I have been sooooooo excited to see this show. Anything by Sondheim is something I want to see. Not because I favour him over others, just simply that I find his work interesting and believe he has made a real mark on the theatre industry during his life. I also met him years ago when I went to see Gypsy (read my review here) and he was an absolute gent.
There were also two other factors that played into wanting to go. Firstly Patti Lupone was returning to the London stage, after having last been here in 1997 for a production of the Terrence McNally play Master Class. The final and maybe the more important reason was the change of gender for some of the characters, Rosalie Craig in the title role of Bobbie (rather than Bobby) and Jonathan Bailey in the role of Jamie (rather than Amy).
Lets first start with the renamed Jamie. Creating a same-sex relationship within this much loved, and some would day iconic, piece of theatre, will I'm sure annoy and frustrate many lovers of Sondheim and non-lovers alike. Why? Its updating it and making it more suitable and relevant to todays audiences and society in general. It doesn't affect the story, the meaning of what's said/sung or indeed any part of the show at all. If anything it actually made the show, for me, far more enjoyable. It felt like a more modern and up to date show than a lot of Sondheim I've seen on stage. This was undoubtable helped by the heartfelt and honest portrayal of the character by Jonathan Bailey. He makes one of the most realistic and true to life gay characters on stage. In some way I feel more so even than the fantastic cast of the sublime show The Inheritance (I will be writing a 'Trip Down Memory Lane' review of this show soon). As soon he appeared on stage I felt connected to him. I saw aspects of myself, and of every gay person I know, in him. He felt like a friend. Like someone I've known for ages.
Now as for the character of Bobbie, this gender change is something I'm sure will be even more of a sacrilege to the show than the character of Jamie. It was however an absolutely geniuses decision. Why cant a woman be unapologetically single? why cant they live a promiscuous sex life? Musicals, and shows in general, more often than not show women as wanting or even needing a man to feel fulfilled. They just cant be happy single. If they are single, or loveless, then they are normally portrayed as being either elderly and widowed or having something wrong with them. This obviously couldn't be further from the truth. There are thousands, if not millions, of women out there who are happily single. This is a very underrepresented group of women in theatre. Why? Rosalie Craig performs Bobbie wonderfully, and is someone Sondheim himself I'm sure will be proud of. She devours this role. Never mind the character now being a woman, Rosalie bring a whole new perspective and dimension to the role. Her portrayal made me bempathise and love the character so much more than I ever have done.
With Bobbie now being female, the song You Can Drive A Person Crazy, one of my favourite songs I might add, is now sung by three men. The characters of Kathy, April and Marta and now Andy, Theo and PJ. They are expertly performed by Richard Fleeshman, Matthew Seadon and George Blayden respectively. These three performed the song wonderfully and in fact get one of the biggest applauses of the night. And rightly so. I'd go so far as to say that I felt three men seemed to connect more with the lyrics than ive ever felt when its been performed by women.
The Dame of theatre herself, Patti Lupone was great. Not the best I've ever seen her, but still an overwhelming presence on stage. A master of her craft. She knows this show backwards, and it shows. She performs the role effortlessly, having previously performed it at the New York Philharmonic Concert in 2011. I was surprised to find Mel Giedroyc was also superb as Sarah. Who knew she had a lovely voice and was a great actress? I certainly didn’t. The whole cast have a sublime chemistry and just make everything work.
The staging complements the story and the actors brilliantly. From the tiny box representing Bobbies home to the spacious kitchen of Jamie and Paul. Oh, on a side not, the staging of ‘Not Getting Married’ was one of the best pieces of comedic theatre I’ve seen. Perfect performance by Jonathan Bailey. Never did I say to my self, in regards to staging ‘why have they done that?’ or ‘oh that could have been better if they’d done this’. Everything just worked.
I couldn’t recommend this show more. It finishes on March 30th (2019), so if you want to go you’ll need to be quick. You can purchase tickets here.
Lets first start with the renamed Jamie. Creating a same-sex relationship within this much loved, and some would day iconic, piece of theatre, will I'm sure annoy and frustrate many lovers of Sondheim and non-lovers alike. Why? Its updating it and making it more suitable and relevant to todays audiences and society in general. It doesn't affect the story, the meaning of what's said/sung or indeed any part of the show at all. If anything it actually made the show, for me, far more enjoyable. It felt like a more modern and up to date show than a lot of Sondheim I've seen on stage. This was undoubtable helped by the heartfelt and honest portrayal of the character by Jonathan Bailey. He makes one of the most realistic and true to life gay characters on stage. In some way I feel more so even than the fantastic cast of the sublime show The Inheritance (I will be writing a 'Trip Down Memory Lane' review of this show soon). As soon he appeared on stage I felt connected to him. I saw aspects of myself, and of every gay person I know, in him. He felt like a friend. Like someone I've known for ages.
Now as for the character of Bobbie, this gender change is something I'm sure will be even more of a sacrilege to the show than the character of Jamie. It was however an absolutely geniuses decision. Why cant a woman be unapologetically single? why cant they live a promiscuous sex life? Musicals, and shows in general, more often than not show women as wanting or even needing a man to feel fulfilled. They just cant be happy single. If they are single, or loveless, then they are normally portrayed as being either elderly and widowed or having something wrong with them. This obviously couldn't be further from the truth. There are thousands, if not millions, of women out there who are happily single. This is a very underrepresented group of women in theatre. Why? Rosalie Craig performs Bobbie wonderfully, and is someone Sondheim himself I'm sure will be proud of. She devours this role. Never mind the character now being a woman, Rosalie bring a whole new perspective and dimension to the role. Her portrayal made me bempathise and love the character so much more than I ever have done.
With Bobbie now being female, the song You Can Drive A Person Crazy, one of my favourite songs I might add, is now sung by three men. The characters of Kathy, April and Marta and now Andy, Theo and PJ. They are expertly performed by Richard Fleeshman, Matthew Seadon and George Blayden respectively. These three performed the song wonderfully and in fact get one of the biggest applauses of the night. And rightly so. I'd go so far as to say that I felt three men seemed to connect more with the lyrics than ive ever felt when its been performed by women.
The Dame of theatre herself, Patti Lupone was great. Not the best I've ever seen her, but still an overwhelming presence on stage. A master of her craft. She knows this show backwards, and it shows. She performs the role effortlessly, having previously performed it at the New York Philharmonic Concert in 2011. I was surprised to find Mel Giedroyc was also superb as Sarah. Who knew she had a lovely voice and was a great actress? I certainly didn’t. The whole cast have a sublime chemistry and just make everything work.
The staging complements the story and the actors brilliantly. From the tiny box representing Bobbies home to the spacious kitchen of Jamie and Paul. Oh, on a side not, the staging of ‘Not Getting Married’ was one of the best pieces of comedic theatre I’ve seen. Perfect performance by Jonathan Bailey. Never did I say to my self, in regards to staging ‘why have they done that?’ or ‘oh that could have been better if they’d done this’. Everything just worked.
I couldn’t recommend this show more. It finishes on March 30th (2019), so if you want to go you’ll need to be quick. You can purchase tickets here.
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