Merrily We Roll Along

 Thurs 27th June – 7:45 Performance

 Harold Pinter Theatre –  £20 Ticket, £4 Programme

Merrily We Roll Along wasn’t my first choice for shows this evening, unfortunately my first choice (A Doll’s House) hasn’t opened yet… Oops a little too keen perhaps :P

Merrily We Roll Along was indirectly recommended to me by a friend’s facebook status; "If you're in London and you've got the moola, go and see Merrily We Roll Along at the Pinter Theatre. Can't recommend enough." which was enough to put the idea in my head when I strolled past the posters in the underground as an option for the evening’s entertainment.

This show is about the hopes and aspirations of three young friends and the gradual destruction of their friendship by a; shall we say Yoko Ono type character and the hunt for fame. Now this all seems very depressing and set to end as a rather depressing show. Well you would be right in thinking this IF the show wasn’t a reverse chronology of the tale. The show opens to a “lively” Hollywood party where we soon discover that everyone is really depressed and wondering where their lives went wrong. Time is wound back through the clever use of the title song and we slowly watch the story (and friendship) unravel, or I should say ravel :-P

The set for the show was mostly a stationary Hollywood Villa-esque house which through the clever use of slide-into-wall-able features and brought-on by the ensemble during song props undergoes a smooth transition through the years and through several different location (house, freshly moved into house, courthouse, office, TV studio etc.). The lighting was mostly naturalistic with the focus sometimes shifting the focus to who is talking as the others continue “talking” etc. and it was also used in one scene to add “wallpaper” to the set.

The songs in the show were quite catchy and I was humming the melody to the title song as I walked to the underground (That means it is good, because there is a Melody you can hum :P – Haha show reference! ).

Despite the unhappy ending *cough* I mean start, the play closes on a very optimistic note and there is a lot of comedy throughout. The character of Mary is quite witty and provides the audience with a lot of laughs and the meta-musical was hilariously cheesy and awful.

You could tell that this is from a slightly older generation of musicals, though it is extremely well done and still very enjoyable for the modern audience. I would recommend it, if you get a chance before it closes on 28th July but if you are not in London for long/can only see a few shows there are quite a few “Must See” shows (Matilda and Once to name two) before this one. 

A Chorus Line

Mon 17th June - 7:45 Performance
London Palladium - £20 Ticket, £3.50 Programme

I was fortunate enough to get my ticket discounted down from £65 (Thank you Idea Tap!) so my seat was pretty amazing (4 rows back almost dead centre). I was surprised how much of the music I already knew from this show and I have no idea where I know it from.

The set for this show was very very simple but it really didn't need anything more than it had. It was a black box stage with the back wall able to be rotated to introduce mirrors (and something else at the end *spoilers*). And some mirrors which dropped in at one point of the show and that is it. The majority of lighting was a basic wash, with superb use of stationary spots and the occasional bit of colour. It is a very no frills show but it really doesn't need them, it stands on its own.

Also with the setting and context of the show, flash and glamour wouldn't make sense. The setting is a dance studio, the context; auditions to get into a chorus line for an unnamed show. From the start of the show I found myself choosing favourites, the ones who i wanted to survive and get the job. I'm not usually one for shows like American Idol or the Voice and yet I couldn't help choosing favourites. I thankfully still liked the ones I had chosen at the start (even the ones that I didn't think would get through).

I ended up feeling for most of the characters as they lay their lives, secrets, hopes and aspirations on the line. Except one, for want of better phrasing, the ass and tits character; Val. Now I understand that this character exists for a reason as her story is a real one, people do get given roles based on their looks and miss out if they are not quite the traditional image of beauty/they are flat chested etc. However, despite this understanding and the obvious body issues that she was covering up with the work she had done, I couldn't quite support her as a character. It saddens me that such a character needs to exist, what saddens me more is that I couldn't fully support her. I am not sure whether this was me, how the character is written or the portrayal of the character.

The character who came the furthest in my regards is Cassie. At the start she was just a face in the line (was not one of my initial favourites, in fact I barely noticed her) however as the show unfolded and I heard about Cassie's past I couldn't help but feel sorry for her and in the end celebrate with her. I think this show, is one that speaks to people who are involved in theatre on a deeper level than those who are not. Most of us have been through the audition process at one time or another and know how nerve-wracking it can all be and of course how devastating not getting the part can be.

Overall, a very enjoyable show which has a character or two which everyone in the audience can empathise with. I would recommend this show to all theatre practitioners and to the wider public as a whole.

Let it Be

Sun 16th June - 7pm Performance
Savoy Theatre - £25 Ticket, £6 Programme

Of all the shows I have seen on the West End (and elsewhere) since coming to the UK in January this show was the most disappointing and the only one I feel I was over charged for (£6 pound programmes!? - Though I can't resist buying them).


Now don't get me wrong, the music was great (it's the Beatles how could it not be?) and the lights and effects weren't bad but the show lacked something. So it was sold to me as a musical (though I have since seen it since advertised in the entertainment section) but it definitely wasn't a musical. It was a concert, I think they were trying to "be" the Beatles from the 60's. I got the feeling they were trying to replicate concerts as close as they could, the costumes, lighting, effects everything!

This wouldn't be bad if that is what you were after, I mean you can't see the Beatles Live anymore but to me it felt like they weren't really trying. It was a half arsed and lazy way to make money by exploiting the music and name of the Beatles without putting any effort/thought in.

I don't think I was the only person in the Audience who wasn't captured by this show. The audience was pretty quiet throughout despite them saying at the start to clap, sing and dance along as you usually would, it just didn't really happen. I think I may have glimpsed the point briefly of what they were trying to do right towrds the end of the show. At the start of Hey Jude, the audience sang the beginning together and it gave me chills, it was amazing however it was still pretty quiet and reserved (I would put this down to the very British Audience but considering the other shows I've seen, i know this isn't the case).

Considering how amazing the music by the Beatles is, why choose to do it this way? I don't think I will ever understand. I mean really, if you wanna do the Beatles there is a huge range of material to choose from. The Beatles made movies surely one of those could be adapted? Then there is the amazingness that it Across the Universe, which uses music by the Beatles and is absolutely fantastic (Watch it!!) Why not adapt it for stage?

Overall I would not recommend this show. I felt I may as well have stayed in and listened to the Albums for free. I mean if you really really really love the Beatles then sure go see it but make sure you are aware f what you are in for.

Stomp

Sun 16th June - 2pm Matinee Performance

New Ambassadors Theatre - £20 Day ticket

Trying to find something to see on a Sunday on the West End is unfortunately quite difficult to do, your choice of shows is very limited as Sunday is the day that most shows have off, I personally think that shows need to start staggering their days off to provide options for those wishing to do something on a Sunday.

Stomp is one of the options available on a Sunday and it is a good one! The thing with Stomp is you know there isn't going to be a story but it isn't trying to be a musical it is quite obviously something else entirely. It is an enjoyable audience participatory show featuring eight performers in a prop, dance and body instrument show to create music from a range of everyday items. They use everything from Zippo lighters, plastic bags, bin lids and even the kitchen sink to create a rhythmic music which is quite difficult to not enjoy.

The set is designed to be a giant drum kit complete with all the bells and whistles though not in their traditional form. Every item is used within the performance which as someone who has worked on set to have it not be used is extremely satisfying. Their use of props and the broad range of sounds they managed to get from them (a tin cup of water can make a huge range of sounds as it is emptied) provides inspiration for the greater use of props in dances in musical theatre (I love a good cane dance! Check out this classic one).

The audience participation was hilarious as were the actors responses. When it was first introduced the audience took far too long to catch on and kept breaking into applause rather than copying the clapping as they were meant to, the actor kept getting more and more frustrated to the amusement of the audience. Despite there being no words at all the characterisation was really strong and you couldn't help laughing at their interactions with each other and the audience.

I wouldn't prioritise this show over a more traditional musical but if you are looking for something to see on a Sunday, definitely check this show out. It has been running for 11 years in London already and I can't see it leaving anytime soon.

Matilda

Sat 15th June - 7pm Performance
Cambridge Theatre - £5 16-25yo Day Ticket, £5 Programme

The first thing I must say is SEE IT! NO REALLY DO IT!

*Ahem*
It really isn't a wonder that this show is consistently sold out days and even weeks in advance unless you are willing to pay more than £65 a seat (even then you will be lucky to get one), though in this case I think it actually would be worth it. I was fortunate enough to score myself one of the 16 £5 16-25yo Day tickets which involved queuing outside the theatre from 8:50 (I was still 17th in line, people had been there since 7ish) and being grateful there are two shows on a Saturday.

Now this show is based off Roald Dahl's novel Matilda and has been preceded by an amazing Movie adaptation which was one of my favourite movies as a child. Needless to say this show had a reputation to live up to. Dennis Kelly did a fantastic job adapting the book for stage and the ever amazing Tim Minchin did a superb job complimenting the script and enhancing the characterisation with his music and Lyrics which are extremely catchy (Naughty) and poignant especially When I Grow Up.

The set is wonderful, the way in which the classroom rises from the floor, the bathrooms slips effortlessly back into the stage and its outline is lost is amazingly done. There is one point where Matilda is singing and she rises above the stage on a stack of books, she was about a foot off the ground before I even realised she was moving, it was that seamlessly and smoothly carried out. The integration of the older performers into the younger cast members and the way in which the children (and bigger children) moved the set was well done.  The lighting was beautifully done, it was used to wonderful effect to create spaces and paths for the characters to move through, heightened the mood considerably and was in general, fantastic. The team pulled off some amazing stunts throughout the show such as the disappearing chocolate cake, the ponytailed girl hammerthrow and the self writing blackboard and I would love to know how they were done/be sitting closer to the action to try and work it out.

As with many shows with children in the cast, there are several children cast in each of the roles and they alternate between shows. This adds extra incentive to see the show again as although the show will still be similar each of the children will be unique and as such there performances will be individual. Something which has intrigued me about this alternating cast is how they decide who does which shows? In all of the roles except Matilda (4) herself there are three children sharing the role, you would think that on a set night the same children would perform together but is this the case? I don't know and would be interested to find out. I would also like to know how the children are educated, does the company provide tutors and run classes? Do they attend school like normal children but skip out on Thursday afternoons for the matinee performances?

Anyway you should definitely get yourself along to see this show! Though thankfully it is currently set to run until May 2014 and I could see it extending further. 

The Cripple of Innishmann

Sat 15th June - 2pm Matinee Performance

Noel Coward Theatre - £10 ticket, £4 Programme

I had a few reasons for wanting to see this show:

• £10 tickets
• I had seen and enjoyed Privates on Parade which was the first show in the Michael Grandage Season at the Noel Coward theatre (Unfortunately I missed out on seeing Peter and Alice
• I was intrigued to see Daniel Radcliffe in a live performance

The Cripple of Innishmann is still quite early in its 12 week run and with a name like Daniel Radcliffe in it, the place was sold out. I ended up with a standing ticket which really wasn't too bad and I watched most of the show sitting on the side steps anyway :P

The set for the show was reasonably simplistic. It was a three sectioned set on a rotating stage, one side was the shop owned by the Billy's (Radcliffe) Aunts, another was a bed chamber belonging to the mother of the towns gossip monger/a lodging house in Hollywood and the third was used as the towns makeshift theatre/a beach where boats were launched from. The lighting was naturalistic and remained partially dimmed for the beginning of transitions then moved into blackout.

The Cripple of Innishmann is a Dark comedy or a Tragi-comedy. Although it had me laughing a lot throughout there was a lot of darker material which quite often left me silent and solemn. The cast did a terrific job with the Irish accent which they maintained throughout.

Billy's two aunts were a splendid duo who's interactions were highly comedic. Billy's Love Helen was a sprightly lass who you couldn't help falling in love with, despite her putting on a tough exterior, breaking eggs, punching people and fecking all through her dialogue. Your heart breaks for her a little as her softer side is glimpsed briefly in the Bittersweet final scene.  The rest of the cast were also superb and likable characters despite all their obvious flaws.

Then of course there was Radcliffe as Billy. I could see Billy being an extremely difficult role to play and Radcliffe pulled it off Magnificently! Billy is a cripple, though the reasons for this are not expressed within the play it is know he has been this way from birth. Radcliff with the help of a movement specialist worked through the text to get as much in the was of details as they could and decided that Cerebral Palsy fitted the symptoms best (Info given in programme). Daniel donned a locked leg and a hand clutched close to his chest which he maintained throughout, the realism of his movements is difficult to express though suffice to say it was superbly done and if it wasn't a well known actor I think you could easily have though they had typecast the role.

All-in-All a superb show, which I would recommend going to see if you are able before it closes on the 31st August 2013.