A BSL Interpreted trailer for Chicago at New Theatre, Cardiff.

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(4 / 5)

Take one charming leading lady, a dollop of catchy songs, a ballad or two to pull on your heartstrings, sprinkle with silliness and mix with loveable characters to create the perfect recipe for a feelgood musical.

The ingredients were expertly balanced at the performance of the Tony Award nominated hit musical Waitress in Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre on Tuesday evening.

Based on the 2007 Adrienne Shelly film, Waitress tells the story of Jenna who works in Joe’s Pie Diner in the Deep South.  Jenna is unhappy in her marriage to the controlling Earl and feels trapped in her mundane life where every day is a carbon copy of the last.  To make matters worse, as the show opens, Jenna discovers that she is pregnant, expressing her disappointment during “The Negative” where she is consoled by her colleagues Becky and Dawn.   Jenna finds solace in baking and, in particular, in making pies – she makes a different pie for every day of the week and there isn’t an occasion that she can’t think of the perfect recipe, including “my eggs failed me pie” and “in the pursuit of happiness pie”.  Even though she knows it’s a “Bad Idea” Jenna embarks on an affair with her hunky gynaecologist Dr Pomatter.  We follow her journey as she tries to escape her hum drum life.

On the face of it the storyline is fairly predictable but as it develops we realise there is more to the characters than meets the eye.  Jenna is a complicated leading lady, describing herself as being “imperfect but she tries” – she has an affair, she is unmaternal and she lies to her husband.  In fact, in a turn from traditional musical theatre, all the characters are in some way flawed and morally ambiguous, making them more relatable to the audience. 

The cast are impressive in portraying these characters and all give strong performances, approaching their roles with sensitivity.  Chelsea Halfpenny is particularly noteworthy as Jenna, bringing the house down with her vocal ability in the heart wrenching “She Used to Be Mine”.  Evelyn Hoskins and George Crawford pitch their performances of goofy couple Dawn and Ogie just right, providing plenty of laughs while still making the audience believe in their love story.

The production, directed by Diane Paulus is incredibly slick with effortless scene changes supported by the ensemble.  The majority of the action takes place in the diner which has a view of the open highway projected through the windows.  The performance space is reduced in Jenna and Earl’s home, with the ceiling being lowered and the walls drawn in, giving a visual representation of her claustrophobic life. 

The band, which does an excellent job of executing Sarah Bareilles’ Nashville worthy score, is situated on stage and form part of the action as patrons of the diner.  Although this is a nice effect, it is distracting at times.

There are moments when the show touches on darker, more gritty themes; Earl is abusive towards Jenna and it is suggested that she witnessed domestic violence as a child.  Jenna’s attitude towards her pregnancy is controversial and Becky is clearly struggling in her role as a carer for her husband.  The show only mentions these issues on a surface level and shies away from exploring them in any depth.  Instead, it reverts to lighthearted humour, opting for a “life must go on” attitude.

The influence of Waitress’ female-led creative team is clear to see – the show is ultimately a celebration of friendship and femininity.  Jenna’s transformation is inspired by the birth of her daughter and the support of her friends rather than being influenced by the male characters in her life.

Just like a slice of freshly baked homemade pie, watching Waitress the musical leaves you with a warm, comforting feeling.  This sweet story isn’t necessarily ground-breaking but it will leave you with a smile on your face, a song in your heart and a skip in your step. 

Being a huge fan of the jukebox 2001 blockbuster movie Moulin Rouge, I cannot begin to tell you the excitement when I discovered that the musical adaption was making its way to the Piccadilly Theatre London UK after a successful opening in both NYC and Sydney.

Like the movie, the musical’s score weaves together original songs with popular music, including some of the original songs written in the film’s premier 17 years ago, songs such as Sia’s “Chandlier”,  Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Katy Perry’s “Firework” , just to name a few.

THE PLOT

Moulin Rouge! is set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France, at the turn of the 20th century also referred to as the birthplace of the bohemians that believe in Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love.

The musical is similar to the movie in plot which tells the story of Christian a young composer, who falls in love with cabaret “Sparkling Diamond” actress Satine (played by the talented and stunning Lissi Lafontaine), who’s paths cross by a fortunate misunderstanding one unforgettable night at the red windmill sparking a secret romance behind the Duke ( Simon Bailey) a jealous and wealthy gentleman who wishes to “own” Satine and the deeds to the Moulin Rouge which is currently run by Harold Ziedler (Clive Carter).

BECAUSE YOU CAN CAN AND MUST MUST

Thankfully I was fortunate enough to purchase the irresistible “Can Can” seats which is a collection of 16 decorative chairs and tables placed right at the front of the action (essentially where the band pit would have originally been), allowing for a fully immersive and interactive view of the show so close to the cast and the extended stage you could see every breath, feel very dance move and spot the intricate details of the set and costumes, this was a theatre experience unlike any I had encountered before. 

As you descend into the auditorium you are instantly transported to the Moulin Rouge, Paris 1899 with thick red velvet curtains, dim lighting draped throughout the seating areas held by ornate gold cherubs and a subtle murmur of French instrumentals playing in the background.

As you find your way to your seat you look up at a collection of glittering chandeliers and an elegant elephant to your right followed by a mechanical red windmill to your left all perfectly lit in the rich colours of the Moulin Rouge. If this wasn’t enough to set the scene then maybe the various characters that emerge slowly from the stage will help, each with a story and costumes from rich men in top hats with smoking cigars to dancer girls seductively looking for attention and interacting with anyone in their path.

ACT ONE – SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR!

Act one opens with an explosion of energy, high kicks, backflips and can can lines as Harold Zidler (played by the charismatic Clive Carter who you instantly adore) welcomes all from “aristocrats” with “quail eggs and caviar” to “the rats of the latin quarter, The starving artists and thieves of Montmartre” in an electric mash up of classics before he announces his main act, the sparkling Diamond. At this point it then cuts to an introduction to how song writer Christian (American actor with flawless vocals Jamie Bogyo), meets, artist and play write Toulouse-Lautrec ( a lovable key character played by Jason Pennycooke ) and Santiago ( a Latino legend with excellent precise dance moves played by Elis Lo Tauro ) who share a mash up of T.Rex’s “Children of the revolution”, Lorde “Royals” and Satellites  “Tonight We Are Young” explaining their desires to pitch Christians talents as a composer to Satine in the hope that the Moulin Rouge will fund the production.

Scene change back to the moment that Harold announces Satine and ( spoiler alert ) the sparkling diamond descends from above following a trail of glitter as she seductively sings Shirly Bassey’s “ Diamonds are forever” leading to a whole mash up of songs such as Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds are a girls best friend” , Madonna’s “Material girl” Beyonce’s “Single ladies” and Rhinanna’s “Diamonds” all brilliantly hyped by backing dancers and excellent vocals.

ACT TWO – MORE MORE MORE!

Act one transports you backstage of the Moulin Rouge set with black brick wall and various levels as the cast prepare for rehearsals for Christians show (which is being funded by the Duke) unlike any other. It opens with Santiago (Played by Elia Lo Tauro who really does do an incredibly good job with this role with his deep voice and cultured presence) he flirts with Nini (the beautiful Sophie Carmen Jones) and begins to seductively dance and entwine with one another in an intense precise and passionate set of choreography to a medley which begins with Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” eventually joined by the whole cast, this was spine tinglingly incredible and one of my favourite scenes in the whole show, the precision of each move was perfectly placed and in controlled unison.

PUTTING ON THE RED LIGHT – MY HIGHTLIGHTS

The sparkling Diamond herself, Satine – with an epic entrance that was beautifully executed by Lissi Lafontaine who does such a wonderful job portraying this character. If you do not love her by the end of the show will leave with a full pack of tissues, unlike most of the auditorium.

Bad romance – Nini and Santiago and their seductively electric, heart pounding number.

Chandelier – no spoilers but this is a fantastic mash up and makes you want to go purchase some lights for your cocktails.

So to summarise – Go watch Moulin Rouge the Musical, This truly was an experience I could not recommend more and a new style of theatre which interacts with its audience and enhances their visit leaving them dazzled for weeks after and believing that “the greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return” (sorry, couldn’t resist).

And if you wish to continue your Parisian style experience, head over to Zedels which is literally across the road from the theatre for Moulin Rouge themed cocktails.

CAST

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“Stick it to the man” what a ‘rocking’ night we had at the award-winning show School of Rock – The Musical. The performance starts with a message stating that the children in the show do play their own instruments throughout the show and ‘wow’ they are indeed playing live! The young actors seriously have to be witnessed to be believed, they performed a sensational, high energy, hilarious show.

Dewey Finn, played by Jake Sharp, is cast out by his dive-bar bandmates and finds himself in desperate need of cash. He has some questionable habits, such as sniffling, and eating his own belly button gunk, and hasn’t paid the rent on his room in forever. He’s broke, jobless, bandless and soon to be homeless.
He nicks his mate’s teaching credentials to make a few quid at a posh school, and sets about turning his class of straight-A students into a mind-blowing, guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, drum beating, rock band, teaching the pint-sized prodigies what it means to truly rock.

The cast raise the roof and jump around the stage with boundless energy and enthusiasm.

Dewey also falls for the school’s beautiful, uptight headmistress, Miss Mullins, played by Rebecca Lock, she has a secret passion for the music of Stevie Nicks and Dewey helps to bring out the wild child within her. Will they find redemption at the battle of the bands?

I would be singing the praises of the musicians if these were seasoned professional adults but let’s just stop and observe the fact that these are kids! Mini rock legends who smash it, kill it, dice it and slice it and serve you rock n roll raw, live and loving it! The whole cast deserves credit, so take a bow – School Of Rock captures the excitement of live gigs, and how music can shape young lives.

The audience loved it, the cast loved it … and more than a few folk were humming the mantra of ‘stick it to the man’ as they headed off into the night.

Captivating and exciting from the start as the show opens with No Vacancy on stage, the sound of thrashing electric guitar and screaming vocals that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in any 80s US rock band. With dreams of stardom and a desire to be the best, things soon turn sour as Rock God wannabe Dewey Finn is fired from the band. With no money or prospects and little desire to do anything but play music, Dewey spends most of his time in bed, much to the annoyance of his best pals’ wife who wants him gone from their apartment where he is living ‘rent free’!

One morning when the apartment is empty Dewey takes a call from the principal of Horace Green Preparatory School, a call intended for his supply teacher pal Ned Schneebly, offering temporary paid work. With the prospect of getting paid for hopefully doing very little Dewey poses as Ned and takes the job, and this is where it all begins.

Dewey soon realises that the children at the school have incredible musical talent and he hatches a plan to harness that talent and enter a competition called Battle of the Bands.

In case you are unfamiliar with the rest of the story I will give no more away but have I have two words ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! The young cast were probably one of the most talented and energetic I have ever seen and heard. Not only were they brilliant actors, singers and dancers they played their own instruments! Yes you heard me right! And not only did they play their own instruments proficiently but they played them with what appeared to be a natural ease! Not a beat was missed!

With most of the focus on Dewey and the kids it is easy to overlook the rest of the ‘grown up’ cast but shouldn’t be as every single one of them played their part and played it well.

Overall the show was a rocking success, exciting, exhilarating & emotional!

I’m sure that most people are familiar with the film School of Rock but maybe not the show, so all I can say is get yourself a ticket, get ready to rock and….. STICK IT TO THE MAN!

School of Rock | Wales Millennium Centre (wmc.org.uk)