Someone Borrowed, Someone's Blue, Three Minute Theatre Manchester, 19/8/13

This new full length musical written by Alasdair Jarvie and produced by New Attitude Theatre Company started its life as a play performed as part of the ‘Not Part of’ Festival in 2006, but has been expanded and glammed up for this 2013 musical production. I’ll be honest and say that I came along to this not thinking it would be my cup of tea, and in a bit of a mood after a tough day. However, I am happy to admit I was wrong, having been completely won over by the sheer exuberance of it.

The story concerns Sandy Beaches, drag artist extraordinaire, who, in her opinion does the best Cher act this side of Manchester, in fact she does a better Cher than Cher herself these days. Life is on the up for Sandy, as well as having just secured her own chat show on MTV (Manchester and Trafford television), her boyfriend Michel (he’s from Cheadle Hulme you know!) has just ‘proposed’ to her and she has a wedding to organise. Clearly she’s far too busy to take care of the details, so she turns to her sister Wendy to take on chief Bridesmaid and Wedding Planner duties. What follows is a sharp witted, well performed tale of love, lust, family rivalries and ambition, told with a big heart and an extra dose of ‘fabulous’.

The performance I saw took a couple of numbers to get going, but it was the opening night and I think some of the initial wobbles were down to nerves, as once it got into its stride it was full of laughs, enthusiasm and enjoyment. The songs had been chosen well and had been incorporated nicely into the action, and the direction and choreography made the most of 3MT’s pocket sized stage.

Some voices were stronger than others, but all the cast committed with confidence to their roles. I was particularly impressed with Rachel Waring as Wendy, combining a powerful voice with a great performance, be it in the comedy sparring with her sister, the drunken hen night, or the more touching moments of the story. Many of the high points of the play centred on her character, such as the hilarious ‘Believe’ and ‘Choices’, the tender ‘Beautiful’ and the powerful ‘Because of You’. 

Lee Eakins as Lorenzo also impresses, as he worships Sandy from afar, and Dale Vicker delivers a delightfully acidic Sandy, most especially in his scenes with Wendy, but also shows the more vulnerable side of the character when his mother Veronique (excellently portrayed by Mark Rowlands) comes to town. 

Special mention should also go to Sandy’s Be-aches (Jade Fearnley, Ryan Laskey and Sarah Morgan) the chorus, clearly having a whale of a time on the stage, adding some fabulous comedy moments and dance routines to the piece, and also being the hardest working stage hands around!

In their pre-show publicity, New Attitude tweeted some previous feedback the script had received from the Bruntwood judges, including the comment that they thought it had ‘one too many cock jokes’. If I’m honest, I’d agree with that, not because I’m a dreadful prude, just because there are far funnier quips in the play and I think it would benefit from the loss of a few limp cocks (arf arf). 

The show ends on an absolute high, the audience were swept along by the sheer joy of it

and had there been a bit more space there would undoubtedly have been dancing in the aisles. All in all a fun and well put together story, a great cast, lots of laughs and a really good night out.

Merrily We Roll Along, Harold Pinter Theatre, 28/6/13

I make no secret of the fact that I love Sondheim. His witty, clever writing can make you roar with laughter one minute, and weep the next, and this musical is one of my favourites. It's over 20 years since I last saw it on stage. If memory serves me right that production starred Paul Kerryson and Tracie Bennett and was at the Library Theatre in Manchester. I've since listened to the score countless times and know most of the words. You get very protective of a show when you know it and love it, but I had no fear that this production would be a let-down, having seen the universal praise heaped on it from every direction.
 
This production originated at the Meiner Chocolate Factory, before transferring to the West End, and is directed by acclaimed musical theatre star Maria Friedman, an actress who has a long association with the work of Sondheim.
 

An amazing ensemble cast has been assembled for this production who worked seamlessly together to deliver a wonderful show from start to finish. Beautiful voices, great choreography and staging, comedy, pathos - yes I'm gushing and deservedly so, it was an absolute joy.
 
Jenna Russell's Jane was a brilliant performance. It goes without saying that her voice was stunning, as were all the casts , but she combines this with an extremely skilful portrayal of the (reverse) progression of the character from the frumpy, embittered Jane we see at the start of the show, to the hope-filled young lady that she started out as. She deserves to win many awards for this performance. I was blown away by it.
 

Damian Humbley as Charlie was equally stunning.  I have raved about him before, having seen Company at the SheffieldCrucible in 2011. He is a very talented performer indeed and his voice is simply wonderful.  Mark Umbers as the third of the central trio Franklin, is equally talented, again showing the various stages of Franklin's journey from the brash Hollywood 'player' back to the idealistic writer starting out in the industry. All three work well together to give very rounded performances, portraying both the comedy and the complexities of their characters and their friendship at the various stages of their lives.
 
The set is simple but extremely effective, which is cleverly transformed via pacey and well-choreographed scene changes which move the action seamlessly onwards (or backwards to be more precise) and of course a gorgeous score. And as I said before, what a cast, all seriously talented and working as a true ensemble.
 
There isn't a single weak point to this production. This is simply Sondheim I have seen and I had a stupid grin on my face from start to finish at the sheer joy of seeing something this perfect, even when I had tears rolling down my face at the sad bits the grin refused to budge. The only disappointment was there doesn't appear to be a cast recording, and I would love it if this production could have been preserved for posterity in that way, it truly deserved it.
 
A completely justified standing ovation was given at the end of the show, the audience didn’t want it to end, and if I lived in London I would have been booking for a repeat visit straight away. Truly memorable, and accomplished, everyone involved in this should be very proud.
 
 

24:7 Blunted, 26/7/13

Alice Brockway is becoming something of a 24:7 stalwart. I first saw her in the astounding 'Future Shock' in 2011' then she appeared in the touching 'The Interpreter, Home' in the 2012 festival. This year she writes and stars in 'Blunted' an affecting piece concerning the pain, confusion and anger that surround the aftermath of violent crime.
 
The play opens on Tess (Alice Brockway) alone, emotional, clearly suffering, although initially it is not clear exactly what has taken place. As the play develops we discover that her partner has been killed in a senseless attack, by the very people that Tess was trying to reach out to in her role as a music teacher in a deprived area. Tess' best friend Evie (a spirited performance from Lowri Vivian) and her partner Jay (John Mulleady) are trying to support Tess in their own way. In an attempt to make sense of the situation Tess returns to the scene of the attack and meets Glen, a former colleague of her partner who witnessed the attack and tried to help. She reaches out to Glen, who is dealing with his own sense of guilt that he couldn't stop the attack, and they support each other, to the concern of the protective Evie.
 
The play is at its best when portraying the pain, loss, confusion and anger that come in the wake of this kind of crime, and the desperation of those close to the victim to find a way to help them through the pain but not knowing the right thing to do. It is extremely well played, the creators have worked closely with Victim Support in the development of this play and it shows. There is no 'right' way of dealing with grief and anger, everyone finds their own route through, and it's just as painful for those witnessing the suffering, as those at the heart of it.
 
Brockway gives a brave and accomplished performance as Tess, her pain, confusion and raw emotion is very much on show, but portrayed in a very 'real' way that had me in tears on more than one occasion. Vivian and Mulleady show the conflicting sides of close friends well, the brave supportive side that is on display to Tess, the private turmoil and despair of seeing someone you love suffer and not knowing how to make it better, and the fierce way you will try and protect your loved ones if you think someone could hurt them. And the character of Glen is a good addition, well played, the 'outsider' who may be able to help but is cautious of making things worse.
 
The play isn't perfect. I think you need longer than an hour to 'get' the complexities of Vivian's character and understand why her relationships with both Tess and Jay are so strong, as to an outsider she can grate, although it’s a spirited and energetic performance. And for me the 'graffiti' scene in the flat could have been cut with no loss to the central core of the tale. Having said that, for a one hour play on its first outing this did an amazing job at showing the complexities of grief, particularly in the aftermath of violence, with excellent and brave performances, especially from Brockway (there is one scene where you literally want to run onto the stage and hug her!) and it would be wonderful if it could be developed further.
 
Emotionally strong and thought provoking. A great addition to the 24:7 legacy