The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, UK TOUR

So I went to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (known from now on as Curious – my fingers will get arthritis keep writing that) on Saturday 12^th September – hence the busy weekend. I bought two tickets ages ago and thought I will find someone last minute to go to see Curious at Norwich Theatre Royal. Typical me I left it and left it and by the time the date came round most people were busy and I was like oh! All was fine and I popped to the Royal on me tod. I am fine on my own (despite Mother panicking), I actually quite enjoy going to the theatre alone, having a wine, some Maltesers, F*****g £8 for a medium red wine – talk about shock to the system I nearly said keep it but didn’t wanna show me self-up now did I. So I gave the spare ticket back to the theatre and they would try and sell it (if not I would just have to simply lose the money); luckily they were able to re-sell it within two hours prior to the performance starting. I obviously met the lovely lady who bought my ticket as her seat was next to mine and we had a little chat and we were both thankful for each other; she said she had been ringing since 10am. I also had a lovely chat with an older couple who hadn’t lived in the area for long but were loving all the eclectic shows that go to the Royal.

 

For those of you that do not know about Curious it is a play based upon the book of the same name by Mark Haddon; again I am including plays in this blog although I do not see many and it is not musical theatre – this is a liberal blog get used to it J. Curious, as the full name suggests, is about a young lad who comes across a dead dog in his neighbour’s garden and wants to find out what has happened; I won’t give too much away. The young lad is likely to have autism or Asperger’s syndrome and working with individuals who are autistic or Asperger’s I was really looking forward to see how Simon Stephens (creating the stage adaptation) would portray autism. Although not specified in the play (or book for that matter, apparently) it is likely the protagonist – Christopher John Francis Boone – is somewhere on the autistic spectrum. I would like to add I have not read the book the play is based on but I hope to read it soon; with all the other books I have on my list this might be sometime away. It began performances in the West End in 2012 and moved to the Apollo Theatre in 2013 where it moved to the Gielgud Theatre following the collapse at the Apollo (so there are double the chances of seeing Curious as it is currently on tour and you all know how much I love a toured performance). It has also opened on Broadway in 2014 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and is doing well (winning five Tony’s this year, including best Play). The West End show was nominated for seven Olivier’s in 2013, winning six of them: Best New Play, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress in a supporting Role, Best Sound Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Set Design.

 

 

Carrying on from the awards I did not see the original or current West End performances and I am sure staging, set and lighting are all better in London compared to on tour (as is the usual). However the tour would have definitely won all these awards in my eyes. It is, by far, the best play I have ever seen and would really urge people to go and see it. The story is so much deeper than a curious incident with a dog during the night and really is a beautiful, family, crime story and a somewhat coming of age story. The play did make me cry at the end and I really want to see it again. Whether someone is interested in autism or not; I feel this is a side-lined aspect of the story (play) and is secondary to how Christopher grows through the play. The show has clearly been directed well and from page to stage (love this phrase – beat that Elaine Paige hehe!) has been executed brilliantly, I could not fault it in any respect. I am sure the original Christopher, played by Luke Treadaway, would have been fantastic. I did not see the main guy on tour either (Joshua Jenkins) who I am sure is fantastic too. I was quite glad I did not see Jenkins (no offence to him) but seeing Chris Ashby on tour was immense. He was absolutely fantastic (even if a bit sweaty) and I cannot fault him; his portrayal of Charlie was flawless. His understanding of autism and Asperger’s is very well defined and really portrays an autistic individual well. He is pretty much on stage the whole way through both Acts and the amount of lines he has had to remember is impressive. His skills at getting the audience to empathise with him were impeccable and I absolutely loved him – I wish him all the success in his future, already amazing, career. I am so glad Nicola Walker won the supporting actress Olivier as I am a huge fan of her other work and am gutted I did not see her play the role of Judy (Christopher’s mother); I just know she would have smashed it. I understand why the sound design was given to Curious; even the little sound effects add something special to the overall story. There are certain parts of the story that are emphasised via the music and sounds of the play. The lighting award had no other decent home, the strobe lighting (warning) was crazy – really epic. The lighting almost takes on a mood and emotion of its own and gave me shivers without any acting or music. Lighting is clearly complimented by the set design. People that know me will agree I am not exactly a minimalist person; although I have fallen in love with minimalism. The set is pretty much blank, being made of mostly chalkboards, white walls and boxes and some minimalist props – however it is epic what the set was able to portray and how it adds extra to what the people on stage are doing. I will not go into too much detail of what happens on stage as I would not want to spoil Curious for anyone; but it’s fantastic and what happens throughout the whole of Act 1 on stage and how this Act ends is pretty much mind blowing in my opinion. So much can go on with not much to go on with (if that makes any sense). I also love the fact the actors become part of the scenery themselves such as becoming a door. I have so much to say about Curious but am worried I will give too much away to those that need to see it. I love the fact that Curious has reference to animal-assisted therapy (something close to my heart). I also thought Curious deserved to win a choreography award as well; despite being a musical and no set dance routines there is a lot of choreography which really is beautiful to watch and must have taken just as much as some big dance routines; these deserve more than mine and other critics praise but an actual award – the skill used to do these and the pleasure it gives the audience is priceless. (Curious was nominated for choreography awards by Tony and Olivier but did not win them; missing out to Top Hat for the 2013 Olivier, so I will commend you Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett.

I also want to mention two other people on stage at The Royal. Geraldine Alexander plays Siobhan, Christopher’s ‘teacher’ and mentor, this character is lovely and I really did fall in love with her. I loved the way Alexander portrayed her and she really made me cry and smile. Clare Perkins plays a few roles in the play and is part of the overall ensemble (as is everyone apart from Ashby which is another nice touch). She is hilarious and her acting skills are not fully appreciated in Curious; her characters are very different and her transition between characters and her acting ability is put to the test and she comes up winning. I would love to see both Perkins and Alexander in the future. So I think I have done my sales pitch, unintentionally, I just absolutely loved this play and really really really really really want to see it again. The tour has a few dates left around the United Kingdom; ending at the Lowry in Salford in November 2015 (hopefully it may get extended). So go see it if you haven’t or go see it again if you have. It is still playing in the West End (and Broadway to those American readers). Honestly, my favourite play ever!

 

Grease, by am dram The Lowestoft Players

So this is the first amateur dramatic (from now on referred to as Am Dram) production I have blogged about. To be fair I do not tend to go see many Am Dram shows (once seeing The Sound of Music by the Lincoln Am Dram society). I was not sure whether to include Am Drams in my blog, but after much deliberation and strict instructions from my nanny, I have decided to include them. So on Friday 11^th of September I went to see the Lowestoft Players preform Grease. Sorry I have not blogged sooner about this visit. It was a very hectic weekend (as you will see from the next post which is yet to be written) and a busy week with various things I do not yet wish to discuss. So The Lowestoft Players are an Am Dram group based in the coastal town of Lowestoft (obviously) in Suffolk near to where I was born and grew up. I was back home visiting family and friends and my Nanny says I will take you to see The Lowestoft Players. I am not sure whether I am just a theatre snob (as I do like my West End performances) but, like I said, I very seldom see amateur productions. I know the Lowestoft Players do many productions each year which I will enjoy seeing in the future (gutted I missed their production of Legally Blonde), as I thought they did a great job as an Am dram. They base themselves at an old Bethel in Lowestoft and converted it into a theatre. They really have done a fantastic job on the Bethel and the lighting, staging and building is really nice to go and see musicals in. I would say though can you apply for a lottery fund and get some new seats they are not the most comfortable.

I went with my Nanny and Cousin Paris and long-term family friend Lorna. I have to say for an Am Dram, it was really good and I very impressed with how they produced and directed Grease. I am a huge fan of Grease and have watched the film countless times from a young age, also seeing a London production some years ago which was immense. I loved the way The Players adapted the show to fit in with their time limit and resources. All the main parts of the story were there, even if a bit jumbled up. As I have never been to The Bethel before to see The Lowestoft Players I was not sure whether they were copying the professional Grease production by having the band above the stage; however it worked really well and this was important for me. The transitions between staging and scenes were flawless and they really looked well despite not having the man and technical power the professional theatres would have. The staging was transforming between each scene and I thought they made excellent use out of what they had. The acting and singing were all very good (apart from one song – which is my absolute favourite – however I will not dwell on this as the overall production was really good and I cannot judge as I am not exactly Sam Smith). My favourite part of the performance was scene 2 of act 2 (Burger scene) with the song ‘Beauty School Dropout’. This is one of my favourite songs from the show (as well as others: ‘There Are worse Things I Could Do’, Look at Me I’m Sandra Dee’, and ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’). This scene from The Players was really well executed with the ladies having big sparkly roller head dressers (which I want so if they are going after the performance please let me know I will buy one).

All in all it was a very good performance and I do definitely look forward to going back to the Bethel and to see future Lowestoft Players shows. I know the performances are still going ahead (until Saturday 19^th) and I hope that all the performances have gone well and you got the crowds in. Also I do hope the Players have a read of this and make comments or contact me on Facebook. Also I would love to join an Am Dram Society so if any scouts out there give me a ring haha!

 

London gets Kinky; Kinky Boots arrives in the West End

Hello all, hope everyone is OK and been going to see some shows too – please share your experiences I’d love to read about them. Well on Tuesday 1^st September 2015 I went to visit the West End (again) and this time to see the new London showing of Kinky Boots. I’ll get onto the show in a minute, you know I like some context.  Visited with Me Beez (Kayleigh) again; was great as always. We had a little stroll down Covent Garden, watching the street acts and looking round the quaint (and expensive) little shops; even started me Christmas shopping which was a bonus. Had a nice little relaxing coffee (and diet coke for me Beez) – bloody hell coffee beans are expensive in London; £3.30 for a latte and then to add salt to my wound a ‘discretionary’ 78p service charge - Day light robbery! We also went to café Rouge for tea which I have never been to before and would go again was nice and thank you mama Beez (Mands) for our tea – beautiful. So we arrive at the Adelphi Theatre (Adelphi) which is a nice little theatre, first time I there was this year to see Made in Dagenham (shame that show ended was really good and I still enjoy listening to the soundtrack). Anyway trust us two to get lumbered with a weirdo drunk (and not me this time J). So I shall explain: Me and me Beez are taking each other’s photos with a Kinky Boots poster thingy and this woman storms in front of us and stands behind the poster, looks at me Beez and says “OH, you want to take my photo?” Well I have gone into hysterics and when I turn back Beez is taking her bloody photo. Well I am shocked, but that’s not all, the woman was like “shall I roll my dress up”; well clearly I am like “No … No … not necessary love”, her husband don’t give a shit he’s having a wine at the bar while I get to see this lady’s knickers on two occasions. Seriously! I don’t actually know how to continue with this story so I will leave it. Women! (Jokes!)

 

So let’s get onto the show (London gets Kinky). It is based on the 2005 film of the same name which I have only seen once but is a really good film and worth a watch; often on BBC or I am sure it is available by legal download or just buy it. The book is by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper; we will get onto Lauper but she won (and rightly deserved) the 2013 Tony Award for Best Original Score. I am not going to lie and I am going to be critical – this is what the blog is for; but please if you have seen Kinky Boots please leave your feedback. Firstly I was not aware until researching when I got in from the show that it was first in the USA. It first was produced in Chicago in 2012 before moving to Broadway in 2013. Kinky Boots remains on Broadway and reached its 1000^th performance this August so congratulations to the Broadway production. It also won the 2013 Tony award for Best Musical, beating the fabulous show Matilda to the top prize which was quite an upset; especially after the critical reaction Matilda received in the West End. We did see the show after it launched on stage 11 days (including Sundays) previously and it was still in its preview stage. It did take me a few scenes and songs to get me in the mood for the show and initially I was not overly impressed after seeing some really amazing musicals this year; it just felt a little flat to me. Although I have to say the first song (The Most Beautiful Thing in the World) has stuck in my head and I have listened to it a few times on YouTube. It was when I first saw Lola and the Angels that I fell in love with the show; as you may well be aware present me with a group of gorgeous Drag Queens and I am yours (seeing Priscilla Queen of the Desert again on tour in February 2016 so look out for that post). So I did in the end absolutely love the show, the storyline and the songs – all fabulous and worth seeing.

 

As I said the show was in its preview stage and this was sometimes clear. There were a few mistakes which were obvious and some less obvious and I may have actually been mistaken. The reason I mention this is because some of the well-established shows do not have these mistakes; or I have not seen them as they must occur. Little things like not getting the staging connected or up in time, dancers and actors looking or facing the wrong direction and making it clear they were in the wrong position and props and that falling. However it is expected with live shows especially in a preview phase. The staging and lighting were phenomenal and I cannot contest that. The transitions between different scenes were generally flawless (providing staging was moved quickly enough) and the lights during the Lola and Angels songs were to die for and often found myself mesmerised by these and not the acting (I think that’s a good thing – for the lighting). The costumes of the Angles (oh sorry the Angels are the group of Queens) were superb and I want one in each colour; well mainly red and the Union Jack one will be my wedding dress when Mr Right knocks on my door. The leading man and queen were fabulous. Killian Donnelly who plays Charlie has a fab voice and I really enjoy his sound (I have him on the Memphis soundtrack and it’s a beautiful tone); he has also starred in some very famous shows including Les Misėrables, Billy Elliott and Phantom. Lola who is the main drag queen (real name Simon) is portrayed by Matt Henry who really has some sass and attitude and I would definitely make sure he shantayed. He did really well with his draginess and I need some lessons. Lauren is played by Amy Lenox (not sure if there is a relation there) and she honestly has such a powerful voice I was quite gutted she only had one main song – The History of Wrong Guys – it would have been really nice to hear more of her voice. The Angels were gorgeous and it was like an episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race (this is a compliment!); they really made the show what it is. One Angel played by Marcus Collins (X Factor 2011 runner-up) clearly wanted to be playing Lola and be centre stage and I personally found this off putting – I hope you enjoy your understudy times. But hey; he’s a drag queen. I really need to mention Lauper’s superb score which from reading certain articles she found difficult to write. Well however difficult she found it she really did a grand job with it. It is quite obvious the songs were Lauperised and this is no bad thing, it was fab to have a bit of Disco Diva in there. Particular ones that I have not mentioned yet, but were definitely kinky, include: ‘Take What You Got’, ‘Land of Lola’, ‘Everybody Say Yeah’, ‘Hold Me In Your Heart’ and the finale ‘Raise You Up/Just Be’ all make you wanna dance, cry or laugh. I know there is a Broadway cast album for purchase (Broadway Album); however I think I am going to wait for the West End cast album. One final difficulty of the show was the music seemed so much louder than the singing voices, it was sometimes difficult to hear the lyrics; whether this was my deafness or a production fault I am not sure but I look forward to the album (although you can hear the songs on YouTube). So, although I have been critical (not bitching, constructive criticism) I did love the show and urge you to see it. I hope the West End production carries on like the Broadway production as I will most likely be seeing this show again if it’s still on late next year – tickets sales have been extended to February 2016. This blog just got Kinky!