Ushers - The Front Of House Musical
Charing Cross Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 12th March 2014
Having seen the premiere of Ushers - The Front Of House Musical last year at the Hope Theatre I was very keen to see how the new musical had developed for its transfer to the Charing Cross Theatre. I love the idea behind Ushers, the comedy is very observational and clearly relatable to those who have worked front of house.
Certain parts of the show have been drastically improved since last year. It was fantastic to see how the piece has grown for a bigger stage and makes full use of a more traditional theatre. The cast play off the audience and, although there's just five of them, fill the space and make the big numbers quite a spectacle. However, the improved sections really show up the weaker moments.
Some shows, like The Book of Mormon or Avenue Q, are genuinely funny which makes an actor's life easier as they know jokes will go down well with an audience, but Usher's script isn't hilarious so the cast really have to work hard to make the piece funny. Ceris Hine steals the spotlight with her ridiculously over-the-top portrayal of leading men lover/stalker Rosie.
Daniel Buckley was the only cast member to believably portray the more sincere moments in the piece (which feel very out of place at times) and his solo number 'Half-Finished Story' was one of the evening's highlights. Buckley's vocal tone is naturally emotive and he rightly received one of the evening's loudest cheers.
Not every scene was slick and smooth but the cast gave their all. The opening and closing numbers are wonderful and a few of the stagey jokes are outrageously funny and had me in hysterics. Ushers makes the perfect post-show show and as long as you take it for what it is - a bit of fun - you will have a lively evening at the theatre.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
Ushers runs at the Charing Cross Theatre until Saturday 19th April 2014.
Please visit www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk for further information and tickets
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Daniel Buckley was the only cast member to believably portray the more sincere moments in the piece (which feel very out of place at times) and his solo number 'Half-Finished Story' was one of the evening's highlights. Buckley's vocal tone is naturally emotive and he rightly received one of the evening's loudest cheers.
Not every scene was slick and smooth but the cast gave their all. The opening and closing numbers are wonderful and a few of the stagey jokes are outrageously funny and had me in hysterics. Ushers makes the perfect post-show show and as long as you take it for what it is - a bit of fun - you will have a lively evening at the theatre.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
Ushers runs at the Charing Cross Theatre until Saturday 19th April 2014.
Please visit www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk for further information and tickets
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