Sister Act @ Sunderland Empire

We all know the Whoopi Goldberg film about a Reno lounge singer trying to make it big by singing at the local gangsters club only to witness him 'offing' a snitch and having to go into protective custody as a nun while the case comes to court.  A great story made fabulous by the chart breaking songs used, which capture the feeling of San Francisco coupled with Motown classics and spirit-stirring gospel.  Indeed some would offer that it is this film that brought Whoopi to the attention of the whole world and with over $208 Million taken in box office receipts it's hard to argue.

This current touring production of Sister Act is glam, glossy and one of the most professional productions seen this year; the huge & detailed sets make expert use of Sunderland's expansive stage in bringing to life the church of St Katherine's (albeit moved to Philadelphia now) while the cast are brilliantly devoted (as one would expect given that most are 'nuns').  But, and I'm afraid it's a big but, there just wasn't a sense of wow in the whole story.  It seemed more like a series of sketches played out to accomplish the recounting of each chapter of the story rather than a flowing journey.  Scenes were a little predictable; set up, song - with a belting finale, applause, change scene, go again, without enough of a theatrical thread to join them up.

Maybe it was an over eagerness to include so many songs, or maybe by allowing the arrangements to almost overplay the undeniable choristic abilities of the actors that songs simply took too long, but for whatever reason things just seemed to rush from one song to another.

The audience were very much in two camps last night.  There were obviously those who clearly love the show and they knew it so well that they were starting to laugh at jokes or visual comedy before the actors had even began to deliver.  I am sure that they thoroughly enjoyed the show again and that's great, that's the magic of the theatre. 

The other camp seemed to be disconnected from what was happening on stage, treating the show as a series of song renditions and almost switching off if the song wasn't one which they knew or liked.  The songs in the first half were very much written to tell the story, but the absence of some of the well known movie tunes meant there were less hooks to keep the non-members of the fan club engaged.  It's very sad to say but there were even patrons in our row who took out their mobile phones and started texting.

Please don't get me wrong, this is an amazing production delivered by a truly wonderful cast and backed by gorgeous sets, but it just lacked the wrap around feeling of being immersed in a truly great story & script to place it up with musical royalty.

My advice is if you love great music & wonderful singing then get yourself there, if you are looking for a stage show true to the movie then best change your expectations or dig out the DVD and stay at home

The Glee Club @ Darlington Civic

"It started out as a few drinking buddies singing songs round a pub piano, it became one of the most respected and professional outfits doing the club circuit across the north of England" - and so The Glee Singers, and the timeless qualities of glee clubs across the world was born.

Founded in the hard working (and hard drinking) South Yorkshire Coal Mining district, glee clubs were far removed from the glam & glitz of the American TV series, but the harmonising songs took over the clubs, dancehalls and theatres with far more impact than the modern stateside shows.  This play, written by Richard Cameron, gives an insight into the trials & tribulations facing the stereotypical coal miners of the early sixties and does so with a wonderful blend of comedy and heartache backed with their own soundtrack.

The story tracks the colliery glee club as they practise towards their annual gala show but it is the life stories of each member which take centre stage; a young starry eyed wannabee, a failed marriage, lost family and a whole host of skeletons in the cupboard provide no end of twists.  If this was a novel it would certainly be classed a 'page turner', the great cast had the audience riveted from start to finish and the quality of the writing gave the 6 actors so much to work with that each could be given top billing. 

The laughs come more from the accuracy of human conflict and working class camaraderie rather than set up humorous situations, almost bitter sweet in some essences and most certainly something which the audience can recognise and relate to.

When you look at the collective resumes of those on stage it is like reading a smorgasbord of great British TV, film & theatre.  John Burton, Michael Chance and Paul Clarkson have probably between them starred in almost every major TV show in the past 15 years, whilst Anthony Clegg and Sean McKenzie have theatre credits to rival even 'Sir Johnny' & 'Sir Larry'.

Stand out performance for me, however, was Marc Pickering playing Colin, the youngest of the group - belying his tender age (and his even younger looks) Marc has already starred in Hollywood films, worked alongside Helen Mirren and played 'R Wayne' in Peter Kaye's TV talent show spoof "Britain's got the X Factor ...........".  In this show he gives young Colin the naive qualities of youth tempered with the premature worldliness of a boy doing a mans job deep underground.  He really is a young actor (and accomplished singer & dancer) who TV & film producers should be using much, much more -  hopefully they will do so in the very near future.

I would definitely recommend this play.  It is a worthy addition to the pedigree of Hull Truck Company productions and, as with previous shows from this amazing stable of stage wonder, it lets the writing and the actors create the story and envelop the audience completely.

Make no mistake, this really isn't anything like the American show; there is male nudity, adult themes and plenty of 'industrial language' but it is very honest, completely engaging and perfectly played. 

The Producers by Darlington Operatic Society @ Darlington Civic

Pigeons, Nazis, many different herrings, cooked books and little old ladies - all the ingredients for a wonderfully funny & entertaining evening.  Of course, it's the writing of Mel Brooks that binds all these obscure & lets face it weird components together in his timeless "The Producers", but it still needs an amazing cast & stage team to really make things work.  Tonight I saw Darlington Operatic Society's delivery and not only did they pull it off, it was as good a production as any version I have been to see - and I have seen the Nathan Lane version in the West End.

The cast are wonderful - Ken Horsley would give the aforementioned Mr Lane a real run for his money, blending pure charm with wily wit and a dash of dirty and delivering it with superb, powerful vocals.  His solo in the prison jail, complete with personal intermission was perfection and his lecherous yet timid flirting with the little old ladies had everyone laughing till we couldn't breathe.  Dan Brookes as Leo Bloom had an accent so in tune with his character that I swear if you closed your eyes you'd think it was a young Woody Allen - full of New York angst bordering on neurotic and yet maintaining the innocence which Leo's character demands.  Again, his stage presence and delivery through the songs was excellent and the two leads compliment each other perfectly both in style & harmony - excellent casting by the Director Martyn Knight.

The story, for anyone who still isn't aware of The Producers, is about a failed Broadway producer whose accountant realises, quite by chance, that you could make money with a flop than with a hit -  in effect swindle all the backers into investing into a show so bad it closes on the first night without paying back any returns.  Leo leaves his job as an accountant (done with the best resignation song & dance) and together they forge a partnership to produce a complete failure.  Thus the plot is set to find & stage such a show, and they hit upon 'Springtime for Hitler' as the vehicle for their daring double cross.

Along the way they take on a Swedish secretary slash receptionist, Ulla, who is delightfully played by Claire Wilmer with all the sultry allure and charms we've seen in other Swedish sex-bombs ( Britt Ekland & Victoria Silvstedt spring to mind).  She's got it and she flaunts it perfectly.  They engage the services of Roger DeBris and Carmen Chia (a delicious Julian Cound and the campest of camp Chris Kelly) to direct the show and arrange the unbelievable choreography along with Roger's production team. 

The show itself is Mel Brooks at his very best; how to offend as many people as possible and leave the rest wondering whether they should be ashamed to be laughing.  I wondered whether some of the bigger elements seen in the West End production would have to be sacrificed but I am delighted to say nothing was missing; the costumes, the lighting, even the over-head shot of the marching swastika were done with great aplomb. 

Huge credit must go to the whole Operatic society; this is not an easy show to produce & is very demanding from both scenery & timing, costume changes & music styles, but it was as good a performance as I have ever seen on this stage (and if you read my reviews you will see I have been quite a few times) and probably ranks in my top 10 anywhere.  The backing cast morph from audience, usherettes, old ladies, prisoners, dancers, accountants you name it - probably the most diverse set of characters you could ask someone to cover in one show.

Proving that you don't need to go to London for excellent entertainment, Darlington Operatic Society's The Producers is on at Darlington Civic until the 5th November - go & see it and I guarantee you'll feel like the King of all Broadway.

The Buddy Holly Story @ Darlington Civic

 

I have a lot to thank my Mum & Dad for; my sense of what is right & wrong, a confidence in the kitchen to try new tastes and a great appreciation of all types of music.  It's true that our choices in music are probably very different now, but growing up, my brother & I were treated to the whole range of early rock 'n' roll, pop, country and 60's contemporary.  One of dad's favourites was Buddy Holly and although I knew a bit about his life and his songs, I wouldn't profess to knowing the full ins & outs. 

The show is a great story of Buddy's life from his initial song writing, his first radio play, first aborted attempts with a contract with Decca and how he & the Crickets finally broke into the national & international music scene.  What I hadn't realised was the speed in which they turned out the songs - less than 3 years from start to tragic end and yet there are over 20 songs in this show, all of which are classic toe-tappers.  His speed in the music writing was only matched by his speed in courting - he proposed to his wife after knowing her for only 5 hours !  Of course, we all know about the terrible early end to his life in a plane crash; this too had a touch of the inevitable about it; they weren't due to fly at all, but Buddy wanted to get to the next venue ahead of the rest of tour to help get things set up and so they chartered that ill-fated flight.

The production for this tour is wonderful with some great use of scene fades to help keep the sense of time in the studio moving along, while the stage shows are full of energy.  The depiction of Buddy & the Crickets' 1st show at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem was wonderful & funny.  The musicians are all very talented, none more so than Roger Rowley who expertly played the lead with all the mannerisms, drive, passion and innocence that the great man was known for.  Of all the actors on show, however, one stood out for me - Felicity Chilver who played Buddy's wife Maria Elena.  Maybe her Mexican accent had the slightest tendency to slip towards Welsh (which made it even more adorable) but that was completely forgiven by her captivating performance as 'Mrs Holly', not to mention that she is very, very cute !

Approx 95% of the audience were of an age who would have remembered Buddy Holly 1st time round and this became even more evident as the show moved towards it's climax - a thrilling, high energy melody of the best rock 'n' roll songs of the time.  Whilst there may have been a few stiff hips stopping too many dancing in the aisles, the singing was loud and the handclapping in complete unison.

If you enjoy live music, if you love rock 'n' roll and if you want to see a great story with a great cast then Buddy is most definitely for you - it's on all week at the Darlington Civic so get your tickets & Rave On ! 

As always, the Civic plays a great host, excellent sound & sightlines and very friendly & helpful staff.

Drumchasers @ Darlington Civic

 

You know, with all the social media, tweeting, Facebook etc I honestly thought that the days of finding a new show for which I had no ideas, expectations or pre-conceptions was sadly over.  (To tell you a secret, all my life I have wished I had been in the audience for the first showing of the Rocky Horror Show, way back before the midnight costume parties and the huge cult following but alas no, I was destined just to be a follower.)  Well after tonight I honestly believe that in years to come I can stand proud and say "Yes, I saw it before they took the West End by storm"

Ethan Lewis Maltby's DrumChasers is unlike any other show I have ever seen; a mesmerising blend of unbelievable drumming coupled with beautiful dancing all set to a futuristic tale of power, rivalry and love.  Actually, to say its all drumming is doing a grave dis-service to the whole percussion experience including some truly beautiful glockenspiel melodies.  This is story-telling-without-words at its best and it had me hooked from the first beat to the very last.

Georgina King's choreography is wonderfully synchronised, evocative and yet simple, but it's not until you really watch the stage that you realise that it's no mean feat to match expressive dance with demanding drumming & exacting rhythms.

Make no mistake, this is not a show of 10 drummers simply stood on stage; each character has their own story, their own personality which they bring to the fore through genuine acting (there is no dialogue at all which makes the story telling even more engaging) and very quickly you understand the premise of the show, even before Stephen Fry's narration of the Noiseland Tale (written by Jenna Donnelly) comes in about half way through act 1.

The story, without wanting to give too much away, is about a race of people, the Drumchasers from Noiseland, who, through the loss of a worshipped relic become fractured and warring.  This relic finds it's way to earth and is discovered by Mr Bennet, a stage caretaker (played wonderfully by somebody's grandad - actually its none other than Mr Jack Warner).  His unwitting discovery prompts the Drumchasers and their guardian peacekeeper Weckl (deliciously played by the vampish Rachel Stock) to come to earth and continue their rivalry.  This is done through what I can only describe as battle drumming, a sort of dance off using percussion.

Through all of this we are treated to the impish mischief of Gene (played by Amy Kelly), the macho posturing of Blades & Vinnie (James Hulme & James Godfrey) and an age old story of two lovers from the opposite sides. Playing out like a futuristic West Side Story, Buddy (a very dishy Simon Morgan-Thomas, according to my daughter) and Eve (a very cute Stephanie Clarke) try to unite the two sides but as with all torn-lovers tales, it is far from easy.

As the story works towards its conclusion the beats become more frantic, the surprises get bigger and the choreography even more impressive (there's a great scene set in almost complete darkness - honest, believe me!).  I won't spoil things by telling you the rest of the show, 'cept to say that you should really seek out this production, take the family and go lose yourself in the rhythm.

At the end, once the final curtain came down, there was a quiet sense of awe in the audience, almost like a collective reasoning, like we had shared a moment.  We probably had as no-one truly knew what to expect, yet everyone agreed it was awesome.

There have been some iconic shows which define or even create their own genres; Riverdance, Cirque de Soliel,  The Mousetrap, We Will Rock You - I believe that we have seen another tonight which could do the same - it truly is that special that I urge anyone to treat themselves and go and see it.

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Added 8/10

Just back from watching the DrumChasers at Durham Gala, a fabulous venue and perfect for this show, the acoustics were spot on and the view (we were sat at the back of the stalls) meant we could truly appreciate the wonderful precision playing, especially the 2 James on the marimba. 

Its funny how much more you see when you watch a show again; I guess the first time I was quite unprepared for it all, whereas this time I could really take it in - I hadn't been aware of how much was going on on the gantry at the back, especially with Weckl.  Word of Warning - I honestly believe that following Rachel Stock's hips could give you whiplash !

Anyway, the show is on a break now, but is back touring towards the end of October so check out their web site for details - www.drumchasers.co.uk and  keep chasing drums.