I Cant Sing!

          As soon as I heard that this musical was being produced I wanted to see it. Not because I thought it would be fantastically brilliant, bit the opposite. I wanted to see just how rubbish it was. I have to say though it was better than I expected.

          The show is on at The London Palladium theatre, an institution when it comes to theatre not only in London but in the whole of the UK. Part of me feels a little disappointed that the theatre should go from something as classic and brilliant as A Chorus Line to this show, but oh well. I'll just side step the fact that the shows were separated by the Eat Pray Laugh! Barry Humphries Farewell Tour. I was well aware of the negative reviews that the show has had some bad reviews but that didn't stop me. I was surprised however that the theatre was less than half full (not sure exactly how full it was but it certainly looked like less than 50%). I'm sure this is because of the bad reviews rather than the subject matter of the show. At its peak last year The X Factor (UK) had roughly 9.6 million viewers. I know it's not the biggest viewing figures the show has ever had (over 19 million watched the finals of both series 6 and series 7), but it certainly would suggest a fairly strong/large market audience for the musical. The Upper Circle seating was completely empty and the Royal Circle, were I sat, appeared to be just under half full. There were even some empty seats in the first couple of rows or the Royal Circle which is something I have never seen in the West End before. If audience numbers are this low every night the show wont be going for very much longer.

          The show is mainly selling itself on the comedy, but I think I only laughed a couple of times. There was a guy in front of me who couldn't stop laughing, so maybe I'm just an uptight snob, but it really didn't tickle my funny bone. There were a few funny bits though like Simon Bailey who was playing Liam O'Deary, a characterisation of X Factor host Dermot O'Leary. He got his personality, characteristics and even his speech pattern completely on point. Just like Dermot himself, it did become a bit tiresome for me after a while. The only consistently "funny" aspect was the guy who was playing The Wind (for this to make any sense you'll need to see the show). Because he wasn't a major part, every time he appeared I chuckled slightly.

 

          There was one performer/character who was genuinely funny was Simon Lipkin as Barlow. Simon has been in many West End productions including Rock Of Ages as Lonny, Spamalot as Galahad and Avenue Q as Nicky and Trekkie Monster. He has also been in a number of television shows and the films Muppets Most Wanted, The Harry Hill Movie and Nativity 3. He was the only person that made me actually laugh out loud. a brilliant performer and definitely the star of the show. He was, by far, the best performer. The fact I've said this may shock a few people as the show stars Nigel Harman as Simon Cowell. He is the biggest name in the show and without a doubt one of its selling points. His part however isn't that big and it isn't one of his best. I would say its definitely one of his worst performances I've ever seen. I loved him as Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical and in his TV roles in Downton Abbey, Hotel Babylon and Lark Rise to Candleford. I think he is a great actor, but this role is just stupid. I know Lord Farquaad is a stupid role, but at least he made me laugh as he was stupid-funny.

 

          There are a few other people I should really mention. Victoria Elliott, for whom this marks her West End debut, and Ashley Knight are great. Victoria's character is a parody of Cheryl Cole and Ashley's is a parody of Louis Walsh. Ashley is really on stage for very long and his role is more physically based than vocally. He is funny though and did, on occasion, make me laugh. Victoria has a much bigger part to play and really does it well. you really wouldn't know she hadn't been in the West End before. she seems completely at home on the stage. After Simon Lipkin I would say she was my favourite performer. Loved her. Cynthia Erivo, who plays the main character Chenice, is also good. she by far has the best singing voice of the whole show. here acting was also good, but for her and the rest of the cast it was degraded by the poor song lyrics and dialogue of the show.

 

          As I said before, unlike me there was a guy in front of me who just couldn't stop laughing. I think its one of those musicals that's like Marmite. You either hate it or you love it. Unlike Marmite, I really didn't like this. This show was defiantly one I wouldn't recommend for quality but maybe its something you'd like more than I do. You certainly shouldn't go expecting the next big thing or something that will run for years and years because of its brilliance. Its just a bit of fun, but for me it wasn't fun enough. I said right at the beginning that it was better then I thought and from what ive put that may be hard to believe, but its true. I thought it would be a complete car crash and it wasn't. It was close, but not completely. Simon Cowell said “I thought the idea of an X Factor musical, if it was too pompous, would be rubbish, and I didn't t want it to appear like a cash cow. I wanted it to be a celebration of the show but at the same time poke fun at what we do, because you can’t take it too seriously." I can see how the idea COULD have worked Simon, but it didn't quite get there. Oh, and it defiantly does appear like you wanted it to be a cash cow. Shame that's gone a little wrong. Tickets and Info

 

 

29 April 2014 - It has recently been announced that I Cant Sing! will close on 10th May after a run of just 6 weeks, making it one of the biggest musical flops in West End history.

Blithe Spirit

 

 

          Angela Lansbury. That's it. Angela Lansbury. The only reason I went to see the show. Angela Lansbury!!!!!!

          The show is showing at the Gielgud Theatre which is one of my favourite theatres in London. It's not one of the biggest, in fact it's on the smaller side, with a seating capacity of just 986. It feels bigger though as the seating is split over three levels. I was in the front row of the top gallery and the view was surprisingly good. The angle at which I was viewing the stage was a bit steep but I soon got used to that. The only downside was that there was very little leg room. There was a good mixture of people in the audience, but I was surprised to notice that not all the seats were full. The set stays the same throughout does have a few minor changes made to it. I didn't get bored with the lack of change however as I have in other shows.

          I first knew of Angela Lansbury through the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). My sister and I would always watch it at our grandparents house when we were children and it is to this day one of my favourite films. Since growing up I've become aware of her other work such as the stage production of Sweeny Todd on Broadway, clips of the show when it toured in 1982 can be found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sweeney+todd+1982), and of course her fantastic work as the voice of Mrs Potts in Beauty And The Beast. Of course who wouldn't know her from the TV series Murder She Wrote. She was also in one of my favourite films The Court Jester, with Danny Kaye, a fact I only found out about two weeks ago. Madame Arcati is in fact a role she previously played on Broadway in 2009. As soon as I heard her talk, she was off stage at that point, I had tingles down my spine. I couldn't help but picture her as Mrs Potts though. Her arrival on stage was greeted by rapturous applause. Only a few people merit this and she is most definitely one of them.

          Another actress I was interested in seeing was Jemima Rooper. The only thing I know her from is the film Kinky Boots, though her bio in the shows programme assures me she's done other work. In Kinky Boots I wasn't that keen on her to be honest. I found her a bit dramatic. Overacting a little. I was interested to see how she was live on stage. I'm glad to say she was much better. Mind you, the role of Elvira suites overacting so maybe it was just the role that made her seem better. An actress who I'm sure will become a star of the West End, for whom this is not only her first West End role but also her professional stage debut, is Patsy Ferran. She is marvellous. I hardly ever use that word but it is extremely fitting to her performance and characterisation. For most of the show she says very little except "yes 'm", but her role is very physical during this time. Her comic timing with the moves is exhilarating (a word that's appropriateness in this instance I deeply question) and her over exaggeration if sublime. After having a stressful day she very much cheered me up and relaxed my thought-riddled brain. A true star in the making who's career I'll be interested to follow.

 

          The other characters were fantastic as well, though Ms Lansbury and Patsy Ferran stood out. Serena Evens as Mrs Bradman was, like Patsy, a bit of comic joy. It's a shame her part isn't bigger. I was constantly smiling when she was on stage. The two main characters of Mr and Mrs Condomine are played by Charles Edwards and Janie Dee. Both are fantastic actors with many theatre, film and television roles behind them. They are continually engaging and drag you completely into the story. I couldn't take my eyes off them.

 

          There where unfortunately a few instances of what appeared to be forgetting of lines. One of these was unfortunately be Ms Lansbury though I'm unclear if this was genuinely her forgetting a line or her brilliant portrayal of the character. This production is, in my opinion, better than the one on Broadway in 2009 and far outshines both the 1945 and 1966 films. One that I would definitely recommend anyone to see. I mean come on ................ it's Angela Lansbury. Tickets and info.