A Medley of Musicals.
Over the last week I have been to see a quartet of musicals. This run was nearly broken as I attempted to go see Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre on Saturday evening. But I failed to get a return ticket so another musical it was.
The Set of the delightful 'The Selfish Giant'
I began the week going to the somewhat odd musical Tess of the D’Urbervilles by the youth
musical theatre. I have always thought of this story as being somewhat depressing so was surprised to hear that a musical had been created. I have never read this book or seen the film of this tragic tale so I am not entirely sure how accurate this musical was to the book. I’m guessing there aren’t dancing psychic chickens in the novel (although I do hope that actually is the case). So yes there was some artistic licence, but by and large these light hearted numbers did not detract from the grim and miserable tale. There was plenty of heart felt singing as well to go with the lighter stuff. It was very well crafted and I wandered out humming the tunes. Definitely a decent show, catch it if you can. I now need to read the book.
Round two a couple of days later was another visit to the youth musical theatre this time enjoying Jabberwocky the musical, one of my favourite poems. Another charming musical, although this one did not have songs which were quite as memorable as Tess. In this case I particularly liked the fact it was set in two different time periods whose inhabitants became intertwined with one another. Quite the metaphysical musical. Lewis Carrol would have approved. It also made me recall just how much I enjoyed nonsense verse. Shall have to give some of Edward Lear’s works a read again soon.
On Friday night I acquired a couple of tickets to Bat out of Hell and took an old friend who was a massive Meatloaf fan. She absolutely adored it and if you like Meatloaf this is without a doubt the show for you. A real homage to their work. The choreography was fantastic and the set incredibly interactive. Some of the effects they did came utterly out of the blue and took your breath away. It was a real spectacle. However, the plot was so weak it was a bit pathetic. I know they had to fit it around the songs but when you compare the plot to one like Mama Mia which has the same constraint it is disappointing they couldn’t do a better job. Also, the first half is significantly better than the second half. The first half has simply the best effects and raises expectations which sadly the second cannot meet, and the whole thing sort of fizzles out at the end. By all means go for the spectacle and the music (you leave with Bat out of hell throbbing in your skull) but don’t hold your breath waiting for real drama.
Finally, I took in The Selfish Giant at the Oscar Wilde Season at the Vaudeville Theatre. It was a sweet, short musical without a single word spoken, just an endless medley of songs. One for the kids it lacked the spectacle of the previous shows I had seen this week, there was no fancy lighting or epic special effects, but it told the little tale clearly and well, and its use of balloons throughout was quite endearing (I am quiet aggrieved they did not pick me to give a balloon too at the end, choosing instead to focus their attentions of the younger members of the audience). A relaxing conclusion to a week filled with singing and dancing that leaves me with several pieces of poetry and literature to catch up on.