Eros – REVIEW

Eros

White Bear Theatre, London

Seen September 9th, 2018

Reviewed by Jade Prince

★★★1/2

The 1990s was a decade which welcomed in many things. The computer was one that had the biggest impact. Like anything, it had its pros and cons. It improved accessibility to the world, giving people the feeling of acceptance and a purpose when in reality the thoughts of these were a distance truth. But with this accessibility came the ability to exploit. The improvement of technology meant that camera were also improving and the time between capturing the image to viewing it in its printed form were drastically decreased. Sexploitation began to have an ever bigger presence.

The story follows the lives of Ross and Kate. Both stagnant in life. Ross unknowingly running from his past and Kate trying to find closure.

I want to say this show has depth however I don’t think this is possible. While the writing was enjoyable most of the time, there were times when the pace dropped. Complete scenes which never seemed to develop and left the audience asking more questions than they had before.

Focusing on pass behaviours eventually catching up with you despite how fast you run and the facade you create. Ross is a mellowing, middle-aged man doing exactly this. Escaping from his past which left a photographic imprint in his mind. A lifetime of guilt and regret. Until the past enters through his failing business’s door, a female ghost of those days, Kate.

I’m still rather unsure what Kate’s intentions were. This was not made clear. I believe this aspect of the play needed working on the most in order to allow the audience to make up their mind on how they felt about Kate. It was also a little ambiguous as to how Terri aided the story. Was she there to represent the naivety of the young?

The writing of the script was fairly good. As perviously mentioned, the majority of it had a good pace with some witty parts. Unfortunately, what let it down was how it seemed the need to acquire a couple of ‘cheap’ laughs. It heavily relied on the mention of well-known towns around the Staines and Twickenham area to make the audience laugh. Don’t get me wrong, it worked, however people will always smile/chuckle when something resonates with them in that context.

Overall, this was relatively enjoyable despite the flaws. It is clear it is in the early stages of its development and I will be interested in seeing where this goes in the future. Next time I hope the synopsis is a little more vague so the reveal of Ross’s past life is more of a shock.

GUY! A New Musical – REVIEW

GUY! A New Musical

King’s Head Theatre, London

 

Seen August 31st, 2018

Reviewed by Mark Sykes

★★★★

This musical is about Guy, an overweight millennial gay man and his search for true love. Played by Brendan Matthew, Guy thinks he doesn’t fit into the gay community and his struggles to find the right partner provides the focus for this story. He shares an apartment with Tyler (Steve Banks) and the relationship goes through a number of ups and downs; friendship troubles emanating from Guy setting up a fake profile on the dating app Grindr using Tyler’s picture. Tyler’s distant partner (Adam Braidley) sees the picture, assumes Tyler is on the latter’s ongoing conquest to find love.

Meanwhile, Guy has decided to lose a few pounds in the hope that a fitter body will make him more attractive and therefore easier to find a suitable partner. It is this storyline where Guy meets Aziz (Seann Miley-Moore), a young, fit, good-looking man of whom Guy thinks someone like that would never fall in love with him. In a way, they are a bit of an ‘odd-couple’, but actually have much more in common than each of them initially realise. Their friendship blossoms, but Guy is afraid to take it to the next level for fear of scaring Aziz away. This causes its own problems when Aziz reaches forward for that first kiss; Guy’s self-doubt and insecurities come crashing down on their relationship and it’s then a question of whether or not things can be retrieved or are their irreconcilable differences?

There only four actors in this show and Brendan Matthew shows admirable qualities as he remains on stage for pretty much the whole of the two hour show, portraying Guy’s qualities and inner demons well. Special mention though goes to Seann Miley-Moore who gave a captivating performance and was seriously impressive.

This was my first visit to the King’s Head Theatre. It’s a very small venue, albeit with a surprisingly wide stage. The intimate setting actually worked well for this show, and with only four actors there was plenty of space for them to express themselves. The staging was simple; no scenery as such, just a few props on stage; but this didn’t detract from the storyline. More so, it puts more emphasis on the dialogue and the acting, with no peripheral frills to be concerned with.

There was a sharpness to the script and lyrics, with some cutting one-liners expertly delivered by the cast. Being slightly critical though, I did feel that parts of the dialogue were a bit contrived and some of the scenes in between the 14 songs could perhaps do with a bit of trimming so as to maintain the momentum of the overall show. My only other criticism is that there were a couple of scenes where it wasn’t clear (to me at least!) whether the dialogue taking place was a virtual conversation or a physical one.

Overall, this modern love story serves as a reminder of the dangers of social media. A reliance on a virtual world of the Internet and dating apps to build relationships and to find ‘the one’, is not necessarily a path to success – especially when all may not be as it seems. For anyone though, gay or otherwise, Guy’s tale can serve as a reminder to us all to look in the mirror, accept yourself for who you are, and don’t try to become something you can never be. Embrace your own qualities, focus on the positives and be proud of YOU!

Bury the Hatchet – REVIEW

Bury the Hatchet

The Hope Theatre, London

 

Seen July 28th, 2018

Reviewed by Jade Prince

★★★★

Outside of my theatre life, there is nothing I love more than watching crime documentaries (especially BuzzFeed Unsolved!). After all, I spent 5 years of my life studying Law and Psychology. Delving into criminal mysteries became the norm for me. So I was super excited when I saw the story line for Bury the Hatchet.

There is still an unsolved murder from 1892 which had the main suspect acquitted. The murder of Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby Borden, occurred 126 years ago to the date of writing this review, August 4th 1892. The main suspect was Andrew Borden’s younger daughter, Lizzie Andrew Borden. This case was unique in providing an insight into the flaws of forensic investigation at the time as this case was ultimately dropped as there was insufficient evidence in order to secure a conviction.

Bury the Hatchet has a very unique way in retelling this story with an injection of some folk music here and there. It was delivered as a documentary yet had a very raw appearance.

Let’s just jump straight in with the biggest down fall and in fact, my only real criticism of the show. I personally feel this raw appearance let the performance down. I couldn’t help but feel there was no real thought in the delivery or preparation. Throughout the show there was a lot of jumping around. The three characters continuously jumped into various different historical reenactment roles which made it rather tricky to stay up to speed with the story being played out in front of you. I occasionally found myself confused as to what time period we were viewing: was it still the historical reenactment or had we leaped forward back into the present day retelling of the story? Whilst watching the show I could see that this disorganised element could be easily rectified in a number of ways.

Taking this out of the equation, I did enjoy the show. It is very rarely you see a play of this nature. I certainly cannot fault the cast. They were incredible and worked wonders with what they had in that room. The harmonies definitely stood out for me. I loved how the addition of music was intricately woven into the story and that it was actually relevant and fitting. The use of the limited number of instruments really transported you back to 1890’s Massachusetts.

I am always intrigued when writers perform their written work. Sarah Wilson did this for Bury the Hatchet. Not only was the writing factual and interesting but the way Sarah delivered this was engaging. The addition of Joseph Prowen and David Leopold only added to this. Chemistry is something I always look for in a cast and the chemistry seen on stage was strong enough to build Andrew ad Abby Borden’s tomb! I really admire the comedy dotted throughout. Although the whole show was scripted, the comedy never seemed forced. This was helped by the fact that Sarah, Joseph and David were able to bounce off each other effortlessly.

I am very glad I managed to see this show and it will be great to see where this goes in the future. I can wholeheartedly say that there is potential and with a budget and larger venue, this will be reached.

Bury the Hatchet is at The Hope Theatre until August 11th. Tickets ind information can be found here.

It’s Only Life – REVIEW

It’s Only Life

Union theatre, London 

 

Seen June 16th, 2018

Reviewed by Jade Prince 

★★★★

It was a rather cute show and contains some great reminders for people wanting to live a fulfilling life. Although, putting these into practice isn’t always the easiest. ‘It’s Only Life’ covers every human need spanning the whole spectrum whilst delivering the message wisely.

The music is solely John Bucchino’s who, over the year, has wrote songs which have been  performed my theatre legends such as Audra McDonald, Liza Minnelli and Patti LuPone to name a few. He isn’t well know in the UK. In all honestly, I had never heard of him. I do have to say though, I love his writing style. All of his songs in this show are very heart warming and honest. He manages to capture true life in its rawest nature.

I can’t say I saw much of a story during this show (the story I did see was left till the end) which did detract from the enjoyment initially. I was very worried I was missing the point so I started really listening to the lyrics. And that is when the enjoyment came back.

You could not ask for a more talented bunch of performers! Including the MD, Nick Barstow. I do love seeing a show and every person on stage is at the same level. No weak link in this cast! The songs were just so well suited to their voices and each of them got to demonstrate their range at various points during the show.

This was a very basic production with no microphones and just one pianist. It was such a beautiful touch only having a piano accompanying the performance. It worked so well with the lyrics being sing. Where the venue was of an intimate size there was no need for the microphones but I do wish that certain cast members had a microphone. At certain points I was really struggling to hear and I was sat front row.

The set was so cute! The use of different levels was perfect! It was very minimalistic, colour-wise. All white washed with the odd burst of colour here and there. All pastel colours and I am a sucker of pastels! I really enjoyed looking around and seeing all of the everyday items (the majority painted white) hung on the walls in the various rooms of the house. I did spy a pastel blue Buzz Lightyear!

‘It’s Only Life’ is currently playing at the Union Theatre until July 7th. If you are looking for a cute, heartwarming, enjoyable show, this is the one!

Tickets and information can be found at: http://www.uniontheatre.biz/its-only-life.html

Great British Mysteries? – REVIEW

Great British Mysteries?

Soho theatre, London 

 

Seen May 18th, 2018

Reviewed by Jade Prince 

★★★★ (so close to 5!)

Where do I start with this one.

The best place is probably stating that I loved it!

I went in and the only thing I knew about the show was that it was a mockumentary. Now that could go either way.

The first 10 minutes, I found myself in the uncomfortable unknown. Olive Bacon (Rose Robinson) and Dr. Teddy Tyrell (Will Close) were setting the scene leaving the whole audience in limbo. A lot wanted to laugh at these early jokes but were still plucking up the courage. This probably wasn’t helped by the intimate venue (but this was actually the ideal setting)

It really didn’t take that long before Olive and Teddy had the audience in the palm of their hand. I have to admit, I can be a very tough nut to crack when it comes to shows like this and for me to sit there front row crying with laughter is a rarity!

I loved the whole set up with this being the final episode of their televised series, looking back at all the highlights which were voted for by fans. You get to see the pair’s less than serious approach to uncovering the truths about the greatest British mysteries known to man.

The chemistry between Rose and Will is really what kept the show going. They were able to bounce off each other so effortlessly. Their comedic timing was on point. This is something, as a performer you either have it or you don’t. If the script wasn’t funny enough the sudden corpsing  on stage really had the audience howling. But like true professional they were able to pick right up where they left off.

Joseph Hancock directed the show and although it was very basic and clearly on a budget, the use of the screen and the projector worked really well. It really helped break the scenes up and gave Rose and Will a bit of a breather. As an audience member I do find it nice to be able to draw my attention to something else and then go back to the laughter. It was all done in such a way that you didn’t miss anything.

Nothing about this show is serious which is why it was such a delight to watch. Harmless, silly comedy. Something I haven’t seen for a while. It is clear to see why it had a sold out run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017.

If you claim to need evidence to believe this show is good before you purchase tickets, I have one thing to say….”evidence?!…..Shmevidence!”

Just get your tickets and know you’ll be guaranteed a great night.

Great British Mysteries is currently touring a select number of venues in its preview stage. More information on the venues and dates can be found on their twitter page.

Chit-chat and Tea with Jeff Parry at the JukeBox Hero – The Musical press call

May 16th, 2018.

Ginger in the Theatre were very honoured to be invited along to the press call for the new Musical ‘Jukebox Hero’. Out first ever event like this and it was such an exciting experience!

When I tell you what the show is based on, I am pretty sure that most of you will draw a blank (especially those my age) BUT you will know the vast majority of the songs! This musical is based on the hits from Foreigner which span the past 40 years. They are on par with Journey, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles yet Foreigner isn’t recognised on their name alone. The creative team have the mission of changing this.

This launch coincides with Foreigners’ 40th anniversary tour and what better in celebrating such a mile stone than with a show to keep this legacy going. 

Jukebox Hero has already seen unprecedented success in ticket sales well before the show even had a cast or went into rehearsals. 

It has been revealed that the story in place to accompany the music will be a a coming of age story. When I heard this I was a little hesitant as this is something we see very often. I actually sat down with producer, Jeff Parry, to discuss this concern, I will include that part later on and some of the other questions I got to ask him! 

I must admit when I saw that the writers were Dick Clement and Ian La Fanais, some of these concerns faded. This pair have been the greats behind the successes Porridge, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, The Bank Job and a rockumentary entitled ‘To Russia with Elton’. So many of their creations have received a wide array of awards. From their successful career, I feel this story will be different to the other run of the mill coming of age pieces. I’m also really hoping the comedy timings from Porridge and Auf Wiedersehen Pet will transpire on stage! 

Jukebox Hero – The Musical is set in a fictional, one industry town in Pennsylvania where suddenly this industry closes and everyone is out of work. Prior to this, Ryan left to become a star. The town’s one hope is getting Ryan back to hold a concert to not only raise money but to also lift the spirits of the town.

The show starts its rehearsal process in July and is set to open in Calgary in August. 

After the brief conference panel which provided us with more understanding of the show and some unique insights in the initial birth, we got to sit down and chat to Jeff Parry. It was such a great opportunity. Here’s a couple of points we chatted about:

With Jukebox Hero – the musical, I was wondering how you feel it would be received by the younger audience in London when it eventually arrives over here? 

That’s a really good question. We were told that this music might not work here at all, which is why we started in North America. Now we are finding out from Royal Albert Hall etc, that it actually means a lot and a younger audience, I mean, at least at home they’ll listen to classic rock all the time. I think great songs permeate through. We were involved with a lot of classic rock type things like The Beatles, if you can call that classic rock, but great songs are great songs. I think kids listen to what they wanna listen to. I listened to Beethoven and Mozart. Great music will always stand up. Initially, it probably won’t be their thing but I think this is the kind of show where a 12-year-old can go with their mother or grandmother and everyone is going to get something out of it. There’s enough hard rock songs as well as ballads that I think it is something that everyone can enjoy, quite frankly. And the music is great music.

There has been a lot of these types of musicals around recently and the biggest criticism is the storyline. How do you think this storyline is different to the others and will actually work well with the music?

Well, you know, it’s not Shakespeare or whatever. We are not reinventing the wheel here but its a fun story. I think that people want to go for escapism so to speak. The story is a fun story like a lot of them and it will probably get criticised for just being that, it’s not Les Mis. It’s a condiment for the music and I think that it will hold up. But once again it is a fun story. The neat thing about it is, ironically, is that it’s a town going through trouble and is saved by rock ’n’ roll in a sense. The irony is that Alberta in Canada, is oil country and we are going through depressions right now. There’s 30% vacancy rate down town. There is a certain irony to what we are doing and how we are doing it. Once of the thing is Alberta is that they are trying to diversify the economy and starting up a musical in Alberta kinda goes along with that. I like the resemblance of the storyline and how it kinda fits with where we are starting it. It’s ironic because it was never an intention. 

It’s incredible. Like you said during the conference panel, when you mention Foreigner, not a lot of people say they’ve heard of them. But everyone knows the songs. My reaction to the vast majority of the songs that I’ve listened to was, “Hey, I know that! My mum’s played that in the car”. My real question is, how do you think you will be able to win the UK audience over to buy tickets? 

Well thats the irony. We have already sold tickets to something that we haven’t even produced. We have over $300,000 worth of tickets sold in Canada for a show that hasn’t even been created yet so that tells you something because they are already buying tickets for something which they don’t really now what it is yet. There’s a certain brand to Foreigner which seems to sell. But actually I think you have just stated the magic which is that people go to the theatre when people want familiarity, right? They don’t want to sit through songs that they don’t know. So, I think, like you just said, that people will go there and discover Foreigner even though they already know it. There will be a familiarity there that when you put it all together in one context, I think it’s really got a shot because we’re not introducing new songs. But like you said there will also be surprise, ‘Oh, that’s them?’. I’ve heard people saying ‘I thought that was Journey’, ‘I thought that was Styx’ or something like that. They know the songs but they don’t know it is their song. That will be the magic. I always use the example of Mamma Mia. I’m not an ABBA fan. I went to that show kicking and screaming but I went and I loved it. It was fun and I knew every song, whether I wanted to admit it or not. It made you feel comfortable. 

You’ve mentioned fun a lot, obviously the writers have worked with a lot of comedy scripts previously. Is there fun in the show?

Oh, yeah. They won’t do it unless there is. It’s just the way they do things. It’s gonna be fun. It will definitely be fun. 

I honestly look forward to seeing where this show goes and how it will be received once opened to the audience in August. All the best, guys! 

For more information of JukeBox Hero – The Musical check out their website: http://jukeboxheromusical.com You can even sign up to their mailing list on there so you never miss the latest updates on the show. 

And if any of this has sparked interest (or you need a little more persuading) here’s a link for the initial trailer. I do highly recommend you watch it as it’ll help you link the songs you most certainly know to the band! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRiVjOu-WHw

SeatPlan

If you are part of the theatre community I am pretty certain that you will have come across ‘SeatPlan’ at some point. If you haven’t, you will soon enough. This will change your whole seat buying experience. 

If you are a regular reader you will remember that I mentioned this site during my ‘getting the better seats without breaking the bank’ post. 

“A website I use before I make any ticket transactions is SeatPlan. This is a fabulous website especially if you are not familiar with the theatre or seating plan. SeatPlan offers an interactive seat map for the majority of the big theatres in the west end and a handful nationwide. They rely on their members to upload seat reviews and many of them include photos of the view of the stage from that particular seat. These are completely honest reviews which are monitored. So far it has never failed me. They also provide an incentive for their members to review seats with credit which can add up to theatre tokens. Another great way to save money! Currently, you will receive 40p for each photo you upload once your review has been approved. You can start doing this now if you haven’t already! Just head to their website and sign up for free. They also offer great ticket deals through their website so that is also worth checking out.” –  A extract from said post but it sums the website up nicely.

SeatPlan was created in 2011 and has grown so much. A little birdy tells me they are looking to develop the site further so I thought I would make my opinions known! Ha! 

I have been an active member on this site since the summer of 2015 (if I remember correctly. It’s been a fair few years for sure) and I have to say this is my go to website when I am buying tickets regardless of which site I use to purchase them. It is and always has been so easy to navigate. It is such a clean set up which allows you to do everything you need straight away. My only nag about the navigation of the page is that I do struggle bringing the list of London theatres up. There has been a few occasions where I’ve wanted a trusted list of the main London theatres so I have turned to SeatPlan. I know the list is on there but it would be nice having it at the top of the page instead of having to scroll down to the bottom. What would be even better is having a side menu where you could select just that. Typing this, it has just come to mind how useful a map of ‘theatre land’ would be! You literally could find everything on one site. I know that when I book shows I like to fit as much in as possible and seeing how close the theatres are is key. It is such a hassle switching from websites to google maps. I have a fairly good knowledge of ‘theatre land’ but still need help on occasion. 

When I found out a while back you could purchase tickets for shows in London via SeatPlan I had to have a little peek. I was actually really impressed. This isn’t a feature that I have used loads but when I have they have always had great seats at great prices. I can’t say that it is the same for every show but they haven’t disappointed yet. I really need to make a habit of checking there first before booking anything. I have a feeling I could save lots of money. 

To upload reviews you do have to create a profile which I, personally, really love. It is such a great way to keep track of the shows I have seen and various theatre trips. The timeline at the bottom of your profile is a great touch. It saves me having to dig out my hefty ticket scrapbooks to see if I have been to that venue before, actually sat in the same seat or in a similar area, etc. You can just scroll through the timeline, click on the relevant show tab and it will show you the date you saw the show, where you sat and the review you left on the site. Obviously you are restricted as you can only add reviews to the theatres they have listed on the website. There have been times where I have been looking for certain seat plans but they didn’t cover it. I think it would be nice to have a section dedicated to seat plan for theatre all over London. There are a lot I have come across that aren’t on there. Not so much for members to write reviews (and gain credits) but to get an accurate seat plan. A lot of the seat plans online are not accurate. This would be a nice touch, completely separate to the main aspect of the site where you add reviews. Maybe just keep the reviews to the main theatres currently listed on the site? 

The profile aspect could really be used to gain a community feel on the site. At the moment you can see a percentage of the user profiles on the leaderboards but apart from that you can’t really do anything else. This is the same with the monthly competitions held. We never hear much about the winner unless you actively search for it via the tab at the bottom of the site page. Members all receive the emails reminding them of the competitions (actually mine are on occasion, not every month) but that is all we really hear. 

Rewarding reviewers is a great incentive. I loved earning rewards that add up to theatre tokens that arrive in the post. I’m not gonna lie, these tokens helped to fund my Dreamgirls addiction! It has been sad watching the individual credit amount decrease over the years. When I first started it was £1 per photo from your seat and then it went to 50p per photo (ticket and seat) but now it is 40p per photo. I understand it is a business and needs to make money but it just takes forever now to gain those theatre tokens. The hand written notes that come with the theatre tokens are really cute. You’ve got to love Susannah for doing that. That is one thing I admire. Even though there are thousands upon thousands of members they still keep that personal touch. 

I do wish that it was compulsory to add photos to the reviews. There is nothing worse than seeing someone has reviewed a seat (especially in a part of a theatre which is less reviewed) to find that it is really vague with no photo. You then have to take a stab in the dark and hope for the best when booking seats. 

I have often asked myself the question – why don’t the have guest bloggers or takeovers on their social media. I most certainly would love to read a guest post, say once a month and get an awesome insight into the theatre world. This could be another aspect which could completely explode and be great for SeatPlan! 

Just to be really picky I shall comment on the overall appearance of the site – it does look rather bland. As I have already mentioned the navigation is easy but Seatplan almost loses its identity as you scroll down the page. 

The next step for SeatPlan is definitely an app.  I believe it would open so many doors. I personally would then add reviews as soon as I have them instead of waiting to upload several at once. This could also really help them which the selling of theatre tickets. I’m all about having that immediate access on my phone. My bank account isn’t, but I am! 

I’m opinionated so there are some of my thoughts. It has been great watching the site develop and grow over the years and I really look forward to seeing where it goes in the near future. And on that note, I need to add all the seat reviews I have been allowing to accumulate. BYE!! 

The Secret Letters of Gertie and Hen – REVIEW

The Secret Letters of Gertie and Hen

New Wimbledon Studios, London

 

Seen April 7th, 2018

Reviewed by Jade Prince

★★★

A very sweet yet harrowing tale of two ten year old girls. Two ten year old girls , very similar but worlds apart. All due to their country of origin. After years of friendship and hundreds of letters back and forth they are soon to learn this must cease. They are now considered enemies but association. World War 2 has broken out.

‘The Secret Letters of Gertie and Hen’ has finished workshopping and held two private previews ahead of their launch and short run in November 2018 at the New Wimbledon Studios.

If I am completely honest, the first act was enjoyable. I wouldn’t say that it completely wowed me but I do believe there is definitely potential. It is a rather unique story. A story which I actually really like. It is not one we hear very often. We finally get to hear from the female’s point of view. Those who were left behind. So frequently we only get to hear the male take on events. With the character list being rather extensive you do get to see a lot of other view points too.

It is also nice having such a range of topics covered in one play. It covers love, politics, loss and friendship to name a few. Yet despite the amount of topics covered it doesn’t feel crowded. There were a few scene which I felt didn’t add or detract from the story and actually dragged out the first act a little. Apart from this the other scenes were still really engaging. I was not expecting the drastic turn of events at the end of act 1. That is definitely something which I feel will bring the audience back after the interval. I personally was gutted I couldn’t stay to see act 2 and now have to wait until November to see the full thing! Once the ‘drastic change’ started it was easy to predict what would happen next. I just hope the rest of the show isn’t like that.

Script wise, it was very strong. I felt a few of the intense scenes seemed to escalate very quickly with no between group. One minute the character are just talking and the next an argument is taking place. There was no development on that showing the lead up to the that. I think in a few cases the script wasn’t the issue, it was more the direction given.

Seeing as the show will continue at the same venue in November, I feel that it is important to comment of the set up and direction. I really liked the fact that levels were used. It was nice to have each family in their own performance space. Very rarely they overlapped. It was a rather small cast considering the amount of characters and it was handled well. In November it would be nice to see a slightly larger cast so that the roles aren’t doubled up. But I can’t fault how it was handled in these previews.

It was a nice touch not having a restricted performance space and various routes were used to enter and exit the stage.

I personally felt that the scene changes were very brief. At some points it didn’t feel like there was any pause. It just went from one scene straight into the other. As an audience  member I don’t feel like in those moments I had a chance to process the previous scene.

I honestly do look forward to seeing this in full come November. It definitely does have potential. A unique take on events which I believe will draw the audience in. With a little tweaking and polishing, this could be great!

Be sure to follow The Key Theatre Company on twitter for more information on their upcoming dates.

 

From Numbers to Words: the development of ‘Myth’

I saw Myth back in 2016 at the Cockpit theatre under its previous name, ’27’. For those not aware of this story, it is heavily based on Ancient Greek mythology. More specifically, Orpheus and his encounter with the underworld. As the rock score would imply it is a modern rendition of this historical tale. Over the past two years it has gone back into development. Here, I will be making a note of the changes I notices and whether I personally feel that they were beneficial for the shows development.

–Keeping in line with my other posts, I shall be keeping this very honest.–

I do have to say this right off the bat before we go any further  – I don’t like the new name. It is so generic. My response to the name change was ‘myth, of what?’. 27 was much more catchy and more unique. It gave the insight as to what the show was about without revealing too much and was still enough to spark people’s curiosity. Having spoke to Sam Cassidy after the 2018 show, I still stand by my view. His reasoning behind the name change is valid however I feel it could have been executed in a better way. I don’t feel that Myth markets the show as it should do and is actually underselling it currently. If I hadn’t have previously seen 27 and I had stumbled across Myth’s page on The Other Palace’s website I would have been, “Okay, if I get around to seeing it, I’ll see it”, It wouldn’t have gone straight to the top of my theatre list.

When I saw the show back in 2016 the only real criticism I had was the script. It had a real amateur feel to it. Something which I would have expected to see from a GCSE candidate. I was very pleased to see that the 2018 production had had a lot of work done on it script wise. It seemed so much stronger. Back at the cockpit it wasn’t until act 2 that you actually realised the story whereas now it is made clear from the onset. The script seems a lot more engaging with quick little one-liners throughout. Those did make me chuckle. It was a nice touch having these as the show is very dark so it was almost a relief to be laughing at moments. There was one scene in act 1 where Orpheus meets Hades for the first time in the Underworld and for me that was the weakest part in the script. It seemed incredibly long winded for what was happening. I actually did lose interest and was willing for the next number to start because I knew how great the music was! But to only have this in one part of the show was a great step up.

Side note on the script – I adore the fact they kept the section on “hey, boy. What are you thinking about?”. My heart melted. “You, my favourite thing” Gone. Love it.

I really like the fact the ‘fates’ had more of a presents this time. It felt like they did anyway. It was great seeing a deeper characterisation of them. Atropos being the ‘mummy’ fate and keeping the other two in check and then jumping to the other extreme with Clotho who seemed to be the youngest with a purer heart.

I understand that this was a workshop production so the budget was very limited however I would definitely like to see more of a difference in the reality and the underworld. Just to make things a little clearer on the audience’s side. Same goes with the character appearances. I loved the way the ensemble were predominately in black but I did think Orpheus and the other band members didn’t have a real rock look. They could have easily passed for a mediocre pop group (which, I suppose, is what they are to start with!). I just wasn’t getting that rock star vibe especially from Orpheus.

This 2018 version had a lot of new songs added. Some I was able to catch and noted that they were the new ones but they all blended in so well. Went so naturally together. So much so, some I completely believed had already been in the show. Once again, the music is just incredible. It is always a positive when you come out of the theatre singing the songs. One of the new editions which actually closed the show was great! Definitely the anthem of the show. I mean, it was rather cliche. I really up beat, feel good song but it is a well justified remedy after a show touching on some depressing elements.

The characterisation of Hades definitely changed but I appreciate this will differ from actor to actor. Ryan Malloy gave it a more edgier feel whilst portraying the sinister side. After all, he is the devil! Whereas this time around it was more…annoying. It was the very typical *insert British accent* “proper British devil!”. You didn’t want to hate or like him, rather ignore him.

I know this post seems incredibly negative however I really do want the best for this show. I absolutely adore it and will continuously be raving about it. It has such great potential and I cannot wait to see it blossom into the next West End hit!

I did review the workshop production at The Other Palace is you are interested in reading that too!