Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

There’s a level of professionalism in this production that makes me wonder if it really should be taken to a much wider audience, I would always hesitate to use a word like flawless, so perhaps let’s call it consummate and something that Emma-Jayne Gladman as Director and Hayley Gibbs as Musical Director must be exceptionally proud of, Rob Gladman’s set design additionally adds just the right atmosphere to proceedings. I’ve not been to the Hinckley Concordia Theatre before, it’s a little gem of a facility, somewhere I’d recommend more people, whether local or not, visit and if the standard of this show is anything to go by, you’ll not be disappointed with what you see. Jonathan Larson’s emotional story set in the poverty stricken East Village neighbourhood of Manhattan confronts many sensitive topics head on and this cast would rival any in handling all of the challenges in exemplary fashion, what makes it such a triumph is the acting and vocal skills which are quite simply of top-...

After Les Miserables last year and finding out that Phantom of the Opera was the challenge for 2018, I seriously thought this society had 'bitten off more than it could chew', we are talking a difficult piece of theatre for even a highly trained adult cast and surely they can't surpass the exceptional standard from last year. Suffice to say I was wrong, because this is performance art that is beyond your average superlative, delivered with style and professionalism to a richly appreciative audience. Creatively bubbling away at the centre of this highly accomplished and intensely portrayed production is a triumvirate of formidable characterisations, Alex Cook's outstandingly powerful Phantom, Alex Cooper's vocally unparallelled Christine (that is a West End Voice and the last voice I said that about is now understudying Fantine in the West End production of Les Miserables !) and Oliver Keeling's sophisticated and charming performance as Raoul. Gifted performa...

If patrons are traditionalist fans of this Cult Comedy Horror Musical then there might be some concern around a staging of Little Shop Of Horrors that breaks some of the previous standards but, since many would say that art is ultimately interpretative then nothing should be beyond the realms of possibility and Maria Aberg has created something just a little bit ‘left field’ with the assistance of some highly inventive set and costume design from Tom Scutt. Attention to detail is quite astonishing, particularly with some scaled down, typical New York City skyscrapers wheeled around by the ensemble cast in shopping trolleys and with costumes printed with the same run down city images. Even Mushnik’s Florist Shop is reduced in size but, is used to provide an array of settings and to house the plant itself, Audrey II is a vivid modern alternative to the super-size flytrap puppet that might be remembered from the 1986 Movie. Voiced by the sadly now departed Levi Stubbs (original le...

Probably the epitome of a 'modern musical' but, still with some connection to a classic, 'In The Heights' is an early work from the now much renowned Lin-Manuel Miranda and there is no doubt that this laid the foundation for the now supremely successful 'Hamilton' but, in my mind it also has a feel of West Side Story about it. In this case the 'Heights' referred to is 'Washington Heights' a predominantly Hispanic-American populated area of New York City and the story is very much about community, family and friends highlighting the complexities of relationships. Muscom (Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company) have chosen this challenging piece for their next production and I was lucky enough to be able to see the Final Dress Rehearsal which I have to say went incredibly well and can only bode well for the performances to come, Much credit must go to the production team who may not have realised quite what they had taken on but, have created somet...

Back in September of 2017 one of my earliest reviews covered this production as part of a short run in Rowley Regis, I commented at the time that it deserved a wider viewing public and more performances. Well it's back on what is billed as 'The Sassitude Tour' and having already completed two performances at the Crestwood Theatre in Stourbridge, it's now taking up residence for a further two nights at the Blue Orange Theatre in Birmingham, an intimate venue that brings an even 'sassier' side out of the cast. Disenchanted by Dennis T. Giacino isn't your average story about princesses, these ladies aren't looking for a Prince Charming or a 'Happy Ever After' they're breaking out of classic 'princess mode' and telling it, loud and large, to the audience how that's not the reality at all. So if you're still lost in the way these stories are portrayed by the likes of Walt Disney, be prepared for something different but, equally (...