Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

Before settling down to watch this production I noticed a quote from Chris Passey one of the Creative Team (a guy with more passion than a passion fruit !) suggesting that there had been only three hours rehearsal per week, yet over a period of a year to create what we were about to see, how can anything with such a protracted rehearsal period and such an extensive gap between those rehearsals really deliver is my immediate thought as the lights fade and Chris (who is MD amongst many other roles) displays even more of that passion and fervently strikes up the band. Took all of about thirty seconds for those thoughts to fade and an overwhelming sense of 'this is going to be something to remember' to engulf me as the choreography in the opening scene from the other member of this dynamic production duo, Attiye Partridge, graphically creates a picture that starts to tell a story that is probably very familiar to most fans of the musical theatre genre. From the moment Max Eade ...

I'm always amazed at the standard of productions in some of the smallest provincial venues, one really doesn't have to hit the West End of London to see really great Musical Theatre. Instead you should look at the Norbury Theatre in Droitwich and their current production of Annie, probably one of the most authentic and well performed versions of this story that I've ever seen (and I have seen a lot !) a credit to the direction of Melanie Brown who has created a really warm and engaging night of entertainment for any audience. Let's be clear from the start that Bertie playing the part of Sandy the Dog is a flagrant show stealer, despite only infrequent appearances on stage he captures the heart of everybody and strangely is very comfortable on stage unlike most pooches. Even the girls playing the orphans can't quite achieve his level of lovable, although it is fair to say that Tallula Rose Eglesfield as Molly had a really good go and her cohorts on stage from Team ...

Currently a highly popular choice with societies in the Midlands, the Rodgers & Hammerstein standard ‘The Sound Of Music’ is the current production for TADLOP (Telford And District Light Operatic Players) at The Place in Oakengates. Fiona Hunter as Director uses the full extent of the venue to provide an immersive experience for the audience with the aisles of the auditorium occupied on a regular basis with anything from Nuns to Nazi Soldiers and this adds to the atmosphere and supplements a relatively light touch set using a video wall to provide the core of the background. Adele Clarkson literally owns the stage as Maria, a performance and voice of stratospheric proportions that is the glue which holds this production together alongside the imposing figure of Adam Wheeler as Captain Von Trapp, a measured and definitive performance of a character trying desperately to hide his emotions. Team ‘Re’ rather than ‘Do’ or ‘Mi’ are the Von Trapp Children for this performance and are ...

Another outing for the much performed Lionel Bart classic Oliver!, this time on the stage at Stourbridge Town Hall and in the hands of David Shaw (Director), George Stuart (Musical Director) and Amy Williams (Choreographer) from Stourbridge Amateur Operatic Society and frankly a remarkable set of hands they are, creating a production that fills the stage with audience enriching enjoyment from beginning to end. Since the title role is part of the youth section of the cast, let me mention them first and Harrison Eno as a charming and appropriately sensitive Oliver Twist with a natural yet thoroughly able voice, George Blower creating an effervescent persona as the Artful Dodger, William Shillingford as one of the leading lights of this thieves kitchen, Charlie Bates, complemented by an enthusiastic youth ensemble taking on various roles throughout the production. It is Terry Gormley’s delightfully bumbling Dr Grimwig who suggests there are only two types of boys, mealy faced or beef ...

One of the classics of musical theatre but, what makes this version from Peterbrook Players, currently running at the Core Theatre, Solihull, a little different are the regular date stamped updates of exactly what happened during that period in history when Austria was pretty much consumed by the advancing Nazi Machine, an horrific time for all concerned I am sure. I was unable to find in the programme the name of the person portraying Chancellor Hitler during these short interludes but, credit to them for a scarily authentic presence. Fortunately despite this backdrop the story of the Von Trapp Family is a much more compelling and engaging one performed by a talented cast, led by Iona Cameron as a bubbly and energetic Maria and Thom Stafford as a quietly confident Captain Von Trapp. There is something special about the relationship they have on stage that seems to spark during the 'Something Good' number that brought a tear to my (one of happiness I might add) and following ...

Having seen more than my fair share of staged versions of Sister Act, I naively thought that there wouldn’t be anything really different that could be presented to me, how wrong was I on that front ? Evesham’s Phoenix Theatre Group have a diverse age range highlighted forthrightly by Curtis (played with brooding menace by Dan Hampshire) and his team of perhaps not particularly intimidating but, incredibly entertaining gangsters. Leading this trio a terrific performance from Craig Hopkins as TJ supported by Hugo Malan as Joey, Max Barclay as Pablo and Dominic Hampshire as Ernie, these guys have the audience in the palm of their hands and elicit laughter and applause with almost every move. Jessica Dixon is a vocally robust Deloris Van Cartier capturing all of the diverse traits of the character from confidence to vulnerability, finding herself hidden in a convent and having to make the best of it, much to the annoyance of the Mother Superior (a powerful vocal and stage presence from...

Probably one of the least performed yet most powerful musicals from the stable of the great Leslie Bricusse, in collaboration with Frank Wildhorne, there is something totally absorbing about the story of Henry Jekyll and his attempt to rid the human psyche of its evil side, only to be taken over by his own dark persona in the form of Edward Hyde. Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company under the continued excellent direction of Tye Harris have brought this story to the stage at the Civic Hall and delivered musical theatre at its best, led by a gargantuan performance from Alec White in the lead role, his performance in the scenes when the character lurches from Jekyll to Hyde in quick succession is quite frankly phenomenal and his singing is equally outstanding, not least of all his delivery of the instantly recognisable ‘This is the Moment’. When it comes to vocals, this production has more than its fair share of stunning singers in particular Niamh Slater as Jekyll’s fiancé Emma Car...

If there is a musical that has the fight for equality written all over it, Made in Dagenham has to be that musical which tells the story of the female workers at Ford Dagenham to be granted equal pay to their male colleagues and it’s only when you watch and take in exactly what happened that you realise quite what a different world we live in now. Jo Hargreaves provides a Herculean performance as Rita O’Grady thrust into the limelight as the provider of hope for her female coworkers as she fights with every fibre of her being to achieve the equilibrium they so deserve whilst trying to keep her marriage to husband Eddie (a touching performance from Andrew Sutton) on the rails. Fortunately Rita has a team of supportive ladies at her workplace to keep her motivated in the form of the rather foul mouthed but, well meaning Beryl (a thoroughly entertaining performance from Rachel Philpott), the attractive Sandra Beaumont (a vocally outstanding portrayal from Millie Coles), the somewhat f...

When it comes to a long standing, respected and well loved story like The Wizard of Oz it can be tempting to make subtle changes in order to make a production individual, in this case though West Bromwich Operatic Society have chosen to take a very traditional approach, enhanced only with some inclusive video footage to link scenes together and I can honestly say the performance was a delight to watch and had me drifting back to the 1939 Movie (is it really that long ago). Jessica Harrison is an enchanting and vocally captivating Dorothy Gale providing that consistent link as the story progresses, joined initially by Alex Woolliscroft as a physically dexterous Hunk/Scarecrow, then by Elliott Mann as a vocally outstanding Hickory/Tin Man and finally by Andy Foggin as a highly entertaining Zeke/Cowardly Lion. As a team these four work exceptionally well and engage the audience continually with the story, the songs and (certainly in the case of the Cowardly Lion) their antics. When it...