A Weekend in the West End Part 2: Les Miz/Blood Brothers/Legally Blonde

I never turn down a chance to go down to London and enjoy some musicals for myself. This time I was meeting up with my brother, Dawn and it turned out that, again, I watched 3 musicals in 2 days... Here's the reviews:

MUSICAL: Les Miserables

DATE: 28th August 2010

VENUE: Queen's Theatre, London, UK

RATING: ****

CAST: Jonathan Williams (u/s Valjean), Norm Lewis (Javert), Rebecca Seale (Fantine), Samantha Barks (Eponine), Alistair Brammer (Marius), Lucie Jones (Cosette), Killian Donnelly (Enjolras)

MY REVIEW: Les Miserables is arguably my all-time favourite musicals and it's celebrating its 25th anniversary this year on the West End and Dawn has never seen it so I figure it would be a great chance to revisit this musical. Last time I saw Les Miz, it was back in 2003 when it was still played at the much-larger Palace Theatre which is now home to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Since the beginning of the show, I noticed that the stage and the set was a lot smaller than the Palace Theatre and the scale of the whole show was somewhat smaller and I think that did take away some special magic of the show but the use of turntables always impresses me. I was, at first, a bit disappointed that Simon Bowman wouldn't be playing Valjean but Jonathan Williams who understudied him did a very good job at the role though some of his high note sounded a little bit too unnatural. However, he's a good Valjean overall.

Norm Lewis was our Javert and he was also Javert on Broadway. He had a really good and commanding stage presence though his singing voice could have been stronger and more powerful, maybe I'm too used to Philip Quast and Terrence Mann. His 'Javert's Suicide' was very good though and I like how he phrased the verse and actually made the audience follow the lyrics better but his jump of the bridge was bad and so unrealistic. It was one of my favourite parts of the show and he let me down.

Samantha Barks was our Eponine and she was unbelievable. She reminded me a lot of Lea Salonga's version and her singing voice was just impeccably beautiful. Alistair Brammer and Lucie Jones were our Marius and Cosette and to be honest I didn't like either of them. Alistair's voice sounded really strange and high and Lucie's Cosette was so bland. I also didn't like Rebecca Seale as Fantine. Her 'I Dreamed a Dream' was very disappointing.

The members of the cast that really stood out for me was Killian Donnelly as Enjolras. He was just really good and commanding in the role, one of the best Enjolras's I've seen. The Thenardiers were hilarious as usual. Our Gavroche was a bit stiff and too bad people laughed when he died. The end of the show was still as lovely as the first (and every) time I've seen it and I had tears in my eyes when the curtain fell.

Overall, a good production of a good musical which I would recommend to anyone. For me, it's a great revisit but still not as good as the first time I saw it.

MUSICAL: Blood Brothers

DATE: 28th August 2010

VENUE: Phoenix Theatre, London, UK

RATING: ***

CAST: Viviene Carlyle (u/s Mrs. Johnstone), Rebekah Clifford (u/s Mrs. Lyons), Philip Stewart (Narrator), Stephen Palfreman (Mickey), Simon Willmont (Eddie)

MY REVIEW: Since Dawn wanted to see Love Never Dies and I didn't want to see it again so we went separate ways and I bought myself a ticket to the long-running Blood Brothers. I must be so 'lucky' since again I got understudies in the main roles!

X Factor's Niki Evans was supposed to be our Mrs. Johnstone but she was out and we had Viviene Carlyle instead who normally plays Mrs. Lyons so our Mrs. Lyons was also another understudy. I was a bit annoyed but I wouldn't let it get to me so I told myself to just sit back and enjoy the show. It turned out that the 2 leading ladies were very good, both acting and singing, as well as the rest of the cast. Philip Stewart who was our narrator was very good and his calmness suited the feel of the show and role well. 

The show started off with all the cast standing over two dead bodies and our narrator came out to ask the famous question.. "Did you ever hear about the Johnstone twins?" As the show goes, I found that the Liverpool accent was very strong and it was quite hard for me to follow so I had to pay A LOT of attention througout. I love the interaction between the two ladies. 'Easy Terms' and 'Shoes upon the Table' were outstanding. 

I had to admit that I didn't know that the actors playing Mickey and Eddie would be playing the role since they were 7 years old. It was frankly a bit wierd to see them like that and the accent made things a bit worse for me 'cause, unlike the rest of the audience, I didn't get any jokes they were doing. Overall, I think they were quite good at what they were trying to achieve.

I really admire the production. There were practically no scene change, simply props put here and there. The cast consists of only about 8 people doing multiple roles at different time of the story. The ending was really powerful and emotional and 'Tell Me It's Not True' was really good. It took them like 3 curtain calls before the cast could actually smile and be back to themselves as actors.

However, I think the show's pace was really slow and there were many times in the show where I did feel bored and Willy Russell's music, though had some good moments, was boring at several points. Overall, even though the last scene was very dramatic and good, I don't think this is a musical for everyone, especially if you're not a native. I could see many of my friends dislike this musical unless you want some strong, dramatic show to see. But I would still suggest other shows first and save this for when you have time. Sorry, Blood Brothers!

MUSICAL: Legally Blonde

DATE: 29th August 2010

VENUE: Savoy Theatre, London, UK

RATING: *****

CAST: Sheridan Smith (Elle Woods), Matthew McKenna (u/s Emmett), Richard Fleeshman (Warner), Jill Halfpenny (Paulette), Tamara Wall (u/s Brooke)

MY REVIEW: Since my train didn't leave until 6, I figure I had time for another matinee and my choice was Legally Blonde. Honestly, I love this show. I think it was funny, the music was catchy and I'm sure it would appeal to many people.

Sheridan Smith was just unbelievable. She totally captured the audience with her charisma and personality. Her singing voice was good and even though she had a different approach to Laura Bell Bundy, she held her own Elle Woods very well. Our Emmett was an understudy (again!) and he was good, not as good as Christian Borle, but I had nothing bad to complain. Richard Fleeshman took over the role from Blue's Duncan James and I think he was a bit weak on both acting and singing. His singing was, most of the time, very poppish and lack of power. Jill Halfpenny was a really funny Paulette and Tamara was a good Brooke Wyndham. I also need to mention the dogs, both the chihuahua and bulldog. They stole the show even though the chihuahua refused to come out during the first scene in 'Omigod, You Guys' and the cast member had to walk backstage to carry her out and she wouldn't bark so that cast member had to pretend that the dog was whispering to her ears.. :)

The production was altered a bit from the Broadway version, notably the 'Legally Blonde' scene where it was originally sung at the law office and moved to Elle's room with Emmett locked outside the room to simply just at the law office with Elle just ran away. Also, some lyrics were adjusted probably to suit British audience. The costume and colour were just fun to look at.

Overall, I had a really great time and I would encourage anyone to see it, whether you have seen the movie or not. I don't know how the show would be if Sheridan leaves, but I think with this strong production and cast, I could see it survive for a couple of years... hopefully! Well, just come and see it and you'll love it!

A Weekend in the West End: Love Never Dies/Oliver!/Avenue Q

MUSICAL: Love Never Dies

DATE: 30th July 2010

VENUE: Adelphi Theatre, London, UK

RATING: ***

CAST: Ramin Karimloo (Phantom), Sierra Boggess (Christine), Joseph Millson (Raoul), Liz Robertson (Madame Giry), Summer Strallen (Meg), Harry Child (Gustave)

MY REVIEW: My first exposure to Love Never Dies was through the cast recording and frankly I didn't care much for it but since my parents are interested in seeing this (at a full price!!), I decided to tag along. This was the first time that I attended a musical production outside Thailand that was late for 40 minutes. It seemed that there were some medical issues backstage with one of the leading actors.

After all the wait, the musical finally began. And I have to say that Love Never Dies was a lot better visually. I was really impressed with how they staged the Prologue with the projection of pictures that made you feel like you were traveling through time back to Coney Islands. As you know that the plot of this musical was very "daytime soap opera"-ish, but there wasn't anything bad I could really say with the cast. They were fantastic and full of emotion. I was very excited to see Sierra Boggess live since I really admired her work since she was in The Little Mermaid. She didn't disappoint us here at all. Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom was great. He has such a beautiful and powerful voice though I must say that his "Til I Hear You Sing" sounded quite off but when he belted, it was just amazing.

Joseph Millson was better live than in the recording. I think he portrayed this aspects of Raoul well, very different from the original Phantom. I also needed to mention Summer Strallen's wonderful performance as Christine's best friend, Meg Giry. As for Christine's son, Gustave, we got Harry Child who was just charming and handling the role very well, vocally and emotionally.

Having listened to the cast recording before hand, the show I saw was somewhat different, songs were cut and trimmed here and there which I thought was a good decision and it moved the show along better. But I still found that there were too many "talking" in this musical especially the scene where Christine first met Phantom and they sang for almost 15 minutes. It was boring. The story didn't make sense to me most of the time and the ending was just disappointing. I would still suggest to wait until they released a half-price ticket for this to go see. I would predict that this musical wouldn't last long on the West End and wouldn't be a big hit on Broadway either.

MUSICAL: Oliver!

DATE: 31st July 2010

VENUE: Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, UK

RATING: ****

CAST: Russ Abbott (Fagin), Kerry Ellis (Nancy), Steven Hartley (Bill Sykes), Ethan Smith (Oliver), Jacques Miche (The Artful Dodger)

MY REVIEW

Back in 1997, I played "The Artful Dodger" in an excerpt from this musical so I was quite excited to see this musical back on the West End. The theatre we went to was very large and beautiful and it was a Saturday matinee so there were lots of kids there.

The sets was grand and beautiful. I really liked the hydrolic stage that took you from London street above the ground to the underground lair where Fagin and his pickpocket boys lived. How they change the sets from scene to scene was very smooth and impressive.

Russ Abbott was a great Fagin. His comedic timing was perfect and his singing and acting was just wonderful. Kerry Ellis (who played Elphaba in Wicked in London) was our Nancy and she was such a great actress. However, I found her voice to be quite soft and lack of energy, but maybe it was just her way of projecting her voice. But when she needed to be really loud and strong in "As Long As He Needs Me", she nailed it impeccably.

Ethan Smith was our little Oliver Twist and he was adorable. I think his acting was still a bit stiff but he has a beautiful high voice. But the best actor for this show would definitely had to be Jacques Miche as the Artful Doger! From the first moment he appeared on the stage until he got arrested by the cop towards the end, I couldn't get my eyes off him. His singing, dancing, acting and all the gestures he made was just perfect for the role. His "Consider Yourself" was a showstopper.

This was a fun and great production of Oliver!. I had some hard time with the British accent and I didn't care much for scenes with Mr. Bumble & Widow Corney and the scene at the Funeral House. And I wish the ending wasn't that easy. Anyway, it's a good show and I would recommend it to anyone!

MUSICAL: Avenue Q

DATE: 31st July 2010
VENUE: Wyndham's Theatre, London, UK

RATING: *****

CAST: Paul Spicer (Princeton/Rod), Rachel Jerram (Kate/Lucy), Tom Parsons (Nicky/Trekkie), Sion Lloyd (Brian), Jacqueline Tate (Christmas Eve), Delroy Atkinson (Gary), Jacqui Sanchez (Mrs. T)

MY REVIEW

I promised Beau that I would take her to see Avenue Q and there we were for the 8 pm. show. The Wyndham's Theatre was very small but it probably suited the feel of this musical. I've seen this musical in Vegas (with original casts John Tartaglia and Rick Lyon) and I was quite curious to see how the show would be with different cast.

I would say I was surprised by how identical all the puppet characters were, compared to the Vegas production! Paul Spicer was no John Tartaglia but he did well for the role. I personally liked Tom Parsons even more than Rick Lyons. I think Tom's appearance suited the character of Nicky and Trekkie better. Rachel Jerram was actually our understudy but she did very well as Kate Monster and Lucy. I liked the people character less than the puppets and I found it quite weird that Gary now was really a guy.

I noticed some changed in the script, probably to suit the London audience, like changing "Korean Deli" to "Chinese Restaurant" or turned a mix tape into a CD with 2 discs. Still, the musical could make me laugh even though I already knew the story and script. It was pure fun to be sitting in the audience of Avenue Q and I think any musical fan should find the chance to see it. Beside from the fun, I think you'll go back with some nice message to think about for yourself that.. "Everything in life is only for now".