Jan - June Theatre Half Term Report

Ooo this looks like fun. I have seen alot more than in previous years. Not gonna do the whole A-B-C ratings ill just do out of 10 :P -

Blood Brothers (Tour) - 5/10
My 7th time seeing ths show, One of my favourites but let down by the weakest cast I have seen perform it.

Cabaret (Tour) - 6/10
Thought the production was very strong but wasn't too keen on the actual show. Loved the big numbers - Meinn Herr, Cabaret etc.

West Side Story (Tour) - 8/10
I really liked this one, wasn't too sure on the set though. Loved the performances/story

La Cage Aux Folles (x2)- 10/10 1st time, 8/10 2nd time
Graham was great, this was my 2nd/3rd times seeing the show, once in Feb once in April. In April I thought something seemed not quite right? Must have caught them on an off day. Still enjoyed the show though. This is now one my all time faves, and I will be seeing it loads more when I move down London.

Spring Awakening - 9/10
Saw this on Broadway last year and thought that the performances in the London version wern't as strong. Still sad its closing and will be going again next week.

Grease - 7/10
Went in not expecting much but really enjoyed it. I don't think all the negative criticism it gets is fair, it does what it sets out to do which is to provide a fun and feel-good show.

The Sound of Music - 8/10
Thought I would see this again before it closed and enjoyed it more the second time as I had a better seat and was more familiar with the story/songs. Still think the set is fantastic!

Gethsemane (Tour) - 5/10
Saw this free on A Night Less Ordinary. Good show, though didn't really get the point of it :S

For King and Country (Tour) - 5/10
Saw this one free on A Night Less Ordinary too. Thought the play was very well written and the set was quite good.

The Witches of Eastwick (Tour) - 4/10
Didn't like the show at all, and thought Marti Pellow was awful. The show was semi-saved by the great performances of the three witches

All The Fun of the Fair (Tour) - 6/10
Went in expecting to hate it and was surprised. Songs seemed to fit in quite well, and thought the design elements were very strong.

Chicago (Tour) - 8/10
Second time seeing this show. Jimmy Osmond MURDERED his part and flat out sucked! The other performances were great. Most impressive was the dancing.

Priscilla: Queen of the Desert - 10/10
By far the best thing I have seen this year. Was just perfect! I have never laughed so much before in the theatre, just loved it.

Little shop of Horrors (Tour) - 10/10
Saw this in London with Sheridan Smith and was hoping this tour version would be as good. It was! Absolutely loved it.

Jolson & Co: Musical (Tour) - 5/10
Loved the way it was done but not being a fan of Al Jolson didn't really help. Saw it for free on A Night Less Ordinary, so better than paying!

Spongebob (Tour) - 3/10
Im a big fan of the TV show but this was not good. Thought it was boring and didn't capture the funniness of the tv show. Got the tickets for free though from ANLO so can't really complain.

Fame (Tour) - 8/10
Much better than the last time I saw it. Thought this cast was exceptionally strong. Loved Beverly as Miss Sherman

Joseph (Tour) - 3/10
Saw this twice before and this was the worst time. Craig was DIRE!! Eurghhhh. The Narrator was the only good thing about this show. Brothers were alright.

Brief Encounter - 7/10
Now this is a good play! Great performances/design and just really enjoyed it. Saw for free on ANLO

Singin' in the Rain - 6/10
Set looked very cheap, but performances were good and I liked the material.

UPCOMING -
We Will Rock You on Tour (x2)
Spring Awakening
Sister Act
Evita
Forbidden Broadway

Back of the class with you!
No class!
LOL

Billy Elliot is so overrated.

It's good but no where near what people blow it up to be, things like Wicked are so much better in every aspect.

Sound of Musical lacked something but was still enjoyable.

Blood Brothers (Tour) was really good. The cast were strong both vocally and acting wise. And the Little shop of horrors tour was again cast great and was a really good night out at the theatre. The set was particularly good for a tour and the performances were given with some effort, unlike many tours.

Saw Wicked with Ashleigh Gray (Standby) and thought she wasn't that great, some people had informed me that she was great for the role, but i never saw it.

I hated Jersey Boys, but i understand people go crazy for it. I liked the theatre if that's any consolation.

I didn't like Never Forget (Tour) either, just thought the plot was really bad and the cast were either tired, bored or wet from the rain.

Love to hear everyone else's commments

Updated On: 5/24/09 at 01:45 PM

Being terrifically bored, I might have a go at this. I can't guarantee I won't get bored halfway through. Will be going for brief summaries and awarding the entire production an A-E grade, mostly for how much I enjoyed it rather than anything else. Will be generous with my grades as well; what's the point in having an A grade if you refuse to award it to anything?

Also, before we start, yes I *am* proud of the size of my metaphorical penis. :P

August: Osage County - not as groundbreaking as expected but nonetheless hilarious, heartbreaking, and entertaining. A-
Hamlet (Novello) - Tennant superb, Bennett better, supporting cast incredible. Not a groundbreaking production but nonetheless hugely entertaining. A-
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour - delightful play/orchestra combo with nice visuals, although was expecting the action to be a little more innovative. B+
Loot - I don't really like farce and the pace was lacking. C
A Midsummer Night's Dream - I hate this play, but it was a good production. B
A View from the Bridge - very good production of a very serious play. Stott particularly superb. A-
Othello (RSC tour) - nice visuals, sadly non-compelling cast. C+
Hairspray - whole mess of fun, even (especially?) without Michael Ball. A-
Skin Deep - totally freakin' weird, but I suppose you can't really expect anything else from a modern opera about plastic surgery written by Armando Iannucci. C+
Spring Awakening (Lyric, H'smith) - awesome production of a decent piece. A-
Carousel - there's not much plot, few likeable characters, and - in this particular instance - no set. Thank heaven for the music! D
The Pillowman - I looove this play, and the production was very good. Bonus points for the themed corridor leading to the auditorium! B+
As You Like It - nice production from Tim Supple; nothing unexpected but at least it was all in English. B+
West Side Story (tour) - I was expecting great things after everything everyone had been saying. My mistake. C+
Stovepipe - not my cup of tea, thank you so much. C+
War Horse (National) - best play about a horse you'll ever see. A
The Taming of the Shrew - can't bring myself to say anything nice about anything but a few supporting performers. C-
King Lear - somewhat scrappy affair from the delightful Rupert Goold, but the scene where bad things happen to Gloucester was TERRIFICALLY done. B
A Little Night Music (Menier) - I enjoyed it a whole bunch. B+
Zorro - ridiculous fun, I still miss it. B+
Spring Awakening (Novello) - even better in West End venue, if only for being sat a little further back and consequently able to see the lighting design better. A-
The Pitmen Painters - I can see why the stereotypical NT audience would love it, bit it was lacking in a certain something. B-
Madame De Sade - better than everyone said it was. Still not actually good, although somewhat enjoyable. C-
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - possibly a little over-played, but that could just be it being early Albee rather than the fault of the actors. B+
Dancing at Lughnasa - decent production of nice little play. B
England People Very Nice - long, boring evening of racism which left a nasty taste in my mouth and made me wish I'd left at half-time. FAIL
The Contingency Plan: On the Beach - unexpectedly fantastic. Climate change + daddy issues for the win! A-
The Contingency Plan: Resilience - significantly more awesome than the already great first part. A+
The Light in the Piazza - a few things struck me as a little off about this production, but nonetheless lovely to see it on the UK stage. B+
La Cage aux Folles (Quast/Allam) - if you like musicals and are not a homophobe, absolutely the single best evening you could possibly have in the West End at this time. A
Time and the Conways - excellent cast, disappointingly conservative direction, pretty good in all. B+
Sunset Boulevard - seems to have lost a little something in transition to West End, but still a worthwhile evening. B
A Doll's House - can't comment on the controversy of the updated script, but superb cast made it totally worth the ridiculously early start. B+
The Observer - very good play, very good cast, quite liked the set a whole bunch as well. B+

Still have another nine (at the moment) productions to see before this half of the year is over. Watch this space, I guess...

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Updated On: 5/24/09 at 03:08 PM