[Misc] Theatre 2022

Long weekend in the West End for the wife's birthday.
Took in three shows

Come From Away. I have to admit I had a doze in the first half and missed about 10 minutes.
It's one of those shows that needn't be a musical. A story about planes landing in Gander, Newfoundland on 9/11.
Music excellent
7/10

Jersey Boys at the Trafalgar Theatre.
This is my favourite all time musical, from when I saw it at the Picadilly Theatre. It was 10/10 then.
It's moved. The new show is not as colourful, as energetic or as exciting as the old show.
The cast we saw did not have the same passion or energy as previously.
Terrific show. But only 8/10 this time.

Choir of Men - the reviews describe it as a fantastic night out down the pub.
And wow, what a show this was.
The best of the week.
Hi energy, great fun, superb
Strongly recommend this. Cheap ticket, and they hand out free beers. Sounds ridiculous, but it's true
9/10

I went to watch 'Waitress' at the Theatre Royal last night. It's there until Saturday.

I'd seen the show in the West End back when it first came. The Broadway run was nominated for a range of Tonys and the west end run nominated for a couple of Olivier awards. I find often times the tour cast is a level beow the west end cast, but there has been a trend since covid of tour casts using at least some of the west end cast (and some shows taking their tour cast to the west end). David Hunter was in the west end when I saw it and is back in the show on Tour (having replaced Matt Willis from Busted who started the tour). The rest of the cast were different Katherine McPhee (from American Idol) was replaced with Chelsea Halfpenny (from Emmerdale and Byker Grove) in the lead role. I'm wasn't familiar with Chelsea (replacing lucie Jones in the tour, Lucie had replaced Katherine McPhee in the west end), but she was very good. There are some big songs and she had the pipes to nail the songs, which you don't always get when a soap stars join these sorts of shows.

The show is based on a smalll indie film of the same name from 2007 (starring Kerrie Russell, Nathan Fillion and Jeremy Sisto). It tells the story of Jenna a waitress in an abisuve relationship who discovers she is pregnant, and she starts an affair with the new doctor in town. Jenna is also a fantastic baker of pies, inventing them based on her emotions as something of a narative device, giving a certain degree of whimsy to what could have been a heavier and darker story. Supported by two fellow waitress friends, one of whom is a nuerotic shy young girl starting a new relationship (with a fellow civil war reenactment/poet/nerd), and another more bolshy experienced lady having her own relationship issues.

The music is written by Sarah Bareilles who is probably most famous for 'Love Song'. She has also starred in the main role of this show on Broadway and the West Wend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi7Yh16dA0w

It is a film and a show that everytime I watch I remember how delightful it is and wonder why I don't watch more often. Definite recommend.