CD Review: Spamalot The UK Tour

I have received my new Monty Python's Spamalot cast album in the post today and was very eager to put it on. See what I think of it.

THE SHOW
Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical "lovingly ripped-off" from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It tells the story of King Arthur and his knights of the round table and their search for the holy grail. The show opened on Broadway in 2005 winning Tony Awards for Best Musical, then it opened on the West End at the Palace Theatre from 2006-2009. Followed in May 2010 was the UK Tour which is still playing (as of January 2011) and is the source of this cast album.


THE CAST
I have seen the UK Tour version of Spamalot when it came to York in November 2010. Marcus Brigstocke was our King Arthur there and also on this recording and I believe that he did a decent job though he lacked a certain "King Arthur" quality that Tim Curry brought to the role on Broadway.

When I saw the show on tour, the Lady of the Lake was played by another actress called Amy Nuttall, on the recording it is Jodie Prenger. She was nowhere near as good as Sara Ramirez. Her comedic timing isn't as good and she seems to always avoid the many high notes that was sung by Sara in the Original Broadway Cast Recording, making it seem that she was playing it safe. She was quite disappointing especially in big numbers like 'Find Your Grail' and 'Diva's Lament'. She was probably the weakest link on the whole CD.

Todd Carty is Patsy and he is very good both on this recording and when I saw him live. The rest of the knights includes Simon Lipkin (Sir Galahad), Samuel Holmes (Sir Robin), Graham Macduff (Sir Lancelot), Robin Armstrong (Sir Bedevere) and David Langham (Prince Herbert). They all were very good and funny. I really enjoy David Langham's hilarious performance as Prince Herbert and the Historian but I feel that his performance doesn't come across well on the CD. Simon Lipkin was very similar to Christopher Sieber and he was also very funny as the other small roles he played. His 'The Song That Goes Like This' is lovely. The ensemble was reduced to 4 people which makes the chorus rather weak comparing to the Original Broadway Cast Recording.

THE SONGS
There were quite some changes in the lyrics to the songs here, probably to keep things up-to-date and more suited for the British audience like the changing of Britney Spears to Cheryl Cole in 'Diva's Lament'. The biggest change is the total transformation of 'You Won't Succeed on Broadway' to what is now called 'Star Song', changing from finding Jews to finding a 'Star' instead leading to the inclusion of Ozzie Osbourne, Susan Boyle, X Factor and more. It was a good production number but I'm not exactly sure whether this was a good call because I quite enjoy the older version and the jewish bottle dance would be hilarious here. I also don't get why they'd change the lyric from 'You're standing on my toes" to "There's something on your nose" during 'The Song That Goes Like This'. But I guess if you would like to have an updated lyrics of the show, you might be interested in getting this.

THE ALBUM
Like most UK Cast albums lately, this album is a live recording of the performance at Churchill Theatre in Bromley in June 2010. Therefore, it contains the audience laughs and cheers and applause. To me, I like this because it makes you feel that you were really there and it really adds to the energy of the album but I know that to some, this could be annoying. So I leave you to choose that. The album is just over 51 minutes long which is actually slightly longer than the Original Broadway Cast which is just over 47 minutes. It contains more dialogue between and during songs and includes many little parts that was cut from the Original Broadway Cast like Arthur King of the Britons and Arthur's monologue before the Laker Girls Cheer. It comes with a colorful booklet full of production photos, track list, cast & crew list and photos, a note from co-composer and album producer, John Du Prez. Unfortunately, the booklet doesn't contain lyrics to the song.

THE CONCLUSION
Overall, this is a lovely cast album which is enjoyable to listen to but unfortunately not a great one. If you haven't owned any Spamalot album, I'd suggest you to go for the Original Broadway Cast first just to hear great performances by Tim Curry and Sara Ramirez. However, if you're a Spamalot fan, you'd want to have this for the 'new' song and its more dialogue.

TRACK LIST
1. Overture/Historian's Introduction to Act I
2. Fisch Schlapping Song/Finland
3. Monks Chant/Arthur King of the Britons
4. I Am Not Dead Yet/Playoff
5. Come With Me
6. Laker Girls Cheer
7. The Song That Goes Like This
8. All for One
9. Knights of the Round Table/The Song That Goes Like This (Reprise)
10. Find Your Grail
11. Run Away
12. Historian's Introduction to Act II
13. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
14. Brave Sir Robin
15. Star Song
16. Whatever Happened to My Part (Diva's Lament)
17. Where Are You?
18. His Name Is Lancelot
19. I'm All Alone
20. Twice in Every Show
21. Finale
22. Bright Side Bows/Exit Music

CAST
Marcus Brigstocke - King Arthur
Jodie Prenger - The Lady of the Lake
Todd Carty - Patsy
Robin Armstrong - Sir Bedevere/Denis's Mother/Concorde/Guard
Samuel Holmes - Sir Robin/Mayor
David Langham  - Prince Herbert/Historian/Not Dead Fred/Minstrel
Simon Lipkin - Sir Galahad/The Black Knight/Prince Herbert's Father
Graham Macduff - Sir Lancelot/The French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim: The Enchanter

ENSEMBLE: Philip Catchpole, Rachel Knowles, Kit Orton, Amy Papa

Review: Direct from the West End

Direct from the West End
Date: 23rd January 2011
Venue: Grand Opera House, York
Cast: Samantha Barks, Antony Hansen with Scott Garnham, Killian Donnelly, Jeff Nicholson, Gina Beck, Rachel Bingham and Jessie May
Rating: ***


Review:
This is what I have in mind as my after-exam treat and boy, was it a good treat! My seat was up in the first row of the grand circle with great view of the stage. What attracted me to this concert was simply the cast, mainly from the current West End cast of Les Miserables. I have seen them in action last year and was so excited to know that they are doing a concert of their own.


The show started off with 'A New Song' from the not-so-well-known "Songs for a New World". I think it's a great opening song and it nicely showcases everyone's singing voice, though it got a bit messed up towards the end. Then the co-producer and ensemble member of the show, Scott Garnham, welcomed us to the concert and he made it clear that tonight is simply about the "voices". Well, it was really about the voices because there wasn't anything else on the stage, the music was all pre-recorded with some lighting and simple costumes. Luckily, they didn't have the cheesy slide presentation like the one Beyond the Barricade used.


There were 6 people in the company. Scott Garnham, Killian Donnelly, Jeff Nicholson and Rachel Bingham are from the current cast of Les Miz, while Gina Beck has played Christine in The Phantom and Jessie May played Sophie in Mamma Mia! The guys seemed to be shining brighter than the girls here, boasting better vocal ability and personality. Scott was very impressive. His solo was usually of very good quality especially (an abridged version of) Till I Hear You Sing and Maria. His 'This Is the Moment' was good but I think it was placed in the wrong timing of the show which made it seem kinda flat.


Killian Donnelly was probably my favourite Enjolras ever but here the material didn't give him the chance to shine as much as he could. Still very good though. His 'Bring Him Home' was beautiful. Jeff Nicholson (AKA the Foreman) was just awesome. Where does this guy come from? He sang 'Music of the Night' and 'Anthem' impeccably and his 'Song of the King' was just hilarious. However, he seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with the choreography. Also, it was really funny when he just walked across the stage at one point before This Is the Moment to collect the microphone stand and adjust the lighting and smiled and just walked off.



Samantha Barks
(as Eponine)



The girls were good but they were nowhere near the guys. Rachel Bingham was probably the best and she got all the good songs to show off her talent. Her 'Winner Takes It All' and 'As Long As He Needs Me' was absolutely breathtaking. Gina Beck did well in 'The Phantom of the Opera', though I expected more from here since she WAS Christine! Her 'Memory' in the second act was nice but she kept messing up the lyrics. The weakest performers of the company would be Jessie May and her song choice didn't help much either. She did ok with 'Welcome to the 60s' which seemed to suit her vocal range best out of the whole night but the other songs were just too much for her. You don't let a girl sing 'All I Ask of You' or 'Take Me As I Am' if she doesn't have a strong soprano voice.

The show also features 2 "celebrity" guest singers. The first was the wonderful Samantha Barks who is currently playing Eponine in the West End and was Eponine at the O2 concert. She was beautiful and sung all her songs wonderfully especially her opening song 'The Wizard and I'. I could picture her as Elphaba in Wicked! Her 'On My Own' was not as good as it could be, probably because of the recorded track which didn't give her the time to taking the emotions in.

Antony Hansen
(in his Joseph days)

The second guest singer was Any Dream Will Do's finalist, Antony Hansen who was filling in for Lucie Jones who was ill. I was somewhat looking forward to seeing him perform live but there's a reason why he got cut off the show early. He wasn't very good and his song choice didn't help. He sang Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' as his opening song and boy, was it a horrible tune to listen to! His voice was not strong and the backing track was just bad. You don't do Queen's songs unless you have a live band! His 'Close Every Door' was better but it was nowhere near Lee Mead, Keith Jack or Daniel Boys.

The ensemble number were overall quite good. 'I Go to Rio' is an interesting choice for second act opening but it was pretty entertaining. 'Quintet' from "West Side Story" was really good. 'One Day More' could have been stronger in my opinion. Here, I actually prefer the version done by Beyond the Barricade with 4 people. 'Never Forget' is another interesting choice for a finale but it was a cute, warm and catchy way to end a very entertaining evening. I wish they could have done an encore since the audience was so into it!

I say it was a fun experience, definitely better than Beyond the Barricade. If only they could afford a live band, that would make the atmosphere a lot better, I think.

MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT ONE
A New World (Company)****
The Phantom of the Opera (Gina and Jeff)****
The Music of the Night (Jeff)*****
All I Ask of You (Killian and Jessie)***
Till I Hear You Sing (Scott)*****
The Wizard and I (Samantha)*****
As Long As He Needs Me (Rachel)*****
Don't Stop Me Now (Antony)*
Somebody to Love (Jessie with Rachel and Gina)*
Fugue for Tinhorns (Jeff, Killian and Scott)*****
Luck Be a Lady (Scott with Jeff and Killian)*****
On My Own (Samantha)****
Bring Him Home (Killian)****
One Day More (Samantha, Antony and Company)***

Act Two
I Go to Rio (Scott and Company)****
Superstar (Killian and Company)****
Anthem (Jeff)*****
Welcome to the 60's (Jessie and Company)***
Maria (Scott)*****
Quintet (Company)*****
Maybe This Time (Samantha)*****
The Winner Takes It All (Rachel)*****
Prologue from Joseph... (Gina)*****
Close Every Door (Antony)****
Song of the King (Jeff and Company)*****
Memory (Gina)****
Take Me As I Am (Killian and Jessie)**
This Is the Moment (Scott)***
Never Forget (Samantha, Antony and Company)****

Review: Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera
Date: 1st January 2011
Venue: Her Majesty's Theatre, London
Cast: John Owen-Jones (Phantom), Tabitha Webb (alternate Christine), Oliver Eyre (u/s Raoul) and Wendy Ferguson (Carlotta)

Rating: *****

Review: What would be a better way to ring in the new year than revisiting The Phantom of the Opera at its original theatre in London. After my visit to Tkts, I've got myself a seat in the stalls, third row, centred plus John Owen-Jones as The Phantom. What more could you ask for than that??

The main reason that I really wanna see this production now is because John Owen-Jones is returning to the role of the Phantom. He was arguably the best one in that role. His "Music of the Night" was just beyond beautiful and his interpretation of the role was even better than the first time I saw him. Though, I feel that he was a bit too over-emotional in the final scene but beside that, he was fantastic.

Tabitha Webb as Christine in The Point of No Return

Tabitha Webb was my Christine. She was lovely and very cute to look at. We got understudied Raoul and he was just so-so for me and the way he sang some verses was very unnatural. Another surprise was when I found out that Wendy Ferguson would be playing Carlotta. I remember that the first time I saw Phantom, she was an understudy but I liked her very much and is very glad to know that she has stepped up to the "full-time" Carlotta now and she was a wonderful singer, actress and her comic timing was perfect.

The production was still as breathtaking as the first time I saw it and the chandelier crash was fun and with my seat in centred stalls, I had a great view of it coming down on my head. I actually like it better than the Vegas production :)

One funny thing was that the last time I saw Phantom there, the noose that was tied around Raoul's neck towards the end wasn't working. To my surprise, it still didn't work again this time. How coincident! Overall, it's a great day out for me.



Phantom seducing Christine during The Music of the Night



John Owen-Jones as the unmasked Phantom towards the final scene

MUSICAL NUMBERS
Act One
Prologue
Overture
Dress Rehearsal of Hannibal
Think of Me
Angel of Music
Little Lotte.../The Mirror
The Phantom of the Opera
The Music of the Night
I Remember.../Stranger Than You Dreamt It...
Magical Lasso
Notes
Prima Donna
Il Muto/Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh...
Why Have You Brought Us Here.../Raoul, I've Been There...
All I Ask of You
All I Ask of You (Phantom's Reprise)


Act Two
Entr'acte
Masquerade/Why So Silent...
Notes (Reprise)/Twisted Every Way...
Rehearsal for Don Juan Triumphant
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
Wandering Child.../Bravo, Monsieur!...
Don Juan Triumphant/The Point of No Return
Down Once More.../Track Down This Murderer...

Theatre Resolution 2011

As 2010 came to an end, it's time to look forward to what's out there in 2011. Other people might put together a list of their new year's resolution. For me, I've put together my little list of new year's THEATRE resolution, i.e. the shows that I have hoped to see in 2011 and we'll see how many shows I have made it to when 2011 ends.

At the Leeds Grand Theatre

Let's start with the shows at the theatre in my current city.

They have lined up an awesome list of musicals:

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

22-26 March 2011 

[UK Tour starring Any Dream Will Do's runner-up Keith Jack]

"A biblical story of a dream interpreter, Joseph, who was sold to be a slave in Egypt and worked his way up to be the Pharaoh's man. Great music and fun story. I'm not a big fan of Keith (think Lee Mead is better) and I've seen a couple of Joseph productions but the hype about the UK Tour was so strong so I am curious to find out how good it will be and whether it will be better than when I saw it in London 7 years ago."

The Sound of Music

7-25 June 2011

[UK Tour starring Jason Donovan as Captain Von Trapp]

"Definitely a musical theatre classic. How can you not love a show with so many memorable classics plus you have Jason Donovan as Captain Von Trapp. If only Connie Fisher is in this one!"

Footloose: A Dance Musical

27 June - 2 July 2011

[UK Tour]

"This is a musical based on the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon about a teenager from Chicago who moves to a town where dancing and rock music are banned. The cast recording doesn't attract me much but since it's coming to Leeds anyway, why not check it out?"

Evita

5-16 July 2011 

[UK Tour]

"I've seen this production before in Manchester at The Lowry last year...

Not that I MUST see it but if anyone wants to see it, I don't mind going along.."

Blood Brothers

18-23 July 2011 

[UK Tour starring X Factor's Niki Evans]

"I missed Niki Evans when I saw it in the West End last year.

Though her understudy didn't disappoint me at all. The whole musical was just so-so to me but the ending was so powerful! Would love to see Niki's take on it"

Jekyll & Hyde

25-30 July 2011 

[UK Tour starring Wet Wet Wet's Marti Pellow]

"I'm so glad I didn't book the ticket to see this in Manchester because it comes to my city!! I know many people loath Jekyll & Hyde but I think it's a fun story with relatively good music. I've seen this the first time when I was in Tennessee more than 10 years ago. Let's see if the UK production is any better than the US one plus it boasts Wet Wet Wet's very own leading man."

We Will Rock You

1-26 November 2011 

[UK Tour]

"A jukebox musical based on the music of Queen. I've seen a shortened version of this in Las Vegas and am curious to watch the full-length show. The storyline is very cheesy about a futuristic world where music is banned and a man is trying to save it. The highlights of the show are supposed to be the music with famous Queen's hits like We Will Rock You, We Are the Champion, and Bohemian Rhapsody."

Over to York's Grand Opera House

Last year I have made a couple of visits to York's theatre to see Spamalot and Beyond the Barricade. This year they're bringing in another musical concert.

Direct from the West End: Your Favourite Musicals Live in Concert

23 January 2011

"Planned to be my after-exam treat! A concert of songs from the West End musicals sung by the stars of the West End led by current Eponine in Les Miserables, Samantha Barks, plus a lot more professional singers from Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera and more.."

Hopping on the Train to Manchester

Manchester always provides a great list of musicals to see and it seems like many new or touring musicals often choose to start here. So here are my Manchester's wish list for 2011

Elaine Paige in Concert

6 March 2011 at the Bridgewater Hall

"Already got ticket!! A concert by the actress who originated the role of Eva Peron in Evita

and Grizabella (the cat who sings Memory) in Cats."

Ghost: The Musical

28 March - 14 May 2011 at the Opera House

[World Premiere]

"First staging of the romantic movie-turned-musical in Manchester before it transferred to London in June. Curious about its production design and music by U2"

Sister Act: The Musical

29 September - 15 October 2011 at the Opera House

"Supposed to be a good, fun musical based on a film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Missed it when it was in London. Looking forward to it."

South Pacific

25 October - 5 November 2011 at Palace Theatre

"A transfer production from Broadway. Another must-see production of the year!!"

What's on in the West End?

My year in England would never be complete without a visit to the West End! Last year I have seen Love Never Dies, Oliver!, Blood Brothers, Legally Blonde and got to revisit two of my most favourite musicals Avenue Q and Les Miserables. Here are what I look forward to seeing if I am ever in London this year:

Billy Elliot: The Musical

at the Victoria Palace Theatre - open-ended run

Ghost Stories

at the Duke of York's Theatre - until 26 June 2011

(I know it's not a musical but I just wanna see it!)

Love Story: The Musical

at Duchess Theatre - until 30 April 2011

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz

at the London Palladium Theatre - opening 1 March 2011 

Shrek: The Musical

at Theatre Royal Drury Lane - opening 14 June 2011

Broadway, Here I come!
Since I'll be meeting up with my brother in New York this April, I have made myself some Broadway resolution as well :)



La Cage aux Folles

at Longacre Theatre

(starring Harvey Fierstein, Jeffrey Tambor and Wilson Jermaine Heredia)

Mary Poppins: The Musical

at New Amsterdam Theatre

(starring Laura Michelle Kelley and Gavin Lee)

Memphis: The Musical

at Shubert Theatre
(Tony Winner! starring Chad Kimball and Montego Glover)

American Idiot

at St. James Theatre
(with original Cast John Gallagher, jr., Stark Sands and more..)

Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark

at Foxwoods Theatre



Wow.. That's one long resolution, isn't it? Hope I made it to all of them :)
If you wanna join me for any of these, just let me know, all right?

Happy New Year 2011!!