War Horse: Behind the Scenes

Yesterday my friend Emma and I got up bright and early (well, I did anyway) to go to the New London Theatre where the extremely popular War Horse is currently showing. Assistant Puppetry Director, Jimmy Grimes, gave a really insightful talk about the development of the puppetry used in the story and, along with the very talented puppeteers, provided a demonstration of how Joey, the star of the show, is brought to life.

The amount of research, thought, and detail, that has gone in to the way horses move, their behaviour, and the noises they make, is staggering, and at just £4 a ticket it was an absolute privilege to hear what Jimmy had to say and to see the professionals at work. It was eye opening how an initially inanimate object can be made to seem so life like, but they pull it off with bucket loads of precision and competency. I've not yet seen the show, but I cannot wait to do so after the all too brief behind the scenes glimpse.

Unusually we were allowed to take photos of Joey on this occasion, although if you do go to see the show bear in mind it is not permitted during the actual performances. I took a couple of short videos which are below so you can see just what I mean when I say how clever and masterful the puppeteers are. You may have to turn your volume up if you want to hear Jimmy.

 

Here is Joey getting to know an audience member

 



The puppeteers show how Joey trots and gallops

Glee Stage Musical "in the works"

Rocky Horror, West Side Story, and Grease, are just a selection of well- known musicals that the cast of hit TV show Glee have performed over their four seasons on the small screen. The tables may now be turning as 20^th Century Fox co-head Gary Newman let slip that a Glee stage musical may well materialise in the future.

During an Investor Day with shareholders, Newman reportedly told them:  “We launched a live stage business with a sold-out arena concert tour in 2011, and now a live stage musical is in the works”. The news comes shortly after the announcement that there will be a season five and six of Glee still to come, despite the recent loss of lead cast member Cory Monteith.

No further information has been revealed so it is unknown whether any of the cast themselves will appear in the stage adaptation. Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, and Darren Criss, have all appeared on a Broadway stage before, but there’s no telling how involved they will be with this project.

Meanwhile, Lea Michele made a moving tribute to her on and off screen boyfriend, Cory Monteith, after winning a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress in a Comedy. Michele thanked her fans for all their support during a difficult few weeks, and dedicated the award to Cory.

 

Jersey Boys Movie- Casting Has Begun!

 

The eagerly awaited casting process for Clint Eastwood’s upcoming Jersey Boys movie adaptation now appears to be in full swing.

It wasn’t too long ago that it was revealed Christopher Walken (Pulp Fiction, Hairspray, Seven Psychopaths) would be taking on the role of Angelo ‘Gyp’ DeCarlo. It has now been reported that joining him are Eric Bergen (Jersey Boys First National Tour, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas casts) as songwriter Bob Gaudio, Mike Doyle as music producer Bob Crewe, Johnny Cannizzaro as Nick DeVito, Donnie Kehr as Norm Waxman, Jeremy Luke as Donnie, and Joey Russo as Joe Pesci.

The name John Lloyd Young also seems to pop up every time this movie is mentioned as someone who the producers and Eastwood himself are eyeing for the lead role of Frankie Valli. Young was the original Valli in the Tony Award Winning Broadway version of Jersey Boys and it’s his voice you will hear on the original cast soundtrack. Another falsetto contender was seemingly thrown in to the pot recently when we then heard that the West End’s original Frankie Valli, Ryan Molloy, was also “in talks” about playing the role. It would be a smart move on behalf of the movie makers to give one of these men the part, and my reason for saying this is as follows: The initial audience for this film is most likely going to be fans who have seen the show, possibly multiple times, in either London or New York, so, if the standard of whoever is eventually cast does not at least match, or exceed, Young or Molloy, there may well be some very unsatisfied fans and consequently some unhappy box office numbers.

In a recent BBC Radio 2 interview with Steve Wright, Molloy, who, as it happens, holds the record for the longest serving lead in the West End, said: “I am in the mix, but the fact that I’m in London… I think when you’re in New York and Broadway and you kinda got that, it’s easy for them to come and see you…” He has a point, but it would be a shame for the UK talent to miss out just because of an inconveniently placed ocean.

I eagerly await news of more casting, but until then, here’s the original Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry About Me).

 

 

 

Sophia Grace Brownlee Joins Cast of Into The Woods

Sophia Grace (R) and Rosie at the Kids' Choice Awards 2013. Photo by Just Jared. 

 

One half of the internet sensations Sophia Grace and Rosie is to join the likes of Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, and Anna Kendrick, in Rob Marshall’s movie adaption of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical: Into the Woods.

The ten year old, who has recently released her own single Girls Just Gotta Have Fun, sailed to fame with her younger cousin Rosie, at the time aged 8 and 5 respectively, after their Mums took a video of them performing Nicki Minaj’s Superbass while dressed in their pink tutus and fluffy tiaras. They later appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in the States and have become regular guests and celebrity correspondents on the show, all the while maintaining their princess image.

The excitable pair have noticeably gained confidence over the years and have clearly become favourite interviewers amongst Hollywood’s A-listers. The two can be seen here:

 

being their usual cheeky selves backstage at the MTV movie awards. Listen out during their chat with Star Trek stars Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, as Sophia Grace gives a taster of what her voice can really do.

The story of Into the Woods is host to a number of recognisable fairy tale characters, and Sophia Grace will take on the role of Little Red Riding Hood. The movie is set to be released in December 2014.



Derren Brown: Infamous- New Alexandra Theatre

Psychological illusionist and mind bender extraordinaire, Derren Brown, has asked the audiences of his tour thus far to keep the contents of his show a secret, which has understandably left any reviews devoid of specific details. When you cast your mind back and remember that he is more than capable of making you believe that you now live in a post-apocalyptic world filled with ‘infected’, zombie-fied human beings, among other things, it is very easy to comply with his request. Not to mention, mere words would not really do justice to the thrill of experiencing this show for yourselves, and the respect that you’ll gain for Derren after seeing this show or anything else he has done will be so great, you just won’t want to give away what’s in store. What can be said, however, is that Infamous is as surreal, mind boggling, and truly fantastic as anything he has previously done, if not more so.

He has once again joined forces with director Andy Nyman, whose previous credits include Derren Brown: Enigma as well as a number of the television programmes Derren has under his belt. When it comes to delivering a spectacular show, these men are a force to be reckoned with. Infamous feels more intimate and understated than the previous live shows; the set is a lot more simplistic, although very effective, and Derren does go into some personal history that reveals him to be very grounded and very much human. The tricks themselves are just as astounding as you would expect, and they all lead up to an explosive finale that will leave you breathless with wonderment and mind-numbing confusion.

Derren has previously said that in recent years he has decided to move away from tricks that focus the audience’s attention completely on him, and instead enjoys facilitating an experience for another person. Indeed, the majority of this show revolves around audience participation and interaction, which amps up the adrenaline before the curtain is even raised as you wonder what’s going to happen if one of his colourful frisbees heads directly for you.  He uses this method of choosing ‘volunteers’ to deter people from thinking he plants actors or stooges in his audiences; it’s a great shame that he comes under fire from those who decide to accuse him of being ‘fake’. On numerous occasions, Derren reminds us that he does not have psychic powers and that he is very sceptical of supernatural claims. For me personally this makes him all the more impressive; to be able to work out the complex logistics of all of his tricks and to be able to fool a substantial amount of people, who don’t for one second take their eyes off you, over and over again, takes so much more intelligence and skill than would be necessary if ‘swish your wand Harry Potter style’ magic or mind reading actually did exist. What also becomes very apparent when you go to Derren’s shows is that, despite how different we all think we are, the human mind is consistently predictable and easily influenced, and it is his deep knowledge and understanding of these facts that helps him produce such an astonishing performance.

On top of all of this, it can never be repeated too often that Derren is a born showman; one minute he will be light and comical, the next he’ll be commanding and compelling. There is really nobody else out there like him, and there is certainly no other show like this one.

There is a moment in the show where Derren talks about how big claims should always be backed up with substantial evidence- the claim made here is that Derren Brown’s shows are some of the most memorable, electrifying, and overwhelmingly exciting productions you will ever see, and Infamous is the undeniable evidence.

Matilda the Musical Review- Cambridge Theatre

"Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable...” – Roald Dahl

Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly certainly don’t produce musicals by halves judging by the sensational hit that is Matilda the Musical. It is no surprise that this show stormed the 2012 Olivier Awards; the entire production is as exciting and intricate as the glorious set that greets the audience as soon as they step into the auditorium.

Roald Dahl’s story follows the first few precious years of the life of Matilda Wormwood, a little girl who adores stories and embodies the imagination and intelligence we all wish we had. She is underappreciated by her scheming, television obsessed family and is especially detested by the headmistress of her new school, the formidable Miss Trunchball. Along with her classmates and their kind teacher, Miss Honey, Matilda shows the adults of the world just how powerful a young mind can be, and how important it is to keep the child within us alive.

“Dahl’s love of language and the musicality of words, combined with his ability to make us laugh at subjects that are a little bit dark and scary, meant that for me, being asked to write songs for Matilda was like Bruce Bogtrotter being offered a jam doughnut.”- Tim Minchin. There really isn’t anyone more perfect to write the songs for such a story as this- Minchin’s lyrics are catchy without being cheesy, kid friendly without being condescending, and moving without being too severe. The story has been made even more invigorating by Peter Darling’s outstanding choreography, which all the cast execute with an abundance of energy and precision.

Four young ladies shoulder the responsibility for the lead role, and this particular night Matilda was portrayed by Christina Fray. For such a small girl to demand the attention of a huge audience takes a lot of talent and stage presence, and the fearless Christina has no trouble with keeping everyone captivated. Her Matilda is mature but spritely, and her voice is faultless. Michael Higgins as Bruce Bogtrotter is also a memorable performer, and almost had the audience on their feet during the song ‘Revolting Children’. David Leonard as Miss Trunchball is an example of genius casting; although a male playing a female character sounds pantomimic, Leonard’s portrayal is masterful and domineering, yet maintains the ability to make the audience laugh at will.

From Paul Kieve’s innovative illusions to the outrageously fun set designs and hair styles, Matilda the Musical is an unstoppable theatrical force. Thoughtful, delightful, and mischievous, it is the best show for the young and the young at heart.