SOME LIKE IT HOT – London 1992

Cast: Tommy Steele, Billy Boyle, Mandy Perryment, Royce Mills, Veronica Clifford,  Edward Phillips, Steven Osborne, Les Want, Jonathan Owen, Douglas Anderson, David McEwan, Mason Taylor, Christopher Connah, Natasha Haslam, Victoria Lynson, Sharon White, Susan Freebury, Moira Hartley, Kim Harwood, Cathryn Fort-Reynolds, Emma Taylor, Anna David, Stephanie Claire Hicks, Alexandra Moore, Samantha Murray, Stephen Mear

Creative Team: Music by Jule Styne • Lyrics by Bob Merrill • Book by Peter Stone • Based on the Screenplay by Billy Wilder & I. A. L. Diamond suggested by a story by Robert Thoeren • Choreography by Norman Maen • Directed by Tommy Steele 

My Rate: 4 (from 1 to 10)

The Plot: Two male musicians who witness a mob murder are forced to run for their lives and hide from their persecutors by disguising as women and became part of an all-female band. The problem is that one of them falls in love with the band singer and the other one becomes the love interest of a male millionaire.

The Show: The 1959 movie by Billy Wilder is my all-time favorite comedy and one of the best movies in the History of the Cinema with a cast made in heaven: Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe e Joe E. Brown. I guess Wilder probably never dreamt that one day his movie would become a stage musical, but it happened when SUGAR open on Broadway, in 1972. With an enjoyable score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill (the team responsible for FUNNY GIRL), the cast included Robert Morse, Tony Roberts, Elaine Joyce and Cyril Ritchard and the show run of 505 performances.

I guess many of you know that a new musical adaptation of the movie will open soon on Broadway. As for SUGAR, 20 years later after it’s Broadway opening, in March of 1992, a new version renamed SOME LIKE IT HOT opened at the West End and on a London trip in May of that year I managed to get tickets to see it.

For what I remember and according to what I wrote back then, the problem of this production was also it’s biggest selling point, Tommy Steele. In the role created by Tony Curtis, Steele became the main character of the show, and he didn’t convince me. All smiles, he never stopped being himself and gone was the sexual ambiguity of his character. The fact that he was also the director of the show didn’t help, being that he built it around himself, and was more interested in the musical numbers serving him and not the show. It’s a pity because it was a well-oiled production, with a talented company where Billy Boyle was funny in the Jack Lemmon role and Mandy Perryment had the Marilyn Monroe look.

But what I really enjoyed (and still do) is the score. It may not be the best work of Jule Styne, but there’s a lot of good songs and some new tunes that weren’t part of the SUGAR score. I confess I don’t know if they were written specially for this version, but there’s the funny “Dirty Old Men” and “I’m Naïve”, the delicious “Sugar Shell” and the exciting tittle song, “Some Like It Hot”. While other songs were changed, “What Do You Give to a Man Who Has Everything” for example, being turned into a big production number.

Curiously the thing I best remember is the scene where Steel tells Perryment that “being with a girl does nothing to me”, and both started laughing out of character. That’s live theatre and I love it! As for the show, it had its moments, with a contagious final number.

COMPANY – London 1995: A Theatre Review

Cast: Adrian Lester, Rebecca Front, Clive Rowe, Clare Burt, Gareth Snook, Liza Sadovy, Teddy Kempner, Sophie Thompso, Michael Simkis, Sheila Gish, Paul Bentley, Anna Francolini, Kiran Hocking, Hannah James

Creative Team: Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim • Book by George Furth • Musical Staging by Jonathan Butterell • Directed by Sam Mendes

My Rate: 10 (from 1 to 10) / Photos: Mark Douet

Introduction Notes: Now that a new production of COMPANY opened in London, it’s time for me to revisit the 1995 Donmar Warehouse production. I was lucky to saw it twice; first at the Donmar and, a few months later, at the Albery Theatre for where it was transferred. I love it both times and I’m sharing here the “review” I wrote back in 1995. I was 31 years old at the time… how time flies!

This production won the Olivier Awards 1996 for Best Director, Best Actor in a Musical for Adrian Lester and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Sheila Gish; it also won the Critics Circle Award 1996 for Best Musical.

The Plot: Bobby is a lone bachelor and his married friends decide to give him a surprise party to celebrate his 35^thBirthday. Before blowing the candles, Bobby thinks about his life, specially his relationships.

The Show: This is a musical masterpiece! The book by George Furth is intelligent, with terrific lines, and lives in perfect harmony with Stephen Sondheim’s words. To tell the truth, it's impossible to know when the work of one end and the others began. Unforgettable and original, this is a modern classic, which revealed to the world one of Sondheim's best scores!

Sam Mendes took full advantage of the single set he had at Donmar Warehouse’s small stage. Paying equal attention to the small details as he did to the big ones, he transformed this production into an unforgettable experience. Being at ease with the hilarious sequences as well with the dramatic ones, he makes us care for the characters, involving us into their games. 

The cast couldn’t be better, and everyone lives their characters lively and emotionally. Of course, for obvious reasons, some of the roles shine more than others. In the leading role of Bobby, Adrian Lester plays it with heart and soul, giving a great realistic performance. His Bobby is real, and we really care for him!

But, besides Lester, the truth is that the show belongs to the ladies, specially to two of them.     As the alcoholic Joanne, Sheila Gish stopped the show with her powerful "The Ladies Who Launch". As the freaked bride, Sophie Thompson brought down the house with her touching and funny rendition of "Getting Marry Today". Both actresses were absolutely amazing, but the other females of the company were also very good.

The score has some of Sondheim’s best songs and the cast gave them a new life, making them, once again, unforgettable. There are only two dance numbers, and both were a joy to watch. “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” is brilliantly effective on its simplicity. “Side by Side by Side / What Would We Do?” is a true showstopper; full of originality and humour, was truly hilarious and one of the best dance numbers I saw on stage.

From the haunting opening number to the blew of the candles at the final, this revival is a unique event, of those that only happens once in a lifetime!

ALADDIN – London 2016: A Theatre Review

The Plot: Aladdin is a poor guy who steals to eat and who falls in love with Princess Jasmine. One day he is used by the evil Jafar and soon finds himself with a magic lamp whose Genie can grant him three wishes.

The Cast: In the title role, Dean John-Wilson doesn’t have a very strong presence on stage and although he has a nice singing voice, he is no match for Broadway’s original Aladdin. I couldn’t stop thinking that Stephen Rahman-Hughes, as one of this friends, was more suitable for the role. On the other hand, Jade Ewen pleasantly surprised me as Jasmine; revealing a beautiful singing voice and demanding our attention. As the bad guys, neither Don Gallagher or Peter Howe get pass the caricature, but I guess that’s not their fault. Everyone disappears of our radar as soon as Trevor Dion Nicholas is on stage. His Genie is bigger than life and he owns every inch of the stage. He is absolutely fabulous and literally stops the show with “Friend Like Me” and deserves the standing ovation he gets.

The Score: Composer Alan Menken was in an inspired mood when he wrote the songs for the movie and the new ones are as good as those. Menken is one of the few contemporary composers who really knows how to write a good theatre song, like the ones of Broadway’s golden age. There’s a joy to his songs that’s completely contagious and his pop ballads are always magically melodies; “Friend Like Me” and “A Million Miles Away” are two excellent examples of both types. I believe all the movie songs are here, including one of my favorites, “One Jump Ahead”. But a “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali” work even better on stage. Of the new songs, my favorite is the very Broadwayish “Somebody’s Got Your Back” and the beautiful ballad “Proud of Your Boy”.

The Show: Remember the old technicolor MGM movie musicals? Now imagine one of those made on stage with all the money in the world and a team of stage magicians. That’s what this musical is, an unforgettable feast to all our senses! It’s true, it isn’t a deep show and the characters are little more than stereotypes, specially the wicked ones. There’s no doubt the target audience is kids of all ages and I felt like a child when I saw the magic carpet flying. How did they do it? It’s truly magical! Visually this is one of the strongest shows I have ever seen on stage. I guess costume designer Gregg Barnes must have used all the sequins in the world, set designer Bob Crowley was in a truly inspired mode and lightning designer Natasha Katz had a full day. Director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw keeps the action flowing and the dancing entertaining. The show may be childish, but the emotions are real and I couldn’t resist its enchantments. This is a perfect oiled show and probably Disney’s best stage production ever!

Cast: Dean John-Wilson, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Jade Ewen, Don Gallagher, Peter Howe, Nathan Amzi, Rachid Sabitri, Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Irvine Iqbal
Creative Team: Music by Alan Menken • Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice & Chad Beguelin • Book by Chad Beguelin • Choreography by Casey Nicholaw • Directed by Casey Nicholaw
Photos: Deen Van Meer, Matthew Crockett, Johan Persson
My Rate: 8 (from 1 to 10)

 I got my wish... I saw ALADDIN!

KINKY BOOTS – London 2016: A Theatre Review

The Plot: Charlie inherits his father’s shoe factory, only to discover that things don’t look good for its future. After a chance meeting with drag queen Lola, he decides it’s time to change the factory product and start doing shoes for drag queens.

The Cast: What a cast! Everyone gives their best and fills the stage with life, emotion, great voices and energy. Killian Donnelly convinces us on his journey from a shy guy to an almost son of a bitch. Amy Lennox is terrific as Lauren and is hilarious with “The History of Wrong Guys”. In supporting roles, Jamie Baughan as Don and Michael Hobbs as George shine on their own right. The guys who play the Angels are truly impressive. Finally, last but not least, there’s Matt Henry as Lola; oh my God, he is fantastic! His Lola is bigger than life and whenever he is on stage we forget about the others; it’s impossible not to look at him. Dressed as a woman or as a man, he is a force to be reckoned. Fabulously leading the cast on the big production numbers or bringing the house down with a heartfelt rendition of “Hold Me in Your Heart” in pure Whitney Houston’s style. It’s like Charlie says to Lola: “Whenever you leave the room, there’s always a great big gap”.

The Score: I’m an old fashioned and narrow-minded guy when it comes to music, so it comes as no surprise that Cyndi Lauper’s rock flavored score isn’t my cup of tea. I don’t appreciate much this kind of music, but the big numbers “Sex is in the Heel”, “Everybody Say Yeah” and “Raise You Up” are really exciting and truly contagious on stage. There are also a couple of nice ballads that I enjoyed, “Hold Me in Your Heart” and “Not My Father’s Son”, and an entertaining kind of modern tango, “What a Woman Wants”. Of course I would prefer that a guy like Cy Coleman had written the score, but Cindy Lauper came up with an interesting score that musical fans with an open mind will appreciate much more than I.

The Show: How can we resist the contagious excitement that fills the stage of this musical? We simply can’t. Director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell has a full day and I loved every second. He makes things move swiftly on stage, giving the show a constant rhythm, but he never loses the heart of the story. The big numbers are exciting and the small ones, truly emotional. The fabulous and colorful costumes by Gregg Barnes are a show in their own right. In the end the adrenaline is so high that I wish I could join the cast on stage with my own pair of kinky boots. A truly great time at the theatre! Don’t miss it!

Cast: Killian Donnelly, Matt Henry, Amy Lennox, Jamie Baughan, Amy Ross, Michael Hobbs, Chilie Hart, Gillian Hardie, Jeremy Batt, Arun Blair-Mangat, Marcus Collins, Luke Jackson, Adam Lake, Javier Santos, Philip Town
Creative Team: Music by Cindy Lauper • Lyrics by Cindy Lauper • Book by Harvey Fierstein • Choreography by Jerry Mitchell • Directed by Jerry Mitchell
Photos: Johan Persson, Matt Crockett
My Rate: 9 (from 1 to 10)

 

Me enjoying a pair of kinky boots.

FUNNY GIRL – London 2016: A Theatre Review

The Plot: The story of Ziegfield star, Fanny Brice, from her humble beginnings to her complicated marriage with gambler Nick Arnstein.

The Cast: Taking the role Barbra Streisand made famous and that gave Sheridan Smith great raves, understudy Natasha J. Barnes manages to make it her own. Her Fanny Brice isn’t bigger than life, is more human but big enough to emotion us and her empathy with the public is so natural that I felt like we were friends. Many people say she’s too young for the role, but Streisand was only 22 years old when she created the role on Broadway. Barnes may not have Streisand’s pipes, but she strongly delivers her songs with heart and soul. At the end of the show, while we were all giving her a standing ovation, she couldn’t keep the tears flowing from her eyes. She also shows a perfect comic timing and shares real chemistry with her Nick Arnstein. In this role, Darius Campbell combines charm and style with a sexy voice; no wonder Fanny falls for him. Marilyn Cutts is very good as Fanny’s mother, Joel Montague couldn’t be nicer as Eddie and Bruce Montague could be the real Florenz Ziegfeld.

The Score: The “Overture” is a musical treat and one of the best ever written for the stage and no one wrote overtures like Jule Styne did. In fact, the whole score is pure music perfection with unforgettable classics like “People”, “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “The Music That Makes Me Dance” (one of my favorite torch songs), plus a lot more of great songs, makes this one of the best scores of all times. Curiously, this production has two songs that I never heard before: “Temporary Arrangement” sung by Nick Arnstein and “What Do Happy People Do” sung by the girls; they may not be as good as the other songs, but work great in the context of the show. One thing is sure, they don’t write scores like this anymore.

The Show: Director Michael Mayer had the scary responsibility of directing the first London and Broadway revival of FUNNY GIRL. Produced for London’s Chocolate Factory, this isn’t a big production, but a small one, where everything counts and you need to use your imagination in order to take the best advantage of the material you have in your hands (I loved the use of the side mirrors). And that’s exactly what Mayer did. He never tries to emulate the famous movie adaptation, making this, with the help of a revised book by Harvey Fierstein, his own view of the show. Choreographer Lynne Page doesn’t give us huge productions numbers, but rather functional ones, where the humor works and the cast dances with joy. I confess I never thought I would be lucky enough to see a production of this musical on stage, but I was really fortunate and had a wonderful time with it!

Cast: Natasha J. Barnes, Darius Campbell, Marilyn Cutts, Joel Montague, Bruce Montague, Valda Aviks, Gay Soper, Maurice Lane, Philip Bertioli, Luke Fetherston
Creative Team: Music by Jule Styne • Lyrics by Bob Merrill • Book by Isobel Lennart • Revised Book by Harvey Fierstein • Choreography by Lynne Page • Directed by Michael Mayer
Photos: Johan Persson, Manuel Harlan
My Rate: 8 (from 1 to 10)

 

This is me and Natasha J. Barnes at stage door - June 2016

SHOW BOAT – London 2016: A Theatre Review

The Plot: Magnolia is the naïve daughter of a showboat captain who falls in love with a handsome gambler, Gaylord. At the same time, her best friend and star of the show, Julia, has to leave the boat because of her negro blood.

The Cast: What can I say of the cast? This is a terrific ensemble, where everyone has a chance to shine and I felt they were all emotionally connected with their characters. Every one of them have strong beautiful voices and it’s a pleasure to hear their rendition of songs. My favorites were the girls: Gina Beck is a perfectly innocent Magnolia, Rebecca Trehearn a sensual and beautiful Julie, Sandra Marvin a true winner as Queenie and Alex Young shows great comic timing as Ellie. As for the boys, Tosh Wanogho-Maud delivers a deep and strong “Ol’ Man River” as Joe, Malcolm Sinclair is a terrific Captain Andy, Chris Peluso as Gaylord has the matinee looks of a movie star, last but not least Danny Collins reveals great dancing and comic skills as Frank.

The Score: Wrote in 1927 by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammersmith II, this is still one of the most beautiful scores of all times. The operetta style songs like “Only Make Believe” or “You Are Love”, mix perfectly with the likes of “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”, “Bill”, “Life Upon the Wicked Stage”, “Hey, Feller” and the highly emotional “Ol’ Man River”. Personally, I always loved this score and it’s a pleasure to be able to hear all these great songs live on stage. The truth is, today no one writes songs like this and we are all poorer for that. There’s nothing like a Jerome Kern melody and this is his best work.

The Show: Many years ago, I was lucky to see Harold Prince/Susan Stroman’s big revival of SHOW BOAT and loved every second of it. I never dreamt that I would being seeing a new production of this show, but I did and I enjoyed it. Director Daniel Evans gives us an intimate staging of the show, more centered on the drama of its characters and less worried with giving us big production numbers. Sometimes the action is a little bit too slow for my taste, mainly in the more operatic moments, and I miss Susan Stroman’s more dynamic musical staging. But I liked the fact that sometimes the show happens all around us and the arrival of the boat is a big magic theatrical moment. Above all, Evans is excellent at directing the actors and takes full advantage of their talents. Choreographer Alistair David dances may not be very inventive or even exciting, but sometimes they can be pretty contagious, specially in “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”. The dramatic story always brings a tear or two to my eyes and in the end I surrendered to the simple charms of this classic and to the talented cast. It may not be a great SHOW BOAT, but it sure is an enjoyable one!

Cast: Gina Beck, Chris Peluso, Malcom Sinclair, Sandra Marvin, Tosh Wanogho-Maud, Rebecca Trehearn, Danny Collins, Alex Young, Lucy Briers, Leo Roberts
Creative Team: Music by Jerome Kern • Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II • Book by Oscar Hammerstein II • Choreography by Alistair David • Directed by Daniel Evans
Photos: Johan Persson
My Rate: 7 (from 1 to 10)