In Part 2 of my musical roundup, I have, with difficulty, made a list of the top 10 favourite shows that I've seen this year. Please note that all these rankings are based on my own opinion and only from the shows I saw in 2011. Should you disagree, well, write your own blog then... :)
TOP 10 FAVOURITE SHOWS I'VE SEEN
#10 GHOST: THE MUSICAL
(Opera House, Manchester)
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| Caissie Levy and Richard Fleeshman as Molly and Sam |
Rounding up my top ten list is the new musical based on the much-loved 1990 film of the same name, GHOST the Musical. Despite the show's obvious flaws and its mediocre music, the show successfully captured the attention of the audience and definitely wowed the audience with its innovative stage production and illusion effects. The acting of Sharon D. Clarke as Oda Mae Brown (originated in the film by Whoopi Goldberg) provided a good comedic relief and that alone was worth the ticket price.
#9 BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL
(Victoria Palace Theatre, London)
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| "Billy Dream Ballet" (seen here with one of the original Broadway Billys, David Alvarez) |
This movie-turned-musical has been playing on the West End to packed houses every night since 2005. I was glad to finally have seen it and was very much moved and entertained. I might not understand much about the political issue and the struggling that was the background of the storyline (made worse by the thick Newcastle accent), the main plot about the boy who is not afraid to do what he loves totally took me in. Josh Baker, our Billy Elliot, has just started his run back when I saw him and he was wonderful and definitely danced the hell out of the role. I also loved the scene with Billy's "dead mum" which brought tears to the eyes of most of the audience including me.
#8 SOUTH PACIFIC
(Opera House, Manchester)
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| "Honey Bun" (seen here with Samantha Womack as Nellie and Alex Ferns as Luther) |
A highly anticipated Broadway transfer production of the year was SOUTH PACIFIC. I was sad that Paulo Szot wasn't playing in Manchester but there was absolutely nothing wrong with Jason Howard and the opportunity to see original Lincoln Center production cast and Tony nominee Loretta Ables Sayre perform live as Bloody Mary was precious. Rounding out the stellar cast was Samantha Womack and Daniel Koek who were, in every bit, perfect. The production was grand and beautiful and was one of the most breathtaking and moving things I saw. Though I have to admit that Rodgers and Hammerstein's music might not suit everyone's ears and may not be the joyest thing to listen to. At times, I was bored to be honest.
#7 MATILDA: THE MUSICAL
(Cambridge Theatre, London)
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| "Revolting Children" |
Another big West End hit of the year was definitely the musical version of Roald Dahl's book, MATILDA and I think the show is ready to sweep every single award in this coming award season. I think the show was an absolute feast for the eye. The production design and how the show was presented was creative and amazing. And the cast... where do I begin? The cast was perfect both adults and children, namely Bertie Carvel as the mean headmistress Miss Trunchbull, Cleo Demetriou as little Matilda and the scene-stealing James Beesley as Bruce. The show is moving to Broadway in 2013 and I think it's going to have a successful life there.
#6 BLOOD BROTHERS
(Grand Theatre, Leeds)
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| Niki Evans as Mrs. Johnstone and Sean Jones as Mickey |
I hated the show when I first saw it in 2010 but the main problem was that I couldn't understand what was going on due to the thick Liverpool accent. As the show toured to Leeds, I gave myself another chance and studied the script and music beforehand and this time it simply blew me away. It is definitely one of the most powerful shows I've seen with such an intense ending that glued you to your seat. The script was beautiful and the stage production was simple yet perfect. The cast was amazing and by the end, there were hardly any dry eyes in the auditorium.
#5 WICKED
(Apollo Victoria Theatre, London)
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| The "catfight" scene (seen here with Louise Dearman as Glinda and Rachel Tucker as Elphaba) |
Another show that I didn't care for much when I first saw it live was WICKED. I mean I loved the cast recording, I loved the book and I loved the bootleg video of it that I had but when I saw it in San Francisco, I was let down. But with the West End production, I now understand why many people love the show so much. The production here was brilliant and the cast did an amazing job and this time, I was moved by the show and found that Wicked actually has one of the strongest books among the other musicals out there today.
#4 ANNIE
(West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds)
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| Sophie Downham as Annie with Sandy just before "Tomorrow" |
The little musical that could of the year for me was definitely ANNIE. I wasn't expecting much out of this regional production but it turned out that I really had a lot of fun and was smiling throughout the show and even when it was over. Yes, the book was cheesy and the music was a bit dated, but the creativity behind this production of Annie and how they utilized the space in the unique Quarry Theatre together with the amazing talents of the cast, both adults and chilren, made the show an absolute must-see of the year for me.
#3 AMERICAN IDIOT
(St. James Theatre, Broadway)
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| Opening Scene with "American Idiot" |
I had a great opportunity of visiting New York this year and I had planned to see many shows. AMERICAN IDIOT was NOT one of them. It was a Sunday afternoon and there weren't many things to see so I wanted to try my luck with the lottery just for fun and it turned out that I got it and it was absolutely amazing. The book might not be the strongest part of the show but from the first moment that the music starts, you were hooked for the next 90 minutes. The cast was energetic and Van Hughes played a great leading man plus how often do you get to see Green Day leading man Billie Joe Armstrong in a Broadway show, oh and did I mention that I got to shake hand with him at curtain call. Absolutely amazing!
#2 (tie) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
(Her Majesty's Theatre, London)
& THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA: The 25th Anniversary Celebration
(Royal Albert Hall, London)
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| John Owen-Jones as the Phantom at Her Majesty's Theatre |
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| Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess as the Phantom and Christine at the 25th Anniversary Celebration at the Albert Hall |
Yeah, I know, I kinda put them all together there but I really can't rule one over the other. 2011 has been a Phantom year for me. I started the year with a revisit to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA after having not seen it for 7 years. Then there's the 25th anniversary celebration at the iconic Royal Albert Hall which was the chance of a lifetime for me to be there. Then, again before the year ended, my friend and I paid another visit to see the show before John Owen-Jones left the show. And every time I saw it, I just fell in love with the show more and more. It's not the perfect musical but it's just legendary and you can't help but be moved by the love story and wowed by the breathtaking sceneries and stage production of it. Here's to 25 more years!
#1 LES MISERABLES
(Queen's Theatre, London)
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| Craig Mather, Alexia Khadime, Lisa-Anne Wood and Alfie Boe as Marius, Eponine, Cosette and Jean Valjean |
I said it before and I'm gonna say it again, LES MISERABLES is the best musical of all-time. I saw the show first time back in 2003 at the Palace Theatre and the again last year in 2010 at its new home at the Queen's Theatre but I wasn't too excited about it, maybe it was the cast. This year, I paid another visit (hoping to see Ramin Karimloo in the role but he wasn't in) and was blown away and it totally reminded me why I love the show so much. The cast I had was one of the best ones I've seen and the production remains as impressive as ever and it never fails to make me cry by the Epilogue. Wonderful. May it never close!
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