Million dollar Quartet: Theater review

Broadway's Sun records hit rocks London West end.

Noel Coward Theatre, London (1 October)

Derek Hagen, Ben Goddard, Michael Malarkey, Robert Britton Lyons, Bill Ward, Francesca Jackson

Eric Schaeffer

LONDON - million dollar Quartet is a straight-forward Jukebox musical, but because the music was by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun records in the 1950s, it is not your average Jukebox.

As Sunday in the park with George of the stage show based tries it, on a single image, and like the Stephen Sondheim classic, meat, such as the image came. That's where the comparison ends, as it not so much a musical as a concert.

In this case, it is the famous photo of the four singers with a piano in Sam Phillips' Memphis recording studio, and the book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux shows something about what the in the heady days rock ' n ' roll in its infancy was going on - but not whole lot.

It is however, a number of shake is given 23 numbers this time full measure directed by Eric Schaeffer, who brought his creative team at Broadway. The show is as smooth as Elvis hair.

American Robert Britton Lyons, of the role of Perkins on Broadway and played in every production since, an otherwise British occupation occurs. He has more of the bar and the presence of an early rock star than the others, although Derek Hagen are all great artists such as cash, Ben Goddard as Lewis and Michael Malarkey .

Malarkey resembles more Joaquin Phoenix as cash in walk the line as Elvis. It is a little too compact for the legendary artist, although he catch Presley's scorn, in the right light and his baritone is strong, if no echo of the original figures such as such as "that's all right, Mama," "Peace in the Valley" and "Hound Dog."

Hagen looks less like cash as John C. Reilly play Dewey Cox, but he has cash's art with a rhythm guitar, and his rich, deep voice is a game for the man in black on songs such as "sixteen tons," "I Walk the Line" and "Riders in the Sky".

Goddard is a bit chunky for the skinny Lewis, but he has his blond locks and powerful vocal delivery. He pounds from "Real wild child," "Great Balls Of Fire" and "whole lotta shakin 'Goin' on" with enormous momentum.

It is Lyons, however, the real stuff of rockabilly parades. Like Perkins he is slender with combed-back hair and has a middle way with a lead guitar. He gives the bitterness, the Perkins of Presley win all the glory for "Blue Suede Shoes," which he performs had kick-off the show, but he has the charm of a man, Staples for later rock bands was his compositions such as "Matchbox" and "Honey don't". The latter was not in the earlier productions but has been added to the West end show. The program makes a point to thank Paul McCartney, who now owns the song.

Francesca Jackson is a welcome female presence as a friend of Elvis, and shows you real flare "Fever" and "I hear you knocking." Gez Gerrard on the double bass and Adam Riley on drums remain onstage throughout and give the music the right drive.

Lewis and Perkins trade insults through the show, making a break for Bill Ward as Phillips, who tells what history is the four artists and Sun records, before you to glory went and wealth and it fabulous range stock from radio stations and Holiday Inn just.

Evening ends with the guys in shiny jackets, as the audience irresistibly to the beat of some mighty impressive and infectious rockabilly increases.

Venue: Noel Coward Theatre, London (1 October)
Cast: Robert Britton Lyons, Derek Hagen, Ben Goddard, Michael Malarkey, Bill Ward, Francesca Jackson
Script, original concept and direction: Floyd Mutrux
Book: Colin Escott
Director: Eric Schaeffer
Musical arrangements and monitoring: Chuck Mead
Set designer: Derek McLane
Costumes: Jane Greenwood
Lighting designer: Howell Binkley
Sound designer: Kai Harada

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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: Theater review

Broadway musical hit comedy brings ease and laughs, Donmar Theatre, London.

Donmar Warehouse, London (2 April)

Katherine Kingsley, Harry Hepple, Iris Roberts, Chris Carswell, David Flynn, Maria Lawson, Hayley Gallivan, Steve Pemberton, AKO Mitchell

Jamie Lloyd

LONDON - easy, fun and frothy, Broadway musical which 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee a hit odd choice for the serious-minded Donmar Warehouse, but his U.S. high school hijinks, and a cast full of Fizz make it a welcome change.

Try as a colourful range of young people, their way to the success of Jamie Lloyd'slovely production spell, Lampoons of Donmar's Theatre, London sober taste, if the person "Lachrymose" used in a sentence: "Staging a musical comedy made a change from the usual larmoyant productions theater".

Rachel Sheinkin'sBook won a 2005 Tony Award, and here, it holds sprightly a tempo as the children fun derived what opaque to understand their orthographic challenges to meet, and as you are busy.

Lively songs areWilliam Finn'sfull tongue-twister and outrageous rhymes, including a lyric of a young man in a State of the undue excitement, who sings his "Protuberance seems unhappy have own exuberance."

Christopher Oram'sBright set resembles a high school gymnasium, the seats in the Donmar's small town according to teaching chairs, all a vibrant blue changed.

Katherine Kingsley Rona Lisa Perretti plays for, a former spelling bee champions and current real estate seller charm of the worst Professional running replacement that brings current competition.

Steve Pemberton, of British TV's the League of gentlemen, is vice principal Douglas Panch, a teacher with a dark past, who is trying to make the test as a devilishly difficult as possible. A child overanalyzes the problem and the response of "Vugghe," are thought, it an arcane Cornish routes, have, if it is simply "Vug."

The candidates are a preponderance of mother's boy (David Flynn), a Space Cadet (Chris Carswell), a future quarterback (Harry Hepple), an overachiever (Maria Lawson), a girl with a speech impediment and two fathers (Iris Roberts) and a lonely man whose Mutter is in an Ashram in India (Hayley Gallivan).

You get a chance to glow a winding firecracker like you with Lawson, your six languages, showing competence in different sports and the ability to sing while dancing at high speed. Hepple is too vulgar a song about a mistimed erection of and Carswell is a new-age child called leaf Coneybear with appropriate irritated.

One is a joke about hard time with Sibilants from becoming cruel Roberts and Flynn makes sympathetic the distrusting Mama's boy and directed stage chemistry with Gallivan as the girl, which her mother misses the target.

Slim, blonde and sassy, Kingsley quivers of rafters high school in several numbers, but also sweet sings as the mother of a candidate. AKO Mitchell sings well and comfort for which provides some droll lines as a Parolee, whose Community serving requires him to dress in the bee outfit and offer lose Spellers.

The show has a nice gimmick, are four audience every night to the spelling bee participants invited. A critic from a London newspaper press night was one of you, who would acquitted himself with; Another was a young man, earned the applause by getting a very difficult Word right.

Venue: Donmar Warehouse, London (2 April)
Cast: Katherine Kingsley, Harry Hepple, Iris Roberts, Chris Carswell, David Flynn, Maria Lawson, Hayley Gallivan, Steve Pemberton, AKO Mitchell
Music and lyrics: William Finn
Book: Rachel Sheinkin
Director: Jamie Lloyd
Set designer: Christopher Oram
Lighting designer: Neil Austin
Sound designer: Terry Jardine, Nick Lidster for autograph
Choreography: Ann Yee
Conductor: Alan Williams

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Frankenstein: Theater review

Danny Boyle makes his own in a breathtaking new stage version of Frankenstein.

National theatre, London (2 may)

Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller

Nick dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley

Danny Boyle

LONDON - fans of Danny Boyle's movies like Slumdog millionaire and 127 hours will not be surprised to learn that a new game in the National Theatre based is returning to the stage, directed by a breathtaking mix of intimate drama and spectacular images on Mary of Shelley's Frankenstein.

Benedict Cumberbatch, BBC-TV new Sherlock series, and Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone) on alternative nights as Victor Frankenstein and the creature in a play by Nick dear, the attention in the first minute packs star and can never go.

Cumberbatch has the edge in both roles because of its ability, provide a degree of madness of expression and voice that only of Lee Miller. Cumberbatch nails Frankenstein's air of innate superiority and he making the search schmerzenden creature of wisdom and compassion heartbreaking. Both productions are well worth seeing in a two-hour show, the shocks and surprises, some significant horror and has moments of great tenderness.

The game will be broadcast at cinemas in the UK on 17 March and 24 and also States and Canada are in other countries, including in the United States, although dates can vary. Boyle is not involved in the screen version, which is handled by the national theatre.

The stage presentation has such invention and vitality that there should be a great impression on the screen and the services of the two leading actors are as accurate and with that you should be strengthened only by close-up photography.

The big Olivier stage is national by two large rectangular panels flying from the countless lights, which hang like Flash on the moments when the creature from which he comes as a cesspool of broken bones. Because this creature is a sentient person who can assimilate information quickly and the story really one of innocence is damaged.

At the beginning, pulsating fabric on a wooden frame a large and broad district is strapped womb-like parts to reveal to a man-sized newborn, it falls to the ground and flaps as any nameless could have discovered thing, the Darwin.

For more than 10 minutes, the completely naked creature struggles to routes and are; to gain control of limbs and how to walk and run. In his findings, he includes the warming Sun and cooling rain and the simple joys of grass and rising birds cheering.

But soon his creator rejects him and greet him with horror and beats foreign. Hiking, he discovered an old man, de Lacey (Karl Johnson), who is blind and generous, and fills, which his hungry spirit with literature, philosophy and general knowledge. Ends, the back bad, and the lonely creature goes out to his creator to questions him, one to him finding female partners. Frankenstein is a pompous scientists, who believes a genius and is so obsessed with the first man to create another, he ignores his beautiful bride, Elizabeth (Naomie Harris), who will only give babies.

If the creature, which finds him obliged to distant Frankenstein one Scottish island to travel, where he will make a perfect his, but his genius flows does his fear, and soon the two in a destiny will be, that you forever Entwine is locked out.

Set designer Mark Tildesley used brings simple tracks made of wood and grass for scenes in the open air, above all spaces and buildings from the basement of the rotating stage and others come from the rafters.

At an early stage a furious apparatus leads Boyle as spit a large-scale locomotive with large wheels proposing flames and sparks the industrial turmoil is the backdrop for the story. It leaves a bitter taste in the air, which reinforces the tragedy of a creator who has lost his way and a creature not sure, why he is here, and what he should do but under the direction of a man who knows, what is he up to.

Venue: National Theatre, London (2 may)
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller
Author: Nick dear, based on the novel by Mary Shelley
Director: Danny Boyle
Set designer: Mark Tildesley
Costumes: Suttirat Anne Larlarb
Lighting design: Bruno poet
Music and sound-score: Underworld

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