The Lorax at the Old Vic

It seems rather sad that on the very day our parliament would approve fracking in our national parks, we would be sitting in the magnificent Old Vic watching the Lorax presents his passionate case for the environment. And boy would you get fired up, especially when you read the next day the government is also cutting subsidies to renewable solar energy.

Adapted for the stage by David Greig and directed by Max Webster, The Lorax is based on Dr. Seuss's classic tale of the eponymous cranky mustachioed grouchy critter out to protect his woodlands from the businessman and Thneed-knitting industrial businessman, Once-ler, whose greed ultimately caused the destruction and deforestation of the Lorax's forest. A fable if you will, about the dangers of corporate greed versus the need to preserve nature.

"We Will Rock You" rocks Anthem of the Seas

Radio Ga Ga

Last weekend, I've had the opportunity to attend the pre inaugural sailing of Royal Carribean's newest ship, Anthem of the Seas. While I prepare a post about our experience on Anthem, you can read about my experience on Quantum of the Seas, the lead ship of the Quantum-class cruise ships of which Anthem of the Seas is part of (and therefore is almost identical).

During our weekend stay on board, we also attended the dress rehearsals to We Will Rock You, the popular musical based on songs by Queen. As someone who has always wanted to watch the West End musical but unable to do so, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. There were two live dress rehearsals held on Sunday, and we enjoyed the first one so much I insisted we went to watch the second one a couple of hours later!

We Will Rock You tells the story about a group of Bohemians outcast stuck in a future Orwellian world now dubbed the iPlanet where people listen to computer generated music. Free thoughts are not only frowned upon, but are also forbidden. Rock music, and the concept of rock and roll (free thinking, fashion) itself has been lost.

Carmen, O2 Arena review

If you ever thought about seeing Carmen at the O2 Arena, don't! If you were thinking or getting one of those cheap almost free tickets, don't! You will leave frustrated, and not because the former Millennium Dome is shit and colas will cost you between £2-4+.

We purchased front rows seat (and not those cheap tickets you get from 'insiders', much to our regret) and we still couldn't see shit. This was mainly because they hired tons of extras to shield the performers (who were mainly not in sync'ed with the excellent orchestra by the good people from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, because they can't be bothered to keep an eye on one of the billions of tellies there with the conductor in it) especially in the last act with the street carnival and all, as well having a part raised platform on the arena with the principals often preferring to sing in a huddled position hidden away from the audience.

It was never a good idea to host a opera in a 20,000+ arena and it shows. The acoustic was awful and the majority of people attending aren't used to this sort of shows - they were firing pictures with flash as if it was a basketball match! A thick skin lady behind us was even firing her SLR (with flash!) in quiet sections, with nary a scolding from the stewards. It wasn't a surprise to see people leaving even before the intermission. But what do you expect when the opera was mainly marketed to the lowest common denominator with a ridiculous marketing campaign of trying to associate the production with ITV's awful "from Popstars to Operastar"?

Finally let's not forget that Carmen at the O2 is actually performed in English. Sacrilegious.

The King and I, Royal Albert Hall

We were fortunate enough to gain some cheap tickets for Saturday evening's performance of the limited run The King and I musical at the Royal Albert Hall. Maria Friedman stars as the confident English teacher Anna opposite Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) as the beleaguered King of Siam.

I won't comment about the story, as I am aware that most people would have experienced the classic tale one way or another - and if you haven't, you really ought to. Daniel Dae Kim was actually pretty funny, and had a good voice. Sadly he does not make an impressive or even mildly scary king. Maria Friedman on the other hand was simply brilliant as the English teacher.

The sound set in the middle of the Royal Albert Hall is impressively build with the use of nice water features. The orchestra score is performed by the brilliant Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Gareth Valentine. An enjoyable if predictable take on a well loved story, but Royal Albert Hall makes for a bad venue.

Imagine This, New London Theatre

Imagine This is a new musical currently playing in New London Theatre. You may think it is mad to launch a new West End show in this climate of economy uncertainty, and you may be right. The theatre, while wasn't empty, wasn't exactly filled to the brink either. In fact even though armed with bargain tickets we managed to bagged seats just six feet from the stage, enough to witness a bit of snorting action by the leading lady.


The musical follows a Jewish theatre group during the early days of the second World War. Set in a Warshaw ghetto, the group continues to produce musicals for the community in order to commit a sense of normality to their now miserable lives. In fact much of Imagine This is sort of musical within a musical. This in my opinion made it tedious. Rather than allowing the characters to grow, by constricting them within their Masada play (a play about the Jewish plight under Roman rule), they came off as rather shallow. Nevertheless Masada served as a brilliant fore shadowing to their present day plight. One of the primary complaints by certain circles of critics was the distasteful humours that are occasionally brought up, despite the predicament the cast finds themselves in. We (and the audience) didn't think so and took the humour as it came as. This is after all an entertainment and should be treated as such.

Production value is great, though no where near Les Miserables level of detail. Rain and snow drops through the broken windows, furnitures are realistic and the set wonderfully designed. Even the stage revolves, which is rather nice, though I did find it a bit of a gimmick. The orchestra pit is shamefully partially hidden and can only be seen through the broken windows on the right side of the stage. I found the acting to be a little bit tepid, though the singing is wonderful particularly by the two leads. Jamie Davis who plays the nine year old Leon/David was very impressive as was Michael Matus for his comedic performance as Pompey.


All in all, I found Imagine This to be an above average musical. I thought it was more enjoyable than Candice, the only musical so far that I've slept partly through. Jennifer on the other hand found it to be exciting and was thoroughly pleased by the whole thing, as did most of the crowd (standing ovations included). Regardless of what you think of it Imagine This, it is most definitely the most daring new musical West End has seen in years. More of this will be welcomed, especially in London. Perhaps a musical about occupied Palestine or Guantanamo Bay next?

7/10

Imagine This is currently playing at New London Theatre, Drury Lane (Covent Garden)

Giselle, London Coliseum

Friday night's London debut of the Mikhailovsky Ballet's take on Giselle, a favourite from the Romantic era, was such an enjoyable event that I had to blog about it despite the writing of West End (especially ballets) isn’t my speciality.

Choreographed by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa, revised by Nikita Dalgushin and music by Adolphe Adam, Mikhailovsky’s Giselle is a stylish revival to the classical ballet. The presentation of Giselle last night was based on the original 1841 Giselle from Ballet du Theatre, Paris and is apparently very faithful to the original production.

Giselle tells the story of how the young maiden Gisele fell in love with Albrecht, a prince in disguise as a peasant. When he was found out, she felled betrayed and commits suicide. However her love for him is strong that in death she protects him from her fellow army of vengeful wilis, vampric ghost breeds of betrayed brides whose sole mission is to suck the living out of men.


Act I started out merrily hosting a colourful display of costumes amid a back drop of a simple yet elegant set, a merit of the Mikhailovsky Ballet's reputation for high production value. The throng of ballerinas dance away to a showcase of virtuous and technical solos. The requirement of Giselle in the title role demands dramatic acting skills in Act I and here the ballerina did not disappoint.

The second Act began slowly as mourning sets it but slowly grew as the arrival of the wilis (with floating veils) take centre stage and the Count Albrecht is forced to dance and dance with only Gisele’s graceful intervention sparing his soul from the wrath of Myrthe Queen of the Wilis. Here both dancers displayed their technical skills with much elegance to the approval of the sold-out audience.

The Mikhailvosky Ballet is visiting the London Coliseum for the first time and will end with Triple Bill and Divertissements on Sunday.

Candide, London Coliseum

Never has there been an opera that I attended, that was such a roller coaster ride. It provided everything, from a boisterous finale to downright boredom of which they were plenty. The two ladies next to me left during the intermission, and I myself was tempted to leg it. But a quick trip to a cafe (Cafe Nero I believe) next door provided me with a caffeine fix that allowed me to stay awake for the first 1/2 hour of the second act.

The revival of Candide is certainly a unique one. A massive 50s CRT set gracefully sits on stage stunningly in contrast to the Victorian era London Coliseum Theatre, where the play follows two seemingly undead love-ones Candide and Cunegonde in this limited West End run commissioned by the English National Opera. What was possibly an exciting story, soon unfolds itself into an intangible mess. The music were fine, based on the Leonard Bernstein score by the orchestra pit; but the stiffness of the casts and the lack of movement was excruciatingly painful to watch. It was a wonder that the Coliseum was packed (credit crunch my arse) as the soprano Marnie Breckenridge wailed to sets of powerful and witty lyrics, and nice as they are, you may as well be sitting at home with a CD player in hand.

At times the social and religious commentary provided enough humour to keep boredom at bay. Yes, we had Bush, Blair, Putin and all the oil monkeys that leech the world of any possible freedom. We even had a pre-dead Kennedy beamed in high-definition, and the American Dream ripped apart near the end - which I am all for. But what the show lack was subtlety. It was trying too hard, the lack of sophistication was unnerving. Even the highlight of the show: the old lady's story on how she lose one of her arse cheek, I found to be forceful. I did appreciate Candide's liberal use of his revolver, which jolted me a couple of times from slumber.

All in all, despite the great lyrics, wonderful singing and music - Robert Carsen's Candide is a wasted opportunity. A shame as I really did wanted to enjoy it.

Chicago The Musical (Cambridge Theatre)

The first time I stepped into Cambridge Theatre in Seven Dials I noted how similar it was to the West End production of Chicago's previous home, Adelphi Theatre. The lack of excessiveness and its overall compactness is perfect for Chicago, where it tends to be more intimate than other musicals. However its glamorous location does provide attendees with more razzle-dazzle.

Chicago is a musical that hardly ever fails to entertain throughout. The lack of costume changes is refreshing as we witness a small cast of extremely talented dancers and singers play multiple roles. The main principal cast is impressive as well, in particular Terrance Maynard whose slightly harsh and deep voice gave Billy Flynn a presence someone like Richard Gere could never hope to provide. I almost forgot how integral the orchestra band is to the show, not only due to the location of the ensemble at the back of the stage, but in the manner they provide the soundtrack. This isn't just some band hidden in a dug up pit.

It has been seven years since we last watch Chicago and personally I still find it fresh, sexy, exciting and relevant. While the cast is completely different, the unique aspect of Chicago - the music, choreography and plot, makes it such a timeless theoretical masterpiece - such that explains how the musical has surpass ten years in West End. A classic if I ever saw one, and one you should witness too.

Theatre Review: Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London West End)

Well Jenni and I just got back from West End after watching the Guys and Dolls musical. (Kat: :P)

Won't do a full review this time (read the synopsis by Kat). Excellent singing by Ewan McGregor with similar voices to the one he did in Moulin Rouge. His 1930s American accent was a little off-putting at first with a little bit of Scottish accent creeping out.


The best I could take of the stage during intermission with a camera ban

My favourite scene is the Havana Dance musical number. Excellent and pacy tango gives the musical a boost after a slightly awkward start. The classic number in the sewer scene Luck be a Lady Tonight did not disappoint with Ewan taking the lead.

But the highlight is surely the funny Sit Down, You're Rerocking the Boat number lead by Niall Buggy at the gamblers in the mission scene.

Ending was quite a disappointing. Felt rushed through with no proper climatic finale. Hmm. But overall we enjoyed it pretty much though we agreed that The Producers was funnier and a more satisfying experience.

Theatre Review: The Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London West End)

We just got back from Soho after a viewing of The Producers, a new musical by Mel Brooks at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Taking advantage of an offer we managed to book seats on the front stalls for £24 per seats (see below).

The Producers is based in 1959 New York and revolves around a theatrical producer Max Bialystock (Fred Applegate) and accoutant Leo Bloom (John Gordon Sinclair) and their attempt to take advantage of a loop hole by creating a Broadway flop and running away to Brazil with the money. The musical? A tasteless neo-Nazi broadway called Springtime for Hitler. Instead the whole conspiracy backfires when it turns into a massive hit.



Firstly, we were quite impressed with the theatre. The Theatre Royal Drury Lane situated in the heart of West End's Theatreland, is just a short walk from Temple and stone throw from Covent Garden market. The building itself wasn't that impressive. Bland in colour, it pales in comparison to other West End theatres. But it does have character and I like it.



The inside is average with the compulsory bar at the entrace to the stalls. I believe they have four levels of seating with the best seats on the stalls and grand circle. Above it is the upper circle and the balcony.

We had row H on the stalls which is amazingly close to the stage. A tall American lady almost ruined my view but luckily for us the head only blocked the right side of the stage which was so 'unhappening'. The orchestra performed hidden in pit between the stalls and the stage. We could only see the conductor's head. Which was a shame really.

We were very impressed with the cast. Fred Applegate was amazing as the chubby and short Max. Reminds me of Danny Devito. The character Leo Bloom (John Gordon Sinclair) took a little longer to get into though but was likeable soon enough. Then there are ensemble which made up of very attractive tall babes.

To top it of we had Leigh Zimmerman (we also saw her in Chicago) as the very attractive Swedish bombshell, Ulla. Leigh with her gorgeous Amazonian figure is simply one of the most attractive actress in West End today.


Image: Ulla (source: Leigh Zimmerman official site)

We agreed that special mention should be awarded to Hadrian Delacey, who temporarily replaced Nicolas Colicos, to play neo-Nazi Hitler apologist, Franz Liebkind. He was simply amazing soloing 'In Old Bavaria' which was outrageously funny with its Nazi pigeon cast, including one aptly named Adolf.

Then there is Stephen Matthews who was brilliant as Carmen Ghia, the gay partner of the 'renowned theatrical diretor' Roger Debris (Don Gallagher). Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? Blah. Multiple by a hundred and you get Carmen. Amazing performance.

Such a political incorrect gags which insults almost anything (Nazis, gays, OAPs, Europeans etc.) should of course not be taken too seriously.

It did seem a little too long by the end as it dragged its feet through to the 'Prisoners of Love' finale. But overall we love it and I wouldn't mind attending it again. Maybe when I visit New York.

Next up: Guys and Dolls, if I can raise £110 + fees for the two tickets.

Box office: 0870 145 1163, offer from half price for best seats up to 50% off till 5 Nov. Book by 9 Oct. Quote "Biggest Offer".