Showboat, Sheffield Crucible 19/12/15

It's Christmas and that only means one thing in my theatre obsessed mind, no not panto , but a festive trip over to Sheffield to see what Christmas musical delights are on offer. This year the Crucible are staging Showboat by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, a show first staged in 1927 and quite controversial at the time, combining the more traditional romantic stories with darker themes including racial identity and injustice.

This production doesn't shy away from the tougher themes, in fact it highlights the racial divisions through a powerful piece of staging in the very opening of the performance and its treatment of the more serious elements of this epic tale remain impactful and relevant throughout. It is maybe more of a considered, serious musical than many of the Crucible's recent festive offerings, as the tale unfolds it is tender, heart wrenching at times and full of impact, but there are a few out and out foot stompers that allow the cast to make full use of the crucible's generous stage.

As always an incredibly talented cast has been assembled for the show who work together with such fluidity that even scene changes are a thing of beauty. With such immense talent on display it seems churlish to pick favourites but I will! Emmanuel Kojo and Jason Denton as Joe and Stevedore were fantastic and their rendition of Old Man River will stay with me for a very long time. Michael Xavier portrayed the complexities of Gaylord Ravenal's journey finely and has a powerful but unforced voice and Sandra Marvin as Queenie has a beautiful voice and gave an incredibly engaging performance.

The design is first class,from the sumptuous costumes, gorgeous lighting to amazing set design, it's what we have come to expect from the Crucible but no less delightful for that. The initial set reveal is simply breathtaking, plain wooden panels line the rear of the stage when we arrive which seem to magically disappear as the show gets under way to reveal the most gorgeously detailed steamboat deck with action able to play across three levels vertically as well as over the large thrust stage of the space. When the boat is not present in the Chicago scenes the wooden backdrop allows for extremely effective use of back projection, which as well as providing set detail, is used to great effect in transition scenes and is especially effective in detailing the passage of time and some of the major headlines associated with it, giving a nice historical context to the events portrayed. 

Director Daniel Evans is moving on from the Artistic Director role at Sheffield in mid 2016 to the celebrated Chichester Festival Theatre so this will be his last Christmas production for them, he has left quite a legacy in his five years with them, and what a musical to end his Sheffield Christmas career on. Although I did see in the programme that he will be directing a brand new musical there before he leaves so I will have to see about getting over for that. The bar has been set high for next year's Christmas delight! 

Anything Goes, Sheffield Crucible 13/12/14

It's become a bit of a tradition for me to travel over to Sheffield to take in their Christmas musical offering. Call it a Christmas present to me from me! It always delivers a memorable festive treat, and this year's offering of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes doesn't disappoint.

The first thing that must be mentioned is the fabulously creative set design from Richard Kent, all 1920's glamour, with an inventive and stunning recreation of the ship's deck folded at right angles, which is used to great effect by the cast throughout with its multiple entrances, multilevel performance spaces and even a tiled swimming pool, it really has to be seen to be believed. I was seated quite close to the stage for this production and the detail was amazing. The lighting and costumes are equally sumptuous making this a real visual treat. Add in an excellent orchestra and you have all the basics for a great Christmas package.

As I have come to expect from director Daniel Evans Christmas productions, there are some breath-taking ensemble numbers, including the first outing of Anything Goes that rounds off Act One and created a massive audience buzz in the interval, and the energetic rabble rouser Blow Gabriel Blow which ramps up the energy again in Act Two. At the centre of both of these, and many other highlights, is Debbie Kurup as Reno Sweeney, an amazingly talented all-rounder who lights up the stage (and boy can she get her legs high!)

Another scene stealing performance comes from Stephen Matthews as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Act Two as he finds his inner gypsy in quite dazzling style! Zoe Rainey and Matt Rawle as the lovers Hope and Billy make a nice pairing, both in the comedy moments and the more romantic interludes. The rest of the cast (which is huge!) whilst too many to list, are all brilliant, working incredibly hard to deliver such an energetic, slick and enjoyable production.

If I'm completely honest and very picky, this didn't blow me away quite as much as some of the musical productions I have seen at the Crucible, but I think that is the fault of the story rather than anything else, it is quite weak, especially in the first act, and really serves as an excuse to bring together some wonderful songs and show stopping production numbers.

Notwithstanding that minor quibble, I once again had a wonderful Christmas trip over to Sheffield, left feeling all joyful and festive, and was still humming the songs and wishing I could tap dance long after I had travelled back across the 'border' to my home. Well done all, it really was 'delightful and de-lovely' and I definitely 'got a kick out you'

Company - Sheffield Crucible 17/12/11

Well I certainly ended my 2011 theatregoing experience on a high, with an impromptu trip to Sheffield to see one of my favourite Sondheim musicals, Company, at the Crucible Theatre.

There really wasn't anything I could fault about this production, it was just a delight from start to finish. They had brought together an incredibly strong cast, it was brilliantly staged, had a wonderful set that allowed a great use of the space, and it was both funny in parts, and incredibly moving.

I loved Francesca Annis' portrayal of Joanne, and her drunken rant of 'Ladies Who Lunch' was just a delight. Samantha Spiro made a brilliant Amy and her 'Not Getting Married' was quite literally breathtaking (how any actress gets through that song without turning blue is beyond me!), and Damian Humbley as Harry has a voice that could melt Sheffield steel! But all the cast were just a delight.

Daniel Evans' portrayal of Bobby was wonderfully observed. Initially you see him as quite a shallow character, but there was a really clear point in the production, during the bouncy 'Side by Side / What Would We Do Without You' where you saw the depth and complexity of his emotions laid bare and your heart went out to him.

By the closing number 'Being Alive' I had a tear in my eye, party because of the emotion of the song, and partly because I just didn't want the show to end. I make no apologies for gushing, it was a gush worthy production and a great way to round off the year.

And on a side note, I don't know why I haven't been to Sheffield for theatrical jaunts before. Its incredibly easy to get to on the train, Sheffield itself seemed lovely (in complete contrast to the impressions I got on my last visit to the city for a uni interview quite a few years ago - actually when I realised how many years ago it was I felt ancient!), the Crucible staff are some of the most helpful and friendly I have come across and the ticket prices were amazingly good value. Looking at their exciting 2012 plans I suspect I'll be back!

Hope you like the festive picture - I can't tell you how long it took me to balance the programme on that tree!