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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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).