Rapunzel Rocks, Gravesend!

Well, twist-flap and clap-stamp. Rapunzel Rocks! 

I had the pleasure of seeing Wicked Productions latest pantomime venture on April 1st at The Woodville Theatre in Gravesend, Kent. Rapunzel Rocks is based on the story of Rapunzel/Disney’s Tangled; the show features not only subtle nods to the popular film, direct references too! 

Having heard nothing but good things about Wicked Productions and their man-in-charge Tom Swift, I was excited to see a pantomime for the first time since I left college - it’s been at least five years if not longer! Initially, I was unsure about the idea of a pantomime at Easter, having grown up in the UK I feel like we’ve been conditioned to associate pantomime with Christmas time and December festivities, but Tom Swift and company have proven it’s an all year round extravaganza. 

With rock voice Phil Washington as Strider, no-good thief turned handsome heartthrob with eyes for the Princess, the show was guaranteed to be a rockin’ one! 

Ant and Tom, comedy pairing on stage as Joey The Jester and his "slap head" older brother Silly Billy have such a connection you’d think they’d been performing together for years, but as far as I know that’s not the case. Something you can tell simply from watching the performance is that the cast of ten really are fast friends, whether they’ve known each other since childhood or met along the way. 

On stage chemistry ripples through the whole cast which really makes the whole experience; they're having fun and so are the audiences; feeding off the buzz. 

The meta ‘King's Song’ mocks various theatrical habits and the lyrical genius running throughout the show is slightly reminiscent of comedic Monty Python’s Spamalot, perhaps a PG version of Avenue Q. 

Wicked Productions have done it again with a fantastic show that keeps your children completely engrossed from the start to finish as well as making every audience member laugh out loud - no matter their age!

"Do the funky monkey, oh and dance like Cheryl Cole. Twerk like Miley Cyrus and move like Iron Man!" 

Fresh and enthusiastic, each performance feels brand new and uniquely special for the each venue and new audience, even though the cast will be performing up to three shows a day by the end of their run. The run isn't over for a week, so if you're free - it's definitely worth it!! You can check out the details for the remaining shows on their Facebook page, which I'll link below. 

If you’re looking for a true pantomime with modern stylings (which include a hilarious scene with a Segway, but that’s all I’m saying) puppetry, beautiful scenery, and a wonderfully talented rock and roll cast, Rapunzel Rocks is the perfect family-friendly treat this Easter.  

Wicked Productions are putting on The Little Mermaid next Easter, and if it’s even half as good as Rapunzel Rocks, I’d love to see it!
Check them out on their Facebook, have a sneak peek at their clips on Youtube here, or visit their Website!! 

Gypsy at The Savoy Theatre, London.

The character I know Imelda Staunton best for is that of Dolores Umbridge; the pastel pink and privileged witch that takes over Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry for a short time.
Her character was vindictive, manipulative and just down right mean. 

Her character in the musical Gypsy, which is currently running in London’s Savoy Theatre, couldn’t be more different. Spoiler Alert (so for those who like to be surprised skip down to the fifth paragraph) Staunton plays Rose, mother of two, who wont stop and can’t stop until her daughter Baby June is the star that Rose never was. When Baby June runs away from her Mother’s overbearing control, Rose turns to her other daughter Louise who has, all of her life, played second fiddle to Baby June’s limelight.

Time passes and eventually Louise finds something she loves to do that makes her happy and her mother, because it is not what she wants for Louise, isn’t happy. Rose realises that she has pushed her daughters away by forcing them to live their lives the way she would have if she could have - she lets Louise go. 

Louise, who now goes by the stage name Gypsy Rose-Lee, lives a successful life and is happy. Rose learns to be happy with her daughters success and also learns to focus on improving her own life.

Imelda Staunton leads an amazing cast in the revival of Gypsy, supported by Lara Pulver as Louise. I’m ashamed to say that I’m not caught on Imelda Staunton’s repertoire, but as I walked out  of the theatre after Saturday’s matinee, I made a mental note to IMDB Staunton’s career and sit through most if not all of them. She can act, I knew that - we all knew that. But, hell… she can sing. 

Imelda Staunton is phenomenal in Gypsy; her maniacal yet lovable Rose captures audiences attention from curtain-up. Obviously, Staunton is the star; the celebrity casting and she’s drawing audiences in. The theatre was full. However, as the show runs audiences learn it’s not just Imelda Staunton with some serious acting chops. 

Previously mentioned, Lara Pulver plays Louise and brings her from meek, badly coordinated, naive and easily mistaken for no more than seven or eight years old to the sexiest, sassiest, most grown up picture of elegance and class reminiscent of 50’s screen sirens meeting Dita Von Teese. 

Lara’s voice is perfect for the role and changes with Louise’s character in the most idyllic way, I couldn’t have cast Louise better. Although not in the spotlight until the very end, Lara’s Louise is magnetic and your eyes are simply drawn to her, wherever she is on the stage. Because I was so into Pulver as Louise, I didn’t realise until the interval where I recognised her from. Skimming the programme, I realised and it dawned on me like a penny dropping. Lara Pulver played Irene Adler/The Woman in the BBC’s Sherlock Holmes series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. At the start of Gypsy, Louise’s character is at the other end of any spectrum that Irene Adler is on, by the end of the show - it’s easier to make the connection. 

The Savoy is a beautiful theatre, although unfortunately the front of house areas are very small - fill it with theatre goers and all their bags and it’s smaller still. This makes popping to the bathroom, the bar or for some air at the interval damn near impossible. The older gentleman who sat next to me in the theatre was lovely though, and he didn’t mind that I had many bags; he even asked about my purchases and praised me on my choices. 

For those who need more convincing, check out Imelda Staunton's rendition of Rose's Turn from the 2015 Gypsy Official Cast Recording. 

If you have a Saturday free, or any day of the week and you have the chance to go to the theatre   - see Gypsy. It’s a wonderful, toe-tapping, warming day out. Fun for all the family.
(Pictures Credited to Original Source - LoveTheatre.com)

Return to the West End: Cats The Musical

Return of the 1980’s; Cats The Musical.

With Cats, Miss Saigon and Evita all returning to the West End within a year of each other it would seem that the dawning of another 1980’s era is upon us. I, for one, am alright with that. Some of the best musicals started out in the 1980’s. My first memory of Cats The Musical was driving round in my Dad’s Forest Green Land Rover Discovery, listening to The Magical Mister Mistofolees. Memory, the Elaine Paige version, was on every ‘West End & Broadway Musicals’ compilation CD and trust me, my Dad owned them all. Eventually, Really Useful Productions released a VHS of the original cast of Cats which quickly became one of the most played tapes in my house, along with Joseph & The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond). Clearly, I was a musical theatre kid. By the age of six I was taking every dance class going and eventually I got to see Cats on stage with my Dad. I remember being absolutely in awe and so stunned that everything was exactly like it was on the VHS tape, starring Elaine Paige as Grizabella and John Partridge as the notorious Rum Tum Tugger. Upon hearing that Cats would return to the West End for a limited run in the winter of 2014, I was glad it was getting another run, but never thought I’d get to see it. My Grandmother, bless her, decided she would take my partner and I as our Christmas presents. I was thrilled. That was up until I saw Nicole Scherzinger had been cast as Grizabella. I didn’t understand – surely if Scherzinger was going to be in the West End she should be in something much cooler, more hip, and more sexy. Immediately, I was turned off. Not disappointed, and never to the extent that I wouldn’t want to go, but confused at the casting choice. I thought that casting Scherzinger would change the audience; I didn’t want to sit in a theatre full of teeny boppers, struggling to see past their ‘We Heart Nicole’ signs.

My, oh my was I wrong. In the lead up to seeing the show, I tried to stay away from reviews because I wanted to be pleasantly surprised and, dear God, was I. I will willingly eat all of my words of Nicole-Nay-Saying, turn on my heel and praise her to the high heavens. Whilst her posture and cat-acting was a little questionable at times, her movement on the whole was completely on par with everyone else on stage. Her vocals were absolutely on point and exceeded every expectation that I ever had for her performance. Never have I ever felt chills like that in Memory. I was never really enamoured with the musical theatre anthem, but the way Scherzinger sings it blows my mind. There’s a massive key change toward the end of the song after, what is in comparison quite a low section, and she knocks it completely out of the ball park. No idea how she does that every night, but judging by other reviews (which I’ve now read) she does. “Sunlight through the trees in summer, endless masquerading, like a flower as the dawn is breaking, the memory is fading... ...Touch me, it’s so easy to leave me, all alone with the memory of my days in the sun.” Not only was I astounded with her powerful key change but her stamina in the lower vocal range was seriously impressive for someone, who I had so wrongly deemed, ‘just a pop star.’

Sadly there is a downside to the revival of Cats. My favourite numbers from Cats were always Macavity and The Rum Tum Tugger (of course Mistofolees will always have a soft spot in my heart.) There was a somewhat mislead and odd attempt to modernise the show by inserting a rap section. Yep, a rap section into a TS Eliot masterpiece. Why is The Rum Tum Tugger suddenly a rap star? Revolutionising the show for a more modern, ethnic audience? I would have preferred the original and so would a lot of other people I can bet. Also, they kept Old Deuteronomy on stage throughout the whole interval. Why is that? The stage hands and technicians then came out to talk to him and bring him his bottle of water. Why not do that backstage? Maybe I’m missing a huge artistic choice, but I don’t think so. If I have missed something, clue me in. To close, my thoughts on Cats have left me with some questions. Would Cats have sold so well if Andrew Lloyd Webber hadn’t cast international star Nicole Scherzinger? Why can Cameron Mackintosh afford to revive his 80’s musical hit Miss Saigon into the West End as an open ended run, whereas both Webber’s 80’s productions are only guaranteed limited runs? Anyway, that’s enough high-brow wondering for the mean time. I’m going to put the clip of Scherzy doing her thing on Memory here, and before people get all uppity about recording in a theatre – it wasn’t me. This is borrowed from YouTube. None but the first picture are mine either, so credit where credits due and it's not me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obGVYstNHwA (The magic happens from about 4:35 onwards...) Happy days.