Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

Having seen a number of productions at Chichester Festival Theatre, one knows one is always in for an amazing piece of entertainment, perhaps reimagined or reinterpreted but, always thoroughly enjoyable and this is no exception. One of the standards of Musical Theatre, Me and My Girl graces the stage this year and is an exquisite piece, directed with dexterity by Daniel Evans, choreographed graphically by Alistair David and delivered with great musicality by MD, Gareth Valentine. Matt Lucas (he of 'Little Britain' fame amongst many other triumphs and on stage after missing some preview performances due to a voice problem) is a loud and bright Bill Snibson, probably not an expected piece of casting but, a great decision from Casting Directors Andrzej Goulding and Charlotte Sutton. Matt is the sort of actor that can light up a stage and bring a production to life and coupled with a feisty Alex Young as Sally Smith they bring further pace and enthusiasm to this already energetic

One of the Cult Horror Musicals, the story of Audrey II, the man-eating plant with ideals to take over the world is a great piece of musical theatre and highly popular on the amateur circuit. Bromsgrove Operatic Society have managed to implant what is quite an exuberant show into the relatively small acting space of the Norbury Theatre, Droitwich. Craig Robert McDowall takes on the role of Seymour Krelborn, made famous by Rick Moranis in the 1987 Movie and brings some tuneful vocals and an effectively geeky persona to the character. Equally musically accomplished but, probably better described as ‘ditzy’ is Gill Rowland’s portrayal of love interest Audrey, the two make a heart-warming couple in a world around them that’s completely extraordinary. Probably the highlight performance for me is Dave Francis Williams as Orin Scrivello (DDS !), this is a role you can really lose yourself in and I believe that’s exactly what happened here, that demonic laugh can’t be a normal reaction.

If you aren’t aware of Jason Robert Brown, you’re obviously not a follower of a modern musical genre that is slowly but, surely increasing in popularity and being taken to a wider audience. One might have thought that choosing one of his lesser known works in ‘13’ was a risk for the first production of the youth section of Stourbridge Amateur Operatic Society and I might have agreed as I settled down in the slightly oppressive heat and the lights dimmed at Stourbridge Town Hall. What followed had to be seen, heard in fact experienced to be believed as a cast of obscenely talented youngsters blew the roof off the venue and elicited an exceptional response from the audience. Telling the story of a boy suffering parental split, a major locational move and the perils of becoming a teenager in a new environment, there are a considerable array of emotional ups and downs, not to mention a rich tapestry of individual characters to contend with along the way. Oliver Keeling’s performance in