(5 / 5)

The Cardiff Open Air Theatre Festival’s final adult production is in full swing with ‘Guys and Dolls’, bringing Broadway to Wales in this electrifying, toe-tapping good time. The Theatre Festival’s musical option brings something unique yet, as always, high-quality to the proceedings, making for another crowd-pleaser as the festival draws to a close. All of this year’s performances have been nothing short of wonderful, and this show is another high point in a series of successes.

‘Guys and Dolls’ follows two couples, the new love between Sky Masterson (Josh Lewis) and Sister Sarah (Elle Dance), and the long-time love between Nathan Detroit (Kristian Zgorzelski) and Miss Adelaide (Rhian Morwood). The core four are all impressive, with great chemistry, and each of them handle both the drama and the comedy with ease. And to boot, their renditions of the show’s songs are all very impressive. A favourite of mine was Dance and Morwood’s performance of ‘Marry the Man Today’, their unique vocal skillsets come together in an incredibly satisfying way. The people that make up show’s heart and soul are thoroughly convincing and undeniably talented.

The highlight of any musical is the songs, and the cast brings the iconic music of ‘Guys and Dolls’ to life with great performances across the board. The solo performances are natural standouts, but the songs with more of an ensemble really highlight just how well-done the production is, with creative choreography and a fun energy. When there’s singing and dancing, there’s never a dull moment, the atmosphere was very fun to be in.

The staging was full of little changes and quirks between scenes, such as a swivelling sign and a moving tunnel, that were subtle yet seamless, and effective at creating the atmosphere. There was even a level of audience immersion, with the ensemble walking around us in our seats and even interacting with a few lucky guests, which made me feel like I was very much part of the party. By the show’s conclusion, the audience were fully roped into the experience, the energy during ‘Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat’ was incredible.

‘Guys and Dolls’ feels like the ultimate victory lap for another successful year of the Cardiff Open Air Theatre Festival. It is further proof of the high marker of quality that the festival has, and it fully shows off their ability to consistently create effective drama and great crowd-pleasers. With its spectacular show-stopping, all-singing, all-dancing, Broadway style, this is not one to be missed.

(4.5 / 5)

It’s always a challenge to bring something new and different in a Jukebox musical, where some, if not all, of the audience are going to know (and want to sing along to!) the songs. What is refreshing about The Drifters Girl is that it comes at the story of The Drifters from a completely different angle; that of Faye Treadwell, the woman behind the infamous band. Faye and her husband, George were the duo who brought us the musical sensation and it is really a breath of fresh air to focus on the duo and, specifically, the woman behind the music.

The stage is well designed, with moving flats creating recording studios, stages, bars and the office of Atlantic Music. I especially loved that the projections behind the performers crackled with static and black lines, the image distorting slightly and reminiscent of 50s and 60s television. The set moves seamlessly behind the actors meaning that new scenes and areas are created with no distraction to the action. Projection is particularly well used in the very funny section where we see the tumultuous time in the Drifters history where the members of the band were repeatedly changing; their names projected behind them as we manically try and keep up with these rapid shifts. Light and sound is also clever; I thought this was particularly poignantly used in the police interview sections, where bright white lamps flashed, and rapid blackouts took us straight to an Arkansas police station where the band were wrongly accused of a crime, simply due to the colour of their skin. Lighting was used to great effect with beautiful tableaus capturing the emotional moments; the band cast in blue light, spotlights, in darkness, whatever the moment called for.

The music is obviously a highlight of the show with toe-tapping numbers, including Saturday Night at the Movies, Come on Over to my Place, Save the Last Dance for Me and many more. The performers raise the roof with fantastic vocals and slick dance routines capturing the essence of the original performances. The Drifters switch with ease, becoming Ben E King, Rudy Lewis, Clyde McPhatter, Johnny Moore and the various other members of the band. It doesn’t matter which one takes the lead singer role; Ashford Campbell capturing starstruck Ben and tragic Rudy, Tarik Frimpong electrifying with his dance routines as Clyde and Daniel Haswell belting the high notes with ease as Johnny. Taking on the key role of George Treadwell is Miles Anthony Daley, breaking our hearts with There Goes my Baby, his voice soaring. The physicality and fast-pace costume changes is incredible to watch. Once minute they’re in the band, the next they’re feather clad showgirls! But throughout it all, you are never in any doubt as to which character you are watching.

The boys are complemented well with ‘The Girl’ played ably by Jaydah Bell-Ricketts, encouraging the tale to unfold; she is a constant presence on stage as she comes to understand the story of her mother’s part in the band’s history. Last and by no means least, is The Drifter’s Girl herself, Faye Treadwell played by Olivier Award Winner, Carly Mercedes Dyer. Her voice is wonderful, especially during Harlem Child and I Don’t Want To Go On Without You. You could hear a pin drop in the theatre as her vocals soared. She perfectly captures the battle that Faye Treadwell faced not only as a woman, but as a black woman in the music industry. Her command of the stage during her musical numbers is a joy to watch.

The show is full of humour and heart, but also touches on the racism faced by the band and Faye but also the sexism of the industry towards Faye. The words ‘No Irish, No Dogs, No Blacks’ remind us all too well of our own very recent history of racism and the issues we still face to this day. Faye being asked ‘how long she has worked FOR the band’ and then asked, ‘which one are you sleeping with?’ reminds us that women still face this kind of question, even today.

It’s ultimate message as the audience got to its feet at the encore is that we must keep going and ‘do what is necessary’ to overcome whatever might be thrown at us. Faye’s determination that the Drifters would go on after losing her husband, in the face of outright prejudice and bigotry is still such an important message to be taken home with us after we leave our seats. So, this is more than your average jukebox musical, which is what makes it stand out amongst the likes of Mamma Mia and We Will Rock You. Yes, the music is wonderful, but the message is just as important as the songs that will draw those audiences in.

(4.5 / 5)

‘Bonnie and Clyde’ is based on the American outlaw duo called Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. They were real life fugitives, in this production at The Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Clyde had always been running from the law, and believed that the only way you could be free was to steal it. Bonnie seemed like a textbook perfect student, but when she met Clyde, they fell intensely in love, and she never left his side after that, she even helped him break out of jail. Once he got out, they were casually robbing places like banks together, and to show how romanticised they were by the public, in the musical, when they were robbing a bank, a hostage asked for their autograph. The crime began to escalate and when a store owner got killed, they had to go on the run. After about two years, they had killed at least 13 people, and the authorities finally managed to track them down, and they were shot and killed, at 23 and 24 years of age.

I didn’t know any of this information prior to watching the performance, I had only heard of their names as being somewhat related to crime. The story was very easy to follow, and you didn’t need to know any backstory to understand what was going on, which is always a plus.

During the production, there were lights dotted on the walls to the side of the stage, and whenever there were ‘gunshots’, the lights would flash at various points and there was an accompanying sound effect. The musical starts with these gunshots and Bonnie and Clyde’s car where they found their demise, and I think showing what happens at the end is effective in this instance, because the story isn’t about trying to figure out what will happen to them, it’s about the journey and Bonnie and Clyde’s deep connection.

Even though the music isn’t pop music or widely known, it immediately grips you. The score consists of gospel, blues, ragtime, and country, which is quite a mixture, but it blends very well, and suits the genre of the musical. Also, the singing was absolutely phenomenal.

As a whole, the diction was clear considering the accents, and every single actor did their job justice, as they all played their characters incredibly well. I didn’t particularly feel for Bonnie and Clyde’s characters, and I don’t think you are supposed to completely empathise with them, but I didn’t want them to be killed by the authorities in the end, I was rooting for them to turn their lives around. As Buck (Clyde’s brother) was telling Blanche, no one is too far gone for you try and help. He was living proof of it, because his relationship with Blanche was always bringing him back to reality and moral ground. Unfortunately, in the end, his love and feeling of responsibility for his brother got him shot not long before Bonnie and Clyde got killed, and I was crying as Blanche was crying over his body, convinced that he would survive if they could get back home in time.

Each of the actors put on a brilliant performance, their singing was top notch, and the story and music was written/ composed also brilliantly. I love how you can write a story about anything and feel a sense of connection/ empathy for anyone, no matter how morally corrupt they are in the end. The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars, is because I want my soul to be ripped out, and it didn’t quite do that for me, but I still enjoyed all parts of it and would choose to see it again.

(5 / 5)

Wonderful, powerful, explosive and emotional almost to the point of exhaustion is the only way I can describe the first night performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Donald Gordon Theatre at the Wales Millennium Centre – IT WAS ELECTRIC!

The whole performance was an assault on the senses from curtain up to the final act and culminated in a roaring standing ovation which brought the whole theatre to its feet.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a sung through rock opera which focuses on the final days of the life of Jesus from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem up to and including his trial and crucifixion. Written in 1969 by the amazing and talented duo, Tim Rice (lyrics) and Andrew Lloyd-Webber (musical score) has not been without controversy and comment. It is the age old story of popularity, fame, deceit, betrayal and corruption.  First brought to the stage in 1970 and to the big screen in 1973, it has endured for over 50 years and by the reaction of the Cardiff audience will continue to do so for many more to come.

Ian McIntosh’s performance as Jesus was inspiring. He took us on a journey of understanding of a man who was victim of the system and indeed an ultimate scapegoat for the ruling powers to control the masses. An age old story which is as relevant today as it was then.  McIntosh’s voice rocked the auditorium with every song.  His performance when bloody and beaten was so powerful that my theatre companion, who is generally very calm, admitted to wanting to stand up and shout “leave him alone!” and indeed you could feel a change in the atmosphere in the auditorium.

Shem Omari James (Judas) was outstanding and it was too easy to be swept away with him as he struggled with his emotions as he became the betrayer Jesus has predicted.  James gave a truly credible performance, his powerful voice was gripped with emotion and drama as he sang and this in itself translated his inner dilemmas.

When Hannah Richardson (Mary) took to the stage and sang it was almost a respite. Richardson was a most believable Mary, compassionate and heartfelt, when she was on stage you were always drawn to her as she seemed to anchor those around her. I enjoyed her performance throughout and her voice was quite haunting.

Matt Bateman who played Annas, the first High Priest, was wonderful. His voice and performance throughout was true opera, matched beautifully with the amazing voice of Jad Habchi which was like a deep liquid velvet and honestly I was memorised every time he opened his mouth and unable to take my eyes from him. Even if you didn’t realise you knew instinctively that that these guys were the baddies.

The casting of this production was superb. The costumes, set design and lighting were not what I had expected but this new and imaginative production really changed my mind and it pulled into a performance that just kept on giving. A good production is memorable for all the above reasons, this production is outstanding and there was not a single cast member who was not integral to the success of the performance.

This is a sung through musical and the power and volume of music is there right from the overture at curtain up and for this credit has to go the musicians, Felix Strickland, Ryan Webber, Gordon Davidson, Laura Llewellyn Jones, Gavin Tate-Lovery, David Csizmadia and Vanessa Domonique.

An experience which will stay with me for a very long time.