The A-Z of Mrs P - Southwark Playhouse

Having been a tourist in London in my time, I know the feeling of walking the streets staring at a map, but never had I considered how the London A-Z had come about.

The A-Z of Mrs P is a new musical which tells the story of Phyllis Pearsall, the lady who decided to create the A-Z after becoming lost on the way to a dinner party.

The show is quite clearly defined into two halves; the first utterly charming and compelling. The staging is unique and the company transforming from train to tube is a lovely concept which adds another dimension to the story and is very aesthetically pleasing.

The music and lyrics are incredibly sweet and Isy Suttie plays the lead with a simplistic charisma which left the audience grinning, her voice matching her portrayal of the character who I can only describe as endearing.

As the show reaches the second half, a darker side seems to appear and focus shifts to Mrs P's parents, played by Francis Ruffelle and Michael Matus, both with very strong voices and a commanding presence. The story and characters take a much more dramatic turn with only a hint of the earlier charm remaining, but it makes an interesting contrast.

The flashbacks in the show are so seamless that sometimes it can take a few moments to understand at what point in time the events are taking place, but overall the story proves an interesting account of both the life of Mrs P and her parents.

The remaining cast is made up of Stuart Matthew Price, Ian Caddick, Sarah Earnshaw, Max Gallagher, Sidney Livingstone and Dawn Sievewright, all of whom are flawless in their roles and their voices blend beautifully in the well written score.

The show takes place at Southwark Playhouse which creates a unique experience. With only 5 rows of seats either side and a performance space in the middle, the audience are incredibly close to the performance and it's easy to lose yourself in the story. The only downfall of this is the worry that you might accidentally trip one of the members of the cast, or be hit with any of the props (which I am advised had happened) so perhaps front row seats are not advisable, although it is an incredible experience to be so close to a production.

The A-Z of Mrs P does seem to be a show that can split an audience but overall the unique appearance and charm of the characters and score make it one i'm glad to have caught on its limited run.

The Phantom of The Opera - London - Cast of 2013-2014

I've really been wanting to review The Phantom of the Opera for a while but I always feel like it's cheating as I've seen the show so may times before and it's one of my favourites, so in this case, I will be reviewing the cast of the 7th February 2014 and yes, the review will contain spoilers.

Christine at this performance was played by Harriet Jones who has a fabulous voice, reminiscent of the original Christine Daae, Sarah Brightman. It was a flawless performance in terms of both acting and singing and truly one of my favourite Christine's to date, performing the high notes in the title song effortlessly and a very sensual performance of Past the Point of No Return.

Sean Palmer as Raoul seemed unexciting to begin with, but his part in All I Ask of You was heartfelt, and by the time the show reached the cemetery scene and the final lair, Palmer showed his incredible voice and was astounding during the 3-part songs with the Phantom and Christine.

Andy Hockley and Martin Ball had huge shoes to fill after Barry James and Gareth Snook had played Andre and Firmin perfectly for so many years, and whilst I do miss the chemistry  of James and Snook, Hockley and Ball are still as likable and play the comedy element of the characters well.

Lara Martins as Carlotta and Jeremy Secombe as Piangi are always a joy to watch and incredibly talented. Their chemistry is spot on and their voices amazing.

Finally we come to Geronimo Rauch as the Phantom. Whilst Rauch has a stunning voice and tackles the tile song and Music of the Night with perfect vocals, I found the acting in the part to be underwhelming.

I know there are many debates regarding whether Christine should have chosen Raoul or the Phantom and I have to admit that I have a soft spot for the Phantom and every single time, wish Christine would have stayed with him. However, Rauch plays such a maniacal version of the Phantom that for the first time, not only was I glad that Christine chose Raoul, I was also routing for the cast to find him at the end and kill him.

Even for those who believe Christine and Raoul belong together, it is essential to feel both pity and empathy for the Phantom at the end, losing the love of his life, but for the first time, I felt nothing for him. You know there's something wrong when a musical that always leaves you in tears at the end just leaves you feeling completely unemotional.

Whilst I could happily listen to Rauch sing, I feel that his interpretation of the Phantom was a letdown and not one i'd rush to see again.

Mojo - London

When a play is advertised as 'an all-star cast' you know that either it's going to be incredible and hence why so many stars have signed up, or incredibly poor and the stars are to draw in crowds. Unfortunately it would appear to be the latter in this case.

The play follows a series of events between a small number of characters who work at a club.Advertised as a comedy, more of the laughs come from bizarre statements rather than something actually being funny and I just felt very confused as to what the point of a lot of the scenes were, and as for the 'twists' in the plot, I saw every single one of them coming and wanted so badly for something unexpected to happen but alas it was not to be. That says something considering I usually don't see twists coming at all when everyone else does.

Regardless of the story, I found that all the cast acted the characters incredibly well and each of them gave an utterly convincing performance well deserving of the standing ovation at the end.

The sets were incredibly simple yet effective and the atmosphere was perfect, I just wish that I had sat further back as the fumes from the cigarettes actually gave me a headache which combined with the shouting and breaking furniture left me looking forward to the interval to take paracetamol.

Whilst interesting to witness, I doubt I'd watch Mojo again nor recommend it for the story, though i would happily recommend the show purely for stunning acting.

Spamalot - London

Based upon Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot follows the story of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. Having seen the film recently, I thought I'd see the musical before it closes.

It's easy to see why the show is closing as the tiny theatre was only at about half capacity which was saddening to see, especially with such a feel-good show.

Whilst the story is exactly the same as the film, the songs give it a new burst of life and make it thoroughly more enjoyable, whilst meaning characters such as the Black Knight and The Knights who say Ni still make an appearance.

Joe Pasquale played the lead with an adequate singing voice but an unforgettable persona which really added to the comedy side of the show.

James Bisp as Sir Galahad had a stunning voice whilst Conan House played a very camp Sir Lancelot which was the comedy highlight of the night.

In a predominately male cast, it was lovely to see Carley Stenson as the Lady of the Lake and she played the part effortlessly. Along with James Bisp, 'The song that goes like this' showed off the vocals of the pair whilst mocking the conventions of musicals.

Spamalot is definitely worth a watch before it leaves the West End but I would recommend seeing some Monty Python comedy sketch first or the show may be a little too bizarre for you to appreciate the first time around. The cast may be small but seeing characters take on several roles does add to the comedy of the show.

The Book of Mormon - London

With The Book of Mormon being one of the more expensive shows currently on the West End, I was a little skeptical about whether it was worth parting with enough money to see at least two other musicals. I eventually opted for seats up in the circle, which have a surprisingly amazing view of the stage.

The show opens with the song 'Hello' and from the first few lines, I knew that I was in for an excellent performance. The Elders are all so happy that I found myself grinning along with them, and the song so catchy that it was difficult not to hum along.

The story follows two Mormons who receive their first mission, to go to Uganda and spread the word of the Book of Mormon to an African village, more interested in their problems with aids and a warlord. Whilst it's easy to see why people could find this an offensive show, it comes across with so much charm that you forget about the little digs at religion and instead just fall in love with the characters and their plight.

Songs such as Sal Tlay Ka Siti and You and Me show off the talent of the cast whilst Man Up and Joseph Smith American Moses are catchy and hilarious to the point of audience members literally crying with laughter.

In this production, the role of Elder Price was performed by understudy Ashley Day, full of charisma and such a strong voice that it was difficult to believe that he doesn't play the part every night.

Ashley played alongside Jared Gertner, who perfected the role of enthusiastic yet adorable Elder Cunningham who you can't help but wish every success and want to befriend.

In all honesty, the entire company were stunning and made this one of the most incredible shows that I have seen. I have to give a special mention to Stephen Ashfield as Elder McKinley for a fabulous yet also very camp performance of 'Turn it off'.

Whilst I had listened to the cast recording of the show before, the ending was still a complete surprise and left everyone with a smile on their face as well as humming as they left the theatre.

Overall, the story was incredibly funny yet still heartwarming at the same time, and for a matinee performance in one of the smaller West End theatres, the rounds of applause and cheers were incredible and very well deserved. The show was even better than I had thought possible and I would urge anyone to go and see it. I know i'll be back again.

Peter Pan - Nottingham Theatre Royal

As the Christmas period is coming to an end, I thought I'd take one last chance at extending that holiday cheer by going to see one final pantomime.

This year Nottingham have chosen to go with Peter Pan, starring David Hasselhoff, Su Pollard and Barney Harwood. 

I'll be honest, I'm struggling with where to start with this review as the production just left me completely confused. I know the story of Peter Pan, but even so, I struggled to pick up any of the story from the production I went to see. In a nutshell, Peter and Wendy fly off to Neverland without John and Michael, but then they do magically appear later. Tinkerbell sells everyone out to Captain Hook because Wendy has given medicine to the lost boys, then a mermaid catches a crocodile and Peter Pan sword fights Captain Hook. I hope you're as confused as I have been.

The rest of the show is just filled with songs that I didn't recognise (neither did anyone else with the looks of things) and seemed to not really fit with anything, giant sets which is clearly where the budget went rather than on a script, and fabulous costumes for the main actors, whilst the dancers looked like they'd been on a shopping spree to Ann Summers.

David Hasselhoff may have looked the part as Captain Hook but his singing was average and constantly changing words to begin with 'hoff' was not funny the first time, never mind for the proceeding 15 minutes. Otherwise he just kept mentioning boobs which seemed creepy and rather inappropriate.

Su Pollard added a lot of enthusiasm to the show and tackled the songs well, but didn't seem to understand the audience participation too well. When performing in front of mainly children and a lot of young parents, if you shout Hi-de-hi with no context, people are way too young to know what to shout back. Either that or are just too stunned over the previous dance routine where you pushed a dancers head into your crotch.

Barney Harwood is definitely the perfect Peter Pan, not only looking the part but full of boyish charm. It seemed a shame that rather than have lines or songs, the main job for him was to just to fly about the stage on wires and do the occasional backflip. 

The one exciting part of the show was getting to throw foam blocks to defeat the pirates. Unfortunately, they were so large and square that rather than  reaching the stage, they took out the pensioners in the first few rows, with one lady seemingly trying to hide under her own seat.

Overall, I didn't laugh out loud at any of the jokes and the supporting roles seemed bored. Although I probably would too if I had to go through that script twice a day for the month. After that production, Christmas feels completely and utterly dead.

Jack and the Beanstalk Pantomime - Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

It's finally that time of year when vaguely famous faces are on posters across every town in England, playing some fairy tale character or another.

Whilst I am sure that pantomimes are not usually aimed at 21 year olds, I can't help but go and see them to get into the Christmas spirit.

My first pantomime of choice this year was Jack and the Beanstalk at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield. 

Jack is played by Ian 'H' Watkins from popular 90's band, Steps, who manages to convey the part of the hero successfully and you can't help but want him to defeat the giant with his friendly enthusiasm and cheerful persona.

His love interest is the Princess Tamara (expect many Tamara/Tomorrow jokes, you have been warned) played by Madeleine Leslay who portrays a princess that every little girl would like to be. Not only does she look the part but she also has a very strong voice, covering 'Titanium' beautifully and with ease.

Andrew Fettes, also known as the villain Dr Hefferflumphenstein succeeds in being suitably evil enough to get the audience to boo and hiss, yet also has a certain amount of charm making you look forward to his next appearance in the show.

Pete Dunwell plays a very stereotypical yet convincing King Eric. Without ruining the surprise, I just have to say I have a lot of respect for playing this part up to 3 times per day, and after seeing the show, i'm sure you'd agree.

Sheffield favourite Damian Williams returns to play the Dame yet again and it is not difficult to see why this is his sixth year in the part. He is an audience favourite and has everyone chuckling throughout the show. Not only is he hilarious, he often improvises in scenes giving a unique performance each time and keep the cast on their toes. Though the less I say about his Miley Cyrus impersonation, the better.

Although Damian seems to be the audience favourite, I have to say mine is the Vegetable Fairy as played by Sarah Earnshaw. Not only is she funny and beautiful, she has the most amazing vocal range which I couldn't help but be mesmerized by. I honestly found myself disappointed that she did not sing more songs during the course of the show. However if I had it my way, the show probably would've been twice as long as I didn't want it to end.

The show itself is one of the best pantomimes I have been to, including songs that all age ranges will know, whether it's 'Best Song Ever' by One Direction, 'One Day More' from Les Miserables or even 'One Way or Another' by Blondie, which all result in a show you can't help but sing along to.

Whilst a lot of the jokes are one's you will have heard before, you can't help but laugh at the delivery, there are a few innuendos hidden in there for the adults, plenty of slapstick for the kids, and the vinyl routine is comedy genius, only made funnier on the occasions something goes wrong.

The costumes and sets are beautifully designed, so much so that I was even distracted from the show itself by the giants lair, made from the remains of planes that have crashed in cloudland. It was visually stunning.

Overall, this is a must-see show that suits all ages and will have you shouting and singing in no time. The cast are all fabulous, including the giant who is an incredible surprise and i'm sure will be unforgettable for the kids.

The show runs until the 5th January 2014.