Hi guys, I know it's been an age since I published a blog but I'm going to appeal to your better nature and ask if you can bare with me while I'm in my final year of university, which constitutes running around like a headless chicken for the majority of the time...I'm sure any of you who have been to university will understand.
This blog is going to focus on two shows, mainly because I have written blogs about them both before so don't want to go on about them too much, I do, however, feel that it is nice to write about them again as, as you'll know, every theatre experience is different, exciting and new in their own way.
The first show is The Rocky Horror Show (to see my previous blogs please click the venues: Grimsby, Cambridge, Manchester and Cardiff), which sadly finished its tour during November (don't kill me if I'm wrong!). My last stop off at this show was in Nottingham on 28th November where I saw the show twice...yes I'm crazy enough to have seen the same show twice in one day! I saw the matinee performance with my mum and then saw the evening show with my mum and two friends who had never seen the show before. Well, a great time was had by all with much dressing up and time warping in the aisles.
Overall, the show was much the same as when I have previously reviewed it...which if you can't remember was A-MAZE-ING! However, there was one cast change, which was that Richard Meek was playing Eddie/Dr Scott rather than Joel Montague. I have to say that, although Richard played the role differently to Joel, I'm not sure which one I prefered as they were both great performances and really got the character of Eddie/Dr Scott across. It just goes to show that just because someone plays a role differently doesn't make them better or worse than the original, just different.
So I would say that I am rather gutted that the tour finished, though I do understand that a 40th anniversary tour cannot run forever, but if any of the main cast (I'll list them below) appear in another show I would be tempted to go and see them in that and I would, also, be tempted to go and see the show again in a future version of the tour...both cast and show are fabulous.
Rocky Horror Cast (some roles were played by more than one person over the course of the tour, I'll only list those who I saw):
Frank N Furter - Oliver Thornton
Ben Forester - Brad Majors
Sam Attwater - Brad Majors
Danny Harmer - Jannet Weiss
Roxanne Pallett - Jannet Weiss
Harry Neale - Rocky
Henry Davis - Rocky
Rhydian - Rocky
Philip Franks - Narrator
Kristian Lavercombe - Riff Raff
Ceris Hine - Columbia
Abigail Jaye - Magenta
Maria Coyne - Magenta
The other show I wanted to talk about was my latest visit to see the tour of Priscilla, which this time was in Hull (for any of my previous blogs please click the venues: Manchester, Oxford, Wimbledon, Southampton, Nottingham, Belfast). The main thing to say about this show is I cannot believe how much I can still enjoy it after seeing it so many times yet each time I know that I will definitely be going back as many times as I can before it the tour finished (I'm secretly hoping that it won't and it will just be an ever going tour).
One thing that was different this time is something that is more to do with the business that goes on backstage than what the audience sees. I, reliably, found out that due to the backstage area of the theatre being really small it was only possible to fit one acts worth of props and costumes backstage so during the interval the company had to take all of act one's stuff back to the lorries that were parked outside the theatre and move act two's stuff into the theatre. I don't know about you but I found this particularly interesting and an insight into the complications of life with a touring show.
I, also, have to come out and say that I am now fully converted to the touring production of the show and will confess to preferring it more than the West End version...and yes that is even with the tour not having a 'full bus'. As well as the fantastic cast, what really has sold me on the tour is the replacement of Downtown with It's Raining Men, as an opening number this song really let's you know you're in for one of the most fantastic shows ever.
So that they don't feel left out I will, also, list the full Priscilla cast, and if the sad day comes when the tour closed I will be making a point of finding out which shows these guys are going into as they truly are fantastic.
Priscilla Cast (some roles were played by more than one person over the course of the tour):
Jason Donovan - Tick/Mitzi
Noel Sullivan - Tick/Mitzi
Richard Grieve - Bernadette
Graham Weaver - Adam/Felicia
Giles Walting - Bob
Julie Stark - Marion
Emma Kingston - Diva
Ellie Leah - Diva/Shirley
Laura Mansell - Diva
Frances Mayli Mccann - Cynthia
Alan Hunter - Miss Understanding
Regan Shepherd - Farrah/Young Bernadette
Ian Oswald - Dance Captain
Bleu Woodward - Dance Captain
Hope all you're all ok and are having fun in the run up to Christmas. Keep looking out for my blog on Dreamboats and Petticoats, which I saw when it came to Nottingham in late November, and, also, a blog about Wicked, which I'll be seeing tomorrow :). If you have any questions or queries or just want a chat please comment below or on Facebook or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox.
Love you all
Kat
xx
