Showing posts with label Musical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Musical. Show all posts

Wednesday 17 April 2019

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at Storyhouse, Chester - A Review

Having studied music from an early age, I have been very fortunate to have seen some of the most fantastic musicals from all around the world. Whilst in school I had an outstanding music teacher who would often arrange trips to some of the touring productions, as well as ensuring that our choir also performed regularly in shows. I remember learning several of the songs that feature in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, yet despite regular visits to both the West End and Broadway, I have bizarrely NEVER actually seen the show in full before.......that is until now.


Last night the touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat wowed the audience at the Storyhouse theatre in Chester, with an exciting, enjoyable and skillful performance of the well known musical. As the lights dimmed we were treated to an overture that had guests clapping along before the show had even began. When the curtain rose I knew we were in for a great evening, as we sat back to enjoy this interpretation of the story of Joseph, his brothers and of course his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat!

The lead role of Joseph is played by Jaymi Hensley, a member of the boy band Union J. He provides an outstanding performance that was truly a delight to watch. I had been slightly sceptical beforehand, as to whether a young pop voice would be powerful enough for a leading part, but he absolutely shines like a star right from the very beginning and throughout the entire show. His vocals were strong and powerful, yet he was also able to apply plenty of emotion when required, which was particularly evident in scene six during 'Close Every Door'.

Image credit: Pamela Raith Photography

Trina Hill stars as the narrator, who does a stellar job of bringing Joseph's story to life through song.  Her vocals were impressive and a delight to listen to and her musical experience was clearly evident as she uses her skills with great effect.

The actors playing Joseph's brothers brought a great sense of fun and vibrancy to the stage, with each of them delivering impeccable choreography and drama. The comical element of their performances were amusing and they all exhibited a keen passion for their roles. Two particular standouts for me were Alex Hetherington playing the part of Benjamin and Lewis Asquith who starred as both Simeon and the Butler.

Image credit: Pamela Raith Photography

The handmaidens played by Amber Kennedy, Eve Norris and Gemma Pipe work extremely hard, undertaking a variety of roles and costume changes. In the second half of the show one of the handmaidens performs an excellent tango routine which was fascinating to watch, although admittedly I was slightly confused by the Eiffel Tower background whilst this took place, given that the story is based in Canaan and Egypt.

One of my favourite parts of the show, was when we were introduced to the Pharoah, played by Andrew Geater. My family and I have seen him in several other productions before, so I was already aware of his vocal capabilities and acting skills. However, he impressed me on a whole new level last night and certainly brought plenty of smiles and laughter to the audience with his humorous and powerful portrayal.

Image credit: Pamela Raith Photography

A special mention also has to be made to the Joseph Choir, which was provided by students of the local Chester Stagecoach School. My daughter used to attend this theatre group, so I know how much effort the students, staff and principals all put into their work. Several of her friends were in the production last night and so it was great to see the choir delivering some stunning supporting vocals, in what I am sure is a wonderful opportunity for all involved. During the show they were seated on raised steps, which added an element of simplicity and also ensured that the stage setting was never too crowded or over complicated.

Both my husband and I loved the sound quality and lighting design which complemented each of the scenes superbly and highlighted the performers well. The final moments of the show during the Joseph Megamix brought the skills of both the technical teams and performers together to an exceptional level and it was great to see the audience appreciate these efforts with not only a standing ovation, but a good old song and dance too. In turn this created a truly wonderful atmosphere and the most perfect way to end our evening.

Image credit: Pamela Raith Photography

Overall we had a fabulous time watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and it far exceeded my expectations. It is fun, fast paced and most importantly entertaining, so it is sure to delight audiences both young and old. I would absolutely recommend this show as being ideal for an enjoyable family trip to the theatre and I cannot wait to see it again in the future.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is currently embarking on a UK tour and will be in Chester until Saturday 20th April 2019. For further details on how to book tickets, please see the listing details below.

Listing Details

Show: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Venue: Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 2AR
Dates: Wednesday 17th April to Saturday 20th April 2019
Times: Wednesday and Thursday 2:30pm & 7:30pm / Friday 5pm & 8pm / Saturday 2pm, 5pm & 8pm
Booking: This can be done online at www.storyhouse.com, by calling 01244 409113 or by visiting the ticket kiosks at Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 2AR

For further details you can visit the Storyhouse website, or their social media pages on the following channels:

Website - www.storyhouse.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/storyhouselive
Twitter - @storyhouselive
Instagram - @storyhouselive

Image credit: Pamela Raith Photography

*Disclaimer - We were provided with complimentary tickets to the press night performance, for the purpose of writing an honest review of the show. Thoughts and opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.

Sunday 16 December 2018

The Wizard of Oz at Storyhouse, Chester - Review

On Thursday evening we were invited along to the press night of The Wizard of Oz at Storyhouse in Chester. This is one of our favourite venues in the area and we are very lucky to live less than ten minutes away from such a fantastic arts centre. We have been to a few performances here and have always been very impressed by the quality of the shows on offer. The Wizard of Oz was no exception and we followed Dorothy and her friends along the yellow brick road, in a wonderful and well thought out production.

Image kindly provided by Storyhouse
The show was very similar to the film with only a few variations arising from some modern interpretations. We really enjoyed the staging from the beginning and it was great for my daughter to see how the story began and relate it to the characters that Dorothy would meet once in Oz. I did however feel that the introduction was perhaps slightly too lengthy, though that being said I can understand why they have chosen not to rush this part, so that the audience can fully appreciate the relationships between Dorothy, her friends and family.

Consuela Rolle has been cast in the lead role of Dorothy and her portrayal was magnificent throughout. Her energy and enthusiasm ensured that guests remained entertained as the story was performed on stage. I felt that she connected with the audience well and there was a believable vulnerability from the character. When her journey began along the yellow brick road, she was able to exhibit her fear of the unknown, whilst also ensuring that she had a vibrant and positive personality to help lead her new found friends to the merry old land of Oz.

Our favourite scene from the show was actually very early in the production, when Dorothy first met the Munchkins (performed by children from House of Dance). The talented skills of the children involved are highly commendable and their performance of Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead was absolutely superb. We loved that the choreography had a modern twist, featuring dance moves that the children in the audience could relate to.

Image kindly provided by Storyhouse
The first friend that Dorothy makes on her journey, is that of the scarecrow, played by Natalie Woods. We all agreed that her acting was wonderful and it was great to see her interaction with Dorothy, which created a convincing friendship.

Ben Oliver's interpretation of the Tin Man brought happiness and laughter to the audience, especially during his explanation as to how he came to be created of Tin. Watching the friendships develop was exciting to see and although we were familiar with the story, there was still an element of intrigue as to what might happen next.

The cowardly lion (Richard Colvin) introduced an element of comedy, which I did feel was needed at times and this could have potentially been pushed further, with the inclusion of a few more witticisms. He played the role really well and soon established himself as a very loveable character. He was in fact our favourite performer of the show and we enjoyed the humour that he delivered.

Kenny Thompson appears as both Uncle Henry and The Emerald City Guard and admittedly we much preferred him in the latter role. We loved the powerful performance he presented in Oz, that made me want to sing and dance along. This was complemented by Natasha Bain who starred as Aunt Em and Glinda the Good Witch, who created a loving but authoritive figure in both roles.

Fergus Rattigan delighted as the intriguing and powerful Wizard of Oz as well as Professor Marvel and I really enjoyed both of his characters. The clever use of technology featured throughout the show, but I particularly liked how this was used to deliver his booming voice over video projection.

Of course the Wizard of Oz wouldn't be complete without The Wicked Witch of the West. This was played by Zara Ramm who had a very commanding stage presence. Her performance was strong, but at no point did I feel that it would be too scary for younger audience members, which helps to make it more family friendly.

I felt that all of the musical performances throughout the show were really entertaining and consisted of perfectly timed choreography, beautiful vocals and plenty of enthusiasm and gusto. Particular highlights included Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Follow the Yellow Brick Road and also the inclusion of Jitterbug.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed the Wizard of Oz, but with a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes it is perhaps a little too lengthy for younger audience guests. I think if we had brought my five year old along then he would have definitely got restless at some point. For older children and adults though, then this is a commendable production with magnificent staging, lighting and sound. It was great to see a show of this quality in the local area and it also offers something a little different for a Christmas production. Ultimately it is a well written musical, with a credible cast that offer a talented interpretation of an iconic story.

The Wizard of Oz is appearing at Storyhouse, Chester on various dates until Sunday 6th January 2019, with ticket prices starting from £15. For the most up to date information or to book tickets, you can visit the Storyhouse website here: Storyhouse Chester

Image kindly provided by Storyhouse
Disclaimer: We were invited as guests to the press night performance of The Wizard of Oz for the purpose of writing an honest review of our experience. All opinions and thoughts are my own unless stated otherwise. Images kindly provided by Storyhouse.

Saturday 8 September 2018

Anita Dobson To Star As Miss Hannigan In UK Tour of Annie Coming to Storyhouse Chester in March

Michael Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce that Anita Dobson will star as 'Miss Hannigan' in their smash hit production of the musical "ANNIE" playing at Storyhouse, Chester from 25th March to the 30th March 2019. Further casting is to be announced.

This production recently ran for an extended season in the West End following a sell-out tour of the UK and Ireland in 2015/2016 as well as a recent sell-out season in Toronto.

As Angie Watts in Eastenders, Anita Dobson created one of the most popular characters in television winning numerous awards. Her West End theatre credits include 'Madame Morrible' in "Wicked", 'Mama Morton' in "Chicago", 'Mrs Meers' in "Thoroughly Modern Millie", 'Chris' in "Calendar Girls", 'Joan Crawford' in "Bette and Joan" and 'Nancy' in "Frozen" at the National Theatre for which she was nominated for an Olivier, Evening Standard and London Critics Award. Her film credits include "London Road".


Set in 1930s New York during The Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan's orphanage. Determined to find her real parents, her luck changes when she is chosen to spend Christmas at the residence of famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie's search.....

With its award-winning book and score, this stunning new production includes the unforgettable songs 'It's the Hard Knock Life', 'Easy Street', 'I Don't Need Anything But You' and 'Tomorrow'.

"ANNIE" has Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Martin Charnin and a Book by Thomas Meehan. "ANNIE" is directed by Nikolai Foster with set and costume design by Colin Richmond, choreography by Nick Winston, lighting by Ben Cracknell and sound design by Richard Brooker. "ANNIE" is produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian.

Listing Details

Show: Annie the Musical
Venue: Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 2AR
Dates: Monday 25th March to Saturday 30th March 2019
Booking: This can be done online at www.storyhouse.com, by calling 01244 409113 or by visiting the ticket kiosks at Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 2AR

*Disclaimer - Details provided are correct at time of writing, but are of course subject to change. I would therefore always recommend visiting the venues own website, in order to obtain the most up to date information.

Thursday 5 July 2018

Mamma Mia! at Palace Theatre, Manchester - A Review

MAMMA MIA! has arrived in Manchester, whilst embarking on its current UK tour and what a fabulous feel-good musical it is! The show first opened at the Prince Edward Theatre some 19 years ago now and also recently celebrated its 17th anniversary in London's West End. Having achieved worldwide success MAMMA MIA! is everything you could hope for in a musical and more. After watching the show last night, I can now completely understand how it has gained such popularity around the globe.

Featuring an all round wonderful cast, the show tells the story of a young lady called Sophie, played by Lucy May Barker, who throughout her life has been unaware of who her father really is. Sophie finds her mother's diary and discovers that there are three men that could all potentially be her dad, so she reveals to her bridesmaids that she has invited each of them to her wedding.

Sophie believes that she will soon know which of them is her father, however on meeting them she soon realises that it will not be as simple as first imagined. Each man has their very own individual traits and personalities, with interests and mannerisms that could also be reflected in Sophie, making her quest appear an impossible task. In turn this also leads to Sophie's mum Donna (Shona White) having to face her past and we are led through a charming, delightful and funny story that is told through the songs of Abba.

Admittedly I have never seen this musical before, nor have I ever watched the film and I was therefore intrigued by the storyline and how the songs of Abba could collectively tell a tale. This soon become apparent though and the combination of drama and well known songs had the audience both captivated and singing along from start to finish.

Photo Credit: Brinkhoff/Mãgenburg

Sophie's chemistry with Sky (Phillip Ryan) was superb and they worked extremely well together on stage. Supported by a wonderful ensemble, all acts were delivered with slick professionalism and perfectly timed choreography that just made you want to get up and dance with them.

Donna's best friends Rosie (Nicky Swift) and Tanya (Helen Anker) provide plenty of laughter and when on stage together there was a genuine feel of friendship and sisterhood. Once we were also introduced to Sophie's three potential fathers, another comedic element was established. Tamlyn Henderson stars as Sam Carmichael, Daniel Crowder as Harry Bright and Matthew Rutherford as Bill Austin, and each actor exhibited both individuality and creativeness that brought a great deal of amusement to the audience.

There were certainly some stand out performances, with Helen Anker's rendition of 'Does Your Mother Know' proving to be very popular and rightly so. This scene not only possessed fantastic vocals and some very memorable dancing, but it was also packed full of fun that made you laugh out loud.

Shona White certainly shone like the star she is, with some breathtaking performances during the show. Her character as the mother Donna Sheridan seems well suited and I loved that through her fiesty and independent personality she also exhibited moments of insecurity and emotion, which made her portrayal completely believeable. My personal favourite though was when she sang 'The Winner Takes It All' and her vocals were absolutely superb. There is no doubt at all that she can certainly hold a note, and I looked forward to each time that she appeared on stage.

A special mention also has to be given to Matt Jordan-Pidgeon as Pepper whose cheeky and confident persona provided plenty of entertainment. His beaming smile and facial expressions, superbly complimented his enthusiastic performances and made him a very likeable character.

Photo Credit: Brinkhoff/Mãgenburg
Overall I highly recommend this show and the standing ovation at the end was very well deserved. Everyone was on their feet clapping and dancing along and the aisles were full of audience members having a great time and just loving life. If a production is capable of bringing a smile to so many faces then it has absolutely done it's job. Well done to all the cast and crew involved in Mamma Mia! for not only a wonderful performance, but for the happiness you created throughout the theatre. Bravo!

You can catch MAMMA MIA! at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until the 14th July with a signed performance and audio described performance also available. Full listing details below.

Listing Details

Show: MAMMA MIA!
Venue: Palace Theatre Manchester
Dates: Thursday 5th July 2018 to Saturday 14th July 2018
Time: Show times vary, so please visit the ATG Tickets Palace Theatre Website to obtain the most up to date information.
Signed performance: Wednesday 11th July 2018 at 19:30pm
Audio described performance: Thursday 12th July 2018 at 19:30pm
Running time: 2 hours 35 minutes including interval
Ticket prices: Prices vary but range from £15 to £61.50 (plus transaction fee). Please see website for pricing.
Website: ATG Tickets

Photo Credit: Brinkhoff/Mãgenburg
Disclaimer: I received press tickets for the purpose of writing an honest review of the show. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sunday 31 December 2017

Dates for your Diary - Shrek the Musical is coming to Manchester in January!

Most families enjoy a good film night together and ours is no exception, cuddling up on the sofa when the dark winter nights settle in, is absolute bliss. One of our firm favourite films to enjoy is Shrek which always guarantees to get us all giggling, no matter how many times we have watched it together before. We were therefore delighted to find out that Shrek the Musical, which is based on the story and characters from the Oscar® winning DreamWorks Animation film, will be heading to Manchester in January 2018!

Promising an entertaining mix of adventure, laughter and romance, this magnificent production is sure to delight audiences of all ages, as the smash hit blockbuster comes to the stage of the Palace Theatre, Manchester from Tuesday 16th to Sunday 28th January.

The family show tells the story of the lovable ogre Shrek, who along with his loyal steed Donkey, embarks on a quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona from her Dragon guarded tower. Featuring a whole host of fairytales misfits, a biscuit with an attitude and the pint-sized Lord Farquaar, you can be sure of an entertaining and dazzling experience with this all-singing, all-dancing comedy spectacular.

Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks
Shrek the Musical welcomes a wonderful cast, with Steffan Harri starring in the main role of Shrek, having previously appeared in the original UK tour as a cover for Lord Farquaad. His other theatre credits include Les Miserables, Spamalot and Children of Eden. In addition to these theatre productions, he also starred as Lyn in the welsh language soap opera Rownd a Rownd.

Princess Fiona shall be played by Call the Midwife star Laura Main, who is very excited to be starring in this marvellous show. Laura commented "I've been waiting a long time for an adventure like this to come along and now that it has I am ready to swap the surgery for the swamp in one of my favourite musicals. Shrek has made a Believer out of me and I can't wait for this fairytale to take me across the country". 

They will be joined by Marcus Ayton as Shrek's sidekick Donkey, whose recent credits include Sammy Davis Jr in The Rat Pack Live and Ray Charles in A Tribute to the Brothers Live. The vertically challenged Lord Farquaad will be played by Samuel Holmes who has recently appeared as George in the UK Tour of The Wedding Singer, as well as other stage credits that include Mrs Henderson Presents, Kiss Me Kate and Crazy for You.

Nigel Harman, who appeared in the original West End production as Lord Farquaad and also won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical, will be returning as Director. He previously made is directorial debut on the first ever tour and has since gone on to direct Lunch & The Bow of Ulysses (Trafalgar Studios) and will also direct Kelsey Grammar in Big Fish the Musical (The Other Palace) this Autumn. 

Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks
My family and I are very excited to be heading into Manchester this coming January to watch Shrek the Musical and if you would like to obtain further information on the show, then you can find the listing details and link to the booking website below. With a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, this production is the perfect family treat to enjoy together in the wonderful city of Manchester at the beautiful Palace Theatre.

Listing Details

Show - Shrek the Musical
Venue - Palace Theatre Manchester, 97 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 6FT
Dates - Tuesday 16th January to Sunday 28th January
Times - Show times vary, so please visit the website for the most up to date information.
Ticket Prices - Ticket prices range from £18.00 - £56.00 (plus £4.00 booking fee)
Box Office - 0844 871 3019 (calls cost 7p per minute, plus phone company's access charge).
Website - www.atgtickets.com/shows/shrek/palace-theatre-manchester/

Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks
Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.