#andrew langtree

[kugirocks]

My report on London Ned Ryerson

[goodbyetoberlin]

Groundhog Day  +  screen to stage pt. 3: "I sell insurance!"

[kugirocks]

Groundhog Day HC

Ned Ryerson's music preferences range from Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole to Oingo Boingo and Tears For Fears.

[vickster51]

Theatre Review - Groundhog Day is as magical as ever...every time!

Did I mention I love Groundhog Day? 7 years since I first saw this show, here's my review of the current run. You have until 19th August to go!

(Photo credit: Manuel Harlan) For anyone who was reading this blog in 2016, you’ll perhaps remember that the show I absolutely adored that year was Groundhog Day and no one was more surprised than me. I wasn’t a huge fan of the film. Perhaps I was a bit too young when I first saw it, I don’t know, but it’s never been one I’ve returned to much and when it was announced that it was being turned in…

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[thediaryofatheatrekid]

Remember Ghost?

[kugirocks]

The many actors of Ned Ryerson

[greeny11]

Ghost the Musical

The first show I saw last week was Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly.  It was a show I was a bit unsure of when I first heard the music, as I didn't really appeal to me.  I had friends who told me it was amazing, but I didn't really fancy it until I heard some audios from the show which sounded better than the cast recording.  This was actually the last show of my theatre weekend to be booked, but I decided that I might as well see it and see for myself whether the show lives up to all the rave reviews.

The Piccadilly is quite an intimate theatre, in many ways it reminds me of the Savoy - the stage is very low, and the seats go all the way across in the stalls.  My seat was D18, so I was near the front and fairly central in terms of the stage.  

I won't go into detail in terms of the plot, as it's a fairly well known story - I didn't see the film and knew the story.  Siobhan Dillon and Mark Evans play the leads Molly and Sam.  I found it interesting to see these 2 in the show as I'd seen them previously in other shows (Siobhan in Legally Blonde, Mark in Wicked) in principal roles, but not necessarily leading roles.  In this show, it allows them to show off more sides to their acting than their previous shows had allowed them.  They had great chemistry together and you could believe they could actually be a couple.  Siobhan's performance in particular moved me - during Sam's death and the funeral scenes, she had most of the audience in tears.  Mark was excellent also, the realisation that he's dead and no one there can hear him was a highlight.  The score allows both of them to show off their brilliant voices, Siobhan's singing was superb, 'With You' 'Rain/Hold On' and 'Nothing Stops Another Day' showed off her voice perfectly.  Mark's singing was great also, his voice suited the score much better than I thought it would - I loved his version of 'I Had A Life'

Andrew Langtree was good as Carl, particularly in the scenes after Sam's death.  Carl doesn't get all that much to sing,  but what he does get, Andrew sung well.  Sharon D Clarke as Oda Mae Brown, however, absolutely stole the show - I loved her performance.  The role is very much comic relief in the midst of quite an intense story, and this comic relief is very much needed.  Sharon was perfect in every way, she was funny, yet I still found her performance moving at the parts where it should have been.  She often had me in stitches whenever she was on stage, particularly in the 'Are You A Believer' scene, and also when she was operating under Sam's influence to close the account of Rita Miller.  Her singing was excellent, particularly in 'I'm Outta Here.  I've heard a couple of audios of her on Youtube, and both times she sang it differently - and she sang it differently again at the show I saw her.  In my opinion, she should get the award for Best Supporting Performance at the Oliviers.

I won't comment in detail on the rest of the cast, but Jenny Fitzpatrick and Lisa Davina Philip were hilarious as Clara and Louise.  Ivan DeFreitas also was excellent in his role.  I did however, feel that the ensemble wasn't really needed - I didn't feel like their inclusion helped the show.

I'd told myself that the score was rubbish when I first heard it - but it's very much a show where you have to see it live to appreciate it.  The standout songs for me were 'Here Right Now' 'With You' 'Suspend My Disbelief/I Had A Life' 'Rain/Hold On' 'Nothing Stops Another Day' and 'I'm Outta Here'.  There were a couple of duds in the score too though - I wasn't keen on 'More' 'Ball Of Wax' or 'Life Turns On A Dime'.

The effects were excellent too - there were a lot of them, and many of them left me baffled as to how they were done.  As it's a show about a ghost, special effects were needed, but some of the illusions they pulled off were astonishing - I won't give them away to those who've not seen the show, but they are really rather special.

The show is a very intense and emotional one, which I knew beforehand.  It's not the kind of musical I go for, as I tend to prefer the more upbeat shows.  That said, I'm glad I've seen it, as it was much better than I feared based on the music.  It was interesting comparing this show to Matthew Warchus' other show in London at the moment, Matilda, which I saw in the evening (and will be my next blog).  

Overall, Ghost was a very emotional, yet funny and an enjoyable show even if it does leave you in tears by the end.