Brief London Reviews (Relatively Speaking)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 3:59pm

So, last weekend I had the opportunity to catch three shows in London and just thought I'd post a few thoughts on each.

An Inspector Calls - I saw the show on Broadway in 1993 and in London in 1999, but my partner had never seen the show. Since it is my favorite production of any play I've seen, I thought it would be a great opportunity to see it again while we had the chance. I'm happy to report the current West End production and cast are every bit as fresh and thrilling as the first time I'd seen the show. The cast is impeccable and manages to keep every single scene totally fresh and spontaneous. It really is remarkable considering how long this production has been around in the UK and how many West End casts of other shows seem to be content with phoning it in after just a few years. Everyone involved in this show is earning their keep and then some. If you've never seen the show, this is a perfect time to catch it before it's gone again.

Legally Blonde - We enjoyed the original cast on Broadway and the current London production really is superior. As far as the show itself, not that much was changed, but it fits much more nicely on a smaller stage. The cast was mostly strong, but I have to say Jill Halfpenny, though cute, simply couldn't erase the memory of Orfeh's brilliant comedic timing and powerhouse vocals. As for Sheridan Smith...she officially owns the role now. Sorry Laura, but Sheridan has you beat in spades. This is a major star turn performance where she not only delivers the material well, but actually adds more layers of poignancy and depth to the character. I don't know how much of her performance should be credited to her own contribution or to the director, but it works far better than it did previously. Both my partner and I surprisingly found ourselves in tears a couple of times, which was HIGHLY unexpected, given that we were already familiar with the show, which we had previously had determined was fluff, but fun. The direction and the majority of the performances are what turned fluff fun into something more substantial. I know it makes me sound like a twerpy fangrrl, but my partner is a much harsher critic than me and he was blown away by it (he actually only bought the tickets for me). I'd be curious to hear from others who have seen both the Broadway and London productions to compare notes. The audience did go nuts for it, though. A legitimate Olivier contender for Best Musical and for Sheridan Smith next year.

Sister Act - Well, it was...cute, but problematic. The sets are great, but I really didn't get the purpose of the big revolving hunk of cheese in the middle that goes up and down. It was a really odd set piece that seemed very out of place with the rest of the design and was sort of inconsistently utilized. Which brings me to the score. Menken provided some wonderful rousing 70s-tinged gospel-esque crowd-pleasers in Take Me to Heaven, Raise Your Voice, Sunday Morning Fever and Spread the Love Around, as well as a few of his more classic melodies reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast or Newsies (Hear Within These Walls, How I Got the Calling, Bless Our Show and The Life I Never Led). But then there were some really weird things going on with these 70s funk and R&B pastiche tunes that were totally awkward, irrelevant and at times, just plain awful. When I Find My Baby is just embarrassing and needs to be replaced (as well as the actor who performs it, I'm afraid). I Could Be that Guy provides a number for a character who really doesn't need one (as his minuscule subplot becomes a baffling plot hole by the end), but I guess they needed to cover a change and find a way to feature the costume designer. Lady in the Long Black Dress seems like a last-minute decision to throw in a comedic song for the buffoons, but it's just ultimately creepy and pointless. And even the catchy toe-tapping number to inspire drag divas the world over, Fabulous Baby, is mysteriously underscored with very 80s orchestrations (a couple of other 80s references were dropped into the 1978 setting). And why does it seem like the eleven o'clock number actually occurs a couple of numbers before it should in a gorgeous epiphany delivered by a minor character rather than the more muted title song of the main character? The book is rather messy in the first act, but picks up significantly in act two. As for Patina Miller...her singing is top-notch and she really nailed every song both in voice and performance, but if they plan on bringing her to Broadway, they seriously need to consider locking her in a room with a new dialect coach for a few months. She utilizes that popular British standby of a Classic Southern dialect which would be great if she were say...Scarlett O'Hara, but it is simply not appropriate for the period or the character. If I closed my eyes, I would swear I was listening to Swallow on the Whistle Down the Wind CD. I don't know if British audiences simply aren't as sensitive to the differences in American dialects (God knows we're even worse about British dialects), but I did find it to be a major distraction and I think the critics might as well. We're glad we saw the show and had fun with all the nun numbers, but anything outside the church scenes were mostly a chore to sit through (we literally looked at each other and rolled our eyes at the When I Find My Baby reprise). I'll listen to my favorite tracks on the CD repeatedly and with a smile on my face, but I doubt I'd see the show again. Though I disliked Spring Awakening even more, I'd say it has a better shot at the Olivier than Sister Act, which is just wildly uneven. I think it needs a ton of work for a Broadway transfer.

Updated On: 2/18/10 at 03:59 PM

[theatreguy]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 4:29pm

Just FYI, Patina Miller is from South Carolina so that southern dialect is likely how she really speaks.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 4:43pm

Really? I had no idea she was from South Carolina. I've heard a similar dialect used by the British in other productions in order to "Americanize" a character. It just sounded wildly out of place to me. I've known several people from South Carolina, but they didn't sound like that. As a director, I would have tried to coach her out of it, but that's just my personal preference, I guess. I think it might have worked a little better for me if they had thrown in some line about her being from the South or something that would make sense of it.

[Mamamia Sammy2]

Posted: 2/18/10 at 5:13pm

Sounds like a great trip Mister Matt!

[mallardo]

Posted: 2/19/10 at 5:42am

Lady in a Long Black Dress is "creepy" and pointless? Huh? For me it's one of the highlights - very funny and beautifully performed by the three guys. I Could Be That Guy is also a standout number - one of the best stagings in the show. Do you really think the Nuns have to get ALL the songs?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/19/10 at 11:16am

***SPOILERS***


Lady in a Long Black Dress is "creepy" and pointless? Huh?

Yes, the guys perform it well, but they are singing about seducing nuns, which I found sort of creepy and it's ultimately pointless because they do nothing of the sort. It exists to try and recreate Brush Up Your Shakespeare, but to me it was far less witty than it was sleazy and irrelevant. I would have preferred an uptempo number where the goons are trying to formulate a plan and actually arrive at the decision they actually carry out. The way it is, they sing this sultry Barry White song of seduction about who can pick up a nun and the next time you see them, they're dressed as nuns in the convent. Huh? The book is thin enough without having to put on the parking brake to get a couple of laughs.

I Could Be That Guy is also a standout number - one of the best stagings in the show. Do you really think the Nuns have to get ALL the songs?

Of course not. I just think the other characters should get better material if they are going to be featured. I thought it was a memorable staging of a forgettable song that was going to drive that particular subplot towards a specific destination, which appeared to me to be a little romantic subplot, but it is just abandoned in the end.

[Upland]

Posted: 2/20/10 at 12:49am

Wow. Thorough. Saved me a trip to London...