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West End Mini-Reviews
Presented by: Various
Venue: Various
Reviewer: Simon Parris
Dates Reviewed: December 28, 2007 - January 18, 2008
One of our most regular reviewers, Simon has appeared in more than
30 productions over the past twenty years. Recent roles include
Uncle Henry/Guard of the Gate in The Wizard of Oz (Catchment) and
Eugene Fodor in
Crazy for You (Whitehorse). Other favourite roles include Mr Fox in
Mack and Mabel, Max in The Sound of Music, Freddy in My Fair Lady,
Julio in Paint Your Wagon, Marcellus in The Music Man and Grantaire
in Les Miserables.
In 2005, Simon was nominated for a Guild Award in the category Best
Cameo Performance for his role as
the Judge in Hello, Dolly! (Whitehorse).
He is also a supremely keen audience member of all kinds of theatre,
travelling biannually to both New York and London to take in well
over 50 shows during the trip. This makes Simon the perfect advisor
on ‘What to See’ and ‘What Not to See’ on the world’s greatest
stages. During his latest sojourn, he prepared the following
Mini-Reviews for our reading pleasure and as tips and hints for
those about to set off to visit the old Limey themselves.
Ratings System
óóóóó
Book your plane ticket
óóóó
You'd think you were in
New York -
a must see!
óóó
Almost as good as Broadway - worth the price
óó
Not up to West End standard
ó
If you get a freebie, give it to a homeless person
Note:
Many of the productions listed below have been reviewed by this site
before. The following reviews take in the casts of the productions
as they were at the beginning of 2008.
MUSICALS
Billy Elliot
óóóó
Trent Kowalik
was the best Billy I have seen yet, an absolutely brilliant dancer -
remember the name! Seeing the show again reminded me that our Sydney
production has reduced the audition scenes but otherwise it holds up
extremely well.
The Sound of
Music
óóóó
This classic
is given the mega-musical treatment and thankfully the massive sets
are all in exquisite taste and serve the story very well. Maria's
mountain is a massive grassy disc that rises and tilts and flies out
- she even gets to do a Julie Andrews twirl on it. Aussie Simon
Burke is superb as Captain von Trapp, giving a finely calibrated
performance that takes the Captain on a heart warming journey from
staunch, stern ruler to loving family man. Unfortunately I did not
see newly minted musical superstar Connie Fisher, from 'How Do You
Solve A Problem Like Maria?'.
Spamalot
óó
Yawnalot.
Does the problem lie with me seeing the show for the fourth time? Or
is it the producers’ fault for thinking the name of the show is the
star and they don’t have to put any effort into casting? Being a
story about England, with its pestilent peasants, noble knights and
kooky kings, I thought they would bring an extra dimension to this
production. Silly me.
Wicked
óóóóó
Kerry Ellis is
amazing as Elphaba - her acting is so strong that I understood parts
of the story for the first time, even though this was my fourth
viewing. The stage is not as wide as Broadway's Gershwin but it was
still totally spectacular and gave me great hope for the success of
our production later this year - if London can do it this well...
Lord of the
Rings
óóóóó
A magnificent
spectacle that I had to see twice. More of a theatrical event, there
is plenty of music just not many songs as such. A massive cast of
actors, singers, dancers and acrobats tell the epic story in just
under three hours of non-stop action that surely manages to please
theatre and LOTR fans alike. Plenty of flying, special
effects, magic and an ingenious revolve are all used to great effect
and not just for their own sake. Laura Michelle Kelly (original Mary
Poppins, Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd movie) has the best gig in
London, flying in at the start of act two like a golden goddess as
Galadriel.
Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
óó
So musicals
are now like operas where you can dust off the sets and costumes and
restage them? Nice way to save money. 'Any Dream Will Do' discovery
Lee Mead deserves the accolades - he has a gorgeous, strong voice,
and he looks pretty hot in a nappy!
Dirty Dancing
óóó
I never saw
this in Melbourne and I was only able to see it in London because I
booked eight months in advance. This is a massive hit and had the
most scalpers out the front of any show here. If you have seen it
you will know that it is more of a play with songs than a musical.
The cinematic effects are clever and the dancing is a treat. I
hesitate to mention that I was unexpectedly caught up in the
excitement of Johnny's return at the end, a wave of emotion hitting
me as he ran up on stage to declare the classic line 'Nobody puts
baby in a corner!' The final 'Time of my Life' dance guarantees that
audiences leave on a high.
Avenue Q
óóó
It was fun to
hear how they had changed dialogue and lyrics for London audiences.
The cast were very talented and appealing.
Hairspray
óóóó
I very
unfortunately did not see Michael Ball as Edna (saw him in the
audience of a play with a 'friend', but that's another story). The
rest of the extremely well cast company sang and danced their hearts
out. Another huge, sell-out hit.
Mary Poppins
óóóó
I am so glad I
was able to see this classic where it began one last time. It was
the fourth-last performance and Cam Mac was in the audience. The
cast were absolutely at the top of their form. Broadway's Gavin
Creel (Jimmy in Millie and Jean-Michel in La Cage revival) was
particularly appealing as Bert. Closed Jan 12
Rent Remixed
ó
An appalling,
ill-conceived, poorly performed (with one exception) disaster!
Updated to the present, the set is a gleaming white and chrome box
that totally doesn't remotely fit the grunge/poverty angle. The
characters are now all Brits living in NY. Angel is not a drag queen
but a muscle bound go-go dancer! I have never seen someone so fit
die of Aids. Worst of all, the score is re-orchestrated so you can't
even just enjoy the music. 'New Year's Eve' sounded like Madonna's
'Holiday'. The reduced size cast couldn't cover all the parts in the
big 'Christmas Bells Are Ringing'. I was not going to see it but
they put in one of my favourite EastEnders stars (Jessie Wallace,
Kat) as Maureen. At least I got a photo and a hug! Closes Feb 5 (not
soon enough)
La Cage Aux
Folles
óóó
Warm,
involving revival at the intimate Menier Chocolate Factory. Phillip
Quast is a little straight-acting as Georges, but is in fine voice.
The fairly masculine Douglas Hodge is a hoot as Albin. The eight
Cagelles (7 boys and a girl) gave great dance.
Cabaret
óóó
Having just
seen the Sam Mendes version again (even though it was all in
French!), this 'new' version did not come off so well. They have
basically kept the choices of songs from the Mendes version (plus
Cliff now gets to sing a bit of 'Why Should I Wake Up?') and changes
like the Bobby-Cliff subplot but have otherwise re-blocked the
numbers and re-designed the show, not always to an improved result.
Julian Clary is suitably camp as the Emcee but cannot muster any
sinister edge. I could accept the nudity of one of Frau Kost's
sailors, and for a girl backstage at the Klub, and even at the end
when they all faced the gas chamber but a naked dream ballet during
'Tomorrow Belongs To Me'?!?!
PLAYS
Present
Laughter
óó
Alex Jennings
stars in this 1930s Noel Coward classic comedy. National Theatre
production values mean that the sets and costumes shimmer with
period detail.
Nicholas
Nickleby Parts I & II
óóóó
I had the best
day in the theatre seeing both parts consecutively - more than six
and a half hours altogether. The time flew by as the large,
talented cast played countless roles to tell Charles Dickens'
classic tale. It received the most rousing, heartfelt, standing
ovation by an audience on this trip.
Much Ado About
Nothing
óóóó
Antics and
angst abound in another National Theatre production. Zoe Wannamaker
and Simon Russell Beale battle as Shakespeare's Beatrice and
Benedick, and are both are good sports in making hilarious use of a
sunken Roman bath.
Boeing Boeing
ó
The things I
do to see EastEnders actresses. This is a racist, sexist, completely
dated stinker. There are six doors to the stage but when the farce
shows the slightest sign of ramping up in act two all is resolved
and it's over. It was not helped by the fact the original cast of
this revival have been replaced, and that two of the female leads
were out (thankfully Tracy-Ann Oberman, Chrissie, EEs was in). It
will be interesting to see how it fares in Melbourne’s Comedy
Theatre this year. Closed Jan 5 (mercifully)
The Country
Wife óó
Men fear
becoming a cuckold and women guard their reputations at all costs in
this classic Restoration comedy. The dialogue is delivered at such a
hectic pace that it takes total concentration throughout to follow
the shenanigans. Closed Jan 12
Swimming with
Sharks
óóó
Christian
Slater returns to London in an adaptation of the cult Kevin Spacey
film. It's like a Devil Wears Prada for men set in the word of
Entourage, the action almost goes over the top near the end before
ending satisfactorily with a couple of fun twists. Closed Jan 19
Dealer's
Choice óóó
Patrick
Marber's acclaimed 1996 play has transferred to the West End from
the Menier Chocolate Factory's hit revival. Tense and dramatic
action unfolds around a group of men playing poker.
Glengarry Glen
Ross
óóóó
Jonathan Pryce
is electrifying in this revival of one of David Mamet's biggest
hits. Aiden Gillen (Stuart Alan Jones in UK Queer As Folk) gives as
good as he gets. The office set for Act Two took the audience's
breath away. Closed Jan 12
Othello
óóóóó
An absolutely
riveting staging of a Shakespeare classic (which, incidentally, I
had never seen). This production at the very intimate Donmar
Warehouse sold out in day or so (thanks to Karen for booking the
tickets). A simple set is adorned with actors in ravishing,
authentic costumes that I have to say you would only see in London.
Ewan McGregor plays villain Iago with a charm that makes it clear
why everyone was taken in by him. The stage ends up littered with
corpses all over Iago's deception involving a handkerchief. Superb
direction ensured that every piece of dialogue, motivation and
action was completely clear. It was edge of the seat excitement of
the calibre of watching a Bourne movie.
War Horse
óóóóó
A magnificent
achievement that has to be seen to be believed. Amazing puppets and
a huge cast join to tell an epic story about a boy and his love for
a horse (ok, I didn't say it was a new story). The horse puppets can
actually be ridden and the range of movement they can show is
amazing. They certainly deserved their own bow. The boy and his
horse, Joey, are separated by World War I. The climax did not leave
a dry eye in the house.
The History
Boys
óóó
The boys are
back in the West End and even with this third London cast the humour
and pathos in Alan Bennett's modern classic come across beautifully.
Seeing it again, I remembered how much I enjoyed the National
Theatre staging with its funky black & white movies with Britpop
soundtracks that cover the quick scene changes.
WEST END TIPS
by Adam Rafferty
-
Use TKTS of course. There is now only 1 booth in London with the
Canary Wharf kiosk unfortunately closing last September. So join
the queue for the booth on the south side of Leicester Square from
10am – 7pm
Monday to Saturday, 12
noon
to 3pm Sundays. Tickets on the day of performance only. The
majority of tickets on sale are at half price with a small
selection of shows on offer at a 25% discount. Occasionally the
tkts booth does sell shows at full price.
-
Save yourself a trip into the Square for no reason by checking
what’s on sale for the day first. Go to
www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/tkts/today for a full list of
what’s available and at what price that day.
-
Sign up to
www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/register
- for
london
theatre news and special discount offers.
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Book tickets before you leave home for the popular shows on the
weekend. You will have a better chance of getting great seats to
less popular shows, during weekdays.
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