The Committments on tour, Norwich Theatre Royal

On the evening of the 28^th November 2016 moi and le boyfriend, Ben, went to the Norwich Theatre Royal to see the touring version of the smash hit West End musical, The Commitments. I have to say we are quite enjoying our early week evenings popping to the NTR for a glass of vino and a musical show; plus the silly pictures and videos we take. Well we had a really great night; even the encore at the end by the cast was thoroughly welcomed, despite the urgency for the loo. I first went to see The Commitments in October last year with Nanny Cora at The Palace Theatre where it was coming to end of its run (and just as this blog was starting out – check out the previous blog here). I remember when I wrote the previous blog post for this that I said I liked the musical but was not blown away by it. I had recently seen Sunny Afternoon in London at the time and, for me, this was a much better musical centring on a band. FYI Sunny Afternoon is due to arrive next year on tour at Norwich Theatre Royal so keep your eyes out for this. Despite saying this I really had a great time at The Commitments and found it much more entertaining the second time around. Maybe it was more familiar this time or being in a smaller theatre making it a much more intimate or maybe it was something else, who knows.

The Commitments is based on the 1987 novel by Roddy Doyle which later was transformed into a musical film in 1991. The book, musical film and stage adaptation tells the story of a young Irish soul fan who wants to assemble his own soul band in the mid-1980’s in Dublin. He has a mix of characters that want to be in his band, and as you can guess it, with a mix of individual personalities there are bound to be some fall outs, romances and eternal friendships. The Commitments is known as a jukebox musical and takes some of the most classic songs from the soul era and transforms them all into a visually fantastic story/musical. There are over 40 fantastic soul songs that feature in this musical and no way can I name them all; see the previous post for a few. But it is fantastic to hear all these classic tunes amalgamated into an on-stage musical. As I discussed with Judy Foster, Norwich Theatre Royal’s communications officer on the night, it was absolutely brilliant hearing all these songs transformed into a modern musical. A couple of my favourites were Proud Mary and River Deep, Mountain High, and I think one of the ones that got Ben toe-tapping (LOL!) was Think, of course by Aretha; other soul classics feature are those by James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson. It is an absolute gem; the only problem is that with so many classic songs some of them are not played in full and only feature as a small reference point in the show.

With direction, additional staging and choreography by Caroline-Jay and Denise Ranger this musical will definitely entertain even the slightest soul fan, let alone a real fanatic. I really liked the set of The Commitments; it stuck very close to its West End version which I believe is really important for a touring production. Soutra Gilmour (also costume designer) transforms the stage frequently from a decrepit garage to a less decrepit stage. However saying this it really gives the audience the honest and authentic raw nature of seeing a live band. I have to say there weren’t many changes from the West End version and it is just as good (and even better in my mind) on tour. As with any musical that tries to recreate live bands and singers there has to be that lighting effect that makes you feel like you are actually at a real gig. Jon Clark definitely achieves this, despite nearly blinding us all at the end during the encore.

A few of the main guys in the musical have joined the touring cast from their time on the show in London. I saw Brian Gilligan in the role of Deco at the Palace Theatre who reprises his role on this tour. He originally played Billy Moody in the musical however he is much better suited in the role of Deco. Although his character is a bit of a difficult band-mate, nicest way to put it I think, I really enjoy his singing voice and energy on stage. Gilligan is also a very big crowd pleaser during the encore which really ends the show on a feel good footing. The non-singing character in the musical, Jimmy Rabbitte, is played by Andrew Linnie, who originated the role of Dean, but later played the role of Jimmy too and I cannot remember if it was him I saw when I went in London. But he is a great character and actor, just a shame he doesn’t have one full song. The role of Jimmy’s Da (and Caretaker) is played by Kevin Kennedy, best known for his role as the sex symbol Curly for many years in Coronation Street, alongside one of my favourite British acting talents, Sarah Lancashire. I was supposed to see Kennedy in the role of Pop in We Will Rock You at The Dominion, but he wasn’t there the night I went which was a shame. So I was really looking forward to seeing him in The Commitments. The only problem was he isn’t in it much. He is definitely the funny character in the show, with his Irish swearing, but a lack of scenes and singing was a little disappointing.

The remaining characters of the band are all very talented musicians and as many of you know as I repeat this all the time I really enjoy it when the characters play musical instruments live on stage (of course when it is relevant and adds to the show). This definitely is needed as you can well assume in The Commitments but it is great. The transitions from practicing in the garage to being at a gig are very smooth. I also love the female backing singing trio, the Committmentettes (not sure on spelling) as I did in the original West End performance. This time the trio were portrayed by Amy Penston (as Natalie), Leah Penston (as Imelda; coincidence or sisters – not sure?) and Christina Tedders (as Bernie). These three have great stage presence and really soulful singing voices which was lovely.

If you love soul music, or even just enjoy some of that style of music The Commitments is a great show to see, especially while this fantastic West End revival is right on the Norfolk doorstep. As Ben said it is actually a really good feel-good musical and it makes you smile and laugh throughout; and even a bit of dancing maybe (I am sure me and Nanny Cora had a boogie in the Palace seats). The show is at the NorwichTheatre Royal until Saturday 3^rd December. There are limited seats for the remaining performances, 7:30 on the evenings and a 2:30 matinee on the Saturday. Check out the theatre website for what’s on for the rest of the year and remember this year’s panto, starring ballet dancer Wayne Sleep, Jack and the Beanstalk starts on December 13^th – it’s nearly CHRISTMAS!!! Please get in touch, would love to hear from some of you @AaronBurgess89.

Breakfast at Tiffany's, Norwich Theatre Royal

The evening of Monday 14^th November 2016 me and the boyfriend went to see the opening night of Breakfastat Tiffany’s at the Norwich Theatre Royal (I think I’ve got him hooked on musicals and theatre shows now, let’s hope he reads this and gets me a West End ticket for Christmas or my birthday next year – hint hint!!). We had a lovely time and really enjoyed the play. I first saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s in April of this year at The Grand in Leeds which starred Pixie Lott before she starred in the West End version of the play. I am so pleased I got to see the show again, despite a different Holly Golightly, as I now understand the story so much better. Also I have not yet watched the film as I had promised in my previous blog post about the show, maybe I will by the time I see the show again, if I do. I hope not to repeat myself too much in this post, but as I said the cast were very much the same. Which I have to say makes me commend them all, as I did not feel at all like the cast, for at least the past seven months, have been doing the same show every night which just shows the quality and talent of this elegant play and those in it.

You can read a bit of the background of Breakfast at Tiffany’s from my previous post, please go have a look at. This play is based on Truman Capote's novella which was also transformed into the much loved film starring Audrey Hepburn. In this production Holly Golightly, the protagonist of the play, is played by Georgia May Foote, best known for her role as Katy Armstrong in Coronation Street. I thought Foote was a fantastic Holly Golightly and her voice gave me genuine flashbacks to Lott’s portrayal of the same famous character. She had the flirtation down to a tea as well as the spontaneity and mystery that Golightly occupies. She also sings in this production although I definitely have a feeling she didn’t sing as much as Lott did in the earlier productions (this may be a complete mistake on my part so I apologise if so). However saying that, I absolutely enjoyed Foote’s singing and it was really nice, I particularly love the song Moon River. I am not a big fan of soap operas, however Ben watches them from time to time and he did say it was hard to get the picture of her in Coronation Street out of his mind while watching her on stage as an American socialite, which I can understand as I have experienced the same with other performances from different people.

Matt Barber (as Fred) and Victor McGuire (as Joe Bell) continue in the show and both play great roles, particularly Barber, I really liked his portrayal as Fred as I did last time. Two people I didn’t mention last time but who I really enjoyed this time were: David Cardy as O J Berman and Melanie La Barrie as Mme Spanella and Stern Lady Boss (love that character name). I thought La Barrie was the funniest of the night. She really made me laugh, especially when she was skating about the stage (so random). She has been in loads of musicals too which is great, I would love to see her sing in the near future. Cardy I am sure was not in the previous production I saw in Leeds but I would have to check this out digging out my programme. I saw Cardy in Made in Dagenham and I hear him often on the soundtrack which frequently features as my travelling to and from work album. This time the role of Mag, who is also very funny, was played by Katy Allen and I also very much enjoyed her drunken southern accent. And guess what, Bob the Cat was back, I cannot believe he is still in it, he has been so busy, he must be the richest cat I know (not that I know him personally). Bob still gets the biggest “awwwwws” of the night. What was especially funny was as we were heading for the car after the show we saw Bob the Cat getting in his taxi, he has his own taxi, this cat lives in style, bloody hilarious.

I remember saying in my last blog post that Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a great play and really enjoyable to watch but not a terrible amount goes on. I have since changed my mind second time round. I understand the storyline much better and understand Holly’s behaviour so much more. I have to say that Act one is a little slow but by Act two I am really into the play and what Holly is doing and where she is going. I mentioned this last time but I am a massive fan of the set (Matthew Wright, who was also costume designer). Despite a big mistake and the wrong drop coming down (which I forgave) I love the details of the bedrooms. From the ripped wall paper to the dirty tea towel it all just feels so professional and real. I still don’t understand the colour of the turquoise and its prominence in the play but maybe this is related to the film somehow. I particularly like the scaffolding thing that you often see in American films (Pretty Woman, which she climbs down) and the use of this within the story. Ben Cracknell’s lighting is also amazingly effective, from rain to paparazzi it all fits into place as part of the wider story.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s finishes its current tour at the Norwich Theatre Royal this weekend. Tickets are still available for the Thursday and Friday evening performances, both Saturday’s matinee and evening performances have very limited tickets left and I would hazard a guess these will be sold out by the time Saturday arrives (I cannot believe another week has nearly past us). It is a really enjoyable show; most play enthusiasts will really enjoy Breakfast at Tiffany’s and this is coming from a musical addict remember. And on different news from the Norwich Theatre Royal some new shows have been announced which will soon be arriving on our Norfolk doorstep, which is extremely exciting. Fantastic musicals including Sister Act, Funny Girl and Running Wild are due to arrive and family classics including Fantastic Mr Fox and Granny Gangsta. 2017 is going to be a very special year at the Theatre Royal and don’t forget this year’s panto, Jack and the Beanstalk will soon be here (13^th December to 15^th January), tickets are now available. Please get in touch; I would love to hear from some of the people reading the posts AaronBurgess89.

Chicago at Norwich Theatre Royal

Another visit to the Theatre RoyalNorwich on Tuesday night (31^st October) to see the touring production of Chicago The Musical, hereafter referred to as simply Chicago (I always pronounce it as Chic-A-Go after Peter Kay). I was originally meant to be going with my fabulous Bezzie, Kaz, however after a horrible incident with her car (hope it gets sorted soon Beez) and me having assessments the following day on the new job I took along my boyfriend Ben for our first live musical experience together. We both had a lovely time and really enjoyed this production of Chicago. Similar to my last review, The Sound of Music, the filmed version of the musical is so well known and starring the likes of Renėe Zellweger, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta Jones and John C Reilly, so many people think they will see a carbon copy of what a film shows the audience. No, no, no, that is not the case with a stage (or film) adaptation, there are changes and differences, some slight, some huge. I really enjoyed the stage version of Chicago, the first time I have seen it on stage (I have seen the movie a few times of course). It is really worth seeing at the Theatre Royal, tickets are available for Thursday evening performance (7:30pm) but all others are sold out so keep an eye out for re-sales or phone the box office (01603 63 00 00).

Chicago is a vaudeville musical using aspects of song and dance, mime, acrobats, circus, puppetry and ventriloquism as well as other forms of theatrical entertainment to tell it’s story. This story being about murder, adultery, fame, cheats, lies, relationships and corruption – how cheerful I hear you cry. This musical has lyrics by Fred Ebb and music by John Kander (another well-known Kander and Ebb musical of course being Cabaret). The original book was also by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse (Fosse also directing and choreographing the original Broadway production in 1975). Chicago has some fantastic numbers that are recreated in the 2002 film; however what the film didn’t show us was some of the other classic songs. One song you will know and love is ‘All That Jazz’ sung by Velma Kelly at the very start of the performance. Kander and Ebb are also to thank for the other Chicago hits including, ‘Cell Block Tango’, ‘When You’re Good to Mama’, ‘All I Care About’, ‘A Little Bit of Good’ (not in the film), ‘We Both Reached for the Gun’, ‘Mister Cellophane’, ‘Razzle Dazzle’ and the amazing finale which is pure fabulousness. I have to say the Chicago soundtrack is great to listen to and of course with the vaudeville theme running through the whole musical there are some beautiful variations in performance and style so you will definitely not get bored.

As many readers of this blog will know I love it when the orchestra are on stage throughout the performance. I love it as they get their own spot in the lime light which is so well deserved. Often hidden below the stage or off into the wings the audience can quickly forget there is a band creating all this wonderful music. Well when the curtain went up and the full band that were presented to me I gasped. I think Ben thought I was gasping at the male dancer who happened to be topless, but no, it was the band on stage that did it for me, honest! The ten-piece orchestra was directed by Leon Charles and he himself was a full member of the cast by the end, shouting to the audience, dancing in his box, leaning over his box with some interesting dance choices. Yeah he deserved his round of applause and even more. Ben commented saying how much he enjoyed the orchestrations and for him one of the best bits of the production was the band, it was great. I thought the stage direction and movement was wonderful to watch however one thing I didn’t really understand was the ensemble sat on the side of the stage when not performing. I have seen this executed well in other musicals (such as Once), however it did not appear to add anything to the story or music and therefore I felt this was not necessary in this production. 

I have to admit that the staging is very minimal and I am not sure if this is coming from the original stage production, but this is a problem when musicals are made into films as a stripped back musical can be completely changed. I have to admit I didn’t mind the minimalistic stage design (John Lee Beatty) but it was a shame that there wasn’t more costume changes (William Ivey Long) with more than just Black as the predominant colour choice. I have to say the costumes were all very sensual and sexual which is great for Chicago, I guess I like a bit of glitz and colour, especially for a finale of any musical act. Ken Billington’s lighting was something I did very much enjoy, apart from when the first court room scene appears on stage as I was nearly blinded, but generally fabulous mood and scene setting by Billington.

The star of the show for me has to be Hayley Tamaddon who plays Roxie Hart (I sometimes think I could have been Roxie Hart, as if I had been born a girl this was what my Mother was going to call me). Tamaddon was a brilliant Roxie Hart. She is perhaps best known for her soap roles in Emmerdale and more recently Coronation Street and I think when you know a soap star you don’t ever think about their singing voice (this is a theme of this post). Well Tamaddon has an amazing voice, best on the stage that night I think. She had power and sass which is what you need when singing as poor little viper, Roxie. Tamaddon also had the comedic ability to play the role; she was funny and had the audience laughing out loud with her shenanigans on stage. What I also loved about Tamaddon was how much fun she was having on stage, she clearly loved being up there and playing the role of Roxie which to me means everything. Jessie Wallace, also best known for her portrayal as Kat Slater in EastEnders, again someone you don’t automatically think of as having a great voice. Wallace plays Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, the keeper of the keys down at the prison. Wallace has a great voice and it was so strange hearing her with an American accent and not that London spark (“Oh yes I am your mother” – brilliant). Slater reminded me of Karen in the hit US comedy Will and Grace, not sure why but she did. The only problem with playing Mama Morton is you are not on stage that much which was a huge shame. A D Richardson plays Mary Sunshine, one of my favourite characters who is certainly undervalued in the film as the character loses her song and is featured less. Richardson is a very convincing (SPOILER ALERT) woman in the musical and if that was his actual signing voice, standing ovation to you, loved it! It was so good at one point it felt like he could have been miming, he is a fun and funny Mary Sunshine, and we all know a female impersonator on stage gets my vote every time.

Neil Ditt portrayed Amos, the poor husband of Roxie who is almost invisible to the rest of society. I feel so sorry for Amos and the audience agreed with me as he was receiving so much sympathy every time he walked off stage. A great version of Mister Cellophane was sang by Ditt. Sophie Carmen-Jones plays Velma Kelly, a sadistic entertainer who will kill if she needs to, although she also suffers amnesia it seems. I have to say I was not blown away with Carmen-Jones performance and I thought her singing voice was poor compared to her fellow thespians. I loved her solo dance numbers and when dancing with the rest of the company but it was the singing that just didn’t get me going unfortunately. John Partridge (better known for playing Christian in EastEnders – see what I mean I felt like I was at the National Soap Opera Awards) plays Billy Flynn. Now maybe this is because Richard Gere played Flynn in the film but I felt like Partridge camped up the role. Don’t get me wrong, I love a camp character on stage and I look forward to seeing Partridge in La Cage Aux Folles early in 2017 at Norwich where I am sure he will camp it up. However for me, Billy Flynn is a flirtatious man who will use his charm and demur to get whatever he wants and needs; and I just wasn’t getting that from Partridge. I know he can do it as I have seen the filmed version of Cats countless times where he plays the Rum Tum Tugger, the sexiest cat of them all, so I was slightly disappointed.

Chicago is at Norwich Theatre Royal until Saturday 5^th November 2016, as I said only Thursday evening has tickets available. It is well worth a see but remember if you have only ever seen the film go with a fresh and open mind and don’t expect to see the film copied onto stage. It is a fun night and I have certainly been singing some of the songs today. After Norwich Chicago is due to visit Leeds, Sunderland, and Birmingham and please check the website for casting changes as I feeling there may be some. Hopefully you will get to see it somewhere is not hopefully a new tour will arrive soon. Chicago still plays in Broadway and a US tour is currently underway so that is always an excuse to visit the states. Please get in touch on Twitter, AaronBurgess89, would love to hear some comments from you all.