Hairspray on UK Tour at the Norwich Theatre Royal

Hello fellow musical fans, hope all is well and everyone is experiencing a healthy spring 2016. It has been nearly a month since I last posted and much has been going on. Yesterday (Tuesday 29th March) evening I drove and met my lovely Beezie (Kayleigh) in Norwich for a night of swinging 60’s. First I have to tell you that I got lost in Norwich, I am actually quite embarrassed to share this anecdote but it is worth my pain for you to hear. I was meeting Beezie at Zizzi’s in Norwich. Well I knew the restaurant was in the Tombland area of Norwich, somewhere I have been many times in my drinking years; so you would think I would be able to find it. I was already anxious due to excess traffic, road closures and the dreaded thought I always have when going to the theatre, “I’M GOING TO BE LATE!!!” So I am trying to find this bloody restaurant, in the end Beezie has to order my carbonara and small Pinot Grigio as I am in serious panic mode; stomping down these cobbled streets, onlookers thinking where has that lunatic escaped from. Just to clarify I found Zizzi’s eventually, having plenty of time for a coffee and still ten minutes sitting in the auditorium of Norwich Theatre Royal waiting for Hairspray to start, why don’t I learn.

 

So yes, Hairspray 2015-16 UK Tour arrived at Norwich Theatre Royal last night, after much anticipation from theatre staff, me and Beezie as well as other audience members I assume. I can assure you this anticipation was well worth the wait and it was a great night had by all. I first saw Hairspray on stage three years ago on its second UK tour and I loved it then. The current tour embarked on its nationwide journey in August last year and is due to close in May of this year – see below for further details. I have loved Hairspray since seeing the film when it was first released in 2007 with its star studied cast. The 2013 UK tour also had a few famous faces including Mark Benton, Lucy Benjamin and Marcus Collins. So when I saw that another UK tour had been announced I was extremely excited, again with a few well known faces dropped in the mix.

Hairspray is based on the 1988 film, by John Waters, of the same name; again with a great cast (I have to admit I have not seen the original film – it is on my to do list). Hairspray was created into a musical in 2002 in the US with a Seattle try out before moving to Broadway later in the same year; with book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan. Hairspray sees young Tracy Turnblad audition and make it onto a dance show, The Corny Collins Show, in the 1960’s. This being in Baltimore during the 60’s there were some quite strong views of how white and black folk should mix. Tracy, a larger than life girl, struggles to fit into a size zero world filled with narrow minded beliefs. Tracy fights for her beliefs and works hard to change those of others. Tracy aims to show Baltimore that white and black people can dance and be together without problem. Although the title of the musical (and film) suggests the themes regard beauty, hair and make-up the heart and soul of the musical is far from this. I love the fact that this musical shouts about being different is not a setback, as Tracy quite clearly tells us throughout. The musical supports and inspires bigger girls to realise they can have what they want and reach their dreams without being stick thin. The musical also tackles racial issues which are held by many still today. I love the fact that the protagonist in Hairspray is a young girl shouting out for what she thinks is right, as so many do not do today and just follow the crowd. I hope for anyone (who the hell are you) who hasn’t see Hairspray (any version) can find time to watch the films and be inspired too if you cannot make it to the theatre.

Wow, three paragraphs and you still don’t know much about my night; these blogs are getting too long. The current production is jointly produced by Mark Goucher, Laurence Myers, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Gale King Productions, Tom O’Connell Productions, Gary Brown, Just for Laughs Theatricals and Curve Theatre (phew! Got through it!). Costumes are a massive part of Hairspray with most actors having costume changes between scenes (and in some cases during). Takis was costume designer for the new production of Hairspray and he did a fantastic job. Sticking mostly to the previous tour I saw and videos I have seen of West End productions (which I think is very important not to stray too far from originals), the fashion of the 60’s comes alive on the stage. The creative role Takis has is to portray 1960’s white people, 1960’s black people, the racists, the pro-integration bunch and all the small scenes in-between (such as the prison scene, which even then I saw at least 6 different prison black and white stripes); a gigantic task fully achieved. Philip Gladwell is lighting designer and I specifically remember while sitting in the auditorium was that the lighting effects in this performance were awesome. With the show flipping from homes to filming studios, streets to shops and schools to prisons a lot of work has to go into making sure the lighting reflects these environments. This leads nicely into set design, by Paul Moore. The set for this performance was pretty remarkable. Staging and décor were of high standards, the different vast environments were portrayed well and transitioning between was flawless (thank you director Paul Kerryon). One thing I loved about the set for this performance was that the 8-piece orchestra were on stage, high above for all to see. As I have countlessly said sticking the orchestra on stage is a winner for me each time.  One issue I did have with set design was that I saw the people you shouldn’t see on stage, on stage during the finale which was so disappointing.

 

Drew McOnie takes on choreography and I was pleased with what I saw however there were some differences in certain scenes. ‘Mama, I’m a Big Girl’ scene does not have the dance move that I absolutely love, try to replicate in my car while listening to the soundtrack (please remember safe driving at all times, this blog is not liable for your driving) so this was upsetting. However the 60’s dance moves, of both black and white, and the more loveable scenes such as Wilbur and Edna are well crafted. With original music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and original lyrics by Scott Wittman Hairspray has an amazing score which makes one of the most perfect driving musical soundtracks to listen to. Shaiman and Wittman, more recently well-known for their original score for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (I am seeing it this year thank god), they have had some massive hits and I have no space to tell you all of them. This classic score has one of the biggest musical hits in recent years ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ which is often heard in non-musical arenas. The song is fan-tas-tic and allows the audience to have a dance at curtain call and ends the performance on a well-deserved high. Other classics of Hairspray, and biasedly my favourites, include ‘Good Morning Baltimore’, ‘Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now’ (not featured in the 2007 film), ‘Welcome to the 60’s’, and ‘You’re Timeless to Me’. I highly recommend getting this soundtrack for any budding musical theatre fan (anyone else an addict yet?).

 

The whole cast are amazing and I always feel so bad writing a review about a show as posts typically mention the leading ladies and men, those that catch my eye just a little and then those that flop. I can never mention each ensemble member and any swing that gets involved (unfortunately). However one comment that I did have for this cast was that everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and that was clear from the seat I was sat in. This is really important to audience members who pay good money to see shows on tours and in the West End. If the cast are having the best time you can damn right bet the audience are too. Claire Sweeney leads the way with her portrayal as meanie Velma Von Tussle, a tough woman who has her views cemented and will do anything to get where she needs. I was very much looking forward to seeing Sweeney in a musical, never seeing her live but hearing high expectations. Sweeney has a huge CV in musical theatre (and other acting roles) including some of my favourite shows. Velma does not have loads of singing in hairspray and I have to admit I was not blown away by ‘Miss Baltimore Crabs’. However she pulled it back with her reprise of the song and made me chuckle in the finale so I am glad I got to see Sweeney on stage. Matt Rixon plays Edna Turnblad and I have to say before anything, stick a man in a dress and I’m already on board. Rixon again has a huge rėsumė for the theatre and although I had not heard of him before (sorry Matt) I was hugely impressed with his portrayal of Edna. Both funny and able to hold a note was great, he took on the role with 110% and made the scene with his on-stage husband both hilarious and tender (I think my favourite scene of the night). Sharing this possible favourite scene [I have not yet decided typing my first draft late at night after the show with another Pinot, I will edit laterJ] with Rixon was Peter Duncan playing Wilbur Turnblad. Duncan has been working in the industry for over 40 years and this is just one more addition to that ever growing list in the programme (nearly three columns Peter, calm down). Well known for his Blue Peter days and being a self-confessed adventurer he certainly made Hairspray into an adventure, especially with his Timeless to Me scene [OK it’s my favourite of the night, decided].

 

Freya Sutton reprises her 2013 UK Tour role of Tracy Turnblad. I honestly think Sutton’s singing has gotten better and definitely thought that her solo songs were of higher quality than three years previously. I also think in this new production she was able to be funnier which suited her and the character. Brenda Edwards stars as Motormouth Maybelle and boy does that woman have a set of lungs on her. Her soulful and powerful voice was by far the best singing on stage tonight and blew everyone else out of the way. After entering the X-factor in 2005 Edwards has made a name for herself in the musical theatre world playing some booming characters such as Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (I was meant to see you in this Brenda but you weren’t on the day I went L), Mama Morton in Chicago (fantastic role) and in Carmen Jones. Edwards is a fantastic Motormouth and I reckon she would be fabulous in the new West End musical – Motown the Musical. Jon Tsouras plays Corny Collins, Seaweed is played by Dex Lee (loved him and pretty god damn hot), Ashley Gilmour plays Link Larkin, Amber Von Tussle is played by Lauren Stroud and Monique Young gives a great funny performance as Penny Pingleton. Again the rest of the cast were amazing but I just can’t write everyone down. One person that I thought was comically great was Tracey Penn who played Female Authority Figure (an essentially ensemble cast member who plays multiple re-occurring characters, particularly Penny’s mother, police guard and PE teacher). I was watching Penn and thought you remind me of someone I saw in Made in Dagenham (Adelphi Theatre, West End) and it turns out she was in that. Penn works tremendously hard in this production, changing roles quickly and with ease and really gives the audience a giggle; loved her!

 

Hairspray is a multi-award winning musical and I think it will continue to be a show that is seen across the UK, West End and Worldwide. The original 2012 Broadway production won 8 Tony’s including Best Musical, Best Original Score (totally deserved as described above), Best Direction, Best Book, Best Leading Actor (and actress and featured actor) and of course Best Costume Design (as me and the Beez said many times I definitely needed some of those sparkly suits and the dress wouldn’t be wasted either). The 2008 original West End production also won the Olivier’s for Best New Musical, Michael Ball winning Best Actor for his portrayal of Edna (some amazing YouTube videos if like me you didn’t get to see Ball), Best Actress for Leanne Jones as Tracy and Best Performance in a Supporting Role for Tracie Bennett as Velma (Bennett is currently starring in Mrs Henderson Presents in London which me and Nanny Cora are booking soon!). The current production is at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 2^nd April, tickets have sold superfast and every performance only has a few seats left so to ensure your chance to see this amazing show get booking. Following its run at Norwich, Hairspray visits Milton Keynes, Wales, Plymouth, Stoke and Southend finishing on 21^st May 2016. According to London Theatre Direct due to the amazing success of the current tour Hairspray will return to another UK tour at the end of summer 2017 so keep your eyes peeled.

 

Thanks again for reading. If you haven’t already check out the Norwich Theatre Royal new season which runs until December 2016, some great shows arriving in the big Norfolk City including Chicago, Mary Poppins, Rocky Horror Show, Guys and Dolls, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Commitments and The Sound of Music – get your tickets at the Box Office.

Please get in touch on Twitter @AaronBurgess89 I would love to hear from you and make contacts. Until next time be safe, be careful and of course be musical.

@AaronBurgess89

 

 

 

Toast, UK Tour of Richard Bean's Play

It feels only yesterday we spoke, well it was, haha! I had to do so many miles for one day at work before I was back at the theatre, this time with Nanny Cora. On 29^th February 2016 we went to the Norwich Theatre Royal to see the press evening of Toast, a Play by Richard Bean and starring Matthew Kelly, but more about that shortly. It was a rushed night unfortunately but we had some nice takeaway food, I wanted to say meal then but you can’t really call it that. Nanny Cora said the fries were cold; mine were ok but nout special. We had a quiet stroll to the theatre, placed our drinks order and settled in our seats. We always have a laugh me and Nanny Cora; whether about my driving or the people sitting at the adjacent table in the fast food restaurant, the old woman who was appalled by the language in the play or the man that fell asleep in front – so funny! Right I am here to write a blog post and review of Toast not waffle on. You may wonder why a play is featuring in the musical theatre blog; as previously stated I do enjoy plays just don’t often go.

For those of you that have never heard of Toast, including me until a couple of months ago, it is a British play by Richard Bean and tells the story of seven men who work in a bread factory; bread plant as they say in the play. The play spans one night in the staff room of the factory, the relationships of the men, both within and outside of the factory and one or two calamities that occur. The play first premiered in London in 1999; with a revival in Hull (where the play is set) in 2007. It revived again in London in 2014 and later began its 2016 UK tour.  I can see why Toast is not well known, it isn’t exactly the most exciting thing I have seen on stage, yet it was comical in parts. Bean worked in a bread factory many years before writing the play, originally planned to be named Wonderloaf until legality put a stop to that. Bean is a psychology graduate, like yours truly, and worked as a psychologist before becoming a playwright (maybe I will write a West End musical after being a psychologist lol!). I have read Bean talking about a third Act, and I only saw two this evening so I am assuming there has been some changes or did I miss a whole Act (the cast definitely all bowed at the end!).

 

One thing I really enjoyed about the play was some of the themes it tackled. Homophobia in the workplace, which is obviously very important to me features in Toast. I think the play is set in the 1970’s and clearly this was a time when homosexuality was not as accepted as it is now. I have definitely received my fair share of homophobia comments in my time and it is still something that is experienced on a daily basis by many. Obviously being a psychologist, as Bean, the theme of mental health ruminated with me. Again in the 1970’s compared to the present day mental health is so much better understood and treated and you can see in Toast how stigma alienated individuals with mental health problems. Job uncertainty is a theme that cropped up but I don’t think Bean intentionally meant this to be a big factor in the play; however in the 1970’s and factory work this was a dilemma faced by many.

 

The relationships of the men are very important in the play. The relationships they have as friends and foes as colleagues and the ones they have back at home. It’s funny to see how men are at work and men are at home, or how you picture them at home – very different indeed. This featured heavily in Toast and I think without the focus of these relationships the play wouldn’t consist of much. I think there is a difference in the way people viewed their jobs during the decade Toast is set to the present day; in Toast the majority of the workers are very passionate, dedicated and would be lost without their job – I think today this attitude has definitely decreased for many.

 

As previously stated I didn’t find Toast all that exciting, and as Nanny Cora says, it doesn’t have to be exciting, it’s something different and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I didn’t expect explosions, car chases and all that excitement you get from an action film a bit more would have been pleasant to see. Lighting designer, Mike Robertson, has done well and the lighting effects do give a bit of tension to the play at parts which was warmly welcomed. Directed by Eleanor Rhode and set design by James Turner, I liked the set and stage design. I thought that a lot of effort had gone into the staff room of the factory, making it as real as possible; you really do feel like you are watching a group of men in a work staff room. Bean was very much aware of the eight member of the cast, as he says; the audience and I honestly did feel a part of the play and connected to some of the characters. Act 2 is by far much better than Act 1; I felt there were a lot of long pauses which were too long and lost the comedic value in act 1. Although not heavily filled with music and song, the sound design, by Max Pappenheim, captured a bread factory and this added to the illusion of the eight cast member Bean wanted. I warn thee now, Toast does feature a full colourful array of the English language from the East Yorkshire accents and phrases to the swearing and the See You Next Tuesday phrase was definitely heard on three occasions. This can be a no no for some people, and I definitely heard some members of the audience sigh and say “it’s just not funny”. I don’t mind a bit of swearing and have certainly used a few phrases in my time but it’s not for everyone.

A cast of seven make up Toast, led here by Matthew Kelly who starred in the 2014 London revival. I have never thought or known of Kelly as an actor, especially on stage. Kelly is an Olivier-award winning actor (portraying Lenny in Of Mice and Men). Kelly’s character of Nellie reminded me of Lenny from Of Mice and Men at points in the play. Kelly is a good actor and plays the role of Nellie well. An old factory worker, dedicated to his job, unsure of social interaction and I would describe him as an emotionally weak man. I was really impressed with Kelly; I always remember him in Stars in Their Eyes – what a great show that was! Simon Greenall plays Cecil, a sexually frustrated man who likes to have a laugh in the factory. I know Greenall from playing Michael in the ‘I’m Alan Partridge’ series and he is probably less well-known for creating the voice of the famous meerkat Aleksandr Orlov on the comparethemarket.com adverts. It was great to see Greenall on the stage after a 20 year break from the stage. He was quite the comedian on stage and definitely had the audience in giggles throughout.

 

Steve Nicholson plays Blakey; the senior worker on the night shift, who is eager for promotion and keeping order at the factory. Nicholson has been in many British TV dramas and is no stranger to the big stage. Again a good well rounded performance I felt. The rest of the cast sees Will Barton as Colin (possibly a closeted homosexual who is in with the management), Kieran Knowles as Dezzie (the youngest factory worker who is eager to keep his sex life fruitful after being at sea), Matt Sutton as Peter (the gobby one who knows everything and has an opinion on each conversation) and finally John Wark as Lance (the new student at the factory on his first day, a little lost some might say).

Toast can currently be seen at Norwich Theatre Royal this week playing until Saturday 5^th March at 7:30pm every night (with 2:30pm matinees on Wednesday the 3^rd and Saturday 5^th March). There are still plenty of seats for all performances so if you fancy seeing Toast pop along to the Theatre Royal in Norwich and see if you enjoy Toast. For those non-East Anglian readers Toast is going to the following places: Bath, Worthing, Guilford, Cambridge and Nottingham. Right after writing about toast I fancy a sandwich so speak to you all soon.

 

 

Remember to get in touch @AaronBurgess89

Thanks! X