We Roll Along

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“It’s always got to be the role that is the major driving force”

“I suppose everybody wants to have a crack at Sweeney Todd, but I don’t know. There aren’t that many more classic musicals I can do really. Certainly, whichever medium I perform in, it’s going to always

be about the role – the challenge. Okay, we may do the odd piece simply for the money to meet the mortgage payments, but it’s always got to be the role that is the major driving force. If it’s not going to make you better as an actor, then it’s probably best that you don’t do it, if you can afford not to. Stephen Daldry and Scott Rudin both came to see the show here and I remember saying to David Babani, artistic director at the Menier – ‘That’s my dream job! A film directed by Stephen and produced by Scott. But that’s a pipe dream, I suppose’.”

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Although this is Umbers’ first Sondheim, he seems to be a little more phlegmatic about his future in musical theatre.

REVIEWS – UK REGIONAL 3–6 April 2013

PIAF The Curve, Leicester

CAST Piaf............................................................................ FRANCES RUFFELLE Toine..................................................................... LAURA PITT-PULFORD Toine (3–6 April)...................................................................JULIA HILLS Marlene......................................................................... TIFFANY GRAVES Louis Leplee........................................................................DALE RAPLEY Marcel.................................................................................. OLIVER BOOT Marcel (3–6 April.............................................................. TAYLOR JAMES Charles............................................................................STEPHEN WEBB Cast also includes............................JASON DENTON, RUSSELL MORTON, ............................................................................................ SEAN DODDS

Frances Ruffelle as Edith Piaf

Photo: PAMELA RAITH

CREATIVE TEAM Author......................................................................................PAM GEMS Director..........................................................................PAUL KERRYSON Designer....................................................................... SIMON SCULLION Sound Designer...............................................................BEN HARRISON Lighting/Video Design.....................................................ARNIM FRIESS Costume Designer...........................................................SIOBHAN BOYD Musical Director................................................................BEN ATKINSON Producer.................................................................... The Curve Theatre

RUNNING TIME: 2H 30M

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aul Kerryson dares everything in Pam Gems’ raw, earthy and quite extraordinary musical play, first performed by the RSC in 1978.

This is the first revival since a Donmar production in 2008, and the director goes where others have feared to tread, even including the scene where a defiant Piaf, publicly humiliated by drinking from a finger-bowl, urinates on the cafe floor.

It’s a pivotal moment, when Frances Ruffelle as Piaf establishes herself as a force to be reckoned with. She is positively feral. She might sound as chirpy as Eliza Doolittle but there the resemblance ends as she satisfies a voracious sexual appetite through a succession of rough

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“She is positively feral”

trade in the shape of soldiers, sailors, builders and boxers. She couldn’t be more provocative and outrageous, conducting a conversation with a third party even as she’s lying under a man.

But the triumph is that she remains funny and feisty and wholly endearing. Piaf is a survivor in every bone, and Ruffelle brings out all her defensiveness, vulnerability and insecurity. She is never relaxed, always perched with legs akimbo. Piaf was famous for never going to a couturier and Ruffelle wears the same simple black dress throughout (though there’s a subtle change of shoe). Her lips beautifully articulate the French language and the extraordinary voice comes from somewhere deep inside. It’s terrible to watch the wreckage of her life played out, to see her finally tottering to the microphone with dyed and thinning hair, after the drink, drugs and betrayals have taken their toll.

This is a whirlwind of a story and you have to keep up, helped by video images that establish time and place. But the fragmentary nature of it all seems quite appropriate because Piaf’s life was so disjointed and dysfunctional. Simon Scullion’s set design for the intimacy of the Curve Studio reinforces that, dominated as it is by a giant broken picture frame and by the towering, angled walls of the Parisian alleys and streets.

When Piaf sings, she is close up and personal.

Musical highlights, inevitably, are ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’ and ‘La Vie En Rose’, the latter sung in duet at one point with Marlene Dietrich.

Tiffany Graves’ Marlene is tall and elegant, her poise, presence and languor coupled with a delicious way of stretching the vowels. Laura PittPulford is compelling as Toine, Piaf’s lifelong friend and flatmate, the woman who goes from whore in silk knickers to respectable married woman in the course of the story. The pair’s ambition in the early days goes no further than longing for proper toilet paper.

You have to take your hat off to the hardworking ensemble of men – Dale Rapley, Oliver Boot, Stephen Webb, Jason Denton, Russell Morton and Sean Dodds – who play everyone else in Piaf’s stormy life, from Nazis to Legionnaires. Ben Atkinson is to be congratulated for the orchestrations and Zivorad Nikolic for the accordion playing that instantly evokes Paris. And despite the train crash that was Piaf’s life, the feeling at the end is, curiously, one of redemption.

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Photo: PAMELA RAITH

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REVIEWS – UK REGIONAL

THE HIRED MAN Mercury Theatre, Colchester/The Curve, Leicester

Photo: ROBERT DAY

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21 March– 6 April 2013

12–27 April 2013

Cast John................................................................................. DAVID HUNTER Emily..............................................................................JULIE ATHERTON May/Trumpet......................................................................... JILL CARDO Blacklock/Double Bass....................................MATTHEW RUTHERFORD Jackson/Violin.........................................................................KIT ORTON Pennington/Double Bass................................................CHRIS STAINES Seth.................................................................................. GARY TUSHAW Isaac..............................................................................MARK STOBBART Harry/Percussion..........................................................JAMIE BARNARD Sally/Trumpet/Recorders.............................................. JENNI BOWDEN Ensemble/Harp........................................................RACHAEL GLADWIN Ensemble/Violin................................................................. OLIVER IZOD Piano............................................................................ RICHARD REEDAY CREATIVE TEAM Music and Lyrics....................................................... HOWARD GOODALL Book................................................................................ MELVYN BRAGG Director......................................................................DANIEL BUCKROYD Musical Supervisor/Director......................................RUCHARD REEDAY Choreographer........................................................... CHARLIE MORGAN Designer................................................................JULIET SHILLINGFORD Lighting Designer........................................................... MARK DYMOCK Sound Designer.................................................................TOM LISHMAN Dialect Coach................................................................MARY HOWLAND Fight/Movement Director......................................... MATTHEW CULLUM Producers:.......................................... MERCURY THEATRE, COLCHESTER, ........................................... co-production with THE CURVE, LEICESTER

evised by Melvyn Bragg from his 1969 book of the same name, The Hired Man is based on the few facts he knew about his grandfather who was born about 1890.

Bragg got to know him well during the Second World War when his own father was away at the war. Persuaded by composer Howard Goodall that the story would make a good musical, the author and broadcaster finally agreed, commenting: “Goodall’s music which is English to the core, gives to the piece the spirit and depth to those who deserve it.”

The musical play follows the ups and downs of John and Emily from their marriage in 1898 to almost a quarter of a century later in 1921. Designer Juliet Shillingford has created an impressive and atmospheric corner of bucolic Cumbria, three small areas of ‘land’, tilted towards the audience, on which the drama unfolds.

Birds tweet as the audience arrives. A wonderful backdrop of distant rolling hills, superbly lit by Tom Lishman, has an industrial element introduced as the farmers gradually turn to the town for employment. With the addition of three black posts, wizened trees, we are transported to the Western Front as the lads sign up for war. The whole panorama is stunningly effective. The drama is underpinned by the musical accompaniment that comes from MD Richard Reeday at his piano, on stage throughout, and complemented by musicians who variously play roles in the drama. A multi-talented cast indeed.

There are some strong performances. David Hunter looks and sounds as though he’s stepped straight out of a sepia-tinted late Victorian photograph. He is John, the ‘hired man’ of the title, glad to be employed on the land, particularly as new wife Emily is expecting their first child.

He wears a flat cap as though to the manner born; his singing is not bad either. Julie Atherton is an affecting Emily. Whether she’s tempted by the extra-marital delights of Jackson (a charismatic performance by Kit Orton) or struggling with the more demanding task of hanging in there with the more or less reliable John, she conveys a strong and likeable earthiness which carries her through the role and Emily’s life. Their several duets are highlights of the evening.

The pub, local wrestling (Cumberland and Westmoreland style), the occasional fox hunt and the inevitable hardships of life in a demanding area with few benefits are the background to Act I. Jenni Bowden as Emily’s friend Sally have a delightful moment together as they sing while deciding whether Jackson is the right man to trust.

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“a highly entertaining and provocative ensemble piece”

Act II is darker. There are hardships aplenty from mining, long hours underground in perilous conditions, and the onset of the First World War. We also meet John and Emily’s son and daughter: Jamie Barnard is a sincere Harry while Jill Cardo catches May’s youthful joie-de-vivre to perfection. Excellent support is forthcoming in a large cast from Matthew Rutherford as Blacklock, Chris Staines as Pennington, Gary Tushaw as a lively Seth and Mark Stobbart as Isaac. Cast and director Daniel Buckroyd (also the Mercury’s artistic director) provide a both a highly entertaining and provocative ensemble piece.

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they’re playing our song Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch

FOR THE RECORD Reviews of recent productions

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his musical, written by Neil Simon, with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager and music by Marvin Hamlisch, has of course a story based on the real-life relationship between Hamlisch and Bayer Sager – a wisecracking composer finds a new, offbeat lyricist, but initially the match is not one made in heaven.

The comedy itself dates back to the show’s Los Angeles premiere in 1978, yet I still found the jokes funny and relevant and was laughing all the way through at Hamlisch’s wisecracks.

“Dan de Cruz and Sarah Mahoney play the seemingly incompatible pair”

Cast Vernon Gersch . .................................................................DAN DE CRUZ Vernon Gersch 2..................................................................... GREG LAST Sonia Walsk...................................................................SARAH MAHONY Sonia Walsk 2........................................................BARBARA HOCKADAY CREATIVE TEAM Book.......................................................................................NEIL SIMON Music..........................................................................MARVIN HAMLISCH Lyrics.....................................................................CAROLE BAYER SAGER Director................................................................................MATT DEVITT Choreographer................................................................DONNA BERLIN Designer........................................................................NANCY SURMAN Lighting Designer........................................................... MARK DYMOCK Sound Designer.................................................................. ANDY SMART Producers: ............................................................. CUT TO THE CHASE…

RUNNING TIME: 2H 20M

Real-life partners Dan de Cruz and Sarah Mahony play the seemingly incompatible pair, while regular cut to the chase… members Greg Last and Barbara Hockaday provide the musical accompaniment and also act as the inner-voices of the central pair. Regulars at the Queen’s Theatre will remember Last from Return To The Forbidden Planet and he once again shows his keyboard and singing skills. Indeed the standard of music set by the company’s actor/musicians is high as always.

De Cruz and Mahony give marvellous performances, but it’s not until the first song that you realise their real talent, matched with amazing voices, and this creates a breath of life that carries through the rest of the show.

The set is simple but magnificent, with the huge piano staircase in the background making a lasting impression.

Andy Wilkin owner of the website www.HornchurchLife.co.uk

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Dan De Cruz as Vernon Gersch and Sarah Mahony as Sonia Walsk

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Interview: DANIEL BUCKROYD Lisa Martland talks to Colchester Mercury Theatre’s Artistic Director

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ccording to Daniel Buckroyd, the artistic director at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, it has been at least two decades since a musical has been staged at the venue, but his new season has changed all that.

Not only are there several pieces planned in which music plays an integral part (the recent staging of Andy Barrett’s Garage Band being one such example), but also two full-scale musicals being produced in the main house; Melvyn Bragg and Howard Goodall’s The Hired Man and a new piece by Brian Mitchell and Joseph Nixon called The Opinion Makers.

It is also the first time in the 40-year history of the theatre that there has been a 12-month season, as Buckroyd explains: “When a new artistic director comes in, there will always be changes of taste and tone. It’s a different person offering a fresh analysis of what the place needs, and it would be difficult to demonstrate the nature of that change with just two or three productions.

“I wanted to our ‘Made in Colchester’ season to show that we’re ambitious and bold and paint a picture of the whole year ahead, and that means a mix of genres. It’s great to introduce some musical theatre into the programme.

“a great transition piece”

“I am a great fan of Howard Goodall’s writing generally and though The Hired Man had a bumpy start back in 1984, it has found its way.

There’s also a bit of me thinking it could be a great transition piece for our audience.”

Buckroyd already played a part in the success of The Hired Man when he staged a 2007-8 production of the musical in his previous role as artistic director of East Midlands-based New Perspectives Theatre Company. After the production toured the UK, an invitation MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

The Hired Man

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came to transfer the quintessentially English piece Off-Broadway for a short season, a decision the Variety critic at the time obviously approved of when he described the director’s work as “theatrical magic”.

It therefore comes as no surprise to discover that Buckroyd is ambitious for the Mercury’s in-house productions and the potential they might have with national as well as local audiences.

“For the last 20 years I have either worked in a producing regional theatre [associate director at the Nuffield, Southampton) or with a regional-based touring company [artistic director of Oxfordshire Touring Company], so I have a good sense of the relationship between the theatre and the constituency it serves. However, that special identity with a particular audience doesn’t mean a theatre can’t play on a bigger stage and have a national significance too.

“It has been a tough couple of decades for the sector and, believe me, I am really committed to the potential of the regional theatre model, but I also want to tell a bigger story about the ambition and potential of the theatre. To look at the scope and range of what we can do here. The Mercury has kept itself off the radar, I want to jolt both local and national awareness of the theatre.”

Buckroyd’s philosophy is that great work will stand on its own merits, whatever the circumstances, whether it is presented to an established audience or a new one. One stepping stone to having Mercury productions reach a wider demographic has been that both musicals will be co-productions with other regional venues.

The Hired Man is presented in association with the Curve Theatre, Leicester, while The Opinion Makers signals a partnership with Derby Theatre.

a punt on original work

Buckroyd’s decision to stage a brand new piece of musical theatre in his first full season at Colchester is a brave one (he joined the venue in July 2012), especially when so many other producers – including those planning West End productions – stay clear of taking a punt on original work. It was also back in his days at New Perspectives that the artistic director first met the writers behind the show: “Brian Mitchell and Joseph Nixon were from north Notts and they pitched an idea for a small-scale touring show called Those Magnificent Men about the race to conquer the skies over the Atlantic. Their background was TV and radio comedy writing, and they really understood how to make people laugh, combined with a little bit of political edge. They shine a light into stuff and all these colours flow out.”

The Opinion Makers is based in 60s London around the time that political opinion polling entered British politics. Billed as a fast-

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Also flying the musical theatre flag will be members of Mercury Young Company who will be presenting their take on The Who’s Quadrophenia. The region’s most talented young performers will have the opportunity to work alongside Mercury’s own professional production team, and in this case Buckroyd will have a head start, as he was first person to adapt the classic album for the stage.

“It is critical we must live in the present and look to the future, to seek to attract talent and nurture it, that’s why the Mercury Young Company is so important. It is part of our core responsibility to support that initiative, it is a key part of what we do.”

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The Hired Man runs at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester from 21 March–6 April 2013 (then at the Curve Theatre, Leicester from 12–27 April 2013) The Opinion Makers plays at the Mercury from 25 October– 9 November 2013

www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

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talented young performers

It is obvious how thrilled Buckroyd is about how much music plays a part in the 2013 season, whether it is in a full-scale production such as The Hired Man or playing a different, but just as significant role in his adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s The Butterfly Lion or a forthcoming production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys.

A sign of how significant this change has been in the Mercury repertoire is the new appointment of an associate musical director who has become a core member of the staff and works as a MD on several of the shows. Buckroyd would also like to launch a Mercury choir. All in all then it very much looks like music is going to be a major presence at the Mercury Theatre for the foreseeable future.

“There is something about live music in the theatre that can often lift a dramatic experience into another realm. It is a really enriching component of the live theatrical experience and brings a whole new language to the Mercury programme.”

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paced, farcical musical comedy, the spotlight is thrown on employees at a down at heel research company who are attempting to be sassy and slick, but mess it up at every turn. A sort of Mad Men meets Carry On. Buckroyd continues: “I want the Mercury to be a key part of that fledgling ecology of nurturing new musical theatre and writing talent.

It’s important to collaborate, and then go out on a limb and say we’re going to put this work in front of an audience now. I have a lot of faith in the team and the stage that we are at. It’s impossible to predict what will work, but I really feel there is a future life for the piece and we can help maximise the potential.”

tourinG the UK Singin’ in the Rain

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he West End production of Singin’ in the Rain will have its final performance at the Palace Theatre on 8 June 2013, before it heads off on an extensive UK tour. The musical opens at Manchester’s Opera House on 13 November and then move to Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre for a Christmas and New Year season. Full details of the tour, including casting, will be announced shortly.

Producer and managing director of Stage Entertainment UK, Rebecca Quigley said: “The first time I saw Singin’ in the Rain at Chichester I knew we had to bring the show to the West End and, eventually, beyond.

We’ve had a wonderful run at the Palace Theatre and everyone at Stage Entertainment is so proud to have been part of making it a hit there. We’re thrilled that the show will now set off around the country to delight and, in the case of some sections of the stalls, soak many more people to come!”

Jonathan Church’s production opened in the West End in February last year after an extended, sold out run at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

www.singinintherain.co.uk/tour

Blood Brothers

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illy Russell’s Blood Brothers may no longer have a West End home, but following sell–out seasons in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan, the musical continues to tour the UK (and has been doing so since 1995).

The production is directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright with designs by Andy Walmsley. Also in the creative team are Mark Howett (lighting), Ben Harrision (sound), Rod Edwards (musical supervisor) and Kelvin Towse (production musical director).

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Audiences can catch the show at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham (15–20 April), Swan, High Wycombe (22–27 April), Grand, Wolverhampton (29 April–2 May), Regent Theatre, Stoke–on–Trent (6–11 May), Marina Theatre, Lowestoft (13–18 May), Leeds Grand (20–25 May), Cliff’s Pavilion, Southend–on–Sea (2–8 June), Theatre Royal, Newcastle (10–15 June) and Edinburgh Playhouse (24–29 June).

Boogie Nights

www.kenwright.com

Boogie Nights – The 70s Musical In Concert

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he Osmonds, Gareth Gates, Louisa Lytton, Andy Abraham, Chico and Shane Richie Junior take to the stage in this production which plays more than 50 dates across the UK. Conceived by Jon Conway and Shane Richie in 1997, Boogie Nights has been regarded as the West End’s original jukebox musical.

It completed five UK tours after its London success and has also toured the world.

Jimmy Osmond first appeared in the show in 2004 and now he and his brothers will appear in this remixed concert version.

Gareth Gates (Les Mis, Legally Blonde), who plays heartthrob Dean, said: “I’m really excited about getting back on stage to sing all the hits from this era, as a lot of the tracks are personal favourites of mine. It’s going to be a fantastic show.”

Louisa Lytton (EastEnders, Strictly Come Dancing) makes her musical debut in the role of Debs and she is joined by X Factor finalists Andy Abraham and Chico. The line–up is completed by Shane Richie Junior who takes over the role of Roddy, originally played by his father. Boogies Nights plays at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool (1 April),

City Hall, Sheffield (2 April), Civic Theatre, Darlington (8–13 April) and the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon (15–20 April). www.boogienightsthemusical.co.uk

The Born Free Tour

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ollowing the great success of the inaugural Born Free Tour in 2012, Queen guitarist Brian May and singer/ actress Kerry Ellis have teamed up again for a further ten shows, all performed by candlelight at venues around the UK and Ireland.

Ellis originated the role of Meat in the Queen musical We Will Rock You and was the first British Elphaba in Wicked, before switching locations to Broadway. Throughout this time May and Ellis maintained a special musical partnership, with the former producing Ellis’ debut album Anthems in 2010. Their first tour of this material played 12 successful dates around the UK in 2011, including two sold–out nights at London’s Albert Hall. The duo then returned to the road with the Born Free Tour in November last year, an 11–date national tour which has paved the way for this second outing. Once again the dates are being played to support the Born Free Foundation.

These evenings of acoustic music include stripped–down versions of Queen classics alongside a number of May and Ellis’ personal favourites. Ellis added: “I am so excited to be taking Born Free out again with Brian, the audience reactions were so special on the first tour I can’t wait to see what happens next. I’m so fortunate to love what I do and to able to perform for a good cause, whilst spreading the Born Free word, is even better.”

UK dates are as follows: Bournemouth Pavilion (18 June), The Anvil, Basingstoke (19 June), Northampton Derngate (21 June), Liverpool Philharmonic (23 June), Birmingham Town Hall (24 June), The Lowry, Salford (25 June), The Sage, Gateshead (26 June), Malvern Theatre, Worcester (28 June), Llandudno Venue Cymru (29 June) and Dublin Oympia (30 June). ➽

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tourinG the UK Carnaby Street

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his new musical will premiere at Hackney Empire (6–14 April), prior to a UK tour (running to June 29). Set in London’s West End in the sixties the show tells the story of Jude, a working class boy from Liverpool, new in London and armed with nothing but his guitar and his dreams of fame and fortune. The musical follows the passion and heartbreak of his journey in pursuit of stardom. Thirty hits included in the score include ‘Don’t Le Me Be Misunderstood’, ‘Sweets For My Sweet’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’.

In the cast are Matthew Wycliffe (Jude), Verity Rushworth (Penny), Aaron Sidwell (Jack), Tricia Adele–Turner (Jane), together with Mark Pearce, Paul Hazel, Hugo Harold–Harrison, Tom Connor, Cici Howells, Jonny Bower, Mike Slader, Lauren Storer, Gregory Clarke, Dan Smith, Lilly Howard, Claude Pelletier, Craig Anderson and Matthew Quinn.

Written by Carl Leighton–Pope and Robert Johns, the show is directed by Bob Tomson with design by Matthew Wright. It is produced by Carnaby Street Promotions Ltd in association with Hackney Empire.

Hear the sounds of bands like Manfred Mann, The Animals, The Kinks and The Who at the High Wycombe Swan (16–20 April), Rhyl Pavilion (22–27 April), White Rock Theatre, Hastings (29 April–4 May), Royal Theatre, Windsor (7–11 May), Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall Theatre (14–18 May), Manchester Opera House (20–25 May), Lowestoft Marina Theatre (27 May–1 June), Birmingha, Alexandra Theatre (3–8 June), St Albans Alban Arena (10–15 June) and Bournemouth Pavilion (25–29 June).

www.carnabystreetthemusical.com Evita

Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage

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new UK tour of Dirty Dancing will launch at the Bristol Hippodrome in March 2014. Producer Karl Sydow said: “We are so pleased to be starting this new stage in Dirty Dancing’s UK journey. The unique combination of Eleanor Bergstein’s iconic story and the breathtaking dancing for which the show is renowned has proven so popular around the country that we are really looking forward to allowing new audiences to experience this timeless classic live on stage.”

More than five million people worldwide have now seen this production, with the London show alone having been seen by more than one million audience members.

Have the time of your life at Bristol Hippodrome (15 March–5 April 2014), Sheffield Lyceum (15 April–3 May), Theatre Royal, Newcastle (6–31 May), Mayflower, Southampton (10–28 June), Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin (8–26 July), Grand Opera House, Belfast (29 July–16 August), King’s Theatre, Glasgow (26 August–20 September), Milton Keynes Theatre (21 October–8 November) and New Theatre, Oxford (9 December–3 January, 2015). www.dirtydancingontour.com

Evita

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eaturing Marti Pellow as Che, the 2013 tour of Evita opens at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 15 May, prior to embarking on a national and international tour. Bill Tomson and Bill Kenwright direct, alongside designer Matthew Wright and choreographer Bill Deamer.

As a solo singer, recording artist, and at the beginning of his career with Wet Wet Wet, Pellow has enjoyed success with more than

25 hits and three number one singles. West End and musical theatre appearances include The Witches of Eastwick, Chess, Jekyll & Hyde, Chicago and Blood Brothers.

The tour, presented by Kenwright by special arrangement with the Really Useful Group, runs at the Milton Keynes Theatre (20 May–1 June), King’s Theatre, Glasgow (3–15 June), Liverpool Empire (24–29 June), Lyceum, Sheffield (1–13 July), Theatre Royal, Norwich (15–27 July), The Lowry, Salford (29 July–10 August), The Grand, Wolverhampton (19–31 August), Grand Opera House, Belfast (2–14 September), Hall for Cornwall, Truro (16–28 September), Grand Theatre, Swansea (30 September–5 October), Bristol Hippodrome (7–12 October) and The Mayflower, Southampton (14–19 October). www.kenwright.com

Ghost the Musical

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he plot of this Oscar–winning movie and the stage musical that followed is, of course, a familiar one: Sam (Stewart Clarke) is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next as he tries to communicate with girlfriend Molly (Rebecca Trehearn) through a psychic (Wendy Mae Brown) in the hope of saving her from his murderer (Ivan De Freitas). Bruce Joel Rubin adapted his original screenplay for the stage production that has music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard (the iconic song ‘Unchained Melody’ is also featured). The show is directed by Tony Award–winning director Matthew Warchus (Matilda, Art), while set and costume design are by Rob Howell, the musical supervisor is Christopher Nightingale, illusions are supplied by Paul Kieve, Ashley Wallen provides the choreography and Jon Driscoll is in charge of videos and projection.

Also in the cast are Keisha Atwell, Maeve Byrne, Michael Cortez, Kimmy Edwards, Jaye Elster, Livvy Evans, Gabriella Garcia, Nick Hayes, Stevie Hutchinson, Bradley Jaden, Robert Knight, David Roberts, Gregor Stewart, Michael Stewart, Amy Webb, Amy West, Luke Wilson and Karlene Wray.

The UK opening takes place at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (8–27 April), followed by dates at New Wimbledon Theatre, London (30 April–11 May), Edinburgh Playhouse (14 May–1 June), Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton (3–15 June), Grand Theatre, Leeds (17–29 June), Opera House, Manchester (2–20 July), Bristol Hippodrome (27 August–14 September), The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (29 October–9 November), New Victoria Theatre, Woking (12–23 November) and ➽

tourinG the UK ➽ Sunderland Empire (26 November– 7 December). The UK tour is produced by David Ian Productions and the Ambassador Theatre Group.

www.ghostthemusical.com

Hairspray

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Photo: HUGO GLENDINNING

APRIL 2013 15 IPSWICH REGENT THEATRE 17 NEWCASTLE CITY HALL 18 GLASGOW CLYDE AUDITORIUM 19 LIVERPOOL EMPIRE 21 SHEFFIELD CITY HALL 22 MANCHESTER THE BRIDGEWATER HALL 23 YORK BARBICAN 25 NOTTINGHAM ROYAL CONCERT HALL 26 BLACKPOOL OPERA HOUSE 27 BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY HALL 29 PLYMOUTH PAVILIONS 30 OXFORD NEW THEATRE MAY 2013 01 BOURNEMOUTH BIC 03 BRIGHTON CENTRE 04 LONDON HAMMERSMITH APOLLO 05 SOUTHAMPTON MAYFLOWER THEATRE 07 CARDIFF ST DAVID’S HALL 09 BRISTOL COLSTON HALL 10 PORTSMOUTH GUILDHALL

or this current touring production of Hairspray, Mark Benton plays Edna Turnblad, with Lucy Benjamin as Velma Von Tussle, Marcus Collins as Seaweed, Freya Sutton as Tracy Turnblad, Luke Striffler as Link Larkin and Sandra Marvin as Motormouth Maybelle. Based upon the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, the stage production has a book

by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Whittman. The show is directed by Jack O’Brien and choreographed

by Jerry Mitchell.

Also in the cast are Josh Piterman, Paul Rider, Lauren Hood, Gemma Sutton, Wendy Somerville, Daniel Stockton, Gabrielle Brooks, Amelia Adams–Pearce, Jocasta Almgill, Lori Barker, Piers Bate, Arun Blair– Mangat, Sophia Brown, Andrew Bryant, Georgia Carling, Rhiannon Chesterton, Mark Hilton, Francesca Hoffman, Samantha Hull, Claudia Kariuki, Lewis Kirk, Sam Lathwood, Fela Lufadeju, Simone Mistry–Palmer, Nikki Pocklington, Nathaniel Morrison, David Ribi, Noel Samuels and Laura Thorogood.

Take your can of hairspray along to Milton Keynes (1–6 April), Southampton Mayflower (9–20 April), Liverpool Empire (22–27

April), King’s Theatre, Glasgow (7–18 May), Birmingham Hippodrome (21 May–1 June), Grand Opera House, Belfast (4–15 June), Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (18–29 June), Nottingham Theatre Royal (2–13 July), Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin (16 July–3 August), Bristol Hippodrome (6–17 August), Leeds Grand (20–31 August), Edinburgh Playhouse (3–14 September), His Majesty’s, Aberdeen (16–21 September) and Norwich Theatre Royal (24–29 September).

Miss Nightingale – The Burlesque Musical

www.hairspraythetour.com

High Society

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fter dates earlier on this year were rescheduled, the arena tour of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar is back in action in October. Winner of ITV’s Superstar, Ben Forster, of course plays

www.jesuschristsuperstar.com

Miss Nightingale – The Burlesque Musical

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his acclaimed new musical ‘celebrating showgirls, scandal and showbiz’ returns for a ten–week UK tour this summer. Miss Nightingale – The Burlesque Musical focuses on a love triangle set in the smoky cabaret clubs of war–torn 1940s London.

Hardworking nurse Maggie Brown dreams of fame. With her songwriter George, a Jewish refugee, she auditions at every nightclub and cabaret bar, but nobody wants their act. However, their luck changes when they meet the handsomely wealthy Sir Frank. A

plan is hatched and the saucy showgirl Miss Nightingale, is born. Feathers are ruffled by her scandalous exploits, outfits and songs and she takes the West End by storm. But, out of the spotlight, secret loves prove far more dangerous than the bombs of the Blitz.

The piece features 20 original songs written by Matthew Bugg and is directed by Pete Rowe. The cast includes Ilan Goodman, Tomm Coles and burlesque supernova and ‘original Yorkshire Tease’ Amber Topaz.

A shorter version of the show proved a success in early, it now returns in a full–length production. The tour visits the New Wolsey, Ipswich (2–11 May), the Key Theatre, Peterborough (13–18 May), Royal Court, Liverpool (22 May), Theatre Royal, Nottingham (23–25 May), the Nuffield, Southampton (28 May–1 June), Theatre Royal, Wakefield (3–5 June), Worthing Theatres (6–8 June), The Lowry, Salford (19– 22 June), the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham (24–29 June), the Leicester Square Theatre, London (2–7 July), Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford (9–13 July), Victoria Theatre, Halifax (15–17 July), Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (18–19 July) and the Theatre Royal, Windsor (22–27 July). Miss Nightingale – The Burlesque Musical is presented by Mr Bugg Presents in co–production with the New Wolsey Theatre and in association with the Lowry, Salford.

www.missnightingale.co.uk

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Jesus Christ Superstar

the title role, with Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot, Melanie C in the part of Mary Magdalene, Chris Moyles as King Herod and Alex Hanson playing Pontius Pilate. The tour begins at The Hydro, Glasgow (1 October), then moves on to NIA, Birmingham (3 October), Leeds Arena (4 October), Newcastle Metro Arena (6 October), Cardiff Motorpoint Arena (8 October), Capital FM Arena, Nottingham (10 October), Manchester Arena (11 October), O2, London (13 October) and Liverpool Echo Arena (15 October). The show also tours Australia in May 2013, but with two cast changes – Andrew O’Keefe is King Herod and Jon Stevens plays Pontius Pilate.

ISSUE 1

www.highsocietymusical.com

Photo: CHARLOTTE MURPHY

dapted from the hit 1956 film, High Society – which itself was based on Philip Barry’s Philadelphia Story – is packed with a host of great Cole Porter numbers including ‘True Love’, ‘You’re Sensational’ and ’Did You Evah!’ (book by Arthur Kopit and additional lyrics by Susan Birkenhead).

Sophie Bould plays wealthy socialite Tracy Lord, opposite Michael Praed’s Dexter Haven, with Daniel Boys as Mike Connor, Keiron Crook as George Kittredge, Marilyn Cutts as Margaret Lord, Teddy Kempner as Uncle Willie, Katie Lee as Dinah Lord, Craig Pinder as Seth Lord and Alex Young as Liz Imbrie.

Other roles are played by Jill Armour, John Bowles, Steven Butler, Matt Corner, Zoe Doano, Carol Heffernan, Lucy James, Ashley Knight, Anthony McGill, Ben Redfern and Rachel Spurrell. Anna Linstrum directs alongside choreographer Andrew Wight and musical director Michael Haslam.

The UK and Ireland tour continues at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford (2– 6 April), Royal & Derngate, Northampton (7–13 April), Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham (23–27 April), King’s Theatre, Glasgow (30 April–4 May), Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (7–11 May), Birmingham Hippodrome (14–18 May), Cliffs Pavilion, Southend (21–25 May), Grand Opera House, Belfast (28 May–1 June), Theatre Royal, Nottingham (4–8 June), Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (11–15 June), Swan Theatre, High Wycombe (25–29 June), Theatre Royal, Norwich ( 1–6 July) and G Live, Guilford (9–13 July). The High Society tour is presented by John Stalker for Music & Lyrics Ltd in association with Venue Cymru Llandudno.

tourinG the UK Priscilla – Queen of the Desert

Rent 20th Anniversary Concert

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riginally opening in Australia in 2006, the uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship has had successful seasons in both the West End and on Broadway. Jason Donovan and Noel Sullivan star as Tick and they are joined by Richard Grieve as Bernadette and Graham Weaver as Felicia. Including a hit parade of dance floor favourites – ‘It’s Raining Men’, ‘Say a Little Prayer’, ‘Go West’, ‘Hot Stuff’ and ‘Always on My Mind’ – this ‘wildly fresh and funny musical’ journeys to Sunderland Empire (8–13 April), Bristol Hippodrome (15–27 April), Princess Theatre, Torquay (29 April–4 May), Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall Theatre (6–11 May), Grand Opera House, York (13–18 May), Liverpool Empire (20–25 May), Southampton Mayflower (27 May–8 June), Stoke Regent (10–15 June), King’s Theatre, Glasgow (17–29 June), Leeds Grand (1–13 July), Truro Hall for Cornwall (15–20 July), Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (22–27 July), Belfast Grand Opera House (30 July–10 August), Congress Theatre, Eastbourne (12–17 August), His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen (20–31 August), Woking New Victoria (16–21 September), Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (23–28 September), Dublin Bord Gais Energy Theatre (15–26 October), Sheffield Lyceum (29 October–2 November), Hull New Theatre (4–9 November), Alyesbury Waterside (18–23 November) and Brighton Theatre Royal (17 December–5 January). The tour is produced by David Ian Productions and the Ambassador Theatre Group.

www.priscillathemusical.com

erry Ellis and runner–up of ITV show Superstar Rory Taylor lead the cast of JP Productions’ UK concert tour of Rent, celebrating 20 years since the show’s first stage performance. Ellis plays Mimi, while Taylor takes on the role of Roger, with Paul Ayres (Mark), Nikki Davis–Jones (Maureen), Leon Lopez (Collins), Ian Stroughair (Angel), Jemma Alexander (Joanne) and Kenny Thompson (Benny). The seasons of love begin at the Hackney Empire, London (26 April), then moves on to Auditorium, Liverpool (27 April), Mill Tyne Theatre, Newcastle (28 April), St David’s Hall, Cardiff (29 April), Regents Stoke (2 May), Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow (2 May), City Varieties, Leeds (4 May) and Cliffs Pavilion, Southend (5 May).

WE WILL ROCK YOU Arena Tour

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he musical from Queen and Ben Elton embarks on a tenth anniversary world arena tour in 2013. Since 2002 more than 15 million theatergoers in 17 counties have seen the production that features 24 of Queen’s biggest hits. In Sheffield and Newcastle Kevin Kennedy and Brenda Edwards play the roles of Pop and Killer Queen respectively. For the remainder of the tour, Pop will be portrayed by Rob Castell, with the part of Killer Queen performed by Jenna Lee James. Lauren Samuels returns to the role of Scaramouche, while Khashoggi is played by Sean Kingsley. Also in the cast are MiG Ayesa, Rolan Bell, Lucie Jones and Dean Read. Dates so far are Dublin O2 Arena (4–6 April), Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield (30 May–

Priscilla – Queen Of The Desert

2 June), Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle (5–9 June), Odyssey Arena, Belfast (12–15 June).

The tour also sees the show visit Finland, Denmark, Holland, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Bulgaria. Further dates in Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia will be announced shortly. www.wewillrockyou.co.uk/tour

The Rocky Horror Show

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tage and TV actor Sam Attwater plays the role of Brad in the 40th anniversary production of The Rocky Horror Show alongside 2012 Strictly Come Dancing finalist and Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer as Janet. Attwater and Harmer are joined by actor Oliver Thornton (Frank ‘n’ Furter) and Philip Franks (Narrator).

To celebrate the 40th anniversary, Christopher Luscombe has created this new production for a year–long UK tour. Produced

by Howard Panter for the Ambassador Theatre Group, the show continues at York Grand Opera House (8–13 April), Sheffield Lyceum (15–20 April), Southend Cliffs Pavilion (22–27 April), Cambridge Corn Exchange (29 April–4 May), Richmond Theatre (6–11 May), The Mayflower, Southampton (13–18 May), Regent, Stoke (20–25 May), Bromley Churchill (27 May– 1 June), Norwich Theatre Royal (3–8 June), Leeds Grand (10–15 June), New Victoria Theatre, Woking (24–29 June), Milton Keynes Theatre (15–20 July), New Theatre, Cardiff (8–13 July), King’s Theatre, Glasgow (5–10 August), The Marlowe, Canterbury (12–17 August), Bristol Hippodrome (19–24 August), Oxford New Theatre (26–31 August), Bradford Alhambra (16–21 September), Nottingham Theatre Royal (23–28 September), Nottingham Theatre Royal (23–28 September), Hull New Theatre (30 September–5 October) and Bournemouth Pavilion (14–19 October). www.rockyhorror.co.uk

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

West Side Story

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B Promotion in collaboration with Sundance Productions Inc, NY and Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group have announced the return of West Side Story with a national tour opening at the Liverpool Empire on 24 September, following a season at Sadler’s Wells, running from 7 August–22 September.

Over Christmas 2012, the production played a sold out season at the Chatelet Theatre, Paris, having previously enjoyed success in cities around the world, including Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo, Berlin, Madrid, and Beijing. The staging was last seen in

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Wicked

The Rocky Horror Show

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urther dates have been added to the Wicked tour schedule. The show now visits Manchester Palace Theatre (12 September–16 November), Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (27 November– 18 January, 2014), Milton Keynes Theatre (4 February–8 March, 2014), the Wales Millennium Centre (12 March–26 April 2014), Glasgow King’s Theatre (6 May– 31 May, 2014), Leeds Grand Theatre (10 June–5 July, 2014), and Birmingham Hippodrome (9 July–6 September, 2014).

Further cities and dates into 2015 will be announced at a later date.

The record–breaking London production (music/lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman) continues its open–ended run at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. There are at present six productions of Wicked playing concurrently around the world.

www.wickedtour.co.uk

9 to 5 – The Musical the UK in 2008/9 when it played at Sadler’s Wells and toured the UK for a year.

West Side Story is directed and choreographed by Joey McKneely, using the full original Jerome Robbins choreography.

McKneely is a former assistant to Jerome Robbins and his Broadway credits include Smokey Joe’s Café and The Boy From Oz. Following dates in London and Liverpool, the tour continues to Sunderland Empire (1–12 October), New Theatre, Oxford (22–26 October), Regent Theatre, Stoke (12–16 November), New Wimbledon Theatre (19–30 9 to 5 – The Musical

November), Manchester Palace (10 December 2013–4 January, 2014).

In 2014: King’s Theatre Glasgow (15–25 January), Bristol Hippodrome (28 January– 8 February), Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (11–15 February), New Victoria Theatre, Woking (18 February–1 March), Edinburgh Playhouse (18–29 March), New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham (1– 12 April) and Milton Keynes Theatre (3–14 June). Further dates to be announced. westsidestorytheshow.co.uk

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his musical comedy, based on the hit movie of the same name, throws the focus on three office workers who turn the tables on their bigot of a boss. The score has 18 original Dolly Parton numbers, including tracks from her last two albums – ‘Backwoods Barbie’, ‘Shine Like the Sun’, ‘Get Out and Stay Out’ and ‘Let Love Grow’ – and of course one of the singer/songwriter’s biggest solo hits, 9 to 5. The show premiered in Los Angeles back in September 2008 and opened on Broadway in April 2009. It received 15 Drama Desk Award nominations as well as four Tony Award nominations. ➽

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Photo: SIMON ANNAND

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tourinG the UK (10–15 June), Grand Opera House, Belfast (17–22 June), His Majesty’s, Aberdeen (24– 29 June), The Marlowe, Canterbury (8–13 July), Wales Millennium Centre (22–27 July), Liverpool Empire (20 July–3 August), Theatre Royal, Brighton (5–10 August), King’s, Glasgow (13–17 August), Opera House, Manchester (20–24 August) and Newcastle Theatre Royal (dates to be confirmed).

9 to 5: The Musical is based on the 20th Century Fox Picture and is produced by Howard Panter for the Ambassador Theatre Group and Bob Bartner.

Michael Ball

www.9to5themusical.co.uk

Michael Ball

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

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aving completed his run in the title role of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, Michael Ball went straight into the studio to record his new album Both Sides Now (released earlier this year). New songs on the album include ‘The Perfect Song’, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Leslie Bricusse (the first time the writers have collaborated on a song) and ‘Suddenly’, a new composition penned by Alain Boublil, Claude–Michel Schonberg and Herbert Kretzmer especially for the character of Jean Valjean, as played

by Hugh Jackman in the movie adaptation of Les Misérables. Ball commented: “I’m looking forward to taking Both Sides Now on the road in April and May – I think audiences are in for a treat – and some surprises too!” The tour sees Ball visit Ipswich Regent Theatre (15 April), Newcastle City Hall (17 April), Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow (18 April), Liverpool Empire (19 April), Sheffield City Hall (21 April), Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (22 April), York Barbican (25 April), Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (25 April), Blackpool Opera House (26 April), Birmingham Symphony Hall (27 April), New Theatre, Oxford (30 April), Bournemouth International Centre (1 May), Brighton Centre (3 May), Hammersmith Apollo (4 May), Southampton Mayflowers (5 May), St David’s Hall, Cardiff (7 May), Colston Hall, Bristol (9 May) and Portsmouth Guildhall (10 May). www.michaelball.co.uk

Written by Patricia Resnick, the production is directed by Jeff Calhoun, who also staged the Tony Award–winning Newsies – The Musical for Disney on Broadway. The cast includes: Ben Richards, Jackie Clune, Natalie Casey, Amy Lennox, Bonnie Langford, Mark Moraghan, Hayley Ainsley, Ashley Andrews, Philip Bertioli, Lisa Bridge, Nyroy Dixon, Persephone Fitzpatrick, Lori Haley Fox, Tom Andrew Hargreaves, Sinead Kenny, James Lacey, Gemma Maclean,

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Peter McPherson, Marlon Moore, Sasi Strallen, Lauren Stroud, Andrew Waldron and Mark Willshire.

Future dates on the tour include: Swansea Grand (8–13 April), Hull New Theatre (15–20 April), Sheffield Lyceum (22–27 April), Mayflower, Southampton (29 April–4 May), The Grand, Wolverhampton (13–18 May), Leeds Grand (27 May–1 June), Edinburgh Playhouse (2–8 June), Theatre Royal, Nottingham

Other musicals (and musical theatre performers) touring the UK now and in the future include: Alfie Boe, Colm Wilkinson, Marti Pellow, Ruthie Henshall, The Three Phantoms, The Buddy Holly Story, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Lion King, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Midnight Tango and Starlight Express.

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Compiled by Lauren Jackson and Lisa Martland

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On the road with…

HIGH SOCIETY What David Nelson doesn’t know about backstage life on a touring musical isn’t worth knowing

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

You have been described as a company/technical/stage manager, could you give readers a more detailed idea of what your role involves?

Well roles as company manager differ from my roles as technical stage manager and stage manager. As company manager you are more involved with the office side of running a show, from scheduling of the cast for rehearsals, press interviews and performances to weekly wages sheets and petty cash. You are in touch with the producers and management in the office on a daily basis, keeping them aware of all aspects of the show as well as liaising with the local theatre management of the venue you’re touring into. You are responsible for the pastoral care of the company and this can be from lending an ear to people with personal problems to arranging dentist, physio and doctors. As well as all this, there’s the up-keep and look of the show, and making sure all departments are pulling their weight and keeping the show in tip-top condition.

As a technical stage manager the role is more about fitting the show up and making it work weekly (or how ever often you’re moving) in different venues, all of which are a different size and shape. A normal week for me at the moment on High Society starts on a Monday at 9am when the first two of our four arctic trailers turn up to be unloaded. These are the lighting/sound trailer and the flying trailer. Local crew and our touring staff unload and place these in the position in the grid to make the show work. This is all worked out weeks before our arrival at a theatre using plans of the theatre we are visiting and a drawing of the show that is then overlaid.

Usually, after lunch, we start on the third of our trailers which is our stage floor and revolve, and then the final lorry has the set pieces, wardrobe and props. This is all built and laid out and, if all’s going well, we should be done by 10pm which then gives the lighting department time to start re-focus the rig.

We are then back into work at 9am on a Tuesday morning to do the finishing touches, and then in the afternoon the cast are then called for technical rehearsals in which we run certain sections of the show to make sure everyone is aware of the new space or lack of it in the wings. After that we then set back to the top of the show and make sure we are all cleaned up and ready for a show in the evening.

During the show running I’m generally based in the Stage Left wing from where I watch what’s happening on stage and make sure everybody is safe and on High Society I also operate the revolve. Part of my job is to spot potential problems before they happen and make sure, if possible, they are solved as quickly as possible so as not to affect the running of the show.

On the final day in the venue we usually have two shows so during the day you start getting prepared to pack everything away again into the four trailers and, once the second show has finished, all the local crew arrive and you start to take it all down and pack it away.

This goes on into the early hours of the morning and the time taken 90

is often dependent on venues and access to the trailers. Currently this show is taking around five and half hours. It’s then back to the digs for a quick sleep then either a drive or train to the next city.

Touring with a show must be a great deal more demanding than stage managing a production in one place – what are the biggest challenges?

The biggest challenges are to do with the different size and shapes of venues throughout the UK. Our set is one basic shape and size which can be altered in reason, but there can be some scratching of heads when you arrive and things are smaller than you remember.

Also there are still some theatres in the country that have raked stage (stages with a slope) which provides its own challenges, especially with set on wheels. I think touring shows are also nice as you do get to put some creative input into the process to make it work, whereas with a production in one place, it is what you’re given and it doesn’t alter from that.

You appear to have worked on more musicals than straight plays – what is it about working on musicals that you are drawn to? What are the demands of working on a musical as opposed to other genres?

I think working on musicals provides more challenges as they are normally bigger shows with more set and movement. I have worked on plays before, but these tend to be static sets so can prove slightly mundane compared to a fast-moving musical. The demands are higher on a musical, as you have more people to watch and more set movement and often at speed, so problem solving has to be fast. You also tend to have a bigger technical team so this gives you more of a back up. I do like doing plays but tend to work on plays as a company stage manager which means I get a good mix of things to do.

Could you offer us a few anecdotes from some of the musicals you have worked on – difficulties in certain venues, funny incidents?

Well of course some of the funniest I can’t repeat for risk of getting sued, but these are often related to actors trying to open doors the wrong way, people forgetting or making up lines. I have been told a story in the past of an actor fresh out of drama school (it was their first tour) commenting to a stage manager about how great it was that each theatre had the exact copy of the set, even down to the scratch in the paint on the floor. Of course I cannot verify if this was a true story or not.

Will you be working on High Society throughout its whole tour? What is next on your agenda?

Yes I’m contracted for the full run of High Society which takes me up to mid-July. The tour’s going very well so far, although we have only just completed our first smaller and raked venue (all in one week )

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which was interesting and required quite a bit of planning on the Tuesday tech rehearsal. Luckily, the cast members are very patient and are willing to help wherever necessary.

I imagine if you are doing your job well, the audience is not aware of your presence because everything on the stage is so smooth-running. Is it ever frustrating that your role receives less recognition from the audience?

David Nelson is technical stage manager on the current tour of High Society

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Yes you are completely right, in that if everything is running smoothly people will not even think about who is making all the magic of the scene changes happen, operating the revolve or flying the scenery.

It’s only when things go wrong and the men and women in black come charging onto the stage to remedy a problem that people are reminded of our presence. Currently on High Society though, all of the SM team have an onstage role and are in costume, although we are easily identified. Although I much prefer being out of the limelight and backstage in the dark, I realise that in some jobs this is all part and parcel of what we do. I like to think that although we don’t actually take a bow ourselves, a little of the applause at the end of a show is for a job well done for all the technical team too.

one night and we prepared a play. I got chatting to the local stage manager, Art Walker, and that resulted in me occasionally helping out backstage. I ended up getting called in for a run of The Buddy Holly Story and somehow during the fit-up I found myself being asked to do the sound for the whole run. We had people over from Denmark during the run who wanted to take the show on a small tour, and I was offered a job on the tour. Later that year I got the offer of my first UK tour (Ken Hill’s Phantom of the Opera). I’ve been touring now for the last 13 years, and although I do keep thinking a nice little run in London for a year would be nice, I’m not sure how long it would be before I got itchy feet. So I suppose to sum up your question I sort of fell into theatre.

Well my route was definitely not the conventional one of going to a drama school or college. I left school quite a number of years ago and trained as a chef, a job which I did for six years. I gained my qualifications in this and as a silver service waiter and ended up as assistant manager at the hotel where I trained.

From here I felt I needed a change and I decided to give the family business of farming a go and help my father. This gave me some more time to help out at the local am dram society in the next village, something I had been doing for years. There was an opportunity to perform at my local theatre – The Theatre Royal, Lincoln – for

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

What was your route into stage management, was it a career path you pursued from a young age?

www.highsocietymusical.com

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PRiSCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT – The Musical Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

TOURING UNTIL 5 JANUARY 2014

Photo: PAul Coltas

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ringing to the stage a musical version of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was always going to be something of a risk.

Priscilla is after all, the nickname given to a second-hand bus and Stephan Elliot’s masterpiece of cinematography was very definitely a road-movie, brimming with landscape and imagery not obviously adaptable to theatrical convention.

Needless to say, Elliot’s creation for the stage in collaboration with Scottish producer/playwright Allan Scott still focuses on the journey from Sydney to Alice Springs, but replaces iconic images of the Australian outback with showstopping flights of theatrical fancy such as a chorus of dancing man-size cupcakes set to a disco soundtrack.

Australia took the show to its heart and productions survived healthy runs in Toronto, New York, Milan and Brazil and now touring productions in both the US and the UK. The sheer magnitude of a tour featuring so many costumes, sets and naturally a full size bus has hardly daunted the producers and while Priscilla herself has undergone something of a paring-down, the show’s heart is still very much in place.

Jason Donovan reprises the role of Tick, which he played in the original West End production (he was originally mooted for the role of Adam for the movie) and it’s a smart move on the producer’s part. Donovan still has heart-throb appeal to a generation who grew up watching Neighbours, while the actor has upheld strong musical theatre credentials throughout his career in shows such as Joseph, The Rocky Horror Show and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Tick allows Donovan the opportunity to camp it up as drag queen Mitzi Mitosis, but there is also a great deal of satisfaction in the character’s journey of self-discovery. One of the few quieter moments of the show features a mash-up of ‘Always On My Mind’ and ‘Say a Little Prayer’, sung between Donovan and Daniel McCarthy as his young son Benji. Sentimental perhaps, but the marriage of lyrics, libretto and score is pretty close to perfection here.

“myriad characters from dancing cupcakes to culture-starved shearers”

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As recently widowed trans-sexual Bernadette, Richard Grieve brings a ready mix of hauteur and humour, while Graham Weaver struts his not-inconsiderable stuff as the aggressively out-spoken Adam. Grieve establishes Bernadette as a strong though sympathetic character from the outset but struggling slightly, Weaver’s is perhaps a more difficult task as rendering the self-absorbed Adam in any way likeable is never going to be easy. The ensemble plays an equally important role in this show as a myriad characters from dancing cupcakes to culturestarved shearers, and there is sterling support in cameo roles from Frances Mayli McCann as Cynthia, Julie Stark as Marion and Giles Watling as Bernadette’s tentative love-interest, Bob. Musically, Richard Weedon’s orchestra re-create the back-catalogue of disco anthems that tread a recognisable path through the narrative. Much of the popular appeal of the show relies on the familiarity of the music and the sound created by his eight-strong band is immediately impressive, as is the input of the three flying Divas, Emma Kingston, Ellie Leah and Laura Mansell, who provide so many of the soaring vocals.

Paul Vale Richard Grieve as Bernadette, Jason Donovan as Tick and Graham Weaver as Adam

Cast Tick................................................................................JASON DONOVAN Bernadette...................................................................RICHARD GRIEVE Adam (Felicia)............................................................GRAHAM WEAVER Bob...................................................................................GILES WATLING Marion...................................................................................JULIE STARK Diva............................................................................... EMMA KINGSTON Diva/Shirley............................................................................ELLIE LEAH Diva................................................................................LAURA MANSELL Cynthia............................................................. FRANCES MAYLI McCANN Miss Understanding......................................................... ALAN HUNTER Ensemble includes......................JAMES COHEN, WAYNE FITZSIMMONS, .......................................LEON KAY, DANN KHARSA, LIAM MARCELLINO, ......................................................REGAN SHEPHERD, ASHLEY RUMBLE, ....................................................DANIEL McCARTHY, CASPER MEURISSE ORCHESTRA Musical Director/Piano...............................................RICHARD WEEDEN Keyboards..........................................................................TOM GEARING Guitar..............................................................................ANDY GAMMON Bass Guitar......................................................................MARTIN COHEN Drums.....................................................................................ALAN DALE Sax/Flute/Clarinet.............................................................. SCOTT POVEY Trumpet/Flugel.................................................................MIKE THOMAS

This production is on tour across the UK: please see the listings on page 132 for details.

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Photo: PAul Coltas

RUNNING TIME: 2H 30M

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Creative team Book................................................. STEPHAN ELLIOT and ALLAN SCOTT Director...........................................................................SIMON PHILLIPS Co-Choreographer..........................................................ROSS COLEMAN Co-Choreographer............................................ANDREW HALLSWORTH Musical Supervision/Direction/Arrangements/....................................

Orchestrations................................................STEPHEN ‘SPUD’ MURPHY Production Design.......................................................BRIAN THOMSON Costume Design..............................TIM CHAPPEL and LIZZY GARDINER Tour Lighting Designer...................................................MICHAEL ODAM Touring Sound Designer................................................MATT GROUNDS Producers...............................DAVID IAN PRODUCTIONS, AMBASSADOR ........................................THEATRE GROUP, NULLARBOR PRODUCTIONS, .........................................................................................MGM ON STAGE

REVIEWS – UK TOURS

RICHARD O’BRIEN’S ROCKY HORROR SHOW Wimbledon Theatre, London SW19

TOURING UNTIL 19 OCTOBER 2013

CAST Brad Majors........................................................................BEN FORSTER Janet Weiss................................................................ROXANNE PALLETT Dr Frank-N- Furter....................................................OLIVER THORNTON Narrator...........................................................................PHILIP FRANKS Rocky.........................................................................................RHYDIAN Riff Raff...............................................................KRISTIAN LAVERCOMBE Magenta..............................................................................ABIGAIL JAYE Columbia................................................................................CERIS HINE Eddie/Dr Scott...............................................................JOEL MANTAGUE Male Phantoms.......................................CHRISTOS DANTE, DAVID GALE Female Phantoms................................MARIA COYNE, RACHEL GRUNDY Swing............................................................................ANDREW AHERN CREATIVE TEAM Author......................................................................... RICHARD O’BRIEN Director............................................................CHRISTOPHER LUSCOMBE Choreographer.........................................................NATHAN M WRIGHT Set Designer..................................................................HUGH DURRANT Costume Designer..................................................................SUE BLANE Lighting Designer........................................................... NICK RICHINGS Sound Designer............................................................... GARETH OWEN Musical Supervisor............................................................ TONY CASTRO Wigs Designer.................................................................DARREN WARE Producer:.....................................................................HOWARD PANTER ...............................................FOR THE AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP N.B. Since this performance was reviewed, there have been some changes in casting, so it is worth checking www.rockyhorror.co.uk for details. Sam Attwater is now playing Brad (until 20 July) and actress Dani Harmer takes over the role of Janet from 13 May.

RUNNING TIME: 2H 00M

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This production is on tour across the UK:

t seems somehow inconceivable that the Rocky Horror Show is now celebrating please see the listings on page 132 for details. its 40th anniversary. When the original rock‘n’roll musical began its life in a tiny auditorium above the Royal Court Theatre in June 1973, its creator Richard O’Brien had no idea of how popular it would become or indeed, the cult it would engender.

The story of Brad and Janet’s engagement and chance encounter with a deranged transvestite scientist from outer-space is shored up by a catchy score and while the socio-sexual landscape may have altered hugely since the seventies, there is still fun to be had thanks to its underlying message in praise of self-expression.

Now billed with the author’s name above the title, the show still attracts an enthusiastic audience willing to dress up as their favourite characters and eager to dance the ‘Time Warp’ in the theatre aisles.

The cast I saw was an intriguing mix, the members of which already brought with them a sizeable fan-base thanks to television talent competitions, most notably Ben Forster in his first role since hitting the big time as Jesus in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s search for a lead in Jesus Christ Superstar. Forster as Brad tended to overplay the comedy a little but vocally his number ‘Once In A While” was one of the musical highlights of the entire evening.

Emmerdale’s Roxanne Pallett as Janet really came into her own in Act II when she got to play ‘Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me’ with X-Factor’s Rhydian, flexing both newly developed muscles and presumably his acting range as the titular Rocky Horror.

Stepping into the almost sacred stockings of Dr Frank-N-Furter was the statuesque Oliver Thornton. No stranger to heels after a three-year stint in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Thornton’s performance while striking, somehow lacked the necessary menace to make Brad and Janet fear for their safety. Thornton may have delivered a punch or two with the look and the sound but the gloves were definitely on.

Vocally there was robust support by both Ceris Hine as an endearingly quirky Columbia, ready with a good set of taps and a remarkable belt.

Kristian Lavercombe too was a pleasant surprise as Riff-Raff, earning a roar of approval from the audience for his opening verse ‘Over At The Frankenstein Place’.

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“the enduring statement… was delivered by costume designer Sue Blane who re-created the anarchic decadence of fishnets and corsetry” Hugh Durrant’s relatively simple set design – a mix of cut-outs on trucks and swivelling flats – made a bold statement with colour reminiscent of a fifties B movie poster and still managed to produce a few surprises.

The enduring statement here however was delivered by costume designer Sue Blane, who re-created the anarchic decadence of fishnets and corsetry as she did in the original production all those years ago.

Paul Vale

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TOURING UNTIL 13 JULY 2013

HIGH SOCIETY Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

Photo: PAMELA RAITH

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successful play and film (The Philadelphia Story, 1940, starring Katherine Hepburn), musical comedy movie (with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra), then a stage musical, High Society has certainly gone through changes.

This classy touring show’s selling points include a sizzling book and lyrics, plus a dozen effervescent numbers by the inspired composer/lyricist Cole Porter. It has punch, wit and momentum.

Sophie Bould (Tracy Lord) zaps us from the start, dazzling with quick costume changes throughout director Anna Linstrum’s energised opening sequence. Linstrum’s work is superb – the show shines, from her eager extras’ polished set-changes to her imaginative marshalling of the principals.

“Wright’s kitchen pans tapdance… is electrifying”

CAST Dexter Haven................................................................. MICHAEL PRAED Tracy Lord.........................................................................SOPHIE BOULD Mike Connor........................................................................ DANIEL BOYS Margaret Lord................................................................. MARILYN CUTTS Uncle Willie.................................................................. TEDDY KEMPNER George Kittredge...........................................................STEVEN BUTLER Dinah Lord................................................................................ KATIE LEE Liz Imbrie . ..........................................................................ALEX YOUNG Seth Lord ......................................................................... CRAIG PINDER Cast also includes.................................... JILL ARMOUR, JOHN BOWLES, ................................... MATT CORNER, ZOE DOANO, CAROL HEFFERNAN, ...................................LUCY JAMES, ASHLEY KNIGHT, ANTHONY McGILL, ...........................................................BEN REDFERN, RACHEL SPURRELL BAND Musical Director...........................................................MICHAEL HASLAM Keyboards/Associate Music Director..............................LEON CHARLES Violin/Mandolin...............................................................LAURA SENIOR Double Bass......................................................................STEVE COOPER Drums/Percussion..........................................................DAVE COTTRELL Piccolo/Clarinet/Alto Saxophone.....................................KATIE PUNTER Trumpet/Flügel................................................................. KEVIN FERRIS Trombone/Euphonium....................................................... CHRIS COLES CREATIVE TEAM Music/Lyrics........................................................................COLE PORTER Book....................ARTHUR KOPIT, based on the play The Philadelphia Story........................................................................Philip Barry and the ...................Turner Entertainments Co. motion picture ‘High Society’ Additional Lyrics....................................................SUSAN BIRKENHEAD Director..........................................................................ANNA LINSTRUM Choreographer...........................................................ANDREW WRIGHT Set/Costume Designer.............................................FRANCIS O’CONNOR Sound Designer...............................................................BEN HARRISON Lighting Designer.............................................................. CHRIS DAVEY

Choreographer Andrew Wright’s kitchen pans tap-dance for ‘Well, Did You Evah?’ is electrifying. The opening number needs sharpening, but others blossom and the vibrant finale matches the piquant dénouement.

The band is exceptional: 13 instruments played with flair by seven articulate, top-notch players. The brass is stunning. Interludes, slyly metamorphosing into the next number, This production is on tour across the UK: featuring Laura Senior’s expressive violin, are stylish, elegant and perfectly judged. please see the listings on page 132 for details.

Francis O’Connor’s enchanting costumes (Tracy’s, Dinah’s and the ensemble’s especially) are matched by his magnificent sets, switching between two mansions. Curvaceous elegance, rich in beige-whites, transform into a seafront Ivor Novello would have envied.

Bould produces vocal gold for her rapturous ‘It’s All Right With Me’ and, refreshingly, you feel you’re hearing her, not an array of miked speakers. Teddy Kempner (naughty Uncle Willie), a spectacular personality and chortling presence (Desmond Barrit meets Ronnie Barker) thrills in ‘Let’s Misbehave’ and ‘Say it with Gin’. Kempner would make a glorious Toddy in Victor, Victoria. He’s the most polished team member.

There are other stars – notably, 17-year-old Katie Lee as the little sister. Never just cute or tiresome, her performance is joyous in the ravishing duet ‘Paree, What Did You Do to Me?’ or joining in ‘Just One of Those Things’, when she catches the blossoming, winsome, canny teenager to perfection. And she’s very funny. One to watch.

Michael Praed’s Dexter Haven is visually a bit stiff, but that’s the point: he’s suppressing his longings for the gal next door and posing instead as a benign, yacht-loving sugar daddy. Praed may occasionally sound flat, but his solos are markedly touching. If Dexter looks doomed in the romance stakes, he always seems to have luck up his sleeve.

Marilyn Cutts and Craig Pinder are patient, put-upon parents. Understudy Steven Butler, replacing Keiron Crook as the insufferable George, the hapless, gormless fiancé (‘a world-class sourpuss’), proves a treat. His sulky face – like a pouty Paul Merton – and frumpy moves are a picture.

Alex Young, one of the two journalistic catalysts, is super in ‘Let’s Misbehave’. As the other, Daniel Boys is in attractive voice as Mark Connor, the randy, swimming-bath-romping hopeful, pulling off even Porter’s ropy-texted ‘You’re Sensational’ with aplomb.

Roderic Dunnett

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Lucy James, Zoe Doano and Jill Armour

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SOUL SISTER Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

TOURING UNTIL 7 SEPTEMBER 2013

Photo: ROY TAN

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imes are hard and the public certainly likes to get value for money these day so it’s great to see a theatre show and get a rock concert thrown in for good measure.

Soul Sister is certainly an apt tribute to two giants of popular music, Ike and Tina. From the seductive ‘Private Dancer’ to the tubthumping ‘Simply The Best’ at the end, the hits keep coming. The one disappointment was no ‘Nutbush City Limits’.

The plot follows a love story set against a backdrop of racial discrimination in the United States in the fifties and sixties. Emi Wokoma is fantastic as the slightly gauche Anna Mae Bullock, letting rip with a belting rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’. Chris Tummings is equally impressive as the strutting Ike Turner who has a chip on his shoulder to match his rather impressive quiff. He quickly sees the potential of the teenage songstress and a partnership is born. They are supported in this performance by a superb onstage band and a brand new cast of Ikettes. On this first night in Sheffield, they certainly knew how to shimmy.

But times are tough for the Ike and Tina Turner revue. They’re not appreciated by white audiences and snubbed by black audiences because their music is seen as too white. Ike turns to drugs and his relationship with Tina eventually descends into domestic violence.

Some of the scenes are difficult to watch, leaving parts of the audience wincing. But the co-devisors Pete Brooks and John Miller are keen to point out that the story could have had a happier ending if it hadn’t taken place in such discriminative times.

“Wokoma… pulls it off brilliantly”

The show ends as Tina makes her world comeback tour in 1985 with one song after another. It’s a physically demanding 15 minutes for Wokoma, but she pulls it off brilliantly and you almost forget you’re in a theatre as she gets the audience to stand and clap to the music.

They’re soon whooping for more. Tina Turner once said that she wanted everyone who came to one of her performances to have a party. I think Wokoma was listening.

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Cast/BAND Tina Turner........................................................................ EMI WOKOMA Ike Turner..................................................................... CHRIS TUMMINGS Ray/Understudy Ike.....................................................MSIMISI DLAMINI Ikette – Venetta/Rhoma.........................................CLEOPATRA JOSEPH Ikette – Hattie........................................................................... KATY LYE Ikette – Loretta.........................................................MARIA OMAKINWA Ikette – Nettie/Ailine.................................TAMARA McKOY-PATTERSON Leon/Keyboard.................................................................ROB ECKLAND Leroy/Bass Guitar.......................................................... AMAZIAH DAVIS Jerome/Trumpet............................................................MICHAEL PAVER Calvin/Tenor Sax...............................................................KENTON NOEL Charlie/Drug Dealer/Electric Guitar..................................TONY QUINTA

Wilson/Drug Dealer/Drums............................................. JUSTIN SHAW Phil Spector..........................................................................ADAM NASH Lawyers..............................................MICHAEL BREAKLEY, ADAM NASH, ........................................................MATT PRENDERGAST, PETE BROOKS Tina Turner (at certain performances).......................... ROCHELLE NEIL Swing............................................................................... PORTIA HARRY CREATIVE TEAM Directors.........................................................PETE BROOKS/BOB EATON Devisors.......................................................PETE BROOKS/JOHN MILLER Choreographer.......................................................JASON PENNYCOOKE Musical Staging/Additional Choreography..................... CAROLE TODD Designer........................................................................LAURA HOPKINS Video Designer......................................................SIMON WAINWRIGHT

Arranger/Musical Supervisor......................................KEITH STRACHAN Lighting Designer........................................................... NICK RICHINGS Sound Designer...............................................................BEN HARRISON Projection Designer.................................................................ALAN COX Musical Director.................................................................ROB ECKLAND Producers........................................BILL KENWRIGHT and JOHN MILLER

RUNNING TIME: 2H 30M This production is on tour across the UK: please see the listings on page 132 for details.

Emi Wokoma as Tina Turner

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REVIEWS – UK TOURS

9 to 5 – The Musical Theatre Royal, Brighton

TOURING UNTIL 27 JULY 2013

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he trend for successful films to find new lives on stage continues with this hilarious transition with music and lyrics written by Dolly Parton, one of the movie’s original stars. Parton also appears in the show, albeit on film, when she talks to the audience, acting as narrator.

The stage show remains set in 1979, which humorously highlights the rapid changes in office technology, and centres on three secretaries and the battles they have with their sexist and egotistical boss. After an evening of smoking pot, events get out of hand, leading to the ladies kidnapping him and extracting the ultimate in satisfactory retribution.

Jackie Clune, as widowed Violet, takes newly divorced Judy (Natalie Casey), under her wing. Stepping into Parton’s role is Amy Lennox as Doralee. All three give terrific performances that are highlighted in their solo spots. In ‘Backwoods Barbie’, Lennox asks that people are not judged by appearance, while Clune gets to front an exuberant dance routine in ‘One of the Boys’. There is some wonderful deadpan comedy from Cassidy who gives a great display of the worm that’s turned as she tells her ex-husband to ‘Get Out And Stay Out’.

“incredible sexual gymnastics”

But they are almost eclipsed by Bonnie Langford in the role of office gossip Roz Keith, unrecognisable until her belter of a big number – ‘Heart to Hart’. She really lets rip, literally, as her dowdy clothes come off and she fantasises about her boss, indulging in some incredible sexual gymnastics.

Ben Richards as the boss, Franklyn Hart, is truly odious, the biggest cheer coming from a predominately female audience when Violet lets rip about his sexist arrogance. Although Joe is only a small role for Mark Willshire, he gets to sing the sweet ballad ‘Grow To Love’ as he woos Violet. The principals are well supported by the hardworking ensemble.

The staging does away with big sets, relying on a bare stage onto which the cast rolls on square towers, decorated to indicate different locations, together with minimal items of furniture. This enables slick transitions which ensure the pace of the show is never interrupted.

The show has a fine score that includes another fantasy number, ‘Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot’, where each girl acts out how they would take their revenge on Hart. And, of course, it has that infectious title song that gets reprised at the finale by Dolly, popping up again on film.

Barrie Jerram

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Jackie Clune as Violet Newstead, Amy Lennox as Doralee Rhodes and Natalie Casey as Judy Bernly

Photo: SIMON ANNAND

Bonnie Langford as Roz Keith

CAST Violet Newstead................................................................ JACKIE CLUNE Doralee Rhodes.................................................................. AMY LENNOX Judy Bernly.....................................................................NATALIE CASEY Franklyn J Hart................................................................ BEN RICHARDS Roz Keith................................................................... BONNIE LANGFORD Joe................................................................................ MARK WILLSHIRE Dick/Detective/Mr Tinsworthy/Ensemble...................MARLON MOORE Dwayne/Max Raymond/Ensemble..........TOM ANDREW HARGREAVES Josh/Ensemble...............................................................PHILIP BERTIOLI Margaret/Ensemble.......................................................LORI HALEY FOX Kathy/Missy/Ensemble...............................................GEMMA MACLEAN Maria/Ensemble.................................................................. LISA BRIDGE Doctor/Clint Copperfield/Ensemble....................... PETER McPHERSON Cop/Bob Enright/Ensemble...................................ANDREW WALDRON Candy Striper/Ensemble............................................. LAUREN STROUD Ensemble....................HAYLEY AINSLEY, NYROY DIXON, SASI STRALLEN Swings..........................ASHLEY ANDREWS, PERSEPHONE FITZPATRICK ..................................................................SINEAD KENNY, JAMES LACEY ORCHESTRA Musical Director/Keyboards......................................MARK CROSSLAND Deputy MD/Keyboards................................................ PATRICK HURLEY Keyboards/Assistant MD............................................RICHARD WEEDEN Drums/Percussion.....................................................AGUST SVEINSSON Bass...........................................................................JONATHAN COOPER Guitars...............................................................................EDDIE TATTON Reeds............................................................................... JOHN GRAHAM Trumpet............................................................................. KEVIN FERRIS CREATIVE TEAM Music & lyrics....................................................................DOLLY PARTON Book............................................................................ PATRICIA RESNICK Directed and Choreographed.........................................JEFF CALHOUN Co-Choreographed........................................................... LISA STEVENS Vocal Arrangements.................................................. STEPHEN OREMUS Scenic Design.................................................................... KENNETH FOY Lighting Design.............................................................KEN BILLINGTON Sound Design.................................................................. GARETH OWEN Projection design......................................................BENJAMIN PEARCY Wig and Hair Design.................................................RICHARD MAWBEY Associate Director.......................................................RICHARD J HINDS Orchestrator................................................................ BRUCE COUGHLIN Additional Orchestrations and..........................STEPHEN OREMUS AND Incidental Music Arrangements..................................ALEX LACAMOIRE Dance Music Arrangements........................................ALEX LACAMOIRE

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RUNNING TIME: 2H 15M

REVIEWS – UK TOURS

STARLIGHT EXPRESS Brighton Centre

TOURING UNTIL 4 MAY 2013 Photo: ERIC RICHMOND

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aking its debut in London in 1984, Starlight Express opened with a great fanfare, promising a new theatrical experience. Not only was the show going to be performed entirely on roller skates, but the interior of the venue, the Apollo Victoria Theatre, was to be taken apart to allow the set to include a racetrack that ran all over the auditorium, even up into the upper circle.

As many readers will know, the show tells the story of a child’s train set that come to life with rival engines racing against each other to compete for the title of champion. It is a love story interwoven with the tale of an outsider triumphing against the odds.

Although it closed in 2002, it has continued a life in specific venues that could accommodate the massive superstructure – a factor that precluded it from becoming a touring show. However, this problem has been overcome by the decision to use 3D film for the race sequences – the audience being instructed to don their ‘safety goggles’ for these sequences.

This current production sees the return of Arlene Phillips, as both director and choreographer, with a revamping and reworking of the show.

It reflects the development of music styles – the freight hoppers, for example, are now Hip-Hoppers – with break dancing and skate boarding tricks utilising ramps. There is even a new song, ‘I Do’, a love duet that starts gentle and grows in tempo.

However, the original numbers still entertain with ‘U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D’ and ‘One Rock ‘n’ Roll Too Many’ proving as comic as ever. The latter showcases Jamie Capewell and Mykal Rand (impressing with his dynamic, extended spinning skills).

“dazzling dance routines for the skaters”

The production is slick and so spectacular at times that it resembles a pop concert with lasers, graphics, smoke and pyrotechnics. Although the lack of the auditorium racetrack limits the skating to the restricted area of the stage, it is more than compensated for by the opportunities for Phillips to stage some dazzling dance routines for the skaters.

A tremendously hardworking cast show off their talent and sportsmanship with Kristofer Harding breathing life into the wimpish character of Rusty, the steam train. Amanda Coutts, as Pearl, the object of his affection, gives a lively performance as she leads the quartet of carriages that vie for the attention of the competing engines. Amongst these Ruthie Stephens has great fun as a country and western Buffet Car. A slight disappointment comes from Lothair Eaton’s singing of the title number – it lacks the spinetingling deep richness associated with the role of Poppa.

The Brighton Centre is a vast multi-purpose arena that proves to be a most unsuitable for theatrical production. The cavernous barn-like venue lacks intimacy and denies any connection between performers and audience who in the main are far too removed from the action. It would be interesting to see it in a more traditional venue.

However, the cast does manage to establish some rapport with their rousing finale – a mega-mix reprise of the show’s numbers.

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Ruthie Stephens as Dinah, Kelsey Cobban as Duvay, Amanda Coutts as Pearl

Photo: ERIC RICHMOND

Amanda Coutts as Pearl and Kristofer Harding as Rusty

Photo: ERIC RICHMOND

CAST Rusty.......................................................................KRISTOFER HARDING Pearl..............................................................................AMANDA COUTTS Electra.................................................................................MYKAL RAND Greaseball.....................................................................JAMIE CAPEWELL Poppa.............................................................................. LOTHAIR EATON Dinah........................................................................... RUTHIE STEPHENS Duvay............................................................................. KELSEY COBBAN Buffy.............................................................................. CAMILLA HARDY Hip Hopper 1....................................................................ROBERT NURSE Hip Hopper 2...................................................................LEX MILCZAREK Hip Hopper 3.......................................................................GLENN ROBB Caboose......................................................................STUART ARMFIELD Dustin.......................................................................... GAVIN ASHBARRY Flat Top....................................................................... JAMES MARSHALL Engine 1 – Nintendo...........................................................NICK BOWER Engine 2 – Ruhrgold......................................................... KRIS MANUEL Engine 3 – Turnov.............................................................. ANDY BARKE Engine 4 – Pow/Trax 2................................................. TRISTAN ADAMS Trax.........................................................................................MATT KING Purse..................................................................................ADAM ILLSLEY Joule.................................................................................LISA DAHMANE Volta...............................................................................LOUISE LENIHAN Wrench.............................................................................SARAH RICHES Voice of Control..........................................................GEORGINA HAGEN Swings.......................................... TONY ANDRADE, SAMANTHA FOKER, ...............................................AARON PIPER, DARRYL PAUL SAUNDERS, .................................................................................... KERRY STAMMERS BAND Musical Director......................................................................DAVE ROSE Assistant MD/Keys II.......................................................... TIM WHITING Keys I..............................................................................TOR UNDERSETH Guitars.....................................................................................NICK REES Trumpets...............................................................................ALAN HASE Trombones..........................................................................IAN MOSELEY Tenor & Alto Saxophone/Flute.........................................STEVE BLYTHE Bass Guitar........................................................................ SAM FLUSKEY Drums.............................................................................JAMES NEWTON

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RUNNING TIME: 2H 20M

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CREATIVE TEAM Music............................................................... ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER Lyrics............................................................................RICHARD STILGOE Additional Lyrics............................................................DAVID YAZBECK Director/Choreographer..............................................ARLENE PHILLIPS Associate Director/Choreographer...................................MYKAL RAND Orchestrators.........................DAVID CULLEN, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER Designer.............................................................................JOHN NAPIER Musical Supervisor..................................................... DAVID STEADMAN Lighting Designer........................................................... NICK RICHINGS Sound Designer...............................................................BEN HARRISON Musical Director......................................................................DAVE ROSE 3D Film Producer...............................................ALEXANDRA FERGUSON ......................................................................for Principal Large Format 3D Film Director...............................................................JULIAN NAPIER Producer.........................BILL KENWRIGHT BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT ....................................................WITH THE REALLY USEFUL GROUP LTD

worldwide: BROADWAY

Spring comes to New York From Cinders to Annie, via Dr Jekyll and Matilda, Ron Cohen has all the latest On and Off-Broadway

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pring has finally come to New York and the earliest blooms on the musical theatre scene make for a mixed but welcome bouquet.

On Broadway, the initial arrival has been the lavish redo of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, a sometimes irritating but still highly watchable spectacle that’s even better to listen to. There’s not much spectacle in Hands On a Hard Body, which debuted on the Main Stem on 21 March, but it‘s a surprisingly entertaining look at life in hard times. Meanwhile, OffBroadway came thrillingly to life with the unveiling of the intimate but magnificent revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Passion, at Classic Stage Company.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote their take on the Cinderella as a tale for television way back in 1957, and the original TV production starred a youthful Julie Andrews. Since then, there have been two more revised versions done on the tube and some mountings on stage as well, but this current production – with a new book by the comedic playwright Douglas Carter Beane and direction by Mark Brokaw – marks the work’s first time on Broadway.

The show is at its best when Rodgers’ music takes over the proceedings, with a wonderfully full complement of Broadway musicians in the pit. Just to hear ‘Ten Minutes Ago’, one of Rodgers’ most lilting waltzes, providing a rhapsodic climax to a delicious

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Santino Fontana and Laura Osnes in Cinderella

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overture orchestrated by Danny Troob, raises expectations to a high pitch.

Unfortunately, those expectations are rarely fulfilled. But certainly another glorious moment comes toward the end of the show, as fairy godmother Victoria Clark with her crystalline soprano makes magic with the tune ‘There’s Music in You’, even while flying a la Mary Poppins over the stage. That song, by the way, is one of several pulled from various R&H projects to augment the Cinderella score. It was first heard in a fairly forgotten movie of 1953, entitled From Main Street to Broadway, in which the legendary songwriters appeared as themselves.

Also not to be overlooked is Cinderella herself played by a fetching Laura Osnes, who sings as prettily as she looks and makes credible the script’s revision of the title character from a beleaguered waif who sits in the ashes to an independent spirit who wears her compassion for mankind on her sleeve. She doesn’t lose her slipper as she runs down the palace stairs at midnight.

She hands it to the Prince. And she indeed teaches the clueless guy, portrayed by a winning Santino Fontana, a thing or two about running a country.

In fact, Beane’s redo of the book seems to go out of its way to rewrite the enduring fairy tale, loading with it lots of self-help and transparent social-conscience messages that weigh things down, along with a very spotty assortment of gag lines. For one, he has done away with the king and queen; they’re now dead and until the Prince comes of age, the country’s being run and ruined by his evil greedy regent, who’s busy confiscating the citizens’ rights and property. One of Cinderella’s two stepsisters has become quite a nice gal, who not only conspires with Cinderella to win her Prince but is also in love with the local revolutionary, and the evil stepmother often behaves more like a harried single mom. Harriet Harris, who plays the stepmother, and Peter Bartlett, as the regent, are two Broadway stalwarts celebrated for their way with arch dialogue,

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but they have little to work with here.

On the plus side, the production has eyefilling storybook settings by Anna Louizos, colourful costumes by William Ivey Long and some notable special effects. The onstage transformations of Cinderella’s garb as well as that of Clark’s beggar lady-cumfairy godmother from rags to richness are showstoppers. Hardly as spectacular but serviceable is Josh Rhodes’ choreography.

However, like the script, the dances are overextended and eventually wearying.

Nevertheless, despite its patchiness, the show seemed to be enchanting its target audience, the little girls decked out in their Cinderella gowns and tiaras. Tiaras, of course, are available for purchase in the lobby, adding to all the glitz being purveyed onstage.

Passion

The power of Passion

feels for her as her life ends. Melissa Errico makes clear the pull of her love for Giorgio, even as it threatens her marriage and her relationship with her young son. A nine-man ensemble portraying Giorgio’s fellow soldiers – led by Stephen Bogardus as the Colonel and Tom Nelis as their doctor – adds further veracity to the story and richness to the music. Overall, the acute sensitivity of Doyle to this material is palpable.

The handsomely simple Italianate set designed by Doyle himself and the rich costumes by Ann Hould-Ward heighten the sense of time and place. The production is the first venture of the long-established Classic Stage into a musical, and it has come up with a triumph. The limited run has been extended until 14 April. It’s the kind of show that redefines the power of musical theatre to transform you and transcend definition.

Got to hand it to them…

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That power, of course, will be tested again and again as the Broadway schedule of musical openings continues. After a month of previews, Hands On a Hard Body opened on 21 March, also demonstrating some theatrical potency. Don’t salivate over the title. Based on a 1997 documentary film of the same title, the show depicts a group of hard-up people who participate in a promotion staged by an auto dealership in Texas. The ten contestants have to put their hand on a new truck – or lorry – and in what becomes an endurance contest, the last one

to remain with his hand on wins the vehicle.

It’s like an updated version of the infamous dance marathons of the 1930s, and as the contestants reveal their hopes, dreams and life stories in musical numbers and dialogue, it becomes vaguely like a sadistic twist on A Chorus Line. But these folks are not vying for a chance to dance; they‘re after a piece of a somewhat corrupted American dream.

The book by Doug Wright, whose works span from The Little Mermaid to Grey Gardens, populates the contest with some predictable types. Among them, the loudmouthed bully with a racist tinge and a secret sorrow, played with great relish

by Hunter Foster; the innocent young lad and lass (Allison Case and Jay Armstrong Johnson) who find romance during the gruelling experience; the blonde hottie (Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone) who is having a thing with the dealership’s slimy sales manager (Jim Newman); the fanatically religious woman (Keala Settle) who leads the group in the big gospel-like number; a happy-go-lucky black fellow (Jacob MingTrent), and a querulous but likeable middleaged mom (Dale Soules) out to raise money for her houseful of kids and out-of-work hubby (William Youmans) who stands by offering moral support.

There is also the ageing oilfield worker (Keith Carradine), who suffered a broken leg on the job, has been sacked and now is enduring great pain during the contest, while his concerned wife (Mary Gordon Murray)➽

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In contrast, genuinely breathtaking emotion marks the John Doyle-directed Passion.

It’s the first New York revival of the piece, which debuted on Broadway in 1994 and won a fistful of Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Still, it was not an overwhelming success, even with an heroic performance by Donna Murphy as Fosca, the show’s central figure, an ailing, ungainly woman obsessively in love with a handsome Italian military officer garrisoned in a remote 19th Century Italian village. Some found it too dark, too analytical, and it ran for only eight months.

The show is derived from a 19th Century novel, eventually made into an Italian film Passione d’Amore, which Sondheim saw in 1983, and he has written, “suddenly, half an hour into it, struck me as a story worth singing”. And sing it does, almost non-stop, as one haunting melody melds into another, with dialogue occasionally interwoven.

Director Doyle, who in recent years has become a prime interpreter of Sondheim, gives the piece an elegant intimacy, within the close confines of Classic Stage Company’s small theatre, the audience on three sides of the thrust stage. The nine-piece orchestra is situated overhead to one side, and the music – voices and instruments – gorgeously envelops the space.

The deft staging more than before brings out the humanity of all three people – Fosca, Giorgio the officer, and Clara, his married mistress in Milan – caught up in the story’s triangle of passion. And all three come to life in tremendous, exquisitely sung performances. Judy Kuhn takes you inside the soul of Fosca, revealing an intelligent woman offering unconditional love clearly and without threat. Similarly, Ryan Silverman brings surprising depth to Giorgio, moving through doubt and anger to a full realisation of what Fosca is offering him and the pain that comes with the love he eventually

Hands On A Hard Body

looks on; the Latino fellow (Jon Rua), who in a defiantly rhythmic ballad declares he’s not an illegal immigrant; and the quiet ex-US Marine (David Larsen) struggling with combat trauma. Rounding out the cast are Scott Wakefield as the local radio personality who MCs the proceedings, and Connie Ray as the supercilious public relations director of the dealership.

I’ve taken pains to mention them all, because they are all terrific. Almost every one of them gets a chance to shine in at least one musical number, and together with Wright’s smartly crafted dialogue and Neil Pepe’s knowing direction, they make these types distinct individuals piquing your interest and gaining your sympathy. During the preview performance reviewed, there were audible moans from the audience as some of the contestants weakened and fell out of the competition.

Equally praiseworthy are the songs, with music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green and lyrics by Green. They delve into some tough subjects, like economic distress, faltering marriage and the corporate malling of the American landscape, but they’re eminently enjoyable, being sincere and clever at the same time. And the music finds a lot of variety in melodies that for the most part fall into a twangy country mode – the tunes almost always sound fresh as well as catchy.

If Broadway were still a breeding ground for pop music, some of them might well be contenders for the erstwhile Hit Parade.

The numbers are also enlivened by Serge

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➽

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Trujillo’s choreography, even though during many of the dances, the performers have to keep a hand on the prize truck, which sits centrestage through almost all of the show.

Hands On a Hard Body deals with downbeat material, but it’s not a downbeat show. Let’s hope ticket-buyers audiences respond.

Probably more in line with the campy strain that pervades much of contemporary Broadway is Kinky Boots, which comes marching in for an opening on 4 April after previewing for a month. It’s based on the 2005 British film about a failing shoe factory that gets a new lease on life with the help of a female impersonator with unconventional fashion knowhow. It has an impressive creative team. Pop darling Cyndi Lauper wrote the score and Harvey Fierstein the book. Jerry Mitchell directs and choreographs.

Matilda tries to work her magic

On 11 April Matilda the Musical will try her hand at wowing American audiences.

This London smash, with a pocketful of Olivier Awards, comes to New York with Bertie Carvel repeating his London turn as Miss Trunchbull. As you undoubtedly know, Matilda, which originated at the Royal Shakespeare Company, has a book by playwright Dennis Kelly (adapted from Roald Dahl’s story) and a score by Tim Minchin.

Matthew Warchus directs the story of a little girl who overcomes horrendous odds to do big things.

Following quickly on Matilda’s footsteps will be Motown, telling the tale of Berry Gordy, who transformed the pop music sound of America with his Motown record company, launching the careers of such artists as Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. It opens on 14 April and should have the theatre shaking with a barrage of Motown hits. Gordy is even writing the book. Directing the piece will be Charles Randolph-Wright, and Brandon Victor Dixon, who was so compelling in the Off-Broadway production of The Scottsboro Boys, will play Berry, and Valisia LeKae takes the role of Diana Ross.

A game of two halves

Further crowding the calendar is the 18 April opening of a revival of Jekyll and Hyde, the adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson horror story about a split personality. It built a hysterical fan base for its leading player in the original production, as it settled down in 1997 for nearly a four-year run. This time around, Constantine Maroulis, who rock and rolled in Rock of Ages, plays the good Dr Jekyll and the evil Mr Hyde. The score has music by Frank Wildhorn; book and lyrics are by Leslie Bricusse. Jeff Calhoun will direct.

Wrapping up the Broadway season will be a second revival, the much anticipated redo of Pippin, under the direction of Diane Paulus, who ignited both acclaim and controversy with her recent Broadway revivals of Porgy and Bess and Hair.

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The show, which will come in from the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is to officially debut on Broadway on 25 April. It marks the work’s first appearance on Broadway since the original run, which began in 1972 and was lauded for the groundbreaking work of director/choreographer Bob Fosse. Roger Hirson’s book and Stephen Schwartz’s score tell the story of the medieval prince Pippin, who must choose between an ordinary life and dangerous adventure and glory. The new production features circus motifs, plus a restoration of Fosse’s dances by choreographer Chet Walker. Heading the cast at ART was Patina Miller as the narrator, the role which brought Ben Vereen to stardom.

Miller herself managed to make a splash in the otherwise mediocre Sister Act in both London and New York.

The proletarian musical Pump Boys and Dinettes was also due to be revived on Broadway in April, under the guidance of director John Doyle. (Yes, it’s the same John Doyle who directed Passion.) The show, which twanged away on Broadway in 198283, involves four gas station workers who get together with two gals from the nearby diner to make music and down-home country fun. But the production has now been postponed indefinitely. A statement from the producers said that the Broadway landscape looked too crowded this spring (translation: competitive) for this show. It said rescheduling was being determined, with

no hint of a date. Spring or fall, this countryflavoured, small-scale show might well find it hard going in the current blockbuster climate of Broadway.

Great expectations

If all this doesn’t sate your appetite for a little music, a little laughter and a little drama, Off-Broadway, of course, is always there to help. Musicals continue to pop up there like mushrooms in a dark forest, and they’re not always the budget-stressed, little hopefuls you might expect. Last fall, for example, there was Giant, a gigantic production at the Public Theater, based on the Edna Ferber novel, which became a George Stevens movie, about the denizens of a giant state (Texas, of course). It had a score by the adventurous, prolific and rarely hummable Michael John LaChiusa, and a huge cast dotted with such established names as Brian D’Arcy James, Kate Baldwin, Michele Pawk and John Dossett. It was a production that, according to some observers, screamed for a Broadway stage, but as of yet no Broadway stage has answered the call.

In addition to the glorious and aforementioned Passion, some noteworthy spring attractions Off-Broadway include a revival of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, a well-regarded two-character show detailing the romantic ups and downs of a twentysomething New York couple. It’s playing at Second Stage Theatre.

Donnybrook!, presented by the Irish

Repertory Theatre, a curator of all theatrical things Irish, is yet another revival. This musical version of the beloved 1952 John Ford/John Wayne flick The Quiet Man, played Broadway briefly back in 1961, with little heard from since. It tells of an IrishAmerican boxer, who after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring, returns to the village of his birth, finding solace and romance, as well as an uproarious fist fight with his ladylove’s brother. The score is by Johnny Burke, known mainly as a lyricist in the Hollywood of the late 1930s and the 1940s. James Barbour, who was so game in the short-lived A Tale of Two Cities several seasons back, takes on the John Wayne role.

Busy Off-Broadway

But it won‘t be all revivals Off-Broadway. For example, Here Lies Love, a new work, began previews on 2 April at the Public Theater. It’s

by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, and centres on the life of the Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos.

The New Group, which tends to like offbeat heavy drama, is going musical, with previews scheduled to begin in April of a new musical about 1950s Hollywood called Bunty Berman Presents…, written by Ayub Khan Din and Paul Bogaev.

Certain to grab attention as spring moves on is the musicalisation of the 2002 film Far From Heaven, telling of a suburban housewife who falls in love with her African/ American gardener while her closeted ➽

Giant

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The Mystery Of Edwin Drood

Photo: JOAN MARCUS

➽ gay husband goes about his way. Its first preview will be 18 May at Playwrights Horizons, with a book by Richard Greenberg and a score by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie, known for their work on Grey Gardens. Michael Greif, whose credits range from Rent to Next to Normal, directs.

The show had a tryout this past summer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in rustic Williamstown, Massachusetts, with Broadway thrush Kelli O’Hara in the leading role, taking time out from her chores in Broadway’s Nice Work If You Can Get It.

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Braving the hurricane

And now that we’ve moved through spring, let’s take a breath, and for the record glance back to fall 2012. It was a bumpy few months for new shows on Broadway. The old standbys – like Wicked, The Book of Mormon, and the getting-on-in-years The Lion King – continued to thrive. Sure, horrific Hurricane Sandy put a dent in receipts – overall, the storm caused cancellations of 48 Broadway performances, and cost the Main Stem an estimated $8.5 million in lost ticket sales. But the big Broadway favourites quickly regained momentum, often breaking box office records for their respective theatres as the fall moved on and the Christmas holidays took hold.

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But it was tough-going for the two all-new musicals that braved the big time: Chaplin: The Musical and Scandalous: The Life and Times of Aimee Semple McPherson. Both of them fell into that problematic genre known as bio-musicals, and both of them lived up to that definition in trying to depict with some kind of veracity the complicated life stories of complicated personalities in musical theatre terms.

Chaplin: The Musical was, as you might suspect, a tracing of the rags-to-riches success, trials and tribulations of silent screen legend Charlie Chaplin. It boasted a terrific impersonation of Chaplin in his various modes – little tramp, Hollywood celebrity, outspoken humanitarian – by Rob McClure, rising to Broadway star status.

There was also some sleek staging by director/choreographer Warren Carlyle, although the relentless black, white and gray colour scheme of the costumes and sets – inspired, I guess, by the pre-Technicolor movie era – even while handsomely done, eventually became dispiriting. A burst of red at the show’s climax, when Chaplin received a lifetime achievement Academy Award, was more than welcome.

More to the point, though, the book, by Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan, spent a lot of time on the relationship

between Chaplin and his mother, who suffered from dementia, and this cast a heavy, mawkish pallor on the show, that the occasional attempts to break loose with 1920s Hollywood hi-jinks couldn’t shake off.

Neither could Curtis’ somewhat predictable score. After Chaplin is accused of being unAmerican, is denied re-entry to the US and his latest movie fails to find an audience, he sings ‘Where Are All the People?’ But it lacks real revelation or emotional irony. You don’t want to compare it with ‘What Kind of Fool Am I?’ Yep, you guessed it. The show did keep reminding me of Stop the World, I Want to Get Off, but a lot more cumbersome and without all the free-wheeling magic. Anyway, The New York Times reviewer dammed the show, calling it soppy. It managed to survive through the autumn but closed on 6 January.

Scandal that disappoints

Scandalous racked up an even shorter life, officially opening on 15 November and shutting down on 9 December. Its telling of the life of Aimee Semple McPherson, the American evangelist who rose to fame, fortune and scandal in the 1920s, mixing religion with showbusiness, was pretty much by the numbers and loaded down with too many soliloquy-type anthems.

Broadway veteran Carolee Carmello, in the

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title role, delivered them with heroic fervour, and I just kept wishing – for both her sake as a terrific performer and my sake as an audience member – that it all could be more enthralling.

The most notable thing about the show – with music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman – was that the book, lyrics and additional music were written by Kathie Lee Gifford, a long-time national network television personality, who currently cohosts five days a week one of the most vapid hours on the tube. Undoubtedly, her plugs and her fans kept the show running as long as it did in the face of negative reviews.

What the Dickens?

Rebecca loses her way We can’t wind up our look back at fall on Broadway without a word or two about the hapless Rebecca, the titular sinister, dead heroine in Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 well-read novel. A musical version of the book has had some success in Europe over the past six years, and lead producer Ben Sprecher planned to bring it to Broadway last spring, but there were financing problems and the show was postponed. It was just about to go into rehearsal this past fall, when Sprecher announced that a key investor had died without his investment being officially turned over. Then, it came out that the investor never existed at all; he was the invention of a scam artist who was contracted to bring financing into the show.

This could be a musical in itself, whenever Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick become available. Anyway, the indomitable Sprecher, who seems to outdo the optimism of our Annie, says he’s still committed to bringing the show to Broadway. For the moment, though, the project, like the body of its titular lady, appears to be lost at sea. As the fella says: “That’s showbusiness.”

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The two musical revivals that opened in the fall had better luck. The Roundabout Theatre Company’s new mounting of The Mystery of Edwin Drood opened on 13 November to general acclaim for its boisterous mood, exuberant cast and handsome overall production, and its scheduled run was extended to 10 March. Drood, based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished mystery novel, originally debuted on Broadway in 1985 and won a passel of Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Multi-tasking Rupert Holmes, who wrote the book and score, set the proceedings in an old-time English music hall where the performers were doing a musical version of Dickens’ work. The big gimmick, in line with the book’s incompleteness, was that the show stopped towards the end and the audience was asked to vote on who the murderer was. Then the story closed with the audience’s choice doing the dirty deed.

It was a ploy that rankled some sensitive souls, but it provided interactive fun for the audience, I guess.

Whatever your thoughts about it, you couldn’t deny the production, directed by Scott Ellis, had marquee glitter, with the inestimable Broadway diva Chita Rivera taking on the role of Princess Puffer, operator of a London opium den. Other notables in the cast included Jim Norton, Stephanie J Block and Will Chase.

around, the production is directed by James Lapine, but New York City remains one of the stars of the piece, thanks to the evershifting, clever scenic design of David Korins.

Elsewhere, things are a bit more indefinite.

In the title role, the obviously talented Lilla Crawford blasted her songs out confidently, but she seemed just a bit too 21st Century for me. She was the kind of kid whose gumption and talent you can admire, but I found it hard to adore her. Am I wrong in thinking Annie should win your heart as well as your vote?

In the key role of the villainous orphanage manager Miss Hannigan, Katie Finneran, who has validated her comedic chops with two Tony Awards, seemed truly hateful in an exaggerated performance that failed to hit any of the role’s comic notes. In contrast, Aussie Anthony Warlow as Warbucks made an impressive Broadway debut with a naturalistic characterisation and a romantic baritone.

He sometimes appeared to be on the verge of transforming into Emil de Becque. And it remains an easy pleasure to hear the jaunty tunes of composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Martin Charnin.

Orphan Annie has a home for now

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The other autumn revival gave us Annie, that hardy perennial about the little orphan girl who finds overwhelming happiness in Great Depression-wrought United States after being adopted by the industrial titan Daddy Warbucks. She also goes on to salvage the sinking US economy by feeding President Franklin D Roosevelt a jolt of optimism.

Annie came back again to Broadway on 8 November, and while reviews were mixed, the show continued its open-end run with no hint of closing, as of this writing. This time

WORLDWIDE: LOS ANGELES

no slot machines, just the arts Steve Parker is won over by an impressive new performing arts facility in Las Vegas

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here’s a bright new light burning in Las Vegas, but not where you would expect it on the world famous ‘Strip’.

Instead, it’s a mile or so away heading north towards downtown, in the form of a new multi-million dollar arts facility equipped with a 2,050 seat proscenium stage, studio theatre and jazz club. It’s a modern hybrid between a commercial receiving house and a supporter of the community arts scene and already, since its opening in March

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The Smith Center for the Performing Arts

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2012, the Smith Center for the Performing Arts has created quiet an impression in the city and community.

Since Las Vegas became a destination for entertainment of all kinds, it has been synonymous with headliners and blockbuster shows. The likes of Elvis Presley, The Rat Pack, Celine Dion, Elton John and Barry Manilow headed into the desert to perform, and most recently Rod Stewart and Shania Twain have been found playing at the

rather aptly named 4,100-seat Colosseum Theatre inside Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino. Almost all of the hotels and casinos in Las Vegas have a theatre or show room, ranging from 20 seats to several thousand depending on the location, and very often these spaces run multiple different productions in one day keeping the space busy with a matinee show and one or two evening shows six or seven days a week.

Circle du Soleil

Vegas has also become the sit-down home to Cirque Du Soleil’s shows and some of their most mind-blowing resident production shows including LOVE, a glorious fusion of Beatles music and acrobatic art playing at the Mirage Resort Hotel and Casino, KA, a mystical world inhabited by twin brothers which is to be found at MGM Resort Hotel and Casino, and Mystere, which was Cirque’s first sit-down show in Las Vegas at the Treasure Island Resort Hotel and Casino.

In the case of all these shows and the other Cirque Du Soleil productions in Vegas, each theatre is purpose-built to the exact specifications of the show in order to accommodate all the engineering and scenic elements, right down to the placing of individual speakers in the seatbacks of every chair in the auditorium to give an uncompromised audio experience to every person in the theatre, a business model that is unheard of in commercial theatre.

The latest Cirque show to open later this year in the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino theatre is based upon the music of Michael Jackson. Let’s hope this one runs longer than Viva Elvis, which after much hype and millions of dollars of Cirque’s money clocked up a very unimpressive 18-month run at the Aria Resort Hotel and Casino, and was closed early due to “disappointing business”.

But despite all the showbiz going on in Vegas, there has not been much of a theatre scene or district here, not like the West End or Broadway. To see ‘theatre’ here, such as

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The Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts

a straight play, it would mean going to a community theatre project, which would run for a few days a month, produced locally by well-meaning theatricals. As a side note, what many people do not realise is there is a wealth of highly skilled professional musicians, singers, dancers and speciality acts both working in and calling Las Vegas their home.

a colossal total project

So with all this Broadway available on the Strip, is there really a need for the Smith Center? The answer to that is yes because it is facility specifically built for the performing arts and no one has to walk through an ocean

Stephen Sondheim

Coming up in the 2013 season are Shrek the Musical, Billy Elliot, an evening with Burt Bacharach, New York City Ballet, concert pianist Lang Lang, and the Kodo legendary taiko drummers from Japan.

Highlights of the 2012 season included an evening with Stephen Sondheim, giving us a chance to hear the man in conversation and listen to many of his showstopping songs performed live in the Reynolds Hall, and the fabulous ZOPPE family-owned European circus, which rolled up and pitched its Big Top on the lawn outside the centre and for five evenings and three matinees left the audiences captivated with their own style of classic family circus entertainment.

The Smith Center has truly brought something much needed to the cultural void in Las Vegas and will undoubtedly help with the transformation of this vacation town into a real city with all that a real city has to offer including a thriving arts and culture scene. www.thesmithcenter.com

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an ocean of gambling

of gambling and slot machines to access it.

It has to be said that this venue came out of the gate with all guns blazing back in March 2012 and it really has become a hub in Las Vegas for culture and entertainment for residents, creating a home with the opportunity to see under one roof Broadway shows, world-class touring productions, music recitals, spoken word, dance and even a base to homegrown talent such as Clint Holmes, the Las Vegas Tenors, Nevada Ballet and the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

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But all that has changed since the arrival in March last year of the brand new and sparkly Smith Center, with a colossal total project budget reported to be in the region of $470 million. This purpose-built facility is located on a five acre lot in the heart of Las Vegas’ downtown regeneration project, funded by public and private donations. The venue is a magnificent cathedral-like contemporary art deco building which boasts multiple state of the art spaces for the performing arts all under one roof, including Reynolds Hall, a 2,050 seat proscenium auditorium which accepts number one Broadway tours and already in the first nine months of programming has given us Wicked, The Addams Family, The Color Purple, Mary Poppins, La Cage and Million Dollar Quartet. The latter is returning to Vegas for a sit-down season at Harrah’s Resort Hotel and Casino due to popular demand.

Also inside the Smith Center, there is a 258-seat ‘Cabaret Jazz’ theatre which is perfect for an intimate evening of music or spoken word and the 250-seat Troesh studio space. There are also several ballrooms,

founders rooms and public spaces that can be hired for corporate functions or private events, but what really shines out from this venue more than anything is the commitment to the local community and future education projects, with numerous outreach programmes to schools, colleges and the community. The centre even has a sponsored in-house classroom space available for education projects.

However, this is not the first time that Las Vegas has been exposed to Broadway shows, in fact The Phantom of the Opera had a noteworthy six-year run here, Starlight Express ran for four years at the Las Vegas Hilton and Jersey Boys is already in its fourth year. The Lion King had a very respectable run, as did Mamma Mia!, both at Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in the 1,600 seat theatre, and to bring us right up-todate Rock of Ages has just opened at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino. It’s worth noting though that most Broadway-type shows that come to Vegas are re-worked into a 90-minute ‘express train’ version with no interval, which in some cases is much needed, in order to fit the business model of the casinos who never want guests to be away from the lure of the gaming for too long.

BEGINNINGS OF THE EURO-VISION Librettist/lyricist Warner Brown has watched the musical theatre barricades come down in Europe

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ein Geschäft ist wie das Showgeschäft”. Or – if you’re more Merman than München – ‘There’s no business like showbusiness’.

Nowhere is this truer at the moment than in Continental Europe. For many Brits, when it comes to musical theatre Europe is still uncharted territory. Yet some intrepid pioneers have already staked their claim.

What a far cry this is from those days in the seventies when operetta-type productions of West Side Story and My Fair Lady were the standard fare of European state theatres.

And therein lies the rub: though operetta was a staple of continental culture, it had not evolved into homegrown musical theatre in the way it had in the States or the UK. What made the change? You could say it began with a Mr Lloyd Webber.

By the beginning of the eighties, Phantom was becoming an irresistible force – and the barricades of Europe were about to

be breached. The symbolism here is only slightly ironic as Phantom’s entrée into Europe was marked by scenes more worthy of its latterday successor Les Misérables. A new theatre was built in Hamburg especially to house the Lloyd Webber success, but the building was located in a poor area of the city and, on opening night, there were riots in the streets against this edifice of cultural elitism.

How things have changed!

new theatre in Hamburg

The new theatre in Hamburg was followed by a second purpose-built construction for a Lloyd Webber production – this time the Starlight Express Theater in Bochum. No need to guess which show opened this new venue. From these simple beginnings, the production company Stella was born – which later evolved into Stage Entertainment. And Stage Entertainment is now big business.

The rash of new theatres which followed

this initial building boom meant that product was required to fill them. Interestingly now, though, this product became increasingly homegrown. And a key figure in this new development was one Michael Kunze.

Both lyricist and librettist, Kunze began by adapting a whole slew of American and British imports but, by 1995, he had a bona fide hit all his own. The historical drama Elisabeth is the most successful German language musical of all time and Kunze went on to pen original book and lyrics for Dance of the Vampires, Mozart! and Rebecca.

By now, major international writers had cottoned on to the fact that European musical theatre was no joke. Indeed, no less a figure than composer/lyricist Jim Steinman – he of Meat Loaf fame – was enticed onto the creative team of Vampires.

And it was with Mr Steinman – and his co-composer Michael Reed – that my own debut in the continental field was made.

Together we wrote Garbo – The Musical, only the second new musical production ever in Stockholm, Sweden. The process continues. Mr Reed is about to co-compose a new show based on Dürrenmatt’s The Visit, set for a European opening this autumn.

turned full circle

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Stage Entertainment’s Rebecca

So now the wheel has turned full circle.

There is not one theatre in Hamburg now – but four – and our European cousins are busy creating musicals for the worldwide market. Dutch producer Joop van den Ende originated the international smash Sister Act and the world premiere of Rocky: The Musical in Germany. Incidentally, Rocky was written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty – about as American as you can get!

Some 30 years after those riots in Hamburg, musical theatre in Europe is fully on the map. Yet something of that pioneering feel remains. For many UK writers, The Continental Challenge awaits. The excitement of new horizons and a Eurovision where we don’t come last.

worldwide: FRANCE

Sister Act Mogador Théâtre, Paris

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t feels so good to see a musical of Broadway and West End standards in Paris at last, thanks to Stage Entertainment. No sound problems here, like in too many over-miked other French musicals. Everything is clean and smooth. Not that Sister Act is a masterpiece or Alan Menken’s greatest score, but it is pleasant and cheerful entertainment and its Parisian incarnation is the best I have seen so far.

The book adaptation by Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal is excellent, full of many – perhaps sometimes too many – French puns, some of them a little out of context. But keeping the funny references to The Sound of Music was a good idea, since it was seen last year at Théâtre du Chatelet. The French lyrics by Nicolas Nebot are good too but, as in many other French adaptations, they are at times hard to grasp, especially during the song ‘Fabulous Baby’. The orchestra is impeccable under the lead of Stan Cramer.

“Kania is a sensation as Dolorès van Cartier”

As for the cast, Kania is a sensation as Dolorès van Cartier, demonstrating a great voice and personality, even if she overacts just a little at times. All three bad guys turn out to be very funny: Franck Vincent, as Joey, proves to be just as good as he recently was in Fiddler On the Roof and Hairspray, while his two companions, Keny Bran Ourega and David Sollazzo, are superb.

The Sisters are all good (although Carmen Ferlan as Mother Superior could have a stronger voice), while Lola Ces, Sarah Manesse and Valériane de Villeneuve shine as Sisters Marie Patrick, Marie Robert and Marie Lazarus. Barry Johnson, in his musical theatre debut, makes a believable villain as Curtis. Thierry Picaut, recently seen in The Lion King, Fame, and, in the US, Fela, has a great voice and here is both funny and touching as Eddie. Carline Brouwer’s direction and Anthony Van Laast’s choreography are carbon copies of the original, albeit smoother here.

The audience response was enthusiastic at Mogador Théâtre for the first performances and by the first weekend the show was already selling out. Can a show that was mediocre at its start become an international hit on the virtue of its title? The answer is yes. Sister Act is, however, getting better and better and has come a long ways since its London preview at the Palladium three and a half years ago. The show seems set for a long run by Paris’ standards and I am left wondering what is next on Stage Entertainment’s agenda. Singin’ in the Rain would be a good choice, since the company has just co-produced it successfully in London and the movie is the most famous of all Hollywood musicals in France.

Patrick Honoré

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Kania and the Carmen Ferlan in the Paris production of Sister Act

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1789 Palais du Sport, Paris

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hile 1789 is a visual feast with excellent choreography and gorgeous costumes, it doesn’t hold comparison with Schönberg and Boublil’s Les Misérables as a musical of La revolution française. To begin with, this is not theatre. The acting is never emotionally involving and the score has more in common with cheap commercial junk than music written for the theatre. Five composers, Jean-Pierre Pilot, Olivier Schultheis, William Rousseau, Dove Attia and Rod Janois, is a lot for a single show and it surely accounts for the complete lack of musical unity.

But let’s go back to the basic idea behind these French ‘spectaculars’. Produced by the same team, Albert Cohen and Attia, who gave us Le Roi Soleil and Mozart L’Opéra Rock (due to hit Broadway next year), these shows are from the start by-products of the original concept album CD released way before a show is put on and aimed at scoring high on the pop charts. Consequently, these songs rarely serve the plot and the productions are a throwback to almost a century of musical comedies.

Most of the time there is not such a thing as a book, but just singing and background dancing built around a well-known storyline that anyone can basically follow, even if the subject matter, whether it’s Cleopatra or The Ten Commandments, is not theatrically dramatised at all. Yet in the book category, 1789 is a real improvement, as the librettists, Attia and François Chouquet, do achieve a good balance between the romantic interests of Les Amants de la Bastille (the show’s sub-title) and the actual historical background. Indeed, the book makes much more sense than the song lyrics which remain borderline-silly.

“the cast tries hard to save the day”

The cast tries hard to save the day. Mathieu Carnot and Camille Lou as Lazare and Olympe, the leading romantic couple, are both apt vocally and have attractive personalities, as does Natalia Peyre as Solène, the sister of the romantic lead. Rod Janois and Roxane Le Texier are also both effective as pivotal historical figures Camille Desmoulins and Marie-Antoinette. David Ban, recently seen in Avenue Q at the Bobino theatre, is believable as Danton, while Yamin Dib, who recently appeared in Mozart L’Opéra Rock, slightly overdoes it as Auguste Ramard, the resident villain.

The real star of the show, however, is director and choreographer Giuliano Peparini, a former dancer who started off with the Italian edition of A Chorus Line, before moving on to Roland Petit’s Opéra Nationale de Marseille Ballet Company, for which he began choreographing as early as 1997. After creating a piece in December 2001 for Ballet de Kiroff in Saint Petersburg, he started his collaboration with Italian/ Belgian theatre director Franck Dragone. Together they created Le Rêve in Las Vegas in 2005 and, in Macao, the water spectacular The House of Dancing Water. So this is Peparini’s first venture into musical theatre (so to speak) and his work deserves full credit from saving 1789 from mediocrity. The 51 artists on stage include amazing dancers and his choreography is always inventive, incorporating foot-stamping, body-drumming and contemporary dance. Nevertheless, we do feel the lack of live music, like in all French spectaculars nowadays.

The show filled Paris’ relatively large Palais du Sport, thanks to good word of mouth about the show’s production values, and has embarked on a nationwide tour of France and Belgium’s biggest cities until June 2013.

Patrick Honoré

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Photo: GAUTIER PALLANCHER

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WORLDWIDE: GERMANY Nicole Freialdenhoven is anything but knocked out by the world premiere of Rocky – The Musical at the Opperettenhaus, Hamburg

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he movie Rocky was the surprise hit of 1976. Much like its underdog hero Rocky Balboa had come out of nowhere, the movie had been made on a low budget and went on to become the highest-grossing movie of the year. It launched Sylvester Stallone‘s career, won three Oscars and spawned four sequels. While Rocky clearly deserves its place in the cinema pantheon, I still cannot fathom what possessed people to now create Rocky – the Musical. Like the Spiderman musical on Broadway it‘s the kind of commercial production that makes the general public, usually not kindly geared towards musical theatre to begin with, roll their eyes and groan that nothing is sacred.

Whose brainchild this musical was, I cannot tell. Stallone himself is on board as one of the producers along with Stage Entertainment, Germany‘s (and indeed continental Europe‘s) biggest musical production company. The creative team is American: Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are probably best known for Ragtime on either side of the pond and also wrote Once On This Island, Seussical and the songs for the animated movie Anastasia. Thomas Meehan, who won Tonys for Annie, The Producers and Hairspray adapted Stallone‘s script for the stage and up-and-coming director Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Peter and the Star Catcher on Broadway) directed. All in all I cannot help thinking that the world premiere in Hamburg is little more than a pre-Broadway try-out for Stallone and the creative team with Stage Entertainment hoping that they will be able to cash in on the worldwide success as co-producers.

But for something that is clearly a rough first draft, the production in Hamburg is simply far too expensive with decent seats costing around €150 and upwards (£120). Sales have indeed been so sluggish that Stage Entertainment distributed a great number of freebies among the residents of Hamburg, hoping that they might bring paying friends along and spread the word of a great new show in town. So far without much success. Nor did it help that the Klitschko brothers, Ukrainian-born boxing world champions who compete for Germany and whose fights are watched by millions on TV, appeared as co-producers to endorse the musical. Watching seven-feet-tall muscled hulks trashing each other in the ring just has another appeal than watching slight musical perfomers pussyfoot around on stage.

It seems that the females – who are still the ticket-buying majority here – are put off by the whole topic of boxing itself, while the males are put off by the idea of seeing a brutal sport like boxing transformed into flimsy musical entertainment. The central love story between Rocky and Adrian, the dumpy pet shop clerk he fancies, has been expanded on, probably to cater to the female audience, but it hasn‘t done the show much good. Frankly, nobody cares much. In the movie, it was a sweet little subplot, the two underdogs finding love, but for a central love story it‘s just not engaging enough.

So let‘s look at the musical itself. Fantastic songs could still have saved the show, but alas, the music is so dull, it‘s hard to believe this was written by the people who gave us Ragtime or the Oscar-winning Anastasia. Ironically, the only song in the show that really makes people sit up and take note is the film song ’Eye of the Tiger’ (which didn‘t even appear in the original Rocky movie but was written for Rocky III). The songs for the musical are unfortunately rather bland and have an overall feel of having been heard a million times before“ – the generic weepy ballad for the female lead, the generic rousing anthem for the male lead, the generic duet for them both, the generic introduction song for the baddie and so on. It‘s musical writing by numbers and just reinforces the feeling that this musical was created solely to cash in on another popular movie franchise.

It doesn‘t help that most lyrics are infuriatingly banal. Some might claim that this only reflects Rocky‘s ’simple’ background and frame of mind, but plenty of other shows have shown that you can have ’simple people’ still singing decent lyrics. A whole song dedicated to the leading man‘s nose and the fact that it‘s still unbroken is just cringeworthy. Hard for me to say whether the fault lies with Lynn Ahrens‘ original lyrics or Wolfgang Adenberg‘s translation.

Leading man Drew Sarich is certainly a find for this role – the American-born performer has appeared in many musicals in Germany and Austria and is absolutely fluent in German, but he also has some Broadway credits to his name and he bears a nearly baffling ressemblance to a young Sylvester Stallone. But while Sarich trained hard to bulk up for the part and sings, acts, dances and fights his heart out on stage, he is just let down by the material. If he hoped to take Rocky to Broadway, I doubt his hopes will come true – not in this form anyway.

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“an amazing effect that wows the audience”

As so often with mega-musicals it was not the music, the book or the performers that drew the biggest attention, but the technical spectacle. In this case the boxing ring, that is wheeled into the stalls for the finale fight between Rocky and Apollo. The first rows of the stalls are removed and those who sit there (Golden Circle tickets with an eye-watering price tag) get to move onto the stage to sit behind the ring and create the sense that the theatre has truly transformed into a sports venue. Certainly an amazing effect that wows the audience – but no technical gadgetry helps when the rest of the show is dire.

In the end Rocky is oddly disappointing because there clearly was enough potential to create a hit show. Underdog stories are beloved everywhere and the top-notch creative team from New York bring plenty of credentials to the table. But the boxing subject seems to keep many people away and neither the bland music nor the ludicrously inflated prices help. I‘d like to feel flattered and proud that Hamburg gets to be the place for first showing what is clearly meant to become a big Broadway hit, but right now I feel like the audience has been sold a halfbaked tryout for the price of a Broadway smash hit.

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Rocky

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worldwide: SWEDEN & Norway Renate Stridth sees audiences get excited about a new musical, written by the same team behind ABBA and Mamma Mia!

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here has been a healthy mix of classic musicals and Swedish premieres of late. Next to Normal had a highly successful run at Stockholm’s Stadsteater which featured pop singer and musical theatre first-timer Lisa Nilsson as Diana. And this month the venue opens a new production of West Side Story.

Regional theatre Östgötateatern has a long tradition of musical theatre. This winter saw the first Swedish production of Andrew Lippa’s The Addams Family. Director Mattias Carlsson combines playful yet solid actors with circus performers to create the Addams’ dark and norm-breaking world.

Wermland Opera, a regional theatre that produces opera and musical theatre, opens the first Swedish production of Shrek this April. Behind it is the same British team – lead by director Shaun Kerrison – that created Crazy For You at the theatre two years ago.

Sondheim revivals are always welcome and one came in the form of the first ever Swedish production of Assassins – directed by Staffan Aspegren – which opened just after New Year in Stockholm.

A Little Night Music was recently staged at Malmö Opera, and rumour has it that Sweeney Todd will open at Stockholm’s Stadsteater in the autumn.

While GöteborgsOperan has had a critically acclaimed and almost completely sold out production of Chess on the repertoire, Stockholm audiences have been getting excited about a new musical from Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (of ABBA and Mamma Mia! fame).

Hjälp sökes (Help wanted), a story about two farming brothers advertising for help, featuring four actors and an array of barnyard animals, opens in February. The music is by Andersson, with lyrics

The Addams Family

from Ulvaeus, book by poet and playwright Kristina Lugn and Lars Rudolfsson directs. The venue is Orionteatern, an old metal shop that this year celebrates 30 years as a theatre building.

The Norwegian theatres have played it safe this spring. In Oslo, Det Norske Teatret still has Evita on the repertoire, while the fairly new concert and theatre house Kilden in the south of Norway will open its own production of Evita in April. The Oslo audiences have enjoyed two classics opening: My Fair Lady at Folketeatret and Oliver! at Oslo Nye. There aren’t that many Scandinavian musicals written, compared to the infinite American and English supply, but both Sweden and Norway have a few gems. Tröndelag Teater is bringing back the local musical hit Bör Börson Jr. for the third time in the theatre’s history.

Based on a satirical novel written in the 1920s, it tells of a time when people left farm life and moved into the cities to work, invest and hopefully make it big.

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Assassins

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WORLDWIDE: JAPAN Broadway theatre from the sixties is made relevant to modern audiences, say Yoshihisa and Hiroko Honda

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door neighbour, assumes he is bringing home different women every night.

Having found out Chuck’s secret, personnel manager JD Sheldrake (Koki Okada) wants to use Chuck’s apartment, promising him a managerial position. Meanwhile, Chuck is falling for Fran Kubelik (Yuga Yamato).

Having discovered that Fran is Sheldrake’s lover, he gets chatting to Marge MacDougall (Sakiho Juri) at a local bar. Sakiho played the role so comically and charmed the audience as well as Chuck himself. When they arrive at his apartment, he is shocked to find Fran in his bed, unconscious from an overdose of his sleeping pills.

He asks for the help of Dr Dreyfuss, and

Inamura-no-Hi

Photo: FURUCARA

Promises, Promises

The Fantasticks

Photo: Takarada Kikaku

n extraordinarily exciting stage event was Akira Takarada’s production of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones’ Off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks (Takarada produced, directed and played the role of El Gayo beautifully).

To think that he is 78 years old! He was the first El Gallo in 1971 in Tokyo and played the same part in many revivals during the 1980s.

The rock singer Makoto Matsuoka was the young male lead Matt and a former Takarazuka star Kanami Ayano played the role of Luisa. Both offered vivid performances, breathing life into the story and charming the audience with great help from Jun Sawaki and Akira Aoyama as their fathers.

Akihiko Mitsueda, as the old actor, and Toshiro Shimazaki as his sidekick, added an extra spice to the production, but, above all, Takarada’s staging was excellent and made the musical feel relevant to a modern audience. Perhaps it was not a surprise then the production received a National Arts Festival Prize.

Broadway musical Promises, Promises, based on the 1960 film The Apartment, was produced by Miyamoto Kikaku and nicely directed by Shimotetsu Tao. Chuck Baxter (Akinori Nakagawa/Masaaki Fujioka) is the lonely office drudge who works at a big corporation in New York City. To climb the corporate ladder, Chuck allows four company managers to take turns borrowing his apartment for their love affairs, making so much noise that Dr Dreyfuss (Kenkichi Hamahata), a next-

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Photo: Miyamoto Kikaku

Fran narrowly escapes death. Of course, afterwards, Fran realises Chuck is the one who loves her sincerely. Thanks to Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s score, Tao’s direction and fine performances from the cast, the evening turns out to be a heartwarming comedy.

Last but not least, Inamura-no-Hi (The Burning of the Rice Field), produced and performed by the Furucara Company, was based on an historical event which happened during the big earthquake and tsunami in 1854 in Wakayama, the southern part of Japan. As introduced in Lafcadio Hearn’s book as A Living God, Goryo Hamaguchi placed fire on the rice field to guide the people during the earthquake. Furucara Company’s Katuhiko Ishizuka, a writer and director, created the production to honour the Tohoku community which is still suffering from the 311 earthquake and tsunami wave. The show did just that with its lovely story and enthusiastic singing and dancing from all the cast.

REVIEW – cONCERT

FOR THE RECORD

LIZA MINNELLI

Reviews of recent productions

Royal Festival Hall

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n truth, it really didn’t matter in which context Liza Minnelli was returning to perform at the Royal Festival Hall for the first time since 1973, and for one night only, this was a must attend event for her army of adoring fans in the UK. She was returning, and that was all that mattered to them Those interested in the fine detail would have noted that her appearance was actually part of the Southbank Centre’s Berlin in the 20s and 30s weekend, which explored Weimar Berlin as the centre of Germany’s political and artistic developments. Fitting, of course, as it was the musical Cabaret – set in 1931 Berlin and featuring Minnelli’s Academy Award-winning performance as Sally Bowles – which put her right on the road to superstardom.

If that was the context, the extraordinary, charming and captivating performance by Minnelli was another matter altogether. On the night it was difficult to judge at first who was the more breathless – the hugely expectant, packed audience at the Royal Festival Hall, or the iconic artist herself, who at 66, initially struggled to get a first vocal wind, let alone a second.

Not many artists get a standing ovation at the end of their first number though, and as she finished ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’, the riotous applause left you in no doubt that this had all the makings of a very special evening. Sporting a straggly red scarf, and dressed in minimalist black cabaret attire, Minnelli even looked a little surprised by her thunderous reception, and she’s been receiving this kind of rapturous adoration for decades.

She’s clearly not averse to handing out credit where credit is due, giving numerous name checks throughout her set, including one for singer/songwriter Charles Aznavour which proved a nice introduction to ‘What Makes a Man a Man’, his touching 1973 torch song, delivered with perfect pathos. Of course, most of the favourites were included on the night, but this was anything but a routine ‘best of’ Minnelli set.

“You don’t mind if I sit down do you? I can still do some high-kicks from my chair”

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A little bit cheeky, with a few nice ad-libs thrown in, when she ran out of steam, she just hitched herself up on a high chair and carried on with the show. “You don’t mind if I sit down do you? I can still do some high-kicks from my chair,” she joked. This audience wouldn’t have cared if she performed on a unicycle quite frankly – this was Minnelli after all, and for the most part, still sounding at the top of her game.

When she needed a breather, long-time friend, musical director and Grammy-winning composer Billy Stritch was on hand to lend support.

‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby’ was the only duet she performed with him, Stritch then covering ‘No Moon At All’, at the piano as a solo. The spotlights may have been on him, but looking around, most of the audience’s eyes never left Minnelli.

Her batteries recharged, she was now in the mood to raise the showbusiness stakes. Her version of ‘Maybe This Time’ was everything you could have possibly wanted from a Minnelli performance rolled into a few sublime minutes. Everything else, including ‘Cabaret’ and ‘New York, New York’ were just fabulous, full-on musical bonuses. Clearly exhausted come the end, and visibly emotional, she had given the audience everything it had expected and more. She may have spent a lot of her set sat down, but Minnelli, even at 66, simply still leaves a lot her peers standing.

Derek Smith

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BOOK REVIEWS A MILLION MILES FROM BROADWAY MEL ATKEY Friendlysong Books ISBN: 978-0-9916957-0-6 I thought, from the cover and the subtitle of this book, Musical Theatre Beyond New York and London, that it was going to cover productions of musicals around the world and how they changed and differed from the originals in those two cities. But no, this is a book showing how musical theatre is not tied to those locations, and that the rest of the world is just as capable of producing the art form, even although it may not be so prevalent in the public’s attention.

This is Mel Atkey’s third book and is very much aimed at musical theatre’s most avid fans. Canadian born, he is a writer, songwriter, lyricist and lecturer whose credentials are impressive and therefore is the ideal person to have written such a volume.

The book is divided into two parts: Act One and Act Two with an intermission! In the first act he explains the growing art form and, I have to admit, there is nothing startlingly new jumping off the pages here. All the information has been covered in other books, although obviously his personal arguments regarding the Broadway sound of the early 20th Century and its relationship to European operetta are new.

The topics that really interested me were the ones regarding well-loved musicals and how they were either a travesty of the history they represented, or had escalated from small, wellcrafted ensemble pieces into large blockbusters by changing the central storyline. However, the main thrust of the book is to inform the reader that Broadway and the West End do not have the franchise on musicals and that, even although we may not be aware of it, there are superb new musicals coming from places such as South Africa, Australia and Asia.

The book is 239 pages in length and is published as an A4 paperback with glossy cover. I have to say that the photos on the front cover look badly scanned as they are all blurred. Maybe this is intentional and is some clever concept to draw a comparison of the blurring of lines between Broadway and the rest of the world, bit it does actually detract from the extremely interesting book that lies within.

Nick Wakeham

SO YOU WANT TO BE IN MUSICALS? RUTHIE HENSHALL WITH DANIEL BOWLING NHB ISBN: 978-1-84842-150-9

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

I must admit my heart went cold when I opened the package and saw this book. Not another celebrity flogging a book full of pretentious ramblings that fall under the heading of common sense was my first thought. All I can say is – I wish this book, or one like it, had been around when I was at drama school – it actually gives you great advice on what to do and the attitude to take if you want to make it in this glamorous business known as show.

The book is put together in the order you would normally expect to be interested in theatre – and especially musical theatre. From secondary school up to and including being famous – if you should ever attain those heights. The chapters dealing with auditions and how to prepare for them is particularly excellent. I was always a nervous wreck at auditions so this advice about what I was doing wrong would have been a god-send.

Of course there are the usual ‘when I starred in this’ sections, but I think in this case Ms Henshall can be forgiven, because it shows how she felt at the time and I am sure people will be able to relate to it.

All in all, if I were to recommend a book for young people starting out in the business, this would be it. An excellent read from cover to cover but, be warned, if you do read it – read the whole book and take it all in. You can refer to it later through your journey but don’t dip in and out as the overall message is a good one.

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OVER THE MOON DAVID ESSEX Ebury Publishing ­– Virgin Books – ISBN: 978-0-75-354034-3 I have to say from the start that I am of the generation who has followed David Essex’s career from the start. I saw him in Godspell at the Wyndham’s Theatre in 1972. Followed his pop career and was lucky enough to have met him when he was playing Che in Evita and worked on the production of Mutiny!

I have to say that he always came across to me as being a genuine, down-to-earth guy and so I was really interested to get hold of this book for review. David tells it as it is, warts and all.

You can’t help but like the man as you make your way through his life story.

Yes, there have been many downs as well as ups, and he shows that he has been no angel throughout his years, but that only makes him more human and more likeable. I think the main reason that I couldn’t put this book down until I had got to the final chapter was due to the fact that you could actually envisage his voice as you read. Not only a really good and easy read, but one that makes you glad you have taken the time to engross yourself in it. Loved it.

Nick Wakeham

THREE SIgNED COPIES OF RUTHIE BOOK TO GIVE AWAY! Readers will be aware of Ruthie Henshall’s stage career, from Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in Chicago on both sides of the Atlantic to Nancy in Oliver! From Marian Halcombe in The Woman In White to Grizabella in Cats. Not to mention Polly Baker in the UK premiere of Crazy For You and creating the title roles in Peggy Sue Got Married and in Boublil and Schönberg’s Marguerite. Henshall has also been nominated for an Olivier Award for several of these roles and won for her leading performance in She Loves Me. Her new CD is called I’ve Loved These Days and she is currently touring in An Intimate Evening With Ruthie Henshall.

All of the above must have been the perfect background to writing So You Want To Be In Musicals? with Daniel Bowling, a music supervisor and music director for Cameron Mackintosh Ltd (working on The Phantom Of The Opera, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Cats, Mary Poppins and Avenue Q).

Being in a West End or Broadway musical is the dream of thousands of talented performers, but competition is intense and reaching the spotlight can often require a leap into the dark. So You Want To Be In Musicals? is a guide to building – and sustaining – a successful career in musical theatre, and introduces the reader to everything he or she needs to know about: Training, Auditioning, Rehearsing, Performing and Working.

Ruthie Henshall has signed three copies of the book for Musical Theatre Review. All you have to do to win one is answer the following question and click http://musicaltheatrereview.com/ruthie-henshall/

A: Vanilla

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

B: Chocolate chip C: Blueberry pie www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/Book/1359/So-You-Want-To-Be-In-Musicals.html Competition Terms & Conditions 1. Closing date for entries is Friday 26th April 2013.

2. All winners will be notified by email by Wednesday 1st May 2013.

3. Winners will be drawn at random from all correct entries received by the closing date.

4. The editor’s decision is final.

5. No purchase necessary.

6. Competition open to UK residents only.

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ISSUE 1

In She Loves Me, for which Ruthie Henshall won an Olivier Award for Best Actress, she sang about ice-cream, but what flavour was it?

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CD REVIEWS TOP HAT 2012 LONDON CAST ALBUM First Night Records: CASTCD115 If I could get away with just having a one-word review for this album, it would be: Delightful. However, I am sure you want more than that so here goes.

This is the original cast recording of the stage musical Top Hat, based on the 1935 RKO motion picture of the same name with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Now some people may have said it was folly to try and re-create something so iconic but, according to this cast album, they have not only achieved that but have exceeded it. All the well-known numbers are there including: ‘Puttin’ On the Ritz’, ‘Isn’t This a Lovely Day’, ‘Top Hat White Tie and Tails’, ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’ and ‘Cheek to Cheek’. And, I’m afraid to say that all memory of Astaire and Rogers went out the window when I listened to this. In fact, I listened to the album three times before reviewing and there were no flaws to be found.

Tom Chambers and Summer Strallen are beautifully cast, as are all other parts. Chambers doesn’t have the most powerful voice but it is so well suited to all the Berlin songs. Strallen is just delightful. However, plaudits galore must go to the orchestrator and the orchestra for bringing the era to life. So many would simply have gone for making it sound loud and brassy, but the little nuances in the orchestrations and the way the orchestra is conducted go a very long way to making this album almost perfection.

If you have been lucky enough to have seen this musical live onstage then you will no doubt already have purchased this album, but if you haven’t been lucky enough, then don’t let that put you off. If you have any interest at all in either musicals or good, timeless music, then put your order in as soon as you have stopped reading this review.

Nick Wakeham

SOMEWHERE IN THE AUDIENCE (ERIC WOOLFSON) VARIOUS ARTIST Limelight Records LREC 1803P

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Eric Woolfson was the creator, songwriter and lyricist of the ten Alan Parsons Project albums, he also wrote five stage musicals: Dancing Shadows, POE, Gambler, Gaudi and Freudiana – he died in 2009 at the age of 64. Many people have never heard of him or of those five musicals I have mentioned and that is a great shame because he was an extremely talented and gifted writer.

I was, therefore, very excited to receive this album to review. It contains 13 tracks from the shows and they are sung by some of the best voices from the musical theatre including Steve Balsamo, Sharon D Clarke, Ben Forster and Jacqui Dankworth, to mention just a few. The tracks include ‘Parca Guell’, ‘Somewhere in the Audience’, ‘The Bells’, ‘Far Away’ and ‘If I Could Write the Book of Life’.

To those who have always liked Woolfson’s music – you have to get this CD. To those who may not be all that familiar with the music, you are missing out, and I would recommend you get onto www.ericwoolfsonmusic.com immediately and order your copy – you won’t be disappointed.

Nick Wakeham

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN 2012 LONDON CAST ALBUM First Night Records CASTCD114 The one thing this album has over the previous recording of Tommy Steele in the 1983 London Palladium production of Singin’ in the Rain is that the lead is not trying desperately to outdo everyone else on the recording. There is a strong feeling of ensemble work. The four main leads: Adam Cooper, Daniel Crossley, Scarlett Strallen and Katherine Kingsley are all absolutely wonderful and bring the score to life without doing it any damage whatsoever. You actually feel as if each and every one of them is having the time of their lives and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. The others in the cast including the chorus are wonderful and as a whole the album brings the show to life right there from your speakers. Again, one of the highlights for me, are the orchestrations and the orchestra itself – superb and atmospheric. Can’t really fault it – but you wouldn’t expect anything less from First Night!

All the tracks are there: ‘Fit As a Fiddle’, ‘Make ’Em Laugh’, ‘You Are My Lucky Star’, ‘Good Morning’ and the title track, to name but a few. If you love musicals and love the film, even if you have never seen the stage show, then buy this album – and leave that 1983 one alone!

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Independent record company specialising in musical theatre www.makingrecords.co.uk

Jon Lee’s debut solo album “Fallen Angel”

Chris Thatcher’s “Jesus CHRIS Superstar”

Julie Atherton’s “A Girl Of Few Words”

Shona White’s “I’ll Bring You A Song”

Currently starring in Jersey Boys this album features two songs from the show; Fallen Angel and My Eyes Adored You.

A collection of contemporary musical theatre songs sung by the brilliant Chris Thatcher of shows such as Avenue Q, Grease and Our House.

The original and best album by the star of West End shows Avenue Q, Fame and Mamma Mia. Recently seen as Sister Mary Robert in the UK Tour of Sister Act.

“Unique, laugh-out-loud funny, crude but above all, genius... essential for anyone who performs or enjoys musical theatre” Broadwayworld.com

“...this classy collection puts Atherton right up there with the best in contemporary rock and pop musical theatre” Roger Foss, What's On Stage Magazine

An album showcasing one of the finest voices in musical theatre, singing some of the greatest songs from respected composers and breakthrough British writers.

“This album finally establishes Jon Lee as a superb solo artist”

Out March 4th

“Well selected songs exploring an idea to a solid and satisfying conclusion make this album unmissable” Theatremonkey

For full track listings, more information or to order any of our products please visit our website: www.makingrecords.co.uk

The Songs of Miller & Hamonds Featuring Helena Blackman, Pia Douwes, Brenda Edwards, Jodie Jacobs, Cassidy Janson, Caroline O’Connor and many more West End stars.

“This album is perfect. A highly exciting album and our CD of the month!

Musicals Magazine

Jon Boydon’s “Three Four” “Finally, the voice that has graced West End musicals Jersey Boys and We Will Rock You has released his debut album. Boydon’s debut is a collection of terrific tunes that will shake, rattle and roll your soul. His stunning voice soars over these incredible arrangements and shows why he is one of the West End’s brightest stars”

Eric Woolfson’s “Somewhere In The Audience”

Also available on

West End and Broadway stars including Steve Balsamo, Sharon D Clarke, Louise Dearman, Ben Forster and Gareth Gates deliver the best work of late composer Eric Woolfson.

“Woolfson is a genius... and I can highly, highly recommend this album” Broadwayworld.com Out March 18th

For more information please email us:

mail@makingrecords.co.uk

CD REVIEWS A GIRL OF FEW WORDS JULIE ATHERTON Making Records: VIB001 She may be a girl of few words but she certainly has a good set of lungs and vocal chords! This CD is a set of songs by Charles Miller who has written such musicals as Brenda Bly: Teen Detective, No One in the World, When Midnight Strikes and RSVP ASAP. Apart from the first of these shows, I hadn’t actually known of any of the other pieces, but with Atherton giving them an airing on this album, I am sure we will be hearing more of both of them.

Tracks include: ‘A Girl of Few Words’, ‘He Wasn’t You’, ‘Someone Find Me’, ‘Home’ and ‘You Know How to Love Me’.

They are beautifully arranged and orchestrated with Atherton giving them the full treatment, holding nothing back.

If you are a fan of either Miller or Atherton, then you will certainly be buying this CD, but if you aren’t or have never heard of either of them, then rectify that this instance and get online to order.

A gripe (not with the recording!), the person responsible for the inner notes obviously has superb X-ray vision – I myself found it nearly impossible to read the notes against the lurid lilac wrinkled cloth effect. Sometimes simple is best.

Nick Wakeham

IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING – THE SONGS OF CHARLES MILLER & KEVIN HAMMONDS VARIOUS ARTISTS Making Records: VIB006 I must admit to knowing little of Charles Miller and Kevin Hammonds before I received this album. Having heard the CD, I am hooked and want to hear more. The album includes tracks from their musicals: Cabin Fever, Fabula, Hope, Brenda Bly: Teen, No One in the World and When Midnight Strikes. The artists include Pia Douwes, Louise Plowright, Julie Atherton, Caroline O’Connor, Michael McCarthy and Richard Reynard.

It is refreshing to listen to new tracks that actually sound tuneful, are well produced and sung by artists who understand the material. I would think that this songwriting duo is one that will be going from strength to strength and thank goodness this CD has been released so that musical fans can get the chance to experience this new material.

One for the ‘must buy’ list.

Nick Wakeham

I’LL BRING YOU A SONG SHONA WHITE Making Records: VIB008

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Shona White has a lovely voice and this is a nice selection of tracks, not all the usual suspects from the musicals. There are songs from musicals of course, including ‘As Long As You’re Mine’ from Wicked and ‘Nobody’s Side’ from Chess, but also lesser-known tracks such as ‘Easier’ from In Touch, ‘Please Don’t Make Me Love You’ from Dracula and ‘How ’Bout a Dance’ from Bonnie and Clyde. And into the impressive mix also goes ‘Ae Fond Kiss’, ‘I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten’ and ‘To Sir With Love’. White obviously put some thought into this album, along with her producer and it shows. The songs don’t all just melt into one another like some others – they are an eclectic mix and one that makes listening to the album a pure joy. This is a really good, interesting album and hopefully there will be more from White in years to come.

Nick Wakeham

YESTERDAY TODAY TOMORROW GEMMA ATKINS Making Records Split in to three sections, this CD covers songs from the past, present and future. Gemma Atkins has appeared in shows such as Wicked, Grease and Carousel and I have to say that I found the choice of songs on the album a little strange.

For a debut recording, perhaps a few more ‘well-known’ tracks would have been a good idea – all the compositions start to blend into one another, despite the fact that Atkins has a good voice.

There are a number of good tracks on the album including ‘The Sun and I’, ‘Take Me Back to Manhattan’ and ‘Your Daddy’s Son’ from Ragtime and I suppose there is an argument that the songs on the CD are not the usual old hackneyed ones that appear on show recordings. I do give credit to Atkins for that, but I do feel she would have been better served with some more recognisable material. I am sure that anyone who is a musical enthusiast will love the choices on the CD but for me it just lacked variety.

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JESUS CHRIS SUPERSTAR CHRIS THATCHER Making Records: VIB010 It states on the front cover of this CD that it contains Parental Advisory Explicit Content – well there is no denying that, every song contains material that I certainly wouldn’t let my children or even my parents hear! Why Chris Thatcher thought it was a good idea to release an album that was filled with lyrics like this, I have no idea. Maybe he thought it would be amusing – as far as I’m concerned he’s missed the mark. One or two tracks would have been okay and even have made me laugh, but to have a complete album of 20 tracks full of sexual content is over gilding the lily.

And the bonus track is an impersonation of Kermit singing ‘Rainbow Connection’ – why? The tracks include: ‘Sensitive Song’, ‘If You Were Gay’, ‘Sex’, ‘The Morning After You Do It’, ‘Swearing’, ‘Somebody Kill Me’. Thatcher possesses a good voice and obviously has got a sense of humour, but both those things could have been put to much better use than this album. However, if childish humour and swearing is your thing then you’ll love it. If not, then beware…

Nick Wakeham

FALLEN ANGEL JON LEE Making Records: VIB011 This recording wasn’t what I was expecting. I don’t even know what that was, but it got played twice – something that doesn’t always happen when I get a review copy of a CD. I loved the selection of tracks including ‘Piano in the Dark’, ‘Talking in Your Sleep’, ‘Only You’, ‘My Eyes Adored You’ and ‘Solitaire’. The production of the recording is excellent and Jon Lee comes over very well on all the tracks. The arrangements by Nick Rye and Colin Billing are superb for the orchestrations and all-in-all I would recommend this album for anyone who: a) likes Jon Lee or b) wants to give their mother a pleasant present. That’s not meant in any derogatory way, I think this album is one that would go down just as well with the older generation as it will with the younger Lee fans.

Nick Wakeham

CompeTition To Make you happy Musical Theatre Review has come up with a fantastic competition in association with the record label MaKiNG Records. Just answer one question and you can win all six of the label’s CDs reviewed above.

The company has recorded with an array of top West End and Broadway performers, including Julie Atherton, Brenda Edwards, Shona White, Gemma Atkins, Caroline O’Connor and Pia Douwes. In addition, the label has pioneered and supported new musical theatre writing, in particular work by librettist/lyricist Kevin Hammonds and composer Charles Miller.

Established in 2006 by Guy James, Martin Fisher and Kevin Oliver Jones, MaKiNG Records focuses on recording new musical theatre and musical theatre performers by working with some of the UK’s top producers and engineers.

So how about getting hold of new recordings by Jon Lee, Gemma Atkins, Julie Atherton, Chris Thatcher and Shona White, as well as tuning in to new material from Hammonds and Miller? www.makingrecords.co.uk

ISSUE 1

Just answer the following question and click http://musicaltheatrereview.com/making-records-competition/ Jon Lee plays which character (at certain performances) in the West End production of The Jersey Boys?

A: Frankie Howerd

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

B: Frankie Laine C: Frankie Valli Competition Terms & Conditions 1. Closing date for entries is Friday 26th April 2013.

2. All winners will be notified by email by Wednesday 1st May 2013.

3. Winners will be drawn at random from all correct entries received by the closing date.

4. The editor’s decision is final.

5. No purchase necessary.

6. Competition open to UK residents only.

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WEST END LISTINGS

We do our best to check these lisitings details but we cannot accept responsibility for their accuracy. Always check with the box office or ticket agent for correct dates and times.

Billy Elliot

A Chorus Line

Mamma Mia!

Rock Of Ages

Victoria Palace Theatre SW1E 5EA 0844 248 5000 http://billyelliotthemusical.com

London Palladium W1F 7TF 0844 412 2957 www.achoruslinelondon.com http://achorusline.seetickets.com

Novello Theatre WC28B 4LD 0844 482 5170 http://www.mamma-mia.com

Garrick Theatre WC2H 0HH 0844 412 4662 http://www.rockofagesmusical.co.uk Booking up to 2 Nov 2013

The Bodyguard Adelphi Theatre WC2R 0NS 0844 579 0094 http://www.thebodyguardmusical.com

From Here To Eternity

Matilda The Musical

Shaftesbury Theatre WC2H 8DP Previews from 30 Sep; opens 23 Oct 2013

Cambridge Theatre WC2H 9HU 0844 412 4652/0844 800 1110 http://uk.matildathemusical.com

The Book Of Mormon

Jersey Boys

Merrily We Roll Along

Price of Wales Theatre W1D 6AS 0844 482 5110 http://www.bookofmormonlondon.com

Prince Edward Theatre W1D 4HS 0844 847 5151/0844 847 2546 http://www.jerseyboyslondon.com

Burn The Floor

Les Misérables

Harold Pinter Theatre SW1Y 4DN 0844 871 7622 http://www.atgtickets.com Previews from 23 Apr; opens 1 May; closes 27 Jul 2013

Shaftesbury Theatre WC2H 8DP 020 7379 5399 http://www.burnthefloor.com Closes 1 Sep 2013

Queen’s Theatre W1D 6BA 0844 482 5160 http://www.lesmis.com

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Theatre Royal Drury Lane WC2B 5JF 0844 858 8877 http://charlieandthechocolatefactory.com Previews from 18 May; opens 25 Jun 2013 Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Theatre Royal Drury Lane WC2B 5JF 0844 858 8877 http://charlieandthechocolatefactory.com Previews from 18 May; opens 25 Jun 2013

Let It Be Savoy Theatre WC2R 0ET 0844 871 7687 http://www.letitbelondon.com The Lion King Lyceum Theatre WC2E 7RQ 0844 871 3000 http://www.thelionking.co.uk Booking up to 29 Sep 2013

Monty Python’s Spamalot Playhouse Theatre WC2N 5DE 0844 871 7627 http://www.atgtickets.com Once Phoenix Theatre WC2H 0JP 0844 871 7629 http://www.oncemusical.co.uk Previewing; opens 9 Apr 2013 The Phantom Of The Opera Her Majesty’s Theatre SW1Y 4QL 0870 890 1106 http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com Booking up to 24 Apr 2013

Singin’ in The Rain Palace Theatre W1D 5AY 0844 412 4656 http://www.singinintherain.co.uk Closes 8 June 2013 Top Hat Aldwych Theatre WC2B 4DF 0844 847 1712 http://www.tophatonstage.com Previews from 18 Apr; opens 9 May 2013; booking up to 27 Apr 2014 Viva Forever!

Piccadilly Theatre W1D 7DY 0844 871 3055 http://www.vivaforeverthemusical.com Closes 1 Jun 2013 We Will Rock You Dominion Theatre W1P 0AG 0844 847 1775 http://www.wewillrockyou.co.uk Wicked Apollo Victoria SW1V 1LG 0844 826 8000 http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk

OFF-WEST END/LONDON FRINGE LISTINGS OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR!

Theatre Upstairs at The Gatehouse N6 4BD 020 8340 3488 http://upstairsatthegatehouse.com 16 May–30 Jun 2013

Theatre Royal Stratford East E15 1BN 020 8534 0310 http://stratfordeast.com 1 Feb–15 Mar 2014

THE BILLIE HOLLIDAY STORY

ORPHEUS

Charing Cross Theatre WC2N 6NG 0844 930650 http://www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk 4–25 Apr 2013

Battersea Arts Centre SW11 5TN 020 7223 2223 https://www.bac.org.uk 16 Apr–11 May 2013

A CLASS ACT

Quasimodo

Landor Theatre SW9 9PH 020 7737 7276 http://www.landortheatre.co.uk 2–6 Apr 2013

King’s Head Theatre N1 1QN 020 7478 0160 www.kingsheadtheatre.com Closes 13 Apr 2013

THE COLOR PURPLE

ROOMS – A ROCK ROMANCE Finborough Theatre SW10 9ED 0844 847 1652 http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk 25 Apr–18 May 2013

The Sound Of Music

Leicester Square Theatre WC2H 7BP 0844 873 3433 http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com 1 Aug–15 Sep 2013

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre NW1 4NR 0844 826 4242 http://openairtheatre.com Previews from 25 Jul; opens 5 Aug; closes 7 Sep 2013

The Scottsboro Boys

The Three Little Pigs

Young Vic SE1 8LZ 020 7922 2922 http://www.youngvic.org Previews from 18 Oct; opens 29 Oct; closes 23 Nov 2013

Greenwich Theatre SE10 8ES 020 8858 7755 http://ticketing.greenwichtheatre.org.uk 4–6 April 2013

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS Landor Theatre SW9 9PH 020 7737 7276 http://www.landortheatre.co.uk 17 April–12 May 2013

WAG – THE MUSICAL Charing Cross Theatre WC2N 6NG 0844 930650 http://www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk 18 Jul–24 Aug 2013 West Side Story

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

Menier Chocolate Factory SE1 1RU 020 7378 1713 https://www.menierchocolatefactory.com Previews from 5 Jul; runs 15 Jul–14 Sep 2013

Saucy Jack And The Space Vixens

ISSUE 1

AVENUE Q

Sadler’s Wells EC1R 4TN 0844 412 4300 http://www.sadlerswells.com/ Previews from 7 Aug; opens 8 Aug; closes 22 Sep 2013

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BROADWAY LISTINGS Annie Palace Theatre 877 250 2929 http://anniethemusical.com The Book Of Mormon Eugene O/Neill Theatre NY 10019 212 239 6200 www.bookofmormonbroadway.com Chicago Ambassador Theater NY 10019 212 239 6200 http://chicagothemusical.com Hands On A Hard Body Brooks Atkinson Theater 877 250 2929 http://www.handsonahardbody.com/ Jekyll & Hyde The Marquis Theatre 877 250 2929 http://www.jekyllandhydemusical.com/ Previews from 5 April; opens 18 April 2013

We do our best to check these lisitings details but we cannot accept responsibility for their accuracy. Always check with the box office or ticket agent for correct dates and times.

Jersey Boys August Wilson Theatre 212 239 6200 http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/

Motown: The Musical Lunt-Fontanne Theatre NY 10036 http://www.motownthemusical.com/ Previewing; opens 14 Apr 2013

Kinky Boots

Newsies

The Al Hirschfield Theatre 212 239 6200 http://www.kinkybootsthemusical.com/

Nederlander Theatre 866 870 2717 http://www.newsiesthemusical.com/

The Lion King

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Minskoff Theatre 866 870 2717 http://www.lionking.com/ Mamma Mia! Winter Garden Theatre 212 239 6200 http://www.mammamianorthamerica.com/ Matilda The Musical The Schubert Theatre 212 239 6200 http://us.matildathemusical.com/ Previewing; opens 11 Apr 2013

Imperial Theatre 212 239 6200 http://niceworkonbroadway.com/ Once Bernard B Jacobs Theatre NY 10036 http://www.oncemusical.com/ The Phantom Of The Opera Majestic Theatre NY 10036 http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/new-york

Pippin Music Box Theatre NY 10036 212 239 6200 http://www.pippinthemusical.com/ Previewing; opens 25 Apr 2013 Rock Of Ages Helen Hayes Theatre NY 10036 http://www.rockofagesmusical.com/ Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella Broadway Theater 212 239 6200 http://www.cinderellaonbroadway.com Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark Foxwoods Theatre http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com/home Wicked Gershwin Theatre NY 10019 http://www.wickedthemusical.com/

OFF-BROADWAY LISTINGS Avenue Q

Forever Dusty

Silence! The Musical

New World Stages NY 10019 212 239 6200 http://www.avenueq.com/

New World Stages NY 10019 212 239 6200 http://www.foreverdusty.com/ Closes 7 Apr 2013

Elektra Theatre 866 811 4111 http://www.silencethemusicalnyc.com/ Opens 18 Jul 2013

Here Lies Love

The Fantasticks

Joseph Papp Public Theater NY 10003 Previewing; opens 24 Apr; closes 15 May 2013

Snapple Theater Center 212 921 7862 http://www.fantasticksonbroadway.com/

Forbidden Broadway

Passion

The Last Five Years

304 West 47th Street 212 239 6200 http://www.forbiddenbroadway.com/ Closes 28 Apr 2013

Classic Stage Company NY 10003 866 811 4111 http://www.classicstage.org/season/passion/ Closes 19 Apr 2013

Second Stage Theatre NY 10036 212 246 4422 http://www.2st.com/plays/viewPlay/0/169/ Closes 12 May 2013

Donnybrook!

Irish Repertory Theatre NY 10011 212 727 2737 http://www.irishrep.org/donnybrook.html Closes 28 Apr 2013

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Passion

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Ĩ Ĩ ƋĒƋ Ƌ Ƌ CAST RECORDINGS OF BROADWAY’S BEST SHOWS & SOLO ALBUMS FROM ITS BIGGEST STARS

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where broadway shines on...

UK TOUR LISTINGS The Blues Brothers…

Approved 01/04/13 – 03/04/13New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham B5 4DS 0844 871 3011 04/04/13 – 06/04/13 St. Georges’s Concert Hall Bradford BD1 1JT 01274 432000 07/05/13 – 11/05/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 871 3018 9 to 5 The Musical www.9to5themusical.co.uk 08/04/13 – 13/04/13 Grand Theatre, Swansea SA1 3QJ 01792 475715 15/04/13 – 20/04/13 New Theatre, Hull HU1 3HF 01482 300300 22/04/13 – 27/04/13 Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield S1 1DA 0114 249 6000 29/04/13 – 04/05/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811 13/05/13 – 18/05/13 Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton WV1 1DE 01902 429212 27/05/13 – 01/06/13 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 10/06/13 – 15/06/13 Theatre Royal, Nottingham NG1 5ND 0115 989 5555 17/06/13 – 22/06/13 Grand Opera House, Belfast BT2 7HR 028 9024 1919k 24/06/13 – 29/06/13 His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen AB25 1GL 01224 641122 08/07/13 – 13/07/13 Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787 22/07/13 – 27/07/13 Wales Milennium Centre, Cardiff CF10 5AL 029 2063 6464 Back To Broadway

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

www.backtobroadway.co.uk 19/05/13 Exmouth Pavilion, Exmouth 08/06/13 Lyceum Theatre, Crewe CW1 2DA 01270 363242 14/06/13 Court Yard Theatre, Hereford 22/06/13 White Rock Theatre, Hastings TN34 1JX 01424 462288 23/06/13 Floral Pavilion, The Wirral 05/07/13 – 06/07/13 Key Theatre, Peterborough PE1 1EF 01733 207239 18/07/13 Gasworth Hall, Macclesfield 132

27/07/13 Barnfield Theatre, Exeter 09/08/13 Britannia Pier Theatre, Great Yarmouth 30/08/13 The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe 08/09/13 Blackfriars Arts Centre, Boston 20/09/13 Malvern Theatres, Malvern WR14 3HB 01684 892277 26/09/13 Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield 28/09/13 Palace Theatre, Redditch B98 8AE 01527 65203 29/09/13 Theare Royal Windsor, Windsor SL4 1PS 01753 853888 05/10/13 Civic Theatre, Rotheram 19/10/13 Venue Cymru, Llandudno LL30 1BB 01492 872000 20/10/13 Grand Theatre, Lancaster 25/10/13 Bacon Theatre, Cheltenham GL51 6HE 01242 258002 26/10/13 The Exchange Theatre, Sturminster Newton Beyond The Barricade http://beyondthebarricade.com 06/04/13 Embassy Theatre, Skegness PE25 2UG 0845 674 0505 17/04/13 Buxton Opera House, Buxton SK17 6XN 0845 127 2190 18/04/13 Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton WV1 1DE 01902 429212 21/04/13 Theatre Royal, Windsor SL4 1PS 01753 853888 24/04/13 Theatre Royal, Wakefield WF1 2TE 01924 211311 25/04/13 Venue Cymru, Llandudno LL30 1BB 01492 872000 26/04/13 Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage SG1 1LZ 01438 363200 27/04/13 Princess Theatre, Hunstanton PE36 5PH 01485 532252 04/05/13 Beck Theatre, Hayes UB3 2UE 020 8561 8371 05/05/13 Kings Theatre, Southsea PO5 2SH 023 9282 8282 24/05/13 Grimsby Auditorium, Grimsby DN31 2BH 0844 871 3016

We do our best to check these lisitings details but we cannot accept responsibility for their accuracy. Always check with the box office or ticket agent for correct dates and times.

25/05/13 Charter Theatre, Preston PR1 1HT 0844 844 7710 26/05/13 Gala Theatre, Durham DH1 1WA 0191 332 4041 29/05/13 Grand Theatre, Swansea SA1 3QJ 01792 475715 30/05/13 Octagon Theatre, Yeovil BA20 1UX 01935 422884 31/05/13 Queens Theatre, Barnstaple EX31 1SY 01271 324242 05/07/13 City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds LS1 6LW 0113 243 0808 13/07/13 Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham GL50 1QH 01242 572573 24/08/13 Pavilion Theatre, Worthing BN11 3PX 01903 206206 25/08/13 Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth BH1 2BU 0844 576 3000 12/09/13 Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea SS0 7RA 01702 351135 13/09/13 Princess Theatre, Torquay TQ2 5EZ 0844 871 3023 14/09/13 Hall For Cornwall, Truro TR1 2LL 0872 262466 15/09/13 The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury GL20 5NX 01684 295 074 27/09/13 The Capitol, Horsham RH12 1RG 01403 750220 28/09/13 Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa CV32 4HN 01926 334418 02/10/13 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 05/10/13 Town Hall, Huddersfield HD1 2TA 01484 223200 06/10/13 Baths Hall, Scunthorpe DN15 7RG 0844 854 2776 12/10/13 Civic Theatre, Darlington DL1 1RR 01325 486 26/10/13 Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford ST16 2LT 01785 254653 09/11/13 Lyceum Theatre, Crewe CW1 2DA 01270 363242 27/11/13 Grand Opera House, York YO1 9SW 0844 871 3024 28/11/13 Palace Theatre, Redditch B98 8AE 01527 65203

05/12/13 Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2LU 01892 530613 10/12/13 Prince of Wales Theatre, Cannock WS11 1DE 01543 578762 11/12/13 The Grand Theatre, Blackpool FY1 1HT 01253 290190 12/12/13 St. Georges’s Concert Hall, Bradford BD1 1JT 01274 432000 13/12/13 The Forum, Malvern Theatres Malvern WR14 3HB 01684 892277 Blood Brothers – The Musical www.bloodbrothersmusical.com 29/04/13–04/05/13 Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Wolverhampton WV1 1DE 01902 429212 07/05/13–11/05/13 Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1AP 0844 871 7649 20/05/13–25/05/13 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 24/06/13–29/06/13 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh EH1 3AA 084 871 3014 02/09/13–07/09/13 The Lowry, Salford Quays M50 3AZ 0843 208 6000 09/09/13–14/09/13 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020 30/09/13–05/10/13 Grand Opera House, York YO1 9SW 0844 499 9999 28/10/13–09/11/13 Liverpool Empire, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017 Bohemian Rhapsody 21/05/13–25/05/13 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 28/05/13–01/06/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 04/06/13–08/06/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 871 3018 27/06/13–29/06/13 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020 02/07/13–06/07/13 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 Boogie Nights www.boogienightsthemusical.co.uk/ 01/04/13 Liverpool Empire, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017

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02/04/13 City Hall, Sheffield S1 2JA 0114 278 9789 08/04/13–13/04/13 Civic Theatre, Darlington DL1 1RR 01325 486 15/04/13–20/04/13 Wyvern Theatre, Swindon SN1 1QN 01793 524481å The Born Free Tour: Kerry Ellis & Brian May 18/06/13 Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth BH1 2BA 0844 576 3000 19/06/13 Anvil Arts, Basingstoke RG21 7QR 01256 844244 http://www.anvilarts.org.uk 21/06/13 Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton NN1 1DP 01604 624811 23/06/13 The Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool L1 9BP 0151 210 2895 24/06/13 Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham B3 3DQ 0121 780 3333 25/06/13 The Lowry, Salford Quays M50 3AZ 0843 208 6000 26/06/13 The Sage, Gateshead NE8 2JR 0191 443 4661 28/06/13 Forum Theatre, Malvern WR14 3HB 01684 892277 29/06/13 Venue Cymru,Llandudno LL30 1BB 01492 872000 Buddy www.buddythemusical.com 04/09/13–07/09/13 Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham GL50 1QH 01242 572573 09/09/13–14/09/13 Buxton Opera House, Buxton SK17 6XN 0845 127 2190

Carnaby Street The Musical www.carnabystreetthemusical.com 06/04/13–14/04/13 Hackney Empire, London E8 1EJ 020 8985 2424 16/04/13–20/04/13 Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe HP11 2XE 01494 512000 22/04/13–27/04/13 The Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl LL18 3AQ 01745 330000 29/04/13–04/05/13 White Rock Theatre, Hastings TN34 1JX 01424 462288 07/05/13–11/05/13 Theare Royal Windsor, Windsor SL4 1PS 01753 853888 14/05/13–18/05/13 Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2LU 01892 530613 20/05/13–25/05/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 471 7627 27/05/13–01/06/13 Marina Theatre, Lowestoft NR32 1HH 01502 533200 03/06/13–08/06/13 New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham B5 4DS 0844 871 7627 10/06/13–15/06/13 The Alban Arena, St Albans AL1 3LD 01727 844488 25/06/13–29/06/13 Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth BH1 2BA 0844 576 3000 Cats www.catsthemusical.com

www.dirtydancingontour.com 02/04/13–20/04/13 Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787 30/04/13–18/05/13 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 21/05/13–15/06/13 The Palace Theatre, Manchester M1 6FT 0844 847 1648 15/03/14–05/04/14 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 15/04/14–03/05/14 Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield S1 1DA 0114 249 6000 06/05/14–31/05/14 Theatre Royal Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6BR 0844 811 2121 10/06/14–28/06/14 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811 08/07/14–26/07/14 Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin 2 0844 847 2455 29/07/14–16/08/14 Grand Opera House, Belfast BT2 7HR 028 9024 1919 26/08/14–20/09/14 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 21/10/14–08/11/14 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 09/12/14–03/01/15 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020 Evita www.reallyuseful.com/shows/evita/ 15/05/13–18/05/13 New Wimbledon Theatre, London SW19 1QG 0844 871 7620 20/05/13–01/06/13 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7627 02/06/13–29/06/13 Liverpool Empire, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017 03/06/13–15/06/13 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 29/07/13–10/08/13 The Lowry, Salford Quays M50 3AZ 0843 208 6000 19/08/13–31/08/13 Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Wolverhampton WV1 1DE 01902 429212 Ghost The Musical www.ghostthemusical.com 08/04/13–27/04/13 Wales Milennium Centre, Cardiff CF10 5AL 029 2063 6464 30/04/13–11/05/13 New Wimbledon Theatre, London SW19 1QG 0844 871 7646

14/05/13–01/06/13 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh EH1 3AA 0844 871 30148 03/06/13–15/06/13 Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Wolverhampton WV1 1DE 01902 429212 17/06/13–29/06/13 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 02/07/13–20/07/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 871 30188 27/08/13–14/09/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 Ghost The Musical 29/10/13–09/11/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 02380 711811 12/11/13–23/11/13 The New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 26/11/13–07/12/13 Sunderland Empire, Sunderland SR1 3EX 0844 871 3022 Hairspray www.hairspraythetour.com 01/04/13–06/04/13 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 09/04/13–20/04/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 02380 711811 22/04/13 –27/04/13 Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017 07/05/13–18/05/13 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 21/05/13–01/06/13 Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Birmingham B5 4TB 0844 844 0444/0844 338 0338 04/06/13–15/06/13 Grand Opera House, Belfast BT2 7HR 028 9024 1919 18/06/13–29/06/13 Wales Milennium Centre, Cardiff CF10 5AL 029 2063 6464 02/07/13–13/07/13 Theatre Royal, Nottingham NG1 5ND 0115 989 5555 16/07/13–03/08/13 Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin 2 0818 719377 06/08/13–17/08/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 20/08/13–31/08/13 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 03/09/13–14/09/13 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh EH1 3AA 0844 871 3014 16/09/13–21/09/13 His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen AB25 1GL 01224 641122 24/09/13–29/09/13 Theatre Royal, Norwich NR2 1RL 01603 630000

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

02/04/13–20/04/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 871 3018 23/04/13–04/05/13 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford BD1 1JT 01274 432000 06/05/13–18/05/13 New Theatre, Hull HU1 3HF 01482 300300 28/05/13–08/06/13 Sunderland Empire, Sunderland SR1 3EX 0844 871 3022 11/06/13–22/06/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811 25/06/13–06/07/13 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 09/07/13–20/07/13 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645

Dirty Dancing

ISSUE 1

16/09/13–21/09/13 Victoria Theatre, Halifax HX1 1BP 01422 351188 23/09/13–28/09/13 Eden Court Theatre, Inverness IV3 5SA 01463 234234 30/09/13–05/10/13 His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen AB25 1GL 01224 641122 08/10/13–12/10/13 Corn Exchange, King’s Lynn PE30 1JW 01553 764864 14/10/13–19/10/13 Grand Theatre, Swansea SA1 3QJ 01792 475715 21/10/13–26/10/13 Kings Theatre, Southsea PO5 2SH 023 9282 8282 28/10/13–02/11/13 Marina Theatre, Lowestoft NR32 1HH 01502 533200 06/11/13–09/11/13 Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl LL18 3AQ 01745 330000

11/11/13–16/11/13 Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton NN1 1DP 01604 624811 18/11/13–23/11/13 Lighthouse, Poole BH15 1UG 0844 406 8666 25/11/13–27/11/13 Watford Coloseum, Watford WD17 3JN 0845 075 3993 28/11/13–30/11/13 G Live, Guildford GU1 2AA 0844 770 1797

UK TOUR LISTINGS High Society http://highsocietymusical.com 02/04/13–06/04/13 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford BD1 1JT 01274 432000 09/04/13–13/04/13 Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton NN1 1DP 01604 624811 30/04/13–04/05/13 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 07/05/13–11/05/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 02380 711811 14/05/13–18/05/13 Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Birmingham B5 4TB 0844 338 5000 21/05/13–25/05/13 Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea SS0 7RA 01702 351135 28/05/13–01/06/13 Grand Opera House, Belfast BT2 7HR 028 9024 1919 04/06/13–08/06/13 Theatre Royal, Nottingham NG1 5ND 0115 989 5555 11/06/13–15/06/13 Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield S1 1DA 0114 249 6000 18/06/13–22/06/13 Congress Theatre, Eastbourne BN21 4BP 01323 412000 25/06/13–29/06/13 Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe HP11 2XE 01494 512000

01/07/13–06/07/13 Theatre Royal, Norwich NR2 1RL 01603 630000 09/07/13–13/07/13 G Live, Guildford GU1 2AA 0844 770 1797 Jesus Christ Superstar www.jesuschristsuperstar.com 01/10/13 The Hydro, Glasgow G3 8YW 03/10/13 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham B1 2AA 04/10/13 Leeds Arena, Leeds LS7 3PD 06/10/13 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7NA 08/10/13 Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff CF10 2EQ 10/10/13 Capital FM Arena, Nottingham NG1 1LA 11/10/13 Manchester Arena, Manchester M3 1AR 13/10/13 The O2, London SE10 0DX 15/10/13 Echo Arena Liverpool, Liverpool L3 4FP Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat www.josephthemusical.com 02/04/13–06/04/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811

We do our best to check these lisitings details but we cannot accept responsibility for their accuracy. Always check with the box office or ticket agent for correct dates and times.

09/04/13–13/04/13 The Assembly Rooms, Derby DE1 3AE 01332 255800 16/04/13–20/04/13 Sunderland Empire, Sunderland SR1 3EX 0844 871 3022 23/04/13–27/04/13 Fairfield Halls, Croydon CR9 1DG 020 8688 9291 30/04/13–03/05/13 Embassy Theatre, Skegness PE25 2UG 0845 674 0505 25/06/13–29/06/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 02/07/13–06/07/13 The Plaza, Stockport SK1 1SP 0161 480 3818 09/07/13–13/07/13 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020 16/07/13–20/07/13 Grand Theatre, Leeds LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 23/07/13–03/08/13 Theatre Royal Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6BR 0844 811 2121 06/08/13–10/08/13 The Kings Theatre, Southsea PO5 2QJ 023 9282 8282 12/08/13–17/08/13 Wales Milennium Centre, Cardiff 029 2063 6464 20/08/13–24/08/13 Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth BH1 2BA 0844 576 3000

26/08/13–07/09/13 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 10/09/13–14/09/13 Swansea Grand Theatre, Swansea SA1 3QJ 01792 475715 23/09/13–28/09/13 Theatre Royal, Brighton BN1 1SD 0844 871 7650 30/09/13–05/10/13 Opera House, Blackpool FY1 1HW 01253 625252 28/10/13–03/11/13 New Wimbledon Theatre, London SW19 1QG 0844 871 7646 The Lion King www.thelionking.co.uk 29/06/13–28/09/13 Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Birmingham B5 4TB 0844 844 0444/0844 338 0338 12/10/13–18/01/14 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh EH1 3AA 0844 847 1648 Until 20/04/13 The Palace Theatre, Manchester M1 6FT 0844 847 1648 The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice http://littlevoicetour.com 08/04/13–13/04/13 Marina Theatre, Lowestoft NR32 1HH 01502 533200

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Photo: PAMELA RAITH

High Society

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15/04/13–20/04/13 Lighthouse, Poole BH15 1UG 0844 406 8666 29/04/13–04/05/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 871 3018 06/05/13–11/05/13 The Churchill Theatre, Bromley BR1 1HA 0844 871 7620 13/05/13–18/05/13 Wyvern Theatre, Swindon SN1 1QN 01793 524481 20/05/13–25/05/13 Lyceum Theatre, Crewe CW1 2DA 01270 368242 27/05/13–01/06/13 Belgrade Theatre, Coventry CV1 1GS 024 7655 3055 03/06/13–08/06/13 Theatre Royal, Glasgow G2 3QA 0844 871 7647 10/06/13–15/06/13 Arts Theatre, Cambridge CB2 3PJ 01223 503333 Michael Ball www.michaelball.co.uk/

Midnight Tango www.midnighttango.co.uk 02/04/13–06/04/13 Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea SS0 7RA 01702 351135 15/04/13–28/04/13 Theatre Royal Bath, Bath BA1 1ET 01225 448844 22/04/13–27/04/13 Theatre Royal, Nottingham NG1 5ND 0115 989 5555 29/04/13–04/05/13 Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe HP11 2XE 01494 512000 07/05/13–11/05/13 New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham B5 4DS 0844 871 3011 13/05/13–18/05/13 Theatre Royal Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6BR 0844 811 2121 17/06/13–22/06/13 Hall For Cornwall, Truro TR1 2LL 01872 262466 24/06/13–29/09/13 New Theatre, Cardiff CF10 3LN 029 2087 8889 01/07/13–06/07/13 New Theatre, Hull HU1 3HF 01482 300300 08/07/13–13/07/13 Royal & Derngate, Northampton NN1 1DP 01604 624811 23/07/13–27/07/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 871 3018 29/07/13–03/08/13 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leed LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 Miss Nightingale www.missnightingale.co.uk

New Jersey Nights www.atgtickets.com/shows/new-jersey-nights/ 02/04/13–06/04/13 The Churchill Theatre, Bromley BR1 1HA 0844 871 7620 09/04/13–13/04/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 15/04/13–17/04/13 New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham B5 4DS 0844 871 3011 18/04/13–20/04/13 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020 23/04/13–27/04/13 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 29/04/13–01/05/13 Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1AP 0844 871 7649 02/05/13–04/05/13 Grand Opera House, York YO1 9SW 0844 871 3024 The Phantom Of The Opera www.thephantomoftheoperatour.com 04/05/13 Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Birmingham B5 4TB 0844 338 5000 Priscilla Queen Of The Desert www.priscillathemusical.com 08/04/13–13/04/13 Sunderland Empire, Sunderland SR1 3EX 0844 412 3022 15/04/13–27/04/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 29/04/13–04/05/13 Princess Theatre, Torquay TQ2 5EZ 0844 871 3023 06/05/13–11/05/13 Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2LU 01892 530613 13/05/13–18/05/13 Grand Opera House, York YO1 9SW 0844 871 3024

20/05/13–25/05/13 Liverpool Empire, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017 27/05/13–08/06/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811 10/06/13–15/06/13 Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1AP 0844 871 7649 17/06/13–29/06/13 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 01/07/13–13/07/13 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 16/09/13–21/09/13 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 18/11/13–23/11/13 Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury HP20 1UG 0844 871 7607 17/12/13–05/01/14 Theatre Royal, Brighton BN1 1SD 0844 871 7650 Rent 20th Anniversary Concert 25/04/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 871 3018 26/04/13 Hackney Empire, London E8 1EJ 020 8985 2424 27/04/13 Auditorium, Liverpool L3 4BX 28/04/13 Mill Tyne Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4AG 0844 493 9999 29/04/13 St David’s Hall, Cardiff CF10 2DP 029 287 8500 30/04/13 New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham B5 4DS 0844 871 3011 02/05/13 Regent Theatre, Stoke ST1 1AP 0844 871 7649 03/05/13 Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow G3 8YW 0844 395 4000 04/05/13 City Varities, Leeds LS1 6LW 0113 243 0808 05/05/13 Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea SS0 7RA 01702 351135 RICHARD O’BRIEN’S Rocky Horror Show www.rockyhorror.co.uk 08/04/13–13/04/13 Grand Opera House, York YO1 9SW 0844 871 3024 15/04/13–20/04/13 Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield S1 1DA 0114 249 6000 22/04/13–27/04/13 Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea SS0 7RA 01702 351135 29/04/13–04/05/13 Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge CB2 3QB 01223 357851

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02/05/13–11/05/13 New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich IP1 2AS 01473 295900 13/05/13–18/05/13 Key Theatre, Peterborough PE1 1EF 01733 207239 22/05/13–22/05/13 Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool L1 1HL 0870 787 1866 28/05/13–01/06/13 Theatre Royal, Nottingham NG1 5ND 0115 989 5555 03/06/13–05/06/13 Nuffield Teatre, Southampton SO17 1TR 023 8067 1771 06/06/13–08/06/13 Theatre Royal, Wakefield WF1 2TE 01924 211311

19/06/13–22/06/13 Connaught Theatre, Worthing BN11 1LG 01903 206206 24/06/13–29/06/13 The Lowry, Salford Quays M50 3AZ 0843 208 6000 02/07/13–07/07/13 Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham GL50 1QH 01242 572573 09/07/13–13/07/13 Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford GU1 3UX 01483 440000 15/07/13–17/07/13 Victoria Theatre, Halifax HX1 1BP 01422 351158 18/07/13–19/07/13 Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield S1 1DA 0114 249 6000 22/07/13–27/07/13 Theare Royal Windsor, Windsor SL4 1PS 01753 853888

ISSUE 1

15/04/13 Regent Theatre, Ipswich IP4 1HE 01473 433100 17/04/13 Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8SF 0191 277 8030 18/04/13 Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow G3 8YW 0844 395 4000 19/04/13 Liverpool Empire, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017 21/04/13 Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield S1 2JA 0114 278 9789 22/04/13 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester M2 3WS 0844 907 9000 23/04/13 Barbican, York YO10 4NT 0844 854 2757 25/04/13 Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham NG1 5ND 0115 989 5555 26/04/13 Opera House, Blackpool FY1 1HW 0844 856 1111 27/04/13 Symphony Hall, Birmingham B1 2EA 021 345 0600 29/04/13 Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth PL1 3LF 0845 146 1460 30/04/13 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020 01/05/13 Bournemoth International Centre Bournemouth BH2 5BH 0844 576 3000 03/05/13 Brighton Centre, Brighton BN1 2GR 0844 871 1515 04/05/13 Hammersmith Apollo, London W6 9QH 0844 249 1000

05/05/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811 07/05/13 St David’s Hall, Cardiff CF10 1SH 029 287 8500 09/05/13 Colston Hall, Bristol BS1 5AR 0117 922 3686 10/05/13 Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth PO1 2AB 023 9282 4355

UK TOUR LISTINGS 06/05/13–11/05/13 Richmond Theatre, Richmond TW9 1LX 0844 871 7651 13/05/13–18/05/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811 20/05/13–25/05/13 Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-TrentST1 1AP 0844 871 7649 27/05/13–01/06/13 Churchill Theatre, Bromley BR1 1HA 0844 871 7620 03/06/13–08/06/13 Theatre Royal, Norwich NR2 1RL 01603 630000

10/06/13–15/06/13 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 17/06/13–22/06/13 Palace Theatre, Manchester M1 6FT 0844 871 3019 24/06/13–29/06/13 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 01/07/13–06/07/13 Fairfield Halls, Croydon CR9 1DG 020 8688 9291 08/07/13–13/07/13 New Theatre, Cardiff CF10 3LN 029 2087 8889

We do our best to check these lisitings details but we cannot accept responsibility for their accuracy. Always check with the box office or ticket agent for correct dates and times.

15/07/13–20/07/13 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 05/08/13–10/08/13 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 12/08/13–17/08/13 Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787 19/08/13–24/08/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 26/08/13–31/08/13 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020

02/09/13–07/09/13 Milennium Forum Derry/Londonderry BT48 6EB 028 7126 4455 16/09/13–21/09/13 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford BD1 1JT 01274 432000 23/09/13–28/09/13 Theatre Royal, Nottingham NG1 5ND 0115 989 5555 30/09/13–05/10/13 New Theatre, Hull HU1 3HF 01482 300300 14/10/13–19/10/13 Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth BH1 2BA 0844 576 3000

Photo: CHARLOTTE MURPHY

MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

Miss Nightingale

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Save The Last Dance For Me 02/04/13–06/04/13 Grand Opera House, York YO1 9SW 0844 871 7024 08/04/13–13/04/13 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds LS1 6NZ 0844 848 2700 15/04/13–20/04/13 Southport Theatre, Southport PR9 0DZ 0844 871 3021 22/04/13–27/04/13 Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1AP 0844 871 7649 07/05/13–11/05/13 New Theatre, Cardiff CF10 3LN 029 2087 8889 20/05/13–25/05/13 Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787 28/05/13–01/06/13 Princess Theatre, Torquay TQ2 5EZ 0844 871 3023 17/06/13–22/06/13 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 08/07/13–13/07/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 22/07/13–27/07/13 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020 29/07/13–10/08/13 The Churchill Theatre, Bromley BR1 1HA 0844 871 7620 12/08/13–17/08/13 Palace Theatre, Manchester M1 6FT 0844 871 3019 SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN www.singinintherain.co.uk/tour/ 09/11/13–30/11/13 Opera House, Manchester M3 3HP 0844 871 3018 03/12/13–05/01/14 Wales Milennium Centre, Cardiff CF10 5AL 029 2063 6464 14/01/14–01/02/14 Sunderland Empire, Sunderland SR1 3EX 0191 566 1040 04/02/14–15/02/14 Theatre Royal, Nottingham NG1 5ND 0115 989 5555

25/02/14–15/03/14 Festival Theatre, Edinburgh EH8 9FT 0131 529 6000 18/03/14–05/04/14 Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Birmingham B5 4TB 08/04/14–19/04/14 Congress Theatre, Eastbourne BN21 4BP 22/04/14–03/05/14 Liverpool Empire, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017 06/05/14–17/05/14 Grand Opera House, Belfast BT3 9QQ 028 9024 1919 20/05/14–07/06/14 Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin 2 00 353 1677 7999 17/06/14–28/06/14 Theatre Royal, Plymouth PL1 2TR 01752 267222 01/07/14–12/07/14 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 22/07/14–09/08/14 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 12/08/14–23/08/14 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 0844 871 7627 02/09/14–13/09/14 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford BD1 1JT 01274 432000 16/09/14–04/10/14 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811 Soul Sister www.atgtickets.com/shows/soul-sister/ 28/05/13–01/06/13 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 01/07/13–06/07/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 08/07/13–13/07/13 Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1AP 0844 871 7649 22/07/13–27/07/13 Theatre Royal, Brighton BN1 1SD 0844 871 7650 05/08/13–10/08/13 Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017

19/08/13–24/08/13 New Wimbledon Theatre, London SW19 1QG 0844 871 7646/ 26/08/13–31/08/13 Churchill Theatre, Bromley BR1 1HA 0844 871 7620 02/09/13–07/09/13 Sunderland Empire, Sunderland SR1 3EX 0844 871 3022 Starlight Express 26/03/13–06/04/13 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 09/04/13–20/04/13 Theatre Royal, Norwich NR2 1RL 01603 630000 24/04/13–04/05/13 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 We Will Rock You www.wewillrockyou.co.uk 04/04/13–06/04/13 Dublin O2 Arena, Dublin 1 0818 719377 30/04/13–02/06/13 Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield S9 2DF 0114 256 5656 05/06/13–09/06/13 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7NA 0844 493 6666 18/06/13–22/06/13 Odyssey Arena, Belfast BT3 9QQ 028 9073 9074 West Side Story http://westsidestorytheshow.co.uk 24/09/13–28/09/13 Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool L1 1JE 0844 871 3017 01/10/13–12/10/13 Sunderland Empire, Sunderland SR1 3EX 0844 871 3022 22/10/13–26/10/13 New Theatre, Oxford OX1 2AG 0844 871 3020 12/11/13–16/11/13 Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1AP 0844 871 7627 19/11/13–30/11/13 New Wimbledon Theatre, London SW19 1QG 0844 871 7646

10/12/13–04/01/14 Palace Theatre, Manchester M1 6FT 0844 871 3019k 15/01/14–25/01/14 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7627k 28/01/14–08/02/14 Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol BS1 4UZ 0844 871 3012 11/02/14–15/02/14 Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury HP20 1UG 0844 871 7627 18/02/14–01/03/14 New Victoria Theatre, Woking GU21 6GQ 0844 871 7645 18/03/14–29/03/14 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh EH1 3AA 0844 871 3014 01/04/14–12/04/14 New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham B5 4DS 0844 871 3011 03/06/14–14/06/14 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 Wicked www.wickedtour.co.uk 12/09/13–16/11/13 Palace Theatre, Manchester M1 6FT 0844 871 3019 04/02/14–08/02/14 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes MK9 3NZ 0844 871 7652 12/03/14–26/04/14 Wales Milennium Centre, Cardiff CF10 5AL 06/05/14–31/05/14 King’s Theatre, Glasgow G2 4JN 0844 871 7648 10/06/14–05/07/14 Grand Theatre & Opera House, Leeds LS1 6NZ 09/07/14–06/09/14 Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Birmingham B5 4TB 0844 844 0444/0844 338 0338

ISSUE 1

UK REGIONAL LISTINGS Fiddler On the Roof

The Pajama Game

www.cft.org.uk 15/07/13–31/08/13 Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester PO19 6AP 01243 781312

www.mayflower.org.uk/event.asp?show=FIDD13 05/09/13–14/09/13 The Mayflower, Southampton SO15 1AP 023 8071 1811

www.cft.org.uk 22/04/13–08/06/13 Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester PO19 6AP 01243 781312

Chicago

Hot Stuff

www.curveonline.co.uk 29/11/13–11/01/14 The Curve, Leicester LE1 1SB 0116 242 3595

www.curveonline.co.uk 23/04/13–26/05/13 The Curve, Leicester LE1 1SB 0116 242 3595

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW

Barnum

137

WORLD PREMIERE

| Previews from 18 May 2013

0844 858 8877 THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE

Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JF | A Really Useful Group Theatre

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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW I S S U E 1

It must be believed to be seen

Begin your journey at CharlieandtheChocolateFactory.com 138

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