Tommy Steele makes his stage return in the Bill Kenwright produced "Scrooge!"
Basic on the Dickens classic, Scrooge tells the tale of old Ebenezer Scrooge, an old skinflint of a man who refuses to celebrate Christmas. He is interested only in his money and will stop at nothing to earn as much of it as he can. One Christmas eve he is visited by the spirit of his old friend and business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns Scrooge that he must change his act now or face the eternity of his afterlife in chains begging for remorse. What follows, is a visit from three Christmas ghosts who show Scrooge how he must change his life.
The set, for a Kenwright production is excellent. It is extravagant - it looks, and feels like old Victorian England - with the exception of a backdrop which separates Scrooges counting house from the outside. It blows backwards and forwards during a pivotal scene in the story and is quite distracting to the audience. The costumes however are exceptional - the attention to detail is excellent, particularly to the three ghosts.
The thing that sets this apart from other Christmas shows out there are the illusions. There are tricks aplenty, from ghosts appearing and disappearing onto the stage, appearing from apparant solid walls, and quick changes that would impress David Blaine! A definate highlight of the evening - many a child will leave this show wondering how some of the tricks were done!
Tommy Steele in the leading role is good - the audience love the man who has been performing on the British stage for the past few decades. What he lacks in vocal strength, he more than makes up for in charisma, and he balances the greed with the humour very well. Other cast members are good.
Some minor flaws in the show was some lines being forgotten by some of the cast, sound problems caused by the theatres system and the lack of power in some of the casts voices. The child cast members, were also sub-par which took away from the emotion of the story.
The score, whilst not very memorable, added a new dynamic to this well-known story. The songs are written moderately well, and sang adequately. They don't really move the story along, but in a show like Scrooge, they do add to the party, Christmas atmosphere in the auditorium.
A good Christmas romp!
7/10
Monday 23 November 2009
Monday 9 November 2009
Rocky Horror Show
This evening, Liverpool welcomed the arrival of many a man dressed in drag, and many a woman dressed in nothing but corsets and stockings - no it wasn't the world pole dancing championships - it was the first night of Richard O'Briens Rocky Horror Show.
Set in a dark, spooky castle, the show tells the story of engaged sweethearts Brad and Janet, who are caught in a storm and are forced to take refuge in the home of Frank 'n' Furter and some of the craziest people this world has ever seen. Featuring the iconic "Time Warp" and the timeless "Sweet Transvestite", this show is definately not one for the kids.
The acting from the start is flawless, as is the majority of the singing. David Bedella in the lead role stands out, as does Haley Flaherty as Janet. The microphones on some cast members were turned up slightly too high at times, and in group numbers alot of the voices became distorted, and so the words lost some of the meaning. The band were very good, playing the rock music with gusto and exuberance. It was nice to be able to actually see the audience, perched high above the stage in plain view, rather than them being hidden away in the pit.
The atmosphere in the crowd however was as electric as the bass guitars which were providing the superb sound. The audience were on their feet throughout the show and were happily singing along and shouting out in places. It did get a tad annoying when one gentleman in the crowd felt like he had to shout out all the way through. It was also slightly off putting to see so many security men in the audience. They walked around the auditorium constantly and so were very distracting.
The humour of the show is exceptional, and everyone left having a superb evening. One feels that the weekend shows will be much more rowdier, as the crowds will be watching the show before a night out, and so I think the audience will be electric. If Michael Starkes narrator bounces off the audience as he did tonight, then everyone is in for a real treat.
Real Adults Night Out! 8/10
Set in a dark, spooky castle, the show tells the story of engaged sweethearts Brad and Janet, who are caught in a storm and are forced to take refuge in the home of Frank 'n' Furter and some of the craziest people this world has ever seen. Featuring the iconic "Time Warp" and the timeless "Sweet Transvestite", this show is definately not one for the kids.
The acting from the start is flawless, as is the majority of the singing. David Bedella in the lead role stands out, as does Haley Flaherty as Janet. The microphones on some cast members were turned up slightly too high at times, and in group numbers alot of the voices became distorted, and so the words lost some of the meaning. The band were very good, playing the rock music with gusto and exuberance. It was nice to be able to actually see the audience, perched high above the stage in plain view, rather than them being hidden away in the pit.
The atmosphere in the crowd however was as electric as the bass guitars which were providing the superb sound. The audience were on their feet throughout the show and were happily singing along and shouting out in places. It did get a tad annoying when one gentleman in the crowd felt like he had to shout out all the way through. It was also slightly off putting to see so many security men in the audience. They walked around the auditorium constantly and so were very distracting.
The humour of the show is exceptional, and everyone left having a superb evening. One feels that the weekend shows will be much more rowdier, as the crowds will be watching the show before a night out, and so I think the audience will be electric. If Michael Starkes narrator bounces off the audience as he did tonight, then everyone is in for a real treat.
Real Adults Night Out! 8/10
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