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.

CATS - THEATRE REVIEW

CATS AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME

Theatre Run: Tuesday 09 - Saturday 27 September 2014

Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 10 September (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

'Memory' seems to be a very potent ingredient in the tastes and penchants of current theatre-going audiences. As noted in my review of London's highly successful and celebrated Miss Saigon revival last month, there is clearly a demand and yearning for the familiar both in the West End and beyond, as nostalgia and the proven seem to be edging out the original and unknown. By no means is this particularly unusual or new, we live in a creative climate where the industries' Olivier awards have an entire category dedicated to revivals in recognition of their number and popularity, but it does seem to have hit something of a boiling point in recent years. Fortunately, for all of the pedestrian, perfunctory cash-cow productions being rolled out to ride this particular wave of demand, it also is the perfect environment to witness the return of some true musical greats, amongst which Andrew Lloyd-Webber's cherished and prolific Cats undoubtedly deserves to be classed.

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.

GOOD PEOPLE - THEATRE REVIEW

GOOD PEOPLE AT THE NOEL COWARD THEATRE, LONDON

Theatre Run: Runs until Saturday 14 June 2014
Performance Reviewed: Thursday 05 June 2014

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Good People is ostensibly a show about class. Or rather peoples relationship with class and the social, financial and even emotional barriers it places upon oneself. Do we allow ourselves to be both defined and confined by our roots and upbringing, or is the idea of any choice in the matter a fickle illusion orchestrated by a mixture of luck and lifes happenstance? It’s a concept that is far from new to theatre, but in this, David Lindsey-Abaire’s Boston-set drama, it is given fresh life and perspective by dint of being filtered through the American psyche and in the form of two flawed, interesting, contradictory yet strangely complementary lead roles beautifully performed by Imelda Staunton and Lloyd Owen.

LORD OF THE FLIES - THEATRE REVIEW

LORD OF THE FLIES AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME (International Dance Festival Birmingham)

Theatre Run: Wednesday 14 - Saturday 17 May 2014
Performance Reviewed: Thursday 15 May 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

William Golding’s magnum opus, Lord of the Flies, remains one of the continuing tentpoles of English Literature, and naturally has thus been adapted to stage and screen in almost every possible iteration imaginable. The simplicity of it’s tale - a group of schoolboys find themselves deserted on a remote island and gradually resort to feral, primitive behaviour as they fight to survive - remains as potent as ever, and it’s exploration of the human condition, societal structure and innate feral regression makes it rich for dramatisation and adaptation across a wealth of different mediums and forms. It is exciting, then, to see it given such a biting, inventive and quite boldly visceral re-imagining, courtesy of acclaimed choreographer and dance director Matthew Bourne, as part of this years International Dance Festival Birmingham.

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.

ROCK OF AGES - THEATRE REVIEW

ROCK OF AGES AT THE BIRMINGHAM NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 12 - Saturday 17 May 2014
Performance Reviewed: Monday 12 May 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Rock of Ages is a difficult beast to pigeonhole. It doesn’t so much suffer from an identity crisis as an identity overload, jostling with so many characters and subplots that can’t seem to decide if they’re being deliberately parodic or so-satirical-it’s-ultimately-sincere, and a fiercely postmodern approach that bandies around with tone so schizophrenically it sometimes feels more akin to musical theatre whiplash than anything else. The smash hits of the 80’s are in there too, and are plentiful, though some of the arrangements are disappointingly short and the whole ‘Rock’ through-line sometimes feels more of a clumsy afterthought than a titular McGuffin. Fortunately, for all the tonal incongruences and haphazardness of it’s plot, Rock of Ages does at least crucially make good on it’s promise of a fun, infectious and ultimately rather irrepressible evening of solid music and vibrant, high energy (see: super-charged) entertainment.

20TH CENTURY BOY - THEATRE REVIEW

20TH CENTURY BOY AT THE BIRMINGHAM NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE

Theatre Run: Monday 28 April - Saturday 03 May 2014
Performance Reviewed: Monday 28 April 2014

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

In decidedly meta fashion, the life and times of T-Rex frontman Marc Bolan were of such superstardom, hedonism and excess that by today’s standards it all seems ironically quite atypical and overly familiar. Talented, aspiring musician from humble beginnings does good, becomes rock ‘n’ roll wunderkind, devolves into heady life of drinks, drugs and dubious extra-marital relationships before ultimately leading to an untimely, some-would-argue tragic death. It has all been played out on film, television and, indeed, on-stage, to such an extent that 20th Century Boy, be it based on true events as it may be, won’t be bowling anyone over with its originality. And even within the confines of actuality, being thankfully a biographical piece rather than an original story inspired by his life, it is at times difficult to locate any palpable drama, and Bolan’s own murkier periods seem notably underplayed and fleeting, as though nobody involved wanted to tread too damagingly on the man’s memory and legacy.

HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL - THEATRE REVIEW

HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME

Theatre Run: Tuesday 22 - Saturday 26 April 2014

Performance Reviewed: Tuesday 22 April 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Happy Days is something of an oddity to review and fully digest as a brand new musical production (something which, as its marketing repeatedly assures us, it is) given that it leans so heavily on nostalgia and formula to the point that it not only feels dated but also heavily derivative. It seems an unfair critique to labour over the antiquity of a show based on a 1970’s sitcom which itself was set 20 years prior, but there is very little trace of modernity, irony or invention to practically everything Happy Days offers. This may, of course, be precisely the point, owing to the TV series' original creator Garry Marshall having penned the shows book, and there is likely a fairly broad demographic who will get a kick from such a faithfully styled recreation of the hugely popular show being brought to the stage, but for the rest of us it’s difficult to shake the feeling that his has all been done and seen before with greater fire in its belly and punch in its execution. Take Grease, Footloose and a soupcon of Hairspray, blend them together whilst simultaneously diluting their respective character and vim, and you pretty much have Happy Days - a perfectly inoffensive yet not particularly effective simulacra of the feel-good, period musicals of yesteryear.

EVITA - THEATRE REVIEW

EVITA AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME

Theatre Run: Tuesday 08 - Saturday 19 April 2014
Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 09 April 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical colossus Evita returns to the Midlands this week as this sumptuous, technically audacious production of the show continues its acclaimed UK national tour. Everything that made the show such a towering and impressive achievement well worthy of its five star review we bestowed upon it last year remains thankfully intact, with an indelible aura of quality and, at times, majesty permeating around what is surprisingly one of Lloyd Webber and Rice’s earliest collaborations. The sophistication and maturity with which they weave the tale of Eva Peron’s rise from obscurity to political and cultural juggernaut through a masterful, instantly recognisable soundtrack remains as bold, beautiful and intricate as ever. And with the sublime Madalena Alberto thankfully remaining front and centre as the titular character, Birmingham audiences have the opportunity to witness what surely must be the definitive interpretation and performance of one of musical theatre’s most iconic and demanding roles.

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.

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?

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - THEATRE REVIEW

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME

Theatre Run: Tuesday 18 March - Saturday 05 April 2014

Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 19 March (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Singin’ in the Rain as a stage musical is something of an oddity on paper – a stage production of a movie musical chronicling the fictitious production of, somewhat postmodernly, the first movie musical. The original, now-iconic 1952 film, complete with beloved performances from the likes of screen legends Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, as well as a myriad of instantly recognisable sequences and set pieces that have become etched in film iconography, had tremendous fun with it’s own movie-within-a-movie approach, as well as having some knowing winks and nudges to the Hollywood studio system and politics of the time (not to mention the decades preceding it). It was also a big, vibrant and showy release, nestled comfortably within the golden Hollywood era of musicals, and it’s big-budget stylings, high-profile cameos (from the like of Cyd Charisse as the sultry Broadway dancer) and much-publicised ‘dazzling technicolor’ all part of the razzmatazz and splendour.

URINETOWN - THEATRE REVIEW

URINETOWN AT THE ST JAMES THEATRE, LONDON

Theatre Run: Continuing (Limited Season ending Saturday 03 May 2014)

Performance Reviewed: Saturday 08 March 2014 (Press Night 1/3)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

The name.

That name.

Going into Urinetown, I was confident I would be prefacing my review with some astute, witty reference to the production’s characterful, if somewhat potentially off-putting titling. ‘Despite it’s bizarre name, Urinetown is...’ was just one of the potential openings already formulating as I took to my seat in the compact yet impressively sleek and contemporary confines of St James’ Theatre in Victoria. However, within literally minutes of this barnstorming, gleefully anarchistic and wonderfully unconventional musical theatre delight beginning, Urinetown had already pulled the rug from under my feet by seeing fit to poke fun at both itself, its title and the natural pre-conceptions and potential audience stigma surrounding it.

“Who’s gonna wanna see a show called that?”

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.

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT - THEATRE REVIEW

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT AT THE NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM

Theatre Run: Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March 2014

Performance Reviewed: Monday 24 February 2014 (Press Night)

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

Tonight’s The Night is the Rod Stewart musical. In case you didn’t catch that from the name, it’s handily emblazoned above the title itself. He’s also mentioned within the opening few minutes of the show. Frequently. He also plays an incidental off-stage role within the story of the show itself throughout. He’s also referenced in what seems like every major scene and held in what can only be described as an almost quasi-revered regard. The lead character looks, sounds and performs exactly like him, though isn’t actually him yet nonetheless becomes a burgeoning star acting uncannily like him in a world in which we are repeatedly reminded Rod does indeed exist. 

He’s just on something of a casual stolen-soul career break.

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.