Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (UK Tour), New Wimbledon Theatre | Review
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (UK Tour)
New Wimbledon Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 22nd May 2018 by Becca Cromwell
★★★★
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is based on the life, trials and tribulations of singer-songwriter and Grammy Award winner Carole King. The story begins in 1950s Brooklyn, where a bright eyed and bushy tailed Carole goes to 1650 Broadway, New York City, to sell her song. Producer Don Kirshner buys the song, and offers her a contract. From there, she meets Gerry Goffin, her soon-to-be husband, and they collaborate on a song. Their collaboration brings them hit after hit and soon enough they are a successful musical duo, with Carole writing the melodies and Gerry writing the lyrics. Things are not always sunny however, as Gerry and Carole divorce and Carole goes on to release her album Tapestry, which won her Grammy awards and allowed her to play a sold out concert at the Carnegie Hall.
Bronté Barbé, gives an incredible performance and Carole. She captures Carole perfectly, from her mannerisms to the recognisable voice. Barbé astounds from the beginning, right through to the very end, giving a performance that must be extremely hard to match night after night.
Gerry Goffin played by Kane Oliver Parry, is a lovable character who makes some big mistakes. Kane plays him brilliantly with astounding vocals.
Honorable mentions must go to Amy Ellen Richardson, Matthew Gonsalves and Adam Howden, who play Cynthia, Barry and Don respectively. These characters are some of the most important people in Carole’s story, and the portrayal of these characters is excellent.
Throughout this particular performance, there were unfortunately periods where the singing could not be heard over the volume of the band, which means some of the hits including the Loco Motion and Will You Love Me Tomorrow were not as spectacular as I had hoped. However, the singing that we could hear was extremely good, with harmonies that were marvellous.
The quick changes performed by the ensemble cast are mind-blowing, leaving the audience gasping as they effortlessly switch costumes within seconds.
The set, designed by Derek McLane, works well within the show. The simplicity of it and the continuous use of the piano allows the actors to truly transport us back to Brooklyn in the 1950’s and 1960’s. I particularly enjoyed the 1650 Broadway set, which served as various offices and performance rooms.
The entire ensemble give fantastic performances and the show is thoroughly enjoyable. I had high expectations, all of which were met for a fun-filled night out at the theatre.
Beautiful continues its UK tour into June, so grab your tickets for the final venues whilst you can!
Summer Holiday: The Musical (UK Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review
Summer Holiday: The Musical (UK Tour)
New Victoria Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 22nd May 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Based on the 1963 Cliff Richard hit, Summer Holiday: The Musical, taps into nostalgia and humour as a group of youngsters hop on a bus to live their dreams and go on a whirlwind adventure of self-discovery and love. The story follows four mechanics who, on a quest for the perfect summer holiday, travel around Europe on a double-decker bus as they plan a travel business. Along the way they meet a three person girl group and a runaway singer. Romance, laughter and catchy songs ensue.
Having not seen the film (it came out 33 years before I was born) I was not sure what to expect but this production delivered on so many levels and pleasantly surprised me. The humour is predictable and the plot isn't anything special but this is a high-energy, feel good show that's perfect for warm summer nights of escapism.
The set is basic but the big red bus certainly provides the wow factor. Steve Howell's design is simplistic without being basic and really helps highlight Racky Plews' fantastic choreography which is certainly one of the finest aspects of the production. The mixture of dance styles are extremely impressive. There are some West Side Story vibes as well as fabulous rock and roll moments. I didn't expect this show to be so choreography heavy but was very dazzled. The sleek movements are pulled off by the entire cast to great affect. There were a few errors such as dropped props but the professional cast did a wonderful job of covering up and making mistakes a part of the show.
Summer Holiday's cast give high-energy performances matched with strong vocals. Ray Quinn as Don gives an especially strong performance although his different accent whilst singing vs speaking did throw me a bit. However, he is a very strong singer, dancer and actor and is perfect for the role- suitably cheesy but well-rounded. As runaway singer, Sophie Matthew gives a lovely performance, with her bright eyes gleaming from the stage and her vocals shining during act two especially.
Each cast member does a great job of looking as though they're having fun on stage. This show is a real team piece with everyone working together well; particular stand out's are Billy Roberts as Steve and Alice Baker as Alma.
Summer Holiday: The Musical is lighthearted fun, perfect for those who want to reminisce on the 60s as well as those experiencing the story with fresh eyes. Take a break from the weight of the world and board the red bus for a few hours of carefree, musical fun.
Summer Holiday: The Musical runs at the New Victoria Theatre until May 26th before continuing it's UK tour.
Monday, 21 May 2018
Divalution: The Re-Launch, The Other Palace | Review
Divalution: The Re-Launch (Concert)
The Other Palace
Reviewed on Sunday 20th May 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
What a night. Divalution took over The Other Palace for a Sunday night of flawless vocals, spades of personality and a whole load of fun. I was made aware of Divalution (previously Sapphire Soul) when I saw them perform at West End Live Lounge. From the first time I heard their killer voices I was obsessed. These ladies are class, sass, fire and vocal prowess combined to create a perfect group who deserve to been seen and heard everywhere.
Made up of friends Laura Tebbutt, Sejal Keshwala and Lisa-Marie Holmes, Divalution come together to belt out new songs and classics which are beautifully arranged and showcase the ladies' brilliant technique. It's clear from their polished performance that many hours of hard work have gone into creating a perfectly oiled machine and their passion, determination, dedication and love really shine through.
The ladies opened the show as they meant to go on, with a fiery rendition of Survivor by Destiny's Child and the song of the moment, This is Me from The Greatest Showman. We were then introduced to their fab personalities, with each including jokes and anecdotes throughout. Every song was wonderful but standouts included Over The Rainbow, their 23 song 90's Medley, Defying Gravity and All I Ask/When We Were Young.
As well as hearing the delightful group sound of Divalution, we were also treated to solo performances. Laura Tebbutt put her own spin on Elbow's One Day Like This which included to my delight, some audience participation. Laura, known as the belter of the group has vocals and facial expressions for days and I fully want to be her when I grow up (still fooling myself that 21 isn't grown up.) Laura's vocals are honestly some of the best I've ever heard; just when you think she can't belt any higher she takes it up a billion octaves and sounds impeccable doing it. I don't understand how she hasn't been Elphaba yet, or why she's not in every single show in the West End. Honestly outstanding.
Lisa Marie-Holmes' solo was a haunting version of Snow Patrol/Leona Lewis' Run which showed off her powerful voice, stellar belt and lyrical soprano range. Again, this lady needs more recognition in the world because she is AMAZING!
Completing the trio is Sejal Keshwala who's performance of Dangerous Woman blew the roof of The Other Palace off and had most of the audience on their feet- truly mesmerising.
As well as Divalution themselves, we also got to hear special guests Rob Houchen who perfectly sung I'm Not the Only One and Marisha Wallace who blessed the audience with her Whitney Houston medley. Marisha has taken the West End by storm since appearing as Effie White in Dreamgirls and by god does this lady know how to work a crowd. The audience were putty in her hand as they stood up, sung along and absorbed themselves in her insanely good vocals and stage presence.
Due to the fact that the ladies of Divalution also have solo careers, they have a couple of stand ins who replace them if all three can't make a gig. We were introduced to Nicola and Katie when the five ladies joined together for the rousing act one closing number, Power. West Finchley is very lucky to have so many talented vocalists residing there!
Mention must also go to the outstanding band, led by Robert Eckland and made up of Doug Harper on drums, Richard Coughlan on bass, Jeff Leach on keys and Adam Goldsmith on guitar. They kept the night going and provided fantastic accompaniments throughout with Adam completely wowing me with his insane playing. My only negative of the night was that the mics were a little too loud at the start but this was quickly remedied and didn't diminish my enjoyment of the evening at all.
Every song was so full out that my larynx hurt for Divalution when leaving the theatre and as a classical soprano who can't belt to save her life, I can only dream of being able to hit the notes they do. It's concerts like this that get me riled up because these ladies are so so SO talented but don't get half the recognition they deserve. With so many 'famous' artists nowadays being auto-tuned beyond belief, it sucks that naturally talented people such as Divalution are not at the stratospheric levels of fame they deserve to be at. Of course it's not about fame and it's clear from the three ladies that they do what they do for a love of singing and music but tell all your friends, families, acquaintances and people you meet on the street to listen to Divalution so they can keep wowing people. Spread the Divalution word and be inspired not only by their vocals but their strength and conviction as women.
photo credit: West End Video & Olivia Mitchell
Sunday, 20 May 2018
Louise Dearman: This is Me, The Other Palace | Review
Louise Dearman: This is Me (Concert)
The Other Palace
Reviewed on Saturday 19th May 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
Louise Dearman is West End royalty so it's only fitting that her first solo concert in four years took place on the day of the royal wedding. The question is: who's the bigger queen? Well Meghan may actually be royalty now but Louise's killer voice, perfect humour and all round brilliant stage presence certainly makes her a Queen in my eyes.
Last night's concert at The Other Palace felt like a family coming together to celebrate Louise. I must admit I'd never seen Ms Dearman in a solo concert before but looking around at the smiling faces and hearing the instant applause made it clear that her loyal supporters and friends were all there to revel in the gloriousness of her performance. There was no hesitation in cheering, joining in to clap or laughing out loud; the audience were so giving and I can only imagine how great that must feel as a performer.
Louise's performance was faultless. Her natural wit and charm had me smiling from ear to ear and just feeling joyous. The concert featured a number of songs from new album For You, For Me which includes songs Louise has fallen in love with over the years and songs fans have asked her to sing. Particular stand out's of the night were Easy as Life which was effortlessly beautiful and Time Heals Everything which not only sounded glorious but rekindled my love for Mack and Mabel. Other standouts were the haunting, Uninvited, heartfelt She Used to Be Mine and the wonderful Donna Summer medley.
The band were outstanding as were Louise's backup singers/duet partners. Ashley Samuels sounded especially beautiful durning his duet of City of Stars. The delight on everyone's faces was evident which made the killer vocals even more impressive.
Obviously Louise's powerhouse belt mixed with smooth vocals are outstanding but it's her charisma which makes a night like this so special. From the get go she commands the stage and is genuinely funny. I don't think I've ever laughed so much at a concert and am truly honoured to have been a part of the night. Louise's quick wit goes a mile a minute and she fills every moment of no singing with a joke, anecdote or hilarious facial expression which keeps the show flowing and the audience invested through the concerts entirety. Particularly hilarious was when Louise restarted her song after singing it in a MirandaSings style (not that it sounded bad to me at all!), a self-confessed lyric forgetter, Louise is professional at carrying on and makes light of any mistakes and she certainly didn't forget as many lyrics as this iconic performance of June is Busting Out All Over.
Everyone who was a part of this concert was outstanding and it was a truly mesmerising night. Louise Dearman is a spellbinding performer and I can only hope it's not another four years until we get to experience this joy again. Louise told the audience to never be afraid of asking her to sing songs so I'd like to put my request in that she performs the entire phone book... alternatively a gender-switched version of Moving Too Fast from The Last 5 Years.
Louise's album For You, For Me is available now.
Friday, 18 May 2018
Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Sydney’s Capitol Theatre | Review
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Capitol Theatre, Sydney
Reviewed on Wednesday 16th May 2018 by Amy Mitchell
★★★
Warning: Adjective Overload
Priscilla Queen of the Desert, on it's 10th Anniversary tour, is an all bejewelling, all bedazzling, all singing (well mostly lip-syncing) all dancing, OTT, smut-fest, sprinkled with heaps of sentimentality.
Based on the 1994 award winning Aussie comedy-drama movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert created by Stephan Elliott– This iconic Australian musical follows Sydney drag queen Tick (alter-ego, Mitzi Mitosis), Kylie Worshipper come sass machine, Felicia Jollygoodfellow and former glittering Les Girl, Bernadette as they jeté aboard their beaten up tour bus Priscilla. The trio embark on a voyage of friendship, self-love and acceptance as they “Go West” across the Aussie outback from Sydney to Alice Springs.
Jam packed with jukebox disco bangers like Son of a Preacher Man, It’s Raining Men and I Will Survive – with vocals often led by three belting divas suspended from the rafters, this movie come musical is a camp as Christmas bonanza- yet, amidst all the frocks and fancies this show has heart. Our three main characters navigate through wild bush and even wilder prejudice while Tick prepares to reunite with his 6 year old son Benji, all the while battling the fear that he won’t be accepted for who he really is.
The show is scattered with witty one-liners, innuendoes and sass a plenty – as a whole it lacked a bit of substance and moved at a pace that made it difficult to truly believe or understand the deep connections of the three main characters. The set was clumsy at times and some of the racial gags fell flat on the PC sensibilities of a 2018 audience.
Back to the positives and don’t get me wrong they were bountiful! Euan Dodge slays as the naive yet outlandish Felicia, his debut rendition of Better The Devil You Know was a riotous affair. David Harris is brilliant as Tick, see-sawing between heartstring tugging ballads like True Colours to thumping disco tunes. Tony Sheldon plays Bernadette, a role he sharply delivers with class, poise and a fabulously acid tongue.
The costumes! The costumes need an adjective of their own. An insanely fantastical abundance of glitter splattered, nonsensically superfluous garb that tickled the audience until curtain’s closed.
Priscilla is more EXTRA than a Wrigley’s factory, and at it's heart a tremendously extravagant celebration of acceptance, draped in a kaleidoscope of colour and fun!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert runs at the Capitol Theatre until July 21st 2018
Wednesday, 16 May 2018
The Book of Mormon, Sydney's Lyric Theatre | Review
The Book of Mormon
Lyric Theatre, Sydney
Reviewed on Tuesday 10th March 2018 by Amy Mitchell
★★★★
The Book of Mormon opened on Broadway in 2011 and since then has been showered with Tony Awards, international re-runs and widespread critical acclaim. Now, I’m a self-confessed sucker for show tunes, but to my own surprise I had little to no idea what this mammoth in musical theatre was all about before I took my seat (3 rows from the front- smug!) in Sydney’s Lyric Theatre last week…
Writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone (creators of South Park) and songwriter Robert Lopez (Disney’s Frozen ring any bells?) joined forces to concoct a joyous melange of politically incorrect subject matter, riotous stereotyping and unapologetically crass humour all tied up in an oddly charming, toe tappingly melodic bow.
Book of Mormon follows the journey of two young Mormons and their quest to spread the word of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. Elder Price is a cookie cutter Mormon poster boy while Elder Cunningham is a hyperactive, loveable dork with a penchant for lying and Sci-fi movies. This unlikely duo is sent to a remote Ugandan village on a quest to convert its inhabitants to the Latter Day Saints. Their visions of an Africa a la Lion King are abruptly shattered as they encounter AIDS, female genital mutilation and a tyrannical warlord with an unprintable moniker.
As Elder Cunningham, Broadway’s own A.J. Holmes dominated the stage with his enormous presence and side splitting physical comedy. It was one of those performances where it’s nigh on impossible to imagine there being an actor behind the character.
Elder Price was played by understudy Steve Danielsen. Danielsen was superb, his all Australian good looks and strong vocal performances managed to make the audience warm to an obnoxious and potentially unlikeable character.
In fact, the entire cast was stellar. It’s impossible to decipher who stole the show. Aside from our two main Missionaries, the best performance title could equally have gone to PJ Adzima who played Mission Leader Elder McKinley. His energy could genuinely take your breath away. Also a close contender was Aussie local, Zahra Newman who played Nabulungi, daughter of the village chief. Her vocals in Sal Tlay Ka Siti (Salt Lake City) were nothing short of heavenly.
The Book of Mormon score/lyrics are brilliant and will have you cringing in half delight at the controversial lyrics peppered with comedic hooks. Spooky Mormon Hell had the audience erupting in laughter and Joseph Smith American Moses is equally hysterical.
Each song draws inspiration from well-known musicals, e.g. Hasa Diga Eebowai is reminiscent of the Lion King’s Hakuna Matata. Challenge – try and guess the parody. Hint – think West Side Story, Avenue Q, Fiddler on the Roof, Wicked and Hairspray.
There’s been a certain amount of hullabaloo surrounding the religious and racial overtones of the show. I’m actually surprised Book of Mormon got the go ahead (and unsure if it would if it was pitched in 2018!) but I’m not surprised it went onto become a smash hit. To me, it delivers on so many levels and the delightfully distasteful satire (in true Trey Parker and Matt Stone style) has a palpable social conscience.
Wickedly witty, The Book of Mormon pokes fun at the seemingly un-pokeable and ultimately manages to leave the audience with the cheerfully uncomfortable warm fuzzies. It’s also fantastic to see homegrown Australian talent holding their own (and killing it) alongside the Broadway greats.
The Book of Mormon runs at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney until 2nd September
photo credit: Jeff Busby
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Hello!
