Monday 19 September 2016

This Little Life of Mine, Park Theatre | Press Launch


Last Thursday on September 15th members of the press were invited to the launch for what promises to be an exciting, new contemporary musical drama following the story of a modern couple in London as they face all the ups and downs of life.

We got to hear a selection of songs from the show and although the cast have only been rehearsing for a short time they were incredibly polished. The songs are catchy and contemporary and I can definitely see them becoming staples on musical theatre fans playlists. Hey Prince Charming was a personal favourite- its been in my head since Thursday so its definitely catchy!

Set against an instantly recognisable backdrop of eye-watering house prices, unreliable dating apps and over-friendly coffee baristas, This Little Life of Mine looks at what happens when we can’t have everything that we want.



This Little Life of Mine is produced by Stage Traffic Productions a newly formed theatre company set up by Michael Yale (Book and Director) and Eilene Davidson (Producer) focussed on what live performance does well- engaging and enthralling audiences. 


The cast is comprised of only four extremely talented people: Greg Barnett, Kate Batter, Caroline Deverill and James Robinson who between them have incredible credits and are sure to be sublime in this show.


The show is choreographed by Tracy Allsop,  with set and costume design by Zahra Mansouri and video artisty by Jack Henry. The music is written by Charlie Round-Turner and musical direction is by Thomas Dunchan. 



This is certainly one of my most anticipated shows and I can't wait to see how the storyline plays out. This promises to be an honest, quirky,  current musical, relatable for anyone who is trying to navigate the crazy world we're living in! 


This Little Life of Mine will run at the Park Theatre from October 4th to October 29th. 

Saturday 17 September 2016

Something Wonderful, Royal Festival Hall | Review


Something Wonderful
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre
Reviewed on Thursday 15th September 2016 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★

Last night the Royal Festival Hall played host to a wonderful exploration and celebration of the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein in a fabulous one of concert featuring some of the West Ends best performers. Emma Kingston, Louise Dearman, Michael Xavier and Ryan O'Gorman fabulously performed songs from one of the best musical theatre partnerships of all time, treating us to some of their well known songs as well as some hidden gems.

Tuesday 13 September 2016

An American in Paris, Dominion Theatre | Press Launch

photograph by Angela Sterling
Yesterday I was lucky enough to go to the press launch for An American in Paris with some wonderful people from the Theatre Bloggers community. Aside from sipping champagne and indulging in delicious nibbles we were also treated to an exclusive presentation hosted by Darcey Bussell and her close friend and choreographer/director of the show Christopher Wheeldon.

Darcey and Christopher explained a little about what is going to be a wonderful show with some clips of the Broadway production just to wet our appetites. Some of the cast members were at the event and their talent is undeniable. We got a little sneak peek performance of the show with a fabulous rendition of 'S wonderful performed by Haydn Oakley, David Seadon-Young, Ashley Day and Zoe Rainey. If that was anything to go by, the show is going to be out of this world. 


Christopher and Darcey spoke extensively about the skill of the cast they have found for what promises to be a fabulous West End production of a classic musical. These performers are not only extremely talented singers, actors and dancers but they also have to be incredibly skilled ballerina's. Especially in the case of the leading lady Milo Davenport played by Zoe Rainey who has to have all the usual triple threat talents plus be able to dance en pointe! It's tiring just thinking about it!



Although this launch was just a small taster for what the show will be, if the clips we saw and the Broadway production are anything to go by then this is sure to be a huge hit!

Performances of An American in Paris begin March 4th.

A huge thank you to Theatre Bloggers for taking me along to this event  If you want to become a part of the theatre bloggers community check out the website: www.theatrebloggers.co.uk

Thursday 8 September 2016

Vanities, Trafalgar Studios | Review


Vanities: The Musical
Trafalgar Studios
Reviewed on Wednesday 7th August 2016 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★


Vanities is a musical adaptation of Jack Heifner's play with a script by Heifner himself and lyrics/music by David Kirshenbaum. Its London premiere at Trafalgar Studios is certainly a triumphant one, with radiant performances from all three ladies and extremely catchy and refreshing music. Set in the 70s one would assume the themes of the musical could be dated but in fact the plight for happiness, friendship and success are just as prevalent now.

Tuesday 6 September 2016

A Thank You to the In The Heights Cast

Hello stagey friends! This is more of a personal post but I thought I'd share it anyway. You guys know by now how in love I am with 'In The Heights' (see posts about it here, here, here and here) and with it just being cast change I'm feeling very sentimental about it so I wanted to share some love for the show and cast.

Thursday 1 September 2016

Little Shop of Horrors (UK Tour), New Wimbledon Theatre | Review



Little Shop of Horrors (UK Tour)
New Wimbledon Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 23rd August 2016 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★


Little Shop of Horrors is one of those cult musicals that everyone has heard of but not necessarily seen. I'd seen the film years ago and knew some of the songs but all I remembered was that its about a plant and this was my first time seeing the musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken onstage.

This is certainly a weird musical. We follow Seymour the shop assistant of Mushnik's flower shop who finds fame when he discovers an unusual, unknown plant with a mind (and appetite) of its own which he uses to win over his co-worker Audrey.

For me the standout performance was given by our Seymour, Sam Lupton who has just finished  a three year run playing Boq in Wicked. He has a wonderful voice and perfectly embodies the quirky, geeky Seymour.  I also adored the Greek chorus-esque divas Sasha Latoya, Cassie Clare and Vanessa Fisher. Stephanie Clift was heartwarming as Audrey, with an especially beautiful rendition of 'Somewhere That's Green', which although being somewhat contrived with the special effects was a very nice moment of the show.

Overall the cast were superb with wonderfully honest performances and although this story is very eccentric and the moral very twisted, its a brilliant show which is well worth checking out for a fun and enjoyable night out.

Little Shop of Horrors will be touring the UK until Saturday November 26th.
Further information and tickets can be found at www.littleshopuktour.com