Theatre Trip: Jessie Cave - Sunrise

JESSIE CAVE: SUNRISE

Soho Theatre

Date: 3 June (Monday), 7:00pm

Seats: Balcony, Row Z 9-10

(Seen with Jess!)

Notes: This show was another recommended show that I heard about on the Theatre Club podcast, and it really piqued my interest. I knew who Jessie Cave was, but only through the same way most people do - as Lavender Brown in Harry Potter. She was great in this, but it was only briefly mentioned in this show.

This show is much more about her current life - still trying to get back with her ex-boyfriend and the father of her two children, while also being anxious and worried and trying to date and move on and be a regular person. It does sound hard, but she had a really great way of harnessing the funny side. She talked very frankly about sex, nursing and her life and I really appreciated the brutal honesty she had towards others, but mostly towards herself.

While this is a one woman show, it's quite cleverly done. Jessie incorporates conversations with her ex and the other guy she dates by holding up pillows, which have drawings of their faces quilted onto them. These were even apparently made by her mum! She has a clever way of then being able to "hold a conversation" with them.

One thing that was quite surprising about this show was the length. I guess I'm used to full plays, musicals and casts of at least several people, but this was only an hour! In fact this was the perfect length because you literally didn't have time to get bored. Plus it's quite a lot for someone on their own to do more than this. It was refreshing going to the theatre and being done by just after 8pm though...

Jessie has a really interesting personality and outlook on life. She frequently reminded me of me in a lot of ways - not the kids or the relationships, but in her awkwardness, anxiety, worries about not being productive enough, pretty enough... Enough. I think it really gets to the heart of who she is, and she's a lot like the rest of us. Only she's brave enough to get up on stage and talk about it!

Theatre Trip: Man of a La Mancha

MAN OF LA MANCHA

Coliseum Theatre

Date: 29 May (Wednesday), 2:30pm

Seats: Stalls, Row C 7-8

(Seen with Jess!)

Notes: I was introduced to this show by the Theatre Club Podcast, and although it had already been on my radar, I had heard mostly negative things about the show. But it was reviewed positively on the podcast so I figured we'd give it a go. Jess and I went to the matinee showing during half term, and although we got our tickets through the TodayTix rush, the tickets aren't selling well so the rush seats are prime seating in the stalls which are worth up to 400% what we paid!

I was a little conflicted about this casting. They had cast Kelsey Grammar in the lead role, and I really had no experience of him as a stage performer. His acting was great and I thought he was a great character, but vocally he just didn't have the chops. He was mostly in tune, but it lacked the oomph that I wanted and it was quite often flat. I think though that this show needed a "name" to help sell tickets, because it's a show that hasn't been on stage really at all since it was first on in 1968. It would not have done well without a mainstream name to help things sell, I just wish they could have found someone who was a bit stronger vocally. However, they did a great job casting everyone else. The ensemble was fantastic, but the main reason I had come to see this show was Cassidy Janson, who was playing the role of Aldonza/Dulchinella. She is sharing the role with the opera singer Danielle de Niese, but because I have seen CJ in many roles (most notably as Elphaba in Wicked and in Chess last year as Florence) I really wanted to see her play this role. It worked out well because CJ does all the matinee performances and it's currently half term. She was brilliant - she truly is a superb musical theatre star.

The plot of this show is a little... Mad. It's set in a prison where the prisoner is putting on a play. The play is about a man who is mad and believes himself to be a knight (Don Quixote). So it's a play about a delusional man within a musical. Luckily this works because the songs and lyrics lean into the crazy and the show as a result was much funnier than I expected, with funny songs as well as lines. I did enjoy the plot as I didn't know what to expect and I think that was a positive for this show.

The real highlight for this show was the music and the orchestra. Being a musical about a Spaniard, the music is very heavily flamenco inspired and the Coliseum really took advantage of that by using a 40 piece orchestra to play... And they were fantastic! A sweeping score with trumpets and multiple guitars to really enhance the Spanish flavour of the show. I love a show with a full orchestra.

So this show was a lot better than I expected. The reviews I read implied it would be kind of a train wreck, but I found great music played by a beautiful orchestra, a funnier than expected plot, an incredible supporting cast and a fabulous lead female performer. I just wish that Kelsey Grammar had been stronger vocally.

Theatre Trip 50: Ain't Misbehavin'

AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'

Southwark Playhouse

Date: 21 May (Tuesday ), 7:30pm

Seats: The Large, Row C 11

Notes: When listening to the Theatre Club podcast, they recommended the show Ain't Misbehavin'. When the tickets became discounted, I picked one up for just £15 for Tuesday night. It was kind of a whim, and I am very grateful for that.

This production was at the Southwark Playhouse, a new theatre to me. It has a full bar out front and many people were bringing drinks into the show as well. There are two theatres in the Playhouse: the Little and the Large. We were in the Large, although it was still quite small, with what must have been 100 people max in the whole space. It had a real community feel and was a really intimate feeling performance.

I was seated next to a group of older people (although it was a much older audience overall) and the man next to me kept interrupting the show. I realise that he was probably just overexcited but he kept saying "wonderful", "well done" and other things during the numbers. He also clicked/clapped along when no one else did, and even got told off for tapping his wine glass on his metal chair by the people in front. It did ruin the experience a bit for me as it kept bringing me out of the show and back into the real world, but I was able to (mostly) ignore it. Other than that I didn’t mind going to the theatre alone, and that’s probably good because I’ve booked a couple more solo shows over the next few months!

The music for this show is all the music of Fats Waller, who wrote most of his music in the 1930s and 40s. Jazz is not a musical style which I am familiar with but it was bouncy and bouyant and just so full of life. I only recognised one song, which I had sung in my school choir days, and that was ‘Handful of Keys’ but we had sung it in a very different style and so I barely recognised it.

The show had a cast of only 5 and they were all referred to only by their real names - Adrian Hansel, Renee Lamb, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Landi Oshinowo, and Wayne Robinson. And they were fantastic! On for pretty much every minute of the show, there was very little dialogue so it was all singing, all dancing all the time. I think my favourite performer was Renee Lamb, who was so physical and extremely sassy throughout! Her voice was familiar to me as I have been listening to the cast recording of Six on repeat and she was the original Catherine of Aragon in that. All the perfomers were fantastic but I think for me tonally and in terms of the timbre of her voice Renee was my highlight.

Because of the physicality of this and because there are so many songs, the runtime of this show was quite short. Each act was 45 minutes with a 20 minute interval in between and actually that was the perfect length. I didn’t look at my watch once which is always a good sign! A fantastic way to spend a Tuesday evening and a brilliant way to spend 15 pounds. You couldn’t get a more different experience from my last 15 pound show (American Idiot) if you tried!

Theatre Trip: American Idiot

AMERICAN IDIOT

New Wimbledon Theatre

Date: 17 May (Friday), 8:30pm

Seats: Dress Circle Row G 7-8

(Seen with Jess!)

Notes: When TodayTix had a £15 sale on, I had a look through tickets and was reminded that this show was coming to Wimbledon on tour. For £15, why not? This musical is using the songs from the Green Day album American Idiot which was an album I was obsessed with at one point in my teenage years. So this was a great way to spend a Friday night!

The music of this show is all the music from the Green Day album American Idiot. While I always thought it was more of a concept album, this musical has lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong (lead singer of Green Day), and he also co-wrote the book so it is very closely linked. In fact, there are also b-sides from that album and a few songs from their other album 21st century breakdown.

This did lead to issues with the plot though - it was never very clear what the characters were doing and where their arcs were headed. In fact, I got the whole way through the show without even realising what the names of the characters were (St Jimmy was obvious, but it took other characters within the show referring to others by name for me to work it out), especially for those characters who aren't named after songs (Whatsername, Extraordinary Girl).

The cast was pretty great for this. They all had a fantastic energy which allowed them to really have the energy required for the umping around and head banging. The main trio - Tom Milner (Johnny), Joshua Dowen (Tunny), and Samuel Pope (Will) - all had their respective strengths and were all perfectly cast given their storylines. I think my favourite character was St Jimmy (Luke Friend), as he was so full of life and even a rebel when compared to the main three. I also really liked both the lead females, as played by Sam Lavery (Whatsername) and Alexandra Robinson (Libby) as they were very engaged and emotional (particularly Libby).

The staging of this production was interesting in that it didn't change for the whole show, but a few set pieces would come in and out during the show. There was a bit more suspension of disbelief than most other shows. There was a smaller part of set which was up above the main stage, which allowed for two stories to be taking place simultaneously. The upper floor was half this set, and half the band, which left when they weren't playing, but were on stage for a lot of the show. And honestly, I think the band was the best part of this show.

Unfortunately, for some audience members they clearly didn't pay attention when booking - I spoke briefly with a lady in the bathroom queue who had booked thinking this was a concert by the actual Green Day. I don't know why you would think that Green Day would play the New Wimbledon (sorry Wimbledon), but they did seem both confused and disappointed. And I think quite a few people were disappointed, because there were definitely more empty seats after the interval.

And I think I might agree - it definitely wasn't great, but given we only paid 15 pounds and the New Wimbledon is such a lovely theatre, I definitely don't regret it. Glad to have had it as a theatre experience, as always.

Theatre Trip: Waitress

WAITRESS

Adelphi Theatre

Date: 17 April (Wednesday), 2:30pm

Seats: Stalls Row J 30-31

(Seen with Jess!)

Lulu was played by Fifi Christophers in this show.

Notes: After our success last night getting Rush for Six, we still planned to line up on Wednesday morning to get day seats for Waitress at the Adelphi. Jess and I had actually planned on going last week but we had both had to reschedule due to handypeople coming to do work on our houses. So even though we'd been out late the night before, we arrived at the theatre at 8:30am outside the Adelphi. Waitress isn't currently doing any offers on TodayTix or other cheap places, but they do day seats for 25 at the theatre itself. When we arrived, there were 5 people in front of us, which surprised me for a double show day in the holidays, so we managed to get J 30 and 31 in the stalls for just 25 each (the actual seats seem to be 72.50 full price!).

We spent the morning wandering around the city, until it was time to head into the theatre. One of the best things? The theatre smells like pie! They bake fresh apple pies in a room tucked away before every show and waft the scent into the foyer for that authentic pie smell. Our seats were on quite the angle, but the view was pretty great. During the interval we tried the pies that they sold in little glass jars - they were more like cheesecakes, and honestly, much too sweet for me! I ate about 2/3rds of my salted caramel one, but then spent the next 20 minutes or so feeling ill and regretting it (and I didn't end up finishing it in the end). I would recommend the souvenirs though, they have some really really sweet (pun fully intended!) things! I got a pair of tea towels which have pictures of pie and baking things on, which I thought were the perfect thing.

One thing I really enjoyed was the staging. With it being a show about baking, there are a lot of props, so the ensemble spent a lot of time flitting quietly around the stage handing bowls and ingredients to the main cast members. It worked really well, and they used real things on stage (sugar, butter, flour) so they must have uncooked mixtures after every show! The band also came on for all the diner scenes to add to the vibe for it, which added to it.

I adore the music for this show - I've known it a long time, having listened to the soundtrack for a while. The music is by pop singer Sara Bareilles, whose music I love already and it lends the show a really nice cohesive soft pop sound. There are also a few ballads which I love (What Baking Can Do is my favourite, I think). There are funny songs, but the show is a serious one which has a real proper message and that is the undertone throughout. It's all about living your best life, as they say, being happy and not just 'happy enough''.

Part of the reason I was so excited to see this show was to see Katharine McPhee! She was in one of my favourite short-lived series, Smash, a tv show about a Marilyn Munroe musical. And she is just so talented. Occasionally she came across as cold, but I think that is just Jenna withdrawing from the world and hiding so she doesn't have to feel. And her two best friends were phenomenal, almost more fleshed out than Jenna (I guess because they go through less of a journey?). Marisha Wallace (Becky) was so fierce and her song completely blew me away - I was just not expecting how punchy it would be! Laura Baldwin (Dawn) was wickedly funny and is almost the little anxious voice that everyone has in their head wondering if they'll ever be good enough. Their bond as friends was so tight and it was amazing to see great female characters supporting each other.

As to the gentlemen, I adored David Hunter (Dr Pomatter). He was super adorable and cute and kept making so many goofy mistakes which made everyone laugh as he was so earnest. Peter Hannah (Earl) was a great actor, but Earl is such an awful character (I mean, he's basically the bad guy) that his cheer at the end was actually equal parts cheer and boo! It was a great performance but it's hard to like him. And then there's Jack McBrayer. He is best known for TV and movies and was the 'star draw' for this show (while Katharine McPhee has also been in TV she is much less well known), and he was really hamming it up for the audience. It turned Ogie into such a caricature, which I didn't like. That being said, I also find Ogie a bit problematic at the beginning of his introduction, as he is overly pushy and doesn't allow Dawn to refuse him (with lyrics like "I'm not going, if it seems like I did, I'm probably waiting outside") which doesn't sit right with me.

But overall I adore the show as a whole, and it was sad to hear that despite the stalls being busy, that it isn't selling as well as they would like but they don't seem to have many offers for tickets other than day seats. I would definitely see it again, but it was a bit too cold to line up and I think I'd only go again if there was an online offer.

Theatre Trip: Six

SIX

Arts Theatre

Date: 16 April (Tuesday), 8:00pm

Seats: Stalls Row A 7-8

(Seen with Jess!)

Alternates: Vicki Manser (Anne Boleyn), Grace Mouat (Jane Seymour), Courtney Stapleton (Catherine Parr)

Notes: It turns out Jess is much better at getting rush tickets than I am, as she managed to score a pair for Six last night - and second row to boot! We even ended up having one of the themed cocktails beforehand (I had Howard - gin and rose lemonade) in the theatre as we wanted a drink and were there with lots of time to spare.

I didn't know much about this show except one song (the opening number, Ex-Wives), and the concept - that the wives of Henry VIII got together and put on a pop concert. And this was such a pop concert!

It was another short show, 75 minutes without interval, and I can see why. It's set as a competition for the audience to decide which Queen had it worse, and they're all also each other's back up dancers, so it's basically a cardio workout with singing for the entire time - hard work. But they realise in the end that Henry didn't have to define them and they have a girl power ending.

The style of the show isn't what you would expect from a show about the wives of Henry VIII. The costumes are what I would call Tudor punk - Tudor inspired lines, and pearls but with exposed midriff, fishnet tights and chunky embellished boots. Very cool and of course practical for dancing in. Each costume also featured a look for their mics, as they used handheld mics to enhance the 'concert' vibe which they tucked away for more intense dance sequences. Each of the Queens also had a colour (gold, green, white, red, pink, and brown - in that order) which was featured in their outfit and their own songs.

I really liked the music. Lyrically, it was very clever with not only historical references but also popular references. And each Queen had her own style, with distinct musical influences listed in the program which mean that while it is a pop concert it's still diverse. Influences range from Beyonce to Adele to Lily Allen, so it's a whole spectrum of pop music in this show. There are also a few numbers which feature all of the Queens, mostly the ones which bookend the show. And every single song is a great jam - I've spent quite a lot of time listening to it since we saw the show, and dancing to all the fabulous bops!!!

Despite the fact we had all the alternates in various roles, I was really impressed by all the performers. There's so much exercise in that show, much more than a lot of others, and while some of them were dripping with sweat at times, they were flawless (well, except when Jane Seymour danced so hard that one of her earrings flew off!). I think my favourite vocally was Catherine Parr (Courtney Stapleton), who seemed to hide a bit in the beginning of the show, but blew me away with her vocals during her number. Another thing which was cool was the band, who were all female and stayed on stage the whole show. They weren't hiding at all and were even part of the action at times, which was very cool.

And my favourite queen? I thought that Catherine of Aragon and Anna of Cleves had the songs which most made me want to dance. I liked the characters of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard best (they were so sassy!), but I think if I got cast in the show, I'd be playing Jane Seymour. So I can't decide!

Theatre Trip: Come From Away

COME FROM AWAY

Phoenix Theatre
Date: 13th April (Saturday), 2:30pm
Seats: Dress Circle, Row C 15-16
(with Jess!)

Understudy: Diane and others (Chiara Baronti), Janice and others (Kirsty Malpass), Beulah and others (Tania Mathurin), Claude and others (Alexander McMorran)

Notes: For the last few days, Jess and I have been frantically trying at 10am to get Rush tickets to a few shows - one of them being Come From Away, the other Six. We had also been enering 5 ticket lotteries (All My Sons, All About Eve, Mamma Mia, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and German Life) and having no luck so far, with tickets disappearing so quickly it seemed impossible. But then a pair of tickets popped back up for the matinee and Jess got them!

The show...I mean, wow.

There are only 12 performers in the entire production, which I think ties for musical with the smallest cast (with Avenue Q) and they are all on stage for the whole show except for quick changes. They also move the set around, as the whole thing is a very mminimalist set which allows the actors to shine. And also, each actor plays multiple characters - everyone plays Newfoundlanders as well as Come From Aways (to represent that sometimes we all help and that we also all need helping sometimes, according to the program). We had 4 understudies in roles and I thought every actor was incredible. Standouts for me were Hannah (Cat Simmons), who was so raw and guttural, Bonnie (Mary Doherty) who was just so funny, no nonsense and compassionate as Bonnie in particular when saving the animals from the planes. Also Beverly (Rachel Tucker), who was the only performer I knew going in to the show was amazing during Me and the Sky (such a great song!)

It was also the best choreography I’ve seen in a show in a long time. They were totally in sync the whole show and there were lots of abrupt movements which were like one person rather than 12! It was so well it together, and the on stage costume changes were very well coordinated so that you barely noticed them. It is a very cleverly made show!

The music in the show was different to what I was expecting. I didn’t know very much about Newfoundland and therefore didn’t realise about the English and Irish influence in their culture, and therefore the music in the show. It gave the music a very raw, guttural feel at times and added to the warm, homely vibe that the whole show had. The band was also on stage for the whole show and even cam and joined the action at one point. And bonus to the fiddle player, who got down on her knees at the curtain call and did a guitar-style solo!

The audience all adored it. The theatre appeared to be packed, and while there are only 4 clap points in the whole 100 minutes (opening, finale, after Me and the Sky, and after one of the jokes), at the end of the show pretty much the whole crowd leapt to their feet and gave a standing ovation. It was definitely the fastest standing I’ve seen in a while! Also, while there was no interval (which meant long queues at the bathroom before the show started), I never felt like there was a time I wanted to look at my watch. It was exceptionally well paced and kept clipping along from beginning to end. I think the lack of clapping helped it to build momentum and tension, which wasn’t truly released until the curtain call, which made that all the more satisfying.

I am so glad to have seen this production, would recommend it to everyone, as it does a beautiful job of telling a heartwarming human story in an exceptional way. I just wish there weren’t so many other things I want to see and that I could see more things multiple times! The biggest of first world problems...