Book of Mormon @ Prince of Wales Theatre, 8th November

Every so often a show comes along in a whirlwind of media attention and hype and, I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty good at getting in its path and being swept away.

I give you "The Book of Mormon"

With excitement I booked my tickets soon after it opened, but being a self-confessed pernickety theatre-goer, I'm quite particular over where I like to be sat. To have, what I consider, "good" seats I would have to wait 6 months.

So the impatient wait began. I listened to the soundtrack almost every day. I was already in love.

People do ask if I think it spoils the experience, listening to the songs before seeing the show and so often. To be honest, I didn't even consider that - I was too anxious to be part of the whirlwind. Besides, I listened to Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables for years before seeing them for the first time and I was absolutely blown away when I did see them on stage - if I hadn't been, theatre wouldn't be as central to my life as it is now.

My point is, that I built it up a lot. Half my year was building towards this. This is a show that appealed to my (non theatre loving) friends too, so having them come along made me feel the pressure - what if they'd spent all that money (the tickets aren't cheap!) and didn't like it.

It was, therefore, with a nervous excitement that I entered the auditorium of the Prince of Wales Theatre. We were sitting in the second row, just off centre. I had been panicking that these seats may be too close and how it would affect sight-lines (I had a bad experience in the front row for Love Never Dies at the Adelphi - the stage was very high and I am very short). Rest assured, these are great seats. The stage is low enough to not have the actors cut off at the waist - or disappear entirely upstage and you almost feel part of the show being spitting distance from the stage - literally. Take umbrellas.

Whenever I try to explain the concept of The Book of Mormon to... well... anyone, it's really quite challenging. Here's how the conversation tends to go:-

Generic person: What are you going to see this time, then?

Me: Book of Mormon

Gene: Oh. (sceptically) A show based on the Book of Mormon?

Me: No, not the actual Book of Mormon -  it's about Mormon missionaries in Africa. It's a lovingly mocking, shocking, controversial, heartwarming, fuzzy, feel good show

Gene: (raised eyebrow and doubtful look)

Me: You know what, you just have to see it to understand

This is pretty much how I feel about writing this now. You just have to see it. There's nothing I can say that'll convince you without, at worst, spoiling anything or, at best, give the magnificence of it a dull sheen.

What I will say was that I smiled and laughed throughout the entire show, to a point where my cheeks were aching by the interval.

The show is the brain child of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone but also, someone who many people forget to accredit, Robert Lopez - the creator of the similarly controversial Avenue Q.

   

It's not all about shocks and laughs though. There is a strong message, that is actually pro-faith, whatever your faith may be and there is real heart to the show that leaves you with that tingly uplifted feeling.

I'm going to steal a quote from Rory O'Malley, the original broadway Elder McKinley, here. He said in an interview "The real shocking thing about the show is the heart"  - nail on the head. I was expecting the crudeness and controversial statements - we've all seen South Park. What I didn't expect was to be so moved by the story.

I attribute this mostly to one character - Elder Cunningham. To me, his character is the heart of the show. He has this childlike wonder and enthusiasm which makes you forgive his naivety and ignorance in the same way you would of a 5 year old.

Jared Gertner plays Arnold Cunningham expertly. He has balanced the irritating, clingy side of his character with the sweet, loveable side to the right degree. He's the stereotypical nerdy misfit whose quirks and imagination carve a place for him within the African community.

But Cunningham's character wouldn't work without the opposing force of Elder Price. Described as the 'poster boy' for Mormonism - wildly dedicated to his faith with a burning ambition to share it with the world. Gavin Creel looks the part - tall and athletic contrasted with Cunningham's short, rotund frame - and also plays Price as the perfect contrast to his missionary partner; rigid, focused and serious. 

Stephen Ashfield's Elder McKinley's massive, continuous cheesy smile alone has me laughing. It epitomises his character.

Alexia Khadime's Nabulungi is naively accepting and sweet - this role seems a much more comfortable fit than when I saw her in Les Mis as Eponine, which then left me underwhelmed. I eat my previous words here - in this show, she is fantastic.

Chris Jarman as the General was genuinely intimidating - his scene with Elder Price toward the end has me equally squirming and laughing.

I could mention every single member of the cast here to be honest - from the leads to ensemble - everyone has found the 'heart' of their individual character.

In the current, rather bland landscape of the West End, with it's jukebox musicals and safe revivals, this is a risky, refreshing beacon of an original, new musical and gives me hope for the future of theatre.

I love it. Everyone I know who has seen it loves it. You will too. Book Now!

The Book of Mormon is currently showing at the Prince of Wales Theatre and booking until April 2014 (though, I'm confident this will be extended). Ticket prices are extortionately high, but if there's any show that's worth it, this is the one. I urge you to see it while Jared Gertner and Gavin Creel are still performing in it, too. 

Official Book of Mormon Website:

 http://bookofmormonlondon.com/home.php

Official BoM Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thebookofmormonwestend

Official BoM Twitter:

@bookofmormonldn

Review: Les Miserables, Queen's Theatre, London, Saturday 4th Feb 7.30pm

I can’t begin to review this performance without first acknowledging that Ramin Karimloo was scheduled to be Jean Valjean on this evening but had to pull out due to sickness. Like many people in the audience, I had chosen to see les mis on this occasion over all the other shows primarily to see him in this role. And I’m not going to lie, I was crushingly disappointed.

That being said, it is the nature of live, long running theatre that you can never guarantee what performer you will see. Everyone gets sick now and again, especially when pushing themselves hard, as Ramin has been. Would you go into work if you were sick? Let this be a reminder that when you book to see a show, you are doing just that – booking to see the show, not the performer.

Robert Vickers was the understudy on this occasion and it cannot have been easy performing to an audience full of disappointed people expecting to see Ramin. It was obvious that he was giving the performance everything he had, I don’t think he could have tried harder. The only problem was his voice just wasn’t strong enough, struggling to hold the crucial note at the end of  ‘2,4,6,0,1’ in ‘Who am I’ and again during the dying scene. With the latter he tried to cover it up by turning it into the pain the character would have been feeling, which was entirely plausible, but it was still a definite glitch. There was also a moment, where he must have picked up the chair in the wrong way after the confrontation scene and it fell apart in his hands.

It must be noted that Robert Vickers is the 2^nd cover and possibly not well rehearsed and much less familiar with the part than even Christopher Jacobsen (1^st cover) would have been. There was someone at the front of the auditorium who was showing a lot of encouragement for him with much cheering after the big numbers and I’m pleased that he had this support. It’s just unfortunate that some less forgiving theatre goers around me wouldn’t put aside their disappointment to appreciate what they did have.

And what we did have was an otherwise brilliant cast. There were 2 other understudies performing on this evening and they were two that I’d actually been hoping to see over the main ones - Fra Fee as Marius and Scott Garnham as Enjolras.  I’ve been aware of them for a while and heard only good things and they didn’t disappoint.

The female leads were technically very good, even if I wasn’t blown away. Alexia Khadime as Eponine has a strong voice but at times it got a little too nasally for my liking. Perhaps I was always going to be harsh in my opinion of Eponine, though, as Samantha Barks was perfect in that role to me.

I have to give mention to Katy Secombe (who, I later found out, is the daughter of Harry Secombe) and Cameron Blakely as the comic relief in the form of the Thénardiers. I particularly loved the part during the beggars banquet where Thénardier spins her right off into the wings, literally stopping the show as if it were a mistake – nice touch.   

For me, the absolute standout performance goes to Hadley Fraser as Javert. There is something reminiscent of Philip Quast’s Javert in his sneering portrayal and he has this presence that is essential for the character – an oppressing authority with unwavering conviction in what he believes is good & bad. Hadley is well matched to this role, much more than he was to the role of Raoul for Phantom 25.

A note to the director, though – can’t something be done about Javert’s exit after his suicide? The rolling off stage always makes me laugh in a moment which is supposed to be sombre and I heard someone behind me chuckling too. It is a bit of a moment killer.

I also want to give some recognition to James Charlton, a swing filling in one of the student roles. There was something magnetic about him, that stage presence which pulls  ones attention and he has this. I particularly liked an interjection he made after Grantaire sings ‘I’ve never seen him ooo and ahh’ after which he pitches in with ‘Oh, this time you’ve gone too far, Grantaire’. I don’t know if that’s always in it and I’ve just never heard it so clearly or if he adlibbed it. Whichever way, it made me smile.

I really noticed the use of cold, uplighting during this performance highlighting the more sinister turns – for example the latter half of ‘lovely ladies’ where it turns from being a fairly light-hearted look at the life to which these women have resigned themselves to the nightmarish reality – an atmosphere created purely by a small change in lighting state creating looming shadows against the grey wall behind them. The same technique is used for the transition from the wedding chorale to beggars at the feast where the Thénardiers take over the scene and it’s transformed into something distorted.

So, Ramin may not have been in it, but it’s still an amazing show and a captivating, heart wrenching story put together into this phenomenon that has seen many performers come and go. A production that is worth booking whether there’s a well known performer or not. I’m not saying there weren’t times I was wondering how Ramin would have sung certain parts or how he would have portrayed the character, but that wasn’t how it worked out and sometimes you just have to except that, move on and enjoy the show and the cast you are presented with.  You may even discover someone new. 

The Music of Scott Alan

Who? I hear you ask; which is exactly why I chose to blog about him today. Far too few people know about Scott Alan, given his song writing talent and what he could bring to musical theatre.

I came across the music of Scott Alan quite by accident. It was the beginning of last month, just after I’d returned home from London to see the Phantom 25^th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall. Having been impressed with Hadley Fraser, but not having heard much of him before this (except for in clips of him singing with Ramin Karimloo in their bluegrass/rock inspired band Sheytoons) I was looking for videos on youtube, when I came across the following:-

The music and lyrics are both perfectly matched in heart wrenching melancholy. Rarely am I moved to tears simply by hearing an out-of-context song, but this managed to really tug at the heart strings.

Intrigued, I clicked on some more of the recommended videos that had been posted by Scott Alan’s youtube channel. It seems lots of well known musical theatre stars are supporting him by singing at his showcases.

Another of my favourites is a song called ‘Always’. Below is a clip of Sierra Boggess singing this song (again get the tissues ready – Scott Alan is a master of emotional ballads).

It was on the strength of the songs I’ve featured here that I bought the album Keys: the Music of Scott Alan (though ‘Always’ is sung by Sutton Foster on the album – still beautifully) and have listened to it almost every night since. It is such soothing music to put on when winding down from the day. Here is the link to the mp3 download on amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keys-Music-Scott-Alan/dp/B002HNUBTI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320452235&sr=8-1

I hope this has sparked your interest in someone who I think will be important to Musical Theatre in the years to come and deserves to be. He currently has a show in production called ‘Home’ http://www.homethemusical.com/  and will be coming to London later this month (Sunday 13^th November) for ‘Diva’s Sing Scott Alan’ at the Arts Theatre starting at 4pm, featuring some of the West End’s leading ladies including Caissie Levy, currently starring in Ghost the Musical and Alexia Khadime (current Eponine and former Elphaba). Lending his support to these leading ladies is, the recently confirmed, Daniel Boys.

I would certainly be attending this if I lived closer to London, so instead I am going to support by encouraging anyone reading this that can make it to go along.

I predict in a few years time people will no longer be asking ‘who?’ upon hearing Scott Alan’s name, but rather ‘who wants tickets to his new hit show?’