Bonus Review: Wicked

Based on the wonderful book by Gregory Maguire, Wicked is a story all about the life and times of the Wicked Witch Of The West, that famous movie villain. The book is full of great ideas, both thought-provoking and quite disturbing. The live musical show, on the other hand, takes the essence of the tale and manages to skip over many of the darker elements. There's a fair bit of comedy here. And, of course, some decent songs.

There's not much else to say about the main storyline. Elphaba (the green one) and Glinda (the good fairy) meet when young, don't get along, and then eventually become friends. The fun comes from seeing the pieces being put in place to turn them into the characters that most people already know. What will turn Elphaba truly wicked? How will Glinda become the Good Fairy if she's not even studying any spellcasting? When will Oz become home to winged monkeys? And will any bad weather bring along a Kansas farmhouse?

It's a fairytale, light-hearted and fun, for the most part, but also not without one or two moments that come very close to providing audience members with the stuff of nightmares (although, personally, I think it's still suitable for most kids - say 8+).

The production values here are all top notch, with the set design and costumes often eye-poppingly gorgeous. Eugene Lee, Susan Hilferty, Kenneth Posner, Elaine J. McCarthy and the rest of the team all collaborate to ensure that the snippets of Oz shown to the audience are unforgettable. Director Joe Mantello must feel privileged indeed, to be at the helm of such a great success (there was never any doubt amongst the audience I was a part of that the production wasn't going to receive a standing ovation at the end of the show). The music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz may not be the most instantly memorable, but they worm their way into your brain thanks to great orchestration and a nice mix of verbal dexterity, at times, and emotional force. "No One Mourns The Wicked" is a solid start, and makes for a nice opener that can also be reprised later, but things really start to pick up when Elphaba belts out "The Wizard And I". The next song, "Dancing Through Life", is also a good one, but "Popular" then comes along, proving to be the most, well, popular of the lot. Other highlights include "I'm Not That Girl", "Defying Gravity", "Wonderful", "No Good Deed" and "For Good". In fact, the only song I didn't really like was "As Long As You're Mine" - just a bit TOO slow and sappy for me, although many others seemed to enjoy the slight romantic interlude.

And here is the bit I always worry about, when reviewing/blogging about live theatre. The cast. It can be difficult to tell who is who, especially in a production like this one (with a fair bit of extra make up on some of the main players), so I'll cross my fingers and hope that I praise the right people here. IF there were any changes to the show then please, please let me know. Ashleigh Gray and Emily Tierney are the ladies playing, respectively, Elphaba and Glinda, and both are fantastic. Powerful, amazing voices are supported by fun, physical performances. Tierney gets most of the best lines, but that's fair enough - her character has to work slightly harder to keep the audience on her side. Samuel Edwards is the main man, Fiyero, who catches the eye of Glinda. And also Elphaba. Edwards may not have a voice quite as powerful as his leading ladies, but he warms up nicely after an unsteady start, and quicky becomes another character you look forward to seeing onstage. Carina Gillespie is Nessarose (Elphaba's wheelchair-bound sister), Marilyn Cutts is Madame Morrible, and Steven Pinder is the (wonderful) Wizard himself. All do fine work, as does Richard Vincent, playing a beleaguered munchkin named Boq.

The music, the colours, the jokes, the themes explored. This is one helluva show. Even the transitions from one scene to the next are incredibly smooth, and I know this may seem like a very dull thing to point out, with different stage elements gliding in and out at different times without interrupting the flow or rhythm of the performances.

Go and see it whenever you get the chance.

*****

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The Lion King

Nope, not the movie. As many Edinburgh residents can't have failed to notice by now, Disney's The Lion King stage musical has rocked up to The Playhouse. Are tickets still available for this show, running until 18th January 2014? Probably, but you may end up spending a bit more because this has been playing to packed houses since it started here on 11th October.

The story is the same as it was in the movie, unsurprisingly, as Simba the lion cub is put in a horrible situation by his uncle Scar and blames himself for the loss of his father, Mufasa (the king). This is all a big power play by Scar, who wants to rule the land and also use some subordinate hyenas to keep everyone in place, and it may pan out brilliantly for him. However, Simba has time to grow older and wiser, with the help of two new friends, Timon and Pumbaa.

So, where do I begin to show my ignorance when it comes to reviewing something of this quality?

Here's the touring cast list, and I apologise for not being able to specifically name-check any of the great actors involved in the show I watched last night. I always miss those opening announcements, either due to bad hearing in my old age or some last-minute excited murmuring from the audience, before the lights dim and a respectful hush descends.

Everyone was good, with the likes of Timon and Pumbaa easily getting most of the laughs, of course. The hyenas were also fun, and Scar was as smooth and menacing as he is in the movie. Other highlights were the characters of Zazu and Rafiki. Simba, Nala, Mufasa et al are all fine, but, as is often the way with Disney tales, it's the comedic supporting cast and the villain getting to steal the show.

Mind you, they have an abundance of visual gorgeousness to compete against, and it's actually the style, colours and sheer creativity that will be seared upon your memory as you leave the theatre. Director Julie Taymor (who gave us the visionary film version of Titus, among others) is the main person to have influenced the adaptation of the movie to the stage, and it shows.

From the opening number - "Circle Of Life" - to the grand finale, this is a veritable feast for the eyes at every turn. And, when sitting in your seats, DO turn. Animals make their way down the aisles and onto the stage as the story begins, while the second half of the show starts off with a variety of birds "flying" to the stage after spending some time over the heads of the audience. There are elephants, giraffes, zebras, and much, much more. It's a veritable menagerie of musical mammals.

As for the sets and scenery, while the show does remains very faithful to the film it flows and makes use of the theatrical trappings beautifully. Two sets, in particular, stand out, those being Pride Rock and the Elephant Graveyard. In line with every other aspect of the production, they give a great sense of grand scale, while also moving smoothly into place wherever and whenever needed.

Perhaps it's not quite as magical and entertaining as Beauty & The Beast, which I was lucky enough to see almost a decade or so ago, but it's yet another triumph for Disney. And, yes, I am very pleased with myself for getting all the way to the end of this review without calling the show "a roaring success."

*****

http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-lion-king/edinburgh-playhouse/

Morgan And West: A Grand Adventure

Morgan and West are time-travelling, Victorian magicians and all-round good eggs. I had the pleasure to catch a clip of their act last year in Edinburgh at the fantastic Forth On The Fringe and so, while wandering the High Street with my daughter a few days ago, was delighted to take one of their cards and find out that they had a show on that very afternoon. I bought tickets and killed some time until my daughter and I headed along to enjoy an hour of magic, thrills and comedy.

Let me start by saying how much I enjoy the style of Morgan and West. They are both likeable, witty and talented men. All-round good eggs, funnily enough. A Grand Adventure sees disaster strike the pair when they lose their big book of secrets and have to travel to the ends of the earth, facing many dangers along the way, to recover it. The story, and the humour contained in many of the set-pieces, is a delight and the staging is perfect - the duo making the most of a sparse set that has all they need while easily setting the scene for imaginative audience members. The magic, unfortunately, isn't always such a delight.

An opening sequence about misdirection and manipulation is a real treat, clever and funny and very impressive, but it's a highlight in a show that constantly fails to dress up the simple mechanics on display in, ironically, a more distracting fashion.

I am neither as talented or dexterous or as smart as these gentlemen, but I knew how a number of the bigger effects were achieved (especially a lengthy routine that involved Mr. Morgan tied up in a sack, but also most of the teashop trickery) and there were some that I didn't even care about by the time of the reveal. Yes, sirs, I'm on about the cracking of the safe.

I'm not saying that the show was bad, because it wasn't, but I was saddened by the fact that many of the tricks were based on principles so simple that I'd read up on them as a teenager. Thankfully, the humour and quirky nature of the characters makes up for a lot. There's also a superbly funny bit involving lots of sugar, an impressive encounter with a famous thief and some fun audience participation (note: if you don't want to be involved then don't sit in the first few rows).

I encourage people to see Morgan And West, despite my average rating for this show, and I'd also encourage people to buy one of their tea towels (they do sell them, they may even mention it during the show), but I know that they are capable of much finer magic than the tricks used in A Grand Adventure. The fact that many moments do, however, feel like a grand adventure is jolly spiffing indeed. Remember their names and be sure to catch them at least once when/if they perform at a venue near you.

***

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image: morganandwest.co.uk

n.b. - all ratings for live shows use the standard 5-star system

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage.

Dirty Dancing eh, if you don't know it then you certainly know OF it. Even if you only know that "nobody puts Baby in the corner". The successful stage show adaptation of the movie is playing at the Edinburgh Playhouse from Tuesday 4th December 2012 - Saturday 12 January 2013 and it proves to be the very definition of a crowd-pleaser.

The story is exactly the same as it was in the movie. A young woman, Frances 'Baby' Houseman (played here by the lovely Jill Winternitz), spends a summer vacation with her parents (played by James Coombes and Julia Nagle) and sister (Emilia Williams) and comes of age while enjoying the company of the staff there, and especially the main male dancer, Johnny (played by Paul-Michael Jones).

Directed for the stage by Sarah Tipple and with Eleanor Bergstein adapting her own movie screenplay, Dirty Dancing can't fail with fans of the film. It just can't. That's a scientific fact.

It's far from perfect though. Okay, I'm clearly not part of the main target audience (my wife enjoyed the show much more than I did and the whooping and hollering women around us were having even more fun) but I enjoyed the music, the dancing and the comedy when it was all working well. The flaws weren't major but I thought I'd list them first nonetheless and get them out of the way:
1) In an attempt to port across so much of the film (and the show seems to include every line from the movie script) the play sometimes feels too clumsy and rambling, especially with one or two transitions to scenes that last a mere minute.
2) The script isn't as sharp as it could be, which I think is down to Bergstein mistakenly thinking that her original work simply holds up as classic stuff. While the movie is a classic of its kind, and while it holds up surprisingly well, it's not a film that is chock full of great lines. I can think of two, which are used in the play, but that's it.
3) The use of the extras in crowd scenes often felt awkward and far too fake. I know that many plays/musicals can have this problem but it felt more pronounced here and, amateur outsider looking in that I am,  I can't help feeling that the staging could have been improved.
These may not seem like major problems but they do affect the whole production, especially in the first half of Act 1.

But enough of my criticism, let's look at everything that the show gets right.

First of all, the cast are pretty much all excellent. Jill Winternitz is a constant delight as Baby and does well with every aspect of the role, whether it's the comedy of her trying to learn how to put some oomph into her dancing or the grace and skill of her moves once she's mastered it all. There may be no replacing the great Patrick Swayze in the eyes of many but, let me tell you, Paul-Michael Jones does an admirable job - he's so good, and apparently so sexy, that I think at least 80% of the females in the audience became pregnant just by watching him. James Coombes and Julia Nagle are both fine and Emilia Williams is okay for Act 1 before coming into her own in Act 2 with some physical comedy that had everyone crying tears of laughter. Michael Remick was also fine as Max Kellerman, the owner of the holiday camp, while Stefan Menaul excelled in the role of Neil Kellerman - the fun, comedy role allowing him to steal a few scenes during Act 1. Nicky Griffiths plays Penny Johnson, the dancer who gets in trouble and causes the chain of events that bring Baby and Johnny closer and closer, while Callum Nicol plays Robbie Gould, the guy who causes that same trouble, and both were very good. And not forgetting Colin Charles as the laid-back Tito Suarez.

Secondly, the music. Of course the music is a winner. Remember how great the soundtrack to the movie was? Well, all of the hits are here. "Be My Baby", "Do You Love Me?", "Love Man", "Wipe Out", "Hungry Eyes" (a favourite track used during a favourite moment), "Love Is Strange" and, of course, "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life". The hits just keep on coming and the familiarity helps the energy of the whole production. I can't have been the only person tapping their feet from start to finish.

Thirdly, the staging of the show is deceptively simple but also very entertaining. Video screens are used to great effect (with an extra layer added, providing setting and comedy, during the dance practice montage that stands as the highlight of Act 1), a live band are positioned above the main players, sometimes in sight and sometimes hidden behind closed shutters, and the moving floor allows for some smooth changes of scenery and an interesting addition to some of the dance numbers.

Last, but by no means least, there's a finale that brings the house down. I admit it, I was grinning and clapping along and loving every moment of the last big number - and many of you will already know what that is. There's a great return to the stage from the swaggering Johnny, there's THAT line of dialogue and then there are the many perfected dance moves, including the one that everyone came along to see, preceded in the showing that I attended by a cheeky little loosening up of the wrist by Paul-Michael Jones (the twinkle in his eye was, undoubtedly, seen even at the very back of The Playhouse). It's a finale that makes everything else pale into insignificance and guarantees that every audience member leaves with a huge smile and an urge to try out a few dance steps.

Women should already have their tickets booked while any men being dragged along should know that it's okay to admit it if you end up enjoying yourself.

As mentioned, Dirty Dancing is playing at The Edinburgh Playhouse until Saturday 12th January 2013 - tickets are available here.

****

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The Phantom Of The Opera

It's time to go back to the stage once again for a recommendation of, arguably, one of the most enduringly popular stage musicals to have entertained audiences in the last few decades. Oh yes, there are many other contenders and some fans of the theatre even frown upon something as popular as "Phantom" but there's no denying that it makes for a very worthwhile evening and provides more spectacle in two and a half hours than even the disappointing 2004 movie adaptation could provide. To put it simply, it deserves the praise that has been heaped upon it over the years.

In fact, I wasn't even going to put a review here because it feels quite redundant. Unlike the shows that I went to, and reviewed, during the Festival a couple of months ago, The Phantom Of The Opera really doesn't need help gaining positive word of mouth. However, I am now so in the habit of trying to review everything I see worth reviewing that to not even put a few words together for this stunning stage musical would have been a missed opportunity, if only for my own sense of self-satisfaction.

The story is known to most people. The Phantom (played in this production by Earl Carpenter) haunts the opera house, keeping himself hidden and letting everything go smoothly as long as things are done his way. He has been training up young Christine (played by either Katie Hall or Olivia Brereton) and wishes her to become a great success in a leading role. He also wishes that she might one day love him. Needless to say, the handsome Raoul (Simon Bailey) is against this plan because he is in love with Christine himself. A number of other people are against the plan because, well, because they already have experienced singers in place and don't want to spend their lives catering to every whim of The Phantom. Maybe a mishap or two, with the occasional unfortunate death, will change their minds.

Fans of the source material will already know that this is based on the novel 'Le Fantome de l'Opera' by Gaston Leroux. This particular production has been overseen by Matthew Bourne and Cameron Mackintosh, choreographed by Scott Ambler and directed by Laurence Connor. Special mention must be given to set designer Paul Brown but I will also go out of my way to remind folks that a production of this magnitude take the skill and talent of many, many people, all of them deserving recognition for their contribution.

Now I have to get my controversial statement out of the way; The Phantom Of The Opera is not a perfect musical. I've seen/heard much better. The first half contains the unforgettable titular tune and The Music Of The Night, both absolute highlights of the show, but the second half has very little that stands out after the opener, Masquerade. There are also major problems when different characters are brought into different songs with their themes intertwining. To me, it just didn't work and I was left frustrated by a) not hearing what certain characters were singing and b) having to endure a rather tuneless mix. Of course, I don't really mean that it was completely tuneless but it was certainly a horrible mess compared to what I was expecting. Thankfully, these moments are few and far between. But they are there.

Everything builds to a moving finale, a crescendo of both music and emotion. There is a little bit of humour here and there but the story is built on a macabre foundation and keeps a dark heart beating behind all of the exchanges and songs. This is also shown in the wonderful sets and when I say wonderful sets I mean WONDERFUL sets. In my limited exposure to live theatre shows, I have yet to see set design quite as impressive and interesting as this. Believe me, if I'd been able to sneak a decent camera in and take photographs every few minutes then this blog entry would have been a lot more picturesque. Sadly, it wasn't to be. I selfishly wanted to be allowed to stay in my seat and enjoy the whole show rather than be ejected from the theatre for breaking the rules.

The cast are all pretty fantastic. Earl Carpenter really wins over the whole audience as The Phantom, despite being such a cruel and bitter figure at times, and his singing is flawless. I must confess, and apologise, that I don't know if it was Katie Hall or Olivia Brereton playing Christine in the show I attended but whichever of the two it was - bravo. A likeable portrayal of the character and more flawless singing. Simon Bailey wasn't quite on the same level but he was very good nonetheless. Elizabeth Marsh was a little disappointing as Madame Giry but that didn't matter when there was so much to enjoy in the performances from Angela M. Caesar, Andy Hockley and Simon Green. Hannah Cadec doesn't get to do too much with her role, Meg Giry, but does it well while Vincent Pirillo, as Ubaldo Piangi, is another delight.

If you're sitting there and thinking just how I can write this review and have the sheer gall to criticise any element of an insitution created by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber over 25 years ago then don't worry, I already gave myself a stern talking to while writing this piece. I felt bad, I really did, even putting down such minor criticisms but I always call 'em as I see 'em. It doesn't matter anyway. Those flaws pale into insignificance when the whole production piles spectacle upon spectacle and, for the duration of the show, audience members are taken from the heights of Box 5 to the dark and dangerous depths of the Paris Opera House.

*****

P.S. Fans of the show may like this sequel (??), Love Never Dies - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Never-Dies-Double-Blu-ray/dp/B005QVVL2Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349557260&sr=8-2

Tickets and tour dates are here, the show runs at The Edinburgh Playhouse from Thursday 20th September to Saturday 20th October - http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/phantom-of-the-opera-tickets/