Who/what/where: Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Udderbelly Festival
This is a hard article to write, simply because Showstopper! manages to fit an awful lot in and should never give you the same performance twice. I've seen them perform once before, several years ago, and the experience then was both similar in style and completely different to the one I saw most recently.
The Udderbelly is an interesting venue as it's basically little more than a tent shaped like an upside-down purple cow, but is also one of the places in London to see fringe-style shows. The guys and girls from Showstopper have been a staple there for some time, and from both the times I have seen them they're well-worth catching.
The advantage of the show always being different is that I can get away with quoting spoilers, safe in the knowledge that it won't impact future performances unless there's some really odd similarities in the audience suggestions.
The introduction is a fairly straightforward formula, a man is on the phone talking about how well one of his musicals went, and is asked about the next one. At this stage audience suggestions are taken as to the setting and other, similar shows he can suggest. Along the way there are a few nice little theatrical nods (I suspect more so in some than others depending on the suggestions), so in this case we ended up set within Poundland, with references to Avenue Q, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Phantom, etc.
In addition there are moments where they appear to go out of the way to make things awkward for the rest of the cast on stage, expand out the plot/pad scenes, or otherwise mix things up a little, be it describing a character as incredibly posh and difficult to understand, the landmarks around London that the characters pass, or requiring Simon Cowell who was, for some reason, still in the scene, to rap his way off the stage.
I am sure there's a number of basic plot-schemes they follow (there are only so many basic stories in the world after all) but it's how you work with it that makes it interesting.
This time around, in the flagship Poundland store, the founder of Poundland and manager of the store is approached by Harrods to come and run their store. Leaving Poundland she leaves them to fend for themselves, and to cope with their surprisingly high volume of shoplifters while she sets about making everything a pound. Along the way we see the wonders of Harrods, oompa-loompas, people acting as puppets as part of an Avenue Q homage, and a man learning to love himself so that he might speak more confidently.
Eventually Harrods is suffering from selling their products at a pound, while Poundland is losing stock to shoplifters, deliveries aren't coming, and the place is in tatters. It is then revealed that this has all been part of a plot by the alien Simon Cowell to destroy the British economy. Discovering his one weakness is catchphrases from other shows they manage to defeat him and set about restoring order thanks to the radical idea of charging for things what they're worth.
It's an odd plot to describe, but I fully blame our audience for contributing several of the suggestions (such as "Simon Cowell is an alien" from one of the rows) and the main entertainment factor is in watching them take the ideas and run with them, turning them into a single (mostly) coherent plot, with several nice moments built-in.
They're on at the Udderbelly pretty much every Sunday, so if you're in the vicinity it's well-worth popping by.
Showing posts with label musical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musical. Show all posts
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Theare - Into The Woods
Who/what/where: Into The Woods, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre/Digital Theatre
Digital Theatre is a clever little company that has arranged with certain theatres to film particular performances and put them online to rent/buy. Unlike most of the other digital versions of shows I own, this is not one I had seen before. As it was easily available, and was a Sondheim (which automatically makes it more appealing) I figured I would give it a whirl. The performance was filmed back in 2010.
For those of you who've been to the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre before, it's a fairly open stage. In this case they've done some pretty extensive set-design, with multiple levels and various other features.
The show is a retelling of various fairy tales intertwined within each other. The baker and his wife (Jenna Russell, cropping up in yet another musical, and another Sondheim to boot, because, well, she can, and she's very good at it too) serve to link much of it together - they're one a quest to collect certain items to lift a curse so they can have a child. Along the way they meet and interact with Cinderalla, her prince, Rapunzel, Jack (of "and the beanstalk" fame) and his cow, an interesting take on Red Riding Hood, and so on. Over the course of three nights they help each story along, advising Cinderalla, buying Jack's cow in exchange for magic beans, and so on.
The first act largely resolves itself nicely and serves as a self-contained story in and of itself. The second act builds on the events of the first though is set some time later, everyone is within their "ever after" lives, but not everyone is happy, especially not the giant (voiced by Dame Judi Dench) who has turned up (via some clever set use) to extract revenge on Jack for stealing and killing and all the things that fairy tale heroes get to do with impunity. The cast try to offer the narrator as a sacrifice, which is a nice touch. Eventually the surviving characters work together and best the giant and, once more, things appear to end happily.
As a musical, some of the tunes are not as catchy as we've seen in other Sondheim works, but there are a couple of gems along the way. Though it's not like "Merrily We Roll Along" where I had snippets of "Opening Doors" in my head for weeks afterwards, though part of that might be that I've seen that show more than once.
Digital Theatre is a clever little company that has arranged with certain theatres to film particular performances and put them online to rent/buy. Unlike most of the other digital versions of shows I own, this is not one I had seen before. As it was easily available, and was a Sondheim (which automatically makes it more appealing) I figured I would give it a whirl. The performance was filmed back in 2010.
For those of you who've been to the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre before, it's a fairly open stage. In this case they've done some pretty extensive set-design, with multiple levels and various other features.
The show is a retelling of various fairy tales intertwined within each other. The baker and his wife (Jenna Russell, cropping up in yet another musical, and another Sondheim to boot, because, well, she can, and she's very good at it too) serve to link much of it together - they're one a quest to collect certain items to lift a curse so they can have a child. Along the way they meet and interact with Cinderalla, her prince, Rapunzel, Jack (of "and the beanstalk" fame) and his cow, an interesting take on Red Riding Hood, and so on. Over the course of three nights they help each story along, advising Cinderalla, buying Jack's cow in exchange for magic beans, and so on.
The first act largely resolves itself nicely and serves as a self-contained story in and of itself. The second act builds on the events of the first though is set some time later, everyone is within their "ever after" lives, but not everyone is happy, especially not the giant (voiced by Dame Judi Dench) who has turned up (via some clever set use) to extract revenge on Jack for stealing and killing and all the things that fairy tale heroes get to do with impunity. The cast try to offer the narrator as a sacrifice, which is a nice touch. Eventually the surviving characters work together and best the giant and, once more, things appear to end happily.
As a musical, some of the tunes are not as catchy as we've seen in other Sondheim works, but there are a couple of gems along the way. Though it's not like "Merrily We Roll Along" where I had snippets of "Opening Doors" in my head for weeks afterwards, though part of that might be that I've seen that show more than once.
Saturday, March 08, 2014
Theatre - Urinetown
Who/what/where: Urinetown, St James Theatre
What's on Stage do several group outings over the course of the year, usually offering a reduced-price ticcket and some goodies. In this case it was a drinks voucher and a post-show meet and greet with the cast.
The St James Theatre is a fairly new venue, and sits outside the West End. It's close to Victoria and, having only opened in 2012, is a very modern theatre. The main theatre has capacity for a few hundred with some very steep seating. Unless the person in front of you is about three feet taller than you, you are unlikely to have an obstructed view. Below the main theatre is a studio venue, capable of seating a smaller number of people, but proving to be a nice environment for the smaller, more intimate, shows like Barbershopera.
Urinetown is not your typical musical, and therefore, despite how good it is, it's not one you get to see very often - this is the UK premiere of the show in fact. Part of the reason for this will be covered in the spoilery section of this article. The setting is fairly dark, a dystopian world where water is a scarce resource and one man, Caldwell B. Cladwell, holds the monopoly on public toilets, charging for these earns him a fortune and he has a scheme to become richer still. Plus there's a bit of blood, which may put off some audience members.
The public object to the fee increases, and soon a full-blown riot ensues, led by the hero of the piece, Bobby Strong, who feels gulty over his actions earlier in the show. Naturally, there's a love interest, in this case Hope Cladwell, the daughter of the show's antagonist.
The show is more than capably narrated by Johnathan Slinger (in his first musical role) as Office Lockstock, a deliciously cynical character who provides several moments of self-referential humour, giving exposition while at the same time criticising musicals that give lots of exposition. Several of these scenes take place with Little Sally, explaining information to her, and through that, to the audience.
There is a lot going on, and the two wardrobe people must have a hell of a job performing quick-change acts on a cast of around twenty. There's a fairly elaborate set, the show frequently taking place on one of two levels on stage, sometimes both. And, as an added bonus, part of the stage can revolve.
The show is presently in previews, having been open only a week and a half when I saw it. It's due to run until the 3rd of May and I absolutely recommend that not only do you get yourself a ticket, but that you get me one too as I could definitely cope with seeing it again. The night I went to see it was a sell-out. We had a last-minute cancellation and returned a ticket about 45 minutes before the show and they managed to sell it without a problem. As such we ended up next to and chatting with a lovely American girl who was studying musical theatre.
Here beginneth the spoilers.
----------------------------
There's a couple of plot twists which are relatively expected, such as the identity of Hope's mother, but it's a rare show which will kill off the main character two-thirds of the way through the show. At that point Hope takes over the rebellion, leads them into killing her father, and allows free peeing for everyone. Unfortunately, that doesnt end so well as the water dries up thanks to this unrestricted usage, and pretty much everyone ends up dying anyway. So not the happiest of musicals, but they do warn us of that, and it is very fitting for the show.
----------------------------
In short, go see it.
What's on Stage do several group outings over the course of the year, usually offering a reduced-price ticcket and some goodies. In this case it was a drinks voucher and a post-show meet and greet with the cast.
The St James Theatre is a fairly new venue, and sits outside the West End. It's close to Victoria and, having only opened in 2012, is a very modern theatre. The main theatre has capacity for a few hundred with some very steep seating. Unless the person in front of you is about three feet taller than you, you are unlikely to have an obstructed view. Below the main theatre is a studio venue, capable of seating a smaller number of people, but proving to be a nice environment for the smaller, more intimate, shows like Barbershopera.
Urinetown is not your typical musical, and therefore, despite how good it is, it's not one you get to see very often - this is the UK premiere of the show in fact. Part of the reason for this will be covered in the spoilery section of this article. The setting is fairly dark, a dystopian world where water is a scarce resource and one man, Caldwell B. Cladwell, holds the monopoly on public toilets, charging for these earns him a fortune and he has a scheme to become richer still. Plus there's a bit of blood, which may put off some audience members.
The public object to the fee increases, and soon a full-blown riot ensues, led by the hero of the piece, Bobby Strong, who feels gulty over his actions earlier in the show. Naturally, there's a love interest, in this case Hope Cladwell, the daughter of the show's antagonist.
The show is more than capably narrated by Johnathan Slinger (in his first musical role) as Office Lockstock, a deliciously cynical character who provides several moments of self-referential humour, giving exposition while at the same time criticising musicals that give lots of exposition. Several of these scenes take place with Little Sally, explaining information to her, and through that, to the audience.
There is a lot going on, and the two wardrobe people must have a hell of a job performing quick-change acts on a cast of around twenty. There's a fairly elaborate set, the show frequently taking place on one of two levels on stage, sometimes both. And, as an added bonus, part of the stage can revolve.
The show is presently in previews, having been open only a week and a half when I saw it. It's due to run until the 3rd of May and I absolutely recommend that not only do you get yourself a ticket, but that you get me one too as I could definitely cope with seeing it again. The night I went to see it was a sell-out. We had a last-minute cancellation and returned a ticket about 45 minutes before the show and they managed to sell it without a problem. As such we ended up next to and chatting with a lovely American girl who was studying musical theatre.
Here beginneth the spoilers.
----------------------------
There's a couple of plot twists which are relatively expected, such as the identity of Hope's mother, but it's a rare show which will kill off the main character two-thirds of the way through the show. At that point Hope takes over the rebellion, leads them into killing her father, and allows free peeing for everyone. Unfortunately, that doesnt end so well as the water dries up thanks to this unrestricted usage, and pretty much everyone ends up dying anyway. So not the happiest of musicals, but they do warn us of that, and it is very fitting for the show.
----------------------------
In short, go see it.
Sunday, March 02, 2014
Theatre - Merrily We Roll Along
Who/what/where: Merrily We Roll Along, Harold Pinter Theatre/Digital Theatre
The folks at Digital Theatre have a fine idea, organising with the theatre to film certain performances and put them online to rent/buy. They were also behind the live performances of Noel Coward's Private Lives making their way to cinemas recently. It's great if you miss a show, or want to retain a copy, but there's just something about the experience of seeing the shows live that a digital version just cannot capture.
I've seen this version of Merrily We Roll Along three times now, once when it opened at The Menier Chocolate Factory, again at The Harold Pinter Theatre in May 2013, and finally the digital version, so it's a show I've developed a little familiarity with. Plus, your week is almost always improved with a little bit of Stephen Sondheim's work in your life.
Mark Umbers is Franklin Shepard, Jenna Russell, always good value in a musical, gives a fine performance as Mary Flynn, and Damian Humbley is Charles Kringas.
Merrily We Roll Along is a Sondheim musical based upon a play. The show opens at a party in the 70s and, with each scene, moves backward through key moments within the life of Franklin Shepard = initially showing him as a wealthy, but ultimately not that happy, film producer and leading back through how he got to that position, all but abandoning his composing work to get there. Travelling backwards through his life and that of his friends we see him work on a hit musical, live as a penniless composer, marry his lead actress twice and finally go back to the him, in his early 20s, meeting what will become his closest friends.
The simple act of reversing the timeline puts the audience's emotional roller-coaster into reverse with it. Were it to go in a simple chronological order they might otherwise leave drained at watching Fanklin slowly change into the man he becomes, the friends he drifts away from, and the idea that he may make the same mistakes again, potentially marrying his lead actress for a third time. The references to the New York play written by Charles Kringas imply that he stuck to his principles, finished the show he wanted to do with Franklin and that things worked out for him in the end, so it doesn't end poorly for everybody. However, doing it this way round lets the show end on a much more positive note, optimistic about the future and the opportunities it will offer, plus introduces Evelyn, who will become Kringas' wife - giving the audience a further reason to smile at the end.
You can see how each decision led into the next and, as the play progresses, unpick the key turning points of his life. Would a small change in certain decisions make a huge difference to his life? Undoubtedly. Would the show be as interesting if he'd made the right ones? No. Can the audience learn from his actions? I'd hope so, catch up with friends, think about what you're aiming for, what you'll compromise for what benefit, and what decisions you've already made.
Its a fine show and well worth viewing.
The folks at Digital Theatre have a fine idea, organising with the theatre to film certain performances and put them online to rent/buy. They were also behind the live performances of Noel Coward's Private Lives making their way to cinemas recently. It's great if you miss a show, or want to retain a copy, but there's just something about the experience of seeing the shows live that a digital version just cannot capture.
I've seen this version of Merrily We Roll Along three times now, once when it opened at The Menier Chocolate Factory, again at The Harold Pinter Theatre in May 2013, and finally the digital version, so it's a show I've developed a little familiarity with. Plus, your week is almost always improved with a little bit of Stephen Sondheim's work in your life.
Mark Umbers is Franklin Shepard, Jenna Russell, always good value in a musical, gives a fine performance as Mary Flynn, and Damian Humbley is Charles Kringas.
Merrily We Roll Along is a Sondheim musical based upon a play. The show opens at a party in the 70s and, with each scene, moves backward through key moments within the life of Franklin Shepard = initially showing him as a wealthy, but ultimately not that happy, film producer and leading back through how he got to that position, all but abandoning his composing work to get there. Travelling backwards through his life and that of his friends we see him work on a hit musical, live as a penniless composer, marry his lead actress twice and finally go back to the him, in his early 20s, meeting what will become his closest friends.
The simple act of reversing the timeline puts the audience's emotional roller-coaster into reverse with it. Were it to go in a simple chronological order they might otherwise leave drained at watching Fanklin slowly change into the man he becomes, the friends he drifts away from, and the idea that he may make the same mistakes again, potentially marrying his lead actress for a third time. The references to the New York play written by Charles Kringas imply that he stuck to his principles, finished the show he wanted to do with Franklin and that things worked out for him in the end, so it doesn't end poorly for everybody. However, doing it this way round lets the show end on a much more positive note, optimistic about the future and the opportunities it will offer, plus introduces Evelyn, who will become Kringas' wife - giving the audience a further reason to smile at the end.
You can see how each decision led into the next and, as the play progresses, unpick the key turning points of his life. Would a small change in certain decisions make a huge difference to his life? Undoubtedly. Would the show be as interesting if he'd made the right ones? No. Can the audience learn from his actions? I'd hope so, catch up with friends, think about what you're aiming for, what you'll compromise for what benefit, and what decisions you've already made.
Its a fine show and well worth viewing.
