I love London! As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best theatre city on earth. I’ve written that before, but having been to New York relatively recently, on my most recent trip to London (late last month) I was able to more directly compare. London is still the winner in my eyes. New York has a lot going for it and I would love the chance to go there again, but London is where my heart is. It’s a big city with a lot of English charm and international appeal as well as great beer and the best curry I’ve ever tasted, and shows as good as any you can see on Broadway. Also, the theatre scene seems more accessible than Broadway–it doesn’t seem as heavily commercialized and it’s definitely a more leisurely experience. There’s no lining up outside the theatre and then being herded in and out like what happens at Broadway shows. You can show up relatively early, get a drink in the bar and chat with your friends with less of a rush, and then get settled into your seat for a great show.
I want to further explore the “London vs. Broadway” topic in a future blog, but now it’s time to focus on London. The shows, of course, are world-class, and I was fortunately able to see six of them when I was there. This time, instead of reviewing them all in one blog entry, I’m going to publish my report in three parts with two shows in each installment. Here are the first two:
Singin’ In the Rain
Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed
Choreographed by Andrew Wright
Directed by Jonathan Church
Palace Theatre, London
October 24, 2012
I made a last-minute decision to see this show when I couldn’t get return tickets for Matilda (although I did manage to later–more on that in Part 3). The front of the theatre (above) was so eye-catching that I thought, why not? I had also heard good things about this production, so I bought a matinee ticket and hoped this would be better than the last time I saw this show on stage (the Muny two years ago, which I liked but didn’t love). I was very curious to see if the classic Gene Kelly musical could be staged without looking like a museum piece, and I was very happy to see that it could. This production is fresh, energetic and full of life and undeniable charm. It was a fitting tribute to the film without being a direct copy or pale imitation.
This production takes us back to the Hollywood of the late 1920s, as the industry is shifting from silent films to talkies, and the movie stars have varying degrees of success making the transition. The atmosphere is set well from the beginning, as the lights come up on a studio back lot and we see the various performers, directors and crew preparing for filming, and then later as we witness the premiere of the latest hit motion picture featuring the popular romantic duo of Don Lockwood (Adam Cooper) and Lina Lamont (Katherine Kingsley). We soon learn, however, that this seemingly blissful pair is anything but, and the story unfolds as Lockwood meets aspiring actress Kathy Selden (Scarlett Strallen) and encounters the difficulties of nurturing a new relationship in the midst of the Hollywood limelight and a clingy, controlling would-be fiancee with plans of her own.
The cast is great all around. The three main leads are perfectly cast. Adam Cooper as movie star Lockwood has the look of a classic matinee idol–tall, broad-shouldered and handsome–with the charm and dancing ability to match. He’s very well-paired with Scarlett Strallen who makes a convincing and slightly quirky Kathy Selden. Her singing and dancing are both wonderful as well, and the chemistry between her and Cooper is electric. The central trio is nicely balanced out by Daniel Crossley as Lockwood’s longtime friend, the witty writer-composer Cosmo Brown. His portrayal is both funny and charming, and his acrobatic dancing is a real delight. Katherine Kingsley also makes a fun comic turn as Lina Lamont, Lockwood’s frequent co-star who possesses a voice and attitude that makes the transition to talking films problematic to say the least. She invests a vindictive energy to the role and proves an effective foil to Lockwood and Selden. I was also surprised to see Robert Powell (who I remember as Jesus in Franco Zefferelli’s Jesus of Nazereth miniseries) in a fun, solid performance as producer R.F. Simpson. The well-cast ensemble rounds out the cast with a great deal of energy and remarkable dancing ability.
This is simply a fun show. I love all the old-school Hollywood references and the dancing is strong and energetic. All the classic songs from the film are here and delightfully performed–from “Make ‘Em Laugh” to “Good Morning” to the famous title song complete with sprinklers overhead to provide the rain, which puddles up on stage as Cooper dances, playfully kicking water into the first few rows of seats to the delighted and shocked gasps of the audience.
The entire production is a joy from start to finish, from the action on stage during the overture to the singing, dancing and raining curtain call (with more water kicked into the audience). I’m so glad I decided to see this show. It made for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, thoroughly entertaining theatrical experience.
Loserville
Book, Music and Lyrics by Elliot Davis and James Bourne
Choreographed by Nick Winston
Directed by Steven Dexter
Garrick Theatre, London
October 26, 2012
I was very pleased to get a chance to see this brand new original musical at the Garrick Theatre. Loserville is the brainchild of James Bourne, formerly of British bands Busted and Son of Dork, and veteran musical writer Elliot Davis. As an American, I was unfamiliar with Bourne’s musical career, but the British friends I was with told me that some of the music sounded a lot like Busted. For me, this was all new material, although I recognized the bright, crunchy sounds of the pop-punk genre. That might sound like a strange style of music for a show set in 1971, but it works. This isn’t a show that’s trying for meticulous period accuracy—in fact, the costumes and setting often look more 1981 than 1971, and there are a lot of elements that seem more from the 2000’s as well, but that really doesn’t matter because the bottom line is that this show is simply a whole lot of fun.
It’s a fairly simple American high school story with elements that have appeared in many a show and film–geeks vs. jocks, appearance vs. intelligence and young people exploring their purpose in life and pursuing their dreams. The central figure here is the aptly-named Michael Dork (Aaron Sidwell), a self-described “geek in a garage” whose dream is to discover the secret of communication between computers and send the world’s first e-mail message. His gang of fellow-geeks have their own dreams as well. Marvin (Daniel Buckley) and Francis (Li’l Chris), sci-fi enthusiasts who have memorized the scripts of every episode of Star Trek, aim to build a winning starship for a contest at an upcoming science fiction convention. Meanwhile, Michael’s best friend Lucas (Richard Lowe) has dreams to write his own sci-fi epic that sounds suspiciously like Star Wars. Both Michael and Lucas are attracted to Holly (Eliza Hope Bennett), a brainy new girl with secrets of her own, and all of the geeks are terrorized by big man on campus Eddie (Stewart Clarke), a rich kid and jock who seeks to steal Michael’s ideas. There is also Eddie’s girlfriend Leia (Charlotte Harwood), who just wants the status quo to stay as it is, and an ensemble of jocks, nerds and popular girls to round out the young, energetic cast.
The players here are very well-cast, led by Sidwell as the endearingly earnest Michael and Bennett as the smart and determined Holly. These two work very well together and have convincing chemistry. Also, Clarke is an effective and occasionally sympathetic villain as Eddie, and Lowe is particularly strong and funny as Lucas. The plot about his book provides some of the show’s funniest jokes, and the science fiction convention plot is a lot of fun as well, providing some great moments for Buckley and Li’l Chris as Marvin and Francis. It’s difficult to single out too many actors, though, because it’s a very strong cast all around, and the American high school atmosphere is convincingly portrayed by all. The American accents are excellent as well, for the most part.
The look and sound of this show is bright, whimsical and fun. The set is very inventive. It’s a lot of metal and plastic framework and lots of cartoony elements, such as brightly colored backdrops held up by cast members in several scenes. There are also placards with the names of cast members that get held up for the “opening credits” at the beginning and the “end credits” at the curtain call, providing the look and feel of a classic sitcom. The music is upbeat and fun, with stand-out songs like “We Are Not Alone”, “Ticket Out of Loserville”, “Holly, I’m the One” and “Living In the Future Now”.
It’s very fitting that the logo for this show includes a letter “v” that looks like a heart, because the driving force of this show is its heart. There is so much enthusiasm here by a talented young cast that really believes in this show. The belief and enthusiasm are contagious, and even though the book isn’t perfect, that really doesn’t matter in the end in a show like this. These are likeable characters with a cause that’s easy to believe in. The overall message seems to be that the world can be changed through hard work, determination and lots and lots of heart. It’s fun to think of these high school students pursuing their dreams and realizing that they are played by a talented cast made up largely of recent drama school graduates, all of whom have very promising futures ahead of them. I expect to hear a lot more from many of these performers in the future. There was also a lot of enthusiasm from the audience the night I was there. This is a real crowd-pleaser of a show, with a young cast and aimed at a young audience. I don’t think I’m in its target demographic, but I enjoyed it very much anyway.
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