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Chicago: All That Jazz At The Wolverhampton Grand
I should first of all put a disclaimer with this review. Chicago is my favourite musical of them all. It is sassy and sexy, filled with a dangerous jazz Age glamour. A mixture of a speakeasy floor show and a Busby Berkeley style musical, bursting with unforgettable characters. Last night the latest touring production opened in Wolverhampton at the Grand Theatre, with a star studded cast at the helm, showing that Chicago still has all its power and glory. All that Jazz indeed! Chicago is the story of two 1920s murderesses. It’s the height of the jazz age, when anyone can become a star, and the prohibition restraints lead to…
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The Brightest Musical In Town: Hairspray Is Back With A Bang!
Big, bold, bright and beautiful and that could just be describing the leading lady Tracey Turnblad, Hairspray arrived in suitably glittering style at the Wolverhampton Grand last night, with the nicest kids in town once again proving that this is the feelgood musical to beat all others. The musical, which mixes the fun and frolics of the Corny Collins show, with the dark undercurrents of racial inequality in 1960s Baltimore, was the tonic that we all need in these increasingly dark times. As the final song exclaims, you really can’t stop the beat. Last night, Wolverhampton couldn’t stop the beat! Tracey Turnblad is a big girl growing up in 1960s…
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Legally Blonde Is Just The Most Fun
Legally Blonde is a fabulous film, and Elle Woods is a modern heroine, but this does not always mean a great show when it comes to theatre versions (for instance, I hate Saturday Night Fever on the stage). But, fear not, fans of all things pink and surprisingly feminist, Legally Blonde the musical is just brilliant. Yes it is frothy and bubbly and totally, totally pink. But Elle is a real modern heroine, one who may have the face and look of a Barbie doll, but also has a brain, wit and determination to succeed. And succeed she does, without compromising just who she is. It is a great musical,…
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Billy Elliot – Just Brilliant!
Growing up in Durham during 1984/85, as the Miners strike was at its height was difficult for anyone. But for a motherless 12 year old boy who longs to be a ballet dancer, despite being pushed towards a boxing ring, life is damn near unbearable. Dad and brother are on strike, caught up in the terrible times they are living in, but not too caught up to not react with anger and horror when they discover the boy’s secret. This is the story of Billy Elliot, which left me open mouthed with awe at the Birmingham Hippodrome last night. It is, quite frankly, the best musical I have ever seen…
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Top Hat brings Hollywood Glamour to the Wolverhampton Grand
The glamour and elegance of the Hollywood musical came to the Wolverhampton Grand last night, for the opening of the award-winning musical delight that is Top Hat. The classic songs of Irving Berlin and the sheer romance and screwball comedy of the show had the audience totally enthralled from start to finish, with the spirit of Fred and Ginger most definitely lingering in the air. Top Hat is one of the most beloved musicals of the 1930s, it was certainly the crowing moment of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers partnership. It is one of the strange paradoxes of the 1930s that whilst the world was going through the great…
