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Showing posts sorted by date for query Fiddler on the Roof. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Tuesday 8 November 2022

Benjamin Rauhala & his West End Besties at Cadogan Hall



Fourth Wall Live are delighted to announce BENJAMIN RAUHALA & HIS WEST END BESTIES at the Cadogan Hall on Sunday 5 February at 6.30pm. Tickets on sale now www.fw-live.com/ben 

 

One of Broadway’s most trusted music directors and collaborators, Benjamin Rauhala will be joined on stage by stars of the West End including Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Soho Cinders)Paisley Billings (Six, The Lion King, ‘Tattoo Fixers’)Lauren Drew (Six, Heathers, Legally Blonde, ‘The Voice’)Hiba Elchikhe (Everybody’s Talking About JamieAladdin)WhatsOnStage Award nominee Jordan Luke Gage (& Juliet, Bonnie & Clyde, Bat Out of Hell)Ben Joyce (Back to the FutureJersey Boys)Claudia Kariuki (SixWicked, School of Rock)Olivier Award nominee Frances Mayli McCann (Bonnie & ClydeHeathers, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour), Zara MacIntosh (&Juliet, Six) Olivier Award nominee Natalie Paris (SixBilly Elliot, Les Miserables)Courtney Stapleton (‘Belle’ in Beauty and the BeastSix)Jodie Steele (Six, Heathers) Benjamin Yates (Jersey Boys, School of Rock, Wicked). Guests are subject to change. 

 

Music director Benjamin Rauhala’s love affair with the London theatre community and actors of the West End has been ongoing since his first sold-out concerts with Jeremy Jordan in the summer of 2016. Rauhala grew up obsessed with British pop music, including a subscription to Top of the Pops magazine! As a mainstay of the Broadway community, he has produced hundreds of sold-out concerts that spawned viral YouTube concert clips totalling * totalling over 56million views, including Jeremy Jordan’s ubiquitous cover of “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” and the many medleys featured in his Broadway Princess Party concert series. 

 

Rauhala found that everyone he met in London had a favourite one of those videos and wanted to chat about it, so he had an idea: what if he gathered a dozen of his favourite West End performers with an epic band and re-created some of those beloved videos, as well as crafting some new arrangements for these amazing singers? On the heels of a sold-out run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane with Jeremy Jordan and in preparation to play the London Palladium with Ariana DeBose and for an upcoming international tour of Disney Princess The Concert, this was the perfect moment to create a concert unlike anything London has ever seen! BENJAMIN RAUHALA AND HIS WEST END BESTIES will be a night filled with Rauhala’s signature mashups and medleys, some of the best contemporary musical theatre, some radically rearranged Disney tunes, and, of course, tunes from the likes of Céline Dion, the Spice Girls, Selena Gomez, and Sam Smith! 

 

Benjamin Rauhala is the Music Supervisor, co-creator, and ‘Fairy Godfairy’ of Disney Princess - The Concert, touring over 100 cities in North America throughout 2022, and internationally in 2023. He helped conceive and arrange the opening and closing numbers of the 2022 Tony Awards for Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose. Rauhala has toured the world since 2014 as the music director forJeremy Jordan, the Tony-nominated star of Broadway's Newsies and TV’s ‘Supergirl’, and in 2020, Rauhala was named 'Best Musical Director' at the Broadway World Cabaret Awards.

 

His Broadway credits include Fiddler on the RoofAmerican Psycho, and Pippin. His Off-Broadway credits include Hit List, the meta-musical from the NBC television show Smash, Duncan Sheik’s The Secret Life of Bees and David Byrne’s Joan of Arc: Into The Fire. He is also the music director for Academy Award Winner Ariana DeBose, Halston star Krysta Rodriguez, Tony Award nominees Derek Klena, Jennifer Damiano, Kathryn Gallagher, and Disney legend Jodi Benson, as well as Nashville star Kyle Dean Massey, Anastasia star Christy Altomare, Smash star Andy Mientus, Moulin Rouge star Ashley Loren, and Frozen stars Caroline Bowman and Austin Colby. 

 

Rauhala co-founded the Write Out Loud songwriting competition with Mean Girls Tony Award nominee Taylor Louderman, which is currently in its fourth season of supporting the next generation of composers. Additionally, he is an Original Programming Producer at 54 Below, where he has created hundreds of sold-out concerts, including the Broadway Loves Series, that has famously honored Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Sam Smith, Demi Lovato, and many more beloved pop icons. 

Follow him @brauhala

Thursday 12 May 2022

Jeremy Jordan to Perform Live in London


Fourth Wall Live is thrilled to announce that Broadway star Jeremy Jordan will be performing a solo show live in London at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Monday 29 August 2022. Pre-sale sign up is open now. www.fw-live.com/jeremy
 
This marks Jeremy’s fourth solo engagement in London after three previous sold-out runs as well as the sold-out Bonnie and Clyde in Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in January of this year. The show is an opportunity for Jeremy to celebrate the some of music he is most loved for performing as well as personal favourites both old and new. 
 
Jeremy Jordan is a Broadway performer who is best known for Newsies (Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk nominations), Bonnie and Clyde (Theatre World Award), American Son, Little Shop of Horrors, West Side Story, Waitress and Rock of Ages. On television he has appeared as a series regular on Supergirl, Smash, and Disney's Tangled. His film credits include The Last 5 Years, Joyful Noise, American Son, Newsies. He will soon star as the tenacious record industry giant, Neil Bogart, in the upcoming feature film, Spinning Gold. Jeremy is also a singer-songwriter whose concerts and cabaret shows have won awards and acclaim worldwide. 


Benjamin Rauhala is one of the Broadway community's most trusted music directors and collaborators. He is the Music Supervisor and co-creator of Disney Princess - The Concert, touring over 90 cities in North America throughout 2022. He was named Best Musical Director at the 2020 Broadway World Cabaret Awards. He has toured the world as the music director for Jeremy Jordan, the Tony-nominated star of Broadway's Newsies and The CW's Supergirl. He is also the music director for Academy Award Winner Ariana DeBose, Halston star Krysta Rodriguez, Tony nominees Derek Klena, Jennifer Damiano, Kathryn Gallagher, Nashville star Kyle Dean Massey, and Frozen stars Caroline Bowman and Austin Colby. He was the Associate Music Director for the world premiere of The Secret Life of Bees at the Atlantic Theater, directed by Sam Gold, with music by Duncan Sheik. He worked on the music team for both Bartlett Sher's Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof and the Broadway production of Duncan Sheik's American Psycho simultaneously during the 2016 season. His Off-Broadway credits include David Byrne’s Joan of Arc: Into The Fire at The Public Theater and The Marvelous Wonderettes at Theater Row. He previously served as music director for Hit List, the meta-musical from the NBC television show SMASH and is an Original Programming Producer at Feinstein's/54 Below, where he has created dozens of sold-out concerts, including the Broadway Loves Series, that has famously honoured Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Celine Dion and many more beloved pop icons.

 

Fourth Wall Live (FWL) is a live entertainment company that produces events, concerts and on-stage shows. This January FWL presented Bonnie & Clyde the musical in concert for two nights to a sold-out audience at Theatre Royal Drury Lane starring Broadway favourite Jeremy Jordan. This concert broke Drury Lane box office records selling out a 2-night run in less than 6 minutes.

 

FWL regularly brings Broadway artists to the UK, previous concerts include Broadway and TV regulars Chita Rivera, Keala Settle, Laura Benanti, Sierra Boggess, Kelli O’Hara, Laura Michelle Kelly, Megan Hilty, Tituss Burgess, Jeremy Jordan, Matthew Morrison, Erich Bergen, Eden Espinosa, Julia Murney and Cynthia Erivo. Other concerts include West End and UK Stars solo concerts including Michael Ball, Matt Cardle, Kerry Ellis, Oliver Tompsett, Hannah Waddingham, Sharon D Clarke, Bonnie Langford and Jenna Russell. 

 

Tori Amos’s musical The Light Princess was presented to critical acclaim, as a special one-off concert in the summer of 2018. Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Zorro The Musical were presented with musical-all-star-casts in 2019 and 2020 respectively to sold out audiences.

 

Fourth Wall Live also regularly partners with the Hippodrome Casino, in November-December 2020 they produced 25 nights of socially distanced entertainment, proudly being the first live concert event post lockdown in the UK.  Season two at the Hippodrome concerts ran from September 2021 to December 2021 and featured 20 nights of musical entertainment from the world of musical theatre and pop cross over.

Thursday 17 March 2022

The Witches of Eastwick to have Concert Performance Starring Giles Terera


Producer Jack Maple, by arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh Ltd, is delighted to announce a special one-off concert of The Witches of Eastwick at the Sondheim Theatre on Monday 20 June 2022.

The Witches of Eastwick has a book and lyrics by John Dempsey and music by Dana P. Rowe, based on the novel by John Updike and the Warner Brothers motion picture. Maria Friedman will direct with musical staging by Stephen Mear. Olivier Award-winning actor Giles Terera will star as Darryl Van Horne. This will be the first time the musical has been seen in London since it originally played at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2000, transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2001. Tickets are on sale from 10am on Thursday 17 March.
 
Further all-star casting is to be announced.
 
The Witches of Eastwick tells the tale of the people of the little town of Eastwick. It is a town where everyone knows everything about everyone else, and it is presided over by the indomitable Felicia Gabriel. Bored with their small town lives, three women - Alexandra (Alex), Sukie, and Jane--share a desire for “all manner of man in one man” to provide excitement and variety. That man arrives, literally in a flash, in the devil-like form of Darryl Van Horne. Darryl seduces the women and teaches them powers, which they never knew they had. 
 
Cameron Mackintosh said “I’m really thrilled that Jack Maple is conjuring up the wickedly funny Witches of Eastwick again, for one night only in concert with a glorious cast at the Sondheim Theatre.  It has always been one of my favourite scores, which I’m very much looking forward to hearing in its full splendour.”
Maria Friedman said “I’m so incredibly excited to be revisiting Eastwick after all these years. To be reunited with the fantastic Stephen Mear and to have the opportunity to bring this beloved musical back to London, and at the simply stunning Sondheim Theatre, for one night only is an absolute thrill and I can’t wait to get started.” 

Giles Terera MBE is an award-winning actor, musician and writer. He is best known for originating the role of Aaron Burr in the London production of the award-winning musical Hamilton, for which he won the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Giles’s other work on stage includes RosmersholmThe Tempest, Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, 125th Street, Rent (West End); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Hamlet, Death and the King’s Horseman, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other, Troilus and Cressida, Candide, Honk! (National Theatre); The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare’s Globe/international tour); The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Donmar Warehouse); Pure Imagination – The Songs of Lesley Bricusse (St. James’s); King John (Shakespeare’s Globe/UK tour);  The Ratpack (West End/international tour); Jailhouse Rock (Theatre Royal Plymouth/West End); The Tempest (RSC) and Generations of the Dead (Young Vic). As a writer, his theatre work includes The Meaning of Zong (Bristol Old Vic), The Ballad of Soho Jones (St. James’) and Black Matter (Crazy Coqs). Giles was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to theatre.

The winner of three Olivier Awards and an Evening Standard Award, Maria Friedman is one of Britain’s most successful and acclaimed Musical Theatre actresses. Maria starred in the original West End production of The Witches of Eastwick as Sukie alongside Lucie Arnaz as Alex and Joanna Riding as Jane. Her many other West End acting credits include PassionRagtimeMerrily We Roll Along, Blues in the Night, ChicagoThe Woman in White and, most recently, she played Golde in the Olivier Award-winning Trevor Nunn production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Playhouse Theatre. Maria won over a whole new audience when she joined the cast of long-running soap EastEnders, playing Elaine Peacock.  In 2013, Maria made her directorial debut at the Menier Chocolate Factory with a production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along.  After a series of 5-star reviews, the Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical and a sell-out extended run, it transferred to the West End and played Boston.  In 2014, it won the Olivier for Best Musical Revival. It was recently announced that Maria will stage Old Friends, a celebration of the work of Stephen Sondheim at the Sondheim Theatre, with Matthew Bourne in May, as well as an Off-Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along starring Daniel Radcliffe as part of New York Theatre Workshop’s 2022/23 season.

The multi award-winning Stephen Mear, is one of the world’s most celebrated choreographers, with two Olivier Awards, an LA Drama Critics Circle Award, and a Helpmann Award. His theatre work includes Mary Poppins with co-choreographer Matthew Bourne (Prince Edward Theatre 2004 & 2019); Funny Girl and Guys and Dolls, as director/choreographer (Marigny Theatre); Guys and Dolls Concert, as director/choreographer (Royal Albert Hall); Chess (ENO); Sunset Boulevard (ENO and Broadway); On the Town (ENO and Théâtre du Châtelet); 42nd Street as director/choreographer (Théâtre du Châtelet); Singin’ In The Rain (Grand Palais);  City of AngelsThe Vote and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Donmar); White Christmas (Dominion Theatre and Curve, Leicester);  Mack and MabelThe Pajama GameShe Loves Me as director/choreographer, Amadeus, The Music Man, Funny Girl, How to Succeed In Business, Putting it Together and The Grapes of Wrath (Chichester Festival Theatre);  Die Fledermaus (The Metropolitan Opera, New York) and The Little Mermaid (Broadway). Stephen will be choreographing Old Friends at the Sondheim Theatre this May.

John Dempsey wrote both the book and lyrics for Zombie Prom (Off Broadway & Germany), The Fix directed by Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse (Olivier Award & Helen Hayes Award nominations) and lyrics for The Reluctant Dragon, A Country Christmas Carol, and the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. Plays include; One Miracle in a Lifetime (Ohio Arts Council Award), The World Today and The Greater Goode.

Dana P. Rowe wrote the music for Zombie Prom (Off Broadway & Germany) and The Fix, directed by Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse (Olivier Award & Helen Hayes Award nominations). He also  prepared the score for The Ballad of Bonnie & Clyde which premiered at the 2005 New York Musical Theater Festival as a featured production.

Tuesday 1 March 2022

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club Announces New Emcee and Sally Bowles


The producers of CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB in London’s West End are delighted to announce that Fra Fee will play ‘The Emcee’ and Amy Lennox will play ‘Sally Bowles’ from 21 March – 25 June 2022. This unique production opened in December last year to critical and audience acclaim, widely praised as the ultimate theatrical experience.

 

Adam Speers, Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood, the producers of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club said today “We are thrilled to be welcoming the perfectly marvellous Fra Fee and Amy Lennox to our production of Cabaret. We wanted to recast these career defining roles with exceptional actors and so we’re just delighted that the stars have aligned with both Fra and Amy’s schedules.  We couldn’t have asked for a more exciting and thrilling duo to follow Eddie and Jessie.”

 

Director Rebecca Frecknall said today “It's always exciting to be able to keep a production live and evolving across its run, to be able to continue digging into the piece and making new discoveries. The fact that we will have new actors taking on the roles of Sally and the Emcee as Cabaret continues to run in the West End is thrilling, the original cast passing the baton to different actors who will bring their own perspectives to the work. I'm thrilled that Fra Fee and Amy Lennox will be the first new pair joining the production this Spring, two of our most exciting stage and screen actors. I know they will bring new creative energy to the production and will show me and our audiences new facets of the show.”

 

Fra Fee most recently starred as Kazi in the hit Disney+ series Hawkeye, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He created the role of Michael Carber in the award-winning play The Ferryman at the Royal Court, the Gielgud Theatre in the West End and the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway. His other theatre credits include Owen in Translations and Amiens in As You Like It, both at the National Theatre and the title role in Candide at the Menier Chocolate Factory. He played Courfeyac in the film of the musical Les Misérables and also appeared in the stage production at the Queen’s Theatre.

 

Amy Lennox received an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Lauren in the West End production of Kinky Boots. Her other credits include Ellie in the London premiere of the David Bowie and Enda Walsh musical Lazarus. She was in the original West End cast of the musical Legally Blonde and created the role of Doralee in the original UK production of 9 to 5 The Musical.

 

Fra and Amy appeared together in the critically acclaimed production of The Last Five Years in Belfast.

 

Also joining the production on 21 March 2022 will be Omar Baroud as ‘Cliff Bradshaw’ and Vivien Parry as ‘Fraulein Schneider’. Continuing in their roles will be Elliot Levey as ‘Herr Schultz’, Stewart Clarke as ‘Ernst Ludwig’ and Anna-Jane Casey as ‘Fraulein Kost’.

The cast is completed by Josh Andrews, Emily Benjamin, Sally Frith, Matthew Gent, Emma Louise Jones, Ela Lisondra, Theo Maddix, Chris O’Mara, Daniel Perry, Andre Refig, Christopher Tendai, Bethany Terry, Lillie-Pearl Wildman and Sophie Maria Wojna.

  

Omar Baroud (Cliff Bradshaw) is soon to appear in the series Wedding Season for Disney+. His other TV credits include Baptiste for the BBC and The Innocents for Netflix. His theatre credits include You Bury Me for Paines Plough, As You Like It at the Watermill Theatre, A Song at Twilight at the Theatre Royal Bath and All Places That The Eye of Heaven Visits at Shakespeare’s Globe.

 

Vivien Parry (Fraulein Schneider) has appeared in many West End productions including Madge Hardwick in the original cast of Top Hat at the Aldwych Theatre, Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre, Donna in Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales Theatre and Mrs Walshingham in Half A Sixpence at the Noel Coward Theatre. Vivien’s other credits include Twelfth Night and The Shoemaker’s Holiday, both for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Celia in The Girls at Leeds Grand Theatre.

 

Elliot Levey (Herr Schultz) most recently appeared in Nine Lessons and Carols at the Almeida where he also appeared in Three Sisters. His other theatre credits include the West End productions of Mary Stuart at the Duke of York’s Theatre, The Ruling Class at Trafalgar Studios and Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s Theatre. His National Theatre credits include The Habit of Art and His Dark Materials.

 

Stewart Clarke (Ernst Ludwig) most recently appeared in Be More Chill at The Other Palace. His West End theatre credits include Fiddler on the Roof at the Playhouse Theatre and Loserville at the Garrick Theatre. He also appeared in Assassins at the Menier Chocolate Factory and The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse.

 

Anna-Jane Casey (Fraulein Kost) was most recently seen in Girl from the North Country at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End. Her other West End credits include Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace and Lady of the Lake in Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre. She played Dot in Sunday in the Park with George at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Mabel in Mack and Mabel at the Watermill Theatre and the title roles in Piaf and Sweet Charity and Violet Butterfield in Flowers for Mrs Harris, all at the Sheffield Crucible.

 

In a time when the world is changing forever, there is one place where everyone can be free… Welcome to the Kit Kat Club, home to an intimate and electrifying new production of CABARET. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself. 

 

The Kit Kat Club has laid siege to the Playhouse Theatre. The performers have infiltrated the premises. The artists have staked their claim. Who knows for how long they’ll stay, but for now they are enjoying the party. The party at the end of the world.

 

Transforming one of London’s most famous theatres with an in-the-round auditorium and reimagined spaces, before the show guests are invited to enjoy and explore the Kit Kat Club with pre-show entertainment, drinks and dining all on offer. When booking, guests receive a 'club entry time' to allow enough time to take in the world of the Kit Kat Club before the show starts. But of course, the show really starts when you first join us in the club…

 

One of the most successful musicals of all time CABARET features the songs Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number. It has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff. Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.

 

CABARET is directed by Rebecca Frecknall (the Almeida’s Olivier Award winning Summer and Smoke, The Duchess of Malfi, Three Sisters), set and costume design is by Tom Scutt (A Very Expensive Poison, Constellations, King Charles III, Jesus Christ Superstar, collaborations with Sam Smith, Christine and the Queens) with choreography by Julia Cheng (founder of the House of Absolute, Philharmonia Orchestra Artist in Residence, recipient of the runner-up prize for Hip Hop Dance futures, Resident Choreographer for the Royal Academy of Dance, Judge and mentor for BBC Young Dancer and Breakin’ Convention – the UK’s biggest Hip Hop Festival, collaborations with London Fashion Week, Google and Dr Martens). Musical supervision and direction is by Jennifer Whyte (Les Misérables film, Caroline Or Change, Parade). Lighting design is by Isabella Byrd (Heroes of the Fourth Turning and Light Shining in Buckinghamshire – both in New York, Daddy – A Melodrama at the Almeida and The Flick at the National theatre) with sound design by Nick Lidster (City of Angels, Passion, Pacific Overtures and Parade at the Donmar Warehouse, Sweeney Todd and On The Town for English National Opera, A Chorus Line, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon). The casting director is Stuart Burt (& Juliet, The Drifters Girl and 2021 CDG Award for Best Casting in Theatre for Cyrano De Bergerac) and the associate director is Jordan Fein.

 

Tickets for CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB are currently on sale until October 2022. kitkat.club

CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Underbelly.

Thursday 16 January 2020

Rags, Park Theatre | Review


Rags
Park Theatre 
Reviewed on Wednesday 15th January 2020 by Olivia Mitchell 
★★★★

Originally developed by Fiddler on the Roof writer, Joseph Stein as somewhat of a sequel, Rags has been reworked many times since the original Broadway production closed after only four performances. Lucky for us, the Hope Mill Theatre production was rather more a success and has transferred to London's Park Theatre. 

David Thompson's rewrites have made this a sleek production that ebbs and flows well, whilst retaining an gitty side. With four onstage musicians and wonderful performances from the cast, Rags is certainly successful in its ambition.

Opening with a solitary violinist who is extremely reminiscent of Fiddler, the musical follows two Jewish girls as they make port in New York and try to create a new life for themselves and their families. There are various subplots about worker's rights, the Jewish contribution to art and culture, conformity and of course, romance. Most of the time the musical is paced well but there are still times which feel a little slow, or confusing as too much is happening at once.

However, overall this musical isn't about the plot, but rather the human experience and genuine struggles faced by people trying to live the American Dream that was promised to them. Its a clear window to the vile anti-semitic views held and the trials which are unfortunately still faced today. It's quite shocking that a musical written in the eighties, still has so much relevance today. 

Whilst the songs (music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz) are not individually particularly memorable, the overall moods created are very moving and do the job to tell the story, even if you won't leave the theatre humming the tunes. Nick Barstow's arrangements are beautiful and the cast give exceptional performances.

Carolyn Maitland gives a sensational performance as Rebecca. Her solo moments are complete vocal treats and she leads the show with a delightful nuance. Alex Gibson-Giorgio is instantly likeable and vocally exemplary as the Italian immigrant, Sal. As bright eyed Bella, Martha Kirby is an absolute vocal star who brings the youth and vulnerability of the character to life excellently, and is certainly one to watch! Oisin Nolan-Power as Ben and Rachel Izen as Rachel also give stand out performances.

Bronagh Lagan's production has heart in spades and provides a real impact through the thoughtful way its themes are tackled. It's a life-affirming show which will make you want to hug those close to you a little tighter.

photo credit: Pamela Raith

Saturday 2 February 2019

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Other Palace | Review


Showstopper! The Improvised Musical 
The Other Palace
Reviewed on Thursday 31st January 2019 by Nicola Louise 
★★★★★

There’s a reason Showstopper! won an Oliver award; there’s a reason why this show (which on the tin has the potential to be messy) has been running for near enough 12 years without fail, and that reason is that it's pure brilliance.

Showstopper! is fun, new and refreshing and a different show every performance means you can go back and enjoy the comedy again and again without boredom setting in. There’s always something new and exciting to watch.

The basic premise of the show is this; Cameron Mackintosh wants a new musical, and he wants it written within the next two hours- as audience members we’re invited to help. Our job is to set the ball rolling and call out places for the setting as well as styles of musicals or composers, then vote which ones we think are the best. We also help with the title of the performance, ours was ‘Austria the Moosical’ (can you guess what that was about??)

We had a range of musical styles within out show, Fiddler on the Roof, Mamma Mia, Les Mis, Titanic, The Sound of Music and School of Rock.

There’s clearly a format which the actors follow but this doesn’t make the show less enjoyable. The story and songs are made up on the spot with the band doing very well to keep up with the styles of musicals being called out by the producer who’s sat on stage and helps move the story forward.

From scene to scene there seems to be a leader within the improv group, who the cast refer to for leads. The company work very well together and apart from a couple of actors speaking at the same time,  there’s nothing bad to say about this show.

Improv is always going to worry some theatre goers: "Are they going to be boring?", "Are they going to now know what to say next?". But personally I feel improv adds a whole other level to shows. Even scripted shows which include some improv always feel unique and special.

The cast on stage clearly love what they do and this comes through from the moment they step on stage and the first word is spoken. They enjoy the laughter their improv brings and you can see the hard work and dedication they put in to performing a new musical every night.

I wasn’t too sure what I’d make of this show when I first heard about it, but from the moment the show started, I realised that my worries were just that of how I’ve seen previous improv shows performed.

If you’re questioning whether to see this show or not ... STOP! This show defies theatre as we know it and will bring a smile to our face from beginning to end. I’ve already informed friends that they need to see this show, I suggest you run out now and buy the tickets, you won’t regret it.

Showstoppers! The Improvised Musical is currently playing at The Other Palace until the 16th March 2019. Tickets can be purchased via London Box Office here

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