The Bodyguard – Dominion Theatre 

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The Bodyguard is a 1992 movie by Lawrence Kasdan featuring the music of and starring Whitney Houston, with Kevin Cosner featuring as her bodyguard, Frank Farmer. It has been adapted into a stage musical by Alexander Dinelaris. The story follows singer and actress Rachel Marron’s journey in her bid to win an Oscar and her battle to avoid the grasp of her mysterious, obsessive stalker. The musical adaptation of the film gives a different take on the story, telling it from Rachel’s point of view instead of Frank’s and there are also differences in the plot.

Beverley Knight (The Bodyguard, Memphis, Cats) reprised her role as Rachel Marron (she played Marron in 2013 as her stage debut at the Adelphi Theatre). Knight’s voice is nothing short of spectacular, singing Houston’s vocally-challenging songs with ease and grace and delivering a knockout performance. Knight excels with ‘Queen of the Night’, which is the perfect opening for the show and demonstrates the crowd-pleasing and diva side of Rachel’s character. The audience also sees a softer side to Rachel, particularly when she is with her son, Fletcher.

Ben Richards (Aladdin, Rock of Ages, Hollyoaks (TV)) starred as Frank Farmer. Richards is brilliant as the strong, handsome bodyguard and Marron’s protector. He also gives the audience a comic moment when Richards pretends he can’t sing and performs ‘I Will Always Love You’ at a karaoke night, which is then followed by Knight’s breathtaking performance of ‘I Have Nothing’.

Rachel John (Memphis, Rent, We Will Rock You) played Nicki Marron, Rachel’s older sister, who harbours intense jealousy of her sister’s career success. John is fantastic in the role, singing ‘Saving All My Love’ perfectly and also performs ‘Run To You’ as a beautiful duet with Knight.

The ensemble are also outstanding, delivering high energy and exciting dance numbers, particularly with ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’.

‘I Will Always Love You’ is a standout number in the show, along with ‘One Moment In Time’, which is fabulously performed by Knight and builds to the dramatic climax of the musical.

Overall, The Bodyguard is a great show, fantastic fun with powerful music and a talented cast. The story is slightly weak, but the spectacular performances of Whitney Houston’s much-loved hits more than make up for this. This production of The Bodyguard is currently showing at the Dominion Theatre for a limited run until 7th January 2017.

For more information on your visit to the Dominion Theatre, visit West End Theatre Guide’s website:
http://www.westendtheatreguide.london/west-end-theatres/dominion-theatre/

Guys and Dolls – Phoenix Theatre

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phoenix-theatre-guys-and-dolls

Guys and Dolls is a musical by Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser based on ‘The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown’ and ‘Blood Pressure’, two short stories by Damon Runyon. It follows the story of New York City gamblers in pursuits of their luck-made fortunes and ladies.

Simon Lipkin (Miss Atomic Bomb, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, Rock of Ages) plays Nathan Detroit, who runs illegal crap gambling games, to the ignorance of his fiancée of 14 years, Miss Adelaide. Lipkin is sensational in the role, playing Detroit with great comic ability and timing, delivering a particularly touching performance of ‘Sue Me’.

Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect (TV), Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (TV), Night of the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (TV)) makes her West End debut as Miss Adelaide, Nathan Detroit’s long-suffering fiancée and dancer in a club, the Hot Box.

Sky Masterson is played by Oliver Tompsett (We Will Rock You, Rock of Ages, Wicked). Masterson is a gambler with a reputation for making crazy bets who falls in love with Sarah Brown, a missionary leader, after taking her to Havana on a bet. Tompsett is phenomenal in the role playing the cool, slick gambler with charm, delivering ‘Luck Be A Lady’ fantastically, a highlight of the show. Seeing Lipkin and Tompsett together on stage again is a particular delight, reliving the duo’s Rock of Ages success.

Siubhan Harrison (I Call My Brothers, The Armour, From Here to Eternity) plays Sarah Brown, a local missionary worker, who although she believes she knows who her ideal man will be, singing ‘I’ll Know’, reluctantly falls for Sky Masterson. Harrison delivers spectacular vocals, particularly with ‘If I Were A Bell’.

Gavin Spokes (One Man Two Guvnors, 1984, She Stoops to Conquer) played Nicely Nicely Johnson, and leads the cast in the standout number of the show, ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat’. Spokes also performs ‘Guys and Dolls’, a fabulous duet with Jason Pennycooke (Memphis, La Cage Aux Folles, Kiss Me Kate), who plays Benny Southstreet.

Guys and Dolls features many high energy, slick dance numbers. The ensemble are all spectacular, with Selina Hamilton (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Rock of Ages, Dirty Dancing) standing out, particularly in ‘Havana’.

Overall, Guys and Dolls is a marvellous show with swing-style music, brilliant dance numbers and a gangster vibe throughout. The musical is currently showing at the Phoenix Theatre. Lipkin, Wilson, Tompsett and Harrison will finish their runs in August, with new cast to be announced, booking until January 2017.

For more information on the Phoenix Theatre, visit West End Theatre Guide’s website: http://www.westendtheatreguide.london/west-end-theatres/phoenix-theatre/

Return to In The Heights – King’s Cross Theatre

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In The Heights is a musical by Quiara Alegria Hudes, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda (whose other work includes the acclaimed Hamilton). It began its life on a stage at Wesleyan University, Connecticut in 1999. An updated version of the show was staged at the National Music Theatre Conference in Watford, Connecticut in 2005, before it opened on Off-Broadway and then on Broadway. In The Heights premiered in the UK at the Southwark Playhouse in May 2014 and then transferred to the King’s Cross Theatre the following year.

The show is set in Washington Heights, a suburb of New York City, and tells the story through the eyes of struggling business owners: Usnavi, who runs a convenience store; Daniela, a local salon owner, and her employee, Vanessa; and Kevin and Camila Rosario, who run a taxi business, and their daughter, Nina, and employee Benny.

Sam Mackay (Wonder.land, Flashdance, Mamma Mia) played Usnavi and gave a fantastic performance of the opening number, ‘In The Heights’. He runs the local convenience store in partnership with his cousin, Sonny, who is played by Cleve September (The Last Days of Troy). Usnavi was raised by Abuela Claudia, played by Norma Atallah (Oklahoman!, Evita, Chicago) who recently took over from Eve Polycarpou.

Nina was played by Lily Frazer (Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables) who was excellent in the role. Her performance of ‘Breathe’ was very touching and she demonstrated great vocal ability throughout the show. Gabriela Garcia (Hot Stuff, Ghost, Sweet Charity), first cover for Nina, is also phenomenal in the role and is a real treat to watch, playing Nina with a youthful innocence and fabulous vocals.

Kevin and Camila Rosario are played by David Bedella (Rocky Horror Show, Sweeney Todd, Chicago) and Josie Benson (Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera, Why Don’t You Just Sing Jazz?). Bedella’s performance ‘Inútil’ was a vulnerable and tender moment in the show, and Benson gave a standout vocal performance of ‘Enough’. Vas Constanti (Miss Saigon, The Rocky Horror Show, Flashdance), understudy for Kevin, is also very good in the role.

Joe Aaron Reid (Ghost, Catch Me If You Can, Chicago) played Benny, who has had a past relationship with Nina which is rekindled during the show. Reid gave a wonderful performance, particularly during ‘Benny’s Dispatch’.

Philippa Stefani (Evita, I Can’t Sing, Grease) played Daniela and she gave a standout performance overall and sang the highlight musical number of the show, ‘Carnival Del Barrio’.

Vanessa was played by Christine Allado (Beyond the Fence, Here Lies Love, From Here To Eternity), who recently took over the role from Jade Ewen. Allado is magnificent is the role, bringing energy and life to the part. She harmonised perfectly with Mackay in ‘Champagne’.

Overall, the dancing is phenomenal and the music has a wonderful groove, capturing the vibrancy of the New York suburb brilliantly. In The Heights is high energy, fresh and rhythmic – a carnival on stage, as embodied in the fantastic musical number ‘Carnival Del Barrio’!

Doctor Faustus – Duke of York’s Theatre

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Artistic Director Jamie Lloyd’s interpretation of Christopher Marlowe’s 400 year old play is stunning, hard-hitting and innovative, and its troubling and all too familiar messages and images will continue to resonate long after seeing the production.

Marlow took his inspiration from the German legend of Faust, the story of a successful yet unhappy and discontented scholar who makes a deal with the Devil, selling his soul in return for knowledge and pleasure. The legend has inspired many other writers, including Goethe, whose Faust is more closely connected to the legend, with the main difference between the two being that Dr Faustus actually suggests the wager. The Faustian pact is present in popular culture, in novels, films and television series, and, famously, the 1930s blues singer Robert Johnson, who was found dead aged 27, is alleged to have made a deal at a crossroads for his talent, and indeed there are references to this in his songs. The story takes many forms, both in fiction and in real life, but the question is always: how much would you give up to get what you want?

Marlowe’s play tells the story of Doctor John Faustus who makes a pact with the Devil, selling his soul in return for the power of black magic to make him into a world-renowned conjurer and friend to the rich and famous. Faustus rides high, enjoying his fame, wealth and adoration, and abusing his power by playing cruel practical jokes. He appears uncaring where his power comes from but he becomes all too aware when the pact matures and the Devil collects. Throughout the play, Faustus declines all of Heaven’s offers of redemption, however, by the end, he begs for this opportunity but it never comes. Faustus has human moments when he is around Wagner, who he is attracted to and seems to really care for, and it is only when he is with her that he turns away from the Devil and wishes to undo what he has agreed. However, chillingly, he turns even that to evil when he murders and rapes her and so completes his descent into hell.

Mephistopheles is Faustus’ ever-present “guiding light”, a demon who both encourages him to “sin big”, insisting this is the way to rise above the eternal mediocrity of the human race, but equally tries to warn him against his proposed pact with Lucifer, telling him that hell is indeed real and terrible, a fact which Faustus soon comes to realise, but all too late.

This production features Game of Thrones star Kit Harington in the title part. He gives a fantastic performance as the troubled and damned Doctor. Jenna Russell (Merrily We a Ride Along, Grey Gardens, Guys and Dolls) is outstanding as the wonderfully twisted and demented Mephistopheles. It is a gritty, unconventional version of the play, at times funny, then sad, and then terrifying, with many current political references, and we see a chilling echo in our own times, in our celebrity-obsessed, greed-ridden society, desiring fame and fortune and demanding instant gratification, but at what price? As Mephistopheles tells us: ”Where we are is hell, and where hell is must we ever be.”

Marlowe’s work is vividly brought to life under Jamie Lloyd’s skilful direction. It is violent, bloody and disturbing, but it is a must-see! Doctor Faustus is showing at the Duke of York’s Theatre until 25th June.

The Musical Marathon – King’s Cross Theatre

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The Musical Marathon was organised by Paul Taylor-Mills and cast by Will Burton at the King’s Cross Theatre bringing together West End stars for a concert to raise funds for Orchid Cancer Appeal, a charity helping to fight male cancer.

Paul Taylor-Mills is an acclaimed producer who has recently won three Olivier awards and he will be producing the new season of shows at the St James Theatre, recently acquired by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Taylor-Mills presented the show, along with Ben Hewis, Deputy Editor of What’s On Stage, and Phil Cornwall was the musical director.

The evening was opened by Kim Criswell (Annie Get Your Gun, Into The Woods, Carrie) singing ‘Don’t Rain on my Parade’ from Funny Girl, and what an opening it was! Criswell demonstrated outstanding vocal ability, as perhaps would be expected from her esteemed theatre credits, but still awe-inspiring! She later performed a gorgeous duet with Evelyn Hoskins (Carrie, Sound of Music (TV), Casualty (TV)) from last year’s revival of Carrie the Musical, singing ‘Eve Was Weak’. Hoskins also performed the song ‘Carrie’ from this musical.

Liam Doyle (Wicked, Ghost, West Side Story) sang James Bay’s ‘Running’, delivering this beautiful love song very tenderly.

Jodie Steele (Dick Whittington and His Cat, Legally Blonde, Jesus Christ Superstar), currently starring in The War of the Worlds at the Dominion Theatre, performed ‘Runnin’ by Beyoncé and ‘Heart Shape Wreckage’ with Michael Vinsen (Book of Mormon, Legally Blonde, Grease), currently starring in Kinky Boots. Both sets were beautifully delivered and Steele has a sensational voice. Vinsen dueted with Ross William Wild (The Witches of Eastwick, We Will Rock You, Grease) singing ‘Bare’ from the musical in which they starred at the Greenwich and Union Theatres.

Nathan Amzi (Rock of Ages, Urinetown, In The Heights), soon to be starring in Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre, performed AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ which was interestingly accompanied by a piano, with no guitars in sight. Amzi has a spectacular rock voice and later sang the chorus of Meatloaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ Shirley Bassey style! Amzi also sang the Motown song ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ with In The Heights star Christine Allado, which again was a huge crowd-pleaser and really powerful performance.

Some of the cast of In the Heights, showing at the King’s Cross Theatre, joined the show. Gabriella Garcia (Hot Stuff, Sweet Charity, Ghost) and Sarah Naudi (In The Heights, Porn – the Musical) performed ‘Baby Dream Your Dream’ and Christine Allado (Beyond the Fence, Here Lies Love, From Here To Eternity), who recently joined the cast as Vanessa, and Michael Cortez (Ghost, Rent, Daddy Cool) sang the song ‘Champagne’ from In The Heights.

Zizi Strallen (Rock of Ages, Cats, Carman), currently on UK tour with Mary Poppins playing the title part, performed Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ showcasing her talents as an amazing vocalist and talented pianist.

Emma Kingston (In The Heights, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Grease), currently in Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre, sang ‘Listen’, the second Beyoncé song of the night, with incredible power and emotion. It is a very touching song and Kingston’s performance certainly delivered.

Jodie Jacobs (Rock of Ages, Carrie, Legally Blonde) closed the show with ‘My Way’. There were many, many amazing moments throughout the concert but this was the perfect closer to the evening from a spectacular singer with so much power and depth as well as a crazy sense of humour. It was a breath-taking performance and a very fitting end to a wonderful evening.

Overall, the concert was an amazing display of wonderful talent, raising money for a very worthy cause. Paul Taylor-Mills will very shortly be running the London Marathon and we wish him the very best of luck and thank him for organising such a fantastic evening!

Kinky Boots – Adelphi Theatre

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Kinky Boots is an award-winning musical by Harvey Fiernstein, with music by Cyndi Lauper. It is based on Geoff Deane and Tim Firth’s 2005 film. Following success on Broadway, the show opened in the West End’s Adelphi Theatre in September 2015 under the direction of Jerry Mitchell.

The show is primarily set in a shoe factory in Northampton. This city has been and continues to be a prime location for the shoemaking industry, dating back to the time of the English Civil War. Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie Price and his bid to save his late father’s failing shoe factory. Charlie forms a partnership with drag queen Lola, and the factory discontinues the production of comfortable, expensive men’s shoes and begins to make a range of glamorous, glittering, stiletto-heeled, kinky boots targeted at the male transvestite market in time for modelling at a Milan fashion show.

Charlie Price is played by Killian Donnelly (Memphis, The Commitments, The Phantom of the Opera). Price reluctantly takes over his father’s business, leaving behind his life in London with his fiancée, Nicola (played by Amy Ross (Sunny Afternoon, Jesus Christ Superstar, Legally Blonde)), who soon leaves him when he becomes absorbed by his work. Donnelly is fantastic in the role and delivers ‘Soul of a Man’ passionately.

Matt Henry (Avenue Q, Saturday Night Fever, Hair) played Lola. Lola is a drag queen who performs in clubs and comes up with the design for the boots. He stresses the boots need to be “two and a half feet of irresistible tubular sex” rather than comfortable, singing ‘Sex Is In The Heel’. The character is endearing because Lola stays true to himself despite continued taunts and homophobic remarks. Henry steals the show, performing the part with transfixing, magnetic confidence and style.

Lauren starts out the show working on the production line in the factory, but moves into an executive role and is also a love interest to Charlie. Amy Lennox (The Last Five Years, Tracks, Legally Blonde) is phenomenal in the role, demonstrating incredible vocal ability with ‘The History of Wrong Guys’ and ‘Hold Me In Your Heart’.

Don, played by Jamie Baughan (Chicago, Dick Whittington, Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf), is a factory worker with homophobic tendencies who is bewildered by the unconventional Lola. His comments are often hurtful but he sees the error of his ways in the end and rises to Lola’s challenge to “accept people for who they are”.

The show has some really strong and memorable musical highlights. ‘I’m Not My Father’s Son’ is a tender and very touching moment in the show when Charlie and Lola share their experiences of having disappointed their fathers, who had wanted them to take over the family business and become a boxer respectively. ‘Everybody Say Yeah’ closes Act 1 and is the celebration of the first pair of kinky boots to come off the production line. The number is marvellously set (the work of David Rockwell), making clever use of conveyor belts. ‘Raise You Up/Just Be’ closes the show, starting with an out-of-place Charlie clumsily making his way down the Milan fashion show runway in high-heeled boots, but Lola and his ensemble (The Angels), and the factory workers, strut down the runaway showing the boots off with style.

Kinky Boots is a sensational, feel-good show, full of flamboyant sex appeal, wonderful music, slick dance routines and an amazingly talented cast.

For more information on your visit to the Adelphi Theatre visit our partner’s, West End Theatre Guide London, website: http://www.westendtheatreguide.london/west-end-theatres/adelphi-theatre/

Sunny Afternoon – Harold Pinter Theatre

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Harold Pinter Theatre

Sunny Afternoon is a musical by Joe Penhall, telling the story of the British rock ‘n’ roll band, The Kinks. The show began its life at the Hampstead Theatre in 2014 before transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre.  It follows the London band’s journey, which was troubled by management difficulties, opposition due to their on-stage behaviour, internal rivalries within the band, personal struggles, as well as being the only band at the time to be banned from the USA. The story begins in 1963 with the formation of the band, was made up of Ray Davies, the lead singer and songwriter, Dave Davies, the lead guitarist, Pete Qualife, the bass guitarist and Mick Avory, the drummer. The Kinks quickly found success and took the world by storm, selling millions of records and with Ray Davies’ songwriting ability being regarded as genius.

Ray Davies was played by Danny Horn (The Dead Dogs, The Revenger’s Tragedy).  Horn is magnificent in the role giving a first class performance.  He conveys Ray’s internal struggles at the same time as giving amazing performances of the Kinks’ best-loved music.  Ray Davies thought in song and so the music of The Kinks often reflected his emotions and thoughts at the time.  Rasa, Davies’ wife, played by Megan Leigh Mason (The Elephant Man, Boeing Boeing, Godspell), sang backing vocals on numerous Kinks’ records.  Mason has a beautiful voice and gives a tender performance of ‘I Go To Sleep’.

Dave Davies, Ray’s younger brother and lead guitarist for the band, was played by Oliver Hoare (Romeo and Juliet, School for Scandal, The Jungle Book).  Hoare is magnetic and dangerous in the archetypical wild-child, rock-star role, with a penchant for women and alcohol and a disregard for authority, and he swaggers around the stage with confidence and style.

Mick Avory was played by Damien Walsh (Dreamcoats and Miniskirts, Dreamcoats and Petticoats, Rock and Roll Cinderella), who is a fantastic drummer. Mick and Dave have a fierce dislike of each other, which comes to a head with an on-stage fight at a performance in Cardiff in 1965 where Avory knocked Davies unconscious causing a wound needing several stitches.

Pete Quaife was played by superb guitarist, Tom Whitelock (Romeo and Juliet, A Clockwork Orange, Dracula).  Quaife considers himself the outsider of the band and almost leaves the group.

Sunny Afternoon is a wonderful celebration of the music of The Kinks.  There are many, many highlights in the show, including the first blasting of the iconic ‘You Really Got Me’ five-note riff which vibrates and rocks the entire auditorium and ‘Waterloo Sunset’ is also phenomenal.  Another standout number is ‘Sunny Afternoon’ set around England’s 1966 World Cup triumph.  The show comes to a sensational end with a wonderful mix of ‘Lola’ and ‘You Really Got Me’.

It is an outstanding show, with great music and a stunning cast, and is one of the most uplifting and fun musicals currently in the West End.  Sunny Afternoon is currently showing at the Harold Pinter Theatre and will be touring the UK from August 2016.

For more information on your visit to the Harold Pinter Theatre, visit our partner’s, West End Theatre Guide London, website – http://www.westendtheatreguide.london/west-end-theatres/harold-pinter-theatre/

The End of Longing – Playhouse Theatre

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The End of Longing is a dark comedy written by and starring Matthew Perry. The play is set primarily in a funky bar in LA, where two female friends (Stephanie and Stevie) and two male friends (Jack and Joseph) meet to exchange thoughts on life, with often very humorous commentaries on the singles’ lifestyles.

Jack is a seemingly-shallow man, an alcoholic, although he prefers to call it “professional drinking”, who falls for Stephanie. Stephanie is a high-class call-girl/prostitute who is making a fortune plying her trade, but, against all odds, falls in love with Jack. The two share many characteristics, both of them having a self-destructive habit that they fool themselves into thinking makes them happy, but in the end, they realise their affection for one another and try to change their ways. There are many comic moments along the way, but the underlying story is one of two pretty desperate and damaged souls who’ve lost their way in life.

Stephanie’s friend, Stevie, is a neurotic pharmaceutical worker who is desperate to have a baby and, at 37, feels her chances are running out. Joseph is Jack’s best friend, a self-proclaimed unintelligent/stupid man, but he is perhaps the most “normal” and least damaged of the four characters. Stevie and Joseph are aware of their respective friend’s reckless behaviour, but they rarely challenge them on this and have often helped them out of potentially dangerous situations. This couple are very different from one another, but Joseph’s level-headedness is a great balance to Stevie’s over-analytical nature (she cannot understand how he can possibly not have a therapist), and they happily come together and welcome a baby girl, Keaton, into the world.

Matthew Perry (Friends, Mr Sunshine, The Odd Couple) stars in his own play as Jack. The part has small snippets of the much-loved character, Chandler Bing, from the TV sitcom Friends, which is hysterical, but this is a very different character, make no mistake, a much deeper one, a desperate man with a serious internal struggle to overcome his dependency on alcohol. Perry’s final monologue when he attends AA for the first time is a breath-taking plea for help, and alongside all the comedy of this play, this is perhaps the highlight of the show.

Jennifer Mudge (The Philanthropist, Rocky, Reckless) plays Stephanie and is just amazing in the role. She plays Stephanie with bravado and confidence, but she is also a frightened little girl who is afraid (and perhaps ashamed, although she doesn’t realise or admit this) to tell her parents what she really does for a living, and who is afraid to start a new career, having fooled herself into believing her life as an escort is what she wants because she is in charge and earning lots of money.

Stevie is played by Christina Cole (The Magistrate, Romeo and Juliet, Suits (TV)). She gives an outstanding performance, delivering the dialogue quickly and sharply, as suits the neurotic character, as she analyses herself and her lover and questions everything.

Lloyd Owen (The Bodyguard, Good People, Stuff Happens) plays Joseph. He gives an excellent performance as the loyal friend and companion to Jack and then the solid-rock support to Stevie. The character is relatively trouble-free and has a simple outlook on life, and he tries to help first Stevie, and then also Jack and Stephanie, making them all realise that life doesn’t need to always be as complicated and hard as they make it.

The End of Longing is an interesting mix of comedy and darkness, making the audience both laugh and cry. The first act is carefree with many comic one-liners and hilarious scenes, but Act 2 contrastingly turns serious and even sad in places and the whole tone of the show changes very quickly. The flow of the show is not as smooth as it might be – the frequent changes of set makes it feel almost like a TV sitcom, a collection of individual sketches, but the overall feeling is that it could be set anywhere in our dysfunctional world. In conclusion, Matthew Perry has made an excellent playwrighting debut, with smart jokes, well-written dialogue, and flawed but endearing characters, who are searching for love and happiness, and the play’s overall message is that everyone can change.

The play is showing at the Playhouse Theatre until 14th May 2016.

Miss Atomic Bomb – St James Theatre

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Miss Atomic Bomb is a new musical comedy created by Gabriel Vick, Alex Jackson-Long and Adam Long which is making its world premiere at London’s St James Theatre.

It is set in the early-1950s, in “Atomic City USA”, Las Vegas.  Truman, who had agreed to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was still in the White House, and the US was at war in Korea.  It was the time of the Cold War, when “Red Menace” paranoia reigned and there was profound uncertainty about what the next day might bring and “Apocalypse” was everyday vernacular.  There was a dread of nuclear war, and yet also a patriotic fervour and delight over preparations for it.

Nuclear testing was taking place in the Nevada Desert around 50 miles from Las Vegas. The Government ran a PR campaign to convince people that the bombs were not only safe but fun. In true Las Vegas style, it capitalised on the situation: its Chamber of Commerce printed calendars advertising detonation times and the best viewing spots; hotels advertised their rooms based on the best views of the explosions.  The blasts would light up the sky, turning night into day, and the brightness of the flash led some to say that “The sun rose twice” that morning.  Las Vegas’ population more than doubled during the time, and the military employed around 10,000, a boon to the city’s economy.  People as far away as Utah reported animals dying, but no one in the city seemed to notice or care and it seemed the party would go on forever.  The 1963 Limited Test Ban finally put a stop to all above-ground nuclear testing.

Inspired by the bomb tests and beauty pageants of the time, this stunning new musical is set in those times, when people threw all-night parties in sight of the mushroom clouds, and Las Vegas was the tourist destination with its very own nuclear firework show.  The city’s acceptance, and indeed welcome, of the testing even went as far as glamour pageantry, in a search of a beauty queen to represent the American dream and become “Miss Atomic Bomb”.

Candy Johnson is a young sheep farmer in the Nevada desert, but because her sheep are “mysteriously” dying, she plans to travel to California with Myrna Ranapapadophilou, self-proclaimed fashion queen.  However, these plans are soon trampled by Mr Potts, a banker, who reveals their beloved grandmother had debts and he wants to repossess their trailer.  The girls take the trailer, and head off to Las Vegas, hoping to earn the money to repay the debts by entering a beauty contest.

Lou Lubowitz is the newly-appointed manager of the Golden Goose Hotel (after the previous manager’s stint was abruptly “terminated”) who is under pressure from his now bosses to turn around the failing business.  Together with his brother, army runaway Joey, he comes up with a plan to hold a beauty pageant where the winning lady will be crowned “Miss Atomic Bomb”.  People flock to the hotel and the question on everyone’s lips is: who will be Miss Atomic Bomb?

Florence Andrews (Once, Wicked, Dandy Dick) played Candy Johnson.  Andrews is fantastic in the role and sang ‘California’ with great power, conveying the young dreamer’s hopes and ambitions. Candy is transformed into a beauty pageant contestant from sheep farmer, but she never loses her country roots and is one of the few people to question what the government officials and scientists are telling the public about the testing.

Catherine Tate (Doctor Who (TV), The Vote, Assassins) played neurotic fashion-guru Myrna Ranapapadophilou.  In contrast to Candy, Myrna is out of place in the country because she isn’t cut out for farming.  Tate is excellent in the role and performs a hysterical number called ‘Sugardaddy’ with hotel manager, Lou, where the two decide to realise their dreams together.

Lou Lubowitz is played by Simon Lipkin (The Lorax, Assassins, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change).  Lipkin is comic genius as Lou, with really strong vocals and also some great tap-dancing – he performs ‘That Girl (is Miss Atomic Bomb)’ with great showmanship.

Dean John-Wilson (Songs For A New World, Here Lies, From Here To Eternity) played Joey Lubowitz, and makes his deserting soldier character likeable and sympathetic.  John-Wilson gives an emotional performance of ‘I’ll Stay With You’ when Joey decides to stand with his brother rather than running away which he has done all of his life.

Mr Potts, the cunning banker, is played by Daniel Boys (Little Shop of Horrors, Love Story, Spamalot).  He is hysterically funny as he proudly states Candy Johnson’s trailer will be his and then she will be locked up for a very, very long time.

All of the rest of the cast were outstanding, including: Stephane Anelli (Saturday Night Fever, Sinatra, Fiddler on the Roof) as Professor Alvin Schmol who continues to vouch for the atom bomb even though it is producing some unforeseen side effects to those in the ‘blast’ zone, singing ‘Fallout’; Sion Lloyd (The Bodyguard, The Pajama Game, Avenue Q) as Sergeant Flint and Boo Boo; and Olivia Fines (Singin’ in the Rain, The Producers, Grease) as Sharon, one of the Miss Atomic Bomb contestants.

Miss Atomic Bomb is a phenomenal new satirical comedy musical with a lot of potential to be a great success.  The musical numbers are really strong, a mix of jazz, rock n roll and country music, and there are brilliantly choreographed dance numbers by Bill Deamer (who also co-directed with Adam Long).  The show exaggerates American pride and patriotism to comic effect, making a caricature out of devilish bankers and wayward, righteous army officials. Unbelievably, what should have been devastating to the city’s tourism actually put it on the map.

So, who will be Miss Atomic Bomb?!  Everyone buy a ticket and head to the St James Theatre to find out!

In The Heights – King’s Cross Theatre

Posted on by jademcpherson

In The Heights is a musical by Quiara Alegria Hudes with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  It began its life on a stage at Wesleyan University, Connecticut in 1999.  An updated version of the show was staged at the National Music Theatre Conference in Waterford, Connecticut in 2005 before it opened on Off-Broadway and then Broadway.  In The Heights premiered in the UK at the Southwark Playhouse in May 2014 and then transferred to the King’s Cross Theatre.

The show is set in Washington Heights, a suburb of New York City, and tells the story of the neighbourhood through the eyes of struggling business owners: Usnavi, who runs a convenience store; Daniela, a local salon owner, and her employee, Vanessa; and Kevin and Camila Rosario, who run a taxi business.

The Rosarios’ daughter, Nina, a Stanford University freshman, returns home to Washington Heights with bad news for her parents, who are devastated when she tells them that she has lost her scholarship and dropped out.  Later on in the show, Kevin, wanting a better life for his daughter, announces that he has sold the family business to pay for Nina’s tuition, upsetting both his wife and his employee Benny.

Usnavi discovers he has sold a $96,000 winning lottery ticket and the whole neighbourhood dreams of what they would spend that fortune on.  Abuela Claudia, who raised Usnavi, reveals to the audience that she has the winning ticket. When she tells Usnavi, they make plans to return to his homelands, the Dominican Republic.  Shortly after, news comes that Abuela Claudia has passed away and the neighbourhood mourns the woman who was like a mother to all of them.  Usnavi decides that Washington Heights is his home and Nina decides she is going to go back to Stanford.

Sam Mackay (Wonder.land, Flashdance, Mamma Mia) played Usnavi and gave a fantastic performance of the opening number, ‘In The Heights’.  He runs the local convenience store in partnership with his cousin, Sonny, who is played by Cleve September (The Last Days of Troy). Usnavi was raised by Abuela Claudia, played by Eve Polycarpou (Mother Courage and her Children, The Bacchae, Palace of the End) who has a very powerful voice.

Nina was played by Lily Frazer (Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables) who was excellent in the role.  Her performance of ‘Breathe’ was very touching and she demonstrated great vocal ability throughout the show.  Kevin and Camila Rosario are played by David Bedella (Rocky Horror Show, Sweeney Todd, Chicago) and Josie Benson (Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera, Why Don’t You Just Sing Jazz?).  Bedella’s performance ‘Inútil’ was a vulnerable and tender moment in the show, and Benson gave a standout vocal performance of ‘Enough’.

Joe Aaron Reid (Ghost, Catch Me If You Can, Chicago) played Benny, who has had a past relationship with Nina which is renewed during the show. Reid gave a wonderful performance, particularly during ‘Benny’s Dispatch’.

Philippa Stefani (Evita, I Can’t Sing, Grease) played Daniela and she gave a standout performance with ‘Carnival Del Barrio’.

Jade Ewen (former Sugababe, Porgy and Bess, Tonight’s the Night) played Vanessa and gave a incredible vocal and dance performance.

Overall, the dancing is phenomenal and the music has a wonderful groove to it.  In The Heights is high energy, fresh and rhythmic – a carnival on stage, as embodied in the fantastic musical number ‘Carnival Del Barrio’.