Miss Saigon

Playing at the Prince Edward Theatre, Miss Saigon follows the life of one seventeen year old girl whose village and family were destroyed during the Vietnam war. After being brought to work for the Engineer, a sleazy Saigon bar manager, she meets Chris, an American GI and the two soon fall in love.

From the team behind Les Miserables, Miss Saigon returns to the West End 25 years after its first appearance in 1989 with Lea Salonga as Kim.

Eva Noblezada, is a fresh faced American actress who makes her debut in this production, very much mirroring the choice for the original Kim. She beautifully portrays youthful innocence yet as the show progresses she grows stronger in her character. Her voice shows just how young she is but this works in her favour as she does not struggle much emotion she puts behind every word.

The Engineer provides the comic relief for this show. The greasy bar owner who pimps out Vietnamese girls to American GIs. The Engineer is obsessed with the 'American dream' and will try at all costs to make his way to America. Played by Jon Jon Briones, his big song The American dream is highly entertaining to watch as he is so disillusioned by the glitz and glamour of his dream.

American GI, Chris, played by Alistair Brammer  often appeared quite reserved in his emotions unless it was anger. Luckily for Brammer he had enough opportunities to act out his anger, most spectacular being while he sang Why God Why? where he starts to realise there is more to Saigon than the war. Without spoiling the plot, there is a certain point at the end of the show where his reaction was not strong enough and needed a lot more power.

Chris' GI friend, John played by, Hugh Maynard is not particularly likable in the first act. John opens the second act with Bui Doi, a song informing an audience of the children affected by a war torn Vietnam. Maynard's take on the song is stunningly chilling and really conveying his pain. This completely redeemed his character from act one.

Another bar girl, Gigi played by Rachelle Ann Go deserves to be acknowledged for her solo in the song The Movie in my Mind. Before seeing Miss Saigon this was a name that was circling around due to the sheer talent in this woman's voice and every word is completely justifiable. An absolutely sensational performance!

Once again Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel SchÖnberg team up to create music and lyrics that are simply unforgettable and completely flawless. The choreography is absolutely exquisite too.

Just a wholehearted performance from all the cast and crew!


Click here to get your tickets now!

Jonah and Otto

In typical Robert Holman fashion, Jonah and Otto tells the story of two strangers, from different generations, who form an unlikely bond. Each seems to be compensating for a family member they wished to have in their lives. 

Old clergyman, Otto and young father, Jonah meet one day on the East Sussex Coast when the younger catches the old man feeling the walls of the coast's public park. Jonah then attempts to steal money from Otto, holding a knife to his neck. The two then spend the day together discussing matter of family, love and lust. 

Holman is clearly aware of the basic needs of the human psyche and society's need to pry into the lives of others. Perhaps this is what makes the play so fascinating to watch since the play invites audiences to intrude into the inner most thoughts of these two men.

The relationship between the two is quite ambiguous. Otto appears to be trying to find his faith again by becoming a fatherly figure to Jonah, as if to say if he is capable of finding love then he is worthy of God's love too. Likewise, Jonah finds himself unable to resist opening up to Otto in a way a son might speak to his own father. 

Peter Egan, played Otto as a  tired and frail old man. Losing hope and with countless regrets, he projects his lost youthful desires onto Jonah. 

Alex Waldmann, gave a captivating performance as Jonah. A troubled young man, managing to cross every emotion in the short time span of this play. Around Otto he was angry and childlike but when he was taking care of his six week old daughter, he went under a complete transformation. 

Jonah was a very relatable character for the younger generation. In a post university life, he faces the struggles of instability of finding his way in the 'real world'. 

Although at times the power battle between the two simply resulted in frustrated cussing, it was incredibly interesting to see how two strangers could find the right words to say to bring the other to confess their deepest, most secret thoughts. 

Playing until November 23rd 2014. 

Click here to get your tickets now!

Theatreland's Walking Tours

For someone who is so keen on the ins an outs of the theatrical world, the one thing I have still to do is one of SOLT and Secret London Walks's Walking Tours.

This tour takes you around the streets of London from Soho to the Strand and lets you in on the secrets of the theaters. Combining the old with the new, the tour guides know all the history behind the theatres and all the facts about the current shows playing. 

Normally these tours take place on a few Sundays during England's warmer months. However wrap up warm as Theatreland tours are back and this time you'll be looking over your shoulder every step of the way... 

On every Sunday from the 26th October to the 7th December at 6pm from a Central London location you can join the Haunted Theatreland tour. You'll never look at Theatreland the same way again as you creep down back alleys and learn the horrible histories and gruesome ghost stories of the West End. 

At only £10 a ticket it seems like the perfect Halloween outing!

Click here for more information!

CALLING AMATEUR BLOGGERS AGED BETWEEN 16 AND 23!

It has come to that time where the Birmingham Hippodrome must find their next group of First Night Bloggers.

Just one click anywhere on this blog will show you the range of events I had the pleasure of attending and the shear variety of theatre that the Hippodrome has to offer.

If you're thinking of a career in journalism and more specifically theatre journalism or criticism then it is definitely worth applying. It is immensely fun and you gain so many invaluable skills too!

Some of my highlights from this experience were the many musicals such as Fiddler on the roof, Evita, Buddy & Wicked. I laughed out loud at One Man Two Guvnors and sat in awed silence when Michael Morpurgo read his bestselling War Horse to an intimate audience. 

I also attended some shows that I wouldn't have necessarily chosen to see such as Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake  and WNO's Boulevard Solitude. I realised that you can never write off an entire genre because it might just surprise you!

If you are still not convinced then here are some of the shows you could be looking forward to reviewing this year!

Ready to apply now?

Click here for more details and how to apply

DEADLINE IS MONAY OCTOBER 6TH 10AM

Good Luck!

Wicked - Flying into Birmingham 9th July - 6th Sept

Based on Gregory Maguire's first adult novel  Wicked, the show with the same name has flown into the Birmingham Hippodrome for the summer. This feel good show provides a whole range of emotions from curtain up to curtain down with a multitude of fantastic songs by musical genius Stephen Schwartz such as Popular, One Short Day, Defying Gravity and For Good. 

Normally played by Niki Davis- Jones (recently announced to be playing Elphaba at London's Apollo

Victoria) in this performance Elphaba was played by Jemma Alexander who made a fantastic Elphaba. Although at times her voice could have been better suited for Glinda, when she belted she simply blew the audience away.  

Emily Tierney played the ditzy but good-hearted G(a)linda. She sang each of her songs beautifully and gracefully showed the transition of Galinda the selfish, shallow and ditzy Queen B, perfectly shown through the song Popular, to the sweet, caring, Glinda the Good who's moral compass truly shines through the song For Good. 

The air-headed Fiyero played by Liam Doyle chooses dancing through life until something more wickedly wonderful comes along. The perfect romantic,chivalrous, hero with the fantastic voice and the greatest dancer. 

Marilyn Cutts played Shiz headteacher Madame Morrible and there seems no coincidence that her name is only one letter off 'Horrible'. A perfectly executed character the audience love to hate. The Wizard played by Dale Rapley is not as wonderful as we are made to believe in The Wizard of Oz. Although the wizard may not be so wonderful Rapley most definitely is. Rapley also played Dr Dillamond, the last Animal on the shiz faculty. 

Nessarose is Elphaba's 'tragically beautiful' younger sister and played by Carina Gillespie. Probably better known the Wizard of Oz fans as the Wicked witch of the East, there is more to her than meets the eye. Beautiful, sweet and innocent. Nessa is in love with Boq played by, George Ure, a munchkin desperate for the attention of Galinda. Both characters are victims of circumstance and the skillful actors effortlessly show the changes that overcome their student life innocence. 

The Ensemble and Swing are perfect accompaniments to this production and each and everyone brings something special to this show. 

The costumes for this show designed by, Susan Hilferty are some of the most beautiful, extravagant, glitzy costumes in theatre!

One of my favourite shows! Thank you for such an amazing year Birmingham Hippodrome! Perfect end to the perfect year!

Check out the trailer here!

Click here to find your tickets!

OR

Click here to see when Wicked is flying into your town!

Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story 23-28 June

Back to celebrate 25 years on the stage Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story has embarked on a UK tour. Over the 25 years there have been 20,500 performances seeing 185,000 guitar strings replaced and over 203,00 plectrums used. Most importantly 40 pairs of Buddy's defining glasses. 

The cast rocks some of Buddy Holly's most well known hits such as That'll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Oh Boy and Rave On. 

Buddy follows the short yet memorable career of Buddy Holly who paved the way for the future of Rock 'n' Roll. The audience follows his unsteady rise to fame all the way to his famous final performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa before his tragic death at the young age of 22. Although his career only lasted 18 months, it has been continuously echoed and been paid tribute to by huge stars ever since. 

 The role of Buddy is shared between Glen Joseph and Roger Rowley. Glen Joseph is such a rock star, commanding the attention of the audience even once the show has finished. A flawless Buddy highlighting the unconventional youthful geekiness of Holly with the larger than life talent.

Buddy is joined by two other iconic Rock 'n' Roll musicians The Big Bopper played by Jason Blackwater and Ritiche Valens played by Will Pearce both have such powerful stage presence and despite having been born about 40 years later I was easily whisked back to 1959. 

 Maria Elena, Buddy's wife played by Viviene Smith is the sweet young bride who despite only knowing her husband for a matter of hours shows her utmost loyalty to him. Even today the real Maria Elena stands behind this production. 

The Crickets Joe played by Scott Haining and Jerry played by Adam Flynn nicely complemented Buddy as they matched his lovable geekiness but tremendous musical talent.

The Two Apollo performers Lydia Fraser and Miguel Angel give an extraordinary rendition of the famous song Shout. I definitely spotted audience members dancing along.

The two managers we meet in the show  Hipockets Duncan played by Shaun Hennessy and Norman Petty played by Peter Kenworthy contrasted each other quite nicely. Hipockets plays by the rules and gives his listeners good clean country music. Petty on the other hand, gives Buddy the creative freedom that paved the way for his stardom.

Vi Petty played by Sarah Mahony is the perfect wife. She's always got the coffee ready but also steps in to add an extra little touch to The Crickets' music.

Equally Jackdaw played by Alex Marshall was a great addition to The Crickets, helping make their music even greater.

The upbeat atmosphere on stage seeped into the audience as memories appeared to flood back and audience members were joining in with the well known songs and dancing and clapping the whole way through. It really gives a show credit when the audience feels they can join in and be part of the show rather than sat quietly and clap politely after each song. 

Even though my knowledge of 50s Rock 'n' Roll is quite limited I was on my feet at the end too. 

Buddy is only on at the Hippodrome for a limited period so click here to get your tickets now!

Alternatively if you are not in Birmingham click here to find out when Buddy is coming to your city!


Check out the trailer!

Hippodrome Plus - Summer in Southside Sat 9th, 16, 23rd & Sun 24th August

Living in Britain we should take every opportunity to enjoy the unfamiliar summer sun. This summer, apart from the special shows coming to the Hippodrome's main stage, there are plenty of other events (dance, circus, music & many others) taking place along the streets and in the squares in the city. Not convinced yet? Well it's FREE... 

Hippodrome Plus is looking for volunteers for Summer in Southside this summer:

"We are now looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join the team making Summer in Southside 2014 a truly memorable experience. If you would like to meet new people, make a difference in the community, or are looking for something to add to your C.V - join our team!"

 Take your pick of a range of roles needed for this festival team, including:

• Event promotion 
• Stewarding
• Assisting the artists directly.

You will receive compulsory World Class Service training in Outdoor Arts and certification of your volunteering hours. You will also recieve training prior to the event, to ensure that full supervision is given throughout the volunteering period.

If you would like to be involved you must be free to volunteer on at least two of these days: Sat 9 Aug, Sat 16 Aug, Sat 23 Aug and Sun 24 Aug 2014

If you enjoy being part of the team for this event, there is a chance to be involved in other events with other arts organisations as part of Birmingham Arts Bank Volunteer Scheme. 

If you want to apply CLICK HERE it will only take about five minutes to fill out!

Applicants must be over 18 on July 1st 2014 to volunteer. 

Applications close July 18th 2014