Review: Dick Whittington

The reason I love Panto season so much is because it officially marks the start of Christmas and this year’s pantomime certainly has the X-factor as it takes us on the magical rags to riches tale of Dick Whittington.

It kicks off with a great start with the X-Factor winner Sam Bailey singing Don’t Stop Me Now. The all-star cast with Sam Bailey as Fairy Bowbells, Aylesbury’s very own Andy Collins as Idle Jack, and X Factor finalist Melanie Masson as boo-able baddie Queen Rat, clearly threw all their festive spirit into this enthralling show.

I don’t want to compare Dick Whittington to Cinderella that we were spoilt with last year. It’s always good to have something fresh and different, and in my opinion Dick Whittington is a much more traditional pantomime.

Andy Collins told us that from being given a script they had only 2 weeks to put the show together. So in spite of only two week’s work, the cast, crew and director Chris Nelson, absolutely nailed it!

We were entertained from beginning to end with sensational songs, dazzling dance routines, slapstick comedy, a live band and of course plenty of audience participation as we followed Dick,  purr-fectly played by Kristopher Milnes and his cat Tommy on his quest for fame and fortune, and finding love with Alice played by Rachael Louise Miller on his way.

Let’s not forget, no pantomime is complete without an evil villain and in this case The Rat Queen, played by Melanie Massion, is a strong character who thrives on being booed and hissed throughout; and then dazzles us with her strong vocals.

With Andy Collins on his 5th panto year, we all knew and expected with great anticipation the 12 days of Christmas routine, and of course we weren’t disappointed. He teased us throughout the show until he finally got his moment which exuded great fun and enjoyment.  I’m still humming along to “…and a bra that was made for three!”. Andy, who plays Jack, continuously lights up the stage as he interacts beautifully with the audience creating a warm atmosphere with children and adults alike shouting out ‘Hello Jack’ whilst waving their jazz hands. Naturally  there was plenty of opportunity to shout out ‘Oh, no you’re not!’ or ‘He’s behind you!’ in true panto style.

If you are looking for a purr-fect family outing this Christmas, then look no further – Aylesbury Waterside Theatre’s Dick Whittington is the place to be.

Dick Whittington runs until January 3at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.

Tickets are available fromwww.atgtickets.com/venues/aylesbury-waterside-theatre or call the Box Office on 0844 871 7607.

Review: The Full Monty by Lara Wadey

Just as I had expected Aylesbury Waterside Theatre was packed out for the opening night of The Full Monty, with women and men clearly looking for some hot stuff.

When the film originally came out in 1997, I worked for Odeon Cinema so witnessed it taking the world by storm, staying on the big screen for over a year, unlike other films that came and went within a matter of weeks. If I remember correctly, it was going to originally be called ‘Eggs, Beans, and Chippendales’ which really doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Being one of my favourite films of all time, I had already set the bar high. I don’t read too much into shows before reviewing them so not to have my opinion swayed, but was pleased to hear that this wasn’t a musical and that it actually followed the storyline, much like the film.

The show is about a group of men in Sheffield who lost their jobs back in 1980’s when the steel industry collapsed. Each struggling with their own individual story, but desperate for money. Gaz (Gary Lucy) and his friend Dave (Martin Miller) decide to become male strippers for one night only.

All six of the leads Gary Lucy, Martin Miller, Bobby Schofield, Rupert Hill, Louis Emerick and Andrew Dunn had such great chemistry on stage, effortlessly filling their roles perfectly as we laughed and cried with them as we followed them on their journey. The fact that each individual character actually resembled their character from the film was a perfect touch, so if you’re a fan of the film it makes it really easy to relate to. Even if you haven’t seen the film you won’t struggle to follow the story line as it’s been taken to the stage and written perfectly by Simon Beaufoy.

Gary Lucy played Gaz superbly. The storyline with him and his son enables the audience to connect with him on an emotional level, as we see him do whatever it takes to continue to see his son.

What impressed me most of all was that it is a ‘feel good’ play that had us laughing uncontrollably all the way through, even though the storyline is about unemployment, sexual equality, suicide, homosexuality, body image and every day struggles.

I don’t want to give too much away but all the funny moments from the film are in the show especially one of my favourite bits when they’re all standing in the queue at the job centre toe tapping, not to mention Dave wrapping himself in clean film before eating a Mars bar.

I take my hat off to the cast because The Full Monty is everything I had hoped it would be. It’s chuffing brilliant, a must see!

The show runs at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until Saturday 28th November 2015. For more information and bookings go to http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/

Review: Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Priscilla is camp-tastic!!

The musical is based on the ‘90s film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I have not had the opportunity to see the film, and therefore had nothing to compare it with. All I knew was that it was a drag show that had been recommended to me several times. So off I went to the press night at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre in great anticipation to find out what all the fuss was about. However, between you and me it would take a lot for a jukebox musical to impress me.

You clearly know you’re in for a good night when glitter balls light up the theatre from the word go! I turned to the lady next to me and said “Oooo it feels like Christmas”, she smiled and readily agreed. Then, within moments we glanced at each other again and grinned with glee as Jason Donovan was suddenly stripping down to his underwear before dressing in a purple corset and glittery make up. Ooh laa laa.

The show takes us on a journey of two drag queens and a transsexual (Jason Donavon, Simon Green and Adam Bailey) as they travel across the desert in a big pink bus to perform their unique style of cabaret, whilst in search of one of their children.

 Jason Donovan plays Tick, also known as a gay drag artist called Mitzi, who is a married man with a six-year-old son. I’ve seen Jason in a few shows now and this has to be his strongest for me. At times he didn’t look like he belonged, like he simply needed to relax into his role or maybe he just needed more outrageous costumes and make up like the other leads on stage.

The incredible Simon Green effortlessly plays a transsexual Bernadette, slipping into the role just as easy as he seemed to slip into his dresses. The third lead however was my fave – the flamboyant Adam Bailey who I could not take my eyes off as he played a gay eccentric Adam/Felicia. He simply outshone the rest bouncing around the stage with his amazing vocals, jokes and storytelling.

Priscilla features classics dance floor hits including Hot Stuff, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Venus, Go West and there is even a little Kylie thrown in there too – actually the Kylie scene although cheesy was hilarious! I personally loved the Say A Little Prayer duet between Tick (Jason Donovan) and his son Benji (Alesandro Bonelli). The three Diva’s played by Lisa-Marie Holmes, Laura Mansell and Catherine Mort deserve a shout off for their strong vocals and energy throughout.

As fun and upbeat as the show is, packed with glitter, fake eyelashes and over the top mesmerizing costumes, it also touches on some important social issues, which is when the ladies realise that not everyone in the world is accepting as them, which gives the show its important storyline.

Each production of Priscilla requires a staggering 500 costumes, 200 hats, 100 wigs, 150 pairs of shoes, and a mountain of mascara, not to mention a big pink bus giving the show its name. The costumes were simply amazing from huge platforms to singing cupcakes, to Shirley (Catherine Mort) the bartender with her braless breasts, which kept the show moving at a fast pace, I don’t think I took my eyes off the stage once.

As the curtain calls it was clear that Priscilla had totally won the hearts of the Aylesbury audience as they gave a strong standing ovation, whilst the stage was full of kangaroos, koalas and other Australian animals. To be fair, by that point anything goes.

Grab your tickets for the Priscilla bus whilst you can. It’s a unforgettable road trip worth taking again and again and again, but be warned – do watch out for Cynthia’s ping-pong balls!

The show runs at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until Saturday 31st October 2015. For more information and bookings go to http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/

Review – Jersey Boys UK

Oh, what a night!!!

After a night with the boys from the wrong side of they track, I can confirm that Jersey Boys is the Godfather of musicals.

Jersey Boys has been a hit since 2005 when it was introduced to Broadway. It is a true rags to riches story of four guys, with four different stories, who took the world by storm; but life didn’t turn out as they dreamed it would be.

It tells the story of the Four Seasons, a 1960s rock ‘n’ roll band including Franki Valli with an i (Matt Corner), song-writer Bob Gaudio (Sam Ferriday), Nick Massi (Lewis Griffiths) and Tommy Devito (Henry Davis) and their rise to stardom.

I assumed that this would be another jukebox musical where we would have songs thrown at us and unless you were a fan, you would feel out of place. But I was wrong. You don’t have to be a fan to watch this, in fact you would probably become a fan from watching this and there is quite a few songs that you would suddenly say to yourself ‘I know this one’. The individual stories are told in such a way that it can be easily understood and followed as we follow each actor with their own personal story and struggle. They managed to get a large story across in a direct fast paced way that kept your attention from scene to scene, there was always something to look at and digest as we learnt more about their lives. I found myself listening to the words of each song, which gave you real understanding to why it was written, expressing where they were in their journey.

The set was modern and constantly changing, some scenes would literally be there for a moment before the stage was quickly turned into something else, but it didn’t distract you from the actors and made it all the more real, as they took us from song to song and storyline to storyline. I personally loved the Roy Lichtenstein style cartoon comic strip in the back ground, as well as the silhouette of chimneys and pylons, that made the set photographic.

As the show went on it got better and better with hits like Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Earth Angel, Walk Like A Man, Fallen Angel, Beggin’ and my favourite the duet My Eyes Adored You. This show uplifted the theatre, as you looked around the audience were either singing or tapping their feet, either way they were engaged with the show.

The whole cast are seriously talented actors, with chemistry that works, not to mention having their difficult Jersey accent down to a T. Clearly, Franki Valli (Matt Corner) stole the show, but they were all just as talented and brilliant, whilst looking daper in their costumes.

If you’re looking for a fast and furious show, with 30 something hits as well as a strong storyline, then grab yourself some tickets whilst the Jersey Boys are in town.

The show runs at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until Saturday 3rd October 2015. For more information and bookings go to http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/

 

Review – An Evening of Dirty Dancing by Lara Wadey

No film has captured the hearts of a generation quite like Dirty Dancing, so it’s hardly surprising that the Hey Baby 5th Anniversary tour is grabbing the UK’s attention by storm. 

You only have to mutter the words Dirty Dancing or hear a song from the soundtrack and before you know it you’ll be humming the tune, realising that you know all the lyrics. 

It’s because of this, that the women and men of Aylesbury were exhuberated with excitement as they filled Aylesbury Waterside Theatre for The Tribute Show celebrating this Greatest Movie Soundtrack of all time!

Personally I wish there had been more of a story line to the show, but then who really needs the story when we all know it and everyone is actually there to be entertained by such an energetic cast whilst dancing in the isles. 

The show is directed by Paul Spicer and includes songs like She’s Like the Wind, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Hey Baby, Wipeout, Do You Love Me, Be My Baby, Hungry Eyes and, of course (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life. Sylvia (Aimie Atkinson) and Mickey (Julian Essex-Spurrier) were on point the whole way through, you could feel that they lived and breathed their roles. The continuous dance routines and costume changes kept the show alive, fresh and full of energy. 

It was also a proud moment to have our local dance school Spotlight Musical Theatre School’s senior ballet and modern pupils performing alongside the professionals in this amazing show. 

Believe me when I say you won’t be the one sitting in the corner, as you will be drawn like a magnet into joining in with the audience participation. 

If you get the chance, take a trip back to the summer of ’63 to relive Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey’s summer romance – it will be worth it! 

http://www.aneveningofdirtydancing.com/

Review – East is East

Loved the film. Love the show.

The brand new tour of East is East, is a multi-award winning play based on the movie written by Avub Khan-Din, in Salford in the early 1970s, it explores the teenage and adult challenges and difficulties that are faced when growing up in a world of mixed cultures.

Pakistani chip shop owner George Khan (Simon Nagra) is a proud family man with strong values. He wants to be seen to be doing the right thing by the world and the community, but struggles to deal with his 7 children growing up wanting to explore the world for themselves and challenging his beliefs. .

Ella Khan, played by Pauline Mclynn, is his English wife who would naturally do anything for her children. She shows us what it’s like to walk that fine line between marriage to your husband and your children’s free will.

Each set is simple yet superb allowing us to get to know each of the characters, and all seven children who in spite of being so different from each other, having a strong sibling bond between them. George Khan – ‘Genghis’ to his kids – doesn’t want the British way of life influencing his children so steadfastly continues to organise circumcisions, and arrange marriages.

Even though the play is a comedy, it is actually quite dark in places and may horrify you as you realise what some people and families are going through here in Britain. It is written perfectly with the cast being so believable the whole way through. I love this play with its strong sense of family unity, regardless of ethnicity or religion.

Grab yourself a ticket and experience what it’s like to be part of the Khan family struggling to keep to their traditions whilst living in a different country and culture. It may be an eye opener or just a good evening’s entertainment and laugh. Whatever – I think you will enjoy the experience. I know I did.

For more information or to book tickets visit http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/east-is-east

Review – Thank You for the Music

On a quiet Friday night in Aylesbury, something quite extraordinary happened at the theatre. The world’s favourite bands – ABBA & Bee Gees – came together to perform a sequin-spangled spectacular concert.

The Bee Gees seemed a little slow in getting going until they sang the very popular songs including Stayin’ Alive and Night Fever. Hopefully it was only me feeling this, probably as I was waiting in great anticipation to hearing ABBA. I did enjoy a did few of their comical moments, although at one point I cringed thinking they were going to perform ‘The Full Monty’!

Introducing Agnetha and Frida to the stage in the second half gave life to the ABBA show. We were enthralled with non stop hits that we all know and love, including Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, Mamma Mia, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, The Winner Takes It All and of course Thank You for the Music, that got everyone out of their seats dancing and singing into the night.

The vocals unfortunately weren’t spectacular although I couldn’t help taking a great liking to Frida. The dance moves were kept simple, which was probably a good decision considering the size of the platforms!

Although the theatre was only half full, the spirit brought by the audience made it seem like a full house. The eruption of the audience after the encore finished the evening perfectly leaving us all singing the tunes in our minds all the way home.

http://www.easytheatres.com/uk/1l/

Review – Avenue Q

Who knew that puppets could be so very naughty! Or should I say – entertaining?!

Having no idea what to expect, I arrived at the theatre, assuming it would be a show I could take my daughter to. Well, let’s just say with with these streetwise puppets I’m glad I didn’t! This show was nothing like I had ever seen before.

The only way to describe Avenue Q is that it is a grown-up version of Sesame Street. The story is about Princeton, an unemployed English Lit graduate who’s trying to find his purpose in life. He takes us through burning issues including sex, racism and homosexuality as well, of course, the love story, when he falls for Kate Monster.

I loved every moment of the show as it grabbed my attention the whole way through. The way the puppets and puppeteers worked side by side was spot on, as were the expressions captured by the puppeteers, making it feel all the more real, I’m not actually sure who I focused on more as the puppeteers brought the personalities out of the colourful characters.

Created by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez (co-creator of Book of Mormon and writer of the songs for Disney’s Frozen) this masterpiece is world class, and with such a talented cast will leave a long lasting impression on you.

The musical numbers including titles like, ‘Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist’, the hilarious ‘The Internet is for Porn‘ by Trekkie Monster and ‘You Can Be As Loud as the Hell You Want When You’re Making Love‘ are just a few of the songs that caused the audience to cry with laughter, although I’m sure a few of them would have been cringing too!

Avenue Q has to be listed in my top 5 all time shows. I can’t actually recall  the last time I laughed so hard all the way through a show. I have heard a few people say they are going to give the show a miss because they aren’t a fan of puppets. Seriously, don’t let this put you off, grab yourself some tickets or, in my opinion, you’d be a real muppet to miss it!

http://avenuequk.com/tour-dates

Review – Oh What a Lovely War The Musical

Terry Johnson’s revival of Oh What a Lovely War is a musical commemorating the 100th anniversary of World War 1 and I’m ashamed to admit that I clearly didn’t pay attention in my history lessons at school because my knowledge about World War 1 was decidedly lacking.  This meant that I went to the theatre as a blank canvas and left feeling a little confused.

The show started with everyone dressed in Pierrot costumes, giving it a real pantomime feel, but in spite of that I found it impossible to connect with the play.  It was with relief that I watched the audience peeling with laughter and wondered why I wasn’t getting it. Scene followed scene, but nothing flowed. I felt disconnected. Something was missing.

However everyone around me was still singing and humming along to the many numbers including ‘Pack up Your Troubles’, ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’, ‘Hold Your Hand out Naughty Boy’ and ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’, creating a warm feeling within the theatre.

On the positive side, the cast were superb, I loved the set and the many costume changes, and Wendi Peters, best known for her role of Cilla Battersby in Coronation Street, instantly grabbed my attention with her glamour and presence as she hit the stage.  

I was indeed relieved to find that the second half was a great improvement on the first. Despite the fact of learning that 10 million lives were lost, with another 30 million wounded, the play was kept light and humorous and we left with a clear anti-war message to take home.

Unfortunately, I’m sorry to say that this musical didn’t tick my boxes, although my friend Roger, who saw the original 50 years ago, couldn’t stop raving about it, acting ridiculously like a child at Christmas!  I consoled myself with the thought that life would be boring if we all like the same things. 

Oh What A Lovely War runs at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until Saturday 2nd May.

 

 

Review – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is a famous Bible story about Jacob and his son Joseph, as well as his eleven brothers and of course the amazing coat of many colours. The show originally produced in 1972 continues to pull in crowds as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber fans.

I think that like me, many will relate it back to our High School days. I admit to knowing all the words due to performing it in my High School play, and having the young Joseph choir on the stage throughout the play not only gave it a nice touch, but also enabled me to relive childhood memories. 

As it was opening night, the theatre was full and we were ready to be entertained… Unfortunately the show was delayed by 30 minutes as we had to evacuate the building due to haze.  However this delay didn’t put a damper on the evening and we were soon back in our seats awaiting with great anticipation the evening ahead. 

Lloyd Daniels was unable to perform due to a bad back, so his understudy Matt Brinkler played Joseph and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Amelia Lily from The X Factor in 2011 was the narrator had a fabulous stage presence although I couldn’t understand why she was dressed as a magician! I also questioned why everyone on stage wore trainers. Surely as it was based in Egypt one would be wearing bare feet or sandals? 

In my opinion the show was completely entertaining from beginning to end even though it may have been a little bizarre at times. I’m not sure of the relevance of the Paris scene or even why Elvis was there. It made me query as to whether I had forgotten my bible stories!

Being the huge Andrew Lloyd Webber fan that I am, I adored Matt Brinker’s solo Close Every Door, but to go from performances like that with such depth and emotion to random fun with pop up sheep? Well that just didn’t flow for me.

The cast were clearly having a great time and performing well together. We couldn’t take our eyes off the brothers or the stage for that matter, as there was always something to catch our eyes, something to smile about. even if at times it seemed totally random.

All in all, we had a thoroughly entertaining evening that was full of energy from an amazing cast! The quote of the night has to go to my 10 year old daughter though who at the end of the first Act turned around to me and said “Mum, did you see that, Joseph has a six pack!”

Showing until Saturday 4th April at Aylesbury Waterside theatre