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

Annie returns to the King’s Theatre in the final tour of this Chris Moreno production. Although a relatively modern musical (it was first staged in the 1970s), the show has become a classic, presumably in part due to its setting in the Great Depression of the 1930s.

What is interesting in this production is to see an ensemble with a variety of ages, shapes and sizes. From the young dancing girl physiques of The Boylan Sisters, to the more mature Mrs Pugh it was great to see some attempt at creating real characters in the smaller roles. One case in point is Ashley Knight as Drake the butler (and Apple Seller). His energy shone through in all the ensemble numbers and he made what could have been a rather bland role a standout performance. Of course no-one can mention the ensemble in Annie and ignore the cast of kids. The orphan girls are cast from local stage schools (in this instance Starstruck Stage School, Glasgow) and looked like they had been with the show forever. Special mention must go to Jessica Harvey as the youngster Molly. Her comic timing and winning smile would have won over even the toughest critic (actually, that might be me!) and along with the other girls showed a real grasp for the tight choreography for their numbers.

Amongst these kids we discover “Little Orphan Annie” – on opening night played by charming 10 year old Welsh girl Rachel Hall - as she scrubs the floors of the New York Municipal Orphanage, under the watchful eye of Miss Hannigan, played with relish by Su Pollard. Ms Pollard takes this opportunity to remind the audience of the singing voice that first set her on the road to stardom, with great renditions of “Little Girls” and the trio “Easy Street” alongside onstage brother Rooster (Philip Andrew) and his girlfriend Lily St Regis (Kerry George). Annie then finds herself at the home of billionaire Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks (warmly played by David McAlister) and his personal secretary Grace Farrell. As Miss Farrell, Simone Craddock was the vision of 1930s style and beauty – I’m sure at least half the costume budget must have gone on the coats, dresses and shoes for her character – and this was also true of her voice too, aside from a few accent issues (however this seemed to be an issue for many of the principals).

For a show that has been touring for a few years now, the tiredness definitely does not show on the set, or in the cast. This was a fresh and energetic production of a well-known story, with good leads and an excellent supporting cast. The band, under direction of James Dunsmore kept the music flowing at a great pace and for only seven pieces made the most of the music in the dance breaks to fill the King’s auditorium.

Many have fond memories of school productions of Annie, or watching the film on TV, so now is a good time to recapture those feel-good memories by enjoying this heart-warming production at the Kings Theatre until Saturday.

Listings

Tue-Sat Evenings – 7.30pm

Wed & Sat Matinees – 2.30pm

Tickets £10-£30

Box Office: 08448 717 648 (bkg fee)                  Web: www.atgtickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

There have been musicals inspired by books (Oklahoma, Wizard Of Oz), by movies (Dirty Dancing, Flashdance), by the back catalogues of huge bands (We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia) and now there is a musical inspired by a compilation CD!! Dreamboats and Petticoats was put together after the success of the CD containing the hits of the late 50s/early 60s and has brought audiences out in droves to see the music performed live on stage.

With a rather basic story (as with most musicals) of boy and girl who are perfect match, not realising it and spending the rest of the show “missing their moment”, this musical is mainly contrived to show off the many songs. And I must admit, they show the songs off to a great degree. With the cast playing all the instruments live on stage, it gives another edge to the young talent on display. To see ensemble dancers playing brass instruments while keeping up with the dance routines is an achievement in itself!

On the downside, not all were up to the standard required to deliver the performances needed for this high energy show. Ben James Ellis (the only “name” in the cast, as a previous contestant on BBC’s Any Dream Will Do) was disappointing vocally and was inconsistent in accent throughout the show. He did have the confidence the role required, but unfortunately it did seem misplaced on this occasion. However, the leading roles more than made up for this. David Ribi as Bobby hit every note (and had quite a range to cover) while also creating a wonderful character who gained the symapthies of all in the audience. The standout performance however was Samantha Dorrance with a touching portrayal of the soon to be 16 year old Laura. Her ability to touch hearts with moving ballads was matched only by her belt voice in the upbeat numbers – and she also showed she was a more than able dancer and put the rest of the cast to shame.

With good support from Katie Birtill and Anna Campkin as the more streetwise girls and from Josh Little as the dim-witted friend this show is a good showcase for young talent and I’m sure we’ll see many of these names emerging into bigger roles in the coming years.

For a feel good musical, with some mainly inoffensive humour, great live music and some classic songs, Dreamboats and Petticoats is a perfect antidote to the increasingly wintery weather that has blown in from the West.

Performances:

Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm

Tickets: £11 - £32

Box Office: 08448 717 647(bkg fee)   web: www.atgtickets.com/glasgow

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)

If Glasgow’s Theatre Royal is currently hosting the stage version of the archetypal girl power Chick Flick (Legally Blonde), then The Kings have gone one better with this stage adaptation of the hit “woman-power” film, Calendar Girls.

Based on the real-life story of a band of women from the WI who set about to raise funds for charity in response to one of their husbands being diagnosed with Leukaemia, this is a play full of poignant emotion. However the memorable factor that most audiences will take away is the humour.

With Lynda Bellingham returning to the role she originated on stage as Chris, the friend of the recently widowed Annie (played with grace and a real believability by the wonderful Jan Harvey) we get to see her back at her best. After years of presenting as a “Loose Woman” it was good to see Ms Bellingham showing her talent as an actress again. With a great rapport between these two leads the friendship of the characters was made to feel so real to the audience that you really invest in their journey throughout the show. Jennifer Ellison is another returnee to the touring production, this time strangely in the role of Cora – a part which she looks a bit too young for, but handles the humour well. Rula Lenska as trophy wife Celia also has some great killer lines (as well as some killer heels – amongst other assets!) as the “lush” of the group. The small moment where she reveals some of the sadness in her life is a great chance for Ms Lenska to wipe the memories of her strange appearance on Celebrity Big Brother and remind us of her acting talents.

June Watson as the “elder stateswoman” of the group is a revelation. Her dry put-downs and sarcasm provide some of the funniest moments of the show exceeded only by the scene staging the infamous calendar shoot!). And in mentioning the calendar shoot, it would be remiss of me not to mention Debbie Chazen as Ruth. who definitely steals that particular scene, a meek and mild-mannered character with a heart of gold who seems to always be taken advantage of. Ms Chazen, best known for comedy sketch shows, shows a subtlety of performance in certain scenes that draw the audience into her story and I think both her moments of strength in the show gained the biggest applause from the audience on the opening night. With great support from Ruth Madoc as aspiring social climber (ie. snob!) and head of WI branch Marie and cameos from Jane Lambert and Camilla Dallerup this is a formidable line up of ladies.

The men are due a mention too – for a show aimed at the female market it is refreshing to see the men portrayed in a good light (although the script was written by a man – the very witty Tim Firth). Joe McGann provides a very warm and touching performance as the likable John, the ill-fated husband. John Labanowski as Rod carries on this style as husband to the pushy Chris and Bruno Langley also has two very different cameos as the shy photographer Lawrence, and pushy Ad Man, Liam.

The set design is not only clever technically, but it’s simple style combined with Jack Ryder’s direction keep the pace of this production moving along nicely – and for this current touring cast’s opening night, it certainly appeared to be a very smooth ride.

This play has toured previously and it is constantly refreshed by the changing of cast members – and although many plays of that set up can fall foul of the “famous names/stunt casting” trap, this production proves that using famous names can work well – especially when they are as talented as Lynda Bellingham and company.

You can catch this talented cast at the Kings Theatre Glasgow until 3^rd September or on tour until December (see www.seecalendargirls.com for details).

Performances:

Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm

Tickets: £11.50 - £27.50

Box Office: 08448 717 648(bkg fee)   web: www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

The girl power chick flick has already stormed Broadway and the West End in its current incarnation as a stage musical, and looks set to do the same on it’s first ever UK tour.

This show is full of vibrancy and excitement – partly due to the score and script (the wit here definitely exceeds the “chick flick” tag) and in the main down to the young, energetic cast. Full of newcomers, this ensemble show has many stars in the making. Charlotte Harwood plays the straight-laced and vicious tongued Vivienne with great style – and in the title track gets to show some impressive vocal chops too. Neil Toon as Warner, the initial love interest of the main character delivers good vocals and a rather inoffensive character – I would have preferred to see a bit more attempt to lose the sympathies of the audience to help drive the story. One actress who did impress was Liz McLarnon (of Atomic Kitten fame) in the role of new-found confidante Paulette. With a difficult New York Irish Italian accent to deliver, she did well and really sold her character to the audience with excellent comic timing and a real sense of sadness and joy in the journey of her character.

The biggest character journey however is that of Elle Woods, the show’s heroine. Being able to gain the sympathies of an audience when your character begins as an egotistical, materialistic airhead, is a testament to the warm performing style of Faye Brookes. With previous incarnations of this show using a TV name in the lead role, this was a brave choice by the producers to cast a relative unknown to headline the tour. Their faith however is completely justified. A great comic actress and a fantastic singing voice make Ms Brookes the perfect casting in the role played by Reece Witherspoon in the film production. The experienced hand in this tour is Dave Willetts as Callahan, the professor and mentor to the Harvard Law students. With strong vocals and commanding presence it was good to see Mr Willetts back on form. With great support from Iwan Lewis (definitely a name to watch out for) as Emmet and a great cameo role from Hannah Grover as Fitness Video Queen Brooke Wyndham in a routine that requires more stamina than an army assault course – while still retaining tight vocals.

The only thing letting down this production is the set. Being one of the most expensive tickets at the Theatre Royal this year, it is disappointing not to see that reflected on the stage. Many set pieces looked worn and tattered already, which is unacceptable in a first UK tour of this standard. Luckily the performances well outweigh this and it would definitely not stop me returning to see this show again.

Glasgow’s Theatre Royal are very much getting into the Legally Blonde spirit while the show is here, with Nailzone beauty doing nail treatments and Blue Dog cocktail bar (who have even created a special “Bruiser” cocktail named after the show’s cute canine star) offering the full fraternity house experience.

Performances:

Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm

Tickets: £18.50 - £45

Box Office: 08448 717 647(bkg fee)   web: www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

Lee Hall has another hit on his hands with The Pitmen Painters. Having shown previous talent in writing Billy Elliot and Cooking With Elvis, his knack of transferring northern humour into dramatic comedy is on stage again in this witty play.

Based on the true story of The Ashington Group the play follows a group of miners from Northumberland who, as part of their weekly Workers Enrichment programme, employed university art lecturer Robert Lyon (played here by David Leonard) to teach them Art Appreciation. Finding difficulty in expressing to each other, Mr Lyon pursues a course of practical teaching and the men begin to paint. They show varying degrees of talent and the initial banter between the men shows a great deal of the typical northern humour you’d expect. Witty dialogue and great comic timing shows why this play managed a transfer to Broadway (although I have no idea what the Americans will have made of the accent!). David Whitaker and Deka Walmsley as Jimmy Floyd and group leader George Brown play well off each other and the rest of the group and have perfected the art of the “comedy silence” (holding their response until the audience have hit fever pitch in the laughter). Michael Hodgson and Brian Lonsdale provide good support in the roles of Harry and the oddly credited Young Lad. However the performance of the night was definitely Trevor Fox as Oliver Kilbourn. To see a man from such a hard working background struggle to deal with the emotions of an artistic talent was truly touching at times. Mr Fox’s delivery had a real honesty, while still delivering some great comic moments too.

In such a male heavy production, the female roles do seem somewhat of a caricature, and Joy Brook’s overly posh portrayal of Helen Sutherland did seem a little forced on the accent side, although her scenes with Mr Fox did allow her to show some truth in her performance and did bring about one of the most touching parts of the production. Viktoria Kay brought a vibrancy to the role of Susan Parks, and although only a minor role she ensured that it did not fade into the background.

The combination of direction from Max Roberts and the design from Gary McCann make this an extremely smooth production. With a single stage and cast moving all the furniture and the room slowly gaining more of the artwork by the group did give a nice visual development of the set along with the skill of the group.

The use of projections did seem to jar slightly to begin with, but did make perfect sense and being able to see this artwork was nearly as much of a delight as seeing the play itself.

Performances:

Mon 25 JUL:   7:30pm

Tue 26 JUL:    7.30pm

Wed 27 JUL:   7.30pm

Thu 28 JUL:    2.30pm, 7.30pm

Fri 29 JUL:      7.30pm

Sat 30 JUL:     2.30pm, 7.30pm

Tickets: £17-£26

Box Office: 08448 717 647(bkg fee)   web: www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

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