Don't bother, they're here
The video features some of the West End’s leading Irish names, including David Shannon (Come From Away), Brian Gilligan (The Lion King), Jessica Cervi (The Commitments), Shane O’Riordan (Les Misérables), Alison Arnopp (Hair), Faoileann Cunningham (Amélie The Musical), Emma Warren (Les Misérables), Chris McGuigan (The Phantom of the Opera), Raymond Walsh (Les Misérables), Andrew Linnie (The Commitments), Caroline Kay (The Clockmaker’s Daughter), Brigid Shine (Angela’s Ashes), Claire O’Leary (Les Misérables), Molly Lynch (The Light In The Piazza) and Oisin Nolan (Rags).
It also features young Irish actors in training Niamh Long, Sarah McFarlane, Gavin Ryan, Fionan O Carroll, Eimear Friel, Enya Loughlin, with signing by Abbie O’Neill.
“When life seems uphill, remember you’re still ascending”
A bit of googling about Joel Harper-Jackson (what, you don’t do it too…?) came up with this studio cast recording of Sleeping Beauty the Musical. A musical adaptation of the fairytale with book and lyrics by Ian Curran and music by Simon Hanson and Peter Vint, it is a rather amiable treatment of the story and a perfectly serviceable set of tunes. Truth be told, this isn’t a score to really set the world alight but then not everything has to, especially when allied to as classic a tale as this. Harper-Jackson and Maria Coyne both impress as the central couple of Prince Perrault and Princess Aurora whose growing relationship is the cornerstone of the show and ultimately quite affecting here. Continue reading “Album Reviews: Sleeping Beauty the Musical / 9 to 5 the Musical / Girlfriends”
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, aka the Sheridan Smith show
Queen of the Mist, aka the surprisingly affecting one
Appropriate, aka all hail Monica Dolan
Waitress, aka ZZZZZZZOMGGGGG STUNT CASTING oh wait, Joe Suggs hasn’t started yet
The Doctor, aka all hail Juliet Stevenson
A Very Expensive Poison, aka it was a preview so I shouldn’t say anything
Blues in the Night, aka all hail Broadway-bound Sharon D Clarke (and Debbie Kurup, and Clive Rowe too)
The Night of the Iguana, aka justice for Skyler Continue reading “August theatre round-up”
“Let’s see the next amazing thing baking does now”
True story, I didn’t love Waitress when I first saw it in my Broadway Blitz of 2016. But as it sometimes the way, upon listening to the cast recording again and then again, I fell for the show that way, and so was delighted with news of its UK premiere at the Adelphi Theatre.
To think of it as a big Broadway show is to misinterpret what it is trying to do though. Jessie Nelson (book) and Sara Bareilles’ (music and lyrics) adaptation of Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 indie flick is a subtler thing than much West End fare, an intimate story of pies, pregnancy and just how much we’ll put up with. Continue reading “Review: Waitress, Adelphi Theatre”
Hopes were high for this musical adaptation of a cartoon I loved as a kid. The kindest thing I can say is that there were not met.
