Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

So let's kick this one off with the obligatory caveat that the performance I am reviewing was the Final Dress Rehearsal and therefore not the absolutely complete item and performed to an almost empty theatre, still some minor tweaks to be made and if I am honest there is the opportunity for this cast to 'blow the roof' off the venue. Had a brief chat with Chris Psaras, part of the Creative Team behind this production and I detected that the scale of the job might have been underestimated, after all this is a Rock Musical based in the 1980s about to hit the stage in the hands of performers, none of whom would have been born at the time these songs were hits and might even wonder who Starship, Twisted Sister or Foreigner are, let alone their status in the history of Rock Music. However Chris, Sally Evans, Jo Greswell and Martin Francis need not worry as my belief is that audiences will have 'nothing but, a good time' experiencing this one and it will likely live lon...

Stephen Schwartz's Godpsell is probably one of the most adaptable musicals available for performance, as long as the story (primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew) remains intact, the opportunities are limitless, it is therefore strange that it probably doesn't get the interest and performance time it probably should. MYTS under the skilled direction of Hannah Morris have taken up that gauntlet and brought a bright, vibrant and engaging production to the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, enhanced by some innovative musicality from Laura Foxcroft and inventive choreography from Kevin LaMey, all the more exceptional considering the size of the cast and the sheer volume of brightly clad and energetic performers on stage for some of the numbers. Leading the performers as a commanding Jesus is Greg Wood, delivering a measured performance and always in control of the storytelling, complemented by a more exuberant portrayal of Judas Iscariot by Charlie Allen Smith, eating up the stage...

Footloose is very much a story of struggle, whether it's Reverend Shaw Moore's struggle to come to terms with his son's death, Willard Hewitt's struggle to take his relationship with girlfriend Rusty to the next level or any of the other intertwined storylines. As an audience there are complex patterns to understand and it takes some very clear direction to the cast in order to create a performance that delivers those stories in an entertaining way, it is without doubt that Rachel Davies as Director/Choreographer and George Stuart as Musical Director have managed to achieve this with some style. However without a stellar cast it wouldn't be possible to supply the outstanding performance that this was, a stage almost groaning under the weight of youth talent has the audience in the palm of their hands from the opening notes of the overture. Leading this stunning array of performers are Joe Simmons as Ren McCormack and Sami Brasenell as Ariel Moore who supply fran...

Strangely the hot and oppressive auditorium at the Colton Hills Community School Theatre added something to this performance of Kander & Ebb's, Chicago from Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company as the atmosphere felt even more like that of a club, complemented by James Maddison's quartet of musicians, who despite being small in number filled the room with those jazz sounds. Some considerable recognition must go to Director/Choreographer, Kimmy Corsellis and her assistant Denny Robinson, as the dance shoes of the great Bob Fosse, who will forever be linked with this musical are big ones to fill but, fill them they did with an abundance of dance numbers in the style of the man himself and performed by an outstandingly talented cast. Pascale Mellor is a vivacious and stage commanding Velma Kelly alongside Harriet Hommers as a sultry and stunningly characterful Roxie Hart, despite the fact that both characters are dripping in unlikable traits, one cannot help but, be engros...