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News: The West End & Beirut collaborate for The Beirut Emergency Appeal

West End stars and Broken Wings alumni collaborate with members of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra to raise money for the Red Cross’ Beirut Emergency Appeal 

Following the devastating explosion in Beirut on August 4th 2020, over 40 artists have collaborated between London and Beirut to film a music video of ‘All I Longed To See’, from new musical Broken Wings by Nadim Naaman and Dana Al Fardan, with orchestrations by Joe Davison.

The video has been produced in aid of The Beirut Emergency Appeal, a collaborative fund established between both The British and Lebanese Red Cross. As a result of the explosion, at least 181 people have lost their lives, over 6,000 people have been wounded, and 300,000 are now homeless. These numbers are likely to continue to rise. Continue reading “News: The West End & Beirut collaborate for The Beirut Emergency Appeal”

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Album Review: The Songsmiths – Tenors of the West End

Vocal group The Songsmiths’ Tenors of the West End offers up some fascinating harmonies on some classic pop tunes

“Everybody needs a little time away…from each other”

Simon Gordon, Benjamin Purkiss and Patrick Sullivan can boast 30 years experience in the West End and beyond and all spent some time in Obsidian as part of Bat Out Of Hell, so their teaming up together to form vocal group The Songsmiths makes sense. Their album Tenors of the West End, now available to download, draws on a wider range than Shaftesbury Avenue though – the mention of Chicago more likely to refer to soft-rock than Kander & Ebb.

This focus on pop-rock staples over musical theatre yields some fascinating results. There are no real surprises in terms of song choices but there’s no denying the exhilaration of hearing Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Go Your Own Way’ receive such a full-bodied treatment as this, so too with their meatier rendition of A-Ha’s classic ‘Take On Me’. The arrangement of ‘Hallelujah’ wisely keeps it out of mawkishness and some interesting harmonies emerge out of ‘Somebody To Love’. Continue reading “Album Review: The Songsmiths – Tenors of the West End”

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February news round-up

Lots to catch up on so here’s a quick round-up of some upcoming concerts and events that could well be worth your time

If you’re looking for the more social side of things to go along with your theatregoing, then have a look here. Getgo Club is like a book club for theatre. Each month they take members to amazing London theatre & host a pre-show mingle, followed by a post-show discussion. The event is curated and hosted by working artists who will  ensure that discussions take place in a safe, fun, & open environment. Members also receive extra goodies such as discounts on tickets & drinks. All for £5!

Getgo Club is a great way to join a community of arts lovers, and head to a variety of theatre as a group. It has  and The first meet-up is at the end of February and I hear they have very limited spaces left so why not find out more here or even just apply directly for a membership here. Continue reading “February news round-up”

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Album reviews: Working / Bat out of Hell / 42nd Street

A trio of West End cast recordings (well, one’s off-West-End…) show that it is sometimes hard to recapture the stage magic 

© Robert Workman

Starting off with the best of this bunch, the Southwark Playhouse’s production of Working might not have seemed like the obvious choice for a cast recording but maybe the lure of a couple of new Lin-Manuel Miranda tracks was a real sweetener.

Truth is, it is the quality of the cast’s performances that make this a fantastic addition to the list of albums you need to hear. From Siubhan Harrison’s impassioned ‘Millwork’ to Dean Chisnall’s gleeful ‘Brother Trucker’, and the highly charismatic Liam Tamne nails both of Miranda’s contributions – the wilful ‘Delivery’ and a corking duet (with Harrison) on ‘A Very Good Day’.

Experience pays though, as Gillian Bevan and Peter Polycarpou take the honours with some scintillating work. The latter’s ‘Joe’ is beautifully judged, as is the former’s ‘Nobody Tells Me How’, both demonstrating the uncertainty that can come at the end of a long career, when retirement doesn’t necessarily hold the joyful promise it once did. Highly recommended.  Continue reading “Album reviews: Working / Bat out of Hell / 42nd Street”

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The Curtain Up Show Album of the Year 2017 nominees

Best UK Cast Recording
42nd Street – 2017 London Cast Recording
Bat Out Of Hell The Musical – Original Cast Recording
Dreamgirls – Original London Cast Recording
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Original Concept Recording
Girl From The North Country – Original London West End Cast Recording
The Wind in the Willows – Cast Recording

Best American Cast Recording
Anastasia – Original Broadway Cast Recording
Come From Away – Original Broadway Cast Recording
Dear Evan Hansen – Original Broadway Cast Recording
Hello, Dolly! – New Broadway Cast Recording
Spongebob Squarepants – Original Cast Recording
Sunday in the Park with George – 2017 Broadway Cast Recording

Best Solo Album/Non Cast Recording
Collabro – Home
Leading Ladies – Songs From The Stage
Marisha Wallace – Soul Holiday
Patti LuPone – Don’t Monkey With Broadway
Rachel Tucker – On The Road
Sheridan Smith – Sheridan

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Bat Out Of Hell is coming back in 2018

“It’s so hard to believe but it’s all coming back to me now”

Sign-Up for more information on the rock’n’roll return of @BATtheMusical to London’s #West End ? https://t.co/n7m60a0EG6 pic.twitter.com/WpMs3rM0yS

— Bat Out Of Hell (@BatTheMusical) August 22, 2017

 
There are (still) no words to say about Bat Out Of Hell that can really do it justice (here’s my attempt from the first viewing) and in any case, even if I wanted to I couldn’t, as it really is a show that demands to be seen having partaken of a beverage or seven. And believe me, last night I partook! So I guess I’ll see you at the Coliseum next year then, you can get the first round in 😉

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Review: Bat out of Hell, London Coliseum

“Will you hose me down with holy water, if I get too hot?”

I think it is safe to say that Bat out of Hell is one of the most random things you’ll see in the West End this year, if not ever, whether you’re a fan of Meatloaf or not. It is a deliciously over-the-top production quite unlike the usual fare in the august surroundings of the London Coliseum but that’s part of its charm here – what would be sacrilegious is actually cheekily charming. Find production photos of the show here and read my 4 star review for Cheap Theatre Tickets here.

Running time: 2 hour 50 minutes (with interval)
Booking until 5th August

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Review: Allegro, Southwark Playhouse

“We muffle all the undertones,
The minor blood-and-thunder tones;
The overtones are all we care to play”

Even Rodgers and Hammerstein can have a duff moment. Allegro is a rarity amongst their catalogue in that its 1947 debut was not the equal of the shows that they wrote before and after – you may have heard of them, Carousel and South Pacific… – and so has languished pretty much in obscurity ever since. But in these content-hungry, revisionist times, nothing lays untouched for too long and it is the expert hand of Thom Southerland who has brought us Allegro’s European premiere to the Southwark Playhouse.

I reviewed the 2009 first complete recording of the show in the summer and was surprised at how musically strong it was (helped of course by a stellar cast) so was intrigued to see how the book played out alongside it. And for me, it is not too hard to see why this is a show that has collected dust rather than accolades on the shelf. Telling the life and times of an ordinary American Joe, called Joe, from birth to childhood (told by puppets, eeesh!) through to mid-life crisis but so ordinary is Joe, so everyday the details of his life, that it is hard to get too excited by it. Continue reading “Review: Allegro, Southwark Playhouse”