Tag Archives: Theatre Royal Brighton

PIPPIN IN CONCERT

★★★★★

Theatre Royal Drury Lane

PIPPIN IN CONCERT at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane

★★★★★

“The air is thick with the exhilaration that flows from the cast and ensemble”

“We’ve got magic to do, just for you… We’ve got miracle plays to play. We’ve got parts to perform – hearts to warm… as we go along our way”. Barely into the opening number, as the London Musical Theatre Orchestra reaches its crescendo and the ArtsEd Choir swells in beautiful unison, we know that these bold promises in the libretto will be fulfilled. Already our hearts are warmed. We are in for a magical ride. The fiftieth anniversary concert of “Pippin” at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is nothing short of a miracle. The realisation comes with a shower of golden confetti falling over the auditorium as we look around expecting to see Simon Cowell wildly banging his Golden Buzzer.

It boasts a star-studded cast, led by… well – the ‘Leading Player’. Alex Newell commands the stage, their presence demolishing the fourth wall while their soaring vocals bring down the roof. For a moment we are in pure Motown territory. But we cover much more varied ground in this show-within-a-show musical that leads its protagonist on a rich journey in pursuit of fulfilment and purpose; of an illusory ‘American Dream’.

Jonathan O’Boyle has brought this fifty-year-old musical right into the present day, not just giving its over simplified social commentary a twenty-first century relevance, but also laying bare the inherent comedy within Roger O. Hirson’s book. The dialogue elicits just as many laughs as the songs prompt ovations. Tucked away are moments of philosophical satire that Voltaire would have been proud of. But let’s stay away from analysis and focus on the spectacle, for that is what this revival is all about. While the cast bring something new and fresh to the table, the authenticity is left intact. Joanna Goodwin’s choreography is modern yet full of timeless moments of pure Fosse, while Simon Nathan’s sumptuous orchestrations are simultaneously contemporary and traditional. Orchestra and choir are the set, a gorgeously visual and aural backdrop with Jamie Platt’s lighting pinpointing the action and locations with emotional accuracy. Not to mention Adam Fisher’s crystal-clear sound that highlights every nuance of the score.

 

 

Above all, though, this show belongs to the performers. Jac Yarrow seizes the title role with ease and charm. In fine voice throughout, his comic timing also comes to the fore as he relaxes into the part. By the time he meets his love interest in Act Two, the humour soars almost as high as his falsetto. Lucie Jones, as the widow Catherine who eventually captures Pippin’s heart, is simply hilarious. The more the fourth wall breaks down, the more she milks it for comic effect, yet she touches our hearts when she steals a solo number. Zizi Strallen, as wicked stepmother Fastrada, takes sassiness to new levels, all high kicks and splits, and spellbinding dancing. Patricia Hodge plays the grandmother with a knowing wink – raunchy yet wise, grounded yet with a lust for life. She’s no singer but she sure has the mojo.

For a musical, the characters have a surprising number of dimensions, which the performers draw out with unabashed joy. Cedric Neal’s King Charlemagne is a gloriously comic tyrant, always poking fun at his own personality. The air is thick with the exhilaration that flows from the cast and ensemble. They all seem to be making fun of the show while celebrating it at the same time. And, boy, is it a celebration? Stephen Schwartz’ music and lyrics may not be high art, but the faultless singing ekes out emotions and meaning that past productions have sometimes failed to unearth. And at the helm is Alex Newell. Although not quite in charge of their insubordinate players who eventually rebel against the script, Newell is definitely in charge of this show. The power of their voice leaves no argument.

The billing of the show is inaccurate. “Pippin” is, in truth, fifty-two years old this year. So, it’s not strictly its 50th anniversary concert. But who cares? It’s not really a concert either. It is far more than that. It is an extravaganza.


PIPPIN IN CONCERT at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Reviewed on 29th April 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Pamela Raith

 

 


 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

YOUR LIE IN APRIL | ★★★★ | April 2024
WILD ABOUT YOU – A NEW MUSICAL IN CONCERT | ★★★ | March 2024
HANDEL’S MESSIAH: THE LIVE EXPERIENCE | ★★★ | December 2022

PIPPIN IN CONCERT

PIPPIN IN CONCERT

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Ghost Stories

★★★

Theatre Royal Brighton & UK Tour

Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories

Theatre Royal Brighton

Reviewed – 11th February 2020

★★★

 

“a well-oiled piece of theatrical machinery, which can be trusted to generate the audience reaction it was created to produce”

 

Ghost Stories is something of a theatrical phenomenon. Premiering at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2010, it has since toured extensively in the UK and across the globe, and was also, in 2017, turned into a film. Unusually, the play’s publicity campaign does not employ production shots, and critics and audience alike are asked to ‘keep the secrets of Ghost Stories‘, in order to ensure that new audiences are alive to the show’s surprises. As a publicity tactic, this can only be admired, and it has clearly played a big part in this production’s success. The pre-show buzz had a very particular energy in Brighton last night, and it was clear that there were a lot of horror fans in the audience. As the play’s chief protagonist states in the play’s opening: for the most part, people come to this kind of show to play a game with fear. It is a very particular type of sensory titillation. On this front, it seemed the show did not disappoint. There were certainly gasps and screams aplenty throughout, and they pretty much happened on cue, in terms of the theatrical techniques employed to produce them.

Broadly speaking, this is a production that operates on two levels – the naturalistic, and that of heightened horror. If each of these speak to you equally, you are in for a treat; if, like this reviewer, you favour one mode significantly over the other, the likelihood is that you will find the show tonally uneven and ultimately somewhat frustrating. There is some very good acting to be seen here – Joshua Higgott as Professor Goodman and Paul Hawkyard as Tony Matthews give particularly detailed performances, and there is strong work too from Richard Sutton – and writers Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman have come up with a neat narrative structure that works effectively. The design team too – Jon Bausor, James Farncombe (Lighting) and Nick Manning (Sound) – have created a slick and atmospheric series of worlds within a world. Scott Penrose’s special effects are a massive part of the show, but again, are a potentially divisive element. To this reviewer, there were elements that smacked rather too much of a fairground ghost train, and took away from the real fear generated by the power of the acting and the narrative itself, but plenty of audience members seemed to have their experience enhanced by these moments.

In essence, Ghost Stories is a well-oiled piece of theatrical machinery, which can be trusted to generate the audience reaction it was created to produce. There are shocks aplenty, but ultimately it is a formulaic genre piece – albeit quite a clever one – and therefore actually very unsurprising.

 

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

 

Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories

Theatre Royal Brighton until 15th February then UK tour continues

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:
This is Elvis | ★★★ | July 2018
Salad Days | ★★★ | September 2018
Rocky Horror Show | ★★★★ | December 2018
Benidorm Live! | ★★★★ | February 2019
Noughts And Crosses | ★★ | March 2019
Rotterdam | ★★★★ | April 2019
The Girl on the Train | ★★ | June 2019
Hair The Musical | ★★★ | July 2019
Peter Pan Goes Wrong! | ★★★★★ | November 2019

 

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