Review: HAIRSPRAY (UK Tour) @ Manchester Palace Theatre

 

Woah, Woah, Woah... Hairspray is back on a UK Tour and we are feeling the beat. With big hair, big bootie and big tunes,  it really is a 1960s extravaganza like no other.

Originally released as an iconic John Waters movie in 1988 starring Divine and Rikki Lake,  it became a fully fledged stage musical in 2002 on Broadway.  Since that time we have had the 2007 John Travolta movie version and the fabulous 2016 Hairspray Live! on TV. The story of Tracy Turnblad and her peers really hasn't gone away in over two decades of high energy,  foot tapping, singalong greatness.

 

For those that may be unaware, we meet Tracy Turnblad in Baltimore, 1962. She has dreams of appearing on the Corny Collins Show with his glamourous troupe of fashionable dancers.  However Tracy is a plus size girl and when she gets the chance to audition she is given rather unkind treatment from producer and top bitch Velma Von Tussle, whose all American daughter Amber is a regular dancer on the show.  Also getting the bitch treatment from Velma is Little Inez, a talented coloured girl, who is the subject of the shows racist segregation policy.  Naturally as this is all inclusive musical theatre, we can't be having that so there follows a battle for Tracy and Little Inez to get recognised for the stars they are and for the people of Baltimore to become fully integrated as dancers and in love.  

The music and lyrics of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman really hit the mark with its homage to the productions of Phil Spector and Berry Gordy's Motown throughout.  The entire score is awash with earworms you just won't be able to stop humming as you leave the theatre:  'Good Morning Baltimore',  'It Takes Two',  'Mama, I'm A Big Girl Now' and of course the tongue twisting anthem of the show, 'You Can't Stop The Beat'.

This new UK tour has been blessed with a glorious cast.  Neil Hurst channels Harvey Fierstein as he brings us a big brassy Edna Turnblad,  gravelly voiced and the very heart of the show.  His performance as drab Edna discovers her inner glamazon is a joy.  He is matched with Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby as Edna's daughter Tracy,  making her professional debut she invests Tracy with the vigour and energy of youth and delivers Tracy's songs with gusto. Gina Murray's take on Velma Von Tussle is first class,  she is a stony faced bitch, a former 'Miss Baltimore Crabs' who is at the very centre of efforts to prevent anyone who veers away from an all American image appearing on the show. Murray nails it.  When it comes to vocals,  the biggest voice of the night is Michelle Ndegwa as Motormouth Maybelle,  self proclaimed 'big, blonde and beautiful' Mama. Her performance of the civil rights anthem 'I Know Where I've Been' took the roof of the Palace Theatre and she deservedly got an ovation.   The roles of Little Inez and Seaweed (Maybelle's children) are underwritten but thankfully Katlo and Reece Richards still found opportunities to shine, and made their mark on the show.   The show is blessed with good voices as Solomon Davy (Tracy's love interest Link Larkin) and Allana Taylor (Von Tussle's daughter Amber) prove throughout.  A word too for Dermot Canavan as Edna's devoted husband Wilbur,  their duet 'You're Timeless To Me' is a highlight of the show with both actors striving to keep a straight face much to the delight of the 2000 strong audience.  Richard Atkinson and his onstage band of seven make sure the music keeps pumping out, there is no finer sound in theatre than a great band in full flow. Thank you guys and gals. 

Jointly and expertly directed by Paul Kerryson and former Maybelle, Brenda Edwards with breathtaking choreogrpahy by Drew Mconie, this latest production delivers in spades and proves that Hairspray is set to remain one of the all time great musical theatre shows. Hairspray isn't just a frothy revisiting of the sixties, it reminds us of our need for inclusivity and the ongoing struggle for equality.  It genuinely has something to say about history and how we can continue to learn from it.  You certainly can't stop this beat, and frankly who would want to?  Beehived brilliance.

Rob and Ian

Venue and ticket information can be found at the official HAIRSPRAY UK Tour website.

Rob and Ian's recommended listening: the original 2002 Broadway cast recording on streaming and downloading services (plus of course CD for oldies like us!)

Review: MY SON'S A QUEER (But What Can You Do?) @ Derby Theatre (UK Tour)

 

There are some shows which transcend criticisim and this might jst be one of them. Rob Madge's self celebratory My Son's A Queer (But What Can You Do?) is 70 minutes of sheer joy.  The premise of the show is simple:  looking back through videos of yourself as a child to chart your love of performing and the queerness that is at the very core of it.   In particular it focuses on Madge's desire to perform a Disney parade which includes many of the great Disney princesses.

In hilarious commentary, we are introduced to the video clips of Rob aged about 6 years old along with his family where clearly Rob has a sense of his own celebrity ("Are you filming ME?" he demands of his Dad on several occasions,  seemingly aware of the fact other people might be in the room.)  His Mum and Dad indulge him by making an array of home made props and wigs to enhance little Rob's desires for fully staged productions on their living room.  And woe betide them if they are not on cue or get their lines wrong if he has allocated them a supporting role, and whatever Rob is playing everyone else is very much a supporting role in his young mind.  

 

But behind the larks is a beautiful telling of a young mind who knows he's queer and knows he loves dressing up, particularly the beautiful gown of Belle in Beauty And The Beast.  Rob's Dad admits on the video that he deliberately brought his son a replica of The Beast's costume from the Disney shop in a bid to move Rob away from his obsession with Belle and other Disney princesses. This was never going to work. A turning point is when Rob's grandparents lovingly make him a puppet theatre where he can finally act out his shows in a theatre setting.  It is obvious to us on the video and his family that Rob is destined for the stage, its in his very soul.

Of course Rob's journey isn't without its troubles.  Hateful comments and the hurtful shunning by the his fellow schoolchildren because he is clearly different to them, left a lasting mark.  Madge tells us all of this going from hilarity to heartbreak in a fell swoop in what is a sensitive and finely judged performance throughout.

There are songs, there is glitter and there is eventually a long long overdue Disney parade for the now 27 year old Rob.  But most of all there is joy.  The audience cling on to his every word from the off,  his natural confidence and charisma is the very heart of the show, and whereas it could have come over as very self indulgent and tacky, it is instead a glorious celebration of family and acceptance of who you are. The instant standing ovation at the end said it all.

The question would be, how do you follow that?  But Rob will.  His indomitable spirit and effervesence will lead him to more triumphs for sure. We just hope we are there to witness them.

Rob & Ian 

                                        

A cast recording is now available to stream and download from most online providers or on a CD which can be ordered by clicking the link below.

Review: & JULIET (UK Tour) @ Manchester Opera House

 

& so...   It's fair to say we feel rather proprietorial about & Juliet as we caught the show during its world premiere season prior to its move to the West End (and Broadway, and Australia etc. etc.)  So it seems rather fitting we return to the scene of that very first visit - Manchester's magnificent Opera House - to watch the opening date of the very first UK Tour.

The premise of the show is a fairly simple one. Mrs. Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway (there'll never be another!), travels down from Stratford to London to see what her husband Will has been writing.  He presents her with the plot of Romeo & Juliet,  with the lovers tragically killing themselves at the denouement.  Anne thinks Juliet deserves more of a future, and sets about re-writing the ending much to Will's annoyance. In this battle of Will(s) Juliet finds herself alive and heads to Paris with her nurse Angelique, best transgender friend May and fun loving April, a way Anne Hathaway has of writing herself into the action.  There, in the party scene of Paris, Juliet meets Francois du Bois and somehow becomes romantically involved,  but of course its not as simple as that.  With Will and Anne battling for control of the writers quill, the journey takes many twists and turns before there is a happy ending.

 

The real calling card of this show though are the songs of Max Martin and his many collaberators.  Max's name might not be on the tip of everyone's tongue but his songs certainly are.  Think Britney's 'Kiss Me Baby One More Time',  Jessie J's 'Domino' ,  Kelly Clarkson's 'Since U Been Gone', The Backstreet's Boys' 'Larger Than Life' and Katy Perry's immortal 'Roar' to name just a few in the show.  30 wall to wall hits, an A - Z of pop from the 1990s onwards.  Its infectious, by the time you get to leave the theatre you are on a musical high like no other.  

Having been witness to the brilliant original cast,  we were guilty of being a little wary of the incoming class of 2024,  but we need not have been.  The entire ensemble ooze quality and talent.  At the performance we attended the 'alternate Juliet' was on show.  Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid dropkicked every note and comedy line, giving us a memorable Juliet to lead the mighty production.  Sandra Marvin was equally magnificient as outspoken Angelique,who finds her former lover Lance in Paris.  Lance is played by television doctor Ranj Singh,  and guess what?  He pulls off the singing and acting with style. So allay fears he is not up to job, he's the real deal. Jordan Broatch gives us a slightly understated May perhaps to match Kyle Cox's laid back Francois,  polished performances but a bit more depth of characterisation might be required here, we never quite get the attraction they both have for each other. Jack Danson's Romeo is a foppish joy as he struggles to come to terms with how Juliet can have moved on without him.  Matt Cardle's Shakespeare takes centre stage from the off,  we know he can belt out a tune but his delivery of the comedy is equally on point,  but perhaps the evening really belongs to Lara Denning's Anne Hathaway.  By turns hugely funny, and then she can wring a tear out of your eye with her longing for her husbands attention.  A star performance at the heart of a supernova of a show.

This year long UK tour is bound to bring this cult show a mountain of new fans. We are already planning where we can see it again. If you need a lift, you need to see this show. Its the only jukebox musical that equals the joy of Mamma Mia! Make sure you catch this tour, because in the words of Pink it's "Fuckin' Perfect".

Rob & Ian

Details of the UK tour can be found at the OFFICIAL & JULIET WEBSITE

Review: UNFORTUNATE - The Untold Story Of Ursula The Sea Witch @ Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton (UK Tour)

Long long ago, 1837 to be precise, Danish author Hans Christian Anderson introduced the world to the story of The Little Mermaid, who gave up her life as a mermaid to be human.  In 1989 Disney brought us the by now most globally familiar version,  an animation that would herald the new age of Disney and has become one of their most popular titles.  The late great Pat Carroll stole the show as she voiced the movie's most celebrated character, the bitter Octo-woman Ursula.

Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx spotted that the most fabulous creation in the Disney movie, Ursula The Sea Witch, was perhaps being undersold.  What was her backstory?  Why was she so evil?  And couldn't she perhaps be a role model for plus size women with attitude?  With composer Tim Gilvin on board, together they set about telling what they felt sure was Ursula backstory of rejected love and seething resentment.  It was perhaps inevitable that what we are presented with is unashamedly camp and fabulous. Disney for adults.

Abby Clarke works miracles with her set, costume and puppet designs as she weaves us through the life of Ursula, big show number by big show number.  At the centre of the evening, and its biggest draw, is the performance of veteran musical diva Shawna Hamic.  She inhabits Ursula (or Ursula Squirts to give Ursula her full name) like a spurned drag queen,  and as she herself says 'masturbation, chemical peels and rage' are what keeps her going.  With the voice of Chaka Khan and the spirit of drag queen Divine,  Hamic makes the evening her own and is worth every penny of the ticket price.  Her comic put downs hit the spot whilst her love duet 'Sucking On You' with Triton, god of the sea, is a chart buster waiting to happen. Speaking of Triton,  Thomas Lowe gives us low budget macho as he banishes Ursula yet retains an unrequited love for the silly Octo-woman who has designs on his daughter. Its a fine commanding, piss taking performance. Ariel herself is manifested by a star of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, River Medway whose Essex girl delivery is a million miles away from the gentle tones of the movie.  She's hilarious from start to finish,  even when her voice is taken by Ursula,  Medway's mannerisms and gestures prove her talent doesn't stop when the words do.  The entire ensemble of ten work their socks off to bring us a high energy, outrageous evening of adult humour and song.  Allie Dart's Sebastian, Jamie Mawson's ineffectual Eric and Julian Capolei as Grimsby and 'Tory mistress Vanessa' deliver in spades.

The score is full of highlights and earworms. 'We Didn't Make It To Disney' is a savage essay on representation,  'Where The Dicks Are' an anthem for Ariel's longings and the title track 'Unfortunate' would be welcome at any Gay disco in the country.

 

The band were slightly underwhelming at points, and could have done with a bit more umph, but this is more of a sound issue as such perhaps.  Five musicians were listed in the programme, and this should have been enough to create a big sound but it was surprisingly muted.

Our visit in Wolverhampton marked the final date of Unfortunate: The Untold Story Of Ursula The Sea Witch's UK tour. We can't imagine for one second we have seen the last of the octo-diva. We have our chemical peels and rage ready for the next deep dive.

Rob & Ian

Further information can be found at the OFFICIAL UNFORTUNATE MUSICAL WEBSITE and the 2024 cast recording can be found on all major download and streaming services.

Review: STARLIGHT EXPRESS @ Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre (preview performance)

 

Starlight Express is one of the most unique musicals ever staged.  It's simple story of the downtrodden steam train Rusty taking on the all powerful (and frankly not very nice) diesel and electric locomotives for the railroad championship of the world belies its pioneering and problematic staging. Critics were not very welcoming when the show debuted in 1984, but audiences responded by going in their droves making the original production of Starlight Express the ninth longest running show in West End history.

The show has been waiting in the sidings for 22 years,  but now makes a triumphant return to London at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre,  where fans old and new are flocking to see this good versus bad tale on wheels all over again. Now we know our Starlight.  Having seen the original production many times,  as well as the Broadway Production,  the legendary long running production in Bochum, Germany (our favourite version and still going) and the slightly underwhelming scaled down UK tours,  we were as keen as mustard to see what director Luke Shepperd has cooked up.

 

Andrew Lloyd Webber has a penchant for tinkering with his shows, and no show has been more tinkered with than Starlight Express. Songs have come and gone with regularity and each new production seems to have a unique song list.  The 2024 version is no different.  We have two new songs from Lloyd Webber and his lyricist, the brilliant Richard Stilgoe, in the form of 'I Am Me' and 'Hydrogen', the theme of the new engine. They are blended in seemlessly to the rest of the familiar score,  the master of musical ear-worms once again making sure our heads are whirling with his melodies as we leave the theatre.

The current financial climate means that 1980s mega excess is out, so instead we have simply excess.  The designer Tim Hatley has taken the nucleus of John Napier's original version and given us a railroad race circuit which takes in much of the theatre space, and we once again have a setting in which children and adults alike can wallow in the sheer spectacle of the races. This is brilliantly complimented by lighting design by Howard Hudson, which any rock act would kill for.  In addition projection screens bathe the auditorium in atmosphere and keep us abreast of the racing.  It's a thrilling environment as we enter into the immersive world that was so pioneering in theatre all those years ago.

 

The mostly young cast smash it from the get go. The action takes place in the imagination of a child (just a disembodied voice in previous productions) who we see at the beginning playing with a train set,  the trains magically come to life as the story gets underway, the child becomes 'Control' overseeing all the trains and acting as an arbiter between warring factions, rarely leaving the stage. Central to the show is poor Rusty, played superbly by Jeevan Braich who like so many in this company is making his professional debut.  Al Knot is Greaseball,  the diesel locomotive who is the reigning champion.  Knot possesses a fine voice,  and manages to belt out signature tracks 'Rolling Stock' and 'Pumping Iron' with relish.  Then there is Tom Pigram's gender fluid Electra,  all neon and sassy power surges whilst Jade Marvin makes a lovely homely Momma,  in which we can all associate. And she sings the blues like an angel too.   It seems churlish to pick out individual performances though, as its very much an ensemble piece. Each member of the company adding their character to flesh out this world of trains.  The voices and band are are just sensational,  We love a bit of loud pop and we get it in spades with this show. Highlights for me include the love duet 'I Do' by Braich and Kayna Montecillo as Pearl (it was actually written by Lloyd Webber's son Alistair!) and the carriages feminist anthem 'I Am Me' (Montecillo, Eve Humphrey,  Ashlyn Weekes, Renz Cardenas).  All the ensemble numbers are a knockout though.  If you can get the refrain "It's not a matter of if, its a matter of when for Hydrogen" out of your head on the way home you will be very lucky.

Looking around the auditorium, kids faces were aglow with the sheer energy on the stage and on the track.  It is clear that Starlight Express is bewitching a new generation of theatre goers,  who will love and cherish the experience like their Mums and Dads did all those years ago.  The show is critic proof, the public have spoken. Starlight Express is a fantasy tonic we all need,  it's good to have it back.

Rob & Ian

Tickets and information at the STARLIGHT EXPRESS LONDON website. 

Incidentally, here is an updated old blog by Rob on the various recorded versions of Starlight Express over the years  FOR THE RECORD: STARLIGHT EXPRESS

Review: AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (UK Tour) @ Regent, Stoke

 

And so we come to another movie-to-stage adaptation for the masses,  this time focusing on the 1982 Richard Gere-Deborah Winger vehicle An Officer And A Gentleman.  A romantic tale of a Navy cadet and his true love,  spawning of course the Oscar winning power ballad Up Where We Belong sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, the song probably as famous as the movie itself.  This second UK tour has hit the road in 2024 and looking around the auditorium it is clear that the 50+ hen generation are up for some serious romanticism.  Coupled of course with a soundtrack that transports us all back to the 1980s.

 

For those who cannot recall the story,  Zack Mayo is sent to live with his womanising father,a petty officer in the US Navy, following the suicide of his mother.  Zack surprises his father by eventually declaring that he wishes to train to become a US Navy fighter pilot.   This is where he encounters tough talking Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley who is determined that he will drill them hard into passing the relentess physical and mental training regime.  Zack and his fellow cadet Sid meet two factory girls at a dance, Paula and Lynette, whom they start dating respectively.  The tale of Zack and Sid is not pretty, with the latter committing suicide, a turning point for the rebellious Zack and his transformation into an officer and a gentleman.

To be honest, the story is pretty cheesy and some of the dialogue with its regular doses of "son of a bitch" type Americanisms come close to being a spoof of itself.  However the producers know the power of nostalgia,  and interspersed with these scenes of self discovery comes a soundtrack that hits all the right notes.  The show is a feast of 80s musical excess, think Billy Ocean's When The Going Gets Tough,  Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,  Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is and perhaps most infuriatingly catchy Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer.  Definite crowd pleasers that allow the audience to gloss over the problems with the script, and just enjoy being back in the decade of neon.

On the night we saw the saw, tour leads Luke Baker and Georgia Lennon were absent, but in their place two confident performances by James Wilkinson-Jones and Julia Jones whostole the limelight as Zack and Lynette, with Georgia Lennon as Paula and Paul French as Sid completing the romantic quartet.  Jamal Kane Crawford was particularly well cast as Emil Foley, forever testing and goading his recruits.

Ben Cracknell's impressive lighting added much atmosphere to the scenes,  his star very much in the ascendant particularly at the Curve in Leicester where this production originated.  Similarly the Curve's Nikolai Foster does his best to get some gravitas to the story,  but some scenes miss their mark which is more to do with Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen's lacklustre script than any misgivings of this production.  

At the end of the day, its all about the songs. We get the moment when Zack dressed in his military whites carries off Paula to the sounds of the shows anthem, with added cheers and whoops from the faithful.  An Officer And A Gentleman is an entertaining show for sure, our advice is to switch off your brain and wallow in a decade long past and let love lift you up.  

Rob & Ian