Month: July 2016

Noel Coward Theatre 8 July – 27 August.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Wow. Just Wow.

Impossible returns to the West End with a bang, actually, some VERY LOUD bangs. Underneath the lavish production values lies a very traditional and hugely entertaining magic show. Themed around the history of magic performers, this gives the magicians the chance to showcase classic tricks. This may not appeal to innovation seekers, but most performances are incredible and jaw-dropping. Some critics were unhappy with the machismo on display last year, so the new cast includes Sabine Van Diemen sawing a man in half (whilst seemingly auditioning for a new Carry On film) and Josephine Lee performing Houdini’s Water Torture Cell escape.

Jonathan Goodwin reprises his daredevil act, working the audience brilliantly as he does ridiculous things to himself (“More”, he says as fuel is poured over his crotch!) and his wife – although the looks she sometimes gives him hint at who wears the non-flaming trousers in that relationship.

Magical Bones brings his street magic style to the stage, wowing with his dancing and magic skills. His trick involving the audience is fantastic. I am sure it’s easily explained through probability, but the moment the whole audience realised what had happened was mind-boggling.

Chris Cox is a force of nature, changing the whole tone of the show whenever he is on stage. Brilliantly geeky and self-deprecating, his mentalist act is both hysterical and extremely unsettling. How does he do that?

Ben Hart’s act is the highlight of the show for me. A born story teller, revelling in the historical theme, he is equally impressive performing the spectacular Tesla coil trick or close up magic. Amongst all the hoopla, the most spellbinding moment of the night is his billiard balls trick performed as a silent movie – simply gorgeous.

The big draw of this year’s show is, of course, Britain’s Got Talent Winner Lance Corporal Richard Jones. Given the evenings off by his CO, he continues to entertain with his relaxed, audience friendly style. There are no bells and whistles in his act here, just good, old-fashioned befuddlement on the faces of the people he calls onto the stage. Slightly too much chat explaining his jokes, but I’m sure he’ll become more relaxed as the run continues.

Unfortunately, the show ends with a whimper, with Van Diemen performing a ridiculously dated laser/levitation dance. This may work well in Vegas where everyone is getting sozzled as they watch, but I saw H from Steps do this trick in panto last Christmas with a much smoother take-off.

This quibble aside, Impossible is fantastic family entertainment, full of wonder and laughter, and a great night out.

• UNDERBELLY BRING A RE-IMAGINED CHRISTMAS EVENT TO LONDON’S ICONIC LEICESTER SQUARE

• CHRISTMAS IN LEICESTER SQUARE WILL FEATURE A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MARKET, SANTA’S GROTTO FOR FAMILIES AND A BEAUTIFUL BELGIAN SPIEGELTENT

• FROM 11 NOVEMBER – 8 JANUARY WORLD-RENOWNED THEATRICAL PHENOMENONLA SOIRÉE WILL PERFORM IN THE SPIEGELTENT AS PART OF CHRISTMAS IN LEICESTER SQUARE

• LA SOIRÉE’S  TANTALISING LINE-UP WILL FEATURE MUCH-LOVED FAVOURITES, INCLUDING THE ENGLISH GENTS AND URSULA MARTINEZ, ALONGSIDE ASTONISHING NEW ACTS

Underbelly won Best Festival at the 2014 UK Festival Awards for its re-imagining ofEdinburgh’s Christmas and helped develop Winter at Southbank Centre into one of London’s most popular winter destinations. In London, Underbelly is also known for itsUdderbelly and London Wonderground festivals on the Southbank and as the Event Producer for Pride in London and Production Partner for West End Live. Now it brings a newly conceived event, Christmas in Leicester Square, to the heart of London’s vibrant West End, with La Soirée in the Spiegeltent, the Christmas Market and Santa’s Grotto. It’s the perfect destination to indulge in the season of good cheer, whether you want to party with La Soirée, take a visit to Santa’s Grotto or stroll through the traditional Christmas Market, with its fair of crafters, artists and gastronomic surprises.

Underbelly are delighted to welcome La Soirée as a major part of Christmas in Leicester Square. This season of La Soirée will offer audiences a bounty of familiar pleasures and sensational surprises, including much-loved favourites Ursula Martinez, The English Gents,Hamish McCann’s pole act, and last year’s show-stopper Denis Lock’s bubble act, plus a host of fresh and thrilling new talent. So shimmy on over to the vintage Spiegeltent in its new home at Christmas in Leicester Square, a velvet-draped salon of carved wood, polished mirrors, crystal and leadlight and prepare to be charmed, astonished and electrified by the loveable crème de la crème of the cabaret world.  Further acts will be revealed in due course. La Soiréeis presented by Brett Haylock, Mark Rubinstein and Mick Perrin.

Underbelly and Westminster City Council are also delighted to announce Winter Windowsas part of Christmas in Leicester Square. This community engagement project will give 20 schoolchildren in Westminster the opportunity to exhibit their stained glass window designs on the north side of Leicester Square. Twenty schools (primary and secondary) will run internal competitions to select a pupil to design a winter stained glass window. The designs are then enlarged, rear lit and displayed as a free exhibition in Leicester Square.

Underbelly Directors Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood said: “We’re delighted to be bringing a European Christmas to the centre of London and presenting Leicester Square with something for everyone from the world famous La Soirée and their perfect Christmas night out, to the Christmas Market from Germany for shoppers to the Santa’s Grotto for children.”

Something Sacred Productions presents:

Tyne Theatre &Opera House, Newcastle – Tues 12th to Sat 16th July 2016

We’re kicking off our Sunday shoes, to cut loose to Footloose in Newcastle this week

Based on the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon, Dean Pitchford has adapted his own screenplay into a stage show.  Moving in from Chicago, newcomer Ren McCormack is in shock when he discovers the small Midwestern town of Bomont, he now calls home has made dancing and rock music illegal. As he struggles to fit in, Ren faces an uphill battle to change things.

This is a deliciously corny story, with comedy pal Willard for Ren to coach in dance and love, and the production is delightfully cheesy, but it just didn’t feel like a coherent show. There are some great one liners, but it is the musical numbers that let it down. Apart from Footloose (full of energy and fun), Holding Out For A Hero (belted out with glee and VERY tongue in cheek), Let’s Hear It For The Boy (hysterical) and a couple of other familiar songs, the remainder are forgettable,  the elements just don’t gel. Maybe the way forward would have been to use the film soundtrack and be a jukebox musical instead

Gareth Gates was indisposed on Doctors orders so we were treated to Luke Thornton’s Willard – and what a treat it was.  Whilst Gates may have a star name, Thornton most definitley possesses star quality.  It won’t be long before he his playing leading roles in his own right and not just understudying them.

Proof it can be done comes from Luke Baker as Ren.  When I first saw Baker he was the back of the ensemble and now he quite rightly leads the company.  Both Luke’s are quite magnificent in these roles and they help to carry this show which seems to have potential but is quite sadly lacking.

Special mention too to Maureen Nolan who has amazing presence and shows why she is so fantastic with her solo performance of Can You Find it in Your Heart – a mini masterclass in how it should be done in one outstanding song

The cast are young and enthusiastic, they are also multi-talented playing their own instruments on stage.  Hannah Price leads the girls as Preachers daughter Ariel, ably backed by her girls – Joanna Sawyer (Rusty), Natasha Brown (Wendy-Jo) and Miracle Chance (Urleen). They follow Director Racky Plews and choreographer Matthew Cole’s instructions well but there does seem to be something missing.

In fairness to the cast, the show was quite late starting due to technical difficulties and I don’t know if these difficulties continued in the first half as the second half was much better than the first.  Also Sara Perks huge but versatile set seemed squashed on the small stage of the Tyne Theatre.  The Tyne is exquisitely beautiful but small and I know Footloose as played much bigger venues on the tour.

Maybe on another night in another place this show can truly demonstrate what a powerhouse of a show it is meant to be and I look forward to seeing Footloose elsewhere because I know that in there somewhere is a production that is going to blow me a way

Duke of York’s Theatre 11 July – 1 October.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Alan Strachan’s fantastic revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s 1969 comedy transfers to the Duke of York’s on a wave of nostalgia and laughter.

Ayckbourn’s plot, full of class snobbery and casual sexism, is frighteningly still relevant today, although Strachan wisely keeps the setting in the late 60s, preserving the impact of the clandestine telephone conversations.

Fiona and Frank have been married for longer than he can remember, mind you, he can’t remember where he put his shoes. Bored with her privileged but routine life, Fiona has begun an affair with Bob, “the office Romeo”, who works for Frank. Bob is married to Terry – frustrated at being stuck at home with a baby that makes Damian seem appealing. After a particularly late night out together, Fiona and Bob’s lies to their spouses drag the Featherstones into the mess, claiming that THEY are both having affairs. Unfortunately, both Frank and Terry decide to help get the Featherstones marriage back on track over dinner.

Julie Godfrey’s wonderful set is a little mind bending at first, with the upper class wood panelled Foster home flanked by the, frankly grotty, Phillips flat. The cast, with perfect timing and choreography, move about the stage, sitting side by side on the sofa (half yellow, half grey to show the different homes), but still convincingly in different rooms. Both telephones are front and centre – showcasing the delicious calls and anchoring the whole design.

The technical brilliance of writing, acting and directing during the dinner party scene is astounding. Although you are far too busy laughing to dwell on that at the time. Two dinner parties, taking place on two different nights, in two different places are intertwined seamlessly and hysterically, signalled only by the Featherstones’ changing angles. Brilliant.

It must have been daunting for Andrea Lowe to join this established cast, but it’s as if she’s been with them from the beginning. She gives Terry a manic, dangerous side, seeming to enjoy confronting her husband. As Bob, Jason Merrells takes inspiration from all the 70s TV lotharios, cocky and snarky and, again, revelling in confrontation – a pair well matched. Jenny Seagrove’s Fiona manages to carry off my grandmother’s hairstyle with panache, and oozes sophistication and boredom as she deals with her husband. Her descent into panic as she thinks she’s been found out is well judged and touchingly funny. Nicholas Le Provost is glorious as Frank – wandering absentmindedly around the stage, vague and befuddled, but with a hint of calculation behind the benevolent bumbling. Matthew Cottle is oily and obsequious as William Featherstone – quietly bullying his wife and lecturing her in social mores to great comic effect. Cottle’s underlying hint of malevolent violence makes William even more pathetic. William’s attitude towards his wife may rankle, but there are many men who still act this way today. Gillian Wright is a hoot as his wife, Mary. Her reactions and movements just scream social awkwardness and compliance, making her eventual defiance of William cheer worthy. The scene where Fiona tries desperately to make small talk with the Featherstones is a masterclass in timing – with perfectly delivered excruciating silences and spat out banalities.

This comedy isn’t going to change the world, instead it shows us that the world hasn’t changed that much in 50 years – Ayckbourn’s lines are timeless, insightful, and very, very funny. How The Other Half Loves is a fantastic production full of laugh out loud moments and with a cast at the top of their game.

BRIAN MAY and KERRY ELLIS

CANDLELIT CHRISTMAS CONCERT COMES TO LEEDS

In response to a clamour of public demand, Queen star Brian May and singing sensation Kerry Ellis today announced they are teaming up once more for a new series of UK concerts at the end of the year.

May and Ellis play Leeds Grand Theatre on Monday 12^th December;  tickets go on general sale this Friday 15^th July

The concert marks the pair’s sixth tour together since their first ‘Anthems’ shows in 2011, which they performed on the release of Kerry’s first album, produced by Brian.

May comes hot from a hugely impactful Queen tour of festivals throughout Europe this summer including a performance at the Isle of Wight Festival, which the organiser himself has called the greatest performance in the Festival’s history.

By the time Ellis and May embark on their Christmas tour, the now widely critically acclaimed combination of Queen and Adam Lambert will have extended their tour de force in Asia.  Ellis, in the meantime, has consolidated her huge reputation in the world of Musical Theatre. She stands as one of the all-time most lauded Elphabas in Wicked in London and on Broadway, and by December she will have delivered her starring role in the first run of the Off-Broadway hit Murder Ballad in London’s Arts theatre.

‘Intimate’ is a word Kerry uses when she talks about what first-time audiences might expect from seeing May and Kerry perform their upcoming shows: “Our show is definitely an experience; we like to move people, give them new experiences and take them on our personal journey, and we have a lot of fun. Brian always comes up with great stories to explain our choice of songs, and among them a lot of hidden gems that people have never heard before. We like to think it’s a very unique and special evening.”

Says May: “Our show is largely acoustic and usually performed by candlelight. It’s very loose and interactive. In contrast to the bombast of a Queen show, our relationship with the audience is very informal – truly live and spontaneous.  This is now my favourite way of performing – it’s a lot of fun and anything can happen.  It takes some courage, but we believe our audience loves the fact that we take the risk to run the show completely ‘wild’.  No clicks, no loops, no clutter. It’s fundamentally just a voice and a guitar.”

This concert tour will feature new songs from the forthcoming second album Anthems II, which the pair has been working on for the last year.  Their magic in these shows is born of simplicity.  May swaps his trade-mark Red Special for a variety of acoustic instruments for much of the evening, and provides his own special arrangements to highlight the beauty of Kerry’s extraordinary voice. The repertoire also includes versions of Brian and Kerry’s personal favourite songs of all time, a few Queen tunes revisited, and material dedicated to awareness of wild animals, in tune with the passion that Brian and Kerry share for giving animals a voice.  With a little support from keyboard whiz Jeff Leach, the show builds, and without giving too much away, it’s safe to say that the mighty crunch of May’s red special is brought in to bring the evening to an electric climax.

Kerry Ellis says:  “It’s always a joy to be able to perform live with the ‘Doc’ and this time will be as magical as ever. We seem to always be developing and bring new ideas to the table. Alongside performing and recording we are still learning and for me that’s the exciting part. I feel very fortunate to be doing another tour together and sharing yet another show with our audiences.”

Brian May: “Although life has taken us both into so many new areas recently, live music is still what makes us tick – the greatest joy. And Ms Ellis is the perfect fellow band member! I’m grateful for the opportunity we have to bring this show to an even wider audience. I’m already working on hardening up the finger ends!”

Brian May and Kerry Ellis: Candlelit Christmas Concert is at Leeds Grand Theatre

on Monday 12^th December

Tickets go on sale to Priority Members on Wednesday 13^th July and general sale on Friday 15^th July

Tickets are priced at £45

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

Grand Theatre, Leeds – Mon 11 to Sat 16 July 2016

I’ll admit I’ve seen Let It Be before – and I loved it!  So relished the chance to revisit the show whilst it is in Leeds this week and see what a different cast can bring to the performance.

Let It Be is a “Celebration of the Music of the Beatles”, more of tribute concert than anything else but it is immensely enjoying.  Reuven Gershon as John, Ian B Garcia as Paul, John Brosnan as George and Stuart Wilkinson as Ringo are all incredible musicians presenting, on a nightly basis, a repertoire of songs that includes All You Need Is Love, Blackbird, Eleanor Rigby, Get Back, Help, Hey Jude, Let It Be, Penny Lane, Please Please Me and Yesterday, amongst many, many others. Whilst most shows struggle to have one or two hit songs, Let It Be has over forty of them!

There doesn’t seem to be any set script, just banter between the band themselves and the audience. That combined with some period video projections ensure that Let It Be is staged simply but effectively.  The Fab Four come on stage and steer us through the Beatles catalogue. They start with the joyous songs of innocence, such as She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand, and move on to the multilayered songs of experience, such as Strawberry Fields Forever and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. Periodically, contact is made with the rest of us: John Lennon repeats his famous injunction to a Royal Variety Performance audience (“Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewellery”) and we are periodically bidden to our feet to scream and shout. The whole evening, however, is an exercise in nostalgia.  With most of the audience being of a certain age and who would have been original fans of the Fab Four

A word of warning, don’t go to Let It Be if you’re idea of theatre is sitting in silence whilst watching. The producers make it abundantly clear from the start that photography is encouraged, and the performers make a point of getting the audience up on their feet to dance at every opportunity. On opening night the audience responded with gusto

The authentic detail is impressive, be it Ringo smoking a fag while playing at The Cavern or John chewing gum while singing in the later days. The sky darkening as The Beatles play Shea Stadium is another sign of a thoroughly switched-on show that takes the regular path from Liverpool to the Royal Variety Show, New York and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, flowers, palm trees et al.  Although our Paul wasn’t left handed.  John had some arrogance about him and Paul was barefooted in the Abbey Road section.

There were some surprises for me too though – I didn’t know that Ringo sang but he led us in Yellow Submarine and I didn’t know that Roll Over Beethoven had been covered by the Beatles either.

For me the second half of the show was the best.  The songs I like most by the Beatles were featured in the second half and I loved the acoustic section showing off the individual versatility of the performers.  I know most people praise John and Paul but for me George was the genius.  I loved his version of Here Comes the Sun but it was his rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps completely stole the show.  If nothing else you must go and see the show purely for that

This is a hugely entertaining and enjoyable show and I recommend it all.