Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Michael Howe. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Michael Howe. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday 26 October 2017
Son of a Preacher Man (UK Tour), New Theatre Oxford | Review
Son of a Preacher Man (UK Tour)
New Theatre Oxford
Reviewed on Tuesday 24th October 2017 by Michelle and Aaron Pont
★★★★
The present meets the past in Son of a Preacher Man, where 3 lonely hearts go in search of an old record store in Soho, which, during the 1960’s, the legendary Preacher Man was famed for giving out his words of wisdom, a cure to everyone’s ills. Our lonely-hearts are also in search of Love
Upon finding the old record store, and the son of the Preacher Man, they are heartbroken to see that it is now a rundown, sad café, with none of the spark or life they were expecting. The son of the Preacher Man (Simon) is still living above the café, and with pressure from the lonely-hearts trio, tries to channel his late father’s spirit to help them find true love.
I found myself whisked back to the 1960’s, with the wonderful music of Dusty Springfield performed so well in this cleverly crafted show.
The Cappuccino Sisters are a delight, a trio of waitresses suitably attired in ‘over-the-top’ 60’s gear, tulle skirts, short-suits and flamboyant headdress, they conjured up images of roller-skating waitresses from 60’s milk bars, especially Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong. They strut their stuff about the stage, playing a range of musical instruments, singing and dancing to the ambiance of the show and taking us back in time.
This is a very impressive addition to the show; rather than having the musicians in the pit, they are a part of the show. Showing off their musical and performance skills throughout.
On the night I was there, understudy Jess Baker took the role of Kat to a high point with an outstanding performance. All credit to Jess with her fabulous accent and beautiful, powerful voice. Michael Howe as Paul was also mesmerising, with his great dance moves and wonderful voice, not to mention his prowess on the guitar. Both were, for me, the standout performers.
Look out for the wonderful rendition of ‘I Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’ sung and danced with chairs. Yes, chairs. The harmony and movement in this song was wonderful.
Also, standout performances were Lewis Kidd’s rendition of ‘You don’t have to say you Love me’ and Ellie-Jane Goddard and Michael Howe’s rendition of ‘Spooky’, with Michael on guitar. How dare they all be so talented!
The whole show ‘Unleased the Monster of Love’. Great singing, choreography, stage setting, lighting and topping it all off with wonderful songs made so famous by Dusty, who was almost an Oxford local (lived in High Wycombe), so it is a fitting tribute to her. There were only one or two forgivable missed moments in the script, but that was nothing compared to the fabulous performances. How could you not want to see a show with Dusty’s fabulous hits as inspiration?!
Go and see it! It’s brilliant!
Son of a Preacher Man runs at the New Theatre Oxford until October 28th before continuing its tour.
Wednesday 25 April 2018
Son of a Preacher Man (UK Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review
Son of a Preacher Man (UK Tour)
New Victoria Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 24th April 2018 by Valerie Field
★★
Son of a Preacher Man is directed by Craig Revel Horwood. Based on the music of Dusty Springfield, I expected good things. Unfortunately the story is not very believable and times the production felt disjointed and rather amateurish.
As I have never seen any of Craig's work before it’s difficult to compare, but I wouldn’t have thought this was his best.
The three main characters are brought together because they are all looking for love. They decide to go to ‘Soho’ to find the record shop of the 60s named ‘The Preacher Man’ as they had heard the owner was someone who everyone went to for advice, especially when it came to ‘Love’. Unfortunately the owner had died and it was now a coffee shop run by his not so clever son, played by Nigel Richards.
Alison, a young widow played by Michelle Gayle had a very good singing voice. I felt she should have been more involved in the show as Alice Barlow who played Kat was definitely not such a good singer, although she came across as very confident in her acting. The reason she wanted to go to the record shop was because her gran who had just died told her the story of ‘The Preacher Man’
Paul played by Michael Howe remembers going to shop in the 60’s and was hoping to rekindle a lost love from those days.
I felt the show had been advertised around Dusty Springfield and I was disappointed that more was not mentioned about her as I thought the production was going to include some of her life. A photo of her on stage or as a backdrop I feel would have enhanced her songs and made some form of connection rather than being completely unrelated.
The singing by the ensemble was not the best and I don’t think it worked very well having the musicians on stage throughout. The girls playing the Cappuccino Sisters however, were very energetic and a gave a lively and uplifting performance throughout.
The second half of the show was so much better and more lively and ‘Dusty Springfield’ inspired although it still wasn't the best.
I do feel anyone going to see it because of Dusty Springfield could be a bit disappointed, but in saying that it was an entertaining and enjoyable evening and the audience seemed to appreciate it. Go along for fun but don't expect a masterpiece.
Son of a Preacher Man runs at the New Victoria Theatre until 28th April
Friday 24 November 2017
Son of a Preacher Man (UK Tour), Grand Opera House, Belfast | Review
Son of a Preacher Man (UK Tour)
Grand Opera House, Belfast
Reviewed on Tuesday 21st November 2017 by Damien Murray
★★★
With its combination of an all-star line-up of principals and the timeless music made famous by the late Dusty Springfield, this show looked and sounded promising as a good night out at the theatre and expectations were high.
However, incorrectly referred to by many as ‘the Dusty Springfield musical’ (totally not the fault of the producers), this show is neither the Dusty Springfield story nor a bio-musical about her, but rather a style of juke-box musical that features her many hits held together by an unnatural and most ridiculous of storylines.
The complex and convoluted plot revolves around a cross-generational trio of individuals with relationship issues, who, by coincidence, arrive at the same time at a Soho coffee shop (formerly The Preacher Man record shop) in search of an answer to their respective lonely heart problems.
The legendary record-shop owner, the long-dead Preacher Man, had been a sort of agony uncle with an ear and a solution for those with relationship problems back in the 60s and the coffee shop is now under the control of his less-confident son, Simon, played with great experience by Ian Reddington.
Representing the older generation, Michael Howe played Paul, the first of the three troubled individuals, with assurance, while Debra Stephenson’s middle-aged widowed teacher, Alison, was good, but the awkward script didn’t allow her the same opportunity to develop her character to the same extent as the others.
However, the undoubted star of this show was young Diana Vickers, as Kat from the mobile phone generation, who brought a nice balance of humour and great vocals to the show.
Indeed, due to her young age, Vickers was probably the least familiar with the music of Dusty, which makes it even more surprising that she was the one who did the greatest justice to her songs in this show.
The set’s authentic and realistic-looking Soho coffee shop, complete with scene identifying neon signs, was impressive and was, generally, well-used by the talented cast of multi-instrumentalists in the form of on-stage actor musicians, aided by other hidden musicians.
Musically, this was good, but the combination of dodgy vocals from some performers and a few new song arrangements may have disappointed die-hard Springfield fans.
However, it was the efforts of the majority of the cast and those great songs that saved this show, especially the already mentioned vocals of Vickers and the stand-out harmonies of the three Cappuccino Sisters, played by Michelle Long, Kate Hardisty and Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong.
However, despite its attractive lighting plot, good cast of principals and creative team, this production was sadly let down by its overall slow pace, its weak narrative and Craig Revel Horwood’s unsubtle choreography.
I am led to believe that on-going changes are being made to improve on its weak points … we can only hope that such improvements are in place long before the end of the scheduled tour.
Monday 20 March 2017
West End Live Lounge, Union Theatre | Review
West End Live Lounge
Union Theatre
Reviewed Sunday 19th March 2017 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
The star studded line up included: Marisha Wallace, Gabriela Garcia, Arun Blair, Tyrone Huntley, Phoebe Street, Kelly Agbowu, Natalie Green, Leigh Lothian, Matthew-Seadon Young, Sejal Keshwala, Laura Tebbutt, Nicola Avino, Iain Mattley, Paul Wilkins, Laura Mansell, Brady Isaacs Pearce, Jamal Andreas, Jonny Howe, Katie Brayben, Marcus Ayton, Gary Wood, Lauren Ingram, Adam Bailey, Oliver Savile and Andrew Bateup.
There were a number of lovely duets and trios as well as fabulous solos and the performers also got to show off their other musical abilities such as piano playing which was very impressive. The intimate atmosphere of the Union Theatre in Southwark was the perfect setting for the evening with the whole evening having a warm, laid back, friendly feeling. The stage, complete with sofas and a table added to this vibe and the overall mood was perfect for a relaxed Sunday.
The overall quality of performances was extremely high and every member of the cast and ensemble were flawless with wonderful song choices and joyous performances. There were a number of particular standouts for me. Firstly, Gabriela Garcia and Arun Blair who did a lovely, sweet, and harmonious medley of Rihanna and Sam Smith with a cheeky bit of Into The Woods mixed in! Their chemistry was evident and their voices just work so well together that it's a joy to see and hear them perform. Tyrone Huntley and Marisha Wallace were other standouts and were a theme of my weekend having seen Dreamgirls on Saturday (review coming soon!)
Tyrone's dulcet tones were perfect for the Michael Jackson hit 'Rock With You' and Marisha brought the house down and earned a well deserved standing ovation with her insanely good rendition of 'Natural Woman'. Natalie Green sang Sam Smith's classic, 'Lay Me Down' which was truly stunning.
The whole night was full of joy, friendliness and sweet, sweet harmonies. It was so lovely to see so many people come together to perform and raise money for UNICEF and I really hope there will be many more West End Live Lounges to come! Make sure to keep and eye out on Twitter to make sure you don't miss the next event which is sure to be as incredible and inspiring as this one!
Check out West End Live Lounge on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WElivelounge17
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