Theatre Archives - With love from Lou

The Girl on the Train Review

22/01/2025 by Louise 1 Comment

My daughter, Stacey, and I were thrilled to attend the opening night of The Girl on the Train at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham last night. Having heard so much about Paula Hawkins’ best-selling thriller – and knowing the powerful themes and twists it promises – we couldn’t wait to see how this dark, gripping story would be brought to life on stage. With its intriguing blend of mystery, suspense, and deeply human drama, we had high expectations, and we weren’t disappointed. Want to find out more? Then make sure you read on!

WHAT IS THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN ABOUT?

The Girl on the Train, based on Paula Hawkins’ 2015 best-selling thriller, is a chilling exploration of obsession, memory, and the consequences of choices. It follows Rachel Watson, a recovering alcoholic, who clings to the routine of her daily train rides – her last semblance of structure after losing her job and her marriage. From the window of her train, Rachel watches the world go by, fixating on a seemingly perfect couple, Megan and Scott Hipwell, who live near her former home. To Rachel, they represent everything she has lost and longs for.

One day, Rachel observes something unusual during her commute. Shortly after, Megan is reported missing, and Rachel, convinced she’s seen something crucial, throws herself into the investigation. But as she digs deeper, she’s forced to confront her own fractured memories and unreliable perceptions. What follows is a tense unraveling of secrets, lies, and twists that keep audiences guessing until the very end.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

This stage adaptation of The Girl on the Train is nothing short of gripping. From the moment the lights dim, the production draws you into Rachel’s fractured world – a world full of mystery, tension, and unease. The story itself is well-crafted, expertly blending flashbacks, narration, and present-day action to create a compelling and suspenseful experience. The staging is particularly effective in pulling this off, with clever scene transitions and a dreamlike haze that mirrors Rachel’s state of mind. Directed by Loveday Ingram, the movement of characters across the stage feels almost cinematic, adding to the production’s haunting quality.

The cast delivers outstanding performances, led by Giovanna Fletcher as Rachel. Fletcher embodies the character’s complexities beautifully – from her chaotic, drunken moments where you question her reliability, to the moments of clarity where she emerges as a determined investigator. Her vulnerability and desperation feel real, making it impossible not to root for her, even when you’re unsure of her role in the unfolding drama.

Jason Merrells as Tom, Rachel’s ex-husband, brings a likable yet unsettling quality to his performance. He portrays a man who has moved on, building a new life with his partner Anna (Zena Carswell), yet still seems tethered to Rachel in ways that raise suspicion. Carswell, as Anna, is equally compelling, balancing her frustration with Rachel and her own insecurities within her seemingly perfect life.

Megan and Scott Hipwell, played by Natalie Dunn and Samuel Collings, are at the center of the mystery. Dunn’s portrayal of Megan is ethereal, with her flashback scenes providing both answers and more questions as the story unfolds. Collings, meanwhile, brings raw emotion to the role of Scott, creating some powerful, tension-filled moments with Fletcher as their characters search for the truth. Daniel Burke also delivers a strong performance as Kamal Abdic, Megan’s psychologist, a character whose motives are constantly under scrutiny.

The stage design deserves a special mention. Duncan Abel and Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation uses clever staging to help the audience navigate the shifts in time and memory, while still keeping us guessing. A drinks cabinet defines Scott’s home, a rug: Tom’s lounge, a chair symbolises Kamal’s surgery, and a mattress captures the stark reality of Rachel’s bedsit. Scene transitions are seamlessly executed, with shadowy, ghostlike figures in drunken binges covering the change of location. The use of lighting and haze adds a dreamlike quality, and the clever set pieces, particularly during the climax, ensure the tension never lets up.

For fans of thrillers and mysteries, this adaptation of The Girl on the Train is a must-see. With a fantastic cast, gripping storyline, and atmospheric stagecraft, it offers a thrilling evening of escapism. Whether you’re familiar with the novel or the film or are completely new to the story, this production delivers on every front, leaving you guessing until the very end.

SUMMARY

The Girl on the Train is a masterful adaptation that blends gripping suspense with poignant explorations of addiction, trauma, and loss. The atmospheric stage design, seamless transitions, and outstanding performances – led by Giovanna Fletcher’s compelling portrayal of Rachel – create a deeply immersive experience. Whether you’re a fan of the novel, the film, or entirely new to the story, this production is a thrilling and thought-provoking journey that will keep you captivated until its shocking conclusion. You don’t want to miss the chance to see this dark, haunting mystery brought to life on stage!

The Girl on the Train is steaming ahead at The Theatre Royal in Nottingham until Saturday 25th January 2025, before chugging along on its tour around the UK. Don’t miss your chance to hop on board – grab your tickets by clicking here.

Have you seen the stage adaptation of The Girl on the Train yet?
If so, let us know what you thought of it in the comment below.
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I was kindly given 2 tickets to The Girl on the Train in exchange for an honest review

Dick Whittington Panto Review | Theatre Royal Nottingham

13/12/2023 by Louise 2 Comments

On Sunday, 10th December 2023, my family and I headed to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham to see the wonderful Shane Richie and Dr Ranj in this years production of Dick Whittington. Although we were kindly gifted tickets as part of the press, it’s important to note that all opinions expressed in this review are entirely our own.

So! Going to the local pantomime has been a tradition of ours ever since Stacey (20) was a toddler (oh yes, it has), and we’d been looking forward to this year’s performance, as we’d never seen Dick Whittington before. And if you’ve never heard the story before, don’t panic, I’ll give you a brief introduction before I dive into our review:

‘Dick Whittington’ is a classic English folk tale that has been adapted into various forms of literature and theatre, including pantomimes. The story revolves around a poor boy named Dick Whittington who travels to London in hopes of finding his fortune. Alongside his feline companion, a clever cat, Dick encounters challenges, including the notorious Queen Rat.

Through a series of adventures and with the help of some newfound friends, Dick rises from rags to riches, ultimately becoming the Lord Mayor of London. This timeless tale embodies themes of perseverance, friendship, and the triumph of good over adversity, captivating audiences of all ages. But how does this production fare? Read on to find out.

DICK WHITTINGTON

We took our seats in the auditorium around half an hour before the Panto started, and there was already a buzz of anticipation in the air. Everyone was excited for the show to start. The initial scenery (which you can see in my picture below), was big and bright, which is perfect for Panto, and I loved that there was a picture of a bindle on the backdrop, as that’s exactly the sort of thing I expected Dick Whittington to carry around with him.

For this particular performance, we sat in the dress circle, which is very different for us, as we would usually book tickets in the stalls. I’ll be sure to share my thoughts on the view from here with you guys later on in my post.

The show kicked off with a burst of energy, and Alice Fitzwarren (played by Emily Beth Harrington) amazed us with her incredible singing voice. Then Shane Richie entered as Dick Whittington, bringing the house down with a perfect blend of wit and humour that had everyone, from the little ones to the adults, in stitches. Oscar, who’s 10, thought Shane was fantastic, most likely due to the amount of rude jokes he got away with, and at times he couldn’t catch his breath, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face.

The kids had been looking forward to seeing TV Doctor and children’s presenter Dr Ranj, who played the Spirit of Bow Bells, and, boy, did he impress! He showcased some pretty impressive dance moves reminiscent of his 2018 Strictly Come Dancing appearance, and wowed us with his vocal talents. His super sparkly costume was my favourite of them all as well.

The scenery, as I’ve come to expect from a Panto production at the Theatre Royal, is absolutely incredible. It was bright and colourful, and perfectly in theme with the tale of Dick Whittington. We stopped off in the town square, the sweet shop, and went under the sea. The only thing I didn’t notice was whether or not they made it look like the streets were paved with gold towards the end. I’m kinda mad at myself about that!

The costumes also shine as a standout feature in this production. From the elaborate ball gowns adorning the ensemble to the formidable rat army, the attention to detail is impeccable. Each costume not only complements the characters but also contributes to the enchanting atmosphere of the entire show.

The only thing that I was slightly disappointed by this year was the lack of well-known songs that featured in the Panto. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the ones I did know. I particularly liked their version of Tommy Steele’s ‘Flash, Bang, Wallop’, where Alice and her mum, the Pantomime Dame (played by Iain Stuart Robinson), sang about their sweet shop and danced alongside some giant gingerbread men.

I think some of the songs may have been originals (or much lesser-known songs), and while they showcased the cast’s talent, I missed the familiarity of more popular tunes that could have added an extra layer of nostalgia to the performance.

Speaking of songs, the kids and I were thrilled to find that the popular ’12 Days of Christmas’ scene was included again this year. The kids have randomly been singing ‘Five Rubber Rings‘ all day (if you know, you know). This particular scene always makes me laugh out loud. And I always wonder how much of the stuff we see go wrong in Panto is actually genuine and how much is scripted but played perfectly by the cast.

I mentioned earlier that we usually sit in the stalls when we go to see the Panto, but this year, we sat in the dress circle. It felt a little strange not looking up at the stage, but the view was really good and it didn’t take anything away from the performance. For the scenes where Kitty Cat (played by Kenan-Lewis Smith) was leaping around and showing off his acrobatics, I reckon our view was probably one of the best in the house.

Of course, no pantomime is complete without a villain, and this year Nottingham has the wonderful Anne Smith as Queen Rat. She was suitably scary, whipping her tail on the ground at any given opportunity. And her rendition of Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy was unexpected but totally brilliant. There were a few younger children around us who cried every time the rats appeared on stage, but don’t let that put you off seeing the show, they’re not seen that often.

I also want to give a big shoutout to the ensemble, which is made up of eight performers from Laine Theatre Arts, a theatre school in London that’s very close to my heart as a friend of mine won a scholarship there back in the day. Their performance was spectacular, and I don’t think they put a foot wrong all evening.

Overall, we had a fantastic night out at the Panto. But I’m sure you’re dying to know just one thing: would we recommend it? Let me tell you – oh, yes we would!

Are you guys going to a pantomime this year?
Be sure to let me know in the comments below.
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Dick Whittington will be running at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham until Sunday 14th January 2024.
Grab your tickets here.

School of Rock – The Musical

17/11/2021 by Louise 2 Comments

Guys – we need to talk about last night! My 8-year old son, Oscar, and I were lucky enough to head on over to The Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham to see School of Rock: The Musical, a show that has been on my Theatre Bucket List for the past four years. And boy, did it exceed my expectations. I’ve got so much to tell you about it that I just don’t know where to start!

WHAT IS SCHOOL OF ROCK ABOUT?

Based on the hit film starring Jack Black, this hilarious musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at Horace Green, a prestigious prep school. There, he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. While teaching these pint-sized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey ends up falling for the school’s beautiful, but uptight headmistress, helping her rediscover the wild child within.

MY THOUGHTS ON SCHOOL OF ROCK

First thing’s first – what an absolute joy it is to finally be back in the theatre! It’s one of the things I’ve missed most while we’ve been locked down over the last 18 months or so. Seeing the foyer and auditorium bursting at the seams with an excited audience was just brilliant.

The lights went down at 7:30pm, and the show began. In the first scene, we were introduced to ‘No Vacancy’, Dewey’s band who were practising for the coveted Battle of the Bands competition. They opened the show with a hilarious track called ‘Too Hot For You’, and as soon as they started singing, Oscar turned to me and said “This is going to be so good”.

Jake Sharp leads the cast as Dewey Finn – an energetic rock lover and the man who masquerades as his best friend, Ned Schneebly, in order to get enough cash together to pay his rent. Jack Black played the original Dewey in the movie, and as you can imagine, he has very big shoes to fill. But Jake is phenomenal in the role. His charisma and incredible comedic timing makes him the perfect fit. With unwavering energy, Sharp’s performance is infectious. He spends the majority of the show on stage, yet doesn’t seem to break out in a sweat. And his natural raport with the young cast is what makes this musical so heart-warming.

Alongside Sharp, Rebecca Lock plays Rosalie Mullins; the schools uptight principal and the unlikely target of Finn’s affection. Although I’ve never actually seen Rebecca in a musical before, I’ve always heard great things about her, and she didn’t disappoint. She has the most exquisite range of vocals, and her character development was one of my favourites to watch as Dewey brings out the wild child in Miss Mullins. Whenever she showed glimpses of loosening up, I was rooting for her character to stop taking life so seriously and just have fun. The chemistry between her and Jake is sheer perfection.

On the night we saw School of Rock, the role of Dewey’s best mate, Ned, was played by James Bisp, who also gave a brilliant performance. When he was trying to keep the peace between Dewey and his girlfriend, Patty, his facial expressions cracked me up. It was clear to see he was giving the role his all, and this is what I love about understudy’s. They always work super hard, learning different roles and performing them whenever they’re needed.

In fact, the whole cast of School of Rock are incredible and create a high quality production. But it’s the kids that really steal the show. They are ridiculously talented at acting, singing, and dancing, and they even play their instruments live on stage throughout the show. They really inspired my 8-year old, who has been thinking about taking up electric guitar for a while now. Today he had me ringing around local instructors as he definitely wants to learn to play! He also wants to audition for School of Rock, but I think that may be a little too ambitious at the moment. LOL.

The children performing on press night were Isaac Forward as Freddy, Ivy Balcombe as Katie, David Gluhovsky as Lawrence, Hanley Webb as Zack, Saffia Layla as Summer, Jasmine Djazel as Tomika, Alex Shotton as Billy, Ophelia Parsons as Sophie, Darmani Eboji as James, Lliy Rose Martin as Marcy, Nesim Adnan as Mason and Eden Anthony as Shonelle. All of them did an incredible job, and I think they’ll go on to do great things when they’re older. Well done, guys – you rock!!

School of Rock: The Musical also has an incredible soundtrack, filled with a mix of original songs from the movie as well as new – more theatrical – additions. As I’ve been wanting to see the show for so long now, I was already familiar with the majoirty of the songs, but since most of them were written by a certain Mr Andrew Lloyd Webber, it wouldn’t have mattered if I hadn’t known them. He has a real knack for reusing the same tunes over and over in his musicals, so by the second or third time you hear it, you feel like you know it anyway, even though each one has completely different lyrics.

Particular favourites of mine (and Oscar’s) include the super catchy Stick It To The Man, When I Climb To The Top Of Mount Rock, Give Up Your Dreams, and, of course, You’re In The Band. We even played the soundtrack while I cooked dinner tonight and had a little boogie around the kitchen!

SUMMARY

School of Rock is the perfect musical for the whole family to see, although I should warn you that there is some colourful language used here and there. Oscar didn’t seem to notice though! It’s fresh, funny and boasts young talent like no other I’ve ever seen on stage before. You’re even encouraged to take photographs during the finale, which is usually unheard of in theatre land. It’s guaranteed to be a spectacular night out that will remind you of the magic of live theatre once again. What more could you ask for!? Nottingham – you’re in the band!

School of Rock: The Musical is running at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 20th November 2021, before continuing on its tour around the UK. Tickets for the shows can be booked by clicking here.

Have you guys seen School of Rock: The Musical yet?
If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below.
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I was kindly given 2 tickets to School of Rock in exchange for an honest review

Club Tropicana – The Musical

09/07/2019 by Louise 12 Comments

You guys know how much I love a night out at the theatre. So it will probably come as no surprise that last night my mum and I headed to The Theatre Royal in Nottingham for the opening night of Club Tropicana, the musical which takes you on a trip back to the electric 80s, where hair was big, shoulders were padded, and mobile phones weighed a tonne. Want to find out more? Then make sure you read on …

WHAT IS CLUB TROPICANA ABOUT?

Set to some of the most iconic pop anthems of the 80s, Club Tropicana is a musical comedy that will have you laughing from the very start. It tells the story of a young couple, Lorraine and Olly, who are due to get married – until Lorraine gets cold feet and calls off the wedding. Her friends decide not to let the honeymoon tickets go to waste and three of them head off to Spain. But, just like with all good farce’s, the groom’s best man and his mate have a similar plan, and they all head off to the same resort with plenty of chaos following them!

MY THOUGHTS ON CLUB TROPICANA

I’m not going to lie, as soon as I opened the programme and saw the cast for Club Tropicana I knew I was going to enjoy it as I’ve seen lots of them in other musicals. There’s Joe McElderry, who I saw in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Karina Hind and Cellen Chugg Jones, who were in American Idiot, Rebecca Mendoza who was in Hairspray, and Tara Verloop, who I saw in The Wedding Singer, to name just a few.

Mum and took our seats in the auditorium around ten minutes before the show started and there was already a buzz of excitement from the audience. Everyone was eager to find out just what Club Tropicana was about, and most people seemed to have bought tickets because of their love of 80s music. And I can understand why – the 80s were jam-packed with amazing hits!

At 7:30 pm the show started, and it’s here where we met Lorraine (Katrina Hind), the bride with cold feet and panda eyes. She’s not sure she wants to go through with marrying Olly (Cellen Chugg Jones), her beau. And it doesn’t take long for her jealous friend, Tracey (Rebecca Mendoza), to persuade her to phone him up and call the wedding off. Olly is devastated, of course, and launches into a hilarious rendition of Don’t Leave Me This Way. And even though it’s supposed to be funny, you can’t help but feel sorry for him.

It soon becomes clear that Lorraine isn’t all that sure she should have called off the wedding after all, but her friends assure her she’s done the right thing and then goes on to talk her into not letting her honeymoon tickets go to waste. So the three of them pack their bags and head off to the vibrant Club Tropicana Hotel in Spain. But, shortly afterwards Olly’s best man and his mate decided he could do with a holiday to take his mind off of being jilted at the altar, and the three boys end up at the exact same hotel as the girls!

Once the story was all set up, Joe McElderry made his first appearance on stage, much to the delight of the audience. Talking directly to us as Garry the hotel entertainments manager, he got us all up on our feet and taught us a quick dance routine. At first, I thought he might struggle to get people to participate, but he proved me wrong, and the people of Nottingham were soon up on their feet, dancing and laughing along with him.

The action then moves to the Spanish hotel run by long-time friends Serena (Amelle Berrabah), and Robert (Neil McDermott), who are in the running for a local hotel competition that they are keen to win. They were expecting the arrival of a hotel inspector and were on the lookout for anyone out of the ordinary. They quickly identify Christine (Emily Tierney) as a likely suspect as she seemed to be asking a lot of questions about how the hotel was organised, as well as moaning about things like the floor in the lobby being too slippery after it had been cleaned. She made a big point about there needing to a sign, so the hotel cleaning lady, Consuela (Kate Robbins), muttered that there was a sign, and then stuck her fingers up at her behind her back. This went down an absolute treat with the audience, and from hereon in, Consuela became a firm favourite with them.

One of the first things I noticed during Act 1 was just how stunning the scenery was. I can’t remember much about the 80s as I was very young back then (born in ’84) but from what I remember about going on holiday abroad the decor and staff uniforms were very similar to what we saw on stage last night. I genuinely felt like we were staying in a hotel where we were going to have a blast. I also liked that the scenery stayed the same throughout most of the show and that the cast just moved things around as they needed to, rather than having to wait ages for a scene change.

Club Tropicana has lots of brilliantly funny moments, from Consuela singing Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue in the funniest Spanish accent, to Garry lending the boys (who’d lost their luggage at the airport) a bag of ‘casual’ spare clothes for them to use while they were on holiday so they ended up looking like they’d just stepped out of The Village People once they’d got changed! Both me and my mum were chuckling along with the rest of the audience from start to finish.

One of the highlights of the show for me was when Garry got the holidaymakers playing Blind Date, as it’s one of the very first shows I remember watching as a kid. And the way it was done was very clever as it led to Lorraine and Olly finding out that they were staying at the same hotel. Yes, it was slightly cheesy and predictable (you could see what was coming a mile off) but it worked. And it worked well.

I think it’s safe to say that this is the campest role I’ve seen Joe in as well. And, along with the rest of the cast, he seemed to really enjoy the show and the reaction from the audience. The cast worked fantastically well together on stage, and the singing and dancing was well put together and energetic. At one point I wanted to get up there and join them as they seemed to be having such a great time!

The show is chock full of incredible 80s hits that you’re bound to know and love, including Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Oops Upside Your Head, Take On Me, Just Can’t Get Enough, Feels Like I’m In Love and loads more! I particularly like that they’ve included The Lion Sleeps Tonight, which Tracey sings to Olly when she’s supposed to be asking him if he can forgive Lorraine for ruining their big day but decides to make a play for him instead. The audience were in absolute stitches at the scene unfolding on stage.

But it’s actually the beautiful Amelle Berrabah who stole the show for me on this occasion. She has an absolutely stunning voice – both when she’s singing and when she’s delivering her lines. It’s so soothing I could listen to her talk all day. And I really liked her character, Serena, too. It was clear to see that she’d always loved the Hotel Tropicana and would do anything to make it the go-to place to stay. And it was also clear to see that she had a major crush on her workmate, Robert (Neil McDermott) by the way she found any excuse to touch him. Robert couldn’t see this, of course, so it had us rooting for them from the start. I believe that Club Tropicana is the first musical Amelle’s ever starred in, but I honestly don’t think it will be her last. She’s a real star and I think she’ll go far on the stage.

And, finally, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt from regularly going to see shows at The Theatre Royal, it’s that the Nottingham crowd can be a hard bunch to please. So when the cast got a standing ovation at the end I knew it was well deserved. And on the way out I overheard loads of people say how much they’d enjoyed the show, even though it wasn’t really what they were expecting it to be. And if you asked me to go and see it again tonight? I’d most definitely say yes. It’s such a feelgood musical that has your toes tapping from start to finish. I absolutely loved it!

SUMMARY

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I liked the fact that it included some real ‘old school’ comedy and you don’t have to think too hard or have to explain the jokes to your friends afterwards. It’s well paced, and full of memorable songs that you’ll then find yourself singing for days. It’s good, light-hearted fun. And you can’t get better than that.

So, if your still ‘Making Your Mind Up’ and ‘Just Wanna Have Fun’, don’t be ‘Too Shy’ to get yourself over to Nottingham, take a seat and ‘Relax’. I promise that by the end ‘You Just Can’t Get Enough’ of this show. It’s fantastic!

Club Tropicana is running at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal until Saturday 13th July 2019, before continuing on its tour around the UK. Tickets for the shows can be booked by clicking here.

Have you guys seen Club Tropicana yet?
If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below.
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I was kindly given 2 tickets to Club Tropicana in exchange for an honest review

The Bodyguard Musical

14/06/2019 by Louise 9 Comments

As you probably already know, I love a good night out at the theatre. And a couple of days ago I headed to Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall with my mum to see a musical that’s been on my ‘to-see’ list for quite some time now: The Bodyguard. The musical is based on the 1992 film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, and for today’s post, I’m going to be sharing my thoughts on it with you guys here on my blog. So, why not pop the kettle on, sit back, relax, and read all about it. I promise you won’t regret it.

WHAT IS THE BODYGUARD ABOUT?

For those not familiar with the plot line (where have you been hiding!?), the story follows American pop star and single mother Rachel Marron, who is forced to take on extra security in the form of former secret service agent Frank Farmer after receiving anonymous threats from a stalker. To begin with, Rachel doesn’t know about the threats and just sees Frank as someone who is there to make her life difficult. But, as the story progresses, she finds herself falling in love with him, making it difficult for him to protect her. This allows the stalker to get super close to Rachel, creating quite the mess for her and her family.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE BODYGUARD

I have to admit that when I first saw that The Bodyguard was on at The Royal Concert Hall rather than The Theatre Royal, I was a little bit confused. But from its explosive start, I soon realised that parts of the show were made to look and feel like you were at an actual pop concert, which made it the perfect venue for the show.

The role of Rachel Marron, made famous by the incredible Whitney Houston, is brought triumphantly to the stage by Alexandra Burke, former X Factor winner and Strictly Come Dancing finalist. Alexandra has been involved with The Bodyguard musical since 2014, and her experience, knowledge of the role, and passion for the stage all come together to produce an absolutely knockout performance. This girl can sing. And I mean, really sing. She makes the stage her home and it’s clear to see why. She thrives up there, and the audience feeds off her energy. She doesn’t do a copycat performance of Whitney Houston either. There are similarities, of course, but she makes the songs her own without losing that magical Whitney sparkle.

Frank Farmer is played by the very commanding Benoît Maréchal who brings the same brooding, dark energy to the stage as Kevin Costner did to the movie. My mum is convinced that he spent hours watching the movie over and over to get the part just right, and I’d be inclined to agree. Whenever he spoke he sounded exactly like Costner.

The chemistry between the two lead characters sizzled, and I quickly found myself rooting for the unlikely couple, despite Rachel’s diva-esque attitude and Frank’s guarded emotions. One of my favourite scenes was where Frank took Rachel on a date to a karaoke bar and she persuaded him to get up and sing. He couldn’t, of course, and just sort of spoke the words to ‘I Will Always Love You’ while Rachel laughed and begged him to stop. It had the whole audience chuckling in their seats, and I think it was at this point I realised just how brilliant the show actually was.

Just like in the film, Rachel’s stalker appears sporadically throughout the show but actually says very little. Words are most definitely not needed for this character, which was brilliantly portrayed by Phil Atkinson. His body language and stage presence were enough to make the audience fear his next move and feel genuine concern for Rachel and her family. His singing cameo during the finale is also a great touch. He got one of the biggest cheers of the night from the audience.

At the beginning of the show, the stalker steals one of Rachel’s costumes from her dressing room while she’s performing on stage, which prompted me to ask whether anything like this had ever happened at The Theatre Royal or Royal Concert Hall before. And I’m happy to report that it hasn’t, due to security being exceptionally tight there. Although I never doubted that for a second!

I thought the rest of the casting was brilliant as well, with everyone fitting their roles just perfectly. And the scenery? Well, the scenery was just incredible! Whenever Rachel was supposed to be performing on stage it felt like we were at an actual pop concert and when she was at home it looked like she was in a mansion. The attention to detail was fantastic.

Before I went to see The Bodyguard I assumed that the main Whitney Houston songs from the movie would be in there, along with some songs specifically written for the show. But I was so wrong! The show is chock-full of incredible Whitney classics such as Saving All My Love For You, The Greatest Love Of All, How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

I also need to mention how much I loved the costumes! Rachel’s show costumes were super sexy, with sequins galore. They were exactly what you’d expect a modern-day superstar to be wearing. And because The Bodyguard has been moved out of the ’90s and into the current day, the rest of the outfits were very on-trend. I was lusting after every pair of shoes/boots Alexandra wore in the show, too. They were all just gorgeous.

I definitely feel that the incredible cast make this show the success it is. They had high energy throughout the whole thing, and it’s obvious how much they enjoy doing what they do. I especially loved Micha Richardson, who played the part of Rachel’s sister, Nicki. She comes across as being very loving and sweet, and you really feel for her when you learn that she was pushed out of the spotlight by Rachel as a teenager. Nicki is the first of the sisters to fall for Frank, and my heart went out to her when she found out he’d slept with her sister.

Micha also has an amazing voice and can seriously hold her own alongside Alexandra. Her character is possibly the most complex one in the production as she struggles with her sister’s success, is envious of the bond between Rachel and her son, Fletcher, and her feelings for Frank cause her to be in a state of turmoil for much of the show. The rollercoaster of emotions is portrayed beautifully by Micha, and when she and Alexandra sang ‘Run To You’ together I’m not ashamed to say it had me (and lots of other people around me) in tears.

I also want to give a special mention to the adorable Noah Burnett, who played the part of Rachel’s son, Fletcher, on the night we saw The Bodyguard. He played the part just perfectly, and I felt he had a genuine connection with both Alexandra and Benoît, making his character super believable. I’ll definitely be remembering his name, as I’m sure he’s a star in the making!

SUMMARY

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Bodyguard. And so did my mum. I was completely gripped from start to finish, and I would most definitely go and see it again if I got the chance. The entire cast is absolutely fantastic, and it was clear from the start that they love being a part of the show.

If there was ever a perfect ending to a musical then this was it – Alexandra Burke absolutely smashing ‘I Will Always Love You’ whilst rising up on an elevated stage to a completely captivated audience. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house at this point. But within minutes everyone in the auditorium was up on their feet and dancing in the aisles while the cast took their curtain call and launched into an awesome rendition of ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ – a fitting tribute to Whitney herself.

The Bodyguard is often referred to as a ‘smash-hit musical’ and it’s really not hard to see why. If you want to see some serious talent and watch a familiar storyline play out like its the first time you’ve ever seen it, get yourself tickets booked to your nearest showing as quickly as you can – I promise it will be a night that you’ll never forget!

The show is currently running at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham until Saturday 22nd June 2019, before continuing on its tour around the UK. Tickets for the shows can be booked by clicking here.

Are you a fan of musicals? And have you ever seen The Bodyguard on the stage?
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I was kindly given two tickets to see The Bodyguard in exchange for an honest review

Moscow City Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet

08/02/2018 by Louise 18 Comments

If you’ve been following my little blog for a while now, you may remember me saying last year that I hadn’t been to the ballet in ages, and would love to go and see one that I hadn’t seen before. Well, guess what? Last night I did just that! Yes, my mum and I headed to The Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, where we saw the Moscow City Ballet’s performance of Romeo and Juliet. And today I’m going to be telling you guys all about it. So, are you sitting comfortably? Then let’s go!

WHAT IS ROMEO AND JULIET ABOUT?

Romeo and Juliet is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on William Shakespeare’s tragic love story. Prokofiev composed the music in the early 1930’s for the Kirov Ballet, and the incredible ballet score has inspired many great choreographers to try their hand at telling Shakespeare’s story through dance. The ballet begins with feuding between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, before Romeo and his friends crash a party at the Capulet house. There, he meets Juliet Capulet and instantly falls in love with her, and the two secretly proclaim their eternal love for each other on the balcony.

Hoping to finally put an end to the family feud, Friar Laurence secretly marries the couple. But the feuding continues when Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, kills Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio, during a fight. A distraught Romeo kills Tybalt in a fit of revenge and is sent into exile.

Juliet turns to Friar Laurence for help, so he devises a plan to help her. Juliet is to drink a sleeping potion to make her appear dead, and once her family have laid her to rest, Friar Laurence will tell Romeo the truth so he can rescue her from her tomb and take her away to live together happily ever after.

That night, Juliet drinks the potion. And when her distraught family finds her dead the next morning, they proceed to bury her. The news of Juliet’s death reaches Romeo, and as he never received the message of it being fake from Friar Laurence, he returns home desperately grieving his lost love. Believing that Juliet really is dead, he drinks some poison. And when Juliet awakens, she sees that Romeo is dead and stabs herself.

MY THOUGHTS ON ROMEO AND JULIET

As Romeo and Juliet is one of my all-time favourite Shakespeare plays, I was ridiculously excited to see it performed as a ballet. And I have to say, it most definitely didn’t disappoint. From the very first step to the very last, I was transported to fair Verona, where the story is set.

The cast of The Moscow City Ballet are all incredibly talented. The part of Romeo was played by Dzimitry Lazovik, and he looked and acted exactly as I expected him to. Blonde hair, cheeky personality, slightly full of himself. I couldn’t imagine him being any other way. He danced brilliantly, and threw Juliet around as if she was as light as a feather! He also had a brilliant rapport with his three friends, Paris, Mercutio and Benvolio. And between the four of them, they brought some light-hearted, comic relief to the performance. It was kind of weird hearing people chuckle to themselves at a ballet, but I think it showed just what a great job the cast was doing.

For me, Aleksei Tsavko, who played the part of Mercutio, stole the show. Like Romeo, he was a brilliant dancer and played the role of the best friend just brilliantly. Even without words, it was clear that he had the Montague’s backs, no matter what. Mercutio is stabbed and killed in Act 2, and the way he showed he was clinging on to the last bit of life he had was just brilliant. He was stumbling around the stage with a grace and elegance I could only wish to have!

Talgat Kozhabaev, who played Tybalt, Juliet’s fiercely protective cousin, was also a pleasure to watch. Like the others, he danced fantastically, and I had to smile as I was sat next to a little old lady who gasped in horror every time he appeared on stage. He had a fantastic stage presence and was definitely one of the more memorable performers of the cast.

Sadly, I was less taken with Juliet, who was played by Yulya Zhuravleva. Don’t get me wrong, she was a fantastic dancer. He pointe work was amazing, and when she danced with Romeo I felt that there was a genuine connection. I just felt that she struggled to portray the young, innocent Juliet in the first act. For someone who was supposed to be just 14, she made a lot of references to her womanly figure. I can’t imagine Shakespeare wanting her to come across as easy as she did! That said, by the end of the performance I could see why she’d been cast as the lead. She could throw a silent strop that rivalled my 4-year-olds, and she danced the tragic parts just brilliantly. She definitely shone more in the last act than in any of the others.

It wouldn’t be one of my theatre reviews if I didn’t talk about the scenery, so I’m going to admit that I was a little disappointed with it on this occasion. The scenery that they used was nice but very basic. And as they moved from one scene to another, I noticed that the curtain would get stuck, and I got distracted from the performance for a few seconds while someone backstage wafted it until it fell into place. The iconic ‘balcony scene’ fell a little flat as well, as the balcony was only seen in the distance. I would have liked that part to have been a little more ‘in your face’ so to speak, as I almost missed it. And my mum actually did!

Before I went to see the Moscow City Ballet’s performance of Romeo and Juliet, I didn’t think I knew any of the music from it, but I actually did! If you’ve ever watched The Apprentice, you’ll know it has a very memorable theme tune, and believe it or not, it’s one of the pieces from the ballet! I was over the moon when I heard it. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the music as well. And I thought The Hungarian Alba Regia Orchestra conducted by Igor Shavruk were amazing.

SUMMARY

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Moscow City Ballet’s performance of Romeo and Juliet, and I would definitely go and see it again. As you would expect, I was rooting for Romeo and the Montague’s from the off, and I thought it was a brilliant re-telling of the classic tale of forbidden love. I didn’t mention it before, but I loved the costumes. They were bright and colourful, and really made you feel like you were in Verona with our heroes. The performance was quite a long one – it started at 7:30pm and finished around 10:30, with two intervals in between.

If you want to catch Romeo and Juliet at The Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, then make sure you’re quick! It’s on again today at 2:30pm and 7:30pm before it continues its tour around the UK. You can also catch the Moscow City Ballet perform The Sleeping Beauty on Friday and Saturday. Tickets for the shows can be booked by clicking here.

Have you guys ever been to see Romeo and Juliet as a ballet before?
If so, I’d love to hear what you though of it!

Thanks for reading guys.
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WIN A Family Ticket to See In the Night Garden Live!

09/01/2018 by Louise 22 Comments

The night is black, and the stars are bright, and the sea is dark and deep. But someone I know is safe and snug, and they’re drifting off to sleep. Round and round, a little boat, no bigger than your hand. Out on the ocean, far away from land. Take the little sail down, light the little light. This is the way to the garden in the night …

Yes, In the Night Garden Live is returning to entertain children up and down the country this summer, and I’ve teamed up with the lovely people over at Minor Entertainment to give one lucky reader the chance to win a family ticket for up to 4 people to see the show at the venue and performance of their choice. How cool is that?!

See Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka brought to life before your eyes with beautiful costumes, magical puppets, enchanting music, and breathtaking projections that make it feel like you’re actually in the Night Garden! There are two different shows to choose from, with each one lasting just under and hour and following a different story.

In the Ninky Nonk show, Igglepiggle loses his blanket, and his friends help him find it. And in the Pinky Ponk show, Makka Pakka washes everyone’s faces, until his sponge gets stuck in Upsy Daisy’s megaphone! All the characters appear in both shows, and both are equally popular. The stories aren’t linked, so you don’t need to see both shows.

All you have to do to be in with the chance of winning is click on the entry form below, answer a simple question, and submit your details before the giveaway closes at 23:59 on Sunday 14th January 2018. The winner will be drawn the next day, and I will contact them shortly after to arrange their prize. It couldn’t be easier!

This year you can find the show at the following venues:

The O2, London
Thursday 24 May – Saturday 9 June
Performances at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm
No performances on Tue 29 May & Tue 5 Jun

Richmond Old Deer Park, London
Saturday 16 June – Sunday 1 July
Performances at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm
No performances on Tue 19 Jun & Tue 26 Jun

Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham
Saturday 7 July – Sunday 22 July
Performances at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm
No performances on Tue 10 Jul & Tue 17 Jul

intu Trafford Centre, Manchester
Saturday 28 July – Sunday 19 August
Performances at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm
No performances on Tue 31 July, Tue 7 & Tue 14 Aug

For more information about what you can expect from this exciting show, make sure you check out the offical In the Night Garden Live website. And I wish everyone who enters the very best of luck!
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The Addams Family Musical UK Tour

28/06/2017 by Louise 63 Comments

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that my mum and I headed to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham last night to see the very first UK tour of The Addams Family, which is a musical comedy from the writers of the multi-award winning hit show, Jersey Boys. And as I know you guys enjoy reading my theatre reviews as much as I enjoy writing them, I thought I’d tell you all about it today in case you’re thinking of heading to your nearest theatre to see it yourself. So, are you sitting comfortably? Then let’s begin!

WHAT IS THE ADDAMS FAMILY ABOUT?

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, is all grown up and keeping a shocking secret from her family – she’s fallen in love with a sweet young man named Lucas who comes from a ‘normal’, respectable family. She confides in her father, Gomez, that Lucas has asked her to marry him, and she begs him not to tell her mother, Morticia, as she thinks she’ll start asking all sorts of super embarrassing questions. Of course, Gomez has never kept a secret from his beloved wife before, and things start to unravel from here on in.

Wednesday invites Lucas and his parents to their mansion for dinner and begs her family to act normal for just one night. But can that ever happen? And will Gomez be able to keep his daughter’s secret without ruining the beautiful, honest relationship he has with the wife he cherishes? I couldn’t wait to find out!

MY THOUGHTS ON THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Having never seen The Addams Family on TV before, I had no preconceptions of what the show was going to be like. And, if I’m being honest, I’m really glad that this was the case. It meant I could just sit and enjoy the show without comparing it to what I’ve seen in the past. I did recognise some of the cast members though, such as West End star and internet sensation Carrie Hope Fletcher, comedian Les Dennis, and actress Samantha Womack, and I was interested to see what their characters would be like, and how they’d work together on stage.

My mum and I took our seats in the auditorium about ten minutes before the show was due to start, and, as usual, the theatre was packed full of people laughing, joking, and ready to enjoy their night out. I spotted quite a few children in the audience as well, which is always good to see. The stage was all set up ready for the performance to start, and it was made to look like the outside of a magnificent mansion. It looked absolutely fantastic, and I had a feeling from that moment that it was going to be one heck of a show!

So, the show begins with an upbeat musical version of The Addams Family theme tune, followed by Gomez, played by Cameron Blakely, telling us all about being an Addams, and how it’s the one night of the year when their whole family, living, dead, (or undecided), come together for a celebration. A crypt is opened, and a bunch of kooky ancestors from all different periods of time emerge, each looking a little worse for wear (well, they are supposed to be dead). The ancestors included a ballerina, a Viking, a jester, a matador, a geisha, a Roman, and a ringmaster, among others. I was blown away by how fantastically detailed each of their costumes was! I guess I hadn’t been expecting there to be much colour involved in a show about a family who loves darkness, but I was seriously wrong about that!

At this point we also meet Gomez’s immediate family – his lovely wife, Morticia, their now-grown-up daughter, Wednesday, their younger son, Pugsley, Grandma Addams, Uncle Fester, and Lurch, the Butler who doesn’t speak. When they were all stood on stage together they looked just like a real-life family, and I think that’s so important in a show like this.

One of the first things I noticed during Act 1 was just how much effort had been put into designing the set for the Addams Family. I mentioned before that it was made to look like a magnificent mansion, but so many parts of the show were set in different areas of the mansion, which meant that certain features needed to keep being moved as each scene played out. Most of the time the cast moved them as they either entered or left the stage, and they made it look completely effortless.

I think my favourite place in the mansion would have to be the playroom, where Wednesday tortures Pugsley while she sings ‘Pulled’. It had me laughing, yet cringing at the same time! I felt so bad for poor Pugsley, although he seemed to enjoy the torture immensely! Carrie’s vocals during ‘Pulled’ were just incredible. She has one of the most beautiful singing voices you’ll ever hear, and you can see just how much she loves performing whenever she’s in view. There’s one thing I would really like to know though: how do they hide her gorgeous curls when they turn her into Wednesday?! It was driving me mad trying to work it out last night. So Carrie, if you should ever stumble upon this review, will you please tweet me and let me know?!

I also loved being inside The Grotto, where Gomez keeps his own torture device – a chair with a rather nasty looking knife hidden in the seat! Apparently, he quizzes the people who come for dinner in here. And if he doesn’t like the answer they give to his questions? Well, I’ll let you guess what happens then …

The music in this particular musical is just gorgeous, and each one had me imagining a couple doing the tango (which I think was the whole point as Morticia and Gomez did a tango of their own towards the end). The ones I really enjoyed were the opening number, When You’re An Addams, Pulled, which was the song I mentioned before that Wednesday sang beautifully, Pugsley’s What If, which is about him worrying that his sister won’t want to torture him anymore if she goes ahead and marries Lucas, Full Disclosure, a big wacky chorus number that the family sing during an after dinner game, Just Around The Corner, a big number that Morticia sings about death, and Crazier Than You, a duet sung by Wednesday and Lucas when they realise that they’re actually perfect for each other. Aww.

What I liked most about The Addams Family, though, was that it gave every single cast member the opportunity to have their moment in the spotlight. And believe me, that’s not something you see in every musical! I want to mention at this point how much I enjoyed Grant McIntyre’s What If. I felt he really made the song his own, and it was clear that he was devastated at the thought of losing his older sister and never having her torture him ever again. So it came as no surprise when his character went on to do some seriously sneaky things to try and sabotage her relationship with Lucas later in the show.

I have to say, the acting in The Addams Family is just as brilliant as the singing. Les Dennis really surprised me – not only does he have brilliant comic timing, but he plays the part of the doting uncle so well. It’s clear from the outset that he just wants Wednesday to be happy. And he goes all out to try and ensure she has one ‘normal’ night when her parents and Lucas’ parents meet for the very first time. It doesn’t go quite according to plan, of course. But wouldn’t it have been a boring storyline if it had? By the end of the night, I wanted Les/Fester to be my uncle too, and it’s definitely changed my opinion of him as an actor.

Samantha’s Morticia remained perfectly poker-faced throughout the entire performance, and when there was a small disruption from the audience she just paused in a really mysterious sort of way, waited for it to pass, and then continued with her lines as though nothing had happened. What a pro!

I don’t think there could have been a better Gomez for the UK tour of The Addams Family than Cameron Blakely, either! He was hopping around the stage, sword fighting, telling joke after joke, and generally just being a doting husband and father. I loved his Spanish accent as well. It was just fab!

But for me, the real star of the show just had to be Dickon Gough, who played the part of Lurch, the Butler who doesn’t speak. To begin with, you don’t really notice him, bless his heart. But then he starts taking forever to move from one side of the stage to the other. And walks down the staircase one slow step at a time (not dissimilar to me when I get up in a morning), and you suddenly find yourself looking for him to provide a little light comic relief in between scenes.

At the end of the show Lurch suddenly finds his voice, and sings the opening lines to the show’s final number, Move Towards The Darkness. It’s safe to say that Dickon got one of the biggest cheers of the night. And when he started wiggling his bum as he left the stage at the very end, the audience were going nuts! I reckon he could have done it for at least another ten minutes before people started getting bored!

And finally, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt from regularly going to see shows at The Theatre Royal, it’s that the Nottingham crowd can be a hard bunch to please. So when the cast got a standing ovation at the end I knew it was well deserved. And on the way out I overheard loads of people say how much they’d enjoyed it, and that they would definitely go and see it again. How great is that?!

SUMMARY

Overall, The Addams Family Musical was weirdly wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to go and see it again. The casting was absolutely perfect – I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing any of the parts other than these guys. And even though I hadn’t heard any of the songs from the musical before, it really didn’t matter as I ended up loving them all! I’ve been humming ‘Crazier Than You’ and ‘Pulled’ ever since I left the theatre last night!

The show runs for approximately 2 and a half hours (including the interval) and is recommended for anyone aged 7 and over due to there being quite a few references to Morticia and Gomez’s ‘intense’ relationship. It really is a great show for families to go and see together as there’s something in it for everyone, and it’s guaranteed to make you chuckle.

The Addams Family is running at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal until Saturday 1st July 2017, before continuing on its tour around the UK. Tickets for the shows can be booked by clicking here.

Have you guys ever seen The Addams Family Musical before?
Why not let me know in the comments below?

Thanks for reading guys.
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My Theatre Bucket List

15/06/2017 by Louise 93 Comments

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you may have noticed that I love nothing more than a night out at the theatre. I’ve recently written quite a few reviews of shows I’ve been to see. But, believe me, there are plenty more that I haven’t had the chance to go along to yet, but would absolutely love to!

Today I thought I’d share my Theatre Bucket List with you guys, which is basically made up of the top 10 shows I really want to go and see but haven’t been to before. So, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats as I talk you through why I’d love to go and see each one. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together.

10. MADAME BUTTERFLY

I’ve always loved Opera music, but I’ve never actually been to see one! I’d like to change that in the near future, and although there are quite a few Opera’s I’d like to go and see, the one that appeals to me the most is Madame Butterfly. I think this is probably because one of my all-time favourite musicals (Miss Saigon), is based on it.

Madame Butterfly tells the heartwrenching story of a beautiful 15-year-old Geisha girl who marries a U.S Naval Officer without realising that he intends to leave her once he finds a proper American wife. He leaves shortly after their wedding, and returns years later with his new wife tow, only to discover he has a child. What happens next is absolutely heartbreaking. And although I’m sure I’d need to take a big box of Kleenex along to the theatre with me, I still really want to go and see this famous Opera.

09. SWAN LAKE

Next up on my theatre bucket list, we have a ballet. I’ve seen a fair few ballets in my time: The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty to name a few. But the one I’ve always wanted to see is Swan Lake. It features music my Tchaikovsky, which is absolutely beautiful, so it really appeals to me for that reason.

Now, I have to admit that I don’t know much about the story of Swan Lake. But I believe it to be based on a German fairy tale, and is all about a princess who gets turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. The only way the curse can be broken is if a man promises to love the princess for all time, and luckily a prince makes that promise. However, the sorcerer finds out and tricks the prince into believing his own daughter is the swan princess, so the curse cannot be broken, and she dies. It sounds super sad, but I’d still love to go and see it anyway. Hopefully it will come to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham sometime soon!

08.FOOTLOOSE

I’ve wanted to see the musical, Footloose, since I was in my teens. And, believe it or not, I’m 32 now! I remember seeing the Kevin Bacon movie of the same name, and thinking how fantastic it would be to see it on stage. And I still feel that way now.

Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago, who moves to the small town of Bomont with his mother after his father abandons them. Upon arriving, Ren finds himself at odds with most of the town, including the Reverend Bomont. This is because she has convinced the town to outlaw dancing, which Ren finds to be unbelievable. But with the help of her daughter, Ariel, and his best friend, Willard, Ren convinces the Reverend to let the teenagers dance, and in the process helps the town to heal from a tragedy that had affected them all.

Footloose includes some fantastic songs, which everyone will recognise, such as ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’, ‘Holding Out For A Hero’, and, of course, ‘Footloose’. One day, I really will make it to the theatre to see this one!

07. SHREK

As a child, Shrek was one of my daughter Stacey’s favourite films. And when I first heard they’d turned it into a musical, I really wanted to pick up tickets and take her to see it in London’s West End. However, a series of unfortunate events unfolded that year, and we ended up not going.

Shrek is now back on the road, and I think it would be a great time to go and see it as Oscar can come along and enjoy it too. Based on the story and characters from the Oscar winning Dreamworks Animation film, Shrek is said to be a hilarious and spectacular production which turns the world of fairy tales upside down in an all-singing, all-dancing, must-see musical comedy. It sounds fantastic!

06. GROUNDHOG DAY

Last year I found out that one of my favourite films from the 90’s, Groundhog Day, had been turned into a musical, and was coming to the West End! I would have loved to have gone and seen it, but due to my crazy-busy work schedule, and then the hassle of getting down to London, it just seemed impossible. Had I known it wasn’t going to be running here in the UK for long, though, I would most definitely have made more of an effort to go and see it.

Groundhog Day tells the story of Phil Connors, a disgruntled big-city weatherman mysteriously stuck in a small town in America reliving the same day over and over and over again. At first Phil finds it extremely irritating, but once he starts getting to know associate TV producer Rita Hanson, he discovers it’s a day of second, third and fourth chances. I imagine the show is a must-see, and when it comes back to the UK in 2018 I most definitely want to go and see it so I can tick it off of my theatre bucket list before it disappears again!

05. CHICAGO

The UK tour of Chicago came to my home town of Nottingham last summer, but I was on holiday at the time so I couldn’t go and see it. I was absolutely gutted as I’ve wanted to see it for the longest time. It’s a true classic though, so I’m sure it will be back on the road soon. Chicago really appeals to me as a musical because if I could go back in time and visit any decade, then it would, without a doubt, be the roaring 20’s. There’s just something about the music and the outfits that I find utterly fascinating. And this is the decade in which the musical is set!

Set in the legendary city during the roaring “jazz hot” 20’s, Chicago tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses locked up in Cook County Jail. Nightclub star, Velma, is serving time for killing her husband and sister after finding the two in bed together. And driven chorus girl Roxie’s been tossed in the joint for bumping off the lover she’s been cheating on her husband with. Not one to rest on her laurels, Velma enlists the help of prison matron Mama Morton and slickster lawyer Billy Flynn, who turn Velma’s incarceration into a murder-of-the-week media frenzy, thus preparing the world for a splashy showbiz comeback. But Roxie’s got some tricks of her own up her sleeve …

04. WICKED

I don’t think it will come as any surprise when I mention the next show on my theatre bucket list, as pretty much everyone I know is wanting to go and see it. And that show, of course, is Wicked! I’ve been wanting to go and see Wicked for a good 9 or 10 years at least, but again, I’ve never managed to get down to London to see it. Sad times!

Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two young women who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda, and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda the Good and The Wicked Witch of the West.

I know lots of people who have seen the show and said it’s fantastic, so it’s no surprise that it’s already found its way to number 17 in the list of longest running shows in London theatre history! My in-laws recently went to see it though, and said they didn’t understand the story. Is it really that difficult to understand? I would think not! If you’ve ever been lucky enough to see Wicked, let me know the answer in the comments section below. I’d be interested to hear whether or not other people had the same problem.

03. BAT OUT OF HELL

Did I ever mention to you guys that I’m a big fan of Meatloaf? I doubt I have, to be honest. But I am. He was the very first artist I went to see live in concert, and I still love listening to his songs today. So, you can only imagine my delight when I tuned into the Britain’s Got Talent results show a few weeks ago and saw that there was a brand new musical opening in the West End called Bat Out Of Hell, which featured a whole host of wonderful Meatloaf songs!

I can’t find much info online about this particular musical, but according to their official website, it tells the story of a young, rebellious leader called Strat, who falls in love with Raven, the beautiful daughter of the most powerful man in post-apocalyptic Obsidian. I can only imagine that it will be a powerful tale of love, rebellion and rock’n’roll. I just hope I can get my hands on tickets before its short run comes to an end. Eek!

02. SCHOOL OF ROCK

Ever since I found out that Andrew Lloyd Webber was bringing his hit musical comedy School of Rock to the UK last year, I’ve been wanting to go and see it. It features a whole host of super-talented kids, and some really catchy songs that you definitely wouldn’t forget in a hurry. (Is it sad that I’ve already listened to the soundtrack on Spotify several times?)

Based on the hit film of the same name, this hilarious new musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. While teaching these pint-sized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey falls for the school’s beautiful, but uptight headmistress, helping her rediscover the wild child within. Featuring 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber as well as all the original songs from the movie, this high-octane smash is said to deliver face-melting guitar riffs and touching romance in equally awesome doses.

I think both Stacey and Oscar would enjoy this musical, so it’s one we could all go and see together if we ever get the chance to go to London!

01. LEGALLY BLONDE

And finally, the show that has made it to the number one spot on my Theatre Bucket List, and the one that I would most definitely give my right arm to go and see, just has to be Legally Blonde! The film fast became one of my all-time favourites upon its release back in 2001, and I’ve been wanting to see the musical ever since it landed in the West End. However, being a penniless mum of 2 from the East Midlands (OK, maybe not penniless, but you get the gist), I could never afford to get down to the Capital to see it.

There is good news though! The show is currently touring the UK, and I’ve noticed that it’s coming to a couple of theatres near me. So I’m keeping everything crossed that I’ll finally be able to go and see it at some point. My daughter Stacey is desperate to see it too, so I may be able to play a crafty one and treat her to a ticket for her birthday. Omigod, you guys! It would be, like, totally awesome!

In case you’re not familiar with the film or the musical, Legally Blonde follows the story of college sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods, who doesn’t take no for an answer. So when her boyfriend, Warner, dumps her for someone serious, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and heads for Harvard Law School. I’d say it’s probably aimed at a young audience, but as I was fairly young myself when the film was first released, I still love it today. I’m not so sure what the older generation would make of it though.

And there you have it, the ten shows that made it onto my theatre bucket list. Have you seen any of them? I’m sure I could have added loads more to it, but I didn’t want to bore you to death by waffling on for too long!

Do you have a theatre bucket list?
If so, let me know what shows are on it in the comments below!

Thanks for reading guys.
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The Wedding Singer UK Tour

10/05/2017 by Louise 47 Comments

If there’s one thing I love doing, it’s going to the theatre to see a good musical. So when I got the chance to go along to the opening night of The Wedding Singer at The Theatre Royal in Nottingham with my niece Lauren last night, I was over the moon. The Wedding Singer was one of my favourite films when I was growing up, and I couldn’t wait to see it come alive on stage!

WHAT IS THE WEDDING SINGER ABOUT?

Based on the 1998 film starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, The Wedding Singer is a laugh a minute musical comedy with loads of fabulous 80’s inspired pop songs that are guaranteed to get the audience clapping their hands and tapping their feet!

The show is set in 1985 and follows the story of Robbie Hart, a wedding singer who is set to marry his fianceé Linda but gets jilted at the alter. This sends him into a deep despair, but luckily he’d recently struck up a friendship with Julia Sullivan, a super sweet waitress at the wedding venue he performs at. As their relationship begins to blossom, Robbie finds himself falling for Julia. But of course, she’s engaged to the filthy rich and extremely arrogant Glen Gulia.

When Robbie realises that Glen is cheating on Julia, he knows it’s time to tell her how he feels about her. But when he reaches her house he sees her through the window wearing her wedding dress and looking ridiculously happy. Convinced she’s in love with Glen, he decides not to go through with telling her. Is he making a big mistake? Will the truth be revealed and their true feelings for each other exposed before it’s too late and she becomes Julia Gulia?!

MY THOUGHTS ON THE WEDDING SINGER

Well, where do I start? I hadn’t realised until recently that The Wedding Singer had been turned into a musical (despite it being over ten years old), so I didn’t know any of the songs until the night before the actual show when I had a quick listen to the soundtrack on Spotify. I’d also had a look to see if there were any familiar faces in the cast, but as I don’t watch shows like ‘The X Factor’ the only one I recognised was Ruth Madoc, who played Gladys in Hi-de-Hi back in the 80’s. I wasn’t at all sure how Ruth was going to fit into the show, but I was excited to find out.

Lauren and I took our seats in the auditorium about five minutes before the show was due to start, and there was a big screen on stage playing various clips from the 1980’s. I looked around me and, as usual, the theatre was packed full of people ready and waiting to enjoy their night out. The screen then changed to a ‘Back to the Future’ style image, which projected yesterday’s date, along with a date from 1985, which was where the show began …

Act One opens with ‘It’s Your Wedding Day’, which is probably my favourite song of the whole show. It’s so upbeat and catchy you can’t help but sing along! In fact, there’s not a bad song in the show, but I’ll talk about that more in a minute. From the second the cast arrived on stage it was clear that they were full of energy, and loved being a part of the show. I genuinely felt like I was at a wedding reception, and wanted to get up and have a dance with them!

The role of Robbie was played by Jon Robyns, and I think it’s safe to say he’s absolutely perfect for the part. I was surprised at just how much he sounded like Adam Sandler when he spoke, and his charm and comical nature had the audience in the palm of this hand from the start. Lauren mentioned she thought he looked like Kenneth Branagh when he played Gilderoy Lockhart in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’, and I know what she meant – he did do a good few cheeky grins throughout the performance!

The chemistry between Robbie and Julia, played by Cassie Compton, couldn’t have been any better. And their harmonies complimented each other just perfectly. I feel like the role of Julia must be quite a difficult one to play as she’s quite shy and quiet. Cassie played it amazingly though, and her stage presence really shone through. She also sounded a lot like Drew Barrymore when she spoke. I’ve seen quite a lot of American musicals in my time, and I felt like everyone who starred in this one had the best accents!

There was one cast member in particular who stood out for me on the night, and that was Tara Verloop, who played the role of Holly. Now, if you’ve seen any posters of The Wedding Singer recently, you’ll have seen that Roxanne Pallett was playing Holly, but she’s actually left the show now and Tara is currently understudying. She has an absolutely brilliant voice and totally owned the part. I loved her pink bob too. It was very 80’s!

That does bring me to my one teeny tiny criticism of the show though. Tara usually plays Robbie’s fianceé, Linda, but on the night we saw The Wedding singer, Linda was played by Hannah Jay-Allan. Hannah seemed to have a great voice, but both Lauren and I felt that the music for Linda’s two songs was a little too loud and we couldn’t really hear what she was singing. It didn’t spoil the experience for us or anything, but I did feel bad for Hannah, bless her.

As you would imagine, the set for The Wedding Singer was fantastic. Both the set and the costumes were bright and colourful, and I felt we could have genuinely been in the 80’s. I liked how the set could be moved around seamlessly to create different scenes, and I thought it was genius when the lights from the top of the stage moved down to create a bar for the bar scene.

I mentioned before that there wasn’t a bad song in the show, and as I write this review I’m listening to the soundtrack again and totally stand by that statement. They’re all really strong songs that fit into the story perfectly. Most of them are originals, but there are a couple that you’ll recognise from the movie if you’ve ever seen it. These are ‘Somebody Kill Me’ and ‘Grow Old With You’. You might also expect to hear ‘Love Stinks’, but this has been replaced by one called ‘Casualty of Love’, which I personally think is much better. Jon totally rocks it when he sings it too. And can I just say how much I enjoyed Ruth singing ‘A Note from Grandma?’ She had me (and the rest of the audience) in stitches!

SUMMARY

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and I would most definitely go and see it again. The cast were all fantastic and had boundless energy from start to finish. I loved every single song, and I felt like I was a guest at all the weddings that played out on stage last night.

The show runs for approximately 2 and a half hours (including the interval) and is recommended for ages 12 and over. I have to admit that I almost took my thirteen-year-old daughter, Stacey, along with me, but I’m glad I didn’t as there were quite a few mature scenes in the show and I think it would have been a little awkward watching it with her!

I don’t think you need to have seen the movie to enjoy the musical version of The Wedding Singer. The story is told really well, through a mixture of songs and dialogue. You should most definitely go and see it if you enjoy a good musical comedy as this is guaranteed to have you laughing from the start.

The Wedding Singer is running at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal until Saturday 13th May 2017, before continuing on its tour around the UK. Tickets for the shows can be booked by clicking here.

Have you guys ever seen The Wedding Singer on stage before?
Let me know in the comments below!

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*I was kindly given two tickets to see The Wedding Singer in exchange for an honest review