Mrs Henderson Presents at the Noel Coward Theatre, London

Another wonderful trip to London’s West End with Nanny Cora to see the new musical Mrs Henderson Presents on Friday 27^th May 2016. Such a lovely sunny day, sweltering in the car, we finally arrived at Cockfosters, a change to the usual routine this time to save poor Nanny Cora having to change on the underground. But she did well, travelled all round Leicester Square, having an Italian garlic-heavy meal with a wine and a vodka; can’t beat it! The usual silliness of a grandmother and her grandson were ensued, although we obviously acted very middle class when under the watchful eye of society. A fabulous day one must admit. Mrs Henderson Presents is based on the 2005 British comedy of the same name starring Dame Judi Dench and the late but great Bob Hoskins. The film itself is based on the true story of Laura Henderson and the Windmill Theatre in London. During the horrific World War II the Windmill never closed, entertaining the troops when they were back and positively preparing them for their next battle; as we all know what best way to entertain and cheer up a group of folk but a trip to the theatre. I do not know much about the true Mrs Henderson nor had me or Nanny Cora seen the film but I had heard of this wonderful little musical, heard two of the songs on the radio, saw the poster with feather boas and after seeing a scene on the 2016 Olivier Awards I had to see it.

The storyline of the musical focuses on Mrs H herself and her struggle with putting on a variety show in London. When the bill for the costumes comes in the only idea she can think of is to get rid of the costumes; that’s one way to lower outgoings, I don’t think my manager at work would be too pleased if I rocked up in the nude. With mini story lines and character debacles throughout, Act Two sees the beginning of World War Two and the danger this placed on those entertainers and theatre owners and the audiences in them. I felt the musical was naturally funny, no forced jokes or obvious punch lines, but charmingly warm, emotional yet powerful. The show is at the Noel Coward Theatre, a first visit there for me. The Noel Coward Theatre, named after the flamboyant playwright himself, is a tiny theatre with no more than 872 seats over four levels. I was surprised at the size and a somewhat small stage compared to some of the West End stages, nonetheless a beautiful theatre with sparkling interior.

Mrs Henderson is played by Olivier Award winning Tracie Bennett (for Hairspray and She Loves Me winning Best Supporting Role awards), who received her first Best Actress in a Musical nomination this year at the ceremony, losing to none other than Imelda Staunton for her portrayal of Rose in Gypsy. However, after seeing the show I agree it was a tough call to make for those judges, Bennett is fantastic and stole the show for me, especially after her number ‘Whatever Time I Have’. Bennett is well known to the TV screen and the stage, however I know her from her drunken state in Scott and Bailey. Bennett at the age of 54 plays an older lady amazingly, and I mean that as a whole hearted compliment. Her stage presence as the older lady is so real, her rustic singing voice is phenomenal and I just loved her; I couldn’t stop looking and smiling at her whenever she was on stage. And when Mrs Henderson comes to life she can jiggle and dance over the stage as if she was one of her girls. Bennett is wonderful and steals the show.

Olivier nominated Emma Williams, nominated also for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical at this year’s Olivier Awards, losing to Lara Pulver for her role as Louise in Gypsy, plays Maureen. Maureen starts out as a tea lady and soon becomes the star of the show. Maureen is also the love interest of the handyman and in Act Two has some serious thinking to do. Williams has a beautiful voice and it really does just resonate with you. I remember seeing her last year at the Rodgers and Hammerstein tribute at the Theatre Royal Dury Lane and her voice then was amazing there. I knew she was in Mrs Henderson Presents and I think this was what made me want to see the show. Williams’s main song, ‘If Mountains Were Easy to Climb’ is awesome, I saw it at the Olivier’s and it’s fantastic, especially with Bennett joining in at the end of the song. I have found Williams on YouTube singing it and have listened to it approximately 12 times already (bearing in mind I am writing this just 16 hours after seeing the show). Williams has a risky role within the musical and is actually fully nude on stage. When I say fully naked I don’t mean her lady parts are surreptitiously hidden from the audience member’s eyes, I mean she is stark bollock naked (well not bollock but you get the drift) on stage. What a crazy job, I get arrested when I try to remove my clothes in a bar. It must be exhilarating for her to do this night in night out. I give her full respect and for the other girls who do this on stage alongside Williams (Kate Bernstein as Peggy, Lizzy Connolly as Doris and Lauren Hood as Vera as well as some other members of the ensemble).

Another cast member I and Nanny Cora adored was the camp choreographer of the Windmill, Bertie played in this production by Samuel Holmes. With Mrs Henderson Presents it is not just the ladies who bare all on stage, some of the male cast members also bare a little bottom, and Holmes is not afraid to show his off to the audience members every night. Reading this back Mrs Henderson Presents just sounds like an exhibitionist musical, it is not, far from it, it’s a delightful show, just with a bit of nudity. But it is important the show has nudity to be respectful and honest to the story it is based upon. Holmes is funny, got the moves and a good singer; I really enjoyed watching him on stage. Ian Bartholomew plays Vivian Van Dam (the theatre manager not a drag queen) with Arthur in this performance played by Alexander Delamere. The cast are really great and put so much effort from curtain up to curtain down it is a great show. I was up giving them all a standing ovation and I was surprised not more of the audience were, maybe it is the etiquette of the Noel Coward Theatre to sit down but I wanted to pay my theatrical appreciation to the cast and orchestra.

Terry Johnson writes the book and directs Mrs Henderson Presents, with music by George Fenton and Simon Chamberlain with the amazing and talented Don Black (one of my favourite lyricists ever) writing the lyrics to this theatrical, sincere, emotional comedic musical. The original score (I do not know why Olivier do not offer this as an award, Best New Score as the Tony’s do) is amazing, it really is great, and I will be buying mine on Tuesday (payday). My two favourite songs have already been mentioned (‘If Mountains Were Easy to Climb’ and ‘Whatever Time I have’) yet the others that I loved include the title song, ‘We’ll Never Close’, ‘Everybody Loves the Windmill’ and ‘Ordinary Girl’; I really want the soundtrack now to listen again. Cannot wait for a long journey to listen to it from start to finish; it’s one of those soundtracks I will be playing over and over again.

Andrew Wright choreographs Mrs Henderson Presents and this is great. It is not just the dance sequences that are great; it is also a lot of the still moments that are fantastic, especially when it comes to the naked arrangements on stage. This is beautiful to see and received a round of applause from the audience at the sight of some of those beauties on stage. Tim Shortall creates a fantastic set. It begins as the back of the stage looking out into the audience, from where I was sitting it was sort of like a reflection. The set really captures what it must be like to work at a theatre, behind the curtain, awaiting audience reactions, congratulating stars, tidying up and maintaining one of the most important things in British culture, the theatre. The transformation from back to front of stage is seamless and beautiful. Paul Wills is in charge of costumes, or lack of them in some cases. Generally costumes are expected to be, but it is the lack of the costumes that makes Mrs Henderson Presents a stand out musical (as you could quite guess).  Although when the feather fans arrive to cover up some of those lady bits, it just adds another layer of glamour and decadence for me.

Mrs Henderson Presents is on a limited run at the Noel Coward and is closing on 17^th June 2016, with no extension of booking dates despite it being a great musical with mostly positive reviews. From its run at the Theatre Royal in Bath during 2015 to a West End transfer this February Mrs Henderson Presents has entertained many and I can imagine would be able to entertain a lot more. I do hope this musical is revived in the West End or goes on a UK tour. It really is something different and new, albeit based on the true life and a film. Who dare be the next Maureen and other girls, as well as the majority of the cast to bare all on stage and continue the legacy of this niche market of entertainment.

The Bodyguard, UK Tour

I wasn’t expecting to be writing a blog this week until Saturday however when a last minute email came through inviting me to the UK tour of The Bodyguard (the musical) I couldn’t exactly say no so me and one of my closest friends, Emma aka Notta, went to Norwich Theatre Royal on Wednesday (26^th May 2016) evening in a mad rush to go watch it and I am so glad we did. It didn’t feel like a touring version of a musical and while sat in the auditorium I could have quite easily been sat in the West End. The music and lyrics are obviously well known for obvious reasons; however the acting, voices, staging, costumes and special effects made the night – absolutely amazing. The drive home was filled with Whitney classics and musical renditions which were lovely and I still have a sore throat now, which made another long drive difficult as I listened to the wonderful Elaine Paige on Sunday.

The musical is based on the 1992 smash hit film of the same name starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. It tells the story of Rachel Marron, the new music sensation in America. However a chilling stalker is in love with her and will stop at nothing to get her. She needs the help of the top bodyguard in the country to protect her. Apart from the thriller storyline there is of course a love triangle in the musical with Rachel’s sister, Nicki, having a much bigger role in the musical than the film. Other divas were considered for the role of Rachel including Barbara Streisand and Diana Ross; imagine if one of those had taken up the role the film would have been extremely different as would the musical. The Bodyguard originally opened in the West End at the end of 2012 at the Adelphi Theatre, starring Heather Headley as Rachel and Lloyd Owen as the Bodyguard (Frank Farmer). The musical had two super replacements, Beverley Knight who is reprising her role again, returning to the West End at the Dominion Theatre this summer for a limited run (I have tickets). The other replacement, Alexandra Burke, reprises her role in the UK tour, before she takes up her place in the Nunnery as Delores in the Sister Act the musical UK tour.

The West End production won the whatsonstage.com 2013 Award for Best New Musical, being nominated for 5 others. In the same year it was nominated for four Olivier Awards however winning none which is a total shame. Headley lost out to Imelda Staunton for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal as Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd (can’t expect to win against Staunton). The Best Musical award that year went to Irvin Berlin’s Top Hat which was a West End storm apparently. The following year Beverley Knight was nominated for Best Takeover from Whatsonstage.com Awards (that sounds an amazing award as so many leading roles are replaced by some amazing stars). I hope the Dominion production of the Bodyguard is nominated for some Olivier’s next year.

The Bodyguard is a jukebox musical of one of the greatest stars of all time, Whitney Houston. Mike Dixon was production musical supervisor and oversaw vocal arrangements alongside Richard Beadle; with Chris Egan in charge of orchestrations and additional music. The musical features classics such as ‘Greatest Love of All’, ‘How Will I Know’, ‘I’m Every Woman’, ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’, ‘One Moment in Time’, ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘Run to You’, ‘So Emotional’ and the Dolly Parton classic ‘I Will Always Love You’; I actually panicked when the first rendition of this song happens as it is a bit poor (it is meant to be don’t worry), however it is belted out at the end proper Whitney style, you’ll be pleased to know. The music gives you tingly sensations throughout both Acts and really pays a positive and wonderful tribute to the legend that is Whitney Houston, as well as allowing the stars on stage to shine as individuals, it is beautifully crafted.

The show stars Alexandra Burke, who won the fifth series of the X factor. I watched this series and thought burke was a great singer although I never get really into an X Factor winner. Since winning she has sang some good songs including her winning song ‘Hallelujah’, ‘Bad Boys’ and ‘Broken Heels’ being the ones I remember and enjoyed. I never saw her in the West End version and was looking forward to seeing her in Sister Act later in the year. I am now in love with Burke and think she is a phenomenal singer, dancer and actress. She won me over from the first electrifying sing of the night. I felt like I was at a concert with all the pyrotechnics, staging and hot costumes. She was amazing and I cannot fault anything about her stage presence that night. She pays a wonderful tribute to Whitney, adding her own style to the songs, and gives the audience so much emotion it’s unbelievable. I really was not expecting that from her. She even looked right in my direction during the curtain call, unfortunately I was hot and sweaty as I got down to the Whitney songs.

I also thought Rachel John who plays Nicki Marron was wonderful. When she sings her first song I thought it was Alexandra still. As I was watching I thought, although I am loving Burke’s voice I hope other people sing as I would have not liked that. I can confirm there are other singers. John’s voice is so soulful and powerful it gave me just as many tingles as the leading lady herself. Stuart Reid plays Frank Farmer and I recognised him but still can’t remember from where and nothing triggers a memory from reading his bio in the programme. The whole cast were great and the ensemble are amazing with their dance routines which was like being at a real live concert accompanying Burke on stage, thanks to Karen Bruce for her amazing choreography. The stalker, played by Matthew Stathers, was scary and macabre yet totally gorgeous. There was one other little star on that stage, Josiah Choto who plays Rachel’s son Fletcher. There are six little guys who are playing Fletcher and they must all be amazing. Choto had some killer moves on that stage and I want him to teach me how to break dance.

I loved the set design by Tim Hatley from beginning to end; Hatley was also costume designer. The set starts off with a spooky title of ‘The Bodyguard’ with smoke trailing from it floating to the top of the curtains. My favourite aspect of the set design was the use of stage cropping. It felt like a motion picture with the effects of zooming out. It allowed the audience to be pin pointed to one moment in time (WhitneyJ), adding loads of tension and allowed seamless stage transitions and costume changes. Talking about costumes, Burke’s concert outfits were modern, sexy and the best of the night. The curtain call costumes were also fantastic, lots of glitz and glamour which is always a winner for a musical finale. I also didn’t mind the lack of costume for the stalker the most of the way through. The staging also uses modern technology throughout the production; modernising the film. It may be Duncan McLean as video designer who was in charge of this. Sometimes too much technology in a musical can feel out of place however within The Bodyguard it adds a third dimension to the storyline. It allows you to see two points at one time without halving the stage. It was really effective and also added to the celebrity status of Rachel Marron.

The UK tour is coming up to its final venues. It is at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 4^th June and only two dates have tickets left, matinees on Wednesday June 1^st and Saturday June 4^th. Often tickets become available so ring the box office if you need to find out. I have a feeling Alexandra Burke is not appearing at any matinee performances, however I am sure Carole Stennett will be amazing. After Norwich The Bodyguard visits Eastbourne. There is a US tour starting however that is a long way to go. The Bodyguard takes up residence at the Dominion Theatre from 15 July selling until January 2017 starring Beverley Knight and Ben Richards as Frank. It really cannot be missed this sensational show. It will leave you feeling high yet low with its constant changing story line, laughing and tense, anxious and warm, The Bodyguard is one musical not to be missed.

Guys and Dolls UK Tour

Last night (3^rd May 2016) myself and Nanny Cora went to the press evening of Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls UK Tour at the Norwich Theatre Royal. The traffic was an absolute nightmare and I am still traumatised by the anxiety of potential lateness that could have occurred however this was soon cured by an espresso martini waiting for me at the Italian restaurant. We had a little catch up obviously only just left her from War of the Worlds and then meandered up to the Theatre Royal and took up our seats when a local celebrity sat next to us; Susie Fowler-Watt the BBC Look East anchor. Nanny Cora was shell-shocked as she is a big fan of Look East and Fowler-Watt herself. By the interval we had had a chat with Susie Fowler-Watt and her and Nanny Cora got on like a house on fire, even grabbing a quick photo at the curtain call; such a lovely lady and very genuine.

Guys and Dolls is a fabulous show, it would be Loesser winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1962 for a previous musical ‘How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying’, and only one of nine musicals to win the prize since its creation, so Loesser knows what he’s doing. The multi-award winning musical has music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling, winning both Tony’s and Olivier’s over the years of many productions. Guys and Dolls was nominated six times at this year’s Olivier’s although not winning any unfortunately but the competition was extremely fierce. Following a run at the Chichester Festival Theatre before moving to Manchester and Birmingham Guys and dolls arrived at the Savoy for a short run. It has now entered on another UK tour and a production playing at West End’s Phoenix Theatre. I saw the nominated cast in Birmingham last year so I was really looking forward to seeing a new cast who did not disappoint at all. Guys and Dolls tells the story of sinners Nathan Detroit and his compulsive need to gamble away his money at a crap game (dice) at the tournament of his fiancée Miss Adelaide who just wants to get married already. Detroit’s friend Sky Masterson arrives on scene with his money and confidence and is given a bet that cannot be won (can it?) that he couldn’t take Miss Sarah Brown, a straight-laced missionary, on a date in Havana.

This musical comedy stars Richard Fleeshman as Sky Masterson, Maxweel Caufield as Nathan Detroit, Lucy Jane Adcock as Miss Adelaide and Anna O’Byrne as Sarah Brown. For me my favourite singer was Anna O’Bryne by far who had a very operatic style to her voice which suited her missionary persona and her confusion over her feelings for Sky. I was excited to see Fleeshman as I remember him from a few years back in Coronation Street when my family watched it. Fleeshman was then on a celebrity reality singing contest and everyone was so surprised at what an awesome singer he was.  His American twang was stimulating and he had a lovely voice; he’s also easy on the eye I think you’d agree. My favourite character in Guys and Dolls will always be Miss Adelaide. When I last saw Guys and Dolls she was played by Olivier award winning Sophie Thompson who was absolutely immense (nominated this year for Best Actress in a musical, losing out to Imelda Staunton for Gypsy). Lucy Jane Adcock was a grand Adelaide and her dance numbers were fantastic; apart from when her daisy fell off in Bushel and a Peck. Comedy duo Jack Edwards and Mark Sangster play Detroit’s cronies Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet respectively and they were comedy gold, particularly Edwards. My Nanny Cora described Edwards as light on his feet during Rockin’ a Boat number and I have to agree with Nanny he had some moves and his Yankee singing voice was super.

With musical classics including ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat’ and ‘Luck be a Lady’ as well as some of my personal favourites like ‘I’ll Know’, ‘A Bushel and a Peck’, ‘Adelaide’s Lament’ (both), ‘I’ve Never Been in Love Before’, ‘Take Back Your Mink’, ‘Sue Me’, and ‘Marry the Man Today’ Guys and Dolls is a romantic comedy musical score that cannot be afforded to be missed and will have you all singing for days to come (I know this it happened to me after I saw it last time). Andrew Wright and Carlos Acosta choreographed this production of Guys and Dolls and it is fantastic, I overheard while leaving the auditorium audience members commenting on how much they loved the dance routines and how much effort the whole cast put into these routines. Wright and Acosta were also nominated for this year’s Olivier for choreography losing to In the heights.

Peter McKintosh designed the costumes and set; I absolutely love the male costumes all the pinstripes, tartan and multi coloured suits of the gamblers are awesome, I would wear them all. I also love Adelaide and her girls’ performance outfits; proper what I call cabaret variety costumes. The set on Guys and Dolls is wonderful and it was just as good if not better than last time (nothing had changed I don’t think). The backdrop which represents the tall sky scrapers of New York City and the advertising billboards, the effect is magnificent. This would be nowhere without Tim Mitchell’s lighting design. The changing of the lights helps the audience follow the story with the flight to Cuba, outdoors or inside the lights aid story telling. The bright lights of tall buildings and the flashing of advertising in the Big Apple are mesmerising and I absolutely loved it.  

Guys and Dolls is showing at the Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 7^th May with evening performances at 7:30pm and a matinee on Thursday and Saturday at 2:30pm; tickets are still available however they are limited in numbers so you need to be quick to get yours. If you miss the performance at Norwich Theatre Royal the tour continues visiting big cities including Leeds, Plymouth, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Cardiff and more. Guys and Dolls is currently at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End with bookings the end of October 2016. Guys and Dolls is a favourite for any musical theatre fan and if you have never seen it you definitely should add it you’re your musical theatre bucket list. Please get in touch and share your stories and thoughts of Guys and Dolls on twitter @AaronBurgess89