Direct from the West End

Okay, this was supposed to be a space for me to philosophically reflect upon my life and the world around me, but who wants to read that?! So it's become much more of a theater blog. Which is fine with me!

So, last Sunday, I went with my mum and sister to see the last of 3 new shows, Direct from the West End. We had booked the tickets months ago, ever since I heard that Gina Beck (who I saw in Phantom of the Opera last year) would be performing. And it certainly did not disappoint!

I saw the show in Windsor's charming little Theater Royal, and was lucky enough the be in the front stalls! Those two hours of the best of musical theater went far, far too quickly for my liking. The wonderful cast (listed below) opened with A New World, from the musical Songs for a New World. Despite not being familiar with the song, it was a wonderful opening to the show. They continued from strength to strength, singing songs from the best loved of all musicals, including Phantom of the Opera (my personal favorite!), Love Never Dies, Wicked, We Will Rock You, Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hairspray, West Side Story, Mamma Mia, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Cats. Not to mention several lesser-known, but just as great musicals.

The amazing west end cast included:

Samantha Barks - Who absolutely smashed (in my opinion) The Wizard and I. If she is not cast in Wicked in the next few years, then I will be shocked and that show will have missed out on a great opportunity! One of the youngest west end stars out there, and currently performing in Les Miserables at Queens Theater, I predict that she has a bright and sparkly future ahead of her.

Anthony Hansen - A name I admit I was not familiar with, but will definitely be remembering! He had such a cute twinkle in his eyes when singing I Love You Baby, and such a charismatic presence! He has recently joined the cast of Wicked, and I for one am certainly looking forward to booking tickets!

Scott Garnham - Definately has a talent for comedy! He had the audience in the palm of his hand, cracking cheesy theater-related jokes throughout the night. But it was his soaring vocals in songs Til I Hear You Sing and Maria which sent goosebumps down my arms. A co-producer, and founder of Musical Ovation LTD with Martin Neely, he is to thank for bringing this show to us.

Rachel Bingham - Another name I hadn't heard of before, but her voice astounded me. A perfect rendition of both As Long As He Needs Me  and The Winner Takes It All, she is another reason why you should buy a ticket to see Les Miserables in the West End!

Jessie May - Currently performing as Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia, Jessie was definitely one of my favourite performers of the night, the sheer exuberance she emitted was infectious, and her vocals absolutely stunning. She performed both the love duet All I ask Of You and the rockier Somebody To Love to equal high standards, displaying her ability to slip into such different roles. I'm seeing her in Mamma Mia in a few weeks, so expect another review!

Killian Donnelly - Currently Enjolras in Les Miserables, he was yet another super talented and charismatic member of the cast. Like Jessie, he showed his capability for different roles as Raoul to Jessie's Christine in All I Ask Of You and strutted his stuff in Superstar  from Jesus Christ Superstar. Backed up by the whole cast and including some questionable dance moves, this song was one of the most fun!

Jeff Nicholson - As the foreman and u/s Javert in Les Miserables, he is not displaying his full talents. After his joining the lovely Gina Beck in Phantom of the Opera and taking a chilling solo in Music of the Night, I am considering starting a petition to get him to wear the mask! However, his highlight was definitely Song of the King from Joseph, backed up by the whole cast and again including some questionable, but highly entertaining dance moves! Inspired by Elvis ... I shall say no more.

Gina Beck - Last, but definitely not least! My personal favourite musical theater performer, after seeing her as Christine Daae in Phantom last year, she was who I came to see. A beautiful performance in the title song of that musical, I think everyone who was there would agree. She was especially amazing in her solo Memory, and lent her beautiful soprano voice to Cosette (whom she previously played at Queens Theater) in One Day More and to Maria in Tonight. She is going to be starring in The Kissing Dance from March-April in an off west-end venue, so get your tickets!

The entire performance was uplifting, exciting and all together enjoyable. The idea of taking a cast of extremely talented west end performers with a repertoire of well-loved songs to venues outside London is genius. I for one hope that the success of these shows will inspire many more!

Highlights I have not yet mentioned include Fugue for Tinhorns from Guys and Dolls performed by comedic trio Scott, Killian and Jeff. I didn't know the song before, but they did it wonderfully! Jessie May's Welcome to the Sixties was awesome, her vocals faultless and her acting of the song very energetic.

One of the things I think that made the show such a success was the sheer amount of fun the performers themselves seemed to be having, and the great way in which they interacted with each other. While extremely successful in their solos, the ensemble performances stood out as the best. If another show comes up, I will be the first to get tickets, and advise everyone else to do the same! Even if you are not particularly a fan of musical theater, this is a perfect show to attend simply to have a good fun time. And who knows, this fabulous cast may just be able to convert you!

xxxxx

Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre

Warning - contains spoilers.

Okay, I know it's been a few weeks, but I decided that my next post would be a review of Andrew Lloyd Webber's (relatively) new musical, Love Never Dies (which I have just seen today) , the sequel to the famous Phantom of the Opera.

I first saw Phantom of the Opera last April on a music trip with my school. I remember not knowing much about it, except that it was the story of a mysterious masked man obsessed with a beautiful young soprano. Since I am a huge fan of romantic stories, I was quite interested. I wasn't however, looking forward to the 'Opera' part of it. Little did I know that Andrew Lloyd Webber had done a fantastic job of combining dramatic Operatic aria's, traditional musical chorus numbers and an enthralling storyline with the slightest hint of rock to it. In short, it was the best thing I had ever seen, and I have been just a little bit (or a lot) obsessed with it ever since.

When I heard about the sequel not too long after, I was sceptical. Phantom is a brilliant original, and everyone knows that musical sequels don't have a history of doing well. I researched the storyline, and was even less impressed. Christine dies? Shocking. A terrible end to the 'greatest love story ever told'. Then I listened to some of the songs. One especially stood out - the Phantom's spine-tingling Till I Hear You Sing.

I confess, the main motivation for my seeing the musical was the man (and his voice) behind that beautiful song, Mr Ramin Karimloo (@raminkarimloo on twitter, of course i'm following him). Not only does he have that elusive power to send shivers all through you when he opens his mouth, but he also happens to be very attractive. Which goes well with a tuxedo and a white mask, let me tell you! Anyway, he did not disappoint. With the new changes Andrew Lloyd Webber made, Till I Hear You Sing is now the opening song. And what an opening it gives! There you are, sitting in your seat, waiting for the thing to start, and this 'Christine' doll appears on stage, shortly followed by the Phantom, who immediately delivers his heart-breaking song. I was literally on the edge on my seat.

The big musical numbers are as follows:

Act 1.

Till I Hear You Sing - The Phantom

Heaven By The Sea - Ensemble

Only For Him/Only For You - Meg Giry

What A Dreadful Town! - Raoul, Christine and Gustave

Look With Your Heart - Christine and Gustave

Beneath A Moonless Sky - The Phantom and Christine

Once Upon Another Time - The Phantom and Christine

Dear Old Friend - Christine, Raoul, Meg Giry and Madame Giry

Beautiful - The Phantom and Gustave

The Beauty Underneath - The Phantom and Gustave

Act 2.

Why Does She Love Me? - Raoul

Devil Take the Hindmost - The Phantom and Raoul

Bathing Beauty - Meg Giry and Ensemble

Devil Take the Hindmost (reprise) - The Phantom, Raoul, Madame Giry

Love Never Dies - Christine

Ah, Christine - The Phantom

Please Miss Giry, I Want To Go Back! - Gustave, Meg, the Phantom, Christine, Madame Giry

For me, the best songs were Till I hear you sing, Beneath a moonless sky, The beauty underneath and Love Never Dies.

I didn't see the principal Christine, Sierra Boggess (@sierra_boggess on twitter) perform, I saw Celia Graham (who doesn't have twitter) instead, who was amazing! She had a great voice, really soft but strong at the same time. Perfect for Christine.

I can't write this blog without mentioning Gustave who (except for the Phantom) stole the show! He was so cute, and so professional! He got one of the biggest cheers at the end.

Anyway, the plot revolves around the idea that 10 years after Phantom was set, the Phantom is in America, and running a 'freak show' at Coney Island, New York. His life is cold and empty without Christine, so sends an anonymous request for her to perform, offering a huge amount of money. Christine and Raoul accept, being in serious debt due to Raoul's drinking and gambolling addictions. They arrive, and the Phantom visits Christine in her hotel room, much to her surprise. During Beneath A Moonless Sky, we learn that the night before her wedding, Christine had sought out the Phantom to say a final goodbye. One thing led to another and ... they spent the night together. The Phantom woke and left before Christine knew, ashamed of his disfiguerments. Christine married Raoul. Later in Act 1, the Phantom discovers Gustave's exceptional musical talents, and the fact that he is very much similar to himself. He confronts Christine, who breaks down and admits that she kept the secret. Gustave is the Phantom's son. To make up for the pain she caused, Christine swears to sing once more for the Phantom. Madame Giry is furious when the Phantom declares that everything he owns will go to Gustave. She and Meg feel cheated, after all they helped him do. End of Act 1.

Act 2 begins with Raoul drowning his sorrows in the bar, and lamenting on his relationship with Christine, Why Does She Love Me? It is very moving, but a somewhat chilling look into his soul.  In Devil Take the Hindmost the Phantom makes a bet with Raoul. If Christine sings for him, Raoul has to leave, alone. If she doesn't, they leave together with all their debts paid off. Raoul questions his right to Gustave. Meg performs her revealing Bathing Beauty, at the end of which she practially strips off and parades around naked, wrapped only in a towel. She is devastated to learn that the Phantom wasn't watching. Christine is in her dressing room, preparing for the performance. Raoul comes in and tries to persuade her not to sing. She is in the process of leaving after him when the Phantom enters. His persuasion is much stronger (and thrilling!) than Raouls, presenting her with a beautiful necklace with huge diamonds, and the promise of everlasting love filled with the joys of music. (I would choose him in a heartbeat!) Christine has a dilemma. The staging for the aria Love Never Dies is done brilliantly, with Christine on the 'stage' and the Phantom and Raoul on either side in the 'wings'. Her mind is still unmade, but looks at the Phantom and goes on to sing. Raoul leaves in the middle of the performance. Afterwards, she receives a goodbye letter from him. Gustave is found to be missing. They find him on the pier with a very disturbed Meg, catching her attempting to drown him. The Phantom grabs Gustave, but then Meg pulls out a gun, which she points at her own head. Christine shields Gustave while the Phantom talks (or rather, sings) Meg out of it. She then points the gun at him instead. He makes the mistake of mentioning Christine. "We can't all be like Christine" Meg, enraged, gestures the gun at Christine, accidentally firing. She and Madame Giry escape, while the Phantom holds the dying Christine. Gustave runs off when Christine tells him that Raoul is not his father. The Phantom and Christine share a heart-breaking melodic goodbye, including a last kiss! The Phantom holds Christine and Gustave comes back in with Raoul. Raoul moves to say goodbye to his dead wife, while Gustave tentatively hugs the Phantom, his real father. Ahhh. Truly emotional.

I recommend this musical to everyone, especially those who enjoy dramatic, moving stories. The Phantom's character appeals to everyone, as the shunned young genius who dares to love a beautiful girl. Although she dies, in the end he has finally won her.

The bet bits were every time Ramin ( The Phantom) was on stage. He has an amazing presence. It's worth every penny! The acrobatics are brilliant, and the costumes amazing. I hope that it goes on for a very long time. If I had to find a flaw, it would the that the character's of Meg and Raoul and very different (and much more vindictive) than in the original. But in the context of the story (and with the new changes) it does kind of make sense.

The cast I saw were as follows:

The Phantom - Ramin Karimloo
Christine Daae - Celia Graham
Raoul, vicomte de Chagney - Joseph Millson
Meg Giry - Jessica Kirton
Madame Giry - Liz Robertson
Fleck - Niamh Perry
Squelch - Adam Pearce
Gangle - Jami Reid-Quarrel