Wicked (Wednesday June 26th 2013)

WICKED

This will be a very brief review; I've already written a very detailed review for this exact cast; please see that review if you want a detailed review.

Gina Beck as Glinda

Gina Beck and Louise Dearman were, as last time, flawless. I can't gush about either of them enough. Gina captures everything that G(a)linda is and more. I was sobbing within the first four minutes of the show thanks to her, and while her voice maybe isn't 'perfect', I think it fits the character beautifully, I highly doubt any other G(a)linda will be able to surpass or even equal her performance. What I love about Gina is that she captures the Galinda character and the Glinda character equally well. All other G(a)lindas I have seen have had no problem with Galinda, but struggle to grasp the change that occurs in Glinda. Gina, for lack of a better phrase, knocks it out of the park. 

Louise Dearman as Elphaba

Louise is a marvellous Elphaba; I'm terribly sad that she will be replaced by Willemijn Verkaik, who is very good but nothing special or captivating. Louise is fantastic; her voice is perfect for Elphaba (so powerful and passionate), and her No Good Deed made me cry. The way she moves while she sings is so real and so natural, which I find many other Elphabas lack. Their movements are stiff and unnatural, and the character mirrors that. Louise is Elphaba, just as much as Gina is G(a)linda, and I will sorely miss her when she's gone. I'm hoping to be able to see her again at the end of October. If I can't... well, I hope she comes back to the show soon. She's incredible, and I adore her Elphaba. (Also, I've finally stopped calling her Rachel Tucker).

Ben Freeman as Fiyero

Ben Freeman is not my favourite Fiyero. I usually fall in love with and want to marry most Fiyeros I see around the time they save the Lion cub. Not so much with Ben. He's not particularly attractive (not ugly, just not Max Irons good looking. Although at least he looks good in the Fiyero Pants. As much as I love Norbert Leo Butz, he could not pull off those pants), and I find his voice highly irritating. There's nothing smooth or enthralling about it; nothing that makes you want to hang on his every word. I do think he's a good actor; his Fiyero was believable, if not likeable. He got the attitude at the beginning right, and transitioned quite nicely to the more sensitive, caring Fiyero. I have to admit, I teared up a bit when he said "It's not lying. It's looking at things a different way." 

Katie Rowley Jones as
Nessarose

When it comes to Nessarose, in the seven casts I've seen, she has always been played by a Catherine or a Katie. The first show that it's not a Catherine or a Katie I might cry. Katie Rowley Jones is a nice Nessa; she's not extraordinary (my personal favourite is still Catherine Charlebois) and I feel like she lacks some passion and emotion during the climax of The Wicked Witch of the East, which is one of my favourite songs (also, I so badly want to re-choreograph that bit. I love the song, but the staging is so wrong). I also think she looks a little old for Nessarose; it might just be her face structure, but I always like to see more youthful looking Nessas, which makes Governor-Nessa all the more shocking. But overall, Katie was lovely, and I do enjoy her portrayal.

I think that basically covers everything, if you want to hear about the show in general, the set, the lighting/costume/makeup/hair design, anyother actors, etc. you can check out this review: http://strangerthanyoudreamt.blogspot.fr/2013/04/wicked-thursday-april-25th-2013.html or ask me any questions you have on Twitter! (@ElizabethRGFS)

Les Miserables (Wednesday June 26th 2013)

Les Miserables

Between Les Mis and Wicked, I spent around a total of around six hours in a theatre on Wednesday the 26th. It wasn't the great and wonderful day that I expected, but nonetheless I do love seeing my favourite musicals.

The Cast of Les Miserables at West
End Live 2013

I saw the brand new cast of Les Mis; not even two weeks old at this point. I love Les Mis, and I expected it to maybe not be as good as last time, since the cast was so new, but to be an entertaining show nonetheless. While it did have it's entertaining moments, overall, I didn't enjoy this performance very much (and Les Mis has dropped to number three on my list of favourite musicals). I had a lot of issues with the new cast, but I will try to keep it brief (and civil). I sincerely hope I don't end up sounding too critical.

My biggest issue was with Fantine, Na-Young Jeon. I do not want to sound racist or stereotypical, but the way she played Fantine reminded me of the female characters in the Asian Drama TV shows my friend is always watching. It was unrealistic, unnatural, and overacted. The facial expressions and body movement were all over the place; it was impossible to make sense of the character, and I started cheering in my head when she died, because I wouldn't have to see any more of that. I don't want to say that she's a bad actress, but I don't like the character choices that she made. Fantine is a hard character to care about, and the truly brilliant Fantines (like Celinde Schoenmaker) can make you care about Fantine, and cry when she dies. I was a little too happy when this particular Fantine died. I also wasn't too fond of her voice; technically I'm sure it was fine, but it was much too deep much too often for my liking. I swear I Dreamed a Dream is not supposed to be that deep. Anyway, in this case, I'm glad Fantine is only on stage for a short period. 

Rob Houchen as Marius and Carrie
Hope Fletcher as Eponine

The other main issue I had was with the new Marius, Rob Houchen. Marius is definitely not a character I particularly like in general, but usually I can say that the actor did a decent job at portraying an unlikeable character. In this case, I did not like the portrayal at all. I got the sense that Marius cared only for Cosette, and not for any of his 'friends' that died on the Barricade (which made Empty Chairs at Empty Tables a hollow song, although he sang it well), nor for Eponine. He actually pulled away when Eponine reached up to kiss him at the end; it took me a second to close my mouth, as I'd never seen nor expected a Marius to do that. The only thought that went through my head at that moment was something to the effect of, to paraphrase Molly Weasley, "MARIUS PONTMERCY! HOW DARE YOU PULL AWAY FROM EPONINE! SHE IS ABOUT TO FREAKING DIE AND YOU'RE BEING A word-I-will-not-use. I HOPE YOUR ALMOST-DEATH IS PARTICULARLY PAINFUL." Ahem... can you tell I'm team Eponine? Anyway, I thought that really detracted from his character. I liked the portrayal up until that moment. The one thing I will say is that I feel that Rob Houchen can - and probably will - improve with time. He'll get to know the character more, and hopefully become a bit more likeable. 

I also had a slight issue with accents during this performance; Anton Zetterholm as Enjolras was hard to understand in the second act, and to me seemed to be a 'background Enjolras'. I was paying more attention to Grantaire than I was to Enjolras. I have seen Geronimo Rauch three times now, but his accent was quite bad this time. Almost the entire show, he was dropping words and letters, to the point that it became quite garbled at points. Given that this hadn't been a problem the last two shows, I'll attribute that to just having an off day. For Anton as well, I think he will improve with time and practice. 

Tam  Mutu as Javert

Now for some positive comments; Samantha Dorsey has leaned how to keep her eyes inside her head, and her voice has become more powerful and less shrill. Overall, I quite like her Cosette now. I think she's improved a lot, and I look forward to seeing even more improvement from her in the future. Tam Mutu as Javert was, of course, phenomenal. I love his Javert, and he kills Stars and Javert's Suicide every time I see him. Carrie Hope Fletcher as Eponine was a standout of the show. While she did suffer a bit from what I call Penguin-Syndrome (flapping arms; most Eponines start out with having either Penguin-Syndrome or Koala-Syndrome), I thought her voice was incredible, and she really made me believe Eponine. I didn't like her more angry and bitter take on On My Own (I prefer a more devastated take), but it was very well done regardless, and I didn't dislike the angrier approach as much as I thought I would. Carrie is someone whom I'd love to see playing Elphaba some day; her voice is just so powerful and strong, and I can see her really owning songs like No Good Deed or Defying Gravity. Carrie was, undoubtedly, my favourite new cast member, and my favourite part of this performance. The ensemble was quite strong in this show, which was nice. I'd love to see the understudy Fantine and see if I like her any more. 

I'm not too sure when I'll go see this again; I might wait until the new year, when the cast has had more time to work on their performances. I'll only be able to fit in two shows in October, and I think that'll be Phantom and Wicked. Nevertheless, I do suggest going to see this at some point; I like seeing different performances, even if I decide that I don't like them.

Wicked review coming soon; stay tuned!

Favourites...

I've seen a few shows multiple times, so here I thought I'd list my favourite actors/actresses in order of preference (mostly for my own amusement).

The Phantom of the Opera (x61)
Christine
1. Olivia Brereton (x14)(London)
2. Lisa-Anne Wood (x7)(London)
3. Anna O'Byrne (x2)(London)
4. Harriet Jones (x24.5*)(London)
5. Celia Hottenstein (Toronto)
6. Ashleigh Fleming (London)
7. Samantha Hill (Broadway)
8. Celinde Schoenmaker (London)
9. Marni Raab (Toronto)
10. Emmi Christensson (x7.5*)(London)
11. Sofia Escobar (London)
12. Julia Udine (Broadway)
13. Sierra Boggess (25th Anniversary Production - Film)
14. Unknown (saw at age 6 in London, no longer have the program) (Possibly Deborah Dutcher)
15. Emmy Rossum (Movie)

*March 14th Show, Harriet Jones was on through the first half of Act 1, and Emmi Christensson finished the show.

The Phantom
1. Earl Carpenter (x3)(London)
2. John Owen Jones (x3)(London)
3. Geronimo Rauch (x26)(London)
4. Hugh Panaro (Broadway)
5. Jeremy Secomb (x2)(London)
6. Ben Forster (London)
7. Kieran Brown (London)
8. Marcus Lovett (London)
9. Scott Davies (x?+11)(London)
10. Simon Shorten (London)
11. Ramin Karimloo (25th Anniversary Production - Film))
12. John Cudia (Toronto)
13. Eric Ruiz (Toronto)
14. Unknown (Possibly Scott Davies or John Owen Jones)
15. James Barbour (Broadway)
16. Gerard Butler (Movie)

Meg
1. Layla Harrison (x18)(London)
2. Cat Lane (x14)(London)
3. Morgan Cowling (Toronto)
4. Georgia Ware (x2)(London)
5. Anna Forbes (x2)(London)
6. Daisy Maywood (25th Anniversary Production - Film)
7. Jennifer Ellison (Movie)
8. Alicia Beck (x18)(London)
9. Kate Wray (Toronto)
10. Kara Klein (x2)(Broadway)
11. Daisy Alice Hulbert (London)
12. Unknown

Raoul
1. Antony Hansen (x9)(London)
2. Oliver Savile (x2)(London)
3. Nadim Namaan (x6)(London)
4. Storm Lineberger (Toronto)
5. Liam Tamne (x19)(London)
6. Hadley Fraser (25th Anniversary Production - Film)
7. Simon Thomas (x2)(London)
8. Sean Palmer (too many times)(London)
9. Kyle Barisch (Broadway)
10. Jeremy Hays (Broadway)

Carlotta
1. Fiona Finsbury (x9)(London)
2. Lyndsey Gardiner (x2)(London)
3. Lara Martins (x31)(London)
4. Rebecca Robbins (Toronto)
5. Megan Llewellyn (x4)(London)
6. Michele McConnell (Broadway)
7. Janet Fischer (x2)(London)
8. Wendy Ferguson (25th Anniversary Production - Film)
9. Minnie Driver (Movie)

Ballet Girls (overall top 5 - not including Megs)
1. Layla Harrison
2. Anna Shircliff
3. Georgia Ware
4. Charise Renouf
5. Danielle Stephens

Wicked (x10)
G(a)linda
1. Gina Beck (x3)(London)
2. Carina Gillespie (London)
3. Tiffany Haas (Broadway)
4. Kendra Kassebaum (Toronto)
5. Kate Reinders (Broadway)
6. Emily Tierney (Edinburgh UK Tour)

Elphaba
1. Louise Dearman (x3)(London)
2. Willemijn Verkaik (Broadway)
3. Emma Hatton (London)
4. Stephanie J. Block (Toronto)
5. Eden Espinosa (Broadway)
6. Jacqueline Hughes (Edinburgh UK Tour)

Fiyero
1. Oliver Savile (London)
2. (Broadway)
3. Ben Freeman (London)
4. Samuel Edwards (Edinburgh UK Tour)

Nessarose
1. Carina Gillespie (Edinburgh UK Tour)
2. Catherine Charlebois (Broadway)
3. Katie Rowley Jones (x3)(London)

Boq
1. Richard Vincent (Edinburgh UK Tour)
2. F Michael Haynie (Broadway)
3. Sam Lupton (London)
4. Daniel Hope (London)

Les Miserables (x5)
Fantine
1. Celinde Schoenmaker (x2)(London)
2. Sierra Boggess (London)
3. Anne Hathaway (Movie)
4. Genevieve LeClerc (Toronto)
5. Lea Salonga (25th AC)
6. Na-Young Jeon (London)

Valjean
1. Geronimo Rauch (x3)(London)
2. Ramin Karimloo (Toronto)
3. Peter Lockyear (London)

Javert
1. Tam Mutu (x3)(London)
2. Earl Carpenter (Toronto)
3. (London)

Cosette
1. Samantha Hill (Toronto)
2. Jade Davies (London)
3. Samantha Dorsey (x3)(London)

Eponine
1. Helen Owen and Sarah O'Connor (both London)
2. Melissa O'Neil (Toronto)
3. Carrie Hope Fletcher (London)
4. Samantha Barks (Movie and 25th AC)
5. Carolina Gregory (London)

Marius
1. Perry Sherman (Toronto)
2. Craig Mather (London)
3. Jamie Ward (London)
4. Eddie Redmayne (Movie)
5. Rob Houchen (x2)(London)
6. Nick Jonas (25th AC)

Matilda (x22)
Matilda
1. Lara McDonnell (x6)(London)
2. Brooklyn Shuck* (Broadway)
3. Clara Read (London)
4. Evie Hone (London)
5. Anna-Louise Knight (x2)(London)
6. Jenna Weir (Toronto)
7. Violet Tucker (London)
8. Hannah Levinson (Toronto)
9. Lollie McKenzie (x2)(London)
10. Tasha Chapple (x3)(London)
11. Lizzie Wells (x2)(London)
12. Milly Shapiro (Broadway)

* The first half of act one of this show (March 18th) was Fina Strazza, but Brooklyn impressed me so much with what I did see of her that she made the list. I don't feel that I saw enough of Fina to put her on the list at all.

Lavender
1. Emily Robbins (x3)(London)
2. Jaime Adler (London)
3. Eva Trodd (x4)(London)
3. Evie Sneath (London)
4. Lily Blackwell (London)
5. Riley O'Donnell (x2)(Toronto)
6. Ynez Williams (London)
7. Frenie Acoba (Broadway)

Miss Honey
1. Miria Parvin (x7)(London)
2. Alison Luff (Broadway)
3. Haley Flaherty (x6)(London)
4. Lauren Ward (Broadway)
5. Charlotte Scott (London)
6. Paula Brancati (x2)(Toronto)

Miss Trunchbull
1. Eric Craig (Toronto)
2. Dan Chameroy (Toronto)
3. Bertie Carvell (Broadway)
4. Craig Els (x5)(London)
5. Alex Gaumond (x4)(London)
6. Oliver Brooks (London)

Mrs Wormwood
1. Darcy Stewart (Toronto)
2. Lesli Margherita (x2)(Broadway)
3. Kim Sava (Toronto)
4. Kay Murphy (x6)(London)
5. Rebecca Thornhill (x4)(London)

Favourite Shows
1. Zorro the Musical (London)
2. Mrs Henderson Presents (London)
3. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (x2)(Broadway, Toronto)
4. Matilda the Musical (x21)(Broadway, London)
5. The Phantom of the Opera (x59) (London, Broadway, Toronto)
6. Sweeney Todd (London)
7. Wicked (x10) (London, Broadway, Toronto, UK Tour (Edinburgh))
8. Les Miserables (London, Toronto)
9. Top Hat (London)
10. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (London)

Favourite Musical Theatre Performers
1. Emma Williams
2. Olivia Brereton
3. Lizzy Connolly
4. Layla Harrison
5. Harriet Jones
6. Gina Beck
7. Lara McDonnell
8. Anna O'Byrne

Favourite Ballets
1. Romeo and Juliet (National Ballet of Canada)
2. Winter's Tale (Royal Ballet)
3. Alice in Wonderland (National Ballet of Canada/Royal Ballet)
3. Frankenstein (Royal Ballet
4. Giselle (National Ballet of Canada)

Favourite Dancers 
1. Olivia Cowley (Royal Ballet)
2. Evgenia Obraztsova (Bolshoi/Mariinsky)
3. Lauren Cuthbertson (Royal Ballet)
4. Matthew Golding (Royal Ballet)
5. Francesca Hayward (Royal Ballet)
6. Alexander Campbell (Royal Ballet)
7. Elena Lobsanova (NBoC)
8. Guillaume Cote (NBoC)
9. Heather Ogden (NBoC)
10. Matthew Ball (Royal Ballet)

Favourites...

I've seen a few shows multiple times, so here I thought I'd list my favourite actors/actresses in order of preference (mostly for my own amusement).

The Phantom of the Opera (x65)
Christine
1. Olivia Brereton (x14)(London)
2. Lisa-Anne Wood (x7)(London)
3. Anna O'Byrne (x2)(London)
4. Harriet Jones (x28.5*)(London)
5. Celia Hottenstein (Toronto)
6. Ashleigh Fleming (London)
7. Samantha Hill (Broadway)
8. Celinde Schoenmaker (London)
9. Marni Raab (Toronto)
10. Emmi Christensson (x7.5*)(London)
11. Sofia Escobar (London)
12. Julia Udine (Broadway)
13. Sierra Boggess (25th Anniversary Production - Film)
14. Unknown (saw at age 6 in London, no longer have the program) (Possibly Deborah Dutcher)
15. Emmy Rossum (Movie)

*March 14th Show, Harriet Jones was on through the first half of Act 1, and Emmi Christensson finished the show.

The Phantom
1. Earl Carpenter (x3)(London)
2. John Owen Jones (x3)(London)
3. Geronimo Rauch (x26)(London)
4. Hugh Panaro (Broadway)
5. Jeremy Secomb (x2)(London)
6. Ben Forster (London)
7. Kieran Brown (London)
8. Marcus Lovett (London)
9. Scott Davies (x?+11)(London)
10. Simon Shorten (London)
11. Ramin Karimloo (25th Anniversary Production - Film))
12. John Cudia (Toronto)
13. Eric Ruiz (Toronto)
14. Unknown (Possibly Scott Davies or John Owen Jones)
15. James Barbour (Broadway)
16. Gerard Butler (Movie)

Meg
1. Layla Harrison (x18)(London)
2. Cat Lane (x14)(London)
3. Morgan Cowling (Toronto)
4. Georgia Ware (x2)(London)
5. Anna Forbes (x2)(London)
6. Daisy Maywood (25th Anniversary Production - Film)
7. Jennifer Ellison (Movie)
8. Alicia Beck (x18)(London)
9. Kate Wray (Toronto)
10. Kara Klein (x2)(Broadway)
11. Daisy Alice Hulbert (London)
12. Unknown

Raoul
1. Antony Hansen (x9)(London)
2. Oliver Savile (x2)(London)
3. Nadim Namaan (x6)(London)
4. Storm Lineberger (Toronto)
5. Liam Tamne (x19)(London)
6. Hadley Fraser (25th Anniversary Production - Film)
7. Simon Thomas (x2)(London)
8. Sean Palmer (too many times)(London)
9. Kyle Barisch (Broadway)
10. Jeremy Hays (Broadway)

Carlotta
1. Fiona Finsbury (x9)(London)
2. Lyndsey Gardiner (x2)(London)
3. Lara Martins (x31)(London)
4. Rebecca Robbins (Toronto)
5. Megan Llewellyn (x4)(London)
6. Joanna Strand (London)
7. Michele McConnell (Broadway)
8. Janet Fischer (x2)(London)
9. Wendy Ferguson (25th Anniversary Production - Film)
10. Minnie Driver (Movie)

Ballet Girls (overall top 5 - not including Megs)
1. Layla Harrison
2. Anna Shircliff
3. Georgia Ware
4. Charise Renouf
5. Danielle Stephens

Wicked (x10)
G(a)linda
1. Gina Beck (x3)(London)
2. Carina Gillespie (London)
3. Tiffany Haas (Broadway)
4. Kendra Kassebaum (Toronto)
5. Kate Reinders (Broadway)
6. Emily Tierney (Edinburgh UK Tour)

Elphaba
1. Louise Dearman (x3)(London)
2. Willemijn Verkaik (Broadway)
3. Emma Hatton (London)
4. Stephanie J. Block (Toronto)
5. Eden Espinosa (Broadway)
6. Jacqueline Hughes (Edinburgh UK Tour)

Fiyero
1. Oliver Savile (London)
2. (Broadway)
3. Ben Freeman (London)
4. Samuel Edwards (Edinburgh UK Tour)

Nessarose
1. Carina Gillespie (Edinburgh UK Tour)
2. Catherine Charlebois (Broadway)
3. Katie Rowley Jones (x3)(London)

Boq
1. Richard Vincent (Edinburgh UK Tour)
2. F Michael Haynie (Broadway)
3. Sam Lupton (London)
4. Daniel Hope (London)

Les Miserables (x5)
Fantine
1. Celinde Schoenmaker (x2)(London)
2. Sierra Boggess (London)
3. Anne Hathaway (Movie)
4. Genevieve LeClerc (Toronto)
5. Lea Salonga (25th AC)
6. Na-Young Jeon (London)

Valjean
1. Geronimo Rauch (x3)(London)
2. Ramin Karimloo (Toronto)
3. Peter Lockyear (London)

Javert
1. Tam Mutu (x3)(London)
2. Earl Carpenter (Toronto)
3. (London)

Cosette
1. Samantha Hill (Toronto)
2. Jade Davies (London)
3. Samantha Dorsey (x3)(London)

Eponine
1. Helen Owen and Sarah O'Connor (both London)
2. Melissa O'Neil (Toronto)
3. Carrie Hope Fletcher (London)
4. Samantha Barks (Movie and 25th AC)
5. Carolina Gregory (London)

Marius
1. Perry Sherman (Toronto)
2. Craig Mather (London)
3. Jamie Ward (London)
4. Eddie Redmayne (Movie)
5. Rob Houchen (x2)(London)
6. Nick Jonas (25th AC)

Matilda (x22)
Matilda
1. Lara McDonnell (x6)(London)
2. Brooklyn Shuck* (Broadway)
3. Clara Read (London)
4. Evie Hone (London)
5. Anna-Louise Knight (x2)(London)
6. Jenna Weir (Toronto)
7. Violet Tucker (London)
8. Hannah Levinson (Toronto)
9. Lollie McKenzie (x2)(London)
10. Tasha Chapple (x3)(London)
11. Lizzie Wells (x2)(London)
12. Milly Shapiro (Broadway)

* The first half of act one of this show (March 18th) was Fina Strazza, but Brooklyn impressed me so much with what I did see of her that she made the list. I don't feel that I saw enough of Fina to put her on the list at all.

Lavender
1. Emily Robbins (x3)(London)
2. Jaime Adler (London)
3. Eva Trodd (x4)(London)
3. Evie Sneath (London)
4. Lily Blackwell (London)
5. Riley O'Donnell (x2)(Toronto)
6. Ynez Williams (London)
7. Frenie Acoba (Broadway)

Miss Honey
1. Miria Parvin (x7)(London)
2. Alison Luff (Broadway)
3. Haley Flaherty (x6)(London)
4. Lauren Ward (Broadway)
5. Charlotte Scott (London)
6. Paula Brancati (x2)(Toronto)

Miss Trunchbull
1. Eric Craig (Toronto)
2. Dan Chameroy (Toronto)
3. Bertie Carvell (Broadway)
4. Craig Els (x5)(London)
5. Alex Gaumond (x4)(London)
6. Oliver Brooks (London)

Mrs Wormwood
1. Darcy Stewart (Toronto)
2. Lesli Margherita (x2)(Broadway)
3. Kim Sava (Toronto)
4. Kay Murphy (x6)(London)
5. Rebecca Thornhill (x4)(London)

Favourite Shows
1. Zorro the Musical (London)
2. Mrs Henderson Presents (London)
3. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (x2)(Broadway, Toronto)
4. Matilda the Musical (x21)(Broadway, London)
5. The Phantom of the Opera (x59) (London, Broadway, Toronto)
6. Sweeney Todd (London)
7. Wicked (x10) (London, Broadway, Toronto, UK Tour (Edinburgh))
8. Les Miserables (London, Toronto)
9. Top Hat (London)
10. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (London)

Favourite Musical Theatre Performers
1. Emma Williams
2. Olivia Brereton
3. Lizzy Connolly
4. Layla Harrison
5. Harriet Jones
6. Gina Beck
7. Lara McDonnell
8. Anna O'Byrne

Favourite Ballets
1. Romeo and Juliet (National Ballet of Canada)
2. Winter's Tale (Royal Ballet)
3. Alice in Wonderland (National Ballet of Canada/Royal Ballet)
3. Frankenstein (Royal Ballet
4. Giselle (National Ballet of Canada)

Favourite Dancers 
1. Olivia Cowley (Royal Ballet)
2. Evgenia Obraztsova (Bolshoi/Mariinsky)
3. Lauren Cuthbertson (Royal Ballet)
4. Matthew Golding (Royal Ballet)
5. Francesca Hayward (Royal Ballet)
6. Alexander Campbell (Royal Ballet)
7. Elena Lobsanova (NBoC)
8. Guillaume Cote (NBoC)
9. Heather Ogden (NBoC)
10. Matthew Ball (Royal Ballet)

The Phantom of the Opera (Monday, June 24th, 2013)

The Phantom of the Opera

This is my sixth time seeing Phantom; third within the last eight months. Each time, it has been a very different experience. Twice, I saw Anna O'Byrne as Christine, whom I admire so much it's not even logical. She's just a fantastic person. Anyway, she unfortunately left the show to work on Barnum just last Friday, which I was devastated about. Instead, I saw the brand new Christine alternate, Olivia Brereton, as well as Marcus Lovett (whom I had also never seen before).

This night was, in short, magical. I walked in with not many expectations; I had heard that Olivia was good, but I adored Anna's performance so much that I doubted I would much like her replacements. Thankfully, I was so, so wrong.  Olivia, while not perfect, was nothing short of outstanding. There are certain timing issues that will be worked out with practice, and I'm honestly not a fan of Christine's who don't do pointe (although I understand that not everyone can, but part of what I loved about Anna is that she was a decent (en pointe) dancer. From my perspective, Christine can't be a terrible dancer. They would've kicked her out of the opera if she was). Anyway, small me-being-nit-picky issues aside, Olivia was wonderful (she's moved to #2 on my list of favourite Christines). She has these moments that are hard to describe, where she almost completely breaks down, but not quite... whatever it is, it's heartbreaking. I nearly cried at the beginning of Wishing because of one of these 'moments'. I can't really describe what she does; it's almost like choking up, but not quite. Anyway, it's beautiful and powerful. The other thing about Olivia is she is the only person to have been able to pull off the Dressing Room scene with Raoul in a way that I liked. To me, that scene is the most awkward, worst written part of the show, but Olivia and Antony Hansen played it such that Raoul and Christine were instantly familiar and comfortable with each other. The usual awkwardness of the scene disappeared, and I loved that. A final thought on Olivia; I hope she stays longer than just until the Cast Change. I'd love to see her develop more; I see so much potential in her Christine that it would be a huge loss to the show if she only played her until the end of August. Something I'd heard about Olivia via tumblr is that she overacted; I didn't think this was the case at all. I think it was Layla Harrison who said that she was very natural on stage; I think this is a very accurate description. While she didn't play Christine as passionately as Anna, her performance was very believable. There wasn't a moment when I doubted the character. 

Marcus Lovett with Sofia Escobar

I had mixed expectations of Marcus; so many people had said he was a bad singer and actor, while others had said he was incredible, so I went in with a very confused head. I don't understand the people who said he couldn't sing or act; he's not got the strongest voice I've ever heard, but there's nothing wrong with it either. His boat-pushing isn't very convincing either, but aside from that, I loved him! Between him, Olivia, and Antony, I was sobbing during the Final Lair. I've hardly shed a tear in Phantom before; maybe a few during Anna's last Wishing, but that's about it. I was full on bawling during the Final Lair, which took me entirely by surprise. Also, I swear he was staring right at me during I gave you my music. Scariest/most awesome thing EVER. He also stood right up in the angel as it was going back up; I thought he was going to fall out of it. An awesome effect; it really added to the Phantom's reckless character. Anyway, back to Marcus. I don't really have too much to say about him; he was quite good, a great Phantom (like Olivia, he is also moving to #2 on my Favourite Phantoms list). I'd definitely love to see him again as well.

There were some glitches in the show, but I LOVE glitches. It shows what performers can do when things don't go quite right. Anyway, in this show, Christine's Aminta dress ripped (I think when Marcus sat on it by accident), the veil was being extremely stubborn during the final lair (sorry Olivia, but I don't think that veil likes you very much), and Carlotta's scarf accidentally caught on her costume and she walked off with it right before Think Of Me. There were a couple others that I can't remember right now, but anyway, as I said before, I love bloopers and glitches. They make a show I've seen multiple times so much more interesting.

Also, I need to go back to the Final Lair for a second. I've seen this show so many times that I watch it from an analytical, theatre critic's perspective as opposed to actually getting very involved in the story. It's the same issue with Wicked (which I have now cried during twice, mostly thanks to Gina Beck). But in the Final Lair with Olivia, Marcus, and Antony, I lost myself in it. My heart was pounding, tears were running down my face - I don't know what it was about it, but this final lair hit me more than any other has. While I'm talking about the Final Lair, special mention to Antony for full on belly-flopping onto the stage when the noose was cut. One, that must have hurt. Two, that was brilliant and effective. Three, OUCH. And four, I love this Raoul. I'm team Raoul usually, even though I'm not fond of him in general. Antony did a very good job making me actually like Raoul, so props to him. 

As well, special mention to Layla Harrison, who played a Ballet Girl today but is my favourite Meg. She danced beautifully today, as did all the Ballet Girls (a side note: I want my own white tutu. Those things are gorgeous!) I actually love watching the Ballet parts of Phantom (I love watching Ballet on youtube; Miko Fogarty is my favourite dancer to watch, but I love the Children of Theatre Street documentary as well), and I guess they were three dancers short today, but it looked lovely anyway. Also to Lara Martins, who is my all time favourite (and most viewed) Carlotta. She's hilarious! 

And now, it is 1:30 in the morning and I really should get my butt to bed (even though I'm doing nothing tomorrow). Any questions about the show or about Olivia, just ask me on Twitter! (@ElizabethRGFS)*

*(A note on my username, RG stands for Rhythmic Gymnastics, FS is for Figure Skating. These are my two favourite sports in the world, and both major parts of my life).

A next day addition: Something else I liked about Olivia was kind of strange, but when am I ever not strange! Anyway, part of what I loved about Olivia is her look; she's not perfect. She doesn't have perfectly straight teeth or a perfect pointed nose or extremely skinny legs. But she's still extremely beautiful. As I said, it's sort of a weird thing to notice, but as someone who is extremely self conscious of her worst features, it's a huge confidence boost to see someone who doesn't have the stereotypically perfect features, but is still ridiculously beautiful. Odd thing to comment on, but there you go. 

Stage Door-ing in London! (June 2013)

The Phantom of the Opera (June 24th)

Layla Harrison

My first show of my trip was Phantom. I was VERY excited for Stage Door at this one, as I very much wanted to meet Layla Harrison (who is my favourite Meg to date) and give her a gift that I had for her, as well as meet Marcus Lovett (who I finally saw play the Phantom; it took three tries, but I did it!), Olivia Brereton (the new alternate Christine, who was replacing my beloved Anna), and Lara Martins (Carlotta; I have seen her three times now). Unfortunately, I missed Lara, but otherwise, tonight was perfect. The first person I met was Layla; I had been so nervous that I wouldn't recognize her that I was creepily staring at everyone who walked out of the door. She had said to just shout her name when I saw her, but I'm an extreme introvert, so things like shouting names and being pushy are hard for me. Fortunately, I recognized her quickly, and when she turned around I was able to say her name and she came right to me. I gave her her present, she gave me a hug (I nearly started crying again!) and we took a few pictures (after major camera issues; I can't apologize enough for that. So sorry Layla!). She thought she had to rush off, but found out that she didn't and came right back to chat to me. It was very kind of her, and I appreciated it very much. 

Olivia Brereton

Anyway, we waited quite a while after Layla left, and then Marcus and Olivia came out at the same time. Olivia went straight for some other people, but Marcus walked right towards me. He shook my hand and my dad's (!!), introduced himself, and we talked a bit about university and school. Then I was able to get Olivia's attention when she was done talking to other people, and I spent a little time talking to her as she signed my program. I was moaning about my eyes to my dad a bit when he was taking the picture (I have horrible bags under my eyes that never go away and look bad in pictures) and Olivia was kind enough to say that my eyes were very pretty in the photo. 

Marcus Lovett

After this was over, I was a little overwhelmed by kindness. I don't want to say that no one's every kind to me, because it's not true, but when people that you admire and look up to take the time to talk to you and just be nice to you in general, it's very special. And these are memories I cherish. 

Thank you to all who reassured me about recognizing Layla, and who were so supportive of me when it came to seeing the show tonight! 

Les Miserables (June 26th - Matinee)

Unfortunately I had to dash off to Wicked right when this ended, so I wasn't able to go to Stage Door. I would've loved to say Hi to Carrie and Nicky though! Nicky chastised me on Twitter for not saying Hi; I promise I will next time!

Wicked (June 26th - Evening)

Gina Beck

I have to say, Wicked Stage Door was disappointing. There were SO many people! Nothing like April, when it had just been me. We had to wait quite a while and it was chilly, but I was able to give Gina her present, thankfully, and take a picture with her. I wasn't able to actually talk to her for any length of time though, which makes me feel like a complete idiot because the card I wrote required a bit of explaining. It seemed fine when I wrote it last week, and when I re-read it today, but now I'm regretting it. She's probably laughing at me right now, or thinking I'm some kind of crazy obsessed fan. Oh well. It was nice to see her again, and she was of course very kind.

Louise Dearman

Anyway, I also met Louise again; she was lovely as usual. I was rushing to say something nice because I didn't want to take up too much of her time, so it came out a little garbled. Sorry Louise. But I loved her as Elphaba; I'm sad she's leaving in November. I'm not a huge fan of Willemijn Verkaik, to be honest. I also met Ben Freeman; I was walking away, saw him, and figured I may as well ask for an autograph because I'd never met a Fiyero before. Based on certain things I've read about him, I was flat out terrified of him (you can see in the picture I'm leaning away quite a bit), but I'm glad I've met him now. He and Gina walked away holding hands, which I'm still having issues with (for no logical reason, really).

Ben Freeman

So today wasn't quite what I had hoped, and because I'm someone who dwells on everything that I do or say, I doubt I'll be able to sleep well - if at all - tonight. I don't think I'll be stage door-ing at Once or at whatever I see next week, so this is probably the end of the entries for this post. Stay tuned for some short Wicked and Les Mis reviews, probably coming within the next few days!

*Side note; I'm not photogenic at all, so... yeah, I just felt the need to say that. Standing next to Gina I look even worse than usual. Anyway... night!

Headed to London!

Hello all! I will be off to London in a week. While in London, I plan to spend as much time as possible inside a theatre. Right now, I only have Tickets for WICKED on the 26th, but I also plan to see Phantom, Les Mis, and Once, and will hopefully be able to squeeze in either one or two more shows while I'm there. So stay tuned for more reviews!

Guys and Dolls at the Shaw Festival

Guys and Dolls

It was told to me that I was seeing Guys and Dolls, at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, about thirty minutes before we left for the show. Having never heard of it before, I was not particularly excited, nor was I too enthusiastic about the two hour drive to see a show I had no interest in. However, my mum informed me that this show had quite good reviews, and a quick look at Wikipedia told me that this show had won a tony award for best musical, so I assumed it would be decent, if nothing else. 

In the end, I was left with very mixed feelings about this show. Overall, I was bored to death during a majority of it (particularly the first act). The show did have its humorous and entertaining moments, but unfortunately, that was not enough to save it. I think that the main problem is the script; it's repetitive (unnecessarily so) to the point that you want to inform the playwright that you are not, in fact, a six year old child that needs to be reminded of the same thing every minute. Guys and Dolls isn't dated, per say. Nor do I want to say it has no relevance anymore. But there is no question about it; this is not an engaging musical. The main issue I had with it is that it's a 'performance musical'. The actors stop everything to sing to the audience. The character is abandoned in favour of singing as if they were in a concert. It ruined the continuity, in my opinion.

The thing about the Shaw Festival is that I've been going there since I was a small child, and cast members tend to stick around. Usually, I see two or three performers I'm familiar with. This time, it was only one. I saw Elodie Gillet, who played Sarah in Guys and Dolls, in High Society (one of my all-time favourite musicals) years ago. I expected to enjoy her performance, but I found her singing, though well done, out of place. When she was singing, she was no longer the character. She was just singing. The actors I enjoyed in this performance were those playing the more minor characters: Nathan Detroit's Henchmen were hysterical, as was Miss Adelaide. 

All in all, I wouldn't recommend Guys and Dolls. If, after a show, I think that I would rather have been home cleaning my room, it was not worth the trip.