Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

I can only feel sorry for whoever had to cast this production with the vast array of talent on show it must have been a nightmare to make a decision and they can only be thankful that is was possible for all who auditioned to take part even if not in the part they might have wanted. Direction and choreography are demanding tasks in their own right but, to take both on requires a supreme knowledge of the musical theatre genre, obviously a level of experience held by Laura Canadine who with the assistance of the aforementioned cast and the musical prowess of Ben Batt as MD has managed to create a production that delivers on every level. So many famous faces have taken on the part of Little Miss Woods, Elle and that list can now be enhanced with the name Phoebe Bruerton, a voice and persona that could very well have been made for the part, playing opposite Joe Riley who is a relaxed, charming and exceptional actor with a flawless singing voice in the role of Emmet Forrest, again made fo

From the bars, from the sidewalks, from the gutter theatrical, don't look down it's a long, long way to fall ..... probably some of the greatest and most descriptive lyrics from the pen of Sir Tim Rice and equally words of warning for any company who wish to take on what has come to be probably one of the most well known pieces of musical theatre. Therefore with some trepidation as MD, Dave O'Leary and his musicians play the opening bars of Lord Lloyd Webber's score, I settled back into my seat at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall and hoped that Tudor Musical Comedy Society were up to the challenge, I think it is fair to say that my fears were quickly and effectively eradicated. Strangely there is a relatively small principal cast for such an iconic piece and that puts considerable pressure on the ensemble cast, the director and the choreographer to fill the stage with a complicated story that through this medium many will know far better than history would normally have a

When your an Addams (so the song goes) you need to have a little moonlight ..... well that moonlight is currently shining over Sutton Coldfield Town Hall as Manor Musical Theatre Company bring the musical by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, based on the original cartoons from the pen of Charles Addams, to the stage. Strange stories often make the best and most imaginative of musicals and this is no exception, Pam and James Garrington have chosen not to fill the stage with too much clutter and allow a fairly extensive supporting cast to hauntingly overlook the action. This allows Maggie Moriarty's intelligent choreography to flow freely as there is always a ghostly figure to join the principal actors and enhance the mood. Tim Harding adds even more to the ambiance as Musical Director with some atmospheric interpretation of Lippa's score. Heading the rather creepy yet lovable inhabitants of Central Park is Mark Skett as an imposing and gloriously voiced Gomez,

OK so there’s the slight disappointment of a missing Hugh Jackman (apparently The Music Man on Broadway is more important) but, Fat Rascal Theatre more than make up for it with an irreverent yet supremely entertaining piece of musical theatre, Vulvarine - A New Musical. In the intimate surroundings of the Old Joint Stock Theatre the laughter rang loud as a talented team of performers told the story of one Bryony Buckle, inconspicuous office worker in High Wycombe turned into Vulvarine, saviour of womankind, by the scientific meddlings of The Mansplainer. Frankly if you’re not open to something a bit different, politically, socially and sexually teetering on the edge, you probably need to get out and see more of this type of entertainment. Where else might you see a talking cat, more spandex than a fitness video and listen to a song about how exceedingly unexciting High Wycombe is (apologies to the residents of said location), I suspect nowhere. Oozing effortlessly from the creative

Hey Mr Spaceman ! Probably not the words you might expect to hear in Penn, Wolverhampton, however for the next three nights Lupin Theatre Company will take over Penn Bowling Club for their production of the twice Olivier Award winning, Bob Carlton Musical, Return to the Forbidden Planet, packed with classic rock'n'roll hits and sure to provide a great night of entertainment. Magz Page's intelligent direction manages to eek everything possible out of a highly constricted acting space, probably a tenth of the normal area that would be available, equally admirable is Angie Astell's choreography as dancing regularly needs more room to express. Ben Batt provides the musicality behind some highly memorable tunes from the 1960s that I have no doubt will continue to be hummed by the audience for some time. Jon Ranwell is the stoic Captain Tempest leader on this routine scientific flight, regularly confused by the antics of his crew and unexpected passengers yet keeping that

Where did they go right, well it started just before the curtain went up and finished just after the curtain went down for this precise piece of musical theatre, the highly irreverent but, strangely entertaining Mel Brooks classic 'The Producers'. Whether it's the dry wit of Greg Yates delivering a commanding performance as 'flop' Broadway Producer, Max Bialystock, the highly engaging facial expressions and lilting vocals of Karl Steele as nervous Accountant, Leo Bloom or the beautifully provocative Rosie Harper as Ulla Inga Hansen Benson .... (shall we just call her Ulla) this is a production that it's almost impossible to fault. Dan Smith is an enthusiastically forthright Franz Liebkind, Mike Astley an outrageously 'camp' Carmen Ghia and Dave Hayward a theatrically exuberant Roger De Bris (at one point fighting with a lively Hitler Moustache that refused to stay in place and just about winning that battle). Musically commanded with style by MD, J