Five to keep - my desert island shows February 27, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Musicals, opinion , 3commentsThere are lots of great shows on at the moment, and I I’d hate to see some of them finishing. But I managed to whittle the list down to five, so here it is:
Five top shows to run and run
- Hairspray - well of course
It’s won so many awards I’m sure it’s safe! - The Sound of Music - it’s just got to become an institution really.
- Mamma Mia! - with the songs of Abba ringing in our ears, the greatest girls night out destination.
- Cabaret - I love it but I do worry for it. Is it secure? Should we grab tickets ASAP?
- Chicago - timeless and clever casting to keep it fresh.
- Spamalot - well, ageing Monty Python fans need something to keep them off the streets.
- The Wedding Singer
- Zorro
- Eurobeat
- Shout.
- Legally Blonde
- Bat out of Hell
- Oliver
- A Girl Called Dusty
- Sleeping Beauty
- Heck, even perhaps, Priscilla?
- The Lion King - it’s just not my sort of thing plus I don’t like Elton John’s score.
- Wicked - I just know people will hate me for this but I walked out at the interval! I loathed it with a passion.
- Lord of the Rings - oh please, cute Hobbits and orks on springs? Yuk
- Avenue Q - tasteless, not funny, and too American
- Walk Like a Man
- Sherry Baby
- Big Girls Don’t Cry
- You’re Just too Good to be True
Possible Newcomers
But lots of new musicals are touring in the regions and suburbs “prior to West End”, and I’m thinking in particular of the following:
Then there are also the new shows which have already been announced for the London West End at some point, (but we don’t know where yet)
So that could mean as many as nine new West End shows. Where are they all going to go? And consequentially, which unfortunate shows are going to have to close in order to make room for them? Well I know which I would nominate:
We don’t want to lose you, but we think it’s time to go…..
I should stop now, I’m getting way too negative!
Please note: this post is just my opinion and doesn’t represent that of the London Theatre team. (I have to say that or I’ll be in trouble!)
Now over to you. Which shows would you keep on forever and which could you close without flinching?
Posted by L
Marilyn and Ella February 26, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Marilyn and Ella, Musicals, Theatre Royal Stratford East , add a comment
Set in 1955, the play looks at the unlikely friendship that developed between Marilyn Monroe, then a Hollywood icon and sex symbol and jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. The play explores racial segregation in ’50s America and Marilyn’s determination to overcome it and see her idol play the whites only Mocombo Club in Los Angeles.
Playwright and critic Bonnie Greer is keen to emphasise that the play is not a total fiction. The two did meet, Marilyn was instrumental in getting Ella onstage at the club and afterwards the two did become friends.
The Director’s View
Director Colin McFarlane:
“I think it’s a lot to do with the fact that black history is often not included in the history books. That’s why Bonnie [Greer] and I work so well together because we both have a passion to tell stories about black history, and also to change people’s perceptions of things.”
Interviewed by the Jamaica Gleaner, he said he was drawn to the play because of the hidden nature of the story.
“Marilyn, who at that time was fed up of always being depicted as nothing more than a sex symbol, wanted to change this colour bar rule. So she rang the nightclub’s manager, Charlie Morrison, and said that she would sit in the front row of the club every week, if he let Ella Fitzgerald perform there. He agreed. Ella had never met Marilyn, but the two met at the Mocambo and they became lifelong friends. After that, Ella never played a second-rate jazz club again, and actually, on her website, she even said: “I owe Marilyn a debt. She was a woman ahead of her time.”
He goes on:
“It really is quite amazing how much they had in common and how they both educated each other.In act two of the play, you see Marilyn educating Ella about movies, because Ella really wants to get into films. Marilyn tries to show Ella that the industry at that time would never allow Ella to play any other role apart from that of a big black mamma, much like the role that actress Hattie McDaniel got the Oscar for when she played Mammy in Gone With the Wind. I can’t believe they’re doing that as a musical. So, Marilyn had to explain to Ella that even she, as Marilyn Monroe, was being pigeon-holed as a bimbo. So, Ella certainly didn’t stand a chance of landing any half-decent roles. But Ella, in turn, had to explain to Marilyn that, as a black woman, she had to take work where she could get it. It’s really deep stuff
Marilyn and Ella - My Review
I watched Greer’s play on the second night and I was really impressed. I thought she tackled the issues well, drew parallels between their backgrounds without making it too obvious. There were oblique mentions of their difficult childhoods, both were portrayed as vulnerable and yet not as victims and both made it clear they longed to not be in charge of their careers.
We saw Munroe struggling to be taken seriously as an actress, trying to shake off the image the studio had created for her and be seen as an artist. Fitzgerald speaks of her desire to make it in film. Each is a little naive about the other’s world.
The Cast
I thought Nicola Hughes, who plays Ella Fitzgerald, was simply stunning. She, wisely I think, did not try to just mimic Fitzgerald but brought her own interpretation to the songs. The play starts with a stunning rendition of “Someone to Watch Over Me” and this becomes a recurring musical motif throughout the piece. Now this is one of my all time favourite songs and I was all ready not to be impressed, but I was captivated at once by Hughes’ voice. As the evening went on Hughes seemed to relax into the role more and more and by the time we reached the Mocombo in the second act she was swinging it in a very convincing jazz style. I just loved her version of Mac the Knife!
Wendy Morgan plays Marilyn Monroe and that was always going to be hard for anyone. It’s easy to dismiss Monroe but she was quite a political figure at this time. She was interested in left wing politics, she was aware of racial issues, she was mixing in quite radical circles when she lived in New York. She had become involved with Arthur Miller, the left wing playwright, in 1951 and later in ‘56 went on to marry him. However Morgan plays the part well, her Marilyn is nervous and restless, somewhat self-obsessed, occasionally even quite quixotic, but actually very convincing.
I mustn’t forget to mention the band. They were excellent!
The staging
Some reviewers loathed the way the play is staged. The stage is split into an upper and lower level for the first act with Ella on the top level and Marilyn on the bottom. The two do not interact and the action switches back and forth between the two levels as we see them in various hotel rooms and recording sessions.
I think it worked well and allowed the small stage and Stratford to be used to advantage, giving the play a feeling of intimacy not often possible unless done ‘in the round’.
There were echoes too of some of the staging of Miller’s work, which I thought was a nice touch.
The Reviews
I loved the play, as did my companion for the evening. The audience came out buzzing and there was no doubt in my mind that everyone had a great time. So I was stunned to discover that some critics not only didn’t like the play but actually described it as drivel! I barely recognised the great show I’d seen in their shredding both of Greer and the play itself. More reasonable voices were heard as well though, with a particularly thoughtful review in the Guardian from Michael Billington (no surprises there then )
Marilyn and Ella is at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, London E15 until March 15.
Extra Treat
links:
Marilyn and Ella - blog comments
Theatre Royal, Stratford East
The Jersey Boys at Prince Edward Theatre February 23, 2008
Posted by admin in : Musicals, Prince Edward, jersey boys, news , 2comments
The Jersey Boys starts previews at the Prince Edward Theatre on Thursday (Feb 28th) and opens on March 18th.
** book theatre breaks to Jersey Boys with show tickets and hotel **
PERFORMANCE TIMES / DATES for Jersey Boys
Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm
Tuesday & Saturday at 2.30pm
First performance: Thursday 28 February 2008 at 7.30pm
Previews:
Thursday 28 February – Monday 17 March 2008
First Matinee:
Saturday 1 March 2008
(Please note: no matinee performance 4 or 18 March 2008)
Opening Night:
Tuesday 18th March 2008 at 7pm
Booking Period:
Individuals: Booking until 18 October 2008
The Story of Jersey Boys
The story is a really engaging, classic rags to riches, tale of four, undeniably cute young men who can sing. Set in New Jersey in the early 60s it tells how the boys found fame and fortune and what they lost and gained along the way. Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons may not ring bells at once for the younger UK musical fans. They might recognise some of the songs though:
There’s a bit of an early 60s revival going on in the UK music scene at the moment so the show might just hit a nerve with a younger audience.
Jersey Boys is Already a Broadway Hit
Like so many current West End musicals Jersey Boys comes to London as an already proven hit. It won Best Musical at the 2007 TONYS. Have a look at this - I think Jersey Boys could be a great ‘feel good’ evening out!
** book theatre breaks to Jersey Boys with show tickets and hotel **
The Vortex by Noel Coward with Felicity Kendal February 23, 2008
Posted by admin in : Plays, The Vortex, apollo , 2comments** book The Vortex theatre breaks now with best tickets and hotel **
The Vortex
The Vortex is the name of an early play by Noël Coward which helped to make his name in 1924 when it was first produced.
Now the Vortex returns to London’s West End in the Apollo Theatre produced by Peter Hall with Felicity Kendal playing the role of Florence Lancaster, a 1920s socialite, with an appetite for younger men which causes problems for Nicky, her son played by Dan Stevens.
Other cast members are played by Phoebe Nichols and Annette Badland with design by Alison Chitty and music by Mick Sands.
The Vortex is scheduled to run at the Apollo from February 26 to June 7 2008
** book The Vortex theatre breaks now with best tickets and hotel **
Fringe theatre in London - Under the Eagle February 21, 2008
Posted by admin in : fringe , 1 comment so farFringe theatres in London
The London fringe theatre scene is alive and well with short runs and new plays showing all over the Greater London area. From local town theatre in the suburbs to theatre pubs in Islington ther are plenty of alternatives to the big West End extravaganzas.
Here’s a good review of a new play showing at the White Bear Theatre, in South London ( 138 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4DJ (nearest tube: Kennington) for which tickets are only £12.
downthetubes.net news blog: Under the Eagle
Under the Eagle, a new play from author, script writer and former Doctor Who script editor Andrew Cartmel has just begun a three week run at the White Bear Theatre, London.
End of run for Othello and Shadowlands February 20, 2008
Posted by admin in : Donmar, Plays, wyndhams , 1 comment so farThis Saturday 23rd February will the final performances of two big shows in London’s theatreland.
Othello, with Ewan McGregor ends its sell-out run at the Donmar theatre.
Shadowlands, the story of CS Lewis’s doomed love for American divorcee and terminal cancer patient Joy Gresham, is also playing to its final curtain at Wyndhams theatre this weekend.
The London Coliseum theatre February 18, 2008
Posted by admin in : Theatres, coliseum, opera , add a commentThe Coliseum Theatre (also known as the London Coliseum) is on St. Martin’s Lane, close to Trafalgar Square.
The Coliseum is one of London’s largest and best equipped theatres originally opened in 1904 and designed by Frank Matcham the theatrical architect and designer of the London Palladium. The building was commisioned for Oswald Stoll an impresario whose ambition was to build the largest and finest ‘People’s palace of entertainment’ of the age.
It is now the home of the English National Opera ( ENO)
Currently showing Madame Butterfly, The Mikado and Lucia di Lammermoor
TV stars + West End Musicals= Hits? February 17, 2008
Posted by admin in : news , 5commentsLondon box-office revenue hit a record high last year. Attendance at musicals shot up 19%. One of the main reasons seems to be the success of TV tie-in revivals “The Sound of Music” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Andrew Lloyd Webber was heavily involved in both. He cast the leads of both from reality-TV shows. In both cases the public watched and voted in their millions and, it seems, a whole new audience got the musicals bug. Others are trying to replicate Webber’s success, casting reality ’stars’ in major parts. Spamalot (Nina) and Gone With the Wind (Darious) to name but two.
Many trained actors and actresses are missing out on major roles which must be frustrating for them. One wonders how untrained actors however talented can cope with the rigours of twice daily performances. To be honest, many of them don’t and several performances a week are covered by understudies. These ‘understudies’ may not boast the ‘big’ name but they often give just as fine (occasionally better!) performance. The latest ploy turns the transfer from TV to the stage slightly on its head with an actress transferring from Holyoaks to the stage, having already been cast as Maria in the Sound of Music.
Although the increased sales on the West End are welcome there’s a general feeling that this can’t be sustained over time. The public will surely tire of the formula and TV will move on to the next thing. Still some people believe the increase in ‘bums on seats’ in the West End is partially due to first-time theatre-goers who came to see reality television stars in “Joseph” and “The Sound of Music” and then returned later in the year to see another musical. Having seen one spectacular they’ve booked again to see something like “Hairspray” or “Wicked”. Now if that’s true it really is a hopeful sign for musical theatre. It might just be that once you can get people to see one good show you may turn them into life long theatre fans. Let’s hope so
Never Forget - Take That rides again! February 17, 2008
Posted by admin in : Musicals, Never Forget, Savoy , add a commentNever forget is a musical based around an unlikely Take That tribute band and their adventures as they pretend their way into and out of the limelight. We should expect a fair bit of Northern wit from the book which has been written by Danny Brocklehurst. Brocklehust is probably best known for his TV work with writing credits for Shameless and Clocking Off so don’t be surprised if it’s not totally suitable for a very young audience! These Manchester lads are going to be rough diamonds I think
The music will be mostly Take That hits, of course which should make it a nostalgia fest for those of a certain age, not to mention those who were a little older but still became big fans of the boys Don’t forget (lol Never forget!) Take that sold over 15 million records in their heyday (90-96) and they were back in the charts in 2007, with the number one hit Shine. (Without Robbie )
All of this bodes well for the musical which will feature all the hits including “Relight My Fire”, “Pray”, and of course, “Never Forget”.
Cast
Dean Chisnall who plays leading man Ash, Craig Els, Stephane Aneli, Tim Driesen and Eaton James are all coming to the West End with the production.
Where and When
The Savoy Theatre
Pre-views from May 7th 2008
Opening night May 21st 2008
Sneaky Peek
If you can’t wait you could always buy the DVD of the Manchester production, with lots of lovely interviews as well!
Sondheim’s ‘A Little Night Music’ coming to the Menier Chocolate Factory? February 17, 2008
Posted by admin in : A Little Night Music, Menier Chocolate Factory, news , add a commentFuture prospects for the Menier Chocolate Factory look great! No dates are fixed, no contracts signed, but it seems Trevor Nunn is to direct a revival of Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” there in the near future.
It will be the first London revival of the show since a 1995 National Theatre production. Sondheim fans will be delighted and will no doubt be dashing down to London from all over the UK.
Meanwhile preparations for Gone with the Wind are keeping Nunn occupied over at the New London Theatre.
