Coming in April - Strictly Musicals 3

Rehearsals are hotting up for theatre show

Cast members of Strictly Musicals 3 - the latest offering from Darlington Operatic Society (DarlingtonOS) - are being put thorough their paces as musical numbers within the show start to take shape.

Strictly Musicals 3 is the third offering of a series of 'songs from the shows' style productions by DarlingtonOS, the first being back in 2013.

In this third edition audiences will be entertained with songs from classic shows such as The King and I, Mack & Mabel and Chicago alongside extracts from modern-day favourites such as Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton and The Bodyguard. There will also be examples from some lesser-known shows such as Something Rotten, Bonnie & Clyde and Songs for a New World.

Julian Cound from DarlingtonOS said "This is one of the most exciting stages of the rehearsal period when we see the imagination of our director / choreographer Joanne Hand come to life as she pieces together her amazing, original choreography to go with the stunning vocals the company have been learning under the musical direction of Steven Hood."

"Putting a concert style production together is so much more difficult than working on a book show. From a blank piece of paper the production team have to create 2 hours of musical magic that offers something for everyone and with Strictly Musicals 3 I can guarantee audiences will not be disappointed."

Strictly Musicals 3 has a cast of 52 local, talented amateur performers who will be working flat out over the next 9 weeks to ensure the show is ready for opening night on Wednesday 22 April at Darlington Hippodrome.

Julian concluded "there is a massive appetite for musical theatre here in the North East and Strictly Musicals brings the best of the best together for two hours of magic. If you are a fan of musicals then you will simply love Strictly Musicals 3."

Strictly Musicals 3 runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Wednesday 22 April to Saturday 2 May. Thursday 30 April is a BSL Interpreted performance and both Friday performances will be audio described.

Tickets are available from the ticket hotline 01325 244659 or book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk

The Croft at Darlington Hippodrome

The Croft by Ali Milles

A tale set across 3 time periods but very much of today.

Set solely in a small crofters cottage in the Scottish Highlands, and with minimal props, the immersive and at times claustrophobic feelings are testament to the small but brilliant cast and the tight direction by Philip Franks.

The opening scene presents the viewer with Suzanne and Laura, two modern urbanites who have escaped to the croft for a break away and to discover each other.  Laura (Lucy Doyle) is an early twenties modern woman, brash, confident and desperate to take life for what she wants.  The croft is actually her father’s and so this return after many years is a chance for her to reconnect with her past and hopefully bring in her future.

Suzanne is a mum of 2 teenage boys, her marriage on the rocks, who has found herself in the midst of an exciting and new relationship, both with Laura and more importantly, with herself.

Interspersed with the here and now story are two other timelines both of which also play out in the croft.  One is of Laura’s mum, Ruth, who loved to visit the croft and chose it as her final place to live while she succumbed to terminal cancer. She and Laura were as best friends during Laura's early childhood, swimming, hiking and spending time at the croft but sadly she became estranged with Laura’s vicar father, Tom (Simon Roberts) and found a friendship in the local gamekeeper David (Drew Cain).  Clearly Laura has some unresolved issues with how her mum finally died and was hoping that her visit to the croft would help her to understand and maybe make peace.

The other tale is set in the mid 19^th century of an old crofter, Enid (Gwen Taylor) who takes in a young village girl, Eilene (again played by Lucy Doyle) and the challenges of not only fighting the clearances, but also of the suspicion and fear that a single, old woman could breed in the small minded community.  Hounded as a witch and with aspersions cast on the nature of their relationship, Enid refuses to leave the croft despite the all pleading and threats.

Whilst this is billed as a thriller, I found it more to be a piece on social attitudes.  It may be set across 3 time periods but the underlying themes are very much of today, very ‘woke’, very #metoo.

All the female roles encounter some degree of prejudice from male counterparts and are forced to seek solace with other women which only seems to provoke more misogyny.  Suzanne with her estranged husband and teenage boys, Laura with her religious father whom she blames for her mother’s death, Ruth, whose once strong relationship with Laura is torn apart by her falling in love with David, Enid who is hounded by the ‘big house’ landowners for being different and Eilene who falls foul of a local boy and is left to seek help from the crofter.

Whether the intent by Milles was to write a social commentary on how some attitudes don’t seem to change, despite the passing of time, whether it was meant to be a play about the intertwining of 3 storylines, or whether it is a clever piece of veiled misandry, one thing is for sure, The Croft is a solid piece of theatre which will leave audiences contemplating their own moral compass.

Come What May - Moulin Rouge spectacular coming to Darlington

For any fan of modern musicals there is one production that stands out from the past 20 years and that is Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge.  A ground breaking approach to musicals, Moulin Rouge took modern pop culture, timeless classics and a story grounded in 19th century Paris and created a stand out piece of entertainment that you only need to hum the opening bars to one of the musical numbers and anyone near by will join in.

Now, as the full Broadway musical hits the West End, you have the chance to revel in the Spectacular, Spectacular right here in Darlington and immerse yourself in the bohemian decadence (Green faerie not provided, sorry) 

Sweeney Entertainments and Sisco Productions proudly presents Come What May, The Ultimate Tribute to Moulin Rouge! Enjoy this all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza as you enter the secret world of one of the greatest movie-musicals of all time.

Bursting at the seams with timeless classics including Come What May, Your Song, Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend, Roxanne and Lady Marmalade plus hit songs from The Greatest Showman and other iconic movie musicals.

Travel back in time as the children of the revolution take you on a thrilling non-stop journey into the sexy, disreputable and glamorous underworld of Paris.

A perfect evening to grab your girlfriends, boyfriends, new friends, old friends (and most of all lovers) and come and drown yourself in LOVE.  

Tickets are selling fast so don't delay, visit

https://www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk/whats-on/come-what-may-a-tribute-to-moulin-rouge/ 

and book today.

One Night Only (because with this much fun, song, sex and love most people can only last one night) Wednesday 4th March

Beauty and the Beast at Newcastle Theatre Royal

Beauty and the Beast at Theatre Royal, Newcastle

Ask anyone what they think of as the signal that Christmas is coming and they might say Christmas adverts, songs on the radio, planning a big meal, buying gifts, the Coca Cola wagon but for me the real sign is when the Theatre Royal start their Pantomime.  Rightly heralded as one of the very best in the country, this year’s offering of QDOS’s Beauty and the Beast has taken the very best elements of the traditional seasonal fun and blown it into a new level altogether.  This is not just panto excellence, this is theatre excellence.

While some pantos have resorted to using gimics to try and set themselves apart – 3D visions, cameos by pop stars and reality tv, bizarre twists in the story,  all of them, bar none, pale into insignificance when compared to Newcastle’s finest.  Written, produced and directed by a team who all hail from or are based in the North East, this show is perfection beyond compare and instantly taps into our rich culture, heritage and love of laughing.

The story retains everything about the original and why wouldn’t it – it’s a wonderful story tailor made for panto.  The sets are exquisite, rich, deep and packed with detail.  Choreography, both in costume design and routines are like a mix of the most elegant Viennese ball and the best bits of Strictly.

Of course, what makes a Panto really shine is the cast and once again, Newcastle have the best in the country, if not the whole of Panto world.

 

Danny Adams, Clive Webb and Michael Potts provide so much fun they should carry a health warning, Chris Hayward as Mrs Rita Potty is the Geordie mother we all wish we had and the beautiful Laura Evans as Belle ensures we have some delightful feminine charms to counter the madness.  Nicola Meehan sets the scene for the whole evening with a breathtaking transformation from old hag to stunning enchantress whilst Chris Cowley as both the prince and the beast is totally believable as bad guy made good.  Even Wayne Smith as Belle’s desperate love wannabee elicits some sympathy, possibly in part because he is a wonderful mix of Lazy Town’s Robbie Rotten and Elvis Presley.

Having watched lots of pantos all round the country I do believe that Newcastle is blessed with something others can only wish for – Danny Adams in his finest.  Danny is worth coming to see on his own, he is a magician in his art and had this 50yr old rolling in the isles along with the 5 and 6 years olds (though often for very different reasons).  A master of slapstick, ably abetted by panto stalwarts  Webb and Potts, at times I found myself begging for him to stop just so I could grab a desperate breath or two.  He is a magical blend of Lee Evens, Norman Wisdom, Max Wall (yes I’m that old), Freddie Starr and Tommy Cooper with a penchant for tongue twisters and singing that would paralyse most people’s vocal chords.  One song in particular, where he names all the people and places in the North East should be used as by the tourist board as an advert.

What is most noticeable about this panto is that despite there being an obvious billing hierarchy, and a group who are into their 15^th year at the Theatre Royal, everyone, and I mean everyone, has equal input into making it the best Christmas show in the country.

My advice, if you love to laugh, if you love to see others laugh (including the cast) and if you love yourself, then get tickets for this – you’ll be on a high for days after.

A 5 start show with an extra star for Danny Camp, this return to traditional panto is packed with laughs, stunts, knife throwing, mess, gloop, brilliant songs and bags and bags of fun.  

On until Saturday 19^th January 2020

Curtains, the Musical Murder Mystery

Set in 1950’s Boston, Curtains follows the story of a pre-broadway musical whose cast and crew suffer the trials and tribulations of not only the murder of their leading lady on opening night, but the subsequent twists and turns of the resulting investigation.  Set against the backdrop of ‘Robbin Hood’ a musical western, this play within a play (or more accurately, a musical within a musical) is as much about the saving of the show as much it is about the murder mystery.  As the detective leading the investigation puts the whole theatre on lock down, relationships fray, pressure rises and fingers are pointed.  There are plots and subplots galore, some very clever and funny musical numbers and no shortage of jokes.

From the opening bars you can hear the refrains of Kander & Ebb classics such as Chicago and Cabaret but this is much more than simply another of the same.  Director Paul Foster has made sure this lesser known show stands on its own; it has a familiarity which immediately makes it accessible yet has enough in reserve to maintain intrigue and a freshness to encourage repeat viewings.

Jason Manford (known recently for Scarborough on TV and The Producers and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on stage) plays the lead character of Detective Frank Coiffi, a wannabee thespian and amateur musical theatre star who has as much input into resurrecting the stricken show as he does in solving the crime.  Manford holds his character perfectly, part Columbo, part Poirot with a pretty decent Boston accent to boot.  He revels in the musical elements, giving us a chance to hear a great voice and some pretty nifty dance moves and, as one would expect his comic timing is impeccable.

Playing opposite Coiffi, in the role of Georgia Hendricks, the show’s lyricist who is thrust into the limelight following the untimely death of the original lead, is Carley Stenson.  No stranger to musical and comedy theatre, Carley lights up the stage regardless of whether it’s her scene or not – she has a wonderful, powerful voice and, as seen in the finale to act 1 number ‘Thataway’ is a very adept dancer to boot.  Her duets with Andy Coxon as Aaron Fox, her on stage writing partner,  are simply magical.

Two other standout performances are Rebecca Lock as show producer Carmen Bernstein and Samuel Holmes as show director Christopher Belling.  Rebecca plays Carmen with strength, style and plenty of sass, very reminiscent of the Mama Morton part in Chicago but with the Boston dirt under her fingernails.  

Samuel Holmes however, is totally English and because of that he can get away with pretty much anything.  His Belling is acerbic, driven, suffers no fools and knows that, despite anything on the bill, HE is the real star of the show.  Totally captivating and utterly charming.

Packed full of musical numbers this is a wonderful opportunity for the people of Darlington to see the early stages of what is destined to be a smash hit.  Curtains has already announced it will soon transfer to the West End at the Wyndham Theatre so there’s no better time to grab a ticket and enjoy some brilliant 5 star comedy musical murder mystery.