Musicals Archives - With love from Lou

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

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

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

04/05/2017 by Louise 29 Comments

Last weekend the kids, my mum, and I headed to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham to see the 2017 production of the longest-running touring show in history: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!

When I was in my teens (from the late 90’s to the early noughties), Joseph was, without a doubt, my favourite musical. My mum and dad took me to see it at the theatre whenever they could. And I loved the show so much that I learnt about its history, knew every word to every song, and spent years dreaming of one day playing the role of the narrator. I’m pretty sure it would have been my specialist subject had I ever gone on Mastermind!

Up until 2008(ish) every time I saw the show it had the most amazing cast, with Richard Swerrun being my all-time favourite Joseph. But then something happened to put me off going to see the musical for a long, long time: I took Stacey to see it for the first time and wasn’t at all impressed with the cast. Nor did I like the new song that had found its way into the second half of the show.

After that, I lost all interest in going to see Joseph as it felt like all the magic had gone. And it wasn’t until last year when I noticed my mum’s favourite singer, Joe McElderry, was taking over the lead role that I decided to bite the bullet and give the show another chance. And today I thought I’d share my thoughts on it with you guys. I hope you enjoy it.

WHAT IS JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT ALL ABOUT?

Set in Biblical times, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tells the story of ‘The Coat of Many Colours’ from the Book of Genesis. The 12th son of Jacob and his obvious favourite, Joseph is betrayed by his eleven jealous brothers and sold as a slave to some passing Ishmaelites who take him away to Egypt.

But don’t worry, the show is in no way forcing religion upon us. The story is told in a fun, lighthearted way by a narrator (who is on stage the whole time), with lots of jokes and laughter. The show has very little spoken dialogue and instead is almost completely sung-through. With its family-friendly storyline and catchy music, it’s the perfect musical for absolutely everyone to enjoy.

Joseph was originally written and performed as a school production back in 1968, and after all this time the show still includes a choir of 30+ children who, like the narrator, are on stage throughout the whole performance. In Nottingham, the choir was provided by AGF Performing Arts. I think it’s fantastic that children are still such a big part of the show, and I hope they never change this.

MY THOUGHTS ON JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

Well, where to start?! When I looked to see who was performing in Joseph along with Joe last week, I didn’t recognise any of the names. So it was a nice surprise to find that the Narrator was being played by Lucy Kay, who was the runner-up on the 2014 series of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. I believe that she grew up in a little town close to Nottingham, so it was nice to see some home-grown talent in the show. And boy, can Lucy sing! From the second the first note was sung, I knew she was going to be an amazing Narrator. She has the most beautiful smile as well. You can’t help but warm to her straight away.

Lucy opened the show along with 2 of the children from the choir wearing dressing gowns. She tells them a bedtime story through song of how some people dream of doing wonderous things during their time on the planet, whereas others just hide their heads in the sand. She then mentioned a boy whose dreams just happened to come true. And it’s here that we met Joseph.

I have to be honest now and say that although I knew who Joe McElderry was before we saw him in Joseph last weekend, I’d never really heard him sing. However, I was very impressed! Not only does he have a fantastic voice, but he also has lots of charisma. Like Lucy, you can’t help but warm to him.

As the show progresses, Joseph’s character changes quite significantly, and the way that Joe managed to portray each of these changes showed just what a marvellously versatile actor he is. He goes from being quite a cheeky chappy at the beginning of Act 1 to becoming a slave, a frightened prisoner, a confident dream interpreter, and finally, Pharoh’s number 2. In a nutshell, Joe makes you feel like you’re a close friend growing up with Joseph. You want him to do well and get the happy ending he deserves. It’s just fantastic to watch.

The rest of the cast were brilliant too. The musical is so fast-paced, and quite a few of them play more than one character, so they’re constantly on the go. Everyone up on stage just seemed to have an endless supply of energy – especially Joseph’s eleven brothers! As always, they came in all different shapes and sizes, yet the group dynamic worked really well.

Every time I see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat I find myself pleading with Benjamin to save his brother when the others are plotting to get rid of him. And this time I found myself doing it even more, as George Knapper, who currently plays him, shows him battling with his conscience more than I’ve noticed in the past. In fact, I think George is probably one of the best Benjamin’s I’ve ever seen. There was something quite vulnerable about him, and the mummy in me wanted to take him under my wing. I know I wasn’t alone in thinking that either as I overheard a few people say something similar as we were leaving the theatre after the show.

Can I just say how amazing the children from the AGF Performing Arts choir were? Not only did they produce some incredible harmonies, but they sat so beautifully on stage throughout the show as well. I don’t think I saw any of them fidgeting. I bet there was a lot of proud parents sat in the audience during Joseph’s run at the Theatre Royal last week!

As always, I thought the set for Joseph was fantastic. I like how everything is set up in a pyramid shape, and it’s all very colourful. Especially the costumes. I think this is probably what helped hold Oscar’s attention. He’s only 3 and he was sat on the edge of his seat throughout the whole performance, clapping enthusiastically in between numbers. I had expected him to enjoy the show, but if I’m honest I thought he might get a little bit fed up in the middle with him being so young. I needn’t have worried though, as he enjoyed it so much that he asked if we could go and see it again when it ended!

For me, Joseph has one of the most memorable scores of any musical. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, I guess you just can’t go wrong! I think you’d recognise quite a few of the songs even if you hadn’t been to see the show before. Songs like ‘Any Dream Will Do’, ‘Close Every Door’, and ‘Go, Go, Go, Joseph’. A lot of the songs have the same tunes, but with different words. And even though they managed to incorporate a few different musical styles into the show, such as country and western, rock n roll, and calypso, it flows beautifully. Or it did until they added in that dreadful ‘King of my Heart’ song back in 2007!

Now, I’m sure there will be many of you reading this who have seen Joseph before and will love the song. But as someone who had seen the show before it was added, I just can’t quite understand why it’s there. Portrayed in the style of Elvis, I used to think that Pharaoh was a strong character who everyone must like. He only appeared for a couple of songs during Act 2, but it was enough for him to be remembered. Yet since ‘King of my Heart’ was added I just find Pharaoh, well, weak. The first of his solos is just so damn fantastic, with a huge amount of swivelling hips and snarling lips that the second one falls flat in comparison. It’s such a shame.

It has to be said, I love a show with a happy ending, and Joseph most definitely doesn’t disappoint. I reckon it could bring a tear to the eye of even the toughest of people when Joseph and his father reunite. And he even got a nice new coloured coat that made the first one look like rags. Brilliant!

The other people of Nottingham seemed to enjoy the show too, as everyone was up on their feet and dancing along to the Joseph Megamix at the end. I wonder how many of them were still humming the tunes on their way home? I wouldn’t mind betting it was more than half!

SUMMARY

After the disappointment of seeing Joseph last time, I’m pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the show this time around! It’s safe to say it’s made it back to the top spot of my favourite musicals, and I’d go and see it again tomorrow if I got the chance. My mum and the kids enjoyed it too, and we’ve all been singing along to the soundtrack this week. Yes, my mum treated herself to a new CD just because Mr McElderry was singing on it.

The cast had us laughing out loud throughout, and the addition of blow-up sheep and singing camels seemed to really make Oscar’s day! The look of pure amazement on his little face is proof that Joseph is the perfect first musical for little ones to see. The bright colours and catchy tunes are sure to capture their imagination, and it’s a lot of fun for us grown ups too. If you’re on the lookout for something serious and thought-provoking though, you’ll probably want to give it a miss, as I don’t think it’s really going to be for you.

If you can’t tell from all the gushing I’ve done so far, we had an absolutely fantastic night seeing the show, and I just want to say a big well done to all the cast and crew. You all did a brilliant job and should be very proud of yourselves. I hope you enjoy the rest of the tour as much as you clearly enjoying performing last Saturday.

The show is currently running at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday 6th 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 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before?
Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading guys.
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Sister Act the Musical

06/02/2017 by Louise 53 Comments

Earlier this week I went along to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham to see an all new production of the Broadway and West End smash hit musical comedy, Sister Act. The musical is based on the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg film of the same name and is directed by Strictly Come Dancing judge, Craig Revel Horwood. For today’s post, I’m sharing my thoughts on it with you guys in case you’ve been thinking about going to see it yourselves. I hope you enjoy it.

WHAT IS SISTER ACT ABOUT?

Set in the 1970’s, Sister Act tells the heartwarming tale of Deloris Van Cartier, a wannabe superstar who accidentally witnesses her boyfriend, Curtis, and his cronies shoot a guy they think has been squealing about them to the police. Horrified, she runs away, and Curtis orders his men to go after her and bring her back. But it’s too late. Deloris has already reached the police station and has told the desk chief, Eddie, everything that had happened. Eddie recognises Deloris as the girl from high school who he had a crush on but who called him ‘Sweaty Eddie’. He decides that Deloris needs to go into witness protection for her own safety, and he sends her to the one place he’s convinced that Curtis won’t find her – a convent.

Disguised as a nun, Deloris finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle of the convent, and the uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique talents to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church, but in doing so blows her cover. She soon finds herself a nun-on-the-run, but manages to find salvation in the heavenly power of her newly found sisterhood.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE SISTER ACT MUSICAL

Upon arrival at the theatre, we were told that Alexandra Burke (who plays the lead role in the show) was unwell and wouldn’t be appearing in that evening’s performance. I heard a few people express their disappointment at this, but as an avid theatre-goer, I know that these things happen, and more often than not I find that their understudies are just as good (if not better) than the person actually playing the lead.

On the night I saw Sister Act, the role of Deloris Van Cartier was played by Joanna Francis. And Joanna’s usual role of Michelle was played by Nicola Bryan. My friend Jo and I took our seats in the auditorium just before the show started, and we couldn’t believe how full it was for a Monday evening. I don’t think there was an empty seat in the house! You could feel the excitement in the air and neither of us could wait for the show to begin.

Act one opened with Mother Superior declaring to the lord that the convent was in need. She told him how the church was falling apart, the parishioners no longer came, and there were only a few sisters left to speak of. She knows that if something doesn’t happen soon they’ll be forced to close their doors. And it’s clear from the passion in her voice that she doesn’t want this to happen. She asks where their salvation is, and it’s here that we met Deloris Van Cartier for the very first time.

I thought that Joanna gave an outstanding performance on the night, and she really owned the role of Deloris. I knew instantly that she was a character I was going to love. And as well as having the most amazingly powerful singing voice, she delivered her lines with great passion and perfect comic timing too.

I thought the rest of the casting was brilliant as well, with everyone’s roles fitting to a T. And the scenery? Well, the scenery was just incredible! It was set up to look like we were in an actual church, with high ceilings and big windows. There was even an organ and confession box towards the back of the stage. The attention to detail was just fantastic.

Before I went to see Sister Act I was familiar with a couple of the songs from the show – ‘Take Me to Heaven’ and ‘Fabulous, Baby!’ to be precise. But I have to be honest and say I didn’t know any of the others. I was slightly worried that the other songs wouldn’t be that great after reading a couple of bad reviews on them, but I needn’t have worried. It happens to be chock full of glorious numbers, and I like that it combines both disco music (after all, it is set in the 70’s) along with the more ‘churchy’ sounding stuff that you’d expect from a show like this.

I also have to mention how much I loved the costumes! I felt that Deloris, in particular, was the sort of person who liked to keep up with the latest trends. And I had to laugh, as believe it or not I have the handbag she uses in the show in a tan colour and a very similar pair of FM Boots in black! The wardrobe department clearly have great taste! Hehe.

I definitely feel that the cast make this show the success it is. They had high energy throughout the whole thing, despite the running time being quite long compared to some of the other shows I’ve been to recently. And it’s obvious how much they enjoy doing what they do.

There were a few really memorable moments for me during the performance I saw. One of these being when Sister Mary Robert (played by Sarah Goggin) takes a real shine to Deloris and begs her to take her with her when she’s finally able to leave the convent. She sings ‘The Life I Never Led’ and she seemed so heartbroken to be losing her friend that I found had tears in my eyes toward the end of the song!

I also loved the way the nuns sang terribly until Deloris was put in charge of the choir and taught them how to sing in perfect harmony. It can’t be easy to pretend you’re completely tone-deaf. I mean, if I could sing (which I can’t) I don’t think I would be able to pretend I couldn’t. I’d be wanting to show off my lovely voice way too much!

SUMMARY

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. And so did my friend Jo, who went along to see it with me. 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 utterly engaging, and it was clear from the start that they absolutely love being a part of the show.

Sister Act had us laughing from the start, but there were also some serious, breath holding moments too. And of course it sends a strong message about materialistic things not being as important as friendship, love and doing the right thing.

Since I saw the show on Monday I’ve been listening to the soundtrack non-stop, and have raved to anyone who will listen about how brilliant it is! If you only see one show this year then I highly recommend you make it this. I guarantee you’ll love it. And in the words of Craig Revel Horwood, it’s FAB-U-LOUS!

The show is currently running at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham until Saturday 11th February 2017, 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 Sister Act on the stage?
Let me know in the comments below!

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*I was kindly given two tickets to see Sister Act in exchange for an honest review

American Idiot the Musical

23/07/2016 by Louise 34 Comments

Last month I was lucky enough to get my hands on a ticket to go and see Green Day’s American Idiot Musical at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham, and I enjoyed it so much that I thought I’d write up a review for you guys just incase you were considering going to see it yourselves. But, um, life got kind of busy and the post ended up sat in my draft folder for ages. I’m so sorry! But, as they say, it’s better late than never. So here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

AMERICAN IDIOT PLOT

Set in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, American Idiot tells the story of 3 dissatisfied young men – Johnny, Will and Tunny – living unhappily in a place called ‘Jingletown’ in the USA. One day they decide that enough is enough, and they’re going to get out of their hometown and find somewhere new to live. But of course nothing ever runs smoothly, and the boys run into a major hiccup before they’ve even left town — Wills girlfriend is pregnant! He decides to stay behind to help bring up the child and Johnny and Tunny leave without him.

Once they arrive in the city, the pair look for some meaning in life and hope to find excitement in their new found freedom. But Tunny soon realises that life there isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He joins the military, and is shipped off to war, while Johnny turns to drugs and makes a move on a girl he sees in an apartment window.

As the story progresses Will’s girlfriend gives birth to their baby, Johnny and the girl from the apartment window (whom he calls ‘Whatshername’) hook up and have passionate sex and Tunny gets shot and wounded on the battlefield. Things get very intense from this point and each of the guys has to find a way to deal with the hand they’ve been dealt. I don’t want to say much more than that as I’d hate to spoil it for anyone planning to go and see it!

MY THOUGHTS ON THE AMERICAN IDIOT MUSICAL

I was so excited on the night of the show. I’ve been a big fan of Green Day ever since I saw them live at V Festival back in 1998. I love every single one of their songs and the American Idiot album (which the musical is based on) is one of my favourites.

I settled down in my seat and waited in anticipation for the show to start. And as the cast launched into the first song (which just happens to be the title track), I felt my heart sink a little. I’m still not entirely sure what I’d been expecting, but I guess it was for the lead singers to sound just a little bit more like the guys from Green Day. I thoroughly enjoyed the dance routine that went with the track though – it was well thought out and the whole cast seemed to have a ton of energy.

It was half way through the second number (Jesus of Suburbia) that I realised I’d really gotten in to the show. I was totally gripped by the story playing out in front of me, and I loved how the stage was set up as well. It had multiple levels for different locations, which meant we could see what was happening in each different place at the same time, without it becoming confusing for the audience. The costumes were perfectly punky, and I love that Whatshername wore a black and red outfit that matched the sleeve of Green Day’s American Idiot album perfectly!

There was even a live band on stage throughout the whole performance, with ex Son of Dork bandmate Steve Rushton (who plays the part of Will) joining them on the top level of the set with his guitar on several occasions. They didn’t distract from the scenes being played out on stage though, which I was pleased about.

On the night I saw the show Cellen Chugg Jones played the part of Tunny, and I just have to say that he was absolutely fantastic. His character loses a leg during battle and I genuinely believed that he was in agony. My mouth went dry and I felt a little faint as he writhed around in pain. It was an Oscar winning performance!

In fact, the whole cast were brilliant! I have to be honest and say I didn’t recognize many of them, but I did know of X Factor finalist Amelia Lily, who played the role of ‘Whatshername’ and singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner, who had pretty much just taken over the role of Johnny when I saw the show. Faulkner seemed more comfortable singing solo whilst playing the guitar than he did during the other numbers, but he seemed to settle in to the role more as the show went on.

I have to say though that my favourite character just had to be St Jimmy, played by the fabulous Lucas Rush. And judging by the cheers he got at the end of the performance, I wasn’t the only one whose heart he stole that night! Rush has the most amazing stage presence and even though St Jimmy is supposed to be a bit of a rebellious character I think he comes across as more of a lovable rogue. I can’t imagine anyone else ever playing that role now!

The one thing I did notice about the American Idiot Musical was that there isn’t much dialogue in it. If you’ve ever listened to the Green Day album of the same name you’ll have noticed that it tells a story from start to finish, and I think it’s thanks to this that the show just doesn’t need padding out with lots of speaking parts.

I was also happy to find that the story I’d imagined the American Idiot album to be about when I first listened to it 12 years ago was pretty much how it played out on stage. I think that shows just how brilliantly the songs were written.

THE SET LIST

As you’d imagine, the musical features every single track from Green Day’s American Idiot album, as well as 5 tracks from 21st Century Breakdown (Last of the American Girls, Before the Lobotomy, Know Your Enemy, 21 Guns and Last Night On Earth) and 3 songs written especially for the musical (Favorite Son, Too Much Too Soon and When It’s Time).

The musical ends with the fabulous Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) where the whole cast come on to stage and sing whilst playing their guitars. This went down a treat in Nottingham, with the whole audience on their feet singing along.

SUMMARY

Overall I thought the American Idiot Musical was absolutely brilliant, and I would most definitely go and see it again. I think the casting was perfect and it was clear from the moment they set foot on stage that each and every one of them enjoyed being a part of the show. They most definitely deserved the standing ovation they received at the end of the performance.

I really don’t have a bad word to say about it if I’m honest! The only thing I would warn you about is that there is quite a bit of bad language and scenes of a sexual nature in the show, so it’s definitely not one to take your kids to. Stacey’s a bit annoyed about that as I’ve gone on and on about how fab it was that she now wants to see it for herself. Oops!

The show is currently running at the Arts Theatre in London until September 25th 2016, and tickets for the shows can be booked by clicking here.

Are you a Green Day fan? And have you ever seen the American Idiot Musical?
Let me know in the comments below!

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*Ticket purchased with my own money