Lautrec by Julie Meader

      Shaftesbury Theatre April 1st 2000

      ‘Enjoy a little decadence’ said the advertising slogan for Lautrec, the new musical fresh onstage at the Shaftesbury. Why not? With music and lyrics by none other than Charles Aznavour, we thought we’d give it a go, and with preview tickets on a special offer, decadence was getting cheaper by the minute.

      This was our first foray into the Shaftesbury since Rent and the most noticeable difference was that the audience were mostly of a certain age, and quite oddly, a certain height too? Anyway, the stage was lavishly draped in rich blue and purple velvet which looked most promising. Once the curtain rose, the large stage was dominated by a huge table complete with the family group of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, played by the diminutive actor Sevan Stephen, and his titled and inbred relatives. Right from the beginning, the humour was coming thick and fast with assorted jokes at the expense of Henri’s (lack of) height, and mostly from the man himself. Playing the central character as a kind of detached commentator, Sevan infused some wit into the show. Either sporting a leery grin or a raised eyebrow, Henri seemed to be permanently excluded from the action. His role was played out as one who gave one-liner responses to jibes from his friends or family while the main story centred around him, and was mostly about him, he walked through the scenes like an extra. The show was not a faithful account of his life, nor did it really tell you anything about him. But to be fair, it was called Lautrec; the Musical, not Lautrec; Everything you ever wanted to know. It was just a piece of theatre played out using real characters from turn of the Century Montmartre. And by taking this route, for me it worked.

      Very large swings descending down from the rafters were used to escort the company on and off stage very effectively. Large gilt, transparent picture frames, not much wider than a human foot, were used for the exhibition scenes. The ‘upper class’ viewers were all in sombre black with a little splash of red here and there and came out in hats which reminded me somewhat of the Ascot Gavotte scene in My Fair Lady. But this novel method of conveying the actors in and out of scenes was most intriguing. At one point, Henri refers to calling a carriage, which in another scene was a cab. He did once become confused and say ‘I’ll call you a cabbage’ but no matterJ

      The characters were all played with real relish, especially Hannah Waddingham’s Suzanne Valadon, Lautrec’s lover with a shady past. Her rather low-pitched rendition of Questions was a particular highlight. During the second half, she duetted with Jill Martin’s Adele, Lautrec’s mother, for Look Into My Eyes where she showed off her amazing belting skills! Jill’s main number, the Child Inside the Man while on first hearing was not sensational, had the potential to grace the repertoire’s of artistes such as Patti LuPone. The lyrics to the songs are not complicated or particularly diverse, but still pleasant. Peter Gallagher was a perfectly showy Aristide Bruant and his deep, rich voice was a wonderful choice to sing Love Is A Pain, along with David Langham’s freakish Valentin-le-Desosse. That song for me was the real winner in a score which was littered with memorable moments. The big chorus numbers were the most entertaining certainly, with Let’s Drink and the obvious CanCan handled well. The ensemble provide good choreography and general oomph is added to the show by way of the supporting cast. Sadie Nine imparts an earthy, ribald quality to La Goulou who seduces Henri’s cousin Gabriel rather un-ceremoniously during the obviously entitled ‘Doing It’. Martin Fisher as cousin Gab spends one act with a stiff upper lip and the other in bed with La Goulou. Their quartet with Henri and Suzanne ‘Me and You’ was also a very good song acted out with a split-stage effect.

      The book is somewhat basic, and there is, as I said, no real premise to the story. I felt that the ending to Act One needed to be far more dramatic. The lights just dimmed and the curtains closed and you were left wondering if it was a scene change or the interval. But despite some minor misgivings, the show is most enjoyable; excellent sets, the cast are very good and the majority of the songs are well worth a second hearing. The audience who attended the show clapped hard and fast (and also along to the music at the end-urgh!!) and there were a few who leapt to their feet.

      This show is on a short run, if you’ll pardon the pun, until mid July so if you fancy something a bit different, give it a go. I wouldn’t describe it as decadent exactly, but it is fun. I shall be returning if only to try and memorise the rest of the lyric for Love is a Pain, cos the one line I know is driving me crazy!

      © Julie Meader 2000

      LES MISERABLES.

      Saturday 8th April 2000th The purpose of yet another review of this very same cast, which I can’t possibly have much more to comment on, is because this particular performance marked the final show for most of them. All of the principals were departing for pastures new and so this was my chance to say goodbye. So, more of a tribute than a review.

      John Owen Jones as Valjean has been one of the most phenomenal ‘finds’ of recent times. I first saw John years ago, when he was playing the Factory Foreman/Grantaire. I even saw him playing Enjolras on one occasion. But as soon as John received the nod to go on as Valjean, he seemed to find his niche and has made a spectacular, moving, consistent and thoroughly excellent job of the part both on tour and back ‘home’ at the Palace. His vocal interpretation was never less than perfect and not once did he appear to be tired or dare I say bored with the role. His partnerships with various Javerts over the years have given him the chance to adjust his performance to complete some very nice pairings and his interactions with Fantines and Cosettes has never been less than enthralling. He will be sorely missed in this show, but he has a marvellous future ahead of him and I feel sure that one day, those of us who had the pleasure of seeing him many times, will look back and feel honoured to have had the chance to witness one of his finest (three) hours! Emerging from the wings to take his applause, draped in the Welsh flag, John seemed somewhat pleased with the roof-raising reaction on Saturday evening. In previous curtain calls, he seemed rather reluctant to move to the front of the stage but by now I think he realised that the loudest cheers were for him. Needless to say that his performance was again one of overwhelming intensity and vocal excellence.

      Hal Fowler as Javert, who has only been resident for these last 12 months, provided a very agitated Javert, constantly on the verge of a breakdown. Once more, as all actors I’ve seen in the part, Javert’s suicide scene was the greatest piece of drama which allowed Hal free reign to vent his spleen on that bridge! Shaking with emotion, and not doing the bridge lighting any good, Hal reigned supreme as the man losing his mind. Vocally, he put in a great performance and all of his lines were sung with clarity and conviction. Nice moment prior to Fantine’s arrest when he seemed to wait to hear what she had to say to excuse her behaviour but he still made to arrest her anyway. His delivery of ‘I have heard such protestations….’ was particularly good here, with the accompanying expression which said that indeed he had seen it all before, and was addressed to the surrounding crowd. His use of the night-stick for the initial scenes was rather alarming, inasmuch as he had poor John pressing back as the stick was right in his neck. Another nice moment was his release at the barricade when Hal was almost shouting his lines, completely unafraid of being overheard by the students, and John trying to whisper back that he could go. Overall a nice performance again.

      Gunilla Backman’s Fantine was a very moving portrayal. I’ve always felt that her Come to Me is ‘superior’ to her I Dreamed a Dream, but during this performance she found another gear and delivered her song with such emotion and feeling, it was magical. Her death scene was wonderful too (which sounds odd, but you know what I mean)! and her Lovely Ladies lines for me are always heart-tugging as she mocks the Captain. She still manages to express her own disgust at herself at Valjean’s recognition of her which makes that scene all the more poignant. Another top drawer Fantine.

      Amanda Salmon as Eponine gave yet another stomping performance in the part! Her general performance is just fabulous and there are far too many things she does that make her stand out. She gives Eponine the kind of quality that makes you immediately like her, not that many people don’t anyway, but she attracts sympathy straightaway because she is accepting of her destiny in that she will never get her man. Her joshing with Marius and the way she acts around him are well thought out. She acts with acceptance that she is always to be the bridesmaid, never the bride. Saturday she almost came a cropper when she leapt off the barricade but she still managed to deliver her ‘Good God, oh what a rumpus’ nursing what must have been a sore ankle. I think whoever is playing Eponine gets the rough end of the deal in the show, not just because she has to suffer the ignominy of her unrequited love, but she gets the first main song after the interval, and so has to sing over several dozen cases of acute bronchitis with added wheeze. However, that aside, she still gave a performance second really to none. Her death scene was enacted with great feeling and on Saturday, she was absolutely drenched in blood. Her delivery of On My Own, conducted mostly by standing still, contained such emotion it was impossible not to be moved.

      David Malek returning to the role of Enjolras, whom I saw on my first-ever Les Miz trip, acquitted himself well in the part of the noble student leader. Vocally he remained strong and committed throughout and I felt his voice was better on the more restrained lines, particularly right after Gavroche’s death. He is very nimble on the barricade, running up and down it with ease and grace, but because of the location of our restricted seats, I couldn’t quite see the very top so I missed his last death scene. His entrance for One Day More was also slightly obscured, not by the fixtures of the Palace, but by my watching for the trunk-filling again! Sorry David.

      If I could have chosen one cast member to stay on for longer, it would have been Tom Lucas as Marius. His performances over the months have been a real revelation. And to think I scoffed when I heard he was joining the cast. Well, I ate my words a long time ago, and Tom matured in the role of the lovesick student with ease and grace. His voice was assured and melodic with the added bonus of emitting from his rather nice face! His A Heart Full of Love was always both comical and poignant and he seemed to have found the measure of Marius early on. He treats Eponine with some kindness, not altogether as an equal, but certainly as a friend, even pinching her nose in the book-dropping scene. His expression on coming face to face with Cosette, although at ground level, was always one of believable credibility and I for one will miss his interpretation.

      Rebecca Vere gave a spirited performance yet again as Cosette, infusing the character with some wit and wisdom. Her voice is always easy on the ear and her acting, especially for the garden scene is a real joy. The modification of her vocal pattern after Valjean tells her not to worry about the past is rather wonderful, moving from almost harsh in tone to apologetic and pleading. Her reaction at the final moment of truth is always a tear-jerker, with her realisation that Valjean not only bought Marius back from the brink of death and the revelation of her childhood (I always assume that it’s Eponine who remembers Cosette but not the other way round) makes for some agonising expressions. Yes, Cosette, he did it all for you!

      Cameron Blakely and Joanna Mays are almost impossible to separate as a team. What would you call a pair of Thenardiers? A slime perhaps. Cameron having recently been covered ably by Stephen Matthews at the Palace, was back for this performance as the roguish innkeeper and it was something to quite savour. While Master of the House passed by with fairly modest humour, not un-funny but not hilarious, the best was saved and served up hot for the Wedding scene. Having only encountered Cameron on the tour version so far, I’d almost forgotten what he did during this scene. Not only does he have the most outrageous wig on, even bigger than before, but his dancing is just SO amusing! The hair is a bit like a the Eiffel tower in shape, and I’m thinking it must even be his own, cos other Thenardier’s at the Palace haven’t worn it? It’s really hard to describe his dancing, he just kind of leaps about like a horse with fleasJ Cameron’s voice I’ve always felt is rather too ‘good’ to be Thenardier, and the same goes for Joanna. She tries to add a rasping note but if you can sing, you can sing and you can’t disguise it. Joanna’s hair also has a life of its own and I liked the way she tried to pretty herself when Valjean returned with Cosette. As if! She is very active during Master of the House, running here, there and everywhere and on conning 1,500 Francs let rip with a very dirty laugh. So, another notable pair of old rogues who went for the comic touches and certainly found them.

      In contrast to the programme which stated that Andrew ‘Bishop’ Williamson was playing Grantaire, it was actually Sam Hiller playing my favourite student (OK third favourite). Sam handed back Grantaire’s humour and his interraction with Gavroche was more like old times. Under the characterisation of Sam, Grantaire was returned as the more comic drunk, rather than Andrew’s portrayal as a cynic. Nothing wrong with either interpretation but I just prefer him fun. Sam is continuing in the role too but I wonder why Andrew didn’t finish up playing him, as was billed?

      The ensemble all gelled together and made the barricade, slo-mo and crowd scenes all fit perfectly. From our seats I found that the orchestra seemed rather quiet and so you got a much more vocal show which was lovely, especially during Turning when you could hear each voice clearly defined. As with all the principals, it seemed ‘too soon to say goodbye’ to the ensemble also. But I do feel sure that many of them will return to the Palace at some point, although it would be completely unfair to mention some and not others so I won’t….just Tim Godwin as Valjean.

      So, a huge thank you to everyone and looking forward to following your careers in other roles. And welcome to the new cast who began on 10th April - see you soon!

      © Julie Meader 2000

      LES MISERABLES.

      Thursday 27th April 2000th Palace Theatre.

      Having allowed the almost entirely new cast two weeks to settle in, it was time go along to the Palace to see how they were coping. Among some familiar faces whom I had seen in other shows, there were some ex-Mizzers returning in new roles, and some into old, along with some of the UK tour staff. Simon Bowman has been enrolled to play Jean Valjean and he was one of the cast who was treading unfamiliar ground for me, as I had so far managed not to see him in anything. Peter Corry was joining from the tour to reprise Javert to a much wider audience and the Miss Saigon duo of Joanna Ampil and Niklas Andersson were playing Eponine and Marius. Paul Manuel was returning to fill the red (and black) jacket of Enjolras, with Rebecca Thornhill our newest Fantine. Mandy Holliday was back as Madame Thenardier and Barry James was hotfooting down Charing Cross Road, discarding bits of Cogsworth’s clock en route to resume Thenardier, a role he first played more than ten years ago.

      Having listened to first hand accounts of the new cast, it appeared that all was not well. Simon seemed to have two distinct followings – those who thought he was excellent, and those who, well, didn’t. Being for me the actor who really must be on top from to carry the show, this was all sounding quite alarming. Especially as we’d just seen the best thing to happen at the Palace for a long time up and leave.

      On hearing Valjean’s initial lines it’s pretty hard to make a decision, but so far so good. He certainly did possess a much deeper toned voice than is normally used for Valjeans but that was no problem for me. Peter was as good as ever – good at being bad! He seemed to be particularly snappish during his first exchanges with our soon-to-be-ex con. Simon began to come into his own during the early scenes. He has elected to portray a more angry Valjean for the first part of the play, and his treatment of Paul Monaghan’s excellent Bishop was incredibly scathing. For his grand exit from the prologue, Simon’s rendition of his Soliloquy was strong and convincing. No, he does not sing the higher notes as some have, but it does not detract from his performance. His voice is very resonant and deeper in pitch than previous selections, and therefore he elects to sing certain phrases at the lower end of the scale. His acting was carefully studied and each expression echoed the sentiments in the lyrics. Just before Who Am I? when Javert has told him about the man he has captured, before saluting to leave, Simon stretches his arms out and shrugs – a great gesture I thought. His treatment of the dying Fantine could have used a little more tenderness as he practically dragged her back onto the bed and also made to leave before her death, but really a minor quibble. His recognition of Javert was classic and once he’d picked out Marius on the barricades, he kept throwing him sideways glances. While Niklas is ending Drink With Me, he looks at him in half-amusement and then launches into a very powerful rendition of Bring Him Home. For an actor whose expertise lies in the rich, deepness of his voice, his main song was even more remarkable.

      Peter Corry once more provided a very nice foil for Valjean’s calm reasoning in a neatly controlled Inspector. His voice is rather matched to Simon’s and so Confrontation needed the extra push of some forceful gestures which we duly received. Javert’s complete contempt for Fantine was cruel and heartless and showed that his hatred of Valjean, for it was hatred, was the only thing he cared about. Almost spitting out ‘Clear this garbage off the street’ the stage was ready for Stars which was sung with clear conviction and an effortless last note. Back on the barricades, Peter might have felled Gavroche with his glance but he lived to fight another day, just. On letting Valjean pass with the injured Marius, Peter ran after them, stretching out his hands and calling ‘No, wait…’ before launching into his fast and furious initial lines of his Soliloquy. Wonderful stuff! He had never once wavered from his position of stoic lawman until that second when his World fell in on him. By this point in the show, the audience were really getting the hang of it, and having clapped A Little Fall of Rain, Drink with Me and any other time the orchestra left a two-second gap, Javert’s Suicide was also applauded. Peter had earned it! His ‘reprieved’ goes on forever and he drops to his knees at the end of it, before falling a greater distance to his death moments later. Ahhh!!!

      Rebecca Thornhill made a very emotive Fantine. From her rather quiet initial scene, she soared into I Dreamed a Dream with ease and increasing volume. She sang perfectly plainly and each word seemed to find new meaning. Her fight with Bamatabois was vicious and convincing, especially when he elected to drag her halfway across the stage by her hair - ouch! For the arrest scene, she was particularly pleading with Javert, who was taking absolutely no notice of her at all, and did that leg-hanging thing. Her ‘If I go to jail she’ll die’ was most entreating and her exchanges with Valjean were nice and meaningful. During Come to Me she was expressly fixated at some point in the theatre and her entire demise was very well handled. She is incredible at full belt and has a very rounded voice, although she can’t quite get down as far as the low notes for the Finale, so she sings a slightly modified tune but it really does not matter too much. Well, it didn’t to me and I loved her portrayal which was full of passion and very, very moving.

      Paul Manuel has returned briefly to cover for Enjolras until Jason McCann is available. He plays the role of our favourite leader most ably but I still think he should ditch the facial hair! His inserted head shot in the cast list portrays a much nicer face than the 1930’s matinee idol who appears on stage. However, his voice is once more plain and rallying and his acting is first-rate as he bandages here and consoles there. He almost comes to blows with the meddlesome Grantaire during Drink With Me but he soon cools and takes a consolatory swig from the bottle instead. His leadership qualities are never in doubt and his treatment of Marius is kindly and not condescending. His final, despairing prayer on one knee is a nice touch and he puts in everything he’s got when he rushes up the barricade for the last time, followed by the penitent Grantaire, a superb performance by Sam Hiller. His death scene was spectacular, in fact all the students managed to do their best here, but Grantaire really looked like he felt every blast and even as he slumped down, he kept twitching which was rather eerie. Grantaire is well on his way to eclipsing Marius as my second-favourite student. But then I hadn’t banked on Niklas!

      Mr. Andersson really comes into his own as soon as Eponine appears. He treats her rather well, with plenty of easy friendship between them, which is not always shown by other actors. I realise that I might really be flying against the wind here, but I also think he looks a bit like a young Michael Ball! Don’t go by his headshot in the cast list but on stage, he has a certain resemblance about him. He’s not a long lost twin or anything, but that’s who he reminded me of. Anyway, vocally he is an incredibly capable performer and he smiled a lot during the show which somehow endears you towards him even more. He is very confident in his approach and while Marius is still played as the naïve young pup, Niklas adds a certain charm. He was even able to laugh at the jokes Grantaire was contriving at his expense. The love-triangle scene was played out with tremendous feeling by all three and his greenness seemed completely natural. Eponine’s dying scene was beautifully enacted and despite the fact that this is not the first time that Joanna has breathed her last in Niklas’ arms, it was most expertly done. His helplessness was touching and he tried his best to offer her what comfort he could, and when he stretched out his arm to call for aid and she pulled it back around her, indicating that this was all the assistance she wanted, he seemed to finally get the hint and became the perfect beau she’d always dreamed of. He almost barked out the lines ‘Her name was Eponine, her life was cold and dark yet she was unafraid’ as if he was admitting to Enjolras for the first time that he was scared. Enjolras’s replying glance said it all; he was scared too. Empty Chairs was sung with great control and emotion and on hearing out Valjean’s confession he seemed even shocked at what he was being told, then more concerned about Cosette’s feelings than his newly acquired inlaw, the outlaw! His wedding scene was again both funny and touching, and he was rather harsh toward the Thenardiers. Not that they don’t deserve it, but his remembrance of Eponine was able to wipe the smile off my face for a while.

      Barry and Mandy are wonderful as the gruesome twosome, bringing new life back into the characters. It’s great to see Mandy back again as she was my very first Mrs. T. and hasn’t changed a bit! She is able to be amusing yet still contain a hint of menace behind her portrayal. After her own lines at the end of Master of the House, she takes up the ladle and for want of a better description, beats the life out of a wooden barrel! She really lays into it and you even feel a tinge of compassion for Thenardier as you get the impression that she’d like to be doing it to him. Barry has made Thenardier really seedy and grabbing and his personal glee at ripping off whoever he can is most evident. When Valjean returns with Cosette, Mandy is actually reading a book while Thenardier is picking over the spoils of the day. His mistrust of everyone is shown as he rushes to conceal his money box and then the oil is pouring as he tries to worm his way round Valjean. Their gestures and mouthing owe more to cunning than comic and so you get to see another side of the Thenardiers. Whichever side you look at them from, they’re pure evil, but these two make you think more than laugh - not that they are not funny: they are, but they are also pathetic and when they sing ‘Jesus won’t we see you all in Hell’ and the audience largely cheer, it’s quite indicative. However, Barry makes a fine job of the role, and when he’s grave-robbing in the sewers, he brings the sickening aspect of it to the fore. For the Wedding they were both on excellent form and Barry emits a barely audible groan as he bounces Mandy across him for ‘Paris at my feet’ which was an original touch. He also re-instates the Colette/Cosette mistaken name, but instead of hurriedly repeating it after his wife, he just said ‘hmmmm’. They still get one of the loudest cheers from the audience and I hope it’s in recognition of the wonderful characterisation of the actors, and not the dubious characters themselves.

      Their grown daughter is now played by Zoe Curlett whose voice is in direct disproportion to her height! She has the most glorious, crystal-clear, bell-like high soprano and her top notes are wonderful, delivered with ease. She is incredibly loving towards Marius and her father and there is plenty of romance to contend with. She can probably sing the part in her sleep but her acting is also dreamlike! She was all over Marius like a rash after the blessing had been given! I must add that she might have been attempting to disguise the row which was being caused by the nurse who had lost control of the water jug and glass from the tray and was making a pig’s ear of getting them back. But she is a wonderful Cosette all the same. She is almost, but not quite, harsh towards Valjean in the garden scene but she redeems herself fully in the next lines, where she beckons him toward her to tell him what she thinks of him. Showing a very fleeting recognition of Eponine, she conspires with Marius when she should be packing. Teenagers, eh? What are they like!!!

      Joanna Ampil is the latest in a long line of superior Eponine’s whose portrayal and vocal ability are completely faultless. She has incorporated all the of the best bits from the most recent interpretations and, added to her own unique talents, has made the character even more likeable. She leaps onto Marius’ back for ‘Good God, oh what a rumpus’, and the tie and hair-straightening at the garden gate is now just perfect. Her voice is suited to her character too, in that it has a modern edge to it. Her treatment outside Rue Plumet is appalling and she really gets pushed around, again, being dragged over the stage by her hair, this time her own hair. She looks completely crestfallen when Marius offers her money, but is pleased later when he gives her the letter to take. On arrival at Valjean’s house, I got the impression he had seen past her ‘disguise’ and when he said ‘Give me that letter here, my boy,’ she hides it behind her back. The gate seems to have acquired a better lock now, and so he ushered her back into the night without having to wake the dead with the catch, and read the letter - very nicely I may add. Eponine, sneaking back to the gate, listens intently, and wanders round to stand in place for her big number. She is quite animated for On My Own, and at one point rushes to the footlights in despair. Her scenes with Marius are always both amusing and heartbreaking as she tries so hard to please him but he just doesn’t get it, until it’s too late. The final kiss she receives from him is so well-timed that it might even have come three seconds too late. As she reaches up, he at least meets her halfway but as she fades away you never know if she made it in time. Her spectral return for the Finale with Fantine is a nice sight and she gazes at Marius AND Cosette with such benevolence, it makes for a perfect ending. So - with the accompaniment of a fine ensemble, the new cast passed the test with flying colours. The show itself has been injected with some original portrayals once more, and is looking as fresh and new as it did last month. Enjoy!

      © Julie Meader 2000

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      LA CAVA

      Thursday 25th May 2000th Victoria Palace Theatre.

      With previews delayed by a week due to set problems, our rescheduled attendance at this show only added to the excitement. Another new musical, with music by Laurence O’Keefe and Stephen Keeling, lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and John Claflin based on the novel Florinda, by Dana Broccoli, opened at the Victoria Palace on 22nd May after a brief try-out at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. Boasting a cast headed by Oliver Tobias, Julia-Alanah Brighten, David Bardsley and Paul Keating, and set amid the Spanish religious turmoil of the 8th Century, La Cava sounded more than promising.

      The show opens with General Julian Espatorias (Bardsley) and his daughter Florinda (Brighten) planning to leave their North African port of Ceuta for Toledo in Spain so that the motherless Florinda can escape the upcoming wars over the land. She has other ideas and has formed a romantic but chaste relationship with Somal (Daniel Redmond) the Muslim son of the Moorish leader, Tariq (Joshua Bancel). Their doomed love must wait one year while Florinda lives out her enforced exile in Spain, cloistered in the King’s castle and overseen by Gurda (Dawn Buckland understudying), who teaches the girls in her care the art of becoming good wives; namely tapestry and deportment! The girls get to perform the comical First Kiss and imagine what married life might be like. Julian visits the King and it is established that they are old friends and their amusing duet You and I was pleasant enough. Entrusting his feisty daughter to the care of King Roderic, Julian returns to Ceuta to fight it out with Tariq. Making friends with Isabel (Louisa McCarthy) and Queen Exilona (Claire Massey, another understudy on this night) Florinda is finding the whole thing rather tough-going. And so are we by this point. While the foundations of a very interesting story are being laid down, the music is rather unmelodic and uninspiring. The voices, however, are fine, particularly David Bardsley’s (you didn’t expect anything less, did you?!) and while Oliver Tobias is not renowned for his singing voice, he can put across some feeling and emotion, and not insubstantial humour. He is a rather unhappy King, and his wife and he are not seeing eye-to-eye at the moment, due to her indiscretion with another man. He is also sick of the constant fighting for land around Spain and North Africa but is being pressured to continue in re-claiming Spanish soil by Archbishop Oppas (Patrick Romer) who also has some strange ideas of his own about ethnic cleansing. Nice to see how much we have moved on.

      Sick of her new life and longing for home, Florinda, aided by Isabel, hatches a plan to escape the castle surrounds, and attempts to flee. Roderic catches her and while he knows who she is, she is ignorant of his regal identity. Queen Exilona’s loyal servant Agon (Paul Keating) witnesses the blossoming relationship between his mistress's husband and Florinda and tells the plotting Archbishop what he has seen. Roderic allows Florinda and Isabel a day outside the constraints of the castle by letting them go to the bazaar, where Florinda is bought a beaded necklace by Ezzak Mendez, a Jewish leader, just in case there weren’t enough factions in the equation already. At this performance, the string broke before the trader could take it out of the bag, and when Florinda shows Roderic what she has bought, he says ‘It’s beautiful, and it’s broken’, which ad-libbing bought some welcome relief to the audience.

      Deciding that she likes Roderic (even though she still knows neither his name nor identity) Florinda resolves to stay at Toledo and is being hotly wooed by him. Somal then reappears, having made his way to Spain, to reclaim his girlfriend. Agon, always lurking in the background, alerts the guards and while trying to escape along the castle roof, Somal is killed by Roderic. The penny then drops for Florinda and while grieving in her room, she is visited by Agon, who plants the seeds of vengeance in her by describing in no uncertain terms how she has the power to bring down the King by seducing him totally, and then she can destroy him. Woman’s Hands was well sung by Keating but his odd portrayal of sheer dedication to his queen seemed rather strange, and he acted camper than a row of Bedouin tents. Anyway, deciding this as her only way forward, to avenge Somal’s death, Florinda picks up upon Agon’s proposition and goes all out for the King - quite literally in fact, as Act One ends with a semi-nude scene where Florinda gets Roderic all hot under the cloak. Marcos Cordoba, one of Julian’s envoys, arrives at the castle to ask for Florinda’s hand in marriage, having been given permission by Julian. Florinda tell Marcos that Roderic has raped her and he returns to Ceuta with the news.

      Act Two begins with Julian, having received word of Florinda’s white lie, making a pact with Tariq the leader of the Moors to overthrow Roderic and avenge his daughter’s ordeal. What Would You Do For Your Child was probably the strongest song in the show, and was certainly put across with all the seething resentment necessary for an aggrieved father. Meanwhile, back at Toledo, Roderic is lavishing gifts on Florinda in order to amuse her. Her lament to the dead Somal in the orange grove he’s had imported into Spain especially for her was nice, and Florinda now lets slip the fact that while her original intentions of bringing down the King were a little premature. She is now rather falling for him. Meeting with Ezzak by chance, he tells her he is being banished from Spain because he will not relinquish either his Judaism or his Nationality, and will return to Ceuta, being hounded out by Oppas, the Archbishop. Florinda asks him to tell her father that the message she sent with Marcos was a lie, and hopes to head off the army she knows Julian will have assembled. The meddling Archbishop feels threatened by the Jews under Ezzak and his own plot to overthrow Roderic is seen through by Ezzak and so the Bishop has him killed before he can tell Roderic of the plot to oust him. On finding Ezzak’s body the next day, Florinda is distraught and knows that the danger is looming. Word has got to Roderic that Julian has joined with Tariq and Florinda knows she must get to Julian first but no-one will help her as she is an Espatorias who is now the enemy. Entreating the Queen, she tells her that she is carrying Roderic’s child, and Exilona, still protected and nursed by Agon, sings the title song, La Cava, which incidentally means harlot. She sings of her eventual imprisonment in this living death of being caged by Roderic (Exilona is not allowed to leave the castle since her misdemeanour) and says that she too will end up the same. She gives Florinda her own horse and supplies so that she can head off Julian and Tariq’s allied forces, or rather just to make her leave. Exilona then takes a chalice of poison and dies, swiftly followed by Agon, loyal to the end!

      Preparing for the fight, the battle lines are drawn up and Tariq and Julian’s men prepare to swashbuckle their way to victory over Roderic’s mutinous troops, swapping sides after being got at by the Bishop with promises of riches and lands should Roderic be defeated. The Moors’ preparation scene is lifted in almost its entirety from Martin Guerre, as they stand in triangle formation and rush the edges of the stage, waving imaginary weapons and screaming for blood while miming disembowellments galore. During the fights, with some nifty sword-fighting scenes, Julian is wounded and falls to the ground, and Roderic finishes him off, having never been told why Julian is gunning for his blood and thinking his old friend has in fact just changed sides. Being severely wounded himself, Florinda arrives at the scene almost too late, and Roderic dies in her arms, leaving Tariq to place his Moorish flag on the Ceutan soil.

      So there you have it! La Cava is in fact La Carve-Up, being a piece consisting of elements from all the shows you’ve ever seen. The story is fine, the plotting and general action scenes are well-enacted and believable while the characters are rounded and comfortable. It is unfortunately let down by the mostly drab music and hardly any of the songs are memorable or particularly tuneful. They are, however, mostly sung well, and while as I mentioned, Tobias is not a natural singer, he copes well and his casting in a musical shouldn’t be called into question because his acting is spot-on for the part of Roderic. Julia-Alanah is totally different from her previous incarnation of Belle and plays the naive Florinda very well. She is certainly pretty enough to be believable in turning a King’s head and the only thing I didn’t like was that she didn’t go to her father’s dead body at the end; poor old Julian, left lying in blood and dust all alone! Why does David always get to die? Probably cos he does it so well. There are some nice performances from some of the ensemble, particularly Luke Evans as Theo, Isabel’s husband, who perhaps should have had a bigger part, but the whole cast all work very hard with what is really very little scope. The orchestra did a fine job and the scenery is amazing, if familiar, with a large castle wall with opening doors all over and the obligatory revolve. I can’t personally see this production lasting a long while, but if you are a fan of any of the actors in it, give it a go, but don’t expect a sweeping Guerre-like score, because you won’t get it. But you will get to be amused, either intentionally or not, and the cast put every effort in to make it zoom along. Act Two I preferred over One which, as some of the refrains were repeated, perhaps indicates that the music grows on you after second or third hearing? The action scenes are good but some of the story-telling could be tightened up a little, so on the whole, La Cava is rather aptly named - a bit like Champagne, but not quiteJ

      Julie Meader 2000

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      THE KING AND I

      Saturday 13th May 2000th The London Palladium.

      This Rodgers and Hammerstein classic glided into London via Australia and New York and immediately received a lukewarm reception. The critics were dismissive of the sets, reporting its resemblance to an Indian restaurant interior, and were equally unimpressed by the casting duo of Elaine Paige as Anna Leonowens and Jason Scott Lee as the King. Having for a long time held the belief that the typewriters the majority of critics use have the letters E, N, J, O and Y removed, I attended the matinee performance on a sweltering, sunny May afternoon to see whether they might have a point.

      On entering the Palladium, King and I postcards are thrust at you from every corner and the brochures and various souvenirs are changing hands at an alarming rate. In the auditorium and my first view of the sets, the word that sprang to mind was beautiful, not Balti, as they are truly lavish. Red and gold elephants surround the stage and one huge 3-headed one looks down at you from the top of the curtain. So far so good then. The curtain rose and the show opened with Anna and her son Louis (Christopher Hawkins) nearing Siam for her to take up her position as schoolteacher to the King’s ever-increasing brood of children. Elaine received a round of applause at her first step on stage and the opening song, Whistle a Happy Tune, sounded fine. Dressed in a voluminous gown, she appeared to be enjoying it at any rate. On being presented to the King, Anna and the audience received its first glimpse of Jason Scott Lee as the ruler. Small but perfectly formed, he did not make Elaine seem any tinier than she is so the physical match was perfect.

      When the children were introduced to Anna I had a fleeting glimpse of a cutesy stage-school parade, but instead was treated to a lovely scene where the most beautiful and very tiny children, all dressed in Siamese costume, are bought out to meet their new teacher. They really are delightful. Getting to Know You was a joy, with the kids clamouring round their Missis Anna after being amazed at the map of the World showing Siam to be only a small country, not much bigger than England! Elaine’s delivery of Hello, Young Lovers was very emotional as she told the young wives of her own husband who had died. Befriending Tuptim, the unfortunate Burmese Princess, an incredible performance by Aura Deva, Missis Anna turns a blind eye while she and Lun Tha continue their relationship. The doomed couples’ brace of songs I Have Dreamed and We Kiss in the Shadows were wonderfully performed, with Sean Ghazi exhibiting a very nice line in shirtless romantic leads! Aura’s Tuptim displayed plenty of simmering temper as she narrated her self-written piece for the European visitors in the presence of the King. This was the one part of the show I felt that the attention rather wandered, and while it was enacted skilfully by the cast, it did tend to last rather a long while.

      Lots of reports have mentioned that there is no on-stage chemistry between the two lead actors. Yet another aspect I would dispute! I thought that while Anna was not played as a typical Victorian governess, she was not particularly modern either. However most of her acting consisted of her facial expressions, and perhaps these are much harder to distinguish from far back in the stalls or in the upper sections. During the Shall We Dance sequence, which is easily the best scene, the King, on being taught how to dance in the European fashion, protests that he should have his arm around Anna’s waist. As he put his hand in place, anyone watching Elaine’s face would not be at a loss to see that this was indeed the moment when her previous affection and regard for him turned into something more. For those who didn’t see chemistry, I don’t know where you were looking because you could almost see steam! Her previous display of peeved annoyance at his insistence that she have her head lower than his at all times was a very comical scene and her continued shrinking amid the huge ballooning dress, which was getting more like a cake at each downward turn, was very amusing.

      Jason Scott Lee was also criticized for his diction but once more, I found that I could understand most of his speaking and all of his singing. I can’t honestly say that he possesses a particularly stunning voice but the part does not insist that he should. The role is one where the acting must shine through and this he managed very well. I hope we will be seeing a lot more of him, although with the richly embellished but rather sparse costumes, there’s not much left to see. That’s not a complaint either! His testing of her loyalty to him and his style of leadership, once called into question by being reported in England as being savage, turns him from petulant , bossy ruler into sensitive and eager to pick up more refinements which he assumes Anna can teach him.

      All the while, the superior being of Lady Thiang, the glorious Taewon Yi Kim , is acting as the fixer, seeing through the barriers the characters put up and gently manipulating them by subtle persuasion rather than her husband’s dogmatic approach. Her rendition of Something Wonderful with her full, rich voice nearly eclipsed everything else! She possesses that graceful elegance which means that when she is on stage, you rarely look at anyone else.

      When the King it taken ill, it is Lady Thiang who coaxes Anna into not leaving Siam and returning to his side. Neither party will admit their faults but on his deathbed, the King shows that he has seen the error of his ways and hands on the reign to his eldest son, who is a chip off the old block! Prince Chungalongkorn immediately decides to drop the ridiculous custom of the no-heads-higher-than-the-King rule, and as he and Louis are such firm friends, the future of Siam is looking bright.

      And there you have it really. A great, old-fashioned musical in the traditional sense. Nothing has been sacrificed from it, it’s not been tampered with or attempted to be modernised. Possibly not what your teenagers would like to see but definitely one for the aunts or mothers-in-law! Elaine is well cast in my opinion and her co-stars all add depth and richness to Rodgers’ sweeping score. Our party ranged from 15 to 70 and we all left happy and humming and you can’t ask much more than that. With a reported £8 million in advanced sales, we could be dancing for years to come.

      © Julie Meader 2000.

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      RAGTIME

      Saturday 16th October 1999th The Broward Center for Performing Arts, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

      Belated greetings from Florida! Having arrived in Orlando one week after the US Tour of Ragtime headed out of town and further south, I was sent to catch the show in Ft. Lauderdale by the owner of this very page. Well, with an offer of a free flight, how could I refuse? And how could I last three weeks of vacation without seeing a show? So off I went with my sister to the Broward Centre, during the middle of Hurricane Irene I might add, just to bring you my thoughts!

      The Broward Centre is a fabulous building, and the staff, with whom I’d booked my tickets by phone from the UK a few weeks before, are very helpful and understanding, especially to daft English people who begin repeating name, address and date of birth when all the poor woman wanted was something to call me by! Collecting our seats from the pre-pay window, while chatting to the others waiting and playing a game of ‘count the diamonds’ as the locals sparkled out of their cars, we then went inside. The foyer area is spacious and rather luxurious, bearing in mind I’m used to the cramped but ornate London theatres. Soon it was time to find the lift up to our seats. Lift? See - I said it was luxurious! We were handed our free playbill and found our seats in the large arena-style interior. I suppose the closest it compares to ‘ours’ is the Festival Hall, but the Broward is bigger, newer and has more levels. Apart from that, it’s exactly like it!!

      OK now you know the Broward inside and out, let me begin on the show; Ragtime. Firstly, let me say that I have the Broadway cast CD already so I was at least familiar with some of the songs, although it hadn’t prepared me for the staging of the show or the finer points of the story. We settled in our seats, quite a way from the stage, and watched the characters unfold before us. The tour company use more minimal scenery than the Broadway show, apparently, and so there is nothing much to distract you from the actors and the people they portray. With a mixture of historical and fictional characters, the story rolled out with Mother, a very strong performance by Cathy Wydner, Stephen Zinnato’s perfectly immovable Father, and Aloysius Gigl full of ideals as Mother’s Younger Brother – an ex-Enjolras, no less! Emma Goldman was personified by the understudy Elena Ferrante. I’ve no idea what the lady who normally plays the part is like, but Elena was truly wonderful, full of passion and guts and gave a monumental performance.

      Lovena Fox’s Sarah possesses a voice which does not in the least disappoint. I was hoping that Audra might make a surprise come-back but Lovena more than ably took on the role. Daddy’s Son, the song I was waiting for, caught me on the hop, tissue-less and unprepared for the emotional impact you only get in the context of a complete story. As a stand-alone song it is already a standard, but Lovena’s beautifully-toned voice lifted it above the norm. Her understated acting was full of poignancy and when she sat and just rocked the baby in her arms, you could feel her pain. Her shy re-acceptance of Coalhouse was totally believable, considering she’d already had his baby.

      Lawrence Hamilton as Coalhouse also gave a stunning performance. I can’t compare any of the cast, never having seen the show before, but I have a strong feeling I got a good deal! Lawrence possessed the necessary weighty voice to carry Coalhouse’s character along making him so believable, I wanted to smack the fire chief myself. He managed to portray Coalhouse’ innate sense of decency and outrage while still giving him an edge of the flamboyant musician. From where our seats were, you couldn’t see expressions on faces, but I think that even if I was in the front row, features would still have been a blur. This show is seriously tear-jerking. Even when you *know* what’s coming. Coalhouse’s idealism was never dimmed by his ordeals during life, and while he took the path not usually recommended, you could see his reasoning. I was totally behind him anyway. Booker T. Washington was a noble character but we needed action and Coalhouse duly provided it. Lawrence stood the fine line between portraying his character as one-dimensional, but with the sublety of his acting and rich vocals, he made him human - and what’s more, he made him *right*.

      Not only does Ragtime induce your emotions to liquefy down your face, but I also found myself willing Mother into Tateh’s (Jim Corti) arms! Father to me appeared a pompous prig, probably fairly typical of the period, and while you could not have a great deal of sympathy with him, Stephen Zinnato’s performance was exemplary - upright and uptight. Mother grew in her role from obedient housewife to a woman in her own right, making her own decisions in her husband’s absence, which she was not prepared to relinquish when he returned. Tateh’s story of survival and eventual success was I suppose the happy ending we demand nowadays. Were you willing his daughter onto the train too?! Corti’s performance was again, one of total conviction. His unwavering love for his child and the small ‘altercation’ he has when some creep wants to take liberties were moments of great theatre when you can feel yourself becoming outraged on their behalf.

      The sets were minimal as I said, but worked well I considered, and made good use of the viewer's imagination rather than re-creating whole chunks of America at the turn of the Century. It seems odd that as we just turned into the next one, many aspects of the story have not really altered for people in similar situations across the World.

      I realise that I’ve missed huge chunks out and several key characters, but it was October when I saw it and it’s now almost May!

      By the time we arrived back at the airport, the hurricane had blown up the coast and our brief flight back revealed Orlando in 3 inches of rainwater with more coming down steadily. Armed with our ‘Ragtime’ musical boxes we returned ‘home’ ready to face the next day. But we had seen a slice of American history which hadn’t had the Disney whitewash treatment.

      We were rumoured to be having this show in the UK last year, but it seems to have been forgotten about. I hope it’s only in temporary storage because I think that UK audiences will enjoy it a great deal. We did! Ragtime is both uplifting and immensely depressing in parts. It also has its fair share of humour too. Two ladies seated next to us explained a couple of geographical jokes at the interval and we chatted about how everyone in Florida comes from ‘some place else’. Which really is the whole point of Ragtime in a way.

      © Julie Meader 2000

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      La Cava-P.S.

      Thursday 8th June 2000th The Victoria Palace. Press Night.

      Just a few more lines about La Cava which opened officially on 8th June 2000, which was my second viewing. Well, I was right - the songs DO grow on you. The cast were all in fine form and role of Paul Keating’s Agon was much clearer. He seemed to be included in the action and his role was more defined. It was only later that it occurred to me that he was a eunuch, but this time it was mentioned - or was I not paying attention last time? Oh, and his voice was excellent. Marilyn Cutts as Queen Exilona exuded royalty and gave a really assured performance, and her equal devotion to Agon was a nice touch, especially her stroking his head while she lay on her deathbed. Her rendition of the title song was impressive and gave credence to the old saying ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’.

      The ensemble worked in complete unison and the dancing scenes, while still Guerreish, were well executed and had the audience cheering for more. The story has been only slightly tinkered with, and this time round, Florinda discovers that Roderic is the King earlier in the show, and so her hatred of him can seethe for a little longer, while his passion for her is more obvious. Another two very assured performances from Julie-Alanah Brighten and Oliver Tobias, who were certainly pulling out all the stops. The song of the show is still ‘What would you do for your child’ sung by Julian, played with consummate ease by David Bardsley. Quelle surprise! You wouldn’t have expected anything else, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you?!! (an admittedly bad attempt at an in joke for those who have seen it!)

      Well, that’s it really - go and see it. Preferably twice or more, because it’s much better on second hearing and this time we did come out singing. Badly, but we were singing.

      © Julie Meader 2000

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      SPEND SPEND SPEND

      Saturday 17th June 2000 matinee Piccadilly Theatre.

      Tucked away at the Piccadilly Theatre, already the winner of a handful of Olivier and Evening Standard Awards, this show by Steve Brown and Justin Greene (book and lyrics, music by Steve Brown) began life back in October 1999.

      Having been informed in the foyer that Barbara Dickson was indisposed, Susan Fay was listed to play the older Viv, along with regulars Rachel Leskovac and Steven Houghton. For anyone who is not already aware, Spend Spend Spend is the story of Viv Nicholson, the Northern housewife who in 1961 scooped £152,000 on the football pools, equivalent to around £3 million in today’s money. The title refers to the answer she gave when questioned by reporters as to what she proposed to do with the cash.

      Our story starts as the end, with the middle-aged Viv working in the Salon Mystique beauty parlour, dispensing face-packs and perms to clients who always want to know how it felt to win that money and tell her how stupid she is as she has none left. Viv takes us through her tale from 1958 until today, and fills in the gaps of her life, her loves, her husbands and family. When she ‘rolls back the years’ we see the young Viv, a cinema ice-cream seller in Castleford, Yorkshire, a grim northern mining town, where the prospects for a young and vibrant teenager are not too hot. Rachel Leskovac plays the younger Viv with real flair and looks as if she is really living the part. Like a cross between Sharon from Eastenders and Victoria Wood, Rachel charts the points in Viv’s life from the age of 15 when she decides to further her so-far innocent relationship with her boyfriend Matt.

      Pregnant at 16, Viv is married off to Matt, in a ceremony not exactly brimming with the happiness usually associated with weddings. Beseeching the audience to help her out, poor Viv is consigned to marital bliss with the hapless Matt. Viv’s own parents are not the ideal role-models for married life and their constant battles prove for some entertaining moments in the opening fifteen minutes. Her dad George (Jeff Shankley), selling off the tea and sugar on the black market, is a ne’er do well alcoholic, who, while ensuring Viv that ‘I’ll Take Care of Thee’ obviously will do no such thing. Entering into married life with Matt in her grimy cottage, overseen by even more grimy cottages and the ever-present backdrop of the mines, which is cleverly built into a split-stage effect with real smoke, Viv’s life takes an upward turn when The Boy Next Door arrives in the shape of the lovely Keith Nicholson (Steven Houghton). Handsome, tall, handsome and rather dashing - did I say handsome? - Keith is everything Matt is not, and soon the couple are embarking on an affair. Susan Fay ghosts through the narrative as the older Viv watching herself falling in love over again. The song ‘Scars of Love’ brings her memories flooding back. Leaving Matt almost as quickly as she married him, Viv and Keith then marry and at their reception, at the Miners Arms, the guests sing the praises of ‘John Collier’, the mythical pitman. While the men are full of self-pity about what life as a miner is like, the wives are under no such illusions! Their rejoinders to the men’s chorus ‘pity poor John Collier’ of ‘Makin’ do with nowt in the kitty, The hours are long and the pay is shitty.’ This certainly gained some sympathetic smiles from the audience.

      Now down to their last £2, Viv decides she’s had enough of skimping and scraping and hiding from the rent man, and suggests she and Keith blow the lot down the pub! Keith is not one to argue, so getting a shave, he switches on the wireless to listen to the football results. As the newspaper sellers appear on the split-stage, barking out the results, Keith soon realises he has 7 score-draws. Viv’s dad arrives, summoned round to baby-sit so that the pair can go off and drink away the last of their cash. As the final result is called in, George is checking the coupon - 8 score draws - the jackpot! Keith and George speculate on how much extra room they will need to house all the cash (Two Rooms) while Viv sings of toiletsJ Dreaming of yachts, houses, wives ‘Viv for everyday, one for posh’ the threesome celebrate the win. Then the real trouble starts! With Viv and Keith living out their promise of Spend Spend Spend wholeheartedly, they are soon joined on the gravy train by plenty of hangers-on in the spectacular finale to Act One, wheeling out their spoils on the conveyor belt; furs, golf clubs, champagne, watches etc. Sticking their fingers up at the world, both metaphorically and physically, the couple are well on their way to living out their dreams.

      Act two opens with the Nicholsons returning to Castleford dressed in sharp suits and Viv in a mink stole dripping with jewellery. While the refrain from the opening number of ‘Castleford folk look after each other’ still ringing out, the knives are soon out for the couple and they soon realise that half the people at their celebration party are complete strangers! After purchasing a bright pink Cadillac, they decide on a move to Garforth, only ten miles away but across the social divide, where they are then looked down their noses on in that part of the neighbourhood, but courted while the drink is flowing freely. With both of them now drinking heavily, they propose a trip to America where they appear to spend the entire holiday stuck in their room, Keith glued to the TV and Viv emptying the mini-bar (Drinking in America), which was cleverly relayed to the audience by way of Viv reading aloud her postcard home. Homesick, they return to England, where Keith buys a canary which he calls Goldie, his pet name for Viv. Telling the story of the bird (Canary in a Cage) and of how to look after it, the feel of the play suddenly changed to melancholy, and as the tears fell (that song is just sad, OK?!!) Keith went off to the races. Later that morning, a policeman comes to tell Viv that Keith has been killed in a car crash. The duet between the two Vivs in Who’s Gonna Love Me? was the real show-stopper with both ladies convincing in their desperation, accompanied by a very heart-rending score and some touching lyrics.

      As the vultures began to circle and her money almost gone, legal wrangles and family rows followed Viv. Finally being awarded a fairly large sum, Viv sets up a small clothes shop only for that to fail. Marrying completely unsuitable husbands numbered 3,4 and 5, and getting beaten black and blue into the bargain, she finally lived out her promise to Spend and her posessions (but not the canary!) are gradually re-possessed (Spent Spent Spent). Finally back where we started, after revisiting the small home she shared with Keith and seeing the ghosts of the past, and realising that it was then she had everything, the action moves back to the present day and the salon.

      This is a fabulous show and for once, the awards it has won so far have been thoroughly deserved. Rachel Leskovac is a powerhouse performer who is toally endearing and believable as the younger Viv; funny, outwardly hard-nosed but inwardly fragile, rolling with the blows she is dealt by life, the cruellest probably the one which made her famous. Susan Fay is also excellent as the older, if not that much wiser lady, who has lost a great deal more than £152,000. Steven Houghton is superb casting as Keith and Jeff Shankley as George really looks like he stepped straight out of t’pit. The Yorkshire accents are thick, the dialogue is not pretty, and being littered with four-letter words, plus a couple of adult scenes nearing the end of Act 2, this play carries a ‘not suitable for children’ warning. The story serves as a cautionary tale to all of us, and when I got home after seeing it, I didn’t check my lottery numbers! But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are some very funny moments during the younger days and it’s a joy to see the couple really living it up, albeit briefly, and looking as if they are actually enjoying themselves. The score is very easy on the ear and there are several very hummable tunes included. It is also very moving during the last half of act two, thanks to both the poignant acting of both Rachel and Susan and one of those heart-tugging, emotion-wringing songs. Go and see and hear for yourself, you’ll be glad you did!

      © Julie Meader 2000.

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