Month: July 2022

SIMON LIPKIN TO STAR AS BUDDY &

GEORGINA CASTLE TO STAR AS JOVIE IN

ELF THE MUSICAL AT

LONDON’S DOMINION THEATRE

FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED 8-WEEK SEASON

FROM 14 NOVEMBER 2022

Simon Lipkin and Georgina Castle will be playing the much loved characters Buddy and Jovie in ELF, the smash hit musical, which returns to London in a new production at the Dominion Theatre for a strictly limited 8-week season.  ELF will begin previews on 14 November and open on 24 November 2022, with the season finishing on 7 January 2023.

Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema hit starring Will Ferrell, ELF features a book by Tony Award-winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), with songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer).

Simon Lipkin’s theatre credits include Brian & Roger (Menier Chocolate Factory), Nativity! (Eventim Apollo), The Wind in the Willows (West End), Guys and Dolls (West End), The Lorax (Old Vic Theatre), Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory), Rock of Ages (West End), Spamalot (Original UK Tour), Avenue Q (West End) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (West End).  His television and film credits include The Beaker Girls (CBBC), Unforgotten (ITV), Christmas on Mistletoe Farm, Silent Witness (BBC), Almost Never (CBBC) Nativity Rocks!, Show Dogs, Muppets Most Wanted, The Harry Hill Movie, The Puppet Game Show (BBC) and Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey?!.

Georgina Castle’s theatre credits include Marie in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s recent production of Cinderella (Gillian Lynne Theatre), Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical (Savoy Theatre and UK & Ireland Tour), Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre) and Lisa Houseman in Dirty Dancing (UK Tour).

The new production will be directed by Philip Wm. McKinley, with original set and costume design by Tim Goodchild, choreography by Liam Steel, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound by Gareth Owen, video design by Ian William Galloway and wig and hair design by Richard Mawbey.  Casting is by Grindrod Burton Casting.

ELF is the funny and charming tale of Buddy, who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts as a baby and is transported back to the North Pole and raised as an elf! Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities finally cause him to face the truth and realise he’ll never belong in the North Pole. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Further casting is to be announced.

ELF the Musical is produced by Temple Live Entertainment.

Website: elflondon.com

Instagram: @elfmusicalLDN

Facebook: @elfmusicalLDN

Twitter: @elfmusicalLDN

TikTok: @elfmusicalLDN

LISTINGS INFORMATION

ELF the Musical

14 November 2022 to 7 January 2023

Dominion Theatre

268-269 Tottenham Court Road

London W1T 7AQ

Box Office:  0345 200 7982

Performances: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday & Saturday at 2.30pm

Running Time:  2 hours 25 minutes (including interval)

Chichester Festival Theatre – until 4 September 2022

Reviewed by Lorna Hancock

5*****

Adapted from the Gershwins’ 1930 musical Girl Crazy, Crazy For You opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on 19 February, 1992. Declared the “new Gershwin musical comedy” with a book by renowned comedic playwright Ken Ludwig and a collection of the most beloved tunes of George and Ira Gershwin, it’s not surprising that the musical is still packing out theatres 30 years on.

In Crazy for You, stage-struck Bobby Child (Charlie Stemp) works as a banker for his overbearing mother, Lottie (Gay Soper) but he spends his free time dancing and dreaming of a life on stage. With Bobby’s showbiz career going nowhere, and his strident fiancée Irene Roth (Merryl Ansah) insisting that he name the date, when Lottie demands that he investigate a far-away customer who has defaulted on a mortgage, Bobby jumps at the chance to get out of town. Arriving in hot, quiet Deadrock, Nevada, Bobby quickly falls for Polly Baker (Carly Anderson), whose father happens to own the beautiful, but decaying, Gaiety Theatre, which he has been sent to seize. Now lovestruck, Bobby comes up with a plan; call in his friends, the Follies Girls, all the way from New York City, cast the locals, a bunch of rundown cowboys with unapparent musical talent, and put on a show to save the old building. 

Before the show even starts the upbeat music and stage lighting set the scene. As it begins we are soon introduced to Bobby and the difficult relationship with his overbearing mother and fiancée is apparent immediately. Gay Soper and Merryl Ansah both play these parts wonderfully, leaving you feeling very sorry for the poor hen-pecked Bobby. The show moves on quickly and the mood changes with a brilliant performance of ‘Bidin’ my Time’ accompanied with a simple but very effective tumbleweed prop rolling across the stage, it is very obvious that we are now far away from the bright lights of New York City.

There are too many brilliant musical numbers in this show to mention them all, from the delicate and touching performance of ‘Someone to Watch over Me” by Carly Anderson, to the exciting spectacle of ‘Slap that Bass” by Charlie Stemp and company. However, my favourite part of the show had to be ‘I got Rhythm’ by the full company, the whole stage was full of energy with an incredibly choreographed tap dance routine involving metal trays! I can’t remember the last time I saw a standing ovation from the whole audience at the end of the first act of a show.

The whole casts’ performance was nothing short of amazing. All of the singing and dancing from everyone, really was wonderful, but the stand out performer of the evening had to be Charlie Stemp. His portrayal of Bobby was absolutely flawless. He had us laughing all evening with his comic actions and expressive emotions, wowed us with his dancing and had us bopping along in our seats to his melodious voice.

I think every single member of the audience would have left with an uplifting feeling. A dazzling performance I would love to see again.

James L. Nederlander, Jamie Wilson, Hunter Arnold, Crossroads Live, Playful Productions and The English National Opera
present
the Lincoln Center Theater production of

LERNER & LOEWE’S
MY FAIR LADY
Book and Lyrics by ALAN JAY LERNER
Music by FREDERICK LOEWE
Directed by BARTLETT SHER

www.myfairladymusical.co.uk
@MyFairLadyUK

• LAST CHANCE TO SEE MY FAIR LADY AT THE LONDON COLISEUM AS THE LIMITED SUMMER SEASON ENTERS ITS FINAL WEEKS ON STAGE
   
• DIRECTED BY BARTLETT SHER, THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, LAVISH AND MULTI AWARD WINNING PRODUCTION FEATURES A CAST OF 32 AND AND 36 MUSICIANS FROM THE ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA’S AWARD-WINNING ORCHESTRA PLAYING FREDERICK LOEWE’S RAVISHING SCORE
   
• THE PRODUCTION MUST END ON 27 AUGUST. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.MYFAIRLADYMUSICAL.CO.UK 

My Fair Lady, currently running at the London Coliseum, has entered its final weeks with its last performance on Saturday 27th August. Bartlett Sher’s glorious multi award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe’s much loved My Fair Lady is the first major West End revival of the show for 21 years. The season has been part of the ongoing celebrated tradition of summer musicals at the London Coliseum. The show will embark on a UK and Ireland tour from September 2022.

The company features Harry Hadden-Paton as Henry Higgins, Amara Okereke as Eliza Doolittle, Stephen K Amos as Alfred P Doolittle, Dame Vanessa Redgrave as Mrs Higgins, Malcolm Sinclair as Colonel Pickering, Maureen Beattie as Mrs Pearce, and Sharif Afifi as Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Tickets are on sale now from www.myfairladymusical.co.uk

Directed by Bartlett Sher, this sublime production, which premiered in the spring of 2018 at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, was the winner of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design,  5 Outer Critics’ Circle Awards including Best Musical Revival, the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Revival, and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Musical Revival and Costume Design. The London production features 36 musicians from the English National Opera’s award-winning orchestra playing Frederick Loewe’s ravishing score, making it the largest orchestra in the West End.

My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is really being transformed?

With a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, MY FAIR LADYboasts a score including the classic songs “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.” 

“Thrilling! Glorious and better than it ever was! A marvellous and transformative revival.”
New York Times

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY premiered on Broadway in March 1956, winning 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history at the time. Following this success, the production transferred to London in 1958, where it played in the West End for five and a half years. 

MY FAIR LADY has seen many notable revivals and adaptations, including the acclaimed 1964 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, which won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Most recently on the London stage, Cameron Mackintosh’s 2001 revival at Theatre Royal Drury Lane won three Olivier Awards, and later toured across the UK and Ireland in 2005.

James L. Nederlander, Jamie Wilson, Hunter Arnold, Crossroads Live, Playful Productions and the English National Opera present the Lincoln Center Theater production ofLerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY. Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Music by Frederick Loewe, sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Marc Salzberg, hair & wigs by Tom Watson, musical direction by Gareth Valentine, musical supervision by Ted Sperling, choreography by Christopher Gattelli, directed by Bartlett Sher.

New show footage has been released for SISTER ACT THE MUSICAL in London, which opened at the Eventim Apollo last night (Tuesday 19 July).

The production stars Jennifer Saunders as ‘Mother Superior’ alongside Beverley Knight as ‘Deloris Van Cartier’, Keala Settle as ‘Sister Mary Patrick’, Lesley Joseph as ‘Sister Mary Lazarus’, Clive Rowe as ‘Eddie Souther’ and Lizzie Bea as ‘Sister Mary Robert’. www.sisteractthemusical.co.uk

SISTER ACT has direction by Bill Buckhurst, choreography by Alistair David, Set and Costume Design by Morgan Large, Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell, Sound Design by Tom Marshall and Musical Supervision by Stephen Brooker. Casting is by Stuart Burt. 

SISTER ACT features original music by Tony® and 8-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken (Disney’s Aladdin, Enchanted), lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane. SISTER ACT is produced by Jamie Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg.

Seven Dials Playhouse announces
exciting Autumn 2022 shows – on sale now!
September 2022 to January 2023
1a Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP

Following a critically-acclaimed inaugural season of sold-out shows and five-star reviews, followed by a mini Summer season focusing on contemporary texts, plays and new writing from breakthrough voices, Seven Dials Playhouse now announces their Autumn 2022 slate. Both productions will be accompanied by the venue’s trademark Associated Programme of events. This innovative programme serves as a stimulus for a variety of bespoke curated events created in tandem with the visiting company and Seven Dials Playhouse, bringing an ever-changing and exciting perspective to the organisation.

Opening the season from 5th September to 15th October, Help! We Are Still Alive is a postapocalyptic musical comedy that will have its premiere at Seven Dials Playhouse. Directed by OFFIE nominated theatre director Georgie Rankcom, straight from their blazing (The Guardian) revival of Anyone Can Whistle at Southwark Playhouse, Tim Gilvin and Imogen Palmer’s new musical comedy is about queer relationships during the impending apocalypse. Set in the not-too distant future, the world as we know it is in ruin from a mysterious ‘fog’ that wiped out the human race. Jass and Finn might just be the last two people on earth, stuck together above a Sainsbury’s car park, raiding the tinned goods aisle for survival. Help! We Are Still Alive is a brand new musical comedy that looks at our relationships with each other and to our changing world.

Daddy Issues, a thrilling one woman play, has its world premiere from the 24th October to 19th November. Written by Soho Writer and OFFIE award winner Lewis Cornay, this startling dark comedy centres around 23 year old Imi on the verge. Isolated, she finds herself slipping further and further from reality, trapped inside her mind as she tries to explain the complexities of grief, Cliff Richard and dead dogs. As she spirals, she has to fight to remember all the reasons why she must choose to live. Daddy Issues, produced by Liam Gartland for Gartland Productions, interrogates the lengths we’ll go to forget the things that haunt us.

The festive season, from 28th November to 7th January, will see Seven Dials Playhouse embrace the time honoured tradition of presenting a new take on a classic tale – more details to be announced soon!

Amanda Davey, Chief Executive at Seven Dials Playhouse comments, Rounding off an incredible first year, we are thrilled to present these exciting new productions this autumn. Help! We Are Still Alive addresses some of society’s most pertinent issues, marking the inaugural musical at Seven Dials Playhouse while Daddy Issues presents a deft exploration of the intricacies and complexities of grief. Both productions offer a timely insight into today’s culture; simultaneously reflecting and questioning the zeitgeist. We cannot wait for audiences to experience each show and please do stay tuned over the coming weeks for our exciting Christmas announcement, along with the bustling Associated Programme which sits alongside each production and is an opportunity to continue to hone your craft. You don’t however need to wait until then to engage, we are open 6-days a week, 12 hours a day, feel free to use the space to work, to network, to meet. We look forward, as always
to welcoming you.

Seven Dials Playhouse is helmed by Chief Executive Amanda Davey, with Executive Creative Producer Mitchell Reeve leading on producing and programming, and Head of Marketing and Communications Jamie Tuohy leading on organisational marketing, communications and PR strategy.

THE ALEXANDRA BIRMINGHAM CELEBRATES

ONE YEAR ON – 20 JULY 2022

THE ALEXANDRA BIRMINGHAM CELEBRATES

ONE YEAR ON – 20 JULY 2022

• The Alexandra Birmingham is celebrating one year of reopening today – welcoming back audiences old and new to enjoy the magic of live performances

• A new season awaits of dazzling dramas, monumental musicals and wonderful one-nighters to enchant and enthral audiences

Wednesday 20 July 2022 marks exactly one year of re-opening for The Alexandra Birmingham, after being closed for a whopping 491days. The Alex was the very first regional venue within Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) to re-open following the pandemic and the first theatre in Birmingham to re-open to full capacity.

Since then, The Alex team have welcomed over 269,000 audience members back through their doors to experience over 100 dazzling shows. The first year back has been a celebration of bringing quality entertainment to Birmingham, tying into the 120^th birthday of this iconic venue. From West End tours and world premieres, to one night only favourites, the theatre’s first year back has been packed with nights to remember.

Having presented over 350 performances, Birmingham audiences have had the chance to experience the magic of live theatre once more, from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Bedknobs & Broomsticks, to Johannes Radebe, School of Rock, Chicago, Jersey Boys and much more.

Simon Creed, Theatre Director of The Alexandra Birmingham said;

“The Alexandra and our outstanding team proved their resilience one year ago, enabling theatre-lovers to return at the earliest opportunity possible, being the first Birmingham venue to reopen and the first of the regional ATG theatre family.

The pandemic resulted in the longest closure in this much-loved theatre’s history –– but, after a huge amount of behind-the-scenes work, the lights were switched on and the curtain was raised and we welcomed back audiences.

Over the past year, we’ve bedazzled audiences with shows to appeal to every taste and predilection and we’d like to thank the bravery and patience of our audiences returning as the world reopened again. Our team have learned new ways of working and their enthusiasm at being able to once again offer audiences fantastic service and fabulous shows cannot be underestimated.

Looking ahead, it’s important to me and the entire Alex team that we continue to bring high quality productions to the heart of Birmingham. From musicals and dramas to one-night spectaculars, we hope that our new season will entice you to return to our gorgeous theatre, as we all enjoy the magic of being able to collectively enjoy performances with friends and strangers alike, enriching our experiences once again and providing some wonderful memories.”

This year, The Alexandra Birmingham will be welcoming an eclectic mix of shows, including Birmingham premieres Fisherman’s Friends, South Pacific, The Osmonds and Noughts & Crosses; the Christmas extravaganza Dreamgirls; as well as returning favourites The Mousetrap, The Shawshank Redemption, Saturday Night Fever, and An Inspector Calls.

For a full calendar of shows and events, please visit atgtickets.com/Birmingham 

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY

AT THE O2 LONDON

BOOKING EXTENDS TO 26 FEBRUARY 2023

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 22 JULY 2022

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, London’s premier dining experience, has extended its booking period due to extraordinary demand and is now playing to Sunday 26 February 2023. Tickets for the new booking period at The O2 London are on sale this Friday 22 July.

Created by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is a unique and magical experience in a class of its own, bringing all ABBA’s hits to life more vividly than ever before: over the course of four glittering hours, guests can immerse themselves in a spectacular musical extravaganza, a four-course Greek feast and an ABBA disco, all in one unforgettable evening of dancing, dining and singing!

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is set in a taverna on the beautiful Greek island of Skopelos, where most exteriors of the first MAMMA MIA! film were shot. Nikos and his wife Kate run this exotic and wonderful restaurant together with their family and friends. Told through dialogue and timeless ABBA songs, a warm, romantic and funny story evolves and unfolds during the evening, taking place around the guests as they sit at their tables enjoying a gourmet Greek meal. The evening ends with a 1970s disco, where audience members are welcome to stay to sing and dance to ABBA recordings.

Food is at the heart of the experience and a menu has been created that collects the finest Greece has to offer, made from the best, freshest ingredients. Guests are served with a traditional mezze followed by the iconic Greek salad of fresh cherry tomatoes, cucumber and feta. For the main course, confit lamb shoulder and slow-cooked beef are served with roasted garlic potatoes, courgettes peperonata, romesco and aromatic jus. For vegetarian and vegan guests, there is roasted cauliflower with a lemon-herb dressing and stuffed tomato with lentil ragout. A sumptuous Greek lemon cake served with confit orange skin and citrus yoghurt is the perfect end to this delicious meal. Vegan guests are served traditional loukoumades, delicious dough balls accompanied by a sweet fig jam.

Guests can get the ultimate MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY experience with one of the available packages. The Platinum Package provides a Tier A ticket in a prime location, a meet & greet and photo opportunity with members of the cast right at your table, champagne on arrival, half a bottle of wine and a MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY merchandise party pack. Guests can also upgrade their existing booking by adding the VIP upgrade package, taking their experience to the next level with champagne on arrival, half a bottle of wine and a MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY merchandise party pack. 

The cast includes Fed Zanni as Nikos, Lorraine Chappell as Kate, Linda John-Pierre as Debbie, Jonathon Bentley as Adam, Molly Cleere as Konstantina, Allie Ho Chee as Bella, Jessica Spallis as Nina, Dawn Spence as Grandma, Gregor Stewart as Fernando and Oscar Balmaseda, Claudia Bradley, Ellis Dackombe, Tamara Perks, Tasha Sheridan and Garrett Tennant. The musicians are John Donovan, Luke Higgins, Kathryn Tindall, Steve Rushton and Luke Roberts.

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY has music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (some songs with Stig Anderson), and a story by Calle Norlén, Roine Söderlundh and Björn Ulvaeus, with the English book by writer, comedian and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig.

The London version of MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, which originally opened in Stockholm in January 2016, is co-directed and choreographed by Stacey Haynes and Roine Söderlundh, with set designed by Bengt Fröderberg, lighting designed by Patrick Woodroffe, sound designed by Gareth Owen, costumes designed by Annsofi Nyberg, music supervision by Robin Svensson and casting by David Grindrod CDG for Grindrod Burton Casting.

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is executively produced by Björn Ulvaeus and produced by Sally Davies for U-Live.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY

The O2

Peninsula Square

London SE10 0DX

Box Office: www.mammamiatheparty.co.uk / 020 3995 6288

Website: www.mammamiatheparty.co.uk

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @mammamiapartyuk

#mammamiatheparty

Booking to Sunday 26 February 2023

Minimum age: 5

Tickets: From £99 to include admission, a four-course set meal and welcome drink (additional drinks extra)*

Platinum Package: From £195 to include a Tier A ticket, a four-course set meal, cast meet & greet, champagne on arrival, half a bottle of wine and Mamma Mia! The Party merchandise pack (limited Platinum Packages are available per party)*

VIP Upgrade Package: £25 in addition to the price of an existing booking to include; champagne on arrival, half a bottle of wine and a Mamma Mia! The Party merchandise party pack*

*All listed prices are per person plus booking fees.

Performances: Wednesday to Sunday doors open at 6:30pm, Saturday & Sunday at 12:00noon**

**Subject to schedule – please see website.

 Edinburgh Playhouse – until 23^rd July 2022

 Reviewed by Rachel Farrier

4****

As with a lot of cult 1980s pop culture, I somehow managed to miss out on the phenomenon of ‘Footloose‘ in my very rural 80s childhood, but the audience for the stage version last night were, I would guess, mostly ardent fans of the film and accompanying soundtrack – the excitement in the packed crowd was palpable before the show had even started.  And they were right be excited: this show is high energy FUN from the get-go. Joshua Hawkins as Ren does a fantastic job of bringing his energetic, fun loving but thoughtful character to life and he effortlessly bounced between songs, acrobatic dance routines and moments of poignant dialogue. Lucy Munden as his eventual love interest Ariel is the perfect match – she likewise had the audience in the palm of her hand as she sashayed with huge confidence between classics such as ‘I Need a Hero‘, whilst also managing to convey the complexities of a teenager trying to find her own voice and place in the world in other scenes. 

The context of the small American town of Bomont where dancing has been banned by the church Minister provides the backdrop to a group of teenagers who find their peer Ren – freshly and unwillingly moved from Chicago – the rebel leader that they didn’t know they had been looking for. Brilliant ensemble performances from the gang of high school seniors  – in particular Oonagh Cox as Rusty – really make this show. On the warmest night of the year outside, their energy, exuberance and pitch perfect performances were outstanding. Especially impressive is the fact that the orchestra/band for the show are the on-stage performers themselves, and they swap in and out of providing musical accompaniment and backing vocals, to acting and dancing stunning routines with apparently effortless ease. One stand out moment came when two of the high school seniors were playing guitar, singing and jumping rope simultaneously – all with huge grins. 

Darren Day plays Rev Shaw Moore, the joy-crushing church Minister whose heart and mind are changed by Ren and his antics, and while this role could feel somewhat cliched, Darren Day manages to bring a depth and warmth to the character that I actually found moving. And he still has an outstanding voice!

The set design is cleverly conceived, and manages to convincingly evoke a variety of settings that typify  small-town America in movies – from the burger joint, to the school locker room, to the cosy home of the Minster and his family. 

Whilst this is a high energy musical which exudes fun and entertainment, there are moments of serious dialogue and reflection in song which deal with some hefty issues, and these are handled brilliantly by the cast. Toxic masculinity and abusive power dynamics are broached when Rev Moore’s wife Vi (Holly Ashton) sings ‘Learning to be Silent‘ with Ren’s mum Ethel (Wendy Paver) and Ariel about having to maintain silence and ‘behave’ for the domineering men in their lives in order to keep the peace and a roof over their heads, and this certainly seemed to speak to the predominantly female audience. The duet ‘Almost Paradise‘ between Ren and Ariel towards the end of the show is a beautifully conveyed expression of their sweet and respectful burgeoning romance, after they have both acknowledged the pain of loss in their lives. 

The only slightly jarring element of the show was the eighties-tastic humour which felt out of place in the 21^st century (the ‘accidental’ grabbing of breasts, slightly mysoginistic jokes) but I guess Footloose is, to some extent, is now a historical depiction of another time and place. There were also perhaps some issues between the audio balance of singers and instruments, but this was the opening night and will no doubt be remedied. 

Overall, it is an exhilarating and hugely fun night out and the cast’s enthusiasm and talent richly deserved the standing ovation they received at the end of the night last night.. 

THE ALEXANDRA THEATRE BIRMINGHAM – UNTIL SATURDAY 23RD JULY 2022

REVIEWED BY NADIA DODD

5*****

A great reminder ofa real British sitcom comedy from the 1970’s which Raymond Allen wrote the original TV series starring Michael Crawford as the loveable accident prone Frank Spencer.

As the opening music played which was the title theme to the sitcom show it bought back some fantastic childhood memories of this real haphazard character that plenty in the theatre tonight adored.

Star of the stage show production is comedy legend Joe Pasquale who mimics Crawford’s characterisms and facial expressions of Frank (Spencer) to an astounding tee. His fellow actors had their work cut out in keeping a straight face, composing themselves and carrying on with the show when Pasquale looked like he was about to burst into laughter on more than a couple of occasions…. the reason I love theatre, it’s real and happening right in front of your eyes, no two shows will ever be the same, and the audience soaked it up tonight.

Not a real gripping storyline but its British sitcom, it doesn’t need to be, daft jokes, ridiculous high jinks foolery and general clowning around is all that was needed and the 6 actors on stage tonight certainly did this.

Betty Spencer (Sarah Earnshaw), Frank’s long suffering wife, deserved a medal keeping calm and extremely professional working alongside Pasquale. Mrs Fisher, Betty’s mother (Susie Blake) was hilarious during a scene following her having drunk rather a large amount of homemade prune wine whilst visiting her daughter and son in laws house for dinner one evening along with a new pompous male ‘friend’ of hers Mr Worthington (Moray Treadwell). Treadwell also plays the part of Mr Luscombe, a director of a show from the BBC who came to film Frank for a new upcoming TV show.

Further comical scenes follow and it becomes apparent Frank is no dab hand at DIY around the house with all of the mishaps that occur. The best scene for me would have been 3 Frank Spencer’s dancing on staircase to ‘Knock Three Times’. Simple but so effective and great vision from choreographer Jenny Arnold.

With record summer temperatures today being hit in the UK, it was a tad warm sat in the audience, goodness knows how they felt on stage under the lights and in full make up and costume, but they all delivered the final scene with unflagging energy, dancing to the disco tune ‘Tiger Feet’. There was hardly a dry eye in the house – all from laughter of course!

Theatre Royal Concert Hall Nottingham – until Saturday 23rd July 2022

Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh

3***

Sugar, Butter, Flour…perhaps I am diabetic, vegan and gluten intolerant but Waitress did not sit well with me.

The production is lovely. Colourful vibrant and lively. Pretty sets, beautiful people, a talented stage placed band and ensemble cast that come together to produce an aesthetically wonderful show. Peppered with upbeat songs and some humour that often hits the mark, the show appears to have all the ingredients that should make it a smash. But something is not quite right and leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth.

Waitress has music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and a book by Jessi Nelson. It tells the story of Jenna Hunterson, a baker and waitress in an abusive relationship with her husband, Earl. After Jenna unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she begins an affair with her gynecologist, Dr. Jim Pomatter. Looking for ways out of her troubles, she sees a pie baking contest and its grand prize as her chance. But it’s not free to enter and Earl will not support her growth. How will Jenna get out of the jam she is in?

The main issue with Waitress is that it is predictable and implausible. In a show that is supposed to champion the protagonist’s strong female independence, its surprising to find she is led and governed by men throughout her life. Even at the shows supposed epiphany filled climax, you are left with the conclusion that without a man’s intervention, Jenna would not find happiness.

The actions and motivations of some characters are bizarre and the sudden introduction of others during a hurried ending left me baffled. Am I the only one who thinks a married doctor embarking on an affair with his married, pregnant patient strange? Perhaps if there had been a song exploring his feelings and actions, more than a brief mention of his social awkwardness, anxiety and lust, this would have made for a more rounded explanation. Or perhaps it really was the power of pie? Whatever it was it still left me seeing circles.

Putting this aside, I feel Waitress is the Marmite of musicals. Some people in the theatre absolutely loved it and I felt some were left as perplexed as I was. Aimee Fisher was breathtaking as Jenna. Stepping into the breach last minute, her voice was majestic and the emotion she portrayed was spinetingling. David Hunter was enchanting as the rogue resident who romanced Jenna. Supported by a wonderful cast the performers did not put a foot wrong, they were simply let down by a strange and disjointed storyline.