I’ve at last succumbed to Twitter, so if you liked what I wrote on this blog, you may want to add me @colouredlights

Thanks

However, I was excited to discover that Adam Gwon himself will be coming to London this weekend, and will be performing with West End stars including I’d Do Anything’s Sarah Lark

I’m a big fan of Sarah Lark, and it was also exiting to see this week that she has been cast as the cover to Nancy in the upcoming production of Oliver. I’m slightly confused as I had thought that Cameron Mackintosh was contractually not allowed to cast any of the other runners up for a fixed period of time… apparently that isn’t the case though, which is great news for Sarah. She was one of my favourites anyway (tied with Rachel Tucker), so I think I’d now rather see the show with her in it!

So, if you want to see her performing before the end of the year, I’d suggest you come along to Saturday’s concert – you can buy tickets here.

Unfortunately, I can’t make it, but at least I have tickets for the opening night of Ordinary Days. If you do see either show, let me know what you think.

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An Evening with Adam Gwon
Saturday November 1st @ 8pm
St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge

In anticipation of the European premiere of Ordinary Days, Adam Gwon will be appearing in an exclusive concert featuring extracts from Ordinary Days and selected material from his other works, all performed by stars from the West End and Broadway.

Performers will include Sarah Lark, Christopher Ragland, Stanley Bahorek and the case of Ordinary Days, all of whom have West End experience (most notably Julie Atherton. Adam Gwon will also be performing himself, so it should be a fantastic opportunity to see him live.

I can say with absolute certainty that it was well worth the wait. I can’t remember enjoying a ‘jukebox musical’ this much since I saw Buddy more than 15 years ago! In fact, in many ways, Jersey Boys has the same three key elements that has made Buddy such an enduring hit over the years:

• A phenomenal set of songs – I bet that there were plenty of people in the audience that didn’t realise how many hits originated from The Four Seasons, particularly the glorious ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’
• An exciting, but true story – what really makes this show different from the Mamma Mia’s and We Will Rock You‘s of this world is that the plot is the story of their life. On this occasion, real life is far more engrossing than fiction.
• Brilliant on-stage performances, with both instruments and voices – as with Buddy, I love the fact that the cast play their own instruments. They also have absolutely tremendous voices.

But for me, the thing that makes it so special is the performance of the leading man, Ryan Molloy – his voice is truly remarkable. Apparently he is a recoding artist in his own right (check out his official website for more on this), but he also has some great musical theatre experience. It was a winning combination from where I was sitting.

With all of these elements in place, how could the show fail to be enjoyable?! I’m sure there are things about it that aren’t perfect, but when a show is this fun, I find it hard to nit-pick… I’d rather sit back and enjoy the show and leave the criticism to the reviewers.

If you want a fun night out that doesn’t require any concentration, this is a show I’d have absolutely no hesitation in recommending. I absolutely loved it!

Despite that, it’s great to note that there are options out there at the moment for fans of new musical theatre, and it comes from talent on both sides of the pond.

Representing the UK in proceedings are 2 shows: Kinks frontman Ray Davies’ Come Dancing, that recently extended its time at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, and the Kings Head’s latest musical offering, Rue Magique (which was originally known at ‘Street Magic’ when the show was first announced.

But it’s the US side of the things that I’d like to concentrate on in this post…

Just last week, I was at the Southbank Centre to see the London premiere of New York City’s New Voices Collective. It was a nice opportunity to hear some new writers for the first time, and whilst I would like to have seen a little more from established writers like JRB, LaChiusa and Adam Guettel, it was still worth the trip. If I get a chance, I’ll try to blog about the event itself at some point.

If you’re a fan of new musicals though, you should check out the Finborough Theatre’s upcoming offering – Ordinary Days – which is on in November, It’s the European premiere of a show by emerging American composer Adam Gwon, and judging by the tracks on his MySpace page, he’s definitely one worth watching.

The show is directed by Adam Lenson, and casting for the show has just been announced – see the ews on What’s On Stage here. The biggest name on the list is Julie Atherton, who was the original Kate Monster/ Lucy the Slut in the London production of Avenue Q (a role that she’ll be returning to in December after Ordinary Days), but Kenneth Avery-Clark, Hayley Gallivan and Lee William-Davis have some pretty impressive credits to their name too.

In fact, all 4 of the cast have great West End experience, between them performing in Avenue Q, Fame, The Producers, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, Mamma Mia and Mary Poppins – a pretty impressive list!

The show is initially on for just 5 performances, and given that the Finborough is a small venue, I’d recommend booking tickets quickly if you’re keen to see the show. You can find out more information on the Finborough’s website here. If you do manage to see it, let me know what you think.

There hasn’t been a massive amount of news in the last couple of weeks (apart from a flurry in recent days that I’ll cover in my weekly round-up). However, there was some major casting news at the back end of the week though which deserves its own post – and it comes courtesy of the Menier Chocolate Factory

The cast for the theatre’s Christmas musical, A Little Night Music has been announced, and it should come as absolutely no surprise given that the Menier has become one of London’s most successful theatres since opening just a few years’ back. It also doesn’t hurt that the show is directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, the former Artistic Director of the National Theatre.

There are 4 main highlights in the cast (although I don’t wish to do a disservice to the remainder of what will undoubtedly be a highly talented ensemble:

• Hannah Waddingham: Last seen on the West End stage as the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, Waddingham is playing the part played in the most recent London revival by Judi Dench. She has an absolutely trendous voice so I’m really excited to see her up close in an intimate venue like the Menier.
• Alexander Hanson: I’ve seen Hanson on the West End stage twice in the last couple of years, first as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and more recently in Marguerite. I thought Marguerite was treated rather harshly by the critics, so let’s hope that A Little Night Music fares better.
• Maureen Lipman: A true institution,  but I suspect that plenty of people don’t realise how many musicals she has actually performed in over the years. She has worked with Trevor Nunn before, in his National Theatre production of Oklahoma! so it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise to see her joining his cast.
• Jessie Buckley: I expect the casting of Buckley will cause a great deal of excitement among her fans made during her appearances on the BBC’s ‘I’d Do Anything’. Anyone that reads this blog will know that I wrote regularly about the show, and I was a big fan of Jessie’s – however, I didn’t think she was quite ready for the West End stage back in June this year, so it will be very interesting to see how she’s come on in the last 4-5 months. It just shows that winning doesn’t matter in the BBC’s series – the 3 main runners-up (Samantha Barks, Rachel Tucker and now Buckley) have been cast in major roles, either on the West Stage or prominent touring productions.

I can’t wait to see the show, so I had better get a move on and book my tickets before they all sell out. I also wouldn’t bet against a transfer to a West End theatre in the New Year, although let’s hope it happens slightly quicker than last year’s Christmas musical, La Cage Aux Folles, which is only now on the verge of opening, more than 9 months after closing its run at the Menier.

Congratulations to the Menier once again though on some inspired casting – it has proved once again how much of a draw it is for big huge theatre names – no mean for a venue with less than 200 seats!

It’s still been a little quiet on the musical theatre news front, but there’s just about enough to sustain a post, so here I am… For those of you who are slightly more observant, you might notice me slip in a couple of things that didn’t strictly happen in the last week. Enjoy…

• A Little Night Music has been confirmed as the Christmas musical this year at the Menier Chocolate Factory. The show is directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, and casting will follow in due course. In the meantime, tickets are already on sale via the Menier’s website, where you can also find full details and publicity image for the show.
• Lee Mead is already been tipped for a follow-up role in another Andrew Lloyd Webber musical after he hangs up his multi-coloured coat. According to WOS, he is going to heading up the cast or a new production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Rather improbably, the production will apparently be directed by Marianne Elliott, a well-known director but with no previous musical theatre experience
• Dirty Dancing is getting a new cast member, and rather unusually, he comes from the Royal Ballet. According to The Stage, Martin Harvey will be taking on the leading role, and will be joined by Leanne Rowe as ‘Baby’
• Imagine This started its press campaign, inviting journalists to meet the cast and creative team, and hear a few of the show’s songs. What’s On Stage reports events here, and the Official London Theatre site focuses on Director Timothy Sheader’s nerves about the project. I doubt he’s the only person to be worried, as it’s certainly an ambitious show – check out The Stage newsblog for another point of view
• Gethin Jones in rumoured to have been lined up to replace Lee Mead when his time in Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat comes to an end early next year. According to WOS, the former Blue Peter presenter and star of Strictly Come Dancing will make his theatre debut in the show.
• Come Dancing, a new musical written by former Kinks frontman Ray Davies, opened this week at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Thankfully it’s actually an original musical, rather than another jukebox show, as noted by the show’s reviews
• Never Forget‘s producers have managed to get themselves into a pay row with the cast of the show… The Stage reports that they have asked the cast to take significant pay cuts when the show moves from the Savoy Theatre to the smaller Lyric Theatre later in the year. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is particularly happy with their attempts. You can also see a response on The Stage’s newsblog here
• Charles Strouse has told The Stage that producers are in talks to bring a new production of his most famous show, Annie, to the West End. It’s currently playing at the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, but he hopes it won’t end there
• Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the latest film-cum-musical, has announced its leading cast members. What’s On Stage announces that the show will mark a return to the West End stage for Jason Donovan, and this is confirmed by the show’s official website
• Eurobeat The Musical opened at the Novello Theatre to mixed reviews… Nicholas de Jongh of the Evening Standard hated it, but Charles Spencer of the Daily Telegraph loved it. You can make up your own minds by booking tickets via the show’s official website

Have a good weekend.

We started by thinking about the criteria necessary for the role… our initial list consisted of:

1. Someone who has been heavily involved in West End theatre
2. Someone who is a household name, or at least recognisable to most of the audience
3. Someone with on-screen charisma (remember Barry Humphries in the opening weeks last year!)
4. Someone with sufficient gravitas to be taken seriously
5. Someone with no financial interest in the show’s success

Given that list, we actually realised that there aren’t that many people who would be suitable for the role. Had there not been a backlash against the BBC last year, Sir Cameron Mackintosh would have been a good choice, but I think it’s highly unlikely that the BBC would allow the Head Judge to double as the show’s producer.

So, here’s five of the best that we came up with:

• John Barrowman – they wouldn’t have to go far to find him, but then the producers would need to find themselves another judge with as much charisma as him. He might be too young, and too much of a performer to take on this role though
• Lesley Garrett – probably ticks the boxes on wider fame, but she has really only made the transition from opera singer to musical theatre star in the last few years, with performances in The Sound of Music and the upcoming Carousel. Perhaps a good addition to the panel, but not experienced enough to be Head Judge.
• Ruthie Henshall – for West End musical theatre experience, she would be awesome, and would certainly command the respect of the performers. However, like John, she’s probably still too young to take the top job. She’d be a great replacement if Denise Van Outen every decided to give up and concentrate fully on her Sky1 shows
• Michael Crawford – a slightly left-field one here, but Crawford would almost certainly be very popular with the older members of the BBC audience (of which there are many). He acted on-screen, and he definitely has musical credibility having originated the role of the Phantom of the Opera. I’m not sure what he’s been doing in recent years, but could be a good outside bet
• Tim Rice – All of the names so far have been performers, but does the panel really need another performer?! How about Lloyd Webber’s very first collaborator, Tim Rice? He appeared briefly in ‘Any Dream Will Do’ as were casting for a show he wrote, and he is also highly experienced. If the BBC wants a non-performer who can keep the seat warm for one series, Rice could be the man.

But despite the evident quality of some of these names, none of them are as perfect for the role as my tip – Michael Ball. He’s popular with the public, incredibly well-known, hugely experienced and true musical theatre royalty.

The only problem I can see if that he’s just extended his time in Hairspray until April, after the series has started, so there might need to be some negotiation between producers to make this happen. If he is available though, I think he would be perfect.

So, what do you think? Do any of these catch your eye? Are there any obviously choices that I’ve missed out?

Yes and no.

Elena Roger’s performance was superb overall, and spellbinding whenever she was singing. Her physical acting and mannerisms were exquisite, and I’m still confused about her ability to replicate one of the most distinctive voices I have ever heard. It was impressive enough when Marion Cottilard played Piaf on screen to Oscar-winning effect in last year’s La Vie en Rose, but it’s even more impressive for Roger to do it live every night in front an audience which is as close to the stage as the Donmar’s is. In fact, her performance would have been perfect had she made at least some attempt to sound French when speaking – her accent was the only thing that grated about her performance.

Looking back though, I wish I had been able to watch a concert performance of Elena Roger as Edith Piaf – I spent almost every moment of the show willing her start singing again. And that’s my problem with this show. Jamie Lloyd’s direction could certainly not be accused of lacking in speed, or slickness, but in places it actually ended up feeling too rushed. There wasn’t any chance for the story to breathe, and I was relieved that I had seen the film of La Vie en Rose earlier this year, and therefore actually knew some more of the background story which was missing from this show. Apparently Pam Gems’ original play is actually nearly 2.5 hours long, and it was cut in collaboration with Lloyd for this production. I wish they hadn’t cut it quite so much.

Reading back, this post all sounds quite negative, perhaps even more than I intended. The cast all do a good job, and I loved the set design. It’s also incredibly tight musically – Nigel Lilley as MD has done an excellent job. But ultimately, despite all of those redeeming features, I can’t help feeling that this show is a missed opportunity. With a leading lady as talented as Elena Roger, it should have been brilliant, but unfortunately it never quite hit the heights that I had expected.

I’m not the first person to express mixed emotions about the show thought – check out Natasha Tripney’s post on the Guardian theatre blog more than a month ago

If you still want to see the show (and on balance, it’s still worth it just to see Roger, you can book tickets for the transfer here).

So it actually turned out that last night’s performance was actually the final preview… apparently the show’s producers didn’t feel the need to reduce the price of my tickets. Fortunately, by the time I had watched last night’s show, I really didn’t care…

Remarkably, I have never seen the film that this play was adapated from… judging by the chatter among the audience members seated near to me, I was in the minority. I actually think it’s better not to have seen it – I didn’t feel the need to compare every detail of the play with an entirely different form, and had absolutely no preconceptions before the performance started.

I suppose there is one advantage of seeing a preview when you’re a blogger – it makes a nice change to have my say before the ‘official’ critics have had an opporunity.

I’ll keep it short and sweet – I thought it was a great production, so I’d probably give it 4 stars. A few things worth noting:

• Adam Godley is absolutely incredible as Raymond Babbet. 100% convincing as the autistic savant, giving a tremendously gripping and emotional performance.
• Josh Hartnett seriously exceeded my (albeit pretty low) expecatations. He really can act, and certainly didn’t look out of place on the London stage
• Jonathan Fensom’s set was impressive, particularly the contrasting motel/hotel rooms – the set’s movement was very slick, just like the production itself

And finally, what a good job the producers did in bringing Terry Johnson on board. He really brings out the comedy in the play, without resorting to excessive caricature. I generally find it hard to know where the actor’s talent stops and the quality of the direction begins, but I think it’s fair to say that plenty of this show’s success is down in Johnson. If nothing else, Hartnett gives a real stage performance, despite some of the sceptical comments when he was originally cast.

In case you’re in any doubt, I’d recommend a trip. There was a few spare seats in the Dress Circle last night, so you should still be able to get your hands on tickets – you can buy them via the Nimax Theatres website.

Let’s see what the critics have to say tonight!

• Helen Mirren in royal role at National – the Guardian
• Mirren to tread boards after six-year absence – Independent

Don’t get me wrong – I’m also excited about this news. I’m just also pretty excited about some of the other news, particuarly around directors

In addition to Hytner’s own director of Phaedra, a number of other famous directors have been announced – thanks to What’s On Stage and The Stage for covering this part of the story!

• Deborah Warner – Mother Courage and Her Children
• Marianne Elliott – All’s Well That Ends Well
• Michael Grandage – Danton’s Death
• Richard Eyre – The Observer
• Rufus Norris – Death and the King’s Horeseman
• Rupert Goold – Time and the Conways

It’s a pretty impressive list really… Rupert Goold and Michael Grandage have never directed at the National before so that’s a bit of a coup.

But seriously – how does Michael Grandage find the time?! He’s Artistic Director of the Donmar for a few years now, which this year got even bigger with the launch of the Donmar West End season. He’s also directing 3 of the 4 shows himself – Ivanov, Twelfth Night and Madame de Sade – so he certainly seems to know how to keep busy!

Rupert Goold and Rufus Norris are 2 of London’s theatre’s brightest stars, so it’s great to have them working at the National. Goold’s new production of Six Characters in Search of an Author just transferred to the West End from the Chichester Festival Theatre where it started, and he’ll then be going on to direct Oliver…

In fact, a number of these directors have musical theatre experience in the past – Rufus Norris directed Bill Kenwright’s recent production of Cabaret (which is currently touring the regions starring Samantha Barks), and Michael Grandage has directed shows like Guys and Dolls and Evita in recent years. Deborah Warner doesn’t appear to have directed any musicals, but she is experienced in the field of opera, having directed at both the ENO and Glyndebourne.

If you want to know more about the directors in question, and the programme itself, I’d recommend chceking out an article on Official London Theatre Guide

I’m sure there will be plenty more response in the coming weeks, but without even knowing much about the shows themselves, I’m excited about next year at the National.