The main reason for the anxiety about the form of Norris' tenure seems to be his Christmas musical which is being critically and publicly lampooned. Damon Albarn's and Moira Buffini's updated adaptation of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland certainly is a mess. The exceptional concept is demolished by a preposterous book from Moira Buffini ('now I'm not alone; like a nail all ingrown' is actually a lyric in this musical). Damon Albarn's music is high concept but lacks a memorable melody which is an important thing for a family musical. The video design takes away from the realism of normal life and the game graphics would mean that wonder.land would never be used in the modern age. Furthermore, there are extremely irritating performances, not least by Hal Fowler whose M.C needs to be reined in to stop being so grating. But for all of this shows grave faults, it provides a great few hours of entertainment. If you don't take anything seriously, you can enjoy the ridiculous child who throws up for no reason and seems to only exist just to cram another issue in. You can also appreciate some exceptional performances. Lois Chimimba and Carly Bawden play the real and virtual Alice with personality and charm, especially Bawden as I thought I would spend her time on stage wondering how Rosalie Craig would have done it, so the fact that I didn't is a testament to her performance. Anna Francolini brings her formidable skill to the queen of spades like Mrs Manxome, delivering her opening number with fierce power in a 'model of a modern major general' style song and is generally an exceptional Disney villain, being bad with no real threat which suits the production well. Overall, whilst this show is almost a total failure, it is fabulously enjoyable to watch.
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Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without this Dicken's classic. This story of redemption resonates even now in a world in which capitalism dominates the festive season so this tale is a good reminder of 'the true meaning of Christmas'. This is captured nicely in Phelim McDermott's wholesome production even if there is no real genius to it. The problem with this production for me lies in the knowing nature of it. Through his set design, Tom Pye exposes the wings whilst puppeteers Jack Parker and Kim Scopes create the visual effects live on stage. This leads to comical scenes with flying and snow throwing. However, the breaking of the fourth wall goes too far in the closing scenes and it turns from charming to pretentious. Other choices are better made such as Jim Broadbent's performance as Scrooge. He plays the infamous character as the man capitalising on Christmas spirit for his own game but is less of a caricature than the normal portrayal. He is supported by some wonderful actors who give wonderful performances who multi-role superbly. Adeel Akhtar, Amelia Bullmore, Keir Charles and Samantha Spiro bring exuberance and joy to their parts. Sadly damaged by a shaky adaptation, this production has potential to shine with such talent on stage and occasionally does.
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With Hamilton taking Broadway by storm, Lin-Manuel Miranda's previous musical has moved to the now not-so-temporary King's Cross theatre after a hit run at the Southwark Playhouse. If In the Heights is the inferior musical, Hamilton must be the most divine piece of genius on the face of the earth. Thanks to a magnificent production from Luke Sheppard, this musical about life in an American Dominican and Puerto Rican community. Seen primarily through Sam Mackay's Usnavi, there are multiple strands which interweave and mingle. The music is pulsating and challenges the form of music theatre, with rap being introduced in an authentic and non-distracting way whilst the choreography is the strongest in the West End. Drew McOnie has crafted one particular party seen that rivals West SIde Story in the way it can contain emotion, plot and beauty through dance. This is carried out by a scarily good cast that sing and dance with real brilliance. The complexity to this show is impressive and means that this is a true hit.
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This years show for young children at the National transforms Jon Klassen's popular story into a fun hours-worth of excitement. Wils Wilson directs this rather quaint and enjoyable production in which Marek Larwood's bear tries to find his hat which has been stolen by Steven Webb's rabbit. Natalie Klamar, Peter Lawman and Naana Agyei-Ampadu play an assortment of animals and shrubbery during this bears journey to find his hat. Fly Davis' design creates an inviting, living room setup where the children could play and interact with cast members before the show. Sadness and tragedy is shown quite candidly here, with a surprisingly vivid death which I initially thought would upset the young audience yet they handled it well with no one seeming upset. Arthur Darvill's music is jolly and upbeat whilst Joel Horwood's book is fun both for children and adults. Performances, as expected, are excellent, especially Larwood who tackled tricky questions from some inquisitive children well. This is a charming production that takes it's audience seriously and, as a result, is much better for it.
