Les Misérables

Exactly how many times is too many times to see the production of a lifetime? Right now my head is battling with my heart as I contemplateg seeing Les Misérables in Sydney “just one last time” before it leaves for Brisbane in just 5 short weeks. This battle has been fought and won by my heart on previous occasions; I’ve actually seen Les Misérables for “the last time” three times since June.

As a devotee of the original production of Les Misérables, I was a little concerned about the changes Sir Cameron Mackintosh had planned for this new version. I heard rumours of missing songs, the revolving stage no longer being used, a younger cast and a faster score. Would these changes ruin the show I loved so much? Would they leave me with a bad taste in my mouth (perhaps similar to the casting of Russell Crowe in the film version)?

I am happy to report that my fears were unfounded and the new production surpassed my wildest expectations. The new sets are breathtaking, and the addition of the projections on screen made for incredible backdrops, easily immersing you in the streets of Paris, the deck of a convict ship or the underground sewers.    

I wasn’t sure there was a performer alive who could rival the heroes from my many Les Misérables soundtracks. In my mind, Michael Ball is Marius, Philip Quast is Javert, Anthony Warlow is Enjolras and there’d never be a better Valjean than Colm Wilkinson. Yet from the moment Simon Gleeson took to the stage as Jean Valjean on the Melbourne stage my world changed forever. 

While the show is known for bringing audiences to tears, I don’t think I have ever seen an audience as moved by an actor as they were by Simon Gleeson in this show.  His desperation, his passion and that incredible voice made him the star. “Bring Him Home” is a masterpiece in itself. In fact, concerned that I would forget that incredible performance without an Australian soundtrack to buy, I purchased his album “Elements” for that song alone.

The most impactful change for me was the younger casting of the students. Formerly seen as men, this production drove home how young and naïve they were, and the futility of their actions. Marius’ love for Cosette and Eponine’s heartache at her unrequited love for him, they really were just kids. 

 “One Day More” remains my all-time favourite song from a musical and the choreography in this version gave me goose bumps.  My repeated visits gave me different views and a love for characters I previously considered “supporting”.  One of my favourite discoveries was watching the touching relationship between student rebel Grantaire and street urchin Gavroche.  I got so caught up watching them in the last show I saw; I completely neglected to see the major action front of stage.

If you haven’t seen Les Misérables in Sydney, you have just 5 weeks left. After taking friends and family and urging almost everyone else I know to see it, then hearing rave reviews from each and every one of them, I can’t encourage you enough. If you live in Brisbane and Les Misérables is headed your way, go, go and then go again. I might just fly up and join you.

For tickets visit Ticketmaster.

Photos courtesy of the Les Misérables Australia Facebook page.

Rocky Horror Show

It’s a tale as old as time. Two clean cut American kids meet, fall in love and are engaged to be married. Driving through a storm, their car breaks down and they seek help from a mansion that just happens to be occupied by alien transsexuals from the planet Transylvania.

I’m sorry, what?

A parody of the science fiction movies of its time, and a rock musical on both stage and screen, The Rocky Horror show is a worldwide phenomenon and quite possibly one of the strangest things I have ever seen.

Upon walking into the Sydney premiere last week I was greeted by an extraordinary amount of fishnet stockings, basques and platform high heels – and that was just the audience. My friend Livia and I queued for the obligatory slushie cocktails in the glowing plastic “glasses” and lamented the fact we were clearly wearing too many clothes. We took our seats, wrapped ourselves in our complimentary red feather boas and spent a good many minutes star spotting in the crowd.  Clearly Rocky Horror is the MUST SEE musical of the moment!

The show opened with the very talented Jayde Westaby as a 1950s usherette, introducing the show with my now favourite song “Science Fiction/Double Feature”. (After all, who wouldn’t love a song with lyrics like “Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear”?) and the curtain was pulled aside to reveal a fantastically bright, almost cartoon–like set.

I was looking forward to seeing Craig McLaughlin in the show that he originally played in 1992 and which earned him the Helpman Award for Best Actor in a Musical for the role in 2014. Clearly I wasn’t the only one. His appearance on stage as Frank N Furter was greeted with thunderous cheers and applause. He was clearly very comfortable in the part, not only in his high heels, but with sassy comebacks to comments from the audience. He was outrageous, hilarious, and as for those biceps… well, like Janet sang, “I’m a muscle fan”.

Stephen Mahy and Amy Lehpamer were fabulously cast as the naïve Brad and Janet, and I was delighted to see Jayde back on stage as Magenta. I want to see and hear more of Jayde. Kristian Lavercombe was fantastic as Riff Raff, while Bert Newton as the narrator was, well, Bert (as underwhelming to me as always, but still a crowd favourite). Yet it's clear this show is all about Craig in his role as Frank, and he is the star.

 The show is high energy and a lot of laughs. Unlike the original, which I have heard was shocking and made plenty of people uncomfortable; this “tamed down” version plays up the comedy. Craig hams it up as Frank, and the crowd adores him for it. I can’t imagine anyone playing a better Frank N Furter in this production.  

Liv and I leapt to our feet to perform the Time Warp, delighting in the confusion of some audience members who were very taken aback by the whole thing.  We sang along with the cast, reliving every school disco of our childhood. The songs are catchy, the atmosphere electric, and I had an absolute blast.

The Rocky Horror show is playing at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney until 7th June. Don't miss your chance to see it. To book your tickets click here. 

Note: Livia and I attended the premiere as guests of Gordon Frost Productions. My review is unbiased and all thoughts are my own.

Thriller Live - Sydney

There’s only one Michael Jackon, and to this day he remains the undisputed King of Pop. As Rolling Stone magazine stated, “Trying to trace Michael Jackson’s influence on the pop stars that followed him is like trying to trace the influence of oxygen and gravity”. He was a musician that continually changed the landscape of music and dance, and someone whose talent I greatly admired.

Fun fact: my karaoke song choice is Jackon 5’s “Ben”. Despite being released two years before I was born, the sweet song about a pet rat has been a favourite all my life.

Recently I was given the opportunity to see the Michael Jackon celebratory show “Thriller Live” at the 2015 Sydney premiere. Having run for 5 years in London’s West End, it promised a visual, audio and electrifying journey through the magic of Michael’s 45 year musical history. Who could say no to that? I wasted no time inviting a fellow MJ fan to accompany me and together we discussed the difficult choice producers must have had to whittle down the hits to fit into a single show.

 The song choices did not disappoint. Over the 2 ½ hour show, we were treated to renditions of Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal, Billie Jean, Thriller and so many more (although sadly for me, there was no pint-sized singer’s version of Ben).

There were moments of brilliance. Britain’s Sean Christopher wowed the audience with his moonwalk and trademark MJ moves, making the audience believe they could have been watching Michael Jackson himself. Fellow Britain Alex Buchanan was unbelievable, his performance of “Beat It” earning him a standing ovation.  Despite my initial reservation of a female performer, Aussie’s own Prinnie Stevens did an exceptional job.

There were some moments that left me feeling as though I was watching an episode of Glee. Too much cheesiness, uninspiring choreography and an over-the-top version of Dirty Diana from Australia’s Mig Ayesa detracted (albeit momentarily) from the overall wonder of the show.

The band, led by John Maher, was incredible, and I appreciated the way the production allowed band members to shine front of stage. It’s not often you get to see the musicians during a musical show, and their integration was great. 

My highlight was seeing that anti-gravity leaning dance move from Smooth Criminal. 

Thriller Live is a highly engaging show with all the right ingredients for a great night out. Audience participation is encouraged and the crowd spent much of the night dancing in their seats.  My friend and I left the theatre inspired to dig out our old albums and listen to the show hits and those that didn’t make the cut. 

Thriller Live is playing in Sydney for just three weeks. Don’t miss your chance, buy your tickets here. 

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage

When Dirty Dancing hit the screens in 1987, I wasn’t allowed to see it. At 13 years of age, my parents deemed it too risque, and it wasn’t until it was released on VHS that I got to watch it at a friend’s house. I sat glued to the TV set, the coming of age story capturing my imagination and my heart. Patrick Swayze replaced John Travolta as the man of my dreams and I dreamed of a love story like Johnny and Baby’s.

In 2004 I saw Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage during it’s worldwide premiere season in Sydney. Kym Valentine played the gawky 17 year old Baby and her chemistry with Josef Brown as Johnny was tangible. The set was simple, the songs were magical, although somewhere along the line I had missed that this stage show was not a musical. I expected the leads to sing, and was disappointed when they didn’t. It tainted my view of the show for years to follow.

Recently I had the opportunity to see it again, 10 years after the original debut. Over the years the show has adapted and grown and so have I. Rather than lament the fact the leads don’t sing, I embraced the show for what it was – a nostalgic walk down memory lane and a new way to appreciate the original movie. I shared it with a good friend of the same “vintage” as me.

Kirby Burgess was brilliant as Baby, delivering most of the comic moments in the film. Watching her clumsily learn to dance was a highlight,  her true dancing ability masked by her over exaggerated steps. Her passion and enthusiasm is infectious, and she shone as the star of the show.

Kurt Phelan is clearly an accomplished dancer and does Swayze proud in the dance numbers, but I longed to see more chemistry between him Kirby. I missed seeing those vulnerable moments in Johnny that made Baby fall for him, which I guess is the hazard of a stage production vs the intimacy of a movie screen.



These moments of wishing for the movie were more than compensated by the “musical” additions to the stage show, particularly Mark Vincent singing “In The Still of The Night” as Billy.

There are new scenes not seen in the movie which add a new feel to an old favourite, but the story remains largely true to the film with scenes you know and love re-enacted live. The atmosphere in the theatre is electric.

Like the rest of the audience, we cheered when Johnny delivered his line "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" and when Baby masters the lift in the final dance. We thrilled at the memories of 1987, and the dream of meeting a dance instructor like Johnny on a family holiday. (I went to a caravan on the South Coast every Summer and I never once gave up hoping).

Overall, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage is a lot of fun. If you are anything like me and have a soft spot for the movie it is definitely worth the ticket. The story is timeless, the music is uplifting and the time spent in 1963 makes me long for a simpler time (backyard abortions and fights for civil rights aside!).

Grab a girlfriend and go see it. You may just have “The Time Of Your Life” (of course I had to say it!). and then want to watch the movie again