My West End Trip Reviews - 13 Shows in 8 Days!

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 11:30am

This will be multiple posts since my reviews are long-ish. I’m ranking them from least liked to most liked - each show with a composite score out of 30.
 

13. Your Lie In April

• It seemed like an interesting concept on paper, but it ultimately was a massive misfire for me. None of this was the fault of the performers, who did the best with very, very bad materials (and the leading actress was performing for the first time as an emergency cover). Ultimately, while the score was well-orchestrated and the set design was nice to look at, the book and lyrics were basically the skeleton of a YA novel with a bookish male lead, a manic pixie dream girl,  and more plot holes than actual plot.
• Performance - 6/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 4/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 2/10

Final Score 12/30

12. Hello Dolly

• Oh dear. I don’t know if I had too high of an expectation for this or what, but after seeing the title role played by Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, and Donna Murphy, the approach to have Dolly start off in mourning and have her build to a fully renewed woman was a miss. Interpolating songs from the film and other productions made the proceedings feel so much more dragged out. Imelda gives it her all, but never reaches the comedic heights necessary and, aside from Andy Nyman as Horace, every actor seems like they are in different shows. What needed to be screwball comedy ended up a low energy, albeit respectful, dirge.
• Performance - 5/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 5/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 4.5/10

 

Final Score 14.5/30

11. Mean Girls

• Let’s be honest, Mean Girls is not exactly Sondheim. However, this production felt a bit robotic and you can tell easily tell where the writers adapted the most quotable references for modern British audiences (including a reference to Paddington), and the computerized set really gets restricted in view from the higher theatre levels. Major props to the cast for singing to the rafters when the moment called for it, though.  Did I laugh and get the nostalgic feels where I could? Yes. Am I going to run and see this again? That’s about as likely as “fetch” happening.

 

• Performance - 7/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 5/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 5/10

Final Score 17/30

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 11:31am

Part 2

10. Sister Act

• Like Mean Girls, Sister Act - albeit more explicitly poised for a musical treatment - isn’t reinventing the wheel of musical theatre. It hinges on the vocals and comedic chops of the leading lady to make it most effective. At my performance, Alexandra Burke (as Deloris) sounded like she was having a bit of a rough start - with her first big number (Fabulous, Baby!) taken down a few keys, although she got better as the show went on. The supporting cast was hit or miss - although Lizzie Bea as Sister Mary Robert nearly brought the whole theatre down in Act II with powerhouse vocals). The one major flaw that bugs me is, if the nuns are a vocally tone deaf ensemble, then WHY DO THEY HAVE A WHOLE ACT I NUMBER TOGETHER WHERE THEY SING IN PERFECT HARMONY?

 

• Performance - 6.5/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 6.5/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 6/10

 

• Final Score 19/30

9. Kiss Me, Kate

• One of the great Cole Porter classics based on a Shakespeare play that has aged quite poorly - easily remedied by remembering this musicalization was written in 1949. This production had me at Stephanie J. Block and she delivered on every line, joke, and note and then some - including a very horny “I Hate Men”. The issue comes in where her leading man, Adrian Dunbar (who is not known for either musicals or comedy) is unable to match her presence and creates some lopsidedness. Charlie Stemp dancing with a large ensemble is always reason to celebrate, even if “Too Darn Hot” started off a little too lukewarm. It’s not Bartlett Sher’s greatest classic revival, but certainly far from his worst.

 

• Performance - 6.5/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 7/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 7/10

 

• Final Score 20.5/30

8. Cabaret

• I love the concept of this production, even though I find the design layout quite annoying as it all but guarantees that you will miss parts of the show unless you are at the very expensive center tables. After suffering through Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, it was refreshing to see Layton Williams bring a grand queerness back to the role, even when the direction is sometimes bizarre. Same for Rhea Norwood as Sally.

 

• Performance - 7.5/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 7/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 7/10

 

• Final Score 21.5/30

7. Standing At The Sky’s Edge

• Distinctly British, but very much in the style of Bob Dylan’s “Girl From The North Country”. This is very much a slice of life musical as it is a sweeping epic. However, some of the quieter moments are squashed as they happen on a massive set and a powerhouse ensemble that feels unusually large at times. Richard Hawley’s catalog also sometimes does not always fit the story on stage, but it hits FAR more than misses. It’s a unique experience that really gives insight into the many stories found in one apartment complex

 

• Performance - 8/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 7/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 7.5/10

 

• Final Score 22.5/30

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 11:33am

Part 3

6. Starlight Express

• As with every ALW show, I approached this with cynicism because grandiosity without purpose is his brand and my headache. However, with the reinvention of CATS, I had  some hope. While new eyes have made this production a bit more modern in terms of design (and some book/character changes), it didn’t necessarily make the whole concept of the show make sense. It’s still basically “The Karate Kid” with trains, but the purpose-built set, shiny costumes, and deft direction from creativies behind “& Juliet”, “Six”, and others create a truly maximalist and kitschy feast for the eyes and ears. Also, the cast can really rock out that punishing score while backwards on roller skates and that deserves a combat medal in and of itself.

 

• Performance - 8.5/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 8.5/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 7/10
• Final Score: 24/30

 

5. The Hot Wing King

• It’s not a Pulitzer Prize winner for nothing. This is a very good exploration of black masculinity through the lens of six men - married, acquainted, related and otherwise, as they prepare for the ultimate chicken wing competition. Through fights, shade, biting one-liners, and personal revelations, they discover what their manhood means to them and how it affects (and tests) their relationships. The ensemble work is really cooking and it plays out like a great sitcom that you can binge on Netflix. My only quibble is that Act I should have a break in the action since it threatened to run a bit too long and lose focus.

 

• Performance - 9/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 7.5/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 8.5/10

Final Score - 25/30

 

4. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

• What could’ve been a twee and insufferable premise turned out to be one of the sweetest and most pleasant surprises. As both a send-up of romantic comedy tropes and millenial cynicism, this show keeps you not only laughing with and feeling for the characters, but it keeps you fully engaged. At no point was my mind divested from the action and that’s quite a big ask of even the most seasoned theatregoer seeing new and untested material. Sam Tutty and Dujonna Gift are a dynamic pair with great chemistry and, together, elevate the show to whole new heights of whimsy

 

• Performance - 9.5/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 7.5/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 9/10

Final Score - 26/30

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 11:34am

Part 4 - THE TOP THREE

3. Operation Mincemeat

• Even knowing EXACTLY what I was getting into after being dazzled by this show last year, I remain thoroughly impressed by how a small band of fringe theatre artists created a non-stop vaudevillian romp of one of the lesser known events in WWII history, with each of them playing at LEAST 3 roles. All the while, they are maintaining respect for some of the actual people involved in the planning and execution of the event. The humor is very British at times, but not nearly enough to dissuade an American audience from enjoying the antics. A deserved Olivier winner for Best Musical and a must-see. (Note: I also was able to see a performer combination never done before - all of the original understudies (some now the main players) performing the show at the same time)

 

• Performance - 10/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 8/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 9/10

Final Score - 27/30

 

2. People, Places & Things

• A harrowingly theatrical and painfully realistic portrayal of the cycle of addiction treatment, an ensemble of 12 plays a multitude of characters centered around Denise Gough’s full-bodied character spiraling and circling the drain with her polysubstance addiction. This is not a show for the faint of heart or stomach and, sitting on the stage, it combined the realness of a cold, stark clinical setting, as well as the slickly choreographed anguish of withdrawal, into a graphically visceral experience hard to be matched by any other play about addiction. The only minor flaw is that the end seems a bit like an “after school special” when dealing with the main character’s crumbled family dynamic. But otherwise, it’s brilliant!

 

• Performance - 10/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 10/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 8.5/10

Final Score - 28.5/30

 

1. Next to Normal

• Another Pulitzer Prize winner, but this time reimagined in a way that adds more comfort, hope, and clarity that the original may have missed. The fact that it remains clinically accurate all these years later (which speaks to how we address mental health) is both refreshing and disturbing. Additionally, since this show is about a family, it lives or dies by their dynamic and the emotional damage you see them inflict on themselves and each other is palpable in a way that almost feels personal. Acting aside, this is not an easy score to sing and Caissie Levy, Jack Wolfe, and especially Eleanor Worthington Cox, make a meal out of their respective songs and pour every bit of themselves into their characters in a way that not only supersedes some of the original cast, but may be some of the best performances I have ever witnessed. If this production comes to Broadway, you’ll find me glued to a seat in the orchestra section.

 

• Performance - 10/10
• Production Value (Set/Choreo/Orchestration) - 10/10
• Structure (Book/Score/Direction) - 10/10

Final Score - 30/30

[CopleyScott17]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 12:45pm

What a terrific thread! I find your reviews very well done, and if I do manage to make it there later this year, I think your advice will be very helpful.

I wonder if you might have any hotel recommendations in the area, walkable to all the shows? I don't need anything ultra-swanky, but preferably modern and casual and fun. Somewhere I might find Charlie Stemp :-)

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 1:30pm

I’ll be honest - I’m a cheapskate when it comes to lodging because I know I’m going to be out of my room most of the day.

I stay up in Golders Green - which is easily accessible to central London by underground (25 minutes ish), has a few cute bistros, a supermarket to get cheap snacks, and my hotel room is usually between $30-60 a night.

[CopleyScott17]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 3:17pm

Thank you for your reply. Looks like you have your priorities in order -- tickets over accommodations :-)

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 4:22pm

Pretty much. Why spend £250 a night on a hotel that I’m only gonna sleep in? 😂 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 6:58pm

Updated On: 7/30/24 at 06:58 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 8:39pm

Well, that’s one show I saw that’s going kaput.

Your Lie In April has become Your Flop in August

https://playbill.com/article/your-lie-in-april-sets-early-closing-in-londons-west-end#:~:text=Frank%20Wildhorn's%20Your%20Lie,and%20officially%20opened%20July%205.

[Sauja]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 9:11pm

Having also adored this production of Next to Normal, I’m so glad you paid extra attention to Eleanor Worthington Cox who is the giving the richest and most wonderful performance I’ve seen in the role. It’s a dynamite cast, and I think she’s really special in it.

[ggersten]

Posted: 7/30/24 at 10:38pm

Well thought out reviews and I am increasingly chagrined that we didn't get to see Gift in Two Strangers, because I did not enjoy the then understudy. From all the descriptions of Gift's performance with Tutty, I'm sure I would have enjoyed the show immensely rather than feeling disappointed at what could have been. Tutty was great - it just didn't work with the understudy.

I just told some friends who were considering a trip to NYC that instead they should go to London and see Next to Normal and Mincemeat. (People Places & Things and Sky's Edge will have closed by the time they can get there).