Broadway To Bluegrass...ish (Monday 26th Nov - Club 229 Great Portland Street)

poster design by Rachel Suzanne
http://www.rachelsuzanne.com/

This gig was organised by Ramin as a small, intimate one to say thank you to his fans who have joined him on the road to find out this year. He, very aptly, named it ‘Broadway to Bluegrass’ as this encapsulates the areas he’s explored so far – musicals being his break into the business and bluegrass and folk being his true passion.

I’ve been on my own, personal road to find out this year too, discovering who I am as an individual again. This involved actually doing things alone which has been scary but exciting. I’ve been to West End shows, stayed at hotels, gone to big public events like West End Live and eaten at restaurants (which I still don’t particularly like doing on my own, truth be told, but one has to eat). Of all the things I’ve done this year, though, going solo to a gig made me the most nervous. I would never normally go into a club or bar without being with a group of people. This was different, though. The one thing I’ve said this year is I don’t want to miss out on things anymore - just because friends from home have different interests, doesn’t mean I should miss out on mine, especially since theatre is such an important part of my life.

There are two factors that made it easier though. For one, there’s something different about being in London. The easy anonymity that it naturally lends; many people pass by but each are in a private world of their own. The second is the portal to a pool of likeminded people called Twitter. Although I would surely have met these people along the way, the introduction is made more fluid having already communicated online. Twitter has been the cement holding my road together this year – for meeting people & for finding out about events/shows/gigs.

Right. I’m going to get onto the gig itself now, I promise.

Upon entering the venue, it strikes me how understated it is. Not dissimilar from my local gig venue (though not quite so grimy). I hear the excited hum of chatter drifting from the venue. I turn up just before the 8pm start time, at 7.50pm, as I’m nervous about waiting in a bar too long on my own. It’s okay, though, the view is still great and I end up standing with Heather from Eastenders to my right and Ramin’s guests behind me (who these were, I’ll reveal later).

Just as I’ve got a vodka and lemonade from the bar, Ramin walks onto the stage to the excited applause from the eagerly awaiting audience. He immediately kicks off the show with ‘Broken Home’ from his album and the atmosphere is vibrant with people immersed in admiration for this man.

**To the right, you’ll find the picture of the set list for Monday evening. I’m not going to do an expose on each song on the list because that would be boring for us both. Instead I’ll touch on what I felt were the highlights of the evening (in no particular order, because that’s the way I roll)**

Near the start was one of my personal favourites – ‘Constant Angel’. I always like to hear him play it live. For me, it makes me think of my dad watching over me. For some, it may have religious or spiritual connotations; others may just like it for the beauty of the music alone. Whatever the reason, a lot of people feel drawn to this one.  

There was a song from the musical ‘Ragtime’ which I’m not too familiar with and only vaguely know because I think Ramin performed it at St David’s Hall earlier this year. It’s a song called ‘Make Them Hear You’ and gave me goosebumps when he sang it.

Another musical theatre number Ramin performed was from Jonathan Larson’s lesser known musical ‘Tick, Tick, Boom’. The song’s called ‘See Her Smile’ and the way Ramin sang it, with the rock tinged musical theatre voice, I could suddenly picture him as Roger from Larson’s slightly better known musical ‘Rent’.

To end the first act he called Lee Mead (Joseph & the Technicolour Dreamcoat) and Stephen Rahman-Hughes (Teatro) to the stage from where they had been watching toward the back of the venue. Together they sang an impromptu, very upbeat version of ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Morning’ that was a lot of fun to watch and join in with.

There was a little Sheytoons reunion on this evening also, with Hadley Fraser joining Ramin on stage for a few of their own songs, including ‘Broken’ and ‘Driftwood’ .There was also talk of getting together in January and February for a Sheytoons gig. I’m not sure if this was just a bit of teasing, but watch this space.

I also really enjoy watching Ramin perform songs by the artists that have influenced him such as Johnny Cash (‘Folsom Prison Blues’), Avett Brothers (‘The Once and Future Carpenter’) and Mumford & Sons (‘White, Blank Page’) and the harmonies in 'Closer Walk With Thee' are always stunning to hear and this song often goes round my head days later.

Ramin’s other guest was Simon Bailey, currently playing Raoul in the Phantom of the Opera 25^th anniversary tour. He performed a beautiful song called ‘Goodbye’ from his new album ‘Looking Up’. It’s a poignant message to someone he’s lost and I think that’s something we can all relate to which is why it struck a chord with most people there that evening.

Ramin ended on his song ‘Coming Home’ which is perfect as a last song both for lyrics and the powerful music.

Except it wasn’t quite the last song. I think none of us wanted to leave and so we cheered on until Ramin and co came back on stage to do a few more encore songs, finally ending with his rendition of Greenday’s classic ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’. Which, I think it’s safe to say, everybody there most certainly did.

I also want to acknowledge Ramin’s band without which the evening wouldn’t have been quite so dynamic – Katie Birtill providing back-up vocals and beautiful harmonies, Ruth Clarke-Irons on violin, Sergio Ortega on guitar, Steve Young on guitar and vocal harmonies. The other members of the band I only know first names for which I found on Ramin’s twitter timeline -  Kenny on keyboard, Phil on Drums and Dave on Bass. 

I couldn’t leave the venue on this occasion without meeting Ramin. I’m not particularly one for needing to meet the people I admire but since I had the opportunity for once (since I didn’t need to rush for a train or battle weather conditions or leave because a friend has aching feet) I decided I should take it. He was very much the gentleman that I’ve heard he is, shaking my hand and thanking me for coming. 

As nervous as I was about attending this gig, I’m glad that I did. I had a lot of fun, the atmosphere was exhilarating, the music breathtaking and it was nice to meet some people I chat to on twitter. A very memorable evening, indeed. 

Talking of people from twitter, I’m going to direct you to some of their blogs/ you tube channels now for some pictures and videos from the event, rather than post them all individually, which would result in a ridiculously long list. I always think it’s nice to read several peoples experiences of an event too – it paints a more detailed overall picture:-

Ignited by a Dream - Blog post with videos (both nights) 

Thoughts of a Blue Eyed Girl - Blog post with pictures & videos

below are some good youtube channels belonging to some very reliable people who often film these events. It's quite beneficial to subscribe to them on youtube if you don't like to miss out on theatre events but can't always be there.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Waggers789

http://www.youtube.com/user/naeelx8x9b

http://www.youtube.com/user/XRidgewell

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?’    

Phantom 25 Encore

It seems only appropriate to start my blog with a review of the 25^th Anniversary of Phantom of the Opera. This has been the event of the year for musical theatre and, being a lifelong “phan”, I feel really lucky to have had the privilege to have seen it live at the Royal Albert Hall.

Not being very rich, I had to go for the cheap seats (and by cheap I mean relative to the top price tickets - the 'cheap' tickets being £85). These were high up in the circle and though the atmosphere of actually being there is irreplaceable, the one thing that I missed out on was the acting. From where we were sat the sound was perfect, the general overview was perfect but the performers were little more than blurry blobs with indistinguishable features, moving about on stage.

So, it was with much excitement that I went to see the Phantom Encore screening at the Vue last night. Being able to see the actors so close up is usually only a luxury afforded to the top priced seats. Even then, not in such detail.

And in detail, it was. Filmed in HD, we could see every bead of sweat! (and sweating we all were. What you can't know from just watching the recording is how sweltering the heat was – I don’t think I’ve ever been so uncomfortably hot, not even when I was a bridesmaid in Malta wearing a dress complete with padded bodice. Phans with fans made from leaflets for other shows all around).

   

From the moment it began I was completely mesmerized and enchanted. I already knew the singing was flawless from all involved, but I was blown away by the incredible acting. They all seemed to understand their characters and embody them entirely.  

Ramin Karimloo’s phantom is lonely, desperate  and clearly insane, yet at the same time occupies a strange allure for both Christine and the audience. Something Sierra Boggess’s Christine plays very well to. Her facial expressions when looking at the phantom at the beginning, shows her complete intoxication with him, which over the course of the show turns to fear, then pity.

Hadley Fraser’s Raoul is imposing, wilful and, quite frankly, a bit of a bastard! Through, I imagine, no fault of Hadley himself, but rather a directional insistence, no doubt to fit in with the story of Love Never Dies.

Before you dismiss this as hate toward Love Never Dies, know that I was actually a supporter. The music is beautiful; in my opinion, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best since Phantom. The story, however, was massively flawed. So, I would urge:-

Do not mess with the well loved original for the sake of a show that wasn’t well received!!

Another example of this:-  Christine turning to Phantom at the end of the lair scene to sing a reprise of ‘All I Ask of You’ rather than singing it to Raoul, giving us the impression she still hasn’t fully made her choice. This, of course, in keeping with the story of Love Never Dies.

These are, however, minor complaints of an otherwise perfect celebration of my favourite musical, with my favourite west end stars of the moment and I, for one, cannot wait to own the dvd. Never again will I have need to watch Joel Schumacher’s disappointing let down :- 

I hope you were taking notes, Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum, because this is how it’s meant to be done.