Time Wounds All Heels

I saw Shoes when it first opened at Sadler’s Wells in September and I reviewed it then (you may recall that it was deep in the midst of my post-hair funk and my evening was much improved when I spotted two cast members in the audience). I’m not going to rehash it all here, but if you would like to read my initial thoughts, click here.

Funnily enough, my evening actually started in a similar way to last time (if you tilt your head and squint a bit). I was coffee shop hopping before the show, looking for a decent panini when I crossed paths with someone I was about 90% sure I recognised; Patrick Smyth, who was a swing in Hair and one of the extra lovely people at the stage door.

Unsurprisingly, the suspected sighting, put me in a sparkling frame of mind, made even better when I got to the theatre to find that Holly James (another Hair swing) was in the cast. (Patrick is also a swing in Shoes, but he didn’t perform that night).

The show has changed a fair bit since I last saw it, but I can’t quite recall the original, so I can’t give you too much info. My favourites were still there; the bed scene (Hush Puppies), the holy order of designer shoes (Desire: The Brand) and the cursed family tradition (Old Shoes). There was a new routine called ‘Old Cinders’ and the Sneaker Addict was a man rather than a woman. I’m not sure how I feel about that one, but then the girl who I saw the first time around was one of my favourites.

There were a few familiar faces in this cast, but mostly seemed to be new, at least they seemed to be without further investigation. Chloe Campbell returned and was fabulous, Alexis Owen Hobbs (who I already loved from Never Forget and Sweet Charity) also starred and really impressed me. I found my eyes often drawn to Holly James and while I’m sure that it was mostly because I knew who she was, she really was exceptional. The way she moves is exquisite. Flik Swan was also very good. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite catch who was who with the male cast memebers. Jack Wilcox was rather cute, so I recognised him at the stage door, but can’t quite recall which routines he featured in (though I’m thinking the ‘Your Mum’ glam tap number was one of them). Other than that, I can’t name names. The sneaker addict was good though, as was the hush puppy man.

If you do have the opportunity to see it at the Peacock Theatre between now and April, when it closes, I would highly recommend it. If you do see it, and he performs, say hello to Patrick Smyth for me…

Which brings me to the real highlight of my evening. It was indeed Patrick whom I saw before the show and I saw him afterwards as well, waiting for someone outside the theatre. As I got closer, I smiled at him and not only did he smile back, he said hello. As if that wasn’t awesome enough, he then asked me to remind him of my name. When I did, he knew who I was, surname and all! Thanks to facebook apparently, but even so, I’m still in shock. Those Hair chaps really are a lovely bunch. First Liam, then Patrick… Though I suspect Steel won’t be quite so, er, friendly.

Anyway, I chatted to Patrick briefly about the show and the changes since I last saw it, then moved along to the stage door to get a handful of autographs. It was a bit chaotic, with lots of friends and family hovering, but I got who I wanted and I’m rather pleased with the result given the fact that I almost didn’t bother with it.

I was going to carry on with my usual ‘in other news’ but I actually have quite a bit of other news and this post has already become surprisingly long, so I shall leave it here. I mentioned a few weeks ago that a random post was on the way, so I shall try and actually get that written at some point in the not too distant future.

So until then,

K xx

PS. After seeing the show I had a, perhaps unsurprising, urge to wear my ‘I saw the Sex and the City movie and bought some ridiculously unnecessary high heels afterwards’ to work on Friday. Probably not a urge I should have listened to, given that I ended up going out for lunch and walking far further than my feet were happy with (time really does wound all heels, and little toes – ouch!), but hey. At least it was the only night I didn’t have a show to go to and I did at least have trainers to change into for the journey home.

PPS. Also, rather excitingly, when Jack Shalloo tweeted about having seen Shoes recently, I tweeted back with the fabulous quote that makes the title of this post and *drum roll please* he tweeted back! Ok, so it’s not that exciting and all he said was ‘great line’, but I still get a buzz when a ‘celebrity’ tweets me back!

The Rivals

Well I must say, The Rivals was marvelous fun and I did so enjoy my evening.

I did feel a trifle indulgent for going to the theatre again this week, but I had forgotten that I wanted to see this play. Unfortunately, it too finished this week, the final performance at the Theatre Royal Haymarket being last night. It did mean that I couldn’t manage a trip to the Vaudeville for An Ideal Husband (and isn’t that a fabulous sentence), but I cannot be sorry for it.

I knew very little about the play before Wednesday evening, but the names of the characters alone were enough to convince me that it would be worth a trip – Captain Absolute and Miss Languish, indeed. Add that to the fact that it was essentially an 18th century rom-com on stage and I was bound to enjoy it.

Various cases of (sort of) mistaken identity, recurred throughout. Central to the plot was a (slightly irritating, it must be said) contrary niece by the name of Lydia Languish, seduced by her dashing Captain Jack Absolute, whom I particularly enjoyed. Opposite Lydia was her cousin, Julia Melville, a fine young woman who was tormented mercilessly by her gentleman, Faulkland, who appeared struck by constant doubt over the truth and depth of her affections. Then there was Lydia’s widowed aunt, Mrs. Malaprop who never knew quite what to say, though she always thought she did, with highly amusing results. In fact, much of her speech reminded me of some of the less talented fanfic authors who regularly misuse words to mean something entirely different to what they intended. Sir Anthony Absolute, Jack’s father is a fabulously cool headed figure of a man who wouldn’t dream of flying into a rage, except every other minute of the play when he did exactly that. Add to that a pair of bolshy servants and a couple of additional suiters and you have yourself a damn fine play. Mrs. Malaprop’s lines alone were pure comic genius.

Of course, the play wouldn’t have been anywhere near as wonderful as it was, had it not been for the spectacular casting. Penelope Keith is a legend and rightly so. Her Mrs. Malaprop was absolutely fabulous and she carried off every single one of her ridiculous lines with pure class. Peter Bowles played opposite her as Sir Anthony and was also marvelous. Tam Williams was so convincing as Captain Jack (and alter-ego Beverley) that it would hardly have surprised me had he had come waltzing out of the stage door intent on hailing a Hackney carriage, sword at his side and tri-cornered hat placed firmly on his pretty little head. Lydia was played by Robyn Addison and had a suitably silly Jane Austen-esque vibe to her performance. I was particularly impressed by Carlyss Peer who played Lucy, Lydia’s bubbly maid and Ian Conningham who played Fag, Jack’s servant. Tony Gardner played the ridiculous Faulkland alongside Annabel Scholey’s rather more sensible Julia. Keiron Self as Bob Acres (one of Lydia’s suitors) was also spectacular. Gerard Murphy also impressed with his vibrant portrayal of Sir Lucius O’Trigger, a trigger-happy Irishman intent on duelling over Lydia’s hand.

I laughed throughout and am very glad I made the effort to see the play before it closed. I actually bought my ticket from TKTS, which strangely enough, I’ve not done before. It was remarkably easy, with no queue so close to show time. I got a decent ticket towards the back of the stalls for half price and mostly had an unobtrusive (see what I did there?!) view of the stage.

Whether I would have enjoyed it as much had there not been a gorgeous dashing Captain dropping dramatically to his knees every five minutes in wonderfully flamboyant style, I cannot say, but the fact remains, it was a fabulous play with a marvelous cast and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Still more reviews to come, of course, but until then, I shall bid you adieu.

K xx

PS. Apologies for the flowery language, but I couldn’t seem to help myself!

When We Are Married

As you can probably tell, I don’t often make it to the theatre to see straight plays. Hamlet a few weeks ago was the exception rather than the rule, but particularly since the What’s On Stage awards, I’ve decided to try and see a few more.

Inkeeping with my new aim, I rushed out to see a couple of the plays that close at the end of this week. Tuesday night, I went to see ‘When We Are Married’ at the Garrick and rather enjoyed myself.

The plot follows the silver wedding celebrations of three couples, all married on the same day, in the same church, by the same vicar. Unfortunately, said vicar was not authorised to perform marriage ceremonies and it’s not until twenty-five years to the day later that the shocking truth comes out. What follows shows how the couples deal with this newfound knowledge as they try to decide on the best course of action whilst attempting to keep the embarrasing truth from the neighbours.

The play is full of quick wit, fantastic comebacks and a feel-good quality that left me smiling for the rest of the evening. I really enjoyed the different characters, from the lively, chatty maid, Ruby Birtle, to the bossy Mrs. Clara Soppitt (who reminded me just the teensiest tiniest bit of my grandma), to the adorable little sweetheart, who just wanted a little fun in her life, that was Mrs. Annie Parker.

It was a different time (taking place a little over 100 years ago) and a different generation (they’d been married almost as long as I’ve been alive), yet I felt able to connect with the characters. Perhaps I found it amusing more from observing my parents and particularly my grandparents than from any real experience of my own, but I rarely felt excluded from an ‘in’ joke.

One of the most amusing scenes was one in which Maria Helliwell explains to Lottie Grady what she will need to do in order to take over the running of the house. After appearing as soon as she hears that Joseph Helliwell is not, in fact, married after all, poor Lottie is suddenly left wondering if being married to him is really what she wanted after all. Other highlights included the moment when Herbert Soppitt finally stands up to his wife, firmly reclaiming the trousers in their relationship and when sweet little Annie Parker explains to her Albert that he’s actually rather dull and dreary, not to mention stingy.

The cast were superb, but then between them they have an impressive amount of experience. I was actually highly impressed by the younger cast members as well, however. Laura Haddock, playing Nancy, the niece of one of the older characters, was adorably sweet and I thought the chemistry between her and Peter Sandys-Clarke who played Gerald (the church organist from the south and Nancy’s suitor) was rather lovely. Then there was Jodie McNee, who played Ruby, and was the star of the show, in my opinion.

Lynda Baron played Mrs. Northrop, another servant in the Helliwell household who overhears the whole sorry mess and wastes no time in spreading it around the town. Henry Ormonroyd, the photographer, was played by Roy Hudd and I have to say, his drunken behaviour in the second act was inspiring and marvelously amusing. Rosemary Ashe played Lottie and then of course, there were the Helliwells (David Horovitch and Susie Blake), the Parkers (Simon Rouse and Michele Dotrice) and the Soppitts (Sam Kelly and Maureen Lipman), the last of which who were by far my favourites.

It was a slightly strange experience standing at the stage door afterwards, in part because I barely recognised the cast when they came out. I almost missed several of them. I was mostly waiting for Maureen Lipman and Lynda Baron, however and I was pleased to meet both of them, particularly Maureen. She’s actually a distant relative of mine, sort of (her late husband, Jack Rosentall, was a close relation of my grandfather), and was perfectly lovely when I mentioned the connection. For that reason alone I’m glad I saw the play, as I’ve wanted to see her perform for some time.

I perhaps got a little bit carried away this week, with an opera, two plays, a dance musical, two concerts and an awards ceremony in the space of eight days. It’s been fun so far, but rather exhausting, not to mention expensive, so I think one or two shows a week is a little more reasonable for future planning.

The quantity of shows this week has unsurprisingly, left me a little behind with my reviews, but I assure you that they’re all coming (most are even written already) and with any luck, I should be up to date some time next week.

So until the next one,

K xx

 

What’s On Stage Awards 2011 (Part 2)

So, as I mentioned in part one, there was a lot of fabulous talent at the 2011 What’s On Stage Awards ceremony.

And then there was Ramin. Gorgeous, talented, breathtakingly wonderful, Ramin. Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels that way either (big shocker there, huh?). Sheridan Smith seemed totally head over heals for him and it was both hilariously funny and totally adorable. When she announced that he had won the Best Actor in a Musical award (so very much deserved) she raved about him – how gorgeous he is, etc. etc.. She then hid behind Christopher Biggins when he came up on stage to accept his award.

We were blessed with hearing him perform not once, but twice. First off, he sang Greenday’s ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ from American Idiot and almost convinced me I should go and see it on Broadway (even though I know I only loved it so much because he was singing it). He also performed the Sheytoons ‘Driftwood’ with Hadley Fraser and Rosalie Craig. Sheridan announced the Sheytoons and went off on another ‘isn’t Ramin dreamy’ rant, not seeming to realise that he had just walked onto the stage behind her. Sweetheart that he is, he stopped just behind her until she turned and noticed him, a gorgeous smile on his face. She went all fluttery and when he’d walked away she commented that she freezes up whenever he’s around. He really did look spectacular on Sunday though, dressed in a sexy suit and really rocking his longish hair style. I suppose it’s easy to forget quite how hot he is when he’s hidden behind a mask all the time. Which reminds me, Sheridan also commented that he’s so good looking shouldn’t be allowed to wear a mask… or anything else, in fact. An opinion I suspect was shared by a large portion of the audience, myself included.

In my last post, I promised exciting news and here it is: Ramin is staying! He is now continuing on as the Phantom in Love Never Dies until 3rd September, though I believe he will only be performing six shows a week instead of eight (likely to be Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat, but subject to change). Even more excitingly, however, was the hint that the reason for him cutting down on LND shows is due to recording something. And more Ramin on record can never be a bad thing.

Anyway, going back to the awards, I also did my fair bit of celeb spotting. The bar was split down the middle, though only a velvet rope separated the special guests from us common folk, which allowed for plenty of nosying. I saw Ali Bastion arriving and later spotted Brian Fortuna. Wicked’s Rachel Tucker was doing her hair in the ladies when I was washing my hands, though I couldn’t work out where I recognised her from until she went up on stage to collect another well deserved award.

I saw Craig Revel Horwood, Ben Richard was sat in the row in front, Tamsin Greig was hovering nearby at the start (and also gave the best acceptance speech of the night) and I spotted Dougal Irvine on several occasions , looking gorgeous in his suit, to name but a few. I also saw Liam, though only briefly. I was walking through the bar (not looking for him or anything…) and purely by chance (it really was, I’d pretty much given up hope by that point) bumped into him coming the other way. He was looking at the floor, but knowing I’d regret it if I didn’t at least say hi, I tapped his hand and said a quick hello. I have no idea if he recognised me or not as all we did was exchange a hi/how are you, before going on our separate ways, but I’m still chuffed that I spoke to him. I like to think he knew who I was, but at an event like that I’d assume he would have acted as though he did, even if he didn’t, just in case I turned out to be someone important. Though, I suppose I am in a way, since I buy at least one ticket to almost every show that he performs in, whatever it may be. Anyhoo, I’m aware that I am over analysing, but it’s fun, so who cares?! I did see him again from a distance when he returned to the auditorium after the interval and I will admit to drooling just a little over the rare sight of him looking all suave in a shirt and tie. Though, I have to say, Jack Shalloo also looked rather dashing when he materialised beside Liam just before curtain up on the second half.

So, overall, I had an absolutely fabulous evening, even if Hair didn’t win any of the awards it was nominated for. From what I could tell, the awards were all very well deserved and the performances were a fantastic tribute to a fabulous year of theatre.

If there was one thing that I took away from the evening (other than an even bigger crush on Ramin), it was the thought that I’ve not seen enough shows. Crazy though that may be, given the crazy stats I came up with for last year, it’s true. In part, I can blame it on teh fact that I tend to see the same things over and over again, but even so, it still surprised me how many shows in the musical genre I haven’t seen. When it comes to straight plays, I must confess that my experience has been shockingly lacking and where I can, I hope to improve things on that score. My new goal, therefore, is to try and see a wider variety of shows, both in terms of things I’ve not seen before and genres I may have previously overlooked. Which means not seeing the same show over and over… Yeah right, I know, I don’t believe it either. Especially as I still need to see John Owen-Jones in Phantom, Alfie Boe in Les Mis and now that Ramin is sticking around for another six months…

But anyhoo, I am already doing better this week. I managed to resist the temptation to revisit Love Story before it closes and I’ve seen two plays (reviews to come) instead. It’s been a busy week!

So until next time,

K xx.

What’s On Stage Awards 2011 (Part 1)

My weekend in the middle of nowhere (on a farm somewhere in Herefordshire) was actually rather enjoyable, despite the hour and a half train delay on the way up. It was nice to catch up properly with my friends and we had a fabulous time playing ‘Taboo’ over cheese and wine on Saturday night. I felt rather bad heading out early to get back to London in time for the What’s On Stage awards ceremony, but I’m so glad that I did.

The event, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, home of Mamma Mia (which I still have yet to see) was hosted by Christopher Biggins, Miranda Hart and the fabulous Sheridan Smith who well deserved her award for Best Actress in a Musical. It was a light hearted evening of entertaining presentations, amusing acceptance speeches and wonderful performances.

The first highlight of the night, for me at least, was Michael Xavier and Simon Thomas singing ‘Agony’ from Into the Woods. I didn’t know anything about the musical before I saw this and I now wish that I’d known a bit more a bit earlier so I could have seen it. If it comes around again, I will definitely have to make sure I catch it. The costumes alone had me excited, never mind the song itself.

Then of course there was Dougal Irvine’s Departure Lounge. I spent most of last week wondering which song they were going to sing and decided it was probably a toss up between ‘Brits on Tour’, ‘Why Do We Say Gay?’ and ‘Spanish Hospitality’. They went with the latter and it was an absolute pleasure to watch. Chris Fountain wasn’t there and Jack Shalloo took over the role of JB, while Luke Kempner played Pete in his place. Of course, I was delighted to see Liam singing again, but I hadn’t expected to enjoy the whole performance so much. I was almost as happy about seeing Stevie Webb back in the role of Ross as I was about seeing Liam. Silly as it may sound, it was like seeing an old friend again after far too long. If there is one show that deserves a run on a West End stage, it’s that one.

In terms of other performances, there was a number from Rock of Ages, which, though enjoyable, didn’t exactly blow me away. At the moment it’s the only show that I’m not 100% certain about seeing on Broadway, particularly as I can’t find a special offer for it.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg was fabulous and is definitely a must see. Which is extra special as I’ve been hoping for an opportunity to go back to the Gielgud. Plus, as if that wasn’t enough, Aki Omoshaybi is in the cast as well (another ex-Hair cast member).

Speaking of Hair, Caissie Levy performed a song called ‘With You’ from the hotly anticipated ‘Ghost’. She was spellbinding as always and the song was poignantly beautiful, both musically and in terms of the lyrics. It was one of the best performances of the night.

Alfie Boe closed the show with ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables and apparently (according to Cameron Mackintosh, so I think he can probably be trusted to have his facts straight) Alfie will be joining the cast at the Queen’s Theatre in the summer, so it may finally be time for me to revisit Les Mis in the West End. His voice really is something special, it’s just so smooth and crystaline. It’s an absolute pleasure to listen to him and I think I may have to purchase his album in the near future.

Anyways, I have plenty more to say, including some star spotting and a bit of raving about Ramin Karimloo (plus some exciting news), but that shall have to wait for part two, which should follow along soon.

So until then,

K xx

PS. Apologies for the over-tagging on this post, I got carried away.

Anna Nicole

I actually considered not blogging about Anna Nicole, the new opera based on the life of Anna Nicole Smith. In the end I decided that I would, clearly, but I will keep it relatively short.

I didn’t like the opera, in fact, I briefly entertained the idea of leaving at the interval. Of course, it wasn’t really a possibility (I would never dream of leaving a show early, especially as second acts can totally turn things on their head), but it at least gives you an idea of what I thought of the first act.

Musically, very little, if any of it, stood out for me. I don’t feel I can judge it entirely fairly as I’m aware that a lot of the magic in opera comes from the romance of a language that one doesn’t really understand. Whether I would have enjoyed it more had it been in Italian or French, I can’t say.

Overall, I thought it was crude and needlessly cruel, particularly given the fact that it’s not all that long since she died. The second act in particular had a twisted bitterness that made me feel slightly uncomfortable. I suppose there just seems to be something tasteless about victimising someone who can no longer defend themselves. For example, I couldn’t stand Jade Goody, but if this had been about her, I doubt I would have been any happier about it.

The earlier parts were more comedic than anything, but the emotion kicked in later on. I cried when Daniel died and I cried when she did. I felt painfully sorry for her throughout. Though I don’t know how much of it she brought on herself, she seemed very manipulated by the people around her. It doesn’t seem like the sort of life anyone deserved to have to live.

Anyway, perhaps it’s very modern and cutting edge, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I prefer my modernity in the form of rock opera musicals and apparently I prefer my operas traditional.

Of course, it’s just my point of view and I’m sure that many other people in the sold out audience thought it was magnificent. If nothing else, it was at least nice to see an opera from such fantastic seat (row E of the amphitheatre – at the side, but still a wonderful view) and for such a reasonable price. I’ve also never seen such a huge cast on stage for an opera. The main cast alone was significant, but the chorus was huge. It was rather impressive to see really, though accoustically, I didn’t think it was as good as it could have been. Eva-Maria Westbroek played Anna Nicole and she was good but I found that on several occasions I could barely hear her over the music. I suspect if I saw her in something I actually enjoyed I would be more impressed with her. As it is, I can’t really judge fairly.

Other than that, it was also rather surreal what they did with the Royal Opera House for the occasion. There is one image that has been on the posters, which they put into every frame hung in the hallways, covering up whatever sketches and photographs are normally on show. Every statue had an ‘Anna Nicole’ picture placed over the face and the usual red velvet curtains were replaced with a hot pink version embroidered with pouting lips and ‘A N R’ instead of ‘E II R’. Her face also appeared instead of the usual royal crest on the drapery above the stage.

Moving on to happier topics, I had an absolutely fabulous time at the What’s On Stage awards on Sunday, but I haven’t had time to finish writing it up yet. I do have a lot to say though, so you can probably expect two posts on that! I’m off to see ‘Shoes’ again at the Peacock Theatre later in the week thanks to a 50% off voucher courtesy of Pineapple Dance Studios and I’m also going to see something tomorrow, though I don’t know what yet. The plan is to go into town after work and theatre hop until I find a ticket to something I fancy.

So, until next time,

K xx

 

The Time Of My Life

So I didn’t make it to the Brits in the end. I couldn’t justify the cost for the rubbish tickets they were offering online and I was actually feeling so ill that I was glad to just go home. I did, however, watch ‘Kidz’ on TV and am now even more excited about the tour. I’m also so proud of my boys for winning Best Group. They’ve deserved it for years and I’m glad to see them finally getting their hands on it.

Anyways, to make up for missing out on seeing Take That live, I impulse bought a ticket to see Dirty Dancing on Wednesday. It’s my favourite film and I’ve wanted to see it since before it first opened. Now, five years on, the run at the Aldwych is due to end and I have FINALLY been to see it.

Overall, I loved it, BUT… This is going to be more of a critique than anything.

The dancing was absolutely breathtaking, both in terms of the choreography and the quality of the dancers. In fact, the show is worth seeing for that reason alone. Of course the ‘big’ Johnny and Baby/Penny routines are barely distinguishable from the ones in the film, but the rest of it, particularly the ensemble numbers, were wonderful.

My biggest issue with it is the fact that it’s categorised on booking websites etc. as a musical. However, it’s no more a musical than the film is. There is still music, of course, and it’s a mix of tracks from the film with a few new ones thrown in, none of which stood out for me. Mostly, I think, it’s because this is essentially a dance show and the majority of the cast are not singers. That’s not a bad thing, per se, it’s just a fact, which I wasn’t really expecting. There were a handful of singers who sang some of the big songs, but a lot of it seemed recorded. Overall, the show was mostly about the dance numbers.

Normally when I see an adaptation of something I know well (like the films based on the Harry Potter and Twilight books, for example), no matter how much I may love it, I spend half the review complaining about the things they missed out or changed. This, weirdly, is almost the total opposite. It felt as though they were so scared of missing something out that they did their very best to directly translate the film into a stage production. The problem is that the first thing one learns when studying a new language is; do not translate things literally. ‘I love you’ in French is not ‘Je adore tu’.

The point of an adaptation is that it adapts the original to fit the new environment and I don’t think they really did that with this. The set was actually rather impressive and I really liked it, but it seemed as though they had simply done their best to recreate an entire holiday resort on a rather small stage. Weirdly, it actually worked amazingly well (except perhaps the lift in the water scene, which I felt was a little bit lacking), but it just felt a bit unoriginal. I knew exactly what was coming throughout, from the random log that descended across the stage for balance practice, to the lakeside gazebo thing that Dr. Hausman sits on when Baby gives him the ‘you let me down too’ speech.

The cast were good. Johnny Wright as Johnny, looks wise, wasn’t quite to my taste (and his body was a little too muscular for my liking), but he grew on me a lot in the second act and was LOVELY at the stage door, so I’m pretty much sold on him now. To be fair to him, having to live up to the legend that is Patrick Swayze is one hell of a tall order. He was also one of the most stunning dancers I’ve seen live and that was more than good enough for me. The way he moved was just breathtaking and I would very much love an opportunity to spend an hour or so dancing with him! Penny (Nadia Coote) was equally fabulous to watch and I really enjoyed their Mambo number.

Ray Quinn played Billy and I assumed, given that he came second (I think?) in a nationwide TV singing competition (X-Factor, maybe?), that he would do some singing. He did sing a bit; ‘In the Still of the Night’ and ‘I’ve Had the Time of My Life’, but not until the second act. Going back to the ‘musical’ miscategorisation point, I had been expecting more, vocally. Baby, played by Hannah Vassallo, though also a fabulous dancer, annoyed me just a bit, for no reason in particular. Which isn’t really a fair criticism, but there you go. I suppose it was partly just the fact that they changed Baby’s character a little bit and I felt it made her a little less loveable.

My final niggle was the lack of kissing. It’s not as though I was expecting ‘Love Story’ style smooching throughout, but given the fact that they’re supposed to be shagging from the end of the first act onwards, it did seem a little ridiculous to save the big romantic kiss for the end.

Anyway, despite all the criticisms, as I said before, I still loved it. In part, at least, because it DID have everything I love about the film. My favourite scenes, my favourite lines, songs, all of it (except ‘She’s Like the Wind’ which appeared in instrumental form only). Mostly, I just I wish I’d had a better idea of what to expect before I came. This was not a musical, it was a dance show, or at least a dance film, live on stage. Now that I know that, I’m rather tempted to return before the end of the run. Perhaps sit further back/up and see more of the show as a whole. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the film, just be aware that it’s not a frickin’ musical!

Anyway, I’m very glad I went, really wish I hadn’t left it so long to go see it and will hopefully go again in a month or two (it closes in July prior to a national tour). They also have some fab merchandise, including a ‘Johnny Castle’ teddy bear, complete with leather jacket and shades and a load of slogan tops, including the black vest that I couldn’t resist purchasing with ‘No one puts Baby in a corner’ scrawled across it in hot pink.

Next up is the What’s On Stage Awards which I may already have mentioned once or twice, ya know, in passing…! Anyways, I’m sure I’d be excited anyway, but it’s been far too long since I last saw Liam on stage and the thought of the Departure Lounge boys alone is enough to have me bouncing in my seat in anticipation. I’ve also got Anna Nicole at the ROH on Monday plus too many free evenings next week, so I’m sure there will be plenty more reviews heading this way in the near future.

So until next time just remember, no one puts Baby in a corner,

K xx

PS. I was listening to the movie soundtrack on the way home and have felt like dancing since ‘Cry to Me’ at the end of the first act, but I wouldn’t actually do it in public (though I did have a quick wiggle in the toilets during the interval when no one was watching, just to get it out of my system a little!). Not so for the man sitting opposite me. I don’t know what he was listening to, but he was obviously feeling it. He was actually doing some steps with his feet when he was sitting down, then added a bit more wiggling when he stood up. It was both hilariously funny and kinda awesome at the same time!

PPS. And I thought I’d been doing so well at keeping my posts under or around the 1000 word mark… Oh well, when one has a lot to say, one must say it somewhere, or, ya know, explode. Or something.

Stuart Matthew Price

The Battersea Barge is not the most accessible of venues, tucked down at the end of a footpath, a far from insignifigant walk from Vauxhall station. It is, however, rather quaint, particularly with its dusting of fairy lights and the weird feeling of looking out of the windows and seeing that your feet are below water level. There was also rather a lot of rocking at the start of the second half, which was a little discomfitting, but thankfully it eased again as the night progressed and (as far as I know) no one was seasick!

It was, however, an ideal venue for an intimate gig and Stuart Matthew Price did not disappoint. He is one of those magnificently talented singers who sounds even better live than he does on record and I am very much looking forward to seeing him on stage again in the not so distant future.

I discovered Stuart at Hadley Fraser’s Christmas concert at Waterloo East Theatre (which I only went to in the first place to see Ramin Karimloo). He seemed so ordinary when he walked onto the stage, but then he opened his mouth and sang, what is now my favourite song of his, ‘Run Away With Me’ and blew me away completely.

Last night featured a whole host of special guests including Caissie Levy, Hadley Fraser and Dougal Irvine. Unlike Hadley’s gig in December, however, Stuart sang almost every song himself, despite spending most of last week apparently at death’s door!

I only bought Stuart’s album, ‘All Things In Time’, last week and haven’t really had the chance to learn the songs, so I can’t tell you which he sang and which he didn’t but I did recognise a fair few of the tracks. Other than ‘Run Away With Me’, my other instant favourite was ‘Wishing for the Normal’ with Caissie Levy. I had hoped that they would perform it and the fact they didn’t (dueting on ‘Time After Time’ instead) was probably my only disappointment of the night. ‘Midnight Will Happen Without Us’ was also gorgeous as was the album’s title track.

I was also rather impressed with the self-penned tracks that he performed. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the names of them now, but one in particular really stood out for me (though obviously not enough for me to remember its title!).

Aside from the singing he was a highly charismatic performer, chattering happily away between songs and really giving the show an atmosphere. He was also lovely when I hung around afterwards to talk to him and grab a quick photograph. It actually threw me slightly, as even with the friendly ones, I rarely say more than ‘Thanks, it was wonderful’. I wound up telling him how I’d heard of him, briefly discussing future projects (he’s currently working front of house at the Palladium, but has a show lined up which opens later this year) and chatting about how he never knows who people are between meeting them and talking to them on twitter. After that I couldn’t resist tweeting him when I got home and telling him I was the girl with the purple hair.

Funnily enough, or perhaps unsurprisingly given the nature of musical theatre fans and the appearance of Caissie Levy, I recognised a girl from the day-ticket queue for Hair at the table next to us. Weirdly, for me, I got recognised myself by a guy who had seen me at the Gielgud stage door. He asked if I’d had a flower in my hair, which I didn’t think that was a particularly useful question, given the nature of the show. He did then ask if I’d had pink hair back then though, so I figured he probably did see me there!

I also grabbed a quicky picture with the gorgeous and talented Dougal Irvine. He accompanied Stuart on guitar for a song called ‘Touch of Love’ from Dougal’s musical ‘In Touch’. Until last night, I had no idea that it was his musical, despite the fact that I saw and loved it at the Edinburgh fringe last summer. I very much hope it gets another airing in the next year or so, particularly as it was still a work in progress when I saw it and I would love to see it in full. On the same sort of topic, I also didn’t realise that Stuart was in the original production of Departure Lounge in Edinburgh several years ago.

Anyways, I had a lovely time at the gig and am very glad that I went. Next up, well, I’m not quite sure. I’ve got the What’s On Stage Awards on Sunday, which I’m stupidly excited about, but who knows what will happen between now and then. The Brits, hopefully, and perhaps one final GILT show, if there are any tickets left for one that I’d like to see.

So until the next time, whenever and whyever that may be,

K xx

PS. Happy Valentine’s day to those lucky enough to be celebrating it this year. I wasn’t going to mention it, but I have to say, I’ve never seen so many roses in my life (besides at a florist, that is). Every other woman on the tube seemed to be clutching a bouquet. In fact, half the men seemed to be as well, though I suspect they were gifts to be given rather than gifts received. Anyway, despite the cheesy poem competition on the radio this morning AND the crazy amount numbers of flowers, I was doing a pretty good job of pretending it was just another day until one couple felt the need to shove it in my face. Literally.

I was walking down Long Acre (Covent Garden) when a couple walked past all wrapped around each other. I wasn’t really paying attention to them until the red heart-shaped helium balloon she was holding smacked me square in the face. Needless to say, I was not impressed, particularly as I didn’t even catch an apology.

 

Aida’s Carmen

So, my love of Flamenco has, thankfully, been fully restored. Aida Gomez’s Carmen was a feast for the senses and a beautiful adaptation of a classic story.

The production, performed by the Compania Aida Gomez (comprising eighteen dancers plus Aida herself) as part of Sadler’s Wells’ Flamenco festival, was created by Aida Gomez who also played the title role. Unsurprisingly, she was absolutely magnificent. Her Don Jose, played by Christian Lozano, was also breathtaking and I adored every moment that he was on stage. When they danced together it was fiery and sensual almost to the point of combustion, a truly beautiful thing to behold. Eduardo Guerrero as Escamillo (the toreador) was also spectacular and seemed very well cast.

In my last review, I mentioned that my favourite aspects of Flamenco are the passionate intensity of the relationships between the men and women and the dresses. This show had both, in abundance.

The choreography was also brilliantly dramatic. A couple of highlights for me were the opening scene with Don Jose locked in his cell, thinking of Carmen and the bedroom scene between them (though, when don’t I like the bedroom scene?!) followed by a very dramatic interpretation of Carmen’s deathly tarot card reading. I also adored the scene when Carmen is in Don Jose’s custody and seduces him into allowing her to escape. In fact, I could probably list most of the show. The fight between Carmen and Manuelita (played by the wonderful Yolanda Murillo) was wonderfully staged, as was the duel between Don Jose and Zuniga (Isaac Tovar).

The costumes were marvelous, full of classic blacks and reds, interspersed with bright colours and pale pastels. There were frills and full skirts, fans and fringing, and the overall effect was beautiful. The men looked dashing in their uniforms, though of course I had a soft spot for Don Jose in prison with his loose fitting white shirt.

The scenery was very simple and minimalistic, allowing the choroeography and costumes the full attention they deserved. Again, I found myself impressed with the lighting design, particularly the use of spotlights and silhouettes.

The music was a combination of Bizet’s classical work and compositions by Jose Antonio Rodriguez. I can’t say that I know Bizet’s Carmen well enough to know what was new and what was old, but I did notice the more famous pieces dotted throughout. From what I remember of Carmen at the ROH and given that the story takes place in Seville, I can see why the musical transformation appeared so seemless to me. Unfortunately, there was no live band/orchestra, but the dancing more than made up for it.

Overall, I really enjoyed myself and didn’t even come close to falling asleep! If anything, I was disappointed that it only lasted an hour and a half. I’m also very much looking forward to my Flamenco class at Pineapple tomorrow evening (I saw the teacher handing out flyers again as I was leaving).

More reviews to come this week, particularly from the fabulous Stuart Matthew Price gig that I went to on the Battersea Barge.

So until then,

K xx

 

Olé!

So I’m beginning to think that my mother must have played me Flamenco music instead of lullabies when I was a baby. This was the second Flamenco show I’ve seen in the past year and yet again I spent most of it fighting to keep my eyes open.

I’ll admit that I perhaps didn’t do as much research as I should have when booking my ticket for this, but at the price I paid, I’m not going to complain. This particular performance (part of the London Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells) was choreographed and danced by Israel Galvan, supported by vocalist David Lagos and guitarist Alfredo Lagos.

For me, the best aspects of Flamenco are the fieryness of the flirtations between the men and the women and of course, the ladies’ dresses. Both of those were obviously absent from this particular show and had I realised that in advance I might not have bothered coming. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy it (when I managed to keep my eyes open, that is) but I felt that perhaps I wasn’t quite the audience the show was intended for.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the spectators seemed to be Spanish, or at least had Spanish roots. There were several people who kept calling out in Spanish (lots of ‘Olé’s, but also plenty of things I couldn’t understand) and I’m not sure whether it was meant to be funny or traditional or what, but it mostly just annoyed me, only serving to alienate me further. Both the choreography and the music seemed to prompt quite a bit of laughter, none of which I could see the reason for. I wonder if I had a better understanding of Flamenco in general, or a basic knowledge of the Spanish language, whether I might have appreciated it more.

That said, I was still able to enjoy the skill on display. All three performers are clearly very good at what they do and I did like the glimpses of more traditional looking steps that cropped up in the dance every now and again.

The music wasn’t really to my taste and I felt that there was too much of the show dedicated to it, but that’s just a personal preference. I also thought it sounded very Middle Eastern at times, but then I can’t say I know much about traditional Spanish music.

Unusually for me, since I rarely notice such things outright, I found that I was rather impressed with the lighting design (my friend in the entertainment lighting industry will be so proud). It was reasonably simple, but very effective, using harsh edges to the boxes and spots of coloured light on the stage to compliment the style of dance perfectly. According to the programme, I have Ruben Camacho to thank for that.

Anyways, I did manage to stay awake for the last section and the finale/encore bit managed to brighten me up a bit. The three of them switched roles, with the two musicians taking turns and doing a little bit of dancing (and mostly sending up Israel’s routines), while Israel sang (rather well actually) and pretended to play guitar. Perhaps it just shows my lack of culture, but I really did enjoy that bit.

So, despite my experiences to date, I am yet to be put off Flamenco. I enjoyed the mini-shows I’ve seen in the past when on holiday in Spain and I’m still considering booking to see another show (with women this time, based on Carmen) before the end of the festival if I can get tickets this late. I’ve also recently taken up Flamenco dancing again (more on that in a future post) after abandoning my previous class a few years ago after only a couple of months. I’m hoping this one will be more successful, though I was encouraged to see the teacher handing out fliers for it outside the theatre this evening!

Anyhoo, next up is Stuart Matthew Price, unless I make it to Carmen between now and then, so with any luck, you’ll see a return to the rave reviews by the end of the week.

So until then,

K xx

 

Loving Love Story

Getting upgraded from the back row of the circle to the fourth row of the stalls, particularly when one has only paid £10 for one’s ticket is always a promising start to an evening. Even if it does sometimes suggest that there may be a reason for a show closing after less than four months in the West End, beyond the poor ticket sales.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, given the early close, the show was wonderful. It was a small show for a small theatre, but with a brilliant cast and a beautiful score.

I’d not been to the Duchess Theatre before and I almost couldn’t find it, tucked in between the shops. Not that it was badly illuminated, it was simply that it gets a little lost amongst the grandeur of the Lyceum, Novello and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Anyways, what it lacks in size it makes up for in adorableness. With only a small stalls section and ten row dress circle, it really is rather tiny, but for a West End venue, it’s surprisingly intimate. I suspect that my original seat in the Dress Circle would have been far better than my usual non-discounted seats for a regular show.

Anyhoo, as I mentioned in a previous post, I was not particularly swept away by the film. Not so for the musical. In fact, I will be downloading the soundtrack as soon as I get a spare moment. The show was based very closely on the film, lasting less than two hours with no interval. It had all the jokes, a few truly inspired scenes and all the key elements that made the film a classic though it felt, to me at least, a little deeper. Perhaps because it seemed as though we got to know Jenny a little more. In the film the narration is firmly from Ollie’s point of view. The show evened it out a little more, maybe even weighting it more on Jenny’s side. Overall, I thought the show’s characterisation far outweighed that of the film.

In summary, I welled up at the start, laughed in the middle, sobbed at the end and have been humming a line from one of the songs since I left the theatre. In fact, my only criticism was the removal of the tag line ‘love means never having to say you’re sorry’ (however stupid it may be, it’s still rather memorable and poignant, if you don’t analyse it) and the adaptation of my personal favourite scene (Jenny: “What could be better than Mozart? Or Bach? Or You?“, Oliver: “I’m up there with Bach and Mozart?“, Jenny: “And The Beatles“) into a lovely, but somehow less powerful lyric.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much kissing on stage before, but in a soppy way, I absolutely adored it. They’re a young couple in love and the fact that they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other made it even more of a pleasure to watch. My favourite scene had to be their ‘first time’ scene, because, well, it’s me and I like the mushy stuff with a hint of eroticism (and also sexy men half-wearing white shirts). But my second favourite scene, narrowly missing out on the top spot only due to the lack of kissing, was the pasta.

I wasn’t actually sure how much was real and how much was staged, which is saying a lot really. All I can say, is whatever they were doing, something edible clearly came out of it and I could smell pasta cooking. Also, I met Emma (Jenny) at the stage door and she was discussing how many times she’d cut herself while chopping garlic! Anyways, the choreography of the scene was brilliant and I loved it.

As per usual, the more I think back on it, the more I think of to mention, but I’m not going to put it all here. If you want to know more, go watch the film, or even better, rush out and see the stage show before it closes ridiculously early on 26th February.

The cast, as I mentioned, were spectacular. The two fathers, Peter Polycarpou as Phil Cavilleri and Richard Cordery as Oliver Barrett III, were very good and really served to emphasise the difference between Ollie and Jen’s backgrounds. As for the leads, they took my breath away. The chemistry between them was absolutely perfect. Emma Williams played Jennifer Cavilleri and as well as a sparkling voice, she was also totally believable in the part. Opposite Emma, was Michael Xavier as Oliver Barrett IV who I loved just as much. Aside from being yet another rather delicious specimen of manhood, he has an equally lovely voice and impressed me very much as an actor, particularly in the more emotional scenes towards the end.

The stage door was a definite success as I managed to get ten out of twelve cast autographs plus a pic with Emma and TWO with Michael! They were both lovely and I hope for their sakes as much as anything, that the show gets to tour, or something similar. They definitely deserve it. Though, of course, if either of them wind up in another London production, I will do my best to attend.

Unfortunately, I can’t justify going to see the show again within a month, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who gets the chance before it closes.

Anyways, I think I’ve raved enough for one review. Next up there’s Flamenco at Sadler’s Wells tomorrow night, Stuart Matthew Price on Sunday and some random bits and pieces I haven’t quite had space for in my other posts of late. So in amongst all the show reviews, you can expect a random natter at some point soon.

So, until then,

K xx

Farewell To My Favourite Phantom

Last Week, I saw Ramin play the phantom for the very last time. It was beautiful, he was beautiful and I will miss him terribly.

I loved the show just as much as I always have and I was delighted to see Sierra Boggess back as Christine. It wasn’t that her understudy wasn’t good, but Sierra is just better. The chemistry between her and Ramin is breathtaking and I think the new version gives them more of a chance to play with it. ‘Beneath a Moonless Sky’ was just magical… the way they sang it, the way they looked at each other, the way they touched… Beautiful. In fact, I adored every scene they had together and will be very, very sad to see them both leave.

I saw Dean Chisnall as Raoul again, which was brilliant. I think the new, softer Raoul suits him much better and I can’t help but prefer him to Joseph Millson, especially now. Last time I saw him I thought he was good, but this time I thought he was spectacular. Just the right mixture of strength and vulnerability, control and helplessness. You could still see parts of the young boy Raoul had once been, mixed in with the broken man he had become. At the stage door he was as lovely and luscious as always, even if he did keep us waiting almost as long as Ramin.

It seems Dean is also leaving LND soon to join the cast of Shrek when it opens in May. Yet again he’s only ensemble, which is a shame as he deserves so much better, but he is first cover Shrek, so hopefully I’ll get to see him playing a leading role again if I time it right. Unfortunately, he won’t look quite as hot dressed as an ogre, but I’m sure I shall enjoy it nonetheless. Particularly his Northern accent at the stage door . Incidentally, I also heard that Summer Strallen is leaving to star in a stage adaptation of the Fred and Ginger classic, ‘Top Hat’. Definitely a show I will have to see, I adore that film and I can see Summer excelling in the role.

Ramin was as wonderful as always and the perfect gentleman at the stage door. I know I promised I wasn’t going to see the show again before he leaves and I won’t, but it is rather tempting to go and see him just once more. At least I’ll be seeing him at the WoS Awards, even if it is only for one Sheytoons number.

I won’t review the show itself again, as I’ve already blogged about it plenty, but I will say that I still love the new version. I think it’s far better than the original both in the characterisation and as a show as a whole. Before I move on, I’d love to give a quick shout out to the boy who played Gustave, but I’m not sure what his name is. I’ve seen a fair few different boys and I know I’ve seen this one before, but I thought he was absolutely wonderful. He acted well and his voice was beautiful. He seemed a lot steadier than the others I’ve seen and I was very impressed (even if I did think he looked uncannily like a young Draco Malfoy). [EDIT 27/10/11: For those who may be interested, the Gustave I mentioned here was played by Harry Polden (which I found out after seeing him in Ragtime)]

In other news, I think I’ve finally decided on Broadway shows. I have time to see five different performances, including a matinee so the lucky winners are: Phantom of the Opera (a given), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (both for Will Swenson and because it’s awesome), Tosca (because I have to see something at the Met), Rock of Ages (because a good rock musical full of men with long hair might help a little with the inevitable post-hair blues) and Spiderman (because it sounds different).

The last two are still up for negotiation, with American Idiot and Mary Poppins narrowly missing the cut. I’ve also recently had a recommendation for The Book of Mormon, so I might have to reconsider that one. It’s looking like I’ll have to book everything before I go though, as so many of the shows are opening in March and I wouldn’t want to risk them selling out. It means I can plan better, but it also means no last minute changes of heart. If something else comes up, it will just have to be tough luck.

Speaking of tough luck, I was entertaining the idea of booking to see Gavin Creel in Prometheus Bound and just not going if there’s a Be-In that night. Unfortunately, it’s already sold out for that day and I don’t have another option as they don’t have weekend performances. Very frustrating, especially as I’m still thinking it’s rather unlikely that I’ll be lucky enough to be there for the Boston Be-In.

Anyways, the next dilema is seats. Tosca is going to be cheap, family circle stuff, but I was planning on splurging on the musicals a bit. Spiderman sounds like a bit of a spectacle so I might pay a bit less for that as well since I don’t mind being further back, but the other three are looking rather pricy.

I’m not sure about Rock of Ages yet, but for Priscilla, I would really like to be as close as possible since I’m going to see a specific actor and it would be nice to be able to see his face without needing binocculars. Unfortunately, the decent tickets for that particular show cost over $200 EACH! I mean, ouch!

As for Phantom, when I searched for tickets they were offering me row B of the stalls, which perversely, is far too close. I’m rather excited about the prospect of top tickets for this and I would rather like to sit underneath the chandelier when it falls, not in front of it.

Anyways, next week I’m off to see Love Story, a Flamenco show at Sadler’s Wells and Stuart Matthew Price on the Battersea Barge. All impulse buys, so I hope they’re good, but at least they were reasonably cheap.

I only saw the film, Love Story, last week and though I laughed and cried at all the right moments, I did feel afterwards that it seemed a little pointless, like nothing much had really happened. The musical closes at the end of the month, however, and I managed to get a £10 ticket through GILT, so I figured I may as well go. So, we shall see if the musical is any better.

Other than that, I really fancied going to Sunday Night is Music Night, Upstairs at the Gatehouse (above the pub in Highgate). I can’t say I know all that much about it, but it sounds like a small concert of musical theatre performers singing musical theatre hits. I’ll give you one guess as to why I wanted to go, it starts with L, ends with M and has an I and an A in the middle. Unfortunately, however, the timing was rather rubbish and I couldn’t make it back from Manchester in time to go. I shouldn’t really moan, since I’m still going to see Liam at the WoS Awards and the Bobby Cronin concert, but as far as I’m aware, he’s still sadly unemployed, so I’m trying to get my Liam fixes wherever I can.

Anyways, such is life and I do have plenty to get excited about in the near future (including the lovely Liam), so until next time,

K xx

PS. I actually wrote this entire blog on my way home from LND but Steel (the Nokia E61, not the sex-god), decided to wipe the entire document before I had a chance to save it. So, apologies if this lost a little of its charisma in the second retelling.

PPS. Apologies for the ridiculous length of this post, I got carried away!

Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert

It’s official. Oliver Thornton has the nicest arse in Theatre Land, possibly the world.

So, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre (incidentally, not only did I work directly opposite for several months early last year (I could even see into the wig room when they left the window open), it’s also one of the most stunningly ornate theatres that I’ve ever visited)… I’m not even sure where to start. It was absolutely spectacular in every way and I loved it. I saw the film a few months ago and really enjoyed it; the cheese, the glitz, the glam, it’s simply fabulous, darling. The show is everything the film is and more.

The costumes were brilliant (the kind I’d love to try designing), with a mix of old favourites from the film and sparkly new numbers. The sets were reasonably understated, as one would expect given that the majority of the show takes place in the outback, which just added to the effect of the costumes. Though Priscilla herself, was perfectly OTT, of course. As for the music, it was pure unadulterated cheese and almost every song had me wanting to jump up and dance.

The cast were top notch. I saw the understudy for Bernadette which I didn’t realise until I asked for Don Gallagher at the stage door (nice and embarrassing, of course), and I have to admit I wasn’t overly impressed. I’m not sure which understudy I saw, and he was good, he just wasn’t as fabulous as the rest of them. Ben Richards, by contrast, well deserved the part of Tick/Mitzi. His voice is lovely, his body is luscious and his acting was totally believable. I’ll admit I wasn’t overly excited about the prospect of seeing Ray Meagher as Bob, having only ever had a brief fling with Home & Away in my youth (back in the Vinnie and Justine days), but he played the role well, so fair play to him.

And then there was Adam/Felicia, played by Oliver Thornton, who deserves a paragraph all to himself. I’ll admit I was a little biased towards him before the show even started, but I could barely take my eyes off of him whenever he so much as set a stiletto clad foot on the stage. His acting was wonderful, making me laugh out loud and nearly bringing me to tears at all the right moments. His voice is lovely and then there’s his body… His legs are just… And his chest… And never mind the fact that facially he’s absolutely beautiful… And then there’s his arse… Dear G-d that tuchus is perfectly formed. I could probably write a whole post just raving about it. I won’t, but I could. Anyways, I laughed when someone tweeted Oliver to say that their West End Bares calendar was going to get stuck on February (Oliver’s month), but I think mine actually will!

Moving on, however, well, sort of… My favourite scene had to be the one where Adam gets all dolled up and drugged up before almost getting beaten up by a gang. I can’t say I was expecting it to be my favourite scene, but it started with Oliver in a pink sparkly thong (and matching bra), rolling on his hold-ups and ended with him all emotional and vulnerable. Then there was the bit in between, featuring a weird seductiveness that was pure sex no matter how off his head he was acting. I think my tongue may have actually fallen out of my mouth when he showed off his arse in that thong, though. I mean, DAMN!

Other than the sexy Oliver scenes (don’t even get me started on the bondage gear in his opening number), I really enjoyed the interplay between the three main characters, particularly when they were on the bus. The big dance numbers were also great, particularly as they had such a talented cast. And of course, I loved the big shoe on top of the bus with the blaring opera music and not just because it was Oliver in skin tight glitter (though of course, that helped).

So, needless to say; I loved it, now have a desperate urge to glam it up and go dancing (which I shall unfortunately have to suppress for the moment), will definitely see it on Broadway so long as I get the chance to see it with the delectable Will Swenson and have officially added Oliver ‘Sex on a Stick’ Thornton to the ‘To Stalk’ list.

Anyways, Love Never Dies on Thursday, which probably won’t get a proper review as I’ve already done it to death, but I’m sure I’ll be back between now and the Flamenco show I impulsively booked for next week at the Peacock Theatre (I missed the one I went to in Edinburgh as I somehow managed to fall asleep in the middle of it (no, I don’t know how that happened), so I thought I’d have another go).

So until then, keep it glitzy,

K xx