Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
As a reviewer I've been sent to watch some truly awful musicals and, to be honest, based on the first scene of Happily Ever After Society's latest production of Thoroughly Modern Millie I thought I'd been sent to another. There were wardrobe malfunctions, bustling confusion, tech problems and the first night nerves were well on show. Fortunately, across the course of the evening, the production became slicker and far more enjoyable. The cast went from strength to strength and provided a very entertaining evening.
The musical follows Millie Dillmount, a young ingenue in the 1920s who has moved from her Kansas home to New York in search of a better, brighter life. Along her way she encounters evil plots, conflicting love interests and bizarre cases of mistaken identity.
The most impressive aspect has to be the singing and dancing. All performers are a joy to listen to, supported by a very impressive 22-strong orchestra (who do not get the credit they deserve in the curtain call). The choreography is slick and evocative of the dance hall culture of the roaring 20s - tapdancing and the Charleston being the order of the day. All singing and dancing is executed with a heartlifting energy that is wonderful to watch.
However, in the face of the musical success, the acting falls short. The scenes in between numbers limp along and do not carry the energy or tension the script demands. It appears the acting has been neglected. Following from this is the unoriginal blocking - all scenes happen straight out to the audience and I can't think of one song in which the soloist was not stood front and centre. What it needs is a bit of imagination to liven up the movement onstage and prevent it from becoming static.
The set was cumbersome and problematic - requiring long blackouts for scene changes. Many scene changes left the audience on the edge of their seats as members of the cast forgot to move things off or accidentally crashed set pieces into walls. Equally problematic was the odd directorial decision of having two uncomfortable stage-hands holding 'subtitles' for scenes in which the majority of the dialogue was in Chinese. This was unrehearsed, messy and irritating to watch - an odd choice on the director's (William Descrettes) part. All stagecraft needs to be tightened as it detracted from the fun of the show itself.
Another issue was the costume, clearly under tight budget restriction, it failed to uphold the atmosphere of the 20s which was so successfully recreated elsewehere. Costume and set seemed to be an afterthought to the production. As a result Thoroughly Modern Millie came across more as a revue of song and dance rather than a narrative-driven musical.
Lottie Johnson performed ably as Millie. She must be commended for her stamina in carrying the show and her nobility in powering through first-night nerves. She was endearing and sweet but lacked the feistiness expected of the character. Her singing was marvellous though, and some of the big notes she hit were outstanding - proving why she had been cast in the role.
The most impressive performance, however, came from Luke De Belder as Trevor. He was one of the few cast members to really engage with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the musical. His dexterity in singing, dancing and acting was a delight to watch. His unwavering focus and unrivalled energy made for a shining performance. Nevertheless, Tom Jones, Bethan Williams and Melissa Layton must also be mentioned for their impressive performances.
Thoroughly Modern Millie is genuinely entertaining and the second act more than makes up for the faults of the first. The direction is unoriginal and unimaginative but it is an enjoyable night out that is sure to leave you with a tune in your head and a skip in your step.
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