Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide.

Laura Elmes for Wildpark Entertainment, Runaway Entertainment, The Vaults and Dianne Roberts present
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch
Book and lyrics by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx, music by Tim Gilvin
Curve Theatre, Leicester
8–9 April 2024

Brace yourselves, Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, a prequel and re-telling of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, takes familiar Disney tropes, gives them a major going over and blows the original right out the water.

From this parody musical’s conception in 2018, a five-star run at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, and UK tour in 2022, this zhuzhed-up production is currently touring the UK until July 2024.

If you’re up for some bawdy, brash and, quite frankly, bonkers entertainment, then this is for you. From the programme, the show’s creators wanted “the comedy to feel transgressive and naughty, the references punchy and queer, and the staging ambitious.” A big tick for that, as this is a really satisfying reworking of Disney’s animation. Abby Clarke’s set, costume and puppet design is a triumph, the shimmeringly colourful costumes as over the top as the characters.

We meet renowned sea witch Ursula (a fabulous Shawna Hamic) languishing in her watery wasteland following banishment twenty years previously by Prince Triton (an equally fabulous Thomas Lowe) and his father who framed Ursula for the murder of a rather unusual princess. Through song, dance, puppetry, and raunchy puns, we are taken back to Ursula’s early life, her humble beginnings as a toilet cleaner (making good use of her tentacles), her developing relationship with Prince Triton and how her attempts to make the ocean a better place were thwarted. Ursula and Triton’s “will they, won’t they” situation is explored in the rock number “Sucking On You”, and is a masterpiece of overblown musical theatre.

Back to “present day” and Prince Triton, now king, swims back to Ursula to beg for help with his errant daughter Ariel (River Medway, also fabulous) who wants to become human to experience… well, her song “Where the Dicks Are” probably explains this one. Ursula accepts Triton’s proposal and, wanting to teach the brattish Ariel a lesson, swaps Ariel’s voice for legs, manufactures a meeting with the outrageously awful Prince Eric (an excellent Jamie Mawson) and confusion, the ubiquitous hilarious consequences plus several unexpected outcomes unfold.

Apart from Ursula and Triton, the impressive cast play multiple roles, with puppets and multiple costume changes, but always with cheeky fun. Allie Dart as Sebastian (among many other key roles) is brilliant; “Les Poissons” performed with River Medway is another show highlight.

Director (and co-writer) Robyn Grant maximises the harpoon-sharp comedy throughout, and there is a real feeling of everyone involved with this show having a blast.

A quibble though—clever lyrics are again occasionally lost where the sound balance isn’t right (the onstage band led by Arlene McNaught is superb, but it is frustrating only hearing a handful of words in a song).

Ursula was originally inspired by the legendary drag artist Divine for Disney’s 1989 animation, yet this aspect was played down. In Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, there is a sense of redemption with drag, dirty humour and clever pastiche centre stage—and the story is all the richer and more enjoyable for it.

Images by Pamela Raith.

Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide.

Hat Trick & Simon Friend Entertainment present
Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening!
by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
Curve Theatre, Leicester
19-23 March 2024

The USP of the TV sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey—first shown on Channel 4 in 1990 and which ran for six series until 1996—was its topicality, with script changes made minutes, literally, before recording to ensure jokes reflected the current news cycle as far as possible. And with the dynamic duo writing partnership of Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, this was comedy at its sharpest. A BAFTA, two Emmys and a host of British Comedy Awards reflect its craft and popularity.

And now, thirty years later, they’re back. Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! is midway through a six-month UK tour and reunites the writing team of Hamilton and Jenkin with seven of the original cast members (sadly, without the late David Swift and Haydn Gwynne).

The TV series ended with the demise of Globe Link News; this new stage show opens with former Globe Link News boss Gus (Robert Duncan) bringing back the team to work for a new channel, Truth News. Back in the ’90s, Gus was driven by broadcasting a story “at all costs” with ethics the casualty. He has transitioned smoothly to the 2020s, his choices dictated by likes, “eyeballs” and an obsession with what he calls the algorithm as he tracks and responds to its real-time, rolling results.

We follow the gathering of the new team, the fanfare around Truth News’s arrival, and the fallout after a deeply inauspicious and cringeworthy launch event. Technical issues abound, viewer numbers plummet, ridicule mounts on social media—sound familiar?

Notwithstanding the changes to the world since the 1990s, sticking with the writing team and actors from the original show gives the feeling that they’ve never been away. Characters are still clearly drawn and we understand how their lives have changed since Globe Link came to an end: convenient-with-the-truth reporter Damien (Stephen Tompkinson) is now in a wheelchair following an incident on location, Dave (Neil Pearson) appears to have been cured of his problems with gambling and women and Helen (Ingrid Lacey) has returned for the lucrative salary to clear huge debts.

Brutally honest Joy (Susannah Doyle) is now a freelance HR consultant, hapless editor George (Jeff Rawle) has finally found love and happiness and news anchor Sally Smedley (Victoria Wicks) is still utterly inappropriate, or as she would put it, asks the questions we really want to ask. There are two new characters: Julia Hills as Pullitzer Prize-winning journalist Mairead and Rita (Kerena Jagpal), a young intern who presents the weather. A mysterious backer, awash with cash and splashing out on large salaries (except on the unpaid Rita), are also a big draw.

Scenes take place in the newsroom and Peter McKintosh’s set is nicely adaptable from open plan office to TV studio, complemented by a large video screen and Dan Light’s video design showing occasional filmed reports and a pile-on of social media posts.

The gags cover a wide range of 21^st century “isms”: wokeism, ageism, racism, plus, true to the TV format, some very current references feature, namely a couple of Frank Hester barbs. The whole relationship between the truth and how it is reported is under scrutiny, and many knowing murmurs of agreement rippled through the audience throughout the performance.

Great one-liners abound, and nothing is sacred: Prince Andrew, the Pope, Sir Trevor McDonald and Sir David Attenborough. The show also takes a wry look at how AI is shaping our world and Gus’s amusing line that “AI liberates us from the tyranny of thinking” struck a chord, with me at least.

Overall, apart from a few areas where action seemed to lag a little, this transfer from small screen to stage works well, and knowledge of the TV series is not required; this is an effective commentary on the media today.

Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! is a quick fire and entertaining satire performed by an excellent ensemble cast.

Images by Manuel Harlan.

Life of Pi – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide.

Simon Friend in association with Playing Field and Tulchin/Bartner and the Sheffield Theatres present
Life of Pi
Lolita Chakrabarti, adapted from the novel by Yann Martel
Curve Theatre, Leicester
12 – 17 March 2024

Life of Pi, Yann Martel’s 2001 Booker Prize-winning novel, is both a fantastical story of survival and a philosophical study of faith and spirituality, life and death. Ang Lee’s 2012 film adaptation received a clutch of Oscars and in 2019, Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation for the stage maintained the winning record with five Olivier Awards. This first UK touring production is currently midway through an extensive 34-venue run.

Piscine “Pi” Patel (Divesh Subaskaran) is a 17-year-old living in Pondicherry, India in the 1970s and in the unusual surroundings of a zoo run by his father. Pi is a rather whimsical boy, curious about religion and who decides to follow three faiths (Hinduism, Islam and Christianity) as he “just wants to follow God”. Pi and his sister Rani (Keshini Misha) receive a sobering lesson in the brutality of nature when Father (Ralph Birtwell) feeds the family’s pet goat to the zoo’s new attraction, Richard Parker, a magnificent Bengal tiger.

As tensions in India increase, the family pack up the zoo—including the animals—and board a cargo ship for Canada and a better life. A storm and a shipwreck leave Pi seemingly the only survivor on a lifeboat until he is joined by a zebra, orangutan and hyena escaping the turbulent ocean. Horror then ensues as Richard Parker manages to climb aboard and it is then a question of survival, not just of the shipwreck but keeping out of the way of a hungry tiger.

This story is told through contrasting scenes—the sterility of a Mexican hospital room where a traumatised Pi recounts his story to the insurance company and accident investigator, the vibrancy and colours of Pi’s Indian home and the huge expanse of ocean as Pi is at sea for 227 days.

Projection (Andrzej Goulding), lighting design (Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling), set design (Tim Hatley) and puppetry (design by Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes) all combine to evoke the challenging changes in setting. India’s heat, lush vegetation and busy marketplace suddenly switch to the no-frills cargo ship, chaos of the storm and loneliness of the lifeboat drifting on the waves. Visually, this is hugely impressive.

The impressionistic puppets—their frame and musculature inspired by driftwood rather than an accurate representation of the varied proportions of the lifeboat’s inhabitants—are mesmerising to watch, particularly Richard Parker, his snorts, growls and grunts keeping things tense.

On stage for almost the whole production, Pi and his various dilemmas are central to this story and Subaskaran shows his bewilderment, despair and humour with sensitivity and charm. His is a story of perseverance and overcoming adversity; he faces many challenges to his faith, not least as a vegetarian facing the prospect of having to kill and eat meat to survive.

Chakrabarti’s main focus is on telling Pi’s story of survival, and not anthropomorphising the stranded animals—these are wild, dangerous and hungry creatures. There is a tendency towards “telling” in places, plus the over-explanation of events towards the end of the play is not needed.

At this performance, the audience was dominated by what appeared to be year 10 and 11 students and, reinforced by the education packs available on the tour’s web site, this production provides many rich learning opportunities for schools. And what a great theatrical experience for these students, and anyone looking to see such a sensorially vivid production.

Images by Johan Persson.

Come From Away – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide.

Smith and Brant Theatricals, Red Hanger UK Ltd, Gavin Kalin Productions, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Echo Lake Entertainment UK Ltd, Square Peg, Stephen and Paula Reynolds, Fiery Dragons, Judith Ann Abrams Productions/Peter May, Nancy Gibbs in association with Curve present
Come From Away
Book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Curve Theatre, Leicester
1 – 9 March 2024

For those of us past our late 20s, it is likely you’ll know exactly where you were and what you were doing on 11 September 2001, often described as the day the whole world changed. However, there were some on that now infamous date – specifically in this case, around 7,000 passengers in 38 planes – who weren’t aware of what was unfolding beneath them and most had no idea where they were.

This is the premise of Come From Away, which tells the stories of the people of Gander, Newfoundland (population circa 10,000) and their unexpected guests who descended on the small town’s airport when US air space closed and planes were forced to land wherever they could. Following a successful four-year run in the West End, the first UK and Ireland tour of Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s multi-award-winning and stirring musical opens at Leicester’s Curve Theatre.

“Welcome to the Rock” provides a lively introduction to the Gander community, including the mayor, police officer, teacher, and a reporter on her first day in the job. An other-worldly feel grows as although we know Gander is in Canada, the local accents reflect the community’s Irish heritage, and this aesthetic is carried through with the Celtic folk-inspired score.

With barely any time to register the horror of the attacks in the US, the community sees the planes landing at their international airport (until 9/11, it had stood unused for some time since planes no longer needed to stop to refuel). The locals realise they now need to look after 7,000 bewildered, tired and hungry passengers who’d already endured over 24 hours stuck in their plane on the airport tarmac. Human kindness kicks in and “Blankets and Bedding” reveals the mind-blowing logistics involved, supplying food, toiletries and somewhere to sleep. And not forgetting the SPCA worker who took it on herself to care for the assorted animals cooped up in the planes’ holds, including a pregnant bonobo ape.

Beowulf Boritt’s set frames the stage with tall pines and wood panels, partially shading the excellent on-stage band but allowing Kelly Devine’s impressive musical staging to shine—chairs are the main prop and the cast execute their moves almost as a second breath, a kind of fluid precision.

The cast are fantastically impressive, depicting numerous characters and nationalities without resorting to cliché. Diane (Kirsty Hoiles) and Nick’s (Daniel Crowder) story is touching, and in “Me and the Sky”, Sara Poyzer portrays American Airlines pilot Beverley and her love of flying; she’d always wanted to fly and achieved her goal, despite male resistance. Her realisation that her beloved planes had been used as bombs in the attack is haunting.

What struck me is how, even with all our differences in culture and outlook (and “Prayer” is a good exemplification of this), our common humanity is the stronger thread. On that particular day, fear and terror brought people together, but also, so did all the good things about people and their capacity to work together and extend warmth and kindness to strangers.

This could all descend into sugary sentimentality, however, director Christopher Ashley keeps up a fast pace and the plain-talking, reportage-style depiction of the situation does not allow any such wallowing.

Tempers inevitably fray in this highly stressful situation. A cosmopolitan couple fears how their homosexuality might be viewed in this rural backwater, and mistrust develops towards those who appear to be “Middle Eastern”, with one passenger subjected to a humiliating strip search before being allowed to re-board the plane when they could finally leave the island to continue their journeys.

It is often said that one purpose of theatre is to hold a mirror up to society; the reflection here is predominantly a favourable one however, in this case, it also provides an opportunity for self-reflection: what would I have done in that situation? You would hope you’d do the same as the people of Gander.

Come From Away is heartwarming and uplifting, and its satisfying dose of human kindness sorely needed in these fractious times.

Images by Craig Sugden.

Jesus Christ Superstar – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide.

David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions with Nederlander Producing Co and Michael Watt present
Jesus Christ Superstar
by Time Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Curve Theatre, Leicester
12 – 17 February 2024

The 2016 multi-award-winning Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar now begins the 2024 leg of its UK tour at Leicester’s Curve, not that many weeks since the venue staged its own production of Evita, another Rice / Lloyd Webber classic.

Last weekend, Ralph Fiennes caused a ripple in the media pond on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg as he questioned why theatres put out trigger warnings before performances, saying, “the impact of theatre should be that you’re shocked, and should be that you’re disturbed, I don’t think you should be prepared for these things.”

Jesus Christ Superstar is of course no stranger to triggers or controversy, with accusations of sacrilege when the original concept album was released in 1970, and in the years since.

There is a dark, menacing edginess to this production. Even the few lighter moments in “Herod’s Song”—as Timo Tatzber camps it up as a high-heeled Herod wrapped in gold lamé—still crackle with discontent. Tom Scutt’s design is one of contrasts: heavy metal bars forming multiple, solid, immovable crosses and platforms versus fluid harem pants, hoodies and tunics. Power comes in black capes, biker boots, bursts of gold glitter, and sinister Roman mask helmets.

Hoodies and trainers are a good fit with Drew McOnie’s street, urban choreography; the ensemble who flock and pulse give the performance significant energy. Staying true to the “gig” vibe, there’s a festival grunge look and feel with the mic and mic stands the main props. There is also a sense of an oppressed people, of an uprising, and of events quickly and tragically spiralling out of control.

Lee Curran’s lighting design consolidates divisions with softer tones for the quieter, spiritual moments and glaring beams for torment and those in power.

Depicting the last week of Jesus’s life as told through Judas’s eyes, Shem Omari James is a tortured, brooding Judas, particularly impressive and with superb range in “Judas’s Death” although sadly, some of his vocals got lost in the sound balance in a couple of other numbers. Ian McIntosh portrays Jesus as bewildered by his superstar status and uncomfortable with the adoration; his realisation of his fate during “Gethsemane” is powerful and poignant.

Hannah Richardson’s Mary is the balm to the chaos, her rich vocals adding smoothness and contrast to the more frenetic rock numbers. Ryan O’Donnell as Pilate, emblazoned with Roman-themed tattoos, black eye liner and leather boots, shows his dilemma until he caves in to the crowd.

Jad Habchi as Caiaphas and Matt Bateman as Annas are imposing leaders of what appears to be a rather scary boy band, The Pharisees. The ensemble mesmerise with their full commitment to the frantic pace of much of this show, some joining the on-stage band on percussion and guitar (superb musical direction too by Michael Riley).

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s emotive score still has significant impact and this production breathes new life into this fast-paced interpretation of the Passion. With Ralph Fiennes’s words in my mind, this is an uncomfortable watch, inevitably because of the subject matter, but Tim Sheader’s direction handles key moments theatrically rather than gratuitously.

Images by Paul Coltas

Evita – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide

Curve Theatre by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd present
Evita
Lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Curve Theatre, Leicester
27 November – 13 January 2024

Evita began life in 1976 as a rock opera concept album, and for this year’s main house Christmas production, director Nikolai Foster revisits these roots with a rock concert-style vibe.

Michael Taylor’s set design evokes a festival stage with exposed wings, scaffolding and billows of smoke and haze. The set itself is minimalistic to say the least, although effective use is made of a large staircase which swirls across the stage, rising gantries and a lift shaft centre stage. Joshie Harriette’s lighting design continues the high-wattage rock concert theme, and the huge circular rig for the opening “Requiem” is stunning.

Through narrator Che (Tyrone Huntley), Evita is the biographical story of Eva Duarte (Martha Kirby); as a teenager, she is keen to leave her humble upbringing for the bright lights of Buenos Aires. Tango singer Agustin Magaldi (Dan Partridge) is used as a stepping stone for a new life and, after a series of “helpful” affairs, Eva is a successful actress and radio star. She meets ambitious Colonel Juan Perón (Gary Milner) at a charity event, and, together (by hook and by crook), they gain Argentina’s popular vote and power. Their success is, however, fleeting, and Eva’s life is cut short through cancer.

This production also considers how Eva’s life could be seen as that of a present-day influencer, building her reputation and following through images and glamour. The use of a hand-held camera projecting on-screen adds to this and also gives the feel of a fly-on-the-wall documentary as Che questions her actions. While this reflection on the social media age may resonate more with a Gen Z audience, setting this biographical musical in a different century with few other references to latch onto for context is at times confusing.

That said, the performances soar, expertly aided by associate musical director Tom Slade and his musicians. The always-excellent Huntley delivers Che’s cynicism, Milner shows Perón’s strength and faltering ambitions and Partridge gives Magaldi a Presley-esque attitude. Martha Kirby shows Eva’s vulnerable side well and comes into her emotional own in act 2, particularly in the duets “Waltz for Eva and Che” and “You Must Love Me”. Chumisa Dornford-May is also impressive in “Another Suitcase in Another Hall”, the Mistress role really needing more to do in this musical.

Taking the line “dressed up to the nines” from the anthemic “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” as his cue, Edd Linley has created a beautiful wardrobe for Eva. With a nod to the 1930s and 40s of her heyday, contemporary embellishments include “power” pinstriped wide-leg trouser suits and a Chanel-style box jacket. Otherwise, the look is stark, functional monochrome, save the colour explosion in “Perón’s Latest Flame”.

Lloyd Webber’s majestic score and Tim Rice’s clever and revealing lyrics are given full justice by an excellent cast in this refreshed production.

Images by Marc Brenner

The Drifters Girl – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide.

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Michael Harrison, David Ian for Crossroads Live, Tulchin Bartner Productions, David Mirvish, Playing Field and Nica Burns present
The Drifters Girl
Book by Ed Curtis, based on an idea by Tina Treadwell, co-created by Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry, Beverley Knight and Tosh Wanagho-Maud
Curve Theatre, Leicester
31 October – 4 November 2023

Kudos must be given to a jukebox musical which opens with a young girl putting money into the slot of a jukebox. The Drifters Girl starts as it means to go on, with a delicious medley of Drifters hits (“Hello Happiness”, “Kissin’ in the Back Row” and “There Goes My First Love”).

This musical is barely two years old; it premièred in Newcastle in October 2021 before transferring to the Garrick Theatre the following month. Nominated for Best New Musical at the 2022 Olivier Awards, it is now deep into a major UK and Ireland tour.

Slick, sassy and fun, The Drifters Girl is probably best considered in the whole, as its fast pace and the band’s constantly evolving line-up leave little space for emotional exploration or satisfaction, particularly in terms of the character upon whom this story is based.

Girl (Jaydah Bell-Ricketts) is the daughter of Faye Treadwell (Loren Anderson, not pictured in the production images) and is essentially the vehicle through which we learn of Faye’s story as manager of The Drifters. Faye takes no prisoners—she can’t afford to as an African American woman in a white male-dominated world—and she manages the band’s many iterations ruthlessly. Admiring her strong character, George Treadwell (Miles Anthony Daley), co-creator of The Drifters, originally hired Faye to manage the band. He later divorced his wife, George and Faye married and had their daughter. Meanwhile, there were numerous disputes with band members over pay, legal challenges over ownership of The Drifters’ name as well as personal tragedies.

So, there are clearly a lot of stories that could be told here and, while director Jonathan Church keeps things moving, it feels like issues are grazed upon rather than tackled in any depth. Taken as a story about a woman fighting against the prejudices and attitudes within the music industry in the bountiful rock ‘n’ roll and Motown eras, as well as her mission to protect the band’s name, then that is essentially what this is, although why she does what she does isn’t always clear. Faye often reminds us that The Drifters are like the New York Yankees: the team may change but they’ll always be the Yankees, so some clues to business practices here.

The Drifters wouldn’t be The Drifters without their music though, and they for me are the stars of the show. The four Drifters inhabit multiple roles: Ashford Campbell as Ben E King and Rudy Lewis, Tarik Frimpong as Clyde McPhatter and Lover Paterson, Ethan Davis (also not pictured above) as Johnny Moore and Daley as George and many others. Their performances are full of energy, charm and spot-on harmonisation.

Doubling is brilliantly done; each character, however brief their appearance, clearly defined through prop or mannerism.

Interpretations of “Stand By Me” are well-adapted for the changes in mood, and Anderson’s performance in “Harlem Child” is powerfully delivered.

The whole look of the show is evocative of the period, and Fay Fullerton’s costumes are gorgeous. As a masterclass of everything about a production working together as one, then the set (Anthony Ward), lighting (Ben Cracknell), choreography (Karen Bruce) and video projection (Andrzej Goulding) in the fun-yet-biting commentary during “Come On Over To My Place” perfectly highlights the ignominious era of “No Blacks, no Irish, no dogs”.

My advice is enjoy this musical for its brilliant performances of many well-loved classic songs that still sound fresh.

Images by The Other Richard

Greatest Days (The Official Take That Musical) – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide.

Adam Kenright for Kindred Partners presents
Greatest Days (The Official Take That Musical)
Book by Tim Firth and music and lyrics by Take That
Curve Theatre, Leicester
23 – 28 October 2023

Cynics may sniffily turn their noses up at the thought of another jukebox musical with, this time, the discography of Take That recycled into a flimsy storyline. However, they shouldn’t; this is a strong story of friendship, acceptance and following your dreams, whatever your stage in life.

Greatest Days is a relatively young musical, having premièred in 2017 (as the musical formerly known as The Band) at the Manchester Opera House, appropriately, given Take That’s heritage. There was even a TV talent show to find the cast for the boyband for the 2018 West End production, and it is now in the midst of a new UK tour for 2023/24.

To drown out her feuding parents’ loud arguments, Young Rachel (Olivia Hallett) disappears into a world filled with her obsession with a boy band (referred to in the programme as “Boyband”) and who she calls “her boys” (the band is never named), and, as many a 16-year-old girl, she spends much of her time singing their songs into her hairbrush, her goal in life to marry, preferably all members of the Boyband, and have lots of children. Her friends Heather (Bayley Hart), Zoe (Hannah Brown), Claire (Mari McGinlay) and Debbie (Mary Moore) have other plans (fashion designer, academic, Olympic diver and showbusiness star respectively) but they are all united in their love for their Boyband.

Skiving off school, they get to a Boyband gig, miss the last bus home but, after an exhilarating night out, it all ends in tragedy. The girls then drift apart until, twenty-five years later, Rachel (Jennifer Ellison) wins a competition to see the Boyband on their reunion tour in Athens. She manages to find her friends from the past and they have their own reunion as they travel to Greece to see the Boyband once again.

It is refreshing to see this type of musical from a fan’s perspective. It is often said how music, particularly a much-played album or a period of time in one’s formative years, provides the soundtrack for your life. Greatest Days is all about this, as Take That’s songs are woven into this new story. The scenes to “Back for Good” are especially poignant as the now adult women share the stage with their younger selves and reflect on the way they were and what they are now.

As the girls reunite as adults, Rachel, Zoe (Holly Ashton), Heather (Rachel Marwood) and Claire (Jamie-Rose Monk) overcome their awkwardness and there is a relatability and realism to their stories, and their embarrassment as they share how their lives have veered away from their teenage dreams.

Co-directors Stacy Haynes and Tim Firth make good use of the Boyband, providing a nice contrast between the concert-style moments brimming with glorious Take That moves, to Rachel’s everyday life, her “boys” always with her, accompanying her thoughts and gathered around her like a protective chorus. The boys themselves (Kalifa Burton, Archie Durrant, Regan Gascoigne, Alexanda O’Reilly and in this performance, Benjamin Cameron replacing Jamie Corner) are a perfect blend of exuberance, thrusting dance moves and wistfulness packaged in de rigeur ‘90s baggy jeans and Daz-white T-shirts. They also provide the muscle when moving Lucy Osborne’s clever set design.

I found occasionally the pacing lagged a little, particularly in the second act with “telling” creeping into the story, however, that’s a small point in what rises high in the “feel-good musical” category.

Greatest Days is a sentimental affair without being too schmaltzy, and provides further proof that whatever you might think of Take That, they wrote some absolute bangers.

And, if you’re itching to dance and sing, there is precious time built in at the end to unleash your inner pop star to “take that and party”.

Images by Alastair Muir.

The Book Thief – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide

Dem Productions, Writers’ Cage and Andrew Paradis in association with Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Bethany Cooper and Octagon Theatre Bolton present
The Book Thief
Based on the novel by Marcus Zusak, libretto by Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald, music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson
Curve Theatre, Leicester
29 September – 14 October

After its première at Bolton’s Octagon Theatre last year, this musical adaptation of Markus Zusak’s best-selling 2006 novel The Book Thief now has a two-week run at Curve Theatre following performances at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.

While this is a story set in 1940s Germany with the pain and tragedy of war and intolerance all too evident, resonances with today’s headlines are clear. Fellow humans: the words of Winston Churchill, namely “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”, are worth keeping in mind.

With her parents taken away and likely executed as communists and her young brother dead through illness, Liesel (Tilly-Rae Bayer) goes to live with foster parents Rosa (Mina Anwar) and Hans (Jack Lord). Hans teaches Liesel to read and a new world full of language and ideas opens up for her. As the Nazi dictat to burn books deemed subversive takes hold, Liesel develops a habit of rescuing books from the flames and thus becomes known as the book thief.

Liesel also befriends Rudy (Thommy Bailey Vine), an enthusiastic fan of Jesse Owens and the Hitler Youth. As life for Jews and anyone not conforming to the Nazi regime becomes increasingly dangerous, Rosa and Hans hide Max (Daniel Krikler), a boxer and German Jew, in their basement, fulfilling a promise made by Hans after Max’s father saved Hans’s life during their time as soldiers during the First World War. Max shows Liesel how words have power, and words of hate can be overridden by those of kindness and love.

During an air raid, Max takes his chances and escapes the basement, and as the bombing continues and tragedy unfolds, Liesel begins a new journey.

This production is faithful to the book, with the ubiquitous narrator (Obioma Ugoala) on stage for much of the time, appearing out of the shadows with props, to provide details or drive the narrative forward. Ugoala is a commanding presence on stage, with a rich, powerful voice and he deftly balances pathos with the more humorous moments.

Anwar’s portrayal of the brusque, no-nonsense Rosa is made all the more poignant during her heartfelt lament to her absent husband in “Dreadful”, and her edges are nicely smoothed by Lord as her more mellow and tender husband.

Tilly-Rae Bayer and Thommy Bailey Vine as the two children carry many key scenes, and their vocal performances and characterisation are beautifully executed.

What also really stands out is the marriage of Good Teeth’s set design with Nic Farman’s effective lighting, complemented further by the use of projection (Dick Straker). The town, with its drab walls and doorways, contrasts with the golden glow of emotional warmth generated in the basement and the wonder of a star-studded night. The recurring motifs of books incorporated into Tom Jackson Greaves’s choreography keeps the story grounded in its core message.

This being a musical, music is of course key to the performance, and Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson’s music and lyrics reflect the period setting, with elements of sung-through dialogue as well as more operatic and traditional stage musical sections. I wouldn’t say they are songs that stick in the mind, but they are very much in keeping with the mood and tone of the whole production.

Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald’s adaptation covers a lot of ground, and act two has a rather rushed feel; however, director Lotte Wakeham’s use of stylised choreography weaves the short scenes together, with the cast appearing to glide through the story seamlessly changing props and scenery.

This is a creative and theatrical adaptation of a powerful story.

Images by Pamela Raith

Metamorphosis – review

This review first appeared in British Theatre Guide.

Frantic Assembly with Theatre Royal Plymouth, Curve, MAST Mayflower Studios and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre present
Metamorphosis
Lemn Sissay adapted from the novella by Franz Kafka
Curve Theatre, Leicester
19-23 September 2023

Kafka’s absurdist novella The Metamorphosis has inspired multiple retellings in numerous genres since its publication in 1915 and is notoriously ambiguous, save for the central “plot”: Gregor Samsa wakes one day having metamorphosed into a large insect. He can no longer work and eventually dies, having felt a burden to his disgusted family.

Poet Lemn Sissay keeps the ambiguity going in this new production with Frantic Assembly, currently in the early stages of a 13-venue tour. A distorted bedroom on a platform, its tilted perspective invoking claustrophobia and a feeling of a world off-kilter, dominates the stage and is Gregor’s world as he tries to adjust to his new form. He shares his home with his sister Grete (Hannah Sinclair Robinson) and parents Mr and Mrs Samsa (Troy Glasgow and Louise Mai Newberry). The family receive ominous visits from the Chief Clerk (Joe Layton, who also doubles as the lodger in act two).

Sissay’s use of repeated phrases and adages (“beggars can’t be choosers”) combined with Frantic Assembly’s focus on physicality is a helpful technique frequently employed to signify deterioration over time and reinforce Gregor (Felipe Pacheco) and his family’s descent into despair. In this production, the loss of a job and income are a key theme, and while Jon Bausor’s set and Becky Gunstone’s costume designs imply the setting as anytime from mid-20^th century onwards, this is certainly relevant to many now as the cost-of-living crisis shows no sign of easing.

Pacheco is utterly and painfully convincing as a man inhabited by his “illness”; he is overtaken by convulsions and tics as well as the ability to climb, swing and move around the room as, literally, a man possessed. He is moth-like as he hovers around the light fitting and appears to transform into a grotesque insect as he creates an exoskeleton of chairs, their legs protruding like multiple alien limbs.

Clever lighting design (Simisola Majekodunmi) adds greatly to the tension in this piece and allows for artful shadows and disappearing tricks. Helen Skiera’s sound design provides an insistent synth soundscape throughout.

Metamorphosis could also be viewed as a portrayal of mental health issues, with the door to Gregor’s room sometimes open, sometimes closed, members of his family either allowed entry or kept outside listening in.

Things aren’t always what they seem as, through monologue, each family member questions their own experiences, thus adding to the overall unsettling atmosphere.

Director Scott Graham, Sissay and the cast and creative team deliver this interpretation of Metamorphosis rich in signifiers, metaphor and poetry, both in word and action. Pleasing too to see so many groups of young people attending by the coachload, and I hope they gained much inspiration from this stimulating production.

Images by Tristram Kenton