As West End Frame's Editor my diary fills up ridiculously quickly with various press nights. Whilst I love spending most of my time reviewing new openings in theatreland, sometimes I neglect London's long-running shows. In conversations people often say things like "Why have you never seen The Lion King?" or "You must see Dianne Pilkington in Mamma Mia" but when reviewing five nights a week I can't always squeeze these things in.
However, last year I looked at my diary for 2014 and decided that in the first full week of January I would delegate my press night commitments and go and see what I wanted to see when I wanted to see it. So with a little bit of help from SOLT's Get Into London Theatre and my 'limited view' knowledge I booked to see two shows on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and one show on the Friday (I actually also booked to see Curious Incident on the Monday but we all know what happened there).
The first show I saw on Tuesday 7th Jan was a matinee performance of Jersey Boys. I had only previously seen Jersey Boys just after it opened in the West End and was keen to catch it at the Prince Edward again before it transfers to the Piccadilly.
The most impressive thing about Jersey Boys is that it's in such fine shape. Every element of the production is slick and smooth. Despite being a wet and miserable Tuesday afternoon the atmosphere was electric inside the theatre and the show ended with the entire audience on their feet dancing the afternoon away! It was quite remarkable to see Ryan Malloy (pictured right) play Frankie once again, having seen him play the part around five years ago. His performance was superb, what a voice!
The most impressive thing about Jersey Boys is that it's in such fine shape. Every element of the production is slick and smooth. Despite being a wet and miserable Tuesday afternoon the atmosphere was electric inside the theatre and the show ended with the entire audience on their feet dancing the afternoon away! It was quite remarkable to see Ryan Malloy (pictured right) play Frankie once again, having seen him play the part around five years ago. His performance was superb, what a voice!
After Jersey Boys I ventured through Leicester Square to catch The Book of Mormon. I had already seen the show twice since it opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre last year but I needed to see the incredibly talented Daniel Buckley (who won West End Frame's 'Funniest Performance in a West End Show' Award last year for his performance in Loserville) play Elder Cunningham.
It was Dan's final scheduled performance in the role, usually played by the hysterical Jared Gertner, and there was no holding him back! Having seen Jared own the role twice before I wondered what it would be like to see somebody else play the part but my oh my Dan gave the most terrific performance. It was a master-class in how to make a role your own and win an audience over. Not only did he pump some serious energy into the audience during a faultless rendition of 'Man Up' and have the crowd in hysterics every time he spoke, but he also performed with such heart and brought Elder Cunningham to life as a human being, not just as a comedy character. During the final bows Dan rightly received the loudest cheer which had nothing to do with it being his final night as most the audience (who had paid up to £150) would have had no idea! Gavin Creel (Elder Price) was also on fine form.
West End cast of the Book of Mormon
On Wednesday afternoon I arrived at the Lyceum Theatre wondering why I thought it was wise to book tickets to a matinee performance of The Lion King. As I fought my way through groups of school children I could just see myself being driven crazy by children talking, rustling and constantly going to the toilet throughout the performance... but I am delighted to report that I did not have one single problem! It was one of the best behaved audiences I have ever been a part of as everyone seemed to be so mesmerised by the performance!
I had never seen The Lion King on stage before and whilst I enjoyed the musical, it isn't a show I would rush back to see again and again. Certain parts are a little lengthy but there is no denying that the spectacle is fantastic and the cast are hugely talented and perform with such love and passion. It is one of the most visually stunning shows I have ever seen.
After The Lion King I excitedly headed to the Queens Theatre to "dream the dream" and see "the world's longest running musical." I had actually only ever seen Les Miserables once before so was completely blown away sitting on the front row. Claude-Michel Schönberg's music will never lose its power. My full review of the performance will be published on West End Frame shortly.
Click here to read Part 2.
Click here to read Part 2.
Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
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