Musicals
Nowadays we need some escapism, a little bit of a song to lift our moods.
London’s dazzling array of
musicals, both high-camp and sombre, offers the perfect opportunity for
this. If you’ve got Jazz-Hands and dry ice in your head and are a little
perturbed by the idea though, then don’t worry, the modern musical takes many
different forms, and they’re all available for your enjoyment in London!
For the more traditional amongst you, who like your musicals camp and with lots
of big numbers, then you certainly won’t be disappointed. Rowan Atkinson is the
latest big-name to take on the role of Fagin in
Oliver!, a show
brought back into the public attention by the nationwide talent search to find
the actor for to play Nancy and also three new boys to play the eponymous role
of the orphaned boy. Two Lloyd-Webber classics, The Phantom of the Opera and the
ludicrously camp Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, are still wildly
popular on the West End and it’s easy to see why, with their mix of well-known
number and heart wrenching ballads, big stage productions and immensely talented
casts, you’re certainly onto a winner with these shows.
If you’ve seen the film and now want to see the musical then you’re certainly
spoilt for choice.
Mamma-Mia broke box-office and DVD sale records in its film incarnation, but
for the full experience of Swedish song’s and big dance numbers, the stage
production is a must!
Hairspray is one
of the newest editions to the West-End stable of long-running musicals, but it’s
already established itself as a firm favourite with audiences. Containing more
songs than the film version, and a wonderfully brave turn by Michael Ball as
Edna Turnblad which, amazingly, manages to eclipse John Travolta’s film
interpretation of the roll, this is a toe-tapping, skirt –shaking evening of fun
guaranteed! The
Lion King is simply breathtaking; the costumes alone raise audible gasps
from the audience as soon as the curtain rises and the sense of wonderment
doesn’t end all the way through. Billy Elliot has a much more British feel to
it, with Elton John providing excellent lyrics to the stage version of the cult
British film.
The newest contenders and future classics of the West End are also worth a look.
Wicked is fast becoming the stuff of legend, and Avenue Q provides a quirky
twist on the traditional musical genre.
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