Evening all!

In the time since I last updated this blog, several major things have happened to me. Just to name one, a friend of mine and I met Benedict Cumberbatch. Now, if anyone – and I literally mean ANYONE – had said to me “you know who you’ll meet in 2011…wait for it…that actor Benedict Cumberbatch”, I’d have told them to sod off with their outrageous claims but, as I’ve learnt from the last year or so, anything is possible if you’re in the right place at the right time.

Okay so ‘right place, right time’ seems to put rather a dampener on my whole outlook when it comes to meeting people I admire so I’m not going to say that in this case. I’m rather putting it down to luck actually. I was lucky that, since Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch were exchanging the roles of Victor Frankenstein and The Creature in Danny Boyle’s recent adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in a stint at the National Theatre in London, JLM was playing the Creature on that particular day. There…all this ‘right place, right time’ stuff quickly goes out the window when I think of how easily the roles could have been reversed. Divine Intervention sounds better anyway.

Since knowing of Benedict’s performances in Amazing Grace, Starter For 10 and Atonement, there is no denying that he should be praised far more highly than he is. After the BBC adaptation Sherlock, it was clear that he’d finally found a place to receive the critical acclaim that he has long deserved. His work in Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein brought tears to my eyes and was the tip of the iceberg for me – though he had nothing to prove.

Getting to London was easy. THAT train, THAT boat and THAT train again. Nothing too complicated and, since working out that the tickets would only have been on sale for 20 minutes – as day seats were the only ones available after the sold out run – we thought we’d be fine…

We thought wrong.

There’s no knowing how long everyone in the queue had been waiting there or how long the line had been but, and I think it’s safe to say this as a universal thing, when you and one of your best friends end up at the very end of said line and after the first 5 minutes the lady on the speaker says “standing tickets only for Frankenstein“, you know you’re pretty much screwed. So keeping up the positive banter of “oh don’t worry, we’ll get a ticket no problem” and “I’m sure not everyone will want to stand up, oh look there’s some people leaving the line right now”, things weren’t looking good. As jobs go, there are only a few that I really wouldn’t want. The obvious ones I think you can probably imagine but I think the one I don’t envy anyone for having is ‘the one when you have to tell the people at the back of the line that they’re not going to get into the show they want to see because all the tickets are sold’. But there she was. That poor girl.

So after having the plan smooshed back in our faces, there were only a few things to do. A FEW?! This was London! After buying several programmes for the production – and having a strange look thrown at us from the girl behind the desk when we said we didn’t actually get tickets but were buying programmes anyway (I’m sure it’s happened to many people before) – we set off towards the only place we knew really REALLY well…Covent Garden. Yes, I know, having a rather sheltered knowledge of London town isn’t such a good idea to go sight-seeing with but at least I wasn’t on my own.

*If I was on my own, I doubt I’d have bought the GERMAN version of the guild book…she knows who she is.*

Up to Covent Garden we trudged. Around the stalls of God-only-knew-what and a bit of tactical swerving of waiters later – not counting that embarrassing incident when I made that ‘whooooooo’ sound right in the face of one – we had gotten our guild book and were on our way to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and ‘that bench that was used in Sherlock’. Okay so it was by happy coincidence that we found the bench but I have to say, it really brightened up the day.

Just a bench. A bench…

Seeing Westminster Abbey and Big Ben for the first time up close, I was having the time of my life. I honestly couldn’t think of anywhere better to be than on the streets of London, in the sunshine with one of my best friends. I wouldn’t even have chosen to stand at the back of the National for 2 hours…well maybe there was a nagging feeling at the back of my mind but as soon as it reared it’s ugly head, something else would show up and astound me. Like the Tweed rally. I won’t go into details but, basically, just a load of people in Tweed were riding bikes past Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Alright, alright, I was pretty amazed. Gobsmacked might be better actually. I was gobsmacked that so many people had come out, dressed in full costume, on such a hot day to support something.

Thankfully we didn’t get bored enough to start a game of ‘which businessman looks the most businessman-like’ but things were beginning to get tedious as, after spying a man fumbling through everyone’s bags before letting them enter WA, we decided against that idea. Not that we had anything to hide…but the idea of that guy seeing all the empty Mini Cheddar packets in my bag really didn’t grab me as one I’d like to explore. So the Abbey was out; which was a shame because after seeing it host the Royal Wedding on the cusp of last month, I thought it was rather pretty inside. Plus it meant we couldn’t stand in there and sing Climb Every Mountain from The Sound of Music.

Now would be the time when I’d normally but the bold sub-heading of ‘Meeting Benedict’ but I’m not going to this time. This was one of the most special moments of my life so far and I truly believe that I have been blessed with it.

After spending an hour or so watching people oh-so-nearly treading in a rather conveniently placed dog turd – yes, I know what you’re thinking, it amused us – I couldn’t stop thinking about what was to come. My stomach had committed itself to handstanding and I had this huge fear I might open my mouth and vomit on perhaps the greatest actor of our age. Then we saw a couple of people coming around from the front of the building and waiting by the Stage Door – the one that we HADN’T spied out earlier in the day after finding out we couldn’t get tickets – so we went to join them. A small group of us formed and some feeling of something came over me then. I wouldn’t say it was guilt but we hadn’t actually SEEN the show that day. I had experience both of the National Theatre Live screenings so I had technically seen it but it felt half-hearted.  Strange feeling aside, the Biro and programmes we at hand.

Many of the latecomers to the group – a party of Americans – speculated that perhaps he wasn’t coming out. By ‘he’ I assumed they meant Benedict. This made me question whether they actually realised that it was an ENSEMBLE piece. Okay so I’ll admit it, I was mostly there for Benedict but I would have loved to have met Johnny Lee Miller and the rest of the cast, especially Cumberbatch’s former co-star of Small Island Naomie Harris. I began to agree with them, ever so slightly, as time wore on and nobody appeared but then, in classic English style ‘fashionably’ (I would say ‘late’ but it was probably for the best that he took some time out after the show, if only briefly before leaving the theatre)…with ‘fashionable timing’, Benedict Cumberbatch emerged from the Theatre. I have never seen ANYTHING of the like IN MY LIFE before. The small, rather simmering group that we were seemed to transform momentarily into a swarming horde of bees around a nest. It was chaos. With bustling from the right and bustling from the left…you get the picture and, not meaning to sound AT ALL rude or politically incorrect but those Americans needed to take a leaf out of our book and wait. There were pens and programmes being thrust his way and people pushing and shoving and, after the rather peculiar and surreal scene of a man (on his stag ‘do’) dressed as Superman, holding a blow-up car out to Benedict Cumberbatch, things couldn’t get worse. Then they did…or so we thought.

As he’d made his way across the groups of people, Benedict had asked everyone their name and added, I’m assuming because he’s written it on mine, ‘Thank You’ before autographing it and ending with a ‘x’. I thought this was really touching and a thoughtful gesture, considering the amount of energy he clearly didn’t have after the show. We were close enough to him when he announced, in a weakening voice “this is the last one”. Now, for me, this couldn’t have come at a worse time. I had promised a friend back home, who was ill at that point, his autograph and I really thought he meant he wouldn’t sign anymore but thankfully, and to my everlasting relief, he carried on. By this point, the strength was clearly waning.  He was getting confused over letters and names were coming out wrong and, as it came to my turn I felt obliged to help him out; (it went SOMETHING like this)

“What’s your name?” He said. “Katie. K-A-T-I-E.” I said. “Bless you” he said.

I was stunned at that point. It was just really a reflex that I do all the time. After having a ‘y’ added to my name so often, it’s become like second nature. So he signed mine, his hand was shaking, and I really nicely – not wanting to miss my chance to get this – asked him to sign one for my ill friend.

“Could you possibly sign the second one to, and I know this is going to sound really corny, but could you sign it ‘To Watson’, please?” I said. He was concentrating but a split second later he said, “what?” It was the sort of ‘what?’ that you get when someone honestly thinks you’re taking the wee-wee but in a really serious way. He didn’t even look up from sorting out the second programme as I explained, “yeah, it’s been her nickname for years…*THINKTHINKTHINK* and she’s not very well at the moment, could you possibly write her a ‘get well soon’ please?” There, I said it. I SAID IT…to Benedict Cumberbatch. So he wrote ‘To Watson, get better soon.’ But that’s not all, oh no, I was going to take this opportunity to tell him how much I admired him. As I had – honestly – watched Amazing Grace a couple of days before I told him. “I saw you in Amazing Grace a couple of days ago,” I said. He looked up and directly at me with a smile on his face as if to say “someone has seen something I did BEFORE I did Sherlock! Huzzah!” “Oh yes?” He asked. “You were incredible in it, I just *THINKTHINKTHINK* wept… (with hands sliding down face in a comical manor and everything) my heart just *THINKTHINKTHINK* broke. It was incredible.” I told him, not noticing that he was writing more on the second programme. “Awww *sympathetically* I’m sorry *sympathetic light laugh*” he replied, before handing back the two programmes and the pen. THEN even as he turned to the next person, he came back to me and asked, “Watson isn’t seriously ill?” (Now HERE was the very opportunity I should have abused…but I couldn’t) “No, don’t worry, she’s only got the cold bug that’s going around.” *Opportunity LOST* *Immediate Facepalm*

Lending the pen to my friend, I got out of there a little. Opening the programmes, to savour the ‘first look’ feeling, I spied that in Watson’s he had written ‘To Watson, get better soon. Hope you have as good a doctor as Sherlock does. Benedict Cumberbatch x’. I really couldn’t have asked for anything better. We did hang about for JLM but, as I have recently read, it takes 2 hours to put the make-up of the Creature on so thinking back on it now, I not surprised he didn’t venture down.

All in all, it was a brilliant day and I wouldn’t have traded that experience (shared with my best buddy) for the world.

Katie x

Afternoon all,

Since seeing Les Miserables for the very first time just yesterday, a few valuable lessons have been learned. First of which is; make sure your Valjean doesn’t sound like a suffocating sparrow. Second; meet Norm Lewis and Killian Donnelly after the show. Both were lovely guys and couldn’t be more please to autograph programmes and get pictures.

The Show Itself

After experiencing the near-perfect casting of the 25th Anniversary show of Les Miserables at the O2 – and knowing that plenty of cast members treading the boards at The Queen’s had taken part – I was expecting my first time seeing Mis to be spectacular. In some ways it didn’t disappoint but in others, I just couldn’t ‘turn that frown upside-down’ as they say.

From my seat in the Circle, I could have seen most of the stage were it not for the lower rows leaning forward. Ignoring this fact, I found the excitement increasing as the lights dimmed and the show began. Now, as performers go, in the West End, normally you would expect leads – my experience being Ramin Karimloo (POTO and LND), Alfie Boe (LM 25th) and James Loye from the musical version of The Lord of the Rings – to be strong of voice, their actions precise and their knowledge of the character to be second to none. Simon Bowman, who was playing Jean Valjean, left quite a bit to be desired.

His voice was raspy and his acting could have been mistaken for a school production of this legendary musical. So, I felt the emotion in ‘he’s like the son I might have known’ but, aside from that, the frailty – even early on, when Valjean is supposed to be a strong young man – had me wondering what on Earth I was doing there. As the story progressed and Gareth Gates appeared as a wonderful Marius – as much as the character already annoys me with his blindness – and Samantha Barks with her incredible Eponine, my feelings towards watching slowly began to change. Killian Donnelly was a super Enjolras, bringing an amazing voice to the character and another great reason for being there. Norm Lewis was an inspiring Inspector Roy Javert and, as I’d seen him in the O2 production, I knew he was going to bring plenty of much-needed ‘kick’ to the show. When both Norm and Killian were on-stage, it was difficult to see who was the better performer; they were both Alphas.

With ‘One Day More’ approaching, signifying the end of the first half, I knew only good things were to come. Samantha Barks’ ‘On My Own’, after the interval, was stunning – as it had been at the O2 – and, in the smaller theatre, when it came to Gavroche’s death, they actually played it out. I wasn’t quite prepared for the shock of it and found tears rimming my eyes throughout that small section. When the students at the barricade started up with ‘Drink With Me’, I was conditioned to seeing Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser’s Enjolras and Grantaire ‘moment’ and I think it’s safe to say that Killian and Martin Neely (who played Grantaire) knew what their characters were feeling.

Also missed out in the O2 concert was Enjolras’ death scene. The guns went off and, in a last ditch effort, Killian waved the huge crimson flag and then fell forward; over the front of the barricade. I was prepared for how the scene would play out, from seeing it in the 10th Anniversary Concert, but actually seeing Killian upside-down and covered in blood, I shed a tear or two. The rest seemed to go in a blur of head-voices, a suicide, a marriage and a symbolic death.

It was an enjoyable show but I would wait for the cast change – Alfie Boe as Valjean, Matt Lucas as Thenardier and Hadley Fraser as Javert – before going a second time.

x

Evening all,

So with the snow and icy conditions that plagued England, I had my doubts as to whether I would make it to this gig but thankfully someone ‘up there’ must have been on my side…

Before the gig

Finding the Travelodge just out of Waterloo was difficult enough and after struggling across Waterloo Bridge twice with a friend’s luggage from uni, we found the place. Finding the Waterloo East Theatre was another matter entirely. After several desperate phone calls, begging for directions (more so than I should like to disclose), we finally found the theatre. The line was tiny so we left to get chips…the night was setting in fast and the freezing wind of London in December really didn’t make us happy bunnies. Plus the fact that the third member of the party was yet to arrive…

The doors to the Waterloo East Theatre were closed for a good 20 minutes longer than promised and a few curses were spoken undeniably from the cold weather and the promise of a 6:30pm opening time. Still, when the doors did open, there was much rejoicing but the small foyer afforded little space to move. A slight surprise occurred when the main man, Hadley Fraser bustled between us, talking on the phone. Felt a lot like Tracy Turnblad when he bumped me…

With 5 minutes to go until the show began we were allowed in and the three of us had thankfully all made it. With a small gap between people’s heads, I considered my view to be thoroughly impeded but such was life…I’d find out it was the best seat in the house a little later on.

The gig itself

With a mixture of music genres to keep the audience entertained, Hadley guided us through several performances by himself and his friends. It all kicked off with a rather hilarious Christmas song by Hadley himself and then the first of his many talented acts took to the stage…her name was Ceili O’Connor…AKA ‘Undercover Dorothy’. There was a great tale behind the nickname. As Hadley is – at the moment – doing Panto in Cardiff, where (and I quote) ‘everyone has reached the point of exhaustion, from the 700 performances each day’, he was asked by one of the deliriously tired co-stars,who must have gotten confused between ‘cover’ and ‘understudy’; “are you the undercover Brian Conley?” Thus the nickname ‘Undercover…’ was born.

Ceili was stunning. With her vocals hitting an incredible range and her style being of quite a classic sort, I enjoyed her performances. With a bubbly personality, I was quite sad that she only sang two numbers. Following her were a string of other spectacular performers; Warwick Lobban – who blew me away with his acoustic rendition of ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’, Stuart Matthew Price – whose voice was truly as Hadley put it ‘lent by God for his duration on this planet’, Sophie Smith – who gave her own jazz rendition of My Foolish Heart (a song which I had previously heard Hadley sing) and then duetted with Hadley on a Christmas tune from Charlie Brown’s Christmas, Rosalie Craig – whose acoustic abilities and voice, alongside Jess on violin, sent shivers down my spine and finally Ramin Karimloo as they united to fill out the gig with their own material as their new and stunning band, Sheytoons.

Far from the quiet acoustic sounds of Lauderdale House – well I say ‘quiet’, I doubt it’s possible with these boys – Hadley and Ramin had come fully prepared this time. With amplified acoustics, a double bass, violin, piano and drums, there was little chance of anyone not hearing their incredible music. Beginning the hoedown with Wings – one of my personal favourites – the gig could only get better. It was a much fuller and earthlier sound than the two guitars/violin rendition from before and with some off the cuff experimentation this song went down an utter treat.

It was then I believed I had the best seat in the house. Strangely enough, between heads, somehow a gap had formed and a clear view through the crowd had left Ramin right in my line of sight. This is the second time I have been fortunate enough to have been blessed with this situation; at the Lauderdale House gig this happened also. Although it was far from the front row, seeing everything to be seen, I felt like something strangely special was happening here…

Losing, Heading West and Driftwood were to follow, bringing us up to the surprise that was Ramin singing a solo. Now, having seen and heard him belt out Love Never Dies’ Til I Hear You Sing many times, I knew he had the confidence and presence to hold his own but Lonely was one of the most revealing looks into a man’s soul I have heard. Might sound corny but it was some of the most inspired songwriting and one of the most powerfully vulnerable performances I have seen. It was then that I could truly appreciate my seat…The only hindrance or bad thing, was the train rolling overhead every so often; ironically enough, most of the time, it was during a break in the singing.

So, after that emotional ride, another of my favourite songs – Broken – was on the way and with the double bass, it sounded close to perfection. With harmonies down to a tee, there is always something special about hearing this song live and this time did not disappoint. With added semi-acapella parts, it was just stunning. Steal Our Moments was the final addition to the set but not before an Elton John gag had been pulled. The banter between best-friends Hadley and Ramin is just golden! The story goes like this…

After inviting Rosalie back on stage to sing an further harmony part in Heading West, the piano had been left without a stool and as ‘gentlemanly’ as Hadley wasn’t in not getting it for her, he wasn’t going to take it back! So he had to perform this song standing up, trying to lean across the microphone to see and reach the higher keys of the piano. He said he was going to attempt it ‘Step Into Christmas style’ – Elton impression and everything…Ramin pulls his mic closer and says pretty plainly…’who’s that supposed to be?’ (Or words to that effect) bringing the house into a fit of giggles.

The gig finished on a nice Christmassy tune – one which is slightly cringe-worthy but fun nonetheless – Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade.

After the gig

Talking to Ramin in the foyer of the theatre, he smiled (having met previously) and offered me one of the marvellous band badges, which I was honoured to have. I didn’t really know what to say to him. After hearing Lonely I was just lost for words and, knowing that he probably wrote that on his own steam, it struck me dumb to be in such company.

Meeting Hadley Fraser was such a pleasure. Breaking the ice with a great big bear-hug, Hadley dives straight into conversation, asking how far I had travelled to be there. After telling him, he seemed all the more appreciative of my support; I could only tell him the truth…that I would pretty much go wherever to hear Sheytoons performing. After explaining that I had missed him after the Lauderdale House gig, he apologised..! I was stunned. He had no reason to be sorry, so I apologised aswell and we talked a little more about the band and I asked for a picture with him. He was more than happy to do it. Here’s to the next Sheytoons gig! 10/10!

Hope ya’ll enjoyed that. Katie x

Evening all,

So, after seeing the ‘original’ Love Never Dies a total of 5 times, I just knew I had to see it again after the major changes had been made. So, on Saturday December 11th, I took another trip to Coney Island.

Before the show

I guess it would be safe to say that standing on the corner of the Stage Door of the Adelphi is a good idea..providing that leading man Ramin Karimloo’s dressing room light isn’t on. As I waited, many many people passed and as the only idea of whether the first floor dressing room light was on was the reflection in the cafe window opposite, I didn’t hold out much hope. Then, from the corner of my eye, Adam Pearce (who plays Squelch) turned the corner and waved at someone, who carried on straight down the road. Undeniably it was Ramin. The minutes passed slowly and I began to wonder if perhaps he’d skipped out of entering the Stage Door and decided to go in the main theatre entrance but then he came back around the corner..coffee cup in hand. Now, to say the least, after meeting him twice previously, I knew his good nature but I never – not even in my wildest dreams – expected him to wave at me first. Yet, as I stood there, Ramin looked up, saw me, smiled widely and waved. After a small exchange of “hi” and “how are you?”, we chatted a little about Sheytoons and then he had to dash. Not without shouting over his shoulder “see you after the show!”

But that is not all…

As I stood, practically frozen to the spot, the window directly above me slid half open and Ramin began his usual warm ups. Then, out of the blue, he began to sing Sheytoons songs and play guitar. It was such a special moment. After getting that private concert of Wings, Driftwood and Steal Our Moments, I knew it would only get better. Time passed and other members of the cast trickled in. Joseph Millson was least recognisable..with two or three coffee cups and Madame Giry by his side; but I wished him a good show to which he replied “thank you very much.” Ramin’s understudy, Mr Tam Mutu was the last cast member I recognised. After that, it was show time…

The Changes ***SPOILERS***

The entire prologue from the original show is now gone. Replaced instead but the image of the Paris Opera House burning..on spins a cheesy newspaper headline effect “Paris Opera House Burns”, followed by another reading “Masked Impresario Presumed Dead” (or words to that effect). Now, compared to the old version, this seemed extremely abrupt and had me wondering what Andrew Lloyd-Webber had done…Then Ramin came on and sang his big number Til I Hear You Sing which never fails to impress me. I thought it rather threw the audience in at the deep end though; putting such a big number so early in the show. Next came the sort of  ‘memory’ part. It rather reminded me of The History Boys a little. All the characters came on, Madame Giry taking the helm, Meg following behind her, Fleck, Gangle and Squelch behind her…all rather eerily lit; I was half expecting them to say their names and what happened to them…

So, after singing and dancing their way through Only For You the ensemble broke, leaving Meg and her mother on the stage. It became the ‘backstage’ area (as seen during the song Dear Old Friend) and the pair read the newspaper headlines about Christine being brought to the Metropolitan Opera House by Mr Hammerstein…this I rather disliked. It didn’t really seemed to fit very well. Christine was rather thrust into the story whereas before the Phantom sang about bringing her back to him (as heard in Giry Confronts The Phantom/Til I Hear You Sing Reprise). Still, I was intrigued by the new lyrics and how much more light this scene shed upon Meg. She saw Christine’s coming to American as a good thing. She missed how they used to dance together at the Paris Opera. Taking all this negative feedback I have been giving, I believe this scene was a good idea in some capacity…it gave Meg more depth and helped me to understand how her state of mind evolved as the musical went on.

Christine departed, as usual, with Gustave and Raoul at the port and then I got confused. Christine was employed to sing at the Met. Yet she was asked “why aren’t you singing at the Met?” Turns out, I would find out why I was so confused later, when everything was explained to me. The former Mister Y – now Mr H – still sends his merry Trio to collect the Soprano and her family yet Squelch, Gangle and Fleck are now all in black and for reasons unimaginable to me, Squelch is required to do a spinning dance like a small child who is learning ballet. The magic with Raoul’s cane still amazes me though. Cut to the second use of the Indiana Jones Map effect and Christine, Raoul and Gustave are in the hotel room. Gustave now plays the small piano part which used to be Christine’s; to which Raoul replies “it hurts my head”. I thought they made a rather bad job of disguising the fact that Gustave was clearly musical. Raoul receives a telegram from their host Mr H and dashes off to the bar to meet him. Gustave and Christine are left alone and sing Look With Your Heart but end with a rather disappointing hug; no sweet dancing to be seen…

Thus begins the huge set of Beneath A Moonless Sky and Once Upon Another Time. Now I have always been in agreement with many others about the fact that Christine says the words “that night” as if she needs to be reminded. I’m glad they cut that little section; as if she would have forgotten something like that! I am always eager to see the passion between the Phantom and Christine during BAMS but this time…Phantom got grabby! Ramin was fierce and as Celia backed up to the sofa – which had been pretty much ignored previously – he pulled her right to him. It was a rather apt use of the line “again and then again” I thought. Then the sadness struck; the realism of what the Phantom had felt. As Ramin lowered Celia onto the couch and began his next few lines (“and when it was done…”), the utter heartache of his mistake shone through. It was the first time I had truly felt his pain in that song.

Then Gustave came in screaming about his nightmare; as usual. After that, things went a little sour. The changes have made the Phantom a much worse person than he used to be. The wager should have stayed between Raoul and the Phantom yet now, Gustave is brought into it for being such a “perfect specimen”. Now posing as Hammerstein, the Phantom barters Gustave’s freedom on Christine singing for him…if she sings, she leaves with Gustave; if she doesn’t, he stays at Coney…eternally. Ummm…I really wasn’t sure about this…but it did incorporate a motif from the original show, which made me smile. It was one of the most touching and heartbreaking parts of the original show, when Christine first removes the Phantom’s mask; he calms and begins to sing Stranger Than You Dreamt It. That was a nice addition, with altered lyrics. The Phantom takes his leave, Raoul returns and the show goes on.

Now Dear Old Friend has always been one of my favourite songs in the show because of Sierra and Summer’s hilarious reactions and Joseph’s great timing and this time it didn’t disappoint. What with the addition of Meg’s earlier scene, showing her excitement for Christine’s arrival, the betrayal was even more evident once she found out that Christine was to sing the aria and not her. Some lyric changes have been made but all for the best. Gustave is taken by Fleck, Gangle and Squelch, just like before and we’re greeted by another projection…only this time the voice over is the original part – sang by the Trio – instead of the old new part sang by the Phantom. This made me rather sad, I thought that was a good little bit.

Ok! Beautiful and The Beauty Underneath. It felt very uncomfortable this time around. The Trio arrived and then just didn’t leave. I thought this was supposed to be the moment when the Phantom realised he shared a special bond with this child, something for only the two of them to experience but it would seem not…The Trio hung around, not really saying or doing much…just seemed to be littering the stage…Ramin’s “What’s this?” and “go on” were not as I expected either. They are normally soft and inquisitive yet this time, they were a bit flat. I suppose they were less feeling because he is only keeping the child as collateral at this point in the newest version. The realisation of the bond between the Phantom and Gustave was not as evident either, it was rather more ‘played down’ that I would have liked. Christine, followed by Meg this time, finds her way to the top of the tower and finds the pair and the Trio just as the Phantom removes his mask to Gustave. The boy screams “it’s horrible, horrible” as usual and Meg takes him away while the Trio disappear offstage. We get the normal first half of The Phantom Confronts Christine followed by a heartbreaking second half with altered speaking parts. A bargain is made between Christine and the Phantom; Gustave must never know who his true father is. Christine promises never to tell but swears to sing the aria because the song should not go unheard. More new lyrics were implemented and, as the song went on, I could see the two characters moving closer. Ramin’s Phantom was completely incredible; even from so far away, the emotions projected so extraordinarily. Their faces almost touched but Celia pulled away..a stab at the Phantom’s assumption that perhaps Christine was still in love with him.  Madame Giry comes on complaining about everything going to Gustave, after the Phantom leaves. As Madame Giry leaves down the stairs, Meg no longer runs after her, having no longer heard the bitterness of her mother.

Curtain closes…Act II begins…

Two of my favourite moments of the show – Why Does She Love Me? and Devil Take The Hindmost – wer up next and with Ramin and Joseph on, I felt the connection between the two characters like I always have in the past between those two. The mocking and sadistic nature of the Phantom was marvellous and, even though a verse in DTTH has been altered, I still found it enjoyable.

Next came Ladies, Gents/Coney Island Waltz Reprise. This part, in the newest version is rather disappointing. Having promoted the Trio a little more, earlier in the production, they just walk onto the stage – having completely lost the use of the hot-air balloon. There are no longer any Swing members on the beach as Heaven By The Sea Reprise has been completely cut. Meg now comes down in the balloon to sing her revised version of the Vaudeville style Bathing Beauty. Adding men to the song and an almost cringe-worthy dance had me, again, wondering what ALW was thinking of when he changed the production. Somehow though, they managed to get an even smaller beach towel for Meg and removed the umbrellas.

Mother, Did You Watch? was up next and compared to Summer Strallen’s reactions, the understudy was a little out of her depth, I felt. Moving through to Before The Performance I felt that the second half flew by. Perhaps this was because it was more familiar to me. The major change in BTP was one that thoroughly disappointed me; perhaps it was only personally disappointing to me because I am a firm believer in the Phantom’s mysterious nature. As Raoul comes in to talk to Christine – trying in vain to persuade her to come away with him – he open the door of the dressing room; outside there are no lights, no smoke and absolutely no swelling music. He says his piece, kisses Christine (something I missed with the understudy Raoul) and leaves. The change has the lights flickering on Christine’s mirror and then…wait for this…The Phantom…shoots up through the floor…Now, called me old fashioned but I much, much preferred the old new entrance when the door opened, blue light shone in, smoke poured in and swelling music blasted out as the Phantom strode through it and then with a swish of his hand, the door closed behind him…

Devil Take The Hindmost Quartet and Love Never Dies were as normal. Celia had great emotions during the title song. As Raoul left the wings and Christine turned to see the other wing empty, her voice was full to brimming with sadness; something I’d never quite seen with Sierra. The Phantom returns as Ah Christine! begins…BUT WAIT…he now has no flowers to been seen. It seems like they’ve taken out every gentlemanly gesture that the Phantom is so famed for. Cut to the rather Scooby Doo-esque running scene and we enter the final part of the production.

Now I have to say…I believe that if they mixed together the two endings, they would have the perfect combination. Things go down as normal, Christine’s fate is still sealed by the horrid face-palm moment of the Phantom sticking her right in it by telling a gun-wielding Meg “we can’t all be like Christine.” Then it goes completely how I imagined it should have from the beginning. Gustave runs to his mother, asks where his father is and Christine begins to explains to Gustave that his real father is there but the Phantom pleads with her not to tell; reminding her of their deal, to which she replies “you’re all he has left now.” This new section was just perfect, it captured the relationship and the feelings shared by the pair completely. Gustave runs from the stage and the couple are left alone. The normal song is sung and Christine dies…However, this time, the scream expected from the first time I saw this production finally happened. I had always expected the Phantom to let out an Obi-Wan Kenobi style “NO!” but he never did before; this time, it was so powerful…so much so that I must say Obi-Wan was knocked out of the park by Ramin. Gustave returns…with Raoul in hand. This was the change I always felt should have been implemented. I felt Raoul should have come back and when he did, the whole scene became suddenly much more poignant. He makes his way to Christine’s body and leans down to kiss her forehead gently but not before sharing some intensely emotional eye contact with Ramin. The Phantom begins to walk away as Gustave leaves Raoul’s side and takes his hand instead. They hug, just like before and the curtain comes down on both pairs.

I think it could have only been made better if they had kept the mask removing moment from the original ending alongside Raoul leaning over Christine’s body.

Overall, I have to say, it was impressive vocally but it seems like the production should have only just opened, like these changes should be the original version and the old new version should be what it turns into. Just my opinion but it’s quite a confusing muddle of parts now. Final verdict I think has to be…7.5/10

After the show

So, as promised, I waited at the Stage Door for Ramin after the show. Meeting some more people there was great fun. Seeing some other theatre people earlier in the day – namely Danielle Hope (of Over the Rainbow) and the rather less theatre performer Ben Elton – I felt that speaking with Ramin again would be the highlight of the afternoon; which it of course was, don’t get me wrong but standing at the SD of the Adelphi and seeing Josh Groban enter the theatre was rather more surreal.

Ramin came down, as promised and talked to others and signed programmes and had pictures taken before he moved on to the us. I finally mustered up the – it turned out; not needed – courage to ask him to sign my Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Programme, to which he asked why I didn’t ask him before. Turns out he has the programme and the DVD at home but he hasn’t looked through or watched it (respectively). So he began casually flicking through until he found the picture of himself and as I wasn’t looking, signed it as well as the front. I thought that was very sweet of him. Everyone had a great laugh with him as he attempted to put me at ease about my double chin by trying to put one on himself. That experience will stay with me for the rest of my life; just looking up and seeing Ramin Karimloo trying to give himself a double chin…has to go down as one of the most classic moments I have ever had…

Katie x

After seeing The Hangover, I was expecting this to be hilarious…It didn’t disappoint in the least.

With Robert Downey Jr playing Peter, an expectant first-time father who is forced, by side-splittingly funny circumstances to ‘bunk up’ in a car with Ethan “Hollywood” Chase/Tremblay (played by ‘that bearded one from The Hangover‘ – Zach Galifianakis), the laughs were sure to come thick and fast.

Reuniting RDJ and his co-star of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Michelle Monaghan was a really nice idea. The connection between the pair of them was believable and they just looked great together.

So after a road-trip full of mishaps, mayhem and truths…Due Date was a real winner! 10/10

Katie x

As the lights dimmed for the fifth time – for me – of seeing Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s newest musical ‘Love Never Dies’, a certain atmosphere hung in the air. An electricity hit the crowd and flowed throughout the show; the likes of which I haven’t seen in a while..

Before the show

Meeting any performer from the West End stage is inspirational but Ramin Karimloo still reigns the top of my list with his graciousness and honest down-to-Earth personality. With a Tesco bag in hand, he diverted from the Stage Door of the Adelphi with a smile on his face and, planting the bag down squarely at his feet, meant to stay a while. A discussion soon commenced and, after deciding that Cold Mountain would make a great musical someday and that the orcs from Lord of the Rings: The Musical were frightening; whether the performer inside was enjoying it or not, the subject of Sheytoons cropped up in the conversation before, after glancing at his phone, Ramin took off to make-up.

The show itself

Every single show is different…

It was a heavily understudied show; what with Tim Walton (Raoul), Louise Madison (Fleck) and Simon Ray Harvey (Squelch) but they gave their all and gave me another perspective of those characters. Having Ramin and Sierra both performing kept the cemented centre of the show and gave the understudies an individuality to bounce back from. Ramin’s cheeky side shone through in Devil Take The Hindmost and I found myself knowing he was having fun with Tim; much like their characters do (rather more sadistically in show context though).

Emotions ran high once more as Til I Hear You Sing (with it’s wonderful new lyric changes) broke upon us. The level of intensity and standard is constantly being raised by Ramin and everytime, he succeeds in out-doing himself. With an expectation for a belting note, I found myself ever more astonished when a weaker and more vulnerable string of sounds spilled from this incredible man.

Everything about the connection between Christine and Erik (The Phantom/Mister Y) was fulfilled. There’s no denying that the chemistry between these two performers and the characters they play is electrifying and fills the theatre to bursting with honesty. Tim’s performance as Raoul was incredible. It gave another side to the character; one perhaps a little less bitter than Joseph Millson’s but he really stepped up to the plate and received a – well deserved – Standing Ovation.

A very special fifth show. 10/10

Katie x   

Reviews to come soon:

4th March – James Blunt 2011 UK Tour

17th & 24th March – National Theatre’s Frankenstein cinema stream

More dates to come…

Katie x

Good evening all!

Within the very intimate setting of Lauderdale House in London, I find my eyes transfixed upon 2 performers. Hadley Fraser – in a casual blue shirt and grey skinny jeans – seats himself onto a high, metallic stool beside a beautiful piano and picks up his deep red guitar. He introduces his fellow band member, Ramin Karimloo – to whom the audience give a ‘whoop’ and a cheer – and then the magic begins…

Well that was later into the show, to be truthfully honest, I must start at the very beginning.

The Show Itself

Ashleigh Jones was a very strong supporting act. She came out with a bubbly personality, didn’t take herself too seriously and had lots of laughs with the audience. It created a great atmosphere for the rest of the gig and, with her providing the aptly named ‘cheese’ that was ‘Last Night of the World’, the serious stuff came later.

As Hadley and the band members of the Sheytoons and Knights of Hyperbole set up for the main event, a silence descended on the room. Only to be met by Hadley covering his eyes, saying “It’s so bright, I can’t hardly see you…” Several phenomenal musical theatre songs later, especially the song from ‘The Last Session’, Ramin moved from the window and came to sit beside him. On a rather shorter chair…some witty banter ensued…then all was silent…

To listen to ‘the story of how Ramin can’t write songs’, you’d laugh. But to hear the lyrics that were woven into the Sheytoons‘ powerfully emotional acoustic sound, you’d find yourself seeing that he is far too modest about his abilities as a songwriter. I would consider that, when people write songs, it’s a reflection of their soul…the souls of the Sheytoons are truly blessed with beauty. The performance of ‘Broken’ was preluded by a story of ironic injury but the song itself was…words cannot begin to express it. All I can say is that – should the Sheytoons release an album – they will be BIG!

A music sheet mishap later and a wise piece of knowledge from Ramin – ‘never stop in the middle of a hoe down’ – the evening seemed to be winding down. Just one Sting song left and then it would all be over…The words ‘stand up’ have never made me laugh so hard in my life! Seeing Ramin’s passive and rather vague posture go from bored to alert in the span of about a second caught everyone’s attention…from then on, that song became a classic! A truly inspiring evening! 10/10

After The Show

With the promise of a short pub visit (which didn’t happen, eventually), the whiff of a meeting was in the air. A meet that had been building up these past 2 years, ever since I saw Phantom of the Opera in the West End’s Her Majesty’s Theatre. Finally meeting Ramin was a dream come true. He was so down to earth, kind and the most genuine and easy to talk to person I have met (from the musical theatre world anyway!) and, as I – rather sheepishly – asked if I could have a photograph with him, he put down his guitar case, put on a smile and said “yes ma’am.”

And they said chivalry was dead!

So, after the photographs, we chatted for a while about how the Sheytoons should release an album, how his lyrics almost had me in tears and how I should go and say ‘hi’ at the Love Never Dies stage door sometime…

He was a wonderfully patient man, so sweet and kind-hearted. He shows a great amount of sincerity and has limitless admiration for his fellow performers. A really nice way to end the perfect Sunday! Thanks guys!

Katie x

Well what can I say…I Dreamed A Dream and it came true!

The concert overall was amazing. With the talent on show, it couldn’t have gone wrong really! Each performer – all the way from the major stars like Alfie Boe (Valjean) and Ramin Karimloo (Enjolras), all the way down to the ensemble members –  pulled out all the stops and gave their whole hearts to the cause. So, from my own heart, I think a review is in order…

Alfie Boe (Valjean): To say that this guy was amazing would be a rather huge understatement. He blew my mind with his spectacular vocals, especially on ‘Bring Him Home’, ‘One Day More’ and ‘Who Am I?’ and I think everyone will agree with me when I say that you had to be there to get the full effect. A very talented guy 10/10!

Ramin Karimloo (Enjolras): So, for importance, I hear the masses wondering why Enjolras came second on the list but Ramin played it so well. From his first appearance on the stage, beside Nick Jonas, it was clear that there was a certain presence behind him, as the revolutionary student leader. His powerful voice was perfect for the character but the softer side too came through very well. His responsibility for the lives of the men at the barricade weighed heavily but Ramin’s performance held steady and true and those belting notes sure raised the roof! 10/10!

Nick Jonas (Marius): So it was a tall order to follow Michael Ball’s tremendous Marius from 15 years ago but this Jonas Brother sure gave it a good go! His ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ had me in floods of tears and I think it worked well, what with his youth and rather innocent face. I could feel sorry for him a lot easier than for Michael, purely because of the fact that he looked more vulnerable. His voice was top notch and the other strong cast made him great! 9/10!

Matt Lucas (M. Thénardier): It was obvious that, from the second Matt stepped onto the stage, he was an instant hit – and that was even before he opened his mouth to sing. It was just the prospect methinks that got people whooping and then when he did start singing…he was amazing! His humour and tendencies as the Master of the House brought laughs to everyone and he really made the character his own. A brilliant addition to the already spectacular cast! 10/10!

Norm Lewis (Javert): Well, what can I say…The guy was pretty brilliant! Some of the lyrics were lost against Alfie’s pipes but the Policeman held his own and performed Stars sensationally! 9/10!

Samantha Barks (Eponine): To have the experience of being in the same show as Lea Salonga (who played Eponine so well in the 10th Anniversary version) made Samantha a wicked Eponine! With her vocals being spot on in ‘On My Own’, she had me believing in the character to the hilt. What with Eponine being my favourite female character, I had many expectations for her and she delivered with honours. I saw a lot of Lea coming through in her performance, which was definitely not a bad thing but there were a few moments…9.5/10

Lea Salonga (Fantine): Lea Salonga (the previous Eponine)…I like her but Fantine was the wrong character for her methinks, she’s more of a tomboy than a prostitute. Her voice was amazing but she just didn’t feel right as Fantine. Her rendition of ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ was maybe not as powerful as it could have been but her acting gave her room to manoeuvre. 8/10!

Katie Hall (Cosette): So, I’ve never been a huge fan of Cosette but Katie did her best. Her voice was not as strong as it could have been, compared to Judy Kuhn – who was brilliant in the 10th Anniversary Edition. The high notes were not as strained though as Judy’s which I liked, it sounded nicer in ‘A Heart Full of Love’. 8/10!

Jenny Galloway (Mme. Thénardier): She speaks for herself really doesn’t she? Winning the part again from the 10th Anniversary Edition! She brought hilarity and mischief to the show and shone with Matt Lucas by her side and the duet had the audience clapping along, eating out of the palms of their greedy hands! 9.5/10!

Robert Madge (Gavroche): So, I had my reservations about the character of Gavroche, I found him to be quite refreshing this time around. A very talented boy, who brought comedy and heart to the street urchin. I really felt the loss of him in ‘Empty Chairs’ when he appeared with Enjolras, Grantaire and the rest of the students. 9/10!

Hadley Fraser (Grantaire): I was agog, I was aghast! His voice was powerful and, for what little parts he had to sing in, I could hear the character coming through. His chemistry with Ramin during ‘Drink With Me’ was really significant and left me hurting to see them go over the barricade. 10/10!

And that concludes this review, hopefully it’s been an insight into what the show was like for me! Thanks for reading!

Katie x

Hello! A lot of stuff has gone on lately that has been so amazingly awesome that you’ll all have heard me ranting on about it. It’s from the LND stage door, all the way back with me. I love the show, the cast, the music…just about everything from the show and if I could do a ‘wishlist’ on here I would wish to meet them all again, Ramin included this time.

I’ve had such a cool time since meeting Sierra, Tam, Joseph, Naimh and Harry Polden! It’s like my entire outlook on life has changed, for the better. I’m just so much more believing about wishes coming true and dreams being fulfilled because my idols are living breathing people too, and that’s a great thing.

Maybe this isn’t the right place to be spilling my heart out but I’ve got to say it somewhere and sometime, so here goes; To Ramin (who I want to meet) Sierra, Tam, Joseph, Niamh, Summer (who I also want to meet), Harry and all the Gustaves…Have fun, do good and I salute you.

Katie x