Inclined to Opine

I have loved Amélie the movie and been obsessed with its soundtrack since the film came out 2 decades ago, so when I first heard that a musical version was in the pipeline, I was elated. However, when catching a teaser trailer online, my excitement came to a crashing halt: it wasn't Yann Tiersen's music! This last year, at the request of some of my students, I looked into the musical again and ended up working on one of the show's duets; I was perhaps not in love with it (yet) but I had gotten over the shock and started enjoying the material. All of this to say that, by the time I walked into the Criterion Theatre in July to watch Amélie live, I had already ran through the whole gamut of emotions! As mentioned in previous reviews, I am always wary of adaptations, perhaps because what I consider essential to ensuring they are successful is often overlooked. While keeping the story and characters is of course a must, the most important aspect to capture is the feel of the ori...

As I enjoy doing, I came to Be More Chill utterly in the dark; other than having read the brief synopsis on the ticket website, I knew nothing of the musical beforehand. In stark contrast to Anything Goes, which I had watched the night before, I was one of the older members of the audience and clearly one of the few who had no idea what I was about to watch. It felt like being on the outside of a cult phenomenon. The premise of the musical is both interesting and original, if yet another iteration of the well-worn story of discovery that being yourself is what you need. I have to say, something about the musical brought out the crotchety old lady I’m sure I will end up becoming, and I found myself wondering why I should be interested in yet another retelling of teenage angst trying to be popular in school. Be More Chill felt like it was trying to do what Heathers the Musical does but missed the memo on what makes the latter great. Heathers works because of its catchy music paired with ...

I have long been a sucker for the swing era songs, growing up on Berlin, Porter, et all. But this was my first time actually hearing them in context and watching a non-Gershwin full musical of that time. I’ll start by saying that, while highly enjoyable, this won’t become a favourite I return to repeatedly. Unsurprisingly, the plot is full of shenanigans and confusions, a heritage that clearly harks all the way back to  opera buffa . And the characters are almost stereotypes, no real depth to any; all to be expected. So if this is your cup of tea, then Anything Goes will be nothing short of a delight. However, though the material may not have always managed to keep me on the edge of my seat, not so the production. Rarely have I seen such quality across the board: the sets, costumes, transitions, all top-notch and gorgeous. For once, I found the sound balance to be just right: I could hear the singers perfectly without the band being compromised at all, and everything at a volume th...

I must confess my expectations were low coming into this musical. I’m always wary of spin-offs, sequels, prequels, and the rest of the potential money grabs that come with a success, as few of them ever live up to the quality of the original. But I was curious and keen to be back in the theatre, so decided to take a gamble. Alas, it still managed to disappoint, even though I wasn’t expecting much to begin with. This show is very much a tale of two musicals: the material versus the performers. I have to say, there are few musicals I have been to where the vocal quality was so good across the board. All the main characters and solo singing parts had amazing voices and there was barely a note out of place. True, I was at times left with the suspicion that there may have been a degree of lip-syncing, but I’m sure that was due to my sky high seats; this is the West End after all! The dancing was solid, particularly the immensely funny if inexplicable tango; however, the acting didn’t quite ...

I came to Heathers with not much insight into the musical other than a very vague idea of some of the plot and having worked on “Seventeen” with students. As a show, it is a delicious contradiction: a comedy full of drama, a fluff piece ripe with social commentary, teenage angst turned profound meaning, all in one. The most interesting contradiction of all, for me, is the music itself. In most other contexts, I would have found it a tad repetitive and overly “bouncy” but, when coupled with the wickedly witty writing, it becomes self-awareness incarnate, a great use and subversion of tropes. And can I just say how refreshing it is to watch a musical that isn’t PG? From sung orgasms to the funniest striptease ever to all the swearing, it felt liberating! The cast was solid across the board, though the acting wasn’t always topnotch. From a vocal perspective, it was clear that a choice had been made in terms of sound with everyone singing in the most nasal of mixes, often to the detriment ...

I don’t quite know how to write a review for this show. This was my first live musical since the start of the pandemic and only the second show in a year and a half. The evening was filled with meaning and joy and relief, and made for an unforgettable theatre-going experience as a result, almost regardless of the actual show itself. But that’s what you’re here to read about so let's do this! Hairspray will never be a magnificent musical in my book. It doesn’t have musical excellence, nor writing acumen, not even choreographic greatness. But what it does, it does very well, and it's solid through and through. Light and joyful, it tackles heavy and important matters in a way that coaxes the viewer’s agreement rather than demand their acquiescence. As I am starting to expect from productions at the London Coliseum, the cast was absolutely stellar vocally, not a single note out of place and each character beautifully cast. Lizzie Bea’s Tracy held the weight of the show effortlessly...

Though I like to think of myself as varied in my film choices and open to international cinema (what with being a polyglot and having dual citizenship), the truth is that it's still rare for me to watch non-English language movies. But I am so very glad I watched this one! Though, as usual, I have steered clear of other reviews until I've written mine, there's still a sense that this film may be perceived by some as an ode to drinking and alcoholism. I vehemently disagree. We're presented with four men stuck in their current lives, going through their days by rote, a grey existence for one and all. When the idea to explore a philosophical theory through experimentation arrives, they all jump at it, the sense of grasping at anything that will alter the routine palpable. And so they embark on this often poorly thought out adventure, having a blast along the way. There are, of course, ethical questions that the film raises and that I believe are meant to make the audience ...