Miss Atomic Bomb in the West End

On Saturday (9^th April 2016) I had some well needed sibling time with my little sis Fern. For my birthday (which was last month, thanks for the cards and pressies) she bought me tickets to go and see Miss Atomic Bomb at the St James Theatre in London. We had a lovely day out although I do think Fern preferred the Nando’s meal and interval ice-cream as opposed to the show and time with her big bro. Full of laughs, the two things that stick in my mind are Fern’s pronunciation of the word ‘consumption’ while completing her practice driving theory questions (omg these questions were hard, half of them about being a paramedic and I would certainly fail if I had to take this again). The second being on the way home getting confused about who our mother is; “Your mother? My mother? Our mother? Whose mother” - little private joke but if anyone is that interested drop me a message and I will give you the full version. One thing that pissed us both off was the posh ‘see you next Tuesday’ sat next to us in the restaurant talking to her children as if she was the queen, love get over it and take that blooming plum out from the back of your annoying mouth. Anyhow away with the negativity and back to Miss Atomic Bomb.

 

 

Most of my posts and reviews include a paragraph about the history of the musical or play, previous productions, who starred in them, the basis of the play/musical, the film or stage adaptation or the book it came from. This is not the case with MissAtomic Bomb, it is a completely new musical comedy with an original score, no basis really apart from the time period it was set, no previous productions or stars or awards. Miss Atomic Bomb arrived at the St James Theatre in Victoria, London and I first heard about it on the wonderful Elaine Paige on Sunday (BBC Radio 2). A wonderful area of London for musicals which currently sees Wicked at the Apollo Victoria and closing on Saturday night was Billy Elliott at the Victoria Palace; so it is a musical theatre fan’s dream to live in Victoria (apart from all the f*****g road and building works). St James Theatre is very different to any other theatre in London I have visited. It is a considerably small theatre seating just 312 audience members, we guessed 300 so pretty good work sis! We also were permitted to move closer to the stage which was much better, mainly as Fern had forgotten her glasses and also being closer to the stage; the front row were practically sitting on the stage and I’m sure were accidentally spat on. The theatre, built in 2012, after the fire that caused the demolition of the Westminster Theatre in 2002. It is clearly a more modern theatre than the others. The theatre is known for its short runs of shows, usually running between 2 and 10 weeks (Miss Atomic Bomb running for five). I find this very exciting as many of the productions that play at the St James I hope would go on to be bigger and better than they are at the time of production.

 

 

Miss Atomic Bomb centres on a recently promoted hotel manager who is “up shit creek” to put it in his bosses words to make the hotel a success. Set in the 1950’s in the American city of Las Vegas, Nevada, a time when atom bombs were tested, he comes up with an idea to link the atom bomb with a beauty pageant. The musical also sees two friends who are dying to leave the countryside and sheep farms of Nevada and move to California where they can live their dreams (of course this doesn’t go quite to plan). Miss Atomic Bomb tackles important issues that were definitely a problem in the 1950’s and still cause tensions today. Mainly beauty being in the eye of the beholder, war deserters and sexuality and the importance of appearing “normal” (:-S). I felt Miss Atomic Bomb was quite slow to start and doesn’t really heat up and get my musical feet tapping and swinging until ‘That Girl (is Miss Atomic Bomb)’ which is nearly half way into Act One. However, after this I was really enjoying the show. I think it is great going to a musical with no preconceptions or basis of what to expect. I think with a bigger budget and bigger auditorium Miss Atomic Bomb could be a true success. What the future is for Miss Atomic Bomb I have no idea; it doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page yet.

The beautifully hilarious Catherine Tate leads the cast of Miss Atomic Bomb as Myrna Ranapapadophilou (try saying and typing that after a couple of Pinot Grigios). I had heard on the radio that a reviewer said that Tate doesn’t meet her comedic potential. Who this fool was I cannot remember; I tend to ignore useless and false information. Tate was fantastic; despite the accent that shifted deep-south USA to an Aussie cooking her shrimps on the Bar-B, Tate was definitely funny and I can guarantee you the audience were in total agreement with me. What I loved most was the fact she sneakily brought some of her well known characters into some of her lines. This was not obvious at all and maybe not even intentional however it worked a treat. I even loved the fact that she mucked up a bit of her choreography, dancing too early and dealt with it like a complete comedic professional that she is, having a giggle on stage. Well done Tate and a full five stars for your performance in Miss Atomic Bomb. Tate can also hold a tune, I think we always think of her as Nan or Lauren and forget she is a well-crafted actress with a good singing voice.

 

The other star of the show was Simon Lipkin who has been on many a stage of musical and played some significant characters in some of my favourites including Joseph and his colourful coat, Footloose, Avenue Q and in lots of TV/film. I thought his comedic role as Lou Lubowitz was comedy gold, making me laugh and smile throughout. His on stage presence with the aforementioned Catherine Tate was funny to watch. He sings, dances and acts well with a bullet-wounded foot (feet). Dean John-Wilson, handsomely, plays Joey Lubowitz and Florence Andrews plays Candy Johnson, her love of sheep is portrayed wonderfully and she has an amazing voice too. Her masculine demeanour and tom-boy approach to life is portrayed great especially when in her feathery corset –I mean that as a complete compliment. We all know I love a man in a dress and Charles Brunton provides me with this fix playing the quite rightly hideous Carol who sounds like Marge Simpson; although you would if you smoked for the whole of Act Two. The rest of the cast are great, although my sister was not a fan of Boo Boo or Mr Rosenhut, they all put so much effort into the show.

Already mentioned is one song that I really enjoyed ‘That Girl (is Miss Atomic Bomb)’. Looking back I was not totally blown away with the original score, although a couple of songs do stick in my mind, particularly ‘Myrna’s Song’, ‘Sheep Lament’ and ‘Sugar Daddy’; if I recall rightly Tate features in all three of these songs. Also enjoyable were both finales and the song ‘How Beautiful You Are’. Miss Atomic Bomb is written by Adam Long and Gabriel Vick (extensive West End credits and appeared in the Les Misėrables film adaptation). The lyrics are much better than the compositions and being a comedy musical some of the songs do leave you chuckling. Long and Olivier-Award winning (2013 Top Hat) Choreographer Bill Deamer co-direct this musical comedy. Ti Green designed the set and costumes; the glamourous and exotic costumes were great and I love a bit of sparkle and white feather, who doesn’t. The set was basic and I am not sure if this was constraints of the small theatre or whether it was due to budgeting or intentionality however not mush was going on. There was an arched stair case and I loved the Rocky Horror-esque curtain in Act 2. The use of videos as a background to the staging was mediocre. I have to give it up for Gareth Owen (Sound Designer) and Tim Deiling (Lighting Designer) as to make me jump out of my skin in such a small theatre was a great success; Spoiler Alert there is a simulated atom bomb that goes off and gun shots which scared the living day lights out of me.

 

I liked that Miss Atomic Bomb paid accolades to some well-known musicals, the aforementioned Rocky Horror, Wicked and I think Gypsy. I may have miss-interpreted this, either being unintentional or I may have missed other tributes. I feel it celebrates the success of previous amazing shows which is honorary. Miss Atomic Bomb has now finished its run at St James Theatre and I am not sure where the musical goes from here. I do hope there is another run of Miss Atomic Bomb. Although I sound harsh in some of my comments above I really enjoyed the show and it deserved the standing ovation it received. I would imagine tweaks would be made to the original production (currently produced by Tanya Link Productions) but I see Miss Atomic Bomb playing again soon somewhere. I leave you with a crazy face swap of me and my sister as she discovered how to do this on our day out. Please get in touch and share with me your experiences of Miss Atomic Bomb. Take care! @AaronBurgess89

Breakfast at Tiffany's UK Tour starring Pixie Lott

I have been to see another play, this time at the beautiful Leeds Grand Theatre, last night (6^th April 2016). Breakfast at Tiffany’s which I actually thought was going to be a musical, until about five minutes before it started then I realised it was a play. My companion for the evening was my housemate and very close friend Emma (Notta); she was aware Breakfast at Tiffany’s was a play and confused as to why we were going; we are primarily musical fans of course. A great evening apart from the 40-minute endeavour to find an affordable car park in Leeds; so expensive, however we found one, £6 for 24 hours, bargain! Following a bottle of wine while getting the glad rags on we arrive at The Grand only to be faced with a coughing pandemic and a dog in the seat in front. I think these are personal jokes between me and Emma and if I explain them it will be a waste of my fingers typing and your time reading them as I imagine you won’t find them funny. Basically half of the auditorium were coughing or potentially dying during the play and the woman in front of me appeared to have a stuffed dog as a coat and I thought it was hilarious to pretend to stroke it. Now back to what we are here for a professional and comprehensive review of the touring production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (don’t laugh).

The play is obviously based on the 1961 film of the same name which in turn is loosely based on Truman Capote’s novella of the same name. Breakfast at Tiffany’s follows the accolades of Holly Golightly, an extroverted young lady in the buzzing place that is New York and gazes over her relationships with men and her partying lifestyle. I felt that Golightly is portrayed more of an uncouth young lady then she is in the film (so others’ tell me). The classic film starring Audrey Hepburn has become such an iconic film for many, myself and Emma not included in this population. Both ashamed of the fact we have not seen the film I cannot really comment on comparisons and differences. However we are rectifying this situation and now have the film on DVD thanks to Emma’s sister. The film won the academy award for Best Score and Best Original Song for Moon River which features in the play (I think this is why I was confused it was going to be a musical). Hepburn also received a nomination for her role as Holly Golightly.

Holly Golightly is played by Pixie Lott in the current touring production and she sings in the play which is great. Her voice, rusty and raw, provides a modern yet respectful take of Moon River and Pixie plays the guitar on stage and we all know how much I love a musical instrument on the stage. Lott’s voice is great as most of us know from her number one singles; ‘Mama Do’, ‘Boys and Girls’ and ‘All about Tonight’. Lott also ain’t such a bad actress, playing Holly as the fun-hungry, life-loving girl that certainly is Golightly. I love the voice of Golightly which Hepburn borned and Lott has taken on. The New Yorker posh lisp as I like to call it is fab and I have tried to copy, darlin’. A further 12 members of the cast join Lott on stage during the night. Nick-named Fred (George Peppard) is played by Matt Barber, well-known for his role as Atticus Aldridge in Downton Abbey. Barber has a great stage presence and played the role of Fred finely, with his longing for Golightly so real and is inability to say how he really feels for her frustrating for us in the audience. His monologues portray this so well.  Two fantastic comedic roles are played by Naomi Cranston as Mag and Andrew Joshi as the famous comedy role of Yunioshi; both giving great performances. The cast work hard each night to bring alive Breakfast at Tiffany’s before your eyes and I always wonder whether they miss any lines or not as there is so much to remember. One final cast member who deserves a mention is Bob the Cat; playing the cat (obviously) – he is quite a famous cat too!

I very much enjoyed Breakfast at Tiffany’s, adapted for the stage by Richard Greenberg, however I would describe it as a good play with not a lot going on, if that makes any sense at all. I wonder if the film will also be like this, a great classic everyone has heard of but not a lot actually happens; I can think of a few films like this which I absolutely love. I really do feel Breakfast at Tiffany’s could easily be produced into a musical; with some of the basic song and music already in the play; a Moon River and its reprise – I can hear it on a soundtrack already. I would undoubtedly imagine this concept has been thrown around countless times. Nikolai Foster directs the play and I love Matthew Wright’s set and costume design. Most men are wearing their suits and ties (fair do) and Holly’s wardrobe is great, with beautiful maxi dresses and colours galore. What I particularly enjoyed of Wright’s work was his set design. I absolutely loved how Fred and Holly’s rooms were portrayed as being on different floors and the American scaffolding, as I call it, used in the background and then coming into the lime light as the scene of the bedroom flats disappears into the gods and characters pondering over their thoughts on this scaffolding. Ben Cracknell’s lighting design is also well executed; my favourite part being the illusion that it is raining on stage, which I thought was crafted brilliantly. Many characters talk directly to the audience through their numerous monologues, although other characters appear on stage the lighting also allows focus to one character and multiple characters explaining the same story works really well. Other songs to feature in the play are ‘Hold up My Dying Day’ and the Rodgers and Hammerstein wonder that is ‘People Will Say We’re in Love’ from the amazing Oklahoma! (sound designer Mic Pool).

 

Breakfast at Tiffany’s continues on a UK tour until mid-November 2016, where it finishes at Norwich Theatre Royal, where I will be seeing it again. Pixie Lott tours until 30^th June where she then takes up the role as Holly Golightly at the Theatre Royal Haymarket where Breakfast at Tiffany’s arrives in the West End.  Cities you can see Pixie include Birmingham, Dublin, Plymouth and Southampton. Emily Atack and Georgia Foote take on the classic role at remaining cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Nottingham, Aberdeen, Sheffield, Belfast and Cardiff. As I have said Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a grand play but not a lot happens but still worth a watch. Pixie Lott is definitely worth seeing in something different to what we usually see and expect of her and I look forward to seeing Georgia Foote playing the role in Norwich

 

 

Thanks everyone and please get in touch, it would be great to hear from you @AaronBurgess89

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

Footloose the Musical on UK Tour, Marina Theatre, Lowestoft

Hello, I hope everything is well with you all. On Saturday 27^th February 2016 Me and My Beez (Kayleigh) went to the Marina Theatre to see the matinee performance of the UK Tour of Footloose the Musical (a.k.a. Footloose). It was a fabulous day out, with great music, amazing dancing and some great singing; as well as the well-deserved catch up between me and me Beez. Apart from the panto last year this is the first musical from the Marina that has featured in the blog. I have also noticed a few great shows coming up this year at the Marina and I hope to be there and to share my thoughts and experiences with you (particularly Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tell Me on a Sunday starring Jodie Pregner and the hilarious and riskay musical that is Avenue Q). After the performance me and the Beez went to my favourite restaurant Sgt Pepper’s for a lovely meal and a well needed catch up. We had a bit of a shock when we entered the restaurant and they said there wasn’t any tables. I just stood there in shock and I think the waiter was confused as to why I didn’t leave the restaurant HAHA! However in the end they found us a table, which was so lucky as we were so looking forward to the meal. I think the funniest thing of the meal, apart from the rubbish lip synchs I was doing to some great 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s hits, sorry Tina Turner. Sorry I have totally changed track, the funniest thing was when the waiter wanted to clear the plates, I looked at him like he was a burglar and as he said is everything ok I said “Can I just eat my orange please” – HAHA! I think you may have had to be there but it was funny. We did find out though that the cast went to the local Weatherspoon’s (Joseph Conrad) between shows; fuming with myself. I think it was a sign when Sgt Pepper’s said no tables available – gutted. I hope the whole cast enjoyed their week at the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft, gutted I couldn’t say hi at the Conrad.

 

 

For those of you who do not know what Footloose the Musical is about (and if you are one of these people what the hell have you been doing lol!). The musical is based on the 1984 film of the same name (and I didn’t know that the film was loosely based on a real place in Oklahoma, Elmore City – I hope that they now enjoy music and dancing, especially being in a state that is also one of the best and loved musicals ever, Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!). Classically starring Kevin Bacon as young Ren who moves from the city to a remote and rural town where dancing and rock and roll music has been banned and is illegal and sees him try to change the town’s views on this. We all love Kevin Bacon, especially those Jack McFarland fans who became a bit of a stalker of Bacon. We love the song Footloose, and Will and Grace fans will be familiar with the dance Bacon does when he stars at a guest appearance in one of the episodes. The musical first hit the UK in 2004 on a national tour before it ended up in the West End in 2006 for a short lived run. The West End production starred Cheryl Baker, best known for Bucks Fizz as Vi Moore. Speaking of Bucks Fizz, Eurovision selection was on BBC on Friday night and well done to Joe and Jake for winning and I hope you win it for the UK in Sweden this year. Massive Eurovision fan here and on May 14^th it will be hitting our screens. Other famous faces to grace the Footloose stage included David Essex and Maureen Nolan who stars in the current production. Footloose received no Olivier nominations although was nominated for four Tony’s; winning none L.

 

The stage adaptation is by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie, with music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pritchford (additional lyrics provided by Kenny Loggins, Jim Steinman, Sammy Hagar and Eric Carmen). Footloose the musical is great for those who like a bit of 1980’s rock and roll, and supporting the underdog. Obviously the title song, Footloose, is a classic and as expected the whole audience at the end of the musical are dancing with the cast to Footloose. Me and the Beez sing it, FOOT-ER-LOOSE! It just has a better ring to it don’t you think. Try it next time you hear it. Kenny Loggins sung the original hit in 1984, reaching number 6 in the UK charts. The score for Footloose uses some of the great songs of the 1980’s and the songs fit nicely within the story playing out on stage. Obviously footloose is a favourite, but actually does not fit within the overall story per se although captures the overall essence of the show. The song starts and ends the show perfectly, although I do want to learn those foot movements. Holding out for a Hero is a really good scene, and sees the character of Willard (played here by Gareth Gates) have his dungarees torn off and oh my Gareth Gates does have a nice body, phaw. I can’t actually remember what the girls were doing on the stage my eyes were sort of mesmerised. I absolutely loved the Act 1 finale with I’m Free/Heaven Help Me; this is a great scene, with fantastic dancing and a great song(s). Let’s Hear it for the Boy is another favourite song of mine and sees the teaching of dance to Willard. My Beez’s favourite song in the show is Almost Paradise; which is a love song between Ren and Aerial.

 

I have to say the choreography in Footloose is great, well-crafted and utilises the whole stage. I don’t think I am being offensive when I say the Marina is not the biggest theatre in the country nor is it a massive stage, however the Footloose cast and creative team consume the whole of the stage and every inch has a dance move on. The cast really work hard and give the audience a great experience; I have to admit my toes were tapping throughout the show. Matthew Cole is the choreographer and he has really executed his talent over the show. Cole has also been working on the Guys and Dolls production at the Savoy Theatre which is going on another UK tour (got my tickets booked for the production at Norwich Theatre Royal). As the storyline concerns dance I guess it is expected to have a great chorography. With overall direction from Racky Plews the cast are amazing. Obviously Gareth Gates and Maureen Nolan star in the production; however neither of them, I thought, have a massive part and they don’t sing all that often which was a bit weird I guess. Gates, first hitting fame when he was runner-up of the 2002 Pop Idol series, plays the stereotypical southern car mechanic Willard, stupid but gorgeous always chewing on a toothpick. I have to say I was surprised that Gates could deliver a really comedic role and I was pleasantly impressed with this. Gates moved into the world of musical theatre in 2009 and has played some huge roles such as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Marius in Les Misėrables, also starring in Legally Blonde. I love Maureen Nolan, seeing her play the role of Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers. I don’t think Nolan was able to show off her full talent playing the role of Vi Moore as she doesn’t have enough singing parts in Footloose and nothing like such a song as ‘Tell me It’s Not True’ from Blood Brothers.

Luke Baker takes the lead as Ren and he is fantastic. A great actor spanning the whole spectrum of emotions on stage, a fabulous singer and he can also dance. I saw Baker in Sunny Afternoon where he was understudy for the lead role. I also felt that Baker had a bit of a Kevin Bacon flare about him, with the hair and face. The voice that stole the show for me was Joanna Sawyer’s who played Rusty. She becomes Willard’s girlfriend (it must be so hard to kiss Gareth Gates every day and get paid for it J). Her voice is phenomenal, really powerful and really shows with solos and hearing her over the joint singing parts. Really great voice and I think it won’t be long until the West End sees Sawyer make her debut. The ruggedly handsome Matthew Tomlinson plays Chuck, the thug of the show who uses his brawn to get what he wants. Tomlinson plays the role fantastically, with a good voice, gorgeous eyes and the flexibility to bend his body – ouch! I also wondered whether Tomlinson’s sleeve of tattoos were fake or real? And also thanks to Tomlinson for his Twitter support. The whole cast are great and on a last note I did think Nicky Swift played a blinder; playing three very different characters she did this with such ease and really added individuality to each of her characters.

What I did love about Footloose is like other musicals I love, Sunny Afternoon and Once, the whole cast (minus Nolan) play instruments on stage and effectively make up the orchestra. Either as part of a scene or surreptitiously at the side of the stage each cast member plays at least one instrument. From the piano to the guitar, flue to the harmonica and the clarinet to the oboe, it is all seen on stage. With the musical director, David Keech, up in the corner on his drums he also leads the orchestra through each performance. I absolutely love when the cast play instruments on stage and it works so fantastically in this show. The other commendation to the production is its use of levels. The whole visual field was used at some point during the show. Whether it was climbing up an old building or hiding in the car there was something to see everywhere. The staging was great and bad at the same time. It was great as the transitions to scenes were great and classically manufactured. However at some points I could see the staging people preparing the next scene which was a shame. Also the confetti at the end kept falling throughout the whole show which was annoying. Some of the staging/props also looked a bit shabbily made however the great acting, singing and dancing of the cast made up for this massively.

All in all Footloose the Musical is a great show to go and see. Have a dance to some rock and roll songs and have a boogie yourself at the end. The current production is touring until October 2016 so there is plenty of time to get your tickets. Be aware that Mr Gareth Gates will NOT be performing from April 16^th till June 20^th and from 10^th to the 27^th of August (Nolan tours throughout). Big cities you can see this tour include Cambridge, Oxford, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Bristol and Blackpool (plenty of other places). So go and support the need to dance!!!

Thank you and get in touch

@AaronBurgess89

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on UK Tour

Hello fellow musical bloggers. It’s been a while and I hope you all are having a positive, healthy and enjoyable 2016. I cannot believe we are in February already. It has been a quiet couple months in regards to the theatre and musicals (for me anyhow) however there is plenty planned over the next few months so you will read much more from me now. Also there is so much I want to see but haven’t booked yet this year including Mrs Henderson presents, The War of the Worlds, Beverley Knight taking her role in The Bodyguard and I hear today Show Boat returns to the West End after a 20 year break. I hope also that some of you saw the musicals that were shown over the Christmas period, the live production of The Sound of Music and the recorded version of Gypsy staring Imelda Staunton and more recently Grease live which I have recorded but still have not yet seen. Well the first (official) post of 2016 is going to be about Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical (shortened to Priscilla from here on in – my blogs are getting longer as it is!). I went with my Mother and sister Fern and two long-standing practically family friends, Auntie Wendy and Ellen on Friday 12^th February 2016. We met in a local pub for a drink, food and catch up prior to heading off to the Norwich Theatre Royal for the 8:15 (late!) showing of Priscilla. The funny thing at the pub was that Mother got chatted up by a very well-oiled guy celebrating his birthday; what a knob! Small anecdote before we get down to business. This was not the first time I had seen Priscilla on stage, first seeing it either in 2009 or 2010 for my Birthday with a second time seeing it in Leeds on its first UK Tour in 2013. Well when I saw the flyers, emails and posters about Priscilla returning for a second UK tour in 2015-16 I definitely wanted to get tickets; Priscilla is now the third-most frequently show I have seen so does this make it part of my top 5 favourites – not sure?

 

 

Priscilla is the perfect musical for people that want to have a laugh, sing along to the songs, have some moral understanding of LGBTQ communities and rights, love drag and have a passion for Disco. Priscilla takes you on a journey of friendship, love, family and homophobia. It focuses on two drag queens and a transgendered woman who travel from Sydney to Alice Springs to get away from the burdens of city life and have a break while putting together their new drag show. Their journey takes place on a bus, known as Priscilla. The musical is based on the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The musical takes some songs from the original film score as well as some new arrangements of some pop and disco classics to fit within the story of these three friends and the people they meet along their way. Stephan Elliott (director and writer of the original film) and Allan Scott write the book for Priscilla. Stephen Murphy oversees the orchestrations and musical arrangements of the songs with the performance directed by Simon Phillips. Priscilla takes thirty well-known disco and pop hits and musically rearranges them to create one fantastic disco-pop-tastic musical. My Mother’s favourite song is early on in the show, ‘I’ve Never Been to Me’ (which does not feature in American versions of the musical and is replaced by It’s Raining Men); I love this song and it just reminds me of my Mother’s wonderful singing voice – that must be where I get mine from. Other well-known favourites include Downtown, I Say a Little Prayer, Go West, Colour My World, I Will Survive, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Finally. I have looked on a certain well known downloadable music service but cannot find the cast album however certain CDs can be found on the web although some are rather pricey; remember depending on whether you get the Australian or American album will vary the songs you get – unfortunately the original London cast did not record an album.

 

The original London production only won one Olivier Award, despite its three nominations. Best Costume Design went to Tim Chapel and Lizzy Gardiner and I think they definitely deserved this award. I have never seen costumes like it in anything I have seen before. The musical definitely embraces the costumes/dresses seen in the film but goes that one step further. I don’t want to give too much away but flip flops and footballs are definitely featured in this backstage wardrobe. The songs ‘MacArthur Park’ and ‘Colour my World’ are accompanied by the ensemble dressed as cakes and paintbrushes respectively and the costumes in the finale really see the Australian culture come out with costumes representing bearded dragons, koala bears, ostriches and kangaroos. There is also some skimpy clothing worn by male members of the cast and I honestly cannot remember Priscilla being so raunchy in the previous two visits, maybe they have ‘sexed’ it up or maybe I was mesmerised and just cannot remember. Make-up design is by Cassie Hanlon and Priscilla adopts a stick on mask approach what with the multiple costume changes and the need to get make up on and off so quickly. Whether it was because we were sat so close to the stage or the masks weren’t as good in previous performances, it was just very obvious that the cast were wearing these make-up masks and it sort of took the illusion away which was a shame. I think a lot of the photo shoots use actual drag make-up whereas the performance uses these masks.  

 

Part of the performance incorporates an audience participation element – oh yes and do I love my participation moments. SPOILER ALERT: At the start of Act 2 ten audience members are collected during the interval and asked to go dance on stage. The previous two performances I saw (West End and Leeds) I was asked to go and join the cast for a dance. It was so much fun, a brief barn dance with the ensemble cast. I suggested to our party if we hover in the bar during the interval we may be approached. Well I saw the cast enter the bar, take one look at me acting like a weird teenager meeting Justin Bieber (i.e. I was clearly an over excited fan) and they walked right past me (I am sure I heard one of them say ‘definitely not’ or maybe it was just me being paranoid). Well I said to Ellen and Fern “looks like we aren’t getting on the stage this time”. We stand there, minor depression setting in, and the dance captain (Matt Crandon) and assistant dance captain (Amy di Bartolomeo) approached us, they had come back. I knew what was coming and before they asked me I basically said yes and signed Ellen (who was more than willing) and my sister (who was not willing) to go on stage and dance the barn dance. It’s so much fun and I love being a part of Priscilla in this way. Although this does mean I have never seen the opening of Priscilla Act 2 – now I feel I am missing out. I think Robin Mills (a member of the ensemble cast0 drew short straws as he had two left footed moi to dance with; so I apologise for that but I also thank you for dancing with me and allowing me for a third time to briefly join the cast.

 

Talking about members of the cast Jason Donovan stars in this production of Priscilla; funnily enough each time I have seen Priscilla, Donovan has starred in the role of Tick/Mitzi. I am a big fan of Donovan’s voice and particularly enjoy listening to him on the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat cast recording I own. I have to say Donovan was not at his best on this evening and looked tired and dare I say it, aged. Duncan James is due to take over the role of Tick/Mitzi at certain venues and I would have liked to see him; his body in that flip flop dress is pretty hot (Google It!). Adam Bailey takes on the role of Adam/Felicia and he can camp it up which is what we all expect from this role. A good singer, great thighs and a pretty impressive camp Australian accent he did the role justice. For me Simon Green stole the show with his performance as the transgendered Bernadette. He had the attitude and determination we all expect from Bernadette and he could sing. I also enjoyed the fact he looked like he was enjoying it the most at the curtain call and for me that’s a really important part to know who you pay good money to see enjoy themselves and putting all they have into it. Philip Childs (who looked really familiar) plays Bob and I loved Julie Yammanee who plays Cynthia and her ‘Pop Muzik’ song. For those of you that have not seen Priscilla, Cynthia does something involving ping pong balls, and let’s put it this way no table tennis takes place on the stage at Priscilla. Well guess who went a bloody caught one of the ping pong balls – Auntie Wendy; and Wendy being the delight and kind-hearted woman she is gave me the ping pong ball knowing how much of a musical theatre fan I am. Thank you Auntie Wendy, it currently sits on my bedside table. The Divas were fantastic and they never get as much credit as they deserve as they often sing off stage or dangling from the ceiling. The full ensemble cast were great and it takes some talent to go from queeny screamy gay to butch thug from a ‘local village’ within a matter of scenes. The final cast member who deserves his own mention was Solomon Read, he was so adorable as Benji.

 

I think I have got everything down I wanted to. It’s been a while since I wrote a post and I need to get back into the swing of things; plus I am sure they are getting longer. Priscilla is currently playing in Spain, New Zealand, Norway and Japan visiting France soon. The current UK tour is due to finish in June 2016 and I think Donovan has now finished his stint being taken over by Duncan James with Darren Day at a couple of the venues. If you have not seen Priscilla it is definitely worth a visit, you honestly feel so alive and warm and just good when you leave Priscilla and even if you have seen it why not get your disco and pop socks back on and go again. It really is a musical you can get involved with, literally if you want in Act 2.  

Thank you

Fine me on Twitter @AaronBurgess89