Victor/Victoria @ southwark playhouse

So I've been living in London now for quite a while, and with the exception of one or two shows at the fantastic soho theatre, i have mainly stuck to the commercial theatre that is londons west end! And although some shows are out of this world, and do attract some big names with even bigger voices, my wallet at the end of each month looks empty. So when I saw an advert that the southwark playhouse were putting on a musical that I knew nothing about for a tender, I thought why not! If it's bad then ive not lost much, and if it's good then I've found a cool new venue, a new musical and helped out the fringe, as well as it being cheap! As it turned out, it was so good I went back again a few weeks later (and even paid more because it was no longer in previews during my return visit). It was a real find! This musical opened on broadway in the 1990s with Julie Andrews playing an English singer in Paris looking for a job when she comes across toddy, a man who has the brilliant idea of dragging her up as Victor, a Polish count, and putting her in cabaret acts across the city with a lot of success! Firstly though, it was based on a film of the same name, also starring Andrews, for which she was given an Oscar nomination. Now, I had read about this a few years ago on Wikipedia when I was looking up Julie Andrews after watching Mary Poppins, but it didn't cross my mind until after I'd watched the show in southwark. This was I believe the first professional show of victor/Victoria in London, which is hard to believe after seeing the high quality of it! The story is good, the music is exquisite - and feels very authentic of 1930's Paris, which is when the musical is set. Le jazz hot is the big standout number, and whilst the lead didn't blow me away like andrews did in the YouTube clip I've watched hundreds of times since, she was perfectly adequate! The dancing and the choreography were what made the show such a highlight, and it really made the intimate setting of the railway arches of London bridge come alive as a smoky Parisian jazz club! I came out of the theatre both times wishing I could go back! It's just a real shame that the southwark playhouse has to relocate due to building works at London bridge. The venue was as much a part of the show as the music and the lighting and the costumes, and I really do believe that it wouldn't have seemed half as good if it was put in any other theatre in London. It was an absolute stomper of a show, and I'm so glad I got to see it. I'm going to leave you all with a clip of the immortal Julie Andrews singing le jazz hot from the film version. I urge you to watch her in all other fabulousness! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qsHVLaNsCSg David