CINDERELLA - THEATRE REVIEW

CINDERELLA AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Performance Run: Saturday 6 December 2014 - Sunday 18 January 2015
Performance Reviewed: Tuesday 9 December 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

I will not be resorting to any cheap panto puns to open my review this year…

If you didn’t just mentally (or verbally!) shout ‘Oh yes you will’ then you may not be quite ready for panto season, but ready or not (here I come…), it is upon us, and the perfect remedy for that particular ill would be a timely visit to the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre’s Cinderella. Headlined by the master of innuendo and dry asides, Julian Clary, and featuring the signature glitz and spectacle that QDOS Pantomimes throw at all of their major productions, this festive staple is everything you’d expect and want from your Christmas/New Year pantomime, with all the trimmings and even a couple of very welcome surprises along the way. 

THE FULL MONTY - THEATRE REVIEW

THE FULL MONTY AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 24 - Saturday 29 November 2014
Performance Reviewed: Monday 24 November (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Yes, you do.

Everything.

Well, that obligatory bit of housekeeping should placate the riff raff and nosey parkers, and leaves me with something approaching an intellectual and insightful review to write…. here goes nothing!

In truth, as was the case with Peter Cattaneo and Simon Beaufoy’s wildly successful 1997 Brit film on which this show is based, The Full Monty has a great deal more going for it than just the curiosity of it’s titular (titilating?) USP. Crowds will no doubt flock to the show for much the same reason as it’s in-universe audience mob the likes of the ‘Chippendales’ and likewise, and indeed on stage Monty has the added benefit of being able to do some particularly fitting fourth wall breaking and lay down the post-modern throughout. But behind the hen party hysterics and art-imitating-life cheekiness, the same fundamentally relatable and engaging, not to mention oft hilarious, script and storytelling is what really leaves an impression long after the memory of bum cheeks and beyond have faded.

DIRTY DANCING - THEATRE REVIEW

DIRTY DANCING AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Tuesday 23 September - Saturday 11 October 2014
Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 24 September (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

As far as labeling goes, Dirty Dancing is something of a tough cookie (watermelon?) to define. It can’t strictly be classed as a musical - the show’s marketing carefully labelling it ‘The Classic Story On Stage’ - yet certainly offers some of the flavouring and ingredients of one, though when members of the company occasionally take to a microphone to sing it is more often than not contextualised within the show’s own universe.  There is, unsurprisingly, plenty of dance showcased front and centre, though one could even make an argument for that not being it’s principle MO. What we are left with, then, is a makeshift hybrid of sorts, a synergy which lifts and borrows components of different genre’s and approaches and, under the familiar and beloved template of it’s 1987 movie namesake, surprisingly harmonises them into a thoroughly feel-good and irrepressibly vibrant evening of pure entertainment. Yes, it’s formulaic, safe and almost cookie-cutter in it’s approach to narrative (and, it has to be said, comedy) and there’s enough cheddar in there to make France lactose intolerant, but in reality audiences going in to watch Dirty Dancing aren’t likely to be expecting Sondheim.

JANE MCDONALD: THE SINGER OF YOUR SONG - UK TOUR REVIEW

JANE MCDONALD: THE SINGER OF YOUR SONG AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Wednesday 17 September 2014 (One Night Only at Venue)
Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 17 September 2014

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

It seems almost journalism-on-autopilot to preface a review of Jane McDonald’s live show by harking back to BBC reality show The Cruise, the surprise hit which saw the singer achieve celebrity practically overnight, but if there is one thing made abjectly clear throughout Singer of Your Song, her latest UK tour, McDonald is not afraid, dismissive or remotely embarrassed of what has come before. 16 years since Cruise made her a household name, and not only is her career continuing to go from strength-to-strength, opportunity and schedule afforded now by her departure earlier this year from daytime chat show Loose Women, but if her performance at the Wolverhampton Grand was anything to go by, her abilities and prowess as a singer-songwriter are enjoying similar boons.

Named after her recent album release, the first she has recorded in 6 years, Singer of Your Song not only showcases an incredibly versatile and powerful voice, but also bounces along with real vim and whimsy with the same genuine, unassuming natural charisma that won the Nation’s hearts back in ’98. On paper it’s a combination that perhaps strictly speaking shouldn’t gel - a cheeky segment of ad libbing or lamenting the woes of the aging body casts the theatre in a playful, tongue-in-cheek mood as Jane the comedienne takes centre stage, whilst minutes later a barnstorming, tour-de-force rendition of Love Is All can be threatening to raise the roof and take the audience with it. It sounds too incongruous to work, yet McDonald finds the truth in it all, both the grandiose and the giggles, with her irrepressible, everyday charm and authenticity making the whole show work effortlessly. Her healthy dose of self-awareness and more than a soupcon of self-deprecation keeps the audience won over and on-side and the feel-good factor consistently high throughout.

DESIGN FOR MURDER - THEATRE REVIEW

DESIGN FOR MURDER AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Tuesday 17 - Saturday 21 June 2014

Performance Reviewed: Tuesday 17 June 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

PLEASE NOTE: There is a lack of supplemental images in this review due to there being no production stills of Design for Murder available.

ID Plays’ Summer Season 2014 at the Wolverhampton Grand continues this week with Design for Murder, a self-proclaimed ‘psychological drama’ as opposed to the more atypical murder mystery mould it’s title may first evoke. After a mixed audience and critical response to the season’s first show, Ladies in Retirement, it is encouraging to see ID springing back to form with a cracking, twisty-turny evening of drama, intrigue and even the odd giggle. Design for Murder may not be anything the estates of Conan Doyle or Christie need worry about, but it is nonetheless a consummately entertaining piece of theatre that is genuinely intelligent in places, has the decency to not take itself too seriously and offers enough U-turns and revelations to keep even the most ardent Marple enthusiast second guessing right up until the end.

SISTER ACT - THEATRE REVIEW

SISTER ACT (WBOS) AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Tuesday 13 - Saturday 17 May 2014
Performance Reviewed: Tuesday 13 May 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Amateur theatre and local operatic societies continue to thankfully be plentiful in number and ever evolving in regards to the professionalism, ambition and scope of the productions they put on, something which is plenty evident within the West Midlands. The West Bromwich Operatic Society/WBOS are one such organisation who, with their latest production, Sister Act, further blur the boundaries between professional productions and amateur with an extremely accomplished, technically audacious and supremely enjoyable adaptation of one of musical theatre’s more recent success stories. Following on from a celebrated original stint in London, a subsequent Broadway run and UK national tour, Sister Act is a musical adaptation of the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg comedy movie of the same name. There’s some tweaks to character and plot, most notably (but understandably) dragging the whole thing back 20 years so it nestles comfortably with the disco stylings of the 1970’s, and the score is entirely original as opposed to the collection of jukebox hits from the movie, but otherwise those familiar with the original will have a strong idea of what to expect here.

BRASSED OFF - THEATRE REVIEW

BRASSED OFF AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Tuesday 08 - Saturday 12 April 2014
Performance Reviewed: Tuesday 08 April 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

There is a great deal to admire about the Touring Consortium Theatre Company’s latest production, Brassed Off, both as a slice of sophisticated, characterful British theatre, an effecting yet not overbearing observation on the decimation of the mining industries and communities of the 80’s and early 90’s, and as a production as a whole. Brilliantly in-keeping with the shows overall message of community solidarity and supporting the everyman, this touring production has invited local brass bands to provide the titular accompaniment on each leg of its run, and it’s week-long engagement at the Wolverhampton Grand theatre has seen that opportunity fall upon the Jackfield Brass Brand from Shropshire. It is no gimmick or marketing ploy - the brass bands in question form the heart and soul of Brassed Off’’s very raison d’etre, and the knowledge alone that it is such working folk as are depicted in the show on stage, performing adds a nice sense of poetic symmetry to proceedings, and further cements the sense of camaraderie lain down by the astute writing and talented cast.

THE FAAABULOUS CERI DUPREE SHOW - THEATRE REVIEW

THE FAAABULOUS CERI DUPREE SHOW AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Sunday 06 April 2014
Performance Reviewed: Sunday 06 April 2014

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Having recently starred as pantomime dame Queen Passionella in their 2013/14 pantomime ‘Sleeping Beauty’, after making a side-splitting, headlining appearance at that shows launch party back in November of last year, the Wolverhampton Grand has been getting a fairly healthy helping of female impersonator extraordinare Ceri Dupree of late (or ‘international gender illusionist’ as he brilliant re-titles himself in a tightly-observed skit on political correctness). This week saw his return to the Grand in the form of his aptly-titled ‘Faaaabulous’ one man, twenty-one woman solo show, littered with a splendid myriad of impersonations and performances ranging all the way from iconic Hollywood divas of old such as Marlene Dietrich and Eartha Kitt, to musical stars such as the likes of Dame Shirley Bassey and the late Amy Winehouse, through to even the likes of supremely shoulder-padded multi-millionairess Hilary Devey of Dragon’s Den fame.

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS - THEATRE REVIEW

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 31 March - Saturday 05 April 2014
Performance Reviewed: Tuesday 01 April 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Another seminal musical from yesteryear arrives in the Midlands this week as the UK tour of all-American classic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers toe-taps and foot-stomps its way onto the boards of the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. The original 1954 movie of the same title remains a somewhat unique and characterful outing in no small way due to Michael Kidd’s inspired and unconventional choreography, which remains impressive to this day, and whilst naturally some of its scope and set piecing has had to be truncated and confined to the practicalities of the stage, fortunately the spirit of Kidd’s vibrant work lives on proudly here. With some stunning, fluid dance and highly energised, technically flawless performances across-the-board, this touring production of Seven Brides proves to be a high-spirited, buoyant and vibrant slice of feel-good musical theatre at its most kinetic, inoffensive and irrepressible. 

THE TWO WORLDS OF CHARLIE F - THEATRE REVIEW

THE TWO WORLDS OF CHARLIE F AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Wednesday 26 - Saturday 29 March 2014
Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 26 March 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

It’s tempting when addressing The Two Worlds of Charlie F to autopilot to the old ‘art versus entertainment’ dichotomy, and labour over issues of the potentially and arguably more altruistic responsibilities of theatre. This is certainly one such show that could fuel fire to any such lofty debate - should we demand more of our theatre-going experiences other than abject escapism? Should there be more impacting and thought-provoking experiences that tear down the fourth wall and address more stark realities, utilising the stage not as an isolated, distanced lacuna of fiction and fantasy but rather an arena to directly address and involve an audience in the exploration and demonstration of actuality and truth?

FAME - THEATRE REVIEW

FAME AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 03 - Saturday 08 March 2014

Performance Reviewed: Monday 03 March 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

The original Fame was a product of its time, a minor cultural zeitgeist that went on to spawn not just its own TV spinoff and international theatre production, but a whole host of imitators and pretenders, with it’s inspiration and general premise permeating through theatre, television and film even to this day (the likes of High School Musical, Glee, Smash and many more were born here). After the woefully misjudged 2009 attempt at rejuvenating and renovating the original to cater to contemporary cinema audiences (a mission which, judging by it’s critical and box office mauling, failed painfully so), it has unsurprisingly taken a trip to the boards to make Fame not only relevant in its message and ethos to modern audiences, but an overall thoroughly satisfying, exuberant and kinetic theatre-going experience courtesy of this new 25th Anniversary production.

WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND AND FRIENDS GET 'BRASSED OFF' WITH BOSTIN' BLACK COUNTRY LAUNCH EVENT!

WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND AND FRIENDS GET ‘BRASSED OFF’ WITH A BOSTIN’ BLACK COUNTRY LAUNCH EVENT!

Wolverhampton’s premiere Theatre establishment is accompanied by show cast and creatives as they launch the Touring Consortium Theatre Company’s latest production at the West Midlands distinctive Black Country Living Museum.

Staff Director Richard Neale discusses 'Brassed Off'
with actors Luke Adamson and Andrew Dunn,
joining the Jackfield Band on stage.

A live brass band, complimentary trips down a reconstructed colliery mine, a question and answer session with some of the company’s cast and directors and a traditional fish ‘n’ chips lunch were the order of the day on Monday as the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre assembled press, patrons and affiliates to help launch the city’s leg of the ‘Brassed Off’ UK Tour, the Touring Consortium Theatre Company’s latest production, based on the 1996 film of the same name starring Pete Postlethwaite and Ewan Mcgregor, prior to it’s week-long engagement at the theatre this April. 

SOME GIRL I USED TO KNOW - THEATRE REVIEW

SOME GIRL I USED TO KNOW AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Thursday 20 - Saturday 22 February 2014

Performance Reviewed: Saturday 22 February 2014 (Matinee Performance)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

As is par for the course with being a critic of any medium or art form, one sometimes gets lost amongst the de rigueur of assessing, surmising and critiquing, not to mention one’s own personal tastes and preferences, and forgets the beauty and importance of objectivity. On paper, Some Girl I Used To Know is the kind of work of theatre that I would perhaps not immediately gravitate towards or commend - a one-woman show that is unashamedly feminine and female-oriented without being abjectly feminist, and so steeped in tropes and touches from the likes of Shirley Valentine through to Bridget Jones’s Diary that it could hardly be called particularly original or envelope-pushing. 

BLACK COFFEE - THEATRE REVIEW

BLACK COFFEE AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 3 - Saturday 8 February 2014
Performance Reviewed: Monday 3 February 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Black Coffee serves as a most welcome blending of the familiar with the fresh; the archetypal components of any Agatha Christie murder mystery of this ilk - the isolated country estate, an ensemble of questionable types amongst the well-to-do, more red herrings than you can twizzle a preened moustache at - are all present and accounted for, and yet in being the only stage work of Christie’s to feature her now seminal Belgian super sleuth Hercule Poirot, it feels a somewhat more distinct and special affair. Newcomer to the role yet established veteran of stage and screen Robert Powell channels David Suchet’s oft-imitated yet never bettered work in the role complimented with a charm and presence of his own, finding in both the character and play as a whole just enough bonhomie and bounce to keep the whole proceeding suitably entertaining and amusing without undermining the grizzly business of unravelling a typically obscure yet progressively accessible Christie plot of murder most foul.

PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT - Theatre Review

PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT THE MUSICAL AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 27 January - Saturday 1 February 2014

Performance Reviewed: Thursday 30 January 2014

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

The Midlands sees the return of one of our top-reviewed shows of last year as the camp, colour and craziness of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert the Musical wheels into Wolverhampton this week in its fabulous, inimitable style. We awarded this same UK touring production a top five star rating when we reviewed it in Birmingham last March, and bar one or two minor set changes - characters sitting on the floor where they were once on a bed, one of the character introduction set pieces being a little more minimalised - this is still the same outrageous, hilarious and supremely entertaining feel-good spectacle as ever, and one of the most genuinely fun (and funny) musicals we’ve had the pleasure of seeing and reviewing. 

SLEEPING BEAUTY - THEATRE REVIEW

SLEEPING BEAUTY AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND

Theatre Run: Saturday 7 December 2013 - Saturday 18 January 2014
Performance Viewed: Wednesday 11 December

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

As engrained in our festive consciousness as mince pies, Turkey and something truly miserable happening over in Albert Square on Eastenders, pantomime season once again rolls around in premiere style here in the Midlands as the Wolverhampton Grand plays host to Joe Pasquale and friends in Sleeping Beauty this Christmas and New Year. 

SLEEPING BEAUTY 'KICKS OFF' WOLVERHAMPTON PANTO SEASON IN STYLE!

SLEEPING BEAUTY 'KICKS' OFF WOLVES PANTO SEASON IN STYLE!

Last night the Molineux Stadium had a fabulous injection of pantomime fun and frivolity as it played host to the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre's annual Pantomime Party.

Local press, VIP's, affiliates and friends of the Grand gathered along with the stars of this years pantomime 'Sleeping Beauty' - Lucy Evans (Coronation Street) and comedy female impersonator extraordinaire Ceri Dupree - for a hilarious evening of cabaret, pantomime penalty shoot-outs, prize draws and a glorious three-course dinner courtesy of the stadium's WV1 Bar and Restaurant.

Staff and guests threw themselves into the spirit of the season, kicking off events with a penalty shoot-out which featured a slew of hilarious pantomime staples including the obligatory dame and donkey, and umpired by none other than Lucy 'Sleeping Beauty' Evans herself.

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW - THEATRE REVIEW

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 28 October - Saturday 2 November

Performance Viewed: Monday 28 October (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

I had the pleasure of first reviewing this current touring production of The Rocky Horror Show in Birmingham back in January this year, and it was with very welcome open arms (and thrusting hips) that I welcomed it back to the Midlands as the show finds itself at home at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre over Halloween. The show remains fundamentally the same, bar a few incremental changes to some of the set pieces and musical number staging, and Henry Davis’ Rocky is given an injection of youthful naivete blended with a dash of vitriol over predecessor Rhydian’s more mindless interpretation, but essentially all that made the same tour so irrepressibly entertaining, gloriously mischievous and wholly recommendable earlier in the year continues to ring true.

CAROUSEL - THEATRE REVIEW

CAROUSEL AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Tuesday 8 - Saturday 12 October

Performance Reviewed: Saturday 12 October

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Sometimes as a musical theatre enthusiast you can’t beat the feel-good, warm-hearted, nostalgia-scented treat of classic Rodgers and Hammerstein. Innocuous, family-friendly, good old-fashioned entertainment with a genuine pedigree of quality and proven appeal through the ages, nowhere more amongst their back catalogue are these virtues apparent than in Carousel. A re-affirming morality tale of family, friendship and vintage romance, the buoyant love story of Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow has once again hit the boards this week in thoroughly professional, supremely entertaining form by one of the Midlands’ most reputable and celebrated theatre troupes, the South Staffs Musical Theatre Company. 

EVITA - THEATRE REVIEW

EVITA AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 19 - Saturday 31 August
Performance Reviewed: Tuesday 20 August (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Once again the theatrical juggernaut of Andrew Lloyd Webber comes to the Midlands as his musical biopic of Argentinian First Lady Eva Peron arrives in Wolverhampton in the form of the ever popular Evita. One of Lloyd Webber’s most prolific and celebrated shows and part of his select early trifecta of collaborations with lyricist Tim Rice, this latest UK tour, courtesy of the illustrious Bill Kenwright and company, is a bold, sweeping and ambitious treat that boasts tremendous staging and production design, a wealth of now ubiquitous and beloved musical numbers, and a truly astonishing central performance which all culminate in one of the most opulent, impressive and majestic touring productions of recent memory.