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asdamagicbiscuits · 6 years

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Theatre Hightlights 2017

My Top 10 (13 really if we are being specific) Theatre Highlights and Moments of 2017 (in no particular order but it roughly goes in the order everything happened. I combined things together to make it easier to read and talk about without doubling back on myself)

Now let’s get started!

Les Mis and Cinderella

The start of 2017 saw me returning to London see Les Mis and Cinderella at the London Palladium with my friend Johanna.

It was lovely to kick-start my theatre-going for the year with a trip to Les Mis. I do love that show, it’s a timeless piece and one I will never get sick of. It was great to see Adam Bayjou as Jean Valjean, he did a fantastic job and delivered a top class performance. The vocals in Bring Him Home - sublime!

I was lucky enough to win a competition for two tickets to see Cinderella and wow, I was blown away by everything. The whole company worked so hard to put on a wonderful show, I throughly enjoyed it so much. Natasha Barnes was perfect as Cinderella and I had chills every time she sang, just beautiful. For me I was most excited to see Paul O’Grady in the show and he didn’t disappoint. Absolutely fabulous and I’m so glad I got to see him perform in the show.

Definitely started 2017 in the best way!

Grease at Leicester Curve

My first #BindonOnTour trip of the year had me returning to the Leicester Curve to see Grease the Musical again. Those of you who read last year’s post will remember that I saw it at the end of last year and adored it, so I was thrilled to be able to get in to see the show again before it closed. It made for a lovely early birthday treat and I adored seeing Jessica Paul as Sandy, and Luke George on stage again. Both gave incredible performances as always, and it was well worth all the travel I did that day to see them! The whole company were so on it and I stand by everything I said before about this show!

Death Takes A Holiday

This show had me returning to the Charing Cross Theatre to see another of Maury Yeston’s masterpieces. The score, like the other Yeston shows I’ve seen, spoke to my soul and I fell in love with the show. Maury has this quality of writing stunning music and all the little musical links were so fitting for the piece - I couldn’t get the music out of my head. You could say it haunted me but in a lovely way, drawing me back.

Excellent casting with Zoe Doano, Chris Peluso and then James Gant in the leads as Grazia and Death. Zoe’s soprano was showcased beautifully in this show and someone needs to cast James Gant as Phantom, as the way he sang Alive and I Thought I Could Live on the last show was spectacular. What a voice and boy can that man belt!

The rest of the company were incredible, Scarlett Courtney was a standout for me as Daisy and she broke my heart each time I saw her with her part in What Do You Do. Beautiful.

42nd Street

If I had to pick THE show of 2017 for me it’s 42nd Street hands down. It’s the most feel good show you could wish to see. I get asked what to see in London a lot by people. My singing teacher calls me his theatre guru as I see so much theatre and work all the hours god sends on top! (Hi Adam if you’re reading!)

This is the show I always say in a heartbeat. I’m so happy when I watch it. I cry at the overture - it makes me so happy and an emotional wreck as well. This is also a show I desperately want to see James McKeon conduct!!

The casting is en-point. Clare Halse is divine as Peggy, what a dream and whether you sit front row or at the back of the balcony, her performance never fails to touch and reach you. Tom Lister has Julian down to a tee, and those guys and girls in the ensemble - hats off every time to them. But really the whole company is stellar and I leave immediately thinking when can I go back?! The music is phenomenal, proper old school Hollywood movie musical vibes. I have to mention the person who drew me to go and see 42nd Street and ultimately to fall in love with this musical, Luke George. Those who read my highlights last year will remember that I saw Luke in Titanic and in Grease at the Leicester Curve, so to see him on stage again in this incredible show is so great. I love spotting him in the show and especially at the beginning when the curtain rises and you see everyone’s feet tap dancing! Look out for orange tap shoes and green socks - that’s Luke!! 😀

42nd Street can be found at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London’s West End so get down to meet those dancing feet and also don’t forget to buy the London Cast Recording which is available on iTunes and Spotify.

Mikado

The next stop on #BindonOnTour saw me going to Bath to see the second ever show of All Male Mikado. I also managed to see it again later on in the tour when it went to Brighton. I went to see Richard Munday play the lead in the show Nankipoo. It was fantastic to see Richard on stage again, he was absolutely brilliant and his comic timing was excellent. One moment I remember really clearly was when he plopped his head down on the table and a plate bounced up in the air and landed on his head. It was so unexpected and even now it still makes me chuckle thinking about it. I really enjoyed hearing Richard sing Gilbert and Sullivan. Two very joyous evenings spent in two lovely venues seeing a great show!

Deposit

This was the only play I saw this year but I was very lucky to be able to get to see the show three times, and seeing Natalie Dew again is always a delight!! There were only 4 people in the company, including Natalie. They were all outstanding and played off each other so well, tackling a story which is very relevant to London today. It was a really lovely piece of theatre, extremely well performed by all of them, and the Hampstead Theatre is such a gorgeous venue. Like everything I’ve seen Natalie in, there is always one moment in the show where she makes me cry. She’s a wonderful actress and the truth in the portrayal of every character she plays is so natural and organic. I hope 2018 brings me more opportunities to see this lady do her thing, as she’s damn good and such a sweetie!! ☺️

The Addams’ Family

I was very lucky to be able to see the UK Tour of The Addams’ Family twice. In Bath in June and again in Dartford in November.

In Bath I took my very good friend Holly, who adores TAF Musical, and I managed to get us front row seats. It was incredible seeing the show so close. I was genuinely blown away by the entire production, it was all so well put together. The company were outstanding. Fantastic music, beautiful vocals, stunning choreography. If this doesn’t get a London transfer I’ll cry. Everyone should see this show!! THE BEST touring production I’ve ever seen and I see a lot of theatre, especially through my work. When the gauze came in and they were doing set changes behind it and it went out revealing something different I was so surprised, I didn’t even notice that’s what they were doing behind there. The story and performances were so engaging and really drew you in, especially the ensemble. Shoutout to Kirsty Ingram and Jessica Buckley who always drew my attention whenever they were on stage. The costumes were so well designed and thought out. Especially with the ancestors.

Beg, borrow or steal a ticket if this show goes to London, you won’t regret it!!

A very long Les Mis post

Cast Change is always a hard time as you are saying goodbye to people you’ve watched perform over the past year. The hardest goodbye was to the absolute legend that is Kayleigh McKnight who was such a badass Factory Girl and one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. She lights up the stage when she is performing and I’m hoping she’ll return one day to Dream The Dream.

Now the 19th July 2017 is one of those stagey dates which will stick in my memory for a particular reason. Now after a year of being on a third cover alert after Cast Change I was moving to a second cover alert and 19th July was the show I had waited so long to see. Antony Hansen’s debut as Jean Valjean. Wow. Just wow. He completely blew my mind during that show for he kept hitting every mark, I couldn't fault him. At the end of JVJ’s Soliloquy in the Prisoner section I knew he was joining the ranks of one my favourite JVJ’s of all time. Hands down the strongest debut I’ve ever seen by someone in a role. Cover debut or Principal! I was very fortunate to be able to see him again front row on September 4th and it was just incredible! The detail Antony put into the character and the performance he delivered. It was strong, confident and he didn’t falter once. Well worth the over a year wait to see him. I urge everyone to go see this man in action as JVJ! You won’t be disappointed. I also want to briefly mention how fantastic Antony is as Courf and how even in the ensemble he stands out and delivers a brilliant performance. Although I do now worry every time at the start of the ABC cafe when he makes his entrance after he nearly fell over on the stairs. Trust me to find something to worry about in what should be one of the safest ensemble tracks there are in the show!

Shitfaced Shakespeare including my Brighton and Ed Fringe adventures

Sitting down to write this part and I’m here thinking - where do I even begin?!

Firstly I must start with a massive apology to everyone at Magnificent Bastard Productions for actually they should have been in my highlights last year! But I’m a plonker and when I came to write 2016’s highlights I completely went blank. So I’m very sorry for that so buckle in for a bumper mention this year.

As mentioned I saw Shitfaced Shakespeare’s fantastic A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2016. I went with two friends from work called Phil and Will (shout-out guys) which still cracks me up now BECAUSE IT RHYMES. Simple things 😂🙊 I digress though. I had the fantastic Saul Marron as Compère and the Rev Lewis Ironside as a drunk Lysander, with Stacey Norris, Beth-Louise Priestley, David Ellis and John Mitton as the rest of the company performing that night. It was, quite simply the best night EVER. So funny, I was laughing so hard I squeaked! Whilst I don’t remember much, what I do remember I still talk about it to this day and I was gutted I only saw it once! Fast forward to 2017. When I saw Shitfaced Shakespeare would be returning to the Leicester Square Theatre with Much Ado About Nothing I knew I had to go and see them. I ended up practically moving into the venue with my very good friends Rebecca and Sarah. We also went on a few roadtrips to see the fringe company in Brighton and Edinburgh perform Romeo and Juliet. Edinburgh Fringe was pure joy and I’m so excited to go back next year to see those guys in action.

If there was a show which summed up my summer it would be that one. So many laughs, so many quotes which had me laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe, my personal favourite comes from Mr David Ellis himself, ‘Go fuck thyself’ had me in stitches for about 10 minutes.

It was fantastic to see everyone I saw in Midsummer on stage again and to get to meet them all was wonderful. The whole Shitfaced family are such hugely talented, lovely and the most down to earth people you’ll ever meet. An absolute joy to watch on stage and those guys certainly made my summer, so many amazing memories. Thank you all, so excited to see you all in 2018!

Tickets for their London run next year are on sale as we speak so make sure you go and book to see Merchant Of Venice and Romeo and Juliet at the Leicester Square Theatre and go see them on fringe too. Follow @shitfacedshake for updates!

Wind In The Willows

Having seen this show on tour in 2016, I was very excited to return to the Riverbank when it transferred to the Palladium over the summer, and I was not disappointed. It was still as delightful and sweet as I remembered. Craig Maither and Simon Lipkin were such a fantastic pairing as Mole and Ratty and had me laughing and crying throughout. The songs which got me on tour got me in London. A Friend Is Still A Friend and A Place To Come Back To have to be hands down two of the best songs ever written but I mean the whole album is inspiring and complete genius.

In London I finally got to see Jenna Boyd as Mrs Otter and Georgie Westall as Mrs Hedgehog. What. A. Show. I had cried already by the end of the opening song. It was a show I certainly won’t forget in a while. Jenna had such a warmth about her Mrs Otter and played really well opposite Emily, who played Portia. Georgie was fantastic as Mrs Hedgehog and stole the show, along with James Gant who played Mr Hedgehog, in the Hedgehog’s Nightmare. Pure joy and one of the best shows I’ve seen this year.

Phantom Cast Change & THAT Phantom Show

Cast Change never gets any easier and this year it was time to say goodbye to the lovely and incredibly talented Lyndsey Gardner, who I’ve seen as a swing then move into second cover Carlotta. I was really sad to see her leave as she is always such a ray of sunshine and lights up the stage so bright when performing. I’ve been very blessed to see her as Carlotta so many times and the first time I saw her (it was her second ever Carlotta show) I was front row and it was magical.

Now I was already planning to go on 7th September to see Georgia Ware as Principal Meg so when I found out that Leo Miles was on for Raoul I was so happy to see them both on together. Then I found out that Lyndsey was coming back as Carlotta and I lost my chill completely. I couldn’t believe it. I had waited a year to potentially see the three of them together, never expecting to get to see them, and it took Lyndsey to leave the company and be called in and for Georgia to be made Principal for it to happen. I remember thinking I must be dreaming, this can’t be real. But looking at the cast board and seeing all their names up there, I knew I was in for a very special and magical afternoon. Sitting in my seat I was shaking before the show even started, I couldn’t believe my luck. During the show I wish I had more eyes to watch all of them individually but I soaked up every bit I could and I throughly enjoyed it. Stunning and flawless performances all round and I was so proud of all three of them and watching them take their bows I can’t deny it I did get really emotional! One of the most unforgettable afternoons ever and even writing about it now I can still remember it so clearly!! Absolutely perfect!

Kinky Boots for Rebecca’s Birthday

My last London theatre trip of the year saw me returning to the Factory with my good friend taking a few newbies to see the show. Me, Sarah and Zoe organised this as an early Birthday treat for Rebecca who had been waiting to see this since February! It was fantastic to see the new company of Kinky Boots. Simon-Anthony Rhoden was an absolute dream as Lola and played so well opposite Jordan Fox who was on for Charlie Price that evening. Their vocals were sublime and if I didn’t know Jordan was a cover I’d have thought he was Principal. Absolutely solid performance and handled my favourite songs in the show with ease, making it look effortless. Verity Rushworth was out of this world as Lauren. So sassy and fun. Even if Lauren wasn’t the main focus in a scene I found myself watching Verity’s captivating performance. A joy to watch.

In every show I’ve seen Dale Evans in the first time I see him in a show I always see him on for his cover role. First Chris in Miss Saigon, then Frank in Showboat and now Harry in Kinky Boots. It was great to see Dale on stage again and on for Harry that night. Take What You Got is my Favourite Song in the show and Dale and Jordan did a fantastic job with it. One of many highlights in the show for me. Hopefully I’ll see them both again!

I’m most excited to be returning to the Kinky Boots Factory in 2018. January can’t come soon enough! ‘Let’s make shoes’

Panto!

My last two theatre trips of the year and also the last two stops of #BindonOnTour for 2017 saw me heading off to Panto land!!

Firstly I went to see Peter Pan at my local theatre where I live to see Abigail Matthews in Peter Pan. I was so excited to see Abigail perform again. I was gutted to miss her last year in Cinderella so made sure I got in to see her this year and I was not disappointed, she was fantastic. I had a smile on my face every time she was on stage. It was really good to see her play both Mrs Darling and Tinkerbell, her characterisation between the two was excellent and casting her as Tinkerbell was inspired!! I loved how sassy and cheeky Abigail was as Tinkerbell and comic timing was en-point. Vocals were divine and damn that girl has a belt on her, completely blown away.

Adam Woodyatt was delightful as the villainous Captain Hook and Antony Lawrence was hilarious as Smee and did great interacting with the audience.

My next trip to Panto land saw me off to Bath to see my good friend Simeon Dyer in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Honestly I had such a good afternoon, absolutely fantastic show and Devon Elise Johnson was a dream as Snow White. Massive shoutout to all the guys and girl playing the Dwarfs, their characterisation was brilliant and as a group they bounced off each other really well - the highlight of the show was all the scenes in their house, loved them.

Both companies in the two pantos were outstanding and did a great job, especially keeping the energy up with the gruelling schedule. Hats off to them!

Well that's been 2017. As stagey as ever but that’s just how I like it! Had yet another fantastic year in the theatre world and I couldn’t love this industry more if I tried. Very proud to be a part of it. Who knows what will make the cut next time but I sure know it’s gonna be one hell of a ride! So make sure you come back next year and find out what my highlights for 2018 are!

Until then, cheerio!

#2017Memories #2018LetsSeeWhatYouHaveGot

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