Dirty Dancing On Stage

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend. The weather has been really odd – glorious sunshine and then dark clouds and showers. It feels more like April! Anyway, half term feels like a blink ago now but I’ve been meaning to write my review of my trip to see Dirty Dancing in London’s Dominion Theatre. I’m making a real conscious effort to see as many shows as I can. There’s some absolute classics on this year. I just don’t want to miss out! I hope you enjoy!

The Plot

The plot of the show follows the plot of the film. It’s the summer of 1963 and Baby Houseman and her family head off for the holidays to Catskills Mountains in New York. The entertainment is dated but as chance would have it, Baby stumbles across an all night party. The dancing is the most sublime thing of all and at the heart of it is Johnny Castle, the resort’s dance instructor. Their worlds collide and so begins one of the greatest love stories of all time. Baby becomes one of the leading ladies in Johnny’s life and the two very different characters have the best summer of their lives.

There were some differences from the film, noticeably the political aspects. As we know, America in the 60s was a very difficult time. It was refreshing to see this portrayed on stage.

The Cast

The cast is really something else! Michael O’Reilly is the perfect Johnny. The crowd did go wild when the shirt came off! He’s a glorious dancer too so it really was hard to keep my eyes off him. Kira Malou was also an excellent Baby, starting off as the naïve, young girl who becomes a woman. However, my favourite cast member is Charlotte Gooch, playing Penny. My goodness this girl can dance. She’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I was also thrilled to see Georgia Castle, playing Lisa, as I absolutely loved her in Cinderella! The ensemble really were just as good as those taking centre stage. It’s a truly excellent cast.

Staging, Singing and Dancing

It was a Thursday night so I imagine the crowd is different on a Friday or Saturday. However, didn’t stop the fun filled evening I had. I was lucky enough to be on the front row (but you didn’t see the actors feet) and the dancing was just amazing. It was glorious to have an uninterrupted view. The singing came from a live band on stage which was good but I also appreciated the songs from the film version being played too. We can’t not talk about the final dance and THAT lift… Wow. I’ve never seen anything like it. I was transported to America in the 60s. It was impossible not to smile and enjoy the show.

“I carried a watermelon.”

Overall

I love the film, I grew up watching it with my mum so I am proud to say I know it word for word. I loved hearing the songs and seeing the dancing for real in the flesh. For me personally, the first half was a tad rushed but the second half definitely made up for it. I’m so glad I’ve seen it! I’m also super excited because it’s touring this year too. To get yourself some tickets, click here.

See you next time! It’ll be for my book choice for February for my reading challenge and of course, my round up for this month too.

Big Love xx

Sister Act The Musical

Morning loves!

Happy half term to all my friends in education and happy weekend to all who aren’t. I am so relieved the holiday is here. Granted it’s dark and raining outside but it doesn’t dampen my spirits for the holiday. I’ve got a number of posts planned but today I wanted to share with you my review of the amazing Sister Act The Musical touring show. I managed to get tickets to see this at the Birmingham Hippodrome for my mum’s birthday.

The Plot

For those who are familiar with the 90s classic film (I grew up watching that and feel a sense of pride at knowing every single word…) the story isn’t too dissimilar. Deloris Van Cartier finds herself in a bit of trouble as she witnesses her partner murdering someone. She’s therefore taken to protective custody and hidden in one place she shouldn’t be found – a convent. Struggling with the confines of her new life, she’s given one job to do: help the convent choir. As she helps the sisters find their voices, she realised just how fabulous she is herself.

The Cast

There are some absolutely treasures forming this cast and actually as a whole cast body, it really felt like they were a group of best friends. Sandra Marvin plays the lead role and my goodness she was fabulousness personified. I also thought that Lesley Joseph, playing Mother Superior, was incredible. She really hit each comedy note and it was just hilarious to see the on stage battles between the two. The casting of the sweet, quiet Sister Mary Robert had to be perfect – and it was! Lizzie Bea was divine. Another high note was Eddie Souther, played by Clive Rowe. Basically a massive cast with big souls and big voices. Amazing.

Staging, Singing and Dancing

Considering it’s a touring company, the staging was excellent. The lights, the moving pieces, the way there’s a bucket on stage for the leak in the roof. It’s all highly powerful. The overwhelming message of this show is fabulousness and the staging oozes that. I loved the colours. My previous admitted knowledge of the songs from the film were redundant here because all the songs are new BUT they really are catchy. I absolutely love Fabulous, Baby and Sunday Morning Fever are my particular favourites. However, for me the most uplifting and influential song is the title song, Sister Act.

“And as a sister and a friend,
I’ll be a sister ‘til the end,
and no one on this earth can
change that fact –
I’m part of one terrific sister act.”

Overall

I was so gutted to have missed this show in London but wow, it was so worth the wait. It’s touring all over the UK and Ireland and if you can, I urge you all to go and see it. You’ll leave feeling uplifted and high on life. The talent of this cast reigns supreme. I enjoyed it so much that I’m off to see it again next year in Leeds. If you need a boost, go see this. You wont regret it. For more information and to bag yourself some tickets, click here.

See you in my next post. Here’s to a week of reading, relaxing and adventures.

Big Love xx

The Boy In The Dress – RSC Production

“I think I might be different. I might not be the same.”

Hello lovely people!

Well the first two weeks in the new role has hit me like a brick in the face – that’s for sure. I hope everyone is having a lovely and positive start to January 2020.

I am hear today to tell you all about my evening at the RSC in Stratford – upon – Avon where I saw The Boy in the Dress.

You may remember back in April that I managed to bag myself a front row ticket, something I don’t think I’ve ever done before in my life. Therefore, I was VERY excited. Let’s get on with the review!

Plot

Back in April I did review the book written by David Walliams. You can read this here. In summary, the story follows a young boy called Dennis, who at 12 years old, is the schools star striker. However, when his mum leaves home, life isn’t all that great. The only reminder he has is a photograph of her in a yellow dress. A similar dress is also on the cover of Vogue magazine in Raj’s shop and Lisa James, the most beautiful girl in school, is sketching in her pad. How can the world of football and dresses collide? Especially when the mean headmaster, Mr Hawtrey, likes things to be very normal…

Cast

I always get myself a programme whenever I see anything and I’ve kept them all from any show I’ve ever seen. It’s just a bit of a routine to mooch through and see who I know in the cast. This was no exception. I saw faces and names that I knew and had seen them perform in other RSC shows. However, what was most excellent was seeing names from Matilda the Musical. Toby Mocrei played Bruce Bogtrotter in the production I saw and I was so thrilled to see him again as Dennis. He is an inspirational young chap indeed.

Also, the role of Dennis’s Father is played by none other than Rufus Hound who was excellent! His part was emotive, relatable and sensitive which struck a chord with the adults in the theatre.

I also really liked Asha Banks who played Lisa James. She has an incredible voice and because I was lucky enough to be at the front and her stage position was mainly in front of me, I could hear her most. That being said, her powerhouse voice filled the whole theatre. She played the part really exceptionally well.

One particular highlight is the casting of Oddbod the dog. I won’t spoil that for you but it really is genius! I’ve never seen a better dog in a theatre ever.

I could use the same superlatives for all the casting really. You can get more information regarding casting via the RSC website.

Staging

Like Matilda, the staging for The Boy In The Dress is full on! There’s doll houses, footballs, numerous disco balls and a variety of different back drops. Basically, the stage is constantly moving and changing. I took a picture at the start, during the interval and at the end, just to give you an idea.

Singing & Dancing

There are a number of quite complex dance numbers with up to twenty actors on stage at one time so I was really mesmerised and found myself wanting to join in. (I didn’t because that would have been embarrassing!)

The music team on this production has some big names: Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers and Chris Heath, to be exact. It’s easy to see why the songs are catchy and good fun.

There’s 19 songs to this musical, opening with Ordinary and closing with Disco Symphony. Some notable songs are Mr Hawtrey’s I Hate Children and Is There Anything More Beautiful Than Lisa James and If I Don’t Cry sang by Dennis and his father.

Overall

I left feeling positive, upbeat, singing the songs, wearing the t shirt from the shop and wanting to install a disco ball when I got home. I also booked tickets to see the show again. It’s just THAT good. So far in my life, I’ve only seen the same production of a show twice and that was Matilda. I just can’t wait to go back and see this all again.

Also, the fact that the novel has translated so well onto the stage is a real bonus. All the characters are included, the plot is the same. It’s just brought to life the whole book. The biggest thing for me is the joy of celebrating the fact that you can be different. Boys can wear dresses and play football. People are just people. This should always be championed and this show is the epitome of that.

View the trailer for the show here and book your ticket right now!

Big love all xx