Review: Les Miserables

Musical: Les Miserables

Venue: Queen's Theatre, London, UK

Date: 21st December 2011 at 14:30

Cast: Christopher Jacobsen (u/s Jean Valjean), Hadley Fraser (Javert), Caroline Sheen (Fantine), Cameron Blakely (Thenardier), Leanne Rogers (u/s Madame Thenardier), Alexia Khadime (Eponine), Craig Mather (Marius), Lisa-Anne Wood (Cosette), Liam Tamne (Enjolras), Adam Linstead (Bishop/Grantaire), Madeline Banbury (Little Cosette), Rebecca Jo Roberts (Little Eponine) and Marc Wadhwani (Gavroche)

Rating: *****

Review:

Les Miserables is London's longest-running musical and probably my most favourite musical. I saw a production of it in August 2010 and though I loved the show, I felt a bit unfulfilled despite the strong cast and an impeccable production. However, that could not stop me from going back to it when I have the chance and with Ramin Karimloo taking over the lead role of Jean Valjean, I was very much interested.

I got my ticket from tkts booth for 39 pounds for a seat in the premium section in the dress circle which provide a different but excellent view of the stage and it gives me a chance to fully take the show in. I remembered that my last visit, I didn't get to see Simon Bowman as Valjean and got the brilliant Jonathan Williams instead. Who said lightning never strikes twice? I arrived at the Queen's to find out that Ramin would not be playing the role the whole week and the performance that day would be played by an understudy by the name of Christopher Jacobsen and he was absolutely brilliant! His "Soliloquy" towards the beginning of the show was truly amazing and full of emotion and his "Bring Him Home" was beautiful. Dare I say that Christopher's Valjean was even better than Jonathan's whom I saw last year and I even doubt if Ramin could do a better job, but that's just a thought.

Christopher Jacobsen as Jean Valjean
(seen here during "Bring Him Home")

Hadley Fraser was our Javert and I wasn't too fond of him when I saw him as Raoul at the 25th anniversary celebration of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall. I found him to be more suitable to the role of Javert and I liked him more than Norm Lewis whom I saw last year. His voice and acting was great though I wish he wouldn't slur through the words of "Stars" as much.

Hadley Fraser as Inspector Javert during "Stars"

Caroline Sheen, Cameron Blakely and Leanne Rogers (covering for Katy Secombe) played a wonderful Fantine, Thenardier and Madame Thenardier respectively, especially Cameron Blakely who delivered one of the best "Dog Eats Dog" I've heard (and I usually hate that song). I also enjoyed the lover couple in this production, Craig Mather and Lisa-Anne Wood as Marius and Cosette much better than Alistair Brammer and Lucie Jones whom I saw last year. I couldn't believe that this was their West End debut especially the fantastic Craig Mather who possessed a charming personality and a wonderful singing voice, notably in "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" and his reaction during "A Little Fall of Rain" was very heartbreaking. Meanwhile, Liam Tamne played a good student leader Enjolras and he had great stage presence and voice though not as good as Killian Donnelly but his last "Free" was perfect. (Can I say that he reminds me of an adult version of Nick Jonas?)

Caroline Sheen as Fantine performing "I Dreamed a Dream"

Lisa-Anne Wood and Craig Mather as Cosette and Marius
during "A Heart Full of Love"

Liam Tamne as Enjolras during "One Day More"
(seen here with Hadley Fraser, Alexia Khadime and Craig Mather in the back)

My biggest disappointment of the night was Alexia Khadime as Eponine, one of my all-time favourite roles in musical theatre. First of all, it doesn't really make sense that Eponine is black since her parents are white and Little Eponine (which is seen just before "Master of the House") is white. That aside, I don't like that Eponine has short hair because it made her iconic hat kinda pointless whereas before she would hide her long hair inside that hat. Actingwise, I found Alexia's performance to be very shouty and recited and was nowhere near as good as her predecessor Samantha Barks. Her singing voice, though able to hit every note, was not my cup of tea. I think it was just a matter of her voice selection choice because I really like her voice when it was sung softly (i.e. in the harmony at the end of "A Heart Full of Love") but it seemed that she always chose to sing everything else in full boyish nasal belting voice which was not really pleasant to listen to at all though I must say that her "pretending" in "On My Own" was really something.

Alexia Khadime and Craig Mather as Eponine and Marius
during "A Little Fall of Rain"

I also must mention the excellent children's cast at my performance especially Marc Wadhwani who played a charming Gavroche and *SPOILER ALERT* he played the death scene really well. *SPOILER ENDS* His "Little People" interaction with Javert was just cute and excellently done. Madeline Banbury played a lovely little Cosette, too bad her "Castle on a Cloud" was cut short by a verse. Why?

The overall production was fantastic and the new sound system that they just installed earlier in the year sounded amazing and I felt that it was a lot better than when I visited the Queen's last time. I didn't notice that the they altered the boxes to be part of the scene last time I was here but from where I sat, I was able to take in the feel of it very well. The material of the show was perfectly crafted, the book, the music and the lyrics as well as the production design and the use of the turntable and the iconic barricade. By the end of the Epilogue, I was all in tears and was so moved, yet uplifted, by the story and the message that the show carries.

Craig Mather (as Marius), Alexia Khadime (as Eponine),
Lisa-Anne Wood (as Cosette) and Alfie Boe (as Jean Valjean)
during "Look Down/The Robbery"

"Master of the House"
(seen here with Matt Lucas and Katy Secombe)

"Lovely Ladies"

"At the Barricade"

My latest visit to Les Miserables this time just reconfirms me why I love this musical so much and why it was able to last this long on the West End and become such an important part of musical theatre history. Les Miserables is a must-see for all musical theatre fans. Yes, it has become commercial over the years, but it's a great piece of theatre that should be seen and kept running for at least another 25 years. I would wholeheartedly see it again anytime anywhere if I have the chance and so should you!

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT ONE

Prologue... Company

Soliloquy... Jean Valjean

At the End of the Day... Unemployed and Factory Workers

I Dreamed a Dream... Fantine

Lovely Ladies... Ladies and Clients

Who Am I?... Jean Valjean

Come to Me... Fantine and Jean Valjean

Castle on a Cloud... Little Cosette

Master of the House... Thenardier, Madame Thenardier and Customers

Thenardier Waltz... Thenardier, Madame Thenardier and Jean Valjean

Look Down... Gavroche and the Beggars

Stars... Javert

Red and Black... Enjolras, Marius, Grantaire and Students

Do You Hear the People Sing... Enjolras, Students and Citizens

In My Life... Cosette, Jean Valjean, Marius and Eponine

A Heart Full of Love... Marius, Cosette and Eponine

One Day More... Company

ACT TWO

On My Own... Eponine

A Little Fall of Rain... Eponine and Marius

Drink with Me to Days Gone by... Grantaire, Students and Women

Bring Him Home... Jean Valjean

Dog Eats Dog... Thenardier

Soliloquy... Javert

Turning... Women

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables... Marius

Wedding Chorale... Guests

Beggars at the Feast... Thenardier and Madame Thenardier

Finale... Company 

Review: Ghost The Musical in London

Musical: Ghost: The Musical

Venue: Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK

Date: 13th December 2011 at 19:30

Cast: Richard Fleeshman (Sam), Caissie Levy (Molly), Paul Ayres (u/s Carl), Lisa Davina Phillip (u/s Oda Mae Brown), Ivan de Freitas (Willie Lopez), Adebayo Bolaji (Subway Ghost), Mark White (Hospital Ghost), Jenny Fitzpatrick and Yemie Sonuga (Clara and Louise)

Rating: ***1/2

Review:

It was my London trip with my parents, brother and girlfriend after my graduation ceremony on Monday. I was looking for a show to bring my family to and I figure the best one to take them to was the new musical "Ghost: The Musical". I have seen the show before when it premiered in Manchester earlier this year (read my review) but have never seen how it looked since it opened in London so I was quite looking forward to the show very much.

Overall the show was very identical to what I saw in Manchester which was both good and bad. The sceneries seemed to be fitting better in the smaller Piccadilly Theatre. The illusions (which I shall not reveal too much here) were impressive and the lighting works better in this theatre as well as it conceals some of the illusions better (especially in the subway scene) and though I still can't work out how they did them, these illusions never fail to impress me.

I still also really enjoyed the LED screen projection used in the production as I found them to be fairly realistic and innovative (love the elevator scene). If I was not mistaken, it seemed that they have made some changes with some of the projections as well, i.e. in "Here Right Now" and "Nothing Stops Another Day". The pottery scene was also better projected here, I feel. 

The Pottery Scene

The cast was pretty much the same team that I saw in Manchester except we got 2 understudies for Oda Mae and Carl. Lisa Davina Phillip was stepping in for the brilliant Sharon D. Clarke who broke her foot and she didn't disappoint at all though I must say that she still couldn't really match the talent of Ms. Clarke especially her comedic timing but she was still pretty darn funny. Too bad I feel that her "I'm Outta Here" was not as good as it could have been. 

Our Oda Mae, Lisa Davina Phillip

"I'm Outta Here"
(seen here with Sharon D. Clarke as Oda Mae Brown)

 Also covering for Andrew Langtree as Carl Bruner is ensemble member Paul Ayres and I actually prefer him to Andrew. Though Paul didn't look as villainous as Andrew, I found myself enjoying Paul's singing and acting more and I could actually understand what he was singing.

Paul Ayres who was our understudy for Carl Bruner
seen here in Bright Lights, Big City back in 2010

"More" (seen here with Andrew Langtree as Carl Bruner)
You can see Paul Ayres standing to the right of Andrew there.

We still got Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy as the lover Sam and Molly and they were very good. I loved Caissie's voice and her "With You" was just heartwrenching and beautiful. Richard seemed to be more muscular but his singing was still very poppish (very notable when he sang "Here Right Now" with Caissie) and he just looked uncomfortable when he was acting angry during "I Can't Breathe" and "I Had a Life". But he clearly did a lot better in the second act towards the end and the chemistry between him and Caissie during the final "Unchained Melody" was great.

"Unchained Melody"
Caissie Levy and Richard Fleeshman

Richard Fleeshman as Sam Wheat during "I Had a Life"
(see the tension in his face?)

The songs were pretty much unchanged from the Manchester production which means that I still hated the scenes (and songs) in the hospital and the subway very much. Again, some of the songs towards the end of act one and beginning of act two were quite dragging, boring and seemed pointless to me (such as "Life Turns on a Dime" and "Nothing Stops Another Day") However, the act one finale sounded cleaner and better this time.

Seeing the show for the second time, I feel that the show does suffer from dragging plots and repetitive music with some big holes in the plot like if Sam can't touch an object, how can he sit on a refrigerator and get back to Molly's place or manage to jump on the sofa and not fall through it? However, I feel that the reason that the show survived was that it has such a capturing beginning and ending. The first few scenes in the show (from the opening up to the hospital scene) were very grabbing and very eye-popping and the last few scenes in the show were very hilarious and moving which sends the audience out of the theatre feeling happy and fulfilled that they might overlook some of the boring scenes in between that they saw. I still feel that they should have ended the show when Molly said "Ditto". The audience at the performance I attended gave them a long applause right after that as the music swells but as Sam came back out again to deliver the "Love Inside" monologue, I felt that it was a bit of an anti-climax but ultimately the cast got a full standing ovation from the audience. 

"I Had a Life"

"Rain"

Personally, I did enjoy myself at Ghost very much despite feeling a little bored at times but by the end, I (as well as some other audience) was in tears. I would recommend the show to any theatre lovers but not for those looking for a sophisticated theatre night out though. 

Ghost will open on Broadway in March 2012 with Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy reprising their roles. I still doubt the fate of a British show on the great white way (Sister Act, anyone?) and I'm not really sure whether they will make any dramatic changes to suit the American audience but I do sincerely wish them the best of luck. Mark Evans and Siobhan Dillon will take over the roles of Sam and Molly in the West End from January 13, 2012 onwards.

Mark Evans and Siobhan Dillon
taking over the leading roles in GHOST in January 2012

Review: Wicked

Musical: Wicked

Venue: Apollo Victoria Theatre, London, UK

Date: 30th November 2011 at 14:30

Cast: Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Chloe Taylor (s/b Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero), Julie LeGrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard of Oz), Zoe Rainey (Nessarose), Ben Stott (Boq), Julian Forsyth (Doctor Dillamond) and Daniel Jones (Chistery)

Rating: *****

Review: 

I have seen Wicked once in San Francisco back in 2009 and honestly I wasn't too impressed with it and back then I never thought that  I would return to it anytime soon. However, when I found out about the day seat for Wicked in London, I was tempted so I went to join the queue to try my luck. I was at the Apollo Victoria Theatre about 9:45 am and there was already quite some queue there. Luckily, it was a two-day show so I did get myself on a day seat ticket to the matinee show for 27.50 GBP

The Apollo Victoria Theatre was a very beautiful and large theatre. It was that big that they could fit a bar at the back of the stall! To my surprise, the theatre was only half full in the stall at the Wednesday performance I attended. I thought with its popularity and great publicity, it would be nearly sold out for most performances because whenever I went to see The Lion King on Wednesday afternoon, it was always full. I'm not sure if this is a bad sign for Wicked's life in London or not..

Outside the Apollo Victoria Theatre

Before the Show

 I was sitting in A15. The front seat did provide a clear view of the stage with great legroom and a good close look of the actors and the sets and costumes which I personally enjoyed. Though my seat was a bit too much on the far right of the stage, I can see the dragon clearly from where I was. However, there were times that my view was blocked due to stage blocking *SPOILER ALERT* including Elphaba's mother's secret lover in the opening scene (blocked by Glinda),  the leading characters (Glinda, Fiyero and Madame Morrible) on the stand during "Thank Goodness" and at the end where Elphaba popped up from the trapdoor and walked off with Fiyero together. *SPOILER ENDS* Though only a few minutes of it was blocked, I still feel that these are quite important to the plots which may affect first-timers' understanding of the whole storyline. And you do lose out on the big picture of the set being so close but it is definitely worth the price especially if you were there early and got the centre seats. If you had to go for side views, I would recommend far left (higher number).

Overall, I enjoyed the show a lot more than when I saw it in San Francisco. It could be that this cast was a lot stronger and it is a sit-down production where everything just looks grander, compared to a touring production. Rachel Tucker was a great Elphaba. She has a great singing voice and a great stage presence. Her "The Wizard and I" and "No Good Deed" were highlights of the night. She also did well in softer moments like "I'm Not That Girl" and "As Long As You're Mine". However, I feel that she's a bit shouty with her dialogue but she did express them well. 

Rachel Tucker as Elphaba in "No Good Deed"

As Glinda, we got standby Chloe Taylor who was very good in her role but she was so tall that she made Rachel look short. Chloe played and sang the part well and had a beautiful soprano voice, though I feel that she was not as funny as Louise Dearman (current London Glinda) and other Glindas I've seen. But I do prefer her to Kendra Kassebaum whom I saw in San Francisco. I enjoyed the moments when both Chloe and Rachel were together from "What Is This Feeling" to the last "For Good".

Chloe Taylor as Glinda

The Catfight Scene
(Louise Dearman and Rachel Tucker)

 Mark Evans was our Fiyero and I remembered him from Oklahoma! in Manchester last year. I think he did well with the role. I also could spot him in the ensemble during the opening number "No One Mourns the Wicked". Julie Legrand was a good Madame Morrible but a bit weak on the singing side. Clive Carter was an excellent Wizard of Oz. He played the role well and he also sang well. I quite like his "Wonderful", I don't know what but there's just something different to it compared to the other Wizards I've seen and heard.

Mark Evans as Fiyero during "Thank Goodness"

Julie Legrand as the evil Madame Morrible

Clive Carter as The Wizard of Oz
(seen here with Rachel Tucker just before "Wonderful")

Ben Stott and Zoe Rainey also made a great Boq and Nessarose. Zoe's "The Wicked Witch of the East" was great, *SPOILER ALERT* though with the angle from where I was, I could see Ben already in his tinman suit when Elphaba wheeled him out. Not sure if that was a deliberate angle or Rachel just missed the angle. *SPOILER ENDS*

Ben Stott as Boq

Zoe Rainey and Ben Stott as Nessarose and Boq
in the second act just before "The Wicked With of the East"

 Same as when I saw The Lion King, the British accent stood out to me a lot here like in "DAAncing through life" and it's a bit funny (and weird) to listen to "Popular" with a British accent and it made the joke about the word a bit less funny. The production design was very similar to the Broadway (bootleg) and San Francisco versions that I've seen. I didn't remember that the broom just flew out from the wing like that when I saw it in San Francisco. The main difference that I noticed here that I really liked was when Glinda draped the black cloth over Elphaba in "Defying Gravity" just before she flew. Here, Elphaba would crouch and then slowly stood up. It totally changed the tone of the scene and it made that exact moment a lot stronger for Elphaba as she actually turned into The Wicked Witch of the West. 

Mark Evans and Louise Dearman
during "Dancing Through Life"

Overall, I had a great time at Wicked and this London production totally changed my idea of seeing Wicked live on stage. I would recommend this show to everyone but I still stand by my idea that it would be great if you would brush up your Wizard of Oz knowledge a bit so you get most of the jokes in the show as well as learn the synopsis first (especially for non-natives) as the show progresses quite quickly. As I'm typing this review now, I really wouldn't mind going back to see it again especially for the price I paid!

"Good news, she's dead!"

"She's tragically beautiful but I'm beautifully tragic!"

"One short day in the Emerald city"

"We couldn't be happier, thank goodness!"
seen here with Adam Garcia as Fiyero and Helen Dallimore as Glinda
and the original London cast

WICKED DAY SEATS

24 seats in Stalls Row A will be sold for 27.50 GBP (stalls full price is at 65 GBP) on the day of the performance (two-show day on Wednesdays and Saturdays, no show on Sundays). Interested audience must go to the Apollo Victoria Theatre in person (Limited 2 tickets per person). The box office opens at 10 am. On a two-show day, I suggest getting there about 9:30 am. (earlier if you definitely want centre seats) since there would be 48 seats to sell. On a one-show day, it really depends on your luck whether there will be a long queue by that time or not. I have read that some people went to queue since 7 am. I'd say 8 am. to be safe (but I have also read that some people went there at 8 am. and there was already 10+ people waiting) but it's still a 2-hour wait in the cold but if you get it, it's really worth the wait.

Review: Matilda

Musical: Matilda: The Musical
Venue: Cambridge Theatre, London, UK
Date: 29th November 2011 at 19:00

Adult Cast: Bertie Carvel (Miss Trunchbull), Lauren Ward (Miss Honey), Paul Kaye (Mr. Wormwood) and Josie Walker (Mrs. Wormwood)
Children Cast: Cleo Demetriou (Matilda), Jemima Eaton (Lavender), James Beesley (Bruce), Alfie Manser (Nigel), Lily Laight (Aanda), Toby Murray (Eric), Alicia Gould (Alice), Oonagh Cox (Hortensia) and Thomas Atkinson (Tommy) 

Rating: ****

Review:
One of the most anticipating West End musicals of this season must be the musical version of Roald Dahl's Matilda, directed by Matthew Warchus (who also brought us another big hit of the year, Ghost: The Musical). This Royal Shakespeare Company production started its life in 2010 in Stratford and with its successful sold-out run, no doubt that the musical was able to make its way to the West End.

Cambridge Theatre

The first thing that impressed me is the theatre design, from the first moment you walk in to the Cambridge Theatre, everywhere you see blackboard and kids' handwriting with colorful interior design. Even the cast list was written in chalk on a blackboard. Inside the theatre, I must say it was probably one of the beautiful sights I've seen. The top part of the stage was filled with colorful letters with 7 swings each bearing a letter of Matilda's name.

Before the show

A view from where I sat if you look above

Children Cast List creatively written on a blackboard in chalk

And as the show began, I was very impressed with the whole production design. It was very innovative and creatively implemented. Every cast in the show, whether leading or ensemble, adult or children, performed their hearts out and made the 2 hours and 40 minutes fly by so fast that you wish you could turn back time and enjoy it all over again.

Cleo Demetriou was one of the four girls sharing the role of Matilda and at the performance I attended, she was simply adorable and no less talented than any of the adult cast members around her. All the children in the show were extremely impressive as they were able to pull off the singing, dancing and acting required. This show probably boasts one of the most difficult children's roles I've seen in professional theatre alongside Billy Elliot. Special mentions go to Jemima Eaton as the quirky and funny Lavender and the scene-stealer James Beesley as Bruce (who also originated this role in Stratford) who was greatly talented both in his acting (during "Bruce") and in his singing (during "Revolting Children").

Cleo Demetriou as Matilda during "Quiet"

James Beesley as Bruce during act one finale "Bruce"

The amazing children cast seen here during "Revolting Children"
(Spring Awakening, anyone?)

Bertie Carvel was an amazing Miss Trunchbull. Though very different from the movie, Bertie was able to create a perfect Miss Truchbull fit for the stage who were both scary and funny at the same time. He also provided most comedic reliefs in the show while still being able to portray a strict and mean headmistress of the school. On the contrary, Lauren Ward brought a perfectly sweet and lovely Miss Honey to the show. Her beautiful soprano voice, from her first "Pathetic" to her heartwrenching "My House," was simply beautiful beyond words and there were always tears in her eyes when she sang.

Bertie Carvel and Lauren Ward as Miss Trunchbull and Miss Honey

Paul Kaye and Josie Walker joined forces in successfully bringing to life Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood who were "disgustingly" terrific! Peter Howe also successfully played a believeable retarded Matilda's brother, Michael Wormwood.

Paul Kaye, Josie Walker and Peter Howe as the Wormwood Family

The rest of the supporting cast were no less wonderful. Tim Walton started off the show in the dual roles of Teacher/Doctor and set the right mood and tone for the rest of the show brilliantly. Matthew Malthouse and Emily Shaw had an amazing chemistry as The Escapologist and The Acrobat. Gary Watson was a funny and serviceable Mrs. Wormwood's Italian dance partner, Rudolpho, while Melanie La Barrie stole the show as Mrs. Phelps, the librarian.

Melanie La Barrie as Mrs. Phelps the librarian

I also enjoyed the music and lyrics of Matilda: The Musical by Tim Minchin very much. It was very catchy and the lyrics was very witty especially when you were able to take time to take them in a little bit (through the cast recording, of course). "School Song" (with its A-Z gimmick) and "When I Grow Up" were my favourites. I feel that "Revolting Children" made me feel like I was watching the school version of "Spring Awakening" a bit (and that's actually a compliment). The set design and stage effects were quite fun to watch as well. I love the effects of the swings during "When I Grow Up" and how the story of the escapologist and the acrobat was presented.

When I Grow Up

From the artistic view, this is a perfectly crafted show. However, from my own view as a non-native regular theatregoer (that forced me to sadly take a star away from it), I have to admit that I wasn't able to follow the story and the songs 100%. Still, the amazing talent of the cast and the children and the clever production design will definitely make you enjoy the show even though at times you don't actually know what was going on. *SPOILER ALERT* Additionally, I wish that Matilda would do more magic tricks and the ending wasn't so easy. I also wish that there was an actual chokey but the laser was pretty neat and funny. *SPOILER ENDS* 

Act One Opening: Miracle

Act Two Finale: Revolting Children

I would recommend this show to everyone, certainly! It is probably one of the best shows currently running in London and I'm sure that it's going to be here for quite some time...!

Kerry Ingram as Matilda during "Naughty"

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT ONE 
Miracle... Company
Naughty... Matilda
School Song... Company
Pathetic... Miss Honey
The Hammer... Miss Trunchbull, Miss Honey and Children
The Chokey Chant... Company
Loud... Mrs. Wormwood and Rudolpho
This Little Girl... Miss Honey
Bruce... Children

ACT TWO
Telly... Mr. Wormwood and Michael Wormwood
When I Grow Up... Company
I'm Here... Matilda and Escapologist
The Smell of Rebellion... Miss Trunchbull, Miss Honey and Children
Quiet... Matilda
My House... Miss Honey
Revolting Children... Company
When I Grow Up (Reprise)... Company