Twenty Years Of Theatre – In Programmes

So today I decided it was about time I finally organised my programmes rather than just continuing to throw them into a haphazard heap under my bed while praying they don’t end up completely destroyed. Once I started, however, I thought it might be fun to flick through some of them and it turns out I’ve seen a lot of people I now adore in some old shows back when they would have meant nothing to me. I doubt anyone is all that interested in this, but I found it quite fascinating, so I thought I’d blog about it anyway. Of course, I have no guarantees that some of these people were even on the night that I went, but still…. I also have the problem of recognising people in old programmes but not knowing what I’ve seen them in more recently. But anyhoo, here goes nothing:

(This will mostly be an annotated list in no particular order as I put this together whilst going through random piles with no ordering whatsoever except that glossy brochures and programmes were separate due to shelf size issues)

So to begin, I was busy drooling over old pictures of Liam as Link Larkin in Hairspray and who did I find? David McMullan, the guy I recognised (well it looked a hell of a lot like him anyway and he had a very ‘musical theatre’ sort of manner!) sitting in my row at the Ladykillers last week! It’s just now occurred to me that the reason I recognised him was because I also saw him in Ragtime at the Landor (which was confirmed on finding that programme which also assisted me with working out that the guy I recognised at something – Jingle Balls, maybe? was Alexander Evans). I somehow missed the fact he was also in the ensemble of Love Never Dies though – this is what happens when Ramin is on the stage . I think I’ve already mentioned the fact that Aki Omoshayabi was in it Hairspray, but I thought I’d say it again anyway. Woot, hippies .

Speaking of hippies, Holly James was in Starlight Express when I saw it on tour at the New Wimbledon Theatre back in ‘06, with Oliver Thornton as Rusty (wow I wish I remembered that better) and another familiar face; Tim Driesen (from Never Forget).

Speaking of Never Forget, with the new cast though also in Wimbledon… Scott Garnham played Jose and I’ve even got his autograph to prove he was on that night. What I wouldn’t give to see that again now!

Les Mis, 2004, my first two trips and there was another hippie in the cast – Gemma Baird. Apparently Ollie Thornton was also playing Enjolras back then! Wish I remembered that even more than Starlight.

Mark Evans was Brad in Rocky Horror on the last tour but I didn’t know who he was back then . It wasn’t even all that long ago, but he was just this gorgeous man to drool over then. I didn’t ‘discover him’, so to speak, until Bobby Cronin’s gig when he completely blew me away.

Stuart Matthew Price was a vocalist at Strictly Gershwin when it first opened.

Alastair Brookshaw (who I saw as Leo Frank in Parade at the Southwark Playhouse) was a vocalist the first time I saw Shoes at Sadler’s Wells. Jared Hageman was also one of the dancers. I’ve seen him in Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Grey, but far more importantly, he was one of Take That’s dancers on the Progress Tour. I think I spotted him on X-Factor too.

Chris Passey as Benjamin in the Joseph tour 2007 at the Birmingham Hippodrome!

I knew this already, but Zoe Birkett, who I loved on Pop Idol 2002 and who should have been playing Dionne on the UK tour of Hair (she’s still playing the role in Munich) was in Respect La Diva and I even got her autograph, despite not realising who she was until the Hair tour was announced!

Burn the Floor starring Brian Fortuna and Ali Bastian apparently also featured Artem Chigvintsev and Robin Windsor, before either joined Strictly. Obviously I didn’t have a clue who they were at the time, but somehow managed to get autographs off both of them anyway, even though I only got signatures from six out of twenty+ dancers (and two of those were the ‘stars’). Shame I didn’t bother with pictures (at least I don’t think I did, I should probably check that)!

Many years ago, well, six, but it feels like longer, I saw a play called As You Desire Me which for some reason really stood out for me and I still remember the story, or at least the gist of it, to this day. Turns out it starred Kristin Scott Thomas and Bob Hoskins. Unfortunately, this pre-dated my regular stage door activity, but it’s still kinda funky. Especially since I never could remember the name of that play and it’s rather useful to have rediscovered the programme.

Even more years ago than that, back in 1994, I went to see Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, for the very first time and I guess my love of musical theatre was probably born around then. I still remember that show so clearly, it’s weird, especially since I’ve seen it a fair few times since then, yet it’s that first performance that’s always stayed with me. Darren Day starred and the theatre trip was the culmination of months of constantly singing the songs. For whatever reason, my parents wouldn’t take me to see it, but then my Grandma treated me when I went to visit her and apparently I beamed throughout the whole show!

And then in 1998, also in Manchester, I saw Oliver starring Gary Wilmot as Fagin. Turns out Michael Cotton was in the cast too. Wonder what I’d have thought back then if I’d known all these years later I’d see him dancing around in the buff in Naked Boys Singing . I suspect I’d have been shocked and appalled given I was only about 13 and I was oh so sweet and innocent back then!

Back into the noughties and I went to see Ewan McGregor in Guys and Dolls in 2005. All I really remember was being stuck right up at the back and not getting to see Ewan at the stage door afterwards, but turns out the show also featured a rather young looking Summer Strallen.

One of my bigger ‘ wow, really?!’ moments came when I found the programme for The Pirates of Penzance at the Savoy in 2004. I remember the show and remember being rather excited about Anthony Head playing the Pirate King. What I obviously wouldn’t have been excited about at the time but would so love to see now, was Hadley Fraser as Fredric!

Adam Pearce (who I know from Love Never Dies) was one of the brothers in Joseph when Lee Mead was starring. Stephen John Davis (who I saw as Emile in South Pacific) was Reuben too.

I’ve no idea when I saw Beauty and the Beast, but given that it was on at the Dominion, it must have been a fair few years ago since We Will Rock You has been on there for the past decade. According to the programme it premiered in 1997, so I’d guess at the date being sometime around then. Anyhoo, a quick flick through the programme produced the info that Barry James (Firmin in Phantom) played Cogsworth and Earl Carpenter was in the ensemble!

One particular programme I’ve been looking for for a while, is the Far Pavilions. I don’t think it was much of a success, but I remember enjoying it. Obviously I don’t remember Hadley Fraser in this either, but I’ve known for a while that he was in it so it was kinda nice to finally find the programme and see the picture with my own eyes.

Spamalot starring Tim Curry was an interesting find. Mark Evans was a swing, so there’s a good chance I didn’t see him and Craige Els (Never Forget) was a walking understudy, so I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have seen him either, but Hannah Waddingham was the Lady of the Lake and I’m pretty sure I saw her at least!

I’m loving these old programmes too, the head shots are so dated – all those massive perms on the women and boyband curtains on the men! Anyhoo, another trip to the Manchester Opera House some time around 1996 and Alexis Owen-Hobbs was playing Cha-Cha. (Shane Richie was starring as Danny, but he was off when I went to see it. I have no clue how I still remember that fact though!).

Oliver Thornton was also in Chicago back when I saw it. Who knew I’d seen him in so much!

The weirdest by far is actually a concert programme, from Party in the Park 2000. It’s in rather horrific condition as I can still remember the way it poured down for most of the day (which resulted in my programme getting completely sodden through and all the pages getting stuck together. I remember the concert and even the nightmare of getting tickets, what I’d forgotten were the acts. I remember Ronan Keating and I remember being very disappointed when Stephen Gateley didn’t perform despite being on the bill. I remember that the only time I sat down all day was during Moloko because I didn’t much like them and I remember Lionel Richie (though he’s not actually on the programme, so I’m wondering if I imagined that or if he replaced someone else (like Gary Barlow replaced him at the BBC gig in Hyde Park that I missed last summer). I also have a vague recollection of Five performing with Queen – mostly cos I liked Five . The thing is, I saw some seriously cool acts that day. Perhaps some of them weren’t as famous then as they are now, but even so. Amongst others, assuming the programme is correct, I saw: Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, All Saints, Christina Aguilera (I think I actually remember her singing Genie in A Bottle), Elton John with the Backstreet Boys (man I wish I remembered that!), Kylie, Destiny’s Child (when there were still four of them!), Craig David, Steps, Westlife and Billie Piper!

I guess the most melancholy (at least based on programme findings plus the fact I was looking through the glossy brochure too and sulking about not getting to see it again) was from Hair in the West End. For some stupid reason I only bought the one, back when I first saw it and Will Swenson was still playing Berger. I did get Steel’s autograph and a fair chunk of the named cast, but I’m missing so many tribe members, it’s really rather sad. It was also before Liam joined the show, so he’s not in it either. I’m kicking myself now for not buying a second one later in the run and I did actually try to get my hands on one through various sources after the show closed and I realised how stupid I’d been, but nothing came of it. Such a shame . Still, I suppose I had an incredible summer (of love) with my beloved hippies and I’ll always have those fabulous memories plus the ones from Boston even if I don’t get another chance to see Hair again anytime soon. (I’ve also listened to the album the whole way through today, which didn’t help! – Let the sun shine in)

And finally on a slightly chirpier note, I apparently saw Michael Barrymore as Wishee Washee in Aladdin at the Manchester Opera House all the way back in 1992 . I think that’s the oldest one I found, except perhaps Rainbow which I saw live on stage when I was very very small, but I don’t know what year it was.

Anyhoo, in case you were wondering what that many programmes look like (or if you were wondering why it took me FIVE hours to go through them all), this is the whole lot of them:

On average I’d guestimate that there are about 20 per stack, maybe a few more. Of course there are shows I didn’t get programmes for, either because it was many years ago when £3 was just too much to spend or because they simply weren’t available. There are also shows I have several versions of; Phantom, Les Mis, etc. etc.. It’s a good collection though and I’m pretty proud of it. At least next time I lament the fact that life always seems to pass by far too quickly, I can look at this lot and think ‘Well at least I’m not wasting it’.

Anyways, there were countless other names that appeared time and time again, but the above were the ones that really stood out and made me go ‘oooh, cool’. I gotta say, it’s just another reason I love theatre, following careers from the early days. I think that’s even part of the reason I’m so fond of Liam, having seen (possibly) every show he’s been in since he started out. I still see big things in his future and I love watching that ascension from nobody to universally acknowledged star. One day I’ll be watching him play some massive part *cough*Phantom*cough* and I’ll be able to look back and say ‘look how far he’s come’ and know I’ve been there since the beginning.

Peace, loVe loVe and happiness,
K xx

PS. And now I get to do some serious tagging . Overkill, thy name is random posts about 2 decades of theatre trips and deciding to tag every single person/show/theatre mentioned!

PPS. I have a multitude of almost finished reviews, so fingers crossed I’ll get at least some of them posted in the next few weeks.

The Canterbury Tales

Having purchased a pay as you go thingemy whatsit for the Southwark Playhouse, then realised that it’s possibly facing closure with the new developments at London Bridge station, I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t be able to take full advantage of it. The theatre seems to be overly fond of gritty dramas of the sort I generally avoid and I wasn’t sure at all when there would next be a show I fancied seeing. The Canterbury Tales seemed intriguing, at least, with the advert explaining that it was to take place in a fully functioning tavern (converted from the main house for this purpose). In the end I didn’t buy a drink, though the promise of mulled wine in a metal tankard was highly appealing, but then I booked tickets for no less than ten shows in the past twenty four hours and am now just a teeny tiny bit broke. Only fifteen days til payday (dear Merlin, however will I cope?! This addiction is possibly getting just a little out of hand. Especially since all those bookings had to take into account the fact that I’m now intending to go dancing twice a week!). On a completely irrelevant note, it was actually my one year anniversary in my current job today, which (through no fault of my own) was the first time I’ve ever reached such a monumental milestone. Go me. Unfortunately I sort of forgot I was going to get treats for the office, but if I manage to sort myself out over the weekend, maybe I’ll bring in some homebaked goodies next week to make up for it. Anyway, back to the show!

It was a little unusual, but a lot brilliant. It was a fabulous atmosphere, a great mix of audience interaction and performance and I loved the way the whole thing was put together. There were moments when I genuinely couldn’t tell if bits were scripted or not and I thought that was a nice touch, making it seem more natural.

It started off oddly, with the land-lord character introducing the performance in Middle English that was nigh on impossible to understand, but it improved rather a lot from there. The rest of the cast were the players and between them they acted, sang and played their way through their various stories. Each tale had a narrator played by a particular character (the Summoner, the Pardoner etc.) while the rest acted out the story. Some tales were better than others just as some were more to my taste.

Some of it was downright filthy (my dad’s first comment when I told him what I went to see was ‘that’s very rude’!), which of course I enjoyed very much. Some of the tales I knew already, but a surprising number I’d never even heard of. I liked the romance and the comedy as well, though less so the more moralistic tales – what can I say, I’m clearly a hedonist driven by the need for bountiful pleasures (refuses to count how much money has been spent on tickets today). I loved the Knight’s Tale because it was kinda fairytaley and The Miller’s Tale because it was cheeky and frickin’ funny. Oddly, however, for me the most memorable moment was in the Pardoner’s Tale at the very end when Death sits holding the three bags of money that the men had taken, now with the letters RIP written across them. She had her old woman scarf over her head and a triumphant but slightly demonic smile on her face. It was surprisingly powerful, though I suppose that one’s got a moral and I enjoyed it. Perhaps I’m not completely beyond redemption after all!

The cast were superb, both as actors and musically. I’m not going to list all of them here, but particular favourites were Theone Rashleigh who was just brimming with energy, Rosalind Blessed who’s characters were brilliant from Death to a chicken and finally Matt Salisbury, but that’s mostly just because I had a bit of a crush on him!

I got an autographic full house in my programme afterwards, which I was rather pleased with, though no photos. I also found myself hovering awkwardly again, trying to decide how to approach someone without interrupting his evening with his friends/family. You’d think after all this time and experience I’d be a bit better at autograph hunting, but I’m still flippin’ awful at it! Oh well, I usually get there in the end at least!

Anyhoo, it was a fab show and I’m really glad I went!

Peace, loVe loVe and happiness,

K xx

The Belle’s Stratagem

Given that I only went to see the Belle’s Stratagem because it sounded vaguely interesting and I have a soft spot for Gina Beck, I was rather surprised to enjoy myself quite so thoroughly! It is an absolutely magnificent play and I laughed the entire way through.

So tonight had me back at the Southwark Playhouse, this time in the main auditorium. I was at the front of the queue and had my pick of the seats so in the end I went for front row, centre. Always a risk with fringe shows, but in this case, quite enjoyed it. The cast were tremendous (I found a new adjective, do you like it?!) and the story engaging.

It follows the story of Letitia Hardy who finds on meeting her betrothed that while she has fallen head over heels in love, he feels somewhat indifferent to her English charms. Through various means, she sets out first to make him hate her, then to love her, feeling initially that she needs to make him feel something before she can make him feel love. In the mean time, Mr and Mrs. Touchwood are in town and George Touchwood, a highly jealous man, is determined to keep his wife Frances from becoming a fashionable lady. Mrs. Rackett (Letitia’s aunt) and friend, Miss. Ogle, determine to their best not only to ensnare Doricort for Letitia, but also to wind up George by helping his wife into society.

There are various other intrigues along the way, many caused by Flutter who enjoys spreading gossip, but often fails to recall the correct facts, but I shan’t spoil it by revealing any more. It was a fabulous play, with unexpectedly amusing musical interludes (four country girls in period dress, new to the city and singing ‘I really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig ahhh’ is something I hope to remember for a long time to come!). There were some lovely voices in the cast and I have to admit, I’d forgotten how good Gina Beck really is. (She announced this morning that she’s taking over as Glinda in Wicked at the end of the year and I think she’ll be perfect. Incidentally, Matt Willis of Busted will be the new Fiyero, so I’m now wondering what Mark Evans has planned for the future. I’d quite like to see him in something, but I don’t have the time to see Wicked just for Fiyero. Anyhoo, I totally digress…). I was also highly entertained by Doricourt’s pretence of madness. It was fantastically funny and incredibly energetic. Plus it gave me an excuse to watch Michael Lindall (the newest member of the ‘to stalk’ list, though it seems he’s not on twitter, so that could hinder me slightly) writhing around on the floor. (In fact, I could really have used one of those lace fans all the female characters carried around with them throughout!). Anyhoo, I adored the cast, the show, the staging, all of it!

Gina Beck was the fabulous Letitia Hardy to Michael Lindall’s Doricourt. I adored them both, though I’ll admit I had trouble tearing my eyes away from Mr. Lindall. Not only was he a fabulous actor and incredibly engaging, he’s also drop dead gorgeous. I mean really… So. Damn. Hot. *fans face*. I was also mightily impressed by Jeremy Joyce as Saville, Tim Dorsett as Villers (also on the cute side, both characters being friends of Doricourt) and Christopher Logan as Flutter who had so much energy it was as though he’d drunk a gallon of red bull before coming out on stage. The Touchwoods, were played by Joseph Macnab and Hannah Spearritt (of S Club 7 fame) and they were fabulous. The chemistry was fabulous and the scenes in which they became a little, er, loved up, were brilliant. Finally, Maggie Steed excelled as Mrs. Rackett, complimented wonderfully by Jackie Clune’s Miss Ogle.

Afterwards, I spent a fair bit of time hanging around the bar on my own feeling like a total muppet while I tried to nab people from the show when they weren’t mid conversation. I guess the plus of a fringe show is that many of the actors aren’t used to being autograph hunted and they seem almost as happy to sign as I am to collect. The negative, of course, is that one often finds one’s self on the edge of a group, not wanting to interrupt, but not wanting to appear to be eavesdropping either. Anyhoo, I missed Hannah Spearritt because she rushed off, but I did manage a photo with Michael Lindall (my hands only a shook a little this time, he’s not quite on Liam’s level yet!), so swings and roundabouts. I also managed to get three of my missing autographs from the Parade cast, most notably from David Haydn, as that show kicked out around the same time which I was rather pleased with.

Overall, I left the theatre with aching cheeks from laughing and smiling so much. I was grinning so widely at the end I thought my face was going to split. It was phenomenal and I can’t recommend it enough. I know I say that a lot, but really, this one was pure gold.

Respect La Diva tomorrow and then I get a few days off to recover before another four shows next week (I managed to get Britain’s Got Bhangra tickets today, though I’m not too sure what to expect, really. I’m only going for the Dougal Irvine connection). Have I mentioned lately how much I adore the theatre? I need sleep rather desperately, but damn am I enjoying myself!

Peace, loVe loVe and hot men!

K xx

Parade

I’ve had a thumping headache all evening and I still absolutely adored Parade, performed in The Vault at the Southwark Playhouse. The music was beautiful, the cast incredible and the story heartbreaking.

Set in Atlanta, Georgia in 1913, Parade tells the story of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent who is accused of murdering a thirteen year old girl. The musical follows the trial and its consequences, Leo, his wife and the people of the city.

The only song I knew in advance was ‘Old Red Hills Of Home’ thanks to Stuart Matthew Price, but it’s a beautiful song and it started the show perfectly. I also adored ‘This Is Not Over Yet’, but I think a big part of that was because of the sheer level of talent in the cast and particularly in the actors who played Leo and Lucille Frank. On the same theme, I loved ‘All The Wasted Time’ which, along with the scene itself, had me in floods of tears.

Needless to say, I cried a fair bit in this one (though not quite to Love Never Dies proportions – which I still blame on the shock of it all). The final scenes were truly heartbreaking and (spoiler alert, select the white text to read) Leo’s rendition of the Shema damn near broke my heart. It affected me far more than I thought it would, especially given that I knew it was coming. But then I guess it means something to me in a way it wouldn’t to most of the audience.

I actually half went to see this show for Simon Bailey, but it turns out he had a comparatively small part as Tom Watson. I do now have a host of other actors to follow in future. Leo Frank was played by Alastair Brookshaw and he was absolutely phenomenal. His acting was heartbreakingly believable and his voice was magnificent. Laura Pitt-Pulford played opposite him as his wife Lucille and she was equally brilliant. Their duets were incredible. Samuel J Weir opened the whole show and played Frankie Epps and he was fabulous, despite the fact he’s still incredibly young. I see a bright future for him in any case. David Haydn as Governor Slaton/Britt Craig/Mr Peavey was also brilliant, particularly as the Governor. I could keep going through the whole cast, but I’ll stop after this next one, Terry Doe as Newt Lee/Jim Conley/Riley was also fantastic and very versatile. Not to say that rest of the cast weren’t also absolutely magnificent.

The stage door afterwards (otherwise known as the bar) was the usual for a fringe venue. They all came out in one go and I missed a couple, but got all the ones I wanted except David Haydn who I only realised I’d missed when I was on the tube home. I may take the programme with when I go back to see The Belle’s Stratagem, on the off chance I see him. Philip Rham (who played the old soldier/Judge Roan) was sweet though. I missed him coming out then saw him stood near the exit when I was leaving so I jumped in and asked him to sign my programme. He commented that he thought I’d missed him and then personalised the autograph which I always appreciate. I decided against photos for practical reasons as well as the fact I’d been crying and decided it wasn’t worth embarrassing myself when I already looked a state. Shame though, I’d have liked one with Simon and Alastair.

So, despite the rather depressing subject matter, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly, highly recommend it. I don’t think it’s on for much longer, but if you have the opportunity it’s worth every penny.

And so, from one depressing musical to another only this one’s on a slightly grander scale… That’s right, tomorrow evening, it’s Liam time again! And Alfie and Hadley, obviously, but the point is, Liam! *ahem*. Speaking of Hadley, though, there seemed to be a rumour floating around that he might be playing Raoul in the Phantom of the Opera 25th anniversary shows at the Royal Albert Hall. I’m not sure where it came from though and no one seems keen to confirm or deny it. Ramin was teasing everyone on twitter this afternoon, though, so I’m even more desperate to fnd out who it will be. (NB. I’ve not actually been on twitter since I left work so I don’t know if I’ve missed any exciting announcements). Anyway, as long as it’s not Nick Jonas, I’m sure it’ll be fine!

On the same topic, I’m also just a tad excited about the fact that they’re releasing a DVD! Not only does this mean I’ll have a video of Phantom that (hopefully) won’t annoy me as much as the film version but also, and far more importantly, I will have a recording of Ramin singing the original Phantom tracks. In fact it’s so damned perfect, I’m now almost certain they’re going to screw it all up with a below-par Raoul. Given that, after the title song, ‘Down Once More’ is my favourite, Raoul’s voice is rather important. In fact, for that reason alone, I’d much prefer an overly powerful Raoul to a popstar voice. Unless it was Gary Barlow (as someone suggested on twitter) in which case as ridiculous as that would be, I’d happily take it!

Anyhoo, that’s enough exclaiming for one night I think. In fact I may need to invest in a thesaurus; I’m running out of positive adjectives.

Peace, loVe loVe and happiness,

K xx

PS. I actually did sit down on Saturday night to work on my America Trip blogs but they’re not quite ready yet, particularly the New York ones. Apparently I didn’t write much at all for those, so five months later I’m now trying to piece together what I did! Still, they are coming!