It's that time of year again where I go to London, watch a million
shows, and then tell people all about them.
The five shows I saw this week are: The Book of Mormon, Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory, Once, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
(see... not a musical, I'm well cultured, me), and Matilda, which I saw once
last year.
NB: There may be spoilers. You have been warned!
Let's start with The Book of Mormon. Now, to get tickets to this
show, we basically had to sell our kidneys. If you're lucky enough to get
tickets directly from the theatre, then you may actually be a wizard. The show
is hugely popular: a lottery is done every day and lucky winners get tickets to
the show. The losers? Well, they have to go find something less outrageous than
this musical, written by the same twisted minds that gave us South Park and
Team America: World Police.
The theatre itself, The Prince of Wales, is a beautiful theatre.
Previously home to Mamma Mia! (which tells you why I've never been inside before
as we caught it in Cardiff while it toured the globe), this theatre is spotless
and bright, much unlike most other West End theatres. Our seats were in the
circle closest to the sky, but we did not have awful seats (remember: we had to
sell kidneys and other innards to obtain tickets to this show). It opens in
Salt Lake City, USA - and it's all downhill after that! Elder Price (Gavin
Creel) and Elder Cunningham (played wonderfully by "stand-by" David
O'Reilly) are sent on a mission (not that kind of mission) to deepest, darkest
Africa, where the residents of the village they are plonked down into are
disillusioned, downbeat and, as they sing, "we all have AIDS" (yes,
we've heard that one before, Team America!). The villagers are eccentric characters
that speak their minds and swear quite openly, much to the horror of our young
Elders. The other missionaries are also disheartened that their efforts have
not yet paid off. Elder Price is convinced God has another plan for him - to be
sent to Orlando (his favourite place which, also, is sung about). After an
argument with oddball Elder Cunningham (who reminded me of Josh from Nick
sitcom "Drake and Josh"), Price leaves, breaking rule 72 of not
leaving your brother on his own, and Cunningham must teach the villagers the
stories and morals of Mormons. Except, he's never actually read the Book of
Mormon, and so he makes it up. He incorporates his own likes - science fiction
- to embellish the stories he tells the villagers. Credit must go to the entire
company for maintaining the energy needed for such a fast-paced, shocking show.
The contrast of the clean-cut Mormons and the hardened African villagers is
portrayed wonderfully. There is also a darker story behind the fear of the
villagers - the General is looking for young women to castrate - which shows
that the show has a hint of seriousness to it too. Overall verdict is this: If
you loved Avenue Q, you will surely think this is a big step up! Forget puppets
- it's all about Mormons now!
Forget the off-the-wall Matilda. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
was a beautiful production. Set nowhere in particular (but it can be assumed
UK, thanks to the accents), we first meet Charlie sat on a rubbish heap, where
he collects things that are "Almost Nearly Perfect". A sweet
youngster who always puts others ahead of himself, Charlie is obsessed with all
things Wonka. Nigel Planer plays the affectionate, story-telling Grandpa Joe,
and Douglas Hodge plays a wacky but caring Wonka that doesn't creep me out as
much in real life as he did in the photos (I think they were heavily
Photoshopped, that's all I can say). The other ticket-winning children are a
complete contrast to Charlie - spoilt, loud, colourfully dressed and rarely do
as they are told. This is the lesson that Wonka is keen for us all to learn -
disobedient, rude children always get what they deserve in the end. As brattish
and irritating as they were, all the children involved in the production were
hugely talented. The dreariness of the first half is a perfect contrast to the
bright sets of the second act, where we are immersed into Wonka's bizarre
factory, full of Oompa-Loompas that sing, a TV screen you can take chocolate
out of, and a room full of squirrels that end up throwing one of the vile
youngsters into the "bad nut" chute. A production that has something
for everyone, including a Great Glass Elevator that takes Charlie and Wonka out
over the audience, it is a feel-good show for the whole family.
The next production we saw was Once. This is a show I knew
virtually nothing about – not the story, the music or the concept, apart from
it was a film that won an award for Best Original Song at some point in time
and is now a hugely successful stage show. I would rather call this a “play with
music and singing” than a musical, as all of the songs are sung for a reason,
as opposed to people bursting out into song as they would in, say, Phantom or
Legally Blonde. The entire cast are able to play their own instruments
beautifully, with many playing more than one at different points of the show.
Centred around “Guy” and “Girl” (whose names we never learn), the show takes
place over roughly a week. The guy meets the girl by chance – he’s busking and
about to abandon music and the painful memories behind the songs he wrote;
she’s walking by and convinces him to fix her vacuum cleaner (that’s what he
does as a job, it’s not just random!). Eventually, he gets to know her and she
convinces him to pursue his dream – go to New York to sing, and to find his
ex-girlfriend. The leading characters were played wonderfully by Stuard Ward
and Zrinka Cvitesié who, like the rest of the cast, accompanied their own
singing. The set was that of an Irish pub, and the festivities began before the
show itself – the cast entered and began playing as though jamming and calling
out requests to one another. Irish/Celtic folk music was played, as well as
Bavarian-type music (this all became clear why – half the characters are
Czech). The audience is even allowed on stage before the performance and during
the interval to buy a drink from the bar (which you get in your very own “Once”
plastic cup – to keep!) The will they/won’t they storyline grips you
completely, especially as the Girl selflessly helps the Guy to pursue his dreams,
even though she falls in love with him after a short time together. The
supporting ensemble showed off their minor characters too, with each one
bringing an element of comedy to this poignant story, as well as their talents
as musicians. This is a beautiful and different show (especially for people who
don’t “do” musicals) with a folk feel, beautiful singing and a very emotional
journey.
Now. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a book
that I read during my early teens. It is seemingly written by a young boy, who
has been told he has to write a story for part of a school project. Except this
youngster has difficulty making things up, and so writes about things that
actually happen to him. The reason he cannot “make something up” is that he has
Asperger’s Syndrome. This is a fast-paced production (not a musical, may I
add!) that really captures traits of the disability really well – the scenes at
the train stations (first Swindon, then Paddington and eventually on a Tube
train) were done phenomenally well, showing the audience the anxiety and the
stress that the main character feels while being in these rather busy and
unfamiliar places, by increasing the noise/music level and the behaviour of
others around him. Christopher, the main character, was portrayed excellently
by Johnny Gibbon, and the supporting cast showed the extent to which those
around him are able to deal with and understand his needs, from his own parents
to the impatient strangers at the Tube station. It was Gibbon’s character that
really shone, however, as the minute details of a person who does suffer with
autism were handled sensitively and realistically on stage, from his dislike of
being touched to his fixation on getting his book back (because he had to write
the story for school), despite a more serious situation occurring around him.
The set itself was very basic. The floor and walls appeared to be chalkboard,
which enabled Christopher and his love of maths to create drawings on, and had
various compartments throughout which props were pulled out of. There were
elements of humour within the show too, with Christopher telling the characters
off because they did something incorrectly or telling different people they
were now portraying a different character. I could go on about how impressed I
was by this production, but the fact that it has won awards and critical
acclaim should satisfy most of you. I was also fortunate enough to win a badge!
Some seats in the audience were covered over and had an instruction on them –
because Christopher is a keen and able mathematician, the seats that were
“prime numbers” invited audience members to take part in a challenge. If your
name added up (by their formula) to a prime number, you could win a prize. 139!
I received a smiley face badge. Would I recommend this for everyone? No. There
is some strong language in it (particularly the opening line “What the fuck
have you done to my dog?” or thereabouts) and themes that a younger audience
may not quite understand, but it is certainly a gripping production that I’m
sure will run for quite some time.
The final production we caught was Matilda. After last year, we
were left feeling uncertain if it was as good a production as it had been hyped
up to be, and so we gave it a second chance. After taking our seats pretty much
on stage (row A, right next to the stairs that go onto the stage), we were
immersed into the strange world of Matilda and the characters that she meets,
from her oddball family, her kind and encouraging but timid teacher, and the
terrifying bully Trunchbull (played by Charles Brunton on this particular
evening). We are also plunged into the story that Matilda sees in her head and
shares with the librarian, where an acrobat and an escapologist are married,
and perform one final trick before the birth of their daughter. The whole thing
is a colourful spectacle, with amazing one-liners and actors running up and
down the aisles and popping up in the boxes. Having seen it before, I was fully
aware of the structure, the characters and the set, but having a seat so close
to the show really made a difference as we were able to concentrate solely on
the action. I was even leaned on at one point by a young cast member who
thought I was a chair as he made his way up the stairs before the School Song!
I was also heckled by Mr Wormwood (played by Mark Goldthorp) who asked the
adults in the audience to put their hands up if they’d ever read a book – and
then told me “No, I said adults, put your hand down”…! I’m in my twenties,
thankyouverymuch sir!
All in all, each production we saw was of the highest quality,
with a fantastic cast and brilliant sets and music. If I had to pick a single
favourite, I would be hard pressed and worried about offending anyone, because
everything we saw was superb in its own way.
Funniest (but potentially the most inappropriate): The Book of
Mormon
Family feel-good: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Unique: Once
Best actors: The Curious Incident…
Greatest songs: Matilda
