Phantom 25th Anniversary Tour – Wales Millennium Centre – 10th December

** Warning – This Post Contains Spoilers from start to finish**

Eight months after excitedly purchasing tickets to see my favourite show take on a national tour, the day finally came. I knew the touring version would bring about some changes and I’ve therefore spent the year anxiously avoiding spoilers... with almost 100% success. The only things I’d really caught wind of was the chandelier not falling, which I’d assumed anyway, given the logistical problems and talk of not sitting too near the front due to the high stage which (although implying there was an element of revolve) was welcome information as I’d have been gutted to have waited so long only to have a restricted view.

I sat in the mid stalls at the Wales Millennium Centre, row F in the centre. These were great seats for a good, open view of the entire stage, while also catching acting nuances (though it was more standard definition than high definition from this distance).

It’s an open set as you enter the auditorium, much like the West End production, with the Auction House waiting for its occupants behind a gauze. The main difference is the chandelier doesn’t sit upon the stage ready to be lifted to its majestic resting place high above our heads because it’s already in place, covered in the typical dust sheets.

And it’s the magical disappearance of these dust sheets where we first see illusionist Paul Kieve’s input into this show. I immediately noticed his name in the programme before the show began and was even more excited; If you’ve read my previous blog posts you’ll know I’m a big fan of Paul Kieve’s work - he’s an illusionist at the very top of his game. It’s not that Paul Daniels’s original illusions have been disposed of, as they’re still very effective today – it’s more that they’ve been tweaked to fit in with the tone and capabilities of a touring show. The one that will stick in most people’s mind is the Phantom’s disappearance at the very end – more on that later.

The set is very different to the original – not just to accommodate the many recieving theatres but to give the show a modern, updated feel. Set designer Paul Brown, who once himself worked with the irreplaceable original designer Maria Bjornson, took on the challenge and has created something wonderful for a new age of Phantom. This design focuses more on the backstage areas and the Phantoms labyrinth. I was moved by the beauty of the stagecraft during the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ song as they move from Christine’s dressing room, into the passage behind the mirror, through the catacombs and entering his lair. The journey we see unfolding before us in this production is true to the books description and is mesmerising to watch.

The main set element is a large revolving drum, which during its rotation can change a scene smoothly from Christine’s dressing room, to phantom’s lair to the manager’s office.

The outside of the ‘drum’ creates the gantries/catacombs of the Paris Opera House from which magical stairs appear to allow the Phantom and the object of his obsessions to descend into the mists of the underground lake. As the ‘drum’ rotates to reveal the phantoms lair, candles descend from the skies and float eerily above the scene. Words cannot do justice to the scenic beauty unfolding in this scene.

All this said, It was a little let down by the noticeable lack of the Christine wedding mannequin. She therefore had no sudden shock and no reason to faint, so instead the Phantom just sweeps her up and puts her in the bed – perhaps she is just really tired from her operatic debut, followed by her excitement & exertions visiting the phantoms underground world? Another reason I don’t like this omission is this mannequin highlights the Phantom’s obsessive nature and insanity.

In fact, the down-played insanity of the phantom is the thing I least liked about this tour version. I’m not sure whether this is a directorial decision or if it’s the way that Earl Carpenter plays the character. Perhaps people who’ve seen John Owen Jones in the role could enlighten me to this?

Laurence Connor, the director, has intrigued me with an interesting direction he has taken Christine’s character. In the original, she is often confused, frightened and bereaved but we have never questioned her sanity before. There are a few moments in this production where we see Christine clutching the sides of her head, distressed. Then there is the scene around the piano. As the piano starts playing itself, the stage goes from the normal ‘room’ lighting to an eerie cold wash and all the ensemble turn and point at Christine, singing the phantom’s opera suddenly perfectly where before they struggled. Once it ends they all return to their arguments, as they were, just before it happened. This creates the question in the audience mind – did Christine just imagine that, or was it the phantom’s trickery once again?

Past the Point of No Return has been perfected for this production – I’ve always felt that, despite this being such a passion filled song, the London production has kept this song quite restrained and reserved with just a hint of sensuality but none of the fire I’ve always wanted from it. With this tour, I finally got that version. Christine dances a tango on a long banquet table while the words melt from her mouth, setting alight the phantom’s longing for her and the sexual tension is palpable. This makes the moment she pulls off his mask stand out in more stark contrast as we feel the atmosphere turn from desire turn to disdain.

It’s the last 20 minutes of the show that really has people on the edge of their seats, however. For all the fidgeting, coughing and singing along(!) that had been occurring throughout, there was an absolute hush that fell over the auditorium from the moment the phantoms mask is torn off by Christine to the moment Meg holds it up into a beam of light at the end. This is where the three main characters release all the emotion & energy that has been building throughout into the dramatic finale and Earl’s portrayal of the broken man that the phantom has become is simply heartwrenching.

There is a new disappearing trick from the phantom in the last few moments of the show. Instead of Meg walking into an already abandoned lair, she walks in with the phantom still there. He is quickly surrounded by the guards and you wonder how he will possibly get away – but get away he does in a breathtaking illusion; the audience gasps were audible from all around.

The trio of performers at the heart of this production were superb and have all put their own stamp on the characters.

Earl Carpenter’s Phantom is a pitiful creature indeed... but insane? It’s hard to tell. The trademarks of his insanity from the original production – the awkward hand movements, for example – didn’t make an appearance. I miss the old school completely insane phantom’s of olde, a la Peter Karrie. And I can’t help but wonder if this is to play on the more romantic side of the story that Lloyd Webber seems to favour these days, seemingly forgetting it’s as much a story about a tortured, deformed man driven insane from a lifetime of isolation and being shunned by the world.

I also felt he occasionally stumbled over words, as though he was rushing to fit them into the sentence. Perhaps this was a character choice to portray the phantoms frenetic, chaotic mind or perhaps he really was struggling to fit the words in due to a faster paced tempo?

Katie Hall is exceptional in the role of Christine. I really enjoyed this take on the character – she seems more passionate, more in touch with her sensuality while retaining that naivety essential for her to be led by both the mysterious charms of the phantom and the confident assurance of Raoul.

Raoul was played by Simon Bailey in a way that showed his over confidence that borders on arrogance without letting it consume the character, like it did in the Royal Albert Hall concert version (which I suspect has something to do with Love Never Dies). This is important. Raoul still needs to be likeable, in my opinion. He has always been overbearing and a little controlling but he is not the monster. We should expect Christine to want to choose him. Simon’s portrayal was of a self assured man who loves and wants to protect Christine, as it should be.

I wasn’t too keen on the casting for the managers, or for Piangi. In fact, it wasn’t until toward the end of the first act that I even noticed Piangi, which isn’t right. Piangi is the leading male in the Opera Populaire and should be an overbearing presence, only eclipsed by La Carlotta. I also couldn’t help feeling that the general look Monsieur Firmin was given was rather more fitting of a certain wizard who lives at the end of a yellow brick road! This recurring thought was quite distracting.

My verdict? – This is a beautifully staged reimagining of the brilliant original, exploring some new avenues and modernising the classic for a new generation of Phantom Phans. For me, however, the London production has been dubbed ‘The Brilliant Original’ for a reason. There is something about sitting in the intimacy of Her Majesty’s Theatre with its living room like auditorium and its the old stagecraft still wowing audiences every night that really bolsters the magic and atmosphere. For this reason, nothing will ever replace the original production in my heart.

Phantom of the Opera will be at the Wales Millennium Centre until the 12^th of January, after which it will move on to Southampton. Don’t hesitate to book as there is limited seating available.

Review: Matilda - Friday 5th October 7.30pm

**Warning - this review contains spoilers**

I doubt there is a person reading this who isn’t already familiar with Roald Dahl’s classic story ‘Matilda’; A story of a little girl with an extraordinary brain from a rather, shall we say, colourful family. 

Colour, incidentally, is what I’m first struck by upon entering the auditorium – so vibrant. This combined with the bombardment of words, letters and shapes creates the feeling of having stepped straight into a child’s imagination. Once again Rob Howell’s design takes my breath away, not just for its aesthetic beauty but for the thorough theme exploration. You may have seen pictures of the set but they do not do justice to the visual thrill of actually seeing it for yourself!

Making up the proscenium arch and borders are letters on scrabble blocks put together to create various words. These words initially seem quite random but turn out to have profound significance to the show. Words such as dynamite, scarf and acrobats – confusing at first but as Matilda relays the escapologist’s story you realise the importance behind them. It’s quite fun too, before the show and during the interval, seeing what words you can pick out.

The show begins on a burst of energy that continues to pulse from start to finish and never once wavers – not just from the children but from the adult performers too as though they are bouncing off the natural youthful liveliness these kids bring to the production.

The kids really are the stars of the show. That is unquestionable; so much talent and confidence with each and every one.    

 I saw Hayley Canham as Matilda and I’m astounded at the ability of someone so young to be able to carry the whole show while portraying such a complex character and do it all with unrelenting gusto. Her acting is so concentrated and intense that I’m completely drawn into her complicated world. She creates a character as believably as any professional 3 times her age. Here’s a youtube clip I found of her singing at a GB cultural event:-

Now, when I saw Steve Furst’s name attached to this production I did that internal sigh that I always do when I see names from the telly and expect to have to put up with a poor performance for the sake of bums on seats. BUT when I’m wrong, then I say I’m wrong and I was wrong about you (gold star to whoever can name the musical reference). I was actually so impressed with his Mr Wormwood, all the more so for it being completely unexpected. In his garishly loud green costume he portrays a character to match – a frenetic, slimy geezer of the delboy variety. He has a great stage presence and I’m so won over, I actually can’t imagine anyone else playing this role now. I urge you to see it while he’s still there.

Everything about the Wormwoods is gaudy and LOUD. Even down to the set for their house with its bright orange chairs and green walls; a house completely in tune with its occupants.Well, all the occupants bar one. That is, of course, Matilda. But her bedroom, her refuge, has soft blue walls to match her character – her kind soul but also her misery. I find the use of cold, steel blue lighting also an effective contrast to the vivid colours of the rest of the show, used for the subdued or sinister moments. It really puts an emphasis on the disturbing side of her situation.

This being the first time I’ve seen Matilda, I can’t compare David Leonard’s performance as Miss Trunchbull to Bertie Carvel’s and I think, actually, this is a good thing for I can judge without bias. Having created the role and from the praise that surrounds Mr Carvel, it seems to me like he gave a pretty unbeatable performance and this must’ve been a pretty daunting takeover.

David Leonard steps up to the mark, though, and inhabits Miss Trunchbull in all her repulsiveness. You can’t help but have a negative physical reaction to this character – the urge to shrink away, hide and possibly vomit. Since Matilda is all about words, the one’s that spring to mind for Miss Trunchbull are vile, repellent, intimidating, terrifying (I was in an aisle seat and every time Miss Trunchball walked past me I did feel very... little ... and quite afraid of getting sent to the chokey) another word I'd associate with her is brown. Brown because everything about her is brown - her office, her clothes and her attitude.

 I do, however, feel like Mr Leonard is still getting to know the character and that he hasn’t quite settled into the rhythm yet. Oh, and, if you’re sitting in the first few rows take an umbrella... as an acTOR, he spray spits.... a lot (actually this really suits the character. Makes her that little bit more vile).     

Hayley Flaherty as Miss Honey conveys her kind but nervous, shrinking violet character wonderfully and Annette McLaughlin bellows out Mrs Wormwood’s shallow & uncaring nature with fervour.

I think it’s also important to mention two others with smaller roles - Mark Goldthorp who plays the doctor/escapologist (as well as performing many ensemble numbers) and really shines in all these different guises and Melanie La Barrie as Mrs Phelps who you can’t help but warm to.

This show is made up of wonderful scenes that you will take away with you and remember. Many of them include magical moments created by Paul Kieve that will really make you gasp – it’s no small feat to twirl a girl around by the pig tails, throw her out into the audience and have her drop in the middle of the aisle!

The scene that resonates most with myself, and I think that nearly all adults would agree, comes right after the interval –a playground scene where the children glide serenely out into the audience on swings, imagining what they can and will do when they grow up. It made me feel a little choked up at the innocent ideals we lose when we actually are grown up and how we realise we still know nothing.

“When I grow up/ I will be smart enough to answer all/ The questions that you need to know/ The answers to before you’re grown up”

Having since read the programme thoroughly which includes an interview with Tim Minchin (who wrote the music and lyrics ... though I’m sure you already know that) I’ve discovered that my reaction to that song was exactly what he intended... the clever man.  

I think there’s little doubt that Matilda will be one of those long running shows (though nothing is certain these days) but don’t let that make you complacent – go see it soon while this brilliant cast are performing... you can always go again and again afterwards. I know I will be.

Matilda is currently running at the Cambridge Theatre. For more information  and to book tickets, please go to www.matildathemusical.com/  

Saying Goodbye to Ghost: The Final Performance

I wasn’t really sure what to expect of a closing night of a west end performance as I'd never been to one before. Part of me wondered whether it would be full of over the top sentiments being shared amongst die hard fanatics and usually professional performers weeping uncontrollably.

I’m happy to say this ridiculously farcical scenario that I’d concocted was just that – a concoction. What I got instead was an atmosphere of an audience united in a joy and admiration of a musical that, sadly, hadn’t pulled in the audience numbers it deserved and performers who channelled all that emotional energy into well honed performances, heightened by the occasion.

As the wall of sound that is the overture began, the air was electric and the cheers raucous. I won’t do a review of the show in general as I already reviewed it in June – if you’d like to read the full review please click here. Instead I’ll just pick up on a few things.

The audience appreciation of Sharon D Clarke made her, evidently, the favourite. There were cheers after not just every musical number she performed but every scene! There’s a lot of love for this actress and there’s no doubt about why - Her voice is phenomenal and her comic timing perfect to the beat.

There was a heavy poignancy when the heartbroken Molly sings – ‘When it’s over it’s over, I have to let go’ considering the meaning this has not only to the story but for the show itself.

The ensemble were really given a chance to let go and enjoy performing together one last time during the upbeat song ‘Talking ‘Bout a Miracle’ and they threw all that last night adrenaline into it. Particularly Ashley Knight who plays the tap-dancing hospital ghost; you could really see the genuine smile of pride as he danced with his fellow cast members one last time. It was a smile of pure contentment within that moment.  

As we reached the climax of the show, already emotional for its content, I hear sobs all around. I’m not much of a crier in public - I prefer to hold it in till my throat gets all tight and I get a headache - but when Sam says “It’s amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you”... that really gets me. I think it would for anyone who’s ever lost somebody. I’m listening to it now as I write this and it’s set me off again!

Then the tears rolled again during the final curtain call in reaction to seeing Mark’s eyes shiny with the threat of tears followed closely by Siobhan no longer being able to hold back. I find it so touching that these companies form such close bonds that it’s really like the separating of a family.

  

Photos courtesy of Lee Barfield @barfieldsrcool 

Photo courtesy of Lee Barfield@barfieldsrcool 

To mark the ending of the show the director, Matthew Warchus, came on stage to give a small speech and offer his thanks to the cast and crew. He talked about the process of putting the show together and the demanding nature of the technical aspects, upon which he brought out Rob Howell, the designer and Paul Kieve, the illusionist (they are the guys dressed in jeans & black tops in the photo on the left - I couldn't get over how ordinarily such creative geniuses dress). If you were at the show then I was the one whooping madly for them. Having studied technical theatre I have a real admiration and respect for these two. You’ll find their names credited to many shows, so keep an eye out.

 Warchus words culminated with the following sentiment:-

“I hope this doesn’t sound big headed but I think this really is the west ends loss”

Sad times - Flight cases taking away
bits of the Ghost Set

Photo courtesy of Lee Barfield
 @barfieldsrcool 

And though I don’t mean to judge prematurely ... I can’t help but fervently agree as the Spice Girls jukebox musical, Viva Forever, waits in the wings to take over at the Piccadilly Theatre next month.

If we can take positivity from this, however, it’s that a tour is definitely in store starting next spring bringing this fantastic musical to a wide range of new people all across the country.  I just really hope it doesn’t lose any of its punchy impact during the scaling down.

There's not a lot of information on the internet as of yet regarding the tour but  like their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/GhostOnTour or if you don't have facebook keep an eye on the website http://www.ghostthemusical.com/home/

If you haven’t read it yet, also check out Mark Evans’s last blog as part of Ghost http://markevansonline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/blog-115-farewell-sam-wheat.html

Keep Believing

Review: Ghost the Musical, Piccadilly Theatre, Saturday 23rd June 7.30pm

I think I may have found a musical to add to the favourites list just as it’s about to leave London. I have to admit I was sceptical at first. Not so much because of the story or the music – I love the film and the music (written by Eurythmics Dave Stewart & six time grammy award winner Glen Ballard) sounded good. Though, I have to say  it wasn't until I saw the show and experienced the emotion of the music first hand that I really appreciated how brilliant the soundtrack is.

The reason I was initially sceptical was because I knew that there was a lot of automation, video and projection used as set and I was worried about a high tech take-over of theatre would ruin the magical atmosphere created by imagination and make it more like the experience of watching a film.

Even as I sat in my seat (row A in the centre – not too shabby for a last minute theatre ticket at half price eh? God bless tkts London) I still felt unsure about it. As the show began, projections played out over the gauze and the large screens moved around into position with the relevant images being thrown across them I could feel the doubt about this show seeping in.

Then I noticed how it all reminded me of Times Square and from there came the quick realisation that actually it has been designed, very cleverly, in this way to convey that bustling, never sleeping, workaholic New York feel. Thinking about the story – how Carls obsession with money and the materialistic costs Sam his life – I realised you can also glean a message from the design about the sensory overstimulation when living somewhere like New York. The constant bombardment of images and sounds creating a materialism and greed that doesn’t consider cost.  A message that can also be taken from the song ‘More’:-

                “We’re just playing a numbers game.
                And every second those numbers change.

                This is what I live to feel

                It’s the beauty of the deal....”

Incidentally, this may be my favourite riff(?) in the show.

Though the main story is certainly about the love between Molly and Sam that survives beyond his death, once I noticed the sub-theme I couldn’t stop picking up on little things.

Such as the choreography. Lots of people seemed to dislike it as it can be quite mechanical and choppy. But I found it really helped set the atmosphere. The movement is also very carefully and cleverly considered, it seems to me - as the office drones the dancer’s movements are mechanical because their lives are mechanical – their lives are about working to achieve the material things they think they need. For the moments when it needed to set the bustling scene of typical New York it was urban, gritty and sexually charged. I loved the moment on the tube where they’re getting thrown about by the subway ghost and they barely even seem to notice. They just sit back down after wards – like they’ve become so jaded by the city that nothing phases them.

So I think it’s really important to acknowledge the creative team on this show, in particular the set designer Rob Howell (who actually won a whatsonstage award for his design for both Ghost and Matilda and an Olivier for Matilda) the choreographer Ashley Wallen and Liam Steel for the Additional Movement Sequences.

On to the cast – there wasn’t a weak link in the lot and I think that’s quite rare in an age where roles are often stunt cast, regardless of talent. They could all sing, act and dance – even if the accents were a little dodgy at times.

Siobhan Dillon as Molly and Mark Evans as Sam, were both as fantastic as I expected them to be and really made me believe in their characters love. 

My  favourites, though, were Andrew Langtree as Carl Bruner and Sharon D Clarke as Oda Mae Brown.

Andrew Langtree portrays the characters dripping corporate sleaziness through demeanour and the way he talks and moves. You can really sense his need to have everything – by whatever means necessary. And who doesn't love a good baddie? 

Sharon D Clarke had the mannerisms of the character we love so much from the film down to perfection. It was as though she has studied Whoopie Goldburg’s portrayal in depth. Perhaps it would have been nice to have a bit of her own interpretation in there too, though?

If you go to see Ghost the Musical for no other reason, though, go for the illusions (created by Paul Kieve). Wow, I was blown away. I’ve studied technical theatre, which to be honest has spoilt the magic of some stage illusions, but the magic was reclaimed in this show. I really couldn’t figure it out. I can guess at some of the elements that made it work (which I won’t theorise about here, as I wouldn’t want to take anything away from a person going to see it for the first time) but how those elements worked to create the ghostly illusions, I just don’t know. For me, this is wonderful. It’s like being a child again and being completely swept away in the magic.

So, go, be swept away in the magic currently happening at the Piccadilly Theatre, before the shows own untimely end in October later this year.


http://www.ghostthemusical.com/home/