On These Nights Of A Thousand Stars...
UK trip - 25th - 28th June, 2014
Another trip to the UK within two months last week – something is not right at the moment with so little to see in this country (well at least things I am interested in, I do not need the 100th production of Rocky Horror Show etc) – it is so disappointing.
Not that I really got to see much new during this trip, well the main reason really was to see Tonight’s The Night once more with the tour finishing beginning of August and see Ben Heathcote once more as who knows when he will have his another job in a show....
So on Friday I was off to Bristol, a city I hadn’t been to for seven years so I spent the afternoon walking through the city and reminiscing before off to the Bristol Hippodrome in the evening...
Unfortunately Ben was off sick though, so I got to see his alternate Craig Mather.
I had heard good things about him in the show before but for me, while he certainly is a talented young man having seen him in Les Miserables as Marius liking him then, he is not a Stu for me, lacking the geeky charisma Ben has as Stu neither has he the voice I’d expect to hear. Yes, he can sing, he has a great voice, just for a "Rod Stewart show" I'd want to hear something with more, well rasp....
But overall it was good night out again enjoying it as I did already in April (read >>here)
I was especially pleased that the amazing Rosie Heath has now officially taken over the part as Dee Dee. She has such an amazing moving and especially beautifully timbred voice totally stealing the show with her solo even receiving a couple of standing ovations directly after that number – wow, wow, wow. She alone is worth seeing the show so, while I really missed Ben, I am still happy I got to see the show.
Andy Rees as Rocky was also so fantastic again and harmonises so well with Rosie.
Michael McKell as Stoner has unfortunately left so Ricky Rojas has taken over from him. He does a good job, the audience around seemed to love him, but for me he was just not as funny and sharp-tongued as Michael also feeling a bit too forced sometimes.
What was really annoying though were many people around me in the audience badly loudly singing along, constantly chitchatting, taking pictures or just using the phone during the show in general, drunk people in act 2 etc – think of any kind of behaviour you can imagine that can happen during a night of the theatre and it is nearly certain that I got to see that.
The first show I got to see on that trip was Les Miserables on Wednesday. Having "just" been to see it two months ago I hadn't really intended to see it again but when the new cast was announced a few weeks ago I changed my mind - well the casting of one person - David Thaxton as Javert.
I have known David for years discovering him when he was in Les Miserables being one fantastic Courfeyrac and a fantastic Enjolras, first understudying, then after a year break from the show, taking over that part.
So to see him as Javert was an absolute must!
I have to confess that, as much as I liked him in Les Mis and other shows before, I somehow couldn't picture him in that part but from the first minute he appeared on stage he could impress and convince me.
Never ever have I seen a Javert as him. For some he may not meet the typical characteristics of your usual Javert but his Javert is so tense and so driven and developing so much anger even madness and becoming rather, well, human - never ever has the suicide of Javert felt more intense and boisterous. Absolute breathtaking, you couldn't hear a thing from the audience in that scene with the focus totally on David.
I was not too keen on Peter Lockyer as Jean Valjean overall. He has some great moments, but then there are moments when I did not like his Valjean at all. What I especially did not like was that his character did not age well, neither in his acting nor (and especially) in his singing. He sounded no different at the end as at the beginning. Having just started I may shall give him credit but then he played the part in the US before....
Whom I though liked was Michael Colbourne as Enjolras. He is just about to graduate but gave such a convincing performance being self-assured, a strong leader and has a pleasant singing voice and with a few more shows am sure he will get even better.
Will definitely have to return to see this cast again but maybe when Simon Shorten is on as Valjean - would love to see him and David Thaxton on stage together!
On Saturday afternoon I got to see Mamma Mia again.
I hadn't been for four years, a week before the cast change in June 2010, that year when Ben Heathcote left the show as Pepper for good. It was nice to see it again, as I also hadn't seen it at its new home, the Novello Theatre.
I mainly wanted to see it as Stephen John Davis and Alasdair Harvey just recently joined the show as the Father and Harry respectively having liked both for years, Stephen was in Les Miserables for a few years being a fantastic Bishop and Javert understudy (never saw him as Valjean :( ) and Alasdair is "my" first beast when he was in the OLC of "Beauty & The Beast" seeing him a few times.
Both were wonderful, so want to see Stephen as Bill now being 1st understudy for that part - the two together as two of the three dads... Oh boy, that shall be fun!
The rest of the cast is fun to watch largely, again I may give most of them credit as the cast change was just two weeks ago and I have seen the show sooo often between 2004 and 2010 so seen various casts, so have my ideas what the characters should/could be like and when e.g. a Rosie aka Rebecca Lock just is not as funny as Lara Mulcahy or Joanna Monro it is a slight disappointment for me personally (not saying she was not great, just compared to Lara or Joanna felt weaker).
What was great though besides the two guys was to see Kim Ismay. I obviously hadn't seen her since she returned in 2011 not been since the 2010 cast change but I adored her when she was with the show the first time and even though she has been there now for YEARS she still makes the part look so fresh and entertaining.
I had only intended to see the UK tour of Evita, on in Woking 30 mins away from London last week, on Thursday but with some plans for Saturday night falling through (I know why I normally do not like other people sorting out tickets for me...) and besides that one show choices in London being a bit limited in regards to what I wanted to see (either seen or not fancying seeing (again)) I thought, as it was also Nic Gibney's final show as Magaldi, I see it also that night.
I enjoyed the show on Thursday though Madalena Alberto did not feel as strong as in April (I know she had a few off shows the week before being poorly so obviously had not fully recovered then) but the show on Saturday was something special - so pleased I decided to see it rather spontaneously.
It being Nic Gibney's (and some other guy's) last show his Magaldi was just incredible.
I really liked him two months ago but that night he totally won me over with his Magaldi being everything I want to see and hear from a Magaldi - totally fell in love with him and not just for a second or two as back in April (read about the first show >>here). He added bits and pieces to his main number sounding so brilliant full of presumption and high spirits. Such a treat!
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The first show I got to see on that trip was Les Miserables on Wednesday. Having "just" been to see it two months ago I hadn't really intended to see it again but when the new cast was announced a few weeks ago I changed my mind - well the casting of one person - David Thaxton as Javert.
I have known David for years discovering him when he was in Les Miserables being one fantastic Courfeyrac and a fantastic Enjolras, first understudying, then after a year break from the show, taking over that part.
So to see him as Javert was an absolute must!
I have to confess that, as much as I liked him in Les Mis and other shows before, I somehow couldn't picture him in that part but from the first minute he appeared on stage he could impress and convince me.
Never ever have I seen a Javert as him. For some he may not meet the typical characteristics of your usual Javert but his Javert is so tense and so driven and developing so much anger even madness and becoming rather, well, human - never ever has the suicide of Javert felt more intense and boisterous. Absolute breathtaking, you couldn't hear a thing from the audience in that scene with the focus totally on David.
I was not too keen on Peter Lockyer as Jean Valjean overall. He has some great moments, but then there are moments when I did not like his Valjean at all. What I especially did not like was that his character did not age well, neither in his acting nor (and especially) in his singing. He sounded no different at the end as at the beginning. Having just started I may shall give him credit but then he played the part in the US before....
Whom I though liked was Michael Colbourne as Enjolras. He is just about to graduate but gave such a convincing performance being self-assured, a strong leader and has a pleasant singing voice and with a few more shows am sure he will get even better.
Will definitely have to return to see this cast again but maybe when Simon Shorten is on as Valjean - would love to see him and David Thaxton on stage together!
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On Saturday afternoon I got to see Mamma Mia again.
I hadn't been for four years, a week before the cast change in June 2010, that year when Ben Heathcote left the show as Pepper for good. It was nice to see it again, as I also hadn't seen it at its new home, the Novello Theatre.
I mainly wanted to see it as Stephen John Davis and Alasdair Harvey just recently joined the show as the Father and Harry respectively having liked both for years, Stephen was in Les Miserables for a few years being a fantastic Bishop and Javert understudy (never saw him as Valjean :( ) and Alasdair is "my" first beast when he was in the OLC of "Beauty & The Beast" seeing him a few times.
Both were wonderful, so want to see Stephen as Bill now being 1st understudy for that part - the two together as two of the three dads... Oh boy, that shall be fun!
The rest of the cast is fun to watch largely, again I may give most of them credit as the cast change was just two weeks ago and I have seen the show sooo often between 2004 and 2010 so seen various casts, so have my ideas what the characters should/could be like and when e.g. a Rosie aka Rebecca Lock just is not as funny as Lara Mulcahy or Joanna Monro it is a slight disappointment for me personally (not saying she was not great, just compared to Lara or Joanna felt weaker).
What was great though besides the two guys was to see Kim Ismay. I obviously hadn't seen her since she returned in 2011 not been since the 2010 cast change but I adored her when she was with the show the first time and even though she has been there now for YEARS she still makes the part look so fresh and entertaining.
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I had only intended to see the UK tour of Evita, on in Woking 30 mins away from London last week, on Thursday but with some plans for Saturday night falling through (I know why I normally do not like other people sorting out tickets for me...) and besides that one show choices in London being a bit limited in regards to what I wanted to see (either seen or not fancying seeing (again)) I thought, as it was also Nic Gibney's final show as Magaldi, I see it also that night.I enjoyed the show on Thursday though Madalena Alberto did not feel as strong as in April (I know she had a few off shows the week before being poorly so obviously had not fully recovered then) but the show on Saturday was something special - so pleased I decided to see it rather spontaneously.
It being Nic Gibney's (and some other guy's) last show his Magaldi was just incredible.
I really liked him two months ago but that night he totally won me over with his Magaldi being everything I want to see and hear from a Magaldi - totally fell in love with him and not just for a second or two as back in April (read about the first show >>here). He added bits and pieces to his main number sounding so brilliant full of presumption and high spirits. Such a treat!
Andrew C Wadsworth is the current Peron and so different to Mark Heenehan whom I saw in April - and IMHO a lot more impressive being anything but bland what most Perons normally are.
What I especially loved about his portrayal is that he really comes across as a soldier climbing up the career path becoming president at the end while others normally feel straight away more like politicians plus he is for me the first Peron where I can literally feel the love for Eva - and how PROUD he is of her - the way this Peron e.g. looked at Eva when she appeared at the beginning of act 2 to perform "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" or when she sang "You Must Love Me" her realising he really loved her it felt so real - had never felt that before.
Madalena Alberto was also such a treat on Saturday, bringing back the feelings from April when watching her and in general it all felt tighter than in April and some funny things also happening on that night making me giggle, well the things where I realised not going accordingly having "just" seen it three times.
Really lovely was also watching that one special person in the ensemble seeing them how they have grown having been with the show now for four months making me proud - especially fun was to watch them during "Goodnight and Thank You".
Just Marti Pellow was again a disappointment, I really want to see a Che in this production that can deliver the same quality as the people around him. Oh well, not to be as it looks like...
Overall a largely fun UK trip that needs to be repeated soon if it continues to be soooo dull in this country theatre-wise...
