Thursday, November 14

Tag: Marley Fenton

Grease – Palace Theatre
North West

Grease – Palace Theatre

Sometimes when a reviewer goes to see a show, no matter what the content, the audience will so completely overwhelm the performance that there is very little one can say in review. Such is the case with “Grease” which continues a national tour at The Palace. The audience are so loyal to the show, they will it along every moment of the performance. I have to say that I would have preferred to hear the paid cast singing some of the songs rather than the “Levenshulme Ladies Choir” across the aisle from me, but hey, we know the tunes anyway. Despite a book as thin as a cigarette paper, Director Nikolai Foster drives the show along like greased lightening and genuinely lights up the stage with the musical numbers. To add to the “A” list production team the choreography by Arlene Phill...
Grease – Alhambra, Bradford
Yorkshire & Humber

Grease – Alhambra, Bradford

Grease is most definitely the word on everyone’s lips after attending last nights show at the Alhambra, as it’s fair to say the withdrawals from the thrill and excitement have well and truly kicked in. There are always high expectations for beloved productions such as Grease, and the performance by the cast and crew exceeded all of them, inviting in younger audiences by bringing fresh new ideas but also reminding those maturer fans of their favourite scenes and songs. The show was impressively enticing, horny and funny with the entertaining representations of the burger bar boys and the pink ladies, the cast hit the nail on the head while capturing these characters, whether it was on their best or worst behaviour the teen groups had the audience in stitches. The show invites you in l...
The Wizard Of Oz – New Wimbledon Theatre
London

The Wizard Of Oz – New Wimbledon Theatre

This classic tale is reimagined with an inventive and modern take on The Wizard of Oz as we know it. With a talented and enthusiastic cast, comedic and heartfelt moments, this production is an enjoyable watch for all ages. Projections are used extensively which is seemingly becoming the norm for a tour production, and we are launched into Dorothy’s world in Kansas quite abruptly with a somewhat dominating video. While the scene was indeed set, this dynamic video established the tone for much of the staging throughout the production. Despite some extensive and inventive set pieces, the large screen at the back of the stage is used primarily to distinguish scenes and at times this choice feels unnecessary and lazy, particularly as the cast performances are entirely believable. While st...
The Wizard of Oz – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

The Wizard of Oz – Hull New Theatre

Hull New Theatre was packed to the rafters on Thursday night for what turned out to be a magical extravaganza of colour, energy and theatrical perfection. As soon as the curtain rose on The Wizard of Oz musical, it was clear we were in for something special. The imaginative stage setting revealed a huge video backdrop which cleverly reeled us into the story - the opening sequence of a tornado just blew us away (pun intended). And this videography played a huge part in the rest of the proceedings, meaning distracting scene-shifting was kept to a minimum throughout. There can’t be a person on the planet who doesn’t know the age-old story of young Dorothy and her dog, Toto. In last night’s production, Dorothy was played by the very talented Aviva Tulles, while Toto was brought to ...