Wow! There were so many good things about tonight’s performance of Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical that I don’t even know where to start! I’ve been to quite a few musicals in my time here in London but its been a while since I’ve been to a huge production like Priscilla. Probably the last “big” show I went to was Billy Elliot in December last year but even that production paled in comparison to tonight’s show. This is definitely one of the best shows I’ve seen EVER. Big call I know but so true.

I guess I should start by saying that I’ve never seen the movie so at least from that perspective I was coming to the show with no preconceptions. However, I was pleased to see that no “insider” knowledge was needed at all from the movie because all the jokes were pretty well delivered and I could understand even all the insinuated stuff.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert tells the story of how two drag queens (Tick/Mitzi played by Jason Donovan and Adam/Felicia played by Oliver Thornton) and an older more mature transexual (Bernadette formerly known as Farrah Forceitin – heh heh – played by Tony Sheldon) find themselves making a journey in a big bus, who they lovingly name Priscilla, to perform at a casino in Alice Springs. This story really gave the producers/writers lots of room to deliver some really big creative musical numbers and this creativity flowed through the music, the costumer, the set and not to mention the hugely, but very welcome, over the top performances.

Pauline and I knew we were in for a great time tonight from the start. The crowd was all a buzz and definitely huge energy levels before the show even started. We were surrounded by a few drag queens I’m fairly sure and there was on particularly vocal person behind us, whom I now call Poodle Bag after his/her well poodle bag, who gave Pauline and I quite a few giggles outside of those from the show! I was nearly crying after one particularly funny series of comments.

We were sitting in the grand circle and though I normally prefer to sit in the stalls it actually turned out perfectly because many of the pieces were set up high (either on top of the bus or other) so we were practically eye level with the performers. Be warned if you’re near the front at the stalls because you may get dragged up on stage just after half time to do a jig – and it was a pretty big jig as well!

The pre-show announcement had the touch of the droll as well when after asking everyone to ensure phones were silent and no recording etc. the audience were asked “to put their wigs under their chairs” for the benefit of the rest of the audience!

I could go on and on and on about the musical it was that good. The soundtrack to the musical was pure and utter brilliance with all the big party and disco hits making an appearance including Downtown, What’s Love Got To Do With It?, Don’t Leave Me This Way, I Say A Little Prayer, I Love The Nightlife, I Will Survive, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Boogie Wonderland, and Finally. All the anthems so to speak. If they ever release a soundtrack I’m sure they’ll have no problems getting copies out the door!

Priscilla was a combination of singing, dancing and of course performing. The essence of the drag performer is lyp-synching and though the three male leads do some original singing of their own (and at a very good level) in the bigger performance pieces the show called them to do lyp-synching. Rather than try to cover-this up the show came up with the idea of The Three Divas – who were in essence three woman suspended on ropes high above the stage who had kick-ass voices and performed at the same time as the “performance” was going on below. It worked fantastically in part because the male leads and the Divas worked very well in tandem together but also the Divas had really great strong soulful voices. The cast were fantastic and somehow kept the energy up for the whole show – I don’t know how they managed because each piece made me tired just watching it! That’s not to say that every piece was huge – the solos, though softer and heart-rending, were no less powerful than the big party pieces. The show also kept us laughing with many fantastic one-liners and loved the jokes about Neighbours and Charlene/Scott!

I spoke of costumes earlier and if this musical doesn’t win some sort of prize for costumers then the judges must definitely be blind. If you think big, Priscilla delivered it bigger. From head to toe all the costumes were just outrageous but so beautiful and an absolutely pleasure to the eye (loved loved loved the shoes!) The same could be said of the set which was really well designed and managed. The musical also really made the most of the technology to them including the bus being completely covered in LED lighting which led to an interesting scene where the bus was “painted” pink!

This is the kind of show that I would definitely see again. But for now the next thing I’ll do is hire the movie out and see how the musical compares!

Missing out on tickets to the real thing I thought that Thriller Live, whilst not a substitute in real terms, would at least be a consolation prize. In our minds Rehana and I thought Thriller Live was going to be a musical about Michael Jackson’s life from childhood to now – a biopic of sorts. Instead it ended up being a tribute instead. Once we got over that confusion in our minds we were able to enjoy the show as we sat through the re-telling of hit after Michael Jackson hits. Its amazing to think he could fill a solid two hours with his songs and it actually made me appreciate just how wide a range and style he has – from R&B/gospel to soul to disco to pop to rock. The musical pieces also reminded me just how great a visionary and entertainer Michael Jackson is. It such a shame that all the other weird stuff going on in his life has detracted from what otherwise would be considered pure genius.

Thriller Live didn’t really have a plot jumping seemingly from one song to another without any real connection. There was some loose association with time but this was very loose and some hits, such as Thriller, of course, were left to the end as a finale. However, notwithstanding, the show was highly entertaining and full of energy. The show was strongest when delivering some of Michael’s most movie-like music videos such as Smooth Criminal and Beat It which demonstrated a balance between his singing and his dancing. Naturally the moonwalk got some of the biggest cat-calls and cheers of the night.

There were six main performers in Thriller Live: Sterling Williams, who was adorable when singing the pieces from Michael Jackson’s youth, John Moabi, Ben Forster, Earl Perkins, and a female singer whose name escapes me for the moment, I think it was Michelle someone or other, who were the main vocals for the various other more mature songs and finally there was Ricko Baird, who started off strong as an excellent MJ imitator all the way down to his mannerisms in moving around the stage (though gradually as he increased his energy he seemed to lose the discipline and became a little less Michael.)

From a singing perspective it was interesting to have the different styles of the singers come through. Some times it work, such as Sterling Williams as a young Michael Jackson, and some times it didn’t such as Ben Forster’s performances. Despite the fact on his own he was very good and actually exhibited the most energy of the cast there the down and dirty in his performances was just missing. Rehana didn’t much like the female singer as she seemed to perform just at one level – loud, but I actually did like the female voice on some of Michael’s songs as it gave a good balance against the otherwise male singers in the cast.

The band were totally awesome and I was impressed that some of the guitar solos even got highlighted during the show with the guitarist coming out on to stage to showcase. Great use was also made of the stage and especially the LED screens used to flash up details about Michael’s career. Great use of it was also made during the Thriller piece which was particularly well choreographed.

Small warning to those attending – you will be encouraged to get up and dance at least twice throughout the performance!

On every occasion I’ve asked someone whether they wanted to see La Clique (and I’ve done it on probably about five occasions) I have had great difficulty answering the question of “What is it?” Now, having seen the show, I think I could probably go beyond my standard answer of “Um … I think it some sort of burlesque circus thing.” You’d probably agree that an answer such as that is hardly likely to convince someone to come see it with me though, to be fair, that’s kind of what La Clique is. I must have got Pauline in a weak moment because she actually agreed to see the show tonight with me without really asking too many questions. Hopefully she’ll agree that it was a very entertaining evening.

As its own website declares La Clique is impossible to describe (and resist!) so in the show’s own words it is best described as a fusion of “cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety.” Basically, it’s a collection of a load of different acts and performances including puppetry, balancing, hula hoops, contortion, magic, comedy, juggling, roller-skating, acrobatics, gymnastics, and dance. The major theme running through the show was music, comedy and entertainment and it delivered in all three. Its sexy as all get up too … well, some acts were anyway – in particular David O’Mer in his wearing-jeans-only-out-of-a-bath-tub-and-with-loads-of-water-aerial-piece (splash zone warning here!) Phew he was hot! Strangely less sexy considering the nudity, but no less engaging, was Ursula Martinez’s infamous “Hanky Panky” magic act. Lets just say she appears to pull a red hanky from somewhere it had no place being!

The whole show is held together by a guy called Mario who refers to himself as the Queen of the Circus (partly in reference to his obsession with Queen but partly also in reference to his particularly dramatic style of presenting) who, in addition to being one of the funniest MC’s (or circus leaders) I’ve seen in a while, also did some juggling, clowning and riding on a unicycle acts which where were all delivered with impeccable timing with a relevant Queen song. Some of his jokes were a bit dirty though.

I could name every act in the show and I probably nearly have but the one act that charmed the pants off me (not literally of course) was the contortionist and comedian Captain Frodo who actually had two pieces – one involving his incredibly and ridiculously flexible body and the other involving him climbing to the ceiling on steadily decreasing-sized buckets when eventually he is on top of a bucket the size of which seemed to be a tin of soup! During his contortion act Pauline could hardly watch him but the funniest, and most charming bit, was, no matter how awkward the position he was in, he would reach into his pocket and throw up a handful of confetti. It had Pauline and I in stitches. That he narrated the whole time he was doing his acts also made him pretty funny. Loved him and I think I nearly cried from laughing so much.

The actual “stage” of the circus was probably about only eight metres in diameter if that? It seemed very tiny but the cast did well to make the use of the Hippodrome space. And the front row seats are ringed right up near the stage so there is very little margin for error which makes the skills of the cast even more impressive. Due to the intimacy of the setting you are drawn right into the show which makes for a great atmosphere.

A fantastic show and fantastic night – see it before it closes! (For 18+ only!)

We knew we were in for something different when we heard the pre-show announcement. Instead of the usual make sure you turn of your phones, no photography or video, no eating inside the hall we were instead given this delivered in the most dead pan tone a person can manage:

“Please keep mobiles on as you never know who might be trying to call you.. Please feel free to use flash photography. You will only permanently blind the performers. Food and drink may be consumed in the theatre. Ushers will only spend an hour after the show cleaning up. Exits are everywhere because something terrible could happen during the show. Please use the restrooms at any time because you’ll never really know what you have missed. Video photography is allowed so you can share the beautiful memories with your family and friends forever.”

When we turned up at the Peacock theatre we were surprised at just how many little kids were there. The theatre must have been at least 50% filled with tots under 5. It made for quite an energetic environment that’s for sure with the kids running loose up and down the aisles before the start of the show!

So, on to the show! Traces is brought to the Peacock theatre by the performance troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main whose members include performers who have come from the Cirque du Soleil stable. The only thing I really knew about Traces before booking tickets was that it was a dance/circus thing and that any show I’d ever seen at the Peacock theatre has always been interesting.

The show only has five performers who bring a mix of dance, acrobatics, skateboarding, basketball skills, chair juggling, musical skills (including playing the piano and guitar), and drawing skills (projected on to the back screen and also using chalk on the floor and on each other.) Admittedly many of the “tricks” I’d seen before however what makes the show different is the delivery of the tricks. Somehow all the performances are intertwined between each other and spun into a sort of story which includes individual (and real) profiles of each of the performers (including a slideshow of their kiddie pics.) All the performers play themselves so the sense of reality is heightened. For the most part the formula works though there are some awkward moments which clearly were used just to demonstrate the amazing skills of the performers but just couldn’t be worked into the story-line.

The most impressive aspect of the show was the fact that each trick depended on the last trick being performed exactly and on time. The sense of timing and co-ordination required to pull off the show was crucial and happily the troupe on stage were able to deliver – perfectly.

The concept behind the Young Vic and I guess also the Old Vic is the accessibility of the theatre to all-comers. This means a small theatre and unreserved seating. To some extent someone like me is filled with apprehension with not having concrete seats but I guess it generates some sort of excitement and guesswork about where to sit. They promise at the Young Vic that you are never more than seven rows from the front. At today’s Amazonia I was on the “stall” level and was in the back row (by choice) and it was only five rows from the front of the stage. I probably should have asked the ushers where to sit rather than sitting randomly as I ended up sitting near the band! Amazonia didn’t lend itself to a traditional “front” of the stage anyway as it’s a circular stage so really any seat was a good seat this evening.

For tonight’s show, and quite possibly most shows, there were at least two giant groups in attendance – one of around grade three age kids (maybe 40+ of them) and one group of slightly order kids (around about 15 years old.) I asked one of the ushers if she’d seen the show and said yes – its good for kids. Then I asked her what about adults and she laughed and said “you’ll see!”

I’d gotten to the show quite early so had quite some time to look around the venue. The band “pit” was very interesting and they had all sorts of weird and wonderful instruments, native to Brazil I imagine, in there. There were lots of wooden sticks, shells and what not. There were only three people in the band so I imagine it was quite a job for them to co-ordinate who would play what at various stages.

So, basically, other than being a bit distracted by the fact that the cast had all sorts of different accents, none of which are actually native to the Amazon basin I’m sure, and not really being able to understand the first part of the performance, Amazonia turned out to be quite a good story and show. It tells the tale of a small village which attempts to save the Amazon from de-forestation.

The show uses all sorts of technique to get the story across including an acrobat who spun down in two curtains and proceeded to both sing opera and gyrate around in her curtains, splashing water on the crowd at various stages of the show (I’m glad I avoided the Splash Zone because they certainly got a soaking), singing and dancing, including a beautiful performance piece between the main female and her young lover (her young lover was tremendously and mouth-wateringly fit. Oh my!), and even a male on male kiss (though it was a simulation of a man resuscitating a bull – don’t even ask!)
The in-the-round works quite well actually in this type of show and allows the cast to really get around physically. It was funny because the cast would often run, at full pelt, right to the edge of the stage only to stop themselves at the last minute and I could see the school kids reeling back with real fear (and excitement) in their eyes at the thought the cast would fall off the stage!

I quite enjoyed the performance and I think it was actually based on a real life story. This show is really what theatre is all about. Sure the big West End polished huge musicals are great but this is about the little guy and making the most of what you have (I would presume a much smaller budget for one!) Whilst not exactly experimental theatre it was clear that the writer thought pretty creatively on this one. Great score too!

We had a personal introduction from the Director at tonight’s performance of Billy Elliot The Musical as he was introducing a few new members of cast including a new Billy Elliot played by twelve year old Brad Wilson from Doncaster. Apparently he is the thirtieth boy to play the role worldwide! I’ve just done a google on Brad and apparently he has only been dancing since he was 9 years old. It was very impressive therefore to see him deliver quite a mature and polished performance in the title role tonight.

The musical brings the hit movie and more to the stage. You have a young boy who is a miner’s son aching to find his inner person amidst the conflict of the 1984 miners’ strike in Durham. There are tears, there is anger, implied violence, love – it has it all. The whole musical really works together from the score, to the band, to the sets, to the performances – a great show.

There were two pieces in tonight’s performance that were the highlghts for me – the first being the last “solo” by Billy at the end of the (very long) first half where he is expressing his anger at being denied a chance to audition for the Royal Ballet School and the second being the first “solo” at the start of the second half where Billy is this time expressing his sorrow at a future which is apparently devoid of dance. The first was loud, it was angry, it was agressive. In contrast the second, part of it in tandem with a “future” older Billy, was gentle, passionate, touching and breathtakingly beautiful. Both performances were veyr physically demanding and I was impressed that the new Billy had the stamina to maintain his high level throughout the whole show.

I was also impressed by the boy who played Billy’s friend Michael. He had great comic timing and his dancing skills weren’t half bad either. This is not the say that the cast were just background to these two boys – everyone had their role to play and they played it to perfection.

The musical is very long with the first half going for more than 90 minutes and the whole show, including a short interval, lasting about three hours and 15 minutes. The encore was kind of cute with a dancing Billy weavng in and out of the performers for a final piece. Two standing ovations were given – that’s how impressed we all were with the show.

Another adaptation of a Tom Cruise Hollywood blockbuster has come to the West End – Rain Main. This time starring heart throb Josh Hartnett in Tom Cruise’s role. I honestly can’t recall much of the movie considering it was released nearly 20 years ago (!) but I imagine that a bit of adaptation has to have been made to the movie to bring it to the stage – not least translating the big cross-country car trip across the states on to stage. There were also some notable updates to the script to bring it into 2008 including a very emotional reference to 9/11.

I wasn’t sure how seriously I could take baby-faced Josh Hartnett in the bitter character that is Charlie. He has to play a cynical brash bitter almost mean-hearted at times young man, a character which belies his pretty face, opposite Adam Godley who tackles the role played so wonderfully by Dustin Hoffman in the movie of Raymond, Charlie’s older brother who is sweet and an autistic-savant. I read somewhere that, ironically, Josh Hartnett took on an opposite role in 2005’s Mozart and the Whale of Donald Morton who diagnosed himself with Asperger’s syndrome after watching Rain Man.

Briefly Charlie is young man who finds out that his estranged father has died and left his whole estate to an un-named beneficiary. Upon finding out that it is a brother he never knew he had and that brother is in an institution he, at first, sets out to exploit him but then finds himself on a journey of discovery to fulfilment though as the play ends seemingly in the middle of a story we are left to imagine where this journey takes him. We hope to a better place.

Interestingly, unlike most American plays I’ve seen, the American accents didn’t grate on me. Perhaps it was because Josh’s accent was quite a bit less harsh than most I’ve heard and the British or non-American actors didn’t try to go too overboard with their own respective accents. From a delivery perspective its clear that the cast are still settling into their roles. Josh himself made quite a few mistakes during the show which was a little unexpected considering it has been showing for at least two weeks now. Let’s hope that he and the crew get on top of it in time for the press showing on the 19th!

I was quite drawn into the play with both the main leads, Josh and Adam, doing well in their respective roles. There was a lot of foul language in this version which I didn’t feel was entirely necessary and only at some points did it add emphasis to the scene. There were some laughs and whether it was the story or the acting I did have some teary moments – especially at the end of the first half. Highlight – Josh in his underwear. Ph-oar!

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.