Quick Round-up: Theatre

In the last 4 weeks I've managed to fit in 5 trips to the theatre, two as a volunteer at the Playhouse and three as paying punter at The Grand. Back on 15/03/12 was Chess (The Grand), a musical by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (i.e. the BB in ABBA) and Tim Rice written during and set within the context of the Cold War. Happily I didn't need to know anything about the rules of the boardgame to enjoy the plot, which centred around clashes between the US and Soviet chess champions and some tricky political shenanigans, but it helped that I had an understanding of the historical context. The company, LAOS, handled the staging well with a central chess board/dance floor that changed colour and acted as a playing area for the characters to scheme around. The voices of the female cast were particularly impressive, and I discovered that 'I Know Him So Well' has its origins in the show. The show has made me want to visit the original concept album that preceded the West End musical. 

We returned to The Grand on 23/03/12 for Travelling Light, a new play written by Nicholas Wright, a name I'm not familiar with, although I was pleased to see he'd authored some of the excellent yet short lived The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The main draw for this drama was the fact that it was about the early days of cinema, a subject I have become more and more intrigued about. It also starred the talented, attractive Damien Molony, who we were enjoying so much in Being Human at the time - it also turned out we'd seen his professional debut in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore last year, so we've now seen all of his work. (Sir) Antony Sher also starred as the jovial Jewish merchant who funds Molony's nascent efforts at making a movie in their Eastern European shtetl - he was much better here than in the awful production of The Tempest we saw back in April 2009. The whole production was gripping from beginning to end, from the subject matter, setting and characters to the unexpected plot developments and semi-history lessons about movie making outside Hollywood.

The day after Travelling Light I flew solo (left Andrew at home) in order to volunteer at Swallows & Amazons (24/03/12). Unfamiliar with the story, I wasn't expecting much, particularly as I believed this would be a show for the kids. I was happily suprised to find that this semi-musical drama was actually rather fun and very inventive in the staging. A family of 5 'jolly hockey-sticks' type middle class kids in inter-war Britain go on holiday to an island and have a fantasy adventure as the Swallows, a gang of explorers who are out to defeat the nafarious pirate captain and rival sisters, the Amazons. It's a good natured affair, utterly inoffensive with a smattering of toe-tapping songs that didn't linger too long in the memory. Leaving aside the one black child among the siblings, an inclusive gesture that came across somewhat token (and the fact the character's named 'Titty'), there was nothing to gripe about. The scenery movers and props people provided many (intentional) laughs with their ways, like flicking water at the cast to simulate moving through a storm, or holding up toy boats within circles of cardboard to represent telescope sights. A fun, free night out, musn't grumble.

Helen Edmundson, co-writer of Swallows & Amazons, was also responsible for Mary Shelley (28/03/12), showing in the Playhouse's other theatre. This was a more adult show that delivered a biographical drama about the woman who, at the age of just 18, write the massively influential Frankenstein, along with her poet husband Percy Shelley and her famous family. The female-weighted cast delivered bravua performances that brought each family member alive and worked to show how Mary's experiences informed her signature novel. It was a play that I appreciated greatly as I watched, but one that hasn't stuck around in my head long afterwards. 

Finally, on 04/04/12, we had a group outing to see Sister Act, a musical for which I had high expectations, based on how much I enjoyed the movie and it's soundtrack (none of which was ported over into the stage version), and because of the potential for camp exuberance. I can almost say that I found the musical to be even more fabulous than the film! Set in the late seventies, the music was a soul/disco mix that never hit a bum note, and the expansion of the plot from the original's murder-witness-hides-out-in-a-convent, with bigger roles for the bad guy Eddie and an added love interest in cop Curtis, were beneficial and created a show that can comfortably inhabit the same world as the movie without feeling redundant. I'd go so far as to say the sheer joy that Sister Act engendered in my whole being puts it up there with The Lion King and Hairspray as a favourite musical. The 'star' names, Denise Black (seen before in Bedroom Farce) and Michael Starke (the narrator in Rocky Horror) were competent but the real star was Cynthia Erivo in the lead role of Deloris - she fairly belted out infectious numbers like Take Me to Heaven, Fabulous Baby!, and the beautiful Sister Act. She was ably supported by a host of singing nuns on show-stoppers Raise Your Voice and Spread the Love Around. I can't wait to get the soundtrack!

The Muppets (2011)

basics...
The Muppets return to the big screen for the first time in years. Massive Muppet fan Walter and his brother Gary (co-writer Jason Segel) learn of Tex Richman's (Chris Cooper) plan to tear down the disused Muppet Studios and set out to convince Kermit and the rest of the gang, who have gone their separate ways, to reunite and put on a telethon to save the theatre from destruction. 

brilliant...
I had high hopes for The Muppets, and when I heard that Jason Segel would be scripting and starring I prepared to lower them a little. How wrong I was. What Segel, writing partner Nicholas Stoller and director James Bobin is a celebration of everything that is fantastic about the Muppets, that is respectful of their history and celebrates their unique brand of comedy in a fresh, modern way. It is as much a film as a love letter to everything the Muppets were and are, in much the same way that Hugo and The Artist drew on and celebrated early cinema. Hilarious from start to finish, the human cast, including Amy Adams and a host of cameos from the likes of Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jim Parsons and Whoopi Goldberg, are just as funny but thankfully do not overshadow the Muppet performers. Once the story is set in motion (and the plot's nothing new, a similar 'theatre-in-jeopardy' macguffin was used in TV-movie It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie) and the Muppets get back together, the humans fall into the background and Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Swedish Chef et al get to be their incredibly funny selves. The references to the original Muppet Show, including a lingering shot of Jim Henson's photograph, are touching and connect the new movie with the modern Muppets. Some of the best bits of the movie: the introduction of 80's Robot; the inspired song and dance numbers, including Oscar winning Man or Muppet; the myriad of Muppet cameos from the TV show - nearly every shot with multiple Muppets features one or two familiar faces; the montage sequence and travelling by map; and the part that had tears of laughter rolling down my face: Clarissa and the Chickens performing 'Forget You'... Priceless.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the unexpected bonus that preceded the movie in the form of the Toy Story Toon: Small Fry, a short that sees the whole of the Pixar gang reunited. A Happy Meal sized Buzz stows away in the toy's new kids' backpack while regular Buzz is inducted into a Forgotten Toys Anonymous therapy group. The magic of Pixar is well and truly captured in just 7 minutes. I'm also rather looking forward to new animation Brave, which was trailed alongside 3D Beauty and the Beast.

briefly...
The best Muppet movie in years, I left the cinema with a massive grin on my face, full of enthusiasm and praise for such a lovingly-crafted film.

Angus, Thongs & Even More Snogging (WYP, 24/02/12)

basics...
Almost a year after I watched the movie, Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging, an adaptation of the popular teenage girl's book Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging I found myself at the musical theatre production on a volunteer shift at WYP. Following much the same plot as the film, but with more musical interludes, the play charts Georgia's experiences in young love with sex god Robbie, love god Masimo and best mate Dave the Laugh. 

brilliant...
The evening started well with upbeat pop music playing as the audience entered, giving me something to do (dance on the spot) while handing out dance-move fliers and pointing people to their seats. It was like a night out, not an evening at the theatre - this even extended to posters permitting people to Tweet during the performance, which thankfully few people appeared to be doing. As with the film, protagonist Georgia walks a fine line between annoying and cute/funny, mostly straying to the latter side thankfully. Imaginative set design and use of props, breaking some of the 'fourth' wall, made for a fun, loose experience that I'm sure charmed the majority young, female audience. There was also plenty of bawdy humour and references that would go over the heads of the tweenagers, most of which I picked up on and laughed along with. The live music was excellent, very catchy, very poppy, and the whole thing was such a sweet confection it would be difficult not to get caught up in it all (unless you're a heterosexual male perhaps). The highlight of the whole show was a 2 minute, condensed version of Romeo and Juliet (or as the characters hideously call it, Roms and Julz *shudder*), the school play performed by Georgia and co near the play's end. I laughed so much at this I'd have been happy just to pay to see that.

but...
Some of the language irritated me - mainly the way Georgia added '-osity' to the ends of words unnecessarily, to create a language shared by her clique. These moments did feel like an older writer trying to be 'cool' and jarred a bit. I was pleased that most actors had Yorkshire accents though, as Louise Rennison, created of Angus... and co-writer of the stage version is from Leeds. It's churlish to say but Robbie in the play isn't half as hot as Aaron Johnson's portrayal in the movie, one of that adaptation's main plus points.

briefly...
A more pink and fluffy yet accessible night at the theatre I've yet to see. Angus, Thongs and whatever kind of Snogging (what's so offensive about the phrase 'full frontal'?) has an endearing story that clearly skews teenage girl but which contains humour and recognisable moments for all ages.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical (WYP, 27/01/12)

basics...
A truly unique performance, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical does exactly what it says on the tin: when the show opens the sole actor on stage is on the phone to a theatrical agent, telling him about his new musical, the setting, style and events of which are plucked there and then from the audience. Armed with this information, the lights go down and the 5 performers come on to present an inevitably funny musical set in the Antarctic, on a ship carrying a host of love triangles and treacherous characters... who sing numbers in the style of Ghost, Sondheim, flamenco, Noel Coward and Wicked.

brilliant...
Showstopper! is what live theatre is made for, a one-off show, made up on the spot by a crazily talented company of comedy improvisers with great voices. I laughed throughout and didn't stop marvelling at the creativity and gusto (and guts) that the cast combined to create a narratively satisfying piece of theatre. The two female cast members were particularly memorable as female cabin crew with dubious Eastern European accents and powerful sets of pipes. 

briefly...
I'll never see anything quite like it again. Although I will make sure I see the company next time they come back to the Playhouse.

December Round-up: Theatre

Annie (WYP, 30/11/11 & 19/12/11)

I've now been fortunate enough to see the musical Annie twice through volunteering at the Playhouse, and I'm due to see it again before the year ends. I'm not sure I want to see it anymore than that, however much I enjoyed it, but as it doesn't finish until Jan 21st I may just be out of luck. Starring Duncan Preston and Verity Rushworth and a whole host of little girls, not least the star of the show, Annie, the show is a non-stop spectacle featuring some fantastic songs (Hard Knock Life, Tomorrow, Ease Street and New Deal for Christmas being highlights) with exciting special effects, inspired comedy and a thrilling baddie in the form of buxom Miss Hannigan. I feared this would be a cutesy, sugary girls-only affair so I was very pleased to enjoy the rather simple story with the fascinating, and historically resonant, depression-era setting with the references to US politicians Hoover and Roosevelt (the latter of whom is a supporting character!) adding unexpected depth.

Top Hat (The Grand, 05/12/11)

The day after Melanie C we were back in Leeds and at the theatre to see the new stage musical version of the old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat, starring Tom Chambers as a dancer caught up in a screwball farce involving mistaken identities and featuring some amazing dancing. To be honest I'd almost forgotten about this show inbetween all of the things I've been up to this week, which isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it at the time. It was a sweet confection, lacking in edge but soaked in nostalgia for old Hollywood. The dancing was first rate, some of the American accents less so (I'm looking at you Chambers), but the whole thing was shot through with so much fun I couldn't help but be swept up in it's old-fashioned charm.

The Mousetrap (St. Martin's Theatre, London, 08/12/11)
In London for the night, before catching the Eurostar to Brussels early next morning, we hunted and ran through buckets of rain and made it to the theatre with nary a minute to spare to see the longest running drama in the history of the medium. Our third Agatha Christie play, following Witness for the Prosecution and Verdict, we picked The Mousetrap as our London show of choice because it's one of those you don't think about, plus it was cheaper than some of the bigger, gaudier shows - and now we learn it's to tour next year! The drama takes place over 2 days at the Monkswell Manor guest house and is as classic a 'whodunnit' as you're likely to see. Someone has already been murdered before the play begins, and one of the 8 characters, the owners and guests at the Manor plus Sergeant Trotter, is offed at the end of Act 1. Christie's genius comes in the addition of so many red herrings, double-dealings and suspicious machinations that your opinion of who might have done it changes from moment to moment. I won't spoil the ending, as the murderer requests after the cast take their bows, suffice to say that I honestly did suspect the person more towards the end, but it took some false starts to get there. There's nothing overly clever or show-offy about The Mousetrap, it's a confidently written, perfectly performed little drama that uses the longevity of the performance and the mystery of culprit to create a wonderful theatre experience.

Detroit Metal City / Detoroito Metaru Shiti (2008, Leeds Town Hall)

basics...
Our second trip in 3 consecutive days at the Town Hall's Film Festival saw us settling in for a Japanese comedy-musical about Soichi (Ken'ichi Matsuyama), a young man who dreams of singing trendy pop songs but somehow ends up lead singer for a death metal band who sing about rape, killing and gore.

brilliant...
I had no idea what to expect from this - the blurb in the Festival programme made us want to see it but didn't explain a lot - and I'm still not quite sure what it was! Whatever Detriot Metal City is it's utterly hilarious - Matsuyama is alternately adorable, gormless and, when made up as DMC lead singer Johannes Krauser II, terrifying. The plot is wacky, unpredictable and oddly touching, while the rest of the characters are either bat-shit bonkers (DMC's sadistic manager, who likes to put cigarettes out on people and likes it when the band's music get her 'wet'), a celebrity cameo (Gene Simmons of Kiss plays DMC's biggest rival for death metal icon status), or sweetly adorable (Soichi's mother, who seems oblivious to everything but knows much more than she lets on). Full of day glo pastels in Soichi's perfect world, muted soft focus in his childhood home, and black dystopian goths in the metal clubs, Detroit Metal City is a visual treat. 

but...
It could have been shorter, losing some of the running around and overlong battle in the finale. 

briefly...
An odd delight, Detroit Metal City is daft and it knows it, which just adds to the enjoyment. I've not seen anything this camp and scary since Lordi won Eurovision.

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

basics...
A second viewing of Singin' in the Rain for me, and it's just as fun and frivolous. Set in the twenties at the time of silent movies giving way to talkies, this musical sees Gene Kelly's film star fall for Debbie Reynold's young aspiring actress. Together with mate Donald O'Connor they cook up a scheme to replace Jean Hagen's voice with Reynold's as the former leading lady has a screech that's only suitable for silent film.

brilliant...
Some musical plots are a bit inconsequential, but Singin' in the Rain has a real humdinger of a premise, with a fantastic old Hollywood setting that gels well with the Technicolor MGM musical style of the 1950's. All involved are a delight to watch, Kelly and O'Connor show off some spectacular dance sequence, including the famous title song and the non-stop pratfall masterclass that is Make 'Em Laugh. Jean Hagen is particularly excellent, and I really liked the conceit at the beginning of the movie where she doesn't speak until just the right moment, her nasal twang like nails down a blackboard - she's a monstrous creation and really the unsung star of the show (although she was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar, she's not one of the big names on the DVD box), as she remains likable despite her manipulative ways. I felt some sympathy with her as no one told her that her career was going to end as the talkies came in, a fate that befell many real actors of that time. It's true that overall some of the numbers are more forgettable than others, and except for Hairspray, that's true of any movie musical. The whole is an infectious, joyous celebration of old Hollywood glitz and glamour, with lashings of fantasy and sugar. 

briefly...
A witty, fizzy confection that draws on fascinating real life Hollywood events and recycles old songs to create a wonderfully fun movie.

The Go-Between (WYP, 14/09/11 & 25/09/11)

basics...
Both the second and third shows at which I was a Playhouse volunteer, The Go-Between is a brand new musical adaptation of the book by LP Hartley (apparently, I've never heard of it) in which a 12 year old boy acts as a messenger between a high society lady and her bit of rough farmer lover. Needless to say, it doesn't end well.

brilliant...

The Go-Between is a charming production, that wins out mainly on the performance of the young Leo, Jake Abbott, who is rarely off stage in a role that requires singing, acting, and quite a bit of running around. I was less keen on his co-star for the two shows I saw, played by John Cairns, but I think that was more because his character Marcus is less likeable and more obnoxious than any fault in the acting. The adult cast provided solid support, particularly in Sophie Bould's Marian, the female portion of the central love triangle - hers being the best voice and one of the more interesting roles. There is good use made of the limited stage space, even with a grand piano and pianist present all through. 

but...
The story is supposed to be a reminiscence of youth by the much older Leo (played by... I don't know, his name's not in the programme!) and apparently everything that happened that summer when he was 12 has turned him into a disfunctional old man. We see plenty of him commenting on the action and moping about and making ominous exclamations about how he should have left things alone... but I never really understood (or cared) for older Leo and what his problems were. Young Leo's story was much more wonderful and had a great deal of depth. I was also a little disappointed that this 'musical' was really a sung play, with no particular songs. It felt like it would have worked just as well if not better as a straight forward play. 

briefly...
If I'd had the choice I wouldn't have watched this twice, but each time the charming child performances held my attention, they really did shine.

StreetDance (2010)

basics...
A couple of hours before I left the house to go and see Northern Ballet's Hamlet I watched a film involving ballet... well, it was StreetDance, the British dance film about a group of street dancers who are co-opted by a groovy ballet teacher to help her students learn how to let loose and stop being so stiff and formal. 

brilliant...
This film is in no way 'brilliant' but it is also no where near as cringey or terrible as I thought it might be, especially since it stars a lot of 'youth' with all the bad fashion and mangled English language that that implies, and follows the standard little-group-who-could format as seen in Coyote Ugly, Step Up and all those other recent dance movies (none of which I've seen). I felt quite old watching the film, yet I enjoyed it as there was a real sense of fun and a lot of skill on display. Britain's Got Talent alumni Diversity and cute George Samson featured, the latter pulling off some incredible moves, but the star for me wasn't northern street dancer Carly (Nichola Burley), it was the hot ballet dancer love interest Tomas (Richard Winsor). Now I've seen Winsor live in Matthew Bourne's modern dance version of The Picture of Dorian Grey in Edinburgh on 29/08/08, and he was hot there. He's even better close up wearing tight ballet outfits and often topless. Nom nom nom indeed. I'm so shallow. 

but...
To criticise StreetDance for a lack of originality would be missing the point, as it exists to provide an audience with exactly what they want. There could have been a bit more in the way of humour or maybe a few bits of stunt casting with the adult characters. 

briefly...
A film that does what it sets out to do: features a lot of dancing; and one that does it very well with a likable bunch of characters and a pretty lead who can act as well as dance.

Anchors Aweigh (1945)

basics...
A cheery musical starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as a couple of sailors on shore leave looking for a good time, Anchors Aweigh primarily attracted by attention for the short scene in the middle in which Kelly dances with an animated Jerry Mouse (of Tom and Jerry fame). As it happens, that section is only a 5 minute fantasy sequence within a much longer tale of romance and male friendship.

brilliant...
Kelly and Sinatra are infectious as Joe and Clarence, permanently sailor-suit clad, as they sing and dance their way around Hollywood, meeting a young boy who wants to sign up (there are numerous billboards urging purchase of war bonds, so the film seems partly a propaganda piece) and subsequently his aunt Susie (Kathryn Grayson). Although Joe tries to set up shy Clarence with Susie, he slowly falls for her himself, while Clarence finds it much easier to talk to a fellow-Brooklyn born waitress. It's immediately obvious where each relationship is going and there are no great surprises in store, but the leads are charming and the musical is lively enough most of the time to sustain interest. I have to say though that few of the songs stick in the memory, and although the dance with Jerry is technically flawless, melding live action and animation, it slows the film down and does nothing to further the plot, a fault with several of the numbers. There is a good dose of humour in the dialogue if not the songs, although 'If You Knew Susie' is a bawdy delight, and the peek backstage at the MGM studios, along with real life composer José Iturbi (who leads a breath-taking multi-piano rendition of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 at the Hollywood Bowl, a tune better known from various cartoon shorts) paints an idyllic picture of the 1940s movie industry.

but...
At 2 hours 15 minutes, Anchors Aweigh could do with an edit, and there are a handful of slow numbers that could have been easily chopped out with no detriment or effect to the ongoing story. 

briefly...
Exceptional only for the early animation/live action sequence - from MGM rather than Disney - Anchors Aweigh is a fun, frothy piece slice of Hollywood gloss from a simpler age. 

Evita (Leeds Grand, 11/07/11)

Our last theatre trip of the season, and the last thing we've got booked until November, Evita was an excellent way to end a great run of shows at the Grand and WYP. I'd been looking forward to this one for a long time, as I thoroughly enjoyed the Madonna-starring film version and have listened to the soundtrack numerous times since. 

Charting the life and death of Eva Peron, who became First Lady of Argentina in the 1940/50s, the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice score features non-stop music and singing to tell an extraordinary true story of ambition and Latin American politics. The large ensemble cast was lead by three wonderful leads, in Susie Griffin (Eva), Earl Carpenter (Juan Peron) and Mark Powell (narrator Che) who were barely ever off stage, particularly in the case of Griffin and Powell. The staging was exceptional, particularly in the use of simple staircases that moved around the stage to evoke varying settings

Act I

1. Junin July 1952 – Crowd
2. Requiem For Evita – Chorus
3. Oh What a Circus – Che and Crowd
4. On This Night Of a Thousand Stars – Magaldi
5. Eva Beware of the City – Eva, Magaldi and Family
6. Buenos Aires – Eva and Crowd
7. Good Night and Thank You – Che, Eva, Magaldi and Lovers
8. The Art Of The Possible – Perón, Generals and Eva
9. Charity Concert – Perón, Che, Magaldi and Eva
10. I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You – Eva and Perón
11. Another Suitcase in Another Hall – Perón's Mistress and Men's Chorus
12. Peron's Latest Flame – Che, Aristocrats, Soldiers and Eva
13. A New Argentina – Eva, Che, Perón and Crowd

Act II

1. On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada – Perón, Che and Crowd
2. Don't Cry For Me Argentina – Eva
3. High Flying Adored – Che and Eva
4. Rainbow High – Eva and Dressers
5. Rainbow Tour – Perón, Advisers and Che
6. The Actress Hasn't Learned The Lines (You'd Like To Hear) – Eva, Aristocrats and Che
7. And The Money Keeps Rolling In (And Out) – Che and Crowd
8. Santa Evita – Children and Chorus
9. Waltz For Eva and Che – Eva and Che
10. She Is A Diamond – Perón and Officers
11. Dice Are Rolling – Perón and Eva
12. You Must Love Me - Eva
13. Eva's Final Broadcast – Eva
14. Montage – Eva, Che, Perón and Chorus
15. Lament – Eva

Every one of the many songs has a purpose in telling Eva's story, and each is memorable, with stand outs being Buenoes Aires, Peron's Latest Flame, Rainbow High, And the Money Keeps Rolling in, and of course, Don't Cry for Me Argentina. Watching this show I finally understood that the 'crying' in this song is not weeping, rather shouting, with Eva advising the adoring public not to shout for her and idolise her since she's one of them. It's a sentiment that fades as Eva gets more power and influence. I learned afterwards that You Must Love Me was actually written for the movie and has since been inserted into the theatrical production, which perhaps explains why its inclusion here is rather shorter than I remembered.

The production was so full of energy and emotion, dark as well as light - it opens with Eva's funeral and a mournful requiem - and tells a complex story that bears repeated viewing as it's easy to miss the odd line here or there or to read more into some of the action. Evita leaves me wanting to learn even more about this fascinating character, and wanting to listen to the soundtrack album over and over again!

Footloose: The Dance Musical (Leeds Grand, 28/06/11)

The night after seeing The Wiz we were at the theatre once more (The Grand this time) for another musical. This one we'd only booked the week before, taking advantage of a 2 for 1 offer on tickets. I'd hesitated to book this earlier as I've never seen the 80's movie on which it's based, and I'd just lumped it alongside Flashdance/Fame/Dirty Dancing as one of those movies women bang on about but I suspect probably aren't very good if you didn't catch them when young and female. 

I was surprised then to find Footloose (subtitled, The Dance Musical) was a really enjoyable show. While not as joyfully uproarious as The Wiz it still left me buzzing and singing the many top songs, the best of which were taken directly from the movie, and which I'm familiar with from student disco nights. The plot tells of how Ren (stupid name) moves from Chicago to Bomont, a small town where everyone knows everyone and dancing has been banned by the town council. Naturally Ren likes to dance and you can tell where it's all leading within 5 minutes. The predictable nature of the plot doesn't do anything to detract from the fun song and dance numbers, and there's a bit of humour thrown in the mix too.

Act 1

1. Footloose - Ren McCormack and Company
2. On Any Sunday – Reverend Shaw Moore and Company
3. The Girl Gets Around – Chuck, Travis, Lyle, Ariel
4. I Can't Stand Still – Ren
5. Somebody's Eyes – Rusty, Urleen, Wendy Jo, and Company
6. Learning to be Silent – Vi, Ethel, and Ariel (after revison)
7. Holding Out for a Hero – Ariel, Rusty, Urleen, Wendy Jo
8. Heaven Help Me – Rev. Moore
9. I'm Free / Heaven Help Me - Ren McCormack, Reverend Shaw Moore, and Company

Act 2

1. Still Rockin' – Cowboy Bob and his Band
2. Let's Hear it For the Boy – Rusty and the Girls
3. Can You Find it in Your Heart? – Vi
4. Mama Says (You Can't Back Down) – Willard, Bickle, Garvin, Jeter, Ren
5. Almost Paradise – Ren and Ariel
6. Heaven Help Me (Reprise) – Rev. Moore
7. Can You Find it in Your Heart? (Reprise) – Rev. Moore
8. Footloose (Finale) – Company

One of the hottest numbers was Holding Out for a Hero, which love interest Ariel and her mates belt out in a diner, along with a host of hot, mostly topless hunks, dressed like straight Village People. It was a heck of a performance. I also really liked Mama Says, a funnier number from comic relief Willard, who also got to show off some killer dance moves during Let's Hear it For the Boy. The whole thing ended like a party remix, in much the same vein as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with a number of hi-energy reprises of the show's most popular songs. It was a fittingly energetic end to a non-stop sing and dance 'classic'.

The Wiz (WYP, 27/06/11)

The last WYP show we've got booked for this season, The Wiz was a phenomenally upbeat way to start the summer. It was incredibly infectious both in getting my toe tapping and in making in laugh a whole heap, I came out grinning from ear to ear. I enjoyed the flop movie version, which starred Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, and so I was eager to see the show live on stage. This co-production by WYP and Birmingham Repertory Theatre completely blew the movie out of the water. 

Opening in contemporary Leeds, Dorothy is a young teen who is more interested in her mobile phone than communicating with her Aunt Em. A freak storm takes her off to Oz where she meets... well everyone knows the basic story of The Wizard of Oz, but The Wiz adds a fresh sound featuring an all black cast (aside from some of the ensemble) alongside a grungy, New York style Oz. Setting Dorothy's hometown in Leeds makes for some pretty funny revised dialogue, and the Wiz cannot fathom why the young girl would want to go back there... and then it's later revealed he's from Bradford! 

Wayne Robinson's floppy scarecrow showed off an amazing voice, and Horace Oliver was funny as the Tinman, while Clive Rowe's Lion was cuddly and a big ole Mummy's boy. The sets and costumes were all top notch and the story zipped along the yellow brick road at a fair rate of knots, song after song with barely time to pause for thought, but that's to the show's credit and really added to the energy of the whole thing. 

The songs in this production ran as follows:

Act 1

1. The Feeling We Once Had – Aunt Em
2. Tornado Dance – Company
3. He's the Wizard – Addaperle, Dorothy and Munchkins
4. Soon as I Get Home – Dorothy
5. I Was Born on the Day Before Yesterday – Scarecrow, Crows and Dorothy
6. Ease on Down the Road – Dorothy and Scarecrow
7. Slide Some Oil to Me – Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Man
8. Mean Ole Lion – Lion
9. Be a Lion – Dorothy and Lion
10. So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard – The Wiz and Ensemble

Act 2

1. No Bad News – Evilene and Ensemble
2. If I Could Feel – Tinman and Ensemble
3. Funky Monkeys – Monkeys
4. Brand New Day – Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, and Ensemble
5. Y'all Got It! –The Wiz and Ensemble
6. Believe in Yourself – Glinda and Ensemble
7. Home – Dorothy

Each of the character's songs had amusing choreography, with great work by the busy ensemble as crows, munchkins, or stylish citizens of Oz, while the best numbers were the impossibly danceable Ease on Down the Road and the glorious Brand New Day. I find it hard to find fault with this show as produced and I am not convinced that Andrew Lloyd Webber's recent revival of the 'regular' version of the story could be any better.

Glee: Season 2 (2010-2011)

I've just had a quick skim of what I said about season 1 of Glee last year and it appears I loved it a heck of a lot. For some reason though, the second season didn't grab my passions the way that freshman year did. Maybe there was a bit too much pandering to the charts, maybe there was a lack of focus and Sue was underused. Or maybe I was just preparing myself for Channel 4 losing the rights to bloody Sky! They did this to me with Lost, I saw 2 seasons, got emotionally involved and then Ch4 couldn't be bothered and let Sky take it away, so I've never seen that since. Oh I could buy the TV but that's not the point. If they let them take Desperate Housewives away I'm getting rid of the TV. 

Anyway, back to Glee. Yes it still has the power to knock me off my feet with amazing song and dance numbers, and Sue et al are still capable of raising really belly laughs - Brittany particularly. And then in the penultimate episode - the best of the series - Glee actually brought me to the point where tears were rolling down my cheeks. This doesn't happen to me when I'm watching TV and movies, I can usually maintain a cool distance, but for some reason when they killed off Sue's sister it choked me up, I think it's the humanising of monster Sue that generates such an impact. 

Thinking about it, I preferred the latter half of the series, as it shed Terri and stopped banging Kurt's 'GAY IS OK' drum so loud, and the show seemed to become a bit more focussed somewhow. I know Kurt's story is probably inspirational for many young and old gay kids out there (and their parents) but sometimes it felt like the gay agenda got in the way of Glee's fun, ironic starting point. It seems churlish to moan, but at least they've given him a boyfriend and shown he can be happy. Maybe now they'll show how Kurt can just get on with his life as a human being first, and have his sexuality not be an issue. They might do this, but I won't be able to see it, thanks again Channel 4. One of the highlights of the show this year was finding out that Gwyneth Paltrow can really knock out a tune, her Forget You being a prime example! It also explained a lot about what she was doing singing the same song at the Grammy's (or whatever music awards it was).

I really liked some of the new characters, particularly geeky-yet-hot Sam, and Sharon Bieste the new football coach (who disappeared towards the end, why?) added an extra emotional depth to the show. I thought that the homophobic-bully-who's-really-gay was also a more interesting and realistic storyline than Kurt's drama queen display and I wanted to see more of it. Sometimes though it feels like there are too many characters and some inevitably get forgotten. At least there's still room for my new favourite star, Sue's sidekick Becky, who gets a tonne of great lines. There's much to love about the second season of Glee in retrospect, but the odd episode felt a bit flat or forced - especially when crow-barring themes or particular artists into a show. I will miss Glee's sense of fun and humour on a Monday night, but I'm sure there are plenty of other shows to fill the gap in the meantime.

The Sound of Music (14/06/11, Leeds Grand)

A number of years ago I was coerced by an ex into being an extra in an amateur dramatic production of The Sound of Music in which he was playing Rolf (or as I spell it in my head, Muppet-style, Rowlf). I got to wear a tux and watch the Von Trapp children sing So Long, Farewell, and later, dressed as a Nazi, I got to run around the auditorium blowing my whistle and flashing my torch, searching for the Von Trapps after the second So Long, Farewell. Other than knowing that particular song quite well I have never seen the film or actually watched the stage show all the way through ever since then. Until last week. 

I have to say that I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed the show, it was funny, full of great songs (nearly all of which I know in some form or other) and there was a really positive feel to the whole thing. I also like the adult themes and the dark side of the story, set against the Nazi takeover of Austria, in the shadow of WW2, where Captain Von Trapp is so crushed at the death of his wife he shuts out his children and music. It's really quite tragic, but then Verity Rushworth's perky Maria Rainer comes on the scene suddenly everything doesn't look quite so bleak. 

My favourite songs were those sung by the children and the nuns, the group numbers. The children were very cute, and the nuns had great voices, particularly Mother Abbess (Marilyn Hill Smith) who knocked everyone else flat with her operatic Climb Ev'ry Mountain to close Act One. The big-name draw of the musical was Jason Donovan, playing the role of father of 7 Captain Von Trapp. It's a curious choice of role, particularly coming off the back of the extravagant Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and one which he pulled off well, acting wise. In terms of singing, Donovan did not really have a strong voice, he sounded fairly weak in comparison to Rushworth and co, but then he only gets about 2 and a half songs, so the addition of a big name in this part seems odd. It's for these reasons that we didn't hang around for an autograph afterwards! After seeing the stage show I'd be happy now to visit the classic movie - I think a great enough distance of time has passed since my Nazi days.

Frankenstein's Wedding (2011)

Filmed at Leeds' Kirkstall Abbey on 19th March, the night I was at Calendar Girls, and broadcast live on BBC3, Frankenstein's Wedding was a curious beast. I know several friends from different 'groups' who went along to be part of the audience on the night, and I would've gone too if I could, but having just got round to watching it now I'm sure I made the right choice. 

A bit of a Frankenstein's monster itself, the show (was it a film at 90 mins? a theatrical play? a TV programme?) roughly updated Mary Shelley's original story to a modern setting and has events take place at Victor Frankenstein's wedding to Elizabeth at Kirkstall Abbey - the audience are playing 'wedding guests' and Reggie Yates introduces the whole thing to begin with and then disappears. So it's not like the characters know they are being filmed. The ceremony takes place in the Abbey itself and then the reception is on a massive stage, where there is a band and throughout the show there are musical numbers, like I Gotta Feeling and stuff by Athlete, sung as part of the wedding entertainment, or not... as Victor sang something while murdering the female monster he'd created in his lab in a room just off the Abbey...

The cast included 'im off the Fast Show, 'er off Eastenders, 'im off Emmerdale, 'er off As If, and 'im off At Home With the Braithwaites, and they were all very good. Any fluffs were down to technical work, wobbly cameramen and the like. I think it all would have worked better if the audience hadn't been there, and the performance had been live and filmed around the Abbey, but with a more theatrical feel. Fewer pantomime elements perhaps. As far as I could tell the massive throng of audience watched most of the action on screens anyway, as only about 20 minutes were staged directly on the stage in front of them, so watching on TV was probably the best way to see it. This was an interesting experiment then, but one that didn't really add up to the sum of its (body) parts.

South Pacific (01/04/11, WYP)

A weekly run of theatre trips in April begin on Friday with the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. Rather than a touring spectacular with a celebrity of dubious vintage, this performance was by Leeds Amateur Operatic Society (LAOS), but you'd never know they were amateur. Solid performances all round, although some of the extras/smaller parts calling for American accents were a little ropey, the overall impression was a good one. 

Set on a couple of islands in the South Pacific during WW2, the show tells the story of Nellie Forbush and her love affair with Frenchman Emile de Becque, with a sub-plot involving dashing Joseph Cable and a dalliance with Liat, a Tonganese girl and daughter of comedy character Bloody Mary. Mixed in with a plot to get one over on the Japs, it's all quite a jolly jape, although one in which the cruelty of war kills off one of the main characters off stage. Still, there's always time for a song and dance. I found I knew a handful of the tunes, not realising their provenance in this show, including Some Enchanted Evening, There Is Nothin' Like a Dame, Happy Talk, and I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-a My Hair. 

Nellie Forbush could be a very irritating character, but Gemma Durkin's charm managed to stop this happening. There's a strange scene later on when Nellie refuses de Becque's proposal after learning he had a Polynesian wife previously, and Cable turns down Liat because she's not white and American. This blatant racism is shrugged off with a number called You've Got To Be Carefully Taught that argues the characters have been brought up with these prejudices. It explains things but doesn't excuse them, and although it's not made a big deal of (Nellie realises how much she loves her Frenchman in the end) it leaves a bit of a sour taste behind. I suppose it's honestly reflecting an attitude of the time though, it just jars alongside the upbeat jollity of the rest of the show.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Leeds Grand, 24/03/11)

I had booked three tickets for Joseph, ostensibly for my sister's birthday, and I was taking Mum along too. And then Julia got a better offer from Enrique Iglesias so Andrew came along instead, a little reluctantly hence he wasn't going to go originally. I was also a little hesitant, not being very familiar with the musical and worrying it might all be a little earnest. We'd both really enjoyed watching the BBC1 Any Dream Will Do search for Joseph though, and were familiar with the show's only named star, Keith Jack, so we went in expecting something good but unspectacular. 

I'm happy to say that my doubts were dispelled pretty early into the show - it turned out to be a very funny, upbeat, joyful production. Although I'm unfamiliar with Joseph, I could tell that this version had been updated and 'tampered with' to appeal to a wider audience, and to keep things fresh. I can see how a straight adaptation of the show would be worthy and possibly a bit boring - Joseph himself is a bit of a cock to start with, he could have continued to be - but some off the wall choices of dance numbers and costumes turned the whole into a pretty crazy dream. 

Opening with Joseph dressed like Luke Skywalker in Ug Boots, his character gradually shed clothes and danced about in a loin cloth at one point. Keith Jack certainly made the hottest biblical character I've ever seen, he's got great legs. Following song and dance numbers included the Egyptian Pharoah as Elvis, a cowboy theme, black-and-white striped jumpers and French atmosphere, a calypso beat...  basically any musical genre you'd imagine wouldn't  be represented in an Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical based on a Bible story! And all to the show's credit - I imagine that there will be Joseph purists who would weep over the massive liberties taken with the show, but I'm not one of them so I really enjoyed it! 

Keith Jack has an extremely powerful voice as Joseph, and he added a mischeivousness to the part, while Jennifer Potts' Narrator was even better, the real star of the show in terms of time on stage, number of lines and in the fantasticness of her performance. A relatively short musical, over in about 90 mins (not including the interval), the last 10 minutes was like the end of The Return of the King, you thought it had finished but then there was another bit, another reprise of a favourite song, a medley, another reprise. 3 times Joseph got to have his massive Technicolor Dreamcoat extended out around the stage. The ending did go on, but it also left us walking out on a high. I'd certainly see this version of the show again, although I'm not sure about any early versions. 

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Hollywood actress Jane Russell died recently, so I decided we should revisit the only film I've seen her in, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a comedy-musical in which she co-starred with Marilyn Monroe. I enjoyed it first time round and I enjoyed again on a rewatch. Lorelei (Monroe) and Dorothy (Russell) are a pair of showgirls - thus likely to burst into song at any moment - and while Lorelei loves a man with money, Dorothy's eye is caught by good-looking men and isn't so materialistic. 

Dorothy chaperones Lorelei on a boat across the Atlantic, where Lorelei is to marry her weedy-but-rich fiancé, and during the trip Ernie Malone (Elliott Reid) is sent by her future father-in-law to spy on her and prove that she's a gold-digger. Farce and musical numbers ensue, and naturally Dorothy falls for the private detective. Monroe does good work making Lorelei into a sympathetic character, not just a money-grabbing hussy - rather she's a sweet-natured, dim girl who explains at movie's end that while money doesn't attract her to a man, it certainly helps, in the same way that men are attracted to pretty girls. 

The star of the movie for me isn't Monroe, though she is very good, it's Russell. She's sassy, witty and has a great voice, and her character is more savvy and cynical. She also does a mean Marilyn Monroe impression when Dorothy disguises herself as Lorelei at movie's end during an odd courtroom scene.

The musical numbers are all top notch, memorable songs and influential dance routines - see Monroe's 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' and compare it with Madonna's 'Material Girl' video. The other songs - 'When Love Goes Wrong', 'A Little Girl From Little Rock', 'Bye Bye Baby' and 'Anyone Here For Love?', featuring a lot of men in pants - are all good fun and the whole is a very funny slice of old Hollywood glamour. 

Burlesque (2010)

The last trip to the cinema this year was to see Burlesque, a movie I've been looking forward to for a long time. I've seen the trailer several times, the poster was up in Copenhagen, and the prospect of seeing Cher act and sing again was almost too much! So what if the reviews have been average at best, this was a musical starring Christina Aguilera and The Cher!

Similar to Coyote Ugly, this movie had a standard girl goes to big city and shows off her new talent, rises to the top of her profession. While Ugly had pole dancing, Burlesque has well, something that's not really Burlesque, but involves lip-synching to old numbers and dancing in underwear. That is until Christina's Ali rocks up to Cher's (well ok she plays a character called Tess, but really she's Cher) club and starts wailing like a good 'un. Then the club institutes a new regime of singing and dancing in underwear. See the difference?

Another thing the two movies share/Cher (haha) is a hot male lead. Where Ugly had beautiful, dark, small-but-perfectly-formed Adam Garcia, Burlesque has gorgeous, ripped, tall hunk Cam Gigandet, who we see a lot of at one point. What an ass. Hot. Anyway, while Aguilera's alright at acting, she's more about the warbling and dancing, while Cher is of course an all rounder, Gigandet imbues the movie with heart and acting chops, which surprised me I have to say. I was expecting him to be as wooden as Aguilera... but that's not fair, she does ok - in fact she's pretty unrecognisable until she opens her mouth. 

The songs, all 10 of them (original ones), were all good toe tapping numbers with Show Me How You Burlesque a highlight, my only grumble is that there weren't enough of them spread over the movie's almost 2 hour running time. And Cher only gets two!! Welcome to Burlesque is fantastic, but it's the slower You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me that is quite rightly getting all the plaudits. It's classic Cher, yet it's melancholy and sad and amazing.

Burlesque isn't up there with Moulin Rouge and Chicago in the pantheon of top musicals, but thanks to Cher, Stanley Tucci's way with a camp line or two, and Aguilera's gusto in the music numbers, oh and Gigandet and his perfect abs, this is a movie I'll be happy to revisit and sing along to the soundtrack with again and again.