Okay, June was a busy month to be a theatregoer. With new shows opening left right and centre, there was plenty to see, from iconic plays to daring new musicals. I saw seven shows this month, some I absolutely loved and some. . . not quite so much. Here’s a little bit about what I thought of each one.
Patriots
I headed to the Noel Coward Theatre for my first show of the month. Transferring to the West End from the Almeida Theatre, Patriots tracks the fall of the Soviet Union and the dawn of a new Russia through its protagonist Boris Berezovsky, portrayed by Tom Hollander, who goes from the president’s inner circle to public enemy number one. The acting is very impressive, humanising complex characters that have gone down in history, and it’s not difficult to see why Will Keen won Best Supporting Actor at this year’s Olivier Awards for his role as Putin. Engagingly rewritten by The Crown’s creator Peter Morgan, some very well-timed and self-aware comedic moments give the intense plot space to breathe.
We Will Rock You
Running for twelve years at the Dominion Theatre until 2014, We Will Rock You returns to the West End this summer for a strictly limited season at the London Coliseum. With a soundtrack pulled from Queen’s back-catalogue, the music is of course sensational, the plot is surprisingly weak. Cast members Ian McIntosh and Elena Skye who play Galileo and Scaramouche are great talents, but the ‘star cast’ members leave a lot to live up to.
42nd Street
A favourite musical of mine, 42nd Street stopped off at Sadler’s Wells for a month before touring across the country. As I’ve written up a full review of this one I won’t go into too much detail, but its tap numbers are second to none and Nicole Lily Baisden shone as central character Peggy Sawyer, who ascends through the musical’s story from timid dancer to leading star.
The Crucible
The classic Arthur Miller play set in Salem during the Witch Trials of 1692-3 was revived by the National Theatre late last year and transferred to the West End’s Gielgud Theatre this summer. Despite being a three hour play, it was utterly immersive from start to finish, aided by an impressive set by Es Devlin. I couldn’t quite separate Brian Gleeson’s performance as John Proctor from his role of crooked insurance broker Thomas Clapham in Bad Sisters, but I think that’s because his acting is so unbelievably strong in the latter.
A Strange Loop
Winner of every best new musical award on Broadway, A Strange Loop makes its London premiere at the Barbican Theatre for a strictly limited season this summer. Intrigued by its acclaim in New York, I booked straight away. Starring Kyle Remar Freeman as the musical’s protagonist Usher, who is an American queer black man writing a musical about an American queer black man writing a musical about. . . this is the ‘strange loop’, you get the gist.
The fact that a musical this diverse did so well on Broadway and even made it to London is something which must be celebrated; ‘Usher’ brings to life a character unrepresented within musical theatre which is pretty ground-breaking. However, what A Strange Loop has in ambitious concept, it lacks in a coherent plotline, so it easily becomes stagnant. Usher’s life ends hardly different to how it begins at the beginning of the show, so it is difficult to gain a sense of fulfilment by its 100 minutes. Its set was minimal, and while I enjoyed the neon-lit rectangles (maybe because they reminded me of The 1975), the big Barbican Theatre stage needs to be filled with something a little more extravagant. It’s great to try something new and tell fresh stories, but A Strange Loop doesn’t have enough story.
Mrs Doubtfire
Making a musical based on a much-loved film is always venturing into trepidatious territory – will it be a smash hit, or will it simply not live up to audiences’ memory of the original? For new musical Mrs Doubtfire, these questions were more prevalent than ever with Robin Williams’ unforgettable performance in the film at the forefront of everyone’s mind. However, the musical certainly rose to the challenge, with Gabriel Vick providing a hilarious performance as Daniel Hillard, complete with an impressive array of voices from Kermit to King Charles and a genuinely believable redemption arc.
The musical was brimming with inspired songs, featured original, inventive routines and characters that the audience rooted for emotionally. By the end, my cheeks were aching from laughing so much and I wasn’t the only one: the teenage boys sat next to me were bending over laughing while the old couple behind me were having a great time. It’s London’s newest family favourite and an absolute must-see.
Crazy For You
The final show I saw in June was the West End transfer of Crazy For You. It went down an absolute storm in Chichester last year, but as I didn’t quite get chance to go down and see it I was so relieved it was transferring to London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre this summer. With one of my favourite musical theatre stars Charlie Stemp playing its theatre-mad protagonist Bobby Child, I booked to see the show in its first preview, which had such an amazing atmosphere – the crowd gave Charlie a huge cheer before he’d even sang a note or tapped a step! With classic Gershwin music and show-stopping dance routines, it really is musical theatre at its joyous best.
West End LIVE
And of course, how could I write possibly about theatre in June without mentioning West End LIVE! One of the biggest events in the theatre industry’s calendar, thousands of fans descend on Trafalgar Square to watch over 50 performances, including 4 of the shows I just mentioned and many other musical theatre favourites. It’s an event I’m very proud to be a part of and you can catch-up on my backstage coverage on West End LIVE’s Twitter.
July is shaping up to be quieter month for me, theatregoing-wise, as I was away in Portugal for the first week of the month, but I am looking forward to seeing comedy Bleak Expectations next week – a different celebrity guest star plays the narrator each week, and I’ll be going along to see hilarious comedian Tom Allen in the role. Right at the end of the month I’ve booked to see new musical Operation Mincemeat, so I also can’t wait to share my thoughts about that as I’m sure you’ve gathered from this post that I absolutely love a brand-new musical.
What have you loved at the theatre lately?
