The Archives: A birthday treat

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

11^th July 2009 at the Little Theatre, Sheringham

Cast

LV … Caroline Keiff

Mari … Fiz Marcus

Ray Say … Charlie Buckland

Billy … Brett Lee Roberts

Sadie … Donna Combe

Mr. Boo/Phone Man … Alistair Scott

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Our viewing of 'The Rise and Fall of Little Voice' in Sherringham's Little Theatre came about enitrely by chance, after viewing Wicked for the first time, my sister had become quite into Caroline Keiff, who had played Nessarose, and whilst looking for information on her, I discovered her next two production,s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and Legally Blonde. This immediately became my sister's birthday present, and I, never one to pass up on a free ticket, went along.

I hadn't seen the original film with Jane Horrocks before watchign the show, and in retrospect, and glad of this, as while it is a good film, I fear it would have affected my viewing. We arrived early, my parents disappearing to nearby Croma (but not before my mother had a chat with one of the rep's other directors Mr. Nicky Henson, who she recognised from Fawlty Towers) whilst we idled away the time in theatre bar. 

I have often said that I wish I could keep a recording of a few plays for posterity, and Little Voice would certainly be high on my list. Whilst the theatre was restrictive (the chairs clearly not designed for a gentleman as tall as myself) the cast managed to make the most of it, and there was not a single bad performancei n the bunch. Caroline Keiff is heartbreaking in the title role, but also an excellent mimic, performing songs by Judy Garland, Lulu and Shirley Bassey iwth great aplomb, whilst the grotesques of her mother and her neighbour Sadie are entertaining and repulsive at the same time. The comedy is continued by Alistair Scott as the toupee wearing emcee Mr. Boo and Paul Merton lookout Charlie Buckland, whose Ray Say was wonderfulyl sleazy and managed to genuinely surprise the audience as he emerged from the back of the aisles performign a drunken rendition of Roy Orbison's "It's Over". Finally, Brett Lee Roberts portrayed the usually thankless role of Billy, LV's equally shy love interest, but managed to create a three-dimensionally, empathetic character who brings the play to a touching conclusion.

Our own evening ended quite brilliantly, as I managed to arrange for my sister to meet her idol, something which I have never let her forget.

Theatre Notes

• The play was directed by Desmond Barrit, the theatre's patron and the former Wizard in Wicked, which he starred in alongside Caroline Keiff.

The Archives: Little Shop the First

Little Shop of Horrors

4^th July 2009 at the Little Theatre, Leicester

Cast

Seymour Krelborn … Mark Webb

Audrey … Victoria Nettleton

Orin Scrivello … Tom MacAuley

Mr. Mushnik … Neil Mason

Audrey II … Paul Beasley/James Watson

Crystal … Ria Turner

Ronette … Josie Tweddle

Chiffon … Sophie Bryant

Customers … Martin Bell

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As with Sweeney Todd, this was a production I'd been wanting to see ever since I watched the film, and as with Sweeeny Todd the opportunity was proved for me by the Little Theatre in Leicester. So once again, my sister and I made our way down, sat back and enjoyed the show.

Certianly an unconventional musical, the characters in Little Shop of Horrors must as a given, be good singers, but also must have the necessary balance of comic timing and (with the two leads) be able to generate the necessary amount of sympathy. This was not a problem for the cast of the Little Theatre production, Mark Webb and Victoria Nettleton made me wish that the film's happy ending had been retained, their tragic ends generating a great deal of sympathy (but unfortunately some laughter), while the supporting cast settle into their roles quite well, Tom MacAuley's Orin resembling something of a washed-up Elvis Presley impersonator while Neil Mason's Jewish stereotype of Mushnik went so far round the corner it became funny again, those his character's accent made his song difficult to understand at times. I would, later that year, witness a larger scale touring production of the show at the Curve, the jury is still out as to which one was better...

Theatre Notes

• Paul Beasley was the assitant director during my time at the Little Theatre's workshop, who I also auditioned for in Carrie's War (I didn't get it).
• Martin Bell would later appear in the Little Theatre's production of 'The Rain Maker' as Bill Starbuck. 

The Archives: Not tweed, but hardly an improvement...

Our Day Out

Friday 27^th and Saturday 28^th March 2010

Cast

Mrs. Kay … Nadine Hossent

Mr. Briggs … Dan Creedon

Colin … David Stevens

Susan … Isabella Hill

Carol … Charlotte Whitaker

Reilly … Zak Jones

Digga … Brendon Moore

Jackie … Bethany Sly

Linda … Hazel Willock

Shopkeeper … Mary Harding-Scott

Milton … Milly Bianchini

Andrews … Jack Tudor

Zoo Keeper … Zebulun Samson

Les … Ross Bayliss

Girl 1 … Gabrielle Dowsing

Girl 2 … Georgia Whitehead

Headmaster … Billy Joyce

Bus Driver … Mark Wiselka

Bored Girls … Olivia Choudhury

                         Olivia Mellor

                         Alice Doyle

Maurice … James Cooper

Ronson … Richard Goodchild

Jimmy … Michael Noon

Kevin … Sam Smith

Little Kid … Harvey Bayliss

Parent … Matthew Green

Other Kids … Josh Chalk

                       Amelia Eatough

                       Chanel Foster

                       Kyrie Green

                       Ryan Green

On my second theatrical experience at The Little Theatre, I appeared in a play I had got some prior knowledge of, having had to perform an excerpt of it for my Drama class in Year 9. Once again, I managed to get the role I auditioned for and once again had to endure a rather peculiar coat (not tweed this time fortunately) and a different accent (Yorkshire rather than Irish).

This time the play was 'Our Day Out' by Willy Russell, with musical additions. I didn't quite see the necessity of said additions but as I got several lines, I wasn't about to argue, especially as I had to perform them whilst being swooned over by two teenage girls. While rehearsals pushed many of us to the breaking point, particularly with the year combining the senior and junior groups, the experience made me wish that I had been able to continue into the next year. Unfortunately a change of director (who also played Mrs. Kay in a last minute casting change) and an elevation of the admission fee meant that this was not to be.

The Archives: How they make a man sing!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

28^th May 2009 at the Little Theatre, Leicester

Cast

Sweeney Todd. … Steve Elliott

Anthony Hope … Michael Whitcombe

Tobias Ragg … Cronig Saunders

Judge Turpin … Tony Whitmore

Beadle Bamford … Mark Whitcombe

Mrs. Lovett … Helen Kirkland

Johanna … Cherise Smith

Beggar Woman … Sue Hubbard

Adolfo Pirelli … David Lovell

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Ever since I saw the Tim Burton film version I had been longing to find a production of the stage show, especially after watching clips of the George Hearn 2003 concert on YouTube. Fortunately, within a few months, the local theatre put on an amateur production and I immediately purchased tickets.

Aside from being initially terrified (the chorus were suddenly illuminated standing in the aisles) I enjoyed every minute of this production. Well performed, well-sung and suitably dramatic without being overly theatrical, the show also managed to expertly handle the murder scenes in a small repertory theatre without the use of excessive (or even any) blood, using lighting effects and a trapdoor in the mukti-layered set. The demise of Mrs Lovett was perhaps a little unimpressive, but I suppose I shouldn't have expected too much. Performance wise I particularly enjoyed Sweeney himself (played by Steve Elliott) and his nemesis Judge Turpin (Tony Whitmore, who later told me hek new he had performed well when a man in the bar afterwards had said he had wanted to hit him midway through the production) and even the usually uninteresting performances of Johanna and Anthony managed to entertain, particularly in their frantic duet "Kiss Me". Now the show is coming to the West End with Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, I wonder if the greater stage will make for a better show, or will the performances at the local theatre win out? Only time will tell.

Theatre Notes

• Tony Whitmore (Judge Turpin) later appeared as Horace Vandergelder in "Hello Dolly!" which also featured yours truly.

"Once you're standing on your own two feet, you will not retreat if you repeat...I'm Free!"

Footloose

Saturday 21^st May at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham

Cast

Ren McCormack… Adam C. Booth (u/s/)

Ethel McCormack… Carys Gray

Reverend Shaw Moore… Steven Pinder

Vi Moore… Karen Ascoe

Ariel Moore… Lorna Want

Rusty… Jodie Jacobs

Urleen… Keisha Amponsa Banson

Wendy Jo… Tanya Robb

Chuck Cranston… Harry Neale

Lyle… Simon Campbell

Travis/Cowboy Bob… Simon Hardwick

Willard Hewitt… Giovanni Spano

Principal Clark… Michael Palmer

Normally I would have immediately passed up on Footloose, a cheesy American dance musical based on a cheesy American dance film. However, it held one redeeming feature for me, it had been the first musical I appeared in with my school and so held a special place in my heart. So, I decided to brave the unknown and attend the UK Tour in Nottingham.

I was, somewhat impressed. Whilst nothing removed the cheesiness from this production, it would perhaps have been unwise to try, as this only added to the enjoyment. I knew several of the songs even before appearing inthe show myself and perhaps it was because of this that they seemed the best performed, "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Let's Hear it for the Boy" being particular stand-out group numbers. Of the young cast, while the two leads performed admirably, the ones to watch out for were Giovanni Spano and Jodie Jacobs as the comically awkward duo of Willard and Rusty. Of course, it being the role I performed myself, I was focusing primarily on Steven Pinder as the Reverend, and while at times I wished I could pin his arms down to prevent his gesticulating, I was very impressed by both his singing and acting, and somewhat jealous that got to perform "I Confess" at the shows close (it didn't feature in our production). When the show finish and the encore called for the audience to stand and dance, I surprisingly didn't feel embarassed to do so, despite being on my own. 


So if you're in for a little innocent comic enjoyment, I can heartily recommend Footloose. Just don't expect to find yourself too challenged by the plot.

Theatre Notes

• Several roles were combined for this production, including Principal Clark and Coach Dunbar (leaving Eleanor Dunbar as a single librarian) as well as Wes and Lulu Warnicker.

The Archives: The beauty is...

The Light in the Piazza

21^st May 2009, the Curve Theatre, Leicester

Cast

Clara Johnson … Caroline Sheen

Margaret Johnson … Lucy Schaufer

Franca Naccarelli … Eliza Lumley

Giuseppe Nacarelli … George Cougas

Signor Naccarelli … Graham Bickley

Fabrizio Naccarelli … Matt Rawle

Signora Naccarelli .. Jasna Ivir

Roy Johnson … Charles Diash

Priest … Garth Badesley

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A play I had no prior knowledge, at a theatre I had never visited before (The Curve, Leicester), going to see the "The Light in the Piazza" was a shot in the dark, but one I certainly enjoyed.

 The musical tells the story of Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara, two American tourists who become entangled with an Italian family, the Naccarellis, when Clara falls in love iwth their son Fabrizio. But Clara is hiding her secret, and her mother refuses to let her marry for this reason. 

Though this play is a musical, I must confess that I cannto bring more than a single line of any song to mind. This is not to say that they were not well-written, sung or performed, they were just not particularly memorable. However, the characters did linger for quite some time, particularly the comic Naccarellis, seemingly a group of broadly-drawn Italian stereotypes (shrill, domineering mother, one layabout son, one a young dreamer) but as the play progressed the actors showcased their talents to reveal the depths behind their roles, particularly impressive was Graham Bickley as the patriarch, who shares a touching moment with Margaret as they take a walk in the moonlight to discuss their problems, while Jasna Ivir was a comedic gem as the mother. As an Anglo-Italian myself, I can certainly see reflections of my own family in these characters. The only comment on casting I would make is that while Clara is supposed to convince as being younger than her age, she almost convinces too much, making the reveal of her true age seem implausible.

So all in all, a memorable evening (my father leapt up onto the stage during pressn ight to take the page picture) with a show that impressed (though the Curve as a theatre failed to do so, resembling a car park/shopping centre more than a theatre). I only wish there was a British Cast Recording so that I could rediscover the songs.

Theatre Notes

• Matt Rawle (Fabrizio) is probably best known for playing the title role in the West End production of "Zorro".

The Archives: Wicked, first time around

Wicked

29^th February 2009 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, London

Cast

Elphaba … Ashleigh Gray (understudy)

Glinda the Good … Dianne Pilkington

Fiyero … Oliver Tompsett

Madame Morrible … Harriet Thorpe

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz … Desmond Barrit

Nessarose … Caroline Keiff                                         

Boq … George Ure (understudy)

Dr. Dillamond/Frex … Andy Mace

Chistery … Matthew Boulton

I once had a great fondness for Wicked, though it has waned somewhat lately. I was initially introduced when my sister and I began to watch the excellent Pushing Daisies, and resulting research pointed on to Wicked, which actress Kristin Chenoweth had starred in (though in retrospect she was one of the most irritating thigns about said production). So when my sister paid for my ticket to see the show, I wasn't going to refuse.


One of the popular, new musicals, Wicked is certainly a very 'flashy' production, with a large Time Dragon attatched to the top of the stage, mainly for decoration, though it does move ocassionally, and outlandish costumes. Though my enthusiasm for the show has declined of late, I am glad to have seen it, as it introduced me to several excellent performers. 


Ashleigh Gray, the understudy for the misunderstood Elphaba, was phenomenal, far exceeding the regular Kerry Ellis, whose affected American accent and shouty delivery made me glad I had come on a night she was not present. When 'The Wizard and I', Elphaba's first solo number, was performed, we knew we were in for a good show, and by 'Defying Gravity', we were certainly proved right, it was one of those rare 'hairso n the back of your neck' moments. Complimenting Elphaba is the ditzy Glinda, played by Dianne Pilkington, who made the easily unlikeable role genuinely sympathetic and entertaining, as did Oliver Tompsett as the love-interest Fiyero, who is not as dim as he seems. Both these characters in an American production would be played straight as high-school students, here they are sent up outlandishly, both rich layabouts who turn out to have hidden depths. The cast was rounded out by Harriet Thorpe as the pantomime villain Madame Morrible, understudy George Ure as the shy better-when-Scottish Boq, Caroline Keiff as Nessarose again bringing empathy to a potentially dislikeable role, Andy Mace as Dr. Dillamond, stealing every scene he appears in and last, but by no means least, the fantastic Desmond Barrit as the misguided Wizard, who I have spent many days trying to find in another production.


We would attend another performance lateri n the year, but it could not match this initial visit, which cemented the names of the performers in our minds and made us eager for more of them. While Wicked is an acquired taste, it is certainly one worth trying. If only they had recorded the soundtrack with this night's cast...

Theatre Notes

• Andy Mace, George Ure, Caroline Keiff and Oliver Tompsett were in the original cast of the show and all performed as understudies at various points.
• Desmond Barrit had previously been nominated for an award for his performance as Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which starred his successor to the role of the Wizard, Sam Kelly, as Senex.