Tag Archives: Noel Sullivan

STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW

Starting Here, Starting Now

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Waterloo East Theatre

STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW

Starting Here, Starting Now

Waterloo East Theatre

Reviewed โ€“ 1st July 2021

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โ€œthat good, old-fashioned thingโ€”an entertaining, relaxing evening in the theatreโ€

 

Waterloo Eastโ€™s latest production is a delightful revival of Maltby and Shireโ€™s Starting Here, Starting Now. This musical revue, first produced in 1976 in New York, is an economically staged three hander that has lost none of its relevance in the past forty five years. Not surprisingly, its subject is that perennial favorite โ€” love. But itโ€™s not a loose collection of songs about love, or even a story about a star crossed pair of lovers. Instead, Maltby and Shire group their songs by theme. The evening starts off with a collection of songs about the joys (and frustrations) of looking for love in the city; moves on to the sorrows of those unlucky in love, and concludes with eternally hopeful lovers looking for a fresh start. The revue opens and ends where it began โ€” with a spritely rendition of the title song, โ€œStarting Here, Starting Nowโ€. Even without an overarching story to this revue, however, audiences will still relish the dramas that unfold in each song. They range from the ironic to the tragic; from triumph to loss as the seasons turn. Thereโ€™s even a song about more mundane matters, such as the way in which crossword puzzles can drive a couple apart.

But what makes Waterloo Eastโ€™s revival of Starting Here, Starting Now worth seventy five minutes of your time is its powerhouse performers. Director Gerald Armin is to be congratulated for putting Nikki Bentley, Noel Sullivan and Gina Murray on stage together. Their combined experience, together with that of musical director Inga Davis-Rutter, means the audience can sit back and relax, knowing that they are in very good hands. Nikki Bentley, last seen as Alphaba in Wicked, is particularly good at the torch song numbers, but she can also be sly and funny, such as the makeover song where she promises to make Gina Murray โ€œbeautiful like me.โ€ Gina Murrayโ€™s acting chops, in addition to her lovely voice, are seen to great advantage in this show. Good examples are her comic foil to Noel Sullivanโ€™s overconfident suitor in โ€œWe Can Talk To Each Otherโ€, and the way in which she packs the small stage with energy in โ€œWatching the Big Parade Go By.โ€ Sullivan, by contrast, doesnโ€™t have quite the range of his fellow performers, but weโ€™re talking about a seriously talented cast here. All three work well together as an ensemble, and together with Inga Davis-Rutter on the keyboards, move effortlessly through the evening.

Starting Here, Starting Now is that good, old-fashioned thingโ€”an entertaining, relaxing evening in the theatre. Perfect for date night, and as an added bonus, you are getting a West End experience at Fringe prices. I call that a very good deal.

 

Reviewed by Dominica Plummer

Photography by  Gareth McCleod

 


Starting Here, Starting Now

Waterloo East Theatre

 

Five star shows this year:
Shook | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Online | February 2021
Bklyn The Musical | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Online | March 2021
Preludes in Concert | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Online | May 2021
Reunion | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Sadlerโ€™s Wells Theatre | May 2021
Overflow | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Sadlerโ€™s Wells Theatre | May 2021
Cruise | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Duchess Theatre | May 2021
In My Own Footsteps | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Book Review | June 2021
The Hooley | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Chiswick House & Gardens | June 2021
Bad Days And Odd Nights | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | Greenwich Theatre | June 2021

 

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ITโ€™S ONLY LIFE

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Union Theatre

Life

Itโ€™s Only Life

Union Theatre

Reviewed โ€“ 15th June 2018

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โ€œBucchinoโ€™s songs embrace the full spectrum of contemporary urban living with sensitivity and witโ€

 

Itโ€™s Only Life, John Bucchino and Daisy Princeโ€™s musical revue of twenty-three heart-breaking and hilarious songs, is already a well-known enterprise in the world of American musical theatre. And rightly so: Bucchinoโ€™s songs embrace the full spectrum of contemporary urban living with sensitivity and wit. Laid side by side, the songs dip, twist and soar, telling a collective story of stasis, desire, love, heartbreak and redemption.

The ensemble of five performers master these songs beautifully. Recent graduates Sammy Graham and Will Carey keep their cool amongst the more experienced performers Jennifer Harding, Noel Sullivan and Jordan Shaw, and, apart from some lyrics getting lost at the beginning, the vocals are flawless. Harding exudes pathos narrating the crossing paths of two lovers in โ€˜Sweet Dreamsโ€™, and Carey memorably toys with his audience in the hilarious โ€˜On My Bedside Tableโ€™, gritting his teeth trying to prove he is not at all phased by โ€œthe fact that you and I are definitely throughโ€. โ€˜Gratefulโ€™ bookends the piece and allows Sullivan a moment to show off his vocal range and power. Itโ€™s refreshing that these performers can show restraint when itโ€™s needed. This is a show about the songs and the story, not ego.

Justin Williamsโ€™ design stands out from the off. Cleverly using pastel blues, pinks, greens and oranges on a simple white background, Williams has created a space where props are close to hand and levels are used to maximum effect. Our stories can move from downtown bars to lonely bedrooms with little effort and give the songs a crucial context. Tania Azevedoโ€™s direction too, is unflashy and in full service to the symphony of stories. No movement feels unnecessary, and the precision of the cast shows a wide variety of environments that the space itself would never allow.

The message of Itโ€™s Only Life is hardly original, but kindly reminds us to embrace the things we fear. These songs act as stepping stones, from risk to risk, and we can only learn as we go how best to get to the other side. Ultimately, itโ€™s a redemptive and moving revue. I saw audience members crying, holding hands, laughing out loud. The ensemble, representing a sexually diverse Britain, behave familiarly with their audience as if to say: โ€œThese are our stories, but theyโ€™re yours tooโ€. And that is where Itโ€™s Only Life really succeeds. Anyone can find a story here, or a moment, to relate to.

Itโ€™s Only Life is an unforgettably enjoyable experience that comes highly recommended. Great songs, great vocals, great emotions โ€ฆ whatโ€™s not to love?

 

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Pamela Raith

 


Itโ€™s Only Life

Union Theatre until 7th July

 

Related
Previously reviewed at this venue
Carmen 1808 | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | February 2018
The Cherry Orchard | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | March 2018
Twang!! | โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… | April 2018

 

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