You’ve gotta love a bit of Cats. Old Cameron Mackintosh is on a roll this year, and the big budget producer will be bringing the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic – one of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history – back to the Empire this winter.
It’ll be in town from November 26 to December 7.
Based on the poems of TS Elliot, Cats continues to be a worldwide musical phenomenon; they claim it has been seen by over 50 million people in more than 300 cities in 26 countries around the world, and has been performed in at least 10 different languages. Cats was last seen in the UK in 2007 – where does the time go – and will be at least the fourth major tour of an Andrew Lloyd Webber show in Liverpool this year, following on from last month’s lavish Phantom of the Opera; Evita, which comes back to the Empire in June with Marti Pellow as Che; and the autumn return of the Jesus Christ Superstar arena tour.
Tickets go on sale today, available from Liverpool Empire Box Office, by calling 0845 871 3017, online.
In the 90s when I was a wee young thing, I bounced along in my ripped fishnets and gigantic New Rock boots all excited at the thought of catching Jason Donovan taking to the stage of the Hull Truck theatre as Frank ‘N’ Furter in the Rocky Horror Show. But disappointment awaited, when it turned out, as he so often was in those heady days, ‘sick’ that day and left the honours to his understudy. A good time was had by all, but it seemed the opportunity to see lovely Scott from Neighbours dragging up a storm might have been gone forever.
Not so! This week came the announcement he’ll be in Liverpool in a couple of months in perhaps the only show more unapologetically camp than Rocky – Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Huzzah!
On at the Empire from May 20 to 25,.Donovan will reprise the role of Tick, the part he played when the show originally opened in the West End.
He’ll be joined by Richard Grieve as Bernadette (best known as Jonny Foster in Emmerdale and Sam Kratz in Neighbours), and Graham Weaver as Felicia.
Based on the smash-hit movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert is quite conservatively described as “the adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship and ending more than they could have ever dreamed of”.
However, with a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dancefloor favorites including It’s Raining Men, Say a Little Prayer, Go West and Hot Stuff, you can guess the rest. The tagline of the show promises “a journey to the heart of FABULOUS!”, and I’m going to hold them to that.
Priscilla Queen of the Desert originally opened in Australia in 2006 where it ran for two years before opening in the West End for a run of a further two years. The show recently played a hugely successful season on Broadway. Along the way, it has won numerous awards including the prestigious Olivier and Tony Awards for best costume design.
Well, we’re ready for ya. I’ve been waiting 16 years for this. You better WERK, Jase.
Shows simply do not come any bigger or better than this new production of The Phantom of the Opera, and anyone in the vicinity of the Empire who likes a good musical and doesn’t come to see this is seriously missing out.
With one week of its Liverpool stint already behind it and another to come, the press night performance suffered the misfortune of not only our Phantom, Earl Carpenter, being struck out of the game by illness, but also his understudy. So stepping into the breach came John Owen-Jones – veteran of apparently some 2,000 West End performances as the Phantom in his time, and a very welcome addition to the cast.
It was genuinely unfortunate to lose Carpenter – no stranger to the Empire stage, most recently as Peron in Evita and in We Will Rock You in recent years – but, our luck was certainly in to bag Owen-Jones, and whomever it is that the Phantom appears to be on your visit, rest assured you will not lose out.
The scale of this new Cameron Mackintosh production – marking 25 years of the show – is simply breathtaking, with practically no expense spared right from the prologue revealing the show’s famous chandelier, of which much has already been written. Each scene looks incredible and sounds even better – that huge, discordant signature ringing around the theatre with a clarity unusual for the Empire was a real treat.
The show is the story of a supposedly haunted theatre under new ownership, the management sceptical of demanding notes they begin to receive from the ‘Opera Ghost’. When the Phantom hears stand-in soprano Christine Daas, he immediately falls in love with his ‘angel of music’ and vows to make her the star of his own dark opera and his bride. But he is to compete with childhood sweetheart Raoul, determined to break her from his rival’s spell.
The costumes were beautiful from start to finish; the set nothing short of stunning, particularly the scenes where the Phantom took Christine to his underground lair.
There are hardly the superlatives to heap praise on John Owen-Jones’s performance as Phantom, perfectly capturing the character’s vulnerability, depravity and desperation. Alongside him, Katie Hall as Christine was simply excellent – a strong-willed female lead convincingly posessed by the Phantom without resorting to girly simpering. Angela M Ceasar as fiesty soprano Carlotta Guidicelli brought comic relief and an impressive voice to the production.
In a piece this outstanding it seemed churlish to find fault, only to say that a little more chemistry between Christine and her lover Raoul (Simon Bailey) wouldn’t have gone amiss, and a wobble of an otherwise impressive fountain during one of the Phantom’s big dramatic moments was almost a distraction.
Otherwise, this production is simply a reverie of theatrical dedication and accomplishment. It showcases the Empire at its very best, and offers some of the most exciting, beautiful musical theatre you could see anywhere.
The Phantom of the Opera is on at the Liverpool Empire until Saturday, March 9.
There was something in the Times yesterday, a column, can’t even remember who by, worrying about the pressure on gents to look good in the buff in the wake of the new David Beckham H&M ad. I’m not sure what they might have been talking about, let’s take a look:
Oh, hello there. Well, whatever conclusion you may draw from that, the point might be in this instance that we have been glorifying the male form in such a manner for oh, at least 40 years; at the very least since the titular Rocky Horror was born with the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, and very little keeping his gold Speedos up.
And so, we mark the ruby anniversary of Rocky Horror with a brand spanking new tour. It’s on at the Empire until Saturday, and even on a Monday night, you can be assured you’ll encounter fishnets, corsets, mini top-hats and loudmouthed debauchery in copious amounts.
Although this blog loves Rocky Horror, it has never been quite so hard to gauge if a new audience would get what on earth is going on, on stage. This is a production that really preaches to the converted. If there was a criticism to be made, it was that some of the action happened too fast. It would have been nice to have a proper build up to the big reveal of Frank N Furter – however, once the cape’s thrown off and you’ve a toned gent in stack heels shaking his money maker at you – well (see also: David Beckham).
Ben Forster is probably the most charismatic Brad of recent times – usually, it’s easy to forget that character is even there. But he has a great voice and really throws himself into the comic role.
Rhydian Roberts, as Rocky, is a revelation. With a great voice, and even more incredible press up skills, he impressed despite the shocking excess of fake tan. Oliver Thornton as Frank was as beautiful and flamboyant as the character demanded. Lacking some of the sass it would be preferable to have seen, he brought a certain femininity to the role, which isn’t often how our Transexual hero is portrayed. Roxanne Pallett was suitably charming as Janet.
However, it seemed there was only one cast member who could really interact with the crowd well – Philip Franks, as the narrator. He had a more hands on role among the company than usual for the character, but coped brilliantly. Abigail Jaye – who blew me away as Evita last time she was on the Empire stage – didn’t seem to do much in her twin role as Magenta and the Usherette, which is something that doesn’t really add up, and why everyone including Frank started talking in cod-Eastern European accents when Magenta and Riff Raff revealed their true identities, it was hard to say.
Again, the end, where some of the characters we’ve started to care about meet their doom, was not given any kind of dramatic tension – it just seemed to be, like so many other scenes, just stuff that had to happen to move the show along.
Set designer Hugh Durrant deserved praise for bringing a new look to a very familiar show. As ever, Rocky Horror was great fun, and a great tribute to 40 years of pervy, brilliant nonsense.
Read MADEUP’s interview with Brad Majors himself, Ben Forster, here.
Actor and singer-songwriter Ben Forster, 31, had been performing in the West End and internationally for more than 10 years before being voted the winner of Superstar, the TV talent contest to find the lead for the 2012 arena revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. It’s fair to say life hasn’t been the same since.
He, along with a cast including Mel C, Chris Moyles and Tim Minchin return to the production – which is really quite awesome, by the way – again this spring. But first, he’s trying something completely different, and enjoying a bit of a romp in the Rocky Horror Show, which has just started its 40th anniversary tour.
Forster is Brad, the straight-laced all-American boy who gets a lot more than he bargains for when he and fiancée Janet (in this case, soap star Roxanne Pallett) knock on the door of one Dr Frank N Furter (Oliver Thornton).
The show comes to the Empire next month, and the publicity shots show Forster looking a world away from the intense, demanding performance that made his name. And he’s not the only cast member trying something new, with the somewhat surprise casting of clean cut X Factor star Rhydian Roberts baring (nearly) all as Rocky Horror himself.
Forster is bubbly and enthusiastic, with an irrepressible Sunderland twang that might surprise someone who has only seen him on stage. Brad, he says, is a great role to play, and he chose it deliberately for a bit of fun, a distinct contrast to getting strung up on a giant cross every night after failing to save the world, one would suppose.
“It’s such a funny, great show, the audiences are crazy and it’s a great company,” he says. “The audience participation can be quite scary, but in a way it keeps you on your feet and it’s nice to be back in theatres. Sometimes you really do have to stop yourself from laughing.”
Brad is a character it’s sometimes quite easy to overlook while others steal the show, so it will be interesting to see what it is about him that Forster likes so much.
“Because it’s got such a cult following, I think I’ve got to make my Brad live up to what people want,” he says. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever chosen to play him so nerdy, though. He’s a real geek that just never expected to be in the situation he finds himself in. For me, it’s an opportunity to pull faces and make people laugh. When everyone erupts in hysterics, I just think how brilliant my job is, to make people laugh and howl. I hope it carries on.”
Coming from a role that is regarded as one of the most difficult to sing in musical theatre, full of huge songs like Gethsemene (see clip below), so the silliness of Rocky Horror is welcome light relief for Forster. After performances of Jesus Christ Superstar, the cast couldn’t even meet fans at the stage door because of the need to rest their voices immediately.
“As Brad isn’t as difficult to sing I can relax a bit more, have a glass of wine after the show, that sort of thing. With those high notes in Jesus Christ Superstar, I’m literally screaming, so it’s nice to chill out. I leave Rocky in March, but it’s so much fun if there was an opportunity to come back, I’d do it.”
The tour will hit Forster’s home town of Sunderland, but his family, including his Liverpool-born mum, have already been to see the show – and seen him in some compromising positions. For those unfamiliar with Rocky Horror, Brad gets up to some extremely saucy shenanigans (much like everybody else).
“Ohmigod!” Forster blurts. “My family came to opening night, and of course I have to do some really embarrassing stuff, I was mortified. Oh my God, I was dying. But I’m playing a part, and it’s theatre, and in the end everyone was in hysterics.”
And it’s all thanks to a TV talent show. Of course, it wasn’t going to be an I-only-ever-sang-in-the-shower-before X Factor sob story that would come out on top during Superstar, and when it came to the crunch the winner had to have been someone who had already cut their teeth on stage. Forster had toured the world in the show Thriller Live, but has never performed on the Liverpool Empire stage before (in fact, the last time that show came to town, it featured Nathan James, who was booted off Superstar amid tales of getting up Andrew Lloyd Webber’s nose with his rock star ego).
Forster was initially weary that was the sort of thing that could happen. “When I got into the boot camp stage, I wasn’t too sure I wanted to go – because you don’t know how you’re going to come across and what you’ll be asked to do,” he says. “But I knew that if I was just myself and I wasn’t going to go on and do silly things just to be on camera, that was the best way to do it, really.”
It all paid off, and the show’s director Laurence Connor ordered Forster to put his own character into Jesus – after all, the public had voted for what they had seen and liked of him. Andrew Lloyd Webber took to Twitter on the opening performance of the tour to say it was the happiest night of his life – and Forster agrees.
“It was amazing that we’d created something brand new from something so established,” he says. “I think the show’s success has been down to our absolute belief in it – I had listened to it all through my teenage years and I know Tim and Mel felt the same about it. Everyone was fully committed to the vision.”
Keeping himself busy Forster has released an album, Acoustic Covers, and hopes to work on another this year. “Superstar completely changed my life and my position in the business, and I have already benefited so much,” he says.
The Rocky Horror Show comes to theLiverpool Empire for one week from February 11 to 16. Jesus Christ Superstar returns to the Echo Arena on March 15.
A perfect tonic for the wintery gloom, the Empire is home to the fun and games of 9 to 5: The Musical for the first time this week.
Penned by Dolly Parton and inspired by her starring role in the film of the same name (quite obviously), this touring version of the hit Broadway show tells the tale of three women who take revenge on their dreadful boss and take control of their own lives.
With songs as big as the hair, the show mocks 1979 style with affection but still looks good, while the madcap comedy is knowingly cheesy and keeps just on the right side of ludicrous. For sure, the show is as colourful and cartoony as La Parton herself – but song titles like Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot and Get Out Stay Out indicate guts as well as heart, much as we would expect.
Dolly appears at little intervals in the show to talk to the audience via video screen. Ever the charmer, it’s this in the end that gets the crowd on its feet, when she joins in for a verse and chorus of 9 to 5 before the curtain goes down.
That’s not to say the show relied on her – Bonnie Langford showed great comic timing and stage expertise as lovelorn PA Roz, and ex-Hollyoaks-er and Two Packets of Crisps star Natalie Casey once again proved what a great comic actress she can be. Relative newcomer Amy Lennox as Doralee, the Dolly-esque role, nailed the naive charm of the character and made her solo number, Backwoods Barbie, a highlight of the show. The songs blended Dolly’s 70s style disco and country with more traditional big musical theatre numbers, which worked well.
With plenty of laughs and characters you can really root for, stuff Viva Forever, this is the kind of real girl power an audience can really get behind.
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MADE UP 