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

Thursford Christmas Spectacular 2015

Nanny Cora and I went to see the Thursford Christmas Spectacular on 23^rd December 2015; this being the last post of 2015 (even though it is 2016 I have been busy). It was the first time I’ve ever been to the Thursford Christmas Spectacular and we were lucky to get some last minute tickets. We drove up early in the morning in order to get the full festive experience. Thursford lies in the heart of the North Norfolk countryside. It all takes place at the Thursford Collection which is some sort of train museum throughout the rest of the year. The Spectacular usually begins in mid-November and performances are daily until the end of December (this year ending on the day we went, 23^rd). Thursford create their own miniature Lapland all in Norfolk, the trees covered in fairy lights and there are little scenes as you walk along the gardens of winter animals, elves preparing for the big day and Father Christmas himself. Me and Nanny Cora stopped off in a large tent for our lunch before having a quick look in the shops. The shops are delightful, especially the Christmas gift shop full of festive trinkets which Nanny Cora bought me one to keep, reminding me of our wonderful day.

 

The auditorium and stage of Thursford are huge and I haven’t actually seen anything quite like it. Nothing on the touring productions nor in the West End has such a festively decorated auditorium and a stage that spans practically the whole room (which was a problem at some points as I didn’t know where to look). Luckily for us audience members the performers often split into two mirroring sides so you get the full Thursford Christmas experience wherever you are sat. The auditorium seats up to 1,424 which is much more than most theatres and I was surprised to realise that over 2,000 coaches visit the Thursford Christmas Experience from every country in the United Kingdom each year; and when Santa’sMagical Journey is on there can be up to 5,000 people visiting daily (poor locals). It is staggering to think that there are only 22 dancers in the performance with 350 auditions taking place in London earlier in the year. If this was something there were a total of 1,123 singers applying to be part of the 2015 Thursford Christmas Spectacular for only 54 parts (that’s harder than getting onto a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology so well done to those that succeeded).

 

Thursford Christmas Spectacular really makes Christmas that little bit more exciting. The music, dancing and costumes were all fabulous and damn right gorgeous. As well as that a full orchestra plays on stage throughout the performance and you should all know by now that seeing the orchestra on stage is really important and special to me. Just to excel how exceptional the performance was the only other place, in Europe, where there is a longer dancers’ kick line is in Paris. Talking of costumes there are no less than 3,240 individual costume pieces in any one performance and you can guess the laundry bill of poor Thursford. As I have said the set is absolutely out of this word and it takes 25 burly men 8 weeks to put it all up ready for the performance (and only 6 weeks to take it down, why the 14 day difference I do not know – it’s like a return journey always going quicker). Within the auditorium there is a working fairground which was fantastic. I was gobsmacked to realise that during the Christmas season 37,000 tubs of ice cream, 3,500 litres of mulled wine and 29,000 mince pies pass the lips of the audience members (honestly I only had 2 of the mulled wine litres). The Thursford Christmas Spectacular makes over 10 million pounds for the local economy too, so if you are boring and don’t like Christmas, or music, or dancing, or comedy or snowmen at least this amazing show creates a bit of cash for Norfolk.

 

The Thursford Christmas Spectacular incorporates dancing acts, singing, orchestrations, comedy, some lady (Anaelle Molinario) that can bed her body like rubber (that’s it a contortionist – this was so difficult to watch I actually felt pain when she was looking at the souls of her feet while lying flat on her body) and some live doves which were beautiful but I was a bit wary about them pooping on me; plus I am not great with things that fly anyway. When I say dancing acts I mean these girls and guys could dance, and boy did those ladies know how to move their bodies. The costumes that the dancers wore were honestly true Christmas glitz and glamour, feathers and rhinestones and everything you want from something with the word ‘spectacular’ in the title; Suzy Andrews should be proud of her department. Again when I say singing I do not just mean a few Christmas songs and a ballad; there were pop songs, Christmas songs, carols and some big orchestrations; AND musical theatre  with a version of Chim Chim Cher-ee (from Mary Poppins) with all the chimney sweepers with their brushes on stage as well as a beautiful rendition of Climb Every Mountain (Sound of Music –I do not know who sung this but her voice was gorgeous); I was so pleased as two of my favourite film musicals came alive on stage. Paul Eastwood was the comedian and compere for the day and he was fairly funny but typical gags that you hear on the comedy circuits. He got the crowd warmed up and the old dears love a giggle. There were also readings and poems which was a nice edition; it was basically like a Festive Christmassy variety show.  

My absolute favourite scene though has to be the Christmas Cake Recipe; I have tried to replicate it to friends but I really can’t do it justice. Basically it is a woman who is baking her Christmas cake however while adding the alcohol she keeps trying it to make sure it tastes OK. Obviously as the recipe goes on she gets more and more drunk and by the end cannot talk and gets the recipe totally muddled up. I think I loved this sketch so much due to its simplicity. It was a lady on stage, dressed in her baking wear and talking. Her skill at purposefully getting words and letters jumbled up was fantastic and I was literally crying with laughter; I do believe there is a radio version on YouTube by Gay Byrne (not as good as the version we saw but gives you an idea). Unfortunately the programme does not state who this person was but I honestly loved her. The show ends with bubbles falling from the ceiling (snow), confetti and balloons. The audience went absolutely crazy with applause and all those on stage really deserved the standing ovation they received; it really was a spectacular (I guess that’s why they call it that).

 

I would really urge people to start thinking about their trip to Thursford in 2016 to see this amazing show which has everything you need to get in the mood for Christmas. I know it’s early to think about 2016 Christmas however it does book really quickly and tickets are on sale now. I do believe I may attend again this year to see how they can top last year. I do believe Thursford is due to be 50 years old and I can imagine that year being extra special. So until next year Merry Christmas!  

 

Please get in touch on Twitter @AaronBurgess1989

Aaron Burgess

 

Rocky Horror Show, 2015-16 UK Tour

Happy New Year to you all and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and ready for the musical adventure that is 2016. I still have a couple of posts that need finishing for 2015 but what with the busy Christmas period, a drink-fuelled new year, back to work and a slight bit of man flu, I have finally finished my post for mine and Emma’s trip to Brighton to see The Rocky Horror Show (on 19^th December; I know it’s been ages, thank god I have a good memory). Before I get on with that I think I need to give you the details that we nearly didn’t reach the south coast. We left early ready for the trip and didn’t hit much traffic expecting to grab a bit of energy or fuel (no doubt a pint) in the capital before catching the train to Brighton. We somehow arrived late at Cockfosters station and rushed on the tube to get to central London. We’re sat on the tube heading to the first stop when Emma decides she cannot find her phone anywhere and realises she has left it back in the car at Cockfosters ……. seriously? Getting off at the next stop, hopping back onto the returning train where muggins here decides he will run back and get the phone (as we have a train from Victoria to catch in 40 minutes); I said I would go as I am faster (definitely not as fast as I was in my P.E. lessons and I was no Usain Bolt then either). I grab the phone, run back to the tube and eventually we are on the way to Victoria when we come to a halt on the line; “can you remove the bags from the door”, “I cannot start the train until the item is removed from the door”, everyone is looking at everyone looking at all the closed doors, “there is still an item in the door and the train cannot go until it is removed”, OH MY GOD we are going to be late for Brighton and miss our train, and miss Rocky Horror, the weekend that has not yet happened flashes before my eyes. Well we made it and had a fantastic weekend in Brighton (drinking and trying to eat – gag at the ham and cheese toastie) and panic subsides. Well it all seems a bit dramatic putting it into writing.

 

Brighton Theatre Royal has yet to feature in this blog so welcome to you. I have only been to Brighton Theatre Royal once before and that was two years ago to see, you guessed it, The Rocky Horror Show. The Theatre Royal in Brighton is a lovely little theatre just up from the sea front and in the heart of the city centre. I love the theatre as they allowed us to buy our programmes during the day as there was no way I could store it later on with what I had planned to wear (see below for pictures). The theatre has taken a somewhat unconventional approach towards pantomimes and decides to put on big musicals such as Rocky Horror and Priscilla (why not!) during the festive period. The theatre was opened in 1807 and seats over 900 people over four levels.  It is a very pretty and picturesque theatre and I have only ever been there dressed as a sweet transvestite, I do need to visit dressed in my smart reviewers attire.

 

The Rocky Horror Show is an amazing show and features in my top three without a doubt (Cats being #1 of course). I am not sure whether it is the audience participation aspect, the lack of the notorious fourth wall, the fact you can dress up and put some make up on or just that it’s a crazy and whacky story, with some interesting and peculiar characters and a fantastic score (probably the latter two). Rocky Horror is an original musical and when I first saw it on film many years ago (thanks to my late step-mother Sarah Burgess <3 ) I was hooked and shocked by what was on the screen, in a good way. Richard O’Brien’s fantastic creation has entertained millions of people across the world with its amazing music and pertinent lyrics. Rocky Horror arrived on the stages of London in 1973, with O’Brien writing the music, lyrics and book. My favourite songs include ‘Wild and Untamed Thing’, ‘Double Feature/Science Fiction’, ‘Sweet Transvestite’, ‘Planet, Schmanet, Janet’, ‘Rose Tint My World’ and ‘Whatever Happened to Saturday Night’. The whole score is great with not one song I dislike, however some songs worth a separate mention, the playlist often features in my car on a long journey, just wish I was in my stockings too. Since 1973 Rocky Horror has been on countless UK tours, reaching Broadway quickly and Australia soon to follow. Two years after the west End O’Brien created the film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with many of the original West End cast reprising their roles; including O’Brien himself as Riff Raff, Tim Curry as Frank N. Furter, Nell Campbell as Columbia and Patricia Quinn as Magenta. The film is amazing and if you haven’t seen it, who are you – stop wasting time reading this and go find it J. Rocky Horror won the 1973 Evening Standard Award for Best Musical (not receiving any for the original Broadway production). I find it crazy that Rocky Horror has only ever received nominations since this and has not received the high-acclaimed accolades it deserves for one of the best musicals ever written.

 

The performance we saw was amazing and the theatre was full of crazy Rocky Horror fans all dressed up to the heels and back, us included. We met a couple by the bar (typical!) and got chatting to them and they were absolutely lovely (hello Hayley and Alan) and they were from Suffolk (my birth place) how crazy is that; I think that is bizarre as we were in Brighton but Emma wasn’t impressed. We also received lots of (un)wanted attention from other theatre-goers as we looked fabulous, me as Frank N. Further (my back was killing me for at least five days) and Emma as Columbia in her sparkly and glittery gold outfit. The performance was directed by Christopher Luscombe and the set designed by Hugh Durrant. The set for me almost reminds me of a pantomime with very cartoony and animated sets of sceneries, buildings and a car but it works really well. Sue Blane designs the costumes and they are fabulous; the easy ones must have been Magenta and Riff Raff but when it comes to Frank N. Further is must have been a ball to design. Rocky must also have taken her ages (haha!). As the show goes on the costumes get better and better and camper and camper, it’s so much fun to watch. Choreography is by Nathan Wright and I cannot exactly talk about dancing without mentioning the Time Warp which is immense especially for us audience members who get to join in the show with the dance moves, it’s just a jump to the left!

Diana Vickers (possibly best known for her participation in the 2008 series of X-Factor) plays Janet and I was so pleased. I watched Vickers on x-factor each week and enjoyed her performances as she grew as a performer. Her voice is very well suited to the role of Janet playing boring old Janet Weiss at the beginning but soon letting her real personality out throughout the performance with some saucy songs which Vickers sings great. Her acting is surprisingly good as well. Janet’s fiancé, Brad Majors, is played by Ben Freeman, well known for his gorgeous looks in Emmerdale however when it comes to geeky and plain he still pulls of geek hunk. Freeman was an awesome Brad and sings beautifully, being no stranger to some big named theatre shows (including Wicked, The Sound of Music and Legally Blonde).  The one and only Frank N. Furter is portrayed by Liam Tamne who was bloody brilliant; he makes a fantastic transvestite with some hot moves, delicious thighs and a fabulous voice to add to the mix. Tamne who is no stranger to the West End stage neither, has performed in some well-known shows including Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. I have also seen Oliver Thornton play Frank N. Further (as well as in Priscilla) and he is also fantastic bringing his own quirkiness to the character.

Comedian Steve Punt, well known for some of his radio shows and comedy acts, portrays the Narrator. It must be so difficult to play the Narrator as he is the character that typically gets all the ad lib, heckling and abuse from the audience (which is still hilarious and takes place each night wherever Rocky Horror goes). He plays the Narrator well and adds his own comedic style to the role. Paul Cattermole, known for his S Club 7 years, plays Eddie and Dr Scott. Rocky was ……… a really good actor and singer although he was wearing animal print and not gold. However his six-pack made up for that and I ended up not paying much attention to the animal print after all. The rest of the cast create a fully-fledged camp, trans and beautiful lot, including Kristian Lavercombe as Riff Raff, Sophie Linder-Lee as Columbia and Kay Murphy as Magenta. All in all The Rocky Horror Show is immense, whacky, out of this world, funny, sexy and AMAZING! I cannot say any more than that apart from it is still on tour and needs to be seen. Currently showing at the Opera House in Manchester, it will soon be visiting a theatre near you (including Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Sheffield and Aberdeen). It really is worth a watch and if you can’t get out to the theatre at least watch the film.

 

Remember to get in touch on Twitter @AaronBurgess89 and leave some comments or ask a question. Until next time hope you all stay musical and healthy.

 

Aaron Burgess

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleeping Beauty, 2015 Marina Theatre Pantomime

I’ve been to see my second pantomime of the season today (24^th December 2015) at The Marina Theatre in Lowestoft; the panto being Sleeping Beauty. This is the first time I have been to The Marina since starting this blog and I was so warmly gratified to be invited to the Pantomime. I have been countless times to The Marina Theatre as a child to see various plays, musicals and pantos. This was the theatre that I used to go to as a child with my family to see the Panto every year; however I haven’t been for a while. The Marina is a small and welcoming local theatre based near the sea of the coastal town. I went with my sister Fern and my gorgeous niece Amelia. As with a classic Panto we got right into the festive, fun and spirit of the Panto; cheering and heckling throughout. This was Amelia’s first time to the theatre and seeing a pantomime, which was very special to see her reactions to the performance, hopefully the next theatre blogger (or maybe she will be the leading lady of her own panto one day). She absolutely loved it although the Wicked Witch was “creepy” in her words. Her face lit up when the actors sang on stage with the music blaring out. She got involved shouting the usual booooos, hoorays and it’s behind you. The funniest bit was when Santa himself came on stage at the end and she ran behind the chair and refused to look at him; she is excited for Christmas but is terrified of Saint Nic.

 

 

Sleeping Beauty is produced by Paul Holman Associates (PHA) and takes the old classic story of a princess who is cursed by the witch that if she pricks her finger she will sleep forever unless she receives love’s true kiss. The set designs were pretty impressive although the first curtain drop could have done with a bit more glitz and glam for my liking. As with most pantos the costumes are great and again especially the outrageous ones for the dame. Eve Wilkinson designed the costumes and the finale costumes were simply magnificent, with the whole cast coming on stage with their glitzy silver costumes. As with a panto dame a costume designer must be able to have so much fun drawing the initial designs and having those crazy creative visions. As I have said time and time before, I will one day be a pantomime dame. Jonathan Eio was the musical director of Sleeping Beauty. The music list looking back was comprised mostly of modern pop songs however it worked well. Families and kids alike were able to sing along and enjoy themselves, the main aim of any panto I do believe. The love songs between the prince and princess were the most theatrically musical and were my favourite of the performance. No stranger to panto, Richard Cheshire directs Sleeping Beauty. I love how a pantomime can direct mistakes (I am sure some of the mistakes are intentional – if not they should be as they work so well and become the funniest part of the panto for many). Directors must have such fun and frolics when directing a panto, and Cheshire certainly should be pleased with Sleeping Beauty as the audience were clearly having such fun today.

TV chef and personality Rustie Lee leads the line-up of the Sleeping Beauty cast. I would love to spend time with Rustie as a friend, she seems a fab person and reminds me of a housemate I had in my first year of University, Nicola. Lee is certainly a character and she brings her own personality and bubbly side to her character of The Lilac Fairy. Lee has a nice soulful voice too which was pleasant to hear. Benidorm’s gorgeous cabaret singer, Asa Elliott, plays Prince Valiant. With the attractive voice comes another perfect man as he can sing as well. Elliott definitely has the best voice of the Sleeping Beauty cast and as previously stated his love songs were a treat to watch and hear. John Lyons plays King Crumble and Lyons again is no stranger to panto nor to the production company PHA. Although Lyons has had an acting career spanning over 50 years (JESUS!) he will for me always be best known as the detective sergeant George Toolan alongside David Jason in A Touch of Frost. Lyons acting career is obvious within his role as the King in Sleeping Beauty and for he was the best actor on stage putting everything into his character.

 

Steve Shappelle, who my step-father Barry knows, plays the Panto Dame, Nurse Katy Cough-Drop (why is the panto dame always a nurse?). Shappelle is a natural dame and is a really funny addition to the cast. Although not in heels (after wearing heels at Rocky Horror – still to be reviewed - I think all Dames should wear at least a two incher). Shappelle’s quick wit and drag queen comedy with the audience is a joy to watch and be a part of. Shappelle is not just a panto dame and has a career covering performing, producing, directing and composing and is due to be on a special episode of Come Dine with Me next year. Terry Gleed plays the fool Pickles and he genuinely creates that children’s TV presenter persona on stage. Gleed is a clear favourite with the kids in the audience and he does his slapstick comedy well. Gleed brings on stage three children near to the finale, a classic panto tradition. Gleed is very sweet with the kids and even makes the adults laugh with his interaction with them. It was so sweet as well, one child was not given a bag of sweets straight away and given vegetables and he was still so grateful, me and my sister were awwwwing and oooohhhhhhing so much.

 

Brigid Lohrey plays the wicked witch, Carabosse. Lohrey is familiar with production company PHA and the pantomime stage. She is often cast as the evil and wicked character although has been the happy fairies in the past. Lohrey would be like me enjoying playing the hated character that gets all the boos. Emily McAvoy plays Princess Aurora. McAvoy is a beautiful young lady with a soft and sweet singing voice. Dancers, Manolis Georgiou and Thomas Mann with the June Glennie School of Dance make up the ensemble, however for me Georgiou was over acting and he took the attention accidentally off the main cast.

 

Sleeping Beauty is a good and fun show for all the family to have a festive giggle. Sleeping Beauty is only showing until the 2^nd of January 2016. There are two showings per day, apart from Wednesday 30^th December when there is no show and only one showing on New Year’s Day. PHA’s Sleeping Beauty is a typical well-loved pantomime and is worth a watch. I am already looking forward to The Marina’s 2016/17 Panto of Beauty and the Beast and I will definitely be attending next year and look out for more from PHA. I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas tomorrow and all the best for the New Year with the amazing musical theatre that is available in 2016.

 

Aaron Burgess

Remember to get in touch at my twitter @AaronBurgess1989

Snow White Panto at Norwich Theatre Royal

Guess what season it is … PANTO! I’m a huge Christmas fan and one of the best things about this festive period is the pantomimes up and down the country entertaining thousands of families. I met ma Beez (Kayleigh) in Norwich and went to the Theatre Royal to see this year’s pantomime – Snow White (17^th December 2015). It was fantastic and great fun for al, lots of families were there and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Snow White contains all the usual pantomime frolics that make you laugh and get involved; I must say audience participation is a must at the Theatre Royal Panto. All of the expected gaffs, innuendos, breaking the fourth wall and good old fashioned slapstick comedy are awaiting audiences to come. The panto sticks mainly to the well-known story of Snow White, with the typical modern day additions any 21^st century pantomime is to have, for example a T-rex. Theatre Royal’s Panto is professional with a full cast returning me back to my childhood: going to the Panto at Christmas with the family.

The set design, back drops and stage curtains were amazing and so glittery, it really added to the already festive mood I am in. They were absolutely beautiful and I have to say I have never seen a waterfall onstage before in any musical, play or pantomime in the past, on tour or in the West End and this was awesome. Initially I thought it was a lighting effect but no it was a waterfall (hurrah for Scene Pantomines in Suffolk). My praises go out to Kirsteen Wythe and her team for the costume design and making, all amazing and particularly the Pantomime Dame (Nurse Dorothy Dumpling played by Richard Gauntlett); I think I remember at least seven costume changes. The finale was the best for the costumes, everyone in royal blue it really was a royal wedding on stage. Song choices were hit and miss; some modern songs which I am not familiar with were sung however the younger ones of the audience enjoyed these. The music and lyrics of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music featured heavily in Snow White also (Sound of Music twice in 5 days – awesome!). I would assume the Panto team decided to use this wonderful music and words due to the 50^th anniversary of The Sound of Music and who can blame them for that. I do apologise to anyone who heard me joining in the singing of Do Re Mi, I thought I was signing in my head but actually I was informed it was out loud, ooops!

 

Richard Gauntlett, already mentioned for playing the Panto Dame, writes and directs the Panto (busy man!). For me, Gauntlett was the star of the show even if he did not mean to cast, write and direct himself to be (I would have done the same). He interacts fantastically with the audience and can handle the odd mistake which every Panto star must be able to do. He captured the heart of Norwich which comprehensively features in the Panto and even gets a bit of county rivalry in there. I would have liked to of seen more heels so I will look out for some next year. The other star of the show was one of the little children, their names are not in the programme so I cannot give her a mention but she was so adorable and sweet I was awwwwing every time she came on stage.

 

Bruce Graham plays Igor the Henchman and he reminded me so much of Timothy Spall (that is a compliment); the voice was uncanny. Graham has played some of the top notch West End musicals and his expertise is clear from the onset. Jennifer Ellison stars as the evil Queen Evilynne, I never thought of Ellison playing an evil character, especially after seeing her play Meg Giry in the Hollywood production of The Phantom of the Opera. Ellison plays the role well and was entertaining to see a bit of scouse in the show. David Burlin plays Prince Frederick and for me he had the best singing voice of the cast. His couple of songs were pleasant to the ear (as well as on the eye!). Local Ben Langley plays muddles, the slapstick character which he plays enormously well. At points I felt he was over trying but the on stage relationship and interaction with his on-stage mother, Nurse Dorothy Dumpling, had me in stitches. The best song and scene was with Langley, Gauntlett and Graham singing an alternative version of the 12 days of Christmas and a classic Panto line up (“and a bra that I saw on TV”).

Amie Howes plays the title role for her first professional job since graduating. Howes’ singing voice was not the most desirable I heard during the night and the acting wasn’t much better; but we all have to start somewhere. The Magic Mirror is played by local news reader for Look East, Stewart White (who was sat near me in the circle). This year the dwarfs were puppets which were an interesting and different choice, but it worked well, although I thought we would have seen more of them. Norwich Puppet Theatre sourced the puppets although I would have liked to have seen the typical Dopey and Doc but maybe there was some copyright issue preventing this.

Norwich Theatre Royal’s 2015/6 Pantomime, Snow White, is a must see over this festive period. It has something for all the family and takes adults back to their childhood Pantos. It is currently running until the 17^th January 2016. Most days there is at least two showings and some days three (so even your little ones can catch an early showing during the school holidays). It honestly is a fun and interactive pantomime full of entertainment for all.

 

Aaron Burgess

Remember to get in touch at my twitter @AaronBurgess1989 and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Oh What a Beautiful Evening, Rodgers and Hammerstein Special

I went to see BBC Radio 2’s recording of ‘Oh What a Beautiful Evening’ at the Theatre Royal Dury Lane (TRDL) in London on Sunday 13^th December. The recording, for the BBC Radio 2 Friday Night is Music Night, which is aired on Friday 18^th December 2015 at 8pm. The show was a special dedication to the talented and beautiful works of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein; mainly Oklahoma, the King and I, South Pacific, Carousel and of course The Sound of Music (my absolute favourite), with additional dedication as it is The Sound of Music’s 50^th anniversary. I have never been to the TRDL which is currently home to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory; which I am planning to see in the New Year. Anneka Rice presented the show from the TRDL with support from Michael Praed. I am so pleased I got to see Praed as I was due to see him on the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels tour however he was not in the show time I saw (which I was gutted about). He is certainly dishy for an older gentleman (55). When recordings have hiccups it makes me giggle; Praed was not having the most luck with his words but he was very funny and made light of it. The production was supported by Capital Voices and the Choir of the Arts Educational School in London. Also present was the BBC London Orchestra (conducted by Larry Blank) and they were absolutely fabulous (and festive) and so talented. I love listening to a live orchestra and these guys are top notch. Such beautiful sounds echoed through the auditorium from their skills and talents – absolutely beautiful. Blank is a well-known composer and conductor and has received three Tony Award nominations. His work includes White Christmas, The Drowsy Chaperone and Catch Me if You Can.

The show had seven singers who performed the well-known songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, with solos, duets and group songs. All were fantastic and had wonderful voices. Emma Williams opened the show with a gorgeous and spine-tingly rendition of ‘The Sound of Music’. I am a huge fan of this song and Williams did it justice. Her voice is beautiful and so soft. She has currently been starring in Mrs Henderson Presents which she will stay with for its West End transfer (which I will definitely be going to see).  Williams is a gorgeous young lady and her dresses were to die for. I was so surprised to see Tam Mutu there, as he was never advertised to be singing until on the night. I am a big fan of Mutu even though I have never seen him on stage live before. I have to describe Mutu’s looks before his voice, GORGEOUS; and I could tell Anneka Rice was on my wave length too. Mutu has a fantastic voice (a gorgeous guy that can sing – WOW) and his voice suited the love songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Mutu has played some well-known parts including Javert (Les Mis) and Phantom (Love Never Dies). I am not sure where Mutu is going next but I hope I see him in it.

 

Married duo, Rosalie Craig and Hadley Fraser, were divine; they even sung a wonderful love song together which melted the hearts of the audience. Craig’s voice is powerful and carried around TRDL with ease. Fraser’s voice is so much softer than I expected, especially with his manly lumberjack beard, however it was still great and he really boomed the end of his lines. Radio 2’s own Clare Teal was in the line-up of singers and brought her individual Big Band style to the adaptations of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s songs. Teal is definitely someone I want to be hanging around with on a weekend (or a weekday for that matter). Teal puts her heart and soul (as well as hand movements) into all of her songs. You can see she absolutely loves what she does and it makes you as audience members love it just as much. John Owen-Jones’ version of You’ll Never Walk Alone will remain in my Musical Memory for some time; it was perfect (apart from his mistake where he had to start again – love it). Talk about goose-pimples, my arm hair was poking my neighbour’s face, it was so warm and emotional I do not know how else to describe his voice and connection with the song and audience. Owen-Jones is known for his portrayals of legendry characters including the Phantom and Jean Valjean; in many productions, recently reprising his role as Phantom before moving back to Les Misėrables on Broadway. Ron Raines was the final singer and I felt he was the best actor on stage. His version of Puzzlement was sang and acted so well it could have been a concert of the King and I; wonderful. Raines has appeared in many musicals, including some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s own.

 

The final person I have to mention is Dame Julie Andrews. No she wasn’t there (unfortunately) but she recorded such a heartfelt and sincere video for the audience. I am such a Julie Andrews fan it was great to see her talking about one of the best musicals ever to be made. I have actually had to buy the DVD version of The Sound of Music as my video version broke after watching it so many times. The atmosphere at the TRDL was incredible and the applause the whole stage received at the curtain call was unbelievable and I honestly don’t think the singers, choir and orchestra expected it. Although we urged, screamed and shouted for more we did not get it but what we did see was absolutely worth it. Please listen to BBC Radio 2 this Friday (18^th December) at 8pm to hear the recording of this special and amazing show.

 

Please contact me on twitter - @AaronBurgess89