Official Blurb: The Bridge transforms for one of the greatest musicals of all time. It has more hit songs, more laughs and more romance than any show ever written. The seating is wrapped around the action while the immersive tickets transport you to the streets of Manhattan and the bars of Havana in the unlikeliest of love stories. Join us on Broadway for the explosion of joy that is Guys & Dolls.
My take: This show is all about the interactive staging and it is a wonder to be seen. I sat in the stalls, and I actually was tired for the people in the stage moving around, so I think for old people like me (and my 5 month pregnant companion) the stalls are the way to go. However if you want to be in it and you don’t mind standing for 2 and a half hours the standing floor could be a very cool experience. The rising and falling of the stage to set the different scenes is impressive. And more than the cast, the real MVPs of the whole endeavor are the wranglers and “police” that move people around to get ready for the next scene. It is a well choreographed ballet that goes off beautifully (and that a couple of seconds or a bad move and there could be some serious injury).
The interactivity of it means that the staging are small and the numbers are quite contained but they all worked beautifully. An even the dancing was so well done in the limited space. All the actors were great, but they didn’t excel to me, they were serviceable to the story and what was impressive here – the staging.
I really love the music of this show and is always a thrill to hear it, but talking after the show with my friend, this is really a show that doesn’t age that well. The level of toxic relationships is astounding and the fact that (mild spoiler alert , although this show is over 50 years old so can it really be a spoiler alert) Adelaide stays with Nathan is just so wrong.
My friends one sentence review: Fast moving interactive revival of a classic musical love story
Brokeback Mountain
Official Blurb: The world premiere of Brokeback Mountain, a new play with music, written by Ashley Robinson with songs by Dan Gillespie Sells and based on Annie Proulx’s short story, opens @sohoplace on 10 May. Directed by Jonathan Butterell, Brokeback Mountain stars Mike Faist as Jack and Lucas Hedges as Ennis, both making their West End stage debuts. The production sees Jonathan Butterell and Dan Gillespie Sells (The Feeling), creators of the hit musical and film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, reuniting with Producer Nica Burns. Wyoming 1963: a wild landscape where people live in extreme rural poverty in tight, insular and conservative communities. When Ennis and Jack take jobs on the isolated Brokeback Mountain, all their certainties of life change forever as they flounder in unexpected emotional waters of increasing depth. Dan Gillespie-Sells beautiful Country and Western songs weave heartbreakingly through this intense tale of an unresistible and hidden love spanning twenty years and its tragic consequences.
My take: The scene it sets is beautiful. They manage to recreate an intimate setting that would probably not be what you expect in the theater. The theater in the round aspect of Soho place was super effective, and although we were seated in the first balcony because of a logistical issue, we did realize it is actually a much better seat for this show than the ground seating as you get to see everything. The acting is spectacular, not that I doubted Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges, but its a hard story to tell and they lived up to all my expectations. I’m still torn about the music though. Although its cool, and I know its original I don’t think as accompanying music it adds that much to it other than getting the ambiance (but for that it really didn’t need to be original). Side note, this made me realize that I would love to see this as an actual full blown musical. Side note no 2. I love 90 minute no intermission shows. They excel at the 3 E’s: effective, engaging and efficient.
My friends one sentence review: Compelling, sad and engaging with a simple, yet ingenious set. I honestly loved the theatre and the set that they created
Official Blurb: The strictly limited season of Aspects of Love will end at the Lyric Theatre on 19th August 2023 prior to the company’s summer break. “Michael Ball blows us away all over again” (Daily Mail) in this “Classy revival” (The Telegraph) of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s celebrated musical Aspects of Love playing at the Lyric Theatre for a strictly limited season. Joining Michael Ball will be Olivier nominated “the stellar, achingly vulnerable” (Independent) Laura Pitt-Pulford (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Sunset Boulevard), Jamie Bogyo (Moulin Rouge! The Musical) and Danielle de Niese (Man of La Mancha and It’s a Wonderful Life English National Opera). This “Exquisitely produced and superbly performed” (New York Times) production takes you from the cobbled streets of Paris, through the French countryside to the splendours of Venice in a sweeping romantic story of passion, love, betrayal and heartbreak across three generations. In post war France, beautiful actress Rose Vibert finds herself homeless and penniless after her hoped-for career break play closes early. Invited to a country villa by a love struck young American, Alex Dillingham, she impulsively accepts. When unexpectedly interrupted by Alex’s distinguished uncle George, everything changes.Discover how love – in its many forms – truly does change everything. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart, based on the novel by David Garnett, Aspects of Love is directed by Jonathan Kent.
My take: If you follow this blog you know I am a HUGE Andrew Lloyd Webber fan. I also grew up listening to all the Aspects of Love songs in the Andrew Lloyd Webber greatest hits CD that we would listen to in the car and have always loved them. So the fact that I had never seen the show as a stage production meant that I was not going to pass on the chance of seeing it whilst I was in London. Plus you get Michael Ball?? it was an easy decision. I have to say there were some highs and some lows.
The highs? I had tears in my eyes during Michael Ball rendition of Love Changes Everything. Not only because he signs it to perfection but because of all the memories it provoked. Also Jamie Bogyo as Alex was a revelation loved his voice, loved his acting. The staging is gorgeous a great blend of video projections and physical sets that were luscious and very effective. It also cut down the stage size and made it more intimate and appropriate.
More than lows, there were some more troubling parts. I absolutely love the song First Man You Remember, but in the context of the show it was a tad disturbing. sang from dad to daughter it took it to another context which i didn’t want it changed in my mind and was a bit pervy.
The make up on the men was great but on the women i never got the ages so it made following all these May/December storylines a bit harder.
Also the whole story and plot line is a bit bizarre and somewhat unnerving, and the ending left me a bit perplexed. Although I’m really glad I got to see this live and these masterful songs being sung by these fabulous singers, I kind of get also why it hasn’t been staged since the 80s.
Official Blurb: A LITTLE LIFE follows four college friends in New York City: aspiring actor Willem, successful architect Malcolm, struggling artist JB, and prodigious lawyer Jude. As ambition, addiction, and pride threaten to pull the group apart, they always find themselves bound by their love for Jude and the mysteries of his past. But when those secrets come to light, they finally learn that to know Jude St Francis is to understand the limitless potential of love in the face of life.
My take: This show is not for the faint of heart. It is a marathon of emotions in every sense of the word. It is a marathon because it does last 3 hour sand 40 minutes (and yes i do believe at least 20 minutes could have been cut off). It feels like a marathon also because I was physically exhausted from the emotional heartache by the end of it. You need a drink and cartoons and a disney movie after it. It is rough. It is raw. It is merciless. It is also spectacularly acted and a wonderful story but be prepared to suffer through it and be mildly traumatized for it because the art id worth it. I have to say i didn’t really prepare for this show (hence my surprise for the 3 hour 40 minute run time) and knew of James Norton, but was happily surprise to see Luke Thompson in it, my favorite Bridgerton boy! And he is spectacular in it.
Also it might have the most gratuitous nudity that i have seen in a play. Some made sense, some was just a bit much. James Norton having to run naked throughout the stage with a flashing light behind him was a bit much.
I also have to acknowledge how maddening the storyline is, just when you think things couldn’t et worse it is like the author is doing an artistic version of hold my beer. The ending? ugh i don’t want to spoil it but it wrecked me. I Was expecting it to be bad and sad, i had very traumatic expectations and this was unimaginable terrible and emotional. Bring tissues.
My friends one sentence review: I am still in shock
Official Blurb: 21 years since it all began… the world’s favourite rock theatrical returns home!The worldwide smash-hit We Will Rock You by Queen and Ben Elton returns to London this summer, for an unmissable 12-week season. Seen by 20 million people across 28 countries, this musical spectacular plays to its biggest audience yet. Taking to the same iconic stage at the London Coliseum that saw Freddie Mercury’s 1979 Royal Ballet performance, this event will go down in musical theatre history.Starring writer and director Ben Elton as the Rebel Leader, for the first time, alongside West End legends Brenda Edwards (Chicago, Sister Act, Hairspray) as Killer Queen and Lee Mead (Wicked, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) as Khashoggi with further casting to be announced.Featuring 24 of Queen’s best-loved hits, including We Are The Champions, Bohemian Rhapsody, Don’t Stop Me Now and Radio Ga Ga, We Will Rock You is guaranteed to blow your mind.
My take: I really don’t have much to say about this. Unless your family is Queen obsessed and this musical brings back all the memories of 20 years ago, maybe not the show to see. However if you take it for a camp guilty pleasure you will have a singalong really good time. Especially if you are a Queen fan. The highlight for me in this production was 1. the coliseum. I had never been in and it is a gorgeous venue!! second highlight the cast is stacked. Every performer had an absolutely ridiculous voice. although why is ben elton in it? he was just so bad!!!!
My friends one sentence review: Good for the soul nostalgic singalong
Tati's Tidbits 