.jpg)
A Class Act
Landor Theatre
Reviewed on 2nd April 2013
"A Class Act follows Tony Award winning lyricist Edward Kleban’s hilarious, passionate and ultimately heartbreaking life. Providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how a musical is created and the forces behind its creation, A Class Act retraces the high and low points of Kleban's amazing career and explores how an artist's personal life can inspire or interfere with professional pursuits."
At first A Class Act seemed like just a nice, harmless show. Therefore, I was not expecting it to evolve into a hard hitting, emotional yet inspiring piece of theatre. The show takes you on an epic journey through laughter, hard work and grief.
This production is strong, most of the faults lie in the show itself which feels a little dated. A few jokes are silly and no longer work. Despite the show jumping back an forth in time it takes too long for A Class Act to build up tension and demand the audience's full attention. But there is no denying that A Class Act is delightful, with some fabulous musical numbers.
This revival could not have come at a better time. The show follows the creation of A Chorus Line (which recently received its first London revival at the London Palladium). Seeing A Chorus Line is not essential, but if you have seen it you will enjoy the verbal and musical references, plus the rendition of One Singular Sensation is electrifying.
John Barr is in his element as Edward Kleban, he plays the role perfectly. While Edward Kleban is a challenging and demanding role, John puts his all into every scene and musical number which is highly impressive. The entire cast are strong and perfectly cast, A Class Act relies on the ensemble to carry the show. While at times the execution of Robbie O'Reilly's choreography could be tighter, some of the vocal harmonies produced are utterly spellbinding.
Hidden away in Clapham North, the Landor is a fringe theatre filled with charm, providing a unique and intimate experience. A Class Act works beautifully in this venue. The big numbers make the theatre come alive and during the emotional finale there is nowhere for the cast to hide, you can see every tear.
A Class Act is an eloquent show. Sections could be cut down and tension could be built up more quickly. However, once it gets going and the layers of Edward Kleban start to unravel it becomes quite spectacular and thought provoking. Book tickets now if you want to see a classical piece of musical theatre performed to an extremely high standard. But be warned... there are jazz hands!
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
A Class Act runs at the Landor Theatre until Saturday 13th April 2013.
Box Office: www.landortheatre.co.uk / 020 7737 7276
No comments:
Post a Comment