Perennial musical favourite, Grease, returns to the King’s Theatre to tickle the funny bone and quicken the heartbeat of the Glasgow audience.

Grease is familiar to audiences the world over since it debuted to Chicago audiences in 1971 and quickly moved to Broadway, running for 18 years and 3388 performances!  It broke box office records in 1978 when the movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John was released (John Travolta had played a role in the original Broadway production run).  This UK revival production originally opened in the West End in 1993 where it enjoyed a run of 6 years before hitting the road on national tours.   Since 1993, the show has been seen by audiences of over 12 million people in the UK alone. 

Grease is the original high-school musical featuring everyone’s favourite characters - Sandy, Danny, the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies - with the unforgettable songs from the hit movie including You’re The One That I Want, We Go Together, Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted to You, Sandy and Greased Lightnin’.

The production was very slick with fast paced dialogue joining the much-loved elements of the score together smoothly.  There is little room in the script to develop character, but the cast added great physical traits to ensure that everyone was a unique presence onstage.  Arlene Phillips’s choreography was exciting and energetic with the Hand Jive and Competition dances showing off the cast’s ability in partner dances and lifts to great effect.

Headliner, Danny Bayne, was a little disappointing for me.  Winner of ITV’s “Grease is the Word” in 2007, Danny looked like his five-year association with this role might be beginning to take its toll.  His talent, particularly in dance, was undeniable but his performance lacked that little spark of freshness that every audience deserves.  Dramatically the story is light but Kate Somerset How shone as Rizzo who hints that 50’s high School life is not all cheerleading and bobby socks.  Derek Andrews and Laura Wilson built a nice chemistry as Roger and Jan with Derek, in particular, showing off a significant vocal talent.  Leading lady, Carina Gillespie as Sandy, delivered her transformation from ‘Sandra Dee’ to size zero hotty with ease while X-factor talent “Tesco” Mary Byrne delivered a great character as Teen Angel singing “Beauty School Dropout”.

Big, bold, bright and brash, Grease is the perfect cure for the winter blues.  Take your seat and summer seems like it might be just around the corner.

Listings details

GREASE

King’s Theatre, Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JN

17 – 28 January 2012

Tickets £12 - £39.50

Box Office: 08448 717 648

Theatre Royal, Glasgow (17 - 31 December 2011)

Ahead of the curtain there is a real feeling of anticipation in the auditorium.  A look through the beautifully presented programme / brochure featuring details on composition, artistic process, company and rehearsals gives a sense of the love, care and reverence that this production has received.  As the lights dim, there is just time to glance into the expansive orchestra pit of the Theatre Royal to see row after row of attentive musicians as they await the first upbeat from Resident Conductor, Richard Honner.  We are clearly in for a Christmas treat!

The curtain opens on a simple scene outside a doctor's office as the concerned King (Owen Thorne) and Queen (Eve Mutso) learn of their inability to conceive a child.  But the good Lilac Fairy (Noellie Conjeaud) is able to intervene with magic.  The doctor's office is swiftly struck to reveal the impressive set of the Royal Gardens featuring a substantial summer house which pivots smoothly to allow space for the ensemble to weave their magic of dance in celebration of the Royal Christening.  In this open setting we are also able to appreciate the lighting effects adorning the set from Designer, Anthony McDonald.  Subtle but effective changes of colour are used to influence mood as the many principals perform for the assembled Royal Party.  We are also treated to a mist effect around the trees giving the backdrop an ‘other-worldly' quality appropriate to the tale.  The quality continues into Act II as the enchanted forest setting is given an ethereal depth as we meet more fantastic characters like Snow White, Cinderella and Red Riding Hood.  Costume-wise, we are treated to flowing gowns and royal finery across two centuries as the Beauty, Princess Aurora, and her royal court sleep for a full hundred years.  With the initial part of the tale set in 1830, the story reaches a happy conclusion in 1946 … and it is a real joy to see such breathtaking choreography performed in 20^th century costume.

Tchaikovsky's immortal score was performed with power and sensitivity by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.  Ashley Page's artistic direction incorporates a great deal of humour with the bad fairies portrayed as wicked (rather than evil) for the family audience.  Several laugh-out-loud moments reached a peak, for me, at Princess Aurora's birthday celebration as the audience was teased with a number of sharp objects upon which the cursed Princess might prick her finger.  Would it be the hedge shears wielded by the gardeners (who looked strangely like the bad fairies), or perhaps the swords worn by Aurora's four suitors … no, it would be the 8 foot tree-like comedy cactus presented in a gift pot at the end of the scene!

Performances from Claire Robertson and Eric Cavallari as Princess Aurora and her Prince were captivating and I would be remiss were I not to mention the beautifully charismatic performances from Tomomi Sato as the Fairy of Song and Lady Bluebird.  All of the principals were expressive and displayed superb synchronicity throughout the performance.  The production was exquisitely executed and a joy to behold.

Listings Info:

Scottish Ballet "The Sleeping Beauty"

Sat 17^th to Sat 31^st December 2011

Tickets: £7 - £35

Box Office 08448 717 647 (Bkg fee)

http://www.atgtickets.com/Scottish-Ballet's-The-Sleeping-Beauty-Tickets/2/530/ (bkg fee)

Tour details:

Festival Theatre Edinburgh
11 - 14 January 2012
Tickets from £10
Box Office 0131 529 6000*
BOOK ONLINE NOW  Full booking details

His Majesty's Theatre Aberdeen
18 - 21 January 2012
Tickets from £11.50
Box Office 01224 641122*
BOOK ONLINE NOW Full booking details

Eden Court Inverness
25 - 28 January 2012
Tickets from £14
Box Office 01463 234 234*
BOOK ONLINE NOW Full booking details

 Theatre Royal, Newcastle
1 - 4 February 2012
Tickets from £10
Box office 08448 11 21 21
BOOK ONLINE NOW Full booking details

The Scottish Premier of what must be the biggest touring show in the UK sets up camp at the King’s Theatre for 4 weeks!

You know what a bandwagon is, right?  A wee history lesson: back in the day, a bandwagon was the first part of a touring show to arrive in town.  It literally carried the music band.  Whether the show was acrobats or a circus or a troupe of performers, the band wagon would be the first to roll into town making as much noise as possible to attract attention and help to sell tickets to the townsfolk.  The actual show would parade along behind the bandwagon before setting up the entertainment.  Dirty Dancing is such a big show that the ‘bandwagon’ arrived in January!  Producer Karl Sydow held a publicity event at Glasgow’s plush new Central Hotel to show off just how good the show would be when it arrived in October.  Well this is one show that lives up to the enormous hype!

Dirty Dancing rose all the way to movie immortality shortly after its release in 1987.  The story of Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman (played by Hollywood starlet Jennifer Grey) falling for edgy dancer Johnny Castle (iconically portrayed by Patrick Swayze) during the hot summer of 1963 struck a chord with audiences all over the world, not least due to the atmospheric soundtrack of hits from the era blended seamlessly with new music written for the movie soundtrack.  That atmosphere is transferred flawlessly to the stage in this production with a combination of live music and original masters of the 1960’s tracks.

Being such a universally loved movie, every audience member arrived with a preconception of the elements that MUST be in the show.  I can tell you that non-one appeared disappointed!  Classic quotes, immortal choreography, timeless music, iconic characters and semi-naked bodies all made it to the Glasgow stage intact!  There was a huge cheer as Baby exclaimed “I carried a watermelon” and an even louder reaction as Johnny uttered the long awaited words “Nobody puts Baby in a corner”.  Somehow this show blends the most potent aspects of nostalgia and excitement to inject energy into an audience.  It is amazing to be a part of it … if a little frustrating for traditional theatergoers who don’t want to be distracted from the onstage performance.

Traditional is something that this show is not.  It is not a musical (nor is it advertised as such) as the principal characters do not sing.  But there is plenty of singing onstage and the ensemble dance routines (which are mind-blowing in themselves) make this much much more than a play with music.  The production standards are among the highest I have seen for a touring show.  Electronic screens were used to great effect to set mood with still and moving backdrops that extended into the wings as the floor to ceiling ‘legs’ (black cloths that are used to mask backstage activity in the wings) were replaced with 10m electronic screens.  These combined with a stage revolve and flying scenery to make scene changes seamless.  If you are reading this and wondering how the scene in the lake is reproduced … you would have to see it to believe it!

Performances from this immensely talented cast were first class.  The dance numbers from Johnny Castle (Paul-Michael Jones) and Penny Johnson (Charlotte Gooch) were just breathtaking – this was almost to be expected as Paul-Michael Jones formerly represented England in Latin dance championships … but I honestly think that Charlotte Gooch could be the best dancer I have ever seen!  Even so, the show belonged to Emily Holt as Baby.  She was just perfect.  The character, the dancing, the physical comedy and a maturity and professionalism in the presence of an (at times) rowdy audience that was truly admirable.

You have to see this show.  Tickets aren’t cheap but, even in tough times, they are worth every single penny.

Listings Info:

Dirty Dancing

Wed 19 Oct – Sat 12 Nov

Mon – Thus eves 7.30pm

Fri 5pm & 8.30pm

Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 - £48.50 (Premium seats £75)

Box Office 08448 717 648 (Bkg fee)

www.atgtickets.com/glasgow  (bkg fee)

“Crazy For You”

Produced by Theatre Guild Glasgow at Eastwood Park Theatre (4-8 October 2011)

As this performance was to be my return to the fold of theatre criticism after a work induced hiatus, I must admit I was a trifle nervous. In two senses, I was entering into the unknown. Initially, the performance was in an unfamiliar venue, Eastwood Park Theatre in Giffnock (one which, on reflection, had a terrific sound capacity) and the show was one I had very little prior knowledge of. From the get-go, Theatre Guild Glasgow, a drama group who never fail to impress, hit all the high notes in a farcical plot with echoes of the play-within-a-play spectacular “Noises Off” and with slapstick moments two men named Stan and Oliver would be proud of.

The story of Crazy For You kicks off in grand New Yoik as we see our jumpy, hen-pecked protagonist, Bobby Child, auditioning fruitlessly to the seemingly cold but undoubtedly eccentric theatre director, Bela Zangler. To make matters worse, he has to put up with a demanding mother and a prima donna girlfriend who, despite their similar attitudes towards him, dislike each other.  His mother works for the bank, and our man is forced to travel to Deadrock, Nevada to foreclose on a property. This idea is soon forgotten when he meets our leading lady, Polly, an outwardly rough-and-tough country girl whose father owns the local theatre. In true farcical fashion, it turns out that this theatre is the very property Child is there to foreclose on. Unaware of this, the two share a night of whirlwind romance before Polly finds out who her mystery man really is. Still madly in love with Polly, and aware of her distaste towards him due to the nature of his business, he hatches a madcap plan to impersonate Zangler in order to help Polly put on a theatre show, with a view to bringing some much needed life (and cash) into the sleepy town.

Child enlists the help of a troupe of lovely ladies from back home, to motivate the country-bumpkin types who populate Deadrock. Hi-jinks ensue as the plot develops, with Polly falling in love with Bobby’s Zangler guise, something he is happy to go along with until the real Zangler appears in town. In one of the most striking scenes in the play, the two Zanglers, both heavily intoxicated, mirror each other’s movements, eventually dancing drunkenly around the saloon, before passing out on the floor next to each other. Polly enters the saloon the next morning looking for the real Zangler, only for Bobby to pop up, in the guise of Zangler, talking as himself. After initially feeling humiliated, Polly eventually decides that Bobby meant well, and after Zangler manages to get them an audience for the theatre show, Bobby and Polly end up getting hitched in a spectacular finale!

All the cast were terrific, with energetic performances from all; however notable performances in particular came from David McCurrach, as Child (in particular, his drunken feint down the stairs), Adele Simpson as Polly Baker, whose vocal performances were spot on, Cameron Lowe as Moose, who provided much of the comic relief of the piece and gave a tooth-less (but by no means toothless) performance. However it was Gylen Boardman’s saloon-owner, Lank Hawkins, who uttered the most memorable line of the show – when opening a casino was suggested; “Who would come out here to the Nevada desert to gamble?” comes the brilliantly ironic reply.

I also feel a need to mention the terrific music, penned by the Gershwin brothers, as I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of the songs I actually knew and could sing along with. The band was excellent as ever and there were strong vocal performances from all.

All in all, another fantastic performance from Theatre Guild, and I look forward to their next annual production!

Next production:

“Footloose – the dance musical”

Eastwood Park Theatre

October 2012

Glasgow will to be rocking around the clock with two rock’n’roll shows on offer so it's time to Shake, Rattle and Roll all the way back to Teddy Boys, quiffs, Brylcreem, poodle skirts and blue suede shoes.

At the Theatre Royal Rock’n’Roll Heaven opens on Tue 20^th – Sat 24; a show that creates a fantasy line-up of the biggest legends of the genre in a concert that will have you in rock’n’roll paradise. Joining Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley in this ‘heavenly’ line-up are Del Shannon, Ricky Nelson and Eddie Cochrane.

Then over at the King’s Theatre that same week we have Rock Around the Clock featuring a phenomenal cast of over 20 singers, dancers and musicians, Rock Around the Clock is a non-stop hit parade of rock 'n' roll classics that is guaranteed to leave you dancing into the night with this time-travelling parade of 1950s jukebox sensation.

LISTINGS

THEATRE ROYAL

Rock’n’Roll Heaven

Tue 20 – Sat 24 Sep

Tue – Thu eves 7.30pm

Fri 4pm & 8pm

Sat 3pm & 8pm

Tickets £13 - £28

Box Office: 08448 717 647 (bkg fee)

www.atgtickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

KING’S THEATRE

Rock Around the Clock

Tue 20 – Sat 24 Sep

Tue – sat eves 7.30pm

Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm

Tickets £10 - £28

Box Office: 0844 871 7648 (bkg fee)

www.atgtickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

MIDNIGHT TANGO

Starring  Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone

KING’S THEATRE

Tuesday 26th July @ 7.30pm

Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace have dazzled television audiences for six series of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing with their stunning Tango routines. Now they have created their own live show - Midnight Tango – a breathtaking evening bringing all the drama, sensuality and elegance of this most exciting of dance forms to life.

Listings:
King's Theatre and Theatre Royal

297 Bath Street

Glasgow

G2 4JN

 
www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

David Walliams’s odorous childrens novel is transformed into an entertaining family musical with a ‘scratch n sniff’ twist at the King’s Theatre this week.

Twelve year old Chloe is bullied at school and somewhat lonely.  Mr. Stink, a local well-mannered tramp, befriends her and accepts an invitation to live in her shed.  This is to the horror of Chloe’s snobbish mother who is campaigning to become a local MP!  A local newspaper gets hold of the story and soon Chloe’s mother is thrust into the limelight as the press mistakenly assume this as a move to eradicate homelessness on the part of the prospective parliamentary candidate.  But, as in all children’s stories, the truth has a habit of coming out when the grown-ups least expect it!

The show is heralded as a World Premier of the “scratch n sniff” musical.  The format is certainly a success for the intended audience of young families … although I’m sure it does borrow something from Opera North’s production of “Love for Three Oranges” in the early nineties (I’m sure none of the intended audience of 6 – 12 year olds had the pleasure of attending that production).  The six supplied smells in the Quentin Blake illustrated booklet were certainly revolting but were a little similar to each other.  This was the only disappointment, though, as other production qualities were very well executed.  Matt Brind’s original music, in particular, was excellent (as you would expect from the man behind Legally Blonde).

Performances from Peter Edbrook (as Mr Stink) and Lotte Gilmore (Chloe) were charming and engaging in equal measure.  The supporting cast who played several roles and also presented the puppet characters (including Mr. Stink’s dog, Duchess and Chloe’s perfect sister, Annabelle) were animated and entertaining throughout.

An enjoyable family treat!.

Listings Info:

Mr. Stink

Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16^th July

Tickets: £18

Box Office 08448 717 648 (Bkg fee)

www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

Marti Pellow deserves to be ‘sold out’ out as he ‘pops in’ to the Kings Theatre to present Jekyll and Hyde this week.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story remains at the core of this contemporary musical.  The show is a predictably dark tale; very much in the mould of Sweeney Todd.  Brilliant Dr. Henry Jekyll researches the source of man’s dual nature – good versus evil.  He hopes to rid the world of the curse of evil.  But, when seeking backing for his research, his appeal is cruelly rejected by his hospital Board of Governors leaving him no option but to continue his research by experimenting upon himself.  However, his experiments only serve to unlock the evil side of his own personality which manifests itself in the form of Mr. Hyde.  Jekyll frantically researches an antidote for his potion against the backdrop of a vicious string of murders across London while his alter ego becomes more dominant over the body that they share.

Bill Kenwright’s new production was a vast improvement on the 2004 tour with a partial re-write, a new set put cleverly to use by director Martin Connor, fresh choreography from Bill Deamer, much reduced reliance on click track and a simpler, more effective, transformation between Jekyll and Hyde.  Marti Pellow’s accent didn’t move further south than Kelvinside, but this was not offensive (even to my Glaswegian ear).  More importantly, Mr. Pellow’s character had sincerity and duality as he leaned heavily on his outstanding past experience in The Witches of Eastwick to deliver a believable and, sometimes, frightening performance.

The beautiful score, featuring the songs “This Is The Moment”, “Someone Like You” and “In His Eyes” was lovingly and powerfully rendered by Marti Pellow and co-stars Sabrina Carter (Lucy) and Sarah Earnshaw (Emma).  Ms Carter’s star shone particularly brightly as her character’s tough outer layers were gradually peeled back to reveal a genuine vulnerability.  The talented support cast even managed to weave a little comedy into this sombre tale to deliver a rounded show with appeal to a wide audience.

Listings Info:

Jekyll & Hyde

Mon 13 – Sat 18 June

Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm

Tickets: £14 - £33

Box Office 08448 717 648 (Bkg fee)

www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

Abigail Jaye gives a legendary performance as Eva Peron in the musical, Evita, at the King’s Theatre this week.

It is easy to see why this musical has become one of the most loved and enduring successes of the Andrew Lloyd Webber / Tim Rice partnership.  With an appealing score carrying the real life narrative including musical favourites like High Flying Adored, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, On This Night of a Thousand Stars and, of course, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina the show lives long in the memory of the audience.  The drama, too, is hard hitting set against the backdrop of civil unrest, a military coup and the untimely death of Eva aged just 33.

Bill Kenwright’s production, as we would expect, brings the story to the audience with authority and a high presentation standard.  The set, by Glasgow trained designer, Matthew Wright, brought an extra dimension to the performance with a flexible system of balconies, pillars and sweeping staircases which effectively represented interior and exterior scenes.  Choreography from Bill Deamer firmly placed the story in Latin America and added energy to several scenes.

Performances were solid throughout but the spotlight must rightly remain on Abigail Jaye as Eva.  Her voice was simply astonishing with power and control utilised to great effect; raising hairs on the back of the neck more than once.  She effectively balanced the (sometimes cold) ambition of Eva with her passion for the people to ensure that the audience were ready to shed a tear upon her death.

Listings details

EVITA

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

6 – 11 June 2011

Tickets £17 - £36

Box Office: 08448 717 620