Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

So this is a review of Urinetown, not the place of course, the musical but, you’d probably gathered that, a strange and not particularly appealing title for a show from the combined pens of Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, set in a future world where water is rationed and there is a fee to pee (perhaps those with climate change on their mind might think we are heading for something not dissimilar in reality). From the opening exchange between Brendan Stanley’s authoritative Officer Lockstock and Charlotte Upton’s appealingly hyperactive Little Sally, there is want to play with the audience perception of what they might witness and whether the storyline is really acceptable for the musical genre but, as Lockstock states not all musicals have to be happy. Bobby Strong played with understated brilliance and a rich vocal by Nicholas Brady is the hero of the piece taking on both his slightly psychotic employer, Miss Pennywise (an exquisite piece of character acting from Helen Parsons) ...

Let me caveat this review with the fact that I have only been able to see a rehearsal without costume, without live music and without any light or sound effects that can add so evocatively to any performance. Having said that if my intuition is anything to go by (and it has never let me down yet) I would be inclined to take everything I am about to say and increase it by a factor of ten as those missing pieces to the greater jigsaw of this production can only make it so much stronger as an audience pleaser. Ken Wragg the mastermind behind the concept has taken the lives of two music icons and created a story that gets under the skin of who they really were, delves into the recesses of their generally tempestuous relationships and attempts to reveal why both were challenging characters (with notoriously short tempers) to live and work with, yet equally successful in their careers. It's difficult to think of two names that in the opinion of the average person would bear few if an...

There’s something strangely enriching about the old standards of musical theatre that still hold their own in a modern world. Bringing back memories of the 1967 Movie starring Tommy Steele, although the stage production had graced the West End in 1963, this interpretation by Solihull Theatre Company stays true to the original and benefits from stylish direction by Terry Wheddon and some captivating choreography by Pauline Elliker. Leading the way on stage with an energetic and charming performance as Arthur Kipps is Chris Johnstone who creates an entrancing relationship with Lizzie Stainton who delivers a perfectly restrained and thoroughly working class Ann Pornick, in total contrast to the aloof, aristocratic Helen Walsingham, played equally superbly by Meghan Doheney. Some divinely ‘over the top’ antics from Dan Gough as the eccentric Chitterlow providing a juxtaposition with the other male role model in the life of Kipps, the fierce Mr Shalford played with great assurance by Pa...

One of the old faithful musicals that's still as relevant and entertaining as the day Harold Gray's 'Little Orphan Annie' jumped from the pages of the New York Daily News on to Broadway in 1977. It's a credit to Kinver Light Operatic Society as a collective and to the undoubted skills of Director/Choreographer Adam Partridge that they have been able to bring the relative confines of the stage at Kinver High School to life with a production equally compelling. Spearheading a talented cast is Anna Watkins in the title role, a challenging character for anybody and embraced with some classy acting and stellar vocals. It seems unfair not to provide a mention for a team of orphans played by some prodigious youth talent, a group of girls who during their ensemble scenes lit the stage up, I'll be surprised if we don't here something special about one of these names in the future, Natasha Mitchell (an uber confident Molly), Katie Tranter, Scarlett Moreton, Neve Pil...

Amazing how one of the most prolific world disasters can make such an intense subject for a musical which is a testament to the diversity of the genre. If you’re expecting anything particularly outlandish to further dramatise what is already a ‘heart thumping’ event you’ll be disappointed but, if you’re prepared for a rich piece of storytelling with some evocative songs, this will be just the show for you. There are some key themes throughout the production, not least of all the power struggle at the top between owner, builder and captain all vying for supremacy. It’s hard to know whether to like Simon Green as owner J. Bruce Ismay, is he a visionary businessman or just looking for public notoriety as he piles on the pressure to push the vessel to extremes ? Is Captain Edward Smith, a stoic performance from Philip Rham, purely looking for a final golden voyage before retirement and succumbing to the demands of Ismay rather than focusing on the safety of his passengers ? Finally has b...