#Musical Theatre review

[suzie81blog]

Press Review: The Book of Mormon at The Alexandra Theatre

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A true modern classic of musical theatre! The Book of Mormon, the smash-hit musical by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez, has taken the West End by storm and is now embarking on a UK tour, arriving on stage at The Alexandra Theatre for the festive season.  The story follows two young Mormon missionaries, Elder Price (Adam Bailey) and Elder…

[lovingmusicalmen]

I've been watching so much theatre lately, and I really just want to talk about it and analyse the musicals and plays I've seen and my family and friends are fully done listening to me talk about it... if I set up like a completely separate blog to talk about the shows I see and kinda review them I guess? From like a theatre nerd POV, or do a podcast or something... would that be something anyone would be interested in?

Because I really want to talk about like major specifics of the shows I've seen lately - Six, Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde, Jersey Boys, Heathers... but I don't want to bore my family and friends but I figured there might be an audience for it somewhere on here?

... or maybe set up a discord server to talk about it or something?? I dunno, it was just a thought - let me know if anyone would be interested in that kinda thing from my hyper focused musical nerd brain 😂😅

[unlimited-rice-puddin]

"No Limits" Review: Simply breathtaking

It is so brilliant to watch a show in which they do almost everything right. With stunning performances and incredible songs, @NoLimitsMusical is truly extraordinary. Check out my full ★★★★★ review

There is no limit to the amount of talent both on stage and off at The Turbine Theatre with “No Limits – A Song Cycle” by Sam Thomas (more…) “”

[thequeereview]

Theatre Review: White Girl In Danger (Tony Kiser Theater, Off-Broadway) ★★★★

The soap opera at the heart of Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop creator Michael R. Jackson’s uproarious new Off-Broadway musical, that gives the show its title and catchy recurring theme song, White Girl In Danger, is set in the town of “Allwhite” and features a story that is “Allwhite”, as the opening number tells us: “But this goes so much deeper than skin / It’s structured…

[selfindulgentmusicalreviews]

The Phantom of the Opera - Melbourne Arts Centre - 27 Jan 2023

Hello Musical Theatre fans! 

Well, I just took a whirlwind trip down to Melbourne to see not one, but two shows in the span of 48 hours. It was an amazing trip, full of everything that makes a trip good - a nice hotel, plans changing at the last minute, and never knowing whether or not you’re going to miss your flight home. 

Like most things these days, I’d already seen this particular production of Phantom in Sydney, but my best friend hadn’t seen it professionally, and I loved it so much I didn’t really have a choice :P 

Phantom is a bit of a special play for me; it’s probably the first show I’d seen professionally that actually stuck with me (I did see Oliver when I was about 11, but my memories of it are few and far between). I’d grown up with the music, and it’s one of my sister’s favourite shows of all time.

The Story

The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a man, disfigured from birth, who lives in the underbelly of an Opera House in Paris. He wears a mask that covers the disfiguration on his face, shielding him from the mockery and judgement of the world that he was subjected to throughout his life. He hears the voice of Christine Daae, a chorus girl, and develops an unhealthy obsession with her voice.  

Christine’s father (a famous violinist), had brought her to the opera house before falling ill and dying. According to the original book, Christine’s father would always tell her the story of the Angel of Music, since she was a little girl, and it was her favourite. In the musical, her father promises to send her the Angel of Music after he dies. The Phantom easily swoops in as her new mentor, a gift from her father, though he never reveals himself to her. 

When the Opera’s prima donna, Carlotta, walks out from their production of Hannibal due to their new managers dismissing the ‘opera ghost’ rumour, Christine is given a chance to sing for them, and is easily cast as the lead. Her success attracts the attention of Viscount Raoul de Chagny, a boy she grew up with who is now (with his family), a patron of the opera. 

What follows is a horrific descent into chaos and trouble, with Christine torn between her love for her old friend Raoul, and her love for this mentor that she believes has some connection with her beloved father. The Phantom’s passion and obsession for her leads to multiple deaths, a fallen chandelier, and a whole lot of trauma for everyone involved. 

The Phantom of the Opera has a movie version, which is… fine, but tends to fall into the trap of casting names instead of voices, which I find can really retract from the story-telling. But this isn’t about the movie!

There weren’t any major changes to this tale; but one thing I have to mention is that when Christine returns to the Phantom to give him back the ring, Raoul comes with her (insistently tugging at her hand to get her to walk away with him). This is different to the movie but I’m grateful for the change; there would be absolutely no way I’d let her back to the Phantom ALONE. 

Musical Numbers and Staging

The visuals behind this production of Phantom are absolutely breathtaking. The set is incredible, and I can see why it’s not something that can be brought to QPAC; I don’t think our stage is tall or wide enough. 

The show travels through an enormous number of sets, (the initial auction room, the stage for Hannibal, Christine’s dressing room, the route to the Phantom’s lair, then separately his actual lair, Andre and Firmin’s office… and that’s just Act 1). It’s mostly assisted through a rotating stage, with set pieces mysteriously appearing and disappearing in what feels like no time at all. 

The sets themselves are well detailed and visually stunning. My only tiny gripe is that when the Phantom first reveals himself to Christine through the mirror, even sitting in the second row it was hard to see him; I doubt it would’ve been easier any further back. 

It’s fun to watch the set pieces appear and I think that one of the really cool things is that the set transitions are sometimes incorporated into the movement of the characters. Raoul looks for Christine and the set turns as he’s searching, and it really does feel like we’ve followed him through the opera house into this new room. The leads also walk down steps that move in and out from the walls (and I always enjoy watching where the cast have to hook/unhook safety lines to costumes). 

I’m also impressed by how Andre and Firmin’s office during Notes feels claustrophobic with seven people in there, despite it being open to the rest of the front of the stage. It’s just little things like this that create variation between the visuals and make it even more fun to watch.

The costuming is beautiful and bold; every piece is so intricate and beautifully fitted to each character. My personal favourites are the outfits for Masquerade - both Meg and Christine’s dresses are so pretty, and I love Raoul’s Hussar outfit. Blake looks very dashing in it!   

Leads

The main reason we went and saw this twice, aside from how great it is, was for Blake Bowden and Josh Piterman, who played Raoul and the Phantom. I watched Blake in the lead role of Elder Price from Book of Mormon in 2018, and have been obsessed with him and his amazing family ever since. Josh Piterman played Gus/Growltiger in the 2016 production of Cats (which ranks up as one of my favourite musicals.)

When quarantine first started and Josh was back in Australia, (after performing as Phantom in the UK) I remember that he was hosting little digital quarantine parties on Instagram, where he’d invite musical theatre performers on to sing for everyone. Blake was one of his first guests, and he sang The Wizard and I! It was clearly foreshadowing :) 

Josh plays an amazing Phantom. He’s so poised and careful, every move calculated and refined. His voice radiates throughout the theatre and his first “INSOLENT BOY” gave me goosebumps! I love watching him through the song, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ as he coaxes Christine into singing higher and higher, how he’s fueled from her success and intoxicated by it. It’s such an excellent little journey to watch, and Josh does it so clearly and perfectly. He’s cautious and almost tentative with Christine, for her sake, but his as well - he hasn’t truly been around people in such a long time, and he doesn’t want to scare her off. It’s incredible to see the stark difference between the Phantom, a year later, as the creation of Don Juan and his jealousy and obsession has thrown him into madness. 

I have to admit, my heart broke when Christine kisses him, and you can see it through Josh’s entire body, the shock and horror and relief and devastation coursing through him. It’s a brilliant bit of acting (like all of it). It’s hard to love the Phantom at this point in the show but somehow Josh sucks that tiny last bit of humanity back into him, and it hurts to know just how different and brilliant the Phantom could have been, had the world been a little kinder to him. 

Watching Blake in this production has brought to my attention how small Raoul’s role really is, and how he doesn’t even get his own solo song. I obviously enjoyed every second Blake was onstage, but there definitely wasn’t enough of it. I particularly loved some subtle bits and pieces; Raoul’s initial reaction to Christine asking him to love her is almost hesitant, as he glances away to consider if that’s what he really feels. It only makes sense; they were children together very briefly, and if Il Muto only took about 6-8 weeks to produce, these two haven’t known each other that long to suddenly be in love. 

I appreciate Blake for what he brings to Raoul’s character, especially since Raoul’s character annoys me the entire way through the show. I enjoyed the way they paired him with Meg for Notes/Prima Donna, and that the two of them have a bit of a friendship blooming in the interests of protecting Christine. Watching him come to his decisions and have realisations at pivotal moments is just great storytelling. A special mention to the fact that gasping for air as he’s being hung isn’t intrusive while the focus is elsewhere.

Amy Manford is new to me; I haven’t seen her in anything else, but now I really want to. She plays Christine with the perfect innocence and naivety. Her anxious little breathing every time the Phantom does something mildly upsetting ties her character together in such a great way. My favourite part was watching her try and desperately signal to Andre, Firmin and Raoul that the Phantom is literally on stage with her, and once she realises they won’t listen, she practically vows to at least make it a good show. Her voice is pure and beautiful, and watching her Christine-excitement over reaching that insane E6 at the end of The ‘Phantom of the Opera’ is really fun. 

A special little shout out to Mietta White, who plays such a sweet but fierce and strong Meg. Not only is she a beautiful dancer, but her voice is amazing. Giuseppina Grech and Paul Tabone, our Carlotta and Piangi, were incredible as well. 

Ensemble

Surprisingly, I wasn’t familiar with a lot of the ensemble cast, but I think it’s because the vast majority of them are specifically ballerinas/dancers.

I’ve previously seen Lewis Francis in Book of Mormon (with Blake, funnily enough). We got quite close to him when he stood in the orchestra pit as the rifleman! 

Stage Door

So, I don’t know if anyone has been to the Melbourne Arts Centre, but we were down in the stalls. The centre is a round building, and to reach the stalls, you come in at ground level and go down an escalator, walk halfway around the building, go down another escalator, walk a little bit further, then go down TWO MORE flights of stairs until you finally reach the theatre… and then like 7 more large steps to your seats. 

It’s not a short way and I figured there was no way that we’d make it back to stage door before Blake or Josh managed to escape. But, the second the show finished, we RACED through the crowds, managed to find some mysterious stairs instead of taking the escalators, and found ourselves waiting at stage door in, I swear, no more than 5 minutes. 

And then we waited. 

And waited. 

And waited some more… 

And then it turns out, that THE Cameron Mackintosh had decided to go visit the cast and that they weren’t coming out any time soon, which I didn’t find out until the following day. So while I was a little disappointed at the time, I’m more excited by the fact that Cameron Mackintosh a) was in that room and b) got to witness the perfection that was this cast. 

[real-odark]

i think tumblr would appreciate my review....

[caramarafics]

Once again Lin Manuel Miranda has changed the concept of theater and Broadway as a genre.

On October 18, 2024 he and co-producer Eisa Davis released a concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film The Warriors. The movie follows the street gang the Warriors as they make their way from The Bronx to their home turf of Coney Island while being hunted by rival gangs and cops. One of the major differences between the film and the concept album is the switching of genders of the Warriors.

The album features a slew of veterans Broadway alum such as Phillipa Soo, Anessa Folds, Amber Gray, Joshua Henry, and Jasmine Cephas Jones while packing an astonishing list of artists such as Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Billy Porter, Ghostface Killah, RZA, Marc Anthony, Colman Domingo, Kim Dracula, and Shenseea.

From start to finish the album sucks you in and by the finale you are left wanting more but in the best way possible. The blending of multiple genres backed by the creative lyricism expected from Lin-Manuel Miranda makes this album an absolute must listen for anyone who loves Broadway, good storytelling, or just good music in general.

It's no longer a question of if this will get a Broadway adaptation rather WHEN we can expect the announcement. It's my hope though that we get a film adaptation straight to streaming with the original cast first, simply because I selfishly want to see Ms Lauryn Hill belting "If You Can Count" as many times as I want from the comfort of my home.

Go listen to this album.

[daughter-of-eden]

here life is BEAUTIFUL i saw Cabaret last weekend and it was one of the most gorgeous musicals i have ever seen. the interaction with the audience and the ability to make a story come alive with a limited set truly made for a unique experience.

i've seen a lot of mixed messages about the revival, but honestly it's so hard to compare the different versions when they all bring a different version of the story and emcee to the table. alan cumming portrayed a creepy/insane emcee, and while eddie redmayne might not have the weird factor, he certainly portrays the emcee as a puppet and an outside observer.

it is as if his version of emcee transcends the story itself, becoming a watcher over all of the individual storylines, but never fully getting involved. eddie portrayed the character like god watching down on his people and i think that interpretation was unexpected and wonderful. so for any fans of Cabaret, definitely try to get to nyc and see him and gayle rankin. they were amazing <3

[shiningstarr15]

Been listening to the Wicked movie soundtrack for the past week now like I literally can’t get over how good the movie was! 💚🩷😫

[anxiouspotatorants]

Fiyero Tiggular did not sing the entirety of Dancing Through Life — fear infested depression disguised as nihilistic warts and all — for so many to just write him off as the handsome but shallow popular guy

[follow-the-ghostlight]

The way I have studied this musical since 2016 and have made it one of my longest standing hyperfixations is worrying, because I swear on my rare musical merch I have so many opinions and so many words. I love this musical so much that I plan to audition for a show a company 2 hours away from me is putting on. That is the closest I have ever gotten to being in or seeing this musical.

I have also convinced myself that the musical imploded cause of horrible casting decisions, because, like, HOW CAN YOU GO FROM MULTIPLE AWARDS AND BREAKING RECORDS TO NOW NOBODY’S EVER HEARD OF IT. More people have heard of WAY more niche musicals and it’s baffling to me. WHY oh WHYYY did they have to make the TV special that ALL OF AMERICA COULD SEE be the one with Hasselhoff. Why. Why did he have to be the one. To be frank, he sucks ass as this lead. Like, he’s maybe ok at singing, his acting is cheesy and hammy, and he is just absolutely not fit for that role at all. He’d do fine in an ensemble, but not the lead. He cannot bounce between tenor and baritone effectively, he does not sound or look like a different person when he “changes”, unlike Cuccioli and Warlow, his vibrato is out of control… I could keep going, but I won’t unless someone wants to hear it in dm or something lol.

And with the revival??? Why did they have to change the aesthetic??? Why did they have to make it over sexualized AND steampunk?? IT’S A GOTHIC MUSICAL!! IT IS NOT A PUNK ROCK CONCERT!! IT IS IN THE EXTENDED TITLE!!! I could go on forever about this. I am so mentally ill. I wrote a 4000+ word, 10-page, cited paper for fun about how it could be properly revived for broadway and although some of my thoughts and ideas have changed, I will definitely die on quite a few hills with the opinions I have. I’ll likely rewrite that paper over the summer or even make a video on YT discussing it, cause I wanted to make a Jekyll & Hyde iceberg video anyway. In any case, thanks for listening to my TED talk.

[suzie81blog]

Press Review: Here & Now - The Steps Musical at The Alexandra Theatre

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A jubilant and nostalgic homage to one of Britain’s most beloved pop groups. Sensational! Back in February I had the privilege of speaking with award-winning director Rachel Kavanaugh and writer Shaun Kitcherner about their new project: Here & Now, a brand new musical based on the songs of British pop band Steps.  At the time, the casting process hadn’t yet started, but right…

[forgthetheaterkid]

Review 1: Hamilton!

Rating: 5/5

How familiar I am with it: I’ve seen it twice on tour and I’ve listened to the cast album too many times to count

Characters: Each character was written so well and had many layers (like an onion) EXCEPT FOR PEGGY I WANT JUSTICE FOR MY GIRL

Songs: My judgements a wee bit iffy on this one since I’ve heard them all so many times, but they are all really good. They’re all bangers and are really catchy and the sadder songs rip out your nonexistent heart (The World Was Wide Enough has me tearing up EVERY TIME)

Plot: It’s a bit hard to tell where you are at times when you start listening to it, but otherwise it’s pretty easy to guess from the soundtrack alone. I also can’t really talk about how exciting the plot was because it was literally a dudes life (but the plot was definitely entertaining)

Overall thoughts: As much as I’m kinda sick of it, Broadway probably wouldn’t be as popular today without it. Heck, Hamilton was my first musical and it pulled me into the world of theatre. It’s definitely a fantastic musical and I highly recommend it (though if you haven’t listened to Hamilton in 2024, what are you doing, silly goose? Get on that!)

[lordoftheringsmusical]

Reviews

The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale at the Watermill Theatre

25 July 2023 to 15 October 2023

Ahead of press night at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater tomorrow, let's look back at what critics and audiences had to say about the UK revival of The Lord of the Rings at the Watermill Theatre, which began previews exactly one year ago today:

Newspapers / news outlets

The Guardian (2 August 2023)

The Telegraph (2 August 2023)

The Times (2 August 2023)

WhatsOnStage (2 August 2023)

The Stage (2 August 2023)

Wokingham Today (2 August 2023)

Marlborough News (2 August 2023)

iNews (2 August 2023)

The Week (10 August 2023)

The Reading Chronicle (6 September 2023)

Bloggers / Tolkien websites

Tolkien Collector's Guide (31 July 2023)

The Spy in the Stalls (1 August 2023)

Curtain Call Reviews (1 August 2023)

Theatre & Tonic (2 August 2023)

Things We Enjoy (2 August 2023)

West End Best Friend (3 August 2023)

Musical Theatre Review (3 August 2023)

Beyond the Curtain (6 August 2023)

All That Dazzles (8 August 2023)

TheOneRing.net (10 August 2023)

Sadie takes the Stage (30 August 2023)

Theatre Plays UK (4 October 2023)

Extreme Improv xStreamed (9 October 2023)

Voir Tolkien (20 October 2023)

British Theatre Guide

Vloggers / video reviews

Theatre.Reviews with Paul Seven (3 August 2023)

Ellie Talks Theatre (7 August 2023)

loren hardy (9 August 2023)

MickeyJoTheatre (9 August 2023)

Barbara 2.0 (23 August 2023)

Flower Theatre (20 September 2023)

Everythings's Rosie Theatre Company (1 October 2023)

Tumblr reviews

@starssunsoftheinfinite x (23 August 2023)

@mischieffoal 1 2 3 (27 August, 7 October 2023)

@reallyhardy x (16 September 2023)

@iconuk01 x (6 October 2023)

@perplexingly 1 2 (8, 9 October 2023)

@unsightlythinker x (6 April 2024)

The date indicated refers to the date the review was published.

Picture sources: 1 2

[thequeereview]

Theatre Review: Anthony Rapp's Without You (New World Stages, Off-Broadway) ★★★★

As Anthony Rapp reflects at the start of his poignant one-man show Without You—breaking from the opening bars of “Seasons of Love”—it’s been half a lifetime since he originated the life-changing, career-defining role of videographer Mark Cohen in Jonathan Larson’s Rent. The seminal La Bohème-inspired “rock opera” (a phrase that Rapp admits initially “didn’t exactly fill him with confidence”) by…

[selfindulgentmusicalreviews]

Mary Poppins - Brisbane 2022 - QPAC

Hello Musical Theatre fans! 

So 07/12/22 clocked in as my third viewing of Mary Poppins, and unfortunately seeing shows more than once in the run has started to become a very expensive habit. Strangely though, all three reasons had a different purpose, which usually isn’t the case (and rather, I just go because I enjoyed it so much I wanted to see it again.)

The first was due to some complimentary seats; so why not? 

The second was the planned, intended viewing with the family.

And the third? Well. We found out one of our favourite ensemble members was playing Bert, so we booked some last minute tickets (literally 6 hours before the show started) and went! 

(And, as of Jan 2023, I ended up seeing it a FOURTH time, due to a lottery win. That adventure isn't included here but it didn't change much!)

The Story

Mary Poppins is an excellent show. I went and saw it when it came to Brisbane for the first time in 2012. I have to admit, I wasn’t as impressed back then and came away not really wanting to go this time, but through either age/maturity or just a different cast/different production, I left with a completely different review of it.

The story of Mary Poppins is the same as it always has been - two misunderstood children with parents who have no time for them, so they act out and escape from their boring, strict nannies. In an attempt to open their parents’ eyes, a mysterious, magical nanny comes down from the sky to teach everyone a lesson. A special mention to Bert, the guardian angel jack-of-all-trades that always appears when the kids need him most.

The musical adaptation takes a slightly different turn than the movie, I can only assume for staging and pacing purposes. There are several new songs, and some of the songs from the movie have been changed, and in my opinion, some of the character arcs are a little more blurry. In the movie, the children are quite soft and don’t require such a firm hand to guide them (despite their letter going on about their pranks). They immediately love Mary, and follow her every request. It’s only on Mary’s day off when they’re with their father do things turn upside down. In comparison, the musical children are petulant trouble makers with strong personalities, who are dubious about Mary Poppins even after her introduction (that whole, “we hope you’ll stay” in ‘Practically Perfect’ is definitely sarcastic). They’re still making trouble despite Mary's influence; causing a mess in the kitchen for poor Robertson Ay. It’s definitely better consistency for their characters, given how much the other nannies label them as terrors. Luckily, with strong children, the stage role of Mary is equally as strong and no-nonsense to match.

Jane and Michael get their own miniature character arcs, though I find Jane’s is a little harder to follow. Michael learns to not judge a book by its cover when he feeds the birds, but Jane doesn’t quite come around at the same time and is still afraid of the bird woman. She eventually gets a throwaway line at the end about learning to look beyond what’s at the end of her nose, but we never see it truly resolved, and they’re still fairly judgy about how dirty Bert is as a chimney sweep. 

George Banks is, of course, the man of the show with the most change, as intended by the original source material. We find that his lifestyle is deeply rooted in the trauma he faced as a young child - seeing his parents barely once a week and never being kissed goodnight, and forever being molded by brimstone and treacle (which after a quick google, I’m surprised George even made it to adulthood!) 

One thing I probably don’t agree with and would love to see a rewrite for is the character of Winifred Banks. In the movie she’s a strong-willed suffragette, fighting for women’s rights (but is unable to stand up to or for her husband at home). In the musical, she’s a former actress that left the stage to host dinner parties and luncheons for rich ‘friends’ she doesn’t really know, which is the reason why she can’t look after the children (and ‘all the best people have nannies’.) At the end of the musical, she decides that the acting life isn’t for her, and that she’d rather just concentrate on being a mother. 

Personally, I would love to see her in that suffragette role once more, and like Mr Banks, come to the conclusion that she needs to balance her lifestyle and the parenting with George. In the movie, watching her march and stand up for women, but be completely incapable of standing up to her husband was a fun juxtaposition (though in the movie, this was never resolved either.)

Upon first watching, I found at least one of the musical numbers was a little hard to piece together from a story perspective; specifically ‘Playing the Game.’ To be truthful, I’m still not sure how this song fits; Valentine is broken because the children are fighting over him, and after this (horrifically haunting) number about respecting your toys, Mary Poppins leaves because she can’t help children who won’t listen. While totally relatable and a generally good message, what does this have to do with anything that’s happened so far, and why does THIS particular issue prompt Mary Poppins to leave? The children seem to be following up to this point, and aren’t really resisting her lessons.  

Some minor gripes that definitely don’t detract, but just make me laugh; I’m not sure how okay I am with the ‘Spoonful of Sugar’ essentially being a drug that gets them all high enough to enjoy cleaning. The rest of the show tends to rely highly on metaphor but this one feels a bit off. 

Also, the reason for them being swept up the chimney sweep to meet Bert and the other sweeps will forever make me laugh with how random of an event it is, with no explanation or information about why it happens. 

I suppose, just like Mary, the show makes a habit of never explaining anything ;) 

Musical Numbers and Staging

Mary Poppins incorporates well loved songs from the movie with a host of great new songs that fit the pacing of the stage play. I always find myself with ‘Practically Perfect’ in my head as I leave the theatre (and for days afterwards).

Feed the Birds is always a standout in my mind; a hauntingly beautiful song on a dim stage, with beautiful harmonies from Mary and the bird woman. It never fails to give me goosebumps! 

The choreography is incredible, especially Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - I always enjoy watching the cast rattle off letter after letter, and I’m pleased that we get to see it once more at the end. 

One part I always love to watch is how quickly the park changes during ‘Jolly Holiday’ - from quiet browns and greys and blacks to suddenly brilliant greens and reds and purples (Colours of my Life, anyone?) as the lights come up always has me staring in childlike wonder, marvelling at just how incredible the stage can be. It’s magic moments like those that really make me love the theatre. 

The costuming is brilliant, although if I have one criticism I would have loved to see Jane and Michael’s costumes start to brighten as the musical goes on. They wear greys and browns for the majority of the time (except in Jolly Holiday), but as they start to become happier, better adjusted children, it wouldn’t have hurt to see some of the colour leaching into their clothing as well. 

Leads

For the 2022 run of Mary Poppins, we had Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers as our Mary and Bert. I saw them for two of the three shows I’ve seen, and their portrayal of these characters was amazing. Stephanie’s vocals and Jack’s charm really brought out the magic of these two characters, and their chemistry on stage was a delight to watch. I haven’t seen either of them in any other productions (I don’t think), so it was nice to see some new faces. 

I’ve also got to give a special mention to Genevieve Kingsford and Patrick Whitbread, the understudies we saw on the 07/12/22. Patrick Whitbread was the ensemble member we were there specifically to see, and while I’m completely biased, Patrick played an incredible Bert to Genevieve’s Mary. 

I always love getting to see multiple people in the same roles; they each bring something just a little different that usually offers unique perspectives. 

Patrick’s Bert is goofy. He’s a sweet, lovable dork who pulls faces while he dances, and his portrayal reminded me a lot more of the Dick Van Dyke version of Bert from the movie. Jack plays a much more suave Bert, which is no less endearing and exciting to watch. Genevieve’s Mary was softer than Stephanie’s prim and proper nanny, but that softness didn’t diminish the way she commanded the stage. 

Tom Wren was excellent all three nights - he has such a great smile and it’s such a standout when he goes from always frowning and scowling to these brilliant pearly grins. I absolutely loved Lucy Maunder’s performance; for the character she plays, she does it incredibly well and her vocals during “Being Mr Banks” are absolutely beautiful. 

The children are always fantastic; I got to see three (four!) different sets, and all of them were equally amazing. 

Ensemble

As per usual when I go to the theatre, I like to pay close attention to the ensemble, and see if I’ve seen any of them in any former productions. Some of them just end up sticking and I try to make sure I watch out for them during the shows. Due to the costuming and make-up usually covering faces and hair, I found it incredibly difficult to single them out as individuals on this show. 

There were only a couple of them this time; 

Hayden Baum, Ellie Nunan and Taylor Scanlan I’ve followed through numerous Cats productions. 

Andrew Broadbent - we saw him in Book of Mormon; I’ve been trying to chase him down at Stage Door to no avail; he’s far too sneaky. I enjoyed watching him as Von Hussler and the Policemen - it’s always just nice to see familiar faces. As of the fourth viewing, I managed to get to Andrew at Stage Door! He was the kindest, most polite person I've ever met and I LOVE him very much.

Thanks for reading!