Posts with the label uk tour
Showing posts with label uk tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label uk tour. Show all posts
Wednesday 24 October 2018
The Band (UK Tour), New Wimbledon Theatre | Review
The Band (UK Tour)
New Wimbledon Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 23rd October 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Whether you're an avid fan of Take That, or you just know a few of the hit songs, get yourself along to The Band for a show full of friendship, laughs, emotion and nostalgia. The story is compelling and relatable to anyone who's ever hardcore admired a band, performer or celebrity.
The story opens with our main protagonist, Rachel, exclaiming how she grew up with 'The Band', and judging by the buzzing audience of the New Wimbledon Theatre, many of them did too. From the get go, the show is well paced and bubbling with energy as we flash back to the group of five young friends as the fangirl over their boys. Their portrayal of head-over-heels fans is truthful, witty and exudes youth as the girls are as loyal to each other as they are to the band.
The Band themselves, reappear throughout to perform a number of Take That's greatest hits, both old and new. In the iconic outfits and with the classic moves, they really embody Take That and bring to life the spirit and energy of a band of friends who love performing with one another. They also do a wonderful job of propelling the story forward.
The show takes a sudden turn after the first couple of scenes when tragedy strikes and the tight-knit friend group are broken apart. Fast forward 25 years and we see the how the girls have settled into their various lives. The grown up Rachel, (played by Rachel Lumberg) seems to be living her dream life, but is unable to move on from the childhood tragedy that struck and she once again feels drawn to the band. Rachel plays the role with a beautiful balance and sense of realism; wonderfully showing off her exuberant side, alongside the side which is struggling with loss.
As the friends reunite, the show really powers on and the story of each girl has something audience members can relate to. Act two includes a number of hilarious group scenes, accompanied by great musical performances. Despite the name, this show isn't about The Band, it's about the leading ladies who steal the show and our hearts with their sincere and charismatic performances. Whilst the girls always had The Band at the forefront of their lives, it was their friendships that glued them together and created a bond that even time apart, couldn't break.
The entire cast are superbly strong. The Boys, played by AJ Bentley, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri, Nick Carsberg and Sario Solomon provide the perfect starring moments as well as backing moments where they blend in as a natural part of the story. The Girls, both young and old are perfectly cast to be highly realistic whilst giving fantastic performances.
Alongside the cast, Jon Bausor's set is a real star of the show; with screens cleverly transporting us to concerts and music videos. A particular stand out, set moment is when the blue confetti used earlier in the show is cleverly fanned out by The Band to create The Flood over the audience. Small details like this, really step this show up from a simple musical, to something special.
The small cast do a fantastic job of creating a high-energy piece which feels full of love and life. From post-show audience reactions, it's clear that The Band has many fans and the show is sure to continue delighting audiences on tour and in it's upcoming stint at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. For a story that will have you beaming and tearing up like the roller coaster of life, accompanied by a thrilling score, get yourself along to The Band and live your best fangirl life.
Thursday 18 October 2018
Jersey Boys (UK Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review
Jersey Boys (UK Tour)
New Victoria Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 17th October 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Jersey Boys is one of those musicals that pretty much everyone has heard of, it needs little marketing and has a bit of a cult status after is various runs around the world. For that reason and the fact that the music of the Four Seasons is so well known, the packed New Victoria Theatre is a hub of excitement as people bop in their seats and enjoy this lively, moving musical.
The cast are led by Dayle Hodge (Frankie Valli), Simon Bailey (Tommy DeVito), Lewis Griffiths (Nick Massi) and Declan Egan (Bob Gaudio). Each performer is vocally fabulous individually, but when they come together, they create absolute vocal magic and create a harmonious, chemistry filled team. Hodge is absolutely brilliant as Valli as he performs the classic falsetto sounds with vocal ease and evidently strong technique. Mention must also go to Tara Young who is fiery and vulnerable as Mary Delgado and Mark Heenehan who is extremely versatile and strong in the various roles he plays.
The musical tells the story of how four friends from Jersey united to form one of the most unique and successful music groups of their time. The series of ups and downs, including grief, time in prison and romantic failures, make a great storyline which show the rollercoaster of life in a natural and well constructed way. Alongside the popular music and continuous humour, a strong and enjoyable show has been formed which is sure to continue thrilling audiences.
Musically this production is outstanding. The fast pace of the show means we are dragged through a maelstrom of music which is performed well not only by the leads but supported brilliantly by the ensemble and band led by Francis Goodhand. Alongside smooth set design from Klara Zieglerova and sound design from Steve Canyon Kennedy we are transported not only on the journey of the group, but feel as though we really are at a concert, which brings a lovely energy to the theatre. Jeff Goldstein's costume also bring an authentic touch to the show.
Overall this is a superbly slick production that long time fans and newbies are sure to enjoy. For a night of carefree fun, join the Four Seasons and experience the happiness their music brings.
Jersey Boys runs at the New Victoria Theatre until 27th October before continuing its tour.
photo credit: Brinkhoff/Mögenburg
Tuesday 2 October 2018
Fame the Musical (UK Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review
Fame (UK Tour)
New Victoria Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 1st October 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Fame is the original high school musical drama. The story about a group of wannabe New York performers became an instant success with audiences after the 1980 film, and various incarnations including tv series and musical performances were spawned. Fame the Musical, developed by David De Silva, is currently touring again to celebrate it's 30th anniversary before a stint in the West End next year.
Fame the Musical follows the lives and struggles of students attending the New York High School of Performing Arts. It is a real-life, non-sugar-coated version of being a young adult and facing issues, including substance abuse, sexuality and self worth.
From the opening number to the very last moment of toe-tapping brilliance, Nick Winston's production screams energy and vibrance. The entire show is a well choreographed, lively machine that, although being set in the 80s, feel fresh, relevant and energetic.
The energy comes from the outstanding young cast who deliver every moment with enthusiasm and precision. Molly McGuire is loveable and quirky as she falls in love with Nick (Keith Jack) the TV actor, wanting to move to more serious roles. Both performers provide beautiful vocals, especially during Let's Play a Love Scene in which Molly shines. The pair compliment each other wonderfully and present a sweet romantic arc.
Hayley Johnston brings humour and heart to the show, with bubbly Mabel earning laughs throughout and showing off her killer, powerful vocals in Mabel's Prayer.
Jorgie Porter shows off her well-honed dance skills as Iris who falls for Tyrone (Jamal Crawford), an equally exquisite dancer who gave a standout performance with Dancing on the Sidewalk. Tyrone also has a storyline with teacher Miss Sherman (Mica Paris) as she realises he is illiterate and tries to inspire him to work on himself. The pair are realistically at odds with one another as their heightened tensions come to a boil with Mica Paris' effortlessly stunning rendition of These Are My Children.
Hayley Johnston brings humour and heart to the show, with bubbly Mabel earning laughs throughout and showing off her killer, powerful vocals in Mabel's Prayer.
Jorgie Porter shows off her well-honed dance skills as Iris who falls for Tyrone (Jamal Crawford), an equally exquisite dancer who gave a standout performance with Dancing on the Sidewalk. Tyrone also has a storyline with teacher Miss Sherman (Mica Paris) as she realises he is illiterate and tries to inspire him to work on himself. The pair are realistically at odds with one another as their heightened tensions come to a boil with Mica Paris' effortlessly stunning rendition of These Are My Children.
Mention must also go to the fantastic actor-musicians who are present on stage throughout and bring a natural, realistic feel to the show and transport us to a frenetic performing arts school- Alexander Zane is a standout of the group.
The real star of the show is undoubtedly, Stephanie Rojas who gives a fiery performance as Carmen, the Latina who longs for fame. Stephanie is everything Carmen should be with her transition from a larger than life girl in There She Goes/Fame, to a broken woman in the devastating In LA supplying a supremely moving storyline. Stellar vocals and superb acting make Stephanie's performance a must see and should be required viewing for any budding performers.
On top of the impressive performances, Prema Mehta's lighting is extremely atmospheric from the opening scene which dazzles the audience to attention and sets the tone for an exhilarating show. Particularly clever is the use of light tones, for example in Carmen's emotional climax during act 2, she is bathed in cool, stark light whilst her counterpart Schlomo (played touchingly by Simon Anthony) is lit in a warm tone. These subtle details are part of what makes this production of Fame superior.
Whilst there are a number of stereotypes and other than a couple of the main characters, not much character development, this show is raw and pure storytelling, told by a supremely talented cast. Helped by Morgan Large's set, the focus of this production is purely on no gimmick talent, so, if you want to see skilled performers and hear highly catchy songs then Nick Winston's production of Fame is the show for you- don't miss it!
Fame runs at the New Victoria Theatre until October 5th before continuing it's tour and heading to the Peacock Theatre next year.
photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Whilst there are a number of stereotypes and other than a couple of the main characters, not much character development, this show is raw and pure storytelling, told by a supremely talented cast. Helped by Morgan Large's set, the focus of this production is purely on no gimmick talent, so, if you want to see skilled performers and hear highly catchy songs then Nick Winston's production of Fame is the show for you- don't miss it!
Fame runs at the New Victoria Theatre until October 5th before continuing it's tour and heading to the Peacock Theatre next year.
photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Sunday 26 August 2018
Flashdance, Grand Opera House, Belfast (UK Tour) | Review
Flashdance (UK Tour)
Grand Opera House, Belfast
Reviewed on Wednesday 22nd August 2018 by Damien Murray
★★★★
Book-ended by its ever popular signature song, this was a fantastic feel-good show for people who remember the popular film with its memorable big hit songs or for those who just want an entertaining night of light-hearted escapism (which, judging by public reaction, was 99% of the audience).
Although there were some dramatic moments, this rather shallow and cliché-ridden story was never going to be a platform for displaying acting skills but simply a dance-based showcase for fancy footwork and ridiculously high-energy routines that made me exhausted just watching them.
When you know not to have high dramatic expectations, then you will not be disappointed, but you will be guaranteed to be blown away by this show’s series of storming dance routines for, as a dance-based piece, it proved to be every bit as energetic as one would have expected.
Going back in time to the era of baggy blue jeans, shell suits, work-out outfits, neon leg-warmers and equally bright head-bands, it all began with the mundane and relatively colourless world of welders contrasting in so many ways with the, sometimes sleazy, but always dazzling one of the dancers with Matt Cole’s spectacular and varied routines being so well realised by the extremely fit cast and even including choreographed cyclists at one point.
For those who don’t know the story, it is basically about a tom-boyish welder, Alex (Joanne Clifton), with dreams of training to be a professional dancer at an elite dance academy and her relationship with her well-meaning and influential boyfriend, Nick (Ben Adams), who is also her boss.
The sub-plot centres on another relationship – that of her down-on-her-luck dancing friend, Gloria (Hollie-Ann Lowe) and her wannabe, but unsuccessful, comedian boyfriend, Jimmy (Colin Kiyani).
Surrounded by the symbolic brick and metal stage frame, the dual level set may have looked cumbersome at times, but it was very cleverly designed to be both mobile, functional and versatile, using its many steps, projection screens and positioning points to become everything from a ballet studio to a run-down bar and from a work canteen to a nightclub.
I particularly liked the unusual angular performance space that it created at times and the performance space height variations that it allowed and, common to a lot of shows nowadays, I thought the use of the cast moving the props and set worked well for slick and distraction-free scene changes.
Andrew Ellis’ lighting plot was varied (often pulsating to the music) but was also subtle during the more dramatic scenes and very effective at key moments, while the blue and red neon lighting helped to establish the era of the piece.
With such a poor script, director, Hannah Chissick, must have had a difficult job inspiring her cast in the non-dancing parts of the show, but she did capture the frustrating reality of the audition process.
Strictly Come Dancing champion, Joanne Clifton, was a natural on stage as she took the demanding challenges of the dance routines in her stride; totally nailing the films two iconic moments (the chair-drenching Act 1 finale and the Academy audition routine), and, surprisingly for some, coping well with her acting and singing roles.
In many ways, this piece gave former A1 star, Ben Adams, very little to do, as – not being involved in the dance scenes - he had to rely on a few acting moments to show his skills.
I felt he was very much under-used, but, thankfully, as a more romantic character, he did get to use his impressive vocals to good effect, especially in his duets with Clifton.
Both Hollie-Ann Lowe and Colin Kiyani impressed here as the less successful couple, with Lowe capturing her character’s frustration about her general bad luck and life with her failed comedian boyfriend; a role that Kiyani made his own as he realised their relationship was more important than his dreamed about comic career.
Also worthy of mention were Demmileigh Foster as dancer, Tess, who was excellent throughout with great stage presence and top dancing skills, and Carol Ball’s Hannah; a Grand Dame of dance who lives in the past reminiscing about the successes of her glory days with unrealistic hopes for more.
Musical Director, George Carter’s 5-piece band offered solid backing throughout with musical highlights including: the song of dreams and hopes, It’s All In Reach; the female ensemble showing the first signs of what was to come in terms of manic movement during Maniac; the comic routine, Put It Down; the male choral work of Justice; the energetic and almost acrobatic version of I Love Rock And Roll; the duets, Here And Now and Hang On; the Act 1 finale reprise of Maniac; and Where We Belong, which sounded like it was written and performed by Dean Friedman .
Some additional songs for the stage version worked better than others, but it was always going to be difficult to match the quality of the show’s big well-known hit songs.
Finally, What A Feeling at the end of the show was well worth the long wait to see the iconic audition piece recreated, before a long curtain call and an all-dancing finale which gave everyone a chance to throw some serious moves centre stage (even Ben Adams).
It must be said that these dancers worked harder in the finale than most performers do in an entire show … never mind What A Feeling … What A Dance Show … you would be a Maniac to miss it!
Flashdance runs at the Grand Opera House, Belfast until 25th August
Thursday 2 August 2018
War Horse (UK Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review
War Horse (UK Tour)
New Victoria Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 1st August 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
Since its premiere at the National Theatre in 2007, War Horse has been enthralling audiences around the world and after seeing it, it's clear why. The play follows the deeply moving story of the relationship between a young boy, Albert Narracott, played brilliantly by Thomas Dennis, and his adored horse, Joey.
Whilst this story begins as an unflinching quest for a boy to find his horse after it has been taken as part of the World War One front, it quickly becomes a story of how horses were sacrificed on mass at the battle lines. For the men of the army, the horses lives symbolise their own and its especially affecting to see how the men measure their lives by their horses.
The reality of war is brought to life with dramatic simplicity, with sound effects and bright lights hitting us with an intensity that transports us to the battlefield. This production is alarmingly powerful and honest.
Also brought to life are the friendships of life and war. Particularly moving is a scene where the two opposing sides make peace as the unite to free Joey from barbed wire in the midst of war. The friendship between Emilie (Joëlle Brabban) and Friedrich Müller (Peter Becker) is equally touching, especially as we see the way the war really effects Müller and takes it's toll on his mental health.
The stars of the show however, have to be the impeccable puppet and Handspring Puppet Company who bring them to life. The puppets become real and it's hard to believe there are puppeteers controlling them, even when they are in full view on stage. The breathing, galloping and entire personalities come to life and we are immersed in this stunning production.
Everything about War Horse screams National Theatre and this tour does a stellar job of making us feel as though we are in the Olivier Theatre. Although vastly complex, the whole show comes off looking and feeling simplistic and effortless. Whilst moving and poignant, this production all in all is beautiful. Providing a reminder of the sacrifices those before us have made and highlighting the futility of war, this is a must see for people of all ages.
War Horse runs at the New Victoria Theatre until August 18th before continuing its tour.
photo credit: Brinkhoff and Mögenburg
Friday 27 July 2018
Fame the Musical (UK Tour), Manchester Palace Theatre | Review
Manchester Palace Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday 26th July 2018 by Roni Hughes
★★★★
Most will be familiar with one of the many iterations of the Fame franchise, be it one of the many television adaptations, the 2009 reboot film, or even simply Irene Cara’s catchy song of the same name. Originated by David De Silva with the 1980 film from Alan Parker which netted two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe, the idea sparked many spin offs, before opening as a stage musical in 1988 in Miami. The last professional production in the UK was for the 25th anniversary tour ending in 2014, and as the latest UK tour kicks off in Manchester, there is a real buzz around this classic.
Telling the tale of the New York High School for the Performing Arts and its students, the show does everything it says on the tin. It’s vibrant, sassy, fierce, and with just enough backstory for each character to allow the audience to emotionally invest in them. In an interesting move, the staging itself is kept simple, with the occasional dance barre and mirror or set of lockers, but is wonderfully complimented by the busy backdrop of ‘character’ headshots set out as a yearbook. It provides a nice nostalgic touch, and reminds us that we have been transported back to the early 80’s.
This tour features an exciting cast, headed up by former Hollyoaks actress and Dancing on Ice contestant Jorgie Porter in the role of top dance student Iris. For her first musical, Porter’s performance was lovely, and you cannot fault her beautiful ballet steps and dance sequences with love interest Tyrone, played by Jamal Kane Crawford. Iris, however, is very much a secondary character in Tyrone’s story, and, whilst not the fault of the performer, was slightly too overlooked for us to fully embrace Porter as a musical theatre actress. Crawford, however, gives a stunning insight in to what it means as a young man to be illiterate, which is emotional, yet mixed with light hearted and genuinely funny moments that makes Tyrone so relatable to today’s audiences.
Having a young and energetic cast is a breath of fresh air, and the energy was consistent and electric throughout the entire show. The choreography is slick and strong, however at times it feels a little too ambitious, and a few cast members are noticeably fighting to keep up. This doesnt detract too much from the overall fun, and the buzz is still tangible long in to the finale.
The stand out performance of the show must go to Stephanie Rojas as fiery Latina, Carmen. Her voice is second to none, with her buttery–toned riffs making it look easy. Her rendition of There She Goes/Fame is flawless, show-stopping, and leaves the audience begging for more. Notable mention too to the powerhouse that is Mica Paris for her phenomenal performance as home room teacher Miss Sherman, in particular her solo number These Are My Children. Never before have I witnessed a cast member receive a standing ovation mid-show, but my god was it deserved.
Overall, Fame is still the thrilling, joyous, slightly melodramatic story we’ve all come to know. The music is beautifully contrasted with love songs and ballads to full out dance numbers, and the audience is never bored. This is definitely one to catch for an entertaining night out that will leave you singing that song for days afterwards.
Fame runs at the Manchester Palace Theatre until 28th July before heading to the Kings Theatre Glasgow and then continuing it's tour.
photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Wednesday 25 July 2018
Madagascar The Musical (UK Tour), New Wimbledon Theatre | Review
Madagascar The Musical (UK Tour)
New Wimbledon Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 25th July 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
On a scorching summer night, the New Wimbledon Theatre played host to the opening of the high-energy, larger than life Madagascar The Musical. Based on the 2005 DreamWorks film of the same name, Madagascar follows a group of animals from the Central Park Zoo who find themselves in The Wild.
Fabian Aloise's choreography is wonderfully modern whilst not being overly cheesy. The children accompanying me especially loved the flossing and it's evident that Fabian know's what the show's target audience want. The cast of humans and 'animals' fill the space brilliantly and create a sense of motion throughout. This movement works hand in hand with Tom Rodgers' sets which are simplistic but vibrant and transition us well from one location to another. Howard Hudson's lighting is warming and especially effective in the more high-intensity group numbers where it feels like a party in the theatre.
The cast are superb; even in the sweltering heat they don't falter and give us intensity and power from start to finish. Medically challenged giraffe, Melman is embodied perfectly by Jamie Lee-Morgan who wanders round the stage in a somber but truly lovable manner whilst Tammika Ramsay as Gloria is sassy and commanding. As the zebra who dreams of escaping the zoo, Antoine Murray-Straughan is humourous and eccentric and his many talents are showcased especially during his brief rap and dance sections.
As the leader of the pack, Alex the lion, Matt Terry is impeccable. From his superb falsetto, riffs and generally beautiful tone, it's clear why he was voted the winner of X-Factor 2016. But, Matt's acting and dance performance is equally as strong as he owns the stage and draws the audience into the story.
Watching the show you completely forget these are not the same characters from the film. The costumes and puppets are so cleverly done that you even forget there are real humans on stage! The ensemble do a stellar job of playing a number of characters and completely transform themselves right in front of our eyes. Mention must also go to Jo Parsons as King Julian who has the audience in the palm of his hand with his epic performance of Move It.
The music of Madagascar is genuinely catchy and it's a show that both adults and children will appreciate and enjoy. If you want some light-hearted fun with a host of crazy characters and stellar performances then Madagascar is the one for you.
Madagascar runs at the New Wimbledon Theatre until July 28th before continuing it's tour.
photo credit: Scott Rylander
Fame The Musical (UK Tour) | Press Launch
1980 musical theatre favourite, Fame opens in a new reincarnation which Keith Jack (Nick) says "feels like the iconic film and series which made Fame great" tomorrow (26th July) at the Manchester Palace Theatre, before continuing it's tour. Featuring memorable songs such as Think of Meryl Streep, There She Goes, I Want To Make Magic and of course the title song Fame, the musical tells the real-life version of breaking into the performing arts and confronts many of the struggles young adults face, "we're not here to sugar coat it" says Mica Paris.
I was lucky enough to see the amazing cast in their penultimate day of rehearsals as they gave us a sneak peek into the show and whet out appetites for what's sure to be an energetic, thrilling show.
Choreographer and director, Nick Winston introduced the show and set us up to hear and see a few numbers. First up a full-out rendition of There She Goes performed by Stephanie Rojas (Carmen) and the cast. From the first moment they began, the energy was infectious and it's genuinely thrilling to see such talent on stage, Rojas is feisty as the Latina who dreams of being famous and I already anticipate her performance as being outstanding. Also notable is the fact that there are a number of actor musicians featured throughout which add to the real life feel and really transports us to a vivacious theatre school. Jorgie Porter exclaimed how excited she is to be performing in her first musical and how "it's constant all the time", Keith added that Nick's aim with the show is to make it fast paced and to feel like New York in terms of being ever moving and full of verve.
Keith Jack gave a truthful rendition of I Want To Make Magic whilst Molly McGuire was hilarious as and lovable as Serena, it will be lovely to see their relationship play out on stage. When asked about the show Keith told us that it's so special because "the cast and director and the entire team have made this electric, buzzy show" and hopes audiences will "be able to relate to a certain character and latch onto to something in the story."
Jamal Kane Crawford's performance of Dancing on the Sidewalk tired me out just watching! Full of energy he completely commanded the space. Alongside Mica Paris the pair create a realistic, but heightened portrayal of a student and teacher who are at odds. Paris' performance of These Are My Children left us all in awe at her effortless vocals. A lovely thing is how supportive the cast are of one another, all cheering each other on and embodying the family feel of being in school together, something which I think will definitely translate to the whole production. When chatting to Mica, Keith and Jorgie after the performance, this was even more evident and they all echoed that the team feel and talent of everyone is what makes the show so special for them.
The title song of Fame features the iconic lyric "remember by name". When asked what they would like to be remembered for I was met with semi-silence as it's a pretty deep question but each person had a lovely, heartfelt answer. Jorgie would love to be remembered for "making a fun situation out of anything", Mica would like to be remembered for "showing anyone that no matter what people tell you, you can be what you want to be and you should do what you feel". Finally, Keith told us a lovely story about his grandad who consistently made people happy and how it inspired him to do workshops for people to try and make them happy; so he would like to be remembered for "bringing light to people... although I'll probably be remembered for being Scottish!"
Keith rounded off with: "I think people will come to the show and get what they expect, plus even more" so if you want all the energy, excitement, romance and pure storytelling from Fame, plus even more then book your tickets for the 2018 UK tour.
Post by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Wednesday 11 July 2018
The Band (UK Tour), Edinburgh Playhouse | Review
The Band (UK Tour)
London Palladium
Reviewed on Tuesday 10th July 2018 by Fiona Wickerson
★★★★
The story opens with the main protagonist proclaiming how she grew up with ‘The Band’ and judging by the enthusiastic cheers from the audience it seemed pretty clear that many of them did too! The opening few scenes are full of fun and pace, as we see the bubbling enthusiasm of a group of five best friends, obsessed with seeing The Band for the first time. The dialogue was witty and the actors charmingly recreated the energetic enthusiasm found only in 16 year-old teenagers.
‘The Band’ themselves appear regularly, in true musical fashion, to perform all of Take That’s greatest hits. Wearing the classic outfits and performing the deliberatively overly-choreographed dance routines, they really captured the spirit of Take That in their heyday.
In sharp contrast to the sweet enthusiasm of the first few scenes, tragedy strikes, and the friendship group breaks apart. The Band’s acoustic, haunting singing worked beautifully and the mournful scenes of transition were handled with tenderness and emotion.
Fast forward twenty-five years and the once-girls have all settled into very different lives, in very different places. The older Rachel, (played by Rachel Lumberg) performs with wonderful realism, portraying the balance of a woman who has had a happy life, but has never been able to quite let go of the sadness that haunted her teenage years. As the friends come back together for the first time in twenty-five years, the show really starts to come into its own. Every member of the audience could find something in common with the forgotten dreams of youth and the paths you never thought you would walk down.
Queue some very humorous scenes involving a water fountain and the audience were completely charmed by the four women. It seems a little ironic that in a musical called The Band, from which a TV series has sought out the five winning members, the five boys were actually in the background for the majority of the story. The leading ladies absolutely stole the show, quite rightly, with their brilliant comic timing, sincere emotion and charismatic stage presence. In fact, it really worked for the performance that the boys and the main characters never directly interacted with each other. ‘The Band’ were always a dream for the girls-now-women, and though very important to their lives, it was the friendships underneath that the women realise they should never have lost.
With only 16 performers in the entire show, the cast did an excellent job of creating the on-stage energy normally only found in much larger cast productions. The quick costume changes and creative use of props made the stage feel full of life. The show was a sell-out and I have rarely seen an audience so engaged and invested in a show. The rip-roaring finale scene had the audience on their feet and the night ended on a real high – success!
The Band runs at the Edinburgh Playhouse until 14th July before continuing it's tour.
Tuesday 3 July 2018
Thriller Live (UK Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review
Thriller Live (UK Tour)
New Victoria Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 2nd July 2018 by Valerie Field
★★★★
Thriller Live is currently running in the West End as well as being on a UK Tour. Whilst theres no plot, it's clear that audiences are loving it due to it celebrating and drawing together the songs of music legend, Michael Jackson in a glitzy, concert format.
As soon as the show began the two leading performers, Britt Quentin and Shaquille Maurice Hemmans involved the audience and took us from a theatre to a concert. This audience/cast co-ordination lasted throughout the entire night and provided a lot of fun.
The performances of all the cast, dancers and singers were great, with not a weak link among them. The individuals who stood out to me most were Rory Taylor, especially with his moving performance of She's Out of My Life and Adriana Louise who gave a vocally exceptional performance throughout. Also, the young boy singing as Michael was outstanding.
Eddy Lima's resemblance of the Great Michael Jackson was
uncanny at times; especially when he did the iconic moonwalk across the stage. It was almost as if he transformed into Michael in front of our eyes.
Another interesting part of the show were the special effects which worked very well, especially the screens on stage which again add to the concert vibe. I was very surprised when the screens opened to reveal the fabulous band who kept the night going with energy and precision. Mention must go to the two guitarists, Alan Salmon and Rob Minns who were fantastic.
The show's namesake, Thriller, was performed towards the end of the second half and although the set and costumes and performances were good I felt they could have made more of it.
However, all in all this is a great feel good show and a fantastic celebration of Michael Jackson songs through the ages. Don't go for a plot but if you want a fun night out with good music, Thriller Live is well worth a visit.
Thriller Live runs at the New Victoria theatre until July 7th before continuing it's tour.
Sunday 1 July 2018
A Stagey Guide To Singing... Dayle Hodge and Michael Watson | Jersey Boys (UK Tour) | Stagey Sunday
Happy July stagey people and welcome to the first instalment of this month's Stagey Sunday. This month, instead of focussing on a specific show, we're looking at vocal tips and advice from theatre professionals. As a classical singer in training, I find hearing about other people's vocal journeys and advice super interesting, so I hope others who are hoping to get into performing or just general theatre fans will find it interesting and fun too!
This week's advice is brought to you by the two Frankie Valli's of the current UK Tour of Jersey Boys: Michael Watson and Dayle Hodge...
What has your vocal journey been like?
Michael Watson: I always loved singing, I found my voice as a child and kind of carried on from there. As I progressed into shows, I met various teachers along the way who taught me their different ways.
Dayle Hodge: I’ve always sung from a very early age. In fact I was probably singing before I could speak and always had Disney sing-a-long videos on at home and singing was always something that I just kind of did. I was part of the school choirs and things like that but I never went to a choir in a way of “I’m going to go to a choir, I want to be a singer”, I just sang. I started performing at a very early age, I went to theatre school when I was 2 and did my first professional job when I was 4 so I’ve always been performing.
This week's advice is brought to you by the two Frankie Valli's of the current UK Tour of Jersey Boys: Michael Watson and Dayle Hodge...
What has your vocal journey been like?
Michael Watson: I always loved singing, I found my voice as a child and kind of carried on from there. As I progressed into shows, I met various teachers along the way who taught me their different ways.
Dayle Hodge: I’ve always sung from a very early age. In fact I was probably singing before I could speak and always had Disney sing-a-long videos on at home and singing was always something that I just kind of did. I was part of the school choirs and things like that but I never went to a choir in a way of “I’m going to go to a choir, I want to be a singer”, I just sang. I started performing at a very early age, I went to theatre school when I was 2 and did my first professional job when I was 4 so I’ve always been performing.
I did have singing lessons as I got older but not really proper ones until I went to Arts Ed sixth form when I was 16. Obviously being a boy you go through your voice breaking; my voice broke when I was 13 and it took a while to get it where it needs to be and back into a place where I was comfortable singing again but in terms of the journey I just always sang.
What/who got you into music?
Michael: It was probably Michael Jackson and my mum really! She used to play a lot of music in the car and I loved that
Dayle: Growing up I always watched so much Disney and I’m still a big Disney fan now (not many people aren’t!) so Disney put me in that direction. The first show that I loved and always was singing at home was Oliver. When I was a kid I wanted to be in it so that’s probably what made me want to get into performing. I’m also a huge fan of Queen and Freddie Mercury and his voice is one of, if not the best, male voices ever so he’s a real inspiration to me.
You’ve had a pretty diverse career vocally. How do you adapt to various styles/genres and when did you find your Frankie voice?
Michael: I kind of had the falsetto there already for Frankie and my singing teacher, Mark Meylan helped me hone it to be able to do it everyday and to strengthen it. I think if you can keep your you voice supple enough and do enough exercises, you can sing any style really.
It’s about maintaining the voice. You always want to bring your voice back to zero after you’ve sung anything so I would do a warm up and a cool down. As long as you can keep your voice around that level you’ll be good!
Dayle: It’s interesting because someone came in to do a talk with us at college and basically said “we don’t think people can be that different… If you’re in Phantom we’re not gonna see you for Mamma Mia” and I completely disagree with that, as you can see from my CV. I think you can adapt and you can change and it’s all just about knowing your voice and how to use it. Everybody’s voice is different, obviously you can be taught technique and skills but only you know what your voice can do, so you have to find your way of doing it and making it work.
The singing teacher can help you do that safely and technically correct. The best singing teachers that I’ve worked with, use exercises that they have created and developed themselves rather than using somebody else’s technique which for me is brilliant. It’s them saying, "I was struggling with this so I developed this to help with that" and I can take their advice and ideas to put that to use myself. There are some parts that I love to use and some bits that don’t work for my voice. So it’s just about knowing your voice and how you use it. Obviously some people are very much suited to one style and can’t necessarily sing others or they have a smaller range so in regards to doing different styles I think using your voice and practising different things, not just what you find easy is the best way to develop.
How do you maintain good vocal health? Do you have a tips of tricks for when you’re feeling down?
Michael: I have a few things! I think the best thing any singer can do is stretch their whole body through yoga or something like that because you’ll find that tension in your voice can come from weird places in your body. You could have a bit of tension in you hip and it can affect your jaw. Or your alinement could be off so your jaw is poking forward and you didn’t realise so you’ll get fatigued quicker, so stretching is vital.
In terms of illness, I like to use day nurse. Don’t steam too much. I use a thing called accent method if I’ve got a cold which is connecting to the breathing. Don’t warm up too quickly or push the voice and also don’t try to ignore it; you want to feel as free both physically and mentally as possible. If you have something else on your mind it can distract from focussing on your voice so it’s important to be free and relaxed.
Dayle: Loads of water. Drink as much water as you can, even if it means you’re on the toilet every 5 minutes, just drink loads because it’s so good for you. If I feel my voice is getting tired I steam which puts high intensity water onto the vocal cords at a temperature that’s very hot and clears any rubbish that’s on your cords. And rest is a key thing, that’s what your voice thrives on really; the more rest it can get, the better it will be. I look after myself a lot, I don’t drink really or go out partying in loud places very often because you have to shout over the loud music and that will affect your voice.
In terms of if you’re struggling and feeling under the weather, again those things with water and steaming will help, if you do it all the time. I don’t really take anything other than before a show I take gaviscon to stop any acid reflux, but I don’t like to reply on taking pills or anything like that because to me you’re then just covering up anything that’s damaged and then you could damage it more.
What is your pre-show warm up like?
Michael: So I come in, if I’m feeling a bit stiff I’ll have stretch then I’ll chill out for a bit. If I’m feeling tired I’ll do a bit of accent method which gets the breathing connected. Then I start with slow humming, some lips trills and a lot of tongue loosing exercises particularly for this role, and then some jaw loosening exercises. Then going higher into my falsetto with a lip trill, a bit more falsetto and I should be done at that point. The warm up only really takes about 10 minutes but with the stretching and stuff it’s about half an hour.
Dayle: I have a singing teacher that I see every couple of weeks and have a lot of exercises that she gives me. With singing the Frankie Valli stuff it makes your tongue very tight so I do a lot of tongue loosening exercises which get your tongue out of the way of where you sing. The more space you can create in your mouth, the easier it is to sing. The top of your mouth is a dome so if you get your tongue out of the way of that, the sound can just swell in there. I do those exercises on my own and then we do a full company warm up which is more scales and stuff which get me to the notes which I’m going to need for the show. On my own it’s more of a mechanical warm up to make sure that the mechanics of my voice are ready and then with the full company I use that to get the notes in my voice warm and ready for the show.
Who would your dream duet partner be?
Michael: Well besides my fiancé, I think I’ll go for Celine Dion. Her voice is unreal. Or if I wanted to look like I couldn’t sing, I’d go with David Phelps who would school me, he’s got an amazing voice!
Dayle: Oh that’s a good question! I’d definitely go with Freddie Mercury!
What’s your top piece of advice for aspiring performers in terms of finding and maintaining your voice?
Michael: My best advice is to find the right teachers. If you’ve got a voice that seems to do what you want it to do then just keep going and don’t think about it too much. With the voice it’s all about bringing it from a place of joy and fun; don’t think that you have to try so hard and that it’s a rough journey. Find it fun. Your voice is meant to be strong naturally- a baby never loses it’s voice when it cries! So you’re just getting rid of habits you’ve formed as you’ve grown up so just enjoy the journey because your voice wants to go to the right place. You have to study it though; a book I like is called Finding Your Voice by Barbra Houseman, I worked with Barbara and she’s fantastic so I’d recommend her book to anyone.
Dayle: If you want to do it, you’ve got to be very serious about doing it. It’s a very overpopulated industry and there’s always going to be somebody that’s better than you so you have to work hard to get what you want and to where you want to be. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it though, if you really want it bad enough, go for it and don’t give up.
Give yourself the best opportunity you can, don’t go to an audition after being out the night before cause you’re not going to be giving it your best and if you’re not the best then you’re not giving yourself the greatest opportunity to get the job. All the things I said about looking after your voice, do that and keep on top of things. Keep your voice active and moving but don’t overwork and make sure you rest!
A huge thank you to Dayle and Michael for chatting to me. Both can be seen as Frankie Valli in various Jersey Boys tour stops around the UK. More information can be found here.
Interview by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
See you next Sunday for a BATTY Stagey Sunday ;)
Photo credit: Brinkhoff & Mögenburg
Give yourself the best opportunity you can, don’t go to an audition after being out the night before cause you’re not going to be giving it your best and if you’re not the best then you’re not giving yourself the greatest opportunity to get the job. All the things I said about looking after your voice, do that and keep on top of things. Keep your voice active and moving but don’t overwork and make sure you rest!
A huge thank you to Dayle and Michael for chatting to me. Both can be seen as Frankie Valli in various Jersey Boys tour stops around the UK. More information can be found here.
Interview by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
See you next Sunday for a BATTY Stagey Sunday ;)
Photo credit: Brinkhoff & Mögenburg
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