Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Matthew Bourne's Cinderella (UK Tour), New Victoria Theatre | Review
Matthew Bourne's Cinderella (UK Tour)
New Victoria Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 19th June 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Making a return to the stage after debuting 20 years ago, Matthew Bourne's Cinderella is a departure from the traditional setting we know and instead takes place in 1940's London against the backdrop of war, air raid sirens and the blitz. Sergei Prokofiev wrote the hauntingly desperate score during the Second World War so it's seems only fitting to set the ballet then.
Act One begins with the dancers appearing in grey, depressing London before transitioning to Cinderella's blacked out house. This initial darkness shows the desperation and loneliness that our lead character feels from the onset. In the house we are introduced to a number of creepy, bizarre characters who become more and more excited as they receive their invites to the ball.
Ashley Shaw's Cinderella is surprisingly comical and and exciting to watch. Her duet a dressmaking dummy was a personal stand out moment and highlighted Shaw's versatility as a dancer and an actress. As her romantic lead, Andrew Monaghan is tormented but powerful throughout. The two are wonderful together and create moments of theatrical brilliance.
The traditional 'Fairy-Godmother role is subverted in this production to be an Angel played by a man, Liam Mower. Mower does an outstanding job is his sharp white suit, of guiding Cinderella whilst also appearing to be an all seeing protector of London who at one point rushes off to seemingly intercept a bomb!
Lez Brotherston's set is a love letter to Wartime London. It is intricate but simplistic and highlights iconic London scenes such as Embankment and the Underground with flawless grace. The use of film and the train station are especially reminiscent of Brief Encounter and allow us to be transported to a painfully magical time. The Café de Paris is particularly moving as it becomes a smashed shell of war torn London.
This is a show with a modern twist that is full of enough heart and magic to make you want to watch it over and over. There is extravagance and simplicity in equal measure and this is a truly unmissable fairytale.
Matthew Bourne's Cinderella runs at the New Victoria Theatre until June 23rd
photo credit: Johan Persson
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
Legally Blonde (UK Tour), New Wimbledon Theatre | Review
Legally Blonde (UK Tour)
New Wimbledon Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 18th June 2018 by Olivia Rose Dowden
★★★
Based on the 2001 teen movie, Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, who follows her high school sweetheart all the way to Harvard Law School, finding herself along the way.
This UK touring production is led by the hugely energetic Lucie Jones as Elle Woods. Vocally, she was extremely secure and tackled Elle’s huge numbers with confidence and charisma. Her portrayal of the character was a lot more goofy than I’ve seen done before, which was refreshing and quirky. However, there were moments where Jones occasionally missed the mark with her comedic timing and some of the jokes were lost. There wasn’t as significant a transformation of character as I would have hoped; it was only really at the most serious point in the show during the song Legally Blonde, in which Elle decides to give up on Harvard and return home, that Jones began to show another layer to Elle. Despite this, she remained charming throughout and truly won over the audience, gaining a standing ovation at the end of the performance.
David Barrett was a very strong Emmett Forest, creating an endearing and likeable character. Unfortunately, as his key number Chip On My Shoulder was played so slowly by the band, the song struggled to build as much as it should. This is not something he should be personally scrutinised for, but it admittedly affected his performance. I felt the same was the case for Rita Simons’ number Ireland. Simons mastered the voice of the brassy Paulette but could have offered more in terms of character.
Act One, in particular, was paced very slowly. The songs of Legally Blonde are admittedly very “wordy”, but the slow speed at which they were played meant there was a distinct lack of energy that only really emerged in the final number of Act One with So Much Better. Act Two was much more secure, with the comedic numbers Whipped Into Shape and There! Right There! being definite crowd-pleasers. The cast also coped extremely well with one of the dogs who was rather reluctant to stay in character, ad-libbing in order to keep the piece moving.
The production is nearing the end of its tour and I hate to say it but unfortunately it shows. Some half-hearted American accents and very mechanical blocking meant the production just didn’t have that spark that makes this show so special. I also felt the addition of a Legally Blonde megamix after the bows undermined the genuine message the piece portrays at the end.
Nevertheless, after watching a show with so much wit and charm, portrayed by committed and skilled performers, it’s difficult to leave without a slight smile on your face. I want to emphasise that the cast themselves were very strong, with impressive dance numbers and secure vocals. Those seeing the show for the first time will most likely have an enjoyable evening due to the warm-hearted nature of the piece. However, the many patchy moments made me feel as if the piece had lost some of its soul somewhere along the tour.
Legally Blonde runs at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 23rd June
It's Only Life, Union Theatre | Review
It's Only Life
Union Theatre
Reviewed on Saturday 16th June 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
American lyricist and composer John Bucchino isn't very well known in the UK but this sweet revue certainly makes me want me to delve into his backlog and discover his other gems.
John Bucchino and Daisy Prince's musical, It's Only Life features songs which wittily face the struggles of modern life, especially in terms of romance. Although the songs link together somewhat, they are more individual pieces which come together to form a narrative of people as a whole, rather than separate stories. The song cycle therefore feels universal and there's certainly an emotion, lyric or feeling for everyone to relate to.
The five person strong cast are vocally wonderful, working well both individually and when they join for glorious ensemble moments. Jordan Shaw gives vocal perfection throughout, especially with his smooth rendition of If I Ever Say I'm Over You which is a definite stand out. Recent graduates, Will Carey and Sammy Graham show off their vocals as well as comedic timing. Will's cheeky performance of On My Bedside Table is brilliant and Sammy's diction and technique are faultless from start to end. Jennifer Harding feels right at home with the music and gives a very truthful performance. Noel Sullivan shows off his strong belt whilst retaining a vulnerability and sweetness, something which is in fact embodied by the entire cast who always keep the heart of the story at the centre rather than trying to out-sing one another.
Justin Williams' set design is intriguing from the first time we lay eyes on it. A simple white background is cleverly highlighted with pastel pinks, oranges, greens and blues which allows us to move from location to location without any flashiness or clumsiness. The props that are used are used well and again, don't detract from the core of the show- the songs. Tania Azevedo has done a wonderful job of bringing the stories to life with simplicity.
It's Only Life represents both the diversity of Britain as well as the ways we're all connected. With great vocals, memorably moving songs and a fantastic cast, there's no reason not to love this show. This is an intimate piece of theatre which flows with an intensity that keeps you invested throughout.
It's Only Life runs at the Union Theatre until 7th July
photo credit: Pamela Raith
Sunday, 17 June 2018
Get West End Ready With... Emily Benjamin | Bat Out Of Hell | Stagey Sunday
Welcome back to Stagey Sunday! This week is very exciting as we get to see star of Bat Out of Hell, Emily Benjamin as she transforms into her character Mordema.
Mordema is a rugged member of The Lost, known for clawing her way around and just being generally cool and rugged. Emily talks us through her amazing makeup for the character and why she decided to make it the way it is.
We'll let the video speak for itself! If you fancy creating a Mordema look, be sure to tweet it to @RewriteThisWeb with the hashtag #StageySundayBOOH and you could win a special Bat prize!
All the products Emily uses:
Foundation
-Maybelline Eraser Eye
-NYX Total Control Drop Foundation
Powder
-Benefit 'Hello Flawless' Matte Powder
-Kryolan Setting Powder
Blusher
-Bourjois Paris Number 33
-HEMA Blush Stick (for Mordema's scar)
Bronzer
-NYX Matte Bronzer
Eyes
-MAC Passionate Eyeshadow
-MAC Carbon Eyeshadow
-NYX STFU Eyeshadow
-Kat Von D Tattoo Liner
-Bourjois Volume Reveal Mascara
Lipstick
-NYX Liquid Suede Matte 'Cherry Skies' (for The Lost symbol)
-NYX Liquid Suede Matte 'Alien'
See you next Sunday for an exclusive feature on the choreography and costumes in the show!
Bat Out of Hell is currently at the Dominion Theatre until 27th October 2018
Post by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
Post by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
Sunday, 10 June 2018
In Conversation with... Andrew Polec and Christina Bennington | Bat Out of Hell | Interview | Stagey Sunday
Hi! Welcome back to Stagey Sunday, where we are focussing on Bat Out of Hell for the entire month of June. This week we have an exclusive interview with Andrew Polec and Christina Bennington about their lives whilst starring in Bat Out of Hell....
For anyone that hasn't seen the show, can you explain a little about the story line and how your characters fit into it?
Andrew: I play Strat, he is the leader of this Lost gang who are all 18 and never age. We're set in this post-apocalyptic world; the island of Manhattan, due to some cataclysmic event has broken off from the rest of the country and floated out to sea. On this island there's a dictator named Falco who Strat is rebelling against and doing his best to liberate the people of Obsidian, give them equality, make them all feel special and give them value in their lives. As he is rebelling against Falco and this violent revolution, he suddenly realises that Falco has a beautiful daughter who's name is Raven...
Christina: We find Raven on the eve of her 18th birthday. She has been watching Strat and the gang of The Lost for basically as long as she can remember. They have all the freedom and liberation that she's always wanted so she eventually manages to escape and meet Strat. From there it's all about love for the two.
Andrew, you were involved in the show from the workshop stage, so what was that like and how was it for you Christina, joining a little later. Did you both know how big the show would end up?
C: Absolutely not! I did I guess an average audition process, I say average in that I got the call from my agent and I went to various rounds, but that was probably where the average ended. There were lots of very interesting movement workshops that we did, I got paired with different people to read the Strat and Raven scenes. We also had stamina tests to see if we could sing the songs multiple days in a row. So I would come in and sing All Coming Back to Me Now, four of five times getting higher and higher and higher, and then come back the next day and do it all again to see if I could sustain it. I thought it was a fantastic challenge- great fun!
I don't think I ever thought it would be this big and I don't think I ever thought that it would be such a wonderful experience for me, personally and professionally, to grow in the way I perform. It's been really wonderful. It was great also, working with Andrew because he already had the job so wasn't part of the audition process. It was really interesting reading against all the potential alternate Strats but never reading with the actual Strat so it's serendipity that it's all worked out so well.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
A: I have two posters in my dressing room where I've put all the rock and roll idols that I think inspire the show; there's Jim Morrison, there's Chuck Barry, there's Jimi Hendrix, Meatloaf, Jim Steinman and Iggy Pop. I basically ask that they come and help us on this journey because the show takes a lot of energy, you've got a lot of bodies up there that are burning 10,000 calories a minute!
C: My pre-show ritual is also really rock and roll... I listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks everyday, every single day. From after warm up until just before the half to kind of calm my brain down. Cause it's something I'm so familiar with it kind of clears my head of everything that's an outside influence. Then once it hits the quarter I play different music everyday that I think Raven would listen to, so then it does become slightly more rock and roll! So from me to Raven really
Have you had any onstage mishaps?
C: Oh yeah!
A: Tonnes!
C: One the other day was really good. Andrew fell off the tower when he jumped down...
A: Cool, lets just talk about the one where I hurt myself!
C: No but it's brilliant because in this show a mishap often becomes something incredible because Jay (Scheib) has encouraged us to be really free and flexible. In rehearsals he often asked up to include falls on purpose to force ourselves to be really in the moment. If you see the show, you'll notice that I fall over on-purpose-accidentally a lot... it's a real trope for Raven.
A: I think probably the biggest mishap was our first preview ever in Manchester. I had it in my mind that I would run down to the bottom of the stage and bring Christina along with me and I just slipped and we just started flying towards the end of the stage. In Manchester there was just an 8 metre drop and I knew that if we fell we'd probably not have legs like we have now! Fortunately, Christina grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and kept me from falling.
C: So fans of Andrew Polec, you're welcome!
Bat Out of Hell is so full on, how do you relax and calm down after a show?
C: It is difficult to go to sleep afterwards because it's so exciting. At the end of the show every night there's a massive buzz from the audience, they're on their feet, screaming and you feel like a rockstar with everyone coming together to celebrate this amazing music. I guess I like to eat after the show, watch something good and try and chill out.
A: Yeah, food is nice!
You have a five minute break in rehearsals, what are you doing?
C: I don't wanna say eating again! We're probably chatting about something that's happened in rehearsals. We do tend to talk a lot about constantly looking for ways to do things differently and improve so you'll probably just catch us discussing.
A: Mostly we're walking up the stairs!!
What's your favourite part of each others track?
C: One of my favourite bits ever is after I leave Revved, I stand at the side, and I watch from the stage left wing and the screen of Hope Rock, Andrew and the main Lost gang singing the end of Revved. I think it's absolutely incredible and I love it. I think Andrew is a force of nature and I love watching it, it's so exciting and there's so much visceral energy. Raven doesn't ever see that Strat which I think is so wonderful because she sees a completely other side of him. So it's really interesting for me to see that force.
A: I really, really admire Raven's whole scene in her bedroom during Heaven Can Wait. If I have enough time after the interval preparations and can get down to the video screen then I watch the perspective of the camera as she sings the whole song and it's really cool. She blows it out of the water every night, she remarkable!
Are you like your characters at all?
C: I'd love to say yeah, I'm really cool like Raven but I guess I can be tempestuous sometimes like she can. The thing about Raven is that she's all about life or death, that first love that is absolutely everything. In that way I guess we share something that we both think love is probably the most important thing in life. But the intensity with which she feels it is more like 17 year old me than it is current me.
A: I guess Strat and I are both hopeful. I think what surprises people when they meet me is that I'm more soft spoken than Strat. Considering he just shouts on stage all night, I think when they meet me they're like "where's your high-octane energy?".
They're certainly characters and they continue to grow and develop everyday that we work on them. They're good friends to have around.
Other than yourselves, who would you like to see play your roles?
A: I think I'd love to Jim Morrison to play this part, I think that would be a lot of fun. Or someone like Elvis would be really fun.
C: Ellen Foley was involved in the first stages of the show playing the Wendy/Raven character so it'd be really cool to see what she would do with Raven as she is now.
A: You're absolutely right, I mean Jim Steinman hands down should be playing Strat- he's even on the t-shirt.
C: If it had to be someone from the cast I think one of the super swings should have a go. I'd pay good money to see someone like Jono play Raven!
Finally, can you tell me your best piece of advice for anyone wanting to get into performing?
C: I would say, be very sure of yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. Believe in yourself and your ability because no one else can do that bit for you.
A: Love what you do, no matter what you end up doing. As long as you take joy in your work then you've found the secret of life and you'll be happy.
C: and be nice!
Watch the full interview plus some fun games here:
Thank you Holly for organising all of this, Andrew and Christina for filming with us, Sophia for being camera woman extraordinaire and all the lovely staff at the Dominion Theatre.
Join us next week to see Emily Benjamin become her character, Mordema!
Bat Out of Hell is currently at the Dominion Theatre until 27th October 2018
Interview by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
Interview by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
photo credit: Specular
Monday, 4 June 2018
When The Curtain Falls (Book), Carrie Hope Fletcher | Review
When the Curtain Falls by Carrie Hope Fletcher
Published: 12th July 2018 by Little Brown Books
★★★★★
The latest edition in Carrie Hope Fletcher's book empire, When The Curtain Falls (the same title as her debut album) is all about theatre and romance, aka, my dream. The book follows two young lovers, Oscar Bright and Olive Green as they meet backstage whilst performing in a revival of a show in which tragedy struck 50 years earlier. Through a series of flashbacks and memories, we discover what happened to the original lovers, Fawn Burrows and Walter Brown, and whether tragedy is set to strike again. With heartache, tragedy, theatre and a little bit of magic, When The Curtain Falls is the perfect read to wrap you up and transport you to the glittering lights of the West End.
Carrie's writing is lyrical but easy to read. Reading her books feel as though you're listening to a friend talk; When The Curtain Falls especially, has a relaxed feel about it.
In a previous review of All That She Can See I wrote that Carrie's writing has a theatrical feel, this is obviously even more evident in this story which is all about the stage, performing and backstage antics. There are a whole host of stagey references which any avid theatre fan will love spotting. I especially loved the fact that the first musical Olive saw was Beauty and the Beast, which was my first too and that she lives in Turnham Green- West London represent!
The section at the start where Olive is talking about being in the 'theatre world' and the 'real world' is just one very interesting and relatable moment. When you go to shows a lot and are part of the theatre scene it feels like it's the only thing that exists and that everyone knows everyone, but once you go back to the 'real world' very few people have the same connections. It’s the same with theatre stars, at their theatre they are famous, signing autographs and standing for photos but once they turn the corner they blend into the crowd and normal people wouldn't bat an eyelid seeing them. This ramble has very little relevance to this review, other than saying that it's very clever how Carrie has worked tidbits of the musical theatre world into the story without making it overbearing or factual. The entire story flows with the ease of watching a really good show.
The romance between the lead couple is extremely sweet, if at times cringey. You can almost see the way the pair look at one another and at times it feels like we're invading a private moment whilst we read. The mirrors between the 1952 relationship and the current one are well written and interesting to see. All the characters are well developed and I couldn't help but wonder if anyone, especially Tamara, is based on anyone Carrie has come across in her career! With Moulin Rouge vibes, I can so see this story as a swooping romance film.
When The Curtain Falls is a theatre fans dream. With stagy references, a beautiful romance and some unexpected plot twists, there's not much more you could ask for in a book. This is certainly my favourite of Carrie's novels and I hope she continues to include theatre in her work. I also hope that the magic of this book will welcome new people to the theatre so they can experience whatbthe stars of the story do (perhaps with less drama though!)
It's clear how much passion and love Carrie has for the stage and it really comes across in her heartfelt writing. I urge you to pick up When The Curtain Falls and to escape into a beautiful world for a few hours.
Review by Editor, Olivia Mitchell
{AD PR Product- book gifted in exchange for honest review}
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