Audio theatre review

theatre review

Wizard of Oz!

London, Tuesday 19th April
A fun loving popular film that we are all well acquainted with had been turned into a stage show, would it work? YES! Upon arrival at the theatre I had already had high expectations of how this show was going to be performed. Having watched the popular television series ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ where they searched for their Dorothy I was eager to see just how well the actors had progressed ad whether or not they would pull off the role successfully. Dorothy, who was played by TV show runner up Sophie Evans didn’t disappoint. She executed the role brilliantly. Her vocals were strong and her acting brilliant. It was good to be reminded of the classics ‘ Over the rainbow’ and ‘The Yellow brick road’ .It has to be said that perhaps the real star of the show though was her beloved dog ‘Toto’ , the dog was so well trained that I had to second guess whether it was real or not. He stole the hearts of everyone in the audience
I had been initially worried that the story line being so well known that there would be no surprises or anything that would grab my attention, however the way the scenes such as the cyclone had been displayed were truly amazing! The Hydraulics and projections that made it so effective was the work of Jo Driscoll.
The set and costume design by Robert Jones has to be one of the biggest credits to the show. Even from the back of the theatre Oz jumps out at you as a Technicolor dream, characters flying in from the roof a variety of flashes and bangs. It sucks you in and holds your attention all the way through. I challenge anyone to watch the show and not feel as if for a short moment in time you were in the magical land of Oz! Between the amazing set design and gorgeous costume the stage was a kaleidoscope of fantastic colours! I was completely struck and sucked into the magical world. Being a half term show the majority of the audience were children who again were enchanted by the spectacle that was the ‘Emerald city’, The show was captivating from beginning to end! I Left the theatre feeling completely charmed! A perfect show for anyone of all ages, I can’t say in enough words how brilliant the show was! It’s a Must see! *****

Avenue Q

Brilliantly Funny! Entertained me throughout with Fantastic songs and brilliant acting! ****

AVENUE Q - 'Everybody's a Little Racist,' Broadway Cast

Oliver

Although this was performed by an amateur club it was brilliant! I really enjoyed it! Was brilliant throughout! A classic perfect for all ages! I would defiantly watch this again and would love to see it performed by professionals in the West End! ***

Mascarade

Although a dance piece I really enjoyed the performance, unbelievable skill I was rather impressed. Although not something I would normally be interested in seeing it was worth a watch' **

The NutCracker

'I felt utterly disappointed with this performance, I thought I would enjoy it yet 20minutes into it I was praying for it to be over! wouldn't be interested in seeing anything like this again'

The Clinic for Depressed and Failing Heroes and Villains

Although I didn't think I would I rather enjoyed this performance, the issues is focused on were easily accessible and it was rather funny, I would reccomend it and see it again ***

We Will Rock You!

– Cardiff Millennium Centre- Saturday 16th April
You don’t need to be a big fan of Queens music to enjoy this show, although at first I was slightly sceptical of the show as I wasn’t sure how they would incorporate the hit Queen numbers with a sustainable story line . However there’s been so much hype and good media reviews regarding and being dubbed ‘ The spectacular West End musical’ by the Daily Mirror I kept an open mind and oh boy was I not disappointed! I am a huge fan of musicals and this show was just perfect, not only did you know the songs (so you could have a cheeky sing along) but they went so perfectly with the story line! The entire cast had such strong amazing voices that you could not help but fall under their spell and get completely sucked into it! Their acting skills were brilliant, you could really see that they were putting their heart and soul into the roles. The dialogue was so funny and witty which made it easily accessible to all. The ‘one liners’ constantly had the audience in hysterics. The audience ranged in ages and looking around everyone of them loved it!
‘We will rock you’ was packed with brilliant songs, fantastic dancing , sound and effects! The set design and costumes were a credit to the show and a key element , everything worked wonderfully well together. The set swivelled out into the audience and was very large, which made it brilliant to see from all angles and different views. The impressive hydraulics and huge video screens brought to life a colourful version of the future and again made it action easy to see no mater where you were sitting .The special effects were amazing and kept you hooked throughout the play, the ‘Killer Bee’ scene was utterly spell binding! The music and effects just instantly uplifted you and you couldn’t help but sing along! You become so engrossed in the show that it seemed to go so quick, it didn’t feel like 2 hours and 45minutes, I wanted more! I loved every moment of it and so did everyone else, such a high energy show you couldn’t help but walk out with a smile on your face! This show was well worth the money and I would recommend it for anyone, even if you don’t like musicals you should really give this a try! You just may end up being converted! ****

The Others

' Nothing special, didn't find it particularly interesting'

Gameplay

'I found this extremely boring, didn't hold my attention at all , what a waste of a night!'

Little Shop of Horrors

Although some slight technical glitches the show was an overall success, would defiantly reccomend it!

Summer Holiday

' Fantastic songs, fantastic cast, fantastic night! what more could you ask for? ' ****

The Full Monty

'

One of the funniest shows I have ever seen! Keeps you hooked from beginning to end!'

Lily Through The Dark

Lily through the dark’, boring, pointless and tedious. Hard to follow with distractions throughout. Utter disappointment to what looked a promising evening!

Blood Brothers

A heart wrenching tale , beautifully performed and designed, not a dry eye left in the house!

Blue remembered hills

Utter Genius! Bringing the outside in made your feel like you were apart of the action! Talented actors , gripping story line and humour throughout! One for all ages. Defiantly one to watch!

Wicked!!

Magical , spellbinding and entertaining! a perfect evening! excellent musical numbers, fantastic cast and beautiful story line all tie in perfectly together with dazzling costumes and mid blowing stage effects this show was more than worth the money! Could watch it over and over again!

Enron

An interesting insight to the corruption within the industrial world. Packed with betrayal, lies and rather surprising musical numbers this play was thoroughly entertaining !

Mamma Mia!

More than lived up to the hype! fantastic evening which kept you engaged and singing along throughout! The all star cast line up did not dissapoint, well worth the money and would reccomend anyone to see it!