Shrek The Musical

This review originally featured on the 'About Milton Keynes' website.

Shrek
Milton Keynes Theatre

Once upon a time there was a princess called Jasmine Storm and she wished with all her heart that Shrek, the musical, would meet her expectations.  And her dreams came true and she lived happily ever after.

If you could look at the seven year old inside of you, they would want to see this show.  Every child and if they are honest, every adult will enjoy this show as it has something for everyone.  But it works best if you remember that seven year old – then it is magical.  The show is set around the story of the first Shrek film and starts with a ‘once upon a time’ from a book and the characters step out of the book.  The seven year old inside me gasped. This really is magical!

Dean Chisnall plays Shrek and this is a tough part. Shrek is in almost every scene and to speak and sing with a Scottish accent cannot be easy (unless you are from Scotland of course).  He performs this role perfectly as if he just stepped out from the film.

Princess Fiona is a sassy princess played by Bronte Barbe and she gives a great balance about being a modern day princess – day to day boredom of being locked in a tower against the romantic backdrop of being rescued.  Everyone knows that a princess waits for a prince to rescue her – but during the song ‘I know it’s today’ you can see she is getting a bit frustrated with the waiting.  This is a fabulous song and features Princess Fiona at three different ages.  There is a scene in the second act where she helps the pied piper and does a tap dance with rats.  Is there no limit to her talents? It is a great all round performance by Barbe.

Every fairy-tale needs a baddie and Lord Farquaad fits the bill in Shrek.  He is also very very funny. Played by Gerard Carey, he gives such a funny performance that the whole audience was in stitches. His performance was in places reminiscent of Frank n’ Further from The Rocky Horror Show but whatever F he is playing, it works.  There are lots of jokes about his height and the chorography has been tailored to make this even funnier.  A brilliant performance.

Donkey is known for being a funny character and gets some great one-liners such as ‘I’m a GPS with fur’ when telling Shrek about directions to Duloc.  His first scene with the Dragon is another moment where the seven year old inside me gasped.  The dragon is played with puppets but is so big it is breath-taking as was the dragon’s voice when she sang. It was stunning.

The cast does not hold any household names that are instantly recognisable, but actually that is a benefit as it means the cast have been chosen for their talents alone and that is what is evident throughout this show.  Each character is perfectly defined and obvious as to whom they are supposed to be.  Pinocchio has the perfect voice to match his personality and his nose actually does get bigger!  There is also the Ugly Duckling, Peter Pan, The Big Bad Wolf and the three little (or not so little cause they are fat) pigs.  And of course The Gingerbread Man, well he knows the muffin man…yes the muffin man! It’s all your childhood fairy-tales in one.  And if you know them it is even more fun…The Three Bears (from Goldilocks) are told to stand near Pinocchio.  Too close.  Too far.  Just right.  It’s these touches that give the show its magic.

The songs are all original and written especially for the show.  A favourite is ‘Let your freak flag fly’ which gives all the fairy-tale characters a chance to perform individually.  It’s also a song with a moral and that moral is - be proud of who you are and don’t let others pull you down.  Every fairy tale needs a moral at the heart of its story.  And it’s the small details that made this show extra special.  It’s the nod to The Lion King, the Les Mis flag, ‘The Donkees’ on the drum kit (as a reference to The Monkees who originally sang I’m a believer).  It’s like someone has sprinkled magic fairy dust on the show.

This show has feel good all over it and it’s one of those rare opportunities to get the whole family together to share something away from online gaming and daily stresses.  Just to be sure it’s is suitable for all ages – I took the harshest critic I could find – my 18 year old.  And yes he loved it proving it is truly suitable for all ages – even that difficult teenager age.

Shrek is currently playing at Milton Keynes Theatre until 6 September so there is still plenty of time to stand up and say ‘I’m a believer’.   

Jersey Boys. Forget 'Oh, what a night' - Oh, what a show!!!

London 18.08.15 Matinee

My dad and I do not often get the chance to spend some quality time together but today we spent the day together. What did we do? Well we had a nice lunch and chatted about life…and then went to see the Jersey Boys.

The Jersey Boys is a show based on the life of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The woman sitting behind me thought the name of the group was the Jersey Boys and kept asking who these Four Seasons were! Of course the Jersey Boys refer to where in the USA they came from.

The show started with a French rap version of ‘Oh, What a night’. To be honest, although it had lots of energy, it was a bit lost on the audience and could easily be cut from the show. The average age of the audience was over 50 and no one knew about this rap version – plus it was a French hit not a UK hit.

However we soon get into the show and it starts with a very early Frankie being pulled onto stage. Michael Watson who plays Frankie not only sounds so much like Frankie Valli that if you closed your eyes you would think it was him, but is also the correct height (there are references in the show to how short Frankie was) – I personally thought that Michael looked a bit like a young Tom Cruise. He also had a great ‘Jerrrsaay’ accent. But hold on…this is a show about four guys who formed a group – which had several names before settling on the Four Seasons. Frankie didn’t want to be a front man. It was a group effort. Bob Gaudio was played by Edd Post (Bob wrote a lot of the songs). Nick Massi was played by Gary Watson and the fourth member of the band was Tommy Devito who was played by Jon Boydon. All four are key in telling the story and work so well together they seem like they are best friends off stage too!

The show takes us through the various incarnations of the band and how they got to be famous. It tries to give us an idea of how rough it was in New Jersey but unless you lived there that would be quite hard to really grasp. It covers the highs and lows of the band members…this show is an emotional rollercoaster!

The show is full of energy and it’s almost every two minutes that there is a song or a set change – chairs and tables are constantly being put on and off the stage. There are clever changes of clothes – and you really get to know the characters and love them.

This show is not just a huge feel good show – it’s educational. After the first half I had already heard all the Frankie Valli songs I thought I knew so didn’t know what the second half would offer. How wrong I was! Bye Bye Baby was a Frankie Valli song. (Yes I knew it by the Bay City Rollers!) And the biggest shocker was ‘Can’t take my eyes off of you’ which was my wedding song. I knew Andy Williams had recorded it and my husband and I knew it better by Boystown gang, but here it was being so beautifully sung by Michael to the point it actually made me cry.

The audience for this matinee performance was one of the best I have ever been in. They were receptive and cheered and clapped so much that at times I thought it might affect the running time of the show. Every cheer and clap was well deserved. And it was not lost on the cast, who waited ‘til it died down before continuing. And the looks on their faces could see they appreciated it. This also helped make this experience one of the best shows I have ever seen.

This show has feel good factor with a big F. It is absolutely Fantastic. Fabulous. Fun. …okay running out of ‘F’s but you get my drift.

I think being in my 40’s I am below the average age of the audience but this show is suitable for all ages – and trust me you will have a great time!

 

 

Reviews for other websites

I have been lucky enough to be asked to write for other websites. Among those, I write local theatre reviews

Here is my latest review, the Elvis musical, Love Me Tender at Milton Keynes Theatre.

This review originally featured on the 'About Milton Keynes' website.

Love Me Tender

Elvis gave us more than 102 singles and 70 albums in his lifetime.  How do you narrow that down to 25 well known Elvis songs for a show?  Well they have as Love Me Tender is a new musical that has given Elvis songs the same treatment as Mamma Mia for Abba and We Will Rock You for Queen.

Set in the 1950’s, it tells the story of a small town in mid-west America that is about to be hit with a huge dose of rock ‘n’ roll.  A stranger comes to town and Natalie, the tomboy mechanic falls for him.  A simple story of love.  And love is the star attraction as almost everyone in the town starts falling in love with each other.  A perfect set to deliver some Elvis magic.

The show stars award-winning singer Mica Paris as local bar owner and there is no doubt that she is the star of the show.  She really does sing Elvis beautifully.  It is a shame she does not get more songs to herself as she really makes Elvis work for her and the audience definitely wanted more.  The show also stars Shaun Williamson, best known for his part as Barry in EastEnders.  He plays Jim, Natalie’s dad and although he might be considered the comedy element in the show, actually Shaun does Elvis proud.  He must secretly be an Elvis fan as he delivers his songs with compassion and affection.

‘Natalie’ is played by Laura Tebbutt and she really gives an excellent all-round performance and has a lovely voice.  Her love interest is the roustabout ‘Chad’, played by Ben Lewis.  He has the tightest jeans I have ever seen and can wiggle his hips in them too.  Not easy when singing and dancing.  All that is missing is a big quiff.  That would have completed the ‘look’ and made it more authentic.

The show opens to Jailhouse Rock and it is a well- choreographed scene.  Be ready for the start of the show as the lights don’t get dimmed straight away so some audience members were still talking with the performers on stage.  In this scene there is also a man on the toilet, which I am sure some members of the audience will find funny but devoted Elvis fans might find this in poor taste considering how The King passed away.

It is described as a musical comedy and there is a lot of humour in the show.  One of the best lines was when Lorraine and Dean are falling in love and she quotes Romeo & Juliet. Another humorous moment is the use of ‘It’s now or never’ each time someone falls in love.

Heartbreak Hotel gives you a good insight into how well all the cast can sing as many individuals get a line to themselves.  It’s a great scene in the bar and really uses the song well.

There are a lot of familiar Elvis songs and quite a few that are not so familiar, but with ‘blue suede shoes, ‘can’t help falling in love with you’, ‘If I can dream’ and ‘burning love’ there is something for everyone.

The show left me feeling I need more Elvis in my life.  

Of all the Holy Holy gigs....

Of all the Holy Holy gigs, this one will stay with me the longest. Because not only is this the last show of the tour…but I got to meet the band.

I was lucky enough to go to the garage gig last September and knew then that Holy Holy were amazing.  I have been shocked lately to hear them called a tribute act.  I strongly dispute this and my reasons are as follows:

1.    They have professional musicians – all been involved with other bands and levels of fame in their own right.

2.    They do not dress up in red wigs and wear an Aladdin sane stripe on their face.

3.    It contains the legendary spider from mars, Woody Woodmansey

4.    It also contains Tony Visconti. Bowie producer extraordinaire.

5.    And of course Glenn Gregory from Heaven 17, who is a self-confessed Bowie fan.

6.    Also featuring a Steve Norman from Spandau Ballet

7.    And of course special guests don’t get much more special (for me) than Marc Almond

I think I have won any argument from the haters now.

So it was finally my turn to see Holy Holy.  Waiting for the last show and seeing everyone’s photos on social media made me even keener to hear it.  I had already bought the album that was recorded last year and had played it and played it in anticipation.

Finally the day arrived but things often don’t go to plan and as it was also my son’s college deadline, his college work needed to be completed first.  I had hoped to leave for London by 1pm but when I asked him how much longer – he just replied ‘soon’ (That typical teenager response!). It drove me mad!  We eventually left at 3pm, got to the hotel and headed off to the pub to grab something to eat.

It took me an hour to order some food as suddenly every friend I knew who was going turned up and we all started chatting.  This is the part of the gig that most band members don’t see. I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is to talk ‘Bowie’ with other like-minded people.  It’s a great family to belong to.

We started queueing an hour before doors opened as I wanted to be right at the front.  Priority O2 seems to mean nothing at this venue as they open all the doors at the same time. It was especially frustrating as the doorman couldn’t get his zapper to work.  But soon I was in place ready.  I stood right at the front and it was not long before we were offered up the first support act.

Philip Rambow gave us a lovely start to the show with a selection of songs with his acoustic guitar.  He got the crowd going and we were all singing away to his song (even if we didn’t know it well).  His easy country style was not what you would expect from a support of a ‘Rock’ band but Phil really did a great job.  This was swiftly followed by Jessica Lee Morgan and Morgan Visconti who together gave us another genre.  Their father is the legendary Tony Visconti so it makes a lot of sense that they both have ended up in the music industry. And both are very talented in their own right.  Morgan has a style that is very electronic and I can see him supporting bands such as ‘New Order’ and ‘Depeche Mode’.  I really enjoyed the graphics that complimented the music.  Jessica is pretty and can sing.  Another big talent.  I thought the two of them together make a good pairing but they do tour separately with their own stuff.

Finally what we had all been waiting for.  Liz Kershaw from 6 Music came in to introduce the band and said how David Bowie had helped save 6 Music as it was the kind of radio station he would listen to.  This got a big roar from the crowd.

The first few bars of ‘Width of a circle’ came on and I had shivers down my spine.  It had me singing along to every track at the top of my voice.  But my 18 year old son was also singing away to every word of every song.  I was impressed.  If you say to people your son likes Bowie, they may assume its commercial Bowie.  ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ album is not the most commercial album and that made me all the prouder.  I have done a great job as a mum and have someone to leave my Bowie collection to when I am no longer here.  It really was a fantastic night.  I cannot put into words how emotional I felt during the performance but there was more than one occasion where there was a tear in my eye.  Every musician looked like they were having a blast and so were the audience.  The only dampener was the overzealous security who wouldn’t let people film any of the performance.  Marc Almond and Steve Norman came on as special guests and gave fantastic performances.  Can I pick a favourite performance?  It’s very hard as I love them all but I have always loved the Medley of ‘Wide eyed boy from Freecloud/All the young dudes/Oh! You pretty things’.  This was done as a duet with Glenn and Marc.  They really gave it their all and I totally loved it.  Oh how I didn’t want the night to end. So we stayed a bit longer and met the band.

I really didn’t think I would be able to say that anything could be better than the gig at The Garage last September, but this show has topped it.  It blew me away and I was back to being a teenage girl singing Bowie in her bedroom.  Who doesn’t want a bit of that nostalgia?  Holy Holy are not only time lords, but they are giving an opportunity for Bowie songs to be seen live to a whole new generation.  My son loved the show as much as I did. And I do need to say a huge thank you to Tom for his generosity at giving my son an album. He was blown away and said 'Mum, this is my first vinyl!'.  It's so special and with the whole band wishing him a happy birthday, I don't think he will ever forget it.  Just don’t know how I am going to top it for his birthday next year!

Photos can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasminestormie/sets/72157653802976563

 

 

Volunteering at Togfest Festival. At a secret location in Milton Keynes!

I love music. It is not a secret.  So when a friend on my FaceBook suggested volunteering for a local festival, I decided I would give it a go.  It’s not like I am looking at a bucket list; but I do want to try lots more new experiences, challenges and really live my life to the full.

Togfest is a local festival in Milton Keynes.  It has been going for decades and started out as a celebration for the band Togmor.  But I hadn’t heard of it til last summer and then the dates clashed with another gig I was at.  But this time around I was not going to miss it.  It was very easy to put my name forward. I just rang and left a message.  The next thing I knew I was at a meeting to find out more about what was involved and health & safety procedures for the day.

I was emailed my shifts and turned up in plenty of time on the day to receive my free crew T-shirt.  I was given a hi-vis jacket, a radio and a position with instructions of what that position required.

It was a beautiful day in the sunshine and a pleasure to chat to the people who were coming along to the festival, help them with directions and just keep an eye out for any issues.  It hardly felt like work at all! I did three shifts with an hour break in between.  I was grateful for the break and the free food in the hospitality tent.  I got talking to several of the bands (some had travelled quite a way to be here).  I also met other volunteers, many also volunteering for the first time.  Lots of lovely people, great music and sunshine.  What more can you ask for?

Things that impressed me:

1.    Okay I know I don’t have anything else to compare it to as it was my first time volunteering in this environment, but it was extremely well organised.

 

2.    The bands were of a very high standard.  Very professional and delivered some great performances and it was their own work.  Hugely impressed with the level of talent in one place.

3.    Free T-shirt.  Free food and drink.  Free gig.  It felt like I was really looked after.

4.    Although we had security if we needed them, this had a real family feel to the festival and most of the festival-goers were in good spirits.

5.    Real toilets with lots of toilet roll.  I am not a fan of portaloos so to have real toilets and proper running water and soap to wash your hands with was a huge bonus.

6.    I learnt how to use a radio.  It may sound simple but it was something I had never done before.

The bands/artists were chosen to give a wide range of music styles.  From Reggie, Folk, Funk, pop and even hard rock.  The crowd seemed to enjoy all the acts no matter what music genre they fell into.
Here are a few of the bands/artists I was lucky enough to catch:

Reeds: Full of engery and enthuiasim; Reeds really kicked of the show on the main stage.

Jacob Szuleki: A beautiful fingerstyle guitarist.  Acoustic guitaring at its best!

Jasper in the company of others:  With Ukuleles and Fiddle, these guys really had a unique sound to their songs. And yes I did buy the album and EP!

The Waletones: Nice looking boys all smartly dressed reminded me of early Beatles.  And I would guess that The Beatles was an influence in their style of music too.  They even did a few Beatles and rock n roll tracks.

Inlak’esh: Okay it's not the easiest name to remember, but their distinctive acoustic guitar playing will not easily be forgotten.  Great unusual sound.

Rewired: Very professional band from Scotland that gave us some amazing tunes.  Really can see them becoming major players in the music industry.  Scotland is well-renowned for a stream of great artists (and no I do not mean The Proclaimers!).  Watch this space – Rewired are gonna be huge!

New Device: When a band describes itself as Hard Rock, I get a bit worried.  I like a wide range of music but not screechy guitar. But I had no need to be worried.  These guys were professionally awesome (I just made that up but it works!) and really rocked the joint.  They really had charisma and gave a fantastic performance.  People got up and started dancing to them (always a good sign) and their songs had great lyrics and tunes. Not screechy at all!.  Hugely impressed.  Talking to them after their gig I found out one of them likes Bowie. Another 10 points from me! Fabulous band that will make it huge in the metal world, but don't take my word for it - they supported Bon Jovi on their last tour!

The Shadow Cats: I don’t know how to describe them really, they have funk and reggae influences and the lead singer just started rapping freestyle to the crowd which was really impressive.  They were definitely a feel-good band and that was reflective in the mood of the crowd.

By this time I was seriously flagging and decided to go home.  This did mean I missed the headline band, Togmor, which I am gutted about.  But don’t worry – I intend to volunteer again next year!

This has been an amazing experience.  If you would like to join in the fun and volunteer with me next year, Togfest is always looking for new volunteers.  You don’t need any experience – just enthusiasm and an interest in music.  Email crew@togfest.org for more information. But don’t wait til next year – if your name is down now you can be sure someone will contact you back in plenty of time for next year.  You get a free T-shirt, free food and drink and a free gig.  You also have access all areas so you can hang with the bands.  Cool eh?

My Togfest 2015 photos are here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasminestormie/sets/72157655178836255

If you are interested in finding out more about the Togfest festival in general, this is their website: http://www.togfest.org/pages/home/index.php

Milton Jones finds the temple of daft in Milton Keynes!

You know who Milton Jones is. He is the strange man from Mock the Week with the Hawaiian shirt and massive hair who delivers deadly one-liners in a deadpan style. What I really love about Milton is his respect for his audience. He treats us as if we are as intelligent as him and doesn’t need to explain it. This is the first time I have seen him live and I can say without any doubt that it was worth every penny.  His razor sharp wit is delivered so well and I didn’t stop laughing all night.

Here is an example of what I found funny:

He waved a Union Jack Flag…and gave it a voice. He then got a Scottish flag out and gave it another voice.

Scottish flag: I’m leaving

Union Jack: Don’t go. Don’t go

Scottish flag: I’m leaving

Union Jack: Don’t go. I’ll give you presents

Scottish flag: okay I’ll stay

Union Jack: Hooray.

Scottish flag: where are my presents?

Union Jack: Maaawaaawaaa

He gets a welsh flag out and gives it a voice

Welsh flag: I’m leaving

Union jack: go on then. You are too lazy to leave

Welsh flag: come over here and say that

I won’t go on about all the flags but have to share the chequered flag you get at the end of a race.

Chequered flag: Czech Republic…no I’m not I’m a Finnish flag!

Just pure genius!!

He has support from Chris Stokes, who looks like he is 18 but apparently he is 31. He did a great set including reasons why he is getting divorced. I think you’ll find his geekiness might be one of them.  Chris knew we were there to see Milton so described himself as the Gherkin on a burger. We want the burger but some people don’t want the gherkin. Others don’t mind it. Very clever analogy.

Milton comes back on and this is probably the time to say it is called Milton Jones and the temple of daft. He loosely has a story about teachers, a treasure map and a woman called Amber he met on a train but this is just a platform for his brilliant one-liners .

Examples of some that I can remember:

Dilemma. Dial Emma…no she had her chance. Dalai Lama.

My dad felt it was his job to put food on the table. My mum used to put it back on the plate.

Taylor Swift is swift at all. It took them three weeks to get my trousers back to me.

1x1=2. 2x2=4. But 0x0 = small brown cube that makes gravy.

He was in Leeds once. He saw a beautiful lady wearing a Miss Leeds banner. Good idea he thought.

His uncle was a country singer. ‘Greenland’. ‘Sweden’..(singing)

He fell down a drain once but was rescued by Diana Ross…sorry not Diana Ross. DynoRod!

He had a fantastic nickname from his teachers at school. He was constant Super-vision.

His PE teacher taught a bit of running.  ‘Run’. A bit of swimming. ‘Swim’. And a bit of Geography. ‘Jog’.

Okay, my delivery is not as good as his...this is why you need to see him live!  He is the new Bob Monkhouse. I totally loved him and laughed more than any other comedian I have seen live ever!!! (and yes I have seen a few). He is comedy gold and I would say to everyone reading this that you need this in your life. It is proven that laughing makes us live longer and who doesn’t want to laugh? Milton Jones is funny and if you don’t find him funny then you need an operation to find your funny bone!

National tour now on: http://www.miltonjones.com/live

 

 

 

Spamalot looks on the bright side of life and finds its Milton Keynes!

Q: So what did you get up to on a Wednesday night in June?

Me: Well I went to see Spamalot at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

Q: And how was it?

Me:  Well I always like to look on the bright side of life.

I first saw Spamalot many years ago in the West end and decided that as it was coming to Milton Keynes, now was the time to revisit this classic show.  It has been updated to include references to Lady Gaga and as it was in Milton Keynes – the obligatory references to roundabouts and concrete cows.  Don’t worry – it’s not all about Spam. In fact there is not enough spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam!

It opens with the Fisch Schapping song because they misheard and thought he said Finland instead of England.  Finland looks much more fun than England in the dark ages.  England was a time of Plague, Plague and more Plague.  Do not despair – King Arthur of the Britons is here to save us with a quest (and a song or two).  He is not dead yet really sums up Monty Python humour and if you don’t find this funny, I’m afraid you have come to the wrong show and need a sense of humour implant stat! We are soon introduced to the Lady of the Lake.  She is played by Sarah Earnshaw and boy can this girl sing!  What an amazing voice.  I loved her acting, singing and diva quality she brought to the role.

Of course there are simple jokes for people like me.  For example the knights on their quest are going to different countries, interpreted by dance such as Irish, Chinese and Russian.  At the end of the Russian dance they say ‘Hey’ and someone brings a bale of hay onto the stage.  This is funny stuff!

I am sure this was a personal performance as they seemed to keep trying to make each other laugh and with the talented Joe Pasquale as King Arthur who is also a very quick witted comedian, he tried to make the knights laugh on this occasion by mentioning we were peaking too soon with our clapping and need to save it as Janet Street-Porter is coming on shortly with a badger.  Well most of the knights corpsed at this but Will Hawksworth who plays Sir Robin, held it together, just.  Yes Brave Sir Robin and his poor elbows. (want to know more?  – go see the show!).

Of course there is classic Python such as the Knights that go Ni…who changed their name, I think it maybe something different every night but tonight it included a whole verse of Do Wah Diddy Diddy. Even Joe was laughing at this.  And yes they go looking for a shrubbery as a side quest.

Of course no King is ever alone, even when he sings ‘I’m all alone’.  But Patsy (played by Joe Tracini)  is there by his side and has been outstanding in his performance.

How disappointed was I not to be sitting in seat D1 – for that is where to find the Holy Grail.  If only Indiana Jones had known this in Raiders of the lost Ark!  But seriously they drag this man onto the stage and sing with him (and joke that he really made an effort to dress up).  It was funny as I had had this conversation with my family before we left.  For in my opinion we should all dress up for the theatre.  This is a personal performance.  It is not cinema where no one cares.  Theatre is real people giving something personal and that is why I love it.

Back to the show.  Of course everyone was fabulous.  I cannot really pick one or two people out as the show really did need everybody to make it what it is.  A real ensemble.  Joe Pasquale made a perfect King Arthur, and when he asks the lady of the lake to marry him her outfit turns from blue to white in an instant. (I must ask where she got that dress from – I want one!)

This is a fabulous show, so it doesn’t matter if you love Monty Python or have never seen the Holy Grail film, this show is for you….now remember

Always look on the bright side of life……