The Perfect Year

I have seen some awesome theatre in 2018. I am so lucky. Both professional and amateur, plays and musicals.

My highlights were Hamilton, Kinky Boots and Six. And any show my kids were in of course...

Words can't really describe how happy the theatre makes me. The atmosphere before the show starts, finding your seat, looking through the programme...the moment the band starts...the whole shebang!

And I am thrilled that I already have some great shows lined up to see in 2019.

Again my children are appearing in some local amateur shows...we have Joseph, Animal Farm and Winnie The Pooh for starters!

I'm supporting local amateur groups in Warrington and Runcorn by seeing as many of their shows as possible.

And as for professional shows I am already booked for Les Miserables and Book of Mormon and sure there will be many more to follow....(if I have my way!).

If any local groups would like me to come along and review their show then I would be more than happy to!

But in the meantime can I just say happy new year to all my theatre friends! The ones who are so ridiculously talented who appear in shows and plays, the theatre mums and dads ferrying their little divas from here to there and supporting them wildly at every performance, the hard working directors and company leaders who do so much to keep theatre thriving, and anyone and everyone in between.

Have a happy new theatre year!

Wake Me Up When September Ends....

Erm, I last blogged here at the start of September apparently? Oh.  Doesn't time fly when you're having fun? And before you know it, it's nearly Christmas!

So, what on earth have I been up to, in a "world of theatre and musical theatre" kind of way? Oh my goodness, quite an awful lot. 

And I haven't got time, unfortunately, to review every single show I've seen in great depth, because I've been so rubbish and not found the time to blog......but don't despair! I have decided to give you a quick mini-review of everything instead! All in one blog post! Like a megamix! Yay!

Here goes....

September:
Little Women by Centenary Theatre Company at The Brindley, Runcorn

I have to admit, I have not seen as many plays as I would have liked. But this was a good place to start! A lovely ensemble with some believable characters and this classic story was portrayed in a charming way.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Footloose by Encore Productions at The Brindley, Runcorn

I can barely remember watching the movie Footloose ...I am that old and it was so long ago that I had mostly forgotten it. But this musical brought the story to life in a fabulous way. With a fantastic leading man and woman and brilliant supporting cast down to the excellent music and choreography this was a first class production that had us all dancing in the aisles.

Matilda, touring production, Palace Theatre, Manchester

This was my second time seeing Matilda, having seen it in the West End. And it was just as good second time round. Craig Els excelled as Miss Trunchbull and the child cast were outstanding. The only downside was that my seat was a little far over to one side so I missed a little of the action on stage which was slightly disappointing.. I think I will go for circle seats next time.. I am sure I will see it again at some point!

October:
The Railway Children, Encore Productions, The Pyramid, Warrington

This classic story was brought to life in a touching and humorous way by this local theatre group. I was lucky enough to see both casts (the child roles were all double cast) and each of these young actors were fantastic. The role of Mr Perks was played by Seb Farrell and he was fantastic, in character from the moment I walked into the theatre and he stamped my railway ticket. The supporting cast were brilliant and it was a real ensemble piece. A great play from Josh Hankey on his directorial debut.

November:
Kinky Boots, touring production, Opera House, Manchester

This was always going to be a special musical for me. Cyndi Lauper wrote the songs for a musical about MY HOME TOWN! Little old Northampton. Wow. And I can't find anything to fault about it. Fantastic leads in Charlie and Lola (thought that was a Cbeebies show haha),  the Angels were amazing and even though I was convinced the Northampton accent would be rubbish I have to admit they had a good go at it! A show that will definitely raise you up.

The Wedding Singer, Centenary Theatre Company, The Brindley, Runcorn

As a self-confessed "child of the 80s" (yes I'm that old) I have to admit I was looking forward to seeing a musical of one of my favourite films from the 90s set in the 80s....and it exceeded all expectations.  Fun from start to finish, a very very funny show with some amazing vocalists and stunning choreography.  A great night's entertainment, well done Centenary.

December:
Six The Musical, The Lowry, Salford

Now, I am a history buff and the Tudors is probably my favourite period of history.  So when I learned there was now a musical based on Henry VIII's wives and their stories I was beside myself.  Tickets were booked.  And OMG am I glad they were! Six was incredible.  Half rock concert/half musical, this 75 minute long show is just amazing from start to finish.  With songs based on the styles of Katy Perry, Adele, Ariana the wives were brought to live with amazing vocals and such an incredible bond between the actresses playing them.  I especially loved all the modern cultural inserts - very clever.  If you've not seen Six then make sure you do.  Absolutely stunning.

So that's my last few months. Busy busy but some brilliant shows that made me very happy.

So what's next? Shows to come in 2019:
Winnie The Pooh/Honk The Musical
Les Miserables (touring)
Joseph
Wind In The Willows
Our Day Out
Animal Farm
Book of Mormon

That's whats booked so far! Some of these may include my kids, I'll be honest. Haha..There will be a review of the year at the end of December and I promise I'll be a better blogger next year.   As Alexander Hamilton once said, just you wait...

REVIEW: BARNUM BY CODYS PRODUCTIONS: THE BRINDLEY 15 SEPTEMBER

P.T. Barnum is fresh in everyone's minds at the moment due to the phenomenon that is The Greatest Showman. But here at The Brindley this week Codys Productions have brought us the original Barnum The Musical. And what a great show it was.

Focussing on Barnum's life from when he opened his American Museum right through to his venture into political life with a whole heap of circus skills thrown in, this musical was an absolute treat from start to finish.

Barnum himself was expertly played by Clayton Roberts who had learnt to juggle, perform tricks, stilt walk and walk the tightrope during the rehearsal process. (In fact all of the 60-strong cast had been trained in some form or another of circus skills and it was an impressive display with them all showing off their circus talents on stage).  Clayton was charming and you couldn't help but root for Barnum as he tricked and "humbugged" his way through the show. Charity, his wife, was played wonderfully by Sophia Thomson, who has a truly amazing voice, and she and played the role of long suffering wife beautifully. The duet of The Colours of My Life was just gorgeous.

Other notable performers were Mollie Neal who played Joice Heth, (the Oldest Woman in The World) Erin Smith as Jenny Lind and Joe Campbell and Sophie Powell's version of Black and White was very impressive. The talent that these young performers have is astounding (Codys' age range is 11 to 18).

The principals were supported by an incredible cast, all of whom obviously love what they were doing. (This was evident in the impromptu finale!)

Choreographing 60-plus kids in the big group numbers Join The Circus and Come Follow The Band must have been a challenge but choreographer Natasha Bill did an incredible job.

The cast were accompanied by wonderful musicians under the direction of Simon Pickup.

Director Nick Cupit always puts on amazing shows and this was no exception.  Visually stunning and confetti cannon-tastic!

Overall this really was "The Greatest Show".  Audiences left with huge grins on their faces.

Looking forward to Codys' next show, Joseph, in March.

Come So Far

So... another week in the life of a theatre mum...

This week was another fairly busy one...we started with the eldest's usual Monday night singing lesson ...he has the BEST singing teacher...he started lessons with Claire a couple of years ago now. He was around 13 and his voice was just breaking...J he went to her at just the right time.  He loves his singing lessons, he has gone from strength to strength and we have seen his singing confidence grow and his range and technique come on amazingly...the progress he has made is incredible. I can't recommend Claire more highly.

Every six months she puts on "showcases" for her students where they have a chance to perform  what they have been working on in lessons in a relaxed atmosphere, where everyone is supportive. 

For some people it's the first time they have ever stood up and sang solo in front of people and to be honest I think they are all incredible just to do that! The best I have ever managed is dodgy karaoke after a few too many cocktails...

On Thursday night it was J's showcase and he sang Someone To Fall Back On by Jason Robert Brown and This World Will Remember Me from the musical "Bonnie & Clyde" (which I LOVE!).

We had a lovely evening watching the other talented students - they were all so TALENTED!! J was the last to perform and it's safe to say he nailed it. What a fabulous evening.

Then this weekend it was my two smaller kids' turn. They go to a theatre group in Warrington called Showkids UK, which is for children age 5 to 11.  For the last 7 months they have been working on a production of Hairspray Jr.  I will write a separate review of the show, so no spoilers, except to say that Warrington is a lucky town to have so many up and coming young musical theatre performers, waiting in the wings!  My two are (I think) the youngest boy and girl who go along and I was worried about them doing two shows in one day on Saturday from a tiredness point of view - especially after extra rehearsals on Thursday and Friday in the ridiculous heat of the recent heatwave.  However, kids being kids, they seemed to find the energy from somewhere and just nailed their performances. Super proud showbiz mum.

Showkids has given my shy 7 year old and drama queen 5 year old somewhere to go each week to have fun, make friends, act, sing and dance with a great group of super talented tutors (CJ's favourite people in the world!).  If your child loves singing and dancing then Showkids is a great way for them to spend their time each Sunday.

So....the next few weeks are relatively quiet in comparison!! It's holiday season after all...time to relax, calm down and brace ourselves for a busy September.

Be back soon!

www.clairecannonvoice.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/SHOWkidsUK/