Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

It's very easy to be critical of a Jukebox Musical and this is probably the epitome of that genre but, when one is talking the 1950s and 60s an era littered with timeless classics I would challenge anybody not to leave the theatre singing one song or another. There is no doubt that the story of Bobby and Laura and their rocky relationship both personally and professionally as teen songwriters is neither deep nor particularly meaningful. However it's touching and will remind many of a much nicer and more appealing bygone era, considering the troubles we face today and if the stage musical can't take us away from reality for a couple of hours what can. Alistair Higgins and Elizabeth Carter are sublime casting as our hero and heroine, great voices and understated performances in characters that you know are destined to be together and win the youth club songwriting competition despite all the challenges of just being teenagers. Comedy value comes in abundance from David Lu

One of the great, long lasting entries of the Musical Genre and as such it makes it difficult to stamp a mark of originality on to any production particularly after the iconic performance both on stage and in the movie by Topol. So step forward some thoughtful casting of an Iranian comedian and an actress probably known best for her role as the killer of 'Dirty' Den Watts in a well known soap opera, mixed with a traditional approach to the story of a Jewish dairyman and his long suffering family/community in pre-revolutionary Russia and what do you you get ? Frankly a highly engaging production that it's difficult not to enjoy on so many levels, Omid Djalili is everything one expects Tevye to be with added wit and sparkle, his conversations with God brought a smile to the audience without losing the importance of the relationship he has with his religion a tough call in what is far from a comedic piece of theatre. Tracy Ann Oberman brought great ownership to the role

Have to admit to some trepidation in writing a review for a youth production, one has to take a slightly different approach to have an appropriate positive impact or risk the chance of putting a whole host of young talent off performing for life. That being the case as the lights dimmed the arrival of not one but, three Narrators heightened my concern a little, as one thing I find a little off putting is a crowded stage as it tends to make it difficult to focus on the story and the action. Youth productions are a bit of an exception as there is a want to give as many as possible the thrill of the stage and I get that, it then falls to the director to make sure that it doesn't look too packed and John Ward seems to have this off to a fine art, I couldn't fault how the stage was used to accommodate an extensive supporting cast. Millie Fuller, Cassie Curno and Freya Perry interlinked seamlessly as the Narrators only occasionally did I lose a few words and this was more down to

I doubt that E.Nesbit when she was penning The Railway Children back in the early 1900's could have imagined how loved it would become as a story for so many, the movie in 1970 with such stalwarts of British acting as Bernard Cribbins and Jenny Agutter have since cemented it as a classic. Bringing it to the stage with such real outdoor images was always going to be difficult but, the inventive pop-up theatre behind Kings Cross Station allowing a full sized locomotive to be part of the action has meant the story could live on. Taking this on tour however is a completely different story, surely it isn't possible to deliver the same experience in theatres around the UK ? Unfortunately the locomotive in all its glory hasn't been taken on the road (no surprise there) and has been replaced by superimposed video on to a backcloth, not quite the same experience but, it's the story that matters in truth and that still has all the charm it ever had. Relatively small cast le