Tag Archive: Birmingham Hippodrome


Dick Whittington — Birmingham Hippodrome — 20 December 2022

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January 11, 2023

Having been involved in several amateur pantomimes in recent years, it was a pleasant change to watch the professionals in action at one of the biggest venues in the country. So how do they fare against those smaller productions who must make every penny count? Okay, you cannot criticise for having money to burn in comparison, but the top pantos still need to deliver the goods and I’m happy to say this one did in every department.

Dick Whittington — Birmingham Hippodrome — 20 December 2022

Exceptional sound and lighting, impressive sets and costumes full of spectacular colour. However, there still is a major factor with these star-studded extravaganzas as they are also vehicles for those stars, and quite understandable, as many in the audience have come to see them. Therefore, plots are thin with a massive ratio of time spent on stand up and sketches, but that doesn’t make it less of a pantomime. You see, if it is well written (and Dick Whittington was, superbly by headliner, Matt Slack along with Alan Mc Hugh) the audience will go home happy. In fact, pantos are often kids’ first experience of theatre and even if parents aren’t fans to begin with, the whole family enjoy it so much as a unit they do return the following year. And that can lead to a wider love of theatre.

Finally, after many years of being the comic foil in Birmingham, Matt Slack was our Dick, the principal role. And he did not disappoint. Wave after wave of one liners and occasional impressions had me and the rest of the auditorium in stitches. I wish I had written some of them down.

Dick Whittington — Birmingham Hippodrome — 20 December 2022

But it wasn’t only Matt Slack delivering the laughs. Andrew Ryan was sublime as Felicity Fitzwarren. With glorious over-the-top costumes and double-entendres, Slack had great support. Now, pantomime dames are a touchy area for me as I loathe the outdated hairy chested, occasional gravelled voice efforts that are thankfully all but consigned to pantomime hell. What Ryan delivered was female impersonator/drag style that Ru Paul would be proud of. This is a transgender world now and subjects need respectful treatment, which was the result here. But it wasn’t just the nature of the character, the performance was also top-drawer.

Laughter with a local flavour also came from Doreen Tipton in the guise of Doreen the Cat. Now, I can’t honestly say I’ve ever been a fan but with the material given, Tipton was a wonderful addition. And she can hold a good tune as well. Supporting well was ex Hearsay singer, Suzanne Shaw and Dr Ranj from daytime TV. Both were excellent in song and stage, adding an extra celebrity feel to the show.

Dick Whittington — Birmingham Hippodrome — 20 December 2022

Topping the bill, though was former Wet Wet Wet lead, Marti Pellow who had the audience unable to decide whether to cheer or boo at times. Still popular, he proved that love really is all around.

What! Come on, it’s panto. You have to expect the odd bad pun.

Finally, with a cameo interlude by the amazing duo of Spark Fire Dance, this was a pantomime where everyone will have gone home in a happy, feelgood mood.

Dick Whittington was directed by Michael Harrison with choreography from Alan Harding and musical direction in the hands of Robert Willis and Gary Hind.

Matt Slack is already booked to return to Birmingham Hippodrome Christmas 2023 in Jack and the Beanstalk and on this showing, I’d recommend getting your tickets now.

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Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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Strictly Ballroom — Birmingham Hippodrome — 31 October 2022

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November 6, 2022

Love is in the air, everywhere I look around.

That may be so, but wonderful dance is also on the stage in this musical version of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom. Based on the 1992 film of the same name, itself adapted from Luhrmann’s original play, Strictly Ballroom tells of the love affair both on and off the dancefloor between talented amateur, Scott Hastings and beginner, Fran. When Scott loses his dance partner due to him wanting to pursue his own style, Fran persuades him to take her on and compete in the Pan-Atlantic Grand Prix Dancing Championships.

Strictly Ballroom — Birmingham Hippodrome — 31 October 2022

With the popularity of the another Strictly (Strictly Come Dancing), this musical can be equally well-received. But for that you need a strong script, good music, and most important in a dance themed show, brilliance on the dancefloor. Thankfully, we had all of that. The book by Luhrmann himself and Craig Pearce is sound in character development and funny. But it was dance along with excellent vocals which had the audience wowed right until the end. Choreographed and directed by Strictly Come Dancing’s Craig Revel-Horwood with co-choreography from Jason Gilkinson, even dancing ignoramuses like me were impressed. Then, under the musical supervision of Stuart Morley, we had excellent vocals from all involved.

In the lead roles of Scott and Fran we had Kevin Clifton and Maisie Smith respectively. Both excelled in song and dance, as you would expect and were equally supported by Nikki Belsher (Shirley Hastings), Mark Sangster (Doug Hastings), Gary Davis (Barry Fife), Quinn Patrick (Les Kendall), Oliver Brookes (JJ Silvers), Jose Agudo (Rico) and Karen Mann (Abuela) among over 20 cast members.

Best number of the night for me was the Paso Doble at the end of Act One, full of energy and breath-taking excellence, however, Beautiful Surprise ran a close second with amazing vocals from Clifton and Smith. I also had fondness for the Barry Fife comic number, Dance to Win, performed by Davis. In among the original score with offerings from Sia and Eddie Perfect, were retro classics in the form of Tequila, Time After Time and during the finale, a rousing and feelgood, Love is in the Air.

Strictly Ballroom — Birmingham Hippodrome — 31 October 2022

The whole show was not only a spectacle of dance though. Mark Walters colourful costumes were equally sparkling as was the impressive (and rather surreal) wooden curved panelled set. Add some great lighting from Richard G. Jones and you had the icing on the cake. At the end, most in the auditorium were on their feet and it was great to see the band on stage too for a bow.

This production; I loved it. The only criticism is a minor plot device with the cliché of Fran only considered attractive once she’d changed from unfashionable clothes and removed her glasses.

Strictly Ballroom is touring the UK the rest of the year and into next summer. Even if you are not a fan of dance, do not let this put you off. This is a fabulous show, darling.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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Beautiful: The Carole King Musical — Birmingham Hippodrome — 30 August 2022 

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September 22, 2022

The biggest surprise on seeing Beautiful is just how many Carole King songs you know. Sure, I’d heard of Tapestry, and It’s Too Late, You’ve Got a Friend and Beautiful itself, and I also knew she was one half of the iconic writing duo of Goffin and King. But what I didn’t count on was hearing classics from The Shirelle’s, The Drifter’s, Bobby Vee and Little Eva, then realising who wrote the songs in the first place. To be honest, as well as being an excellent show, it was an education.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical — Birmingham Hippodrome — 30 August 2022

From humble beginnings, King (with Goffin lyrics) wrote for the best. The show is based predominantly in the recording studios within an almost claustrophobic set which works well. There is also no intent on hiding rear and side stages with performers often seen moving with props and scenery. This too is effective as along with the enclosed studios, it gives the feel of a busy environment outside. Then, with all the music played onstage by the performers themselves, you really do feel you are in the studio as history was made.

Beautiful is a Jukebox Musical and that description is perfect because it is like hit after hit on the jukebox, with a story added for good measure. It Might as Well Rain Until September, Some Kind of Wonderful, Take Good Care of My Baby, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, The Locomotion, One Fine Day, and Chains (Made more famous by the Beatles). All of these were showcased in Beautiful.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical — Birmingham Hippodrome — 30 August 2022

Music aside, what Beautiful also offered was a well-written script from Douglas McGrath which moved at a good pace. Obviously, words and music to most songs came from King and Goffin, but there were also numbers from contemporary composers, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, who featured heavily as a side plot. And the education was there as well as I did not know much about them, but they also delivered fine songs, notably You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, We Gotta Get Out of This Place and On Broadway.

All the performers were outstanding, including Molly-Grace Cutler (Carole King), Tom Milner (Gerry Goffin), Seren Sandham-Davies (Cynthia Weil), Jos Slovick (Barry Mann), Claire Greenway (Genie), Sorrel Jordan (Betty) and Garry Robson (Donnie Kirsner).

The director for Beautiful was Nikolai Foster with Choreography by Leah Hill and Musical Direction from Sarah Travis.

After the breakup of King’s marriage to Gerry Goffin, she embarked on a new career as a performer in her own right and (as depicted in the show) the rest is history. Such an impact this show made on me, I immediately went out and ordered Tapestry (as I did not have it in my music library.

Beautiful is still currently touring the UK until the end of November. I recommend it highly.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical — Birmingham Hippodrome — 30 August 2022

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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We Will Rock You — Birmingham Hippodrome — 11 July 2022 

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July 13, 2022

And another one bites the dust.

Well, at least another musical off the tick list. I’m a massive fan of Queen, and a musical theatre fan, but I’d never seen We Will Rock You until this showing. Okay, I was supposed to see it two years ago, then Covid came calling. Finally, though, I got to experience what it’s all about.

We Will Rock You — Birmingham Hippodrome — 11 July 2022

I have never witnessed a show like We Will Rock You before. Or rather, never been faced with two extremes. On one hand, the cast and band with their musical performances were outstanding. As good as anything I have ever seen or heard. Then on the other, you have the book by Ben Elton. I can honestly say, it is awful. I’d compare it to a low-grade GCSE project, but that would be unfair to the students. Little or no plot, terrible script, and contrived that many lines are only there as an excuse to wring out another Queen number. Many of the songs are irrelevant to the plot as well: Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Flash, The Show Must Go On and Fat Bottomed Girls. All fillers which do not move the (tenuous at best) story along. Not only that, many are not even great Queen songs. No One But You (Only the Good Die Young), These are the Days of Our Lives and Radio Ga Ga are average at best. Even the title number, We Will Rock You, is vastly inferior to the fast live version from Queen gigs of old. At least we got a cameo of that in the bows.

And then there were the characters as written. Little to them and only made good by the excellence of those in the roles. We are introduced to Meat and Brit, whose characters are built up to be major influences on developments, then both are discarded, having served their purpose.

The dialogue was filled with song puns, like “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really, want,” then “I can’t get no satisfaction,” and the comment that the truth is “Blowin’ in the wind.” One or two maybe, but when you’re on the 30th pun, you want to scream. And that was just Act One. Similarly, did we really need four Covid references? Less is good; no chance of overkill. But you didn’t need to kill Ben Elton’s script as it was dead already in an act of suicide by the writer.

We Will Rock You — Birmingham Hippodrome — 11 July 2022

But I still enjoyed the show. Well, mostly. This was because, as I have mentioned, the cast were phenomenal. I can’t give them enough praise. In the role of Galileo was Ian McIntosh who was out of this world. I Want to Break Free, in particular. Similarly, Elena Skye gave one of the best vocal performances I have ever seen. Let’s face it, unless you can deliver with power, sass, and stage presence, don’t even try to sing Somebody to Love. Skye was brilliant. Best number of the night.

Michael McKell played Cliff and he gave a good rendition of These Are the Days of Our Lives. Likewise, Martina Ciabatti Mennel (Meat) and Edward Leigh (Brit) were on top of their game, the former, excellent in No One But You (Only the Good Die Young) and together with I Want it All.

The villains of the piece were Jennifer O’Leary (Killer Queen) and Adam Strong (Khashoggi). Both were superb. O’Leary with Don’t Stop Me Now and Strong giving us Seven Seas of Rhye, plus together on A Kind of Magic.

And I must mention the band: Zachary Fils, Matt Herbert, James Barber, Simon Croft, Neil Murray, and  Dave Cottrell. All delivered a sound of pure rock genius and it was wonderful to see them invited into the bows and take front stage at the end.

So, a standing ovation for the performances, they were excellent. Shame about the script, though. It says it all when there are only seven named principals in a show and half of them only used when needed. Ben Elton — Could have done a whole lot better. Perhaps he was Under Pressure when he wrote this book.

What! Bad pun? Jeez, it must be catching.

Cheers.

We Will Rock You — Birmingham Hippodrome — 11 July 2022

Antony N Britt 

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Priscilla Queen of the Desert – UK Tour 2021 (Birmingham Hippodrome – September 3 2021)

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January 4, 2022

Due to a ridiculous schedule with my own production and other commitments these past few months, I’m way behind on publishing reviews, so sorry about that.

****

Great tunes, colourful costumes and characters that are wildly OTT. All ingredients of a successful modern show, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert has the lot.

Based on the 1994 film of the same name, Priscilla tells the story of three drag queens travelling across the Australian outback to perform at Alice Springs. However, as with most film adaptations, Priscilla has its own set of musical numbers, and these are taken from various artists to significant effect.

Sounds such as Say a Little Prayer, Don’t Leave Me This Way, Always on My Mind and I Will Survive are all classic hits and were excellent. And for me, it was the rousing crowd pleasers which did exactly that: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Colour My World and Hot Stuff were amazing, but highlight of my night was Go West, which had the whole audience going wild at the end. Although, I would like to give a mention to the wonderfully delivered Pop Muzik, sung by Grace Lai (Cynthia) with the bizarre utilisation of (ahem) ping pong balls.

In the role of our ladies, we had Edwin Ray (Tick), Miles Western (Bernadette) and Nick Hayes (Felicia) and although Pricilla had a decent size cast, these three principals have a heavier share than in most musicals. But pull it off they did. All strong, giving excellent, powerful performances. Supporting in great fashion too was Daniel Fletcher as Cynthia’s shell-shocked husband, Bob. This character made great comic additions to an already funny script. Other performances of note were Rebecca Lisewski (Marion), Kevin Yates (Miss Understanding), Ronan Burns (Frank) and Jak Allen-Anderson (Farrah). Then I must mention the splendid Divas who provided lead and backing vocals throughout. These were Claudia Kariuki, Aiesha Pease and Rosie Glossop.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert was produced by everybody’s good neighbour, Jason Donovan with Helen Siveter as Resident Director, Ian Talbot (Director), Richard Atkinson (Musical Director) and Tom Jackson-Greaves (Choreographer).

A lovely show with a funny, well-written script from Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott combined with great retro music, dance, and colour. So, if you want all of these, I’d keep a lookout for the show’s return. I know I will.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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The King and I – Birmingham Hippodrome – Monday 30 December 2019

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February 2, 2020

I’d not seen the stage version of The King and I before, only the classic Yul Brynner movie and the near forgotten, short-lived TV series, Anna and the King. However, the story is the same. British colonial governess takes up a position in the palace of the King of Siam, educating his children amidst a plot of culture clashes, romance, and a heavy dose of song.

So, how was it? Must be honest, from the start there’s a dated feel to not only the songs, but the script itself. It’s a good show, and I did enjoy it, but some of the magic has been lost in the mists of time. And to add to the tiredness, the image I got was a 1950s vision of what 19th century Siam would have been.

The production had a decent set and lots of colour, particularly in the costumes, but I didn’t have empathy for the King. He’s an ignorant tyrant and no matter what excuse you make for cultural differences, I could not get past the image he portrayed. I had also been warned about the Uncle Tom’s Cabin section which goes on for about fifteen minutes; however, I enjoyed it. It’s surreal and abstract in a way, and I quite like that.

Of the songs, there were three which I immediately had in my mind: I Whistle a Happy Tune, Getting to Know You, and Shall We Dance? And at the end of the show, those were still the only tunes I recalled as most others were generic, especially the solos. Okay, I’m not a fan of solos anyway as I think they reduce the effects of musical theater, but these in King and I were very forgettable.

On the day, Anna was played in fine fashion by Annalene Beechey with good voice and character. Also, despite not liking the King as a person, the ruler of Siam was in excellent hands with Kok Hwa Lie. Supporting well were: Eu Jin Hwang (Kralahome), Jessica Gomes-Ng (Tup Tim), Sunny Yeo (Lady Thaing), Ethan Le Phong (Lun Tha), Phillip Bullcock (Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsay), Aaron Teoh (Chulalongkorn), William Mychael Lee (Phra Alack) and Joseph Black (Louis). The orchestra was conducted by Chris Mundy with choreography from Christopher Gattelli. The director was Bartlett Sher

I think the length of time it has taken between seeing the show and writing this review tells a tale of how little an impression was left on me. Thank heavens for my notes. Therefore, the message is this. Beware of sending me to see anything iconic because instead of praise for the Holy Grail, you might get a description of The Emperor’s New Clothes.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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Blood Brothers – Birmingham Hippodrome – 30 September 2019

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October 11, 2019

One of the most famous shows of the last thirty years with the role of Mrs Johnstone considered iconic. However, I had never seen Blood Bothers so needed to tick another off the list.

This is a tale of a mother who after having twins, gives one (Eddie) away to make ends meet. To stop her ever seeing Eddie, the adopting mother uses Mrs Johnstone’s superstitious nature to spin a tale, saying if ever the boys learn of each other’s identity, both will die. Of course, they do meet, become friends, fall out, and then reach an inevitable tragic conclusion.

I had little empathy with Mrs Johnstone, as it happens. Well, she gave away her son far too easy. Still, the lead was played well by 1970s singer, Lyn Paul, considered by many to be the definitive in the role. Very powerful and poignant vocals. I am so glad I saw her on this occasion.

Also billed at the top was Robbie Scotcher as the Narrator. He too gave an excellent performance, although I did find the inclusion of a narrator obtrusive at times. Then we had the twins; the rough-edged Mickey and more sheltered and studious Eddie, portrayed by Alexander Patmore and Joel Benedict respectively.

Now, the thing about Blood Brothers is that it is set when the twins are aged 7, 14, then through to 18 and beyond, with all their Act One scenes as juveniles. And as well as Patmore and Benedict tackled being 7-year-olds, I still found it cringing and embarrassing to watch at times. Women can get away with this far batter, as was shown by the excellent Danielle Corlass as Linda, but grown men pretending to be little kids … Noooooo! Then, supporting well on the night we also had Chloe Taylor (Mrs Lyons), Daniel Taylor (Sammy) and Tim Churchill (Mr Lyons) in addition to a good chorus.

My biggest praise for the show, as a writer, must go to the book by Willy Russell. Well-written, being funny and dark at the same time. It takes talent to turn a mood so quickly. However, if Russell’s script is top-drawer, the music is less so. I found the songs generic and dull, with the same tunes reprised too much. The most enjoyable for me was Kids’ Game with the more popular Tell Me it’s Not True, overrated (in my opinion). Other decent numbers included Easy Terms, My Child and Bright New Day, while on the other hand, Marilyn Monroe must be the most awful song I’ve heard in musical theatre (and it’s reprised to death).

Positives from Blood Brothers in addition to the script were the performances from the cast and band, whereas a major negative was the lack of dance (There is very little). Plus, the show has a dated feel to it, although that seems par for the course with Bill Kenwright directions, I’m afraid.

This review might suggest I hated Blood Brothers, and that’s not so. I did enjoy the show, but was not bowled over as one might expect. Still, I’ll give 7 out of 10 for a production which survives more on reputation than delivery.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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Grease – Birmingham Hippodrome – Monday 19 August 2019

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August 29, 2019

What came first, the stage or the movie? That’s a question sometimes asked when attending a performance which has been showcased in both mediums. And it might surprise a few that Grease was on Broadway six years before the 1978 Newton-John/Travolta film, such is the iconic status of that version. As with Annie recently, I had seen neither. Okay, I probably have seen most of Grease, one way or another in bits during the million and one times it’s been on TV, but this was a first for me, viewing from start to finish.

So how did it start? Quite well actually. In a predominantly female audience, we had a good opening with Grease is the Word by the company before the legendary Summer Nights. However, for me, this summer night didn’t get going until the energetic and brilliantly choreographed Greased Lightening. A great showcase by all involved; it was amazing.

But then we had a series of lulls. The show did drop several times with a risk of the audience losing interest. As a writer, I immediately saw that some of this was the script, but also the energy on stage fell too. These lapses were only temporary, though, and it wasn’t long before things picked up again. The script is nearly fifty years old now, so maybe it’s time for an update to give a more contemporary feel in terms of language and structure.

The same can be said for Act Two which did not become exciting until Hand Jive. In fact, the several preceding minutes were mostly irrelevant. Which is a crime. You really must make every word count.

It really lifted, though, with my number of the night, Hopelessly Devoted to You. This was sung with passion and quality by Martha Kirby (Sandy) who gave a five-star performance throughout the evening.

In the opposite lead role was Dan Partridge who delivered a softer Danny than might have previously been seen. He did well, though, and it’s nice to vary things with a different interpretation.

Playing Kenickie, we had the excellent Louis Grant, more in tone of what I would expect of a Danny. Also giving a good showing was Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky as the formidable Rizzo.

The above were well supported by numerous T-Birds and Pink Ladies. But I did have one criticism here. All the male and female characters in the respective groups seemed … generic, with little distinction between them, which was a shame.

Then came Teen Angel. On the night we had TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing winner, Ore Oduba. This is a cameo role, but I have to say, I do love Beauty School Dropout.

Other numbers of the night to note included: There Are Worse Things I Could Do, You’re the One That I Want, Sandy and the rousing We Go Together.

The director for Grease was Nikolai Foster with musical direction from Neil MacDonald. I cannot praise enough, though, the choreography from Arlene Phillips. No more than expected from one of her experience, but what the show needed anyway.

All in all, a decent, likeable offering, but probably not one I’d see again.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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Annie – Birmingham Hippodrome – Friday 9 August 2019

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August 19, 2019

The Sun’ll come out tomorrow.

Well, I certainly felt it had last week at the Birmingham Hippodrome.

Confession time. I’ve never seen the original Annie film or watched a stage version. I did sample the 2014 movie remake, though, which I thoroughly enjoyed but knew it differed in style to the traditionals. Therefore, I approached this show with an open mind of the unknown. I am happy to say then, I enjoyed this stage Annie from start to finish.

Beginning in the orphanage, we immediately see the magnificent stage presence which was to compliment a powerful song and dance performance by leading lady, Mia Lakha as Annie. A lovely vocal opener with Maybe was followed by a kick-ass rendition of Hard Knock Life, sung with attitude by all the orphanage kids. And it’s those kids too I must also heap great praise on. Zara Bench (who was amazing as little Molly), Kacey Agwuegbo (Duffy), Dulcie Allsop (Tessie), Marie Peedle (Pepper), Saskia Salmon (July) and Sophia Smith (Kate) were all outstanding. What young talent, indeed. Great dancing, too.

Then, we had the entrance of the top-billed actress and Jodie Prenger (as Miss Hannigan) gave a five-star performance. A great character throughout, delivering comedy alongside impressive vocals, particularly during the gloriously over-the-top, Little Girls.

In the role of Daddy Warbucks we had Alex Bourne and like Prenger, he led with a commanding and likable character. Also supporting well though was Carolyn Maitland (Grace), Richard Meek (Rooster) and Jenny Gayner (Lily). Then we had the remainder of the cast who are too many to mention but all were of the highest quality.

Song highlights other than those already mentioned were Hooverville, I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here, You Won’t Be an Orphan for Long, You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile and I Don’t Need Anything but You. A special mention must also go to the brilliant Easy Street and I cannot review Annie without singling out the iconic Tomorrow.

Although an old musical now and set in 1933, there was a real contemporary feel to this Annie which is a credit to production who kept it fast-paced all the way through. The cast and crew can be well proud and each of them fully deserved their ovation at the end, especially Little Orphan Annie.

For this production, the director was Nikolai Foster with excellent choreography by Nick Winston and musical direction – Daniel Griffin.

Not knowing what to expect is always the risk when going to the theatre, especially when the previous visit to the same venue was the appalling Joseph and his Awful Technicolour Dreamcoat. However, not only did Annie deliver the entertainment, I rank it as the best and certainly most enjoyable show of the year so far.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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Les Misérables – Birmingham Hippodrome – 20 April 2019

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May 8, 2019

Okay, the most popular musical in the world comes to town. Now, I’ve experienced Les Misérables in the West End so therefore couldn’t pass an opportunity to see the tour. However, the fact it is so popular means tickets are like gold and despite great efforts, my party was still in Row W of the Birmingham Hippodrome (Three from the rear of the stalls).

Now my only major gripe is with the theatre itself. Don’t charge over £50 for seats with what is essentially a restricted view. In Row W, you’re under the Circle and viewing the stage is somewhat akin to watching through a letterbox. Then, the sound. You’re in this claustrophobic area and the full audio experience doesn’t reach. Think ditching a surround sound system to use a transistor radio instead. There we have the big niggles, so on with the show.

From start to finish Les Misérables is everything you’d expect. Good staging and excellent performances in both acting and voice. Okay, the set is nowhere near as good as at The Queen’s Theatre, London and the revolving stage is sorely missed. But not every theatre is equipped for this, therefore I’ll give the tour the benefit of doubt.

I must first pay great praise to Killian Donnelly (Jean Valjean) and Nic Greenshields (Javert). Both are at the top of their game and could not have been better in the respective solos of Who Am I? Bring Him Home, Stars and Javert’s Suicide. Other great numbers on the night (Not that any were poor) included Master of the House, In My Life, A Heart Full of Love and A Little Fall of Rain. My favourite number, though, is always One Day More, having performed the Javert lines on several occasions.

The character of Marius was Harry Apps who gave a good rendition of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. However, the appearances Marius’ dead friends were not as haunting as I’ve previously seen them. Cosette was portrayed by Bronwen Hanson and for once, it was lovely to see this character less of a Mary-Sue and more realistic as the young woman she would have been, given her upbringing. And a beautiful voice.

The unfortunate Fantine was Katie Hall who delivered I Dreamed a Dream the best I’ve heard. Then there were the Thénardiers (Martin Ball and Sophie-Louise Dann). These roles always add comic relief, surprising for characters so vile, and this occasion did not disappoint. Eponine has always been my favourite, though, so I was delighted with the excellent vocals from Tegan Bannister while Will Richardson was also in good form as Enjolras.

A couple of downsides with the show itself: I did wonder why Eponine changed ethnicity during puberty and it would also have been nice to know which child performers were in the roles on the night. Plus, the consequences of the barricade battle were a let-down without the revolving stage to reveal a tableau of broken bodies on the other side.

The touring production of Les Misérables was directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell while musical supervision and direction was in the hands of Stephen Brooker, Graham Hurman and Ben Atkinson.

So, which is better, the version in the West End or this one? If, I’m honest, I’d opt for the former, but this was still a fantastic show which I highly recommend.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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