Musical Geek - Musical Theatre Reviews

Having dived into the nearest phone box (difficult as there aren’t many these days) I’ve emerged as my alter ego the Musical 🤓 Geek after a lengthy period of enforced retirement due to a global pandemic and stepped out into the small but, perfectly formed surroundings of the Old Joint Stock Theatre in Birmingham and on to the somewhat downtrodden thoroughfare otherwise known as Avenue Q. Inhabited by a mixture of human, puppet and monster characters, all a bit down on their luck but, making the best of what they have, eloquently described by Brian (an enthusiastically physical performance from Thomas Cove) with the phrase ‘It Sucks to be Me!’, although I think it pretty much sucks to be everybody at this location at least to begin with. Seriously ‘smashing’ the vocal performance is Rebecca Withers as kindergarten teaching assistant Kate Monster and cabaret performer Lucy the Slut (yes, you did read that correctly and she can certainly make you feel special as does the whole performanc...

In the midst of a Global Pandemic and with virtually everything musical or theatrical cancelled or deferred for a considerable period, it came as a bright light in the dark to find that Unity Productions were able to 'Live Stream' a performance of their current production, Jonathan Larson's 'Rent', on YouTube. Whilst I am sure the experience in the room would have been much more atmospheric and I feel for a stunningly talented cast who must be beyond disappointed that they are unable to perform to a full house, this remote video view still showcased how Unity are and will continue to be a 'tour de force' in the theatrical performance arena. David Gregory's direction is intense and yet delivers a rich storytelling experience, complemented by some invigorating and visually bewitching choreography from Anna Forster and a powerful interpretation of Larson's score from Adam Joy and his musicians this is a performance worthy of any stage in the w...

Always a great story is that of 'Little Orphan Annie' and very popular on the amateur musical circuit, the latest incarnation of which is from Knowle Musical Society running at the Core Theatre in Solihull and if you're looking for a night of great entertainment that covers the whole gamut of emotions, this is the show for you. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll probably be humming along with a number of recognisable tunes but, most of all you'll leave with a smile on your face. Apologies to all the adults in the production but, you chose to work with children and animals so you must have known what that would mean! Absolute show stealer of course is Molly the hound in the role of Sandy, very comfortable on stage and even managed to make an appearance during one of the set changes when I am sure she was supposed to be supervised. At this performance the role of Annie was taken by Evie-May Humphries, a confident and incredibly well projected performanc...

There's a small slice of Camden Town suddenly appeared in the West Midlands in the form of the Our House Musical (based on the songs of Madness) currently resident at The Rose Theatre in Kidderminster and performed with gusto by Kidderminster Operatic & Dramatic Society. It's difficult not to be overwhelmed by the energy that the cast put into telling the conflicting story of Joe Casey and his response to that simple equation of making the wrong or right decision. Some creative direction from Hollie Christian-Brookes and energetic choreography from Hannah Kearns make this a supremely entertaining production to experience, add Chris Passey's authentic interpretation of the classic Madness tunes and you really have a feast of entertainment. Jack Simpson delivers a splendid and soulful portrayal of Joe Casey, both good and bad incarnations, seamlessly slipping from one character to another with the assistance of the occasional cast double and a personal dresser in...

Probably the most classic of musicals, Oklahoma by Rodgers & Hammerstein just never stops packing the audiences in, there is no doubt that it has stood the test of time and continues to do so with this performance by SOSage Factory (a nice play on words) the youth arm of Solihull Operatic Society and currently running at The Core Theatre in Solihull. From the opening line of 'There's a bright golden haze on the meadow (pronounced with a southern drawl as 'meddar')' lustily projected from off-stage by Charlie Loughran as Curly, I know I'm in for a treat. Charlie plays the part with ease, bursting into song at will whenever required, had he been around in 1955 when they were casting the movie, Gordon MacRae may never have been given the part. Anna Sutton as Laurey matches her love interest for voice and stage presence, particularly accentuating the mischievous yet vulnerable aspects of the character delightfully. Dan Bradbury is a vociferous and enter...

If you’re in the West Midlands and looking for some outright pantomime fun, you won’t be able to do much better than Stourbridge Pantomime Company, currently performing at Stourbridge Town Hall with their production of something a little less traditional but, equally if not more entertaining, that being Beauty and the Beast. If you’re expecting an array of eating, drinking and cooking utensils parading around to the sounds of ‘Be Our Guest’, you’ll be disappointed but, you will get something much more flamboyant and engaging. Richly colourful costumes, some stunning dance numbers choreographed by Amy Williams, singalong songs (including a terrific Gloria Estefan medley) from George Stuart and his musicians, an authentic set adorning scene after scene from Margaret Taylor and her stage management team all expertly moulded into an unforgettable night of entertainment by Steve Humpherson, simply something you don’t want to miss. In the title roles Sophie Ruddick has almost dropped str...

I suspect that the enigma that is Bob Fosse spends a lot of time looking down from above on performances of productions with which he will be eternally linked, however he won't always be able to think to himself, 'that's exactly how I wanted it to be'. Ben Cole as Director/Choreographer, Ian Room as Musical Director and James Maddison as Assistant Musical Director will I am sure have made him (and John Kander/Fred Ebb) think exactly that as right from Adam Partridge's opening speech quoting murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery ,  the audience is entertained and enlightened with the seamier side of life in 1920's Chicago. This production is packed full of intense and incredible performances from both principals and ensemble cast, Claire Flavell's powerhouse Velma Kelly never reduces in intensity from the classic 'And All That Jazz' right through to my own personal favourite number 'Nowadays' and is matche...