Weekly Round Up 26.02.16

Shows Seen (From Saturday To Friday): 0

Shows Booked For Future: 0

This week I posted my review for Hand To God which I saw last Friday. It is unapologetically offensive and rip-roaringly funny as summed up in my review.

Again due to holidays and saving money I have not booked any shows this week and I also have not seen any this week. Though next week I am full out with my birthday surprise show for a friend tomorrow followed by War Horse on Thursday and Chicago (UK Tour) on Friday. 

With my trip to New York now under 2 weeks away I can start getting excited for seeing Something Rotten for which I purchased the soundtrack for this week to get ahead on listening to. I absolutely love it so far. Whilst I'm out there I am planning to try some of the show lotteries so I'm hoping I can share my experiences on this when I return.

Hand To God 19.02.16

Hand To God

Location: Vaudeville Theatre

Date Seen: 19^th February 2016

Seen With: No one

Understudies at This Performance: N/A

Summary

Margery is a woman who has recently become a widow and is caring for her only son Jason. To keep her and Jason occupied she forms a puppet club at the local church hall with Pastor Greg’s blessing. However her good intentions backfire when she receives the attention of one of the teenage group members and when Jason’s puppet Tyrone takes on a life of his own.

Acting

The first thing I will say is that if you’re looking for a serious play then this is not for you. The acting is purposefully over the top and exaggerated. That said it is delivered with such skill that you genuinely believe this is who these characters are. Janie Dee who plays Margery has a brilliant character arc and she performs beautifully as we see her well held exterior come down with an almighty crash as she declares that being good has never done her any good and she wants to be bad. With a small cast, no one can hide from scrutiny and with that I think the actor’s performed with gusto. At times I felt key comedy punch lines were rushed therefore not being heard and the comedic effect was lost. That said, there was no loss of comedy between Jason and Tyrone, the character’s played by Harry Melling. I was convinced at first that Tyrone was a voiceover as the voice was so different but this was not the case. I was in awe at how Melling was able to execute both characters to such a high standard. His role was extremely physically with various incidences of Tyrone his sock pocket beating him up or pinning him down. Not once did I think this was someone pretending to be a sock puppet, I believed that this sock puppet really had come to life and was a separate being to Jason. And that blew my sock off! (pun intended!)

Music & Songs

The auditorium music prior to the show beginning is a compilation of American country music which sets the scene for the play. Throughout the rest of the piece, music and sound is only used for transitions between scenes or as background effect for Tyrone’s antics.

Choreography

N/A

Direction

The direction is clearly evident in this piece as the cast are slick, the use of the space is well judged and it’s clear that it has positively influenced all of the actors. Comedy timing is worked well into this piece and the balance of high energy scenes using the whole space, and more intimate scenes, work well together. The cast has a really high energy and good chemistry between them which makes for a really easy watch. The director has clearly instilled this from an early stage and it was great enjoyment to watch.

Set/Lighting

For the set, imagine a local church hall painted in pale blue. It has what you’d expect – stackable plastic seating, shelves of books and children’s’ toys, bright coloured posters and art work plastering the walls. It seems very realistic and sets the scene extremely well. What I didn’t expect was that the set was like a book with hinges and opens and closes to reveal snippets of other locations such as outside the hall, Jason’s bedroom and Pastor Greg’s office. The lighting is brilliant and best demonstrated during Tyrone’s ‘demonic’ tirade.

Costumes

The costumes are simple but this is all they need to be. I can categorise the puppets and costume here as they are their own person in this play. The puppets uses are hand and rod puppets. The hand is used to move the puppet’s mouth and the rods are used to move the arms. What is clever is how such simple puppets can be used to create such expressiveness, which is down to the acting.

Stand Out Performances

Harry Melling as Jason/Tyrone: I grew up with Melling on my screen as Dudley Dursley from the Harry Potter series but he has grown up into a truly talented actor. What was so impressive about his performance is he is playing 2 characters throughout the piece often interacting with himself between Jason and Tyrone. Each was so distinct and clear that I believed the relationship between him and Tyrone.

Show to Show Comparisons

It’s easy to compare this show to two musicals I’ve scene due to the use of puppetry as seen in Avenue Q and the could-be offensive humour as seen in The Book Of Mormon. Like Avenue Q, the actor and puppets become as one and there is one scene that may make some audiences gasp, though in the case of the evening I went, everyone was in hysterics.

Would I Recommend?

Yes – anyone who enjoyed The Book Of Mormon and/or Avenue Q will probably love this as much as me.

Overall Verdict (Out of 5 Stars):

4 Stars

Weekly Round Up 19.02.16

Shows Seen (From Saturday To Friday): 1 (Tonight)

Shows Booked For Future: 3

My late review for Guys & Dolls (which I saw last week) finally went up today. A combination of being busy at work and preparing for London Super Comic Con this weekend have left me with minimal time to keep my blog posts up to date!

Tonight I will be seeing Hand To God, the Tony nominated play which has transferred from Broadway starring Harry Melling who you may know better as playing Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter film series.

I hadn't planned to book any shows this week but got a reminder in my inbox this week about the general release of tickets for Emma Rice's first season at The Globe and naturally bought tickets for 3 of the shows I wanted to see.

1. A Midsummer Night's Dream

Booked For: 27th May 2016

At: The Globe Theatre

Going With: TBC but I have 1 extra ticket other than mine

2. The Taming Of The Shrew

Booked For: 29th July 2016

At: The Globe Theatre

Going With: My Dad & Sister 

2. Macbeth

Booked For: 19th August 2016

At: The Globe Theatre

Going With: My Dad & Sister 

All of these tickets are Groundling tickets which for those of you who are not aware are £5 tickets to stand in the yard. Standing for close to 3 hours is tough but its a good way to see such fantastic theatre at an amazingly low price. You are at the mercy of the elements but I'm hoping with at least the last 2 that summer will be kind like it was last year when I saw Much Ado About Nothing!

I've got no shows planned for next week but my review for Hand To God should be posted at some point.

Guys & Dolls 10.02.16

Guys & Dolls

Location: Savoy Theatre

Date Seen: 10^th February 2016

Seen With: 1 Friend

Understudies at This Performance: Carl Patrick as Benny Southstreet & Max Parker as Rusty Charlie

Summary

Guys and Dolls is a set in New York and revolves around the themes of gambling and relationships between various ‘guys’ and ‘dolls’. To get the money for secure a location for a big craps game, Nathan Detroit bets Sky Masterson $1000 to woo Sarah Brown, a conservative woman who is part of the local missions. It’s a bet he thinks he cannot lose but as he finds out, every gamble is a risk.

Acting

Whilst this musical is very exaggerated and over the top with the characters a caricature of stereotypes, there are lots of moments to see raw acting in various scenes. I felt the scenes where Jamie Parker as Sky Masterson and Siubhan Harrison as Sarah Brown really delivered as there was great on stage chemistry between these two actors and I truly believed they fell in love. That said, I felt that in some places could have been stronger and more rounded. I think this is probably down to direction but from my understanding of the plot, Nathan Detroit should have been more resilient to Adelaide’s yearnings for marriage early on rather than seeming rather complicit all the through. When he finally did agree to marry her it didn’t seem to come as a surprise.  

Music & Songs

The music in this show is varied but has real impact. I felt elated when I left the theatre singing along to some of the bigger and well known numbers. The orchestra have to be congratulated here for producing such a brilliant sound. The songs have great variety and are extremely memorable. I don’t currently own the soundtrack for this show but its near the top of my list to do so to really dig deep into the lyrics and melodies.

Choreography

I absolutely adored the choreography in this show and ranks highly in my favourite of all time. I can capture my feelings for the choreography in reflecting on 2 numbers in particular. The ‘Crapshooters Dance’ is a dance and movement piece with great use of timing and levels. I recall during the applause my mouth was gaping opening and I just went ‘wow’. The other number that stood out was ‘Sit Down, You’re Rocking The Boat’. The use of the full stage with the full company was a visual delight.

Direction

The direction was great for the most part of this show. I loved how everything was staged particularly how the large company numbers contrasted with the intimacy of just having one of the couples on stage sharing their moment. As mentioned with the acting, I do think that some things were missed and that characters such as Nathan Detroit were not as rounded as they could have been and I think more intervention here would have helped.

Set/Lighting

The set used is a touring set and for me doesn’t have the wow factor of some West End sets in existence. That said, it uses old advertisements well in the backdrop to set each scene up and the various movable pieces of set assist with creating the atmosphere of the mission, Havana and the sewers. The lighting has been cleverly used and really enhances the different settings. I particularly noted this in the Havana scenes as the choice of orange and yellow tones really felt like you had been travelled to the warm and sunny climate.

Costumes

The costumes really stood out to me. The guys are donned in brightly coloured and highly patterned suits which are bold and really stand out on the stage. The female costumes are also bright but fit with the 50s style with circle skirt dresses and bustiers. The Hot Box costumes are cheeky and slightly cheesy which fits perfectly.

Stand Out Performances

It’s hard to pick out stand outs in this show as the company was so strong but there were 2 people for me that managed to capture my memory and were my talking points on leaving the theatre.

Jamie Parker as Sky Masterson. As a keen Harry Potter fan, I was interested to see Jamie on stage ahead of The Cursed Child (for which I still don’t have tickets for). And he impressed me above and beyond anything I ever expected. He captures his character’s smooth talking persona perfectly and to me he wasn’t an actor, he was Sky Masterson. His vocals blue me away with rich, soulful tones. If you can get to see him in Guys & Dolls before he moves on, then you must.

Gavin Spokes as Nicely Nicely Johnson. It didn’t take long to remember my friend and I had seen Gavin as the lead in One Man, Two Guvnors when it came to Dartford. He has the same impeccable comedy timing and exciting stage presence as he did then. He captured my attention immediately and leads ‘Sit Down, You’re Rocking The Boat’ with ease. Hopefully this isn’t the last time I see him on stage!

Show to Show Comparisons

I can’t think of any show that I’ve seen so far that I can directly compare this to but what made this show stand out for me were the slick routines.

Would I Recommend?

Yes.

Overall Verdict (Out of 5 Stars):

4 Stars - the only reason for knocking in 1 star was for the lack of roundness with the acting which I feel is attributed to the direction more than anything.

Weekly Round Up 12.02.16

Shows Seen (From Saturday To Friday): 1

Shows Booked For Future: 0

This week I saw Guys & Dolls for which I am hoping to produce the review for early next week. What I will say early on is that it was another show that completely took me surprise.  Also this week I posted my first hints and tips blog post about how I get good value on my theatre tickets - My Personal Go To Sites For Buying Tickets.

As with last week, I once again haven't booked any shows this week due to saving for my 2 holidays in March.

Next week I have one show lined up which is Hand To God. It will be my first solo theatre trip for quite some time as all the shows I've seen this year have been with friends and family.

My Personal Go To Sites For Buying Tickets

Last year as my number of shows crept up, I found myself asking myself ‘where is the best place to sit?’ and ‘how do I make my money go further?’

I want to pass on what I've found and learnt starting with how I very rarely pay full price for a ticket. It's the reason why I've been able to afford to see so many shows. In a later post I will provide an insight on the sites I use that provide reviews of the view from your seats.

Read how I rarely pay full price below.

Shopping Around

The first thing you can do is shop around. There are lots of ticket agent sites online so it is worth comparing prices with these and the show websites. Some sites may have offers not featured elsewhere and you may find yourself a bargain. If you do buy tickets from an online agent make sure they have the STAR – Secure Tickets from Authorised Retailers.

Shopping around takes time until you know what the best websites to go to are so initially it will take you a while.

I personally don’t find this to be the best way so I normally do the following…

Sign Up To Mailing Lists

Not everyone likes receiving marketing emails however I sign up to all the theatre mailing lists I can as most of the time I book tickets, its because I've had a promotional offer come through. Some of the mailing lists I am signed up to are:

LOVEtheatre - www.lovetheatre.com

What’s On Stage - www.whatsonstage.com

See TICKETS - www.seetickets.com

Ticketmaster - www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Get Into London Theatre - www.getintolondontheatre.co.uk

I’ve had great luck with many of these, LOVEtheatre in particular. I wouldn't normally book tickets from them as the booking fees are quite high but they regularly have flash sales. For example, last year I got a £67.50 ticket for Bend It Like Beckham for £15.00 in one flash sale! Get Into London Theatre have periods of releasing tickets for a set period of time for set prices. In December I purchased £40 tickets (originally £67.50 or £59.50) for 3 different shows – and for 2 of those shows I'm in the second row of the stalls.

So if you want to get good deals, I’d suggest starting to let you mailbox get full with these promotional emails!

If I Do Pay Full Price…

… I normally buy direct from the theatre to avoid paying booking and transaction fees that some third party sites charge. The main times I go direct is for top shows that rarely have discounts such as Les Miserables and The Book Of Mormon. Both of these shows can be booked through Delfont Mackintosh and I've always had a positive experience with them. Also sign up to theatre chains’ mailing lists as they also do good ticket deals – I've had good deals for Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Mamma Mia! in the past.

So with that in mind, see if you can grab a deal and if this has managed to help, let me know in the comments below.

Weekly Round Up 05.02.16

Shows Seen (From Saturday To Friday): 0

Shows Booked For Future: 0

I've not seen any shows this week but I did post my review for Miss Saigon which has brought some incredible traffic to the blog this week thanks to a retweet from the Miss Saigon Twitter account.

I also haven't booked any shows this week due to saving for my 2 holidays in March!

I've am seeing Guys & Dolls with my best friend next week at The Savoy which is a show I've never seen so I'm really looking forward to it and to reviewing it! I am also going to try (again!) to post on how I normally avoid paying full price for my show tickets.

Miss Saigon 27.01.16

Miss Saigon

Location: Prince Edward Theatre

Date Seen: 27^th January 2016

Seen With: 1 Friend

Understudies at This Performance: Sooha Kim as Kim, Christian Rey Marbella as The Engineer and Claire Parrish as Ellen

Summary

Miss Saigon is the story of a Vietnamese bar girl who falls in love with an American GI during the Vietnam War. This is a story of love, loss and desperation and how a mother would make the absolute sacrifice for her child. This is the 4^th time I’ve seen this show but it felt like a fresh show for me due to the understudies who brought something unique to each of the roles they played.

Acting

The acting in this is superb. Whether it be the fraught emotions of Kim, the mischievous nature of the Engineer or the sheer desperation from the Vietnamese population – each person who steps foot on the stage delivers to the top of their game. There wasn’t a single moment where I did not believe in what each character was going through.

Music & Songs

The music and songs are what drive this show for me. There are very small breaks for actual dialogue that isn’t sung. The style of the music really transports you to Vietnam at is various difference times throughout the piece.

Choreography

The choreography is strong throughout, whether it is simply through the staging or for specific choreographed numbers. The Heat Is On In Saigon and The Morning Of The Dragon and good examples of the strength of the choreography in the show. Each shows something completely different but are both visually spectacular.

Direction

It is clear that the direction in this show is strong. I know from watching the behind the scenes DVD how certain elements are set up or created and the vision behind it. It really is an insight and to see what I mean I’d urge you to watch the DVD.

Set/Lighting

The use of set in this show is extremely well done. Two main set pieces on either side generate various levels providing an interested visual particularly in the group scenes. The removable ‘Dreamland’ and backstage night club set pieces help to really set the scene. But it’s the set in ‘Kim’s Nightmare’ which steals this show. The clever use of gates to see the points of view of the Vietnamese trying to get to America and the view from the GIs witnessing this desperation is captivating and unsettling. And the way the helicopter is simulated is the set stealer of the whole show. I won’t post spoilers to explain how this is done but it really is phenomenal.

Costumes

The costumes are fantastic in this show. Whether it’s the racy night club costumes, the military GIs uniforms or the Vietnamese clothing, each costume has its place and complements the setting.

Stand Out Performances

Sooha Kim as Kim: What I loved about her performance was her vulnerability. I found she used this to her advantage and her renditions of ‘I’d Give My Life For Your’ and ‘Sun and Moon’ really captured this. I really believed she was whisked away on this romance and I often saw in her face that this really was a bar girl who has just been given a winning ticket out of her poor situation. Her vocals were beautiful and delicate; her first notes in ‘The Heat Is On In Saigon’ really sent shivers down my spine.

Christian Rey Marbella as The Engineer: I absolute love Jon Jon Briones’ engineer so was interested to see Christian’s – and he did not disappoint. All of the mannerisms that make The Engineer were present. He found a good balance

Hugh Maynard as John: The specific part of his performance that was stand out was the final build up in Bui Do. I’ve heard him perform this song before but nothing like what I heard this time round. The power and the passion got and audible ‘wow’ from my friend next to me and he got a huge applause which was well deserved.

Show to Show Comparisons

I have to compare this to other times I’ve seen Miss Saigon. I’ve never seen the same mix of cast once – different Engineer’s, Chris’ and Ellen’s, and this time a cover Kim. I personally still prefer Alister Brammer’s interpretation of Chris as he came across as more naïve and therefore more convincing in the whirlwind romance. I think this is just a personal preference and in no way reflective on the current actor’s performance.

Other than that, I think the show on this night was as strong as always. I actually really enjoyed seeing a different cast as I have a real appreciation for different actors’ takes on roles and different ways of singing a particular song.

Anyone who is disappointed (and I have on occasion when a certain person isn’t on) with covers in the principal roles, should hold off judgement until after the performance. I have been pleasantly surprised on most occasions and for some shows even preferred the understudies!

Would I Recommend?

Yes. If you can see it before it shuts on 27^th February 2016 then do. My friend who accompanied me was seeing it for the first time and was blown away. His reaction said it all.

Overall Verdict (Out of 5 Stars):

5 Stars