Cabaret @ Kit Kat Klub Review

It's the most talked about revival of a musical in quite some time (for good and bad reasons) but Cabaret at the Kit Kat Klub (the redesigned and unrecognisable Playhouse Theatre) is now well into what promises to be a long run. 

Very few musicals are iconic in the way Cabaret is. It has a film that truly made a star of Liza Minnelli, and the Sam Mendes production (first seen in the 90s) has been revived multiple times over the years to continuous acclaim. 

So to take on something like this, you have to be ready to do something as distinctive and put your own stamp on it. 

Director Rebecca Frecknall obviously has a very clear vision of how she wanted to interpret the classic, and that'd evident from the moment you enter the theatre. No spoilers but it's worth arriving as early as possible and going for a wander round, as there is so much to take in.

Tom Scutts design gives us visually rich setting of the seedy Berlin nightclub, which is a little at odds with what we know Cabaret to be, but it's so exciting to look at you kind of have no choice but to forgive the overly extravagent nature of it. 

It's a given that you need exceptional performances in a production this anticipated, but thankfully Frecknall has two leads that are well up to the task.

This iteration of Cabaret came from the mind of Eddie Redmayne, who's wanted to professionally play the Emcee for over a decade. In an entirely different version of the Master of Ceremonies than we have seen before, Redmayne's opening image is of a contorted, child-like figure - setting the tone that this show is full of surprises. He sings well, but it's not his voice that shines through: it's the sheer magnitude of his stage presence. It's an immensely physical performance that never ceases to go in unexpected places, unravelling into a truly sinister figure by the end of the show.

As Sally Bowles, Jessie Buckley is the antithesis of the girl we know as played by Minnelli. Buckley is gritty, loud and brash from the off, losing any kind of irresistibility we may have expected. In a way this fights against the rest of the production, as it feels very angry from the off. Her performance is also a little jarring against Omari Douglas as Cliff, who does very much feel like a plot-point in this production, rather than a possible way out for Sally. This is also not helped by the fact that Douglas feels a tad miscast in the role of the plucky American writer who arrives in Berlin on the eve of war.
Buckley does, however, walk away with the entire night with the title number (which is worth the price of admission alone.) Screaming her way through the final chorus at the top of her lungs in a rendition that could easily have blown the roof off, the audience finally sees the penny drop for Sally as she understands the world around her is falling apart.

Liza Sadovy and Elliot Levy are beautifully poignant as the secondary couple, who find themselves caught in a fight for love and survival in the face of overwhelming prejudice, and there's is a scene-stealing turn from West End favourite Anna-Jane Casey as Fräulein Kost AND a Kit-Kat girl (I'd suggest the Tories don't go though as Casey is likely to high kick them in the face.)

It would be remiss of me to talk about this production and not address some of the controversy around it's pricing. 

I went to the first preview and had a good stalls ticket for £75. If I was to try to purchase that seat today, it is now an eye-watering £250. That doesn't include any food or drink or any extras, that's a standard stalls seat. 

Now, I work in theatre. I understand how dynamic pricing works. I get that theatre is a business and that after the last two years theatre needs to make back as much money as possible, AND this production has revamped a whole theatre and that hasn't been cheap. 

My issue is the fact that this is now a production that only rich people can see. The marketing team make a big point of the Lottery (which has six tickets for every show at £25...!) and that tickets are available from £30, but that's literally a handful of tickets, that you need to be able to book 9-12 months in advance. It's just a hugely inaccessible way to work. Trust me, I get that they have A-List stars who need paying, and we are living in uncertain times, but two people wanting to sit in the stalls at Cabaret in February will cost the same a package holiday to Spain for two people - that's unacceptable for a night out. 

Be that as it may, this production is a sensation. It has phenomenal stars (who are with the production till mid March) but it's such a solid production that whoever they put in it next have a great piece to work with (I'd consider the £250 if they can give me Andrew Scott and Billie Piper...)

Frecknall has really worked hard to make a fully immersive experience for the audience and for a lot of people this will be unlike anything they've experienced before - and they won't forget it in a hurry. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

November 2021

Kit-Kat Klub, London 

Operation Mincemeat @ Southwark Playhouse Review

 

Southwark Playhouse are currently having a great time with yet another run of Spit Lip's masterpiece -  Operation Mincemeat.

I previously saw this show in September 2021 and was pretty blown away by it if I'm honest. It's back now for a 6 week run until the 19th February (which, like it's previous runs, is virtually sold out) and I already have 2 more trips to the show booked...!

The plot? In a nutshell, avoiding all spoilers, Operation Mincemeat centres on the real life WW2 operation involving the invasion of Sicily. A fake body, a plane crash, and a whole lot of miscommunication. Oh, and James Bond (don't ask!) 

I'll fight anyone who tells me what the cast of Operation Mincemeat are not the hardest working cast in London right now - because they are. David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone & Zoe Roberts are all stars in their own right, each playing multiple different roles and giving each of them a distinctive voice. Men play women, women play men, everyone plays people older and younger than themselves, and within seconds of the character changes you have forgotten and instantly bought in to the next person you meet - and it's fantastic to see. 

It is Malone, however, who walks away with the show with his performance as Hester Leggett, an MI5 operative. She is, in a way, the motherly figure throughout this story, and something of an anchor for Jean Leslie (a young typist who's flare gets her involved in the mission). Malone's delivery of Hester's musica monologue is an emotional sucker punch, in which a one-word name change in the lyric knocks the audience for six and sees a woman recounting her experience of the war before this one, and the sacrifices made to contribute to the victory. 

Southwark Playhouse is a tricky venue to be able to do a lot in set-wise, but designer Helen Coyston has brilliantly put together a central setting that easily changes to so many different locations with the tiniest of changes. Add in Sherry Coenen's atmospheric lighting design, and you've one of the best looking small-scale productions I've probably ever seen.

The comparisons to modern musicals like Six are inevitable, as it has similar beginnings and also looks set to go on to bigger and better things. I'd argue this actually a better show overall though - the full two and a half hour running time enables every character to be fleshed out, and every idea to fully develop. If this is where British musical theatre is heading, then we have nothing to fear: Operation Mincemeat deserves to conquer the world. 

(keep an eye out for the upcoming film starring Colin Firth and Penelope Wilton for a dramatic look at this story in more detail - it'll be well worth a watch.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

January 2022

Southwark Playhouse, London

Moulin Rouge @ Piccadilly Theatre Review

It took 17 years from the release of the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film for Moulin Rouge to finally make the logical step to a stage musical, and after many delays due to the pandemic it has finally opened in London.  

In what was undoubtedly an incredibly complicated process to transfer a masterfully theatrical movie to the stage, the big question is obviously: does it live up to the hype? 

And the answer is unfortunately, not really.

It feels like audiences are going to come away with one of two reactions to this production. 

The first is being blown away at the spectacle of it all, and there is absolutely no denying that it is the biggest spectacle in the West End right now. Upon entering the auditorium, it's very easy for the sheer scale of what the audience are presented with to take their breath away. It's incredibly immersive as it doesn't stop at the pros arch and really pulls the audience into the world of the Moulin Rouge. There is an argument that it's all a bit too flash, as its supposedly to be a bit of a seedy nightclub, and it all feels very polished and perfect, but you sort of forgive it this because of the volume of what is knocking your senses. 

Both acts of the show begin with some of the best set pieces I've seen in a show...ever? 'Welcome to the Moulin Rouge' is a full five stars, reeling you into the world and giving you everything that this production has from beat one. Similarly, 'Backstage Romance' at the top of Act 2 is a visual feast for the sense as the tight ensemble are throwing themselves around the stage to the music of Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. 

But the issue is that because of both acts start as good as this show can possibly get, they have nowhere to go but...down.

My main issue with the show as a piece of theatre is that it's just an objectively bad adaptation of a really great movie, in one big way. 

In the film, Moulin Rouge is a story about risking it all for love, putting everything on the line, and a story that is ultimately about life and death. The issue with the stage adaptation is that I didn't believe either of the central characters actually gave a monkeys about each other. A large reason for this is the two leading performances (which I will come onto shortly) but the real crux of the problem is that the heart of the original story has gone. John Logan's book for the musical relies on cheap laughs, and the characters mugging to the audience every time a pop song comes in. There was logic behind the music in the film: there was a nudge and wink to numbers like Like A Virgin but they ultimately had a reason for being there, whereas Logan has created a bizarre musical comedy that relies on the audience shrieking with laughter (and on occasions joining in...!) when the cast sing songs like Shut Up And Dance With Me. 

A lot of the problems with the book could be glossed over if the cast were top notch and able to really bring some heart out if it (along with the sheer spectacle of the production). But the issue is...quite a few of the key cast are just not right for their parts. 

It's always an interesting risk when cast very young actors (often right out of drama school) to lead a brand new musical, and there's plenty of examples where it works (e.g Sam Tutty in Dear Evan Hansen and Jamal Westmam in Hamilton) but I don't think it paid off here, and that's largely just because both Jamie Bogyo and Lisii LaFontaine are just...too young for their roles. LaFontaine does fine with her material and does bring the house down with her performance of 'The Sparkling Diamond' but she lacks the real desperation or indeed life experience needed for the woman who is single handedly holding her family's future in her hands. As the bohemian Christian, Bogyo unfortunately just feels very miscast. He sings well throughout, but the character's loveable nature is missing, which as a result up-ends the entire production. There's also little to no chemistry between the pair (in contrast to Kidman and McGregor in the film) which makes the central plot difficult to invest in when you don't believe that they actually care about each other all that much, and causes big numbers like the 'Elephant Love Medley' and 'Come What May' to not land as they should.

Supporting performances however are largely excellent. Clive Carter is magnificent with his performance as the master of ceremonies Harold Zidler - enticing everyone into his world and keeping just on the right side of endearing - and Simon Bailey plays the Duke a little more panto-baddie than expected but it certainly works. Jason Pennycook is doing great work as Tolouse, but his new storyline with Satine is at odds with his and LaFontaine's respective ages (although this is not his fault)

The ensemble work unbelievably hard in this show, with visually exciting choreography from Sonya Tayeh throughout and a wonderfully diverse (in so many ways) cast who all look incredible in Catherine Zuber's astonishing costumes. 

The critical reviews for this are not going to matter for the majority of people who want to see it - the show is a visual spectacle and the essence of the film is stil in there somewhere, and people will likely have a lovely time. 

If you have any sort of critical eye for theatre though, you will very quickly see past the spectacle and see the issues (and the easy solutions that could make this show a lot better).

November 2021

Piccadilly Theatre, London 

⭐⭐⭐

Top Ten Performances of 2021

 Top Ten Performances of 2021

What a year for performances in theatre, eh?

Having had 16 months of...basically nothing, theatre exploded back in May socially distanced, to a full capacity bang in July, and the performances came bursting out. 

It was incredibly hard to get this down to a top ten, but I've managed it. I do however, want to quickly highlight some people who didn't make the top 10 but do need mentions for their sensational work this year:

Robert Lindsay's comedic tour-de-force as Moonface Martin in Anything Goes, giving a masterclass in old school musical comedy. 

Joanna Riding passing the baton on to the next generation with her definitive performance as Nettie Fowler in Carousel at Regent's Park. 

Anna Maxwell-Martin's heartbreaking portrayal of Marianne in the revolving cast revival of Constellations.

Mazz Murray welcoming us back to live performances with an iconic portrayal of Norma Desmond at Ally Pally

Emma Williams revisiting her Olivier-nominated performance in Love Story and breaking everyone's heart. 

Steph McKeon literally being lifted out of a Disney animated film and bringing Anna to life in Frozen. 

And on to the top 10....!

10. Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Stepmother in Cinderella @ Gillian Lynne Theatre

A friend described this performance to me before I saw it as 'what if Jennifer Saunders had played Glenn Close playing Cruella DeVil?' 

The result would have been Victoria Hamilton-Barritt in Cinderella. 

A performance that chews the scenery till there is nothing left, taking every single laugh there is and creating her own when she's taken all of them. No one stands a chance when VHB is on stage - she's stealing the show from underneath the entire cast and rightly so!

9. Ben Daniels as Ned Weeks in The Normal Heart @ National Theatre

The Normal Heart really decimated me back in October. 

AIDS plays at the National Theatre are life changing to me, and this is no exception. A spectacularly cast show, with one hell of a leading man. 

Ben Daniels holds this show together and barely leaves the stage. He leaves his soul on the stage for us all to see by the end. What he has to go through is brutal, but it's a necessary reminder of where we have been and where we must never let ourselves go back to. 

I will be shouting so loud for him when it comes round to awards next year.

8. Julian Ovenden as Emile De Beque in South Pacific @ Chichester Festival Theatre

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a classic musical. Those scores are my bread and butter. 

But it truly does not get better than Julian Ovenden in South Pacific. 

The man's voice is like liquid gold - seriously listening to him singing This Nearly Was Mine is an experience I will never forget - and he's so in control of everything he does, it's THRILLING to watch. 

Singing a score that is nearly 80 years old, but managing to make it sound brand new is no easy task, but it's exactly what Julian does. 

Don't miss him in this show next summer on tour and at Sadlers Wells.

7. Carly Mercedes Dyer as Erma in Anything Goes @ Barbican

In a show that is so spectacularly cast, with a leading lady that is so totally in control of the entire show, it's hard for other performances to pull focus. 

But Carly Mercedes Dyer is SO brilliant as Erma that she all but steals the show from the actress playing Reno. 

A genius comedy part, that's full of wit and dry humour, and a killer 11 o'clock number that is properly brilliant gives her all the ingredients to be a star, and my god does she do it. 

This performance will be showered with awards next year...

6. Linzi Hateley as The Narrator in Joseph @ The London Palladium

When Linzi Hateley first played the Narrator in Joseph...I hadn't been born.
My parents actually saw her play the Narrator but they don't really remember it.

But it's one of those legendary performances that people in theatreland continually talk about over the years. 

It's unbelievably iconic that Linzi had the nerve to return 30 years later and still be able to belt like she did in the 90s!

This performance was so good because you could see what it meant to her to be doing it again, at the Palladium, with Jason, and getting to have this much fun on stage again.

It was just wonderful to watch and I had the best time ✌️

5. Shoshana Bean @ Cadogan Hall

I'm kind of baffled that it took me quite as long as it did to see Shoshana live, in person. I think I just seemed to always be doing something when she was in London!

But she came in December from the mother of all Christmas concerts, and holy Moses. Every single song a masterpiece, every single guest a legend, but above all - one woman front and centre with no special effects, just singing for days.

Best vocalist in the world?
Yeah, pretty much.

4. Rob Madge in My Son's A Queer (But What Can You Do) @ Turbine Theatre

I sort of hadn't anticipated quite how much this show was going to affect me, 

I was basically going to any theatre that was available in June and July, but I sort of hadn't clicked at how much I was going to relate to this show that Rob created.

They literally broke my heart into little pieces as I watched...so many parallels of my own life in front of me? Rob's authenticity is so inspiring, and the fact they have always been like this all the more so. They truly put their story front and centre in this really special piece, and were just...honest. The perfect performance of humour and heartbreak, and the best fashion show on stage ever!

(I cried the most I think I've ever cried at anything at this show...and we know I cry at literally anything, but this took the prize!?

3. Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles in Cabaret @ Kit Kat Klub

It takes a special kind of skill for an incredible singer to make themselves sound like a bang average one, but that's essentially what Jessie Buckley has managed to do in Cabaret.

We know she's a sensation, and we knew she'd be able to act her face off with Sally Bowles, but I really wasn't sure how she'd manage to make herself sound...not good, you know?

It all comes together in the title number, which is frantic, disjointed, edgy and gutwrenching - rightly bringing the audience to it's feet as she vanished through the floor.

We've really got a fight on our hands for the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical this year, and it's going to be seriously interesting to see it play out....

2. Rachel York as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes @ Barbican

I think what this year has basically shown me is that I love women who play Reno Sweeney.

Rachel York came to London for four weeks, and became the toast of the town in that short time. Reprising her role as Reno from the US National tour of Anything Goes at the Barbican this year, she completely reshaped the show we'd become used to with another Broadway legend.
The first time I watched her play Reno, it was like watching the show again for the first time. She completely changed the entire show with her earthy portrayal of Reno, because she just...is her? It's the only way I can describe it really - she just IS Reno.

So hoping the rumours are true and she is returning for the UK tour and Barbican run next year - it's financially a DISTASTER for me if she is, but I look forward to it immensely!

1. Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes @ Barbican

I could write you a ten thousand word dissertation on what this performance meant to me, and hey, maybe one day I will!

But in your life, there are performances you always wish you could have seen. Julia McKenzie in Guys and Dolls, Judi Dench in A Little Night Music, Audra McDonald in Carousel...the list goes on.
 Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney has been one of mine for a decade, and in the midst of a pandemic, the theatre gods granted me that wish.

Sutton is a triple threat at the absolute top of her game, and it's literally the best thing in the whole world watching her on stage. The way she knows this role so well, but revisiting it ten years later manages to find new things in it is...just thrilling. 

I don't think I will EVER forget the feeling of watching her do the iconic end of Act 1 tap routine in real life at the first preview. It was one of those moments when the energy in the room shifted as she hit centre stage and then tapped for six minutes, and then belted her face off to a massive standing ovation. Literally the stuff dreams are made of.

For so many things this year as theatre began to emerge from the darkness, we have been so lucky, but I will thank my lucky stars forever that this performance came to us when it did, and I got to enjoy it as many times as I did (and now it's immortalised on screen and on TV on Boxing Day!)

Top 5 Shows of 2021

 Top 5 Shows of 2021

In any normal year, I'd be beginning to compile my usual top 10 shows and performances of the year. With performances I think I'll still be doing that, as I've got so many brilliant ones that need highlighting, but I thought I'd do my top 10 shows a little different to normal.

What I've decided to go with is the following:
1. Top 5 Shows of 2021

2. Top 10 Performances of 2021

3. 2021: The Year We Came Back Home

I need to talk about a lot of 2021, and the various highs (and looming lows) and there's too much of it to just have it in the top 10 shows as normal, so it's gonna be split out. It was really hard getting a list of 10 shows, so I went down to 5, and will talk about the year as a whole separately.

So, the top 5 shows in 2021 look like this for me:

5. My Son's A Queer But What Can You Do @ Turbine Theatre

Gosh, this show truly did hit me right in the feels!

It's incredibly brave to put your life onstage and...star in it yourself. But that's exactly what Rob Madge did. They put themselves and their family on stage and told us their life story...

I can't remember the last time I cried as much as I cried at this show to be honest. About halfway through it just hit me, and I could not stop sobbing (like, there were times I actually couldnt see I was crying so much). 

It was also hugely moving that Rob's parents were also in the audience (I was at the final show). Seeing Rob's parents watch how they accepted their child for who they are, never questioning it and never trying to change them, was just...a bit too much for me to handle!

Cracking songs, sensational costumes (honestly the final Disney Parade and the costume changes are...insane), and all of the nostalgia of any kid who grew up a little bit different and was scared of how the world would accept them.

I so hope it comes back - everyone truly needs to see this show!

4. Operation Mincemeat @ Southwark Playhouse

Well, I'll say one thing - the future of musical theatre is in spectacularly safe hands if SpitLip's sensational Operation Mincemeat is anything to go by!

I've had friends bang on about this show for ages, and it took me too long to get on the hype train. But the 2 and a half hours I spent at Southwark Playhouse on a Tuesday afternoon in August was one of my favourites of the year. 

An unbelievably hard working cast, multi-roling like nobody's business, with one of the catchiest scores for years. 

It's back in Jan and Feb, but this is only the beginning. Operation Mincemeat will be a West End sensation before we know it and I cannot wait to be a hardcore fan of this incredible piece. 

3. South Pacific @ Chichester Festival Theatre

No year is complete without the annual pilgrimage to Chichester to see the summer musical. When 2020 denied us of it I was furious, but naturally I got myself rebooked to see South Pacific when it was revived this summer. 

The production is everything I love in a show: a no expense spared glitzy revival of a bonafide classic, with a sensational cast delivering the material at its fullest potential. 

Getting to see Gina Beck and Julian Ovenden deliver some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most glorious music was a real treat on a Saturday afternoon (like, I'll never recover from Julian singing This Nearly Was Mine). 

It's touring next year, with a summer season at Sadlers Wells (where both of it's leads will again star as Nellie and Emile) and I cannot insist how much you must see it (I'm already booked for the first preview and will be booking more than one visit). 

A perfect revival. 

2. Cabaret @ Kit Kat Klub

To revive a musical that is as iconic as Cabaret is, and has such an iconic look (in both the Sam Mendes and Rufus Norris productions) is a brave move. 

What Rebecca Frecknall needed to do was to be bold, be different, but be as iconic as what has come before. 

By God has she managed it. 

From the moment you walk into the Kit Kat Klub, you're immersed in the world is 1930s Berlin in a way I've never experienced before. 

A fully transformed auditorium creates a truly unique theatrical experience, that I was not fully ready for. 

It is an event, not just a musical. 

Add on to that actors, singers and dancers at the top of their game, delivering material that is proven to be some of the best ever written, and you have a winner. 

There's been outcry at the ticket prices for Cabaret, and honestly I do agree with it. I paid £75 for a stalls seat for the first preview and that seat is now £250... That's not dynamic pricing, that's just creating a show rich people can see... (I'll discuss this more in my post about 2021 as a whole). 

If you can get in at a reasonable price, please go. 

It's queer, it's dark, it's sexy, it's angry, it's gritty, and it's got a leading lady who is screaming her head off 8 shows a week and giving one of the best stage performances I've seen in a really long time...

1. Anything Goes @ Barbican Theatre

This is not a surprise if you are even remotely following what I've been up to this year!

In short, Anything Goes saved me in 2021. 

I found a pocket of happy escapism that I could keep returning to whenever my anxiety and depression went...haywire. A tap dancing woman was waiting at the Barbican and I could lose myself in unadulterated joy for 3 hours. 

It never got old. Every single joke lands. Every single cast member was brilliant. Every single routine was...other-worldly (there is not a better 30 minutes in musical theatre than the end of Act 1 into the top of Act 2). 

I saw it 6 times in 15 weeks. And I stood up midshow twice every time. 

If you asked me to describe happiness in one musical, it would be this. 

It's back in 2022, on a UK tour and then a summer back at the Barbican.

Go, take everyone you know, and fall in love with musical comedy all over again ❤️

Well there you have it. 

The best new productions I saw in 2021. 

I'll talk about the year as a whole in my roundup of the year but these were the real highpoints for me!

🖤

Frozen The Musical @ Theatre Royal Drury Lane - August 2021

 

I think it's a universally accepted fact that Disney musicals can be a little hit and miss. Whilst there have been commercial successes from Aladdin and The Lion King, artistically I'm much more interested in Aida, Newsies and Mary Poppins. Maybe, to me, it feels like 'live action' Disney shows work a lot better.

That is, until I saw Frozen, London's newest musical now playing at the sensationally restored Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Well, I'll be completely honest in the fact that I expected very little from Frozen. 
It takes a weird kind of bravery to take a new musical, and put it on one of the biggest stages in the West End and for it not to look small.

But Disney are nothing if not brave, and in this instance it's paid off in an unbelievable way.

Frozen is a spectacle, with some of the best things I've seen technically done on stage.
Director Michael Grandage has gone for a really cool blend of style AND substance, with a stunning scenic and costume design from Christopher Oram, who's approach to Arendelle is beautiful to look at and is so rich of colour, texture and life.
On top of all that comes video design from Finn Ross that truly is unlike anything that I've ever seen. What they achieve on film with video and projections is...other worldly. When Elsa loses control of her magic, the shocked reaction from the audience summed it up - disbelief, shock and  amazement. We haven't seen stuff like this in London before and it's thrilling that we now have it. 

Bringing iconic characters like Elsa and Anna to the stage, and turning them into real people is no easy thing, and in a way I don't think they have been entirely successful.
Samantha Barks is a star, and there's no denying it. She metaphorically takes the roof off of the theatre when she belts 'Let It Go', with THAT moment in the middle of it that was greeted by a truly electric reception (it's one thing to see it in a video, but in real life it really is spectacular.) But Elsa never feels three-dimensional, and I don't think that's Barks' fault. There's something in the writing that stops almost all of the characters from feeling fully fleshed-out.
Steph McKeon, however, is the exception. Anna is more real here than she is in the movie, and it's truly like they picked her up out of the film: she just IS Anna. Brilliantly funny, with a voice as clear as a bell, and she's hugely moving. The bond between her and Barks is real - they're evidently very close outside of the show - and it's only strengthens their relationship on stage.

Outside of this the supporting cast does well.
Obioma Ugoala is huge fun as Kristoff, alongside the hugely extravagent puppet of reindeer Sven. Oliver Ormson is on the right side of 'sweet' as Hans, and manages to draw the necessary gasp out of the audience in a fairly underwritten part, and Craig Gallivan gives the people what they want with his joyful portrayal of Olaf.
I'm normally not a fan of child actors, but Asanda Masike and Tilly-Raye Bayer really bought so much out of their portrayals of Young Anna and Elsa: cheeky, playful, but with a brilliant bond that you see reflected in their older counterparts.

There's so much to marvel at in this production, and not all of it stage magic.

Disney have made the super decision to take a film with a running time of an hour and 42 minutes, and turn it into a stage show with only a 30 minute longer running time (and that's including a 20 minute interval!)
It's incredibly pacy of a piece, and never drops its speed for a second. Act 1 zips along at exactly an hour (at such a speed that when the familiar introduction of 'Let It Go' began, I audibly expressed my surprise we were there already.) 
It's an embellished story, more focused on the relationship between Anna and Elsa than it ever was before, and it feels even tighter and more streamlined than it ever did before.

So there we have it: who knew I was going to be such a fan of a new Disney show, especially a Disney film I didn't much care for.
But we are where we are, and Frozen is a smash.

A quick aside to all of this: Andrew Lloyd Webber has done an astonishing job at restoring Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
It truly is an incredible display of what can be achieved (if you have the cash to do it!)
Give yourself an additional 45 minutes pre show to have a proper look around at the gorgeous building...it's quite something!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Rent @ Hope Mill Theatre - September 2021

 

It takes a really talented bunch of people to take a musical that's been around for over a quarter of a century, and find a way to completely reinvent it and make it feel fresh and relevant again.

But that's exactly what the team at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester have managed to do with Jonathan Larson's Rent.

This production was in the works for the last couple of years, and played a handful of performances before the November lockdown hit.

Now it's back!

There's something strangely emotive at the decision to have this like an old-school group of players coming together and telling a story, as if round a campfire. The cast all enter together and sit at chairs surrounding the stage, stepping in to play their character(s) and contribute to the telling of the tale. Something about being able to watch Roger sing 'One Song Glory' whilst Mimi looks on, or Mark and Joanne dance the Tango Maureen whilst she eyes them questionably, adds another dimension and is a real highlight of director Luke Sheppard's vision for the piece.

The cast is an embarrassment of riches, so much so that I really don't think I will see a better collective group of actors come together to collectively do this show.

Luke Bayer's Mark is a superb narrator, who's camera acts as the narrative tool to enable us to see into people's lives. Tom Francis adds real grit to Roger, who's One Song Glory builds and builds until it's completion in the finale, in part due to Maiya Quansah-Breed's multi-layered Mimi. Alex Thomas-Smith is giving a truly star-turn as Angel, perfectly matched against Dom Hartley-Harris as Collins.

The star of the piece though has to be Millie O'Connell as the outlandish Maureen. I turned to a friend at the interval and we both said that, despite having seen multiple versions of the show before, Maureen's speech 'Over The Moon' has never been properly funny before. In O'Connell's hands, it's so full of humour and naughtiness that I almost fell out of my chair.

It's also the first time I've ever seen the show with the actors who are actually the age of the characters they're playing. Certainly the original cast were a touch older than playing (I mean they definitely were in the film!) and it only added to quite how believable everyone was in their roles.

The show is in it's final week in Manchester, but I really hope this will make it's way to London in the future - I feel like it's one of the most definitive productions of Rent there has been, and it deserves to be seen on a much larger scale.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Six The Musical @ Oxford Playhouse - August 2021

As soon as theatres were allowed to operate again (albeit socially distanced), the producers of Six bought it straight back out on the road, making it one of the first musicals back on tour in the UK as we emerge from lockdown.

Now playing to full capacity, it's currently at the Oxford Playhouse, where I was lucky enough to catch the show. Originally booked in for a week in August 2020, the show sold so well that Six is now running for a fortnight, and is sold out for its entire visit.

Now, I'm no stranger to Six: I originally saw the show in a cow-shaped tent in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival in 2018 and fell head over heels in love with it's genius, inventive way of essentially giving a history lesson in an hour and fifteen minutes. 
Since then, I've seen the show multiple times, in both of it's London homes (The Arts and The Lyric) and out on tour in 2019. For me, it's one of the best British musicals of the past decade, and it's stratospheric rise to being a Broadway show just before the pandemic hit is unbelievably deserved. I don't think there's another show in recent memory that has had a journey as fast from 'Fringe show' to 'Broadway smash-hit' - eighteen months from Edinburgh to New York - it just doesn't happen! Writers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss really have tapped into something with this show - it's got masses of broad appeal, but with some brilliant hidden nuggets for the hardcore musical theatre fan (the reference to Little Shop of Horrors in the opening number makes me smile every time I hear it...)

 

One of my favourite things about seeing this show multiple times is getting to see different women's interpretations of the Queens. One of my favourite things about theatre is how differently people can portray a role with the same source material, and it's so true with Six. 
There's no 'lead' in this show - all six actresses have an equal cut of the show and that's just a great thing. The plot follows the women's search for which of them had the worst time married to their mutual husband, and that Queen shall lead the girl-band they are forming.

It's useless to try to compare the Queens as they're all so different, but it's worth highlighting them all just for a moment. 

Lauren Drew's brilliantly Welsh Catherine of Aragon kicks off the show with fire, sass and attitude, whereas Maddison Bulleyment pulls every ounce of comedy out of Anne Boleyn's brilliant number 'Don't Lose Your Head'.
Caitlin Tipping has the emotional height of the show with 'Heart of Stone' and does great work with it, and then Shekinah McFarlane smashes Anna of Cleeves' no-nonsense 'Get Down' out of the park.
Six superstar Vicki Manser (who started out her journey with the show as a swing and ended up covering and playing all SIX of the Queens at one point or other) plays the queen we arguably know the least about - Katharine Howard - and her account of her life is probably the most harrowing, and Manser hits every beat of the nearly 7 minute 'All You Wanna Do'.
Rounding off the show is Elena Gyasi as the one who survived. Catherine Parr wants no part of the contest by the end of the show: who had the worst time sort of becomes irrelevant once you sit and realise that these women are better together than trying to tear each other apart. Gyasi's 'I Don't Need Your Love' isn't about winning the contest: its about survival and it's really moving.

There really isn't a lot left to say.

Six is a sensation, and it's success in mainstream musical theatre is a real boost for new British musicals. We have so many wonderful composers and lyricists making new work that isn't yet on this scale (in the West End or in large touring venues like this.) 
If I could make one suggestion, it's to seek them out. Go and see shows at places like Southwark Playhouse or The Other Palace (I am there tomorrow to see the new musical Operation Mincemeat on the recommendation of lots of friends and can't wait!) or go to a local 'scratch night' and find these new artists and support them. 

Six is touring nationally, reopening at the Vaudeville at the end of September, and reopening on Broadway later in the Autumn.
Don't miss it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat @ London Palladium - August 2021

 

So listen.

When it was announced that the 2019 revival of Joseph was returning to the Palladium, I had no real desire to see it. I saw the production with Sheridan Smith, and had a nice enough time, but unlikely the rest of my generation I wasn't raised on the Donny Osmond movie and find Joseph to be quite 'meh'.

But then, the legend that is Linzi Hateley was announced to be returning to the production as the Narrator for some 'special performances' when Alexandra Burke (who took over from Smith in this year's production) was otherwise engaged.

 

Returning to the part she originated thirty years ago - of COURSE I was going to have to be there!

At the end of watching this show, I instantly text someone saying "I never want to see Joseph again, because it will never be done better than this," and there is one reason for that.

Linzi bloody Hateley.

Now, it's sort of the dream entrance for any character. Stage goes dark in the middle of the overture, and two spot lights hit a figure facing the back of the stage. That figure turns round, smiles and the audience ERRUPTS. The look of joy on Hateley's face as the wall of love and support was just wonderful to see (I absolutely cried - I am ridiculous).

I had forgotten that the Narrator essentially doesn't leave the stage for the entire show (and quite how hard that means Hateley has to work!) but the woman does not break a sweat and gives a incredible performance.

There's a LOT going on in this production for the Narrator - multi-roling, tap dancing, playing the spoons just to start - but Hateley knocks every element of this character out of the park. It's very "nudge nudge wink wink" comedy (as opposed to Smith's loud and outright humour that she used in the 2019 production) and it works a lot better in my eyes; the Narrator is in on the humour of it all, rather than the slightly bonkers alternative that we've seen before.

But the thing that really shines in this production is Hateley's sensational voice. Whilst I don't listen to Joseph regularly, if I do it's the Prologue from the 1991 recording - there's something really magical about THAT voice, and the way it elevates the material. 
Thirty years on, and the voice sounds exactly the same. There's been some tinkering with keys here and there because of the Narrators before her in this production don't have the incredible range needed, but it doesn't stop Hateley from really getting to belt her face off in moments like Pharaoh's Story and Go Go Go Joseph (I literally shouted 'go on Linzi' at the end of Act 1 as she's doing 'ahead of your time' up the octave!) 

There's something quite emotional about getting to see Hateley reunited with Jason Donovan - this time taking on the role of Pharaoh. Their friendship has been well documented across the years, and it's great to see them together on stage. In the fleeting moments the two characters spend on stage at the same time, you can see they're having a ball.

Add into that mix Jac Yarrow, back again as Joseph and better than ever. That man is really going to one of our biggest leading men in the next few years and it's great to see. He properly stops the show with a truly wonderful rendition of Close Every Door 

So the production itself is essentially still the same as it was in 2019. 

The Narrator is now more of a Pied Piper character, who uses the children that she's telling the story to bring it to life. You've got kids playing Potipher, some of the brothers, the Butler and Baker and so on. 
It's an approach that I still don't think fully works on every level. There something a little odd having Potipher played by a child, and Mrs Potipher by a grown woman - I know we suspend all belief in theatre but it still doesn't gel with me. But I cannot deny there's something really wholesome about the kids being some of Jacob's sons, and them just generally being around and fully in the story.

It's a week or so until the end of this revival, but I really don't think I'll see it again. I've seen the ULTIMATE Narrator, and an absolute top notch Joseph in the same production - short of casting Lady Gaga as the Narrator I don't think I'd get anything else out of it other than what I've already got.

My suggestion though?

Try to get in to see it - if you can get in to see Linzi please do, but it's a really fun couple of hours and a  great way to get back into the theatre after such a long time away!

⭐⭐⭐⭐