As a reviewer, night after night I see brand new productions of shows that I sometimes know very little about. Therefore occasionally it’s nice to arrive at the theatre knowing exactly what to expect.
On Tuesday evening (24th October) I attended a special gala performance of Spamalot as Life’s Too Short co-stars Les Dennis and Warwick Davis have joined the cast as King Arthur and Pasty. Their casting is utter genius and, having seen the show several times over the past twelve months, it’s interesting to see how the pair have made the roles their own.
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| Warwick Davis & Les Dennis |
Spamalot is a show which is happy to adapt for its cast members, something which is actually quite rare in the West End. Often long running shows like new cast members to be carbon copies of their predecessors, but Spamalot is a show which embraces change therefore keeping the musical, which is ‘lovingly ripped off’ from Monty Python’s The Holy Grail, feeling fresh and relevant.
Bonnie Langford is still just as fearless as The Lady of the Lake and it was fantastic to, once again, see her perform opposite Chris Jenkins as Sir Galahad. I could watch them perform their hysterical duet ‘A Song That Goes Like This’ all day and I would still find it hilarious.
After seeing the horrifically awful Barking In Essex at the Wyndham’s Theatre last week I found myself in some desperate need of some theatre therapy... so I booked a trip to see Wicked. I am thrilled to report that (once again) the show restored my faith in theatre and I am still buzzing after watching one of the best performances of the smash hit musical that I’ve ever seen.
Another reason for me seeing the show again was to see Hayley Gallivan as Elphaba (she is currently Louise Dearman’s stand-by and was recently voted third place in West End Frame’s Understudy of the Year Award). I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to see Hayley play the iconic role, it must be so hard to find new things to do with the character but Hayley plays Elphaba in a very different way. Her Elphaba is very funny and a little over the top in places. At first I wondered if she was just playing it that way for laughs, but there was a point during her rendition of ‘I’m Not That Girl’ where she vulnerably cackled, showing that the whole comic, over-the top side of her Elphaba is just a front. Playing the role in this way is extremely intelligent as it allows so many more layers of the character to be unravelled, and I think I ended up caring about Elphaba more than I ever have before.
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| Hayley Gallivan as Elphaba |
Hayley also sings the score effortlessly, she makes it sound so easy! There was something quite haunting about her rendition of ‘Defying Gravity’, but it was her emotionally draining performance of ‘No Good Deed’ which will stay with me for a very long time.
Since joining Wicked towards the end of last year, Hayley has been lucky enough to play Elphaba on many occasions, enabling her to develop strong chemistry with co-star Gina Beck who was also sensational on Wednesday evening. Gina only gets better and better every time I see her, she always manages to change tiny details of her performance which keeps the show feeling very fresh, I don’t know how she does it.
It was also wonderful to see the one and only Christopher Howell (who I’ve only ever seen as The Wizard) as Doctor Dillamond and Keith Bartlett as The Wizard for the first time while Sam Lupton and Katie Rowley Jones (who I interviewed last week) remain strong as Boq and Nessarose. Melissa Jacques was on for Madame Morrible and did a terrific job. Instead of going over the top with her portrayal, she played the part with a certain calmness which worked a treat. A special mention must also go to the orchestra who were on fire! Nothing beats the sound of an incredible West End orchestra playing one of the best musical theatre scores of all time.
The cast of Wicked, photo credit: Tristram Kenton
Hayley Gallivan is sadly leaving Wicked later this year and if she doesn’t return as the lead at some point (in the West End or in another production) it will be nothing but a tragedy. Personally, I don’t see how the y could allow such a phenomenal actress to leave after just a year in the show. Hayley can be seen as Elphaba between 30th September and 7th October 2013.
The West End cast of Wicked will perform a special, one-off charity concert at the St. James Theatre on Sunday 6th October called 'Wicked Cares' to raise money for Debra. The concert promises to be an unmissable theatrical event. Click here for more information.
The West End cast of Wicked will perform a special, one-off charity concert at the St. James Theatre on Sunday 6th October called 'Wicked Cares' to raise money for Debra. The concert promises to be an unmissable theatrical event. Click here for more information.
Finally, I must also mention the final performance of The Color Purple at the Menier Chocolate Factory which took place on Saturday 14th September. I try not to make a habit of going to the theatre on my nights off from reviewing... however, after reviewing the musical when it had just opened I knew that I had to see it again (I don’t want to make anybody who couldn’t get a ticket jealous, but I ended up seeing the show three times). I’m not going to write very much as I still can’t find the words to sum up the evening.
Cynthia Erivo as Celie in The Color Purple, photo credit: Nobby Clark
All I will say is that Cynthia Erivo is one very special lady and the whole experience must have been very overwhelming for her. The audience were extremely vocal on the final night, with many people crying during the first act before the show had even reached its emotional climax! Cynthia was of course also very emotional and literally stopped the show after the most insane rendition of ‘I’m Here’. And even though Cynthia spoke a few lines of the final title song because she was crying so much she still sounded incredible. I have no doubt that Cynthia Erivo is going to be one of these performers who continuously show jumps for the rest of her career. This is only just the beginning...
Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com
Click here to book tickets to see Spamalot (save £33 at certain performances)
Click here to book tickets to see Wicked (no booking fee at certain performances)
Click here to book tickets to see Spamalot (save £33 at certain performances)
Click here to book tickets to see Wicked (no booking fee at certain performances)
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