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.