Made in Dagenham

Made in Dagenham

Adelphi Theatre, London

"Inspired by a true story and based on the hit movie, Made in Dagenham is the uplifting new West End musical comedy about friendship, love and the importance of fighting for what is right."

www.madeindagenhamthemusical.com

 Having not seen the movie, I had no idea what I was anticipating when I went to see 'Made in Dagenham'. In saying that I had been forewarned by friends about the show leaving my expectations on the lower side of the spectrum. Nevertheless, when the curtain was raised you are greeted with a spectacle. It took a couple of numbers to get comfortable with what was happening on stage though once we entered the mighty Ford factory, it began to flow quite well. You are given clear context of class from the very beginning of the performance, the struggle of the O' Grady family is evident. The set is beautifully designed and ran without any major hitches. I would question the necessity of the truck that was used for the O' Grady's home and the Factory Office scenes - in that its entrances jittered the slickness of an otherwise flawless set design.

The cast worked really well as an ensemble and there were many memorable musical numbers that will go down in musical theatre history. There was a good balance of ballads to choral number with harmonies that delivered with vigor. Though the choreography was well executed, it could have been a little more dynamic. Eddie O' Grady performed by Adrian Der Gregorian, played a fantastic performance with a tremendous vocal. So too did lead actress Gemma Arterton, in an acting capacity, however her vocal ability did not meet the standard of the production.

The response from the audience was surreal. The reactions to the equality rallies and the unprecedented hissing from towards the protagonist males such as the Prime Minister were completely unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and I look forward to returning again in a few months time when it will be even better!

Snakes! The Musical

Snakes! The Musical

Leicester Square Theatre, London

Straight into The Lounge of  the Leicester Square Theatre from the Edinburgh Fringe, 'Snakes! The Musical' sees a young director who has written a musical based on the film Snakes on a Plane. The actors immerse the audience as producers as they pitch the production in the hope of securing financial investment of $50million. Granted the show has the essence of a cult performance however I was forever in anticipation of the ever-familiar 'look, he's behind you'. Though there elements of the production that were very comic, vocally the female lead simply did not deliver.

Scottsboro Boys

Scottsboro Boys

Garrick Theatre, London

After a sell-out success at the Young Vic in 2013, Scottsboro Boys has recently transferred to the Garrick Theatre, London, despite it's short run on the Broadway stage.  The cast is predominately male with just one female character on stage. The nine boys displayed a very energetic performance and worked very well as an ensemble. However the sole Caucasian performer played by Julian Glover lacked empathy the entire duration of the show. The mechanism of the set was very eloquent and clever; using only chairs to form the structure of scenes and props alike. This married with the lighting design was very atmospherically impacting.

With such a heavy concept, the requirement for sensitivity is impeccable. Unfortunately this was sometimes absent. One particular scene that was very uncomfortable was the Electric Chair number, displaying a well designed lighting display that was completely out of place and unnecessary in the development of the very uneven plot. Though very humorous, there were many areas of the show where you laughing with hesitation due to comical acts portrayed by the mistrals.

There are a number of great musical numbers in the show, the choreography was very strong in many areas. However upon departure from the show you come to question, is it still necessary to education such concepts in Western Culture especially through song and dance? Would the mechanical language of a dramatic play justify the story better?