July 20, 2019

Company

Hmmm, to see or not to see this production if you’re married? I think that you will cringe pretty much throughout the show, recognising just how true to life elements of these characters are. But, you will also know just how true the ending is and how being with your husband/wife/partner completes you and makes you feel alive. The next question: to see or not to see if you’re engaged? This show could put you completely off the idea of marriage and make you call off your wedding!

July 20, 2019

The Wider Earth

This was an unexpected and surprise trip booked by a friend of mine. I didn’t know what to expect, as all I knew about the production was that it was about Charles Darwin and used puppets. Ever since War Horse, the use of puppetry in shows has been amazing, so I couldn’t wait to see what this had to offer. The opening scene between Charles Darwin (Bradley Foster) and Emma Wedgwood (Melissa Vaughan) worried me a little bit because it felt pretty stiff and unnatural, and I feared that this was setting the tone for the rest of the show.

July 20, 2019

Six

I’d seen things about this show in passing, and heard good things about it, but it wasn’t until a couple of its numbers popped up on Spotify that I knew that I had to see it. The concept of this show is simple - pop/rock songs re-tell the stories of Henry VIII’s wives from their perspective - and the music is amazing. You can hear the various influences in it but you forgive that because the numbers are just so bouncy and catchy, and the singers are so talented.

July 20, 2019

Pack of Lies

Now this is the way to do it! The detail and acting in this production is simply exquisite. The attention to detail in the set design and staging is incredible and unlike any production that I have seen for a while. It really does make you feel as though you are in someone’s house: when someone goes to make a cup of tea, they actually make a cup of tea; there are individual light switches for the rooms that are flicked when people enter or leave rooms; there are stairs leading to upstairs which are used so that you believe that there really is an upstairs; and the kitchen seems to have everything you would need in your kitchen - I wouldn’t be surprised if the gas hob and oven had actually worked!

July 20, 2019

Heathers

How on earth did this show sell out at The Other Palace; and what is this 1980s movie that seems to have acquired such a cult following from today’s teenagers!?!?! I almost expected hair scrunches to be thrown at the stage and people to join in with each ‘Dear Diary’. Needless to say, this show was not for me. Carrie Hope Fletcher is brilliant, and her voice is amazing, but I don’t think this show is good for showing anyone’s full potential.

July 20, 2019

Bat Out Of Hell

Despite my early reservations about this show when I first saw it, it is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine. Not for the story, but for the music and, more specifically, the current cast. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again - they are absolutely sensational! Danielle Steers and Sharon Sexton are phenomenal. The cast recording simply doesn’t do justice to just how amazing they, and the rest of the cast, are.

July 20, 2019

Othello

Othello is my favourite Shakespeare play, and Iago is one of favourite characters of all time (bizarre, I know), so I was really excited to see this production at the Globe. I was even excited despite the uncomfortable Globe seating - oh my goodness the seating is a struggle! And, for the most part, I am really glad that I braved the seating. It was a great production with some superb performances, and the little ballet at the end was absolutely exquisite.

July 20, 2019

Bring It On

I haven’t been to the Southwark Playhouse since it moved from the dank and musty dug out earth construction on the South Bank. So to find out that it is now located in a proper building in Elephant and Castle was a real relief! I was intrigued to see this show as, having been written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, I wanted to see how Bring It On compared with Hamilton. Reviewing this production is a little complicated though because I didn’t know that it was a youth theatre production until afterwards and I was on the train home; and, rightly or wrongly, that does affect my view of it.

July 20, 2019

Bat Out of Hell

Still weird, still epically good voices and still a great night out. I think Danielle Steers’ voice is even more amazing than last time, and she truly steals the show when she starts singing ‘Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad’. There is, however, a special place in Hell for people who go to the theatre and then loudly sing along. And I’m not just talking about the massive rock and loud numbers where they were just about drowned out by what was happening on stage; I mean the ballads as well!

July 20, 2019

Spamilton

The simplicity of this show enhances its comedic brilliance. Take what is, in my opinion, an over-hyped show and its music, and set your own words to it to make a mockery of its composer and how he came to write and star in it. And all you need is a piano, a stage and some talented actors! Brilliant! It is good that Lin-Manuel Miranda has a sense of humour though, because this show doesn’t feel like a gentle and friendly mockery: at times it feels like quite a savage criticism with claws out.